Again, no real news. Just phony sensationalism, diversions.
"Russia Today got a scoop on Monday---"
“Defecting Saudi Prince: Royal Family in Panic at Arab Revolts, Thousands Imprisoned”
Scoop? 17 days after "Prince Khalid Bin Farhan Al-Saud announced his defection from the Saudi Arabian royal family on July 27." He was already disinfected from royalty.
Sounds like Prince Khalid Bin Farhan is only a prince in name, not with wealth or power. The King years ago, stopped supporting the princes except for those of the 2,000 families that share the wealth and controlled power. Since there are about two to four thousand princes in Saudi Arabia, that leaves a thousand more or less without lots of money and controlled power.
As far as the "Royal Family in Panic--Thousands in Prison" I doubt if there's any panic and that most of the 40,000 in prison has accumulated over the last decade and not "in the recent weeks"
The uprisings in Bahrain in the last few years(decades?) which had some coverage here clearly exposed the corruption of both the Saudi and the US governments--the 5th Fleet is stationed at Bahrain. BFD, move it and the heck with Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Another waste of reading and time. Professor you're getting sloppy.
By the way, I worked in the Middle East in the late 70's, Riyadh for a year.
Again, all moves and plays by the Billionaires controlling the world.
How many of you know the size of a 200,000 acre fire?
Probably 1 in a 10,000 or 0.01%.
How many of you hear, really hear the news?
News Reporters: Please report fire size in mile lengths.
200,000 acre fires = area of 31 miles long, 10 miles wide.
------------
200,000/640 = 312.5 square miles. DON'T REPORT SQUARE MILES.
------------
31.25 miles long by 10 miles wide
15.63 " 20 "
Calculator: sq.rt. 312.5 = 17.68 mi X 17.68 mi = 17.68
Or relate to a city, in this case New York City and:
Augusta 302.5 sq mi of land
New York City 302.6
Kansas City 313.5
Memphis 315.1
San Francisco 46.9 x 6.7
I've emails this info to many TV and radio news shows telling them to report fire size in terms of miles in length and width. But the lazy ignorant people don't understand and don't give a damn about reporting the actual understandable news and/or understanding the news they report.
For about two weeks, one station reported fire size in miles and then it went back to reporting acres. No one took the time to make a chart or give the simple math.
I have no idea how big 200,000 acres is unless I divide by 640, the number of acres per square mile which I forget, and then take the square root of that number. Forgot that a 10,000 acre fire is 15.625 sq miles or about 4 miles by 4 miles which I'll forget in a week most likely.
Remember: 10,000 acres, 16 sq miles, 4 miles by 4 miles.
Don't have cable TV, seldom listen to the radio and don't read newspapers since most American public news media is useless, controlled and propaganda from the corrupt ruling billionaires and their world governments, corporations, Congresses, etc.
My initial reaction to first hearing about the Boston Bombing here on Informed Comment was that probably most of the "Boston refusing to be cowed" didn't hesitate to run out and help those injured - unlike at Obama's drone attacks which often include additional drones to kill those coming to aid innocent bystanders or even those ID'd as unofficial US enemies by the President.
Everyday in the Middle East there are killings by US forces and drones. The Military Industrial Complex continues to grow and amass more and more wealth and power.
When will the UN become the peace caretaker of the world instead of the USA? Never as long as the Billionaires control the world governments, the MIC, the Fed/IMF (the banking industry is a Ponzi scheme), the corporations, news media, the food industry, etc.
Take money, religion and politicians out of politics.
This is real news. Not the crap, the daily news that most Americans get shoved up their rears.
It's not just the Pentagon, the White House of the Military Industrial Complex that has helped make Afghanistan the most corrupt country in the world, but also the phony and corrupt President Obama, most members of Congress, many bankers, the American useless mass news media and other corrupt rich Americans, millionaires and billionaires.
Americans have and continue to loose their jobs, homes, education and health care for their kids because of the greed and corruption of Congress, politicians, corporations(news, food, industrial, etc) and on and on.
Shut down the Military Industrial Complex.
Shut down the Federal Reserve.
Replace all the corrupt and rich Congress members with honest people. My wild guess is that 75% of Congress are corrupt and rich.
Obama's austerity program is fantasy as Europe is proving.
Can any of you readers make this expose viral on the web?
America needs to clean house ASAP - As Soon As Possible.
America needs to Occupy the Pentagon, the White House and Congress now.
The rich billionaires, millionaires and their families, corporations and rich puppets will never approve increasing taxes on themselves. They all helped created the crises.
Half of Congress members are millionaires and the other half becoming millionaires.
Solutions:
1. Get money out of politics.
2. Prohibit millionaires from all political offices, appointed or elected.
3. Raise taxes between 50 to 85% on the rich, our corrupt Congress members, corporations and others that created and help to continue the financial crises, foreclosures, offshore manufacturing and lost of US manufacturing.
4. Limit political terms of office, elected and appointed to 4 years.
5. Discontinue free health insurance for life for all Congress members and all government positions. Let them all pay as most Americans do. Congress is corrupt.
6, Nationalize the Federal Reserve, a private corporation whose only goal is making their criminal billionaire owners and private share holders filthy rich.
7. Close down the Military Industrial Complex. No more illegal wars by the Us.
8. No more phony bailouts.
9. Bring back and support unions, fair wages and work condition.
10. Replace the corrupt, puppet mass news media with all its lies and propaganda with honest news investigation and reporting.
11. Establish a Federal Department of Honesty and Truth to maintain honesty and truth in all levels government to eliminate the lies, deception, spin and corruption now running rampant in all government offices and work.
12. Start arresting white collar criminals.
The time to clean house is now or else America and the world will experience a very serious depression.
How stupid can the US Government be in cutting services and be frugal. Money can be printed and used to pay for services rendered including rebuilding roads and bridges, building new schools and hospitals, giving students government issued interests free loans on the condition that they take and complete required courses in learning how to learn in high school so that they don't drop out of college.
No more Billionaires and multiple millionaires.
Get the money out of politics!!!!!!!!!!
Kick out the corrupt Democrats, Republicans, the illegal Obama, nationalize the Federal Reserve and the phony banking system running the world largest and oldest Ponzi scam, close down the insane Military Industrial Complex, replace the conflict of interests executive of the Food and Drug Administration(aka the Federal Death Administration), breakup the illegally controlled mass news media and tax the corporations and billionaires between 60 and 80 percent, etc.
Obama's father was the not a US citizen, thus he is not a "natural born citizen, a constitutional requirement for only two offices, that of the President and the Vice President.
All the white collar criminals and murders must be prosecuted, jailed and stripped of their illegally obtained wealth and all possessions, aka the American Billionaires including their families, corporations, news medias, their Fed, etc.
Time to tax white collar criminals and murderers to Hell.
Obama is an illegal and phony President.
The Billionaires, Congress and the phony US government are responsible for the 1929 depression, for the lost of the American manufacturing industry and millions of jobs, the foreclosure scandal and on and on.
America needs a real President and a real Congress.
The news media which is a propaganda machine is controlled by the Billionaires that control Congress, that own the Federal Reserve and most banks that are responsible for the all the depressions, that run the Military Industrial Complex, etc. Do the large oil companies ever experience hard times? The Billionaires and their puppet millionaires just keep getting richer and richer.
The bankers and investment industry created the mortgage crises. Yet, Obama and Congress lets those damn "white collar criminals" work out a recovery plan for their criminal actions which is part of the greatest ever Ponzi Scam, the Federal Reserve, a private corporation.
Here's some good solutions to corruption in America: Stop the money profiteering of phony wars, elections, politics and of corporations that manufacture offshore. Stop the stealing of Americans' taxes to support the endless wars of the corrupt Military Industrial Complex which make filthy rich the corrupt Billionaires ruling Congress which is half corrupt millionaires, the other half becoming millionaires; ruling the phony mass news media; ruling the illegal Federal Reserve which is a private corporation; ruling the FDA with its conflict of interests; etc.
I'm fed up with all the illegal, legal or justified wars in the Middle East and was too tired early this morning to look it up info who supplied the jets. Read that the US government and corporations supply 60% of the military equipment/supplies that are used in fighting the Middle East wars. The Rich get richer.
I make mistakes. But, does it really matter who supplies the military equipment since it's going to be used to kill and put the rich in control. For Pete's sake, if the US would have invested half of the trillions of dollars spent in the Middle East wars, most of the countries would have raised their standard of living for the common people.
Possible reasons for wars include eliminating tyrants, helping a the common people and last but not least making the corrupt Rich richer.
The US government is very corrupt. It does not relate to nor represent the 99% of Americans.
Here's a quick review of US Government Corruption 101:
1. Money rules elections. Obama's father was not a US citizen. When Romney became a possible presidential candidate I googled his work with Bain. He made millions of dollars by consolidating businesses, some thrived and some went bankrupt resulting in layoffs of tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of workers and those businesses supporting the workers. There are now new ghost towns in America.
2. The Federal Reserve is a private corporation that illegally controls money and creates depressions which produce more millionaires and makes the Rich richer. Both President Kennedy and his brother Robert wanted to nationalize the Fed, shut it down. Hint, both were assassinated.
Educate yourself about the Fed, watch the real story in the movie, "International Banking Cartel (II)" which came out on Thanksgiving Day 2012.
3. The Military Industrial Complex is stronger than ever and very corrupt. Look at the failures of the generals in winning any of the Middle East illegal wars and other wars.
4. The corrupt mass news media keeps Americans dumb.
5. Guess who is controlling the Fed; the MIC; the mass news media; most of the major corporations and industries including entertainment and health care; the FDA, aka Federal Death Administration; the Supreme Court, etc?
The corrupt Billionaires and their old families, corporations, and their puppet millionaires including Congress. Half of Congress are corrupt millionaires and the other half are becoming millionaires and more corrupt.
6. The Presidents and Congress for the last 30 years have been supporting offshore transfer of many big American industries that were providing jobs to millions of Americans and the income bases for many cities, some which are now ghosts towns. Congress made it easy for companies and did not bother to increase profit taxes nor place tariffs on materials made using foreign workers. Studies show that Coca Cola did not hire more people in America with the extra profit. More crap from corporations.
7. The banking industry and Wall Street knew what was going on with the phony mortgages and offshore industries. The Presidents, the Treasury Secretaries, the financial executives knew what was happening, all guilty of negligence of duty. The Fed loans more money to the US government and/or prints money backed by nothing, fractional reserves. More crap.
Excuse my errors or mistakes, corrections are appreciated. I only have two degrees. But I've lived and worked in the Middle East for over 2 years, Vietnam vet 4 years and have done some world traveling.
The controlled American mass news media does not educate Americans, it brain washes them and makes them dumb. And you hear that various news media are getting more consolidated and bigger. What's happened to anti-trust regulations?
I assume the US government will not do anything to stop the Syrian government from bombing and killing innocent children and adults, standing in line to buy bread.
I assume the jet fighters were made in America and supplied by the US government or US corporations.
Oh, the US only supplies 60% of the military equipment being used by both sides in the Middle East wars and feuds.
If you're not sick and tired of the corrupt US government, you're either totally dumb, brain washed by the corrupt mass news media, uninformed or too busy to give a damn.
My uninformed and politically ignorant opinion of the European tape which I watched last night is that it is boring, without emotion or conviction and without any mention that the US is the only member not issuing a statement condemning Israeli plans for extensive, illegal theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank including "---installing squatters on it, in a step designed to cut the West Bank in two and make forever impossible a two-state solution to the problem of Palestinian statelessness."
I guess speaking against the lack of condemnation by the US is not politically and financially safe for most of the countries.
My ignorant suggestion: The US government should immediately withdraw and move to a more honest, more democratic and less corrupted country "all" the military equipment, supplies and weapons including nuclear bombs supplied to Israel by the US or purchased with US foreign aide.
Problem is that the corrupt Billionaires controlling the Federal Reserve, a private corporation and all the major banks around the world are controlling all money, including the depressions, recessions and the economies. They also control the major corporation, most governments, the US Congress and Supreme Court, the Military Industrial Complex, all the mass news medias in the US and around the world and probably most elections around the world including in America.
Is this corrupt control every going to be replaced with honest, informed democracy?
Is the US every going to have a real honest President with integrity, intelligence and wisdom? Or just continued puppets to the world ruling Billionaires?
If only a quarter of this article is true I would still be seriously disturbed and disgusted with the US government and the mass news media. If all or the majority of this article is true, then I'm all for replacing Obama, Congress, the Billionaires and their puppet millionaires, their mass news media, their private corporation - the Federal Reserve, their Military Industrial Complex, their corrupt FDA (the Federal Death Administration), their corrupt Supreme Court, etc should all be replaced or shut down.
I'm angry with the Billionaires that are killing America and the world.
"This Arabic-language report says that Israeli warplanes targeted the Jordanian field hospital late on Monday. I have not been able to find confirmation for this report, but if it is true, and deliberate, it would be a war crime."
Professor Cole, please follow up on confirmation.
If confirmed, the US Government must immediately break all diplomatic relations with Israel, cease all trade and demand that the military personnel and officials involved in the attack be brought to justice in the International Court of Justice of the United Nations.
The US must also remove all US supplied military aircraft, equipment, supplies and nuclear weapons from Israel and place them in a lawful, responsible country.
Israel is guilty of continuing international crimes and crimes against humanity and must be dealt with as appropriate. Enough crap from the corrupt US Government, Congress and the illegal President Obama whose father was never a US citizen as required by the Constitution.
The 1941 US embargo on all oil to Japan including from Indonesia(Dutch East Indies) forced Japan's military leaders to attack Pearl Harbor since they had less than two years of bunker oil(reserves) remaining before the shutdown of power production and all industry.
Apparently the corrupt US government and its Military Industrial Complex along with the corrupt and criminal Israeli government are tightening and expanding the oil and financial embargoes and their financial cyber attacks on Iran.
Are these questionable oil embargo and financial cyber attacks going to result in a significant portion of the reasonable and intelligent Iranians supporting dangerous retaliations to Israel and America just as the US oil embargo on Japan resulted in the Pearl Harbor attack?
Simple answer: The US Government and Congress are professional corrupt, thieves.
Half of Congress are corrupt millionaires and the other half are becoming corrupt millionaires. Millionaires should be prohibited from government offices.
The political debates are not debating what should be debated and on and on.
No replies? Where are all the nebulous comments of the educated, academic and/or politically experienced commenters? What's the matter? No comments on truths?
The real problems are explained in the third paragraph:
"---Whatever caused that season of clarity, once elected, Obama promptly sank into the stale, muffled, parallel-universe language wielded by most politicians, and has remained there ever since.---"
My political ignorance suggest that Romney would continue Congress's support of the rich, making them richer and the 99% of Americans poorer and would absolutely mess up the Middle East, Iran, Palestine and the world.
The Obama dream or fantasy never ended. If Obama is selected by the corrupted Electoral College, the Federal Reserve, a private corporation will continue the phony money game for the Billionaires and their puppets. Half of Congress are millionaires and the other half are becoming millionaires.
1. Take the money out of politics.
2. Increase taxes on the Rich and Corporations to 70 to 80% which has proven to stimulate the economy and jobs over and over again.
3. Nationalize the Federal Reserve which both John F. and Robert Kennedy wanted to do, but were assassinated.
4. Reduce the Military Industry Complex and turn over policing the world to a new United Nations' military force.
5. Introduce government control over the controlled and corrupt news media, maybe a new Department of Honesty, Truth and Spin Control.
6. Jail all executives with conflict of interests in the FDA that are or have been executives of food and drug corporations.
What the US government does and "does not do" reflects on the corruption our educational system which is turning out ignorant, (intelligent?) rich robots that are incapable of thinking which is what the corrupt rulers want.
Being rich, consuming more and continual expansion can only end in overpopulation and destruction of the world. Peace comes within in helping ourselves and all others in doing our individual best without judgment. A good cook serves great meals that are healthy. Great politicians serves all of humanity, not a select group. Great teachers develop the thinking skills of each student, not just their memory skills. Too many non-thinking skilled technicians are being manufactured in our schools and colleges for the dictators. Ignorant, non-thinking people often if not always end up with a dictator & a corrupt government.
Your daily blog should be a mandatory read 3 times weekly for students in Administration of Justice, Anthropology, History, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, Journalism,
Legal, Media Communications, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, etc. Two reports would be required:
one after one month and the final second report at the end of the semester. Both reports including on how Informed Comment applies and pertains to your individual major and how its made you think differently and more about some subjects. Of course additional reports would be acceptable for extra credit or to counter poor tests results.
For students in the course list below, weekly reads once or twice a week should be enough to open their minds. Use same report schedules as above.
Art, Business, Computer Science, Computer, Counseling, Information Systems, Counseling, Drama, Economics, English, Geography, Health and Human Services, Health Education, Kinesiology, Library Studies, Medical Assistant and Office Tech, Music, Nursing, Real Estate(global & local), Speech.
I only read the first two paragraphs, enough is enough.
Israel has taken its 20th or 40th last step over the line.
It's time for Obama to show his "FIRST real honest action" as the President of the United States. He must demand that the Israel government immediately: release all 30 persons kidnapped from the Gaza aide ship Estelle and allow delivery of its cargo of aid; replace the criminal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all of his cronies with honest politicians; and reach within 3 months a two state solution with Palestine or else the United States will begin immediately cutting all its ties with Israel. This would begin with removing all the military equipment and nuclear weapons given to Israel that established it as the Middle East keystone military base.
Of course another country would have to be selected by the US government to replace Israel's role. Are there any honest governments available? Are there any individuals in the US government that could make intelligent and wise choices? Perhaps a collective effort by the UN and NATO with a group of 6 or more countries would work better. I'm politically ignorant, nevertheless wouldn't have any clue from the crap that the corrupt, controlled mass news media dishes out.
Thus, I'm like most Americans that want honest, wise and intelligent individuals that can relate to and represent the 99% of Americans and that can stop making the same mistakes decade after decade. Or are the mistakes not mistakes just plans by the ruling billionaires and millionaires?
There's excessive secrecy and greed in governments.
I am politically ignorant. Don't have the ability to brush up - dysfunctional memory. Most of my comments come from my heart, common sense and from what I read here and google.
I'm simple minded. I see the game of politics as a diversion by the billionaire dictators ruling America and the world.
Half of Congress are millionaires and the other half are becoming millionaires who can't(won't) relate nor represent the 99% of Americans.
The Federal Reserve, a private corporation keeps its owners and select group of share holders rich and richer by loaning money(out of thin air) to the US government.
Can't the US Government break all ties with Israel and its corrupt government?
"--Palestinians in the Occupied Territories under Israeli control face conditions much worse than those suffered by African-Americans in the Old South under Jim Crow."
Could the US Government replace Israel with another country to be the keystone military power maintaining peace in the Middle East that would be provided with the military power that would include relocating all the military power, equipment and nuclear bombs that the US has located in Israel through foreign aide? Most, if not all of the nuclear bombs should be retired. Whose crazy enough to start a nuclear war?
Israel is maintaining peace in the Middle East?
1. How is the mass news media allowed to continue spreading the out and out lies and propaganda of Netanyahu?
2. Why does Israel annually continue to received the largest amount of US foreign aide of all foreign countries?
3. Why hasn't Israel signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
4. 132 UN members recognize the State of Palestine, but the Security Council keeps vetoing it's membership. The Security Council should be reformed, more democratic. Many instances that required immediate attention didn't get it and tens of thousands of deaths occurred. This is more BS.
"The United States is working to gather enough United Nations Security Council members to resist a planned Palestinian statehood bid so as to avoid having to use its veto power, Israeli and U.S. sources said on Saturday." What the hell is going on? The corrupt billionaires, MIC and others keep trouble available. The billionaires' get rich game disguised as the phony game of world politics and the MIC.
Has or will the mass news media ever give justifiable attention and news time to this critical information that Republicans are passing voter ID laws to suppress voting, not fraud?
Please tell me that I wrong in assuming that most judges would not give a fair hearing to rescinding the passed voter ID laws and preventing more such voter ID laws around the country. I make the weak generalization that more judges are republicans since they're income puts them in the 1%, not in the 99%.
I don't have a TV anymore since I can't stand the commercials and the corrupt, controlled new that is presented on the controlled, corrupt mass news media.
The US Government should immediately demand a two state settlement to the Israel-Palestine tragedy, a regime change consisting of the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Benjamin Netanyahu and all of his cronies found guilty of crimes of inhumanity against the Palestinians.
Otherwise, the US government will remove all the military equipment and weapons given to Israel including nuclear bombs, put an embargo on all trade with Israel and end all diplomatic ties with Israel.
After reading Informed Comment for the last few weeks, how can an sane individual not agree with the above. If you disagree, then you could be found guilty of conspiring with terrorists.
The dangerous game of the Rich with their wars, politics, phony terrorism has to end. The corrupt billionaire and their puppet millionaires have to be stopped.
One lie buried in what appears to be truths can often be accepted as a truth. The Occupy movements are secretly controlled by the US government using the FBI, CIA and/or Home Security agents disguised as normal Americans.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Commenters on Informed Comment are attempting to confuse, misdirect and discredit truths and are corrupt millionaires or billionaires or their puppets.
"--The US does not deliberately target civilians, but that some are hit in pursuit of militants is squarely the fault of the militants. And on what evidence did the New York Times report base its conclusion that “all military-aged males are held to be militants.”?"
Proof in New York Times unless linked article is of lies:
---"The president’s directive reinforced the need for caution, counterterrorism officials said, but did not significantly change the program. In part, that is because “the protection of innocent life was always a critical consideration,” said Michael V. Hayden, the last C.I.A. director under President George W. Bush.
It is also because Mr. Obama embraced a disputed method for counting civilian casualties that did little to box him in. It in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants, ACCORDING TO SEVERAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.
Counter terrorism officials insist this approach is one of simple logic: people in an area of known terrorist activity, or found with a top Qaeda operative, are probably up to no good. “Al QED is an insular, paranoid organization — innocent neighbors don’t hitchhike rides in the back of trucks headed for the border with guns and bombs,” said one official, who requested anonymity to speak about what is still a classified program.
This counting method may partly explain the official claims of extraordinarily low collateral deaths. In a speech last year Mr. Brennan, Mr. Obama’s trusted adviser, said that not a single noncombatant had been killed in a year of strikes. And in a recent interview, a senior administration official said that the number of civilians killed in drone strikes in Pakistan under Mr. Obama was in the “single digits” — and that independent counts of scores or hundreds of civilian deaths unwittingly draw on false propaganda claims by militants.---"
1. How is the mass news media allowed to continue spreading the out and out lies and propaganda of Netanyahu?
2. Why does Israel annually continue to received the largest amount of US foreign aide of all foreign countries which includes military aide?
Could the US Government replace Israel with another country that would be provided with the military power to keep the peace in the Middle East, of course this would include relocating all the military power, equipment and nuclear bombs that the US has located in Israel through foreign aide?
3. Why hasn't Israel signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
4. 132 UN members recognize the State of Palestine, but the Security Council keeps vetoing it's membership. The Security Council should be reformed, more democratic. Many instances that required immediate attention didn't get it and tens of thousands of deaths occurred. This is more BS.
"The United States is working to gather enough United Nations Security Council members to resist a planned Palestinian statehood bid so as to avoid having to use its veto power, Israeli and U.S. sources said on Saturday." What the hell is going on? The corrupt billionaires, MIC and others keep trouble available. The billionaire's get richer game disguised as a phony game of world politics.
"--Palestinians in the Occupied Territories under Israeli control face conditions much worse than those suffered by African-Americans in the Old South under Jim Crow."
The main reason for the corrupt stirring up of religious anger and bigotry, for the corrupt and illegal wars, for the existence of phony terrorists, for the corrupt US government, the corrupt Military Industrial Complex (MIC), for the corrupt Federal Reserve, for the corrupt Banking industry is to make the corrupt politicians and the corrupt Billionaires and Millionaires richer.
Half of Congress are millionaires and the other half are working on becoming millionaires. Congress will never approve increased taxes on the rich and their corporations.
Will the Bush Era Tax Cuts ever end?
Can money be taken out of politics?
Will white collar criminals be taken out of government and punished?
Will the court system ever be honest and legal?
Will America ever have democracy?
I believe and have experienced that the central purpose of all spiritual practices is Love: helping humankind to live in peace by helping ourselves and all others that we directly or indirectly come in contact with to do our individual best towards perfection without causing any pain: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, sexual, psychological, etc.
When possible, being present in the here and now without the past or future will often bring you peace and allow you to do your best towards perfection. I gave up engineering to become one of the best certified nurse aides in the San Francisco Bay Area since I learned how to work with my heart and be present. I have done what others are unable to do with patients and children.
When you're really present, perfection and experiencing miracles often follows. Perfection is not a goal but a result from opening your heart and repeatedly opening and trying to keep your heart open under all situations.
Forgive yourself and others for all the pain that you and others have caused. Feel and think with your heart, not with your mind, bank account nor with fear of any kind such as being without food, help and support, a home and family, a job, some money, etc. Drop all you judgments of yourself and of all others and understand that you and others cause pain because of the lack of help and support(love) and/or because of any of the fears.
Cole wrote in memoriam to Hal Davidon, Sep 2, 2012:
“What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love“. It's just not now, but the world "will always need" love as Kathleen commented. Governments are full of power and lack a lot of love. Love, altruism should be taught in schools and colleges. https://www.juancole.com/2012/09/what-the-world-needs-now-in-memoriam-hal-david.html#comments
All government work, meetings should have 2 daily 3 minute breaks for remembering what real love is. Not the lust that is brainwashed into our young kids and teenagers by their parents, movies, TV, celebrities, the mass news media, etc. Lust is becoming a systemic disease in America.
Please, Americans wake up. Quit setting poor examples to the world. Many politicians have no Love, just lust for power and money.
"-- I might feel better if I regarded the GWBush presidency in the same way some people regard the alleged moon landings…--"
You error in comparing the moon landings to the criminal GW Bush presidency which resulted in death, pain, suffering and misery to millions of Americans. His presidency included millions of cohorts, white collar criminals like those of the corrupt banking industry that got and continue to receive bonuses, bailouts....
You appear to be educated, intellectual, knowledgeable and possibly rich. And arrogant, unable to truly relate to or represent the average American, the 99%. You prefer to ignore the corrupt presidency which resulted in the deaths of ten's of thousands of Americans that thought they were fighting for their country, the millions of Americans that loss their homes and/or jobs due to the corrupt financial/banking industry, and the millions of citizens that lack health care including native, natural born or naturalized citizens, aliens that have successively completed the legal process of which many if not most Americans would fail without extensive studying.
My point, what are you and other educated, intellectual, knowledgeable individuals doing about the current idiot elections? Ignoring it or accepting the status quo? Or simply, nothing because you can't or won't.
Is Obama a sleeper that is going to do miraculous things if the Democratic party gains control of Congress?
I would appreciate answers and suggestions to these questions. Please ignore my ignorance and correct errors.
Could Obama have forced the banking industry to rent homes to those that have or are facing foreclosures like the British government did instead of completing the foreclosures and tossing the families out on the streets, into bankruptcy or into the struggle of moving, etc? Why can't America learn from the success of other countries? Maybe because the corrupt billionaires/millionaires have their corrupt plans.
