Now That's Pretty Damned Specific!

by way of Rense.com

Sneak Attack By US Forces On Iran Planned
- Russian Military Sources Warn

General Ivashov Calls For Emergency Session Of
UN Security Council To Ward Off Looming US Aggression
By Webster G. Tarpley
3-25-7


WASHINGTON DC -- The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 AM on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly "Argumenty Nedeli." Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account.

The attack is slated to last for twelve hours, according to Uglanov, lasting from 4 AM until 4 PM local time. Friday is a holiday in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories.

The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russian engineers are working, is supposed to be spared from destruction. The US attack plan reportedly calls for the Iranian air defense system to be degraded, for numerous Iranian warships to be sunk in the Persian Gulf, and the for the most important headquarters of the Iranian armed forces to be wiped out. Read more...

Hi Ho Silver, Away!

That Old Time Religion

And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"

Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want

"Governor Mancin seems to believe that all he has to do is make promises while the children who attend Marsh Fork continue to breathe in coal dust," says Bill Price of
Charleston, WV. "We are not interested in promises. We want a new school for these kids so that they do not have to breathe in polluted air while they are trying to learn."

"This is exciting that students and community members have joined together to demand a safer school for the kids who attend Marsh Folk Elementary," says Sarah Kidder, a student at Glenville State College and a key protest organizer. "These kids should not have to endanger their lives simply by going to school and having to breathe in air polluted by coal dust."

Massey has been attempting to build a second coal silo near the school, but the WV Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2005 rejected Massey's permit request for the second silo. On Tuesday, March 13, the state Surface Mine Board overturned the DEP's order that blocked the silo.

"The situation at Marsh Fork is an embarrassment to West Virginia," said Lindsey Warf of Bluefield, WV. "People from other states can't believe this is happening in the US."

Contrary to Massey's public claim that the silo would reduce coal dust, their 2005 air quality permit application associated with the second silo's operation predicts an increase in coal dust emissions by three and a half tons of dust per year.

Global Warming Part 2

You know I like to look for contrarian evidence for views that I hold. I watched "An Inconvenient Truth" and thought it correct.
1. The earth's atmosphere is warming.
2. Polar icecaps and glaciers are melting.
3. Atmospheric CO2 is increasing.
4. Human activity is the cause.

After watching this new documentary, I remain convinced of 1, 2, and 3, but I think 4 is probably not true.

See for yourself. Yes, CO2 levels are going up, but it the result of global warming, not the cause. The ocean is the giant CO2 collector, and when it warms up it gives off much more CO2 than the puny addition by humans.

The cause of the global warming is indeed, the sun. Not the rays that heat us, but the cosmic rays which stream down on us from the solar wind. These rays vary with the sunspot cycle, which is the cause of global warming. Check out the movie.

Is Bush Cracking?

Sorry, I couldn't resist using this photoshopped picture again.

Not with the original article, but I can hope.

By way of http://www.rense.com/:

http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

"March 13, 2007 --Our White House Press Corps sources report further disturbing news about President George W. Bush. Our sources have witnessed a clearly inebriated Bush approaching members of the press corps and making rude comments, including one particularly crude remark about First Lady Laura Bush. In that case, Bush, nodding toward Laura, called her a "c**t."

While Bush's drinking is no secret to the White House press contingent, that particular comment was reportedly the worst they have heard uttered by Bush.

Our sources also report that Laura Bush's stays at the White House are less frequent and that her overnight trips to the Mayflower Hotel often coincide with the president's drunken binges.

Note: Some of our female readers were shocked to see the "C" word in the above news item. This editor wants to make it clear that word was used by George W. Bush to denigrate his wife. It was his word, not mine. It is important that the public knows what kind of person Mr. Bush is by the offensive words he uses.

The editor also wants to make clear that the President chose a public press gaggle to use this word -- that is not a private moment between him and his wife. If Mrs. Bush feels her privacy has been violated, she must understand that it is her responsibility to herself, her children, and the nation to end this abusive relationship by legally separating from the President and becoming a role model for other women around the country and the world who find themselves locked into similar abusive marriages.

Nevertheless, we have "asterisked" the word in question. However, Mr. Bush cannot asterisk his own vile words."

Hope Springs Eternal

Hawaii: State's Legalization Of Pot Could Yield $33 Million Annually

West Oahu, HI: Taxing and regulating cannabis in Hawaii in a manner similar to alcohol could yield the state approximately $33 million in annual revenues and cost savings, according to an economic analysis released last week by the University of Hawaii.

The study found that regulating cannabis could create annual tax revenues of up to $23 million. The study added that prosecuting and enforcing state pot laws costs taxpayers approximately $10 million per year. Of this total, more than 40 percent is spent by state and county law enforcement solely to enforce marijuana possession laws.

"Those who favor legalization ... argue that policies like those involved in the regulation of alcohol and tobacco are far more effective in limiting the individual and social costs involved," the study states. "[T]axation is significantly cheaper in terms of enforcement and outcomes than outlawing substances."
The study also reports that law enforcement efforts to restrict Hawaii's pot supply have been ineffective because the black market price of marijuana per ounce has fallen over the last decade -- indicating a marked increase in supply and consumption.

A previous nationwide analysis of marijuana policy by Boston University economist Jeffrey Miron reported that enforcing state and federal pot laws costs taxpayers an estimated $7.7 billion annually.

John Dean has made the point that this administration is the most secretive ever. But this ...

"Don't discuss polar bears": memo to scientists

(Please supply your own awwwwww (poor animal) sound)

Telephone Tax Take

Apparently 30% of early filers are forgetting to pick up their $30 - $60 in Telephone Tax refund. This tax, instituted by Nixon to fund the Vietnam War, is finally being retired. See also my true-life tale of Telephone Tax fun.

Blocked in China

I ran across a website that tests to see if your URL is blocked in China. I guess this accounts for the lack of Chinese vistors.

Note: If you read the comments on the site, you'll see some doubt that the test is real. I checked a few, most were not blocked. Who knows?

At What Point Are We Obligated to Take Action to Stop the Madness?

I've found an interest blog at Organizing Notes. The blogger/activist Bruce Gagnon has some worthwhile stuff going on there.. While researching this statement from his blog

The Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal, in 1950, released the following statement to the citizens of the world:

"Individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience. Therefore [individual citizens] have the duty to violate domestic laws to prevent crimes against peace and humanity from occurring."

