| Progressive breakfast club headlines 12/27/08 "GAZA IS BUCKLING. WHILE THE WORLD WATCHES, A PEOPLE IS BEING DESTROYED." So says Ellen Cantarow, but her article on the subject suggests that the world is NOT watching, at least if the "destroying" power, Israel, can help it. Israel has recently denied access to Gaza of Richard Falk, a UN special envoy charged with reporting of humanitarian conditions in occupied territories. The New York Times "reports" to its reading world that the Israeli action was based on the fact that "some Israelis" find Falk's views to be offensively anti-Semitic. http://www.counterpunch.org/cantarow12262008.html WHAT DOES THE U.S.-TOUTED "REGIONAL APPROACH" TO THE AFGHAN WAR PRESAGE FOR ASIAN NATIONS? According to M.K. Bhadrakumar, this call by Admiral Mullen suggests an intensification of the Afghan war as "politics by other means," a way of advancing U.S. geo-political power in the region. India in particular is vulnerable to being drawn into this "regionalized" conflict as it alone, among the great powers and their satellites in central and south Asia, has hitched its diplomatic wagon to its foreign policy ties to the U.S. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21532.htm RHODE ISLAND TOWN MAKES A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT. Town of Central Falls, pop. 1900, landed in the 1990s the construction of the Wyatt Detention Center, designed as a facility in the war on drugs but, with the recent "crackdown" on illegal immigrants, has become a black hole of detention into which many of these immigrants are poured, including many residents of Central Falls itself. This New York Times feature article highlights a "burgeoning industry " across the country in which localities receive federal subsidies for every detainee housed in one of these facilities. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/us/27detain.html?_r=1&hp WILL CENTER FOR WATER ADVOCACY BAIL OUT TIM DeCHRISTOPHER? The Center tries to raise $1.7 million to purchase as preservation land what an environmental activist bid at a Bureau of Land Management auction of lands for oil and gas development near Utah's national park monuments. With an intention of disrupting the auction rather than purchasing the land, he may be charged with a "false statement" that he had the funds to pay if he won the bid. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/26-1 "IF THEY DON'T WANT TO BE PUBLIC, DON'T ASK FOR PUBLIC MONEY" says an Orange County commissioner in response to resistance to public auditing of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitor's Bureau. The agency has come under fire recently from revelations of lavish expenditures for "tourism" trips of executives. Heavily dependent on the county's "hotel tax" which was recently raised, more public figures are beginning to demand public accountability. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-cvb27x08dec27,0,1681273.story These headlines and following additional stories posted on website today. To read them, click http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ scroll below headlines and click on any article you want to read. ooo Air war is on in Gaza. ooo Mexican gays to Catholic Church: we're families too. ooo Rehab? Throw that kid in jail! ooo Bush's "ownership" society turns sour in Atlanta neighborhood. ooo Sorry guys: last pole dance has been danced in Brandon. ooo And more. Quote of the day: "If I am not willing to take a stand for my generation, then who will? This year I have come to terms with the idea that I might be my own best hope to defend my future. Hopefully all of us will realize that we are the ones we have been waiting for." Tim DeChristopher, against whom federal charges are pending for disrupting Utah land auction by making a bid for land in vicinity of national parks which he had no |
2008/12/27
Progressive breakfast club headlines 12/27/08 23456
Amerika Police State Now Armed with Electronic "Torture"
In their never ending pursuit of pain inducing technologies the U.S. government through the Department of Justice is developing not one but two light weight man portable laser and microwave pain bean weapons.
A modified version of a laser rifle originally developed by the U.S. Air Force is being tested for civilian law enforcement. The new weapons will be able to inflict pain on citizens at a distance.
Thank Goodness I Live in a Free Country
Thank Goodness I Live in a Free Country
by Don Cooper
I was talking with some friends over the Christmas holiday break and they were commenting on how lucky we are that we live in a free country where we have the liberty and the opportunity to live our lives the way we want and are not controlled by the government like in other countries.
