The Truth Handler: 2007

Sunday, December 30, 2007

The McLaughlin Group 2007 Awards

Saturday, December 29, 2007

U.S. Spending More on Military Than Rest of World Combined

World Wide Military Expenditures

Sure, you're a fiscal conservative. History shows that empires fall when imperial desires cause erosion of the currency and a collapse of the economy.

America faces a diplomatic penalty as the dollar dwindles

At the end of a year in which the dollar has endured a marked decline against other currencies, an unsettling question is beginning to be voiced: can the troubles of the US currency be confined to the financial world or are they set to undermine Washington’s place on the international stage?“This is the neglected dimension of the dollar’s decline,” says Flynt Leverett, a former senior National Security Council official under President George W. Bush. “What has been said about the fall of the dollar is almost all couched in economic terms. But currency politics is very, very powerful and is part of what has made the US a hegemon for so long, like Britain before it.”

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Analysis - America faces a diplomatic penalty as the dollar dwindles

If you still support Bush for his "security" measures, at least admit that his fiscal policies are horrible and are destroying our international wealth and stature.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Bush Trying to Cover His Ass

The Bush administration has told a federal judge that terrorism suspects held in secret CIA prisons should not be allowed to reveal details of the "alternative interrogation methods" that their captors used to get them to talk.

U.S. Seeks Silence on CIA Prisons - washingtonpost.com

Bush doesn't even want them to talk to their lawyers about it. Gee, I wonder why?

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The Cost Of Bush: $32 Trillion

"The federal government's fiscal exposures totaled approximately $53 trillion as of September 30, 2007, up more than $2 trillion from September 30, 2006, and an increase of more than $32 trillion from about $20 trillion as of September 30, 2000," Walker said. "This translates into a current burden of about $175,000 per American or approximately $455,000 per American household."

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Keeping Pot Illegal Costs Taxpayers $40 Billion Per Year

Pot Prohibition Costs Taxpayers More Than $40 Billion Per Year, Study Says - NORML

What a waste of money.

Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm

Even though Donald R. Matthews put his sprawling new residence in the heart of rice country, he is no farmer. He is a 67-year-old asphalt contractor who wanted to build a dream house for his wife of 40 years.Yet under a federal agriculture program approved by Congress, his 18-acre suburban lot receives about $1,300 in annual "direct payments," because years ago the land was used to grow rice.

Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm - washingtonpost.com

Friday, December 21, 2007

$2 Billion Oil Deal Between Iran and China

US hits at Chinese oil deal with Iran - Financial Times- msnbc.com

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Predictions for 2008

As the end of the year approaches, it's time for another column of government overreach predictions for the New Year. What outrageous, beyond-parody grabs at power and erosions of civil liberties will transpire in 2008? My predictions:

FOXNews.com - Government Power Grabs: 'Predicting' 2008 - Opinion

Bill of Rights Under Bush: A Timeline

Bill of Rights Under Bush: A Timeline - MondoGlobo

Saturday, December 15, 2007

MUST SEE: Ron Paul on Jim Cramer's Mad Money

Friday, December 14, 2007

Guantanamo Bay Feds Caught Propagandizing Internet

The US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has been caught conducting covert propaganda attacks on the internet. The attacks, exposed this week in a report by the government transparency group Wikileaks, include deleting detainee ID numbers from Wikipedia last month, the systematic posting of unattributed "self praise" comments on news organization web sites in response to negative press, boosting pro-Guantanamo stories on the internet news site Digg and even modifying Fidel Castro's encyclopedia article to describe the Cuban president as "an admitted transexual" [sic].

Wikileaks busts Gitmo propaganda team - Wikileaks

U.S. sends 15 prisoners home from Guantanamo

Reuters AlertNet - REFILE-U.S. sends 15 prisoners home from Guantanamo

Does this mean we're admitting they aren't "evildoers," like Bush told us they were? He told us that all the guys down there were serious criminals and not to worry about us violating their rights. So, in fact, they SHOULD have had a trial so we could have figured this out years ago?

Saudi King Invites Ahmadinejad For Haj

Saudi King Invites Ahmadinejad For Haj - Media - New York Times

Bush's attempts to isolate Iran don't appear to be working. He is being successful in isolating us, though.

Bush Wrong on Every Decision He's Made Since Entering White House, but He's SURE Iran Hasn't Stopped Nuke Program, Despite Report from 16 U.S. Intelligence Agencies

TorontoSun.com - World - Bush: Iran has a 'secret' nuke program

White House Pressures EPA to Weaken Toxic Emission DISCLOSURES

The White House pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken requirements that companies annually disclose releases of toxic chemicals, congressional auditors say.

EPA was pressured to weaken toxic report rules | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

This isn't about Bush pressuring the EPA to ease up on regulations. It's about simple disclosure. Bush wants the government to be more secret.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Iraq rejects permanent U.S. bases: adviser

Iraq will never allow the United States to have permanent military bases on its soil, the government's national security adviser said, calling the issue a "red line" that cannot be crossed.

Iraq rejects permanent U.S. bases: adviser - Yahoo! News

So, the billions we've already spent on permanent bases there are just more wasted money.

US gives blessing to France-Libya nuclear deal

US gives blessing to France-Libya nuclear deal

So, Iran can't have nukes, but Libya can?

Bush Demands Iran Explain Nuke Program

President Bush on Tuesday called on Iran to explain why it had a secretive nuclear weapons program, and warned that any such efforts must not be allowed to flourish "for the sake of world peace."

Bush Demands Iran Explain Nuke Program

Is he delusional now? He's saying this just a few days after 16 intelligence agencies came out and said Iran does NOT have a nuke program.

Monday, December 10, 2007

The U.S.'s "Fiscal Cancer"

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Ron Paul, No Money from Corporate PACs

Only one House member received no contributions from the state's largest corporate PACs: maverick Republican Rep. Ron Paul, a libertarian and frequent critic of big business who currently is running for president."They're very aware that they cannot influence his votes one way or the other, so they generally do not bother to give him money," said Mark Elam, campaign manager of Paul's congressional re-election race.