The occupation of Iraq and the continued funding of the occupation by Congress in my mind is a crime against peace and humanity. We must collectively act now as instructed by international and moral law.

I ended up going to the Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal Principal 82, issued in 1950,

Principle I
Any person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefor and liable to punishment.

Principle II
The fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.

Principle III
The fact that a person who committed an act which constitutes a crime under international law acted as Head of State or responsible Government official does not relieve him from responsibility under international law.

Principle IV
The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.

Principle V
Any person charged with a crime under international law has the right to a fair trial on the facts and law.

Principle Vl
The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

Crimes against peace:
Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;

Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).

War crimes:
Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave-labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or illtreatment of prisoners of war, of persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.

Crimes against humanity:
Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds, when such acts are done or such persecutions are carried on in execution of or in connection with any crime against peace or any war crime.

Principle VII
Complicity in the commission of a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity as set forth in Principles VI is a crime under international law.

and then to Wikipedia for this: Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal

Application in the war on terror

A number of legal analysts have advanced the argument that the principle of "command responsibility" could make high-ranking officials within the Bush administration guilty of war crimes committed either with their knowledge or by persons under their control.[10]

As a reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks the U.S. Government adopted several controversial measures (e.g., invading Iraq, introducing "unlawful combatant" status, conducting "extraordinary renditions", and allowing "enhanced interrogation methods", which has been described as torture). Alberto Gonzales and others argued that detainees should be considered "unlawful combatants" and as such not protected by the Geneva Conventions in multiple memoranda regarding these perceived legal gray areas.[11]

Gonzales' statement that denying coverage under the Geneva Conventions "substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act" suggests, at the least, an awareness by those involved in crafting policies in this area that US officials are involved in acts that could be seen to be war crimes.[12] The US Supreme Court challenged the premise on which this argument is based in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, in which it ruled that Common Article Three of the Geneva Conventions applies to detainees in Guantanamo Bay and that the Military Tribunals used to try these suspects were in violation of US and international law.[13]

On April 14, 2006, Human Rights Watch said that Secretary Rumsfeld could be criminally liable for his alleged involvement in the abuse of Mohammad al-Qahtani.[14] Dave Lindorff contends that by ignoring the Geneva Conventions the US administration, including President Bush, as Commander-in-Chief, is culpable for war crimes.[15] In addition, former chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials Benjamin Ferencz has called the invasion of Iraq a "clear breach of law," and as such it constitutes a war crime.[16] On November 14, 2006, invoking universal jurisdiction, legal proceedings were started in Germany -for their alleged involvement of prisonerabuse- against Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, John Yoo, George Tenet and others.[17]

Lieutenant Watada has refused to be deployed to Iraq charging that the invasion of iraq was illegal, and as such he is bound by the command responsibility to refuse to take part in an illegal war. Otherwise he himself could face legal challenges. For this he stands trial at this moment.

The Military Commissions Act of 2006 is seen as an amnesty law for crimes committed in the War on Terror by retroactively rewriting the War Crimes Act[18] and by abolishing habeas corpus, effectively making it impossible for detainees to challenge crimes committed against them.[19]

Wow, if you made it through all of that and got it, you know now that we have war criminals as leaders. And, they have attempted to bullet-proof themselves from the consequences of their crimes. And that we have to do something to stop it. If you go to the Organizing Notes blog you can read how they are organizing and implementing non-violent actions.

Lord have mercy!

Ray Revealed

Are you familiar with ZeFrank? He runs "The Show" and has enlisted his minions to find "Ray", the creator of the viral song - "I'm about to whip somebody's ass." Now watch and listen to Ray in person. Click on title.

Operation Falcon - Oh My! How Did This Happen?

While we weren’t looking the “Unitary Executive” has stolen away our rights and organized a budding police state. Homeland Security, Patriot I and II, Military Commissions Act, all add up to …what?

The Bush administration has carried out three massive sweeps in the last two years, rolling up more than 30,000 minor crooks and criminals, without as much as a whimper of protest from the public.

Operation Falcon is the clearest indication yet that the Bush administration is fine-tuning its shock-troops so it can roll up tens of thousands of people at a moment’s notice and toss them into the newly-built Halliburton detention centers. This should be a red flag for anyone who cares at all about human rights, civil liberties, or simply saving his own skin.

Operation Falcon was allegedly the brainchild of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his counterpart in the US Marshal's office, (Director) Ben Reyna. (Ed. aside, I don't think so ... I think Gonzales got the whole package from ...). But its roots go much deeper into the nexus of right-wing Washington think tanks where fantasies of autocratic government have a long history. The name, Falcon, is an acronym for “Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally.” It relates to the more than 960 state, local and federal agencies which are directly involved in the administration’s expansive criminal dragnets.

Read on...

Using Your Head

McKelvey in Astronaut Farmer

My good friend George McKelvey has a part in the new Billy Bob Thornton movie, "The Astronaut Farmer". Watch for the Dunkin' Donuts guy. Way to go George!

Whippin' Ass

I just had to pass this along. Sounds like the next viral internet office-worker classic. Click here to listen to 'Whippin' Ass'

I guess I was a little late to the party, as I just found that ZeFrank has a variety of versions of this little ditty.

U.S. Sponsored Terrorism

The brouhaha surrounding the "Iranian weapons" found in Iraq is a classic. The exhibit apparently has been around for a while. Note that the date in the second picture is US style mm-dd-yyyy. Is this going to be the reason we bomb Iran?

U.S. made weapons can be found in almost every corner of the earth. Being the largest manufacturer of such weapons for years has its consequences. Thousands of these weapons are lying about cocked and ready to go off. Unexploded cluster bomblets kill and maim thousands each year. With our name on them.

And now read on to learn that we are sponsoring anti-Iranian terrorists inside of Iran. As we usually do...

CIA officials are understood to be helping opposition militias among the numerous ethnic minority groups clustered in Iran's border regions.
The operations are controversial because they involve dealing with movements that resort to terrorist methods in pursuit of their grievances against the Iranian regime.

continued..

Gen. Wesley Clark

Read what Gen. Wesley Clark is saying now. Do what you can.

Understanding The Cosmos - The Electric Universe

As you may have noticed, I am interested in cosmology, the study of the cosmos; everything that is out there.

