A CALL FOR ACTION?/? Chaos rules

Are you as dissatisfied as I am...with all that goes on in today's world?

I turn on the radio talk show and folks are complaining about the cost of gas, food, everything that is based on transportation of goods to us?

Well, what the hell are you going to do? Who controls us? Is it the gas and oil barons, Wall Street, speculators, just who? Are we the masters of deceit and greed?

Do we desire sooooo much, that it would be a hindrance to our freedom to consume less or to fire everyone in Washington and start fresh. Ooh? What did I say? Could there be a revolution on our future time line? Or are there too many sheep being led by our SHEEPLE to the slaughter?

I say there are too many sheep. We've been led down this merry path to bondage and now our very existence is determined by rag heads, Wishingtonians who sell our souls to the highest bidder.

God help us...we are a people (sheeple) in dire straits and looking for a real leader is just a few months away.

What choices do we have? Personally, I don't see any. I don't see a REAL LEADER on the horizon.

Oh, I see MISERY for CHANGE. But who are we kidding? The change that is needed is our resistance to really seeing what is real and what is true.

Is there no backbone in our world? One who would take the challenge to set things right. But he is coming and not the one expected. For those who have ears to hear...

Oh, if only the many could see what is really happening.

Just who is running the show around here?

Change just doesn't happen, it takes a grand amount of planning, such as we've never seen in our lifetime, but what and who is behind it all?

With spring nearly upon us, the Trilateral Commission will soon blossom into its annual conference -- scheduled for Tokyo, the weekend of April 24-26. This networking elite of politicians, bankers, industrialists and intellectuals from North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea strives to shape foreign and economic policies of nations from behind the scenes. Who are these Commissioners -- and who commissioned them?

The notion of a tri-sphere concept, combining movers and shakers from three geographic regions, was first broached at a Bilderberg conference.

So what is Bilderberg -- and from where does it derive its authority?

It is an elite group of self-appointed global manipulators -- from North America and Europe -- who have met privately since 1954 to quietly influence governments.

Bilderberger banking bigwig David Rockefeller tapped Zbigniew Brzezinski to attend the April 1972 Bilderberg meeting in Knokke, Belgium, having taken a fancy to "Tripartite Studies" produced by the then-obscure Colombia University professor.

Appearing before Bilderbergers, Dr. Brzezinski made a pitch for inviting the Japanese into their secretive coterie on the basis that Japan had morphed into an economic powerhouse entitling it to play with the big boys. (South Korea joined that "sphere" much later.)

But the burghers of Bilderberg declined to integrate the Japanese into their own forum, a bilateral success for 22 years (by then) that had succeeded in fashioning a new order in Europe -- the Common Market and European unity. Instead, attendees sanctioned a new league and, thus, the Trilateral Commission was born.

Mr. Rockefeller and Zbiggy launched themselves through Europe and Japan on a recruiting drive.

Their "planning group" convened on July 23rd and 24th at Pocantico Hills, a Rockefeller estate overlooking the Hudson River. Mr. Rockefeller underwrote the expense from his own (deep) pocket, having discovered, decades earlier, that investing in high-level networking paid huge dividends.

With approval from "the highest political and financial circles" (an internal Commission memo), the trio selected chairmen and directors to represent each sphere of the tri.

The Commission quickly became a springboard for the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Mr. Carter, as governor of Georgia, had caught Mr. Rockefeller's eye as a potential president and, consequently, Zbiggy and Mr. Rockefeller lunched Jimmy in October 1972 at the Connaught Hotel in London, where they signed him on the spot to be a Commissioner. Jimmy also became David and Zbiggy's presidential candidate -- and the Commission bestowed him the power elite support (influence and money) he needed to "arise from nowhere."

The Trilateral Commission was not nowhere -- just nowhere (back then) to be found in the newspapers.

So Jimmy the peanut farmer got elected president in 1976, and Zbig became his national security adviser, the job he had coveted from the outset. Other Commissioners in the Carter Administration included Vice President Walter Mondale, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, Defense Secretary Harold Brown and Treasury Secretary Michael Blumenthal -- 18 in all, from 54 original members from the American sphere.

Together, this elitist clique messed things up real good: Soaring inflation, interest rates at 20 percent, and the world chessboard a horrible mess. President Carter's poor judgment caused confusion among our allies, laughter in the Soviet Union, and led, ultimately, to the hostage crisis in Iran.

"It completely justified our belief," a former senior CIA official told The Investigator, "that left to its own devices, the power elite is fully capable of causing another world war, not unlike their predecessors last century."

The CIA descended into decline, having had to endure Stansfield Turner as its director.

Said our CIA source: "Admiral Turner was more concerned about intelligence officers abroad engaging in extra-marital affairs than Iran imploding from within. He apparently mistook our agency for a missionary group."

As if things were not bad enough, Trilateral Commissioners David Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger pushed President Carter into allowing the ailing Shah of Iran into the United States, a political miscalculation that precipitated the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and the resulting hostage crisis that sealed the fate of Jimmy Carter's one-term presidency.

Mr. Rockefeller quietly bailed from the monster he'd created, putting his money behind another horse from the Commission stable: George Bush One, a privileged East-coast preppie who had moved to Texas to prove his manhood in the oil biz.

But Mr. Bush lost to Ronald Reagan -- partly because the former California governor took a few jibes at "Trilateral Commission elitists" during his campaign to woo voters away from Mr. Bush in New Hampshire, where Commission membership had been whipped into a major issue just before its decisive primary.

Having enjoyed 15 minutes of fame during Jimmy Carter's presidency, the Commission then shriveled into just another think-tank opportunity for young men and women wishing entry to an international "Old Boy" network.

But now they're back!

Many of President Obama's picks for premier positions in his administration are Trilateral Commissioners. These include:

• Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner;

• National Security Adviser James Jones;

• Deputy National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon;

• Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair;

• State Department special envoys Richard Holbrooke. Dennis Ross, and Richard Haas;

• Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice;

• Lawrence Summers, Director of the National Economic Council;

• Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg;

• Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell;

• Paul Volcker, chairman of the Economic Recovery Committee.

(Gee, maybe President Obama will break Jimmy Carter's record?)

Ten days ago Adm. Blair clearly demonstrated how the "Old Boy" network functions: He tapped fellow Commissioner John Deutch to sit upon a spy satellite advisory panel.

Mr. Deutch, you may recall, was CIA director under Bill Clinton. "The worst director in CIA history," a former senior agency official told the The Investigator. You may also remember this: Soon after Mr. Deutch's departure from that job in 1996, he was discovered to have grossly mishandled government secrets. Mr. Deutch, it transpired, had downloaded 74 top secret documents onto four computers used at his home by other family members and connected by modem to the Internet -- on which Mr. Deutch also accessed Russian porn sites through his AOL account.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigated and produced a report to Congress stating: "Despite this knowledge (the risk of keeping secrets on un-encrypted computers), Deutch processed a large volume of highly classified information on these unclassified computers, taking no steps to restrict access to the information and thereby placing national security information at risk."

A senior CIA official privy to the classified version of the Senate Committee's report put it more bluntly for The Investigator: "Deutch allowed the Russians access to our biggest secrets."

Mr. Deutch was stripped of his security clearances. (They have now been restored.)

Anyone else would have been investigated for espionage. But an Old Boy like Mr. Deutch? Janet Reno's Justice Department worked out a gentle plea bargain. But while Mr. Deutch was in the midst of pleading guilty to a mere misdemeanor, brazen Bill, on the last day of his presidency, pardoned him, thereby vanquishing even a mild slap on the wrist for his fellow Commissioner. (Did we mention William Jefferson Clinton was a member of the Trilateral Commission when elected president in 1992?)

So excuse our suspicions about this so-called "power elite." Not because they're in charge again, but because they don't know what the heck they're doing. Conspiracy theorists yearn to believe these uber networkers rule the world. Truth is, our Beltway Establishment -- Democratic or Republican -- couldn't organize a binge in a brewery. These are the folks responsible, through negligence and profit taking, for where we are today -- ripped off by banksters and Wall Street, and Madoffs who made off.

"Obama for Change"? Maybe President Rhetoric meant spare change.

Alinsky again

If you don't know what is happening, and like staying focused on the daily diatribe of our country, we really need to take note of the origins of Socialism.

Noted on Glenn Beck yesterday, "Do we really know who Barack Obama is?

One answer, for now, answers the question. In blogs past, I bring up Saul Alinsky, a socialist thinker in the mid-20th Century, with whom Obama studied.

A really good analysis was published on Eagle Forum.

In order for us to know exactly where we are headed, we must know socialism's roots. There are those who have been putting these plans into motion from the beginning of time.

