Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Oh Do Shut Up
Iran needs to "confess" to running a past nuclear weapons program or its claims of cooperating with a U.N. investigation of its past clandestine activities will be a sham, the chief U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday. In Washington, meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tehran must do even more to end present U.N. sanctions and avoid new ones — halt uranium enrichment and related activities that could make the ingredients for a bomb.
Fantastically illogical, astronomically arrogant and just plain batshit warmongeringly insane. But y'know persistent & dedicated and they wrote 'bomb' result! So they have that going for them. Empires don't expand themselves people.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
American Jews Oppose Military Action against Iran
This just in: American Jews are opposed to any military attack on Iran, by a large margin, according to the American Jewish Committee's 2007 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion (6-25 November 2007).
The rest of the survey is just as good.
No, this doesn't surprise us: the fact obscured by both the Israel lobby and some of its most foolish critics is that, after all these years, Jewish Americans still largely lean to the Left, thinking more like oppressed Blacks than privileged whites, and adjusted for income differences (lower incomes tend to correlate with more progressive opinions on foreign policy as well as economics), Jewish Americans are probably the most progressive group in the USA; and that neo-conservatives are a tiny minority at odds with a great majority of Jewish Americans they claim to represent (Glenn Greenwald, "New Poll Reveals How Unrepresentative Neocon Jewish Groups Are," Salon.com, 12 December 2007). Now, isn't it great to have what we know confirmed by the American Jewish Committee again?
Update
"Two-Thirds of Israelis Oppose Attack on Iran: Poll" (Agence France Presse, 6 December 2007). Take that, neo-cons!
| 7. Would you support or oppose the United States taking military action against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons? | |
| Support | 35 |
| Oppose | 57 |
| Not Sure | 8 |
The rest of the survey is just as good.
No, this doesn't surprise us: the fact obscured by both the Israel lobby and some of its most foolish critics is that, after all these years, Jewish Americans still largely lean to the Left, thinking more like oppressed Blacks than privileged whites, and adjusted for income differences (lower incomes tend to correlate with more progressive opinions on foreign policy as well as economics), Jewish Americans are probably the most progressive group in the USA; and that neo-conservatives are a tiny minority at odds with a great majority of Jewish Americans they claim to represent (Glenn Greenwald, "New Poll Reveals How Unrepresentative Neocon Jewish Groups Are," Salon.com, 12 December 2007). Now, isn't it great to have what we know confirmed by the American Jewish Committee again?
Update
"Two-Thirds of Israelis Oppose Attack on Iran: Poll" (Agence France Presse, 6 December 2007). Take that, neo-cons!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Tapes? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Tapes!
The CIA has destroyed interrogation tapes, news agencies are reporting. According to MSNBC:
"WASHINGTON - The CIA destroyed videotapes it made in 2002 of the interrogations of two top terror suspects because it was afraid that keeping them "posed a security risk," Director Michael Hayden told agency employees."
That security risk is alleged to be the identity of CIA agents and operatives:
"In his message to agency workers, Hayden said that House of Representatives and Senate intelligence committee leaders had been informed of the existence of the tapes and the CIA's intention to destroy them to protect the identities of the questioners."
Because with all of our modern day technology, there is no other way to protect the questioner's identities other than destroying the tapes altogether. Riiight.
It would have nothing to do with the fact that questionable interrogation techniques such as waterboarding were being used. Or the fact that people are coming forward and admitting that suspects were "confessing" to crimes only because they were being tortured."Current and former intelligence officials told NBC News' Robert Windrem that one of the videos included the waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah, the person in charge of al-Qaida's training camps and the group's first major leader to be captured."[...]"Dec. 7: Abu Zubaydah says the only reason he gave up certain information during an interrogation was because he was being tortured, according to transcripts obtained by NBC News. NBC's Bob Windrem reports.MSNBC"
Be sure to watch the video on the linked page. Perhaps one of these days we will see a copy of one of these videos on YouTube, under "Operatives Gone Wild!"
It is my opinion, however, that the tapes will never surface - not legally anyway - and the CIA will never be held responsible for torturing suspects, nor will the suspects ever get anything for having been tortured, and confessing under said torture.
This administration's use of tactics as torture - like the infamous London Tower - is just proof that we, as a nation are behaving badly. Worse yet, this bad behavior is all being defended so we can continue to behave badly - start wars, increase Xenophobia, and take over the world.
In the face of the threat of an attack on Iran, support the people of Iran!
via Renegade Eye
Renegade Eye Note: This was written by Alan Woods : However, it would appear that the prospects of an air strike against Iran have receded - at least for the present. This does not suit Ahmadinejad at all. His support is rapidly eroding inside Iran, and his only hope was to keep beating the drum about the danger of US aggression in order to divert the masses' attention away from their most pressing problems and thus save his regime. He has made a public statement to the effect that the new revelations expose Bush as a liar (which they do) and completely justify the policies of his regime (which they do not).
This will make it easier for the development of a widespread movement of opposition by the Iranian workers and students, which has already begun and is destined to transform the whole political life of the region in the coming period. The Iranian Revolution will cut across the stagnant and unbreathable atmosphere of reaction that hangs over the region. It will cast off the yoke of religious fundamentalism and resolutely take the road of socialism and workers' power. I think Allen's words compliment Maryam's.
In the face of the threat of an attack on Iran, support the people of Iran!
The threat of a US attack and the devastating consequences of economic sanctions are looming over the people of Iran. US's war with the Islamic Republic is not the war of the people. People of Iran and their interests are not represented in this conflict. They want neither the Islamic Republic, nor a military attack, nor economic sanctions. For years, they have been fighting the Islamic Republic and the unbearable conditions that this ultra-reactionary regime has imposed on society.
Iran is a society where people sing the Internationale anthem in their protest gatherings and chant "One earth, one humanity" and "One race, the human race". It is a society where the slogan "Freedom, equality, human identity" has adorned the banner of its struggles. A society where the International Day of the Child is celebrated in large gatherings in scores of cities, and where its manifesto in defence of the rights of homeless children and child workers declares: "for children to be free, this inverted world must be changed". It is a society where prisoners on death row, from deep inside the jails, call on the people of the world to fight for the universal abolition of the death penalty. Iranian people in their numerous demonstrations have repeatedly stated that they want neither war, nor a nuclear programme, nor the Islamic Republic.
People of the world!
To end the threat of a military attack on Iran, support the struggle of the people of Iran! The overthrow of the Islamic Republic by the will and power of the people is the only human and civilised way to end the threat of war and the deadly race that Islamic terrorism and US militarism and state terrorism are waging in Iran, the Middle East and globally. The Islamic Republic does not represent the people of Iran. This regime is their enemy, not their representative! This is a regime that has been able to survive only by executing tens of thousands of people and carrying out the most ghastly medieval tortures and punishments such as stoning to death, flogging and amputating. The Islamic Republic must be rejected and isolated internationally. The world must treat this regime of sexual Apartheid like it treated the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa. Demand that the world's states and international bodies not to recognise the Islamic Republic as the government of Iran. Demand that they cut off their diplomatic ties with this medieval regime.
In the fight against the US government's warlike, inhuman and brutal policies, the Iranian people are on your side; they are asking you to be on their side in the fight against the Islamic Republic! To defeat the American government's and its allies' bullying and militarism, to defeat the reactionary and terrorist political Islamic movement and to overthrow the Islamic Republic, support the struggle of the people of Iran.
Hamid Taqvaee
Secretary of WPI Central Committee
30 November 2007
Maryam Namazie
-765755-740203.jpg)
Renegade Eye Note: This was written by Alan Woods : However, it would appear that the prospects of an air strike against Iran have receded - at least for the present. This does not suit Ahmadinejad at all. His support is rapidly eroding inside Iran, and his only hope was to keep beating the drum about the danger of US aggression in order to divert the masses' attention away from their most pressing problems and thus save his regime. He has made a public statement to the effect that the new revelations expose Bush as a liar (which they do) and completely justify the policies of his regime (which they do not).
This will make it easier for the development of a widespread movement of opposition by the Iranian workers and students, which has already begun and is destined to transform the whole political life of the region in the coming period. The Iranian Revolution will cut across the stagnant and unbreathable atmosphere of reaction that hangs over the region. It will cast off the yoke of religious fundamentalism and resolutely take the road of socialism and workers' power. I think Allen's words compliment Maryam's.
In the face of the threat of an attack on Iran, support the people of Iran!
Maryam Namazie
The threat of a US attack and the devastating consequences of economic sanctions are looming over the people of Iran. US's war with the Islamic Republic is not the war of the people. People of Iran and their interests are not represented in this conflict. They want neither the Islamic Republic, nor a military attack, nor economic sanctions. For years, they have been fighting the Islamic Republic and the unbearable conditions that this ultra-reactionary regime has imposed on society. Iran is a society where people sing the Internationale anthem in their protest gatherings and chant "One earth, one humanity" and "One race, the human race". It is a society where the slogan "Freedom, equality, human identity" has adorned the banner of its struggles. A society where the International Day of the Child is celebrated in large gatherings in scores of cities, and where its manifesto in defence of the rights of homeless children and child workers declares: "for children to be free, this inverted world must be changed". It is a society where prisoners on death row, from deep inside the jails, call on the people of the world to fight for the universal abolition of the death penalty. Iranian people in their numerous demonstrations have repeatedly stated that they want neither war, nor a nuclear programme, nor the Islamic Republic.
People of the world!
