Friday, September 30, 2005

The Reality Of Being. . .

. . .On The Good Ship Earth
by The Old Hippie Because It Is The Reality Within


The significance of the old adage of the planet being like a spaceship, with finite limited resources, is of more significance today, than ever before.  The internal politics of its human crew centers around only one thing - The control of and access to, and the profits from, its finite limited resources.  Resources that are necessary for humans' pleasure and survival, as the Good Ship Earth travels through space.  i.e. the big-5 for any spaceship - air, water, food, energy, and waste.

Two factors, the crew's population and technology levels, are paramount to the stresses on these "finite limited survival resources," ("flsr,") as is the third factor - The political control and manipulation of the "flsr" by the crew's leaders.

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The population level is an obvious self-limiting factor, especially within the reality of closed system with "flsr" such as with our Good Ship Earth.

The technology level is, just as obviously, a non-limited factor, one which can be used to mitigate the stresses produced by an increasing crew population and diminishing "flsr," or make it worse, if abused by ignorance, or to further the profits of the corrupt and/or naive few over the survivability of the entire crew.  Where profits means not just wealth, but also the profit of the access to and the control of the "flsr," i.e. power.

The political factor is of less importance on normal ships, as the crew is normally of one faction.  But that is not the case on our Good Ship Earth.  This ship's crew is broken up into multiple complex political factions within factions, within factions, etc., all competing for the ship's overly stressed and rapidly diminishing "flsr."

The Good Ship Earth's main energy source is the star Sol, or what we commonly call the sun.  The ship is safely within in a permanent orbit around it, and will continue to safely orbit Sol, no matter what its human crew does, and along as no large space rock smacks it out of its orbit, it will continue to do so even past Sol's exhaustion of it's own finite resources.  Even if all life where to cease to exist today, the ship/planet will continue to orbit.  It simply doesn't "need" us humans, the crew, or any other life, to do so.

The Good Ship Earth is not a "living" planet, it is a spaceship, a machine, that happens to have life on and in it.  This ship/planet is not an intelligent, much less living, being.  It does have huge evolved dynamic physical processes that its current human crew has no control over at all.  i.e. The inner and outer cores of the planet, the movement of the crust's plates, the planet's magnetic field.  But there other huge dynamic processes and systems that, because of population levels and increasing technology levels we are now able to affect and effect, and are.  i.e. the air, the water, and the weather they produce.

As the crew on this spaceship, we have only one real concern - Continuing survival.  After that priority, we can than contemplate the quality of that survival.  And because the large majority of the sane and rational of the crew want survival for all, and want that survival to be within a sane and rational equalized sharing and renewal of survival resources, so that all can live a life of quality, rather than just survival - The political factor has gone beyond the importance of "who will control who will profit," to "who will control who will survive, if any."

Almost all of us, the reality-based, within the crew are very-very worried by all three of the factors to our survival on this Good Ship Earth, but most particularly the current state of the political factor, and that of its effects and affects, never before possible, are now having on the huge complex dynamic physical processes and systems of the air, water, and weather that the entire crew's very survival depends upon.


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Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Delay Calls. . .

Ronnie Earle A Rogue, Vindictive, And Partisan D.A. - Really?
by The Old Hippie Because His Crimes Really Are So Obviouse


This Is Who Ronnie Earle Is.  [Read it, then you too will know, right?]

Here's a Christian Science Monitor Poll on this. . .

Should Earle be prosecuting Rep. DeLay and his associates so aggressively?

Yes = 89.9%
His brave fight against corporate money polluting the electoral process is vital to democracy.

No = 10.1%
Earle's tough stand is politically motivated and has become a witch hunt.


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Nothing else at this time. . .


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Disambiguation. . .

n. - Clarification That Follows From The Removal of Ambiguity
compiled by The Old Hippie Because Removal Of Ambiguity Requires That One Actually Think


Read 1.  Apocalypse There - Rolling Stone

2.  A Declaration Of War - TomPaine.com

3.  MSM Outs Self; Bloggers Pounce - Columbia Journalism Review

4.  Find the Brownie - N.Y. Times via Call To Action

5.  Why I Was Smiling and Hurricane Rita - Cindy Sheehan

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6.  Torturous Silence on Torture - Truthout.org

7.  What Do You Really Know About Pat Tillman? - Noam Chomsky Info
     (Scroll down to Monday, September 26, 2005 - Read all 3 postings for that day)

Just A Note:  "It's The Allowing, Stupid"


The exposed insulting shame of Americans continuing to "allow" these insanely bigoted ideological born-again deadly corrupt corporatists thieves to remain in positions of power, is the problem behind all of the other exposed problems.

The fact that so few American citizens actually comprehend this, and continue to "allow" them their "freedoms," admittedly is beyond my own comprehension.


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Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Bombshells #9. . .

A Select Few Bombshells That Clears Much Of The Manufactured Fog
compiled by The Old Hippie Because I Truly Believe It Might Help Clear The Fog


Your Right   1.  Reckoning with the God Squad - In These Times

  2.  Meet The Corporation - Sierra Magazine

  3.  Omerta Hush Money at Our Expense - CNN

  4.  The Most Important Election of 2005 - Daily Kos

  5.  Now For Something Completely Different - P M Carpenter

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  6.  'Sneak Attack' - Organic Consumers

  7.  Cronies at the Till - NY Times Op-Ed via Truthout


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Sunday, September 25, 2005

(Yawn. . .)

