Bad day at black rock..

Interesting day. I was pulling out of my driveway this morning and happen to meet two elderly citizens of our housing subdivision. These are two folks that take their morning and evening walks, usually smiling and friendly. Usually a wave as I pass by.

But not today.

The little grey haired woman approached me, after I waved to them, and demanded that I take down my sign in the front yard. She imperiously commanded that this sign must be removed because it is against "The Covenents".

My sign says: "Impeach Bush".

I was angry and therefore didn't say all of the things I thought of later.

Such as: "What happened to Free Speech guaranted by the Constitution of the United STates?"

I could also have said: "I fought in a war for this country and therefore I have the right to say anything I please."

Or: "My guess is that if that sign read "God Bless George Bush", you wouldn't have said a word to me."

Those are the things I should have said. Too late now.

It is curious to me that Conservatives in this country accept Free Speech, but only if you use it to say what they want to hear. The Hypocrisy of the Right Wing in this country in astounding. It is no wonder a thin-skinned liar and murder occupies the White House.

I don't know yet if I will remove the sign. I am a law abiding person, who believes in treating my neighbors fairly and who abides by the rules. But this one is tough to stomach.

AND THEN....Rove is not indicted, just the chosen fall guy, 'Scooter' Libby.

Some days it just doesn't pay to gnaw through the straps.....

"Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."
Henry A. Wallace

This says it all...courtesy of Bartcop.com

"Politics: A strive of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
Ambrose Pierce

"Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad."
Henry A. Kissinger

Those pesky vampires...

Y’all know that Dick Cheney, former CEO of Haliburton still receives income, albeit into a blind trust, from that company. And that Haliburton has received numerous no-bid contracts from the Bush Administration that are worth BILLIONS. Hence, Chaney receives a tidy retirement slush fund of millions and millions of dollars. All for throwing government business to his company.

Some would say that is illegal.


But wait, there is more blood letting going on besides our gracious and lovely President of Vice….

Rumsfeld To Profit From Bird Flu Hoax
By Dr. Mercola

“Finally, the pieces of the puzzle start to add up. Not long ago, President Bush sought to instill panic in this country by telling us a minimum of 200,000 people will die from the avian flu pandemic, but it could be as bad as 2 million deaths in this country alone.
This hoax is then used to justify the immediate purchase of 80 million doses of Tamiflu, a worthless drug that in no way shape or form treats the avian flu, but only decreases the amount of days one is sick and can actually contribute to the virus having more lethal mutations.
So the U.S. placed an order for 20 million doses of this worthless drug at a price of $100 per dose. That comes to a staggering $2 billion.
We are being told that Roche manufactures Tamiflu and, in a recent New York Times article, they were battling whether or not they would allow generic drug companies to help increase their production.
But if you dig further you will find that a drug was actually developed by a company called Gilead that 10 years ago gave Roche the exclusive rights to market and sell Tamiflu….”

And, so what ya say? Guess who was the former Chairman of Gilead? Guess who still holds huge stock portions with Gilead?

Why none other than our beloved War Lord, Donald Rumsfeld. Way to go Don!

That’s right boys and girls, Rumsfeld has pulled ‘A Cheney’ and has made himself a tidy little sum to get him thought his 'golden years'.

Now, you might think this is illegal too, but NOPE. Giving government business directly to a company that you have a financial interest in is perfectly legal in the Holier than thou Right Wing Cabal of George “Born Again” Bush.

Thank God these fine upstanding gentlemen never received a blow job while in office, that would have provoked cries from the media and a Congressional demand for a thorough investigation.

Just a thought or two...

1. A vulture boarded a plane, carrying two dead raccoons. The
stewardess stopped him and said, "Sorry sir, only one carrion
per passenger."

2. NASA recently sent a number of Holsteins into orbit for
experimental purposes. They called it the herd shot round the
world.

3. Two boll weevils grew up in S. Carolina. One took off to
Hollywood and became a rich star. The other stayed in Carolina
and never amounted to much--and naturally became known as the
lesser of ! two weevils.

4. Two Eskimos in a kayak were chilly, so they started a fire,
which sank the craft, proving the old adage you can't have your
kayak and heat it too.

5. A 3-legged dog walks into an old west saloon, slides up to the
bar and announces, "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

6. Did you hear about the Buddhist who went to the dentist and
refused to take Novocain? He wanted to transcend dental
medication.

7. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and met in
the lobby where they were discussing their recent victories in
chess tournaments. The hotel manager came out of the office
after an hour, and asked them to disperse. He couldn't stand
chess nuts boasting in ! an open foyer.

8. A woman has twins, gives them up for adoption. One goes to an
Egyptian family and is named "Ahmal" The other is sent to a
Spanish family and is named "Juan". Years later, Juan sends
his birth mother a picture of himself. Upon receiving the
picture, she tells her husband she wishes she also had a
picture of Ahmal. He replies, "Good Grief! They're twins!!
If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal!!"

