Wednesday, December 31, 2008

media monarchy episode104b

media monarchy episode104bepisode104b of media monarchy closes down the bar & closes out the year with a visit from the ghost of new year's past: oregon governor declares martial law + christmas chaos, media memes & predictive programming, music by loretta lynn & eartha kitt and tons more (for tiny tim)...

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new year's clearinghouse

end of the year or end of the world (as we know it)?
from global research: [A]n end-of-year essay of sorts is in order, especially so given the bumpy ride capitalism has bestowed on us this past twelve months. And the portents for 2009 look to be even worse as capitalism, desperate to shed over-valued assets, descends into the abyss. Look at it this way: after the Crash of ‘29 and the launch of the New Deal, it took some six years to engineer the outbreak of WWII, the surefire way of literally burning up surplus capital in awesome quantities. And if history has any lessons for us, some equivalent global conflagration is now in order. However, is this possible under these new circumstances and over what timescale can such a capitalist catastrophe be engineered?

chronology: major world events in 2008: part1 & part2

and a few other last-minute downers...
sewage & drinking water mingle in texas*
automatic speed-limiting devices should be fitted to cars*
nobody frightens children like the tsa*
US/japanese bioterrorists recreate 1918 flu*
nixon/kissinger celebrated ‘72 bombing of north vietnam*
henry kissinger: eminence noire*
lbj's treason tapes*
did poppy bush kill kennedy & frame nixon?*
new proof of lies/deception by US/uk & the sinking of the lusitania*
holocaust love story a fabrication*
ex-army employee pleads guilty to acting as israeli agent*
cdc to oregon: why aren't you taking our yummy shots?*
defense contractors see $$$ in cyber security*
new year’s eve security enhanced in nyc*
national guard soldiers to usher in new year at times square*
US stocks suffer worst year since great depression*
blackout looms in time warner/viacom fight*
kathy griffin says 'dicks' during live cnn new year's show*
this modern world 2008 year in review, part1: goodbye to all that*
this modern world 2008 year in review, part2: the end of an error*
2008: the year the US media lost relevance*

ghost of new year's past: oregon governor declares martial law

in doing some recent research about oregon, i discovered something amazing: on new year's eve in 1913, governor oswald west declared martial law in oregon in order to stop the sale of alcohol...

oswald west, prohibition advocate
ghost of new year's past: oregon governor declares martial lawfrom wikipedia: [Oswald] West was a fervent prohibitionist. He believed so strongly in the idea that he once declared martial law on New Year's Eve 1913 in order to shut down liquor-selling establishments in the town of Copperfield, Oregon. He then dispatched National Guard troops, chaperoned by his own personal secretary Fern Hobbs on January 2, 1914 to enforce the order and shut down the saloons. The move made headlines across the country. When his "invasion" of the small town in Baker County failed to garner local support he sought, (but failed) to void the town's incorporation citing that it was "in the hands of a lawless element." He also once declared that he wanted to "shoot a bartender." ... Bend Mayor George Palmer Putnam criticized West in a New York Times interview shortly after the Copperfield affair. Putnam asserted that the Governor's theatrical methods, and his inordinate attention to the affairs of local communities, detracted from the governance and national image of the state as a whole.

just a scary, little footnote from the past to remind us of what may come again in the not-too-distant future...

geopolitiks: troops, bases, pills & 'greek syndrome'

at least 20,000 more US troops for afghanisurge by mid-2009
from afp: The United States plans to send between 20,000 and 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan by summer 2009, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, said here Saturday. General David McKiernan, the US commander in Afghanistan, has asked for more than 20,000 extra US troops to counter a rise in insurgent violence, including four combat brigades, an aviation brigade and other support forces... The build up would nearly double the US military presence in Afghanistan, raising it from 31,000 troops to over 50,000. On Friday, a US military official said Defence Secretary Robert Gates had already ordered the deployment of a combat aviation brigade with 2,800 troops to Afghanistan next year.

video: US 'to set up bases' in central asia
from russia today: The U.S. is planning to set up military bases in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, according to Russia’s head of the General Staff. He said Washington already has forces in Bulgaria and Romania that can become operational within hours, raising concern in Moscow.

little blue pills among the ways cia wins friends in afghanistan
little blue pills among the ways cia wins friends in afghanistanfrom bbc: America's CIA has found a novel way to gain information from fickle Afghan warlords - supplying sex-enhancing drug Viagra, a US media report says. The Washington Post said it was one of a number of enticements being used. In one case, a 60-year-old warlord with four wives was given four pills and four days later detailed Taleban movements in return for more. "Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people," the Post quoted one agent as saying. "Whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra."

the pentagon is muscling in everywhere.
it's time to stop the mission creep.

