thinq4yourself
Connectedness of the Masses
Staying conscious of the interconnection between all things can help you think of your choices and your life in terms of the broader effect you may be creating. We are powerful enough that what we do and say can reverberate through the lives of people we may never meet. Understanding that you are intimately connected with all things and understanding your power to affect our world can be the first step on the road to living more consciously.
I focus quite a bit on social networking, social media, social computing, and everything in & around it. Something I keep thinking about is how we just aren’t alone anymore (even when we think we are)…and that there are millions (err…i mean billions) of us; and we are all somehow connected.
OK, so we knew that already. But when I say connected I really do mean connected. Connected beyond the series of cables & signals that deliver that connection. I’m speaking more of the conscious human connection. imagine the potential; and imagine the impact. In our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment, says Buddhist scholar Bob Thurman, is our first step toward becoming Buddha. When we can know everything, we can see how everything is interconnected — and we can begin to feel compassion for every living being.
Vote Here After Some Campagning
It’s time for some campaigning…
Campaign musical goodness.
Coco Tea on Barack
Let’s Make It a Million!
A million what? Head over to www.impeachbush.org and look for the referendum to impeach Bush, it’s on the left side of the page. So far, as of right now, Friday morning, 977,047 fellow Americans have signed it. Those are pretty big number you couldn’t possibly ignore. Below are the articles themselves. And, for more information, you can check out the Notes for the Consideration of Impeachment.
———————–
Articles of Impeachment
of
President George W. Bush
and
Vice President Richard B. Cheney,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, and
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. – – ARTICLE II, SECTION 4 OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have committed violations and subversions of the Constitution of the United States of America in an attempt to carry out with impunity crimes against peace and humanity and war crimes and deprivations of the civil rights of the people of the United States and other nations, by assuming powers of an imperial executive unaccountable to law and usurping powers of the Congress, the Judiciary and those reserved to the people of the United States, by the following acts:
1) Seizing power to wage wars of aggression in defiance of the U.S. Constitution, the U.N. Charter and the rule of law; carrying out a massive assault on and occupation of Iraq, a country that was not threatening the United States, resulting in the death and maiming of over one hundred thousand Iraqis, and thousands of U.S. G.I.s.
2) Lying to the people of the U.S., to Congress, and to the U.N., providing false and deceptive rationales for war.
3) Authorizing, ordering and condoning direct attacks on civilians, civilian facilities and locations where civilian casualties were unavoidable.
4) Instituting a secret and illegal wiretapping and spying operation against the people of the United States through the National Security Agency.
5) Threatening the independence and sovereignty of Iraq by belligerently changing its government by force and assaulting Iraq in a war of aggression.
6) Authorizing, ordering and condoning assassinations, summary executions, kidnappings, secret and other illegal detentions of individuals, torture and physical and psychological coercion of prisoners to obtain false statements concerning acts and intentions of governments and individuals and violating within the United States, and by authorizing U.S. forces and agents elsewhere, the rights of individuals under the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
7) Making, ordering and condoning false statements and propaganda about the conduct of foreign governments and individuals and acts by U.S. government personnel; manipulating the media and foreign governments with false information; concealing information vital to public discussion and informed judgment concerning acts, intentions and possession, or efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction in order to falsely create a climate of fear and destroy opposition to U.S. wars of aggression and first strike attacks.
8) Violations and subversions of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, both a part of the “Supreme Law of the land” under Article VI, paragraph 2, of the Constitution, in an attempt to commit with impunity crimes against peace and humanity and war crimes in wars and threats of aggression against Afghanistan, Iraq and others and usurping powers of the United Nations and the peoples of its nations by bribery, coercion and other corrupt acts and by rejecting treaties, committing treaty violations, and frustrating compliance with treaties in order to destroy any means by which international law and institutions can prevent, affect, or adjudicate the exercise of U.S. military and economic power against the international community.
9) Acting to strip United States citizens of their constitutional and human rights, ordering indefinite detention of citizens, without access to counsel, without charge, and without opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the Executive of a citizen as an “enemy combatant.”
10) Ordering indefinite detention of non-citizens in the United States and elsewhere, and without charge, at the discretionary designation of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Defense.
11) Ordering and authorizing the Attorney General to override judicial orders of release of detainees under INS jurisdiction, even where the judicial officer after full hearing determines a detainee is wrongfully held by the government.
12) Authorizing secret military tribunals and summary execution of persons who are not citizens who are designated solely at the discretion of the Executive who acts as indicting official, prosecutor and as the only avenue of appellate relief.
13) Refusing to provide public disclosure of the identities and locations of persons who have been arrested, detained and imprisoned by the U.S. government in the United States, including in response to Congressional inquiry.
14) Use of secret arrests of persons within the United States and elsewhere and denial of the right to public trials.
15) Authorizing the monitoring of confidential attorney-client privileged communications by the government, even in the absence of a court order and even where an incarcerated person has not been charged with a crime.
16) Ordering and authorizing the seizure of assets of persons in the United States, prior to hearing or trial, for lawful or innocent association with any entity that at the discretionary designation of the Executive has been deemed “terrorist.”
17) Engaging in criminal neglect in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, depriving thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and other Gulf States of urgently needed support, causing mass suffering and unnecessary loss of life.
18) Institutionalization of racial and religious profiling and authorization of domestic spying by federal law enforcement on persons based on their engagement in noncriminal religious and political activity.
19) Refusal to provide information and records necessary and appropriate for the constitutional right of legislative oversight of executive functions.
20) Rejecting treaties protective of peace and human rights and abrogation of the obligations of the United States under, and withdrawal from, international treaties and obligations without consent of the legislative branch, and including termination of the ABM treaty between the United States and Russia, and rescission of the authorizing signature from the Treaty of Rome which served as the basis for the International Criminal Court.
i heart mountains…forever.
Today is blog action day, and another important day in speaking some words about the environment. I’ve been thinking quite a bit since signing up about what to write, when just about every corner of the environmental front is under assault by government, industry, and just plain stupidity among humans. But the other night I was fortunate enough to finally watch Mountain Top Ministry on PBS’s Bill Moyers (thanks DVR), which was yet another disturbing piece on Mountain Top Removal (MTR). That made up my mind…
I love mountains. I always have. I’ve been going to the mountains since I was a wee little lad, specifically the Smokies, the Blue Ridge, & the Appalachians. Being from Florida, mountains were not an every day sighting. You had to drive 10 (or more) hours to see any good mountains, such as in North Carolina which is riddled with these majestic examples of contour, texture, & habitation. That’s where my family & I ended up every year a few chosen times a year. The mountains. The Smokies. The Appalachians. We love mountains.
