Helping the Poor

I have been seeing articles and news about the poor this Christmas season. Whether they should be helped or not is a personal choice, most of it based on personal beliefs. However what I find interesting is that many of these people will help serve food on Thanksgiving or give Christmas presents to the poor while during the rest of the year they live a lifestyle that does not lift a finger to help the poor. They talk about it a lot but the action is so little. It really is a dichotomy how people will say or do something just to make them feel better while not doing anything else. These poor people still live on the streets and do not have a reliable meal the other 363 days of the year. Where are these alleged helpers during this time?

Lip service seems to be a common theme in America. They talk reams and reams of words and sometimes get very emotional but yet their actions speak louder than their words. What have they done to get these poor people off the streets? It's like the person who gives a dollar to the homeless man while going on and living his life totally opposite the rest of the time. Do they realize that giving a dollar will not help get the man off the streets?

This is really no different than the person who goes to church on Sunday and acts good during service and a few hours afterward just to wash away the guilt for all the things they do during the week. They lie, cheat, steal, and ruin people out of pettiness and then Sundays they go to church. Somehow they believe this makes them a good person? Somehow they believe they are not going to hell. It is true the Jesus forgives one for their sins but someone who acts unChristianlike during the rest of the week and goes to church on Sunday and then start their cycle of pettiness again on Monday is not going to Heaven. There is no sincerity. Jesus can tell the difference between a phony Christian and real Christian. I have had the pleasure of meeting a few real Christians but these people are far and few in between.

Racism

When most people think of racism, they think of news headlines about white people saying derogatory names to black people but most of these people don't realize what its like to grow up in a black neighborhood. Our family was not wealthy, my parents worked hard to make ends meet. Growing up in black neighborhoods and going to black dominated schools, I was often made fun of by the black students. They called me derogatory names and made funny sounds trying to imitate our language, and they do many more things than that which I won't mention here. This happened on a regular if not weekly basis. Black people want to be treated with respect but they do not treat others with respect. I've even worked with most of them working for the Houston Urban League when I was in high school mowing lawns and trimming bushes. Most of them were lazy and constantly made excuses why they shouldn't work, all the while being paid on the clock. I grew up in a family with a strong work ethic and did more work than most of them combined. Their main trait is that they complain and refuse to do work. If black people want to be treated with respect, they need to be respectful to others.

While there are number of fine black gentlemen whom I had the pleasure of working in my professional field, there are also a number of fine white gentlemen in the world too. I don't see the black people complimenting them when they talk about racism. I will talk about the fine black gentlemen whom I have worked with. Their personality are often a joy to work with and they are usually socially savvy. They are often funny and witty. They overcame the ghetto mentality and developed a good work ethic as well as developing into fine human beings learning to take responsibility for themselves.

James Baker and Iraq

NY Times.

The Road to Reliable Elections

NY Times.

Irag Study Report

CNN. Full Report.

James Baker is finally bringing some decency and integrity back into the Republican name.

A Must See Movie

A compelling movie about the IRS, Our Big Brother, and how our 2006 election was rigged. Watch online now, courtesy of Google.
Movie.

The Draft

This guy is worse than the Republicans and he is just as bad a liar. Article. Members of Congress have always found ways to exempt their children from the draft. This guy is such a horrible liar that his reasoning, and intelligence, is along the lines of W. Bush.

I don't mind re-enlisting and found often thought about it. I like combat and war for the right reasons. I'm not re-enlisting for a bullshit war.

First Order of New Congress

1. Settle the issue of the Iraq War.
2. Revoke all privileges granted by the President during his Presidency such as warrantless spying, and return our freedom to us, ie.civil rights and civil liberties
3. Ethics reform.
4. Remove from Office, the President and Vice President.
Impeachment of George W Bush requires only a majority vote in the House. Removing him from office requires a two-thirds vote from the Senate, which is impossible with the allocation of Democratic senators at only 51 seats.
Though the Democrats can easily pass laws, the President can easily veto each law. It would require a two-thirds vote of each chamber of Congress to override the President's veto, which is not likely to happen since the Republicans still occupy a good portion. While progress was made during Tuesday's election, the President still holds power and can veto any Democratic laws passed through Congress. Of course, the President will look bad vetoing good legislation but doing bad things has never bothered W. before.
The victory in Congress for the Democrats is a good one but certainly not enough to stop the Presidential abuse of power other than noise making. The Democrats need 290 seats in the House and 67 seats in the Senate to override the President's vetos. Tuesday's elections was not enough of a landslide victory to give the Democrats enough power to take back control of the country so the items on this list are not doable. For now they can only prevent ridiculous Republican legislation from passing into law. Either the people have not spoken loud enough, or the votes were fraudulently counted so that more Republicans falsely won than really happened.

Vote

If you are tired of the Republicans KKK tactics to prevent non-Republican voters from voting, vote Democrat or Independent. The Republicans strategy to prevent non-Republicans from voting remind me of the stuff I read in textbooks over a century ago. People say that the United States has grown so much since but sadly that is no longer the case thanks to the new Republican Party which has been taken over by the new KKK. You have to wonder who at the high level is masterminding these tactics in the Republican Party? Remember to videotape all illegal activity and give it to the news agencies. Don't just call 1-888-DEMVOTE to report activity by the Republican henchmen.

Take our Country Back Today!

It's Voting Day: Nov. 7

If you disapprove of the president and the way he is running the country, remember to vote Democrat or Independent. Let's remove Bush and his corrupt gang of Republicans from office. Long live our New Country. It's time for a change.

Is flouride in drinking water really safe?

Link 1.
Link 2.
Secrets to brushing teeth.

I use Arm & Hammer Advance White Dental Baking Soda and Peroxide toothpaste.

More on the FDA

Video.

Thoughts on the FDA

Video.

Terrorist plot foiled

It's really interesting that when terrorists, who are about to attempt a massive plot, get caught, they are not caught by the United States under the brilliant direction of George Bush. Article. With all the billions of dollars Bush authorizes for the war on terror to fund this business associates, it's quite interesting that terrorists are caught by Britain. I don't see them spending the trillion dollar budgets that Bush authorizes for the war on terror, yet they do a a pretty darn good job.

The Bush Administration now claims that it "has been tracking this terrorist cell for months." Well if that is the case, wouldn't they have been arrested in the United States? Duh! Obvisouly they don't want to look stupid and incompetent by saying they know nothing about it. All Bush had to do was call Britain's Tony Blair and ask, "Can we get some credit too? I don't want to look like a fool. You know how it is." Tony Blair probably responded, "I don't know ... but I can sure give you co-credit. Say I need a few favors myself ..."