Over the years, the “standard model”, based largely on mathematics way beyond my comprehension, has gotten very weird. Black holes, for example, have led to a controversy as to whether or not matter can be destroyed. Steven Hawking has contended for thirty years that matter sucked into black holes can disappear when the black holes themselves eventually disappear. Recently, he reversed himself (sort of, by claiming that there are probably other universes without black holes so across all universes matter is conserved), but the question still remains as to where the matter goes when it is sucked into a black hole.

The “standard model” is fundamentally based on gravitational force (electrical and magnetic forces are pretty much left out) and the existence of red shift. Red shift is a kind of Doppler effect for light instead of sound. Starlight from stars further away and traveling faster is shifted toward the red end of the visible light spectrum. This “fact” is very basic to our current “understanding” of the universe. Unfortunately, there are many examples (120+ anomalies - identified by Halton Arp) of stars with higher red shift values connected to stars with lower values. There are also stars with higher values in front of stars with lower values. Ooops. Doesn’t fit the “standard model”.

Add in “dark matter” and “dark energy”, made-up concepts to account for all of the “missing” matter in the gravitational model, and it starts to sound like untestable fantasy.

In addition, satellites sent out to measure the magnetic field around the earth, which protects us from injurious cosmic particles, have found magnetic fields far out in space beyond the earth's field. In fact recently, the standard physicists have been surprised to find that “empty” outer space is actually crammed with plasma, the fourth and most abundant form of matter. This plasma seems to flow in very interesting ways between stars and galaxies.

In my internet wanderings, I ran across an alternative theory, the Plasma Universe. The work of David Talbott and Wallace Thornhill really grabbed me. I wanted to write about it here but couldn’t quite motivate myself to do the work required to get it all down. Now that problem is solved with their new DVD. The first part of this work is available on Google Video here, or just search on Thunderbolts of the Gods. Also check related sites here, and here where you can buy the books or DVDs.

I’ll warn you that if you get into this like I did, it will take you 4 or 5 hours to start to get your head around it. Have a nice trip.

The Other Kind of Intelligence

The 16 agencies which comprise the Intelligence Community.

Air Force Intelligence
Army Intelligence
Central Intelligence Agency
Coast Guard Intelligence
Defense Intelligence Agency
Department of Energy
Department of Homeland Security
Department of State
Department of the Treasury
Drug Enforcement Administration
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Marine Corps Intelligence
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
National Reconnaissance Office
National Security Agency
Navy Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Finally Arrives

Click on the title and then on Silvia's face.

Defeated at Our Own (Capitalistic) Game

Futurists Alvin and Heidi Toffler (of Future Shock and Third Wave fame) recently make the point that current wars are still being fought with industrial era tools (hurling pieces of lead and dynamite at each other, albeit with increasing sophistication), and that soon war will move into a “Third Wave” with laser, microwave, and mind control weapons.

My theory is that China has been quietly developing the “Fourth Wave” of warfare, and we have already lost. Using our own dollars gathered in their enormous trade surplus (now over one trillion dollars) provided by Wal-Mart shoppers and U.S. Treasury notes (interest - $329 billion per year), they are foresightedly locking in the world’s mineral wealth and raw materials in Canada, South America, and now Africa. Read and weep...

Our reaction? Military bases, that we won’t be able to maintain due to lack of raw materials and very long supply lines. China is also now building 50 submarines, just in case they need to hurl something at us.

America's phony Superpower "total dominance" doctrine is based on brute force. How 20th century.

Fly Me to the Moon

Have you ever wanted to change the orbits of planets and moons to see what effects gravity will have on their orbits? Ever heard of the three-body problem? Check this out - click on title.

The "Missing" Black Boxes

Like the Kennedy assassination, the truth about 9/11 is probably now unknowable. However, uncomfortable information keeps flowing in, and some keep paying attention.

Did the Bush Administration Lie to Congress and the 9/11 Commission?

9/11: Missing Black Boxes in World Trade Center Attacks Found by Firefighters, Analyzed by NTSB, Concealed by FBI

By DAVE LINDORFF

One of the more puzzling mysteries of 9-11 is what ever happened to the flight recorders of the two planes that hit the World Trade Center towers. Now it appears that they may not be missing at all. Read more...

Here are some FAA endurance regulations for "black boxes":
• an impact of 3,400 G's. This is equivalent to going 400 miles an hour, slamming on the brakes, and stopping within 18 inches.
• flames at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (hotter than molten rock) for 30 minutes.
• pinging a sound a second for 30 days so the box can be located.

Ex-national security adviser warns that Bush is seeking a pretext to attack Iran

Zbigniew Brzezinski

I remember this guy from the Carter Administration and he's not a bull shitter. He just testified to Congress that he thinks Bush may provoke Iran into war. Apparently Congress didn't respond much.

Most stunning and disturbing was his description of a “plausible scenario for a military collision with Iran.” It would, he suggested, involve “Iraqi failure to meet the benchmarks, followed by accusations of Iranian responsibility for the failure, then by some provocation in Iraq or a terrorist act in the US blamed on Iran, culminating in a ‘defensive’ US military action against Iran that plunges a lonely America into a spreading and deepening quagmire eventually ranging across Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.” [Emphasis added].

This was an unmistakable warning to the US Congress, replete with quotation marks to discount the “defensive” nature of such military action, that the Bush administration is seeking a pretext for an attack on Iran. Although he did not explicitly say so, Brzezinski came close to suggesting that the White House was capable of manufacturing a provocation—including a possible terrorist attack within the US—to provide the casus belli for war.

That a man such as Brzezinski, with decades of experience in the top echelons of the US foreign policy establishment, a man who has the closest links to the military and to intelligence agencies, should issue such a warning at an open hearing of the US Senate has immense and grave significance.

See the Moon Wobble

Click on the title and take the time to let this load, and you will see 20 consecutive full moons turned into an animation which shows how the moon wobbles and seems to change size as it comes closer and then further away in its orbit.

Creepy Military Robot

Developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from the U.S. military, the BigDog prototype is arguably the world's most ambitious legged robot. Its stability and awareness of its own orientation make it the first robot that can handle the unknown challenges of the battlefield. The Great Dane–size 'bot can trot more than three miles an hour, climb inclines of up to 45 degrees, and carry up to 120 pounds—even in rough terrain impenetrable to wheeled or tracked vehicles. But this one is just a puppy; Boston Dynamics expects the next iteration, ready this summer, to be at least twice as fast and carry more than twice as much.

