Have you noticed it?
We went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan to fight 'al Qaeda.' Now, al Qaeda is our friend. Yup, they're helping out in Libya, trying to get rid of Qaddafi, who if I remember correctly, was the mastermind of the Lockerbie mess.
Doesn't that make al Qaeda and Qaddafi best friends?
And what about bin Laden? He was the Man of the Moment 10 years ago. We blew up three countries (Pakistan too) trying to find him. But, he just kept making tapes and changing his appearance. Last time I looked, there's been about six or seven bin Ladens. It's kind of like James Bond. Just plug in a new one when the old one dies.
Maybe bin Laden is hiding in Libya? He's shacked up with Qaddafi now and they're taking over the world, Pinky! But wait! Bin Laden was in charge of al Qaeda, right? He was the Ace of Spades, if I remember all those stupid card monikers and color alerts. Hell, the Number Three guy (who I guess was the Queen of Spades) in now the new Number One, and he had dinner at the Pentagon a couple of weeks after 9/11. Really.
Maybe all this bullshit is why Judge Judy and what...a half dozen reporters now?...all start babbling on camera at some point. They just can't keep all the cognitive dissonance at bay. It's kind of like that scene from "Bruce Almighty," when Jim Carrey puts the hex on the anchor dude, and he starts blathering like an idiot. Not that it's much different from normal, everyday news casting.
So, let's see if I can get this straight. Oceania is our enemy. Oceania has always been our enemy. Or was it Eurasia? I can't remember now. I need a quick trip to the MiniTruth to get my head rebooted.
Think about it. Al Qaeda (The Source, in case your Arabic is rusty) was our mortal enemy for a decade, and we bombed three countries into the Stone Age to get rid of them. Then Qaddafi, who was re-branded after the Reagan Years to be mostly benign, is now re-branded again into the Boogie Man du Jour for putting down some protests, just like Obama does in front of the White House, or everyone does at G20 meetings. So, USA, Inc. invades his country completely without provocation (under international and US law, but who pays attention to law any more), ostensibly on the side of the rebels (though really it's on the side of oil mega-corps). Then, al Qaeda joins in on the side of the rebels, as well. And NO ONE noticed??!!
Where are the blaring headlines, a la W. R. Hearst?
Our Enemy Is Now Our Friend!
Maybe I missed some important memo. Understandable, of course. I'm 12,000 miles away from the office and stone tablets ain't cheap to mail. But come on! Just back in January, we were drone-bombing western Pakistan to root out al Qaeda. Did they make a payment to someone? Did they agree to help get the oil for Daddy Warbux? Or have I just been in a coma for ten years and missed the whole re-branding campaign? Hell, the US is even GIVING al Qaeda guns and bullets now!
Isn't that how al Qaeda started? The CIA armed them using the Iran Contra drug money so they would trot over and kick butt on Iran, because the US didn't like who they put in after the CIA got rid of the CIA's first implant (the shah). Then they got blamed for 9/11, so we crashed their party. Now, they're working for US again.
It really feels like I'm Winston Smith, banging away on my diary for some future human beings who will never exist, because the Thought Police are coming soon and Richard Burton will pop in to do a number on my brain so that, I too, will Love Big Brother.
The next time you are watching the nightly propaganda machine and the anchor starts uttering pure gibberish, like Judge Judy and the gang, just remember...their Room 101 sessions haven't quite kicked in yet. Give them a little time and some Victory Gin and they'll come around.
You almost need a playbook to keep up with who's shafting who these days.
We;re at war with Eastasia. We've always been at war with Eastasia. And choco rations have increased this month due to production increases. Double plus good!
It's enough to make me want to find a camera and start babbling.
31.3.11
Nuking Our Nest
On July 16, 1945, in the deserts of New Mexico, USA, the first (admitted) nuclear explosion occurred. Compared to today's yields, it was a small pop, but it prompted one of the lead researchers, an unassuming, pipe-smoking fellow by the name of J. Robert Oppenheimer, to declare, "I am become Death, Destroyer of Worlds." He was quoting the Hindu scriptures as he watched the mushroom cloud, laden with radioactive particles, rise into the dawn sky.
What followed was decades of underground, above-ground, atmospheric, and space explosions. Likely hundreds of warheads were detonated. Entire Pacific Island chains were destroyed. Native peoples were dislocated. Parts of New Mexico and Nevada are nuclear wastelands. Radioactive clouds swept the Earth many times over.
Japan had two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveled by single atomic bombs. They only had kiloton yields. Now we measure yields in the megatons, at least officially.
And that's just the USA. Then there's the former USSR, England, France, Germany, Israel, India, Pakistan, China, and likely others. They all popped off a few in tests, some with probably a lot less "controls" than the USA reportedly used, which was virtually none.
Now, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and who knows how many other "non-wars" have seen the use of "depleted uranium" shell casings. Spent nuclear fuel is wrapped around various ammunition to harden them for penetrating armor.
When the round is fired, the uranium becomes molten in flight and when it hits a target, all kinds of strange and exotic isotopes and other particles are released in a shower of nastiness. Depending on what the armor and the shell are made of, the by-products cover the map of deadly radioactive particles. Until 1991, US soldiers were warned not to sit on DU ammo boxes, as the radiation would sterilize them, at best. Of course, since that time, it is perfectly safe, according to Pentagon manuals.
Meantime, there have been a number of publicly admitted nuclear reactor disasters. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and a few others made the headlines, but there have been dozens that were never admitted officially. In ever case, the respective governments lied and obfuscated, trying to cover up the true nature of the disasters.
Now we have Japan's answer to Hiroshima...Fuk-u-shima. Again, we see lying and obfuscating by government agencies, not just in Japan, by other countries and even global. It's always 'not that bad,' until it becomes unavoidable, then it's 'not as bad as it could be.' Until it is, of course.
In the old days, we called this the 'China Syndrome.' Presumablly, the nuclear core would heat up to such extremes that it would cause an uncontrollable melt-down, which would burn through the entire Earth and come out in China (assuming it started in the US). I've noticed no one has mentioned the America Syndrome, which would be the same scenario, but going the opposite direction. For a breathless, liberal point of view, watch the less-than-memorable Jack Lemmon/Jane Fonda movie from the 70s. 'Silkwood' was better and based on real events.
So, now we have a molten core, which has burned through its concrete and steel casing and is dripping on the ground at Fukushima reactor 2. That's the admitted story. Who knows what the truth is? We may never really know, unless it gets completely out of hand, and by that I mean the information containment, not the fuel.
People are wringing their hands and watching click-counts, trying to figure out when the cloud will hit them. Well, I've got news for you. If you're under 60, you've been nuked all your life. You've been showered with radioactivity from sources we may never even know about, at least until the US falls and the archives are finally opened, like the USSR.
All those bomb tests, unreported accidents, DU munitions, and even the cesium and americium in your smoke detectors bathe you in loving clouds of radiation all day every day. Every time you go to the airport, or visit the doctor for an X-ray or three, you are lovingly washed with radiation. Every breath of air, every bite of food, every drink of water washes you in warm, fuzzy radiation. Heck, your kids are out in the backyard playing in plutonium from the 60s right now!
Why do you think cancer rates, altzheimer's, parkinson's, and all these other diseases have shot up over the past few decades. They were almost unheard of at the beginning of the 20th century. What's going on behind the scenes is far worse than anyone can imagine, and certainly worse than any entity is willing to admit. To admit is to take liability, and liability equals lawsuits. Can't have that in the Land of the Broke and Home of the Homeless. It would cause massive unrest, huge class-action lawsuits and bring the Empire to its knees, if the truth were known.
Here's some breaking news: the time to have started worrying about radiation was over a century ago, with the work of Curry and Roentgen. In fact, Fukushima is just the latest in a long line of nuclear disasters that began with the Dawn of Man.
You see, you are bombarded with radiation daily from a source you can never control. It's called the Universe. Ask the Apollo astronauts who have died of exotic cancers due to radiation bombardment while passing through the Van Allen Belts.
If you are worried about fall-out, why now and not when clouds of radioactive dust from New Mexico and Nevada. if you are worried about nuked fish, why now and not when the US was popping off hydrogen bombs subsea or on island chains in the Pacific during the 50s? If you are worried about glowing food, why not when the FDA approved nuking your groceries to make them last longer on the store shelf?
Why all the sudden gray hairs over a couple of leaking reactors in Japan?
The time to have started worrying was a long time ago, before nuke plants and bombs and X-rays and gamma ray knives were invented. As far as problems go, Fukushima is a minor mishap in the history of nuking large populations. Even if the plant were to blow up, it would represent a small fraction of what one government in one country has done to the world (US). And there are others on the list.
If you're really worried about it, then you should have been eating KI from the day you were born until now. And even then, it only protrects your thyroid from filling up with radioactive iodine. There's still a lot of body left, such as skin, brain, lungs, etc. And that doesn't count such lovelies as asbestos and voluntary nukings in order to 'cure' cancer, which is kind of like drinking arsenic to cure mercury poisoning.
On top of all that, you take more risk getting in your car to go to work every day. That is statistically more dangerous than just about any other environmental factor, yet no one seems too upset about it, because we WANT that risk. It does, however, illustrate the sheer madness of all this worry, though.
Why isn't anyone worrying about the Gulf Oil Spill, which is an on-going threat to all life on the US Gulf coast? Why isn't anyone worrying about the effects of the Large Hadron Collider (after all, look what science has done to us already)? Why isn't anyone up in arms over the use of DU against several nations (and counting)? Why isn't anyone worrying about the dangers of electro-magnetic radiation from high-tension lines bringing nice, warm power to your house? Of things to worry about, Fukushima is down the list a bit.
Everyone wants to wail and gnash teeth when there's an on-going and visible disaster, but as soon as it vanishes from the headlines, everyone forgets about it. Later, they wonder why folks are dropping like flies from strange diseases.
Admit it, we all want to stumble through life and not think of the real risks we take every day. If we worried about the true threats to our lives, no one would leave their house, and even then, most accidents occur in an around the home. And when the risks bring us some perceived benefit (mobility, lights, communications), we conveniently forget about what those things are doing to our bodies, our lives and our environment.
So, if you're sweating about Fukushima, don't. The way I figure it, you don't really give a rat's patoot about radiation. Why? I'll bet you have a microwave oven and a cell phone and smoke detectors. Maybe you have a wrist watch that glows in the dark. I'll bet you use Wi-Fi and have electricity in your home.
Sorry, but I can't take your worry seriously. You voluntarily surround yourself and your family with radiation, so how can I get all worked up over a couple of reactors?
Want someone to take your concerns seriously? Then show a little follow-through. Think things out. How much radiation are you WILLINGLY bringing into your life every minute of every day? Then balance that against Fukushima, even in a worst-case scenario. Unless you are living in or around the reactors, you probably do more damage every time you put a cell phone to your head than anything you'll get from Japan.
And while you're at it, honey, would you nuke me a Swanson's Hungry Man Dinner? I want to watch the game on our radioactive plasma display.
Give me a break.
What followed was decades of underground, above-ground, atmospheric, and space explosions. Likely hundreds of warheads were detonated. Entire Pacific Island chains were destroyed. Native peoples were dislocated. Parts of New Mexico and Nevada are nuclear wastelands. Radioactive clouds swept the Earth many times over.
Japan had two cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leveled by single atomic bombs. They only had kiloton yields. Now we measure yields in the megatons, at least officially.
And that's just the USA. Then there's the former USSR, England, France, Germany, Israel, India, Pakistan, China, and likely others. They all popped off a few in tests, some with probably a lot less "controls" than the USA reportedly used, which was virtually none.
Now, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and who knows how many other "non-wars" have seen the use of "depleted uranium" shell casings. Spent nuclear fuel is wrapped around various ammunition to harden them for penetrating armor.
When the round is fired, the uranium becomes molten in flight and when it hits a target, all kinds of strange and exotic isotopes and other particles are released in a shower of nastiness. Depending on what the armor and the shell are made of, the by-products cover the map of deadly radioactive particles. Until 1991, US soldiers were warned not to sit on DU ammo boxes, as the radiation would sterilize them, at best. Of course, since that time, it is perfectly safe, according to Pentagon manuals.
Meantime, there have been a number of publicly admitted nuclear reactor disasters. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and a few others made the headlines, but there have been dozens that were never admitted officially. In ever case, the respective governments lied and obfuscated, trying to cover up the true nature of the disasters.
Now we have Japan's answer to Hiroshima...Fuk-u-shima. Again, we see lying and obfuscating by government agencies, not just in Japan, by other countries and even global. It's always 'not that bad,' until it becomes unavoidable, then it's 'not as bad as it could be.' Until it is, of course.
In the old days, we called this the 'China Syndrome.' Presumablly, the nuclear core would heat up to such extremes that it would cause an uncontrollable melt-down, which would burn through the entire Earth and come out in China (assuming it started in the US). I've noticed no one has mentioned the America Syndrome, which would be the same scenario, but going the opposite direction. For a breathless, liberal point of view, watch the less-than-memorable Jack Lemmon/Jane Fonda movie from the 70s. 'Silkwood' was better and based on real events.
So, now we have a molten core, which has burned through its concrete and steel casing and is dripping on the ground at Fukushima reactor 2. That's the admitted story. Who knows what the truth is? We may never really know, unless it gets completely out of hand, and by that I mean the information containment, not the fuel.
People are wringing their hands and watching click-counts, trying to figure out when the cloud will hit them. Well, I've got news for you. If you're under 60, you've been nuked all your life. You've been showered with radioactivity from sources we may never even know about, at least until the US falls and the archives are finally opened, like the USSR.
All those bomb tests, unreported accidents, DU munitions, and even the cesium and americium in your smoke detectors bathe you in loving clouds of radiation all day every day. Every time you go to the airport, or visit the doctor for an X-ray or three, you are lovingly washed with radiation. Every breath of air, every bite of food, every drink of water washes you in warm, fuzzy radiation. Heck, your kids are out in the backyard playing in plutonium from the 60s right now!
Why do you think cancer rates, altzheimer's, parkinson's, and all these other diseases have shot up over the past few decades. They were almost unheard of at the beginning of the 20th century. What's going on behind the scenes is far worse than anyone can imagine, and certainly worse than any entity is willing to admit. To admit is to take liability, and liability equals lawsuits. Can't have that in the Land of the Broke and Home of the Homeless. It would cause massive unrest, huge class-action lawsuits and bring the Empire to its knees, if the truth were known.
Here's some breaking news: the time to have started worrying about radiation was over a century ago, with the work of Curry and Roentgen. In fact, Fukushima is just the latest in a long line of nuclear disasters that began with the Dawn of Man.
You see, you are bombarded with radiation daily from a source you can never control. It's called the Universe. Ask the Apollo astronauts who have died of exotic cancers due to radiation bombardment while passing through the Van Allen Belts.