Texas' top corporations stay loyal to GOP | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Isn't this issue THE most important issue facing politics right now? Everyone hates politicians. Why? Because their votes are "influenced" by various lobbyists. So, here comes a politician who has a 20 year track record of NOT being influenced by them. Doesn't this make it an obvious choice on who to vote for?

US leads world in jailing children for life

THE United States has far more juveniles serving life terms than
any other country — 2387.

US leads world in jailing children for life - World - theage.com.au

They hate us for our freedoms.

Military demanding bonus pay back from wounded vets

Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.” Jordan Fox of Pittsburgh was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, cutting his service short by three months. “A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.

Think Progress » Military demanding bonus pay back from wounded vets.

Scott McClellan says White House Lied about Plame Leak

In an excerpt from his book, Scott McClellan says George
W Bush helped mislead the public over the role in the affair of two
White House aides.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush 'involved' in CIA leak case

Australia & Poland Pull Out of Coalition of the Willing

Bush's disappearing alliance - Boston.com

The Republicans who would've impeached Bush?

The Republicans who would've impeached Bush? | Salon.com

Friday, December 7, 2007

All Candidates' Contributions from Lobbyists

2008 Presidential Election: "

$90,000"

George W's Words in 2000

Why the groundswell for Ron Paul?

"That force is less about Paul than about the movement that has erupted around him -- and the much larger subset of Americans who are increasingly disillusioned with the two major political parties' soft consensus on making government ever more intrusive at all levels, whether it's listening to phone calls without a warrant, imposing fines of half a million dollars for broadcast "obscenities" or jailing grandmothers for buying prescribed marijuana from legal dispensaries."

Why the groundswell for Ron Paul? - The Detroit News

Great article.

See What Old Cheney and W Say About Their Current Policies

Monday, November 19, 2007

Chavez Tells OPEC to Use Politics to Curb U.S. `Imperialism'

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Aren't you glad we're burdening our children and grandchildren with a $2.4 trillion bill, for a war designed to keep us dependent on oil, the product making these countries rich and keeping these guys in power? It's a brilliant strategy. Take out a ton of loans from China, which makes us vulnerable to their political whims. This then devalues the Dollar, which makes us more vulnerable to all other countries. OK, then with that loaned money, fight a war which triples the price of oil (which also puts pressure on the Dollar) and enriches some of the worst dictators on earth, all the while being a bully, which drives them together to join forces against us. Finally, enact policies which run counter to your rhetoric of spreading freedom and democracy, thus destroying the U.S.'s reputation, Constitution, and symbol of hope to the world all at once.
All these KNOWN, sunk costs have been spent on THEORY (one that no one should believe anymore) that if you kill SOME guys living in the desert who hate America and wish to do it harm, you will stop people from hating America and doing it harm.
It's time to bring them home. Can't you see we are making our country weaker and less safe? Our country's strength was in our financial health and our political example to the world. We beat the USSR with these things, not by invading and occupying.

U.S. Secretly Aids Pakistan in Guarding Nuclear Arms

U.S. Secretly Aids Pakistan in Guarding Nuclear Arms - New York Times

Sunday, November 18, 2007

GOP Senator Has Plan To Defund Maliki, Install New Iraqi Leader

TheHill.com - Graham may seek to pull plug on Maliki

Remember, we're spreading democracy...

Moscow pushes ahead with plans to supply Tehran with uranium

Russia
on Friday gave the clearest indication yet that it was ready to send
uranium to fuel Iran's first atomic power station, upping the stakes in
a diplomatic crisis surrounding Tehran's nuclear program.

Ynetnews.com

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Monday, November 12, 2007

Nobel Laureate Examines The Economic Consequences of George Bush

When we look back someday at the catastrophe that was the Bush
administration, we will think of many things: the tragedy of the Iraq
war, the shame of Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib, the erosion of civil
liberties. The damage done to the American economy does not make
front-page headlines every day, but the repercussions will be felt
beyond lifetimes.

The Economic Consequences of Mr. Bush: Politics & Power: vanityfair.com

Sunday, November 11, 2007

CNBC Post RP Interview Discussion

Ronald Reagan - A Time for Choosing

Isn't strange that the most popular Republican president had the same principles as Ron Paul. Remember that Ron Paul was one of the four Congressman to support Reagan's candidacy for president. You could just take Ron Paul's likeness and impose it on this video and it would be very hard to tell the difference.At the 4:00 minute mark, he denigrates those that would trade their freedoms for security. At the 17:00 minute mark he suggests that the U.S. gives too much money to countries in foreign aid, and that the money we give is used for illegitimate purposes.

Video: History of the Federal Reserve & Money in the U.S.

Money, Banking and the Federal Reserve

This video is 41 minutes long, but if you want to learn about the Fed, this is a good starting point. As Americans we hear a lot about how our country is based on free-markets and against central planning. But, as you learn more and more about how our system really works, you'll find we are a lot more "planned" than many think. The Fed is nothing more than a tool for the federal government to increase its spending secretly, without taxpayers realizing it. The inflation that creates is a tax. It is a tax not many talk about, but it one of the most important.

Ron Paul, "Only Candidate Talking About Monetary Policy"

Bush's Foreign Policy Collapse

Every aspect of Bush's foreign policy has now collapsed. Every dream of neoconservatism has become a nightmare. Every doctrine has turned to dust. The influence of the United States has reached a nadir, its lowest point since before World War II, when the country was encased in isolationism.

Bush's old world disorder | Salon

Health Care for Injured Vets to Cost $650 Billion

Senator Patty Murray and a group of docotors released a new report Thursday that estimates health care costs for our returning soldiers at $650 billion.
Report: Veterans health care costs around $650 billion | Local News | KING5.com | News for Seattle, Washington

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Millions undergo background checks under post-9/11 laws

Already this year, 25 million Americans have had background checks by the federal government, a number that's risen every year since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Ohio.com - AP

That's nearly 10% of all Americans, and around 20% of adults, maybe 30% not counting senior citizens...just this year.

