Sunday, August 2, 2009

PALINS TO DIVORCE? -- FROM "AlaskaReport.com" BLOG - THIS SAME BLOGSITE ALSO BROKE PALIN'S GOVERNOR RUN & VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION STORIES!

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This article is extracted from the AlaskaReport.com blog written yesterday/August 1st.


NOTE: The photo above taken recently, apparently Ms. Palin is not sportin' her wedding ring?


August 1, 2009
Todd and Sarah Palin to divorce
Affairs on both sides

Updated 7:53am Sunday AKDT
Palin lawyer threatens to serve papers to blogger at kindergarten, then balks

9:20pm Saturday - AlaskaReport.com receives letter from Palin lawyer Van Flein evidently confirming some details (will post when we clarify missing information)

AlaskaReport has learned today that Todd Palin and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin are to divorce. Multiple sources in Wasilla and Anchorage (including a former Palin staffer) have confirmed the split.

A National Enquirer story exposing previous affairs on both sides led to a deterioration of their marriage and the stress from that led to Palin's resignation as governor of Alaska last week.

The Palins were noticeably not speaking to each other for most of last Sunday's resignation speech in Fairbanks. Sarah ditched Todd (MSNBC) right after the speech and left without him. Sarah removed her wedding ring a couple of weeks ago.

Sarah has recently purchased land in Montana and is considering moving the family there. Sarah Palin is originally from Idaho.

Todd Palin told Fox News last week that he was heading back to his job in the oil fields of Alaska, yet Sarah recently signed a book deal reportedly worth $11 million.

Editor's note: AlaskaReport was the first website to report that Sarah Palin was running for governor of Alaska and the first website to report that Sarah was picked as John McCain's VP candidate.

Sarah Palin on "hurt feelings" - November 5th, 2008


Sarah Palin on "hurt feelings" from Dennis Zaki on Vimeo.




Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin says politicians need to have thick skin "just as I've got" Which of course is hilarious since she quit as Alaska's governor complaining about her hurt feelings from Alaska's bloggers reporting on her 21 ethics violations.



Sarah Palin on "hurt feelings" from Dennis Zaki on Vimeo.
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© AlaskaReport.com All Rights Reserved.

Friday, July 24, 2009

VIDEO --- JILL & KEVIN'S WEDDING ENTRANCE DANCE - 5 MINUTES LONG

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As Monty Python used to say,


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING "ENTIRELY" DIFFERENT!

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Bona Petite!


HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

VIDEO OF --- THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S DESCENT INTO HELL - HELLO "BIRTHER" MOVEMENT

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Below is a YouTube video of a recent town hall meeting for Delaware Republican Congressman Mike Castle.

A wing-nut (lady) stands up with a plastic bag claiming that it contains her certified birth certificate. She then claims that President Obama is really a Kenyan by birth and, blah, blah, blah, .........

She eventually takes over the entire meeting and gets everyone to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. God Almighty - The Republicans have gone over the cliff!

VIDEO ---
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Believe it or not.
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Monday, July 20, 2009

40TH ANNIVERSARY - MOON LANDING - JULY 20, 1969! ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, COLLINS

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Following are 7 images showing the events of the Moon Launch & Landing - July 1969.
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You'll be glad to know, there were no beer cans or pretzel bags left on the moon. Just the American flag and a couple of stray golf balls. Maybe a golf club or two as well.

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ALSO - Don't forget to "click" on the two blue banner ads at the bottom. That 3-cents per click goes toward my college scholarship fund. Thanx!
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Sunday, July 19, 2009

IRAN --- Basiji militiaman: I raped virgins before their execution

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DIRECT FROM TODAY'S www.rawstory.com BLOG - ONE OF THE LEAD STORIES

"A member of Iran’s notorious Basij militia who ran afoul of his superiors when he released two teenaged pro-democracy protesters says he was tasked with taking the virginity of young females sentenced to die.

In an exclusive interview with the Jerusalem Post, the unnamed male described how, as an 18-year-old Basij recruit, he was tasked with taking the virginity of girls who were sentenced to die.

Under Iranian law, a female cannot be executed if she is a virgin. Thus, prison officials forced young women into a brief “marriage” before their sentence was carried out."