So I started thinking about a particular day of mine a couple months ago:
I woke up in the morning in my FHA (Federal Housing Administration) approved home that was built in accordance with USDOE (Deptartment of Energy), FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), and numerous CFR's (Code of Federal Regulations).
I went to the bathroom to clean up for work. I showered with soap, shampoo and other toiletry products that have been approved for me by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) using water that meets federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) quality standards.
I took my morning vitamins which had to be approved by the FDA.
I went downstairs to eat breakfast foods that had to be approved by the FDA and listened to my morning radio programs which are regulated by the FCC (Federal Communication Commission).
I then got into my EPA and DOT (Dept. of Transportation) standards approved and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regulated car and was forced by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to buckle my seatbelt and put my daughter into an approved child seat. I then drove on DOT regulated roads and was forced to drive a certain speed while listening to more FCC approved programming on my radio.
I stopped for gas but there wasn't any due to state legislated gas quality restrictions which caused a decrease in the supply of gas and also gasoline price controls that kept the price so artificially low that there was an excess demand such that it sold out as soon as it arrived.
I arrived at my DOL (Dept. of Labor) regulated and EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) sanctioned place of employment, running on fumes, and was forced to work the first 2 hours of my 8 hour shift for the federal and state governments by giving almost 30% of my wages to the IRS and SSA (Social Security Administration) with no compensation.
At lunchtime I went with colleagues to eat and was forced to pay with the only medium of exchange the government approves that is regulated by the FRB (Federal Reserve Board): worthless fiat bank notes.
I then went to pick up my daughter from school where she's learning a DOE (Dept. of Education) approved curriculum. I took her to an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) approved doctor to get her HHS (Health and Human Services) mandated vaccinations that I learned she needed while watching a Disney family movie which was interrupted by an HHS PSA.
After returning to work I checked my SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and IRS regulated investments in my now federal treasury owned banks to see if I'll be able to retire someday since the SSA trust fund that I've been paying into for 25 years has been raided by the federal government and is now bankrupt.
That afternoon I had to catch a flight to our office in Detroit aboard an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved plane operating at an FAA regulated airport.
Before boarding I had to pass through a TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) security checkpoint where I was forced to disrobe down to my shirt, pants and socks and pass through a scanning machine that saw right through my remaining clothing.
Onboard I noticed federal sky marshals with weapons so I decided to have a cocktail composed of liquor that is controlled by the ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms) as are the sky marshal's guns.
Once sufficiently sedated with bourbon, I sat back and relaxed and thought to myself: Thank God I don't live in a country where the government controls your life!
December 27, 2008
2008/12/26
Concentration Camps in the United States of ???? in the Americans
News Updates from Citizens For Legitimate Government20 Dec 2008All items are here:Recently subpoenaed Bush/Rove IT expert, is Wellstoned: Pilot killed as plane crashes in Lake Twp. --Witness: 'It blew up and shook the ground a little bit.' 19 Dec 2008 (OH) A single-prop, private airplane crashed next to a vacant house on Charolais Street Northwest Friday evening, exploding into flames and killing the pilot. Michael Connell, 45, of Bath Township, was alone in the plane, according to State Highway Patrol Lt. Eric Sheppard. Connell was a prominent Republican political consultant. He founded New Media Communications in Richfield, which developed campaign Web sites for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and President [sic] George W. Bush.
Ohio Attorneys Seek Protection for Mike Connell and his Family against Alleged Threats from Karl Rove 24 Jul 2008 Sources close to the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act/RICO claim sent us a copy of a letter that asks Attorney General Mukasey for protection for Michael Connell and his family who have been allegedly threatened by Karl Rove. Rove is believed to be the strategic mastermind behind the Bush 2004 re-[s]-election campaign and the possible Ohio election improprieties. The alleged threats appear to be the result of the re-opening, through the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act/RICO claim, of the stalled investigation into the 2004 Ohio Elections.
