Silence is Consent

If you don't speak up you accept what is happening. This site was born out of the mainstream media's inability to cover the news. I am just an American cititzen trying to spread the word in the era of FCC consolidation, post 9/11 Patriot Act hysteria, hackable voting machines and war without end. I rant and post news items I perceive to be relevant to our current situation.

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
- Thomas Jefferson

Social Security is not broken and therefore does not need to be fixed

So Called Social Security Crisis (SCSSC)

Comments, questions, corrections, rebuttals are always welcome.

Wednesday, December 31, 2003
 
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hopefully at this time next year we will be awaiting the inauguration of a new President. A few more in 2003.

Ashcroft recuses himself from the Plame investigation. Why now? Don't Be Fooled: Still No Independent Investigation of Leak of CIA Identity.

Just think if the media was doing it's job, How US Manipulates News to Suit Its Interests.

What needs to be done in the coming year, Their Media War and Ours in 2004. A Call to Educate, Organize and Mobilize.

Let's not forget those who have died in the war. Their Photos Tell the Story.

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Tuesday, December 30, 2003
 
I'm on vacation, if you can call it that when your 4 month old is sick, until the 5th. I will try and post some this week. Here are a few things that should be read.

Remember Joe Wilson, he doesn't appear to be going away. Bush's Worst Enemy.

Paul Krugman on the economy, Our So-Called Boom. This on the economy as well, Jobless Count Skips Millions.

A little Iraq history lesson. It's from the David Fromkin, who wrote The Peace to End All Peace, one of the best histories of the 20th century Middle East. 'Our Guy' for Iraq Leader May End Up Biting Us.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2003
 
It's funny you know. One of the first things we are told in history class is, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."Well guess what? For Vietnam Vet Anthony Zinni, Another War on Shaky Territory
"Obviously there are differences" between Vietnam and Iraq, he says. "Every situation is unique." But in his bones, he feels the same chill. "It feels the same. I hear the same things -- about [administration charges about] not telling the good news, about cooking up a rationale for getting into the war." He sees both conflicts as beginning with deception by the U.S. government, drawing a parallel between how the Johnson administration handled the beginning of the Vietnam War and how the Bush administration touted the threat presented by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. "I think the American people were conned into this," he says. Referring to the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which the Johnson administration claimed that U.S. Navy ships had been subjected to an unprovoked attack by North Vietnam, he says, "The Gulf of Tonkin and the case for WMD and terrorism is synonymous in my mind."
I call it giving him enough rope to hang himself with. But they call it the 'Bleeding Strategy' Comes Home.

Families sue U.S., reject 9/11 `bribe'. Here is what one said:
She is also resentful that the government is determining the worth of loved ones.

"This is about mass murder," she said. "I want to know who was responsible.

"No one has been fired. No one has been demoted. The same people who are guarding us today on an elevated security alert are the same people who were working that day."
It's covered a little different in the US media, of course, 95% of 9/11 families file with victim fund.

This looks interesting, This Republican Has Some Doubts.

One more thing, Making Money the Old-Fashioned Way?


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Paul Krugman on yesterday's big story, Citizen Conrad's Friends. Here is yesterday's big story, Friendship and Business Blur in the World of a Media Baron.

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A question to start the day, Does U.S. Intervention Overseas Breed Terrorism? The Historical Record.

Nice, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is apparently not keen on going under oath for the Kean 9/11 commission. Shocking, isn't it?

The wing-nuts "can't handle the truth". Peggy Noonan Gets Owned. Is Matthews really going to work on a conservative? The Asia Times rips her new propaganda book, The crisis of American journalism. That should do it for her. She is one of the biggest Republican media whores there is.

With the end of the year it is inevitable that the awards start coming. So here they are. Announcing the P.U.-Litzer Prizes for 2003


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Monday, December 22, 2003
 
This was too good not to add, Memorandum to Empire. A ton of history and some good advice. Remember they do not hate us because we are free they hate us because we won't let them be free.

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It's getting stickier, Dismay at chemical plant link to Britain. Is there still anyone left on this planet that doesn't believe the US and Britain supplied Saddam with all his WMD's. Well maybe like the earlier article stated, France helped them with the nukes.

Pakistan is our ally in the War on Terror (WOT), right? Not only is Osama supposedly hiding there now we find our this, Fingers point to Pakistan for sharing nuke secrets. So let me see we went to war with Iraq because they were supposedly harboring terrorists, they could give WMD to terrorists and he was a direct threat to his neighbors. Can you think of another country that fits that description? This goes to prove one of my main points as to why everybody wants nukes. Once they have nukes you can no longer threaten them with preemptive war, they then immediately get respect from the other nuclear nations. If Saddam would have acquired nukes he would have gotten the same treatment that Pakistan is getting now. Notice no preemptive war against North Korea either.

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Letters the Troops Have Sent Me... by Michael Moore.

Howard Deans rebuttal to the Washington Post for calling him, Out of the Mainstream? Hardly.

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Check this one out. One of the reasons some believed that proved Iraq had no WMD before the current war in Iraq, and I adopted myself, was that if Iraq was really a threat to use WMD, especially nuclear, Israel never would have allowed that to happen. They bombed a nuclear reactor site in Iraq in the '80's. This is further proof, Israel planning Iran attack.