For those who have ears to hear...!

Congress's "power of the purse"

Following the signing of our future away by the 111th Congress, you may have noticed the DOW drop. Now at 2:08 CST, it is still down 356, at 7915.

Toxic billing, toxic government, toxic administration and its defiant attitude, "I won, get over it!"

From Wikileaks a report from the United States Congressional Research Service for members and committees of Congress states:

The federal budget implements Congress's "power of the purse" by expressing funding priorities through outlay allocations and revenue collections. Over the past decade, federal spending has accounted for approximately a fifth of the economy (as measured by gross domestic product--GDP) and federal revenues have ranged between just over a fifth and just under a sixth of GDP.

In FY2008, the U.S. government collected $2.5 trillion in revenue and spent almost $3.0 trillion. Outlays as a proportion of GDP rose from 18.4% in FY2000 to 20.9% of GDP in FY2008. Federal revenues as a proportion of GDP reached a post-WWII peak of 20.9% in FY2000 and then fell to 16.3% of GDP in FY2004 before rising slightly to 17.7% of GDP in FY2008.

The budget also affects, and is affected by, the national economy as a whole. Given recent turmoil in the economy and financial markets, the current economic climate poses a major challenge to policymakers shaping the FY2009 and FY2010 federal budgets. Federal spending tied to means-tested social programs has been increasing due to rising unemployment, while federal revenues will likely fall as individuals' incomes drop and corporate profits sink. As a result, federal deficits over the next few years will likely be high relative to historic norms.

In addition to funding existing programs in a challenging economic climate, the government has undertaken significant financial interventions in an attempt to alleviate economic recession. The ultimate costs of federal responses to this turmoil will depend on how quickly the economy recovers, how well firms with federal credit guarantees weather future financial shocks, and whether or not the government receives positive returns on its asset purchases. Estimating how much these responses will cost is difficult, both for conceptual and operational reasons.

Despite these budgetary challenges, many economists believe that fiscal policy (i.e., federal borrowing and spending) would be the most effective macroeconomic tool under current conditions. Past fiscal stimulus measures, which are being considered as possible options for 2009, have included extensions to unemployment benefits, aid to state and local governments, tax rebates, and expanded infrastructure spending.

Federal loans or loan guarantee programs may help provide liquidity to distressed financial markets and stimulate economic activity, but may also expose the federal government to substantial credit risks.

While many economists concur on the need for short-term fiscal stimulus, widespread concerns remain about the long-term fiscal situation of the federal government. The rising costs of federal health care programs and Baby Boomer retirements present serious challenges to fiscal stability.

Operating these programs in their current form may pass on substantial economic burdens to future generations.

NO sh*t Sherlock!

At the end of post DOW down 405, well Mr. Prez, looks like your henchmen, s'cuse me, Congressmen, know how to restore faith in the economy!

What does religion have to do with the stimulus?

Curious,after the prez's speech last night, I wanted to take a deeper look at this so-called "stimulus plan".

I found a note this morning referencing that no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. Health provisions?

These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department. Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Hm mm, but what does health provisions to do with the jump-starting of the economy?

As I scanned the document, I found the following information contained in the bill under the whistle blower portion...

SEC. 1273. CLARIFICATION OF WHISTLEBLOWER RIGHTS RELATING TO SCIENTIFIC AND OTHER RESEARCH.

(a) In General- Section 2302 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(f) As used in section 2302(b)(8), the term `abuse of authority' includes--

`(1) any action that compromises the validity or accuracy of federally funded research or analysis;

`(2) the dissemination of false or misleading scientific, medical, or technical information;

`(3) any action that restricts or prevents an employee or any person performing federally funded research or analysis from publishing in peer-reviewed journals or other scientific publications or making oral presentations at professional society meetings or other meetings of their peers; and

Now where does religion play in the stimulus bill, notably the whistle blower section?

`(4) any action that discriminates for or against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of religion, as defined by section 1273(b) of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009.'.

(b) Definition- As used in section 2302(f)(3) of title 5, United States Code (as amended by subsection (a)), the term `on the basis of religion' means--

(1) prohibiting personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible, consistent with requirements of law and interests in workplace efficiency;

(2) requiring religious participation or non-participation as a condition of employment, or permitting religious harassment;

(3) failing to accommodate employees' exercise of their religion;

(4) failing to treat all employees with the same respect and consideration, regardless of their religion (or lack thereof);

(5) restricting personal religious expression by employees in the Federal workplace except where the employee's interest in the expression is outweighed by the government's interest in the efficient provision of public services or where the expression intrudes upon the legitimate rights of other employees or creates the appearance, to a reasonable observer, of an official endorsement of religion;

(6) regulating employees' personal religious expression on the basis of its content or viewpoint, or suppressing employees' private religious speech in the workplace while leaving unregulated other private employee speech that has a comparable effect on the efficiency of the workplace, including ideological speech on politics and other topics;

(7) failing to exercise their authority in an evenhanded and restrained manner, and with regard for the fact that Americans are used to expressions of disagreement on controversial subjects, including religious ones;

(8) failing to permit an employee to engage in private religious expression in personal work areas not regularly open to the public to the same extent that they may engage in nonreligious private expression, subject to reasonable content- and viewpoint-neutral standards and restrictions;

(9) failing to permit an employee to engage in religious expression with fellow employees, to the same extent that they may engage in comparable nonreligious private expression, subject to reasonable and content-neutral standards and restrictions;

(10) failing to permit an employee to engage in religious expression directed at fellow employees, and may even attempt to persuade fellow employees of the correctness of their religious views, to the same extent as those employees may engage in comparable speech not involving religion;

(11) inhibiting an employee from urging a colleague to participate or not to participate in religious activities to the same extent that, consistent with concerns of workplace efficiency, they may urge their colleagues to engage in or refrain from other personal endeavors, except that the employee must refrain from such expression when a fellow employee asks that it stop or otherwise demonstrates that it is unwelcome;

(12) failing to prohibit expression that is part of a larger pattern of verbal attacks on fellow employees (or a specific employee) not sharing the faith of the speaker;

(13) preventing an employee from--

(A) wearing personal religious jewelry absent special circumstances (such as safety concerns) that might require a ban on all similar nonreligious jewelry; or

(B) displaying religious art and literature in their personal work areas to the same extent that they may display other art and literature, so long as the viewing public would reasonably understand the religious expression to be that of the employee acting in her personal capacity, and not that of the government itself;

(14) prohibiting an employee from using their private time to discuss religion with willing coworkers in public spaces to the same extent as they may discuss other subjects, so long as the public would reasonably understand the religious expression to be that of the employees acting in their personal capacities;

(15) discriminating against an employee on the basis of their religion, religious beliefs, or views concerning their religion by promoting, refusing to promote, hiring, refusing to hire, or otherwise favoring or disfavoring, an employee or potential employee because of his or her religion, religious beliefs, or views concerning religion, or by explicitly or implicitly, insisting that the employee participate in religious activities as a condition of continued employment, promotion, salary increases, preferred job assignments, or any other incidents of employment or insisting that an employee refrain from participating in religious activities outside the workplace except pursuant to otherwise legal, neutral restrictions that apply to employees' off-duty conduct and expression in general (such as restrictions on political activities prohibited by the Hatch Act);

(16) prohibiting a supervisor's religious expression where it is not coercive and is understood to be his or her personal view, in the same way and to the same extent as other constitutionally valued speech;

(17) permitting a hostile environment, or religious harassment, in the form of religiously discriminatory intimidation, or pervasive or severe religious ridicule or insult, whether by supervisors or fellow workers, as determined by its frequency or repetitiveness, and severity;

(18) failing to accommodate an employee's exercise of their religion unless such accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the conduct of the agency's operations, based on real rather than speculative or hypothetical cost and without disfavoring other, nonreligious accommodations; and

(19) in those cases where an agency's work rule imposes a substantial burden on a particular employee's exercise of religion, failing to grant the employee an exemption from that rule, absent a compelling interest in denying the exemption and where there is no less restrictive means of furthering that interest.

(c) Rule of Construction- Nothing in this section shall be construed to create any new right, benefit, or trust responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by a party against the United States, its agencies, its officers, or any person.

Well, looks like we really need to be "a-reading this here" information a lot more closely.

Does it matter? How close are we to finding out how our "representatives" have screwed us into oblivion? Whose pen is actively working to get this into law and why?

No one is reading this junk and laws are being set that folks will scan over it in their employee handbooks, not questioning, just blindly obeying...

After all, it is the law! There is a change coming. Are we ready for it?

Beware! It is coming!

