The WAWG Blog

Here is my twist to Lawrence Britt’s fourteen common threads of national behavior and abuse of power that enable fascist or protofascist single-party systems and how they obtain, expand and maintain power.

This was originally put together when I started this blog and was imbedded as a description for the related blog categories.

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.

Are national symbols around every corner on the street and all over the media? Is our national flag and or its representation becoming more visible in our daily lives? Are laws being passed to protect national symbols? Do these laws violate the Constitution? What other national symbols have you seen lately and is their appearance more frequent? When will we be required to carry a national ID? When will we be required to wear a national symbol or carry a bible to show our allegiance? How far is too far?

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.

Are human rights ingored in ‘special cases’? In the ‘war on terror’, have we given up some rights via the Patriot Act in hopes of increasing our protection from those bent on doing us harm? When will habeas corpus be taken from us all? If we are attacked again and fear short circuits our minds, are we willing to give up more rights for the cause? Are we becoming more willing to look the other way when what used to be illegal is used against an ‘enemy’? Are citizens more willing to identify the enemy based on less and less accurate information? Will one family member turn in another as the enemy out of spite, for monetary gain, or to earn a notch on the sleeve of their national uniform? How far is too far?

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause

Is ‘the enemy’ used to unify and manipulate? Are terrorists the only enemy? Who is supporting them? Is the enemy list growing? Have the monsters been set loose on Maple Street, USA? Is assumption of trustworthiness in most encounters being replaced by suspicion of everyone? Is the potential for mob rule more likely? Does the enemy include your neighbor who doesn’t agree with you? When will the enemy be tattooed with a scarlet letter? When will guilty until proven innocent become the law? When will mass graves guide our choices? How far is too far?

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism

Is the military industrial complex getting a larger portion of the national budget? Is funding for social and welfare programs shrinking? Is the military being funded incrementally to hide the total cost? Are there more reports in the media about military issues and less on social issues? When will military start patrolling the streets in our neighborhoods? When will citizens start disappearing in the night? How far is too far?

5. Rampant sexism

Are there any female leaders left? Are women leaders being replaced with male leaders? Has the group of ‘enemies’ been expanded to include gays and women ‘libers’ ? Are threats against abortion and gay activities increasing? Are these activities getting more violent as fears increase? When will the destruction of enemy holdings begin? When will righteous bombings start to out number terrorist bombings? How far is too far?

6. A controlled mass media

Is the media controlled by the government or ‘friends’ of the government? Are ‘talking points’ being passed down from ‘on high’? Can you only find conservative AM radio talk shows? Are the media worried that they might be ‘cut-off’ if they ask the wrong questions? Are steps being taken against the ‘liberal’ media to make them more ‘balanced’? Are media personnel being jailed for refusing to identify their sources? Is media access to the government increasingly being restricted as time passes? When will media have their licenses revoked? When will the power to their tools be shut off? When will they all be jailed with the rest of the enemies? How far is too far?

7. Obsession with national security

Is fear being used as a tool by government representatives to motivate the public to support its plan to take care of our enemies? Are the weapons of the enemy being identified as more lethal, massive in impact, and available? Are weapons being claimed as a threat when none really exist? When will our military be used to emulate the enemy? When will our own weapons be used under the guise of the enemy? How far is too far?

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together (church and state)

Is the separation being bridged? Are those that don’t agree being told to sit down and shut up? Is religion being used to manipulate public opinion? Are religious tenets replacing government policies? Are government leaders wearing their religion on their sleeve and daring others to challenge them? When will first evangelist be appointed to the Cabinet of the president? When will the Cabinet be expanded to include the Department of Theology? Will the Cabinet be replaced by a political diocese? When will the requirements for the national judiciary require a degree in theology? How far is too far?

9. Power of corporations protected

Is corporate power being protected? Are political campaign funds coming mostly from large corporations and very rich benefactors? Is the government awarding contracts to those corporations that helped during the campaign without using normal government contracting guidelines? Are most of the lobbyists at the seat of the government funded by the corporations and rich benefactors? Are the ears of government leaders going to the highest bidder? When will the Cabinet been expanded to include the Department of Business? Will the requirements for the Cabinet be expanded to include a masters in Business Administration? How far is too far?