To end the threat of a military attack on Iran, support the struggle of the people of Iran! The overthrow of the Islamic Republic by the will and power of the people is the only human and civilised way to end the threat of war and the deadly race that Islamic terrorism and US militarism and state terrorism are waging in Iran, the Middle East and globally. The Islamic Republic does not represent the people of Iran. This regime is their enemy, not their representative! This is a regime that has been able to survive only by executing tens of thousands of people and carrying out the most ghastly medieval tortures and punishments such as stoning to death, flogging and amputating. The Islamic Republic must be rejected and isolated internationally. The world must treat this regime of sexual Apartheid like it treated the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa. Demand that the world's states and international bodies not to recognise the Islamic Republic as the government of Iran. Demand that they cut off their diplomatic ties with this medieval regime.
In the fight against the US government's warlike, inhuman and brutal policies, the Iranian people are on your side; they are asking you to be on their side in the fight against the Islamic Republic! To defeat the American government's and its allies' bullying and militarism, to defeat the reactionary and terrorist political Islamic movement and to overthrow the Islamic Republic, support the struggle of the people of Iran.
Hamid Taqvaee
Secretary of WPI Central Committee
30 November 2007
Maryam Namazie
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Psychopathy
Something to make you say hmmmmmmmmmm
Charming but Callous
First described systematically by Medical College of Georgia psychiatrist Hervey M. Cleckley in 1941, psychopathy consists of a specific set of personality traits and behaviors. Superficially charming, psychopaths tend to make a good first impression on others and often strike observers as remarkably normal. Yet they are self-centered, dishonest and undependable, and at times they engage in irresponsible behavior for no apparent reason other than the sheer fun of it. Largely devoid of guilt, empathy and love, they have casual and callous interpersonal and romantic relationships. Psychopaths routinely offer excuses for their reckless and often outrageous actions, placing blame on others instead. They rarely learn from their mistakes or benefit from negative feedback, and they have difficulty inhibiting their impulses.
Not surprisingly, psychopaths are overrepresented in prisons; studies indicate that about 25 percent of inmates meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathy. Nevertheless, research also suggests that a sizable number of psychopaths may be walking among us in everyday life. Some investigators have even speculated that “successful psychopaths”—those who attain prominent positions in society—may be overrepresented in certain occupations, such as politics, business and entertainment. Yet the scientific evidence for this intriguing conjecture is preliminary.
Trita Parsi on the NIE & Israel
Excerpt-
Israeli decision-makers have been in a state of strategic paralysis, incapable of recognising the new chessboard and the necessary adjustments they need to make. They have feared recognising publicly that Iran is a rational actor and that even a nuclear Iran wouldn't be an existential threat to the Jewish state, out of fear that such admissions would take pressure off of Washington to act firmly against Iran -- the same argument Peres and Rabin used in the mid-1990s.
Politically, this is understandable. No Israeli leader wishes to be the one to declare to the Israeli public that a critical step in the strategic rivalry with Iran has been lost, even though it was never really winnable.
But some past politicians and decision-makers have started to speak up, arguably to end the strategic paralysis and cut Israel's losses. Shlomo Ben-Ami, Israel's former foreign minister, publicly argues that a U.S.-Iran dialogue could benefit Israel. Ephraim Halevi, the former head of the Mossad, echoed in the Washington Post what he told this analyst last year -- Iran is rational, it is not suicidal, it can be deterred, Israel can handle even a nuclear Iran and a dialogue is now needed between the Jewish State and the Islamic Republic.
Cross Posted MUST READ
I'm putting this up twice because it is that important. In light of all other problems in America - and the prosecution of people like "The Lyrical Terrorist" a bad poet in the UK this is IMPORTANT:
Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech Across America
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by: Mike Adams
The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It's a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA). The law has already passed the House on a traitorous vote of 405 to 6, and it is now being considered in the Senate where a vote is imminent. All over the internet, intelligent people who care about freedom are speaking out against this extremely dangerous law: Philip Giraldi at the Huffington Post, Declan McCullagh at CNET's News.com, Kathryn Smith at OpEdNews.com, and of course Alex Jones at PrisonPlanet.com
This bill is the beginning of the end of Free Speech in America. If it passes, all the information sources you know and trust could be shut down and their authors imprisoned. NewsTarget could be taken offline and I could be arrested as a "terrorist." Jeff Rense at www.Rense.com could be labeled a "terrorist" and arrested. Byron Richards, Len Horowitz, Paul Craig Roberts, Greg Palast, Ron Paul and even Al Gore could all be arrested, silenced and incarcerated. This is not an exaggeration. It is a literal reading of the law, which you can check yourself here: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h1955_rfs.xml
The bill states:
'...ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs...
Note that this means the "planned use of force to promote a political or social belief" would be considered an act of terrorism. This all hinges on the definition of "force," of course. Based on the loose use of logic in Washington these days, and the slippery interpretation of the meaning of words, "force" could mean:
• A grassroots campaign to barrage Congress with faxes
• A non-violent street protest
• A letter-writing campaign that deluges the Senate with too much mail
• A sit-in protest that blocks access to a business or organization
• A grassroots e-mail campaign that overloads the e-mail servers of any government department or agency
You get the idea. "Force" could be defined as practically anything. And since the "planned use of force" would be considered a criminal act of terrorism, anyone who simply thinks about a grassroots action campaign would be engaged in terrorist acts.
If you stopped someone on the street and handed them a Bible, for example, this could be considered an act of terrorism ("...use of force to promote the individual's religious beliefs...")
If you sent a barrage of angry letters to Washington about global warming and the destruction of the environment by the U.S. military, this could also be considered an act of terrorism ("...to promote the individual's political beliefs...")
If you believe in same-sex marriage and you wrote a letter threatning a sit-in protest in front of your state's capitol building, this could also be considered an act of terrorism, even if you never carried it out! ("...planned use of force to promote a social belief...")
The United States is on the fast track to fascism, and the Congress is working right alongside this nation's traitorous leaders to criminalize any thoughts, words or speeches that disagree with current government policies regarding war, terrorism, domestic surveillance and civil liberties. Simply speaking out against the war on Iraq could soon be labeled a crime. Merely thinking thoughts against the war on Iraq could be considered a criminal act.
Must-see video: Naomi Wolf's lecture on 10 steps to fascism
There's a video lecture you simply MUST watch. It's by Naomi Wolf, author of The End of America. She covers this topic with great elegance and a deep understanding of history. See her video on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjALf12PAWc
Click here to see her book on Amazon.com.
In her lecture and book, Naomi reveals the ten steps to fascist, then reveals how the United States of America is pursuing all ten! This S.1959 legislation, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, represents one of the ten steps to achieve a fascist state!
It is designed to squash all opposition to the State's ongoing march towards blatant fascism, where secret police and secret prisons dominate the law enforcement landscape, stripping U.S. citizens of all civil liberties and Constitutional protections.
Thoughtcrimes are about to become a reality in the United States of America, and Congress is pushing this through as quickly as possible so that each individual member of Congress can claim that he or she is "against terrorism." But this bill doesn't merely target terrorism: It targets anyone who speaks or even thinks thoughts against the U.S. federal government.
With this bill, the U.S. government is officially labeling the People of the United States as criminals. It is drawing a line in the sand and stating that from now on, it's the Government vs. the People.
If we don't stop this bill from becoming law, we are lost as a nation.
There is no turning back from tyranny once the government turns its own citizens into criminals, enforcing only the thoughts, ideas, words and speeches that it approves or tolerates. Everything is at stake here!
Take action now, or lose your freedoms forever
If you live in the U.S., it is urgent that you call your senators right now and voice your strong opposition against this extremely dangerous law.
Here are the phone numbers for the U.S. Senate switchboard:
1-877-851-6437
1-800-833-6354
1-888-355-3588
1-866-220-0044
1-866-808-0065
1-877-762-8762
1-866-340-9281
1-800-862-5530
How to do this:
1) Make sure you know the names of your Senators.
2) Call the U.S. Senate switchboard using one of the numbers above.
3) Ask to speak to the offices of your Senators.
4) Tell them you are strongly opposed to S. 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
5) Ask for their fax number.
6) Follow up your phone call with a written, signed letter that you fax to your Senators.
Stopping this bill from becoming law is the single most important thing all Americans can do right now. If this becomes law, all free speech about health freedom, the crimes of the FDA, the crimes of the Bush Administration, America's role in global warming and any other topics could all be criminalized. YOU could be labeled a terrorist, kidnapped by government thugs, taken from your home, thrown in a secret prison, denied access to legal representation, denied due process and essentially "disappeared" into a system of such corruption and evil that it now begins to blatantly mirror Nazi Germany.
Think it couldn't happen here? It's happening right now! This is exactly how it happened in Nazi Germany. First, burn the Reichstag and blame it on the "enemy." Pass new police state laws. Disarm the people. Spread fear. Erect secret prisons and secret police. Call anyone who disagrees with you a "traitor." Control the mainstream media. Sound familiar? This is all happening right now in the United States of Amerika, and if we don't work to stop it, this nation will rapidly devolve into a fascist police state where no one is truly free.
We are but a few small steps away from it right now. All it would take is one dirty bomb in a major U.S. city. Bush would declare Martial Law and take over the National Guard. Troops on the streets. Anyone who writes a blog against the government would be arrested. Authors of "alternative" books would be kidnapped and have their books burned on the street. It could all happen at the stroke of a pen. The infrastructure for tyranny is in place right now, just waiting to be invoked.
Our best weapons: Non-violent protest and speaking the truth
How can we fight back against this onslaught of tyranny? We must use what remaining free speech freedoms we have right now to alert our fellow citizens to what's happening. We must rise up and tell the truth while urging our representatives in Washington to resist the temptation to vote for more "anti-terrorism" legislation that only works to enslave the American people.