Wishingtonia has a problem...it has NEVER held a real job. However, there is a real insanity taking place in the home of our guvment. No wonder they have HR 645 - the `National Emergency Centers Establishment Act'. Are we to believe that those of us, who don't agree with the elected officials, won't spend time recovering from an "national emergency (civil unrest, ie. displeasure with the crap they attempting to shove down our throats)" in these camps?

We Americans, have elected, not hired these idiots. Had they been hired, they would be more responsible in providing for the welfare of their families at home, the United States of America.

Obviously, when a "father" goes to work, he is expected to bring home the bacon...not the pork.

The idiots, who are elected have gotten it all wrong. They think their job is to "yack, yack", giving away their family's birthright to lobbyists, labor unions and special interest groups. Scary ain't it?

What's happening right now? Sixteen congressmen are secluded, in an attempt to spend America into a debt to stimulate jobs. Huh? Does that make any sense? Can their attempt to disgrace themselves bring us out of this depression?

What are they thinking? They aren't, and we are at the "lawmakers" stripping future generation's wallets. Is this any way for a "parent" to take care of its home.

What is happening? We have lost sight of who is taking care of the home front. It is not those that were hired to take care of us.

Thinking in business terms, what company would keep those folks hired who kept spending the precious profits in order to grow waterparks? You have to manage assets carefully.

So who of these wishingtonians are managing our assets correctly? With a possibility of them adding more to their bailout, not unemployed Americans pocketbooks.

Is one trillion dollars going to re-employ nearly 5 million folks? I doubt it and so do some of our hired help attempting to make the case.

Politics, not a real job, but a cushy one.

How did we get out of the last depression...WWII.

Are you ready for this? We go to war with Mexico. It's already begun, in fact, many years ago, folks elsewhere, namely wishingtonia, haven't discovered it yet. But the again, maybe they have and we are headed in the direction of no return.

Expect the unexpected. WWIII, America vs. Mexico. But you say, "That's not a world war." Oh really?

Let's see, add Cuba, Chavez, Russia to the mix and what do you call that? Remember the ships that were visiting Cuba via the Gulf of Mexico?

And where are we heading? Can you spell socialism? Hey, a war will put folks back to work won't it, and quick.

It is coming!

And by the way, the all night vigil to correct the "wrongs" in the bailout bill, in order to pass it...at 9:45 central, it was announced that they had decided to go home. I guess when the prez leaves town, its time for a vacation.

Hiding in the shadows

the real power behind the throne?
Good ole Alfred E. Newman?

It's not...Just my imagination

in print today
Remember the song...Just my imagination, wasn't it, running away from me? Yes, it's just my imagination...

This morning down in the left column of Drudge, I read about over-saturation of the new presidency and how it might demystify Obama's attraction to the masses. However, when I went in to read further, it was an article written by Peggy Noonan in today's Wall Street Journal.

Blah, blah, blah...then the revelation that no, I haven't been imagining something, others are waking up as well...

People are getting the mood of the age in their in boxes. How many emails have you received the past few months from acquaintances telling you in brisk words meant to communicate optimism and forestall pity that "it's been a great ride," but they're "moving on" to "explore new opportunities"? And there's a broad feeling one detects, a kind of psychic sense, some sort of knowledge in the collective unconscious, that we lived through magic times the past half-century, and now the nonmagic time has begun, and it won't be over next summer. That's not the way it will work. It will last a while.

Biden to head middle class task force to assess how to help us make it through, to the other side...power and the lack thereof...
Now this is scary...Mr. Gaff himself, given the task to help us out? After all, Biden was so happy to be living in Public Housing now. Who are we kidding here? The middle class is being eliminated. We have been destroyed, as Noonan states here...

There's a sense among many, certainly here in New York, that we somehow had it too good too long, a feeling part Puritan, part mystic and obscurely guilty, that some bill is coming due. Hard to get a stimulus package that addresses that.

blah, blago
Isn't this a sign of the times when the powerful, think they can get away with anything? Power, and the pot calling the kettle black...all those Senators making judgment calls that, "Yes, you are eliminated!"

Personally, I think Blago may be guilty, but he gave us a telling sign when he said that "they knew how politics was run"...hey, that sure was honest. It scared them as they knew they had to go along with the crowd, but how have they performed in similar circumstances.

I have to give it to Blago, he's real smart, but not smart enough...who wanted him out of office and why? Was he too greedy and power mad?
Noonan's take

(The guilt was part of the power of Blago. He's the last American who doesn't feel guilt. He thinks something is moral because he did it. He's like a good-natured Idi Amin, up there yammering about how he's a poor boy who only wanted to protect the people of Chicago from the flu. You wish you could believe it! You wish he really were what he is in his imagination, a hero battling dark forces against the odds.)

Noonan's diagnosis

I think there is an illness called Goldmansachs Head. I think it's in the DSM. When you have Goldmansachs Head, the party's never over. You take private planes to ask for bailout money, you entertain customers at high-end spas while your writers prep your testimony, you take and give huge bonuses as the company tanks. When you take the kids camping, you bring a private chef. Goldmansachs Head is Bernie Madoff complaining he's feeling cooped up in the penthouse. It is the delusion that the old days continue and the old ways prevail and you, Prince of the Abundance, can just keep rolling along. Here is how you know if someone has GSH: He has everything but a watch. He doesn't know what time it is.

From Blood Sweat and Tears song, "does anybody really know what time it is?"

For several months I have included information from George Ure's site www.urbansurvival.com and for good reason.

As stated many times before, there is a computer program developed and used by a friend of his, Cliff, referencing "predictive linguistics." Basically, taking all the "words" flying in the ether, somehow, a future knowledge comes forth and wallah, you see in advance what will occur. Who said knowledge is power...and having a small glimmer of what is coming, opens many eyes.

When I see it, I will bring it, cause "I will be a looking!"

HOPE!
And just on Fox at 4:12pm Eastern time, Michael Steele, former Lt. Governor of Maryland, has been elected GOP Chairman. From his brief speech, I believe he will bring back a strong and conservative winning team of Republicans to our country.

have a great weekend!
oli

Change in style

Today begins a new line of posting. As there are so many topics that need attention, mine and yours, I have been working on a new style, including more links to full stories and attention to more information...my cynicism still in tact, but also glimmers of hope.

close to home
Once again, elected officials, namely a mayor on our Gulf Coast and his wife, took advantage of FEMA, HUD and other agencies, who are providing homeowners help in rebuilding after Katrina.

Yesterday, the US Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Mississippi handed down a 16 count indictment accusing Republican Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr and his wife Laura Warr of illegally obtaining grant monies for personal use. If convicted on all counts, they each face a total of 210 years in federal prison and up to $4 million in fines. This has been a cooperative investigation between the FBI, HUD, Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, the US Attorneys Office and State Auditor Stacey Pickering’s office.

Yall Politics offers more links to indictment of alleged crooked dealings of rising star of Republican Party in Mississippi.

We need SUM $$$
I can only imagine what all this spending will do to our economic future. To date, 4.7 million Americans are now unemployed. These figures do not include those already receiving extended benefits.

California is bankrupt for all intents and purposes. It looks as though some of the money, $25,000,000 allotted in this recovery package, written by Pelosi and friends, will go to build ATV trails. Gosh, that will provide ATV vehicle owners fun time while looking for employment. Wonder where the fuel, to have fun, will come from?

Wishingtonia
Somehow I think all this spending will make problems for our new President. However, once elected, he had promises to keep. Unfortunately, our system has provided a way to get access to the highest office in the land when one wants it bad enough to go to the highest bidder. The brazen statement, "Get over it, I won," doesn't play well with conservatives.

Alinsky - model of a new Amerika
Remember the Saul Alinsky model for CHANGE...oops...Rules for Radicals
Rule 13. Pick the target (Rush Limbaugh), freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. In conflict tactics there are certain rules that [should be regarded] as universalities. One is that the opposition must be singled out as the target and 'frozen.' ... When you 'freeze the target,' you disregard these [rational but distracting] arguments and carry out your attack.... One acts decisively only in the conviction that all the angles are on one side and all the devils on the other."

Hmmmm...Jest thinking

H.R. 645:
111st Congress

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish national emergency centers on military installations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `National Emergency Centers Establishment Act'.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY CENTERS.

(a) In General- In accordance with the requirements of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish not fewer than 6 national emergency centers on military installations.

(b) Purpose of National Emergency Centers- The purpose of a national emergency center shall be to use existing infrastructure--

(1) to provide temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster;

(2) to provide centralized locations for the purposes of training and ensuring the coordination of Federal, State, and local first responders;

(3) to provide centralized locations to improve the coordination of preparedness, response, and recovery efforts of government, private, and not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations; and

(4) to meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

In the viral community of the net, there have been many conspiracy theorists who have alluded to FEMA Internment Camps, made to hold "dangerous" or "large groups of people" who need to be removed in case of "civil unrest".

