More History not taught in the US

The Revolution was all about "No Taxation without Representation."
Book TV on C-Span2 on Sundays led me to the following book:
NPR : Schama's Revolutionary Tale: 'Rough Crossings'
I'm sure it's available on ebay, it's here at Amazom, and probably at a local library (or should be.)

Slavery was becoming illegal (oh, those activist courts) in England and they were offering freedom to any slaves in the Americas to fight against the rebels. The got their freedom (and then the shaft, of course) and then went on to practice democracy in Africa. The survivors anyway.

"Whichever route he had taken, and whatever the trials he was presently enduring, British Freedom's choice of name proclaims something startling: a belief that it was the British monarchy rather than the new American republic that was more likely to deliver Africans from slavery. Although Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, had blamed "the Christian King" George III for the institution of slavery in America, blacks like British Freedom did not see the king that way at all. On the contrary, he was their enemy's enemy and thus their friend, emancipator and guardian."

It wasn't about freedom, like ever since, it was all about money.

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Not covered by the MSM

NEWS YOU WON'T FIND ON CNN

[HAVE TO GIVE KUDO"S TO AN EXCELLENT SOURCE]

Bush Has Killed More Americans Than Were Slaughtered On 9/11 9/11 Total American's Killed 2,740 Bush Total Of U.S. Military Personnel Killed Iraq 2554 Afghanistan 319 Total 2873 In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) Join our Daily News Headlines Email Digest Fill out your emailaddress to receive our newsletter! SubscribeUnsubscribe Powered by YourMailinglistProvider.com HOME COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Open your eyes to why we're at war

I appreciate when someone goes out and does the research:

"The Bush White House is a wholey owned subsidiary of Weapons R Us. The National Institute for Public Policy, which hired several so-called thinkers from weapons makers has three alumni in the Bush Administration. The Center for Security Policy, which has 8 weapons executives on its board, has 22 former board members or associates in the Bush Cheney gang. Thirty-two major appointees in the Bush Administration are former executives, consultants, or significant shareholders of weapons companies. Seven members of the Bush Administration came from Northrop Grumman and eight from Lockheed Martin - on whose board Dick Cheney's wife served until 2001, receiving a half a million dollars for whatever it was she did."

David Swanson has done an excellent job of research into why we've been at war since before my birth and if we don't get an independent media, long after our bones are dust. While he places the obvious connections to the current andministration, this pattern was in play long before Eisenhower gave us his closing act warning. Our culture has long been a lifelong indoctrination into the rah, rah, defense of the flag with some current evil we have to conquer from the heathens at our founding to the almost omnipotent "terarists" of today.
I really like his renaming of our war department from "Department of Defense" to "Department of Attack."

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A slaughter of innocents

25 Israelites have been killed and 13 were civilians…240 Lebanese have been killed and 14 were not civilians.

The MSM (thank you: Link TV & FreeSpeech TV), taking advantage of American ignorance, lack of curiosity, and inability to connect the dots, begins each report with the statement of the Israeli “response” to the Arabic “attack.” Never do they remember that the Arabic “attack” was in response to an Israeli action. This latest incident bears witness in that it actually began with the killing of a Palestinian family on a beach in Gaza as pertains to that local and the abduction of a Doctor and his son from Lebanon a few days prior to the taking of the two soldiers at that border.

France, England, and every other country with tourists there have managed, quite quickly, to evacuate their citizens. The US? Truly Katrina like in appearance, lacking. Sacrificial lambs, offered by the Resident, to give an excuse to involve our military, in reality. Any excuse to keep our world at war. Hey, at the least, Israel has to replace all those missiles and bombs! War profits drive the economy! At least they fill the pockets of the Resident's buddies.


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Vacation?

I haven't been posting. Too despondent. Link to video below got me in the mood once again. My own little spark against the lightening and thunder of the MSM.

I know the Resident is supposed to be dealing with worldly matters at the G8, but it looks to me he's taking an early vacation. The world is exploding and all he can get his mind around is dinner. Meanwhile our political parties are chomping at the bit, as exemplified by Gingrich and Biden on "Meet the Press," to take the US into war on the behest of Isreal.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video is worth a million. Or, a whole lot more than any thing oozing from the lips of the Resident.

