Happy Guy Fawkes Day

Found this over at Making Light. A great site recommended by Nefarious Leslie that I am now adding to my 'Blogroll'. They have the perfect piece up in Mr. Fawkes honor which I post here.
[links and graphic added in this post are mine -Swim]

Happy Guy Fawkes Day, everyone.Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot

Just to recall: al Qaeda isn’t the only source of terrorism in the world, nor would establishing a pro-Western government in Iraq stop terrorism. Terrorism is a tactic: it has been with us from the beginning of recorded history; I suspect it will be with us to the end of time. Who signs the truce in the war on terror? What treaty will bind the likes of Timothy McVeigh, William Krar, Eric Rudolph, or Carl Drega? How many divisions should we send to what country to eradicate the KKK? Who should be imprisoned without charges to defeat the Sword and Arm of the Lord? How many must be tortured to end the Christian Identity Movement?

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
‘Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God’s providence he was catch’d,
With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!

Hip hip Hoorah!
Hip hip Hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we’ll say the Pope is dead.

Unbeatable Saturday Music

Musical Interlude by Anonymous as suggested by Shoephone: Freedom

Putting Insult on Injury

That is what the GOP has done. A little follow-up on the scorecard hall of shame from The Unruly Mob, read it and weep. Then watch Who Cares What You Think? A telling short courtesy of Jesus General.

When Insults Had Class

Merely a tiny sample of prose so clever and biting it was difficult to feel truly insulted by the speaker; rather one might be a bit flattered that such commentary was inspired by one. Check and see if anyone in particular comes to mind as you read these pithy quotes. Thank you to Op99 for the compilation.

“He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”
— Winston Churchill

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time reading it.”
— Moses Hadas

“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.”
— Abraham Lincoln

“I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.”
— Groucho Marx

“He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.”
— Oscar Wilde

“I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring
a friend . . . if you have one.”
— George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
RESPONSE:
“Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second . . .
if there is one.”
— Winston Churchill to GBS

“I feel so miserable without you, it’s almost like having you here.”
— Stephen Bishop

“I’ve just learned about his illness. Let’s hope it’s nothing trivial.”
— Irvin S. Cobb

“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
— Paul Keating

“He had delusions of adequacy.”
— Walter Kerr

“There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure.”
— Jack E. Leonard

“He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.”
— Robert Redford

“They never open their mouths without subtracting from the
sum of human knowledge.”
— Thomas Bra ckett Reed

(about Richard Nixon) “He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker
forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them.”
— James Reston

“In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded
easily.”
— Charles, Count Talleyrand

“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any
address on it?”
— Mark Twain

“His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.”
— Mae West

“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.”
— Oscar Wilde

Bombshell!

If this doesn't top the cake someone better tell me what does. Just reported on by Greg Mitchell of Editor&Publisher "American Servicewoman Commits Suicide After Objecting to 'Interrogation Techniques' Used in Iraq" Read the story here. And then watch this new ad with General Wesley Clark and VoteVets

Because of Iraq

Vote Vets

This is a commercial for Charlie Brown running in CA-04 to replace the disgusting, disgraceful John Dolittle. It's moving and sadly, the truth. A must-see.

From Where I'm Sitting


If you're intereted in seeing the Doolitle and Charlie Brown debate here's the link.(Link courtesy of Nate)

Scorecard

A tidbit for those of you keeping score on FBI investigations into the 109th Congress-critters. Justin Rood tells us all about it. TPM also has the latest poll numbers on the mid-term elections here.

Tidbit number 2: Emptywheel over at The Next Hurrah has a great pic and piece about Dick Cheney's shred-o-matic parked in front of his house. Classic.

Last but not least a little something for my California homies about the proposed change to the California Constitution, "No on Prop. 85":

The Worst Congress Ever!

I often wonder as I read around the internet at various conservative sites how the denial and delusion that runs so deep, survives. As if anymore proof were needed, Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone Magazine has written the definitive article on the 109th do-nothing-but-fuck-up-the-country-congress. Ths 109th has managed to work less than any congress in American history, topping the old Truman congress of the 40's by more than a month. Then of course is the corrution that runs deeper than the Mariana Trench abyss. Read the terrific story, The Worst Congress Ever by Matt Taibbi


Take a listen to interview of Matt by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!

We The People

I have been away from the keyboard for a number of days because of commitments here at home. Some political work, some social obligations and family matters. Today in order to break the monotony I am featuring a short but potent post from a guest and my friend, Anne. I give you,

We The People

Seems to me the response to all the fear-mongering by Republicans is:

We are Democrats

We are the people who have been trying to raise the minimum wage, so people have more money to spend.

We are the people who are trying to protect your Social Security benefits from the false promises of private accounts.

We are the people who are trying to ease the tax burden on working families by asking the wealthiest to shoulder a more proportionate share.

We are the people who have been working for veterans’ funding, and health care.

We are the people who tried to give Medicare the authority to negotiate with the drug companies to make prescription drugs more affordable to our seniors.

We are the people who tried to structure prescription drug coverage for the elderly as part of Medicare, to keep it out of the hands of private insurers who were more concerned with the bottom line than looking out for seniors.

We are the people who have tried to bring new thinking and new ideas to the table for months and months and months, as Iraq descended further and further into chaos.

We are the people who have consistently sided with consumers against the interests of big business and the energy companies and banks.

The Republicans trying to scare you are the same people who have abandoned your interests time and time again, who have failed to listen to your concerns and address your needs. They are the people who think changing the rhetoric will fool you into thinking they are changing their policies.

The choice is yours: you can either fall victim to the scare tactics, or you can stand up for what you know is the truth, and vote Democratic on November 7th.

Graphic courtesy of Matt Wuerker

A last minute addendum to Anne's brilliant observations. A one minute video to remind you of the lies of George W. Bush. Read the accompanying LA Times story.

In case you need more proof that the chimp-master is lying check here.

