When General Dynamics put the money up to groom and run Obama, they knew that we'd be arguing about race. That our side would be divided.
And, as I said, another faction had Hillary put up for the same reasons.
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When I voted for Obama, my hope didn't seem entirely naive- I thought that at the very worst, he'd turn out to be a slight improvement, and at best a fairly decent improvement.
I was wrong.
And, then at first I came to the conclusion that he was the same as Bush--but now it's clear to me at least that he's in fact been much worse.
Here's my list.
Better than Bush:
1. Israel. Arguably, slightly better on Israel/Palestine.
2. Supreme Court. I don't like Sotomayer at all, but she's better than a Bush nominee would have been.
Same as Bush:
1. Iraq
2. Torture, renditions, Gitmo--all ongoing.
3. Personal freedoms, Patriot Act, TSA, and Homeland (in)Security Dept--the apparatus of a fascist state in the making.
4. Handouts to corporate America--Goldman Sachs and other robber barons.
5. Honduras. We can't really know for sure what Bush would have done here, but Hillary's been yelling 'get over it' to countries that were against the coup, so I'll assume no difference here.
6. Iran.
7. 'Clean' coal.
8. Endangered species. This one surprises me--that he's been this bad.
9. Outsourcing.
10. Environment: he's been putting industry lobbyists in charge, just like Bush.
Worse than Bush:
1. Afghanistan--Bush was pulling out, Obama has expanded this with no end in sight.
2. Health Care 'Reform'- Bush could never have pulled off this travesty, which is an attack on personal freedom, and the first salvo of the attack on SS/medicare. (see 3)
3. The attack on Social Security and Medicare - Bush wanted to do this, but never could have politically. Ten years from now there will be no SS, and no or greatly reduced medicare --and Obama will be the culprit.
4. Militarism of the schools. This seems to be a pet Obama project from his Chicago days.
5. Pakistan. One of Obama's first actions was drone strikes (some killing civilians) inside of Pakistan's borders.
6. Nuclear power resurgence. Bush couldn't have gone there.
Over 1,000 architects and engineers have signed the Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth's petition demanding a real investigation into the destruction of the three World Trade Center skyscrapers on 9/11.
That's right, over 1,000 architects and engineers have gone on record saying the official story about the collapse of the Twin Towers and the WTC7 is not believable and think a new investigation is warranted. They think that the official theory is an extraordinarily unrealistic hypothesis and that the evidence does not support it. They have focused a significant amount of attention on WTC7 because it is the ONLY skyscraper in the history of the world to ever collapse just from fire.
At least half a dozen leaders of the Republican Party have joined forces to create a new political group with the goal of organizing grass-roots support and raising funds ahead of the 2010 midterm elections, according to people familiar with the effort.
The organizational details of the group, expected to be called the American Action Network, are still being worked out, but it is expected to contain both a 501(c)3 and a 501(c)4 component. In simpler terms, a 501(c)3 can advocate on policy matters while a 501(c)4 is an election arm.
Republican leaders expected to be affiliated with the group include former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Bush adviser Karl Rove, Republican strategist Ed Gillespie, and Republican donor Fred Malek.
Catching this, not much up yet, gives me a chance to catch up on the Brit Iraq War Inquiry, still ongoing.
First the Brits with theirs, next the Dutch and theirs and now some very prominent Aussie's are calling for their own! Could the pressure start mounting on the Power that controlled the whole extremely failed policies of the previous decade? Time will tell but most residents of this country are apathetic and arrogant as to most everything especially baring their guilt and guilty in mass, as the The pitbull in lipstick said at the no American Flags tea gathering, "We don't want to look back'"!
As they say, "just one individual CAN make a difference."
"Prof. Francis A. Boyle, Professor of International Law, University of Illinois College of Law, of Champaign, Illinois, U.S.A., has filed a Complaint with the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (I.C.C.), in The Hague, against U.S. citizens George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Condoleeza Rice, and Alberto Gonzales (the Accused)." The Complaint is based on the "criminal policy and practice of 'extraordinary renditions' perpetrated upon about 100 human beings," which practice represents "Crimes against Humanity" and are "in violation of the Rome Statute establishing the I.C.C." * (emphasis mine)
The Honorable Luis Moreno-Ocampo
Office of the Prosecutor
International Criminal Court
Post Office Box 19519
2500 CM, The Hague
The Netherlands
Fax No.: 31-70-515-8555
Email: OTP.InformationDesk@icc-cpi.int
January 19, 2010
Dear Sir:
Please accept my personal compliments. I have the honor hereby to file with you and the International Criminal Court this Complaint against U.S. citizens George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice , and Alberto Gonzales (hereinafter referred to as the "Accused") for their criminal policy and practice of "extraordinary rendition." This term is really a euphemism for the enforced disappearances of persons, their torture, severe deprivation of their liberty, their violent sexual abuse, and other inhumane acts perpetrated upon these Victims. The Accused have inflicted this criminal policy and practice of "extraordinary rendition" upon about one hundred (100) human beings, almost all of whom are Muslims/Arabs/Asians and People of Color. I doubt very seriously that the Accused would have inflicted these criminal practices upon 100 White Judeo-Christian men. . . . .
