We give Hugo Chavez a hard time for nationalizing many industries in Venezuela, and then we bankroll and take them over here, what is the difference?
Can we justifiably call it anything but corporate welfare and Industrial socialism, a bail out of CEO'S that let greed run them in the ground are certainly not market. Entitlements for the Bush policy makers are for corporate interest not individual humans.
Are the political bosses trying to ruin the economic viability of the USA, are they in a hurry to topple our government with debt? It would seem that way. Another anchor on our economic corpus is this war in Iraq, 4 Billion a month burrowed from China and Japan. An interest bearing sum tally's daily, to support a war based on prevarications that is straining the economic blood from the American turnip.
The US Dollar is in the toilet, causing oil prices to rise, because as we know the Price per barrel is intrinsically tied to the American dollar by OPEC.
The weak dollar is also causing a spur of inflation that saps the profits from the market and brings jitters to Wall Street.
Food prices are higher than ever and have risen more in the last two years then any time in history; 32% across the board.
The Bush administration allowed or even encouraged the dropping dollar as they thought it would help the trade deficit by making our products more affordable, but it did nothing to help that indicator at all.
The treasury Department is selling bonds for the Federal Reserve for the first time in its history, a method to bail out the central banking system, in this time of great economic turmoil.
Our Foundation is crumbling but not gone, and this latest crisis has proven how much the international economic health depends on the USA and her health. As our problems quickly affected the entire globe, the dollar started to rise on the lowering of oil prices. Now we all know this is no longer an isolated economic atmosphere, we are in this together.
Bailing out AIG, and others - but what next?
Airlines, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and many other so called "necessary" corporations may need help and the FDIC deposit Insurance fund is dangerously low. Answers to this problem are not forthcoming - the entire system is in flux and infected with the virus called Neoconus Greedonus.
And who pays for all this? The American taxpayers, or me and you.
No doubt about it - and when that bubble bursts, it won't be a day too soon. Great article from Mises.org, here's an excerpt:
For the last sixty years, the United States has provided military protection for the European and Asian capitalist powers, all possessing economies governed by regulatory apparatuses analogous in character to the apparatuses of the American postwar New Deal. These apparatuses, especially when coupled to fiat money, have in common the fundamental flaw that they create economic instability via moral hazard.
This provision of American military protection has been supported by the imperial tribute of the acceptance of paper dollars - dollars at first theoretically backed by gold. Of course, this charade, described by Robert Triffin in 1960, ended in 1971 with the collapse of the Breton Woods system, exposing holders of dollars to massive losses and causing the Great Inflation of the 1970s.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, the United States did not abandon the course of empire, or statist regulation, but instead expanded, especially the imperial side of the interventionist mentality and especially in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Whatever the deregulation of other sectors of the economy, the financial sector - due to its role in imperial finance - retained its peculiar regulatory privilege through its ability to generate unlimited losses at taxpayer or dollar-holder expense.
The fascist Bush regime is using the national financial/economic crisis the regime and its supporters in both major political parties in Congress created as their reason to usurp even more power. Their argument for this is that the crisis (that they created) is so severe, that without a near dictatorship, they cannot cope with it.
This of course is pure bullshit. The last thing this nation needs is to have the criminals that created the crisis to have even more power. In fact, we should be going the absolute opposite direction. Congress should be impeaching the fascist Bush regime and removing these fascist criminals from power completely.
Next, we should be voting out the entire pro-fascist Republican and pro-fascist Democratic Congress that allowed the criminal Bush regime to stay in power this long.
Inasmuch as candidate McCain enjoys virtual immunity regarding his national security credentials owing to his Vietnam experience, it might be interesting to lift that immunity and try another perspective. This is important because, from all we can tell, his views on the use of military force have little changed since then.
McCain's position is that our actions in Vietnam were honorable. This may be a case of the wish being father to the thought, and, if so, it is an understandable one. He does not take issue with our use of deadly military force, instead its implementation. To him, that force was necessary to achieve a desired end (today discredited). On closer inspection, military force was made necessary - as it always is - because we have it at our disposal.
It is considered gauche to criticize someone about war who was severely injured in one and then tortured as a POW, but that is not the source of the hesitation we witness from his political adversaries. Rather, this space is ceded to McCain on the basis of it being very unwise politically to be seen in the seemingly un-American light of being opposed to a genuine, tortured war hero.
No one should confuse empathy with his terrible experience with acceptance of his personal views surrounding it. One could empathize with him just the same if he were to repudiate his earlier statements and claim that what we did to the Vietnamese people was wholly wrong and that if given another chance, no, he would not do it all over again.
In light of his positions on Iraq, Iran, and generally speaking, all that comes under the nebulous heading War on Global Terrorism, such repudiation will not be forthcoming. For him, there is no such thing as a bad display of American power, and he claims the right to speak of that because he survived it.
There are others who share his bona fides, the poor, tortured souls of Bagram, Abu Ghraib, and Guantanamo. If we can't grant them heroic status it must be because we tortured them. Such capriciousness is an unsatisfactory basis for determination.
As a follow up on my previous post, Understanding the Financial Crisis, you can get a far more comprehensive reading list from Mises.org. Learn what is happen, why, what to do (or not to do). They've got a list of more than 3 dozen articles arranged by category, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, The Housing Bubble, Who Predicted This?, and more
The idea of bailing out Wall Street for the results of a decade or more of greedy and even criminal behavior, using almost $1 trillion in borrowed money that will jeopardize everything from Social Security to school funding to medical research, and further drive the dollar into the ditch, cannot be justified.
The president has tried to stampede Congress into throwing this colossal pile of money at the bankers who caused the crisis, by using fear-mongering, instead of by following President Franklin Roosevelt's example of urging calm and coming up with a sensible response.
Congress, which is beholden to Wall Street's bankers because of all the campaign funds they bestow on its members, Republican and Democrat, is buying into the president's nonsense.
But like lipstick on a pig, no amount of window dressing, such as protection for homeowners facing foreclosure or limits on bank executive pay, can make this bailout acceptable.
This proposal is simply out and out theft from taxpayers to reward bankers and investors who have been on a binge for too long.
There are plenty of things that can be done to rebuild the economy and protect the public without rewarding the crooks and gamblers who created this mess.
Meanwhile, the American people need to make it clear that we will not allow this disastrous ripoff to occur.
The answer is to finally tell Congress that we're holding them accountable. No one who votes for a massive bailout of Wall Street gets re-elected. No one.
While the daunting news of WaMu's failure is another grim example of the financial crisis we are in, it is also refreshing news that our economic system does indeed work (when the government lets it). A bank failed - and another bank bought up the good assets. In fact, Chase wasn't the only bank that showed interest - there were like a half dozen big bank names that were interested. Even Chase said - "We're not relying on what the government is doing. We would've done it anyway."
So the obvious question then is - why do we need the bailout at all then?
This is living proof that we do not need a Bailout of Wall St. The system works fine now. Yes, without a bailout some stocks will become worthless. Yes, some people will loose money. But, why should everyone lose money in additional debt and taxes because some people chose to be involved with a particular company(s) that fails?
The system will correct itself in time. It won't take forever. It will be painful for many. But, it will correct itself.
There are plenty of solid companies that will buy up the dying and dead companies. None of these "failing" businesses are essential to the economy. I don't care if AIG fails. I don't care if WaMu fails. I don't care if any of the banks fail. But there are 1000's and 1000's of banks. If 10% die off, then that is an economic system at it's finest. Survival of the fittest is sometimes ugly, but it's necessary. A business that can't figure out how to operate shouldn't survive - that way resources can be reallocated to those that are more productive.
There are plenty of industries that haven't been bailed out - and they survived. It's quiet possible that all industries could have failed at one point or another. Those that survived found a way. They figured it out. As the weakest companies dropped off, the others in the industry become stronger and could then command high enough prices to stay profitable. New businesses are also given the opportunity - and the room - to enter the marketplace. It is just how the market works.
The country will survive just fine with a few less banks, investment firms, and insurance companies.
The twisted reality of this entire problem is this whole housing bubble thing is Washington's fault anyway. The Fed lowered interest rates so low that it artificially boosted up home values to the point of being unsustainable. Houses become worth more when interest rates are lower - and visa versa.