KO'ed : A Mainstream Media Manifesto

I complain constantly about the mainstream media's indolent stenography of rovian talking points they call 'the news'.The only true exception that I'm aware of is Keith Olbermann.
Keith Olbermann of MSNBC has once again proven he is the Edward R. Murrow of our time. In the brilliant new feature, "Special Comment" on his show "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", he displays courage of conviction as well as concise, literate critiques of BushCo's criminal behavior. I'm featuring today Keith Olbermann's commentary on "The Death of Habeas Corpus". For an in-depth article on this latest attack on the Constitution, please read Glen Greenwalds piece at Unclaimed Territory. Olbermann knocks out the chimp-in-charge, hammering away at the president-criminal with head-blow after bodyshot. I think the former sports reporter would appreciate the 'sports analogy'. Two videos, an 'uppercut' explainer of habeas corpus followed by the 'killshot'. You've been KO'ed Mr. President.
,




Technorati Profile

Bill Moyers Tonight on PBS

An update on the Bill Moyers program on Net Neutrality which is tonight at 9PM. Please watch and email others to bring attention to this critically important special report. "The Net at Risk" Tune in to PBS tonight to see the SavetheInternet.com Coalition featured in "The Net at Risk," a documentary produced by award-winning journalist Bill Moyers. Then join Save The Internet members in an online Web discussion at PBS.org. Watch the preview of "The Net At Risk" here.

Bill Moyers' show airs at 9 p.m. in most cities (check local listings). Immediately following the East Coast broadcast, PBS.org will host a live Internet debate between Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott and phone industry flack and former clinton spokesman, Mike McCurry.

You can be a part of this online debate. Here's how to join in:

When: Oct. 18, 10:30 pm Eastern / 7:30 pm Pacific
Where: http://www.pbs.org/moyers

You'll be asked to log in to participate in the online discussion. With your help, we hope to light up the PBS Web site with our campaign to save Net Neutrality. It's important to have you there. In the six months since the SavetheInternet.com Coalition was launched, millions of Americans have joined the campaign, spoken out for Internet freedom, and put Congress and the phone companies on notice.

Tonight's program could make millions more aware of this issue.

They need to hear the real voices of people like us instead of industry mouthpieces. Help us use the Internet to save it from corporate efforts to stifle online innovation, free speech and competition. Please join us tonight!

For the latest information on the campaign visit Save The Internet Don't miss Bill Moyers' new essay on Net Neutrality: "Against an Imperial Internet" available for reading at the Bill Moyer's website
Remember the 1996 Telecommunications Bill? Remember how they told us, "This bill will make cable tv more accessible, cheaper, and more reliable..." What's your cable like now? Cheaper? No. Cable tv rates have tripled in the past 10 years. The service is tiered and options are limited unless you pay much higher rates. This is what is instore for the internet if the corporate interests win. Please tune in, turn on and join the Net Neutrality fight.

Update: I recieved an interesting comment after this post went up, check my comments section to see the coalition that wants you to know "the other side" of the net neutrality debate. When I checked their website, I found a few of the 'members' of the coalition: AT&T, Bell South and Cingular. I could be wrong but it appears to me from the content of the comment and the 'sponsors' of the website that they are pushing an pro-government intervention agenda written purposely to decieve.

Ever seen a state intiative written in "positive" language but read further into the 'fine print' and the true intention of the proposed legislation is negative? A forest intiative in California several years ago comes to mind. Its sponsors were several large timber companies. The intiative was for "Tree Planting in California". Sounds good right? Read further and after they tell you how many trees they'll plant, find out their actual goal was to clear-cut large swaths of forestland, and then plant 1/10th of the trees they had cleared. I think the coalition Hands Off is trying to pull the same trick.

Below is text from the Save The Internet website, the pioneers that truly are fighting government intervention. Take a look here and tell me what you think about my analysis of "the other side". Leave me a comment with your thoughts.

"Right now Congress is pushing a law that would abandon the First Amendment of the Internet -- a principle called "network neutrality" that preserves the free and open Internet. Congress needs to hear from you today or they will hand over control of what you do online to companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.

Politicians are trading favors for campaign donations from these companies. They're being wooed by people like AT&T's CEO, who says "the Internet can't be free." Sign this petition to tell your elected representatives to protect Internet freedom now."

-from SaveTheInternet.com

Stick Your Ribbon Up Your SUV

A video by the Asylum Street Spankers

Campaign to Whom?

Now I give you a quickie from Slate.com's Jon Dickerson. He has taken 3 campaign ads and 'disected' then for us. I think he's done a good job. Critical thinking is so absent from the public sphere these days and if nothing else you may be encouraged to do some critical thinking of your own in regards to politicals ads for your local candidates. Give it a shot. Check the link.

Slate's Political Commentary

Net Neutrality and Bill Moyers UPDATED

Update: The Net Neutrality live chat with Bill Moyeys was quite good and informative. The conference had much information to desseminate so I will save a comprehensive update for a later post. The main thing is that this threat to the internet-as-we-know-it is real. We know that BushCo gives away the store to corporate interests virtually always with fredom and access to the regular Joe absent from any deals. Please call and write your Senators or go to Save the Internet's site and sign their petition. Unless you have unlimited money to spend on what is currently free and available access to the information you seek, that is.

Links to Senate offices and phone numbers just below. Scroll down.

Now is the time. We have momentum. And the GOP is dying to kill it. If you've noticed the banner over there----->
Its about Net Neurality and how we can help save the internet as we've known it. Here's a primer and a little info about it. If you prefer your information video style check out the videos below. If free, unencumbered internet access as it is today, without government or corporate interference and much higher fees, is what you want, please look into the Net Neutrality debate and contact your Senator 202-224-3121, or click on the the net neutrality banner.





Video courtesty of "Unclassified Producer":



Now that you know what net neutrality is, I would also like to invite all readers to the event "A Conversation with Bill Moyers"
SavetheInternet.com has invited me and I extend an open invitation to all those who care about future access to the internet to an exclusive online discussion with award-winning journalist Bill Moyers about his upcoming PBS special, "The Net at Risk," on the fight over Net Neutrality and the future of the Internet.

Bloggers and online activists have transformed the issue of Net Neutrality from a closed-door discussion with lobbyists into a public debate involving millions of Americans. This online forum will give bloggers and writers covering the issue a chance to offer feedback before this new documentary airs nationwide.

I hope you'll join me for this special event. Here are the details:

What: Live Web Discussion with Bill Moyers of "Moyers on America"
Who: Bill Moyers & Rick Karr (PBS), Josh Silver (SavetheInternet.com)
When: Tuesday, Oct. 10, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Where: Login online at http://67.19.231.218/v4/login.asp?r=1b261dc2&p=0

The forum will include sneak peek at "The Net at Risk," followed by a question-and-answer session. To learn more about "Moyers on America," visit http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/index.html
To learn more about Net Neutrality, visit www.SavetheInternet.com
The forum will include sneak peek at "The Net at Risk," followed by a question-and-answer session. In order to attend this online chat with Bill Moyers please register and see the details below.

