LaurieAG Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 By the way did anyone see the report that showed Afghanistan , who used to supply 50% of the world's heroin, now supplies 90%? Is that good agronomy advice from the CIA? Hi Michaelangelica, That was last years figure, it's up to 95% now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queso Posted September 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 when is a president going to refuse the whole "hand on the bible" thing during his inauguration ?I'd like to see that.I think the "job" of the president needs to not be a job at all. You can see how people refuse to do anything right for fear of losing their job.When will someone be elected that stands up for their beliefs? Are these humans really that unethical? Guess so. I know this is somewhat off topic, but I couldn't help but think about it. There is a picture of Bill Clinton in the Cannabis Club in Oakland, CA on the wall of him and he's holding up his cannabis card. Not photoshopped or anything. And the "war on drugs" marches on.I heard that the bush administration wants to file murder charges against people who grow herb? This country is WACK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaurieAG Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 You can see how people refuse to do anything right for fear of losing their job. Hello Orb, When Francis Fukayama wrote his book 'The end of History' he probably didn't realise that he was actually heralding 'the neo age of mediocrity'. The only problem is that what you describe isn't new at all, it is very close to the medieval feudal system that operated during the dark ages when the crusades were in full force. A pity really because it allows the extremists of both the left and the right to claim that left and right don't matter anymore. For the people it's the difference between being a free peasant or an owned serf (i.e. both extremes prefer serfs/slaves to free peasants). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racoon Posted September 27, 2007 Report Share Posted September 27, 2007 Orby's right in sensing theres serious sh*! going wrong politically on widespread International levels.. To later referrence my earlier post on this thread: Israeli commandos seized nuclear material of North Korean origin during a daring raid on a secret military site in Syria before Israel bombed it this month, according to informed sources in Washington and Jerusalem. The attack was launched with American approval on September 6 after Washington was shown evidence the material was nuclear related, the well-placed sources say. They confirmed that samples taken from Syria for testing had been identified as North Korean. This raised fears that Syria might have joined North Korea and Iran in seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Israelis seized nuclear material in Syrian raid - Times Online Whether the authenticity is true or not, I cannot confirm.But it sounds plausible and was not well publicized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted September 27, 2007 Report Share Posted September 27, 2007 :angel:It would be nice to know if it was true. Who do you trust these days?Certainly the first I have heard of it. The Times seems reputable. I am just reading Eric Idle's "The Greedy Bastard Diary" very funny, LOL, full of wonderful quotable quotesIn a radio interview in Canada he said to the interviewer:-"I think Americans have gone mad and shouldn't be in charge of the world anymore. They should be diagnosed by the U.N. as legally bonkers."He goes on to say"There is a shocked silence'Have I gone to far?' I ask'No. I absolutely agree with you' he says." p42-43:) Maybe we should have a hypograpy poll on how many agree with this assessment?.:cup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queso Posted September 27, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2007 It's sad but true.Look what happens when you pamper a mass amount of people with cheap cigarettes, alcohol, lies, and shelves upon shelves of strange boxed food. (don't forget the tortured dead animals) They dumb down, and keep supporting their "four fathers" (and god) who provide them everything they need.I see so many people who can't possibly question anything. They are doomed to a life of total ignorance and comfort. I can't help but feel so passionately about this, my own parents are there herding to the television to watch the news. It's true to an extent, but there are many people who acknowledge this absurdity!We woke up in this place. It was a crude awakening for us.The people I've known that look within, are the ones that see the truth. Kids are getting smarter and smarter younger and younger, it amazes me.I thank my parents for teaching me to think for myself. No matter what happens,there is passion for truthit's evolving fast. I love every year as it goes by my perspective on the world changes..you can see the patterns throughout history... 2007, here comes the intensity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 It's sad but true.Look what happens when you pamper a mass amount of people with cheap cigarettes, alcohol, lies, and shelves upon shelves of strange boxed food. (don't forget the tortured dead animals).I think 10million cats are "put down" in the states yearly.So even life is disposable. And now for an anti-commercial breakI just received this email and thought it relevant to those trying to find out what's going on in the USAWe have similar news services in Aust but you have to pay for them. AlterNet <[email protected]>Dear AlterNet Reader, Do the corporate media make you crazy? Do you feel like you're going to explode -- so angry that you want to smash your TV?Make a gift and Support AlterNet I wouldn't be asking if we didn't need the money to get the job done. So help us reach our $50,000 fall campaign goal. You are not alone. It makes me nuts, too -- and many millions of Americans. Seriously, the corporate media stronghold on information in our country is making Americans sick and disoriented. And some people feel paranoid -- fearful about the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. The news exaggerates, lies, manipulates and puts forth a steady flow of propaganda from the White House and from fake experts. It is often hard for many to know right from wrong. That's why we need your support. A dose of AlterNet every day is one good cure for the corporate media onslaught. Stand up to