first here is a great video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEZB4taSEoA. Also, many states, including Chicago, are actually hosting tea parties throughout many communities and they are gathering a large following. We could be on our way to a revolution.
Complete Discussion Below: marks the location of current message within thread
What did we get out of the debate last night? That same ole crap Obama and McCain have been throwing around since the get go. Imagine what that would be like with all these other people thrown in the debate as well.
I think you have the 2 parties mixed up. (nm)
x
So you believe we need separate parties to
nm
Yes, that is true, BOTH parties have to...sm
find newer, stronger, wiser candidates, real workers for the American people, NOT lobbyists or special interest groups. Does such an "animal" even exist in politics???? I am wondering. And as for Pub candidates, had Mr. McCain had more, better ideas for the economy, the war, etc., I was willing to vote for him. But after listening to every speech and debate I could, I was horribly disappointed in this brave man. And when he picked Palin, well, let's just say it was like a sign from God saying "Don't go there." JMHO, thanks for your post, and I, too, felt so bad about how Micheal Phelps was VILLIFIED for perhaps taking a hit off a bong. C'mon, he was SUPERMAN for America, and one youthful mistake that happened in private, and no on knows all the circumstances....so wrong how they made this kid feel!
It looks to me like they have all been working parties too -
One of the lines even said that it was a "hamburger and hotdog" affair for the congressman; and it also plainly stated that Obama had left the party before the conga line started - but who cares anyway?
Do you think just because he is President he is not human and does not like to interact and have fun? Do you not think that every President before him has entertained and enjoyed themselves at their "HOME"?
And these Tea Parties are funny because?????? ...
Rachel Maddow is a mean 5 letter word.
I am one of the organizers of a Tea Party in my city. The little people cannot do anything to the politicians, and true, this may not amount to much, but if it makes even ONE elected official take notice then the purpose has been served.
Perhaps if more people got out and did something rather than laughing about this, we ALL could make a difference. But then that is just my opinion.
The corruption is pretty even in both parties. sm
The current administration calls itself conservative, but they definitely do not represent my beliefs. I believe in freedom, peace, and prosperity, rights for everyone, and bias towards no one, and have the deepest respect for the Constitution. Except for a few individuals, none of that exists with Democrats or Republicans. I do mean the politicians, not the people.
Free market capitalism produces long-term growth. Socialism and middle-way economic interventionism by the state produce poverty and bureaucracy. If the goal is to keep poor people poor generation after generation you should promote socialism.
What we currently have is a plutocracy. America is one big giant corporation, and the very affluent do control our political process. Those who are honest call them fascists.
I would really like to see those on the left unite with those on the right to do what is right. We are leaving one helluva mess behind for our children and grandchildren, and generations after. The best way to start to do that is become better informed (not the TV news) and get active.
Both parties have raided it since the first raid...
which I still think was during a Dem administration...I will have to research that more.
Well, since corporate america provides most of the jobs in America...what is the answer to that? Socialism, where we all fight for a spot on the government teat?
Class warfare...generally always works because it is the human condition to want what the other guy has without having to raise a hand to earn it. Always easy to stir people up using class warfare. Then all of a sudden you have a dictator running everything and people are no better off than they were before the great benefactor. Ask the venezuelans how that is working for them.
You're right about both parties being politicians
and I guess it just boils down to a lesser of the two evils! This is such a simple thing, I just don't understand why you wouldn't just prove it to shut everyone up.
I hate to say it but BOTH parties caused it!
Wake up, America.
Yeah, I could live without the parties myself..(sm)
The problem though is that when you talk about just issues, then the same lines (party lines) will be drawn. You will never get everyone to agree with you, and until everyone is willing to go to the middle (which will never happen), we can forget the having no parties deal. I think differing opinions are good and are what make sites like this interesting. It makes everyone look at both sides, whether or not they like it. Yeah, I'm sarcastic and will argue till the cows come home on some issues, but I'm obviously enjoying it or I (like everyone else) wouldn't still be here...LOL.