Please RSVP to press@freepress.net

I hope you'll join us on Tuesday.

How to attend: To attend this event, go to the OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries) Web site (http://www.opal-online.org/) and enter the Texas Forums Meeting Room, or log on directly at http://67.19.231.218/v4/login.asp?r=1b261dc2&p=0. You will need a computer with speakers and will need to download some software so plan ahead. If you have a microphone attached to your computer, you will be able to pose questions to the panelist verbally. Otherwise, you can interact via text messaging in the virtual auditorium.

If you have never attended an OPAL event, check out the video introduction at: <http://www.opal-online.org/OPALpromo200603b.wmv>

A Post Protest Post

Or anxious allitertion from an apprentice anchor with an affinity for afflatus affectation albeit absolute amenability to adventurous adversaries. On a lighter note after today's so-so turnout (60-70) in San Antonio for the World Can't Wait nationwide protest, I diverge from the usual for a musical interlude, a triptych of sorts. I was tipped off to the first video from a participant at today's festivities titled, "Asshole" and the second is just good, ole, righteous Eminem, and finally yet another Keith Olbermann manifesto.

Eminem "Mosh"



Keith Olbermann's "Special Comment"

Protest! Demonstration! Free Speech! Velour!

Thursday, October 5th is the day to protest, to use your constitutionally protected (at least for now) to peacably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. The World Can't Wait has created and is hosting protests all over the country. 117 cities all over the country. Find your location and show up!

Here is the text from their site about the protest:

On October 5, people everywhere will walk out of school, take off work, and come to the downtowns & townsquares and set out from there, going through the streets and calling on many more to join us - making a powerful statement: "NO! THIS REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT OUT!"

Please don't wait for the criminal bush regime to suspend our right to protest before you participate in what may be your only public protest, it is the protest of a lifetime. I will be there, will you?
Don't forget to bring your velour.

In Case I Disappear

Again today, I find myself overwhelmed by the news. I almost don't know where to begin. The past few days have been absorbed by a visit from my in-laws, which most people know can take the life out of one. It did. My in-laws are not progressive thinkers. They represent to a tee what I fight against on my blog. Suffice to say, this was not my best weekend ever.

I spent much of this past Thursday preparing for the arrival of my conservative in-laws, and crying over the loss of my country to our version of Hitler , George W. Bush. His 'torture bill' sailed through with 'nary a bit of opposition. There is debate over the current use in the blogesphere of the terms "Nazi", and "Fascist". The debate being whether it is 'useful' to use such strong terms with loaded histories in regard to the current administration regardless of the similarities in style and content. I have no such debate raging in my head. I call 'em as I see 'em. BushCo is no better than the Nazi regime and more dangerous (if you can fathom that) and I will do a post on it soon to prove what I see as the obvious, dangerous similarities.

What I found today as I opened my mailbox was this email from my friend Bob over at JABob. He included in his email a link to an essay by William Rivers Pitt from TruthOut.org about the 'torture bill'. The first bit is the email from Bob and the link is to the essay. read his essay and Bob's response to it. I give you these valuable documents and attachments to further fill your arsenal and fuel your rage. I believe that unless people are angry they will not feel empowered enough to act, and Action is our last, best hope to restore our Democracy.

In Case I Disappear…By William Rivers Pitt

Bob writes:

Because we lost our freedom this week…

Because the senate & house voted to passed bills that promotes Bush to king...

These bills allow the president of the U.S. to now declare anyone (outside or inside our country) an “enemy combatant” and to have them arrested and held without habeas corpus. Disappeared! In other words you’re imprisoned without the ability to ask why, without the ability to say you’re innocent (because you don’t know why you’ve been arrested) or to even contact anyone. They can now torture you because the president can now (in this bill) define what torture is, otherwise called “aggressive interrogation methods.”

“Well,” you say, “that will never happen to me ‘cuz I follow the law. And, besides, someone will miss me and call the police!”

I’m sorry to say they didn’t tell you what law you broke and the police will know nothing because you’ve been arrested by the C.I.A. The C.I.A. won’t tell anyone and you can be damned well sure the President won’t either. You, or your daughter, or son, or nephew, or even your Mom or Dad will have vanished off the face of the earth with no recourse. No recourse from you, or anyone you know.

Scared yet?

WAKE UP! We have lost our freedom! Corporationism (Nazism) is here! If you don’t believe me go to the Library of Congress website and read senate bill S3039 passed by the house and the senate and see what our politicians have done to us. This bill has been changed so that it does not exclude U.S. citizens and does include anyone who “supports” an enemy combatant. I know, I know, the president hasn’t signed it yet. Who do you think asked for this in the first place? They (he and his cronies) WANT to be the unitary power. That means a sovereign entity. King.

So, if I disappear, just know it wasn’t me taking off. It means I got too “political” and verbal about it. Or, I have the wrong sexual orientation or the wrong religion or even worse, no religion at all. At least I’m not a Muslim. This would apply to me especially if I organized an anti-war anything or even wore an anti-war T-shirt. If I disappear, or someone you know mysteriously disappears, just know that if that happens it’s probably too late to do anything about it.

I’m not scared for myself, just for the future of this world as I now know it.

Write this off as the ranting of a delusional man if you will, but this is what I feel and I had to say it. Please, let me know that I’m wrong about all this. I just hope I can one day look back and say, “Boy was I wrong!” But right now I think THAT’s being delusional!

Now I will sleep on this and either delete it or send it tomorrow. Bob

I slept on it. I re-read it. I still feel strongly about this. I have reached my "tipping point". I'm sending it. If you agree with this in any degree, please forward this on to everyone you know. Thanks, Bob

Please take Bob's advice to heart, I have and Am doing this post. What will you do? And if I disappear, it wasn't because I was going on a trip...

UPDATED:The Match Game

Fear and smear is what the republicans know how to do.


The long line of lies from this assministration is shocking and undeniable. Last month I posted a link to the Mother Jones article by Tim Dickenson and Jonathon Stein called, "Lie By Lie: Chronicles of a War Foretold" Truth was a casualty long before we invaded Iraq. This article matches up statements made by the bush administration with the lies they turned out to be, and shows how BushCo knew they were lies. This one is worth revisiting, especially if you didn't read it the first time. This piece is full of sinister revelations of the BushCo crimeline.

UPDATE: This is an article that reports The Brig. Gen. Mark Scheid, 3 weeks from retiring at the Pentagon, tells that Donald Rumsfeld REFUSED to let any post-invasion planning for Iraq take place. Un-fucking-believable. And we just thought he was incompetent...