Could Obama have used or can he still use the presidential executive orders? to tax the rich and their corporations? end the Bush Era Tax Cuts to the rich? Will he get money out of elections and education?
Clinton raised the taxes on the rich and corporations which resulted in the greatest expansion of America's economy, jobs and wealth. Will the new Congress that is half millionaires and the half becoming millionaires, refuse all tax increases to the rich and their corporations and the end to the Bush Era Tax Cuts to the rich?
Romney should be in jail for his lies(disguised as ignorance or mistakes), excessive spin and manipulation of the truth. His ignorance, real or bogus, about the Middle East and Iran alone should make him ineligible for running for any political office. But the average American including the 50% of Americans that are working class, not in the middle class, expects some spin and lies is unable or does not sift through the garbage of the mass news medias for the truth. They listen or watch the evening news or in their cars. They don't blog or search for the truth.
It's becoming clear that a majority of wars in the Middle East and around the world are just a source of income for the corrupt billionaires and their: royal families, their Military Industrial Complex, their controlled mass news medias, their puppet millionaire & billionaires and their corporations, including the Federal Reserve and the IRS are, apparently private corporations. Add to the list of corrupt control the FDA, Hollywood, the health industry, education, etc.
Bush got elected because the corrupt billionaires control the mass news media which controls/manipulates what the majority of Americans think and do. They also control the majority of corporations and other systems required to produce and maintain the necessities of life and supply the luxuries.
Has anyone read my above post? Or is this blog just for blowing your own horn? Is this blog reaching and inspiring any actions, changes in our government?
Is Professor Cole the only reader of my post? Is this blog only reaching a few thousand expert thinkers, many that may be rich that would not approve increased taxes on the rich and corporations nor end the Bush Era Tax Credit for the rich? I'm feeling disappointed that I get no responses, that I'm wasting my time commenting.
I believe that most, if not all of the 7 items are valid needed changes that would help if not stop the economic downward spiral of America and the world.
Please, some of you informed and educated commenters tell me I'm wrong believing that Obama with the Democrats controlling Congress would NOT make some of my 7 changes and others that would stop the downward economic spiral?
I can't believe that Romney is the best that the Republicans can offer.
Am I delusional in believing that the Occupy movements could help elect honest, intelligent and wise individuals into our government at all levels to represent the 99%?
Am I correct in believing that Congress WILL NOT END the Bush Era Tax Cuts nor increase taxes for the rich and their corporations?
Am I correct in believing that Obama is not seriously trying to represent the 99% of Americans, nor would he even with a Democrat controlled Congress?
If I don't get any responses I will cease and desist from offering my uninformed, ignorant comments that are apparently achieving nothing. I'm under the delusion that some of my comments may encourage real action by one or a few of the commenters to this blog.
Is Obama a sleeper that will take control with a Democrat controlled Congress and seriously represent the 99%?
Please, comment and correct errors and delusions of my 7 items.
The corrupt power and money of the billionaires, their corporations and puppets are killing America and the world.
This "power and money virus" is spreading like wild fire amongst the puppet millionaires including the half of Congress that are single or multiple-digit millionaires and the other half that are becoming millionaires.
How in the hell can anybody believe that Congress members would approve increased taxes on themselves and an end to the Bush Era Tax Cut for the rich?
See the facts: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3490
I believe that a real economic recovery plan that will work and prevent a massive depression will have to include most of the following and other items. Excuse my political ignorance and errors. Corrections appreciated.
1. Shrink, downsize the Military Industrial Complex. Upsize and strengthen the UN's military and responsibility.
2. Increasing taxes to the rich and corporations as Clinton did which worked. I know, different times, but.
4. Nationalize the Federal Reserve/the US banking complex, a private corporation.
5. End the corrupt control of the mass news medias, the FDA, the education system, etc.
6. Pass a new election law excluding multiple millionaires from elected or appointed positions
7. Last but not lease, replace all corrupted politicians with honest, intelligent and wise individuals not committed to a single party, but committed to representing and relating to the 99% of Americans. The party system is broken since millionaires(money) control both parties. Get the money out of politics, period.
Such real action must be taken to end the spread of the billionaires money/power virus.
For action, I suggest that the Occupy movements be inspired and organized into supporting and recommending individual candidates for all federal, state, county and local elections that are honest, intelligent, "wise" and that would represent and relate to the 99% of Americans. Over whelm and force the mass news media to present the real news if possible.
I know that the constant complaints, informed comments and chatter on this blog are not reaching many Americans nor are they going to change much of anything. Over half of Americans are of the working class that don't blog and that many if not a majority are brain washed by the mass news medias into to believing that voting democratic is the lesser of evils and that Obama will do something with Democratic Party in control of Congress. What's his track record? How many effective presidential execute orders has he issued?
Will Obama make real changes if the Democratic Party controls Congress? I don't think so, I'm politically ignorant.
Any better solutions? Please present them. Enough complaints. Have the Occupy movements spread validated and honest information about Romney, other candidates and all the issues. The mass news media, ugh.
Any mistakes, corrections appreciated. I'm too fed up, too old and tired to do much of anything even proof reading.
Both Romney and Obama represent the corrupted rich who are killing themselves and America by stealing more and more from Americans that create and maintain their wealth.
The power and control of corrupt billionaires/millionaires over the government, politics and the lives of Americans must be ended - thus, Occupy movements.
A real way to end this corruption is for the Occupy movements to be inspired and organized into supporting and recommending individual candidates for all federal, state, county and local elections that are honest, "wise" and that would represent and relate to the 99% of Americans.
America with a debt of 15 trillion dollars cannot borrow its way out of debt.
The controlled mass news medias are brain washing Americans.
Romney and Ryan are confused, corrupted fools. How can any sound thinking American consider voting for them?
Abortions must be made legal for all conditions.
The decision to have an abortion in most situations should be made by the mother, not by the father, partner, family, government nor religion or spiritual practice.
A fetus requires loving care and support to be born a healthy human physically, mentally, emotinally and psychologically with heart and compassion.
All of the below are my "unexperienced opinions" subject to revision/correction by rape and abortion experienced women, mothers, fathers and families.
Problems: A young 14 year old girl that has been raped may not be of sound mind for months, years or never(?). If she wants the baby she may not realize all the difficulties, humiliation, prejudice, anger, etc she would experience in school, with friends, in the public and even in her family.
I believe that the laws on rape and abortion should be written by women and familes that have experienced rape(s), an abortion(s) "and both" including laws covering minors, unwedded mothers, mentally unsound, physically unsound, dangerous births, etc. Religions and spiritual practices and beliefs are to have no binding legal authority.
The rape victim's decision to have an abortion should be accepted, no matter if underaged. How many rape victims will want the child? No rape victim regardless of age should be forced to have the child. I would assume that most rape victims are not going to be mentally sound for months or years.
"It shouldn’t be allowed in the United States of America for a handful of billionaires to buy the election."
Okay. I've read you repeated complaints about the elections and the candidates for many months. Are you or any of your commenters taking any actions, or just continuing the complaints?
I've made suggestions, but have received no comments or suggestions. I don't have the intelligence nor ability to do much of anything. Too old and poor.
Somehow, get the Occupy movements to start endorsing candidates with honesty, real intelligence, wisdom and other attributes for the Presidency and other positions in all elections, federal to the local.
The Democratic and Republican parties are corrupted beyond belief. Money is ruling and killing America.
doing about it Billionaires have been controlling the mass news media, Congress, the FDA, the financial industry and other large corporations/industries including those of food, health care, education, pharmaceuticals, ect for decades.
How can Americans vote intelligently if they're given crap, lies, spin in most of the news. Over 50% of Americans do not blog and end up voting based on information from the mass news media.
Simplistically, after reading parts of "International law and Israeli settlements" in Wikipedia I have questions?
Are the Israeli settlements and actions in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights that have and are forcibly removing Palestinians, illegal? Most countries of the world and the UN consider them illegal, violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Of course Israel and a few others don't.
If so, the US Government must formally acknowledge the crimes of Israeli and advise them to stop all illegal actions and make retribution to the Palestinians or else face removal of all military equipment and weapons including nuclear bombs and an end of all diplomatic ties and trade.
Israel receives the largest foreign aid of all countries in the world in the disguise of military equipment and weapons.
Corruption: Money + Power = US Military Industrial Complex
contributes to destroying the economy of America.
Of course this would require a strong President, not another legally educated smooth talking individual.
Who is Romney, the GOP, other billionaires/millionaires and puppets fooling with their lies, spin and deceit about taxes and ways to repair the economy?
Not many if any of the bloggers here nor those that peruse Cole's "Friends and Interlocutors" or other similar web sites attempting to present the truth of what's really going on, exposing the corrupt mass news media, politicians and their parties.
I can't believe that Romney has any chance of winning. Obama's chances are slim since his actions speak quite clearly and loudly when heard - his drones, allowing the bankers and financial idiots that led America and the world into the crises to repair their own damage, people still in crises, etc.
What about the 50% of the US population that is the working class with a yearly income less than $30,000? What about the lower middle class?
Elections suggest that a large portion are believing the lies, spin and/or deceit of Romney and the GOP.
To the point: below are some real solutions on past crises that worked and will work again.
In the 1990s, Clinton began balancing the budget and paying down the national debt.
From the RollingStone, November 9, 2011:
“How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich”
“—After taking office, Clinton immediately seized the mantle of fiscal discipline from Republicans. Rather than simply trimming the federal deficit, as his GOP predecessors had done, he set out to balance the budget and begin paying down the national debt. To do so, he hiked the top tax bracket to nearly 40 percent and boosted the corporate tax rate to 35 percent. “It cost him both houses of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections,” says Chafee, the former GOP senator. “But taming the deficit led to the best economy America’s ever had.” Following the tax hikes of 1993, the economy grew at a brisk clip of 3.2 percent, creating more than 11 million jobs. Average wages ticked up, and stocks soared by 78 percent. By the spring of 1997, the federal budget was headed into the black.—”
link to rollingstone.com
The “artificial crises” is quite painfully and real to about 220 million Americans, 70% of the current US population of 314 million - 50% is the working class and 20%, a portion of the middle class.
Pains: lost job, looking for jobs that aren't there, lost/losing your home, moving, new schools, losing health care benefits, college ruled out for teen, etc.
Probably most of you reading this are not experiencing any pain. Is that why you have so much intellectual talk without any solutions or actions? Diversions.
Why don't the Occupy movements select and support honest, wise, intelligent individual candidates for all elections that will represent the 99%, not the parties nor money? Is this avoidance a carefully executed plan by those against the Occupy movements? The corrupt US government, billionaires, etc? If it is, it's working and looks like another 4 years of corruption.
Romney and the other corrupt billionaires and millionaire don’t feel much pain. What the hell is the difference between spending $100,000 or $10,000,000 a year on non-essentials?
–”It’s difficult to imagine today, but taxing the rich wasn’t always a major flash point of American political life. From the end of World War II to the eve of the Reagan administration, the parties fought over social spending – Democrats pushing for more, Republicans demanding less. But once the budget was fixed, both parties saw taxes as an otherwise uninteresting mechanism to raise the money required to pay the bills. Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford each fought for higher taxes, while the biggest tax cut was secured by John F. Kennedy, whose across-the-board tax reductions were actually opposed by the majority of Republicans in the House. The distribution of the tax
burden wasn’t really up for debate: Even after the Kennedy cuts, the top tax rate stood at 70 percent – double its current level. Steeply progressive taxation paid for the postwar investments in infrastructure, science and education that enabled the average American family to get ahead.—”
70% for the billionaires and now it’s only 35%.
The best growth and economical times have been during the highest taxes especially for the rich and corporations. Would have quoted the articles, but couldn’t find them.
Tax all the billionaires, the corrupt and criminal 85% and the honest 70% and those that kept jobs in America 60%.
Read more the RollingStone and you’ll agree, Romney and most of the GOP should be tarred and feathered for their lies, perjury regarding taxes and the US economy and growth.
President Obama should read my above post and especially the RollingStone post, and then take real honest action even if it means losing his reelection. If he doesn't he should be exposed for his ignorance or most likely his corruption and not be supported nor reelected.
The billionaires, millionaires and all their puppets that caused and are still contributing to the crises must pay. They are all white collar criminals and should pay for their crimes with fines, jail time and in many cases, loss of their fortunes and property. They have caused pain, suffering, loss and deaths that will continue for years, some that can't be recovered from. Our government and country must be purged of these white collar criminals - that is or was the real goal of the Occupy movements.
But I assume I'll be ignored and things will continue to go down the drain.
Now is the time for another Clinton type to step up and save America and the world from the corrupt billionaires. Any takers or suggestions??????????
In the 1990s how did Clinton balance the budget and pay down the national debt that again play major causes of the current "created artificial crises"?
From the RollingStone, November 9, 2011:
"How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich"
"---After taking office, Clinton immediately seized the mantle of fiscal discipline from Republicans. Rather than simply trimming the federal deficit, as his GOP predecessors had done, he set out to balance the budget and begin paying down the national debt. To do so, he hiked the top tax bracket to nearly 40 percent and boosted the corporate tax rate to 35 percent. "It cost him both houses of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections," says Chafee, the former GOP senator. "But taming the deficit led to the best economy America's ever had." Following the tax hikes of 1993, the economy grew at a brisk clip of 3.2 percent, creating more than 11 million jobs. Average wages ticked up, and stocks soared by 78 percent. By the spring of 1997, the federal budget was headed into the black.---"
The "artificial crises" is quite painfully real to about 220 million Americans, 70% of the current US population of 314 million. 50% is the working class plus 20%, a portion of the middle class.
Pains: losing a job then looking for another or another, losing your home and moving, losing health care benefits, college costs, etc. Probably most of you reading this are not experiencing any pain. That's why you have so much intellectual talk without any solutions or actions?
Romney and the other corrupt billionaires and millionaire don't feel much pain. What the hell is the difference between spending $100,000 or $10,000,000 a year on non-essentials?
--"It's difficult to imagine today, but taxing the rich wasn't always a major flash point of American political life. From the end of World War II to the eve of the Reagan administration, the parties fought over social spending – Democrats pushing for more, Republicans demanding less. But once the budget was fixed, both parties saw taxes as an otherwise uninteresting mechanism to raise the money required to pay the bills. Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford each fought for higher taxes, while the biggest tax cut was secured by John F. Kennedy, whose across-the-board tax reductions were actually opposed by the majority of Republicans in the House. The distribution of the tax
burden wasn't really up for debate: Even after the Kennedy cuts, the top tax rate stood at 70 percent – double its current level. Steeply progressive taxation paid for the postwar investments in infrastructure, science and education that enabled the average American family to get ahead.---"
70% for the billionaires and now it's only 35%.
The best growth and economical times have been during the highest taxes especially for the rich and corporations. Would have quoted the articles, but couldn't find them.
Tax all the billionaires, the corrupt and criminal 85% and the honest 70%.
Read more the RollingStone and you'll agree, Romney and most of the GOP should be tarred and feathered for their lies, perjury regarding taxes and the US economy and growth.
Yes, the greed for money and power is killing America.
A solution is to vote in a presidential candidate and other candidates that want to and will take money out of politics.
With my limited knowledge and experiences I know of one individual that has gone on record for taking money out of politics, Professor Juan Cole, author of this blog.
He posted on 07/06/2011:
"10 Ways Arab Democracies Can Avoid American Mistakes".
His first way describes taking money out of Politics:
"1. Contemporary political campaigns in the US depend heavily on television commercials. In the UK these ads are restricted, and in Norway they are banned. Consider banning them. But whatever you do, do not let your private television channels charge money for campaign advertisements. Television advertisements account for 80-90 percent of the cost of a senate or presidential campaign in the US, and the next presidential campaign will cost each candidate $1 billion. The only way a candidate can win is to fall captive to the billionaires and their corporations, leaving the people powerless and victimized by the ultra-wealthy. Consider putting a ban on paid radio and television political ads in the constitution, because otherwise if it is only a statute, the wealthy will try to buy the legislature so as to overturn it."
The remaining 9 ways will accelerate the rebirth(birth) of democracy in America. All 10 ways should be adopted in America.
And, if you read Cole's biography you most likely will agree with me that Professor Cole would become a great President. He graduated high school valedictorian and summa cum laude at the University of Michigan. He's gifted with intelligence, wisdom, honesty and spirituality. And speaks a dozen Middle East languages and dialects.
The Federal Reserve - a private corporation owned and controlled by corrupt billionaire families and their puppet millionaires and private foreign and American banks.
The Military Industrial Complex.
US Congress: corrupt millionaires and other puppets.
The FDA with its executives and their conflict of interests.
Ryan, Romney & most of the GOP are liars about the deficit.
They and most of the GOP should be tried for perjury. But, white collar trash and criminals are not subjected to criminal arrests and punishment. The bankers should also be jailed for at least 10 if not 20 years for the pain, suffering and deaths they have caused.
Figure 1 from the CBPP is the whole truth and nothing but the truth! "The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs. It is supported primarily by foundation grants."
2. CBPP May 10, 2011 post "Economic Downturn and Bush Policies Continue to Drive Large Projected Deficits -
Economic Recovery Measures, Financial Rescues Have Only Temporary Impact" It is a very long post and I believe substantial evidence of the perjury committed.
3. The "About" and "Experts" links of the CBPP at the top of http://www.cbpp.org/
4. The long RollingStone article of November 9, 2011 with more truths about the Bush-Era Tax Cut and "How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich - The inside story of how the Republicans abandoned the poor and the middle class to pursue their relentless agenda of tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent."
"---After all, no one actually knows how to clean up an oil spill that happens under the ice in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Ocean. Despite that, the Obama administration has been fast-tracking Shell’s dangerous drilling plan, while paying remarkably little attention to the ecological fears it raises and the potential devastation a major spill or spills would cause to the native peoples of the north.__"
How in the hell can the Obama administration approve any oil drilling in the Artic Ocean without an approved clean up plan for an oil spill under the ice? Oh, no one knows how to or how long.
"It is estimated that it could take more than 20 years to restore the environment around the Gulf of Mexico to the state it was in prior to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion----". In the Artic, maybe never.
Obama is another idiot politician that's also trying to get reelected. The President should not belong to any party.
Prohibit legal educated individuals from becoming the President, they tell too many stories and lies. Presidential candidates, academics in engineering, life sciences, history and other areas that work mostly with hard knowledge and facts.
Artic Future Oil Spill
"---When a spill happens, and it’s minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind’s howling at 65 miles per hour, and sea ice is all around you and moving, the idea that a highly trained dachshund or federal inspector will be able to do a thing is pure fantasy. Believe me, I’ve been there under those conditions and if the worst occurs, this won’t be a repeat of BP in the Gulf of Mexico (bad as that was). Help will not be available.---"
My initial intuitions of the Kuwait Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade photographs are the worshiping of their common God, "money". Just as money and power are the Gods of Worship at the rallies of the demoncratic and republican parties.
Money rules and destroys. Democracy not in America since Americans only have two choices for President, General Obama or ignorant billionaire Romney as presented by the controlled news media. There's no chance of an honest, wise, truly intelligent and spiritual president. The corrupt billionaires and their corrupt: millionaires, families, Military Industrial Complex, bankers and their private corporation, the Federal Reserve will continue to rule America and the world. America does not spread democracy. Its shows how money and power rule.
Look closely at the Kuwait Stock Exchange close-up and you'll see lots of fat reared men, no women present.o
The idiot Romney must be part of the Democratic party's plan to get General Obama elected. Otherwise, who in their right mind could consider the bumbling, ignorant, business billionaire Romney.
Yes, the mass comedy news shows are sick, dangerous, hypnotic propaganda, controlled by the insane billionaires and their corrupt millionaire puppets.
Vote in honest, intelligent, wise, heartful and caring academics, engineers, cultural anthropologist and others that are not part of the insane rich elite that corruptively support, protect and insure themselves and only their kin perpetuation to the end of time or of America.
Get rid of the phony, story telling, lying legal educated politicians and candidates that are insane millionaires and billionaires that don't and can't relate nor represent the 99% of Americans.
Keep this pertinent real news and solutions coming about the systemic corruption in the US Government and throughout America in all forms of mass news media shows, the elections and politics, the financial industry with its Federal Reserve-a private corporation, the FDA with its conflict of interest executives, etc.
Get rid of the phony, story telling, lying legal educated politicians and candidates that are insane millionaires and billionaires. Ban the rich and their money from politics.
My preference are people that are spiritual, heartful and caring over the seriously religious.
We are here on Earth to help others and ourselves do our individual and collective best striving for and sometimes reaching perfection, without judgment. When you experience perfection you will know it by recall. Nothing lasts. Just keep allowing your judgmental to pass, don't grab hold of them or block them. Without judgment you'll glimpse freedom.
Apparently, supposedly according to the US Government, FBI, Aljazeera and/or others, most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis that probably received training in Afghanistan and/or Pakistan, not Iraq. The hijacking pilots received training in Florida. Blah, blah, blah.
I'm sure that Sharon was exaggerating. He would bomb the hell out of Iraq, but not with nukes. Are the great leaders and politicians that dumb or power crazy?
Imagine one single Iraqi SCUD or the equivalent bomb dropped or hand delivered and set off in any American city. Immediate reprisal, but not with nukes.
America got painfully hit by terrorists flown aircraft and took questionable reprisal, seriously bombing and invading the wrong country. The terrorists were and are apparently from Afghanistan, not Iraq. With the corrupt help of and direction by the Military Industrial Complex, America for some unknown reasons(control of oil) went into to Iraq and avoided focusing on Afghanistan. More money and years?
For the trillions of dollars that have been spent in the Middle East and in Iraq, couldn't America and the world have focused on replacing Saddam Hussein and "loaning" a few billion dollars to the Iraqis to get their economy rolling, their oil would cover the loan?
Often what the Western press presents is politically adjusted or biased by the US government.
I had an experience similar to Cole's experience when back in 1978 I flew into an airport in or near Lagos, Nigeria to perform a geotechnical field investigation in Lagos.
On arriving, I found the air terminal being closed down by the Nigerian Army. I was stopped from making any calls, but found an English speaking World Health Organization official, got a taxi with him and share a hotel room. In the morning made calls, got picked up and went to work.
What was presented in the Western press was exaggerated and manipulated from what I experienced for the next 3 months in Nigeria.
US government often manipulates and controls the press.
Digression with some humor, but a significant conclusion at the end.
The drilling equipment was carried in on poles on the shoulders of Nigerian laborers. I was in front, enjoying cutting the bush with a big machete and leading the group, the great white warrior in the swamp. But got stung by hornets. Turned around and the natives had already moved far away. Gave the machete to a native and went to the rear as a humbled, stung engineer.
On President's Island I was touring on the beach going to a historical ship wreck site and was robbed by two natives carry machetes, one short machete and the other long. I thought about throwing sand in their faces but decided it is wasn't worth the danger. Threw my wallet to the guy in front since I was prepared for a possible robbery with nothing of much value in my wallet. But the robber behind me with the small machete grabbed my gold framed glasses. Got angry. Luckily I always traveled with spare glasses. Didn't throw the sand, not that angry or stupid. A big Nigerian helped me chase the robbers, but they disappeared into the bush. Great experience. My first robbery attack which I spontaneously handled with care, no fear, just the correct response.
Gave up engineering after 18 years and became one of the best, if not the best CNA in the San Francisco Bay Area. Found my real innate ability is working with my heart as a CNA, Certified Nurse Assistant, in caring for babies and young kids in hospitals and as a volunteer at Children's Hospital. Did things that others didn't do and had not received real education, experience nor knowledge for: mental telepathy, intuition, spiritual help, spontaneous support for those making the transition. Dying, such an ignorant negative word, there's no heaven nor hell. Catholic Church does beautiful things, but is run by greed for power, control and wealth like most, if not all governments - and with lots of propaganda: sin, hell, heaven, etc.
Trust and listen to your heart. Perhaps, changing your job is what is best for you and others. Hint, hint.
Thanks Professor Cole and Kat for Benjamin Franklin and Charles Sumner. I read Wikipedia on both and was extremely impressed. Both were honorable individuals, "exceptional statesmen" that stuck to their positions, morales and kept them.
Ralph W. Emerson wrote of Sumner: "---In Congress, he did not rush into party position. He sat long silent and studious. His friends, I remember, were told that they would find Sumner a man of the world like the rest; "it is quite impossible to be at Washington and not bend; he will bend as the rest have done.’ Well, he did not bend. He took his position and kept it....---" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner
I'm not well read, politically ignorant.
Who are the "exceptional statesmen" of today, if any?
Please list a few.
I prejudicially believe that most politicians spend the majority of their time working with special interests for their future reelections and for their personal gain in wealth and power. There's so much bending in Washington.
Oh my gosh. The only problem without wars, the billionaire and millionaire owners, share holders and corporations that makeup the American Military Industrial Complex would loose billions if not trillions of dollars annually. The annual costs of MIC just keeps adding to the National Debt of 16 trillion dollars, taking away funds that could be invested in America's economy, growth and prosperity.
Thus, arbitration and peace is avoided at all costs as illustrated by the spin and lies by Congress and the mass news media on how Iran will soon become a nuclear threat. Note, that the last time Iran attacked and invaded a country was one or two hundred years ago. I did not, but may read all 61 oomments of the "Israel - Iran Military Comparison" at: https://www.juancole.com/2012/02/israel-iran-military-comparison.html
I'm just a 71 year old swimmer, politically ignorant that's fed up with the failure of the politicians, Secretaries of the Treasury and other so called experts in screwing up, not performing their jobs, aka negligence of duty nor representing and relating to the 99% of Americans for almost 100 years if not for decades more.
100 years: the Federal Reserve Act was signed in 1914 and marks the birth of history's greatest Ponzi scheme or scam.
How in the hell can corporations get away with their "Town-Busting Tactics", giving a township only 0.0004%(4/10,000) four ten-thousandth of what the company will gross, making people sick and leaving the environment damage and useless?
I'd like to see the corporate executives sent to jail for life. America needs to bring the hammer down on white collar crime now.
The US Federal government should make EIS's and EIR's, environmental impact statements and reports, mandatory for "any type of use" of public and private property including any type of mining that will change the environment. Probably Federal law since some states are negligent in .
The individual property owner and the small towns MUST BE PROTECTED from abuse and the bull crap of corporations. It should not be necessary for an individual property owner or the small town to hire lawyers, mandatory EIS's and EIR's.
I can't believe what has and is happening in the last decade. The damn politicians are taking bribes, gifts or whatever from the corporations. The corporations' executives and the corrupt politicians should receive jail sentences, large fines and held totally responsible for any present and future damages. They should be required to post bonds for present and future health problems and for the restoration of the lands. We're talking about bonds on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Mountains excavated can always be replaced using the same excavation equipment such as 44 cubic yards capacity, self-loading scrapers plus large sheepfoot compaction equipment to compact the backfill to specs. Back in 1975, it was not that uncommon to placed/compacted to specs over 50 feet of engineered fill on which expensive houses were built.
Saudi Arabia has strict limits on women's freedom in violation of various treaties that the government have signed.
Why doesn't the US boycott trade with Saudi for such blatant treaty violations? Oil.
Well, can America hurrying up its replacement of gasoline with battery run motors? Probably not because the oil industry doesn't want to be replaced by batteries???
