-- SEX POLITICS RELIGION ARTS -- SERIOUS AND HUMOROUS --
It is just a place to come with an open mind,
though ours are not always-Please tell us if they're not!
Noam Chomsky speaks to BBC's Francine Stock at London's St Paul's Cathedral, Dec '02.
23min28sec
Next, an interesting interview with an (attempted) focus on religion but is quite varied. Always good to hear Chomsky asked about new topics so there is some new stuff here amongst some older material. In all fairness, Interviewer Zwicker has been somewhat controversial regarding 911 conspiracy assertions, but here he tries to find the core of Chomsky's basic thinking systems and really does not like his seemingly leftist defenses.
Editors Note: The article below is a result of a submission from a reader. As this site is not a simple "sounding board" for ill-considered ideas or knee jerk conspiracy theories, I was forced to either ignore or address this otherwise compelling piece. Ms. Masterson is not an employee or agent of this publication. Any of the content in black and red, remains intact, unedited and the copyright along with its liability remains with the submitter. The response is in blue and remains the sole responsibility and content of Bryan E. Hall, Editor of Duly Consider.
Please read this as you would an essay that has been commented upon by the professor. It is unusual to publish something in this fashion, but in all fairness, it would be irresponsible to do so without parenthetical consideration.
After the ashes of this so-called unprecedented presidential election, do you know who you voted for into office? What do you know of his policies? Do you know who controls him? Money is what controls him and do you know who controls the money?
The Federal Reserve is what controls the money in this nation and it's not the government or we who run it, it is private bankers who through a federation of twelve banks controls the money that flows through this land and that they vote privately on the money that controls us, that affects us, without our being able to have a say in the matter. Beyond being unconstitutional (the constitution, due to the threat of the monarchy of England, vanished the possibility of there being a central banking system due to the catastrophes caused by the administrators who deliberately pushed wars to make money by funding both sides and destroying a land's economy all in the name of power and greed), it is a gross act of defiance and hubris hostility against the voice of the American people by showing how powerless we are against controlling the very things that runs us; our money.
See, back in the good ole' days, we were once on the gold standard. The treasury had the ability to make money, but it was backed by gold. Nelson Aldrich, the Federal Reserve Act architect, met on JekyllIsland with JP Morgan and the Rothschilds to draft what would be the finished product of the Federal Reserve Act. Due to the passage of the Fed reserve act during a sleepy day in Congress when half of congress was absent due to Christmas, the fed reserve act was passed under strongly banker-backed President Woodrow Wilson, who later regretted his decision to let it pass (for more on the history of the Federal Reserve, see <http://news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1095269452.php> And you can check out the official whitewashed history at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve> for comparison).
This set the stage for corporate and banker interest to take control of our government at the expense of the people since their interest lied in their bottom line and not our best interest . This set the stage for a government that is, even now, still under the control of bankers. When JFK tried to reintroduce Treasury Notes into the economy under Executive Order 11110, allowing for Treasury to regain control over the life blood of our economy, he was assassinated by CIA operative E Edward Hunt to keep him from freeing the people by creating a truly free-based economy where we aren't tied to illegal system that puts us into debt (source: <http://www.rense.com/general76/jfkvs.htm>).
In the case of Obama, that's what speaks for him, the bankers who control the reserve since it is the reserve who, like a mother to a child, gives the child an allowance, which is in turn given to us. In the President's case, let's say the government needs 1 billion. Without even sending real, printed money, the Federal reserve sends a bunch of numbers through the computer to the government and that is the money (For a more accurate and simplified way on how the Fed Reserve works, go to copy/paste <http://dulyconsider.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-to-make-trillions-of-dollars.html>).
There is no physical money printed, shifted or transacted, but imaginary money that only exists in a machine, a computer. This money, as debt instrument, is used in turn to give to the people at a fixed rate or interest and since only a fixed amount has to stay in the government reserve, this is what determines how much money exists in the supply based on contracting or expanding, or, in other words, inflation. Plus, to add insult to injury, we are charged interest on this fake money, thereby ensuring a lifetime supply of ingenious slavery in a workforce. Also, since the Federal Reserve runs the Presidency, wars are started to get us out of debt and in peace time we are put into debt to justify going into words, therefore sealing us into a vicious cycle of wars.
Thus, we are literally controlled by nothing. We owe nothing in return since no money was really given. To make matters even worse, we are forced to owe through the monopoly money that we are given trillions upon trillions of debt since the money we have isn't even money, it's literally debt (if you don't believe me, look at your $1 dollar or $5 dollar paper bill, what does it say; Note means in elementary accounting that you owe a debt and not get paid back for it.) Out of a lot of the Federal Reserve sprung corporations designed to put us to work to pay off this debt since the government pays interest on this fake money and pass it along to us as tax. Corporations don't become big overnight. A lot of them got to where they are due to cooperation with the banker monopolists. Without their cooperation, Nike wouldn't be where it is since, and neither would Reebok, or IBM since without their cooperation, they wouldn't have gotten the loans to start the businesses. Even worse is the fact that mostly bankers, these crooks, assisted inObama's campaign, such as Franklin Raines, who was fired as CEO of FNMA andPenny Pritzker, former CEO of Superor Bank of Chicago, which went belly up due to pushing sub prime mortgages (source: http://memes.org/alex-jones-infowars-home-failed-bankers-campaign-obama). Even though Obama is against some of those who lobbied for him, he still accepts their money (see <http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Barack_Obama/Campaign_Financing>). Even more surprising are the donors who funded both campaigns simultaneously. Look at some of Obama's supporters, with Goldman Sach's being 2nd with Morgan Stanley not too far behind. (The list can be seen here at <http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638>). Now, look at the donor list of McCain (It can be seen here at <http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=n00006424>).
