The Truth Handler

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

In 2003-Q2, 2005 the Bush Administration spent $1.6 bil. Paying for Fake News Propaganda

Around the same time, a spat erupted between the GAO and the White House over whether the government's practice of feeding TV stations prepackaged, ready-to-air news stories that touted administration policies (but did not disclose the government as the source) amounted to "covert propaganda." The GAO said that it did. The administration disagreed, saying spreading information about federal programs is part of the agencies' mission, and that the burden of disclosure falls on the TV stations.

UPDATE: PREPACKAGED NEWS

Your tax dollars paying to propagandize you. It's a bit like paying your hard earned money for a cable bill, then watching Fox News.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Dick Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create "Quagmire"

Iraq, Iran Sign Oil-Pipeline Deal

The Iran news network reported that the pipeline would carry oil from Iraqi oil fields to refineries in Iran.
It said the deal was signed in Tehran on August 10 by Iraqi Oil
Minister Husayn al-Shahristani and his Iranian counterpart, Kazem
Vaziri-Hamaneh.

Iraq, Iran Sign Oil-Pipeline Deal - RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY

Well, there goes $1 trillion. We don't even get the oil Bush was going after.

Bush Tells Karzai That His Own Experiences in Afghanistan Are Wrong

A foreign leader from a region of supreme interest to the United States comes to Camp David to brief the American president on what is going on. The foreign leader speaks his mind, offering his best assessment of the experience he is living. Then the president tells the visitor from abroad that he is wrong.

As Bush famously declared at a policy session in 2005, "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

Bush to Karzai: Will You Just Shut Up About Iran?

Iraqi Gov't Tries to Buy $40 million in Black Market Weapons Without U.S. Knowledge

"As the secretive, $40 million deal neared completion, Italian authorities moved in, making arrests and breaking it up. But key questions remain unanswered. For one thing, The Associated Press has learned that Iraqi government officials were involved in the deal, apparently without the knowledge of the U.S. Baghdad command _ a departure from the usual pattern of U.S.-overseen arms purchases."

Italy Probe Unearths Huge Iraq Arms Deal - The Huffington Post

If their own government is working against us, how can we "win"? Perhaps they just want us out.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Russia Resumes Cold War Flights (must read)

"Two Russian bombers flew thousands of miles across Pacific Ocean waters to the vicinity of Guam, site of a major U.S. military base, where U.S. jets intercepted them, the Russian air force said Thursday. The flights renewed a type of military gamesmanship that has been largely dormant in the Pacific since the Cold War ended.

"It was always a tradition for our long-range aircraft to fly far over the ocean, where pilots met American airplanes and visually greeted them," Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov told reporters Thursday. "On Wednesday, we renewed that tradition.

"The maneuver was Moscow's latest display of a resurgent armed forces after years of decline in the 1990s. Restoring the luster of the military has been a key element of President Vladimir Putin's effort to renew Russian pride, which collapsed along with the Soviet Union.

An influx of oil money has allowed Russia to invest in new weaponry, expand its military presence in Europe and Asia, and conduct costly, elaborate exercises using aging elements of its arsenal." (emphasis mine)

Russia Says U.S. Intercepted 2 of Its Bombers Over Pacific - washingtonpost.com

Bush and the NeoCons' short-sighted, pre-emptive, bullying foreign policies, including the war for oil, are restarting the Cold War. Further, he's helping fund the other side by spending $1 trillion on annexing another country's oil, thus driving up oil prices for Russia, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia. Even further, he's bringing the other side together with new, more powerful allies, i.e. China.

You cannot put a price on integrity and credibility. Bushco has ruined what took this country generations to build. The result is that we no longer lead nations of the world by example. It is now easy for communist dictators and fascist leaders to discredit the U.S. by simply pointing toward our hypocritical wars, secret torture prisons, abuses of power, executive branch secrecy, and spying on citizens. These despots no longer need to fear their own citizens, because their citizens don't have an untarnished shining beacon on the hill to give them hope and courage to demand change.