[Note:A reading of the entirety of the Complaint can be found here.
16 Jan 2010 Almost a quarter of voters (23%) believe Tony Blair deliberately misled MPs over the Iraq war and should face war crimes charges, an opinion poll has found.
Snip
The YouGov survey for the Sunday Times found less than a third (32%) accepted that Mr Blair "genuinely believed in the threat" which he used to publicly justify sending UK troops, while 52% thought he had "deliberately misled" the country.
And by a similar margin (49% to 31%), they also said they believed his former communications director Alastair Campbell was not truthful when he gave evidence to Sir John Chilcot's inquiry this week....>>>>>
President Obama's track record has been stunning in its all out embrace and expansion of the corrupt Foreign Policy of the past 8 dark years (and with it, the total rejection of what people voted for) -- a darkness Obama won't let any sunlight near.
Here's the latest from Obama:
The Obama administration quietly announced Friday the appointment of John McLaughlin, former deputy CIA director, to head the internal investigation of the intelligence failures that led to the Christmas Day attempted bombing of a Delta airliner headed for Detroit as well as the events leading to the shootings at Fort Hood in November.
With this appointment, President Barack Obama has assured that the culture of intelligence cover-up will continue. McLaughlin has participated in and sought to cover-up many of the CIA's most egregious failures and misdeeds of the past decade. When he left the CIA, he then served as the agency's chief apologist.
So, who is John McLaughlin? Most of official Washington and the mainstream media view McLaughlin as the mild-mannered, professorial CIA bureaucrat, who former CIA director George Tenet called the "smartest man he had ever met."
Few people understand, however, that McLaughlin played the most important role in making sure that the Bush administration received the intelligence that would be used and misused to justify the use of force against Iraq in 2003.
Washington insiders remember that it was CIA director Tenet who told President George W. Bush, "Don't worry, it's a slam dunk," in response to the president's demand for stronger intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to provide to the American people. Few people remember that it was McLaughlin who actually delivered the "slam-dunk" briefing to the president in January 2003.
McLaughlin was the "villain" behind the politicized intelligence on Iraq in the run-up to the illegal war. He perverted the intelligence process, ignored high-level briefings on the weakness of the intelligence on WMD and then tried to silence David Kay, the chief of the Iraq Survey Group, when the weapons inspectors found no evidence of strategic weapons in Iraq.
When Kay returned to CIA headquarters from Baghdad, Tenet and McLaughlin made sure that Kay was given a tiny, windowless office at the end of a distant, deserted corridor undergoing construction. It had no secure phone or classified computer. Kay called it Siberia.
The Iraq inquiry has resumed this week, promising crucial witnesses - Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Lord Goldsmith and possibly Gordon Brown.
And so it begins again, will we see some more little tidbits of information on this Countries, the once United States, as we did before the Holiday break.
But probably not here in the states, for we're a Nation of Arrogance and Apathy, but Fear and what we call our Politics rules our critical thoughts and common sense and especially fear of bringing possible extreme criminal leaders, and their support groups, to justice!
The Chilcot Iraq War Inquiry is on a break for the holidays. Holidays of celebrating the birth of the 'prince of peace' from one religious ideology as well as other celebrations from this worlds other religious ideologies, all of these based on a number of religious themes and teachings but one stands out that isn't followed 'tolerance' of each other and even outside of religions the racial and religious makeup of others.
The U.S. Constitution leaves the decision to wage war to Congress, and Congress can enforce its decision not to wage war by refusing to fund it. Blocking a funding bill for wars requires the House of Representatives alone, and both Democrats and Republicans in the House are rapidly joining us in saying No to war funding.
It's time to finally get serious, to lobby, to protest, to sit in, to nonviolently disrupt and resist in local district offices until enough Representatives commit to voting No on any bill to fund more war.
