I'm Mad As Hell And I'm Not...Sure Why

After watching all the different news programs this evening, I felt as if my mind was swimming in an East River soup of intangible ick. Watching Rachael Maddow "interview" Bernie Sanders about the September 12th rallies, I felt an uncomfortable sense of confusion. A sense that so many issues have been brewing for me, and seemingly the rest of the country, that it is damn near impossible to be succinct about exactly what I want to say. Even there, at the end of that last sentence, I was going to type the word "protest", instead of the word "say". But I don't want to protest. It is negative and it justifies the other side of whatever I am protesting. Very defeating. So, what do I want to say?

Let me start by saying how grateful I am for all those who have struggled for my freedom to say, think and write whatever I want.

For the last two, three, maybe four decades, the Supreme Court has slowly eroded the rights of the individual, while increasing the rights of corporations. This week's hearing in regards to campaign contributions will be the crowning feather in the cap of the corporate-state take over. The final straw that eliminates all of us regular folk from the political process. Or at least the feeling of being involved in the process.

I believe it was 1996; Clinton was impeached for a blow job, while he was carpet bombing Sarajevo, Congress was unable to pass the budget, effectively putting themselves out of a job, and O.J. was acquitted for cutting his wife's and her lover's heads off with his fullback as an accomplice, because the cop that busted him used the "n" word. Over 250 pieces of inadmissible evidence. EVIDENCE. 250 pieces. I mean wtf. Seriously. All three branches of government a complete failure, by their own admission. I had lost all faith, and I wasn't alone. And they knew it.

It was then that I started to see the restlessness that is once again beginning to foment. Within two years, the Internet exploded. People began to network in ways never before achievable. And this was world wide. All of a sudden massive protests erupted, without warning, in Genoa, Seattle, New York, D.C., New Delhi, California, all pretty focused on the incredible disparity between rich and poor. (Let us also not forget that around this time Alex Rodriguez gets a $250,000,000.00 contract to play shortstop for a crappy baseball team in Texas. A quarter of a billion dollars. Does anyone have any idea how many hungry children there are in the world? How about in Texas? Anyone?) These protests were about anti-globalization and the disparity of trade and fair trade. Child labor and slavery and fair wages and unions and....and how in the hell are we supposed to be succinct Rachael? It's about what's right. It's about what is fair. And it is about the glaring fact that the current system is designed for a few people on the whole planet to amass as much wealth, at the expense of the rest of us.

And, it is about us not wanting to do that anymore.

By the 2000 election, the world was buzzing. The anti globalization protester was shot dead by police in Genoa, the Seattle riots had just happened and then, Bush v Gore. As far as I know, the Supreme Court does not elect the President of the United States. Maybe in Pakistan, or Fiji. But not in the U.S.A.

But that is exactly what had happened. It was devastating. The whole election was rigged. People, and companies and entire states have been busted for the fix. Ohio comes to mind. Diebold jumps to mind. And that dick who sold the electronic voting machines that were hacked in under a minute by a student, leaps to mind. It was obvious, and everyone knew it. There were bumper stickers everywhere proclaiming "He's Not My President". There was talk of Gore having a separate government, but he rolled over and played dead. Then on September 11th, 2001, New York City, my home, became ground zero of a ruthless attack.

Everything about that day is as clear as if it were yesterday. I watched with everyone else, wondering how the firemen would put out the fires on the top floors. And then, as the explosions started to go off, I watched as people jumped out of the building. Jumped out of the building! Then the controlled demolition. Say whatever you want, but anyone who grew up in the City has watched controlled demos, and that was the biggest one I have ever scene. The evidence is insurmountable. And the anger simmers.

It's just like the O.J. trial. Man, you got 250 pieces of evidence linking you to two capital murders, admissible or not, you are guilty. But, unlike the O.J. travesty, we are at war with the rest of the world due to this one singular event.

Do you want to know why people are mad Rachael? It's because we were lied to by the only person in my life time to have the ability to bring about equality and justice for all. And he sold it on Wall St. for a cheaper mandated insurance policy and a drone murder plane. Secret renditions, Barack? Really, brother? Kidnapping, torture and indefinite suspensions, harsh interrogations and murder in secret prisons around the world? Private contractors taking our borrowed Chinese dollars and partying at the embassy Caligula style? And you don't know why we are angry.

