Gore Vidal on The National Security State

This video is a more a plug for The REAL NEWS NETWORK that has become a darling for Gore Vidal. I believe mightily in what Gore has to say as he has always had to courage to pull back the curtain back and reveal the "newstainment" that is being orchestrated to control what we think we know and believe.

He has made a new documentary with The REAL NEWS NETWORK called "The History of the National Security State" and rightly claims in this short clip what I have been saying all along. We live in a Fascist-like military controlled state that manufactures wars to feed itself.

Have a look... I may get the documentary for reference and to see if it reveals anything new. I suspect it won't, but I love to hear Gore talk about recent history that most Americans know absolutely nothing about.

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Incompetence and Coincidence at GITMO

Kudos to Scott Shane, reporter from the New York Times for revealing what is one of the most unbelievable stories to come out of the sad sad saga of GITMO. In his article yesterday, Scott reveals that the torture methods, or "interrogation" methods (sorry about that George and Dick, don't want to besmirch your reputations) came from a chart developed by a program called SERE. I'll let Scott tell it, he writes better than I do:

The military trainers who came to Guantanamo Bay in December 2002 based an entire interrogation class on a chart showing the effects of “coercive management techniques” for possible use on prisoners, including “sleep deprivation,” “prolonged constraint,” and “exposure". "What the trainers did not say, and may not have known, was that their chart had been copied verbatim from a 1957 Air Force study of Chinese Communist techniques used during the Korean War to obtain confessions, many of them false, from American prisoners.

The recycled chart is the latest and most vivid evidence of the way Communist interrogation methods that the United States long described as torture became the basis for interrogations both by the military at the base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and by the CIA.

Let's just call this the latest chapter of "you can't make this stuff up" from the battle front on the fake "War on Terror" that seems to be the only mission of the United States of America. Clearly, this represents a level of incompetence to a degree never imagined before and is so hilariously stupid that to actually conceive of this level of incompetence is almost unimaginable. All the while, Addington and Cheney and their crew are visiting GITMO regularly for the past 7 years and watching and lovingly adoring their brand new war and running roughshod over the laws of our land and international law.

OK, let's take short look at this one more time... the military created this chart used by Chinese Communists to gain false confessions from American Soldiers and used it as a training guide to prepare American Soldiers for what was to happen to them in the event they were tortured, and train them to deal effectively with these techniques. Then it was recycled as an AMERICAN interrogation guide for AMERICAN captors to be used on prisoners at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and the secret CIA prisons strewn throughout the world to get the TRUTH about their terror plans.

As this new set of revelations begins to reverberate and get digested by those who are paying attention, it just adds to the long list of atrocities perpetrated by our military and intelligence services. As more and more information comes out about GITMO... such as the incarceration of five men known as Uighurs most of whom are Muslims, and have fought a low-level insurgency against Beijing’s rule for years. They were captured in Afghanistan and the U.S. had no case against them. So after holding them for 6 years at GITMO, they were sent to live in Albania in a deal cut with the Chinese Government. SHAMEFUL!!!

It just gets worse and worse for this sordid tale of an illegal prison paid for by American tax dollars and implemented by this administration. As Scott Shane reports, charges against Mohammed al-Qahtani, suspected of being part of the 9/11 plot were dropped last May (no doubt because he was coerced into false confessions) and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a SUPPOSED Qaeda member accused of playing a major role in the bombing of the American destroyer Cole in Yemen in 2000, was charged with murder and other crimes last Monday. But Mr. Nashiri was subjected to waterboarding, and has said he confessed to participating in the bombing falsely only because he was tortured.

Why is it that the rest of the world knows full well that torture produces false confessions, but we don't seem to know this? The British learned this 30 years ago when they used torture on the IRA only to receive no good information that led to further British troop deaths. Why are we so ignorant?

I can already see the hearings coming in Congress. Once again we'll hear the same story... didn't know, incompetence, lack of oversight, coincidence.

I see this a bit differently.

Each time we hear the coincidence/incompetence defense by government officials it causes changes that are FAVORABLE to the ones who perpetrated the crime. Over and over again... with each seeming blunder, "reform" is made and the end result is that more money and resources flow into the military and intelligence communities to fix the problem.

I will also argue, that this was done very much on purpose. Hiding behind the Patriot and Military Commissions Acts approved by our elected officials, these tactics and the destruction of our laws and morality as a nation have created an environment where false confessions are garnered as standard operation procedure and can be done in complete secrecy to innocent people branded "enemy combatants". Then, the "terrorists" or "enemy combatants" are sent away and the full story never gets told. And what is the full story?

There is no organized "worldwide terror network" and that this state of permanent war that is draining the resources of our society benefits those in power by keeping our incredibly ill informed citizenry in a state of constant fear of attack. It then forever justifies the need for a bloated military that builds weapons systems costing billions and billions of dollars in order to fight NO ONE. (How many nuclear subs does it take to destroy Al Queda's Navy, or B2 bombers to fight of Al Queda's Air Force?) Why doesn't anyone get this? All the money goes to weapons systems... not fighting Al Queda!! 20 minutes of basic research into the Pentagon budget and any idiot can easily see this to be true.

Our military industrial complex NEEDS FALSE CONFESSIONS to provide the necessary framework for proof of a worldwide conspiracy to attack us. The methods which we employ to garner these confessions does not matter to them... it is a means to an end. THEY NEED A WAR!! And once the confession is made, the confessor can no longer prove they were lying.

