cheney sed:
Their goal in that region is to gain control of the country, so they have a base from which to launch attacks and to wage war against governments that do not meet their demands.

who is "they"? the pentagon? the PNAC?
how many U.S. military bases are there in Iraq now? does anyone know? hmmm.

hidden in plain sight - -

9/10/01:: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announces that the Pentagon has lost track of $2.3 TRILLION DOLLARS of military spending.

this potentially shattering news is buried under the extreme news of the following day and never brought up again

to paraphrase Frank Zappa:

If God made man in his image, and God made Dick Cheney, then God is really a very nasty mean vicious evil dude. Of course that is my opinion.

Also the stories out of GB today (since they don't bother taking four days celebrating massive consumption of food and gift purchases) are focussed on the new smoking gun memo regarding Bushco's war on Al Jazeera TV. Great reports abound regarding the history of murdered journalists as well as the consistent coincidental blowing up of Arab news positions by the US in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. WE already know we can't believe a single word out of the White HOuse. So to have them deny Bush suggested blowing up a Qatar TV station to Blair, is little more than confirming the story.

David, your daughters show far more wisdom than many adults I could mention, particularly one individual on this blog who has developed a strange fantasy that we actually care about what he thinks! Hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday.

And now for my 9/11 contribution to the current thread. Many, many statements from eye witnesses, including fire fighters, paramedics and police officers, plus many others, which I find most fascinating, especially since they were not asked to give their personal accounts as to what they saw to the 9/11 whitewash commission. But, I guess that would only be important if truth was of interest.

Welcome . . . and congratulations for your willingness to look at the proof about 9-11.

CBS News reporter stated "All of a sudden I heard a roar and I saw one of the towers blow ... I saw from street level as though it exploded up, a giant rolling ball of flame...". (same reporter stated "I hear simultaneously this roar and see what appears to be a gigantic fireball rising up at ground level . . . I remember seeing this giant ball of fire come out of the earth as I heard this roar" (pages 119 & 239))

A Port Authority Police Department officer, who was intimately familiar with the World Trade Center from his years of police duties patrolling there, described how the hallway began to shudder as a "terrible deafening roar" swept over him, then a giant fireball exploded in the street seconds before the south tower collapsed

Worker in one of the twin towers discusses explosion on the 8th floor
Another worker in the twin towers states "when we get to the lobby, there was this big explosion"

Stationary engineer who worked in world trade center one described tremendous damage in the basement of the building more consistent in nature and timing with a bomb than with damage from an airplane
Construction worker discusses explosions in the sub-basement of tower 1; same worker talks about explosions in the basements of tower 2

Firefighter describes elevators "blown off the hinges" which only went to lower floors (page 7)

In addition, there are many eyewitness accounts of phenomena consistent with the use of explosives in the world trade center buildings...

Moreover, there is evidence that substantial explosions occurred well BELOW the area impacted by the planes, and -- according to some witnesses -- they occurred BEFORE the plane had hit:

9/11 hero, who was the last person out of the north tower, said that there was a massive explosion in the North Tower BEFORE the plane hit.
------------
That kinda blows the idea of electrical bus explosions out of the water! And I doubt if that kind of explosion would blow elevator doors off anyway.

From the corniest of all repeated from above" But are Zarqawi, bin Laden and their comrades even close to ruling in Iraq? Is that what the war is about? (Put aside the undeniable premise that an Iraq controlled by Al Qaeda was not even a mathematical possibility before Bush invaded the country.) Bush and Cheney continue to conflate the Zarqawi band with the Sunni-based insurgency of ex-Baathists and others. Zarqawi is a dangerous and evil fellow, real trouble. But an Iraq governed by Zarqawi and bin Laden does not seem a realistic prospect."

This is where David Corn loses it. It not that neo-con are afraid that OBL or zaqawari are in in fact in control, but rather, whether or not those in control will perfect international civility through broadband connectivity. We are paying a price to get Iraq connected, and dont want to have to pay again. CORE members and democracies not go to war on each other, and promote world peace and trade. There are many bad actors, buy few bad democracies.

David Corn's fixation on OBL, or zaquarie, or other terrorist, presupposes that defeating these bad guys is the end all, ... but its not, it is the begining of setting up democracies assimulated into the world order.

Unless you all move away from the "criminal characterization" of the war on terror, to view it all as a world wide struggle between the CORE and GAP, of integrating GAP members, you will continue miss the big picture.

OBL struck, and there was the Taliban, in the battle for Aghanistan.
Saddam butchered and was a menance, and was taken down in the battle for Iraq.
These are not ISOLATED action, but a coordinated assult on militant islam with the object of integrating militant islam into the CORE.

Viewed in this context, victory is not measured by killing any one terrorist or bad leader, but rather the integration of the GAP into the CORE.

That is why, the issue today is now being focused, stay the course, WHAT COURSE. If you limit your view to a criminal characterization as to terrorists and 9/11, then killing OBL, or Zaraqrie, or removal of saddam is the end. If you view the conflict as a global struggle, as a clash of cultures, then staying the course, that is, democratization until Iraq is irreversible embedded in the CORE, then you reveil the true differences, left and right, though not articulated as such.

Jame Ha, I answered your NPTO post, in yesterday thread.

I made some post this day, in yesterday thread, if anyone is interested in an opposing view...NOT!

From above:"Do scientists know if there is a God and if God created the world?" the six-year-old asked.
No, I answered.
"Then it's only an opinion," she said.
I was very thankful for that.
=======================================
Faith is just that. But lets be practicable. The maintenance of church, and the morality it brings, has benefits quantifiable in voluntary giving without socialized directive, and beyound quantization in doing right naturally so in stead of by fear of criminal prosecution.

From a social perspective, if you really wanted to help the poor, your first calling would be to sustain morality, promote godlyness, and willingness to unilaterally help, just because.

"You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile!"

-Borg

Hajji, exactly, but they dont, and you lefties, certainly dont know it, but, it will be, as night follows day.

Mr. David Corn,

I give thanks on this day for all that care about the truth.

I sure hope that represents more than the requisite four.

I am thankful for the open forum you provide.

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kirk

This day it was reported Four insurgent groups are seeking to talk with president talibani, to stop fighting and join the political process. And there goes dems hope for the come back. Yeah, I know, you want them all to fight on, to bring Bush down, dont ya, come on, be honest. No wonder you count US dead, with each one, you all recapturing congress. Am I wrong?

David,
Great story about your kids. I too have two daughters and it's the best thing I've ever done or will do. I'm thankful for being blessed with that life experience. You sound like a good father too. The way your daughters can ask questions of you like that says alot for you and your relationship with them. Hold onto that always (gets tougher thru their teens though...haha). They sound so mature and smart!!
Thanks for sharing that story and for all you do for us and the country.
peace and love,
Alan

SPEECH OF SENATOR JOHN F. KENNEDY,
COMMODORE HOTEL, NEW YORK, N.Y.,
ACCEPTANCE OF PARTY NOMINATION, SEPTEMBER 14 1960

What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label, "Liberal"? If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of "Liberal." But, if by a "Liberal," they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties - someone who believes that we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal," then I'm proud to say that I'm a "Liberal."

*****

Neocons are neo-liberals not conservatives.