Mainstream Media - Oh yeah, (yawn) there was also a protest. . .
by The Old Hippie Because It Is So Very Obvious


It, the anti-war protest yesterday in our nation's capitol, was just a bit too large, (from tens of thousands to 300,000, depending on who you believe,) for even the six-corporation controlled mainstream media to completely ignore, but they quite handily marginalized it with their "oh yeah, there was a protest. . ." coverage.

If you are interested, here are a few links to the independent coverage:  [several with video]
Link-1  Link-2  Link-3  Link-4  Link-5  Link-6 (added Mon. 9/26)

I am receiving reports from a variety of sources that this march has been virtually blacked out by the television media.  CNN threw that big number out earlier, and Headline News made mention of it, but that's all.  The hurricane is dominating the news, and even C-SPAN has Generals on talking about predicting hurricanes and storm response.

As frustrating as this is, I can understand it.  Rita was a bad storm, made all the worse by Katrina.  The oil infrastructure just took a beating, and water is flowing back into New Orleans.  Besides, these TV yahoos have never covered these protests with any kind of accuracy or interest before, so why should today be any different?

Psssst ... we are the majority now.

-- William Rivers Pitt - Saturday 24 September 2005 5:11 PM


Anti-War Rally News

Nothing else at this time.  [I really miss Democracy Now! on the weekends - Don't you?]


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Saturday, September 24, 2005

Bombshells #8. . .

A Select Few Bombshells That Clears Much Of The Manufactured Fog
compiled by The Old Hippie Because I Truly Believe It Might Help Clear The Fog


Your Right   1.  Time's Bombshell: Continued Torture - Time & HRW

  2.  Do Something! - Michael Moore, et al

  3.  4 in 5 Americans Want A Windfall Profits Tax On Big Oil

A new national poll shows that 90% of Americans think the oil companies are engaging in price gouging (true) and that 80% of Americans (76% of Republicans) would support "a tax on the windfall profits of oil corporations." (40mpg.org)


  4.  You Have To Read This To Believe It! - The Huffinton Post

  5.  Tyco Exec: Abramoff Claimed Ties to Administration - Washington Post

  6.  "Pre$$titutes?" - presstitutes.com

  7.  The House Dems' Drive To Undo Bush's Executive Order suspending the...

...Davis-Bacon Act is starting to pick up steam.  Three developments of note: . . .


  8.  UK Scientist Slams America's "Climate Loonies" - Independent/UK

  9.  Corporations' Great Local-Extortion Racket - Providence Journal

10.  U.S. Bird Flu Scenario Eyed - Not If. . . But When, and How Bad? - CBS News
       - 1.7 million Americans likely to die in the first year of the Asian Flu pandemic.



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Friday, September 23, 2005

It Keeps Getting Worse. . .

And Americans Keep Allowing It To Continue, Unchecked & Unpunished
by The Old Hippie Because I don't Understand The Continued American Silence


To quote BuzzFlash today. . .  (Concerning this AP news article via Yahoo News.)

"Bush Tears Down the Walls Separating Church and State.  Our Tax Dollars Can be Used to Discriminate in Hiring on the Basis of Religion.  Shameful and UnAmerican Beyond Belief."


Come on people!  What the hell does it take to turn off your silence?!?
[ The following is not conjecture, or opinion, but on the public record - Facts ]

- He has put, "in-your-face," Karl Rove in charge of the Gulf Coast recovery!

- Halliburton, KBR, et al, are "in-your-face," getting no-bid contracts - Again!

- The federal treasury is empty, and the government is right now being supported by loans
   from other nations - One billion dollars a day from China alone!

- Cheney still "in-your-face," receives over $200,000 a year from Halliburton!

- Private corporate mercenaries, highly trained killers, are "patrolling" New Orleans!

- They refuse, "in-your-face," to undo the tax cuts, which only benefits the uber wealthy!

- Instead, they are cutting, "in-your-face," funding of mainly social safety net programs!

[ I could continue to, once again, list off all of the hundreds, (hundreds is not bombastic at all, in the area of environmental regulations alone there have been over 400 roll-backs,) of their open "in-your-face" exposed realities, the proven destructions to our Constitutional Democracy, to our environment, to our security, to our liberties, to so many innocent lives - - - But you already know of them all. . .  Why are you silent?!?  Someone please explain to me - Why?!? ]


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The Allowing Continues. . .

I Was Always An Optimist - But No Longer - Reality Won't Allow It
by The Old Hippie Because The Tyranny My Father Fought. . .  Now Rules My Nation


My Country 'Tis No Longer Of Thee

There is no longer an opposition party.  The Democratic Party has proven in the last six years to be fractured, and marginalized, to the point that is has no power to confront the tyranny, and in several areas has actually joined with the power behind the power of those that control the profits of the tyranny's successes.

The large majority of Americans, the lower 97% or so of the masses, are still allowing all that has happened to this nation to go unpunished, and are to this day still allowing the destroyers of this nation's Constitutional Democracy to tear it apart, law by law, protection by protection, still allowing "them" to gain even more control over laws, agencies, and divisions of the governmental structures to secure their protection from us, and to protect and secure their ability to drain every single possible red-cent from this nation's citizens directly into their own pockets. . .

The exposed manipulations and lies are beyond the pale - But the American citizens are still - STILL - allowing it all to transpire without any real fight, without any real protests, without any revolt at all. . .