Noam Chomsky, Selective memory and a dishonest doctrine.

So the reason, right now, that we went to Iraq was to liberate them from Saddam and of course bring democracy there. It doesn't look like the Iraqis see it that way, For Baghdad's Sunnis, Hostility Toward Occupation Is Growing. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) has made it illegal to march (protest). Sounds like the Iraqi's just want to practice some of that freedom they've been promised:
"Let the people shout for one or two hours, they get tired and they go home, and the business is completed," Hashimi said. "Saddam was president for 35 years. Do they think they can erase him in one minute or one night by calling the police? What happened to your Statue of Liberty? Change the name."
Talking Points Memo has a good read, with links, on the Libya story.

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It's a very straight forward question:
"Do you believe your government is capable of lying to you about such important issues: The reasons for attacking Iraq, The capture of Saddam Hussein and September 11, 2001?"
This article asks it. The last paragraph is excellent and I highlight my favorite part:
It's not an easy question for most Americans, but it's an important one all should at least consider. It is difficult ... and frightening ... to think that those leading our nation could be capable of such heinous behavior. The corporate media and the government is fond of marginalizing persons who ask such questions as, "Conspiracy Theorists". But we have no conspiracy theory. We only have questions. A healthy skepticism of those who are leading our country is the lifeblood of our democracy.
This is one of the best articles, and it is very short, I have seen lately that lays it out very plain and simple.

Well folks once again everyone else in the world is starting to hear the truth about the, ahem, "capture" of Saddam. Remember the DEBKAfile article I posted last week? Here are a couple of good articles about this: Revealed: who really found Saddam? and Saddam was captured by Kurds, not US. One more story on this, Did Kurds Dupe Bush's Brass; or Did Bush Sell Out Iraqis to Kurds as Part of Saddam Handover Deal? To further prove how the American press is dropping the ball on the do a Google search on "Saddam Captured by Kurds" or some variation of that and see what you get. Here is another site, Correspondences.org that goes over the story but check out all the links at the bottom. It sure is interesting that not one US media source is involved in this story. Do you still think the press in this country is independent? Where is the US corporate media on this story?

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Friday, December 19, 2003
 
Good weekend reading:

An American icon, Gore Vidal, A Tract for the Times.

More on the state of Iraq, Paul McGeough reports from Baghdad on the Iraqis who hated Saddam, but who hate the Americans more. This one too, Who Needs WMD When You've Got Saddam?

Krugman, this time from The Nation, The Death of Horatio Alger.

Looks good, Risky Business in Iraq.

Hartmann is always good, Conservatives Target Testicles.

Dean Takes on Big Media.

I had to add one more. This woman is great, Sean, Truth Holding on Line One!

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I love this guys columns, Global Eye -- Best-Laid Plans By Chris Floyd. This article is pretty much about the whole PNAC/Neo-Con plan for Iraq. It brings up some new information on a company named Erinys. Here is the Erinys web site. Here is what CorpWatch has to say about Erinys, Guarding the Oil Underworld in Iraq.

This is very funny, THE TRIAL OF SADDAM HUSSEIN.

More reality from Iraq, US has already lost Iraq. Here is the last paragraph and it pretty much sums it up:
Due to ignorance and arrogance, the US has already "lost" Iraq. The Iraqi resistance is growing and gathering its forces. Saddam is gone. Iraqis hope Bush will be defeated and ousted from the White House so the neoconservative ideologues of his administration will be swept from power and a new, more liberal president might start thinking of Iraq's agenda, not of Washington's agenda.

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Here is what's going on:

Paul Krugman, Telling It Right.

I don't care if you were for the war or against it these people are getting the worst of it, Wounded Troops Denied Benefits?.

Rove must have sent Luca Brasi over the Tom Kean's house, Kean backtracks.

I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for but the one thing I like about Dean is he will say things that are not popular, Editorial: Dean's truth/Saddam didn't threaten U.S.

Really? Revealed -- Saddam's Network or a PSYOPS Campaign?

Our glorious media, Change the Channel.


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I'm adding a link to this site, Juan Cole. This is the most informative web site about what is really going on in Iraq.

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If anyone in this country does not think they are being played by this administration they must be crazy. Let's look at one example. I don't think polls are what they appear to be. I believe the numbers are used to bring about a desired result. Like this one, AP poll finds strong majority back war in Iraq. Let's say this is true. Why do you think everyone loves the war again? I say it's because Saddam was "captured" last week. So now that everyone loves the war again it's time to make sure we hide the lies. So now this, Is the search for weapons over?
Mr Bush's public dismissal of the weapons issue is the latest move by Washington and London to change the justification for war. Weapons of mass destruction, and even weapons programmes, are no longer being put forward as the reason for the invasion.

Senior US and British officials now dwell almost exclusively on the atrocities perpetrated by Saddam against his people, and the opportunity provided by his removal for a regeneration of the Middle East.

