AlterNet: Outsourcing Intelligence: How Bush Gets His National Intelligence from Private Companies

AlterNet: Outsourcing Intelligence: How Bush Gets His National Intelligence from Private Companies: "Over the past six years, a quiet revolution has occurred in the intelligence community toward wide-scale outsourcing to corporations and away from the long-established practice of keeping operations in US government hands, with only select outsourcing of certain jobs to independently contracted experts. Key functions of intelligence agencies are now run by private corporations. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) revealed in May that 70 percent of the intelligence budget goes to contractors."

So, not only are private corporations fighting the war in Iraq and profiting from it, but the world intelligence they provide to the president may well have influenced our decision to go to war, and will surely influence our future war decisions. The article describes how easy it would be to direct government action against a country that is not playing nice with American corporations.

As many people already know, wars are no longer waged to protect our freedom. They are waged to pump up the profits of corporations. A citizen's vote no longer matters, the only votes that matter are those of the big brother corporations that run our world...

U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan - Haaretz - Israel News

U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan - Haaretz - Israel News: "National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky said yesterday that the port of Haifa is an attractive destination for Iraqi oil and that he plans to discuss this matter with the U.S. secretary of energy during his planned visit to Washington next month. Paritzky added that the plan depends on Jordan's consent and that Jordan would receive a transit fee for allowing the oil to piped through its territory. The minister noted, however, that 'due to pan-Arab concerns, it will be hard for the Jordanians to agree to the flow of Iraqi oil via Jordan and Israel.'

Sources in Jerusalem confirmed yesterday that the Americans are looking into the possibility of laying a new pipeline via Jordan and Israel. (There is also a pipeline running via Syria that has not been used in some three decades.)"

Yes, our current way of stealing Iraq's oil is simply not efficient enough. We must find a way to steal it easier and faster.

US accuses Saudis of telling lies about Iraq | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

US accuses Saudis of telling lies about Iraq | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited: "In a graphic example of the tension, Zalmay Khalilzad, until recently the US ambassador to Baghdad, protested to the Saudis over fake documents distributed in Baghdad which claimed Mr Maliki was an Iranian agent and had tipped off the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, about a US crackdown on his Madhi army militia.

Mr Khalilzad, who is now US ambassador to the UN, wrote in the New York Times last week: 'Several of Iraq's neighbours - not only Syria and Iran but also some friends of the United States - are pursuing destabilising policies.'

The Bush administration is also expressing its unhappiness with the Saudis for failing to stem the flow of Saudi jihadists across its border to fight in Iraq, often as suicide bombers. The US estimates that about 40% of the 60 to 80 foreign fighters entering Iraq each month are from Saudi Arabia."

Yes, this comes out the same day that we are considering selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. WTF??? We are going to sell to a country we are accusing of trying to undermine the Iraq government? What the heck is wrong with the administration?

BBC - Radio 4 Document - Greenham's Hidden Secret

BBC - Radio 4 Document - Greenham's Hidden Secret: "The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush’s Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression.

Mike Thomson investigates why so little is known about this biggest ever peacetime threat to American democracy."

Wow. Bush's grandfather was involved in a plan that would try to install fascism in the United States through a coup. Now Bush, the grandson, has manged to do just that. I had previously heard about Prescott's financial dealings with the Nazis, but not about his support for a takeover of the government.

U.S. Outfitting B-2's with Monster Bunker Buster Bombs - Iran May Be Target

U.S. Outfitting B-2's with Monster Bunker Buster Bombs - Iran May Be Target: "The U.S. is retrofitting its B-2 Stealth bombers with massive bunker-buster bombs - a move that could be a prelude to an attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities.

Iran has refused to comply with international demands that it stop its nuclear weapons programs.

Experts have noted that a U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program could be difficult due to the large number of installations - some of which are buried deep underground in hardened bunkers."

Let loose the dogs of war, as congress goes to recess....

'Fat tax' to save thousands of lives | Press Esc

'Fat tax' to save thousands of lives | Press Esc: "Governments could save thousands of lives by introducing a 'fat tax' on unhealthy foods, a group of Oxford University scientists reported in the journal Epidemiol Community Health, prompting a trades union to dismiss the idea as 'utter nonsense'.

Such a tax UK could prevent up to 3200 deaths from heart attacks and stroke every year in the UK alone, according to Oliver Mytton and his colleagues."

Here in New York the increased taxes on cigarettes more than doubled the price of cigarettes overnight. They said it was because of the health costs of treating smokers. Only obesity kills more people. I have always joked that there will soon tax the 1-dollar double cheeseburger at McDonald's, until it costs about 4 dollars. I guess it is coming...

I think the government just wants another way to turn a profit. With cigarettes, they now earn more than the manufacturer.

Fergie signs product placement deal | News | NME.COM

Fergie signs product placement deal | News | NME.COM: "The deal is a first in pop music - rather than namechecking the Top Shop-like brand, Fergie's contract states that she will write songs from scratch that specifically promote Candie's."

