Back around the end of July and early August, a nut from Focus on the Family released a video calling for people to pray for rain of biblical proportions to disrupt Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC. He felt that the rain would prove that God is pro-life and believes that a marriage should consist of one man and one woman. The video was removed from the website after complaints. The man said that he was half kidding anyway. And as we all know, the weather in Denver was just fine and god really doesn't listen to people's prayers (or he has a wicked sense of humor).
I don't know, but isn't it ironic that Hurricane Gustav is pummeling towards the Gulf Coast just when the RNC is about to begin? The media is more focused on the storm than the convention although I have read that McCain may give his acceptance speech on a site of future devastation which may or may not be a good move on his part. At least the government will be on top of this hurricane.
Sunday, August 31
While one of the largest storms of the new century is headed for New Orleans (again), the Republicans are inconvenienced by the timing. Or maybe not.
From Politico:
Storm Scrambles GOP Convention
One of these things is not like the other…
Katrina: Devastation, lack of preparedness, lack of concern, poor rescue planning, tons of rhetoric about help that would never come after the storm.
Gustav: Political attention; Government is preparing; Republican Convention this week; rescue being mobilized; Republican Convention this week; delegates being told to be compassionate; Republican Convention this week; massive media coverage; Republican Photo op extraordinaire!
Now we hear that McCain may give his speech from the disaster zone! Republican Convention this week. Remind you of anyone?
Imagine the concern if the convention already took place or wasn’t scheduled for another week…or it was 2005 instead of a presidential election year.
Gustav: Possible category 5 storm.
Katrina: Once a century type storm.
We’re sure lucky those Republicans told us that Global Warming is a myth.
“Republican officials here are preparing for radical changes to every element of the convention. If the storm is as bad as feared, they will dramatically alter the tone of the speeches, cut way back on the partisan red meat, eliminate the glitzy entertainment and, if they can do so legally, use the gathering for a massive fundraising drive that may even feature a passing of buckets on the convention floor to benefit the Red Cross, according to a top GOP source.
“We’ll have to acknowledge that Americans are hurting,” said this Republican.(emphasis mine)
After the pathetic showing by the Republican Administration concerning Katrina,
There's only one reason New Orleans MAY get help this time...
Republican Convention this week
I need one of those buckets right now. Believe me, I can fill it!
__________________________________________________________________
On another note, if you can stomach it, this piece of tripe from Politico:
Republicans Electrified over Palin
__________________________________________________________________
Adden-dumb:
Bush is NOT going to the potential disaster zone.
And McCain and Sarah Smile don't have any legal Federal authority to do anything about the storm. So why are they going? Duh! And of course , there's this gem from McCain:
Balckdog,
Looks like you may have another steaming pile or two to dislike!
From Politico:
Storm Scrambles GOP Convention
One of these things is not like the other…
Katrina: Devastation, lack of preparedness, lack of concern, poor rescue planning, tons of rhetoric about help that would never come after the storm.
Gustav: Political attention; Government is preparing; Republican Convention this week; rescue being mobilized; Republican Convention this week; delegates being told to be compassionate; Republican Convention this week; massive media coverage; Republican Photo op extraordinaire!
Now we hear that McCain may give his speech from the disaster zone! Republican Convention this week. Remind you of anyone?
Imagine the concern if the convention already took place or wasn’t scheduled for another week…or it was 2005 instead of a presidential election year.
Gustav: Possible category 5 storm.
Katrina: Once a century type storm.
We’re sure lucky those Republicans told us that Global Warming is a myth.
“Republican officials here are preparing for radical changes to every element of the convention. If the storm is as bad as feared, they will dramatically alter the tone of the speeches, cut way back on the partisan red meat, eliminate the glitzy entertainment and, if they can do so legally, use the gathering for a massive fundraising drive that may even feature a passing of buckets on the convention floor to benefit the Red Cross, according to a top GOP source.
“We’ll have to acknowledge that Americans are hurting,” said this Republican.(emphasis mine)
After the pathetic showing by the Republican Administration concerning Katrina,
There's only one reason New Orleans MAY get help this time...
Republican Convention this week
I need one of those buckets right now. Believe me, I can fill it!
__________________________________________________________________
On another note, if you can stomach it, this piece of tripe from Politico:
Republicans Electrified over Palin
__________________________________________________________________
Adden-dumb:
Bush is NOT going to the potential disaster zone.
And McCain and Sarah Smile don't have any legal Federal authority to do anything about the storm. So why are they going? Duh! And of course , there's this gem from McCain:
Balckdog,
Looks like you may have another steaming pile or two to dislike!
On the Relative Death of a Child
As Gustav edges ever closer, I am reminded of Katrina, and the horror’s she visited upon once beautiful New Orleans. I wrote this while watching the numbing aftermath. It was the sight of all those trapped children that re-awoke the memory. So - as Gustav hurtles towards its own collision with the Gulf Coast – I cannot seem to shake a presentiment that I have been here before. Our own serious storm damage only sharpened the focus (the ravages of Zoe), necessitating a new roof and a new car (has anyone noticed that insurance companies have undercut their payouts? It’s as if Katrina destroyed how America functions as a whole). Of course, we were luckier than our neighbors. Some houses one neighborhood over weren’t left standing at all. Straight line winds topping hurricane strength stripped them down to the floorboards. Needless to say, I try and count my blessings where they fall.
This story is about my mother. Poor woman, she harbored a variety of mental illnesses. Personal interaction of any kind was her nemesis. And she hated children – her own especially. I used to dislike children – until I realized why. Children are weak, and can be easily terrorized (as I was on a daily basis). As soon as I understood this – everything changed. It never did for my mother. She just kept repeating the same behaviors – hoping for….I don’t know what. Getting her own back? She used to constantly tell me that someone had to understand how badly she had been treated all those long years ago. So. If there was a reason – that was it; because it is my contention such behaviors have to come from somewhere. Abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum. My mother’s childhood had its own demons – demons she unfortunately felt driven to visit upon her own children. I may not forgive – but I do understand.
My Mother was four years old when the Lusitania was torpedoed. I have seen her there – in the documentaries – a tiny girl with a big bow tightly gripping her older sister’s hand. Her family lived nearby, in a village called Rushbrook – so she’d often stand on that hill above the harbor and watch the ships go by. From whalers to sleek White Star luxury cruisers – everything passed by Queenstown and The Head of Kinsale on its way to America. So when the explosions happened, off she went, along with everyone else.
No one expected another Titanic. Fire and water and the stench of burning oil – she never got over that smell. Years later, she’d refuse to get out of the car whenever my Father got gas.
They stacked the bodies in the town square like so much wood. There were so many, you see - and the rescuers were overwhelmed. Some - those less intact, or without clothing - were relegated to dirty little buildings near the docks. Queenstown was really no more than a fishing village back then. After Titanic, well – the big ships still stopped; but Liverpool had taken over as the preferred port of call. Ireland was fast slipping into another wave of grinding poverty that would soon force more immigration – this one to include my Mother and her family. So when the Lusitania went down – it was a big thing. Everyone turned out to help and to see – no one thought to protect the children.
My Mother was convinced people were buried alive. She heard the exhalations, you see; the final breath of the dead. Sometimes they would move as well, shifting under the weight of those piled on top; lips moving to expel water trapped in their lungs. I imagine Buchenwald was like that, with bodies waiting for the ovens. Horrible, frightening – my Mother tried to get adults to listen to her fears, but children back then were not to be heard. As a punishment, her older sister locked her in one of the sheds near the wharf. Just a little girl, four years old, one hundred bodies bloated from the sea, and rats. Lots, and lots and lots of rats; black ones - grown fat from gorging on pale flesh. Do you know how big a wharf rat gets? About the size of a terrier. She screamed, of course – the poor little thing was terrified. All it did was make the rats look in her direction, their red eyes glowing like twilight.
She took me back there, years; no eons ago - took me to stand with her on that hill. She was 60 and I barely 12. I remember the wind colored her face, and it was cold. There was no inflection in her voice when she told me - only a kind of bitterness, especially regarding her sister. I reached for her hand, but she wouldn’t allow it. My Mother never liked to be touched. I cried for her.
We visited the grave, that day – where they put all those bodies. Mother wouldn’t even enter that part of the cemetery. She waited near her family plot. Blessed soil (to her) - Irish soil. I stood near the largish square allotted to the Lusitania dead and marveled at how small it seemed to contain all those dead. They must have dug deep, I thought. The memorial stone was discolored by lichen, weeds nearly masking the simple epitaph. It looked abandoned and forlorn. I stared back at my Mother, hands in front of her eyes so no one could see the tears. I wondered who she was weeping for.
It twisted her, the terror of that week - warped her perceptions. Turned life into death; and all those fears, all that anger misdirected itself - right onto her children. Four, she had - four children - and only two of us survived to adulthood. Alcoholism, drug addiction, violence, suicide – all this and more stalked my siblings into their graves. Only my sister and I were spared. I think of that, more often as I age, and I am at a loss to explain why. Perhaps it has to do with the relative flexibility of mind. Like all artists, I see life as Picasso did - all angles at once. My sister retreated into the bosom of religion, allowing her vision of God to buffer the shock. My Mother had none of my flexibility, and she didn’t believe in God - not really. For her, the only way to exorcise those demons was to visit them upon others.
The sights and sounds inside the Superdome – running gun battles, rape, mutilation of bodies - just how do you think the NOLA children will internalize such horrors? For those terrors were real, you know; despite recent revisionist efforts to ignore and erase them. Chaos, thirst and death – from a child’s eye view – it would seem God had all but abandoned them. So – will they be able to shed such memories? What about those left outside with the dead? Watching bodies eaten by those rats that survived the flooding of the sewers? Will they fear all rodents as my Mother did? The woman ran screaming from squirrels. Will they seek to expiate their fear and anger by acting out? What will they visit on their own children and the rest of society?
Well, I guess we all will find that out in about 20 years.
Saturday, August 30
"Integrity Bank Becomes 10th U.S. Failure This Year (Update2)"
Blogmistress Liz, should we replace the "Obligatory Friday Sex Post" with the "Obligatory Friday Bank Failure Post?" Seems they always save these announcements for Friday:
"Integrity Bank of Alpharetta, Georgia, was closed by U.S. regulators today, the 10th bank to collapse this year amid a surge in soured real-estate loans stemming from the worst housing slump since the Great Depression."
Entire article at Bloomberg.com.
And here once again is the page that lists all the General Implodes, FDIC Failed Banks, Failed Credit Unions, Credit Union Conservatorships, and banks and investment houses under Writedown Rundown & General Distress (entitled appropriately enough "The Bank Implode-O-Meter").
"Integrity Bank of Alpharetta, Georgia, was closed by U.S. regulators today, the 10th bank to collapse this year amid a surge in soured real-estate loans stemming from the worst housing slump since the Great Depression."
Entire article at Bloomberg.com.
And here once again is the page that lists all the General Implodes, FDIC Failed Banks, Failed Credit Unions, Credit Union Conservatorships, and banks and investment houses under Writedown Rundown & General Distress (entitled appropriately enough "The Bank Implode-O-Meter").
