Sunset Commission are coming...

Conservative forces began to coalesce during the Reagan Administration. The primary target of their machinations, plotting, subterfuge, and outrageous lies was to re-form the United States into a Theocratic Totalitarian System. Period. One focus of their actions was to shrink and re-model the U.S. Government itself. As one of their primary financiers and leaders, Grover Norqist has said, "We want to shrink government down to a size that we can drown it in the bathtub."

What this means is that any program that supports social and humanitarian needs will be null and void. All of these duties will be turned over to Evangelical Christianity. What this all means is that there will be no more Federal Government Programs that help the poor, disadvantaged, children, adults, minorities, majorities, and pets. Ain't nobody except the wealthy and the corporations gonna git stuff from the Feds.

We stand to lose Programs such as:

OSHA, the primary, hell, the only, worker safety program in America today.

Gone.

Head start and early learning programs for minorities and disadvantaged children.

Gone.

Clean air and safe drinking water.

Gone.

Healthy air to breathe.

Gone.

Beautiful parks and forests for recreation.

Gone.

Low Income housing, the ONLY means of poor and disadvantaged Americans to be able to afford a roof over their heads.

Gone.

Battered Women's Shelters, and even Farmer's Markets.

Gone.

Federal Programs that provide oversight and regulation of Predatory Corporations over citizens.

Gone.

Federal Disaster Relief.

Gone.

Millions of dollars in repair of infastructure will be spent only if it benefits the Corporate power structure. Anything that benefits citizens directly will be seen as Socialism and will be banned.


About Sunset Commissions: Putting Federal Programs on the Chopping Block

"Proposals are gathering steam in the 109th Congress for "sunset commissions" -- forcing federal programs to plead for their lives before an unelected commission with the power to recommend whether they live or die.

Leading proposals would force federal programs to plead for their lives before an unelected commission, which would have the power to recommend whether the programs live or die. In the major proposals introduced in the 109th Congress, the commission's recommendations would be forced through Congress on a fast-track, take-it-or-leave-it basis, with very constrained debate and no opportunity for amendment.."

Sunset Commissions

"..."Sunset commission" proposals would force all government programs--from CDBG to TANF, EPA to OSHA, DHS to DOD, and everything in between--to plead for their lives on a periodic basis, such as every ten years. The idea is a complicated version of something very simple: government shut downs..."

Currently, the Bush Administration is moving ahead with its plans to completly reshape the entire Federal Government. What is reveling about this plan is that 'non-elected' commission will decide on what programs stays and what goes. Take a wild fucking guess as to who gets on these 'commissions'. If you said, Conservative extremists who are loyal dogs to the Bush Cartel, then you have been paying attention!

If you like Iraq, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, you will absolutely love Bush's new and improved Federal Government. ( Government Reorganization and Program Performance Improvement Act.)

This 'act' will complete the destruction of America as we know it. There is a belligerent and clench-jawed hatred of American freedom and rights brewing among conservatives. They now have the power to restructure this country into their vision of Democracy. One is which everyone does what the National Religion of Christianity tells them to do. You will worship only Christianity and the bible will be the law of the land (intrepreted of course by conservative evangelical types). Everyone will live in poverty and corporations will rule every aspect of American life. But, we will have the finest slam-bang, action oriented, flash-dance kind of television and movies you have ever seen. The distractions that the new and improved Federal Government creates will be absolutely riveting. You can bet on that.

Meanwhile, while we are distracted with nonsense and pretty pictures, our air, our water, our land, our very existence will be on a for profit basis.

We will have a government that does only three things: 1) Maintains a strong military to crush resistence, both internally and externally. 2) Maintain the profitability of all Corporations. and 3) Support and maintain the National Religion of Evangelical Christianity.

Oh yeah, and elections? These will continue as a pretense, and as long as you vote as you are told to by your ruling evangelical christian megachurch you will be fine. You will get to keep your job, own a home, buy groceries, get loans, go to schools.

IF you vote as instructed. IF you keep your mouth shut.

American Hegemony

America really has only two real strengths, the Pentagon and the Paper Dollar Bill.

After decades of manipulative foreign and economic exploitation of impoverished nations around the world, The United States has no true allies or much political capital left. For decades the U.S. has employed clever economists and political operatives posing as representatives of private corporations to hornswoggel desperately poor nations to borrow money from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (both of which are in reality fronts for U.S. foreign policy) to build expensive and fairly worthless infastructure for their countries. The have built dams, highways, housing, ports, airports, highrise buildings, as well as investing in worthless public programs that do nothing but waste money. All the while the U.S. sits back, fat and happy, as these desperatly poor countries must repay these 'loans' at a principle and loanshark interest rates that would make Tony Soprano blush with envy. Buzzards have more compassion. Foreign countries owe so much money that they are crippled in their ability to build their nation and deliver a better standard of living to their people. (Confessions of an Economic Hit Man)

The world knows that the United States isn't in the business of exporting 'Democracy", despite what that fool in the White House says and what half the American people believe. The U.S. is in the business of World Hegemony coupled with outrageous profit taking. We are the 800lb gorrilla doing what we please.

To spread and maintain this hegemonic domination we either employ our military to threaten or kill and we use the paper dollar as economic handcuffs, in the form of reserve currency, to control, influence, or dominate foreign nations ( THE NAKED HEGEMON, Part 1: Why the emperor has no clothes, Andre Gunder Frank).