Well, it’s a good damn thing we didn’t decide to pick West Virginia…because their mountains really do suck (don’t believe me?).
A massive dragline, dwarfed by the huge scale of the operation, at work
on a mountaintop removal operation near Kayford Mountain, W.Va
Photo by Vivian Stockman, Oct. 19, 2003
How majestic. Excellent job destroying something that only took 300 million years to create. Well done section 515(c)(1) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, and thank you President King George W. Bush, Massey, and all ye who defend this practice and continue to rape our 300 million year old mountains in the name of coal. This is the 21st century, why can’t you innovate like everyone else has.
What does President Bush have to do with this? Everything. The Bush administration has declared war on mountains and the people who live there. Seriously.
So what do you, the average American citizen, have to think about this? It seems you do think about this. A September 2007 survey conducted by the Civil Society Institute found that 65% of Americans oppose the Bush Administration’s proposal “to ease environmental regulations to permit wider use of ‘mountain top removal’ coal mining in the U.S.” The study also found that 74% Americans are opposed to the expansion of MTR coal mining in general, and that 90% of Americans agree that more mining should be permitted only after the United States government has assessed its impacts on safety and the environment.
Most of the links are inline [click4yourself], so click away and learn as much as you can about this eXtremely important, relevant issue that has everything to do with you, your children, and the future of environmental protection. It took these beautiful mountains 300 million years to create themselves for you to enjoy, so a few hours of education and a few more of action to stop this hideous crime is not much to ask in return.
Some Useful References
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
Wikipedia
(and much more here)
mountain justice summer
vbs.tv (toxic west virginia series)
stop mountaintop removal
Some Great Videos
i love them mountains (so does woody)
Mountain Wars
freedom of speech is dead and the american gestapo who keep it that way
I know; what a long title. But at the end you’ll see why it’s so appropriate.
It’s been almost a month since I’ve had time to blog about anything, and probably won’t again any time soon due to some priorities I have to finish up. But this morning I watched the ACLU TV’s dissent again (as seen on LinkTV), and felt compelled to say something.
This time I felt a bit more sick to my stomach after seeing it than last time. I keep thinking about these normal Americans whom only wanted to peaceably exercise their right to express how they felt about what their country was doing. In the midst of exercising this right, some were arrested without charges, some shot with wooden bullets by assaulting officers only to have surgery to repair the permanent damage, some held in filthy cages inside a pier for more than 2 days like vicious animals, some arrested for wearing t-shirts opposing King George, one harassed as if he were a terrorist for simply being poetic, and most confined to what’s referred to as free speech zones, which in itself is a complete violation of freedom on public property.
It’s hard to describe here in plain text what this is all about. The episode tells the stories of everyday Americans who were exercising their right to free speech and dissent, only to be harassed or arrested. This happens every day. This happens at every peaceful rally. It happened at Berkeley in the 60’s…but this type of thing was ‘never supposed to happen again’. The founding father’s of this country founded this fine country on dissent. This country was built by the people who wanted change. Every major social step was sparked by people, not politicians. Politicians are merely seat warmers. Without you, they don’t exist. Where are you? Where are we? The social balance is off. Washington gives orders to suppress, and their loyal servants follow to ensure people do as they are told. Are we OK with this? We don’t want thousands, we don’t need hundreds of thousands. We need millions. We need people to see & hear the truth, regardless of political preference.
A picture says a thousand words. If you have access to LinkTV, then keep your eye out for ACLU’s dissent episode. If not, join the ACLU TV’s producer’s club and get a FREE copy of the DVD. Why? I’ll let Lewis Black tell you why.
To see the trailer, click here
To see the viewer’s guide, click here
Listen to Amir Sulaiman’s poem
Watch some archival footage of dissent
And check out some extras…Historical, RNC Protest and RNC Artist
So what’s the point? It’s all in the title.
: a police organization employing underhanded and terrorist methods against persons suspected of disloyalty.
will never forget
Vodpod videos no longer available.
police suppress sept15 press conference
How dare those three forget to get a permit for the folding press table! I’m just glad those fine, fine officers of the law were there to ensure free speech was squashed. C’mon people…who cares what their press conference was for…is this how we Americans treat each other? I think not…and those that do are simply called anti-American, anti-human, anti-intelligent pig Nazis. Now why do you think dog’s were sent out to suppress this peaceful endeavor? Welcome to America…home of the free. This sealed the deal…and you’ll be seeing me with my wife in DC on 9/15. pEace!
Police suppress Sept. 15 anti-war press
conference across from White House
 Above, a policeman on horse disrupts today’s anti-war press conference. Below, Adam Kokesh is arrested while legally putting up a poster for September 15th; Kokesh and Tina Richards speak to the press as the put up the poster.   Click this link to see a video of the police repression. |
Three anti-war activists were arrested in front of the White House today after the U.S. Park Police moved to suppress a press conference called to protest the fines and threats against the ANSWER Coalition for putting up anti-war posters promoting the September 15 March and Die-In in Washington DC.
The arrested were Tina Richards, CEO of Grassroots America and mother of Iraq War Veteran Cloy Richards; Adam Kokesh, the Co-Chair Elect of the Iraq Veterans Against the War and member of Veterans for Peace; and Ian Thompson, an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition.
The press conference became a chaotic scene as U.S. Park Police interrupted the event on the basis that there was no permit for a folding table that was used as a speaker’s stand for media microphones. As U.S. Park Police officers surrounded the group, an officer on horseback rode into the crowd to disperse the media and onlookers.
Tina Richards and Adam Kokesh had announced that they would put a September 15 March to Stop the War poster on a lamppost following the press conference. The ANSWER Coalition has been fined over $30,000 in the last three weeks in an unprecedented action aimed at suppressing the September 15 mobilization. The three were taken to the Central District Substation of the United States Park Police. They will later be transferred to a jail in which they will spend the night before being arraigned in U.S. Superior Court tomorrow afternoon.
