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31 March 2004

 

Air America Radio gets off to a disappointing start
Today was supposed to be a day of hope for liberal thought. It is the first day of broadcasts for Air America Radio. A few minutes ago, on Al Franken's program, they aired an advertisement from Partnership for a Drug Free America in which they sounded like a replay of "Reefer Madness." From a liberal point of view, it was a terrible disappointment to hear more Bush administration propaganda. Hey Al, what's up? Are you guys just another shill for the moronic anti-drug warriors? As far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on this new network. They've certainly turned me off for now.

posted by Lorenzo 11:41 AM

29 March 2004

 

The Big Lie is coming unraveled
Last Sunday, Dick Cheney made one of his most preposterous statements yet. He made the claim that Richard Clarke "was out of the loop" about what the White House was doing about terrorism. Now think about that for a moment. Either Cheney is an outright liar and Clarke really was involved in the administration's terrorism planning, or he is telling us that the Cheney-Bush junta cut their own Terrorism Czar out of their process while pursuing their War of Terror. The only way it makes sense to cut out your own top expert is if you really aren't working on terrorism but instead are simply hell-bent to invade Iraq to settle an old score and steal their oil. (And, of course, to loot the US treasury and give the money to your cronies at Halliburton.)

posted by Lorenzo 4:18 PM

 

Thought for the day
If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.
-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn

posted by Lorenzo 12:27 PM

23 March 2004

 

The September 11th Whitewash Committee

In case you missed this morning's questioning of General Powell and his drug dealing lackey Richard Armitage (just Google " 'golden triangle' Armitage " if you aren't aware of his shady past), you didn't miss anything more than the spectacle of our mighty Empire whitewashing its crimes. I guess it was foolish of me to think that the people on the September 11th commission would actually be antagonistic to the Cheney-Bush junta.

For example, I almost puked when I heard former Senator Bob Kerry's brown-nosing of Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. As you know, the White House gang wants Armitage to testify in place of Condoleezza Rice, who has refused to explain her failure of vision in stopping the 9.11 attacks. (Who can forget her statement that, "No one in their wildest dreams could have imagined terrorists using a commercial airplane to attack a building.") In commenting on the fact that Armitage has been asked to replace Condi before the committee, Kerry said, "I think you would be a great National Security Advisor."

For a minute, the love affair between these two seemed so palpable that I thought Kerry was going to ask Armitage for a date. But what else should we expect from these former comrades-in-arms. During America's war on Viet Nam, while Kerry was (admittedly!) committing war crimes, Armitage was the CIA's bag man for moving tons of heroin out of the Golden Triangle. This is all a matter of public record now, and no one seems to care.

Interestingly, one of the committee members read from Richard Clarke's explosive new book, Against All Enemies : Inside the White House's War on Terror--What Really Happened, where Clarke states that he told Colin Powell that the Al Quaeda terrorists who eventually pulled of the 9.11 attacks were already living in the US. He then goes on to say that Powell turned the issue over to Armitage. Hmmm, does anyone care to comment on this little tidbit?

Of course, why are we surprised that our Empire has gone to the dark side so fast. When Bush appointed an Army General to head his foreign policy team as Secretary of State we should have known that perpetual world war would soon follow. What really gets to me, however, is that these hearings don't seem to have captured the attention of our citizens in nearly the same way that the Clinton impeachment did. I guess that an investigation of how the Cheney-Bush junta is bringing this nation to its knees isn’t nearly as important to the people of this once-great nation as is an investigation of how Clinton brought an intern to her knees. ... Is this a great country, or what?!?

Oh well, at least one mystery has been cleared up. Condoleezza's refusal to testify finally confirms the fact that she really doesn't have any balls, contrary to earlier indications.

posted by Lorenzo 11:09 AM

22 March 2004

 

Israel's Cowardly Cold-blooded Murder of Sheikh Ahmed
The following are a couple of the comments we've read about the insanity of the Israeli government. Without question, the two most blood-thirsty terrorists on Earth today are Sharon and Bush. What despicable men they are.

