Politics July 2005
7/25/2005 Politics. Chinese general says nuclear option possible.
"A Chinese general said Beijing might respond with nuclear weapons if the United States attacked China in a conflict over Taiwan, news reports said Friday." - bg
The way I heard it, China knows we would retaliate with our own massive nukes, but there was a statement to the effect that that would be okay with them because with many more people they figure they'd come out better than us during a full exchange. This is absurd, of course, but so is war. You people who backed a war president because it made you feel safe need to understand that violence only results in more violence, sooner or later. Did our massive impressive firepower quickly win the peace in Iraq? No. We are still fighting, and as the bumper stickers say, "We're making enemies faster than we can kill them."
7/24-7/25/2005 Politics / Strange Happenings. They Killed The Wrong Man. Family: Sorry is Not Enough.
London police went berserk on Friday and shot an innocent man to death seven times in the head in public. Even worse, our newspapers are barely touching this horrible story! The undercover London cops blew the guy's head off for running away. Suggestions are 1) He thought they were muggers, 2) he ran to avoid legal trouble because he is one of about 500,000 people in the country with an expired visa.
"Comments by Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, that officers would shoot to kill again have caused controversy in the aftermath of Mr Menezes' death."
" A man police shot dead in a London subway was not a bombing suspect as officials initially
insisted, but an innocent Brazilian electrician heading to work, authorities admitted yesterday...
... Authorities identified the shooting victim as Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, who plainclothes police chased into a London Underground car Friday morning and shot in the head at close range as passengers watched in horror.
Witnesses had said he appeared to be South Asian. ... British security forces have used lethal force in error before, but the execution-style slaying in a subway car was virtually unprecedented in a country where most police aren't even armed." - newsday.com
Christ. I had a hunch about this horrible possibility a few days ago (see below). What a horrible disgusting thing this is. Be outraged and don't let de Menezes' death be for nothing! Executions without trials must be illegal in a civilized society. Governments must ban Operation Kratos forever, otherwise the terrorists win and we live in chaos where innocent people will be getting it from both ends.
Look at the family photo of this innocent man slaughtered by the "good guys" and tell me the path we are on is the right one. It is not.
You don't overpower terror with war. War is terror. War creates terror. There is no such thing as a war on terror. There is only escalating horror on all sides. A war on terror is a path to hell on earth, and it has begun. It can still be stopped.
Is my species smart enough to recognize and stop a self-fulfilling prophesy? Huh? What's that?
If you attack someone because you fear he will attack you and he attacks you back in defense because you are crazy (from his point of view), you will have created a self fulfilling prophesy.
You made your prediction of his violence come true. YOU did it. Not him. But you are too dumb to see that a pre-emptive attack pre-supposes the attacker is flawless in his perception of the other's threat. No one is flawless, and threats are often misperceived with disastrous consequences.
7/22/2005 Politics. Man Offers 20 head of cattle and 40 goats to Marry Chelsea Clinton.
Damn. Okay, 25 head of cattle and 42 goats and my entire collection of X-Files DVDs! I will NOT be outbid."In 2000 when Chelsea, her father and mother, now Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton, visited East Africa, Chepkurgor, then a Fourth Year student at Moi University, tried to make his intention clear. He wrote to Clinton, offering himself as a suitor for Chelsea. He offered to pay 20 head of beef cattle and 40 goats to the Clintons in accordance to African traditions. ... But, instead of the positive response he was anticipating, Chepkurgor received visitors from the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS). His letter had sent security chiefs in a spin." - eastandard
7/22/2005 Politics. London Secret Police Execute Man for Wearing Padded Jacket in Summer.
What a sick world. I'm disgusted by both the actions of the bombers and by the executionary reaction of the government. Just remember that all is not necessarily as it seems. Right when the evil "Patriot Act" is up for permanent renewal in the US, (approved by House, see senate bill s.1389 ) we have horrible bombing attacks in London involving British born citizens. The neocons in the US and in the UK could hardly have had better examples of terror to justify taking our civil liberties even if they'd planned this whole thing months before.