Attorneys at the Partnership for Civil Justice have filed a Free Speech lawsuit to strike down the unconstitutional postering law. The ANSWER Coalition has refused to pay these illegal fines.
Momentum continues to build for the September 15 Mass March, which will be led by Iraq War Veterans and their family members. More than 100 cities are mobilizing to bring people by bus, van and car caravan. The September 15 March will culminate with a large scale Die-In/Funeral for U.S. servicemembers and Iraqis who have been killed in this criminal war of aggression.
For details, go to www.Sept15.org.
another dishonorable chicken-hawk
I know just a little bit about Mr. William Kristol:
He is the son of one of the founders of the “neo-conservative” movement, Irving Kristol.
He is a commentator on Fox News.
He was Chief of Staff for one of the political “geniuses” of our time: VP Dan Quayle.
He is editor of another Rupert Murdoch war-propaganda rag, “The Weekly Standard.”
He is a member, and signer, of the Project for the New American Century, which is a game plan for US global hegemony based on military strength and one of its goals and objectives was the over-throw of the Hussein Regime in Iraq with a next stop in Iran and Syria (because the PNAC plan is going so well, so far).
By all accounts, Mr. Kristol is a brilliant man, who like his father before him, uses his brilliance for destruction. He is a shameless supporter of a failed, murderous, and miserable strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan and one of the “mushroom cloud” crowd.
One thing Mr. William Kristol is not, is a combat vet.
Although he was born in 1952, he never served during Vietnam. I am sure while at Harvard he was a staunch supporter of the American effort to enrich the war profiteers while ostensibly stopping that war’s “enemy” communism from spreading across Asia. Secure in his studies during that quagmire, Kristol joins a long line of neo-con chicken-hawks who are drenched in other people’s blood and love to send other people’s children to die for their lies.
I don’t know anything, or care to know anything about Mr. Kristol’s private life. I don’t care if he is another closeted gay Republican or is a happily married hetero with children. I do suspect, however, that if Mr. Kristol is married, his children are not serving in Iraq, being misused by the very same incompetent and cowardly Commander in Chief (who also did not serve in Vietnam) that Mr. Kristol shamelessly supports while the entire administration and Republican hypocrites are crumbling from corruption and scandal.
I do know one thing for sure about Mr. Kristol, he does not like to be bothered with those pesky little things called facts. On February 20, 2003, Mr. Kristol incredibly gushed: “If we free the people of Iraq, we will be respected in the Arab world.” This statement shows an amazing lack of knowledge of the Arab world or any kind of foreign policy sophistication (but does show a great use of Rovian-Foxian expolitation of emotion). No one in the Arab world (except maybe, Israel, which is geographically located in the “Arab world”) was calling for the US to “free” Iraqis. No one from Iraq except “Curveball” or the slimy and profit-motivated, Ahmad Chalabi, both Iraqis who weren’t even living in the country at the time of the invasion were calling on the USA to liberate them. In fact, after many years of murderous sanctions against Iraq, a fierce nationalism arose in opposition to the US-UN led sanctions. According to National Intelligence Estimates, since the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, Islamic Jihadism has increased. Mr. Kristol is also incredibly ignorant of human nature and human history. No peoples like to be occupied. No child, brother or sister, or mother or father, who sees a loved one blown away by American or insurgent’s bombs will love the oppressor. In fact, violence only creates more violence and more life-long enemies.
Now Mr. Kristol is safe behind his desk and computer calling for another attack against Iran. I think he hears the non-existent cries of the Iranian people to be liberated from their regime. The Iranian people are directly next-door to Iraq and they see what US “liberation” brings. It comes with the awful price of high civilian casualties; hospitals bombed, Doctors killed; no electricity or clean water; and eternal occupation.
In a recent op-ed for The Weekly Standard, Mr. Kristol makes many more tactical and fundamental errors. The ANSWER coalition is calling for mass mobilizations begining the week (Sept. 15) that the White House authored Petraeus report on the surge is due. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), who are leading the September 15th march, are calling for a “die-in” to end the march and begin the rally. The vets, unlike the chicken-hawk neocons, have actually served in war, particularly the one that Mr. Kristol imagines is such a success. IVAW is asking activists to represent a killed service-member and at an appropriate time lie down. Taps will be played and also a simulated 21-gun salute. It sounds respectful to me, being the mom of one of the soldiers, and I will proudly, yet sorrowfully, be lying down for my son that day. Many of the march/rally participants will be “dying” to represent the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have been killed for Mr. Kristol’s deceptions.
Mr. Kristol calls on the “honorable” members of the anti-war movement to denounce the die-in and lumps MoveOn.org with other organizers of the die-in. MoveOn is not associated with the die-in as they do not support non-violent, direct civil disobedience. What I find so amusing is that Mr. PNAC-Fox News-Chicken-hawk has made himself the judge of what is honorable.
Mr. Kristol has a problem with the anti-war movement using the names of the fallen without the permission of the families. No one got my permission when my sons portrait was used in the pro-war memorial at Arlington Cemetery. Casey’s name and likeness has been used by pro-war people all over the nation without my permission. Why is that okay, Mr. Kristol? I know for a fact such memorials as Arlington West, Eyes Wide Open and our memorial at Camp Casey would remove names of soldiers at the next of kin’s request. If any family member so requests, I am sure IVAW will do the same thing—but a word of caution:
Even though the members of IVAW (all my adopted sons and daughters) have a big problem with the occupation of Iraq and with the Bush crime family, they served their country honorably (unlike Mr. Kristol) and they all fought side-by-side with the fallen. They love their brothers and sisters and they would themselves have died to take the place of any one of them. Do not, never, ever, claim that we families, or the Iraq Vets are dishonoring our sons and daughters killed by the lies of The Weekly Standard, Fox News, BushCo., et al. That is the biggest lie of all, or maybe it’s this one that Mr. Kristol told on March 1, 2003:
“Very few wars in American history were prepared better or more thoroughly than this one by this president.”
I would laugh if I weren’t crying so hard.
If Mr. Kristol gets his PNAC way, by this time next year, we will need a lot more people at a die-in.
america’s problem chart
Had Enough? Visit RESETAmerica.com or learn more about what America thinks of 3rd party chances.
I still have no idea how I’ll vote, but it won’t be for anyone who raises the most money or has the nicest suits or has loudest or most visible campaign.
