Another one Right in Front of your Face

http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2233038,00.html
"
...
she was anxious that she was not being given enough security. The email was passed to Wolf Blitzer, a CNN presenter, to be published if she was killed. In the email Bhutto said if she was killed it would be the responsibility of Pervez Musharraf, the general who seized power in a coup and became Pakistan's president.

"Nothing will, God willing happen. Just wanted u to know if it does in addition to my names in my letter to Musharaf of Oct 16nth, I wld hold Musharaf responsible," the email said. "I have been made to feel insecure by his minions
...
"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2233038,00.html


http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Idea: Edwards - Kucinich 2008

Why?

Kucinich tells it like it is. He's such a loose cannon that the sold-out elements of the Democratic Party apparently arranged things so he wasn't even in the Iowa Debates.

Edwards is a proven warrior in the conflict of People versus Corporate Greed.

I don't see anything better.

http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Don't be a sucker for Ron Paul

Here are some thoughts on Ron Paul:

1. First and foremost, how can ANYONE of integrity associate with the Republican Party after all they've done. What? What?

2. Second, How can ANYONE with a lick of sense reason that further chopping up the republic and selling it off to corporate cronies will enable us to collectively enforce our Constitution and its protections against concentrated wealth? Learn what happened to Chile after September 11, 1973. And then learn how neo-liberalism (not social liberalism) destroys republics and could destroy ours.

3. Third, Why does the Ron Paul Campaign have such appeal to hate groups such as the White Supremacist group StormFront, and religious types who want to impose their philosophy on others?


I am not criticizing Ron Paul as a man, but if he truly wanted to protect the constitution he wouldn't advocate the further privatization of our constitutional republican government, further gutting our ability to oversee the management of our community.

I smell a false-populist, false revolution. Recognize Ron Paul's phony rallying cry to protect the constitution as a ploy by the "Republican" party to continue their destruction our republic.

History repeats itself. Learn what happened in 1933.

Wise Up.

http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Thank You, Sen. Patrick Leahy

In a time when our republic is at risk of complete destruction by the moneyed interests, It's a breath of fresh air to see a competent professional legislator like Sen. Patrick Leahy. Hats off.

http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/...
"

Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Contempt Citations For Karl Rove, Joshua Bolten In Bipartisan Vote

"
http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/...

http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Comments are Open

I, Mark Frankenberg, benevolent dictator of the American Wisdom Blog, am opening this blog up to comments from anyone. The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily the views of AmericanWisdom.org or its affiliates etc. etc. Have Fun!

http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Saul Williams Pledge of Resistance

http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Ordinary Citizens Protest against Rich Crooks, St. Petersburg, FL November 28, 2007

We say, "The System is Broken" and we don't accept your corporatist agenda.

http://www.stpeteforpeace.org/
"
Republican Presidential Candidates
Debate - Actions in St. Petersburg

The Republican Party of Florida, CNN, and YouTube are sponsoring a Republican presidential candidates debate in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Actions surrounding the debate:

Monday Nov. 26 to Wednesday Nov. 28. Sleep in and hunger strike in solidarity with the homeless. Show your support in the form of juice, water, video cameras, or just your presence. For more, please visit stpeteforpeace.org/tentcity or For the Homeless by The Homeless webpage.

Wednesday Nov. 28, 6:00pm. Protest the warmongering Republican presidential candidates (except Ron Paul). Join antiwar activists, political candidate supporters, homeless advocates and others as we tell CNN (host of the debates) that the system is bankrupt! Meet by 6:00pm in front of the Mahaffey Theater, 4th Avenue and 1st Street, South. [MAP]. (NOTE: there will not be a film showing that evening)

Also check out:

St. Petersburg Rise Up Unity Event Rally, March, and Protest Calling For Change In The Corporate Media And A Political Process That Isn't Addressing Our Needs.

2pm-10pm.
(Before, during, and after CNN/You Tube Rep Pres Debate)
FOR DETAILS: extremedemocracy.bravehost.com/stpetedebate/
"

http://www.stpeteforpeace.org/

More info:
http://tampasbackdoor.blogspot.com/2007/11/system-is-broken-duh.html

New Thought-Police, Anti-Dissent Law?

Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

Without a lot of attention, this could become the new "Sedition Act":

http://www.ccrjustice.org...

[if you block traffic in a protest, this might be used against you. If you run a website they don't like, this might be used against you..]

"
will look at white power groups, new-Nazis and other extremists, too. “We don’t want to focus on any one group or leave anybody out
...
Already passed by the House with a vote of 404-6 on October 23rd. It is possible that the bill will be referred out of Committee next Wednesday and brought to the Senate floor.
"
http://www.ccrjustice.org...

Idea:

Instead of focusing on the politics of getting re-elected in '08,

How 'bout if

you focus on preserving the constitution?

Remember this?:
"
in January of every odd-numbered year, those newly elected or re-elected Congressmen - the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate - must recite an oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

"

Every Email, Every Site you visited, recorded by NSA

In direct violation of the 4th Amendment of the Constitution, these goons have been tracking every move we make on the internet.
http://www.eff.org/cases/att

The Senate is considering giving telcoms retroactive legal immunity for violations like this, next week. This is unacceptable. Good time for a phone call to your senator.

To Judicial committee members

Here's the list of all committee members. Call every one in your state.
http://judiciary.house.gov/CommitteeMembership.aspx

For calls to republican representatives, I recommend the following highlights:

• This is an executive power grab.
• Appeasing the executive branch is relinquishing congressional power.
  
• It sets a bad precedent. How will you feel if President Clinton or Obama does what these guys are doing?
  
• This is an upset in the checks and balances in our constitutional republic.
• Urge the congressman to honor your oath and preserve our republic.

Tell them, "Begin Impeachment Hearings"

Use this link to send a message to the House Judiciary Committee urging them to begin impeachment hearings per H.Res 333 (impeach Dick Cheney)
http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary

Silence of the Lambs

Shhh... Hear that? It's the fascist press NOT COVERING the IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTION (H.Res 333) that passed the House yesterday.

You folks in the house keep sitting there with your thumbs.... and one day you won't have a freaking legislative branch to drive to in the morning. Do your jobs!

This is not time to appease these crooks. It is time to Impeach and Prosecute. Cheney First, and Bush immediately after.

Don't let our Constitutional Republic die of "Embarrassment".

So what happened? There's Stuff to do. Look here:
http://www.democrats.com/impeachment-next-step-judiciary-hearings-on-hres333

H.R. versus H. Res

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/faqlist.html

How are bills identified? Are there different versions of bills?

There are four types of legislation: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions and simple resolutions. Any of these may be introduced in either chamber. They are identified as follows:

1. S. 123 - Bill originating in the Senate
2. S.R. 123 - Simple Resolution of the Senate
3. S.J.Res. 123 - Joint Resolution originating in the Senate
4. S. Con. Res. 123 - Concurrent Resolution originating in the Senate
5. H.R. 123 - Bill originating in the House
6. H.Res. 123 - Simple Resolution of the House
7. H.J.Res. 123 - Joint Resolution originating in the House
8. H.Con.Res. 123 - Concurrent Resolution originating in the House

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/faqlist.html

Good Page Comparing Liberals and Conservatives

http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/about/liberals-1.html

The right to bear arms is for The People, Not for Corporations.