from washington post: We no longer have a civilian-led government. It is hard for a lifelong Republican and son of a retired Air Force colonel to say this, but the most unnerving legacy of the Bush administration is the encroachment of the Department of Defense into a striking number of aspects of civilian government. Our Constitution is at risk. President-elect Barack Obama's selections of James L. Jones, a retired four-star Marine general, to be his national security adviser and, it appears, retired Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair to be his director of national intelligence present the incoming administration with an important opportunity - and a major risk. These appointments could pave the way for these respected military officers to reverse the current trend of Pentagon encroachment upon civilian government functions, or they could complete the silent military coup d'etat that has been steadily gaining ground below the radar screen of most Americans and the media. While serving the State Department in several senior capacities over the past four years, I witnessed firsthand the quiet, de facto military takeover of much of the U.S. government. The first assault on civilian government occurred in faraway places - Iraq and Afghanistan - and was, in theory, justified by the exigencies of war.

elements of an inside job in mumbai attacks
from foreign policy journal: Indian police last week arrested Hassan Ali Khan, who was wanted for investigations into money laundering and other illicit activities, and who is also said to have ties to Dawood Ibrahim, the underworld kingpin who evidence indicates was the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last month. Ibrahim is also alleged to have close ties with both Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) agency and the CIA. Another character linked to the CIA whose name is now beginning to figure into the web of connections between the Mumbai attacks, criminal organizations, and intelligence agencies is Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, of Iran-Contra infamy. Khashoggi has been implicated in arms deals with drug traffickers and terrorist groups, including within India. Dawood Ibrahim is a known major drug trafficker whom India claims is being protected by Pakistan. As Foreign Policy Journal previously reported, there are also some indications that the CIA has a similar interest in preventing Ibrahim from being handed over to India. Ibrahim is wanted by India for the recent Mumbai attacks as well as for bombings that occurred there in 1993.

'greek syndrome' is catching as youth take to streets
'greek syndrome' is catching as youth take to streetsfrom independent: With Europe, and the world, pitching headlong into a deep recession, the "Greek Syndrome", as one French official calls it, was already being monitored with great care across the European Union. The attempt to politicise and link the disputes across EU frontiers may prove to be a random act of self-dramatisation by an isolated group on the Greek far left. But it does draw attention to the similarities – and many differences – between the simultaneous outbreaks of unrest in three EU countries. Thousands of young Greeks have been rioting on and off for almost two weeks. They are protesting against the chaotic, and often corrupt, social and political system of a country still torn between European "modernity" and a muddled Balkan past. They can be said, in that sense, to be truly revolting.

greek cops caught on video posing as anarchists
from kurt nimmo: A Greek television show has revealed how Greek police posed as anarchists and destroyed property. Inciting violence and blaming it on legitimate activists is a favorite tactic of the state in order to crack down on protest and dismiss genuine grievances.


undersea cables cut; 14 countries lose web

is the internet going down? undersea sub-cables have just broken...

icelandic tv program w/ prime minister forced off air
from ap: A nationally televised meeting between Iceland's prime minister and other political leaders was forced off the air Wednesday night when angry protesters disrupted the broadcast. For more than two decades, the leaders of Iceland's political parties have met every New Year's Eve over champagne and spiced herring to talk about the year ahead on Iceland's Channel 2 television. But this year's show with Prime Minister Geir Haarde was cut short 45 minutes into the program when a torch-wielding crowd stormed Reykjavik's Hotel Borg in an attempt to get to the studio. Protesters inside and outside the hotel clashed with police, who fired pepper spray to disperse the 500-strong crowd. Some demonstrators threw water balloons, while others tossed firecrackers. At one point, the broadcaster's television cables caught fire, interrupting the live broadcast. The program cut to commercials, followed by an announcement that Channel 2's equipment had been damaged and the show would be suspended. Outside the hotel, a policeman hit on the head with a brick had to be hospitalized. Three protesters were arrested.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

zbig talks shit on tv w/ his daughter & a disgraced former congressman

from tpm: Zbig to Joe: "You have a such stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."

mm to zbig: "you have such bloody hands from what went on that i shouldn't be so surprised that you're also such a dick."

cynthia mckinney’s boat rammed by israeli warship

from raw replay: A boat carry former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was struck by an Israeli patrol boat according to reports from witnesses and Israeli officials. CNN reported, “CNN Correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot, Gibraltar-registered pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. In a radio message, the Israelis accused the vessel of being involved in terrorist activity, its captain said.” CNN’s John Roberts talked to McKinney about the experience. “I would call it ramming,” she explained. This video is from CNN’s American Morning, broadcast Dec. 30, 2008.

oh what a day! from cyprus to gaza
from cynthia mckinney: I have called for President-elect Obama to say something. The Palestinian people in the Gaza strip are seeing the worst violence in 60 years, it is being reported. To date, President-elect Obama has remained silent. The Israelis are using weapons supplied to them by the U.S. government. Strict enforcement of U.S. law would require the cessation of all weapons transfers to Israel. Adherence to international law would require the same. As we are about to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, let us remember that he said:

1. The United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world, and

2. Our lives begin to end the day we remain silent about things that matter.

I implore the President-elect to not send Congress a budget that contains more weapons for Israel. We have so much more to offer. And I implore the Congress to vote "no" on any budget and appropriation bills that provide more weapons transfers, period.