Labels should be accurate if you want use them.

capt

DMR (From previous threads): Nice to know that your Christian commitment leads you to defend to the trappings of Christmas (no shopping in stores without "Merry Christmas"). Sorry that it does not also extend to the teachings of Christ. ("Electrodes to the Scrotum") ?! Do you really believe that Jesus Christ would condone torture under ANY circumstances?

Neoconservatism in the United States

Some opponents of neoconservatives have sought to emphasize their interest in Israel and the relatively large proportion of Jewish neoconservatives, and have raised the question of "dual loyalty". A number of critics, such as Pat Buchanan, have accused them of putting Israeli interests above those of America. In turn these critics have been labeled as anti-Semites by many neoconservatives (which in turn has led to accusations of professional smearing, and then paranoia, and so on). However, it may be noted that many prominent neoconservatives are not Jewish, such as Michael Novak, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Frank Gaffney, and Max Boot. Furthermore, neoconservatives in the 1960s were much less interested in Israel before the June 1967 Six Day War. It was only after this conflict, which raised the specter of unopposed Soviet influence in the Middle East, that the neoconservatives became preoccupied by Israel's security interests. They promote the view that Israel is the US's strongest ally in the Middle East as the sole Western-style democracy in the region, aside from Turkey (George W. Bush has also supported Turkey in its efforts to join the European Union).

*****end of clip*****

One paragraph from the wikipedia page. You really have to read the rest of the page linked and I would seek additional sources on the subject.

capt

"...particularly one individual on this blog who has developed a strange fantasy that we actually care about what he thinks!"

I knowwww! That amazes the hell outta me. I caught one (it generally only takes one sentence to figure out it's his post) that said "...since I've developed a following here...". Gawd, how delusional is that?!!!

Alan, I envy Hajji his communion with the goats and donkeys. At least there is satisfaction in knowing that they are completely innocent of any malice, unlike SOME people I could mention! BTW, thanks for the fun T-day greeting. Hope yours was awesome! I am still cooking turkey, we like to eat later than most. But the split pea with bacon and rosemary soup was dabomb!

Capt, thanks for the JFK quote. He was my fav, no doubt about it. 'They' killed alot more than one man that day. *sad face*

I bet you'd like this site. Hell, I might've even got it from you, tho I've had it quite awhile.
mp3 streams of the top 100 speeches/American Rhetoric

"I Have a Dream" is listed first with JFK's inaugural next.

"... split pea with bacon and rosemary soup"

*mah best Homer voice*
mmmmmmm, split pea sooooooooup!
Funny how I hated peas as a kid, but loved split-pea soup. And with bacon and rosemary? mmmmm, that sounds neato torpedo!
You made me hungry again dammmmmit!
*rubs belly 'n gets up for another round*

射线防护
电加热器
浓缩罐

"I bet you'd like this site. Hell, I might've even got it from you, tho I've had it quite awhile."

All new to me, you have been hoarding and hiding that one! Thanks, I love it!

Peas? Hit my gag reflex as a child, then late teens or early twenties I fell in love with them.

The one constant is change!

capt

Can you imagine Doofus even contemplating something like this? From JFK's speech here in Houston, (#9 on the list) Sept. 23, 1960...

But if the time should ever come -- and I do not concede any conflict to be remotely possible -- when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do likewise.

Saladin,

I jsut spent an hour or so putting the Hooved ones up for the night. They ask so little of me I just want to give them everything!

Pabla, Ezzy and Goatdiva feasted this evening on some carrots, apple treats (fortified with selinium, a neccessary mineral that is very rare in these parts) and a dessert of "Nilla Wafers". The dogs had some ground beef that'd been in the freezer for far too long browned and mixed in with their regular chow plus some beef broth from the bags of bones the butcher saves for me.

The sound of 5 big dogs turning all that calcium into useful food for their own bones is strangely pleasing, and joins the merry sound of the cracklin' fire as the soundtrack of the evening.

I wish you and yours a mellow, happy evening and good digestion and a tomorrow of thanksgiving as well.

-T

All new to me, you have been hoarding and hiding that one!

Sorry 'bout that. Be forewarned, you can spend hours listenting at that site! I block IM's from coming in and just listen!

*good memories

Hajii, we had a cool old guy next door when I was a kid. Had a bum knee so stayed home while his wife still worked. Every day he 'cooked' broth for his two dogs like that, to pour over their dry food. Spoiled? I dunno, but I seen alot of mutual love. The old guy could strum a guitar toooo! Said he played on the radio when he was younger, with the "Pillsbury Light Crust Doughboys". I never knew if he was b/s'ing or not, but I wanted to believe it.
He made the best chicken 'n dumplings I've ever eaten. Damn those were good! Anyway, thanks for tweaking a good thought from the past my friend.
Many more Thanksgivings to you 'n yours

Alan,

I've come to the belief that most "public servants" (political officeholders as opposed to those who TRULY serve the people, EMS, Firefighters, etc.) have a fluid conscience that takes whatever form politically expedient.

I've personally met many politicians and not many would stand up to such a standard as the one set above.

I'd once, foolishly, held out hope that Colin Powell would be such a man, my cynicism wasn't long in returning to my core.

Tonight I'm thankful that all Jill's kinder will be home in a just couple of weeks, and that I'll have one more shot at breaking Spec.Spanky's legs so he'll miss Iraq deployment.

Anyone up for a REALLY rough game of "Touch" Football?

#23

Commander Codpiece cannot string together a single cogent phrase let alone make a moving speech to any except screened audiences.

capt

Alan,

My Dad had a sweet deal with the butchers at the local grocery. (incidentally where my Mom works now!) They'd save him bones and scraps and whatnot.

I don't remember him ever cooking for himself or the family, but he'd fry up something every day for the dogs. (always had at least one, and usually more)

He'd say, "They never complain about what I cook, it doesn't really take any time and it doesn't cost anything...and LOOK at 'em! They think they're REALLY getting something!"

He didn't play guitar, or sing on the radio...but his voice was one of the sweetest I've ever heard sing. (TRH's Dad, Dan, has that kind of voice, too, but lower and larger)

His whistling was just as sweet.

Thanks for conjuring up THOSE memories!

-T

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948),

Good quote, Capt.

(Of course the cows that died so my dogs might feast probably would see it differently!)

-T

Tiny turkey eater a prize gobbler

25nov05

NEW YORK: As millions of Americans prepared to sit down to eat traditional Thanksgiving dinners, a Virginia woman grabbed the world turkey-eating title by gobbling down a whole roast bird in 12 minutes.

Sonya Thomas, 37, who weighs just 47.5kg, beat seven men in the annual Thanksgiving Invitational: a race to eat a 4.5kg turkey. The smallest in the field, Ms Thomas put her victory down to "swallowing fast".

"It was very dry and the skin was very dry," said Ms Thomas, holding her trophy, a roasting pan, over her head. "I just tried to eat fast."

Venerated in competitive eating circles as "The Black Widow", the Virginia woman said she trained for the event, held at a delicatessen in New York, by chewing gum to get her jaw in top form.

She said she plans to eat turkey again today, but much more slowly so that she can taste every bite.

Her victory was no surprise. She is ranked as the No2 competitive eater in the world, behind Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, according to the International Federation of Competitive Eating, which sponsored the turkey-eating event.

Ms Thomas, who collected $US2500 ($3400) in prizemoney, has also beaten her opponents in egg, cheesecake, baked bean, crab-cake, meatball, and fruitcake eating contests.

