Think Progress » Petraeus To Testify Before Senate On September 11

Think Progress » Petraeus To Testify Before Senate On September 11: "The much-anticipated Senate testimony of Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, regarding the situation on the ground in Iraq has now been scheduled for September 11th."

I am sure that it is just coincidence. They are claiming it is because of a scheduling confilct with Rosh Hoshannah...

AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Jailing Nation: How Did Our Prison System Become Such a Nightmare?

AlterNet: Rights and Liberties: Jailing Nation: How Did Our Prison System Become Such a Nightmare?: "How can you tell when a democracy is dead? When concentration camps spring up and everyone shivers in fear? Or is it when concentration camps spring up and no one shivers in fear because everyone knows they're not for 'people like us' (in Woody Allen's marvelous phrase) but for the others, the troublemakers, the ones you can tell are guilty merely by the color of their skin, the shape of their nose or their social class?

Questions like these are unavoidable in the face of America's homegrown gulag archipelago, a vast network of jails, prisons and 'supermax' tombs for the living dead that, without anyone quite noticing, has metastasized into the largest detention system in the advanced industrial world. The proportion of the US population languishing in such facilities now stands at 737 per 100,000, the highest rate on earth and some five to twelve times that of Britain, France and other Western European countries or Japan. With 5 percent of the world's population, the United States has close to a quarter of the world's prisoners, which, curiously enough, is the same as its annual contribution to global warming."

Prison is a big business now. In the south, private corporations build and run some some of the largest prisons in the country, and the communities that have lost wealth from dried oil wells, empty mines, and shuttered factories now actively court these facilities. These new jails must be then filled with prisoners in order to make a profit, and they find ingenious new ways to do this, well beyond the old favorite farce of the war on drugs.

I am sure the corporations that own these prisons spend a large amount of lobbying dollars on new, stricter laws that will help them to turn a profit. Is this the future of America? Imprisonment for profit?

The Raw Story | US anti-war group ordered to take down Iraq demo posters

The Raw Story | US anti-war group ordered to take down Iraq demo posters: "Several hundred yellow posters have been put up around Washington announcing the protest, which is timed to coincide with the release of a report by the US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, on progress in the US 'surge' strategy of raising troop levels. Washington city authorities said the posters have to come down because they were stuck on with adhesive that did not meet city regulations."

They used the wrong glue? How ridiculous.

Homeland Security Enlists Clergy to Quell Public Unrest if Martial Law Ever Declared | Thought Criminal

Homeland Security Enlists Clergy to Quell Public Unrest if Martial Law Ever Declared | Thought Criminal: "While Heston, then serving as the NRA President, made those remarks in response to calls for more gun control laws at the time, those words live on. Heston's declaration captured a truly American value: An over-arching desire to protect our freedoms. But gun confiscation is exactly what happened during the state of emergency following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, along with forced relocation. U.S. Troops also arrived, something far easier to do now, thanks to last year's elimination of the 1878 Posse Comitatus act, which had forbid regular U.S. Army troops from policing on American soil. If martial law were enacted here at home, like depicted in the movie 'The Siege', easing public fears and quelling dissent would be critical. And that's exactly what the 'Clergy Response Team' helped accomplish in the wake of Katrina."

God says "Obey George Bush, or go to happy camp..."

Crooks and Liars » An embarrassed Fox News hits Wikipedia

Crooks and Liars » An embarrassed Fox News hits Wikipedia: "For example, embarrassing content from Media Matters about FNC personalities was quietly removed. Criticism of Keith Olbermann and Al Franken was accenuated. The network that specializes in on-air propoganda had taken its usual schtick to Wiki pages. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Fox News’ Chris Wallace — you guessed it — sought to undermine Wikipedia’s credibility with a report tonight."

Funny, look who else got caught editing Wikipedia to sever their own interests... Faux News... Gotta love the "Fair and Balanced" news agencies.

Federal ID plan raises privacy concerns - CNN.com

Federal ID plan raises privacy concerns - CNN.com: "The cards would be mandatory for all 'federal purposes,' which include boarding an airplane or walking into a federal building, nuclear facility or national park, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the National Conference of State Legislatures last week. Citizens in states that don't comply with the new rules will have to use passports for federal purposes."

I did not realize national parks were included in the real ID proposal. We will have to show ID to enter a park? How ridiculous. I am sure that terrorists feel that Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon are high-value targets.