9. A group of friars opened a florist shop to help with their
belfry payments. Everyone liked to buy flowers from the Men of
God, so their business flourished. A rival florist became
upset that his business was suffering because people felt
compelled to buy from the Friars, so he asked the Friars to
cut back hours or close down. The Friars refused. So the
florist then hired Hugh McTaggert, the biggest meanest thug in
town. He went to the Friars' shop, beat them up, destroyed
their flowers, trashed their shop, and said that if they didn't
close, he'd be back. Well, totally terrified, the Friars closed
up shop and hid in their rooms. This proved that Hugh, and only
Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

10. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot his whole life,
which created an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He
also ate very little, which made him frail, and with his odd
diet, he suffered from very bad breath. This made him...what?
! (This is so bad it's good...) a super-callused fragile mystic
hexed by halitosis.

11. And finally, there was a person who sent 10 puns to some
friends in hopes at least one of the puns would make them
laugh. Sorry, no pun in ten did!

thanks Lamar

"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government."
Thomas Jefferson

Ever have one of those days.....

Any political agenda

Leadership requires the courage to make decisions that will benefit the next generation. Alan Autry

carlin

"I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death."
George Carlin

Tom Delay, showing that hypocrisy is the National Anthem of Republicans.

Evolution is a fact

It suddenly becomes all clear. Why has such an incompetent megalomaniac like George W. Bush been able to rule this country for 5 years? Why has a cabal of sinister NeoCons been able to grab so much power? Why has the conservative party, which stands for things like: States Rights; Individual Freedom; Fiscal Conservativism; Non-interventionist Foreign Policy supported the Bush Administration which advocates: Supremacy of Federal Power over States; Intensive surveillance of American Citizens under the Patriot Act; the Largest budget deficit in World History; a proclaimed right to start any wars, any time we want.

Why?

It is clear; the American People are really stupid.

Want proof?

"...VIEWS ON EVOLUTION/CREATIONISM Polls:

God created humans in present form: 51%
Humans evolved, God guided the process: 30%
Humans evolved, God did not guide process: 15% Nov. 2004
God created humans in present form: 55% Humans evolved
God guided the process: 27% Humans evolved
God did not guide process: 13%.."

Poll: Majority Reject Evolution
NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2005

“(CBS) Most Americans do not accept the theory of evolution. Instead, 51 percent of Americans say God created humans in their present form, and another three in 10 say that while humans evolved, God guided the process. Just 15 percent say humans evolved, and that God was not involved…” “..Americans most likely to believe in only evolution are liberals (36 percent), those who rarely or never attend religious services (25 percent), and those with a college degree or higher (24 percent)..."

So, let’ see, if you are well educated, well read, and tend to believe in liberal philosophy you believe in facts and therefore you believe in the proof of evolution. Meanwhile, the Sheeple who spend their Sunday’s in Church fervently praying to lose intelligence so that it doesn’t conflict with their religious beliefs….”

…White evangelicals (77 percent), weekly churchgoers (74 percent) and conservatives (64 percent), are mostly likely to say God created humans in their present form…”

Not only that, but the morons believe this 'God' of theirs created humanity within the past 10,000 years. This, despite incontrovertible proof that humanity has been around well over 30,000 years.

Democracy cannot endure a foolish and ignorant populace, but Fascism and Theocracy can.

Freedom of Speech

As the Freedoms of America are strangled by the “Patriotism of the Right Wing Zealots”, the Citizens stew on blatant lies from TV newscasters, and smothering reassurances of talking heads. We have “Desperate Housewives”; Ads advising that you “take what is yours”; Self-centered sabatoge of ‘reality’ Survivor series; Hamburgers so large and choked with fat they threaten your health and could feed a small family; “Fear” is a cultural motivator and teaching tool; The trifecta of Global Warming, Peak Oil, and Pandemic threaten the very existence of life on earth; We have Journalism that reeks of propaganda and offers us only the‘feel good’ syrup of ‘human interest’ stories to divert us from harsh truth; We live in a mythology of America that has divorced itself from any form of reality; and we are led by a cabal of politicians and religious fanatics striving to destroy any semblance of Democracy.

We live in interesting times.

Colleges Protest Call to Upgrade Online Systems

By SAM DILLON and STEPHEN LABATON
Published: October 23, 2005
“The federal government, vastly extending the reach of an 11-year-old law, is requiring hundreds of universities, online communications companies and cities to overhaul their Internet computer networks to make it easier for law enforcement authorities to monitor e-mail and other online communications.
The action, which the government says is intended to help catch terrorists and other criminals, has unleashed protests and the threat of lawsuits from universities, which argue that it will cost them at least $7 billion while doing little to apprehend lawbreakers. Because the government would have to win court orders before undertaking surveillance, the universities are not raising civil liberties issues…”
Related Site: Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (fcc.gov)

Don’t believe this for a second. The whole point is subjugation of Americans. Period.

LIberals are the Majority?

Did ya ever think that we, the Progressives, the Liberals, were actually in the Majority? I sure didn’t. Felt kind of lonely out here in Liberal Land. Turns out, what we believe: Universal Health Care; A living Minimum Wage; Universal Child Care; The rights of all citizens to their privacy, their choice of partner, their choice of Religion, their choice of affirmative action; their choice of support and fairness from their own government. These are opinions that are shared by most Americans.