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Net Nutrality

Two Reps from Texas Abstained from voting on the two votes on the COPE act last week. On the overall bill, two voted against it. On the amendment it was 100% against Net Nutrality

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Bad Propaganda leaves too many questions

If this is all the damage two 500 lb bombs can do, we've been fleeced once again .

IDed by Tattoos? They are forbidded to Muslims.
[correction (6/16/06): OK, he was a thug before he became a muslim.]

Who really benefits by his death? Four US soldiers also died yesterday.

Ideas are so difficult argue and hold that the government gives us figureheads to hate. Whoopee! We killed the head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Of course with the same two bombs they created a new martyr. Besides, the job vacancy will soon be filled. Zarqawi was created by the Pentagon and when his death became more useful to the interests of the war machine he was killed.

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A New King is Dead

“The King is Dead! The King is Dead! Long live ______ (don’t worry, the propaganda arm of the Resident’s handlers will soon fill in the blank), the new King!”
“We got him! We got him! The most dangerous man in Iraq! We got him!”
Of course nothing on the ground will change, other than a new Martyr has been created.

Meanwhile, the most dangerous man in America is First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to declare his refusal to serve in Iraq. He justifies his refusal to deploy to Iraq based on constitutional and legal grounds. The danger he poses is not to America, but to the government currently in power. Or rather, the cabal holding the reins. Vietnam ended not when the protesters entered the streets, but when the soldiers refused to enter the fight. The power structure doesn’t recognize the grunts, they are cannon fodder. The officers are a different matter, they are part of the ruling class. Wait, America is a classless society! Yeah, right. If you believe that, there’s this nice little bridge in Brooklyn.

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Time to Bash Gay Marrige or something

Found this, along with song lyrics from a lead on IN YOUR FACE RADIO.net

Picture is posted on Huffington Post.

When you got nothing else to offer and fear isn't working, try hate.

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Bitching on the Blogs

As I peruse the Blogs one sad item of note re-occurs quite too often. A diarist on “Daily Kos,” was ranting on how the tin-foil-demagoguery of Wayne Madsen was trying to miss-lead his readers as to the source of the $90 K found in the Rep.’s freezer. Reading said blog I realized that the ranter had miss-read the lead sentence. WM stated that,” the story of the 90 K,” was linked to Nigerian oil. The DK kid didn’t read the second word leading to his incorrect assessment as to the meaning of that sentence.

Seems to me that before you lambast a mote, you check the alignment of your own beam. I say let's focus the electrons on the fact that this is one Democrat as opposed to how many Republicans? THAT AND THE LEGALLITY OF THE SEARCH. FORGET ABOUT THE SEPERATION OF POWERS, WHAT ABOUT THE RIGHT OF DEFENSE TO HAVE COUNCIL PRESENT WHEN A WARRENT IS SERVED?

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2006 Elections

A good friend, Art J., sent me a copy of the Resident's resume. Most succinct appraisal of the Resident, yet. Should be required reading for all voters.

GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520

LAW & ORDER
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

MILITARY
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE/COLLEGE
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.
I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry, including Enron CEO Ken Lay, I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America. I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money. I set the record for the most
executions by any governor in American history. With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT
I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record. I invaded and occupied two countries at acontinuing cost of over one billion dollars per week. I spent the U.S.surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury. I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history. I set an
economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period. I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.
In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.
I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, had a Chevron oil tanker named after her. I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President. I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations. My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided overthe largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.
My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. But more time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.
I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed. I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S.history. I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts. I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history. I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.
I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history. I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission. I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and
thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention. I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election). I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television. I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history. I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less
than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.
I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.
I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community. I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for
active duty troops and their families-in-wartime. In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends. I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security. I am supporting
development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD. I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view. All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President,
attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

I am a member of the Republican Party.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN THE 2006 MIDTERM ELECTIONS.

We Haven't been attacked since 9-11

“We haven’t been attacked since 9-11,” the defining mantra in defense of all actions questioned by the population at large (when not proclaimed “Secret, due to National Security”), begets a question seldom given public discourse. Why, in the wake of that most horrible event has no penalty been paid by those who were in charge of the defense of our nation at the time not been held responsible for their dereliction of duty? Instead of even a minimal “Slap on the wrist” the failure of the secretaries of Defense, State, and Intelligence have been given promotions and medals. Non believers in the “Peter Principle” should hang their heads in shame. For those few unfamiliar with the Peter Principle, it simply states that one rises to his/her level of incompetence. I.e.: Once reaching their highest capability they are then promoted to a position for which they are incapable of fulfilling the requirements called for. In point of fact, this administration has taken it to a new level. Having already achieved the fulfillment of said principle and proven their incompetence, they are promoted to an even more demanding job.