"...The United States is the world's most privileged nation for having the monopoly privilege of printing the world's reserve currency at will and at a cost of nothing but the paper and ink it is printed on. Moreover, by doing so, Uncle Sam can export abroad the inflation he generates by the extra dollars he prints, of which there are already at least three times as many floating around the world as at Uncle Sam's home. Additionally, his is also the only country whose "foreign" debt is mostly denominated in his own world-currency dollars that he can print at will; while most foreigners' debt is also denominated in the same dollar, but they have to buy it from Uncle Sam with their own currency and real goods..." (Frank)

If you are skeptical of our dominance, just ask yourself this, "Would any other country on this planet be able to get away with owing Trillions of dollars to other countries and refuse to pay it back?" Not bloody likely, mate.

I know, I sound paranoid. I sound like a conspiracy mutt, er..nut. I know much of what I write is interesting only to me and maybe a fringe element of the fringe element...small in numbers but huge in political suspicion.

The new 'Bird Flu Plan of the Bush Administration has me frightened as I can be.

This 'plan' is a model on how to impose strict totalitarian rule on an unsuspecting public. Right down the line, it outlines every step necessary to impose tyranny and maintain it.

• Although the local police and law enforcement will have primary duty, the U.S. Military will be on hand to support. In other words, Martial Law.

• People should prepare for shortages of food, water, gasoline, and electricity. Not only will there be rationing due to flu outbreak, but because there will be genuine shortages of these items due to the political failures of our leadership. We are reaching the end of the Fossil Fuel World and have nothing to replace it. There will be massive shortages and loss of life because the U.S. political parties refuse to shift to alternative energy sources. The 'Bird flu' is a convienent coverup for these failures.

• People will be discourged from having face to face conversations. No hand shaking, no physical contact. People will keep distance from each other. What better way to keep a rebellion from forming?

• Public Meetings will be cancelled or curtailed. NO public gatherings may be allowed. There will be curfews to prevent gatherings in the evenings. If we as citizens cannot gather we cannot have political power. There are only two ways to influence policy in this country, either by voting (that is if the votes are honestly counted) or by massive marching in the streets in protest. They have already corrupted the voting process and disrupting mass protests in next. I know, you will probably say, "But we influenced the power cartel by our internet gathering. Look at Moveon.org and others. WE have great power on the internet." Do you? Really? If you cannot vote and you cannot physically march, then what power do you really have? None.

• The public will be quarantined if 'Bird Flu' is suspected. The Federal Government has already built 'camps' to put refugee's and others that warrant exclusion from the public. Great way to control angry citizens, put them in camps for re-education. This is a popular and effective move by all totalitarian governments.

• New ID cards so that closer identification of individuals is possible.

• Travel, both domestically and internationally will be restricted.

Bird Flu vaccines will be available in a priority basis. That is, the wealthy and powerful get theirs, then the medical, police, and military, then the weak and elderly, then the rest. Those most able to oppose the Political corruption will be denied vaccines until it is too late.

These and many more details are evolving to support the contention that Bird Flu Planning is really nothing more than the imposition of totalitarian rule on America.

Ask yourself this question: Has the 'Bird Flu' ever impacted any country to the level that this type of 'plan' is necessary? A few people get sick, a few people die. But it is less than a handful. What indications are there that this bird flu is any more virulent or dangerous than any other type of flu floating about?

Lets be clear on something. I do think a pandemic is likely at some point. Humanity has screwed up the natural processes of this planet too much and has created disease pathways that link all nations and all people. So that a disase in Zimbabwe is easily tranported to New York. Plus there are far too many humans on this planet, too crowded, too poor, too lacking in basic sanitary practices, too lacking in adequate nutrition, clean water, and medical care. We are ripe for the disease vectors to take control.

BUT, is this Bird Flu the pandemic? Not so far. Could it be? Yup. But, if you want to look at real versus perceieved or potential threats to America, Bird Flu itself is low on the list. What is right there at the top of the list for threats to America and American Citizens is the political party in control, the Evangelical Conservative Republicans. There is clear and unmistakable signs that the powerful Conservative Republicans, led by the little tin god Bush, are deeply committed to imposing their version of reality on this country. They want to rule, and they want their peculiar reality as the only reality of the land.

They will stop at nothing to create a theocratic fascist state in America and this Bird Flu response plan appears to be a well thought out machination to lock down the nation for this purpose. The Bushites and their ilk have gone too far, broken too many laws, corrupted too many elections to stop now. Complete and supreme power over America is their goal, and this new Bird Flu Plan is ideal to impose martial law under the guise of public health.

As I understand it, Hedge Funds, are not accessible to most Americans. These are funds that are barely regulated by the Feds, and only the wealthy are engaged in this kind of trading. Hedge Funds, as I understand them, are exclusively the province of wealthy investors and corporations.

Trading Frenzy Adding to Rise in Price of Oil

By JAD MOUAWAD and HEATHER TIMMONS

Published: April 29, 2006

"A global economic boom, sharply higher demand, extraordinarily tight supplies and domestic instability in many of the world's top oil-producing countries — in that environment higher oil prices were inevitable...."

"...On Nymex, oil contracts held mostly by hedge funds — essentially private investment vehicles for the wealthy and institutions, run by traders who share the risks and rewards with their partners.."

Be aware of this...the Wealthy are making fortunes off of rising oil prices. It is in their best interest to keep prices soaring...after all, they don't have to worry about disposable income or how much it costs to fill the tank.