Israel is able to carry out these intense military maneuvers because taxpayers in the U.S. give their hard-earned money to our Representatives in Congress and our Congress chooses to spend that money in this way. Let's stop it and stop it now. There's been too much blood shed. And while we still walk among the living, let us not remain silent about the things that matter.

We really can promote peace and have it if we demand it of our leaders.

$2 million tex/mex surveillance system nets 500lbs of pot

$2 million tex/mex surveillance system nets 500lbs of potfrom danger room: A new $2-million citizen surveillance system installed along the Tex-Mex border has yielded just one crime bust after about 6 weeks in operation - 3 suspects who were allegedly caught hauling 540 pounds of marijuana over the border after someone spotted them online, according to the Houston Chronicle. The expensive system of 13 closed-circuit cameras placed along the Rio Grande - which is billed as a "virtual stakeout" for "virtual deputies" - involves images from the cameras that are streamed online. Members of the public are invited to serve as "virtual deputies" by watching the images and reporting any suspicious activity they see. Although authorities wouldn't provide any details about the arrest, saying they didn't want to give information that would reveal the location of the surveillance camera that spotted the suspects, it's presumed that the arrest was the result of a citizen report.

Monday, December 29, 2008

obamessiah: prosecution, continuity, eligibility or the lack of all

biden evades question on possible prosecution of bush admin
biden evades question on possible prosecution of bush adminfrom raw story: Joe Biden would not directly answer a question about whether or not top-ranking members of the Bush administration should be prosecuted for abuse at prisons around the world. Interviewed by ABC News' George Stephanopolous, Biden said he was "not ruling it in and not ruling it out."

obama will not prosecute bush & cheney
from tehran times: Mark my words. President Obama will follow in the footsteps of his predecessors by not holding his predecessor, George W. Bush and members of his administration, liable for violating the United States Constitution and criminally responsible for treason, 9/11, financial fraud, mass murder and war crimes.

continuity we can believe in
from counterpunch: This is part mea culpa, so please indulge my quoting myself. Back on November 5th much of the country celebrated the end of an error and the election of the first non-white president. (We’ll get to “male” and “Christian” later – much later, I suppose. "Ivy League?" Maybe never.) I wrote: “We’ll know soon enough how hard we’ll have to fight bad Obama policy. Even before Inauguration Day, we’ll know. Who Obama picks for his “team” will be all-telling…If President Obama fails to break completely with the narcissistic Baby Boomer politicians; we’ll know. If he keeps Gates at Defense or appoints Powell in his place; we’ll know.” Well, that sure was quick.

obama to tap retired admiral as intelligence czar
obama to tap retired admiral as intelligence czarfrom afp: President-elect Barack Obama has tapped retired Navy admiral Dennis Blair as his intelligence czar, US media reported Saturday. Unnamed government officials familiar with the selection process confirmed the choice to the Los Angeles Times... If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Blair would face ticking international time bombs inherited from the administration of President George W. Bush, including two wars, secret CIA prisons overseas and domestic wiretapping.

obama, the military & the threat of dictatorship
from wsws: With his choice of Admiral Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence, President-elect Barack Obama has now named three recently retired four-star military officers to serve in his cabinet. This unprecedented representation of the senior officer corps within the incoming Democratic administration is indicative of a growth in the political power of the US military that poses a serious threat to basic democratic rights. As head of the US military’s Pacific command in 1999-2000, Blair was distinguished by his efforts to solidarize the Pentagon with the military of Indonesia as it carried out butchery in East Timor, effectively vetoing the half-hearted human rights concerns voiced by the Clinton administration.

obama vs richard falk on israel & occupied palestine

explain to me again why we chose obama instead of ron paul?
from op-ed news: Here is another piece written by Ron Paul, and yet again he is correct to the infinite degree. He is a regular Nostradamus as far as I'm concerned, predicting nearly every major catastrophe of the last 8 years and doing so years before they occurred. He predicted the Russian/ Georgian conflict would be a possible consequence of our invasion in Iraq (check) he predicted the housing collapse (check) he predicted the implosion of the banking system clear back in the 90s (check) he predicted the Iraq war would be an endless quagmire, and on and on and on. When no one listened and his clueless fellow Republicans had the nerve to laugh at him on stage, he still spoke the truth, and once again, he has been right all along. This time about the real agenda of Barack Obama and the mindless Democrats in Congress. More elite government, more spending, more inflation, less freedom, less prosperity, and a complete disregard for the voice of the people (bailouts, anyone?) We can all have our disagreements about his disdain for taxes and funding different government programs, but when it comes to monetary policy, this man has all but never been wrong.