This is worse than a crime, it is an act of stupidity. This is the beginning of a new chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It moves the conflict from the level of a solvable national conflict to the level of religious conflict, which by its very nature is insoluble.
-- Uri Avnery, veteran Israeli peace activist

Sharon Has Opened The Gates Of Hell
-- Hamas

posted by Lorenzo 2:01 PM

18 March 2004

 

Bush's nonsense about being a "war president"
Let's get a few things straight: 1) Bush may be living in the White House, but he's not our elected president. He was appointed by the Supreme Court. 2) It seems slightly obscene to glorify oneself as a war president when he was the one who started the war! And 3) a real "war president" would have attended at least one burial of a service person who was killed as a result of this ill-fated war. Instead, Bush has cut veterans' benefits while at the same time sending young people to their deaths. I guess it makes a former deserter like little Bush feel like he's a big man to think of himself as a war president. Personally, I simply think of him as a traitor to every great principle this nation once held dear.

posted by Lorenzo 5:38 PM

17 March 2004

 

Spain got the point
(Jonathan Freedland, The Guardian, March 17, 2004)
By defaming the Spanish while Madrid weeps, the Bushites display a sneaking contempt for democracy . . . In 2001, many American conservatives were appalled by the reaction in some European quarters to 9/11, a reaction crudely summarised as "America had it coming". They insisted it was grossly insensitive to attack the United States and its foreign policy while Ground Zero still smouldered. They were right and I took their side, urging people at least to pause a while before adding greater hurt to an already traumatised nation. . . . But look what's happening now. A matter of days after the event branded Europe's 9/11, and American conservatives - including some of the very people who were so outraged by the criticisms hurled at the US in September 2001 - have started whacking not just Spanish policy, but the Spanish people. . . . Perhaps this is how the Bushites hope to avenge what they saw as European insensitivity two and half years ago, by defaming the Spanish even as Madrid still weeps. But this assault should not go unanswered if only because, if allowed to settle in the public mind, it will widen yet further the already yawning transatlantic gulf of misunderstanding. . . . The first mistake is the more surprising, for no word is invoked more often in support of the "war on terror" than democracy. Yet these insults hurled at the Spanish show a sneaking contempt for the idea. For surely the Spanish did nothing more on Sunday than exercise their democratic right to change governments. They elected the Socialist party; to suggest they voted for al-Qaida is a slur not only on the Spanish nation but on the democratic process itself, implying that when terrorists strike political choice must end. . . . It comes from the same mentality that prompted Republicans in 2002 to run TV ads against the Democratic senator Max Cleland, who lost three limbs in the Vietnam war, placing his face alongside those of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. It is the same thinking that led one Republican congressman to quip recently that a vote in November for John Kerry will be a vote for Osama. It is a bid to reshape the political landscape, so that parties of the right stand on one side and all the rest are lumped in with al-Qaida. The tactic is McCarthyite, the natural extension of the bullying insistence that, in President Bush's own words, "You are either with us or you're with the terrorists". If that is the choice, then there is no choice: it is a mandate for a collection of one-party states. . . . The right's greater error is its failure to distinguish between the war against al-Qaida and the war on Iraq. About 90% of the Spanish electorate were against the latter; there is no evidence that they were, or are, soft on the former. On the contrary, there have been two mass demonstrations of Spanish opinion in the past few days: let no one forget that 36 hours before the election, about 11 million Spaniards took to the streets to swear their revulsion at terrorism. It takes some cheek to accuse a nation like that of weakness and appeasement. . . . The Spaniards showed they knew the difference between the struggle against al-Qaida and the conflict in Iraq. . . . The Spanish electorate were not voting for a cave-in to al-Qaida. On the contrary, many of those who opposed the war in Iraq did so precisely because they feared it would distract from the more urgent war against Islamist fanaticism. (Witness the US military resources pulled off the hunt for Bin Laden in Afghanistan and diverted to Baghdad.) Nor was it appeasement to suggest that the US-led invasion of an oil-rich, Muslim country would make al-Qaida's recruitment mission that much easier. . . . So, yes, it is quite true that al-Qaida will be chillingly gratified by the Spanish result but, no, that does not mean that Spaniards voted for al-Qaida. . . . The world has never looked more like a complex knot, and it will take precision and patience to untangle it. Wrenching away at it in fury will only make the problem harder - and our lives more dangerous.

posted by Lorenzo 10:12 AM

16 March 2004

 