In November, a study done by a "think tank" in Washington, namely, The War College, offered a "what if" scenario of national civil unrest or national emergency.

So what does this bill actually mean? As we now have a bill before Congress in its initial phase to establish these camps, consider Biden's and others proclamation of how this administration would be TESTED in the first six months.

history lessons
Bush 2 - 911, USS Cole
Clinton - Waco, Oklahoma City, Ruby Ridge, World Trade Center

No really memorable state-side terror, other than those of radical extremist groups and lone wolves, has gone un-noticed by terrorist watchmen of the "state".

What evidence do we have that the "camps" will be needed sooner rather than later.

However, the gloom surrounding this year’s World Economic Forum descended into confrontation yesterday as international labor leaders launched a withering attack on the 1,400 business executives and 41 heads of government at Davos Switzerland over what the labor leaders alleged was their failure to respond effectively to a deepening crisis of their own creation.

Guy Ryder, the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said that the current financial world turmoil had triggered a social time bomb that would lead to deepening civil unrest and soaring crime.

As strikes involving hundreds of thousands of workers erupted across France and Germany, Ryder said,“We are on the road to serious social instability, which could be extremely dangerous in some countries to democracy itself.”

Notably, what happens over there, will happen here, especially the social unrest, should another national emergency like Katrina occur...not to mention increasing earthquake clusters on the west coast.

Hey, its got to fall off sometime, 2012 is coming and we need camps to put rioters, survivors, and radical extremists into.

Das comrade, can you say Gulag?

Nuther #2 Gaff by Biden

As seen on Fox...

Once again, Biden makes a funny about Chief Justice's mess up with the swearing in ceremony of President Obama. You can read President Obama's displeasure on his face and the touching of Biden's elbow, that he was not amused.

I have a feeling Biden's elbow will be black and blue before this administration gets under way, and probably won't have one at the end of four years and understandably, President Obama wants to send the message that we are facing dire times. Any negative commentary, how little it appears to be, detracts from the task at hand.

Update for earlier post...

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

President Obama To Sign Executive Order Thursday to Close Gitmo Within a Year.

Oh well...

Firsts of many firsts for President Obama

President Obama has executed many first of firsts on signing Executive Orders which go to his promises on transparency in government.

Below, a statement from the White House on the president's actions.

The President today signed two Executive Orders and three Presidential Memorandum. These five documents represent a bold first step to fulfill his campaign promises to make government more responsible and accountable, to launch sweeping ethics reform, and to begin a new era of transparent and open government.

Across the country, families are tightening their belts in this economic crisis, and so should Washington. That is why in the Presidential Memorandum Regarding Pay Freeze the President has announced that he will freeze his White House senior staff pay at current levels to the full extent allowed by law. This will enable the White House to stretch its budget to get more done for the country. The President and his staff recognize that in these austere times, everyone must do more with less, and the White House is no exception.

The American people also deserve more than simply an assurance that those coming to Washington will serve their interests. They deserve to know that there are rules on the books to keep it that way. In the Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel, the President, first, prohibits executive branch employees from accepting gifts from lobbyists. Second, he closes the revolving door that allows government officials to move to and from private sector jobs in ways that give that sector undue influence over government. Third, he requires that government hiring be based upon qualifications, competence and experience, not political connections. He has ordered every one of his appointees to sign a pledge abiding by these tough new rules as a down payment on the change he has promised to bring to Washington.

In the Presidential Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, and the Presidential Memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act, the President instructs all members of his administration to operate under principles of openness, transparency and of engaging citizens with their government. To implement these principles and make them concrete, the Memorandum on Transparency instructs three senior officials to produce an Open Government Directive within 120 days directing specific actions to implement the principles in the Memorandum. And the Memorandum on FOIA instructs the Attorney General to in that same time period issue new guidelines to the government implementing those same principles of openness and transparency in the FOIA context.

Finally, the Executive Order on Presidential Records brings those principles to presidential records by giving the American people greater access to these historic documents. This order ends the practice of having others besides the President assert executive privilege for records after an administration ends. Now, only the President will have that power, limiting its potential for abuse. And the order also requires the Attorney General and the White House Counsel to review claims of executive privilege about covered records to make sure those claims are fully warranted by the Constitution.

Well, we can certainly see from his action, he is a man of his word. What is interesting is that there are going to be changes in Washington.

Did you notice I spelled Washington correctly instead of Wishingtonia? Maybe, just maybe we will have a better government.

Gitmo questions
However, there are questions I have, from word from Washington, of not continuing prosecutions of Gitmo detainees I have a problem with that especially since 61 of those released, returned to Al-Quida camps. Duh? Why weren't they prosecuted? They have returned to the very criminal actions against our troops that are fighting for our freedoms. Help me out with this one...

Refining this morning's early post
Two words missing from my posts this morning, ethics and integrity...also defines character. Come on Washington, get it together as we don't have that much time to get it right.

The Classless State of Affairs

The rude behavior of the masses spoiled a moment in history, all should remember with pride.

The masses should have taken the cue from President Obama and his transition team who praised President Bush for how smooth their transition was, due to the professionalism of Team Bush; so unlike the last transition and the missing "W"'s on the computer keyboards.

Only Presidents know the difficulties of the highest office in the land. In times past, I don't recall the President's viewing box being empty before the last band passed by. But there stood President Obama and his wife till the very end, showing appreciation to all who came to honor him.

When I began reading reports, and hearing the same, of the disrespect shown President Bush upon being announced for the last time, really spurred my frustration. I am certain their has been disrespect shown in other Inaugurations, but I don't recall them. How can we expect the nation to change until we change.

President Obama has more to conquer than that of a bad economy, two wars and the threats to our country. He has to lead by example and all those folks that will be trained into serving the United States of America, need to learn how to be respectful.

This needs to come from the top down, Nancy Pelosi. Your determination to seek criminal indictments against the former administration shows your lack of class. You, in your great wisdom, should realize that you too, have committed acts that appear criminal. Folks who live in glass houses should not be tossing bricks.

For President Obama's administration to achieve his goals, we urgently need lessons on how to show common respect. We can always agree to disagree, but with decorum, not ill-mannered and rude behavior.

Mr. President, it was rude for your guests to abandon you and Mrs. Obama at your viewing stand, as it was equally improper for your VIP guests to not show the same dignified respect to the past Presidents and then no respect to President Bush.

I am certain Mr. Bush knows, just as you will in the coming days, when you are forced to make tough decisions that will affect every Americans life. Just as I am certain there may not ever be another day in history as was yesterday, the arrogance and clueless nature of the masses reflect how little dignity, loyalty, character and honor we have in our country.

If we could only have had more "character-building" education and less emphasis on the "me,me, me" generation, we might not be in this shape today. Somewhere, somehow, families forgot to pass these ideals along.

May your service to our country be everything you hope it to be and may you demonstrate to our classless and clueless society what true character is.

Nuther Gaff O Biden

Well, leave it to the Bidens, namely Dr. Jill, VP-elect's wife, who, on Oprah today said that the Prez-elect offered either the VP or Sucatary of State to ole Jo before offering it to the Hill.

Can we say oops? And ole Joe tried to shush the doctor, while she was blurting it out.

"Well, he did and I said "wouldn't you rather be at home where all the family could visit rather than gone all the time?""

Ya know, we are going to be privy to a lot of funnies the next four years!

And I don't watch Oprah...hahahahahahaha!

The Coming Plague

Posted in The Sun today...
ANTI-TERROR bosses last night hailed their latest ally in the war on terror — the BLACK DEATH.


At least 40 al-Qaeda fanatics died horribly after being struck down with the disease that devastated Europe in the Middle Ages.

Epidemic ... in Britain in 1665

The killer bug, also known as the plague, swept through insurgents training at a forest camp in Algeria, North Africa. It came to light when security forces found a body by a roadside.

The victim was a terrorist in AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb), the largest and most powerful al-Qaeda group outside the Middle East.

It trains Muslim fighters to kill British and US troops.

Now al-Qaeda chiefs fear the plague has been passed to other terror cells — or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

One security source said: “This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

“It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda.”

Black Death comes in various forms.

Bubonic Plague is spread by bites from infected rat fleas. Symptoms include boils in the groin, neck and armpits. In Pneumonic Plague, airborn bacteria spread like flu.

It can be in the body for more than a week — highly contagious but not revealing tell-tale symptoms.