Belonging becomes a disease when you can't find peace and satisfaction within yourself and if what you're doing doesn't include helping others and yourself to do your best.
Belonging to a culture, a country, a country club, a team can become a disease.
Watch the Americans at republican or democratic rallies screaming and cheering for their candidates to win or when they win. All the insane, manic screaming is saying, "We now have a chance for peace and satisfaction." "We will succeed."
Having a mate, children, a job you enjoy, a home, a car and other things will help. But unless you are "helping others", the peace and belonging soon evaporates, you get bored. Then you try a new mate, new and more possessions, more respect for you, but no lasting satisfaction. Nothing is permanent.
The Beetles, John Lennon's song "Imagine" has some guides to mankind's' desires for peace and belonging.
A country to die for. A group to belong to. A team to support and help you go crazy when they win. When the US military wins you feel great. Only problem, what the military is fighting for is not peace but continual wars to keep the billionaires and millionaires rich.
Lyrics of Imagine
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
There's no heaven nor hell. BS to control people.
What we each becomes and what we do is strongly influenced by our environments: parents, friends and enemies, culture, country born in, school, etc.
Born in Iraq and your wife and kids are killed by US military, chances of you becoming a terrorist are increased. No heaven nor hell.
America should have free higher education, including all areas of education and work-study for non degree education for plumbers, carpenters, artists, etc. The length not fixed to 4 years for a BS degree, but according to the individual's learning ability which for some will be 5 or more years. Costs in America should be basically free, such that a per cent of the families and/or individuals annual gross income is charged so that there is no need for loans and no excessive burdens. All students, not just those from wealth families would then be able to become doctors, scientists, etc.
Higher education in America is too expensive for almost 50% of American families, unless they make major sacrifices such as shortchanging their retirements.
I believe that a major cause for the lack of government funds for education is due to the annual cost of the corrupt Military Industrial Complex that President Eisenhower warned Americans about on January 17, 1961 that is very much alive and responsible for starting and maintaining illegal wars and spending trillions of dollars.
The Military Industrial Complex must be replaced with a defense military and a limited offensive military. The UN military should be reorganized and strengthened to take on the responsibility of maintaining peace and world governments representing the people, not the rich and militarys in all countries.
What's new, a corrupted military? President Eisenhower warned in 1961 about the Military Industrial Complex, MIC.
The US military is strongly influenced, if not controlled by those controlling the MIC, the billionaires whose main goal is to make themselves and their puppet millionaires filthy rich by all means, legal and illegal including illegal wars.
Maybe some of these billionaires strongly influence or control the out-and-out "fraud" in the financial industry, the FDA, the Federal Reserve, a privately owned corporation.
Money, wealth, power and egomania ARE THE ROOTS OF ALL EVIL.
America needs a president and politicians that are honest, non-secretive, truly intelligent, humble, experienced, traveled and with wisdom, integrity and spirituality that will represent the 99.4% of Americans. Out with the story telling, manipulative and lying legally educated bums. In with such qualified academics. Such a president would truly help to heal America and the world. He would have the chance to become the greatest president in American history.
Most Americans would not approve the sales of military weapons to the Bahrain government which is guilty of killing, arresting, jailing and torturing peaceful protesters?
Both news of the military sales and the Bahrain government's illegal actions were kept out of the mass news media or suppressed until the sales and torture became headlines or main stories online, abroad, in print or on talk shows.
Then, US government spin begins.
"US officials said among the sales now allowed to go forward would be harbor security vessels and upgrades to turbo-fan engines used in F-16 fighter aircraft as well as legislation which could pave the way for a future sale of a naval frigate. Items still on hold, besides the missiles and the Humvees, include teargas, teargas launchers and stun grenades."
Missiles to a government that kills peaceful demonstrators?
Oh, forgot. The US 5th Fleet is stationed in Bahrain and Iran is a threat. The US Military Industrial Complex is alive, thriving, seeding and starting wars and killing.
Sherm you're a out of context. Unusual for you, hard day?
"I like being able to fire people who provide services to me,"--"You know, if someone doesn't give me a good service that I need, I want to say, 'I'm going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.'"
Romney muddles, makes mistakes. Not presidential qualities.
However, the main point is that he "likes" firing people. Who in the hell wants a president that likes to giving pain to people. If you're not providing the quality service contracted, a fair employer will advise you to immediately provide the quality contracted or they give you the choice to leave or they'll fire you.
Perhaps, Romney "liked" putting thousands of workers out of jobs in order to produce more profit? Out of context?
Stephen, perhaps much of the stupidity and gullibility of Americans is due to the controlled mass news media. Many Americans are too busy working at break neck speeds, keeping their jobs in an excessively competitive world and just trying to raise their families in the computer age.
They don't have the time nor energy to question what they watch. Thus, turn on the TV, watch the controlled mass news media and continue sleepwalking. Even the PBS NewsHour is junk that keeps them ignorant and brainwashed with lies, deceit and the propaganda of the ruling billionaires.
How many Americans take the time and energy to search the web for truths? 10% ????? Many Americans vote democratic since it's the lessor of two evils.
How many have heard or watched Informed Comment??
I've asked several hundreds and only 2 or 3.
Have you read Cole's biography? He added it sometime in the last week or month. I only read it 3 days ago and was totally amazed at how well qualified he is for the presidency. He would make a great president if not one of the greatest. For areas that he is inexperienced in he would delegate, delegate to get his real experts and academics to search, analyze and provide him with the truths so that he can make wise, informed decisions.
Am I wrong about Obama? Why didn't he put a freeze on foreclosures his first, second or third week, month or year? In Britain the government stopped foreclosures and rented the homes to the owners so that mortgages could be modified keeping the owners in their homes? Win win?
Has Obama made it public knowledge that the Federal Reserve is a privately owned corporation whose main goal is keeping their owners, 10 American and foreign big banks and the old established billionaire families or what ever they are, excessively rich while the masses struggle, many losing their jobs and homes. Nationalize the Fed and banks?
No. Keep those responsible for the failures and crises in control.
Forgot, President Kennedy and brother Robert wanted to nationalize the Fed, but they were assassinated. Coincidence or not? Perhaps this scares off honest candidates.
"--Furthermore, Obama brazenly undermined the power of Congress by insisting his authority came from the United Nations Security Council and that Congressional approval was not necessary. “I don’t even have to get to the Constitutional question.””
Is Obama playing Congress and will become a great president? I don't think so. Am I wrong?
Honestly, I am politically ignorant, 71, have dysfunctional memory and fed up with the dangerous controlled politics and news media in America.
Please, "Reply" corrections to all incorrect observations.
Romney makes so many mistakes in talking about the Middle East and also about many or most other issues. He displays confusion, ignoranance, anger, phony smiles and crazy solutions.
How in the heck can any sound, thinking individual even consider him as a candidate for the presidency?
I suggest a boycott of all ignorant, lying, spinning, manipulating and deceitful political candidates and incumbents. Maybe 10% would be exempt from such a boycott?
Concentrate on political candidates and incumbents that are honest, intelligent, wise, truthful, non-manipulating, without spin and with wise solutions.
Why so much corruption? Perhaps because the average? American listens to the mass news media that no longer investigates and verifies most of what they report. Thus, Americans don't know the actual news and facts. The controlled mass news media reports as directed and approved by their billionaire/millionaire owners. Freedom of the mass news media, not in America. The PBS NewsHour, a sick tragedy show of propaganda.
Excuse any mistakes. I'm political ignorant, 71, have dysfunctional memory and fed up with the dangerous controlled politics and news media in America.
I guess most Americans are so busy working, being soccer moms or whatever that they don't have time to search for real news and information. They turn on the TV or listen to the news in their cars, but only get propaganda and lies.
How many Americans read Informed Comment or other sources of honest, relatively verified news and information? 1%?
Are Americans addicted to sensationalism because it makes them feel alive?
Take the sound effects and background music out of movies and I believe many Americans would fall asleep with many movies since the acting is crap. I enjoy many movies directed by Clint Eastwood since the sound effects and background music is kept to a minimum. Hollywood should have mandatory ratings for sound effects and music:
Excellent = no music, only real sound effects, no abnormal sound effects for punching, no super strength scenes.....
Romney as President would lead America into chaos. He's made so many mistakes talking about the Middle East and is often confused, forgetful or is just plain dumb. Money nor degrees do not make you intelligent, wise, honest, incorruptibility nor spiritual. Consider that about half of Congress are millionaires. Congress, the Secretaries of the Treasury, the so called financial experts and giant corporations have failed Americans for over 30 years and still failing.
Obama is backing the billionaires and their puppet millionaires and MIC, the Military Industrial Complex. He also afraid of taxing the rich or is just following orders.
"Some of the most prosperous periods in US history (1950s and 1960s) have come during periods of super-high marginal income tax rates. And some of the most disastrous periods in US history (1970s, 2010s) have come after periods of super-low income tax rates." (especially for the rich)
Excellent long article about taxation and the Federal Reserve, a private corporation that keeps their owners and share holders rich and America in debt:
Hell, I believe Juan Cole would become a great president. He's got an excellent education for governing: history degrees--not like the law degrees of most politicians which is an education for lying and telling the best stories. Juan Cole is honest, intelligent, wise and spiritual. Yes, he makes an occasional mistake, he's human. But he owns up to his mistakes. I just now read Juan Cole's autobiography. Wow! He definitely would make a great President. He is exactly the person that America needs as the next President. Read his autobiography and if you don't agree than I have to say you're nuts. He would bring peace to the Middle East without any doubt. Read it!
Excuse my simplicity, I'm 70, just a swimmer and politically ignorant.
Seriously, please "Reply" to this post as to your best choice for president for America and the world. America needs a strong, will have serious problems with 4 years of a corrupt Democratic or Republican president.
Support the dozen or more Congress members that want to impeachment President Obama for sending military and drones into foreign countries, starting wars without the approval of Congress per the US Constitution.
It's late and I present one example of a dozen or more impeachable actions by Obama.
Goggle: "Past 24 hours" and similar to: impeach* Obama Libya, for 2,260 results.
"Despite promising otherwise, Barack Obama committed U.S. military resources to overthrow Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi without any kind of congressional authorization whatsoever and without citing any evidence that Libya under Qaddafi was a threat to the security of the United States. Furthermore, Obama brazenly undermined the power of Congress by insisting his authority came from the United Nations Security Council and that Congressional approval was not necessary. “I don’t even have to get to the Constitutional question,”"
"One problem in regard to this movement concerns the use of our military. Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution reserves for Congress alone the power "To declare war," but last year that restriction was ignored under Obama’s authorization of military force in Libya.
Ten members of Congress filed a lawsuit against the President because his administration failed to seek congressional approval for military action in Libya, which is a violation of the War Powers Act."
The Saudis are saying they don’t mind some demonstrations but that the demonstrators should treat them with respect (i.e. they don’t get it).
"They don't get it" that the demonstrations are usually if not always by groups that are being abused and not being respected by their rulers or their temporary Saudi bosses.
The Saudis, the royal royalties, the billionaires are saying don't say anything negative about our country or government, be quiet, do your jobs, no complaints and kiss our royal rears or you won't work in Saudi or get our oil. Sounds similar to fiasco in Bahrain that resulted in deaths of innocent demonstrators that the US press ignored because the US has its 5th Fleet stationed their. More US crap.
The guest-worker population is probably doing work that the Saudis don't have skills for or that the Saudis won't do for such low wages.
I worked as a geotechnical engineer from a California firm in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Nigeria. Occasionally I collected payments or made contributions, both in Saudi Arabia. I found the Saudi rich with their rears high in the sky, just like many rich all over the world and the billionaires, millionaires in America: the politicians, Congress, the President, millionaire puppets, etc.
Perhaps, if the US had worked on cooperation instead of on imperialism via the Military Industrial Complex for the last 70 years America would have gain real strength, friends and support. But with deregulation, money and manufacturing left America in the dust. Too much concentration on military powder and power.
Also America's billionaires showed the world's rich how to use pseudo democracy to become wealthier and more powerful. The stupidity and greed of the ruling billionaires is beyond comprehension. Oh, forgot it's their addictions, their lack of honesty, integrity, wisdom, heart and spirituality.
Not only did the politicians and so called experts ruin America's standard of living, but they have just about guaranteed America's demise and more serious wars.
"Cries of hypocrisy and complicity rang out but the likes of Britain and America, which has its Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, stayed silent."
There's always some reason, excuse or complications for not taking the honest and wise actions: America, "has its Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain". Let the innocent protesters be jailed, tortured or killed in Bahrain. Let the Chinese invade and take over Tibet.
America stayed silent as ordered by the 7 or two dozen billionaire families ruling America and the world with money and because the US government continues playing the dangerous corrupt game of money controlled politics, elections, wars, news media and of most other major areas including finance(the Federal Reserve which is a private corporation), food and drugs(FDA=Federal Death Administration), entertainment(movies), education, etc.
Both the democratic and republican parties and most politicians, incumbents and candidates are controlled by money and are unable to stop the money control, the Federal Reserve, the Military Industrial Complex or act out of honesty, integrity, wisdom and heart. They cannot think with honesty and wisdom.
The so called experts and politicians have been failing for over 30 years and will continue to fail Americans.
America must vote out all corrupt politicians and candidates.
OCCUPY ELECTIONS
Vote in candidates with honesty, integrity, wisdom and heart that will relate and represent 99% of Americans.
Or else more of the same money controlled games.
I'm 70, politically ignorant and totally fed up with being ruled by money and corruption.
Probably some mistakes and faulty information: "Reply" corrections.
A real solution to most of the corruption and military BS ongoing in the Middle East and in America is relatively simple, but next to impossible to achieve:
"Occupy Elections"
Replace most of the corrupt incumbents and existing candidates with individuals with honesty, integrity, wisdom and heart.
For over 30 years America has been ruled by corrupt, deceitful and ignorant politicians representing and relating to the billionaires, their families, corporations and puppet millionaires, puppet mass news media, etc.
Yes, there are a few honest individuals, democrats, republicans(?) but avoided by the mass news media.
My first real response: If my family's home had been one of the 15 dwellings destroyed and/or any of my family killed I'd tried to roundup the survivors and make an attempt to assassinate Assad.
Reading the other responses of how to make the next move in the insane game of politics/war makes me sick of our government and all others government.
Bahrain: I assume the trouble in Bahrain is between the poor Shiite majority and the ruling Sunni monarchy, millionaire politicians, oil tycoons, and the banking hub owners. Similar to the troubles between America's 99% and the 1% bastards.
In the New York Times, Apr 4:
"--The crackdown won a tactical and perhaps ephemeral victory through torture, arrests, job dismissals and the blunt tool of already institutionalized discrimination against the island’s Shiite Muslim majority.
But in its wake, sectarian tension has exploded, economic woes have deepened and American willingness to look the other way has cast Washington as hypocritical. Taken together, the repression and warnings of radicalization may underline an emerging dictum of the Arab uprisings: violence begets violence.--"
Appears that people have been illegally jailed and killed.
But of course it's the base for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet, an oil producing country, a major? banking hub and therefore the US looks the other way.
So what if people are illegally jailed and killed.
Would any of you willing sacrafice your home or a family member?
The US looks the other way. The insane game of war and politics continues. It has to stop...............
Here's one real solution how to defeat the "robber barons’ that rule America and the world.
Next action of "Occupy the SEC" & OWS: "Occupy Elections".
Send tens of thousands of emails to the 7 individuals of j"Occupy the SEC" that wrote the "absolutely astonishing 325-page comment letter on the Volcker Rule" and ask them to
make their "next action" and that of the Occupy movements the selections of a third party or write in presidential candidate and candidates for all elections: federal, state, county and city. Call the movement "Occupy Elections".
I'm almost certain that a majority if not 99% of Americans would get behind such a movement to get the corrupt politicians out of all of our governments.
A major road block would be the fear that replacing the corrupt politicians might mean removing most of the existing politicians and most of those running for elections resulting in chaos. But don't many Americans already have chaos in losing their homes, jobs,
healthcare, etc? But, realize that it's the majority of existing politicians that have failed 99% of Americans for the last 30 years.
Many if not a majority of existing politicians and candidates are useless and/or corrupt. But, there are some honest and true politicians with real knowledge and wisdom which are beginning to shine brightly in the dark cloud of corruption.
America needs to clean house of the robber barons(corrupt billionaires and their families, corporations, puppet millionaires and puppet news media, Federal Reserve(a private corporation), FDA aka Federal Death Administration, etc.
"Occupy the SEC is the wonky finreg arm of Occupy Wall Street, and its main authors are worth naming and
celebrating: Akshat Tewary, Alexis Goldstein, Corley Miller, George Bailey, Caitlin Kline, Elizabeth Friedrich,
and Eric Taylor. If you can’t read the whole thing, at least read the introductory comments, on pages 3-6, both
for their substance and for the panache of their delivery." George Bailey is a pseudonym. http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/02/14/occupys-amazing-volcker-rule-letter/
Any errors, "Reply" corrections.
I'm doing my best swimming at 70 with a dysfunctional memory.
I'm fed up with all the balant lies and spin that the Obama, politicians, candidates, news media including PBS, bloggers and other continue to present to the public.
America needs a Department of Truth that would fine and jail those found guilty of lies, out of context misleading information and confusing spin. The computer age makes it very easy to confirm the truth of information.
JTMcPhee, thanks. I made a mistake with my wording. I thought democracy means or includes representative government with honest elections, not elections controlled by money, the billionaires and puppet millionaires.
Correction: The politicians and government that America has had for about 30 years must be replaced with politicians and government that relate to and represent the 99% of Americans and not the billionaires and their millionaire puppets.
I don't care what you call or label a true representative party. Call it the Donald Duck party. Both the democrats and republicans have been failing the 99% of Americans.
Please excuse any mistakes - provide corrections.
I’m 71, politically ignorant, have dysfunctional memory, and just doing my best.
Possible Solution to Crises
“On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as “concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” proposal known as the Volcker rule.”
I believe that there’s a chance for real recovery and honest government if the group that prepared the “325-page comment letter” takes the initiative to make their “next action” and that of the Occupy movements to be selecting a third party presidential candidate(s) that will have the wisdom, courage, honesty and a Congress to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of Corrupt Governments. Such candidates would represent over 99% of Americans.
I believe that the healing and recovery of America must include the following:
1. Politicians and government representing the 99% of Americans. Not rule by and representation of the billionaires and their millionaire puppets.
2. Nationalization the Federal Reserve and maybe most of the banking system. The Federal Reserve is a privately owned corporation whose main goal is making its owners and share holders rich. It's evidently owned by 10 large American and foreign banks. But, who really controls these banks?
The Fed loans billions of dollars to the US government and charges 6%(?) interest. Thus, the Fed keeps America in debt and maintains control of the financial system.
Watch "The Secret of Oz", a documentary movie, winner of 4 film awards. It presents some history of the past and present financial crises, of other crises and more on the illegal Federal Reserve(a privately owned corporation).
Beloit International Film Festival 2010 Best documentary(BIFF)
Yosemite Film Festival 2010 Silver Sierra Award for Excellence in Filmmaking
Accolade Competition 2010 Award of Merit La Jolla, California
Nevada Film Festival 2010 Silver Screen Award
Nathan's Economic Edge, 2009 Excellent review at a world top economics blog.
British premier Oct. 1, 2010 At prestigious Bromsgrove conference
3. The Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) is alive, growing exponentially. It must be reined in.
In Afghanistan:
"450 Bases and It’s Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon’s Afghan Basing Plans for Prisons, Drones, and Black Ops"
By Nick Terse" http://tomdispatch.com/archive/175501/
4. Take the money out of politics(federal, state and local), special interest groups and lobbying.
Again: Please excuse any mistakes - provide corrections.
I’m 70, politically ignorant, dysfunctional memory, and just doing my best.
5. The millionaires, billionaires and corporations MUST help Americans recover from the financial crises that they help create through corruption, greed or/and ignorance.
New Total Taxes (federal, state, luxury, etc)
Millionaires, billionaires: 40% to 80%
Corporations: 35% to 55%
From 1945 to 1986, America experienced its greatest real growth in history with the highest taxes on corporations, the rich (over $20,000 in 1945)and on millionaires and billionaires.
Right after WWII, “1945: 94% tax on income over $200,000 – absolutely astounding. It stayed over 90% until 1964 when it was lowered to 77% and had been consistently falling until …”
Super390, if what you say is the real truth, then I would also scratch Ron Paul as a candidate.
But do the apparently real and useful changes that Paul has been advocating for over 30 years including nationalizing the Federal Reserve and bringing the uncontrolled exponential growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) out weight the slight inconvenience of some of his de-regulatory ideas.
If not, scratch Paul, but I still feel that none of the candidates do or would represent the 99% of Americans.
Hasn't the deregulation of the financial, banking systems and the exponential growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) been two of the major causes of the financial crises and the illegal wars/imperialism of America?
I'm just a senile, political ignorant 71 year old Nobody. Please educate me. But before you comment, please watch and listen to the following items and then correct me if I off track or have been misguided:
1. "The Secret of Oz" an award winning documentary that presents the history of money and information on how the Federal Reserve, a privately owned corporation that illegally controls OR strongly influences the financial system which has failed the 99% of Americans while making the secret owners and share holders of the Fed sickly rich.
Beloit International Film Festival 2010 Best documentary(BIFF)
Yosemite Film Festival 2010 Silver Sierra Award for Excellence in Filmmaking
Accolade Competition 2010 Award of Merit La Jolla, California
Nevada Film Festival 2010 Silver Screen Award
Nathan's Economic Edge, 2009 Excellent review at a world top economics blog.
British premier Oct. 1, 2010 At prestigious Bromsgrove conference
2. Watch Nick Turse's comments on the exponential growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) in the Middle East and around the world
"450 Bases and It’s Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon’s Afghan Basing Plans for Prisons, Drones, and Black Ops"
The Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) is very much alive and growing exponentially making the billionaires sickly richer.
3. "How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich"
"The inside story of how the Republicans abandoned the poor and the middle class to pursue their relentless agenda of tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent."
I was reluctantly resistant to a friend’s recommendation to watch anything from the Rollingstone, but did and was educated or misguided. I didn’t read the whole article, but glad that I did.
Again, please correct me if I’ve been misguided. Thanks
Romney and all other candidates represent the ruling billionaires and their puppet millionaires, excluding maybe Ron Paul.
America needs a President that has the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of lies, deceit, deregulations, and corrupt ignorant rule by the billionaires and their families and corporations.
“On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as “concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” proposal known as the Volcker rule.”
The seven writers include: Caitlin Kline, Kaye Scholer, Kamlesh Tewary, George Bailey, Alexis Goldstein.
link to bloomberg.com
I believe that there’s a chance for real recovery and honest government if the group that prepared the “325-page comment letter” takes the initiative to make their “next action” and that of the Occupy Movement to be selecting a third party presidential candidate(s) that will have the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of Corrupt Governments. And, will represent over 99% of Americans. Otherwise, more of the same crap.
Politics must be replaced with democracy.
google: “Occupy Vigilantes Write New Volcker Rule Script”
Another useless speech by Obama. I listen but hear and feel nothing of any substance. No inspiration.
Obama as well as all of the presidential candidates are not worthy of the presidency. Their words are empty and have no substance.
America needs a President that has the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of lies, deceit, deregulations, and corrupt ignorant rule by the billionaires and their families and corporations.
"On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as “concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” proposal known as the Volcker rule."
I believe that there's a chance for real recovery and honest government if the group that prepared the "325-page comment letter" takes the initiative to make their "next action" and that of the Occupy Movement to be selecting a third party presidential candidate(s) that will have the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of Corrupt Governments. And, will represent over 99% of Americans. Otherwise, more of the same crap. Politics must be replaced with democracy.
The seven writers include: Caitlin Kline, Kaye Scholer, Kamlesh Te wary, George Bailey, Alexis Goldstein.
google: "Occupy Vigilantes Write New Volcker Rule Script"
"This week, a bipartisian group of seventeen U.S. Senators delivered a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressing grave concern about $1 billion in contracts the U.S. government signed with Rosoboronexport — the Russian arms dealer that supplies the Syrian government with weapons capable of targeting homes and streets and murdering thousands of innocent Syrian civilians — and he didn't have an answer."
Romney like most, if not all of the candidates cannot relate nor represent the 99% of Americans. Millionaires should be barred from politics.
The millionaires, billionaires and corporations MUST help Americans recover from the financial crises that they help create through corruption, greed or/and ignorance.
From 1945 to 1986, America experienced its greatest real growth in history with the highest taxes on corporations, the rich (over $20,000 in 1945)and on millionaires and billionaires.
Right after WWII, "1945: 94% tax on income over $200,000 – absolutely astounding. It stayed over 90% until 1964 when it was lowered to 77% and had been consistently falling until …"
"--$200,000 in 1944 is the equivalent of $2,290,909.09 in 2006 according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator)."
The Catholic religion and perhaps many Christian religions are Sunday religions. Many Christians "wear their faith on their sleeves" and practice it on Sundays or when it suits them.
I see no spirituality or religiouness in almost all of the politicians. The legal education of majority of them teaches them how to tell the best stories or lies.
I totally respect and honor the Muslims for saying their prayers 5 times daily. Length of prayers varies 3 to 30 or more minutes. When: pre-dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, evening before retiring. Sounds like a very good practice. I'll adopt a similar schedule for my own prayers and meditation. How about yourself?
Imagine what could happen if a majority of Americans began saying prayers of their choice 5 times daily. An atheist prayer could be: "I will do my individual best to help others and myself do are best towards perfection with less and less judgment." There would be more peace, honest communication, joy and growth. Sounds like Congress should have 5 minutes of prayers every 2 hours.
I was brought up as a Catholic and gave it up with all other beliefs. I have experienced many things in my travels around the world and with a couple of years of work in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
I've found that Muslims are slightly more spiritual and have their hearts more opened than Christians and Americans. Spirituality or religion, your choice.
Muslim evidently do not proselytize their religion.
At last someone hits the nail on the head. Not the intellectual hyperbole of hidden agendas inaccordance with the War Game Conference of 1812, the Bank of England Conference or whatever.
Are most of the intellectual, expert commenters just pawns in a game they don't control?
Who are the small group of rulers silently controlling the Federal Reserve, the oil industry, the military-industrial complex and the major industries and corporations of the world? Who corrects these dictators?
Israel with a population of 8,800,000 and 7,992 sq miles compares to the state of New Jersey with 8,900,000 and 7,354 sq miles. Why does Israel continue to receive about 3 billion dollars of foreign aid every year?
Why does the US keep arming Israel? Ya. It keeps peace?
Nuclear weapons are beyond insanity, suicidal.
Shouldn't the U.S. deal with the fact that three nuclear powers Israel, India, and Pakistan have not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty?
Iran has not attack any country for centuries, peaceful. Israel not so peaceful. The US must stop Israel from threatening Iran. A missile from Israel must be stopped and the individual source eliminated. What would the release of a second missile be the start or end of?
Best politically 'plain talk' I've read in decades.
Each discussion is short, to the point and easy to understand even to someone like me who is politically ignorant and not too educated.
Please follow with 'plain talk' on:
1. Obama
2. The Democrats
3. The financial world including the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Wall Street, bankers and all the other idiot financial experts that allowed and allow banks to use mortgages and other loans to create assets based on nothing and to loan out 9 times the amount of each asset. Excuse my errors.
