Nearly four centuries since the English abolished the Star Chamber, notorious for welcoming evidence obtained by “the rack and screw,” U.S. actions are pushing law back to those times.
Whether statements made under coercion are ultimately used to exonerate the guilty (as many fear in the case of Pearl’s killer) or convict the innocent (as we hope won’t happen to those at Guantanamo Bay), there is little hope of doing justice under the law while allowing the illegality of torture to infect case after case.
30 August, 2007
where is Congress?
Who is pushing for attacks on Iran? Israel and its lobby. Vice President Cheney. Sen. Joe Lieberman, who has been calling for air strikes on Al Quds camps for months. The republican War Party is facing lasting disgrace for having lied the country into an unnecessary war, and for having assured the American people it would be a "cakewalk."
U.S. strikes would be an act of war, rallying the Iranians behind the failing regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and igniting a long war the end of which we cannot see and the troops for which we do not have. Republcans are ignoring powerful arguments against a new war.
Iran and the United States would both pay a hellish price, and Iran at least seems to recognize it. Both the Iraqi and Afghan governments say Iran is behaving as a good neighbor. There is evidence Tehran's nuclear program is faltering, or being curbed. Iran is said to be making concessions to U.N. inspectors.
If there is a rush to war here, it is not on the part of Iran. As Bush is preparing for war on Iran, if he has not already decided on war, where is Congress, which alone has the constitutional power to authorize a war? Or has it given Bush and Cheney another blank check?
U.S. strikes would be an act of war, rallying the Iranians behind the failing regime of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and igniting a long war the end of which we cannot see and the troops for which we do not have. Republcans are ignoring powerful arguments against a new war.
Iran and the United States would both pay a hellish price, and Iran at least seems to recognize it. Both the Iraqi and Afghan governments say Iran is behaving as a good neighbor. There is evidence Tehran's nuclear program is faltering, or being curbed. Iran is said to be making concessions to U.N. inspectors.
If there is a rush to war here, it is not on the part of Iran. As Bush is preparing for war on Iran, if he has not already decided on war, where is Congress, which alone has the constitutional power to authorize a war? Or has it given Bush and Cheney another blank check?
republican say one thing do another
Once again, the republican party that embraces a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and blocks laws that would stop discrimination against homosexuals finds itself with a loyal foot soldier who votes one way and allegedly acts another.
Mr. Craig voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. He voted for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in 2004. Last year, he supported an Idaho constitutional amendment that prohibits gay marriage and civil unions.
Mr. Craig is yet another willing accomplice in the machinery of intolerance that has stunted the lives of many gay men and lesbians.
Mr. Craig voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. He voted for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in 2004. Last year, he supported an Idaho constitutional amendment that prohibits gay marriage and civil unions.
Mr. Craig is yet another willing accomplice in the machinery of intolerance that has stunted the lives of many gay men and lesbians.
28 August, 2007
more republican hypocrisy
Republican Sen. Larry E. Craig, Idaho, pleaded guilty earlier this month to misdemeanor disorderly-conduct charges stemming from his June arrest by an undercover police officer in a men's restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The undercover officer was monitoring the restroom on June 11. A few minutes after noon, Craig entered and sat in the stall next to him. Craig began tapping his right foot, touched his right foot to the left foot of the officer and brushed his hand beneath the partition between them. He was then arrested. His actions are common to those soliciting sex in restrooms.
In 2006, a gay activist said he had spoken with men who had sexual encounters with Craig, including in the restrooms at Union Station. At the time, Craig's office told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., that the allegations were "completely ridiculous."
The conservative senator has supported an amendment to the Constitution banning same-sex marriage and voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in the 1990s. Craig, who served in the National Guard, has also spoken out against homosexuals serving in the military.
The undercover officer was monitoring the restroom on June 11. A few minutes after noon, Craig entered and sat in the stall next to him. Craig began tapping his right foot, touched his right foot to the left foot of the officer and brushed his hand beneath the partition between them. He was then arrested. His actions are common to those soliciting sex in restrooms.
In 2006, a gay activist said he had spoken with men who had sexual encounters with Craig, including in the restrooms at Union Station. At the time, Craig's office told the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., that the allegations were "completely ridiculous."
The conservative senator has supported an amendment to the Constitution banning same-sex marriage and voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in the 1990s. Craig, who served in the National Guard, has also spoken out against homosexuals serving in the military.
