Are we all perhaps linked by invisible bonds? Do the actions of one affect others, even if those others are far away? Our lives and the universe itself may be all part of a single mechanism in which all creatures and events are 'entangled' with one another.
Oops! Guess President Obama made a wrong turn on his way to the bank! He should have Googled the directions or used GPS to locate it. Is this bank he was taking it to one of the ones that got billions of taxpayer dollars so they could give their top executives nice fat bonuses?
But don't worry--this war escalation will only cost another $30 billion or so--a drop in the bucket! It can be paid for by thatincome tax surcharge named the "Share The Sacrifice Act" that several top members of Congress (Mr. OBEY, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. FARR, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California) proposed recently. Thefull text of this war tax is available here at the Library of Congress site.
H. R. 4130
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a temporary surtax to offset the costs of the Afghanistan war.
Afghanistan is known as the "Graveyard of Empires", because previous attempts, (from Alexander the Great in the year 372 to the Soviet invasion in the 1980's) at conquering this country have failed. An excellent article on Afghanistan's history, written by the former CIA station chief in Pakistan from 1986 to 1989, Milton Bearden,is available here. A recent book on this subject, In The Graveyard Of Empires, written by Seth G. Jones, a RAND Corporation political scientist, is for sale on Amazon.com. I haven't read it yet, but just ordered a copy to be sent to my Kindle eBook reader. It looks to be an interesting and informative book.
Let's just hope the American empire isn't the next one to be brought to its knees, with all our military adventures and economic calamities.
What a week this has been! First, Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett, and now Michael Jackson. Most shocking to me was to hear of Michael's death earlier today, as it was the most unexpected. After all, Ed McMahon was 86 years old, Farrah Fawcett had been battling cancer for some time, but Michael Jackson was planning to hold a series of concerts in London in July. There was even talk of a possible "Jackson 5" reunion tour. Generally, I don't listen to a lot of music, and don't keep up with all the latest artists, but I have always been a fan of Michael Jackson's songs, and his dancing was amazing. Being neither a singer nor a dancer, my opinion may not count for much, but I doubt there will be another talent like him for a very long time. I chose the following video as a tribute to Michael Jackson, as well as a call out to all people of the world, to work towards peace and freedom for all the people of Earth. In particular, I am thinking of the brave protesters in Iran who have been risking their lives to achieve a greater degree of freedom. My previous post here (below this one) is an account by an Iranian Twitter user, who has not been heard from in more than 24 hours, and the last few "tweets" seemed to indicate some possible trouble. I hope this is not the case.
Michael Jackson may be gone now, but the spirit of his music can live on and inspire everyone to try to "Heal The World"!
The following is an account of the day's events in Tehran, Iran as told by a University student, relayed via Twitter. No changes have been made in spelling or grammar. The term IRG means "Iranian Revolutionary Guard", and the Basiji are a militia group acting in support of the government.
I, like many others, have been following the accounts offered by these courageous people who are risking their very lives in pursuit of greater freedom for themselves and their fellow citizens. Each line was a separate "Tweet", but taken together, provides an emotionally moving tale of those who are fighting against an oppressive regime.
it was a nightmare, I can barely breath & my face is burning, Masood got shot in the arm & Shayan's brother is missing
I don't know where to start with, first they attack our peacful memorial gathering in front of the university with water gun the university's doors were close, we couldn't run everywhere! & then they start shooting tear gas at us they were so many! riot police, normal police, intel, IRG, Basij! I managed to scape, but they captured so many people all routes to Azady square were blocked & if anyone stopped walking or walking slow they hit him/her brutally there was no safe path, people were walking in cycles between all variety of security forces I think they made fun of people, don't go here, go this way, not that way & for no apparent reason suddenly attacking random people we tried our best using all known shortcuts for reaching Azady SQ were mousavi was, but ended up in face to face with IRG they weren't just the ordinary police or motorcycle riot guard, they were soldiers holding MP5 supported by reinforced military cars we didn't realize for a moment they started shooting at people, the gun's sound was like a toy gun, not loud & the soliders were smiling
I was going to tell masood they are using fake guns for scaring people! until people started screaming in agony we were at Nosrat st, and that part of that damned street had no were for covering we ran as fast as we could in the opposite direction, at the same time basiji bastards started to hit fleeing people I think I saw 2 or 3 people lying on the ground in blood & IRG started to move them, probably hide them. I lost masood in the crowd in upper streets of Nosrat the irony was everything was calm there & people overthere shocked by the looks of us it was the biggest disadvantage for us today, police & basij managed to cut off people and prevent them from gathering they also attacked & arrested anyone with any green symbols or mousavi's pictures
damned government also armed street thugs & Afghan workers with anti riot shields & wooden or electric batons most of them wearing in house clothings & I think they were really enjoying attacking people apprently when I was wandering in Laleh Park searching for water Shayan managed to take Masood to a local Doctor I'm safe, and last time I checked masood he was at a friend's office with some of the students & he was ok. it looks some people are still out there, I can hear a chopper passing by
Protests continue in Iran over the disputed election results, as hundreds of thousands of people march in the streets. There have been a number of deaths and many more injured. While the protesters have tried to maintain a peaceful manner in their march, pro-government militias and military have fired into the crowds. Reports from Twitter users in Iran state that demonstrations will continue tomorrow as they march in memory of those killed. It's being referred to as a "Sea Of Green", because people are wearing green as a symbol of change and solidarity. Below are a series of photos from Iran from the past few days. Be aware that some of these photos contain graphic images.