If you are worried about fall-out, why now and not when clouds of radioactive dust from New Mexico and Nevada. if you are worried about nuked fish, why now and not when the US was popping off hydrogen bombs subsea or on island chains in the Pacific during the 50s? If you are worried about glowing food, why not when the FDA approved nuking your groceries to make them last longer on the store shelf?
Why all the sudden gray hairs over a couple of leaking reactors in Japan?
The time to have started worrying was a long time ago, before nuke plants and bombs and X-rays and gamma ray knives were invented. As far as problems go, Fukushima is a minor mishap in the history of nuking large populations. Even if the plant were to blow up, it would represent a small fraction of what one government in one country has done to the world (US). And there are others on the list.
If you're really worried about it, then you should have been eating KI from the day you were born until now. And even then, it only protrects your thyroid from filling up with radioactive iodine. There's still a lot of body left, such as skin, brain, lungs, etc. And that doesn't count such lovelies as asbestos and voluntary nukings in order to 'cure' cancer, which is kind of like drinking arsenic to cure mercury poisoning.
On top of all that, you take more risk getting in your car to go to work every day. That is statistically more dangerous than just about any other environmental factor, yet no one seems too upset about it, because we WANT that risk. It does, however, illustrate the sheer madness of all this worry, though.
Why isn't anyone worrying about the Gulf Oil Spill, which is an on-going threat to all life on the US Gulf coast? Why isn't anyone worrying about the effects of the Large Hadron Collider (after all, look what science has done to us already)? Why isn't anyone up in arms over the use of DU against several nations (and counting)? Why isn't anyone worrying about the dangers of electro-magnetic radiation from high-tension lines bringing nice, warm power to your house? Of things to worry about, Fukushima is down the list a bit.
Everyone wants to wail and gnash teeth when there's an on-going and visible disaster, but as soon as it vanishes from the headlines, everyone forgets about it. Later, they wonder why folks are dropping like flies from strange diseases.
Admit it, we all want to stumble through life and not think of the real risks we take every day. If we worried about the true threats to our lives, no one would leave their house, and even then, most accidents occur in an around the home. And when the risks bring us some perceived benefit (mobility, lights, communications), we conveniently forget about what those things are doing to our bodies, our lives and our environment.
So, if you're sweating about Fukushima, don't. The way I figure it, you don't really give a rat's patoot about radiation. Why? I'll bet you have a microwave oven and a cell phone and smoke detectors. Maybe you have a wrist watch that glows in the dark. I'll bet you use Wi-Fi and have electricity in your home.
Sorry, but I can't take your worry seriously. You voluntarily surround yourself and your family with radiation, so how can I get all worked up over a couple of reactors?
Want someone to take your concerns seriously? Then show a little follow-through. Think things out. How much radiation are you WILLINGLY bringing into your life every minute of every day? Then balance that against Fukushima, even in a worst-case scenario. Unless you are living in or around the reactors, you probably do more damage every time you put a cell phone to your head than anything you'll get from Japan.
And while you're at it, honey, would you nuke me a Swanson's Hungry Man Dinner? I want to watch the game on our radioactive plasma display.
Give me a break.
28.3.11
Earth Day - What A Joke
Whenever I think of the WWF, which is thankfully not often, I think of that brilliant scene from Monty Python's "The Life of Brian," where the Crack Suicide Squad comes running up to Brian's cross, hails him with their swords and proceeds to disembowel themselves on the spot.
It's hard to take seriously an organization who's goal is to eradicate humanity, yet are not willing to lead by example. In fact, it is the global warmists who are some of the worst offenders, as if they want to personally push civilization over the edge to prove their point.
It seems to be a common problem with all zealots, of any stripe, that they do not follow their arguments to their logical conclusions. There is frequently the attitude that everyone else must follow strict observance, but the zealot is exempt because they must spread the gospel. Their minds entrap glaring non sequiturs without cognitive dissonance, as they simply ignore those facts which do not fit the model.
The Jakarta Post this morning featured two photos that supposedly demonstrated the city's commitment to fighting global warming. The upper photo was taken a few minutes before 'Earth Hour,' showing the glaring lights of Plaza Indonesia, and the bottom photo showed the same view just after lights-out. There was hardly a difference, as the headlights from all the cars lit up the area quite well. Apparently, the editors did not see the irony in those photos.
By contrast, on the holiday of Nyepi in Bali, the entire island goes completely and utterly dark. All machines, all lights and even all gas stoves are turned off for 24 hours. The networks stop broadcasting. People don't leave their homes. That is an example of something that people take seriously.
Earth Day is not.
Don't get me wrong. I fully support good stewardship. I support farming techniques that maximize yield, while minimizing pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Related to that, I fully support the demise of corporate farming in favor of family farms. I fully support turning off anything that isn't being used. I fully support walking or riding a bike for any distance under 15 minutes by foot.
I support preservation of wild areas and forests, where animals can roam unmolested and unthreatened by economic activity. I fully support protecting species from over-hunting and exploitation by greedy commerical interests.
All of these are noble goals and well worth pursuing. However, they require a few things in order to realize them, all of which are virtually impossible, given human nature. In the absence of consequences, many people would throw their mothers in front of a bus to get ahead. This is especially true in high-density, high-stress megalopolises, which are growing all over the planet. Throughout history, people congregate in large numbers in places where commerce and opportunity concentrates. Populations rise to unsustainable levels, and then the region collapses, causing wide-spread economic disruption and die-offs.
This result, as far as history teaches us, is inevitable. It follows as night does the day. It happens in bacteria colonies in Petri dishes, and it happens in human colonies on Earth.
What we need are educational efforts and promotion of technologies such as the internet and satellite communications, not asinine, half-baked turn-your-lights-off campaigns that waste time and resources to achieve nothing. Here in Jakarta, most people were not even aware of 'Earth Hour' and didn't even know that a few lights in the city center were dimmed for a moment. Big achievement, that.
I see that look on your face. You're looking at me like, "OK, so what's your idea?" Well, I'm glad you asked. But, be warned, it ain't easy and will require a prolonged effort on the part of a few generations of humans. But hey!, if we can waste so much time and effort of fairy-tales like 'global warming,' we can sure do something that has a real effect on the health of the planet.
First of all, the problem is not population. It is a fact that every man, woman and child on Earth could live quite comfortably in Texas. In fact, each person would have 1,700 square feet in which to sit down and have a decent bar-b-que dinner. Do the math. I assumed 7 billion people coming for dinner. The world is more than sufficient for all the people in it. The problem is that when you are up to your eye-balls in people in major metropolitan areas, you tend to think the world is over-populated.
The first item on the action list is to strip corporations of anything even remotely resembling human rights. They must lose their legal status as 'person' and any and all legal protections for the people who run them.
Very simple step, very hard to achieve. The mega-corps have become so powerful that any attempt to do this will be met with the strongest resistance. The Boards and Execs like being able to act in the name of profit with complete impunity. When you have that kind of power, you don't let go easily. However, it removes the incentive to violate the lives and property of real humans by making the officers and boards personally liable for the actions of the corporations.
The next step is to expand low-impact technologies, such as the internet, which offer dual benefits. One the one hand, it brings education and the marketplace to any location on the planet.
At this very moment, I can access tele-medicine, vast literary libraries, college lectures, and textbooks online. I can easily obtain a degree from Oxford while living in Borneo, and never have to leave my bedroom. The global resources used are absolutely minimal. My 'carbon footprint' is virtually nil. And through it all, I can attend lectures, ask questions, take tests, and even receive my diploma, all with the click of a button.
As far as the marketplace, I can buy and sell just about anything I need or make, and ship it from just about anywhere I want to live to anywhere else within days. I can compete directly and independently with any individual or entity anywhere in the world for any market, all with the click of a button.
Through the use of tele-medicine, even the most remote, Stone Age villages (like the one here at LFS headquarters) can receive treatment and advice from the most advanced medical centers in the world. I was part of an experiment in the early 90s, in which Dr. Michael DeBakey was able to diagnose and recommend treatment for a patient 2,000 miles away, simply by using a Star Trek-looking panel which gave a full read-out on the patient, as well as 2-way video communications between all parties. If that was possible 20 years ago, why aren't we doing it commonly now?
So, four small steps utilizing current technology, and we have eliminated a major greed factor that is destroying human beings and environments. We have brought the best possible education to even the remotest parts of the planet. We have reduced the need for megalopolises and democratized commerce. And we have increased access to the latest medical services. It only took 30 minutes to write it up, as well.
We could go further. You wouldn't need mega-malls and mega-stores that waste resources and space, when I can shop for the same items and have them delivered in a much more efficient manner, right from my desk. We don't need movie mega-plexes, high-rise office towers or any of the other blights associated with high-density living. We can grow more of our own food in our remote locations. And we can put in high-speed rail systems to quickly and comfortably whisk people into specialized areas that offer entertainment and social contact.
The biggest obstacles to this mini-utopia is government control and corporate greed. The desire on the part of 'officials' to control and corral humans is insatiable, and the lust for profit and shiny baubles is equally so on the part of corporations.
The steps are simple and require very little in the way of additional infrastructure. In fact, it would require less resources and be far more ecologically friendly than anything being done at the moment. the hardest part is the change of mind.
Getting people to think differently is never easy, but my proposal is far more workable and people-friendly that anything Al Gore and the WWF can conceive of. It is much more effective in the long-term, and saves more resources than idiotic light-dimming for an hour every year, and needs about the same amount of public awareness and information dissemination as was used to turn off a few lights for an hour.
Certainly, if the WWF chose the Python-esque route and became "crack suicide troops,' it would save vast amounts of resources and hot air that achieve nothing.
We could then use all the money and effort wasted by their spurious PR campaigns to achieve real change. In fact, with what they spent on light-dimming, we could have built a model, high-tech, advanced society in the heart of the Amazon jungle, with all the modern conveniences, and hardly cut a single tree to do it. We would put that money where our mouth is and show the world just how workable and sustainable a community of a few thousand could really be.
So, we must assume that either the WWF is populated by a bunch of knuckle-draggers who are so bamboozled by their own bullshit that they can't see daylight in the dessert. Or, they are not actually trying to achieve their stated goals, and in fact are just con artists taking people's money and paying themselves outrageous salaries to get a few lights dimmed once a year.
Take your pick.
Like any good Irish-Texan, I've done my job and saved the world, yet again. Next go 'round, elect me supreme emperor of the world so I can start putting some of this into effect. I give you my best Obama-promise that I will do everything I say and maintain my integrity in the face of vast wealth and power.
Really.
It's hard to take seriously an organization who's goal is to eradicate humanity, yet are not willing to lead by example. In fact, it is the global warmists who are some of the worst offenders, as if they want to personally push civilization over the edge to prove their point.
It seems to be a common problem with all zealots, of any stripe, that they do not follow their arguments to their logical conclusions. There is frequently the attitude that everyone else must follow strict observance, but the zealot is exempt because they must spread the gospel. Their minds entrap glaring non sequiturs without cognitive dissonance, as they simply ignore those facts which do not fit the model.
The Jakarta Post this morning featured two photos that supposedly demonstrated the city's commitment to fighting global warming. The upper photo was taken a few minutes before 'Earth Hour,' showing the glaring lights of Plaza Indonesia, and the bottom photo showed the same view just after lights-out. There was hardly a difference, as the headlights from all the cars lit up the area quite well. Apparently, the editors did not see the irony in those photos.
By contrast, on the holiday of Nyepi in Bali, the entire island goes completely and utterly dark. All machines, all lights and even all gas stoves are turned off for 24 hours. The networks stop broadcasting. People don't leave their homes. That is an example of something that people take seriously.
Earth Day is not.
Don't get me wrong. I fully support good stewardship. I support farming techniques that maximize yield, while minimizing pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Related to that, I fully support the demise of corporate farming in favor of family farms. I fully support turning off anything that isn't being used. I fully support walking or riding a bike for any distance under 15 minutes by foot.
I support preservation of wild areas and forests, where animals can roam unmolested and unthreatened by economic activity. I fully support protecting species from over-hunting and exploitation by greedy commerical interests.
All of these are noble goals and well worth pursuing. However, they require a few things in order to realize them, all of which are virtually impossible, given human nature. In the absence of consequences, many people would throw their mothers in front of a bus to get ahead. This is especially true in high-density, high-stress megalopolises, which are growing all over the planet. Throughout history, people congregate in large numbers in places where commerce and opportunity concentrates. Populations rise to unsustainable levels, and then the region collapses, causing wide-spread economic disruption and die-offs.
This result, as far as history teaches us, is inevitable. It follows as night does the day. It happens in bacteria colonies in Petri dishes, and it happens in human colonies on Earth.
What we need are educational efforts and promotion of technologies such as the internet and satellite communications, not asinine, half-baked turn-your-lights-off campaigns that waste time and resources to achieve nothing. Here in Jakarta, most people were not even aware of 'Earth Hour' and didn't even know that a few lights in the city center were dimmed for a moment. Big achievement, that.
I see that look on your face. You're looking at me like, "OK, so what's your idea?" Well, I'm glad you asked. But, be warned, it ain't easy and will require a prolonged effort on the part of a few generations of humans. But hey!, if we can waste so much time and effort of fairy-tales like 'global warming,' we can sure do something that has a real effect on the health of the planet.
First of all, the problem is not population. It is a fact that every man, woman and child on Earth could live quite comfortably in Texas. In fact, each person would have 1,700 square feet in which to sit down and have a decent bar-b-que dinner. Do the math. I assumed 7 billion people coming for dinner. The world is more than sufficient for all the people in it. The problem is that when you are up to your eye-balls in people in major metropolitan areas, you tend to think the world is over-populated.
The first item on the action list is to strip corporations of anything even remotely resembling human rights. They must lose their legal status as 'person' and any and all legal protections for the people who run them.
Very simple step, very hard to achieve. The mega-corps have become so powerful that any attempt to do this will be met with the strongest resistance. The Boards and Execs like being able to act in the name of profit with complete impunity. When you have that kind of power, you don't let go easily. However, it removes the incentive to violate the lives and property of real humans by making the officers and boards personally liable for the actions of the corporations.
The next step is to expand low-impact technologies, such as the internet, which offer dual benefits. One the one hand, it brings education and the marketplace to any location on the planet.
At this very moment, I can access tele-medicine, vast literary libraries, college lectures, and textbooks online. I can easily obtain a degree from Oxford while living in Borneo, and never have to leave my bedroom. The global resources used are absolutely minimal. My 'carbon footprint' is virtually nil. And through it all, I can attend lectures, ask questions, take tests, and even receive my diploma, all with the click of a button.
As far as the marketplace, I can buy and sell just about anything I need or make, and ship it from just about anywhere I want to live to anywhere else within days. I can compete directly and independently with any individual or entity anywhere in the world for any market, all with the click of a button.
Through the use of tele-medicine, even the most remote, Stone Age villages (like the one here at LFS headquarters) can receive treatment and advice from the most advanced medical centers in the world. I was part of an experiment in the early 90s, in which Dr. Michael DeBakey was able to diagnose and recommend treatment for a patient 2,000 miles away, simply by using a Star Trek-looking panel which gave a full read-out on the patient, as well as 2-way video communications between all parties. If that was possible 20 years ago, why aren't we doing it commonly now?
