1,000,000 post thread

[BakedDon]

Bin Laden may have arranged family's US exit: FBI docs
AFP
Published: Wednesday June 20, 2007


Osama bin Laden may have chartered a plane that carried his family members and Saudi nationals out of the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks, said FBI documents released Wednesday.

The papers, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, were made public by Judicial Watch, a Washington-based group that investigates government corruption.

One FBI document referred to a Ryan Air 727 airplane that departed Los Angeles International Airport on September 19, 2001, and was said to have carried Saudi nationals out of the United States.

"The plane was chartered either by the Saudi Arabian royal family or Osama bin Laden," according to the document, which was among 224 pages posted online.

The flight made stops in Orlando, Florida; Washington, DC; and Boston, Massachusetts and eventually left its passengers in Paris the following day.

In all, the documents detail six flights between September 14 and September 24 that evacuated Saudi nationals and bin Laden family members, Judicial Watch said in a statement.

"Incredibly, not a single Saudi national nor any of the bin Laden family members possessed any information of investigative value," Judicial Watch said.

"These documents contain numerous errors and inconsistencies which call to question the thoroughness of the FBI's investigation of the Saudi flights.

"For example, on one document, the FBI claims to have interviewed 20 of 23 passengers on the Ryan International Airlines flight ... on another document the FBI claims to have interviewed 15 to 22 passengers on the same flight."

Asked about the documents' assertion that either bin Laden or the Saudi royals ordered the flight, an FBI spokesman said the information was inaccurate.

"There is no new information here. Osama bin Laden did not charter a flight out of the US," FBI special agent Richard Kolko said.

"This is just an inflammatory headline by Judicial Watch to catch people's attention. This was thoroughly investigated by the FBI."

Kolko pointed to the 9-11 Commission Report, which was the book-length result of an official probe into the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people.

"No political intervention was found. And most important, the FBI conducted a satisfactory screening of Saudi nationals that left on chartered flights. This is all available in the report," Kolko said.

On the issue of flights of Saudi nationals leaving the United States, the 9-11 report said: "We found no evidence of political intervention" to facilitate the departure of Saudi nationals.

The commission also said: "Our own independent review of the Saudi nationals involved confirms that no one with known links to terrorism departed on these flights."

Meredith Diliberto, an attorney with Judicial Watch, said that her group had seen a first version of the documents in 2005, although the FBI had heavily redacted the texts to black out names, including all references to bin Laden.

Nevertheless, unedited footnotes in the texts allowed lawyers to determine that bin Laden's name had been redacted. They pressed the issue in court and in November 2006, the FBI was ordered to re-release the documents.

Diliberto said mention that "either" bin Laden or Saudi royals had chartered the flight "really threw us for a loop."

"When you combine that with some of the family members not being interviewed, we found it very disturbing."

[mathmission]

TODAY'S MYSTERY QUOTE

QUOTE: "Right now a moment of time is passing by!
We must become that moment."

HINT: (January 19, 1839-October 22, 1906) Was a French
painter who represented the bridge from impressionism
to cubism.

[mathmission]

The average human sheds 1/5 ounce of skin per week, which
dries and collects to form dust.

[mathmission]

In 1826, Charles Forster devised his own toothpick making
machines and began turning out over a million toothpicks
and hour.

[mathmission]

Fingernails grow four times faster than toenails.

[mathmission]

Golden Gate Bridge

There are 80,000 miles of wire, made up of 25,572 strands
that took 6 months to 'spin' together to form the cables.
The 746 foot towers each have 600,000 rivets.

[mathmission]

Murders

Columbia has the most murders with .63 per 1,000 people.
The United States is in 24th place with .04 per 1,000.
The remaining top 5 are South Africa, Jamaica, Venezuela
and Russia.

[mathmission]

Who do? Voo Doo?

A male voodoo priest is called a hougan and a female
priestess is a mambo. The religion is 6,000 years old,
brought to the United States by West African Yorubas.

[mathmission]

QUOTE: "Right now a moment of time is passing by!
We must become that moment."

ANSWER: Paul Cezanne

[mathmission]

TODAY'S MYSTERY QUOTE

QUOTE: "Trifles make perfection, but perfection
is no trifle."

HINT: (1475-1854) Was an Italian Renaissance sculptor,
painter, architect and poet.

[mathmission]

Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air
conditioning needs by 30 percent.

[mathmission]

Plant a few sprigs of dill near your tomato plants to
prevent tomato worms on your plants.

[mathmission]

Marigold plants help prevent rodents.

[mathmission]

18:1

One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and
puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the
annual needs of 18 people.

[mathmission]

Need More Trees

There are about 60-to 200- million spaces along our city
streets where trees could be planted. This translates to
the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every
year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.

[mathmission]

State Trees:

Illinois White Oak
Minnesota Red Pine
Oklahoma Eastern Redbud
Wyoming Cottonwood

[BakedDon]

In case your still in denial
about the flights after 9/11
Check this out
http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2007/Saudi%20Docs%202.pdf
Bin Laden Himself chartered flights while all others were grounded
after 9/11

[BakedDon]

CIA to Air Decades of Its Dirty Laundry

Washington Post | June 22, 2007
Karen DeYoung and Walter Pincus

The CIA will declassify hundreds of pages of long-secret records detailing some of the intelligence agency's worst illegal abuses -- the so-called "family jewels" documenting a quarter-century of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying, kidnapping and infiltration of leftist groups from the 1950s to the 1970s, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said yesterday.

The documents, to be publicly released next week, also include accounts of break-ins and theft, the agency's opening of private mail to and from China and the Soviet Union, wiretaps and surveillance of journalists, and a series of "unwitting" tests on U.S. civilians, including the use of drugs.

"Most of it is unflattering, but it is CIA's history," Hayden said in a speech to a conference of foreign policy historians. The documents have been sought for decades by historians, journalists and conspiracy theorists and have been the subject of many fruitless Freedom of Information Act requests.

In anticipation of the CIA's release, the National Security Archive at George Washington University yesterday published a separate set of documents from January 1975 detailing internal government discussions of the abuses. Those documents portray a rising sense of panic within the administration of President Gerald R. Ford that what then-CIA Director William E. Colby called "skeletons" in the CIA's closet had begun to be revealed in news accounts.

A New York Times article by reporter Seymour Hersh about the CIA's infiltration of antiwar groups, published in December 1974, was "just the tip of the iceberg," then-Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger warned Ford, according to a Jan. 3 memorandum of their conversation.

Kissinger warned that if other operations were divulged, "blood will flow," saying, "For example, Robert Kennedy personally managed the operation on the assassination of [Cuban President Fidel] Castro." Kennedy was the attorney general from 1961 to 1964.

Worried that the disclosures could lead to criminal prosecutions, Kissinger added that "when the FBI has a hunting license into the CIA, this could end up worse for the country than Watergate," the scandal that led to the fall of the Nixon administration the previous year.

In a meeting at which Colby detailed the worst abuses -- after telling the president "we have a 25-year old institution which has done some things it shouldn't have" -- Ford said he would appoint a presidential commission to look into the matter. "We don't want to destroy but to preserve the CIA. But we want to make sure that illegal operations and those outside the [CIA] charter don't happen," Ford said.

Most of the major incidents and operations in the reports to be released next week were revealed in varying detail during congressional investigations that led to widespread intelligence reforms and increased oversight. But the treasure-trove of CIA documents, generated as the Vietnam War wound down and agency involvement in Nixon's "dirty tricks" political campaign began to be revealed, is expected to provide far more comprehensive accounts, written by the agency itself.

The reports, known collectively by historians and CIA officials as the "family jewels," were initially produced in response to a 1973 request by then-CIA Director James R. Schlesinger. Alarmed by press accounts of CIA involvement in Watergate under his predecessor, Schlesinger asked the agency's employees to inform him of all operations that were "outside" the agency's legal charter.

This process was unprecedented at the agency, where only a few officials had previously been privy to the scope of its illegal activities. Schlesinger collected the reports, some of which dated to the 1950s, in a folder that was inherited by his successor, Colby, in September of that year.

But it was not until Hersh's article that Colby took the file to the White House. The National Security Archive release included a six-page summary of a conversation on Jan. 3, 1975, in which Colby briefed the Justice Department for the first time on the extent of the "skeletons."

Operations listed in the report began in 1953, when the CIA's counterintelligence staff started a 20-year program to screen and in some cases open mail between the United States and the Soviet Union passing through a New York airport. A similar program in San Francisco intercepted mail to and from China from 1969 to 1972. Under its charter, the CIA is prohibited from domestic operations.

Colby told Ford that the program had collected four letters to actress and antiwar activist Jane Fonda and said the entire effort was "illegal, and we stopped it in 1973."

Among several new details, the summary document reveals a 1969 program about CIA efforts against "the international activities of radicals and black militants." Undercover CIA agents were placed inside U.S. peace groups and sent abroad as credentialed members to identify any foreign contacts. This came at a time when the Soviet Union was suspected of financing and influencing U.S. domestic organizations.

The program included "information on the domestic activities" of the organizations and led to the accumulation of 10,000 American names, which Colby told Silberman were retained "as a result of the tendency of bureaucrats to retain paper whether they needed it or acted on it or not," according to the summary memo.

CIA surveillance of Michael Getler, then The Washington Post's national security reporter, was conducted between October 1971 and April 1972 under direct authorization by then-Director Richard Helms, the memo said. Getler had written a story published on Oct. 18, 1971, sparked by what Colby called "an obvious intelligence leak," headlined "Soviet Subs Are Reported Cuba-Bound."