We must use our phones, faxes, emails and blogs to rally our friends, family members and anyone who will listen to oppose these police state laws, and we must organize mass (peaceful) protests against this government that is attempting to marginalize the rights and freedoms of our People.
We must not be lulled into a sense of false security by the purveyors of hatred and fear -- the Sean Hannitys, Rush Limbaughs and Bill O'Reillys of the world. Instead, we must listen to the voices of freedom. In terms of the upcoming election for U.S. President, there is only one candidate that actually believes in freedom: Ron Paul. He needs your support to win: www.RonPaul2008.com
All the other candidates are nothing more than tyrants of different political affiliations. Ron Paul is the only candidate that truly understands the fundamentals of freedom. That's why he's the only real choice for our next President. Can you imagine what Hillary Clinton would do with the police state powers that Bush has now created? That's the danger of all laws that centralize power in Washington: It's not necessarily what today's President will do with them, but what some future President will do with them.
That's why it's never good enough to say, "Well, we intend to only apply these laws to terrorists and not to U.S. citizens at home." That may be the intention right NOW, but virtually all such laws creep into areas of enforcement for which they were never intended. Just look at the application of RICO laws which were originally designed to fight organized crime operations but are now applied to virtually anyone (and yet they are never applied to Big Pharma, which operates almost exactly like organized crime!). All these anti-terrorism laws run the danger of expanding in enforcement to the point where they are applied against the People of this country. At first, it's only illegal for "terrorists" to think thought crimes, but before long, it's illegal for anyone to think those same thoughts. That when the domestic arrests of authors, journalists, bloggers and thought leaders will kick off, and the country will plunge itself into outright tyrannical fascism.
Again, we're on the track right now. This is happening, folks. You're LIVING through an amazing chapter of history right now. You're actually witnessing the downfall of a free nation and the rise of a superpower fascist state. You're actually part of it.
When it's all over, will you look back and realize you did nothing? Or will you now take a stand against tyranny and oppose these dangerous laws and lawmakers who threaten the Constitutional freedoms of you and your children?
Senate'>http://www.NewsTarget.com/022308.html">Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech Across America
Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech Across America
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 by: Mike Adams
The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It's a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA). The law has already passed the House on a traitorous vote of 405 to 6, and it is now being considered in the Senate where a vote is imminent. All over the internet, intelligent people who care about freedom are speaking out against this extremely dangerous law: Philip Giraldi at the Huffington Post, Declan McCullagh at CNET's News.com, Kathryn Smith at OpEdNews.com, and of course Alex Jones at PrisonPlanet.com
This bill is the beginning of the end of Free Speech in America. If it passes, all the information sources you know and trust could be shut down and their authors imprisoned. NewsTarget could be taken offline and I could be arrested as a "terrorist." Jeff Rense at www.Rense.com could be labeled a "terrorist" and arrested. Byron Richards, Len Horowitz, Paul Craig Roberts, Greg Palast, Ron Paul and even Al Gore could all be arrested, silenced and incarcerated. This is not an exaggeration. It is a literal reading of the law, which you can check yourself here: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h1955_rfs.xml
The bill states:
'...ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs...
Note that this means the "planned use of force to promote a political or social belief" would be considered an act of terrorism. This all hinges on the definition of "force," of course. Based on the loose use of logic in Washington these days, and the slippery interpretation of the meaning of words, "force" could mean:
• A grassroots campaign to barrage Congress with faxes
• A non-violent street protest
• A letter-writing campaign that deluges the Senate with too much mail
• A sit-in protest that blocks access to a business or organization
• A grassroots e-mail campaign that overloads the e-mail servers of any government department or agency
You get the idea. "Force" could be defined as practically anything. And since the "planned use of force" would be considered a criminal act of terrorism, anyone who simply thinks about a grassroots action campaign would be engaged in terrorist acts.
If you stopped someone on the street and handed them a Bible, for example, this could be considered an act of terrorism ("...use of force to promote the individual's religious beliefs...")
If you sent a barrage of angry letters to Washington about global warming and the destruction of the environment by the U.S. military, this could also be considered an act of terrorism ("...to promote the individual's political beliefs...")
If you believe in same-sex marriage and you wrote a letter threatning a sit-in protest in front of your state's capitol building, this could also be considered an act of terrorism, even if you never carried it out! ("...planned use of force to promote a social belief...")
The United States is on the fast track to fascism, and the Congress is working right alongside this nation's traitorous leaders to criminalize any thoughts, words or speeches that disagree with current government policies regarding war, terrorism, domestic surveillance and civil liberties. Simply speaking out against the war on Iraq could soon be labeled a crime. Merely thinking thoughts against the war on Iraq could be considered a criminal act.
Must-see video: Naomi Wolf's lecture on 10 steps to fascism
There's a video lecture you simply MUST watch. It's by Naomi Wolf, author of The End of America. She covers this topic with great elegance and a deep understanding of history. See her video on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjALf12PAWc
Click here to see her book on Amazon.com.
In her lecture and book, Naomi reveals the ten steps to fascist, then reveals how the United States of America is pursuing all ten! This S.1959 legislation, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, represents one of the ten steps to achieve a fascist state!
It is designed to squash all opposition to the State's ongoing march towards blatant fascism, where secret police and secret prisons dominate the law enforcement landscape, stripping U.S. citizens of all civil liberties and Constitutional protections.
Thoughtcrimes are about to become a reality in the United States of America, and Congress is pushing this through as quickly as possible so that each individual member of Congress can claim that he or she is "against terrorism." But this bill doesn't merely target terrorism: It targets anyone who speaks or even thinks thoughts against the U.S. federal government.
With this bill, the U.S. government is officially labeling the People of the United States as criminals. It is drawing a line in the sand and stating that from now on, it's the Government vs. the People.
If we don't stop this bill from becoming law, we are lost as a nation.
There is no turning back from tyranny once the government turns its own citizens into criminals, enforcing only the thoughts, ideas, words and speeches that it approves or tolerates. Everything is at stake here!
Take action now, or lose your freedoms forever
If you live in the U.S., it is urgent that you call your senators right now and voice your strong opposition against this extremely dangerous law.
Here are the phone numbers for the U.S. Senate switchboard:
1-877-851-6437
1-800-833-6354
1-888-355-3588
1-866-220-0044
1-866-808-0065
1-877-762-8762
1-866-340-9281
1-800-862-5530
How to do this:
1) Make sure you know the names of your Senators.
2) Call the U.S. Senate switchboard using one of the numbers above.
3) Ask to speak to the offices of your Senators.
4) Tell them you are strongly opposed to S. 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
5) Ask for their fax number.
6) Follow up your phone call with a written, signed letter that you fax to your Senators.
Stopping this bill from becoming law is the single most important thing all Americans can do right now. If this becomes law, all free speech about health freedom, the crimes of the FDA, the crimes of the Bush Administration, America's role in global warming and any other topics could all be criminalized. YOU could be labeled a terrorist, kidnapped by government thugs, taken from your home, thrown in a secret prison, denied access to legal representation, denied due process and essentially "disappeared" into a system of such corruption and evil that it now begins to blatantly mirror Nazi Germany.
Think it couldn't happen here? It's happening right now! This is exactly how it happened in Nazi Germany. First, burn the Reichstag and blame it on the "enemy." Pass new police state laws. Disarm the people. Spread fear. Erect secret prisons and secret police. Call anyone who disagrees with you a "traitor." Control the mainstream media. Sound familiar? This is all happening right now in the United States of Amerika, and if we don't work to stop it, this nation will rapidly devolve into a fascist police state where no one is truly free.
We are but a few small steps away from it right now. All it would take is one dirty bomb in a major U.S. city. Bush would declare Martial Law and take over the National Guard. Troops on the streets. Anyone who writes a blog against the government would be arrested. Authors of "alternative" books would be kidnapped and have their books burned on the street. It could all happen at the stroke of a pen. The infrastructure for tyranny is in place right now, just waiting to be invoked.
Our best weapons: Non-violent protest and speaking the truth
How can we fight back against this onslaught of tyranny? We must use what remaining free speech freedoms we have right now to alert our fellow citizens to what's happening. We must rise up and tell the truth while urging our representatives in Washington to resist the temptation to vote for more "anti-terrorism" legislation that only works to enslave the American people.
We must use our phones, faxes, emails and blogs to rally our friends, family members and anyone who will listen to oppose these police state laws, and we must organize mass (peaceful) protests against this government that is attempting to marginalize the rights and freedoms of our People.
We must not be lulled into a sense of false security by the purveyors of hatred and fear -- the Sean Hannitys, Rush Limbaughs and Bill O'Reillys of the world. Instead, we must listen to the voices of freedom. In terms of the upcoming election for U.S. President, there is only one candidate that actually believes in freedom: Ron Paul. He needs your support to win: www.RonPaul2008.com
All the other candidates are nothing more than tyrants of different political affiliations. Ron Paul is the only candidate that truly understands the fundamentals of freedom. That's why he's the only real choice for our next President. Can you imagine what Hillary Clinton would do with the police state powers that Bush has now created? That's the danger of all laws that centralize power in Washington: It's not necessarily what today's President will do with them, but what some future President will do with them.
That's why it's never good enough to say, "Well, we intend to only apply these laws to terrorists and not to U.S. citizens at home." That may be the intention right NOW, but virtually all such laws creep into areas of enforcement for which they were never intended. Just look at the application of RICO laws which were originally designed to fight organized crime operations but are now applied to virtually anyone (and yet they are never applied to Big Pharma, which operates almost exactly like organized crime!). All these anti-terrorism laws run the danger of expanding in enforcement to the point where they are applied against the People of this country. At first, it's only illegal for "terrorists" to think thought crimes, but before long, it's illegal for anyone to think those same thoughts. That when the domestic arrests of authors, journalists, bloggers and thought leaders will kick off, and the country will plunge itself into outright tyrannical fascism.
