A New Declaration of Independence

A New Declaration of Independence By Alex Pareene

"The weight of the 1 Percent has become intolerable. How can we take our country back? Here's a fresh draft"

Not a bad start


Bill

Iraq War’s Lessons Lost on US

Iraq War’s Lessons Lost on US by Ramzy Baroud

"It might take us years to truly understand the magnitude of what has since transpired in Iraq. Death and destruction have hovered over the country, killing and wounding hundreds of thousands, sending millions into exile and millions more have been classified by U.N. agencies as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). It was a horror show that cannot be captured with the language of reason, but every moment of it was experienced by millions of ordinary people, punished severely for a crime they never committed."

Bill

Occupy Wall Street Job # 1: election campaign reform

At some point the mission for the OWS movement will have to be clearly defined.

Supporters need to know exactly what they are supporting (they are totally tired of the BS propaganda machine), and the establishment needs to know exactly what defeated them.

It's gotta fit on a license plate, as has been said of movement anthems.

Can we distill the list of issues to one?

Yes.

That single issue is election campaign reform.

By removing money from the process, which can be done (I'll explain my own design in a follow-up post, but I have no doubt there are other, better designs), we can replace the entire Washington establishment with knowledgeable and public service oriented people who truly represent the best interests of the people of this country. Without being beholden to this or that special interest, our representatives can actually represent our best interests. We need highly educated people because we need their knowledge. What we must divest ourselves of is the greedy special interests who planted their candidates (minions) in positions of power.

If Obama taught us anything, it's the degree to which politicians today can lie to get into office and bear no accountability nor suffer any consequences whatsoever for having done so. Bush brought this to new heights, but Obama put him to shame. The fact that he continues to live in the White House today is proof positive that he is the veritable poster child for this reality.

What we have today is alien to the spirit and letter of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. And it's getting worse, possibly headed to worse on a scale we can't even imagine. It's critically important to understand that they have the power today and they have no intention whatsoever of losing it. It things to get worse and they feel threatened with losing the power, they may very well launch what's left of it (actually, the worst of it, the Big Guns).

What is this power that they have and we must take away?

It's the power to have launched a military invasion of the Middle East for the purpose of seizing and establishing military authority in the region. This plan is being implemented by the Zionist soldiers and their hired hands in Washington and Wall Street. Perhaps you've seen or read of the death and destruction for so many innocent people they've caused so far. That's nothing compared to what will happen if the pull down the Big Guns.


Bill

What We Can Learn from Germany: How Countries With Publicly Owned Banks Do Better Than America

What We Can Learn from Germany: How Countries With Publicly Owned Banks Do Better Than America By Ellen Brown

"Publicly owned banks were instrumental in funding Germany's "economic miracle" after the devastation of World War II. Although the German public banks have been targeted in the last decade for takedown by their private competitors, the model remains a viable alternative to the private profiteering being protested on Wall Street today."

Bill

Cambodia's Khmer Rouge trial to start next month

Cambodia's Khmer Rouge trial to start next month by Associated Press

""Many Cambodians have waited more than 30 years for this day, where those accused of being part of the Khmer Rouge leadership who designed the policies that allegedly lead to crimes throughout Cambodia are being put on trial," tribunal spokesman Lars Olsen said"

The question of this, our hour is when will Bush and the Neocon gang be put on trial for war crimes involving the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Iraq and the Middle East?


Bill

Why Obama is targeting Iran

War and the Return of Populism Why Obama is targeting Iran by Justin Raimondo

"A war, at this moment in time, would amount to the equivalent of the TARP program for American politicians: it would bail them out of a world of trouble. Which means: war with Iran is a near certainty. The only question is when."

Bill

Beyond the Battlefield: As Wounded Veterans Struggle To Recover, Caregivers Share The Pain

Beyond the Battlefield: As Wounded Veterans Struggle To Recover, Caregivers Share The Pain by David Wood

"Given that Bryan volunteered to serve his country and came home wounded, Cheryl said, it's "hard not to feel bitter, enraged, cheated, lied to and left high and dry." "

Read this article for well expressed insight into the nature of the people who hijacked our government's foreign policy. Not only did they launch a massively criminal invasion of the Middle East for their own interests, they treat the casualties like this.

If this article doesn't do it, then what does it take to get people to do something? America has hundreds of millions of people. How could we let an evil sliver of our population do this to us and our country?

Every single action they've taken with American foreign policy in the Middle East has been an utter failure, and it was all based on lies and deceit. But this, the treatment of our children who they ate up and spit out is the most disgraceful act of all. Let's make no mistake about one thing: they are a pack of merciless killers.


