Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
BollyObama: Planned Parenthood celebrates new ObamaCare rule with… dancing birth control
4 August 2011
This week, the Obama administration used the president’s evolving health care law to force all new insurance plans to cover the entire cost of all prescription contraceptives, including so-called “Plan B” abortion pills. To mark this “victory” their industry has long worked for, Planned Parenthood decided to throw a Bollywood-style celebration featuring… dancing birth control:
According to Planned Parenthood, “basic preventive health care” (birth control) without a copay is “a giant leap forward for women’s health.” (Yay! Now we can be promiscuous for free!)
Washington Examiner’s Tim Carney rightly points out how this new government rule is a boon for two of Obama’s biggest supporters — the abortion industry and Big Pharma — and a direct threat on the conscience of America:
This free-pills-for-all proposal embodies two dark themes of the Obama era: cronyism and trampling on the freedom of conscience.
Once again, Obama, who pretends to be battling the special interests, is rewarding powerful lobbies that support him. Even worse, the federal rule, which would effectively force everyone to purchase insurance that covers abortifacient contraceptives, also reveals the true shape of the Culture War in America: The Left uses the brutal tool of the government to impose its morality on everyone, forcing religious conservatives to act against conscience, all the while howling about imminent “theocracy.” …
The intersection of pharma and government is full of Orwellian Newspeak. Drugmakers say they’re preventing pregnancies by ending them. Obama claims he’s depoiliticizing science by increasing subsidies and regulations. Then he crows about fighting special interests in the act of rewarding them.
Most bizarrely, the cultural Left assails “culture warriors” while making it illegal for many cultural conservatives to live according to their conscience.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Homemade Spy Drone That Can Hack Phone Calls
Wired is reporting on the WASP — Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform — a spy drone created by two security consultants with about $6,000 and a military surplus FMQ-117B target drone. Mike Tassey and Rick Perkins demonstrated the WASP yesterday at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The capabilities of the clandestine mini-plane are breathtaking, according to Wired, comprising a:
“Personal remote-controlled spy plane, complete with WiFi and hacking tools, such as an IMSI catcher and antenna to spoof a GSM cell tower and intercept calls, as well as a network sniffing tool and a dictionary of 340 million words for brute-forcing network passwords.”
At a weight of only 14 pounds and six feet in length, the drone is much smaller than most military counterparts, making it even more suitable for use in heavily populated areas. While FAA regulations mandate that the plane must fly below 400 feet and remain within line of site, the drone is quiet enough even at that restricted altitude to hover overhead and collect digital data.
On the technical expertise required to build and operate the WASP, Perkins said, “You don’t need a PhD from MIT to do this.” Perkins and Tassey created the drone to show others that it could be done, and to promote the possible positive uses of the technology as well as prepare the public for nefarious use in the future as well.
Search and rescue attempts, disaster relief, and, of course, law enforcement surveillance could utilize a drone like the WASP. However, it seems only a matter of time before criminals and terrorists turn to this technology to steal data, jam communications, or conduct reconnaissance for attacks. In a well-publicized example, the Terrorist group Hezbollah back in 2006 apparently rammed an explosives-laden drone into an Israeli warship.
As this technology continues to evolve, the public learns more, and the parts become less expensive, there is a good chance you might see something like this flying over your house one day soon.
Cf. Wired article
Economics: Barofsky Doubts HARP Expansion Will Aid Housing Market
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxCVM8igXww
Oct. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Neil Barofsky, former special inspector general for the U.S. Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program and a Bloomberg Television contributing editor, talks about the expansion of the Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, to aid underwater borrowers and impact of the expanded plan on the housing market. Barofsky speaks with Mark Crumpton on Bloomberg Television's "Bottom Line." (Source: Bloomberg)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Governor Christie Talks About Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed
“Ignorance is behind the criticism of Sohail Mohammed,” he told a reporter asking about the complaints that he may be inadequate to be a judge because he defended Muslim Americans who were wrongly arrested post-9/11. “He is an extraordinary American who is an outstanding lawyer and played an integral role in the post-September 11th period in building bridges between the Muslim American community in this state and law enforcement,” Gov. Christie argued, adding that he was “disgusted, candidly, by some of the questions he was asked… at the Senate judiciary committee.”
But it was a follow-up question on the fear of Sharia Law that set the governor off. “Sharia Law has nothing to do with this at all, it’s crazy!” he cried. “The guy is an American citizen!” He concluded that the “Sharia Law business is just crap… and I’m tried of dealing with the crazies,” adding with disgust and frustration that “it’s just unnecessary to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background.”
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Arab Children In Michigan Victimized and Fear Christian Preacher
Friday, October 21, 2011
Hertz Fires Muslims Who Refuse to Work
The Hertz rental car company is firing two dozen Somali Muslim drivers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for refusing to clock out for daily breaks during which they normally prayed.
The drivers are among the 34 Hertz employees the company suspended indefinitely late last month for praying on company time. Observant Muslims pray five times a day, and the employees claimed the company was infringing on their religious freedom by not being flexible to their needs.
Media reports varied on the exact number of fired employees, with some reporting it was 25 and others reporting it was 26.
The fired workers drove the company’s cars to and from the airport for cleaning and refueling, according to the Seattle Times, and did not clock out when they went to pray. Hertz also said some of the fired workers were taking longer than the 10 minutes allotted for a break. Employees get two breaks per eight-hour shift.
Hertz had said the suspended workers were violating a two-year-old policy requiring employees to clock out before engaging in personal activities, such as praying. Teamsters Local 117 took up the drivers’ case, filing an unfair labor practices suit saying the company was not following an agreement reached last year saying employees would not have to clock out for prayer.
During negotiations, nine of the original 34 suspended drivers signed agreements saying they would clock out on time and returned to their jobs.
Union officials told the Times the two sides were unable to reach an agreement that would have returned the remaining workers to their pre-suspension status under which they would not have to clock out to pray.
Teamsters spokesman Paul Zilly said Hertz gave the workers an ultimatums and when they refused, the company terminated them. Zilly said if Hertz believed employees were breaking the rules, they should have dealt with them individually instead of as a group.
“There may have been some taking longer than 10 minutes, but why single out the entire group based on their religion?” he said.
“We feel like we’re being punished for what we believe in,” former Hertz employee Ileys Omar, who prays five times a day, told KOMO News. “It’s five minutes. It‘s not as big deal as the company’s making it.”
Hertz spokesman Rich Broome said the company had made it clear to the suspended workers that if they wanted to return the work they would have to agree to the clock-out terms.
“We’re disappointed that the rest of the transporters did not take us up on what we thought was a reasonable resolution of this matter — reserving their right to pray during paid breaks,” Broome said. “We felt clocking out is a fair way to maintain order while keeping our operations running smoothly.”
Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland
500 jobs created with taxpayer money, in Finland.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Taxpayers to Cover Obama Tour of Midwest Battleground States
“He is very happily getting out into the country again after a very sustained period here in Washington and he looks forward to talking to folks about growing the economy, creating jobs," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. "We will have more details, as I said, about the specifics of the trip."
Carney indicated he did not know now precisely where the president would go or what he might be announcing.
CNSNews.com asked Carney, “Is that a campaign event or a presidential event?
Carney answered, “Negative. That is an official event.”
CNSNews.com followed, “So it is being funded by taxpayers in battleground states?”
Carney responded, “He’s the president of the United States.”
Another reporter followed up about whether there was a political nature to the trip.
“The air of cynicism is quite thick,” Carney shot back. “The idea that the president of the United States should not venture forth into the country is ridiculous.”
The reporter said, “I didn’t say that.”
Carney said, “No, but you implied it in your question. It is absolutely important for the president – whoever that person is, in the past or in the future – to get out and hear from people in different communities."
The generally accepted policies in place since the Reagan administration for incumbent presidents running for re-election are based on legal opinions from the Department of Justice and Federal Elections Commission (FEC), which say that taxpayers should cover the cost of official presidential travel while travel relating to the campaign will be reimbursed to the government through campaign funds.
According to the FEC, when a presidential or vice presidential candidate travels on the taxpayer’s dime for political purposes, they “pay the pro rata share of the fair market value of non-commercial flights.” Reimbursement guidelines include payment of the “lowest unrestricted and non-discounted first-class airfare in the case of travel between cities served by regularly scheduled first-class commercial airline service.”
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
2 Nobel prize winning economists look stupid when asked about the economy
EMBATTLED NJ TEACHER’S HUSBAND DEFENDS HER FACEBOOK COMMENTS ON GAYS
Viki Knox's husband defends his wife's right to speak out against gay people
UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. (The Blaze/AP) — The husband of an embattled, New Jersey high school teacher accused of posting anti-gay messages on her Facebook page is defending his wife’s comments.
Gene Knox told WCBS-TV in New York that “everybody’s entitled to an opinion.” He also told the station: “They can persecute her but they can’t prosecute her.”
As The Blaze reported on Tuesday, his wife, Viki Knox, is a Christian who holds views on gays that relate to her personal faith. The comments she posted clearly indicated this, as they focused upon her view that homosexuality as a sin. Below, see the WCBS interview for yourself:
The Union Township school district is investigating whether Knox violated school policies when she allegedly posted remarks saying homosexuality is a sin that “breeds like cancer” and describing it as “perverted.” It was reported that she also wrote:
“Union is not South Orange/Maplewood where one out of four families consist of two Mommies or daddies… Why parade your unnatural immoral behaviors before the rest of us? I/we do not have to accept anything, anyone, any behavior or any choices! I do not have to tolerate anything others wish to do.”
Her comments were made on the social media platform in response to a display the school had put up, which celebrates celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender history month.
Knox sat by her husband’s side during the TV interview. The station says she had been advised not to comment herself and has retained an attorney through her union.
Hundreds turned out at a school board meeting Tuesday to either denounce or defend Knox. The issue has grown exponentially, with gay rights activists and religious freedom advocates speaking up to take sides on the matter.
ABC’S JAKE TAPPER ASKS OBAMA ABOUT FAST & FURIOUS IN UNAIRED PORTION OF INTERVIEW
Mediaite provides both the transcript and video of the unaired interview portion:
Tapper: “Just to change the subject from the economy, the ‘Fast and Furious’ controversy. Aside from some of the more wild charges out there, this is a big scandal. The Justice Department, the ATF was moving guns and some of them were tied to crime scenes. what was your response when you first heard about it?”
Obama: “Well I heard about it from the news reports. This is not something we were aware of in the White House and the Attorney General it turns out wasn’t aware of either. Obviously Eric Holder has launched a full investigation of this, it is not acceptable for us to allow guns to go into Mexico. Our whole goal has been to interdict aggressively in the flow of weapons and cash flowing south into Mexico because the Mexican president, President Calderon, has done a heroic job of trying to take on these transnational drug cartels. So this investigation will be complete, people who have screwed up will be held accountable but our overarching goal consistently has been to say we’ve got a responsibility not only to stop drugs from flowing north, we’ve also got a responsibility to make sure we are not helping to either arm or finance these drug cartels in Mexico. So it’s very upsetting to me to think that somebody showed such bad judgment that they would allow something like that to happen and we will find out who and what happened in this situation and make sure it gets corrected.”
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Gun-Toting Toddler in TV Report on the Booming Illegal Weapons Trade in Egypt
This is what democracy looks like?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Ian Hunter, 15 October 2011, Tarrytown Music Hall, TarrytownNY
Raw Food Raid: Armed Agents Bust Raw Milk & Cheese Sellers
Private buying club selling organic food and raw milk was raided again by SWAT teams for the second time today.
Multiple sources have confirmed the fact that all three individuals arrested– James Stewart, Victoria Bloch and Sharon Palmer– are being charged with ‘conspiracy’ related to the sell of unpasteurized raw milk products.
This reportedly includes sections of the California Penal Code Section 182a. Additional charges may also be pending, including a charge of ‘mislabeling cheese’ for Sharon Palmer, was arrested during a raid of Healthy Family Farms. As video of the raid on Rawesome Foods (also raided in 2010) demonstrates, Feds not only seized cash and raw milk supplies (much of which was also dumped out) but also mangos and other fresh, organic produce.
Students Made to Recite Mexican National Anthem
X High School Students Made to Recite Mexican National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance
Mexican anthem in class
Students in a Texas public high school were made to stand up and recite the Mexican national anthem and Mexican pledge of allegiance as part of a Spanish class assignment, but the school district maintains there was nothing wrong with the lesson.
It happened last month in an intermediate Spanish class at Achieve Early College High School in McAllen, Texas — a city located about 10 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wearing red, white and green, students had to memorize the Mexican anthem and pledge and stand up and recite them in individually in front of the class.
That didn’t go over well with sophomore Brenda Brinsdon. The 15-year-old sat down and refused to participate. She also caught it all on video:
“I just thought it was out of hand, I didn’t think it was right,” she told The Blaze. “Reciting pledges to Mexico and being loyal to it has nothing to do with learning Spanish.”
She said she was particularly offended because the presentations in teacher Reyna Santos’s class took place during “Freedom Week,” the week after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and on U.S. Constitution Day — the same day as Mexico’s Independence Day.