In 1983 a Texas State Trooper got sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for waterboarding a suspect

NPR : Waterboarding: An Issue Before Mukasey's Bid

Great Q&A with Ron Paul

Q&A: Presidential Candidate Ron Paul - US News and World Report

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Interview with Ronald Reagan 1975

Reason Magazine - Inside Ronald Reagan

If you dismiss Ron Paul for his interest in gold, then do you dismiss Reagan?

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

White House Had Two Constitutional Standards

White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, was asked about events in Pakistan:

Q: Is it ever reasonable to restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism?

MS. PERINO: In our opinion, no.

Crooks and Liars » White House tells Pervez Musharraf to “never restrict constitutional freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism.”

It's not wrong when WE do it.

Poll finds GOP in worse shape than ever

Only 36 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the GOP “does an excellent or good job” of “standing up for traditional GOP positions” on issues like reducing the size of government, cutting taxes and promoting conservative social issues.That’s a decline of 25 points since July 2004. In fact, it’s the lowest Republican rating for the GOP since Pew began tracking the issue in 2000.And while the Democratic Party had only a slight lead in July 2004 as the party “better able to manage the federal government” and as the party that is “more honest and ethical,” today Democrats lead both categories by double-digit margins.

Poll finds GOP in worse shape than ever - David Paul Kuhn - Politico.com

Sunday, November 4, 2007

The Imperial Presidency

The way Bush sold the country on going to war against Iraq is well traced by Draper in quotations from speeches in late 2002. Saddam “is a man who would likely team up with Al Qaeda,” Bush said on Nov. 3. Later the same day: “This is a man who has had contacts with Al Qaeda. ... He’s the kind of guy that would love nothing more than to train terrorists and provide arms to terrorists.” The next day: “Imagine a scenario where an Al Qaeda-type organization uses Iraq as an arsenal.” And repeatedly, Draper says, Bush used the line: “This is a man who told the world he wouldn’t have weapons of mass destruction, promised he wouldn’t have them. He’s got them.”

Dead Certain - Robert Draper - The Terror Presidency - Jack Goldsmith - Book Review - New York Times

No email privacy rights under Constitution, US gov claims

On October 8, 2007, the US Court of Appeals granted the government's request for a full-panel hearing in US v. Warshak, centering on the right of privacy for stored electronic communications. The position the US gov't is taking, if accepted, may mean that the government can read anybody's e-mail at any time without a warrant.

No email privacy rights under Constitution, US gov claims | The Register

Collapse of Pakistan's Government Exposes Bush Hypocracy

General Musharraf’s move to seize emergency powers and abandon the Constitution left Bush administration officials close to their nightmare: an American-backed military dictator who is risking civil instability in a country with nuclear weapons and an increasingly alienated public.

Musharraf Leaves White House in Lurch - New York Times

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Canadian Dollar at 50-year High

Loonie hits modern-day high above $1.06 US

Poland Elections: New Gov't to Pull Troops Out of Iraq

Polish Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk said his future government would seek to end the nation's military mission in Iraq next year, according to an interview published Wednesday.

The Associated Press: Report: Poland May Pull Out of Iraq

International Coalition of the Not-So-Willing...

U.S. World's Biggest Debtor Nation (25 year ago, biggest creditor)

The mystery of the missing $2.9 trillion | csmonitor.com

To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders

The White House plans to try implementing as much new policy as it can by administrative order while stepping up its confrontational rhetoric with Congress after concluding that President Bush cannot do much business with the Democratic leadership, administration officials said.According to those officials, Bush and his advisers blame Democrats for the holdup of Judge Michael B. Mukasey's nomination to be attorney general, the failure to pass any of the 12 annual spending bills, and what they see as their refusal to involve the White House in any meaningful negotiations over the stalemated children's health-care legislation.

To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders - washingtonpost.com

Using more administrative orders to implement new "policy." I'm pretty sure that's not how Schoolhouse Rock told me the U.S. government works in its epic, "I'm only a bill."

China Rebuffs Israel on Iran Sanctions

China Tuesday rejected Israel's call for tougher sanctions against Iran.Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni met with Premier Wen Jiabao to ask China to support new sanctions against Iran. But Wen rejected the idea.

China rebuffs Israel on Iran sanctions_Politics—China Economic Net

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Hugh Hewitt and a Ron Paul Supporter

During WWII, U.S. Gives Japanese Officer 15 Years Hard Labor for Waterboarding "War Crime"

[In] 1947, the United States charged a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, with war crimes for carrying out another form of waterboarding on a U.S. civilian. The subject was strapped on a stretcher that was tilted so that his feet were in the air and head near the floor, and small amounts of water were poured over his face, leaving him gasping for air until he agreed to talk.

Pensito Review » Mukasey Won’t Say Waterboarding Is Torture But in 1947 the U.S. Called It a War Crime, Sentenced Enemy Officer to 15 Years Hard Labor

Monday, October 29, 2007

Katrina Aid Goes Toward Luxury Condos

Katrina aid goes toward luxury condos - USATODAY.com

This is how tax money works. Liberals assume it helps the poor, but the reality is that the rich figure out a way to make it work for them most of the time.

Blackwater Bodyguards Given Immunity!?

The State Department promised Blackwater USA
bodyguards immunity from prosecution in its investigation of last
month's deadly shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians, The Associated Press has
learned.

Immunity deal hampers Blackwater inquiry - Yahoo! News

Overloaded VA System Forced to Turn Away Veterans

"Two Tampa Bay veterans hospitals turn away critically ill patients for huge chunks of the year because of an overloaded veterans’ health care system."