27 August, 2007
reject republican neo-cons
On October 11, 2000 George W. Bush said, "I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building. I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win wars." Just one example of republicans saying one thing and doing another.
Our forces swept through Iraq and entered Baghdad in a combat crouch and there we stopped, as the neocons wanted us to, spending soldiers’ lives to build a democracy in Iraq.
Solution, fire the neocon republican republicans and reject their theories.
Our forces swept through Iraq and entered Baghdad in a combat crouch and there we stopped, as the neocons wanted us to, spending soldiers’ lives to build a democracy in Iraq.
Solution, fire the neocon republican republicans and reject their theories.
no end in sight
"No End In Sight" examines the manner in which the principal errors of U.S. policy – the use of insufficient troop levels, allowing the looting of Baghdad, the purging of professionals from the Iraqi government, and the disbanding of the Iraqi military – largely created the insurgency and chaos that engulf Iraq today.
How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions?
"No End In Sight" dissects the people, issues and facts behind the Bush Administration’s decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.
How did a group of men with little or no military experience, knowledge of the Arab world or personal experience in Iraq come to make such flagrantly debilitating decisions?
"No End In Sight" dissects the people, issues and facts behind the Bush Administration’s decisions and their consequences on the ground to provide a powerful look into how arrogance and ignorance turned a military victory into a seemingly endless and deepening nightmare of a war.
republicans wrong on Iraq
The danger now is that the longer the Iraq War goes on, the more skilled the new generations of jihadists will become. They're getting re-educated, The first generation of Al Qaeda came through the [Afghan] camps. The second generation are those who've logged on [to Islamist Web sites].
The danger now, says Arquilla, is that the longer the Iraq War goes on, the more skilled the new generations of jihadists will become. "They're getting re-educated," he says. "The first generation of Al Qaeda came through the [Afghan] camps. The second generation are those who've logged on [to Islamist Web sites]. The next generation will be those who have come through the crucible of Iraq. Eventually, their level of skill is going to be greater than the skill of the original generation."
The next generation will be those who have come through the crucible of Iraq. Eventually, their level of skill is going to be greater than the skill of the original generation."
The danger now, says Arquilla, is that the longer the Iraq War goes on, the more skilled the new generations of jihadists will become. "They're getting re-educated," he says. "The first generation of Al Qaeda came through the [Afghan] camps. The second generation are those who've logged on [to Islamist Web sites]. The next generation will be those who have come through the crucible of Iraq. Eventually, their level of skill is going to be greater than the skill of the original generation."
The next generation will be those who have come through the crucible of Iraq. Eventually, their level of skill is going to be greater than the skill of the original generation."
war on Iraq
The Iraq War has proved to be a black hole for the Americans, devouring men and matériel and absorbing the attention of the brass in Washington. The American military, understandably, puts a high priority on "force protection," but as a practical matter that means staying behind armor and barricades.
An ends-justifying-the-means rationale led to foolish and ultimately unsuccessful assassination plots and other dirty tricks that disgraced and demoralized the CIA. When you kill one person it's a multiplication factor. It demands that all the male relatives join the fight.
When you kill one person it's a multiplication factor. It demands that all the male relatives join the fight."
An ends-justifying-the-means rationale led to foolish and ultimately unsuccessful assassination plots and other dirty tricks that disgraced and demoralized the CIA. When you kill one person it's a multiplication factor. It demands that all the male relatives join the fight.
When you kill one person it's a multiplication factor. It demands that all the male relatives join the fight."
25 August, 2007
update Iraq
Iraq's vice president said Friday his Sunni political party will not return to its Cabinet positions unless their demands are met.
Three secularist ministers who were already boycotting meetings of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet will formally quit the government, their bloc said on Friday
The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes has soared since the American troop increase began in February, according to data from two humanitarian groups, accelerating the partition of the country into sectarian enclaves.
Three secularist ministers who were already boycotting meetings of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet will formally quit the government, their bloc said on Friday
The number of Iraqis fleeing their homes has soared since the American troop increase began in February, according to data from two humanitarian groups, accelerating the partition of the country into sectarian enclaves.
republicans need war to win elections
No pullout from Iraq while I’m president, declares George W. Bush.
On to Iran, declares Vice President Cheney. Israel is a “peace-seeking state” that needs $30 billion of US taxpayers’ money for war, declares State Department official Nicholas Burns.