So, four small steps utilizing current technology, and we have eliminated a major greed factor that is destroying human beings and environments. We have brought the best possible education to even the remotest parts of the planet. We have reduced the need for megalopolises and democratized commerce. And we have increased access to the latest medical services. It only took 30 minutes to write it up, as well.
We could go further. You wouldn't need mega-malls and mega-stores that waste resources and space, when I can shop for the same items and have them delivered in a much more efficient manner, right from my desk. We don't need movie mega-plexes, high-rise office towers or any of the other blights associated with high-density living. We can grow more of our own food in our remote locations. And we can put in high-speed rail systems to quickly and comfortably whisk people into specialized areas that offer entertainment and social contact.
The biggest obstacles to this mini-utopia is government control and corporate greed. The desire on the part of 'officials' to control and corral humans is insatiable, and the lust for profit and shiny baubles is equally so on the part of corporations.
The steps are simple and require very little in the way of additional infrastructure. In fact, it would require less resources and be far more ecologically friendly than anything being done at the moment. the hardest part is the change of mind.
Getting people to think differently is never easy, but my proposal is far more workable and people-friendly that anything Al Gore and the WWF can conceive of. It is much more effective in the long-term, and saves more resources than idiotic light-dimming for an hour every year, and needs about the same amount of public awareness and information dissemination as was used to turn off a few lights for an hour.
Certainly, if the WWF chose the Python-esque route and became "crack suicide troops,' it would save vast amounts of resources and hot air that achieve nothing.
We could then use all the money and effort wasted by their spurious PR campaigns to achieve real change. In fact, with what they spent on light-dimming, we could have built a model, high-tech, advanced society in the heart of the Amazon jungle, with all the modern conveniences, and hardly cut a single tree to do it. We would put that money where our mouth is and show the world just how workable and sustainable a community of a few thousand could really be.
So, we must assume that either the WWF is populated by a bunch of knuckle-draggers who are so bamboozled by their own bullshit that they can't see daylight in the dessert. Or, they are not actually trying to achieve their stated goals, and in fact are just con artists taking people's money and paying themselves outrageous salaries to get a few lights dimmed once a year.
Take your pick.
Like any good Irish-Texan, I've done my job and saved the world, yet again. Next go 'round, elect me supreme emperor of the world so I can start putting some of this into effect. I give you my best Obama-promise that I will do everything I say and maintain my integrity in the face of vast wealth and power.
Really.
24.3.11
Behind The Curtain
A little aside before I launch into today's tirade. Just suppose the STUXNET virus made its way into the Fukushima reactor complex and is, at least partly, responsible for the mess there. That would make the US/Israeli spooks directly responsible for nuking the Earth. Just a thought.
------
I think we can begin to link some dots that have taken well over a decade to fall into place. It seems we can also detect a level of desperation behind the Libya attacks by NATO forces.
It is quite clear from history that Iran is a jewel in the crown of the NWO. They have lusted to destroy and remake Iran in their own image, both for the oil resources, but also because some piece of ancient history is there, and they need it.
During the Iran/Iraq war in the 80s, the US was best buddies with Saddam Hussein and supported his efforts to fight Iranian forces. They gave Hussein WMD, which is why they were so sure he still had them when they illegally attacked him twice in the 90s and later in 2002.
Long before that, the US interfered with Iran's sovereign affairs in the 50s and installed a puppet shah, who was supposed to give the NWO full access to Iran's resources. However, he instead used the money to build up Iran and create a fine modern society. That was not part of the plan, so the NWO funded a revolution, which unseated the shah. But that backfired when fundamentalist elements took over leadership, instead.
Since the 90s, there has been a concerted effort to slowly seal off Iran. The invasions of Iraq and Afganistan, regardless of the public reasons, were to achieve very specific goals. The Taliban in Afganistan were destroying the opium business, which funds a lot of black ops. They also wanted a lot more money than originally agreed at the headquarters of a large oil company in Houston in the 90s (I met them). The money was to pay for right-of-way for a pipeline from the Caspian Sea oil fields to Israel.
The escalation into Pakistan was predicated on the issue of that country's leadership getting too independent. That threatened the NWOs ability to shut down energy and food (and weapons) coming from China. Therefore, Pakistan had to be balkanized in order to make trans-national shipments all that much more difficult, and thus isolate Iran from a major supply line.
The take-over of Iraq also allowed the NWO an convenient excuse to station large naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz and harass and control yet another supply line for Iran. It also effectively land-locked Iran and for all intents and purposes, surrounds the country with NWO military assets.
The next step was to destabilize Egypt and install an even more compliant leadership, and thus deliver control of the Suez Canal to the NWO. This would prevent Iran from scoring humanitarian points by supplying Palestine with aid and fuel. That achieves a dual goal for Israel...or does it.
Things seemed to go awry. The pro-Western implants in Egypt are losing their grip and nationalist elements are gaining strength. Witness the rebuke of Ban Ki-Moon, who wanted to take a victory tour of Tahrir Square.
Then Qaddafi did the unexpected. He used the Hussein maneuver and started blowing up the oil fields of Libya, since he was fully aware of the fact that the 'protesters' were NWO implants and the goal was control of the oil. The NWO couldn't tolerate that because it would surely push the EU over the cliff, so they had to hastily put together a 'coalition' of puppet states.
But several things are happening. I firmly believe the Japanese quake and subsequent events were either completely unexpected, or were triggered too soon. The NWO had spent a lot of time setting up the Middle East situation and the Japan events swung the spotlight in the wrong direction. Since then, they have been working overtime to downplay Japan and keep focus on the Middle East. If they fail, then the effort to build global support for their take-overs there will lose momentum.
In contrast, look at what happened after the Banda Aceh tsunami. Global media was completely focused on the region for months, with Clinton and Il Padrino Bush both running there to pose as humanitarians. In Japan, there appears to be a concerted effort to stay away from there and keep attention off of those events. It wasn't supposed to happen just now.
Because of the shift in focus, and because Qaddafi is threatening the EU's largest fuel supply, the NWO had to throw together something to try and refocus their efforts. However, the Germans and Turks refuse to join. The British and French are fighting each other over who gets to be in charge of the slaughter. The Arabs didn't sign on in droves. Russia and China have both condemned the attack. NATO is falling apart on party lines. And Obama is now in very dangerous territory.
You see, Obama committed US troops to the Libya attacks without so much as a cigar-and-whiskey meeting at the Oval Office to line up Congress. Instead, he took marching orders from the banksters, who rammed a resolution through the UN.
See, the thing is, the US military and government are no longer of/by/for the people. When the country went broke, the banksters took over and put the country in receivership. They now call the shots, not Congress, Obama or the people. When they said jump, Obama said how high, and continued to party in Rio.
Qaddafi is sitting on a huge pile of gold. The NWO can't cut off his source of funds. Also, Qaddafi runs the most modern and wealthiest countries in Africa, with a standard of living higher than countries such as Russia. Furthermore, the NWO attacks are more likely to generate sympathy and nationalistic feelings on the part of the populace, who will then turn their guns against the outsiders and take care of internal business later. That's why the F-15 was shot down over rebel territory.
So, the NWO is scrambling. They are making a lot of mistakes right now. Their desperation is showing up in many different areas. Japan landed a good right hook on their glass chin and they are reeling. If things continue along these lines, they could suffer set-backs that put them back decades.
It's not time to celebrate. Cornered animals are the most dangerous. The NWO is likely to do anything at this point to regain their control of events. Meantime, the Fukushima situation is becoming increasingly dangerous for all of humanity, Ann Coulter's idiocy aside. At night, blue beams of neutron radiation can be seen coming from the destroyed reactors.
This is an unprecedented opportunity for activists, though. The NWO is off-balance and some good shoves could topple the bastards. Qaddafi has the upper hand, as well. Because his enemy is acting out of desperation, it gives him several tactical advantages, as well as some PR brownie points.
We are in a very interesting cross-roads of history. A force that has worked for centuries to dominate the Earth is teetering from unexpected events. In Japan, there is an unprecedented disaster that could cause generations of damage to humankind. Geological tensions are building in a number of hot-spots around the world. The Moon and Sun are exerting rare pressure on Earth. And in the near future, there's a big question mark as Earth aligns with the galactic center in December 2012. No one knows what will happen, or if they do, they aren't telling.
And finally, there's the Big Secret. There are pieces of ancient technology and knowledge lying somewhere in Iran. It must be the key, because they have scoured Egypt, the Moon, Mars, and numerous other places in the Solar System. Iraq had some pieces, but not the key, so they have to go into Iran. It's the only place left where the missing parts could be. If they finally get their grubby hands on it, the sky's the limit...literally.
What can you do? Prepare your family, of course. But, start thinking about way you can push the tottering bastard until he falls over. The idea here is similar to the Chinese torture called 'Death of 1,000 Cuts.' If we all push just a little, then the cumulative effect will be quite effective.
As the Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times." They don't get much more interesting than they are at this moment.
Sampai jumpa!
------
I think we can begin to link some dots that have taken well over a decade to fall into place. It seems we can also detect a level of desperation behind the Libya attacks by NATO forces.
It is quite clear from history that Iran is a jewel in the crown of the NWO. They have lusted to destroy and remake Iran in their own image, both for the oil resources, but also because some piece of ancient history is there, and they need it.
During the Iran/Iraq war in the 80s, the US was best buddies with Saddam Hussein and supported his efforts to fight Iranian forces. They gave Hussein WMD, which is why they were so sure he still had them when they illegally attacked him twice in the 90s and later in 2002.
Long before that, the US interfered with Iran's sovereign affairs in the 50s and installed a puppet shah, who was supposed to give the NWO full access to Iran's resources. However, he instead used the money to build up Iran and create a fine modern society. That was not part of the plan, so the NWO funded a revolution, which unseated the shah. But that backfired when fundamentalist elements took over leadership, instead.
Since the 90s, there has been a concerted effort to slowly seal off Iran. The invasions of Iraq and Afganistan, regardless of the public reasons, were to achieve very specific goals. The Taliban in Afganistan were destroying the opium business, which funds a lot of black ops. They also wanted a lot more money than originally agreed at the headquarters of a large oil company in Houston in the 90s (I met them). The money was to pay for right-of-way for a pipeline from the Caspian Sea oil fields to Israel.
The escalation into Pakistan was predicated on the issue of that country's leadership getting too independent. That threatened the NWOs ability to shut down energy and food (and weapons) coming from China. Therefore, Pakistan had to be balkanized in order to make trans-national shipments all that much more difficult, and thus isolate Iran from a major supply line.
The take-over of Iraq also allowed the NWO an convenient excuse to station large naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz and harass and control yet another supply line for Iran. It also effectively land-locked Iran and for all intents and purposes, surrounds the country with NWO military assets.
The next step was to destabilize Egypt and install an even more compliant leadership, and thus deliver control of the Suez Canal to the NWO. This would prevent Iran from scoring humanitarian points by supplying Palestine with aid and fuel. That achieves a dual goal for Israel...or does it.
Things seemed to go awry. The pro-Western implants in Egypt are losing their grip and nationalist elements are gaining strength. Witness the rebuke of Ban Ki-Moon, who wanted to take a victory tour of Tahrir Square.
Then Qaddafi did the unexpected. He used the Hussein maneuver and started blowing up the oil fields of Libya, since he was fully aware of the fact that the 'protesters' were NWO implants and the goal was control of the oil. The NWO couldn't tolerate that because it would surely push the EU over the cliff, so they had to hastily put together a 'coalition' of puppet states.
But several things are happening. I firmly believe the Japanese quake and subsequent events were either completely unexpected, or were triggered too soon. The NWO had spent a lot of time setting up the Middle East situation and the Japan events swung the spotlight in the wrong direction. Since then, they have been working overtime to downplay Japan and keep focus on the Middle East. If they fail, then the effort to build global support for their take-overs there will lose momentum.
In contrast, look at what happened after the Banda Aceh tsunami. Global media was completely focused on the region for months, with Clinton and Il Padrino Bush both running there to pose as humanitarians. In Japan, there appears to be a concerted effort to stay away from there and keep attention off of those events. It wasn't supposed to happen just now.
Because of the shift in focus, and because Qaddafi is threatening the EU's largest fuel supply, the NWO had to throw together something to try and refocus their efforts. However, the Germans and Turks refuse to join. The British and French are fighting each other over who gets to be in charge of the slaughter. The Arabs didn't sign on in droves. Russia and China have both condemned the attack. NATO is falling apart on party lines. And Obama is now in very dangerous territory.
You see, Obama committed US troops to the Libya attacks without so much as a cigar-and-whiskey meeting at the Oval Office to line up Congress. Instead, he took marching orders from the banksters, who rammed a resolution through the UN.
See, the thing is, the US military and government are no longer of/by/for the people. When the country went broke, the banksters took over and put the country in receivership. They now call the shots, not Congress, Obama or the people. When they said jump, Obama said how high, and continued to party in Rio.
Qaddafi is sitting on a huge pile of gold. The NWO can't cut off his source of funds. Also, Qaddafi runs the most modern and wealthiest countries in Africa, with a standard of living higher than countries such as Russia. Furthermore, the NWO attacks are more likely to generate sympathy and nationalistic feelings on the part of the populace, who will then turn their guns against the outsiders and take care of internal business later. That's why the F-15 was shot down over rebel territory.
So, the NWO is scrambling. They are making a lot of mistakes right now. Their desperation is showing up in many different areas. Japan landed a good right hook on their glass chin and they are reeling. If things continue along these lines, they could suffer set-backs that put them back decades.
It's not time to celebrate. Cornered animals are the most dangerous. The NWO is likely to do anything at this point to regain their control of events. Meantime, the Fukushima situation is becoming increasingly dangerous for all of humanity, Ann Coulter's idiocy aside. At night, blue beams of neutron radiation can be seen coming from the destroyed reactors.
This is an unprecedented opportunity for activists, though. The NWO is off-balance and some good shoves could topple the bastards. Qaddafi has the upper hand, as well. Because his enemy is acting out of desperation, it gives him several tactical advantages, as well as some PR brownie points.
We are in a very interesting cross-roads of history. A force that has worked for centuries to dominate the Earth is teetering from unexpected events. In Japan, there is an unprecedented disaster that could cause generations of damage to humankind. Geological tensions are building in a number of hot-spots around the world. The Moon and Sun are exerting rare pressure on Earth. And in the near future, there's a big question mark as Earth aligns with the galactic center in December 2012. No one knows what will happen, or if they do, they aren't telling.
And finally, there's the Big Secret. There are pieces of ancient technology and knowledge lying somewhere in Iran. It must be the key, because they have scoured Egypt, the Moon, Mars, and numerous other places in the Solar System. Iraq had some pieces, but not the key, so they have to go into Iran. It's the only place left where the missing parts could be. If they finally get their grubby hands on it, the sky's the limit...literally.