Stark Co. plane crash: Who was Michael Connell? 20 Dec 2008 Michael Connell was killed when the Piper Supercub he was piloting crashed three miles short of an Akron-Canton Airport runway. He leaves behind a wife and four children. Connell, of Bath Township, is considered to be one of the Republican Party's top computer experts. He led the companies that designed websites for the GOP and a virtual who's-who list of republican political leaders including President [sic] George W. Bush, Senator John McCain, as well as national organizations. Connell developed a host of federal government software and data management systems. Connell is also said to be a close confidant of the Bush family. Earlier this year, Connell was subpoenaed to testify in an Ohio federal court regarding voter fraud just days before the November presidential election. His alleged intimate knowledge of White House and Capitol Hill email systems has been a hot topic of conversation for Washington insiders regarding the Karl Rove/White House email scandal.
Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Those who'd like to be added to the list can go here: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg and add your name.Those who wish to be removed from the list can access the same link and click 'unsubscribe.'
Please write to: signup at legitgov dot org for inquiries/issues/concerns with your subscription.CLG Managing Editor: Lori Price. Copyright © 2008, Citizens For Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved.
Cost of Government bailout hits $8.5 Trillion
Cost of Government bailout hits $8.5 Trillion, is a sum that represents 60 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.
The corporate news media is pretending this is not happening on such a gigantic scale, but this is going to affect your life.
First it is important to get a concept of the colossal amount we are speaking about, how much money is 8.5 Trillion dollars?
If dollars were seconds, how long is 8.5 trillion seconds?
The corporate news media is pretending this is not happening on such a gigantic scale, but this is going to affect your life.
First it is important to get a concept of the colossal amount we are speaking about, how much money is 8.5 Trillion dollars?
If dollars were seconds, how long is 8.5 trillion seconds?
One billion seconds is 31 years, 259 days.
One trillion seconds is 31,709 years 288 days.
8.5 trillion seconds is 269,533 years. Measured in time 8.5 trillion seconds would be from the year 267,525 BC until now!
If you lay 8.5 trillion one dollar bills end to end, that's 6.2 inches x 8.5 trillion / 12 inches in a foot/ 5,280 feet in a mile / 24,901 length of the equator in miles, which equals 33,402 times around the earth!
Or, think of it as a carpet of dollar bills which is 7,237 feet wide by 24,901 miles long.
If your mind hasn't been boggled you're not paying attention.
One wonders if most of this bailout will be added to the US national debt. This occurred after the savings and loan bailout. Recently, almost unnoticed, the national debt has already skyrocketed past the $10 Trillion mark!
Or measured in another way, the bailout so far equals $27,838 for every man, woman and child living in America! That's in addition to the $34,621 which is already your share of the national debt!
Sincerely William Peery
Kleptocracy [klep-tok-ruh-see] A government or state in which those in power experience recurrent urges to exploit national resources and steal from the citizenry; rule by a thief or thieves.
Excerpt from the 2008 Republican Platform: The Economy -- "Rebuilding Homeownership"
"...We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself. We believe in the free market as the best tool to sustained prosperity and opportunity for all. We encourage potential buyers to work in concert with the lending community to educate themselves about the responsibilities of purchasing a home, condo, or land."
http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/Economy.htm#6
Watch the Real news. http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=7&jumival=2860
Article from the San Francisco Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/26/MNVN14C8QR.DTL
Cost Of Bailout Hits $8.5 Trillion
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The total cost of funds committed to the bailout in its various guises has now hit $8.5 trillion dollars, up from $7.7 trillion in just two days after the federal government committed an additional $800 billion to two new loan programs on Tuesday.
The total amount of funds now committed equals a figure that represents 60 per cent of the U.S. gross domestic product.
Millions of Americans with savings accounts and pensions will ultimately pay the price because, as the San Francisco Chronicle admits today, "The Fed lends money from its own balance sheet or by essentially creating new money."
You'll also find this little snippet in the article, "Most of the money, about $5.5 trillion, comes from the Federal Reserve, which as an independent entity does not need congressional approval to lend money to banks or, in "unusual and exigent circumstances," to other financial institutions.