My previous post about the attempted uprising in China 20 years ago seems to be replaying itself this week, only in the country of Iran. After an election that many people felt was "rigged", protesters took to the streets to demand a recount. Tensions have escalated, with both pro-government supporters and backers of the opposition candidate demonstrating. As with the "Tiananmen Square Uprising" , many of the protesters are college students, alongside many others, calling for more freedom and a fair election. Earlier today, the Iranian government banned all foreign journalists from reporting on the streets, threatening them with arrest. Other foreign reporters have had their visas revoked and must leave Iran. Some Iranians are using Twitter and other internet tools to try to get the news out to the outside world, but the government is blocking more and more of those methods. I just read a recent Twitter update from saying that pro-government militia, known as the Basiji, are approaching a college dorm in Tehran. Another Twitter user in Iran says there are reports that Tehran University will be attacked tonight. All this seems eerily similar to the events 20 years ago in China. News blackout, followed by a brutal crackdown on protesters--I sincerely hope the events in Iran don't end up in a massacre in the same manner as happened in China. I have been trying to get news updates on CNN's and Fox News' live feeds on their websites, but they both seem to be more interested in blabbing on about celebrity gossip and other nonsense, than reporting any "real news". The Huffington Post blog has a "live blogging" going on that is updating fairly often and is a pretty good source for news right now. Oddly enough, I am off in a few minutes to attend a local "Tea Party " protest outside the New York State Capitol in Albany. But my thoughts are with the brave citizens of Iran who are trying to gain a little freedom and fair elections.
It's hard to believe that it has been twenty years since the Tiananmen Uprising that lead to the brutal crackdown by the Chinese government that resulted in the deaths or imprisonment of thousands of Chinese citizens. Many of the people gathered in the Square were college students and others who were staging a demonstration calling for greater freedom and democracy in China. Over a million people gathered in Tiananmen Square in an effort to be heard by government leaders in their plea for greater freedom. I remember this day well, back in June 1989, because I was watching CNN report on the growing protests. At that time, CNN had a news bureau in Beijing and was reporting live on the demonstration. As I watched I hoped that this massive demonstration would lead to some real reforms and more freedom for the Chinese people. It felt like what I imagine the early days of the American Revolution may have been when a small group of dedicated men risked their lives to throw off the oppressive rule of a despotic King George III. At one point, the students even raised up a replica of the Statue of Liberty, right there in Tiananmen Square! I stayed up all night, until about 4 AM Eastern Time, not wanting to go to sleep until I knew how this would turn out. Chinese authorities then cut off all outside news sources and CNN was forced to turn off its direct broadcast from Beijing. It wasn't until the next day that the true horror of the massacre began to be known. Many people today were either too young to remember this event and even those who were old enough seem to not be concerned since it happened so far away in a country they knew little about. Below is a video made as a tribute to and reminder of the Tiananmen Massacre:
This is a very significant historical event and needs to be studied and remembered for a number of reasons. The most important being that all people on this planet have the right to be free from oppression and live their lives as they choose. Throughout history there have been governments and so-called "leaders" whose lust for power and control over others has lead to horrible oppression , wars and the death of millions of people. Second, but equally important, is being aware of the nature of governments to restrict the rights and freedom of its' citizens and to insure that it does not happen. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
At the time of the Tiananmen Massacre, George H. W. Bush was President, and I keep expecting him to come forward and make a speech, perhaps warning the Chinese government against a violent crackdown on the demonstrators, but he said nothing, until after the brutal slaughter was over. Perhaps it would have made no difference, but I felt that a strong word of protest from an American President might have at least made the Chinese government temper its response to the protesters. Most Americans don't think that such a thing as this brutal assault on the citizens could ever happen here....in the "Land of Freedom". But just take a long look at some of the things that have happened in recent years, right here in the United States. An undeclared war, started on the basis of lies and propaganda, illegal unwarranted wiretaps and spying on peoples' phone calls and emails, the torture of "suspects", held without benefit of legal counsel or trial, and many other violations of the Constitution. Most of these unconstitutional infringements on the liberty of Americans was instituted under the Bush/Cheney regime, under the guise of protecting us from "terrorism", all the while restricting or eliminating the rights of the people. In the last election, we were promised "change", but our new President, Barack Obama, has done nothing to reverse these abuses of power and unconstitutional laws. He has supported the use of unwarranted wiretaps, protects those who used torture by refusing to even investigate those responsible, and continues wars of aggression, even expanding those wars into neighboring countries, such as Pakistan. Maybe its time for the American people to take to the streets, as those brave Chinese did 20 years ago, and demand that their government and their leaders restore the rights guaranteed to them in the Constitution of the United States.