Welcome to the death of music as we know it... It is bad enough that we have worthless "corporate artists" graduating from the ever-present American idol, but product placement in songs? That is a new low for the industry. Thank god there is still an underground scene, where they stay away from corporate labels.

Vaccinated Children Two and a Half Times More Likely to Have Neurological Disorders : TruthEra.com - Conspiracy Discussion & Alternative News

Vaccinated Children Two and a Half Times More Likely to Have Neurological Disorders : TruthEra.com - Conspiracy Discussion & Alternative News: "For older vaccinated boys in the 11-17 age bracket, the results were even more pronounced. Vaccinated boys were 158% more likely to have a neurological disorder, 317% more likely to have ADHD, and 112% more likely to have autism. Complete survey results are available at http://www.generationrescue.org/."

This is what happens when laws are written requiring vaccination, prodded by corporate lobbyists, and those same lobbyists pad the pockets of those who are supposed to oversee the safety of the pharmaceutical industry. One of the prime examples of this is the controversy over the new cervical cancer vaccine. States are pushing it into the pool of required vaccinations, when there is no information on possible long-term effects.

Psychiatrists Top List in Drug Maker Gifts - New York Times

Psychiatrists Top List in Drug Maker Gifts - New York Times: "Vermont officials disclosed Tuesday that drug company payments to psychiatrists in the state more than doubled last year, to an average of $45,692 each from $20,835 in 2005. Antipsychotic medicines are among the largest expenses for the state’s Medicaid program."

Unfortunately, I have seen this behavior in action. Need an anti-depressant? Drug X is paying the most right now, so that is what everyone gets. Anti-psychotic? You get Drug Y, even if drug W may be a better choice. Are you all drugged up and feeling sluggish? You get drug Z, which is a prescription stimulant. Feel like your heart is going to explode now? Sorry, your 5 minutes of my time is up now, where is my 3:25?

Think Progress » CNN Dumps Michael Moore For Paris Hilton

Think Progress » CNN Dumps Michael Moore For Paris Hilton: "CNN, the 'most trusted name in Paris news,' continues to sink to new lows in its 'assault on reason.' Hilton is the latest 'serial obsession,' though the network recently hired a reporter devoted to 'covering things like Britney, as well as the Michael Jackson memorabilia.' Now CNN has ditched coverage of America’s broken health care system in favor of an hour-long interview of an incarcerated socialite."

What the hell is wrong with this country? CNN drops Moore because Paris will get better ratings. I enjoy watching some TV shows, but in the end it is obvious that television has destroyed this country. News has been dumbed down to 3-second clips for short attention spans, when it comes to important events, and the rest of the time is filled with useless celebrity gossip. Who is watching this crap?

Researchers Light Up for Nicotine, the Wonder Drug

Researchers Light Up for Nicotine, the Wonder Drug: "Smoking may be bad for you, but researchers and biotech companies are quietly developing pharmaceuticals that are decidedly good for brains, bowels, blood vessels and even immune systems -- and they're inspired by tobacco's deadly active ingredient: nicotine.

Nicotine acts on the acetylcholine receptors in the brain, stimulating and regulating the release of a slew of brain chemicals, including seratonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Not surprisingly, the first scientific work that identified these chemicals and how they affect the body came out of nicotine research -- much of it performed by tobacco companies."

Now I see why they want us to quit smoking. First there was the patch and the gum, which were very expensive as prescriptions. Now there are pills that run more than a hundred dollars a month. Now big Pharma is going to hook us on nicotine all over again, and of course it will be much more expensive than actually smoking.

Bush appoints top industry lobbyist as counselor | Press Esc

Bush appoints top industry lobbyist as counselor | Press Esc: "President Bush today appointed a top industry lobbyist who lobbied on behalf of America's biggest businesses and interest groups as his counselor, replacing Dan Bartlett who left the White House recently.

DaimlerChrysler, Microsoft, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SBC Communications, TysonFoods, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Viacom are just some of the clients of Ed Gillespie, who served as the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) between 2003 and 2005."

Politics/business as usual... All of the politicians in Washington are simply corporate slaves... We should rename our country to the United Corporations of America.

AlterNet: Environment: Rural Communities Exploited by Nestlé for Your Bottled Water

AlterNet: Environment: Rural Communities Exploited by Nestlé for Your Bottled Water:

"Across the country, multinational corporations are targeting hundreds of rural communities to gain control of their most precious resource. By strong-arming small towns with limited economic means, these corporations are part of a growing trend to privatize public water supplies for economic gain in the ballooning bottled water industry."


The deal mentioned in the article has Nestle buying the water for .000087 cents a gallon. When it leaves the store shelf, the price is 10.32 dollars a gallon. We are letting the corporations control and profit from a huge chunk of our water supply, that sounds like a great idea. To top it off, it is because it is trendy to buy your water. The more expensive it is, the better it must taste.