Two VA hospitals forced to turn away patients - Army News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Army Times

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Turkey Launches Air Strikes on N. Iraq with Plane We Sold Them

Crooks and Liars » Turkish Air Force Strikes Targets Inside Iraq

Friday, October 26, 2007

Iraqi Government Budgeting Computer Down for a Month...No One Notices

The U.S. spent at least $38 million to give Iraq's government a computerized accounting system -- and no one noticed when it was not working for a month, a report said Wednesday.It was the latest in a series of reports from the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen Jr., that detailed slow progress on some projects and waste and chaos in the management of another.

azdailysun.com - National News

FEMA Holds Staged Press Conference Where Questions Asked by FEMA Employees

But something didn't seem right. The reporters were lobbing too many softballs. No one asked about trailers with formaldehyde for those made homeless by the fires. And the media seemed to be giving Johnson all day to wax on and on about FEMA's greatness...Of course, that could be because the questions were asked by FEMA staffers playing reporters. We're told the questions were asked by Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of external affairs, and by "Mike" Widomski, the deputy director of public affairs. Director of External Affairs John "Pat" Philbin asked a question, and another came, we understand, from someone who sounds like press aide Ali Kirin.

Al Kamen - FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be . . . FEMA - washingtonpost.com

Remember in elementary school when they told us that the U.S. had a government of, by, and for the people? I don't think that's true anymore, if it ever was.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The "Frightening Erosion" of Constitutional Protections

"This notion that presidents in our system of government don't have to carry out laws authorized by Congress is absolutely preposterous," the speaker said. "If that were the case - if Congress's laws are merely advisory - why would you need a veto?" A president who disapproves of a bill should say so in a veto message - that's why the Constitution gives him veto power. Bush's hundreds of signing statements are an "open power grab" that Americans should find intolerable. "We ought to be adamantly opposed to any claim that the president doesn't have to abide by laws that Congress has passed and he has signed."

Debating the scope of presidential power - The Boston Globe

Please read up and understand "signing statements" and their increased use.

Add a Portion of California Wildfires Damage to Cost of Bush's War

In California, half of the equipment the National Guard needs is not in the state, either because it is deployed in Iraq or other parts of the world or because it hasn’t been funded, according to Lt. Col. John Siepmann. While the Guard is in good shape to handle small-scale incidents, “our concern is a catastrophic event,” he said. “You would see a less effective response (to a major incident),” he said.

Think Progress » CA Guard Warned Of ‘Less Effective Response’ To Fires Due To Equipment Shortages Caused By Iraq

Bush (2003): War Will Cost $50 Billion

In the runup to the Iraq war in 2003, Bush administration officials said that forcibly changing regimes in Iraq should cost somewhere around $50 billion, and would be financed mostly through selling Iraqi oil...

"It's amazing to me that the President expects to be taken seriously when he says we cannot afford $20 billion in investments in education, health, law enforcement and science, but he doesn't blink an eye at asking to borrow $200 billion for a policy in Iraq that leaves us six months from now exactly where we were six months ago," House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-WI), said in a statement Monday.

Iraq, Afghanistan could cost $2.4 trillion - Oct. 24, 2007 - CNN.com

Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 10/24/2007 | Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ

House Budget Committee's Hearing on CBO's $2.4 Trillion Estimate of War Costs Attended by ONE Person in "Fiscal Conservative" Party

The House Budget Committee held a hearing today to receive testimony regarding the CBO’s estimate that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars may total $2.4 trillion. Only one Republican member of the committee attended. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) noted their absence:

Doggett: “I assume, by Mr. [Paul] Ryan (R-WI) being here, that every member of this panel, including every Republican member on that side of the aisle where all the seats are vacant, received notice about this hearing about the cost of war in Iraq?”

Spratt: “I’m sure they did.”

Doggett: “And when was this notice of the hearing sent out?” Spratt: “Seven days ago, as required by the rules.”

Think Progress » Conservatives too busy for hearing on Iraq war’s cost.

How Important are the Polls Showing Ron Paul with Low Numbers?

The Pew Research Center has released a new poll showing that 41% of Americans responding are unable to come up with the names of any Republican presidential candidates without prompting. In contrast, only 19% are unable to name even one Democratic candidate.

The Raw Story | Poll: 41% of Americans unable to name any GOP candidates

Group Sues KBR on Behalf of Taxpayers for Defrauding U.S. Whose Side Does DoJ Take? KBR's!

The People vs. the Profiteers: Politics & Power: vanityfair.com

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Global Poll: Country with Worst Influence? 1st: Iran 2nd: U.S.

Poll shows global opposition to Iran - and U.S. - Yahoo! News

CBO Estimates War to Cost $2.4 Trillion

The U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost taxpayers a total of $2.4 trillion by 2017 when counting the huge interest costs because combat is being financed with borrowed money, according to a study released on Wednesday.

U.S. CBO estimates $2.4 trillion long-term war costs | Politics | Reuters

...divide by 300 million, and that works out to $8000 per man, woman, and child. What's that, roughly $30,000 per household? Yeah right, Republicans are for fiscal responsibility. Bush actually had the gall to veto an infrastructure bill (to build U.S. bridges, not Iraqi ones we blew up) because it was $5 billion instead of $4 billion, then tout his diligence against the frivolous spending of congress.

Torture Directive Came Right from Rumsfeld

A recently disclosed FBI memo indicates that "marching orders" to abandon traditional interrogation methods came from Defense Secretary Rumsfeld himself.

Torture begins at the top - Salon.com

Monday, October 22, 2007

Muslim Terrorist Group Armed, Funded, Trained with American Tax Dollars

"It's scandalous," writes Klein. "In the midst of America's war on terror, the U.S. is perpetuating terrorism to the point where the most active Palestinian jihad group is carrying out regular attacks, including shootings and bombings, using American-provided weapons, funding and training."

WorldNetDaily: Accusation: U.S. trained terrorists

Benjamin Franklin Says Revolutionary War was Over Central Banking

“The Colonies would gladly have borne the little tax on tea and other matters had it not been the poverty caused by the bad influence of the English bankers on the Parliament, which has caused in the Colonies hatred of England and the Revolutionary War.”

How Benjamin Franklin Made New England Prosperous « Friends of the American Revolution

Bill Richardson (D) Suggests Linking Congressional and Presidental Pay to Deficit Reduction

Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson wants to link congressional and presidential pay raises to deficit reduction, though he acknowledged Sunday that the idea would never see the light of day.

FOXNews.com - Bill Richardson Links Congress' Raises to Deficit Reduction - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

Wait a minute, Republicans are telling me that Democrats are frivolous spenders of our tax money?