News from Thailand
If you haven't been following our friend's blog, A Backpack and a Keyboard, you should check it out right now. Currently he is reporting about an ongoing border sweep on the Thailand / Burma border. This is news direct from the source and should not be missed. Just take a look at a few of the most recent posts and then go back to the beginning with an account of his journey through China, Viet Nam, and Cambodia. This blog is a modern day version of a journal like Mark Twain's "Roughing It." Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

posted by Lorenzo 8:07 PM

13 March 2004

 

Time To Stand Up And Be Counted

A long time ago I heard a little story that went something like this:

"When a man or woman walks through a room with a definite purpose in mind, the crowd steps out of the way and makes room for them to pass. But let them hesitate, or in some way show they are unsure of their direction, the crowd immediately closes in and steps all over their toes."

Perhaps that is what has happened to us as a species. We no longer seem so sure of ourselves, for we (as a species) are gradually waking up to the fact that our goal of ever-increasing prosperity is not sustainable. The question is, how do we slow down and change direction without being crushed by this great crowd of fellow beings with whom we share this planet? And in what direction do we now proceed?

It is quite easy these days to get swept up in the bi-polar choice that is being presented in the upcoming election. What is left unsaid in this great debate, however, is the fact that whether the next resident of the White House is Bush or Kerry (or even Kucinich), not much is going to change in the short run. The provocative thought that fact brings forth is that the short term may be all we have left in which to salvage some semblance of our current civilizations before a running series of crises ripple through that part of the fabric of history that is now coming to an end.

A fundamental shift in human consciousness must take place in the next few years if our species is to have any hope at all of pulling out of the nose-dive we are currently in. Just look at the trivial matters that are being debated in the US today, while the truly serious issues are being swept under the carpet. For example, the insane wing of Christianity is terrified that humanity will come to an end if gay marriages are permitted. Humanity may be coming to an end all right, but gay marriage is most certainly not going to be the cause.

The short term, the immediate future, is where we must now focus, however. What if the Pentagon is right about climate change? What if they are right, but the trigger event is 100 years ahead and thus will not happen in our lifetimes? What if it is 1,000 years ahead? Does that mean we should bury our heads in the sand and let our children’s children worry about the fact that we have reached peak oil? Or should we make a deliberate decision to become ever-more aware of what is happening to our biosphere?

The time to stand up and be counted is NOW. TODAY! What seemingly insignificant act are you going to perform TODAY to help stop the slide of our incredible species down the slopes of extinction? By imposing a new direction and purpose on your own life, you are also adding to the collective consciousness of a species that has lost its way. In chaotic times like these, a single butterfly can make a difference.

posted by Lorenzo 3:10 PM

12 March 2004

 

Thought for the day
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
-- Buckminster Fuller

posted by Lorenzo 3:32 PM

10 March 2004

 

Thought for the day
The Old Order of which this retarded mind-set is an integral part, is in its death throes, and all the more dangerous on that account. The problem is essentially one of compulsive behavior that is structural, and therefore beyond conquest by reason.
-- Trevor James Constable

posted by Lorenzo 3:33 PM

09 March 2004

 

Thought for the day
We are living at a time when history is holding its breath, and the present is detaching itself from the past like an iceberg that has broken away from its moorings to sail across the boundless ocean.
-- Arthur Clarke

posted by Lorenzo 11:33 AM

05 March 2004

 

What if the Pentagon is Right?
When the story about possible catastrophic climate change first appeared in Fortune magazine early this year, it became obvious that climate change has now moved beyond the realm of people who are environmentally conscious and into America's corporate board rooms as well. To my knowledge, this is the first time that the US Pentagon has warned corporate America that an environmental catastrophe of monumental proportions may take place in our lifetimes. "Catastrophic" is the word they used, and this is a powerful word when used by our nation's military planners. Generally, this word is reserved for use when speaking of Weapons of Mass Destruction. We are talking here about something with the power to be civilization-changing.

As is often the case these days, several different scientific disciplines have intersected, experienced synergy, and illuminated truths about our planet that would have seemed outrageous only 100 years ago. Thanks to current science, we now have a much better view of the processes involved in heating the North Atlantic land masses. It has long been known that ocean currents, like the well-known Gulf Stream, are responsible for the warm air along the east coast of North America and along European coasts.