Getler, who is now the ombudsman for the Public Broadcasting Service, said yesterday that he learned of the surveillance in 1975, when The Post published an article based on a secret report by congressional investigators. The story said that the CIA used physical surveillance against "five Americans" and listed Getler, the late columnist Jack Anderson and Victor Marchetti, a former CIA employee who had just written a book critical of the agency.

"I never knew about it at the time, although it was a full 24 hours a day with teams of people following me, looking for my sources," Getler said. He said he went to see Colby afterward, with Washington lawyer Joseph Califano. Getler recalled, "Colby said it happened under Helms and apologized and said it wouldn't happen again."

Personal surveillance was conducted on Anderson and three of his staff members, including Britt Hume, now with Fox News, for two months in 1972 after Anderson wrote of the administration's "tilt toward Pakistan." The 1972 surveillance of Marchetti was carried out "to determine contacts with CIA employees," the summary said.

CIA monitoring and infiltration of antiwar dissident groups took place between 1967 and 1971 at a time when the public was turning against the Vietnam War. Agency officials "covertly monitored" groups in the Washington area "who were considered to pose a threat to CIA installations." Some of the information "might have been distributed to the FBI," the summary said. Other "skeletons" listed in the summary included:


· The confinement by the CIA of a Russian defector, suspected by the CIA as a possible "fake," in Maryland and Virginia safe houses for two years, beginning in 1964. Colby speculated that this might be "a violation of the kidnapping laws."


· The "very productive" 1963 wiretapping of two columnists -- Robert Allen and Paul Scott -- whose conversations included talks with 12 senators and six congressmen.


· Break-ins by the CIA's office of security at the homes of one current and one former CIA official suspected of retaining classified documents.


· CIA-funded testing of American citizens, "including reactions to certain drugs."

The CIA documents scheduled for release next week, Hayden said yesterday, "provide a glimpse of a very different time and a very different agency."

Barred by secrecy restrictions from correcting "misinformation," he said, the CIA is at the mercy of the press. "Unfortunately, there seems to be an instinct among some in the media today to take a few pieces of information, which may or may not be accurate, and run with them to the darkest corner of the room," Hayden said.

Hayden's speech and some questions that followed evoked more recent criticism of the intelligence community, which has been accused of illegal wiretapping, infiltration of antiwar groups, and kidnapping and torturing of terrorism suspects.

"It's surely part of [Hayden's] program now to draw a bright line with the past," said National Security Archive Director Thomas S. Blanton. "But it's uncanny how the government keeps dipping into the black bag." Newly revealed details of ancient CIA operations, Blanton said, "are pretty resonant today."

[BakedDon]

We are Change Confronting Queen Hillary Clinton
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pds3xBtkpvg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pds3xBtkpvg

[BakedDon]

Using the 'I' word - Why More People (Except Congress) Want to Impeach Bush (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/06/24/the_i_word/?page=3)

baerga submitted, made popular 2 hours 7 min ago (www.boston.com)

FOR ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN it was the discovery, in late 2005, that the Bush administration had been monitoring Americans' phone and email conversations without warrants that convinced her that the President shouldn't be allowed to serve out the remainder of his term.

[BakedDon]

Everyone we fight in Iraq is now "al-Qaida" - - by Glenn Greenwald (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/06/23/al_qaeda)

sysprog submitted, made popular 7 hours 57 min ago (www.salon.com)

Calling all Iraqi insurgents "terrorists" was the previous height of Administration propaganda, but for the last couple of weeks, EVERY dead body in Iraq is "al Qaeda", according to the Administration - - and according to headlines at CNN, WaPo, NY Times, and other stenographic outfits. THE BIG LIE = IN IRAQ, WE'RE FIGHTING THE 9/11 TERRORISTS.

[BakedDon]

USS Enterprise Joins Fleet Near Iran (That Makes 3 Carrier Groups)

littlebylittle submitted, made popular 8 hours 37 min ago (www.freemarketnews.com)

The USS Enterprise CVN 65-Big E Strike Group, the US Navy ’s largest air carrier, will join the USS Stennis and the USS Nimitz carriers, building up the largest sea, air, marine concentration the United States has ever deployed opposite Iran

[BakedDon]

Guiliani refuses to fire child-molesting pries (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-giuliani-church-abuse,1,6465460.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true)t

jstohler submitted, made popular 11 hours 56 min ago (www.latimes.com)

Monsignor Alan Placa, a childhood friend of Giuliani's, is also a consultant for Giuliani Partners. He was suspended from the priesthood in 2002 for protecting molesters, and is known to have been a molester himself.

[BakedDon]

Cheney Destroyed Records. Keeps "Man Size" Safes in Office.

popothebright popothebright submitted, made popular 15 hours 56 min ago (rawstory.com)

The Washington Post is reporting that Cheney has been destroying records, and keeps his documents in gigantic "man-sized" safes in his office. The level of secrecy is unprecedented. He deliberately conceals all his correspondence. ..It's time to acknowledge that Cheney really is the Sith Lord.

[BakedDon]

Woman's Face Branded with the Word 'Snitch'

mindstyle1 submitted, made popular 16 hours 7 min ago (news.yahoo.com)

A woman had the word "snitch" burned into her face with a branding iron in apparent retaliation for helping police in a domestic violence case, authorities said.

[BakedDon]

everythings fine, the government loves you, torture is necessary

[BakedDon]

The Alex Jones Report June 24th, 2007 (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5195014195655985776)

[BakedDon]

By Bill Mears
CNN Washington Bureau
Adjust font size:
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner case -- a split decision that limits students' free speech rights.

Joseph Frederick was 18 when he unveiled the 14-foot paper sign on a public sidewalk outside his Juneau, Alaska, high school in 2002.

Principal Deborah Morse confiscated it and suspended Frederick. He sued, taking his case all the way to the nation's highest court.

The justices ruled 6-3 that Frederick's free speech rights were not violated by his suspension over what the majority's written opinion called a "sophomoric" banner. (Watch the banner unfurl and launch a legal battle Video)

"It was reasonable for (the principal) to conclude that the banner promoted illegal drug use-- and that failing to act would send a powerful message to the students in her charge," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court's majority. (Opinionexternal link)

Roberts added that while the court has limited student free speech rights in the past, young people do not give up all their First Amendment rights when they enter a school.

Roberts was supported by Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, and Samuel Alito. Breyer noted separately he would give Morse qualified immunity from the lawsuit, but did not sign onto the majority's broader free speech limits on students.

In dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens said, "This case began with a silly nonsensical banner, (and) ends with the court inventing out of whole cloth a special First Amendment rule permitting the censorship of any student speech that mentions drugs, so long as someone could perceive that speech to contain a latent pro-drug message."

He was backed by Justices David Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

At issue was the discretion schools should be allowed to limit messages that appear to advocate illegal drug use. "Bong," as noted in the appeal filed with the justices, "is a slang term for drug paraphernalia."

The incident occurred in January 2002 just outside school grounds when the Olympic torch relay was moving through the Alaska capital on its way to the Salt Lake City, Utah, Winter Games.

Though he was standing on a public sidewalk, the school argued Frederick was part of a school-sanctioned event, because students were let out of classes and accompanied by their teachers.

Morse ordered the senior to take down the sign, but he refused. That led to a 10-day suspension for violating a school policy on promoting illegal drug use.

Frederick filed suit, saying his First Amendment rights were infringed. A federal appeals court in San Francisco agreed, concluding the school could not show Frederick had disrupted the school's educational mission by showing a banner off campus.

Former independent counsel Kenneth Starr argued for the principal that a school "must be able to fashion its educational mission" without undue hindsight from the courts.

Morse, who attended arguments in March, told CNN at the time: "I was empowered to enforce the school board's written policies at that time aimed at keeping illegal substances out of the school environment."

As for Frederick, he is halfway across the globe, teaching English to students in China.

Now 24, he told reporters in March that he displayed the banner in a deliberate attempt to provoke a response from principal Morse, by whom he had been disciplined previously. But Frederick claimed his message of free speech is very important to him, even if the wording of the infamous banner itself was not.

"I find it absurdly funny," he said. "I was not promoting drugs. ... I assumed most people would take it as a joke."

[BakedDon]

June 25, 2007
Murdoch Reaches Out for Even More
By JO BECKER

This article was reported by Jo Becker, Richard Siklos, Jane Perlez and Raymond Bonner, and written by Ms. Becker.

In the fall of 2003, a piece of Rupert Murdoch’s sprawling media empire was in jeopardy.

Congress was on the verge of limiting any company from owning local television stations that reached more than 35 percent of American homes. Mr. Murdoch’s Fox stations reached nearly 39 percent, meaning he would have to sell some.

A strike force of Mr. Murdoch’s lobbyists joined other media companies in working on the issue. The White House backed the industry, and in a late-night meeting just before Thanksgiving, Congressional leaders agreed to raise the limit — to 39 percent.

One leader of the Congressional movement to limit ownership was Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi. But in the end, he, too, agreed to the compromise. It turns out he had a business connection to Mr. Murdoch. Months before, HarperCollins, Mr. Murdoch’s publishing house, had signed a $250,000 book deal to publish Mr. Lott’s memoir, “Herding Cats,” records and interviews show.

An aide to Mr. Lott said the book deal had no bearing on the senator’s decision, and a spokesman for Mr. Murdoch chalked it up to coincidence. Still, the ownership fight showcases the confluence of business, political and media prowess that is central to the way Mr. Murdoch has built his global information conglomerate.

His vast media holdings give him a gamut of tools — not just campaign contributions, but also jobs for former government officials and media exposure that promotes allies while attacking adversaries, sometimes viciously — all of which he has used to further his financial interests and establish his legitimacy in the United States, interviews and government records show.