The Bush regime says it is going to designate part of Iran’s military--the Revolutionary Guards--a terrorist organization, whose bases and facilities Bush intends to bomb along with Iran’s nuclear energy sites. Three US aircraft carrier strike forces are deployed off Iran. B-2 Stealth Bombers are being fitted to carry 30,000 pound “bunker-buster” bombs to use against hardened sites. Politicized US generals try to justify attacking Iran.
Meanwhile in America, while more money is poured into more war, condemned bridges collapse killing Americans who trusted their government to provide safe infrastructure. Devastated residents of New Orleans remain unaided. Financial difficulties deepen for more Americans as falling home prices and jobs lost to offshoring push more Americans into desperate straits. The US dollar continues to fall as the government’s war debts build up abroad.
On to Iran, declares Vice President Cheney. Israel is a “peace-seeking state” that needs $30 billion of US taxpayers’ money for war, declares State Department official Nicholas Burns.
The Bush regime says it is going to designate part of Iran’s military--the Revolutionary Guards--a terrorist organization, whose bases and facilities Bush intends to bomb along with Iran’s nuclear energy sites. Three US aircraft carrier strike forces are deployed off Iran. B-2 Stealth Bombers are being fitted to carry 30,000 pound “bunker-buster” bombs to use against hardened sites. Politicized US generals try to justify attacking Iran.
Meanwhile in America, while more money is poured into more war, condemned bridges collapse killing Americans who trusted their government to provide safe infrastructure. Devastated residents of New Orleans remain unaided. Financial difficulties deepen for more Americans as falling home prices and jobs lost to offshoring push more Americans into desperate straits. The US dollar continues to fall as the government’s war debts build up abroad.
23 August, 2007
republican war update
The number of U.S. Military Personnel sacrificed (officially acknowledged) in America's Republican war on Iraq is now 3722 in over five years, plus over 1000 contractors(mercenaries) and over a million Iraquis.
republicans creating a mercenary army
The big bonuses are creating a mercenary military in the US. The republicans no longer can count on loyal patriotic troops when they pay $20,000 for young poor kids to enlist in the Army.
To them, it's all about the money.
To them, it's all about the money.
republicans lying again
For months now, many re[ib;ocam conservatives have been fundamentally positioning themselves for the post-war era, readying the arguments that will blame the failure of the venture in Iraq on its opponents rather than its architects.
That Bush himself is switching from denying any analogy to Vietnam to now chosing to make the same case is the clearest reflection of the reality that the president knows perfectly well that the war is unwinnable, and blame-shifting now the best hope for saving his historical legacy.
These republicans are good at saying one thing one month and saying just the opposite the next.
That Bush himself is switching from denying any analogy to Vietnam to now chosing to make the same case is the clearest reflection of the reality that the president knows perfectly well that the war is unwinnable, and blame-shifting now the best hope for saving his historical legacy.
These republicans are good at saying one thing one month and saying just the opposite the next.
20 August, 2007
republican pretenders
Giuliani has issued some of his first pronouncements on foreign policy. The most dangerous would-be world leader is a man who doesn't seem to know how much he doesn't know. J
Judging from his foreign affairs article, the breadth and depth of his cluelessness are vast and disturbing, and is pretty much like the other republican contenders.
Judging from his foreign affairs article, the breadth and depth of his cluelessness are vast and disturbing, and is pretty much like the other republican contenders.
how they create dictatorships
Ask yourself: Would a government that has lied us into Iraq and is working to lie us into an attack on Iran shrink from staging terrorist attacks in order to remove opposition to its agenda? Bush already ignores public opinion and laws he doesn't like. His secret spying network is in place.
He has politicized all levels of government, appointing cronies who are loyal to him rather than competent officials. Has he been setting the groundwork for dictatorship?
Adolf Hitler, who never achieved majority support in a German election, used the Reichstag fire to fan hysteria and push through the Enabling Act, which made him dictator. Determined tyrants never require majority support in order to overthrow democratic constitutions. They declare "national emergencies." A series of staged or permitted terrorist attacks would accomplish that.
He has politicized all levels of government, appointing cronies who are loyal to him rather than competent officials. Has he been setting the groundwork for dictatorship?
