Thursday, February 10, 2011

Let’s Go to Plan B

Let’s Go to Plan B by Philip Giraldi

"What exactly is happening in Egypt and what is the United States interest in events there? Well, to put it simply, Egypt has been ruled for thirty years by a dictator who has not hesitated to kill or torture his own people. His military, which is his primary support, has received massive assistance from Washington, totaling more than $60 billion, as a bribe for Egypt’s betrayal of the Palestinians through its signing of a peace treaty with Israel that has enabled the latter to dismember the last vestiges of a possible Palestinian state. Apart from wanting to prop up a dubious arrangement whereby Israel’s most powerful neighbor is neutralized, the United States has no vital interest whatsoever in talking nice to Egypt. The claim that a hostile Egypt might close the Suez Canal is nonsensical as the country relies heavily on the income that it generates, whoever is in charge."


Bill

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Computer power

There are 2 aspects of computer power that we urgently and desperately need to come to terms with:

1. Their productivity

Just take a single example: manufacturing. Plants are run today with their lights-out, because computers are doing all the work. The gains in productivity are monumentally enormous. Where have all the gains gone?

Every person on Earth could easily have the basics of life covered with the productivity gains made just in manufacturing. Where did it all go?

2. Their ability to control

This is what computers do, they control things. Related to this ability to control is a far more insidious angle: they remember everything, and they are lightning fast.

By simply collecting *all* of our communications in a mountain somewhere, and then designating who has access to this information (and who does not), 2 classes of people are created: one that has the power (access) and one that does not.

This may seem unimportant today, but it is the core of real power that can - and if we don't or can't stop it - will be used against our children and their children for a very, very long time to come.

Why is this so powerful? Because we're human and we all make mistakes or at least do things that can easily be manipulated into spinning us (that is, those among us with the courage to challenge those with the power) into idiots at best and criminals at worst. You've no doubt heard the refrain "knowledge is power", well here it is for all it's ugliness.


Bill

Monday, February 7, 2011

Bush cancels Europe trip amid calls for his arrest

Bush cancels Europe trip amid calls for his arrest By Justin Elliott

Let's be very clear on one thing: nobody is protecting Bush because they like him or he deserves it.

They are protecting him because his trial will put the spotlight on the Neocon gang that pulled his strings.

Remember Wolfowitz, and all those meetings with Bush during the pump-up for the invasion of Iraq? Probably not, because Wolfowitz's name was snuffed from the "news" then and since. But meetings that had, plenty of them, in which Bush was programmed with marching orders. And Cheney, of course ... the list goes on, but not a single one of them represented you or I.

YES! We MUST put Bush on trial. Not so much because we give a hoot for him personally, but because we need to expose what his presidency actually represented so we can excise it from our government and lives. Obviously, if we don't know what ails us, we can't fix it!

And what ails Americs is the force, the power, the string-pullers, the manipulators, the arrogant, belligerent Israel 1st'ers who duped and maneuvered America into this impossible position.

Let's be clear on this: we can't win now. The economy will crash when we can't afford the interest alone on the national debt. The invasion of the ME - the one they bet our farm on - is going badly and will only get worse.

We want, we need, to put the spotlight on Wolfowitz and the rest of the Neocon gang. We need this because they are still there, woven through both political parties - compromising and undermining the most critical part of our democracy: honest debate (think: Phil Donohue). And they'll stay there until exposed as being the core of what is killing Americans, literally.

Bill

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Critical Connections: Egypt, the US, and Israel

I wish to submit that this article, Critical Connections: Egypt, the US, and Israel by Alison Weir reveals facts about American relations with Israel and the ME, that amount to (more) prima facie evidence of Zionist control of the American information supply, from Hollywood to the MSM to Washington itself (how much more evidence do we need?).

Had the American people at large been aware of these facts, our national attitude towards Israel would be very different today.

Please read my comment to this article, and my effort to call attention to the silent movement to require positive ID to access the Internet. I don't spell out how this would result in control of the Internet, but will be talking more about this shortly.

It Ain't Just Mubarak -- 7 of the Worst Dictators the U.S. Is Backing to the Hilt
By Joshua Holland


Goldstone Report Details a Massive Crime Scene in Gaza By Naomi Klein


Bill

Friday, February 4, 2011

Why Military Spending is Untouchable

Why Military Spending is Untouchable By ANDREW BACEVICH

Another outstanding writer, Andrew J. Bacevich is professor of history and international relations at Boston University.

If you're interested and care about America, this is another must-read article.


