The Raw Story | Police abandoned security posts before Bhutto assassination

The Raw Story | Police abandoned security posts before Bhutto assassination: "Police abandoned their security posts shortly before Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's assassination Thursday, according to a journalist present at the time, and unanswerable questions remain about the cause of her death, because an autopsy was never performed."

I knew that details like this were going to start coming out. The whole thing just seems fishy.

The End of The World as We Know it

Decline in Iraq news may have boosted U.S. opinion | Reuters

Decline in Iraq news may have boosted U.S. opinion | Reuters: "A recent decline in U.S. news coverage from Iraq coincides with improved public opinion about the war just as the 2008 presidential campaign heads to an early showdown, a study released on Wednesday said.

The study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism said the volume of coverage from Iraq fell from 8 percent of all news stories in the first six months of 2007 to 5 percent between June and October due mainly to a decline in news accounts of daily attacks.

The falloff coincided with a 14 percentage point climb -- from 34 to 48 percent -- in the number of Americans who believe the U.S. military effort in Iraq is going either fairly or very well, according to Pew."

Out of sight, out of mind. This article shows how easy it is for the mass media to influence public opinion. Last night, my jaw dropped during an MSNBC report about the current unrest in Pakistan. The comment made was comparing Pakistan's attempts to return to democracy to the Democracy in Afghanistan. The anchor actually said that in Afghanistan, democracy is working, and that Pakistan should strive for that kind of progress. Meanwhile, warlords are taking back Afghanistan, including groups led by the Taliban. In addition, coalition forces are actually trying to negotiate with the Taliban. The government has almost no money for reconstruction, and other countries are not really helping in that regard. There is a lack of electricity, safe water, and sanitation facilities. Children are going to school in bombed-out buildings. Yeah, Democracy is working, according to MSNBC.

Pirates and Emperors

The Legend Of HercuBush!

The Raw Story | New government-transparency database will decrease available info about intel agencies

The Raw Story | New government-transparency database will decrease available info about intel agencies: "A new online government spending database -- designed to increase transparency as to how taxpayer dollars are spent -- will actually allow intelligence agencies to keep more secrets about their private contracts than before."

Orwell is slapping his forehead... Transparency=Secrecy

Police academy class slogan: Cause PTSD - Yahoo! News

Police academy class slogan: Cause PTSD - Yahoo! News: "A state police academy leader has disavowed the slogan of the most recent graduating class urging one another to 'go out and cause' post-traumatic stress disorder.

Each class at the Idaho Police Officer Standards and Training Academy is allowed to choose a slogan that is printed on its graduation programs, and the class of 43 graduates came up with 'Don't suffer from PTSD, go out and cause it.'"

To protect and serve...

My Christmas message...

I do not believe that Christmas should be celebrated as the birth of Christ. It should be a day of mourning for all of the people for which the desire to spread Christianity to has resulted in their premature deaths, in the past, present, and future.

When you start to open your presents that support the corporate-controlled government of the United States, think of the Native Americans, the Mayans, the Africans, and all others who have died in the name of spreading Christianity.

Think of the Right-Wing, Christian Fundamentalists who have started a war on Islam in Afghanistan and Iraq, for the simple reasons that we need their oil, and that they are brown people in a far-away place that do not worship Christ.

Think of the fact that these same Neo-Cons have eliminated nearly all of the remaining rights we Americans take for granted in the United States.

Think of the corporations that are sending your jobs overseas.

Think of the future of the United States, in which the dollar will be worth nothing, and our children will be responsible for a debt they can never repay.

Finally, think of the fact that revolution is the only way out of this miserable crisis.

Merry Christmas...

U.S. Officials See Waste in Pakistan Aid - New York Times

U.S. Officials See Waste in Pakistan Aid - New York Times: "After the United States has spent more than $5 billion in a largely failed effort to bolster the Pakistani military effort against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, some American officials now acknowledge that there were too few controls over the money. The strategy to improve the Pakistani military, they said, needs to be completely revamped."

That is what happens when Bushco trusts a dictatorship...

Iraq, Afghanistan War Costs Top Vietnam - Yahoo! News

Iraq, Afghanistan War Costs Top Vietnam - Yahoo! News: "California (OneWorld) � Congress' approval Wednesday of $70 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan mean the twin conflicts are now more costly to American taxpayers than the war in Vietnam.

According to a study by the Washington-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Congress has now approved nearly $700 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'Using inflation-adjusted dollars, the total cost of those wars has now surpassed the total cost of the Vietnam war (which ran to $670 billion),' the group�s Travis Sharp told OneWorld. 'It's also more than seven times larger than the Persian Gulf War ($94 billion) and more than twice the cost of the Korean war ($295 billion).'

As a result of Wednesday�s vote, Sharp said, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will become the second costliest conflict in American history, trailing only World War II."

And Damn what a success it is...