Mr. Murdoch may be best known in the this country as the man who created Fox News as a counterweight to what he saw as a liberal bias in the news media. But he has often set aside his conservative ideology in pursuit of his business interests. In recent years, he has spread campaign contributions across both sides of the political aisle and nurtured relationships with the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

More than 30 years after the Australian-born Mr. Murdoch arrived on the American newspaper scene and turned The New York Post into a racy, right-leaning tabloid, his holding company, the News Corporation, has offered $5 billion to buy a pillar of the business news establishment — Dow Jones, parent company of The Wall Street Journal.

The sale would give Mr. Murdoch control of the pre-eminent journalistic authority on the world in which he is an active, aggressive participant. What worries his critics is that Mr. Murdoch will use The Journal, which has won many Pulitzer Prizes and has a sterling reputation for accuracy and fairness, as yet another tool to further his myriad financial and political agendas.

“It is hard to imagine Rupert Murdoch publishing The New York Post in Midtown Manhattan, with all of his personal and political biases and business interests reflected every day, while publishing The Wall Street Journal in Downtown Manhattan with no interference whatsoever,” James Ottaway Jr., a 5 percent shareholder and former director of Dow Jones, said recently.

Members of the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones, have sought elaborate assurances from Mr. Murdoch that he will preserve the independence of The Journal’s news coverage. Last night, advisers to both sides said they were close to reaching an agreement on editorial control, but it was unclear whether the Bancrofts would approve a deal. When he bought The Times of London in 1981 he gave similar assurances, but some former editors say he meddled with news operations anyway.

Mr. Murdoch declined a request for an interview, but has recently said he would preserve The Journal’s independence. Gary L. Ginsberg, a News Corporation executive, said it was “insulting” for anyone to suggest that Mr. Murdoch would compromise the integrity of “one of the world’s great newspapers” adding, “It’s not good business and it’s not good politics and it’s absurd on its face.”

From his beginnings as a proprietor of a single Australian newspaper, Mr. Murdoch now commands a news, entertainment and Internet enterprise whose $68 billion value slightly exceeds that of the Walt Disney Company.

The American newspaper industry has never seen a publisher quite like him. Mr. Murdoch has long been a pivotal figure in England and Australia, and in the dozen years since he has moved his base of operations to this country, he has insinuated himself into the political and financial fabric of the United States. His businesses have thrived in a highly regulated environment in part because of his remarkable ability to mold the rules to fit his needs.

This became clear in the regulatory fight over media ownership, a battle critical to Mr. Murdoch’s audacious creation of a fourth national television network, Fox. He has also turned his political clout on business rivals, as he did when he mounted a campaign recently against the Nielsen television rating agency.

“Rupert is sort of an 18th-century guy: the world is still forming, and he’s going to do what he can to hack out a place in the wilderness and defend it,” said Richard D. Parsons, the chairman of Time Warner, who both competes and socializes with Mr. Murdoch.

Political Relations

Shortly before Christmas in 1987, Senator Edward M. Kennedy taught Mr. Murdoch a tough lesson in the ways of Washington.

Two years earlier, Mr. Murdoch had paid $2 billion to buy seven television stations in major American markets with the intention of starting a national network. To comply with rules limiting foreign ownership, he became an American citizen. And to comply with rules banning the ownership of television stations and newspapers in the same market, he promised to sell some newspapers eventually. But almost immediately he began looking for ways around that rule.

Then Mr. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, stepped in. Mr. Kennedy’s liberal politics had made him a target of Murdoch-owned news media outlets, particularly The Boston Herald, which often referred to Mr. Kennedy as “Fat Boy.” He engineered a legislative maneuver that forced an infuriated Mr. Murdoch to sell his beloved New York Post.

Mr. Murdoch was able to buy back the tabloid five years later, but the sale represented a rare and, some say, transforming defeat.

“Teddy almost did him in,” said Philip R. Verveer, a cable television lobbyist. “I presume that over time, as his media ownership in this country has grown and grown, he’s realized that you can’t throw spit wads at leading figures in society with impunity.”

In fact, among the ranks of the lobbyists who have done Mr. Murdoch’s bidding in Washington in recent years is Anthony Podesta, Mr. Kennedy’s former counsel.

Over time, Mr. Murdoch has shown an ability to adapt to changing political winds. In Britain, his newspapers had a long history of being pro-Tory and anti-Labor, and he was personally close with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. But in 1997, two of Mr. Murdoch’s papers endorsed Tony Blair for prime minister. Mr. Murdoch became a frequent guest at No. 10 Downing Street, “effectively a member of Blair’s cabinet,” said Lance Price, who was a Blair spokesman from 1998 to 2001.

Mr. Murdoch had reason to court Mr. Blair: ensuring that the new government would allow him to keep intact his British holdings, which by then included The Times of London, multiple tabloids and a stake in Sky News. Many in the Labor Party under Mr. Blair favored the enactment of media ownership limits, which could have forced Mr. Murdoch to divest some of his interests. But Mr. Blair “quietly dropped the policy,” Mr. Price said.

“Blair’s attitude was quite clear,” Andrew Neil, the editor of The Sunday Times under Mr. Murdoch in London from 1983 to 1994, said in an interview. “If the Murdoch press gave the Blair government a fair hearing, it would be left intact.”

Mr. Murdoch’s trajectory in the United States has been similar. His credentials as a purveyor of conservative journalism notwithstanding, he operates like many less visible corporate executives in not allowing his personal politics to get in the way of his bottom line.

more (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/business/media/25murdoch.html?ei=5123&en=237782063a1ecd54&ex=1183348800&partner=BREITBART&pagewanted=print)

[BakedDon]

Court: Protecting trade secrets takes priority over election transparency (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070625-florida-appeals-court-says-trade-secret-protection-takes-priority-over-election-transparency.html)

chromaphobic chromaphobic submitted, made popular 1 hour 7 min ago (arstechnica.com)

Controversial voting machine maker ES&S won't have to disclose its source code after a Florida appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling, saying that an independent audit couldn't be permitted because doing so would violate the company's right to trade secret protection. (http://digg.com/politics/Court_Protecting_trade_secrets_takes_priority_over _election_transparency)

[BakedDon]

Sen. Mike Gravel: Why Hillary Scares Me (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-mike-gravel/why-hillary-scares-me_b_53586.html)

felchdonkey felchdonkey submitted, made popular 2 hours 17 min ago (www.huffingtonpost.com)

"During one of the debates I mentioned that my fellow Democratic candidates scare me. Hillary's speech last week to the Take Back America conference gives me yet another reason to be afraid." - a column from Sen. Mike Gravel (http://digg.com/politics/Sen_Mike_Gravel_Why_Hillary_Scares_Me)

[BakedDon]

Glenn And Kathy Wilburn

THE OKLAHOMA BOMBING

The Secret Life of Bill Clinton
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Chapter Two - ( Pages 9-21)
1997 - Regnery Publishing, Inc., Washington, D.C.

The boys were the heart and soul of the house. They lived with their mother and grandparents, three generations together in the suburbs of Oklahoma City. Chase was three; Colton was two. They were lively spirits, with faces lifted from the frescoes of Fra Angelico.

On weekdays they would be dropped off at America’s Kids on the second floor of the Alfred P. Murrah Building. Their mother, Edye Smith, worked as a secretary for the IRS, four blocks away. So did their grandmother, Kathy Wilburn, a training instructor.

The daycare center was an extra perk the two women enjoyed as federal employees. They did not know at the time that none of the law enforcement agents put their own children in the creche as a matter of policy. Nor did they know that the ATF, the Secret Service, and U.S. Customs had offices in the building. [1]

Glenn Wilburn doubled as father and grandfather. A courteous, gentle, well-fed fellow, aged 44, he had a successful practice as a certified public accountant. He drove a big silver Mercedes 380SE and looked the part of a prosperous citizen of stature, but his tastes were simple. In the evenings after work he would take his grandsons down to the park. On weekends he would take them to a movie. They watched The Lion King three times.

Glenn had no interest in politics. He did not listen to talk radio. The word militia had never crossed his lips. He had not given much thought to Ruby Ridge, or NAFTA, or anything else that was exercising so many Americans in the heartland, although he had cried watching the fiery denouement of the Branch Davidian siege. The knowledge that there were young children trapped inside was deeply disturbing to Glenn. But by and large he was a contented man, firm in his belief that the U.S. federal government was a force for good.

On Tuesday, April 18, 1995, Edye was sick with strep throat and stayed home with the boys. The next day, Patriot’s Day,[2] she was still feeling ill, but her colleagues had made her a birthday cake so she made the extra effort and struggled in to work.

It was the usual morning ritual. The boys were in Edye’s bed, one snuggled up on each side. Glenn and Kathy burst in singing "good morning to you," and the scramble began.

"Glenn was helping with Colton. He had him sitting up on the bar in the kitchen, putting on his little blue sandals," said Kathy. "When he finished, Glenn kissed him on the forehead and said ‘You’re a good boy. Papa loves you.’ "

The bomb went off at 9:02 AM.

Edye was about to blow out the candles on her birthday cake when the shock waves rocked the IRS building.

"I grabbed her and we rushed out into the street," recounted Kathy. "I could see smoke over towards the Murrah Building, and I screamed, ‘Edye, the babies, the babies,’ and we took off running."

"It was like the twilight zone. Big plate glass windows were still crashing out of the sky. There was this boom, boom, boom, and we saw all this black smoke everywhere. It was the cars going off in the parking lot."

"Then we saw it—the total devastation—and Edye crumbled to her knees. I put my arms around her and told her, ‘It’ll be alright.’ But I knew it wasn’t true. I knew already that our babies were gone."

Both boys were killed. A rescue worker had found Colton still breathing in the ruins, but he would not live long. His stomach had been ripped out. Kathy’s grownup son Daniel had spotted the tiny two-year-old body laid out on a bench.