The United States of America is in dire economic straights. WE are told quite often that we have a 'strong economy' and a rising Gross Domestic Product (GDP), however, these statements only reflect the financial growth of corporations and the wealthy elite, they have NOTHING to do with the ordinary American. Ordinary Americans are begining to hurt, big time and it has only started. Rising fuel prices are not going to ease, a lie perpetrated by mass media and our politicians. Fuel prices are going up and along with them will be EVERTHING else. Everything. Food, clothing, utilities, housing, household goods, appliances, everything.

"... “The United States is now facing a current account deficit that cannot be sustained, a falling currency, and an energy crisis, all at once. It is now the world's largest debtor nation, and most people do not see how it can avoid defaulting on its debt. According to a lot of analysts, it is technically bankrupt, and is being propped up by foreign reserve banks, which hold a lot of dollar-denominated assets, and, for the time being, want to protect the value of their reserves. This game can only go on for so long. Thus, while the Soviet Union deserves honorable mention for going bankrupt first, the gold in this category (pun intended) will undoubtedly go to the United States , for the largest default ever.”..."(Dmitry Orlov, Post-Soviet Lessons for a Post-American Century.)

At some point every American is going to realize that we have been sold down the river by both of our political parties. Thereafter, I expect politicians will be hunted like rabid skunks.

After you read that, go to Mike Ruppert's new column.

THE PARADIGM IS THE ENEMY: The State of the Peak Oil Movement at the Cusp of Collapse

A Speech by Michael C. Ruppert for the Local Solutions to the Energy Dilemma Conference
April 27-29, New York City, at Cooper Union

"..Do we dare assume that Americans are special and somehow exempt from all the vicissitudes that have befallen every other collapse of empire in history?.."

He does an Excellent job in pointing out the fallacies and dangers we now face. Regarding his statement about 'do we Americans think we are special and that catastrophe cannot befall us as it has every civilization'? I fully realize that few Americans really understand this truth. Do you?

thoughts on April 29, 2006

This is the real question, the heart of the American assault on Iraq....It was NEVER about Weapons of Mass Destruction; NEVER about bringing Democracy to that land; NEVER about subduing a rogue Tyrant; It has always been, from day one when Bush decided to invade, sometime around 1999 the way I figure it, about OIL!!! Only OIL!

"...Here's the essence of our energy policy. Imagine this: you pull into a gas station and tell the attendant to fill up the gas tank. It comes time to pay and the attendant asks "Which of your children do you want to sacrifice in payment." Which child must die? Ridiculous? How is that different than what we are doing in the Middle East?..."

Bodies for Barrels: Betrayal and Energy Dependence
By Michael A. Fox
t r u t h o u t | Perspective


Further, it has nothing to do with the Good of America, it is about PROFIT for Bush and his chronies; it is about power over others; it is about control; it is about being King. Thousands of innocent people, American as well as Iraqi, are dying in horrible agony so that George W. Bush, and his NeoConservative or Conservative allies and hencemen, can gain great profit and great power. And now, Bush is preparing to do it all over again in Iran.

This isn't about America or Christianity, this is about pure Evil.

Sometimes the Press actually does its job.....

"...Rice and Rumsfeld stumped by a reporter’s excellent question: “A full 10 seconds of silence passed after a reporter asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld what the intense secrecy and security surrounding their visit to Iraq signified about the stability of the country three years after the U.S.-led invasion. Rice turned to Rumsfeld to provide the answer. Rumsfeld glared at the reporter.”.." (The Progress Report)

George Orwell - Notes on Nationalism

Wisdom exists, the words of people who have come before us, who have struggled with the same issues of War and Poverty; Class warfare and the notion that profit is more important then the wellbeing of people; Life changing environmental damage and seeking safety in a dangerous world; Political and Relgious ideology that are mere shackles to brutalize and imprison freedom and conscience. We could learn so much and minimize so much heartache if only we were literate enough to study their words. If only we would study their words, and remember their lessons that they struggled so valiently to pass along to us.


"...At times like these, it’s worthwhile recalling George Orwell’s distinction between patriotism and nationalism. Orwell wrote the essay “Notes on Nationalism” in 1945, just as the most cataclysmic war in human history was ending in Europe.

“By patriotism,” he wrote, “I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world, but has no wish to force upon other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally.”

Nationalism, as Orwell defined it, “is inseparable from the desire for power.... A nationalist is one who thinks solely, or mainly, in terms of competitive prestige.... His thoughts always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations.” To Orwell, it was “power hunger tempered by self-deception,” a kind of moral insanity. (Is Our Democracy Sleepwalking Into a Nightmare? Gene Lyons) ..."

Bush...Cheney...Rice..Rumsfeld..will someone help us?

American "Democracy"

Ahhh right, how many of you out there think we live in a free and democratic country? Don't be shy, raise your hands....no one will see you, sitting there at your computer, all alone, friendless, quiet dark house, your face illuminated by the monitor, your hand raised high..... and what is it that makes this country such a bastion of freedom? I bet you that most Americans would thump their chests, glow with patriotic fervor, and shout, "We are a Democracy, so the citizens elect our leaders fairly and squarely....hooo-rahhh!"

...ahh, that would be a myth there Mr. and Mrs. Patriot....

Twenty Amazing Facts about Voting in the United States

By Bob Rowe

1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.

2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the US voting machine industry.

3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.