Israel's "war" with Hezbollah a good idea

I think it's great that Israel is standing up to Hezbollah and demanding the return of its citizens. Since the Munich incident in the 1972 Olympic Games, the PLO has continued to pick on the little nation of Israel. You can read about it here. If someone broke into your home and kidnapped your family members, you'd want justice, wouldn't you? You would want to know that your home was safe from such future attacks. You'd want your family members back. And you would want justice for the crimes they committed. It's about time Hezbollah and the PLO were told to stop. Israel may be a small nation but its fighting spirit is huge. I honor them for protecting their rights and sovereignty. It's a clear sign that Israel will not be putting up with the continued abuse. The PLO has never taken the responsibility for its actions. This is no exception. Just as in regular civilian law, criminal behavior will be punished. In regular society, criminals are disarmed, their weapons confiscated, and they are jailed until they "reform". This is no different than Hezbollah and the PLO continuing to commit crimes against Israel. They must be disarmed, prevented from any more criminal behavior, and most of all, Hellzbollah leaders must be tried for their crimes just as anyone else would be if they commited a criminal act.

Israel will be a great ally for us against the war on terrorism against Iran and Syria.

Independence Day

Independence Day is the day to celebrate the birth of our Freedom sinced in July 4, 1776, by our Founding Fathers. That was the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of Freedom for America.

American values are based on the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution which defines our freedoms and birthrights. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of justice. Freedom from persecution. These documents set the path for the American way of life.

Now the Republicans have destroyed that. Bush and the Republicans have marked the ending of Freedom for America.

It is shameful that the Republicans are committing our troops for more killings. Murder is not an option. Bush and the Republicans Policies in Iraq are dangerous, reckless, and shameless.

The Republicans acting the most idiotic never served in the military or conveniently dodge the draft like the cowards they are. They run like cowards the first chance they get and send other people’s children to do the tough work in Iraq. When there’s something to lose, its never the cowards, it always the brave soldiers that die.

Republicans, Don’t Run Like Cowards. Go over to Iraq and fight like a real man. It’s about time you stopped striking yellow.

Republican’s “Good for Nothing” strategy. Let other people risk their lives and do the work of real man while they sit back and use others like “Good for Nothings”.

Declaration of Independence

American values such as Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence have been seriously challenged since Bush and the G.O.P have taken office. They have constantly violated our unalienable rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. These rights include the Right to Privacy, Freedom of the Press, and Right to a Jury Trial. It's ironic that Bush would say immigrants should learn American values when he is the one that hasn't learned it.

Let's look at Amendment 6. "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense." How many times has this been violated since Bush took office? People have been kept in jail cells for years without knowing the charges against them or any hint of a trial.

Let's look at Amendment 4. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." Now think about Bush's NSA phone tapping program and the Patriot Act. How many things have been searched through the Patriot Act without a court order?

Amendment 1. Freedom of Speech. Freedom of the Press. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Now the Republican Congress is threatening reporters.

I quote this from the Declaration of Independence, "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

The Declaration of Independence is worth reading in whole. It's only one page of writing.

Situation in Iraq: Knowing Your Enemy

Read here. 72% of U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq say U.S. should leave by end of 2006. Read here.

World's #1 Terrorist

Read here to see the World's #1 Terrorist. Terrorism has got to stop. Unfortunately the Republican "feed the terrorists" Strategy continues. Look what the Republican "feed the terrorist" Strategy is doing to our soldiers. If it weren't for their strategy, we wouldn't be in the situation we are today.

Sounds like serious Spy work in progress

First the Veterans information were stolen. Now this.

Was Kerry the True Winner of the 2004 Presidential Election?

Read here.

With this rigged system, is there a chance that a Democratic President will ever win again?

If the votes were truthfully counted, Kerry won Ohio (20 electoral votes) and New Mexico (5 electoral votes). The final electoral college vote would be Kerry (277) vs. Bush (261). Was this election stolen from him? John Kerry is the rightful President of the United States.

Make no mistake, this was a coup d'etat by the Bush Administration.

Bush Sr. wanted Rumsfeld replaced

Read here.

Can Democrats really win November elections if voting is fixed by Republicans?

Jeb Bush and Republicans in five states left a loophole in the computer system so that voting results can be easily altered at their discretion.

Washington Post.

Read how the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) September 2005 report states that

* Some voting machines did not encrypt cast ballots or system audit logs, and it was possible to alter both without being detected.

* It was possible to alter the machines so that a ballot cast for one candidate would be recorded for another.

* Vendors installed uncertified versions of voting system software at the local level.

* Access was easily compromised and did not require a widespread conspiracy. A small handful of people is sufficient to steal an election.

-- CounterPunch

DVD: The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

I just viewed this DVD tonight. Quite interesting.

Investigative Reporter Greg Palast goes into detail and provides concrete evidence how
1. The 2000 Presidential vote count in Florida was "rigged" and how Al Gore was the rightful winner of the 2000 Presidential election
2. How George W. Bush avoided the Vietnam draft with the help of his Congressman father
3. W.'s link to Enron's Kenneth Lay
4. Saudi Families massive money contributions to the Bush Family prior to the Iraq War
5. W.'s financial connection to the Bin Laden family and how he prevented the FBI from investigating the Bin Ladens' prior to 9/11

Greg Palast also has a book out on the topic. I assume it provides more details.

Pleasing Dick Cheney: The Job of Congress?

According to recent statements by Dick Cheney, Arlen Specter ruined a lot of built up good will between them by questioning Dick Cheney's methods of lobbying. Dick Cheney thinks it is Congress' job to try to please him.

Why would we need a separate of powers if all the other branches job were to please the Executive branch?

The only thing one can get from pleasing Dick Cheney is to be considered a laughing stock by the rest of the country. Just look at W. for evidence. :) Building up good will with Dick Cheney means running around and being his gopher boy. Since Dick Cheney has no morals, you have to question yourself if you want to be led by someone without morals or ethics? What happens to you when he's done with you?

Theft of military personnel data from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Whoever stole this list knows that can it be sold to countries that are doing espionage against us. It can identity key members in the military, including rank and contact information so that they can be bribed or eliminated, if necessary.

Identity theft is the least of their problems.

For the sake of argument, let's say some country wants to invade the U.S. The first problem after taking over the country is the insurgency. Who would most likely be insurgents? Military and ex-military personnel. Data that was stolen. They would target them for extermination.

The G.O.P. and W. have failed US citizens in security measures.

Estate Tax Repeal

I think estate taxes should be repealed. I think income taxes should be repealed. But first, let's start with income taxes.

How do we balance the budget you may ask? BY CUTTING SPENDING ON UNNECESSARY WARS. I've covered this before here.

Let me be clear, I support this only if they pass legislation to repeal income tax first. We should not be taxed ... period.

Local Hero

CNN.

They should all be prosecuted

MSNBC.