For the rest of the article click on the following link:


http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/07/19/basiji-militiaman-i-raped-virgins


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Maybe also - a call to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: (202) 225-3121 - Congressional Hotline - just ask for the above committee.
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Saturday, July 18, 2009

VIDEO OF THE LARGE PROTEST - FRIDAY - AT TEHRAN UNIVERSITY

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Lest you think the protests are dead in IRAN - check out the 2 videos taken by Iranians from yesterday's (Friday) gathering at Tehran University's sprawling prayer ground where Hashemi Rafsanjani - a bitter rival to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - warned:


[CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE VIDEOS]


http://ghthirdeye.com



"Today is a bitter day," "People have lost their faith in the regime and their trust is damaged. It's necessary to regain people's consent and restore their trust in the regime. Everyone has lost."



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VIDEO OF THE WEEK AWARD - GOES TO TED NEWMAN - "CRAZY INDIAN VIDEO" - THANKS TED - I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO VIEWING IT - JUST THIS MORNING!

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Ted -


Thanks for the above video. I'm sitting at Shaky Grounds Coffee Shop here in San Rafael - Saturday morning. I finally opened up the above video.

"Rock the Casbah!" - as they say.


VIDEO --- several minutes long, but WELL WORTH THE VIEWING, FOLKS! [FOR MATURE ADULTS, ONLY]


AGAIN, TED - MUCHAS GRACIAS!

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Go ahead, play it again, I did - several times.
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Monday, July 13, 2009

MARCY WHEELER - FIRE-DOG-LAKE BLOGGER --- USES THE "B... J.." WORD ON MSNBC

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Somehow, the ghost of Bill Clinton still haunts day-time television.


Marcy Wheeler (firedoglake blogger) on MSNBC today. It's 4 min./23-seconds long.

It's not until the last 23-seconds that Marcy lets rip with the "B... J.." reference in rebutting her Republican-operative counterpart over why the recently disclosed information regarding Dick Cheney's involvement with suppressing the secret CIA program from Congressional oversight for 8 years is - or is not - justification for a Congressional investigation.



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Saturday, July 4, 2009

SARAH PALIN - FACING POSSIBLE FEDERAL INDICTMENT - OVER CONSTRUCTION OF HER HOME ON LAKE LUCILLE IN 2002!

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It seems like there are credible rumours in the blog sphere [Max Blumenthal at The Daily Beast] that our "whiner" [Sarah Palin] in America's Last Frontier (ALASKA) might be facing a possible FEDERAL INDICTMENT.


Something to do with the Spenard Building Supplies construction outfit in Alaska. Seems that Mizz Sarah and her hubby, Todd, might have steered lucrative contracts toward that company and in turn - as a gift for those "services" - Spenard constructed the Palins' home on Lake Lucille in 2002 which was built JUST TWO MONTHS before Palin began campaigning for governor in Alaska!


Inquiring minds want to know .................................................!!!

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Friday, July 3, 2009

SARAH PALIN DOES WHAT MARK SANFORD SHOULD DO - SHE RESIGNS AS GOVERNOR OF ALASKA

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SARAH --- You're going down in flames like we knew you would.


That turkey you were talking in front of some months ago while blathering on to some news reporter as that poor bird was being shoved down a "masher" - has now become you.

You are a National Turkey! Gobble, gobble, Sarah. You, indeed, are doing what's best for Alaska by taking your gobble-talk with you and out of government. Hurray!!!


VIDEO OF HER RESIGNATION SPEECH BELOW:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/sarah-palin-resigns-as-al_b_225515.html

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The Republican Party is in very bad shape (Mark Sanford - the next to resign?)

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

VIDEO --- MICHAEL JACKSON - THE MOON WALK HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH HAND WAVES & FEET KICKS --- U JUDGE!

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Ok, ok --- More Fluff Entertainment and no politics here.


For all of the overt and/or latent Michael Jackson fans out there in TV-DVD land.


His last dress rehearsal at Staples Center/Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.


Sometimes people just "box from memory". Is that what is taking place on this video?


Anyway --- for your viewing and/or listening pleasure.




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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

(VIDEO) --- NEEDED - THE FINAL "KNOCKOUT" PUNCH AGAINST THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!

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This is what the Democrats must now do AGAINST what passes for the mere "remnants" of the REPUGNANT PARTY!!! Hell, with Al Franken/Minnesota, they now have their 60 votes to preclude any Republican filibuster, especially on health care legislation.


