Two articles that speak that I think are must reads for Democratic voters are John Cusack's Interview of Law Professor Jonathan Turley About the Obama Administration's War on the Constitution and journalist Russell Mokhiber's Ten Reasons I'm Not With Barack Obama.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
All left-wingers are not the same.
For the left-winger that you're referring to, see neoliberal.
About Video
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
In another Word document, one of the team spells out how automation can work so one person can be many personas:
Using the assigned social media accounts we can automate the posting of content that is relevant to the persona. In this case there are specific social media strategy website RSS feeds we can subscribe to and then repost content on twitter with the appropriate hashtags. In fact using hashtags and gaming some location based check-in services we can make it appear as if a persona was actually at a conference and introduce himself/herself to key individuals as part of the exercise, as one example. There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to all fictitious personas
Treat the online support for Obama with suspicion:
[t]here is a leaked email that has gotten surprisingly little attention around here. It's the one where AaronBarr discusses his intention to post at DailyKos - presumably something negative about Anonymous, the hacking group. But that's not the email I'm talking about here.
HBGary people are talking about creating "personas", what we call sockpuppets. This isn't new. PR firms have been using fake "people" to promote products and other things for a while now, both online and even in bars and coffee houses.
But for a defense contractor with ties to the federal government, HuntonAndWilliams, DOD, NSA, and the CIA - whose enemies are labor unions, progressive organizations, journalists, and progressive bloggers, a persona apparently goes far beyond creating a mere sockpuppet.
According to an embedded MSWord document found in one of the HBGary emails, it involves creating an army of sockpuppets, with sophisticated "persona management" software that allows a small team of only a few people to appear to be many, while keeping the personas from accidentally cross-contaminating each other. Then the team can actually automate some functions so one persona can appear to be an entire BrooksBrothers riot online.
Obama wants to expand drone strikes in Pakistan.
The costs for reconnaissance drones in Iraq and Afghanistan are rising dramatically. One predator drone costs $4.5 million. More than one-third of them have crashed along the mountains of Iraq and Afghanistan:
Pilots, who fly them from trailers halfway around the world using joysticks and computer screens, say some of the controls are clunky. For example, the missile-firing button sits dangerously close to the switch that shuts off the plane’s engines. Pilots are also in such short supply that the service recently put out a call for retirees to help.
An important and thoroughly documented new report on the impact of Obama's drone campaign has just been released by researchers at NYU School of Law and Stanford University Law School. Entitled "Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians From US Drone Practices in Pakistan", the report details the terrorizing effects of Obama's drone assaults as well as the numerous, highly misleading public statements from administration officials about that campaign. The study's purpose was to conduct an "independent investigation into whether, and to what extent, drone strikes in Pakistan conformed to international law and caused harm and/or injury to civilians".
I agree. Here's the latest (in case you missed it) - I think it's a V-8 kind of moment. ;-)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
You can choose to believe what you will about Democratic politicians, but the fact is that the DLC controls the DemocraticParty, and that Democrats in Congress and in the WhiteHouse have signed on to privatize public resources, utilities and deregulate (Democrats in Congress, despite all their campaign promises, have refused to regulate or perform their Constitutionally-required role of oversight, both in the Bush and Obama administrations -- What little regulating they've put in legislation the last 2 years is ineffective for a whole array of very sneaky moves). As a result, environmental and food and drug regulations aren't being enforced, defense contractors stealing us blind, insurance companies don't have to comply with health care reform laws, banks can continue as huge profit-making machines for their officers and lead the nation into one bubble and crash after another.
You can choose to think of Obama and his intentions in whatever way makes you happy (I do not think Obama "believes the best in everyone", but you've certainly bought the "Democrats are just too nice"-talking point to explain their failures to achieve on our behalf): What you can't do is explain how any of what Obama's done these past two years has been in the People's and not the Corporations' interests.
Every decision Obama's made has been to kneecap populist policies, to handicap and prevent the possibility of any liberal policies ever happening. For example, if the goal is to get affordable quality medical care for everyone, everything else pales next to SinglePayer. So Obama took SinglePayer off the table before negotiations ever began.
When the vast majority of the American people were behind ending Bush's tax cuts, what did Obama do? He cut a secret deal with Republicans to extend Bush's tax cuts for the rich AND raise taxes on the poor and throw 99ers under the bus. Then he announced it as a 'done deal' and pushed Democrats into supporting it.
Obama's done similar things throughout all of government, whether it's giving out more deepwater oil drilling permits without any safeguards in place, no financial regulatory reform to prevent more bubbles, imprisoning illegal aliens in record numbers (making the privatized prison corporations rich at taxpayer expense), etc. Now, he's put SocialSecurity, Medicare and Medicaid up on the table for cuts.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
And Chris Hedges is not anti-war. He's a fascinating guy.
In case you missed this article of his, I recommend it - Life Is Sacred (no, it's not about abortion).
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
The alternative is alternatives. One of which is wind. Another is tidal wave. And another is solar.
Germany is building a vast solar infrastructure which is already producing as much power as 3 nuclear power plants, but you know those Germans, notoriously starry eyed dreamers with little concept of real life engineering, and drowning in intense sunlight.