Deadly ... the plague bacteria causes horrific symptoms

The al-Qaeda epidemic began in the cave hideouts of AQLIM in Tizi Ouzou province, 150km east of the capital Algiers. The group, led by wanted terror boss Abdelmalek Droudkal, was forced to turn its shelters in the Yakouren forest into mass graves and flee.

The extremists supporting madman Osama bin Laden went to Bejaia and Jijel provinces — hoping the plague did not go with them.

A source said: “The emirs (leaders) fear surviving terrorists will surrender to escape a horrible death.”

AQLIM boss Droudkal claims to command around 1,000 insurgents. Training camps are also based in Morocco, Tunisia and Nigeria.

AQLIM bombed the UN headquarters in Algiers in 2007, killing 41. Attacks across Algeria last year killed at least 70 people.

In an interview last July, Droudkal boasted his cell was in constant contact with other al-Qaeda “brothers”.

New weaponry? How interesting...
Did I say weaponry? Well, bodies that were found had died within hours of contracting the disease. Could it have come from a lab?

Hmmm...that sounds a little too 'hot' in epidemiological terms, unless it's some kind of lab-bred hybrid between one of the hemorrhagic fevers and plague, but even then 'hours'?

In a standard reference manual on communicable diseases...

"Incubation period - From 2 to 6 days in bubonic plague, 2 to 4 days in pneumonic plague; may be shorter, rarely longer.

And then here's the part which got me to wondering about the Sun article:

"Period of communicability - Bubonic plague is not directly transmitted from person to person except through terminal plague pneumonia. Fleas may remain infected for days or weeks or months under suitable conditions of temperature and humidity, or may clear themselves of infection.

The Last Weekend Before Our Future

SURFING
No, I don't surf, but I do scuba dive.

The past two years, as you well know, there has been a lot of murky water we've had to swim through, in order to make this a better country. Have we?

To make this a better nation, I question the ramifications of this economic collapse. Daily, we hear of cut-backs, layoffs, foreclosures, bank/financial failures, and then the taxes to be levied, just to pay for the first phase of TARP.

In October 1987, the stock market fell 500 points. Several friends and I met at the neighborhood bar after work. Several people were crowded around the tv watching as news blared about the crash.

Stunned by the events transpiring before me, one friend paid little attention, being more concerned about the skirt she was wearing, as it was old. I listened to her moan about her two month old skirt, I was astonished that she wasn't paying attention about the crash.

I wonder if she is now listening to what is happening within our country? For that matter, I wonder how many folks are listening to what is happening now? Some I know are, as their retirement savings have gone down the tubes. No doubt they are listening.

SMOOTH SAILING
One could only hope that the coming transition be just that, smooth sailing. However, when our VP-Elect made his statement referencing a catastrophe heading our way, within six-month's of taking office, I knew that he knew something we don't know.

Transition smooth, but be looking for the V.P. Elect's catastrophe.

and to make my point...

WASHINGTON – Officials of the outgoing and incoming Bush and Obama administrations are teaming up for a rehearsal of how to handle a theoretical national emergency.

Bush White House chief of staff Josh Bolten announced that the exercise, involving representatives of both administrations, will take place on Tuesday afternoon at the executive mansion.

Bolten said that such a joint rehearsal for a possible terrorism-era emergency is a matter of necessity, not just courtesy.

He said a few key members of the Obama administration and the current administration will get West Wing briefings on "incident management procedures" and "continuity of government procedures."

Bolton said officials will "work on a specific scenario ... and talk about who does what" in the event of a homeland security incident.

In case you didn't know, realism is a bitch.

Don't Drink and Fly - Memories - I know about plane crashes

Thank the good Lord above for giving that pilot sense when he had to take the plane into the frosty waters of the Hudson River today.

I had been following my afternoon ritual of reviewing all the news cycles, attempting to make sense of what our future was going to be, when breaking news of the Airbus from La Guardia to Charleston plunged down ON the river.

I was so brought back to the late winter in 79 or 80 when that plane ran off the runway, plunging into the Potomac River in Washington.

This accident just so happened when I was planning my move to Chicago for my new position as Director of Public Relations with a national insurance company.

I flew into O'Hare on the coldest day in recorded history, 100 degrees below zero wind chill factor, and a 40 mph wind. It was too cold to snow.

In the south, we wear fur coats for fashion...up there you really have reason to wear them. Thank God mine had a huge collar that I used to wrap around my head and face.

I also had on new alligator shoes, which were ruined in the salt slush.

Once at the company apartment, I was greeted with a wonderful treat...indoor pool, hot tub and sauna, which I put to use immediately. After dipping into the pool, then into the hot tub, running outside to jump into a snow bank returning once again in to the sauna.

The next day, the plane went into the river and all week long those images played in my head. It was so horrific, seeing those people struggle to grasp onto life vests as the responders attempt to pull them to safety...ugh, it haunts me to this day.

I never had a problem flying before this, but by the time I was ready to come home and complete the move, I was so nervous, begging Glen, in travel, to let me come home via the train or bus.

Years earlier, traveling to boarding school, I would usually take the Panama Limited to New Orleans, boarding in either Grenada or Winona. Loved getting on that train at 4 a.m. headed south after a "good-conduct" weekend. That too, is another story.

Glen said he had already bought the ticket, so I took it as a no. "If you'd like, I'll take you to the airport and wait until you board."

At O'Hare, he took me in to the 7 Continents lounge where I got snookered. We both did. Ready to board, we took a wrong turn, heading down the concourse, to the wrong gate.

With no time to spare, we turned around, heading to the correct gate...at the other end of the concourse, I was the last to board. Getting on board was easy, and leaving easier, as I had to be awakened upon reaching Jackson.

Just glad I never have had to experience what those dear folks in New York and Washington did.

Honestly, Honesty...I knew you well, Say it ain't so

(Biting Tongue)BREAKING NEWS

Pretend Treasury Chief Tim Geitner forgets to pay $48,000 in taxes while working for International Monetary Fund in 2001. How do you forget to pay that much moola?

Oh, it's known now that he paid just before his nomination!
Imagine that!

And oh, Henry Reid, you old sole (not mis-spelled) you...Tim's problems are just a hick-up...for me more like a gagging throw-up.

However, should his nomination be confirmed, he will be over the IRS. And did you know that if an IRS agent had been audited like ole Timbo, they would be fired?

Hmmmmmmmmmm!


(Biting Tongue)BREAKING NEWS

P-Elect and VP-Elect are going to visit the Supreme Court today. Not that they don't already have the papers that Berg filed. Another Conference on Berg's action will be held on the 16th. HA! Oh, that's right, according to our Senator Wicker's letter (in yesterday's post), Berg's case is to be dismissed on December 9th, 2009!

Yahoo News - The Obama transition team said the two will visit the court Wednesday afternoon at the invitation of Chief Justice John Roberts.

It's something of a tradition for incoming presidents and vice presidents to pay their respects to the court, though not all have made the trip. Bill Clinton and his vice president-elect, Al Gore, called on the court in December 1992, and Ronald Reagan and his vice president-elect, George H. W. Bush, visited in November 1980.

The Obama team said Wednesday's visit was private, with no press permitted.

No press permitted? Imagine that? Oh, that's right, we are going to have a transparent government!

(Biting Tongue)BREAKING NEWS

Foreign donations won't stop Hillary's bid for Secretary of State. What are you kidding me? Oh, that? Why, we all need to get nearly a half-a-billion dollars from "fereigner's" for our favorite charity...(us)...but, "I still have the ethics to be a suckatary of state." Who is sucking who here?

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS

I normally would have let this one pass, but after receiving a "To whom it may concern" letter from the Department of Health and Human Services Public health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...whew, glad I don't have to type that everyday...

CHICKEN POX PARTIES
Rather than children get their immunizations, which some parents believe to the the cause for autism, they are having chicken pox parties. The children gather together with a child or children that have pox, thereby exposing them, in order to forgo the immunization.

Well, Dr. Sonik, Director, National Center for Health Statistics, is asking for help with an important study conducted by the CDC called the National Immunization Survey.

They want to ask about vaccinations and children's health services their children need or use.

Dang, there go the Pox Parties!

(Biting Tongue) BREAKING NEWS

Carol Browner, new Czarista of Government Socialism. And you thought we were going to be gentler, kinder, no hidden agenda Wishingtonia?

Hey, all you nuts who voted for this coming annihilation of free thought, free speech, open to all, accessible, big brother government, what the hell were you thinking?

Oh, that's right, we don't think anymore, do we?

Apparently all the signs that pointed in this direction said that we wanted a Big Mama and Big Papa to "hep" us.

We are going to be hepped alright. "Jest yew watch"!

Who's left standing?