ABC vs.MSNBC

Being a native San Franciscan I could'nt help but post this quickie I found in the wake of all the furor over ABC's "Path to 9/11" docu-lie. If you missed all the kerfuffle about Disney's rewrite of history, this is an inside joke but it's still funny.

The Path to San Francisco Earthquake


Additionally if you haven't seen the Keith Olbermann's afterword to the wingnut ambush that Fox News tried to pull on Bill Clinton, please watch it here:

Keith Olbermann: Are YOURS the Actions of a True American?

More Torture!

Torture, is this what we want? Sydney Blumenthal writes a great article succintly describing the curent state we find ourselves via the thugs in the White House and Congress.

Is this how you want your country to act? Is this how you want our soldiers treated? Has anyone heard of the Golden Rule? When will this stop? When you demand it from your elected officials in Washington. They work for us, remember? If they refuse to do what we say is the right thing, time to pack their bags, kick them to the curb. Now they are trying to dump habeas corpus, the very foundation of legal rights in this country. Not only dump it but make it retroactive as to cover the butts of the people who gave already committed and continue to participate in TORTURE. Which part of this don't the American people understand? This compromises everything about who we are as a nation, irrevocably changing our position as a 'free country'. This must end NOW. Today, call your representatives and senators in office and tell them to STOP NOW! Here's a link that explains WHY.
Contact info for senate
Contact info for the House
Capitol Switchboard: 888-355-3588 or 866-808-0065 Call Now!!

When is enough enough for you?



Watertiger has a great post up on this over at fdl. Please read it. Read what he links to, it is worth the effort. Please let your concern and outrage boil up into action. If you are not sick to your stomach about this, your are definitely not paying attention.
I want my country back!! Do you?

For Holly

This is a post for a friend of mine stationed in harm's way. She struggles between Iraq and the hard place of trying to do her job while feeling the futility of the war bearing down on her spirit. She is coming home in December and will begin the tasks of taking her life back from the life-altering experiences of dealing with war casulties.

There has occured an odd confluence of events and emotions for me over the last few weeks. A friend of a friend died tragically young from cancer a few weeks ago and another friend of a friend died in a car accident very recently. I did not know either of the women that passed but I know the people that lost them and it brings up for me feelings of my own losses, and of loss in general.

My friend wrote a lovely post about his friend that was taken by cancer and also has links to her music. Please read this post about Elissa Hadley and check out the links to cancer resources; it is well worth your time. The other friend-of-a-friend told me that the woman friend she lost was, in her words, "The woman I wanted to be..."

I would rather feel sorrow than feel nothing at all. The numbness that comes with feeling overwhelmed either by grief or some other set of circumstances is also a feeling but it is a feeling of separation from that which seems too much to bear. Like when you get novacaine at the dentist and you can bite the inside of your cheek without pain, but eventually the anestetic wears off and you are left with feeling, and a chewed-up cheek.

Difficult situations bring on hard-to-deal-with emotions. It is always seemingly easier to tuck the feelings away until a time we think we can 'handle' them. Many studies have shown that these repressed feelings get expressed in unconscious and often destructive ways, both psychologically and physically. As it turns out these emotions end up handling us.

I have been attempting to express my anger and outrage about the current state of the nation in the productive if not cathartic manner of blogging with political activism as the main topic. It has helped. But the cost of awareness has been high dealing with so many feelings. I often get overwhelmed. So I withdraw a bit and try to fill my inner environment with things that bring me joy. One of those things for me is music.

Where the roads of awareness and healing converge for me of late has been 2 of the songs by Elissa Hadley, the woman who succumbed to cancer on August 27th. She was with the band 'Breathlanes' and the songs are "Day" and "Twirling". Give them a listen and see what you get out of it. Listen to the lyrics, very powerful.

This is the song "Day" featuring Elissa Hadley

powered by ODEO

And "Twirling"

powered by ODEO

Then the web of interconnectedness continues. My friend that's coming home in December will be finished with her service and a Veteran, like me. This video comes courtesy of Nate over at "Get In Their Face"



Listening to this music is bittersweet. The messages, powerful. The vehicle of music easier to absorb oftentimes than a great lecture or the best written article. What I take away from my listening is hope. Hope in myself, hope in the future and hope in you.

Don't let me down.

Citizenship and Community

Citizenship was a part of classroom instruction I remember from the 4th grade. We learned about being neighborly, polite and the ever-popular "Golden Rule". We learned about why it was important to throw trash in a recepticle instead of on the ground. We were educated on the importance of showing up and telling the truth. We began our relationship with common sense and duty. It was the beginning of instilling the import of public service and fairplay. Today Citizenship means scarcely more than voting (maybe, if I have time...) and jury duty (God I hope I can out of it...).

What Citizenship really means is a sense of belonging, participating and caring about the community you live in. A socialization of values and personal responsibility. Citizenship implies working towards the betterment of one's community through participation, volunteer work and efforts directed at improvement of life for all citizens. This to be sure, includes voting, jury duty and picking up trash. But it also means noticing and speaking up when you see basic rights and freedoms of the community you live in slipping away. The responsibilities and tasks it takes to run our homes and do our jobs we tend to take for granted that these same responsibilities and tasks are necessary in the larger public sphere. It hasn't been made easy to show up and do your civic duty. Oh yeah, no free rides, you don't something for nothing, Freedom isn't free.

Over the centuries since our birth as a nation, these rights and responsibilities have been thwarted by the powers that be. A brand of control and domination that has taken the form of no voting rights for African Americans and Women, poll taxes, 'voter tests' and now, the current criminal vote-stealing machines and dirty tricks played by the GOP corruption machine. Certainly this is not a complete list but you get the idea that government thinking has been "What can we get away with?"

Citizenship as defined by the Bush administration demonstrates next-to-nothing of these values we all learned. This White House's policy for Americans is to shut up and do what you're told regardless of what The Constitution says. People that speak up are silenced in any number of ways from false imprisonment and torture to ruining your reputation and infringing upon your ability to pursue your livelihood. If you read the recently posted partial list of BushCo atrocities or you read here or elsewhere in the liberal blogosphere, you have some sense of the depth and breadth this violent right-wing massacre of civil rights has taken.