Again, we're on the track right now. This is happening, folks. You're LIVING through an amazing chapter of history right now. You're actually witnessing the downfall of a free nation and the rise of a superpower fascist state. You're actually part of it.
When it's all over, will you look back and realize you did nothing? Or will you now take a stand against tyranny and oppose these dangerous laws and lawmakers who threaten the Constitutional freedoms of you and your children?
Senate'>http://www.NewsTarget.com/022308.html">Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Speech Across America
Bush's Confession and Disinformation
The long-delayed release of the 2006 National Intelligence Estimate proves that Cheney, et. al., have been cooking the books on Iran just like they did in the run up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Everyone feels vindicated after six years of screaming at the top of their lungs that there were never any weapons of mass destruction. The war in Iraq was not about WMD. It was about the administration's profound ability to create reality - to completely reconfigure the Middle East. Zeus had a thought and Athena popped right out of his forehead, leaving an embarrassing wet spot in his lap.
Maybe this time the CIA isn't going to go along with the Cheney administration's efforts to Iraq Iran.
But wait! That's not all. If you call now, we'll send you twice as much bullshit for the same price. The recent White House confessions may be crazy like a fox, since they serve to move the subject of Iran's nuclear ambitions from the future into the past. Before there were doubts. Now there is certainty.
It's no longer merely a possibility that Iran might develop nuclear weapons. Now the public understands that Iran already had a nuclear weapons program and they suspended it. Want to see me me pull a rabbit out of my hat? Presto change-o. Was it too fast for you? Want to see it again?
Now we know Iran has a nuclear weapons program. We were just guessing before. Now every news outlet in the United States is repeating the meme: Iran had a nuclear weapons program and suspended it. Now the Judith Miller-like secret details are fed ever so slowly and carefully into the simulated-journalist centrifuges at The New York Times.
Note to Homer:
Iranian Military Officials = Curve Ball
Anyone remember Curve Ball? Or the cavalcade of Iraqi defectors produced by Chalabi who testified about Saddams' ability to secretly manufacture infinite quantities of deadly Hookah gas?
Now we have Iranian officials complaining about efforts to shut down their beloved nuclear weapons program.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Cuuuuuuurve Baaaaallll. Laaaaaggg.
This is your brain.
This is your brain after using American Intelligence.
Ron Suskind actually witnessed an unnamed Bush official in the act of creating reality:
"That's not the way the world really works anymore," he continued. "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."
Muuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha!
Maybe this time the CIA isn't going to go along with the Cheney administration's efforts to Iraq Iran.
But wait! That's not all. If you call now, we'll send you twice as much bullshit for the same price. The recent White House confessions may be crazy like a fox, since they serve to move the subject of Iran's nuclear ambitions from the future into the past. Before there were doubts. Now there is certainty.
It's no longer merely a possibility that Iran might develop nuclear weapons. Now the public understands that Iran already had a nuclear weapons program and they suspended it. Want to see me me pull a rabbit out of my hat? Presto change-o. Was it too fast for you? Want to see it again?
Under the current administration, it is increasingly difficult to know who the enemy is, but what is certain is that the latest NIE is a brilliantly executed psychological warfare by way of misinformation. This dastardly plan is so devious that even the anti-war groups are jubilant at its release, and they are naively sharing its contents. Perhaps none are as enthusiastic about the report as the most powerful lobby group in America hostile to Iran.
Now we know Iran has a nuclear weapons program. We were just guessing before. Now every news outlet in the United States is repeating the meme: Iran had a nuclear weapons program and suspended it. Now the Judith Miller-like secret details are fed ever so slowly and carefully into the simulated-journalist centrifuges at The New York Times.
American intelligence agencies reversed their view about the status of Iran’s nuclear weapons program after they obtained notes last summer from the deliberations of Iranian military officials involved in the weapons development program, senior intelligence and government officials said on Wednesday.
Note to Homer:
Anyone remember Curve Ball? Or the cavalcade of Iraqi defectors produced by Chalabi who testified about Saddams' ability to secretly manufacture infinite quantities of deadly Hookah gas?
Now we have Iranian officials complaining about efforts to shut down their beloved nuclear weapons program.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Cuuuuuuurve Baaaaallll. Laaaaaggg.
This is your brain.
This is your brain after using American Intelligence.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Courts Shouldn't Have Jurisdiction
And other nonsensical Bull-Pucky from our government.
Watching C-Span this morning, I caught a debate about the court's role, or jurisdiction if any, over the detainment of "Enemy Combatants" at Guantanamo Bay. The basic idea right now is that no, enemy combatants should not have access to our judicial system, and their cases, detainment, and sentencing (of which I'm sure they will be sentenced) should be controlled by the Executive Branch of our government.
Other sentiments that were expressed during this debate were that enemy combatants did not, or should not have the right to appeal to courts, prove their innocence, or sue the government.
When one of the men debating for the abdication of the court's rights in war time trials stated that no torture should ever be used and has not been used and that no one in our government supports the use of torture I am certain my morning coffee came out of my nose.
Freedom and Democracy are only for those who can pay for it with Cash or Oil. Everyone else can rot in jail.
Thats it for now, more later when I get to watch the actual court debates on this issue.
Watching C-Span this morning, I caught a debate about the court's role, or jurisdiction if any, over the detainment of "Enemy Combatants" at Guantanamo Bay. The basic idea right now is that no, enemy combatants should not have access to our judicial system, and their cases, detainment, and sentencing (of which I'm sure they will be sentenced) should be controlled by the Executive Branch of our government.
Other sentiments that were expressed during this debate were that enemy combatants did not, or should not have the right to appeal to courts, prove their innocence, or sue the government.
When one of the men debating for the abdication of the court's rights in war time trials stated that no torture should ever be used and has not been used and that no one in our government supports the use of torture I am certain my morning coffee came out of my nose.
Freedom and Democracy are only for those who can pay for it with Cash or Oil. Everyone else can rot in jail.
Thats it for now, more later when I get to watch the actual court debates on this issue.
Woohooo!
Somehow, it is only us who is cheering this news in Iran! People don't seem to be too surprised, or utterly thrilled about Bush's flop!
Life was good here in Tehran!
Now it's even better!
I go party some more! :)
A big virtual hug to you all!
Life was good here in Tehran!
Now it's even better!
I go party some more! :)
A big virtual hug to you all!
Monday, December 3, 2007
National Intelligence Estimate: Iran halted weapons program in 2003
A remarkable summary that diverges widely from what's commonly assumed:
This NIE does not (italics in original) assume that Iran intends to acquire nuclear weapons
|
NIE LIE
"Tehran's decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005," says the unclassified summary of the secret report.Rand Beers, who resigned from Bush's National Security Council just before the Iraq war, said the report should derail any appetite for war on the administration's part, and should reinvigorate regional diplomacy. "The new NIE throws cold water on the efforts of those urging military confrontation with Iran," he said.
The spooks say Iran halted its nuclear weapon program in 2003, incidentally the year it proposed unconditional talks with the US and which the White house rejected point blank. They want war, ok, the Bush administration in the United States of America want war with Iran. So with this latest piece of reality impinging on their war pimping they spin it thusly- as they continue to enrich uranium (which they need for nuclear power) that means they actually are pursuing weapons. Lying war mongering bastard says-
U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, said the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains "a serious problem." The estimate suggests Bush "has the right strategy: intensified international pressure along with a willingness to negotiate a solution that serves Iranian interests, while ensuring the world will never have to face a nuclear armed Iran," Hadley said. He was less interested in what the 2005 assessment missed than what it got right: that Iran had a covert nuclear program.
So even the entire intelligence community of the empire is saying for fuck's sake do not attack Iran, it poses no threat and the consequences of attacking to America would be disastrous. This is the NIE Cheney delayed for a year to force it to include as much anti Iranian propaganda as possible-
- intelligence analysts have had to review and rewrite their findings three times, because of pressure from the White House.
- The White House has now apparently decided to release the unsatisfactory draft NIE, but without making its key findings public.
- Frank J. Gaffney, a protégé of neoconservative heavyweight Richard Perle, complained that Negroponte was “absurdly declaring the Iranian regime to be years away from having nuclear weapons”.
- an unsubtle signal to the intelligence community that the White House was determined to obtain a more alarmist conclusion on the Iranian nuclear programme.
PS. As Hass a commenter at my blog added-
From IranAffairs.com:
Iran NIE report - Are you lying now, or were you lying then? If the 2005 NIE report was wrong, why should the 2007 NIE report be any more credible? If Iran really had a nuclear weapons program until 2003 as the new NIE says, then why has the IAEA found no evidence of it? WHy should we believe that Iran EVER had a nuclear weapons program at all?
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Iraq Is A Verb
Add Iraq to the list of nouns which can be used as transitive verbs: to Google something, to Bork someone.
Now, thanks to George Bush and the neocon Jews, we have to Iraq Iran.
It is perfectly clear what it means and therefore meets all the criteria for acceptable usage. Thanks go to a group of peaceful protesters who hang out at at Second Life.
And thanks to our friend in Tehran for sending it.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Hafiz
Hafiz, c. 1320 to 1389, a beautiful, mystic, Sufi poet from Persia
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
I don't want to be the only one here
Telling all the secrets -
Filling up all the bowls at this party,
Taking all the laughs.
I would like you
To start putting things on the table
That can also feed the soul
The way I do.
That way
We can invite
A hell of a lot more
Friends.
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
At This Party
I don't want to be the only one here
Telling all the secrets -
Filling up all the bowls at this party,
Taking all the laughs.