[Good info, but fails to demonstrate a relevant support for your thesis that Obama (more so than other politicians) actually falls under some control of the Fed and/or other insidious banking interests. Such a connection would be huge news but there is no evidence of this. He, like every other candidate, accepted money from bankers, employees of banks and PACs who may favor banking interests. The fact he got more than other candidates is only a testament to the fact he was highly favored to win the race; and to the victor (or likely victor) go the spoils. Sadly, all the candidates support the current corrupt banking system, except for Ron Paul and he is unviable in the political structure.]
Notice that they have the same bankers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, giving to them. Do you see a correlation? Yes, I know I can. You can go ahead and think that they feel that they might see both candidates who represents their interest, but, who is the third candidate that they are trying to keep out? There was no real third party opposition that was a threat since they didn't receive equal media coverage, so why support two so-called separate idealogues?. Also why vote for two candidates with supposedly two different interests? Doesn't it make you think that no matter who wins, they are rooting for the same guy since they know that the same guy will pull the same result.
If you decide to look to the propaganda machines that are the news and other news entertainment outlets like Newsweek and the like you will be hard pressed to find accurate, unbiased information that can help the reader or viewer arrive to unbiased, informed opinions. For instance, Newsweek's News doesn't get printed until it passes through review by the Pentagon. However, the airwaves and screens are stuffed with fluff: mindless drones watching reality shows while sitting around lingering and drinking beer due to economic hard times is what the corporatocracy have in mind and want.The corporatocracy wants us to be consumed with this so that their product, our Presidential leaders, can lead us like the blind leading the blind down a path to oblivion much like the pied piper did with the little kids of Germany.They want us to think that this leader whom we didn't elect (the electoral college did).[Simply untrue as he was elected by a larger majority of the popular vote than anyone since Carter (and he followed Nixon)] will lead us into a great era of prosperity because she/he is black or some other diversionary tactic to keep the simple minded blind. However, the fact that these are the people who control him[Highly conspiratorial without any evidence] (remember, those with money have power) are the ones who control him[I am quite sure they would like to control him, but the proof of that is to be seen] and with their interests being selfish, do you think that these corps that don't mind overworking children to death in sweat shop factories are going to care about us? Do you think that these companies are going to care if Barack turns around and says that he wants to bring companies back from overseas and return them to America? No! You never bite the hand that feeds you and look at what happened to John F. Kennedy when he tried; he was owned(assassinated)!
Aside from understanding how the economy is used by the bankers to control the President and decisions in this country, another important, actually very imperative key to understanding what really runs this nation is the advisor to the president. Zbignew Brzezinski is going to be [one of] Obama's advisors. Do you know who Zbignew Brzezinski is aside from his name? Brzezinski was instrumental in the creation and support of the mujahideen, which later became Al Qaeda, in an effort to use them against the Soviet Union by creating strife with the then Soviet supporting Afghanistan and training what was to become Al Qaeda using CIA operatives [Failed interventionist policies go back well before Brzezinski as the British, even before WWII, IE-“Lawrence of Arabia”, tried to control them as they didthe Indians, and they created a hatred that has backfired, but it is true, the US created and supported the “Mujahideen” and the Shah of Iran, and Saddam Hussein and even Khadafi. The US has made a lot of money selling them weapons that they later have used against us, but who can blame them?] (Source: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Brzezinski>)This man intends on using Obama to initiate his decades old war against Russia. Do you know the name Rahm Emmanuel? He is the son of a terrorist[“Terrorist” is a label that can easily be applied to anyone who uses the threat of violence to elicit fear and control, certainly to include all military power (except our terrorists are funded directly by and openly encouraged by our government)] who quelled opposition to Israel by slaughtering Palestinians and he was also picked to be Obama's right hand man (Source: <http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/us-election/rahm-emanuels-father-an-israeli-terrorist-14043727.html>). I am quite sure that will lead to more war and involvement with Israel. As a matter of fact, a top pentagon advisor warned of an international crisis after Obama takes lead 260 days into his presidency, with Biden even emphasizing the ruthlessness of this soon to be international crisis (Source: <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/bidens-crisis-remarks-reverberate/>) (Source: <http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/21/mccain-uses-bidens-crisis-prediction-question-obama/>) . Also, other than what Obama says, let's find out what he has done. He has:
Voted for Wall Street $700 million Bailout (both him and McCain have the same donors) (Source: )[Obviously, a majority voted for the bailout, most of which did so with disdain, much as parents paying kidnappers reluctantly.]
He supports an invasion of Pakistan[This is what we call “spin”; He said he would support a strike within Pakistan if there was actionable intelligence that led us to Osama Bin Laden] (Source: <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3434573&page=1>)
He is for the Patriot Act as well as the FISA Act, which allows for greater spying powers handed to the NSA over the American population. (Source: <http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/06/20/obama_supports_fisa_legislatio.html>) [It is yet to be seen as to whether he will favor the extension of the Patriot Act, and most indications are that he will not. FISA is a perfectly suitable law, if enforced. Bush simply ignored it. Perhaps you should read it if you haven’t.]
His policy consist of getting us to borrow more money in order to spend more money by borrowing from foreign banks (which goes against what the constitution stands for), which will add to the cataclysmic cycle that will lead us into a bonded and indebted populace, which will lead to a much worse recession, otherwise known as a depression (Source: <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20915.htm>).
We are living in a hypocrisy and if we were to have done our homework rather than letting the mass corporate media feed us it's baloney, we would have been aware of this before we voted for him in office. Now, looking back at the Bush administration, the feeling is predominant that his tenure in office will look like the golden times rather than the real gloom and doom that's ahead of us now all because we choose to be asleep rather than awake.