These wars are a lie. Period. They were predicated on a lie and perpetuated by that same lie. There are no weapons of mass destruction in Afghanistan or Iraq. Except for the ones we brought over there. If Osama Bin Laden is still alive, then it is because he works for us. Next time you release a "video of Bin Laden" why don't you try and time it a little less obviously. I mean it was just the last two weeks of polling that showed Americans are against the war. And then, blam, a new Bin Laden tape. It's like these guys aren't even trying to hide the propaganda machine anymore.

And why should they? I mean really, what the hell are we going to do about it? Write some fucking blog that no one reads and hope for intelligent life on this porno/solitaire machine to respond with thought provoking ideas?

Well, here's a thought provoking idea; the architects that designed the towers, the engineers that did all the specs for the towers, the countless police and rescue workers, eyewitnesses and video tapes, the wreckage from the building showing distinct straight edged cuts through gigantic steel I-beams, the glowing molten steel at the site for weeks after the event, the unspent nano thermite in the rubble of the towers, and then everything that has been done in the name of justice for those 'attacks'; all of that looks alot like 250 pieces of inadmissible evidence for a murder you didn't commit.

And it doesn't seem like people know what they are protesting? I submit they do know. They are simply, and justifiably, afraid to admit what they are mad about. Afraid to admit it to themselves. Alot like the assassination of Kennedy. The whole Warren Commission magic bullet bullshit. The country was stunned. Stunned that the president was murdered, obviously. But, I believe, on a much deeper level, stunned that our government had been taken over by the Congressional Military Industrial Complex, right in front of us. On the T.V. for all to see. And then in 2001, we watched as the Christan right launched their Crusade.

When the truth rises, and it will, it always does, everyone who has been preaching hate and violence and fear will be exposed for supporting the very people that perpetuated this horror on the world. And they won't be able to figure out how they could have been so wrong.

Files prove Pentagon is profiling reporters

So this is what constitutes journalism today? Since the beginning of blogging, the medium has been ripped for not adhering to some strict phantom code of journalistic ethics. At this point in history, it's the citizen journalist I trust over the super-mega-multi-national-military-industrial-corporate-newspaper. I may not hold a journalism degree from Northwestern, but I know bullshit when I read it. And the folks at the Times and the Trib can't figure out why their papers are dying. Here's a suggestion; how about growing a spine for your country, and not selling your soul for ad space dollars?

I'm just sayin'....

Files prove Pentagon is profiling reporters | Stars and Stripes

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At What Cost?

After watching John King this Sunday, on CNN's State of the Union, lay out the opium production numbers from Afghanistan, is there any question as to why we are there?

In 2001, before we invaded, Afghanistan produced 185 metric tons of opium, or 12% of the worlds production.

In 2008, after seven years of being occupied by the U.S., Afghanistan produced 7,700 metric tons of opium, or 93% of the worlds supply.

Let's see; $157 a gram, 453 grams per pound, 2204 pounds per metric ton, 7,700 metric tons........

Hmmmmm.


Is It For Freedom, Sarah Thompson

Torture Prosecutions Coming Soon? Justice Dept. Report Advises Pursuing C.I.A. Abuse Cases

This is my response to a statement that questioned whether prosecuting torturers would be bad for the democrats in the 2010 elections.


Doesn't anyone else see the reality that there is no such thing as 'democrats' or 'republicans', there is only the corporation? The current health care 'debate' surely proves that fact. And let us not forget the bankers' bailout. Members of both the house and the senate have decried the full ownership of congress by bankers and insurance companies. It's have versus have nots, nothing less and nothing more.

So who gets hurt by a drawn out investigation into torture is irrelevant in 2010, or at any other time: the corporations' candidate will always win. Without true campaign finance reform and strict term limits, nothing will change.

And the Orwellian way in which 'debate' is happening in this country will continue unchecked. Since we certainly cannot rely on the corporate owned media to inform, I see very little in the way of options.

We will reach a breaking point, and if the uber rich can't see that, then maybe they ought to reread the history of human kind. I hear they go well with Merlot.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

RebelReports

RebelReports

Jeremy Scahill Slams Chuck Todd, Media, Congress Over Blackwater On "Real Time With Bill Maher" (VIDEO)

We have to prosecute these animals, or we are equally complicit in their actions.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Hey Mister, Wanna Buy A Rug?