BigDog's body is a steel frame that houses a one-cylinder gasoline engine driving a hydraulic system, a computer, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that uses a fiber-optic laser gyroscope and a suite of accelerometers to track its movement and position. These devices function together with the legs to create BigDog's precision gait.

Each of the robot's aluminum legs has three joints that the computer can reposition 500 times a second using hydraulic actuators. The joints are fitted with sensors that measure force and position, and the computer cross-references this data with information from the IMU to determine where the legs have to be to keep the 'bot upright and moving in the right direction. By regulating the flow of hydraulic fluid to each joint, the computer precisely places each paw.

What Happened to Our Money?

Are you surprised at the increase in prices when you go shopping? Bread at $3.00 per loaf? How can this be? Why is everything going up (except your salary)? Read this short history.



by M. A. Nystrom
DEPRESSION2.TV
www.depression2.tv/bio.html

Premise
You may be inclined to think that the green bills in your wallet are dollars, but I have shocking news for you: They're not. They're counterfeits. Since 1913, a gradual shift has turned our money from wealth to debt, and finally into a speculative investment.

Following, I shall offer proof of my statement with argument, evidence and deductive logic. See if you agree with me. Read on...

Scoot Scoot Scooter

I was hoping that the trial of "Scooter" Libby would be televised, but apparently, no. The next best thing is live blogging from Firedoglake.

Spreading Democracy (and Disease)

15 January 2007

BAGHDAD -- Residents of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, are at risk of contracting a range of waterborne diseases as the city's sewage system has collapsed after four days of heavy rain, the country's health ministry said on Monday.

For nearly a week now, 45-year-old teacher Jassim Abdullah has been forced to buy bottled water for his family's daily use at an expense that his meagre income barely covers.

"We can't use tap water for drinking or cooking. It's all sewage. That is why I have put aside 100,000 Iraqi dinars [about US $75] to buy water for cooking and washing," said Abdullah, a father of five girls, from Baghdad's poor neighbourhood of Hurriyah.

Dr Abdul-Rahman Adil Ali of the Baghdad Health Directorate warned of the dire consequences of a non-operational sewage system.

"As the sewage system has collapsed, all residents are threatened with gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhoea and hepatitis. In some of Baghdad's poor neighbourhoods, people drink water which is mixed with sewage," Ali said.

He added that the health ministry was prepared for an initial outbreak of diseases, but expressed concern that unless the municipality could deal with the sewage problem quickly and effectively, health problems would inevitably escalate.

"As a first step, municipality teams should clear the streets and neighbourhoods of the lakes of sewage," Ali said.

The corruption and relentless violence that have engulfed Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003 have compounded the problems of rebuilding and renovating the war-torn country's shattered infrastructure.

"Iraqis [in Baghdad] lack all basic needs: homes, hospitals, electricity, drinking water and a functioning sewage system. All the infrastructure is old and has not been renovated despite the sharp increase in population," said Hatam Jaafar al-Nuaimi, a media officer for the environmentalist NGO Green Iraq.

"Protecting the environment and the health of the residents is not less important than security. There should be new drainage systems, especially in the rundown neighbourhoods of Baghdad where children run barefoot through sewage on unpaved roads," al-Nuaimi added. Read more...

Warmongering

Huge Military Deployment in Gulf is Ominous, Neocon Propaganda is Mounting
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Monday, January 15, 2007

The Defense Secretary Robert Gates today announced that the massive increase in military power in the Persian Gulf is directly aimed at Iran. Gates' comments follow a weekend of intense and heavy loaded rhetoric on the part of many neocon figureheads, signaling that the faintest spark could ignite a huge escalation of conflict in the middle east. Read more ...

Another Movie You Must Watch - Oil, Smoke and Mirrors

"Oil, Smoke and Mirrors " is an independent 50 minute documentary on peak oil, 9/11 and the war on terror. The DVD, with 60 mins of additional interview material, can be purchased at www.OilSmokeAndMirrors.com. Richard Heinberg, Colin Campbell, Michael Meacher MP, Julian Darley, Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, Philip J.Berg, Webster G. Tarpley, Andreas Von Beulow, David Shayler, Christopher Bollyn, Paul Roberts.

Donny Darko's Rabbit

I present two scenarios in their entirity for your reading pleasure.

It Happened Quite Suddenly…

Really, more suddenly than most people thought that it could. Even some of the doomsayers were caught by surprise. Who would have thought that America could go from super-power to third world status, in just two short months?

Some blamed the Chinese. Others blamed OPEC. Still others knew that it had been building for a long time and that all it would take is one or two major currency crisis’ to make things go from bad to terrible.

In late 2006, the US sent an economic A-team to China. Their stated purpose was to cut a deal with China on trade and currency issues. But the real purpose was to go with hat in hand to their creditor and ask for an extension on their credit line. Unfortunately, China had already made up its mind that there would be no further credit increases and in fact, the US needed to make good on its repayment promises, …namely Treasury Bonds. Of course, the A-team offered to buy the bonds back and even offered a premium to sweeten the deal. However, China demanded to be paid for the face value of the bonds in gold. The US Treasury no longer had any gold. Fort Knox had lain empty for many years, as the Treasury had sold off gold to keep the price down and make it look like monetary inflation wasn’t as bad as it really was. If the US began trying to buy gold to pay the Chinese off, the additional money they would have to create would flood the market making things worse and the demand on gold would make the price skyrocket, thus exposing the Dollar fraud.

China had the upper hand and they knew it. If they couldn’t get a private deal for gold from the US, they would have to make deals for machinery, oil, gold and other metals with other countries. They would have preferred that those be in private also, since once exposed, they would create a run on Dollars. But such things are hard to keep secret in the world market. Markets and currencies talk. They are the best forms of communication that ever existed, especially on matters of an economic nature.

Even though China had over a Trillion Dollars in their reserves, they also knew that they had a tiger by the tail. And even though the tiger probably couldn’t devour them, they new it could do some major damage if they let go without wearing it down a little. They needed to ditch their Dollar reserves, but they needed to do it in such a way that it didn’t promote a Dollar panic. Such a panic would cost them in the later stages of their divestment, and that needed to be avoided, if possible. At the same time, they realized that they needed to start the divestment as quickly as possible. If they waited until another nervous holder of Dollars started to dump them, they would be hurt even worse. They couldn’t take that chance. Better to be the one to start the panic than end up on the other end with worthless paper. They knew they couldn’t get their trillion dollars out the reserves, but they figured that if they were careful they might be able to retrieve 70 cents on the dollar.