Following a post at UrbanSurvival, and a letter I received in December from Senator Roger F. Wicker, I have to wonder just who our elected officials represent.

To begin with, every morning I open my computer with George Ure's news analysis site www.urbansurvival.com.

Yesterday, the last two paragraphs under Climate and Change post, may possibly identify where we are headed...

Meantime, the president-elect says the recession requires a "scaling back on promises" which I think is politease for "Now that I won, ya'll won't get what you bargained for...
Jan. 11 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama said reviving the U.S. economy will require scaling back on his campaign promises and personal sacrifice from all Americans.

“I want to be realistic here, not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace we had hoped,” Obama said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” program broadcast this morning. “Everybody’s going to have to give.”

Not that it's any surprise around here. Folks voted for 'change' but the truth of an old saying keeps welling up within me as a study and write: "The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Who qualifies for "standing"?

So you want to file a suit against a political action figure because you have reason to believe Mr. Action is not qualified to run for POTUS. You have reasonable questions citing Constitutional laws that address the suit and you have EXHIBITS (under Just the Facts link on the left) which further questions the authenticity of Mr. Action's qualifications, namely, place of birth and residency requirements to serve as POTUS.

It would be worth your time to check the entire site as it addresses the question, "Who can run for, and rightfully serve as POTUS?" Also, who has the right to file a lawsuit to vet that nominee, Mr. Action? Who has "standing" to take on the constitutional law?

As the softball media has yet to adequately cover this lawsuit, I addressed this question to Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker my concerns.

I received the following reply...

Dear Oliver (the name is Olivia)

Thank you for contacting me regarding questions surrounding the President-Elect Obama's citizenship. I am glad to have the benefit of your views on this issue.

The U.S. Constitution requires the president to a natural-born citizen. In August, a lawsuit filed in U.S. District court in Philadelphia alleged that President-elect Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii. The lawyer who filed this action has also filed suits alleging President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney knew about the September ll terrorist attacks. He also has called for Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and former Justice Sandra Day O'Conner to disbar themselves for their decision in the 2001 Bush v. Gore.

Yes, Mr. Berg, did file those other lawsuits, as the lawyer of record, not on behalf of himself, but on behalf of plaintiffs seeking remedies within the court. But why would these other cases deny him the validity of raising the questions of the right to serve.

Why do you, Senator Wicker, not answer the question at hand? Why subjugate your answers with promoting an "agenda of invalidation" of Mr. Berg's questions raised in his lawsuit?

As I am not a conspiracy theorist, nor conspiracy advocate; there are many folks out there that question our government's ability to run our country into the ground, or allowing it to survive and thrive...to which I do have real doubts, if we concern ourselves with globalization, not nationalism. But that is another question for another day.

In October, a federal judge dismissed the Obama suit, and on December 8, 2009 (yes, they actually wrote 2009), the Supreme Court declined to hear the emergency appeal without opinion. Several similar cases have been filed in various courts across the country and are going through the judicial process. It appears unlikely that senate Democratic leaders will bring up legislation related to this issue in the 111th Congress.

I hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can ever be of assistance.

With best wishes, I am

Sincerely yours,
Roger

RFW/lb

Well, Roger, you need to do some of your own research, and not depend on your staff to get the facts, all the facts...especially since according to your letter, the case you alluded to in October won't be dismissed until December '09.

I know, semantics...but I couldn't help but discern, by the tone of his letter, not to mention that of the softball media's lack of attention; that they could care less if Mr. Action was hatched from a prawn farm operation in Indonesia.

Who cares about these issues? Who of us has standing when it comes to our desire to voice our concerns of possible violations of our constitutional laws?

By the way, it ain't over till it's over. This won't likely be just swept under the rug, as hoped for by the incoming leadership. The stain of corruption will follow him throughout his administration, which is unfortunate.

Scrutiny of politicians is inevitable, however, necessary. For how else can one be trusted to care for our needs, when they, themselves, are so envious of power, that they will do and say anything to be elected.

So who of us has standing, an eligibility to bring forth a constitutional case before the Court? As a natural-born citizen of the United States of America, do I not have the right to question the legitimacy of a candidate who wants to serve as my President?

"Never Give Up, Never Surrender"

I loved "Galaxy Quest"! Its one of those memorable movies that is light-hearted enough to make you smile no matter how far-fetched the ideas were.

And although we hear the news everyday, we don't give a second glance to some of the really dire circumstances, or how far-fetched things seem to be and what we may find ourselves in - in the not so distant future.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't out there looking for what is really going on in our proud capital of Wishingtonia. I can't help but hear what others are saying about the coming "WHAT" and "IF".

Some web bot linguistics are indicating a Summer of Hell...this year. With increased unemployment, failing DOW, massive foreclosures (as many have indicated, we haven't seen the worst yet), and lets not forget ole Bernie Madoff, who single-handily created a giant scheme suckering folks out of billions. Every time I see that smart-assed grin on his face, I wish that there was a miracle cream to wipe it off, sticking the grin where his sun doesn't shine. Amazingly, he is still allowed to reside in his million dollar apartment, while out on bail...I guess money talks and BS walks.

But back to the What and If part of this post...

So what is coming? My least favorite word in existence, CHAOS, comes to mind and thus...

Martial Law, the Financial Bailout, and War

by Prof. Peter Dale Scott at Global Research...

Paulson’s Financial Bailout

It is becoming clear that the bailout measures of late 2008 may have consequences at least as grave for an open society as the response to 9/11 in 2001. Many members of Congress felt coerced into voting against their inclinations, and the normal procedures for orderly consideration of a bill were dispensed with.

The excuse for bypassing normal legislative procedures was the existence of an emergency. But one of the most reprehensible features of the legislation, that it allowed Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to permit bailed-out institutions to use public money for exorbitant salaries and bonuses, was inserted by Paulson after the immediate crisis had passed.

According to Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vermont) the bailout bill originally called for a cap on executive salaries, but Paulson changed the requirement at the last minute. Welch and other members of Congress were enraged by “news that banks getting taxpayer-funded bailouts are still paying exorbitant salaries, bonuses, and other benefits.”1 In addition, as AP reported in October, “Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. questioned allowing banks that accept bailout bucks to continue paying dividends on their common stock. `There are far better uses of taxpayer dollars than continuing dividend payments to shareholders,’ he said.”2

Even more reprehensible is the fact that since the bailouts, Paulson and the Treasury Department have refused to provide details of the Troubled Assets Relief Program spending of hundreds of billions of dollars, while the New York Federal Reserve has refused to provide information about its own bail-out (using government-backed loans) that amounts to trillions. This lack of transparency has been challenged by Fox TV in a FOIA suit against the Treasury Department, and a suit by Bloomberg News against the Fed.3

The financial bailout legislation of September 2008 was only passed after members of both Congressional houses were warned that failure to act would threaten civil unrest and the imposition of martial law.

U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., both said U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson brought up a worst-case scenario as he pushed for the Wall Street bailout in September. Paulson, former Goldman Sachs CEO, said that might even require a declaration of martial law, the two noted.4

Here are the original remarks by Senator Inhofe:

Speaking on Tulsa Oklahoma’s 1170 KFAQ, when asked who was behind threats of martial law and civil unrest if the bailout bill failed, Senator James Inhofe named Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson as the source. “Somebody in D.C. was feeding you guys quite a story prior to the bailout, a story that if we didn’t do this we were going to see something on the scale of the depression, there were people talking about martial law being instituted, civil unrest….who was feeding you guys this stuff?,” asked host Pat Campbell. “That’s Henry Paulson,” responded Inhofe, “We had a conference call early on, it was on a Friday I think – a week and half before the vote on Oct. 1. So it would have been the middle … what was it – the 19th of September, we had a conference call. In this conference call – and I guess there’s no reason for me not to repeat what he said, but he said – he painted this picture you just described. He said, ‘This is serious. This is the most serious thing that we faced.’”5

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA 27th District) reported the same threat on the Congressional floor (Rep. Sherman later downplayed his remarks slightly on the Alex Jones show):

“The only way they can pass this bill is by creating a panic atmosphere…. Many of us were told that the sky would fall…. A few of us were even told that there would be martial law in America if we voted no. That’s what I call fear-mongering, unjustified, proven wrong.”6

So it is clear that threats of martial law were used to get this reprehensible bailout legislation passed. It also seems clear that Congress was told of a threat of martial law, not itself threatened. It is still entirely appropriate to link such talk to the Army’s rapid moves to redefine its role as one of controlling the American people, not just protecting them. In a constitutional polity based on balance of powers, we see the emergence of a radical new military power that is as yet completely unbalanced.