“Why are we doing their independence when it‘s Freedom Week and it’s also Constitution Day?” Brinsdon said.
Brinsdon said she complained to the school principal, Yvette Cavazo, who told her it was part of the curriculum and that she should participate. Her father, William, also got involved, calling the school district superintendent to complain.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
‘Herman Cain is black and he doesn’t smoke crack’
Zo is sick of people criticizing Herman Cain. What will it take for the race establishment to believe that Herman Cain is black? Will he have to start acting like a victim? Will he have to put chains on the brain, or worse, smoke crack? When will Rev. Al Sharpton wake up and congratulate Herman Cain for his accomplishments? Find out.
MASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WARNS TEACHERS ABOUT CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN, THANKSGIVING AND COLUMBUS DAY
Should kids be able to celebrate halloween and thanksgiving in school?
One principal is bringing reform to Massachusetts schools. Well, at least in the way they celebrate holidays. NECN reports on Principal Ann Foley’s stand against celebrating Halloween, Columbus Day and Thanksgiving at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Somerville, Massachusetts:
The Boston Herald reports that the Foley controversy emerged after an email she sent to teachers was revealed, outlining the principal‘s opposition to some of America’s most cherished holidays:
“’When we were young we might have been able to claim ignorance of the atrocities that Christopher Columbus committed against the indigenous peoples,’ wrote Kennedy School Principal Anne Foley. ‘We can no longer do so. For many of us and our students celebrating this particular person is an insult and a slight to the people he annihilated. On the same lines, we need to be careful around the Thanksgiving Day time as well.’”
This section from the scathing email comes off of Foley’s ban on allowing children to come to school in costumes on Halloween. NECN reports that Foley’s critical comments on holidays beloved by many, has created a chatter among parents and community members:
“Many parents and grandparents were outraged. Parent Lisa Eicks said, ‘If you don’t want to celebrate it then don’t celebrate it, but I don’t think it’s right for the kids that do celebrate it to suffer.’
Grandparent Mary Files said, ;This is America and I think people like her stir up all these prejudices.’
Others were a little more understanding. Grandparent Jeanne Aiello said, “Some things are like her prerogative, she’s the boss and if she feels that that’s being insensitive to other children you have to support that.”
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone was supportive of Foley, telling the Herald “She raises a fair point. History is messy.” School Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi said her “intention is to be very, very sensitive to all of the many, many cultures” of Somerville.
Foley would not elaborate on her “atrocities” comment, but told the Herald ““When I grew up, I was taught from a very European perspective of history and it was both embarrassing and enlightening to me when I learned other perspectives.”
‘I’M A CUSTOMER!’: WILD VIDEO AS NYC COPS ARREST DOZENS FOR TRESPASSING AT CITIBANK
Plenty of left-leaning sites tried to portray the women wearing a suit in this video as a mere innocent who simply wanted to close her Citibank account.
The truth seems to be that a group of anti-bank protestors stormed the branch with plans to close their accounts en masse. And they had no inclination to leave the premises.
The action really kicks in at the 1:30 mark in the video as Suit Woman is taken into custody. Content warning: Nonsensical shrieking.
WNYW-TV:
More than 20 people were reportedly arrested in a fracas outside the LaGuardia Place Citibank, after upwards of 50 demonstrators entered the bank to close their accounts.
“They were locked inside. They’re now being placed under arrest. Two individuals who were inside closing their bank accounts and then came outside were approached by an undercover cop and against their will placed under arrest simply for attempting to close their Citibank accounts in an act of peaceful protest,” one woman told spectators.
A streaming video of the protest claimed 23 people were arrested in all.
The bank facilities were closed for the most part, keeping protesters outside for short rallies before they plodded onto other facilities on their way to Greenwich Village for a rally at Washington Square.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
GOP Rep Calls CNN Show a ‘Joke’ on Live TV After ‘Ridiculous’ Question
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) took Piers Morgan to task on his show Monday after the CNN host accused the congressman of “stabbing [House Speaker John Boehner] in the back” for voting against the debt deal.
The interview kicked off with Morgan asking Mack whether he could presume the congressman “would have been quite happy for your country to go into catastrophic default” because he voted no.
“Well then, you would have presumed wrong, obviously,” Mack said.
The two debated the merits of the deal and the economists who supported it, with Morgan asking at one point, “I‘m sure you’ve heard of Paul Krugman, for example. He won a Nobel Prize for economics.”
A few minutes later, Morgan asked Mack if he could also presume Mack wanted Boehner (R-Ohio) to resign the speakership “given he’s authorized this terrible deal?”
“Of course I don’t believe that,” Mack said. “I think the speaker has done as good a job as he can given the circumstances….It’s not something that I supported, but that’s what happens here in Washington, D.C. all the time.”
“If he’s done such a great job, why did you stab him in the back?” Morgan asked.
“I didn’t stab him in the back. Come on, don’t be ridiculous with stuff like that. Now you’re just making your show a joke,” Mack replied.
“Really, why is that?” Morgan asked.
“For saying things like that, Piers. Come on,” Mack said.
Morgan challenged Mack’s comment before repeating the back-stabbing remark again about Mack’s no vote on the deal: “You are stabbing him in the back, metaphorically. Not really, you’re not doing it with a knife, but effectively, that‘s what you’re doing.”
Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Cheerleader Aspirant Felled by Flu Shot
Obama to Fox News Ed Henry: ‘I didn’t know you were the spokesman for Mitt Romney’
FNC’s Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry got the first question at today’s joint news conference between Pres. Obama and Lee Myung-Bak, President of South Korea. Henry asked the president about the alleged Iranian terror plot, and used a quote from GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney who had criticized Obama’s leadership.
Obama responded with, “I didn’t know you were the spokesman for Mitt Romney.”
In an interview later with Megyn Kelly, Henry explains, “I was trying to put it in the broader context of not just Mitt Romney, but there are a lot of Republicans out there who would charge that this president leads from behind.”
“He decided not to engage with Mitt Romeny,” said Henry. “Instead, he decided to go after me a little bit.”
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
INDOCTRINATION? DEBATE CONTINUES OVER ISLAMIC CARTOON & COMIC BOOK SERIES
Islamic Superheroes
Obama Promotes Islam: WHAM! BAM! ISLAM! Trailer
The Heroes of Tomorrow?
Ninety-nine mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. The Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe-now little more than a legend. However one man has made it his life's mission to seek out what was once lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched long and hard for the missing stones, to no avail. His luck is about to change...
DETROIT (The Blaze/AP) — Comic book fans might call it a great origin story: In the aftermath of 9/11, a Muslim man creates a comic book series, “The 99,” inspired by the principles of his faith. It builds a global audience and investors contribute millions for it to continue and expand.