Difference in political parties
DEMOCRATIC You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.
REPUBLICAN You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?
SOCIALIST You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegals. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders
Difference in political parties
DEMOCRATIC You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.
REPUBLICAN You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?
SOCIALIST You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegals. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders
Difference in political parties
DEMOCRATIC You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you.
REPUBLICAN You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?
SOCIALIST You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.
BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school.
GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.
TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.
IRAQI CORPORATION You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.
POLISH CORPORATION You have two bulls. Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.
BELGIAN CORPORATION You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.
There is considerable reason for ardent supporters of both parties to be increasingly concerned about the direction the country is being taken (shoved!) by the Obama-Pelosi-Reid troika, which has already shown that it is far more radical in its liberal agenda, in its contempt for states' rights, its palpable fear of conservatives, and in its "globalism" than many Democrats can stomach. The pendulum has swung too far, and now it threatens to come off its hinge entirely. It must be swung back toward the middle before it is too late.
Can it ever become too late? History says "yes" - and the tipping point can be reached with astonishing speed and little warning. I never cease to be amazed that so many Americans seem to be so ignorant of history that they have no real appreciation of how little it takes to destroy even the mightiest of nations, or how many seem to believe that "something" would never let this happen to America. They cannot imagine a world in which there is no America or, what is more likely, an America that becomes an extension of the socioeconomically incompetent system of "government uber alles" that now literally stinks up Europe.
Here's a very disturbing oxymoron about the "troika" that the mainstream press has not bothered to look into: Given that the world is quite obviously becoming more dangerous rather than less so, and given an administration that believes so strongly that big government spending is the solution to the current recession with massive increases to almost every government agency, how is it that the Department of Defense is the only skeleton at the feast? With extraordinary ineptitude, the day after North Korea defied the world and launched its intercontinental ballistic missile, the Obama administration announced defense cuts, including the missile defense program - which has shown that it works.
Now we have a grave situation developing with respect to illegal immigration. Not only are the labor unions beginning to collude with the illegals, but the number of "anchor babies" born in the US to illegals has nearly doubled from 2.7 million per year in 2003 to over 4 million in 2008. Is there anyone on this forum who understands what is happening here?
I know that Americans of most political persuasions, including independents, are becoming very alarmed, as well they should. What concerns me now is that we might already be past the tipping point. We must restore two-party government to Washington in 2010, or I believe there will be no turning back from this calamitous course.
All this controversy over the number in attendance af last week's tea parties, and who was there! I would think over a quarter-million participants would rank right up there as far as demonstration statistics go.
There was another demonstration in 1995 which planned to attact a million demonstators. Wikipedia has this:
......... Finally, within the first twenty-four hours following the March a conflict between March organizers and Park Service officials erupted over crowd size estimates. Initially, the National Park Service issued an estimate of about 400,000 attendees; a number significantly lower than March organizers had hoped for. After a heated exchange between leaders of the March and Park Services the estimate was raised to 850,000* but still fell short of the organizers’ estimate of over 1 million. The controversy over the number of men who actually participated in the March has yet to be firmly resolved. *[guess they were getting the 2 for 1 special?]
Even back then, folks were hollering 'recount,' I don't recall seeing anyfemale or whitefaces in that crowd, either.I think that was pretty sexist and racist. The point is, you hang with like-minded individuals. Nobody put out the 'whites only' sign at the tea parties. It was equal opportunity, and if you were a hard-working black business owner you might have been there.
Rahm Emanuel supported Bush on Iraq from the get go. "Lefties" NEVER did...not for a single moment. His poolitical views align with the Democratic Leadership Council, the core belief of which is that the party should shift itself away traditional populist positions and toward the more "third way" centrist views. It has been called the "republican wing" of the democratic party by progressives and the left of centers. His views on Israel are decidedly republican and are more extreme than even the shrub.
