Thursday, April 30, 2009

Certain Philosophies Go Hand In Hand

Churchgoers more likely to back torture, survey finds

"The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new analysis.
More than half of people who attend services at least once a week — 54 percent — said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. Only 42 percent of people who “seldom or never” go to services agreed, according the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified — more than 6 in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only 4 in 10 of them did."

"NO-ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition"

Our Masters' Voice

Aipac Meets Next Week To Determine US Policy

"The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), America’s pro-Zionist Israeli lobby group, will meet from Sunday 3 May through to 5 May to determine the Obama administration’s foreign policy for the coming year. America’s foreign policy chief for the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be speaking to the conference via satellite. Netanyahu will be flying in to Washington to meet with Obama on 18 May to discuss the outcome of the AIPAC conference ."

Two More Indications "Swine Flu" Is A Set Up For Other Things

Egypt, Pigs, Pandemic and Tyranny

"Egypt is predominantly Moslem , you all know that. Egypt has Christians, the biggest group are the Copts, but there are other denominations. A small group of Copts are the Zabaleen. Who are the Zabaleen and what does all have to do with Egyptian politics and economy?
Zabaleen basically pick up all the rubbish, or garbage. They have done this in Egyptian cities for centuries. What they also do is use the organic material to feed their pigs. They raise pigs and sell them on an as needed basis. The service they provide is incredible. Daily pick up and no charge. They basically recycle pretty much all the material.
For some time now, part of the modernization and continued corruption of Egypt by the Mubarak dynasty, they have wanted to take away that work from the Zabaleen and give garbage contracts to corporations that will do the service for a price. Trucks sold by European companies, contracts, charges etc. Of course the reasons used are sanitation, public health. Instead, they should be looking for a way to help the Zabaleen enter into modern methods and sustain their way of living.
So, what an excuse, the swine flu. Now the Egyptian government wants to slaughter the 300,000 pigs owned by Zabaleen for the prevention of the swine flu. The original decree was that the Zabaleen would be compensated for the pigs, but now they are saying that since they can sell the pigs, they will not be compensated.
The Zabaleen sell pigs one by one. They are not butchers and have no refrigeration or a system to sell the pigs. So, it's impossible to sell pigs slaughtered en masse. Not to mention the danger of cholera.
Also, at this time Egypt is in the midst of many worker strikes. What a great time to create an artificial enemy, the Zabaleen to distract from the strikes by numerous sectors."

The real victims of swine flu - Every other important story in the world

Pandemic Panic Or Panic Pandemic?

Jeebus it's hard to say. On the one hand there's the ominous MSM drumbeat of doom, with martial music and somber faces with Breaking News! You could dismiss the media for selling copy but gosh darn some influential heavyweights are raising alarms too. Some people have died, but not as many as initially reported. Mexico seems to be entering a lock down, and other countries are barring Mexican travelers. Curiously, the US seems unconcerned about border traffic since the severity of the infection isn't nearly as bad north of the border.
On the other hand there's the fear factor Modus Operandi of our fascists. Anything of this magnitude in the corrupt media, especially when the flu strain appears to be a laboratory cocktail, plays right into their sweaty desires and the more we fear the stronger they become. It kicks unconvenient stories off the table. It's true the initial deaths were exaggerated, and it's also true that a whole lot more people die from regular flu and natural causes than these reported numbers.
However, this does appear to be a test, a precursor of things to come. It's very possible that our overlords are standing around with clipboards, watching their handiwork, ready to crunch the numbers and finalize their nefarious plans for population reduction, which most definitely is in the works.
There's one definitive constant though - DON'T GET A FLU SHOT.

related - People are endlessly inventive.

Greetings change from handshakes to elbow bumps

Breathing mask fashion



added - perhaps Stupid Flu Hype of the Week Award should go to the BBC:

Flu mutation can turn you into a Zombie

"There has been a small outbreak of “zombism” in London due to mutation of the H1N1 virus into new strain: H1Z1.
Similar to a scare originally found in Cambodia back in 2005, victims of a new strain of the swine flu virus H1N1 have been reported in London.
After death, this virus is able to restart the heart of it’s victim for up to two hours after the initial demise of the person where the individual behaves in extremely violent ways from what is believe to be a combination of brain damage and a chemical released into blood during “resurrection.”


Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Yanked Craigslist Article

It happens all the time, not only on Craigslist. Information that people successfully defend themselves with firearms is suppressed because we're not supposed to be empowered that way. Our overlords and their propaganda outlets want to only portray us as cowering, frightened and needful consuming units.

Fortunately WhatReallyHappened saved the text:

"I was the white guy with the black Burberry jacket that you demanded I hand over shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend. You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I hope you somehow come across this message. I'd like to apologize. I didn't expect you to crap your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket.
Truth is, I was wearing the jacket for a reason that evening, and it wasn't that cold outside. You see, my girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber 1911 .45 ACP pistol for Christmas, and we had just picked up a shoulder holster for it that evening. Beautiful pistol, eh? It's a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head, isn't it? I know it probably wasn't a great deal of fun walking back to wherever you'd come from with that brown sludge flopping about in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse since you also ended up leaving your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. I couldn't have you calling up any of your buddies to come help you try to mug us again. I took the liberty of calling your mother, or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, and explaining to her your situation. I also bought myself some gas on your card. I gave your shoes to one of the homeless guys over by Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all of the cash in your wallet, then I threw the wallet itself in a dumpster. I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell. They'll be on your bill in case you'd like to know which ones. Alltel recently shut down the line, and I've only had the phone for a little over a day now, so I don't know what's going on with that. I hope they haven't permanently cut off your service. I was about to make some threatening phone calls to the DA's office with it Oh well. So, about your pants. I know that I was a little rough on you when you did this whole attempted mugging thing, so I'd like to make it up to you. I'm sure you've already washed your pants, so I'd like to help you out. I'd like to reimburse you for the detergent you used on the pants. What brand did you use, and was it liquid or powder? I'd also like to apologize for not killing you and instead making you walk back home humiliated. I'm hoping that you'll reconsider your choice of path in life. Next time you might not be so lucky. If you read this message, email me and we'll do lunch and laundry
."

Some Citizens Are More Equal

Tank crashes into pickup, kills driver



"FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- Investigators say a Fort Lewis soldier is to blame for the crash that killed a man on Tuesday afternoon. State troopers said the accident happened on Highway 507 and 8th Avenue South at 4:20 p.m. The Stryker tank was stopped at a stop sign on 8th, waiting to make a left turn onto Hwy 507 and head south.

While making the left turn, the tank crashed into a civilian pickup truck, which was headed north on Hwy 507. The driver of the pickup, Gregory Wood, 55, of Roy, was pronounced dead at the scene. None of the four passengers in the Stryker vehicle were hurt. The Army vehicle belongs to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

The soldier may face failure to yield charges, troopers said."

Detective suspended after cocaine worth nearly £150k allegedly found in his car

"A respected detective has been arrested and suspended after £147,400 of cocaine was allegedly found in his car."

"Police said: “An officer has been bailed without charge pending further enquiries and suspended from duty.”