I would like to confront the absurd notion posited by Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Meet the Press; that 'extremist Muslims' are holed up in a cave, or remote outpost in the foothills of the Himalayas, plotting the demise of Americans. When asked, ‘who we are fighting?’, the response is always ambiguous; we are fighting the September bomber/plotters, we are fighting Al Qaeda, we are fighting extreme Muslim factions of the Taliban.

If I could be so bold as to ask a couple of basic questions; where do these groups get these highly sophisticated weapons? How were they able to purchase them? How was that transaction allowed to happen; the purchase and transport of such equipment? The planet I live on has such an extreme surveillance and police/military presence, that the only people who could pull off any of this would be the people in the military of all sides.

Where’s the upside to this war? Who stands to make any thing off this war? Well, pretty obviously the arms manufacturers, arms traders/dealers make money every time a weapon is fired. So it stands to reason that the more times a weapon is fired, the more money they are making. Then there are the ‘contractors’. This is the mercenary arm of the mega corporations that land all the no-bid contracts to rebuild whatever country that the arms merchants destroyed (think of the massacres in Ghana (Shell), Chile (Chiquita Banana), Haiti(textiles, fruit) and now Honduras(textiles, fruit) to name just a few. And, of course, if you were to combine these forces into one supermegamultinationalcorporation, you would have Blackwater and Halliburton.

Then there’s the drugs. Lets look at where in the world we are deeply involved militarily (an increasingly private, christian military that answers to no one), shall we? Columbia(Bush 'candy'), Indonesia/Philippines(refined heroin, methamphetamine), Nigeria(pharmaceuticals), Afghanistan(raw opium)(today's State of the Union podcast shows the dramatic increase of production since our occupation), and here at home(the best marijuana in the world, bar none). That covers cocaine, heroin, ice, marijuana and pharmaceuticals. Are we trying to eliminate the drug cartels, or just our rivals? Which country consumes the lions’ share of drugs?

That’s right, us.

Now, if you want to believe that a group of poppy-growing-goat-herding-rug-making Afghanis are plotting away in some Dr. No type highly sophisticated cave, you go right ahead. There is no possible way that anyone had the ability to manipulate the CIA, FBI, FAA, FEDERAL, STATE and LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, from some fucking cave in a war torn hovel. And who, on this planet, makes nano thermite?

I am, of course, referring to September 11th.

Every action this country has taken, both domestically and internationally, has been based on the premise that it was a cave dwelling goat herder that planned and executed this horrible farce. And it saddens me that even the so-called progressives, the Bill Mahers, the Art Bells, The Rachel Maddows, refuse to even entertain the blatantly obvious; Dick Cheney, and the rest of that reptilian/evangelical cadre, perpetuated that atrocity for financial and, for some, spiritual gain.

Follow the money. Follow the abolition of our rights. Follow the unbelievably despicable acts of cruelty perpetuated in our name. Look at the admission by the first head of the Department of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge; that he was forced to raise the so-called terror alert level for political reasons, (specifically to manipulate the 2004 presidential election). Look at the ties between Al Qaeda (MI6’s term meaning “friendly Arab”) and the CIA and the PSI(Pakistan's CIA, for whom Osama Bin Laden worked) and the whole Bin Laden family. Look at the “C” Street revelations and the Eric Prince/George Bush evangelical crusade.

Look at the MONEY.

And why drugs? Well, if the populace is stoned, they wont even get up to change the channel on the TV. We have removed all the nutritional value from our food and replaced it with sugar/corn syrup. And let’s not forget ALL our corn is genetically modified. We are the most obese nation in the world. I could go on and on, as the signs of this global conspiracy are everywhere. They aren’t even bothering to hide it anymore.

Don’t be afraid. Be informed. Ask the hard questions and don't let up until you have the truth. We know the truth when we hear it. And we know when we are being lied to. And if you find yourself getting angry, look in the mirror and be angry at yourself for not having the balls to follow through with some basic reporting. Just a few tough questions that really need answering. The truth is gonna suck: a really traumatic event happened to us. But the fact that we did no investigation, the fact that we have held no one accountable, the fact that we have only been reporting the symptoms, not the disease; this is what is inexcusable. This is the cancer to our democracy. And any doctor will tell you that if you only treat a patient’s symptoms, they’s gonna die.