Whether or not we are our own worst enemy is not the story here... the story is that no matter what comes out of the awful recent history of our shameful behavior, the "WAR ON TERROR" will continue unabated as the propaganda machine has burnt into 300 million brains that this war actually exists. This "war" shapes every aspect of public discourse and the idea that it does not exist is not even discussed, nor the incredible sums of money spent on weapons systems to fight enemies that also don't exist. NOT EVER DISCUSSED.

I'll let you in on an open secret... we created this war and will continue to foster it, feed it and nurture it. A lot of money can be made.

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Casus Belli For War With Iran

For the past several days I've been dizzy trying to stay ahead of world affairs and legal wrangling on the home front. While Addington and Yoo committed perjury before Congress, the Bush Administration... or let's just admit it... The Cheney Administration is moving full speed ahead by conducting a number of actions; covert and overt to justify "regime change" in Iran. The pressure could reach boiling point as it looks from my vantage point that Cheney is becoming increasingly desperate to get something started with the Mullahs in Iran before the Republicans are booted out of the White House later this year.

Let's take a look at the larger context with which this is happening. The U.S. has now complete dominance of Iraq... building dozens of military bases and the largest embassy in the world. We have taken Afghanistan, Lebanon is pot that is about to boil over, and Syria has been completely silenced after having been humiliated by the Israeli Air Force. As part of long term initiative to "sanitize" the Middle East, the only country left that has what we want... OIL... is Iran. As we ponder Cheney's desperation to control Tehran again, its important to understand why Iran is so terribly important to U.S. financial and thus, military interests.


It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the strategic importance of Iran in the scheme of global oil production, wealth creation and transmission. Besides having some 138.4 billion bbl of oil reserves, Iran sits squarely dead center in the Oil producing region of the Middle East... is geographically dominant over the northern portion of the Persian Gulf, and perfectly straddles the largest untapped reserves of oil and gas in the world on its northern border along the Caspian Sea.

Combine this with an administration that is run by oil interests and we have the perfect storm. Iran is a major obstacle to Western Oil and Banking Cartels who want complete control of Middle East and South Asia oil and gas, and the plan to sanitize the entire corridor from Lebanon through to Pakistan is nearly complete except for Iran.

Dick Cheney and friends, never to be deterred by law, morality, or the threat of world war, have a new plan. First, they have successfully removed every major internal barrier to war with Iran, from demanding resignation of General Fallon, to ignoring the NIE estimate which revealed that Iran had stopped their nuclear weapons program in 2003, now claiming there is a parallel program that only the administration knows about. And most recently playing the "War on Terror" card to force the Democratically controlled congress to provide $400 Million in covert military funding to conduct operations inside Iran.

Sy Hersh broke the story last week in the New Yorker, as part of his ongoing series of articles about the U.S. obsession with Iran. Who knows how much of it is true other than the money was approved. No doubt members of Congress leaked the story as they are now realizing that they have been duped and will publicly be humiliated for funding this scheme which is completely at odds with the wishes of their constituencies.

The truly sick and scary portion is in the interview portion on the web, where Hersh describes the Democratic leadership of Reid and Pelosi as being co-opted to fund this military game by threat of being called "soft on terror". BULLOCKS... COWARDICE. Shame on them!! We do not have a two party system in this country. The Democrats do not represent our interests and are true cowards and will pay for this folly with their jobs.

I find this new set of circumstances so troubling in so many ways I can't even count. Under what rationale or justification do we have the right to stir up trouble inside Iran? Its one thing to sit at the table across from them and demand that they play nicely with Iraq and the rest of their neighbors, its another to invade their borders with covert ops... as Sy Hersh says "The former official said that, a few weeks later, a meeting took place in the Vice-President’s office. The subject was how to create a casus belli between Tehran and Washington,” he said.

For those of you who don't speak Latin, Casus belli is a Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. Casus means "incident", "rupture" or indeed "case", while belli means "of war".

So here we sit... the economy is in the toilet, the budget deficit is $400 billion and growing, unemployment dramatically rising, the cost of the two wars we're in is a $Billion a day, and the congress and the president have approved funding to find cause to attack Iran. How on earth do they believe that we have the capability of overthrowing the Iranians? A country of 65 million people, with immense oil wealth, a highly nationalized population that is very wary of the United States and knows exactly what we are trying to do... and by our wishes and petty anti-terror rationale, remove their sovereignty and rob them of their natural resources for our gain. Sickening.

My question is what has to happen for us Americans to finally wake up and realize that we have become one of the most evil nations in history and put a stop to this endless war once and for all?

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Yoo and Addington Bobbing and Weaving

Listening to these two characters testify this morning on the use of torture by the CIA and US Military has been a frustrating experience. Neither is answering questions directly and most frustrating is listening to John Yoo time and again claim Attorney Client Privilege and National Security as the reasons he cannot answer questions.

Hearing David Addington "not recall" details of his visits to GITMO is so clearly a well planned lie as "not recalling" does not rise to the level of contempt or outright lying to Congress and land him in jail. He could "not recall" orders he gave to interrogators to do "whatever is necessary" to gain more information from prisoners held illegally at GITMO.

Overall, this day will lead to further subpoena's and hopefully force Congresses hand to appoint a Special Prosecutor.

From the front on the war against torture... I'm depressed.