Alexis Arguello - [one of the best junior lightweights to step in the ring] - AND was considered one of the hardest punchers in history; here's one of his best-known highlights, a knockout of Kevin Rooney in 1982:



You'll have to admit it is both "short" & "sweet". Alexis even goes over to make sure his opponent is okay.





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Take that - REPUBLICAN-THUGS!!!


Sorry, but in lieu of all of the ridiculous posturing and posing by the Republicans in Congress [Rep. John Boehner of Ohio in the House or Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in the Senate] - they are a party in their death throes. No younger talent, aka the young governor of Minnesota - Tim Pawlenty or the young governor of Arkansas - Bobby Jindal can alter this irrefutable downward death spiral of this totally bankrupt party!
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Saturday, June 27, 2009

VIDEO --- IRAN'S NATIONAL POET - 82-YEAR-OLD SIMIN BEHBAHANI

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Video below:


(1) Dedication to people of Iran; (2) Dedication to "Neda"





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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Ahmadinejad's Remarks in Closed Door Session in Holy City Of Qom with Ayatollah Mesbah and other Clerics - on June 20, 2009

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This is quite unbelievable. You don't just walk into the Holy City of Qom and take a video of Ahmadinejad speaking before Ayatollah Mesbah and other clerics behind closed doors and then turn right around and post it on the internet!

Click on the link below:



http://ghthirdeye.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104%3A2009-06-22-07-25-53&Itemid=3&lang=en

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Ahmadinejad is not exuding a lot of confidence here.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

BLOODY RALLY REPORTED OUTSIDE IRAN'S PARLIAMENT

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BLOODY RALLY REPORTED OUTSIDE IRAN'S PARLIAMENT
Shooting Reported In Baharestan Sqaure... Read Accounts Of Today's Rally... State Media Floats Neda Conspiracy Theories... Khamenei Vows No Retreat... Analysis: Could Crisis End In Power-Sharing Agreement?... Video Below: Woman Tells Police "Beat Me"



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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY ON IRAN

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FROM HUFFINGTON POST - TODAY - JUNE 23, 2009


OBAMA: WORLD "APPALLED AND OUTRAGED" OVER IRAN VIOLENCE
Report: Khamenei Extends Deadline For Election Complaints... Iran Expels British Diplomats... Analysis: More Cracks In The Regime Emerging.... Iran Council Rules Out Vote Annulment... Video Below: HuffPost Asks Question From An Iranian At White House Press Conf.






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NIGHT TIME CHANTS IN IRAN

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Monday, June 22, 2009

VIDEO --- MELODY MOEZZI - THE MEANING OF NEDA --- CNN-YouTube

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VIDEO ---


Young Iranian-American Interviewed on CNN - referencing the death of the 27-year old Iranian woman, NEDA.

She also has family back in Iran and is quite concerned for them.





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GOOGOOSH - FAMOUS IRANIAN FEMALE VOCALIST - HER LATEST VIDEO - IRANIAN UPRISING

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In the 1970s, Googoosh was considered the most famous recording artist in Iran.





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Saturday, June 20, 2009

AND NOW, FROM APPLE - THE --- Le MACTINI --- WORLD'S SMALLEST COMPUTER --- STRICTLY HUMOROUS

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And now for something --- quite funny!!!


The Mactini [World's Smallest Computer - from Apple]



Just Double-Click The Link Below:

http://www.overstream.net/view.php?oid=r7tkeaefi6lc


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SHIRAZ UNIVERSITY - POLICE BRUTALITY - AGAINST - VEILED WOMEN

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12:42 PM ET -- The world is watching. The people fight back against the Basiji (the citizen-militia)





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IRAN - FIERCE CLASHES IN TEHRAN ----- 5-MINUTE VIDEO INSIDE!

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VIDEO - via BBC


Someone's "Putting the Hammer Down" --- But It Ain't Gonna Be By The Iranian Security Forces.

No, I Believe The Fury Of The Beast For Change Has Been Aroused - FOR GOOD! --- The Crowd (There's Simply Too Many Damn Demonstrators - Will Force The Authorities To Knuckle Under In The End - That & World Attention!]





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Thursday, June 18, 2009

IF IT'S THURSDAY - WE MUST BE IN TEHRAN

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VIDEO - a grainy video of good street coverage of the march to Imam Khomeini square in Tehran






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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

IRAN - THEN (1979) --- & --- NOW!