Corrupt, Incompetent and 'Off Center' By Eric Alterman The Nation
07 November 2005 Issue

“…In a May survey published by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 65 percent of respondents said they favor providing health insurance to all Americans, even if it means raising taxes, and 86 percent said they favor raising the minimum wage. Seventy-seven percent said they believe the country "should do whatever it takes to protect the environment." A September Gallup Poll finds that 59 percent consider the Iraq War a mistake and 63 percent agree that US forces should be partially or completely withdrawn…”

------------

“Nevertheless, extremist right-wingers, including a few apparent criminals, enjoy a stranglehold on our political system and media discourse. And so the majority views of the American people are treated with contempt by pundits and politicians alike..”

-------------
“… Now, fourteen years later, political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson have published an equally illuminating investigation into the underlying dynamics of our present political predicament. Off Center: The Republican Revolution and the Erosion of American Democracy demonstrates just how badly Americans are served by media that accept the fundamental frame put forth by far-right Republicans. Did you know, for instance, that according to all available evidence, Americans have not grown more conservative in recent decades? (Judy Woodruff just stated that myth as a "fact" on The Colbert Report.) And what about the fact that in the 2004 election "moral issues" like gay marriage actually benefited Kerry, not Bush, by producing turnout? (In "What's the Matter With What's the Matter With Kansas?" Princeton professor Larry Bartels draws similar conclusions.)…”

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end they always fall - think of it, always."
Mohandas Gandhi

"Money and corruption are ruining the land, crooked polititicans betray the working man,
pocketing the profits and treating us like sheep, and we are tired of hearing promises
we know they will not keep."
Ray Davies

"No failure in America, wether of love or money, is ever simple; it is always a kind of betrayal, of a mass of shadowy, shared hopes."
Greil Marcus

"An asylum for the sane would be empty in America."
Anon.

"People could survive their natural trouble all right if it weren't for the trouble they make for themselves."
Ogden Nash, 1938

"The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it."
John Stuart Mill, 1859

Letter to a Conservative

Letter to a Conservative:


Despite my tendency to generalize a bit too much, there is a commonality between our statements. I too distrust all politicians. I too think that a general lack of personal accountability is becoming a national standard. I generally believe that it is up to the people to take this country away from politicians and put power back in the hands of citizens. I think we have become a soft, self-indulgent civilization dependent on consumer goods to create the illusion of happiness. I think that the family structure itself has broken down, but not from human weakness, things have broken down due to economic stressors. I will speak more of the economic plight later. I see that State Rights, which should be paramount, are inferior to Federal Power. I see that fiscal responsibility at the Federal Level means a massive transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the ultra rich. I see that the Federal Government of the United States, as it now stands under Conservative Rule, is not our friend, and is, in fact, our real enemy.

I believe that humans are both good and bad, and all shades in-between. True evil does exist in this world at all levels of the human condition, but so does true good. Evil just gets better press. For the most part, the majority of people strive to do the right thing; they strive to live within a set of morals. People strive to do the best for their children and themselves as they can. Honesty and faithfulness are more endemic than is always apparent or reported.

People tend to live within the context of their value system. Where does this value system come from? It may come from history, religion, arts, environmental wealth, and economics. The problem today, as I see it, is that the value system of this country does not come from the people themselves, but is created for them by powers that we cannot match. The Economic system of Capitalism, for all its good and worthy attributes, is also a power of exploitation and fear. What I am saying is that it doesn’t much matter what the people want in the way of personal value systems, because these ‘values’ are no match for the overwhelming economic muscle of corporations as they now stand.

Corporations, singly and in groups, have taken control of the politicians. Politicians dance to the tune of political soft money. Politicians then make the laws that determine our culture and our way of life. Corporations have a lot more money, time, and attorney’s than any citizen group can muster. A fascist state, by definition, is one in which corporations and government are the same.

You mentioned NAFTA as being a Clinton project. It wasn’t a Clinton project as much as it was a Corporation Project. Clinton was just the whore that did what he was paid to do. Same as Bush I and Bush II; Reagan, Ford, all of them. The only politician in modern times that was honest was Jimmy Carter (my personal belief). He last exactly one term, because he told the truth, he was run out of office.

I know, you will say, that the answer is we change the politicians. How? At present the Conservative powers in this country literally control the vote. That is, they control the counting of the votes. You control the count, you control the election. Check on the real issues that the 2000 and 2004 elections presented. Right now Democrat and Republican are two sides of the same coin. Neither one is capable of honest governance. We have an election system that is so corrupted it is not longer viable. The Presidential Elections of 2000 and 2004 show the facts of this claim.

If we are to change anything, we must change the economic system so that we can focus on a common good, and not just survival of the fittest. In your post you mentioned, “Let’s (not) continue to reward people who don’t contribute to society, but rather leech off precious assets…” Who would that be? The elders? Disabled? Children? The very criterion of a decent civilization is how it treats the less able members of its society. The responsibility of government is to level the playing field. To ensure that the citizens of a country have a fair chance to make a decent living. You want to know how well our Government under Conservative rule is doing? Ask the Citizens of New Orleans.