Please call your representatives and find out they will vote on funding the wars, urge them not to, etc. and post responses from them in the above site beneath the chart. The chart is regularly updated. This is a great way to keep a running to "track" of our representatives
*unfortunately, it's not possible to embed the link here
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Support over 100 outstanding, leading peace activists in their "Emergency Anti-Escalation Rally," on December 12, 2009, at the White House, by going to Ends the Wars Org and signing the letter to the President. It's easy, send them an e-mail and ask that your name and state be included.
Bernie Sanders has used a bit of Senate finesse to block the renomination of Ben Bernanke to head the Federal Reserve. Chris Bowers over at Closed Left explains what's happening, but what it all boils down to is that Sanders has managed to hold up the renomination of one of Bush's creatures to a hugely important office. Obama and Wall Street want Bernanke to stay and keep fucking up the economy. Sanders is looking like one of the only senators willing to go on record and try to stop this from happening.
So please click the link above and thank Bernie for looking out for us. And while you're at it, use the Senate phone directory to call your own senator and demand a filibuster of Bernanke's renomination. We need someone in there who will actually represent the public interest.
This is what this Country, the United States, should be doing now or had already done during the previous administration, investigating towards Impeachment and possible Indictments, depending on what evidence of crimes and lies surfaced. Especially if we really are what we like to think and demand others to believe we are and if our Constitution still exist as the leading Representative Democracy on this planet. But leave it up to 'Old Europe', hopefully, to seek answers that should be in the light of day and a part of the physical history added to the already known.
But it's never to late for us to try and minimize the blowback from our extremely destructive policies, or is it!
You may have heard about the enormous, bigger-than-the-Vatican American Embassy that's been under construction in Iraq for, like, forever, a temple being erected to the Balls of Bush, the man who invaded Iraq and liberated its oil.
You may have even heard about how it was built with what amounted to slave labor. You may have heard about lots of problems with the construction, and how the contractor who built it, who wasn't even American, skimped and cheated and lied.
Well, you probably didn't realize what a huge scandal this actually is. Because the media doesn't report this stuff. But Jeremy Scahill does. He's one of the only real journalists out there. And it turns out that the cheating and corruption was so bad, from this Kuwaiti contractor, that he's gonna have to probably pay back $130 million dollars to the U.S. government for this boondoggle.
The Baghdad embassy-the largest of any nation on planet earth and ten times bigger than any other US embassy-is striking evidence indicating a continued US presence in the country for many years to come. The structure cost more than $700 million and is the size of 80 football fields. It is bigger than the Vatican, six times larger than the United Nations compound in New York and is about two thirds the size of the National Mall in Washington. It has space for 1,000 employees who are guarded by scores of paramilitary mercenary forces. In other words it is the perfect structure for a nation that claims to be leaving Iraq very soon.
The embassy is more like a fortress and hardly sends a message of warm diplomacy. "What kind of embassy is it when everybody lives inside and it's blast-proof, and people are running around with helmets and crouching behind sandbags?" said Edward Peck, the former US ambassador to Iraq when the embassy was first being constructed.
Yup, it's a grand monument to the stupidity that is George W. Bush. It's about as big as he is stupid.
And you may have a WTF moment when you think "wait a minute, why was the company hired to build this monstrosity not American, but Kuwait?" Well, Scahill answers that for you:
In 2006, David Phinney reported: "Several other contractors that competed for the embassy contracts... believe that a high-level decision at the State Department was made to favor a Kuwait-based firm in appreciation for Kuwait's support of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. 'It was political,' said one contractor."
And if you thought American slavery ended with the Civil War, you were wrong:
FKIT has been plagued by allegations from whistleblowers who worked on the embassy that say the company "brought workers, mostly South Asians and Filipinos, to Baghdad under false pretenses, then abused and threatened them while there." The company, predictably, denies those charges.
Rory Mayberry, who first worked with First Kuwaiti in March 200 as a medic on the embassy construction site, "alleges that when he showed up at the Kuwait airport for his flight into Baghdad, there were 51 Filipino employees of First Kuwaiti also waiting for the same flight - except the Filipinos believed they were going to Dubai," reported NBC News. "He says the Filipinos were told to proceed to "GATE 26" at the Kuwait airport - but no Gate 26 existed. There was only a door to a staircase that led to a white plane on the tarmac:"
Mayberry says even he was given a boarding pass that was marked for Dubai, though he knew he was going to Baghdad.
"The steward was having problems keeping guys in their seats because they were so upset, wanted to get off the airplane," says Mayberry. "They were upset they weren't headed to Dubai where they were promised they were working."
He says when he arrived in Baghdad he notified the State Department official in charge of the embassy project about what had happened on his flight and she replied "that's the way they do it."