Zionist Thugs: "We Won't Allow You To See These"

Didn't Take Long To Get Sick And Tired Of The Flowery Language

Obama: 'Confident of the future ... not content with the present'

"Reporting from Arnold, Mo. -- Delivering his own progress report on his first 100 days in office, President Obama today told a Missouri audience that things are turning around, but that he is "not a miracle worker" and needs more time to fix what's ailing America.The president marked his 100th day in office with a stop in what he called "the middle of America," also a battleground state that he narrowly lost in November's elections -- a place, he maintained today, where "common sense often reigns."
"You're who I'm working for every day in the White House," Obama told a cheering crowd in Fox High School's auditorium. He offered an update on an assignment that he gave Americans in his inaugural address: "I've come back to report that we have begun to pick ourselves up, and dust ourselves off."


No, shithead, when you decided not to prosecute the torturers you showed who you really work for. In my eyes you now suck big time, and I now seriously doubt you can ever regain any credibility.

It Gets Weirder Still

Panic inducing scene may be repeated in DC

"A high-tech photo shoot had the unintended consequence of sending thousands of New Yorkers running for their lives Monday morning -- and it turns out a similar stunt is planned for our area next week."
"Washingtonians could be in for a similar site next week, according to the Wall Street Journal. The White House planned to have one of the presidential planes fly over Washington on May 5 or 6, using the Capitol as a backdrop for the picture. Sources say that plan may be reconsidered, given Monday's reaction."

The entire thing doesn't make any sense. Initial reports (that seem to have disappeared) had Obama in the plane but all reports now have the plane presidentless. Nobody told him about the stunt. Some officials in NY were told but the mayor wasn't. They could photoshop the damn pictures far easier. They supposedly had no idea a flyover of this sort would cause panic. None of this makes any rational sense.
I cannot believe they were so stupid to not realize in advance how it would affect thousands of people, so I can only conclude it happened for some reason that they're hiding from us. Saying now that another flyover was planned for DC smacks of of a cover story.

The Other 100 Days

Life continus to deteriorate in the world's largest open air prison.

Situation of children in Gaza remains precarious 100 days after end of conflict

"More than three months after the cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the Israeli blockade and inter-Palestinian tension are hampering recovery efforts.
"Although the conflict ended 100 days ago, children in Gaza continue to suffer, both physically and psychologically," said Patricia McPhillips, UNICEF Special Representative to the occupied Palestinian territory. "It is critical that supplies and materials needed for recovery and rehabilitation are allowed in."
Ten per cent of the population in Gaza remains without electricity and nine per cent with little access to safe water. UNRWA primary health clinics in the south are recording significantly higher prevalence of water and sanitation-related infectious diseases, including acute bloody diarrhea, over the same period last year. For many households, food, fuel and cash are in short supply. According to the latest figures, 65 essential drugs were out of stock at Gaza’s Central Store.
Five children have died in unexploded ordnance-related incidents since the end of the 22-day conflict and at least 14 were injured in related violence.
The fighting took a particularly heavy toll on children’s psychological wellbeing. A recent United Nations study reaffirmed that mental health, anxiety and stress are the main health problems in Gaza."

NATO Still Carving Up What Used To Be Yugoslavia.

We have to remember that the fascists want the Serbs completely crushed, because of their fierce nationalism and their identity as an ethnic ally of Russia.. That was one of the reasons for forcibly tearing Yugoslavia apart in the 90s, that and stealing immense resources along with establishing Kosovo as Europe's drug pipeline. Our wily fascists are most excellent multi taskers.
Look for the Serbian province of Vojvodina to be in the news soon.

Balkanising the Balkans: Is Serbia on the Chopping Block Again?

"If there is any analogy worthy our consideration in the dismembering of Yugoslavia and Serbia in particular, it is the Nazi and the Second World War analogy. As Yugoslavia’s largest ethnic group, the Serbs must be neutralized and deprived of independent livelihood if any foreign domination is to become effective. In order to advance its expansionist policies, NATO has revived and resuscitated old Nazi Balkan politics and hatreds against the Serbs. Shortly before the bombing of Yugoslavia was to commence, a NATO general was reminded of Germany’s quagmire in the Balkans where 48 German divisions were needed to pacify the region. His answer was that NATO will not make Hitler’s mistake."

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

1976 Swine Flu Videos

Flu Follies

Container of swine virus explodes on Swiss train

"A container of flu virus samples packed in dry ice exploded on a Swiss train, injuring one person but posing no other risks to humans, police said on Tuesday."

"Jan 14, 2004 – One of the worst fears of infectious disease experts is that the H5N1 avian influenza virus now circulating in parts of Asia will combine with a human-adapted flu virus to create a deadly new flu virus that could spread around the world."
And the headline? CDC to mix avian, human flu viruses in pandemic study

Deadly Flu Virus Mistakenly Sent to Thousands of Labs 4/13/05

Ooops. Mass vaccinations in 1976 swine flu scare sicken and kill hundreds.


Be A Clown - Circus Calliope Music

Color This Staged PsyOp Event, Kids

Parents upset over FEMAcoloring book

"MOBILE, Ala. - A page showing fire, severe weather, and flooding, all disasters that can have an impact on a family, especially children. All of these disasters were featured in a coloring book on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website, designed to help children cope with disasters.
But one page has parents taking the colors away. It's an illustration of the World Trade Center Towers in New York. One of the towers has smoke coming out of it while a plane looks to be heading towards the other."

Now Why Do You Think The Empire Wants This?

Innovative Predatory Capitalists

Mexico City watch thieves hide behind flu masks

"Three armed thieves wore the blue surgical masks now ubiquitous in flu-hit Mexico City to hide their faces as they robbed watches from a department store, Mexican media said on Monday.
Employees and security guards at a branch of the Sanborns department store told the daily Excelsior the thieves were able to slip through the shop on Sunday without attracting attention as they blended into a sea of masked shoppers."


Well, now this creates a nasty conundrum for our overlords and their minions, doesn't it? "Let's see, should we ban breathing masks or not?"

Faux Loves It's Witty Self

Fox Not Airing Obama Press Conference

"Fox became the first broadcast network to turn down a request by President Barack Obama for time, opting to show its drama "Lie to Me" on Wednesday instead of the president's prime-time news conference."

DC Residents Begin To Be Extorted Get Parking Tickets For Parking In Own Driveway

Sign of desperation to come.

Driveways in D.C. Now a No-Parking Zone

"Beverly Anderson is mad as hell. She just started to get tickets for parking in her own driveway.
That's right. The District of Columbia is ticketing people who park their cars in their own driveways.
"This is clearly an attempt by the city to extort money out of property owners," Anderson tells WTOP.
Anderson has received two of the $20 tickets in the past month. Anderson has owned the Capitol Hill house (and the driveway, so she thought) for more than ten years and has never gotten a ticket. And she's not alone.
It seems Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has also been breaking the law in the eyes of the D.C. Department of Public Works.
"Not only has the Congresswoman been ticketed in her own driveway, she has received a towing ticket on her car parked in her driveway," writes Sonsyrea Tate Montgomery, a spokesperson for Norton. "She did what any other Member would do -and any resident. She contacted her Council Member, Tommy Wells, who assured her the Council will take care of this problem even if it means passing a new law."
D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) says he's been getting lots of complaints.
"For the first time in anyone's memory," Wells says. "People are starting to get ticketed in their own driveways. This is ridiculous and we're going to get to the bottom of it."
To that end, Wells called the Director of the Department of Public Works, Bill Howland, to find out why his agency was issuing these tickets.
"I asked him what's going on," Wells said, "Is this some kind of revenue raising or policy change? He said he'd get back to me."