This is supposed to be a free country of "capitalism" not a socialist country! Since when does capitalism mean that there cannot be business failures? That failures cannot be tolerated? That government has to step in and "save" everything.
In reality, though, this is little more than another dirty government trick to get their hands deeper into our pockets while our quickly diminishing freedoms hang in the balance.
Please call your congressman to vote NO on the bailout. We don't need to add another trillion to the debt. I read an article that less than 10% of the people agree with the need for the bailout. Your representatives need to hear it from you!
More words of wisdom on the financial crisis from Ron Paul. Here's an excerpt:
We are in this crisis because of an excess of artificially created credit at the hands of the Federal Reserve System. The solution being proposed? More artificial credit by the Federal Reserve. No liquidation of bad debt and malinvestment is to be allowed. By doing more of the same, we will only continue and intensify the distortions in our economy - all the capital misallocation, all the malinvestment - and prevent the market's attempt to re-establish rational pricing of houses and other assets.
Last night the president addressed the nation about the financial crisis. There is no point in going through his remarks line by line, since I'd only be repeating what I've been saying over and over - not just for the past several days, but for years and even decades.
Still, at least a few observations are necessary.
The president assures us that his administration "is working with Congress to address the root cause behind much of the instability in our markets." Care to take a guess at whether the Federal Reserve and its money creation spree were even mentioned?
We are told that "low interest rates" led to excessive borrowing, but we are not told how these low interest rates came about. They were a deliberate policy of the Federal Reserve. As always, artificially low interest rates distort the market. Entrepreneurs engage in malinvestments - investments that do not make sense in light of current resource availability, that occur in more temporally remote stages of the capital structure than the pattern of consumer demand can support, and that would not have been made at all if the interest rate had been permitted to tell the truth instead of being toyed with by the Fed.
Not a word about any of that, of course, because Americans might then discover how the great wise men in Washington caused this great debacle. Better to keep scapegoating the mortgage industry or "wildcat capitalism" (as if we actually have a pure free market!).
By the way, as Congress zips through a bill giving $25 billion in loan guarantees to Ford and GM "to develop fuel efficient cars," why is nobody asking about the $7 billion the government gave to GM back in the late 1990s to develop a hybrid diesel engine?
GM took the money, and then failed to deliver. "Sorry" was about all the taxpayers got from that boondoggle. And what will we get for this latest handover of an amount equal to half the annual federal budget for education? At best we'll get some GM cars that get an extra 20 mpg. But there's no guarantee it'll happen, and the past record of GM, Ford and the auto industry is it won't. The money will just be forgotten, like the last $7 billion.
In fact, the car companies are lobbying to get the 20 mpg target eliminated from the bill before Congress. For that matter, Chrysler, whose owners are planning to end car production in the US and just make the company an importer of Japanese and Chinese cars, is trying to get in on the deal. The bill actually says the money is for "retooling" old factories to accomodate newer high-mileage-getting cars. It's easy to see how that will end up being spent on a lot of things that don't have anything to do with higher gas mileage.
Here's another stupid throwaway to shareholders of taxpayer money, only, as in the case of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, it's not current taxpayers who will foot the bill, since nobody's talking about raising taxes, but rather about lowering them. It's future taxpayers, like our kids, who'll be paying through the nose.
It looks to me like Congress and the president have simply given up on the whole idea of governing, and have decided that their job is simply to shovel money as fast as they can to the rich and hope they themselves get out before the whole system collapses in rubble and chaos.
The seizure and the deal with J.P. Morgan came as a shock to Washington Mutual's board, which was kept completely in the dark: The company's new chief executive, Alan Fishman, was flying from New York to Seattle when the deal was brokered, according to board members.
It's gotten to the point where the government takes assets and sells them off without a company's board of directors even knowing. Imagine what they'll do with your home, or savings - if they want to.
"The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre - the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.
The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
H. L. Mencken on elections Baltimore Evening Sun, 26 July 1920
In a time of "crisis" it's important to understand the root causes of the problem(s). In regards to the economy, virtually everything coming out of the US government - and the media - is way off base.
The only way to "fix" such massive economic problems is to avoid using band-aids that only address sympton...rather than addressing the real causes.
It's US government policy - mostly from the federal reserve bank - that has lead to what some cooler heads have been saying would be inevitable for years now. In short, the Federal Reserve has created all the bubbles that are bursting - from the housing bubble to the stock bubble. How is that? By easy credit through artificially low interest rates - and increasing the money supply, which devalues the dollar and creates inflation.
If you'd like to get a good overview of these issues, there's a number of articles you can read:
Mindless Jaggurnaut rolling on, Crushing, devouring, all in its path A runaway freight with no engineer; Or is it?
The people are tired of trying to stop it, Or control it, or understand it. Worn down by their efforts, Their disillusionment, their pain.
No one cares who the engineer is, Or if there is one. No one cares who it crushes As long as it's someone else.
A runaway freight, Plunging into an unlighted, Unfinished tunnel; Full of people along for the ride.
--Steve Osborn - 22 Nov. 1974
As I say, the tunnel was deeper than I thought, but other than that little has changed in the past 35 years. When we hit the end of the tunnel, it will just be harder and faster than it was.
Maybe We Should - Have ourselves an "adjustment" And let the fat cats feel the pain To bring our economy in line And not let, this happen again.
Maybe We Should - Get rid of the Federal Reserve Which is illegal, anyway President Kennedy gave a decree (I) And said, they should go away.
Maybe We Should - Make sure all the people know We all pay interest on our money Which is printed/owned by the banks (II) For them, a bottomless, jar of honey.
Maybe We Should - End the unlawful income tax And charge a flat tax on all spent (III) Except for food and such things And house payments, and rent.
Maybe We Should - Vote every incumbent out Forget our political persuasion Vote in new folks who really care About the future, of our Nation.
Maybe We Should - Get rid of the electoral vote And the flawed voting machines Make everybody's vote count So, they can't win, by any, means.
Maybe We Should - End foreign aid to unfriendly nations Spend that money, here at home Quit bankrolling those foreigners And start, to take care of our own.
Maybe We Should - Stop all subsidies for companies (IV) (V) And tax breaks for all the wealthy Spend that money, on other programs That teach kids, and keep us safe and healthy.
Maybe We Should - Make companies who go bust And those invested in that kind Suffer the consequence of their acts Along with CEOs who rob them blind.(VI)
Maybe We Should - Quit turning a blind eye to those Who commit, white-collar crime Make them pay back the piper And make them all, do the time.
Maybe We Should - End our dependence on oil And go for the alternatives Like wind power and solar With no charge, for what it gives.
Maybe We Should - Get out of groups like the WTO (VII) Where we buy more than we can sell When we complain about poisoned stuff And they just tell us, "Go to hell!"
Maybe We Should - Have someone that we can trust To find products, which make us ill Not, protecting those who sell them Who don't care, who they may kill.
Maybe We Should - Make it against our Nation's law To send our jobs, overseas And, when we make a phone call That, "Press one, for English, please."
Maybe We Should - Let no one be, above the Law From our President, on down As long as we let them get away True Justice, never will be found.
Maybe We Should - Fire those inept, prosecutors Who put our Border Guards in prison We can thank, those like Johnny Sutton For how, border violence has risen.
Maybe We Should - Realize, we do have a problem With our World's global warning The worsening of our storms Is, Mother Nature's warning.
Maybe We Should - Quit trying to change the World And, forcing our Democracy In places it will never work First, make it work for you and me.
Maybe We Should - End the spying on our people It's against our Constitution And loss of habeas corpus Is surely wrong, and no solution.
Maybe We Should - Bring our Troops back home And, have them guard our border Stop all illegals coming in And enforce our Law and Order.
Maybe We Should - Stop going to War on a whim For propaganda, lies, and fear (VIII ) For, every time we do it Our apocalypse, draws nearer.
Maybe We Should - Learn about the New World Order (IX) (Some say, there is nothing to fear) When, the rich will have all the power Though maybe, that time's already here!
Maybe We Should - Get our own house in order And try, to take care of our own Then, we might again, be thought of The greatest, this World has known
Like before, it's test time again. Each question counts for 10 points. Who said the following and where and when?