Hijacking the Second Amendment:

“From my Cold, Dead Hands”, said Charlton Heston, star of the classic movie “The Ten Commandments” and spokesman for the NRA (National Rifle Association) at one of their rallies, trumpeting the importance of freedom and security in peoples ability to resist tyranny.

This appeal to rugged individuals, at face value “uniquely American” and courageous, is misleading and deceptive. Much of the driving force behind the “Gun Lobby” is the “Arms Industry” (corporations that use or sell machines that kill and destroy). This mercenary Death and Destruction industry is, in many cases, competing directly with natural persons (real people) for the right to bear arms under the second amendment.

Because corporations are inherently dictatorial government structures, and because the second amendment explicitly defines its purpose as to defend a free state, it logically follows that corporations should not have the right to bear arms; and that armed corporate dictatorships are precisely the kind of tyranny the second amendment is intended to protect us against.

Here’s the Second Amendment:

"
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
"

“Well-Regulated” refers to oversight and control by the people, managing their own community defense through their own elected local governments.

“The People” is different from “people”. “People” bearing arms, while not co-dependent on their neighbors, might well pose a threat to each other. “The People” is our community, collectively managing itself. The Second Amendment thus refers to municipalities having the ability to muster men and firepower for the purpose of defense against tyranny and other disasters. One modern manifestation of this is the “National Guard”, which would be more rightly called the “State Militia”. It might very well be the best deployment of militia to have the population at large in possession of their own arms, as in Switzerland. Militias should never be deployed overseas, as they are today under the rein of George W. Bush.

Today, while the municipalities can barely survive shootouts with street-gangs, and the corporate radio calls for government’s further destruction, firms like Blackwater U.S.A. and CACI are roaming city streets, oftentimes better armed than our own elite military. This modern-day Praetorian Guard must be dismantled immediately if our republic is to survive.

Fight Monopolized Media (They're at it again)

From Common Cause:

"

They say that politics makes strange bedfellows. That was definitely the case yesterday when Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Trent Lott (R-MS) stood together at a press conference to denounce the FCC's plan to relax media ownership limits.*

Speak out today. Don't let Congress adjourn without holding media ownership hearings!

In case you haven't heard, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is threatening to vote, as soon as mid-December, to allow massive consolidation of media outlets. These new media ownership rules are likely to give a single company the right to own multiple television stations, numerous radio stations and the biggest newspaper in your town - effectively controlling almost all of your local news!

Worse, the FCC wants to approve the new rules without giving the public a fair chance to voice their concerns.

Ask Congress to act now to stop the FCC's massive giveaway to Big Media!

Stopping the FCC's effort to allow more media consolidation is something we can all support. We won this fight in 2003 because groups ranging from National Rifle Association to the National Organization for Women joined together to oppose the FCC's plan for more consolidation.

And we can win again. If thousands of us speak out for more diverse media, speak out for more local control of television and radio programming, and speak out for more viewpoints and better journalism, Congress and the FCC will have to listen .

Contact your Representatives today.

Let them know that you oppose the FCC's plan, and demand that they hold immediate hearings on the issue of media consolidation - before the FCC moves ahead with its planned December 18 vote.

"

To Protect and Defend

found at http://2millionthweblog.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html

A Glimpse at the Root of the Problem

neoliberalism,... what is it,..?
A 9-minute film (in English)discussing neoliberism with a beat and latin american graffiti and cartoons.
9m33s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jD59ue8t94

Ted Rall Cartoon in the Progressive Populist (Newspaper)

http://www.gocomics.com/rallcom/2007/10/01/
http://www.tedrall.com/index.html
http://www.populist.com/

Want Al Gore to Run?

Many of you have already chosen your Democratic candidate for 2008, and we respect them all. But if you'd like Al Gore to run, please sign our petition:
http://democrats.com/run-al-gore

Thank you, Pete Stark

Thank you, Pete Stark, for showing some intestinal fortitude in defense of justice.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK. Get the T-Shirt.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Open Thread 19oct07: What do YOU think?

Open Thread 19oct07: What do YOU think?

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK. Get the T-Shirt.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Regarding Nancy Pelosi and Impeachment.

Regarding Nancy Pelosi and Impeachment.

{
Look. We have democratic majorities in the House and Senate right now because we Americans are fed up with the Bush Administration, its recklessness, its abuses of power and its illegal war. We are now becoming fed up with the Democratic Party and Nancy Pelosi for their cowardly accommodation of the radicals in the Executive Branch (and their agents in congress), and for the failure of the Democratic Party to do what needs to be done:

Cut the funding for the illegal war in Iraq.

Impeach Bush, Cheney and their cohorts.

I can find enough information to support both things in 5 minutes.

Knock off the bullshit and do what we hired you to do.
}

Congress needs to hear from all of us today . Email your Representatives to demand impeachment, not immunity:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/114

If you have time, call your Representative and Senators at 202-225-3121 and politely express your outrage and your demand for impeachment, not immunity, for Bush's illegal wiretapping.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

FlyBots!

FlyBots!

At the next protest, you might want to take a net with you.

In Dan Brown's novel, "Deception Point" the claim is made that tiny government robots already exist.

That "fly on the wall" might be remotely operated by some fool who doesn't know what the 4th amendment is.

Thanks, Vox Fairy.

http://answer.pephost.org/...
"

Is the government using small flying surveillance devices on the antiwar movement?
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Washington Post reports on flying surveillance devices at Sept. 15 Mass March and Die-in

Washington Post reports on:
Flying surveillance devices at Sept. 15 Mass March and Die-in

A prototype of a flying surveillance device still under development

Today's Washington Post carries a major article about the government's creation of small flying surveillance devices that look somewhat like dragonflies. As the article below discusses, there have been credible independent reports about sightings at ANSWER's recent September 15 mass March on Washington of 100,000 people. According to the article, the government has been working through many agencies to perfect this spy technology. As also mentioned below, the Partnership for Civil Justice has recently filed a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with different government agencies regarding use and deployment against the public.

Vanessa Alarcon, who was working backstage at the Lafayette Park rally, and who is quoted in today's Washington Post article, reported that the strange-looking devices were hovering above the backstage area where speakers were waiting to take the stage and organizers were holding meetings in preparation for the mass march and die-in. Others reported that they saw the devices elsewhere at the demonstration.

The government's efforts to surveille the growing movement against the war in the United States are neither new nor are they effective in preventing the antiwar movement from gaining momentum everywhere. The government fined ANSWER $40,000 for putting up antiwar posters, suppressed and arrested the speakers at a pre-march press conference, spent large amounts of money to mobilize right-wing pro-Bush supporters, and yet all of these efforts failed to stop an exceptionally powerful action from taking place on Sept. 15. The protest culminated in a die-in of thousands led by Iraq war veterans and 200 arrested by riot police.