Having said that, the chief of staff is not primarily and advisory position. In fact, the nature of the position is primarily defined by the president himself, and the chief of staff can operate only within the parameters that his president allows. JFK did not even have a COS. Obama has not indicated one way or the other how he views his relationship with the COS or how much he will or will not rely on him for advice.
For every single other aspect of those job responsibilities, Rahm Emanuel is undeniable strongly qualified by his experience. The president's chief of staff first and foremost must be trusted by the President, perhaps more than any other person in his cabinet or ministry. I would say the most important qualification for that job is that of impeccable discretion. We have no evidence to indicate that Rahm Emanuel does not posses that trait. What makes you think they're "FRAT" parties? nm
x
These tea parties represent the people of the country
and how we feel. We are sick of the over-taxation. We are sick of the government not listening to us, spending like there's no tomorrow, and spending money they haven't even printed yet. Then on top of that we're being taxed more and more so they can send it oversees to other countries all while doing Jack sh!t for the Americans. What's next that people who work will not get paid anymore, 100% will go to taxes or maybe we'll get $8 a month (like Cuba) to make us feel like we're getting something for all the hard work we do. There's more to these tea parties than that. You think people's lives being ruined by what government is doing to us is funny? There are over a million people who are involving themselves in the tea parties. Government is supposed to be "for the people". It is not. They are for themselves and screw the people. The governors of each state need to recall these pieces of garbage they sent to DC, because they are no longer representing us (the people who voted for them), they are for themselves and they care less about us.
Did you think the million man march was hilarious also? How about the original Boston Tea Party? Stamp Act? Oh, hey I guess you think the civil war was hysterical too.
I heard a show yesterday that CNN and MSLSD are not participating in the tea parties. What better way to say "screw the American people and the country. We don't care what they have to say". However, you know that if there was a party where everyone in this country was excited and wanted to pay more in taxes and was for bigger government, etc. CNN and MSLSD would be the first to be reporting it.
MSLSD is so far off on what is really happening in this country I'd like to see them go off the air. Maddow, Olberman, Matthews, etc. They're all a bunch of whiny @ss punks who are throwing a tantrum because their station is losing millions of dollars because more people are turning to stations that will give them the truth, and are turning off CNN & MSLSD.
Hopefully, moderates in both parties will begin to assert themselves.
We've swung far to the right and now far to the left. It will be a good thing if the true majority of Americans re-take control of their government, and I think you'll begin to see that happening in the 2010 Congressional election cycle. With any luck, Obama will be a one-term President unless he can manage to once again hoodwink the American voters into believing he's a moderate. Can we be fooled twice? I hope not. Let's get a true moderate into the White House in 2012 - of either party, I don't care which.
Arlen Specter Switching Parties
Arlen Specter, who has always been the weirdest "Republican" senator, has decided to switch to the Democrats, saying "I now find my political philosophy more in line with the Democrats than the Republicans".
You're just discovering this, are you Arlen? The rest of the world has known this for years. You should read a newspaper now and then.
Forget about the fundamental ethical problem here - i.e., the betrayal of the voters' trust that any legislator commits when he runs under one party and then switches horses afterward. I say "forget about it" because this is only one of the multitude of deceptions that legislators like Specter engage in throughout their careers. One more ripple in this maelstrom of representational malfeasance is scarcely noticeable any more. Even a used car salesman is prohibited from pulling bait-and-switch tricks on the public, but then whoever said a Congressman should have as much integrity as a used car salesman?
And, this won't make much difference during the current term either, because Specter was a pretty reliable vote for Obama's socialist programs anyway. He was one of the three Republicans who broke ranks and cleared the way for the "emergency" (quick - before the voters read it!) funding package and like everyone else who voted for it he did so without reading most of it.
Where this could make a difference (unless Democrat voters in Pennsylvania find Specter's duplicity as disgusting as anyone with moral sense should) is that this boosts his chances of reelection. As things were shaping up, he was not going to get any support from Republicans or Democrats next time out. Now, he hopes the Democrats will vote for him - and he'll undoubtedly get a lot of money from Democratic party headquarters that he would never have had from the Republican side because they're sick of him..