In Africa, the leaders of a village, even all the way up to prime minister, bloodline is the determining force of everything. In order to be king or queen, PM, unless you are of a certain regal heritage, you can't ascend the throne or head of state position. Returning back to America, did you know that Obama is related to Bush and that his Kenyan father went to Harvard, thereby making him a legacy? America is also ruled by a bloodline. Obama is related to the Bush's, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney. [This is where the tinfoil hat comes out. Relax the paranoia. We have enough legitimate fears without the silly “American Royalty” theories.] They are all different colors and from different places but they all share a common lineage and through masking the media the Corporatocracy[The MNCs that rule this world couldn’t care less about bloodlines as long as leaders keep their financial pipelines flowing] has successfully ensured that this bloodline is here to stay, not to be usurped by we the people anytime soon by feeding us mass, rampant junk like Britney's panties and who's the next winner of American Idol[True, but more likely a result of Idiocracy than Corporatocracy; this really undermines your credibility]
If you don't believe the corporatocracy and their measures to keep the elite at the top, look at this profile of Federal Reserve Bank of New York's President Tim Geithner and Barack Obama, the played out story of the young man from nothing is pretty astounding considering that they had very similar lives and are now President respectively in their industries (Source:http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=6196682&page=1). True freedom lies with knowledge; andthough these mass channels of information or disinformation is caused by the powers that be that have an inherent interest in keeping us from being critical thinkers [absolutely true, and no doubt, a conscious intention of the rich], or just from thinking.
When was the last time you did your independent research on the President? Your elected leaders? Your state senators? When was the last time you knew how government worked other than what CNN told you? When was the last time you knew how the economy worked other than what MSNBC”s money market told you? This election has nothing to do with putting a black man into office? His color skin will not help us? This is about a war, a war on you, a war on all of us, a war designed to maintain the status quo at the expense of us and our minds is the battlefield. We live in a culture saturated by people who no longer want to think for themselves. We have become a nation of lazy thinkers where the boob tube speaks for us and our will is suppressed for the greater good against us. To all those out there who think that being passive is the best way to go: seeking solace in ignorance assures your part in the play, meaning you will still be affected by it no matter what.
The corporatocracy knows that we willfully consent to our slavery by ignorance. The most important thing in the world is to know the leaders you choose since if we don't know who we choose we all know what happens to sheep; ultimately you get sent to the slaughter. Complicity in slavery comes from submission in not knowing. Please, if you know in your heart this article to be true, please pass it around to as many people as you can just to get the truth out there (make sure though to give credit as I copyrighted it.) Thank you and love yourself by freeing yourself.
[Interesting reading, but perhaps, if published as is, would be irresponsible journalism. Just because something “could be true” is no basis for making such major illogical leaps. We need more than “possibility”, we need a logical, relevant and calculable “probability” in order to make fair editorial content. Anything short of this is simply muckraking and fear mongering. We have much proven evil to fear and much of this article is factual, but the conclusions are unfair and are tantamount to baseless character assassination. Stick to the facts, and prove your conspiracies and the mainstream media will gladly publish you. Hell, you will win a Pulitzer.
I am always impressed by fervor, even when misdirected or ill-supported. The Fed and the self perpetuating monetary system, are without a doubt, aimed at enslaving us by keeping us in “fake debt”, and as long as the rules are made from the top down rather than from the bottom up; as long as pay is determined solely by the employers without an equal say by the workers themselves (while they pretend this is “the natural law of supply and demand”), we are going to be locked into a worldwide domination of workers by the truly lazy and evil overlords who will do ANYTHING to stay in control.
Logic would dictate that we apply the same rules to the macro-economy as to the micro-economy, which is to say, that bankruptcy is intended to relieve the unmanageable burden of mounting debt. Our government is currently embarking on a path to greater debt, of which we cannot write off in a bankruptcy. Our unborn are expected to be born into debt slavery. This is the real horror. And only if there is a simultaneous readjustment of the books, in the form of worldwide debt forgiveness, we are destined to live in a constant state of fear of financial disaster. The truth is, that money and debt are not “real”, only material possessions are (as in “real estate”) Everything else, is an accounting game, just as clearly described in many parts of the Holy Bible. The moneychangers are truly evil and we must, as did Jesus, remove them from our temple.
It is not necessary, however to personally vilify Obama or any other pawns in this struggle. Keep your eye on the real enemies.]
Content in black and red: Copyright by Raven Masterson (Williams) 2008.
It seems that Americans have fallen for one of the oldest political lies of all, that inevitability means we should join the pack. Yes, it is true the world is globalizing, and we stand to benefit if it is properly managed, but to suggest it is a positive policy goal to pursue it and to expedite it just because it is inevitable, is a fallacy.
By this same reasoning, if we truly saw that illegal immigration would inevitably result in irreversible job loss and wage reduction; therefore we should speed up the process? Absurd!
The same goes for globalization, if indeed, we can even separate them. To those who support this rush, globalization seems only a fair ultimate end in a world full of too many borders. To those in the middle class, who actually have something and want to protect and keep it, globalization presents a huge threat. Sure, the rich benefit, as they have no national vested interest; they are already diversified and multinationalized. What is good for these rich, is not good for the average American, or even the world as a whole. The poor are still as poor as the rich want them to be. There is no such thing as voluntary "trickle-down".
The fervor of globalization has several ultimate ends, all of which depend on one failed assumption, that increased worldwide consumerism, is good for everyone. Well, anyone can look around America and see that this is leading to our demise as the average household owes more than $10,000 in consumer debt and each of us is responsible for our fair share of a huge and growing federal debt under which our grandchildren must suffer. American consumerism alone has pushed the Earth's natural resources to its limits and most agree it seems to have many irreversible effects on the environment. Global warming and human impact on it, is a scientific fact.
We already see that America's failure to seek alternative energies, has put us at odds with all developing nations as we compete for oil. Great for those who own the oil, terrible for anyone at the pumps. America's economy is delicately perched on its dependence on oil to feed and lubricate the workflow. It is the key to our productive output. Apparently, by design, we have become slaves to oil and politicians have done nothing about it, but to worsen it.
What happens as we globalize? China becomes wasteful consumers, just like America, Japan, and Europe? Some say, it's only fair they have the right to have what we have. I say the opposite. We should reduce our waste, not encourage theirs.