Adolf Hitler, who never achieved majority support in a German election, used the Reichstag fire to fan hysteria and push through the Enabling Act, which made him dictator. Determined tyrants never require majority support in order to overthrow democratic constitutions. They declare "national emergencies." A series of staged or permitted terrorist attacks would accomplish that.
lone republican
Paul Craig Roberts is a Republican who served as undersecretary of the treasury under Ronald Reagan and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, so he's no kook or Commie. He warns, "Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the United States could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran."
more republican law and order
With habeas corpus a thing of the past, with arrest and detention without charge permitted, with torture and spying without court oversight all the rage, with prosecutors free to tape conversations between lawyers and their clients, and with the judicial branch now infested by rightwing judges who would have been at home in courtrooms of the Soviet Union or Hitler's Germany, for all they seem to care about common law tradition, the only real thing holding the line against absolute tyranny in the U.S. has been the jury.
republican law and order
Rove directed Federal Assets for GOP gains. His efforts to promote the President and his allies was unprecedented in its reach and in one case that has been uncovered, overtly violated the Hatch Act.
17 August, 2007
spying on us
Granted new power to spy inside the U.S., the Bush administration may be doing more than eavesdropping on phone calls -- it could be watching your every move.
torture
A British resident, Omar Deghayes, detained at Guantánamo Bay as an alleged terrorist, reports that he has suffered years of torture, sexual abuse and death threats. Last week, Omar’s family released a dossier documenting his terrible ordeal, which he dictated to a lawyer visiting the United States-run military prison.
Deghayes, a lawyer, aged 37 and married with a five-year-old son, has been incarcerated at Guantánamo Bay for years with four other British residents.
Deghayes, a lawyer, aged 37 and married with a five-year-old son, has been incarcerated at Guantánamo Bay for years with four other British residents.
army suicides
Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report.
our "republican guard"
The unprecedented attempt to label Iran’s 125,000-strong Republican Guard as a “specially designated global terrorist” group — is, as the congressman says “nothing more than an attempt to deceive Americans into yet another war — this time with Iran.” Mabe it's our "republican guard" that is a terrorist guard.
15 August, 2007
dirty republican politics
The whispering campaigns always seemed to spring up. That Ann Richards, Bush's gubernatorial opponent in Texas, was a lesbian. That John McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock. And the worst - that a Democratic state supreme court judge in Alabama who worked with troubled youths was a pedophile.
And finally, the attacks on the patriotism of those who opposed Bush's post-9/11 initiatives. Including war heroes, like former Georgia Democratic senator Max Cleland, who left three limbs in Vietnam. Rove, of draft age during the war, managed not to go. Yes, politics is a rough sport, and yes, Democrats do skeezy things too. But Rove is part of a generation of Republican consultants, along with the late Lee Atwater, that plumbed new depths.
The end result? His president is at 31% and will go down in history as a failure. The country is in worse shape, majorities of Americans believe, than it's been in quite a while. The Middle East is a powder keg. Terrorism is on the rise.
There is, though, a silver lining: Rove may have indeed played a part in bringing about a political realignment. It just won't be the one he had in mind.
And finally, the attacks on the patriotism of those who opposed Bush's post-9/11 initiatives. Including war heroes, like former Georgia Democratic senator Max Cleland, who left three limbs in Vietnam. Rove, of draft age during the war, managed not to go. Yes, politics is a rough sport, and yes, Democrats do skeezy things too. But Rove is part of a generation of Republican consultants, along with the late Lee Atwater, that plumbed new depths.
The end result? His president is at 31% and will go down in history as a failure. The country is in worse shape, majorities of Americans believe, than it's been in quite a while. The Middle East is a powder keg. Terrorism is on the rise.
There is, though, a silver lining: Rove may have indeed played a part in bringing about a political realignment. It just won't be the one he had in mind.
Republicans-hear this
Hamid Karzai, hand-picked by Washington to pose as president of the broken country of Afghanistan, says his government has "very, very good, very, very close relations [and] will continue to have good relations with Iran." He declares on CNN, "So far, Iran has been a helper" in fighting terrorism
winning hearts and minds
U.S. occupation forces also attacked Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City targeting "militants" they said are linked to Iran. Relatives said a 5-year-old girl was among four killed in the raid
prosperity for the rich
Multinational corporations sell our jobs to the lowest overseas bidders. The credit industry preys on our poor. The for-profit healthcare system is the leading cause of bankruptcy while hospitals dump indigent patients on skid row. Our country's infrastructure is breaking down from New Orleans levees to Minnesota bridges even as we are mired in a war that drowns us in debt and advances only the interests of big oil and arms merchants.
arrogant elitest Rove
In explaining the timing of his pending resignation, Karl Rove told the Wall Street Journal, "I'm not going to stay or leave based on whether it pleases the mob."