Has anyone been keeping an eye on the Right Wing Blogs? What are they saying (if anything)? any heart attacks, strokes, suicides? Has Rush popped more oxy than usual?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Right now, I'm really hungry for some Alaskan King Crab, side dish of grilled moose and some Baked Alaska for dessert.
Oops! Almost forgot! And a large pitcher of Bud! (sorry, Cindy!)
I know Cindy has millions and Sarah has crabs but I wonder if there'll be an opening for a food taster in McCain's Campaign?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Right now, I'm really hungry for some Alaskan King Crab, side dish of grilled moose and some Baked Alaska for dessert.
Oops! Almost forgot! And a large pitcher of Bud! (sorry, Cindy!)
I know Cindy has millions and Sarah has crabs but I wonder if there'll be an opening for a food taster in McCain's Campaign?
Meanwhile, in the "Real World ..."
While 34 million people were watching a televised Obama give his nomination speech to the Democratic Convention in Denver before 84,000 supporters and delegates, and while McCain apparently took a gigantic step away from his good senses, we had other things happening.
Let's go day-tripping through reality!
***
Georgia On My Mind, Reprise:
The cease-fire's in place, and ratified, but Russian troops remain in certain areas of Georgia. Areas like Gori, only an hours' drive from the capital, Tbilisi, and the major commercial seaport of Poti. A studied reluctance to be seen confronting the Russians (as well as wanting to make sure that nothing happens) the US landed medical supplies at the port of Batumi. Some refugees are complaining that the Russians are not allowing them to return to their homes.
In the biggest news, the Russian State Duma officially recognized the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, paving the way for both territories to incorporate themselves into the Russian Federation. Europe protested, as did Georgia - and I think the Russians basically waved their private parts at their aunties.
Because, seriously, what the hell can you do about it?
***
And Iran, Iran So Far Away ...
Lost in all the hoopla and hype of our own troubles is the announcement by the Iranian Government that it's increased the number of gas centrifuges in its nuclear program to 4,000. In the gaseous diffusion process for enriching uranium, the more centrifuges you have the faster you can go towards achieving your goal, whether it's moderately enriched (reactor-grade) or highly enriched (suitable for bombs).
***
The Next Stop on MTV Cribs:
Former President and General Pervez Musharraf, late top dog in Pakistan, decided to retire rather than face impeachment, a distinctly novel thing in Pakistan (where most leaders end up dead). I had thought he might seek a comfortable asylum in Saudi Arabia (in exchange for Saudi access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal), but he's having a villa built in Pakistan. Quite a nice one, too, with only a (reportedly) minimal guard force.
***
Why Does the L.A. Times Hate America?
An article in the Los Angeles Times states that McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate was motivated mainly by the emotional impulse to one-up Obama on the heels of the DNC. Supposedly, this has angered the top two aspirants for the job, Mitt Romney and Tom Pawlenty (Pawlenty thought he had a lock on it). How sincerely do you think these two surrogates will campaign for the man who just told them to Suck. It. Hard? And the Times is scarcely alone in its reservations about Palin.
Impulsively choosing a virtual unknown who you've only physically met once can be seen as either a gutsy move or a desperate one. Either way, it speaks volumes about McCain (of which more later).
Take your pick.
***
Oh, the Times, They Are A-Changin'
Yeeha! A full month of history in one week. The debates are going to be fun, so I need to lay in more popcorn and beer.
Let's go day-tripping through reality!
***
Georgia On My Mind, Reprise:
The cease-fire's in place, and ratified, but Russian troops remain in certain areas of Georgia. Areas like Gori, only an hours' drive from the capital, Tbilisi, and the major commercial seaport of Poti. A studied reluctance to be seen confronting the Russians (as well as wanting to make sure that nothing happens) the US landed medical supplies at the port of Batumi. Some refugees are complaining that the Russians are not allowing them to return to their homes.
In the biggest news, the Russian State Duma officially recognized the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, paving the way for both territories to incorporate themselves into the Russian Federation. Europe protested, as did Georgia - and I think the Russians basically waved their private parts at their aunties.
Because, seriously, what the hell can you do about it?
***
And Iran, Iran So Far Away ...
Lost in all the hoopla and hype of our own troubles is the announcement by the Iranian Government that it's increased the number of gas centrifuges in its nuclear program to 4,000. In the gaseous diffusion process for enriching uranium, the more centrifuges you have the faster you can go towards achieving your goal, whether it's moderately enriched (reactor-grade) or highly enriched (suitable for bombs).
***
The Next Stop on MTV Cribs:
Former President and General Pervez Musharraf, late top dog in Pakistan, decided to retire rather than face impeachment, a distinctly novel thing in Pakistan (where most leaders end up dead). I had thought he might seek a comfortable asylum in Saudi Arabia (in exchange for Saudi access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal), but he's having a villa built in Pakistan. Quite a nice one, too, with only a (reportedly) minimal guard force.
***
Why Does the L.A. Times Hate America?
An article in the Los Angeles Times states that McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate was motivated mainly by the emotional impulse to one-up Obama on the heels of the DNC. Supposedly, this has angered the top two aspirants for the job, Mitt Romney and Tom Pawlenty (Pawlenty thought he had a lock on it). How sincerely do you think these two surrogates will campaign for the man who just told them to Suck. It. Hard? And the Times is scarcely alone in its reservations about Palin.
Impulsively choosing a virtual unknown who you've only physically met once can be seen as either a gutsy move or a desperate one. Either way, it speaks volumes about McCain (of which more later).
Take your pick.
***
Oh, the Times, They Are A-Changin'
Yeeha! A full month of history in one week. The debates are going to be fun, so I need to lay in more popcorn and beer.
Sarah Plain and Tall
Sarah......It's plain and simple
From Thinkprogress
IMHO, this was in the bag months ago folks.
We're all asking ourselves - WTF? I hear he only met her once........ No Experience..........
It's McCain's Hail Mary Pass............
Nothing to try to figure out here. Yes Andrea Mitchell - this is "a very calculated strategic decision"
"They" have been working on this strategy for months.
This is an interesting post from a blogger at the Daily Paul in Sept. 07
Sarah Palin Would Be Best VP For Ron Paul
here is a recent comment from that post:
McCain knows nothing about economic matters and she knows nothing about the war in Iraq.
Pretty much sums up what the general population of the US knows also.......
You - lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down down down
down on my knees
Now wouldn't you.........
Oooooooh
SARAHCUDA?
From Thinkprogress
Among other things, she supports drilling in Alaska, with limits, she’s pro-life and she’s a fiscal conservative. … Plus, Palin’s an interesting character: a former beauty queen, she was a star high school basketball player (she was known as “Sarah Barracuda” for her intense play). Palin married her childhood sweetheart, a blue collar oil field worker (who is on leave, so as not to create a conflict of interest). She hunts, she fishes, and earlier this year, she posed for Vogue.
IMHO, this was in the bag months ago folks.
We're all asking ourselves - WTF? I hear he only met her once........ No Experience..........
It's McCain's Hail Mary Pass............
Nothing to try to figure out here. Yes Andrea Mitchell - this is "a very calculated strategic decision"
"They" have been working on this strategy for months.
This is an interesting post from a blogger at the Daily Paul in Sept. 07
Sarah Palin Would Be Best VP For Ron Paul
here is a recent comment from that post:
When Palin was a Mayor of a small city of 6000, she spent 16 millions of the states funds on building a Ice Rink that was never completed; when it should of cost 2 million.
She came out of nowhere and became Governor. She approved the biggest budget in the history of the state; 2 billion dollars more costly then the last one.
She supported the bridge to nowhere before it came to the national spotlight and then flip flopped on it to keep her name.
She supported giving 600 million dollars to a State Run Diary Farm and then took it over and ran it to the ground.
Is there anything less to expect from the Governor of the most socialist state in the USA?
Every Alaskan receives 1000 dollars a year for just existing; money made from oil revenues. Straight from the goverment.
Her husband works for BP; and she has forwarded him all her emails while she was governor; going over laws and proposals to do what is best for Big Oil.
Fascism today comes to america not wrapped in a flag; but in a dress.
A empty dress; with 2 years of local experience; no national experience.
A couple weeks ago Palin said on the notion of being VP: "I can't decide whether or not im ready for the job until someone tells me exactly what it is a VP does. I don't really know; at least I hope i can help advance my state and put Alaska ahead of everything else."
When asked about the Iraq war a mere 2 months ago. She said, "I haven't really thought anything about the Iraq War; actually I know nothing; I Haven't really followed it..."
McCain knows nothing about economic matters and she knows nothing about the war in Iraq.
Pretty much sums up what the general population of the US knows also.......
You - lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down down down
down on my knees
Now wouldn't you.........
Oooooooh
SARAHCUDA?
Friday, August 29
Cindy McCain's Mission to Georgia: Turn up the Volume!
Rumored philanthropist Cindy McCain was abruptly dispatched by her other half to get out of dodge this week on a “humanitarian mission” to “the little country of Georgia” which coincidentally happens to sit on plenty of oil pipeline revenue. Will the multi-millionairre Chanel-clad liquor heiress wife of the GOP nominee be able to solve a "whole morass of problems" over there?
John McCain’s Ode to Wife Cindy
Who's peekin' out from under a stairway
Callin’ her a name that wears underwear
Who's bending down to give John a dropkick
Everyone knows it's Cindy.
Everyone knows it's Cindy.
Who's tripping down the streets of Tbilisi
Smilin' at every Georgian she sees
Who's helpin’ Mikheil blow up some Russians
Everyone knows it's Cindy.
And Cindy has scary eyes
And uses too much hair dye
And uses too much hair dye
And Cindy has ca$h to buy
All those pipelines (all those pipelines)
All those pipelines (all those pipelines)
[Flute]
And Cindy has scary eyes
And uses too much hair dye
And uses too much hair dye
And Cindy has ca$h to buy
All those pipelines (all those pipelines)
All those pipelines (all those pipelines)
Who's tripping down the streets of Tbilisi
Smilin' at every Georgian she sees
Who's helpin’ Mikheil blow up some Russians
Everyone knows it's Cindy.
[Repeat and fade]
Happy Friday!
-2Truthy
To the folks who say Ralph shouldn't run because he'll pull votes away from the Democratic nominee:
How many of you screamed with ecstasy or otherwise showed your approval when Ross Perot ran in 1992, got 19% of the (mostly Republican) vote and thus "prevented" G.H.W. Bush from gaining a second term?
McCain picks Veep
It's being reported that it's former Miss Alaska runner up and governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, who is currently under investigation for abuse of office.
Milestone
John McCain turns 72 today. I know you'll all join me in wishing him a happy birthday and encourage him to retire from politics. He's done enough.
Stayed Up Late ...
... To watch Obama's Speech.
I said it once before, after he clinched the nomination:
"I thank God that I have lived long enough to see this day."
I said it once before, after he clinched the nomination:
"I thank God that I have lived long enough to see this day."