So Bill, let’s put down our bongs long enough to get the answers to these very basic and admittedly painful questions, and then we can curl up to the TV for the inevitable trials, twist up a fatty and celebrate the return of our testicular fortitude.

Follow the Money

Cartoon by R.J. Matson


Recently, a Brazilian news caster was arrested for creating his own news. He was hiring people to do break ins and other criminal activity, so that he and his crew seemed to always be in the right place at the right time.

The recent co-ordinated attacks in Iraq on August 18th reinforce my long held belief that we create the mayhem so that the Iraqis appear inadequate in their own defense, and therefore need our continued occupation to maintain security.

At some point in the beginning of the occupation of Iraq, a car dealership was attacked by a "suicide" car bomber. I remember thinking aloud, 'how odd that there would be a "crowded car dealership" in northern Iraq in the middle of a war'. Then I wondered aloud 'who would attack a car dealership'? Clearly whoever perpetrated this crime was against the Iraqi civilians, as they would be the only ones at a car dealership.

Then a very unsettling thought occurred to me; what if there were no "suicide" bombers at all? What if the people in the cars were already dead? Their hands taped to the wheel of a remote controlled car?

Now why would anyone do that? Well, what are the effects of these bombings? And take a look at the timing of the attacks; seems to me to always be around the time the Iraqis decide to hold some vote on how the hell they can get us out of there.

And now these recent bombings; six bombs going off in intervals, designed to make it impossible to react to any one of them. Then let's look at the buildings chosen for demolition; all of them governmental, and even two of them inside the so-called 'green zone'.

Who has the ability to pull that off? In the capital of a fully occupied country, that has been reduced to rubble? All communications, in or out, are fully monitored. All persons, young or old, male or female, are subjected daily to full searches and renditions. Who would have the capability to store such massive amounts of explosives? Who would have the ability to co-ordinate such an attack, spread throughout the city?

And then, who stands to make money rebuilding the structures and highways taken down? Why that would be our private no-bid contractors.

And lastly, doesn't it seem odd to anyone else as to the timing of this attack? On the eve of a mandated referendum on whether the U.S. should leave sooner than agreed.

And now the 'prime minister' is suggesting the Iraqis are not ready for us to pull out at all.

This is all so sickeningly obvious, and yet not one news organization has even suggested the possibility of our involvement. Maybe we could send the F.B.I. in there and do a real crime scene investigation and figure out who, exactly, is responsible for this shit.

Or maybe we could just keep on believing that a group of radical Muslims are holed up in a burned out, blown up building somewhere in the city with caches of supremely sophisticated equipment and explosives, and have the technical capability of pulling something of this scale off.

I also have a tooth under my pillow, can't wait for the tooth faerie to come.

Can someone please do some investigative reporting? Please?

My wish has been granted; definately check out Jeremy Scahill's blog, Rebel Reports. This man is a true patriot; putting his life on the line to bring us facts, so that we may be able to make informed decisions. Democracy can not work without an well informed electorate. Thank you, Jeremy, for having the balls to be a reporter, not some corporate whore.

How 'Bout Some Campaign Finance Reform?

Comic by Mike Luckovich


After watching the Congress open the Treasury to the bankers, insurance companies, car industries and now Big Pharma (Eli Lily, 80% owned by the Bush's) and the Health Insurance companies, under the auspice of Reagan's trickle down theory (the masses will benefit if the multi-national corporations are forgiven their debt, allowed to conglomerate, and break up what's left of the unions), don't you think it's time to accept a few things about our government, and maybe human nature in general?

During the bank bail out, two different congressmen flat out admitted that over half of congress was bought and paid for. Bribery?, you say. Not exactly. Through a series of complex avenues, these multi-national corporations donate massive amounts of money to campaigns. And they make it clear if you are already an incumbent, that if you don't vote the way they want, they will finance several campaigns against you. This has played out right in front of us with the health industry take over of the health care reform movement.