The Army’s New Role in 2001: Not Protecting American Society, but Controlling It

This new role for the Army is not wholly unprecedented. The U.S. military had been training troops and police in "civil disturbance planning" for the last three decades. The master plan, Department of Defense Civil Disturbance Plan 55-2, or "Operation Garden Plot," was developed in 1968 in response to the major protests and disturbances of the 1960s.

But on January 19, 2001, on the last day of the Clinton administration, the U.S. Army promulgated a new and permanent Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program. It encapsulated its difference from the preceding, externally-oriented Army Survival, Recovery, and Reconstitution System (ASRRS) as follows:

a. In 1985, the Chief of Staff of the Army established the Army Survival, Recovery, and Reconstitution System (ASRRS) to ensure the continuity of essential Army missions and functions.

ASRRS doctrine was focused primarily on a response to the worst case 1980's threat of a massive nuclear laydown on CONUS as a result of a confrontation with the Soviet Union.

b. The end of the Cold War and the breakup of the former Soviet Union significantly reduced the probability of a major nuclear attack on CONUS but the probability of other threats has increased. Army organizations must be prepared for any contingency with a potential for interruption of normal operations.

To emphasize that Army continuity of operations planning is now focused on the full all-hazards threat spectrum, the name "ASRRS" has been replaced by the more generic title “Continuity of Operations (COOP) Program.”7

This document embodied the secret Continuity of Operations (COG) planning conducted secretly by Rumsfeld, Cheney, and others through the 1980s and 1990s.8 This planning was initially for continuity measures in the event of a nuclear attack, but soon called for suspension of the Constitution, not just “after a nuclear war” but for any “national security emergency.” This was defined in Reagan’s Executive Order 12656 of November 18, 1988 as “any occurrence, including natural disaster, military attack, technological emergency, or other emergency, that seriously degrades or seriously threatens the national security of the United States.” The effect was to impose on domestic civil society the extreme measures once planned for a response to a nuclear attack from abroad.9

In like fashion ARR 500-3 Regulation clarified that it was a plan for “the execution of mission-essential functions without unacceptable interruption during a national security or domestic emergency.”

Donald Rumsfeld, who as a private citizen had helped author the COG planning, promptly signed and implemented the revised ARR 500-3. Eight months later, on 9/11, Cheney and Rumsfeld implemented COG, a significant event of which we still know next to nothing. What we do know is that plans began almost immediately – as foreseen by COG planning the 1980s -- to implement warrantless surveillance and detention of large numbers of civilians, and that in January 2002 the Pentagon submitted a proposal for deploying troops on American streets.10

Then in April 2002, Defense officials implemented a plan for domestic U.S. military operations by creating a new U.S. Northern Command (CINC-NORTHCOM) for the continental United States.11 In short, what were being implemented were the most prominent features of the COG planning which Oliver North had worked on in the 1980s.

Deep Events and Changes of Party in the White House

Like so many other significant steps since World War Two towards a military-industrial state, the Army’s Regulation 500-3 surfaced in the last days of a departing administration (in this case the very last day). It is worth noticing that, ever since the 1950s, dubious events--of the unpublic variety I have called deep events--have marked the last months before a change of party in the White House. These deep events have tended to a) constrain incoming presidents, if the incomer is a Democrat, or alternatively b) to pave the way for the incomer, if he is a Republican.

Consider, in the first category, the following (when a Republican was succeeded by a Democrat):

* In December 1960 the CIA secured approval for the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and escalated events in Laos into a crisis for which the Joint Chiefs proposed sending 60,000 troops. These events profoundly affected President Kennedy’s posture towards Cuba and Indochina.

* In 1976 CIA Director George H.W. Bush installed an outside Team B intelligence unit to enlarge drastically estimates of the Soviet threat to the United States, eventually frustrating and reversing presidential candidate Jimmy Carter’s campaign pledge to cut the U.S. defense budget.12

Equally important were events in the second category (when a Democrat was succeeded by a Republican):

* In late 1968 Kissinger, while advising the Johnson administration, gave secret information to the Nixon campaign that helped Nixon to obstruct the peace agreement in Vietnam that was about to be negotiated at the peace talks then taking place in Paris. (According to Seymour Hersh,“The Nixon campaign, alerted by Kissinger to the impending success of the peace talks, was able to get a series of messages to the Thieu government” in Saigon. making it clear that a Nixon presidency would offer a better deal. This was a major factor in securing the defeat of Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey.13 Kissinger was not the kind of person to have betrayed his president on his own personal initiative. At the time Nixon’s campaign manager, John Mitchell (one of the very few in on the secret), told Hersh that “I thought Henry [Kissinger] was doing it because Nelson [Rockefeller] wanted him to. Nelson asked Henry to help and he did.”14

* In 1980 the so-called October Surprise, with the help of people inside CIA, helped ensure that the Americans held hostage in Iran would not be returned before the inauguration of Reagan. This was a major factor in securing the defeat of incumbent Jimmy Carter.15 Once again, the influence of the Rockefellers can be discerned. A CIA officer later reported hearing Joseph V. Reed, an aide to David Rockefeller, comment in 1981 to William Casey, the newly installed CIA Director, about their joint success in disrupting Carter’s plans to bring home the hostages.16

Both the financial bailout, extorted from Congress and the escalated preparations for martial law can be seen as transitional events of the first category. Whatever the explanations for their timing, they will constrain Obama’s freedom to make his own policies. I fear moreover they may have the consequence of easing this country into unforeseen escalations of the Afghan war.

The Intensive Quiet Preparations for Martial Law

Let us deal first with the preparations for martial law. On September 30, 2008, the Army Times announced the redeployment of an active Brigade Army Team from Iraq to America, in a new mission that “may become a permanent part of the active Army”:

The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.

Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.

Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks. . . . After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one. . . .They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control.17

This announcement followed by two weeks the talk of civil unrest and martial law that was used to panic the Congress into passing Paulson’s bailout legislation. Not only that, the two unprecedented events mirror each other: the bailout debate anticipated civil unrest and martial law, while the announced positioning of an active Brigade Combat Team on U.S. soil anticipated civil unrest (such as might result from the bailout legislation).

Then on December 17, 2008, US Northern Command chief General Renuart announced that “the US military plans to mobilize thousands of troops to protect Washington against potential terrorist attack during the inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama.”18

The US Army War College has also raised the possibility of the U.S. Army being used to control civil unrest, according to the Phoenix Business Journal:

A new report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks.

“Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” said the War College report.

The study says economic collapse, terrorism and loss of legal order are among possible domestic shocks that might require military action within the U.S.19

For the whole caboose....click here
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11681

Check out the links posted in his notes at the end of the article that you will find particularly fascinating.

Just remember, once you digest this, "Never Give Up, Never Surrender!"

You ole goat, you!

Wow, so much going on in our world, and so little time to research and read, however, this one is just amazing!

So you have a dire medical problem that requires medication to prevent clotting, an anti-clotting medication that is developed from genetically engineered goats.

FROM AP

Drug from genetically engineered goats a first
January 7th, 2009 By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR , Associated Press Writer in Medicine & Health / Medications

In what would be a scientific first, an anti-clotting drug made from the milk of genetically engineered goats moved closer to government approval Wednesday after experts at the Food and Drug Administration reported that the medication works and its safety is acceptable.

Called ATryn, the drug is intended to help people with a rare hereditary disorder that makes them vulnerable to life-threatening blood clots.

Its approval would be a major step toward new kinds of medications made not from chemicals, but from living organisms genetically manipulated by scientists. Similar drugs could be available in the next few years for a range of human ailments, including hemophilia.

ATryn was developed by a Massachusetts biotechnology company, GTC Biotherapeutics, by altering the genes of goats so they would produce milk rich in antithrombin, a protein that in humans acts as a natural blood thinner.

About 1 in 5,000 people don't produce enough of the protein, putting them at risk of developing blood clots in their veins. Such clots can be extremely painful. If they break loose and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs or the brain, the consequences can be catastrophic. Pregnant women with the disorder are at high risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, because of blood clots in the placenta.

In their everyday lives, patients with the disorder are managed with conventional blood thinners. That would not change. ATryn is for use only when patients are undergoing surgery or having a baby, times when the risk of dangerous clots is particularly high. Those patients would receive the drug by intravenous infusion for a limited time before and after their procedures.

Scientific advisers to the FDA will weigh the risks and benefits of the drug at a meeting Friday, and make a recommendation on approval. The FDA will make the final decision.

"It's the first time we've held an advisory committee meeting on any product from a genetically engineered animal," said FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey. If ATryn is approved, the FDA may require follow-up monitoring to make sure that patients' immune systems don't start making antibodies in reaction to the medication.

Well, you ole goats, something else to affect our immune system...geez...what will they think of next?