Thursday, August 28
Amen Bill Clinton
I wonder why he won't be around to hear Obama's acceptance speech in person. What does he have to do that's so important and does it make him seem less sincere?
See also JOHN KERRY: Dems Will Not Be Swiftboated this Time
I wish.
---------------------
From Americablog:
Harry Reid on John McCain: "I just think he doesn't have the temperament to be president" -- and GOP Senators think that, too
"There isn't a Republican serving in the Senate that's happy he's the nominee. Now, they're all supporting him, but I'll tell you they have told me. I've had Republican senators tell me they don't think they'll vote for him," Reid said.
Hartford Courant Front Page today - "Nader Still Follows Cameras, Proudly Offers Alternative" by Jesse A. Hamilton (Wash. Bureau Chief)
yes he shared the Front Page with "Obama Takes Place in History", but still - equal billing under the headline. Ralph had the right side and Barack had the Left side from Combined Wire Services - "First Black Nominee Of Major Party Joins With Biden To Rally Democrats".
Ralph Nader is absolutely unapologetic
Can you just imagine how exciting those debates would be if he gets to go???? He would stir things up like nothing we've ever seen before. Good Luck Ralph!
Thank you Ralph.
Keep on keepin' on........
Ralph Nader is absolutely unapologetic
He sees nothing to regret about the super-close 2000 election in which his candidacy drew votes that might otherwise have gone to Democrat Al Gore.
If the same happens in November to Barack Obama, that's just one more electoral incident for which the Connecticut native won't issue an apology. If Democratic politicians want to push him aside, he argues, then they are welcome to borrow some of his "progressive populist" ideas. In his view, a vote belongs to no one until it's earned.
The veteran presidential candidate is used to the blame and doesn't flinch when it's mentioned over and over in his interviews. "It's a very ugly syndrome in Democratic politics, because it's a scapegoat syndrome," he said Wednesday. Anyway, he insists, the win was stolen from Gore in the Florida vote tally.
"If the Democrats don't get over this, they will never look themselves in the mirror and say, 'Oh me, oh my, why isn't our party landsliding the worst Republicans in the history of the Republican Party?'"
Nader is in Denver this week for the "corporate-saturated Democratic National Convention." He hosted a Wednesday night rally, taking his own stage about an hour after the Democratic choice for vice president, Sen. Joe Biden, stepped in front of the Pepsi Center thousands.
Nader's chief thrust right now is trying to get himself in the presidential debates.
Can you just imagine how exciting those debates would be if he gets to go???? He would stir things up like nothing we've ever seen before. Good Luck Ralph!
......His criticisms of the Democratic Party were far stronger, however, when addressing those who came to hear him at the University of Denver arena Wednesday night.
"This party is sick," he told the 4,000 mostly college-age people. "It's decaying. It's lost its soul. ... They never talk about the poor. They talk about the middle class." Nader brought up the "bottom 100 million" people in the country, saying they do the heavy lifting and "service us in all kinds of ways while they are underpaid, while they are overcharged."
The candidate shouted, "It's our job to sweep the rascals out of the political forums who have corrupted our country!"
Nader argued for the inclusion of third-party candidates. "Dissent is the mother of ascent," he said, to cheers. "Almost everything we like about our country started with minority dissenters."
Nader concluded his words at the University of Denver Wednesday night with his own civic lesson, goading his young audience, particularly those who don't vote:
"If only you knew the power you have at this young age," he said. "Chuck the iPod once in a while. Stop listening to non-stop music, which is blowing out your mind. And get serious.
"Read the grim lesson of history, here and abroad. When people do not turn on to politics, politics will turn on them."
Thank you Ralph.
Keep on keepin' on........
Wednesday, August 27
Things I found on the way to other things...
Interesting quote from an author of one of the great books, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Here’s an comment he made about Sauron. Some say he is referring to Adolph. Maybe he foresaw someone like Bush.
Tolkien describes Sauron as:
" …as near an approach to the wholly evil will as is possible. He had gone the way of all tyrants: beginning well, at least on the level that while desiring to order all things according to his own wisdom he still at first considered the (economic) well-being of other inhabitants of the Earth. But he went further than human tyrants in pride and lust for domination, being in origin an immortal (angelic) spirit.....Sauron desired to be a God-King and was held to be this by his servants; if he had been victorious he would have demanded divine honour from all rational creatures and absolute temporal power over the whole world."
This is a statement made by Gandalf in “The lord of the Rings.”
"For into the midst of all these policies comes the Ring of Power, the foundation of Barad-dur, and the hope of Sauron.
Concerning this thing, my lords, you now all know enough for the understanding of our plight, and of Sauron's. If he regains it, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift or complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts. If it is destroyed, then he will fall: and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of his strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed.
Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary."
Replace a few words and it becomes contemporary. It’s almost as if J.R.R. was precognitive.
"For into the midst of all these policies comes the presidency, the coveted desire of the Republicans, and the hope of McCain.
Concerning this thing, my lords, you now all know enough for the understanding of our plight, and of McCain’s. If he regains the presidency, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift or complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts. If he loses, then he will fall: and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of his strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed.
Other evils there are that may come; for McCain is himself but a servant or emissary (of the NeoCons)."
I defer to our resident expert on LOTR, Blackdog. Curious?
Here’s an comment he made about Sauron. Some say he is referring to Adolph. Maybe he foresaw someone like Bush.
Tolkien describes Sauron as:
" …as near an approach to the wholly evil will as is possible. He had gone the way of all tyrants: beginning well, at least on the level that while desiring to order all things according to his own wisdom he still at first considered the (economic) well-being of other inhabitants of the Earth. But he went further than human tyrants in pride and lust for domination, being in origin an immortal (angelic) spirit.....Sauron desired to be a God-King and was held to be this by his servants; if he had been victorious he would have demanded divine honour from all rational creatures and absolute temporal power over the whole world."
This is a statement made by Gandalf in “The lord of the Rings.”
"For into the midst of all these policies comes the Ring of Power, the foundation of Barad-dur, and the hope of Sauron.
Concerning this thing, my lords, you now all know enough for the understanding of our plight, and of Sauron's. If he regains it, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift or complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts. If it is destroyed, then he will fall: and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of his strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed.
Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary."
Replace a few words and it becomes contemporary. It’s almost as if J.R.R. was precognitive.
"For into the midst of all these policies comes the presidency, the coveted desire of the Republicans, and the hope of McCain.
Concerning this thing, my lords, you now all know enough for the understanding of our plight, and of McCain’s. If he regains the presidency, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift or complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts. If he loses, then he will fall: and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of his strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed.
Other evils there are that may come; for McCain is himself but a servant or emissary (of the NeoCons)."
I defer to our resident expert on LOTR, Blackdog. Curious?
Food Fight! Viva La Tomatina!
(Photo courtesy Fernando Bustamante -Associated Press)Splattering News
BUNOL, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of warriors for a day hurled tons of ripe tomatoes at each other to create a “human gazpacho” on Wednesday in an annual food fight that transforms this Spanish town into a sea of red mush.
Is there still time for all of them to book a flight to this Minnesota town for a certain upcoming convention?
Throughout Spain and Europe, “LA Tomatina” draws revelers from all over the world including Japan, Australia and the United States. An estimated 40,000 people took part this year.
Do you remember your first food fight?
-2Truthy
Tuesday, August 26
Hillary Rocked at the DNC
"No way. No how. No McCain."
"John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn't think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it's okay when women don't earn equal pay for equal work.
"With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart."
A quick thought about Hillary
I think the Hillary supporters should stop and think about this for a minute. She might have been a fine president or not. But if Obama wins, she stands a rather good chance of becoming a Supreme Court Justice especially since the Clintons are friends with Biden and I'm sure he would push for her to be confirmed.
While the president of the U.S. is a "less than honorable position" than it used to be, it’s only 4 years long. A very good 62 year old “liberal” would be in a position to not only help out the country in ways a president couldn’t, and for possibly 15 to 20 more years, but it would make the Republicans gnaw their own legs off!
While the president of the U.S. is a "less than honorable position" than it used to be, it’s only 4 years long. A very good 62 year old “liberal” would be in a position to not only help out the country in ways a president couldn’t, and for possibly 15 to 20 more years, but it would make the Republicans gnaw their own legs off!
Plot to Kill Obama thwarted
Four meth heads wanted to kill Obama during his acceptance speech. These are two. Nathan Johnson, right said, "He don't belong in political office. Blacks don't belong in political office. He ought to be shot."
UPDATE: oh the FBI doesn't think that they were really gonna use those guns to kill Obama.
I'm tired...
I’m tired of saving the environment for John and Cindy McCain!
I’m tired of:
…an asshole running for president telling me that we need to be more responsible when his current big decision is which house he’ll live in THIS week.
…driving a car the size of a golf cart that gets 35 mpg so John McCain can use the extra gas I save to be chauffeured in nine 6 mpg gas sucking SUVs to get a cup of coffee at a Starbucks nine miles from one of his 800 homes.
…replacing my heat producing, incandescent bulbs with new green CFLs so Cindy the C can light her dog house for her gawd damned French Poodle.
…the inconvenience of using paper bags that get soggy wet and let items fall through if the humidity goes over 10% while the McCain’s groceries are delivered in specially designed Gucci mylar bags imprinted with “I was a POW”.
…having to recycle and spend the extra time separating my glass and plastic and metal and garbage then putting it in separate containers so it can sit by the curb for a week , stinking and waiting for pickup while John McCain throws his shit in the Grand Canyon.
…saving water with devices that restrict the flow in my shower to a trickle while John McCain has 200 Jacuzzis in 50 houses.
…turning off extra lighting when I’m not in the room to save electricity so Cindy the C can use one of her 56 hair dryers so she can blow dry her bleached hair instead of the pathetic excuse that she lets live with her.
…letting my lawn turn brown to save water while John McCain builds extra swimming pools for his extra houses.
…clipping coupons to buy generic food while the McCain’s enjoy prime rib and lobster and Cindy the C can have caviar snacks while watching “Desperate Housewives” and QVC.
…sweltering during the summer because I can only afford K-Mart fans instead of expensive whole house air conditioning like the McCain’s.
…freezing in the winter to save natural gas for Johnny-Boy McCain so Cindy the C’s nipples won’t poke through her $3500 suits.
…paying $36 for license plates for my car when Johnny-Boy McCain gets free POW plates for his 25 cars.
…paying through the nose for MY healthcare so Rush Limbaugh can abuse oxycontin and Cindy the C’s poor wrist can get the proper rehabilitation so she can do the “jerk” every couple of months (whether he needs it or not).
…paying atrocious taxes so that Senators like John McCain can take extended junkets to find ways to save money then implement expensive studies to see if what they found was feasible!
…paying for the special treatment CEOs and John McCain’s close S&L friends received when they got caught doing illegal things.
…having to sift through the internets to find the truth about what’s happening in the world while the MSM manipulates the news and reminds me daily that John McCain was a POW.
…having to go to a John Tesch Concert because I can’t afford to sit with John and Cindy the C McCain at an ABBA Concert…well, ok, maybe not that one.