Following September 15th, the ANSWER Coalition, along with other national and local coalitions and organizers from around the country, are mobilizing for October 27th regional actions. This will be another powerful sign that the antiwar movement is growing, not diminishing as claimed by the corporate-owned media.

While there are those who would like to dismiss the implications of such spying, the fact is that if the government is intentionally conducting secret photographic or audio surveillance targeting people because they are engaged in public protest and First Amendment-protected activities, this would be a significant constitutional rights violation.

While we do not know that such bizarre spy technology was deployed at the September 15 demonstration, if anyone saw these "dragonflies," we'd like to hear from you.

Take a stand against government repression. Help this movement grow. We will not be intimidated. Please make an urgently needed donation today.

-- For more information, go to ANSWER Coalition (http://www.answercoalition/). To receive updates about the Partnership for Civil Justice's FOIA request, go to http://www.justiceonline.org/.

---

The story below is available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100801434.html

Dragonfly or Insect Spy? Scientists at Work on Robobugs.

By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Vanessa Alarcon saw them while working at an antiwar rally in Lafayette Square last month.

"I heard someone say, 'Oh my god, look at those,' " the college senior from New York recalled. "I look up and I'm like, 'What the hell is that?' They looked kind of like dragonflies or little helicopters. But I mean, those are not insects."

Out in the crowd, Bernard Crane saw them, too.

"I'd never seen anything like it in my life," the Washington lawyer said. "They were large for dragonflies. I thought, 'Is that mechanical, or is that alive?' "

That is just one of the questions hovering over a handful of similar sightings at political events in Washington and New York. Some suspect the insectlike drones are high-tech surveillance tools, perhaps deployed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Others think they are, well, dragonflies -- an ancient order of insects that even biologists concede look about as robotic as a living creature can look.

No agency admits to having deployed insect-size spy drones. But a number of U.S. government and private entities acknowledge they are trying. Some federally funded teams are even growing live insects with computer chips in them, with the goal of mounting spyware on their bodies and controlling their flight muscles remotely.

The robobugs could follow suspects, guide missiles to targets or navigate the crannies of collapsed buildings to find survivors.

The technical challenges of creating robotic insects are daunting, and most experts doubt that fully working models exist yet.

"If you find something, let me know," said Gary Anderson of the Defense Department's Rapid Reaction Technology Office.

But the CIA secretly developed a simple dragonfly snooper as long ago as the 1970s. And given recent advances, even skeptics say there is always a chance that some agency has quietly managed to make something operational.

"America can be pretty sneaky," said Tom Ehrhard, a retired Air Force colonel and expert in unmanned aerial vehicles who is now at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a nonprofit Washington-based research institute.

Robotic fliers have been used by the military since World War II, but in the past decade their numbers and level of sophistication have increased enormously. Defense Department documents describe nearly 100 different models in use today, some as tiny as birds, and some the size of small planes.

All told, the nation's fleet of flying robots logged more than 160,000 flight hours last year -- a more than fourfold increase since 2003. A recent report by the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College warned that if traffic rules are not clarified soon, the glut of unmanned vehicles "could render military airspace chaotic and potentially dangerous."

But getting from bird size to bug size is not a simple matter of making everything smaller.

"You can't make a conventional robot of metal and ball bearings and just shrink the design down," said Ronald Fearing, a roboticist at the University of California at Berkeley. For one thing, the rules of aerodynamics change at very tiny scales and require wings that flap in precise ways -- a huge engineering challenge.

Only recently have scientists come to understand how insects fly -- a biomechanical feat that, despite the evidence before scientists' eyes, was for decades deemed "theoretically impossible." Just last month, researchers at Cornell University published a physics paper clarifying how dragonflies adjust the relative motions of their front and rear wings to save energy while hovering.

That kind of finding is important to roboticists because flapping fliers tend to be energy hogs, and batteries are heavy.

The CIA was among the earliest to tackle the problem. The "insectothopter," developed by the agency's Office of Research and Development 30 years ago, looked just like a dragonfly and contained a tiny gasoline engine to make the four wings flap. It flew but was ultimately declared a failure because it could not handle crosswinds.

Agency spokesman George Little said he could not talk about what the CIA may have done since then. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service also declined to discuss the topic.

Only the FBI offered a declarative denial. "We don't have anything like that," a spokesman said.

The Defense Department is trying, though.

In one approach, researchers funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are inserting computer chips into moth pupae -- the intermediate stage between a caterpillar and a flying adult -- and hatching them into healthy "cyborg moths."

The Hybrid Insect Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems project aims to create literal shutterbugs -- camera-toting insects whose nerves have grown into their internal silicon chip so that wranglers can control their activities. DARPA researchers are also raising cyborg beetles with power for various instruments to be generated by their muscles.

"You might recall that Gandalf the friendly wizard in the recent classic 'Lord of the Rings' used a moth to call in air support," DARPA program manager Amit Lal said at a symposium in August. Today, he said, "this science fiction vision is within the realm of reality."

A DARPA spokeswoman denied a reporter's request to interview Lal or others on the project.

The cyborg insect project has its share of doubters.

"I'll be seriously dead before that program deploys," said vice admiral Joe Dyer, former commander of the Naval Air Systems Command, now at iRobot in Burlington, Mass., which makes household and military robots.

By contrast, fully mechanical micro-fliers are advancing quickly.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have made a "microbat ornithopter" that flies freely and fits in the palm of one's hand. A Vanderbilt University team has made a similar device.

With their sail-like wings, neither of those would be mistaken for insects. In July, however, a Harvard University team got a truly fly-like robot airborne, its synthetic wings buzzing at 120 beats per second.

"It showed that we can manufacture the articulated, high-speed structures that you need to re-create the complex wing motions that insects produce," said team leader Robert Wood.

The fly's vanishingly thin materials were machined with lasers, then folded into three-dimensional form "like a micro-origami," he said. Alternating electric fields make the wings flap. The whole thing weighs just 65 milligrams, or a little more than the plastic head of a push pin.

Still, it can fly only while attached to a threadlike tether that supplies power, evidence that significant hurdles remain.

In August, at the International Symposium on Flying Insects and Robots, held in Switzerland, Japanese researchers introduced radio-controlled fliers with four-inch wingspans that resemble hawk moths. Those who watch them fly, its creator wrote in the program, "feel something of 'living souls.' "

Others, taking a tip from the CIA, are making fliers that run on chemical fuels instead of batteries. The "entomopter," in early stages of development at the Georgia Institute of Technology and resembling a toy plane more than a bug, converts liquid fuel into a hot gas, which powers four flapping wings and ancillary equipment.

"You can get more energy out of a drop of gasoline than out of a battery the size of a drop of gasoline," said team leader Robert Michelson.

Even if the technical hurdles are overcome, insect-size fliers will always be risky investments.

"They can get eaten by a bird, they can get caught in a spider web," said Fearing of Berkeley. "No matter how smart you are -- you can put a Pentium in there -- if a bird comes at you at 30 miles per hour there's nothing you can do about it."