video: will the north american union happen under obama?

barack obama: the naked emperor
barack obama: the naked emperorfrom david icke: I am writing this in the last days of 2008 as I watch with dismay as vast numbers of people across the world, including many who should know better, have been duped by the mind-game called Operation Obama. Even people with some understanding of the conspiracy have said things like: 'Well, at least he's not Bush' and 'Well, at least it's great to see such a new spirit of hope'. No, he's not Bush - he's potentially far more dangerous; and what is the use of a spirit of 'hope' if it's based on a lie? In fact, what use is 'hope' at all? Obama's wife, Michelle, who I wouldn't trust to tell me the date in a calendar factory, said that 'everything begins and ends with hope'. Utter nonsense. Hope is a meaningless emotion because its fruits are always in the future and, by definition, never in the NOW. Hope is like riding a carousel horse; no matter how fast you go you never get closer to the one in front. The idea, however, is to persuade you to stay on the horse, despite the evitable disappointment, in the 'hope' that things will change. But they don't because the very system is designed to prevent it.

another obama eligibility suit filed in indiana
from ap: Two Indiana men filed a lawsuit claiming that President-elect Barack Obama is not eligible to serve as president. The suit questions whether Obama meets the constitutional requirement that the president must be a "natural born citizen." Obama's birth certificate says he was born in Hawaii, but his father was not a U.S. citizen and some have claimed the document is a fake. The U.S. Supreme Court this month refused without comment to hear a challenge to Obama's citizenship. The Indianapolis Star reports the Indiana suit was filed in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis by Steve Ankeny, New Castle, and Bill Kruse, Roselawn. It names Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Republican and Democratic national committees as defendants, saying they failed to uphold the Constitution when they certified results of the November election. It asks Judge David Dreyer to throw out the election results.

power cut left obama & family in dark for 12hrs
from reuters: U.S. President-elect Barack Obama was without electricity for 12 hours at his vacation home on Oahu following a major blackout across Hawaii's most populous island, an aide said on Saturday. The outage on Friday night left hundreds of thousands of people, including Obama and his family, in the dark as an electrical storm rolled over Oahu. "Power was restored to the residence during the 6 o'clock hour this morning. The Obama family is grateful for the offers of assistance from local officials," said Ben Labolt, a spokesman for Obama.

military protected obama when the lights went out

power outage: obama hawaii birth records left vulnerable
from total 411: This is a perfect opportunity to switch out the original vital statistics records of Barry Obama for newly-created forgeries. NB:"Heavy showers are of a special character, in that they are seldom accompanied by thunder and lightning. Indeed, a flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder is infrequent enough so that many people who have lived only in Hawaii have no real notion of the violence of Mainland thunderstorms as evidenced by the lightning and thunder that are their typical accompaniment." Draw your own conclusions.

kenya gags obama’s extended family

schwarzenegger for US president?
former action hero eyes top job

schwarzenegger for US president? former action hero eyes top jobfrom dpa: Former action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger has not satiated his political ambitions by serving as California governor. The Austrian-born superstar revealed in an interview on 60 Minutes late Sunday night that he would 'absolutely' like to be United States president if the Constitution could be changed to allow foreign-born Americans to run for the White House. 'Well, you're a man of no small ambition. If the Constitution was changed, you'd like to be president, wouldn't you?' 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley asked. 'Yeah, absolutely,' Schwarzenegger replied. 'I think that I am always a person that looks for the next big goal. And I love challenges. 'I always set goals that are so high, that are almost impossible to achieve. Because then, you're always hungry for climbing and climbing. Because it's always interesting. The climb is always interesting. When you get there you just have to pick another goal.' For now, it would be impossible for him to become president. Schwarzenegger, who was born in Austria and became a US citizen in 1983, is not a 'natural born citizen' of the US, as required by the Constitution.

obama predicted to open secret ufo files

oregon eyes taxing vehicles per mile by satellite

oregon eyes taxing vehicles per mile by satellitefrom albany democrat herald: A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads - via a mileage tax and satellite technology - could work.

Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he’d like the legislature to take the next step.

As part of a transportation-related bill he has filed for the 2009 legislative session, the governor says he plans to recommend “a path to transition away from the gas tax as the central funding source for transportation.”