…hearing from assholes on TV that I have to become more ecologically conscious when John McCain’s business buddies, especially oil companies level forests, pollute streams and the air then buy commercial time to tell me they’re concerned about the environment.
…John McCain’s religious asshole friends telling me I have to be righteous and obey their GAWD and their bible while they abuse children, commit adultery, take money from those they profess to be helping and blame others for what they do yet forgive John McCain for cheating on his wife (because he was a POW).
…being tired of these and hundreds of other things that the John and Cindy the C McCain’s of America don’t give one damn about.
But I’m not tired enough to stay home in November. And I not tired enough to make sure John and Cindy the C McCain don’t add one more residence to their stable that I help support.
I’m tired of:
…an asshole running for president telling me that we need to be more responsible when his current big decision is which house he’ll live in THIS week.
…driving a car the size of a golf cart that gets 35 mpg so John McCain can use the extra gas I save to be chauffeured in nine 6 mpg gas sucking SUVs to get a cup of coffee at a Starbucks nine miles from one of his 800 homes.
…replacing my heat producing, incandescent bulbs with new green CFLs so Cindy the C can light her dog house for her gawd damned French Poodle.
…the inconvenience of using paper bags that get soggy wet and let items fall through if the humidity goes over 10% while the McCain’s groceries are delivered in specially designed Gucci mylar bags imprinted with “I was a POW”.
…having to recycle and spend the extra time separating my glass and plastic and metal and garbage then putting it in separate containers so it can sit by the curb for a week , stinking and waiting for pickup while John McCain throws his shit in the Grand Canyon.
…saving water with devices that restrict the flow in my shower to a trickle while John McCain has 200 Jacuzzis in 50 houses.
…turning off extra lighting when I’m not in the room to save electricity so Cindy the C can use one of her 56 hair dryers so she can blow dry her bleached hair instead of the pathetic excuse that she lets live with her.
…letting my lawn turn brown to save water while John McCain builds extra swimming pools for his extra houses.
…clipping coupons to buy generic food while the McCain’s enjoy prime rib and lobster and Cindy the C can have caviar snacks while watching “Desperate Housewives” and QVC.
…sweltering during the summer because I can only afford K-Mart fans instead of expensive whole house air conditioning like the McCain’s.
…freezing in the winter to save natural gas for Johnny-Boy McCain so Cindy the C’s nipples won’t poke through her $3500 suits.
…paying $36 for license plates for my car when Johnny-Boy McCain gets free POW plates for his 25 cars.
…paying through the nose for MY healthcare so Rush Limbaugh can abuse oxycontin and Cindy the C’s poor wrist can get the proper rehabilitation so she can do the “jerk” every couple of months (whether he needs it or not).
…paying atrocious taxes so that Senators like John McCain can take extended junkets to find ways to save money then implement expensive studies to see if what they found was feasible!
…paying for the special treatment CEOs and John McCain’s close S&L friends received when they got caught doing illegal things.
…having to sift through the internets to find the truth about what’s happening in the world while the MSM manipulates the news and reminds me daily that John McCain was a POW.
…having to go to a John Tesch Concert because I can’t afford to sit with John and Cindy the C McCain at an ABBA Concert…well, ok, maybe not that one.
…hearing from assholes on TV that I have to become more ecologically conscious when John McCain’s business buddies, especially oil companies level forests, pollute streams and the air then buy commercial time to tell me they’re concerned about the environment.
…John McCain’s religious asshole friends telling me I have to be righteous and obey their GAWD and their bible while they abuse children, commit adultery, take money from those they profess to be helping and blame others for what they do yet forgive John McCain for cheating on his wife (because he was a POW).
…being tired of these and hundreds of other things that the John and Cindy the C McCain’s of America don’t give one damn about.
But I’m not tired enough to stay home in November. And I not tired enough to make sure John and Cindy the C McCain don’t add one more residence to their stable that I help support.
Monday, August 25
Just a quick thought before bed:
I watched Michelle speak and it would so be nice to have an intelligent, articulate, down to earth first lady instead of a vacant eyed, Stepford wife at the beck and call of a devolved misogynist (guess that applies to W and M).
Before her, Hillary was the only other comparable one.
Oh, and someone needs to beat the shit out of Pat Buchanan, Joe Scarborough, Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams and half of MSNBC's (C)undits!
Go Rachael!
I watched Michelle speak and it would so be nice to have an intelligent, articulate, down to earth first lady instead of a vacant eyed, Stepford wife at the beck and call of a devolved misogynist (guess that applies to W and M).
Before her, Hillary was the only other comparable one.
Oh, and someone needs to beat the shit out of Pat Buchanan, Joe Scarborough, Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams and half of MSNBC's (C)undits!
Go Rachael!
From Americanblog:
At least she could take some good beer!
Cindy does Georgia
Cindy the C... is being sent to Georgia by McCainiac to broker a peace deal!
Hope she gets the right Georgia!
At least she could take some good beer!
Cindy does Georgia
Cindy the C... is being sent to Georgia by McCainiac to broker a peace deal!
Hope she gets the right Georgia!
Dreaming of Flushing Rush in Denver
"I am not inspiring or inciting riots, I am dreaming of riots in Denver."-Rush Limbaugh
DENVER -- The Denverchannel.com reports that Rush Limbaugh is “sparking controversy again after he made comments that appear to call for riots in Denver during the Democratic National Convention this summer.”
Is Rush hitting up the Oxy again?
Limbaugh apparently believes that electing Democrats will hurt America's security and economy and appeared to call on his listeners to make sure that doesn't happen by butchering the English language with this incoherent, unintelligible gurgle:
"We do, hopefully, the right thing for the sake of this country. We're the only one in charge of our affairs. We don't farm out our defense if we elect Democrats ... and riots in Denver, at the Democratic Convention will see to it we don't elect Democrats. And that's the best damn thing that can happen to this country, as far as I can think.”
Well, thank the good Lord for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who called bullsh*t.
"Anyone who would call for riots in an American city has clearly lost their bearings."
Dreaming of Flushing Rush?
-2Truthy
What we're up against
An old Candid Camera clip proves how easily someone is swayed by the consensus of a group.
The Power of Conformity
The Power of Conformity
"As a simple rule of thumb, the proper response to ANYTHING that makes its way to the network news or the front page of a major newspaper is to ask yourself two questions: "Whose propaganda is this?" and "What facts are they withholding and skewing in a calculated attempt to mislead me?""
A couple of notes on the (yawn) A-lympics
For the first time, I didn’t watch any Olympic coverage. My apologies to the late Jim McKay. Not because I’m not patriotic, although Gawd only knows if you didn’t watch, how you can possibly be a flag-waving Amurikan is tantamount to not watching WWE or baseball or, gawrsch, NASCAR?
No, I didn’t watch any Olympic coverage because NBC, China, the IOC and the pretend, feel good bullshit camaraderie, “Hey, we’re all citizens of the world” (but only for these 2 weeks) thing sucks more than all the Hoovers ever turned on at once.
The hypocrisy of this Chinese propaganda event, more than others, was thick enough serve with chopsticks. Here is a country that doesn’t believe in human rights for its own people let alone others around the world; a country that may in the future make Stalin’s Russia look like a humanitarian effort; a country that takes its cue from the likes of Amin, Mugabe, Milošević or Saddam Hussein and in a sad way Bush, and betters them and we fawn all over them and their demands so that American Business can make money. Athletic competition is an incomprehensibly distant second.
We had a chance to show the world we don’t agree with or support the atrocities China commits. NBC had a forum that could have exposed a murderous, oppressive regime. Would NBC do that? Of course not! There’s no money in the truth! We’d have been stuck with reruns of “My Mother the Car.” Instead, NBC and the world’s press showed us a vision of the future, albeit one straight out of the new Chinese Land of Oz, produced and approved by the People’s Propaganda Republic and spoon fed to the rest of the world.
Why not tell the world what China really does? Well, for starters, the terrorists of the world united for two weeks and had to be appeased with money. Oh, not the Taliban or al-Qaeda or the Russian Mafia. The real terrorists were the world’s businesses. Corporations that put money ahead of reality so long as that reality doesn’t impinge on the bottom line. I wonder why the NRA or Smith and Wesson don’t sponsor the war in Afghanistan or Exxon/Mobile or NASCAR the surge in Iraq? (That would make for big ratings among the Rednecks and Chickenhawks!) Who cares about human rights when American Business can sell shoes made in sweatshops by 9 year olds or allow Chinese pirated CDs to be sold in America while you prosecute mothers from the heartland for downloading music or allow Wal-Mart (China-east) the largest uncaring American retailer to import and sell lead tainted toys or allow government departments to ignore contaminated pet food or toothpaste so businesses can make higher profits?
So what if an independent country is invaded and its people tortured and killed then a specious claim can be made that it belonged to China? We know China had no legitimate right to what it did, but if China prints enough money for American Business, everything’s just fine.
In American Football parlance it's called "The Prevent Defense" because it prevents defense...in this case we won't defend our ideals if it means losing money.
Threaten to write about the torture and killing China commits in a country that dares to resist aggression and the rest of the corporate world might not get access to the financial farce they so wish to cover.
Threaten to write about the massive Beijing pollution and resultant health problems it creates that the Chinese care not one bit about and reporters are expelled.
Write about inhumane Chinese treatment of dissidents and internet coverage is restricted or abolished.
Even attempting to photograph anything that makes China look bad will result in possible financial loss for American Business, advertisers and NBC.
If ever there was an example of how and why money was more important than human existence and American Freedom of Speech, these Chinese Olympics and NBC showed it well. America may have ideal morals but its businesses don’t.
One particular thing stood out more was the incredible hubris of our two parties representing the American political system. 11 million dollars to China (through NBC) to buy political ad time to show the TV entranced American Sheep (I doubt the politics went beyond NBC) that either candidate somehow represents a solution to the very thing they were shilling was indescribable.
Imagine! An American minority, and all that entails, running for president and paying for advertising an event for a country that thrives on oppression and denial of human rights while trying to convince the American public that he will act differently than his predecessor!
Imagine! An American ex-soldier, horribly mistreated by Chinese puppets, then paying and complimenting these puppets so he can tell us that the world must live and let live…or else, but that his opponent doesn’t understand the world situation!
Hypocrisy…hubris…balls? Did we miss the irony here?
To go to China and advertise for the “One World, One Dream” travesty in the sole interest of financial gain, NBC might as well have scheduled Viagra commercials during their “To Catch a Predator” series.
What did I miss by not watching? A man swimming his way to a record number of Gold Plated lead medals which will ultimately result in his becoming a millionaire, allowing other American Businesses to raise prices to pay for his leaded trophies; an American Soccer Team that will be more forgotten names in a few short months if not weeks; a relay team that botched another attempt at fame; a multi-million dollar payroll basketball team that epitomized athletic boredom in China just as it does here (but somehow pretends to make us proud) and a slew of commercials that will definitely result in higher prices for the products they advertised (to cover the costs they paid to China, NBC and others).