Bill

OWS revisited

OWS: Are Mindless Americans Falling Prey to the Collectivist Trap? by Patrick Henningsen

Interesting and informative article that starts with a critique on the "people's microphone" system used by the OWS protesters.

Next is another aspect of great interest: where the money comes from. CIA?

Then the (all too expected!) bombshell:

"If you take into account the level by which the Occupy Wall Street movement has already been co-opted by the ‘progressives’ and the Democratic Party, and endorsed whole-heartedly by staunch globalists within the US power-structure like Ben Bernanke, President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, this writer believes strongly that OWS will likely morph into a permanent left wing counter-weight to the now Republican co-opted Tea Party movement.

The movement may have grown organically, but as we saw with Ron Paul’s initial Tea Party spark in 2007, once a movement’s political gravity reached a certain stage, the establishment quickly deploys its professional agitators, political operatives and mainstream media gate keepers in order to control its motion and shepherd its evolution. Already, the mainstream media have injected the talking point which most Americans are already parroting, that is: “America’s Occupy Movement is the Democrats’ equivalent to the Tea Party”."

Bill

Tavis Smiley

I'm really developing a like for this guy. Tonight's show highlighted poverty and the food shortage felt by so many people across America.

"Thus, one in five children in the United States lives in poverty. Almost half of these children (9.3 percent) live in extreme poverty"

It's a national disgrace and we should all be ashamed of letting capitalism eat our democracy. We're way past time to take it back.

And, you know, those at the top - they are in a world of their own and aren't even listening to anything we have to say. Sure, they have many soldier minions well versed to go into attack mode whenever someone starts shining lights at the bosses, but you know, their thinking is just so wrong that how could they NOT call attention to themselves by people of any decent level of education and even rudimentary awareness of the world around us.

See this article "OWS Protester Proclaims ‘The Jews Control Wall St.’ In Zuccotti Park Rant and the reader responses to see an example of what I said above about the soldiers coming out.

And be sure to check out Tavis Smiley's Poverty Tour ... and think about it. I've seen a few of his other shows and he's one of those rare voices on TV. Reminds me a little of Bill Moyers who was removed from the screen.



Bill

The Real Story of How Israel Was Created

The Real Story of How Israel Was Created by Alison Weir

The scope and significance of this article by Alison Weir goes far beyond what the title suggests. The totality of the picture painted by Alison (which I confirm with my years of study and thousands of papers by people I've come to trust and respect), will astonish, I suspect, many millions people who simply don't know these things. The facts are that America is buried in debt, rapidly becoming a nightmare police state, in a military quagmire in the Middle East, and gaining the scorn of the world for this nightmarish behavior.

Make no mistake about it, the American empire is crumbling as we speak. We can't manage the national debt, and we can't win - or even get out of - the military invasion of the Middle East. The Zionists, having played the key role in getting the invasion launched, and given their present attitude, will not tolerate anything but success. For it not to succeed, i.e. military withdrawn, aka failure, Israel will be all alone and surrounded by it's many enemies.

The good news that can come of this is that, rather then ruling the Middle East, the Zionists will have to bury their hatred, declare all of Israel/Palestine a united democracy, and learn to live in peace with their neighbors.

The bad news is that I (and many people, I suspect) am an optimist. I keep thinking "it will get better" - somehow. But it hasn't gotten better, it's gotten worse, steadily, and the decline started long before the invasion of the ME, but certainly since that fateful day.

Every American should read Alison's essays - and think about it. Then talk with family and friends. DO SOMETHING!

There's another important, related piece by Alison, The History of Israel-US Relations which is on her website, which contain other writing and research.

Reading material on this subject is piled high on the internet. Google "neocon video" to find some websites with video presentations, but for the most thoughtful material there's no substitute for reading. Alison Weir's papers are a very good start. From there, do some searches and follow your curiosity.


Bill

Occupy Wall Street: 'We're Mad As Hell and We're Not Going to Take It Anymore'

Occupy Wall Street: 'We're Mad As Hell and We're Not Going to Take It Anymore' By David Morris

"The 2011 Academy Award for best documentary went to Inside Job, a searing indictment of Wall Street. Its director, Charles Ferguson, told the audience, “Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by financial fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that’s wrong.”

Seven hundred Wall Street protestors were arrested in a single day. They were disrupting traffic. The CEOs of Wall Street firms disrupted the lives of hundreds of millions."

Bill

#OccupyWallStreet - clips

Educating #OccupyWallStreet Protesters: The 5 Essential Facts by Saman Mohammadi

"The Occupy Wall Street protesters have breathed life into America’s on-the-ground political scene. They deserve our praise and they need our support. But, they also need a little education.