What that means is explained on the governor’s website: “As Oregonians drive less and demand more fuel-efficient vehicles, it is increasingly important that the state find a new way, other than the gas tax, to finance our transportation system.”

oregon eyes taxing vehicles per mile by satelliteAccording to the policies he has outlined online, Kulongoski proposes to continue the work of the special task force that came up with and tested the idea of a mileage tax to replace the gas tax.

The governor wants the task force “to partner with auto manufacturers to refine technology that would enable Oregonians to pay for the transportation system based on how many miles they drive.”

The online outline adds: “The governor is committed to ensuring that rural Oregon is not adversely affected and that privacy concerns are addressed.”

When the task force’s study and test were in the news in 2006 and 2007, critics worried that the technology could be used to track where vehicles go, not just how far they travel, and that this information would somehow be stored by the government.

In more than one interview with the Democrat-Herald and others, James Whitty, the ODOT official in charge of the project, tried to assure the public that tracking people’s travels was not in the plans.

the ambient noise of tyranny

Sunday, December 28, 2008

econocrash: recession, depression, elites & aggression

video: the elite are turning a recession into a depression
the elite are turning a recession into a depressionfrom paul joseph watson: Veteran investor Jim Rogers warns that the policies of central banks and politicians are turning what would have been a recession into a new great depression, and that Barack Obama’s taxation agenda will only make the problem much worse. Speaking to Bloomberg News, Rogers said that the crisis would at least be the worst since the second world war and that “it could well be” as bad as the great depression. “1929 was the stock market bubble which popped, we were going into a recession and then the politicians around the world starting making horrendous mistakes which turned it into a depression, it would have been just a normal recession otherwise but the American politicians and the European politicians - everyone got in on the act and that seems to be happening this time too,” said Rogers.

video: crash will be worse than great depression
from truthnews: Interview with Nassim Nicholas Taleb, famous economist and author of “The Black Swan” and Dr. Mandelbrot, professor of Mathematics. Both say that the present economic situation is far more serious than the Great Depression and the economy during the American Revolution.

secrecy surrounds those receiving federal reserve’s trillions
from the age: The Fed is refusing to speak, raising fears that things could end in the deepest of depressions. Of the many elephants cluttering the denial room of extremely high finance in the US, the daddy of them all, the veritable woolly mammoth, remains undisturbed. The Federal Reserve has formally refused a request by Bloomberg News that would have poked the sleeping giant. It didn't raise a tusk. Bloomberg has taken on the task abrogated by the rest of the US financial media to keep the bastards — if not honest — aware they are being watched.

roubini/biden: economy/tanking

madoff investor found dead
from nypost: A French financial executive whose firm lost a bundle in Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme killed himself this morning in his Midtown Manhattan office, cops said. The exec, 65-year-old Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, was found dead at around 8 a.m. with razor cuts to his arms, and with sleeping pills nearby in an office building at 509 Madison Ave., law enforcement sources said. That address is home to Acccess International Advisors, which de la Villehuchet co-founded.

US army ready if the downtown gets out of hand
from nypost: Are you afraid that the economic downturn could get out of hand? I mean, really out of hand? Well, don't worry. The US Army War College is on the case - ready to handle "unforeseen economic collapse" and the "rapid dissolution of public order in all or significant parts of the US." And you thought we were just dealing with a recession! In a report published Nov. 4 - just in time for the holiday season - the War College's Strategic Studies Institute posited a number of shocks that the country should be prepared for, including unrest caused by the economy's failure.

the federal reserve abolition act
from global research: On June 15, 2007, Ron Paul introduced HR 2755: Federal Reserve Abolition Act. There were no co-sponsors, no further action was taken, and the legislation was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services and effectively pigeonholed and ignored. It's a bold and needed measure to "abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks, to repeal the Federal Reserve Act, and for other purposes." The bill provides for management of employees, assets and liabilities of the Board during a dissolution period, and more...

cash-strapped states weigh selling roads & parks
from ap: Minnesota is deep in the hole financially, but the state still owns a premier golf resort, a sprawling amateur sports complex, a big airport, a major zoo and land holdings the size of the Central American country of Belize. Valuables like these are in for a closer look as 44 states cope with deficits. Like families pawning the silver to get through a tight spot, states such as Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash.

we are not headed for great depression II

samuel 'clash of civilizations' huntington dies

samuel 'clash of civilizations' huntington diesfrom reuters: Political scientist Samuel Huntington, whose controversial book "The Clash of Civilizations" predicted conflict between the West and the Islamic world, has died at age 81, Harvard University said on Saturday. Huntington, who taught for 58 years at Harvard before retiring in 2007, died Wednesday at a nursing facility in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the university said on its website.