*****end of clip*****

Just in case you feel too full after a turkey dinner.

capt

Hajji, Alan,

Great memories indeed. My Uncle Jim (Hajji's dad) is my favorite Uncle of all time. In many ways, I was closer to him than my own Dad. A lot of that had to do with I could tell things to my Uncle Jim that I could not say to my own Dad. Uncle Jim would tell me to talk to my dad, but only first giving me his advise, and then telling me how I needed to talk to my dad. Seems that my Dad as much mischief in his youth as I did. I don't know if Hajji remembers this, but when I was a senior in high school, I ran the family car into a ditch. I had to wait until the next morning to have a friend with a truck, pull it out. The nose of the car was bent upward, but other than that, it ran okay. Instead of driving the 10 miles home and facing my dad, I drove the extra 5 miles to Hajji's house and of course, to tell my Uncle Jim what happened. After telling him what happned, I heard him on the phone telling my dad not to forget the times he had wrecked his older brothers (Our Uncle Junior)car when he was in high school. My Uncle Jim assured me that it was okay to go home. When I got there, I didn't receive the wrath that I expected, only the concern that a parent can have after not having your child not coming home from the previous evening. I am sure my Uncle Jim's words were of comfort to my dad because he at least knew I was okay, and as my dad's older brother, I knew my Uncle Jim's advise to him was heeded.

Family, they mean the world.

The US Plans a Long, Long Stay in Iraq

by Eric Margolis

The US Air Force’s senior officer, Gen. John Jumper, stated US warplanes would remain in Iraq to fight resistance forces and protect the American-installed regime "more or less indefinitely."

Gen. Jumper let the cat out of the bag. While President George Bush hints at eventual troop withdrawals, the Pentagon is busy building four major, permanent air bases in Iraq that will require heavy infantry protection.

Jumper’s revelation confirms what this column has long said: the Pentagon plans to copy Imperial Britain’s method of ruling oil-rich Iraq. In the 1920’s, the British cobbled together Iraq from three disparate Ottoman provinces to control newly-found oil fields in Kurdistan and along the Iranian border. The Sunni heartland in the middle was included to link these two oil regions.

London installed a puppet king and built an army of sepoy (native) troops to keep order and put down minor uprisings. A powerful British RAF contingent, based at Habbibanyah, was tasked with bombing serious revolts and rebellious tribes. In the 1920’s, government minister Winston Churchill authorized use of poisonous mustard gas against Kurdish tribesmen in Iraq and Pushtuns in Afghanistan (today’s Taliban). The RAF crushed all revolts against British colonial rule

*****end of clip*****

The buddy up to Chalabi will do nothing to help his credibility in Iraq. I thought the search of his home was a favor to make him seems less the puppet.

capt

#27
Alan,
You are so right about true dedication to humanity. I have a friend who is the fire chief in my town. He's also a cop. Two weeks ago he gave his sister half his liver so that she could finally life a normal life. He is one of the most humble men I've ever met. We told him to let us know if there was anything he needed. He told us to give blood or help out at the blood drive because a liver transplant surgery takes 40 pints and he wanted to give back.

Ooops, I meant Hajji.

I'll go to jail to print the truth about Bush and al-Jazeera

By Boris Johnson
(Filed: 24/11/2005)

It must be said that subsequent events have not made life easy for those of us who were so optimistic as to support the war in Iraq. There were those who believed the Government's rubbish about Saddam's Weapons of Mass Destruction. Then the WMD made their historic no-show.

Some of us were so innocent as to suppose that the Pentagon had a well-thought-out plan for the removal of the dictator and the introduction of peace. Then we had the insurgency, in which tens of thousands have died.

Some of us thought it was about ensuring that chemical weapons could never again be used on Iraqi soil. Then we heard about the white phosphorus deployed by the Pentagon. Some people believed that the American liberation would mean the end of torture in Iraqi jails. Then we had Abu Ghraib.

Some of us thought it was all about the dissemination of the institutions of a civil society - above all a free press, in which journalists could work without fear of being murdered. Then we heard about the Bush plan to blow up al-Jazeera.

*****end of clip*****

True colors always come through. There are heroes and there are zeros.

capt

David,
Thank you for the post today. You laid out the facts about the Iraq War. It's all there in plain English. Cheney's not going to be real happy with your clarity. He'll just have to ignore you.

Alan, that Thanksgiving Day card was REALLY cute! Thanks so much. Never met an on-line card I liked so I've never sent one. Until today. I sent yours to just about everyone. Not only will they enjoy it, but they'll be thrilled to not get something political from me. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

#37
Capt,
That was a great article. Will somebody pass Boris Johnson the document?

Happy Thanksgiving Carol.

Had a great day even if I had to do all the cooking. As usual, my family thinks I'm the world's greatest cook. For entertainment we watched War of the Worlds. Thank GOODNESS no one in the family cares about football. Phew.

Re: #21:
Have you got any blog without spam in it?
Well, there's spam, blog, sausage and spam. That's not got MUCH spam in it.
I don't want ANY spam!
Why can't she have spam, blog, bacon, and sausage?
THAT'S got spam in it!
It hasn't got as much as spam, blog, sausage, and spam, now has it?
Would you give me spam, blog, bacon, and sausage without the spam?
ECCCCCHHH!
Whaddaya mean, eccccchhh?
I DON'T LIKE SPAM!!!
spamspamspamspamspamspamspamspam
SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM
LOVELY SPAM, WONDERFUL SPAM!!!

And forget adding any cheese to the order, because the cheese shop across the street never has any. (I told you once. No, you didn't.)
I think the owner would rather be a lumberjack.

Happy Thanksgiving! I think this might be a good time to remind everyone of the rules of the blog:
Rule 1: NO SPAMMERS!
Rule 2: No member of the blog community is to maltreat members of the "trolletariat" in any way at all--if there's anybody watching.
Rule 3: NO SPAMMERS!
Rule 4: Now this term, I don't want to catch anybody drinking the metaphoric Kool-Aid of the Elephascist McMedia. The literal beverage is OK. (Cherry was always my favorite flavor. I also like Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, although I can't taste any difference between it and my beloved regular Dr Pepper. Wal-Mart's knockoff soda, Dr Thunder, is an amazingly accurate duplicate of the original. But I digress....)
Rule 5: NO SPAMMERS!
Rule 6: THERE WILL BE NO---RULE 6!
Rule 7: NO SPAMMERS!
Anyone violating these rules will be seized by the Spanish Inquisition (didn't expect that, now did you, hmm?) and flogged with a dead parrot in the comfy chair! You are WARNED, spammers! I fart in your general direction! Your mothers were all hamsters and your fathers smelt of elderberries!Now go away or I will taunt you a secAWWN time!(Oh, I've had enough of this. No, you haven't. Oh, shut up!)
And please step away from your monitors before the penguins on top of them explo*BOOM*!

The Acting Deputy Minister of Silly Walks, Ivory Bill Woodpecker

Ivory Bill, are you referring to the ?????? post?

http://www.democrats.com/taxonomy/term/108

Ivory Bill,

That was great. I think the only thing you left out was the Yeti Spotting.

Bacteria Used as Photo Film

By Paul Elias
Associated Press
posted: 24 November 2005

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The notorious E. coli bug made its film debut Wednesday. That's when researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas announced in the journal Nature that they had created photographs of themselves by programming the bacteria -- best known for outbreaks of food poisoning -- to make pictures in much the same way Kodak film produces images.