On the other hand, I did see some classic Match Game replays on GSN, got caught up on grass cutting, patriotically drank one Belgian owned Bud with a healthy Great American McDonald’s Happy Meal and saved a few cents (and ant-acid money) by turning off the TV for the most part. Is that un-American? Probably by today’s Neo-Republican standards.
One interesting note was given me by an old conspiratorial friend. I’m not into numerology or fortune-telling but the Chinese used 8/8/08 for some kind of good luck thing. If these Olympics were good luck for China or the world, I wonder how 12/21/12 will be? Kind of a shame the 2012 Olympics aren’t being held in Mexico, eh?!
No, I didn’t watch any Olympic coverage because NBC, China, the IOC and the pretend, feel good bullshit camaraderie, “Hey, we’re all citizens of the world” (but only for these 2 weeks) thing sucks more than all the Hoovers ever turned on at once.
The hypocrisy of this Chinese propaganda event, more than others, was thick enough serve with chopsticks. Here is a country that doesn’t believe in human rights for its own people let alone others around the world; a country that may in the future make Stalin’s Russia look like a humanitarian effort; a country that takes its cue from the likes of Amin, Mugabe, Milošević or Saddam Hussein and in a sad way Bush, and betters them and we fawn all over them and their demands so that American Business can make money. Athletic competition is an incomprehensibly distant second.
We had a chance to show the world we don’t agree with or support the atrocities China commits. NBC had a forum that could have exposed a murderous, oppressive regime. Would NBC do that? Of course not! There’s no money in the truth! We’d have been stuck with reruns of “My Mother the Car.” Instead, NBC and the world’s press showed us a vision of the future, albeit one straight out of the new Chinese Land of Oz, produced and approved by the People’s Propaganda Republic and spoon fed to the rest of the world.
Why not tell the world what China really does? Well, for starters, the terrorists of the world united for two weeks and had to be appeased with money. Oh, not the Taliban or al-Qaeda or the Russian Mafia. The real terrorists were the world’s businesses. Corporations that put money ahead of reality so long as that reality doesn’t impinge on the bottom line. I wonder why the NRA or Smith and Wesson don’t sponsor the war in Afghanistan or Exxon/Mobile or NASCAR the surge in Iraq? (That would make for big ratings among the Rednecks and Chickenhawks!) Who cares about human rights when American Business can sell shoes made in sweatshops by 9 year olds or allow Chinese pirated CDs to be sold in America while you prosecute mothers from the heartland for downloading music or allow Wal-Mart (China-east) the largest uncaring American retailer to import and sell lead tainted toys or allow government departments to ignore contaminated pet food or toothpaste so businesses can make higher profits?
So what if an independent country is invaded and its people tortured and killed then a specious claim can be made that it belonged to China? We know China had no legitimate right to what it did, but if China prints enough money for American Business, everything’s just fine.
In American Football parlance it's called "The Prevent Defense" because it prevents defense...in this case we won't defend our ideals if it means losing money.
Threaten to write about the torture and killing China commits in a country that dares to resist aggression and the rest of the corporate world might not get access to the financial farce they so wish to cover.
Threaten to write about the massive Beijing pollution and resultant health problems it creates that the Chinese care not one bit about and reporters are expelled.
Write about inhumane Chinese treatment of dissidents and internet coverage is restricted or abolished.
Even attempting to photograph anything that makes China look bad will result in possible financial loss for American Business, advertisers and NBC.
If ever there was an example of how and why money was more important than human existence and American Freedom of Speech, these Chinese Olympics and NBC showed it well. America may have ideal morals but its businesses don’t.
One particular thing stood out more was the incredible hubris of our two parties representing the American political system. 11 million dollars to China (through NBC) to buy political ad time to show the TV entranced American Sheep (I doubt the politics went beyond NBC) that either candidate somehow represents a solution to the very thing they were shilling was indescribable.
Imagine! An American minority, and all that entails, running for president and paying for advertising an event for a country that thrives on oppression and denial of human rights while trying to convince the American public that he will act differently than his predecessor!
Imagine! An American ex-soldier, horribly mistreated by Chinese puppets, then paying and complimenting these puppets so he can tell us that the world must live and let live…or else, but that his opponent doesn’t understand the world situation!
Hypocrisy…hubris…balls? Did we miss the irony here?
To go to China and advertise for the “One World, One Dream” travesty in the sole interest of financial gain, NBC might as well have scheduled Viagra commercials during their “To Catch a Predator” series.
What did I miss by not watching? A man swimming his way to a record number of Gold Plated lead medals which will ultimately result in his becoming a millionaire, allowing other American Businesses to raise prices to pay for his leaded trophies; an American Soccer Team that will be more forgotten names in a few short months if not weeks; a relay team that botched another attempt at fame; a multi-million dollar payroll basketball team that epitomized athletic boredom in China just as it does here (but somehow pretends to make us proud) and a slew of commercials that will definitely result in higher prices for the products they advertised (to cover the costs they paid to China, NBC and others).
On the other hand, I did see some classic Match Game replays on GSN, got caught up on grass cutting, patriotically drank one Belgian owned Bud with a healthy Great American McDonald’s Happy Meal and saved a few cents (and ant-acid money) by turning off the TV for the most part. Is that un-American? Probably by today’s Neo-Republican standards.
One interesting note was given me by an old conspiratorial friend. I’m not into numerology or fortune-telling but the Chinese used 8/8/08 for some kind of good luck thing. If these Olympics were good luck for China or the world, I wonder how 12/21/12 will be? Kind of a shame the 2012 Olympics aren’t being held in Mexico, eh?!
Sunday, August 24
US Party Platforms
In a nutshell, these are various party platforms. Which one(s) would you be inclined to support?
h/t to farang for helping me get this information together.
1. This party proposes a comprehensive political reform agenda, including full public financing of elections and free and equal radio and television time for all viable candidates. They support significant lobbying regulation to disclose the extent of political lobbying via "gifts" and contributions.
2. This party supports worker's struggles to organize trade unions and to use and extend union power to defend themselves and other working people from the bosses’ assaults. It calls for the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of U.S. and all “coalition” troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
3. This party believes that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.
4. This party is for maintaining a balanced budget, campaign finance reform, term limits for US Reps and Senators, and direct election of the president of the US by popular vote. They are opposed to free trade agreements like NAFTA.
5. This party believes that Jesus Christ is the God of this land. They believe that religion is basic to good government. They believe in keeping religion in government, while keeping government out of religion.
6. This party believes in a world class education for every child, supports good jobs with good pay, wants affordable quality health care coverage for all Americans and to restore fairness to the tax code. It wants to win the war in Afghanistan, to end war in Iraq, defeat al Qaida, secure our homeland, expand armed forces and prevent Iran from acquiring nukes.
7. This party doesn't seem to have a platform for 2008 yet, but they are anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, promote abstinence only education, promote a 'culture of life' and support the environment through initiatives like "clear skies". They believe in lower taxes. Their platform 4 years ago was to win the war on terror, usher in an ownership era, build a global economy, strengthen our communities and protect our families.
h/t to farang for helping me get this information together.
Saturday, August 23
A War Prayer
Whenever we read ... the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize humankind. And, for my own part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel.
-- Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
Petraeus endorses book that slams 'non-believers' in the military
MSNBC's Keith Olbermann noted on Thursday that "General David Petraeus ... has endorsed a book written by an evangelical Lutheran chaplain in the US Army, in which the chaplain claims non-believers can lead to 'failure' in their military unit."I don't know what's in the book, but if it's written by someone who takes god's war manual, the holy bible, literally, I'm sure that it should be the companion piece to every soldier who is out there fighting for the "christian" cause (the war on Iraq and Afghanistan) if he or she isn't already carrying a bible in their backpack for inspiration. (See How Many Has God Killed)
A dust jacket quote from Petraeus says the book "should be in every rucksack for those times when Soldiers need spiritual energy."
But wait! The atheists and non believers have taken exception to this book endorsement by Petraeus. They too can kill for the cause. They don't need no stinking book.
A MRFF (Military Religious Freedom Foundation) representative called Petraeus's endorsement "a slap in the face from the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq to the 21% of the men and women fighting there who define themselves as atheists or having no religious preference ... a reprehensible betrayal of all of the non-theists who are putting their lives on the line for our country with every bit as much bravery and dedication as their religious comrades."Indeed. But Keith Olbermann took the most exception to the fact that Petraeus' name has been floated as a potential VP candidate for McCain, the future war president who will make bush look, well bush league.
Weinstein himself stated, "General Petraeus has, by his own hand, become a quintessential poster child of this fundamentalist Christian religious predation, via his unadulterated and shocking public endorsement of a book touting both Christian supremacy and exceptionalism."
"How about army regulations against promoting religion, against proselytizing?" Olbermann asked. "General Petraeus, who never has been troubled by Army regulations, nor Constitutional ones, claims that when McCoy asked him for a recommendation, he didn't give him to publish it, that it was only intended for McCoy personally."
Petraeus has claimed he "never knew" his comments were being his comments were being seen publicly. However, as Olbermann points out, "Petraeus's endorsement has been on that book jacket since the book was published last year."--------------
"O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
-- From the War Prayer by Mark Twain
Friday, August 22
"Philip J. Berg, Esq. Files Federal Lawsuit Requesting Obama Be Removed as a Candidate as he does not meet the Qualifications for President"
Caught this at Joe Cannon's Cannonfire.
I don't usually do this but the complete text of the page follows.
The URL for the site is http://www.obamacrimes.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-philip-j-berg-esq-files-federal-lawsuit-requesting-obama-be-removed-as-a-candidate-as-he-does-not-meet-the-qualifications-for-president
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Obama Crimes
Is Obama a Natural Born Citizen?
Philip J. Berg, Esq. Files Federal Lawsuit Requesting Obama Be Removed as a Candidate as he does not meet the Qualifications for President
Thursday, 21 August 2008 22:09 administrator For Immediate Release: - 08/21/08
Suit filed 08/21/08, No. 08-cv-4083
Contact information at the end of this press release. Documents filed with the court and a copy of this press release can be downloaded at the end of this press release.
(Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania – 08/21/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, [Berg is a former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania; former candidate for Governor and U.S. Senate in Democratic Primaries; former Chair of the Democratic Party in Montgomery County; former member of Democratic State Committee; an attorney with offices in Montgomery County, PA and an active practice in Philadelphia, PA, filed a lawsuit in Federal Court today, Berg vs. Obama, Civil Action No. 08-cv-4083, seeking a Declaratory Judgment and an Injunction that Obama does not meet the qualifications to be President of the United States. Berg filed this suit for the best interests of the Democratic Party and the citizens of the United States.
Philip J. Berg, Esquire stated in his lawsuit that Senator Obama:
1. Is not a naturalized citizen; and/or
2. Lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia; and/or
3. Has dual loyalties because of his citizenship with Kenya and Indonesia.
Berg stated: “I filed this action at this time to avoid the obvious problems that will occur when the Republican Party raises these issues after Obama is nominated.