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Addington and Yoo to Testify Tomorrow Before the House Judiciary Committee

The House Judiciary Subcommittee has called John Yoo and subpoenaed David Addington to testify tomorrow June 26, on their role in authorizing the use of torture by the United States Government at Gitmo and other (secret shhhhh) locations. This is an historic event and could be a touchstone for criminal investigations down the road.

I am hopeful that tomorrow could be a turning point. Again... I am hopeful. At the very least, David Addington (on the left), who is Dick Cheney's brain, strong arm bully and "constitution buster"... and who has been essentially running the government along with his morally bankrupt boss will have to FINALLY face some real questions. No doubt, much of the contentious debate we will hear will be between the Democrats and Republicans on the committee.

I can guarantee a packed courtroom and reporters from all over the world for this hearing. It is being broadcast over the radio by Pacifica on 99.5 on the FM dial or on WBAI.org. I'll be listening in and will report what I hear. Let's hope that John Yoo (pictured on the left) finds his soul and tells all.

We can only hope. Unfortunately, if we don't do it... the World Court may have to do it for us. Wouldn't that be a joy to watch the civilized world (we no longer belong) doing our constitutional duty of upholding our laws as well as long recognized international law.

My deepest hope is that John Yoo, now a professor of law at University of California at Berkeley, becomes the new John Deane and tells all to save himself from a jail term down the road. We (all of us together) are allowed to dream.

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Theatre Of The Absurd

In his interview with Keith Olbermann, John Cusack discussed War Inc. in terms of taking absurdity and following it along to its logical conclusion. (See earlier post) What we see in the movie (you HAVE seen the movie, yes?) is a war outsourced to a corporation and then follows the absurdity to its logical conclusion. Of course it seems totally insane.

Yet much of the horror of this scenario is truer than true. Cusack then says a great and wonderful thing in response to a question about the absurdity of the new oil contracts that were handed out to the big US and British oil companies without bids this past week. "Its hard to stay ahead of this crew".

For me, truth is always stranger than fiction, but the oil deals came as no surprise to me... why did we invade Iraq if not to take control of their oil and hand it to U.S. companies who will funnel the spoils through U.S. banks and give the Iraqis a few pennies to the barrel back. A classic modern rape and pillage scheme. I think most of America has figured this one out by now and the story will unfold along the same lines... there will be no more surprises... only the arrogance by which actions will be taken. And we the people will be left to clean up the mess.

Each and every day, I read and watch the world from as many perspectives as I have time for. From any standpoint, it seems that the level of insanity rises by the day as Bush is using the price of oil to justify offshore drilling off the California coast, opening ANWR for drilling, and filling our addicted veins with more of the good stuff. Of course, the people of California will burn down the White House before they see their pristine coastline destroyed and if he thinks that America is going to stand by and let him run rip shod over the environmental protections so hard fought to keep ANWR Alaska safe from drilling... well... its just the same old thing... words from a liar and fool.

In the category of "What Universe Do We Live In?", we get Bill the Hammer Kristol.... who is from another universe entirely and I don't know what this guy is smoking... or the people around him on FOX NEWS (nodding away) are smoking... but they talk about bombing Iran in the same vein as sportscasters speculate who will be taken in the first round of the NBA draft. Its hard to watch... words don't even do it justice. Just watch with one eye... its gonna hurt too much if you watch with both:



So, what this genius is saying is that if Bush thinks that Barak Obama is going to win, then he may bomb Iran. This is such absurdity, it defies all sense of sanity and morality. This "war quarterbacking" by people who have no sense at all about the horrors of war and of "bombing" other countries as a way to work out problems is criminal behavior. This is what our public discourse has come to? Well, I consider Bill Kristol and Fox News to be far more dangerous than anything Iran can throw in the air as these guys love war so much that they could actually seriously speculate about such an atrocity with a straight face.

If that's not enough, comes this from a Fortune Magazine interview with Charlie Black, John McCain's Chief Strategist: We saw how that (National Security issues) might play out early in the campaign, when one good scare, one timely reminder of the chaos lurking in the world, probably saved McCain in New Hampshire, a state he had to win to save his candidacy - this according to McCain's chief strategist, Charlie Black. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December was an "unfortunate event," says Black. "But his knowledge and ability to talk about it reemphasized that this is the guy who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief. And it helped us." As would, Black concedes with startling candor after we raise the issue, another terrorist attack on U.S. soil. "Certainly it would be a big advantage to him," says Black.

You can't make this stuff up! Thousands of dead Americans in a terrorist attack would help John McCain. Really? Oh, thank you for that bit of great wisdom. Good thing we can be sure that there are people in power really caring about us and our safety in these DANGEROUS times. Apparently, ELECTION TIME seems to be even more dangerous than good old regular INVASION TIME.

I'm going to go and cry for America and pray that our future is not in the hands of these beasts.

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Cusack on Countdown, "Now Is The Time To Speak Up"

An excellent interview on Countdown with John Cusack. The best part is not the politics but the funny exchange they have about Bill O'Reilly. Is it noticeable yet how much I love John Cusack?

Also, need to make a fix... I stated that Obama had raised $100,000,000 in May. Wow, did I miss the mark! It was $15,000,000. I just fired one of my staff.

Enjoy the video, its great:

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Why Obama Will Win In November

Here I go again... writing about the presidential race. I can't help it. I feel that this country is on the cusp of something that I cannot quite articulate, but it feels very real, and in a sense... revolutionary.