"Supporters of the (Patriot Act) said the London attacks underscored the importance of the act ..." -LAtimes
"And while Londoners seem resigned to their new way of life, this incident is likely to fast track the anti-terror laws proposed by the government." -ndtv
You know how sometimes they ask, "Do you know a single person whose civil liberties have been violated by the Patriot Act?" and you think, "Well, no. Not yet." Consider: The Patriot act mandates secrecy about itself. That's right, if you are wrongly investigated, the Patriot Act makes it a federal crime to tell anyone. This means you can be locked up forever if you complain about a mistake. It gets worse...
Like some nightmarish return to the Dark Ages, London now has instant on the spot executions of unknown persons. Unknown to us anyway. What did the Plainclothes London police know about the man they killed in the Stockwell Tube station? What did he know about them? There are conflicting reports. Some say the young Asian man shot to death with a handgun was wearing bomb belt with wires, others say he was not a bomber, just a large asian guy wearing a baseball cap and a padded coat. Shooting a man in the head may cover up his identity. As I said years ago, the vile middle east conflict will spread and infect the world with its hate, fear, and brutality. Now it has spread to London. Israeli counterparts instructed London team in this new head-shot via Operation Kratos, the codename for guidelines on suicide bombers. See Greek mythology for more on Kratos.
The man shot doesn't seem to fit the profile, does he? (Be on the lookout for tall thin chubby largly built bald south Asians?) Just a mistake by jumpy cops in a tense situation? Or did they stop a real threat and save several lives by taking one? Or is something more sinister going on?"Shoot-to-kill, the ultimate breach of an individual's human rights, gives a suspect no time to explain themselves or argue their innocence ..." - dailyrecord
"... when the bloggers pointed out the obvious inconsistencies with the suicides claim, the mainstream media belatedly (and grudgingly) agreed that the facts pointed to four innocent men tricked into carrying bombs onto the subway. ... the obvious answer is that these men thought they had been hired as part of the ongoing terror drill ... "
"... A massive anti-terror exercise carried out last April to find out how safe London's transport systems were from attack ... A subway attack formed a prominent element of Exercise Atlantic Blue.
During the exercise, led in the UK by the Metropolitan Police..." -guardian
"They pushed him onto the floor and unloaded five shots into him. He's dead," Whitby told the BBC "He looked like a cornered fox. He looked petrified.
... A police spokesman would not say whether officers had new instructions to aim for the head, if they suspected someone was a suicide bomber." ... he had a beard, he was thin, Asian looking ... He was trying to board a train. They shot him twice in the front. ... He was largely built, he was quite a chubby sort of guy. "I didn't see any guns or anything like that - I didn't see him carrying anything." - bbc
7/18/2005 Politics. Bush Breaks Vow. Vows New Vow.
Read more Bush lies here. Don't call breaking a promise "backing away from a pledge". Tell it like it is. He lied again. Impeach Bush. The "Downing Street memo" is sufficient evidence."President George W Bush backed away yesterday from a pledge to fire anyone involved in the leaking of a CIA agent's identity.
... In a testy appearance before the press at the White House, Mr Bush said that if anyone on his staff was found to have committed a crime, he "will no longer work in my administration". Previously, he had said he would fire anyone involved in the leak."
7/14/2005 Politics. Hair Splitting in the Rove Case.
Below is the law on outing an agent. It is a federal crime. How many wives did Joe Wilson have? To say Rove didn't reveal her actual name so he is not guilty fails the laugh test, but the Repugs are working on every angle. Click the links in the text to see debates on other ways Rove might wiggle out of this legally. Still, there are the other charges Rove now faces too. Rove is like that fat slippery grape you can't quite get onto your fork, but you know it will be juicy when you finally do.