How can we change this? How can we maintain access to our politicians, without compromising the integrity of the office? How about 1 (one) term in office? Remove the revolving door of the election cycle. Once you're in, you're in. Once your time is up, it's up. And no consulting, board placements or any other kind of alternative compensation when you get out of office. This would eliminate so much of the inherent corruption in the system.

As far as campaign finance reform; make it simple. The amount of money, both spent and raised, must be limited. Equal amount of free air time, but definitely limited to a certain amount of time before the election, ie. six months, one year. Also free and equal amount of time in the papers, on the radio, and on the television. Anyone caught breaking the basic rules, the so-called Spirit of the Law, should be barred from holding any public office. Town halls, whistle stop tours, or just plain going door to door is fine (frankly, preferred) because this is how we used to get a feel for the integrity of a person. Not some Madison Avenue-market research-spin doctor-poll tracking version of a candidate.

The way things are, we have the Bush's, the Cuomo's, the Clinton's, the Kennedy's, and the Rockefeller's. And we are going to keep having them there until the laws are changed. This country never wanted a monarchy, or a House of Lords, but believe you me, that is exactly what we have.

The Executive branch has become almost 'all-powerful', what with it's own army that answers neither to the civilian police, nor the military. They answer only to the president. This army use to be called norcom, but I believe is now referred to as JSOC. The People's house is like the little kids' table at a sit down dinner. Every once in a while it might get a little noisy, but that's more nuisance than anything. The Senate has all the power, all the purse strings. And, if the multi-nationals don't want a specific bill read or voted on, surprise surprise, it dies in committee. AND EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS HAPPENING!?!?!?!

How about we do what we fought so hard to have the right to do? Let's throw these bums out, close the door, and change the rules so that we can learn from our mistakes, our shortcomings, and become a better country, a better example to the rest of the world. I strongly support campaign finance reform and the reintroduction of term-limits, and I believe that it will be business as usual until that has been resolved.

Time For The Earthling Party

For the Peoples that live on (not with) today's Earth, there seems to be only three basic choices for living amongst each other. The first would be, as Noam Chomsky recently referred to it, the prevailing Empirical Corporate State. The second would be the Mono-Theocratic State (Jews, Christians, Muslims); a natural response to an oppressive material empire that takes all and leaves nothing but despair and misery. And the third would be the one I inhabit; the Earthling.

All over the world, we (Earthlings) have been systematically rounded up and made to choose between the first two systems. Funny, too, that either choice is an eventual death sentence; for to choose one, or the other, is to swear a blood oath against the other system.




With today's media and citizen journalist's capabilities, there is little for either system to hide.(And we never get to hear from the Earthling, because we don't have a 'dog' in the fight. But when you see the dead, most of them are Earthlings.) So, for the last 10 plus years, both sides have been operating belligerently in the open. I am not so naive as to suggest this hasn't been happening since the beginning of the nation state, it's just, in today's world, we all get to see and hear the same remote event, at the same time.

In our hearts we know these people's plight and we say to ourselves, or out loud, "There, but for the grace of god, go I". The differences between some Iranian and myself are environmentally and economically imposed; at our essence we are the same. We want to have children. We want them to have a good and peaceful life. We want to grow up in a safe and clean environment far away from any 'ism', so that they may have an opportunity for a life of abundance. So they may have the basic human right to connect to this Earth in whatever fashion makes them happy, whether that be spiritual, material, or none of the above.

There is a war being waged between the Material Empire and the Religious Escape, but ultimately it is us Earthlings that pay the price.

How To Save The Republican Party; An Open Letter To Michael Steele

Cartoon by Nate Beeler



Brother Steele,

It should be painfully obvious why you got your job; you are black, 'hip', and most of all, expendable. Who are you, who were you, and who will you be next year? Think about it, man. Why in the hell did they offer you the job? Why in the hell did you take the job? If you thought for a second that the Grand Old Party drank the Obama Cool Aid and woke up to racial inequality and social injustice, you are more out of touch than corporate media makes you out to be.

We both know that when the ad hoc leaders of the Republican party are hatred and fear spewing radio personalities, something has gone terribly awry. You have consistantly gone back on your statements when they proved to upset Limbaugh and his puppet Hannity. Your days are numbered as the GOP Chairman, surely you know this.

