Loyalty without truth
is a trail to tyranny.
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a middle-aged George Washington
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Monday, 21 January 2008 at 17h 46m 31s | Why California has a $10 billion budget hole | The short story: it is Governor Schwartzeneger's own damn fault.
There are several areas where the Governor, with his current goals and agenda--on the budget, health care, and other issues--is
hamstrung by his previous policy stances.
• Many have made the point that today's budget crisis yielding $10 billion in budget cuts is a direct result of his early actions. He
reduced the vehicle license fee, which in the current budget year creates a $6.1 billion hole (booked as state spending because of
the county backfill). There's another $3 billion that we are paying to service the debt he create with his bond package--a decision
he made rather than to either raise revenues or make additional cuts. So that's over $9 billion right there. If he had made
different decisions, he wouldn't be in the whole he is in today.
[SOURCE: Anthony Wright | California Progress Report | 21
January 2008]
| Sunday, 20 January 2008 at 16h 18m 23s | Just another day of death and mayhem in Iraq |
FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Jan 20
20 Jan 2008 14:22:55 GMT
[SOURCE: | Reuters | 20 January 2008]
Jan 20 (Reuters) - The following are security developments in Iraq at 1400 GMT on Sunday.
The surge is working, damn it. Can you believe these ungrateful Iraqis attacking their "liberators" ? Had they risen up against
mean old Saddam back in 2003, we wouldn't have had to invade Iraq and post troops all over their country for the next 20 years.
Keep in mind that after the end of World War Two when American troops were stationed in Germany and Japan, NOT ONE
AMERICAN SOLDIER WAS KILLED IN ACTION.
If the Iraqi's want us to leave, why are we still in the country performing security operations? The nation is no more stable or any
less corrupted by our insistence on remaining.
| Sunday, 20 January 2008 at 9h 7m 46s | The bloviating press corps |
...Andrea Mitchell is still at it. She calls the Nevada outcome, based on their exit polls showing
African Americans going for Barack in a big way while women and "Latinos" going for Hillary, as
a "historic divide" within the party, and "not something that any Democrat would want to see."
That's right - it's nothing but doom and gloom from Mrs. Alan Greenspan at the sight that women and
Hispanics go for Hillary while African Americans go for Obama.
Can I just say how much I deeply detest the frauds on TV, the ones like Andrea Mitchell - among
many others?
First of all, if Sen. Obama☼ is the great uniter that he claims to be, isn't it more than
reasonable to think that he would unite behind the eventual Democratic nominee (if Sen. Clinton☼
wins the nomination) and get his supporters to do the same? Does anyone seriously believe that a
charismatic Democrat who says he can unite Republicans and Independents with Democrats cannot unite
Democrats with other Democrats?
Secondly, what is more important here is the fact that the "stars" in the media - those who get
paid undeservedly princely sums to pontificate ignorantly and spread lies and division - routinely
keep people uninformed. I wrote earlier that despite the Rev. Jesse Jackson having gotten historic
primary wins in the 1984 and 1988 Presidential campaigns - a generation earlier - many in the media
have repeatedly ignored that to create the false impression that Sen. Obama's campaign was uniquely
historic.
[SOURCE: | theleftcoaster.com | 19
January 2008]
Over the last week, the Chronicle has pushed the race theme by offering Carla Marinucci and
sidekick
piece of shit "political analyst" Joe Garofoli to pathetically assert that Hillary and Obama lost
all the progress they
made over the weekend because they handled "race" inadequately during the debate.
The front-runners for the Democratic presidential nomination realized something in the past week:
Talking clumsily about race in America is the quickest way to turn off new voters and silence the
buzz generated in the early weeks of the campaign.
[SOURCE: Carla Marinucci & Joe Garofoli | San Francisco
Comical | 17 January 2008]
That was the opening paragraph to the politicalese that passes for journalism these days. And this
story was on the front god damn page. There
was nothing substantive in the entire article, and plenty of speculation. If you read the entire
article, the piece moves to conjecture about what young
voters will do to a statement of campaign personality, before highlighting one selected voter
experiencing the sub-prime mortgage pain (a daughter's mother died and missed only one payment, the
month she died), followed by mentioning a Bill Clinton speech which
discusses a policy position on how to address the mortgage crisis, followed of course with the
typical Republican excuse to do nothing while destroying the government of the people ....
Clinton told the crowd his wife "believes we should freeze all forecloses for 90 days" and work
with lenders on policies that would protect homeowners who are faithfully making payments.
In the meantime, "the most expensive thing we can do is to throw all of you out of your homes," he
said. "If we allow this to take its course, it will cost us far more." He said that, according to
estimates, "the net cost to society is a quarter million dollars every time you foreclose on a
house."
That, he said, is "the dumbest thing we can do."
Republicans are dubious that Sen. Clinton's proposals to solve the mortgage crisis would work.