He means you and me, the people. Another arrogant elitest reublican who casts the voices of the people as a mob. Why am I not surprised.
He means you and me, the people. Another arrogant elitest reublican who casts the voices of the people as a mob. Why am I not surprised.
13 August, 2007
Iraq war strategy
How to defeat IED's? One step is to get soldiers out of the vehicles that have too often become their fiery coffins. "What does barreling down a highway at 45mph, peering through a dust-covered windshield, actually accomplish?" asked a retired general who declined to be quoted by name criticizing his former military colleagues.
religion and hatred
The Israelis are in Palestine against God's will. He threw them out in 70 AD. The Israelis rejected Christ, therefore they are by definition "antichrist". They work against Christianity furiously, every day.
According to the Qur'an: "Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are merciful to one another, but ruthless to unbelievers" Sura 48:29.
"Kill the Mushrikun (unbelievers) wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush..." Sura 9:5. Also see Sura 9:29
Religion breeds hate.
According to the Qur'an: "Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are merciful to one another, but ruthless to unbelievers" Sura 48:29.
"Kill the Mushrikun (unbelievers) wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush..." Sura 9:5. Also see Sura 9:29
Religion breeds hate.
follow the money
For four years, the no-bid contract awarded to Halliburton, Cheney's company, has been a magnet for controversy. The deal allowed the company to become the government's leading contractor in Iraq, and questions were raised over why it received the contract without competition. Then came the questions about money, which mounted as the tab soared into the billions.
Along the way Congress, pundits and bloggers galore focused on the use of the contract, known as Restore Iraqi Oil, or RIO I, to import oil into Iraq. This part of the deal particularly angered Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and other Democrats. In a July 2004 report, they asserted that Halliburton fees "increased the costs to the government by $167 million, an increase of over 90%."
Now comes an audit from the Government Accountability Office about RIO I and some $221 million in questionable costs -- questions raised by the venerable Defense Contract Audit Agency. Almost 80 percent of the questioned costs related to the import of fuel into Iraq.
Along the way Congress, pundits and bloggers galore focused on the use of the contract, known as Restore Iraqi Oil, or RIO I, to import oil into Iraq. This part of the deal particularly angered Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and other Democrats. In a July 2004 report, they asserted that Halliburton fees "increased the costs to the government by $167 million, an increase of over 90%."
Now comes an audit from the Government Accountability Office about RIO I and some $221 million in questionable costs -- questions raised by the venerable Defense Contract Audit Agency. Almost 80 percent of the questioned costs related to the import of fuel into Iraq.
trapped by republicans
The number Of Iraqis slaughtered Since the U.S. invaded Iraq is now 1,000,985, the number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (officially acknowledged) in America's War On Iraq is 3689, and
the war on Iraq costs now total $451,503,677,145. Republicans have trapped us in Iraq and we can't get out.
the war on Iraq costs now total $451,503,677,145. Republicans have trapped us in Iraq and we can't get out.
10 August, 2007
Iraq, a republican war
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is neither the largest nor the deadliest opponent. U.S. commanders say foreign fighters working with the predominantly Iraqi group are rare. Commanders estimate that there are as few al-Qaeda members, whose activities are mostly restricted to financing attacks in the area.
Iraq is divided into sectors representing different levels of threat, from different kinds of enemies.
"Any group you work with can turn on you," said a tribal liaison, noting that even Iraqi police units have attacked U.S.troops. "That is part of the operating cost."
"We are in the land of the blood feuds," said the liaison to tribes in the area. "It's very difficult to tell a tribal fight from a sectarian fight because interests are pretty mixed. You can't just put up a fence. Our basic mission here is to drive around and get blown up."
And we cannot get out of there because 70 percent of Repubicans STILL support Bush's war on Iraq.
Iraq is divided into sectors representing different levels of threat, from different kinds of enemies.
"Any group you work with can turn on you," said a tribal liaison, noting that even Iraqi police units have attacked U.S.troops. "That is part of the operating cost."
"We are in the land of the blood feuds," said the liaison to tribes in the area. "It's very difficult to tell a tribal fight from a sectarian fight because interests are pretty mixed. You can't just put up a fence. Our basic mission here is to drive around and get blown up."