Opinion polls point to the strategy working. The US public has forgotten what it was being told every day only nine months ago about the "imminent threat" the former Iraqi leader posed to the US, while the capture of Saddam last Saturday had boosted the President's approval ratings to a healthy 60 per cent-plus.
While everyone is focused on the big capture you see with this article and with the articles I linked yesterday what they are trying to hide. So how are we being played? Like the article states for months we were told of the impending doom we would face if we left Saddam alone. All the tons of chemicals and his desire for "nucular" weapons. Most of the American sheeple were in fear and allow their President to take them to war--not caring that our founders gave this power to the Congress so this exact thing would never happen. But we get there and guess what? Just like Saddam, the UN and Scott Ritter said he didn't have any WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION! So now they drop back to the mass graves, and gassed his own people--even though we gave him the gas and Kurds are not his own people, he is a Sunni. But I digress. The point is the sheeple now don't care anymore about the pre-war justifications. Now this is about democracy, are style of democracy, whether the Iraqis like it or not. We are there and we just can't leave. I ask why not? They said that for years about Vietnam. What happened when we left there? It looks like they built a nation and more importantly Americans and Vietnamese stopped being killed there.

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Thursday, December 18, 2003
 
One on Bush's chance for reelection. Of course the question here is how can he run for reelection when he was never elected in the first place? Saddam's Capture Bodes Ill for Bush's Re-election.

A Buzzflash interview, UC Berkeley Sociologist Arlie Hochschild answers the question, "Why are 50% of Blue Collar White Males Planning to Vote for Bush in 2004, Even When He is Picking Their Pockets and Stealing the Futures of Their Children?"

On Dean and Saddam, Dean's Right: Getting Saddam No Panacea.

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Well here we go. 9/11 Chair: Attack Was Preventable. This paragraph in this article, from one of the most outspoken 9/11 family members, points out one of the first things that made me think they at least knew it was going to happen.
"How is it possible we have a national security advisor coming out and saying we had no idea they could use planes as weapons when we had FBI records from 1991 stating that this is a possibility," said Kristen Breitweiser, one of four New Jersey widows who lobbied Congress and the president to appoint the commission.
Here is a list of recent news:
-Kay Plans to Leave Search for Iraqi Arms .
-Remember 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'? For Bush, They Are a Nonissue.
-Dubious Link Between Atta and Saddam.
-Halliburton units file for bankruptcy.
-Halliburton handed Iraq contract .
It sure is a good thing they found Saddam, isn't it?

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Wednesday, December 17, 2003
 
What's going on with Texas Redistricting you ask? Well here is Today's redistricting lawsuit update.

Burnt Orange Report has some good stuff too, Sing it, Doc!:
"I'm a firm proponent of Republicans getting the majority of seats in Texas," said Dr. John Alford, a political science professor at Rice University. "This goes beyond that ... into a territory where the nature of the system itself determines the outcome, rather than the will of the voters."

He said that the old map still in use – under which Republicans hold 15 of 32 seats – actually favors the GOP. Republicans could grab a majority of the seats, he predicted, if the party would campaign effectively against Democratic incumbents elected in districts with large numbers of crossover Republicans.

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Do you want your vote to count next year? Well we had better get active. Bev Harris and the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State held a press conference yesterday. Here is a summary from blackboxvoting.org:
What we have, in Washington State, is this:

We've got the state election director misstating when versions were certified, somebody at the secretary of state's office signing off on software with no NASED number, and when we try to find out what software is actually authorized, we get the buffalo shuffle. We've got a convicted drug dealer printing our ballots, a 23-count embezzler programming our voting system, and our absentee ballots are being funneled through a private company that hires mainly immigrants but also people straight out of prison.

We've now documented 10 states that are using unauthorized software, and internal memos that indicate that five Diebold programmers uploaded these unauthorized programs, knowing that this was not allowed.
Interesting stuff, isn't it? At blackboxvoting there are supporting documents from the press conference. To get involved join the Activism Forum and don't forget to read the book which is also available on the site.

More good news for democracy, E-Voting Undermined by Sloppiness.

This is pretty good too, OHIO E-VOTE MACHINES CAN BE HACKED WITH A PALM PILOT!


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Did you see the Diane Sawyer interview with the President? Either did I. I linked the transcript, specifically where she presses him on WMD. She is basically pressing him on the difference between having them and wanting to acquire them, here is the exchange:
DIANE SAWYER: Again, I'm just trying to ask, these are supporters, people who believed in the war who have asked the question.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, you can keep asking the question and my answer's gonna be the same. Saddam was a danger and the world is better off cause we got rid of him.

DIANE SAWYER: But stated as a hard fact, that there were weapons of mass destruction as opposed to the possibility that he could move to acquire those weapons still —

PRESIDENT BUSH: So what's the difference?

DIANE SAWYER: Well —

PRESIDENT BUSH: The possibility that he could acquire weapons. If he were to acquire weapons, he would be the danger. That's, that's what I'm trying to explain to you. A gathering threat, after 9/11, is a threat that needed to be de — dealt with, and it was done after 12 long years of the world saying the man's a danger. And so we got rid of him and there's no doubt the world is a safer, freer place as a result of Saddam being gone.

DIANE SAWYER: But, but, again, some, some of the critics have said this combined with the failure to establish proof of, of elaborate terrorism contacts, has indicated that there's just not precision, at best, and misleading, at worst.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yeah. Look— what — what we based our evidence on was a very sound National Intelligence Estimate. ...