Protesters might even nab one with a net -- one of many reasons why Ehrhard, the former Air Force colonel, and other experts said they doubted that the hovering bugs spotted in Washington were spies.

So what was seen by Crane, Alarcon and a handful of others at the D.C. march -- and as far back as 2004, during the Republican National Convention in New York, when one observant but perhaps paranoid peace-march participant described on the Web "a jet-black dragonfly hovering about 10 feet off the ground, precisely in the middle of 7th avenue . . . watching us"?

They probably saw dragonflies, said Jerry Louton, an entomologist at the National Museum of Natural History. Washington is home to some large, spectacularly adorned dragonflies that "can knock your socks off," he said.

At the same time, he added, some details do not make sense. Three people at the D.C. event independently described a row of spheres, the size of small berries, attached along the tails of the big dragonflies -- an accoutrement that Louton could not explain. And all reported seeing at least three maneuvering in unison.

"Dragonflies never fly in a pack," he said.

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice said her group is investigating witness reports and has filed Freedom of Information Act requests with several federal agencies. If such devices are being used to spy on political activists, she said, "it would be a significant violation of people's civil rights."

For many roboticists still struggling to get off the ground, however, that concern -- and their technology's potential role -- seems superfluous.

"I don't want people to get paranoid, but what can I say?" Fearing said. "Cellphone cameras are already everywhere. It's not that much different."

"
http://answer.pephost.org/...

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

The Problem With Voltaire

The Problem with Voltaire

I found some quotes from Voltaire I liked because they support my favor of rationality over unexplainable mysticism, and my suspicion that unexplainable mysticism can be a chink in a person's armor that makes a person susceptible to the forces of evil (I.E. nihilism, paranoia, hatred, corruption, irresponsibility and all other manifestations of that which is FALSE, FOUL and FOOLISH).

I was thus intrigued with indications that Voltaire was an adamant critic of the church of his day.

I see many instances where "the church" is part of the mindset that enables evils like the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, Witch-hunts (Salem, McCarthy, FOX/O'Reilly, take your pick), Slavery and Segregation and other bigotry, Cold War and Vietnam War and Iraq War and Drug War; and in addition to such evils it promotes orthodoxy over critical thought, shame over creative endeavor, and blind obedience to authority.

I part ways with Voltaire when it comes to the government of our human community. He apparently liked the idea of a benevolent dictator. There are hints that he bought into the idea that the "not-rich" were incapable of governing themselves effectively.

There is a point that if people are super poor and live in polluted environments and have lousy schools, then certainly the odds of many of them becoming outstanding members of the community are reduced. The answer to that is equal opportunity. There are and have been many who tend to think, consciously or not, that they are somehow superior to the poor and deserve more. I got a whiff of that with Voltaire and in my book that makes him a snob.

I prefer functional republic. I just called Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, My Rep and Senators and told them that they need to step up to the plate and help me save our republic. The executive is grabbing excessive power what with all this FISA/NSA Wiretapping Big-Brother nonsense. I encourage YOU to step up to the plate and make similar calls.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

On Compromising Values

On Compromising Values

I don't agree with all that is Ayn Rand, but I do agree with the following passage by Ayn Rand:

http://www.geocities.com/rational_argumentator/freedomtooffend.html
"
There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway....

When men reduce their virtues to the approximate, then evil acquires the force of an absolute, when loyalty to an unyielding purpose is dropped by the virtuous, it's picked up the scoundrels---and you get the indecent spectacle of a cringing, bargaining, traitorous good and a self-righteously uncompromising evil.
"
http://www.geocities.com/rational_argumentator/freedomtooffend.html



-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

I'll Take Voltaire

I'll Take Voltaire

Regarding philosophy, in a hypothetical debate between Pascal and Voltaire (ain't happenin'.. Voltaire was born after Pascal died), I'd go with Voltaire.

Regarding Pascal, Here's my take on it:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/pascal.html
"

...on November 23, 1654, Pascal experienced a "definitive conversion" during a vision of the crucifixion:

"From about half-past ten in the evening until about half-past twelve … FIRE … God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and not of the philosophers and savants. Certitude. Certitude. Feeling. Joy. Peace."

...

Voltaire and other scholars denounced Pascal as a cheerless fanatic. Cheerless or not, he did live most of his life with a frail body, and his many illnesses finally took their toll at age 39.

"
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/pascal.html

One of his illnesses could have caused that night of hallucinations.


Here's a Voltaire quote I find especially meaningful:

"The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reason."
--Voltaire

Here's another one I like:

"Prejudices are what fools use for reason."
--Voltaire

The Age of Reason Produced The United States of America. The United States of America is still the theoretical revolution of Reason against the Tyrannies of Religious Dogma and the idea of Blind Obedience to Authority, both Real and Imaginary.

The Forces of Stupidity are still Trying to Destroy it.

To those who value mindless emotion over rationality, I ask you.. please do us all a favor:

WISE UP!

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

I recommend Movie "In the Valley of Elah"

I recommend Movie "In the Valley of Elah".

This movie has the potential to bring Americans back together. It is a heroic piece of work. I'm not going to say much about it except that I think everybody needs to see it.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Asshole.

Asshole.

A beautiful, touching, tasteful, sensitive tribute to those "special" people in our lives:

http://www.filmstripinternational.com/index.php

I wouldn't be surprised if folks might see guerrilla guitarists covering this at random locations.

Kudos to http://www.tampasbackdoor.blogspot.com/

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Repugs Attack Free Speech Again

Repugs Attack Free Speech Again

As soon as I heard "Cornyn" I knew it was a goose-stepping move. He and rep. Sensenbrenner are a couple of the worst tory/toadies in the legislative branch. Remember how they used to stubbornly storm out of the room and in other ways wholly ignore appeals to reason by their fellow legislators, all the time when the Repugs were in the majority?

You know who's really selling out this country? All the kiss-asses in the Senate who are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS. They are HANDING OVER their POWER to the EXECUTIVE BRANCH. THEY ARE ACTING AS AGENTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. This is the destruction of the republic.

It's the way Hitler came to power.

This HAND-OFF of POWER by the legislature is TREASON.

FUCKING TRAITORS.

THIS INCLUDES many of the Democrats too.

http://www.moveon.org/
"The U.S. Senate Just told You to Sit down and Be Quiet"
http://www.moveon.org/

Sign their statement.

Send them some money.

Get with your Church, your Union, your Fellow Students. Save your Country.

Protest in the Streets.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Student Tasered for Asking Questions

Student Tasered for Asking Questions

Tasering is Torture at the Touch of a Button.

Arresting People for asking Questions is Un-American.

John Kerry was complicit in the continuation of the Bush Regime. He Took a Dive.