I would like you
To start putting things on the table
That can also feed the soul
The way I do.
That way
We can invite
A hell of a lot more
Friends.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Turkish Party Issues Warning on a War on Iran
|
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Seven Bad Assumptions We Make About Iran
|
Continuation:
1. Iran is ripe for regime change.
Not true. [...]
2. Iran is irrational and cannot be deterred.
Not true. [...]
3. Iran is inherently anti-American.
Not quite. [...]
4. Enrichment equals a nuclear bomb.
Not necessarily. [...]
5. Iran seeks Israel's destruction.
False. [...]
6. The pressure on Iran is working.
Questionable. [...]
7. Stability in the Middle East can be achieved only through Iran's isolation.
Quite the contrary. [...]
Iran poses a complicated challenge to America, but not an irresolvable one. Despite the tremendous distrust between the two countries, history shows that negotiations can work. In 2001 Tehran and Washington worked closely together to defeat the Taliban and install a new government in Afghanistan. Without Iranian help, the new Constitution of Afghanistan would not have been achieved, according to U.S. diplomats involved in the effort.
[Posted on Clipmarks by Rasmus, who has many excellent clips there. You might also enjoy some of mine there: masbury's clipmarks. It's a great place to stash brief clips, and see those of others. - Monte]
Friday, November 23, 2007
Extra Fuel Shipments To Diego Garcia Bomber Base
The war pimps are smacking their gats up (via Larisa Alexandrovna's blog)
As Larissa notes:
Diego Garcia-
"LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. military has stepped up chartering of tankers and requests for extra fuel in the U.S. Central Command area, which includes the Gulf, shipping and oil industry sources say. A Gulf oil industry source said the charters suggested there would be high naval activity, possibly including a demonstration to Iran that the U.S. Navy will protect the Strait of Hormuz oil shipping route during tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme.
The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) has tendered for four tankers in November to move at least one million barrels of jet and ship fuel between Gulf ports, from Asia to the Gulf and to the Diego Garcia base, tenders seen by Reuters show. It usually tenders for one or two tankers a month to supply Gulf operations, which include missions in Iraq."
A separate requirement is for a tanker to move 147,000 barrels of ship fuel from Singapore to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, close to the Gulf and Arabian Sea.
As Larissa notes:
that is indeed unusual according to a military friend of mine, who in an email this morning wrote: "It has gotten my attention. I don't have an explanation."
Diego Garcia-
The US is secretly upgrading special stealth bomber hangars on the British island protectorate of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to military sources. The improvement of the B1 Spirit jet infrastructure coincides with an “urgent operational need” request for £44m to fit racks to the long-range aircraft. That would allow them to carry experimental 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs designed to smash underground bunkers buried as much as 200ft beneath the surface through reinforced concrete.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
First, a caveat:
Although I've been a student of history for many, many years, particularly the Middle-East/Persian/South Asian regions; I do NOT consider myself to be an expert. But, like so many others, I do have an opinion.
All of this sabre-rattling and war-drum beating that has been escalating against Iran has me worried. I can envision it precipitating the end of the world as we now know it. I don't literally mean the end of the world per se, although that could end up being a better option than what we will be forced to endure.
Is Iran enriching weapons-grade uranium? I don't know. Do the Iranians have nuclear weapons ambitions? I don't know that either.
What I DO know however, is that if they're not, they are fools. Nuclear weapons are used for two purposes: Weapons of Intimidation, and Weapons of Deterence. With at least nine nuclear-armed states on this planet, it would be virtual suicide to use them offensively. The United States was one of the original signatories to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), yet is the most egregious violator of the pact. Iran sits surrounded by nuclear powers. Pakistan, India, Israel, and the Iraqi States of America. Three of those four have refused to sign the treaty. If Iran had nuclear weapons, we would not be hearing those war-drums being pounded, or the sabres rattling. If anyone doubts that, take a look at how a little country like North Korea could keep us at bay. I am of the opinion that no one should have nuclear armaments. But a more level playing field would be created if everyone had nuclear arsenals. We could call it another Cold War, or we could term it as Peace.
What right does the U.S. have in deciding who has the weapons and who is un-armed? Some may say that Ahmadinejad is a delusional lunatic, but the same can be said about Bush. Metaphorically speaking, if all your neighbors are aggressive and have guns, and all you have is a stash of knives, it's a logical decision to want to go out and get a gun for yourself. It's a basic survival instinct. Everyone realises that using nuclear weapons in an offensive aggression will in all probability lead to their own demise as well. The United States would do well to remember that. They talk about limited nuclear strikes against Iran; but Tehran sits on the 35th parallel, where the prevailing winds blow from west to east. Does anyone honestly believe that Pakistan; India; China; and Russia, are going to just sit back and say, "Y'all go ahead and send that radio-active fall-out our way, we understand"? Russia still has the fresh memory of Chernobyl.
As I write this, the United States is developing bigger and more destructive nuclear weapons, in clear violation of the NPT. They turn a blind eye towards Israels development programs, and give aid to Pakistan and India; all of which refuse to sign the NPT. Am I the only one who sees this as highly hypocritical? Will saner minds prevail? We can only hope and pray. Ahmadinejad is dumb like a fox. He's a chess master, while Bush has yet to master checkers (he just can't get past that 'King me' thing).
That's my opinion, what say Y'all?
With a Prayer for Peace,
Brother Tim
Although I've been a student of history for many, many years, particularly the Middle-East/Persian/South Asian regions; I do NOT consider myself to be an expert. But, like so many others, I do have an opinion.
All of this sabre-rattling and war-drum beating that has been escalating against Iran has me worried. I can envision it precipitating the end of the world as we now know it. I don't literally mean the end of the world per se, although that could end up being a better option than what we will be forced to endure.
Is Iran enriching weapons-grade uranium? I don't know. Do the Iranians have nuclear weapons ambitions? I don't know that either.
What I DO know however, is that if they're not, they are fools. Nuclear weapons are used for two purposes: Weapons of Intimidation, and Weapons of Deterence. With at least nine nuclear-armed states on this planet, it would be virtual suicide to use them offensively. The United States was one of the original signatories to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), yet is the most egregious violator of the pact. Iran sits surrounded by nuclear powers. Pakistan, India, Israel, and the Iraqi States of America. Three of those four have refused to sign the treaty. If Iran had nuclear weapons, we would not be hearing those war-drums being pounded, or the sabres rattling. If anyone doubts that, take a look at how a little country like North Korea could keep us at bay. I am of the opinion that no one should have nuclear armaments. But a more level playing field would be created if everyone had nuclear arsenals. We could call it another Cold War, or we could term it as Peace.
What right does the U.S. have in deciding who has the weapons and who is un-armed? Some may say that Ahmadinejad is a delusional lunatic, but the same can be said about Bush. Metaphorically speaking, if all your neighbors are aggressive and have guns, and all you have is a stash of knives, it's a logical decision to want to go out and get a gun for yourself. It's a basic survival instinct. Everyone realises that using nuclear weapons in an offensive aggression will in all probability lead to their own demise as well. The United States would do well to remember that. They talk about limited nuclear strikes against Iran; but Tehran sits on the 35th parallel, where the prevailing winds blow from west to east. Does anyone honestly believe that Pakistan; India; China; and Russia, are going to just sit back and say, "Y'all go ahead and send that radio-active fall-out our way, we understand"? Russia still has the fresh memory of Chernobyl.
As I write this, the United States is developing bigger and more destructive nuclear weapons, in clear violation of the NPT. They turn a blind eye towards Israels development programs, and give aid to Pakistan and India; all of which refuse to sign the NPT. Am I the only one who sees this as highly hypocritical? Will saner minds prevail? We can only hope and pray. Ahmadinejad is dumb like a fox. He's a chess master, while Bush has yet to master checkers (he just can't get past that 'King me' thing).
That's my opinion, what say Y'all?
With a Prayer for Peace,
Brother Tim
Monday, November 19, 2007
Patterns of History: Compare & Contrast
I found the below timeline on David Swanson's site, it covers the run up to the Iraq war and it is interesting to read through it and see if any current events echo what was going on 5 years ago. He does not claim it to be comprehensive, but it is thought provoking. It runs March 17th '03 back to October 14th '02. So is déjà vu a neurological hiccup, a glitch in The Matrix or a sign that war pimps are not all that imaginative?
- March 17, 2003, There were 211,000 U.S. troops deployed to the area.
- March 17, 2003, Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to get out.
- March 12, 2003, The United States advertised its testing of the largest ever non-nuclear bomb.
- March 11, 2003, Bush said 30 days was too long to wait before launching war.
- March 9, 2003, Powell said United States would use military force to compel Saddam Hussein to comply with UN resolutions he'd already complied with. Rice said United States would lead a coalition to change the Iraq regime.
- March 5, 2003, Rumsfeld said that if the United States attacked Iraq it would be to change the regime, and General Tommy Franks said he was ready to attack Iraq.
- March 4, 2003, U.S. military officials said they had 225,000 troops in the area awaiting orders to attack.
- March 4, 2003, Marines and amphibious units deployed to Iraq, and Franks reviewed completed Iraq War plans with top commanders.
- February 28, 2003, There were 153,000 U.S. troops in the area, and Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley published his thoughts on post-war Iraq.
- February 27, 2003, A sixth carrier battle group was sent to Iraq, B-52 stealth bombers were sent to Diego Garcia, and a high ranking US diplomat John Brady Kiesling resigned in opposition to coming attack on Iraq.
- February 24, 2003, Rice claimed no new UN authorization needed to attack Iraq, Powell suggested the war might come in March, and media reported United States was training Iraqi rebels in Hungary.