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We few, the reality-based, that actually do not live in denial of the proven and obvious facts.  We few that actually read, listen, and watch all sides, reports, articles, and research-the-research.  We few that actually make the real effort to compare what we see in the 6-corporation controlled American mainstream media (MSM) with what we find in "the other" media sources, like Democracy Now!, The Daily Show, NOW, PBS, Truthout, BuzzFlash, CommonDreams, Cursor, AlterNet, et al American non-MSM.  We few who also research and compare both the MSM and the non-MSM with as much of the foreign media as we can get our hands, eyes, and ears on.  We few who have made this real effort to not only "know the reality," but to also try to spread the gained knowledge any way we can, can not deny the fear we share. . .

A fear that much of the reality can no longer be reversed.  Can no longer be stopped, because, just as with other nations in the past, like Germany in the 1930's, the impossible has happened, right under our collective noses - But - This time there is the reality of global-scale environmental damage to the planet's entire biosphere, including the atmosphere's quality, the entire planet's weather patterns, and the oceans.  This time global-scale corporations answerable to no nation, or even groups of nations, corporations accountable to no one, corporations that now have unimaginable power and control over whole countries, have caused so much environmental, governmental, and societal damage - A fear that much of it can no longer "be repaired."


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Thursday, September 22, 2005

Quote. . .

A Quote That Was More Predictive Than Lewis Realized. . .
"When fascism comes to America,
it will be wrapped in the flag,
carrying a cross."
-- by Sinclair Lewis - 1935

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Nothing else. . .  Yet. . .


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Knowing Helps Redux. . .

It May Take Effort, But Knowing Helps, In Ways Not Always Understood
compiled by The Old Hippie Because Knowing Reality Is Our Only Hope Of Remaining Free


Patriot "Lessons From The Idiot Box" - In These Times

"Cuban Doctors" - Left I on the News

"The Sickest Piece Of Journalism I've Ever Seen." - DJWriter

"Plamegate: The John Bolton Connection" - The Huffington Post

"A Daily Dance With Death" - Newsweek

"News is what people want to keep hidden and everything else is publicity."
  --  Bill Moyers, Now, Dec. 17, 2004


"Bush's Booze Crisis" - National Enquirer - As BuzzFlash says of this story. . .

"National Enquirer (we know, we know) says Bush is Boozing Again.  They read it big in the red states.  Also, They Have a Reputation for Accurate Reporting, Although Sleazy.  We Would Not Discount This Story At All.  This is the type of tabloid coverage that embeds itself in Bush voters.  Rove Relies on It Often.  What Goes Round, Comes Round."


"Bush Has ChevronTexaco Lawyer Head Fed's Oil Price Gouging Probe"

"Good news: Democratic governors have embarrassed the federal government into acknowledging the oil price gouging issue, as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today announced a formal probe.  Bad news: President Bush made sure to preempt any real investigation into price gouging by his financial backers in the oil/gas industry when last year he appointed a former ChevronTexaco lawyer, Deborah Majoras, to head the FTC.

Some would argue that any investigation - no matter how rigged - is better than no investigation.  But, then, I'm not so sure, especially when we inevitably see in a few weeks an oil-industry-written FTC report that gives a government stamp of approval to oil industry profiteering.  Undoubtedly, that's in the Bush administration's calculation: the White House's use of the FTC (instead of an independent commission) to be the government's one and only public face in dealing with this issue clearly has something to do with that agency being headed by an oil industry crony.

Thus, the question of the day: Will Majoras recuse herself from being involved in the probe?"
- David Sirota


"DemsTV" - DemsTV.com

"Politics with attitude.

Our feature program, demsTV is a mosh of quiz show, pundit-talk, and JenniCam.  Each week, demsTV.com features a group of interesting, engaging young democratic political analysts competing on wit, knowledge, and impersonation skills.

The show is produced by demsTV.com, a network of commentators and political professionals from across the country; all (but not entirely all) of the Democratic persuasion.  demsTV.com is a for-profit media company and not an agent or arm of the Democratic Party or any other political organization..."



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Wednesday, September 21, 2005

The 1st Domino To Fall. . . ?

Diebold Stock Plummets!  President/COO Quits!
Stocks Down 15.5% At Today's Close!

by Brad at Brad Blog


Sometimes there are signs of hope - Full Link Here

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Nothing else - - - Just follow the link provided above.


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Bombshells #7. . .

A Select Few Bombshells That Clears Much Of The Manufactured Fog
compiled by The Old Hippie Because I Truly Believe It Might Help Clear The Fog


Your Right   1.  W Marks The Spot - Jeffery St. Clair

  2.  Do Something! - Michael Moore, et al

  3.  Secure National Election In 2008? - Fitrakis & Wasserman

  4.  Military Judge Bars Abu Ghraib Photos Release - Reuters

  5.  "Creeping Fascism" - Nicholas Klassen

  6.  Iraqi Anger Explodes in British Face - Independent/UK

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  7.  Abu Ghraib General Lambastes Bush Administration - Marjorie Cohn

  8.  The Blood of the Righteous - William Rivers Pitt

  9.  Shrugging at Torture - Toronto Star

10.  After Less Than Day, Kim Jong-il Changes His Mind! - BBC News (RealPlayer)

11.  U.S. Bird Flu Scenario Eyed - Not If. . . But When, and How Bad? - CBS News
       - Oseltamivir (or "Tamiflu," the brand name for Bird Flu influenza antiviral drug)
       - Drug Guide Information Linked Here
- (Pronunciation: ah sell TAH mih veer)
       - 1.7 Americans likely to die in the first year of the Asian Flu pandemic.