Bush Has Been Planning to Go to War with Iran for Years

Two former high-ranking policy experts from the Bush Administration say the U.S. has been gearing up for a war with Iran for years, despite claiming otherwise. It'll be Iraq all over again.

Print The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran That the White House Doesn't Want You to Know

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Garry Kasparov on How Oil Keeps Putin in Power

Plame's Job Was to Keep Nukes from Iran

CBS News has confirmed, in advance of a 60 Minutes interview with outed CIA agent Valerie Plame to be run this Sunday, that Plame "was involved in operations to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons."

The Raw Story | CBS confirms 2006 Raw Story scoop: Plame's job was to keep nukes from Iran

Friday, October 19, 2007

U.S. Government Spending as % of GDP (1929-2003)

Carried Away: U.S. Government Spending As a Percentage of GDP [Superseded]

The orange line goes from 3% to 20%. Are you trying to tell me the least-squares line for those lines isn't up?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Military Donations to Ron Paul Higher than ANY Candidate from EITHER Party

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, the congressman from the Houston area who opposes the Iraq war, has gotten more contributions than any other White House contender from donors identified as affiliated with the military.

Paul, Obama draw support from military voters | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Support the troops...support Ron Paul.

Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S.

Iraq has agreed to award $1.1 billion in contracts to Iranian and Chinese companies to build a pair of enormous power plants, the Iraqi electricity minister said Tuesday. Word of the project prompted serious concerns among American military officials, who fear that Iranian commercial investments can mask military activities at a time of heightened tension with Iran.

Iraqi Contracts With Iran and China Concern U.S. - New York Times

Yep, this wonderful foreign policy is really endearing the Iraqi government to the U.S. and U.S. companies.

Finnish Lawmaker Reveals U.S. Secrectly Building 14 Permanent Bases in Iraq

Jaakko Laakso told a group of Arab journalists-- who visited the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki recently-- that "the bases are not the bases the US government plans to build on the Iraq borders with Syria, but they are permanent bases located in the heartland of the country. "

Press TV

Ron Paul, Again, Raises More in Q3 from Soldiers than Other Republican Candidates

Ron Paul: $40,000
McCain: $21,000
Thompson: $20,000
Huckabee: $6,610
Romney: $5,710
Guiliani: $4,500

Ron Paul receives the most military donations among Republicans AGAIN in Q3 » The Truth @ The Spin Factor

I thought the Neocons were trying to tell me that if you wanted to end the war, you didn't "support the troops." But, the troops seem to support the guy who wants to end the war. How strange!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

DOD Sought Citizens' Bank Records

The American Civil Liberties Union said Sunday that newly uncovered documents show that the Pentagon secretly sent hundreds of letters seeking the financial records of private citizens without court approval.The ACLU said an analysis of 455 so-called national security letters issued after Sept. 11, 2001 shows that the Pentagon collaborated with the FBI to circumvent the law and may have overstepped its legal authority to obtain financial and credit records. The ACLU has been reviewing the letters and the accompanying documentation over the past few days.

ACLU: DoD sought citizens’ bank records - Army News

Monday, October 15, 2007

The Growth of the Federal Government

Today's economy is 8 TIMES more federal government spending dependent, compared to prior generations.

FSO Editorials: "Federal Government Spending Report - Update 2007" by Michael W. Hodges 10/09/2007

Bush Loves Bald Black Guys' Heads

Appointees Running Many Fed Agencies Just So Bush Can Avoid Congressional Confirmations

More than a quarter of the department’s 93 United States attorneys around the country are “acting.”At the top of the Department of Homeland Security, there is an acting general counsel, acting under secretary for national protection and acting assistant secretary for strategic plans. At the Department of Health and Human Services, the $600 billion-a-year Medicare and Medicaid programs have had an acting administrator since last fall.

White House Is Leaning on Interim Appointments - New York Times

Sunday, October 14, 2007

U.S. Ranks 41st in Maternal Mortality

The U.S. ranks 41st in a new analysis of maternal mortality rates in 171 countries released by a group of U.N. public health experts on Friday. The survey shows that even a developing country like South Korea is ahead of the United States.

HEALTH: Maternal Mortality Shames Superpower U.S.

Chart: U.S. R&D on Alternative Energy vs. Iraq

A sick graph @ Solar Power Rocks!

This is the chart that keeps Putin and Chavez in power, and hinders democratic reforms around the world. Oil at $90/barrel does not help the U.S. economy, nor its efforts to spread democracy and freedom around the world. Solar and wind power are democratic energy sources because they can be used virtually everywhere. They take political power out of dictators hands because who owns the land over oil is no longer important.

Bush Started Listening to Americans' Phone Calls BEFORE 9/11

Former CEO Says U.S. Punished Phone Firm - washingtonpost.com

For all you Neocon apologists who answer, "9/11" to any question as to why you're OK with Bush doing things contradictory to the Constitution, read this. His fascist, totalitarian tendencies were already there.

Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV'

Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products.

Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV' - Independent Online Edition > Americas

Wow. Add propaganda to the list now. How does this guy still have supporters?

US-Russia missile defense talks fail

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned President Bush's top two Cabinet officials on Friday to back off U.S. missile defense plans for eastern Europe as high-level talks yielded little more than a pledge to meet again.

US-Russia missile defense talks fail - Yahoo! News

We make them rich by staying dependant on their oil, we make them paranoid by having a unilateral, pre-emptive foreign policy, we give their leaders moral justification for spying, torturing, and detaining without legal representation of their own citizens, and we destroy the U.S.'s reputation as the shining beacon on the hill, so the citizens of Russia have fewer role models in the world with which to demand change...then we question why Putin acts so boldly and refuses to work with us.

Blackwater Guards Disarm U.S. Soldiers and Make Them Lie on Ground

The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV.

Does Blackwater Play By Its Own Rules in Iraq? - Newsweek: World News - MSNBC.com

Blackwater Guards Fired At Fleeing Civilians

Blackwater USA guards shot at Iraqi civilians as they tried to drive away from a Baghdad square on Sept. 16, according to a report compiled by the first U.S. soldiers to arrive at the scene, where they found no evidence that Iraqis had fired weapons.