TITLE 50 > CHAPTER 15 > SUBCHAPTER IV > § 421
§ 421. Protection of identities of certain United States undercover intelligence officers, agents, informants, and sources
... (b) Disclosure of information by persons who learn identity of covert agents as result of having access to classified information. Whoever, as a result of having authorized access to classified information, learns the identify of a covert agent and intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information, knowing that the information disclosed so identifies such covert agent and that the United States is taking affirmative measures to conceal such covert agent's intelligence relationship to the United States, shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
7/13/2005 Politics / Flashback / New Charges. Senior Bush Officials Facing Obstruction of Justice and Perjury Charges.
Here is what I abut this years ago wrote in 2003:
Not only did Rove work for Ashcroft in the 80s, but "he was one of the main forces behind Ashcroft's controversial appointment to the job he currently holds, attorney general." Is this Rove-Ashscroft connection the reason no answers are coming out? Seeking a vast right-wing conspiracy? Woop, there it is.
Today, years later, the White house keeps repeating that they won't comment because the investigation is still on going. Hey, if Ashcroft can drag the investigation on for the entire Bush presidency, Bush will never have to answer for his team's evil doings. Great strategy, albeit a tad transparent.
This just in!
"... legal sources say there are indications the prosecutor is looking at two other areas related to the administration's handling of his investigation. One possible legal vulnerability is perjury, if officials did not testify truthfully to a federal grand jury, and another is obstructing justice, if they tried to coordinate cover stories to obscure facts." -washpost
Will my conservative friends now see what I've been telling them since 9-11, that the Bush team is a pack of lying, war mongering, oil profiteering, election stealing, snakes? Will they finally peek out from behind the flags they've wrapped around their heads? Will they view the full naked mountain of deceptions when Karl Rove, the chief Bush planner, is convicted of perjury (lying under oath) right in front of their quivering faith-based eyes? Probably not, but we can hope.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not just Bush-bashing. I've thought this out. Read on ...
7/13/2005 Politics / Alt Energy Saving the World: A Plan
Yes, friends on all sides, we need Iraqi oil because the world is running out, and Rove, Bush, Cheney, Rice, etc. knew it before 9-11 and made plans accordingly. I suspect they have lied these lies with good intentions, to protect us. But this is a democratic republic, not a dictatorship. For my one vote, with my once small voice, I choose an alternative to spending billions on war and killing tens of thousands of people for the last drops of oil.
THE PLAN: I choose a new "moon race" of sorts, but this time for energy. Use the Internet, get classrooms across the country in on it, get everyone involved! Award prizes!! Presidential Medals! Spend a BILLION DOLLARS on mobilizing the world's next clean efficient energy source. The USA should lead this. Use the web to track the progress of different ideas so everyone in the world can see and participate. Make it something like the X-prize with big backing from the US government's Dept. of Defense. and Dept. of Energy.
That's the way to go. Bush harnesses the power of the American spirit of adventure, but he does so for war, and that disappoints me. That great spirit, under an inspirational leader, could be spent to make friends, not endless generations of enemies. This vision I have is why I say we are in bad hands. Impeach the Bush Mob.
Existing cleaner energy sources include Tidal, Geothermal, Solar, Wind, biomass gasification, bio diesel , hydrogen production from bacteria for use with fuel cells, etc. Notch these and other existing ideas up with research dollars and find even better ways!
7/12/2005 Earth / Politics. Global Warming and National Security. Why Stupid War Heads Will Kill Us Attempting to Defend Us.
Today I read that the plankton are vanishing. Plankton are the foundation of our sea life, which supports
much human life. Scientists say this is due not to an El Nino, but to warm water connected with global warming. Isn't this a matter of national security surpassing "the terrorists"? I mean we are talking about eventual mass starvation, malnutrition, disease, etc., right?