Despite this intriguing story, critics have dismissed the project as mere indoctrination (last year, the Blaze covered the debate surrounding the comic book series).
In two vastly different cultures, Naif Al-Mutawa’s tale has hit a few roadblocks: Censorship from Saudi Arabia, home to the main Muslim holy sites; in the United States, a struggle to build an audience in a post-9/11 world where suspicion and scrutiny of all things Islamic is certainly present.
“That’s one of the things that was most disappointing to me in the beginning,” Al-Mutawa said on a recent visit to Detroit. “You have two birthplaces: You have the birthplace of Islam, which initially rejected it (and) the birthplace of democracy and tolerance, this country, that I’m now facing resistance in – the two natural places for this product.”
Below, watch Al-Mutawa discuss “The 99” during a TED talk last year:
Al-Mutawa’s reputation in the Middle East and elsewhere has grown since the 2006 debut of “The 99,” as well as its rollout into animation. The series is named for the 99 qualities the Quran attributes to God: strength, courage, wisdom and mercy among them.
The comic book spawned a TV series and 26 half-hour episodes of the 3-D animated version of the “The 99” have been sold to broadcasters. They are expected to be released early next year in more than 50 countries, and a second season is in production.
Al-Mutawa, a U.S.-educated psychologist from Kuwait, has been promoting “Wham! Bam! Islam!“ a PBS documentary that tells the story of ”The 99″ from an idea hatched during a cab ride to its raising of $40 million in three calls for investors. The promotional push is supporting the animated series, the vehicle by which his company hopes to turn a profit.
“The 99” grew out of his childhood love of Batman, Superman and their superhero brethren, along with a desire to provide role models for his five young sons.
“Basically, `The 99′ is based on Quranic archetypes, the same way that Batman and Superman are based on Judeo-Christian and Biblical archetypes. And just like Batman and Superman are secular story lines, so too are `The 99,’” he said.
“It seemed to me that the only people using mass media when it came to things to do with religion – at least my religion – were people who were doing very destructive things. So the question was how do I challenge that in a way that’s secular yet cannot be dismissed as Western?”
Critics on both sides of the religious and cultural divide see subversion in Al-Mutawa’s superheroes. Some hardline Muslims say the series subverts their faith by embodying the attributes in human characters, while a few non-Muslim American critics have labeled it sneaky Islamic indoctrination.
Al-Mutawa said it took investment by an Islamic investment bank to make his series “halal,” or acceptable to Saudi officials. The nation’s government-run broadcaster has since bought the rights to the animated series. So has The Hub cable network in the U.S. – though the latter has indefinitely postponed airing it after some critical columns and blog posts.
“One of the comments on the blogs that ended up delaying us was someone who warned that we can’t let the Muslims brainwash our children like the Mexicans did with `Dora the Explorer,’” Al-Mutawa said. Religious News Service has more:
“Be prepared for the latest exercise in Muslim propaganda,” warned Adrian Morgan, editor at Family Security Matters, a conservative website, in a column last year. “Are we going to see ass-kicking Christian superhero nuns, called Faith, Hope and Charity, whooping sinner’s butts and sending Satan into hell? It is doubtful.”
A few weeks later, New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser griped that “Wonder Woman-style cleavage has been banned from the ladies,” in “The 99,” and “male and female characters are never alone together.”
Still, he’s measuring broader acceptance in other ways. Al-Mutawa worked with DC Comics last year on a six-issue crossover that teamed “The 99” with The Justice League of America.
“They start out with distrust between the two teams of superheroes – Superman punches one of my guys early on,” Al-Mutawa said. “And then they figure out during the arc that it’s the bad guys causing the distrust.”
Robin Wright, author of “Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World,” said Al-Mutawa has “been way ahead of the curve in figuring out how you challenge extremism and how you create alternative role models to Osama bin Laden or Hassan Nasrallah (Hezbollah’s leader) for kids and adults.”
Muslim characters are rare in U.S. comic books but there have been some inroads.
Marvel Comics has Dust, a young Afghan woman whose mutant ability to manipulate sand and dust has been part of the popular X-Men books.
“I don’t view a Muslim superhero as avant garde,” Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso said. “Muslims comprise approximately 23 percent of the world’s population, and we like our comics to reflect the world in its diversity.”
Dust wears a robe and veil to observe Muslim hijab, or modest dress. Another character, M, is a woman of Algerian descent who only recently revealed her faith in the pages of “X-Factor.” Like millions of other Muslim women in the real world, she “does not observe hijab, and often dresses quite provocatively,” Alonso said.
Other characters have not been so accepted. In late 2010, DC Comics introduced Nightrunner, a young Muslim hero of Algerian descent raised in Paris. He’s part of the global network of crime fighters set up by Batman alter-ego Bruce Wayne. Conservative bloggers decried the move, noting that instead of tapping a native French person, they opted for a minority.
Frank Miller, whose dark and moody take on Batman in “The Dark Knight Returns” in 1986 energized the character, has taken a different tack in his latest work, “Holy Terror,” which tells the story of The Fixer and his efforts to stamp out Islamic terrorists.
The graphic novel initially took root as a look at Batman’s efforts to fight terrorism, something that grew out of Miller’s experiences of being in New York during 9/11. As he worked on it, it became apparent that it wasn’t suitable for the DC character.
“As I developed it and worked on it, the subject was too serious and the character’s actions were not Batman,” he said.
The book has been criticized as anti-Islamic propaganda, but Miller says that’s not his notion.
“I lived through a time when 3,000 of my neighbors were incinerated for no apparent reason. I lived through the chalky, smoky weeks that followed and through the warplanes flying overhead and realized that, much like my character, The Fixer, I found a mission,” he said.
As for “The 99,” he said has not seen it but welcomes Al-Mutawa’s efforts.
“I come in with my own very pro-Western-they-attacked-my-city-point of view,” Miller said. “If other people have other points of view to bring in, I just welcome it.”
Al-Mutawa called “Holy Terror” par for the historical course for Islam.
“There’s no denying that terrible things have happened in the name of my religion – as they have in the names of most religions, if not all religions,” he said. “As human beings, we’re a little bit lazy. We don’t like to change the schemas in our minds. We like to fit new information into existing schemas. That’s why to some people anything to do with Islam is going to be bad.”
Ultimately violence will be necessary, says Occupy L.A. speaker - Pt2 10/01/2011
Occupy L.A. Speaker: “One of the speakers said the solution is nonviolent movement. No, my friend. I’ll give you two examples: French Revolution, and Indian so-called Revolution.
Gandhi, Gandhi today is, with respect to all of you, Gandhi today is a tumor that the ruling class is using constantly to mislead us. French Revolution made fundamental transformation. But it was bloody.