4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.”

5. 35% of ES&S is owned by Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.

6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, a long-time friend of the Bush family, was caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.

7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush’s vice- presidential candidates.

8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the US and counts almost 60% of all US votes.

9. Diebold’s new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.

10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.

11. Diebold is based in Ohio.

12. Diebold employs 5 convicted felons as developers. These are the people who write the voting machine computer code.

13. Diebold’s Senior Vice-President, Jeff Dean, was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree.

14. Diebold Senior Vice-President Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a “high degree of sophistication” to evade detection over a period of 2 years.

15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.

16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so bad. Despite Diebold’s claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it! (See the movie at http://blackboxvoting.org/baxter/baxterVPR.mov.)

17. 30% of all US votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.

18. Bush’s Help America Vote Act of 2002 has as its goal to replace all machines with the new electronic touch screen systems with no paper trail.

19. All—not some—but all the voting machine errors detected and reported went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.

20. Major statistical voting oddities (odds on the order of 250 million to 1!)—again always favoring Bush—have been mathematically demonstrated by experts.

Such amazing odds, the equivalent of statistical miracles these were. Was it God? or was it Diebold…?

What the above information tells you is that Fascism or Totalitarianism, anything But Democracy, is alive in this land. Destroy free and fair elections and you destroy Democracy. Period.

Lastly, if you think that George W. Bush and his minions are going to quietly surrender power at the end of their eight years...you ain't paying attention.

Those pesky traffic stops....

The following is a list of the top 15 Police Comments that were

reportedly taken off of actual police car videos around the country:

15 "Relax, the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch

out after you wear them awhile."

#14 "Take your hands off the car, and I'll make your birth certificate a

worthless document."

#13 "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired."

#12 "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? In case you didn't

know, that is the average speed of a 9mm bullet fired from my gun."

#11 "So you don't know how fast you were going. I guess that means I can

write anything I want on the ticket, huh?"

#10 "Yes, sir, you can talk to the shift supervisor, but I don't think

it will help. Oh ... did I mention that I am the shift supervisor?"

#9 "Warning! You want a warning? O.K., I'm warning you not to do that

again or I'll give you another ticket."

#8 "The answer to this last question will determine whether you are

drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or a dog?"

#7 "Fair? You want me to be fair? Listen, fair is a place where you go

to ride on rides, eat cotton candy, and step in monkey DOO."

#6 "Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster

oven."

#5 "In God we trust, all others we run through NCIC."

#4 "Just how big were those two beers?"

#3 "No, Sir, we don't have quotas anymore. We used to have quotas but

now we're allowed to write as many tickets as we want."

#2 "I'm glad to hear the Chief of Police is a good personal friend of

yours. At least you know someone who can post your bail."

#1 "You didn't think we give pretty women tickets?...You're right, we

don't...Sign here.

Things that you shouldn't say to a Cop:

1. I can't reach my license unless you hold my beer. (OK in Texas)

2. Sorry, Officer, I didn't realize my radar detector wasn't plugged in.

3.Aren't you the guy from the Village People?

4. Hey, you must've been doin' about 145 mph to keep up with me. Good job!

5. Are You Andy or Barney?

6. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a police officer.

7. You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?

8. I pay your salary!

9. Gee, Officer! That's terrific. The last officer only gave me a warning, too!

10. Do you know why you pulled me over? Okay, just so one of us does.

11. I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are no

other cars around.. That's how far ahead of me they are.

12. When the Officer says "Gee Your eyes look red, have you been

drinking?", you probably shouldn't respond with,"Gee Officer your eyes look glazed,

have you been eating doughnuts?"


(thanks Brother Bill and Lamar)

If there is to any hope it must come from the youth who have the enthusiasm to question authority; The willingness to risk; and the inherent hope of a long future.

This is a letter written by a young man who see's very clearly the disasterous policies of Bush and the republicans. I am proud to print this letter and proud that there are young Americans out there who understand and demand change.

April 24, 2006

Dear Honorary President,

How can a leader truly represent the people when he does not live like

them? Those in office do not send their children to public schools,

where ‘No Child Left Behind’ has devastated the educational system.

Those in office do not dare to walk amongst the streets of the ghetto,

where their help is needed the most. Those in office don’t dare do

anything more than act as if they wish to help the people. If those who

had the power to truly make a difference cared, they would walk amongst

those who needed help as Mahatma Gandhi and other brilliant leaders have.

The government has taxed the middle and lower classes into despair,

while cutting those who need not fear taxes a tax break. Why does the

government not lower taxes for the lower classes, and raise taxes for

millionaires, and billionaires, of our nation? The owners of oil

companies have made more money in a quarter of a year than any other

company has in an entire year. These people have money to spare, yet

share none of it. Actors, singers, and professional sports players make

millions a day. It is they who should carry the heaviest burden, not

those whom cannot bear the weight.

Same sex marriages are being banned in multiple states; however, this

too is a removal of the rights of the American people. The reason for

the law forbidding same sex marriage is based on the bible, which states

that a man and a woman is the only marriage. However, the First

Amendment declares that; “Congress shall make no law respecting an

establishment of religion”, which states that no law based on a

religious teaching can be imposed upon the American People. In light of

this argument, any law forbidding the marriage between two people of the

same sex would be unconstitutional.