There have been numerous questions raised about Obama’s background with no satisfactory answers. The questions that I have addressed include, but are not limited to:
1. Where was Obama born? Hawaii; an island off of Hawaii; Kenya; Canada; or ?
2. Was he a citizen of Kenya, Indonesia and/or Canada?
3. What was the early childhood of Obama in Hawaii; in Kenya; in Indonesia when he was adopted; and later, back to Hawaii?
4. An explanation as to the various names utilized by Obama that include: Barack Hussein Obama; Barry Soetoro; Barry Obama; Barack Dunham; and Barry Dunham.
5. Illinois Bar Application – Obama fails to acknowledge use of names other than Barack Hussein Obama, a blatant lie.
If Obama can prove U.S. citizenship, we still have the issue of muti-citizenship with responsibilities owed to and allegance to other countries.
Berg continued:
“Eighteen million Democratic Primary voters donated money, volunteered their time and energy, worked very hard and then not only supported Senator Clinton, but voted for her and often recruited other supporters as well. All the efforts of supporters of legitimate citizens were for nothing because this man lied and cheated his way into a
fraudulent candidacy and cheated legitimately eligible natural born citizens from competing in a fair process and the supporters of their citizen choice for the nomination.
Voters donated money, goods and services to elect a nominee and were defrauded by Senator Obama's lies and obfuscations. He clearly shows a conscience of guilt by his actions in using the forged birth certificate and the lies he's told to cover his loss of citizenship. We believe he does know, supported this belief by his actions in hiding his
secret, in that he failed to regain his citizenship and used documents to further his position as a natural born citizen. We would also show he proclaims himself a Constitutional scholar and lecturer, but did not learn he had no eligibility to become President except by means of lying, obfuscations and deceptions. His very acts proves he knew he was no longer a natural born citizen. We believe he knew he was defrauding the country or else why use the forged birth certificate of his half sister?
Americans lost money, goods and services donated in their support of a candidate who supposedly was a natural born citizen simply because the DNC officers and party leaders looked the other way and did not demand credentials to answer the questions and prove whether or not Senator Obama was a legitimately natural born citizen, even in light of recent information that has surfaced on websites on the Internet suggesting Senator Obama may not be eligible to become President and questioning his status of multiple citizenships and questionable loyalties! If the DNC officers and.or leaders had performed one ounce of due diligence we would not find ourselves in this emergency predicament, one week away from making a person the nominee who has lost their citizenship as a child and failed to even perform the basic steps of regaining citizenship through an oath of allegiance at age eighteen [18] as prescribed by Constitutional laws!
The injunctrive relief must be granted because failing to do so, this inaction defrauds everyone who voted in the Democratic Primary for a nominee that is a fair representation of the voters. Failure to grant injunctive relief would allow a corrupted, fraudulent nomination process to continue. It not only allows, but promotes an overwhelming degree of disrespect and creates such a lack of confidence in voters of the primary process itself, so that it would cement a prevailing belief that no potential candidate has to obey the laws of this country, respect our election process, follow the Constitution, or even suffer any consequence for lying and defrauding voters to get onto the ballot when they have no chance of serving if they fraudulently manage to get elected! It is unfair to the country for candidates of either party to become the nominee when there is any question of their ability to serve if elected.
All judges are lawyers and held to a higher standard of practice than a regular lawyer. It is this Judicial standard that demands injunctive relief prayed for here. This relief is predicated upon one of the most basic premises of practicing law which states no lawyer can allow themselves to be used in furthering a criminal enterprise. And by that gauge alone, failing to give injunctive relief to the 18 million supporters of the other candidate, a true natural born citizen eligible to serve if elected, this court must not allow itself to be used to further the criminal and fraudulent acts to continue and be rewarded by becoming the Democratic Nominee. Failure to give the injunctive relief prayed for will insure that a corrupted Presidential election process will only guarantee a show of unfair preference of one group of people over another group by not demanding the same rules be applied to all groups equally and fairly, especially in light of the fact that both candidates are each considered a minority.
Philip J. Berg, Esquire
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531
Cell (610) 662-3005
(610) 825-3134
(800) 993-PHIL [7445]
Fax (610) 834-7659
philjberg@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
# # #
Attachments: File Description File size
Complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief 142 Kb
Memorandum in support of temporary restraining order This document contains a complete narrative of the facts. 164 Kb
Plaintiff's motion for temporary restraining order Plaintiff's motion for temporary restraining order 108 Kb
Temporary Restraining Order 79 Kb
Press Release PDF of this press release 45 Kb
Last Updated ( Friday, 22 August 2008 01:01 ) Make a donation to help us with the costs to pursue this case. Donate $2.08, $20.08. $200.80. or any amount you choose. Thank you for your generous support.
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I don't usually do this but the complete text of the page follows.
The URL for the site is http://www.obamacrimes.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-philip-j-berg-esq-files-federal-lawsuit-requesting-obama-be-removed-as-a-candidate-as-he-does-not-meet-the-qualifications-for-president
Skip to content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to first column
Skip to second column
Obama Crimes
Is Obama a Natural Born Citizen?
Philip J. Berg, Esq. Files Federal Lawsuit Requesting Obama Be Removed as a Candidate as he does not meet the Qualifications for President
Thursday, 21 August 2008 22:09 administrator For Immediate Release: - 08/21/08
Suit filed 08/21/08, No. 08-cv-4083
Contact information at the end of this press release. Documents filed with the court and a copy of this press release can be downloaded at the end of this press release.
(Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania – 08/21/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, [Berg is a former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania; former candidate for Governor and U.S. Senate in Democratic Primaries; former Chair of the Democratic Party in Montgomery County; former member of Democratic State Committee; an attorney with offices in Montgomery County, PA and an active practice in Philadelphia, PA, filed a lawsuit in Federal Court today, Berg vs. Obama, Civil Action No. 08-cv-4083, seeking a Declaratory Judgment and an Injunction that Obama does not meet the qualifications to be President of the United States. Berg filed this suit for the best interests of the Democratic Party and the citizens of the United States.
Philip J. Berg, Esquire stated in his lawsuit that Senator Obama:
1. Is not a naturalized citizen; and/or
2. Lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia; and/or
3. Has dual loyalties because of his citizenship with Kenya and Indonesia.
Berg stated: “I filed this action at this time to avoid the obvious problems that will occur when the Republican Party raises these issues after Obama is nominated.
There have been numerous questions raised about Obama’s background with no satisfactory answers. The questions that I have addressed include, but are not limited to:
1. Where was Obama born? Hawaii; an island off of Hawaii; Kenya; Canada; or ?
2. Was he a citizen of Kenya, Indonesia and/or Canada?
3. What was the early childhood of Obama in Hawaii; in Kenya; in Indonesia when he was adopted; and later, back to Hawaii?
4. An explanation as to the various names utilized by Obama that include: Barack Hussein Obama; Barry Soetoro; Barry Obama; Barack Dunham; and Barry Dunham.
5. Illinois Bar Application – Obama fails to acknowledge use of names other than Barack Hussein Obama, a blatant lie.
If Obama can prove U.S. citizenship, we still have the issue of muti-citizenship with responsibilities owed to and allegance to other countries.
Berg continued:
“Eighteen million Democratic Primary voters donated money, volunteered their time and energy, worked very hard and then not only supported Senator Clinton, but voted for her and often recruited other supporters as well. All the efforts of supporters of legitimate citizens were for nothing because this man lied and cheated his way into a
fraudulent candidacy and cheated legitimately eligible natural born citizens from competing in a fair process and the supporters of their citizen choice for the nomination.
Voters donated money, goods and services to elect a nominee and were defrauded by Senator Obama's lies and obfuscations. He clearly shows a conscience of guilt by his actions in using the forged birth certificate and the lies he's told to cover his loss of citizenship. We believe he does know, supported this belief by his actions in hiding his
secret, in that he failed to regain his citizenship and used documents to further his position as a natural born citizen. We would also show he proclaims himself a Constitutional scholar and lecturer, but did not learn he had no eligibility to become President except by means of lying, obfuscations and deceptions. His very acts proves he knew he was no longer a natural born citizen. We believe he knew he was defrauding the country or else why use the forged birth certificate of his half sister?
Americans lost money, goods and services donated in their support of a candidate who supposedly was a natural born citizen simply because the DNC officers and party leaders looked the other way and did not demand credentials to answer the questions and prove whether or not Senator Obama was a legitimately natural born citizen, even in light of recent information that has surfaced on websites on the Internet suggesting Senator Obama may not be eligible to become President and questioning his status of multiple citizenships and questionable loyalties! If the DNC officers and.or leaders had performed one ounce of due diligence we would not find ourselves in this emergency predicament, one week away from making a person the nominee who has lost their citizenship as a child and failed to even perform the basic steps of regaining citizenship through an oath of allegiance at age eighteen [18] as prescribed by Constitutional laws!
The injunctrive relief must be granted because failing to do so, this inaction defrauds everyone who voted in the Democratic Primary for a nominee that is a fair representation of the voters. Failure to grant injunctive relief would allow a corrupted, fraudulent nomination process to continue. It not only allows, but promotes an overwhelming degree of disrespect and creates such a lack of confidence in voters of the primary process itself, so that it would cement a prevailing belief that no potential candidate has to obey the laws of this country, respect our election process, follow the Constitution, or even suffer any consequence for lying and defrauding voters to get onto the ballot when they have no chance of serving if they fraudulently manage to get elected! It is unfair to the country for candidates of either party to become the nominee when there is any question of their ability to serve if elected.
All judges are lawyers and held to a higher standard of practice than a regular lawyer. It is this Judicial standard that demands injunctive relief prayed for here. This relief is predicated upon one of the most basic premises of practicing law which states no lawyer can allow themselves to be used in furthering a criminal enterprise. And by that gauge alone, failing to give injunctive relief to the 18 million supporters of the other candidate, a true natural born citizen eligible to serve if elected, this court must not allow itself to be used to further the criminal and fraudulent acts to continue and be rewarded by becoming the Democratic Nominee. Failure to give the injunctive relief prayed for will insure that a corrupted Presidential election process will only guarantee a show of unfair preference of one group of people over another group by not demanding the same rules be applied to all groups equally and fairly, especially in light of the fact that both candidates are each considered a minority.
Philip J. Berg, Esquire
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531
Cell (610) 662-3005
(610) 825-3134
(800) 993-PHIL [7445]
Fax (610) 834-7659
philjberg@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
# # #
Attachments: File Description File size
Complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief 142 Kb
Memorandum in support of temporary restraining order This document contains a complete narrative of the facts. 164 Kb
Plaintiff's motion for temporary restraining order Plaintiff's motion for temporary restraining order 108 Kb
Temporary Restraining Order 79 Kb
Press Release PDF of this press release 45 Kb
Last Updated ( Friday, 22 August 2008 01:01 ) Make a donation to help us with the costs to pursue this case. Donate $2.08, $20.08. $200.80. or any amount you choose. Thank you for your generous support.
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It looks like the 60s are back in style; clothing, furniture, vinyl. With the pumped up rhetoric and saber rattling of the Bush Administration over Russia, there's another aspect of the 60s that should be on every one's mind:
Fallout Shelters!
For those with limited income potential, here is a basic shelter.