To change this country back to a true Democracy I believe that we must demand National Health Care. We must have strong Unions. We must have a minimum wage that reflects the corrosion of inflation, and offers a living wage. We must have a government that protects us from the predation of corporate power. We must have a government that looks out for the greater good of the country as a whole. If that means stopping corporate welfare to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars, then lets do it. If that means environmental cleanup like toxic waste dumps, then lets have it. If that means taxing corporations justly so that they pay a fair share of the burden, by all means.

I believe in an activist government that actually stands up for the citizens over corporate power. I believe that when it comes to a question of who benefits from legislation, corporations or citizens, you must choose ‘citizens’ every time.

But can we take back our government?

Recently there was a Million Man March on Washington to protest inequality in this country. This march came 10 years after the original Million Man March. In both cases Millions, yeah Millions of people congregated in Washington DC to protest. You know what came out of it? Nothing. If a Million plus Americans can protest something and not make a single bit of difference, where do we go from there?

You and I can squabble and debate all we want, but it is economics that determines our lives. If we are to change anything, we must begin to Socialize Capitalism. Yes, I know that there is a knee jerk reaction to the word ‘Socialism’, but that is a product of hysteria and cold war propaganda.

At bottom, I am not sure if we can take back our own country. The power and control of our tripartite government, Legislative, Judicial, and Executive, meant to balance out power and prevent usurpation by a single party has been neutralized. The goal of Bush and his ilk is to achieve and maintain absolute power. A one party system is their goal. They are very close to this goal.

My hope, my money, my efforts, my prayers go toward the recreation of Democracy in this country. We will see out it goes. But I will say this, I once believed that Conservatives were Americans just like me, only we had different perspectives. I know now that Conservatives, as they exist today, are not Americans, for they chose to destroy the very essence of Democracy. They stand for everything that will destroy this country.

America has enemies all right; The Conservative Right Wing is that enemy.

"Truth is what stands the test of experience."
Albert Einstein, 1950

"The advantages of the rich over the poor could not and cannot be maintained by anything but violence."
Leo Tolstoy, 1936

"The best way to solve any problem is to remove its cause."
Martin Luther King, Jr. 1958

"The public be damned! I'm working for my stockholders."
William Henry Vanderbilt, 1882

may be a old saying, but it sure rings true today.

"A modern dictator with the resources of science at his disposal can easily lead the public on from day to day, destroying all persistency of thought and aim, so that memory is blurred by the multiplicity of daily news and judgement baffled by its perversion."
Winston Churchill, 1959

"The danger of total propaganda is not that the propaganda will be believed. The danger is that nothings will be believed...The end result of total propaganda are not fanatics, but cynics."
Peter F. Drucker, 1977

"Rank without merit earns deference without respect."

Chamfort, 1796

The Theocratic Police State

The Police State is Closer Than You Think

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

“…The attorney-client privilege, another great achievement, has been breeched by the Lynne Stewart case. As the attorney for a terrorist, Stewart represented her client in ways disapproved by prosecutors. Stewart was indicted, tried, and convicted of providing material support to terrorists.
Stewart's indictment sends a message to attorneys not to represent too dutifully or aggressively clients who are unpopular or demonized…”

“…When the protective features of the law are removed, law becomes a weapon. Habeas corpus, due process, the attorney-client privilege, no crime without intent, and prohibitions against torture and ex post facto laws are the protective features that shield the accused. These protective features are being removed by zealotry in the "war against terrorism."..”

Paul Craig Roberts has held a number of academic appointments and has contributed to numerous scholarly publications. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration.
===================================================

Religious Tests for Relief?

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=19665
==============================================

Head Start Can Make Hiring Decisions Based on Religion, Says U.S. House
Niko Kyriakou, OneWorld US Sun Oct 16,11:59 PM ET

“SAN FRANCICSO, Oct 16 (OneWorld) - An amendment to the new funding bill for Head Start promotes discrimination on religious grounds and would deal a devastating blow to some one million low-income children and their parents who are dependent on the program, according to a large and varied coalition of U.S. organizations…”

“…The added provision allows federally funded Head Start centers with religious affiliations to hire and fire workers and parent volunteers based on religious grounds. A similar bill approaching a Senate vote does not yet include any such amendment…”


=========================================

Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy
by John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney

“…We live in an age where the mainstream news is tailored to achieve corporate bottom line goals, not to get at the truth. In many ways, big media has become a public relations megaphone for the status quo. Journalism pretends to live in some sort of sacred tower, but what we get from the big boys and girls on television is not journalism; it's propaganda and celebrity sagas for profit and government "spin" to protect the bottom line…”
==========================================

US stocks: The visible hand of Uncle Sam

"John Embry and Andrew Hepburn provide a valuable entry into the world of finance. The two analysts illuminate the shadowy trail of the "Plunge Protection Team" in its apparent mission to rig the American stock markets. Their account is backed up by considerable indirect evidence, as well as statements by credible insiders. If their account is correct, it means that US markets look a lot like the Japanese markets that were long derided for being subject to repeated official manipulation. A more important conclusion may be that US markets are even shakier than many believe…”