What is new, however, is the discovery that the direction in which these currents flow can reverse in a very short period of time, which in turn would cause a catastrophic change in global weather. In fact, should these warming currents change direction today, within 2 - 3 years most of Europe and eastern North America will begin to experience very long and severe winters and soon become uninhabitable. Here is how author Thom Hartmann described the situation:

"The worst-case scenario would be a full-blown return of the last ice age -- in a period as short as 2 to 3 years from its onset . . . a delicately balanced teeter-totter, which can exist in one state or the other, but transits through the middle stage almost overnight. . . . If the Great Conveyor Belt, which includes the Gulf Stream, were to stop flowing today, the result would be sudden and dramatic. Winter would set in for the eastern half of North America and all of Europe and Siberia, and never go away. Within three years, those regions would become uninhabitable and nearly two billion humans would starve, freeze to death, or have to relocate. Civilization as we know it probably couldn't withstand the impact of such a crushing blow."

Now I'm not saying that this will begin tomorrow, or even in our lifetimes. What I am saying is that if the Pentagon's top strategic planners are so concerned about this issue that they leaked it to the US business press, then maybe the rest of us should play "what if?" too. The following is a small part of my own such list. (You may find it illuminating to create a What If list of your own.)

• What if the scientists are correct about how the warming currents work and how fragile their balance is?


• What if these currents change direction and cease warming the North Atlantic in my lifetime?


• What if I'm living in one of the areas the Pentagon says may experience a weather-related catastrophe in the near-term? (These areas include the entire eastern half of Canada and the USA and all of Europe.)


• What if I am forced to evacuate and permanently leave my home area at the same time 2 billion other humans are also on the move?


• What will it mean to the world economy if 2 billion people have to relocate in just a few years' time?


• What if there is still time enough left for us to prevent this possible catastrophe?

I certainly hope, and fervently believe, that enough time remains for us to pull back from the brink of an environmental catastrophe that is so immense we cannot even imagine it. Just think, within our own lifetimes all of the great cities of Europe could be buried under mountains of snow. We simply cannot let this happen.

The moment has finally arrived for concerned humans everywhere to stand up and be counted on the issue of global warming. The Pentagon/Fortune crowd have now made it OK to talk about these issues in public. No longer must environmentally-aware people remain circumspect around their friends, families, neighbors, and business associates. It is time drop our shields and get everyone on this planet talking about what us humans are doing to our life support systems here on Earth. What if we did that every day at work, at school, at church, and everywhere else we go. What if we asked every store clerk we deal with what they think about the Pentagon's report? What if everyone finally gets it? … And what if we don't?

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posted by Lorenzo 1:07 PM

03 March 2004

 

Thought for the day
Our problem results from acting like cowboys on a limitless frontier when in truth we inhabit a living spaceship with a finely balanced life-support system.
-- David C. Korton

posted by Lorenzo 5:23 PM

02 March 2004

 

Sad But True
If Kerry isn't our next elected President, then Clinton will go down in history as the last elected President of the United States of America. Perhaps Jim Morrison was right, "this is the end, my friend." I suspect that we are about to see what America is really made of. And I'm not just talking about the immediate election. I think that how the American people behave in the next five years will seal the fate of this nation for the century to come.

posted by Lorenzo 8:41 PM

01 March 2004

 

Why the CIA Needs Haiti
I've been trying to figure out what's in it for the CIA to get rid of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. From the reports coming from non-Corporate Media, it appears that the "rebels" have been armed by the US, and it is obvious that Bush and Powell were doing all they could to force Aristide out of Haiti. But why?

In Venezuela it is obvious that the CIA is plotting yet another coup to oust Chavez, but that one is more clear. They are one of our major oil suppliers, and the US is simply doing what it always has done when it needed more oil. Only in Venezuela the Cheney-Bush junta is being a little more circumspect than they have been in Iraq. But Haiti has no oil. What Haiti does have is a lot of poor people AND some important drug dealers.

Could it be that the CIA is setting Haiti up as their trans-shipment point for all of that heroin coming from their new client state of Afghanistan?

posted by Lorenzo 11:17 AM