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Musharraf set to declare state of emergency

The political crisis in Pakistan deepened last night as President Musharraf was poised to impose a state of emergency, a move that would grant him sweeping powers.

Musharraf set to declare state of emergency - Times Online

Do you feel us getting safer? Leaders of Muslim nations have a choice, cuddle up to the U.S. via the Bush Administration and get overthrown, or move policies and rhetoric away from those of the U.S. This is where Bush's bullying foreign policy has left us. They are pushing allies and potential allies away. Pakistan is a nuclear power. Pushing ideals in that country away from those of freedom and democracy at this time is not making us safer.

Giuliani Quote in 1994: "Freedom is About Authority"

"What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do." - Rudy Giuliani 1994

'Freedom Is About Authority': Excerpts From Giuliani Speech on Crime - New York Times

This guy doesn't even understand the concept of freedom. The term freedom, when used by a politician, refers to the degree of government intervention. He contradicts the very nature of the term in his twisted attempt at consolidating more power for himself.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Who Controls the U.S.'s Foreign Policy? Its Bank, of Course...China (must read)

"No country on earth, except for Israel, supports the Bush regimes’ desire to attack Iran. It is China’s decision whether it calls in the US ambassador, and delivers the message that there will be no attack on Iran or further war unless the US is prepared to buy back $900 billion in US Treasury bonds and other dollar assets."

Paul Craig Roberts: Digging a Hole to China

Please read this article if you'd like to understand the financial position of the U.S. The author is not a Bush-hating liberal. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He's just a guy that understands that when you go in debt, you're not free. You act at the behest of your bank. He understands that we are not more safe as a result of Bush's policies, we are less safe.

Great Article on Ron Paul

"Paul's campaign recently scheduled several last-minute events in South Carolina with a few days notice. They drew 450 people at one and over 1,000 at another. Front-runner Rudy Giuliani would love to draw those kinds of crowds."
Ron Paul Quietly Converting GOP Believers - Markets - Market Features

The CIA's Secret Interrogation Sites

“The C.I.A.’s interrogation program is remarkable for its mechanistic aura. ‘It’s one of the most sophisticated, refined programs of torture ever,’ an outside expert familiar with the protocol said. ‘At every stage, there was a rigid attention to detail. Procedure was adhered to almost to the letter. There was top-down quality control, and such a set routine that you get to the point where you know what each detainee is going to say, because you’ve heard it before. It was almost automated. People were utterly dehumanized. People fell apart. It was the intentional and systematic infliction of great suffering masquerading as a legal process. It is just chilling.’..

A Reporter at Large: The Black Sites: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

If they have torture down to a science, where they can get them to say whatever they wish, what is its value? Is the worthless information we are getting from these people worth the value of our country's international reputation and credibility?

U.S. Now Attempting to Help Fight Afghanistan's Drug War

The United States plans on Thursday to unveil a strategy to fight Afghanistan's drug trade by giving provincial governors more money to eradicate poppy crops and pursue economic development, U.S. officials said.

U.S. to unveil new anti-drug strategy for Afghanistan - Yahoo! News

This is what my tax money is being spent on now? A War on Drugs in Afghanistan? It's worked so well here, of course it will work well there...

British Commander Asks American Special Forces to Leave His Area Due to High Number of Civilians They've Killed

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.