“…Major financial institutions may be acting as de facto agencies of the state, and thus not competing on a level playing field. There are signs that repeated intervention in recent years has corrupted the system. This aggressive manipulation of the system took place on Alan Greenspan's watch as chairman of the FRB. The authors don't discuss the fact that Greenspan is to retire at the end of next January and the White House is having trouble finding a replacement in whom the markets will believe…” “…It may be that no credible candidate wants to take the baton from Greenspan at a time when it seems likely that the market will implode…”
==================================================

Greenspan: The worst Fed chief ever

"The Fed chairman thinks the central bank has done a fabulous job during his tenure. I beg to differ. Let's set the record straight.By Bill FleckensteinAlan Greenspan gave a speech recently titled "Economic Flexibility." It should have been called "Damn, I'm Good," because the world's biggest serial bubble blower -- and most incompetent, irresponsible Fed chairman of all time -- tried to rewrite history. My column today will endeavor to set the record straight.."


"Freedom means you have nothing left to lose..."

ALL OF LIFE IS EQUAL

"Another of the Natural laws is that all life is equal. That's our philosophy. You have to respect life---all life, not just your own. the key word is 'respect'. Unless you repect the earth, you destroy it. Unless you respect all life as much as your own life, you become a destroyer, a murderer.


Man sometimes thinks he's been elevated to be the controller, the ruler. But he's not. He's only a part of the whole. Man's job is not to exploit but to oversee, to be a steward. Man has responsibility, not power."

Vernon Cooper, Lumbee Tribe, 1990

Dark Ages redeaux

The current regime, or cabal, has made the commitment that an uneducated populace is one that is easily controlled. Further, without public education, the middle class will be destroyed.

It is in the best interests of the Bush Administration, their handlers, and the Theocrats striving to turn this Democracy into a Totalitarian State that all Public Education be unavailable to the masses.

By creating a privatized educational process, only the elite, or those chosen by the elite will gain and the rest of the population will be kept in darkness. When the Catholic Church restricted all knowledge to only priests in the Middle Ages of Europe, the Dark Ages were born.

Control knowledge, control power.

At Public Universities, Warnings of Privatization By SAM DILLON Published: October 16, 2005 "Taxpayer support for public universities, measured per student, has plunged more precipitously since 2001 than at any time in two decades, and several university presidents are calling the decline a de facto privatization of the institutions that played a crucial role in the creation of the American middle class..." http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/education/16college.html?th&emc=th

"Life is about timing."
Carl Lewis

"There is no act of treachery or meanness of which a political party is not capable; for in politics there is no honor."
Benjamin Disraeli

"Politics has no relation to morals."
Niccolo Machiavelli

Party Loyalty

Here is something y’all need to be aware of….

Park Service managers now must be screened for Bush loyalty
"The National Park Service is made up of civil service employees, and though they will continue to be called civil service employees, things have changed. Today, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility issued a directive which requires all mid-level and above managers to be approved by a Bush administration political appointee.
Managers must be screened by Park Service headquarters and by the Assistant Secretary for Fish, and Wildlife, and Parks. They must be willing to lead their employees in Bush's Management Agenda, which includes outsourcing to replace civil servants, the use of faith-based initiatives, and rollbacks of civil service rights…” (Mother Jones Blogger, Diane E. Dees) http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2005/10/park_service_ma.html (thanks Lamarr)

So, where does that leave us? Ah yes, fresh on the doorstep of Totalitarianism. A door that opens onto Ultimate Loyalty to the State and Ultimate Loyalty to the State Religion.

Now add something else….

Role of Religion Emerges as Issue By Peter Baker and Charles Babington The Washington Post
Thursday 13 October 2005
“President Bush said yesterday that it was appropriate for the White House to invoke Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers's religion in making the case for her to skeptical conservatives, triggering a debate over what role, if any, her evangelical faith should play in the confirmation battle…” http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/101405B.shtml


And, religious loyalty rings the doorbell.

Ultimate Loyalty to the State; Ultimate loyalty to the State Religion.

That Georgie is an evil little prick is already known, this just adds to the fire we gonna use to cook em'...

Contract with America

“You hear it every day in Washington: "Democrats have no ideas, no programs, no deeply held beliefs, no lines in the sand they will not cross." The only discernible passion Democrats display is a passion to be in power again. But in power to do what? You tell me. I have no friggin idea, and I deeply suspect neither do they.
That's why we need to force them to sign a contract with us this time. To put it bluntly, we don't trust them any longer. They've double-crossed at every major moment -- on war, on taxes, on the environment, on health care. They took or votes and our hopes and bargained them away to the enemy for the political equivalent of nylons, smokes and chocolate bars…”(Stephen Pizzo)


He then goes on to list all of the things that must be fixed in order for America to survive. We must force the spineless one’s in Washington to sign a contract by which they promise to be one of us. That is, Americans. They need start acting as if the people of this country actually mean something. I’m not asking them to believe it, but they can at least ‘act’ like it.

I foolish cling to the belief that, nasty as it is, Democracy works if you let it work. That is, allow groups in government, communities, citizens committee’s, to come to a specific consensus that usually works in the best interests of the people…all of ‘em. Politicians are not supposed to be working for private corporations. Period. The ‘best interests of the people’ and the ‘best interests of the corporations’ may not be the same, therefore you must always side on the interests of the people. That is how the fucking thing is supposed to work. You don’t get to have Democracy any other way.