DIANE SAWYER: Nothing should have been more precise?

PRESIDENT BUSH: What — I, I — I made my decision based upon enough intelligence to tell me that this country was threatened with Saddam Hussein in power.

DIANE SAWYER: What would it take to convince you he didn't have weapons of mass destruction?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Saddam Hussein was a threat and the fact that he is gone means America is a safer country.

DIANE SAWYER: And if he doesn't have weapons of mass destruction [inaudible] —

PRESIDENT BUSH: Diane, you can keep asking the question. I'm telling you — I made the right decision for America —

DIANE SAWYER: But-

PRESIDENT BUSH: — because Saddam Hussein used weapons of mass destruction, invaded Kuwait. ... But the fact that he is not there is, means America's a more secure country.
Who are you to question me. I had sound intelligence, he gassed his own people, he invaded Kuwait. What is this man thinking? The President is saying I thought he had WMD or might someday get them or someday think about getting them, he gassed his own people, and he invaded Kuwait so that is why I invaded. Amazing!

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An editorial from a different point of view, AllHipHop Editorial-- Bush And Cheney: Don't Let Them Hustle Us! By Grouchy Greg Watkins.

Have you seen this, Senators were told Iraqi weapons could hit U.S.

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Over the last several years I have been paying much more attention not only to what is said but why and who. Propaganda is real. Here is and example-- watch out when you read this one there is logic involved, you've been warned! Howard DeanÂ’s Loose Lips. More on this here, The stupefaction of a nation: Corporate media propaganda and its weapons of mass distraction.

When Saddam was our friend the Missing U.S.-Iraq History. The documents for further reading, Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein: The U.S. Tilts toward Iraq, 1980-1984.

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Tuesday, December 16, 2003
 
A couple things on Saddam. Some believe he was not "captured", Indications Saddam Was Not in Hiding But a Captive. So let's just say for sake of conversation that they found him several weeks ago and were just waiting for the right time to pull him out. What could they be trying to cover? Well look at the date on this, Halliburton overbilled $120m on Iraq contracts, says Pentagon. Heard anything about this the last couple of days?

Also just as Saddam was being "captured" this came out, Does this link Saddam to 9/11?
Here are the findings:

However, the tantalising detail provided in the intelligence document uncovered by Iraq's interim government suggests that Atta's involvement with Iraqi intelligence may well have been far deeper than has hitherto been acknowledged.

and

The second item contains a report of how Iraqi intelligence, helped by "a small team from the al-Qaeda organisation", arranged for an (unspecified) shipment from Niger to reach Baghdad by way of Libya and Syria.

But we find this toward the end

While it is almost impossible to ascertain whether or not the document is legitimate or a clever fake, Iraqi officials working for the interim government are convinced of its authenticity, even though they decline to reveal where and how they obtained it. "It is not important how we found it," said a senior Iraqi security official. "The important thing is that we did find it and the information it contains."
This came out at almost the same time that Saddam was captured?! I find it very interesting that other than right-wing media and the internet I have not seen anything about this. If this were true it would seem to me that this administration would be shouting this from the highest treetop. If this is true it would completely vindicate the SOTU speech and all the comments that Cheney has made. They either want to make damn sure it is true or it is not true. Either way it sure is convenient.

Take it from someone who knows, Resistance to Occupation will Grow. This political refugee from Iraq is very happy to see Saddam gone but knows the war is not over.

Paul Krugman, Patriots and Profits.

Remember this? For telling the truth.

From the Austin American Statesman, After the capture, war's hard truths remain.

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Monday, December 15, 2003
 
Well unless you've been in a 6 foot deep hole in the Iraqi countryside, oops. I mean, I'm sure you know by now that Saddam has been "smoked out". I sincerely hope that this means that all the violence in Iraq will stop, the people there will start working together to form a new government, and that our troops can come home very soon. Since the country is now free of WMD and the tyrant has been captured It should be no problem for us to pack up and leave and give the Iraqis their country back, right? Unfortunately now comes the hard part. The first thing I said to my wife yesterday after I found out about this was, "Now the civil war can begin". The different factions in Iraq now know that he is not coming back, let the power struggle begin. The best analysis I have read so far has been by, Juan Cole, scroll down to "Reflections on the Capture of Saddam Hussein". Here is the main point:
The Sunni Arab resisters to US occupation in the country's heartland had long since jettisoned Saddam and the Baath as symbols. (See "Sunnis gear up" below.) They are fighting for local reasons. Some are Sunni fundamentalists, who despised the Baath. Others are Arab nationalists who weep at the idea of their country being occupied. Some had relatives killed or humiliated by US troops and are pursuing a clan vendetta. Some fear a Shiite and Kurdish-dominated Iraq will reduce them to second class citizens. They will fight on, as Mr. Bush admitted today.