Just another reminder that the private, run for profit, Federal Reserve has the printing presses cranked on overdrive in order to bailout Wall Street and the big banks, while the homeowner and the middle class see their savings devalued out of existence.
"If you print money all the time, the money becomes worth less," warns Diane Lim Rogers, chief economist with the Concord Coalition, but its an empty threat to delirious traders and investors drunk on a record stock market rally after the government pumped more fake liquidity into the bloated bubble.
Veteran investor Jim Rogers echoed the sentiment, predicting the dollar is "going to lose its status as the world's reserve currency," adding, "It will be devalued and it will go down a lot. These guys in Washington, they want to debase the currency."
"They think that if you drive down the value of your money, it makes you more competitive, now that has never worked in history in the long term," said Rogers.
How long will it be before Americans realize the looming specter of hyperinflation spells disaster for their life savings? How long will it be before we see rioting in the streets on a par with the scenes witnessed in Iceland over the weekend, where the Icelandic krona has lost half its value in a matter of weeks?
Meanwhile, over in the UK, the government assured the vast majority of the population that they will "tax the rich" in order to pay for the bailout on the other side of the Atlantic, with whopping 61 per cent tax bands being levied on those earning over £100,000 a year.
Since when was £100,000 a year "rich"? After tax, even if someone was able to save half of their remaining income, it would take them around 30 years to save a million pounds, adjusting for inflation. That is not rich.
The reality of course is that it is the middle class who will once again foot the bill for everything, leaving the elite to prolong their con game of fiat money and imaginary credit , once again suckering the poor in for a lifetime of indentured financial servitude.
2008/12/25
Impeach Bush & Cheney: Use 9/11 Proof to make it happen
Impeach Bush & Cheney: Use 9/11 Proof to make it happen
We now have irrefutable evidence that the twin towers were demolished by deliberate and pre-meditated, controlled demolition yet, the media and even anti-war groups remain silent.
Activist groups say "Impeach Bush" for war crimes - but they seem to cut and run from taking on the Mother of all War Crimes... 9/11.
Even groups whose members know 9/11 was an inside job would rather be accused as "9/11 Gatekeepers" than take advantage of the seismic evidence currently available to win their battle in court.
I frequently receive pleas from Veterans For Peace asking me to make an extra donation to support their effort to Impeach Bush. But even this proud Peace group refuses to acknowledge the 9/11 lie as a tool in their costly goal to see Bush and Cheney in prison. Although I support VFP's considerable good deeds, I simply can't support an impeachment effort that refuses to win.
Unless we consolidate to act now, the truth about 9/11 will be delayed, only to re-surface after decades as part of the public record of de-classified government documents - just as they always have in the past. Criminals who could have been found guilty of mass murder, genocide and war crimes will have long gone free or died. No justice will be served with the result that war will continue as the inevitable solution to executing America's "foreign policy".
Anti-War groups and Veterans for Peace are invited to claim the proof of 9/11 to prosecute the criminals for their crimes and realize America's best chance to stop the False Flags of government sponsored terrorism that threaten to take us to war, again.
After all, 9/11 Truth is an Anti-war group too.
no Chemtrails were observed over Gainesville
NASA agrees with local observers that no Chemtrails were observed over Gainesville or SE Florida on 12/24/08.
Incoming Commercial Air traffic was high to ORL and MIA. Observed approx 3 minute seperation on 2 North/South corridors.
Chemtrails suspended for safety reasons? That's a laugh.
Threatened by Rove, IT Guru Dies "Tragically"
December 23, 2008
Story of the Day:
Threatened by Rove, IT Guru Dies Tragically, MSM MIA
(updated below)
Philosophical corporate media question: If the biggest potential whistle-blower since "Deep Throat" dies an untimely death and the mainstream media doesn't cover it, did it really happen?