They treat us like children who haven't the good sense to make a proper decision about our own futures. When we refuse to go to the trouble of voting or speaking out or writing a letter about the injustices or demanding that we have a fair and investigative media not owned by only six mega-conglomerates that use, without charge, the PUBLIC airwaves and depend upon that very government they are lapdogs to, to change laws and let their corporate interests super-flourish like never before, what do we expect? When we can't be bothered because of the time and effort it takes to show up, the inconvenience of it all, the difficulty of access to polling places ("You're polling place is on Jupiter, under a Moose Lodge, behind a donut shop in the basement of a school, good luck" -Kathleen Madigan)and given all we need to do to have a decent life, who can blame anyone for saying, "I just can't do it now, I'm too busy, someone else will do it"? You are someone else. To borrow the slogan from Nike, "Just Do It" No one of us can do this alone without help, that's what citizenship is; a community of people coming together to better the lives of all its members.

Zephyr Teachout, founder of The Sunlight Foundation,says if very succintly, "If we don't have a culture of citizenship, we don't have a Democracy, it's that fundamental"

Jane on Keith! Late Nite Edition

Have to do it. Jane Hamsher of firedoglake.com was on 'Countdown With Keith Olbermann' tonight. Woo Hoo! What a blast! If you read here, you know I'm a fdl fan and Jane's website has been my 'coming out' into the Blogosphere. Tonight Jane rocked the house and made a national news show her stage for promoting the influence of liberal blogs on the American political scene. Jane did us proud, watch for yourself.

Diebold Update

This was posted to day: Diebold Voting Machines Opened by Hotel Mini-bar Key

Hegemon Rising

A list (partial) of the things Bush got wrong.

Courtesy of Rising Hegemon.

Chimpy's Bad Behavior

And a commentary by Keith Olbermann about such wrongs. C & L has the video

Get Off Your Ass and Get On My Vote!

Photo credit Cartier Bresson courtesy of Magnum Images
There's a weird vibe in the air lately, its not just Autumn about to fall, its not post-9/11 doldrums, the war, or post-Katrina depression.
Its something like 'impending doom'. That feeling you get just before something bad happens. It seems human nature to try and shush it away, calm what can be interpreted as 'irrational fear'. Just keep keeping on.
I'm a big supporter of the 'gut feeling'. I've always kept faith with my intuition. The trick is learning to be still enough to hear the quiet voice that will tell you, if you listen, the correct path for you. Not the right path for others, just the simple, direct route to your own happiness, and oftentimes, safety.

My gut is telling me that this 'vote fraud debacle' or however you prefer to phrase it, is real. Really, real. Notice how in the American venacular when we say something twice, we mean it? "Are you going shopping?"
"No, I'm going shopping shopping". Ooh hoo.


Thursday September 14th, the Princeton study story broke in the blogosphere. Barely any mention of it elsewhere. When I did a blog search for "Diebold voting machines" I got 1,092 blog posts that spoke specifically, with much detail about the Princeton study and the past successful hacking of Diebold machines. When I searched MSNBC, I got an article from 2004 about vote fraud in Chad. Hello? Is anyone besides the bloggers paying any attention? The answer is an qualified, "No". [Bradblog linked here and here, a must read.]

The blogosphere is an interesting phenomenon. It's dominated by left progressives with a potent posse of wingnuttery bringing up the rear. The Diebold story brought many people like me out trumpeting the charge, "We must do something about our votes being stolen...again". Yet In my reading around the blogosphere, I found many people up in arms as I am. People were debating, making an arguement for why this is an important an issue as war or anything else. The right-wing response was par for the course with their defensiveness and insulting poo-pooing. But the other dynamic I saw was quite a bit of, "Nothing to see here, move along", done by Democrats, Progressives, Liberals, The Left. This shocks me.

I know the Left is constantly complaining about how 'brain-dead'and 'in denial' the bushies are for following their fearless leader like lemmings, but is anyone paying attention to the paralysis on the left when things get too scary? We on the left, and in the MSM (albeit it with a GOP talking point bent), bitch constantly about our elected officials, Democrats, who act like scared puppies too frightened to make a peep even when the American public raises its hackles about the state of the union. Why when we have not only that which is decent about America on our side, but the pulse of the nation beating in sync with what we say we want? Why do we cowtow to what appears to be a force greater than ourselves, namely the conservative, rich, crazy, theocratic, neo-fascist goopers? Why, indeed.

I have no definitive answers, but I have theories as to why we seem to shy away from the obvious conflict of facing up to the criminal, evil, right-wing that rules America and is changing our very way of life unabated. The issue of 'taking on the vote' seems too overwhelming, too much to be able to do anything about. Certainly, those in power must be doing something, right? Wrong. Those with the power to make a stink about the fraudulent activities around the vote tampering are scared of losing their jobs. Better to be a sitting politician with little power than a private citizen with none. The proof in their actions , defined as inaction.

I have found in life, and all its myriad expressions, that it is better to risk making a mistake than to do nothing. For months that have now stretched into years, sitting Democrats have done next to nothing to curb the right's rampant stranglehold and usurpation of power. There exists almont NO checks and balances. Much of the political energy expended by the Left has been in the form of defense against the constantly encroaching tyranny pushed ever-forward by the right. If we do not insist that the sitting politicians, past politicians, the mainstream media and the citizenry of the USA get off their asses, a world of shit will hit us with both barrels. It is inevitable. How bad does it need to get before we do something?

I understand the ennui of overwhelm. When you are so inundated with problems that you feel paralyzed. Many of us find ourselves there now. I haven't posted in a few days because of this low-grade 'depression'. I spent two days crying on and off. Granted, watching Spike Lee's "When The Levees Broke" didn't help but when you can't get a break from the constant horror of the shape our country is taking, it gets to you. The gulf coast residents feel it, though for a different reason. They are trying to survive, while many of us are trying to give our country a fighting chance for survival. The difference of course with Katrina survivors is their energies are used up by trying to find housing, jobs, health care, schools, fairness, not to mention the criminal behavior of the insurace companies. It doesn't leave much left over to fight the government. We take for granted sometimes being grateful to not have to fight for these things on a daily basis.

People will read a small article on page 18 of the local paper or watch a 15 second blurb on the evening news about the voting machines and think," Hmm, well somebody's got to be doing something about that, afterall this is America, we have a free and fair election process." In truth some bodies are doing something but nobody is listening. The clock is ticking. Father Martin Niemoller said it well in his best known statement, "When they came for the Communists, I was silent, because I was not a communist..." If we do not contact our public officials and the media about these vote-stealing machines and raise holy hell there will be no need to "come for us" because we will already be there, trapped in a system of our own design because we did nothing.

When will enough be enough for YOU?