My wife, Shahin Cole, suggested to me an ironic possibility with regard to the Shiites. She said that many Shiites in East Baghdad, Basra, and elsewhere may have been timid about opposing the US presence, because they feared the return of Saddam. Saddam was in their nightmares, and the reprisals of the Fedayeen Saddam are still a factor in Iraqi politics. Now that it is perfectly clear that he is finished, she suggested, the Shiites may be emboldened. Those who dislike US policies or who are opposed to the idea of occupation no longer need be apprehensive that the US will suddenly leave and allow Saddam to come back to power. They may therefore now gradually throw off their political timidity, and come out more forcefully into the streets when they disagree with the US. As with many of her insights, this one seems to me likely correct.
There is much speculation about what is going to happen now. Most people do not believe much will change in the short term. I would imagine that be the spring we will know the effect of this on Iraq.

Will Rivers Pitt has a different take on it, We Caught The Wrong Guy. A few things from this article:
Opening paragraph...

Saddam Hussein, former employee of the American federal government, was captured near a farmhouse in Tikrit in a raid performed by other employees of the American federal government. That sounds pretty deranged, right? Perhaps, but it is also accurate. The unifying thread binding together everyone assembled at that Tikrit farmhouse is the simple fact that all of them – the soldiers as well as Hussein – have received pay from the United States for services rendered.

On the changing script...

Of course, the rhetoric mutated as the weapons stubbornly refused to be found. By the time Bush did his little ‘Mission Accomplished’ strut across the aircraft carrier, the occupation was about the removal of Saddam Hussein and the liberation of the Iraqi people. No longer were we informed on a daily basis of the “sinister nexus between Hussein and al Qaeda,” as described by Colin Powell before the United Nations in February. No longer were we fed the insinuations that Hussein was involved in the attacks of September 11. Certainly, any and all mention of weapons of mass destruction ceased completely. We were, instead, embarking on some noble democratic experiment.

And finally, why this probably won't stop the violence...

“We are not fighting for Saddam," said an Iraqi named Kashid Ahmad Saleh in a New York Times report from a week ago. "We are fighting for freedom and because the Americans are Jews. The Governing Council is a bunch of looters and criminals and mercenaries. We cannot expect that stability in this country will ever come from them. The principle is based on religion and tribal loyalties," continued Saleh. "The religious principle is that we cannot accept to live with infidels. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, said, `Hit the infidels wherever you find them.' We are also a tribal people. We cannot allow strangers to rule over us."
I think through all of this what most of the American public does not understand is that the people of Iraq just want our soldiers out of their country. They are happy to have Saddam gone but now they want their country back for themselves.

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Saturday, December 13, 2003
 
Some things I found today:

A good one on how the US press has ceased covering the stories that matter, We don't do scandals.

Tariq Ali sums it up, The same old racket in Iraq.

Counterpunch interviews a man who knows propaganda. He helped Noam Chomsky write Manufacturing Consent, Pretty Damn Evil An Interview with Edward Herman.

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Friday, December 12, 2003
 
Is this possible? Are the Republican Playing Politics with Iraq ? Say it isn't so.

Sometimes I wonder if he ever had a brain, Bush laughs off critics of 'spoils of war' bidding.

A recap on redistricting, THE GREAT ELECTION GRAB.

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY HATE US? This is some of the sickest shit I've ever seen, Global Eye -- Bullet Points.

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News a little closer to home, DeLay's Texas PAC investigated. More on this here, Complaint Outlines Huge Stealth Expenditures and the Apparent Misuse of Corporate Funds. A little more from Off the Kuff, DeLay's sham charity attacked. Kuff also has an interview with the candidate that is going to run against DeLay, An interview with Richard Morrison.

A couple on the voting machine "thing":
Democracy on the Cheap: The Failure of America's Electoral Infrastructure.

Think Again: Why the Silence?

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Did you see the debate (It's under Most Watched Video) on Tuesday. This, Kucinich Bests Koppel, was the best part. Leave it to the media to get revenge ABC News Pulls Reporter off Kucinich Campaign. Kucinich seems to be getting some good press over this and for him any press is good press.

It sure is interesting the way we are bringing democracy to Iraq, Saddam's Labor Laws Live On.

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Paul Krugman on the Baker "appointment" and the Wolfowitz memo, A Deliberate Debacle.

A NY Times editorial asking Baker to cut his ties to Baker Botts and the Carlyle Group, Cutting James Baker's Ties.

This is hard to believe, Halliburton May Have Overcharged Millions. What's hard to believe is that it's only billions and that it is getting reported.

Here we go again, When Gore endorsed Dean, pundits told an old tale. Gore said he invented the Internet.

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More stories of the new Iraq,
Pentagon: Many of New Iraq Soldiers Quit
.

I have been reading this site more and more. They are doing great work. I wish we had media like this in America. Washington's axis of incoherence.


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The gift that keeps on giving, Hundreds of Iraqis 'killed by cluster bombs'.

This is sad news, UAW Pulls the Plug on Liberal Talk-Radio Network. This is the only liberal/progressive radio left (no pun intended). Namely Mike Malloy and Thom Hartmann. Here is a petition to get the new Liberal talk radio network, Central Air, to hire Mike Malloy. I found this network about a year ago and it is great to hear opinions like this on the radio. Please help.

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Iraq Spy Service Planned by U.S. To Stem Attacks CIA Said to Be Enlisting Hussein Agents. Is this a good idea?
Still, the outstanding issue is, "to what degree you bring back former intelligence service," one U.S. intelligence expert said.
It looks to me like a new intelligence system is being setup for whoever the next Saddam will be.