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Saturday, September 17, 2005

It Is Too Late. . .

Before, And In 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 - Even Earlier This Year. . .
Many Emphasized That It Was Not Too Late - That Is Simply No Longer True.

by The Old Hippie Because In Some Areas, It Is Never Too Late


God, Where Does One Even Start?
How does one make it simple to see the forest, through so many individual densely foliated trees with their intertwining limbs?  How to make clear the reality of, the reasons behind, and the consequences of, the purposeful destruction of, over two centuries of growth and learning by a nation, directly under the noses of its citizens - All in less than six years. . . ?

Maybe a simple listing of what has already been purposely, and successfully destroyed:

  1.  The structure of the checks & balances of the Constitutional Democracy itself.
  2.  The wall of protection by the Separation of the Church and State.
  3.  The entire federal regulatory agency structure, now run by the regulated foes.
  4.  The security of free, and incorruptible, national elections, and voting procedures.
  5.  The reality of, and the protections of all American citizens by, Habeas Corpus.
  6.  The privileged communication of a citizen and their lawyer.
  7.  The diversified, and protected, national free press/informational media.
  8.  The entire social security safety net protections.
  9.  The sanity, and commonsense, of over 400, (so far,) environmental protections.
10.  The marginalization of desperate terrorists, by a sane, even if "unprofitable," foreign policy.
11.  The hope of curbing, much less stopping, the realities of global warming.
12.  The once inspiring global respect of, and hope in, the American Constitutional Democracy.


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I provide no links in this posting - As the proof is so readily available on the internet/web already, and is easily looked up with simple effort.  Much of the proof, and links to the proof, exist within this blog's postings, and on many other web sites, and blogs throughout the internet/web, also linked in this blog, and many other easily accessible web sites and blogs.

Right now - The only people that can possibly make a difference, that has any hope of stopping the continued insanity of the "allowing" of the ongoing destruction of so much, and so many, by so few - are we Americans. . .  But honestly, I am beginning to believe it is too late.

What most people on this planet are going to face in the relatively near future of their lifetimes, and their childrens lifetimes, because of this "allowing" by, and the denial of, by the cowed, misinformed, and manipulate ignorance of, the American masses, is going to be incomprehensibly horrific.

What is not too late, is the beginning of the mitigation of the undeniable realities of the coming horrors. . .  Maybe. . .


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Friday, September 16, 2005

Three Must Reads. . .

Within The Fog, It's Hard To Focus, But These Three Articles Clear Much
by:  Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, Paul Craig Roberts, and Chip Ward


  - Make Sure You Do Not Miss These Three Articles - They Are Worth Your Time -

1.  Robert F. Kennedy, Jr - Speech given accepting the William O. Douglas Award

2.  Paul Craig Roberts - "Government by Star Chamber"

3.  Chip Ward - "Left Behind, Bush's Holy War on Nature" - [After TomDispatch intro]


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Nothing else - They are worth the time - Read them - Then think - Then do something.


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Thursday, September 15, 2005

Palast vs Galloway & Hitchens. . .

Both Have Opportunistically Become "Heros" On The Left And Right
by The Old Hippie Because I agree With Greg Palast's Report


If you have already seen, or heard, both the debate between George Galloway and Christopher Hitchens, and Mr. Galloway's May 2005 infamous testimony before congress, then by all means go read Greg Palast's report now. [ Link ]  If not - Then read, and follow the links below - Then - Go read Mr. Palast's report.

I watched the debate last night, and it was every bit as entertaining as promised, with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! moderating.  I learned some things, and heard things I already knew, some with a few new twists.  I do recommend it to anyone who missed it on C-Span.  [ Listen ]

If you never saw Mr. Galloway's ripping apart of the stunned senators during his infamous May 2005 appearance before our congress, you should.  Follow the links below to watch, or hear, it. . . [ source ]

British Lawmaker Issues Scathing Words for Neocons - 17 May 2005
Video in Real Media format (4 minutes) : [RealPlayer-be Patient, It will play]
dial-up version (4 minutes) : [RealPlayer-be Patient, It will play]
Audio Only in MP3 format (4 minutes)

Update (11:40 am, pst): MSNBC has changed their reporting of this story 3 times since I first posted. It's now shortened to one page with most of Galloway's quotes removed from the story.

Update: Galloway v the US Senate: transcript of statement

Now - Go read Greg Palast's report - Understand that his research, which I have researched also, is accurate, his questions legitimate, his evaluation honest.  I agree with his observations.

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We on the "left" must not fall for opportunistic "heros," as so many on the "right" have.  I admit that Galloway's congressional testimony in May of this year was a stimulating, and needed at the time, turn-on/wake-up call, and accurate within itself, but - and this is a big but - I, like many other reality-based Americans, began researching this "new outspoken hero," George Galloway, and what I found, like Mr. Palast, et al, is sobering.

And what worries me, is how he has now integrated himself into the auras of a couple of my true "heroines," Amy Goodman, and Cindy Sheehan.  We must be careful who we accept as friend, and elevate to "hero" status.