Over 99% of Iranians have no interests in war, nuclear weapons and fighting anyone. They, just like most Americans just want to work, provide for their families, have a few extras, have some fun and live. I worked in Iran for over a year and met many great peoples. Also have a few Iranian friends in America.
It's only the insane leaders and politicians that use war and the Military-Industrial Complex to increase their wealth and power, continuing their insanity.
The American Government is broken and most politicians are insane: puppets to the insane billionaires, multiple millionaires and their families, corporations and their Military Industrial Complex.
Americans are waking up and will not accept government by the insane Democrats or Republicans any longer. Obama, the insane puppet.
The 2012 American Spring movements will include Occupy the White House or Occupy Congress.
The 3rd Parties must stop their childish quibbling and unite to replace the rule of America by the insane.
I support, pray for and admire the Egyptian women and men that are protesting and marching against the military rule of their country including those that have died.
How often do any of you readers say a prayer for them and their families? Only takes a minute or less while you're lying in bed.
Do American women and men have the guts to march against the Military-Industrial Complex that is a major part of the broken US government, the financial crisis, the foreclosure crisis?
The illegal, unsanctioned bombing and invasion of Iraq has made trillions of dollars for the billionaires and millionaires that supply the weapons and materials for the illegal wars.
Do Americans have the guts to protest, Occupy The White House, home of the Military-Industrial Complex?
Maybe, but the local police and the mass media would not give support.
A friend of mine has two brothers with advanced degrees, married with families that are working part-time and have been looking for full time jobs for 4 and 12 months. They are in Obama's 2010 and 2011 Depression.
I'm sick of hearing about the bailouts of banks and business and the bonuses to the executives. How about bailing out Americans?
The American Government is broken.
Obama has his fund raising dinners with some of those bastards that are receiving bonuses or profiting from the wars. Pure crap.
How can Gingrich even campaign and get news coverage, he helped Bush organize the illegal bombing and invasion of Iraq? How insane are many Americans? More illegal wars?
This shows how corrupt the US government and the mass news media are. Are Americans that insane?
I believe the only solution to the corrupt US government is to vote out all republicans and democrats replacing them with honest 3rd party candidates that will represent the 99% if Americans.
Can this be done under the existing election laws and processes? Would the manipulated electoral Congress prevent 3rd party candidates from winning?
Changes must be made so that honest 3rd party candidates can qualify to be placed on election ballots(local to Federal), campaign and win.
Take the money out of politics.
All qualified candidates get equal free exposure, time on all public mass news media. Eliminate money control of campaigns. Only intelligent debates, not Quiz Show quickie answers debates. The public must be awakened to the importance of experiencing if and how candidates might perform thorough and researched analyses on debate topics to make intelligent decisions. This is what needs to be shown. Perhaps one topic per debate. Candidates prepare answers with their teams, submit them to Debate Review Board for review and acceptance and copies to all candidates, etc. Real debates showing how candidates would deal with problems. Not the crap of the manipulated debates.
The US government is failing.
If Obama is reelected, more of the status quo.
What can be done?
Force Obama to issue presidential executive orders changing the election laws and processes? Eliminate the electoral Congress which is obsoleted by the computer age?
I'm asking for solutions. I'm too politically ignorant to understand how white collar crime is ignored, bank bailouts, secret dealing with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, etc.
Most people I know have given up on the US Government and some will just vote Democratic. The Democrats are almost as corrupt as the Republicans.
Democracy in America? Tell that to those that have lost their jobs and homes, and not necessarily in this order.
Politicians, those with law degrees are not educated to run this country. They only learn to tell the best stories and lies.
Looks like Americans are facing a similar impossible task just as the Egyptians are losing hope and massing strength for democracy to the strangle hold on elections and manipulation by Field Marshall Tantawi and his military.
America is facing both the militarizing of the police forces and the strangle hold on election by the Republicans and Democrats.
Is there any chance that Americans can vote out the corrupt Republicans and Democrates, that is vote in both third party candidates and a third party President?
Or, do Americans urgently need to speak loudly and in mass to force Obama to change the election laws and processes so that third candidates can run, be on the ballots including the presidential ballot and win? Is it only possible if money is taken out of campaigning and elections?
I'm political ignorant. I would appreciate answers.
Most people I know have either given up or think that by voting Democrat they can help. I don't believe there are any honest and true Demoacrat candidates that would represent and govern for 99% of Americans. Almost half of Congress are millionaires that don't relate and/or are corrupt.
I read somewhere that GINGRICH helped Bush plan the illegal, insane imperialistic bombing and invasion of Iraq. What was his involvement?
I like most of the 312,658,000 Americans and the world population of 6,976,852,000 don't want another war whether drone, conventional or nuclear. War is becoming obsolete?
See http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
How can any sane, slightly informed person even consider him? or any Republican or Democrat?
I guess if your only exposure to news is the corrupt mass news media, you're a potential target for the propaganda of the Billionaires and their puppets.
If you're reading this I assume you're quite informed.
How do we spread the existence of this site and others similar to it to the masses? How about an article or two in the mass news media? Time, Newsweek, local papers?
Only 1 out of 157 people that I have mentioned Juan Cole or any of his interlocutors and friends to have recognized them. I'm reclusive and only a swimmer.
What to do? Puts signs on my car, bike and backpack?
More of the same comments and disclosures of corruption. Verbal eloquence with intelligence, knowledge and skill leading where? Nowhere. The status quo. A Depression?
Here's an urgent timely, potent change.
Force Obama to use Presidential executive orders to change election laws and processes to end the strangle hold that the corrupt Republican and Democratic Parties have on elections.
The changes will guarantee that the 2012 Presidential ballot & all elections have multiple parties and candidates in addition to those of the Republican & Democratic parties.
The Republican and Democratic parties have failed Americans especially in the last decade in all areas: employment, finance, mortgages, safety, education, food, health.....
These urgent needed elections changes can and would be acknowledged, brought alive, ignited and accomplished by the combined effort of the 98% of angry or discouraged Americans, the Occupy Wall Street movement, by word of mouth, and by honest blog sites like Juan Cole's Informed Comments, Josh Marshall's TPM(Talking Points Memo), The Nation, DailyKos, Kevin Drum's Mother Jones, Salon.com, etceteras.
Come on wake up! It's late, but not too late for many.
And we can then help those that have lost their homes, jobs, their life's savings and their belief in America.
I believe THE MAIN END GOAL OF THE OWS MOVEMENT is to make the US Government representative of and responsible to the 99% of Americans and not of and to the Rich Billionaire Dictators, Corporations, etc and their puppets.
Correct me if I wrong, but maybe one of the best actions to start working on this goal is the immediate change of the election laws and processes by presidential executive orders so that Americans can start voting in honest and responsible politicians and a 2012 President representing the 99% of Americans.
The changes in election laws and processes must make it possible for multiple parties and candidates to be on all Federal, State and local ballots so that Americans can start voting in honest, intelligent candidates and a President that will represent 99% of Americans. The legal education of most politicians enables them to manipulate and tell the best stories or lies. No more slick, lawyer talking, verbose presidential candidates.
Got a better solution to start the change or corrections to my solution please "reply" them to me so other readers can start giving and supporting solutions. I'm politically ignorant. Thus, excuse my errors and give corrections.
Spend more time, energy and space giving and supporting solutions, less complaining. Too much complaining without solutions. That's what children do.
Oh, one of my questions in my posted uninformed comments yesterday was totally correct and yet I received no replys.
"Possible killing blows were struck upon the Occupy Wall Street movements in many America cities this last weekend when mayors closed down parks and areas of OWS occupation with their police illegally arresting and attacking non-violent protesters.
Were these individual actions part of a planned coordinated action by the mayors, the “powers that be” and other higher authorities to kill the OWS movement?"
Totally correct. Hmmm.
Here's my full comment of yesterday which is worth a read and may encourage many of you to action or at least to share it with others, especially changing the election laws and processes, perhaps one of the only ways we can change our corrupted government and protect our future.
Read it and comment. Thanks, John, a swimmer.
Possible killing blows were struck upon the Occupy Wall Street movements in many America cities this last weekend when mayors closed down parks and areas of OWS occupation with their police illegally arresting and attacking non-violent protesters.
Were these individual actions part of a planned coordinated action by the mayors, the “powers that be” and other higher authorities to kill the OWS movement?
It appears that the lack of a specific goal is resulting in the growth of individual groups with more focus, some on aggression. You must realize that many of the “powers that be” want to shut down the OWS movement. For them to seed the OWS with “trouble makers” is not hard to believe. Add this to the negative publicity, the cold weather and that many homeless and street people are mixing in with the OWS protesters to take advantage of the OWS services, food and supplies resulting in some minor clashes which discourages or turns away many serious OWS supporters and gives the mayors excuses for police actions.
Will the combination of the mayors aggressive, illegal actions of closure with the above observations result in a temporary or more serious halt of the OWS movement?
Are we going to see any more massive OWS weekend marches and protests which are the blood and strength of the OWS movement that keeps it alive and strong?
My own conclusion and action consists of bringing to the attention of all OWS supporters and of the 99% of Americans what I believe should be their immediate prime goal that addresses all their individual goals:
Change election laws and processes so that both multiple parties and candidates can run and be elected in 2012.
America must replace the corrupt Republicans and Democrats with politicians that will represent the 99% of Americans.
Is it too late? Gerrymandering and the electoral Congress must be stopped, eliminated.
Congress would fight these changes.
Could a united movement by 99% of Americans forced Obama to issue presidential executive orders changing election laws?
Or would Obama ignore the voice of 99% of Americans?
Americans must change election laws and processes to save the future of America & the world.
Possible killing blows were struck upon the Occupy Wall Street movements in many America cities this last weekend when mayors closed down parks and areas of OWS occupation with their police illegally arresting and attacking non-violent protesters.
Were these individual actions part of a planned coordinated action by the mayors, the "powers that be" and other higher authorities to kill the OWS movement?
It appears that the lack of a specific goal is resulting in the growth of individual groups with more focus, some on aggression. You must realize that many of the "powers that be" want to shut down the OWS movement. For them to seed the OWS with "trouble makers" is not hard to believe. Add this to the negative publicity, the cold weather and that many homeless and street people are mixing in with the OWS protesters to take advantage of the OWS services, food and supplies resulting in some minor clashes which discourages or turns away many serious OWS supporters and gives the mayors excuses for police actions.
Will the combination of the mayors aggressive, illegal actions of closure with the above observations result in a temporary or more serious halt of the OWS movement?
Are we going to see any more massive OWS weekend marches and protests which are the blood and strength of the OWS movement that keeps it alive and strong?
My own conclusion and action consists of bringing to the attention of all OWS supporters and of the 99% of Americans what I believe should be their immediate prime goal that addresses all their individual goals:
Change election laws and processes so that both multiple parties and candidates can run and be elected in 2012.
America must replace the corrupt Republicans and Democrats with politicians that will represent the 99% of Americans.
Is it too late? Gerrymandering and the electoral Congress must be stopped, eliminated.
Congress would fight these changes.
Could a united movement by 99% of Americans forced Obama to issue presidential executive orders changing election laws?
Or would Obama ignore the voice of 99% of Americans?
Americans must change election laws and processes to save the future of America & the world.
AMERICANS MUST BOYCOTT THE RIGGED DEBATES that do not show how candidates would function as the President.
Professor, your debate comments are pertinent, concise, clear and easily understood since you take the time needed to prepare thorough and researched informed comments. I wouldn't be surprised if before blogging your comments you discuss them with your peers and with experts in areas you lack expertise in.
Your preparation is what the candidates must do to show to the listeners how they would function as the President, not as a quiz show contestant.
The debates are rigged Hollywood quiz shows with time limits and that also favor candidates with positive or negative questions. These debates entertain but at the sacrifice of showing how the candidates would actually perform as the President. They present useless indications of how they perform under pressure with time constraints without any real in depth study, research, analyses or preparation. Who gives a damn about this showmanship aspect?
Hasn't America witnessed enough of how the smooth talking, lawyer educated Obama has or hasn't performed on issues? Some of his decisions appear corrupt and do not show thorough, researched and analytical results.
The public must be awakened to the importance of experiencing if and how candidates might perform thorough and researched analyses on debate topics to make intelligent decisions. This is what has to be seen and determined.
In the real world, the President's decisions and actions are probably based most of the time on thorough understanding of each issue which includes making assignments, having discussions, meetings, written and verbal summaries and reports, and lots of interchange. Very seldom decisions in one or two minutes.
Thus, the following reformat for "Intelligent Debates"
Let the delegates sit at tables. Who wouldn't get a wee exhausted standing for two or more hours?
1. Only 1 debate topic. Two if topics readily debated.
2. Extend debate time to about 2 hours with a break.
3. Topic delivered to candidates 5 week prior to debate.
4. Candidates will deliver NLT 29 days prior to debate complete answers including charts, tables & references to the Debate Review Board and to all candidates. All submitted answers will be reviewed for clarity, truth, mistakes and malarkey. The Review Board will return material with written notes on each paragraph indicating:
a. Paragraph accepted.
b. Paragraph needs proof and references, otherwise barred from Debate.
c. Paragraph verbose, not pertinent. Correction required or barred from Debate.
d. References with web addresses must be available for instant view online. Otherwise material barred from Debate.
Debate Calendar
Days to Debate Mandatory Action
35 Candidates receive Debate topic.
29 Each Candidate delivers initial answers to
all candidates and Debate Review Board.
23 Review Board delivers first review of "all
submitted answers" to each candidate.
17 Each candidate delivers their first revised
answers to all candidates & Review Board.
11 Review Board delivers second review of "all
submitted answers to each candidate.
5 Each candidate delivers final revised
answers to all candidates & Review Board.
1 Review Board delivers final review of "all
submitted answers to each candidate.
Any paragraph not accepted during final review is barred from Debate. Candidates and their staff should know what's acceptable or not after two reviews, otherwise tough luck.
To make it clear, each candidate will receive copies of all other candidates initial, reviewed and revised answers. No surprise material during Debate allowed. But if the majority of both the referees and the candidates approve by vote, each candidate can speak on 2 or 3 new or forbidden articles.
Approximate Timing for Each Candidate
1. Presentation of formal answer each topic 3 minutes
2. Answer questions for candidates 5 "
3. Answer questions from moderator 3 "
4. Answer questions from audience 3 "
Total Debate Time on the order of 2 hours.
Get it. The candidates will show how they might really perform working with their staff doing actual research and analyses.
No more circumlocution, bureaucratese, goggledygook from the candidates and moderators.
Why not throw in an automatic off button so that if 2 of 3 referees judge that a candidate is not answering an open question from the audience or from an opponent or not sticking to the subject matter, his speaker is turned off and he's asked to make his point clear and concise.
I don't give a damn about any of the Republicans candidates.
Almost all the Democrats and Republicans are liars, puppets for the 1%'ers, the Dictators. Both Parties are dying.
What alternative parties and candidates would represent the 99%'ers?
You have to be crazy to listen to the childish debates.
Very Rough Draft of Intelligent Debate Format, the times are estimates.
1. Specific debate topics are given to candidates two or more weeks before debate. They can therefore prepare their succinct and complete answers with charts, etc. Number of topics would be on the order of three to five.
2. A three person referee team to turn off candidate's microphone when "not staying on topic per their submitted answer", not answering questions from other candidates", being deceitful, rambling on or telling lies.
3. Perhaps to avoid rambling on, the candidates must submit their answers to the debate topics a week in advance of the debate to a committee to check that the answers are pertinent and not political crap.
4. Each candidate is given 5 minutes to present their prepared answers to the debate's main subjects.
5. Each candidate is given 2 minutes to answer each live question from other candidates.
6. All candidates will be sitting down and have an assistant to facilitate live answers. The assistant would have communication with a group that works on answers, off stage.
7. The debate would be at least 2 hours long and maybe 3 hours. The American people deserve real, honest debates. Not the crap of most political parties..
What the Koch Brothers are doing in the US is criminal in many countries. The US can learn from others.
The Right to Vote must be protected and enforced by aggressive legislation on voting registration, laws and processes which will make it illegal and criminal to inhibit, make more difficult or unfair the processes of voting.
Congress is very corrupt, much by the Republican Party. Thus, the suggested legislation below may be achievable only by Presidential executive orders.
All individuals, groups and governments of all levels inhibiting the voting processes would be subject to criminal charges, fines and imprisonment. Those found guilty would be barred from all goverment positions and work for life. Currently gerrymandering is going which should be stopped since unfair and without doubt, illegal and criminal.
Suggested Immediate Legislation
by Presidential Executive Orders
1a. No elections on work days or weekends.
Many workers need their weekends off.
1b. Make election day a national holiday with pay.
1c. Some other plan.
2. Compulsory, government run voter registration at age 18
3. Enforced compulsory voting. Absentee ballots must be timely mailed or a fine of 0.1% of individual's or family's gross income. In the world, 32 countries have compulsory voting but America doesn't. America can learn from others.
4. ID cards with photo to be provided free by each State for those that do not have driver licenses.
5. Enforce the Bill of Rights. Violations of individual rights are routine in America.
6. Regulate public radio and TV stations to stop news being biased by the Democratic & Republican parties, by corporations and by the Dictators and their puppets. The news on PBS NewsHour is controlled by the 1%'ers.
I don't know how the this will be done.
I'm 70, a little slow, but still give a hoot about America.
All I know for certain is that both the Democratic and Republican parties are corrupt and controlled by the Dictators, the 1%'ers. Obama, dictator or puppet?
Please correct me if I'm wrong----no Republican has any chance of becoming the President.
I also doubt that a Democrat has a reasonable chance if the majority of Americans wake up to the fact that the mass news media is a puppet to the 1%'ers, the dictators.
The bailing out of banks, corporation and the continuing news of executives receiving outrageous bonus or making millions of dollars by selling stocks before they start
dropping in price are outright crimes. All such bonus and stock sales are illegal and the billions of dollars must be collected and returned to the American people and the criminals jailed for life. White collar crime is more serious than murder, more individuals are seriously injured.
All Congress is corrupt. One of the goals of the OWS, Occupy Wall Street Movement is to stop the corruption and the control of our government by the 1%'ers, the Dictator billionaires, the Wall Street and Corporation Maggots and their puppets: most of Congress, the military generals,
the corrupt mass news media and the many unconscious Americans that only listen to the mass news media and do not even know about juancole.com, Truthdig, The Nation,
DailyKos, Tomdispatch.com, MichaelHudson's Middle East Institute, Kevin Drum's Mother Jones, Salon.com, Think Progress and many other sources of true information, news.
If the democrats or the republicans win the 2012 election, the status quo will continue. The 1% dictators will remain in power, that is the Rich and their Corporations will continue to rule with their puppets, Congress and the mass news media continuing their insane roles.
Thus, the insanity of wars, environmental pollution, phony economic bailouts, more crap from politicians and ecetera will continue.
Insanity: Attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.
US Dictators considering or posturing on attack.
Such an attack could result in World War III.
Consider that a terrorist or anyone explodes a couple
suitcase nuclear bombs in America during the attack.
Would the US know who to blame?
The above is stated as info for the so called military experts since using planes as bombs was evidently not considered as a possible terrorist weapon to defend against by our military experts, even though that's exactly what Japan did on Pearl Harbor.
What forced Japan to attack Pearl Harbor? The US put an oil embargo on Japan on August 1, 1941. In a month or so all industry in Japan would shut down.
Main Interests of 99.75% of Iranians of Most of the World:
Raising their families
Good job and income
Owning a home
College education for their kids
Enjoyable life
A few luxuries
Main Interests of Dictators, the 1%'ers and Puppets:
Wealth
Power
Megalomania, a delusional mental disorder marked by feelings of personal
omnipotence and grandeur.
America's illegal bombing and invasion of Iraq was a act of insanity by President Bush and an act of mass insanity by Congress and many Americans. The news media controlled by
the 1%'ers, the dictators and their puppets is responsible for the mass insanity.
The insanity of Congress was due to negligence of duty, not knowing the actual facts and megalomania, a delusional mental disorder marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur.
Does the world need to have another World War that could end up destroying much of the world before war becomes obsolete? Mass weapons of destruction and drones in the
hands of terrorists?
No. A strong unified military controlled by the United Nations' military to replace all militaries of the world. This may be the best answer to the US military forces under
the corrupt control of the Dictators, the 1%'ers and their puppet generals.
They're interested in the basics: having a job to support their families, owning a home, making sure their kids get an education(for some a college education), having some fun and enjoying their lives with a few luxuries. Just like the 99%'ers in America and the world.
I worked in Iran for a year during which I met and talked with most classes of Iranians except the 1%'ers, the ruling class and their dictators and puppets. Wait, their 1%'ers are probably closer to 1/4 of a percent, the 1/4%'ers.
It's the dictators, the 0.25 to 1 percent that rule the countries and the world that often have or develop addictions to wealth and power that result in megalomania, a delusional mental disorder that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur.
Thus, we have all the posturing of war and sometimes war, legal or illegal.
If the US can continue to develop weapons of mass destruction and drone kill "anyone" they casually name as a terrorist without due process of the law, why shouldn't any other country? Oh, excuse me. The United States knows what it's doing? Bull shit.
I not politically knowledgeable and a little confused, so bear with me.
Questions
1: Is there a presidential candidate that will represent
the 99'ers and prevent economic collapse and anarchy?
2: Would Ron Paul truly represent the 99'ers?
Or would he just become another puppet or puppeteer?
I think the 1% dictators don't clearly understand that they're destroying their source of wealth, the working 99'ers which could result in anarchy, a police state.
America and the world are quickly becoming conscious of the lies and dictatorship of the 1%'ers(the puppeteers), the rich, corporations, politicians. Their puppets include the news media and others that vote for or blindly support the Republican and Democratic parties. Many politicians begin as puppets and later become puppeteers.
Can America and the world recover if another Democratic or Republican puppet president is voted in? Or will America be elected into anarchy?
Professor, feel free to edit. If you think some of my comments could put me on the spy and/or hit list of the 1% Dictators use "anonymous" as name and delete any reference to my email. Thanks
Surprised, definitely not. "Corporate mass media is hostile to the movement." Anything that doesn't support the elected Republican and Democratic puppets and their 1% Dictators is either given spin or ignored by the mass media.
PBS Newshour and Talk of the Nation, programs on national public TV and radio stations are suppose to be unbiased.
I haven't watch the Newshour for months. When I watched Shields and Brooks give their analysis of the Occupy Wall Street on Monday or Tuesday, all I saw was spin. Mark Shields and David Brooks sounded washed out and dead, I felt sorry for them. They must realize that they're both sad clowns and just puppets to the 1% Dictators. They stopped being authentic news people years ago. Before they lose all consciouness, both of them should listen to Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005: link to youtube.com
The speech is about 14 minutes.
Here a couple quotes from it:
Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You got to find what you love and that is as true for work as it is for you lovers. ——– The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking and don’t settle.”
“My third story is about death. When I was seventeen I read a quote that went something like “If you live each day as if it was your last someday you most certainly will be right. It made an impression on me and since then for the past 33 years, I’ve looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, if today were the last day of my life would I want to do what am about to do today. And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” ———
An inspiring and heartfull memorial on Steve Jobs. I didn't know who he was, but since I trust and respect you I goggled and ended up watching Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
A few of the gems, brilliant and powerful things he says are at 12:32 to 12:42, 7:58 to 9:24 of the video:
"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
"Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You got to find what you love and that is as true for work as it is for you lovers. -------- The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking and don't settle."
"My third story is about death. When I was seventeen I read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last someday you most certainly will be right. It made an impression on me and since then for the past 33 years, I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, if today were the last day of my life would I want to do what am about to do today. And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." ---------
Would be great if the paragraph above would be read and practiced daily by all people.
But, I would settle for the President and all those elected and appointed could be open and honest with themselves.
Again, no real news. Just phony sensationalism, diversions.
"Russia Today got a scoop on Monday---"
“Defecting Saudi Prince: Royal Family in Panic at Arab Revolts, Thousands Imprisoned”
Scoop? 17 days after "Prince Khalid Bin Farhan Al-Saud announced his defection from the Saudi Arabian royal family on July 27." He was already disinfected from royalty.
http://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/08/video-saudi-prince-who-defected-over-monarchys-corruption-and-silencing-of-dissent/
Sounds like Prince Khalid Bin Farhan is only a prince in name, not with wealth or power. The King years ago, stopped supporting the princes except for those of the 2,000 families that share the wealth and controlled power. Since there are about two to four thousand princes in Saudi Arabia, that leaves a thousand more or less without lots of money and controlled power.
As far as the "Royal Family in Panic--Thousands in Prison" I doubt if there's any panic and that most of the 40,000 in prison has accumulated over the last decade and not "in the recent weeks"
The uprisings in Bahrain in the last few years(decades?) which had some coverage here clearly exposed the corruption of both the Saudi and the US governments--the 5th Fleet is stationed at Bahrain. BFD, move it and the heck with Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Another waste of reading and time. Professor you're getting sloppy.
By the way, I worked in the Middle East in the late 70's, Riyadh for a year.
Again, all moves and plays by the Billionaires controlling the world.
How many of you know the size of a 200,000 acre fire?
Probably 1 in a 10,000 or 0.01%.
How many of you hear, really hear the news?
News Reporters: Please report fire size in mile lengths.
200,000 acre fires = area of 31 miles long, 10 miles wide.
------------
200,000/640 = 312.5 square miles. DON'T REPORT SQUARE MILES.
------------
31.25 miles long by 10 miles wide
15.63 " 20 "
Calculator: sq.rt. 312.5 = 17.68 mi X 17.68 mi = 17.68
Or relate to a city, in this case New York City and:
Augusta 302.5 sq mi of land
New York City 302.6
Kansas City 313.5
Memphis 315.1
San Francisco 46.9 x 6.7
I've emails this info to many TV and radio news shows telling them to report fire size in terms of miles in length and width. But the lazy ignorant people don't understand and don't give a damn about reporting the actual understandable news and/or understanding the news they report.
For about two weeks, one station reported fire size in miles and then it went back to reporting acres. No one took the time to make a chart or give the simple math.
I have no idea how big 200,000 acres is unless I divide by 640, the number of acres per square mile which I forget, and then take the square root of that number. Forgot that a 10,000 acre fire is 15.625 sq miles or about 4 miles by 4 miles which I'll forget in a week most likely.
Remember: 10,000 acres, 16 sq miles, 4 miles by 4 miles.
Don't have cable TV, seldom listen to the radio and don't read newspapers since most American public news media is useless, controlled and propaganda from the corrupt ruling billionaires and their world governments, corporations, Congresses, etc.
My initial reaction to first hearing about the Boston Bombing here on Informed Comment was that probably most of the "Boston refusing to be cowed" didn't hesitate to run out and help those injured - unlike at Obama's drone attacks which often include additional drones to kill those coming to aid innocent bystanders or even those ID'd as unofficial US enemies by the President.
Everyday in the Middle East there are killings by US forces and drones. The Military Industrial Complex continues to grow and amass more and more wealth and power.
When will the UN become the peace caretaker of the world instead of the USA? Never as long as the Billionaires control the world governments, the MIC, the Fed/IMF (the banking industry is a Ponzi scheme), the corporations, news media, the food industry, etc.
Take money, religion and politicians out of politics.