In his 1996 "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order," which expanded on his 1993 article in Foreign Affairs magazine, Huntington divided the world into rival civilizations based mainly on religious traditions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Confucianism and said competition and conflict among them was inevitable.

His focus on religion rather than ideology as a source of conflict in the post-Cold War world triggered broad debate about relations between the Western and Islamic worlds, especially in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

samuel 'clash of civilizations' huntington diesDespite criticism his thesis was simplistic or in the words of Middle East scholar Edward Said promoted the idea of "West versus the rest," Huntington told Islamica magazine in 2007, "My argument remains that cultural identities, antagonisms and affiliations will not only play a role, but play a major role in relations between states."

Huntington's 2004 book, "Who Are We? The Challenges to America's National Identity," also sparked heated debate by arguing the massive influx of Mexican immigrants to the United States threatened traditional American identity and national unity.

"People all over the world studied and debated his ideas," friend and Harvard professor emeritus Henry Rosovsky wrote on the Harvard website. "I believe that he was clearly one of the most influential political scientists of the last 50 years."

Huntington, who wrote, co-wrote or edited 17 books, served in the White House in 1977 and 1978 under President Jimmy Carter as coordinator for security planning for the National Security Council.

media memes: nixon, cruise, stone, lennon, vhs & hi-def

'frost/nixon': meant for each other
'frost/nixon': meant for each otherfrom washington post: Neither the title nor the subject matter prepares you for the pure fun of "Frost/Nixon." Ron Howard's movie is based on Peter Morgan's play, which was based on the 1977 television interviews between British journalist David Frost and the disgraced former president Richard Nixon. You expect something dry, historical and probably contrived. But you get a delicious contest of wits, brilliant acting and a surprisingly gripping narrative - no less dramatic even though the results are a foregone conclusion.

pentagon & hollywood pair up for transformers sequel
from danger room: Hollywood action director Michael Bay enlisted the U.S. military to provide realistic props for his 2007 giant-robot epic Transformers. After the Pentagon helped rewrite the script, Bay got access to helicopters, warships and - for just $25,000 an hour - F-22 stealth fighters. As we speak, Bay is shooting a sequel that has even more U.S. military hardware on display, according to USA Today. The director set up shop at White Sands, a test range in New Mexico, standing in for Egypt, where the new movie's climactic battle takes place. "As far as I know, this is the biggest joint military operation movie ever made," said Bay's liaison officer from the Army.

stone unturned: oliver on obama

tom cruise, scientology & holocaust revisionism
from indybay: Tom Cruise is asking for your Valkyrie movie ticket dollars, but spends his money to fund a cult with a similar attitude towards lesser races and global domination. Should the actor be separated from his actions? As a producer of the movie, he earns money from every ticket. Should you care where that money is going? ... Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, even with his anti-Semitic portrayal of a Hollywood producer (complete with gold star necklace) in Tropic Thunder. Is having his money go toward funding studies linking the Holocaust to modern medicine worth the price of your movie ticket?

mind control through the hi-def boxes

john lennon digitally inserted into television commercial
from raw story: With the approval of widow Yoko Ono, former Beatle and peace activist John Lennon, who was killed 28 years ago, appeared digitally in a 30-second television ad in support of the "One Laptop per Child" campaign. The spot was launched on Thursday and will play in donated broadcast and cable time slots. The voice of Lennon says: "Imagine every child, no matter where in the world they were, could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want. I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way. You can give a child a laptop and, more than imagine, you can change the world."

long, winding road hits a dead end at last for vhs
from latimes: Pop culture is hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once ubiquitous home video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past. After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes. "It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Southern California businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away." ... But Kugler, with a sly smile, offered a warning to consumers: "The days of the DVD are numbered... And that is good news for me."

police state int'l: dhs, www, cbrne & the breakup of US

dhs considers searching for blogs with terrorism clues
dhs considers searching for blogs with terrorism cluesfrom fcw: The Homeland Security Department might soon start searching the Internet for blogs and message boards that terrorists are using to plan attacks in the United States, USA Today reports. Researchers say terrorists are increasingly using the Internet to plan operations and spread propaganda, according to a DHS statement. The newspaper reports that the department is looking for companies that can help it find relevant information online.

govt searching internet in 'near real time' for terrorists

websites could be given 'cinema-style age ratings'
from telegraph: In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Andy Burnham says he believes that new standards of decency need to be applied to the web. He is planning to negotiate with Barack Obama’s incoming American administration to draw up new international rules for English language websites. The Cabinet minister describes the internet as “quite a dangerous place” and says he wants internet-service providers (ISPs) to offer parents “child-safe” web services. Giving film-style ratings to individual websites is one of the options being considered, he confirms. When asked directly whether age ratings could be introduced, Mr Burnham replies: “Yes, that would be an option. This is an area that is really now coming into full focus.”