The audience was clearly pleased that Andrew Meyer asked these questions. The police decided that free speech should not be tolerated.




http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/09/18/university_taser/
"
video of University of Florida cops subduing 21-year-old Andrew Meyer with a Taser after the student asked Sen. John Kerry a few niggling questions (War Room has Kerry's response).
"
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/09/18/university_taser/

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

DC citizens taxed but not represented

DC Citizens taxed but not represented.

http://www.tampasbackdoor.blogspot.com/
"
The DC Voting Rights Act, giving the citizens of the District of Columbia a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, is being filibustered - delayed to death - by the Republican leadership.
Not since 1964 has a voting rights bill been threatened with a filibuster.
..
Bob EdgarPresident, Common Cause

...
nationwide call-in on Monday: 1.866.346.3008 (toll-free)
"
http://www.tampasbackdoor.blogspot.com/

Call the Senate and tell them to Support the DC House Voting Rights Act. Reference Bill # S-1257.

The Filibuster is Cynical, Anti-Social, and just plain WRONG.

Demand the vote for the nearly 600,000 Americans living in the nation's capital.

Nationwide Call-in on TODAY 17sept07: 1.866.346.3008 (toll-free)
http://www.dcvote.org/


-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Spoiler could Cause Bathtub Drowning: Ron Paul Nader Perot

Spoiler could Cause Bathtub Drowning: Ron Paul Nader Perot

"Drown it in a Bathtub" comes to mind right off the bat.

Ron Paul's Platform sounds too good to be true: "Support the Constitution.. Undo the Police State, end the FED, nix the Income Tax, out of Iraq, No to an Attack on Iran"

If it sounds too good to be true, it's NOT True.

Under a pseudo-Ayn-Rand-ian scenario, education and healthcare and infrastructure and public safety in general would be gradually gutted and sold off to the highest bidder. The power would be completely handed off to the moneyed interests and the middle and lower classes in America would be left to rot.

Notice all the money going into this Ron Paul Effort.

Reminds me of Nader and Perot. Both of those guys said some good stuff, but because we don't have instant runoff voting in America yet, when you cast a vote for a hopeful like that, and then he doesn't win, the door is open for the worst possible choice to step in.

I don't like Romney
I don't like Guliani
I don't like McCain

I don't like Clinton
I don't find Obama especially inspiring
I don't see Edwards as much better than Bill Clinton was, but I DO like that he's been fighting corporate power..some.. and winning. He's tied in with the power structure and could be complicit in a future attack on Iran.

I DO like Kucinich.
Mike Gravel's worth Watching too.

This "Drown [the government] in a Bathtub" mentality (using the bogus notion of "corporate personhood" and then using a "libertarian" stance to stand up for the rights [including the right to bear arms] of corporate power) opens the door fully for rich crooks and puts the idea of government of, for and by the people, even further out of reach. I believe that Ron Paul probably means well, as did Nader and Perot, but I also believe that there is a LOT of cynical, anti-social, behind-the-scenes Republican Energy going into creating a fevor around Ron Paul, just so they have a shot at keeping the Democrats out of the White House in 2008.

And some of the nods I see the Ron Paul camp giving toward the racists, the religious wackos and those just looking for scapegoats, should be cause for alarm too. Don't be a sucker for hatred and fear.

Time for a history lesson:
Republicans represent the monied interests (I.E. Rich Crooks).
Democrats are supposed to represent working people (I.E. Me and You).
The Democratic Party is in large part whoring itself out to the monied interests as a result of the largely successful attacks from the monied interests (Red Scare, Cold War, Union-Busting, etc.)

What do I make of all this mess?

Support Kucinich or Mike Gravel for the White House in '08. Put Ron Paul in all the debates (a' la Perot '92).

If Edwards wins the primary I'll back him but I'd rather see Kucinich or Gravel.

And make Instant-Runoff Voting a campaign issue.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Guerrilla Guitars

Guerrilla Guitars

Lunchtime in front of the Bank of America Building was a great success. Many passers-by indicated their advocacy of the protest-songs I was bellowing out, with my guitar and my "Peaceful Victory Against Fascism" T-shirt draped over the music-stand that held my song-texts.

Sometime between the song about the IMF taking away the lifeblood of innocents all over the world, and the one about poor folks going to fight in wars that benefit the rich, or the one where I described all these wars and atrocities that soldiers had been asked to go commit, and how they more and more are refusing to do it, a security-uniformed person came by and asked me to take my things and go away.

We discussed briefly how the public sidewalk I was standing on did NOT belong to the bank he had just come out of, did NOT belong to the security company he was working for, but DID IN FACT belong to me, and the rest of the citizens of St. Petersburg, Florida. And it was a beautiful day. The kind of day that just makes you want to go and stand in front of the tallest building in town and serenade your neighbors.

So he went away.

Shame that some lemming goose-stepper thought that my songs of freedom were a nuisance, out there in front of the "temple of the money-changers".

If things were right in this world, the president of that bank would have come down and thanked me personally for gracing the sidewalk near his building with such PLAINLY AMERICAN music.

While things continue NOT to be right in this world, don't be surprised when you see me, or another guerrilla guitarist, pop up just about anywhere and start bellowing out Woodie Guthrie, among others.

-- Peace. Now.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Alex Jones Arrested

Alex Jones Arrested

First of all, in order to save your country, you need to be ACTIVELY DEMONSTRATING IN PUBLIC OFTEN. NOTHING ELSE WILL SUBSTITUTE.

Call your congressmen and senators while you're out there with your sign. And the News Outlets.

http://www.infowars.com/articles/alex/alex_jones_arrested_nyc.htm
"

News Flash: Alex Jones Arrested by NYPD

Infowars.com | September 8, 2007

NEW YORK - Media activist Alex Jones was arrested by New York Police Department officers while filming a documentary about the sixth anniversary of September 11th and joining the protest against the official version of what happened on 9/11.

According to Infowars sources Jones was singled out by police from the head of a crowd of about 400 9/11 Truth Activists and protesters. He was verbally accosted and forced by the police officers to present identification which he was not carrying at the time.

NYPD officers arrested Jones for "unspecified charges" and removed from the protest crowd to be taken to the nearest police precinct where he currently remains.

Rob Jacobson, camera operator on Jones' documentary production crew indicated that a large portion of the protest crowd has moved to the precinct where Jones is being held to ensure his fair treatment and safe release.

More news as it develops...

"
http://www.infowars.com/articles/alex/alex_jones_arrested_nyc.htm

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Watch the Movie, "Zeitgeist"

Watch the Movie, "Zeitgeist"

http://www.calgary911truth.org/my_weblog/2007/06/zeitgeist_the_m_1.html
"
What do Christianity, 9/11 and The Federal Reserve have in common? This is the full Zeitgeist production. Please note the opening 3 minutes has no video - just audio.
"
http://www.calgary911truth.org/my_weblog/2007/06/zeitgeist_the_m_1.html

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

First they Came for the Gays

First they Came for the Gays

Here's the Niemoller Poem first: (Niemoller was a German U-Boat Officer, and a Preacher, and a Concentration-Camp Inmate after he spoke out against the Nazi Regime)

First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me. by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

Okay, now with this in mind, I think this "gay-bashing" thing on mainstream TV is indicative of a society that is clearly headed down the wrong path:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200708300006
"
I've been bothered in men's rooms." Carlson continued, "I've been bothered in Georgetown Park," in Washington, D.C., "when I was in high school." When Abrams asked how Carlson responded to being "bothered," as Abrams and Scarborough laughed, Carlson asserted, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head, actually." The laughter continued.
"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200708300006

There's more information about this Carlson Broadcast Here.