It is arrogant for protesters to think they understand how the world financial system works just because they saw the documentary “Inside Job” by Charles Ferguson. The situation is more complicated and complex than what is portrayed in that film, or any single film. It is good to watch many documentaries that have different viewpoints.

...

There is no point in slashing the arm of the financial dragon when the evil heart is left intact. In order to create true reform in Washington and restore the U.S. constitution the illegal and corrupt Federal Reserve System must be destroyed."

Occupy Wall Street Hijacked by Special Interests – Alex Jones Emergency Broadcast by Alex Jones

"Alex Jones will gives a special broadcast today on the Occupy Wall Street protests that have been swelling for weeks. His worst concerns have been confirmed about the true nature of who has been steering the demonstrations."

Bill

Is the War on Terror a Hoax?

Is the War on Terror a Hoax? by Paul Craig Roberts

"In the past decade, Washington has killed, maimed, dislocated, and made widows and orphans millions of Muslims in six countries, all in the name of the “war on terror.” Washington’s attacks on the countries constitute naked aggression and impact primarily civilian populations and infrastructure and, thereby, constitute war crimes under law. Nazis were executed precisely for what Washington is doing today.

Moreover the wars and military attacks have cost American taxpayers in out-of-pocket and already-incurred future costs at least $4,000 billion dollars – one third of the accumulated public debt – resulting in a US deficit crisis that threatens the social safety net, the value of the US dollar and its reserve currency role, while enriching beyond all previous history the military/security complex and its apologists.

Perhaps the highest cost of Washington’s “war on terror” has been paid by the US Constitution and civil liberties. Any US citizen that Washington accuses is deprived of all legal and constitutional rights. The Bush-Cheney-Obama regimes have overturned humanity’s greatest achievement – the accountability of government to law."

The Day America Died: The only Future for Americans is a Nightmare by Dr. Paul Craig Roberts

"Many expected President Obama to re-establish the accountability of government to law. Instead, he went further than Bush/Cheney and asserted the unconstitutional power not only to hold American citizens indefinitely in prison without bringing charges, but also to take their lives without convicting them in a court of law. Obama asserts that the US Constitution notwithstanding, he has the authority to assassinate US citizens, who he deems to be a “threat,” without due process of law.

In other words, any American citizen who is moved into the threat category has no rights and can be executed without trial or evidence.

...

But what Awlaki did or might have done is beside the point. The US Constitution requires that even the worst murderer cannot be punished until he is convicted in a court of law.

...

As civilian and military leaders have been telling us for years, the war on terror is a 30-year project. After such time has passed, the presidency will have completed its transformation into Caesarism, and there will be no going back.

Indeed, as the neoconservative “Project For A New American Century” makes clear, the war on terror is only an opening for the neoconservative imperial ambition to establish US hegemony over the world.

...

Readers ask me what they can do. Americans not only feel powerless, they are powerless. They cannot do anything. The highly concentrated, corporate-owned, government-subservient print and TV media are useless and no longer capable of performing the historic role of protecting our rights and holding government accountable. Even many antiwar Internet sites shield the government from 9/11 skepticism, and most defend the government’s “righteous intent” in its war on terror. Acceptable criticism has to be couched in words such as “it doesn’t serve our interests.”

Voting has no effect. President “Change” is worse than Bush/Cheney. As Jonathan Turley suggests, Obama is “the most disastrous president in our history.” Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate who stands up for the Constitution, but the majority of Americans are too unconcerned with the Constitution to appreciate him.

To expect salvation from an election is delusional. All you can do, if you are young enough, is to leave the country. The only future for Americans is a nightmare."

Bill

Internet firms co-opted for surveillance: experts

Internet firms co-opted for surveillance: experts By Georgina Prodhan

We knew this was coming, but maybe we didn't know how fast and furious is would happen.

" "(Reuters) - Internet companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook are increasingly co-opted for surveillance work as the information they gather proves irresistible to law enforcement agencies, Web experts said this week."

...

Demands from governments for Internet companies to hand over user information have become routine, according to online privacy researcher and activist Christopher Soghoian, who makes extensive use of freedom-of-information requests in his work.

"Every decent-sized U.S. telecoms and Internet company has a team that does nothing but respond to requests for information," Soghoian told Reuters in an interview.

Soghoian estimates that U.S. Internet and telecoms companies may receive about 300,000 such requests in connection with law enforcement each year -- but public information is scarce.