Congressman William Jefferson should be prosecuted and the evidence seized legal. Why? Because Congress as a whole has done nothing to stop the government from invading our civil rights and liberties. They only *care* and make noise now that they realize they could be next. Are they serving the interests of the people or their own?

William Jefferson should be prosecuted for the fact that evidence points to fact that he is very likely guilty. It is amazing that members of Congress who had ignored how many times the President violated the U.S. Constitution now make a big fuss. It is likely that ones who are making a big fuss likely to be guilty of bribery and corruption and need to be investigated themselves. I mean they didn't care about rights unless they were on the line. It seems obvious they are guilty. The number of people in Congress, both Democrat and Republican, that have been bought out by wealthy Capitalists and corporations is pretty high for them to be fearing investigation. If they were innocent, there would be nothing to fear. It again proves the point that this is not a government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is a government of the Capitalists, by the Capitalists, and for the Capitalists.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican because I can't stand the corruption of both sides of the parties. I believe in the original vision of our Founding Fathers.

Our Founding Fathers had envisioned a Democracy. Much of that changed with the coming of the Industrial Age in the late 1800's and taxation. When the United States was created, there was no income tax. It wasn't needed. Now that taxes are collected, Capitalists want that money for themselves and they are willing to pay politicians millions in order to get the billions.

In the time of George Washington and other Founding Fathers, this never happened because there was no income taxation and no wealthy Capitalists controlling the country and perhaps the world. Their design of democracy did not take into account the checks and balances for these things. Any democracies we set up such as Iraq will have same corruption problems, at best.

The American Revolution started because Americans like being taxed by England and not getting anything for it. "No taxation without representation" was their cry. Yet today we have the same issue. Our representatives do not represent us or our interests and yet we are taxed and heavily at that.

"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people." -- Abraham Lincoln

* Capitalists is defined here by dishonest businessmen who seek to cheat and defraud to achieve their fortunes. I certainly applaud honest businessmen.

Democracy and Votes

NY Times.

Jeb Bush runs Florida and part of the GOP so those laws shouldn't be surprising. He is just another flavor of W. Bush. Imagine what would happen if he were to become President.

That Sucks

MSNBC.

You can't even do the right thing on your job. Prosecutor Richard Ceballos wrote a memo questioning whether a county sheriff’s deputy had lied in a search warrant affidavit. Just questioning it cost him a demotion and a job promotion.

Bush Now has control of the Supreme Court now that Alito (Bush's pick) is on the bench. The purpose of this ruling is for anyone who wants to make a stand for what they believe in, can lose their job. That includes Generals who are still active duty and leaks by CIA officials . Bush's government is trying discourage leaks about their wrongdoings.

The important point is this not a Democracy where law is upheld. It is a totalitarian system where whoever has been bought out at the top can punish anyone below who tries to uphold the law. That is the real meaning. That is not a democracy.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone

The Illusion of a Democracy

From early childhood through the high school years, we are sold on the illusion of a democracy. People often believe this is what the United States is about and many are proud of it. I for one was. It was certainly a great democracy in the days of our Founding Fathers like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately now, it is used a selling point in order to invade other countries. "We must set up a democracy in Iraq." A democracy, huh? Well ideally that would sound great but under the current administration and Congress, we are fast approaching a totalitarian government. It has constantly violated our Constitutions rights and underlying principles of this country. The idea of a democracy is representation of the people in government. Currently what we have is representation of wealthy corporations in the Republican Congress. Citizens are no longer represented effectively except that every now and then, we'll seem something rare. Our tax dollars, which is a considerable size of our paychecks, at least 30-40% seems like a lot to me, are spent to support wealthy corporations and conduct wars on their behalf under the illusion of democracy.

Money buys power. Money buys representation. Congressmen are not allowed to touch our tax dollars directly but can influence legislation and approve of wars that send our tax dollars to corporations. Why would they do this? Well for one, these wealth corporations have a way of influencing and paying Congressmen millions of dollars for their assistance. Money rules the world, it buys legislation and votes. You may say that Congress is only the U.S. and not the world, but is it not true that the U.S. almost controls the world and decides that on its own. Never mind the false illusion of the United Nations, the United States when it wants to starts a war. This is done with false evidence and allegations. Look how we got in the war with Iraq claiming they had weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda. None of this has proven to be true. If the money from wealthy corporations like Halliburton and other oil companies are enough to influence the president and his decisions, where is a democracy and representation of its people stand?

Are we really setting up a "Democracy" in Iraq? Do we even live in a Democracy? Yet this is a good selling point .

Erase all money trails

Business Week article.

Interesting how Bush passed this law so that it can be used to exclude how Halliburton's (Dick Cheney's company, NYSE: HAL) accounting from showing WHERE THE MONEY WENT. This makes the hundreds of billions of dollars sent to Halliburton untraceable. One has to wonder how much of the federal budget allocated to Halliburton and other defense contractors flow back into Bush and Cheney's pockets. There's no way to trace it now. Bush made sure of it.

I have been saying for a while now how Bush and Cheney were profiting from the war with hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Now Bush makes it official the money can't be traced to him and his family.

Bush likes war because he and his friends profit from it. The excuses for startting a war of course is for national security ... obviously. The more money the Bush family and friends have, the easier it is to control the world when he is no longer president. Money rules the world. Start lots of unnecessary wars. Make lots of money for Bush.

Imagine that without this law, Halliburton could be scrutinized for Fraud and Conspiracy just like Enron. Of course W. knows he doesn't want Cheney end up like Enron Chiefs Lay and Skilling. With enough investigation, legal evidence may even point to W.

Bush Regime may prosecute Reporters

Article. Now the Bush Regime finally admits they use the phone tapping for other purposes than what they claim. We knew this all along. We knew Bush as lying all along when he said it would be used for just tracking Al-Qaeda and terrorists. This is all part of the Bush totalitarian regime where they seek any reason they possibly can to prosecute those that have a voice against Bush. I knew this all along and stated it from the beginning. It's good they finally admit it so that the rest of the public can see what Bush is about. Of course the GOP will most likely back the phone tapping program and confirm Hayden to continue the phone tapping as director of the CIA.

The Fuhrer used the same rational of "national security" to get total control of Germany. The thing nowadays is that you have to prove it is national security and not just a bogus line in the US Federal Courts. That means they have to prove beyond a "reasonable doubt" that the reporters are undermining the country and not just provide some bogus theories without proof. Of course, that is the way our ForeFathers like George Washington designed the Constitution and Bill of Rights. However, we won't likely be seeing those days anymore as the Bush Regime has done a coup d 'etat on the country and they are backed by the GOP.

See if the judge presiding over the case is a Bush backer, especially if he was appointed by Bush, then the reporters are toast. Besides the Feds have been known to strong arm judges to do their bidding. This country under the Bush Regime is not based on real laws but on totalitarian control and submission to his control.