This is real news. Not the crap, the daily news that most Americans get shoved up their rears.
It's not just the Pentagon, the White House of the Military Industrial Complex that has helped make Afghanistan the most corrupt country in the world, but also the phony and corrupt President Obama, most members of Congress, many bankers, the American useless mass news media and other corrupt rich Americans, millionaires and billionaires.
Americans have and continue to loose their jobs, homes, education and health care for their kids because of the greed and corruption of Congress, politicians, corporations(news, food, industrial, etc) and on and on.
Shut down the Military Industrial Complex.
Shut down the Federal Reserve.
Replace all the corrupt and rich Congress members with honest people. My wild guess is that 75% of Congress are corrupt and rich.
Obama's austerity program is fantasy as Europe is proving.
Can any of you readers make this expose viral on the web?
America needs to clean house ASAP - As Soon As Possible.
America needs to Occupy the Pentagon, the White House and Congress now.
Who's got the guts to step up?
Enough is enough.
The rich billionaires, millionaires and their families, corporations and rich puppets will never approve increasing taxes on themselves. They all helped created the crises.
Half of Congress members are millionaires and the other half becoming millionaires.
Solutions:
1. Get money out of politics.
2. Prohibit millionaires from all political offices, appointed or elected.
3. Raise taxes between 50 to 85% on the rich, our corrupt Congress members, corporations and others that created and help to continue the financial crises, foreclosures, offshore manufacturing and lost of US manufacturing.
4. Limit political terms of office, elected and appointed to 4 years.
5. Discontinue free health insurance for life for all Congress members and all government positions. Let them all pay as most Americans do. Congress is corrupt.
6, Nationalize the Federal Reserve, a private corporation whose only goal is making their criminal billionaire owners and private share holders filthy rich.
7. Close down the Military Industrial Complex. No more illegal wars by the Us.
8. No more phony bailouts.
9. Bring back and support unions, fair wages and work condition.
10. Replace the corrupt, puppet mass news media with all its lies and propaganda with honest news investigation and reporting.
11. Establish a Federal Department of Honesty and Truth to maintain honesty and truth in all levels government to eliminate the lies, deception, spin and corruption now running rampant in all government offices and work.
12. Start arresting white collar criminals.
The time to clean house is now or else America and the world will experience a very serious depression.
How stupid can the US Government be in cutting services and be frugal. Money can be printed and used to pay for services rendered including rebuilding roads and bridges, building new schools and hospitals, giving students government issued interests free loans on the condition that they take and complete required courses in learning how to learn in high school so that they don't drop out of college.
No more Billionaires and multiple millionaires.
Get the money out of politics!!!!!!!!!!
Kick out the corrupt Democrats, Republicans, the illegal Obama, nationalize the Federal Reserve and the phony banking system running the world largest and oldest Ponzi scam, close down the insane Military Industrial Complex, replace the conflict of interests executive of the Food and Drug Administration(aka the Federal Death Administration), breakup the illegally controlled mass news media and tax the corporations and billionaires between 60 and 80 percent, etc.
Obama's father was the not a US citizen, thus he is not a "natural born citizen, a constitutional requirement for only two offices, that of the President and the Vice President.
All the white collar criminals and murders must be prosecuted, jailed and stripped of their illegally obtained wealth and all possessions, aka the American Billionaires including their families, corporations, news medias, their Fed, etc.
Time to tax white collar criminals and murderers to Hell.
Obama is an illegal and phony President.
The Billionaires, Congress and the phony US government are responsible for the 1929 depression, for the lost of the American manufacturing industry and millions of jobs, the foreclosure scandal and on and on.
America needs a real President and a real Congress.
Who in the hell is going to come forward?
What's mysterious?
The news media which is a propaganda machine is controlled by the Billionaires that control Congress, that own the Federal Reserve and most banks that are responsible for the all the depressions, that run the Military Industrial Complex, etc. Do the large oil companies ever experience hard times? The Billionaires and their puppet millionaires just keep getting richer and richer.
The bankers and investment industry created the mortgage crises. Yet, Obama and Congress lets those damn "white collar criminals" work out a recovery plan for their criminal actions which is part of the greatest ever Ponzi Scam, the Federal Reserve, a private corporation.
Here's some good solutions to corruption in America: Stop the money profiteering of phony wars, elections, politics and of corporations that manufacture offshore. Stop the stealing of Americans' taxes to support the endless wars of the corrupt Military Industrial Complex which make filthy rich the corrupt Billionaires ruling Congress which is half corrupt millionaires, the other half becoming millionaires; ruling the phony mass news media; ruling the illegal Federal Reserve which is a private corporation; ruling the FDA with its conflict of interests; etc.
Movies, TV, computer games glorify violence and killing with guns. Sick, sick, sick.
I'm fed up with all the illegal, legal or justified wars in the Middle East and was too tired early this morning to look it up info who supplied the jets. Read that the US government and corporations supply 60% of the military equipment/supplies that are used in fighting the Middle East wars. The Rich get richer.
I make mistakes. But, does it really matter who supplies the military equipment since it's going to be used to kill and put the rich in control. For Pete's sake, if the US would have invested half of the trillions of dollars spent in the Middle East wars, most of the countries would have raised their standard of living for the common people.
Possible reasons for wars include eliminating tyrants, helping a the common people and last but not least making the corrupt Rich richer.
The US government is very corrupt. It does not relate to nor represent the 99% of Americans.
Here's a quick review of US Government Corruption 101:
1. Money rules elections. Obama's father was not a US citizen. When Romney became a possible presidential candidate I googled his work with Bain. He made millions of dollars by consolidating businesses, some thrived and some went bankrupt resulting in layoffs of tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of workers and those businesses supporting the workers. There are now new ghost towns in America.
2. The Federal Reserve is a private corporation that illegally controls money and creates depressions which produce more millionaires and makes the Rich richer. Both President Kennedy and his brother Robert wanted to nationalize the Fed, shut it down. Hint, both were assassinated.
Educate yourself about the Fed, watch the real story in the movie, "International Banking Cartel (II)" which came out on Thanksgiving Day 2012.
http://knowingtest.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-international-banking-cartel-ii.html
3. The Military Industrial Complex is stronger than ever and very corrupt. Look at the failures of the generals in winning any of the Middle East illegal wars and other wars.
4. The corrupt mass news media keeps Americans dumb.
5. Guess who is controlling the Fed; the MIC; the mass news media; most of the major corporations and industries including entertainment and health care; the FDA, aka Federal Death Administration; the Supreme Court, etc?
The corrupt Billionaires and their old families, corporations, and their puppet millionaires including Congress. Half of Congress are corrupt millionaires and the other half are becoming millionaires and more corrupt.
6. The Presidents and Congress for the last 30 years have been supporting offshore transfer of many big American industries that were providing jobs to millions of Americans and the income bases for many cities, some which are now ghosts towns. Congress made it easy for companies and did not bother to increase profit taxes nor place tariffs on materials made using foreign workers. Studies show that Coca Cola did not hire more people in America with the extra profit. More crap from corporations.
7. The banking industry and Wall Street knew what was going on with the phony mortgages and offshore industries. The Presidents, the Treasury Secretaries, the financial executives knew what was happening, all guilty of negligence of duty. The Fed loans more money to the US government and/or prints money backed by nothing, fractional reserves. More crap.
Excuse my errors or mistakes, corrections are appreciated. I only have two degrees. But I've lived and worked in the Middle East for over 2 years, Vietnam vet 4 years and have done some world traveling.
The controlled American mass news media does not educate Americans, it brain washes them and makes them dumb. And you hear that various news media are getting more consolidated and bigger. What's happened to anti-trust regulations?
I assume the US government will not do anything to stop the Syrian government from bombing and killing innocent children and adults, standing in line to buy bread.
I assume the jet fighters were made in America and supplied by the US government or US corporations.
Oh, the US only supplies 60% of the military equipment being used by both sides in the Middle East wars and feuds.
If you're not sick and tired of the corrupt US government, you're either totally dumb, brain washed by the corrupt mass news media, uninformed or too busy to give a damn.
My uninformed and politically ignorant opinion of the European tape which I watched last night is that it is boring, without emotion or conviction and without any mention that the US is the only member not issuing a statement condemning Israeli plans for extensive, illegal theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank including "---installing squatters on it, in a step designed to cut the West Bank in two and make forever impossible a two-state solution to the problem of Palestinian statelessness."
I guess speaking against the lack of condemnation by the US is not politically and financially safe for most of the countries.
My ignorant suggestion: The US government should immediately withdraw and move to a more honest, more democratic and less corrupted country "all" the military equipment, supplies and weapons including nuclear bombs supplied to Israel by the US or purchased with US foreign aide.
Problem is that the corrupt Billionaires controlling the Federal Reserve, a private corporation and all the major banks around the world are controlling all money, including the depressions, recessions and the economies. They also control the major corporation, most governments, the US Congress and Supreme Court, the Military Industrial Complex, all the mass news medias in the US and around the world and probably most elections around the world including in America.
Is this corrupt control every going to be replaced with honest, informed democracy?
Is the US every going to have a real honest President with integrity, intelligence and wisdom? Or just continued puppets to the world ruling Billionaires?
If only a quarter of this article is true I would still be seriously disturbed and disgusted with the US government and the mass news media. If all or the majority of this article is true, then I'm all for replacing Obama, Congress, the Billionaires and their puppet millionaires, their mass news media, their private corporation - the Federal Reserve, their Military Industrial Complex, their corrupt FDA (the Federal Death Administration), their corrupt Supreme Court, etc should all be replaced or shut down.
I'm angry with the Billionaires that are killing America and the world.
"This Arabic-language report says that Israeli warplanes targeted the Jordanian field hospital late on Monday. I have not been able to find confirmation for this report, but if it is true, and deliberate, it would be a war crime."
Professor Cole, please follow up on confirmation.
If confirmed, the US Government must immediately break all diplomatic relations with Israel, cease all trade and demand that the military personnel and officials involved in the attack be brought to justice in the International Court of Justice of the United Nations.
The US must also remove all US supplied military aircraft, equipment, supplies and nuclear weapons from Israel and place them in a lawful, responsible country.
Israel is guilty of continuing international crimes and crimes against humanity and must be dealt with as appropriate. Enough crap from the corrupt US Government, Congress and the illegal President Obama whose father was never a US citizen as required by the Constitution.
The 1941 US embargo on all oil to Japan including from Indonesia(Dutch East Indies) forced Japan's military leaders to attack Pearl Harbor since they had less than two years of bunker oil(reserves) remaining before the shutdown of power production and all industry.
Apparently the corrupt US government and its Military Industrial Complex along with the corrupt and criminal Israeli government are tightening and expanding the oil and financial embargoes and their financial cyber attacks on Iran.
Are these questionable oil embargo and financial cyber attacks going to result in a significant portion of the reasonable and intelligent Iranians supporting dangerous retaliations to Israel and America just as the US oil embargo on Japan resulted in the Pearl Harbor attack?
Simple answer: The US Government and Congress are professional corrupt, thieves.
Half of Congress are corrupt millionaires and the other half are becoming corrupt millionaires. Millionaires should be prohibited from government offices.
The political debates are not debating what should be debated and on and on.
enough.......
No replies? Where are all the nebulous comments of the educated, academic and/or politically experienced commenters? What's the matter? No comments on truths?
The real problems are explained in the third paragraph:
"---Whatever caused that season of clarity, once elected, Obama promptly sank into the stale, muffled, parallel-universe language wielded by most politicians, and has remained there ever since.---"
My political ignorance suggest that Romney would continue Congress's support of the rich, making them richer and the 99% of Americans poorer and would absolutely mess up the Middle East, Iran, Palestine and the world.
The Obama dream or fantasy never ended. If Obama is selected by the corrupted Electoral College, the Federal Reserve, a private corporation will continue the phony money game for the Billionaires and their puppets. Half of Congress are millionaires and the other half are becoming millionaires.
1. Take the money out of politics.
2. Increase taxes on the Rich and Corporations to 70 to 80% which has proven to stimulate the economy and jobs over and over again.
3. Nationalize the Federal Reserve which both John F. and Robert Kennedy wanted to do, but were assassinated.
4. Reduce the Military Industry Complex and turn over policing the world to a new United Nations' military force.
5. Introduce government control over the controlled and corrupt news media, maybe a new Department of Honesty, Truth and Spin Control.
6. Jail all executives with conflict of interests in the FDA that are or have been executives of food and drug corporations.
Otherwise, make some real honest changes.
Enough.
What the US government does and "does not do" reflects on the corruption our educational system which is turning out ignorant, (intelligent?) rich robots that are incapable of thinking which is what the corrupt rulers want.
Being rich, consuming more and continual expansion can only end in overpopulation and destruction of the world. Peace comes within in helping ourselves and all others in doing our individual best without judgment. A good cook serves great meals that are healthy. Great politicians serves all of humanity, not a select group. Great teachers develop the thinking skills of each student, not just their memory skills. Too many non-thinking skilled technicians are being manufactured in our schools and colleges for the dictators. Ignorant, non-thinking people often if not always end up with a dictator & a corrupt government.
Your daily blog should be a mandatory read 3 times weekly for students in Administration of Justice, Anthropology, History, Humanities, Interdisciplinary Studies, Journalism,
Legal, Media Communications, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, etc. Two reports would be required:
one after one month and the final second report at the end of the semester. Both reports including on how Informed Comment applies and pertains to your individual major and how its made you think differently and more about some subjects. Of course additional reports would be acceptable for extra credit or to counter poor tests results.
For students in the course list below, weekly reads once or twice a week should be enough to open their minds. Use same report schedules as above.
Art, Business, Computer Science, Computer, Counseling, Information Systems, Counseling, Drama, Economics, English, Geography, Health and Human Services, Health Education, Kinesiology, Library Studies, Medical Assistant and Office Tech, Music, Nursing, Real Estate(global & local), Speech.
I only read the first two paragraphs, enough is enough.
Israel has taken its 20th or 40th last step over the line.
It's time for Obama to show his "FIRST real honest action" as the President of the United States. He must demand that the Israel government immediately: release all 30 persons kidnapped from the Gaza aide ship Estelle and allow delivery of its cargo of aid; replace the criminal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all of his cronies with honest politicians; and reach within 3 months a two state solution with Palestine or else the United States will begin immediately cutting all its ties with Israel. This would begin with removing all the military equipment and nuclear weapons given to Israel that established it as the Middle East keystone military base.
Of course another country would have to be selected by the US government to replace Israel's role. Are there any honest governments available? Are there any individuals in the US government that could make intelligent and wise choices? Perhaps a collective effort by the UN and NATO with a group of 6 or more countries would work better. I'm politically ignorant, nevertheless wouldn't have any clue from the crap that the corrupt, controlled mass news media dishes out.
Thus, I'm like most Americans that want honest, wise and intelligent individuals that can relate to and represent the 99% of Americans and that can stop making the same mistakes decade after decade. Or are the mistakes not mistakes just plans by the ruling billionaires and millionaires?
There's excessive secrecy and greed in governments.
I am politically ignorant. Don't have the ability to brush up - dysfunctional memory. Most of my comments come from my heart, common sense and from what I read here and google.
I'm simple minded. I see the game of politics as a diversion by the billionaire dictators ruling America and the world.
Half of Congress are millionaires and the other half are becoming millionaires who can't(won't) relate nor represent the 99% of Americans.
The Federal Reserve, a private corporation keeps its owners and select group of share holders rich and richer by loaning money(out of thin air) to the US government.
Excuse my political ignorance, but:
Can't the US Government break all ties with Israel and its corrupt government?
"--Palestinians in the Occupied Territories under Israeli control face conditions much worse than those suffered by African-Americans in the Old South under Jim Crow."
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2012/06/2012627112840388494.html
Could the US Government replace Israel with another country to be the keystone military power maintaining peace in the Middle East that would be provided with the military power that would include relocating all the military power, equipment and nuclear bombs that the US has located in Israel through foreign aide? Most, if not all of the nuclear bombs should be retired. Whose crazy enough to start a nuclear war?
Israel is maintaining peace in the Middle East?
1. How is the mass news media allowed to continue spreading the out and out lies and propaganda of Netanyahu?
2. Why does Israel annually continue to received the largest amount of US foreign aide of all foreign countries?
3. Why hasn't Israel signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
4. 132 UN members recognize the State of Palestine, but the Security Council keeps vetoing it's membership. The Security Council should be reformed, more democratic. Many instances that required immediate attention didn't get it and tens of thousands of deaths occurred. This is more BS.
"The United States is working to gather enough United Nations Security Council members to resist a planned Palestinian statehood bid so as to avoid having to use its veto power, Israeli and U.S. sources said on Saturday." What the hell is going on? The corrupt billionaires, MIC and others keep trouble available. The billionaires' get rich game disguised as the phony game of world politics and the MIC.
Has or will the mass news media ever give justifiable attention and news time to this critical information that Republicans are passing voter ID laws to suppress voting, not fraud?
Please tell me that I wrong in assuming that most judges would not give a fair hearing to rescinding the passed voter ID laws and preventing more such voter ID laws around the country. I make the weak generalization that more judges are republicans since they're income puts them in the 1%, not in the 99%.
I don't have a TV anymore since I can't stand the commercials and the corrupt, controlled new that is presented on the controlled, corrupt mass news media.
The US Government should immediately demand a two state settlement to the Israel-Palestine tragedy, a regime change consisting of the arrest, trial and imprisonment of Benjamin Netanyahu and all of his cronies found guilty of crimes of inhumanity against the Palestinians.
Otherwise, the US government will remove all the military equipment and weapons given to Israel including nuclear bombs, put an embargo on all trade with Israel and end all diplomatic ties with Israel.
After reading Informed Comment for the last few weeks, how can an sane individual not agree with the above. If you disagree, then you could be found guilty of conspiring with terrorists.
The dangerous game of the Rich with their wars, politics, phony terrorism has to end. The corrupt billionaire and their puppet millionaires have to be stopped.
One lie buried in what appears to be truths can often be accepted as a truth. The Occupy movements are secretly controlled by the US government using the FBI, CIA and/or Home Security agents disguised as normal Americans.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Commenters on Informed Comment are attempting to confuse, misdirect and discredit truths and are corrupt millionaires or billionaires or their puppets.
"--The US does not deliberately target civilians, but that some are hit in pursuit of militants is squarely the fault of the militants. And on what evidence did the New York Times report base its conclusion that “all military-aged males are held to be militants.”?"
Proof in New York Times unless linked article is of lies:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?pagewanted=all
---"The president’s directive reinforced the need for caution, counterterrorism officials said, but did not significantly change the program. In part, that is because “the protection of innocent life was always a critical consideration,” said Michael V. Hayden, the last C.I.A. director under President George W. Bush.
It is also because Mr. Obama embraced a disputed method for counting civilian casualties that did little to box him in. It in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants, ACCORDING TO SEVERAL ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.
Counter terrorism officials insist this approach is one of simple logic: people in an area of known terrorist activity, or found with a top Qaeda operative, are probably up to no good. “Al QED is an insular, paranoid organization — innocent neighbors don’t hitchhike rides in the back of trucks headed for the border with guns and bombs,” said one official, who requested anonymity to speak about what is still a classified program.
This counting method may partly explain the official claims of extraordinarily low collateral deaths. In a speech last year Mr. Brennan, Mr. Obama’s trusted adviser, said that not a single noncombatant had been killed in a year of strikes. And in a recent interview, a senior administration official said that the number of civilians killed in drone strikes in Pakistan under Mr. Obama was in the “single digits” — and that independent counts of scores or hundreds of civilian deaths unwittingly draw on false propaganda claims by militants.---"
Excuse my political ignorance, but:
1. How is the mass news media allowed to continue spreading the out and out lies and propaganda of Netanyahu?
2. Why does Israel annually continue to received the largest amount of US foreign aide of all foreign countries which includes military aide?
Could the US Government replace Israel with another country that would be provided with the military power to keep the peace in the Middle East, of course this would include relocating all the military power, equipment and nuclear bombs that the US has located in Israel through foreign aide?
3. Why hasn't Israel signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
4. 132 UN members recognize the State of Palestine, but the Security Council keeps vetoing it's membership. The Security Council should be reformed, more democratic. Many instances that required immediate attention didn't get it and tens of thousands of deaths occurred. This is more BS.
"The United States is working to gather enough United Nations Security Council members to resist a planned Palestinian statehood bid so as to avoid having to use its veto power, Israeli and U.S. sources said on Saturday." What the hell is going on? The corrupt billionaires, MIC and others keep trouble available. The billionaire's get richer game disguised as a phony game of world politics.
"--Palestinians in the Occupied Territories under Israeli control face conditions much worse than those suffered by African-Americans in the Old South under Jim Crow."
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2012/06/2012627112840388494.html
In a big nut shell:
The main reason for the corrupt stirring up of religious anger and bigotry, for the corrupt and illegal wars, for the existence of phony terrorists, for the corrupt US government, the corrupt Military Industrial Complex (MIC), for the corrupt Federal Reserve, for the corrupt Banking industry is to make the corrupt politicians and the corrupt Billionaires and Millionaires richer.
Half of Congress are millionaires and the other half are working on becoming millionaires. Congress will never approve increased taxes on the rich and their corporations.
Will the Bush Era Tax Cuts ever end?
Can money be taken out of politics?
Will white collar criminals be taken out of government and punished?
Will the court system ever be honest and legal?
Will America ever have democracy?
I believe and have experienced that the central purpose of all spiritual practices is Love: helping humankind to live in peace by helping ourselves and all others that we directly or indirectly come in contact with to do our individual best towards perfection without causing any pain: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, sexual, psychological, etc.
When possible, being present in the here and now without the past or future will often bring you peace and allow you to do your best towards perfection. I gave up engineering to become one of the best certified nurse aides in the San Francisco Bay Area since I learned how to work with my heart and be present. I have done what others are unable to do with patients and children.
When you're really present, perfection and experiencing miracles often follows. Perfection is not a goal but a result from opening your heart and repeatedly opening and trying to keep your heart open under all situations.
Forgive yourself and others for all the pain that you and others have caused. Feel and think with your heart, not with your mind, bank account nor with fear of any kind such as being without food, help and support, a home and family, a job, some money, etc. Drop all you judgments of yourself and of all others and understand that you and others cause pain because of the lack of help and support(love) and/or because of any of the fears.
Cole wrote in memoriam to Hal Davidon, Sep 2, 2012:
“What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love“. It's just not now, but the world "will always need" love as Kathleen commented. Governments are full of power and lack a lot of love. Love, altruism should be taught in schools and colleges. https://www.juancole.com/2012/09/what-the-world-needs-now-in-memoriam-hal-david.html#comments
All government work, meetings should have 2 daily 3 minute breaks for remembering what real love is. Not the lust that is brainwashed into our young kids and teenagers by their parents, movies, TV, celebrities, the mass news media, etc. Lust is becoming a systemic disease in America.
Please, Americans wake up. Quit setting poor examples to the world. Many politicians have no Love, just lust for power and money.
"-- I might feel better if I regarded the GWBush presidency in the same way some people regard the alleged moon landings…--"
You error in comparing the moon landings to the criminal GW Bush presidency which resulted in death, pain, suffering and misery to millions of Americans. His presidency included millions of cohorts, white collar criminals like those of the corrupt banking industry that got and continue to receive bonuses, bailouts....
You appear to be educated, intellectual, knowledgeable and possibly rich. And arrogant, unable to truly relate to or represent the average American, the 99%. You prefer to ignore the corrupt presidency which resulted in the deaths of ten's of thousands of Americans that thought they were fighting for their country, the millions of Americans that loss their homes and/or jobs due to the corrupt financial/banking industry, and the millions of citizens that lack health care including native, natural born or naturalized citizens, aliens that have successively completed the legal process of which many if not most Americans would fail without extensive studying.
My point, what are you and other educated, intellectual, knowledgeable individuals doing about the current idiot elections? Ignoring it or accepting the status quo? Or simply, nothing because you can't or won't.
Is Obama a sleeper that is going to do miraculous things if the Democratic party gains control of Congress?
I would appreciate answers and suggestions to these questions. Please ignore my ignorance and correct errors.
Could Obama have forced the banking industry to rent homes to those that have or are facing foreclosures like the British government did instead of completing the foreclosures and tossing the families out on the streets, into bankruptcy or into the struggle of moving, etc? Why can't America learn from the success of other countries? Maybe because the corrupt billionaires/millionaires have their corrupt plans.
Could Obama have used or can he still use the presidential executive orders? to tax the rich and their corporations? end the Bush Era Tax Cuts to the rich? Will he get money out of elections and education?
Clinton raised the taxes on the rich and corporations which resulted in the greatest expansion of America's economy, jobs and wealth. Will the new Congress that is half millionaires and the half becoming millionaires, refuse all tax increases to the rich and their corporations and the end to the Bush Era Tax Cuts to the rich?
For the truth about the Bush Cuts see: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3490
Romney should be in jail for his lies(disguised as ignorance or mistakes), excessive spin and manipulation of the truth. His ignorance, real or bogus, about the Middle East and Iran alone should make him ineligible for running for any political office. But the average American including the 50% of Americans that are working class, not in the middle class, expects some spin and lies is unable or does not sift through the garbage of the mass news medias for the truth. They listen or watch the evening news or in their cars. They don't blog or search for the truth.
It's becoming clear that a majority of wars in the Middle East and around the world are just a source of income for the corrupt billionaires and their: royal families, their Military Industrial Complex, their controlled mass news medias, their puppet millionaire & billionaires and their corporations, including the Federal Reserve and the IRS are, apparently private corporations. Add to the list of corrupt control the FDA, Hollywood, the health industry, education, etc.
Bush got elected because the corrupt billionaires control the mass news media which controls/manipulates what the majority of Americans think and do. They also control the majority of corporations and other systems required to produce and maintain the necessities of life and supply the luxuries.
enough
Has anyone read my above post? Or is this blog just for blowing your own horn? Is this blog reaching and inspiring any actions, changes in our government?
Is Professor Cole the only reader of my post? Is this blog only reaching a few thousand expert thinkers, many that may be rich that would not approve increased taxes on the rich and corporations nor end the Bush Era Tax Credit for the rich? I'm feeling disappointed that I get no responses, that I'm wasting my time commenting.
I believe that most, if not all of the 7 items are valid needed changes that would help if not stop the economic downward spiral of America and the world.
Please, some of you informed and educated commenters tell me I'm wrong believing that Obama with the Democrats controlling Congress would NOT make some of my 7 changes and others that would stop the downward economic spiral?
I can't believe that Romney is the best that the Republicans can offer.
Am I delusional in believing that the Occupy movements could help elect honest, intelligent and wise individuals into our government at all levels to represent the 99%?
Am I correct in believing that Congress WILL NOT END the Bush Era Tax Cuts nor increase taxes for the rich and their corporations?
Am I correct in believing that Obama is not seriously trying to represent the 99% of Americans, nor would he even with a Democrat controlled Congress?
If I don't get any responses I will cease and desist from offering my uninformed, ignorant comments that are apparently achieving nothing. I'm under the delusion that some of my comments may encourage real action by one or a few of the commenters to this blog.
Is Obama a sleeper that will take control with a Democrat controlled Congress and seriously represent the 99%?
Please, comment and correct errors and delusions of my 7 items.
Have to go swim.