The Patriot Act has been put in place for the purpose of legally

stripping away the rights of the American people, and therefore should

never have been passed. The Fourth Amendment clearly states that a

person’s right to privacy cannot be infringed upon unless given a

warrant by a neutral judge. No records on a civilian may be searched,

nor may a warrant be issued, without probable cause. Instead of simply

saying that a civilian is believed to be part of a terrorist group,

sufficient evidence should be required before a warrant is issued, or a

search takes place. The Patriot Act grants the power to the government

to grant a warrant for physical searches, wiretaps, and subpoenas of

business records as long as the government states that there is any

foreign intelligence basis for the search. Once again, evidence should

be required that foreign intelligence is present other than the

government’s word, when the government is run by humans, and humans are

liable to lie.

Gas prices are ravaging the ordinary citizen as the prices per gallon

breaks the three-dollar mark. The price of oil is to blame, however, has

the government considered finding an alternate to oil to relieve some of

the pressure of the rising prices? Brazil, South Americas largest

country, provides 40% of it’s own energy via sugar cane; which in turn

drives the average price for gasoline down to a much more reasonable two

dollars a gallon. The United States could quite possibly tap this energy

source as well, as scientific advances in the field of agriculture could

produce large amounts of sugar cane in nearly any environment. The farms

could tackle the issue of energy prices by providing yet another cheap

energy source, as well as provide possibly hundreds of thousands of jobs

to decrease the unemployment rate in America. A simple solution though

it may be, it would appear to be quite an effective solution.

No Child Left Behind was based on scientific research on what methods

work best. What has not been noted is that there is no ‘best’ method,

for no two minds think exactly alike. While ‘No Child Left Behind’ may

help one group of students, others are left behind still yet. As well as

thinking in different ways, minds can grasp different amounts of

material at different speeds. Some gifted students may learn at a much

more accelerated rate while others will take a longer amount of time to

grasp the material presented. If a teacher presents the material too

quickly, the gifted students will be able to keep up while the rest of

the students fall behind and give up. On the other hand, should a

teacher present the material too slowly, the advanced students will

quickly become bored and may decide that school is not worth their time.

Recent research has shown that 30% of High School Students will drop

out, and of those most have passing grades. Why would they drop out most

ask, only for them to respond, “School was too boring.” This could be a

sign that either they didn’t care enough, or that the system failed them

in which most cases the latter holds true. Our government spends 20% of

its national budget on our military, yet we spend less than 4% on our

education. In this time of crisis, a large budget is needed for our

military, yet is the nation’s youth, the future of the United States,

really only worth 4% of our nation’s budget? With more money, schools

could hire a more diverse selection of teachers, and spend more time

with finding a student’s specific needs and matching them with a teacher

who would yield greater results when educating this student. Our

nation’s education system is far from perfect, and ‘No Child Left

Behind’ has not made matters any better. Take this from a student who

lives with the effects of ‘No Child Left Behind’ every day.

The reasons behind the lawsuits that are taking place against the state

and federal governments are the high standards set for the schools are

unrealistic. The "No Child Left Behind" was put into place to prevent

students from being forced into being educated in a mediocre school,

however even top notch schools are suffering as students who do not

grasp the material that is being presented are advanced, where they are

in turn failed later on for not knowing what they never understood

properly. This reflects poorly on the school, which is then punished for

something that was not their fault. The system put in place by "No Child

Left Behind" has set every school in our nation up for failure.

I may be a single mind, but I am no fool. For every thought I share with

you is shared by thousands of American citizens. If you are to ignore

the mind of a single citizen, does this mean you ignore the thoughts of

hundreds of thousands as well? In order to truly lead our wonderful

Nation, you must walk in the shoes of the nation’s people. You must

truly listen to the people; get to know them and how your laws and taxes

affect them. Until the government lives with, lives like, and lives for

it’s people, the people will suffer as those in power live oblivious to

the horrors that grasp at our beautiful nation.

“You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and

decrees.

An evil system never deserves such allegiance.

Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil.

A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.”

– Mahatma Gandhi


(Thanks Kharyn)

Cartoons are so important because they reveal the truth, often unintentionally. In this one, the republican zealot cartoonist is trying to get you to believe that the real culprit behind the recent staggering spike in gasoline prices in the President of Iran. However, what this cartoon really shows is that the price of Gasoline is decided by the Oil Companies, not Iran. What Iran says or does in this circumstance has nothing what so ever to do with gasoline prices. The Oil Companies have increased the price of gasoline way beyond the price of crude increases, thereby creating a enormous profit windfall for themselves.

Like so many republicans, this cartoonist is nothing but a paid whore for the oil companies.

Identify the members of Bush's Administration...win a prize!

just a thought...

So, lets see, the Oil companies, that is, the giants ( Exxon, Shell, Texaco) have gathered together somewhere and jointly decided to restrict the flow of oil into this country, so that they can raise the prices, and get more profit. And we have an Administration that is as corrupt as nun who gives blowjobs in the church parking lot. Do you think there is anyone to stop them?

And my God the money Bush is stealing with his double bookkeeping for the costs of the war in Iraq, Bush wants $90 Billion More...

"...Since March 2003, "Congress has approved about $250 billion in supplemental spending for the mission." Now, the administration wants more than $90 billion more to pay for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and rebuilding on the Gulf Coast. The Senate is set to consider an even more bloated version of the request this week..."