dod may act on US civil unrest

homeland security forecasts 5yr terror threats
from ap: The terrorism threat to the United States over the next five years will be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa, persistent challenges to border security and increasing Internet savvy, says a new intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press. Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks are considered the most dangerous threats that could be carried out against the U.S. But those threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for al-Qaida and similar groups to acquire the materials needed to carry out such plots, according to the internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-2013... Officials also predict that domestic terrorists in the forms of radical animal rights and environmental extremists will become more adept with explosives and increase their use of arson attacks.

the US army document that proves the US is the world's #1 sponsor of world terrorism

US needs nuclear explosion to turn the world into dictatorship
from pravda: Is the United States going to put dictatorship into effect under the guise of the anti-terrorist struggle? What may trigger another major transformation in 2009? The answer is obvious: another 9/11 in the USA. Terrible and bloody events are in store for the world in the beginning of 2009. Most likely, the world will witness a reality show with a nuclear blast, which will be used as a reason for the US administration to change the world order again and leave the new Great Depression behind. There is every reason to believe that the Russian Federation may suffer as a result of this possible initiative too.

police in the US could soon have 'pain ray' guns
from futurestorm: Imagine a world where police have the ability to fire pain ray guns at protesters that instantly cause them excruciating pain as soon as they are activated. Imagine a world where police have the ability to torture from a distance anyone they want at the touch of a button. Does that sound like something out of a science fiction novel? It's not. It is in the final stages of development and could soon be a reality on the streets of America. NewScientist is reporting that the U.S. Department of Justice is developing two portable "non-lethal" weapons that inflict severe pain from a distance using either microwave technology or laser beams.

will the US break up?
from george washington: The larger and more complex a system, the more likely it is to break down. Something like a simple pendulum with few moving parts could last many years. But very large, complicated things like the Large Hadron Collider break down much more quickly. America now has some 300 million people, 50 states, and more federal, state and local agencies than anyone can possibly list. It is hard to govern such a large, complex and populous system when anything goes seriously wrong. And a lot is going wrong right now. The U.S. military agrees that the chance of a break down in the system is real.

daily dose of terror calls it quits?

northcom conducts 'humanitarian support' exercise in maryland

northcom conducts 'humanitarian support' exercise in marylandfrom kurt nimmo: The Armed Forces Press Service has initiated a propaganda campaign designed to convince the American people that deploying the 3rd Infantry Division in the United States in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act is a good thing. The propaganda piece appeared on the Hinesville, Georgia, Coastal Courier’s website on December 26. “The first active-duty unit dedicated to supporting U.S. civilian authorities in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack recently wrapped up three days of intensive training its members hope they never have to apply in real life,” Donna Miles reports for the Armed Forces Press Service. “Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team got hands-on training in skills they would depend on to provide humanitarian support during a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incident, known here as a CBRNE.” In order to portray the military as humanitarian saviors, the Armed Forces Press Service included a photo of a soldier wielding the “jaws of life” during an exercise that included “buddie teamsrecently returned from Iraq’s Anbar province removing mannequins from the rubble of a collapsed building.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

police state int'l: biometrics, hazardous substances & insurrection

dhs to expand US-visit biometric collection
dhs to expand US-visit biometric collectionfrom fcw: The Homeland Security Department will soon begin collecting digital fingerprints and photographs from lawful permanent residents of the United States and people seeking to enter the country on an immigration visa or as refugees. The biometric data will be collected from additional groups of those persons when they enter the U.S. starting Jan. 18 as part of DHS’ U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT), officials said Dec. 18. In a statement, DHS officials called the expansion a “positive step forward in a process designed to further improve public safety and national security while ensuring the integrity of the immigration system.”

epa veils hazardous substances
from jsonline: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency routinely allows companies to keep new information about their chemicals secret, including compounds that have been shown to cause cancer and respiratory problems, the Journal Sentinel has found. The newspaper examined more than 2,000 filings in the EPA's registry of dangerous chemicals for the past three years. In more than half the cases, the EPA agreed to keep the chemical name a secret. In hundreds of other cases, it allowed the company filing the report to keep its name and address confidential.

fda stuns scientists, declares mercury in fish to be safe for infants, children, expectant mothers!
from natural news: In a truly astonishing betrayal of public safety (even for the FDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today revoked its warning about mercury in fish, saying that eating mercury-contaminated fish no longer poses any health threat to children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants. Last week, the FDA declared trace levels of melamine to be safe in infant formula. A few weeks earlier, it said the plastics chemical Bisphenol-A was safe for infants to drink. Now it says children can eat mercury, too. Is there any toxic substance in the food that the FDA thinks might be dangerous? (Aspartame, MSG, sodium nitrite and now mercury...) This FDA decision on mercury in fish has alarmed EPA scientists who called it "scientifically flawed and inadequate," reports the Washington Post.