Is Your Cash Safe at the Banks? (Consumer Action: Personal Finance) | SmartMoney.com

Is Your Cash Safe at the Banks? (Consumer Action: Personal Finance) | SmartMoney.com: "For consumers who just want to park their savings somewhere, it seems perfectly rational to have a case of the jitters. Not only that, but the whole situation can be extremely confusing. Are the typically safe choices — money-market mutual funds, bond funds and bank savings accounts — really safe? Or are you better off leaving your cash stashed under the mattress?

The good news: Your savings or investments are most likely secure (savings accounts, for example, are FDIC-insured). But that doesn't mean you should blindly stow your money in one of these accounts without taking some precautions first. Here's what you need to know:

Bank savings, money-market savings and CDs
Bank savings and money-market accounts are the safest places to stow your cash for one simple reason: Through FDIC insurance, the government guarantees your money."

Yes, the Government insurance may protect us when a few banks fail... But if/when massive bank runs start happening, we may as well consider money stored in banks to be gone...

The Raw Story | DHS finalizing plans for domestic spy satellite program

The Raw Story | DHS finalizing plans for domestic spy satellite program: "Civil liberties concerns delayed the program after lawmakers and outside activists wondered how the program would be structured to protect Americans from unconstitutional surveillance from the powerful satellites, which can see through cloud cover, trees and even concrete buildings.

The program's charter remains unfinalized, but Chertoff said it will use clear language to explain legal restrictions on the data's use. Warrants will be obtained when required before collecting satellite intelligence, and the program won't use technology to intercept verbal communications, according to the Journal."

Ah yes, the spy satellite program is back on the table. I find it disturbing that they can see through concrete, or can even possibly record audio. I am so sure that the government will get the required warrants... Time to paint F**K YOU on our rooftops.

Police State America - A Look Back And Ahead

Police State America -: "It's not with jackboots in the streets but by a steady 'process of erosion' with the public largely unaware and distracted by media mind manipulators. It's happening today, and Wolf sounds the alarm with the words of James Madison saying 'The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands....is the definition of tyranny,' and that's the condition now in America. This article reviews the record for the past seven years. It's not pretty."

This is an excellent article that depicts the grim details of the Administration's unchallenged, and illegal, power grab that has taken place since 9/11. When you add up all of the executive orders, signing statements, illegal programs, and congress-backed legislation, as this article does, it paints a very grim picture of the future of the United States.

Preemptive Terror Trials: Strike Two - Yahoo! News

Preemptive Terror Trials: Strike Two - Yahoo! News: "The entire situation was concocted by the government. The warehouse was paid for by the FBI, and the defendants moved their operations there at the suggestion of an undercover informant who was also paid by the FBI. The swearing-in ceremony was led by the informant - who at another point also suggested a plan to bomb FBI offices in Miami. 'The case was written, produced and directed by the FBI,' defense attorney Albert Levin said in his closing arguments.

Since 9/11, the FBI has begun using legions of Muslim or Arabic informants in hopes of rooting out radicals before they strike. The main informant in this case was a Middle Eastern man named Elie Assad. He had worked for the FBI for years before he approached Batiste, posing as an al-Qaeda operative named 'Brother Mohammad.' He earned about $80,000 for his services."

Can you say entrapment??? 80,000 dollars is a lot of good reasons to encourage people to turn against the U.S. When I was in high school, sometimes I was amazed at the willingness of younger students to follow my every lead. Some people are just eager to be part of a group, and will follow any suggestion made. It seems to me that many of the "terror" cases in the United States, since 9/11, have been just that. A paid government informant, probably getting a deal for his or her crimes, finds a group of disorganized people with a vague dislike of the U.S., and then organizes them.

War funding bill heads to Bush - Capitol Hill- msnbc.com

War funding bill heads to Bush - Capitol Hill- msnbc.com: "The Democratic-led Congress authorized more Iraq war spending on Friday, sending President Bush a defense bill requiring no change in strategy after failing again to impose a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals.

The defense policy bill, approved 90-3 by the Senate, also expanded the size of the U.S. Army and set conditions on the Bush administration’s plan to build a missile defense system in Europe."

Good job congress!!! You have proven once again that you will do exactly the opposite of what the majority desires...

The Associated Press: GOP Seeks to Restore Harsh Interrogation

The Associated Press: GOP Seeks to Restore Harsh Interrogation: "Senate Republicans blocked a bill Friday that would restrict the interrogation methods the CIA can use against terrorism suspects.

The legislation, part of a measure authorizing the government's intelligence activities for 2008, had been approved a day earlier by the House and sent to the Senate for what was supposed to be final action. The bill would require the CIA to adhere to the Army's field manual on interrogation, which bans waterboarding, mock executions and other harsh interrogation methods."

No big surprise there...

The Raw Story | New Attorney General stonewalls Senate over CIA tapes

The Raw Story | New Attorney General stonewalls Senate over CIA tapes: "Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy said Friday he is disappointed at the Justice Department for its outright refusal to hand over any information about the interrogation videotapes destroyed by the CIA two years ago.