1. "As never before does the keeping of our economic machine in tune depend upon wise policies in the administrative side of the government."
2. "Prosperity is no idle expression. It is a job for every worker; it is the safety and safeguard of very business and every home. A continuation of the policies of the Republican party is fundamentally necessary to the future advancement of this progress and to the further building up of this prosperity."
3. "Any lack of confidence in the economic future or the basic strength of business in the United States is foolish."
4. "I am convinced we have now passed the worst and with continued unity of effort we shall rapidly recover. There is one certainty of the future of a people of the resources, intelligence and character of the people of the United States - that is, prosperity."
5. "During the past year you have carried the credit system of the nation safely through a most difficult crisis. In this success you have demonstrated not alone the soundness of the credit system, but also the capacity of the bankers in emergency."
6. "This economy of ours is on a solid foundation, but we can't take economic growth for granted. And there are signs that will cause us to be ever more diligent and to make sure that good policies come out of Washington."
7. "There's some uncertainty in the economy. But in the long run you've got to be confident about your economy. Inflation is down, interest rates are low, productivity is high. Our economy is flexible, it is resilient."
8. "In a free market, there's going to be good times and bad times. That's how markets work. There will be ups and downs."
9. "Fortunately, we recognized the slowdown early and took action. And it was decisive action, in the form of policies that will spur growth."
10. "You know, there's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street and it is -- people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, is still -- the fundamentals of our economy are strong."
ANSWERS --
1. Herbert Hoover, from his campaign address, Elizabethtown, Tenn., October 6, 1928
2. Herbert Hoover, from his campaign address, Madison Square Garden, New York City, October 22, 1928
3. Herbert Hoover, from his announcement following meeting with business and government officials, Washington, D.C., November 15, 1929
4. Herbert Hoover, from his address at annual dinner of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Washington, D.C., May 1, 1930
5. Herbert Hoover, from his address before the annual convention of The American Bankers Association, Cleveland, October 2, 1930
6. George W. Hoover -- er, Bush, from his statement following meeting of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, Washington D.C., January 4, 2008
7. George W. Hoover -- er, Bush, from his speech in Torrance, Calif., January 30, 2008
8. George W. Hoover -- er, Bush, from his remarks on the economy to the Economic Club of New York, New York City, March 14, 2008
9. George W. Hoover -- er, Bush, from his remarks on the economy to the Economic Club of New York, New York City, March 14, 2008
10. John S. McHoover -- er, McCain, from a campaign speech in Jacksonville, Fla., September 15, 2008
NOTE: Any person who passed the test either cheated or needs to get a life.
Now then, were Herbert Hoover's statements regarding the U.S. economy in 1928-1930 reflecting over-optimism, politically-based denial, under-estimation of the public's mentality, deceit, personal hubris, or his own stupidity? Or some combination? How about George W. Hoover-- er, Bush's statements in 2007-2008 regarding today's U.S. economy? Over-optimism, politically-based denial, under-estimation of the public's mentality, deceit, personal hubris, or his own stupidity? Some combination?
How about John S. McHoover -- er, McCain's statement on September 15, 2008 regarding today's economy? Over-optimism, politically-based denial, under-estimation of the public's mentality, deceit, personal hubris, or his own stupidity? Some combination?
The fascist military/police state apparatus is undoubtedly being put in place. Click on the link to the article titled "Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1." The people in the military that will be used to suppress civil and political unrest in order to preserve our de facto fascist state do not have a clue as to the role they will actually be playing.
To me, this deployment of a combat unit onto American soil for the purpose of maintaining fascist order is an act of desperation. The fascists are hitting the panic button. They obviously expect the worse case scenario. That is, massive social and political unrest that they plan to suppress with military units with combat experience in Iraq.
I am not going to comment on how this is all going to play-out beyond the comment that fascists in power are preparing for one bloody mess to preserve their power.
I recently received the following piece of "feedback"
We have read your articles, and when I say we I mean myself with my fellow soldiers, and to be blunt, your pissing us off. You talk about war, the military, and government as if we're just screwin' the country and out for some laughs.
First the thing about oil in Iraq, GET A FUCKING CLUE! We found 100% pure pesticide...know what that's used for? BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS. They were moving the stuff out before we got there...well, most of it anyway. And a country that plans, encourages, or aids in any way to terrorism is a direct threat to the United States. And on a positive note, the people over there are no longer under rule by a heartless dictator. Stop looking at the picture the liberals are trying to paint to everyone because they want the white house....people are happy over there...you drive around town and they still wave and smile at you saying thank you. If only Americans were like those people...because they know how precious freedom is. And we are fighting for your freedom. We just happened to get in there before it became a larger threat...thats the way its done. If you think that what we are doing over there is nothing more than trying to get ourselves some oil, then I suggest that you put your boots on the line, gear up, and charge into the frontlines with us so you will then fully understand. But thats the problem right there. Nobody can fully understand until they have been in our shoes and know what its like. I thought I knew but I was wrong. So all we ask is for your FULL support, a thankfull attitude, and your prayers for all the soldiers that are standing fast in the path of the enemy ready to kill for you. Because of us you will never know what it is like to hold a weapon in your hand and have to kill for your freedom. We don't enjoy killing, but we take great pride in why we are doing it. We are United States Soldiers and we defend your freedom wherever we go
Airmen Blake French United States Air Force
I sent him my response.
Blake, You and your fellow soldiers are murderers. Someone should have told you by now. Sorry to have to be the one."
Mike
I wondered who this was -- whether it was a real soldier or what - your guess is as good as mine.
I have not heard back from Blake since I responded - same day that I received it.
The Bush administration is heading us towards more disaster with its 'toxic debt' bailout and destabilization of Pakistan and Iran. We can't afford to go down this road again. Heather's 10-minute video above provides background, context and ideas for taking action.
It is readily apparent from reading their recent statement on bailouts that the Constitution Party fully understands the magnitude of the our national financial/economic disaster. Also, they understand that the major political party candidates for president and vice president do not know what to do about our national financial/economic disaster. Paragraph four reads as follows:
"That deer in the headlights look on the faces of Obama/Biden/McCain/Palin when discussing this crisis should tell Americans everything they need to know about these candidates. Not one of them is letting on they know what's really happening, much less how to fix it!"
Consider this, the same pro-fascist faction that financed the successful political campaigns of the fascist Bush regime are now financing the McCain bid for fascist political supremacy. The opposing pro-fascist faction that financed the political campaigns of the pro-fascist Clintons are now financing Obama's bid for fascist political supremacy.
Next, consider this, the sole function of fascism, as far as they're concerned, is to secure the economic and political power of the elites and their corporations.
Next, consider this, these same elites and their corporations are attracted to fascism when the problems of keeping the economy functioning are so numerous and overwhelming that they can no longer cope with them. Our present national financial/economic crisis certainly appears to fit this scenario.
Next, consider this, as the Constitution Party points out, it is obvious that neither major political party candidate has the foggiest idea on how to solve America's financial/economic crisis in a manner that is fair to all Americans. Therefore, no matter which major political party wins the presidency the sole function of the de facto fascist government will be to secure the financial and political power of the pro-fascists.
Bottom line No. 1: No matter which major political party wins in the 2008 elections we can expect more of the same policies to preserve the economic power of the ruling class and their corporations
Bottom line No. 2: The only change we can expect is this. If the financial/economic/political conditions deteriorate to the point that those in power feel their power is threatened, then we can expect the current de facto fascist state to degenerate into a fascist military/police state.
Bottom line No. 3: No matter which major political party wins the 2008 elections what remains of our republic with its democratic political process, the rule of law, our civil rights, and the separation of church and state will be destroyed. In addition, the working class will be reduced to the level of industrial serfdom.
The founders were especially concerned that the federal government would be used by special interests to pledge our country to war. They knew that war posed the greatest risk to our well being, both economically and spiritually (let alone the loss of lives). Many safeguards were implanted in to the constitution in an attempt to prevent this from happening.
Foremost, the founders required that only Congress could declare war. Given that we are a republican form of government, the founders wanted this most important decision to come only after a full debate amongst the representatives of the people. They absolutely did not want the executive branch to be making the decision to go to war.