Anyhow, this article is a brilliant article. These guy’s can really write: Steve Borosage, The Nation; and Stephen Pizzo, Alternet.
http://www.alternet.org/story/26759/

10 Pledges to Demand from Democrats
By Stephen Pizzo, News for Real. Posted October 13, 2005.

A Progressive Contract With America

“…If elected to office I promise to fully, enthusiastically and aggressively work to pass legislation that achieves the following goals:..”

"In existing criminology, there are concepts: a criminal man, a criminal profession, a criminal society, a criminal sect, and a criminal tribe, but there is no concept of a criminal state, or a criminal government, or criminal legislation. Consequently, the biggerst crimes actually escape being called crimes."
Peter D. Ouspensky,

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face, forever."
George Orwell

"That old fashioned philosopher Karl Marx used to say that Religion was the opiate of the masses. Now it is the Crystal Meth of the masses."

Salmon Rushdie (thanks allhatandnocattle.com)

"George W. Bush is one of the most brilliant people I know."
Harriet Miers, Nominee to U.S. Supreme Court

"Of institutions we may judge by their effects."
Samuel Johnson, 1781

"It is one thing to be moved by events; it is another to be mastered by them."
Ralph W. Sockman, 1957

"Human nature loses its most precious quality when it is robbed of its sense of things byond, unexplored and yet insistent."
Alfred North Whitehead, 1936

Vanishing America

There is a sea change in America that is like a Tsunami moving across the freedoms of this land:


Pentagon wants new spying powers in US

“Pentagon says it won't spy on 'innocent' Americans, but critics say past record shows this is false.
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com
Claiming it needs greater latitude for the war on terror, the US Senate Intelligence Committee has approved a request from the Pentagon for the right to "covertly" gather intelligence on US citizens in order to determine whether they can recruit them as informants, without telling them that they are doing so on behalf of the US government. Reuters reported Friday that the Pentagon said the measure, which is aimed at the Muslim community in the US, could help them fight insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan…”

Police State is closer than you think
By Paul Craig RobertsRepublished from LewRockwell.com

“Today in the US, the executive branch claims the power to arrest a citizen on its own initiative and hold the citizen indefinitely
Police states are easier to acquire than Americans appreciate.
The hysterical aftermath of September 11 has put into place the main components of a police state.
Habeas corpus is the greatest protection Americans have against a police state. Habeas corpus ensures that Americans can only be detained by law. They must be charged with offenses, given access to attorneys, and brought to trial. Habeas corpus prevents the despotic practice of picking up a person and holding him indefinitely.
President Bush claims the power to set aside habeas corpus and to dispense with warrants for arrest and with procedures that guarantee court appearance and trial without undue delay. Today in the US, the executive branch claims the power to arrest a citizen on its own initiative and hold the citizen indefinitely. Thus, Americans are no longer protected from arbitrary arrest and indefinite detention…”
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Greens noted several indications of the 'Iraqification' of New Orleans:

Here are some of the signs of 'Iraqification' of the South. There is a deliberate and conscious effort to reform New Orleans into a bastion of NeoConservative Values.
This is a grim forecast of what awaits American cities as Bush consolidates ultimate power.

".... Incursion by Blackwater and other private security forces, which already have contracts to provide security in Iraq; such firms are not held to the same standards of accountability as service members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
. The cruel neglect of prisoners in Louisiana, documented by Human Rights Watch and the ACLU , during the hurricane and its aftermath, with inmates locked in cells as floodwaters rose, deaths, and inmates still missing -- recalling official toleration and encouragement of prisoner abuses in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and Afghanistan.

. No-bid rebuilding contracts for companies like Halliburton/KBR, which have already profiteered to the tune of billions off the Iraq invasion and occupation, with similar no-bid contracts; award of federal contracts to favored white-owned firms and disregard by FEMA for requirements that contracts go to some minority businesses. According to The Wall Street Journal on September 23, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson said that "his staff has been unable to locate any federal contracts for Mississippi that went to minority firms".... "During a recent New Orleans City Council hearing... a half-dozen minority business owners said they were being left out of the rebuilding effort, and Council President Oliver Thomas told Mayor Ray Nagin that he was living in 'Neverland' for thinking black businessmen would receive a significant number of government contracts."
. President Bush's appointment of White House advisor Karl Rove -- an administration 'crony' with no known expertise in urban policy or engineering (and who has been implicated in the Valerie Plame scandal) -- to supervise the rebuilding of New Orleans.
. Cuts proposed by Republicans, eliminating as much as $40 billion from Medicare and other social spending to pay for clean-up -- just as they diverted funding from social programs for the military venture in Iraq. "Elderly people who lost their homes and health care providers as a result of the hurricane will bear the brunt of the Medicare cuts," said Leenie Halbert, acting co-chair of the Green Party of Louisiana. "The failure to protect and care for people whose lives have been devastated by the hurricane the repeats to failure to protect and care for soldiers and their families most affected by the war "
. Proposed suspension of environmental protections, with a waiver of EPA rules, in areas hit by Katrina, comparable to the disregard of the environment in war zones.
"President Bush's recent proposal to federalize the National Guard in response to the bird flu threat are consistent with his exploitation of environmental disasters like Katrina and human conflicts like 9/11," said Nan Garrett, Georgia Green Party Co-Chair and Spokesperson of National Women's Caucus. "Crises like Katrina should be an opportunity, not only to provide relief, but to uphold all that's best about America and our concern for people hit by misfortune. Instead, we're seeing an unprecedented effort to centralize power, allow crony corporations to make a killing, and undermine constitutional and environmental protections.".."
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Other Countries fear U.S. so much that they want to move control of the internet away from U.S. hands. The United States has become a pariah nation. No longer does this country stand for peace and justice; human rights and fairness. Now it stands as a raging testimony to tyranny.