Leahy, and the Judiciary Committee's top Republican Arlen Specter, wrote to Attorney General Michael Mukasey after news broke last week that the CIA destroyed several hundred hours of recordings depicting harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists."

Yes, this is what happens when the Attorney General cannot decide if water boarding is torture. More torture cover-ups...

Judge urged not to ask about CIA tapes - Yahoo! News

Judge urged not to ask about CIA tapes - Yahoo! News: "The Bush administration told a federal judge it was not obligated to preserve videotapes of CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists and urged the court not to look into the tapes' destruction.

In court documents filed Friday night, government lawyers told U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy that demanding information about the tapes would interfere with current investigations by Congress and the Justice Department.

It was the first time the government had addressed the issue of the videotapes in court.

Kennedy ordered the administration in June 2005 to safeguard 'all evidence and information regarding the torture, mistreatment, and abuse of detainees now at the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.'

Five months later, the CIA destroyed the interrogation videos. The recordings involved suspected terrorists Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri"

"Move on, Nothing to see here..."

Junk Media

"w00t" crowned word of year by U.S. dictionary - Yahoo! News

"w00t" crowned word of year by U.S. dictionary - Yahoo! News: "Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc. said 'w00t' -- typically spelled with two zeros -- reflects a new direction in the American language led by a generation raised on video games and cell phone text-messaging."

And the dumbing-down of the American people continues...

Talking Points Memo | Waterboarding = Swimming

Talking Points Memo | Waterboarding = Swimming: "GWEN IFILL: I just would like to -- but do you think that waterboarding, as I described it, constitutes torture?

SEN. KIT BOND: There are different ways of doing it. It's like swimming, freestyle, backstroke. The waterboarding could be used almost to define some of the techniques that our trainees are put through, but that's beside the point. It's not being used."

It's like swimming, when you are handcuffed and shackled, with some dude holding your head underwater, until you are nearly drowning.

The Raw Story | MSNBC examines how Bush became 'a government unto himself'

The Raw Story | MSNBC examines how Bush became 'a government unto himself': "Bush has issued 1100 signing statements -- almost twice as many as all previous presidents put together -- often completely reversing the intended effect of legislation. For example, when Congress voted overwhelmingly to ban torture, Bush announced that this would 'make it clear to the world that this government does not torture.' Two weeks later, he added a signing statement to the bill that allowed him to ignore it. Similarly, when a bill required the Justice Department to report to Congress on the use of the Patriot Act, Bush added a proviso that he could override this requirement any time he thought necessary."

Checks and Balances? Not in Amerika...

ABC News: Bush Candidly Discusses Quitting Whiskey

ABC News: Bush Candidly Discusses Quitting Whiskey: "'I doubt I'd be standing here if I hadn't quit drinking whiskey, and beer and wine and all that,' the president disclosed Tuesday to ABC News' Martha Raddatz during an exclusive tour of the White House residence."

Ok, let's all send the moron a bottle of whiskey for Christmas then, and pray he gives in to temptation...

The Raw Story | Spy court wont release US wiretap docs

The Raw Story | Spy court wont release US wiretap docs: "The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, in a rare on-the-record opinion, said the public has no right to view the documents because they deal with the clandestine workings of national security agencies. The American Civil Liberties Union asked the court to release the records in August. Specifically, the organization asked for the government's legal briefs and the court's opinions on the wiretapping program. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, who sits on the national security court, refused. Releasing the documents would reveal closely guarded secrets that enemies could used to evade detection or disrupt intelligence activities, he said. Sources could be outed, targets could be tipped off and diplomatic relations could be damaged."

Interesting, even their opinions on whether or not the program is legal are guarded secrets. Where is the accountability to the public? There is none.

Truthdig - Reports - Waterboarding Our Democracy

Truthdig - Reports - Waterboarding Our Democracy: "When the CIA destroyed those prisoner interrogation videotapes, was it also destroying the truth about 9/11? After all, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, the basic narrative of what happened on that day—and the definition of the enemy in this war on terror that George W. Bush launched in response to the tragedy—comes from the CIA’s account of what those prisoners told their torturers. The commission was never allowed to interview the prisoners, or speak with those who did, and was instead forced to rely on what the CIA was willing to relay."

Ah yes, we relied on the CIA for the official story... No red flags there.

The Raw Story | Intel report: Iran halted nuclear weapons work in 2003

The Raw Story | Intel report: Iran halted nuclear weapons work in 2003: "A new US intelligence report indicates that Iran halted its nuclear weapons development program four years ago -- but the White House on Monday nevertheless urged global powers to 'turn up the pressure' on the country. Newly declassified portions of the National Intelligence Estimate find that Iran abandoned its nuclear program in the fall of 2003 and does not currently possess a nuclear weapon. The country is still enriching uranium, however, and could still develop a weapon between 2010 and 2015, according to senior intelligence officials."

Big surprise, the administration has been pushing more false intelligence.