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1979 ---



















2009 ---


















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IRAN - "WHERE IS MY VOTE" --- SOUNDS LIKE 2000 & 2004 - USA!!!

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Image - Lots of Folks In The Street
















1st VIDEO ---

Signs reading "Where Is My Vote" - [What Happened Here In The U.S.A. in 2000 AND 2004?]






Image - The Young Man Who Climbed The Freedom Tower --- ("Detained" By Police)




















2nd VIDEO --- The Young Man Who Climbed The Freedom Tower - Tehran






3rd VIDEO --- The Shock Troops - Billy Club Swinging Tehran Police - Clubbing Even Women






4rd VIDEO --- Doctors & Nurses Protesting






5th VIDEO --- Tehran's Garbage Men Join the Demonstrations




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Monday, June 15, 2009

PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEAKS OUT ON IRAN THIS AFTERNOON

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Image - Freedom Tower/Tehran - Protester Climbing Up Its Side



















VIDEO - President Obama's Statement On Iran - Monday/June 15, 2009



IRAN - SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL --- 5-MILE LONG MARCH THROUGH TEHRAN

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This Blog Has 2 "Images" & 5 "Videos".


The number "hundreds of thousands" of street demonstrators doesn't quite do justice to what is happening in Iran today, Monday, June 15, 2009. Put the number more closely in the "millions" - give or take!


Image - War Memorial/Tehran



















Image - Mir Hossein Mousavi - The Reformist Candidate & Apparent Loser To President Mamoud Ahmadinejad - Up In The Middle Of Large Crowd in Tehran - Monday - June 15, 2009
















Video - Mir Hossein Mousavi Speaks To The Crowd - Monday - Tehran - June 15, 2009






Video - In Front Of The War Memorial/Tehran ---
8-Minutes Long - BUT --- Great Footage of the Memorial - "Fast-Forward" If You Must!






Video - Iranian Citizens Are Risking Arrest Just By Being Out In Large Numbers In The Street - The Government Warned Them To Stay Home!






Video - Millions Protest In Iran






Video - As You Can See - One Gets The Impression That The Entire City of Tehran Is At A Virtual Standstill - People Just Milling About In The Streets During Mid-Day!


Sunday, June 14, 2009

IRANIAN PROTESTORS - SHOUTING THEIR DEFIANCE FROM THE CITY'S ROOFTOPS - SUNDAY!

This video of Iranians shouting their dissent from Tehran's rooftops was published to YouTube on Sunday, June 14, 2009.


DAY 2 - THE NEW FACE OF IRAN - THE SAGA CONTINUES! - (7 VIDEOS)

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7 Short Videos To Follow Here:


Night Time Protestor Gathering






Another Night Time Protestor Gathering






VICE-PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN - ON "MEET THE PRESS" - THIS MORNING/SUNDAY









Also, here's video of protests at Khaje Nasir University in Tehran from today, via reader Alex:






Appears That The Protestors Are Slowly Forcing Police Backwards -
Esfehan After Iranian Election - Riot Police - RUNNING AWAY!!!:





A Young Woman Is Clubbed By One Of The Iranian Police "Storm-Troopers":

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Saturday, May 30, 2009

YOU MAKE THE CALL - CHICAGO CUBS PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO - DID HE GET THE RUNNER OUT OR NOT @ HOME PLATE?

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The Chicago Cubs pitcher - CARLOS ZAMBRANO - was defending home plate when he got the throw to tag out the runner coming in from third base. The following video shows the event.

WHAT DO YOU THINK. IS THE RUNNER SAFE OR NOT.

ZAMBRANO is no "shrinking violet" --- he gets ejected - AND THEN SOME!



Thursday, May 28, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

MATTHEW ALEXANDER ON TORTURE --- VIDEO of the Former Senior Military Interrogator - His Rebuke of Dick Cheney for His Torture Speech

















Matthew Alexander - the senior military interrogator in Iraq - interviewed by Robert Greenwald's Brave New Studios.


The VIDEO segment that follows is 3 minutes, 37-seconds long. Alexander completely destroys Dick Cheney's arguments for torture!


I've extracted the following from an email I received from Robert Greenwald (along with thousands of other recipients) that I received - Tue, 26 May 2009 10:31 am.


Matthew Alexander was the senior military interrogator for the task force that tracked down Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and, at the time, a higher priority target than Osama bin Laden. Mr. Alexander has personally conducted hundreds of interrogations and supervised over a thousand of them.