This is a great story, E-mail stolen from Diebold is a call to gouge Maryland. Makes me feel good about the upcoming election.

This is a great man, A GNN interview with Noam Chomsky.

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Wednesday, December 10, 2003
 
This is from Cursor.org:
Bill Moyers interviews recently retired Pentagon analyst Chuck Spinney, who explains the workings of "the military industrial Congressional complex," and discusses defense boondoggles from the malfunctioning M-16 rifles in Vietnam to the ballistic missile defense system.
It's always interesting to see what the Pentagon is doing with all that money.

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Remember what I said about mercenaries? The privatisation of war, they do a better job and also do a better job of keeping a secret.

A Buzzflash editorial by Maureen Farrell, This is Your Brain on Propaganda. One more from Buzzflash, Whatever Happened to the Plame Investigation? An Act of Treason by the Bush Administration Gets Buried Alive. Valerie who?

Another one on the Dean phenomena, Dean's Band of Outsiders.

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This is great, Bust Bob Novak! Sign the petition, I did.

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Great stuff today in The Progress Report. Especially about the Wolfowitz memo and the Baker "appointment".

This is just sad, Bush pushes Taiwan to cancel referendum. Bush the Appeaser has pissed off the Neo-cons, Neo-cons cry 'appeasement' over Taiwan


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There is one assumption I want to look at. Everybody thinks that this administration didn't have a plan when they went into Iraq. Well I'm not so sure that as far as they are concerned that everything is going according to plan. I don't believe that they wanted to go in, kick out Saddam, setup a democracy and be out in a year. If that was the case they could not effectively steal Iraq's resources and US taxpayer money. It is a very cynical view but these people see the US military as a less expensive security option for their corporations than mercenaries. If you owned a corporation wouldn't you rather use taxpayer subsidized security than pay for it out of your own pocket? The other thing is the ongoing insurgency is great cover for stories like this, High Payments to Halliburton for Fuel in Iraq. Just something to think about.

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The punishment for those who did not go along has been handed down, U.S. Bars Iraq War Opponents From Bidding. Here is the text(.pdf) of the memo and the web site for the new Iraq Program Management Office. Canada's reaction:
``If these comments are accurate ... it would be difficult for us to give further money for the reconstruction of Iraq,'' said Canada's deputy prime minister, John Manley. ``To exclude Canadians just because they are Canadians would be unacceptable if they accept funds from Canadian taxpayers for the reconstruction of Iraq.''
This is a hilarious cartoon. This guy will be one of the first in the internment camp.

We kill more Afghan civilians, U.S. Kills 8 in Afghan Assault .

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Tuesday, December 09, 2003
 
Oops or oh well, whichever you prefer, U.S. Raid in Afghanistan May Have Missed Target

I'm not sure what to make of thisEx-Sen. Kerrey Joins Sept. 11 Commission. Here is a quote from the article:
Former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., who has also criticized the commission's dealings with the White House, praised the selection of Kerrey.

"This is a very solid and smart choice," Roemer said. "Bob Kerrey, with his intelligence background and his political experience, can hit the ground in a full sprint."
This words in bold do not comfort me. That says "insider" to me and that is the last thing we need on this commission.


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I've been meaning to post this one for a few days, Ex-General Says Israel Inflated Iraqi Threat.

More on DeLay's money games, Groups say DeLay charity is a ruse for soft money.

The man who got the most votes in the last Presidential election makes his choice for the Democratic nomination,
Gore Says Dean Candidate to 'Take America Back'.

Michael Moore writes a letter to the President, Turkeys on the Moon .

Seymour Hersh on our new strategy in Iraq, MOVING TARGETS.

What's going on with China you ask, US-CHINA: QUEST FOR PEACE Part 1: Two nations, a world apart.

No surprise here, Rummy Wrong Yet Again.

It's funny what you find in the world press, Jihad has worked - the world is now split in two.


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Monday, December 08, 2003
 
Greg Palast always makes things so simple to understand, BAKER TAKES THE LOAF, The President's Business Partner Slices Up Iraq.

A plan, Democrats: When will we ever learn?

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There has been quite a few articles about Unka Dick lately, scapegoat? Exclusive: Cheney and the 'Raw' Intelligence. Which is a perfect lead-in to this, Iraqi Exiles Face Uncertainty as Enthusiasm for Them Dims at Home and in Washington.

This looks like some good investigative reporting, The Price of Power Politics. Keep checking bacbecausese this is an ongoing series.

Great article on the hypocrisy of the media, Media Feeding Frenzy: Dean's "Secret" Records.

Bush signs Medicare Bill and the good news follows:
Health care costs continue double digit increase Employees bearing more of the costs.

Glaxo chief: Our drugs do not work on most patients.

Demolished: the myth that allows drugs giants to sell more.

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The First Family, Global Eye -- Blood Kin. These people are EVIL!

Winning the hearts and minds:
In Iraq, Tough New Tactics by U.S. Tighten Grip on Iraq Towns. Here's a quote that makes sense:
"With a heavy dose of fear and violence, and a lot of money for projects, I think we can convince these people that we are here to help them," Colonel Sassaman said.
This guy must be Rumsfeld trained.