Murdoch, O'Reilly and the rest of the corporate cronies by making a gift to us. Corporate media across the board have sunk to an all-time low. Conservative and business agendas and big money corrupt coverage. Biased reporting is the norm. Fox, of course, is the worst, where O'Reilly and a gaggle of right-wing TV jocks parade as journalists: * Bill O'Reilly absurdly attacks progressive blogs, saying that Daily Kos and other progressive Web sites are as hateful as the Nazis and the KKK. This is an unbelievable case of the pot calling the kettle black. * Bill Bennett is hired by CNN despite his assertion that "if you wanted to reduce crime... you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." * And look at CNN's Lou Dobbs, who drastically inflates the number of new leprosy cases in America from 398 to 7,000 in order to sabotage immigration reform. We wish this were all a joke and we could laugh it off. But the use of media to promote a pro-war right-wing agenda has worked; almost half of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein actually had weapons of mass destruction. Crazy, but true. At AlterNet, we're challenging the bad guys every step of the way. Right-wing Web sites, rabid talk-radio crazies like Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh, and the corporate honchos like Rupert Murdoch, the head of General Electric, and the rest. We never stop. Make a gift to help us. Click Here To Donate Now! You will be happy to know that AlterNet is a stable organization. Over the past 10 years we have met our budgets, paid our writers on time, and given our staff fair pay. But we are stable because we rely on readers for $200,000 a year to help us remain steady and give you all the information you can digest... for free. We're about 45 percent of the way to our goal, and we will keep pushing until we reach it. We wouldn't be asking if we didn't need it. And when we hit the goal, we'll stop asking... until next year. (However, if anyone wants to write a $110,000 check right now, we promise we'll call the whole thing off!!) So, if you want us to keep challenging these bigwigs who only care about pushing their own agenda and continue to bring you the best independent journalism and opinion you can find, make an investment in AlterNet today. Thanks so much for being a part of our community. Cheers,Don HazenDon HazenExecutive Editor, AlterNet.org P.S. - Make a monthly gift and we'll send you a copy of Naomi Wolf's latest book, The End of America: A Letter of Warning To A Young Patriot, to show our thanks. Click here to become a recurring AlterNet donor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 War...Huhhh!...What is it good for....Absolutely nothing** :naughty: **Actually, big government contracts come with war which is a good thing for contractors. This adds to the workforce, and thereby stimulates the economy. Death=Economic boom (as long as it isn't too much death...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 **Actually, big government contracts come with war which is a good thing for contractors. This adds to the workforce, and thereby stimulates the economy. Death=Economic boom (as long as it isn't too much death...)This used to be the case, but now we have consumerism and developing "third world" countries like India, China, Saudi Arabia, etc to stoke the economic fires. You can always build Dams and bridges, hospitals and schools instead of guns and tanks. This stimulates the economy just as much as war. I am not sure that America (USA part) can afford their military budget.How long can you keep borrowing from China?Surely a lot of other things like health care, housing,welfare and public eduction must suffer? During the CIA's intervention in Afghanistan (during the USSR invasion) they purchased guns and military equipment from China and everywhere except USA. So who's economy was being stimulated? Certainly the Afghanistan share of the world's heroin market has improved dramatically in recent times. Despite the US "drug offensive" using 10 Bil$ a year to stop it.How much is the CIA involved with drugs in Afghanistan and Burma to fund its clandestine operations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted September 28, 2007 Report Share Posted September 28, 2007 This used to be the case, but now we have consumerism and developing "third world" countries like India, China, Saudi Arabia, etc to stoke the economic fires. You can always build Dams and bridges, hospitals and schools instead of guns and tanks. This stimulates the economy just as much as war. But building hospitals does not create nuclear power.I am not sure that America (USA part) can afford their military budget. If we couldn't, we wouldn't have it.How long can you keep borrowing from China? As long as their currency does not contain lead or terror. :naughty: ;) Surely a lot of other things like health care, housing,welfare and public eduction must suffer? Not necessarily.Actually, I see the opposite occurring in my part of the USA. (except for health care, which is f#(ked any way you slice the pie) During the CIA's intervention in Afghanistan (during the USSR invasion) they purchased guns and military equipment from China and everywhere except USA. So who's economy was being stimulated? Are you talking about the intervention almost thirty years ago? First of all, you have to realize that a LOT of USA companies (and other countries) have moved some of their production operations to China and other "cheap producing" countries. Second, we have no clue what was/is really going on with the CIA. If we did, then it wouldn't be so secret, eh? Certainly the Afghanistan share of the world's heroin market has improved dramatically in recent times. Despite the US "drug offensive" using 10 Bil$ a year to stop it.How much is the CIA involved with drugs in Afghanistan and Burma to fund its clandestine operations? Who knows. I did have the opportunity to speak with a US soldier (on leave) recently. He described the kilometers of marijuana and poppy fields that they passed on the way to operations along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. I suspect that CIA operations along this front are constricted to information gathering (or dissemination) among locals that are free to do what they want. It is never black and white in these situations. While I hated the movie "Babel", I must say that they did a good job of portraying the ambiguity that accumulates in such struggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 