Let's really get a clear understanding of what we're talking about here, which is a senator taking the moral low road for the sole purpose of preserving his own position. It is a raw, naked, and some might even say desperate effort to keep power within his clutches and get himself reelected at any cost, no matter what his actions do to further disgrace Congress - a body that has already lost most of the esteem that Americans once had for it.
Specter will be running for his 6th term and now becomes the best argument - the poster child, in fact - for term limits. Again I say (and would say this regardless of which way Specter was switching) - we MUST get control of the subversion of the political process by people who will do anything - including betraying their own voters - to accumulate and retain power for themselves, and the ONLY way to do this is to impose term limits.
The author has strong opinions, but I think he is right on!
Simon Winchester's recap of the events of April 18, 1906.
Teddy Roosevelt was President the morning San Francisco was hit by its devastating earthquake.
We were a DIFFERENT AMERICA then, Puppies. Just read this:
1. There was no warning...ZERO...than anything was amiss. Unlike August, 2005, there was no 10 days of warning ahead of the disaster. There were no satellites, no wireless, no TV. 2. In a city of 400,000...3,000 died and 225,000 were homeless. This happened in minutes...not days. At 5:12 a.m., the massive tectonic shake brought down a city, Rich and Poor alike. 3. The military responded instantly...in 153 minutes, the troops from the Presidio presented themselves...armed and ready...to the Mayor. Unlike the appalling delays with Katrina, the General in charge took instant command and moved his troops. FEMA stalled everything, including relief water trucks from Wal-Mart! (Ask yourself what sort of people we have become...when we need to wait for a Permission Slip from Brownie to move to help our neighbors?) 4. Mayor Schmiz, commandeered a boat to rush to Oakland, to wire the news to America. (Via Morse Code):San Francisco is in ruins. Our city needs help. 9 simple words. Which was how America found out about the catastrophe. No CNN. No Fox. No Geraldo. And how America responded. 5. The first relief train from L.A. arrived that night. Packed with food and clothing. Nobody in LaLa Land had to ask. They just DID IT. And there was no FEMA to turn back the train. 6. The Navy and the Coast Guard rushed in ships and boats to help. Nobody needed to go through channels. 7. The NEXT DAY Congress had passed legislation that allowed Roosevelt to dispatch rescue trains west....including the LARGEST HOSPITAL TRAIN EVER ASSEMBLED!!!. How is it, way back in 1916, from a standing start, Congress could assemble a massive train like that...when Bush had a hospital ship offshore (the Bataan)...which was never used???? 8. The guy in charge of the Post Office issued an order...signed by him, that NO UNSTAMPED LETTER WAS TO BE HELD UP FOR LACK OF POSTAGE! Can you IMAGINE any of our functionaries in today's wimp world of CAN'T DO Americans...issuing an order like that!! The brave pilots who got relegated to Kennel Duty for rescuing civilians know better.
Winchester does not mention the wonderful story of the founder of the Bank of America...who stood on the sidewalk and made sure his depositors could get cash, even as the bank lay in ruins. That speaks to an ATTITUDE about HELPING everyday Americans, and not just the Tax Pampered rich.
IN TODAY'S AMERICA...THE PUBLIC DOESN'T MATTER. INSTEAD...AT ALL COST PROTECT YOUR JOB, YOUR SENIORITY, YOUR RETIREMENT PACKAGE. Go along, shut up and mind your business.
America..where are you?
Tens of thousands, both American and Iraqi, have died for NOTHING..and when the truth is told finally, we will see the war was based on lies. Bush and his crew need to have something done to them, stand trial, impeachment, imprisonment, whatever..we cannot let this crime against humanity just slide by. I am outraged by it all and deeply saddened but I did not lose a loved one in this immoral war..I cannot even begin to think how I would react if I had lost someone to a war that did not have to be waged..I know, for sure, I would be one extremely rageful person..Give me a president who has had love affairs because of his weakness of loving women anyday over a president who loves to kill and wage war. I cannot believe what America is becoming..There are truly bad times..