Unfortunately, this has been exactly how we as a nation have gone to war since World War II.
The decision to invade Iraq was unconstitutionally delegated to President Bush by Congress (as Congress did not want to be politically accountable for the decision). I have no doubt that if congress had performed its constitutional responsibility to investigate the evidence that was used to justify invading Iraq they would have discovered the lack of credibility of that evidence.
In addition, the will of the people at that time was strongly against invading Iraq. Millions of people had gone to the streets throughout the world in opposition to the pending attack. In contrast, the only proponents for the invasion were the administration and their neoconservative advisers.
This is a perfect example of how the liberty of the people can only be preserved by the people themselves. If, we the people had been educated on this constitutional requirement Congress would not have been allowed to "wash their hands" of their most important duty.
The past two years, in the spring of each year, I took a book tour.
In the spring of 2007 I went east to promote "The American Dream."
This past spring I went west to talk about "Iowa Terror" and "The Cost of Freedom."
Each year, before I left, I sent in a letter to the IRS, since it was also tax time. Basically, what I said was that I wish to protest against what our government is doing to the American people and to the people of the world.
My two letters are copied below.
This week I received a letter from the IRS saying that unless I reverse my position, they will impose on me a $5,000 fine for "frivolous filing."
"... this letter serves to inform you of the potential consequence of the position you have taken and to offer you an opportunity to correct your submission within thirty days."
Well, I can't do that.
I believe we are living under a criminal government, and it is the duty of any citizen to resist that criminality, that basic immorality which is the norm today.
First Letter 03/27/07:
Hello,
Enclosed is a crossed-out tax form.
I will not cooperate with the murderous regime of George W. Bush.
President Bush and his administration planned and carried out the attacks on the United States on 9-11-01, in order to attack Iraq and steal their oil.
In the eyes of Bush and Cheney and Rove, the war is going according to plan. They and their friends are making millions, billions, from the oil, from the defense industry, while the poor go without, while social services are cut in order to pay for more war and killing.
As a Christian, I cannot go along with this.
I must protest
Second Letter 03/01/08:
Hello.
Enclosed is my tax form for this year.
It is crossed-out because I do not wish to cooperate with the government of George W. Bush.
President Bush has chosen to spend our tax dollars on war and killing while cutting spending on social programs.
As a Christian, I cannot go along with this.
I must protest.
* My protest was symbolic, but I still believe useful and right. I did not get out of paying any tax. My taxes were already collected from my paychecks. If anything, I relinquished the refund I would have received. I'm not sure what it would have been. Just fyi.
As I've said, wait until they install the new "pain ray" projectors. Boy, those "loiterers" and "conversationalists" will be in for an unpleasant surprise!
"National Laboratory, Homeland Security Team Up For Surveillance Project"
KENNEWICK, Wash. - Can high-tech infrared cameras and millimeter-wave cameras "see" terrorist threats coming from as far as 130 yards away?
Kennewick police and Hanford Patrol officers will test the effectiveness of the high-tech gear in a six-week tryout at the Toyota Center.
The experiment, which goes live Sept. 26 for six home games of the Tri-City Americans, will help the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate determine if the technologies are effective in the hands of local law enforcement.
The equipment, which consists of remote camera sensors that can track crowd movements, uses infrared and millimeter-wave radar to analyze images for potential explosive threats, said Jim Tuttle, explosives division director for Homeland Security.
"(The test) will help us improve standoff screening capability for our security systems," Tuttle said.
A series of cameras, some roof-mounted at the Toyota Center, and others that include infrared and millimeter-wave radar imaging, will watch the parking lots and various pedestrian approaches to the center.
I imagine we are already being scanned in our homes, etc., to see if there is a more than usual gathering there. In Afghanistan and Iraq, a big wedding party is not a celebration, it is a target of opportunity, with a large body count tallied as "terrorists."
When the financial markets started coming undone earlier this week, the Treasury Secretary and the Federal Reserve stepped in, and with $85 billion of our money (actually our children's money, since they borrowed it from China and Saudi Arabia), bought foundering AIG, the world's largest insurance company, and assumed its collassal pile of crap debt.
That didn't help, and the stock market crashed further, falling to levels not seen in three years. Banks, meanwhile, stopped lending, figuring to just hold onto their money and try to weather the crash. The US Treasury and the Fed stepped in again, this time pumping nearly $200 billion more of our money into foreign money markets, and getting European and other governments to do the same in an effort to get the credit markets open again and to stop the stock market swoon.
It didn't work. Today, the markets continued to fall, well into the afternoon, and it looked like another down day. But then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson came up with a new idea. He said he and the Bush administration were considering setting up a new agency to assume all the bad debt of the banking sector--meaning all those bad loans they made, and that they lured unsuspecting consumers into taking out, by way of deceptive marketing techniques and outright fraud.
Note that we're talking about perhaps half a trillion dollars here--of our money again.
The thing to remember here is that this is not a rescue of the little guy. People unable to pay their mortgages will still be unable to pay their mortgages. Who gets helped by this enforced taxpayer largesse are the fat cats who own all the stock in these financial institutions, all the executives who pay themselves outsize salaries each year for their lousy management records, all these hotshot traders who make the deals that later turn sour, long after they've run off to another job taking their bonuses with them.
We ordinary people, who live from check to check, will feel the pain of this "rescue" in the form of higher taxes in coming years, and in a devalued dollar--because you can bet that all that money they're printing, and all that added debt they're piling on to the mountain of debt already out there is going to make the rest of the world pretty queasy about holding onto dollar-denominated debt, or about buying any more of it.
When you hear a banker say he's going to help you, it pays to hang onto your wallet. When you hear a politician say he's going to help you, hang onto your wallet. If they're both saying the same thing, and especially if one of them is the head of the Federal Reserve Bank, then you better really hang on tight.
When I have written to my congressman (Larsen, (D) WA) about impeachment and the return of the Constitution, intact and functioning, to the halls of government, his answer, when he still answered me (usually with a form letter), was that we didn't elect a Democratic majority to impeach the president or stop the war, we elected them to add a few cents to the minimum wage and other important tasks. He is very proud of that accomplishment.
I listened to Bu$h saying, "We don't educate our children for the jobs of the past, we educate them for the jobs of the future." Right, I thought, "Would you like fries with that?"
Larsen also told me that he wasn't convinced that the president had broken any laws. (After my answer to that one, he quit answering me.)
Well, it all came clear to me. Not only did they add a few cents to the minimum wage, but they want to make sure that everyone has a chance to take advantage of that increase.
Don't you think it is way past time for We the People to throw all the bums out and start over?
Last Thursday, Barack Obama and John McCain were in NYC. They billed it as a break in campaigning to mark September 11. In their separate interviews at Columbia University, they both stressed military service as a high calling, and supported the idea of Columbia to bring back the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Program), which the students drove off campus in 1969. Meanwhile -- what are those trained officers doing to avenge 9-11? Bombing civilians in Afghanistan, and sending bombers into Pakistan, as per the wishes of Bush, McCain, and Obama.
On August 22nd, according to the United Nations and even the U.S.-installed Afghanistan government, U.S. airstrikes on the village of Azizabad in Afghanistan killed 90 civilians, including 60 children.
The New York Times reported:
"Accounts from survivors, including three people wounded in the bombing, described repeated strikes on houses where dozens of children were sleeping, grandparents and uncles and aunts huddled inside with them."
The U.N. Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said: "Investigations by UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) found convincing evidence, based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, and others, that some 90 civilians were killed, including 60 children, 15 women and 15 men."Full story.
"Outrage" doesn't even begin to describe this-- this is indisputably a war crime. George W. Bush's response? He announced sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan in the next several months! McCain chimed in: "It is clear that we need additional forces in Afghanistan, and I support the new deployments." Obama expressed being "glad that the president is moving in the direction of the policy that I have advocated for years." Obama criticized Bush for not being harsh enough: "His plan comes up short -- it is not enough troops, and not enough resources, with not enough urgency."
