1) Four years ago, Gerald Posner wrote that Abu Zubaydah’s interrogation by the CIA yielded information that important Saudi and Pakistani elements knew in advance of 911. A good summary is in:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gerald-posner/the-cias-destroyed-inter_b_75850.html
2) Quite recently, Pat Robertson and former Bush speech writer David Frum have both endorsed Giuliani.
3) Yesterday we learn that someone had leaked to the NY Times that Zubaydah’s interrogation had been taped, and that the tape was destroyed shortly after the 911 commission asked for all such information that might possibly exist. Who leaked this story, and why?
4) Now Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network publishes a reminder from Frum about Posner’s charges. Why?http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/283119.aspx
5) This happens to plays neatly into the modern Crusader world view of apocalyptic confrontation between Christianity and Islam.
6) Which just happens to dovetail with Giuliani’s strong suit.
7) So it sounds like the Giuliani forces leaked to the NY Times, in order to foment serious problems between the US and Saudis/Pakistanis, feeding apocalyptic visions and the Giuliani candidacy.
8) So the whole setup was not to discredit Bush, as charged by some, but rather to advance Giuliani.
9) Isn’t it suspicious how quickly this followed the NIE release on Iran ? Or was it carefully coordinated?
10) Watch for the neocons to declare there are traitors in the CIA who suppressed and then destroyed evidence that the Saudis and Pakistanis knew about 911 in advance, and now the same traitors are providing cover for an Iranian nuke.
11) So the NIE on Iran does not abort World War 3 at all; to the contrary, we are much, much closer to an even bigger conflagration.
Power from the people!
I'm all for a housing bust. The median debt/income ratio is 3x what it was in 1983, much of it due to speculative housing price increases - "It will appreciate." People are so freaking stupid - never thinking that if their house value goes up, so does that of the person who will sell them their next house. It really only works for older people who ultimately downsize on a big scale. In the mean time, everyone finances more debt, and it's much harder for young people to get a reasonable start. Everyone thinks its great when every other consumer cost declines, but politicians knock themselves out to "support" [increase] housing values [costs].
The so-called "health care crisis" will not be "solved" until humans accept their mortality. When did we become gods, that we should live forever? This failure of reason and spirit will prove to be democracy’s fatal flaw, our Achilles heel. We are born human, yet will vote for immortality. But no nation can finance the headlong pursuit of eternal life here on earth. Ours will die trying.
So this time Hillary will REQUIRE everyone to purchase medical insurance. Wouldn’t it be more effective to require everyone to exercise, practice sound nutrition, and stay within 10% of their ideal weight? Not practical? Then assess credits and surcharges for people more or less willing to reduce expected health care costs, as evidenced by their health-index, calculated per a required annual physical exam. Kind of like their system for trading CO2 credits. Requiring that everyone simply share the consequence of everyone else’s bad behavior is surely a very bad idea.
In 1992 I suggested that First Lady Hillary might have greater impact on American health by leading callisthenic and aerobic exercises on C-span. Still think it might be worthwhile - maybe First Laddie Bill could do that? Or better yet, Mr or Mrs Obama?
Have you been following the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act [400-6 at this stage in the house]? It’s truly unbelievable – would actually end free speech and create “thought crime” by equating terrorism with promoting “extremist belief systems”.
Anyone can see a course of ever-broadening application, while draconian sentences and the chilling effect effectively destroy freedom of speech … the one, fundamental, sine qua non right. Apparently the bill's authors are strongly connected to the Rand think tank, and the 'real' targets might be anti-globalization activists. But it won't matter who today's targets are - ultimately it will be applied to crush all dissent.
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
Is there any doubt that this is the American trajectory? It’s been pretty clear for years, and now just look at how media ownership concentration and how the Fox/Republican alignment is pushing CNN to distort coverage toward their ‘own’ candidate, Hillary!
The American experiment with democracy is indeed closing.
Where do the Democratic candidates stand on this?
It’s interesting how much demand there is to lower the federal funds rate so as to stimulate lending so as to keep the economy rolling. Seems to me there has been way too much lending for years! I read that home equity cash extractions [loans] equaled 9% of all discretionary consumer spending for the past 3 years. Of course this party is over as housing prices start to decline.
Then it’s SO IRONIC that the Abu Dhabi Wealth Fund has bought 4.9% of Citigroup. Their dollar holdings derive from American trade deficits, which include oil but which are exacerbated by American consumer spending, which is financed by debt. Simultaneously the dollar’s long-term decline is exacerbated by the above-noted recent rate cuts, and sovereign wealth funds the world over start itching to cut their dollar holdings. Classic economic theory says as the dollar declines, exports increase – but we don’t make all as much any more to export, so they buy into our biggest debt-selling business instead - but at a much-deflated price, due to its stupid consumer lending practices finally coming home to roost! I’m not sure anyone could have invented a more delicious irony of this kind.
Of course the elites don't care that we will be selling off huge chunks of our economy [rather than manufactured goods], because those sales will support stock prices, hence directly benefit that top 1%.
1) Hillary’s candidacy is wrong. Bill always said “If you vote for me, you’re also voting for Hillary – it’s two for one.” So she’s been there twice, which is all the constitution allows. I voted for Perot and supported Bill … but would be really sick of the Clintons within a month of a third term. In any case, that would make 24 consecutive years’ rule concentrated in two families “at best” and could lead to 28 such years.
3) Any Hillary sub-majority plurality in a 3-way primary race is impertinent – what really counts is how the votes will ultimately be allocated. Does Hillary get Edward’s votes because she is white [can’t imagine any other reason], or does Obama get them because he is the relative outsider and relatively more compatible?
This would put Obama over the top:
A) Have you ever heard the 1964/1965 pop hit "The Name Game" or "The Banana Song", written by singer Shirley Ellis ... banana-bana-fo-fanna ...? It is a VERY snappy singalong rhyming game that creates variations of a person's name - HUGE hit - people LOVED the release, and loved applying the formula to other names as well.
B) Do you remember "The Village People"?
C) And do you remember the Macarena dance?
WELL, HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TODAY:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Obama should release a multi-racial, multi-generational, multi-class/occupation/life-style "Rainbow Celebration" dance video based on the "The Name Game" as applied to the name "Obama".
2) The release should be freely downloadable for social network dissemination and playing in public places.
3) The dance steps should be simple enough for wedding-party imitation, but expressive enough to compel watching.
4) It would be seen countless times on all manner of media, and quickly find its way into private and public dance 'events' [such as wedding parties].
5) Obama himself MUST NOT appear in the video - just the rainbow supporters - ethnicity, class/occupation/life-style, age, sex.
6) This would create a new, very good 'FEEL' for the Obama name. A positive/high emotional charge … a virtual campaign anthem, that would reach millions of people in a unique way, free of any competing or conflicting contamination.