Case in point. As Obama passed on Federal Funds for his campaign yesterday, he will no doubt be scolded by those who believe that money is all-corrupting in politics. But consider that Obama has raised this past May over $100,000,000.00 and THEY ARE STILL COUNTING! They haven't even gotten to June yet!!. The vast majority of money is coming from about 2,000,000 $50 a month donations. I would say that this looks like a true socio-political movement that represents a monumental shift in American politics. This is a movement that we cannot dismiss away... it completely overwhelmed Hillary and the poor dear is still dumbfounded at the colossal ignorance of her campaign to factor in the power of the Internet... and yes, the power of people actually starting to care again.

Hillary, what were they thinking? Can you imagine the Clinton campaign's dismay as all the big donors lined up with their checkbooks, Hillary gracefully accepting them... and then getting their clocks cleaned by hundreds of thousands of people sending in $25 at a time to Obama. Hillary... hello? We the people are OVER HERE. Not behind 40 foot hedges. How had you forgotten that?

And then there is John McCain... old man McCain will take the Federal campaign funds as nearly no one wants to put their name behind this campaign because it is so sad in so many ways that no self respecting Republican (is that an oxymoron?) will publicly embarrass themselves by supporting this hypocrite who still lives in the politics of the Cold War.

So, why do I think Obama will be elected? And yes, this is just BRUCE talking... but I believe that my thinking represents some or a portion of what millions of Americans think who may not be able to quite put it in words... because much of what I have to say is somewhat abstract. But here it goes:

1/ Obama represents the very best in America... The American Dream. As the beacon of hope and opportunity for nearly 2 1/2 centuries, America is now perhaps the most hated nation in the world. We've gone from protectors to invaders. From moral authority, to ripping up the Constitution to protect our freedoms... makes perfect sense. From the highest behavioral standards in global affairs, to torturing prisoners using contractors in secret prisons abroad.

We have fallen so far, so fast, its mind numbing to even imagine if we will ever be able to undo the damage created by Herr Bush and Emperor Cheney... and oh yes, the complicit Congress who never read the constitution and forgot that its their job to uphold its laws.

Therefore, it is my belief that the vast majority of Americans view Obama with a sense of hope and SALVATION that he can somehow heal the horrors that we have perpetrated and show a face to the world of a society that is compassionate at its core and NOT completely responsible for what our leaders have done. Just.... well... asleep at the wheel... and really really sorry for what has transpired and the mess we have made. I believe deep down that all Americans feel some degree of humiliation for allowing such awful things to happen (and continue to happen) in our names.

2/ In our heart of hearts, we are just plain tired of white men ruling us. As time goes on, and the white men continue their reign of control over this society, cracks are beginning to show. Why? Because bit by bit, Americans are electing people that LOOK LIKE THEM. Black, Hispanic, Women, Gay, Asian... the state houses, the Congress, the civic leaders look much more like America than our ruling corporate class and the White House. I believe that we as Americans are as ready to accept a minority or woman president as we are to accept that Ellen is a Lesbian and love her for being courageous enough to just admit it and move on.

3/ Obama is a true statesman, a born leader, and a motivator that moves people in real and tangible ways. Try to imagine little old creaky John McCain asking anything of you. Would you do it? Doubtful. He could barely convince a mouse to eat its cheese... he would straight talk that mouse right to sleep and then off to Iraq it goes for his 100 year war.

Now, try to imagine Barak Obama asking something of you. Better chance you'll do it. Why? He is a powerful motivator with tremendous charisma, a booming energy and aura that moves people in ways no politician we have seen in our lifetime. To see this man speak in front of sold out STADIUMS to wildly screaming audiences is a sight to behold. I don't think that even in our worst days, that this society COULD NOT POSSIBLY PASS UP the opportunity to have such a amazing statesman speaking for us on the world stage.

4/ Because WE CAN. As someone who has not turned on the television is many months, I, like millions of others am just so completely tired of the hogwash and hooey and lies and distortions of the MSM. The whole lot of them are so repugnant, so morally bankrupt and so ill informed about the lives of typical Americans (like me, sorta) that what they say holds little to no sway any longer.

Dare I say... people may actually be watching... and then doing the OPPOSITE of what they are told they should think and do... just to "stick it to them". We saw this time and again in exit polling during the primaries. People just lied and did so with a smile on their face to show them that they don't know anything.

And the truth is... THEY DON'T. So as they scrape and claw to fill air time, I beg each and every one of you: TURN OFF YOUR TV! Nothing that is said will be true or even relevant. And many of you will turn it off...except on election night... when we see the first African American elected President Of These United States Of America. Then we can once again feel that America may be that special kind of place that we can be proud of. A place we all still believe has the capability of both surprising ourselves and demonstrating that we can move beyond our perceived limits.

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A Picture Tells A Thousand Words - War for Oil

Seeing this photo in the New York Times this morning inspired me to share with you my thoughts about this war. I don't think I've seen a picture that more symbolically describes our intentions and the feelings behind those intentions than this picture:

Is there a better way to communicate why we're there?

Is there a better way to communicate the black and white thinking that went into such as horrific adventure?

Is there a better way to express the dire circumstances by which our dependence on oil will lead to our destruction?

And could it not be more perfect that this picture is at the top of today's New York Times article "Deals with Iraq are Set" that explains that the big 4 oil companies: Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, BP and Shell, (all American and British) were given no- bid contracts to go get the oil on the behalf of their shareholders, and their protectors... The United States Military?

