20,000 Troops Inside U.S. by 2011

I have not been blogging on political or economic issues intentionally.  I felt this story was important enough to share.  I will try to post some art soon.

From MSNBC on November 30th:

(Photo courtesy of Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

"The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials."

Read the entire article here. 

The article, initially entitled, "20,000 Troops Iside U.S. by 2011" has been retitled (I don't know if MSNBC or the Washington Post is responsible).  The new, kinder, gentler propagandistic spin on the title is "Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security".

 

I find it interesting that the military has a different view of their duties. I spoke of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team taking their place on American soil in this  article.  

Give Me Liberty - Handbook for American Revolutionaries

Naomi Wolf, author of "Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries" is interviewed October 4, 2008 on Mind Over Matters, KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle.

She connects a few dots including the 1878 Posse Comitatus coming to an end, abuse of citizens, arrests of journalists, instability, hyped threats and crises, martial law, the 2007 Defense Authorization Act, the Patriot act and the growing police state.  She believes that time is running out to stem this tide.  

What do you think?

Love > Fear

Socialize Starting with the Poor, Not the Rich

George Bush vetoed a bill to cover chilren's healthcare but insists to protect these same children he needs to give that and much more to (worst-case) criminals, (best-case)  poor business men. 

If we are going to socialize America, shouldn't we start with the poor rather than the rich?

George W. Bush to be Indicted for Murder?

LA prosecutor and author, Vincent Bugliosi, has been calling for the criminal prosecution of George W. Bush for murder. He has written a book that lays out the case.   The video below shows him discussing the, now, very real possibility of Bush being prosecuted for murder.

There is now a candidate for a State Attorney General position who also believes that George W. Bush is guilty of murder.  If she is successful in taking office, she plans to appoint Bugliosi as special prosecutor to seek a murder indictment against George W.Bush. 

(Thanks to Laura Flanders for the original post on this one.)

"In his career at the L.A. County District Attorney's office, Vincent successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss in his career. His most famous trial, the Charles Manson case, became the basis of his bestselling book, Helter Skelter."

Think this guy knows what he's talking about?  

"The likelihood of Bush being prosecuted for murder; along with Cheney and Rice is somewhere between 95% and 99%."  ~Vincent Bugliosi

Here he is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on the Constitutional limits of executive power.

About 5 minutes in, Bugliosi says: 

"All Americans should be absolutely outraged over what the Bush administration has done!  How dare they do what they did?  How dare they?"

His statement is met with a burst of applause and Rep. Smith tried to have the room cleared because there had been "an outburst".

Bush Lands in Texas; Residents Urged to Leave

This is a screen capture from CNN. com this morning:

A good friend of mine took this screen capture this morning. I would have posted it sooner, but I had to verify it was something he found and not something someone else forwarded.

This is the article it linked to here.

Thanks to Mark G. for this submission.

Congress Votes Out 4th Amendment, Senate Agrees

Microsoft sent out a security update which crashed my computer. I am purchasing a Mac today and am currently typing on a borrowed computer. I only have a brief opportunity to comment on what just transpired with the Democratic lead Senate passing FISA.

The cynical side of me isn't surprised, the American in me is appalled. Barack Obama said he was going to support this bill and his forums exploded. He opted not to vote. This man is not a valid candidate for President. He has shown that he will not defend the Constitution! Who is? Let me know.

The Senate approved a bill (previously approved by the house) to retroactively immunize the telecom companies, end all pending suits against the, and allow the government warrantless wiretapping and data tapping. The vote? 69-28 with 3 abstentions. You can see how everyone voted here.

George Bush's words on July 4th are chillingly prophetic:

To my fellow citizens to be: We believe in free speech in the United States of America!

While he is saying that, someone who just called him a war criminal is being hauled off by the CIA or Secret Service. They then hand her off to the Police.

Warrantless wire tapping and free speech in America.
This is a dark day in American history. My hope is that this is the spark that ignites the American public into taking responsibility for what is happening!