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated

Is the power of labor not only falling but being suppressed? Are court rulings favoring corporations over unions? Are new court appointees more likely to be pro business? Have unions been added to the enemy list? Is union busting being sanctioned by government action or inaction? Are employees afraid that if they unionize, the store may be closed? Are national unions splitting apart? When will laws that protect workers trying to unionize be repealed? When will the Department of Labor be abolished? When will unions be subsumed through government mandated guilds for both employers and employees heavily weighted in favor of the corporations and their owners? When will unions be outlawed? How far is too far?

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts

Is there open hostility to higher education and the arts? Is funding for the arts by the government being reduced? Are talk show radio hosts shouting more ‘talking points’ on the evil running rampant on campus, in Hollywood, in Museums, and on Broadway? Is censorship on the increase? Does internet access need to be controlled to hobble the enemy? When will liberal educators have their tenure canceled? When will only G rated movies be available for viewing? When will ‘objectionable’ art, movie reels, and books start fueling bonfires? When will Broadway be boarded up? When will the Las Vegas be burned to the ground? How far is too far?

12. Obsession with crime and punishment

Is there a police state? Has law enforcement been granted new powers that used to require court approved justification? Can they shoot first and ask questions later? Can they arrest suspects without just cause? Can they hold the ‘enemy’ incommunicado? Is it easier to overlook abuse of rights as long as the enemy is the victim? Are patriotism and fear becoming the basis of foregoing civil liberties? When will the enemy be executed in the public square? When will enemies be pitted against one another in sports arenas? When will trees in city parks be used to hang the enemies? When will mass executions be broadcast on government controlled mass media? How far is too far?

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption

Are cronies in charge? Are their friends getting richer? Are poor performers given awards and promotions in spite of their failures? Are leaders averse to admitting failure? Do leaders fine tune their responses to redefine what a failure is? Are potential problems denied initially and redefined as more detail comes to light? Are non-campaign funds being laundered into campaign coffers or private accounts of supporters of the war against the enemies? Are government ethics committees being restructured and the rules modified to protect the guilty? Are corporations making false claims about profit and destroying employee futures? When will the laws be changed to protect corporations from any law suits? When will the Executive branch become the only branch of government with power? When will Washington, D.C. become The Corporate Headquarters of the United States? How fare is too far?

14. Fraudulent elections

Are elections a complete sham? Is the judicial system being used more often to decide election results? Do those election decisions result in a judicial system more favorable to the elected officials and their views? Are political campaigns getting nastier than ever? Are voting district boundaries being changed to keep current officials in power? Are voting machines preprogrammed? When will the voting booth be replaced with a web site with the government as the system admin? How far is too far

To this, add one other element. Extensive studies have shown that the above “threads” require a certain personality to weave them into whole cloth. This personality has its leaders and followers. The personality is authoritarian.

ABC News Reporter Alexis Debat Faked His Credentials and Entire Interviews – Little attention has been paid to Debat’s bogus “interviews” with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and others. With all the complaining about the liberal media, why haven’t you heard about this? Two reasons:

• 1. Debat is not a liberal.
• 2. Debat has ties to neocons
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Before Iraq Invasion, Bush Had Made Up His Mind – In February 2003, the president was insistent that he hoped to find a peaceful solution to his standoff with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, and would work with and through the United Nations to resolve the conflict. At least, that was what he was saying publicly. According to a new report published today by El Pais, Spain’s largest daily newspaper, Bush told then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at the time that he was going to invade Iraq no matter what happened. Spanish speakers can read the transcript of their discussion — I’m a little rusty — but E&P has a report on the revelations.

Bush purportedly said he planned to invade Iraq in March “if there was a United Nations Security Council resolution or not…. We have to get rid of Saddam. We will be in Baghdad at the end of March.” He said the U.S. takeover would happen without widespread destruction.

Bush Threatened Allies to Get Support for Iraq Invasion – Bush threatened nations with retaliation if they did not vote for a UN resolution backing the Iraq war, according to a the transcript. Nations like Mexico, Angola, Chile and Cameroon must know that the security of the United States is at stake, the president tells Aznar. The El Pais reported that Bush threatened to pull financial aid from Angola and warned that a free-trade agreement with Chile might be delayed in the Senate if they did not back another UN resolution. The confidential transcript was prepared by Spain’s ambassador to the United States at the time, Javier Ruperez, the paper said.