The struggle for real control over the Virtual World.

by Mario Osava

“Against the wishes of almost all other governments, Washington wants to maintain the current system of domain names administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a private sector, non-profit body that is linked to the U.S. Department of Commerce…”

“…The invasion of Iraq and U.S. restrictions on basic rights in the name of the "war on terrorism" have heightened the urgency of the need to place the Internet under international oversight, according to Carlos Afonso, a Brazilian member of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) set up by the United Nations…”
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So what is happening to the famous American Middle Class...it would appear that it may be another species quickly facing extermination.

Remember, a middle class is not an accidental structure, it can only be created by Government that forces Corporations to deal fairly and justly with its employees and customers. Take away Government intervention and leave us to the mercies of corporations is like placing a snakehead fish in your aquarium.

The Vanishing Middle
By Harold Meyerson
Wednesday, October 12, 2005; Page A17

“We're leveling down.
With the bankruptcy filing Saturday of Delphi Corp., the largest American auto parts manufacturer, the downward ratcheting of living standards that has afflicted the steel and airline industries hit the auto industry big-time. As Delphi executives tell the tale, they need to reduce the hourly pay of their 34,000 unionized employees from the current $26 to $30 range to a somewhat more modest $10 to $12…”
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This is no longer a country of freemen, this is a country of plutocrats and obscenely rich men who control all the levers of power in this country. At least at the moment.

"...ETHICS -- IRAQ AND KATRINA HAVE MADE CHENEY RICHER: In 2003, Vice President Cheney asserted, "Since I left Halliburton to become George Bush's vice president, I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years." That wasn't true in 2003, and it's not true now. In 2003, Cheney still received deferred compensation from the contracting behemoth and possessed more than 433,000 stock options. Those options were worth $241,498 a year ago; they now are worth more than $8 million. With Cheney in office, Halliburton has received more than $10 billion for work in Iraq and received one of the first no-bid contracts for work in the Gulf Coast..." (American Progress Action Fund, October 12, 2005)

That's all I can handle for one day, I am going to go soak in the hot tub and pretend American still exists.

We really are all brothers and sisters. Each of us, deep down, wants peace, and love. We want to be able to live our lives in harmony with others. We all want to be respected and listened to. We all want enough food to eat, shelter to keep us from the elements, and family to surround us. We all want our children to have a better life than we have. We want to worship our God without interference and mockery. We want our air to be sweet and fresh, our water clear and nourishing, our soil rich and fecund. We all want to grow old in health, gaining honest wisdom and strength of spirit. We want to learn and we want to work at meaningful tasks and duties.

WE have everything in common, no matter our culture, our religion, our age, our gender. So, when part of our family in Pakistan, or Louisiana, are suffering, we all suffer, and we must all reach out and ease the suffering of our neighbors.

There are few things more important in this world than recognizing our brotherhood, our sisterhood, and recognizing that we have more in common than we have in differences.

A TYRANNY GROWS

Bush plans to install Martial Law as soon as possible in this country. This is a fact. No bull. He has ordered the Pentagon to draw up the plans; he has discussed it openly with the Congress and has released it to the lap dog media. It is a done deal.
What this further means is that Americans will be moved into concentration like camps as a means of ‘defeating’ the coming Bird Flue Pandemic. Bush plans to quarantine anybody with this flue to prevent its spread.
Well, that is the start. The real goal here, because we all know that George W. Bush couldn’t care less for the lives of Americans, except how they serve him, is to gain complete and total control of the American populace.
Trouble is which side of the fence will you be on? The free side? The Incarcerated side?
Bush is determined to kill, or thin out, the American people. I surmise that he has allowed the U.S to become whoefully unprepared for the coming flu pandemic because of this. This U.S. is far behind other Western Nations in preparing plans and stockpiling medication.

Military May Propose an Active-Duty Force for Relief Efforts
By ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER
Published: October 11, 2005
“WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 - The military's Northern Command is developing a proposal to organize a specially trained and equipped active-duty force that could respond quickly to assist relief efforts in the event of overwhelming natural disasters, like major hurricanes, floods or earthquakes…”
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The question that always seems to come up with Bush: Is he incompetent because he is stupid; or is he incompetent by design?