What can you do? Prepare your family, of course. But, start thinking about way you can push the tottering bastard until he falls over. The idea here is similar to the Chinese torture called 'Death of 1,000 Cuts.' If we all push just a little, then the cumulative effect will be quite effective.
As the Chinese curse goes, "May you live in interesting times." They don't get much more interesting than they are at this moment.
Sampai jumpa!
22.3.11
Give That Man A Peace Prize!
Pembaca Indonesia: tidak percaya kepada apa saja dari WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks adalah pelaksanaan CIA. Mereka mau membuat situasi seperti Libia di Indonesia. Kerusuhan dan protes adalah apa yang diinginkan oleh mereka untuk menciptakan karena kekayaan Indonesia bisa diterima kalau tidak stabil. Hati-hatilah informasi yang mana pun yang jelek di negeri Indonesia.
Did you vote for Obama? Did you believe the hype about "hope" and "change?" Were you one of the rabid supporters who castigated anyone who dared speak a cross word about such a great man as Obama?
Obama: the greatest mass murderer to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Not a single Iraqi, Afgani or Libyan have been shown to have attacked the United States, nor has any proof ever been offered that any of those people had intent to do so. Three wars have been perpetrated on the lone premise that 19 Saudi citizens hi-jacked four commercial aircraft and flew them into civilian and military targets in the mainland US. Yet, not a single shot has been fired at Saudi Arabia. Why is that?
And why are a good number of the supposed hi-jackers still alive? And why are there so many questions surrounding the events of 9/11? And what, exactly, did Libya do to the United States to deserve being attacked?
In point of fact, the US has perpetrated an act of international terrorism, attacking a sovereign nation without provocation, whose sole crime is that the country has oil and wants to sell it to whoever offers the best price.
To claim that the US is protecting rebel factions inside the sovereign borders of Libya has absolutely no weight under law or reasoned argument. Especially when there are far more desperate places on Earth, where the citizens suffer deeply, and have done so for decades, without so much as the US batting an eyelash. The only difference between them and Libya, insofar as the US government is concerned, is that Libya has oil.
That's all.
This fact could not be more obvious now. Iraq, as an isolated incident, might have been arguable, but combined with Afganistan and now Libya, there can be no other conclusion than lust for the rightful wealth and resources of sovereign nations.
We must also consider the possibility that these events are nothing more than slight-of-hand, as well. As the world focuses attention on these unprovoked, immoral and unlawful naked aggressions, what is being perpetrated behind the scenes? Theories abound, but one can speculate that we may never know in our lifetimes, if ever.
In the meantime, global focus has shifted away from Japan and imminent nuclear disaster. Why hasn't the US mustered its might and resources to aid in the recovery of those poor folks affected by natural disaster, and the subsequent man-made threats? Why is it we can muster all this effort to kill and destroy, but not for peaceful and humanitarian purposes?
Oh, that's right...Japan doesn't have any oil.
If the same events has occurred in Saudi Arabia, do you think there would be a difference? Would the global coalition be wringing its hands about cleaning up the mess and getting things back to normal? Would such a disaster already be shunted to below the fold on the second page?
Do you feel rage? Do you visualize the victims of your silence? Does it make you angry that a man was elected, at least partly, on the premise of ending America's naked aggressions, who has since escalated those aggressions? Have you done anything at all to put an end to it?
Or are you too busy enjoying your Wheaties and wheat toast with a nice latte from your home coffee bar?
Suppose tomorrow, you awoke to the sounds of aircraft and Tomahawk missiles raining down on your neighborhood. Suppose the world, tired of the illegal criminal acts of America in so many parts of the world, had formed a coalition, rammed a resolution through the UN, and proceeded to attack your home. Suppose, instead of your morning commute, you were picking your way through dismembered bodies and destroyed homes wondering what in the hell you did to anyone to deserve this.
Inconceivable? Really?
Do you think anyone would weep for you, when you did nothing to stop the terrible death and destruction your government hailed down on so many victims in so many parts of the world?
Or do you think they would simply enjoy their Wheaties and wheat toast while brewing up another latte, and feel justified that you were receiving a just reward?
The US has not prosecuted a lawful and Constitutional war since World War II. Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Granada, Panama, Haiti, Iraq, Afganistan, and now Libya are all illegal actions unilaterally ordered and operated by an Executive Branch of the federal government, and sanctioned by the American people, who have done nothing to stop it. Millions have died because of your inaction.
Does your conscience have any say yet? Have you checked your pulse lately?
“The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." -Barack H. Obama, Boston Globe, December 20, 2007This morning, as you ate your Wheaties and sipped your coffee, did you have a twinge of conscience? Did you visualize all the men, women and children who, in your name, would never enjoy breakfast with the family again? Did it bother you at all that millions have died because of you that never attacked, nor even harbored ill will towards you, your family or your nation?
Did you vote for Obama? Did you believe the hype about "hope" and "change?" Were you one of the rabid supporters who castigated anyone who dared speak a cross word about such a great man as Obama?
Obama: the greatest mass murderer to ever win a Nobel Peace Prize.
Not a single Iraqi, Afgani or Libyan have been shown to have attacked the United States, nor has any proof ever been offered that any of those people had intent to do so. Three wars have been perpetrated on the lone premise that 19 Saudi citizens hi-jacked four commercial aircraft and flew them into civilian and military targets in the mainland US. Yet, not a single shot has been fired at Saudi Arabia. Why is that?
And why are a good number of the supposed hi-jackers still alive? And why are there so many questions surrounding the events of 9/11? And what, exactly, did Libya do to the United States to deserve being attacked?
In point of fact, the US has perpetrated an act of international terrorism, attacking a sovereign nation without provocation, whose sole crime is that the country has oil and wants to sell it to whoever offers the best price.
To claim that the US is protecting rebel factions inside the sovereign borders of Libya has absolutely no weight under law or reasoned argument. Especially when there are far more desperate places on Earth, where the citizens suffer deeply, and have done so for decades, without so much as the US batting an eyelash. The only difference between them and Libya, insofar as the US government is concerned, is that Libya has oil.
That's all.
This fact could not be more obvious now. Iraq, as an isolated incident, might have been arguable, but combined with Afganistan and now Libya, there can be no other conclusion than lust for the rightful wealth and resources of sovereign nations.
We must also consider the possibility that these events are nothing more than slight-of-hand, as well. As the world focuses attention on these unprovoked, immoral and unlawful naked aggressions, what is being perpetrated behind the scenes? Theories abound, but one can speculate that we may never know in our lifetimes, if ever.
In the meantime, global focus has shifted away from Japan and imminent nuclear disaster. Why hasn't the US mustered its might and resources to aid in the recovery of those poor folks affected by natural disaster, and the subsequent man-made threats? Why is it we can muster all this effort to kill and destroy, but not for peaceful and humanitarian purposes?
Oh, that's right...Japan doesn't have any oil.
If the same events has occurred in Saudi Arabia, do you think there would be a difference? Would the global coalition be wringing its hands about cleaning up the mess and getting things back to normal? Would such a disaster already be shunted to below the fold on the second page?
Do you feel rage? Do you visualize the victims of your silence? Does it make you angry that a man was elected, at least partly, on the premise of ending America's naked aggressions, who has since escalated those aggressions? Have you done anything at all to put an end to it?
Or are you too busy enjoying your Wheaties and wheat toast with a nice latte from your home coffee bar?
Suppose tomorrow, you awoke to the sounds of aircraft and Tomahawk missiles raining down on your neighborhood. Suppose the world, tired of the illegal criminal acts of America in so many parts of the world, had formed a coalition, rammed a resolution through the UN, and proceeded to attack your home. Suppose, instead of your morning commute, you were picking your way through dismembered bodies and destroyed homes wondering what in the hell you did to anyone to deserve this.
Inconceivable? Really?
"As you sow, so shall you reap."
Do you think anyone would weep for you, when you did nothing to stop the terrible death and destruction your government hailed down on so many victims in so many parts of the world?
Or do you think they would simply enjoy their Wheaties and wheat toast while brewing up another latte, and feel justified that you were receiving a just reward?
The US has not prosecuted a lawful and Constitutional war since World War II. Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Granada, Panama, Haiti, Iraq, Afganistan, and now Libya are all illegal actions unilaterally ordered and operated by an Executive Branch of the federal government, and sanctioned by the American people, who have done nothing to stop it. Millions have died because of your inaction.
Does your conscience have any say yet? Have you checked your pulse lately?
21.3.11
Got Bot?
Since the moment there has been a creature called 'human,' there has been a preoccupation with the future. We define the future as anything that follows on from this immediate heart-beat. At its most focused form, the curiosity begins with, "Will I get another heart-beat?"
The preoccupation with the future runs the gamut from the season cycles for planting and harvesting, to guessing what civilization and humanity look like in the future. One could say that all our efforts at raising and educating children center on our desire to shape and influence the future.
Throughout the history of humanity, we have sought the counsel of prophets, sibyls, soothsayers, channelers, and visionaries. We have pursued science, which at its heart involves predicting future events by observing cause and effect, and predicting outcomes based on a given set of circumstances.
We all do trending, which simplistically is looking at the historic fact that the Sun has always risen in the east, therefore we predict it will continue to rise in the east, barring unforeseen events. However, it is those unforeseen events that drive our ongoing quest to peer into the future.
What's more, we want to see the future in a repeatable and reliable way. We seek a scientific means to gauge future events, and perhaps even explore optional choices before we make them with some certainly of the outcome. Others would seek to capitalize on knowing the future and placing bets, like the character in "Back to the Future," who had sports scores decades in advance.
In the past decade, a number of efforts have been initiated using what are commonly called 'web bots' to scour the internet and build future scenarios on our use of language. At their heart, they marry two theories together, one being the ancient art of SKED, which seeks to interpret a speaker's or writer's true meaning by gauging the emotional content of his word choice. The other is the proposition that we are all clairvoyant at some level, and that our insights are buried in our daily discourse.
A number of companies, and probably clandestine political operations, have sprung up in recent years that use some form of this 'language parsing' technique in order to predict market trends, gauge the temperature of large groups of people and even guess at the likelihood of a new product's success, much like a massive focus group or survey.
These techniques would have been unthinkable just 20 years ago. Until the advent of the internet, and things such as the very blog you are reading now, there was no easily available sample of mass communication. With the internet, however, there are now literally billions of people all putting forth their ideas and hopes and fears on a daily basis, and because of the digital nature of the information, programs can be written that can amass a large sample of global text and parse it for hidden meanings.
Argueablly, one of the first and best known developers of this technology is Clif High, whose website HalfPastHuman offers frequent updates for a small fee that ostensibly allow the reader to prepare for future events.
Mr. High is a rather private individual who doesn't seek a lot of publicity, however his associate George Ure of UrbanSurvival, has done a fine job of promoting the web bots. A simple search will bring up many articles, statements, posts, and interviews by and concerning Mr. High's work. We sent a few questions to Mr. High, trying to get a little more understanding of this technology and what it promises and what its dangers are. He graciously responded thusly:
LFS: Have you ever been approached to design such a system (that you are willing to admit)?
CH: Yes, several times.
LFS: In your opinion, what are the limitations, if any, to such technology?
CH: Humans.
LFS: Finally, to what nefarious purposes could this technology be turned? What's the downside?
CH: Fascistic 'pre crime' kind of forecasting.
If it all sounds a bit mysterious, then you are getting the idea. The data returned to Mr. High is loaded into something he calls 'modelspace.' Simplistically, key ideas form kernels around which accrue descriptive terms related to the central idea. For instance, the word 'earthquake' may have words related to time, location, intensity, and emotional impact surrounding it.
Groups of these concepts link together to form 'meta-data' layers, which form overall 'flavors' of future events. One example would be 'Terra,' so that several concepts related to Earth and geology, weather, and so on, are joined at higher levels and interact with other 'meta-data.'
Modelspace can be advanced through linear time to observe how certain concepts evolve, change and interact with each other. Doing this can also show certain ideas increasing in intensity, such as the case with words like 'revolution.'
One of the common problems is that the output of the web bots tends to be somewhat poetic or even akin to reading the I Ching. It requires some interpretation on the part of the reader when looking into the future. However, one often looks at the fulfilled events and says, "Ah hah!" The language is suddenly clear in retrospect.
For instance, a while back there was a lot of language to the effect of a major situation involving 'ships' and 'navy' and 'vessels.' It turned out to be a prediction of the last shuttle disaster, which is surrounded with naval and seafaring language.
George Ure also postulates that similar events that are temporally close together tend to 'bleed through.' For example, language surrounding Katrina and Banda Aceh were jumbled together, since both involved large flooding events and severe emotional states.
For this reason, it's not a perfect technology. Both High and Ure admit problems with nailing certain specifics about events. Things like precise location tend to be difficult, and timing of events is usually a matter of following temporal markers (i.e.- this event will follow that one).
Still, having what appears to be a fairly accurate map of future events, at least in terms of emotional impact and type of event, gives one just a slight advantage over random chance.
High has established a number of personal rules, such as not trying to predict the future of specific individuals, though tests have proved spookily accurate, according to Ure.
The question is whether others will stop at certain ethical boundaries. Like any powerful technology, it is a double-edged sword. Having even a fuzzy view of the future can give certain elements of society undue influence, as High points out.
The other issue is one of destiny. If future events can be accurately predicted, then are we trapped into certain patterns with no hope of avoiding them? Even more interesting to ponder is, if we can predict the future using our language, do we then 'speak' our future into being? And if so, does it not place a grave imperative on what we say?
The concept of the web bots is quite fascinating. Obviously, if companies are springing up that offer similar technology, could an entire industry spring up around future-casting? And does that bring us back to destiny as unavoidable?
The implications are rather astounding. In fact, thinking about them can lead one into circular arguments, not unlike the temporal loops and paradoxes of science fiction. One hears the line from "Spiderman" repeating over and over, "With great power comes great responsibility."
The question then is, does everyone who possesses or will possess this technology feel the weight of responsibility? Or will it become yet another tool in the hands of those who would repress humans for personal gain?
We can hope that people such as Mr. High and Mr. Ure, whose openness with this tool, will set an example for others. If the future belongs to all of us, then we are due any information that can help us shape it. If, indeed, it can be shaped.
The Shape Of Things To Come reports are available through Clif High's website: http://www.halfpasthuman.com, for $10 per report (roughly quarterly). Mr. Ure's website is http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.htm. Massive amounts of information can be found by searching for favorite engine, as well.
The preoccupation with the future runs the gamut from the season cycles for planting and harvesting, to guessing what civilization and humanity look like in the future. One could say that all our efforts at raising and educating children center on our desire to shape and influence the future.
Throughout the history of humanity, we have sought the counsel of prophets, sibyls, soothsayers, channelers, and visionaries. We have pursued science, which at its heart involves predicting future events by observing cause and effect, and predicting outcomes based on a given set of circumstances.