"Torture does not save lives. Torture costs us lives," Mr. Alexander said in an exclusive interview at Brave New Studios. "And the reason why is that our enemies use it, number one, as a recruiting tool...These same foreign fighters who came to Iraq to fight because of torture and abuse....literally cost us hundreds if not thousands of American lives."






You Decide!

Monday, May 25, 2009

THE CIA AIN'T THE YMCA - TORTURE, DRUGS - LONG HISTORY - SINCE 1949




















This is "extracted" from www.bradblog.com [Brad Friedman - Election Integrity blog site] - his May 21, 2009 weblog item -----

History of CIA Torture: Unraveling the Web of Deceit, Part III


For the direct link:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7118#more-7118


Component of Empire, Distance through Surrogates & Reagan's Duplicity...
Guest Blogged by Ernest A. Canning


- Part III of a Four-Part Special Series (Part I is here. Part II is here.)

"The widespread abuse of prisoners is a virtually foolproof indication that politicians are trying to impose a system --- whether political, religious or economic --- that is rejected by large numbers of people they are ruling. Just as ecologists define ecosystems by the presence of certain 'indicator species'..., torture is an indicator species of a regime that is engaged in a deeply anti-democratic project, even if that regime happens to have come to power through elections." - Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine (2007)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

ERICH "MANCOW" MULLER - RIGHT-WING CHICAGO RADIO HOST - VOLUNTEERED TO BE WATER BOARDED - HE LASTS 6 SECONDS! --- FRIDAY - MAY 22, 2009

Conservative CHICAGO radio hosts gets water boarded, and lasts six seconds before saying its torture

Chicago radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller decided he'd get himself water boarded to prove the technique wasn't torture




View more news videos at: http://www.nbcmiami.com/video.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

THE ROAD TO TORTURE IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS!


























Dandy Dick is on his Torture Tour trying to sell the idea of the "Goodness" behind the torture done on our behalf during the Bush Administration.

He was on the airwaves yet again yesterday morning at the same time that President Obama himself was delivering an extremely eloquent address at the National Archives on the whole torture and enemy combatant/detainee saga. I listened to both and it was a stark contrast to say the least. The president couldn't have been more cogent, concise, measured and searing in his overall assessment of the "mess" he has inherited from the Bush Crime Family.

Let's face it, Dick likes to break bones. He doesn't make any "bones" about that. He doesn't have any real cajones of his own so this is his way of acquiring any sense of manhood. For Dick, it's a matter of let's have a beer and break some bones. That'll learn those commie/Muslim-loving /liberal/ latte/ sushi/ Gucci/ chardonnay/ West Wing/ granola/ yogurt-gulping/ book-reading/ cardigan sweater-wearing/ post-graduate/ Volvo-driving/ NPR-listening types.

There's a constitutional law principle involved here. You might be familiar with it from one of your college classes in Con Law - "Clear And Present Danger." Dick Cheney and his ilk represent precisely that.

In a sense Cheney's public address yesterday brings to mind two prior sad episodes in American history that confronted a sitting president involving a similar chain-of-command dilemma now facing President Obama, i.e. how to deal with a "loose caboose" or "misguided missile" public figure. In April 1951 General Douglas MacArthur was finally fired by President Harry Truman for insubordination. It seems that General MacArthur wanted to go north of the 38th parallel in North Korea in defiance of President Truman's explicit orders to the contrary. Going back further in American history Franklin Delano Roosevelt finally had to deal with Democratic Senator Huey Long of Louisiana. In a national radio address on February 23, 1934, in the depths of the depression, Senator Long unveiled his “Share Our Wealth” plan that was nothing short of rampant demagoguery.

We are faced with a similar situation today in the person of Dick Cheney and it's worse this time around because it actually involves BOTH insubordination and demagoguery. It's time for this sitting president to make Darth Vader/Dick Cheney understand in no uncertain terms: I'm the president and you're not, Dickie boy and your steppin' where you best not be steppin'. Frankly, it's time for a little Whoop-Ass for the "Dick."

Dick Cheney is a Clear And Present Danger!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

CALL IT ENHANCED INTERROGATION - IT'S STILL TORTURE!