...Bush refuses to list the costs of the war into the federal budget. Instead he demands money for Iraq with "Emergency Supplemental Spending Bills", which are outside the Federal budgetary process. Further it does not go into the calculations of the federal debt, thereby underreporting the amount of debt by about $340 Billion! In this way Bush can openly hide the true costs of his military blunders, at least in terms of money.

And look it Haliburton, billions of dollars in profit from the Bush Administration, and a company that has been in business with the Bush Family for damn near generations. Shit, no conflict there.

The Bush Administration will go down as the most corrupt of all democratic governments, anywhere in the world, anytime, and in any combination.

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

"The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not an isolated episode. It was the culmination of a 110-year period during which Americans overthrew fourteen governments that displeased them for various ideological, political, and economic reasons."

Democracy Now! - Broadcast date: 04/21/06

"...Clausewitz...called it, “suicide for fear of death.” You are so afraid of what's happening to you in the world or what might happen to you that you go out and launch operations, which actually produce the result that you were afraid might happen if you didn't do these things...." (Stephen Kinzer, to Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!)

Sound familiar?

The facts are that the United States has preemptively invaded other nations for damn near its entire history. Specifically, the first invasion of soverign nations came when Europeans 'discovered' America. They invaded the soverign nations of Native American Peoples, established their own country after killing, maiming, an destroying the natives, formed a government, then proceeded to launch invasions against many other soverign nations. It is a repeated time worn pattern of this country.

America
Louisiana Purchase
Alaska
Hawaii
Africa
Costa Rica
Haiti
Eucuador
Panama
Cuba
Phillipines
Mexico
World War I
World War II
Korea
Vietnam
Grenada
Iraq I
Iraq II
Afganistan

This is just a quick partial list of the countries and events in which the United States of America has militarily attacked other countries. The specific circumstances vary, but the pattern in the same:

American Businesses seek profit;
They encounter foreign country that resists;
U.S. Government finds a person or persons in that country to demonize;
U.S. News Media joins the fray by claiming "liberty" is at stake, rallies American public;
American Military Attacks;
U.S. Business gets huge profits.

Maybe more Americans should learn their own damn history.

just a thought...

To understand the behavior of other human beings and develop compassion, you must seek to seperate the intentional from the unintentional.
bog

One of the things that has always intrigued me was that the Republicans, as well as many others, appear to be oblivious to the environmental and societal problems their ideology creates.

For instance, the Superfund specifically to force polluting corporations to pay for cleanup of toxic wastes. This is a good thing. No one could reasonably argue that toxic waste doesen't have to be cleaned up. No one can argue that poisoning the water, air, and soil we all depend on for basic living is a bad thing. Further, no one could reasonably argue that the people who cause the toxic waste shouldn't be the one's to clean it up.

So, why have Republicans gutted the Superfund? Aren't their children and their children's children going to suffer the consequences? Don't these CEO's and CFO's and boards of directors and stock holders, don't they have a stake in clean water, air and soil too? Why have they moved to weaken or outright kill environmental legislation and regulation?

This seemed contrary to the best interest of even the wealthy. So why would they be so unconcerned?

Recently I read Collapse, by Jared Diamond, and in this book on why societies collapse he pointed out that in a society in which the wealthy, or ruling class, must share the consequences of their actions, they tend to be much more proactive in solving problems. Therefore, the ruling elite recognize problems that could negatively impact their society and they figure out solutions. But, the obverse of this is when the ruling elite do NOT share the these consequences with the rest of the public. In this case, problems tend to be ignored until they reach crisis proportions, and by then it is too late, the entire society collapses. Further, the more disconnected the ruling elite are from the consequences of their actions, the more disasterous the collapse of this society.

Why is it that our national leadership seems to unconcerned about the truly great issues of our day? Overpopulation; Environmental Pollution; Disasterous Climate Change; Ongoing war and conflict; Rotting infrastructure; Collapsing national parks; Skyrocketing national debt; Mounting poverty and disenfrachisement of huge segments of our population; Rampant and blatant racism; Sexism; Increasing power and influence of extreme religious fanatics; Electronic voting that is not credible or accurate; Corrosion of checks and balances in governement; Corruption of politicians; Growing divide between rich and poor, with 2% of the population controlling 57% of all wealth in this country; Declining educational achievements of students and crippling cost of higher education; Outsourcing of well paying jobs to foreign lands with subsequent impoverishment of American Citizens; Millions of Americans without any form of health care; Millions of Americans without any form of retirement; Millions of Americans losing these benefits after they had been promised them by industry; Inflation and an every weakening dollar; and much more.

So what is going on in this country? The wealthy have their gated and select communities, bottled water, specialty stores at prices only they can afford, private police force (Blackwater, et al.), private vacations mansions in Montana and across the globe, even their money is no longer physically in this country, but in foreign, non-taxable, bank accounts. The ruling elite don't even pay their fair share of taxes, so it doesn't matter how the government spends it because they don't pay anyway. The ruling elite live, travel, vacation, eat, drink, shop in an entirely different world than the rest of the citizens in this land.

The reality is that the wealthy ruling elite of American do NOT share the consequences of their decesions, or lack of them, with the common U.S. citizen and are, in fact, well insulated from the 'real' world, so they have little to no interest in solving these crippling issues of our day.

Unfortunatly, these are issues that cannot be adequately solved by grass roots movements or coalitions. These are major issues that must be solved nationally because they impact all citizens.

This brings us to the purpose of government.