As oil hovers at $100/barrel, the average American just throws up their hands, giving up in desperation and fear, believing the lie that we can do nothing about it. But we can and everybody knows it. The question is, will we? My prediction is no; my hope is yes!
The first step is to recognize the lies the rich and powerful are telling us. The second is for so called "bleeding hearts" to stop killing us by hastening the expansion of consumerism in the name of "fairness". Finally, it is time for Americans to regain the thing that built this country, revolution. We must stop our fear of government and reinstill the fear of the people in the our politicians. They honestly don't fear losing their elections once they become incumbents. They have built a police state to guarantee they cannot be physically removed. They have imprisoned anyone who had the creativity necessary to oppose government, either by labeling them as "drug addicts" or by criminalizing other private activities. It is still illegal in many states to have sex in any position but "missionary." Wow!
On one hand, the rich tell us to be greedy, to consume more. That's best for the economy, right? On the other hand, some misguided "bleeding hearts" tell us we have too much, and we should volunteer to reduce our quality of living to allow and "equalization of wealth". Sounds good, but it is a lie. The only people bearing the burden of this equalization, are the poor and middle class. America's rich are getting richer, by a landslide while we have lost ground to the tune of 40% in 10-years, all things considered.
What to do?
Vote for someone who believes America should NOT be policemen and owners of the newly globalized world.
Socially revolt. Stop buying anything you don't need to actually survive and put up a tent on the capitol lawn until lawmakers take you seriously.
Demand your rights to control your own minds and bodies. Decriminalize drug use, thus freeing our minds. Protect a woman's right to control her reproduction.
Demand that those who come to America to find their dream, do it LEGALLY and in a controllable fashion, lest chaos ensues.
Finally, refuse to kill and to be killed for the protection and pursuit of money, land and resources. Protect others from their own ignorance by bringing them home from wars. They think they are patriots, but they are killing themselves for unjust policies of global expansionism.
America can lead this change by remembering we are a nation of leaders and a nation of laws. Rather than fiddle while Rome burns, our leaders can remember who they represent, and it's NOT the world; it is their own nation.
UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has met Myanmar junta supremo Than Shwe today, to try to persuade him to end a crackdown on the biggest democracy protests in 20 years. The two met in the junta's remote new capital, Naypyitaw, two foreign diplomats said. Also present were Than Shwe's no. 2, General Maung Aye, no. 3, General Thura Shwe Mann, and acting Prime Minister Thein Sein, who's fourth in the hierarchy. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol.
Nuff Said! Ex-US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (ooh, that feels good) was seen trying to get a ride back to Texas as quickly as you can say... Karl Rove!
In perhaps the most brilliant segment on “The Daily Show” I’ve ever seen, last night Jon ran through the last three decades of United States intervention in the Middle East to show how incoherent, "ass-backwards" and counter-productive it has been.
Duly Consider: Is America really in the business of rescuing others or do we just want to maximize military industrial complex profits by stoking the fire?
Vice President Cheney's office acknowledged for the first time yesterday that it has dozens of documents related to the administration's warrantless surveillance program, but it signaled that it will resist efforts by congressional Democrats to obtain them.
Duly Consider: Breach of FISA is only a felony. So, what is Cheney worried about?
According to California's Secretary of State, voting machine maker ES&S illegally sold voting machines to five counties that hadn't been certified by the state or federal governments. If found guilty, the company could face penalties of nearly $10 million.
Duly Consider: Diebold isn't alone. It is nice to know our elections corruption is fairly distributed.
A federal judge ordered the Bush administration to issue two scientific reports on global warming, siding with environmentalists who sued the White House for failing to produce the documents.
Duly Consider: Can another branch of government order Bush? What about "Executive Privilege"?
A Democratic congressman is seeking answers after revelations that the US plans to use spy satellites against American citizens. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), who chairs a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, has written Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to ask a series of detailed questions about the new spying initiative.
Duly Consider: Is is just pretense that congress would even question such activities nowadays. It is quite clear the Bush Administration is perfectly willing to do what they please with or without permission or constitutional muster.
The man many refer to as "Bush's Brain" and the one Bush called "The Architect" has turned out certainly to have been the greatest architect of adversity to ever guide the political decisions of a President in the history of the institution.
That he won many elections for Bush, no one would doubt, but with such small margins it was a rough rub for most that he advised the President to rule as if he had a mandate. One thing for sure, we will never know what kind of Presidency would have occurred without the catalytic events of 911.
Inevitable, ineffectual investigations into the inside of the longest string of American political corruption in history have only touched the surface of a beast of many heads. As Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove resigns, many proclaim this is the end of the trail, but it is not enough for him or any other traitors to simply quit their low paying government jobs only to parachute into a huge, high paying private sector opportunities.
Just as the death of Hitler was not the end of worldwide fascism, Rove moving into an undercover position will not end the deepest and widest corruption ever to hit Washington and consequently, billions around the world.
It would be our biggest mistake to forgive what he and many others have done simply because of this symbolic act of contrition. Even as scapegoats go, Libby being convicted then pardoned, was no justice. Rove resigning is no less a thud amidst demands by the public for a resounding solution.
Recently, when asked whether he was leaving to avoid congressional scrutiny, Karl Rove told the WSJ: “I’m not going to stay or leave based on whether it pleases the mob.” And Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has made clear he’s not going to determine his subpoenas based on whether Rove stays or leaves.
Leahy issued the following statement this morning, explaining the Senate Judiciary Committee “will continue its investigation” into Rove...
"The list of senior White House and Justice Department officials who have resigned during the course of these congressional investigations continues to grow, and today, Mr. Rove added his name to that list. There is a cloud over this White House, and a gathering storm. A similar cloud envelopes Mr. Rove, even as he leaves the White House."
From the outside it diverts attention away from the remaining cancer, when we cut away only one of the tumors. Sadly, in this case the analogy would be more accurate to suggest one of the tumors has simply been moved into hiding. America is screaming for the cure and they are giving us aspirin.