The Raw Story | Wal-Mart CEO says customers are 'running out of money'

The Raw Story | Wal-Mart CEO says customers are 'running out of money': "Anxious customers of Countrywide Bank jammed its phone lines, branches and website after the nation's largest mortgage lender -- which owns the bank -- announced it was facing problems from a credit meltdown. 'Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest home-loan company in the nation, sought Thursday to assure depositors and the financial industry that both it and its bank were fiscally stable,' wrote the LA Times Friday. 'And federal regulators said they weren't alarmed by the volume of withdrawals from the bank.' 'The rush to withdraw money -- by depositors that included a former Los Angeles Kings star hockey player and an executive of a rival home-loan company -- came a day after fears arose that Countrywide Financial could file for bankruptcy protection because of a worsening credit crunch stemming from the sub-prime mortgage meltdown,' the paper continued."

Here we have an old fashioned bank run, reminiscent of what happened in the beginning of the great depression. In addition, the Federal Reserve just reduced interest rates, signaling reduced confidence in the economy.

Jose Padilla Convicted on All Counts in Terror Trial - New York Times

Jose Padilla Convicted on All Counts in Terror Trial - New York Times: "Anthony Natale, a lawyer for Mr. Padilla, said, 'In this case, you will see how in the absence of hard evidence, a suspicion can be fueled by fear, nourished by prejudice and directed by politics into a criminal prosecution.' Mr. Padilla, now 36, made his first visit to a Muslim country, Egypt, in 1998. He did so only because he wanted to become an imam, said Mr. Natale, who, like the other defense lawyers, dismissed the government’s accusation of a conspiracy to 'murder, kidnap and maim' people overseas. 'As you will hear clearly and without a doubt,' he said, 'there were no victims in this case, real or imagined.'"

The government's case was pretty weak, indeed, but if you throw around the word "terrorist" enough times, you may scare the jury into convicting.

Short of Purple Hearts, Navy tells vet to buy own | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Short of Purple Hearts, Navy tells vet to buy own | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Korean War veteran Nyles Reed, 75, opened an envelope last week to learn a Purple Heart had been approved for injuries he sustained as a Marine on June 22, 1952. But there was no medal. Just a certificate and a form stating that the medal was 'out of stock.' 'I can imagine, of course, with what's going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's a big shortage,' Reed said. 'At least, I would imagine so.' The form letter from the Navy Personnel Command told Reed he could wait 90 days and resubmit an application, or buy his own medal. After waiting 55 years, however, Reed decided to pay $42 for his own Purple Heart and accompanying ribbon — plus state sales taxes — at a military surplus store."

Yes, the government is the model of efficiency. He waits for 55 years and still has to buy his own medal...

CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits | Reuters

CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits | Reuters: "WikiScanner revealed that CIA computers were used to edit an entry on the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. A graphic on casualties was edited to add that many figures were estimated and were not broken down by class. Another entry on former CIA chief William Colby was edited by CIA computers to expand his career history and discuss the merits of a Vietnam War rural pacification program that he headed. Aerial and satellite images of the U.S. prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were removed using a computer traced to the FBI, WikiScanner showed."

I am kind of surprised that they would not cover their tracks better. I guess they no longer care about being obvious with their propaganda.

AlterNet: Health and Wellness: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products

AlterNet: Health and Wellness: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products: "American industry would have you believe that taking potentially hazardous and toxic chemicals out of everyday consumer products -- removing phthalates from children's toys and cancer-causing coal tar from hair dye -- would damage our economy and result in a loss of American jobs. In his latest book, Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products, Mark Schapiro busts this myth and reveals the grim fact that some companies, whether American or international, often have two production lines: one that manufactures hazard-free products for the European Union and another that produces toxin-filled versions of the same items for America and developing countries.

Schapiro examines how America, once a leader in environmental protection, came to allow potentially toxic and mutagenic chemicals, banned by the EU, into everyday products. He also looks at how the EU's economy -- almost identical to that of America -- continued to thrive even after these chemicals were banned, essentially 'calling the bluff' of the American industry."

And we wonder why our life expectancy is declining, compared to countries in Europe. Profit and greed over health, that is the true American way of life.

The Raw Story | US spy satellitles to be used on Americans

The Raw Story | US spy satellitles to be used on Americans: "Local and federal agencies are to have vastly expanded access to information gathered from spy satellites in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reports."