There is 110 billion barrels of oil underneath those Iraqi sands. Any wonder why we invaded?

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Will.I.Am Obama Music Videos Wins Him Webby Artist Of The Year

OK, so now you have a sense of who I support for President. Ummm... I don't just support Obama for President, I see it as the greatest necessity we have seen in our lifetimes since bringing down Hitler. Perhaps a bit strong... but I have been known to exaggerate just a bit once or twice before.

At the Webby Awards this week in New York, Will.I.Am won the Artist of the Year Award... as he has himself made two powerful music videos supporting Barak Obama. They beautifully express the hope and optimism that is sweeping across our country for a change in direction that is so dramatic and so wonderful I can barely contain my emotions.

The second video "Yes We Can" makes me weepy every time I watch it. Enjoy... and visit BarakObama.com and give $25 dollars and then watch them find a matching donor and give you their email address so you can correspond with someone who is a stranger... but a stranger no longer, as you have a common belief that there is hope for us and can communicate directly with them about your feelings, hopes and dreams.

The Obama campaign has worked the web so beautifully and artfully, they have made it a very comfortable place for every American to be an Obama supporter. They don't push or prod, they don't ram him down your throat or try to scare you out of your money. They ask for little and give in return.

Because of this approach, they believe that Obama could actually raise close to a BILLION DOLLARS for his campaign with over half of it from millions of Americans giving just $25 at a time. AMAZING is an understatement.

Enjoy the videos, they're wonderful.

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Bill Moyers Keynote Address At The National Conference For Media Reform

Its no secret I think that Bill Moyers is the one of the most powerful and important voices for truth and real journalism in the mass media we have in America. We owe a great debt a gratitude for his courage, intelligence and ability to rally us to awaken from our long slumber and reclaim our democracy.

I agree strongly with him that the cornerstone of a working democracy is a free and independent press... and we face that promise again with the rise of the Independent Press on the Internet and Blogomaniacs like myself always pressing for truth and pushing content out to the our friends, family and those that believe in what we say.

But I could never tell it like Bill... at least not today... this speech is one for the ages and hopefully won't fall into the dustbin of history but become a rallying cry for a democracy on the brink. Please watch, for an informed and vigilant public is the only thing we have left to save this country... and I present, Bill Moyers giving the Keynote Address at National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis, June 7, 2008:

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O'Reilly Producer Harasses Bill Moyers and Then Gets a Taste of It Himself

I love watching these videos. Another doughy neocon attack dog from Bill O'Reilly Truthiness show on Fox Newsiness. This schmuck harasses Bill Moyers and then gets a taste of his own medicine from the a reporting team at "Theuptake.Org. Its fun to watch as I we have seen this over and over again from Fox as they scramble to try to get real journalists to appear on their network and they refuse.

Enjoy... and a big THANK YOU to THEUPTAKE for being aware and getting this footage.

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Dan Rather Speaks About Keeping the Press Independent Of Corporate Profiteering

For those of you who are as insanely interested as I in the blatant degradation of the News Media (MSM) and their obvious incompetence and cowardice in confronting the major issues of our time with the leaders of this country, well then Dan Rather's speech is something you will truly enjoy.

- He talks of the enabling of the press corp in the lead up to the war
- He talks about consolidation of news organizations owned by a paltry few large corporate entities who's only motive is increasing shareholder value (on a quarterly basis) and whose news organization is an extremely unimportant pieces of their holdings... but one that can be profitable only if it does not make rich people unhappy
- He talks of fighting to keep the internet safe for free opinion and a truly independent news corp

- HE SPEAKS OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE (USING THE PHRASE) IN THE MSM!! (How could I not post this? OY... that's a little mini slam dunk for me.) About their denial of their own situation and how they feel the pressure from above and bow to it like cowards who are only interested in their personal careers, not journalistic integrity.

Sit down, relax, and enjoy Dan's speech. I don't think there is a soul in the United States that knows more about what was, and what is now the MSM, what it is really about today and is now speaking in plain english about it that every American must be aware of. As Dan notes, our first amendment to the constitution demands the press remain free. Let me help him and all of you to see what it actually says and how it is also now interpreted:

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom...of the press." Although the First Amendment specifically mentions only the federal Congress, this provision now protects the press from all government, whether local, state or federal.

Dan made this speech Saturday evening at 2008 National Conference On Media Reform in Minneapolis. Enjoy:

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What Does $1.4 Billion Look Like?

It looks like our friends in the Air Force crashing a B2 Bomber. Oops, sorry about that everyone.

If you want to see that much waste go up in smoke, watch this video. I can't help but wonder how many people could be fed, housed, healed and employed for those kinds of dollars. We have 20 of these!! Well, now we have 19. Guess we'll just have to buy 5 more. Enjoy watching your money disappear:

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The Israeli Attack on Dayr az-Zwar, Syria

I haven't written in a few days, and no doubt thousands of you have been wondering... "What's up with Bruce?" Where is my daily dose of Conspiracy? Well, wait no longer!! But this post is not about conspiracy, its about Israel and Syria.

Why am I writing about Israel and Syria? Without belaboring this, one of my fascinations is Middle Eastern geopolitical strategy and of course being Jewish, I've always been obsessed with Israel.

Let me first say that while I am the type of person who would disband every army in the world and have everyone hold hands and sing together, I also have a left brain. My left brain is often fed with a deep seated kind of "rooting" for Israel in a similar way I am a New York Jets football fan.