Republican vs Democrat and Liberal vs Conservative are labels created to divide the public, 2 sides of the same corporate coin bought and paid for…just different puppets.
access denied
So the information police must be hard at work, since Surf Control is becoming a more frequent sighting on my computer when I’m at the office. They must be using all of those slick features…that really just contributes to more control over the information I have access to. Here are some example URLs that get SurfControlled…
- wordpress (this is new…no more blogging)
- myspace
- friendster
- lastfm or last.fm
- googlemail
- justin.tv
- almost any seriously themed/tagged music site
- almost any seriously themed/tagged video site
PS – i work in the web/internet group, and they restrict my web/internet access. Go figure that one out…
When would you prefer to be recognized?
[This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for August 21, 2007]:
Everyone should be recognized for for the things they have done; for we have all had those moments where time stood still just for us, just maybe no one noticed. I don’t think that anyone should be excluded from being remembered. Those who build community gardens should be recognized just as much or perhaps even more than the philanthropist with millions in cash donated, the politician with a track history or the activist who is fighting for what’s right; and even more so the villagers who stand up to the seemingly all powerful oil company should be recognized, the young son who dies for another’s war, and of course our all of our most loved family members.
After I’m gone; I would rather not be forgotten. I am someone who really enjoys the art of being, the time spent creating something, and all of the fruits of labor when truly vested in something. And I really enjoy that when I’m gone, or moved on, that it was me who contributed or created or led the charge or had the idea. So when I’m gone world…please feel free to bask in my glow!
tyranny & torture
tyranny & torture, from august 10th DemocracyNow!….
– Cheney Urges Military Strikes on Iran
– Bush Warns Iraq’s Al-Maliki Over Iran Role
– Military Drops Charges Against Two Marines In Haditha Massacre
– Documents Confirm CIA Role in Maher Arar Rendition
– Bush on CIA Black Sites: “We Don’t Torture”
– Sen. Biden Suggests Criminal Charges Against Bush Officials
– Jet Blue & TSA Sued For Barring Man Wearing Arabic T-Shirt
– Pearl Jam Accuses AT&T Of Censorship
Cheney Urges Military Strikes on Iran
Vice President Dick Cheney is reportedly urging President Bush to directly confront Iran by launching airstrikes at suspected Iranian training camps inside Iraq run by the Quds force, a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. According to the McClatchy newspapers, Cheney made the proposal several weeks ago but the idea was opposed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On Thursday President Bush warned Iran that it would face consequences if they continue to arm and train insurgents in Iraq.
- President Bush: “One of the main reasons that I asked Ambassador Crocker to meet with Iranians inside Iraq was to send the message that there will be consequences for people transporting, delivering EFPs, highly sophisticated IEDs that kill Americans in Iraq. Prime Minister Maliki is visiting in Tehran today. His message, I’m confident will be, stabilize, don’t destabilize. And the sending of weapons into Iraq is a destabilizing factor.”
Bush Warns Iraq’s Al-Maliki Over Iran Role
President Bush also directly warned Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki about his close ties to Iran. Al-Maliki is currently on a three-day trip to Tehran where he has met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other top Iranian officials. According to Iran’s state-run news agency, Al-Maliki has thanked Iran for its “positive and constructive” work in “providing security and fighting terrorism in Iraq.” At Thursday’s news conference President Bush was asked about Al-Maliki’s ties to Iran.
- President Bush: “Now, is he trying to get Iran to play a more constructive role? I presume he is. But that doesn’t — what my question is — well, what my message to him is, is that when we catch you playing a non-constructive role there will be a price to pay.”
After the news conference, the White House attempted to backtrack from Bush’s statement that Al-Maliki would have to pay a price for his ties to Iran. A spokesperson from the National Security Council claimed that Bush’s remark was directed at Iran. Also on Thursday President Bush appeared to call on the Iranian people to change their government.
- President Bush: “My message to the Iranian people is, you can do better than this current government; you don’t have to be isolated; you don’t have to be in a position where you can’t realize your full economic potential. And the United States of America will continue to work with our friends and allies in the Security Council and elsewhere to put you in a position to deny you your rightful place in the world, not because of our intention, because of your government’s intention.”
The McClatchy newspapers also report that concern is growing in Baghdad over the Bush administration’s stance on Iran. One Iraqi official said “We don’t want Iraq to become a zone of conflict between Iran and the U.S.”Military Drops Charges Against Two Marines In Haditha Massacre
In other news on Iraq, the U.S. military has dropped all charges against two Marines connected to the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha. Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt had been charged with three counts of premeditated murder and Capt. Randy Stone with dereliction of duty for failing to properly report the civilian deaths. Five Marines still face charges for shooting dead two dozen unarmed men, women and children in Haditha on November 19, 2005.
Musharraf Pressured Not To Impose Emergency Rule
The New York Times is reporting Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf was on the brink of declaring a state of emergency this week but backed away after a gathering storm of media, political and diplomatic pressure. Part of the pressure came from the Bush administration. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called General Musharraf at about 2 a.m. on Thursday and exhorted him not to declare emergency rule. Under emergency rule Musharraf would have been able to restrict freedom of movement and assembly, suspend Parliament and to curtail the activities of the courts. Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said emergency rule would have been a major setback.
- Benazir Bhutto: “We are all moving towards democracy and General Musharraf has said he wants to take the country towards democracy so I thought the imposition of emergency would be a very retro vial step and take us further away from the goal of democratization of Pakistan. I thought it would also lead to internal instability because the political parties and legal community were bound to protest the imposition of emergency. But I am very relieved to find today that those repor6ts were speculative, untrue and that emergency is not being imposed.”
Documents Confirm CIA Role in Maher Arar Rendition
New information released by the Canadian government has confirmed the CIA played a role in the detention and rendition of Maher Arar. Arar is the Canadian citizen who was seized by U.S. officials during a stopover flight in New York in 2002. He was secretly sent to Syria as part of the Bush administration’s extraordinary rendition program. In Syria, Arar was held for almost a year in a grave-like cell. He was repeatedly tortured. He was released without ever being charged with a crime. The newly released information was originally redacted from a major report issued by the Canadian government last year. It also reveals Canadian intelligence officials suspected that the Bush administration would deport Arar to a country where he could be tortured. In October 2002 one Canadian official stated in a memo “I think the U.S. would like to get Arar to Jordan where they can have their way with him.” New information has also revealed that Arar was wrongly implicated based on information obtained through torture.