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Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Lest You Forget. . .

Don't Let The Revelations Of Katrina Divert Your Attention From. . .
compiled by The Old Hippie Because These Events/Things Are Just As Important, Some More So


  1.  Rove: Remember That Story? - John Conyers via Daily Kos

  2.  Congratulations Chief Justice John Roberts! - AlterNet

  3.  Indictments Added in GOP Fundraising Case - W. Post

  4.  Evoting Paper Trail. . . - Personal Democracy Forum

  5.  A Declaration Of War - Phyllis Bennis via TomPaine.com

  6.  Iraq: What Went Wrong - Anthony Shadid via Truthout.org
 Your Right

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  7.  Wal-Mart: Denying Workers' Rights - Washington Post via Truthout.org

  8.  White House Says Bush Will Veto Changes to Mercury Emissions Rule - ENN

  9.  Abu Ghraib Unresolved - New York Times

  10.  Enron and other Corporate Scandal Updates - NOW at PBS.org

  11.  "The Smartest Guys In The Room" - Enron: The Movie
        [ Click through to find the video tape, click on it, "Close" that Reviews window, then. . .
          click on the "Low" or "High" for the trailer ]


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Tuesday, September 13, 2005

The Greatest Theft. . .

It's Not Politics, Or Ideology - It's The Most Successful Theft In History
by The Old Hippie Because I See The Trillions Taken, Never To be Returned


Most people believe/think it is/was ideology, power, politics - It isn't/wasn't.

Oh yes, it is/was all of those abstractions combined also, opportunistically manipulated - but in reality, it was/is the most successful, and largest ongoing theft in the history of the planet.  The largest surplus of any nation in history successfully pocketed in less than two years, and the largest tax cuts in our nation's history, tax cuts that, beyond the pale, benefited only the wealthiest of the wealthy, that circulated successfully through the governmental structures, directly into pockets of the thieves.  This is not millions, or billions of dollars - It is multiple trillions of dollars.

Did you really believe it had/has anything to do with your/our democracy, religion, ideology, liberty, freedom, security, or reality?  Do you really think/believe an impeachment, even if successful, would/will return any of the trillions of dollars, or the thousands upon thousands of lives lost in the taking of those dollars?

You did/do think/believe that/this - didn't/don't you?

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You really need to do the research, and since you are reading this, on the web, you can.  Do it.


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Monday, September 12, 2005

Knowing Helps. . .

It May Take Effort, But Knowing Helps, In Ways Not Always Understood
compiled by The Old Hippie Because Knowing Reality Is The Only Hope


Patriot "9/11 And The Sport of God" - Bill Moyers - 9/9

"Ohio Players" - - Bill Berkowitz - 9/6

"Undoing Darwin" - C. Mooney & M. Nisbet - Sep/Oct Issue CJR

"End of the Binge" - James Howard Kunstler - 9/12

"The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy."
  --  Alex Carey


"When the Press Comes Marching In" - William A. Cook - 9/11

"Bush's Story Isn't History" - John Brown - 9/9

"September 11 Revisited" - William Rivers Pitt - 9/11

by Peter Deutsch

Don't know about Nestle's horrific history?
Don't know about the 20 nations boycott?


Here are two links to help get you started on the path to "knowing helps. . ."

Link #1 at BabyMilk.org

Link #2 at The New Internationalist

Understand well, (assuming you actually followed the links, and did a little bit of simple verification of the truth,) if you buy any Nestle products at all, and there are many, you are personally supporting these assholes, which - since you now know - just as much of an asshole.  Right?

There really is no excuse for this corporation to remain in business, and there is no excuse for Americans who buy products without reading labels, and for not researching for the truth of what they are supporting with their purchases - Is there?



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Sunday, September 11, 2005

1,695 Days. . .

This Is What Has Happened In Bush's 1,695 Days In Office
by The Old Hippie Because It's Revolting, Even If Americans Are Too Afraid To Revolt


Most of the following facts can be verified at the CIA's World Factbook site:
[Others can be easily looked up on the web.]

  1.  We are now the most imprisoned nation, in percentage and raw numbers, in history.
  2.  We rank 43rd in infant mortality.  43rd!
  3.  We are the only 1st world nation without universal health care.
  4.  The number of uninsured Americans has risen to 45.8 million on your watch.
  5.  The number of Americans in poverty has risen every year on your watch.
  6.  Over 1/2 of all Americans bankruptcies are because of medical costs.
  7.  But yet - Our defense budget is higher than the next 15 nations combined.  Combined!
  8.  You successfully dispersed our largest treasury surplus to your corporate friends.
  9.  And now we have the largest deficit in our history.
10.  And we now have the largest trade deficit in our history.
11.  America has never cut taxes during war, especially during war.
12.  But you did cut the taxes, to the wealthy, then did it again, then again, then again.
13.  You then, every year, attempted to make these thefts permanent law.
14.  On your watch we have lost the respect of almost all of our allies. . .
15.  The federal treasury, 2 trade centers, a part of the Pentagon, and New Orleans.
16.  You've taken more time off, then most Americans can, though you are the "war" president.
17.  You have successfully broken every single international environmental treaty that threatened
       the profits of your family's investments, and/or your friends investments.
18.  You have replaced federal regulators with those who were being regulated.
19.  These new corporatist "regulators" have successfully changed our laws, with your help, to
       protect themselves from us, the masses, and to remove our protections from their abuses.
20.  Before your administration torture was illegal.
21.  Before your administration we had never invaded a nation that was no threat to us.
22.  Before you, all sides were protected by the Separation of Church and State.
23.  Never has so many died, so much been destroyed, for the profit of so few.
24.  Never in America's history has any one administration come this close to purposely, and so
       far successfully, destroying our Constitutional Democracy at its core.
25.  But yet - Americans continue to allow the allowing - Without revolt.