Last Friday evening, Michael Connell, a top IT consultant to Karl Rove, the Bush administration and the Republican National Party died when his single-engine plane crashed into a vacant house in Ohio. No one else was on board. Connell, Rove's IT guru, created the alternate email system for the White House -- the one about which the Bush administration claims an untold number of emails were destroyed -- and was set to testify as a key witness in a lawsuit claiming fraud in the 2004 Presidential Election in Ohio, in which he was alleged to have helped electronically flip votes.
It is Tuesday morning, four days after Connell's plane fell from the sky. What could possibly be the mainstream media's justification for so conspicuously ignoring a story of this magnitude?
According to a LexisNexis search conducted by MediaBloodhound, the extent of US national media coverage, in which Connell is both named as the man who died in the crash and is at least acknowledged to have worked for the Bush administration, consists of one 130-word Associated Press story. It called Connell a "Republican media consultant who helped operate campaign Web sites for President Bush and former presidential nominee John McCain." It also reported, "Connell was the CEO and founder of Cleveland-based New Media Communications, which built campaign Web sites for Bush and McCain, according to the company's Web site. The site says the company also worked with the Ohio Republican Party, the Republican National Committee and other political groups."
That's it. The rest of the information regarded details of the plane crash.
All suspicions of foul play aside -- and while none are being alleged here, it would be neither responsible nor logical, given the context, to rule anything out until more facts are known -- consider what we already do know.
Investigative journalist Larisa Alexandrovna has since gone public that Connell was a major source in her investigation into the email system he set up and related matters. Pertaining to the "destroyed" White House emails, she said that "what Connell is alleged to have done is move these files to other servers after having allegedly scrubbed the files from all "known" Karl Rove accounts."
Alexandrovna also wrote, "I have reason to believe that the alternate accounts were used to communicate with US Attorneys involved in political prosecutions, like that of Don Siegelman" and "Mike was getting ready to talk. He was frightened." She said she visited Connell's home and he'd confided to her that he was being threatened, "something that his attorneys also told the judge in the Ohio election fraud case."
We have the email that attorney Cliff Arnebeck sent to Attorney General Michael Mukasey on July 24, 2008, expressly requesting protection for his client: "We have been confidentially informed by a source we believe to be credible that Karl Rove has threatened Michael Connell, a principal witness we have identified in our King Lincoln case in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, that if he does not agree to 'take the fall' for election fraud in Ohio, his wife Heather will be prosecuted for supposed lobby law violations." (Read full email here; scroll down after jump.) Five months passed; Mukasey never provided protection.
19 Action News in Cleveland reported that Connell "was apparently told by a close friend not to fly his plane because his plane might be sabotaged." Calling Connell's death "untimely," 19 Action News reporter Blake Chenault also reported, "And twice in the last two months Connell, who is an experienced pilot, cancelled two flights because of suspicious problems with his plane."
Connell was allegedly a linchpin in the biggest maze of White House scandal this country's ever seen, yet the national news media is a no-show.
What caused Connell's crash is only one piece of this story. One that, as in many such stories, may or may never be confirmed. Pilot error? Aircraft malfunction? Weather conditions? Foul play? Suicide? Heart attack? A thorough investigation needs to take place. Part of what the media should be doing is making sure that happens.
But everything that has already been confirmed, having nothing to do with the crash, should also have the national media covering this with at least as much gusto as "BlaggoGate" or, say, Britney's comeback or Brangelina's pre-nup. So far, though, in a replay of journalistic fecklessness rife during the Bush years, mum's the word.
UPDATE: Apparently, not long after I posted this piece, CBS/AP actually published a fairly substantive article (h/t Brad Friedman) on the Connell story. This is encouraging, and CBS and the AP deserve credit for getting the ball rolling in the mainstream. Let's hope such coverage builds and doesn't end here. We'll definitely check back after some holiday cheer and see how this shakes out in the coming days.
Bradblog.com server was down at time of this posting. Used Media Blood-hound source, instead.
2008/12/24
On-scene Video: Crash of Mike Connell's aircraft
Loel Stein and freind arrive on the crash scene with a video camera sometime after 6PM.