"The changes Sen. Clinton proposes to deliver would result in massive tax hikes, government-run
health care and weakened national defense," said Republican National Committee spokesman Paul
Lindsay. "As long as she and her surrogates attempt to mislead voters on these critical issues,
Clinton will continue to lack the trust that Americans expect in their commander in chief."
Surrogates. Misleading voters. Lacking the trust of America. All topics the Republicans know very
well. Plus the usual boogeyman of "massive tax hikes". Because you see, not only do Republicans
make excuses to permit massive corruption and moral depravity, they also refuse to pay for it.
| Sunday, 20 January 2008 at 8h 7m 49s | Martin Luther King and Lyndon Johnson | This is first hand history, from Bill Moyers.
Bill Moyers, who was Lyndon Johnson’s press secretary from 1965-1967, gives his perspective on
the “tempest in a teapot” of the Hillary vs. Obama media brawl over LBJ and MLK:
As the pressure intensified on each side, Johnson wanted King to wait a little longer and give him
a chance to bring Congress around by hook or crook. But Martin Luther King said his people had
already waited too long. He talked about the murders and lynchings, the churches set on fire,
children brutalized, the law defied, men and women humiliated, their lives exhausted, their hearts
broken. LBJ listened, as intently as I ever saw him listen. He listened, and then he put his hand
on Martin Luther King’s shoulder, and said, in effect: “OK. You go out there Dr. King and keep
doing what you’re doing, and make it possible for me to do the right thing.” Lyndon Johnson was no
racist but he had not been a civil rights hero, either. Now, as president, he came down on the side
of civil disobedience, believing it might quicken America’s conscience until the cry for justice
became irresistible, enabling him to turn Congress. So King marched and Johnson maneuvered and
Congress folded.
[SOURCE: Nicole Belle | CrooksandLiars.com | 19 January
2008]
[ORIGINAL
SOURCE: Bill Moyers Journal | 18 January 2008]
| Saturday, 19 January 2008 at 16h 34m 7s | How bad is the economic situation? |
The US stock market is off to one of its worst starts in history, credit is shrinking, and home prices are declining at rates
never seen before. The current credit and housing crises have been on the front pages of even non business newspapers since last
summer. It’s a mess out there. At the same time, our nation’s leaders in Washington are still assuring Americans that they are
monitoring the situation closely and will be ready to act in order to avoid any negative consequences of the current credit crisis.
What are they waiting for?
Several months into this episode, the lack of decisive action is unnerving and apparent to even the most casual investor. This is a
real crisis of confidence. No matter what your opinion of the proper steps, if any, that are needed, there is no denying the fact that
financial markets hate uncertainty. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they are getting.
[SOURCE: | Bespoke Investments | 19 January 2008]
| Thursday, 17 January 2008 at 5h 24m 27s | Turkey | In case you don't know, Turkey has essentially occupied parts of Northern Iran. But fear not, according to Le Monde:
"NOTRE SEUL OBJECTIF EST D'ÉLIMINER LES TERRORISTES"
"Nous espérons que ce combat contre le terrorisme s'achèvera bientôt mais nous ne savons pas combien de temps il va encore
durer", a déclaré, lundi, le premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, depuis Madrid, où il se trouve pour le premier forum de
l'Alliance des civilisations. Il a ajouté que le seul objectif de son pays était d'éliminer les 4 000 "terroristes" du Parti des
travailleurs du Kurdistan.
Depuis décembre, l'armée turque a mené contre le PKK quatre raids aériens avec l'aide des services de renseignement américain
et une opération terrestre d'ampleur limitée dans le nord de l'Irak.
[SOURCE: | Le Monde (Reuters) | 15 January 2008]
Here is my translation."Our sole objective is to eliminate the terrorists. We hope that the fight against terrorism will end soon
but we don't know how long we will remain here [in Iraq]," declared the Turkish Prime Minister on Monday from Madrid, where
the
Prime Minister attended a forum for the Alliance of civilizations. He added that the sole objective of his nation was to eliminate
some 4,000 "terroristes" of the Workers Party of Kurdistan.
Since December, the turkish army has made 4 aerial raids against the PKK with the assistance of American reconnaissance, and
also pursues an limited operation on land in Northern Iraq.
In other words, as soon as Turkey destroys the unfavorable Political Party and install a friendly (corruptible) government.
| Thursday, 17 January 2008 at 3h 34m 47s | The insane asylum | I was hanging out with a new friend of mine last night. She is pretty kookie, but also genuine and cool. A friend of mine named
Liam would say "Krazy Kool". She tends to talk about "Jesus" a little more often than I normally would, so I told her this ex tempore
while we sat talking at this restaurant.
"A long time ago God was in a mental asylum, because everyone misunderstood him. Then one day he escaped, and ever since then
he only reveals himself in small hints or clues. As soon as you reach for and try to isolate God, he's gone, because if he ever
revealed himself, they'd put him in an insane asylum again."