There is no doubt this is not the end of Rove's influence on this or other despots. As easily as a housewife can do telemarketing from the home, Rove can continue to advise crimes, lies and deceit comfortably from his home while he continues to draw a government paycheck for rest of his life. He will now be free to accept money legally from conspiratorial thinktanks like PNAC (Project for the New American Century) and from other campaigns who wish to cheat their ways into office.
Rove has left behind him a President, Vice President, Attorney General and hundreds if not thousands of co-conspirators scattered throughout the executive branch. He has illegally invoked "Executive Privilege" in order to avoid accountability for his crimes, and like a little boy who burns down the house, he simply runs away and thinks all is forgiven.
Nothing has changed. Justice has not been done, and those who have committed the highest crimes ever are simply being ushered out quietly and their silence is being taken as a poor substitute for solution.
Let's make this clear. 150 attorneys were hired at the justice department whose job it was to investigate, prevent and punish crimes of election fraud, while in reality it is clear they were hired for no other purpose but to allow and to perpetrate the fraud themselves, constituting the formalization of treason.
If America accepts this as appeasement, we will only encourage the further degradation of our institutions. The only real justice is impeachment, conviction and execution of punishment of all the participants in this rape of America by the rich and powerful against the rest of us. The citizenry must demand that those remaining, do their jobs and cleanse the remainder. And the problem will remain unsolved, as the rich will still have all the money they have thieved from those who go to work every day. Even after punishment, we face years of repair.
In the long term, however, repair without reparations is a lingering public punishment. Long after the heads of this conspiracy are brought to justice, congress must have the courage to retake the funds from the robber-barons.
I only offer a solution but certainly no prediction of this outcome. What I cynically believe is that Americans will continue to simmer while others come to a boil and die, much like frogs in a pot. The heat slowly rises; he doesn't notice, thus failing to jump out; he eventually dies.
I only pray America will prove me wrong by demanding tenacious and thorough reform.
Senator Patrick Leahy has decided he is going to subpoena Karl Rove to testify under oath. Well, it’s about time. But according to Whitehouse Spokesperson Tony Snow, he has already offered himself up in such a way that “he would tell the truth” only under the condition that he not be sworn, documented and that he be free to hide one of his hands behind his back at all times with his fingers crossed.
Frankly, it will be nice to get Rove’s lies on official record, but if anyone thinks this is going to result in the unearthing of truth from his thin little lips, they have no idea who they are dealing with. Karl Rove is and has been the biggest “spinmeister” to have ever entered the District of Columbia; and that’s a high honor.
It has been the food from which he thrives. Lie ‘til you die, and even then have a lie placed on the tombstone and hire Tony Snow and Scooter Libby to write the obituary. He has been lying so long he has no idea what the truth is.
As he has been leading Bush’s political career since his days in Texas, it is his modus operandi. It has become his mantra that if you tell a lie often enough, people will eventually believe it. And when lies aren’t enough, break the law and tell secrets that end careers and put lives in danger, while endangering the well built apparatus by which the US had previously tracked nuclear proliferation to the Middle East. Who cares? It’s just another spy, just another country with nukes. Who cares if it is a felony punishable by death? And according to him, it’s not a secret if you are the second or third person to have told it. According to him, everybody already knew it, right?
In his days in Texas, he not only was a master of lies, but he completely automated the rumor mill. He perfected the art. Basically, it was his favorite way to win. Just think of the very thing that would make an opponent unpopular, and whisper it to everyone you know. It didn’t matter that Ann Richards wasn’t a lesbian. She rode a motorcycle. She had to be, according to Rove and his team. And Texans love homosexuals, right?
If anyone thinks Rove is worried about being forced to testify, they are clearly deluded. He couldn’t care less. If you think Gonzales said, “I don’t know”, “I can’t recall, or “I wasn’t in the loop,” were enough to make you roll our eyes, just wait. Rove will have your eyes sticking that way. You will become so familiar with eye-rolling that you will likely give yourself a frontal lobotomy from the friction.
Meanwhile, Bush, Cheney and Snow will simply complain that there has become a proliferation of politics where there once was none.
This week, I am going to get to the point as it seems few are willing to among those either seeking or sitting in office in the executive branch.
1-Bush: Almost 100 Al Quaedas 2-Gonzales: Waiting for the "privilege" of being fired 3-Hillary and Obama: Friends or Foes 4-Mike Gravel - Who's buying our government?
1-Bush: Almost 100 Al Quaedas - How many times can you lie in one speech? And how many times can you harp on the same lie? There is no doubt that someone in the Bush political machine is still determined that Americans are going to believe the lie repeated often enough is going to be believed.In fact, total score Al Quaeda and bin Laden 118 times in 29 minutes.
It seems that Bush may have mentioned Al Quaeda as many times as there are members of the group operating within Iraq, all in a single speech. But more disturbing was the notion that he was consistently attaching Iraq to 9/11. Just when we thought this had been conceded when long ago, Bush finally admitted the Iraq war had "nothing to do with 9/11," he begins a a new phase. So, it seems his reasoning is that, though there were no Al Quaeda in Iraq at the time of the 9/11 incident; now that there are because he invited them, I guess; we must stay and fight them there to prevent them from coming here.
The problem with this is, if there are Al Quaeda there now because we have fed their recruitment efforts by continuing to fight in Iraq well after our welcome was exhausted, what makes him think that by staying there, we will decrease their numbers? And why does he continue to ignore the real experts within the Islamic circles who say the Sunni and Shia (i.e. Saudi Arabia and Iran) hate Al Quaeda even more than the US does?
According to Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone and Vali Nasr, author of Shia Revival, as soon as the US leaves, both sides are more than willing to eliminate Al Quaeda by any means, as they hate them even more than the US does. According to both authors (neither of which can get a date with Bush), the only reason they tolerate Al Quaeda presence now, is that they provide additional insurgence.
Bush would have us believe all the violence is a result inner turmoil, but Iraq's hate of Al Quaeda could very well bring them together after we leave. Yes, there would be a bloodbath, but one that leads toward a stable Iraq.