We all do trending, which simplistically is looking at the historic fact that the Sun has always risen in the east, therefore we predict it will continue to rise in the east, barring unforeseen events. However, it is those unforeseen events that drive our ongoing quest to peer into the future.
What's more, we want to see the future in a repeatable and reliable way. We seek a scientific means to gauge future events, and perhaps even explore optional choices before we make them with some certainly of the outcome. Others would seek to capitalize on knowing the future and placing bets, like the character in "Back to the Future," who had sports scores decades in advance.
In the past decade, a number of efforts have been initiated using what are commonly called 'web bots' to scour the internet and build future scenarios on our use of language. At their heart, they marry two theories together, one being the ancient art of SKED, which seeks to interpret a speaker's or writer's true meaning by gauging the emotional content of his word choice. The other is the proposition that we are all clairvoyant at some level, and that our insights are buried in our daily discourse.
A number of companies, and probably clandestine political operations, have sprung up in recent years that use some form of this 'language parsing' technique in order to predict market trends, gauge the temperature of large groups of people and even guess at the likelihood of a new product's success, much like a massive focus group or survey.
These techniques would have been unthinkable just 20 years ago. Until the advent of the internet, and things such as the very blog you are reading now, there was no easily available sample of mass communication. With the internet, however, there are now literally billions of people all putting forth their ideas and hopes and fears on a daily basis, and because of the digital nature of the information, programs can be written that can amass a large sample of global text and parse it for hidden meanings.
Argueablly, one of the first and best known developers of this technology is Clif High, whose website HalfPastHuman offers frequent updates for a small fee that ostensibly allow the reader to prepare for future events.
Mr. High is a rather private individual who doesn't seek a lot of publicity, however his associate George Ure of UrbanSurvival, has done a fine job of promoting the web bots. A simple search will bring up many articles, statements, posts, and interviews by and concerning Mr. High's work. We sent a few questions to Mr. High, trying to get a little more understanding of this technology and what it promises and what its dangers are. He graciously responded thusly:
LFS: In a nutshell, what are the web bots? How do they work?
CH: spyders scour the net for usual, casual conversations (no emails, no chat, no private or
protected areas sampled). They look for over 100,000 key words. They bring back 2058
characters on either side of the word (when found). These are then processed as 4 digit hex
numbers in Prolog (AI programming language) that aggregates the words around archetypes (family, food, pies, nature, danger....et al). Then i examine a modelspace filled with tens of
millions of words and interpret the changes in language around the archetypes.
LFS: How did the idea to develop this technology come about?
CH: While working for a software firm (largest on the planet at the time) i came up with a new
way to store info on computers which led me to examine the nature of language and
communications, and i discovered what seemed to be trends developing.
LFS: What was the first indication you had that you were on to something with this technology?
CH: 1997 when looking for SUN computing stock info, i came across huge amounts of info
about the sun (big scary solar ball in sky) that associated it with Disease, just before a huge
CME experience. Then i explored further and saw that in 1997 it was bringing back language
about the upcoming , year 2000, stock market internet bubble crash.
LFS: How accurate would you say the web bots are, in terms of trends analysis and predictive power?
CH: that is a matter of opinion and it varies. My routine saying is that we are probably twice as
good as 'random chance' should allow.
LFS: Are you able to view results in real-time? If no, what is the limitation?
CH: No. Too much processing to be done. And too much human interaction that provides most of
the interpretation. So limit is human brain power and time.
LFS: Have you ever encountered similar bots roaming the internet?
CH: yes. 3/three times i have had such encounters with our software. But not since 2006.
LFS: Have you ever traded on the information gathered by the web bots?
CH: Once. in 2000 i used the warning provided to sell all our 44 shares of microsoft stock a mere
8 working days before the crash and one day prior to the all time high of the stock.
LFS: Are you able to parse video/audio recordings at this time? If no, why?
CH: no. Too much work. And no $$ to put into the massive amount of resources (computing)
required to reduce video or audio to text.
LFS: Do you see any ethical considerations with tying this kind of technology to high-speed trading computers?
CH: no, not really as it is the human interpretation that creates the meaning from the mass of
data. So there will always be that hard stop of running into human time as opposed to
machine time.
CH: spyders scour the net for usual, casual conversations (no emails, no chat, no private or
protected areas sampled). They look for over 100,000 key words. They bring back 2058
characters on either side of the word (when found). These are then processed as 4 digit hex
numbers in Prolog (AI programming language) that aggregates the words around archetypes (family, food, pies, nature, danger....et al). Then i examine a modelspace filled with tens of
millions of words and interpret the changes in language around the archetypes.
LFS: How did the idea to develop this technology come about?
CH: While working for a software firm (largest on the planet at the time) i came up with a new
way to store info on computers which led me to examine the nature of language and
communications, and i discovered what seemed to be trends developing.
LFS: What was the first indication you had that you were on to something with this technology?
CH: 1997 when looking for SUN computing stock info, i came across huge amounts of info
about the sun (big scary solar ball in sky) that associated it with Disease, just before a huge
CME experience. Then i explored further and saw that in 1997 it was bringing back language
about the upcoming , year 2000, stock market internet bubble crash.
LFS: How accurate would you say the web bots are, in terms of trends analysis and predictive power?
CH: that is a matter of opinion and it varies. My routine saying is that we are probably twice as
good as 'random chance' should allow.
LFS: Are you able to view results in real-time? If no, what is the limitation?
CH: No. Too much processing to be done. And too much human interaction that provides most of
the interpretation. So limit is human brain power and time.
LFS: Have you ever encountered similar bots roaming the internet?
CH: yes. 3/three times i have had such encounters with our software. But not since 2006.
LFS: Have you ever traded on the information gathered by the web bots?
CH: Once. in 2000 i used the warning provided to sell all our 44 shares of microsoft stock a mere
8 working days before the crash and one day prior to the all time high of the stock.
LFS: Are you able to parse video/audio recordings at this time? If no, why?
CH: no. Too much work. And no $$ to put into the massive amount of resources (computing)
required to reduce video or audio to text.
LFS: Do you see any ethical considerations with tying this kind of technology to high-speed trading computers?
CH: no, not really as it is the human interpretation that creates the meaning from the mass of
data. So there will always be that hard stop of running into human time as opposed to
machine time.
LFS: Have you ever been approached to design such a system (that you are willing to admit)?
CH: Yes, several times.
LFS: In your opinion, what are the limitations, if any, to such technology?
CH: Humans.
LFS: Finally, to what nefarious purposes could this technology be turned? What's the downside?
CH: Fascistic 'pre crime' kind of forecasting.
If it all sounds a bit mysterious, then you are getting the idea. The data returned to Mr. High is loaded into something he calls 'modelspace.' Simplistically, key ideas form kernels around which accrue descriptive terms related to the central idea. For instance, the word 'earthquake' may have words related to time, location, intensity, and emotional impact surrounding it.
Groups of these concepts link together to form 'meta-data' layers, which form overall 'flavors' of future events. One example would be 'Terra,' so that several concepts related to Earth and geology, weather, and so on, are joined at higher levels and interact with other 'meta-data.'
Modelspace can be advanced through linear time to observe how certain concepts evolve, change and interact with each other. Doing this can also show certain ideas increasing in intensity, such as the case with words like 'revolution.'
One of the common problems is that the output of the web bots tends to be somewhat poetic or even akin to reading the I Ching. It requires some interpretation on the part of the reader when looking into the future. However, one often looks at the fulfilled events and says, "Ah hah!" The language is suddenly clear in retrospect.
For instance, a while back there was a lot of language to the effect of a major situation involving 'ships' and 'navy' and 'vessels.' It turned out to be a prediction of the last shuttle disaster, which is surrounded with naval and seafaring language.
George Ure also postulates that similar events that are temporally close together tend to 'bleed through.' For example, language surrounding Katrina and Banda Aceh were jumbled together, since both involved large flooding events and severe emotional states.
For this reason, it's not a perfect technology. Both High and Ure admit problems with nailing certain specifics about events. Things like precise location tend to be difficult, and timing of events is usually a matter of following temporal markers (i.e.- this event will follow that one).
Still, having what appears to be a fairly accurate map of future events, at least in terms of emotional impact and type of event, gives one just a slight advantage over random chance.
High has established a number of personal rules, such as not trying to predict the future of specific individuals, though tests have proved spookily accurate, according to Ure.
The question is whether others will stop at certain ethical boundaries. Like any powerful technology, it is a double-edged sword. Having even a fuzzy view of the future can give certain elements of society undue influence, as High points out.
The other issue is one of destiny. If future events can be accurately predicted, then are we trapped into certain patterns with no hope of avoiding them? Even more interesting to ponder is, if we can predict the future using our language, do we then 'speak' our future into being? And if so, does it not place a grave imperative on what we say?
The concept of the web bots is quite fascinating. Obviously, if companies are springing up that offer similar technology, could an entire industry spring up around future-casting? And does that bring us back to destiny as unavoidable?
The implications are rather astounding. In fact, thinking about them can lead one into circular arguments, not unlike the temporal loops and paradoxes of science fiction. One hears the line from "Spiderman" repeating over and over, "With great power comes great responsibility."
The question then is, does everyone who possesses or will possess this technology feel the weight of responsibility? Or will it become yet another tool in the hands of those who would repress humans for personal gain?
We can hope that people such as Mr. High and Mr. Ure, whose openness with this tool, will set an example for others. If the future belongs to all of us, then we are due any information that can help us shape it. If, indeed, it can be shaped.
The Shape Of Things To Come reports are available through Clif High's website: http://www.halfpasthuman.com, for $10 per report (roughly quarterly). Mr. Ure's website is http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.htm. Massive amounts of information can be found by searching for favorite engine, as well.
20.3.11
Surveying The Global Mess
Normally on the weekends, I like to keep things on the lighter side. Ganesh knows there's enough bad news in the world, and we all could use a chuckle of two, even if it's my lame attempts to entertain.
I'll be darned if I can find much to laugh at, though.
It's almost humorous the way the Western powers are yet again breathlessly wringing their hands over yet another Middle East nation with oil. Qaddafi survived Reagan's best attempts to break him, and he seems to be doing a fair job of repulsing the French.
Of course, that's like saying you are winning against the onslaught of a band of drag queens hollering show tunes at the tops of their lungs. The French aren't known for being warriors.
Hillary Clinton, the irrepressible American drag queen, has rammed a 'no-fly zone' resolution through the UN, but if you can show me a bit of desert without flies, I'll show you a dog without fleas.
Why the Western powers feel compelled to interfere in the internal conflicts of a nation is not clear. The motive seems to clearly center around oil, since revolutions in other nations draw little, if any, attention when they don't involve valuable natual resources.
Certainly, the collected nations of the world aren't doing much about Somali pirates, who took an Indonesian vessel bound for Rotterdam yesterday. In fact, the pirates have lowered their demands for their booty, since no one seems interested in their antics. You know its bad when pirates offer discounts of up to 50% for immediate liquidation.
Meanwhile, Japan's government has done what all governments do best: bald-faced lied to the world and its own people. They admitted that their Level 7 catastrophe, which had been labeled a Level 4, is really a Level 5. Typical.
I refer you to a 70s monster movie called, "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster." In it, a poisonous cloud causes anything it touches to disintegrate. Seems almost prophetic at this point.
The radioactive debris continues to spew forth, radiation has appeared in food and water up to 100 miles away, people are dropping dead, ships and aircraft are assiduously avoiding Japan, and the headline?
"Japanese Reactor Crisis Stabilizes."
Sometimes I almost get tired of the bullshit. If that's stable, then Charles Mason is a model citizen.
It's interesting to note that the upper class in Japan has fully bailed out of the country, like rats from a glowing ship. Hong Kong hotel rooms are going at top dollar, Singapore is jammed to the gills, Seoul is reporting a massive influx of Japanese 'tourists,' and the Phillipines are enjoying a mini-boom.
There is talk of taking over some 'ghost cities' in China, as well. Seems the Chinese, in their social-engineering building boom, have created at least three 'ghost cities,' large enough to handle populations of 10 million, that simply exist for future need (interesting civil engineering idea).
In a worst case scenario, the talk runs to filling at least one of them with Japanese refugees. Interesting how mortal enemies become best friends in times of need. It certainly puts China in the proverbial cat-bird seat when it comes to negotiating ownership of selected islands in the South China Sea.
Elsewhere, a judge has blocked the Wisconsin anti-government-union law (notice it does not affect private unions), which means he's waiting for his bribe packet to show up before passing off on it. Happened repeatedly with Obama-snare.
Let's hope the judge was looking at the sweetheart deal to sell off state power production in a no-bid daisy chain, cluster (expletive), that was buried in the "you're a public servant...be happy you have a job, son" language.
Everyone seems to have forgotten about the PIIGS in Europe. I'm sure the EU is in no hurry to shift focus back to their own crisis. At least they can rest assured that Korea produces most of their electronic gizmos and gee-gaws, so little will be affected with regard to their ability to Tweet up a protest or two.
Ditto Middle East. The Saudi king is firmly in the back pocket of the NWO, so he's free to squash any rebellion he likes. Since Qaddafi is too independent, we have to DU them into submission, while at the same time worrying ourselves silly about Japanese radiation. Makes perfect sense, of course.
The whole thing is such a sham and a charade, it's hard for me to imagine why anyone takes it seriously. Even more perplexing is the steadfast refusal of the American people to stand up and say enough.
After all, the US is now in financial receivership. The national debt (see link in sidebar) is standing at 97.3% of GDP, which means the country is effectively bankrupt. Why in the hell is anyone allowing Obama and His Mighty Peace Brigade to start YET ANOTHER Middle East war? And for what? No WMD (LOL!), haven't invaded neighboring countries, poses no threat outside of its borders. But, there's that delicious, silky black oil that belongs to the banksters...right? And Americans do anything the banksters demand...right?
Insanity is rightfully defined as doing the same thing again and again, expecting different results. Therefore, without question, the American people are, by in large, insane. Wherever Israel points, we happily go fetch. After all, Israeli citizens and loyalists, who sit on the Board of the Federal Reserve now own the country.
Now get back to your scanners and pat-downs, cows. Who said you were allowed to think?
The absolute funniest part of all this is the fact that Obama won a Peace Prize for being black, and immediately ran out and started killing everyone in sight, including his own constituency (Obama-care).
If I am ever offered the Peace Prize (quick, hold your breath), I will turn it down on principle.
=====
On a side note, a few readers have asked why I don't provide more links to stories on which I comment, and the answer is simple: 1) there are a number of fine sites that provide that service, including my colleague George Ure at UrbanSurvival, Jeff Rense and Matt Drudge (all linked in the sidebar), 2) I assume my readers are highly intelligent and well-read, and have already seen the news and now are looking for a cantankerous and jaundiced take on things. Kind of like H. L. Menken, but with lesser talent and vocabulary. Also, I am writing two novels, a half-dozen articles, ten scripts, and editing a literal mountain of material. As such, it takes a while to amalgamate the links and add them to my articles. If the material is sufficiently obscure, I always give a link. Otherwise, I let the reader do a little work on his or her own accord.