Here's an upscale design sure to please the finicky survivalist!
Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry when the Red Horde let's loose their WMDs.
Contact your local Congressperson today to see if you're eligible for tax breaks to build your shelter so you, too, can survive to live in Bush's 21st Century Dream World!
Fallout Shelters!
For those with limited income potential, here is a basic shelter.
Here's an upscale design sure to please the finicky survivalist!
Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry when the Red Horde let's loose their WMDs.
Contact your local Congressperson today to see if you're eligible for tax breaks to build your shelter so you, too, can survive to live in Bush's 21st Century Dream World!
Joe and BO a "Go"?
Joe and BO: Are they a “Go”?(Photo courtesy Huffington Post)
But how about this bet for veep?
HILLARY.
That could work.
“He just has to swallow hard and do what JFK did in picking rival Lyndon Johnson in 1960”
said one liberal activist and maverick presidential candidate. Obama may indeed dislike Hillary, but does he have little choice but to “get over it” in hopes of leaving Denver next week with a unified Democratic party and a winner’s shot against John McCain? “The polls show a whopping 25 percent of Hillary’s supporters are NOT on board.
-2Truthy
VEEPS
Huffington post this morning claims that McCain has selected Mitt Romney
Wow. What do you think the "christian values voters" will think of that?
Obama claims he has decided but isn't saying. Wait for your text message.
Who could he pick that would make you want to vote for him? I'm not saying.
Wow. What do you think the "christian values voters" will think of that?
Obama claims he has decided but isn't saying. Wait for your text message.
Who could he pick that would make you want to vote for him? I'm not saying.
What brought down the WTC 7?
The government has an official explanation for why WTC 7 collapsed on its own footprint: A NEW PHENOMENON known as thermal expansion.
According to the Bush Administration McCain was not tortured
From Andrew Sullivan who makes a great point:
-------
Check out Michael Moore Dares to Ask: What's So Heroic About Being Shot Down While Bombing Innocent Civilians?
In all the discussion of John McCain's recently recovered memory of a religious epiphany in Vietnam, one thing has been missing. The torture that was deployed against McCain emerges in all the various accounts. It involved sleep deprivation, the withholding of medical treatment, stress positions, long-time standing, and beating. Sound familiar?War hero my foot. Don't war heroes fall on grenades to save their buddies and stuff like that?
According to the Bush administration's definition of torture, McCain was therefore not tortured.
Cheney denies that McCain was tortured; as does Bush. So do John Yoo and David Addington and George Tenet. In the one indisputably authentic version of the story of a Vietnamese guard showing compassion, McCain talks of the agony of long-time standing. A quarter century later, Don Rumsfeld was putting his signature to memos lengthening the agony of "long-time standing" that victims of Bush's torture regime would have to endure. These torture techniques are, according to the president of the United States, merely "enhanced interrogation."
No war crimes were committed against McCain. And the techniques used are, according to the president, tools to extract accurate information.
-------
Check out Michael Moore Dares to Ask: What's So Heroic About Being Shot Down While Bombing Innocent Civilians?
Thursday, August 21
One wonders what kind of disaster they're anticipating:
"IBM invests $300 mln in disaster recovery centers"
"IBM plans to spend $300 million this year to build 13 "cloud computing" data centers where businesses can store information for quick retrieval in case their computer systems are destroyed in a disaster."
Reuters link to rest of article.
"IBM plans to spend $300 million this year to build 13 "cloud computing" data centers where businesses can store information for quick retrieval in case their computer systems are destroyed in a disaster."
Reuters link to rest of article.
Not trying to spook anybody...
...but 7 of the 10 current "Recently Added" headlines at SOTT have to do with "Health & Wellness:"
Scotland: Outbreak of superbug C difficile closes hospital ward Health & Wellness
♥3 Salmonella outbreak spreads to Sweden and France Health & Wellness
♥2 Rare Salmonella Outbreak Spreads to Wales Health & Wellness
♥2 US: Lab Tests May Show Cause of Legionnaires' Outbreak Health & Wellness
♥3 U.K. justice agency lost 45,000 personal records in past fiscal year UK & Euro-Asian News
♥3 Iranian road accident kills 30 Afghan migrants Middle East Madness
♥4 New Study Shows False Memories Affect Behavior Health & Wellness
♥3 Oops, it happened again: Home Office loses confidential data on all UK prisoners UK & Euro-Asian News
♥2 Finland salmonella outbreak may have Kildare plant links Health & Wellness
♥2 US: ICON opposes relocation of Plum Island research lab Health & Wellness
Home Page
Health Page
Scotland: Outbreak of superbug C difficile closes hospital ward Health & Wellness
♥3 Salmonella outbreak spreads to Sweden and France Health & Wellness
♥2 Rare Salmonella Outbreak Spreads to Wales Health & Wellness
♥2 US: Lab Tests May Show Cause of Legionnaires' Outbreak Health & Wellness
♥3 U.K. justice agency lost 45,000 personal records in past fiscal year UK & Euro-Asian News
♥3 Iranian road accident kills 30 Afghan migrants Middle East Madness
♥4 New Study Shows False Memories Affect Behavior Health & Wellness
♥3 Oops, it happened again: Home Office loses confidential data on all UK prisoners UK & Euro-Asian News
♥2 Finland salmonella outbreak may have Kildare plant links Health & Wellness
♥2 US: ICON opposes relocation of Plum Island research lab Health & Wellness
Home Page
Health Page
Read this and weep
At JFK Airport, Denying Basic Rights Is Just Another Day at the Office
I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria. What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me.
By Emily Feder, AlterNet. Posted August 18, 2008.
I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria. What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me.
By Emily Feder, AlterNet. Posted August 18, 2008.
More douchebaggery by the GOP
I noticed in the DIGG articles on the side bar that the assertion that proper tire inflation in your car in order to get improved fuel efficiency is still an issue in GOP politics. I suppose that no Republicans ever worked in the car industry because it's a well known fact among car people that proper inflation does save gas. If you want better gas mileage and don't mind a bumpy ride you can over-inflate your tires for long trips. Not only that, it's a good idea to replace your air filter yearly or clean it out for more fuel efficiency. It boggles the mind that there is even a discussion about this.
You would think that all those blow hard gas bag politicians would be on board with the suggestion that all Americans check their tire pressure especially while gasoline is expensive. One blow hard gas bag, Newt Gingrich was on Hannity asserting that filling your tires with air benefits big oil because you have to pay for it, not realizing that it's the gas station owners who make money at the air pumps if they have one of those machines that takes money. And it is not like you have to check your tires every single time you fill up your car. What a tool Gingrich is. It's really no wonder that people who watch Faux News are so ill informed about almost every aspect of life in general.
----------
PS. It's a good idea to use a tire gauge because sometimes the air machines at some gas stations don't work properly and you may be letting air out of your tires. You can also save money if you check different stations to see who offers free air.
You would think that all those blow hard gas bag politicians would be on board with the suggestion that all Americans check their tire pressure especially while gasoline is expensive. One blow hard gas bag, Newt Gingrich was on Hannity asserting that filling your tires with air benefits big oil because you have to pay for it, not realizing that it's the gas station owners who make money at the air pumps if they have one of those machines that takes money. And it is not like you have to check your tires every single time you fill up your car. What a tool Gingrich is. It's really no wonder that people who watch Faux News are so ill informed about almost every aspect of life in general.
----------
PS. It's a good idea to use a tire gauge because sometimes the air machines at some gas stations don't work properly and you may be letting air out of your tires. You can also save money if you check different stations to see who offers free air.
Wednesday, August 20
Some like it hot....How about you? Would you prefer a global warming or a global cooling?
From Ice Age to Global Warming in 30 years a brief on line opinion back in February by Richard Castles.
This recent Post by Mr. Castles really has me thinking now......
WOW can this guy write!
Here is his latest essay:
It's the end of the world (as we know it)
(Now I'm thinking that Al Gore REALLY DID invent the internet in order to fuel the global warming myth)
I don't know about the rest of the country but 60 degrees today, here in Mark Twain's hometown of Hartford, CT?
Mark Twain wrote, "If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes." I know that.......but it's August -- THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER -- it's supposed to be too hot to sleep.
I'm so confused.
This video is a collection of quotes from the 1970's supporting global cooling. You remember the 70's? Back before the internet - you know, when the music was cool. You might want to turn the volume down while watching. The song is "cool" but annoying while your trying to read the video presentation. (I would have picked this song)
Global Cooling: The Coming Ice Age
"George Kukla: The only thing to worry about [with global warming] is the damage that can be done by worrying. Why are some scientists worried? Perhaps because they feel that to stop worrying may mean to stop being paid."
related stories:
Evidence doesn't bare out alarmist claims of global warming
The Ice Age Cometh from 2002
Last Ice Age happened in less than a year say scientists
*****From Prison Planet Today -
Scientist Predicts Ice Age Within 10 Years
So, if an Ice age is coming soon, makes sense that these two are changing their tune about drilling- eh?
Hey, I wonder what effect global cooling would (will?) have on the oil speculators I mean the market?
This recent Post by Mr. Castles really has me thinking now......
WOW can this guy write!
Here is his latest essay:
It's the end of the world (as we know it)
(Now I'm thinking that Al Gore REALLY DID invent the internet in order to fuel the global warming myth)
I don't know about the rest of the country but 60 degrees today, here in Mark Twain's hometown of Hartford, CT?
Mark Twain wrote, "If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes." I know that.......but it's August -- THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER -- it's supposed to be too hot to sleep.
I'm so confused.
This video is a collection of quotes from the 1970's supporting global cooling. You remember the 70's? Back before the internet - you know, when the music was cool. You might want to turn the volume down while watching. The song is "cool" but annoying while your trying to read the video presentation. (I would have picked this song)
Global Cooling: The Coming Ice Age
"George Kukla: The only thing to worry about [with global warming] is the damage that can be done by worrying. Why are some scientists worried? Perhaps because they feel that to stop worrying may mean to stop being paid."
related stories:
Evidence doesn't bare out alarmist claims of global warming
The Ice Age Cometh from 2002
Last Ice Age happened in less than a year say scientists
*****From Prison Planet Today -
Scientist Predicts Ice Age Within 10 Years
So, if an Ice age is coming soon, makes sense that these two are changing their tune about drilling- eh?
Hey, I wonder what effect global cooling would (will?) have on the oil speculators I mean the market?
Why polls are soooo important to the voting challenged of Amurika!
Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election
Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election
Baiting the Bear
Way back in the day, quite a few countries throughout the world used to practice various blood sports. And no, I'm not talking football or even rugby. I'm talking about animal blood sports.
One of the very popular animal sports was the practice of bear baiting. A tethered bear in a pit would be set upon by a pack of hunting dogs (mastiffs or pit bulls or some equally large and nasty breed - you didn't see dachshunds in the pit). As the dogs attempted to bring down and kill the bear, the bear would do its best to defend itself by injuring or killing the dogs.
Fun, eh?
The sport attracted a lot of people and the betting on it was fierce and very lucrative. Henry VIII fancied it, and even his youngest daughter Elizabeth I would attend a bear baiting every now and then.