Have you seen this story that was posted, but quickly pulled from the internet, about a new strain of the swine flu that turns people into zombies?! I managed to get a screen capture of the story and the page is also posted here. Is this some kind of government cover-up or even a secret experiment gone horribly wrong? Why haven't any of the major news organizations reported this, and why was the story taken down so fast? If I didn't spend so much time online, I would have missed it because it only appeared for a brief time. There needs to be an investigation into this, before its too late, and we are faced with hordes of zombies roaming the streets, spreading this terrible "Zombie Flu". Perhaps the whole "swine flu" panic was created as a cover-up to hide the real truth of what is going on! Click the image for a larger view.
The video below shows some of the laws (Presidential directives, Executive orders, and Congress-approved bills) that have been put in place in recent years that violate the Constitution and infringe upon American citizens' rights. Will the newly-elected administration change any of them or continue to allow these unconstitutional powers to remain in effect? Governments never willingly give up power. The Founding Fathers of America were well aware of that fact, which is why they tried to restrict and bind the government with the Constitution, but that document has been eroded over the years, especially in the last 8 years. The next administration (Obama/Biden) may not use those increased powers, but I doubt they will repeal/rescind any of them either. And there is the possibility that President Obama will use those powers, if an economic collapse or terrorist attack takes place during his time in office. He did vote for (after saying he opposed it) the FISA law, which allows unwarranted wiretaps against American citizens.
Awww...isn't that sweet? Yesterday I went to visit the ocean, and today it followed me home. I guess it must have missed me.
A woman at this bus stop where I was sheltering from the rain got nervous when the water begin to approach us, and had to flee for her life. Or at least to avoid getting wet feet! Listen for her voice on the video.
On a more serious note: Heavy rain is coming more often as global warming continues—an increase that is outstripping scientists’ predictions, according to a study. The findings “reveal a distinct link between rainfall extremes and temperature, with heavy rain events increasing during warm periods,” wrote the authors, Richard P. Allan of the University of Reading, U.K. and Brian J. Soden of the University of Miami, Fla. The report is to appear in the Aug. 8 issue of the research journal Science. Read the rest of this article here.
He has never voted to raise taxes. He has never voted for an unbalanced budget. He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership. He has never voted to raise congressional pay. He has never taken a government-paid junket. He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act. He voted against regulating the Internet. He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program. He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.
Ron Paul will be in this race right through the Republican convention. Three out of four of the so-called "front-runners" are scrambling for money and can't even pay their staffs, while Ron Paul's supporters contributed almost $2 million this past Monday. He's raised close to $ 4 million just since the start of this year. After Rudy loses Florida, where he's pinned all his hopes, he'll start to fade fast. Huckabee's support has always been from a core group of evangelical Christians which won't be enough to help him in most of the upcoming primaries. John "100 years in Iraq" McCain has no chance of beating either Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama in the general election, and most Republicans will soon realize this fact. Mitt Romney's personal wealth will carry him through the rest of the campaign and may even buy him the nomination, which will also insure a Democratic victory in November. Ron Paul's anti-war, low tax, fiscally conservative, pro-civil liberties philosophy should make him the perfect candidate wise Republicans would choose as their standard-bearer in the upcoming election. Unfortunately, most of them have 'sold out' to their corporate masters and will continue to dance to any tune the military-industrial complex plays. But the "Ron Paul Revolution" goes beyond this presidential campaign and has already planted the seeds of freedom in the hearts and minds of many young people (who support Paul in great numbers) as well as awakened the dormant desire of many Americans to reclaim their Constitutionally mandated liberties. So while the "mainstream" candidates drone on and on with the same tired old rhetoric, Ron Paul's clarion call for peace, prosperity, and freedom will continue to echo throughout the land after the election is over. The "mainstream" candidates can snicker and giggle at Ron Paul like a bunch of preschoolers laughing at a 'fart' joke, but they do so out of fear. Fear that people will wake up to the lies and deceptions they have foisted on the public throughout their political careers. Fear that American's natural and justified distrust of government and politicians will continue to swell to the breaking point, washing them and their corporate cronies out of power in a tidal wave of change. Fear that the 'house of cards' of economic and political control they have built over these many years will crumble and fall, crushing them all. Yes, they will deny Ron Paul the Republican nomination, because of their greed and their fears that a Ron Paul Presidency would destroy the corrupt system they have struggled to build and maintain, but they cannot stop the voice of Liberty calling out across this once-great land, a voice that will once again be heard. Maybe not in this election cycle, but the time will come when the spark of Liberty, ignited by Ron Paul and his supporters will blaze across the nation, burning a pathway to Freedom and Justice unseen in this country since the time of the American Revolution.