Bush on CIA Black Sites: “We Don’t Torture”
Meanwhile President Bush was questioned Thursday about the CIA and its secret overseas prisons known as black sites.
- Reporter: “The New Yorker reports that the Red Cross has found the interrogation program in the CIA detention facilities use interrogation techniques that were tantamount to torture. I’m wondering if you have read that report and what your reaction to it is?”
President Bush: “I haven’t seen it. We don’t torture.”
According to Jane Mayer of the New Yorker, only a handful of officials in the Bush administration have seen the report. Sources told Mayer that the Red Cross also concluded that the U.S. officials responsible for the abusive treatment may have committed “grave breaches” of the Geneva Conventions, and may have violated the U.S. Torture Act.Sen. Biden Suggests Criminal Charges Against Bush Officials
Impeachment has been making headlines recently in the city of Kent, Ohio. Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden has suggested criminal charges could someday be filed against members of the Bush administration. In a recent interview with Newsweek, Biden said there are alternatives to the impeachment of President Bush. Biden said: “I think we should be acquiring and accumulating all the data that is appropriate for possibly bringing criminal charges against members of this administration at a later date.”
Police Ticket Ohio Teacher For Impeach Bush Sign
Last month, local police ticketed a teacher named Kevin Egler for posting a sign in a public garden that read “Impeach Bush.” Police ticketed him for unlawfully advertising in a public place. Egler said that when he was stopped, he asked the police officer how his sign differed from Realtors posting signs on public property saying “This way to the house for sale.” He said the officer asked, “You don’t know the difference?” but then the police never explained what the difference might be.”
ACLU Sues Jet Blue & TSA For Barring Man Wearing Arabic T-Shirt
The Transportation Security Administration and JetBlue Airways have been sued in federal court for illegally discriminating against an American resident based solely on the Arabic message on his t-shirt and his ethnicity. Last year, the Iraqi-born architect and blogger Raed Jarrar was prohibited from boarding a flight until he agreed to cover his t-shirt. Jarrar first spoke about the incident on Democracy Now last year.
- Raed Jarrar: “Then I was supposed to take my airplane, my JetBlue airplane from JFK to Oakland in California last Saturday. So I went to the airport in the morning, and I was prevented to go to my airplane by four officers, because I was wearing this t-shirt that says ‘We Will Not Be Silent’ in both Arabic and English. And I was told by one of the officials that wearing a t-shirt with Arabic script in an airport now is like going to a bank with a t-shirt that reads, ‘I am a robber.'”
The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit against the TSA and jet Blue.China Deports Six Free Tibet Activists
China had deported six members of the group Students For A Free Tibet after they hung a banner on the Great Wall that read “One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008.” The group included three Americans: Leslie Kaup of St. Paul, Minnesota, Nupur Modi of Oakland, California, and Duane Martinez of Sausalito, California. Earlier this week Amnesty International criticized China for failing to improve its human rights record ahead of next year’s Olympics in Beijing.
Court: Students In School Plot Can Be Tried Under Terrorism Laws
In Massachusetts, the state’s high court has ruled that a pair of teenagers who allegedly plotted a Columbine-style attack on their high school could be charged under a state anti-terrorism law passed in the wake of Sept. 11. The former students are on trial for conspiracy to commit murder and threatening to use deadly weapons at school. The students were also originally charged with promotion of anarchy. But a judge tossed that charge after concluding the alleged conspirators were not trying to rally others in an attempt to overthrow the government.
Pearl Jam Accuses AT&T Of Censorship
The rock band Pearl Jam has accused AT&T of censorship after the company removed comments the band made about President Bush during a recent concert that AT&T aired in an online webcast. During the concert, the band’s singer Eddie Vedder said “George Bush, leave this world alone” and “George Bush, find yourself another home.” For viewers watching the concert via AT&T, the remarks were edited out. The group wrote on its website “AT&T’s actions strike at the heart of the public’s concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media.” Media activists say AT&T’s actions are a sign of why net neutrality is vital to keep the Internet open. Tim Karr of the SavetheInternet campaign said “[AT&T] acts in bad faith toward the public interest and will do whatever it can to pad it’s bottom line — including sacrificing its users freedom to choose where they go, what they watch and whom they listen to online.” AT&T said the editing was not intentional and was a mistake by an outside vendor.
Peace Activists To Protest in Maine Outside Bush-Sarkozy Meeting
And peace activists are planning a last-minute rally in Kennebunkport Maine on Saturday where President Bush will be meeting with newly elected French president Nicholas Sarkozy. Sarkozy has been vacationing in nearby New Hampshire. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow announced the meeting on Wednesday.
- Tony Snow: “I’m sure they’ll talk about some international matters. But this is not a summit, this is not something with an agenda. The agenda is come by and let’s visit, the main reason he’s at Walkers Point is because the first lady extended the invitation and the French president is in the neighborhood.”
Peace activists in Maine have accused the Bush administration of waiting until this week to announce the meeting in an effort to prevent large protests outside.
the bargain
everything is always connected…
I just got through reading this must read blog post w/comments over @ zaadz, and I am stumped. Stumped. Somewhat speechless after so much reading (it was bright out, now it’s dark), so I’ll keep this short. Please read it, along with all the [growing] comments. Be prepared…dedication to the truth is required [it is comprised currently of over 31332 words]. When you are done…click through to some of the links, but most importantly click4yourself to Webster G. Tarpley‘s and his analysis of Cheney determined to strike in US with WMD this summer; only impeachment and removal, or a general strike, can stop him.
I am posting the original blog here (without comments) for those that do not click through [although YOU SHOULD damnit!…don’t be lazy!!!]
…..
As the US sounds out unauthorized attacks in Pakistan, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the United States has installed itself as a unilateral global police force. Previously the American government has been swayed by public opinion, they would spend months and in some cases years with necessary media propaganda in an attempt to convince the world and the American people that an attack on someone was warranted, but now, they don’t even bother.
An attack on Pakistan, with absolutely no regard for the sovereignty of that nation is the most serious of war crimes. There will be no declaration of war, there will be no UN resolution, there will be no rallying the cause, the decision appears to be made and parts of Pakistan will be bombed by the United States. The motivations for this decision are unimaginable, what are they possibly up to this time?