Fire-rescue arrived after Loel was already rolling video on the scene.
Quotes from audio:
"We were outside"
"We heard the plane going down".
"We heard the engine accelerating"
"We heard the explosion"
This implies the crash was not caused by an engine-out failure.
The aircraft is used in training. It's an inherently safe, high-wing aircraft.
ie: If a student pilot should lose control or go into a spin, the procedure is to take your hands off
the yoke so the aircraft can automatically stabilize without interference from the bone-head student pilot.
It was likely a catastrophic failure with sudden loss of a wing, tail section or damaged control lines.
Picture of a Piper SuperCub aircraft:
We heard the plane go down, called 911, and arrived on the seen within 1-2 minutes to capture this video. Here is a news report that explains the event in detail;
"Mike Connell- A top level Republican IT consultant who was set to testify in a case alleging GOP election tampering in Ohio died in a plane crash late Friday night.
Michael Connell -- founder of Ohio-based New Media Communications, which created campaign Web sites for George W. Bush and John McCain -- died instantly after his single-prop, private aircraft smashed into a vacant home in suburban Lake Township, Ohio.
"The plane was attempting to land around 6 p.m. Friday at Akron-Canton Airport when it crashed about three miles short of the runway," reports the Akron Beacon Journal.
Connell's exploits as a top GOP IT 'guru' have been well documented by RAW STORY's investigative team.
The interest in Mike Connell stems from his association with a firm called GovTech, which he had spun off from his own New Media Communications under his wife Heather Connells name. GovTech was hired by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to set up an official election website at election.sos.state.oh.us to presented the 2004 presidential returns as they came in.
Connell is a long-time GOP operative, whose New Media Communications provided web services for the Bush-Cheney 04 campaign, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Republican National Committee and many Republican candidates. This in itself might have raised questions about his involvement in creating Ohios official state election website.
However, the alternative media group ePlubibus Media further discovered in November 2006 that election.sos.state.oh.us was hosted on the servers of a company in Chattanooga, TN called SmarTech, which also provided hosting for a long list of Republican Internet domains.
Since early this decade, top Internet gurus in Ohio have been coordinating web services with their GOP counterparts in Chattanooga, wiring up a major hub that in 2004, first served as a conduit for Ohio's live election night results, researchers at ePluribus Media wrote.
A few months after this revelation, when a scandal erupted surrounding the firing of US Attorneys for reasons of White House policy, other researchers found that the gwb43 domain used by members of the White House staff to evade freedom of information laws by sending emails outside of official White House channels was hosted on those same SmarTech servers.
Given that the Bush White House used SmarTech servers to send and receive email, the use of one of those servers in tabulating Ohios election returns has raised eyebrows. Ohio gave Bush the decisive margin in the Electoral College to secure his reelection in 2004.
IT expert Stephen Spoonamore says the SmartTech server could have functioned as a routing point for malicious activity and remains a weakness in electronic voting tabulation.
"...I have reason to believe that the alternate accounts were used to communicate with US Attorneys involved in political prosecutions, like that of Don Siegelman," said RAW STORY's Investigative News Editor, Larisa Alexandrovna, on her personal blog Saturday morning. "This is what I have been working on to prove for over a year. In fact, it was through following the Siegelman-Rove trail that I found evidence leading to Connell. That is how I became aware of him. Mike was getting ready to talk. He was frightened.
"He has flown his private plane for years without incident. I know he was going to DC last night, but I don't know why. He apparently ran out of gas, something I find hard to believe. I am not saying that this was a hit nor am I resigned to this being simply an accident either. I am no expert on aviation and cannot provide an opinion on the matter. What I am saying, however, is that given the context, this event needs to be examined carefully."
"Mr. Connell has confided that he was being threatened, something that his attorneys also told the judge in the Ohio election fraud case," concluded Alexandrovna.
An FAA investigation into the causes of Connell's plane crash is underway, but no results are expected for several weeks."
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