Glenn had already heard the news. When the women found him in the mayhem outside the Murrah Building, he was leaning over the hood of a pickup truck crying his heart out.

"That was when it all fell apart for Glenn," said Kathy. "It wasn’t pancreatic cancer that killed him in the end. He really died of a broken heart."

That night they huddled together at home, silently watching the TV news. The camera picked out a solitary shoe on the edges of the smoking rubble. It was the blue sandal that Glenn had slipped onto Chase’s tiny foot that morning.

Anger, grief, confusion—it was the same for all the families. Glenn and Kathy turned the boys’ room into a shrine, untouched from that day forth, the teddy bears stacked neatly on each of the little beds. The most poignant memento was a ticket found in Chase’s pocket. It was for a Sesame Street Live show entitled "When I grow up."

Within days of the bombing, the rumors began to circulate. People talked of seeing bomb squads in downtown Oklahoma in the early hours of the morning before the blast. It was said that the ATF did not come to work that morning at the Murrah Building. The families noticed that none of the ATF agents were on the casualty list.

It was the usual sort of talk after a disaster of this scale. Glenn did not pay too much attention at first. He assumed like everybody else that the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department would do all they could to establish the truth. One hundred and sixty-eight people had been killed. It was the most deadly act of terrorism in the history of the United States. If there was a bomb squad on alert that morning, the full story would come out soon enough.

But Edye Smith began to sense that the Justice Department was dissembling. There was a hint of arrogance in the responses of U.S. Attorney Pat Ryan. The man was pleasant enough, but he did not make a serious effort to answer the questions of the families. When Edye asked where the ATF agents were on April 19 he brushed her off with a glib comment that they were playing in a golf tournament at Shawnee. He was mistaken. Some of the DEA were playing golf, but not the ATF.

She contacted the ATF directly, only to hear a babel of improvised spin. There were two ATF agents in their offices on the ninth floor that day, said one message on her answering machine. No, there were four, said another message, left by another official the same day. Edye was being trifled with. Her grief turned to anger. On May 23, 1995, the day the ruined Murrah Building was brought down with demolition charges, she erupted in a live interview on CNN.

"Where the hell was the ATF, I want to know?" she thundered, red hair flying in the breeze. "All fifteen or seventeen of their employees survived, and they were on the ninth floor. They were the target of this explosion, and where were they? Did they have a warning sign? Did they think it might be a bad day to go into the office? They had an option not to go to work that day, and my kids didn’t. They didn’t get that option. Nobody else in the building got that option. And we’re just asking questions. We’re not making accusations. We just want to know. And they’re telling us: ’Keep your mouth shut, don’t talk about it.’ "

CNN cut her off soon enough, but the impact was searing. Edye Smith, aggrieved and defiant, had thrown down the gauntlet. There would be no turning back.

Deluged with calls from the media, the ATF issued a press release. "I strongly suspect that these malicious rumors are fueled by the same sources as the negative rhetoric that has been recently circulating about law enforcement officers," said Lester D. Martz, the special agent in charge of the Dallas regional office. "The facts are that the ATF’s employees in Oklahoma City were carrying out their assigned duties as they would any workday, and several of them were injured in the explosion."[3]

In fact, the only people in the office to suffer injuries were two clerical workers. None of the ATF’s field agents were hurt. MOre........ (http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a3f38382e0c.htm)

[BakedDon]

Did the BATF have advanced knowledge of the Oklahoma City bombing?

[BakedDon]

Mayor Willie Brown got low-key early warning about air travel???

[BakedDon]

CNN Dumps Michael Moore For Paris Hilton (http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/25/king-paris-moore/)

populist populist submitted, made popular 2 hours 37 min ago (thinkprogress.org)

Yesterday, CNN proudly announced that it has scored the first post-jail interview with Paris Hilton. To make room for Paris on Wednesday, CNN canceled its interview with Michael Moore about his new health care documentary SiCKO More… (http://digg.com/politics/CNN_Dumps_Michael_Moore_For_Paris_Hilton)

[BakedDon]

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/april06/academicalliance040506.htm

Is the FBI using Colleges to spy too?

spinchange spinchange submitted, made popular 4 hours 57 min ago (www.fbi.gov)

This is a link directly to the FBI's website. The program is called CAUSE - The College and University Security Effort. "Through CAUSE, FBI Special Agents in Charge meet with the heads of local colleges to discuss national security issues and to share information and ideas." Normally I'd think "tinfoil hat," but lately, I'm really not sure..

[BakedDon]

Number of Americans who believe Saddam-9/11 tie rises to 41 percent (http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Poll_41_of_Americans_believe_Saddam_0624.html)

KelliShaver KelliShaver submitted, made popular 10 hours 9 min ago (rawstory.com)

A new Newsweek poll out this weekend exposed "gaps" in America's knowledge of history and current events. Perhaps most alarmingly, 41% of Americans answered 'Yes' to the question "Do you think Saddam Hussein ’s regime in Iraq was directly involved in planning, financing, or carrying out the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001?"

[BakedDon]

It (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_A77N5WKWM)just goes to show you what idiots people in AMerica are...

[BakedDon]

Librarians Describe Life Under An FBI Gag Order (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/06/librarians-desc.html)

skylights skylights submitted, made popular 18 hours 19 min ago (blog.wired.com)

Librarians Peter Chase and Barbara Bailey received an NSL to turn over computer records in their library on July 13, 2005. Unlike a suspected thousands of other people around the country, Chase, Bailey and two of their colleagues stood up to the Man and refused to comply. That's when things turned ugly

[BakedDon]

WASHINGTON (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/washington/19immig.html?n=Top%2fNews%2fU%2eS%2e%2fU%2eS%2e%20 States%2c%20Territories%20and%20Possessions%2fGeor gia)
Despite Bush’s Promises, Georgians Remain Skeptical About Immigration Bill

[BakedDon]

hmmm maybe because it will destroy the middle class and then America

[BakedDon]

Click my rep button if ya here me cause I'm starting to give up on you cows

Are you gonna wait until your number is up in the draft or they are marching you to a FEMA work camp?

The Governments of the world can only kill countless millions if we let them

Can only censor the net if we let them

We got the numbers, gunna win were taking over COME ON

[BakedDon]

I guess I'm just a radical

cause I read the Immigration Bill, Patriot Act

and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

[ThumperZ1]

Howdy all.... some mighty ranting you have going there. You should just continue to rant, because it's all just adding to our "Myllyun Message March".. :cheers:

[ThumperZ1]

Me, I'm a just a guy who is outraged by the corruption of our government. Whether by the Republicans or Democrats. Right now it seems that the Administration seems to be the most corrupt one we've had since the Nixon era.

[mathmission]

QUOTE:"Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men."

HINT: (ca. 4 BC-AD 65) was a Roman Stoic philosopher,
statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the
Silver Age of Latin literature.

[mathmission]

Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar.

[mathmission]

People around the world drink 1.3 billion Coca-Cola bever-
ages every day!

[mathmission]

Diet Pepsi was created in 1964. Diet Coke was created in
1982.

[mathmission]

On children's cereal boxes, the animated characters eyes
always look downwards. This allows children (shorter than
adults) walking through the aisles of the grocery stores to
make eye contact with the cereal character.

[mathmission]

The answer is a chemical compound called Capsaicin, which is
found in the inside wall of the pepper and in its white lining.
Capsaicin is odorless and tasteless, except for the hot, tangy
sensation it yields. The true flavor of a pepper comes from
its outer walls.

[mathmission]

The world's largest lollipop was made by Jolly Rancher in
2002 and weighed in at over two tons and a billion calories.
Meaning that it would take a 150 lb person a straight year
of running a 9 minute mile to burn off all the fat-free cal-
ories.

[mathmission]

QUOTE:"Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men."

ANSWER: Seneca

[mathmission]

QUOTE: "Our best evidence of what people truly feel and
believe comes less from their words than from their deeds."

HINT: Is a well known social psychologist who is currently
a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. He
received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina.

[mathmission]

Oysters can change from one gender to another and then
back again.

[mathmission]

Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were
used as money in Syberia.

[mathmission]

The average American walks 18,000 steps per day.

[mathmission]

QUOTE: "Our best evidence of what people truly feel and
believe comes less from their words than from their deeds."

ANSWER: Robert Cialdini

[mathmission]

TODAY'S MYSTERY QUOTE

QUOTE: "You never find yourself until you face the truth."

HINT: (March 29, 1918 August 17, 1990) was an American
singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in St.
Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title
role in Hello, Dolly!

[mathmission]

France is 6 hours ahead of E.S.T.

[mathmission]

Parisians own about 200,000 dogs.

[mathmission]

The City of Paris has about 2,160,000 people living there
and it covers about 41 square miles. The altitude of Paris
averages between 90ft and 120ft above sea level.

[mathmission]

The Eiffel Tower is probably one of the most famous sym-
bols of France and was built for the International Ex-
hibition of Paris of 1889, took 2 years to complete and
it was the world's tallest building up until 1930.

[mathmission]

The Tour de France is a race which occurs each summer
were more than 100 professional cyclists take part in
a 2,000 mile race. The race lasts up to three weeks
and the route changes from year to year. Once the Tour
de France actually included Ireland.

[mathmission]

Paris is a huge tourist destination and every year 13
millions visit Disneyland Paris, 5.5 million visit the
Eiffel Tower, about 5 million visit the Louvre museum,
and about 3.25 million visit Versailles Palace.

[mathmission]

QUOTE: "You never find yourself until you face the truth."

ANSWER: Pearl Bailey

[mathmission]

13,500th post

[Enforcer]

Congratulations on the 13,500 post MM!!