America's war on the web
America's war on the web
While the US remains committed to hunting down al-Qaeda operatives, it is now taking the battle to new fronts. Deep within the Pentagon, technologies are being deployed to wage the war on terror on the internet, in newspapers and even through mobile phones. Investigations editor Neil Mackay reports
IMAGINE a world where wars are fought over the internet; where TV broadcasts and newspaper reports are designed by the military to confuse the population; and where a foreign armed power can shut down your computer, phone, radio or TV at will.
In 2006, we are just about to enter such a world. This is the age of information warfare, and details of how this new military doctrine will affect everyone on the planet are contained in a report, entitled The Information Operations Roadmap, commissioned and approved by US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld and seen by the Sunday Herald.
The Pentagon has already signed off $383 million to force through the document’s recommendations by 2009. Military and intelligence sources in the US talk of “a revolution in the concept of warfare”. The report orders three new developments in America’s approach to warfare:
Firstly, the Pentagon says it will wage war against the internet in order to dominate the realm of communications, prevent digital attacks on the US and its allies, and to have the upper hand when launching cyber-attacks against enemies.
Secondly, psychological military operations, known as psyops, will be at the heart of future military action. Psyops involve using any media – from newspapers, books and posters to the internet, music, Blackberrys and personal digital assistants (PDAs) – to put out black propaganda to assist government and military strategy. Psyops involve the dissemination of lies and fake stories and releasing information to wrong-foot the enemy.
Thirdly, the US wants to take control of the Earth’s electromagnetic spectrum, allowing US war planners to dominate mobile phones, PDAs, the web, radio, TV and other forms of modern communication. That could see entire countries denied access to telecommunications at the flick of a switch by America.
Freedom of speech advocates are horrified at this new doctrine, but military planners and members of the intelligence community embrace the idea as a necessary development in modern combat.
Human rights lawyer John Scott, who chairs the Scottish Centre for Human Rights, said: “This is an unwelcome but natural development of what we have seen. I find what is said in this document to be frightening, and it needs serious parliamentary scrutiny.”
Crispin Black – who has worked for the Joint Intelligence Committee, and has been an Army lieutenant colonel, a military intelligence officer, a member of the Defence Intelligence Staff and a Cabinet Office intelligence analyst who briefed Number 10 – said he broadly supported the report as it tallied with the Pentagon’s over-arching vision for “full spectrum dominance” in all military matters.
“I’m all for taking down al-Qaeda websites. Shutting down enemy propaganda is a reasonable course of action. Al-Qaeda is very good at [information warfare on the internet], so we need to catch up. The US needs to lift its game,” he said.
This revolution in information warfare is merely an extension of the politics of the “neoconservative” Bush White House. Even before getting into power, key players in Team Bush were planning total military and political domination of the globe. In September 2000, the now notorious document Rebuilding America’s Defences – written by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), a think-tank staffed by some of the Bush presidency’s leading lights – said that America needed a “blueprint for maintaining US global pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power-rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests”.
The PNAC was founded by Dick Cheney, the vice-president; Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary; Bush’s younger brother, Jeb; Paul Wolfowitz, once Rumsfeld’s deputy and now head of the World Bank; and Lewis Libby, Cheney’s former chief of staff, now indicted for perjury in America.
Rebuilding America’s Defences also spoke of taking control of the internet. A heavily censored version of the document was released under Freedom of Information legislation to the National Security Archive at George Washington University in the US.
The report admits the US is vulnerable to electronic warfare. “Networks are growing faster than we can defend them,” the report notes. “The sophistication and capability of … nation states to degrade system and network operations are rapidly increasing.”
T he report says the US military’s first priority is that the “department [of defence] must be prepared to ‘fight the net’”. The internet is seen in much the same way as an enemy state by the Pentagon because of the way it can be used to propagandise, organise and mount electronic attacks on crucial US targets. Under the heading “offensive cyber operations”, two pages outlining possible operations are blacked out.