They’ve advised the media, Americans will attack alleged terrorist cells without question if they believe that the American homeland is threatened. What does this statement mean? Nowhere in the world is now free from American control. At the same time we’re told that there is no immediate threat against the United States, no specific intelligence leading to a credible threat against the American people. Instead we’re left with statements bordering on negligence and ‘gut feels’ from the head of Homeland Security.
What does the Pakistani government have to say about a unilateral attack within their borders by a foreign country? They have said no! Their Foreign Minister has categorically refused to sanction such an attack. What do the Americans expect Pakistan to do if the US initiate military operations within their borders? Do they expect them to lie down and accept this? Do they expect them to applaud the US for using all their military might against alleged new terrorist cells operating within their borders? The comments from the Pakistani Foreign Minister suggest that this will not be the case.
Why Pakistan, why now? Why has Pakistan suddenly been thrust into the limelight? Is there something happening in Pakistan that we should be aware of? Is the US friendly government on its way out? A quick look at your world map will give you an amazing insight into the American’s plans for the region. Pakistan borders, Iran, Afghanistan and India, three extremely volatile countries in the Central Asia area.
The key here is India, it is well documented that India has been given a ‘green light’ for its nuclear weapons program. The United States has a special agreement with India that permits India to build and maintain a nuclear weapons program in direct contrast of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a Treaty that India refuses to sign.
This is remarkable in itself, while the world rallies an increasing cause against Iran and their potential nuclear weapons programs; India is allowed to develop its nuclear weapons totally unabated by the international community. In fact Tehran is actually a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, where New Delhi is not.
On the whole, this information comes and goes in small print in major papers around the world, but more recently in Australia, this issue has found itself in the main headlines. It is a fact that the United States is encouraging Australia to actively supply India’s nuclear energy programs. Australia is considered to be the richest source of Uranium in the world.
In anticipation of supply, the current Australian government has simply asked for an assurance that their exported Uranium will only be used for peaceful purposes. But the issue being raised by some Australian politicians is that the Uranium will be used for peaceful purposes, to free up other Uranium to be used in their nuclear weapons program.
And here is the kicker; that surely everyone should have expected; Pakistan recently requested to join India as Australia’s latest customer in its uranium export business. The answer to this request was swift and striking; although Australia will seriously consider supplying India in their nuclear expansion, it will not provide any support to Pakistan.
The next country in this area is Afghanistan. It is well known that America is well established in Afghanistan, they have no plans to leave Afghanistan and they have completed their primary purpose of securing Afghanistan’s gas pipe line. If you still believe that the United States was interested in freeing Afghanistan of the Taliban, a group which they have previously trained and armed, a simple look at the American bases in relation to the gas line itself should reveal the true intentions of the United States government and military in Afghanistan.
The next country is Iran. Many people believe that an assault on Iran is imminent. They thought that a combination of the Iranian government attempting to drop the US dollar in its oil trades in addition to a massive military build up in the region including over fifty percent of the US Navy being located off the coast of Iran, and a recent tantrum by Dick Cheney in the Whitehouse about the apparent lack of interest in an Iranian attack would have been enough to precipitate an attack by either the United States, Israel or United Nations, but this potential cataclysmic event is currently displaced by the Pakistan issue.
Any threat against Pakistan’s sovereignty is consistent with an attack against Iran. Pakistan has a significant border with Iran and when combined with the US controlled Afghanistan border, the US would be envisaging control of Iran’s eastern border. A less touted issue that is revealed by America’s interest in Pakistan is China. Some would say that India’s nuclear ‘green light’ has everything to do with China. If you take another look at your world map you will see that India holds a significant border with China. The more control that the United States has in this region, the more control they can use against their biggest threat China.
When you combine India’s border, with South Korea, Japan and the Philippines you will see that China is becoming increasingly encircled by America and her allies. The phenomenon is no less starling than the European equivalent, where NATO is increasingly surrounding Russia with America’s allies and no less demonstrated by the NATO/American intention to place a missile defense base in the Czech Republic. This move of course contravenes the old Warsaw Pact, the precursor to the CFE, of which Russia has recently suspended its involvement in. In fact compliance with the CFE treaty by NATO would actually require NATO/United States to retreat from Bulgaria and Romania, something that the United States will never consider.
What is certain; is that the world is becoming an increasingly volatile mix of impending disasters, combining to create the real potential for genuine world conflict. This in its own right is extraordinary, we are supposedly living in relatively peaceful times and the American government is considered by its allies as the most peaceful nation in the world. But what if the direct opposite was true? What if the United States government has been involved in one conflict, war or another with some country since they bombed Japan at the end of World War Two? What if the war machine is simply a bull dozer to clear a path for American corporations to plunder indigenous assets and resources?
Only if you can allow yourself to consider the above scenario will you ever truly understand why the world is falling head first into genuine world conflict. Because this is the problem, the United States government and culture is one of excess. The United States (but for all its classic imperialistic devastating origins) before it finally succumbed to a privately owned Federal Reserve, was a thriving, industrious and creative nation, full of hope and dreams. And then The Fed ruined everything, because of the simple fact that nothing pleases the banks more than war, because nothing fuels new debt like war.
America was about as interested in the first and second world wars as an indigenous tribe in a remote South American jungle, the wars didn’t involve them, they were probably watching on, happy that their country was safe from such ethnic and cultural problems that such a diverse range of cultures so closely located together causes. The American people had no interest in getting involved. This was until two respective events which drew the American people into the wars; the first was of course the sinking of the Luisatania and the second was the Japanese attack on the US Navy in Hawaii.
It is now well established that both of these events could have been easily avoided but were not by choice. So America went to war and the only thing that increased faster than United States casualties was United States Debt to the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank. Nobody makes more money out of American War than the Federal Reserve Bank, and if you think they’re concerned about getting paid back, think again, the Federal Reserve Bank is funded by your Federal Income Tax. You pay for their private wars with the blood of your youth and the sweat and tears of the American workforce, while you get poorer and the international bankers get richer and richer.