I really am not sure what that means exactly, but seeing as it came out of my mouth, I should know.
| Thursday, 17 January 2008 at 1h 15m 29s | Worst. President. Ever. | Bush returns from his Middle East trip. And everyone hates and
despises
him. So
much
for "liberation." Nothing was accomplished. At least he didn't mispronounce both the Israeli and
Palestinian's names again.
What was the real reason why Bush made the Middle East trip? How does the Arab World view this
trip?
From the Miami Herald (hint to San Francisco Chronicle : they frequently publish relevant and
thorough journalistic first-hand stories about something other than Miami and Florida politics
instead of frequently putting Political propaganda Analysts on the front page.)
Arab critics deemed Bush's peace efforts unrealistic, his anti-Iran tirades dangerous, his praise
of authoritarian governments disappointing and his defense of civil liberties ironic.
''There is no credibility to his words after what the region saw during his presidency,'' said
Mohamed Fayek, the Cairo, Egypt-based director of the nonprofit Arab Organization for Human Rights.
He cited the war in Iraq, the prison camp in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the Abu Ghraib detainee
abuse scandal. ``American policy threw the region off-balance and destabilized it. The visit caused
deep disappointment. I don't see any results.''
...In Lebanon, an explosion targeting an armored U.S. embassy vehicle in Beirut killed four
Lebanese and injured others in the first assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission there since the
1980s.
...Meanwhile, Bush didn't back down on his warnings to Iran, which he has lambasted at nearly every
stop on his eight-day journey. He reiterated in Saudi Arabia that a military option wasn't out of
the question....However, many Gulf countries appear to be moving closer to Iran over Washington's
objections. Iran's firebrand president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appeared at an important Gulf summit
recently, and Iranian investors play vital roles in the economies of Bahrain, the United Arab
Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.
"I guess the visit was just about making sure the Gulf doesn't slip away toward Iran,"
said Ghanim al Najjar, the director of the Center for Strategic and Future Studies at Kuwait
University. "All these issues will just stay on the surface because there is no environment to
support action against Iran. Everything will stay on the level of rhetoric rather than reality."
[SOURCE: HANNAH ALLAM
| Miami Herald (McClatchy News Service) | 16 January 2008]
Read that last paragraph again.
| Thursday, 17 January 2008 at 0h 23m 4s | A discourse on hypocrisy | We are all hypocrites. The world is too large and life is too vast and random for
us to be
otherwise. This is not a morality issue, nor it is it a denunciation of all mankind. Our
hypocrisy stems from the disjunction between two worlds : what we believe to be ourselves, and what
we believe to be the external world. When we converse with one another, we share these believe
systems and try to come to common universal understandings. When we do not converse, we cannot
know the belief systems of others and so form conjectures based upon our own beliefs that are
always inaccurate. At some point in time, there will be a contortion by the ego which sustains
this mechanism of selfdom, and this is where the hypocrisy arrises.
The ego is the justification which separates and distinguishes our self from everything else. This
ego is the decision-maker created between the two worlds of beliefs, making choices and explaining
the decisions. Sometimes the ego explains to the self, sometimes to everyone else, sometimes both,
and in the slew of chatter resides the real individual. We are all defined by our choice of words
but also by the distinct flavor of hypocrisy with which we brandish the words.
But that which distinguishes the wholesome person from the dissolute soul is the manner with which
an
individual handles their own hypocrisy. Being humble in one's potential for self-deception and
working arduously towards reducing the affectation thereof is the best of all possible occurences.
Good
luck.
| Tuesday, 15 January 2008 at 2h 10m 3s | There's still a war going on. | Click here
for the latest in US deaths and casualties. Almost 4,000 dead, 30,000 wounded. Official
statistics. Not including the soldiers who die due to complications off-field. Not including the
300,000 plus iraqi and afghani civilian deaths, nor the millions of refuges and orphans, nor the
destruction of crop-land and infrastructure.
And how many dictators and oligarchical dictatorships has the US supported and currently support?
Why was this one dictator so damn different? In the words of our fearless Vice President:
In Afghanistan you’ve got a nation without significant resources. In Iraq you’ve got a nation
that’s got the second-largest oil reserves in the world, second only to Saudi Arabia. It will
generate billions of dollars a year in cash flow if they get back to their production of roughly
three million barrels of oil a day, in the relatively near future.
[SOURCE: | Meet The Press | 16 March
2003]
Here's another lovely quote from the same "interview" (dissemination of propaganda):
MR. RUSSERT: If your analysis is not correct, and we’re not treated as liberators, but as
conquerors, and the Iraqis begin to resist, particularly in Baghdad, do you think the American
people are prepared for a long, costly, and bloody battle with significant American casualties?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: Well, I don’t think it’s likely to unfold that way, Tim, because I really do
believe that we will be greeted as liberators.
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