This is interestingAmerica's Secret War - George Friedman - Stratfor ConsultingAmerica's Secret War - George Friedman - American Foreign Policy InsightTime - Voted Stratfor “Best Intelligence Web Site” in 2003 and ranked it in the Top 50 best Web sites.They must have found more than I could at the site.They do have a free subscription service. I've signed up so we will see.America's Secret War - George Friedman - Stratfor Trial SubscriptionAbout Stratfor Providing strategic intelligence on global business, economic, security and geopolitical affairs. Stratfor - the world's leading private intelligence firm -- provides corporations, governments and individuals with geopolitical analysis and forecasts that enable them to manage risk and anticipate political, economic and security issues vital to their interests. In today's complex global economy, corporations, government agencies and non-profit groups increasingly rely on Stratfor to help meet their intelligence needs. Stratfor's renowned subscription, monitoring and consulting solutions allow its prestigious Global 2000 client base to more effectively manage risk and identify opportunity. Stratfor offers subscription services to its critically acclaimed Web site of daily intelligence briefs and in-depth analysis. Strategic, confidential intelligence services focused on specific client needs are also available. Founded in 1996, Stratfor is headquartered in Austin, Texas with offices in Washington, D.C. and an intelligence network throughout the world.PS If you go here you get the last chapter of the book. Quite worring to read. especiallyAl Qaeda's penchant for blowing up people before an election. we will have one before the end of the yearhttp://www.americassecretwar.com/epilogue.pdfEGFrom the broader, strategic perspective, understood in terms of Al Qaeda’s goals and American goals, Iraq has been a very dangerous place, but far from the decisive battlefield.Al Qaeda has needed a political uprising in the Islamic world.The United States has needed security. Neither side has achieved its goals. I don't know much about how the USA spends its money. But I did see this on the web about the 2007 BudgetBig increases for NASA, some low-income housing programs, the National Institutes of Health and other programs were offset by cuts for the State Department, federal air traffic controllers, the National Science Foundation and certain environmental and low-income education programs. USATODAY.com - Budget bill has $15.8B in extrasContrasted with this:-One of the cornerstones of Bush's claim to be a "compassionate conservative" has been his support for education, particularly for schools that serve students from low-income familiesInside the budget USA TODAY - Find Articles If US journalist don't know nor do I.This is from the UKBush to Slash Education Budget Building Military Budget and Tax Cuts Hit Education Arts and Health in USA The President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, has submitted a budget plan for the consideration of Congress that features cuts in entitlement programmes such as Medicare and education. The budget, amounting to 2.77 trillion dollars, covers the 2007 fiscal year and includes huge increases in the military budget and aims to make permanent the tax cuts from President Bush’s first term in office. It is in line with the statement made in his recent State of the Union address, and marks a stark statement that the so – called “war on terror” must be funded through cuts in other programmes. The Budget Increases The budget will see an increase of 4.8 % in military expenditure, reaching a record level of 493.3 billion dollars. The overall spending of the Defence Department would rise by 6.9 %, with a rise in the Army’s budget from 99 to 112 billion dollars. Special Forces will increase by 15 % and the base level of pay for the military will be enhanced by 2.2 %. This does not include all of the funds to be allocated for the actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the administration to ask for an extra 79 billion dollars on top of the 50 billion approved by Congress last December.. . .The areas to be cut, unsurprisingly, are health, welfare, pension allocation and education. Projected spending cuts over the next five years would amount to 65 billion dollars, with 36 billion dollars to be slashed from Medicare. . .A full third of the cutbacks in the 141 discretionary programmes to be slashed will fall within education. Overall education spending will fall by 3.4 %, with cutbacks in areas such as programmes supporting the arts, vocational training, and the elimination of a programme providing college preparation for poor students. Furthermore, a programme combating violence against women would also be cut. FE News.co.uk: Further Education and Work Based Learning NVQ news website.PSSSupport for the troops?I was interested in the 2.2% pay increase for the troops. What is inflation in the US 3,4%?? . So the troops effectively get a pay cut? |Inflation USA 2000-2006 100.00 102.83 104.44 106.83 109.70 112.71 115.40 EconStats : Inflation | USA GERMAN UK JAPAN KOREA CHINA etc | IFS WEOYou're probably not doing anything because all you're expected to do is to say that you support the troops (what does that mean in practice?). And as long as you don't oppose the president as he dismantles the Constitution in favor of a corporate police state, then you've contributed to your president's war effort. That's the Bush Republican way. Oh, and to shop. Bob Cesca: America Used To Be Really Goddamn Awesome - Politics on The Huffington Post The Lucas Heights Reactor in Sydney makes radioactive products for hospitals. You don't have to make bombs to have nuclear technology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 No cuts in health care?Jon Wiener: Who Wants To Bomb Iran? Democrats, Not Republicans, Says Seymour Hersh Dan Brown: How to Override Bush's Child Health Insurance Veto Gen. Wesley Clark: I Support Hillary's Position on Iran OffTheBus: Bring Your Own Fork Steven Weber: Bush to Kids: Drop Dead! House Fails to Override Veto of Children's Health Bill The House failed by 16 votes to override President Bush'sveto of the children's health insurance bill. Read More:The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia -----Visit our mobile site for the latest news:The New York Times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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