So why do American’s let this happen? Because American’s are used to excess, they thrive in a convenient and excessive culture of want over need. And the international bankers are willing to comply with this want. And how do international bankers comply with this requirement, they issue more debt, but this time to the individual. So they have the Federal Government tied up in war generated debt and they tie up the individual with personal debt.
The American citizen gets to initiate and maintain the Great American Dream of owning a big house and a prestigious automobile. And the American people have another dream; the personal ownership of parts of corporate America. And there is no more popular way to own a prestigious portfolio of shares than a margin loan, this is where the bank owns most of the shares, but you have ‘control’, this is another example of the American delusion of want over need, where substance pales in comparison to prestige.
An empire doesn’t operate without a population of supportive souls. And the American people have been more than happy to support their aggressive but usually unreported foreign policy; so long as they were getting their share; the American Dream. But this reality is slowly slipping away. The American Dream is slowly unraveling in a destructive and debt riddled mess of greed and excess. The sub-prime loan debacle of the United States will indeed be the start of the most poetic end of an Empire.
Little do the American people know, but their lifestyles of excess are all fueled by the plundering of the indigenous nations throughout the world. The excessive lifestyle has caused America to revert to imperialistic ways in order to plunder the world of commodities. It was given a blank cheque when the American dollar was installed as the world’s commodity currency, but not even that was enough. In 1971, the American government had borrowed so much money from the world, that when they all came back to trade their US dollar reserves for gold, the American economy was instantly bankrupt. So they removed the gold standard and went along trading, while the world was left with billions of worthless US dollars sitting in their reserves.
From this unconscionable decision, the American lifestyle of excess was allowed to continue for another few decades, but instead of changing their ways and tightening their belts, the eighties saw a new level of unprecedented excess and the American people unknowingly paid for it with the original Iraqi invasion. People need to realize that there is a direct connection between their excessive culture and struggling economy and the wars that they fight.
The original Iraqi invasion secured more control over resources throughout the world but by September 2001, the American economy was in a spiraling six month old recession again. Six months after September 2001, the American economy had recovered, thanks to increased spending in government and war preparations. Spending on US military since 2001 has increased from $400 billion a year to nearly $650 billion a year.
This was good for the economy and very good for the banks. And the American people were able to maintain their lifestyle for another seven years, the bargain had been struck again, the Americans would send their children to war and in return the American Baby boomers got their excessive and unsustainable lifestyle for another seven years. Everyone was happy.
But this time the American economy is on shaky ground and the US dollar is losing value across the board. But the most important thing that has happened is that the bargain between the banks and the American people is falling over. Repossessions are up, bankruptcies are up and the margin calls are about to come in with a falling stock market.
So it would appear that when the bargain is really up between the banks and the American people and their excessive lifestyle, it is really going to be a mess. And the American people will not support another war, not because its not fair for imperialistic nations to plunder indigenous nations of the world, but because the American people are not in fact getting their end of the bargain, and they’re starting to feel as though their end of the bargain is never going to be offered ever again.
And this, my friends is what causes revolutions, when the people lose their end of the bargain. It’s funny how much people will allow to happen under their flag, so long as they are getting their part of the bargain. That people will send their sons and daughters to war, so long as they are getting their big house and two cars. And it’s funny that the American people will not put a stop to the relentless destruction of international incursions by the American military, not because it’s wrong, but because they’re finally not getting their share. Sad or funny, you tell me.
But the American elites have prepared for this revolution, they more than anyone knew that the banking system would eventually fail the American people. They knew that the system, being based on perpetual debt instead of real growth was bound to fail at some point. And this is why the new enemy is terror.
The enemy of terror will never be beaten and will always be a risk. Not only is the enemy overseas, but as was portrayed in 9/11, it frequents the shores of the free with consummate ease. And not since the witch hunts during the threat of Communism have the elites had so much power to put down dissent, not only with the use of the media, but also by force. All the legislation that has been enacted on the precept of terrorism, has little to do with protecting the citizen against terrorism, it has everything to do with what the American people will do when they don’t get their end of the bargain anymore.
All the legislation regarding dissent, arrest and detention is for the American population, a population which is about to revolt because the banks are unable to keep their end of the bargain. You will be beaten, locked up and shot, not because you’re a terrorist but because you’re a pissed off American with a voice. It will be laughable to watch the elites try to convince the American people that they need to take one for the team, endure the hard times, the American people, for starters don’t know about the hard times, they’ve been living in a bubble of debt and excess. The turn by the population against the elites will be swift and to be frank, the American people will not even recognize themselves.
And what does this have to do with Pakistan. Pakistan is just another war that needs to be waged to keep the banking registers turning over. It’s just another front that the international bankers need to find for the United States military to keep the war against something going. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the half of the population that is still enjoying the comforts of debt and excess will be insufficient to push America into Iran immediately.
The implications of a war with Iran are far too devastating for the fragile American population to sanction. They needed a much more benign platform, a platform where the general American population’s perception is a group of third world trouble makers that knowingly harbor terrorist cells. It will be perfect. And the fall out that it will create in the area will be destructive and the chaos that it will create will be ideal to stage anything like the death of Americans in foreign lands (Luisatania), or the bombing of an American fleet (Pearl Harbor) (Gulf of Tonkin) or a major attack on home soil (9/11).
The banks will get their World War and millions, perhaps billions will die and perhaps half of them will come from the five countries that we are talking about today…India, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and Iran. But the American people will not get their lifestyle back and that is why you will get a One World Order, where individual rights will be a distant memory and the family home and car will be something you can tell your children about from those heady fun days during ‘The Bargain’, if you’re still alive.
.i have seen the enemy…and he is us.
nature of patriotism
August 27, 1952
Adlai Stevenson
excerpts from the “Nature of Patriotism” speech
We talk a great deal about patriotism. What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility which will enable America to remain master of her power-to walk with it in serenity and wisdom, with self-respect and the respect to all mankind; a patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. The dedication of a lifetime-these are words that are easy to utter, but this is a mighty assignment. For it is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.
Patriotism, I have said, means putting country before self. This is no abstract phrase, and unhappily, we find some things in American life today of which we cannot be proud.
Consider the groups who seek to identify their special interests with the general welfare. I find it sobering to think that their pressures might one day be focused on me. I have resisted them before and I hope the Almighty will give me the strength to do so again and again. And I should tell your-my fellow Legionnaires-as I would tell all other organized groups, that I intend to resist pressures from veterans, too, if I think their demands are excessive or in conflict with the public interest, which must always be the paramount interest.