Additionally, if you are up to it, in a slightly off topic post, I direct you to some excellent reading by Christy Hardin Smith of firedoglake. She has posted on the disatisfaction within the republican party as well. If you still haven't had enough, then check out this "Bush Family Connections" site. It looks a little dry but as you click on the Bush pictures you can find the links between the corruption in government, the corporate interests and much, much more. This is worth a post in itself but give it a spin and see if you get a better picture of why we are where I say we are in this country.

The Votes That Won't Count

image courtesy of iflipflop.com

"Diebold, the e-voting-machine maker, has long sworn its systems are secure. Not so, says a new Princeton study. Converting votes from one candidate to another is simple."

-Brad Friedman, Columnist

If you are a Democrat or Black, Hispanic or poor and live in a voting precinct, or in a neighborhood that can be described as any of the above, there is a better than average chance that your vote will not count this November or any other November in the forseeable future. Sasha Abramsky of Mother Jones has written an excellent piece on the disenfrancised voters of the "10 Worst Places To Vote", it was posted on Alternet. This is the conclusion reached by the interpretations of a brand new Princeton University Study on the Diebold voting machines set for use in the upcoming elections.



The 'voting issue' has been covered to some degree but its not getting the 'bounce' it ought to considering it has the potential to change this and all future elections regardless of turn-out. I've heard it commented that what we need to do is have unprecedented turn-out and this will solve the problem of 'vote fraud'. But this study done by Princeton demonstrates succintly how ONE MACHINE can infect many others and change votes, all the while remaining UNTRACEABLE. This means that ONE corrupt person can change the outcome of an entire election. The demonstration video is frightening, but more frightening is that no one but bloggers is covering this breaking story. Brilliant Brad Friedman has done exhaustive research into this issue, please read his post, watch the video and see for yourself if this doesn't need to come to national attention:

Security Analysis od The Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine



The vote fraud problem has existed since the inception of voting but with today's technology it promises to be institutionalized and more far-reaching than ever before. The security on these machines is sorely lacking and they are imminentily, emergently in danger of being tampered with and changing the outcome of all future elections. I cannot state this strongly enough. The few who read at my site can contact a few more and the people who are posting about this many more, but unless the general public, the mainstream media, our elected officials and the rest of the world knows about this diaboldical plan it can and will go forward.

The long-term reprecussions can be devastating. Elections can be voided or postponed and tied up in legalalities for an undetermined period. Any number of 'dirty tricks' will not just pervade our voting futures, but become undetectably permanent. If you have been concerned about the trouncing of your civil liberties or BushCo's stomping of human rights, the shredding of the Constitution, the false flag war in Iraq, the exploding national debt, the decrease in real wages, the price of gas, the gap between the rich and poor, the unsecured borders, the national drop in public education test scores, the lies and corruption in Washington D.C., the unprecedented decline in our national reputation globally, the imbalance of power, the lack of any checks and balances in government, the torture meted out and sanctioned by this president, the rubber-stamp/do-nothing congress, the complicit judiciary, the negative shift in environmental policy, the absolute shame of Katrina and goverment failure to deal with it, the 'cronyism' of appointments to vitually every govermental office, the incompetence of these appointments (think FEMA), the unmitigated hubris of a leader that thinks he is a King, and the fast-asleep mainstream media that doesn't report in a comprehensive way on any of it, then write and call your Senator, Congressperson, the local newspaper, the national media and
do something about it
If this issue comes into the national spotlight, something can be done to change it. If it doesn't change, everything in our lives as we know them, will.

Of that you can be certain.

Posted comments by readers over at firedoglake agree with me:

Since voting machines are liable to malicious intrusion, this means election fraud should be of equal concern to both parties. In theory an election can be stolen by Republicans as easily as it can be stolen by Democrats.

So why are Democrats the only party showing concern about voting machine fraud?

The simple answer is that the Republicans enjoy a virtual monopoly on election fraud and have no fear of retaliation since their goal to become the permanent majority is close to realization. As far as the Republicans are concerned, their goal of there never again being a Democratic majority or president is well within reach.
Permanent one party rule is totalitarian whether you call it fascist, communist, conservative, rightwing, or just Republican. What the Republicans don’t yet realize is that they are on a path to destroying themselves along with the rest of the country.
The United States is all the weaker for being a one-party “democracy” and as such is ill-suited to meet the global challenges of the future.
With the ascendancy of George Bush, the days of the United States being the pre-eminent power in the world is gone, gone, gone.

Back in the spring of 2003, Discover magazine had a lengthy article on the diebold voting machines and how vulnerable they were from a very technical perspective. This article laid out the facts that they could be hacked without a trace, that diebold was a subsidiary of a bush family owned company. I blogged about the article. I yelled about the article. I told everyone I knew about the article and people just looked at me like I was nuts. The outcome of the 2004 election made me sick after having read this very well written analysis of the software and hardware. Why are people in such denial about this?? The information has been out there for a very long time. The facts are clear. This presidency was stolen from 2000 on. It doesn’t act like a democracy because of the means in which it was inacted. Not democratically. This president was not “chosen” by the people. It was hijacked the same way corporations have hostile take overs. Don’t expect this administration to do anything at the will of the people. They do not care.(emphasis mine)

For your viewing pleasure I post this report from Fox News (!)



In fairness, I am posting a link to The Chicago Tribune article where Diebold refutes the Princeton Study.

Mark Crispin Miller wrote a book called, "Fooled Again" about how the 2004 election was stolen by BushCo. Here's an interview with Miller done by Expanded Books.

The Iraq You Won't See

Over at firdoglake guest poster Taylor Marsh has a great post up about the war and its damage. War is bad enough on its good days, with a noble cause to defend but this war is a money/powergrab engineered by BushCo, based on lies and false statements.

This is a film done by a BBC reporter over a year ago but with an unsanitized look at the Iraq they won't show us in the USA. The Media has become a willing player in the propulsion of propaganda that only they, the criminal government, want us to see. Things have gotten worse since this video was recorded. Much worse. Killing is up. Bombings up. And the bullshit continues to rise unabated.

If you watched "Press For Truth", it points out dramatically how no one in the MSM is connecting the dots. 80% of the information is out there buried on page 20 of the newspaper, or in a 15 second blurb on the news. None of the available information is being delivered in a contextual, organized manner. Everything we learn, we learn piecemeal. When it is all in one place, we become angry and ask,"What the fuck is going on...?" And no one is answering.