The Killer Flu Pandemic Of 1918

Stupid, Insensitive Photo Op Or Deliberate Psy Op?

Air Force Jets OverManhattan Spark Panic

"People evacuated from office buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City after a commercial-sized jet was seen circling the city with two fighter jets following it.
It turns out, the planes were part of a planned photo shoot by the military involving the presidential plane."



added - Looks as though the instantly curious reason is a cover story of some sort. If Sorcha is right on this one we may see some deadly serious shit very soon.

David Frank of Jersey City wrote: “I work in 30 Hudson, which is the largest building in NJ and is right on the water facing the Statue of Liberty. I ran out of the building after a stampede of people began running out of the building as they saw the jumbo jet being followed by two fighter planes veer sharply towards our building and climb right over it. By the time I got outside, it was coming around for its THIRD pass, and I watched it level off below building height over the water and then once again veer sharply towards the building. Several hundred of us began to run away fearing for our lives before it climbed steeply and flew over our building. Whoever thought that this 'photo op' was a good idea should be removed from command...why couldn't this simply be done with Photo Shop? Hollywood can create an entire armageddon on film but the US military can't photo shop a plane by the Statue of Liberty?”

Patrick Kennell of NYC wrote: “We saw a low-flying 747 buzz the Southwest edge of Manhattan, at Battery Park City, with a fighter jet appearing to chase it on its left wing. At about Rector Street or so, it took a hard left and looked to be headed straight for Jersey City. It flew over J.C., turned south, and continued to climb over Newark. It left our sight, only to return on the same path a second time about five minutes later. It was confusing and panicked the office. We dialed 9-1-1 and considered whether to evacuate. We were told by 9-1-1 that it was 'authorized' to be there. We later learned, from your website, that it was part of a DOD 'photo op.' NotifyNYC advises it was 'part of an approved federal activity.' To conduct a 'photo op,' unwarned in advance to Lower Manhattan residents and workers, in that manner was completely irresponsible.”

Video taken of this aerial battle between Air Force One and US fighter jets clearly show that the strangeness of the statements issued by Pentagon officials that this type of incident was ‘normal’, even though no existing records exist of any incident of this type ever occurring before.
These reports go on to detail that signal intelligence intercepts by Russian Military satellites show that just prior to Air Force One landing, two US F-16 fighter jets ordered the American President’s plane to return to Washington D.C., which Obama’s pilot refused to do. Upon Air Force One refusing the orders to return to Washington D.C., these reports continue, one of the F-16’s in pursuit ‘locked on’ its air-to-air missiles which then made Air Force One take evasive maneuvers causing it to veer towards the sky scrapers of Manhattan in a ‘defensive move’ that Russian Air Force Officers state was deliberately done as Obama’s pilots did not believe they would be shot down over a major American city in full view of tens of thousands of witnesses.
Upon being made aware of the plight of the US President, both Russian and Chinese Military Officials ‘ordered’ the Pentagon under threat of ‘immediate and swift reprisal’ to cease their attack and allow Air Force One safe passage back to Andrews Air Force Base, which according to these reports US Military Authorities acceded to."

Dead Microbiologists

It was the most dangerous scientific profession to be in for a few years. Something to think about with all this swine flu news.

List, with pictures

related - Flashback - Scientists Resurrect Deadly Flu Virus

related - CIA Link to CubanPig Virus Reported

"With at least the tacit backing of U.S. Central Intelligence Agency officials, operatives linked to anti-Castro terrorists introduced African swine fever virus into Cuba in 1971. Six weeks later an outbreak of the disease forced the slaughter of 500,000 pigs to prevent a nationwide animal epidemic. A U.S. intelligence source told Newsday last week he was given the virus in a sealed, unmarked container at a U.S. Army base and CIA training ground in the Panama Canal Zone, with instructions to turn it over to the anti-Castro group."

The Policy Of "Danger Of A Good Example"

The US has supported every right wing military dictatorship in the World since World War II.

An example by Harold Pinter

"The United States supported the brutal Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua for over 40 years. The Nicaraguan people, led by the Sandinistas, overthrew this regime in 1979, a breathtaking popular revolution.


The Sandinistas weren't perfect. They possessed their fair share of arrogance and their political philosophy contained a number of contradictory elements. But they were intelligent, rational and civilised. They set out to establish a stable, decent, pluralistic society. The death penalty was abolished. Hundreds of thousands of poverty-stricken peasants were brought back from the dead. Over 100,000 families were given title to land. Two thousand schools were built. A quite remarkable literacy campaign reduced illiteracy in the country to less than one seventh. Free education was established and a free health service. Infant mortality was reduced by a third. Polio was eradicated.


The United States denounced these achievements as Marxist/Leninist subversion. In the view of the US government, a dangerous example was being set. If Nicaragua was allowed to establish basic norms of social and economic justice, if it was allowed to raise the standards of health care and education and achieve social unity and national self respect, neighbouring countries would ask the same questions and do the same things. There was of course at the time fierce resistance to the status quo in El Salvador.


I spoke earlier about 'a tapestry of lies' which surrounds us. President Reagan commonly described Nicaragua as a 'totalitarian dungeon'. This was taken generally by the media, and certainly by the British government, as accurate and fair comment. But there was in fact no record of death squads under the Sandinista government. There was no record of torture. There was no record of systematic or official military brutality. No priests were ever murdered in Nicaragua. There were in fact three priests in the government, two Jesuits and a Maryknoll missionary. The totalitarian dungeons were actually next door, in El Salvador and Guatemala. The United States had brought down the democratically elected government of Guatemala in 1954 and it is estimated that over 200,000 people had been victims of successive military dictatorships.


Six of the most distinguished Jesuits in the world were viciously murdered at the Central American University in San Salvador in 1989 by a battalion of the Alcatl regiment trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. That extremely brave man Archbishop Romero was assassinated while saying mass. It is estimated that 75,000 people died. Why were they killed? They were killed because they believed a better life was possible and should be achieved. That belief immediately qualified them as communists. They died because they dared to question the status quo, the endless plateau of poverty, disease, degradation and oppression, which had been their birthright.


The United States finally brought down the Sandinista government. It took some years and considerable resistance but relentless economic persecution and 30,000 dead finally undermined the spirit of the Nicaraguan people. They were exhausted and poverty stricken once again. The casinos moved back into the country. Free health and free education were over. Big business returned with a vengeance. 'Democracy' had prevailed.