What if Bush and his handlers had a scheme to rid the U.S. of millions of people? Too far fetched? Perhaps, but if you seriously look at Bush actions while in office you absolutely come to the conclusion that the average American is far worse off under Bush than just about any President in history. Ask the thousands of people left devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita just how 'compassionate' this conservative is.

Now, we have the Bird Flu. Just like with FEMA, Bush has installed a chrony to handle Health and Human SErvices: STewart Simpson is now the point man for any emergency medical issues that strike the U.S. Unfortunately, his resume is a bit thin as he has NO background in medicine, emergency managment or public health. He is a Brown clone and the results are going to be the same; massive loss of life and chaos in the United States. American Progress Action Fund

This article should perk up your pink little ears:

Unprepared For Avian Flu
“"It could kill a billion people worldwide, make ghost towns out of parts of major cities, and there is not enough medicine to fight it," ABC News reports. It is the avian flu, and if it were to reach U.S. shores, the nation's top health experts say it "would make the scenes of Katrina pale in comparison." According to Shelley Hearne, director of the nonprofit Trust for America's Health, it "would be like having a Category 5 viral hurricane hit every single state simultaneously." Moreover, say U.S. and United Nations health experts, it is no longer a question of whether the avian flu pandemic will hit, but when, and how severely. "On behalf of the [World Health Organization], I can tell you that there will be" such an outbreak, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt said last week. "The only question is the virulence and rapidity of transmission from human to human." Unfortunately, notwithstanding the potential catastrophic impact of such a pandemic, nor the high likelihood of its spread, the Bush administration has left Americans dangerously unprepared for a deadly outbreak…’ (The American Progress Action Fund)

But why would Bush leave the citizens of this country unprotected? Simple really. He couldn't care less for us peasants. His job is to protect and enrich the wealthy and the corporations. That is who he works for. Corporations have no obligation to treat human beings fairly or even humainly. It is not in the bottom line.

Let's take something simple like food. Did you know that Monsanto and other chemical companies have patented a designer gene that switches off or terminates a seed? Yup. They did this so that a farmer, or anyone wanting to grow their own food, must come to Monsanto, and only Monsanto and buy their grain every year. For thousands of years humanity has grown grain, harvested it, and then kept the best seeds to replant the following year. This is no more. From now on farmers are forced to buy new seed every year as the old seed 'terminates' and will no longer grow.

Why? Simple, every seed, world wide will be controlled by corporations. If you met favorably with their political and economic agenda, you get your seeds for planting. If you disturb the omnipotent powers, you get nothing.

I don't have the quote handy butPaul Bremer, in one of his first acts in taking over Iraq was to outlaw saving and replanting seeds. By law, all seeds planted in Iraq must be purchased from the U.S. . And you wonder why they hate us?

This is what is going on. Martial Law for the people of the United States; absolute control of the food supplies for the world.

TERMINATOR UNLEASHED patenting life -- patenting death

by Mary Jo Olsen

“The only thing that can keep pace with the rate of agricultural biotechnological change these days is the speed with which the transnational Life Industry is eating itself. In the last couple of years, Monsanto has spent more than $6.7 billion buying seed and other agbiotech companies. Now, American Home Products is merging with Monsanto for another $33 billion. Other massive mergers are inevitable with the next few months. That transnational agri-business wants to stop farmers from savings seeds and conducting their own plant breeding is hardly news. That the battle over Farmers' Rights has come so abruptly to a crisis is news that governments and the scientific community are trying to ignore. We have at best two years, and at worst six months to safeguard the right of farmers as seed-savers and breeders. Rather than coming to their defense, public sector institutions are keeping silent or joining in the attack. Either way, public researchers could be contributing to the destruction of agricultural biodiversity. Whose interests are being served? The 12 thousand year-old rights of farmers to save and improve seed could be coming to an end -- now.

Terminator Trends: The Silent Spring of Farmers' Rights Seed Saving, the Public Sector, and Terminator Transnationals (PDF format), RAFI, Occasional Paper Series, June, 1998
On March 3, 1998 the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and Delta & Pine Land Company of Mississippi announced a new patent (US # 5,723,765) which uses genetic engineering to program a mature plant's seed to sterilize itself by destroying its own embryos. If a farmer or gardener saves seed from these plants, it will not grow. If you want another tomato plant or crop of soybeans, you must go back to the company for their seeds. This patent (which they have now applied for world-wide) applies to all plants and seeds.
"With this patent announcement, the world's two most critical food crops -- rice and wheat -- which are staple crops for three-quarters of the world's poor, potentially enter the realm of private monopoly." ("RAFI Communique," March/April 1998)…”


I get enraged when I see these assholes with an American Flag on their vehicles, "support our president", "America United", the hypocrisy of freedom in this country is rampant and heartbreaking. This is no longer a free country. This is a country wholly dominated by corporations and by fanatics.

Whatever may be said of evil turning into good,
the general tendency of evil is toward further evil."
John Stuart Mill, 1974

"All history is only one long story to this effect: men have struggled for power over their fellow-men in order that they might win the joys of earth at the expense of others, and might shift the burdens of life from their own shoulders upon those of others."
William Graham Sumner, 1883