No matter what you think of the ACLU, I expect they will get a gold star for their defense of the Constitution in the coming battle. Click here to see to see how they plan to challenge this as soon as it is signed into law.

Voting Out the Constitution?

You say that you feel politically involved after the election runoff?

Here's something even the not-so-politically-involved can sink their teeth into. The New FISA bill would give immunity to the telecom companies for violating U.S. citizens' Constitutional rights (an unconscionable precedent to set) and then would allow for data-tapping,wiretapping and tracking without any sort of warrant!

Please get involved and write a letter or two to your representatives. If you don't know your representatives, click here.

The following video is of Senator Russ Feingold speaking of his opposition of FISA and explains what happens next.

I teased some of my colleagues and said we can celebrate the Constitution on July 4th and maybe when we come back
you'll decide not to tear it up.

-Russ Feingold on FISA

Charges Against George W. Bush

I have received numerous e-mails requesting to know what the 35 charges of high crimes and misdemeanors George W. Bush has been charged with. The charges range from creating a secret propaganda campaign against the American people to kidnapping, torture, illegal detentions and obstructing the 9/11 investigation.

For an overview of the charges, click here.

Media Blackout!

Does it bother anyone else that some amateur blogger in Austin knows that the House sent 35 articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee (click here for original article), but Fox News, NBC, CBS and ABC haven't mentioned a peep? Anyone wonder why they haven't heard it on Clear Channel radio?

Put simply, "WTF"?

House Votes For Impeachment

From the United States House of Representatives

(I'm as surprised as you are)!

The House of Representatives voted to refer 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush for high crimes and misdemeanors to the Judiciary Committee.

House Roll Call No. 401
110th Congress, 2nd Session

Passed!

251-166, 16 did not vote.

The House agreed to refer H. Res. 1258, impeaching George W. Bush, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors, to the Committee on the Judiciary by a yea-and-nay vote of 251 yeas to 166 nays, Roll No. 401.

Our "representative", Lamar Smith voted against it.

See the breakdown of how everyone voted here.

Bush Claims More Powers Than King George III

According to Scoop from New Zealand,The Massachusetts School of Law issued a press release in which Constitutional scholar David Adler contends that George Bush has claimed more powers for himself than King George III was able to do.

“No executive in the history of the Anglo-American world since the Civil War in England in the 17th century has laid claim to such broad power,” said David Adler, a prolific author of articles on the U.S. Constitution. “George Bush has exceeded the claims of Oliver Cromwell who anointed himself Lord Protector of England.”

"Adler said, Bush has “claimed the authority to suspend the Geneva Convention, to terminate treaties, to seize American citizens from the streets to detain them indefinitely without benefit of legal counseling, without benefit of judicial review. He has ordered a domestic surveillance program which violates the statutory law of the United States as well as the Fourth Amendment.”"

You can read the entire article here.

Billboard Liberation Front

This is a real billboard (after "advertising improvements") in SanFrancisco.

The Billboard Liberation Front, on the 28th of February, announced a new advertising improvement campaign executed on behalf of clients AT&T and the National Security Agency.

The BLF spokesperson, Blank DeCoverly, said:

"This campaign is an extraordinary rendition of a public-private partnership. These two titans of telecom have a long and intimate relationship, dating back to the age of the telegraph. In these dark days of Terrorism, that should be a comfort to every law-abiding citizen with nothing to hide."

Do you know how your rep is going to vote on FISA? Does your rep think that search warrants are important? Is your rep going to say it's OK to throw away the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? The FISA vote is right around the corner!

Find and contact your representative here.

FISA is Outdated?

George Bush held a press conference to reassure us all that our rights have been protected and will continue to be. Then he demanded that we give retroactive immunity to telecom companies and not hold them responsible for violating the rights that he says are being protected. He basically said that allowing Americans recourse to having their Constitutional rights violated would be "patently unfair".

So...did anyone else know that one can take classes in how to speak Orwell at Yale?

I found the Olbermann video after I had started this entry. If you only have time for one video, I'd watch his.



Apparently, Keith Olbermann feels like I do.