Well, this does not surprise me at all, in fact, I bet it has been happening for a while. Now, when you look at the resolution that the satellites of Google earth can achieve, you can rest assured that the spy satellites probably have 10 or 100 times better resolution. Can you imagine? Code enforcement comes knocking on your door on Monday morning, armed with pictures of you repairing your roof over the weekend without a building permit? Here's a fine mister... Oops, you parked your car where the satellite can see it? The next time you go for a drive, you are pulled over because the registration sticker is out of date, as evidenced by the satellite photos...

The Raw Story | Upping ante, US to label Iranian military unit 'terrorist'

The Raw Story | Upping ante, US to label Iranian military unit 'terrorist': "The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a 'specially designated global terrorist,' US officials tell Robin Wright for Wednesday editions of the Washington Post."

This is quite a bold move indeed. It would be like labeling our Army Rangers terrorists. Let's just forget the fact that there is no credible evidence linking any official Iranian entity to any of the violence in Iraq. But, then again, when has the truth ever mattered to this administration? More propaganda, more lies to swing the population towards a war with Iran...

The Raw Story | Fed pumps two billion dollars into US financial system

The Raw Story | Fed pumps two billion dollars into US financial system: "The Fed injected tranches totaling 62 billion dollars Thursday and Friday into the financial markets to ease tightening credit linked to the crisis in the US subprime mortgage sector."

Sure, throwing more fake money at the problem is sure to help. The fact is that it is not only the sub-prime loans that are causing problems, the issue is beginning to stretch across the entire lending industry. Meanwhile, we have China making threats to get rid of their American currency reserves. The cash infusion will only keep the market at artificially high levels, just like before the great depression...

Police Dislocate Protester's Knee

Now this is exactly how the gestapo protect and serve...

Here is the story from RawStory, and the photo, by Jonathan McIntosh, can be found here, among others from the event.

The police, of course, claim that she was assaulting them... I don't care how hard she might have been fighting, there are ways in which they could have cuffed her without doing that kind of harm. It was my impression that the police should always use the minimum amount of force necessary.

Think Progress » Gonzales visits Iraq to offer advice on legal system.

Think Progress » Gonzales visits Iraq to offer advice on legal system.: "Gonzales visits Iraq to offer advice on legal system."

Enough said. I just could not resist. Gonzales offering legal advice to Iraq....

Congress yields to pass Bush spying bill | Politics | Reuters

Congress yields to pass Bush spying bill | Politics | Reuters: "Civil liberties groups charged the measure would create a broad net that would sweep up law-abiding U.S. citizens. But the House of Representatives gave its concurrence to the bill, 227-183, a day after it won Senate approval, 60-28."

There it is... Vacation is obviously more important than the civil liberties of our citizens. Bush's illegal warrant-less wiretapping is now perfectly legal, and when the legislation expires in 6 months, I am sure that it will be renewed. Perhaps we will have another "terrorist" attack in the meantime to ensure that it is renewed, or even modified so that it allows even more lawlessness.

Here comes the new 9/11...

April 15, 2007, Dick Cheney: "The greatest threat now is 'a 9/11' occurring ... with a nuclear weapon in the middle of one of our own cities."

June 3, 2007, Dennis Milligan, Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party: “I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001]."

July 1, 2007, ABC News: “A secret U.S. law enforcement report, prepared for the Department of Homeland Security, warns that al Qaeda is planning a terror "spectacular" this summer."

July 11, 2007, Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security chief: "I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk."

July 20, 2007, Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury: "Whether authentic or orchestrated, an attack will activate Bush's new executive orders [NSPD-51], which create a dictatorial police state in event of national emergency."

July 24, 2007, Peter DeFazio, House Homeland Security Committee member: “I just can't believe they're going to deny a member of Congress the right of reviewing how they plan to conduct the government of the United States after a significant terrorist attack … Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right.”

From A Dawning Dictatorship?, by Captain Eric H. May. [Thanks Melinda...]

The Raw Story | Bush: Congress must stay at work to pass wiretapping bill

The Raw Story | Bush: Congress must stay at work to pass wiretapping bill: "During remarks made at the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC, President Bush said that Congress must stay in session until they can pass an eavesdropping law."

Well, hell, we will soon have Bush listening to every conversation on earth, because the last thing congress will do is jeopardize its vacation. They have worked so hard, you know, to do nothing really at all. We still have two wars going on, plans for more, and a couple of malignant tumors on the executive branch that we call Bush and Cheney.