So what does this have to do with anything?
The Bear is also the traditional animal symbol for Russia (which is odd, as the old Imperial symbol was the two-headed Byzantine eagle, and said eagle has reappeared on the state coat of arms).
And we (the United States and NATO) are baiting the bear.
The Russian people have a couple of character traits that make them a wee bit touchy whenever another power starts drawing its sphere of influence's boundaries too closely. This is usually regarded as paranoia, but let's face facts - if your country had been invaded by everyone from Huns and Mongols to French and Germans over the centuries, you'd get a little edgy too.
Since the collapse of the Warsaw Pact in the late 80s and early 90s and the dissociation of the Soviet Union, Russia has seen NATO drawing ever more eastward until its member countries either touch Russian borders or are very close to it. Georgia's abortive membership in the North Atlantic Alliance was the last straw, and all it took was a spark to induce the Russian Federation to draw a line in the sand.
A spark that Georgia's President was all too happy to provide, sending Georgian troops into South Ossetia.
The response was swift and overwhelming (the Russians have never been known for either a feline touch or for doing things by halves), and the Russian Army now sits about 40 miles away from the Georgian capital. Georgia's military, trained by Ukraine and equipped by the United States, was routed and now the Russians are gleefully confiscating US-made Humvees. President Saakashvili's overheated rhetoric notwithstanding, I seriously doubt that we'll be coming to Georgia's aid militarily.
NATO membership would be off the table as well, if it weren't for the US and Germany (of all people) actively suggesting it. If Georgia becomes a full member of the Alliance, any Russian soldier who so much as sneezes on Georgian territory will activate the collective defense clause.
That clause is what has NATO troops fighting alongside us in Afghanistan, by the way - an attack on one is an attack on all.
Now we have just inked an agreement with Poland (a NATO member) to base Patriot interceptor missiles on Polish territory as part of an illusory "missile defense shield." The great flaw in this idea is that the missile has only a 45-mile range, and the missiles they're supposed be intercepting (Iranian, mind you) can't reach as far as Poland or Western Europe. The bigger flaw is that the Patriot isn't the most accurate beast in the thicket, and the best way to defeat it is to overwhelm it; i.e., throw a whole cloud of missiles at it - a few will get through regardless.
The Russians, understandably, are irritated. Poland has been part of the Russian sphere of influence since the First Partition back in the early 18th Century, and the only thing separating Poland from Russia now is Belarus (which is sympathetic to Moscow, not Warsaw). A Russian general has even intimated that Poland may come under attack so that Russia can get those missiles out of its front yard.
The neocons are loving this - they get their Cold War rhetoric back and denounce the Russians, even as the military-industrial complex the neocons actually serve begins salivating at the prospect of huge defense contracts.
But what happens if Russia calls the US bluff, and does attack Poland? Is NATO prepared to go to war as part of its collective defense policy over a few missile launchers that everyone already believes to be a deliberate provocation?
Or will it cause the Alliance to shatter?
Stay tuned, boys and girls. I'll order pizza and a pitcher of beer.
One of the very popular animal sports was the practice of bear baiting. A tethered bear in a pit would be set upon by a pack of hunting dogs (mastiffs or pit bulls or some equally large and nasty breed - you didn't see dachshunds in the pit). As the dogs attempted to bring down and kill the bear, the bear would do its best to defend itself by injuring or killing the dogs.
Fun, eh?
The sport attracted a lot of people and the betting on it was fierce and very lucrative. Henry VIII fancied it, and even his youngest daughter Elizabeth I would attend a bear baiting every now and then.
So what does this have to do with anything?
The Bear is also the traditional animal symbol for Russia (which is odd, as the old Imperial symbol was the two-headed Byzantine eagle, and said eagle has reappeared on the state coat of arms).
And we (the United States and NATO) are baiting the bear.
The Russian people have a couple of character traits that make them a wee bit touchy whenever another power starts drawing its sphere of influence's boundaries too closely. This is usually regarded as paranoia, but let's face facts - if your country had been invaded by everyone from Huns and Mongols to French and Germans over the centuries, you'd get a little edgy too.
Since the collapse of the Warsaw Pact in the late 80s and early 90s and the dissociation of the Soviet Union, Russia has seen NATO drawing ever more eastward until its member countries either touch Russian borders or are very close to it. Georgia's abortive membership in the North Atlantic Alliance was the last straw, and all it took was a spark to induce the Russian Federation to draw a line in the sand.
A spark that Georgia's President was all too happy to provide, sending Georgian troops into South Ossetia.
The response was swift and overwhelming (the Russians have never been known for either a feline touch or for doing things by halves), and the Russian Army now sits about 40 miles away from the Georgian capital. Georgia's military, trained by Ukraine and equipped by the United States, was routed and now the Russians are gleefully confiscating US-made Humvees. President Saakashvili's overheated rhetoric notwithstanding, I seriously doubt that we'll be coming to Georgia's aid militarily.
NATO membership would be off the table as well, if it weren't for the US and Germany (of all people) actively suggesting it. If Georgia becomes a full member of the Alliance, any Russian soldier who so much as sneezes on Georgian territory will activate the collective defense clause.
That clause is what has NATO troops fighting alongside us in Afghanistan, by the way - an attack on one is an attack on all.
Now we have just inked an agreement with Poland (a NATO member) to base Patriot interceptor missiles on Polish territory as part of an illusory "missile defense shield." The great flaw in this idea is that the missile has only a 45-mile range, and the missiles they're supposed be intercepting (Iranian, mind you) can't reach as far as Poland or Western Europe. The bigger flaw is that the Patriot isn't the most accurate beast in the thicket, and the best way to defeat it is to overwhelm it; i.e., throw a whole cloud of missiles at it - a few will get through regardless.
The Russians, understandably, are irritated. Poland has been part of the Russian sphere of influence since the First Partition back in the early 18th Century, and the only thing separating Poland from Russia now is Belarus (which is sympathetic to Moscow, not Warsaw). A Russian general has even intimated that Poland may come under attack so that Russia can get those missiles out of its front yard.
The neocons are loving this - they get their Cold War rhetoric back and denounce the Russians, even as the military-industrial complex the neocons actually serve begins salivating at the prospect of huge defense contracts.
But what happens if Russia calls the US bluff, and does attack Poland? Is NATO prepared to go to war as part of its collective defense policy over a few missile launchers that everyone already believes to be a deliberate provocation?
Or will it cause the Alliance to shatter?
Stay tuned, boys and girls. I'll order pizza and a pitcher of beer.
Cloris Leachman - Bob Saget Roast
I didn't mean to watch this show last night while surfing, but when I saw one of my ALL TIME favorite comedians - Cloris Leachman - I kept watching (not a big Saget fan)
SHE STOLE THE SHOW!!!!
here's a clip of it - I hope somebody puts up her whole speech - she really fried them all!
SHE STOLE THE SHOW!!!!
here's a clip of it - I hope somebody puts up her whole speech - she really fried them all!
Surprising in a post 9-11 world
A new controversial billboard is going up in Massachusetts today. It says, "We Sell Guns! No ID required. No background checks. Criminals and terrorists welcome!"
But an area gun-rights advocate said the billboard's point is moot in Massachusetts, where there are very few gun shows, and restrictive gun laws require licensing and registration for all gun buyers. No one can buy a gun in Massachusetts without undergoing a background check.I learned from the article that the FBI destroys most records of gun purchases after 24 hours. This surprises me in the post 9-11 world we now live in. I can't bring a large tube of toothpaste in my carry-on luggage when I travel, but if were on the terrorist watch list and couldn't get on a plane, I can still buy an untraceable gun at a gun show in 32 states. hmmm. I'd have to register my dog, my car, my boat...
Tuesday, August 19
Joe Biden Bags Veep Spot
"I'm clean, I'm articulate, and I'm looking for a warm place to shit." -t.t.(I’m Joe Biden and I approve this message.)
(Old) Ladies Man Joe Biden to Run as Obama’s VP
Dream ticket: Joe and BO have only this election to blow…
It’s true! Joe "He’s Clean and Articulate" Biden is the clear frontrunner veep! Read more here.
Oh, that Axelrod sure knows how to stuff the hoop in the last three minutes of the game, and running Joe Biden on the ticket as Obama’s veep is one hell of a way to herd the blue haired Hillary ladies all back in the program!
What is Biden’s certain je ne sais quoi?
We don’t know, but the real question is: Who would you rather have a tumbler of Courvoisier with?
Imagine what Joe Biden --had he have been the frontrunner --- could have done to connect with all those popular voters in places like Ohio and Florida and Michigan. But there are at least two hints as to why a lot of blue-collar men and ladies might find Joe appealing.
Maybe it’s because he rides the train home to Delaware every night and knows all the conductors by name. Maybe it has something to do with his “hard-scrabble” Scranton, PA roots. Wait a minute…isn’t Scranton the same place that has the upscale deli where Barry ate the $99.00 lb. fancy Iberian ham? Who cares! Slam-dunk, Axelrod! (Show that other white-haired dude how the game is played.) The only important thing to remember about the Obama campaign’s “Iberian Ham incident” is
People want change back from their C-Spots. Even if it’s only one dollar.
Can this dream ticket pull it off and stitch back together the torn Democratic Party? Theda Skocpol’s excellent article “Partisan’s Progress” discusses Larry M. Bartels new book Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age that seeks definitive answers on what Americans really want in 2008 as they go to the polls:
“The task Democrats face is to stitch together (often narrow) majorities in industrial states with victories on the coasts where ethnic minorities and upper-middle-class professionals weigh more heavily in their support base. Blue-collar unions have declined since the 1970s, while advocacy groups pushing minority and lifestyle issues have proliferated, reshaping public agendas. No wonder progressives have a hard time offering a clear set of compelling policies to economically struggling citizens.”
Hold onto your hats, spacefans! Joe just may be the RIGHT old-white haired dude the world's been waiting for to help make Barry realize his dreams of becoming the first black man ever elected to the White House.
-2Truthy
Tapped Out? Can't Borrow Against the House? Noooo Problem!
"The New ATM: Your IRA and 401K Plans"
Al Martin's got the poop over at Conspiracy Planet.
"...the new pro-Bush faction Republican initiative would allow debit cards to be linked to IRA, 401K, and other plans."
"...the Bush Cheney Regime is desperate to maintain consumption in this country. Consumption is now falling sharply.
"Also we see that retail sales numbers and personal consumption numbers continue to fall and gross domestic product are now in minus figures."
Uh, a banker friend of mine reminded me that if you pull money from funds such as these, you'll take a helluva tax hit also.
Al Martin's got the poop over at Conspiracy Planet.
"...the new pro-Bush faction Republican initiative would allow debit cards to be linked to IRA, 401K, and other plans."
"...the Bush Cheney Regime is desperate to maintain consumption in this country. Consumption is now falling sharply.
"Also we see that retail sales numbers and personal consumption numbers continue to fall and gross domestic product are now in minus figures."
Uh, a banker friend of mine reminded me that if you pull money from funds such as these, you'll take a helluva tax hit also.
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