And we cannot get out of there because 70 percent of Repubicans STILL support Bush's war on Iraq.
mercenaries
More than 1,000 civilian contractors have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion more than four years ago, according to Labor Department records made available Tuesday
Iraq
A senior British commander in southern Afghanistan said in recent weeks that he had asked that American Special Forces leave his area of operations because the high level of civilian casualties they had caused was making it difficult to win over local people
09 August, 2007
our war on Iraq
The U.S. military said about 30 suspected militants were killed in raids in Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City. Hospital sources said 13 more people were killed while police put the toll at 11, including women and children.
mad as hell
The notion that America is a government of laws, not men. It's "palpable nonsense of the highest order," he said. Government enacting laws is composed of necon republicans, who connive, misinterpret and pretty much operate ad libitum discharging their duties as they see fit for their own self-interest. We are "mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore."
over there, over here?
'They' are 'over there', where we must meet them with courage and conviction, lest 'they' come 'over here' once again, and do us real harm. This myth has served its purpose well enough - we are occupying Iraq and soon will Iran.
terrorism
During a week of mayhem in Iraq, in which terrorists have rightly been condemned for targeting schoolchildren, it is sobering to recall that this week is also the 62nd anniversary of a U.S. attack that deliberately took the lives of thousands of children on their way to school in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
republican idiocy
The war in Iraq is about to get worse -- much worse. It will sputter and stagger forward until the mission collapses. This will be sudden.
The security of the Green Zone, our imperial city, will be increasingly breached. Command and control will disintegrate. And we will back out of Iraq humiliated and defeated. Thank you republicans.
The security of the Green Zone, our imperial city, will be increasingly breached. Command and control will disintegrate. And we will back out of Iraq humiliated and defeated. Thank you republicans.
real threat
Early this morning China let the idiots in Washington, and on Wall Street, know that it has them by the short hairs. Two senior spokesmen for the Chinese government observed that China's considerable holdings of US dollars and Treasury bonds "contributes a great deal to maintaining the position of the dollar as a reserve currency."
traitor/infidel
Write on my gravestone: "Infidel, Traitor." --infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people
republican progress?
A new public opinion poll has found nearly two thirds of Iraqis oppose plans to open the country's oilfields to foreign companies.
A top member of the Iraqi prime minister's party says a law governing oil reserves should be delayed until occupation forces leave the country.
Afghanistan now exports not opium, but heroin. Opium is converted into heroin on an industrial scale, not in kitchens but in factories. Millions of gallons of the chemicals needed for this process are shipped into Afghanistan by tanker. The tankers and bulk opium lorries on the way to the factories share the roads, improved by American aid, with Nato troops.
A top member of the Iraqi prime minister's party says a law governing oil reserves should be delayed until occupation forces leave the country.
Afghanistan now exports not opium, but heroin. Opium is converted into heroin on an industrial scale, not in kitchens but in factories. Millions of gallons of the chemicals needed for this process are shipped into Afghanistan by tanker. The tankers and bulk opium lorries on the way to the factories share the roads, improved by American aid, with Nato troops.
08 August, 2007
real threat to US
Two officials at leading Communist Party bodies have given interviews in recent days warning - for the first time - that Beijing may use its $1.33 trillion (£658bn) of foreign reserves as a political weapon to counter pressure from the US Congress.
Shifts in Chinese policy are often announced through key think tanks and academies.Described as China's "nuclear option" in the state media, such action could trigger a dollar crash at a time when the US currency is already breaking down through historic support levels.
Shifts in Chinese policy are often announced through key think tanks and academies.Described as China's "nuclear option" in the state media, such action could trigger a dollar crash at a time when the US currency is already breaking down through historic support levels.
07 August, 2007
old Hitler and the new
He was a dictator. He made war on helpless countries. Ultimately, when he failed, he first blamed his generals, then his people.
Guess who? Hitler you say. Think again. Bush fits..We report,you decide.
Guess who? Hitler you say. Think again. Bush fits..We report,you decide.
heroism,homeland, fascism
The empty rhetoric of heroism is everywhere these days. You know what I mean. Pat Tillman -- the former NFL star -- is "an American hero," apparently because he volunteered for duty along with several hundred thousand other people, then had the misfortune to be accidentally shot by his own side.
A person upon whom the title 'hero' is bestowed has often performed no heroic deed whatsoever, but may receive the title merely in return for displaying loyalty and/or diligence. With time, the awarding of the title came to be used as a token to be disbursed or withheld according to political considerations. In other words, comrades, whenever it seems as if they're handing out "hero" medals for free, look out: There's usually a hidden price.