British Criticize U.S. Air Attacks in Afghan Region - New York Times

Timeline of Predictions for Iraq in "The Next Few Months" (must see)

Iraq Timeline: The Broken Record on "the Next Few Months"

After Four Years of Certainty, McCain ‘Not Positive We Can Win’ In Iraq

– “Because I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women.” [CNN, 9/24/02]

– “But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” [MSNBC, 1/22/03]

– “[I]t’s going to be long, tough, very difficult, but … we can win.” [PBS, 11/10/05]

– “I believe that we can succeed and I believe the consequences of failure are catastrophic.” [CBS, 4/8/07]

– “We’re going to win. We will. We will never surrender.” [AP, 4/18/07]

- “I’m not positive we can win this fight,” he told about 150 people at a $50-a-person fundraiser in a Highland Township barn. “But I believe we’re winning. [8/8/07]

Think Progress » After Four Years of Certainty, McCain ‘Not Positive We Can Win’ In Iraq

Too many NeoCon Republicans are coming to this realization much too late. Too many people have died while these guys struggle with their bruised egos over their own lack of wisdom, or their fear of looking "weak on terrorism." We need a leader who has the wisdom to foresee these problems BEFORE they occur, then the courage to back it up with a strong and loud voice. Only then can we save our country trillions of dollars, thousands of lives, and its lost diplomatic credibility. Ron Paul is that man.

35W bridge collapse was predicted, well documented and totally avoidable

State bridge inspectors warned for nearly a decade before its collapse that the Interstate 35W bridge had "severe" and "extensive" corrosion of its beams and trusses, "widespread cracking" in spans and missing or broken bolts.Not only was the superstructure in poor condition, but certain components were "beyond tolerable limits," and one of the bridge's piers had "tilted to the north," they reported.

I-35W inspectors flagged serious cracks, rusting

Romney: No Army For My Sons...They Show Patriotism By "Helping Me Get Elected"

BETTENDORF, Iowa — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended his five sons' decision not to enlist in the military, saying they're showing their support for the country by "helping me get elected."Romney, who did not serve in Vietnam due to his Mormon missionary work and a high draft lottery number, was asked the question by an anti-war activist after a speech in which he called for "a surge of support" for U.S. forces in Iraq.

Romney Speaks Up for Sons' Decisions - The Huffington Post

Typical chickenhawk. War is OK as long as I don't have to suffer directly, personally. At one point Romney called the War on Terror the singularly most important fight in our country's history. You'd think if he truly believed it, and if his sons believed it (as apparently they do, as they're working for his campaign), they'd join up.

The Results of Embedded Journalism in WWII: The Hiroshima Cover-Up

"Then the U.S. military unleashed a secret propaganda weapon: It deployed its own Times man. It turns out that William L. Laurence, the science reporter for The New York Times, was also on the payroll of the War Department....Mr. Laurence had a front-page story in the Times disputing the notion that radiation sickness was killing people. His news story included this remarkable commentary: "The Japanese are still continuing their propaganda aimed at creating the impression that we won the war unfairly, and thus attempting to create sympathy for themselves and milder terms.
...
Thus, at the beginning, the Japanese described 'symptoms' that did not ring true."Mr. Laurence won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the atomic bomb, and his faithful parroting of the government line was crucial in launching a half-century of silence about the deadly lingering effects of the bomb."

The Hiroshima Cover-Up

Movie: "Day Zero" Starring Elijah Wood and the guy from American Pie

"Drafted...30 Days to Report for Duty"

Day Zero | a feature film

US Hegemony Spawns Russian-Chinese Military Alliance (must read)

"This week the Russian and Chinese militaries are conducting a joint military exercise involving large numbers of troops and combat vehicles. The former Soviet Republics of Tajikistan, Kyrgkyzstan, and Kazakstan are participating. Other countries appear ready to join the military alliance. This new potent military alliance is a real world response to neoconservative delusions about US hegemony. Neocons believe that the US is supreme in the world and can dictate its course."