There's an action link HERE.

The implication here is clearly that it's supposed to be okay to physically attack someone if they make a suggestion you don't like.

This is encouragement of Anti Social Behavior. Keep "Anti Social" in mind. It is a primary characteristic of the Right Wing.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Regarding the 911 Whitewash

Regarding the 911 Whitewash in Popular Mechanics:

People will grasp at straws to accept stories that enable their continued denial.

(We still don't know who tried to Kill Senator Patrick Leahy with anthrax right after 911 too, but that's another topic)

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2006/100806popularmechanics.htm
"
...
Popular Mechanics is owned by Hearst Corporation. As fictionalized in Orson Welles' acclaimed film Citizen Kane, William Randolph Hearst wrote the book on cronyism and yellow journalism
...
A hefty chunk of its advertising revenue relies on the military and defense contractors.
...
senior researcher on the piece Benjamin Chertoff is the cousin of Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
...
The arguments presented in the article have been widely debunked by the 9/11 truth community as an example of a straw man hatchet job - whereby false arguments are erected, attributed to 9/11 skeptics, and then shot down.
...
The article also makes no mention whatsoever of the numerous war games scheduled for the morning of 9/11 which confused air defense personnel as to the true nature of the attack as it unfolded,
...
fails to address firefighters and other individuals who reported numerous explosions before the towers fell, squibs of debris seen shooting out of the towers well below the collapse point, and the fact that the towers fell only slightly slower than absolute free fall.
...
traces of thermite in steel samples
...
the buildings were designed to take multiple airliner impacts and not collapse.
...
The classic crimp implosion of Building 7, which was not hit by a plane, is glossed over as the piece again tries to mislead its readers into believing that over engineered steel buildings collapse from fire damage - [ THE OWNER HAS SINCE ADMITTED TO HAVING BUILDING 7 DEMOLISHED THAT DAY (which required weeks of preparation)]
...
fails to address the fact that 50,000 tons of steel from the WTC, a supposed crime scene, was shipped to Asia and a further 10,000 tons to India, preventing a detailed analysis.
...
Bill Doyle, representative of the largest group of 9/11 family members has to say on this subject.

"If you want to believe what they want to snow you under on like the 9/11 Commission - that's a total fallacy," said Doyle.

"It looks like there was a conspiracy behind 9/11 if you really look at all the facts - a lot of families now feel the same way."

...

"
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/august2006/100806popularmechanics.htm

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Rove was no Genius.. he was using YOUR MONEY to buy votes!

Rove was no Genius.. he was using YOUR MONEY to buy votes!

http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/005392.html
"

OSC investigating whether Rove's "asset deployment" violated Hatch Act

The Washington Post reports: Thirteen months before President Bush was reelected, chief strategist Karl Rove summoned political appointees from around the government to the Old Executive Office Building. The subject of the Oct. 1, 2003, meeting was "asset deployment," and the message was clear:

The staging of official announcements, high-visibility trips and declarations of federal grants had to be carefully coordinated with the White House political affairs office to ensure the maximum promotion of Bush's reelection agenda and the Republicans in Congress who supported him, according to documents and some of those involved in the effort. ...

Investigators, however, said the scale of Rove's effort is far broader than previously revealed; they say that Rove's team gave more than 100 such briefings during the seven years of the Bush administration. The political sessions touched nearly all of the Cabinet departments and a handful of smaller agencies that often had major roles in providing grants, such as the White House office of drug policy and the State Department's Agency for International Development.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel and the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee are investigating whether any of the meetings violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from using federal resources for election activities. They also want to know whether any Bush appointees pressured government for favorable actions such as grants to help GOP electoral chances. -- How Rove Directed Federal Assets for GOP Gains - washingtonpost.com

Hat tip to Talking Points Memo for the link.
"
http://www.votelaw.com/blog/archives/005392.html

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
get a FREE "Just Say NO to Fascism" Bumper Sticker
http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Western Banking Industry Shoots Self in Foot

Western Banking Industry Shoots Self in Foot

Regarding the placement of RFID chips in money, policymakers might think twice about it. Cash is used to assure anonymity by many. When the public loses their faith in the currency as an instrument for anonymous trade, they will find other mediums of exchange.

Being that the Dollar Traditionally has been a symbol of stability (lately undeservedly so), undermining its dependability as a medium of exchange will further weaken it, and our economy along with it.

Some Say there's no chip in the bills. I would venture that it would be a good idea to keep it that way.

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC. Read the BOOK.
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http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

How come Google produces NOTHING for at least SIX SCREENS, regarding Neil Bush, if you type in "Silverado"?

How come Google produces NOTHING for at least SIX SCREENS, regarding Neil Bush, if you type in "Silverado"?

Here's proof positive that there are folks working very hard behind the scenes to make sure that you don't learn "inconvenient truths".

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1025-21.htm
"
Neil Mallon Bush: Neil rose to infamy in the 1980s as director of the Colorado-based Silverado Savings and Loan; after Silverado collapsed due to mismanagement and corruption, US taxpayers were stuck with the billion-dollar bailout, yet Neil managed to escape the crisis with a small fine and no jail time. It helps to have a dad as Vice President.
"
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1025-21.htm

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC
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http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Karl Runs for Cover

Karl Runs for Cover.

Another Rat leaving a sinking ship. These guys are doing this in order to evade responsibility. This is in line with the same anti-social, irresponsible behavior reflected in the passage of retroactive laws that are an attempt to absolve corrupt officials from accountability, like Bush's recent maneuvers regarding wiretapping. The way Bush intervened in Libby's situation comes to mind too.

Don't get me wrong. Buh Bye Karl.

But let's not let another snake slither off into the grass after having done his evil work.

What about the Subpoena? Could it be that being out of the "King's" court (we don't need a King.. this is America) makes him susceptible?

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC
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No More Filming or Photographing in Town?

No More Filming or Photographing in Town?

Whack-Jobs in New York City are trying to arrange things so that you can't film or take pictures in town without a million dollars and a permit. Is this nuts or what? Talk about Police State. Heads up, Winston Smith.

You Libertarians should be all over this, you know.

And y'all are thinking about Bloomberg for President? This potential policy is anything but democratic. And Guliani? Images of Saddam Hussein's Auditorium come to mind.

Maybe you should talk to someone about this. Your town will be next, you know. You just going to let it go south?

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/02/1455217
"
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
Independent Artists Lead Fight Against Proposed New York City Regulations Limiting Filming, Photography in Public Places
"
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/02/1455217

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC
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http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

More Proof of the Monopolized Media Problem

More Proof of the Monopolized Media Problem

You know the Press is damaged when one big fat company can decide what people can and can't hear. Check out what AT+T did to Pearl Jam's recent webcast here, censuring lines out of their music:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6939853.stm

-- Mark Frankenberg

HEAR the MUSIC
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http://www.AmericanWisdom.org

Bush's Direct Attack on Freedom

Remember the phrase "Land of the Free"? Many would mention Freedom of Speech as the foundation of that freedom. It's in the First Amendment.