- February 22, 2003, There were 126,000 U.S. troops in the area.
- February 21, 2003, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith told the media his thoughts on a post-war Iraq.
- February 20, 2003, Rumsfeld said coalition forces were ready to attack Iraq.
- February 17, 2003, There were 106,000 U.S. troops in the area, and the 3rd Armored Cavalry just deployed to Iraq.
- February 13, 2003, The Pentagon had by this point called up 150,000 Reserve and National Guard troops.
- February 12, 2003, Hadley laid out thoughts on post-war Iraq, and Powell said U.S. would attack if Iraq did not destroy the weapons it had long since destroyed (a fact that was publicly available).
- February 11, 2003, Feith gave Senate his thoughts on post-war Iraq.
- February 10, 2003, There were 100,000 U.S. troops in the area, and Rumsfeld enlisted commercial airlines to get them there.
- February 7, 2003, Rumsfeld told nations of the world to prepare for a war on Iraq, and sent a fifth carrier battle group to the area.
- February 6, 2003, U.S. Army ships helicopters to Iraq.
- February 3, 2003, U.S. military officials detail Iraq war plans to media. There were 70,000 troops in the area. And Time reported that CIA had been doing pre-war work in Iraq for months.
- January 31, 2003, massive U.S. airstrikes were weakening Iraq in preparation for war, and four carrier battle groups were sent to Iraq with a fifth on the way. U.S. troops in Germany were told to pack for Turkey.
- January 30, 2003, Bush says it will be weeks, not months. United States send weapons to Jordan to protect against retaliation by Iraq. U.S. troops in the area of Iraq were approaching 90,000 with known plans to increase to between 180,000 and 250,000. The Penatagon admitted that the CIA was already in northern Iraq.
- January 29, 2003, US ambassador to the UN John Negroponte said the window was closing, and Jordan allowed US troops to stage attack on Iraq from Jordan.
- January 24, 2003, US and UK military lobbied Turkey unsuccessfully for permission to attack Iraq from there.
- January 23, 2003, US military ships headed to Iraq raising presence to 4 battle groups. Australian troops also headed to Iraq.
- January 22, 2003, Guard and Reserves were called up in the US, while British troops and equipment headed to Iraq. Iraq claimed, as it had also on December 23rd, to have shot down an unmanned U.S. plane.
- January 21, 2003, British troops prepared to go to Iraq.
- January 20, 2003, There were 57,000 US troops in the area. Rumsfeld said troops were running out. British troop deployment was announced.
- January 19, 2003, Powell said time was running out. British troops mobilized.
- January 12, 2003, Rumsfeld signed orders to add 62,000 to the 60,000 U.S. troops in the area.
- January 11, 2003, Australian troop deployments announced.
- January 10, 2003, Gen. Meyers described US troops training Iraqis in Hungary.
- January 9, 2003, US soldiers called up.
- January 8, 2003, Central Command moved to Qatar and announced US troop deployments.
- January 6, 2003, US ships arrived in Gulf.
- January 2, 2003, Bush sent elite forces to Iraq.
- December 24 - 29, 2002, U.S. troops received deployment orders.
- December 23, 2002, 52,000 troops were in the area.
- December 22, 2002, Iraq invited the CIA in to inspect, and the CIA said no.
- December 18, 2002, Hungary agreed to let the United States train Iraqi exiles there.
- December 15, 2002, British Royal Navy announced deployment to Gulf. Dozens of teams of elite American soldiers and intelligence specialists had already been sent into Iraq with millions of dollars in cash to woo key tribal leaders away from Saddam Hussein.
- December 11, 2002, United States made deal with Qatar to use bases there to attack Iraq.
- December 9, 2002, United States rehearsed Iraq attack with war games in Qatar.
- December 8, 2002, US troop deployment plans announced.
- December 4, 2002, British Ministry of Defense reported 300 percent increase since March in bombs dropped on southern Iraq.
- December 3, 2002, US carrier battle group deployed to gulf, and Rumsfeld claimed US could attack Iraq without UN approval.
- December 2, 2002, United States set up headquarters in Qatar.
- November 2002 – March 2003, United States launches 120 air strikes in Iraq, compared with 110 in previous 34 months.
- November 21, 2002, United States was recruiting force in northern Iraq.
- November 7, 2002, U.S. base for B-2s set up on Diego Garcia.
- November 5, 2002, U.S. battle group deployed to Gulf.
- November 4, 2002, Kuwait allowed United States to attack Iraq from its bases.
- November 3, 2002, Pentagon outfitted unites with river-crossing equipment for the Euphrates.
- November 2, 2002, U.S. pilots practiced bombing southern Iraq.
- November 1, 2002, U.S. Navy sought merchant ships to transport huge amounts of ammunition to the Gulf.
- October 31, 2002, Boeing tested 500 lb. "smart bomb".
- October 29, 2002, U.S. ships deployed to Gulf.
- October 23, 2002, The CIA set up two stations in northern Iraq.
- October 14, 2002, The United States stationed six spy satelites over Iraq.
- October 14, 2002, Boeing factory went to double shifts to produce kits to turn "dumb bombs" into "smart bombs," enough "smart bombs" to attack Iraq.
Fabricating the case against Iran
The United States is torturing Iraqis to provide information that implicates Iran in the insurgency. Information obtained by torturing people is known to be unreliable, because people will tell the interrogator anything to make the torture stop. So why do we continue to do it? It doesn't make any sense. Nothing the United States does makes any sense.
From The Guardian
So it sounds like we aren't finding what we're looking for. That's because it's not there. No matter how hard we want blame Iran for the U.S. screw up, there's nothing there to find. So you have to fabricate something. WMD Redux. We're just torturing people for nothing.
It makes me sick to be American. This is not who we are. The Jews have taken over the United States and they're trying to turn it into Israel. Torture is standard operating procedure in Israel. Being evil is standard operating procedure in Israel. Anything at all can be justified in Israel. Even Israel itself can be rationalized. Why not torture too?
This whole stinking mess is about Israel's supposed right to exist. Just screw everyone else, right?
From The Guardian
Micah Brose, privately contracted interrogator working for US forces in Iraq.
Photograph: David Smith
Photograph: David Smith
Micah Brose, a privately contracted interrogator working for American forces in Iraq, near the Iranian border, told The Observer that information on Iran is 'gold'.
...
Brose, 30, who extracts information from detainees in Iraq, said: 'They push a lot for us to establish a link with Iran. They have pre-categories for us to go through, and by the sheer volume of categories there's clearly a lot more for Iran than there is for other stuff. Of all the recent requests I've had, I'd say 60 to 70 per cent are about Iran.
'It feels a lot like, if you get something and Iran's not involved, it's a let down.' He added: 'I've had people say to me, "They're really pushing the Iran thing. It's like, shit, you know." '
So it sounds like we aren't finding what we're looking for. That's because it's not there. No matter how hard we want blame Iran for the U.S. screw up, there's nothing there to find. So you have to fabricate something. WMD Redux. We're just torturing people for nothing.
It makes me sick to be American. This is not who we are. The Jews have taken over the United States and they're trying to turn it into Israel. Torture is standard operating procedure in Israel. Being evil is standard operating procedure in Israel. Anything at all can be justified in Israel. Even Israel itself can be rationalized. Why not torture too?
This whole stinking mess is about Israel's supposed right to exist. Just screw everyone else, right?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Prophetically Happy
The scenario:
A community exists in the world where the rules of life are clearly spelled out in tradition, unity, and faith. Survival of this community is inherently linked with these traditions, as well as the propagation of the populace through socially accepted means, unity of beliefs and actions, compliance, and conformity to the norm.
All in all, this isn't a bad place, however one day an individual is born who is not the norm, can't conform, won't comply and incessantly questions the traditional doctrines, rules, and laws of the community - usually through the bigoted exclusions aimed in his direction at the behest of the community Elders.
The isolation from the community leads the individual to travel to a foreign land, meet with the "locals" and learn about foreign culture, as well as the possibility of mysteries and "unknowns" that are forbidden in his own society.
When the individual returns home, with a group of foreigners he his met with disdainful racism, and is accused of being the root of the community's growing socio-ecological problems. He is labeled as a threat, and banished into exile.
The individual seeks out the truth, which he learns over a period of time and through many a hardship - and returns to his community once more to help them. Once again, his character is smeared, his quest squashed with the presumptuous attitude that he is crazy.
Until the reality of the situation comes smashing down around them, and their original opinions are forcefully removed. The seeker of truth, having returned in a compassionate manner - regardless of the scorn at the hands of his peers and Elders - saves the day, the community and everyone in it by seeking the truth, and not giving up.
The community grows, both in numbers and in tolerance and acceptance.
The Question:
The scenario I just outlined, is it an ideal outcome for the US and its foreign policies, the "individual" being those of us seeking the truth, and the "Elders" who are intolerant and heavy handed in the use of force and rule in our own country....Or is it the plot to Happy Feet?
Well, actually its the plot to Happy Feet, however I think that this cute and fun animation is jam packed with subtle pokes at American culture, politics and foreign policy. But the moral of the story is inspiring, if you ask me.
The question asked at the and by Noah, the head Elder applies to us very well.
"Do we follow the traditions of the Great Guin..."
"Or succumb to the whims of a dancing fool?"
The dancing fools are lookin' pretty good to me right about now.
A community exists in the world where the rules of life are clearly spelled out in tradition, unity, and faith. Survival of this community is inherently linked with these traditions, as well as the propagation of the populace through socially accepted means, unity of beliefs and actions, compliance, and conformity to the norm.
