Repug Democracy in Action

In an act of intrasigence to fit the times, Rep. Thelma Drake(Repug) of Virgina, responded to to constituents trying to deliver letters against the escalation of troops to Iraq by locking her office and calling the police. Activist Tom Palumbo, a veteran now faces charges of criminal trespass for refusing to leave without meeting with his misrepresentative and deliver the letters. This is the neocon version of democracy in action.

Hoax Admitted

Admitting what we all knew, General Powell's chief of staff state that a Hoax was perpetrated on the American people and the world. This hoax of course was put together by the junta of neocons who have hijacked out nation. Let the prosecutions begin.

Fleeing Rats Signal Neocon Demise

While the neocons build up to attacking Iran it seems the more traditional Repugs are in revolt. In the video below, Sen Ron Paul, a Texas Repug attacks the neocon agneda as radically out of step with "conservative values." His attempt to paint the "left" as responsible for every war from Vietnam to Kosovo is ludicrous but then, Clinton and LBJ are considered "left" to him. They were anything but. Clinton espcially was a corporate conservative much like barry Goldwater. When it comes to making war, both heads of the Corporate Party are ususally in agreement, nevertheless, Sen. Paul in indicative of a revolt from the failures of the disasterous neocon debacle.

Diplomacy and Resistance

Iran is working with the IAEA and honestly offering reasonable alternatives in seeking a diplomatic settlement of the nuclear issue.
Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, said Iran could give the West guarantees that its nuclear programme was peaceful if there were negotiations without pre-conditions.
Asked what Iran was seeking, Larijani replied "constructive dialogue that could ... address the concerns" both of Tehran and of the world powers.

Speaking in Vienna on Tuesday, he said: "Concerns about possible deviations of Iran's activities in the future" can be "settled at the negotiating table.
"We would give necessary guarantees that there will be no deviation ever towards nuclear weapons."

The neocon regime is demanding preconditions of total suspension and doing it's best to set up obstacles to undermine diplomacy and justify the use of force where none is required. The obvious reason is that an attack on Iran is on their agenda just as the invasion of Iraq was. Nothing will stop them short of removal from office.

Moves Toward Martial Law

Many or the legal foundations of fascism have been esconced in the Patriot Acts I and II but have not been implimented because thus far, there has been no percieved need but as public anger and protest rises the pollibility increases. In a new move, two provisions buried in the new defense budget bill would make it easier for president to declare martial law. As the Times reports,"The provision, signed into law in October, weakens two obscure but important bulwarks of liberty. One is the doctrine that bars military forces, including a federalized National Guard, from engaging in law enforcement. Called posse comitatus, it was enshrined in law after the Civil War to preserve the line between civil government and the military. The other is the Insurrection Act of 1807, which provides the major exemptions to posse comitatus. It essentially limits a president’s use of the military in law enforcement to putting down lawlessness, insurrection and rebellion, where a state is violating federal law or depriving people of constitutional rights."

There is a bill to repeal these provisions being put forth by Sen Leahy (D) of Vermont and Christopher Bond (R) of Missouri.

Putting Things in Perspective

As the talking heads bicker and the presidential hopefulls carefully walk the tightrope of opportunist propaganda, Riverbend puts the Iraqi experience in perspective. She's right and the neocons hope only to expand the nightmare to Iran and the entire region.

Deja vu All Over Again?

Hillary Clinton like other politicians try to defend their original support of the illegal attacks on Iraq by claiming to have bought the intelligence presented by the necons, despite the reality that most of us common folk could see through the lies even then. There's no excuse.
As the neocons and their shills at the New York Times crank up the demonisation of Iran as a threat, it's vital to know and publicize the countervailing realities in order to expose the lies.

Pre-emptive Dethroning in the Public Interest

Ralph Nader is at it again. Being an American hero, that is. Nader is threatening another presidential run if the Democrats select Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or another shallow corporate politician as their candidate in '07. Since 2000 the DLC has promulgated the lie that Nader is a "spoiler" and blamed Bush's ascendency on him. This is bunk and dangerous bunk at that. The 2000 election is a well documented theft. In spite of mis-cast (Jews for Buchannon) and stolen votes, in spite of thousands denied the vote and inspite of Nader, Gore had more votes (but less balls). If you buy the DLC spoiler line then not only do you demonize Nader for providing an alternative, you demonize any possibility of alternatives. You condemn yourself and the rest of us to having to support coporate shills pre-selected by Dem/Repug kingmakers and you disempower yourself. Those who take that track lack what Nader has. He has political saavy. In making his threat to run, he is using Dems fear against them to try to force them to put forth a candidate with integrity, a candidate not for sale or already owned by corporate interests, a candidate with a popular agenda and a track record of standing up to the forces that are destroying our nation and world. He is continuing to be a watchdog for the public interests, So far the only candidate that meets those requirements is Dennis Kucinich. If your don't want Nader to run, maybe you should consider Dennis. Let's hope the dems pay attention becuase candidates like Hillary Clinton make many of us want to Ralph.