Bush is attempting to outlaw it.

Here's how:

http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?5608S
"

Bush Outlaws All War Protest In United States

Posted by Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscr on Thursday, July 19th at 5:00 PM

July 19, 2007

In one of his most chilling moves to date against his own citizens, the American War Leader has issued a sweeping order this week outlawing all forms of protest against the Iraq war.

President Bush enacted into US law an ‘Executive Order’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_order_%28United_States%29 on July 17th titled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq", http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/07/20070717-3.html and which says:
"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)(IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)(NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that, due to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by acts of violence threatening the peace and stability of Iraq and undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, it is in the interests of the United States to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, and expanded in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13364 of November 29,
2004."

According to Russian legal experts, the greatest concern to the American people are the underlying provisions of this new law, and which, they state, are written ‘so broadly’ as to outlaw all forms of protest against the war. These provisions state:

"(ii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, such an act or acts of violence or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section include, but are not limited to, (i) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order, and (ii) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

(c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order and, where appropriate, to advise the Secretary of the Treasury in a timely manner of the measures taken."

To the subsection of this new US law, according to these legal experts, that says "...the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit...", the insertion of the word ‘services ’ has broad, and catastrophic, consequences for the American people in that any act deemed by their government to be against the Iraqi war is, in fact, supporting the ‘enemy’ and therefore threatens the ‘stabilization of Iraq’.

In an even greater affront to the American people are the provisions of a law called The Patriot Act, http://www.aclu.org/safefree/resources/17343res20031114.html and that should they run afoul of this new law they are forbidden to allow anyone to know about it, and as we can read as reported by the Seattle Times News Service: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2002527215_patrioted29.html

"The [Patriot] act also expands the use of National Security Letters, which are a kind of warrant that the Justice Department writes for itself, authorizing its agents to seize such things as records of money movements, telephone calls and Internet visits. Recipients of a National Security Letter are not allowed to tell anyone about them, and so cannot contest them."

It is interesting to note, too, that this is not the first time that the United States has unleashed the brutal power of their government against its citizens to further their war aims and stifle domestic dissent, as during the European conflict of World War I they enacted a law called The Sedition Act of 1918 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918 and which "...forbade Americans to use "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces during war."

It is curious to note that after the enactment of this new law there has been no protest by any of the other political leaders in the United States, with the exception of the only Muslim member of the United States Congress, Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/07/17/critics_muslim_rep_likened_bush_hitler/6980/ and who compared President Bush to the Nazi War Leader Adolph Hitler by stating the attacks upon the World Trade Center could be likened to the burning of the Reichstag.

Today, as the United States faces an imminent economic collapse, http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1019.htm while at the same time its war bill has reached the staggering amount of $648 billion, http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation/story/194233.html one of the last freedoms the American people have had to protest their leaders actions against them, and other peoples in the World, has now been taken away from them, the freedom to speak and write in opposition to what is being done to them.

"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear", http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_orwell.html said the great British writer George Orwell, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell but, and sadly, liberty has been lost to the once free people of the United States who are no longer allowed to tell their leaders, or each other, what they don’t want to hear.

With this being so, the American people should, likewise, contemplate their ‘new’ future, and as, also, stated best by George Orwell, "If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/george_orwell.html

http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index1023.htm
"
http://winnipeg.indymedia.org/item.php?5608S

Complacency could be Fatal

How'm I doing? You really wanna know?

I'm pissed. That's how I'm doing.

Bush's executive order on August 17th, 2007 authorizes the seizure of assets of people who speak out against the war in Iraq. First of all: It's not a war. Congress has not declared war. It is not a war. It is a crime. Bush's executive order is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The fact that Bush has signed this executive order is in itself a high crime in that it is a betrayal of the public trust, which was vested in him (by his own sworn oath and .. this is a stretch.. by electoral vote..) to protect the Constitution, including the First Amendment.

How proud will you be when Americans are either Lords or Peasants, locked into those destinies by heredity? Isn't America supposed to be the exception to that?

How many homeless people did you see today?
How many things in your house were made in China by slaves?

How many idiots did you encounter today who think that everything is going along just fine?

When someone asks you how you are doing today, do me a favor. From now on, tell the Truth. Tell them, "I'm pissed". If you're unable to elaborate on why, due to immediate circumstances, have a short statement ready, like the one I use: "I can't talk about why here, but you can find out all about it on my website, "Peaceful Victory against Fascism dot com".

Fascism?

Yes. FASCISM.
A GOVERNMENT BOUGHT AND PAID FOR by CORPORATE INTERESTS who DON'T GIVE A DAMN about YOU or about AMERICA.

FASCISM.

It's what we fought World War II (under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) to prevent. It's here in America Today. Have no doubt. It is a disease that has spread across the world and it depends on YOUR COMPLACENCY in order to thrive.

Yet there are smug morons all over the place saying things like "gitr dun", waving the flag, cussing congress and the courts and responsibility, while the essence of what it means to be an American, (the BILL of RIGHTS and the CONSTITUTION) are being ripped to shreds by corporate whores and a criminal, royalist, tory executive administration.

How am I doing..

I'm pissed. That's how I'm doing. I carried an M-16 for years because I thought I was defending the freedom outlined in that Bill of Rights. How can grown men in good concscience trick younger ones into that, over and over again?

What are you guys carrying arms for now? To subdue the freedoms you are sworn to protect? To Sell them off to the highest multinational bidder? To inflict the will of a CORPORATE KING on innocent people in other countries?

Do any of you even think about that oath of office you take any more?

And how about you in the News Media who warp reality, deny global warming, sell death and destruction in illegal wars, and don't even cover anything that could honestly give ordinary people a chance at truly improving things for themselves, their families or their communities? How does it feel to be a corporate whore? How does it feel to be an accomplice in the increased pain and suffering in the world that is resulting from your own personal corruption?

A civilized system of government would protect good people from the likes of you.

I would advise anyone with a conscience.. It's time to get off the bench. It's time to act for freedom. Your future depends on it.