India, the result of Gandhi, is 600 million people living in maximum poverty.
So, ultimately, the bourgeoisie won’t go without violent means. Revolution! Yes, revolution that is led by the working class.
Long live revolution! Long live socialism!”
Crowd: [Cheers.]
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Nuclear testing
Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project's "Trinity" test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan's nuclear tests in May of 1998. This leaves out North Korea's two alleged nuclear tests in this past decade (the legitimacy of both of which is not 100% clear).
Each nation gets a blip and a flashing dot on the map whenever they detonate a nuclear weapon, with a running tally kept on the top and bottom bars of the screen. Hashimoto, who began the project in 2003, says that he created it with the goal of showing"the fear and folly of nuclear weapons." It starts really slow — if you want to see real action, skip ahead to 1962 or so — but the buildup becomes overwhelming.
Obama Tells Advisers To Fund Stimulus Projects "Without Additional Congressional Authorization"
"Scour this report, identify all those areas in which we can act administratively without additional congressional authorization and just get it done," President Obama said today to a "Jobs Council" meeting.
AG Holder dodges & ignores questions on Fast & Furious
Holder high tails it outta' there after Fast and Furious.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Cameraman Arrested by Suffolk County Police
This was the end of a police chase and the Sgt. doesn't want video coverage from a credentialed member of the press. The photog asks how far to move back but the sgt. says no you can't shoot it at all. Notice the road is open to traffic, there are people without a camera that are standing there and even some kids walk straight through the scene. The photog moves a block away and shoots from the next street over and that's when he's arrested and charged with Obstruction of Governmental Administration....how can you obstruct from a block away.
Caught on Video: News Cameraman Arrested For Filming Police Chase
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Rapper Lupe Fiasco Inspires Youth By Proclaiming America is Biggest Terrorist in The World
Every American President Is A Terrorist: Cornel West and Rapper Lupe Fiasco Inspire a Clapping Audience of 13 to 18 Year Olds At Leadership Conference By Telling Them America is Biggest Terrorist in The World & Army Navy & Marines Only Kill People
Friday, October 7, 2011
‘OCCUPY WALL STREET’ WAS ORGANIZED FROM DAY ONE BY SEIU/ACORN FRONT – THE WORKING FAMILY PARTY, AND HOW THEY ALL TIE TO THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, DNC, DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA, TIDES AND GEORGE SOROS
Tactics and Strategies to Destroy the American Economy, March 2011
Breakdown of the Connections Between The Working Family Party, SEIU, ACORN, The New Party, The DNC, Democratic Socialists of America, Tides, George Soros and The Obama Administration:
The Working Families Party was established in the 90s by key members of the the socialist organizations The New Party, ACORN, SEIU, and a coalition of other labor unions and community organizations.
Patrick Gaspard, the current executive director of the DNC, former director of Obama’s Office of Political Affairs, was an organizer for the New Party, the executive vice president of the SEIU Local 1199, political director for Bertha Lewis (the former president of ACORN) and a co-chair of the Working Families Party.
The New Party is a socialist political coalition co-founded in 1992 by academic and political activist Joel Rogers.
The first strategic meetings to plan the New Party were held in Joel Rogers’ Madison, Wisconsin home; Wade Rathke, ACORN and SEIU founder and Gerry Hudson from Democratic Socialists of America and SEIU were in attendance at those meetings.
The New Party’s influential Chicago chapter began to formed in January 1995. Its members consisted mainly of individuals from ACORN, SEIU and the Democratic Socialists of America. Obama attended a New Party function and received their endorsement in 1995.
In 1994, a New Party newspaper listed more than 100 activists “who are building the NP;” some names among the list of 100 were Noam Chomsky, Frances Fox Piven, Wade Rathke, Cornel West, Jon Barton of SEIU, Maude Hurd of ACORN and Margaret Shelleda of SEIU.
Gerry Hudson, SEIU Executive Vice President and original New Party member, serves on the board of the Apollo Alliance organized by Joel Rogers’ group COWS Center on Wisconsin Strategy. The Alliance is a project of the Tides Center. Harry Reid credited the Apollo Alliance with helping to write the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
George Soros’ Open Society Institute is a major source of money behind the Apollo Alliance and the Tides Foundation.
Study: All Major News Outlets Have Left-Leaning Bias: Economics and Politics
In his new book, Left Turn — How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind, Groseclose not only sets out to showcase that the media are biased, but he also seeks to expose the profound influence liberal bias has had on the American public. Below, these are some of his findings:
- All mainstream news outlets in the United States have a liberal bias.
- The Drudge Report is the most fair, balanced and centrist news outlet in the United States.
- Fox News’ “Special Report,” which is usually characterized as conservative, is not biased as far right as typical mainstream outlets are biased to the left.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Everything is Ok Guys
A living man can be enslaved and reduced to the historic condition of an object. But if he dies in refusing to be enslaved, he reaffirms the existence of another kind of human nature which refuses to be classified as an object. -Albert Camus
Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Editor-in-Chief Insights: Americans Rate Branches of Government
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Anti-Semitism at Occupy Wall Street Protest
We’ve been reporting on the Occupy Wall St. protesters for some time now, but we haven’t seen any signs of racism. Until now. But are they the ramblings of a disturbed man?
National Review correspondent Charles Cooke posted video Tuesday of a young man berating an older Jewish man, calling him a bum (it seems in response to being called the same term), mocking him by asking him if he speaks English, and telling him to “go back to Israel.”
Cooke describes the exchange:
Moments after I arrived, I saw a Jewish gentleman being berated when he criticized a protester. (Shortly after my video camera was switched off, he (inexplicably) shouted the N-word at the same man.)
As you can hear in the video, the man claims to be part of a local plumber’s union. But that could be erroneous, as Cooke notes he claimed to be a lot of things: “he told me that he was white, Puerto Rican, Jewish, and African-American. I suggested he was, in fact, Confused, but he didn’t take much to that.”
Also heard in the video is that the man goes by the name “lotion man” and tells Cooke to look him up on YouTube. We did, and what we found is quite disturbing.
Rumsfeld in heated conversation with Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's Abderrahim Foukara asks the former US defense secretary whether he made adequate preparations to avoid the thousands of lives lost in Iraq.
Part of Donald Rumsfeld's first interview with Al Jazeera after disparaging comments he made in 2004. He claimed then that the network's coverage from Iraq was "vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable".
The heated exchange erupted when the topic came to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Foukara asked Rumsfeld whether he felt responsible for the deaths of “innocent Iraqis” because, according to Foukara, the Bush administration “didn’t secure the borders” of the country and sent in too few troops.