[mathmission]

TY Enforcer

[BakedDon]

Senate votes 64 - 35
(http://www.c-span.org/watch/cspan2_wm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS2)
to move ahead with immigration bill that will destroy America

I'm taking names and each of those 64 will be on the list.

[BakedDon]

If you get a SpeedWay card you save 10 percent on each fill-up

What do you have to do? Just give us your name and number.

Ohhh, I see. no thanks

In the near future...

If you get the chip you save 20 percent on each purchase

What do you have to do? Just let us inject this under your skin, it won't hurt.

Oh, I see. no thanks

[BakedDon]

Carl Levin that traitor

The following senators voted "YES" on cloture, which, on this matter,
was the same as a vote for amnesty and ending the middle class and if it ends ours folks the rest is downhill from there. This is the time to be counted to voice your opinion. Remember these Treasonous folks who want to break the middle:
Akaka (D-HI)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brownback (R-KS)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Durbin (D-IL)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Schumer (D-NY)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

[mathmission]

TODAY'S MYSTERY QUOTE

QUOTE: "Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the
determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit
of your goal -- a commitment to excellence -- that will
enable you to attain the success you seek."

HINT: Born February 28, 1940 in Montona d'Istria, Italy,
now Motovun, Croatia) is an Italian American racecar
driver, and one of the most successful Americans in the
history of auto racing.

[mathmission]

According to a recent survey, the most popular name for a
dog is Max. Other popular names include Molly, Sam, Zach,
and Maggie.

[mathmission]

At the end of the Beatles' song "A Day in the Life", an
ultrasonic whistle, audible only to dogs, was recorded by
Paul McCartney for his Shetland sheepdog.

[mathmission]

Each day in the US, animal shelters are forced to destroy
30,000 dogs and cats. (This is sad.)

[mathmission]

A dog's whiskers are touch-sensitive hairs called vibrissae.
They are found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the
jaws, and can actually sense tiny changes in airflow.

[mathmission]

While small dogs are gaining in popularity, the top dogs are
still the big ones. The Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever,
and German Shepherd Dog are first, second, and third on list
of the American Kennel Club's most popular breeds.

[mathmission]

Dogs in monuments: The dog is placed at the feet of women
in monuments to symbolise affection and fidelity, as a lion
is placed at the feet of men to signify courage and magnan-
imity. Many of the Crusaders are represented with their feet
on a dog, to show that they followed the standard of the
Lord as faithfully as a dog follows the footsteps of his
master.

[mathmission]

QUOTE: "Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the
determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit
of your goal -- a commitment to excellence -- that will
enable you to attain the success you seek."

ANSWER: Mario Andretti

[BakedDon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lic0gwLaEnU

CHANGE confronts McCain

WeAreChange.org

[BakedDon]

Sen. Sessions Releases List of 20 Loopholes in the Senate Immigration Bill

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions | June 6, 2007

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) released a list of 20 loopholes in the comprehensive immigration bill today which reveals that the bill is fatally flawed and will not establish a functioning immigration system in the future.

The list of loopholes includes flaws effecting border security, chain-migration and assimilation policies. The list exposes the lack of serious attention given to ensuring that the legislation fixes America's failed immigration system.

“I am deeply concerned about the numerous loopholes we have found in this legislation. They are more than technical errors, but rather symptoms of a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that stands no chance of actually fixing our broken immigration system,” Sessions said. “Many of the loopholes are indicative of a desire not to have the system work.”

For example, one loophole in the “enforcement trigger” fails to require the U.S. VISIT system – the biometric border check-in/check-out system established by Congress in 1996, but never implemented – to be fully functioning before new worker or amnesty programs begin. Without the system in place, the U.S. has no method of ensuring that workers and their families do not overstay their visas.

Another flaw in the legislation prevents the benefits of merit-based immigration from taking full effect until 2016. Until then, chain migration into the U.S. will actually triple, compared to a disproportionately low increase in skill-based immigration. As a result, the merit-based system in the bill is only a shell of what it should have been.

A third loophole in the bill allows immigrants to avoid demonstrating a proficiency in English for more than a decade. Illegal aliens are not required to learn English to receive full “probationary benefits” of citizenship. Passing a basic English test is only required for the third Z-visa renewal, twelve years after amnesty is granted.

Sessions will highlight many of the loopholes contained in the list this week during Senate debate on the immigration bill.

A full list of the 20 loopholes is attached.


20 Loopholes in the Senate Immigration Bill


Loophole 1 – Legal Status Before Enforcement:

Amnesty benefits do not wait for the “enforcement trigger.” After filing an application and waiting 24 hours, illegal aliens will receive full “probationary benefits,” complete with the ability to legally live and work in the U.S., travel outside of the U.S. and return, and their own social security card. Astonishingly, if the trigger is never met and amnesty applications are therefore never “approved,” the probationary benefits granted to the illegal alien population never expire, and the new social security cards issued to the illegal alien population are not revoked. [See pp. 1, 290-291, & 315].

Loophole 2 – U.S. VISIT Exit Not In Trigger:

The “enforcement trigger,” required to be met before the new temporary worker program begins, does not require that the exit portion of U.S. VISIT system – the biometric border check-in/check-out system first required by Congress in 1996 that is already well past its already postponed 2005 implementation due date – to be in place before new worker or amnesty programs begin. Without the U.S. VISIT exit portion, the U.S. has no method to ensure that workers (or their visiting families) do not overstay their visas. Our current illegal population contains 4 to 5.5 million visa overstays, therefore, we know that the U.S. VISIT exit component is key to a successful new temporary worker program. [See pp. 1-2].

Loophole 3 – Trigger Requires No More Agents, Beds, or Fencing Than Current Law:

The “enforcement trigger” does not require the Department of Homeland Security to have detention space sufficient to end “catch and release” at the border and in the interior. Even after the adoption of amendment 1172, the trigger merely requires the addition of 4,000 detention beds, bringing DHS to a 31,500 bed capacity. This is far short of the 43,000 beds required under current law to be in place by the end of 2007, or the additional 20,000 beds required later in the bill. Additionally, the bill establishes a “catch, pay, and release” program. This policy will benefit illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico that are caught at the border, then can post a $5,000 bond, be released and never show up for deportation hearings. Annual failure to appear rates for 2005 and 2006, caused in part by lack of detention space, doubled the 2004 rate (106,000 – 110,000 compared with 54,000). Claims that the bill “expands fencing” are inaccurate. The bill only requires 370 miles of fencing to be completed, while current law already mandates that more than 700 miles be constructed [See pp. 1-2, & 10-11, and EOIR's FY2006 Statistical Yearbook, p. H2, and The Secure Fence Act of 2004].

Loophole 4 -- Three Additional Years Worth of Illegal Aliens Granted Status, Treated Preferentially To Legal Filers:

Aliens who broke into the country illegally a mere 5 months ago, are treated better than foreign nationals who legally applied to come to the U.S. more than two years ago. Aliens who can prove they were illegally in the U.S. on January 1, 2007, are immediately eligible to apply from inside the U.S. for amnesty benefits, while foreign nationals that filed applications to come to the U.S. after May 1, 2005 must start the application process over again from their home countries. Last year's bill required illegal aliens to have been here before January 7, 2004 to qualify for permanent legal status. [See pp. 263, 282, & 306].

Loophole 5 – Completion of Background Checks Not Required For Probationary Legal Status:

More (http://www.infowars.com/articles/immigration/immigration_bill_sen_sessions_releases_list_20_loo pholes_in_senate_bill.htm)

[BakedDon]

Holding America Hostage
Bush Won't Protect Nation Without Amnesty

American Patrol / MSNBC | June 26, 2007 (http://americanpatrol.com/index.html)

MSNBC reported today that President Bush's Chief of Staff warned that without amnesty the government would leave the border open. America is being held hostage by a crazed criminal.

MSNBC interviewed DHS Secretary Chertoff. He said the government would have 150 miles of fencing completed by the end of September. If he is talking about the kind of fence specified in the Secure Fence Act of 2006, he is lying. If he isn't, he is misleading the Senate and the American People.

[BakedDon]

Contact Your Senator
Click Here to Find Your Reps (http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/)
Toll Free Numbers
(800) 862-5530
(800) 833-6354
(866) 340-9281
(866) 220-0044

[BakedDon]

ACTION ALERT: STOP AMNESTY!

Amnesty: The Plan To Destroy The USA
What is happening to the United States of American under the leadership of the Sellout Senate, the White House and its likely mirror image of support in the Open Border Democratic House of Representatives should spark immediate anger and action from all Americans. (http://www.prisonplanet.com/)

[BakedDon]

White House: Bush 'Misspoke' on Amnesty

Associated Press
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

In every emphatic way, President Bush has declared repeatedly that his immigration bill does not offer amnesty.

And then, on Tuesday, he said it did.

"You know, I've heard all the rhetoric - you've heard it, too - about how this is amnesty," Bush told advocates of his immigration overhaul. "Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that."

That's not what Bush meant. Saying that his bill included amnesty was the last thing he meant.

When word started to get out about the gaffe in media reports, the White House scrambled to fix it.

White House press secretary Tony Snow issued an unusual statement to, in essence, correct his boss.

"Earlier today, in speaking about comprehensive immigration reform, President Bush misspoke," Snow said.

"This has been construed as an assertion that the comprehensive immigration reform legislation before the Senate offers amnesty to immigrants who came here illegally," he said. "That is the exact opposite of the president's long-held and often-stated position."

The timing, unfortunately for Bush, came just hours before a critical test vote for immigration bill in the Senate. The fast bit of damage control underscored how tenuous the bill's fate is, and how important it is for Bush as a domestic priority.