US Hegemony Spawns Russian-Chinese Military Alliance by Paul Craig Roberts

This is key. The concepts of "pre-emptive war", a "Coaliton of the Willing" (rather than a real coalition), and nation-building are hegemonic activities. These go-it-alone, bullying tactics make nations suspicious of our intentions, and ruined our credibility worldwide. As a result, nations which are serious threats to us are making alliances, improving their relations, and signing treaties to counter the threat from the U.S. Previously, they had talked to us, and not to each other. Our influence to make change in the world, based on the example we set, was strong because we had relative honesty and integrity with our foreign policy dealings. Now, our ability to convince these countries that they should move more toward freedom, democracy, and capitalism is seriously injured. A world where Russia and China are looking toward each other for advice about how to run their governments vs. looking toward the U.S. makes the world and the U.S. less safe. The human, intelligence, military, and resources of these countries make Iraq and Iran look insignificant.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

35W Bridge Hero Turns Down Meeting with Bush

Among the dozens of wrenching accounts to come out of the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, the actions of 20-year-old Jeremy Hernandez were a bright spot: Trapped in a tipping school bus with 50 children, he kicked open the back door and began helping them one by one to safety.

Bridge Hero Gets Offer: Paid Tuition - New York Times

U.S. Military Endorses End of Days Reglious Fanaticism for Troops

"With the endorsement of the Defense Department, OSU is mailing "Freedom Packages" to soldiers serving in Iraq. These are not your grandfather's care packages, however. Besides pairs of white socks and boxes of baby wipes (included at the apparent suggestion of Iran-Contra felon Oliver North, according to OSU) OSU's care packages contain the controversial Left Behind: Eternal Forces video game. The game is inspired by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' bestselling pulp fiction series about a blood-soaked Battle of Armageddon pitting born-again Christians against anybody who does not adhere to their particular theology. In LaHaye's and Jenkins' books, the non-believers are ultimately condemned to "everlasting punishment" while the evangelicals are "raptured" up to heaven."

Kill Or Convert, Brought To You By the Pentagon

What's happening to our separation between church and state? Further, why are we bringing that into a Muslim country? Notice the use of the words "crusade" by the members of this group.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Troop Levels at All-Time High

Remember when we were told the surge would be 2000-4000 troops? Another lie.

The Raw Story | US troop levels in Iraq reach all-time high

US troop levels in Iraq have hit their highest point of the more than four year old war, with the numbers swelling to nearly 162,000 because of overlapping unit rotations, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

Newt Gingrich calls War on Terror "Phony"

Instead of the current strategy to fight terrorism, Gingrich said we should focus on energy independence. "We have to have a national energy strategy, which basically says to the Saudis, 'We’re not going to rely on you.'"

Political Radar: Gingrich calls War on Terror "Phony"

Gambling Site's Odds of a Ron Paul Victory Have Increased from 100-1 to 15-1 to 8-1 in Just a Few Months

Ron Paul Odds Slashed From 15 to 1 to 8 to 1

Monthly War Cost exceeding Vietnam's

"The war in Iraq is costing the United States more per month than the Vietnam war cost per month on average over its eight-year term. In real dollars, adjusted for inflation."

Monthly War Cost exceeding Vietnam's - Free Market News Network

What Isn't $1 Trillion Buying?

Monday, August 6, 2007

Warren Buffett Pays Lower Tax Rate Than His Secretary

Warren Buffett, the world's third-richest man, blasted the U.S. tax system earlier this summer because he pays a lower rate of taxes than his secretary. Buffett said, without trying to avoid taxes, he paid 17.7 percent on the $46-million he made in 2006 while his secretary who made $60,000 was taxed at 30 percent.

Opinion: America is taxing for all but the very rich

Again, more lying by Republicans. They cry and whine about how taxes are too high on the rich. They don't like progressive taxes. It's simply not true. And Warren, apparently, isn't even trying to avoid taxes. Most other rich folks do, so their tax rate is even lower.

Bush said he would veto a bill that would increase the national bridge and highway maintenance budget from $4 billion to $5 billion.

CHUCK TO BUSH: DON'T 'CROSS' BRIDGE BILL | By FRANKIE EDOZIEN and ERIC LENKOWITZ, Post Wire Services | National News | US News | Current National News

We are spending $12 billion per month in Iraq.