“You keep making assertions that are fundamentally false,” Rumseld blasted. “Correct me,” Foukara replied.
That’s when the situation escalated.
Rumsfeld insisted that all of the troop levels had been highly vetted on multiple levels. “Does that make the numbers right?” Foukara interjected.
“Do you want to yell or do you want an interview?” Rumsfeld shot back. “I’m having an interview, and I’m actually enjoying this interview,” Foukara said, almost cheerfully. “You have a choice,” Rumsfeld said. “You’re being true to form.”
Foukara attempted to ask his question again. He wondered if Rumsfeld felt responsibility felt responsibility for “tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis killed by the coalition,“ as well as by the ”criminals” who Rumsfeld had blamed for much of the violence in the country. Rumsfeld didn’t even attempt to answer the question. He accused Foukara of asking him “pejorative” questions, and told him he though it was in his “being” and “nature” to be disrespectful.”
“This is not about me,” Foukara said. “If you want to attack me personally, fine, but give me the answer to the question.”
“Why should I do everything you want and you won’t do anything I want?” Rumsfeld asked.
“Because I’m the interviewer.” Foukara said.
In the end, Rumsfeld stated, “this is worthless, this is not an interview – you’re haranguing.”
Marco Rubio Says "Save The Country" & John Kerry Questions him
Listen to Marco Rubio put John Kerry in his place when Kerry challenges Rubio on the Senate floor during the debt ceiling debate.
http://www.RightFace.us
Monday, October 3, 2011
Jobless flock to North Dakota seeking work
Summary
North Dakota's unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation, at 3.5%, and the state has added 20,000 jobs over a year, thanks to an oil boom. Nearly everywhere seems to be hiring, which draws in the jobless from across the country seeking work. People such as Samuel Hicks are arriving to find work but no housing. His solution: set up a tent behind his workplace, despite freezing temperatures, wind and rain.
North Dakota, which boasts America’s lowest unemployment rate at 3.5%, is a place that can get the U.S. out of its fiscal quagmire if private capital and less regulation allows natural gas companies to invest there. According to the founder and CEO of Continental Resources—the 14th-largest U.S. oil company—who states:
“We can’t find any unemployed people up there. The state has 18,000 unfilled jobs,” Mr. Hamm insists. “And these are jobs that pay $60,000 to $80,000 a year.”
The economy is expanding so fast that North Dakota has a housing shortage. Thanks to the oil boom—Continental pays more than $50 million in state taxes a year—the state has a budget surplus and is considering ending income and property taxes.
Obama Kiss of Death: American People Not Better Off Than They Were Four Years Ago
George Stephanopoulos, ABC News: "And a lot of anger out there. There's so many people who simply don't think they're better off than they were four years ago. How do you convince them that they are?"
Obama: "Well, I don't think they're better off than they were four years ago. They're not better off than they were before Lehman's collapse, before the financial crisis, before this extraordinary recession that we're going through. I think that what we've seen is that we've been able to make steady progress to stabilize the economy, but the unemployment rate is still way too high. And that's why it's so critical for us to make sure that we are taking every action we can take to put people back to work."
Agenda 21 _ Coming to a Farm Near You _ July 29, 2011
RE-Broadcast : Uploaded by MaryGreeley on Jul 29, 2011
The requirements would subject farmers to the same rules governing truck drivers, requiring them to keep logs and limit their hours
http://tinyurl.com/3dp55c6
More on Agenda 21
http://www.ouranian.org/agenda-21.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oe4MJVC_4Y&feature=feedu
Agenda 21 is being promoted by the U.N. and in the latest effort from the Department of Transportation (DOT) is implementing these costly and oppressive regulations.
In Late May, the DOT proposed a rule change for farm equipment, and if it this allowed to take effect, it will place significant regulatory pressure on small farms and family farms all across America – costing them thousands of dollars and possibly forcing many of them out of business. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), part of the Department of Transportation (DOT), wants new standards that would require all farmers and everyone on the farm to obtain a CDL (Commercial Drivers License) in order to operate any farming equipment. The agency is going to accomplish this by reclassifying all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs).
(It is also important to note here that DOT Secretary Ray LaHood holds a seat on the newly created White House Rural Council. A powerful group whose members have ties to George Soros and The Center For American Progress.)
The move by the DOT appears to be “legislation through regulation.” By reclassifying all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial Vehicles, the federal government will now be able to claim regulatory control over the estimated 800,000 farm workers in America, at the same time, overriding the rights of the states.
This proposed change literally means family farms could no longer legally allow young workers, not old enough to drive and seniors who no longer drive on the public streets, to operate a tractor, even on the family’s private property.
Waco, TX television station KXXV has the story:
The proposed change also means anyone driving a tractor or operating any piece of motorized farming equipment would be forced to pass the same rigorous tests and fill out the same detailed forms and diaries required of semi-tractor trailer drivers. This reclassification would bury small farms and family farms in regulation and paperwork.
Some of the additional paperwork and regulation required:
Detailed logs would need to be kept by all drivers – hours worked, miles traveled, etc.
Vehicles would have to display DOT numbers
Drivers would need to pass a physical as well as a drug test – every two years.
The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) is one of many farm organizations not happy about the idea and has sent the DOT a letter expressing this opinion:
“WFBF opposes any change in statue or regulatory authority that would reclassify implements of husbandry or other farm equipment as Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs)”
WFBF Director of Governmental Relations Karen Gefvert continues, explaining the excessive cost to farmers if this allowed to move forward:
“The proposed guidance by the FMCSA would result in an initial increased cost to each Wisconsin farmer and employee of $124 just for the CDL license, permit and test; not to mention the time and cost for the behind-the-wheel training that is several thousand dollars.”
Additionally, Illinois farmers believe this regulation will also force new restrictions on trucks used in crop-share hauling. (One estimate claims more than 30% of Illinois farmers utilize shared land.) These crop-share trucks are typically limited-use vehicles that often travel fewer than 3000 miles each year, mainly hauling crops from the fields to nearby grain elevators. To require them to follow the same rules as semis would also mean a farmer would be forced to purchase substantial insurance.
The Hancock Journal-Pilot covered the story:
Earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) began to define crop-share tenant farmers as “for-hire“ carriers and implements of husbandry as ”commercial motor vehicles.“ The ”for-hire” designation for crop-share tenant farmers would have a dramatic effect on farmers because it voids exemptions from the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program and would require a minimum of $750,000 in insurance coverage for the farmer.