This week there were revelations that George Bush authorized bombing raids into Pakistan without prior approval of the government of Pakistan. This comes after a bomb raid that killed 23 people, including 8 children, at what the US said was a family compound of "Taliban leaders". The Bush administration has made a principle of its right -- or rather the right of its executive -- to enter other countries with impunity, in contravention of ALL international law. More on this.
As World Can't Wait said last Friday, while holding signs against the war, "If you are opposed to our government launching immoral and illegal wars, killing innocent civilians for oil and empire, it is time to realize: neither Barack Obama nor John McCain wants what you want. It is up to us. The only chance of stopping these atrocities and these wars is a movement of mass independent political action demanding these atrocities and wars stop!"
In the year, Seventeen eighty-seven Those thirty-nine, changed our History They signed that piece of parchment Said, we were, the Land of the Free.
In more than two hundred twenty years It has gone through a few changes That's not, an easy thing to get done For, all of our lives, it rearranges.
The First through Tenth Amendments Are known as our Bill of Rights And many times, they were in danger But, the People, usually won those fights.
Sometimes, those people in power Try to change them, for their gain Sometimes they will just ignore them Like we've seen, time and again.
They are our only, real protection With a high and terrible price to pay If we don't keep fighting for them There's some, would take them all away.
Other Amendments, Thirteen and Fifteen Abolished Racial Suffrage and Slavery Supposed to give promised Rights To all of those promised, Liberty.
The Sixteenth, allowed for Income Tax And as we know, it has many a flaw Some say, that it was never Ratified That, it was never made, a Legal Law.
The Eighteenth, Prohibition of Alcohol Which was, another legal blunder With organized crime borne of it And, the Rule of Law torn, asunder.
The Nineteenth, said Women could Vote After a very long, contentious fight Just look at what those Ladies have done Since, they got their, American Right.
Then, a Repeal of Prohibition Came with the Twenty-first In most places, booze flowed freely To quench America's, hearty thirst.
The Twenty-second said, Two Terms Was, all a President could serve But, as we know, for some, one Was one more, than they deserved.
The Twenty-sixth said we could Vote When reaching Eighteen years of age Since they could fight and die for us Every time, we had a War to wage.
Those great words of our Constitution Have served our Country long, and well Will they withstand the test of time Or will History show, our Nation, fell?
If we don't protect them with our life If we bow to those powers that, be If we let them twist those words around One sad day, we'll be no longer, Free.
We can't let our precious Bill of Rights Fail, to protect us all, as they must do We can't let one man, or group of men Twist them into something, they construe.
Though, our Constitution is not perfect Our Founding Fathers knew, this so And, "In God We Trust", is not enough Our Freedom depends, on where, we go.
We must each, defend those Freedoms From outside foes, and those, within It's, We, the People, wield the power To lose this battle, which, we must, win.
So, On this Constitution Day Let's each, pay the price we owe To uphold those words of Wisdom Penned upon that parchment, long ago.
If Obama would get off his (or Biden's) "widen the war in Afghanistan," "go to war with Iran," and "stay in Iraq" positions, I would probably vote for him.
Having observed the actions, or lack thereof, of the Democratic Party since 2006, all I see is a choice of "Fascist lite (D) or "Fascist Right" (R). IF I look closely, I see a very wealthy oligarchy pulling both sets of strings. I don't think they care which side wins because, as it has been for many years, they own them both.
Can We the People effect change? With HS's ever increasing power and its "Thought Police" sending armed hit squads into homes to disrupt and arrest those even thinking of protesting, it is going to take an overwhelming number of people ready to lay their lives and their livings on the line. It is going to take massive strikes, demonstrations and civil disobedience in the face of increasingly lethal force and draconian punishments for the slightest infractions, to make a difference.
Do you see the American Sheeple awakening and rising up from their Procrustean beds?
I'm sure the "Democrats" will avoid asking any potentially embarrassing questions, and I am sure that any penetrating questions will be answered by, "That question cannot be answered due to National Security."
The blueprint is there. The Nazis had their enemies from the get go. Jews and Communists. A communist was anybody who had the interest of the people at heart, and Jews were, well, Jews. Enough said.
Now we have Islam and people of middle eastern descent. Islamists are, of course, terrorists and the middle east consists of, well, Ayrabs. Enough said.
The camps are ready, the "laws" are being strengthened. Already, anyone with sympathy for those we have slaughtered can be considered a "terrorist sympathizer" and soon a "Homegrown Terrorist" with no more rights than the "Muslim-in-the-street." i.e., None!
Tapes of parts of the Conference Planning Prosecution of Bush and Cheney for War Crimes, held this past weekend at Andover Law School, are available at Afterdowningstreet.org.
The tape of Dave Lindorff talking about the lessons of the impeachment movement and how they can be applied to the new campaign to indict and prosecute President Bush and Vice President Cheney is the 11th of the video segments on the page.
Well Democrats, looks pretty grim doesn't it. Remember when you rolled into office in a landslide in 2006? You had a mandate from America. Clean up the damn mess and put a halt to Republican corruption and war mongering. So how did you respond to the wishes of the people?
You ignored why they sent you into office. Not only did you fail to do it, you absolutely refused to even try. Yes, you could have stopped this immoral war that has cost the lives of over 4100 Americans and 1.2 million Iraqis. A war that has cost us our morality and the respect of the world. A war that has now accrued liabilities of approximately $3 Trillion. All you had to do to win the hearts of the American people was do what they sent you into office to do. Stop the war, clean up the corruption, restore freedoms stolen by the Bush Administration, and impeach Bush and Cheney. Why didn't you do it? Were you afraid you would lose the 2008 election if you did? Or was it that you were so sure you could get in control by 2008 that you wanted to leave the corrupt mechanism in place so you could continue the feeding at the trough the Republicans had started? Tried to cover your greed by acting impotent did you? But now you have become the bad guys. And the label is thoroughly justified because you simply didn't have the courage to be moral and remember who elected you.
In this campaign no one is talking about the cost in lives, or the cost to our economy, of the war and the failed Bush Policies. To your shame you took a slam dunk endorsement of the American voter and turned it into your worst nightmare. You proved once again that corruption usually overrides reason.
Still there is hope for America. That's because your shame and the Republicans lack of shame, could possibly ignite a much-needed movement in America. We Independents who are thoroughly sick of non-responsive Government may realize that if we don't unite to stop this runaway train we are going to lose whatever semblance of freedom we once had, if we don't act before its too late.
I noticed last week that some of the Independent Parties have begun to discuss among themselves what I have been crying out for the last two years - A Coalition of Independents. I understand that several of the Parties who are running Candidates have begun meetings to discuss the one certain way to take back our government, by uniting under a common cause.
Possibly 2008 may be lost to more of the same no matter which Party gets in, but my fellow Independents, get interested, I believe that finally reason among Americas' largest segment of voters may have finally sunk in. If we take care of tomorrow, we can once again breath the fresh air of Liberty.
Consider this, the fascist Bush regime, and its supporters in both major political parties in Congress are responsible for the deaths of 1,255,026 Iraqi men, women and children. Further, they are responsible for between 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 Iraqis being reduced to poverty stricken refugees living in foreign countries. In addition, they are responsible for the deaths of 4,155 American military personnel killed in the war in Iraq.
All of the aforementioned are the result of an illegal war the fascist Bush regime sold to the American people using the lie that the Iraqi's had weapons of mass destruction
My first point is this - as serious as the federally financed fascist police state tactics in Denver and Saint Paul are, they are trivial along-side the crimes against humanity the deranged fascists in both major political parties have committed to date in Iraq.
My second point is - the long history of brutality of the fascist Bush regime, and its supporters in both major political parties in Congress are an indication of what we Americans can expect from these fascists when they impose a military/police state.
No bailouts. Period. That's the message from Lew Rockwell in his latest column at Mises.org. Here's an excerpt:
Contrary to what the blogging heads say, there is nothing that makes this nationalization inevitable. If the government fails to nationalize Freddie and Fannie, the world as we know it will come to an end. Those who are saying so are trying to scare the population, the same as with every other major demand by the regime. It was the same with NAFTA, the WTO, the war on terror, the war on bird flu, the nationalization of airport security, and everything else, with one major difference: the effects of this bailout could turn a downturn into a full scale depression.