"American prisons employ more people than Ford, G.M., and Wal-Mart combined. With 5% of the world population, the U.S. has 25% of its prisoners... "

Glenn C. Loury: Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?

They hate us for our freedom, right?

FBI uses warrant to search home of Justice Department attorney who blew whistle on warrantless wiretap program

Govt. Looks for Leaker on Warrantless Wiretaps - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

Sunday, August 5, 2007

China tells living Buddhas to obtain permission before they reincarnate

Tibet’s living Buddhas have been banned from reincarnation without permission from China’s atheist leaders. The ban is included in new rules intended to assert Beijing’s authority over Tibet’s restive and deeply Buddhist people.

China tells living Buddhas to obtain permission before they reincarnate - Times Online

Ya just can't make this stuff up. It's like a damn headline from The Onion.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Ron Paul: The Elephant in The Room

"Ron Paul’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination say
his opposition to the Iraq war makes him a traitor to his party.
He says it makes him the only genuine Republican in the race."

CRIMES AND CORRUPTION OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS: The Elephant in The Room

Good article on Dr. Paul.

ABC News: GOP's Ron Paul Has Unusual Appeal

"Ron Paul's Presidential Bid Draws Legions of Fans, but Widespread Support Remains Elusive"

ABC News: GOP Long Shot Draws Die-Hard Support

ABC, why is the popularity of someone who is fiscally conservative and somewhat socially liberal "unusual." Don't the majority of Americans fit into that category?

Gates On Iraq: "We Probably All Underestimated...How Difficult It Would Be"

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that he was discouraged by the departure of the major Sunni Arab bloc from Iraq’s coalition government, and noted that the Bush administration may have misjudged the difficulty of achieving reconciliation among Iraq’s sectarian factions.

Gates Offers Blunt Assessment of Iraqi Progress - New York Times

No, Mr. Gates. Many of us knew with all likelihood what we were getting into. Further, we knew with all likelihood the cost estimates you gave us were complete bullshit. We knew this because we had a perfect example in our country's recent past to learn from. You told us we were wrong when we said it would likely be a quagmire. We were right. You were wrong. We "all" did NOT underestimate this. You did.

Water taps run dry in Baghdad during peak summer heat

"Much of the Iraqi capital was without running water Thursday and had been for at least 24 hours, compounding the urban misery in a war zone and the blistering heat at the height of the Baghdad summer."

edmontonsun.com - World - Water taps run dry in Baghdad during peak summer heat

Hmmm...I Wonder if the Bridge Will Be Rebuilt by the Time the 2008 Republican Convention is in Town

2008 Republican National Convention - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pawlenty will flip-flop on his decision to fund roadway construction. It may not be the 5 cent gas tax, but he'll get it built. Probably just by borrowing the funds, which is how Republicans always get big spending funded. Taxing future generations so that they can keep their no new taxes promises to currently living voters.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Congressional Budget Office: Iraq to Cost $1 Trillion

"The war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over a trillion dollars — at least double what has already been spent — including the long-term costs of replacing damaged equipment, caring for wounded troops, and aiding the Iraqi government, according to a new government analysis."

Crooks and Liars » CBO: Iraq war to cost $1 trillion

Some estimates show the cost of updating our nation's infrastructure is $1.7 trillion.

DOJ/White House tried to fire US Attorney after he refused to "back off" a successful lawsuit against big pharma

"The night before the government secured a guilty plea from the manufacturer of the addictive painkiller OxyContin, a senior Justice Department official called the U.S. attorney handling the case and, at the behest of an executive for the drugmaker, urged him to slow down, the prosecutor told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday."

U.S. Attorney Became Target After Rebuffing Justice Dept. - washingtonpost.com

Video Footage: Repub. Tells Us Cost of Iraq War $1.7 bil.

YouTube - The cost of the Iraq invasion