The corrupt power and money of the billionaires, their corporations and puppets are killing America and the world.
This "power and money virus" is spreading like wild fire amongst the puppet millionaires including the half of Congress that are single or multiple-digit millionaires and the other half that are becoming millionaires.
How in the hell can anybody believe that Congress members would approve increased taxes on themselves and an end to the Bush Era Tax Cut for the rich?
See the facts: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3490
I believe that a real economic recovery plan that will work and prevent a massive depression will have to include most of the following and other items. Excuse my political ignorance and errors. Corrections appreciated.
1. Shrink, downsize the Military Industrial Complex. Upsize and strengthen the UN's military and responsibility.
2. Increasing taxes to the rich and corporations as Clinton did which worked. I know, different times, but.
3. End Bush Era Tax Cuts. See the true facts, not the GOP lies: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3490
4. Nationalize the Federal Reserve/the US banking complex, a private corporation.
5. End the corrupt control of the mass news medias, the FDA, the education system, etc.
6. Pass a new election law excluding multiple millionaires from elected or appointed positions
7. Last but not lease, replace all corrupted politicians with honest, intelligent and wise individuals not committed to a single party, but committed to representing and relating to the 99% of Americans. The party system is broken since millionaires(money) control both parties. Get the money out of politics, period.
Such real action must be taken to end the spread of the billionaires money/power virus.
For action, I suggest that the Occupy movements be inspired and organized into supporting and recommending individual candidates for all federal, state, county and local elections that are honest, intelligent, "wise" and that would represent and relate to the 99% of Americans. Over whelm and force the mass news media to present the real news if possible.
I know that the constant complaints, informed comments and chatter on this blog are not reaching many Americans nor are they going to change much of anything. Over half of Americans are of the working class that don't blog and that many if not a majority are brain washed by the mass news medias into to believing that voting democratic is the lesser of evils and that Obama will do something with Democratic Party in control of Congress. What's his track record? How many effective presidential execute orders has he issued?
Will Obama make real changes if the Democratic Party controls Congress? I don't think so, I'm politically ignorant.
Any better solutions? Please present them. Enough complaints. Have the Occupy movements spread validated and honest information about Romney, other candidates and all the issues. The mass news media, ugh.
Any mistakes, corrections appreciated. I'm too fed up, too old and tired to do much of anything even proof reading.
Both Romney and Obama represent the corrupted rich who are killing themselves and America by stealing more and more from Americans that create and maintain their wealth.
The power and control of corrupt billionaires/millionaires over the government, politics and the lives of Americans must be ended - thus, Occupy movements.
A real way to end this corruption is for the Occupy movements to be inspired and organized into supporting and recommending individual candidates for all federal, state, county and local elections that are honest, "wise" and that would represent and relate to the 99% of Americans.
America with a debt of 15 trillion dollars cannot borrow its way out of debt.
The controlled mass news medias are brain washing Americans.
Romney and Ryan are confused, corrupted fools. How can any sound thinking American consider voting for them?
Abortions must be made legal for all conditions.
The decision to have an abortion in most situations should be made by the mother, not by the father, partner, family, government nor religion or spiritual practice.
A fetus requires loving care and support to be born a healthy human physically, mentally, emotinally and psychologically with heart and compassion.
All of the below are my "unexperienced opinions" subject to revision/correction by rape and abortion experienced women, mothers, fathers and families.
Problems: A young 14 year old girl that has been raped may not be of sound mind for months, years or never(?). If she wants the baby she may not realize all the difficulties, humiliation, prejudice, anger, etc she would experience in school, with friends, in the public and even in her family.
I believe that the laws on rape and abortion should be written by women and familes that have experienced rape(s), an abortion(s) "and both" including laws covering minors, unwedded mothers, mentally unsound, physically unsound, dangerous births, etc. Religions and spiritual practices and beliefs are to have no binding legal authority.
The rape victim's decision to have an abortion should be accepted, no matter if underaged. How many rape victims will want the child? No rape victim regardless of age should be forced to have the child. I would assume that most rape victims are not going to be mentally sound for months or years.
"It shouldn’t be allowed in the United States of America for a handful of billionaires to buy the election."
Okay. I've read you repeated complaints about the elections and the candidates for many months. Are you or any of your commenters taking any actions, or just continuing the complaints?
I've made suggestions, but have received no comments or suggestions. I don't have the intelligence nor ability to do much of anything. Too old and poor.
Somehow, get the Occupy movements to start endorsing candidates with honesty, real intelligence, wisdom and other attributes for the Presidency and other positions in all elections, federal to the local.
The Democratic and Republican parties are corrupted beyond belief. Money is ruling and killing America.
doing about it Billionaires have been controlling the mass news media, Congress, the FDA, the financial industry and other large corporations/industries including those of food, health care, education, pharmaceuticals, ect for decades.
How can Americans vote intelligently if they're given crap, lies, spin in most of the news. Over 50% of Americans do not blog and end up voting based on information from the mass news media.
Simplistically, after reading parts of "International law and Israeli settlements" in Wikipedia I have questions?
Are the Israeli settlements and actions in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights that have and are forcibly removing Palestinians, illegal? Most countries of the world and the UN consider them illegal, violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Of course Israel and a few others don't.
If so, the US Government must formally acknowledge the crimes of Israeli and advise them to stop all illegal actions and make retribution to the Palestinians or else face removal of all military equipment and weapons including nuclear bombs and an end of all diplomatic ties and trade.
Israel receives the largest foreign aid of all countries in the world in the disguise of military equipment and weapons.
Corruption: Money + Power = US Military Industrial Complex
contributes to destroying the economy of America.
Of course this would require a strong President, not another legally educated smooth talking individual.
Who is Romney, the GOP, other billionaires/millionaires and puppets fooling with their lies, spin and deceit about taxes and ways to repair the economy?
Not many if any of the bloggers here nor those that peruse Cole's "Friends and Interlocutors" or other similar web sites attempting to present the truth of what's really going on, exposing the corrupt mass news media, politicians and their parties.
I can't believe that Romney has any chance of winning. Obama's chances are slim since his actions speak quite clearly and loudly when heard - his drones, allowing the bankers and financial idiots that led America and the world into the crises to repair their own damage, people still in crises, etc.
What about the 50% of the US population that is the working class with a yearly income less than $30,000? What about the lower middle class?
Elections suggest that a large portion are believing the lies, spin and/or deceit of Romney and the GOP.
To the point: below are some real solutions on past crises that worked and will work again.
In the 1990s, Clinton began balancing the budget and paying down the national debt.
From the RollingStone, November 9, 2011:
“How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich”
“—After taking office, Clinton immediately seized the mantle of fiscal discipline from Republicans. Rather than simply trimming the federal deficit, as his GOP predecessors had done, he set out to balance the budget and begin paying down the national debt. To do so, he hiked the top tax bracket to nearly 40 percent and boosted the corporate tax rate to 35 percent. “It cost him both houses of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections,” says Chafee, the former GOP senator. “But taming the deficit led to the best economy America’s ever had.” Following the tax hikes of 1993, the economy grew at a brisk clip of 3.2 percent, creating more than 11 million jobs. Average wages ticked up, and stocks soared by 78 percent. By the spring of 1997, the federal budget was headed into the black.—”
link to rollingstone.com
The “artificial crises” is quite painfully and real to about 220 million Americans, 70% of the current US population of 314 million - 50% is the working class and 20%, a portion of the middle class.
Pains: lost job, looking for jobs that aren't there, lost/losing your home, moving, new schools, losing health care benefits, college ruled out for teen, etc.
Probably most of you reading this are not experiencing any pain. Is that why you have so much intellectual talk without any solutions or actions? Diversions.
Why don't the Occupy movements select and support honest, wise, intelligent individual candidates for all elections that will represent the 99%, not the parties nor money? Is this avoidance a carefully executed plan by those against the Occupy movements? The corrupt US government, billionaires, etc? If it is, it's working and looks like another 4 years of corruption.
Romney and the other corrupt billionaires and millionaire don’t feel much pain. What the hell is the difference between spending $100,000 or $10,000,000 a year on non-essentials?
–”It’s difficult to imagine today, but taxing the rich wasn’t always a major flash point of American political life. From the end of World War II to the eve of the Reagan administration, the parties fought over social spending – Democrats pushing for more, Republicans demanding less. But once the budget was fixed, both parties saw taxes as an otherwise uninteresting mechanism to raise the money required to pay the bills. Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford each fought for higher taxes, while the biggest tax cut was secured by John F. Kennedy, whose across-the-board tax reductions were actually opposed by the majority of Republicans in the House. The distribution of the tax
burden wasn’t really up for debate: Even after the Kennedy cuts, the top tax rate stood at 70 percent – double its current level. Steeply progressive taxation paid for the postwar investments in infrastructure, science and education that enabled the average American family to get ahead.—”
70% for the billionaires and now it’s only 35%.
The best growth and economical times have been during the highest taxes especially for the rich and corporations. Would have quoted the articles, but couldn’t find them.
Tax all the billionaires, the corrupt and criminal 85% and the honest 70% and those that kept jobs in America 60%.
Read more the RollingStone and you’ll agree, Romney and most of the GOP should be tarred and feathered for their lies, perjury regarding taxes and the US economy and growth.
link to rollingstone.com
President Obama should read my above post and especially the RollingStone post, and then take real honest action even if it means losing his reelection. If he doesn't he should be exposed for his ignorance or most likely his corruption and not be supported nor reelected.
The billionaires, millionaires and all their puppets that caused and are still contributing to the crises must pay. They are all white collar criminals and should pay for their crimes with fines, jail time and in many cases, loss of their fortunes and property. They have caused pain, suffering, loss and deaths that will continue for years, some that can't be recovered from. Our government and country must be purged of these white collar criminals - that is or was the real goal of the Occupy movements.
But I assume I'll be ignored and things will continue to go down the drain.
Now is the time for another Clinton type to step up and save America and the world from the corrupt billionaires. Any takers or suggestions??????????
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109#ixzz23nAAJqtE
In the 1990s how did Clinton balance the budget and pay down the national debt that again play major causes of the current "created artificial crises"?
From the RollingStone, November 9, 2011:
"How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich"
"---After taking office, Clinton immediately seized the mantle of fiscal discipline from Republicans. Rather than simply trimming the federal deficit, as his GOP predecessors had done, he set out to balance the budget and begin paying down the national debt. To do so, he hiked the top tax bracket to nearly 40 percent and boosted the corporate tax rate to 35 percent. "It cost him both houses of Congress in the 1994 midterm elections," says Chafee, the former GOP senator. "But taming the deficit led to the best economy America's ever had." Following the tax hikes of 1993, the economy grew at a brisk clip of 3.2 percent, creating more than 11 million jobs. Average wages ticked up, and stocks soared by 78 percent. By the spring of 1997, the federal budget was headed into the black.---"
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109#ixzz23mp5JZyK
The "artificial crises" is quite painfully real to about 220 million Americans, 70% of the current US population of 314 million. 50% is the working class plus 20%, a portion of the middle class.
Pains: losing a job then looking for another or another, losing your home and moving, losing health care benefits, college costs, etc. Probably most of you reading this are not experiencing any pain. That's why you have so much intellectual talk without any solutions or actions?
Romney and the other corrupt billionaires and millionaire don't feel much pain. What the hell is the difference between spending $100,000 or $10,000,000 a year on non-essentials?
--"It's difficult to imagine today, but taxing the rich wasn't always a major flash point of American political life. From the end of World War II to the eve of the Reagan administration, the parties fought over social spending – Democrats pushing for more, Republicans demanding less. But once the budget was fixed, both parties saw taxes as an otherwise uninteresting mechanism to raise the money required to pay the bills. Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford each fought for higher taxes, while the biggest tax cut was secured by John F. Kennedy, whose across-the-board tax reductions were actually opposed by the majority of Republicans in the House. The distribution of the tax
burden wasn't really up for debate: Even after the Kennedy cuts, the top tax rate stood at 70 percent – double its current level. Steeply progressive taxation paid for the postwar investments in infrastructure, science and education that enabled the average American family to get ahead.---"
70% for the billionaires and now it's only 35%.
The best growth and economical times have been during the highest taxes especially for the rich and corporations. Would have quoted the articles, but couldn't find them.
Tax all the billionaires, the corrupt and criminal 85% and the honest 70%.
Read more the RollingStone and you'll agree, Romney and most of the GOP should be tarred and feathered for their lies, perjury regarding taxes and the US economy and growth.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109#ixzz23nAAJqtE
Yes, the greed for money and power is killing America.
A solution is to vote in a presidential candidate and other candidates that want to and will take money out of politics.
With my limited knowledge and experiences I know of one individual that has gone on record for taking money out of politics, Professor Juan Cole, author of this blog.
He posted on 07/06/2011:
"10 Ways Arab Democracies Can Avoid American Mistakes".
His first way describes taking money out of Politics:
"1. Contemporary political campaigns in the US depend heavily on television commercials. In the UK these ads are restricted, and in Norway they are banned. Consider banning them. But whatever you do, do not let your private television channels charge money for campaign advertisements. Television advertisements account for 80-90 percent of the cost of a senate or presidential campaign in the US, and the next presidential campaign will cost each candidate $1 billion. The only way a candidate can win is to fall captive to the billionaires and their corporations, leaving the people powerless and victimized by the ultra-wealthy. Consider putting a ban on paid radio and television political ads in the constitution, because otherwise if it is only a statute, the wealthy will try to buy the legislature so as to overturn it."
The remaining 9 ways will accelerate the rebirth(birth) of democracy in America. All 10 ways should be adopted in America.
Read the blog at: https://www.juancole.com/2011/07/10-ways-arab-democracies-can-avoid-american-mistakes.html
And, if you read Cole's biography you most likely will agree with me that Professor Cole would become a great President. He graduated high school valedictorian and summa cum laude at the University of Michigan. He's gifted with intelligence, wisdom, honesty and spirituality. And speaks a dozen Middle East languages and dialects.
https://www.juancole.com/toward-an-authorized-biography
Please read the above links and help convince Professor Cole to run as a presidential candidate.
CORRUPTION
The Federal Reserve - a private corporation owned and controlled by corrupt billionaire families and their puppet millionaires and private foreign and American banks.
The Military Industrial Complex.
US Congress: corrupt millionaires and other puppets.
The FDA with its executives and their conflict of interests.
The corrupt controlled mass news media.
And other corruptions.
Ryan, Romney & most of the GOP are liars about the deficit.
They and most of the GOP should be tried for perjury. But, white collar trash and criminals are not subjected to criminal arrests and punishment. The bankers should also be jailed for at least 10 if not 20 years for the pain, suffering and deaths they have caused.
Figure 1 from the CBPP is the whole truth and nothing but the truth! "The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization and policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs. It is supported primarily by foundation grants."
Any questions or doubt read the following:
1. CBPP Aug 11, 2012 post "Ryan Roundup: Everything You Need to Know About Chairman Ryan’s Budget" at http://www.offthechartsblog.org/ryan-2/
2. CBPP May 10, 2011 post "Economic Downturn and Bush Policies Continue to Drive Large Projected Deficits -
Economic Recovery Measures, Financial Rescues Have Only Temporary Impact" It is a very long post and I believe substantial evidence of the perjury committed.
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3490
3. The "About" and "Experts" links of the CBPP at the top of http://www.cbpp.org/
4. The long RollingStone article of November 9, 2011 with more truths about the Bush-Era Tax Cut and "How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich - The inside story of how the Republicans abandoned the poor and the middle class to pursue their relentless agenda of tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent."
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109#ixzz23MdE4fxi
White collar crime, especially big liars must be punished!
Cole's Figure 1 was updated, showing more deficit due to the Bush-Era Tax Cuts and has pages of proof.
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3490
More than enough.
"---After all, no one actually knows how to clean up an oil spill that happens under the ice in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Ocean. Despite that, the Obama administration has been fast-tracking Shell’s dangerous drilling plan, while paying remarkably little attention to the ecological fears it raises and the potential devastation a major spill or spills would cause to the native peoples of the north.__"
How in the hell can the Obama administration approve any oil drilling in the Artic Ocean without an approved clean up plan for an oil spill under the ice? Oh, no one knows how to or how long.
"It is estimated that it could take more than 20 years to restore the environment around the Gulf of Mexico to the state it was in prior to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion----". In the Artic, maybe never.
Obama is another idiot politician that's also trying to get reelected. The President should not belong to any party.
Prohibit legal educated individuals from becoming the President, they tell too many stories and lies. Presidential candidates, academics in engineering, life sciences, history and other areas that work mostly with hard knowledge and facts.
Artic Future Oil Spill
"---When a spill happens, and it’s minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind’s howling at 65 miles per hour, and sea ice is all around you and moving, the idea that a highly trained dachshund or federal inspector will be able to do a thing is pure fantasy. Believe me, I’ve been there under those conditions and if the worst occurs, this won’t be a repeat of BP in the Gulf of Mexico (bad as that was). Help will not be available.---"
My initial intuitions of the Kuwait Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade photographs are the worshiping of their common God, "money". Just as money and power are the Gods of Worship at the rallies of the demoncratic and republican parties.
Money rules and destroys. Democracy not in America since Americans only have two choices for President, General Obama or ignorant billionaire Romney as presented by the controlled news media. There's no chance of an honest, wise, truly intelligent and spiritual president. The corrupt billionaires and their corrupt: millionaires, families, Military Industrial Complex, bankers and their private corporation, the Federal Reserve will continue to rule America and the world. America does not spread democracy. Its shows how money and power rule.
Look closely at the Kuwait Stock Exchange close-up and you'll see lots of fat reared men, no women present.o
Look carefully at the
The idiot Romney must be part of the Democratic party's plan to get General Obama elected. Otherwise, who in their right mind could consider the bumbling, ignorant, business billionaire Romney.
It's time for another view of Cole's "10 Ways Arab Democracies Can Avoid American Mistakes" but viewed as 10 Ways America can elect an honest, wise, truly intelligent president: https://www.juancole.com/2011/07/10-ways-arab-democracies-can-avoid-american-mistakes.html
The "Flow Chart of Authority in Today's Egypt (!!!)" triggered some mental image flashes:
The resultant fear, anger, ugliness, corruption that a "Flow Chart of Authority in Today's America would expose.
"Pandora's Box", too dangerous to open and acknowledge?
Do more people throughout the Middle East have belief in their God or Gods than Americans?
Has God in America been basically replaced by $$$ and fear?
Any chance for the Golden Rule?
Yes, the mass comedy news shows are sick, dangerous, hypnotic propaganda, controlled by the insane billionaires and their corrupt millionaire puppets.
Vote in honest, intelligent, wise, heartful and caring academics, engineers, cultural anthropologist and others that are not part of the insane rich elite that corruptively support, protect and insure themselves and only their kin perpetuation to the end of time or of America.
Get rid of the phony, story telling, lying legal educated politicians and candidates that are insane millionaires and billionaires that don't and can't relate nor represent the 99% of Americans.
Keep this pertinent real news and solutions coming about the systemic corruption in the US Government and throughout America in all forms of mass news media shows, the elections and politics, the financial industry with its Federal Reserve-a private corporation, the FDA with its conflict of interest executives, etc.
Get rid of the phony, story telling, lying legal educated politicians and candidates that are insane millionaires and billionaires. Ban the rich and their money from politics.
My preference are people that are spiritual, heartful and caring over the seriously religious.
We are here on Earth to help others and ourselves do our individual and collective best striving for and sometimes reaching perfection, without judgment. When you experience perfection you will know it by recall. Nothing lasts. Just keep allowing your judgmental to pass, don't grab hold of them or block them. Without judgment you'll glimpse freedom.
Not Iraq.
Apparently, supposedly according to the US Government, FBI, Aljazeera and/or others, most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis that probably received training in Afghanistan and/or Pakistan, not Iraq. The hijacking pilots received training in Florida. Blah, blah, blah.
Forget the simple mistakes.
The point made, "wrong country", why?
Solutions to corruption?
I'm sure that Sharon was exaggerating. He would bomb the hell out of Iraq, but not with nukes. Are the great leaders and politicians that dumb or power crazy?
Imagine one single Iraqi SCUD or the equivalent bomb dropped or hand delivered and set off in any American city. Immediate reprisal, but not with nukes.
America got painfully hit by terrorists flown aircraft and took questionable reprisal, seriously bombing and invading the wrong country. The terrorists were and are apparently from Afghanistan, not Iraq. With the corrupt help of and direction by the Military Industrial Complex, America for some unknown reasons(control of oil) went into to Iraq and avoided focusing on Afghanistan. More money and years?
For the trillions of dollars that have been spent in the Middle East and in Iraq, couldn't America and the world have focused on replacing Saddam Hussein and "loaning" a few billion dollars to the Iraqis to get their economy rolling, their oil would cover the loan?
Just a quick comment, early in the morning.
Often what the Western press presents is politically adjusted or biased by the US government.
I had an experience similar to Cole's experience when back in 1978 I flew into an airport in or near Lagos, Nigeria to perform a geotechnical field investigation in Lagos.
On arriving, I found the air terminal being closed down by the Nigerian Army. I was stopped from making any calls, but found an English speaking World Health Organization official, got a taxi with him and share a hotel room. In the morning made calls, got picked up and went to work.
What was presented in the Western press was exaggerated and manipulated from what I experienced for the next 3 months in Nigeria.
US government often manipulates and controls the press.
Digression with some humor, but a significant conclusion at the end.
The drilling equipment was carried in on poles on the shoulders of Nigerian laborers. I was in front, enjoying cutting the bush with a big machete and leading the group, the great white warrior in the swamp. But got stung by hornets. Turned around and the natives had already moved far away. Gave the machete to a native and went to the rear as a humbled, stung engineer.
On President's Island I was touring on the beach going to a historical ship wreck site and was robbed by two natives carry machetes, one short machete and the other long. I thought about throwing sand in their faces but decided it is wasn't worth the danger. Threw my wallet to the guy in front since I was prepared for a possible robbery with nothing of much value in my wallet. But the robber behind me with the small machete grabbed my gold framed glasses. Got angry. Luckily I always traveled with spare glasses. Didn't throw the sand, not that angry or stupid. A big Nigerian helped me chase the robbers, but they disappeared into the bush. Great experience. My first robbery attack which I spontaneously handled with care, no fear, just the correct response.
Gave up engineering after 18 years and became one of the best, if not the best CNA in the San Francisco Bay Area. Found my real innate ability is working with my heart as a CNA, Certified Nurse Assistant, in caring for babies and young kids in hospitals and as a volunteer at Children's Hospital. Did things that others didn't do and had not received real education, experience nor knowledge for: mental telepathy, intuition, spiritual help, spontaneous support for those making the transition. Dying, such an ignorant negative word, there's no heaven nor hell. Catholic Church does beautiful things, but is run by greed for power, control and wealth like most, if not all governments - and with lots of propaganda: sin, hell, heaven, etc.
Trust and listen to your heart. Perhaps, changing your job is what is best for you and others. Hint, hint.
Thanks Professor Cole and Kat for Benjamin Franklin and Charles Sumner. I read Wikipedia on both and was extremely impressed. Both were honorable individuals, "exceptional statesmen" that stuck to their positions, morales and kept them.
Ralph W. Emerson wrote of Sumner: "---In Congress, he did not rush into party position. He sat long silent and studious. His friends, I remember, were told that they would find Sumner a man of the world like the rest; "it is quite impossible to be at Washington and not bend; he will bend as the rest have done.’ Well, he did not bend. He took his position and kept it....---"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner
I'm not well read, politically ignorant.
Who are the "exceptional statesmen" of today, if any?
Please list a few.
I prejudicially believe that most politicians spend the majority of their time working with special interests for their future reelections and for their personal gain in wealth and power. There's so much bending in Washington.
Enlighten me, thanks.
Oh my gosh. The only problem without wars, the billionaire and millionaire owners, share holders and corporations that makeup the American Military Industrial Complex would loose billions if not trillions of dollars annually. The annual costs of MIC just keeps adding to the National Debt of 16 trillion dollars, taking away funds that could be invested in America's economy, growth and prosperity.
Thus, arbitration and peace is avoided at all costs as illustrated by the spin and lies by Congress and the mass news media on how Iran will soon become a nuclear threat. Note, that the last time Iran attacked and invaded a country was one or two hundred years ago. I did not, but may read all 61 oomments of the "Israel - Iran Military Comparison" at: https://www.juancole.com/2012/02/israel-iran-military-comparison.html
I'm just a 71 year old swimmer, politically ignorant that's fed up with the failure of the politicians, Secretaries of the Treasury and other so called experts in screwing up, not performing their jobs, aka negligence of duty nor representing and relating to the 99% of Americans for almost 100 years if not for decades more.
100 years: the Federal Reserve Act was signed in 1914 and marks the birth of history's greatest Ponzi scheme or scam.
How in the hell can corporations get away with their "Town-Busting Tactics", giving a township only 0.0004%(4/10,000) four ten-thousandth of what the company will gross, making people sick and leaving the environment damage and useless?
I'd like to see the corporate executives sent to jail for life. America needs to bring the hammer down on white collar crime now.
The US Federal government should make EIS's and EIR's, environmental impact statements and reports, mandatory for "any type of use" of public and private property including any type of mining that will change the environment. Probably Federal law since some states are negligent in .
The individual property owner and the small towns MUST BE PROTECTED from abuse and the bull crap of corporations. It should not be necessary for an individual property owner or the small town to hire lawyers, mandatory EIS's and EIR's.
I can't believe what has and is happening in the last decade. The damn politicians are taking bribes, gifts or whatever from the corporations. The corporations' executives and the corrupt politicians should receive jail sentences, large fines and held totally responsible for any present and future damages. They should be required to post bonds for present and future health problems and for the restoration of the lands. We're talking about bonds on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Mountains excavated can always be replaced using the same excavation equipment such as 44 cubic yards capacity, self-loading scrapers plus large sheepfoot compaction equipment to compact the backfill to specs. Back in 1975, it was not that uncommon to placed/compacted to specs over 50 feet of engineered fill on which expensive houses were built.
Saudi Arabia has strict limits on women's freedom in violation of various treaties that the government have signed.
Why doesn't the US boycott trade with Saudi for such blatant treaty violations? Oil.
Well, can America hurrying up its replacement of gasoline with battery run motors? Probably not because the oil industry doesn't want to be replaced by batteries???
Belonging becomes a disease when you can't find peace and satisfaction within yourself and if what you're doing doesn't include helping others and yourself to do your best.
Belonging to a culture, a country, a country club, a team can become a disease.
Watch the Americans at republican or democratic rallies screaming and cheering for their candidates to win or when they win. All the insane, manic screaming is saying, "We now have a chance for peace and satisfaction." "We will succeed."
Having a mate, children, a job you enjoy, a home, a car and other things will help. But unless you are "helping others", the peace and belonging soon evaporates, you get bored. Then you try a new mate, new and more possessions, more respect for you, but no lasting satisfaction. Nothing is permanent.
The Beetles, John Lennon's song "Imagine" has some guides to mankind's' desires for peace and belonging.
A country to die for. A group to belong to. A team to support and help you go crazy when they win. When the US military wins you feel great. Only problem, what the military is fighting for is not peace but continual wars to keep the billionaires and millionaires rich.
Lyrics of Imagine
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
There's no heaven nor hell. BS to control people.