After the A-team’s uninspiring trip, the President went to China to beg, in person. This only made the Chinese smile. They knew they would not be budged and it amused them, the antics that their American counterparts were willing to go. They viewed the circumstances as very big embarrassment, and it was. The US had lost face.

Soon after the president returned, trade sanctions were proposed and passed in Congress. 30% tariffs were to be levied on all Chinese imports. Apparently, the Congress hadn’t been paying much attention and didn’t realize that most of the products sold in American stores were made in China. The President made one last call to the Chinese in a last minute attempt to get some additional credit, but the Chinese refused to budge. So, the president signed the tariff bill into law.
The immediate effect was that prices in stores went up some 30-40%. That same week, China began quietly buying as much material and commodities as it could, use their Dollar reserves. At first, this was barely a blip on the radar. Oh, the dollar index began to fall, to be sure, but that had been forecast anyway. The treasury department had been going back and forth on a “strong Dollar” vs. “weak Dollar” policy for several years. No one really knew what they had in mind, but anyone who could add and subtract realized that wildly expanding money supply could only mean inflation and a weak Dollar, so no one got real excited that first week.

By the second week, politics were getting very interesting in the United States. People who were on fixed incomes, and especially people who were on Social Security and government pensions, were suddenly finding it hard to make ends meet. They had used up half on their monthly income in one week. They could read the writing’ on the wall and started calling their congressional representatives. At the same time, Congress was in the process of raising taxes to try to offset the loss of bond sales. This then hit those who worked. Suddenly, at the same time that things were getting more expensive in the stores, they had, on average, 20% less money to begin with. It was being taken through the additional taxes. They also called their congressional representatives.

So the legislators were getting calls from two very vocal groups, one telling them to raise benefits and the other telling them to cut taxes. With the loss of bond sales they knew they couldn’t do both, so they did what they had always done…they stalled.

It was about the third week that many more oil producers started requiring purchasers to use any currency other than Dollars. Venezuela had already done so, as had Iran and the UAE. As soon as they realized what China was up to, they also began to divest themselves of the Dollar. Soon the Dollar index was falling like a rock. The Euro and Yuan were gaining rapidly, as they were still easier to trade than gold and had a lot less debt attached to them. But because they were fiat currencies as well, many were also trading gold. This made gold “shoot for the moon”. It quickly reached its real value to the Dollar of $3000/oz and continued to climb. Silver, being the poor man’s gold also started climbing at an accelerated rate. It grew even faster than gold, for as the demand climbed it became apparent that there was a lot less silver in the world than was previous thought…. far less. Silver quickly attained $100/oz, then $200, then and $300 in a matter of days.

The result on the COMEX was complete collapse. Several major trading firms had been manipulating the price of gold and silver for years. Suddenly their short contracts had to be delivered in metals that were very expensive. It wiped out the market place and several large corporations with it. As the COMEX collapsed, the Stock market came under fire. Usually these markets traded off of one another. But with the collapse of the COMEX and the Bond markets, the Stock market started to look like a suckers bet. So, investors started to flee in droves.

All the while, the market programs on CNBC, Bloomberg and CNN Financial, continued to tout it all as a correction that would quickly be over with little harm to anyone. The trouble was, no one was watching anymore. Most had ditched their cable and satellite when the bills became difficult to pay. As the prices went up in the stores, businesses had to give their employees a raise in order to keep them on. This led them to an increase in the price of the domestic products that they sold.

So, prices all around were going up at an alarming rate. Crime exploded, especially in the cities. But people weren’t stealing TVs or cars; they were stealing food, gas, silver jewelry and flatware, gold (where they could find it) and currency. Banks were getting robbed two and three times a week as people became desperate to find currency with which to buy food and gas.

Police were over-worked, like everyone else, over-taxed and suddenly underpaid. At the same time, they were coming under fire for trying to enforce traffic laws, drug laws and gun laws. It never occurred to them that these laws were foolish to begin with, that they violated the very essence of the Constitution and freedom that was supposed to be the “Spirit of America”. But suddenly, if an officer tried to stop a speeder, he was likely to be fired on by an angry citizen who saw no useful purpose to his being pulled over for a regulatory infraction that harmed no one. People were packing firearms. Some concealed, but most not. After a few officers were killed trying to take arms away from the citizens, they decided to let that go too. Soon, they stopped responding to all regulatory functions and simply responded to actual crimes…you know…the ones that had actual victims.

It was along about the fifth week that power disruptions began to appear. Many of the power companies still employed union workers, and like everybody else in America, they were finding it hard to make ends meet. But they weren’t calling their congressional representatives, they were calling their union leaders and complaining about unfair wage practices and that the union leaders were failing in their representation responsibilities. Initially the unions went to the employers and tried to work out a deal. But, the companies were already in a bind as the price of everything was going up faster than they could get rate increases from the state regulatory boards. They were already operating in the red and the banks weren’t being very helpful.

So the unions began work slowdowns, and sabotage of the systems. The North American electric grid had been in dismal shape for years anyway, and the tampering and work slow downs quickly brought it to its knees. Rolling blackouts became the norm. Some areas never saw commercial power again. The power companies were taken over by the government, and the military was sent in to the major cities to restore the distribution system. In order to conserve power, distribution to residential areas was cut off. The people there were told to relocate to camps that were set up in all of the major cities to provide better efficiency in distribution of food and services and to conserve electrical power. About half of the population went to these camps only to find out that they were then stuck there. His or her vehicles were confiscated, but it really didn’t matter, no one could afford gas anymore. They were given work assignments under the guise of “helping America get back on her feet”. But most of these jobs consisted of maintaining the camps and assisting the military in working on the power grid and the telephone system. Some worked on water systems, others in shipping areas of the remaining businesses, which had also been taken over by the government or had to operate under heavy supervision. Pirating and stealing were rampant.