So, if I may, let me propose a different outcome for you: seize your party by the balls. Look the Evangelicals in the eye and tell them to go back to their cave where they belong. Currently the GOP is enjoying an 18% approval rating, (roughly the same number of conservative right-wing fundementalists in the country). People have left the party in droves. What has happened to the Republicans is exactly what would happen to the Democrats if they chose to embrace Earth First as their fountain head. Yes, that's where the money was in the '80s an '90s, but look at where the fringe took the party; reckless, historical spending, full involvement in foreign affairs, endangering our military by putting it in uneccassary and illegal wars, promoting an intolerant and exclusive America that kow-tows to corporations, while stripping the republic of it's resources.

What makes America the "home of the free, and the land of the brave" is just exactly that; FREE and BRAVE. not secretive and fearful. So, my bother from another mother, can you hear the train acomin'? This is your time, man. Take back the party from the crazy religious right. Admit that what was allowed to happen to your party was a mistake, and declare yourself, once again, free from the restraints of state affairs being dictated by some religious bastardization. This isn't about power or control. This isn't about keeping your job or looking Cool to obtain the young vote. This is about history. This is about freedom. This is about America.

So what's it to be, my man? Do you want to stay on as the black lackey that allowed the Republican party to die under it's own intolerance? Or do you want to go down in history as the man who took the Republican Party back from the ledge of fanatical suicide? I'm pretty sure, at the end of the day, when you look in the mirror, you know in your heart of hearts what an amazing opportunity you have to be a great American. Just as I'm sure that when you are on your death bed, only you can answer the question; did I have the balls to be a great American?

Well, do ya, punk?

Honduras, Again

There is no question we are behind the recent coup in Honduras. President Manuel Zelaya is in the U.S. today before he returns to Honduras tomorrow, Thursday, July 2nd. He will not be meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, or President Obama.

Zelaya's return to Honduras did not even make the front page of the New York Times. Most major news organizations and blogs have already back paged the coup. It's only been a day. Why is it that a military coup in a neighbouring country isn't an immediate threat, but the "immediate" threat of cave dwellers in Afghanistan "following our troops home" to commit acts of terrorism, is front page news daily?

Make no mistake about it, this is our coup. Honduras tows the U.S. line in Central America. They are quite literally bought and paid for. The leaders of this coup, and every other coup in the region, were trained on American soil, at the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia.

The question is not whether we were behind the coup, but why. Why?
Was it Zelaya's position on nationalizing Honduras' agribusiness? Or calling for an end to the U.S. War on drugs? Hard to say, hard to say.

But this has a more personal feel to it: the democratically elected president of a neighboring country is roused out of bed, in the middle of the night, in his jammies, at gunpoint, and whisked away to a 'neutral' country. Can anyone say Jean-Bertrand Aristide? Didn't Aristide also try to raise the minimum wage? And who is the new envoy to Haiti? You got it, Mr. Bill Clinton. Atrocious.

What happens on July 2nd, 2009, will be a clear indication of the depth of Obama's Corporatism. Not Capitalism, Corporatism.

And this is our backyard.

What's that old adage about making a mess where you sleep? It's getting awfully stinky around here.

Tim Russert, I Miss You Man

I just finished watching Keith Olbermann on MSNBC give a special remembrance of Tim Russert, on the year anniversary of his death. Every once in a while, usually when the vitriol is subdued, Mr. Olbermann has the ability to deliver a sermon that hits me deep.

When the footage of Mr. Russert started to run, immediately images of my father appeared in my heart, for we spent every Sunday watching Tim, and then root against his Buffalo Bills.

We would watch Bill Moyers, David Brinkley and Sam Donaldson, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer, Charles Kuralt and even the absurd McLaughlin Group. Throughout all of these, weekend after weekend, it was Meet the Press with Tim Russert that made him chew his cud. My dad didn't just trust Tim to ask the hard questions, he knew he would follow up until he got an answer.

Or, maybe, it was because my dad was a Giants fan, and any other team in New York was acceptable, as long as they lost. As my dad would say, Tim's probably a Mets fan, too.