You might be saying "Support our troops" and "Go team" but have you really thought about the results of our team's efforts? Would you put a bumper sticker on your car that said, "I support destroying our food supply with military energy overuse." Wouldn't a real patriot be a person who stood up and said, "Your path of protection is actually a path of destruction." Here is the thinking that has prevented the Bush Administration from action on global warming:
Energy "use reductions or rationing are the primary policy tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And that's where the threat to U.S. security comes in. ... Currently, the federal government is the nation's largest user of energy. Seventy-three percent of federal government use is by the Department of Defense (DOD), and 58 percent of that goes for military operations and training." - ncpa
That's it. We are defending ourselves to death. Oversimplified, the Bush mob's oil grab in Iraq is expending so much heat energy and pollution that it is disrupting life in the Earth's oceans. Stupid humans.
7/11/2005 Politics. Top Bush Advisor Karl Rove Leaks, Lies, and is Caught ... Years Later. ( After how many dead in Iraq?)
News Flash: Newsweek obtains Time reporter's email, confirms top Bush advisor Karl Rove was Matthew Cooper's secret source! Email shows Rove was involved in outing Plame, despite white house claims to the contrary!
Yahoo news says, "KARL ROVE: WORSE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN".
"How far up the White House food chain does the rot of treason go? "Bush has always known how to keep Rove in his place," wrote Time in 2002 about a "symbiotic relationship" that dates to 1973. This isn't some rogue "plumbers" operation. Rove would never go it alone on a high-stakes action like Valerie Plame. It's a safe bet that other, higher-ranking figures in the Bush cabal--almost certainly Dick Cheney and possibly Bush himself--signed off before Rove called Novak. For the sake of national security, those involved should be removed from office at once. "
The Bush team is now playing "fall back and weasel around" game. First they said it was "totally ridiculous" that Rove was involved. We now have evidence that he was involved, that he spoke to a Time reporter. Okay, so then his attorney tell us Rove did talk to the Time reporter but "never knowingly disclosed classified information". But now Newsweek reveals that Rove did indicate that Wilson's wife was working on WMDs. So, Rove was the leak!
(We told you so years ago when Wilson fingered Rove early on.)
According to Newsweek, "Rove told Cooper that, surprisingly, it was "wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on wmd issues who authorized the trip." Wilson's wife, of course, is Plame, then an undercover agent working as an analyst in the CIA."
"Some government officials have noted to Time in interviews... that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," said Cooper's July 2003 Time online article. ... In early October 2003, NEWSWEEK reported that immediately after Novak's column appeared in July, Rove called MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and told him that Wilson's wife was "fair game." But White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters at the time that any suggestion that Rove had played a role in outing Plame was "totally ridiculous." On Oct. 10, McClellan was asked directly if Rove and two other White House aides had ever discussed Valerie Plame with any reporters. McClellan said he had spoken with all three, and "those individuals assured me they were not involved in this."
7/7-7/8/2005 Politics. Mass murderers in London bombings kill at least 50, wound 700.
Sick and sad. This pretty much destroys Bush's argument "We have to fight them there to keep from having to fight them here." BS. They are in the UK now. Bush and Blair have not made us more safe, they have enraged the world against us and have CAUSED terror while claiming to fight it. Bush and Blair are endangering US and British citizen's lives by making our countries the most hated on the planet. Impeach them both! Time for new management.
"Near-simultaneous explosions rocked the London subway and three double-decker buses at the morning rush hour Thursday."
Advance warning? (IsraelNN.com) "Army Radio quoting unconfirmed reliable sources reported a short time ago that Scotland Yard had intelligence warnings of the attacks a short time before they occurred. The Israeli Embassy in London was notified in advance, resulting in Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remaining in his hotel room rather than make his way to the hotel adjacent to the site of the first explosion, a Liverpool Street train station, where he was to address and economic summit."
"Petty grievances such as the Downing Street Minutes, the President's flagging support and Karl Rove's treasonous outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame are unimportant. A shadowy conglomeration is out to kill us."
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