By the sixth week, most of the interstates were empty. The gas stations had long since run out of customers. They could still get fuel, but few could afford it. Gasoline was running around $35/gal. Before the crash, they had used gas prices to entice customers into their store. They rarely made more than 2-3% on the fuel sales; their real money was made in the food and drinks they sold. But they couldn’t get supplies anymore. Many of the distributors had gone out of business, unable to afford the rising costs of their workers and fuel. Some distributors had been taken over by the government, but these serviced the camps and elite who lived in the big cities. Highway robbery was common if one were to venture down a lonely highway without a military escort. Farmers would come in and trade crops and fresh meat for fuel. This kept the stores in business, but it was slow and they had to be wary of thieves coming in to steal their goods. Everybody took their safety seriously, so everyone in the rural areas carried firearms. They knew that they were the only ones who could be responsible for their safety. It really was that way all along, but they had let the government convince them that it could protect them from all crime. Some chuckled at that thought, but most just smacked their head at their past foolishness. The folks in the camps weren’t so lucky. They were disarmed upon entering the camps. So, they became victims of the various camp gangs that ran the underground economies.

By the seventh week, government offices were all closed. The Dollar had completely collapsed and wasn’t accepted for payment on anything. Dollar bills of all denominations blew down the semi-empty streets of the cities. Many government workers were thrown into the camps or out on the street. The government could only pay them in goods that it stole from businesses and farms that it had taken over. Some people revolted directly. This mainly happened in small towns and counties where leaders had refused to believe that their authoritarian reign was over. Judges and lawyers who had cheated citizens in court were commonly seen hanging from trees and lamp posts, their houses burned to the ground. A few sheriffs and deputies went that way too. Tax collectors had long been dispatched or had gone into hiding.

By the eighth week, the government ran the cities and the country folk ran themselves. There were too much ground and not enough soldiers to police the whole country. The government was able to use its forces more efficiently in the higher density areas of the cities, and for the most part that is where they stayed. Even though convoys were escorted by the military, they often came under fire and were pirated. Trade sometimes occurred between the country folk and the city folk, but it was illegal from the government’s position, even if a few of the city leaders and elite were some of the major players. So, the government turned a blind eye. It had no choice.

In two months, the United States had gone from being the biggest consumer market in the world, to a country that had nothing to trade and no currency with which to trade. Prices worldwide had exploded, as foreign central bankers divested themselves of Dollars and had to buy much more expensive currency to replace it. This required them to do what all central banks do…. print more money, which continued their own vicious cycle towards worthlessness.

And, on a brighter note...

THE ULTIMATE CONTRARIAN INVESTMENT FOR 2007
by Nathan Lewis

Of all the "investments" one might make at this time, one of the best may be to be prepared for a breakdown of the economy as we know it. This is not necessarily a prediction - any more than having fire or flood insurance is a prediction that you will have a fire or flood. Nevertheless, it is based on an observation that there are many factors that may render the relatively near future quite a bit different than the recent past. This may seem kooky to some, but at least I am kooky in good company. I note the billionaire master investor, Richard Rainwater, has gone public with his own "preparing for major change" plans, and if you begin to pay attention you will find that many wealthy individuals have been making similar preparations for themselves. Is there something they know that you aren't hearing about on the evening news?

What I am talking about could be summed up as: the lights go out and don't come back on again. Foreign oil shipments stop, or are blocked. Maybe freight shipments of goods from China and elsewhere become impossible. Maybe food is no longer delivered to the supermarket. In short, an economic breakdown something like what happened to the Soviet Union, but possibly on a worldwide scale. In such case, there will be no rescue because there will be nobody to do the rescuing.

There is a surprisingly long list of factors that may lead to such an outcome. The gradual and irreversible decline of world oil production, beginning approximately now, is one that has been getting the most attention. I would also note the much more dramatic potential collapse of North American natural gas production, which is imminent since the continent's natural gas production verifiably peaked in 2001. Major ice deposits such as the Antarctic ice shelf or the glaciers of Greenland have been melting at an accelerated pace, with some geologist and geophysics types now whispering that their collapse could take place within a couple decades, raising sea levels by tens, if not hundreds of feet. Given that most of the metropolises of the world are less than a hundred feet above sea level, we can imagine the effects of all of these going underwater simultaneously. Fisheries production is near collapse, and grain production has been falling for several years now. Grain production is now well below consumption, and formerly large world grain stockpiles have been run down to multi-decade lows on a days-use basis.

This is just a short list, which does not address the verifiable and dramatic increase in geophysical activity worldwide, notably earthquakes and volcanic activity, or increasingly bizarre weather. Seattle was just hit by a hurricane - in December. It was called a "windstorm" in the news, and downplayed, since we all know Seattle doesn't have hurricanes, but when you have a cyclonic storm hundreds of miles wide with hurricane-force winds in excess of 100mph - what is it if not a hurricane? Disappointed skiers in North America (where the temperature is 14 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, again) might try getting on the plane to Israel, which recently got snowfall. A New Madrid fault quake would cut every connection - bridge, gas line, electric line, etc. - across the Mississippi, and potentially reroute the river itself into the Atchafalaya drainage, where it would have naturally gone years ago if not for a lot of levee work. This would bring to an end the entirety of Mississippi-based shipping. Even this doesn't get at all the things that have been going on, and the more perceptive have probably noticed that the moon and stars have been misaligned for a number of years now, or that anomalous weather has not just been an Earth phenomenon, but a phenomenon of other planets in the solar system as well.

Living doesn't really take anything more than keeping warm and dry - you don't even need to be dry if you are warm - and maintaining a stable caloric and nutritional intake. Nevertheless, a great many people, when faced with the idea of "preparation," conclude that they should try to maintain life as it exists today. (Toilet paper seems to have become a sort of totem for modern industrialized life.) This is vastly complex and difficult. They purchase high-capacity electric generators and may store several years' worth of food and petroleum products. Let's think about the food to begin with. If everyone is starving (as would quickly occur if shipments from food-growing areas ceased), then you will a) share your food with the hungry, in which case your supplies will quickly run out, or b) you will attempt to keep others from making use of your supplies, in which case you will man the machine gun posts until you are eventually overrun by those who become aware that you have the supplies they need. Many wealthy people have taken the well-stocked bunker approach, but it is expected that this will not be successful, as they will become natural targets due to their large stockpiles, perhaps falling victim to the very mercenaries they hired to protect them from the hungry hordes.