I considered placing an image of water boarding in this blog entry but I think we all know by now what the CIA has been up to over the last few years. Far and away the most recently discussed abhorrent technique employed by our intelligence services during the post-9/11 period has been water boarding. The actual journey into this new and uncharted territory coincided with the verbal go-ahead given in July 2002 by then-acting Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice. Ms. Rice afterwards lapsed into amnesia and could not recall ever making such a decision, either verbally or in writing. My, what a web we weave when we first deceive.

The two poster boys used for the justification of water boarding by the Bush Administration are: Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the mastermind behind 9/11 - by his own admission and Abu Zubaydah, a small-time operative in Al-Qaeda. Both were water boarded numerous times. In fact, KSM, as Mohammad is commonly referred to, was water boarded 183 times in one month. Zubaydah had the dubious distinction of undergoing that torture process a mere 83 times.

Where has this left the United States. In moral shambles, that's where. To the proponents of torture who say it elicited valuable intelligence (like our former Vice-President Dick Cheney) - I have just one word. Poppycock! To date there is absolutely no evidence that either of these men gave any intelligence remotely useful to the CIA regarding Al-Qaeda or its secrets. Virtually all experts skilled in the art of interrogation have said that the information extracted from torture is unreliable since it is given merely to appease the torturers and as such cannot be considered reliable in any sense of the word.

My advice to the powers-that-be is simply this: Appoint an independent prosecutor immediately! Don't wait until later on this year as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggests pending the completion by the Senate Intelligence Committee of its own investigation into this heinous chapter in our nation's history.

Justice must be swift but fair. What is undeniable at this juncture after the release of the 4 torture memos and the report by the Senate Armed Services Committee is that the orders and the origin behind this torture program emanated from the White House, specifically the Office of the Vice President and the President. It was in turn set in motion by the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld under the false legal premises provided by the torture memo authors, John Yoo and Jay Bybee. William Haynes, acting General Counsel to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld served as the liaison between the White House/Justice Department and the Pentagon in his capacity as the personal conduit for delivery to Rumsfeld of the torture memo legal opinions.

Anyway you slice it or dice it this nation is guilty in the eyes of the world, with or without a special prosecutor or independent commission.

The horse is out of the barn, the toothpaste is out of the tube.

I'm just waiting for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bybee, Yoo and Haynes to meet the same fate as was faced by the Nazi war criminals we prosecuted at the Nuremberg trial in 1946. Perhaps we should make sure they're not walking around with a potassium cyanide capsule like Goering at Nuremberg.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

TORTURE-KILLERS FROM BUSH ADMINISTRATION - STILL ON THE LOOSE!










































































































Most of you probably recognize ALL of the "first" 3 suspects here:

(1) George W. Bushwacked
(2) Dick (Just Plain The "Dick") Cheney
(3) Donald Rumpsfeld (sorry, Rumsfeld)


But alas, the "final" 3 might stump a few of you out there in blog-land!

They are: (4) John Yoo [now a professor of law at U.C. Berkeley - although he might be on leave] - one of the Justice Department attorneys who composed the infamous Torture Memos; (5) Jay Bybee [a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit] - the other Justice Department attorney who assisted Yoo in the composition of the Torture Memos; and (6) William Haynes [currently employed as an executive at the Chevron facility, Richmond, CA) - the General Counsel to then-Secretary of Defense, Donald RumTumsFeld.

Can we all get "jiggy-with-it"!

These M_____ F_____s should be hauled before a Nuremberg-style court and charged with murder and crimes of torture and crimes against humanity.

William Haynes is the "final link" in this chain of command, ultimately. As Rumsfeld's General Counsel at the Pentagon it was he who received these Torture Memos and presented them to Rumsfeld. He played a significant part in seeing to it that they were acted upon by the Defense Secretary.

Before you get on your high horse and say that's "all in the past" - in 1946 at the real Nuremberg trials they put Germany's highest jurists (judges) on trial and found all of them guilty of sanctioning war crimes and subsequently sentenced them to prison!

Acquiescence is tantamount to acceptance. That was the real crime in Nazi Germany on the part of the population at large. Let us not allow this stain upon our nation's honor to remain without rendering true justice. These men cannot be allowed to remain at large and subject to no judgment.