But this 'policy' was by no means restricted to Central America. It was conducted throughout the world. It was never-ending. And it is as if it never happened.
The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War. I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the United States inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged and can never be forgiven.


Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn't know it."

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Mind Of An Idiot

Hand of god

"A man in northern Idaho says he has seen a massive hand of God in his life, and he is willing to share it with the highest bidder.

Paul Grayhek, 52, listed the rock formation he dubbed the "Hand of God Rock Wall" on the online auction Web site eBay. The highest bid was $250 early Sunday, with three days left to go in the auction.
The hand-like formation, approximately 9 feet tall and 4 feet wide, appeared in Grayhek's backyard after a rockfall during Lent on March 8, he said.
The Coeur d'Alene resident said he faced tough times after losing his job, and believed the rock was a sign.
"I prayed between licking my wounds and looking for a job," he said. "We rarely get rockfalls and this formation is 20 feet from my house. It's definitely a symbol of the hand of God in my life."


a few more stones and it will be the crab lice of god

Populism When It's Convenient

Secessionist Gov. Rick Perry asks for federal help to deal with swine flu.

"Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), who was last making headlines for suggesting that Texas may consider seceding from the Union, is requesting help from the federal government to deal with a possible swine flu pandemic:

Gov. Rick Perry today in a precautionary measure requested the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide 37,430 courses of antiviral medications from the Strategic National Stockpile to Texas to prevent the spread of swine flu. Currently, three cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Texas."

Treason Fest™ 2009

Time to publicly kiss our bestest little buddy's ass again.


"The excitement is surely building. Only a week to go until the annual AIPAC Policy conference when several US elected officials and associated shills will remind the world who they really work for.
Even Tel Aviv Jane Harman is scheduled to give opening remarks and to discuss "an insider's look at the Middle East," if she is not deemed too radioactive.
Over 300 members of Congress reportedly attended in 2008 but the guest list for this year has been hidden at the organizer's request. I suppose that's to keep constituents from publicly questioning their representatives about where their loyalties lie and ruining a good time."

Why Would Anyone Think These Slime Will Do Anything Right?

Here's a question - if you wanted to hurt this country, would you do anything different than what these filthy scum do?

GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

"When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year's emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans."
"Now, as the World Health Organization says a deadly swine flu outbreak that apparently began in Mexico but has spread to the United States has the potential to develop into a pandemic, Obey's attempt to secure the money seems eerily prescient.
And his partisan attacks on his efforts seem not just creepy, but dangerous."


Flashback - Bush slashed New Orleans flood control funding by nearly half

"In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war."

Get Off My Lawn

Against Insect Plague, Nevadans Wield Ultimate Weapon: Hard Rock

"TUSCARORA, Nev. -- The residents of this tiny town, anticipating an imminent attack, will be ready with a perimeter defense. They'll position their best weapons at regular intervals, faced out toward the desert to repel the assault.
Then they'll turn up the volume.
Rock music blaring from boomboxes has proved one of the best defenses against an annual invasion of Mormon crickets. The huge flightless insects are a fearsome sight as they advance across the desert in armies of millions that march over, under or into anything in their way.

But the crickets don't much fancy Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones, the townspeople figured out three years ago. So next month, Tuscarorans are preparing once again to get out their extension cords, array their stereos in a quarter-circle and tune them to rock station KHIX, full blast, from dawn to dusk. "It is part of our arsenal," says Laura Moore, an unemployed college professor and one of the town's 13 residents.
In flyspeck villages like Tuscarora, crickets are a serious matter. The critters hatch in April in the barren soil of northern Nevada, western Utah and other parts of the Great Basin, quickly growing into blood-red, ravenous insects more than 2 inches long.
Then they march. In columns that in peak years can be two miles long and a mile across, swarms move across the badlands in search of food. Starting in about May, they march through August or so, before stopping to lay eggs for next year and die."

Mosquito Noise Teen Repellant

"The Mosquito™ ultrasonic teenage deterrent is the solution to the eternal problem of unwanted gatherings of teenagers in shopping malls, around shops, in parks and schools afterhours and anywhere else they are causing problems. The presence of anti-social teenagers discourages genuine customers from coming into stores, affecting your turnover and profits. With loitering comes vandalism. Anti-social behaviour has become the biggest threat to private and public property over the last decade and there has been no effective deterrent until now. It is also proven to reduce vandalism by 90%.With an effective range of between forty and sixty feet, customers all over the world have shown that teenagers are acutely aware of the Mosquito and usually move away from an "infested" area within a few minutes. The system does not cause hearing loss or other ill effects."

Saturday, April 25, 2009

A Caller To A Talk Show

Great Timing

Pandemic in the making

"Canada's chief public health officer expressed deep concern about a swine influenza outbreak gripping Mexico and the southwestern United States as health officials around the world went on high alert for a potential global flu pandemic.
"This is very concerning, clearly. That's why we're all paying attention," David Butler-Jones said yesterday. "What it will lead to is impossible to predict."

"The World Health Organization started convening an expert panel to advise it about raising the pandemic alert level, which is currently at level 3 (none or very limited human-to-human transmission) in its six-rung alert ladder. One health expert expects things to move quickly in the coming days.
"In my mind, what we're talking about is moving from a pandemic alert 3 to a pandemic alert probably 5," said Michael Gardam, director of infectious diseases prevention and control at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion. Level 5 indicates a new strain with significant human-to-human transmission. Level 6 is a pandemic."


Well, here we go. Since despicable MSM/propaganda bullhorns are blaring stories about Swine Flu! pandemics, rest assured that there's a driving force behind it all. Nothing goes viral (pun intended) these days unless it's meant to be so. The only thing for us to do is figure out where it's going, what it's for.

Funny thing about this bug, there's that Indonesian accusation about a bioweapon facility and it seems to be a laboratory cocktail:

"Health officials are investigating a never-before-seen form of the flu that combines pig, bird and human viruses and which has infected seven people in California and Texas.

So if this is a manufactured event, why now? Well, we can take a look at that other big stage play on 9/11 and use that to guess what they plan on doing. And speculate the reasons why it's happening.

We've just seen the most gargantuan and brazen theft in the history of mankind with the bailout swindle. Double digit trillions of virtual dollars have been stolen from you, me and whole generations in the future and given to our filthy plutocracy. That wealth can never be in tangible form, meaning there's no way that that many dollars can be printed and put in circulation. There's about a trillion and a half in circulation right now and that's only because the printing presses are smoking hot from recent use. The stolen trillions have been secreted away however, turned into other assets and currencies and deposited in foreign banks. It's outa here.

So if you're a master manipulator and you've successfully wrung every last cent from the treasury and then some while putting the sheeple into perpetual, virtual debt, then what do you do next? Why, remove the dollar of course. I don't pretend to know how this unit of pretend wealth will be taken out of trade against other currencies but it's very apparent how it'll be physically done away with here:

Flu could hitch a ride on banknotes

"The flu virus persists so well on banknotes that money could help spread the next pandemic, researchers say."