Realities of War ...

For those who are interested in the realities of war, oneshould watch 'Black Hawk Down'. It is on cable this weekend on the FX channel. War is nothing like the stuff you see in 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Power Rangers'. This movie accurate portrays what real combat is like.

This movie is based on real life events and is an example of what happens when you don't send enough troops to control an area. The soldier suffer the consequences. Keep in mind that these soldiers were Rangers and Delta Force. Still they suffered heavily even with their expert training mainly because the area they were in was not secured with enough troops. Had regular infantry units been sent in, the casualties would have been many more. Now think about what's happening in Iraq.

If there aren't enough troops to control an area, they should be withdrawn.

Like I said ...

Congress is just show and tell. Pretending to be upset with the President and his decisions. It looks like from all indications they will be confirming Hayden as director of the cia just as Bush wants. It's quite obvious the GOP still ardently supports the President regardless of what bad decisions he makes whether it be Iraq or anything else.

N.S.A. Phone Tapping Program

"Like the N.S.A. database on 200 million American phone customers that was described last week by USA Today, this program may have more to do with monitoring "traitors" like reporters and leakers than with tracking terrorists." -- NY Times

Are we living in a Dictatorship?

Dictatorship, in contemporary usage, refers to absolute rule by a leadership (usually one dictator) unrestricted by law, constitutions, or other social and political factors within the state.

Congress will make a big fuss about The President acting unrestricted by law but it is all just for show and tell. Does it change anything? Is Bush still doing what we wants?

I remember in high school, my fellow students were saying how dumb the German people were to be led by the charismatic speaker Adolph Hitler and didn't do anything to stop him when they found out he was up to no good. People often think they are smarter than others but when they are put in the same place, they don't do any different. Closer to the end of Hitler's reign, the German people knew what was happening, but they chose to imagine that everything was okay and their leader was not leading them into hell. There's still a 31 percent of the U.S. population, according to Polls, who still believe in this fantasy too about Bush.

The German people knew they couldn't stop him. Here in the U.S., at least people are vocalizing their discontent but what has this changed? Is it going to stop Bush's dictatorship leading us into constant war as The Fuhrer did and ruling the country as he wishes?

Catholicism worked for him

CNN.

I did say this was going to happen ...

W. wants Bush Dynasty to continue. My prediction, then and now is they'll use the CIA and warrantless eavesdropping to blackmail qualified people from running against him while keeping Jeb's secrets safe with W. Then they'll let the people with low chances of winning go ahead and run. They also blackmail Congressmen into supporting Jeb as well. You need the neo-gestapo (CIA, warrantless searching, holding people without sufficient evidence, torturing and holding people illegally without trial) so that the Bush Dictatorship Dynasty continues.

FBI up to old tricks again

NY Times Article.

"In Defense of Donald Rumsfeld"

Rumsfeld's Defenders

I didn't get a chance to read the WSJ Op-Ed article by 4 retired generals named "In Defense of Donald Rumsfeld". I have enough trouble paying bills while buying a beautiful new 3,400 square foot home. I can't afford to subscribe to every news service. So I am responding based on quotes of their Op-Ed article freely available on CNN. Here.

So I did a quick check, and found out that Lt. General Thomas McInerney was an Air Force General. This is quite interesting. An air force guy telling Army and Marine Generals how to conduct land warfare. I think it is outside of his area of expertise. And to be honest, I don't know how much dealing he had with Rumsfeld while he was in service. From what I can ascertain, he retired long before the Iraq war, so I can only ascertain the General is commenting out of thin air.

Maj. Gen. Buron Moore, U.S. Air Force is also retired U.S. Air Force. Where do these Air Force guys come from telling Army and Marine Generals what real land warfare is about and that Army and Marine Generals don't understand asymmetric warfare like the Air Force guys do. ha ha ha This has got to be some kind of joke.

Maj. Gen Paul Vallely, he is retired Army so I'll take him seriously. He seems well qualified to speak on guerilla warfare given his experience in Special Operations for 15 years. He is a graduate of the Infantry School, Ranger and Airborne Schools, and Jumpmaster School. Nevertheless, he was never General while working under Rumsfeld while Rumsfeld was Secretary of Defense so he doesn't really know what it is like to work under Rumsfeld's "leadership (or lack thereof)". He is only conjecturing.

Personally, I question Paul Valley statements that the dissenting Generals don't understand asymmetric warfare when in fact the Generals had strongly suggested a plan in dealing with the aftermath of Iraq, which was ignored by Rumsfeld. This is where all the asymmetric warfare has occurred and properly addressed by the dissenting Generals. Paul Vallely claims Rumsfeld "understands" asymmetric warfare and the dissenting Generals didn't. If you look at the facts, you can see that Rumsfeld had no plan for asymmetric warfare. And the dissenting Generals expected asymmetric warfare and wanted a proper plan for it. I am really disappointed at Paul Vallely. I would have expected more intelligence from someone trained in Special Operations Metholodogies.

Lt. Gen. John Crosby, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Couldn't get much info on his background. Training and Doctrine is not the same as Infantry or Combat, so commenting on guerilla warfare is outside his area of expertise. It would be like a General from Medical division giving comments on warfare.

Here's some interesting articles:
Article.

San Francisco Chronicle.


Now for the dissenting Generals

Lt. General Gregory Newbold, U.S. Marine Corps. He was the military's top operations officer before the invasion of Iraq. He wrote, "[The decision to invade Iraq] was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions -- or bury the results." "I retired from the military four months before the invasion, in part because of my opposition to those who had used 9/11's tragedy to hijack our security policy."

General Shinseki, who commanded the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia, testified before Congress in February 2003 that peacekeeping operations in Iraq could require several hundred thousand troops, in part because it was a country with "the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems." Rumsfeld had him replaced [for dissenting].

As early as 1998 (when neoconservatives began agitating for the removal of Saddam Hussein), General Zinni was warning that "a weakened, fragmented, chaotic Iraq" could be "more dangerous in the long run than a contained Saddam." And in 2002, as the war drums beat louder and louder in Washington, General Zinni warned that invading Iraq could create more enemies for America in the Middle East, stretch the American military too thin, strain relations with allies and cost billions of dollars for reconstruction. -- NY Times


General Zinni, who as commander of CENTCOM had prepared contingency plans for the possible fall of Mr. Hussein, also recommended that if an invasion of Iraq were pursued, it should rely upon "overwhelming force," and that a comprehensive plan for reconstruction be adopted before the war. His outline of such a plan (dealing with the protection of infrastructure, the sealing of borders, political fallout and an assortment of economic and social issues) was dismissed at the Pentagon, the New Yorker writer George Packer has reported, on the grounds that its assumptions were "too negative."-- NY Times

And finally a statement from Colin Powell:
"Serious mistakes [were made] in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Baghdad," Colin Powell, former secretary of state and Joint Chiefs chairman, said in a speech last week. "We didn't have enough troops on the ground. We didn't impose our will. As a result an insurgency got started, and it got out of control." -- CS Monitor

Rumsfeld's Pentagon Memo

NY Times Article. The only problem with the White House's story is that active duty Officers are *NOT* allowed to speak their mind publicly. There would be serious consequences to their career, some of which is legal, since the government owns active duty Officers.