If we do nothing it is very possible that the matter will be taken out of our hands and instead taken up by the World Tribunal. The Spanish judge who brought Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet to justice is now in hot pursuit of these very 6 men from the Bush Administration. [Baltasar Garzón, the counter-terrorism judge whose prosecution of General Augusto Pinochet led to his arrest in Britain in 1998]

America must handle this matter herself. It would be a fall from grace for this country if it were left up to a Spanish judge and the World Court to do it for us!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Meet The Face Of Ultimate Duplicity - Joseph J. Cassano - AIG's In-House Credit Default Swap Guru!















Joseph J. Cassano, president of AIG's financial products division and its financial products guru and the man behind the ultimate downfall of AIG was himself a personal favorite of Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, the former CEO of AIG and the man credited with building up AIG into a global powerhouse. He admired Cassano's aggressiveness even if he didn't understand exactly what it was that he did.

Cassano began his fateful tenure at AIG in 2000 and reigned as the president of AIG's financial products division until late 2008. Reportedly, Cassano is said to have told management that he, Cassano would run his shop and they, management would run their shop and that neither should ever involve itself with the other. In effect, Cassano had a virtual free hand in running his division for eight years and he apparently made good use of that freedom.

Cassano's division has its roots dating back to 1987 when a handful of traders from Drexel Burnham Lambert, the same firm that spawned disgraced junk bomb trader Michael Milliken, eventually migrated over to AIG and successfully won Greenberg over to their high-flying ways of doing business.

Credit Cassano with taking former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson's former firm's (Goldman Sachs) practice of purchasing insurance on the investments they made and applying that same technique upon assuming control of the financial products division at AIG. During his eight-year tenure, Cassano's department sold huge amounts of insurance - credit-default swaps (CDS's)to prospective investors anxious to cover their losses on the risky investment instruments they held known as collateralized debt obligations (CDO's). Investors had every reason to be nervous about these CDO's as they were merely bundles of different types of loans - some good - some horrible - all wrapped up together in one investment instrument.

Unfortunately for AIG and the rest of the planet, Cassano's division gladly took in the hefty monthly premiums they charged for insuring these risky CDO's but in reality AIG provided no real insurance for these companies as the assets kept on hand by AIG for such purpose were only a mere fraction of the total amount of assets at risk.

Cassano's division packaged these CDO's in layers of loans with the top layer being the most credit-worthy. These were then shopped around to the credit rating agencies like Moody's and Standard & Poors and based upon just the top layer's credit-worthiness - a AAA-rating was literally assigned to the ENTIRE CDO - the bad layers notwithstanding.

To complete the economic catastrophe this entire operation was managed by the little known federal agency Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) that was nowhere equipped to play such a role. In fact a GAO report noted that the entire OTS had only one insurance specialist on staff — and this despite the fact that it was the primary regulator for the world's largest insurer!

These CDO's turned out to be very profitable for AIG as it in turn extended a steady stream of credit-default swaps insurance to provide the supposed insurance to safeguard these CDO's. By 2005 AIG's profit from this line of financial products had risen to $3.2 billion, up from $773 million in 1999.

However, in February 2008 AIG posted a $11.5 billion annual loss and Cassano resigned shortly afterwards. In spite of this, he was able to keep $34 million in bonuses and in addition he continued to collect $1 million a month in consultant fees until the end of September 2008. During his eight years at AIG, Cassano earned $280 million. Over the past seven years, his unit's employees were paid a total of $3.5 billion. Yes, that's a "b" for billion!

The unit itself was a very small part of AIG, comprised of no more than 400 employees. Needless to say there was no oversight or supervision of any kind. The looseness of financial control was such that just a few weeks before the bailout in 2008 when senior executives at AIG were questioned by outside consultants about how much exposure AIG had to the residential-mortgage these very same executives were unable to supply that information.

Joseph J. Cassano is my nomination for Schmuck of the Century. He had help along the way but he, more than any other single individual, put in place the scenario for our current financial cesspool.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

WENDY'S HAMBURGERS - NOW WITH LIVE ORGAN MUSIC!

























Check out the Video of the Organ Music Guy @ Wendy's. They've come a long way from "Show Me The Beef" to now it's - "Show Me The Beat".



Yes, Virginia - there is a free lunch somewhere in America - (or at least free music to go with that lunch).


81-year old Gil Glad, a former elementary school teacher and principal is now playing organ music at the Wendy's in Grand Island, Nebraska Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On Sunday, he's back playing for the lunch time crowd at the Wendy's in his hometown of Central City, Nebraska.


Enjoy!