No wonder you, and your cohorts, find it so difficult to restrain your open smirks.

[ Several breaking stories "Below The Fold' also. . . ]

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"Incompetence is bad enough; not taking responsibility for it is shameful.
Blaming it on others is a national disgrace."

-- Quote from Minneapolis Star-Tribune Editorial - 9/8/05 - Linked Here

Also breaking today. . .

Cover-up: Toxic Waters 'Will Make New Orleans Unsafe For A Decade'
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Correspondent - Independent/UK - 11 September 2005

Toxic chemicals in the New Orleans flood waters will make the city unsafe for full human habitation for a decade, a US government official has told The Independent on Sunday.  And, he added, the Bush administration is covering up the danger.

In an exclusive interview, Hugh Kaufman, an expert on toxic waste and responses to environmental disasters at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the way the polluted water was being pumped out was increasing the danger to health.

The pollution was far worse than had been admitted, he said, because his agency was failing to take enough samples and was refusing to make public the results of those it had analysed.  "Inept political hacks" running the clean-up will imperil the health of low-income migrant workers by getting them to do the work.

His intervention came as President Bush's approval ratings fell below 40 per cent for the first time.  Yesterday, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, turned the screw by criticising the US President's opposition to the Kyoto protocol on global warming.  He compared New Orleans to island nations such as the Maldives, which are threatened by rising sea levels.  Other US sources spelt out the extent of the danger from one of America's most polluted industrial areas, known locally as "Cancer Alley".  The 66 chemical plants, refineries and petroleum storage depots churn out 600m lb of toxic waste each year.  Other dangerous substances are in site storage tanks or at the port of New Orleans.  No one knows how much pollution has escaped through damaged plants and leaking pipes into the "toxic gumbo" now drowning the city. Mr Kaufman says no one is trying to find out.

Few people are better qualified to judge the extent of the problem.  Mr Kaufman, who has been with the EPA since it was founded 35 years ago, helped to set up its hazardous waste programme.  After serving as chief investigator to the EPA's ombudsman, he is now senior policy analyst in its Office of Solid Wastes and Emergency Response.  He said the clean-up needed to be "the most massive public works exercise ever done", adding:  "It will take 10 years to get everything up and running and safe."

Mr Kaufman claimed the Bush administration was playing down the need for a clean-up: the EPA has not been included in the core White House group tackling the crisis.  "Its budget has been cut and inept political hacks have been put in key positions," Mr Kaufman said.  "All the money for emergency response has gone to buy guns and cowboys - which don't do anything when a hurricane hits.  We were less prepared for this than we would have been on 10 September 2001."

He said the water being pumped out of the city was not being tested for pollution and would damage Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi river, and endanger people using it downstream.

© 2005 Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd.


"Racism, callousness, cruelty":

Suburban police admit they blocked bridge and forced survivors back to NOLA at gunpoint"

[ Found at BuzzFlash - Two links - The N.Y.Times (9/10) and the Independent/UK (9/11) ]


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Saturday, September 10, 2005

Proof. . .

Here Is The Proof, Lot Of Facts, Few Opinions
compiled by The Old Hippie Because I'm Tired Of All The Propaganda Bullshit


Proof- 1  Proof- 2  Proof- 3  Proof- 4  Proof- 5  Proof- 6  Proof- 7  Proof- 8  Proof- 9  Proof-10  Proof-11  Proof-12  Proof-13  Proof-14  Proof-15  Proof-16  Proof-17  Proof-18  Proof-19  Proof-20  Proof-21  Proof-22  Proof-23  Proof-24  Proof-25  Proof-26  Proof-27  Proof-28  Proof-29  Proof-30  Proof-31  Proof-32  Proof-33  Proof-34  Proof-35  Proof-36  Proof-37  Proof-38  Proof-39  Proof-40

This posting requires a lot of reading, and viewing, and thinking for yourself.


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If you are a republican, go back and link the links, then just shut up.
If you are a reality-based loopy anti-American blame-America-first liberal. . .
Then you already know, just keep helping - Do not fall into silence.

Here's a little extra for you repugnicans that are still in denial. . .

British Lawmaker Issues Scathing Words for Neocons - 17 May 2005
Video in Real Media format (4 minutes) : [RealPlayer-be Patient, It will play]
dial-up version (4 minutes) : [RealPlayer-be Patient, It will play]
Audio Only in MP3 format (4 minutes)

Update (11:40 am, pst): MSNBC has changed their reporting of this story 3 times since I first posted. It's now shortened to one page with most of Galloway's quotes removed from the story.

Update: Galloway v the US Senate: transcript of statement

[For full article this "extra" came from - See "Proof-40" above.]