All in all, this isn't a bad place, however one day an individual is born who is not the norm, can't conform, won't comply and incessantly questions the traditional doctrines, rules, and laws of the community - usually through the bigoted exclusions aimed in his direction at the behest of the community Elders.
The isolation from the community leads the individual to travel to a foreign land, meet with the "locals" and learn about foreign culture, as well as the possibility of mysteries and "unknowns" that are forbidden in his own society.
When the individual returns home, with a group of foreigners he his met with disdainful racism, and is accused of being the root of the community's growing socio-ecological problems. He is labeled as a threat, and banished into exile.
The individual seeks out the truth, which he learns over a period of time and through many a hardship - and returns to his community once more to help them. Once again, his character is smeared, his quest squashed with the presumptuous attitude that he is crazy.
Until the reality of the situation comes smashing down around them, and their original opinions are forcefully removed. The seeker of truth, having returned in a compassionate manner - regardless of the scorn at the hands of his peers and Elders - saves the day, the community and everyone in it by seeking the truth, and not giving up.
The community grows, both in numbers and in tolerance and acceptance.
The Question:
The scenario I just outlined, is it an ideal outcome for the US and its foreign policies, the "individual" being those of us seeking the truth, and the "Elders" who are intolerant and heavy handed in the use of force and rule in our own country....Or is it the plot to Happy Feet?
Well, actually its the plot to Happy Feet, however I think that this cute and fun animation is jam packed with subtle pokes at American culture, politics and foreign policy. But the moral of the story is inspiring, if you ask me.
The question asked at the and by Noah, the head Elder applies to us very well.
"Do we follow the traditions of the Great Guin..."
"Or succumb to the whims of a dancing fool?"The dancing fools are lookin' pretty good to me right about now.
John Bolton: International Man Of Idiocy
Well the bullying, forcing his wife to orgies nutcase war criminal (and not just for Iraq, he just loved them torture regimes the US ran in South America) that is John Bolton says that the talks offer in 2003 is a myth, then says he wanted the ambassador who passed it on fired... For the thing that he just claimed never happened. D'oh!
Crooks & Liars.
Crooks & Liars.
Something We Both Have
A friend sent me this. She's in Tehran. The subject of her email was "Something we both have"
I don't get it. Someone want to explain it to me?
I don't get it. Someone want to explain it to me?
Friday, November 16, 2007
Dear Red States
Dear Red States
And we get 89% of the Jews who vote for Israel. You get to send your kids to Iraq while our kids go to MIT.
We're ticked off at the way you've treated California, and we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren't aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the entire Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.
To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss. We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home.
With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country's fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation's fresh fruit, 95 percent of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals than we lefties.
By the way, we have all the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.
And we get 89% of the Jews who vote for Israel. You get to send your kids to Iraq while our kids go to MIT.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
This is the Disintegration of Our Country
Cross posting for the moment - just because I think it is important. And 'coz I'm pissed.
Read it here
Read it here
IAEA Report Analysis
Independent Iranian analyst/writer/journalist Cyrus Safdari does a fine analysis of the IAEA report and what it really means as opposed to how it is being spun by certain war positive hypocrites. Let Cyrus guide the way, a brief summary-
So stuff those up your war mongering pipe and smoke them! Across the mainstream this report is mediated as sort of complying all the way to- it proves they have eighty million nukes all ready to launch at your baby's face! What does give me pause is the way the US has reacted-
This is wilful reinterpretation of the report and it screams, screams to me that they are now intent on attacking, official lies, lazy complicit media, bombs away. It will take time but they are doing the same thing they did before, lying about what their target is doing, ignoring the international agencies, using the UN to implement increasingly malicious sanctions and inspection regimes. Eventually the pressure (and cross border raids, the crowded straits of Hormuz, fake intel etc) will create an incident or Iran will simply no longer wish or be able to submit to the onerous demands of the aggressors. Remember Iran offered complete talks in 2003, the US rejected them. I would be interested to see a poll of how many Americans, in fact Europeans, know that, single figures would be my bet.
The picture painted by the media is of a a country sneakily working to make nuclear weapons and we just might have to do the 'right thing' and stop them before they 'wipe Israel off the map'. A powerful and entirely false self serving narrative that also denies Iran's sovereign rights and assumes the Empires moral superiority to act as it pleases. It's just five years later and the letter Q changed to N, the underlying imperial control and resource acquisition strategies are identical. Fuck if this century hasn't started badly and you know what? It wasn't 911 that screwed the pooch it was Florida 2000 & the supreme court coup. The empire's first dictator and if you think things aren't so bad, just remind me what isn't depraved about debating if waterboarding is torture while in denial of killing a million people for their oil? Go on, I could do with a laugh.
The report generally says that Iran is cooperating with the IAEA as requested, and that the information Iran has provided is consistent with the IAEA's findings. It is pretty much a positive report, which says that some issues are left to be resolved later in accordance with the agreed-upon timetable, but there's no mention of any nuclear weapons programs or anything like that.
1- IRAN IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NPT: The IAEA again states that there's no evidence of any diversion of nuclear material for non-peaceful uses...
2- "UNDECLARED ACTITIVIES" AND THE ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL: The IAEA report states that though it has found no evidence of a nuclear weapons program, the IAEA cannot say that Iran's nuclear activites are exclusively peaceful since the IAEA cannot verify the absence of undeclared nuclear acvitities in Iran...First point, that the IAEA does not verify the absence of undeclared nuclear activities for any country unless they have signed and ratified the Additional Protocol...
Second point: you should know that Iran did in fact voluntarily implement the Additional Protocol by allowing the more stringent inspections for the course of 2 years during the course of the Paris Agreement negotiations with the EU3 - even though it was not legally obligated to do so - and still no evidence of nuclear weapons was found in Iran (in fact the IAEA complained publicly that the evidence that the US had given them of "secret" Iranian nuclear facilities had been bogus.) Iran stopped providing that additional level of cooperation and stopped voluntarily implementing the Additional Protocol when the EU tried to cheat Iran in the course of the Paris Agreement negotiations...
3- ISSUES RESOLVED: According to this report, several issues seem to have been resolved.
4- OUSTANDING ISSUES: THE "LAPTOP OF DEATH" There's some outstanding concern about the traces of highly-enriched uranium which were found in Iran, but to date Iran's statements about those traces have been verified by the IAEA to be accurate...The only major oustanding issue is the reported "Green Salt Project" and other nonesense about a secret Iranian nuclear project. And the only evidence of that comes from a highly questionable laptop computer that supposedly was smuggled out of Iran. You can read more about this "Laptop of Death" at the Next Hurrah.
So stuff those up your war mongering pipe and smoke them! Across the mainstream this report is mediated as sort of complying all the way to- it proves they have eighty million nukes all ready to launch at your baby's face! What does give me pause is the way the US has reacted-
"Partial credit doesn't cut it," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack when asked about a U.N. nuclear watchdog agency report on Iran's nuclear program. The White House and its ambassador at the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the United States would continue to work with its allies for a new round of U.N. sanctions against Tehran over its refusal to give up uranium enrichment.
"Unfortunately this report makes clear that Iran seems uninterested in working with the rest of the world and the current Iranian government continues to push the country deeper into isolation," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "We believe that Iran should be fully cooperating and not stringing along the IAEA during this process."
This is wilful reinterpretation of the report and it screams, screams to me that they are now intent on attacking, official lies, lazy complicit media, bombs away. It will take time but they are doing the same thing they did before, lying about what their target is doing, ignoring the international agencies, using the UN to implement increasingly malicious sanctions and inspection regimes. Eventually the pressure (and cross border raids, the crowded straits of Hormuz, fake intel etc) will create an incident or Iran will simply no longer wish or be able to submit to the onerous demands of the aggressors. Remember Iran offered complete talks in 2003, the US rejected them. I would be interested to see a poll of how many Americans, in fact Europeans, know that, single figures would be my bet.
The picture painted by the media is of a a country sneakily working to make nuclear weapons and we just might have to do the 'right thing' and stop them before they 'wipe Israel off the map'. A powerful and entirely false self serving narrative that also denies Iran's sovereign rights and assumes the Empires moral superiority to act as it pleases. It's just five years later and the letter Q changed to N, the underlying imperial control and resource acquisition strategies are identical. Fuck if this century hasn't started badly and you know what? It wasn't 911 that screwed the pooch it was Florida 2000 & the supreme court coup. The empire's first dictator and if you think things aren't so bad, just remind me what isn't depraved about debating if waterboarding is torture while in denial of killing a million people for their oil? Go on, I could do with a laugh.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
All Too Familiar
I have been doing some reading up on Mussolini, and after reading a short version of his biography, I noticed a few telling similarities. Let me indulge you folks...
First, I should make a note that Benito Mussolini started the National Fascist Party in Italy during a time of turmoil. Many of the supporters of this new-found party were tired of the current conditions and economic turmoil of their country, and adopted the Nationally fueled party with great enthusiasm. While this doesn't match up quite the same as our current Commander in Chief's political start, some of the standard platforms and ideologies do match up with Mussolini's Fascist Ideals.
Mussolini defined fascism as being a right-wing collectivistic ideology in opposition to socialism, liberalism, democracy and individualism. He wrote in The Political and Social Doctrine of Fascism:
Anti-individualistic, the fascist conception of life stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only insofar as his interests coincide with those of the State, which stands for the conscience and the universal will of man as a historic entity.... The fascist conception of the State is all-embracing; outside of it no human or spiritual values can exist, much less have value.... Fascism is therefore opposed to that form of democracy which equates a nation to the majority, lowering it to the level of the largest number.... We are free to believe that this is the century of authority, a century tending to the 'right', a Fascist century. If the nineteenth century was the century of the individual (liberalism implies individualism) we are free to believe that this is the 'collective' century, and therefore the century of the State.[10]
With the exception of being anti-democratic in nature, many of the other values do coincide, and it is certainly against anything considered to be "left of center" and filled with Nationalistic Pride. Two pervasive and aggressive tell tale symptoms in the current US political climate. Paired with the current administration's disregard for the Constitution, the backbone to our Democracy, I'd say its getting closer and closer to Fascist Party Line all the time.