Saddam Hussein offered to step down and go into exile one month before the invasion of Iraq – Fearing defeat, Saddam was prepared to go peacefully in return for £500million. The extraordinary offer was revealed yesterday in a transcript of talks in February 2003 between George Bush and the then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar at the President’s Texas ranch. Asked by the Spanish premier whether Saddam – who was executed in December last year – could really leave, the President replied: “Yes, that possibility exists. Or he might even be assassinated.” But he added that whatever happened: “We’ll be in Baghdad by the end of March.” On 9-25-2007, the Bush administration asked Congress for another £100billion to finance the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush Spent At Least $2.8 Million Just Talking About Messing With Social Security – After long delays, due in part to the refusal of the White House to cooperate, a GAO report was released assessing the costs to taxpayers of a 2005 White House initiative to support the President’s efforts to privatize Social Security. The initiative included campaign-style events featuring the President and a roster of top Administration officials as well as the creation of a “Social Security Information Center” in the Department of the Treasury. The analysis shows that the White House effort cost more than $2.8 million, including more than $1.6 million for staging the events, more than $800,000 for Air Force One and Air Force Two travel, and more than $200,000 for the creation of the Treasury Department’s privatization war room and website. The $2.8 million estimate is an underestimate of the true costs, as it does not include the cost of staff time, Secret Service protection, and other expenses.

Republicans Don’t Care About Black People (Just Black Votes) – Two recent examples:

• Republicans killed Congressional representation for Washington D.C. residents.
• The major Republican candidates for president refused to participate in a long-scheduled, nationally televised debate focusing on issues important to minorities.

White House Tried To Block California’s Emission Standards – The Bush administration engaged in a broad, multi-agency effort to lobby congressmen and governors to urge them to oppose a California plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recent investigation. Yeah, Republicans are all about states’ rights…until it hurts their cronies’ stock portfolios.

Bush Doesn’t Learn – As a candidate, George W. Bush once asked, “Is our children learning?” Now he has an answer. “Childrens do learn,” he said Wednesday. The setting was, yes, an education event where the president was taking credit for rising test scores and promoting congressional renewal of his signature education law.

Regards,

Jim

US State Department Meddling in Investigation and Instructing Blackwater to Withhold Information – The US State Department is preventing a House committee from disclosing information that could “embarrass” Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki regarding an investigation of alleged corruption within his government. State also is meddling in a related investigation of private security firm Blackwater, which has come under fire this month after a Sept. 16 shooting involving armed guards employed by the firm in which 11 Iraqis were killed. State Department officials explained that any information about corruption within the Maliki government must be treated as classified because public discussions could undermine U.S. relations with the Maliki government.

Bush Used Bogus Terror Threat To Scare Up Votes For FISA Bill – The president stooped to a new low by using a bogus terror threat that specifically targeted Capitol Hill to manipulate members of Congress just hours before a crucial vote on the FISA bill last August. According to Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Terrorism Risk Assessment, the Bush administration knowingly used bogus intelligence to make lawmakers believe there was the chance of an imminent attack on the U.S. Capitol, thus frightening them into passing the temporary expansion of his powers to spy on Americans under the FISA act.

In 2004, Dan Rather (and CBS) went AWOL – Newly unearthed records reveal that, in 2004, when Americans were in the midst of a brutal electoral battle over whether to reelect a president posing as a war hero, a commanding US reporter, Dan Rather, went AWOL. Just three months before the election, Rather had a story that might have changed the outcome of that razor-close race. We now know that Dan cut a back-room deal to shut his mouth, grab his ankles, and let his network retract a story he knew to be absolutely true.

During the Vietnam war, the Lt. Governor of Texas, Ben Barnes, arranged for George W. to get into the Air Guard rather than go to Vietnam. In 1997, Governor George W. Bush overruled his state’s Lottery director and gave a billion-dollar contract to a company tied to Barnes. Barnes received a cool fee of $23 million from the contractor.

The Death of American News – After a long and painful illness, American news has finally succumbed to disease. Things have been going downhill for years, and there’s plenty of blame to go around, to be sure. But here’s a snapshot.

The Bush administration has burned so many diplomatic bridges that it can’t find an African country willing to host its new African Command Center for U.S. military operations – There are 46 countries in Africa; more than in any other continent in the world. And yet, even among some of the poorest countries of the world who would surely reap economic benefits from a large military base, we could find not a single taker. Until now that is. Yes, AFRICOM has finally found a home: the African nation of Germany.

CNBC host Jim Cramer Says Bust the United Auto Workers Union; there’s no real reasons to make cars here – CNBC host Jim Cramer has a message for the hard-working men and women of the United Auto Workers Union currently on strike: sit down, shut up and be happy with less so GM execs can stay rich. Today on Hardball, Cramer does his best tough guy act, fortunately Ross Eisenbrey, Vice President of the Economic Policy Institute is there to bring some sanity to the set. Eisenbrey reminds Cramer that the UAW strike is about keeping jobs in America and that this war against the working class isn’t just about unions, it’s happening to non-union workers as well.