Scare tactics is right. Like 9-11, the Patriot Act, and just about everything else, they use scare tactics for one thing - giving the politicians even more power.
Once again, I want to urge people to consider supporting the candidates in the minor parties and the independent candidates. Further, I believe that our goal should be to capture as many seats in Congress as we possibly can since Congress is the real center of political power in our federal government.
We simply cannot expect any positive change, not even small positive change, from the rotten-corrupt Democratic Party. The pro-fascist faction in the Democratic Party has control of the Democratic Party and has worked cooperatively with the pro-fascist faction in the Republican Party to destroy our republic and create our present de facto fascist state.
If incorporating personal details into an RFID (radio-frequency identification) chip implanted into a passport or driver's license may sound like a "smart" alternative to endless lines at the airport and intrusive questioning by securocrats, think again.
Since the late 1990s, corporate grifters have touted the "benefits" of the devilish transmitters as a "convenient" and "cheap" way to tag individual commodities, one that would "revolutionize" inventory management and theft prevention. Indeed, everything from paper towels to shoes, pets to underwear have been "tagged" with the chips. "Savings" would be "passed on" to the consumer. Call it the Wal-Martization of everyday life.
RFID tags are small computer chips connected to miniature antennae that can be fixed to or implanted within physical objects, including human beings. The RFID chip itself contains an Electronic Product Code that can be "read" when a RFID reader emits a radio signal. The chips are divided into two categories, passive or active. A "passive" tag doesn't contain a battery and its "read" range is variable, from less than an inch to twenty or thirty feet. An "active" tag on the other hand, is self-powered and has a much longer range. The data from an "active" tag can be sent directly to a computer system involved in inventory control--or surveillance.
All four standing together - to fight the two-party hegemony that is the American political system. All standing together on 4 main points:
Ending the Iraq war, and returning US soldiers home from around the world
Protecting privacy, and repealing the Patriot Act, FISA, and Military Commissions Act
Reigning in the National Debt
Investigating and auditing the Federal Reserve, and no more corporate bailouts
Sounds like a pretty good platform to me - something that people from all across the spectrum can get together on. Neither McCain nor Obama are in support of all these...
Here's Ron Paul's intro from yesterday's press conference:
Yet, another year has passed by Since, those terrorists struck our Land Even, after all this time gone by Still hard, to comprehend or understand.
How can a person hate so much And be so blinded, by their belief To take their life, and so many others To cause such terror, pain, and grief ?
All those folks they didn't even know Who never caused them any harm Who died while just living their lives Without, any forewarning or alarm.
Sadly, since that "War" began Many thousands more, have died And those who shed tears on Nine Eleven Just some, of too many, who have cried.
The man who caused all that horror Still walks free, to wreak his wrath And, it seems that, so many more Now, walk along that deadly path.
Our World is forever changed And it will never, be the same Sad, such evil lives among us Especially, in religion's name.
Voices calling for Goodwill and Peace Are drowned out, by the drums of War And the destruction of all Mankind It seems is all, we really, are good for?
Oh, we must protect ourselves And, the terrorism must be fought And all of those, who cause us harm Must get justice, due, when caught.
So, on Nine Eleven, we'll remember Souls lost then, and since, that fateful day And, if you believe in, some kind of God You should ask for Peace too, if you pray!
President George W. Bush did 9/11. No shit. Really.
He should be in the Leavenworth chow hall right now, eating a baloney sandwich off a pale green plastic tray rather than in the White House.
What a crock. What a country.
I am a peace activist, I guess, whatever that means. I have been to prison. I ran for Congress. I was a small-town reporter, editor, publisher. All that was done in the search for truth, the same as my drive to Oregon in 1978 with my dog in my dad's 1959 Chevy.
9/11 is the key to peace, or at least the end of the war in Iraq. Peace groups should embrace 911 Truth. Study, don't brush it off. Don't be afraid of it. In our country, we censor by using words like "wingnut, wacko." Your neighbors ship you to Siberia by rolling their eyes when you speak. But do not be afraid. It is the root, the key, the why and the end to all of this. Also the key to us finding out the real history of our country.
Americans will do something when it affects them: you go to the city council meeting when they try to make you put in sidewalks and you don't want to, you start to get interested when your son is being deployed rather than just your next door neighbor's son.
Listen to Bob McIlvaine. He lost his son on 9/11. Here is you, me ...if your son or daughter ...it does affect them ...it does affect you ...why aren't we screaming, swearing, ranting, with tears in our eyes. It means something. It is important.
Read all about it. Guests Of The Nation. Published by 7th Street Press. Original full-color illustrations by Michael Paul Miller, Russell Brutsche and Allison Healy.
They stole two elections, killed Paul Wellstone, lied to invade some country to steal some oil... they torture, spy on us, lock people away in secret prisons, sent the anthrax... and they attacked their own country... Because they are lying, filthy, sons of meerkats and musk ox... a super de dooper secret Mafia that actually runs our country and our world.
The author is a professor at George Mason University in Virginia. "5 Myths About Those Civic-Minded, Deeply Informed Voters," By Rick Shenkman. Here's an excerpt:
One thing both Democrats and Republicans agreed about in their vastly different conventions: The American voter will not only decide but decide wisely. But does the electorate really know what it's talking about? Plenty of things are hurting American democracy -- gridlock, negative campaigning, special interests -- but one factor lies at the root of all the others, and nobody dares to discuss it. American voters, who are hiring the people who'll run a superpower democracy, are grossly ignorant. Here are a few particularly bogus claims about their supposed savvy.
For those people still in a state of denial about the American republic being dead and being replaced with our present de facto police state take a good look at what has happened at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul - and the arrest of Democracy Now! journalist, Amy Goodman. Our short lived de facto fascist state is in the process degenerating into a fascist military/police state.
This is not a small matter of some poorly managed and undisciplined fascist goons in police uniform beating the living hell out of some obscure pacifist activist in the shadows of a public park. These fascist, police goons, and their commanding officers, knew they were targeting one of America's top journalists. They singled her out, and her producers, for some special treatment. They wanted to make them an example for any other journalists thinking about resisting their de facto fascist state.
They did it because they knew they had the support of the top fascists in the country. After all, they were financed to the tune of $100,000,000 by the fascist controlled Congress. That is $50,000,000 for enforcing fascist authority at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, and $50,000,000 for enforcing fascist authority at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul.
Friends and neighbors, anyone that votes Democratic or Republican in November deserves what the fascists that are in control of both major political parties are unquestionably going to give them. After Denver, and particularly Saint Paul, it is obvious that they intend to create a military/police state for those people that are so foolish as to keep them in power.
Last week we experienced 4 days of house raids, mass arrests, tear gas, concussion grenades, and a growing array of "police-state" measures had been deployed against protesters at the Repubican National Convention in St. Paul. Worldcantwait.org is pulling together the whole picture, and Democracy Now covered many of the outrages. But I am still trying to adequately describe the suppression of speech that occured last week.
This thought, said to me in the chaos last week, sticks in my head. "If you have a doctrine of pre-emptive war on whole countries, you need pre-emptive suppression of protest at home." The $50 million operation run by Homeland Security and the Secret Service had a lot in common with how the US military views citizens in the Middle East: if they're on the street when we don't want them there, they are terrorists.
Thursday September 4, as the Republicans swaggered into the Xcel Center for their orgy of McCain love, a few hundred peace activists gathered on the lawn outside the Minnesota capitol, about a mile away. Most were sitting in the grass, listening to bands and speeches for a permitted rally. At 4:05 pm, 8 police on bikes sprinted into the crowd, threw their bikes down, and grabbed two men sitting on the lawn. Press and protesters surrounded them, and within 4 minutes, dozens of police of horses and riot police drove a wedge through the crowd, as cars and an ambulance drove onto the lawn, and the men were extracted and disappeared into cars. It was not impossible to know why they were taken, but it seemed to me the exercise was practice in crowd control, intimidation and provocation.