Soldiers: Blackwater guards fired at fleeing cars - Washington Post - MSNBC.com

US General Damns Iraq 'Nightmare'

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US general damns Iraq 'nightmare'

Gen Ricardo Sanchez: US leaders "incompetent" and "corrupted". Calls Iraq "a nightmare with no end in sight".

Nevada Straw Poll: Romney Shows Up, Ron Paul Wins

Ron Paul won the GOP presidential straw poll conducted by organizers at the Conservative Leadership Conference held at the Nugget Casino this weekend “by a large margin,” according to an organizer.Paul won with 32 percent, McCain came in second with 17 percent, Hunter was third with 15 percent, and "Romney was in the lower numbers because people came out for his event but they just didn't vote for him," according to organizer and McCain operative Paul Jackson.

Despite Showing Up In Person, Romney Loses Nev. Straw Poll - First Read - msnbc.com

Friday, October 12, 2007

NSA punishes Qwest for refusing to spy on Americans

Documents released in an insider trading trial yesterday reveal that “the National Security Agency and other government agencies retaliated against Qwest because the Denver telco refused to go along with a phone spying program.” In the documents, former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio is quoted as saying “the request was both inappropriate and illegal, and repeatedly refusing to go along with it.” Nacchio’s lawyer said the CEO “refused to turn over customer telephone records because he didn’t think the NSA program had legal standing.”

Think Progress » NSA punishes Qwest for refusing to spy on Americans.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Ron Paul: A New Hope

Tumors Found on 225 Italian Soldiers Serving in MidEast

A total of 255 Italian troops have contracted tumours in missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and the Balkans over the ten years from 1996 to 2006. Thirty-seven, or 14.5%, have died. The information came in a statement made by the defence minister, Arturo Parisi, to the Senate commission of inquiry into depleted uranium. In the same period, 1,427 troops not involved in missions abroad also contracted tumours.

Corriere.it

Number Of U.S. Army Recruits With Criminal Records Doubles

The U.S. Army met its recruiting goals for the last year but enlisted thousands of new soldiers with criminal records and fewer who have earned high school diplomas, according to figures released Wednesday.

Number Of U.S. Army Recruits With Criminal Records Doubles - Politics on The Huffington Post

They're having to reach deeper into the apple barrel to get people to go fight this thing. The next Ken Burns documentary on this war won't be the same, will it? The uneducated and criminal don't make as good an interview as "The Greatest Generation."

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

MN Solders Brought Home One Day Short of Receiving Full Benefits

Nearly half the members of one of the longest serving U.S. military units in Iraq are not eligible for a more generous military educational benefit, with some falling one day short of eligibility.

The Associated Press: Minnesota Soldiers' Benefits Fall Short

Turkey Begins Shelling Northern Iraq

Turkey is shelling suspected Kurdish rebel camps across the border in northern Iraq, a newspaper reported Wednesday, but the government appeared unlikely to move toward sending ground troops until next week.

Turkey Shells Rebels in Northern Iraq

Ron Paul on Chris Matthews

List of Countries Left in Coalition of the Willing

List of countries that still belong to U.S.-led coalition in Iraq - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Spy Flies Found at Political Events (with pic)

FOXNews.com - Spy Flies All the Buzz at Washington, N.Y. Political Events - Technology News | News On Technology

Keeping Marijuana Illegal Costs $70 Billion Annually

A new study finds the marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers $41.8 billion a year in law enforcement, diverts $113 billion from the legal economy, and loses a whopping $31.1 billion in revenue annually.

MotherJones.com | MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: Marijuana Laws Cost Taxpayers Billions

Remember, right-wingers are the ones telling you the left is for big government and "spending."

Army needs three to four years to recover from Iraq strains: chief

AFP: Army needs three to four years to recover from Iraq strains: chief

Monday, October 8, 2007

Polls: Bush's Numbers Closer to Nixon than Clinton for Impeachment

In March 2006, the Wall Street Journal found that public support for impeaching President Bush was nearly twice the peak support for impeaching President Clinton. This was in spite of eight years of 24/7 scandal mongering and impeachment talk and an actual impeachment trial in Clinton's case, and a virtual news blackout on the grassroots movement to impeach Bush.

Professor Smartass: Bush impeachment polls more like Nixon than Clinton

Isolationism vs. Non-Interventionism by Ron Paul

A non-interventionist foreign policy is not an isolationist foreign policy. It is quite the opposite. Under a Paul administration, the United States would trade freely with any nation that seeks to engage with us. American citizens would be encouraged to visit other countries and interact with other peoples rather than be told by their own government that certain countries are off limits to them...

It is not we non-interventionists who are isolationsists. The real isolationists are those who impose sanctions and embargoes on countries and peoples across the globe because they disagree with the internal and foreign policies of their leaders. The real isolationists are those who choose to use force overseas to promote democracy, rather than seek change through diplomacy, engagement, and by setting a positive example.

Union Leader - Rep. Ron Paul: I advocate the same foreign policy the Founding Fathers would - Monday, Oct. 8, 2007

Isolationist: N. Korea
Non-Interventionist: Switzerland

U.S. Embassy in Iraq Bigger than Vatican

The embassy, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world, was budgeted at $592 million. The core project was supposed to have been completed by last month, but the timetable has slipped so much that the State Department has sought and received permission from the Iraqi government to allow about 2,000 non-Iraqi construction employees to stay in the country until March.

Iraq Embassy Cost Rises $144 Million Amid Project Delays - washingtonpost.com

Yet Another Report Saying War on Terror Making Terror Worse, Not Better

The so-called War on Terror has been a "disaster" and British military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan must be fundamentally changed if al Qaida is to be defeated, a new report states.The report, by the Oxford Research Group think tank, calls for major changes in foreign policy and warns of the dangers of military action against Iran.Iraq has become a training ground for violent jihadists and British and US forces should withdraw from the country immediately, it adds.

War on terror has been a 'disaster' | UK Latest | Guardian Unlimited

Saturday, October 6, 2007

U.S. Interrogation in WWII

"We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or Ping-Pong than they do today, with their torture..."