The other problem is that I sometimes know things that are not available in the general public domain, and so frankly, I am one of the few links to such information. Therefore, it's a bit difficult to provide such sources outside of linking to myself.
So, anyway, my wife is pushing me to go to church, where I can absorb yet more fairy tales and gross misinterpretations, but it makes her happy for me to at least sit there and look unhappy. Better than sitting here at the desk and complaining about the state of global affairs, she thinks.
'Tis not so wide as a church door, nor deep as a well, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve.
I'll be darned if I can find much to laugh at, though.
It's almost humorous the way the Western powers are yet again breathlessly wringing their hands over yet another Middle East nation with oil. Qaddafi survived Reagan's best attempts to break him, and he seems to be doing a fair job of repulsing the French.
Of course, that's like saying you are winning against the onslaught of a band of drag queens hollering show tunes at the tops of their lungs. The French aren't known for being warriors.
Hillary Clinton, the irrepressible American drag queen, has rammed a 'no-fly zone' resolution through the UN, but if you can show me a bit of desert without flies, I'll show you a dog without fleas.
Why the Western powers feel compelled to interfere in the internal conflicts of a nation is not clear. The motive seems to clearly center around oil, since revolutions in other nations draw little, if any, attention when they don't involve valuable natual resources.
Certainly, the collected nations of the world aren't doing much about Somali pirates, who took an Indonesian vessel bound for Rotterdam yesterday. In fact, the pirates have lowered their demands for their booty, since no one seems interested in their antics. You know its bad when pirates offer discounts of up to 50% for immediate liquidation.
Meanwhile, Japan's government has done what all governments do best: bald-faced lied to the world and its own people. They admitted that their Level 7 catastrophe, which had been labeled a Level 4, is really a Level 5. Typical.
I refer you to a 70s monster movie called, "Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster." In it, a poisonous cloud causes anything it touches to disintegrate. Seems almost prophetic at this point.
The radioactive debris continues to spew forth, radiation has appeared in food and water up to 100 miles away, people are dropping dead, ships and aircraft are assiduously avoiding Japan, and the headline?
"Japanese Reactor Crisis Stabilizes."
Sometimes I almost get tired of the bullshit. If that's stable, then Charles Mason is a model citizen.
It's interesting to note that the upper class in Japan has fully bailed out of the country, like rats from a glowing ship. Hong Kong hotel rooms are going at top dollar, Singapore is jammed to the gills, Seoul is reporting a massive influx of Japanese 'tourists,' and the Phillipines are enjoying a mini-boom.
There is talk of taking over some 'ghost cities' in China, as well. Seems the Chinese, in their social-engineering building boom, have created at least three 'ghost cities,' large enough to handle populations of 10 million, that simply exist for future need (interesting civil engineering idea).
In a worst case scenario, the talk runs to filling at least one of them with Japanese refugees. Interesting how mortal enemies become best friends in times of need. It certainly puts China in the proverbial cat-bird seat when it comes to negotiating ownership of selected islands in the South China Sea.
Elsewhere, a judge has blocked the Wisconsin anti-government-union law (notice it does not affect private unions), which means he's waiting for his bribe packet to show up before passing off on it. Happened repeatedly with Obama-snare.
Let's hope the judge was looking at the sweetheart deal to sell off state power production in a no-bid daisy chain, cluster (expletive), that was buried in the "you're a public servant...be happy you have a job, son" language.
Everyone seems to have forgotten about the PIIGS in Europe. I'm sure the EU is in no hurry to shift focus back to their own crisis. At least they can rest assured that Korea produces most of their electronic gizmos and gee-gaws, so little will be affected with regard to their ability to Tweet up a protest or two.
Ditto Middle East. The Saudi king is firmly in the back pocket of the NWO, so he's free to squash any rebellion he likes. Since Qaddafi is too independent, we have to DU them into submission, while at the same time worrying ourselves silly about Japanese radiation. Makes perfect sense, of course.
The whole thing is such a sham and a charade, it's hard for me to imagine why anyone takes it seriously. Even more perplexing is the steadfast refusal of the American people to stand up and say enough.
After all, the US is now in financial receivership. The national debt (see link in sidebar) is standing at 97.3% of GDP, which means the country is effectively bankrupt. Why in the hell is anyone allowing Obama and His Mighty Peace Brigade to start YET ANOTHER Middle East war? And for what? No WMD (LOL!), haven't invaded neighboring countries, poses no threat outside of its borders. But, there's that delicious, silky black oil that belongs to the banksters...right? And Americans do anything the banksters demand...right?
Insanity is rightfully defined as doing the same thing again and again, expecting different results. Therefore, without question, the American people are, by in large, insane. Wherever Israel points, we happily go fetch. After all, Israeli citizens and loyalists, who sit on the Board of the Federal Reserve now own the country.
Now get back to your scanners and pat-downs, cows. Who said you were allowed to think?
The absolute funniest part of all this is the fact that Obama won a Peace Prize for being black, and immediately ran out and started killing everyone in sight, including his own constituency (Obama-care).
If I am ever offered the Peace Prize (quick, hold your breath), I will turn it down on principle.
=====
On a side note, a few readers have asked why I don't provide more links to stories on which I comment, and the answer is simple: 1) there are a number of fine sites that provide that service, including my colleague George Ure at UrbanSurvival, Jeff Rense and Matt Drudge (all linked in the sidebar), 2) I assume my readers are highly intelligent and well-read, and have already seen the news and now are looking for a cantankerous and jaundiced take on things. Kind of like H. L. Menken, but with lesser talent and vocabulary. Also, I am writing two novels, a half-dozen articles, ten scripts, and editing a literal mountain of material. As such, it takes a while to amalgamate the links and add them to my articles. If the material is sufficiently obscure, I always give a link. Otherwise, I let the reader do a little work on his or her own accord.
The other problem is that I sometimes know things that are not available in the general public domain, and so frankly, I am one of the few links to such information. Therefore, it's a bit difficult to provide such sources outside of linking to myself.
So, anyway, my wife is pushing me to go to church, where I can absorb yet more fairy tales and gross misinterpretations, but it makes her happy for me to at least sit there and look unhappy. Better than sitting here at the desk and complaining about the state of global affairs, she thinks.
'Tis not so wide as a church door, nor deep as a well, but 'tis enough, 'twill serve.
Wig-Flipping And Other Notes
America has finally gone 'round the bend.
The entire country is in receivership, Japanese radiation is wafting overhead, the Middle East is in revolution, Europe is cratering, and Asia is literally falling apart at the seems, and the headline in today's Jakarta Post?
"Man Leaves Child To Play Ninja"
Yup, seems cops and busybodies in Scottsdale, Pennsylvania, have nothing better to do than arrest a man in the park wearing black. They later claim he left his 4-year-old son alone while he was out jogging (in black clothes). So, for lack of ANYTHING better to do, they threw him in prison and charged him with 'child endangerment.'
Looks to me like the only people endangering the child is the government of Scottsdale.
Though the article fails to say, I can imagine that those fascist pigs put the man's son in 'protective custody' with foster parents, who have a long and stellar history of mental, physical and sexual abuse. Furthermore, they have stripped the child from his father and everything he knows and they call that 'protection.'
I loathe CPS, busybody government agents and hack-booted thugs. The people who should rightfully be in jail are the ones who are truly endangering the child: intrusive and over-whelming government know-it-alls.
You see...here's how it's supposed to work: you commit a crime, you are tried and convicted, you are sent to jail. This poor father was accused after the fact of endangering a child, yet the child is (or was before the slimeballs came), and in fact there was no crime committed. You can not be charged with what might have been.
Michael Jackson holding his baby over a balcony railing and showing it off to waiting press was child endangerment. A man jogging in the park while his kid slept is not, no matter what color clothes he was wearing.
You see, that's the problem in a nutshell. People are jailed for crimes that MIGHT have happened and priorities are completely and utterly backwards.
Had the man's child been harmed or killed, he could have been charged with manslaughter. But leaving his kid to sleep while he gets in a quick jog is not a crime. If you don't like leaving your kids alone, then don't, but that doesn't make it a crime when I do.
It's like the whole madness with 'hate crime.' If I kill someone, it's murder whether I hated the person or it was cold blood. Because I kill someone for being green makes absolutely no difference whatsoever to the nature of the crime. In fact, all crime is hate crime at some level or another. And hate speech is the absolutely right of every human being on Earth. Every individual has the right to speak their mind, regardless of whether I like the message or not.
If someone kills a Jew because Hitler claims the Jews are scum, then the person who commits the crime is the killer, not Hitler. Hitler only spoke his mind. But, if Hitler orders the killing of a Jew directly, then both Hitler and the killer are at fault.
If a preacher says his religion condemns homosexuality and that church refuses to allow homosexuals to join, that's their prerogative. It's called the right of free association. But, if a member of the church assaults a homosexual, then the assailant is at fault. If the preacher tells his flock to assault homosexuals because they are evil, then both are at fault.
Very simple concepts, really. If nothing is lost and no one is injured, there can be no crime. Anything else is just a scene out of "Minority Report." A crime can not be prevented, it either happens or it doesn't. The whole concept of crime prevention is a myth perpetrated by a massive incarceration industry whose business model is to process every human being on Earth through the system to generate profits.
This whole concept leads to something called 'political correctness.' PC is nothing more than fascism repackaged and relabeled to be more palatable, since Hitler put a dirty image on it. No matter how you wrap it, though, it is an attempt to control not only how we think, but what we think. It is vital to a healthy society to be able to express any idea, no matter how distasteful it may be to you or me. If we start putting limits on what I can say or think, then the flood gate is open and all thought is on the chopping block, to mix a few metaphors.
At one time, Galileo Galilei was a radical thinker. He took what he saw, objects that didn't revolve around Earth, and expressed it as the idea that the Earth wasn't the center of the Universe. Today, we accept that as axiomatic, but he was condemned to house arrest for life and excommunicated by the Catholic Church for daring to challenge the existing paradigm.
Mahatma Ghandi was persecuted and hounded to the end of his days by the British Empire for his desire to live in a country that was free of control from some outside power who had no interest in the welfare of the people.
Si Pitung was made into a criminal and hunted like an animal by the Dutch, who stole the wealth of Indonesia to support their lifestyles and because they were too damn cheap to buy what they needed. Now-a-days, Si Pitung is a hero of Indonesian folk lore, much like Robin Hood.
Things like independent American states existing outside the iron-fisted rule of a tyrannical federal empire is only inconceivable because it changes the paradigm we have had pounded into our brains since birth, such that we can not conceive of any other way to go. The time has come to not only think of, but try another way.
All governments lie. The recent Japanese situation is case in point. That they lie and fail to protect their citizens, which is their primary function and the reason we create them for ourselves. As so many fine thinkers throughout history have rightly pointed out, when governments fail to do the one task they are charged with, then it is time to get rid of them.
One poor guy in Pennsylvania was doing his own thing and is now rotting in jail. He can't care for his child in that situation. He is a victim of a nanny state that has grown to the point where it destroys its citizens to prove that they are worth destroying. It is a fallacious and evil form of ruling class that would do this.
The scum who call themselves government agents, and whose primary purpose is to protect society from thugs such as banksters and other profound threats to freedom, is instead aiding and abetting the evil, and perpetrating the crimes of the mobsters upon the innocent citizens.
The time has come to not only conceive of, but institute a new way of thinking...a new paradigm. It is time for families to resume watching their own and not letting faceless, brainless thugs tell us how to live, and by extention perpetrate the very crimes that they charge us normal human beings with.
The most vital and powerful tool at our disposal is the power to ignore and castigate those who would make us their slaves. But, it also requires us to change our mode of thinking. We can not enforce on others the standards that we hold for ourselves. Sure, maybe you wouldn't leave your child to go out and jog, but that does NOT give you the right to tell another what they can do. If the child is injured in any way, then there is a crime that is punishable. Otherwise, bug off and let sleeping dogs lie.
Besides, has anything happened to the man's child, his own conscience would be the ultimate punishment, as he must live with the consequence of his action until the end of his days.
To each his own. I'll let you be stupid and irresponsible, if you piss off and let me do the same. If my actions cause loss or injury to another, then we have an argument. Otherwise, keep your authoritarian fascist slimy hands off of me and mine.
Seems perfectly reasonable to me. But, being reasonable seems to be in very short supply these days.
The entire country is in receivership, Japanese radiation is wafting overhead, the Middle East is in revolution, Europe is cratering, and Asia is literally falling apart at the seems, and the headline in today's Jakarta Post?
"Man Leaves Child To Play Ninja"
Yup, seems cops and busybodies in Scottsdale, Pennsylvania, have nothing better to do than arrest a man in the park wearing black. They later claim he left his 4-year-old son alone while he was out jogging (in black clothes). So, for lack of ANYTHING better to do, they threw him in prison and charged him with 'child endangerment.'
Looks to me like the only people endangering the child is the government of Scottsdale.
Though the article fails to say, I can imagine that those fascist pigs put the man's son in 'protective custody' with foster parents, who have a long and stellar history of mental, physical and sexual abuse. Furthermore, they have stripped the child from his father and everything he knows and they call that 'protection.'
I loathe CPS, busybody government agents and hack-booted thugs. The people who should rightfully be in jail are the ones who are truly endangering the child: intrusive and over-whelming government know-it-alls.
You see...here's how it's supposed to work: you commit a crime, you are tried and convicted, you are sent to jail. This poor father was accused after the fact of endangering a child, yet the child is (or was before the slimeballs came), and in fact there was no crime committed. You can not be charged with what might have been.
Michael Jackson holding his baby over a balcony railing and showing it off to waiting press was child endangerment. A man jogging in the park while his kid slept is not, no matter what color clothes he was wearing.
You see, that's the problem in a nutshell. People are jailed for crimes that MIGHT have happened and priorities are completely and utterly backwards.
Had the man's child been harmed or killed, he could have been charged with manslaughter. But leaving his kid to sleep while he gets in a quick jog is not a crime. If you don't like leaving your kids alone, then don't, but that doesn't make it a crime when I do.
It's like the whole madness with 'hate crime.' If I kill someone, it's murder whether I hated the person or it was cold blood. Because I kill someone for being green makes absolutely no difference whatsoever to the nature of the crime. In fact, all crime is hate crime at some level or another. And hate speech is the absolutely right of every human being on Earth. Every individual has the right to speak their mind, regardless of whether I like the message or not.
If someone kills a Jew because Hitler claims the Jews are scum, then the person who commits the crime is the killer, not Hitler. Hitler only spoke his mind. But, if Hitler orders the killing of a Jew directly, then both Hitler and the killer are at fault.
If a preacher says his religion condemns homosexuality and that church refuses to allow homosexuals to join, that's their prerogative. It's called the right of free association. But, if a member of the church assaults a homosexual, then the assailant is at fault. If the preacher tells his flock to assault homosexuals because they are evil, then both are at fault.