If there's one constant in what our overlords do it's the fact that all their efforts overlap - when they pull something off it's for a multitude of reasons. Creating a biological emergency is no different. Remember what happened right after 9/11? All planes were grounded. (except of course to spirit certain Saudis out of the country) It seemed a high priority was to control transportation, our freedom of movement. Now we see TSA goons everywhere and airports, train stations, and bus terminals are militarized. I'll guarantee that if this pandemic panic intensifies, which it seems to be doing on an hourly basis, the fascists will finalize their control over our freedom of movement until it's martial law in everything but the name. Their wet dream realized.

Invisible enemies are our fascists' friends. Deadly radiation seemed to be a fear inducing nightmare of choice. Yet they've had rotten luck maintaining paranoia about their ludicrous War On Some Terror. They've been busted way too many times inventing phony terror cells. Their efforts to scare us with non existent peril have been quietly dropped over the years because they were just plain excruciatingly stupid. But exactly like the transition from the Red Menace to the Terrorist Menace, when the commies lost that fear inducing cache to enable the fascists to fulfill the agenda for total control, here come the bugs.

Oh, and it sure sweeps the torture stuff off the table, doesn't it?

It's Just A Waiting Game Now

Fannie Mae Creates Housing Mirage With Bum Loans

"The big game of kick the can strikes at a deep-seated fear among many investors -- that banks and others faced with mounting housing losses are finding all manner of dubious ways to push a day of reckoning into the future."

A Bulletin From the Captain of the Titanic

"The financial media are abuzz with talk of a recovery as equities inch their way higher every week. CNBC's Jim Cramer, the hyperventilating ringleader of "Fast Money", announced last week, "I am pronouncing the depression is over." Cramer and his clatter of media cheerleaders ignore the fact that every sector of the financial system is now propped up with Fed loans and T-Bills, without which the fictive free market would collapse in a heap."

Banks keep foreclosed homes off the market to prop up values

"Lenders nationwide are sitting on hundreds of thousands of foreclosed homes that they have not resold or listed for sale, according to numerous data sources."
"It could be disastrous if the banks suddenly flooded the market with those distressed properties. You'd have further depreciation and carnage."

Justice Is Blind

Calgarians issued traffic tickets after officers wave them through red light

"When Kathy West got the mail Wednesday, she was surprised to learn that she’d been given a red-light camera ticket. After all, the only reason her friend drove through the light in the first place was because traffic officers instructed her to do so.
West was fined $287 because her friend, who had borrowed West’s minivan, ran a red light on 16 Ave on Friday, April 10. That day, police were busy dealing with an incident where one of their own officers was dragged 200 metres by a car after an attempted arrest went awry.
When West’s friend got to the intersection, traffic was at a crawl and two lanes were closed for the investigation.
By that point, police were directing traffic and instructed the friend to drive through the red light. West, as the owner of the minivan, was later ticketed by mail.
And she wasn’t the only one; police say 16 similar tickets were issued.
Feeling the ticket was unjust, West called the telephone number on the ticket to point out an obviously erroneous ticket.
“What I was told was ‘there’s nothing you can do.’”

Almost, But Not Qiute

Kill Your Politician Exhibit


Czech art: shoot your lawmaker in the face


"PRAGUE (AFP) – Two artists have offered Czechs angered by politics the chance to take revenge on their lawmakers by shooting them literally in the face, by turning their photos into air gun targets.
Tomas Cap and Michal Kraus have displayed the portraits of 200 lower-house deputies in plastic boxes on the wall of a Prague alternative gallery, in front of an air gun and a boxful of ammunition.
"We have seen lawmakers breach the promises they gave to voters so many times. The visitors of the gallery have a unique opportunity to show these politicians what they think," the artists said in a statement.
Two weeks after opening, the exhibition was a sad sight as most of the faces had been heavily damaged by airgun slugs, with some destroyed beyond recognition.
Opposition chief Jiri Paroubek was the worst hit with most of his face missing in the picture, followed by his ally David Rath and Interior Minister Ivan Langer.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose cabinet was toppled midway through the Czech European Union presidency last month, was also badly damaged, just like his girlfriend, lawmaker Lucie Talmanova.
"It's mostly youths that come, but we have also had managers in suits and pensioners," including an elderly woman on crutches who climbed to the first-floor room to take a shot, Milan Mikulastik, the curator of the display, told AFP.
He added the exhibition designed to "trigger a debate on the functioning of the political system" was a big success, but it had drawn angry reactions from some deputies.
He said he only hoped the crumbling photos would last till the end of the exhibition on Sunday as "the artists want to send them to the lawmakers afterwards."

Wussy Nation Headline Of The Day



"PORTSMOUTH — Fearing it may "freak out" pedestrians at Vaughan Mall, the City Council limited its approval of a local boutique shop owner's request to place a seated mannequin outside her store to three months, rather than one year.
Sonja Echt, owner of Edelweiss, a gift shop at 21 Vaughan Mall that sells imported items, placed the dressed mannequin outside the entrance to her shop as a way to draw in customers. In the midst of approving various businesses requests for one-year sidewalk obstruction licenses, the unusual request prompted some questions from the council Monday.
"Have we allowed a chair with a mannequin on city property before?" said Councilor Eric Spear. "Because it kind of freaks me out actually."
Councilor Esther Kennedy shared the concern, "I kind of agree with Councilor Spear. It kind of freaks me out, too."

Information Retrieval "Never Makes A Mistake"

Typing error prompts lock-up

"A typing error by a court clerk led to police grabbing a man off the street and locking him in a cell for several days.
Dylan O'Brien, 17, was picked up by police earlier this week for breaching his bail curfew and kept in custody, until appearing in the Wellington District Court today.
O'Brien's problem lay in a single letter of the law - the mistyping of ''PM'' as ''AM''.
He was prohibited from being out between 7pm and 7am, though his bail form, which he had signed, read his curfew started at 7am."


"I assure you, Mrs. Buttle, the Ministry is very scrupulous about following up and eradicating any error. If you have any complaints which you'd like to make, I'd be more than happy to send you the appropriate forms."

Sam Lowry to wife of man picked up and tortured because of typing error in the insanely good movie "Brazil".

Another Reason Never To Shop At Walmart

Cheap Mexican generic pharmaceuticals to be marked up?

Illegal aliens delivering drugs to Wal-Mart

"CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Three men are in jail telling a strange story about drugs and Wal-Mart. It started with a routine traffic stop. Iron County Sheriffs also found boxes of prescription medication in the car. The driver says he was delivering them to the chain store in Cedar City.
Iron County Deputy Wade Lee says Diego Jimenez, Maricio Jimenez, and Kyle Gutierrez were on their way to the Cedar City Wal-Mart. They were stopped on Northbound I-15 at mile marker 45, where Deputy Lee clocked them driving 96 miles per hour.
Lee says he grew suspicious when he saw a marijuana pipe in the glove compartment. After searching the car, he found two boxes of prescription narcotics. The stock invoice found with the drugs shows the retail value is over $30,000.
Lee says two of the men admitted to being illegal aliens. The driver said he's been delivering prescription drugs for a company called "Nevada Courier" for several months. Lee explains, “He said ‘I was sitting at home and somebody called me and paid me $150 and a tank of gas to drive these medications down here and drop them off.’”
Police say the men are from Las Vegas. They had made a delivery in Mesquite, two in Saint George, and their fourth delivery would have been in Cedar City. Lee says, “I called Wal-Mart and they said yeah they were expecting a delivery and the driver was late.”