Matthews: ” Do you see a future five, ten years from now where we don’t have an auto industry in this country, Jim Cramer?”

Cramer: “If you don’t break the UAW we won’t. There’s no real reasons to make cars here.”

White House Against Protecting Workers From Exposure to the Flavoring Chemical Diacetyl – The White House today took what may be a lone stand against the Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act, a bill the House may vote on as soon as Wednesday. It would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to publish standards regulating worker exposure to diacetyl, a flavoring chemical used in microwave popcorn and other foods that can cause bronchiolitis obliterans, or “popcorn lung.”

Regards,

Jim

Republicans planning to use United Nations as the GOP “sleeper issue”– As Reagan used the Panama Canal Treaty as his “issue,” says pollster and author Frank Luntz, so can a 2008 candidate find that “issue.” Suggests Luntz: Because the Republicans want to win in Iraq, and they want a “strong military,” the issue they can use to keep the White House in 2008 is the United Nations.

The UN, says Luntz, “has not supported the American position” and was “hostile” in Iraq. Says one of the New Hampshire citizen panel: “I have to believe that with this liberal media that we have, if the UN was doing good things for this country, we would have heard about it. But, they’ve demonstrated an anti-United States posture, they’re–they’re totally corrupt, and there’s no, uh, there’s no proof in the pudding that they’re going to be willing to change that.”

None of the New Hampshire voters had a “favorable impression” of the United Nations, nor did a single person believe the United States “gets its money’s worth.”

A unanimous show of hands, however, indicated that the doings of the UN “should be an issue.”
“Incredible,” segues Luntz, pointing to the United Nations as the GOP “sleeper issue,” as determined by research done for Fox. Telling the UN “Enough is enough,” says Luntz, is an issue the GOP can use to rally its base in the upcoming election.

“The Republican voters,” continues Luntz, “are just so sick and tired of the UN taking positions against the US, and they’re even angrier that taxpayers fund the UN.”

Counterpoints to the Republican anti-UN argument

The U.S. pays less of its GNP to the UN than other nations
The Assembly has established the principle that the UN should not be overly dependent on any one member to finance its operations. Thus, there is a ‘ceiling’ rate, setting the maximum amount any member is assessed for the regular budget. In December 2000 , the Assembly revised the scale of assessments to reflect current global circumstances. As part of that revision, the regular budget ceiling was reduced from 25% to 22%. The U.S. is the only member that meets the ceiling. In addition to a ceiling rate, the minimum amount assessed to any member nation (or ‘floor’ rate) is set at 0.001% of the UN budget. Also, for the least developed countries (LDC), a ceiling rate of 0.01% is applied.

UN Successes in security issues
The Human Security Report 2005 produced by the Human Security Centre at the University of British Columbia with support from several governments and foundations, documented a dramatic, but largely unrecognized, decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights abuses since the end of the Cold War. Statistics include:

a 40% drop in violent conflict;
an 80% drop in the most deadly conflicts; and
an 80% drop in genocide and politicide.
The report argued that international activism — mostly spearheaded by the UN — has been the main cause of the post–Cold War decline in armed conflict, though the report indicated the evidence for this contention is mostly circumstantial.

In the area of Peacekeeping, successes include:

The US Government Accountability Office concluded that UN Peacekeeping is eight times less expensive than funding a U.S. force.
A 2005 RAND Corp study found the UN to be successful in two out of three peacekeeping efforts. It also compared UN nation-building efforts to those of the U.S., and found that of eight UN cases, seven are at peace, whereas of eight U.S. cases, only four are at peace.

The UN provides many important functions that the US benefits from

International Atomic Energy Agency
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Labour Organization
International Maritime Organization
International Telecommunication Union
World Health Organization
World Intellectual Property Organization
World Meteorological Organization

Neocons Don’t Like the UN because it keeps them from running amok, and helps people rather than corporations

International Court of Justice
Human Rights Council
Humanitarian assistance
International Fund for Agricultural Development

Regards,

Jim

Top neocon urged Bush to bomb Iran at private White House meeting – Norman Podhoretz, who is among a dwindling class of aggressive defenders of President Bush’s Iraq invasion, argued the United States needed to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities during a private 45-minute sales pitch in the White House. Podhoretz is now serving as a foreign policy adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. Podhoretz says he believes that “Bush is going to hit” Iran before his term ends.