We now have a new corollary. People having proven their disregard for the safety of the populace and the heart of our constitution are given more power to disabuse both. General Hayden’s appointment to head the CIA being the latest example, Negroponte’s being the most egregious, and Gonzales’ the most insidious. The checks and balances we were taught to revere in grade school don’t exist when the Judicial Branch is Ideologically driven to enhance the Executive and the Legislative only becomes concerned when the actions of the Executive directly impact the persons of that body, after having long ignored their actions on ordinary citizens privacy. Where was this indignation during the passage of the so called Patriot Act? You know, when the protections of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments were regulated and legislated to the status of inconvenient hamstrings to the powers of the State. I only wish they were as attuned to our concerns and grievances as they are to their large Corporate donors and their own private worries. It seems the only times this happens is election time and then only on a verbal level. It never reaches the level of policy after the election, but always goes back to the status quo.

The latest example is most revealing in that after years of ignoring corruption in government the Justice department focuses on a Democrat. I wonder what has become of their investigation on Prick’s Halliburton?

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Making Hay(den) While They Shun Signs - by Niranjan Ramakrishnan

Somehow I don't belive this author is taking into account the true motives of the so called "opposition" party. Seems to me they've been marching hand in glove with the Republicons and the Resident from day one.

John Nichols on Common Dreams has a more accurate take.

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The Policies of Hypocracy

Hypocracy, thy name is: "Resident Bush." [With many thanks to Arundhati Roy for this, among so many other enlightening moments.]

Yesterday, May 22, 2006, he spoke before one of his selected audiences and lectured South America, Bolivia and Venezuela in particular, on Human Rights, on focusing on short term goals without regard to long term consequences, and on interference in an other country's Democratic policies. Talk about complaining of the mote in someone elses eyes.

An actual cu' de ta in Venezuela orcestrated by the good old U.S.A. Transfering nucular technology to India. Lecturing on Human Rights after fighting The McCaine-Fiengold Anti-Torture Act (and then adding a signing statement stating that he did not have to abide by it if he didn't want to) and insisting on the extention of the Patriot Act (with its concomitant signing statement that excludes his compliance at his simple whim).

The audacity, the hubris, the unmitigated gaul of, "Do as I say, not as I do," from any other individual would be unbelievable. From Resident bush it has become par for the course. In the same speech in Chicago, he held Iraq up as an example of the splendors of Democracy. Never mind the the blood and gore and the occupation, those are just minor aspects of the process.

Unlike the majority of the U.S. public, when I listen to what he says through the Mainstream Media, I join Arundhati Roy in ROTFLMAO (ask a kid what that stands for), because I no longer have tears left for the damage this cariciture of a man does to this world. Yes, I know he's just the Figurehead, but I include the whole cabal as he wouldn't be such a nuisance without them. I'm still pissed at Ford the Fraud for pardoning the greater part of them without a proper trial. We almost had them then.

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Nothing to fear but fear itself

Where has all the courage gone, long time passing? I've been ranting about this since 9/11. Not on-line, but to everyone who was willing to listen. Before that day was over I was hearing about how we were at war because a small number of people had wrought a huge spectacle. Personally, I wondered (and said so) that I couldn't understand how two planes caused those towers to collapse when I clearly remembered the designer stating, prior to construction, that they would be built to withstand the impact of a 707 (the largest airplane at that time). Even if a 757 is larger, it's not that much bigger. Besides, they are basically oversized aluminum cans.

Not buying into the official story, I was not perplexed by the immediate hyping of the fear factor. Long a cynic, this was obvious to me as a play for power. All the pre-election "Terror Alerts" that have been non-existant since the 2004 election served to confirm my beliefs. This has become a nation of couch potato cowards.

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News about Iraq

Do you want to know what is happening in Iraq? Since we can't count on the US media, a Blogger in Iraq has been doing a great job informing us with her perspective. I'm worried because her last post was on the second of May. Iraq is becoming more like the U.S.A. every day. Dissent is frowned upon and all efforts to suppress it are made by the party in power.