40 minutes later, a loudspeaker was driven by police onto the lawn, drowning out the program on the stage. Police announced that the permit was over at 5:00 pm, and anyone on the lawn would be arrested. The crowd tried to leave together, marching toward the Xcel Center, but was forced by police onto a a bridge across the freeway, surrounded at both ends. Bulldozers with blades lowered were moved into place at one end, looming over the crowd, as if to sweep them up. Dump trucks blocked off streets. Police pulled on their gas masks. 400 people were arrested that night, bringing total arrests to over 800, including 102 outside the Rage Against the Machine concert (a wonderfully great show!) where police were a mile deep, and looking for any pretext to arrest.
Defending the people arrested in St. Paul will be the responsibility of this whole movement. While the crinminal charges are state of Minnesota, the direction comes from the federal government. These are charges criminalizing political activity.
Democracy Now reports, "In St. Paul, Ramsey County prosecutors have formally charged eight members of the group RNC Welcoming Committee with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. The eight activists are believed to be the first persons ever charged under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal PATRIOT Act. The activists face up to seven-and-a-half years in prison. According to the National Lawyers Guild, the criminal complaints filed by the Ramsey County Attorney do not allege that any of the defendants personally engaged in any act of violence or damage to property. Instead, authorities are seeking to hold the eight defendants responsible for acts committed by other individuals during the opening days of the Republican National Convention."
CHEERS to IVAW! Inside the convention, Adam Kokesh interrupted McCain's acceptance speech about 20 seconds after he began, with a banner reading "McCain Votes Against Veterans" and "You Can't Win an Occupation". After 3 seconds, the hall erupted in chants of "USA!" drowing out McCain. The Iraq Veterans Against the War were all over Denver and St. Paul, demanding that the war and occupation be ended. See the video
Would you be interested in what some of America's outstanding writers have penned about lies and liars?
Here are a baker's dozen plus two examples --
Franklin P. Adams -- "The trouble with this country is that there are too many politicians who believe, with a conviction based on experience, that you can fool all of the people all of the time."
Washington Allston -- "The most intangible, and therefore the worst, kind of a lie is a half truth. This is the peculiar device of a 'conscientious' detractor."
Fawn Brodie -- "Nixon lied to gain love, to shore up his grandiose fantasies, to bolster his ever-wavering sense of identity. He lied in attack, hoping to win -- and always he lied, and this most aggressively, to deny that he lied."
Ralph Waldo Emerson -- "Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society."
Eric Hoffer -- "Those in possession of absolute power can not only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true."
Thomas Jefferson -- "He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions."
John F. Kennedy -- "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic."
Frank R. Kent -- From the time a candidate conceives the idea of being a candidate until the day he is forced out of politics there is no chance for him to be wholly honest, frank, and natural with voters. From the start he humbugs them."
H. L. Mencken -- "The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth."
Thomas Paine -- "It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime."
Ayn Rand -- "People think that a liar gains a victory over his victim. What I've learned is that a lie is an act of self-abdication, because one surrenders one's reality to the person to whom one lies, making that person one's master, condemning oneself from then on to faking the sort of reality that person's view requires to be faked. And if one gains the immediate purpose of the lie -- the price one pays is the destruction of that which was intended to serve. The man who lies to the world, is the world's slave from then on."
L. Neil Smith -- "I propose a Constitutional Amendment providing that, if any public official, elected or appointed, at any level of government, is caught lying to any member of the public for any reason, the punishment shall be death by public hanging."
James Thurber -- "You can fool too many of the people too much of the time."
Mark Twain -- "The most outrageous lies that can be invented will find believers if a man only tells them with all his might."
Bob Woodward -- "There's hostility to lying, and there should be."
In his rendition " Lose Yourself" the rapper Eminem asks a profound question: "Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, one moment, would you capture it, or just let it slip?" I think most people would say, "Yeah, I'd go for it". But would they really? If this election is anything that can be used as an indicator, my guess is that the most common answer to that question is most likely to be "No, I'll just let it slip."
I draw this conclusion because of the polls and what they reveal. One of the candidates, possibly the leader, is bordering on Dementia, or as one pundit put it " We should buy him an old house, paint it white, and tell him he's been elected president, move him in, hire some caretaker actors and prescribe them to humor him, but don't let him out. Tell him there's enemies just across the street along the border between Pakistan and Iraq."
The other candidate, not the white one, is so out of touch that he truly believes that a non-white liberal can be elected President simply by persuading the people. McCain is a guaranteed more of the same; Obama is a hope to bring change.
But as for the future of America, there is a clear choice. We have to start with what you think is the most important obstacle facing a future America.
Did you choose "Stopping the growing corruptive Federal Government? I did. I chose it because I feel if not stopped, we will all become pawns for the "Haves and Have Mores" as Bush himself named his Base. I am speaking of those who subjugate your freedoms to allow their profitable criminal activities to continue. This behavior is consuming our country. It will not stop on its own. It is up to you and me to return our Constitution as our Rule of Law.
I said there is a clear choice. The choice is between those who are in power practicing the corruption, and those who are not in power but might also practice corruption. I use the following logic as my selection criteria: Why should I choose those in Power already practicing the corruption, when with a simple mark on the ballot I can choose those who might not practice corruption -even understanding that they might continue the process?
If I choose the first, I guarantee to continue the past eight years, If I choose the second I have hope that things will change for the better. Therefore I choose the second option. What do I have to lose? This is your opportunity to provide a better future for your children and Grandchildren. Will you capture it, or just let it slip?
The following three-part series is an interview, held on August 28, between CNN's Matthew Chance and Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin. The CNN transcript is available here.
Court authorities here will be able to track students with a history of skipping school under a new program requiring them to wear ankle bracelets with Global Positioning System monitoring.
One small step for a county, one giant leap for the Empire!!!
A rock-solid speech by Lew Rockwell at Ron Paul's "Rally for the Republic" counterconvention in Minneapolis this week. The best line? Right here:
What does conservatism today stand for? It stands for war. It stands for power. It stands for spying, jailing without trial, torture, counterfeiting without limit, and lying from morning to night.
There comes a time in the life of every believer in freedom when he must declare, without any hesitation, to have no attachment to the idea of conservatism.
Mr. McCain, the Bush Lite contender for the Republican nomination, pondered deeply, (or his advisors did) on the question of his successor in office, should he become even more incapacitated after election. Apparently, their criteria was for a woman, not too well known, who would take the Hillary votes away from Mr. Obama.
As Barbara Boxer pointed out:
* The Vice President is a heartbeat away from becoming President, so to choose someone with not one hour's worth of experience on national issues is a dangerous choice.
* If John McCain thought that choosing Sarah Palin would attract Hillary Clinton voters, he is badly mistaken. The only similarity between her and Hillary Clinton is that they are both women. On the issues, they could not be further apart.
* Senator McCain had so many other options if he wanted to put a woman on his ticket, such as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison or Senator Olympia Snowe -- they would have been an appropriate choice compared to this dangerous choice.
* In addition, Sarah Palin is under investigation by the Alaska state legislature which makes this more incomprehensible.
At breakfast this morning, my wife pointed out the obvious choice for VP. Nancy Pelosi!
She has a lot of experience backing the Republican agenda. She is fanatically opposed to impeaching or limiting the Unitary Executive in any of its excesses against We the People or the Constitution.
She consistently backs any request for more billions for the Pentagon and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She is in favor of another "preemptive" war in Iran, which is no threat to us or the world.
She is a multi-millionaire, who consistently backs any legislation to improve profits or limit restrictions on any corporation.
She backs offshore drilling and drilling in the ANWR, and on any other reserve set aside for our posterity.
She is a supporter of Big Pharmacy, Big Medicine, Agribusiness, Big Chemical, and is indifferent to the plight of the small farmer, the little businessman, or any of the other things that once made America great.
And lastly, she already refers to herself as the third most important person in the government, "You know, Bush, Cheney, then me."
I m sure that she would be happy to step over the body of the aging and senescent Mr. McCain to become the next Republican President of the United States.
And, maybe that would finally get her out of the position of Speaker of the House!
Since the year Seventeen eighty-nine When George Washington was sworn in There was the promise of America That was finally, about to begin.
Wise men wrote our Constitution And declared, our Independence They said, all people were equal With those words, not given license.
We were a young, fledgling Nation Trying to figure the right way To control our new Democracy Which, we still struggle with, today.