In Afghanistan, Afghan Villagers Torn by Grief After U.S. Raid Kills 9 Children.

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Sunday, December 07, 2003
 
This guy knows quite a bit about the IT "bidness", No Confidence Vote: Why The Current Touch Screen Voting Fiasco Was Pretty Much Inevitable.

Well surprise, surprise, surprise (say it in your best Gomer Pyle voice). Iraq delays hand Cheney firm $1bn.

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Friday, December 05, 2003
 
Weekend Reading:

Items like this are released on Friday to try and hide them. He's back, James Baker: He Knows Debt.

An ex-Republicans prediction, 2004? Bush Will Beat Bush!

Sunday NY Times article on Dean, The Dean Connection.

Howard Dean just released this, Common Sense for a New Century, looks interesting.

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A couple of things on this one, Dems want inquiry into reports of Medicare bribe. It's the USA Today again, why are they all of the sudden doing this? The other is that guess who, Bob Novak is the one that first reported this. Same guy who outed Valerie Plame. He is a Rove plant. Stay tuned.

Karen Kwiatkowski, Friendly Advice From Iran. She writes a great column but if you can't read the whole thing this says it all:
But what of America? The advice from our Iranian fellow travelers is a cool drink of water. Be wary of those who say they are good and wise because they are religious. Never doubt the ability of a state to enrich its politicians and friends over the best interests of its future generations, and to steal a nation blind of its treasure and the blood of its young men and women. Don’t be surprised at what is lost for a whole nation when its leaders are arrogant, self-serving, and corrupt.
White supremacists, terrorists? You probably never saw this, The US Terrorism Plot That the Media Ignores.

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Just a bunch of stuff to read is you have some free time:

Remember the Texas miracle? Gains in Houston Schools: How Real Are They?

Last one about discrepancies in the Baghdad trip, Bush's Cherry-picked Reporters.

More discrepancies, this time in Samarra, Iraqification and the Media.

An article on The Invisible Recovery.

Check this one out, Big Brother's little helper.

A little 9/11 action, Unanswered Questions. Here is the John Sugg article that references in the article, The spies who came in from the art sale.

So what do they think about this war down under? Iraq: the next Afghanistan.


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Paul Krugman, Looting the Future.

Well speaking of a "decision that just happens to confer huge benefits on favored corporations", Hollinger Investments Are Linked To Board's Perle and Kissinger and Perle Article Didn't Disclose Boeing Tie.

A good wrap up of the FCC media consolidation issue from the American Journalism Review, News Blackout.
The FCC was getting ready to loosen the rules limiting media concentration. A grassroots movement had sprung up to derail the plan. But you wouldn?’t have learned much about the controversy from many news outlets owned by the big conglomerates that were eager to cash in.
Check out the related reading links as well.

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Thursday, December 04, 2003
 
Remeber the story about the Iraq trip and the British Airways plane? Well check this one out, The Bird Was Perfect But Not For Dinner.

Reaction to yesterday's Paul Krugman editorial, Election Scandals, Past and Future (5 Letters).

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I'm going to try and go through this quickly. We accused Iraq of having WMD for years. We invade on the pretense that we "know" they have them. Today I see this article, CIA admits lack of specifics on Iraqi weapons before invasion. This would lead one to believe that the best we had was an, ahem, educated guess. Remember what was said before the war? Here is a reminder, "Time is Running Out" on Saddam Hussein, Bush Says. This from Ari:
"He's been given a final chance to disarm. And, regrettably, we've seen no evidence that he has made the strategic choice to disarm and to come into compliance with the United Nations. We first saw this in the Iraqi declaration, which the world agreed was inadequate, and Saddam has not complied and, therefore, time is running out," the press secretary said.
So we knew he had them, we knew had not disarmed, but we still haven't found anything. I also see today that the UN still waiting for US report on Iraq weapons. This would lead me to believe that the report is not flattering to the administration. So now it's time to shine the light on others so nobody notices this. This article here tells you where your military is going next, Washington warns five countries over weapons of mass destruction. So it looks like we are being setup for our next wars of choice. So to sum up: He has WMD and is not disarming, we know he has them and we know where they are, we haven't found any, but now we know these people either have or want them so they are next.

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Wednesday, December 03, 2003
 
Remember how they savaged Gore because he lied about the little stuff, even things he didn't need to lie about? Changing a Story on the Fly.

This was in USA Today, Keep talking, Democrats.

The Guardian is awesome, Phase three: civil war.

This can't happen in America, can it? Dismantling US Democracy.

A good read, Democracy cannot coexist with Bush's failed doctrine of preventive war.

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This is messed up, Louisiana School Punishes 7-Year-Old Boy for Talking About His Lesbian Moms.

This is good to see, I'm a fighting liberal.

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Did you see that the Medicare bill passed last week? The Medicare bill is a Washington-style mafia bustout.

Here is what most Amecircans saw, or didn't see, on the evening news, Networks Don't Follow the Money in Medicare Story.