Iraq: The Hidden Story

9/11 Press For Truth-The Movie

Several days ago I posted the "Truth Remix", a trailer for this film that played yesterday in Austin, TX. Today I post the video. It is outstanding. Please watch and see if your eyes are not opened as well as your heart.

9/11 Press For Truth



There is an excellent review and commmentary on "Press For Truth" by Brad Blog's guest poster Michael Collins. I've linked it here.

Heartsick but Wide Awake

Your country is slipping away. This is not a joke. As surely as houses came off their foundations after the deluge of Katrina. Remember the photos? Remember the shock of seeing a huge ship beached far inland? Houses deposited atop cars? Remember the people chanting, "Help, Help, Help" in front of the convention center? Remember thinking, "This could never happen here, not here in the United States, this looks like a third-world country..." This is what is happening to your country. The 'big storm' were the attacks on 9/11, and our country began on that day, the slow, steady slip off its foundation that today threatens to be, like Katrina, devasting and beyond repair.

Last night ABC played part one of their 'mockumentary'. The drama that rewrites history and basically blames Bill Clinton for the attacks of 9/11. Chimpy's numbers are up. Gas prices are down. The 'shock and awe' dog-and-pony-show is in high gear. The troops dead in this lie called a war have surpassed those killed in the 9/11 attacks. The reconstruction of the Gulf Coast is left hanging for the poor, but rushes forward for the carpetbaggers and the 'people of influence'. And Americans are drinking lattes, talking on cellphones and tuning in to see who killed Jon Benet.

Your government is wire-tapping you without warrants and saying that its "National Security". Anytime asked questions the answers are always swathed in secrecy and "National Security". Do you feel safer? Do you? The Bush Administration is currently trying to pass a bill that will retro-actively insulate those who haven broken existing laws. Corporate interests run the the government. BushCo has begun to gear-up drumbeats to start another war. They cut benefits for Veterans after promising to take care of them. They lied about why we went to war with Iraq. They lied about the connections between Sadaam Hussein and 9/11. They lied about taking care of Katrina survivors. Lousiana, the last blue state in the south, has been stripped of its mostly African American democrat voters. They have outted an undercover CIA operative for political revenge and lied about it. They have installed voting machines manufactured by republican donors that have been proven easy to hack and have already used these blackboxs to steal two elections. They have invaded our privacy and stomped on our civil liberies with the jackboots of the fascist regimes they compare us to; Americans that stand up and want answers about what's going on in America . And the American mainstream media tells us nothing. Well here's something I found over at Nate's, it's called "The Best War Ever"



Sitting Democrats in Washington,D.C. barely say a word in protest about what is going on, afraid of 'alienating' the centrist core of America. Liberals and Progressives fight amongst themselves about the 9/11 conspiracy question, again not wanting to 'offend' anyone. If you believe that 9/11 was an "inside job" you are considered a "conspiracy nut" and are marginalized. It is becoming Nazi Germany all over again, but it is here. If you have doubts, check it out for yourself. Check the evidence for this slow but steady drift, this slide into totalitarianism. Nazi Germany didn't not happen overnight. It took 10 years from the beginning of Hitler's reign until he stormed Poland. Read your history. George Bush has the power of 21st century technology to aid him so its only taken him 6 years. Have you had enough? When is 'enough is enough' for you? I have. I've had more than enough.

Listen fof one minute to a Republican former President in his departing remarks, warning us of this very thing:



Today I post a link to an award winning documentary that is available for viewing at Information Clearinghouse. Please watch it. It can be a powerful antidote to the propaganda. It was in the theaters until recently. I post it in hopes of throwing my voice into the fray for the battle to reclaim my country. It's called

"Why We Fight"

film "Why We Fight"

More 9/11 or Wake Up America!

When I started this blog because of a video I found on the internet about 9/11 called "Loose Change". I had no experience with the blogosphere or how it works. I didn't know where to go or even how to search for like-minded individuals in the blogosphere. I had heard about blogs but I had the impression, like most of America, that it was 19 year-olds in pajamas, blogging in their parents basements. What I've found has been absolutley counter to that assumption. I've tried to set-up my blog to be 'new user friendly', with descriptions of the blogs and links that have here. Everyday is a learning experience. The last few days I've posted videos of 9/11 truth inquiries to spread the information and investigations others are doing that the mainstream media refuses to do. I've posted a few more. I hope it helps in the discourse but my fondest hope is that America wakes up.

Evacuations and Power-downs prior to 9/11



Molton steel in basemet 6 weeks after 9/11



"WTC Collapse Was Planned" as stated on-air by CNBC commentator

What's The Truth?

As you may know ABC Television is planning to show a bastardized version of the truth about 9/11 in a mini-series called "The Path to 9/11". Jennifer Nix, a former MSM reporter, has written a number of articles on this topic over at firdoglake.Please check out her skillful investigative efforts.

More video on the 9/11 truth inquiry.

IED: Interesting Acronyn

IED Attack
Originally uploaded by rodneykeene.

Notice how it spells "DIE"?


The jokers that come up with the nomenclature for military terms and 'operations' have an ironic sense of humor.
minstrelboy is a reader who emailed me after reading my Landstuhl posts. His family are unfortunately"Gold Star" members. I recommend a trip over to his site for a viewing of extraordinary pictures and stories of these horrific weapons and the ingenious way they are being placed and detonated. His posting on this topic is on September 2, 2006. Read his site. He has fascinating posts about 'boots on the ground', news stories and opinion about the policies that enable the horror to continue. My heart goes out to the members of this group of Americans, the Gold Star Families. I salute them and the service given by their loved ones.

Whether supportive of this war/occupation in Iraq or against it, we have all learned invaluable lessons from Vietnam. In all of my posts and comments about what I and most Americans consider an 'illegal war and occupation', I have never seen, heard nor met anyone that does not support the troops in their constant stuggle to show up and 'do their job'. Very few military members signed up for 'WAR'. And the ones that did I believe most of them, did so with the same fierce protectiveness that a mother lioness exhibits in defense of her cubs.

What I would like to see happen in regards to this 'war' is to see our troops re-deployed outside Iraq, with consistant, solid support to the Iraqi government. Logistics, economic support, tactical support and influence, strategic planning, whatever it takes to help them to get on their feet and take care of their own country. I believe along with many others much more knowledgable, that our pressence in-country exasurbates the civil unrest and violence and is unequivocably undermining the Iraqi ability and will to fix their broken country.