It's the latest advance in "synthetic biology,'' a disputed research movement launched largely by engineers and chemists bent on genetically manipulating microscopic bugs into acting like tiny machines, creating new, powerful and inexpensive ways to make drugs, plastics and even alternatives to fossil fuel.

The field seeks to go beyond traditional genetic engineering feats where a single gene is spliced into bacteria and other cells to manufacture drugs. Synthetic biologists are trying to create complex systems that function as logically and reliably as computers.

*****end of clip*****

The future is brighter than many give it credit.

capt

David,
If you happen to hit the Twin Cities before Christmas you might want to take in the Holidazzle parade. Your kids would love it.

Holidazzle parade

PS. Your wife could take in the Walker Art Center (the Warhol show) and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts - Villa America American Moderns, 1900-1950

Just to warn you, it's going to be 5 degrees tonight.

Terribly sorry, old darling, but I'm not familiar with Yeti Spotting. Is that anything like turkey dropping? "The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement!"---IBW

P. S. I almost forgot, fellow babies---BOOGERRRR!

White House 'double-crossed' Blair, says Plame husband

Tony Blair was "doubled crossed" by US President George W Bush's aides in the run-up to the Iraq war, according to the former diplomat at the centre of a political crisis engulfing the White House.

Joe Wilson, the husband of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA agent who was allegedly 'outed' by senior administration figures, made the claim in an interview for the BBC.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Wilson said: "I watched the way that the British built their case, and it was a disarmament case as best I could see it.

"Mr Blair came to the US when Mr Bush was talking about regime change, and when he left Mr Bush started talking about disarmament as the objective.

"Mr Bush went to the United Nations, I think that that had a lot to do with the influence of the British. I think that Mr Blair really thought that he was getting involved in a disarmament campaign, which was all to the good - I fully supported that.

"I think at the end of the day he was double-crossed by the regime change crowd in Washington."

Mr Wilson, a former US ambassador, looked into the Bush administration's accusation that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium in Niger.

Mr Wilson found that the accusation was untrue and attacked Mr Bush for using the claim.

Mr Wilson said that four months before that State of the Union speech, the Senate was briefed on the issue and the CIA's deputy director warned that it believed that British intelligence sources - which had supplied the Niger uranium allegation - had "stretched the case".

*****end of clip*****

Sounds like Bunnypants has made a friend in the UK.

capt

What Monty Python Character are you?

I am the French Guard.

capt

Scientist faults Bush's stem-cell policy

By STEVE MITCHELL

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A scientist for one of the few U.S. companies working with embryonic stem cells is alleging that President Bush's policies have had a chilling effect for U.S. industry and have allowed South Korea to become the world leader in the stem-cell and therapeutic-cloning fields.

South Korean researchers led by Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University have achieved major breakthroughs in stem-cell and cloning research in the past year, and last month the South Korean government launched the World Stem Cell Foundation.

The latter development "reflects how far the United States has fallen behind its competitors in this pivotal area and how much the lack of federal leadership has handicapped U.S. efforts," Dr. Robert Lanza, vice president of medical and scientific development at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass., wrote in a letter that appears in the Nov. 24 issue of Nature.

*****end of clip*****

The whole blastocysts are people too - thing - is just too stupid.

capt

Capt,
So am I. Hmmmm.
I want to thank you for the bit of comic relief. Without it I couldn't have handle this news.
Ex-FEMA Head Starts Disaster Planning Firm

DENVER - Former FEMA Director Michael Brown, heavily criticized for his agency's slow response to Hurricane Katrina, is starting a disaster preparedness consulting firm to help clients avoid the sort of errors that cost him his job.

"If I can help people focus on preparedness, how to be better prepared in their homes and better prepared in their businesses -because that goes straight to the bottom line -then I hope I can help the country in some way," Brown told the Rocky Mountain News for its Thursday editions.

Brown said officials need to "take inventory" of what's going on in a disaster to be able to answer questions to avoid appearing unaware of how serious a situation is.

--------------------
Lesson number 1. Look sharp for the cameras.
Lesson number 2. For gods sake make reservations.
Lesson number 3. Try to look smarter than a horses ass.

A breath of fresh air, not a single troll in sight for the past 38 posts!!

#53

No success like complete failure in this WH.

capt

Hajji...I'd once, foolishly, held out hope that Colin Powell would be such a man, my cynicism wasn't long in returning to my core.

I once thought that too, that he was a man of integrity and class. He sure had me fooled.

He didn't play guitar, or sing on the radio...but his voice was one of the sweetest I've ever heard sing.

*visions of a country front porch after supper
The b/w TV inside, wasn't even turned on yet that day.
Am I close?
I miss my dad too.

Rise in Gases Unmatched by a History in Ancient Ice

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

Shafts of ancient ice pulled from Antarctica's frozen depths show that for at least 650,000 years three important heat-trapping greenhouse gases never reached recent atmospheric levels caused by human activities, scientists are reporting today.

The measured gases were carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Concentrations have risen over the last several centuries at a pace far beyond that seen before humans began intensively clearing forests and burning coal, oil and other fossil fuels.

The sampling and analysis were done by the European Program for Ice Coring in Antarctica, and the results are being published today in the journal Science.

The evidence was found in air bubbles trapped in successively older ice samples extracted from a nearly two-mile-deep hole drilled in a remote spot in East Antarctica called Dome C.

*****end of clip*****

Well, the ID thing gives the greenhouse gassers cover. See no global warming.

The educated and scientific community has two reasons to be alarmed.

capt

Alan, that Thanksgiving Day card was REALLY cute!

Was that the "Plymoth Rock" card? Glad ya liked it Carol. The pizza delivery truck had "est. 1492" on it. hahaha

Colin Powell: Failed Opportunist

By Robert Parry
November 26, 2004

A Consortiumnews.com Special Report

Colin Powell’≥ admirers –†especially in the mainstream press –†have struggled for almost two years to explain how and why their hero joined in the exaggerations and deceptions that led the nation into the disastrous war in Iraq. Was he himself deceived by faulty intelligence or was he just acting as the loyal soldier to his commander-in-chief?

But there is another, less flattering explanation that fits with the evidence of Powell’≥ life story: that the outgoing secretary of state has always been an opportunist who consistently put his career and personal status ahead of America’≥ best interests.

From his earliest days as a junior officer in Vietnam through his acquiescence to George W. Bush’≥ Iraq adventure, Colin Powell repeatedly has failed to stand up against actions that were immoral, unethical or reckless. At every turning point, Powell protected his career above all else.

Yet, Powell’≥ charisma –†and the fact that he is a prominent and successful African-American –†have protected him from any clear-eyed assessment of his true record. Even when Powell has publicly defended war crimes, such as the shooting of defenseless "military-aged males" in Vietnam, national journalists have preferred to focus on Powell’≥ sparkling style over his troubling substance.

*****end of clip*****

Yep, I never believed Bunnypants but when I heard and saw the UN presentation I bought into the lies.

That is what pisses me off to this day. I hate being played for a fool.

capt

On this day of giving thanks, I give thanks that David Corn and his kool aid following of left wing nuts are an extremely small minority in America.

I give thanks that their Anti American, pro AlQueda views are looked at by the vast majority of Americans with disgust and disdain.

David's friend, the Insult Comic Dog gnaws on some republicans

It's a Quicktime video... their windows media player link wouldn't work.