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Finally: A rational article about "Bird Flu"

First a disclaimer. I do not agree in every instance with the proclimations and motivations of the author, but I believe she got the main point correctly. Bird Flue has been hyped to such an extent that the truth takes work to discover.

I've been wondering when I would get to read something credible about this so called "Possible Pandemic" destined to enrich Rumsfeld and put the Army on American streets. Resident bush is hoping for any excuse to declare marshal law and as the arcticle explains this offers a perfect excuse. Vauge symptoms and the only solution is to quarantine the "victims." Now we know why he's amassing that huge data bank. Got to have some way to differentiate which victims to quarantine. Following is a quote from the arcticle:

"Approximately 65 deaths in Asia (the main area this “disease” supposedly has affected) from Human cases of “Bird Flu” have been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the Internet World Stats (Usage and Population Statistics), the population of Asia is 3,622,994,130. That’s
56.4% of the World’s population. If we divide 65 (supposed deaths from “bird flu”) into 3,622,994,130 people in Asia, the answer is approximately 54 million. That means that in Asia there has been ONE death for every 54 MILLION people! - - - HARDLY the statistics necessary to predict a frightening
“Pandemic!” OR to call out the military forces! That would be similar to declaring an epidemic of “Bird Flu” in the United States with only 5 or 6 deaths in the entire country! That, of course, would be ridiculous! But why should we be surprised! George W. Bush is talking about declaring martial law and calling out the military when there has been NOT ONE SINGLE
DEATH - - - OR EVEN ONE PERSON INFECTED with “Bird Flu” in the entire country!"

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Global Warming

On a personal level I’m quite the optimist. Always have been as is exemplified by my chosen direction in life. I’m an artist. Although stuck in a wheelchair, paraplegic (paralyzed from the waist down), I live alone on twenty-five wonderful acres. On a public level, not so much, which is why I live on these twenty-five beautiful acres.

What started out as a favor to my mom, helping her fulfill a lifelong dream of finding a small plot of ground in the countryside, ended up with me purchasing a plot of ground adjacent to her purchase. After she died of complications from breast cancer I took over the stewardship of both parcels. First, we cannot own land, it owns us. Second, and even if the first point was arguable, (good luck), taxes preclude us from ever having clear title. Regardless, since 1986 I’ve been slowly moving towards self-sufficiency. My progress was hampered in 1991 when an accident put me in my wheelchair.

Friends have asked me how I chose this particular location, 160 miles from the Gulf coast and about 500 feet above the current sea level, and I’ve answered, "I was looking for soon to become beach front property." I signed on to Global Warming in the mid ’70’s. I insisted on three criteria from the real estate agent. In order of importance: Flowing water; Located away from paved roads: A southerly exposure. Well, as the song says, "Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad." People came here for water during the dust bowl days of the ‘20s and ‘30s from up to thirty miles away. It is over a mile from the nearest paved road. With the increasing price of gas, the distance grows daily. The slope of the land is gentle enough to render its Northern exposure irrelevant and with ever increasing temperatures probably a good thing.

When the economic crash comes I will at least have water and food. I’ve got plenty of firewood for those ever decreasing days when a warm coat will not suffice. I have space for those family and friends who have not prepared. While I may not have enough ammunition for my guns, I’ve plenty of raw materials to keep my crossbow functioning for generations to come.

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29 % and dropping.

Been trying to account for that 29%. I believe I'm begining to get a handle on it. Of course there's the ten per-cent at the top of the income pile. Although maybe 1% of them have opted out due to actually having a conscience.

I figure maybe 10% are the die-hard religous right that are so invested in Armaggedon and truly see the Resident as their best chance to bring it on.

It's that last 10% that stumped me for a while. For a while I thought that maybe it was Law Enforcement, but hell, the dinocrats are as big of fools for locking away the underclass. So I reckon, maybe 5% is a combination L&E and gung-ho military types unaware of real politics.

So I'm taking a wild guess on that last percentage. Contrary to past Republican goals, the government is growing at an unpresedented pace. These might be unemployed hoping to continue government growth in hope of getting hired.

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A Hero of Mine

A review of Kurt Vonnegut's last paid speaking engagement by Harvey Wasserman. If you read it, you'll catch a glimmer of a linguistic artist who changed my life by opening my eyes.

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