In fact, it's in the best interest of those who are still active duty to play the game and play nice to the White House, because you never who what could happen to you if you don't. One thing about the military I didn't like was that they OWN YOU 24/7 ... LEGALLY. They own what you can say and do ... on and off the job. Basically by joining the military, you waive all rights given to U.S. citizens. It's a pretty big sacrifice. I was told by my superiors in the military that "Freedom isn't Free. You have to give up your freedom so that others may have it."

You are not free to speak your mind to the public until you are retired or discharged from the military. And even when you are discharged, you are given a DD 214 if you served less than 8 years. This means you can be recalled at any time even if you only signed for 4 years. It is not advantageous to speak your mind publicly but some do so because they believe very strongly in what they do and are willing to risk the consequences to do so.

Also there is the issue of how many Officers are in the Infantry division? There are a lot of other Officers in other branches who do not deal directly with combat and wouldn't have much to comment on in combat given their experience. Also how many Officers actually deal with Rumsfeld? Usually only the Generals in combat related fields work with Rumsfeld, lower Officers have to get their others from their proper chain of command.

It's Tax Time Again

Make sure to pay all your taxes so that more U.S. soldiers can be killed, more innocent lives sacrificed, more illegal wars are started, and to fund welfare to corporations while justice and economic programs in our country are a joke.

Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate

NY Times Article. If they don't believe in what they are doing or what the war is about, there is no point in staying. When I joined the Army, I actively sought combat in the Special Forces branch, but I wasn't going to stay if I didn't believe in what I was doing.

When I found out the the top 2 people in my chain of command is Donald Rumsfeld and George W. Bush, I said to myself, "This is a joke."

All those prayers worked for her

Journalist Jill Caroll freed.

Secret plan to bankrupt USA?

Interesting perspective. In fact, wasn't that the US plan to bankrupt the Soviet Union by having them go broke by overspending on military buildup and intelligence due to the paranoia syndrome? Guess it worked only because we had more money to waste than them. Thanks to U.S. taxpayers who work hard for their money. We can fund an ever increasing budget by increasing taxes. 90% tax rate may one day happen if we the U.S. government keep on overspending. The Soviet Union couldn't keep up with the U.S. spending on military and intelligence because their citizens don't produce much of an income so they went broke and got disbanded.

But there's an interesting point of critical mass. The point at which U.S. citizens are taxed at 100%, or really at 80%. At that point, taxpayers money can no longer support the overspending and then the U.S. government goes broke and gets disbanded.

Time Off

I will be taking time off from political commenting to spend more time with my family. After all, I do have a normal job to attend to, to pay the bills, and a family to support. Any posts I make from this point on will be intermitten.

Coast Guard Memo

Link.

Sociopath

Definition: Sociopath. One who says or does whatever it takes to get what they want regardless of the consequences to what happens to the other side. This includes lies, trickery, and outright deceit. Getting what they want includes political power, money from bribes, and money from unaudited budgets. They have no remorse for their actions.

Sounds a lot like our President, doesn't it? Hmmm. :)

Illegal Immigrants

I really see no problems with immigrants coming in United States, as long as they are not from countries with terrorist connections. I used to buy pizza from owners that were Middle Eastern, when I used to be on such a diet. I see no problem in that. They are friendly and nice people. I know of people who hire Latinos to help them with moving and housework. They are for the most part hard working, though they tend to steal when they get the chance. I personally like Chinese women, I think for the most part they are cute.

The only problem I see is of national security when people from countries of terrorist connections enter our country. Countries such as Iran, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates concern me. If you applied for Top Secret Clearance in the government (there are 6 levels), you are often denied clearance because of your background or people who know, even if you've done nothing wrong. This is standard government procedure for security purposes. The FBI does an extensive check on you talking to your friends, neighbors, relatives.

People are denied clearance or certain access because of their associations. This is standard government procedure. The question is, why is Bush bypassing normal security clearance procedures by granting the port deal to a country with associations with terrorist leaders such as Osama Bin Laden and 9/11?

If someone applied to be Police officer, they actually check where you live in and deny your application to be an officer if they find it it is an area of high crime. Similary according to standard procedures and practices, what should they do if they find a country with links to crime and terrorist activity do?

I don't like people who play the race card because it is dishonest. They are trying to hide the real underlying issues.

Ted Koppel reports on the Patriot Act

Link.

Oil

Interesting perspective from someone I respected since childhood.

Few caught in Bribe

CNN.

Few caught in Bribe, thousands more are not. Just look at the Bush administration. Their strategy: It is better to look stupid and incompetent than corrupt and bought.

Imports

Did you know that illegal Chinese immigrants have been caught coming through the Port of Los Angeles? Who do you think "leases" the Port of Los Angeles? Companies from China, Denmark, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

If Dubai Ports World "leases" the six major ports, which illegals do you think would be coming through those ports? Is it China, Iran, and/or United Arab Emirates nationals? Iran is a major trading partner to Dubai.

So knowing all this, why does the Bush administration continue to press for Dubai Ports World to have our ports? Money. Money. and Money. It's obvious the Bush adminstration has been paid off. DPW even hired Bob Dole, whom I once respected and voted for, to lobby Congress to get the deal passed. It's amazing how many politicians you can buy off with money.

Definition: Lobbying. Bribing, usually with money, politicians and other public officials to vote and publicly support a certain position. Here's an example to swing U.S. citizens disposition to DPW. Another example is here: The United Arab Emirates has long-standing ties to the Bush family. Records show the UAE and one of its sheikhs contributed at least $1 million before 1995 to the Bush Library Foundation, which established the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas.

By the way, that is how con-artists work, if anyone has ever met one in person. They generally lavish you with gifts, money, etc. to get you to do what they want. Anyone who has dealt with a con-artist knows you are left with the short end of the stick. They give you a little to get a lot in return. They depend on your gratitude and natural human reciprocation tendencies (see Robert Cialdini's research on this). It's like paying $25 to get something worth $5,000 to roll in their favor. It's obviously very beneficial for them.

Iran-Dubai Connection

World Net Daily.

Bin Laden and United Arab Emirates?

CNN.

Ports: Former Homeland Security Inspector General comments

NY Times.

CNN.