Ah, yes, just like the good old days, when a fellow could pass out drunk on the streets of a European city and wake up in a ship bound for the New World!
Why, you might ask, were they shipping in laborers when the Iraqi workforce was completely out of work? Why didn't they hire Iraqis for this job? I mean, the unemployment rate was only in the 70 - 80% range. Oh, come on, that's a rhetorical question, right? Ha! I mean, how were the Kuwatis suposed to make any REAL money if they had to pay Baghdad workers Baghdad wages! Everybody knows what a bunch of spoiled Union goons those guys are!
You can get more details of the contractor's failings in the article, but what I really wanted to pass along to you was the most disheartening part of this entire sickening story.
Because you might think this was just an aberration, right? One more of countless Bush administration scandals, and thank god we got rid of him, right? And those days are over, right? And this kind of stuff isn't going to happen again, right?
Wrong.
Obama has decided that we're gonna do this all over again, this time in Pakistan! Yessir, it worked out so well in Baghdad that we need more of these Monster Embassies to carry out our friendly activities.
ISLAMABAD - The U.S. is embarking on a $1 billion crash program to expand its diplomatic presence in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan, another sign that the Obama administration is making a costly, long-term commitment to war-torn South Asia, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
The White House has asked Congress for - and seems likely to receive - $736 million to build a new U.S. embassy in Islamabad, along with permanent housing for U.S. government civilians and new office space in the Pakistani capital.
The scale of the projects rivals the giant U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, which was completed last year after construction delays at a cost of $740 million.
Hm, must be part of the economic stimulus program. Oh wait, this is in a foreign country? How the fuck are Americans supposed to benefit from this massive government spending? Oh wait, we're NOT. It's another FUCK YOU from Team Obama.
And here's the really telling part:
A senior Pakistani official said the expansion has been under discussion for three years.
Three years! Waiddaminute, three years ago ..... Bush was in power! This is Bush's idea, Bush's plan, Bush's boondoggle. Brought to you by .... Obama!
There really is no difference. Bush/Obama. Bushbama. ObamBush. Bush's third term is what it should really be called.
Ah, good thing the US quest for violent global domination was brought to a screeching halt with the November presidential election. Without Obama's election, we'd still have an occupation of Iraq, mercenaries on the US payroll, torture of prisoners, an unending and worsening war that kills civilians in Afghanistan, regular airstrikes in Pakistan, killing civilians and an embassy the size of Vatican city in Baghdad, which was built in part on slave labor. Not to mention those crazy "Bush/Cheney" neocons running around trying to become the "CEOs" of foreign nations. Wow, glad that's all over. Whew! And, it's a really good thing Bush is no longer in power or else the US would come up with some crazy idea like building a colonial fortress in Pakistan to defend "US interests" in the region.
Obama joined the leaders of Britain and France in accusing the Islamic republic of clandestinely building an underground plant to make nuclear fuel that could be used to build an atomic bomb. Iranian officials acknowledged the facility but insisted it had been reported to nuclear authorities as required.
Obama should try reading intelligence reports, like 2007's National Intelligence Estimate (the combined consensus report by all sixteen known U.S. intelligence agencies), which stated quite clearly that there is no concrete evidence of a weapons program in Iran. In July and August of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the lack of evidence although it refuses to state anything definitively. Yet still Obama, the D.C. political establishment, and the corporate media continue to lie to the contrary.
We've already been lied into one failed war, lied into ramping up another failed war, are so hurting for fresh soldiers that the Pentagon is now actively accepting white supremacists, yet still the establishment seeks to lie us into another conflict.
At precisely 2:12 A.M. Eastern Time this diary was deleted from the Daily Kos despite the "Fictional" tag I gave it. It has been labeled as a "Truther" diary, yet it says right in the tags AND THE FUCKING TITLE it was fictional. So not only does the new Kostapo (trained at this very facility :::shakes fist:::) have a response time of 13 minutes for banning your handle and 2 hours and 12 minutes to delete a diary....but they are also illiterate. That is all.
It was the best of times, and then, it was the worst of times.
In June of 1997 the Republicans found themselves marginalized by the prosperity brought about by a slick politician they would later impeach for having "sexual relations" with a woman that wasn't his wife.
They were bitter, defeated, and were preparing to ascend...with a little help from their friends.
He's since been on at least two NPR shows one being All Things Considered which is about a seven minute discussion of the book and the Pat Tillman military service story that was propagandized by both the cheney/bush administration, the pentagon and the military!
Reform Immigration -
March on Washington