What we each becomes and what we do is strongly influenced by our environments: parents, friends and enemies, culture, country born in, school, etc.
Born in Iraq and your wife and kids are killed by US military, chances of you becoming a terrorist are increased. No heaven nor hell.
Enough
Beded at 10:30pm, up at 5am.
America should have free higher education, including all areas of education and work-study for non degree education for plumbers, carpenters, artists, etc. The length not fixed to 4 years for a BS degree, but according to the individual's learning ability which for some will be 5 or more years. Costs in America should be basically free, such that a per cent of the families and/or individuals annual gross income is charged so that there is no need for loans and no excessive burdens. All students, not just those from wealth families would then be able to become doctors, scientists, etc.
Higher education in America is too expensive for almost 50% of American families, unless they make major sacrifices such as shortchanging their retirements.
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/Financial_Literacy/Sept07_college_poll_results_a1.asp
I believe that a major cause for the lack of government funds for education is due to the annual cost of the corrupt Military Industrial Complex that President Eisenhower warned Americans about on January 17, 1961 that is very much alive and responsible for starting and maintaining illegal wars and spending trillions of dollars.
The Military Industrial Complex must be replaced with a defense military and a limited offensive military. The UN military should be reorganized and strengthened to take on the responsibility of maintaining peace and world governments representing the people, not the rich and militarys in all countries.
What's new, a corrupted military? President Eisenhower warned in 1961 about the Military Industrial Complex, MIC.
The US military is strongly influenced, if not controlled by those controlling the MIC, the billionaires whose main goal is to make themselves and their puppet millionaires filthy rich by all means, legal and illegal including illegal wars.
Maybe some of these billionaires strongly influence or control the out-and-out "fraud" in the financial industry, the FDA, the Federal Reserve, a privately owned corporation.
Money, wealth, power and egomania ARE THE ROOTS OF ALL EVIL.
America needs a president and politicians that are honest, non-secretive, truly intelligent, humble, experienced, traveled and with wisdom, integrity and spirituality that will represent the 99.4% of Americans. Out with the story telling, manipulative and lying legally educated bums. In with such qualified academics. Such a president would truly help to heal America and the world. He would have the chance to become the greatest president in American history.
Guess who for President?
Most Americans would not approve the sales of military weapons to the Bahrain government which is guilty of killing, arresting, jailing and torturing peaceful protesters?
Both news of the military sales and the Bahrain government's illegal actions were kept out of the mass news media or suppressed until the sales and torture became headlines or main stories online, abroad, in print or on talk shows.
Then, US government spin begins.
"US officials said among the sales now allowed to go forward would be harbor security vessels and upgrades to turbo-fan engines used in F-16 fighter aircraft as well as legislation which could pave the way for a future sale of a naval frigate. Items still on hold, besides the missiles and the Humvees, include teargas, teargas launchers and stun grenades."
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20125\13\story_13-5-2012_pg4_3
Missiles to a government that kills peaceful demonstrators?
Oh, forgot. The US 5th Fleet is stationed in Bahrain and Iran is a threat. The US Military Industrial Complex is alive, thriving, seeding and starting wars and killing.
How to stop this crap?
Sherm you're a out of context. Unusual for you, hard day?
"I like being able to fire people who provide services to me,"--"You know, if someone doesn't give me a good service that I need, I want to say, 'I'm going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.'"
Romney muddles, makes mistakes. Not presidential qualities.
However, the main point is that he "likes" firing people. Who in the hell wants a president that likes to giving pain to people. If you're not providing the quality service contracted, a fair employer will advise you to immediately provide the quality contracted or they give you the choice to leave or they'll fire you.
Perhaps, Romney "liked" putting thousands of workers out of jobs in order to produce more profit? Out of context?
Stephen, perhaps much of the stupidity and gullibility of Americans is due to the controlled mass news media. Many Americans are too busy working at break neck speeds, keeping their jobs in an excessively competitive world and just trying to raise their families in the computer age.
They don't have the time nor energy to question what they watch. Thus, turn on the TV, watch the controlled mass news media and continue sleepwalking. Even the PBS NewsHour is junk that keeps them ignorant and brainwashed with lies, deceit and the propaganda of the ruling billionaires.
How many Americans take the time and energy to search the web for truths? 10% ????? Many Americans vote democratic since it's the lessor of two evils.
How many have heard or watched Informed Comment??
I've asked several hundreds and only 2 or 3.
Have you read Cole's biography? He added it sometime in the last week or month. I only read it 3 days ago and was totally amazed at how well qualified he is for the presidency. He would make a great president if not one of the greatest. For areas that he is inexperienced in he would delegate, delegate to get his real experts and academics to search, analyze and provide him with the truths so that he can make wise, informed decisions.
Am I wrong about Obama? Why didn't he put a freeze on foreclosures his first, second or third week, month or year? In Britain the government stopped foreclosures and rented the homes to the owners so that mortgages could be modified keeping the owners in their homes? Win win?
Has Obama made it public knowledge that the Federal Reserve is a privately owned corporation whose main goal is keeping their owners, 10 American and foreign big banks and the old established billionaire families or what ever they are, excessively rich while the masses struggle, many losing their jobs and homes. Nationalize the Fed and banks?
No. Keep those responsible for the failures and crises in control.
Forgot, President Kennedy and brother Robert wanted to nationalize the Fed, but they were assassinated. Coincidence or not? Perhaps this scares off honest candidates.
"--Furthermore, Obama brazenly undermined the power of Congress by insisting his authority came from the United Nations Security Council and that Congressional approval was not necessary. “I don’t even have to get to the Constitutional question.””
Is Obama playing Congress and will become a great president? I don't think so. Am I wrong?
Honestly, I am politically ignorant, 71, have dysfunctional memory and fed up with the dangerous controlled politics and news media in America.
Please, "Reply" corrections to all incorrect observations.
Romney makes so many mistakes in talking about the Middle East and also about many or most other issues. He displays confusion, ignoranance, anger, phony smiles and crazy solutions.
How in the heck can any sound, thinking individual even consider him as a candidate for the presidency?
I suggest a boycott of all ignorant, lying, spinning, manipulating and deceitful political candidates and incumbents. Maybe 10% would be exempt from such a boycott?
Concentrate on political candidates and incumbents that are honest, intelligent, wise, truthful, non-manipulating, without spin and with wise solutions.
Why so much corruption? Perhaps because the average? American listens to the mass news media that no longer investigates and verifies most of what they report. Thus, Americans don't know the actual news and facts. The controlled mass news media reports as directed and approved by their billionaire/millionaire owners. Freedom of the mass news media, not in America. The PBS NewsHour, a sick tragedy show of propaganda.
Excuse any mistakes. I'm political ignorant, 71, have dysfunctional memory and fed up with the dangerous controlled politics and news media in America.
I guess most Americans are so busy working, being soccer moms or whatever that they don't have time to search for real news and information. They turn on the TV or listen to the news in their cars, but only get propaganda and lies.
How many Americans read Informed Comment or other sources of honest, relatively verified news and information? 1%?
Are Americans addicted to sensationalism because it makes them feel alive?
Take the sound effects and background music out of movies and I believe many Americans would fall asleep with many movies since the acting is crap. I enjoy many movies directed by Clint Eastwood since the sound effects and background music is kept to a minimum. Hollywood should have mandatory ratings for sound effects and music:
Excellent = no music, only real sound effects, no abnormal sound effects for punching, no super strength scenes.....
Romney as President would lead America into chaos. He's made so many mistakes talking about the Middle East and is often confused, forgetful or is just plain dumb. Money nor degrees do not make you intelligent, wise, honest, incorruptibility nor spiritual. Consider that about half of Congress are millionaires. Congress, the Secretaries of the Treasury, the so called financial experts and giant corporations have failed Americans for over 30 years and still failing.
Obama is backing the billionaires and their puppet millionaires and MIC, the Military Industrial Complex. He also afraid of taxing the rich or is just following orders.
"Some of the most prosperous periods in US history (1950s and 1960s) have come during periods of super-high marginal income tax rates. And some of the most disastrous periods in US history (1970s, 2010s) have come after periods of super-low income tax rates." (especially for the rich)
"Do Low Tax Rates On Rich People Actually Ruin The Economy?"
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-14/news/30093395_1_tax-rates-tax-shelters-income
Excellent long article about taxation and the Federal Reserve, a private corporation that keeps their owners and share holders rich and America in debt:
"How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich"
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109#ixzz1thM0Tbao
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109
Who in American would make a great President?
Hell, I believe Juan Cole would become a great president. He's got an excellent education for governing: history degrees--not like the law degrees of most politicians which is an education for lying and telling the best stories. Juan Cole is honest, intelligent, wise and spiritual. Yes, he makes an occasional mistake, he's human. But he owns up to his mistakes. I just now read Juan Cole's autobiography. Wow! He definitely would make a great President. He is exactly the person that America needs as the next President. Read his autobiography and if you don't agree than I have to say you're nuts. He would bring peace to the Middle East without any doubt. Read it!
Excuse my simplicity, I'm 70, just a swimmer and politically ignorant.
Seriously, please "Reply" to this post as to your best choice for president for America and the world. America needs a strong, will have serious problems with 4 years of a corrupt Democratic or Republican president.
Support the dozen or more Congress members that want to impeachment President Obama for sending military and drones into foreign countries, starting wars without the approval of Congress per the US Constitution.
It's late and I present one example of a dozen or more impeachable actions by Obama.
Goggle: "Past 24 hours" and similar to: impeach* Obama Libya, for 2,260 results.
"Despite promising otherwise, Barack Obama committed U.S. military resources to overthrow Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi without any kind of congressional authorization whatsoever and without citing any evidence that Libya under Qaddafi was a threat to the security of the United States. Furthermore, Obama brazenly undermined the power of Congress by insisting his authority came from the United Nations Security Council and that Congressional approval was not necessary. “I don’t even have to get to the Constitutional question,”"
http://www.infowars.com/national-movement-launched-to-impeach-obama/
"One problem in regard to this movement concerns the use of our military. Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution reserves for Congress alone the power "To declare war," but last year that restriction was ignored under Obama’s authorization of military force in Libya.
Ten members of Congress filed a lawsuit against the President because his administration failed to seek congressional approval for military action in Libya, which is a violation of the War Powers Act."
http://www.examiner.com/article/who-determines-proper-and-legal-use-of-the-u-s-military-un-or-congress
Obama, Congress and both parties have been failing Americans for over 30 years.
Occupy Elections
The Saudis are saying they don’t mind some demonstrations but that the demonstrators should treat them with respect (i.e. they don’t get it).
"They don't get it" that the demonstrations are usually if not always by groups that are being abused and not being respected by their rulers or their temporary Saudi bosses.
The Saudis, the royal royalties, the billionaires are saying don't say anything negative about our country or government, be quiet, do your jobs, no complaints and kiss our royal rears or you won't work in Saudi or get our oil. Sounds similar to fiasco in Bahrain that resulted in deaths of innocent demonstrators that the US press ignored because the US has its 5th Fleet stationed their. More US crap.
The guest-worker population is probably doing work that the Saudis don't have skills for or that the Saudis won't do for such low wages.
I worked as a geotechnical engineer from a California firm in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Nigeria. Occasionally I collected payments or made contributions, both in Saudi Arabia. I found the Saudi rich with their rears high in the sky, just like many rich all over the world and the billionaires, millionaires in America: the politicians, Congress, the President, millionaire puppets, etc.
What to do?
Real working suggestions would be appreciated.
Too much to take in and understand.
Perhaps, if the US had worked on cooperation instead of on imperialism via the Military Industrial Complex for the last 70 years America would have gain real strength, friends and support. But with deregulation, money and manufacturing left America in the dust. Too much concentration on military powder and power.
Also America's billionaires showed the world's rich how to use pseudo democracy to become wealthier and more powerful. The stupidity and greed of the ruling billionaires is beyond comprehension. Oh, forgot it's their addictions, their lack of honesty, integrity, wisdom, heart and spirituality.
Not only did the politicians and so called experts ruin America's standard of living, but they have just about guaranteed America's demise and more serious wars.
Violence produces more violence most of the time.
Insanity, mass insanity.
"Cries of hypocrisy and complicity rang out but the likes of Britain and America, which has its Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, stayed silent."
There's always some reason, excuse or complications for not taking the honest and wise actions: America, "has its Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain". Let the innocent protesters be jailed, tortured or killed in Bahrain. Let the Chinese invade and take over Tibet.
America stayed silent as ordered by the 7 or two dozen billionaire families ruling America and the world with money and because the US government continues playing the dangerous corrupt game of money controlled politics, elections, wars, news media and of most other major areas including finance(the Federal Reserve which is a private corporation), food and drugs(FDA=Federal Death Administration), entertainment(movies), education, etc.
Both the democratic and republican parties and most politicians, incumbents and candidates are controlled by money and are unable to stop the money control, the Federal Reserve, the Military Industrial Complex or act out of honesty, integrity, wisdom and heart. They cannot think with honesty and wisdom.
The so called experts and politicians have been failing for over 30 years and will continue to fail Americans.
America must vote out all corrupt politicians and candidates.
OCCUPY ELECTIONS
Vote in candidates with honesty, integrity, wisdom and heart that will relate and represent 99% of Americans.
Or else more of the same money controlled games.
I'm 70, politically ignorant and totally fed up with being ruled by money and corruption.
Probably some mistakes and faulty information: "Reply" corrections.
A real solution to most of the corruption and military BS ongoing in the Middle East and in America is relatively simple, but next to impossible to achieve:
"Occupy Elections"
Replace most of the corrupt incumbents and existing candidates with individuals with honesty, integrity, wisdom and heart.
For over 30 years America has been ruled by corrupt, deceitful and ignorant politicians representing and relating to the billionaires, their families, corporations and puppet millionaires, puppet mass news media, etc.
Yes, there are a few honest individuals, democrats, republicans(?) but avoided by the mass news media.
"Occupy Elections"
Couldn't sleep....
My first real response: If my family's home had been one of the 15 dwellings destroyed and/or any of my family killed I'd tried to roundup the survivors and make an attempt to assassinate Assad.
Reading the other responses of how to make the next move in the insane game of politics/war makes me sick of our government and all others government.
Bahrain: I assume the trouble in Bahrain is between the poor Shiite majority and the ruling Sunni monarchy, millionaire politicians, oil tycoons, and the banking hub owners. Similar to the troubles between America's 99% and the 1% bastards.
In the New York Times, Apr 4:
"--The crackdown won a tactical and perhaps ephemeral victory through torture, arrests, job dismissals and the blunt tool of already institutionalized discrimination against the island’s Shiite Muslim majority.
But in its wake, sectarian tension has exploded, economic woes have deepened and American willingness to look the other way has cast Washington as hypocritical. Taken together, the repression and warnings of radicalization may underline an emerging dictum of the Arab uprisings: violence begets violence.--"
Appears that people have been illegally jailed and killed.
But of course it's the base for the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet, an oil producing country, a major? banking hub and therefore the US looks the other way.
So what if people are illegally jailed and killed.
Would any of you willing sacrafice your home or a family member?
The US looks the other way. The insane game of war and politics continues. It has to stop...............
Here's one real solution how to defeat the "robber barons’ that rule America and the world.
Next action of "Occupy the SEC" & OWS: "Occupy Elections".
Send tens of thousands of emails to the 7 individuals of j"Occupy the SEC" that wrote the "absolutely astonishing 325-page comment letter on the Volcker Rule" and ask them to
make their "next action" and that of the Occupy movements the selections of a third party or write in presidential candidate and candidates for all elections: federal, state, county and city. Call the movement "Occupy Elections".
“On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as "concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis”
proposal known as the Volcker rule.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-01/occupy-the-sec-writes-new-volcker-rule-script-commentary-by-susan-antilla.html
Actual 325 page letter and complete information: http://www.occupythesec.org/#who
I'm almost certain that a majority if not 99% of Americans would get behind such a movement to get the corrupt politicians out of all of our governments.
A major road block would be the fear that replacing the corrupt politicians might mean removing most of the existing politicians and most of those running for elections resulting in chaos. But don't many Americans already have chaos in losing their homes, jobs,
healthcare, etc? But, realize that it's the majority of existing politicians that have failed 99% of Americans for the last 30 years.
Many if not a majority of existing politicians and candidates are useless and/or corrupt. But, there are some honest and true politicians with real knowledge and wisdom which are beginning to shine brightly in the dark cloud of corruption.
America needs to clean house of the robber barons(corrupt billionaires and their families, corporations, puppet millionaires and puppet news media, Federal Reserve(a private corporation), FDA aka Federal Death Administration, etc.
"Occupy the SEC is the wonky finreg arm of Occupy Wall Street, and its main authors are worth naming and
celebrating: Akshat Tewary, Alexis Goldstein, Corley Miller, George Bailey, Caitlin Kline, Elizabeth Friedrich,
and Eric Taylor. If you can’t read the whole thing, at least read the introductory comments, on pages 3-6, both
for their substance and for the panache of their delivery." George Bailey is a pseudonym.
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/02/14/occupys-amazing-volcker-rule-letter/
Any errors, "Reply" corrections.
I'm doing my best swimming at 70 with a dysfunctional memory.
All sane individuals, sane news media and sane blogs should boycott Romney.
How dumb are Americans, the mass news media, the so called intellectuals and the general population?
Romney is a dumb blabber mouth billionaire that would collapse America.
I'm fed up with all the balant lies and spin that the Obama, politicians, candidates, news media including PBS, bloggers and other continue to present to the public.
America needs a Department of Truth that would fine and jail those found guilty of lies, out of context misleading information and confusing spin. The computer age makes it very easy to confirm the truth of information.
Obama is also not presenting the truths.
He is not worthy of the Presidency.
JTMcPhee, thanks. I made a mistake with my wording. I thought democracy means or includes representative government with honest elections, not elections controlled by money, the billionaires and puppet millionaires.
Correction: The politicians and government that America has had for about 30 years must be replaced with politicians and government that relate to and represent the 99% of Americans and not the billionaires and their millionaire puppets.
I don't care what you call or label a true representative party. Call it the Donald Duck party. Both the democrats and republicans have been failing the 99% of Americans.
Please excuse any mistakes - provide corrections.
I’m 71, politically ignorant, have dysfunctional memory, and just doing my best.
Possible Solution to Crises
“On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as “concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” proposal known as the Volcker rule.”
I believe that there’s a chance for real recovery and honest government if the group that prepared the “325-page comment letter” takes the initiative to make their “next action” and that of the Occupy movements to be selecting a third party presidential candidate(s) that will have the wisdom, courage, honesty and a Congress to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of Corrupt Governments. Such candidates would represent over 99% of Americans.
Otherwise, more of the same crap.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-01/occupy-the-sec-writes-new-volcker-rule-script-commentary-by-susan-antilla.html
I believe that the healing and recovery of America must include the following:
1. Politicians and government representing the 99% of Americans. Not rule by and representation of the billionaires and their millionaire puppets.
2. Nationalization the Federal Reserve and maybe most of the banking system. The Federal Reserve is a privately owned corporation whose main goal is making its owners and share holders rich. It's evidently owned by 10 large American and foreign banks. But, who really controls these banks?
The Fed loans billions of dollars to the US government and charges 6%(?) interest. Thus, the Fed keeps America in debt and maintains control of the financial system.
Watch "The Secret of Oz", a documentary movie, winner of 4 film awards. It presents some history of the past and present financial crises, of other crises and more on the illegal Federal Reserve(a privately owned corporation).
http://www.documentarywire.com/the-secret-of-oz Written and directed by Ben Still.
Beloit International Film Festival 2010 Best documentary(BIFF)
Yosemite Film Festival 2010 Silver Sierra Award for Excellence in Filmmaking
Accolade Competition 2010 Award of Merit La Jolla, California
Nevada Film Festival 2010 Silver Screen Award
Nathan's Economic Edge, 2009 Excellent review at a world top economics blog.
British premier Oct. 1, 2010 At prestigious Bromsgrove conference
3. The Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) is alive, growing exponentially. It must be reined in.
In Afghanistan:
"450 Bases and It’s Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon’s Afghan Basing Plans for Prisons, Drones, and Black Ops"
By Nick Terse" http://tomdispatch.com/archive/175501/
4. Take the money out of politics(federal, state and local), special interest groups and lobbying.
Again: Please excuse any mistakes - provide corrections.
I’m 70, politically ignorant, dysfunctional memory, and just doing my best.
5. The millionaires, billionaires and corporations MUST help Americans recover from the financial crises that they help create through corruption, greed or/and ignorance.
New Total Taxes (federal, state, luxury, etc)
Millionaires, billionaires: 40% to 80%
Corporations: 35% to 55%
From 1945 to 1986, America experienced its greatest real growth in history with the highest taxes on corporations, the rich (over $20,000 in 1945)and on millionaires and billionaires.
Right after WWII, “1945: 94% tax on income over $200,000 – absolutely astounding. It stayed over 90% until 1964 when it was lowered to 77% and had been consistently falling until …”
More than enough, I'm getting dizzy.
Super390, if what you say is the real truth, then I would also scratch Ron Paul as a candidate.
But do the apparently real and useful changes that Paul has been advocating for over 30 years including nationalizing the Federal Reserve and bringing the uncontrolled exponential growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) out weight the slight inconvenience of some of his de-regulatory ideas.
If not, scratch Paul, but I still feel that none of the candidates do or would represent the 99% of Americans.
Hasn't the deregulation of the financial, banking systems and the exponential growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) been two of the major causes of the financial crises and the illegal wars/imperialism of America?
I'm just a senile, political ignorant 71 year old Nobody. Please educate me. But before you comment, please watch and listen to the following items and then correct me if I off track or have been misguided:
1. "The Secret of Oz" an award winning documentary that presents the history of money and information on how the Federal Reserve, a privately owned corporation that illegally controls OR strongly influences the financial system which has failed the 99% of Americans while making the secret owners and share holders of the Fed sickly rich.
http://www.documentarywire.com/the-secret-of-oz
Written and directed by Ben Still.
Beloit International Film Festival 2010 Best documentary(BIFF)
Yosemite Film Festival 2010 Silver Sierra Award for Excellence in Filmmaking
Accolade Competition 2010 Award of Merit La Jolla, California
Nevada Film Festival 2010 Silver Screen Award
Nathan's Economic Edge, 2009 Excellent review at a world top economics blog.
British premier Oct. 1, 2010 At prestigious Bromsgrove conference
2. Watch Nick Turse's comments on the exponential growth of the Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) in the Middle East and around the world
"450 Bases and It’s Not Over Yet.
The Pentagon’s Afghan Basing Plans for Prisons, Drones, and Black Ops"
http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175501/
The Military-Industrial-Complex(MIC) is very much alive and growing exponentially making the billionaires sickly richer.
3. "How the GOP Became the Party of the Rich"
"The inside story of how the Republicans abandoned the poor and the middle class to pursue their relentless agenda of tax cuts for the wealthiest one percent."
http://rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109
I was reluctantly resistant to a friend’s recommendation to watch anything from the Rollingstone, but did and was educated or misguided. I didn’t read the whole article, but glad that I did.
Again, please correct me if I’ve been misguided. Thanks
Romney and all other candidates represent the ruling billionaires and their puppet millionaires, excluding maybe Ron Paul.
America needs a President that has the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of lies, deceit, deregulations, and corrupt ignorant rule by the billionaires and their families and corporations.
“On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as “concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” proposal known as the Volcker rule.”
The seven writers include: Caitlin Kline, Kaye Scholer, Kamlesh Tewary, George Bailey, Alexis Goldstein.
link to bloomberg.com
I believe that there’s a chance for real recovery and honest government if the group that prepared the “325-page comment letter” takes the initiative to make their “next action” and that of the Occupy Movement to be selecting a third party presidential candidate(s) that will have the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of Corrupt Governments. And, will represent over 99% of Americans. Otherwise, more of the same crap.
Politics must be replaced with democracy.
google: “Occupy Vigilantes Write New Volcker Rule Script”
Another useless speech by Obama. I listen but hear and feel nothing of any substance. No inspiration.
Obama as well as all of the presidential candidates are not worthy of the presidency. Their words are empty and have no substance.
America needs a President that has the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of lies, deceit, deregulations, and corrupt ignorant rule by the billionaires and their families and corporations.
"On Feb. 13, seven writers who described themselves as “concerned citizens, activists and financial professionals” filed a 325-page comment letter to financial regulators, outlining their concerns about loopholes in the “Let’s Try to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” proposal known as the Volcker rule."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-01/occupy-the-sec-writes-new-volcker-rule-script-commentary-by-susan-antilla.html
I believe that there's a chance for real recovery and honest government if the group that prepared the "325-page comment letter" takes the initiative to make their "next action" and that of the Occupy Movement to be selecting a third party presidential candidate(s) that will have the wisdom, courage and honesty to lead America and the world out of the Dark Ages of Corrupt Governments. And, will represent over 99% of Americans. Otherwise, more of the same crap. Politics must be replaced with democracy.
The seven writers include: Caitlin Kline, Kaye Scholer, Kamlesh Te wary, George Bailey, Alexis Goldstein.
google: "Occupy Vigilantes Write New Volcker Rule Script"
Anybody. Please explain the following to me.
"This week, a bipartisian group of seventeen U.S. Senators delivered a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta expressing grave concern about $1 billion in contracts the U.S. government signed with Rosoboronexport — the Russian arms dealer that supplies the Syrian government with weapons capable of targeting homes and streets and murdering thousands of innocent Syrian civilians — and he didn't have an answer."
https://secure3.convio.net/sdc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=704
Romney like most, if not all of the candidates cannot relate nor represent the 99% of Americans. Millionaires should be barred from politics.
The millionaires, billionaires and corporations MUST help Americans recover from the financial crises that they help create through corruption, greed or/and ignorance.
From 1945 to 1986, America experienced its greatest real growth in history with the highest taxes on corporations, the rich (over $20,000 in 1945)and on millionaires and billionaires.
Right after WWII, "1945: 94% tax on income over $200,000 – absolutely astounding. It stayed over 90% until 1964 when it was lowered to 77% and had been consistently falling until …"
"--$200,000 in 1944 is the equivalent of $2,290,909.09 in 2006 according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator)."
http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/a-look-at-historical-federal-tax-brackets.html
Partial Solution to Financial Crises
Total Taxes (federal, state, luxury, etc)
Millionaires, billionaires: 40% to 80%
Corporations: 35% to 55%
The Catholic religion and perhaps many Christian religions are Sunday religions. Many Christians "wear their faith on their sleeves" and practice it on Sundays or when it suits them.
I see no spirituality or religiouness in almost all of the politicians. The legal education of majority of them teaches them how to tell the best stories or lies.
I totally respect and honor the Muslims for saying their prayers 5 times daily. Length of prayers varies 3 to 30 or more minutes. When: pre-dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset, evening before retiring. Sounds like a very good practice. I'll adopt a similar schedule for my own prayers and meditation. How about yourself?
Imagine what could happen if a majority of Americans began saying prayers of their choice 5 times daily. An atheist prayer could be: "I will do my individual best to help others and myself do are best towards perfection with less and less judgment." There would be more peace, honest communication, joy and growth. Sounds like Congress should have 5 minutes of prayers every 2 hours.
