Great slogans leading us to fascism. Senate Bill 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, criminalizes very loosely defined behaviors.
“. . . the use, planned use, OR threatened use of force OR violence by a group OR individual to promote the group OR individual’s political, religious, OR social beliefs . . .” How about non-violent force? Chanting at a non-violent peace protest? Blogging? Why does the bill pay particular attention to Universities? Why does it fail to qualify the term “radical ideas?” All our most cherished beliefs were once radical. Welcome to the U.S.S.A.
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens’ groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law
(Wikipedia: Astroturfing is a neologism for formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising that seek to create the impression of being spontaneous, grassroots behavior.)
I believe in the debates. It’s always better for voters to hear the candidates first-hand. It’d be better still if voters got to choose the questions asked. Unfortunately, big media is determined to control it:
Public vs Pundits. Vast difference between public perception and media interpretation of Obama-Hillary answers on whether they’d speak to Iran’s leader.
How can you have a war against a tactic? How come whenever the president unilaterally declares war on something (terrorism, drugs, cancer) the problem gets worse?
Congress getting serious? The House on Wednesday passed, 218-203, a $50 billion bill that would pay for the wars but require that troops start to leave Iraq in 30 days. It sets a goal of ending combat by December 2008, as well as interrogations standards that would make waterboarding illegal.
Acting assistant attorney general Daniel Levin tries waterboarding before concluding it’s torture. Gets fired. Senate confirms attorney general Mukaseyl who “does not know” if waterboarding is torture. Olbermann’s commentary.
Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program out of money. Poor out in the cold. More money requested for war. Jack Cafferty’s commentary.
US plans to send $60 billion dollars in arms to the gulf in the next decade: Israel $30 billion, Egypt $13 Billion, Saudi Arabia up to $20 Billion. (second part of this video)
I thought Michael Moore’s Sicko made a very compelling case for socialized medicine, though it contradicted what I thought I knew about Britain’s health care system.
Everybody agrees the current system isn’t working. Here’s an LA Times article, which echoes what Sicko demonstrated: Health insurers receive bonuses for dropping sick policyholders.
- Cable and Phone companies control our access to the internet. It’s a duopoly.
- In 2002, the FCC ruled that net neutrality laws don’t apply to cable-based service.
- In Aug 2005, the FCC replaced net neutrality RULES with PRINCIPLES. Telephone company executives gained the right to charge for access based on content.
- In June 2007, the House refused to reinstate Net Neutrality.
- Cable/Phone companies want customers to pay for faster access. This sucks, because small users can be forced into slower connections. Legally, they can already decide which websites get fast access. They can censor, as Western Union did when they had a telegraph monopoly, or as the railroad barons did in the shipping industry.
- In 2006-2007, phone companies received tax breaks and price deregulations in exchange for building us a fiber optic network (over 100x faster than copper wire). They took the money and never built it.
- The phone companies didn’t get off their ass until Lafayette Louisiana sold bonds and began building their own network – for price and pride. Cable and Phone companies lobbied like crazy and mired them in lawsuits.
- Cable/Phone companies spend $40 million / year lobbying state capitols, and over $75 million / year on Washington. Some states have passed laws FORBIDDING municipalities from building their own fiber optic networks. Cable/Phone preserve their duopoly with great anti-regulation slogans. (See disinformation technique #4)
- Clinton’s Telecommunications act of 1996 is what allowed massive media conglomeration.
- The National Association of Broadcaster is a corporate lackey that convinced Congress to cut back on supporting local, low-power radio, and lobbied the FCC to get rid of it entirely.
author Eric Klinenberg: “I think what Congress and the FCC understand all too well at this point is that the more open and public and democratic a hearing this issue gets, the less support there is for media consolidation. And so the danger is that Congress and the FCC will rush legislation through before anyone has a chance to really participate. I look for the FCC to be rushing to get legislation passed without a democratic process. I’m very concerned about that. It happened in 2003. There’s every sign that it’s about to happen again. . . . In 2003, the FCC said it would do these kinds of hearings. They started. They then aborted the hearings once it became clear that the message, no more consolidation, was not what the then chairman Michael Powell wanted to hear. And then the commission ignored the public input altogether when it came time to crafting legislation. They got reprimanded by the courts. The order got remanded. It’s now back in play. And the question now is whether these kinds of hearings are democracy for show or whether they’re democracy for real. . . . sadly it looks like the FCC has been working in the interest of the small number of companies its charged with regulating.”
I just watched The Clinton Chronicles. It’s full of newspaper headlines, names, dates, and stuff you can look up.
Here is a partial list of dead investigators, bodyguards, lovers, journalists, donors, partners, and associates of the Clintons:
Charles Ruff, Tony Moser, James McDougal, John Millis, Ron Miller, Sandy Hume, Daniel Dutko, Mary Mahoney, Vincent Foster, Admiral Jeremy Boorda, William Colby, Maj Gen William Robertson, Col William Densberger, Col Robert Kelly, Spc Gary Rhodes, Steve Willis, Robert Williams, Conway LeBleu, Todd McKeehan, Alan G. Whicher, Cpl Eric Fox, Ssg Brian Haney, Sgt Tim Sabel, Maj William Barkley, Cpt Scott Reynolds, Aldo Franscoia, Cpt Kevin Earnest, Cpt Kimberly Wielhouwer, 2lt Benjamin Hall, Ssg Michael Smith Jr., Sr. Airman Rick Merritt, Ssg Michael York, Sr. Airman Billy Ogston, Airman Thomas Stevens, Victor Raiser II, Montgomery Raiser, Paul Tully, Ed Willey, Hershell Friday, Duane Garrett, Daniel Dutko, Luther Parks, James Bunch, John Wilson, Bill Shelton, Kathy Furguson, Gandy Baugh, Dr. Ronald Rogers, Stanley Huggins, Florence Martin, Calvin Walraven, Neil Moody, Johnny Franklin Lawhon Jr., Col James Sabow, Eric Butera, Maynard Webb, Caetano Carani, Terrance Yeakey, Suzanne Coleman, Paula Grober, Judy Gibbs, Paul Wilcher, Jon Parnell Walker, Ron Brown, Barbara Wise, Charles Meissner, Kevin Ives, Don Henry, Keith Coney, Keith McKaskle, Gregory Collins, Paul Olson, Jeff Rhodes, James Milam, Richard Winters, Jordan Kettleson, Barry Seal, Steve Dickson, Stanley Heard, Carlos Ghigliotti, Don Adams, Jim Wilhite, Theodore Williams Jr., Larry Guerrin, Alan Standorf, Dennis Eisman, Danny Casalaro, Ian Spiro, Charles Wilbourne Miller, Gordon Matteson
Here is a more detailed list. Many died by gunshot or plane crash. Many were ruled suicides.
Plaintiffs maintain that current election practices, including the widespread use of computerized voting machines, are unconstitutional because they are ripe for fraud and error and effectively hide the physical vote counting process from the public, effectively denying citizens their legally protected Right to cast an effective vote. The lawsuit seeks an Order from the Court prohibiting the use of all voting machines and to force election officials to instead use paper ballots and to count and total all votes by hand, always in full view of the public. (More)
We should export democracy by setting the best example of it.
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Great slogans leading us to fascism. Senate Bill 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, criminalizes very loosely defined behaviors.
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