We opened wide, freedom's door And asked all oppressed to come But still, we had so many things Which were unfinished, left undone.
The Women, who were our backbone Were not allowed a say, to vote Relegated to the home and kids With no rights, a sad, historic note.
Not until, Nineteen and twenty Did they finally win the fight To that promise from America Where we claimed, all, had that right.
We allowed people to own people And turned a blind eye, to that blight And it took our terrible, Civil War To make us, finally, see the light.
Those freed by Lincoln's Proclamations In Eighteen sixty-two and sixty-three Soon learned, freedom was a state of mind And found, they still weren't, truly, free.
The States still had their own laws And many said, there was no way To allow Blacks in the voting booth To register, or to have their say.
Forty-five years after the Women There was finally Federal legislation That guaranteed all would have a voice As to who, and how we ran our Nation.
Equal Rights for all Americans Is still an imperfect, process Sometimes, it seems we backtrack As the rich get more, the poor get less.
We now have a Black Man running And a Woman, for number two Some said, it would never happen But, change, is what Americans do.
This Great Experiment of Democracy Has surely come, a long, long, way But, if we don't protect those Freedoms We can't afford the price, we'll pay.
Our Country is at a crossroads And only History books, will tell If we had the will, up to the task And, if we really, did it, well!
It's an honor and our solemn duty To cast our vote for our belief And party lines aren't always true And may cause us pain and grief.
Our two party system worked awhile But, has caused so much division Not always, the best for the People And, it's time for some, revision.
Vote, for what, you know is right Even, if some say you're wrong Like it was, in our beginning When we were young, proud, and strong.
Either way, we will make, history With the election, in November Let's hope we make the right choice On a day, we will, want, to remember.
In 1948, my grandmother was expelled from Palestine. Like many of the 780,000 evicted that year, she never saw her birthplace again. But she always dreamed of a dignified return: to Yaffa, her home city, a place of warmth and beauty; to her house, which in her heart, towered higher than the hills of Lebanon; and to an unfettered life, which no apology or compensation could ever replace. My grandmother passed on her story to inspire and galvanize - to insure that her children and grandchildren, and all those they encountered, would never forget Palestine.
PoetsForPalestine continues this vision as a unique collection of poetry, spoken word, hip-hop and art devoted to Palestine. Unifying a diverse range of poets who have used their words to elevate the consciousness of humanity, this book aims to bridge a younger generation of poets with those who, for decades, have cultivated and strengthened the poetic medium.
The concept of this volume was conceived after a night of spoken word at the historic Made in Palestine art exhibit in New York, in 2006. Invigorated by the capacity of spoken word to enliven a crowd, Palestinian artist and Al Jisser co-founder, Samia Halaby, encouraged me to capture the night's vivacity by publishing a brief chapbook featuring poems from the event.
As we ventured further into the project, we found ourselves eyeing grander goals. We sent out a call for poetry that reached a multitude of countries; we received submissions from the Occupied Territories, the broader Arab world, Europe, Australia and the United States. We chose not to limit the subject solely to the topic of Palestine, instead widening our scope to issues as varied as the ongoing occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as poetry on the Sudan and Lebanon. Our aim was to convey that the basic appeal of justice is a fundamentally, irreducibly human appeal.
In compiling the 48 poems that appear in the collection, I discovered a mixtureof new voices, each of whom propelled me to further grasp the necessity of poetry and art as human expression. From Amiri Baraka to Patricia Smith to the N.O.M.A.D.S., poetry, spoken word, and hip-hop are embodied in Poets For Palestine. Other poets in the book include the late Mahmoud Darwish, Naomi Shihab Nye, Suheir Hammad, Nathalie Handal, E. Ethelbert Miller, D.H. Melhem, Junichi P. Semitsu, Fawzia Afzal Khan, Annemarie Jacir, Ibtisam Barakat, Alicia Ostriker, Marilyn Hacker, and many more.
With this anthology I strived to gather an assortment of work that transcends ethnic, religious, and generational lines in hopes of tapping into the core of what makes us all alike. All of the proceeds of this volume will go towards funding future cultural endeavors in the US that highlight Arab artistry. At a time when conditions for Palestinians have become increasingly devastating, Poets For Palestine seeks to give humanity its proper voice and attempts to further demonstrate the role art takes in transmitting and projecting the enormous weight of compassion.
Anyone that knows me knows that I don't have very much in common with the "religious right". Over the years, their attempts to censor, block, brainwash and ultimately destroy anything that doesn't benefit them has turned myself and the christian coalition into bitter enemies.
Fortunately, like most bad situations, we can find common ground and use our energies to make this country a better place for all of us to live in. I thought long and hard about just how in the world I could get religious zealots to agree with me on anything, and eventually I thought of it: Smaller Government.
Sound crazy? Yes, of course it does. It is true, though. Through smaller government the religious right could get exactly what they want. They shouldn't want the government telling them how to live just as much as I don't want my leaders telling me how NOT to live.
With less federal laws and more states rights the religious right could easily vote for the ideas and laws that they want in their local community and if I don't agree with what was voted in, I can get up and move myself to an area that can appreciate the same values I live by.
The religious right have a few favorite topics that they use to recruit people into their fold, some of which are: abortion, gay rights, marriage, sexual activity, and the death penalty. These can be very touchy subjects for many people but the religious right have made their stand on these issues and will not budge. In this situation, it's a good thing. If states had more rights each one could vote on these issues without the fear that the federal government will step in and force morality.
If your state happens to vote to ban all abortions or abolish the death penalty and you disagree with its decision you have 2 options. Move to another state or deal with it and try to rally more people in your favor to vote the next time. It sounds like a much better system to me.
It would be wonderful if one of the two party candidates would support a system like this, but alas neither one does because they were bought and sold years ago. A viable 3rd party is the only road towards a more democratic country. We should look to someone like Bob Barr and not care about his personal beliefs, not care about his feelings on abortion, gays, or any of the non-issues the well paid talking heads on TV keep blabbering about.
We should care about shrinking the control the federal government has on us. We should ask him how we get off foreign oil. We should ask him how to get more well paying jobs in this country. We should ask him how to get more kids to pass math in this country. These are the types of issues our President should be worried about. Any issue that CAN be solved within its own state SHOULD be solved within its own state.
I have been finding that there is one issue, the evil nature of our current monetary system, that brings people from different political perspectives together. This provides us with a tremendous opportunity to create a consensus among a huge number of people and then focus that political power to take a very specific action.
Eliminating the Fed is going to take some major work and major education, but passing the following two bills that have been introduced in Congress would be a big step in the right direction. Please call your congressman and ask them to cosponsor these bills. Tell all of your friends to do this and get the word out.
The two bills are the "Honest Money Act" (HR 2756), and the "Free Competition in Currency Act" (HR 4683). You can go to this website http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/85 to find out about these bills and send your congressman a message.
Education on this issue is critical, so tell your friends to read these two books on line for free:
Of all the things we can do to put our country in tune with fundamental principles of liberty, there is nothing more important than getting the monetary system fixed. Let's create a groundswell of support for these two bills and we will have taken a major step toward restoring the heart of America.
This link is the very good essay titled 'America's Outrageous War Economy' by Paul B. Farrell.
In my opinion, it would have been more accurate to say that America has a debt based economy, and that the debt is used to finance the American military, i.e. the American fascist war-machine. That very little of the debt incurred for the fascist war-machine is required to defend the American homeland. That almost all of the debt incurred is to finance a huge war-machine capable of prosecuting wars of imperialist aggression. That is wars to expand and defend the American empire.
The American people, particularly the American working class which supplies most of the gun-fodder that does by far and away most of the fighting and dying, have been deluded into believing that all of this is necessary to defend America.
On August 22nd, according to the United Nations and even the U.S.-installed Afghanistan government, U.S. airstrikes on the village of Azizabad in Afghanistan killed 90 civilians, including 60 children. 
. "If you have a doctrine of pre-emptive war on whole countries, you need pre-emptive suppression of protest at home." The $50 million operation run by Homeland Security and the Secret Service had a lot in common with how the US military views citizens in the Middle East: if they're on the street when we don't want them there, they are terrorists. 