The DOT is holding hearings for public comment on the topic, but only through Monday, August 1st and farmers all across the country are rightfully concerned. No matter what the feedback is from the people who actually grow the food, it appears that the DOT’s mind is made up. Just last week, DOT Administrator Anna Ferro posted an Op-Ed addressing the controversial regulation. The opinion piece closes with this statement:
Everyone in this Administration – from Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary LaHood on down – is committed to the long-term success of America’s agricultural industry. In many ways, agriculture is the backbone of our economy – feeding hundreds of millions of Americans and billions more around the world. As the largest user of freight transportation in the nation, the agricultural industry is also one of USDOT’s most important constituents. We hope that this comment period is the start of a new and productive relationship. We may not ultimately agree on every issue, but we will always listen — and do our best to help America’s farmers succeed.
The FMCSA has said their intent is to create uniformity in how federal safety regulations are carried out across America. The farming community and many of the states that would be affected by this change feel differently. Almost to a man, the farming community believes this to be a local issue, best handled by state governments, and not some Washington DC agency.
To make a comment to the DOT visit – www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on the Federal electronic docket site. Or you can fax your comments here 1–202–493–2251.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
BET FOUNDER TO OBAMA: ‘YOU DON’T GET PEOPLE TO LIKE YOU BY ATTACKING THEM OR DEMEANING THEIR SUCCESS’
Robert Johnson, who founded the Black Entertainment Television network in 1980, appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and said President Barack Obama needs to adjust his message to one that’s not “attacking” the wealthy for their success.
“I think the president has to recalibrate his message,” Johnson said. “You don’t get people to like you by attacking them or demeaning their success. I grew up in a family of 10 kids, first one to go to college, and I’ve earned my success. I’ve earned my right to fly private if I choose to do so. And by attacking me, is not going to convince me that I should take a bigger hit because I happen to be wealthy.”
Johnson joked that it was like “the old Ethel Merman approach to life — I‘ve been poor and I’ve been rich and I happen to like rich better. It doesn‘t mean I’m a bad guy.”
While not mentioning the Buffett Rule directly, Johnson certainly seemed to imply his distaste for the plan, saying Obama should not be “demagoguing” people who are successful.
“I went in business to create jobs, create value, create opportunity for myself and my investors and that’s what the president should be praising, Johnson said.
Massive Wall Street Protest draws thousands
Having stayed below the mainstream news radar for weeks, the sustained protests of thousands of ordinary people are beginning to attract attention, particularly after traffic across the Brooklyn bridge came to a standstill. Over 700 were arrested as people begin to distrust the big banks and their political leaders. An erie echo of Alessio Rastani's comments elsewhere on this channel.
More than 700 arrested in Wall Street protest
Occupy Wall Street protests spread across U.S.
BBC Speechless As Trader Tells Truth
Stunning admission of truth by a Wall Street trader. Here's the transcript:
Alessio Rastani: ...it's gonna crash and it's gonna fall pretty hard. Because markets are ruled right now by fear. Investors and the big money, the smart money ...I'm talking about the big funds, the hedge funds, the institutions, they don't buy this rescue plan. They basically know that the market is toast. They know that the stock market is finished, the Euro as far as they're concerned they don't really care, they're moving their money away to safer assets like Treasury bonds, 30 year bonds, and the US dollar. So it's not gonna work.
Maxine Croxall: We keep hearing that whatever the politicians are suggesting -- it's all been rather wooly -- isn't right. Can you pin down exactly what would keep investors happy, make them feel more confident?
Alessio Rastani: Ah, that's a tough one. Personally, it doesn't matter. I'm a trader, I don't really care about that kind of stuff. If I see an opportunity to make money, I go with that. So for most traders we don't really care that much how they're going to fix the economy, how they're going to fix the whole situation. Our job is to make money from it and personally I've been dreaming of this moment for three years. Personally, I have a confession to make, I go to bed every night and I dream of another recession. I dream of another moment like this. Why? Because people don't seem to maybe remember, but the '30's depression, the Depression of the '30's wasn't just about a market crash. There were some people who were prepared to make money from that crash and I think anybody can do that. It isn't just for some people in the elite, anybody can actually make money, it's an opportunity. When the market crashes, when the Euro and the big stock markets crash, if you know what to do, if you have the right plan to set up you can make a lot of money from this. For example, hedging strategies is one, then investing in bonds, Treasury bonds that sort of stuff.
Maxine Croxall: If you could see the people around me, jaws have collectively dropped at what you've just said. I mean we appreciate your candor, but it doesn't help the rest of us does it, or the rest of the Eurozone.
Alessio Rastani: I will say this, listen. I would say this to everybody who's watching this, this economic crisis is like a cancer. If you just wait and wait thinking this is going to go away, just like a cancer it's gonna grow and it will be too late. What I would say to everybody is get prepared. This is not a time right now to wishful think that the Government is going to sort things out. The Governments don't rule the world, rules the world. Goldman Sachs does not care about this rescue package neither does the big funds. So actually, I would actually tell people, I want to help people. People can make money from this, it isn't just traders. What they need to do is learn about how to make money from a downward market. The first thing people should do is protect their assets, protect what they have because in less than 12 months, my prediction is that savings of millions of people is gonna vanish and this is just the beginning. So I would say, be prepared and act now. The biggest risk people can take right now is not acting.
Maxine Croxall: Alessio Rastani thank you very much for talking with us.
Actress Roseanne Barr: Behead Bankers as in the French Revolution Guillotine, Re-education camps, as in Red China, for Rich Who Won't Give Up Wealth
Roseanne Barr: Behead Bankers, Rich Who Won't Give Up Wealth
Actress, comedienne and now author Roseanne Barr shares her solution for dealing with the rich and how the banks could repay the money the U.S. government bailed them out with in 2008.
"Part of my platform is, of course, the guilty must be punished and that we no longer let our children see their guilty leaders getting away with murder. Because it teaches children, you know, that they don't have to have any morals as long as they have guns and are bullies and I don't think that's a good message," Barr told Russia Today (RT).
"I do say that I am in favor of the return of the guillotine and that is for the worst of the worst of the guilty.
"I first would allow the guilty bankers to pay, you know, the ability to pay back anything over $100 million [of] personal wealth because I believe in a maximum wage of $100 million. And if they are unable to live on that amount of that amount then they should, you know, go to the reeducation camps and if that doesn't help, then being beheaded," Barr said with a straight face.
The following are 12 quotes from insiders that are warning about the horrific economic crisis that is almost here.
#1 George Soros: "Financial markets are driving the world towards another Great Depression with incalculable political consequences. The authorities, particularly in Europe, have lost control of the situation."
#2 PIMCO CEO Mohammed El-Erian: "These are all signs of an institutional run on French banks. If it persists, the banks would have no choice but to delever their balance sheets in a very drastic and disorderly fashion. Retail depositors would get edgy and be tempted to follow trading and institutional clients through the exit doors. Europe would thus be thrown into a full-blown banking crisis that aggravates the sovereign debt trap, renders certain another economic recession, and significantly worsens the outlook for the global economy."