Very simple concepts, really. If nothing is lost and no one is injured, there can be no crime. Anything else is just a scene out of "Minority Report." A crime can not be prevented, it either happens or it doesn't. The whole concept of crime prevention is a myth perpetrated by a massive incarceration industry whose business model is to process every human being on Earth through the system to generate profits.
This whole concept leads to something called 'political correctness.' PC is nothing more than fascism repackaged and relabeled to be more palatable, since Hitler put a dirty image on it. No matter how you wrap it, though, it is an attempt to control not only how we think, but what we think. It is vital to a healthy society to be able to express any idea, no matter how distasteful it may be to you or me. If we start putting limits on what I can say or think, then the flood gate is open and all thought is on the chopping block, to mix a few metaphors.
At one time, Galileo Galilei was a radical thinker. He took what he saw, objects that didn't revolve around Earth, and expressed it as the idea that the Earth wasn't the center of the Universe. Today, we accept that as axiomatic, but he was condemned to house arrest for life and excommunicated by the Catholic Church for daring to challenge the existing paradigm.
Mahatma Ghandi was persecuted and hounded to the end of his days by the British Empire for his desire to live in a country that was free of control from some outside power who had no interest in the welfare of the people.
Si Pitung was made into a criminal and hunted like an animal by the Dutch, who stole the wealth of Indonesia to support their lifestyles and because they were too damn cheap to buy what they needed. Now-a-days, Si Pitung is a hero of Indonesian folk lore, much like Robin Hood.
Things like independent American states existing outside the iron-fisted rule of a tyrannical federal empire is only inconceivable because it changes the paradigm we have had pounded into our brains since birth, such that we can not conceive of any other way to go. The time has come to not only think of, but try another way.
All governments lie. The recent Japanese situation is case in point. That they lie and fail to protect their citizens, which is their primary function and the reason we create them for ourselves. As so many fine thinkers throughout history have rightly pointed out, when governments fail to do the one task they are charged with, then it is time to get rid of them.
One poor guy in Pennsylvania was doing his own thing and is now rotting in jail. He can't care for his child in that situation. He is a victim of a nanny state that has grown to the point where it destroys its citizens to prove that they are worth destroying. It is a fallacious and evil form of ruling class that would do this.
The scum who call themselves government agents, and whose primary purpose is to protect society from thugs such as banksters and other profound threats to freedom, is instead aiding and abetting the evil, and perpetrating the crimes of the mobsters upon the innocent citizens.
The time has come to not only conceive of, but institute a new way of thinking...a new paradigm. It is time for families to resume watching their own and not letting faceless, brainless thugs tell us how to live, and by extention perpetrate the very crimes that they charge us normal human beings with.
The most vital and powerful tool at our disposal is the power to ignore and castigate those who would make us their slaves. But, it also requires us to change our mode of thinking. We can not enforce on others the standards that we hold for ourselves. Sure, maybe you wouldn't leave your child to go out and jog, but that does NOT give you the right to tell another what they can do. If the child is injured in any way, then there is a crime that is punishable. Otherwise, bug off and let sleeping dogs lie.
Besides, has anything happened to the man's child, his own conscience would be the ultimate punishment, as he must live with the consequence of his action until the end of his days.
To each his own. I'll let you be stupid and irresponsible, if you piss off and let me do the same. If my actions cause loss or injury to another, then we have an argument. Otherwise, keep your authoritarian fascist slimy hands off of me and mine.
Seems perfectly reasonable to me. But, being reasonable seems to be in very short supply these days.
Nina bobo, nina bobo. Kalo tidak bobo, digigit nyemuk.Sampai jumpa!
18.3.11
Texians Draw Fire
As is often the case, any argument in favor of an independent Texas usually draws heated responses. Most run to the fact that Joint Resolutions of Congress fairly annexed Texas into the Union, and that the election of 1845 was fair and legal, both points of which are patently false. But, let's allow one of our more articulate readers make the points:
So, let's examine the points one at a time, shall we?
Strike three comes with the vote to secede in 1861, which saw a 4-to-1 ratio vote in favor of independence a mere 18 years later.
Just to close the case, there were several attempts to vote Texas into the Union before the one cited by the reader, and those were completely rejected. Thus, I question the veracity of the election, since the turn-out was so low and since it went in favor of Union, which had been rejected so many times before.
To address the reader's other point here, I did not claim that the 1845 election was illegal, I said that the 1865 election was, since only those who swore allegiance to the Union were allowed to vote. Hardly a fair referendum, I'd say.
The reader goes on to quote DeLima v. Bidwell, which was decided 40-odd years after the fact and is the basis for the globalist take-over of the US at the present time through treaties such as Kyoto and Agenda 21, which any red-blooded Unionist would surely point to as treasonous. I hardly find that conclusive, since grandfathering is considered illegal in our current system of law. It's akin to outlawing the use of cars and then throwing anyone in jail who once used one before the enactment of the law. And none of that argument makes the word "annexation" appear in the Constitution. My copy is still bereft of any mention of the word.
Under international law, only a treaty has any force of law. Joint Resolutions of Congress do not appear anywhere in the ICC or other international codes. We are talking about relations between nations. The reader is assuming a relationship akin to statehood. Quite different beasts, that.
The reader goes on to say that the Union does not have an opt-out clause, yet in the First Amendment, the right of the people to associate is well understood and has considerable precedent. The right of contract is also a fundamental part of Western law. Joining an organization involves both association and contract. If one party fails to live up to its obligations, then the other party has the absolute right to dissolve its bond.
This concept is at the very heart of the Declaration of Independence. By the reader's argument, the colonies did not have the right to dissolve their bond with England, and so the very existence of the Union is without substance, therefore it does not have the power to annex or otherwise create States within itself.
By extension, if I were to join the Kiwanis Club under certain obligations and conditions, and the Kiwanis failed to meet their part of the bargain, I would not be allowed to quit the Club. This argument is false prima facie.
The reader points to the concept of 'a more perfect Union.' Yet, I would argue that not only was the Union dysfunctional at the time Texas and the Confederacy seceded, but in fact has become more so since that time. Therefore, since the Union has failed to perfect itself, and has devolved from its original state, therefore ipso facto the States have not only the right but the obligation to dissolve from the Union, and seek to form yet a more perfect one outside the existing bounds.
As for the point about joining the Confederacy, the reader points to Texas' ratification of the Constitution of the CSA. To that, I simply state that Texas acted in every way as a soverign nation, with president and Congress whose powers and activities were in every way equal to the president of the Confederacy and the US. Does that sound like a subordinate state to a union to you? I didn't think so.
I thank the reader for his or her well-reasoned argument and citations. I agree that it is hard to sort out the truth in a land where autocratic fascism has rewritten the history books. However, I also have the advantage of being a seventh generation Texian and the son of a politician/historian. My information comes a bit more direct from the horses' mouth than most textbooks dare provide.
My family's root far exceed those of either the US or the Republic of Texas. We helped found the Republic. We also support and uphold the autonomy of the indiginous nations of the Comanche, Kickapoo, Lupan Apache, and Navajo, as well as others. As conquered peoples of the American empire, we can certainly sympathize with their plight.
Sailing around planting flags does not claim the soil, any more than five flags on the face of the Moon make it the sole possession of the US. The native rights of those who live on and work the soil are supreme, in any course of law. That is something established in English law as far back as the Magna Carta, and even as far as Roman administrative law. While the reader presents a fine argument, there are numerous holes in it, including presumptions and prejudices that hold no weight.
I have posted the email in toto and I leave it to the good folks who come here daily to decide. I clearly stated in my original post that I had neither the time nor the space to present the entire argument. Therefore, there are many parts missing. I invited the reader to examine the facts for themselves, just as I did. I hope it is clear that I do not make decisions lightly or without ample proof.
In summary, I offer the words of Thomas Jefferson, who built a fine argument in favor of dissolving ties with England, that most Americans can find little fault with:
I have no problem with your opinions as expressed on your blog - we are all entitled to our own opinion. We are not, however, entitled to our own facts.This reader did a fine job of making my points, and I wish to thank him or her (was not clear from the information provided). And to finish the argument, I simply need to point out that the words, "annexation of foreign countries" do not appear anywhere in either the Constitution of the united States or of The Republic of Texas. Therefore, Joint Resolutions of Congress have no validity under either system of law. It was no more legal or valid than the annexation of Iraq, which is also a captive nation of war.
"The US president Polk was elected partly on a platform to get Texas into the Union. The only problem was that Texians had no desire whatsoever to join. Any vote that came up was soundly defeated."
This is a complete falsehood. The referendum on annexation received 94.4% of the vote in favor of joining the USA.
OCTOBER 13, 1845
Annexation ordinance and state constitution submitted to the Texas voters for approval. (The vote tally on November 10, 1845, was 4,254 to 267 in favor of annexation; the total vote, compiled January 1, 1846, was 7,664 to 430 in favor of annexation.)
Sure, you can claim that was illegal as well, but you certainly can't use the argument that the people of Texas were against annexation. And, if you claim that was illegal, you can't turn around and say that secession was OK because of a referendum.
As far as annexation via resolution being unconstitutional in the US:
DeLima v. Bidwell, 182 U.S. 1 (1901)
"A treaty made by that power is said to be the supreme law of the land, as efficacious as an act of Congress; and, if subsequent and inconsistent with an act of Congress, repeals it. This must be granted, and also that one of the ordinary incidents of a treaty is the cession of territory, and that the territory thus acquired is acquired as absolutely as if the annexation were made, as in the case of Texas and Hawaii, by an act of Congress."
And as far as secession, it was illegal once Texas' government and people chose annexation:
Texas v. White, United States Supreme Court, (1868)
"The Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union, composed of indestructible States." The court did allow some possibility of the divisibility "through revolution, or through consent of the States."
Q. E. D.
Sorry, but by the standard of "the Will of the People," the people of Texas consented to annexation in 1845, and the nation they chose to join did not have an opt-out clause. They should have read the fine print. Actually, not even the fine print - the preamble says "to form a more perfect union." You don't get a "more perfect Union" by allowing states to leave at a whim.
Texas can be independent via the 49 other states agreeing to it, or by fighting and winning a war of independence. Good luck with either option.
One more small detail (and believe me, I skipped a LOT of items that are inaccurate in your post): Texas did indeed join the Confederacy.
On March 23, 1861, the Texas Secession Convention ratified the CSA Constitution.
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ref/abouttx/secession/ 23march1861.html
The people of the State of Texas assembled by delegates in Convention, ordain, That the Constitution of the Confederate States of America, adopted March 11th, 1861, by the Congress of the Provisional Government of said Confederacy, for the permanent government thereof, subject to ratification by the respective States, is hereby ratified, accepted, and adopted for the purposes therein expressed on the part of this State, acting in its sovereign and independent character.
So, let's examine the points one at a time, shall we?
The vote tally on November 10, 1845, was 4,254 to 267 in favor of annexationI re-iterate the point that annexation has no force under either Texas nor US law, nor under international law. Furthermore, 4,521 votes were registered in that referendum. At the time, Texas had a registered population of roughly 200,000 people. Damn it, Jim! I'm an artist, not a mathematician, but that looks to me like about 97% of the population opposed, or at least didn't give a rat's (expletive) about joining the US. And that assumes that the election was fair and lawful, which they rarely are.
Strike three comes with the vote to secede in 1861, which saw a 4-to-1 ratio vote in favor of independence a mere 18 years later.
Just to close the case, there were several attempts to vote Texas into the Union before the one cited by the reader, and those were completely rejected. Thus, I question the veracity of the election, since the turn-out was so low and since it went in favor of Union, which had been rejected so many times before.
To address the reader's other point here, I did not claim that the 1845 election was illegal, I said that the 1865 election was, since only those who swore allegiance to the Union were allowed to vote. Hardly a fair referendum, I'd say.
The reader goes on to quote DeLima v. Bidwell, which was decided 40-odd years after the fact and is the basis for the globalist take-over of the US at the present time through treaties such as Kyoto and Agenda 21, which any red-blooded Unionist would surely point to as treasonous. I hardly find that conclusive, since grandfathering is considered illegal in our current system of law. It's akin to outlawing the use of cars and then throwing anyone in jail who once used one before the enactment of the law. And none of that argument makes the word "annexation" appear in the Constitution. My copy is still bereft of any mention of the word.
Under international law, only a treaty has any force of law. Joint Resolutions of Congress do not appear anywhere in the ICC or other international codes. We are talking about relations between nations. The reader is assuming a relationship akin to statehood. Quite different beasts, that.
The reader goes on to say that the Union does not have an opt-out clause, yet in the First Amendment, the right of the people to associate is well understood and has considerable precedent. The right of contract is also a fundamental part of Western law. Joining an organization involves both association and contract. If one party fails to live up to its obligations, then the other party has the absolute right to dissolve its bond.
This concept is at the very heart of the Declaration of Independence. By the reader's argument, the colonies did not have the right to dissolve their bond with England, and so the very existence of the Union is without substance, therefore it does not have the power to annex or otherwise create States within itself.
By extension, if I were to join the Kiwanis Club under certain obligations and conditions, and the Kiwanis failed to meet their part of the bargain, I would not be allowed to quit the Club. This argument is false prima facie.
The reader points to the concept of 'a more perfect Union.' Yet, I would argue that not only was the Union dysfunctional at the time Texas and the Confederacy seceded, but in fact has become more so since that time. Therefore, since the Union has failed to perfect itself, and has devolved from its original state, therefore ipso facto the States have not only the right but the obligation to dissolve from the Union, and seek to form yet a more perfect one outside the existing bounds.
As for the point about joining the Confederacy, the reader points to Texas' ratification of the Constitution of the CSA. To that, I simply state that Texas acted in every way as a soverign nation, with president and Congress whose powers and activities were in every way equal to the president of the Confederacy and the US. Does that sound like a subordinate state to a union to you? I didn't think so.
I thank the reader for his or her well-reasoned argument and citations. I agree that it is hard to sort out the truth in a land where autocratic fascism has rewritten the history books. However, I also have the advantage of being a seventh generation Texian and the son of a politician/historian. My information comes a bit more direct from the horses' mouth than most textbooks dare provide.
My family's root far exceed those of either the US or the Republic of Texas. We helped found the Republic. We also support and uphold the autonomy of the indiginous nations of the Comanche, Kickapoo, Lupan Apache, and Navajo, as well as others. As conquered peoples of the American empire, we can certainly sympathize with their plight.
Sailing around planting flags does not claim the soil, any more than five flags on the face of the Moon make it the sole possession of the US. The native rights of those who live on and work the soil are supreme, in any course of law. That is something established in English law as far back as the Magna Carta, and even as far as Roman administrative law. While the reader presents a fine argument, there are numerous holes in it, including presumptions and prejudices that hold no weight.