2-Gonzales: Waiting for the "privilege" of being fired - Is Gonzales aware of some complex legal standard of truth that has somehow evaded the entirety of the legal community throughout history? Does he actually have a law degree? And if so, how does that reflect on the Harvard class of 1982? He seems to forget one of the basics of law practice, that once it has been established that a witness is lying, we can't believe anything else he says. He passed that point long ago. It is clear he has it in his mind that he is untouchable as long as his boss, an even bigger liar, stands behind him with various executive privileges. Doesn't Gonzalez realize the Dems are simply letting him and Bush coast as they hold a spot for an apparent Democratic heir?
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Tony Snow accused the Democrats of "possibly committing treason". full transcript via CNN
Frankly, if it weren't for the very important work the AG's office needs to do to protect our nation, the Dems would love for him to stay and continue to soil the GOP reputation. I suspect the GOP wants him, Bush, Cheney and the whole embarrassing bunch, to voluntarily disappear, so they could have enough time to reestablish legitimacy.
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3-Hillary and Obama: Friends or Foes - It is very confusing to see the two of them walk arm in arm to cast their symbolic votes on the Senate floor, often at the last minute; then to see them trying to find real differences while running for the Dem Nomination in such a way that they can still get the general voter to accept them. The posturing is entertaining but confusing.
This week, when asked in the CNN/You Tube Debate, "Would you meet diplomatically with these countries' leaders?" They took opposite positions, and later spun their positions to accommodate each other. Hillary has, in the past, suggested she would deal with those who oppose us in the international front, though she has never suggested she would do so in a summit of heads of state.
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It was clear from Obama's answer that he would directly meet with them just as Reagan had done when he was in the Cold War. But the next day, he claimed he would not necessarily meet with them in such a way as to legitimize them; clearly back peddling and straddling the issue.
Also the next day, Hillary simply spun this situation as one that highlighted Obama's "inexperience and naivete", to which Obama called her "Bush and Cheney Lite" in her refusal to deal with despots. Overall, it seemed to work to her advantage as she could very well claim she would maintain an open dialog with these nations while she wouldn't necessarily meet with them personally. The name-calling didn't reflect well on Obama either, as it just didn't fit. She has clearly separated herself from Bush despite her original support of the Iraq War, as did most, based on Bush's lies.
4-Mike Gravel - Who's buying our government? You had best not ignore Mike Gravel. As usual, he's angry. In this case his focus is on who's been bought among Dem contenders. He says if you really want to know who a candidate is going to represent, just follow the money:
It is sad that political moderates see nations around the world allowing their 'tails to wag their dogs', but it is absolutely true that we see a vocal minority alive and well for 1000's of years, whose hate and vitriol is most often ignored until they commit massive genocide. Then they are noticed and briefly stifled but never extinguished. Somehow, in these cases, patience is seen as a virtue by the remaining logical and responsible majority.
But, patience and tolerance are the worst things we can exercise in the presence of such extreme potential damage to our world, politically, economically, morally and in regard to the ultimate preservation and protection of life and liberty.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790), Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
We have, in recent years in America, seen the rise of a new fascism in the form of a rabid and rapid growth of power among a group that has gone so far as to call itself the "Moral Majority" when they are neither moral nor a majority at least in the populace. They may very well have the majority of power at the moment. Of course, throughout history, those in the middle have always kept quiet until entirely too much damage has been done. Such forces fed racism and slavery in early America; then later led the further impoverishment of poor whites and blacks through their exercise of voter suppression efforts, sharecropping and now the building of a military industrial complex that threatens to destabilize the entire world.
All of this throughout history, in its various phases, has depended on an inner fear fed by an institutional prejudice against those different than ourselves.
More have been killed in the name of religion than any other factor. We could go back further in world history, but let's just begin with the initial foothold of extremism among Christians that led to the holy inquisition, wars and the killing and slavery of millions. Eventually, Protestantism quelled the fervor, ironically in Germany with Martin Luther, and even Henry the 8th of England did his part in the establishment of the Anglican Church, which initially slowed the killing (if you don't count Henry's wives). Queen Elizabeth led a period of balance against the Catholic-led killing of those with whom they disagreed.
However, fighting fire with fire, the English became the new imperialists with their new found power and they began killing and enslaving their foes until the Americas stood up to them and their Spaniard equivalents and declared independence, relatively successfully, or so it seemed. Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Payne and others led a secular movement in recognition that religious states were not the answer to permanently ending the potential for imperialism and hate. They thought they had created a system impervious to such separatism, but they failed to address the seeds that they themselves fertilized, those of slavery.
They didn't see that this would grow into a new religion of bigotry, justified by Christianity still, in an insistence that we were not to be "unequally yoked", thus they ignored their own words that " all men were created equally" and they built America on the backs of a new underclass of slaves and non-landowners.
Of course, they later pretended that they were fighting a civil war in order to liberate slaves, but they only continued it in the form of sharecropping as they had not attacked the real problems of "royal inheritance" and the resultant reestablishment of an oligarchy in the US.
France destroyed its royalty and established a form of socialism that has apparently endured, but we are still waiting for the other foot to fall there, as they never dropped the arrogance of "national pride" which feeds bigotry even today. England didn't destroy their royalty but instead, created a system that put them in a luxurious prison (Buckingham Palace) and creating a toothless House of Lords, hoping that would keep them quiet and content while they pursued a parliamentary form of government augmented by relative socialism. Russia removed their Czar and began a period of seeming egalitarianism, but maintained a firm authoritarian form of government which still allowed the re-growth of abusive wealth, again fed by other forms of bigotry and scapegoating despite their false pretense of "communal" sharing.
Meanwhile, Asia experienced a much more successful and enduring form of communism that maintained hierarchy but redistributed wealth. Their homogeneity and isolation seemed to allow their systems protection while enduring social philosophies of Confucianism, provided transition slowly but surely toward an interesting mix of capitalism and socialism which exists today, despite a close call while Japan enslaved them briefly.