Fort Hunt's Quiet Men Break Silence on WWII

Friday, October 5, 2007

Jack Cafferty on CNN, More Ron Paul

RNC Logo

Democrat-blue, wide-stance elephant on drugs mounting the year 2008.

22 Iraq Insurgent Groups Unite to Fight U.S. Occupation

Nearly two dozen previously unknown Iraqi insurgent groups announced a new coalition to fight foreign occupation but it also set conditions for talks with the U.S. in a statement on a Web site affiliated with the country's deposed Baath party.

Iraq Insurgents Unite To Fight U.S.

ABC News Coverage of Ron Paul

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Listen to this Hottie, Vote Ron Paul

Ron Paul Girl - Register Now! - video powered by Metacafe

Poll: 95% of Americans mistrust Bush

Press TV

Justice Dept. Dec. 2004, torture "abhorrent"...Justice Dept. Feb. 2005, secrect memo "OK to torture"

When the Justice Department publicly declared torture “abhorrent” in a legal opinion in December 2004, the Bush administration appeared to have abandoned its assertion of nearly unlimited presidential authority to order brutal interrogations. But soon after Alberto R. Gonzales’s arrival as attorney general in February 2005, the Justice Department issued another opinion, this one in secret. It was a very different document, according to officials briefed on it, an expansive endorsement of the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency.The new opinion, the officials said, for the first time provided explicit authorization to barrage terror suspects with a combination of painful physical and psychological tactics, including head-slapping, simulated drowning and frigid temperatures.

Secret U.S. Endorsement of Severe Interrogations - New York Times

Congress Gives Military $2.5 Billion Worth of Airplanes They Don't Want

Defense bill provides home for earmarks | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Ron Paul Raises $5 Million in Q3

Ron Paul's 114 percent increase is in stark contrast to the decrease suffered by Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain. Romney's fundraising was down 29 percent. Giuliani was down 40 percent. McCain was down 55 percent.

Ron Paul 2008: Press Release: Third Quarter Fundraising

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

What Does $87 Billion Look Like

A Little Visual Perspective on the $87 billion being spent on Iraq by Xinjo.com

Former Bush Lawyer Admits Eavesdropping Program Illegal

A former top lawyer for the Bush administration on Tuesday said that parts of the President Bush's controversial eavesdropping program were illegal.

Legality of Eavesdropping Questioned | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited

Israel says it bombed Syria

Nearly a month after a mysterious Israeli military airstrike in Syria generated political aftershocks from Washington to North Korea, the Israeli government lifted its official veil of secrecy Tuesday.It didn't provide much new information about what took place on Sept. 6, however. While its government censor cleared the way for journalists here to report that the incident had taken place, rigid rules remained in effect that ban reporting what the target was, what troops were involved or why the strike was ordered.

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 10/02/2007 | Israel says it bombed Syria, but why remains a mystery

OK folks, next time the Neocons throw the 'ol "poor Israelis" thing at you, show them this unprovoked attack.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Army is worn too thin, says general

The Army's top officer, General George Casey, told Congress yesterday that his branch of the military has been stretched so thin by the war in Iraq that it can not adequately respond to another conflict - one of the strongest warnings yet from a military leader that repeated deployments to war zones in the Middle East have hamstrung the military's ability to deter future aggression. (emphasis mine)

Casey tells Congress Army is stretched too thin - The Boston Globe

Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions

Seven chancellors and presidents of Iranian universities and research centers, in a letter addressed to their counterpart in the US Colombia University, denounced Lee Bollinger's insulting words against the Iranian nation and president and invited him to provide responses for 10 questions of the Iranian academicians and intellectuals.

Iranian University Chancellors Ask Bollinger 10 Questions > NewHeavenNewEarth > News Articles Archive

Iraqis say Basra quieter after British troop pullout

"Residents of Iraq's southern city of Basra have begun strolling riverfront streets again after four years of fear, their city much quieter since British troops withdrew from the grand Saddam Hussein-era Basra Palace."

Iraqis say Basra quieter after British troop pullout | Reuters

Where's the "bloodbath," Neocons? Another of your predictions wrong. What a surprise!

China Military Might Grows as U.S. Distracted

"While the U.S. has been tied up in Iraq, China is modernizing its military and its air defenses are now nearly impenetrable to all but the newest of American fighters, the senior U.S. military official in Japan said."

China's Military Nearly Impenetrable

Christian Conservatives Weigh Abandoning GOP

ABC News: 'Giuliani Is Beyond the Pale': Christian Conservatives Weigh Abandoning GOP

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Ron Paul Raises $1 Million in 6 Days Online

Ron Paul 2008

Christianity and Preemptive War

GALLUP: Trust in Federal Government, On Nearly All Issues, Hits New Low -- Even Less Than in Watergate Era

A new Gallup poll reveals that, as the organization puts it, Americans now "express less trust in the federal government than at any point in the past decade, and trust in many federal government institutions is now lower than it was during the Watergate era, generally recognized as the low point in American history for
trust in government."
GALLUP: Trust in Federal Government, On Nearly All Issues, Hits New Low -- Even Less Than in Watergate Era

Afghan President Zarzai Willing to Give High Level Posts to Taliban

"If a group of Taliban or a number of Taliban come to me and say, 'President, we want a department in this or in that ministry or we want a position as deputy minister ... and we don't want to fight anymore ... . If there will be a demand and a request like that to me, I will accept it because I want conflicts and fighting to end in Afghanistan," Karzai said.

CANOE -- CNEWS - Canada: Karzai offers to meet Taliban leader Mullah Omar as suicide bomber kills 30

All that money and American lives we spent in Afghanistan...is it really worth it?

Friday, September 28, 2007

Iraq's Nouri al-Maliki 'copies Saddam Hussein'

Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is orchestrating a campaign of persecution against political rivals "even worse" than Saddam Hussein's reign of terror, his predecessor has claimed.