'smart' surveillance system may tag suspicious or lost people
from newswise: Engineers here are developing a computerized surveillance system that, when completed, will attempt to recognize whether a person on the street is acting suspiciously or appears to be lost. Intelligent video cameras, large video screens, and geo-referencing software are among the technologies that will soon be available to law enforcement and security agencies. In the recent Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE Conference on Advanced Video and Signal Based Surveillance, James W. Davis and doctoral student Karthik Sankaranarayanan report that they've completed the first three phases of the project: they have one software algorithm that creates a wide-angle video panorama of a street scene, another that maps the panorama onto a high-resolution aerial image of the scene, and a method for actively tracking a selected target.

homeland security arming flights/cyber war games

entrapment? 5 convicted in fort dix plot
from raw story: Five men whom attorneys said paid FBI informants prodded into exploring their deepest fantasies about waging jihad on America were convicted in federal court Monday of conspiring to kill US soldiers but acquitted on attempted murder charges. The men allegedly planned to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey, although defense lawyers argued that they never intended to carry out the plot and were drawn into making incriminating statements by the informants, one of whom was an illegal immigrant on probation for bank fraud and another who was paid $150,000 to secretly record the men. The verdict was met with intense skepticism in the Muslim community.

homeland stupidity turns reality tv star on abc

air force nu-metal band will 'rock your face off'
air force nu-metal band will 'rock your face off'from danger room: Somebody drop a satellite-guided bomb on my head. I'm not sure if I can take another note of Max Impact, the Air Force's official nu metal band. Or their press releases, which were clearly written by a member of The Onion's editorial staff... By the way, Max Impact is one of seven official Air Force musical ensembles. And that doesn't count "Tops in Blue," the service's singin', swingin', family-friendly, Vegas-style review.

video: ron paul & martial law (from may22, 2007)

israeli airstrikes in gaza leave hundreds dead

israel kills 208 in air assault on gaza strip
israel kills 208 in air assault on gaza stripfrom reuters: Israeli warplanes and helicopters pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least 205 people in the bloodiest one-day death toll in 60 years of conflict with the Palestinians. Militants in the Gaza Strip, who have launched dozens of rocket attacks against Israel since a truce expired just over a week ago, fired more salvoes that killed one Israeli man and wounded several others. Both sides said they were ready to stage wider assaults, threatening to plunge the region into a crisis that could leave stalled talks over Palestinian statehood in tatters.

and all the disgusting updates as the carnage continues...
palestine & israel: the ring of terror tightens*
israel masses troops & tanks for possible ground invasion*
the dangers of an india/pakistan war*
egypt accused of 'deceiving' hamas*
iran orders all muslims to defend palestinians against israeli gaza raids*
israeli airstrikes on gaza strip imperil obama's peace chances*
israeli air strikes*
airstrikes on gaza...*
more than 700 wounded...*
iran orders muslims to defend palestinians*
russia asks israel to end gaza attacks*
mosque hit*
100 targets*
panic*
israel reinforces troops at border*
israel unleashes 'retaliatory' air armada*
pelosi: US must stand strongly with israel*
violent protests at israeli embassy in london*
in criminal escalation, israeli occupation forces strikes on gaza kill/injure over 900*
'operation cast lead': israel planned this for months*
shock, awe & lies: the truth behind the israeli attack on gaza*

and our 2 mis-leaders give their silent approval because 'israel has the right to' ... do whatever it wants.

obama: no comment on gaza slaughter
from kurt nimmo: Obama no longer has to placate pro-Israel voters, including no shortage of Christian Zionists, so his lack of comment on the premeditated slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza should send us a message - an Obama administration will continue the long-standing U.S. policy of allowing Israel to wantonly kill Palestinians and pay the Israeli government handsomely to do so. In 2008, the U.S. gave $20.27 billion to Israel, more than a 12 percent increase in foreign aid from 2007. In fact, it would seem Obama is dedicated to supporting Israel, no matter how many Palestinians it slaughters or starves. “All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. However, we have to understand why Israel is forced to do this,” Obama wrote in a letter to ambassador Khalilzad. “Israel has the right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.”

bush refuses to interrupt his final vacation as middle east crisis escalates
from thinkprogress: While Bush has been briefed on the situation by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, he has opted not to interrupt his final vacation as president to make a public statement on the crisis. For someone who has enjoyed the most vacation days as sitting president - including days spent relaxing in comfort during Hurricane Katrina and in the lead-up to 9/11 - it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Bush prioritizes vacationing over crisis management.

israel accused of massive war crime atrocities
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