Conservative opponents of the bill have been depicting it as amnesty - essentially, a free pass for breaking the law - for millions of illegal immigrants. The White House says that argument is a distortion of the bill, and a scare tactic designed to scuttle it.

The bill would give temporary legal status to millions of unlawful immigrants, provided they come forward, paid fines and fees and underwent criminal background checks. To apply for a green card, they would have to go through a series of other steps, including returning to their home country and waiting in line.

"Amnesty means forgiving wrongdoing without imposing punishment," Snow said. "The immigration reforms passed in 1986 granted amnesty. The legislation under consideration this year does not."

[ThumperZ1]

Wowsers.... you should have heard Ted Nugent go on and on about that and more this last week in concert here. It was quite the education. LOL At least he can still play a mean guitar.

[ThumperZ1]

Time to change my folding@home stats my post 4535.. #23338

New:
Donator ThumperZ1
Score 16,466
Donator Rank 84,532 of 752,625
Work Units Completed 52

Old:
Donator ThumperZ1
Score 15,280
Donator Rank 88,684 of 751,416
Work Units Completed 49

[ThumperZ1]

Gee, it's a darn shame that Gordon and Johnson got points deducted for failing inspection. They are trying to keep up with their new team mate next year, Junior. LOL Go Dale!!!

[BakedDon]

Fairness Doctrine About As Fair as Patriot Act is Patriotic
Cheaters Don't Like The Score, So They Try To Change The Rules

The Fairness Doctrine is about as fair as the Patriot Act is patriotic. Its supporters are fooled by this veneer of rosy lexicon while overlooking the basic fact that this is about government regulation and suffocation of independent media.

John Kerry, Dianne Feinstein (pictured), Dick Durbin and Nancy Pelosi have all called for the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine over the past week.

Liberals clamor for a reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine because they believe it will reign in Fox News and talk radio kingpins like Rush Limbaugh, but the fact is that Rupert Murdoch holds fundraisers for Hillary Clinton - the establishment media are intimately intertwined with the apex of both political parties. Fox News will not be targeted, this will only be used as a tool to shut down bloggers and other independent media that don't drink either the Republican or Democrat kool-aid. Enforcement by law that broadcasters afford "equal time" to the opposing view spells the end for advocacy journalism and calls time on two of the most popular newsmen in recent years from different sides of the political spectrum, Lou Dobbs and Keith Olbermann.

The very article you are now reading will be a criminal violation of the Fairness Doctrine should it return.

Why are the political elite attempting to revive this Frankenstein despite the fact that it was thrown out after being judged unconstitutional 20 years ago? The establishment is furious that the influence of the dominant media is beginning to wane and is being diluted by grassroots independent media and the Internet.

They are seething at the fact that every new assault on our freedom that they try to wrap in glossy propaganda is being exposed and opposed with viral activism organized as a result of independent media.

This isn't about censoring the right-wing, it's about putting the structure in place to make any criticism of government illegal save jumping through 200 flaming hoops. This is about regulation of the Internet in alliance with new proposals to impose Chinese-style controls on free speech.

They are losing the debate on every issue from the amnesty bill to the centralization of power and the North American Union.

At this late stage in the game, they don't like the score so they are attempting to change the rules by re-defining freedom of speech altogether. (http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/fairness_doctrine_as_fair_as_patriot_act_is_patrio tic.htm)

[BakedDon]

Yeeeaaaaaaaaa

Senate blocks immigration bill

AP | June 28, 2007
CHARLES BABINGTON

The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush's plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.

The bill's supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

Senators in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is highly unlikely to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will increasingly dominate American politics.

A similar effort collapsed in the Congress last year, and the House has not bothered with an immigration bill this year, awaiting Senate action.

The vote was a stinging setback for Bush, who advocated the bill as an imperfect but necessary fix of current immigration practices in which many illegal immigrants use forged documents or lapsed visas to live and work in the United States.

[BakedDon]

Daily Show: Lewis Black Exposes Right Wing Media Paranoia (http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/06/28/daily-show-lewis-black-exposes-right-wing-media-paranoia/)

blackolive submitted, made popular 1 hour 28 min ago (www.crooksandliars.com)

Lewis Black goes to town on the “liberal media” paranoia

[BakedDon]

Benoit's Death Posted to Wikipedia 14 Hours Before Bodies Found !!!!!!

krisstrong krisstrong submitted, made popular 3 hours 18 min ago (www.foxnews.com)

An anonymous user operating a computer traced to Stamford, Conn. — home to World Wrestling Entertainment — posted an entry to pro wrestler Chris Benoit's Wikipedia.com biography announcing the death of his wife Nancy more than 14 hours before police in suburban Atlanta said they found her body.

[BakedDon]

Putin : The North Pole is technically owned by Russia

TheFounder submitted, made popular 4 hours 8 min ago (www.dailymail.co.uk)

Putin just declared that the North Pole, and all it's oil, minerals and natural resources now belong to Russia.

[BakedDon]

BREAKING: White House refuses to answer subpoenas (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19480518/)

michaelaranda michaelaranda submitted, made popular 4 hours 48 min ago (www.msnbc.msn.com)

Bush's attorney told Congress the White House would not turn over subpoenaed documents for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor. (http://digg.com/politics/BREAKING_White_House_refuses_to_answer_subpoenas)

[BakedDon]

Stevens: Smoking pot akin to drinking during prohibition
Nick Juliano
Published: Wednesday June 27, 2007

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In his dissent on a recent free-speech case, Justice John Paul Stevens wades into the war-on-drugs debate, comparing modern-day pot smokers with "otherwise law-abiding patrons of bootleggers and speakeasies," during the prohibition era.

Stevens, who the Washington Post notes turned 87 on April 20, said the current climate surrounding the war on drugs "is reminiscent of the opinion that supported the nationwide ban on alcohol consumption when I was a student."

The Supreme Court this week ruled against an Alaska student who displayed a "BONG HiTS 4 JESUS" sign at an event outside his high school, and Stevens wrote the dissent for the four justices who believed the student's free-speech rights should be protected.

"Today the actions of literally millions of otherwise law-abiding users of marijuana, and of the majority of voters in each of the several States that tolerate medicinal uses of the product, lead me to wonder whether the fear of disapproval by those in the majority in silencing opponents of the war on drugs," Stevens wrote.

Most debate over the efficacy of the war on drugs focuses on government crackdowns on users of medical marijuana, for whom the drug eases chronic pain. But in comparing pot smoking to social drinking, Stevens suggests that the drug could be legalized in all cases.

In his opinion, Stevens insists "no one seriously maintains that drug advocacy ... can be prohibited because of its feared consequences." Later, Stevens observes the shift in Americans' views on alcohol since the 1920s and 30s.

"While alcoholic beverages are now regarded as ordinary articles of commerce, their use was then condemned with the same moral fervor that now supports the war on drugs," Stevens writes.

In a 2005 case, Stevens wrote for the court's 6-3 majority that upheld the federal government's right to prosecute medical marijuana patients in states that have legalized medical use of the drug.

But his opinion was based strictly on Congress's ability to regulate interstate commerce, and that opinion included mention that credible research showing marijuana could be medically effective would "cast serious doubt" on the government's classification of the drug as a Schedule I narcotic. And he all but encouraged the advocates to take their argument directly to Congress.

[BakedDon]

Top Indonesian MP says dope in food 'okay' (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21977475-5012773,00.html)

christineplum christineplum submitted, made popular 6 hours 29 min ago (www.news.com.au)

INDONESIAN Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who opposes legalising marijuana, doesn't mind the drug being used in cooking, a newspaper reported today. "It's alright to use it as a food seasoning, but it should not be fully legalised,'' Mr Kalla was quoted as saying...

[BakedDon]

White House may force Congress to charge president w/ criminal charges (http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Law_Scholar_Wiretap_subpoenas_may_open_0627.html)

petitveritas submitted, made popular 8 hours 8 min ago (rawstory.com)

Bush Administration may face impeachment if Executive Privilege is used to block subpoenas

[BakedDon]

Report: ‘Shadow Goverment’ Of Private Contractors Explodes (http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/27/waxman-contracts/)

populist populist submitted, made popular 8 hours 18 min ago (thinkprogress.org)

A new report by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform concludes that, under the Bush administration, the “shadow government of private companies working under federal contract has exploded in size.

[BakedDon]

Former Bush Official Going to Jail

Aidenag Aidenag submitted, made popular 8 hours 55 min ago (blogs.abcnews.com)

J. Steven Griles, the former deputy secretary at the Interior Department, has been sentenced to 10 months in prison and must pay a $30,000 fine after pleading guilty to obstructing a congressional inquiry into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

[BakedDon]

Hillary is next folks
brush up on the
Clinton Chronicles (http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=clinton+chronicles&so=0)

[BakedDon]

Simply Google Mena Arkansas railroad tracks (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=mena+arkansas+railroad+tracks&btnG=Search)

Allegations regarding Bill Clinton

During the Clinton administration, there were accusations (most notably in the controversial film Clinton Chronicles) that Clinton, during his time as governor of Arkansas, and other high-ranking officials were involved in some way with alleged smuggling of drugs and weapons to the Contras through the airport in Mena.

[BakedDon]

First artificial life 'within months'

KiloCharley KiloCharley submitted, made popular 1 minute ago (www.telegraph.co.uk)

Scientists could create the first new form of artificial life within months after a landmark breakthrough in which they turned one bacteria into another.

[BakedDon]

If Bush Rejected Subpoena That Means All Americans Can Reject Subpoenas
(http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8Q1STG80&show_article=1)
djm0ther submitted, made popular 1 hour 41 min ago (www.breitbart.com)

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush, moving toward a constitutional showdown with Congress, asserted executive privilege Thursday and rejected lawmakers' demands for documents that could shed light on the firings of federal prosecutors.