Friday, April 24, 2009

Just Who Considers Ahmadinejad Racist?

"The 23 countries that walked out of the Geneva Conference during Ahmadinejad’s speech are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The 27 EU members are the above plus Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland, which had already decided not to send delegates at all. The other 5 countries which had already decided not to send delegates at all are Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand and the US.

So the formula for the bloc claiming that Ahmadinejad is ‘racist’ is: EU, plus Israel, plus the surviving ‘Anglo-Saxon’ or ‘English-speaking’ — i.e., white colonial — states: Australia & New Zealand, the USA & Canada. It seems then that this bloc is no more nor less than the white, western colonialist and imperialist nations, with Israel acting as their convenor, and that to be opposed to white, western colonialism and imperialism is the real definition of ‘racism’ in their eyes."

Way, Way Too Late

Obama pledges protections for credit-card users

"President Barack Obama said Thursday he is determined to get a credit-card law that eliminates the tricky fine print, sudden rate increases and late fees that give millions of consumers headaches.
"I trust that those in the industry who want to act responsibly will engage with us in a constructive fashion
..." blah blah

A little over a year ago, the credit issuers knew what was going to happen last fall and began to hammer credit card holders. Believe me, I know. The creditors used every trick in the book and then some to screw the public, even people with sterling credit history, before the crash.

Their war beagan. They hid their unilateral interest increases in tiny print in the avalanche of paper adverts they packed with each statement. Every time an institution looks at your credit history it goes down and the major banks began a monthly perusal, because it's in their interest to have us all credit risks, that way they can squeeze more money from us. Even people with unblemished history began to be hammered. Accounts were closed with no reason. Monthly minimums doubled. People were crushed for no reason except for corporate profit. And Mr. Change thinks a few cosmetic makeovers will sweeten the carnage.

The Great Credit Card Battle To Come

"

You Will NOT Forget Israelis Are Victims

From the Houston Chronicle



"President Barack Obama paid tribute Thursday to the memory of Jews murdered in the Holocaust and said it is the duty of the living all over the world to end such atrocities forever. Speaking at a Holocaust Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Obama warned against what he called the dangers of silence."



"What a British auction house claims are a set of paintings and sketches by a young Adolf Hitler sold at auction Thursday for 97,672 pounds ($143,358)."

"Best known as the genocidal dictator who butchered millions in his quest to unite Europe under German rule, Hitler also had a largely unsuccessful career as an artist in his early years."
"This disgusts me. It makes me wretch. I thought the whole point of the second world war was to eradicate Nazism from the face of the earth. No more swastikas, no more shiny boots, no more dwarf narcissists giving vegetarian dinner parties and shooting liberals. It was supposed to be over in 1945. But we seem to have a new kind of Nazi domination - a cultural domination - and it's silly. There is no point to it: it exists just for itself. And it turns our eyes from the evils that we should be noticing today. It is a big dressing-up box, full of distraction."
Now who would benefit from waving Hitler at us all the time?

They're Just Making It Up As They Go

Al-Qaeda Chief In Iraq: Captured, Killed, Never Actually Existed, Now Captured Again

"You couldn’t make it up if you tried. AFP today reports that Al-Qaeda chief in Iraq, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, has been captured and arrested. The problem with this is that al-Baghdadi has already been reported captured, previously reported killed and even said to have never actually existed by the U.S. military.
“Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was arrested today in Baghdad,” Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qasim Atta told
AFP.
“It was Iraqi forces who arrested him based on an intelligence tipoff from someone,” he added.
Also known as Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi and Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi, many questions have surrounded the so called leader of al Qaeda’s political front organization the “Islamic State of Iraq”.
He was thought to have been one of the figures to succeed the equally shadowy Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a leader of insurgent forces in Iraq in 2006, after al Zarqawi, who was also previously reported captured and killed on several occasions, was
laid to rest for good by the PR arm of the Pentagon.
The announcement of al-Baghdadi’s capture today jars with multiple previous reports from up to two years ago, detailing his arrest, his death and even questioning his existence altogether."


The psy op spooks are busy pulling these stunts all the time. There is no Al Qaeda in Iraq because there is no Al Qaeda. AQ is a mystical, magical make believe CIA concoction. If the fascists need to do something - they'll blow something up - blame it on AQ - voila! Then they get to do something that under normal circumstances they wouldn't be able to do.

It happens so often it must get boring so they get lazy and make mistakes. It doesn't matter a lot to them anyway because most people aren't paying attention and the ones who do are pretty much ignored. Arabic names are too funny sounding for Boobus to remember.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

U.S. Soldier Who Killed Herself--After Refusing To Take Part In Torture

Of course a cover up ensued.

Alyssa Peterson

"Peterson, 27, a Flagstaff, Ariz., native, served with C Company, 311th Military Intelligence BN, 101st Airborne. Peterson was an Arabic-speaking interrogator assigned to the prison at our air base in troubled Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq. According to official records, she died on Sept. 15, 2003, from a "non-hostile weapons discharge.
"A "non-hostile weapons discharge" leading to death is not unusual in Iraq, often quite accidental, so this one apparently raised few eyebrows. The Arizona Republic, three days after her death, reported that Army officials "said that a number of possible scenarios are being considered, including Peterson's own weapon discharging, the weapon of another soldier discharging, or the accidental shooting of Peterson by an Iraqi civilian." And that might have ended it right there.
But in this case, a longtime radio and newspaper reporter named Kevin Elston, not satisfied with the public story, decided to probe deeper in 2005, "just on a hunch," he told me in late 2006 (there's a chapter about it in my book on Iraq and the media, "So Wrong for So Long"). He made "hundreds of phone calls" to the military and couldn't get anywhere, so he filed a Freedom of Information Act [FOIA] request. When the documents of the official investigation of her death arrived, they contained bombshell revelations. Here's what the Flagstaff public radio station, KNAU, where Elston then worked, reported:
"Peterson objected to the interrogation techniques used on prisoners. She refused to participate after only two nights working in the unit known as the cage. Army spokespersons for her unit have refused to describe the interrogation techniques Alyssa objected to. They say all records of those techniques have now been destroyed.
"According to the official report on her death released the following year, she had earlier been "reprimanded" for showing "empathy" for the prisoners. One of the most moving parts of that report is: "She said that she did not know how to be two people; she ... could not be one person in the cage and another outside the wire.
"Peterson was then assigned to the base gate, where she monitored Iraqi guards, and sent to suicide prevention training. "But on the night of September 15th, 2003, Army investigators concluded she shot and killed herself with her service rifle," the documents disclose.
A notebook she had been writing was found next to her body. Its contents were redacted in the official
report."