A Feast of Scandal

We have a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving

by Justin Raimondo

I'm thankful for so many things this Thanksgiving that it's going to take me an entire column just to adequately describe them. Indeed, I'm already so loaded down with gifts that I don't need Christmas. My cup runneth over! For an old libertarian "isolationist" like me this holiday season is a bountiful time, one that yields so much that it seems like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday all rolled into one. Take a gander at this wonderful cornucopia of plenty:

The indictment of Scooter Libby: After what seems like years of waiting, Patrick J. Fitzgerald –†our Santa Claus –†finally came down the chimney with a well-crafted indictment [.pdf] that will put one of the chief architects of the War Party behind bars. Let them grumble and cavil about the supposed lack of a reference to the "underlying crime," let them raise millions for the Neocon Defense Fund, let them delay, divert, and deny all they want –†it'll all be to no avail, and for two very good reasons: (1) Libby is a liar, as the indictment indubitably and irrefutably proves, and (2) there are more indictments where that came from.

*****end of clip*****

A veritable feast of scandal. None as delicious or rewarding as impeachment but it is not over by a long shot.

capt

I would like to give thanks for living in the great country of the U.S.A.

I would like to give thanks for having President Bush and Vice President Cheney, undoubtedly the greatest Presidential and Vice Presidential team to control the White House in the last two hundred years.

I would like to give thanks for finally having these two honest, forthright, men leading this country back from the hell perpetrated on us by the Clinton-Gore administration. It is a wonderful thing to no longer be known anymore as the country lead by the corrupt, lying, pedaphyle Bill Clinton and the insane egomaniacal Al Gore.

from Capt's link about Powell...

"I could guess what was going on," Schwarzkopf wrote. "There had to be a contingent of hawks in Washington who did not want to stop until we'd punished Saddam. We'd been bombing Iraq for more than a month, but that wasn't good enough. There were guys who had seen John Wayne in 'The Green Berets,' they'd seen 'Rambo,' they'd seen 'Patton,' and it was very easy for them to pound their desks and say, 'By God, we've got to go in there and kick ass! Got to punish that son of a bitch!'

"Of course, none of them was going to get shot at. None of them would have to answer to the mothers and fathers of dead soldiers and Marines."
======================
and round two of idiots so Doofus could finally outdo pappy in something...which he did in spades

Iran-Contra wasn't near as bad as this.

and more, just two grafs below that...

Schwarzkopf yelled back that Powell appeared to have "political reasons" for favoring a timetable that was "militarily unsound." Powell snapped back, "Don't patronize me with talk about human lives."
====================
what tha hell, it's only soldiers lives we're talking about!

reid, I asked you about PNAC and their role in it all, and this was your response?

http://imcs.dvgu.ru/news/dmr/globalconfluence.html

a million word tome/letter that you sent to someone in russia? - figures.

for those of you who are not familiar with the PNAC, they are a cabal who cloak their visions of dominance/exploitation under a false flag of 'patriotism' - here is just one of the gems that they have authored:

"To preserve American military preeminence in the coming decades, the [DoD] must move more aggressively to experiment with new technologies and operational concepts, and seek to exploit the emerging revolution in military affairs.
...the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor." - Sept. 2000

this particular gem was penned by one Dov Zakheim, who before being snagged to work as a pentagon big wig was employed by a company that manufactures....guess what?....remote control systems for airliners, such as 737's which is what was determined to have struck the WTC2 - that's right, 737 NOT 767 as the govt. claimed(no one noticed at first because they are very close in size and appearance) -

but, easier to just ignore the little topic of PNAC I guess...and indeed 911...it's only the single most significant event in the history of america in that it has enabled two wars of conquest, and the passing of the patriot act, which has absolutely nothing to do with patriotism.

click my name to order the FREE DVD: 'Confronting The Evidence: Reopen 911'

The long march of Dick Cheney

For his entire career, he sought untrammeled power. The Bush presidency and 9/11 finally gave it to him -- and he's not about to give it up.

By Sidney Blumenthal

Nov. 24, 2005 | The hallmark of the Dick Cheney administration is its illegitimacy. Its essential method is bypassing established lines of authority; its goal is the concentration of unaccountable presidential power. When it matters, the regular operations of the CIA, Defense Department and State Department have been sidelined.

Richard Nixon is the model, but with modifications. In the Nixon administration, the president was the prime mover, present at the creation of his own options, attentive to detail, and conscious of their consequences. In the Cheney administration, the president is volatile but passive, firm but malleable, presiding but absent. Once his complicity has been arranged, a closely held "cabal" -- as Lawrence Wilkerson, once chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, calls it -- wields control.

Within the White House, the office of the vice president is the strategic center. The National Security Council has been demoted to enabler and implementer. Systems of off-line operations have been laid to evade professional analysis and a responsible chain of command. Those who attempt to fulfill their duties in the old ways have been humiliated when necessary, fired, retired early or shunted aside. In their place, acolytes and careerists indistinguishable from true believers in their eagerness have been elevated.

*****end of clip*****

What good is it to steal a couple of elections if you cannot abuse the power?

capt

Lawmakers Helped Tribes Get Federal Money

By JOHN SOLOMON and SHARON THEIMER
Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON - Through letters and legislation, more than a dozen lawmakers stepped in to protect a school funding program for Indian tribes while reaping political money from the tribes, their lobbyist Jack Abramoff or his firm.

The members of Congress came from both parties, including House Appropriations subcommittee Chairman Charles Taylor, R-N.C., and Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record) of North Dakota, the top Democrat on the Senate committee currently investigating Abramoff.

Most wrote letters that urged a reluctant Bush administration to renew a program that provided tribes federal school construction money. Others worked the congressional budget process to ensure it happened, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

And most received donations, ranging from $1,000 to more than $74,000, in the weeks just before or after their intervention. One used Abramoff's restaurant for a fundraiser a month after a letter.

As a group, they collected more than $440,000 from Abramoff, his firm or his tribal clients between 2001 and 2004, when Abramoff represented the tribes.

In Washington, special interests with business before

*****end of clip*****

More than a dozen? We watch the money and influence peddling as congress awards themselves another raise.

capt

If you can get your opponents to shift the debate a few degrees away from the direction they were headed for, you are more than 50% of the way toward dissipating their energies. Whoever is writing the Bush/Cheney talking points keeps trying to shift the topic away from Administration screw-ups to other topics that are not only tangetial but not particularly relevant. This must not be allowed to happen.

Harsh reality eventually silences spin. A humiliating pull-out from Iraq is inevitable for America. It can't work out any other way. The Kurds and Shia want their land and oil back, and they want payback for decades of oppression, and they want payback for current terrorist acts against them.

So, hey, let Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush spin and spin. It doesn't matter. It is going to turn out badly in Iraq. It was all inevitable the second we invaded.

Bob in North Dakota

reid, I asked you about PNAC and their role in it all, and this was your response?
http://imcs.dvgu.ru/news/dmr/globalconfluence.html
a million word tome/letter that you sent to someone in russia? - figures
============================================
James, The Russians dont understand two things, 1) marketing and the 2) Bill of Rights. Most of them think poorly of Bush, mostly because of the selected information they receive. I just wanted to give them another prespective. When all views are laid opened, people can have a more focused discussion. No more than that =====================================
Capt, "Bunnypants", dont know what are you talking about, Clinton???