[BakedDon]

Physicists protest changes to Educatio (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6244942.stm)n

grey1618 grey1618 submitted, made popular 1 hour 51 min ago (news.bbc.co.uk)

Recent changes to the education system have caused physics teachers to revolt.

[BakedDon]

Immigration Bill Goes Down in Defeat!

davenp35 submitted, made popular 17 minutes ago (thehill.com)

Not enough votes for Shamnesty!

[BakedDon]

http://www.youtube.com/v/4xyM5XRcjMw&autoplay=1

Kieth O puts the London drama in perspective

[BakedDon]

Chinese Secret Society Challenges Illuminati (http://www.savethemales.ca/002056.html)

By Henry Makow Ph.D.
June 29, 2007


A Chinese secret society with 6 million members, including 1.8 million Asian gangsters and 100,000 professional assassins, have targeted Illuminati members if they proceed with world depopulation plans, according to Tokyo-based journalist Benjamin Fulford, 46.

They contacted Fulford, a Canadian expat, after he warned that the Illuminati plan to reduce the Asian population to just 500 million by means of race-specific biological weapons.

"The Illuminati, with the exception of Japan, is very much a white man's game," Fulford says.

The secret society confirmed Fulford's information and asked for advice. He provided them with a list of 10,000 people associated with the Illuminati, mainly members of the Bilderberg, CFR and Skull and Bones. Neo Cons are also high priority targets.

"I have promised that not a single person will die if they negotiate in good faith," Fulford says.

Fulford is the former Asian Pacific bureau chief for Forbes magazine. He quit in disgust when Forbes refused to run a damaging story about one of its advertisers. Fulford has since written 15 books in Japanese. His most recent is a scathing dissection of the 9-11 Hoax.

Fulford says Japan has been controlled in secret by the Illuminati through the use of murder and bribery. Underground sources tell him the Americans have murdered over 200 Japanese politicians and influential citizens since the end of WW2.

Among the victims are former Prime Ministers Tanaka, Takeshita, Ohira and Obuchi. They were all murdered using a special drug that induces strokes. The Illuminati have been warned that the Chinese secret society will not tolerate any more murders. It has also extended its protection to truth seekers in the West.

AN ANCIENT SOCIETY

The Chinese Secret Society is called the "The Green and the Red Societies," Fulford says.

It "can be found in the history books. When the Manchus invaded China in 1644, the Ming army became an underground society aimed at overthrowing the Qing (Manchu) and restoring the Ming. They supported the Boxer Rebellion but were put down by imperialist powers. Later, with the help of overseas Chinese and the Japanese imperial family, the society managed to overthrow the last Emperor and install Sun Yat Sen in his place. They last appear in the history books as the Green Gang and the Red Gang that fiercely fought the Communists in Shanghai in the 1940’s. They were defeated by the Communists in 1949 and once again became an underground organization."

"Since 1949 they have steadily increased their influence throughout China and the rest of the world. They have members at the very highest levels of the Chinese government but they are by nature anti-establishment, and are not an official Chinese government organization. ..

"The society has deep roots in Japan because of the link between Yakuza crime gangs and the Japanese imperial family. The Japanese imperial family are descended from 6th century Korean invaders. The original invaders had trouble putting down the native Jomon peoples so they brought over a tough, warlike minority people from the Asian mainland. These are the ancestors of the Yakuza. They have historically been used for secret work and for jobs like collecting taxes. When the Japanese decided to help overthrow the last Chinese dynasty, they used the Yakuza as a go-between with the Chinese secret society, many of whose members were gangsters. To this day many of the senior leaders of this group are actually Japanese, not Chinese."

"It must be made very clear though that it is not a crime gang. Although many members are Triad and Yakuza members, over 2/3 thirds of the members are intellectuals such as university professors, researchers and government bureaucrats. Each member earns their own living and membership in the society is like belonging to an emergency fire brigade. Their book of rules reads like a book of ethics filled with instructions to do things like help the weak, fight injustice, help your comrades etc."

"They approached me and asked if they could help after I made a speech in Tokyo describing the Bush regimes’ use of race-specific biological weapons. For me it was like a ghost from the history books appearing right in front of me. At first I thought of silly things like having them play 911 truth videos in Chinatowns around the world. However, then I remembered the scene from the movie Kill Bill where Uma Thurman snatches out her opponent’s eye. I soon realized these people could save the world by directly attacking the eye at the top of the pyramid on the one-dollar bill."

"Think about it, the illuminati and their top servants have a total membership of about 10,000 whereas the Chinese group has over 6 million members. That is 600-to-one odds. Furthermore, the 6 million have the names and addresses of the 10,000 while the 10,000 do not know who or where the 6 million are."

FULFORD ON THE ILLUMINATI

"Below is a brief a summary of the intelligence I have received from sources including: former Japanese Prime Ministers, senior Yakuza gangsters, senior Japanese Freemasons, Western intelligence agencies etc.

"First the illuminati are really inbred families of European and North American traditional aristocracy and banking families. They control the U.S., England, Europe (except for Scandinavian countries, Germany and Italy; Italy kicked them out in the 1970's),Japan, Africa, Iran, Canada and Mexico. They do not control China, Russia (Putin kicked them out for the first time since 1917), India, South East Asia, South America, Cuba etc.

"Their goal is to create a world government. Until 2 years ago the plan was the New World Order. That was outlined pretty clearly in the Project for a New American Century. However, with the debacle in Iraq, the secret government of the West changed to a new plan that is a world government based on the EU. To do this they will sabotage the U.S. economy.

[BakedDon]

"However, there is a big schism in the secret government. Jay Rockefeller and Philip Rothschild support one faction, the Global Warming Faction. Opposing them is the War on Terrorism Faction supported by David Rockefeller and the JP Morgan descendents (Bush, Harriman, Walker etc.). The warming people want to sell 500 nuclear power plants to China and a similar amount to the rest of the world. The terrorism guys want to keep U.S. dominance by maintaining control over oil. Putin was a huge setback for them.

"They are also neo-Nazis who want to reduce the amount of colored people in the world by at least half through disease, starvation and war. The Chinese secret society got wind of this and is preparing to stop them."

GERMANY ITALY AND SCANDINAVIA NOT ILLUMINATI?

I challenged Fulford on Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and possibly Russia not being controlled by the Illuminati. He replied that "the quality of my intelligence varies":

"I can say with certainty that China, Russia and India are free. When Putin kicked out Nieslev and Bereshovsky and arrested Khordokovsky, he basically kicked the Rockefellers and Rothschilds out of Russia. I have good Russian sources and am confident Putin is a nationalist who is fighting the Illuminati with all his might. When ex-NSA chief Bobby Inman spoke at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan on June 26th he made it very clear he expected a protracted struggle with Russia.

"India kicked them out in Ghandi’s day and they have never been allowed back. Having liberated themselves after 300 years of Illuminati (East India Company) rule, they do not intend to let themselves fall under their control again.

"There have been many attempts by the Illuminati to infiltrate and dominate China. They financed Chairman Mao but he then kicked them out in the 1960’ s (that is why China and the USSR nearly went to war then). They are now trying to create a financial crisis in China that would open the way for them to infiltrate the Chinese financial system. They will not succeed. Italy basically purged itself during the big P2 Masonic lodge scandal back in the 80’s and re-infiltration has only been partly successful. Germany is part of the Nato alliance and is thus indirectly controlled. There is a powerful branch of the Rothschild family operating there.

"However, Germany does not appear on a top-secret Illuminati power flow chart I have obtained. As far as Iran is concerned, I know they financed Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran appears on the flow chart I have. My understanding is they want to provoke a conflict between Islam and the West so they can consolidate their control over the Muslim and Christian worlds before finishing world conquest by taking over China and India."

CONCLUSION

Fulford says a meeting is being arranged with Russia’s Vladimir Putin to make sure the KGB also cooperates in this plan to snatch the eye out of the pyramid.

"So far, I have told the Illuminati that they are no longer allowed to murder Japanese politicians. I now plan to extend this protection to all politicians in the West. If the illuminati assassinate or attempt to assassinate Ron Paul, Barak Obama or any politician, may God have mercy on their souls."

"Since I am a peace-loving, laid-back Canadian suddenly put in a situation of great responsibility, I feel I must act as a servant of the weakest people and creatures on the planet. I have also been negotiating in secret with the Illuminati in the hopes of arranging for them to cede power without any bloodshed in exchange for a general amnesty.

'Trust me on this, the illuminati have failed because of their racism. Although other peoples understand that the West is a slave society, those living there do not realize it. The illuminati do not control China, India or now Russia. They are about to lose power. We are like people living in Berlin before the collapse of the Berlin wall. The illuminati are like the Wizard of Oz; once you pull aside the curtain you are surprized by how weak they really are. They rely on illusion. Once the illusion is gone, they are just a bunch of weak old men.

"I do believe we now have a real chance to end the New World Order and start the New Age. The New Age would be one where war, poverty and environmental destruction would only be found in the history books."

I applaud Benjamin Fulford's courage, idealism and defiance. However, he is new to this subject and may have been mislead. He shouldn't use Illuminati teminology like "New Age" . The Illuminati control the central banks of Russia, China, India and Venezuela. They control the EU. Germany may not appear on the Illuminati chart because it is at the top. Barak Obama is a Zionist stooge. The Illuminati Li Ka-Shing (and family) has had a major role in China. Heck, the Communists are Illuminati. I thought the Illuminati controlled organized crime. I can't imagine a genuinely benevolent secret society. It would be encouraging if this were one.