Anti-terror police lied to public after killing innocent man | Press Esc

Anti-terror police lied to public after killing innocent man | Press Esc: "British anti-terror police lied to the public after killing an innocent man Jean Charles de Menezes during a botched terror raid on 22 July 2005, the Independent Police Complaints Commission concluded today."

Somehow, I am surprised that it happened in Britain first. With our gung-ho, militarized police, I would have expected the incident would be from the states. Of course, our cops may just be better at covering it up... I am sure we will see more of these incidents from both sides of the pond.

The Raw Story | US has been covertly arming Gulf States since 2004, officials say

The Raw Story | US has been covertly arming Gulf States since 2004, officials say: "Although officially the meeting is to negotiate an agreement, sources have confirmed to RAW STORY that the deal has already been approved.

'It is a done deal. Everyone who needed to has already signed off,' said a former National Security Council official, who wished to remain anonymous given the security aspects of the topic. The deal also includes massive aid packages to Egypt and Israel, which have not yet been formally announced."

Yeah, just forget about the statement made a few days ago that said that congress would have to approve the deal. The elitists have already approved it. Even if the congress voted down such a deal, the administration would just have private arms dealers take up the plan, like they are doing now...

AlterNet: Environment: Frankenforests: GE Trees Threaten Ecosystem Collapse

AlterNet: Environment: Frankenforests: GE Trees Threaten Ecosystem Collapse: "GE trees are planted in monoculture forests, which look more like plantations, and pose serious risks to the ecosystem. Trees live decades or centuries longer than plants, and their seeds can travel hundreds of miles, increasing the likelihood of gene contamination to wild species. The technology was created to optimize the manufacturing process, but environmentalists worry that it will open an ecological Pandora's Box and threaten the health of the forests we depend on for survival."

Welcome to the new world of genetic engineering, where even the trees are branded with corporate logos. Have we not learned to leave the environment alone yet? We have no idea what will happen 50 years down the road from this little experiment. Perhaps these GE trees will begin taking over, killing off natural species. Look at the colony collapse nightmare that is killing bee populations. One of the theorized causes of the bee deaths is transgenic corn, which is designed to kill pest insects. It may well be killing the bees that try to pollinate it. Without bees, it would be nearly impossible to feed the world, yet we march ahead with genetically modified plants. If we had known 100 years ago what industrialization would do to the environment, perhaps we could have slowed the effects. We are creating the same type of situation here. "Let's worry about it later."

Obama vows to hunt down terrorists - Yahoo! News

Obama vows to hunt down terrorists - Yahoo! News: "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid."

And this makes him better than Bush how??? This just goes to show that none of the major candidates can be trusted to keep us out of middle eastern affairs, which is why we have 2 wars right now...

AlterNet: In Violation of Federal Law, Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election Records Are Destroyed or Missing

AlterNet: In Violation of Federal Law, Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election Records Are Destroyed or Missing: "Two-thirds of Ohio counties have destroyed or lost their 2004 presidential ballots and related election records, according to letters from county election officials to the Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner.

The lost records violate Ohio law, which states federal election records must be kept for 22 months after Election Day, and a U.S. District Court order issued last September that the 2004 ballots be preserved while the court hears a civil rights lawsuit alleging voter suppression of African-American voters in Columbus."

That would be 56 of Ohio's 88 counties that somehow lost the records... Sure, they have nothing that they need to cover up. It is kind of funny that they disappeared when people started asking questions about the accuracy of the state's votes, which happened to be a major swing state. Many questions have been raised about disenfranchisement efforts conducted by the republicans, vote counting inaccuracies, voter fraud, and machine malfunctions that rejected thousands of votes.

British PM: Troops out of Iraq Regardless of US

British PM: Troops out of Iraq Regardless of US: "Gordon Brown has paved the way for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq by telling George Bush he would not delay their exit in order to show unity with the United States.

After four hours of one-to-one talks with the US President at his Camp David retreat, Mr Brown told a joint press conference he would make a Commons statement in October on the future of the 5,500 British troops in the Basra region.

The Bush administration, under mounting domestic pressure to produce an exit strategy from Iraq, has been nervous that a full British withdrawal would add to the criticism. But Mr Brown made clear - and President Bush accepted - that Britain would go its own way, even if that gave the impression the two countries were diverging."

Say goodbye to your British lap dog Herr Bush. At least someone has some common sense in this war lost long ago...