Next, the Pentagon focuses on electronic warfare, saying it must be elevated to the heart of US military war planning. It will “provide maximum control of the electromagnetic spectrum, denying, degrading, disrupting or destroying the full spectrum of communications equipment … it is increasingly important that our forces dominate the electromagnetic spectrum with attack capabilities”. Put simply, this means US forces having the power to knock out any or all forms of telecommunications on the planet.
After electronic warfare, the US war planners turn their attention to psychological operations: “Military forces must be better prepared to use psyops in support of military operations.” The State Department, which carries out US diplomatic functions, is known to be worried that the rise of such operations could undermine American diplomacy if uncovered by foreign states. Other examples of information war listed in the report include the creation of “Truth Squads” to provide public information when negative publicity, such as the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, hits US operations, and the establishment of “Humanitarian Road Shows”, which will talk up American support for democracy and freedom.
The Pentagon also wants to target a “broader set of select foreign media and audiences”, with $161m set aside to help place pro-US articles in overseas media.
Like 70% of America, I have BES sm
(Bush Exasperation Syndrome), same with Congress. I am active in trying to do something about it though. Tommy Chong has common sense, and Paris is just the art of distraction day in and day out by the media to keep people from paying attention to the real issues. Sure wish people would wake up. Real news: 3,682 dead US soliders. Very sad photo from Rosie's blog. http://www.rosie.com/blog/files/headers/53_large_4mkep2w-1.jpg
And that is what America is all about....
finding common ground. I agree also with your points here...and I am not 100% on McCain, there are some issues there too. But he comes way closer to what I think is good for the country than Obama does, and that has to be my main concern in this election. Because of the Dem stand on abortion and spending and many other things, it would be difficult to vote for a Dem anyway who was hard line. Now you take Zell Miller...there is a Democrat I could love. Old school conservative Democrat like a lot of my family. God bless'em. Their party has left them behind. :)
america first
There is no way we can put the world on our shoulders anymore.
That's what America needs!!!
To be yelled at to wake up!!!!!
Maybe you should go back to American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and Survivor and keep focused on those mind-numbing brainless shows for the brain dead while the country goes down the tubes.
As more people lose their jobs and as others' insurance premiums rise to become the most expensive monthly expense, the "majority" may find themselves unemployed, uninsured and unable to afford health insurance.
I became ill six years ago with a disease for which there is no cure, and I've kept trying to work, but over these six years, my income has dwindled very dramatically as a result of my illness and frequent hospitalizations. (As of this date, I've grossed less than $800.00 total for the year 2009, compared to the $40,000 to $44,000 I grossed prior to the onset of my illness.) I've been hospitalized twice this year, and when I'm not in the hospital, I'm trying to treat myself at home rather than be in the hospital. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. I'm on a multitude of drugs (12 total), including a Duragesic pain patch that I wear 24/7. (This drug is 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine.) This, along with other medications I take, is very expensive. I'm fortunate enough to get most of my medications for free from the manufacturers' patient assistance programs. The others I can find on Walmart's list. The ones that I can't, I'm able to use a little card that I printed from the internet for free, and I receive a pretty substantial discount. (I believe anyone can get one of these; it's called a PS Card. In case you need one, the web address is: http://www.pscard.com/)
In addition, I've recently been diagnosed with major depression (I wonder why!), as well as PTSD (for other personal reasons), and I'm at the point where I'm eligible for and am applying for Medicaid benefits. I can't even begin to describe the shame I feel, since I've worked for 40 of my 56 years on this planet, and I know that eventually, my employer is going to fire me for my lack of production. (So far, she's been very kind and understanding and lets me work when I can.) But I've always been healthy, and I've always been easily able to pay my bills, including my health insurance. The thought that I may now be on the government "dole" is a very disappointing thought for someone who has always worked and has always been independent. Since becoming ill, I've lost my health insurance, my car and even my phone. I'm now barely able to pay my cable internet bill and am jeopardy of losing that, as well. If that happens, then my job will be gone. I certainly need that job much more than my employer needs me at this point, because that job is the only source of self-esteem I have remaining in my life, even though I know my contribution is less than minimal.