Thus, in the interests of suggesting something that might work better than the rich guy's strategy, and also something that a person of any means could undertake, I propose a much simpler, lighter, and more flexible approach. The ultimate goal should be to be able to produce food, and this means seeds, animal husbandry, gathering, hunting and fishing. As far as shelter is concerned, the goal should be basic foul-weather clothing and a knowledge of simple shelter design. Since mobility will be key -- many places where people now live will not be habitable -- and there will ultimately be little means of mobility except for walking, we should be able to carry our lifestyle upon our backs. Thus, let us consider preparations which, in total, weigh less than thirty pounds, and cost less than $1000.

1) A basic backpack. It's hard to carry stuff in your hands. Maybe something by Lowe Alpine, which is well designed and not very expensive. Shoot for 40-90 liters.

2) Good footwear. Running shoes are fine, although there are more durable alternatives. Plus at least two pairs of good quality athletic socks. Clothing can be begged/borrowed/improvised, but good shoes can be hard to come by.

3) Clothing for all kinds of weather. Modern outdoor clothing is amazingly good. The basic "outfit" consists of "midweight" long underwear tops and bottoms and a polyester "pile" jacket. Maybe two pile jackets for a bit more warmth, an extra pair of midweight or fleece bottoms, and a hat and gloves. All of this might weigh 5 lbs.

4) Some sort of outerwear/raingear. Among the most versatile is the basic military poncho, which you can buy for about $20. You can bet this has been used in every conceivable situation, and works as both outerwear and as a rudimentary shelter. It's also good camouflage, which may be useful.

With that alone, you can get from point A to point B by foot in all sorts of conditions. A person, even a relatively out-of-shape one, can easily walk 15 or 20 miles a day on paved roads. Thus, in ten days' time, you could go 150-200 miles. Don't be afraid to walk out of wherever you may be.

A simple blue poly tarp, the sort you can buy in a hardware store, makes a fine shelter. However, you can also make all sorts of simple structures from branches and other such natural material. I would recommend the Tom Brown books for instructions to build anything for a night to multi-year residence, from basic forest materials. You can make your own cordage from natural materials, but it would save quite a bit of time and effort to bring a roll of sisal twine and some nylon rope. I would also suggest a "space blanket" or two, which can be used as a fire reflector, cape, or rudimentary blanket. The books by John and Geri McPherson are also good.

Learning how to make fire with a bow drill is worthwhile, but for the shorter term it is easy enough to stock up on butane lighters, Esbit fuel bars, magnesium lighters, and so forth, all of which might weigh perhaps a pound.

A good knife is indispensable, and indeed a couple good knives might be the right way to go. Something good for hacking like a machete or hatchet, and a smaller knife for filleting fish and butchering game, or small-scale carving perhaps. Plus a sharpening stone. If you had to have just one tool, a Chinese-style cleaver would be good for everything from chopping small trees to mincing garlic.

The best way to hunt animals is not with a gun or even a bow and arrow, but with snares and traps. Indeed, this method is so effective that it is illegal in most places, which is why nobody does it. A wide selection of snares and traps, of good-quality steel cable, might weigh another five pounds. Shop at Buckshot's Camp (www.bcamp.com).

Likewise, fishing with a rod and reel is fine, but a gillnet may be better. That's why net fishing is also illegal in most places. Pack a broad selection of hooks and line (tough to make yourself, but you can make a pole out of anything), and a couple gillnets, which can also be used to net birds.

A selection of a hundred varieties of fruit and vegetable seeds is remarkably lightweight - about three pounds. Be sure to get "heirloom" non-hybridized seeds.
A light sleeping bag and foam sleeping pad could be very welcome. For a very light sleeping bag, you can buy some reflective "space blanket" survival sleeping sacks, which weigh about 9 oz and cost maybe $20. They also have the advantage of being waterproof. These can be made warmer simply by piling leaves on top. (www.campmor.com)

A little plastic trowel is handy for all sorts of digging projects, from latrines to post holes to drainage ditches. With a folding military-type shovel you can make entire underground shelters.

Thus, we've covered seeds, hunting and fishing. Gathering you can learn from a book, and again the Tom Brown books are a good one-volume reference. Animal husbandry is a bit tougher since you're not going to be hitting the road with a breeding pair of goats or a box of live chicks. However, it might be worth learning about this anyway. You can even raise wild animals, such as ducks, and there could be feral chickens and hogs about. A hurricane in Hawaii in 1992 freed a population of chickens from their cages, and they have been happily breeding in the wild ever since.

A good week's worth of no-cooking food should also go in the pack. Consider nuts, peanut butter and jelly, cheese, hard sausage, chocolate, etc. A water bottle - a 2 liter plastic soda bottle is fine - a cooking pot (two to four liters aluminum, with a lid), a frying pan, and so forth.

At home, you might keep a few months' worth of food. Secure a good supply of water and, if climate demands, a reliable heat source.

The image of preparedness also includes a chunk of good farmland, I suppose, but this is not really necessary. In the event of such turmoil, upon migrating to farm country one would find either small survival communities willing to take new members (strength in numbers) or land whose previous owners will never show up to claim possession.

Lastly, and by far the most important, is a good attitude. If (heh heh) such a thing were to occur, consider it a grand adventure rather than a "disaster" - a child would, for they don't know that they were "supposed" to go to school rather than having a walkabout in the countryside. The ultimate goal is to gather in cooperative groups of good-hearted people, and treat each other well.

Have a splendid 2007!

Nathan Lewis
for The Daily Reckoning

Beautiful Horror

LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile system being tested at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

The lines shown are the re-entry vehicles -- one Peacekeeper can hold up to 10 nuclear warheads, each independently targeted. Were the warheads armed with a nuclear payload, each would carry with it the explosive power of twenty-five Hiroshima-sized weapons. (Traveling at 4000 mph when they hit.)

Original: http://www.smdc.army.mil/SMDCPhoto_Gallery/Missiles/Missiles.html

Ooops!

Click title for story




Must be getting kinda crowded over there. And last night Bush announced a third carrier group is being sent. I think there are a total of 11 US carrier groups.

War on Peanuts

Be sure to scare your children too...
The menace of global terrorism has been labeled the greatest threat to western civilization since communism and yet...

swimming pools

peanuts

and deer accidents...

kill more Americans every single year. Why are our governments facilitating the terrorist's agenda by hyping a peril that simply doesn't exist? Read on...

National Guard Overrun on Mexican Border

Didn't we just send a "surge" of 6,000 troops to the Mexican Border? Click title for story.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Was a Junkie

Click on title for story

I'm thinking about getting high!