Japan and Germany were led by similar dreams of racial supremacy in which they had agreed to carve up the world into the "best whites" (Protestant Christians) and the "best Asians" (a successful industrialist system led by a figurehead royalty). Japan enslaved Korea and China while the Arian Germans did the same with Western Europe, and appeared invincible until the US regained its strength after its civil war.
Having seemingly dealt with its domestic divisions, the US was ready to provide moral authority over the world and with the assistance of technology and natural resources we firebombed Germany and Japan, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then proclaimed ourselves policemen of the world with the threat of a newfound nuclear superiority. Though Russia had also eventually developed their own nuclear weapons and had struck a deal to share Europe, they didn't have reliable delivery systems. By the time they did, both sides had built enough weapons to guarantee "Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD)" which became the fear necessary to keep neither US nor the Russians from taking over the world.
Those nations who had not the burden of massive military industrial complex were free to acquire wealth through industrialization. Meanwhile, the thing which fed worldwide "progress" became oil. It lubricated and energized. It made the wastelands of Texas and the Middle East the most valuable land in the world. Business alliances were made between the two and both found a new tool to maintain social control, a fear which again fed on religious bigotry.
England had been so weakened by WW2 and their own internal civil war between Catholics and Protestants, that they had to reassert a continued and strengthened alliance with the US. Still, much of the world kept their nose clean and developed stable socialism, i.e, Europe, Japan, China and Korea.
People had not noticed, but a similar rift began to develop between the Shia and Sunni Muslims, analogous to Catholic and Protestant Christians. No one really understood its significance as there was little expertise in Arabic language or culture outside the Middle East. The British, French and US had failed to imperialize them along with back-to-back failures to capture the hearts and minds of India and Indo-China (Vietnam/Cambodia). The Russians tried to add Afghanistan to their fold but found that you could not win a war militarily if you failed to win the hearts and minds, no matter how hard they tried.
Meanwhile, Russia was financially weakened by their failed attempt in Afghanistan, and their military spending in the Cold war against the US and they crumbled into several parts, all wanting what they thought the US had, capitalist luxury and freedom.
What the world didn't realize was, that the US had not dealt with its own inner bigotry before they started trying to evangelize the world with its form of democracy. We still had a serious problem with a racial fascist tendency and only succeeded in changing laws but we failed to change our minds (de jure vs de facto). Our civil rights movement looked good in theory but failed in practice and eventually, a backlash of racism created a new system of private schools (primarily white, some wealthy, some simply racist) and public schools (primarily poor and middle class whites and minorities).
The US, still driven by white Christian bigotry, elected conservative Ronald Reagan and a "thunder on the right" gave the impression that most Americans were in agreement that we were a "Christian Nation". The reappearance of Arian supremacy was inevitable as we had not truly addressed and condemned the racist whites across our nation. The wealthy industrialists saw a fertile collective mind in which racist fear could be fueled by religious ignorance. Christians didn't understand each other, much less the growing Muslim nation. Internally, Christianity was still very conflicted; Catholics vs. Protestants, Race vs Race, and Fundamentalists vs Moderate Scientists.
Fundamentalism became a magnet for political demagogues to feed on the citiizen's fears both in the Mideast and in the US. It was easy to twist the superstitions as industrialists began to attack the only potential savior against ignorance, education. Slowly but surely while pretending to improve education in the US, the "New Conservatives/Neo-cons" began to destroy and dismantle the public school system as this would make it easier to plant seeds of fear. They fed on the differences in our diverse nation and suggested that the very thing that made us great initially, was a threat to the "American way of life". This threat was political dissent.
Somehow it never occurred to people that the very thing upon which our nation was built, was under attack. Protection of the establishment is now the law of the land after easy passage of the Patriot Act after 9/11. It was a convenient excuse to remove the liberties we had previously fought for. The very thing that built our nation, revolution, has become renamed, "terrorism" and anyone who did not support our military solutions became labeled as traitors and those who were willing to kill and let poor people die for oil became the patriots.
Together, oil and the military have marched forward, raping us of freedom, political stability and our last dime if we let them. At this moment, 24% or less of America pretends it is the majority and all of us serve the benefits of a much smaller percentage of super wealthy. As they take away more of our freedoms and education, they dig in further to protect their power while destroying ours.
Many in the middle are confused and reacting with embarrassment to the loud cries by the vocal minority that anyone who opposes them is a traitor. But the real traitors are the Fascist extremists of Christianity, Islam and even Zionism; strange bedfellows indeed, except that, at their core, they don't care about religion at all, other than the religion of "money" and the power that money creates. We have created a new race of superhumans who consider themselves "Gods" and many confuse them for the Gods of their respective religions but they are really the very thing that all their religions are supposed to oppose.
The capital of American military industrialism and oil is Texas, and the message of Protestant Christian Fascism is resounding through puppet Bush as they walk hand in hand with their Saudi Arabian Royal Sunni Muslim Fascist partners who, in turn, use the fear of their people to promote weakness and violence as they partner with the Shia Fundamentalist Fascists and their puppet, Ahmadinejad. They scream that they hate each other while making deals behind closed doors. We and they condone killing women and children and tell the people that the enemy is other nations and their religions.
Israel, a religious nation, joins the US, a religiously controlled oligarchy, and Saudi-Arabia, another religious controlled oligarchy, have joined forces and whether for or against Iran, another group of Islamo-fascists, they carve up the economic world by controlling energy.
Wow, sounds complex, but it is so clear when you break it down. Somehow, the rest of the world, basically devoid of religious bigotry, sees us for who we really are, the greatest threat to the Earth in its history, a combined menace that envisions a world government led by religious extremists.
I offer no solutions but provide a beginning by attempting to unravel the lies that obscure the truth, by logically dissecting the body politic that has developed. The one thing we should agree upon is that this dialectic of equal evils must be stopped before we no longer have the power to stop them, either through diplomacy or revolution. And there are many kinds of revolution.