Since my initial diagnosis, I lost my health insurance when it rose from $622 to $711 a month. Before being forced to cancel my insurance, I called around to a few insurance companies and was literally laughed at and told there was no way I'd be insured by ANY company with my preexisting condition of pancreatitis. (This was before they discovered I have cystic fibrosis, the cause of the pancreatitis, so I'm now forever uninsurable by for-profit insurance companies.)
I just saw the doctor yesterday, and there's now a lump on my abdomen. He says if it's there a month from now, I need to see a surgeon. (I promised him that it WON'T BE.) That's where I draw the line. If I have no insurance, then NO SURGEONS AND NO SURGERY. Same reason I haven't had a mammogram. If they find something, I just can't deal with incurring astronomic medical bills that I can't possibly pay. We all have to go sometime, and if I'm in that position, then I'll just have to go because quality of life is an important issue, as well, and being hit with bill after bill after bill that can't possibly be paid can seriously destroy anyone's quality of life.
I used to feel like a lot of you on this board feel. However, I'm walking in different shoes now, and that has certainly changed my opinion and forced me to understand how others may be forced to live -- forced -- not through any choice of their own. Though I wouldn't wish "my shoes" on my worst enemy, if I could wave a magic wand and just have someone walk in these shoes for a very brief time, it might help others to understand that there are two sides to every story. If my application for Medicaid is accepted, I will be both relieved and ashamed at the same time, but I just might live longer.
This is the time America comes together.
We roll up our sleeves, and roll up our pant legs and we get in there and help. We know that God is great and prayer never wasted. We lend a helping hand and we volunteer. We contribute to charities. We got and help rebuild. We sink in the mud and we come out victorious. What we don't do is blame our President, make excuses for victims who shoot at their rescuers, who are now also patrolling the streets in full body armour with assault weapons raping women. What is WRONG with you? What has happened to this country that people like you are posting things like this. I must say, I am speechless at your impropriety and lack of willingness to do anything but place blame. Shame on you all!
Wake up America
America is becoming a shadow what it once was. Time to clean house from the president down to our state representative. Whether you be Republican or Democrat we need to get new blood in our government. Everyone needs to get out and vote and remember all of these tragedies. Time has a way of healing and being amnesiac at the poles, remember, always remember.
Below 40%, OMG, America is finally *getting it*
September 10th, 2005 11:57 am President's Approval Rating Dips Below 40
President Bush's job approval has dipped below 40 percent for the first time in the AP-Ipsos poll, reflecting widespread doubts about his handling of gasoline prices and the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Nearly four years after Bush's job approval soared into the 80s after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Bush was at 39 percent job approval in an AP-Ipsos poll taken this week. That's the lowest since the the poll was started in December 2003.
The public's view of the nation's direction has grown increasingly negative as well, with nearly two-thirds now saying the country is heading down the wrong track.
you are innocent until proven guilty? DeLay says it a political vendetta. Who knows, let's let is play out. And I wouldn't be so smug about wrongdoings on the right...There are plenty of those skeletons in the Democrat's closet to last us a lifetime. Remember Ken Starr? Of course THAT was an attempt to destroy a man, but of course THIS can only be wrongdoing by a Republican. Don't embarress yourselves just yet.
Hope we won't hear too much whining about innocent until proven guilty however - DeLay's indictment spells it right out and despite his predictable claims of witch hunt and fanatic partisan vendetta, there really doesn't seem to be any question about what happened. They have the check copies and they have the testimony. So yes, we have to wait for the formal sentencing after the facts have been heard by the Grand Jury - but there is no other side to the story so far as I can see, and no alternate explanation possible about what happened.
marks the location of current message within thread