Ports

The United Arab Emirates state controlled company Dubai Ports World will be taking over six of our major ports if Bush has his way. Bush says there are safeguards in place to prevent terrorism from being imported into our country covertly. I assume it is the same safeguards the Bush admnistration has in place for auditing defense spending. *rolls eyes*

Personally, it is interesting how Bush can guarantee security on these ports when there are thousands of people from China being illegally imported on our ports today. While it is true that many of our ports are operated by foreign countries, we should check the background and connections of those countries before granting access to our ports. That's how large supplies of illegal drugs such as cocaine and "ice" are shipped into our country . As you can see from the prevalent availability of these drugs in U.S. society, current security measures are inadequate. Only a small percentage of these shipments are caught. If we can not stop drugs and illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. at the ports, why does Bush say it is safe from terrorists and nuclear weapons? He even goes so far as to say that it has been reviewed by him and his cabinet and passed. What is he really up to? Why would sheiks who are so wealthy from oil production care about our ports? What's in it for them?

"Lawmakers from both parties have noted that some of the Sept. 11 hijackers used the United Arab Emirates as an operational and financial base. In addition, critics contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist." -- NY Times

Bush wants another terrorist attack on U.S. Soil

Article 1.
Article 2.

It would make perfect sense that Bush would want a middle eastern company with a mixed record on terrorism to have total control of these ports. In that way, a dirty bomb or other terrorists and equipment can get into U.S. without going through the regular channels of security. You may wonder why Bush would want to do this? It is actually pretty simple. By letting another terrorist attack happen, he would put the fear into U.S. citizens and Congress to give him more power and more money to do what he needs to do. See by allowing a hole for terrorists to enter, he would be justified in the N.S.A. eavesdropping program. He would totally eliminate civil liberties and rights. Plus he would get more funding for the corrupt defense contractors who probably give financial kickbacks to him and Cheney. And then finally ... more wars ... because the world is not safe.

By "allowing" terrorists to slip into U.S. soil and create terror, Bush will get all the power he dreams of ... and more. Dreams really do come true for Bush. They've gotten away with everything so far. All they have to do is put up with a U.S. public that doesn't like them. Seems like a price Bush is willing to pay to get what he wants.

There is a whole bunch of Bush family members in politics. In fact, if he plays his cards right, his family (siblings) can continue to rule the United States for the next generation. He can even write his own law (much like the N.S.A. eavesdropping and torture laws) removing presidential term limits. Wow! This is a dream come true for Bush ... all at the expense of the United States of America and its citizens.

Bush wants us to believe that he doesn't have enough power. The problem is the Bush has too much power and using it incorrectlly. That's how we got into the Iraq war in the first place. That's how we lost our civil liberties. That's why there's no accountability for random torture of people. And now he wants to let terrorist have free reign over our country's doors. Bush's power should be limited and he should be removed from Office due to High Treason to the United States of America.

* High treason, broadly defined, is an action which is grossly disloyal to one's country or sovereign.

It's good to know that there are still patriots in Congress who are fighting the Bush port deal.

People who practice Magick

Have you ever noticed that the leaders who lead these groups are often obese? That is they are often 100+ lbs. overweight. In some cases, 200+ lbs. These people claim to be able to teach you magickal powers and the great mystical forces of the universe. Yet if you ever meet them in person, you would think how did they get so depressed to not take care of themselves physically. To get that fat, you'd have to stuff huge amounts of junk down your throat. These same people claim to teach you methods of spiritual power, motivation, and getting your life going yet they can't even stop themselves from molesting children. It's obvious that it's not working for them. They don't like themselves to do that kind of damage to their bodies and to hurt innocent children like that. It's obvious they also lack discipline. Discipline is the key ingredient in motivation. Yet these overly obese individuals claim to be able to teach it to you. It's like listening to the fat Buddha tell you about how to achieve discipline. ha ha. Or the Catholic priests tell you about being perfect and whole and doing work for God while they molest hundreds of little children. Do you know what the Catholic Church actually does when they find out about these things? ha ha They squash any news about it. ha ha In most cases, the Church actually moves the priest to another district to be a priest without telling any of the church goers about his history. Do you know what actually happens? The priest starts molesting children again. People actually believe that if they go to Church and believe in God, and pray, that their children will be protected. This is all so silly. These people claim to teach you about life, about what's right, and how God will protect you. Yet once you understand about self-respect, dignity, honor, integrity, love, and common sense, you know that these people don't have it. These organizations fill you with false ideologies and yet their teachers lack integrity and they especially lack honor. Obviously, it doesn't work for them. And obviously, that system doesn't work. They waste your time in thinking in fantasy trips that your mind has no time to deal with reality. In short, there is no time to develop common sense and intelligence when your mind is deluded with these fantasies.

If you really want to be a decent human being, think about doing what's best for the country, for the people, and for Life. And share your compassion and love with mankind. Live your life this way, and the answers in life you seek from God will come to you automatically.

A Kill

Kill one person, you are considered a murderer.
Kill a hundred, you are a serial killer.
Kill one hundred thousand, you are George Bush, President of the United States.*

Immune and above all laws.

Bush wants another war?

Article. Or is it going to be Iran? Plenty of more opportunities for corruption and money making at taxpayers expense and U.S. soldiers lives.

Money for Nothing - Billions of Taxpayer Dollars disappear in Iraq without accountability

Article. Massive Corruption from Cheney/Bush friends.

$1 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars disappear every week in Iraq without audit trails

"According to the GAO the amount of money being spent by the United States in Iraq is 15 times great than was spent in Bosnia, but only twice as many contracting and acquisition experts are overseeing Iraq contracts.

Far from being able to drill down into individual contracts to see whether they are being competently handled, Walker said the GAO has its hands full just trying to follow the big picture.

"We don't even know how they are spending $1 billion a week in Iraq, because their accounting records are abysmal," Walker said." -- Washington Times

Is this part of the Cheney and Friends Retirement Fund?

Arms Trade

The U.S. is the Biggest Arms Dealer in the World. That is, it sells arms (weapons) to other countries so that war can prosper and the U.S. government can cite additional reason for "protection services" (ie. increasing defense budget and lining their own deep pockets with unaccounted funds) and engaging in more wars. For movie version of this, see the movie "Lord of War". This is, of course, facilitated by the Presidency through the C.I.A.

In fact, the U.S. provided arms to Saddam Hussein and put him in power. Interesting, eh?

Defense Contractors Guilty of Treason

We are subsizing companies who are traitors to this country. Take a look. They take billions of dollars in military spending and pay small fines of $50 million for treason. That's like taking a dollar out of their pocket. These companies are still doing business with the government.

Source.

• 2000: Lockheed Martin was charged with 30 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The violations were regarding the transfer of space launch assistance technologies to China. Lockheed Martin paid a civil penalty of $13 million.
  