"It was legal, but it was the kind of legal for which you still need immunity just like it wasn't legal."

FISA is out of date?

Is This an Endorsement?

Rocketboom field correspondent Chuck Olsen talks to Christian Fundamentalists about Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama, and the End Times in Lynchburg, Tennessee.



I am flummoxed as to what to say about this. Reading is not unGodly.

Chuck Olsen is also the producer of The Uptake.

Keith Olbermann - Mr. Bush, You Are a Fascist!

Keith Olbermann commenting on the House standing up to Mr.Bush's fascist push to retroactively grant immunity to the telecom companies.



Some of my favorite lines:

"You are a fascist. Get them to print you a t-shirt with "Fascist" on it!"

AND

"This Saturday at midnight", you said today, "legislation authorizing intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor terrorist communications will expire. If Congress does not act by that time, our ability to find out who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying and what they are planning will be compromised." You said that "the lives of countless Americans depend" on your getting your way."

"This is crap. And you sling it with an audacity and a speed unrivaled by even the greatest political felons of our history."

What do you think?

Jon Stewart - Torture Talk

I am so glad a reporter finally asked the question! If it has been considered torture for centuries and we convicted people for it after WWII, why is it not considered torture now? Finally!

The response is typical: Evasion, redirection and refusal to state an opinion. Our representatives are acting like criminals and attorneys at the same time. Is this what we are supposed to teach our children to aspire to? Should we teach them to operate in self-serving ways, be evasive in public and never take responsibility for their actions?



Ted Kennedy: Would waterboarding be torture if it was done to you?

Michael Mukasey: ... I would feel that it was.

Mike McConnell: Being a water safety instructor and teaching people to swim, he said. “Well, what about if water goes up your nose?” And I said that would be torture. That would be very painful to me.

Unidentified Reporter: American prosecutors actually obtained convictions against Japanese after WWII because of what they did to American captives. What about it—makes it not torture now? Is it just the circumstances?

Tony Fratto: I don’t think that’s a question I can answer… I'd refer you to DOJ on that.

Bush Holding FISA Hostage for Telecom Immunity?

During his State of the Union address last week, Bush demanded an extension (permanent) of the FISA law. As he mentioned in his address, he wants complete immunity for telecom companies. I can't believe we even have to discuss such issues.

I thought you might enjoy Keith Olbermann's views:

We appreciate you Keith.

State of the Union Address?

The manufactured drama has gone beyond satire. It isn't even good propaganda:

We're winning and bringing troops home! Be afraid, be very afraid of terrorists. We should prepare to invade another country that has not attacked us. 9/11,9/11. $1000.00 in your pocket. 9/11,9/11. ...We must provide retroactive immunity for those who trounce(d) your rights! This from he who is sworn to "...preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

(picture acquired from defenselink site)

Thankfully there is the pre and post-address punditry so we know how we should feel about it.

I am tired. I'm going to bed.

McGovern - Impeach Cheney & Bush

Among the cries of the hippies and the hungry are cries from those who aren't:

George McGovern, ex-senator and presidential candidate, wrote an op-ed piece calling for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney. His article in the Washington Post outlines why he holds this belief.

"Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly "high crimes and misdemeanors," to use the constitutional standard."

The link above will take you to the Washington Post article. Digital subscriptions are still free. If it asks you to sign in...there are no fees associated. If you have trouble accessing the article, please let me know and I will gladly send a transcript of the article.

George Bush a Threat to World Peace?

I think it is important to consider what our greatest allies are saying about George Bush and the United States. Polls from Great Britain, Canada and Mexico all place Bush as a greater threat to world peace than any other world leader. Even 36% of Israelis say that Bush and U.S. policy have increased the threat to world peace.



When polled, Brits (Our closest allies) said that George Bush poses a greater threat to peace than anyone other than Osama Bin Laden. Yes...he even comes in ahead of "the evil-doers": Kim Jong Il, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad & Hassan Nasrallah.

I am curious what Americans would say about George Bush and the threat to world security. If anyone has reputable poll information regarding this, please forward it to me.