Stories I Love To Read

Burglars flee hail of bullets

"Lisa Gallegos was taking a bath Wednesday morning when she heard a knock at the front door of her Eldorado-area home.
Assuming the person would leave, the 41-year-old construction contractor ignored it. Then she saw a shadow move past her bathroom window. Thinking it might be her father-in-law, who lives nearby and sometimes brings over paperwork, Gallegos called him on her cell phone. However, he said he wasn't there. He offered to come over, but Gallegos said she wasn't worried.
Next she heard a car engine and thought the person at the door was leaving. But the shadow passed by her bathroom window again.
"Then I hear a big bang," Gallegos said in a phone interview Wednesday evening, "and I knew someone was breaking into my house." She jumped out of the bathtub, wrapped herself in a towel and grabbed the loaded .44 Magnum revolver she keeps by her bed. "I thought, 'Someone is robbing my house and I'm not going to let this happen,' " Gallegos said. "I work hard for my stuff."
Holding her towel with one hand and the gun in the other, Gallegos crept quietly to the area of the home where she could hear two people rummaging around. One man was in her daughter's bedroom, while the other was in her office. Gallegos concentrated first on the man in her daughter's room.
"So I pulled up the gun and aimed it at the guy — he didn't see me — and I said, 'Get the (expletive) out of my house,' " she said. "He looks up and he comes toward me running. I was about to pull the trigger, and he sees the gun, and he goes to my right and out the door he came in.
" The man had parked his dark blue, late 1990s sport-utility vehicle in her home's courtyard, and she saw him slam one of the doors shut. Gallegos said she was afraid he was going to retrieve a weapon, so she fired a round at his car. The man jumped into the vehicle, spun the wheels and drove out of the courtyard.
Gallegos then turned her attention to the man in the office, who shut the door when he heard the gunshot. She said she could hear him trying to get out a window. She went outside and saw the man in the SUV driving around her home, so she fired three more shots at him.
The man in the office fled out the window, and Gallegos saw him running across a field toward the SUV. Gallegos fired one shot at him and watched him fall to the ground. The man then got back on his feet and jumped into the SUV, and the vehicle sped away.
"It was a quite a thing," said Gallegos, who is also a volunteer Eldorado firefighter and mother of two children. "It was kind of scary."

"I'm really glad I didn't have to shoot somebody," Gallegos said. "But I was really ready to shoot the weapon. I didn't want to have to go hide in my bedroom and wait for them to come in there."

You rock, girl. You aren't afraid to stand up and confront activity that threatens you and yours. You have self empowering spine that won't buckle under danger and self respect you can feel good about till the end of your days. What's more, they will never, ever bother you again.
Of course, you could have cowered in a closet, called 911 and whispered into the phone. You could have listened as they tore through your house, peeing down your legs while hoping they wouldn't find you naked from the tub and shivering in fear, with only a cell phone in your hand, like this putrid jellyfish wanted you to do.


What to Do When Someone Breaks Into Your House -- powered by eHow.com

Fat Lady Sings

The Crash of '09, the collapse of '10

"It’s not easy to comprehend the collapse of an empire or a superpower. When termites are eating away at their vitals for years one cannot see it. People are too much in thrall of their power, wealth and panoply. Thus when the collapse comes it seems sudden, and takes people by surprise. “I went to sleep last night and when I woke up next morning the Soviet Union was gone.” The most powerful war machine ever built couldn’t save it. Remember the British Empire on which “the sun would never set”? It set so firmly that only six decades later Britain is not only bankrupt, it has become America’s appendage, a third rate power and could itself disintegrate soon with Scotland seceding. The history of the world is replete with the demise of civilizations, empires and superpowers. The graveyards of nations are full of their bones."

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Science Of Police Brutality

Chinese police training manual offers tips on the best way to beat up offenders

"A Chinese law enforcement agency has been using a training manual which advises officers on how to use violence without leaving incriminating evidence behind.
"In dealing with the subject, take care to leave no blood on the face, no wounds on the body, and no people in the vicinity," states the manual, entitled Practices of City Administration Enforcement.
The book was reportedly designed as a training guide for the Chengguan, a type of police force that is charged with targeting anyone it feels is disrupting the peace, ridding China's cities of illegal street hawkers and unlicensed taxi cabs, and checking permits
."

"And make sure you cover up your name and badge number like our brothers in Britain and the US."

Beat Them Until They Say What You Want

Of course they had to use torture to get some sort of Al Qaeda link.
Al Quada is a CIA invention.

Abusive tactics used to seek Iraq-al Qaida link

"The Bush administration applied relentless pressure on interrogators to use harsh methods on detainees in part to find evidence of cooperation between al Qaida and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime, according to a former senior U.S. intelligence official and a former Army psychiatrist."

Self Deception Epitomized

Barak: Gaza probe shows IDF among world's most moral armies

"The Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that an internal investigation has determined that no civilians were purposefully harmed by IDF troops during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

Following the release of the investigation results, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the army's willingness to probe itself "once again proves that the IDF is one of the most moral armies in the world.

"The IDF is not afraid to investigate itself and in that, proves that its operations are ethical," said Barak. The defense minister added that he has "complete faith in the IDF, from the chief of staff to the last of the combat soldiers."

The findings come exactly a week after Israel announced it would not cooperate with a UN investigation into alleged violations of international law led by South African Justice Richard Goldstone.


Obama's CCC

Obama signs service bill, says volunteers needed

"Calling on Americans to volunteer, President Barack Obama signed a $5.7 billion national service bill Tuesday that triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college.
"We need your service, right now, in this moment in history. ... I'm asking you to stand up and play your part," said Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago. "I'm asking you to help change history's course."


"The service law expands ways for students and seniors to earn money for college through their volunteer work."

"The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program for unemployed men, focused on natural resource conservation from 1933 to 1942. As part of the New Deal legislation proposed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), the CCC was designed firstly, to aid relief of high unemployment stemming from the Great Depression and secondly, carry out a broad natural resource conservation program on national, state and municipal lands. Legislation to create the program was introduced by FDR to the 73rd United States Congress on March 21, 1933, and the Emergency Conservation Work Act, as it was known, was signed into law on March 31, 1933. The CCC became one of the most popular New Deal programs among the general public and operated in every U.S. state and territories of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands."

"Members lived in camps, wore uniforms, and lived under quasi-military discipline. At the time of entry, 70% of enrollees were malnourished and poorly clothed. Very few had more than a year of high school education; few had work experience beyond occasional odd jobs. The peace was maintained by the threat of "dishonorable discharge." There were no reported revolts or strikes. "This is a training station we're going to leave morally and physically fit to lick 'Old Man Depression,'" boasted the newsletter of a North Carolina camp."

I have a hard time seeing anything like the success of the most popular New Deal program ever happening today. Now that was an inspired effort; you can still see the effects of wonderous public works projects all over the nation. Think "Going to the Sun Road" in Glacier Park. But that was then and this is now. So think "Slopping Paint on a School in Devastated Baghdad" instead.