While U.S. courts are obliged to publish reports on wire-tapping of telephone lines, no similar information is required to be made public with respect to the Internet -- which grew up after the laws on electronic communications were passed."

Bill

Saving the Rich, Losing the Economy

Saving the Rich, Losing the Economy by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

"Economic policy failed for three reasons: (1) policymakers focused on enabling offshoring corporations to move middle class jobs, and the consumer demand, tax base, GDP, and careers associated with the jobs, to foreign countries, such as China and India, where labor is inexpensive; (2) policymakers permitted financial deregulation that unleashed fraud and debt leverage on a scale previously unimaginable; (3) policymakers responded to the resulting financial crisis by imposing austerity on the population and running the printing press in order to bail out banks and prevent any losses to the banks regardless of the cost to national economies and innocent parties."

Prophets Of Doom: 12 Shocking Quotes From Insiders

" #1 George Soros: “Financial markets are driving the world towards another Great Depression with incalculable political consequences. The authorities, particularly in Europe, have lost control of the situation.” "

...

#11 Ann Barnhardt, head of Barnhardt Capital Management, Inc.: “It’s over. There is no coming back from this. The only thing that can happen is a total and complete collapse of EVERYTHING we now know, and humanity starts from scratch. And if you think that this collapse is going to play out without one hell of a big hot war, you are sadly, sadly mistaken.”

Bill

Rachel Maddow Questions Legality Of Anwar al-Awlaki Killing

Rachel Maddow Questions Legality Of Anwar al-Awlaki Killing

Of course there are legal questions about the killing of an American citizen without due process!

Commentary: An unasked question

There's an angle to all this that wants to be discussed, and seems on the tip of someone's tongue, yet never comes out: they killed this guy because they say he's one of the top 3 most dangerous people in the world, that he's encouraged people to kill Americans and deserves summary execution. If you've been watching TV or reading the papers, you've seen the arguments.

What you may not have seen is an unasked question: let's say we kill the top 3 today, then the next top 3 the day after, and so on. How many top 3's are there out there, and how many are being recruited by the killings?

How many people in this world of 6 billion, with over 1 billion being Muslim, hate Americans? Is that number growing or lessening?

Without any more examination, it must be clear that we'll be killing people for generations to come. Even if we kill 3,000 people who hate us a week, it will take a year to kill less then 1% of a population that size.

And, at exactly what point does the blowback start? Does anyone know? Seems to me that having sown so much hatred for us among so many people, it's only a matter of time before we're attacked again. Perhaps in a big way, for some of us.

The invasion of Iraq, alone, killed - murdered - hundreds of thousands of innocent people. The pain of the survivors reaches across the Middle East, all the way to Palestine, so these extra-judicial murders are merely pints of gas on a raging fire.

And now innocent people are being murdered by robots in the sky. Not just a few, thousands of them have been built. Maybe they cover thousands of miles each day? Think about how would you feel if one of those machines flew over your neighborhood? Would you cower - for how long? - or would you join some army to make them go away, for good?

We're at least a decade into the "might makes right" handling of the hatred we've sown with Muslims over our one-side backing of Israel and the bullying of nations throughout the Middle East, and of treating Arabs/Muslims with less respect then they demand. The disgraceful treatment of the Palestinians has been going on for decades and it's nothing less then American's disgrace and shame. It's not hard to understand why a growing number of people in the Middle East and perhaps around the world would hate us.

We've got no shortage of enemies, and with each passing day and more people killed in our name, by the Neocon war on terror, the list only grows. We can kill them by the truckload, hourly, and there will be another truckload. We simply can't kill them all. We slaughtered some 3 million people in Vietnam, and they still kept coming. Was that a lesson to anyone? And Pakistan alone has over 160 million people.

It's insanity - that's what we're looking at with this country's behavior in the Middle East - all in our name. When will Americans accept that might does NOT make right, and an eye for an eye will only make us all blind (Ghandi).

Further thinking will lead one to wonder if the people who seized America's media and political strings (among others!), the NeoCon gang and their tentacles, are actually crazy. Perhaps gifted in some ways, but loony as a hatter in another. It's possible.

Or, perhaps they have a twisted plan to keep escalating until something Big pops to gives them the excuse to pull out the Big Guns and kill their enemies by the millions.

Maybe they rationalize as vital for the security of Israel, or even a globally necessary population control? Regardless, they are on a mission to establish military authority in the Middle East. They argue that while we still have the advantage and power to wipe out our enemies without a M.A.D. response, we should use it. Reading the NeoCon PNAC Statement of Principles provides some insight into the workings of the mind that thinks this way, and the one that has already duped us into the launching of that invasion.


Bill