But there's a deeper reason to be wary of the "everyone's a hero" rhetoric. Simply put, it fits neatly alongside other terms beloved of the powers that be, such as "warrior" and "the Homeland": It's part of the language of fascism.
A person upon whom the title 'hero' is bestowed has often performed no heroic deed whatsoever, but may receive the title merely in return for displaying loyalty and/or diligence. With time, the awarding of the title came to be used as a token to be disbursed or withheld according to political considerations. In other words, comrades, whenever it seems as if they're handing out "hero" medals for free, look out: There's usually a hidden price.
But there's a deeper reason to be wary of the "everyone's a hero" rhetoric. Simply put, it fits neatly alongside other terms beloved of the powers that be, such as "warrior" and "the Homeland": It's part of the language of fascism.
delusional democracy
We have arrived at a delusional democracy. Delusional because Americans overwhelmingly cannot admit the painful truth that their limited democracy no longer works for the good of most citizens. Instead, through corruption and dishonesty, our representative democracy has morphed into a plutocracy that serves the wealthy, power elites and corporate masters that control the political system and through that the economic system
neocon repubican dictators
If you don't believe that these Republicans are (1) interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries, and/or (2) on their way to creating a dictatorship in our country, go to the White House Website and click on Executive Orders AND think about the implications and open doors for abuse these Orders afford these Neocons.
05 August, 2007
Judgment,politicians,Iraq
What is called wisdom in statesmen is understanding rather than knowledge — some kind of acquaintance with relevant facts of such a kind that it enables those who have it to tell what fits with what; what can be done in given circumstances and what cannot, what means will work in what situations.
Politicians cannot afford to cocoon themselves in the inner world of their own imaginings. They must not confuse the world as it is with the world as they wish it to be. They must see Iraq — or anywhere else — as it is. Of course, better information and factual criteria for decision-making can reduce the margin of uncertainty. Benchmarks for progress in Iraq can help to decide how long America should stay there.
The costs of staying will be borne by Americans and Iraqis, while the cost of leaving will be mostly borne by Iraqis. What does that lead you to conclude?
Our politicians in controlBut fixed ideas of a dogmatic kind are usually the enemy of good judgment. It is an obstacle to clear thinking to believe that America’s foreign policy serves God’s plan to expand human freedom. Ideological thinking of this sort bends what Kant called “the crooked timber of humanity” to fit an abstract illusion.
Politicians with good judgment bend the policy to fit the human timber. Not all good things, after all, can be had together, whether in life or in politics. must decide, and soon.
Procrastination is even costlier in politics than it is in private life. The sign on Truman’s desk — “The buck stops here!” — reminds us that those who make good judgments in politics tend to be those who do not shrink from the responsibility of making them. In the case of Iraq, deciding what course of action to pursue next requires first admitting that all courses of action thus far have failed.
In private life, you take attacks personally and would be a cold fish if you didn’t. In politics, if you take attacks personally, you display vulnerability In private life, we pay the price of our own mistakes.
In public life, a politician’s mistakes are first paid by others. Good judgment means understanding how to be responsible to those who pay the price of your decisions.
But fixed ideas of a dogmatic kind are usually the enemy of good judgment. It is an obstacle to clear thinking to believe that America’s foreign policy serves God’s plan to expand human freedom. Ideological thinking of this sort bends what Kant called “the crooked timber of humanity” to fit an abstract illusion. Politicians with good judgment bend the policy to fit the human timber.
Not all good things, after all, can be had together, whether in life or in politics.
Politicians cannot afford to cocoon themselves in the inner world of their own imaginings. They must not confuse the world as it is with the world as they wish it to be. They must see Iraq — or anywhere else — as it is. Of course, better information and factual criteria for decision-making can reduce the margin of uncertainty. Benchmarks for progress in Iraq can help to decide how long America should stay there.
The costs of staying will be borne by Americans and Iraqis, while the cost of leaving will be mostly borne by Iraqis. What does that lead you to conclude?
Our politicians in controlBut fixed ideas of a dogmatic kind are usually the enemy of good judgment. It is an obstacle to clear thinking to believe that America’s foreign policy serves God’s plan to expand human freedom. Ideological thinking of this sort bends what Kant called “the crooked timber of humanity” to fit an abstract illusion.
Politicians with good judgment bend the policy to fit the human timber. Not all good things, after all, can be had together, whether in life or in politics. must decide, and soon.