I have posted the email in toto and I leave it to the good folks who come here daily to decide. I clearly stated in my original post that I had neither the time nor the space to present the entire argument. Therefore, there are many parts missing. I invited the reader to examine the facts for themselves, just as I did. I hope it is clear that I do not make decisions lightly or without ample proof.
In summary, I offer the words of Thomas Jefferson, who built a fine argument in favor of dissolving ties with England, that most Americans can find little fault with:
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."And from the Texas Declaration of Independence:
"When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted, and so far from being a guarantee for the enjoyment of those inestimable and inalienable rights, becomes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression."I see no further need to argue the point.
17.3.11
Japanese Monster Movie
Gojira rises from the sea, causing a massive tidal wave, and proceeds to level Tokyo with an intense beam of radiation belched from his mouth.
I'm beginning to think all those Saturday afternoon monster movies were predictive tales. When I look at some of the video coming out of Japan, they look like scenes from Gojira vs. (monster of the week). Lots of Japanese people pointing, running and screaming. Tidal waves. Buildings blowing up or collapsing. Streets cracking apart.
And in one of those supreme ironies of history, the kind that makes you think that Universe has a wicked sense of humor, the banner headline of the decade: Japan Nukes Itself, America Gets Fallout.
Somehow, I can't help thinking there is a certain revenge factor to all the news, though I hasten to point out that I am not making light of the situation.
I know a number of folks who are either survivors of, or victims of the Sumatera tsunami of 2004. This whole thing is rather traumatic for them, as it brings back vivid memories. I can see in their eyes the pain and terror they experienced, so I am loath to lessen the impact of such events. However, my father, the historian, liked to point out that one of the societal mechanisms that had allowed America to rise to prominence was its ability to laugh in the face of certain doom. He told me many jokes that soldiers used in WWII to lighten the mood and mentally survive the unsurvivable.
One of the most popular TV shows in history, M*A*S*H, explored the character of Hawkeye Pierce, who used humor as a mental firewall to prevent the horrors he witnessed from damaging his inner-most being.
The Japanese don't have such a defense mechanism. In fact, they have very little sense of humor at all, much like the Germans of Europe. That's not to say they can't laugh, but the idea of making light of dire situations is not a cultural norm.
I'm one of those people that, in the middle of a crisis, becomes very calm and deals with things on a first-come-first-served basis. After the danger has passed, then I collapse into the quivering lump of Jell-O. It's a feature of my personality that my mother has remarked on all of my life. In a crisis, she says, I'm the one to have around, because I'm the only calm head.
As disasters go, though, the current Japanese situation is quite stunning. It has the potential to create one of the worst-case scenarios of modern civilization. It can release clouds of uncontrollable radioactive dust. The cores could create a sort of "America Syndrome," since they would melt FROM China, rather than to China. There's any number of hypothetical and theoretical situations that are being tested here.
An even more interesting phenomenon is the reaction of Indonesians. Folks here are blessedly unconcerned with events in the wider world. The Middle East riots received a little attention, but mostly Indonesians practice a kind of cultural navel-staring, since historically they have been so isolated from much of the winds of history.
However, the Japanese events have actually caused people to look up, even if only for a moment, and take notice of events in the world at large.
Indonesia is the proud owner of a single nuclear reactor. It's an experimental rig somewhat like a bike with training wheels. They are investigating nuclear power as an addition to the rather well-developed geothermal and hydroelectric generators that are becoming ubiquitous here. As luck and fate would have it, the reactor is located in Tnaggerang, which is about 10 miles upwind of my house, in one of the most earthquake-, volcano- and tsunami-ridden parts of the world.
To the average Indonesian, radiation is a non-existent threat. The average Indonesian can go cradle to grave without a single X-ray, CAT scan or MRI. Out of all the electrons on the local grid, maybe half-a-dozen come from nuclear generation. In other words, radiation just ain't a big concern here.
The best the national government can do right now is issue warnings not to play in the rain, which is anathema to an Indonesian anyway. I suppose the idea is that dry dust doesn't settle here, but wet dust does. Right on cue, we had a massive downpour and flash flood here in Jakarta last night. My ojek driver rammed his motorcycle through three feet of water to pick me up at the bus stop. Obviously, he hadn't gotten word about the national warnings.
I have been on a one-man crusade to educate folks about KI, or kalium iodid, in the local parlance. They are generally unaware that iodine is essential to healthy thyroid function, and that nuclear disasters release gobs of radioactive isotopes of iodine that are readily absorbed by the thyroid and lead to ripple-down health effects, known generally as radiation poisoning.
KI fills the thyroid to overflowing with 'clean' iodine and prevents the uptake of radioactive isotopes, thus providing a modicum of protection from various diseases. I was lucky to find a decent supply in a local chemist's shop. He reported no other calls for it, as I bought the lot.
The situation we're in now, with multiple disasters, both natural and political, will become the norm for the next couple of years. We are at a cross-roads of history, where major forces affecting humanity are intersecting at the same temporal point. The things that are happening now are not recorded in textbooks, because the history that covers these events has been brutally suppressed. We are not allowed to know about what happened with the human species and Earth in general, past 11,000 years ago. According to the books, Mankind arose, learned to farm, built cities, and survived until now. The fact that we have done this, as a species, over and over again is the province of secret societies, whose original job it was to preserve the memory, but who kept the secrets as a form of power currency.
These sorts of cataclysms occur roughly every 26,000 years and nearly wipe out humans, who must then rebuild the world and try to plan and survive the next round. What happens though is the groups who are supposed to carry the knowledge to the survivors use it as occult power and lord it over the mass of humankind.
There have also been major catastrophes that were induced by those who came before us, and who we revere as gods and goddesses. They had civilizations that spanned the planets, and most likely the galaxy. Yet, in fits of civil war and jealousy, they destroyed themselves, leaving only us to witness to their achievements.
Yet, we can not witness because those who have the information keep it from us. And so we live in fear and wonder as the tide turns and events start to pile one on another.
Maxwell nearly rediscovered the physics that allowed our vastly distant relatives to achieve incredible feats. His quaternion geometry unlocked the hyperdimensional world that would allow us to at least understand current events, if not predict and control them. However, he work was suppressed and his equations altered, and the secret societies poured grant money into misleading theories, like relativity and quantum physics. They created a 'peer review' process to filter and suppress those who came to close to opening the can of worms.
And so here we sit, wondering why the Pacific Rim is afire, why the New Madrid fault is shaking itself awake, why Yellowstone is breathing so heavily, why the Horn of Africa is tearing itself away, why the weather has swung through such great extremes. It has nothing to do with the activities of Men, except that the solution lies in knowledge long locked away by fraternities whose job it was to bring that information to all humans, but who chose the path of greed and self-interest, to the peril of us all.
If we can believe the information we have, in December of next year, the Vernal Equinox will aline with the plane and center of the galaxy once again, as it does every few millennia. At that point, the hyperdimensional stresses of local space will be at their maximum and we will suffer the effects for years to come. Those who survive will be charged with carrying the information to the future. Let's hope they are better people than those who carried the task until now. Maybe next time we can avert this cyclic disaster and perhaps move beyond this time loop into something much more interesting.
I have to think that men such as Buddha saw into such things, and that the concept of re-incarnation was not so much an individual phenomenon, but one of species and civilization, as well. What of our current incarnation will become the pyramids of future time?
Now is the time for our species to chose wisely the means by which we will transmit our knowledge to the future. Certainly, bankers, lawyers and politicians are incapable of such selfless and insightful acts. It is up to us, the real and true inheritors of the future.
One additional thought: Suppose STUXNET had infiltrated the Japanese reactors prior to the current situation, and the information was never made public? Now suppose that the virus had caused key failures in redundant systems during and after the quake in Japan. That in fact would be the Israeli Mistake of webbot fame, and make Israel partly responsible for crimes against humanity (Japan is not completely absolved in this case). While we were all watching Iran and the Middle East (remember them?), the real story was shaping up in Japan, and it leads to the deep ponder - how many others?
I'm beginning to think all those Saturday afternoon monster movies were predictive tales. When I look at some of the video coming out of Japan, they look like scenes from Gojira vs. (monster of the week). Lots of Japanese people pointing, running and screaming. Tidal waves. Buildings blowing up or collapsing. Streets cracking apart.
And in one of those supreme ironies of history, the kind that makes you think that Universe has a wicked sense of humor, the banner headline of the decade: Japan Nukes Itself, America Gets Fallout.
Somehow, I can't help thinking there is a certain revenge factor to all the news, though I hasten to point out that I am not making light of the situation.
I know a number of folks who are either survivors of, or victims of the Sumatera tsunami of 2004. This whole thing is rather traumatic for them, as it brings back vivid memories. I can see in their eyes the pain and terror they experienced, so I am loath to lessen the impact of such events. However, my father, the historian, liked to point out that one of the societal mechanisms that had allowed America to rise to prominence was its ability to laugh in the face of certain doom. He told me many jokes that soldiers used in WWII to lighten the mood and mentally survive the unsurvivable.
One of the most popular TV shows in history, M*A*S*H, explored the character of Hawkeye Pierce, who used humor as a mental firewall to prevent the horrors he witnessed from damaging his inner-most being.
The Japanese don't have such a defense mechanism. In fact, they have very little sense of humor at all, much like the Germans of Europe. That's not to say they can't laugh, but the idea of making light of dire situations is not a cultural norm.
I'm one of those people that, in the middle of a crisis, becomes very calm and deals with things on a first-come-first-served basis. After the danger has passed, then I collapse into the quivering lump of Jell-O. It's a feature of my personality that my mother has remarked on all of my life. In a crisis, she says, I'm the one to have around, because I'm the only calm head.
As disasters go, though, the current Japanese situation is quite stunning. It has the potential to create one of the worst-case scenarios of modern civilization. It can release clouds of uncontrollable radioactive dust. The cores could create a sort of "America Syndrome," since they would melt FROM China, rather than to China. There's any number of hypothetical and theoretical situations that are being tested here.
An even more interesting phenomenon is the reaction of Indonesians. Folks here are blessedly unconcerned with events in the wider world. The Middle East riots received a little attention, but mostly Indonesians practice a kind of cultural navel-staring, since historically they have been so isolated from much of the winds of history.
However, the Japanese events have actually caused people to look up, even if only for a moment, and take notice of events in the world at large.
Indonesia is the proud owner of a single nuclear reactor. It's an experimental rig somewhat like a bike with training wheels. They are investigating nuclear power as an addition to the rather well-developed geothermal and hydroelectric generators that are becoming ubiquitous here. As luck and fate would have it, the reactor is located in Tnaggerang, which is about 10 miles upwind of my house, in one of the most earthquake-, volcano- and tsunami-ridden parts of the world.
To the average Indonesian, radiation is a non-existent threat. The average Indonesian can go cradle to grave without a single X-ray, CAT scan or MRI. Out of all the electrons on the local grid, maybe half-a-dozen come from nuclear generation. In other words, radiation just ain't a big concern here.
The best the national government can do right now is issue warnings not to play in the rain, which is anathema to an Indonesian anyway. I suppose the idea is that dry dust doesn't settle here, but wet dust does. Right on cue, we had a massive downpour and flash flood here in Jakarta last night. My ojek driver rammed his motorcycle through three feet of water to pick me up at the bus stop. Obviously, he hadn't gotten word about the national warnings.
I have been on a one-man crusade to educate folks about KI, or kalium iodid, in the local parlance. They are generally unaware that iodine is essential to healthy thyroid function, and that nuclear disasters release gobs of radioactive isotopes of iodine that are readily absorbed by the thyroid and lead to ripple-down health effects, known generally as radiation poisoning.
KI fills the thyroid to overflowing with 'clean' iodine and prevents the uptake of radioactive isotopes, thus providing a modicum of protection from various diseases. I was lucky to find a decent supply in a local chemist's shop. He reported no other calls for it, as I bought the lot.
The situation we're in now, with multiple disasters, both natural and political, will become the norm for the next couple of years. We are at a cross-roads of history, where major forces affecting humanity are intersecting at the same temporal point. The things that are happening now are not recorded in textbooks, because the history that covers these events has been brutally suppressed. We are not allowed to know about what happened with the human species and Earth in general, past 11,000 years ago. According to the books, Mankind arose, learned to farm, built cities, and survived until now. The fact that we have done this, as a species, over and over again is the province of secret societies, whose original job it was to preserve the memory, but who kept the secrets as a form of power currency.
These sorts of cataclysms occur roughly every 26,000 years and nearly wipe out humans, who must then rebuild the world and try to plan and survive the next round. What happens though is the groups who are supposed to carry the knowledge to the survivors use it as occult power and lord it over the mass of humankind.
There have also been major catastrophes that were induced by those who came before us, and who we revere as gods and goddesses. They had civilizations that spanned the planets, and most likely the galaxy. Yet, in fits of civil war and jealousy, they destroyed themselves, leaving only us to witness to their achievements.
Yet, we can not witness because those who have the information keep it from us. And so we live in fear and wonder as the tide turns and events start to pile one on another.
Maxwell nearly rediscovered the physics that allowed our vastly distant relatives to achieve incredible feats. His quaternion geometry unlocked the hyperdimensional world that would allow us to at least understand current events, if not predict and control them. However, he work was suppressed and his equations altered, and the secret societies poured grant money into misleading theories, like relativity and quantum physics. They created a 'peer review' process to filter and suppress those who came to close to opening the can of worms.
And so here we sit, wondering why the Pacific Rim is afire, why the New Madrid fault is shaking itself awake, why Yellowstone is breathing so heavily, why the Horn of Africa is tearing itself away, why the weather has swung through such great extremes. It has nothing to do with the activities of Men, except that the solution lies in knowledge long locked away by fraternities whose job it was to bring that information to all humans, but who chose the path of greed and self-interest, to the peril of us all.
If we can believe the information we have, in December of next year, the Vernal Equinox will aline with the plane and center of the galaxy once again, as it does every few millennia. At that point, the hyperdimensional stresses of local space will be at their maximum and we will suffer the effects for years to come. Those who survive will be charged with carrying the information to the future. Let's hope they are better people than those who carried the task until now. Maybe next time we can avert this cyclic disaster and perhaps move beyond this time loop into something much more interesting.
I have to think that men such as Buddha saw into such things, and that the concept of re-incarnation was not so much an individual phenomenon, but one of species and civilization, as well. What of our current incarnation will become the pyramids of future time?
Now is the time for our species to chose wisely the means by which we will transmit our knowledge to the future. Certainly, bankers, lawyers and politicians are incapable of such selfless and insightful acts. It is up to us, the real and true inheritors of the future.
One additional thought: Suppose STUXNET had infiltrated the Japanese reactors prior to the current situation, and the information was never made public? Now suppose that the virus had caused key failures in redundant systems during and after the quake in Japan. That in fact would be the Israeli Mistake of webbot fame, and make Israel partly responsible for crimes against humanity (Japan is not completely absolved in this case). While we were all watching Iran and the Middle East (remember them?), the real story was shaping up in Japan, and it leads to the deep ponder - how many others?
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