Cheney mulled luring Iran into war with Israel – David Wurmser, who had served since 2003 as Cheney’s Middle East adviser, told a small group of people that Cheney had been mulling the idea of pushing for limited Israeli missile strikes against the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz—and perhaps other sites—in order to provoke Tehran into lashing out. The Iranian reaction would then give Washington a pretext to launch strikes against military and nuclear targets in Iran.

Massive surveillance net keeps track of Americans’ travel — down to the size of your hotel bed – The Bush Administration has been collecting detailed records on the travel habits of Americans headed overseas, whether you fly, drive or take cruises abroad — not simply your method of transit but the personal items you carry with you and the people you stay with. They even sometimes keep track of what books you read, for as long as 15 years. As an example, Zakariya Reed, a Toledo firefighter, said in an interview that he has been detained at least seven times at the Michigan border since fall 2006. Twice, he said, he was questioned by border officials about “politically charged” opinion pieces he had published in his local newspaper. Once, during a secondary interview, he said, “they had them printed out on the table in front of me.”

US snipers ‘bait’ Iraqis – At the urging of Pentagon experts in special operations, US military snipers operating in Iraq are “baiting” Iraqis by scattering items like detonation cord, plastic explosives and ammunition and then ambushing and killing those who pick them up. In a country that is awash in armaments and magazines and implements of war, if every time somebody picked up something that was potentially useful as a weapon, you might as well ask every Iraqi to walk around with a target on his back.

US violent crime climbs for second year
More than 1.4 million murders, rapes, robberies and assaults were committed around the United States last year, marking a rise in violent crime for the second year in a row, the FBI said Monday. “Nationwide, there were an estimated 1,417,745 violent crimes reported in 2006,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in its “Crime in the United States” report, which updated preliminary data released in June. The rate of violent crime was up by 1.9 percent compared with 2005, with murders and non-negligent homicides climbing by 1.8 percent to nearly 15,000 cases last year. Less than half of violent crime cases — 44.3 percent — were cleared, the data showed.

Bill O’Reilly Surprised At Civility Of Black Restaurant Patrons – Discussing his recent dinner with Rev. Al Sharpton at the Harlem restaurant Sylvia’s, Bill O’Reilly reported that he “couldn’t get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia’s restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it’s run by blacks, primarily black patronship.” O’Reilly added: “There wasn’t one person in Sylvia’s who was screaming, ‘M-Fer, I want more iced tea.’”

Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn Voted Against the Restoration of Habeas Corpus – They must hate the Constitution and basic civil rights. They do not believe in the fundamental right of due process. Call them now!

Republican National Committee Chair Mel Martinez says that Passing the Troop-Rest Bill Would “Demean The Troops” – ‘Martinez: “I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home.”

Peter King (R-NY) sees ‘too many mosques in this country’
New York Rep. Peter King, a prominent House Republican, said there are “too many mosques in this country” in a recent interview with Politico. “There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam,” King said. “We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them.” King is listed as Rudy Giuliani’s homeland security adviser. He now claims his comments were taken out of context, but there’s a YouTube clip:

State Department’s inspector general has repeatedly thwarted investigations into contracting fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan – Howard J. Krongard, the State Department’s inspector general, has repeatedly thwarted investigations into contracting fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, including construction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and censored reports that might prove politically embarrassing to the Bush administration. “Success” in Afghanistan?
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Bill O’Reilly Says Tasered University Student Is The “Biggest Wimp”
Billo likes to show what a big, tough guy he is. Talking about Andrew Meyer, the university student tasered at a John Kerry speech, Bill assured us that Meyer’s cries of pain were all an act. O’Reilly says, “I’ve been tasered for a story, and all I can say is: He is the biggest wimp in the United States of America.

Regards,

Jim

The focused condemnation of MoveOn.org from inside the Beltway, where doing wrong has been the norm since 1994, means MoveOn must be doing something right with that full page ad in the in the New York Times.

Why has Congress never been challenged to or voted against the much fouler statements from those on the extreme right?

” … Mr. Bush, you have hidden behind the General’s skirts, and today you have hidden behind the skirts of ‘the planted last question’ at a news conference, to indicate once again that your presidency has been about the tilted playing field, about no rules for your party in terms of character assassination and changing the fabric of our nation, and no right for your opponents or critics to as much as respond.” Keith Olbermann, September 20, 2007

Why does the founding principle of freedom of speech only apply to the extreme right? The answer can be found throughout this blog – from the very negative authoritarian traits and the Leo Strauss big lies of this Administration to the blind obedience of their supporting minority “masses.”