And turn off that stupid TV. It's part of how we got into this mess.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

One thing we can do is get the word out.

http://stpeteforpeace.org/fascism.html#seizingassets
"

ACTION Ask Democracy Now! to do story on Bush's "Seizing Assets" Executive Order Please take a moment to send Democracy Now! an email asking them to do a feature story on Bush's "Seizing Assets" Executive Orders. (Or call 212-431-9090). The email can be as extensive as you'd like, or something simple like: TO: mail@democracynow.org SUBJECT: "Seizing Assets" Executive Orders Dear Democracy Now! I would appreciate it if you'd do a story on Bush's "Seizing Assets" Executive Orders. Possible guests include Matthew Rothschild, Walter Pincus, and Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU. Thank you. LATEST NEWS ON THE SEIZING ASSETS EXECUTIVE ORDER Former Reagan Lawyer: New Executive Order So Broad Even Senator Clinton’s Property Could Be Seized Over Iraq Policy Questions (8/3, listen). Bush’s Executive Order on Lebanon Even Worse than the One on Iraq. Anyone who engages in any act—violent or nonviolent—against the government of Lebanon can now have his or her property frozen. And it also gives the U.S. Treasury Secretary the authority to freeze the assets of “a spouse or dependent child” of any person whose property is frozen. (8/3, read) Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU said "This Executive Order reaches far beyond criminal activity to activity that may be entirely innocent. A person may find herself inadvertently in violation of this order and there is no provision for judicial review." (7/27, read). 7/25, listen to Libertarian Jacob Hornberger discusses the order (about the 40 minute mark) Washington Post article by Walter Pincus: "Be careful what you say and whom you help -- especially when it comes to the Iraq war and the Iraqi government" (7/23, read). Center for Research on Globalization: Bush Executive Order: Criminalizing the Antiwar Movement (7/20, read) 7/19, listen to Thom Hartmann's interview with Paul Craig Roberts, an old-line conservative and former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan]. Bush Executive Order: Assets of Iraq War Opponents May be Seized An Executive Order signed by Bush on July 17, 2007 titled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq" may provide the President with the authority to confiscate the assets of whoever opposes the US led war.

"
http://stpeteforpeace.org/fascism.html#seizingassets

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http://www.markfrankenberg.com/let_ed.html

-- Mark Frankenberg

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Why IS New York Times Burying Pat Tillman Kensinger Story?

Why IS New York Times Burying Pat Tillman Kensinger Story?

It's noteworthy that there's no mention of Pat Tillman on the opening page for the New York Times today, and that the Minnesota Bridge is the first Item Listed.

It would appear that the following story would be suitable for print in the mainstream:

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Censured_general_evades_subpoena_to_appear_0801.html
"

Censured general evades subpoena to appear before Tillman hearing

Michael Roston Published: Wednesday August 1, 2007
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Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) revealed in a Wednesday hearing that Lieutenant General Philip Kensinger, who was censured Tuesday by the Army for deceiving investigators regarding the announcement of the death of Army Specialist Pat Tillman, has evaded a subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"General Kensinger refused to appear today," Chairman Waxman said in his opening statement. "His attorney informed the committee that General Kensinger would not testify voluntarily, and if issued a subpoena would seek to evade service. The committee did issue a subpoena to General Kensinger earlier this week, but US Marshals have been unable to locate or serve him."

The announcement came at the start of a hearing on the friendly fire death of Tillman, an NFL player who joined the Army after the 9/11 attacks. At the time, Tillman's example was highlighted by the Bush administration to praise the heroism of Americans voluntarily fighting in the 'Global War on Terrorism' before fratricide was revealed to be the cause of his death. Wednesday's hearing focused on what Defense Department officials knew about the cause of Tillman's death.

The hearing included testimony from ex-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, appearing in this public setting for the first time since his November 2006 resignation. Rumsfeld had told the committee he would not appear before the committee until late Tuesday night when he changed his schedule.

Also appearing before the committee were Gen. John P. Abizaid (Retired), Former Commander, U.S. Central Command, Gen. Richard B. Myers (Retired), Former Chair, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Bryan Douglas Brown (Retired), Former Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command.

While Waxman praised the witnesses for attending the hearing, and the Army for pressing its investigation, he also criticized the White House for failing to provide more information to the committee.

"The concealment of Corporal Tillman's fratricide caused millions of Americans to question the integrity of our government, but no one will tell us how and when the White House learned the truth," the California Democrat said.

Subdued Rumsfeld offers several 'I do not recalls'

Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) offered his own harsh remarks on the manner of the announcement of Tillman's death.

"Testimony from our previous hearing, and the results of six separate Army investigations all showed the tragic truth can only fall somewhere between screw-up and cover-up, between rampant incompetence and elaborate conspiracy," the Ranking Republican on the committee forcefully stated. "And once you're descending that continuum, it almost doesn't matter whether the failure to follow Army regulations...was inadvertent, negligent, or intentional."

But while Davis assailed the Pentagon's secrecy, he was defensive of the White House.

"Nothing in our inquiry thus far demonstrates that the Defense Secretary or the White House were aware that this was a friendly fire incident before late May [2004]," the Virginia Republican said. "That we have not learned otherwise may perplex those who assumed the worst given the gross mishandling of this tragedy."

After being sworn in, Rumsfeld offered a brief opening statement in which he expressed his regrets about the manner in which the Tillman family was notified of the Corporal's death.

But, he insisted that he did not recall much about the circumstances beyond the statement he had already presented to the Pentagon's Acting Inspector General in December 2006.

"I do not recall when I first learned about the possibility that Corporal Tillman's death might have resulted from fratricide," he read from the memo.

He also acknowledged that he was informed of Tillman's friendly fire death on May 20, 6 days before the Tillman family was notified.

Following terse opening statements from the other witnesses, Rumsfeld then received extensive questioning from Rep. Davis. He also said he could not recall the details during the questioning.

"I don't recall precisely how I learned he was killed - it could have been internally, it could have been through the press, it was something that obviously received a great deal of attention," he told Rep. Davis.

He also stated he had 'no recollection' of discussing the matter with the White House until after it was revealed that Tillman had died from friendly fire.

Rumsfeld went on to say that he did not have any recollection of seeing the 'Personal-4' or 'P-4' memo from Afghanistan which warned senior leaders that Tillman's death may have been caused by fratricide.

The ex-Secretary of Defense went on to answer a variety of questions about his complaints about the notification process on Tillman's death. He continued to express regret through the questioning with Davis.

"It is a most unfortunate situation that anyone has to agree is something that the department has to find ways to avoid in the future," he told the ranking minority member.

Congressman challenges timeline on notification

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) was not fully satisfied with Rumsfeld's explanation, and challenged how it was he was not informed until May 20 of the friendly fire incident.

"At least 30 people knew, including some of the highest ranking military officials in our government," Cummings pointed out. "If this was common knowledge among the top military ranks, Secretary Rumsfeld, something that was talked about across the backyard fences, how is it you didn't know?"

Rumsfeld responded that there were 3 million people in the Department of Defense.

"It's not possible for someone to know all the things that are going on," he said.

Cummings was dubious, pointing back to Rep. Carolyn Maloney's (D-NY) earlier referencing of memos written by Rumsfeld showing that he was aware of Tillman's career in particular because of his story as an athlete-turned-soldier.

"I would not be asking you these questions if it were not for the fact that we had a hero here, one that you were well aware of," the Maryland Democrat responded.

Cummings' questions eventually caused some of Rumsfeld's traditionally feisty spirit to emerge.

"I know that I would not engage in a cover up," he said with some anger in his voice. "I know that no one in the White House suggested such a thing to me. I know that the gentlemen sitting next to me are men of enormous integrity, and would not participate in something like that."

"
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Censured_general_evades_subpoena_to_appear_0801.html

Want more? Look what Kucinich uncovered:

Kucinich

-- Mark Frankenberg

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