I don't believe government is responsible for all our problems or all our solutions. Most can be dealt with, and should be dealt with at a local level. But, the purpose of government is to level the playing field. It is to act as an agency that should keep predatory corporations in check with a system of rules and regulations everyone must follow. Government is there to protect and serve the enitire population, not just the wealthy and powerful. They do this by establishing programs for those who are not as capable, not as strong, not has able as the rest. The do this by establishing a system by which all citizens are healthy, provided basic needs, and are ruled by a judiciary that seeks justice for all. They do this by ensuring that all citizens get equality and opportunity. Each individual must make the most of their own lives, so government is there to give them the chance, not the guarantee, only the chance.

Government must be neutral at the very least.

I believe that government has a responsiblity for the wellbeing of all its citizens.

Unfortunately, our government is entirely run by the wealthy elite ruling class and is not representative or responsive to the average citizen. It is a tool of the wealthy.

And as I pointed out above, if the wealthy are not negatively effected by specific problems, they will not solve them. Since our government is owned by the wealthy, many of these issues will be left to fester, rotting the very hope of every day citizens for a better tomorrow.

Israel v Arab

Every now and then you get an image that speaks volumns...sometimes a vast and complex history can be displayed by a mere single image...this is one of those. This is a GREAT Image. And I don't care wether you agree or not...this image portrays a reality very well.

a little bit of this and that.....

Backdoor to New Nukes

"....it looks like a new Energy Department initiative is going to be used to build a whole new class of nukes, pumping up the American stockpile.

The Washington Post reports that by November, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration "plans to select the design of a new generation of nuclear warheads that would be more dependable and possibly able to be disarmed in the event they fell into terrorist hands."..."

That's comforting....what about if they fall into 'republican hands'?

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

Forrest Gump's Evil Twin

By Stephen Pizzo, News for Real. Posted April 21, 2006.

"...morons get downright testy when someone challenges what they think they know. We saw this trait earlier this week when Bush was asked if he thought Don Rumsfeld should resign. The moron lashed out at the questioner, dashed into his imaginary phone booth and emerged as The Decider. "I'm the decider," he pronounced, with Mussolini-like swagger. You see, scratch a moron and beneath that smirking, ignorance-is-bliss exterior, you discover a fundamental truth: Beauty may be only skin deep, but moron goes right to the bone..."

Worst president of all time....
============================================

What You Need To Believe To Be A Republican:

Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

Supporting "Executive Privilege" for every Republican ever born, who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.)

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail! (Quayle?)

Feel free to pass this on. If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be stuck with more Republicans in '06 and '08.

Friends don't let

friends vote Republican

(thanks Bob)

Face to face in America

I believe we are witnessing the waning days of American Hegemony. George W. Bush is not an accident of politics, he is a genuine representative of the worst of American values and beliefs.

Bush represents unbridled arrogance; blind ambition; hubris; Religious intolerance and rigidity; racism; rage; emphasis of style over substance; 'quick fix' mentality; 'wealth makes right'; belief in inherent supiority; acceptance of the overwhelming power of the State; Fear of loss; intellectual laziness and ignorance; confusion of reality and religion; belief in punishment over discussion as a means of learning; rampant paternalism; and lastly, naivety. This is not to impugn that America has no redeeming qualities. Obviously it does. But these are the worst of our traits and they have come back to haunt this land.

These traits far outweigh the good and their accumulation without question in this society has brought us to this state.

Their will be new super powers to take our place, but, curiously, they won't be based on petroleum. They, China and India for example, are doing their level best to be a clone of American's success, but they can't do it. America succeeded because we had unlimited access to cheap oil. This is no longer possible.

Is this just a depressing perspective? Perhaps. But it is also true. Like individuals, societies must occasionally look in the mirror and check their beliefs against the real world. America, and Americans have been on a blind drunk ever since Oil was 'discovered' in Pennsylvania. We have built a standard of living unparalleled in modern times because we were fortunate to have lots of good land and lots of inexpensive energy. These fortunate circumstances gave America the belief that we deserved these riches, when in fact these are nothing more than favorable luck. Like a drunk that mistakenly gets into a Mercedes BEnz instead of his 1954 Ford, the people of America assumed they were entitled to these riches.

Perhaps the loss of 'superpower' status will be a good thing. Perhaps we will begin to soften our harsh and punishment oriented culture. Perhaps we can let go of our arrogance and realize that we are part of a larger world and that we belong, not as a ruler, but as a participant.

Perhaps we will learn that all humans are part of the living planet, we are not French, American, Indian, Iranian, Japanese, Chinese, what ever, these are just labels we have given ourselves to create power. If we could ever learn to drop the nationalistic barriers and see each other as equals on a finite planet, we might finally learn what it is to be human.

I know, won't happen. Too much time and money is invested in the power positions now girdling the earth. For humanity to change there will have to be a cataclismic event.

brace yourself.....

Tax Day

oh dear....tax day....time to pay the lord of war....Did ya hear? Cheney will get $1.9 million back in taxes. imagine that. He personally hands Haliburton a sweetheart no bid contract worth BILLIONS, gets very very rich because he is holding a bunch of Haliburton Stock, and to top it all off, he gets millions back out of our pockets too.

If I didn't know better I would swear that he has finagled the country to personally enrich himself....maybe I'll just swear....