Support free speech for all. I have. I was part of the 12,000 supporters, who yesterday, contributed $500,000.

Republicans Swapped Principle for Power – In former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s new book, “The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,” Greenspan wrote that Bush essentially left an unbridled GOP Congress to spend money however it saw fit, and by not vetoing a single bill in six years, the president deprived the nation of checks and balances. “The Republicans in Congress lost their way,” Greenspan, a self-described libertarian Republican wrote. “They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither.

Bush’s Friend Makes Oil Deal On the Side With Kurds, Kills Iraqi National Oil Legislation – So much for the draft legislation that would have had Iraq‘s various political factions sharing that country‘s oil revenue. The deal said to be falling apart in Iraq government, apparently because the Kurdish regional government had signed its own deal with Dallas-based Hunt Oil, which would make it seem the Kurds are not onboard with the whole revenue sharing concept. Hunt oil, it should be noted, owned by Ray L. Hunt, a friend of the president. And Mr. Bush making no mention of the collapsing oil legislation in tonight‘s speech according to the excerpts. On the contrary, praising lawmakers for a compromise. Quote, “Iraq‘s national leaders are getting some things done. For example, they have passed a budget. They are sharing oil revenues with the provinces.”

Hannity admits FOX NEWS worked to defeat the Immigration bill Hannity: “I think we learned something and you touched on this in the book as it relates to as for example when people get angry, like on the immigration bill. The fix was in. Everybody agreed to it. They didn’t expect a push back. Talk radio got involved, FOX NEWS, the new media all of a sudden people got informed. They started dialing—instilled fear in their politicians and it changed.” I thought FOX News was supposed to be a “news” channel and report events—not act as a wingnut activist organization, instill fear in politicians and try to defeat legislation.

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New Hampshire Get-Out-the-Vote Phone Jamming Scheme May Have Been Coordinated Out of the White House; Justice Department Trying to Block Investigation – On Election Day in 2002, when New Hampshire voters were going to the polls in a hotly contested Senate race, the phone lines in Democratic get-out-the-vote offices were jammed. There is reason to believe, however, that the phone jamming ploy may have been coordinated out of the White House. Democrats say there were 22 phone calls between New Hampshire Republican officials and the White House Office of Political Affairs on election night and early the next morning. the Justice Department has engaged in unlawful interference to block the investigation. He reports that according to one of the defense lawyers, the attorney general personally had to sign off on all actions in the case, an extraordinary rule that would slow things down considerably. According to Mr. Hodes, the only F.B.I. agent assigned to the case was told that she could not pursue leads to Washington.

TXU Buyout Likely To Lead To New Coal Pollution – When Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and TPG announced this spring that it intended to buy Texas power company TXU, it received a lot of good press for scrapping plans to construct several new coal plants. But in an example of a classic bait-and-switch, TXU then announced that it would build nuclear plants – which have plenty of problems of their own — instead. Thousands of Friends of the Earth activists responded, urging the company to pursue wind and solar power instead. Now, we’re learning of another drawback to TXU’s plans. Instead of building new coal plants, the company is increasing power production at older, dirtier plants, and because of increasing demand for a more limited supply of power, the company’s profits are likely to increase at consumers’ expense—a dirty plan any way you look at it.

Coal Industry is trying to exploit national security concerns to make the military a guaranteed liquid coal buyer for the next quarter century – For months now, coal companies have been trying to add to their bottom lines by getting taxpayers to pay for the production of liquid coal – a dirty, expensive fuel that they want to use to replace gasoline in cars and other vehicles. Unfortunately, liquid coal can actually result in twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as regular gasoline, plus its production requires dangerous and environmentally damaging coal mining. While the industry failed to get subsidies written into the congressional energy bills, the Wall Street Journal is now reporting that coal companies have a new target for subsidies: the military budget. Help stop this bad idea before it goes any further—add your name to our petition by clicking on the link above.

Regards,

Jim

As with much of the nation, I have been distracted with the lead up to, the questioning of and the follow-up to, the Petraeus regurgitation of Bush’s plan. While this drages on, we are being distracted from the important issues facing us. Here are some thoughts that finally started breaking through this fabricated fog.