With what we're subsidizing (oil, nuclear, etc.), we could be investing in clean and abundant energy, and we'll be alive to actually enjoy it!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
My man Newt?
I'm a liberal Democrat. I've never voted for a Republican, never will, and at this point in our history I may never vote for another Democrat again.
Obama's desire to "work in a bipartisan manner" ignores the last several decades of Republican obstruction. Republicans didn't just stop working with Democrats (when Democrats were pushing populist policies) when Obama came to the White House; they'd been blocking all populist legislation and policies for years.
What does "working in a bipartisan manner" mean in that situation? It means that Obama is going to be the one caving to Republicans' demands in order to get legislation passed.
I didn't put Democrats into power to get Republican legislation and policies. Did you?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
When Obama came into power in 2009, the GOP wasn't on the ropes; it was down for the count because of the devastation that Bush-Cheney had caused the nation. And Obama issued Bush-Cheney and Republicans (essentially) a pardon. None of them expressed any remorse or contrition, and refused to recognize the mandate of the 2008.
After the 2010 midterms, do you recall what Obama said that election's mandate was? "More of the same", "more bipartisanship", more caving to Republicans, watering down legislation to satisfy conservatives.
Do you know what Obama said he'd do if re-elected to a second term?:
Explaining this spring how he would manage to enact his agenda in a second term, Obama was still looking forward to sitting down and cutting deals. This time, he said, Republicans would be nicer because he’s not running for re-election.Obama's either corrupt or he's the very definition of 'insanity', "doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different outcome". Or his supporters are.
And it is that attitude that creates recruits for Al Qaeda.
When someone you love is lost to a terrorist attack, you'll give a s*** about it.
About Pakistan
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
I love the smell in Pakistan in the morning when the Navy Seals are taking out bin Laden.
Anyway that you consider 9/11 (as a false-flag operation, our oil-based economy, our relationship with the Saudi royals, etc.), our policies were ultimately responsible.
As someone who has lost loved ones to terrorism, I can tell you that you get that our government's response isn't about making Americans' safer and has everything to do with commerce, business, making the rich richer.
The first week after 9/11, Bush urged Americans to "Get down to Disney World in Florida,take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed."
Do you recall Bush's TRIA (the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act?
TRIA was Bush's great big giveaway to the insurance industry. A holiday from having to pick up costs to businesses from terrorism; it created a federal "backstop" for insurance claims related to acts of terrorism. "Let the taxpayer do it!"
TRIA was supposed to be a temporary measure to allow time for the insurance industry to develop their own solutions and products to insure against acts of terrorism. It was set to expire December 31, 2005, but was extended for another two years in legislation in December 2005, making the new expiration date December 31, 2007.
On December 26, 2007, it was again extended under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which extends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act through Dec. 31, 2014.
Funny how that happens, isn't it? (Patriot Act, Bush's tax cuts for the rich, payroll tax holidays, etc.)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
The 'war on terror' was never a real war. It's a war of convenience, that can never be 'won' because it isn't a real war. A war that cannot be won, is the perfect war for the 'MIC'. It's perpetual income.=====================================
The 'war on terror' was never a real war. It's a war of convenience, that can never be 'won' because it isn't a real war. A war that cannot be won, is the perfect war for the 'MIC'. It's perpetual income.=====================================
"The war in Iraq was very very clearly about oil, as was the war in Afghanistan. The oil pipeline that was planned (in Afghanistan), the best security for that was an occupation."
"If you map the proposed pipeline route across Afghanistan and you look at our bases? Matches perfectly. Our bases are there to solve a problem that the Taliban couldn't solve. Taliban couldn't provide security in that part of Afghanistan -- Well now that's where our bases are. So, does that have to do with Osama Bin Laden? It has nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden. It has everything to do with the longer plan, in this case a strategy which I wouldn't necessarily call neoconservative, however it fits perfectly in with the neoconservative ideology which says, 'If you have military force and you need something from a weaker country, then you need to deploy that force and take what you need because your country's needs are paramount'. It's the whole idea of unilateralism, of using force to achieve your aims."
-Lt. Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski, retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel whose assignments included a variety of roles for the National Security Agency and who spent her last 4 1/2 years working at the Pentagon with Donald Rumsfeld
So what's your answer? Anarchy!
Speaking Chris Hedges, the most important read of the day...perhaps of the year:Afterwards, Hedges wrote this. Hedges was validated within a couple of days when this happened, on air, for all to see and hear:
Power and the Tiny Acts of Rebellion
By Chris Hedges
"The human toll here looks to be much worse than the economic toll, and we can be grateful for that."
-Larry Kudlow, elite
Drone Attacks are Acts of Terrorism: 168 Children Killed in America’s Drone War in Pakistan. Photographic evidence
This is what's being done in your name.
In case you wonder after the next terrorist attack here, "Why do they hate us?", look at those photos.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Only Nixon could go to China and only Obama could expand on BushCheney's war crimes.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
And what about when someone, radicalized because he lost his innocent civilian family to drones, enters the US to carry out an attack and takes your loved ones out?
IT'S ALL ABOUT HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE, OUR FOREIGN POLICIES.
About Video
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
© Blogger templates Newspaper by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