So, hey, let Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush spin and spin. It doesn't matter. It is going to turn out badly in Iraq. It was all inevitable the second we invaded.
Bob in North Dakota
=================================
Bob, just the opposite, it can only exceed. Hey, did it not lift your heart to hear that 4 insurgent Sunnie groups in W.Iraq are going to stop their insurgency and join the political process. Bob, I know resolve is tuff in the face of US Dead, but we are winning, and I consider it already a done deal, hang in there Dude!!
==============================================

OK, how great is your hate, what result do you cornnutd all want, 1) Iraq victory and democratization and a GOP sweep in 08, or 2) Iraq lost and implosion and a DEM sweep in 08.

Just Curious.

A thought....perhaps Iraq would be less violent if we pulled out?

For example, I can only imagine that a local Shi-ite milita would be a bit more (ahem) efficient at dealing with their local neighborhood Sunni car bombers. Perhaps the Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence would stop PDQ if they were left to their own devices.

Bob

P.S. An Iraqi national security force is a farse. All accounts are that it would quickly dissolve into local militias.

What good is it to steal a couple of elections if you cannot abuse the power? capt

Capt, you are precious!!! ROFLMAO

Bob, you are correct, they dont want the infidels on their lands, and we have got to get out there. The only reason the whole country has not turned on the US, is that occupation is simply the lesser of two evils as compared to Saddam's Brutality. So you are correct, we have got to get out of there, but now the correct time. I believe that the training and democratization, especially after the Dec elections, have sufficient momentum, to where we should start reductions.

With the dec election comming up, I was very pleased to hear report that 4 insurgency groups in the Quabar providence are now willing to join the political process. (They got spanked hard over the last month) This is great, and I dont think that Iraq will disintegrate in the presence of a "gradual" reduction of US forces, keeping some there in isolated bases to deal with AlQueda in Iraq. Its looking allot better, hang in there dude, victory is at hand!!!!

James: The US will remain the only super-power with capacities to project military power instantaneously world wide, in the new world order, that there is no need for any rivals, who are amoung the CORE (EU-USA-RUSSIA-CHINA-INDIA-Japan-Australia, et seq) to maintain such a military. However, the need for the big guns of battleships or a large number of heavy tank attack divisions, is no longer there, but rather more mobile stand-off capabilities, to go in, take down a bad-guy, with the rest of world following up with peace keeping forces, so that the US can go in, kick down the door, and system adm forces (peace keepers) following up to cement the peace and demoncratization. This combination of US invasion and world peace keepers, allows the UN to remove any rouge GAP regime and connect it to the CORE. So yes, there is a US military transformation going on, to support integration of the GAP into the CORE, the new world order.

Black Muslims in poor Black neighborhoods saturated with liquour stores, go on rampage, and smash bottles of liquour in these stores.

Now there is muslim terrorism, I can support!

56% of americans think that victory in Iraq will succeed, and this is at a point in time, where its starting to look better in Iraq. HANG IN THERE GANG!! and be proud of our noble effort to democratize these jidhadists!!!

James,

Since the dellusional DMR refuses to answer your question about the PNAC...

Let me take a shot at why it is he WON'T directly answer.

The PNAC's credo is simply the blueprint for the beginning of the NEW WORLD ORDER!!!

It matters not one iota to this twisted imperialist the methods by which his wet-dream of world domination is set in motion. A few thousand Americans sacrificed on 9/11 (after all, they WERE mostly "only" New Yorkers!) is a small price to pay for the docile acquiescence of the sheeple of the ONLY SUPERPOWER left on earth for permission to start the GLORIOUS Global conquest!

A few thousand more American lives sacrificed on the field of honor are deaths that only sing the praises to the Glories of the CORE!!! The hundreds of thousands of bodies ground up so far in this Great Quest aren't anything more than fitting fertilizer for the growth of Global Dominance!

WAR is PEACE!

YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!

...or sumpthin' like that.

American Soldiers

American soldiers are being killed like flies for Bush's lies. To date 2,351 American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

OF COURSE, NONE OF THEM WAS GOING TO GET SHOT AT. NONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE TO ANSWER TO THE MOTHERS AND FATHERS OF DEAD SOLDIERS AND MARINES. GENERAL SCHWARZKOPF

DON'T PATRONIZE ME WITH TALK ABOUT HUMAN LIVES. COLIN "LAPDOG" POWELL

It sounds like human lives are not important to Lapdog.

Mother to Mother

Thank God for Cindy!!!

Post # 80

You made that up did nt you? I think the correct poll states 60 % of Americans believe we were lied to about Iraq and that it was a huge mistatke. " Things are starting to look better in Iraq" ... Maybe this is the view from inside your own colon, clearly reality offers a different picture. STOP WATCHING FOX NEWS, IT IS HURTING YOUR BRAIN!

Derrick, have you considered joining a less damaging cult, like Scientology or the Hari Chrishnas?

Perhaps

Ladies and Gentlemen: The American Economy Has Left the Building by Richard Sauder, PhD

The news of the 30,000 jobs that General Motors recently announced it plans to cut caught my attention like a searing brand plunged deep into my mind. It's still sizzling there like a splinter festering in the middle of my brain. There have been a lot of indications in recent years of the depth of the systemic turmoil brewing in the American economy, but this news item caught my eye in a way that a lot of other news has not.

I must say that I rather agree with the views of Geore Ure, at Urbansurvival.com, who feels that instead of laying off American workers, only to export industries and jobs to underdeveloped countries, and then pay workers there a small fraction of a living American wage to perform the same jobs that the laid-off American workers used to hold, that a saner policy would be to develop an international economic order that had as its objective to raise living standards and wage levels in poorer countries to be commensurate with those of the developed countries.

Of course, in today's world this kind of vision is given short shrift, because sociopaths are running most of the major governments of the world, and most of the major industries and financial institutions, and sociopaths are not much interested in mutual uplift and global benefit for the great bulk of the human race. Oh, no. Sociopaths are primarily interested in war, plunder, destruction, cruel domination, violent subjugation, and ruthless social control. So long as this planet and the major institutions and organizations that govern so much of what happens on it are dominated by sociopaths of the ilk of George Bush and Dick Cheney and associated fellow travelers of like mind and spirit, the ideas of George Ure about fair play and mutual uplift for one and for all will never get a meaningfully fair shake.
-------------
A very sad but true essay. The last 30 years of dozing have led to Americas downsizing.

been missin ya luker, how ya been? The troll you are addressing is a self admitted NWO supporter. He is already twisted beyond redemption. Whenever someone engages him in conversation he posts several comments right in a row, all full of the bigoted and hateful rhetoric of his heroes, like coulter. Please everyone, stop encouraging him!!

anti.war.com, again, has amazing articles!

Sorry, Mr. President, we won't shut up

A news revolution has begun

Why reward failure?

American Ziggurats

I said to the neocon guests that I need to see my email. So I am here for a few moments. I will have to mention to them that the Pentagon has lost track of $2.3 trillion. Cornposters, please give some thought to what $2.3 trillion can do for programs about health care, the environment, poverty, disease, education, etc.

Also from the above essay:

Using the Eclista example and the theoretical framework of Dependency Theory what raw material, what primary resource, will the United States export to other countries, as this nation rapidly deindustrializes, as a direct consequence of a conscious and catastrophic failure of American leadership at the highest levels?