As a recent interview of Tony Snow came to its end, I was reminded of the arrogance of the current unchecked Executive branch of our damaged government. This lead me to wonder what contributes to this arrogance. The main element that came to mind was that these people are in a position to know more about national issues. But then I thought, “knowing more doesn’t mean knowing better.” Knowledge can easily be used intelligently or politically. It can be used for lowering us to a standard set by others or maintaining a high standard set by Americans who came before us.

Petraeus may have written his statement to Congress, but he also knows what is expected of him by his boss, the Commander-In-Chief. Petraeus fits in well with our authoritarian Executive. He is submissive to authority – a requirement for his current job or any job that reports to GWB or his team of social dominators. He was aggressive on behalf of authority as he avoided answers to few serious questions from those in Congress who oppose the President’s Iraq plan. He did so by talking over several Congressman as they tried to get an answer to their question. He is obviously respectful of those with power over him, his chain of command. He worked very hard not to make his boss look bad.

We’ve not only got a lame duck President, we have a lame duck Congress. Add to this the dysfunctional Justice Department and the President still wins. The only option left for Congress is impeachment – it’s veto proof.

If the holder of the highest office of the land, or his appointees, break the law, how can we not prosecute them and then not expect their example to be replicated by others in a position of power. Where will we end up without checks and balances of anyone who abuses the power they have over others?

Mr. Petraeus has supremely executed his lead role in this week’s well planned and finely tuned pro-war extravaganza. And it just happened to occur during the remembrance of our losses from the downing of New York’s World Trade Center six years ago. Coincidence – I doubt it. I think the Administration is far better at political planning than it is at planning a war and its aftermath.

I have no doubt that our well-trained voluntary military can and will succeed in what any President directs them to do. However, when our military is thrown into a much larger morass that is mostly political and requires the cooperation of different religious sects that have battled each other for centuries, I don’t see how we, the military player in Iraq, can be held responsible for the failure or success of nation building. We have a role, but it is wasted if we don’t recognize the difference between fighting those who attacked us six years ago and providing security for those who can’t provide their own security or figure out how to share their nation’s resources.

If you agree that our presence in Iraq is hampering the willingness of the Iraqi government to take control of Iraq, then have you considered whether this could be the Administration’s goal. As long as the Iraqi government is dysfunctional, business friends of the Administration can take advantage of Iraq.

If codependency makes sense in a relationship, then we should stay in Iraq indefinitely.

I agree. It is not a coincidence that we have not been attacked in the last six years while we have been battling various angry individuals in Iraq. But it’s not because we are “killing them over there.” We haven’t been attacked here because these individuals have been too busy taking advantage of our five star Iraq training program. As long as they are busy with homework and real-time practice there, they don’t have time to attack us here. But what happens when our training is done? Will we only come to regret the Iraq invasion later as the results of our efforts are again used against us?

Highly successful organizations owe their success to effective leaders and a focused group of followers. When the effectiveness and productivity of critical high-level leaders show telling signs of dropping off and there are fewer successes, it’s time for the leader to take a break – like Karl Rove has. He needs to get away, relax and recuperate. After that, he will review, regroup and return, with a vengeance, to where he left off. After all, he has a purpose to fulfill and his followers, “the masses,” will have become desperate, disoriented and disorganized waiting for the return of their wunderkind.

So, when Karl returns, he will have a revised plan to secure a permanent fix for the future of the concerned masses. A future where, as a minority, the masses are finally secure and in total control of our nation. Can you image Karl Rove as our Vice President?

So, don’t let near term side shows distract you from what is lurking out of sight.

Intel Czar Claim That New Surveillance Law Foiled Terror Plot is False – Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell has withdrawn his claim that Congress’s recent authorization of expanded electronic surveillance had helped foil a terror plot in Germany. McConnell testified that the new law “helped ‘facilitate’ the arrest of three suspects believed to be planning massive car bombings against American targets in Germany.” Intelligence officials quickly raised questions about McConnell’s testimony, indicating that the US military had provided the information to the Germans 10 months ago, long before the new law was passed. Democrats then challenged McConnell’s statement, with House Judiciary Chair John Conyers requesting a clarification and House Intelligence Committee Chair Silvestre Reyes sending McConnell a letter asking for a public correction.