From birth, it was banged into my brain that Israel is the underdog and that the State of Israel and the Jews of the world are always in imminent danger and must always be in a permanent state of readiness for the worst. I appreciate this point of view given the Holocaust and continuing anti-semitism in parts of the world that is very real. But I also know that most of what we are fed about the Middle East and Israel is not true and is driven by the same desire to heighten fear and thus retain profits and control.

That said, I follow Israeli politics as closely as I follow American politics and read Ha'aretz on a daily basis as well as Debka, a purported Israeli intelligence website that is very hawkish. I believe what I am reading is THE TRUTH about as much as what I believe from Fox News, but for me its not about the facts but the AGENDA behind the information, how it is presented and how the information is supposed to try to HOOK ME INTO THINKING something about the world. But, there is an event that has really caught my eye and can't look away.

On September 6, 2007, we are told that 4 to 5 brand new F15i fighter jets fresh off the Boeing production line crossed into Syrian airspace and flew to the far northeast corner of the country and blew up a "nuclear reactor" near Dayr az-Zwar, Syria close to the Euphrates river that was being built with the help of North Korea.

Millions of words have been written about this event including Sy Hersch in the New Yorker in the February 11Th of this year where he attempts to get at the "real" story behind this event. His story could be the most believable as he wonders aloud if this really was a nuclear plant at all but closer to some other type of military facility. However, the real story is the fact that Israel was able to send very un-stealthy planes deep into Syria, successfully blow up something, and return home safely without Syria's air defenses even knowing what was happening... and if they did, not being able to do anything about it.

And I believe he's right.

I'll assume for purposes of this post (and for the sake of the GAME) that the following are true:
1/ Israel flew fighter jets over Syria on 9/6/07 and blew up something
2/ No one wants to talk about it publicly because it is so embarrassing for all involved, that talking about what really happened and why would be unacceptable to everyone, and for completely different reasons depending upon where you are standing
3/ There are probably fewer than 100 people on the planet that actually know EVERYTHING about what happened on that day... and that may be the key to why no one still knows and believes everything that has been said

Let's go to the photos as presented in the media:
The photo shows a facility before, and then nice clean earth after. The story goes that immediately following the bombing, Syria scrubbed the location clean as not to leave any traces of what was blown up and thus not to be dealt an even more embarrassing revelation that they were building a nuclear power plant... and thus upset the very delicate situation in that region as well as the unbelievable stupidity and naiveté of thinking it could build one of these puppies and not have anyone figure it out before they finished.

As I stated earlier, so much has been written and speculated about this attack that I do not want to be just another cackling voice in the noise of cyberspace. But.... there is one aspect of this event that I find terribly fascinating and believe that this event is a bell weather for what is to come strategically in the Middle East.

What I find most fascinating, is that no one is talking on the record about this event... particularly the Syrians. The Iranians... silence. The Israeli government... silence. Congress was only briefed just recently on what US intel says happened, but one wonders if the Congress is ever told the truth about anything given the Bush Administrations propensity to lie about everything all the time to everyone.

But I've spent hours and hours looking and reading and asking myself... why this attack, why this place, why this time? Well, I firmly believe (as much as I love Israel), that Israel is an Army that acts like a country. WAY MORE than the United States. That being the case, Israel doesn't want to have uncertainty about their neighbor's capabilities. Whatever was there, it almost doesn't matter. What matters is the spanking new Russian made air defense system that Syria spent nearly a billion dollars installing and is being readied for Iran. They wanted to test it out and see if it works!!

From Debka.com: DEBKAfile’s military experts conclude from the way Damascus described the episode Wednesday, Sept. 6, that the Pantsyr-S1E missiles, purchased from Russia to repel air assailants, failed to down the Israeli jets accused of penetrating northern Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean the night before.

The new Pantsyr missiles therefore leave Syrian and Iranian airspace vulnerable to hostile intrusion.

Even if only 1/10th of what we see and hear about this story is true... this is a COLOSSAL DISASTER FOR SYRIA AND IRAN as it shows they are completely vulnerable to American and Israeli technology and that nothing on the horizon can protect them. The Russians had promised that this was THE system that would keep them safe from American and Israeli fighters and bombers.

Thus... the silence. This act of war by Israel was given a big fat PASS by everyone because the real problem is much bigger... the entire balance of power in the middle east and the perception that THERE IS ONE.

Syria doesn't want anyone to know that they and Iran are powerless to stop Israel... and NEITHER DOES ISRAEL!!! But Israel couldn't help themselves from testing out Syria's new toy to see if it worked.

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Landmines and Soccer Moms

While this video portrays something incredibly horrible that we protected and secure Americans could not even imagine happening here. That is exactly what is so brilliant. We are so complacent and so arrogant and il informed, that our government wouldn't even sign the landmine ban. HOW MANY AMERICANS SPOKE UP?? NONE.

Well, this video portrays what it would look like if we lived in dozens of other countries where landmines are a daily factor of life and brings home to us the reality of what it is that WE pay for with our bloated military dictatorship and our uncaring attitudes toward the rest of the world.

As a matter of fact... our government HAS INCREASED THE AMOUNT WE SPEND ON LANDMINES. It so horrible... I couldn't even make this stuff up in my worst nightmares. So, enjoy the video as we are the ones who are the problem portrayed in this video. Enjoy!!!



Did you like that?? That's what YOUR tax dollars accomplish paying for landmines in many countries throughout the world and no one, NO ONE seems to know or care.