Let me suggest, incidentally, that we are rapidly becoming a nation of veterans. If we were all to claim a special reward for our service, beyond that to which specific disability of sacrifice has created a just claim, who would be left to pay the bill? After all, we are Americans first and veterans second, and the best maximum for any administration is still Jefferson’s; ”Equal rights for all, special privileges for none.”
True patriotism, it seems to me, is based on tolerance and a large measure of humility.
There are men among use who use ”patriotism” as a club for attacking other Americans. What can we say for the self-styled patriot who thinks that a Negro, a Jew, a Catholic, or a Japanese-American is less an American than he? That betrays the deepest article of our faith, the belief in individual liberty and equality which has always been the heart and soul of the American idea.
What can we say for the man who proclaims himself a patriot-and then for political or personal reasons attacks the patriotism of faithful public servants? I give you, as a shocking example, the attacks which have been made on the loyalty and the motives of our great wartime Chief of Staff, General Marshall. To me this is the type of ”patriotism” which is, in Dr. Johnson’s phrase, ”the last refuse of scoundrels.”
The anatomy of patriotism is complex. But surely intolerance and public irresponsibility cannot be cloaked in the shinning armor of rectitude and righteousness. Nor can the denial of the right to hold ideas that are different-the freedom of man to think as he pleases. To strike freedom of the mind with the fist of patriotism is an old and ugly subtlety.
And the freedom of the mind, my friends, has served America well. The vigor of our political life, our capacity for change, our cultural, scientific and industrial achievements, all derive from free inquiry, from the free mind from the imagination, resourcefulness and daring of men who are not afraid of new ideas. Most all of us favors free enterprise for business. Let us also favor free enterprise for the mind. For, in the last analysis, we would fight for the death to protect it. Why is it, then, that we are sometimes slow to detect, or are indifferent to, the dangers that beset it?
Many of the threats to our cherished freedoms in these anxious, troubled times arise, it seems to me, from a healthy apprehension about the communist menace within our country. Communism is abhorrent. It is strangulation of the individual; it is death for the soul. Americans who have surrendered to this misbegotten idol have surrendered their right to our trust. And there can be no secure place for them in our public life.
Yet, as I have said before, we must take care not to burn down the barn to kill the rats. All of us, and especially patriotic organizations of enormous influence like the American Legion, must be vigilant in protecting our birth-right from its too zealous friends while protecting it from its evil enemies.
The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live, and fear breeds repression. Too often sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind, are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-communism.
I could add, from any own experience, that it is never necessary to call a man a communist to make political capital. Those of us who have undertaken to practice the ancient but imperfect art of government will always make enough mistakes to keep our critics well supplied with standard ammunition.
There is no need for poison gas.
Another feature of our current scene that I think invites a similar restraint is the recurrent attacks in some communities upon our public schools.
There is not justification for indiscriminate attacks on our schools, and the sincere, devoted, and by no means overpaid teachers who labor in them. If there are any communist teachers, of course they should be excluded, but the task is not one for self-appointed thought police or ill-informed censors. As a practical matter, we do not stop communist activity in this way. What we do is give the communists material with which to defame us. And we also stifle the initiative of teachers and depreciate the prestige of the teaching profession which should be as honorable and esteemed as any among us.
Let me now, in my concluding words, inquire with you how we may affirm our patriotism in the troubled yet hopeful years that are ahead.
The central concern of the American Legion-the ideal which holds it together-the vitality which animates it-is patriotism. And those voices which we have heard most clearly and which are best remembered in our public life have always have always had the accent of patriotism.
It was always accounted a virtue in a man to love his country. With us it is now something more than a virtue. It is a necessity, a condition of survival. When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect.
Men who have offered their lives for their country know that patriotism is not the fear of something; it is the love of something. Patriotism with us is not the hatred of Russia; it is the love of this Republic and of the ideal of liberty of man and mind in which it was born, and to which this Republic is dedicated.
With this patriotism-patriotism in its large and wholesome meaning-America can master its power and turn it to the noble cause of peace. We can maintain military power without militarism; political power without oppression; and moral power without compulsion or complacency.
The road we travel is long, but at the end lies the grail of peace. And in the valley of peace we see the faint outlines of a new world, fertile and strong. It is odd that one of the keys to abundance should have been handed to civilization on a platter of destruction. But the power of the atom to work evil gives only the merest hint of its power for good.
I believe that man stands on the eve of his greatest day. I know, too, that that day is not a gift but a prize; that we shall not reach it until we have won it.
Legionnaires are united by memories of war. Therefore, no group is more devoted to peace. I say to you now that there is work to be done, that the difficulties and dangers that beset our path at home and abroad are incalculable. There is sweat and sacrifice; there is much of patience and quite persistence in our horoscope. Perhaps the goal is not even for us to see in our lifetime.
But we are embarked on a great adventure. Let us proclaim our faith in the future of man. Of good heart and good cheer, faithful to ourselves and our traditions, we can lift the cause of freedom, the cause of free men, so high no power on earth can tear it down. We can pluck this flower, safety, from this nettle, danger. Living, speaking, like men-like Americans-we can lead the way to our rendezvous in a happy, peaceful world.
Thank you-and forgive me for imposing on you for so long.
unsilence yourself
I denounce allegiance to the flag of the Corporate States of America, and to the megalomaniacs for which it stands, one nation under the Flying Spaghetti Monster, divided and plundered, with slavery and oppression for all.
Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq
the order: http://www.whitehouse.gov
original analysis: http://www.globalresearch.ca
re-analysis (shorthand version): http://www.beegs.com/?p=384
…and much more on digg.
I had to change this after a short discussion with a friend and complete re-read. Line for line, I don’t think this changes too much, and I hope it doesn’t mean too much. However, the way this is perceived is very scary (limiting the right to speak freely in opposition of the government and its war in Iraq). After all…
Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.
~Howard Zinn
Speaking of dissent…
September 15 in Washington DC
bringthemhomenow.org
unitedforpeace.org
democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/24/143235
unicef.org/infobycountry/iraq_39776.html
pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/truth/view
Thanks B…
your privacy is for sale
just another completely explicit indication that our privacy IS for sale.
Think For Yourself 