The origin of Fascism goes on to tell us:
The term fascismo was first coined by the Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini[8] and Hegelian philosopher Giovanni Gentile. It is derived from the Italian word fascio, which means "bundle" or "union",[9] and from the Latin word fasces. The fasces, which consisted of a bundle of rods tied around an axe, were an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of the civic magistrates, and the symbolism of the fasces suggested strength through unity: a single rod is easily broken, while the bundle is difficult to break.
I want you to take a quick look at the left foot of the eagle in the Presidential Seal at the top of this post. What is it clutching? Oh, a fasces. Although the seal was designed prior to Mussolini's Fascist Party, the ideology is there, and ready for the exploitation. Not to mention the numerous times Bush has made mention of "Strength through unity" with regards to current US political affairs, wars and economy.
Now on to a little bit more history, not just comparisons to Bush Jr., but this also includes the works of his father, Bush Sr. as I believe that the son is no more than an extension of the father. (Emphasis and snarky remarks courtesy of yours truly).
His first international crisis as head of Italy made him an Italian hero.{Bush SR. made a similar impact that I believe set the stage for war in Iraq - "Bush's greatest test came when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened to move into Saudi Arabia. Vowing to free Kuwait, Bush rallied the United Nations, the U. S. people, and Congress and sent 425,000 American troops."}
The crisis was a border dispute between Greece and Albania. Mussolini sent several men to the area representing Italy as part of an International Commission to dispute the issue. On August 23, 1923, all the Italians were murdered and discovered in Greek territory. {Sounds familiar enough to me, 11 years to the day that the father started a war in the Middle East, America was attacked, and although the US was sure of who did the attacking, we..."In a Rage" reacted much like Mussolini did}
In a rage, Mussolini sent the Greek government a list of demands, including a public apology, immediate inquiry into the killings, death sentence to those convicted and payment of 50 million Lira within 5 days. The Greeks refused the demand, since they did not know if it was Greeks who committed the murders.
Mussolini ordered the Italian navy to bombard Corfu (Kerkyra) off the Greek coast. {The US bombed the heck out of Iraq} The shelling was then followed by an amphibious landing of Italian marines. After the League of Nations condemned the act, Mussolini threatened to pull Italy out of the League. {Again, sounds like the conversations between the US and the UN with regards to attacking Iraq}
Mussolini found his country blacklisted by the League of Nations and it forced his relationship closer to Nazi Germany, which was also isolated for their actions. {The US, supporting nations like Pakistan who are enforcing Martial Law - making deals with the Devil}
Mussolini soon realized that the League of Nations did not have the backbone to stop Hitler or himself in gaining new colonies, so he pressed forward. {The US realized that before going into Iraq, and will continue to march on to Iran and any other country we seem to see fit - all met with little support and little success, just like Mussolini}
Italy would find limited success in the war, his conquests in Africa, Greece and Yugoslavia slowly vanished due to poor leadership in the military, and lack of fuel to power their forces. {Did someone say poor leadership, and lack of fuel? How many times has the Attorney General and National Defense Position among others needed to be filled? What is the current price of both oil, and economic and emotional fuel? How much is it costing our country, and how long can it be sustained, and at what price?}
Mussolini also started the "Black shirts" which Hitler copied with his "Brown shirts" which Bush has revived with the "Black shirt" private security company, Blackwater.
The list could go on and on, and indeed it will. Look out for part two.
For now however, I bid you good day.
US Warplanes Violate Iranian Airspace
Tabnak reports that US warplanes from Iraq violated Iran's airspace around Khorramshahr nine times in the 24-hour period from 6 AM on Monday:
"تجاوز هواپيماي آمريکا به خرمشهر در 24ساعت" (13 November 2007). That is unprecedented since the beginning of the occupation of Iraq, as Tabnak notes. An ominous sign.
"تجاوز هواپيماي آمريکا به خرمشهر در 24ساعت" (13 November 2007). That is unprecedented since the beginning of the occupation of Iraq, as Tabnak notes. An ominous sign.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Now Hear This
If you aren't reading Len Hart's blog, The Existentialist Cowboy, you should be. Read his latest post Bush Risks WWIII with Russia, China and Iran
A snippet:
More to come...
A snippet:
"Defense analyst Tim Ripley of Jane's Defense Weekly, calls a US attack on Iran a "nightmare scenario", a war that could not be finished. Bush should have some experience in that field. He is utterly incapable of either finishing or winning in Iraq.
Intent on war, it is not surprising that Bush tries to cover up dissenting opinions and dangers. Bush is a "man" who has proven himself impervious to logic, common sense and empathy."[continues]
More to come...
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Homeland Hate
Michael 'Weiner' Savage- Let's bring it on! Bomb Iran, bring our boys home now! Bomb Iran, bring our boys home now! Bomb Iran, bring our boys home now! Let's get it on! Bomb Iran, bring our boys home now! Wipe Hezbollah out of America! Cut the tentacles of Iran off! Cut the tentacles of that octopus off now! Get every hunter in America armed to the teeth! Throwback bastards! I'm so sick of them! I'm so sick of the brainwashing about Islam and Muslims and the Koran! Shove it! Shove it all! I'm sick of it!
Savage is sort of a caricature big mouth with a hippie past who became intolerant of all he used to enjoy and now gets rich broadcasting utter fascist drivel to people of low intelligence. This outright racist war mongering is identical to the way radio was used to incite previous genocides. What is remarkable is this is not a drunk loser at the bar but a millionaire media figure. Link to a campaign to persuade advertisers to withdraw their business. Rafael of Ruins of Empire did a Halloween special podcast on hate radio and their motives and practices which gives this some greater context, check it out here.
Xposted at Ten Percent
Saturday, November 10, 2007
IN THE MAKING
Fas•cism (noun) [fa’ shizzem]
Authoritarian political ideology where all individual and societal interests are inferior to the needs of the state.
(It is Coming - Poetryman Productions)
Authoritarian political ideology where all individual and societal interests are inferior to the needs of the state.
Come!
O ghosts of misery!
Louder than the whole of God,
more wordless than humiliation
breathing hard upon our backs!
Bring forth your most depraved army
over the present carnage of man;
red tongued and in the making!
Come quick under the roaring sky
and lock away hope
in your manifest gulag
of scraggly goddamned vultures!
Thrash all pleasure and goodness
over attentive hearts of dust!
Split the flesh and soul with your shadows!
Program our youth
to cleave all life of what’s left
as hordes of black-shirted assassins!
Keep watch over them
like steely eyed wolves
and stay their dissent with mild anecdote!
In time they’ll be content
to simply live another day
with wet tongue
and fearful consumption...
I detest with all my being that this pillaging horde of scoundrels has twisted the world into a sightless giant of shrieking hell!
(It is Coming - Poetryman Productions)
Wheels Are Turning
(RawStory/AFP) Israel and the United States have agreed to appoint two working committees in order to hone a joint strategy against Iran's nuclear ambitions, public radio reported on Friday... One committee will deal with intelligence on Iran's nuclear drive and the other with international sanctions...While Bush is getting Germany onboard.
It Can't Happen Here
Famous last words. News from around the world is coming in at warp speed, and unfortunately, none of it seems to be good.
From Emergency Rule in Pakistan and Georgia to fewer rights and seemingly unending Emergency Rule in both Britain and the US, Newly found French support for the impending war with Iran to Russian Nationalist neo-nazi's, and American's touting "Islamo Fascist Awareness"*.
We are in a lot of trouble.
The fear mongering right and spineless left have found a comfortable place in which to wreak havoc on the world, using any and every possible upheaval, natural disaster, national fear, religious fear and so forth ad naseum. Havoc they have wrought. An article outlining the desperation and debilitating causalities of the never-ending-war in Iraq is heart wrenching. Iraq's New Crisis: is a costly reminder of what war really is, and how badly our country is really behaving.
We want to do this again, with Iran? Good God.
*I would just like to take a second here to talk about the "Islamo-Fascist" debacle for a moment. While I commend Sgt. Kokesh for his outspoken efforts against this sly form of racism, I have to say in his latest interview I feel that he fell flat a little bit. Islamo-Fascism is a racist and bigoted statement, period. It is not even appropriate, in my opinion, in a theoretical or educational setting. It implies that all people who are considered Islamic (by whatever standards) are Fascists. We know this isn't true, just the same as not all Christians are fascists. (For those of you who can't seem to remember any "Christo-Fascists" would do well to google the Inquisition, Hitler's religion - here are some extreme Fascists all who acted, in part, in the name of Christianity). It would be better, and far more appropriate to say, when addressing this particular concern, Fascists who operate under the guise of Islam. Or just plain Fascists. Its just not as catchy.
The inherent racist aspect of stereotyping an entire population of people is a common, and well placed tool to instigate fear. We all know that fear is necessary to any aspiring dictatorship or Fascist Idealist looking to gain some power in his or her favor.
"Islamo-Fascism" however, isn't the only bigot card being played here - immigration, the newest old debate has brought a rise in Americans (and apparently Russians - who are listening to American White Supremacists) to lambaste immigrants, both legal or otherwise.
At first it was the Jews, and then the Roma's (Gypsies), and the homosexuals...
At first it was the Islamists, and then the immigrants, and then the homosexuals....
I think you get the idea.
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