Another Republican Gay Scandal Brews in Murder-Suicide Case? – A Republican political consultant killed in an apparent double murder-suicide in in an Orlando, Florida, residence owned by the former Executive Director of the Georgia Republican Party. He had worked extensively in Alabama politics including a controversial “Adam and Steve” campaign leaflet against gay marriage. Ralph Gonzalez, 39, president of The Strategum Group, was found dead Thursday along with his roommate, David Abrami, 36, and a friend, Robert Drake, 30. Drake, a former marine, also is alleged to have a strong relationship– both intimate and business/political– with right-wing Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC). 3 Found Dead

Republican House Leader Boehner Says, If We Defeat Al Qaeda, We Will Have Paid A Small Price In Iraq – Note that Boehner is specifically answering a question about troop deaths here — which he calls a “small price,” should we win the war. It’s really uncanny how often those who aren’t sacrificing anything for the Iraq war, aside for perhaps their health in the polls, are willing to sacrifice others.

Teacher Who Told Students “I honk for peace” Fired – Deborah Mayer said her troubles started Jan. 10, 2003 — the eve of the Iraq war — during a weekly current-events discussion in her Grades 4-6 class at Clear Creek Elementary School in Bloomington, Ind. A pupil asked if she would participate in a peace rally. “I honk for peace,” Mayer, a veteran teacher in her first year at Bloomington, said she told them. She said she also told the students, “People ought to seek out peaceful solutions before going to war.” She said several parents subsequently complained about her comments, leading to the non-renewal of her contract at the end of the year. Hope Ellington, whose daughter was in Mayer’s class, called Mayer a “really great” teacher with good rapport with pupils. She said said her daughter was upset that Mayer was “bashing” President Bush in class. Needing work, Mayer moved to Boca Grande in Florida, where her new principal said, “She was a great teacher, she cared about the students.” The School Board attorney, said it’s clear public-school teachers have no free-speech rights. “We need to keep control of the classroom that’s taught in our name,” he said. “If they disagree with the curriculum, they can go somewhere else.”

Regards,

Jim

Joe Barton’s Bad Deeds – There’s a battle shaping up over the Energy Independence Bill that Congress hopes to pass this fall and it’s not just Dems vs Repubs. The House version, HR 3221 is due to be voted on soon. This is a new approach to energy policy in the United States and instead of concentrating on how to punch more holes in the ground and give bigger tax breaks to EXXON/Mobile it actually takes a long view of conservation and alternative energy production. And therein lies the rub.

The bill calls for a 25% increase in CAFÉ fuel economy standards, a four fold increase in bio fuel production and 15% of electricity generation to come from renewable sources over the next decade. In keeping with the new Democrat rule of pay-as-you-go the increased R&D into renewable energy will be paid for by recovering the $16 Billion in tax breaks to big oil given out by the Republicans when the held the majority in Congress.

Representative Joe Barton, of the College Station area, opposes the new mileage standards and the tax recovery. Joe is also put out over the House rule that requires members to move to energy efficient cars if they are paid for with constituent money. Did you know that you’re renting an 8,000 pound Chevy Tahoe with the largest V8 engine available to haul Barton around?

I’d suggest that you call Joe Barton and ask him to support the strict standards in HR 3221 to give our children a fighting chance at clean air and a renewable future but I won’t ask you to waste your time. The half a million dollars he gets from the energy sector speaks louder than we do. Instead you can call Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. Congressional rules forbid representatives responding to queries outside their districts but as Speaker of the House Ms, Pelosi has a responsibility to all of us and can take your call. The phone number for Office of the Speaker is (202) 225-0100. Tell her to twist arms to keep the strict provisions of HR 3221 in tact.

Background for Joe Barton: Following college Barton entered private industry until 1981 when he became a White House Fellow. Later, he began consulting for Atlantic Richfield Oil and Gas Co. before being elected to Congress in 1984.

Rep. Barton has been regarded as a global warming skeptic and his opposition to addressing global warming has been consistent and long-term. As a powerful chairman with primary responsibility over the energy sector, Barton has consistently acted over the years to prevent congressional action on global warming .

Rep. Barton has launched an investigation into two climate change studies from 1998 and 1999. In his letters to the authors of the studies, he requested not just details on the studies themselves, but significant information about their entire lives and previous studies. This has been widely regarded as an attempted attack on the scientists rather than a serious attempt to understand the science.
Barton has consistently opposed proposals to reduce the nation’s dependence on oil.

Barton says he supports family values, but like many of his Republican friends, he does not act in a supporting manner. Barton divorced his first wife.
Barton says he supports ethics, but, Citizens for Ethics reported that Barton paid his wife Terri $57,759 in salary and bonuses, from his campaign funds in the 2006 election cycle. Barton’s daughter Kristin was paid $12,622 in salary and bonuses and his mother, Nell Barton, was paid $7,000 for a car.

Regards,

Jim