Back then it was mostly a rural country and people (including kids) were used to living hand to mouth with hard physical work. The nation was so destitute that even stringent austerity of work camps was a big step up. Today few urban americans understand physical labor and even though poverty is spreading it's a completely different kind of poverty with cell phones, fast food and internet.
But channeling Rooseveltian policies aren't going to work because the american population have a completely different kind of attitude now.
Then poverty was seen as personal failure and people accepted their lot, stood in the bread lines and went to work camps. They had no idea of the sinister forces in play and trusted the government. Now americans have a sense of smug entitlement mixed with distrust and hostility towards government. Very few are civic minded.

Bureaucracies now are bloated, wasteful and ineffective. Pardon me for not being able to juggle "volunteer" with "paycheck". And please pardon my cynicism but with AmeriCorps' dismally negligible effectiveness, all this is just more money for nothing and the chicks aren't even for free.
I wonder if Obama will continue the practice of using AmeriCorps members as crowds of official greeters for photo ops when air force one pulls to a stop on the tarmac. With all the money pumped into the program their boisterousness would be very tempting.

Look Out Below

Housing Bubble Smackdown: Bigger Crash Ahead

"Due to the lifting of the foreclosure moratorium at the end of March, the downward slide in housing is gaining speed. The moratorium was initiated in January to give Obama’s anti-foreclosure program—which is a combination of mortgage modifications and refinancing—a chance to succeed. The goal of the plan was to keep up to 9 million struggling homeowners in their homes, but it’s clear now that the program will fall well-short of its objective.
In March, housing prices accelerated on the downside indicating bigger adjustments dead-ahead. Trend-lines are steeper now than ever before–nearly perpendicular. Housing prices are not falling, they’re crashing and crashing hard."

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Don't Go To Canada

Cops can now 'take all your stuff'

"There have been some terrible miscarriages of justice due to proceeds of crime legislation in other countries.
Whether Canada will do better remains to be seen.
To the surprise of at least one legal expert, the Supreme Court of Canada last week unanimously gave the provinces incredible powers to seize assets allegedly connected to crime.
For a country that has gained the reputation, whether deserved or not, of protecting the rights of the accused over the rights of victims, it's quite an about-face.
As one worried reader e-mailed the other day: "This is a terrifying development. If the police even suspect you of a crime, they can take all your stuff. They don't have to prove it."

How Do You Like Being Their Bitch?

Lieberman: U.S. to accept any Israeli decision

"The Obama Administration will put forth new peace initiatives only if Israel wants it to, said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in his first comprehensive interview on foreign policy since taking office.

"Believe me, America accepts all our decisions," Lieberman told the Russian daily Moskovskiy Komosolets.

daddy, don't hit me

No, The Zionists Have No Stranglehold

Iran remarks on Israel sparks walk-out at U.N. meeting

Stupid stunt to silence meaningful debate

"The truth never suits Israel's flag-wavers and stooges. They have to twist it or strangulate it.
When Mr. Ahmadjinedad got up to speak at the UN racism conference the British Ambassador, Peter Gooderham, was among those who walked out in the worst show of diplomatic bad manners this century. Gooderham is reported to have said that "such inflammatory rhetoric has no place whatsoever in a United Nations conference addressing the whole issue of racism and how to address it.
"As soon as President Ahmadinejad, started talking about Israel, that was the cue for us to walk out. We agreed in advance that if there was any such rhetoric there would be no tolerance for it." Referring to the Iranian leader's accusation of Israeli racism he added: "That is a charge we unreservedly condemn and so we had no hesitation at that point in leaving the conference hall.
"TV inquisitor Jeremy Paxman asked Gooderham the difference between Zionism and racism, to which he replied that Zionism is a political movement and racism is something else - we recognize it when we see it.
The trouble is, these characters don't recognize it at all. Nor are they daily on the receiving end, as the Palestinians are, of Israel's brutal racist policies. Nor were they under Israel's genocidal blitzkrieg on Gaza that vaporized and incinerated women and children in their hundreds and blew their body-parts to kingdom-come."

Photobucket
no racism here

Photobucket
nor here

Photobucket
and definitely not here

Here Comes The Tiananmen Square Censorship

Chinese Authorities Block Online Articles About June 4th Massacre

"Just before the 20th anniversary of former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Hu Yaobang’s death, Chinese authorities blocked a large number of Internet posts about Hu, as well as information on the June 4th Massacre on websites throughout the country. Political analysts believe authorities were concerned that the public would link Hu's death and the June 4th event together, thus affecting the CCP’s rule in China.

Hu was often viewed as an open-minded reformist leader and an important figure in the contemporary transition process in China's history. His death on April 15, 1989 sparked demonstrations that culminated in the mass protests at Tiananmen Square and the CCP’s subsequent violent crackdown on the student-led democracy movement, known as the June 4th Massacre."

All Those Ruined Vacation Pictures

Readings show Four Corners marker off by 2.5 miles

"Tourists who want to put a hand or foot in each of four states at the Four Corners area are apparently off the mark — by about 2.5 miles.
According to readings by the National Geodetic Survey, the Four Corners marker showing the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah is about 2.5 miles west of where it should be.


The only place in the United States where four state boundaries come together was first surveyed by the U.S. government in 1868 during the initial survey of Colorado's southern boundary line.
The intended location was 109 degrees west longitude and 37 degrees north latitude. But, because of surveying errors, the popular tourist spot is a bit off.
The accurate location would be downhill to the east of U.S. 160 in Colorado and northeast of the San Juan River as it flows into New Mexico."


I knew there was a reason I never bothered, aside from the entrance fee!

Top Down Mentality On Acid

Zig zag lines painted on streets to slow traffic


"LOUDOUN -- Behind the wheel, you want the least amount of distraction possible. So why is a local transportation agency painting crooked lines on the road on purpose?
The Virginia Department of Transportation says it's part of a safety campaign to get drivers to slow down in a high pedestrian and bicycle area. The 500 feet of zig-zagging lines are painted on the ground on Belmont Ridge Road, where it intersects with the Washington and Old Dominion trail in Loudoun County.
"It is a low cost strategy to get motorists to slow down as they approach the bike trail and pedestrian path," says VDOT's Mike Salmon. "While at first motorists may be a little disoriented, the main point is to get them to pay attention and slow down through that area."
Really, really stupid idea, that one. The story even starts out with the obvious - don't see the little kid in front of you, motorist - pay attention to our idiotic lines in the road.
This is the sort of crap that we get from dumbass bureaucrats who think up junk to burden our lives because a. they believe they know better and b. they think they have to do something to justify their existence.
Well, just the opposite is true.
"Monderman and I are tooling around the rural two-lane roads of northern Holland, where he works as a road designer. He wants to show me a favorite intersection he designed. It's a busy junction that doesn't contain a single traffic signal, road sign, or directional marker, an approach that turns eight decades of traditional traffic thinking on its head."
The thinking is that ambiguity breeds caution, completely at odds with fascist tendencies in this country to dictate behavior at all times. Intersections used to be dangerous because roadsigns and markers gave drivers a flawed sense of ease and the feeling that they didn't have to look out for pedestrians and other drivers. Plus all the directions were distractions. Every time it was instituted accidents and deaths were down.
Cost of the War in Iraq
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