As logical words can only be properly supported by a more complex logic at the core of the human mind, music best organizes my final thoughts.
You say you want a revolution Well, you know We all want to change the world You tell me that it's evolution Well, you know We all want to change the world But when you talk about destruction Don't you know that you can count me out Don't you know it's gonna be all right all right, all right
You say you got a real solution Well, you know We'd all love to see the plan You ask me for a contribution Well, you know We're doing what we can But when you want money for people with minds that hate All I can tell is brother you have to wait Don't you know it's gonna be all right all right, all right,
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah...
You say you'll change the constitution Well, you know We all want to change your head You tell me it's the institution Well, you know You better free you mind instead But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow Don't you know it's gonna be all right all right, all right all right, all right, all right all right, all right, all right
Editor's Note Post Publication:
The amazing thing is, no matter how careful one is with words, many moderate Christians find an indictment of the extremists (not really Christians at all, unless we ignore Jesus) is viewed as an indictment of religion itself.
Somehow, there is a kneejerk to any logical clarification and separation of extremism from moderation.
Some use words like "rhetoric" to describe only the positions with which they disagree. Meanwhile, they themselves use rhetoric without any logic to simply state conclusions without any facts to support them.
As this article focused on the "Fascism" within parts of organized religion, it was assumed by many that my failure to indict Lenin, Stalin and other despots was somehow an endorsement of them.
Such an assumption would be completely wrong. The definitions of fascism and/or consequent despotism are clear. The blind support, above all the interests, of a Federal govt. and its establishment elements is the purest and most dangerous part of Fascism.
When the people lose their ability to know when they are being enslaved, we are vulnerable to the "final solution" that every fascist state has brought forth.
Inevitably, once the despots have taken hold, they extinguish all signs of resistance. Yes, this has happened many times in history. And sometimes, it has been in the name of an entirely different religion of the worship of man to whcih Nietzsche referred.
Hitler called himself a Christian as a matter of Machiavellian bastardization and cooptation. It was only a tool of manipulation of the otherwise good Christians of Germany.
Even Popes have done such and I am often reminded of Dante's Divine Comedy and the Inferno, in which he suggests that the most severe parts of hell are reserved for Popes and false prophets. Some Popes have been ruthless; some were truly saints.
Lenin, Pulpot etc. were only espousing a religion in which they were evangelically hailing atheism or self as God. It is interesting we even find "churches" of Atheism all over the world, and on the web.
Their position of the non-existence of God makes them equally religious and zealous. Just as within the inquisitions before, they would eventually kill those with whom they differed.
Pulpot of Cambodia went so far as to kill all people who wore glasses, as he saw that as a sign of intelligence, thus a threat to his regime.
Whatever words we use for these blind expressions of faith, "religion" is what I would call it as it requires one to follow without scrutiny the spiritual commandments of the authors. Mind that I don't proclaim that religion is the problem but the twisting of good intentions with blind faith that threatens us all.
Sadly, I couldn't possibly cover the whole of historical ground in an essay, but to touch on many points in history which satisfy the argument. Arguments can be constructed to support additional positions and I invite the submission of points that our readers may Duly Consider to our email address.
I only hope to remain a servant of truth and an open mind and some may see my truth as lies. They can, I suppose, start their own sites. I hear the Nazi Party of America is looking for good writers. But please don't file your application here.
Editor's Note Post Publication:
The amazing thing is, no matter how careful one is with words, many moderate Christians find an indictment of the extremists (not really Christians at all, unless we ignore Jesus) is viewed as an indictment of religion itself.
Somehow, there is a kneejerk to any logical clarification and separation of extremism from moderation.
Some use words like "rhetoric" to describe only the positions with which they disagree. Meanwhile, they themselves use rhetoric without any logic to simply state conclusions without any facts to support them.
As this article focused on the "Fascism" within parts of organized religion, it was assumed by many that my failure to indict Lenin, Stalin and other despots was somehow an endorsement of them.
Such an assumption would be completely wrong. The definitions of fascism and/or consequent despotism are clear. The blind support, above all the interests, of a Federal govt. and its establishment elements is the purest and most dangerous part of Fascism.
When the people lose their ability to know when they are being enslaved, we are vulnerable to the "final solution" that every fascist state has brought forth.
Inevitably, once the despots have taken hold, they extinguish all signs of resistance. Yes, this has happened many times in history. And sometimes, it has been in the name of an entirely different religion of the worship of man to whcih Nietzsche referred.
Hitler called himself a Christian as a matter of Machiavellian bastardization and cooptation. It was only a tool of manipulation of the otherwise good Christians of Germany.
Even Popes have done such and I am often reminded of Dante's Divine Comedy and the Inferno, in which he suggests that the most severe parts of hell are reserved for Popes and false prophets. Some Popes have been ruthless; some were truly saints.
Lenin, Pulpot etc. were only espousing a religion in which they were evangelically hailing atheism or self as God. It is interesting we even find "churches" of Atheism all over the world, and on the web.
Their position of the non-existence of God makes them equally religious and zealous. Just as within the inquisitions before, they would eventually kill those with whom they differed.
Pulpot of Cambodia went so far as to kill all people who wore glasses, as he saw that as a sign of intelligence, thus a threat to his regime.
Whatever words we use for these blind expressions of faith, "religion" is what I would call it as it requires one to follow without scrutiny the spiritual commandments of the authors. Mind that I don't proclaim that religion is the problem but the twisting of good intentions with blind faith that threatens us all.
Sadly, I couldn't possibly cover the whole of historical ground in an essay, but to touch on many points in history which satisfy the argument. Arguments can be constructed to support additional positions and I invite the submission of points that our readers may Duly Consider to our email address.
I only hope to remain a servant of truth and an open mind and some may see my truth as lies. They can, I suppose, start their own sites. I hear the Nazi Party of America is looking for good writers. But please don't file your application here.