Bill

Noam Chomsky on the economic crisis

Noam Chomsky (Part 2): “This Is The Most Remarkable Regional Uprising That I Can Remember”

"For the last 30 years, we have had state-corporate policies specifically designed—specifically designed, not accidentally—to enrich and empower a tiny sector of the population, one percent—in fact, one-tenth of one percent. That’s the basic source of the extreme inequality. Tax policies, rules of corporate governance, a whole mass of policies, have been very explicitly designed to achieve this end—deregulation and so on. Well, for most of the population, that’s meant pretty much stagnation over a long period. Now, people have been getting by, by sharply increasing the number of work hours, far beyond Europe, by debt, by asset inflation like the recent housing bubble. But those things can’t last.

And as soon as Obama came into office, he came in in the midst of the worst crisis since the Depression. In fact, Ben Bernanke, we know from recent testimony that was released, head of the Fed, said it was even worse than the banking crisis in 1929. So there was a real crisis. Who did he pick to patch up the crisis? The people who had created it, the Robert Rubin gang, Larry Summers, Timothy Geithner, basically the people who were responsible for the policies that led to the crisis. And it’s not surprising. I mean, Obama’s primary constituency was financial institutions. They were the core of the funding for his campaign. They expect to be paid back. And they were. They were paid back by coming out richer and more powerful than they were before the crisis that they created.

Meanwhile, the population, much of the population, is literally in depression. If you look at the unemployment figures, among the top few percent, maybe 10, 20 percent, unemployment is not particularly high. In fact, it’s rather low. When you go down to the bottom of the income ladder, you know, the lower quintiles, unemployment is at Depression levels. In manufacturing industry, it is at Depression levels.

And it’s different from the Depression. In the Depression, which I’m old enough to remember, it was very severe. My own family was mostly unemployed working class. But there was a sense of hopefulness. Something is—we can do something. There’s CIO organizing. There’s sitdown strikes, that compelled New Deal measures, which were helpful and hopeful. And there was a sense that somehow we’ll get out of this, that we’re in it together, we can work together, we can get out of it. That’s not true now. Now there’s a general atmosphere of hopelessness, despair, anger and deep irrationality. That’s a very dangerous mix. Hatred of foreigners, you know, a mix of attitudes which is volatile and dangerous, quite different from the mood in the Depression.

But the same governing principle applies: as long as the population is—accepts what’s going on, is directing their anger against teachers, you know, firemen, policemen, pensions and so on, as long as they’re directing their anger there, and not against us, the rulers, everything’s under control, everything’s fine. Until it erupts. Well, it hasn’t erupted here yet, and if it does erupt, it might not be at a constructive direction, given the nature of what’s happening in the country now. But yes, those Egyptian lessons should be taken to heart. We can see clearly what people can do under conditions of serious duress and repression far beyond anything that we face, but they’re doing it. If we don’t do it, the outcome could be quite ugly."


Bill

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Chomsky: Why the Mideast Turmoil Is a Direct Threat to the American Empire

Chomsky: Why the Mideast Turmoil Is a Direct Threat to the American Empire By Amy Goodman and Noam Chomsky

"When asked about President Obama’s remarks last night on Mubarak, Chomsky said: "Obama very carefully didn’t say anything... He’s doing what U.S. leaders regularly do. As I said, there is a playbook: whenever a favored dictator is in trouble, try to sustain him, hold on; if at some point it becomes impossible, switch sides." "

Noan Chomsky and Amy Goodman are high on my list of clear thinking and articulate people. See Democracy Now for more.

Every American who cares at all for this country, it's Constitution and our freedoms, should listen carefully to these people. Please!


Bill

How About a Clean Break – with Israel?

How About a Clean Break – with Israel? by Philip Giraldi

"In accomplishing its strategic objective of making the United States its permanent protector, Israel and its lobby have also corrupted both Congress and the White House and have created a permanent distortion in how Washington sees the world and responds to it. Israel’s enemies, even if they do not threaten the United States in any way, have become America’s enemies. This has made the US in the eyes of much of the world the enabler of Israeli actions and has in turn made Americans the targets of international terrorism. Osama bin Laden was very clear on the subject, stating that the United States is a partner in the Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. The Israel relationship is a recruiting tool for those who seek to do harm to the United States. Without the Israeli nexus, there would have been no 9/11 and there would be no hysteria about the danger from terrorists driving growth in government and the development of the anti-libertarian security state. "





Bill

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A Surge of People Power in the Middle East

A Surge of People Power in the Middle East by M. Shahid Alam

"As a cover for deepening U.S. control over the Middle East – here is the latest civilizing mission for you – the neoconservatives in the Bush administration argued that the Islamic world produces “terrorists” because it lives under autocracies. To solve the “terrorist” problem, therefore, the U.S. would have to bring democracy to the Middle East. This demagoguery only revealed the bankruptcy of America’s political class. It is a shame that the president of the United States and his neoconservative puppet-masters peddled such absurdities without being greeted by squeals of laughter – and shouted down as hypocritical, as farcical.