Stop Underwriting Empire

As we can see, our Congress is wasting time blowing the hot air of empty opportunism around meaningless "non-binding resolutions." Though this provides those in Congress with the ability to say that they voiced their opposition -- at least ceremoniously, it does nothing to stop an arrogant administration bent on disaster. How can they be stopped? I and others have suggested a national stay at home strike but, though a worthwhile and important tactic, it is difficult to pull off in the needed numbers. I have called for an international embargo as well but another idea is that the international community drop the dollar as a means of exchange and switch to the Euro. This would effectively end our ability to, as Vladimir Putin says, act outside of international law employing "almost uncontained" use of force around the world by creating an economic crisis. It's time for the global community to pull the plug on US militarist aggression and the dangerous extremism of the neocons.

Why We Fight

Why we fight? Oil & War, a well written synopsis.

Also, I was listening to the radio the other day (NPR) and heard an explanation of why we must be involved as a nation in Africa, particulary the horn of Africa. The familiar reasons: Oil and Terrorism. This translates clearly to the bottom line for those who pay attention. "Oil" mean the interests of empire in controlling oil and "Terrorism" means resistance to the interests of empire by those inconvenient locals. Broken down that equation is Terrorism = resistance.

The World Must Act to Stop US!

In the latest provocation against Iran, it appears that we have kidnapped an Iranian diplomat in Baghdad. This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated, Our nation has become a rogue state tyhat presents clear and present danger to world peace as well as to the very future of the species due to it's intrangisent positions on the crisis of global warming. It's time for the world to take action and intitate an economic embargo of the US pending regime change and a return to international norms of civilized behavior. If our own Congress seems incapable of changing our direction and preventing expansion of our aggression, the world will have to act to stop us.

The Raw Deal

The Repug agenda has always been about undoing the "New Deal," the "Great Society" and any other social services it is ideologically opposed to; SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, Public education, in fact, public anything. Generally they do their damage by blowing the budget so that "painful cuts have to be made" to balance the budget. The Dimascraps will make the cuts to be fiscally responsible and the the Repugs come back and do it again. The neocons have added "War Without End" as the ultimate budget bomb and now, the punch line, glut the pentagon and screw us:

– “$77 billion in funding cuts for Medicare and Medicaid over the next five years, and $280 billion over the next 10.”

– $223 million in funding cuts (4 percent decrease from this year’s levels) to the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

– “$4.9 billion, or 8 percent, cut in education, training, employment and social services” grants.

– $100 million cut for Head Start, which provides child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families.

– “$2.4 billion cut in community and regional development grants — which often provide funding for low- and middle-income communities — to $16.5 billion from $18.9 billion.

– $400 million — 18 percent — cut in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, “which provides $2.2 billion to help people pay heating bills this year.”

– $172 million — nearly 25 percent — cut in funding for housing for low-income seniors.
This insane attempt to shift money from us to the Pentagon and Halliburton is a turkey that won't fly. It shows clearly that to these thugs, working Americans are the enemy too.

Global Last Call

Barring unforseen good fortune, global revolution or amazing technological breakthrough, scientists have determined that Lovelock was right and the jig is up. So enjoy the next decade or two, drink good booze, and do what you can to undermine the capitalist paradigm. Our only chance of survival is to build a global cooperative, otherwise the next century will see us reduced to small bands of cannibals clinging to life in formerly arctic regions.

Swimming Backwards Against the Tide

Even as the American People are demanding an end to the occupation of Iraq and Congress begins a show response, Bush demands record funding for his debacle. And worse, his demand for 450 Billion dollars more is to require cuts in US healthcare! Not only is he intent on sacrificing more of our soldeirs on the altar of a meaningless war but he is upping the ante and sacrificing Americans at home -- the poor in particular.

Meanwhile, in the "I'm not listening category" 3 retired Generals speak out against attacking Iran demanding diplomacy instead. This administration is unfortunately incapable of diplomacy and as I recal, Generals have condemned the Iraq policy to no avail in the past.

Posturing or Paying Attention

With selection season nearing, canididates from Obama to Biden are voicing plans for Iraq and to end the occupation, or at least alter how it is being waged. Senater John Warner wants to sacrifice a lower number of troops, as does Barak Obama. Biden is calling for a divided Iraq along ethnic lines repeating the misguided and historically ignorant view that "Iraqis have been fighting each other for a thousand years" when in reality, they have lived together just fine much of the time. Unfortunately no one is actually listening to the Iraqis. Suprisingly, the puppet government we set up may be beginning to cut it's strings and taking the intiative to begin negotiating with it's neighbors. The very neighbors that the neocons will only threaten but refuse to actually talk with.

Iran shares a border with Iraq and has been attacked by it with US direction. It has a vested interest in security and peace. The neocons on the other hand want the mostly untapped oil fields of Iraq and prefer chaos and war to relinquishing control of that oil. Rather than wind down what appears to be a bloody debacle, the neocon junta fully intends to attack Iran and widen the conflict. They must be stopped. While US pundits and careerist politicians are all blaming Iraqis as ungrateful barbarians intent on civil war, the real culprits who have manipulated both sides, trained death squads and fomented hatreds are in Washington. The only obstacle to peace in the region is this criminal administration and they must be removed from power by any means necessary before they unleash more death and destruction.