Is the answer not obvious? We are already exporting astronomical quantities of American currency, and millions of jobs to go with the big bucks. The printing presses are running madly 24/7 the year around. The American government, allied with the high finance sector of the economy, has conspired to sell us out to the highest bidders -- which apparently are the East Asians, among others. So these are the raw materials that the American economy is exporting: trillions of dollars, and millions of jobs, the very lifeblood of the nation's economy. The legal tender that we use as a medium of financial exchange and the jobs and industries that we used to have are flooding out of the country in a great tidal wave of economic transition to a new way of life that assuredly will be much different than what we have known for the preceeding century or so. Did you grow up in this country? Are you maybe 50 years old? 60 or 70 years old? Think you know what things will be like in 25 years? Well, let me tell you, we have sowed the wind, and the whirlwind will not be long in coming. Change is coming and it will be large and it may even be unpleasant.
-----------
MAY be unpleasant? I think that's a given.

Gerald, surely you know that bushco is on a mission to completely and utterly destroy this nation. We know what that money could have done to benefit America, but they don't want us to benefit.

Touch of Heaven Mattie Stepanek, November, 1999

What is it like to have a baby
Fall asleep while holding your finger?
It is a soft, precious touch.
It is relaxing, yet exciting.
It is a feeling of trust and importance.
It is so soothing it makes me want to
Fall asleep.
It is a sign of peace and love.
What is it like to have a baby
Fall asleep while holding your finger?
It is a gift from Heaven.

Human Trafficking

A big area, and in my opinion a moral issue, is human trafficking. Is our government in the business of human trafficking? The American government wants more and more cheap labor. America is big on moral issues. Will they see this issue as an important moral issue?

Keep your eyes and ears open for more information on this very important moral issue. We know that Delay thinks highly of the Mariana Islands and their human trafficking. The Commonwealth brings in woman to work fourteen hour work days, seven days a week for $350 per year. I believe that it is not only human trafficking but also slavery.

We in America have a holier-than-thou attitude in comparing our country with other countries. We continue to embrace slavery, human trafficking, the sale of WMDs, preemptive nuclear attacks, torture of prisoners, School of the Americas, and rape of other countries natural and human resources.

I ask you! Can God condone our behaviors?

America is second to no one.

The U.S. has a long-standing and accelerating policy of arming, training, and aiding some of the world's most oppressive and repressive regimes.

I can't resist adding this perfect description, from that same essay, of what is happening to our country.

Stay with me as I lay out the results of my latest shopping expedition. It was a real eye opener.The reality is that the United States is positively awash in a tsunami of imported merchandise of every conceivable description. How could it be otherwise as the captains of American industry destroy the country from within, ransacking the economy, plundering entire industries and communities as they loot the productive base of the country for their own personal enrichment, without the slightest thought for the well-being of anyone else at all. Under those conditions, as the psychopaths and sociopaths in the American government and in high finance and Fortune 500 board rooms and executive suites liquidate the country from under our feet, how could it be any different? Their behavior is like that of madmen and mad women who heat the house in the cruel depths of a bone-chilling Siberian winter by stripping the insulation out of the walls and using it to stoke the furnace! As the flames leap higher they strip the shingles and plywood off the roof and fling them into the furnace!! As a death-numbing deep freeze descends on the home they fling back the blankets from the beds, rip the paneling off of the walls, tear up the floor boards and take an axe to the furniture and feed it all to the devouring flames in the furnace. In the end all that remains are their shrill, demented cries of pyromanic glee, and the roaring flames of the furnace as they demolish the last vestiges of their home and dance around the last flickering embers as the last flames gutter feebly out, and the savage darkness and deadly cold of the Arctic winter descend on the remains of the homestead gutted and destroyed by their deranged insanity.
------------
I know I tend to harp on the precarious state of the economy, but in the end, all the crazy things going on in DC are not what will sink us. It is this selling out of our republic that will add the final nails to the coffin.

On Cheney's False Choices: They run the administration like an aggressive marketing campaign. 1) what is the outcome we want 2) how do we sell it 3) if some don't buy it, how do we convince them otherwise
They always view customer feeback as something to be turned outward - "it you don't buy the message, there is something wrong with you". It is never turned inward - "if you don't buy the message we need to consider why, and perhaps re-tool the product." Since the outcome is already decided, there is no reflection, no discussion, no debate. And, dissenters are discredited and invalidated or thrown aside. If you look at the actions that reasonable people take to work out honest differences, and then overlay that on how this administration acts, it is quite a view into their inner workings.

The appropriate historical backdrop for this war is NOT NOT NOT September 11. The appropriate historical backdrop is all of the stock/investment scandals of the late 1990s, early 2000s. Reality is what you can spin and hype. All that matters, is that people buy it. Hype and spin, if enough people believe it, it becomes reality.

But like I said, harsh reality eventually trumps hype and spin. Derrek, you are a good soul, and I hope you are right, but this war is going to end badly. Write it on the wall. The Kurds want their lands and homes and cities and oil back from the Sunni. The Shia want payback on the Sunni. Locals are willing to blow themselves up to kill their countrymen. This is not the sort of soil from which a stable democracy arises.

A microcosm....on NPR, I they had a piece about a car bomb that went off in front of a Shia mosque during Friday prayers. A man was wailing and screaming in the background....the translation of what he said was, "I will kill every Sunni....I will kill every Sunni..." Just multiply that times a hundred, and multiply that by the number of car bombs that have gone off since our invasion....there is no way a stable, pluralistic, democracy can arise from this. Too much blood spilled, too many women raped, too many villages gassed...

Bob in North Dakota

The Gerald Doctrine

My doctrine remembers Jesus' Words, "Be not afraid." This post will upset many people but at times certain words must be said.

Abortion should have never been a governmental and a political issue. It should have been a medical and a religious issue. Whenever the government and politics are involved, you can be certain that the government and politics will screw it up. Removing government and politics from the abortion issue will remove a wedge issue. Roe v Wade will be overturned.

Women have had abortions for many reasons through the years. Some women do not have medical insurance and they have felt that they could not pay for the birth of a baby or even take care of a baby. Yet, there are many reasons for abortions.

Let us look at the removal of this wedge issue. Will people complain and groan or will people push for health care? Where will our Nazi politicians and government stand when it comes to health care? What other issues will become wedge issues so the Nazis can remain in power? If people oppose abortions that is fine and good but for a woman to have a child she will need some health care. The cost of medical care prohibits a number of people from wanting children, especially if there is no health insurance.

Be not afraid with the overturn of Roe v Wade! Let us pursue a caring America that is concerned for all our citizens and not just for the wealthy and for our corporations. Personally the Nazis will find reasons and ways to not help women. The American government under the control of the Nazis is an evil government.

Will the churches and fundies and the evans try to help women by pushing for health care or will they just be political ideologues? I believe that our Christian churches and laypersons are political ideologues and they will use moral issues to gain power and keep Americans angry, confused, and fearful. We are only pawns and puppets for governmental and political abuses. Moral issues should be delegated to religion and possibly in some cases to the medical professionals.

Please do all you can to not be afraid of change. Change is inevitable in life. Change can remove us from our comfort zones but I will say, "Be not afraid." Seek a greater good from our government and politicians' dastardly ways!

Where are the pro-lifers when it comes to health care and medical insurance for women and children? Health benefits would make abortion less of an option. Hypocrisy reigns in this country. Overturning Roe v Wade could very well be a plus and not a minus, especially if Americans push for better and more day care centers and better wages so that our citizens are not living like scurvy rats.