Our troops are over-extended and the breakdown has been showing for many, many months. These 3rd and 4th and even 5th tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the shameful veteran care, the unwillingness to provide troops with enough and adequate equipment, the congressional hypocracy (almost exclusively by Republican members) in saying they 'support the troops' then behind closed doors, striking down legislation that provides for them and the list of GOP attrocities goes on and on as does the dying of our soldiers, coalition soldiers, and the many innocents civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. This war must end.

Announcement:Press For Truth Update

The film "Press For Truth" will be screening one night only on Saeptember 11 in Austin, Texas. I will be there. I'm posting the info and if you are anywhere near the Austin area it is a tremendous opportunity to meet and network with others who want the truth about 9/11.





SEPTEMBER 11 – AUSTIN, TX
Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills, 9828 Great Hills Trl.
(Free, Donations accepted. 1 Night Only. 7:30PM)

SEPTEMBER 11 – AUSTIN, TX
University of Texas at Austin, 2400 Inner Campus Dr.
(FREE. 1 Night Only. 8:30PM)

Here's a link for the UT showing to make reservations.

And here's one to find where it will be showing near you.

Investigate 9/11 Now!

This film, "9/11 Eyewitness" by the Blue Star Media Group is a telling and scientific deconstruction of the WTC collapse. It runs 1:44 and drags a bit in the beginning but picks up after the first 20 minutes.



This next video is just one minute long with a message about the Pentagon collapse.

Mike Malloy :Voice from The Wilderness

For those of us who miss his voice, I've dug up some video clips of Mike Malloy.

9/11 Truth Symposium

This is the 9/11 Scholars Symposium presented by C-SPAN and hosted by Alex Jones. In honor of the upcoming anniversary of this tragedy and before there is more hoopla that can be tolerated, I thought I would post something of the truth and the tireless search for it in regards to thos cover-up/conspiracy of epic proportions.

With all of the 9/11 anniversary coverage about to be unleased from everywhere, I wanted to get my thoughts and observations found out before the blitz. If you don't know about the "9/11 Truth Movement" find out about it. Check out the scientists and researchers who out of a desire to know the truth have done extraordinary investigations, raised the questions and spoken truth to power.

9/11 Redux "The Truth Remix"

This is a great video from the "Unclassified Producer". A perfect opening to my 9/11 post.

9/11 is of course where it all begins. There is much evidence to dispute the "official story" of 9/11/2001. If you have not watched "Loose Change", do. If you have not seen "The Power of Nightmares", do. If you haven't read the "Downing Street Memo", do. We were once able to trust the mainstream media to bring us a more or less balanced, within the context of cultural bias, reporting of National and International events. That is no more. The mainstream media has never been a perfect system but during the period of BushCo they have become lazy, indolent and negligent. Robert F.Kennedy Jr. has stated it succintly, "The job of a Journalist is not to 'balance', it's to find the truth and then convey the truth to the American public, and that is not being done..."




9/11 Press for Truth in conjunction with
"The Jersey Girls" produced a film that looks like it may be worth checking out. There are a number of organizations and individuals who for the past five years been digging for the truth about 9/11, with little or no help from OUR government and in many cases, subtrefuge, lies and cover-up. The events of 9/11 demand an independent investigation, which to date we have not recieved and has been blocked at the highest levels of government.

Had Enough? It's time for the truth.

The Power of Nightmares Part Three

This is the last segment in the powerful documentary, "The Power of Nightmares". Please watch parts one and two to get the deep insights and contextual history. These films will change you. If they don't, you're not paying attention.

The Power of Nightmares Part Three, "The Shadows in the Cave"

The Power of Nightmares Part Two

If you haven't seen part one, please drop down and watch it. Powerful.

The Power of Nightmares Part Two, "The Phantom Victory"

The Politics of Fear

An amazing find over at Information Clearinghouse via a reader who's site Palitone Press is a good read and worth a visit.. This documentary by the BBC, "The Power of Nightmares" is done in three parts, and is about the "new strategy of terror". Each part is an hour long and well done.

Clearly, our government is trying to scare us. Everytime Bush has a drop in the polls or Democrats get a positive bump, a 'new' terror alert raises the threat level. I posted a bit on this a a while ago. Keith Olbermann did a terrific piece, "The Nexus of Politics and Terror" on his show about the shocking 'coincidental' correlation between these events since 9/11. I give you 13 minutes of Keith Olbermann. Then watch the BBC film. You will be more informed if not changed by the experience.

The Nexus of Politics and Terror



The Power of Nightmares Part One, "Baby It's Cold Outside"



This is a powerful documentary. Please comment, tell me what you think, what you took away from the viewing. Link this this; spread it around. We only have eachother. In light of the propaganda BushCo is gearing up to trot out before the upcoming election, it is crucial that we counter this undermining of our Democracy.

The latest salvo in this cultural war for world domination, is the new 'docu-drama' that ABC Television is planning on broadcasting next week. According to sources, this propaganda was written by a conservative friend of Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh also serves as narrator for this film that in essence blames Bill Clinton for 9/11. Read all about it over at FireDogLake. There are links aplenty and info to find out what we can do to stop this madness.

I believe this is the most important election of our times. The neo-cons are following a script. A well thought out strategy designed and implemented over more than a generation. The criminal neo-cons in Washington are scared, sick, crazy, men. Men with a tremendous amount of power. What you do about it is up to you.

A True American Patriot UPDATE

I speak of Rocky Anderson, Mayor of Salt lake City, Utah. Utah? Yes, Utah. This guy rocks. He is the true personification of a Leader. What we are so sorely in need of. Share this video. Make copies and leave on your neighbors doorstep. This is the kind of inspiration that will change the course of destruction we are on. The 3 videos i have posted , in order are an interview with Fox News before the demonstration in SLC, during the demonstration, and afterwards. Judge for yourself if this is not the brand of leadership our country is in dire need of. Thank you Rocky. I have linked the text of Rocky's speech fro his website.

UPDATE: I have located the entire speech on video and it is stunning. Rocky gives a vibrant, stinging attack on the President and the criminal adminstration he runs with impunity. Highlights include, "sycophants... oppressive, inhumane regime...treason...worst presidency our nation has had to endure...perhaps those that enabled Sadaam Hussein should be sharing the dock with him while he is on trial for 'Crimes Against Humanity'..." I could go on but I'll let you enjoy it yourself.

http://www.kutv.com/video/?id=18850@kutv.dayport.com/

The link KUTV provides makes you find the right clip, so go to Aug. 30, 2006 video and click on "SLC Mayor Blasts Bush"