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Tuesday, December 02, 2003
 
I did something bad last night, I watched Hardball. To rationalize it I say I did it because Howard Dean was on. I didn't watch it all but about 3/4ths of it. Here is my favorite part, this was from an audience question:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Dean, do you believe that Republicans use race to divide whites and blacks...
DEAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... as a campaign tactic?
DEAN: I do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how do we overcome that as a nation?
DEAN: We talk very directly to both white working-class people and African-Americans about their common interests, which are jobs, education and health care.
We have got to stop having the campaigns run in this country based on abortion, guns, God and gays, and start talking about education, jobs and health care.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Here is the entire transcript if you are interested.

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Your family member died on September 11, 2001 and you just want to know why. This is how you would feel, 911 Victim Ellen Mariani Open Letter To The POTUS.

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Here is the article referenced by Paul Krugman earlier, All The President's Votes? by Andrew Gumbel, great links in this article.

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This is a great link, Postcards From Samarra. It has three links in it. The first is the Fox News version. The second is the Al Jazeera version. Last is a soldiers version. Some pictures as well.

I read this after what I wrote below, Bush and Iraq: Mass Media, Mass Ignorance.

Krugman on voting machines, Hack the Vote.

Another one on the lies, This war not against terrorists.

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I have not spoken about this specifically in a while. I thought people might be getting sick of me talking about this everyday. What I am alluding to is the LIES! Like I wrote yesterday it was nice to find out over the weekend that most people I spoke with do not believe we went to Iraq for or have found WMD. The sad part is that none of them seemed to care very much that they were lied to. Nobody was mad about this or not mad enough to do anything meaningful about it. They pretty much accept the fact that their government had foreknowledge of the events of 9/11. No Al Qaeda-Saddam connection. Iraq, of course, was not involved in 9/11. Now we are supposed to believe that the people trying to run us out of Iraq, the actual citizens, are terrorists. I haven't even spoke about the recent Medicare bill, the FCC, voting machines, the energy bill, the environment, etc.... The old joke is such a cliche but it is so true. How can you tell when George Bush is lying? Wait for it, you know the answer..... His mouth is open! He will say one thing and do another. We will find Osama bin Laden dead or alive, really. Remember both Iraq and Afghanistan have been liberated. I'm sure if you get your news outside the mainstream you can come up with many, many others. So why are we, and most Americans so willing to just sit back and allow them to get away with this. Who leaked Valerie Plame's name to Bob Novak? Did you see the deal the 9/11 Commission worked with the White House? If not for WMD why are we in Iraq? To give them freedom? I was always told to follow the money. Who is making all the money in Iraq? Afghanistan? If you know the answers to these questions it doesn't make one feel good. Which I believe is the main reason people may agree with what I am saying but why they, to steal a phrase, silently consent to the administration. The truth is just too ugly. They don't want to admit that all this can happen in America.

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Monday, December 01, 2003
 
Over the last week I had some time to read and reflect on our current situation. With my knowledge of history it seems our country is no longer the country that we were lead to believe the founders created. Maybe it always has been a struggle between rich and poor in this country. Maybe there always has been a struggle between how much actual separation there should be between church and state. Maybe who actually declares wars and for what reasons has always been a point of contention. But It seems to me at this time right now those three are coming to a head. I believe we are heading back to the first part of last century where we have a few super-rich and all the rest. I believe that my government and my religion are SEPARATE and should stay that way, but most who vote do not. I believe that Congress should declare wars and not the President. I am stealing most of this from here, The Founders Confront Judge Moore:

The Founders clearly divided power into four categories: military, religious, wealth/corporate, and political. The interaction of these types of power produced the three historic types of tyranny - warlord kings; theocratic popes; and wealthy feudal lords or monopolistic corporations like the East India Company.
So now that we are in this predicament what can we do? I spoke with some of my friends and family about this over that past week and I have to admit I was amazed that most do not care for our current situation either. The main concern they seemed to have was that there is not much difference between the two parties. Voting for them came down to choosing between the least offensive of two piles of garbage. At least it seems they are paying attention. None believe we went to Iraq for or have found WMD. When having a conversation with a family member I made the statement that, "I believe that if they (our government) didn't plan it (9/11) they at least didn't do anything to stop it", and the response was, "Well I hope they didn't plant it". Which to me means they have accepted or are close to accepting the fact that their government allowed a terrorist attack to happen here that could have been avoided and to me that is something.

So to answer the earlier question about what we can do it seems to me we need some truly REVOLUTIONARY people to get involved in government. At this point only a few running for President would be revolutionary and I don't think any of them are electable. Things, unfortunately, are not bad enough yet for most people. Is it bad enough for you?

Oh Yeah:
The whole Turkey day affair, The turkey has landed: how Bush cooked up a secret mission to give thanks to his troops, needs comment. It was nothing more than a tax payer paid campaign event, Election Is Now for Bush Campaign. It also underscores just how dangerous Iraq still is if he has to sneak in and out like that, "Unprecedented" trip to Iraq? The indigenous people give their feelings, Many Iraqis dismiss Bush's visit as political stunt.

The Good News from Iraq:
Montana soldier describes duty in Iraq as a nightmare.

U.S. abandons democratic values in Iraq.

Iraq becomes Operation Sitting Duck.

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