Corporations and the American government do not want Roe v Wade overturned. Even if it is overturned, there will still be abortions and they will not be illegal. Abortions will rest with a physicians' decision. Please do not become discombobulated with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We will know who are the hypocrites in this country.

Be not afraid! Have pro-life organizations stressed health care for women so pregnancy can come to full term? Have they stressed increased funding for adoption services so women who cannot keep their baby for whatever reason will have the option to have the baby adopted? Have they stressed funding for child care centers for women who want to keep the baby will have a place to help them as they work or try to find work? There are many questions to be answered but the major question is, do the pro-lifers really love people, really love women, and really love children? It is time for the pro-lifers to either shit or get off the pot! Are pro-life organizations only money-grabbing hypocrites?

Supreme Court justices just do not rule on abortions. They also rule in favor of corporate fraud and greed and the removal of our freedoms and rights for the common person. Always remember that the repugnants are not pro-lifers! They are purveyors of hatred, murders, torture, and wars.

The Gerald Doctrine is simple when we remember Jesus' Words, "Be Not afraid." We are living in confusing times, strange times. We are fighting satan’≥ disciples who are unchained. For them any evil is acceptable. Morally, America is losing it. Failing in holiness creates a mess in the world. America is only concerned with money and possessions. We are in battles with satan's disciples and in battles many soldiers are wounded. But, remember that believers in a loving and a merciful God will win the war. These believers will hear the fifteen most wonderful words from God. "Welcome home my good and faithful friends. Come, I have prepared a place for you." With these beautiful we will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for all eternity.

Tackle Jesus

In Bonhoeffer's book, "The Cost of Discipleship," he said that we should be with Jesus or near Jesus, like only an arm's length away. When we distance ourselves from God, the distance may be so far away that we are unable to be saved upon death. Bonhoeffer does not want the distance from God to be far away. He has also said that at birth we are all saints but as we grow older, we start to distance ourselves from God.

I say to you do not be with God or near God in your life! I want you to tackle Jesus. Yes, I did say that I want you to tackle Jesus.

In a football game, the tackler wraps his arms around the runner's knees and with his shoulder he forces the runner to fall. That is what we should do with Jesus. We should tackle Him around His knees and force Him to fall. Once He falls, never let Him rise from the ground. If Jesus tries to get up, you just let your shoulder rest on His thighs or mid-section with your arms still around His knees. You have the leverage and God will never be able to leave your grip on Him.

You should not just touch Jesus; you should tackle Him!

God's Time

The fundies and the evans are so wrapped up in creationism that they are blinded from the truth. The truth is that God's time is different from our time. In the supernatural world there is no concept of time.

When God created the world, it is said that He worked six days and He rested on the seventh day. In God's time, a day may be one trillion years if there is even years in the supernatural world.

The fundies and the evans are so discombobulated that we see psycho-behaviors in their efforts to have their way. They are even willing to destroy America unless they have their way. They are very sick people who have no religion but only a political agenda.

Distancing Himself

God is distancing Himself from us but we should not distance ourselves from God. Let God fill our hearts with love and mercy so we can be prepared to meet our Creator.

The reason for God distancing himself from us is that He foresees America's self-destruction. In life when we distance ourselves from people, we do it for a variety of reasons. If we are a caring person, the distance from another person may not affect you as much in their trials and tribulations.

God is distancing Himself from us, especially from America, because He has given us so much and we have failed Him. He will be sad with our self-destruction buy maybe the distance from us will not effect Him as much. God does not want His creation to destroy itself but the die has been cast and America's self-destruction is inevitable.

Tackle Jesus

In Bonhoeffer's book, "The Cost of Discipleship," he said that we should be with Jesus or near Jesus, like only an arm's length away. When we distance ourselves from God, the distance may be so far away that we are unable to be saved upon death. Bonhoeffer does not want the distance from God to be far away. He has also said that at birth we are all saints but as we grow older, we start to distance ourselves from God.

I say to you do not be with God or near God in your life! I want you to tackle Jesus. Yes, I did say that I want you to tackle Jesus.

In a football game, the tackler wraps his arms around the runner's knees and with his shoulder he forces the runner to fall. That is what we should do with Jesus. We should tackle Him around His knees and force Him to fall. Once He falls, never let Him rise from the ground. If Jesus tries to get up, you just let your shoulder rest on His thighs or mid-section with your arms still around His knees. You have the leverage and God will never be able to leave your grip on Him.

You should not just touch Jesus; you should tackle Him!

God's Time

The fundies and the evans are so wrapped up in creationism that they are blinded from the truth. The truth is that God's time is different from our time. In the supernatural world there is no concept of time.

When God created the world, it is said that He worked six days and He rested on the seventh day. In God's time, a day may be one trillion years if there is even years in the supernatural world.

The fundies and the evans are so discombobulated that we see psycho-behaviors in their efforts to have their way. They are even willing to destroy America unless they have their way. They are very sick people who have no religion but only a political agenda.

Distancing Himself

God is distancing Himself from us but we should not distance ourselves from God. Let God fill our hearts with love and mercy so we can be prepared to meet our Creator.

The reason for God distancing himself from us is that He foresees America's self-destruction. In life when we distance ourselves from people, we do it for a variety of reasons. If we are a caring person, the distance from another person may not affect you as much in their trials and tribulations.

God is distancing Himself from us, especially from America, because He has given us so much and we have failed Him. He will be sad with our self-destruction buy maybe the distance from us will not effect Him as much. God does not want His creation to destroy itself but the die has been cast and America's self-destruction is inevitable.

From: A letter to Judy By Judy Andreas

Islam is a complete and comprehensive way of life. Every aspect of life for a Muslim is part of religion.

There can therefore be no separation between secular and religious matters. This is why in my opinion there appears to be a confrontation with the west.

Take the prohibition on usury in Islam also referred to as interest, for example. This is an aspect for business but very much part of religion for a Muslim also. The Quran clearly forbids any transaction with usury. Muslims have therefore set up Islamic financial institutions based on profit sharing in some countries.

The way Islamic banking works is that the bank must share in the profit and loss. In other financial systems, the bank always wins. I have seen people who have lost their homes and business to banks.

The west supports despots in the middle east for many reasons. One of the reasons is to ensure Islamic parties do not come to power at any cost. There was an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria in the 80's. President Assad ordered in the military who massacred over 10,000. Was this reported in the media? I do not think so.

They know very well that if Islamic parties come to power they will abolish the interest system. If interest is abolished, how will the IMF and World Bank survive? The IMF and World Bank is one of the many systems put in place for global domination.
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Here is another very important aspect concerning this disgusting war. You don't hear about it on TV or any MSM outlet. There are so many facets, none of which really have anything to do with terrorists. But it's the one thing everyone can agree on, and the one thing that keeps people panicked. Otherwise the whole ruse would crumble. There are just enough Derricks and Heidis out there allowing them to get away with these lies.

I'm gonna disagree with most of your 'abortion' post Gerald. "Wedge issue" is correct tho, in that it's a guaranteed 'get out the vote' issue the repugs use to fire up their base. That base never seems to get what they want though, do they? If repugs actually were able to repeal Roe v Wade, that would leave only gay marriage as their 'call to arms'. I don't believe neo-cons want 'wade' repealed, for those reasons.
I'm all for health care too, but complete health care, which includes sex education and access to all birth control methods, including