Genetically modified corn? Oh, we already have that don't we? Know what's in Canola oil? Perhaps we need to be more informed about what we are eating? Just think, and don't get me wrong, I love goat cheese, but I want to know just what goes from my fork to my mouth...and sets up some invading consequence in my body.

For the complete article...
http://www.physorg.com/news150563615.html

UPDATE !Planting the new 2009 garden at 451 degrees

UPDATE!
Talking about radical change...well it seems that MnP and thrift shops became exempt from this ruling, once they raised enough stink, and somebody in Wishingtonia listened.

Ah, the little man can still be heard, especially since we are in this economic crisis. Who wants to close the thrift stores?

No one right now...here's the link!

http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html


Ever see the movie Fahrenheit 451?

Well you don't have to, because it is happening right before your eyes.

While watching the noon news, I caught the end of a report about some Mom and Pop business, who sold gently worn, used clothing, toys and books. It seems that in order for them to stay in business and comply with a new government regulation, they would have to provide certification that if it, any item they sold, did not or would not cause injury to children 13 years of age and younger, they could not sell it.

In order to provide this certification, they would have to purchase a new technology, called a UNIT, that cost $35,000, which would read the levels of...ok here's what is not allowed to be sold or used ...

2. Product Content Limits
The Act prescribes strict limits on the content of certain materials in products intended for children, including lead and phthalates.

In particular:

Effective February 10, 2009, the Act prohibits the sale of childrens toys and child care articles with concentrations of more than 0.1 percent of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate, (DIDP), or di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP).

The Act mandates a phased-in ban on lead in substrate for all childrens products, requiring that lead levels be reduced to a maximum of 600 parts per million by February 10, 2009; 300 parts per million by August 14, 2009; and 100 parts per million by August 14, 2011. Electronic devices and inaccessible component parts will be subject to rules to be issued by August 14, 2009.

The Act also reduces permissible lead in paint content from 0.06 percent to 0.009 percent (effective August 14, 2009), which may be lowered further by administrative action.

Now what is this? The above quote is from Amazon, in a letter to all it's vendors, letting them know what is coming down the pike.

The U.S. House and Senate have passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (the Act), and on August 14, 2008, President Bush signed the Act into law.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA H.R. 4040) has a good goal: protect kids from dangerous imports tainted with lead. Bravo! Unfortunately it goes about doing so in such a way that it’ll drive up costs across the board, drive many manufacturers and retailers out of business, and not really make kids any safer.

So what does CPSIA do? It mandates lead testing for ALL items intended for children under 13 or PERCEIVED as being for those under age 13. So items commonly regarded as “kids stuff” even if it is intended for adults, such as many comics, collectible books, high end popups, etc, still falls under the statute even though they’re aimed at adult collectors.

It requires UNIT testing. The final product must be tested from each batch. It doesn’t matter if all the components going into it are certified and have been tested as having no lead, it still must be tested for lead.

Here’s an example. You publish textbooks for 4th graders. You publish a science textbook. You publish a spelling book. They are printed with all the same materials, on the same day, on the same press, with the same crew manning it. You must test the science book and the spelling book separately because they may contain lead!

This basically seems to imply that somehow alchemy works. Non-lead containing item + non-lead containing item = LEAD!

The manufacturer needs to provide a testing certificate to the retailer, which must be available for inspection, should a Consumer Product Safety Administration inspector come in. No certificate, the retailer can’t sell it.

The truly bizarre part is that the new regulations apply retroactively. Even if it was printed 50 years ago and the publisher no longer exists, you need to have a certificate proving it’s not filled with lead. Even if it is the only remaining copy of a rare children’s book worth thousands of dollars and only will ever be handled by collectors, you cannot sell it because you can’t prove it is not filled with lead.

Anything manufactured after November 10th 2008 should have come with a certificate certifying it has been tested for lead. If your distributor didn’t provide one, you need to call and get one. As of Febuary 10th, its in fact illegal for your distributor to sell you a kids’ book without a certificate of lead testing, no matter when it was printed.

Objects without a certification still have to be tested. So those copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows that were printed in 2007 that are still available new at Amazon may have to be destroyed as of February 10th 2009 because they haven’t been tested for lead. (Amazon is taking this seriously and sent a mail to all affiliates asking them to provide the lead testing certificates for all items)

How bad can the punishment be? For selling books? Up to $100,000 PER ITEM and up to five years in jail. It’s also a felony. Get busted, you may lose your right to vote in some states. Even if you can fight it in court, you’ll likely go broke doing so and your local newspaper will carry the headline “Local business selling lead tainted goods”… even though you know they aren’t. Good luck getting them to print the retraction months or years later after that PR disaster.

This includes not just selling, but distribution. So you can’t donate the untested goods to your local library, Good Will, or literacy program. You also can’t sell them to overseas collectors either, as they’re illegal to export. (preventing dumping of truly toxic goods on third world markets is one of the few good portions of this law. Good job on that, bad job on the rest)

This leaves you, the bookseller, with two legal options: store the books indefinitely, hoping regulations change, OR destroy them.

So here's to planting seeds in the garden at 451 degrees! Check out the movie at Netflix...it's worth viewing!

Do you think we need to get some of those bozo's out of Wishingtonia before they REALLY take us to the cleaners? Anybody in eBay? Need a $35,000 tool? How about investing in the MAKER of those UNITS?

Not so happy a New Year For Katrina victims

Will the travesties ever end for those who are attempting to rebuild their lives from the Katrina catastrophe?

Recent news from Waveland, MS identifies the travesties still being visited upon those who want to rebuild their lives by Mississippi Emergency Management Agency decision to remove the "temporary" Katrina Cottages from private land owner's attempting to rebuild their lives.

These cottages, if they are the same one's specifically designed to withstand damages from future storms (being built to required specifications of coastal living), could be purchased in kit form from Lowes and other home building stores. Although they were given for free to displaced homeowner, why were they not built to code?

Another rip off by FEMA?

Each cottage, depending on size, would cost $50K+. I thought they would be permanent housing for those on the coast, so what the hell is going on?

FEMA Strikes Again: Katrina Victims Being Forced Out of Cottages

December 31, 2008
By Rick Jervis
USA Today

WAVELAND, Miss. — Thousands of cottages housing hurricane victims on the Mississippi Gulf Coast will be vacated next month, even though many of their occupants aren't ready to move and may have no place to go if forced out.

Photo: Waveland, Miss., residents sit on the porch of their temporary home. (By Mario Tama, Getty Images)

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency distributed the one-, two- and three-bedroom structures to temporarily house displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There are still 2,300 occupied cottages in Mississippi, said Mike Womack, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Many of the cottages sit on residents' lots while they rebuild wrecked homes, he said.

According to agreements between the state agency and cities, the cottages will need to be emptied by the end of January and removed by March, Womack said.

Housing advocates, residents and some local officials worry that forcing out residents, many of whom are trying to rebuild their homes, will aggravate an already dire housing situation.

"If these (cottages) are gone, there's just not going to be enough affordable housing," said Tim Kellar, county administrator of Hancock County, which includes Waveland. "We don't have an alternate plan if that happens."

FEMA distributed the cottages, free of charge, as an alternative to the temporary trailers that first housed hurricane victims. The program was applauded as Mississippi officials acquired and distributed thousands of the cottages; neighboring Louisiana lagged behind.

The cottages were always meant to be temporary, not a permanent housing solution, Womack said. The structures may not withstand another powerful storm and many violate zoning rules, he said.

"We just can't allow these cottages to stay in place where they're unsafe or degrading the property values of homes around them," Womack said.

Rebuilding homes or finding alternative housing has been a slow, arduous process in post-Katrina Mississippi, said Andrew Canter of the Mississippi Center for Justice, a housing advocacy group. For example, none of the public housing units has been rebuilt in Bay St. Louis and Waveland, two of the hardest-hit coastal towns, leaving scores of residents with few options, he said.

Forcing residents from the cottages next month could leave many hurricane victims homeless, he said. "Thousands of people will not be able to find new housing," Canter said.

FEMA has offered to sell the cottages to residents, pending approval by the cities in which they reside, Canter said. Some of the cities, such as Waveland and Bay St. Louis, will only allow the cottages in trailer parks, he said.

Waveland resident Mary Elizabeth Shaerrouse, 84, has lived in her two-bedroom cottage since October 2007. The cottage is parked on her property while her house is being rebuilt. Problems with a contractor have delayed construction until August 2009. She doesn't know what she'll do if she's forced out by the end of January, she said.

"It's truly a roadblock," Shaerrouse said. "I'm just trying to make it to August."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-30-cottages_N.htm