  
• 2000: Boeing was charged with 110 violations regarding the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The charges pertained to munitions and defense articles (i.e., technical data) exported to Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Spain, and Italy. Boeing paid a civil penalty of $4.2 million.
  
  
• 1998: IBM East Europe/Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of IBM, pled guilty to violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Export Administration Regulations relating to the unlawful export of computers to a Russian nuclear weapons laboratory. The company paid a $8.5 million criminal fine.
  
  
• 1998: Boeing was charged with 207 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Boeing allegedly unlawfully exported defense articles to Russia, Ukraine, and Norway. The company paid a $10 million civil penalty.
  
  
• 1995: Lockheed Martin pled guilty to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for paying bribes to officials of the Egyptian Government. They paid a criminal fine of $24.8 million.

"Low prices" the government pays for the lowest bidder

This is why the space shuttle keeps falling apart. Because the government gives the contract to the lowest bidder. Just look at these ridiculously low prices *rolls eyes* and see for yourself.

• Bolt (machine) initial estimate $40; actual price paid $1,887;
• Hub (body) - initial estimate $35, actual price paid $14,529;
• Nut (self-locking) - initial estimate $2.69; actual price paid $2,185; and
• Radio (transformer) - initial estimate $683, actual price paid $11,701.
• Source
  

This is paid with our tax dollars. You'll understand now how when they order a large supply of this how it costs $200M.

$1 Trillion of taxpayer dollars simply went missing

San Francisco Chronicle.

Totally unaccounted for. Whose pockets did they secretly slip under this time? No wonder they have to increase the budget for military spending.

Disappearing Funds

"According to a US Senate hearing, $13 billion the Pentagon handed out to weapons contractors between 1985 and 1995 was simply "lost." Another $15 billion remains unaccounted for because of "financial management troubles." That's $2B billion-right off the top-that has simply disappeared..." -- Mark Zepezauer and Arthur Naiman

Whose pockets do these funds disappear into? Is this part of the presidential retirement fund?

The Department of Defense Routinely Waste Taxpayers' Money

Article 1.

In addition to wasteful spending, there is the issue of wasteful employees, many of whom do not carry their weight in the organization.

From my experience working for the Department of Defense (DoD), it takes 3-5 government employees to produce the same amount of work in the same amount of time as an employee in the private sector. The interesting thing is that what is produced is often of lower quality. And that my friend, is considered a "productive government team". If I go into groups that aren't productive, millions of dollars are wasted and nothing useful is produced. In fact, it's very tempting to be a DoD contractor because the rewards are high. Nevermind what they tell you about lowest bidder, lowest quality. They produce low quality because that's what they can produce. Over a decade ago, our team was contracted out between $127-$225/per person per hour. It was certainly one of the lower end contracts.

When you hear of the space shuttle using the cheapest parts and failing, it really has little to do with bidding at the lowest rate. In fact, the bidders are paid quite a bundle. It's just the DoD contracting firms are super cheap and want to make as much money as they can and rip off the government with cheesy parts and thus make even more money. It has to do with the lack of integrity of the company more than anything else. Did you know that these firms were making tons of money, as evidenced by what the upper management makes? Then when something goes wrong, the politdcal face saving excuse is "it's the low bidder low quality rule". Right! NOT!!

Here is an another example.

Why are taxpayers subsidizing welfare to corporations? If Bush wants to have spending cuts, this is the first place to start cutting. Otherwise he is just subsizing his friends on corporate welfare.

More news on defense spending.

"The US military budget was more than 30 times as large as the combined spending of the seven rogue states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent $13 billion."

"The seven potential enemies of the U.S. plus Russia and China together spent $134.2 billion, 34% of the U.S. military budget." Take a look at the graph.

Here's how some of our tax dollars are used: to train some of the worst human rights violators at the U.S. government's mercenary training school, the School of the Americas. Some of the worst dictators and human rights abusers have graduated from that school including Roberto D'Aubisson from El Salvador and Manuel Noriega of Panama.

Another take on military spending.

Daily Military Spending Corruption News

New York Times article.

This is just same-o same-o except they were caught.

How Christians are voluntarily sending money to commit murders of innocent civilians

Did you know that 42% of what you pay in taxes goes to funding wars? If you pay $12,000/yr. in taxes, you are in fact financing $5,040/yr. of your money to having innocent people killed. Let's look at the statistics where the government hides information on civilian casualties.

Lives Lost in Iraq
(as of Dec 2005)

• Over 2,180 U.S. troops killed
• Over 32,818 U.S. troops seriously injured
  
• Over 30,000 Iraqi troops killed
• Over 90,000 Iraqi troops seriously injured
• Over 177,784 Iraqi civilians killed
• Over 320,011 Iraqi civilians seriously injured

Hey it's only money, taxpayers have deep pockets and will pay for anything

New York Times.

While many people are struggling to make ends meet, working different jobs, working our butt off to earn a living and paying the bills, our taxes (28-40% of our paycheck) goes to funding politican's private companies (ie. Halliburton) so they can become rich.

Quite interesting.

Our Forefathers such as George Washington refused to pay taxes to a government where their money was not used to help their Land (America). This was the start of the American Revolution and we became a much better country. Where's our money going now? If we don't pay our taxes, there is a likelihood of going to jail. This is robbery by brute force! Our forefathers made a stand against such a thing and succeeded.

I propose we get rid of the electoral college and corrupt politicians and use a Popular Vote from now on. That is the American public votes on how it wants money spent instead of having to depend on corrupt politicians who have been bought to allegedly vote in our best interest (not!).

Did you know that the federal income tax was first started in 1913, due to the 16th amemdent the tax rate was only 1% if you made more than $3,000, and 6% surtax if you made more than $500,000? The United States existed fine before that without taxes. And now today, we are taxed (28%-40%). And even at a 1% tax rate, the country existed fine. Usually an income tax was only needed to fund wars.

Here's an interesing article on taxes. I find the language in the article distasteful but shows some important points to consider.

More tastefule articles follow. :)
What part of our taxes go where? If you live in Texas, it goes like this. Notice how little is spent on education and how much is spent on the military. Here's a explanatory breakdown. See what little is actually spent on buildings roads and education.

When the Bush administration say they are providing tax cuts, notice that the cuts are in programs that are needed while they continue to increase the military budget for unnecessary wars.

If we cut out these unnecessary wars, our tax rate can drop by 42%. If you get rid of the CIA, IRS, and downsize the size of the federal government, that's probably most of the 16%. So affecting these changes would save our taxes by 42%+14%(88% of 16%)=56%. That's 56% less taxes you'd have to pay. And if they were to economize the efficiency of the way the government works (that'd be a miracle), we could reduce the costs of running these programs by 50% (at least). Having done some work for the government before through the Department of Defense, I know. So that's 56% less taxes plus 50% of the remaining 44% (22%). To apply these changes, we could cut taxes by 78% (56%+22%) and still receive the same level of benefit to our country as we are receiving today. Pay only for what's needed in our country.