Iraq's Nouri al-Maliki 'copies Saddam Hussein' - Telegraph

Bush Will Leave Behind a Legacy of $5.5 trillion in Debt

"Whatever happens over the next 16 months, President Bush will leave office having presided over one of the fastest accumulations of government debt in the history of the United States."

Bush's fiscal legacy: bigger debt | csmonitor.com

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Ron Paul : The Founding Fathers

Judge rules part of Patriot Act unconstitutional

Part of Patriot Act ruled unconstitutional - U.S. Security - MSNBC.com

Report on Iraqi Government corruption by the State Department's Office of Accountability and Transparency is accountably and transparently classified

State Dept: Corruption in Iraq is Classified

Let's Make an Oil Deal: A Bush family friend may be undermining Iraqi peace.

Is Bush Family Friend Undermining Iraqi Peace? - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com

Bush Threatened Nations That Did Not Back Iraq War: Report

"US President George W. Bush threatened nations with retaliation if they did not vote for a UN resolution backing the Iraq war, according to a transcript published Wednesday of a conversation he had with former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Bush threatened nations that did not back Iraq war: report - Yahoo! News

"Coalition of the 'Willing,'" indeed...

All 6 Soldiers Involved in Minot AFB Nuke Move are Dead

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Is the Army Corps of Engineers Worth The Money?

In the pantheon of dumb Army Corps of Engineers boondoggles, a $112 million flood-control scheme in Missouri's southeast bootheel ranks among the dumbest. It would drain more wetlands than all American developers drained last year, and the Corps has admitted that the town it's supposed to protect will flood just as often (once every 10 years) if and when it's completed. The Corps also admitted that its original economic rationale depended on a math error. In private e-mails, even the agency's top lobbyist described it as "an economic dud with huge environmental consequences."

Reining in the Corps of Engineers - TIME

Ahmadinejad Did Not Say He Wanted to Wipe Israel Off the Map

Just How Far Did They Go, Those Words Against Israel? - New York Times

$600k in Taxpayer Dollars to Alter Building so it Doesn't Look Like Swastika on GoogleEarth

The Navy will spend as much as $600,000 to modify a 40-year-old barracks complex that resembles a swastika from the air, a gaffe that went largely unnoticed before satellite images became easily accessible on the Internet.

Navy to alter swastika-shaped barracks - Yahoo! News

Why Democrats Should Support Ron Paul

Lie of the Century

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

US Military Official: Blackwater "May Be Worse Than Abu Ghraib"

AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: US Military Official: Blackwater "May Be Worse Than Abu Ghraib"

We Are Bribing Insurgents to Not Attack U.S. Troops

"President Bush failed to see the irony in using a financial metaphor to explain his new benchmark for withdrawing troops from Iraq. He says the more we succeed in places like Anbar province, the more troops we can bring home. He calls the policy "return on success." Only, "success" in Anbar is really just a return on U.S. financial inducements to tribal sheiks. Instead of dropping bombs in Iraq, we're now dropping bundles of cash in the laps of insurgents who without the crude bribes would no doubt return to ambushing our troops. If the surge has worked, it's due in large part to a surge in bribes, not troops. And that kind of success cannot last."

A Surge in Bribes - by Paul Sperry

What a brilliant military tactic! This is surely the road to long-term peace. This is clearly just a political move to keep the civil war under control through the elections. Is this really what we want to keep our soldiers in the line of fire for?

Point, Click ... Eavesdrop: How the FBI Wiretap Net Operates

"The FBI has quietly built a sophisticated, point-and-click surveillance system that performs instant wiretaps on almost any communications device, according to nearly a thousand pages of restricted documents newly released under the Freedom of Information Act."

Inside DCSNet, the FBI's Nationwide Eavesdropping Network

"...instant wiretaps on almost any communications device"...?! Does anyone seriously believe that this kind of power in the government's hands was intended by the founding fathers?

One-fourth of Gulf War veterans ill

"Sixteen years after the Persian Gulf War ended, more than 1 in 4 of those who fought remain seriously ill with medical problems ranging from severe fatigue and joint pain to Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis and brain cancer, the chairman of a congressional advisory committee testified Tuesday."

One-fourth of Gulf War veterans ill - News - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

Support our troops, demand this be treated and investigated.

Israel seeks exemption from atomic rules

"Israel is looking...for an exemption to non-proliferation rules so it can legally import atomic material, according to documents made available Tuesday to The Associated Press."

Israel seeks exemption from atomic rules - Yahoo! News

Why should they get an exemption? It appears clearer and clearer that the U.S. doesn't care about containing "nuclear proliferation," they just want to control to whom it is proliferated.

U.S. Exacerbates Iraqi Civil War With Indiscriminate Commandos Training

"The U.S. is indiscriminately arming Iraqis, destabilizing the country even more."

AlterNet: War on Iraq: U.S. Exacerbates Iraqi Civil War With Indiscriminate Commandos Training

The seers who predicted the cheap easy Iraq War, are the same ones "predicting" a bloodbath after we leave. But, perhaps we making the current bloodbath, bloodbathier by staying.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Jorj Boosh has fo-NE-tik TELLI-promt

When Mr Bush addressed the UN General Assembly today, the White House inadvertently showed exactly how - with a phonetic pronunciation guide on the teleprompter to get him past troublesome names of countries and world leaders.

Jorj Boosh has fo-NE-tik TELLI-promt | The Courier-Mail

I've never been so proud to be a U.S. American...

U.S. Severe poverty rate at highest in three decades

"The percentage of poor Americans who are living in severe poverty has reached a 32-year high as the gulf between the nation's "haves" and "have-nots" continues to widen."

U.S. Severe poverty rate at highest in three decades - Houston Chronicle

Ask yourself this, when the Fed lowers interest rates, what is it doing and why? Who benefits from Fed-caused inflation? Do savers or investors benefit?

Monday, September 24, 2007

Republican Straw Poll Results from Around the Country

Ron Paul 2008 › Straw Poll Results

Does it look like Ron Paul is a "2nd tier" candidate to you?

Database on Traveling Americans Includes Books and Hotel Bed Size

The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials.

Collecting of Details on Travelers Documented - washingtonpost.com

Big Brother is watching you.