Pete/Marin

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

CHUCK NORRIS FOR PRESIDENT OF TEXAS!



















CHUCK NORRIS - FOR PRESIDENT OF TEXAS!


ARMED INSURRECTION - BY THE RIGHT WING-NUTS IS AFOOT!


CAN YOU BLAME THEM, THE COUNTRY'S GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET, OR A TISKET-TASKET.



No, I ain't making this up. Apparently, from Philly.com is the following "excerpt". Yes, I've lifted the whole thing from that site - for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure as the case may be).

NOTE: The video is something I just threw in for further amusement - the intended excerpt is merely the highlighted text that follows the video.

So to quote from that site VERBATIM..................









"That was fast. It was just one year ago that right-wing martial arts guru Chuck Norris was a sought-after "get" for the GOP presidential candidates like Mike Huckabee, who paraded the star of "Walker, Texas Ranger" around the nation after the anti-abortion actor endorsed him in the primaries.

But now it's 2009, Barack Obama is in the White House, and the inventor of chun kuk do is preaching the martial art of insurrection against the U.S. government. He also wants to run for -- and no, I'm not making this up -- "the president of Texas.":

The call by some right wing leaders for rebellion and for the military to refuse the commander in chief’s orders is joined by Chuck Norris who claims that thousands of right wing cell groups have organized and are ready for a second American Revolution. During an appearance on the Glen Beck radio show he promised that if things get any worse from his point of view he may “run for president of Texas.” The martial artist/actor/activist claims that Texas was never formally a part of the United States in the first place and that if rebellion is to come through secession Texas would lead the way.

Norris really comes close to crossing a line with this:

Norris claims that; “Thousands of cell groups will be united around the country in solidarity over the concerns for our nation.” The right wing cells will meet during a live telecast, "We Surround Them," on Friday March 13 at 5 p.m.

He closes with the words of Sam Houston followed by a plug for his next martial arts event.

“We view ourselves on the eve of battle." "


All I can say is, "Say it ain't so, Chuck!"

Sleep tight everybody, Chuck's taking control, everything's going to be okie-dokie. Welcome to the Kung-Fu Constitutional Insurrection.



Pete/Marin

Monday, March 9, 2009

REPUBLICANS - THE PARTY WITHOUT A COUNTRY!



















In case you haven't heard, the Republican Party has gone the way of the Edsel.

When you get to the point of having the RNC Chairman [Michael Steel] trying to hold on to his turf from the likes of a fat radio personality pig [Rush Lintbag] only to apologize to him for daring to stand up to him, well it's time to write the obituary for the GOP.

Rush wants to see Obama fail. Rush wants to see everything fail, including the Republican party. He will get his wish. Rush personifies everything afflicting the conservative movement and the process of self-cannibalization has just begun.

We have a major realignment taking place in this country and because of the dire straits we find ourselves in - economically - the time is ripe for a complete upheaval of the conservative movement and the corporate status quo as we have come to know it in our lifetime.

How low can the Dow go - pretty low, apparently. How big can the implosions be among the corporate elites - apparently humongous. Even such a premiere company like GE is reputedly on the verge of being the next AIG fatality.

Capitalism has proven itself to be incapable of sustaining itself by subscribing exclusively to the profit motive. It has too many inherent contradictions that will prevent it from escaping the punishing effects of what is going on today.

So what does this bode for the future. Quite simply: a mixed economy, equal parts public sector spending and private/individual consumer spending. The 2/3 consumer - 1/3 government spending model of the past will not hold up any longer. Our world is simply way too complicated and interconnected to continue any longer with a consumer-driven economy. It must be an equal partnership between the public sector and the private sector.

Which leads the discussion back to where this post began, the death of the Republican Party. If there is any one guiding principle espoused by that party it is the notion of free enterprise - or the free market. This concept has morphed unalterably and the mixed economy model is here to stay. The Republican party - as we know it - will fade away and be replaced in time by another competing voice.

When your philosophy gets shoved down your throat you don't have a leg to stand on. That is where the GOP find themselves today and there is nothing that can revive that party. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Rush can bray all he wants but he only drives home the point of Republican/conservative obsolescence ever so emphatically. But then this should not be all that surprising for the Republican party has never really been about governing at all but rather the accumulation and exercise of raw, naked power for the monied class.

The money changers have been toppled and with it their mouthpiece - Republicanism.