Which country has been the leading ally and sponsor these past decades of nearly all the despotisms in the Middle East – those of royal pedigree and others seeking to become royalties?

Regardless, the real plan of the United States failed miserably. It was dispatched to its grave by a people’s resistance in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

Yet, George Bush and his neoconservative allies can take some credit for the wave of protests that is spreading across the Middle East – from Tunisia and Algeria to Egypt and Yemen. The U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, attacks on Pakistan, interventions in Somalia and Yemen, shamefaced support for Israel’s murderous wars against the Palestinians and the Lebanese, and deepening sanctions and daily threats against Iran have produced one result for sure: they have accelerated the pace of history in this part of the world."


Bill

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

You Want Revolution? First Break Up The MSM!

Following is a post I just sent to Dangerous Creation on a thread titled
"You Want Revolution? First Break Up The MSM!" Posted by David G

--------------------------

See Why Washington Clings to a Failed Middle East Strategy by Gareth Porter, in an excellent summation of affairs today, including this mention: "The costs of the illusory quest for dominance in the Middle East have been incalculable."

He's sooo right. All we have to do is think about it. It wasn't so much the neocon gang and their PNAC principles, an AIPAC controlled Congress or even the bankers, Wall Street and the MIC - it was the "news" that really did it. It functioned as a propaganda machine that duped America into betting our farm on their desire for military dominance in the ME.

We did have a major tip-off something was very wrong before the invasion was launched, when Phil Donahue was fired for asking too many questions. While there are countless tentacles to this control, that particular one should have stood out like a sore thumb, and it should have inspired a revolt. But, what actually happened - guess what - the event was snuffed by the "news". Surprise!

Now it's more then a decade later ... incalculable killing and destruction has already been wrought ... far more is coming ... millions of Americans are economically drained, not to mention a world suffering so badly ... while we defend and fight for a relative handful of people at the top, who won the monopoly game of capitalism and now have all the money and power it buys.

When you think about the next decade and what's to come under their rule, do you see a great victory, peace and prosperity, or are we looking at Big Time destruction and a real life Big Brother?

A question thoughtful people should be asking is: suppose we did want to revolt, exactly how would we do that? History has given us truly great people, and it just makes sense that some exist among us today. BUT, if every time a Phil Donahue stands up, he gets knocked down, then how could anyone lead the opposition?

I don't know the answer to that question, other then to point to the Internet and hope some genius figures out how to use it as an effective organizational tool before I do (fwiw, I am working on this problem as a software developer).

Thoughtful people should check (Google) their trusted "news" sources to see if they are Zionist controlled. It's easy enough with Google to read what people who have spent time researching this question have to say, and the evidence they submit. For instance, search "murdoch zionist". Then, with this knowledge, either ignore or watch knowing that it's propaganda, not "news" as you expected (and trusted, thinking "news" is a public trust).

We're not without representation though, thanks to what the Internet provides today, but until it eats the TV, it's a minor player in the "news" dept. Nevertheless, there are some really good alternate news websites that have been developed over the years. Here's a list of some I try to follow, time permitting.

http://www.alternet.org/
http://www.democracynow.org/
http://www.commondreams.org/
http://www.antiwar.com/
http://www.truthdig.com/
http://www.counterpunch.org/
http://www.csmonitor.com/
http://www.salon.com/index.html
http://www.wired.com/
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/
http://www.dangerouscreation.com/
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

Just started looking at. Not sure what it's about yet
http://english.pravda.ru/

I just can't bring myself to spend a minute with anything related to Fox and Murdoch, but I do check out a few sites that I think at least soft peddle the propaganda (but are that nonetheless).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
http://www.drudgereport.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

I was very sad to add PBS to this list, after Bill Moyers was retired/removed

http://www.pbs.org/

--------------------

No sooner did I post the above then I went back to reading and found this gem:
The Mideast Burns by Eric Margolis

What makes it such a gem? In addition to his powerful message and clear assessment of the situation, compare what Eric saying with the MSM "news". Those are American tanks facing the people demanding democracy in Egypt. Do you see the "news" jumping up and down about this?

Eric goes on to say "The US media frame news of the regional intifada in terms of the faux war on terror, and a false choice between dictatorial "stability" and Islamic political extremism. Much of what’s happening is seen through Israel’s eyes, and is distorted. Burning Cairo should show how misguided we have been in our understanding of the Arab world."

Bill