I was brought up as a Catholic and gave it up with all other beliefs. I have experienced many things in my travels around the world and with a couple of years of work in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
I've found that Muslims are slightly more spiritual and have their hearts more opened than Christians and Americans. Spirituality or religion, your choice.
Muslim evidently do not proselytize their religion.
Thank you Carl.
At last someone hits the nail on the head. Not the intellectual hyperbole of hidden agendas inaccordance with the War Game Conference of 1812, the Bank of England Conference or whatever.
Are most of the intellectual, expert commenters just pawns in a game they don't control?
Who are the small group of rulers silently controlling the Federal Reserve, the oil industry, the military-industrial complex and the major industries and corporations of the world? Who corrects these dictators?
Israel with a population of 8,800,000 and 7,992 sq miles compares to the state of New Jersey with 8,900,000 and 7,354 sq miles. Why does Israel continue to receive about 3 billion dollars of foreign aid every year?
Why does the US keep arming Israel? Ya. It keeps peace?
Nuclear weapons are beyond insanity, suicidal.
Shouldn't the U.S. deal with the fact that three nuclear powers Israel, India, and Pakistan have not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty?
Iran has not attack any country for centuries, peaceful. Israel not so peaceful. The US must stop Israel from threatening Iran. A missile from Israel must be stopped and the individual source eliminated. What would the release of a second missile be the start or end of?
Best politically 'plain talk' I've read in decades.
Each discussion is short, to the point and easy to understand even to someone like me who is politically ignorant and not too educated.
Please follow with 'plain talk' on:
1. Obama
2. The Democrats
3. The financial world including the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Wall Street, bankers and all the other idiot financial experts that allowed and allow banks to use mortgages and other loans to create assets based on nothing and to loan out 9 times the amount of each asset. Excuse my errors.
After watching the 5 parts of YouTube "Web of Debt - Ellen Brown" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU0XiklHPMc&feature=related and reading pros and cons by others I got confused.
1. Does America need the Federal Reserve, its banking system and its experts to lead America further into financial disaster?
2. Why do Americans pay the Federal Reserve to print money?
3. Why America's only state-owned bank, the Bank of North Dakota fiscally sound and doing well?
4. Are derivatives just a way to gamble with the hard earned savings of Americans?
Sounds like America's banking system keeps Americans and America in debt for life.
Please, Professor Cole more 'plain talk'.
Over 99% of Iranians have no interests in war, nuclear weapons and fighting anyone. They, just like most Americans just want to work, provide for their families, have a few extras, have some fun and live. I worked in Iran for over a year and met many great peoples. Also have a few Iranian friends in America.
It's only the insane leaders and politicians that use war and the Military-Industrial Complex to increase their wealth and power, continuing their insanity.
The American Government is broken and most politicians are insane: puppets to the insane billionaires, multiple millionaires and their families, corporations and their Military Industrial Complex.
Americans are waking up and will not accept government by the insane Democrats or Republicans any longer. Obama, the insane puppet.
The 2012 American Spring movements will include Occupy the White House or Occupy Congress.
The 3rd Parties must stop their childish quibbling and unite to replace the rule of America by the insane.
I support, pray for and admire the Egyptian women and men that are protesting and marching against the military rule of their country including those that have died.
How often do any of you readers say a prayer for them and their families? Only takes a minute or less while you're lying in bed.
Do American women and men have the guts to march against the Military-Industrial Complex that is a major part of the broken US government, the financial crisis, the foreclosure crisis?
The Military-Industrial Complex is a major financial burden on American tax payers. Annual budget for the 865 US military bases abroad is $102 billion. 227 US military bases in Germany. http://www.thenation.com/blog/161378/around-globe-us-military-bases-generate-resentment-not-security
Total Cost, Middle East Wars Since 2001: $1,297,662,771,877
See: http://costofwar.com/en/
The illegal, unsanctioned bombing and invasion of Iraq has made trillions of dollars for the billionaires and millionaires that supply the weapons and materials for the illegal wars.
Do Americans have the guts to protest, Occupy The White House, home of the Military-Industrial Complex?
Maybe, but the local police and the mass media would not give support.
A friend of mine has two brothers with advanced degrees, married with families that are working part-time and have been looking for full time jobs for 4 and 12 months. They are in Obama's 2010 and 2011 Depression.
I'm sick of hearing about the bailouts of banks and business and the bonuses to the executives. How about bailing out Americans?
The American Government is broken.
Obama has his fund raising dinners with some of those bastards that are receiving bonuses or profiting from the wars. Pure crap.
How can Gingrich even campaign and get news coverage, he helped Bush organize the illegal bombing and invasion of Iraq? How insane are many Americans? More illegal wars?
This shows how corrupt the US government and the mass news media are. Are Americans that insane?
I believe the only solution to the corrupt US government is to vote out all republicans and democrats replacing them with honest 3rd party candidates that will represent the 99% if Americans.
Can this be done under the existing election laws and processes? Would the manipulated electoral Congress prevent 3rd party candidates from winning?
Changes must be made so that honest 3rd party candidates can qualify to be placed on election ballots(local to Federal), campaign and win.
Take the money out of politics.
All qualified candidates get equal free exposure, time on all public mass news media. Eliminate money control of campaigns. Only intelligent debates, not Quiz Show quickie answers debates. The public must be awakened to the importance of experiencing if and how candidates might perform thorough and researched analyses on debate topics to make intelligent decisions. This is what needs to be shown. Perhaps one topic per debate. Candidates prepare answers with their teams, submit them to Debate Review Board for review and acceptance and copies to all candidates, etc. Real debates showing how candidates would deal with problems. Not the crap of the manipulated debates.
The US government is failing.
If Obama is reelected, more of the status quo.
What can be done?
Force Obama to issue presidential executive orders changing the election laws and processes? Eliminate the electoral Congress which is obsoleted by the computer age?
I'm asking for solutions. I'm too politically ignorant to understand how white collar crime is ignored, bank bailouts, secret dealing with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, etc.
Most people I know have given up on the US Government and some will just vote Democratic. The Democrats are almost as corrupt as the Republicans.
Democracy in America? Tell that to those that have lost their jobs and homes, and not necessarily in this order.
Politicians, those with law degrees are not educated to run this country. They only learn to tell the best stories and lies.
Looks like Americans are facing a similar impossible task just as the Egyptians are losing hope and massing strength for democracy to the strangle hold on elections and manipulation by Field Marshall Tantawi and his military.
America is facing both the militarizing of the police forces and the strangle hold on election by the Republicans and Democrats.
Is there any chance that Americans can vote out the corrupt Republicans and Democrates, that is vote in both third party candidates and a third party President?
Or, do Americans urgently need to speak loudly and in mass to force Obama to change the election laws and processes so that third candidates can run, be on the ballots including the presidential ballot and win? Is it only possible if money is taken out of campaigning and elections?
I'm political ignorant. I would appreciate answers.
Most people I know have either given up or think that by voting Democrat they can help. I don't believe there are any honest and true Demoacrat candidates that would represent and govern for 99% of Americans. Almost half of Congress are millionaires that don't relate and/or are corrupt.
thanks
I read somewhere that GINGRICH helped Bush plan the illegal, insane imperialistic bombing and invasion of Iraq. What was his involvement?
I like most of the 312,658,000 Americans and the world population of 6,976,852,000 don't want another war whether drone, conventional or nuclear. War is becoming obsolete?
See http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
How can any sane, slightly informed person even consider him? or any Republican or Democrat?
I guess if your only exposure to news is the corrupt mass news media, you're a potential target for the propaganda of the Billionaires and their puppets.
If you're reading this I assume you're quite informed.
How do we spread the existence of this site and others similar to it to the masses? How about an article or two in the mass news media? Time, Newsweek, local papers?
Only 1 out of 157 people that I have mentioned Juan Cole or any of his interlocutors and friends to have recognized them. I'm reclusive and only a swimmer.
What to do? Puts signs on my car, bike and backpack?
More of the same comments and disclosures of corruption. Verbal eloquence with intelligence, knowledge and skill leading where? Nowhere. The status quo. A Depression?
Here's an urgent timely, potent change.
Force Obama to use Presidential executive orders to change election laws and processes to end the strangle hold that the corrupt Republican and Democratic Parties have on elections.
The changes will guarantee that the 2012 Presidential ballot & all elections have multiple parties and candidates in addition to those of the Republican & Democratic parties.
The Republican and Democratic parties have failed Americans especially in the last decade in all areas: employment, finance, mortgages, safety, education, food, health.....
These urgent needed elections changes can and would be acknowledged, brought alive, ignited and accomplished by the combined effort of the 98% of angry or discouraged Americans, the Occupy Wall Street movement, by word of mouth, and by honest blog sites like Juan Cole's Informed Comments, Josh Marshall's TPM(Talking Points Memo), The Nation, DailyKos, Kevin Drum's Mother Jones, Salon.com, etceteras.
Come on wake up! It's late, but not too late for many.
And we can then help those that have lost their homes, jobs, their life's savings and their belief in America.
I believe THE MAIN END GOAL OF THE OWS MOVEMENT is to make the US Government representative of and responsible to the 99% of Americans and not of and to the Rich Billionaire Dictators, Corporations, etc and their puppets.
Correct me if I wrong, but maybe one of the best actions to start working on this goal is the immediate change of the election laws and processes by presidential executive orders so that Americans can start voting in honest and responsible politicians and a 2012 President representing the 99% of Americans.
The changes in election laws and processes must make it possible for multiple parties and candidates to be on all Federal, State and local ballots so that Americans can start voting in honest, intelligent candidates and a President that will represent 99% of Americans. The legal education of most politicians enables them to manipulate and tell the best stories or lies. No more slick, lawyer talking, verbose presidential candidates.
Got a better solution to start the change or corrections to my solution please "reply" them to me so other readers can start giving and supporting solutions. I'm politically ignorant. Thus, excuse my errors and give corrections.
Spend more time, energy and space giving and supporting solutions, less complaining. Too much complaining without solutions. That's what children do.
Solutions and support.
thanks, John, a swimmer
Oh, one of my questions in my posted uninformed comments yesterday was totally correct and yet I received no replys.
"Possible killing blows were struck upon the Occupy Wall Street movements in many America cities this last weekend when mayors closed down parks and areas of OWS occupation with their police illegally arresting and attacking non-violent protesters.
Were these individual actions part of a planned coordinated action by the mayors, the “powers that be” and other higher authorities to kill the OWS movement?"
Totally correct. Hmmm.
Here's my full comment of yesterday which is worth a read and may encourage many of you to action or at least to share it with others, especially changing the election laws and processes, perhaps one of the only ways we can change our corrupted government and protect our future.
Read it and comment. Thanks, John, a swimmer.
Possible killing blows were struck upon the Occupy Wall Street movements in many America cities this last weekend when mayors closed down parks and areas of OWS occupation with their police illegally arresting and attacking non-violent protesters.
Were these individual actions part of a planned coordinated action by the mayors, the “powers that be” and other higher authorities to kill the OWS movement?
It appears that the lack of a specific goal is resulting in the growth of individual groups with more focus, some on aggression. You must realize that many of the “powers that be” want to shut down the OWS movement. For them to seed the OWS with “trouble makers” is not hard to believe. Add this to the negative publicity, the cold weather and that many homeless and street people are mixing in with the OWS protesters to take advantage of the OWS services, food and supplies resulting in some minor clashes which discourages or turns away many serious OWS supporters and gives the mayors excuses for police actions.
Will the combination of the mayors aggressive, illegal actions of closure with the above observations result in a temporary or more serious halt of the OWS movement?
Are we going to see any more massive OWS weekend marches and protests which are the blood and strength of the OWS movement that keeps it alive and strong?
My own conclusion and action consists of bringing to the attention of all OWS supporters and of the 99% of Americans what I believe should be their immediate prime goal that addresses all their individual goals:
Change election laws and processes so that both multiple parties and candidates can run and be elected in 2012.
America must replace the corrupt Republicans and Democrats with politicians that will represent the 99% of Americans.
Is it too late? Gerrymandering and the electoral Congress must be stopped, eliminated.
Congress would fight these changes.
Could a united movement by 99% of Americans forced Obama to issue presidential executive orders changing election laws?
Or would Obama ignore the voice of 99% of Americans?
Americans must change election laws and processes to save the future of America & the world.
enough.
Possible killing blows were struck upon the Occupy Wall Street movements in many America cities this last weekend when mayors closed down parks and areas of OWS occupation with their police illegally arresting and attacking non-violent protesters.
Were these individual actions part of a planned coordinated action by the mayors, the "powers that be" and other higher authorities to kill the OWS movement?
It appears that the lack of a specific goal is resulting in the growth of individual groups with more focus, some on aggression. You must realize that many of the "powers that be" want to shut down the OWS movement. For them to seed the OWS with "trouble makers" is not hard to believe. Add this to the negative publicity, the cold weather and that many homeless and street people are mixing in with the OWS protesters to take advantage of the OWS services, food and supplies resulting in some minor clashes which discourages or turns away many serious OWS supporters and gives the mayors excuses for police actions.
Will the combination of the mayors aggressive, illegal actions of closure with the above observations result in a temporary or more serious halt of the OWS movement?
Are we going to see any more massive OWS weekend marches and protests which are the blood and strength of the OWS movement that keeps it alive and strong?
My own conclusion and action consists of bringing to the attention of all OWS supporters and of the 99% of Americans what I believe should be their immediate prime goal that addresses all their individual goals:
Change election laws and processes so that both multiple parties and candidates can run and be elected in 2012.
America must replace the corrupt Republicans and Democrats with politicians that will represent the 99% of Americans.
Is it too late? Gerrymandering and the electoral Congress must be stopped, eliminated.
Congress would fight these changes.
Could a united movement by 99% of Americans forced Obama to issue presidential executive orders changing election laws?
Or would Obama ignore the voice of 99% of Americans?
Americans must change election laws and processes to save the future of America & the world.
enough.
AMERICANS MUST BOYCOTT THE RIGGED DEBATES that do not show how candidates would function as the President.
Professor, your debate comments are pertinent, concise, clear and easily understood since you take the time needed to prepare thorough and researched informed comments. I wouldn't be surprised if before blogging your comments you discuss them with your peers and with experts in areas you lack expertise in.
Your preparation is what the candidates must do to show to the listeners how they would function as the President, not as a quiz show contestant.
The debates are rigged Hollywood quiz shows with time limits and that also favor candidates with positive or negative questions. These debates entertain but at the sacrifice of showing how the candidates would actually perform as the President. They present useless indications of how they perform under pressure with time constraints without any real in depth study, research, analyses or preparation. Who gives a damn about this showmanship aspect?
Hasn't America witnessed enough of how the smooth talking, lawyer educated Obama has or hasn't performed on issues? Some of his decisions appear corrupt and do not show thorough, researched and analytical results.
The public must be awakened to the importance of experiencing if and how candidates might perform thorough and researched analyses on debate topics to make intelligent decisions. This is what has to be seen and determined.
In the real world, the President's decisions and actions are probably based most of the time on thorough understanding of each issue which includes making assignments, having discussions, meetings, written and verbal summaries and reports, and lots of interchange. Very seldom decisions in one or two minutes.
Thus, the following reformat for "Intelligent Debates"
Let the delegates sit at tables. Who wouldn't get a wee exhausted standing for two or more hours?
1. Only 1 debate topic. Two if topics readily debated.
2. Extend debate time to about 2 hours with a break.
3. Topic delivered to candidates 5 week prior to debate.
4. Candidates will deliver NLT 29 days prior to debate complete answers including charts, tables & references to the Debate Review Board and to all candidates. All submitted answers will be reviewed for clarity, truth, mistakes and malarkey. The Review Board will return material with written notes on each paragraph indicating:
a. Paragraph accepted.
b. Paragraph needs proof and references, otherwise barred from Debate.
c. Paragraph verbose, not pertinent. Correction required or barred from Debate.
d. References with web addresses must be available for instant view online. Otherwise material barred from Debate.
Debate Calendar
Days to Debate Mandatory Action
35 Candidates receive Debate topic.
29 Each Candidate delivers initial answers to
all candidates and Debate Review Board.
23 Review Board delivers first review of "all
submitted answers" to each candidate.
17 Each candidate delivers their first revised
answers to all candidates & Review Board.
11 Review Board delivers second review of "all
submitted answers to each candidate.
5 Each candidate delivers final revised
answers to all candidates & Review Board.
1 Review Board delivers final review of "all
submitted answers to each candidate.
Any paragraph not accepted during final review is barred from Debate. Candidates and their staff should know what's acceptable or not after two reviews, otherwise tough luck.
To make it clear, each candidate will receive copies of all other candidates initial, reviewed and revised answers. No surprise material during Debate allowed. But if the majority of both the referees and the candidates approve by vote, each candidate can speak on 2 or 3 new or forbidden articles.
Approximate Timing for Each Candidate
1. Presentation of formal answer each topic 3 minutes
2. Answer questions for candidates 5 "
3. Answer questions from moderator 3 "
4. Answer questions from audience 3 "
Total Debate Time on the order of 2 hours.
Get it. The candidates will show how they might really perform working with their staff doing actual research and analyses.
No more circumlocution, bureaucratese, goggledygook from the candidates and moderators.
Why not throw in an automatic off button so that if 2 of 3 referees judge that a candidate is not answering an open question from the audience or from an opponent or not sticking to the subject matter, his speaker is turned off and he's asked to make his point clear and concise.
more than enough
To all you commentors:
I don't give a damn about any of the Republicans candidates.
Almost all the Democrats and Republicans are liars, puppets for the 1%'ers, the Dictators. Both Parties are dying.
What alternative parties and candidates would represent the 99%'ers?
You have to be crazy to listen to the childish debates.
Very Rough Draft of Intelligent Debate Format, the times are estimates.
1. Specific debate topics are given to candidates two or more weeks before debate. They can therefore prepare their succinct and complete answers with charts, etc. Number of topics would be on the order of three to five.
2. A three person referee team to turn off candidate's microphone when "not staying on topic per their submitted answer", not answering questions from other candidates", being deceitful, rambling on or telling lies.
3. Perhaps to avoid rambling on, the candidates must submit their answers to the debate topics a week in advance of the debate to a committee to check that the answers are pertinent and not political crap.
4. Each candidate is given 5 minutes to present their prepared answers to the debate's main subjects.
5. Each candidate is given 2 minutes to answer each live question from other candidates.
6. All candidates will be sitting down and have an assistant to facilitate live answers. The assistant would have communication with a group that works on answers, off stage.
7. The debate would be at least 2 hours long and maybe 3 hours. The American people deserve real, honest debates. Not the crap of most political parties..
Get the picture ?
Enough reality for the Day.
What the Koch Brothers are doing in the US is criminal in many countries. The US can learn from others.
The Right to Vote must be protected and enforced by aggressive legislation on voting registration, laws and processes which will make it illegal and criminal to inhibit, make more difficult or unfair the processes of voting.
Congress is very corrupt, much by the Republican Party. Thus, the suggested legislation below may be achievable only by Presidential executive orders.
All individuals, groups and governments of all levels inhibiting the voting processes would be subject to criminal charges, fines and imprisonment. Those found guilty would be barred from all goverment positions and work for life. Currently gerrymandering is going which should be stopped since unfair and without doubt, illegal and criminal.
Suggested Immediate Legislation
by Presidential Executive Orders
Some from Juan Cole's: "10 Ways Arab Democracies Can Avoid American Mistakes"
https://www.juancole.com/2011/07/10-ways-arab-democracies-can-avoid-american-mistakes.html
1a. No elections on work days or weekends.
Many workers need their weekends off.
1b. Make election day a national holiday with pay.
1c. Some other plan.
2. Compulsory, government run voter registration at age 18
3. Enforced compulsory voting. Absentee ballots must be timely mailed or a fine of 0.1% of individual's or family's gross income. In the world, 32 countries have compulsory voting but America doesn't. America can learn from others.
4. ID cards with photo to be provided free by each State for those that do not have driver licenses.
5. Enforce the Bill of Rights. Violations of individual rights are routine in America.
6. Regulate public radio and TV stations to stop news being biased by the Democratic & Republican parties, by corporations and by the Dictators and their puppets. The news on PBS NewsHour is controlled by the 1%'ers.
I don't know how the this will be done.
I'm 70, a little slow, but still give a hoot about America.
All I know for certain is that both the Democratic and Republican parties are corrupt and controlled by the Dictators, the 1%'ers. Obama, dictator or puppet?
Please correct me if I'm wrong----no Republican has any chance of becoming the President.
I also doubt that a Democrat has a reasonable chance if the majority of Americans wake up to the fact that the mass news media is a puppet to the 1%'ers, the dictators.
The bailing out of banks, corporation and the continuing news of executives receiving outrageous bonus or making millions of dollars by selling stocks before they start
dropping in price are outright crimes. All such bonus and stock sales are illegal and the billions of dollars must be collected and returned to the American people and the criminals jailed for life. White collar crime is more serious than murder, more individuals are seriously injured.
All Congress is corrupt. One of the goals of the OWS, Occupy Wall Street Movement is to stop the corruption and the control of our government by the 1%'ers, the Dictator billionaires, the Wall Street and Corporation Maggots and their puppets: most of Congress, the military generals,
the corrupt mass news media and the many unconscious Americans that only listen to the mass news media and do not even know about juancole.com, Truthdig, The Nation,
DailyKos, Tomdispatch.com, MichaelHudson's Middle East Institute, Kevin Drum's Mother Jones, Salon.com, Think Progress and many other sources of true information, news.
If the democrats or the republicans win the 2012 election, the status quo will continue. The 1% dictators will remain in power, that is the Rich and their Corporations will continue to rule with their puppets, Congress and the mass news media continuing their insane roles.
Thus, the insanity of wars, environmental pollution, phony economic bailouts, more crap from politicians and ecetera will continue.
A new party is a must for sanity and recovery.
My uninformed comment.
Insanity: Attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities.
US Dictators considering or posturing on attack.
Such an attack could result in World War III.
Consider that a terrorist or anyone explodes a couple
suitcase nuclear bombs in America during the attack.
Would the US know who to blame?
The above is stated as info for the so called military experts since using planes as bombs was evidently not considered as a possible terrorist weapon to defend against by our military experts, even though that's exactly what Japan did on Pearl Harbor.
What forced Japan to attack Pearl Harbor? The US put an oil embargo on Japan on August 1, 1941. In a month or so all industry in Japan would shut down.
Main Interests of 99.75% of Iranians of Most of the World:
Raising their families
Good job and income
Owning a home
College education for their kids
Enjoyable life
A few luxuries
Main Interests of Dictators, the 1%'ers and Puppets:
Wealth
Power
Megalomania, a delusional mental disorder marked by feelings of personal
omnipotence and grandeur.
America's illegal bombing and invasion of Iraq was a act of insanity by President Bush and an act of mass insanity by Congress and many Americans. The news media controlled by
the 1%'ers, the dictators and their puppets is responsible for the mass insanity.
The insanity of Congress was due to negligence of duty, not knowing the actual facts and megalomania, a delusional mental disorder marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur.
Does the world need to have another World War that could end up destroying much of the world before war becomes obsolete? Mass weapons of destruction and drones in the
hands of terrorists?
No. A strong unified military controlled by the United Nations' military to replace all militaries of the world. This may be the best answer to the US military forces under
the corrupt control of the Dictators, the 1%'ers and their puppet generals.
enough.
Excuse wordiness.
All this talk about attacking Iran is total crap.
99 to 99.75 percent of Iranians don't want war.
They're interested in the basics: having a job to support their families, owning a home, making sure their kids get an education(for some a college education), having some fun and enjoying their lives with a few luxuries. Just like the 99%'ers in America and the world.
I worked in Iran for a year during which I met and talked with most classes of Iranians except the 1%'ers, the ruling class and their dictators and puppets. Wait, their 1%'ers are probably closer to 1/4 of a percent, the 1/4%'ers.
It's the dictators, the 0.25 to 1 percent that rule the countries and the world that often have or develop addictions to wealth and power that result in megalomania, a delusional mental disorder that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur.
Thus, we have all the posturing of war and sometimes war, legal or illegal.
If the US can continue to develop weapons of mass destruction and drone kill "anyone" they casually name as a terrorist without due process of the law, why shouldn't any other country? Oh, excuse me. The United States knows what it's doing? Bull shit.
enough
Professor,
Would be helpful if you sent Tunisia's constituent assembly/government a copy of your 10 Ways Arab Democracies Can Avoid Aerican Mistakes:
https://www.juancole.com/2011/07/10-ways-arab-democracies-can-avoid-american-mistakes.html
I don't know how to do this.
john
I not politically knowledgeable and a little confused, so bear with me.
Questions
1: Is there a presidential candidate that will represent
the 99'ers and prevent economic collapse and anarchy?
2: Would Ron Paul truly represent the 99'ers?
Or would he just become another puppet or puppeteer?
I think the 1% dictators don't clearly understand that they're destroying their source of wealth, the working 99'ers which could result in anarchy, a police state.
America and the world are quickly becoming conscious of the lies and dictatorship of the 1%'ers(the puppeteers), the rich, corporations, politicians. Their puppets include the news media and others that vote for or blindly support the Republican and Democratic parties. Many politicians begin as puppets and later become puppeteers.
Can America and the world recover if another Democratic or Republican puppet president is voted in? Or will America be elected into anarchy?
Help!
Professor, feel free to edit. If you think some of my comments could put me on the spy and/or hit list of the 1% Dictators use "anonymous" as name and delete any reference to my email. Thanks
Surprised, definitely not. "Corporate mass media is hostile to the movement." Anything that doesn't support the elected Republican and Democratic puppets and their 1% Dictators is either given spin or ignored by the mass media.
PBS Newshour and Talk of the Nation, programs on national public TV and radio stations are suppose to be unbiased.
I haven't watch the Newshour for months. When I watched Shields and Brooks give their analysis of the Occupy Wall Street on Monday or Tuesday, all I saw was spin. Mark Shields and David Brooks sounded washed out and dead, I felt sorry for them. They must realize that they're both sad clowns and just puppets to the 1% Dictators. They stopped being authentic news people years ago. Before they lose all consciouness, both of them should listen to Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005: link to youtube.com
The speech is about 14 minutes.
Here a couple quotes from it:
Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You got to find what you love and that is as true for work as it is for you lovers. ——– The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking and don’t settle.”
“My third story is about death. When I was seventeen I read a quote that went something like “If you live each day as if it was your last someday you most certainly will be right. It made an impression on me and since then for the past 33 years, I’ve looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, if today were the last day of my life would I want to do what am about to do today. And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” ———
An inspiring and heartfull memorial on Steve Jobs. I didn't know who he was, but since I trust and respect you I goggled and ended up watching Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
A few of the gems, brilliant and powerful things he says are at 12:32 to 12:42, 7:58 to 9:24 of the video:
"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
"Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You got to find what you love and that is as true for work as it is for you lovers. -------- The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking and don't settle."
"My third story is about death. When I was seventeen I read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last someday you most certainly will be right. It made an impression on me and since then for the past 33 years, I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, if today were the last day of my life would I want to do what am about to do today. And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." ---------
Would be great if the paragraph above would be read and practiced daily by all people.
But, I would settle for the President and all those elected and appointed could be open and honest with themselves.
Google HAARPHigh, Frequency Active Auroral Research Program.
A weapon of mass distruction.