It's possible Fulford is sincere but is being used to confuse and/or create divisions. Possibly they want to ramp up domestic terrorism as an excuse for martial law. Now, Orientals as well as Muslims could be on the watch list. This secret society is challenging the traitorous Western Establishment. We're talking about the State Apparatus! So please be critical. It may or may not be what he says. Time will tell.

In any case, it's time we refused to bow down to tyranny and called a spade a spade.
Imagine, in Japan he writes the truth in the mainstream media! Maybe some day, we'll do that in America. Benjamin Fulford is an inspiration and deserves our thanks.

[BakedDon]

The Pre and Post-Immediate Effects of Opium Introduction on China

by Conner Marx

Opium PowerPoint

In 19th Century China, a war ensued in which China endured the most disgracing losses in their long history. In China’s first trade exhibition this trafficking was devastated by a corrupt bureaucracy, and intimidation by Western Powers eventually leading to a war in which the Chinese was momentously unprepared. A treaty was then put into effect. The treaty succeeded for a short time in maintaining peace and order until conflict once more surfaced starting a second war. It was a war viewed in two drastically different ways by the two sides. The Opium Wars, also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars marks the greatest success in European, specifically, British history. Also making it the most devastating loss in Chinese History (Hooker 1).

Prior to the Opium War and Western Influence, China was a peaceful, independent, and self-satisfied nation. Since the times of the Ming dynasty, the Chinese had developed a strong loyalty to the imperial ways. As said in Tom Glasoe’s The Emergence of Modern China, "The imperial Neo-Confucian scholars accepted as axiomatic the cultural superiority of Chinese civilization and the position of the empire at the hub of their perceived world. To question this assumption, to suggest innovation, or to promote the adoption of foreign ideas was viewed as tantamount to heresy. Imperial purges dealt severely with those who deviated from orthodoxy." This imperial "loyalty" developed into a unique system of foreign affairs (Glasoe 1).

"The imperial Neo-Confucian scholars accepted as axiomatic the cultural superiority of Chinese civilization and the position of the empire at the hub of their perceived world. To question this assumption, to suggest innovation, or to promote the adoption of foreign ideas was viewed as tantamount to heresy. Imperial purges dealt severely with those who deviated from orthodoxy." (Ward Fay xxi).

This exclusive system of government and lifestyle worked without failing until the ever increasing weight of the pressure of economic derivation manifested the inharmonic balance starting a chain-reaction that would ultimately lead to its downfall. By the start of the 19th century, China was devoid of adequate trade or industry to cope with the population of over 300 million, much of which was suffering from severe unemployment this and its encompassing discontent and eventually led to the collapse of law and order. Riots ensued resulting from the weakening of bureaucratic and military systems and secret societies, namely the While Lotus Sect and the Triad Society, gathered power and land. An amalgamation of these issues with the anti-Manchu movement gaining momentum resulted in what would become the beginning of the weakening of the Chinese administration (Glasoe 1).

The Western powers, hungry for trade with Asia, and the Chinese, lacking in many raw materials and semi-processed goods began a third party trade marking the arrival of the Western Powers into Chinese civilization. Trade however, was still greatly restricted (Ward Fay 33). The Chinese strongly insisted all foreigners were compelled to follow ancient rituals that were mandatory for all envoys from China’s tributary states. The Chinese also retained past orthodoxy in that these Europeans were in no way seen to warrant treatment as equals, be it political or cultural. It was this trade, however meager, that introduced opium into China (Glasoe 1)
Opium is a drug used initially for medical purposes like treating dysentery, cholera, and other diseases (Tho'Mas 1). It was then discovered that it possessed the same elements that appealed to the myriad drug addicts in Europe and is used to make morphine and heroine (Electronic Passport to the Opium Wars 1). Opium was grown and harvested in India or Turkey, and with the Chinese slightly less strict about foreign trade, they had established a deal in which tons of opium was shipped into China in exchange for tea and other Chinese produced rarities (Wallbank 1). The effects of this trade were disastrous. China was now, as a direct result of this trade, "a country filled with drug addicts" (Hooker 1). During this time, opium trade as well as opium usage on Chinese soil was prohibited and considered criminal activity after 1836, nonetheless, opium use and trade continued to flourish due to generous bribes from the British traders for the all but strong and morally fixed Chinese government (Wallbank 2). The de-legalization of opium in China was more strictly enforced however, when the Emperor’s son died of an overdose (Chinese Cultural Studies: Lin Zixu 1).

With the Chinese bureaucracy so fraudulent, most key governmental figures had given up any reconciliation, however there was one brilliant and highly moral official named Lin Tse-hsu. Lin Tse-hsu was previously in no position of importance, but so deeply concerned with the issues at hand, maneuvered himself into the position of Imperial Commissioner at Canton. Tse-hsu was intent on working only towards the eradication of opium from China. He planned to ascertain all corrupt officials and force the British to cease trade in the drug, therefore cutting off opium trade at its origin (Ward Fay 130).

In March of 1893, only months after start of his campaign, Lin had succeeding in desisting all traffic in opium. He completely demolished all sources of opium inside China, and in attempt to stop further contamination, wrote a letter to Queen Victoria of England requesting that the British cease all opium trade. This letter was intended to prevent any further amounts of opium into China (Hooker 2).

As written in Letter of Advice to Queen Victoria, "It was a remarkably frank document, especially given the usual highly stylized language of Chinese diplomacy." (Chinese Cultural Studies: Lin Zixu 2). If the letter were composed of only dealing with opium, it is quite possible that England would have succumbed to Lin’s request and ceased in trade. The British, however, had several other issues with China that were all but solved. Firstly, the British refused to relinquish themselves to the will of the emperor, therefore no treaty relations had been established. Secondly, the Chinese insisted that all accused of committing a crime, foreign or otherwise, were to be dealt with exclusively by Chinese law. The British demanded that their citizens shall be tried by the officials from their country, and not by the Chinese system they saw as vicious and barbaric. Ironically, it is arguable that these issues dominated the Opium Wars, making the drug merely a cover. The War began when, despite Lin’s charismatic and persuasive letter, England refused to stop opium trade. Lin, in response, threatened to stop all trade with England and expel all of its citizens from China (Hooker 2).
The Opium War began with such low level conflicts as when, in March, Chinese lead by Lin dumped nearly twenty thousand chests of opium from English merchant ships into the sea. It is, however, these low-level conflicts that inspired England to send warships in June of 1939 (Ward Fay 148). In a series of lies intended to keep the Emperor content, the fabrication that the Chinese junks were far superior to British gunboats and warships was now the common belief in China. On the contrary, however, the Chinese navy, technologically or otherwise was no match for the British and their warships (Tho'Mas 2). It is this that gave the Chinese the courage to face the British in a series of naval battles, all of which the Chinese were severely beaten. Lin Tse-hsu was dismissed from his position as Imperial Commissioner and publicly disgraced (Chrastina 5-6). The Opium War was over and the Chinese had suffered a brutal

The British, now having won what is know as the first Opium war, imposed the first of the "unequal treaties", the Treaty of Nanking. This treaty, most importantly, opened 5 new ports to the British, relinquished Hong Kong to England, and granted British the exclusive trade rights as the "most-favored-nation (Wallbank 1). This treaty put China in a humiliating position and an unparalleled time of worldly disgrace. Possibly inspired by these "unequal treaties", more conflict broke out in which the Chinese were equally unprepared for. It was only after that their military adopted western technology. However, yet another treaty was forced upon China. In the treaty of Tientsin, more ports were opened to foreigners, and Christians were free to impose their religion, once more opening China to foreign influence (Wallbank 2).

The Opium Wars and treaties that ensued created a time known as the "national humiliations" (Glasoe 2). Any fragment of imperialist loyalty had been thoroughly eradicated. Likewise, no longer was China an isolated world, but a forced, modernized slave of the Western World. Essentially, the Opium Wars created for China one of the most destructive defeats, and with hesitation, fruitless considering that opium was legalized regardless almost making the war an abomination of its primary causes.

[BakedDon]

Lieberman Uses British Terror Plot To Call For More U.S. Domestic Spying (http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/01/lieberman-domestic-spying)

4Crimson submitted, made popular 13 minutes ago (thinkprogress.org)

Appearing on ABC ’s This Week, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) used the foiled terror attempts in London to call for greater domestic spying here in the United States. Lieberman also said we should place spying cameras in major cities throughout the U.S.

[BakedDon]

CNN: "Sicko" Facts Check Out (http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/28/sicko.fact.check/index.html#)
littlebylittle submitted, made popular 23 minutes ago (www.cnn.com)

"Our team investigated some of the claims put forth in his film. We found that his numbers were mostly right ..."

[BakedDon]

SWAT class teaches school kids how to raid a private citizen's home (http://qconline.com/archives/qco/print_display.php?id=344305)

tomboy501 tomboy501 submitted, made popular 1 hour 53 min ago (qconline.com)

The SWAT team member arrived at 9am dressed in all black (including a black face mask) at Illinois' Frances Willard Elementary School to teach youngsters how to tear down a private citizen's door and take prisoners. The three-day classes were sponsored and funded by DARE.

[BakedDon]

"Could it come to this?" A hypothetical scenario of U.S. totalitarianism (http://www.usoutrage.com/2007/06/could-it-come-to-this-hypothetical.html)

sborowsky submitted, made popular 6 hours 13 min ago (www.usoutrage.com)

Here is a frightening hypothetical situation of government abuse, particularly involving section 501 of the Patriot Act II, also known as the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, which destroys the Bill of Rights as we know it. Much of this frightening imperial police-state legislation has actually been tacked on to Senate Spending bills! More… (http://digg.com/politics/Could_it_come_to_this_A_hypothetical_scenario_of_U _S_totalitarianism)

[BakedDon]

Google to HMO