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Thursday, September 08, 2005

Disambiguation. . .

n. - Clarification That Follows From The Removal of Ambiguity
compiled by The Old Hippie Because This Is Happening Behind The Revelations Of Katrina


Read 1.  A Declaration Of War - Phyllis Bennis - 8/31/05

3.  R-i-g-h-t. . .  The President will investigate himself?!?  [ GMAFB! ]

3.  To Those Who Voted for Bush:  Do You Get It Now?

4.  The Cover-Up Reality Uncovered, (as in not,) By MSM

5.  Jon Stewart Video:  "Inarguable Failure"
  [ Required: Windows Media Player 10 ]

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Just A Note:  The one good thing that has been exposed by all of the bad of the Katrina storm, is the open bigotry of the Repugnican party, during their current propaganda push to convince blacks that they, in any way, care about them, or their lives.  No link, just a note of the observed reality of this corrupt administration.

And A 2nd Note:  "It's The Allowing, Stupid"

The exposed insulting shame of Americans continuing to "allow" these insanely bigoted ideological born-again deadly corrupt corporatists thieves to remain in positions of power, is the problem behind all of the other exposed problems.

The fact that so few American citizens actually comprehend this, and continue to "allow" them their "freedoms," admittedly is beyond my own comprehension.


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Monday, September 05, 2005

We Must Not Allow. . .

We Can't - America Must Not - Allow Them, These Criminally. . .
by The Old Hippie Because It Has Crossed Another Death-Defined Line


...and now proven deadly, and incompetent born-again Corporatists to carry on, un-punished.  Nor must we allow them to name two sycophantic justices to the Supreme Court of the United States.  It Is Not Too Late!

Come on People! - - What do they have to do to wake you up?!?  Kill a few more thousand innocents?!?  Steal just a few more billion dollars from you to open your eyes?!?  Our once respectful and honored allies, now gather together in hopes of finding a way to stop this insanity of destruction and death on a global scale, because we Americans keep "allowing" their criminally insane actions!

And now - Are Americans really going to set back and "allow" them to name two Supreme Court Justices?!?  Continue to "allow" the destruction and deaths in "our" resource wars?!?  Continue to "allow" them to ignore, marginalize, disenfranchise, and increase America's poor?!?  To truly "allow" them to continue to rip apart what is left of our once strong, proud, and respected Constitutional Democracy - Without any expressed rage?!?

Why?!?  Someone tell me - Why?!?

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This administration is proven sneeringly criminally insane, and they can not, they must not be allowed to go un-punished - If ever there was a time when a nation's events and actions proved the need for an open, in-the-streets, revolt by it's citizens. . .  It is now - in America.  The only action that will be able to curb it - is an across-the-board impeachment of the entire, and the possible imprisonment of many of this, administration.  And since that possibility is nearly nonexistent inside this corrupt one-party ruled government - I admit - I fear the revolt, the rage. . .

If you do not see this by now, you are either beyond any level of ignorance, or inside a pathetic denial, or so apathetic as to be dead, or you are part of them, or at least actually believe you are.


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Sunday, September 04, 2005

Bombshells #6. . .

A Select Few Bombshells That Clears Much Of The Manufactured Fog
compiled by The Old Hippie Because I Truly Believe It Might Help Clear The Fog


Your Right   1.  Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist Dies - Washington Post

  2.  The Conscience of an (ex-)Conservative - Philip Gold

  3.  What's Bush Got To Do With It? - Van Jones

  4.  Sheehan: Anti-American Communist? - Washington Post

  5.  45.8 Million and Counting. . . - Karen Davenport

  6.  Watching America - The Rest of The World

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  7.  CNN: Official Version vs. Reality - CNN

  8.  "I'm afraid I would have assaulted him." - Bill Clinton

In Syracuse, N.Y., former president Bill Clinton was discussing New Orleans's dilemma when someone described the speaker's comments.  Had they been in the same place when the remarks were made, Clinton said, "I'm afraid I would have assaulted him."


  9.  3 Tons of Food Sat Waiting for Bush to Finish Grinning - Times-Picayune - 9/3/05

Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic was halted because of President Bush’s visit to New Orleans, officials said.

The provisions, secured by U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and state Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, baked in the afternoon sun as Bush surveyed damage across southeast Louisiana five days after Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm, said Melancon’s chief of staff, Casey O’Shea.

“We had arrangements to airlift food by helicopter to these folks, and now the food is sitting in trucks because they won’t let helicopters fly,” O’Shea said Friday afternoon.

The food was expected to be in the hands of storm survivors after the president left the devastated region Friday night, he said.


 10.  Intelligent Design - CommonDreams.org

"One recent evening while filling up at a Citgo station that was going to do a 20 cent per gallon jump by morning, a man with a big white pickup truck and "veteran" on his license plate, stared at my Prius and asked me about my mpg. (miles per gallon)  I told him and then he said "I just spent $75 to fill up my truck - and I swore if I had to pay $65, I'd sell it."



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Saturday, September 03, 2005

Two Videos. . .

These 2 Videos "Say It All". . .  Amazing Must See Videos. . .

Fox News Actually Telling The Truth!
Fox Reporters Actually Telling The Truth!

[ Windows Media - Only 81kb/s ]



NBC News Actually Telling The Truth!
A NBC Reporter Also Telling The Truth!

[ Quicktime - Clean/Clear ]

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Nothing else - Just - Please - Watch both videos. . .  I found access to both of these incredible videos at www.bushflash.com's Sept. 3rd Update.  You might find a visit there of interest also.


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8/27/05 to 9/2/05 - 6 Days. . .