#3 Attila Szalay-Berzeviczy, global head of securities services at UniCredit SpA (Italy's largest bank): "The only remaining question is how many days the hopeless rearguard action of European governments and the European Central Bank can keep up Greece’s spirits."
#4 Stefan Homburg, the head of Germany's Institute for Public Finance: "The euro is nearing its ugly end. A collapse of monetary union now appears unavoidable."
#5 EU Parliament Member Nigel Farage: "I think the worst in the financial system is yet to come, a possible cataclysm and if that happens the gold price could go (higher) to a number that we simply cannot, at this moment, even imagine."
#6 Carl Weinberg, the chief economist at High Frequency Economics: "At this point, our base case is that Greece will default within weeks."
#7 Goldman Sachs strategist Alan Brazil: "Solving a debt problem with more debt has not solved the underlying problem. In the US, Treasury debt growth financed the US consumer but has not had enough of an impact on job growth. Can the US continue to depreciate the world’s base currency?"
#8 International Labour Organization director general Juan Somavia recently stated that total unemployment could "increase by some 20m to a total of 40m in G20 countries" by the end of 2012.
#9 Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackerman: "It is an open secret that numerous European banks would not survive having to revalue sovereign debt held on the banking book at market levels."
#10 Alastair Newton, a strategist for Nomura Securities in London: "We believe that we are just about to enter a critical period for the eurozone and that the threat of some sort of break-up between now and year-end is greater than it has been at any time since the start of the crisis"
#11 Ann Barnhardt, head of Barnhardt Capital Management, Inc.: "It's over. There is no coming back from this. The only thing that can happen is a total and complete collapse of EVERYTHING we now know, and humanity starts from scratch. And if you think that this collapse is going to play out without one hell of a big hot war, you are sadly, sadly mistaken."
#12 Lakshman Achuthan of ECRI: "When I call a recession...that means that process is starting to feed on itself, which means that you can yell and scream and you can write a big check, but it's not going to stop."
Saturday, October 1, 2011
ABC’S JAKE TAPPER CHALLENGES CARNEY ON LEGALITY OF AWLAKI KILLING
"You said he was responsible for these things? Is there going to be any evidence presented? ... Do you not see at all, does the Administration not see at all how a President asserting that he has the right to kill an American citizen without due process, and that he's not going to even explain why he thinks he has that right, is troublesome to some people?"
Good thing no Americans are being referred to as barbarians or extremists so we never have to worry about a WH spokesperson announcing that with no evidence another American has been ordered killed by the president: no Constitutional issue here kids, move along, nothing to see here.
Secret U.S. memo sanctioned killing of Aulaqi
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
How was al-AwLaki deprived of life with due process?
Friday, September 30, 2011
Al-Alwaki Elimination
Now, however, al-Awlaki is presented in the media as essentially tried, convicted, and eliminated. Do we actually know the details or care? We should. Alive and pumped for information in Gitmo he may have been even more valuable and revealed essential information on both the Islamist side and about operations within the U.S. government.
How high were his contacts and what did he know? Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Awlaki was sought as a media source for questions about Islam and the attacks who could speak English well. He was interviewed by National Geographic, The New York Times and other media. He condemned the attacks, stating "There is no way that the people who did this could be Muslim, and if they claim to be Muslim, then they have perverted their religion." He presented an image as a moderate who could bridge the gap between the United States and the worldwide community of Muslims.
Writing on the IslamOnline.net website six days after the 9/11 attacks, al-Awlaki suggested that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the FBI "went into the roster of the airplanes, and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default".
Months after the 9/11 attacks, as the U.S. Secretary of the Army was eager to have a presentation from a moderate Muslim as part of an outreach effort to ease tensions with Muslim-Americans, a Pentagon employee invited al-Awlaki to a luncheon in the Secretary's Office of General Counsel.
Al-Awlaki was the Congressional Muslim Staffer Association's first imam to conduct a prayer service at the U.S. Capitol in 2002. The prayers were for Muslim congressional staffers and officials for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
Although now convicted in the media as a terrorist, at one time he was circulating in some highly placed positions within the U.S. government as well as maintaining contact with Islamists.
Al-Awlaki appears as more of a Lee Harvey Oswald type with the ability to play both sides of the fence easily. I wonder why. Who allowed him to play in such high levels? And now, I wonder why without much evidence, or due process, an American citizen is killed.
I have no sympathy for any ideology that runs counter to American values but he was a citizen and the precedent for a sitting president to order the death of any American without due process should give us pause. Al-Awlaki today, and which of us could be tomorrow? What constitutes grounds for elimination? Those steps should be outlined definitively and communicated clearly.
There is a profound Constitutional question operating here.
The question is that al-Awlaki is an American citizen; liberty is at risk. I have no problem with American firepower eliminating enemy combatants but we need a clearly defined Fifth Amendment due process in place when we do so. The Obama regime has not delineated a due process procedure for post 9/11 home grown terrorists; the lack of proper documentation, judicial review, and setting forth of evidence places us liberty loving citizens at risk of being labeled enemies of the state and eliminated by executive order.
‘Braindead’ West wants Jihadists to rule Libya: Michael Scheuer
Jul 28, 2011
A suicide attack on a government compound in southern Afghanistan has left at least 19 dead and over 35 injured. It follows a string attacks and the killing of President Karzai's half-brother and comes as the U.S. withdraws its forces. RT talks to Michael Scheuer, a former CIA intelligence officer and historian in Washington DC.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Can You Say Desperate? New Climate Change ‘Shock Ad’ Features Polar Bears Falling to Bloody Deaths
Guardian: The effect is shocking; the message brutal: every short haul flight you take emits four hundred kilogrammes of carbon dioxide – the equivalent weight of an adult polar bear.
The ad is in horrible taste. On 9/11 human beings were leaping to their deaths. Now, polar bears, who can not jump, are depicted as falling out of the sky.
As Predicted, Obamacare Exporting Jobs to China
During the Obamacare debates, one business leader stated: "This will make us one of the highest-taxed regions in the world, and that's going to have an impact on the appetite for people to invest in medical innovation," said Bill Hawkins, chief executive of Medtronic Inc., which makes medical devices.
Unemployment Up
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Herman Cain: Blacks Have Been "Brainwashed"
"African-Americans have been brainwashed into not being open minded, not even considering a conservative point of view. I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative. So it's just brainwashing and people not being open minded, pure and simple," presidential candidate Herman Cain (R-GA) said on CNN.
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