Let's get some numbers, let's say you pay $25,000 in taxes. Reduce that by 78% and you cut your taxes by $19,500! If you paid $9,000 in taxes, you would now only pay $1,980. Wow! And we still get everything we get today and possibly more if we economize the government by a few factors. That's a savings of over $7,000. Can you use an extra $7,000/yr. to help benefit yourself and your family? Would that provide for a better way of life for yourself and your loved ones?

Pay only for what's needed in our country.

Thoughts along the medicine path

New York Times.

An example of alteration

In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church did not like anyone practicing magic other than themselves. Christianity is a form of magic in itself. Many of the high level Catholic priests know of secret rituals not generally known to the general public who practice Christianity.

Based on the massive stereotyping and folklore, many people believe witches are these evil people you see in the movies like the wicked witch of the west. What people see portrayed as witches are really black magic practitioners. Most witches practice White Magic. Of coures the Catholic Church didn't want people to know this so that portrayed witches as these evil people who had to be destroyed. After all they could be preying on you, unlike the Catholic Church (har har).

In order to commit mass murder of practitioners of other religions, they had to justify it as a righteous cause, so they changed this clause in the Bible, "thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live" (Exodus 22:18) to "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". So they used the name of God in order to commit their crimes. The original word translated into English is poisoner. There is always some "terrorist" the government has to kill to justify that you need its protection and to continue taking in more money.

To be sure that no one knew that the Catholic Church altered the Bible, they went on a crusade to destroy all copies of the Bible other than their own. This worked for a while.

Interesting to note, that this is how our current President rules. He creates a false reason that justifies righteousnous in starting a war. That is the art of misleading the public to start wars.

PsychoKinesis

PsychoKinesis.

Are demonic posessions really such or are they psychokinesis from individuals going through emotional problems?

How to create your own ghost.

A God

A lot people claim that they believe in the Christian God pointed to in the Christian Bible because they have seen miracles and prayer works. If you remember in college logic class, the presence of A does not mean B exiss. This can be presented graphically as the belief A --> B, if A therefore B. Did you know that people of other religions including Buddhism have seen miracles and have attested to the Power of Prayer. They don't believe in Jesus and it still works. So A --> C, if A therefore C. I've seen people with no religion pray and get miraculous results. So A --> D, if A therefore D.

As you can see proof of A doesn't mean proof of B, C, or D.

Another point is the the teachings of the Bible are a great work. If it didn't come from God, who could be so wise to teach us these great things. So Bible --> B, if Bible then B exists. This is interesting because Plato, Aristotle, and Confucious gave us a lot of wisdom that were later found in the New Testament (Jesus' Teachings) and they existed before the birth of Christ. In fact, many think Aristotle's work is way superior. Was Aristotle really a God? :) Then there are the spirtual texts of Patanjali (Patanjali's Sutras). He existed and wrote down his sutras before the birth of Christ.

Another interesting point is that if you trace the time from the beginning of the Bible, which includes the time of creation of the Earth and Man, to modern day, it is only 5,000-6,000 years ago when God created the Heavens (this includes the Sun) and Earth. However, fossils and human remains have been found on this Earth that dated over 40,000 years ago. And in fact, scientific evidence proves the Sun to be over 4.5 billion years old.

The Catholic Church, claiming to act for God, condemned Galileo for heresy and gave him life imprisonment in his house (house arrest) because he validated Copernicus theory that the Earth rotates around the Sun and not the other way around. Why did God let the Catholic Church send an innocent man to jail? Is the Catholic Church or any church for that matter really in communication with God? If they really talked with God daily, then how come they didn't know?

Emily Rose's Story

Emily Rose. Going to church and believing in Jesus doesn't protect you, obviously. Nor does leading a very religious life. In fact, most of these things tend to happen to people who are very religious.

Watch a real exorcism here. It certanly not as dramatic as in the movies.

LA Times article.

The Exorcist

Glimpses of the Devil : A Psychiatrist's Personal Accounts of Possession, Exorcism, and Redemption.

Even the Pope can't beat the devil.

This book written by a Catholic Pries claims that Possession is caused by leading a sinful life. Of course he would claim that to sell his religion. Facts state otherwise. It generally falls upon two kinds of people. Those who practice black magic and those who are very religious. For instance, Maricica Irina Cornici, a 23 year old nun, was found dead crucified to a wall in her convent room as part of the exorcism ritual done by the priest and other nuns. Times Online. And of course Emily Rose, a very religious Catholic family.

Notice that this does not affect people who are passed the intermediate level in White Magic.

Of course, there are the doubters. But if you believe in the Bible, then you know that the Devil and his fallen angels are mentioned there.

So take your pick. What is the most useful thought system to believe in?

America existed fine for decades without taxing its citizens

At one time we existed fine without income taxation. It makes you wonder what they do will all that money they collect. Is it lost in the IRS administration and disappearing into unknown accounts? Is it being funded into buy hardware from Department of Defense contractors where a hammer costs $759 and 2 million were ordered? Is it going into unknown "expense accounts"? Is it going into various special programs where the net result is about $10 worth of service and the program costs $2 million?

How to Stop Paying Taxes Legally

NY Times article.

I know the Scientology organization doesn't get taxed due to a secret deal made between them and the IRS. Scientology agreed to drop their 45-115 lawsuits against the IRS and the IRS promised not to tax them again.

Article 1.
Article 2.

Supreme Court Upholds Assisted Suicide

NY Times article.

Finally they are doing the right thing instead of being tortured at death for no particular reason.
Supreme Court Ruling. Of course the Bush administraton is against this.

Bush's Eavedropping Order After Sept. 11 Led F.B.I. to Dead Ends

NY Times article.

Excerpt:
The law enforcement and counterterrorism officials said the program had uncovered no active Qaeda networks inside the United States planning attacks. "There were no imminent plots - not inside the United States," the former F.B.I. official said.

"It affected the F.B.I. in the sense that they had to devote so many resources to tracking every single one of these leads, and, in my experience, they were all dry leads," the former senior prosecutor said.

Yet Bush claims it is working. Is it working for him personally because he because it allows him to blackmail politicians into going his way or else they would be prosecuted?

Movie: State of Fear

Movie.

New this week. This movie looks interesting based on the review, as I haven't seen it. It's about a country that gives its President too much power so that he can protect them from "evil terrorists".

Mr. Cheney's Imperial Presidency

New York Times.

The ultimate effects of Bush's unlimited spying program

Wall Street Journal.

Seems like he has this program so he can blackmail congressmen to do his bidding whether they like it or not. Can Bush use this program to prevent key people from even running for office?