"....TAXES -- BUSH USES TAX DAY TO PUSH FOR MORE TAX BREAKS FOR THE WEALTHY: Over the weekend, before tax filings were due, President Bush used his radio address to ask Congress to extend his tax cuts permanently. "Tax relief has done exactly what it was designed to do," Bush said. "It has created jobs and growth for the American people." But the Los Angeles Times found that as the tax code's progressivity decreased under Bush, "tax rates have contributed to huge increases in the wealth of the wealthy, but so far most people haven't seen significant economic improvement." "It's as if Santa Claus dropped bags of money down everybody's chimney," said the Tax Policy Center's Leonard E. Burman. "Only he dropped extra-big bags in rich people's homes, and extra-small ones in smaller homes." One recipient of Santa's largest "bags of money" this year is Vice President Dick Cheney, who reportedly is entitled to a $1.9 million tax refund. The disparity between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else has grown. "Last year, for example, a typical corporate chief executive officer made 279 times the average pay of a non-supervisory production worker," according to an American Progress report. Meanwhile, conservative senators are using budget gimmickry to mask the deficits that more tax cuts for the wealthy would create. "That's amazing," the Washington Post's editorial board writes, "even from this Congress."..."

comments on previous post.

Comments from Post "The end of the internet as we know it?"

oldhats said...

I'd be alarmed by your predictions if I didn't have some other relevant facts. 1) The vast majority of consumers have a choice of more than 2 ISPs. 2) The free market works. 3) Net neutrality is not being threatened and, if it were threatened (see 1 & 2), the market would solve the problem quickly.

9:12 AM

John Michal Whitten said...

I wish you were right. However, 'the market'is not the solution. It is the problem. The 'market' is not a free and independent entity. The market is simply the reflection of choices made by huge corporate and political power in this country. There is no 'free' market.

Lets take this analogy, you are shopping in a Farmer's Market and are amazed at the variety and price of goods avaiable to you. You think, "wow, the market is good for everybody". The problem is, that major interests control who gets to sell at the Farmer's Market. Each little space must be approved by these interests. Corporate Power determines who gets to participate. In other words, it is the middle man that makes up the market. You have the vendor and the buyer and a middle man who puts them together in such a way as to maximize his own profit over the interests of the other two.

This middle man is the 'free market'.

I stand by my prediction, the internet is vulnerable to corporate and political control and the 'free market' is just a smoke screen.

8:10 AM

said...

Let me add one more point. A 'free Market' system can only work with the collusion of government. This is because corporate powers tend to seek to control the market. If government is honest, regulations and oversight are available to keep corporate power honest. However, when government is owned by corporations then the regulations and laws are written solely to support corporate power at the expense of consumers and other businesses that do not have this clout.

The American government is wholly owned by corporate power. There is no free market.

BOG

10:18 AM

To further augment my point:

"...CORPORATE POWER -- AOL CENSORED ADVOCACY GROUPS' EMAILS: Dozens of advocacy groups have teamed up to oppose AOL's decision to "charge companies about 1/4 cent to send a message that will bypass spam filters." E-mails from paying companies will go straight to a user's inbox, but e-mails from non-paying companies will go through the "gauntlet of spam filters that could divert them to a junk-mail folder or strip them of images and Web links," even if they're not spam. A coalition of groups with about 15 million members -- DearAOL -- formed recently to campaign against AOL's scheme, arguing that it will not stop spam and will create a two-tiered Internet of the haves and have-nots, harming nonprofits and small businesses. AOL's strategy to counter their critics: censorship. According to the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF), AOL yesterday began blocking delivery to AOL customers of all e-mails that include a link to the DearAOL coalition's website. Twenty minutes after EFF distributed its release about the censorship, AOL ended the practice, but the fact that it occurred at all is very troubling. "The fact is, ISPs like AOL commonly make these kinds of arbitrary decisions – silently banning huge swathes of legitimate mail on the flimsiest of reasons – every day, and no one hears about it," an EFF official said..."

Plainly put, the Corporate world is not interested in a free market and they aren't going to allow it. Period.

dig this....

The Flutter Valve

"...In the case of the United States ruling class, those political boundaries ( National Boundaries) have served for some time as a kind of flutter-valve. That valve allows free movement of the one percent of our population that now owns sixty percent of all stock and forty percent of all wealth in the US (the richest two percent owns fifty-six percent (!) of the wealth). They can move freely around the world in search of fifteen-year-old girls who will work in a sweatshop ten hours a day for two dollars, while they are sexually preyed upon by their bosses. And this dominant class can move freely to dispatch armies of their own working class to seize nations with the misfortune of being on or near diminishing underground oceans of fossil energy. But the same valve tightly regulates the movement of working people. So-called “illegal aliens” (how a person can be illegal is still a mystery to me) are not kept out of the US; their flow is regulated—officially and unofficially..."

Stan Goff
Military/ Veterans Affairs Editor, From the Wilderness

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

An Iranian Missile Crisis?

By David Ignatius

Wednesday, April 12, 2006; Page A17

"...Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter.... "I think of war with Iran as the ending of America's present role in the world," he told me this week. "Iraq may have been a preview of that, but it's still redeemable if we get out fast. In a war with Iran, we'll get dragged down for 20 or 30 years. The world will condemn us. We will lose our position in the world.".."

If you think that even Bush is not crazy enough to start a nuclear war, consider what happened in World War I. World War I was started because of massive miscalulations by national leaders, blind obligations of one state to another, hubris, and mythological ideology over reality.

WWI killed millions, Bush's nuclear war will kill ten's of millions.

Some days are just a little bit tougher than others.