I'm totally messed up and you can't tell.


Staying high all of the time is hard work!


If I don't hold on to my knees I'll float to the ceiling.

Fiscal Whaaa..the

No, this is not from the Onion. This is the banner from the White House website. No, really! They have no shame!

Has there ever been this kind of perversity in power? And the slogan "Managing for Results". What the hell is that supposed to mean. Why else would you manage?

I think my head is going to explode!

Oh, and by the way, happy new year. We've made it into '07. This is going to be fun.

Pretender-in-Chief Prepares to Make Second Most Disasterous Mistake

George W. Bush Is Going To Bomb Iran
by boloboffin | Dec 29 2006 - 10:33am

George W. Bush is going to bomb Iran. This is the purpose of the "surge". No amount of troops is going to fix Iraq; they couldn't if they tried. If Bush wanted to fix Iraq, he'd give them jobs. People who are employed in decent jobs can figure out how to live with their neighbors. More American troops in the Persian Gulf are not going to quell violence in Iraq any more than the ones already there are.
George W. Bush is going to bomb Iran. And there may be almost nothing we can do to stop it. Read more...

And when that happens...

Southern Iraq is thoroughly infiltrated by Iranian special operations forces working with Shiite militias, such as Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades. Hostilities between Iran and the United States or a change in attitude toward US forces on the part of the Baghdad government could quickly turn the supply roads into a "shooting gallery" 400 to 800 miles long. Read more...

And then, as in Vietnam, our daily casualties will rise to hundreds per day. Is that when we will take to the streets?

Slippery, Slippery, Slidey

Dollar Declines; U.A.E. Selling U.S. Currency and Buying Euros

If your head has been up from the grindstone lately, you may have already heard countries announcing that they will be diversifying their reserve holdings (selling, dumping) out of the dollar, and buying euros (or copper mines or oil and gas contracts) with their reserve holdings. Looks like the announcing is over and the doing has begun.

No country wants to be the one to set off an avalanche of selling. They tiptoe across the financial dollar mountainside, taking baby steps and holding their breath, staring up at a gigantic overhang of hundreds of trillions of slippery dollars, about ready to go.

And even as they inch forward, above them they can hear the artificial dollar pumps going full blast, insanely adding more overhang by the hour.

It looks like Denver is in for another snow tomorrow. Avalanche season will soon be upon us.

Dollar Collapse

What happens when the dollar collapses?

Many things, most of them bad. When foreign investors and central banks stop demanding dollars, U.S. bond prices will fall, which is another way of saying that U.S. interest rates will rise. Mortgage and credit card rates will soar, bursting the housing bubble. Home prices in hot markets like California and New York will fall by 50% or more in a matter of months, bankrupting millions of over-extended homeowners. The U.S. government will respond by opening the monetary floodgates, printing as many paper dollars as necessary to keep the economy from collapsing. This surge in supply will send the value of the dollar through the floor. Prices for most things will skyrocket, and people whose life savings are in cash, bank CDs or dollar-denominated bonds, will be wiped out. Most U.S. consumer finance companies will be ruined, along with their stockholders.

Read and weep...

Denver is Closed

Yep, completely closed. About 24 inches deep in my backyard. No cars on York, no foot traffic. Beautiful silence.

Down the Path

Step 1
IRAN TO REPLACE DOLLAR WITH EURO FOR DEALS
December 19, 2006
TEHRAN: Iran yesterday announced it has ordered the central bank to use euros for foreign transactions and transform the state's dollar-denominated assets held abroad into the single European currency."The government has ordered the central bank to replace the dollar with the euro to limit the problems of the executive organs in commercial transactions," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters.

Step 2
US Ponders "Show Of Force Against Iran"
December 20, 2006
The AP reports the Pentagon "is considering a buildup of Navy forces in the Persian Gulf as a show of force against Iran." Fox News' Special Report quoted unnamed senior Defense officials who confirm the administration may send a second aircraft carrier battle carrier group to the Persian Gulf. FNC notes analysts say a second aircraft carrier could "provide air support for additional US troops in Iraq should the president decide to 'surge' thousands more into the country as senior administration officials have told Fox he's become increasingly inclined to do."

Step 3

The Double-Down Fade

Perhaps Bush is waiting until after the holidays, when Congress starts up, to announce his New Way Forward, increasing the troops by oh, say 30,000. Although this lacks military purpose, it may be just to elicit a fund cutoff by the Democrats, so the Republicans can then say the Democrats lost the war when the whole area blows up after we leave and the Saudis move in. Remember, the big picture of the neocons is to destabilize the Middle East. That should do it.

Cornstarch

Microwave Weapon Approved for Iraq

Study these photos. If you ever see this on the back of a truck at a demonstration, run away.

The crowd is getting ugly. Soldiers roll up in a Hummer. Suddenly, the whole right half of your body is screaming in agony. You feel like you've been dipped in molten lava. You almost faint from shock and pain, but instead you stumble backwards -- and then start running. To your surprise, everyone else is running too. In a few seconds, the street is completely empty.
You've just been hit with a new nonlethal weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq -- even though critics argue there may be unforeseen effects.

From Wired, read more...

OMG, I'm Living in a Comic Book

Thanks to Ari Armstrong at www.freecolorado.com for the interview with L. Neal Smith, the author of Probability Broach, a graphic novel available free online at www.bigheadpress.com.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the story starts in my neighborhood. I actually live on the block where a body is discovered. How unfortunate is that!

Smith's imaginative work in a parallel libertarian universe is fantastic. Go and read...

Wait ... I'm getting ... a message ... from....

The Whole Truth

"9/11 was a criminal act of terrorism, not a violation of our entire nation’s security. Comparing it, as the Bush Administration immediately did, to Pearl Harbor was ludicrous: the hijacked airliners were not the vanguard of a formidable naval armada, an air force, and a standing army ready to engage in all out war, as the Japanese were prepared to do and did in 1941. 9/11 was a shocking event of unprecedented scale, but to characterize it as an invasion of national security was criminal. It was creating reality. It was also, and in the extreme, surreal, because the Bush Administration chose consciously to frighten the American people beyond any conceivable necessity. It adopted fear mongering as a mode of governance."

Please read the entire article at Commondreams.org...

No Grace

"This business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all. We're going to help this government," said the US president, under heavy pressure at home to overhaul his strategy in the nearly four-year old war.