Well, don't just sit there... DO SOMETHING!

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Rising Gasoline Prices, Why I Think Its a Good Thing

I received a "pass it on" email calling for a one day boycott of gasoline. This due to the high price of gasoline.

I don't disagree that the price is artificially steep. No doubt the oil companies are reaping enormous profits from this "conspiracy of price". However, I believe that gasoline is way under priced in the U.S. to begin with and that this can only have positive repercussions in the near and far future.
Why?

Well first, the obvious. If gasoline prices are high, then new car buyers will not buy gas guzzlers. And from what I've read, the car dealerships are looking at lots FILLED WITH unsold SUV's and Pickups... both categories of vehicles do not face ANY fuel efficiency standards due to laws created by Congress. Are you listening? Do you see the reality of this situation?

The current and INCREASING PRICE OF GAS can only be one of the most wonderful things to happen in a long time. Please note... the United States burns 33% of the gasoline in the world!! Think about that... 300 million people, burning 33% of the gasoline of a planet of 6 billion people. And yet, Americans think they are ENTITLED TO CHEAP GASOLINE. RUBBISH!!!

This is complete ignorant and arrogant hogwash and shows the same uncaring attitude toward the environment and our own safety that we show in so many areas of our own life such as the war in Iraq. In order for me to save a few bucks today, I as an American am more than willing to put the life of the planet and my children and love ones at stake as the planet heats up dramatically each year. Nice. Truly American.

I believe this shows a colossal ignorance and short sightedness that only Americans could have. The Europeans have dealt with $6.00 and up per gallon of gasoline for decades... yet we Americans believe that gasoline should be cheap... and that this is our BIRTH RIGHT. STOOOOOOOPID AMERICANS!

I care not what the profits are for oil companies. High gas prices will force Americans to face the uncomfortable reality that our cars, our behaviors and our economy is obsolete and we must change our behavior and attitudes and buying habits NOW. And if the price of gasoline brings this about... then so be it. Candidly, we made this happen through inaction and laziness, and now we must live in our own shit.

So, for all you angry Americans who believe you are being ripped off by expensive oil, consider these:

- We use 1/3rd of the gasoline in the world and therefore spew more carbon and global warming chemicals in the atmosphere than any other country. This is totally excessive and completely unnecessary. So unnecessary that I think that rising prices are a godsend and give us what we deserve... a wake up call.

- By simply doing YOUR job as a citizen (NOT JUST AS A CONSUMER), you can pressure lawmakers to develop incentives for companies to develop alternative vehicles that have little to no carbon emissions... can you say TESLA MOTORS? The technology already exists... hello?

- This is as much a gift as it is a warning of what is to come and gives YOU time to make a change. Its only going to get worse, so get BUSY. Therefore, you have time to take action to reduce your own carbon footprint and behaviors before you go broke feeding that gas guzzler in your driveway that is ohhhh so cool and comfortable and convenient. I cry for you every time you have to fill your tank. BOO HOO!!

- At the present rate that we are putting carbon in the atmosphere... your kids and friends won't even have a planet to enjoy. So do SOMETHING NOW that ends our dependence on oil

- Stop complaining. Sell your car, or simply consider it a loss and have it crushed and the raw materials recycled for GOOD USE. You'll be saving lives by doing so as well as bringing about necessary change

- Call your car manufacturer and urge them to provide ZERO EMISSION cars NOW at an affordable price. They have the technology... they simply don't believe Americans will buy them. Why? Cause we are too stooooooopid.

- Call all of the American auto manufacturers (who are refusing to develop fuel efficient and electric cars because they consider them impractical and too expensive to manufacture) and tell them you are buying a Toyota Prius.

- Invest in clean technologies so companies WHO ARE DOING SOMETHING will have cash to make our lives and the life of the planet better and livable

- And last of all, go to wecansolveit.org and make a donation and offer your help. They will save our lives and our economy a lot faster if you help empower them. Otherwise... we are simply doomed to failure and unfortunately, failure does not seem to be an option here

And, if you think I'm exaggerating... go and see Al Gore's new slide show here and then tell me who is the blow hard on this issue.

I'm sorry everyone, I don't feel sorry for you at all. You wanted to be really comfortable and not inconvenienced. Isn't that the American way? Not any more :-).

I have a NEW AMERICAN WAY for you to consider. INNOVATION AND CHANGE!!! Don't do it for your own convenience... do it for your kids and loved ones... so they have a planet called Earth to live on past 2020.

Get busy.

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WAR INC. IS WONDERFUL!!

Now you know how I feel about this movie. I can't spoil it for you... but John and Joan Cusack are wonderful, the entire movie about the future of war... or... really WAR TODAY where the contractors prosecute the war in conjunction with (fill in the blank), the CIA, DIA, NRO, NSA... you get the story.

According to the liberal blogs, the corporate media is trying to kill this movie... and frankly, I think they're right. Its just too good of a movie to be ignored as if its not happening. But its most definitely happening and GO SEE IT DAMN IT!!!

And after you've seen it, post your thoughts on it below.

Just for fun, I'm giving you a present for making it this far into this post with the film trailer which gives you a hint at the zany world that the movie portrays that is not terribly dissimilar to the world we live in already and heading in this direction FAST. Enjoy the movie!!!