Procrastination is even costlier in politics than it is in private life. The sign on Truman’s desk — “The buck stops here!” — reminds us that those who make good judgments in politics tend to be those who do not shrink from the responsibility of making them. In the case of Iraq, deciding what course of action to pursue next requires first admitting that all courses of action thus far have failed.
In private life, you take attacks personally and would be a cold fish if you didn’t. In politics, if you take attacks personally, you display vulnerability In private life, we pay the price of our own mistakes.
In public life, a politician’s mistakes are first paid by others. Good judgment means understanding how to be responsible to those who pay the price of your decisions.
But fixed ideas of a dogmatic kind are usually the enemy of good judgment. It is an obstacle to clear thinking to believe that America’s foreign policy serves God’s plan to expand human freedom. Ideological thinking of this sort bends what Kant called “the crooked timber of humanity” to fit an abstract illusion. Politicians with good judgment bend the policy to fit the human timber.
Not all good things, after all, can be had together, whether in life or in politics.
Iraq-did you know?
There are documents of the Defense Intelligence Agency proving beyond a doubt that, contrary to the Geneva Convention, the U.S. government intentionally used sanctions against Iraq to degrade the country's water supply after the first Gulf War. The United States knew the cost that civilian Iraqis, mostly children, would pay, and it went ahead anyway.
phony war on Iraq, bridges falling down
Senior British officials tried to persuade the Bush administration to keep off Iraq and concentrate on Afghanistan, the real source of terrorist violence inspired by al-Qaida. Richard Dearlove, then head the British of MI6; and Eliza Manningham-Buller, then head of MI5. "I hope we can all agree that we should concentrate on Afghanistan and not be tempted to launch any attacks on Iraq,"
Now, Owais Ahmed Ghani, governor of Balochistan, said here on Thursday that it is the CIA and not Pakistan that should be asked where Osama Bin Laden is, since it was the CIA that recruited, trained and shepherded the future chief of Al Qaeda during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the ensuing conflict.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday the Bush administration is waging a "phony war" on terrorism, warning that the country is losing ground against the kind of Islamic radicals who attacked the country on Sept. 11, 2001. In an effort to get cannon fodder, latino teenagers, including illegal immigrants, are now being recruited into the military with false promises.
Meanwhile, with the billions spent in the war on Iraq, about 77,000 bridges across the US share the same "structurally deficient" rating as the one that collapsed over the Mississippi in Minnesota. DID YOU KNOW?
Now, Owais Ahmed Ghani, governor of Balochistan, said here on Thursday that it is the CIA and not Pakistan that should be asked where Osama Bin Laden is, since it was the CIA that recruited, trained and shepherded the future chief of Al Qaeda during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the ensuing conflict.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday the Bush administration is waging a "phony war" on terrorism, warning that the country is losing ground against the kind of Islamic radicals who attacked the country on Sept. 11, 2001. In an effort to get cannon fodder, latino teenagers, including illegal immigrants, are now being recruited into the military with false promises.
Meanwhile, with the billions spent in the war on Iraq, about 77,000 bridges across the US share the same "structurally deficient" rating as the one that collapsed over the Mississippi in Minnesota. DID YOU KNOW?
02 August, 2007
war on Iraq
The number of U.S. Military Personnel sacrificed (officially acknowledged) in America's War on Iraq now totals 3660.
And it's on to Iran as the Bush Regime outfits B-2 stealth bombers with 30,000 pound monster "bunker buster" bombs for its coming attack on Iran, the US economy continues its 21st century decline. While profits soar for the armaments industry, the American people continue to take it on the chin. As for Iraq:
What have Iraqis done to you? Did they invade you? Did they steal your homes? Did they imprison you? Did they torture you? Did they rape you? Did they occupy your lands? Of course, some of you will come and present me with your usual condescending, paternalistic, patronizing lists of political theories, attempting to explain the inexplicable.
And it's on to Iran as the Bush Regime outfits B-2 stealth bombers with 30,000 pound monster "bunker buster" bombs for its coming attack on Iran, the US economy continues its 21st century decline. While profits soar for the armaments industry, the American people continue to take it on the chin. As for Iraq:
What have Iraqis done to you? Did they invade you? Did they steal your homes? Did they imprison you? Did they torture you? Did they rape you? Did they occupy your lands? Of course, some of you will come and present me with your usual condescending, paternalistic, patronizing lists of political theories, attempting to explain the inexplicable.
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