(This started out as a comment I was posting on another site on an article about Ron Paul. After finishing and re-reading it, I decided it turned out pretty good and so decided to re-post it here on my blog as well.)
Earlier today I was listening on my MP3 player to an episode(from July 10th) of the "Democracy Now!" podcast and couldn't believe this news item!
It is an outrageous story of racism and injustice that is taking place in the town of Jena, Louisiana. The two videos below are part of the 'Democracy Now!' report and tell the story better than I could, so please watch them. I'm surprised that this story hasn't gotten national news coverage, but this was the first I'd heard the story.
There are actually six parts to this report, but I just put up these two. You can find the other sections on YouTube. Click the links below: Part 3Part 4Part 5 Part 6
There's a petition here calling upon the Civil Rights Division of the U.S Department of Justice to investigate this case. I urge everyone to go and sign it to bring this to the attention of the Federal government. There are currently almost 5,000 signatures, please add yours.
There's a link in the sidebar (and the post title) to 'Democracy Now!' as well if you'd rather read the story. The website "Friends of Justice" also has updated information on this case. A defense fund has been set up to provide money for lawyers for the accused students who have not yet gone to trial. The address to send donations to that fund is as follows: Jena 6 Defense Committee PO BOX 2798 Jena, LA 71342
This kind of hatred and injustice CANNOT be tolerated--whether it be racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, or any other irrational hatred, it must be exposed and opposed ! Generally I don't get too upset or angry, but something about this story really got my blood boiling! I think what first struck me was the fact that the black students at this school asked for permission to stand under what was considered to be the 'white students' tree. Since when does anyone have to be ask permission to stand in a particular spot? What kind of a country are we living in when the President commutes the sentence of one of his friends, while these students are being charged with serious crimes over a schoolyard fight?
Sometimes what seems to be a simple action can be an incredible act of bravery. That's what I thought when I saw the following story at Fridae.com. In China five lesbians and one gay man stood on a busy street giving out leaflets calling for equal rights for gay people. This in a country not exactly known for it's willingness to allow any sort of dissent or openness to ideas that conflict with the government's views. China censors all incoming internet traffic to keep unwanted opinions away from the people. In such an environment, I think these six people displayed great courage in undertaking this simple action in their effort to have their voices heard.
Here's an excerpt from the article....click the title above to visit Fridae.com for the whole story. During a busy lunch hour on Valentine’s Day in Beijing’s central business district, six lesbians and gays handed out 200 red carnations wrapped in leaflets calling for the acceptance of gay love and marriage. A Beijing exclusive by Dinah Gardner. “Love has no boundaries; it is nothing to do with gender,” the flyer read. “We are homosexuals. We also want a life together with our loved one… please support all kinds of partnerships and all kinds of love. Please support same sex marriage.” A gay man handing out red carnations wrapped in leaflets calling for the acceptance of gay love and marriage in Beijing’s central business district on Feb 14. (Photo by Dinah Gardner)
Cop on duty gets caught playing PSP The officer and his colleague were so engrossed in their PSP footie game they did not notice when a passer-by took this photo.
It says this cop was playing a "footie" game, footie being a slang British term for football (or what we call soccer). My question is...shouldn't he have been playing "Grand Theft Auto"? At least then he could have said he was using it as a "training tool".
Today "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business"--James Brown--"moved on". It's hard to believe that a man who, even in his 70's, always seemed so full of life could have left this life behind. But one thing is certain--his musical legacy will live forever!
I'm also certain that wherever "The GodFather of Soul" is now--he "feels good".