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If Elected, Obama To Review All of Bush's Executive Orders

We just may get a President who respects the Constitution and will hopefully overturn the Bush Dictatorship and his signing of dozens of executive orders (that came out of Dick Cheney's office) on the grounds that they are unconstitutional. From the Reuters Blog from May 28th:

DENVER - Maybe it’s his background teaching constitutional law.

If elected president, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said one of the first things he wants to do is ensure the constitutionality of all the laws and executive orders passed while Republican President George W. Bush has been in office.

Those that don’t pass muster will be overturned, he said.

During a fund-raiser in Denver, Obama — a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School — was asked what he hoped to accomplish during his first 100 days in office.

“I would call my attorney general in and review every single executive order issued by George Bush and overturn those laws or executive decisions that I feel violate the constitution,” said Obama.

Other goals for his first 100 days: work out a plan to withdraw troops from Iraq; make progress on alternative energy plans and launch legislation to reform the health care system.

Photo credit: Reuters/Rick Wilking (Obama talks to students during a visit to a school in Thornton, CO)

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What About Those "Stans", And Why Should I Care?

I discussed in an earlier post about the tragedy of Myanmar... citing the incredible might of the U.S. Military and the money we spend supporting this massive machine. I wondered why we can not have it put to good use to save lives in a situation in which our military might could have served US well as well and the people of Myanmar.

However, we live in a geo-political reality where its clear to everyone who LOOKS, that U.S. military policy exactly mirrors U.S. economic policy. Our national interests and national security are no longer a matter of nuclear annihilation, but simply a matter of using our overwhelming firepower to ensure the safe delivery of oil and natural gas through the middle east to markets in Asia. (We only get 10 % of OUR oil from the Middle East, that being from Saudi Arabia.) Note Thomas Barnett's "Pentagon's New Map For War and Peace " in the 21st Century. This map shows the focus of the U.S. military in the next century... and note that bulge in Central Asia. That's become a very important place.

I want to bring to your attention what is happening in the world that makes Central Asia the hotspot and focus of our military. Assuming that I am right (which I am) that our military protects our economic interests, then one must consider why we invaded two countries, why THOSE countries, and what we have to gain by these incredibly expensive and horrific adventures.

Earlier in B.L.O.G., I posted the strategic necessities of US Foreign Policy as outlined by the PNAC. In it, they discuss the need for a transfer of American military force from Western Europe... where it is clearly no longer needed... to Asia. Why Asia?

Its quite simple... The "STANS" HAVE THE LARGEST UNTAPPED DEPOSITS OF OIL AND GAS IN THE WORLD. Whoever controls the flow of that oil, will reap enormous benefits and be a major economic power as viewed by the current financial paradigm of the ruling elite... as well as providing a true supplementation to dwindling Middle Eastern Oil over the next decade or two.

From Jane's Foreign Report: "Intense competition for unimpeded access to the world’s natural resources is continuing and is likely to increase. The current unprecedented surge in fuel prices illustrates the growing need for a greater supply and consequently demonstrates the volatile nature of the energy market.

The Caspian Sea could meet some of that demand, because it has sizable proven and possible oil and gas reserves ("proven reserves" are defined as oil and natural-gas deposits that are considered 90 percent probable, and "possible reserves" are defined as deposits that are considered 50 percent probable). The littoral states of the Caspian Sea -- Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan -- collectively have an estimated 10 billion-32 billion barrels of proven and another 233 billion barrels of possible oil reserves."

This represents a new Saudi Arabia of Oil just north of IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN. What a coincidence!!! Just so happens to be the two countries that we invaded. Wow... what luck!! Let's take a look at the map to your left.

Notice how incredibly landlocked this region is.... you need LANES to get the oil to the sea and on to those tankers. Look closely at the map... what are the two most perfect lanes to get this out? Afghanistan (just below Turkmenistan) down through Pakistan... that pipeline deal, known as the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline has already been inked. But how do we get even closer?

The Caspian Sea is where the action is and Kazakhstan is the major player here with the most potential for oil. The only OTHER way to move that oil for us to have control of it is WEST AND SOUTH of the Caspian Sea. Look at the map and see what two countries sit to the west and south... Iran and Iraq. WHAT A COINCIDENCE!! Georgia, Azerbaijan and TURKEY would be the route for new pipelines moving the oil away from the Russians and the Chinese and ensuring our control.

Watch in the next few years as Turkey grows in importance. We will be hearing a lot more about Turkey as it is the backbone for U.S. foreign and military policy in Asia for the foreseeable future. They are the hub between Asia and Europe and provide the quickest and best means of getting to this oil other than our control of Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is a map of pipelines under construction and proposed for the region... of particular note is the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline (that will move oil from the Caspian Sea west through Turkey):

I realize that this post may seem incredibly boring... and SO WHAT BRUCE!! I am in the business of understanding WHY we do what we do, and have realized that our military now ENACTS our economic policies by clearing zones of control and then acting as a force to protect those zones.

Therefore, if we want, we can now draw a new pipeline route south through Iraq on the above map. Note that Syria is now surrounded and trust me... eventually will not look anything like it does today. Economic and military realities will ensure this and already is forcing them to the peace table with Israel.

But if we are going to understand WHAT is going on and WHY in our world... we need to look at maps, and overlay the resources of the world over those maps. When you do so, you will have a glimpse of what is and what will continue to be U.S. Foreign and Military policy.

Its a good idea to know what we are actually up to... it helps us gain insight into what we have done, as well as what is potentially going to happen and perhaps even... PREVENT IT.

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