6 Days With No Real Help, "Says It All" About This Administration
by Americans From All Sides Of The Political Spectrum


Absolutely no activity or response until the political pressure of the "National Disgrace" became obviously "politically damageably real," did this president, and his administration, make any effort to even look like they cared in any way.  And their first response is "now is not the time place blame..." and in what is obvious to everyone, even those in their own party, they are the only ones crying this sentiment out loudly, for the obvious "political" reality that they are in fact to blame.  To blame for the delayed non-response to the obvious threat, to blame for the policies they forced through on the cuts in funding, and purposely ignoring wetlands environmental science in favor of corporate friends over the last 4 years, to blame for the removal of upwards of 37% of the National Guard units and almost 100% of funding sources to Iraq, to blame for their "ignoring," and remaining on their vacations, even as the reality of the level of the disastrous destruction of 90% of the Gulf Coast was known for days, to blame for the allowed, and even supported, opportunistic price gouging by the oil companies as soon as the storm hit, and now accelerating to upwards of $7/gallon in areas of the south.

Links to the proofs the of all of above assertions follow, in the "Below The Fold" section. . .

[ Also - While all of this is going on - This is happening - And You should read about it 1st. ]

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"Even Those In Their Own Party"

U.S Senator David Vitter (R) [ Link ]

"Editorials, Including Those at Conservative Papers, Rip Bush's Hurricane Response" [ Link ]

"The bottom line is he needs to appear much more involved, much more hands on, much more in touch with the reality on the ground. He certainly should not be being photographed with a guitar," said a Republican congressional aide. [ Link ]

"Lawmakers of Both Parties Criticize US Response" [ Link ]

"This email from the RNC just went out to its list:" [ Link ] (See what is really important to the Republicans, right now 9/2/05, as so many continue to die. . .)

"To Blame For The Delayed Non-Response To The Obvious Threat"

"Katrina Comes Home to Roost" [ Link ]

"Katrina: Predictable, preventable, ignored" [ Link ]

"To Blame For The Policies They Forced Through"

"New Orleans: It's about us" [ Link ]

"How New Orleans Was Lost" [ Link ]

"To Blame For Their "Ignoring," And Remaining On Their Vacations"

"Nero - {part 1}" [ Link ]

"As South drowns, Rice soaks in N.Y." [ Link ]

"Not Acceptable" [ Link ]

"The 'Vice'-President, where is Dick Cheney?" [ Link ]

"Allowed, And Even Supported, Opportunistic Price Gouging"

"SAWYER: "... Some people have said that the oil companies themselves should simply forfeit some of their profits in this time of national crisis. A conservative commentator - a popular one - called last night for 20% reduction in the profit."

BUSH: "Hmm. " [ link ]

Asked in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" if U.S. oil companies should forfeit profits during the crisis, Bush said "Hmm... "instead" American corporations "should" contribute cash to hurricane relief funds.  [emphisis mine]

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, seized on that comment.  He said that while Bush was "asking ordinary Americans to do more, he ought to show some real leadership, and call on his friends in Big Oil to join in the sacrifice and stop gouging American families at the gas pump." [ Link ]

"$7 per gallon" [ Yahoo Search, 864 Links - Google Search, 1,180 Links ]


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Thursday, September 01, 2005

Bombshells #5. . .

A Select Few Bombshells That Clears Much Of The Manufactured Fog
compiled by The Old Hippie Because I Truly Believe It Might Help Clear The Fog


Your Right   1.  A Declaration Of War - Phyllis Bennis - 8/31/05

  2.  Little White Romance - Anthony Kaufman - 9/1/05

  3.  "Finding" (white) vs "Looting" (black) - Atrios - 8/31/05

  4.  How New Orleans Was Lost - Paul Craig Roberts - 9/1/05

  5.  "Project Copper Green" - Larisa Alexandrovna - 8/29/05

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  6.  Twenty Things We Now Know Four Years After 9/11 Bernard Weiner - 8/30/05

"A general assessment before we begin the numbered list:  There now is a widely-accepted foreign and domestic judgment that the Bush Administration is composed of bumbling, dangerous, close-minded ideologues.  You can see it in the polls (as I write this, Bush has only a 40% approval rating, [now 36% and dropping] amazingly low) and, particularly, in how many conservative/traditional Republicans and former military officers are expressing remorse at having supported this guy in the 2004 election.  Bush these days still has his true-believer base of about 30%, but he's extremely vulnerable politically, which is why Rove and his minions are so desperate right now and are ratcheting up the rhetoric and smear-tactics against their political enemies.  And the desperation helps us understand why Bush keeps returning to 9/11, the one talisman that he thinks still may work for him, that singular moment in his history when many Americans thought he looked good."


  7.  A New Taliban Has Re-Emerged In Afghanistan - Knight Ridder

  8.  The Crisis Papers "Quote of the Week"

"Americans have been betrayed.  Sooner or later, Americans will realize that they have been led to defeat in a pointless war by political leaders who they inattentively trusted.  They have been misinformed by a sycophantic corporate media too mindful of advertising revenues to risk reporting truths branded unpatriotic by the propagandistic slogan, "you are with us or against us." ...

"The new American militarism has abandoned the Founding Fathers, deserted the Constitution, and unrestrained the executive.  War is a first resort.  Militarism is inconsistent with globalism and with American ideals.  It will end in abject failure."

  -- by Paul Craig Roberts, "The New American Militarism"


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