These Sundays with my dad and Tim were such a part of my life, that when my father passed away (he was 51 and I was 21), I continued to watch religiously, both because it made me feel close to dad, and because my father was right; Tim Russert was infectiously curious. Mr. Russert made me want to sit where he was, asking the real questions, and not letting up until he got real answers. Whether Tim and my dad were alike, I will never know, but the similarities of his sudden passing and the void left by this loss were uncanny. As soon as I heard that Tim had died, my first thought was of his son, Luke. Then of my dad. Then me.

I will forever miss those Sunday's; playing chess, watching Tim, eating my dad's infamous Chicken a la Sam, and watching the Bill's lose, again. For me, when my father died, it was an end of innocence. An end to the belief that everything works out. And when Tim died, I couldn't help but notice the slow death of real journalism.

Luke, if you ever get a chance to read this, your father brought my relationship with my father to a deeper level. Thoughtful, curious, funny and so openly loving of his father and his family; Tim Russert was a part of my life, a part of my family. And I miss him, as I miss my own father; with gratitude and a smile, and the occasional tear.

Free Speech And Homeland Security

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security issued a booklet on extremist/subversive groups within the country, and found itself apologizing for including radical, right-wing, conservative groups like anti-choice protesters and white supremacists. After the last two shootings by a couple of christian, right-wing radicals (religious extremists), Rachael Maddow, Keith Olbermann and others on the left, have been throwing around the term "home grown terrorist" very loosely.

What ever happened to crazy, or criminal?

We tread a slippery slope indeed, when we start calling one group, or another, 'terrorists'. This terminology is precisely what has given us Patriot Act I and Patriot Act II, FISA, and a host of MASSIVE bureaucracies like the Department of Homeland Security, (Hi, boys). And it is the very reason we have witnessed the shredding of the Bill of Rights, The U.S. Constitution, the Geneva Convention and a myriad of other treaties and civil and labor rights abuses and assassinations. We have seen the end of print media, and the conglomeration of news outlets like Wall Mart, I mean FOX. And now we have MSNBC calling out FOX for being terrorist inciters and sympathisers. Unfortunately, I listen to Rush and Hannity, as well as Schultz and Stephie, and they are all in the tank. Seems like they all drank the Orwellian Kool Aid.

The conversation should never stray from the atrocities being committed in our name, with our money, by our brave and desperate and naive infantry. Seems like we are all a little too head shy from the 60's protests; a little ashamed of how we treated the soldiers when they came home, to say what we all know to be true:

You do not kill for an idea. A concept. A belief. A fear. Even the grunts figure that out after a couple of tours. It is not who we are. It is not Human. War is in- Human.

The way I see it, the biggest obstacle to having a complete police state is the progressive movement. But the so-called left is calling out the Department of Homeland Security for removing these extremist groups from the "terror watch list". Now that they have to answer for that, how easy is it for DHS to justify putting anyone on that list? (I seem to remember, not that long ago, certain voter groups and non-profit groups - labelled as subversive - in Maryland, were being targeted by the DHS.)

And isn't that really the point? Once the Department of Homeland Security responds to these pressures, it's very existence is accepted as a given.

I protest.

The only reason we have the DHS is because of September 11th. And if September 11th was...

Let us not forget;

-warrantless wiretapping,
-unlawful search and seizures,
-torture of non-violent (and known to be innocent) suspects,
-suspension of habeas corpus,
-viper squads in our airports, train stations and subways, and
-fully stocked FEMA camps, nationwide

How about

-a robot war in three countries
-indiscriminate bombing of civilians
-putting out "hits" on political opponents,
-using assassination squads all over the world
-hiring over 250,000 mercenaries (Hessians)

Where is the Fourth Estate? What happened to our democracy? Our republic?

Let us not forget these blatant abuses of our civil liberties. Let us prosecute, to the full extent of American Law, all sociopaths that violate our shared concept of Humanity. And let us not get swept up, once again, into surrendering our fought for freedoms, for "security" sake.

Lest we wake up neither free, nor secure.

States Rights, Or Get Off My Lawn

Two days ago, Dr. Tiller from Wichita, Kansas, was gunned downed in the church where he was ushering. He was assassinated by a lone gunman who was a part of an extreme, right wing, anti-abortion league. They call themselves right to lifers. They believe in the 'sanctity of life'. So, someone from their group kills a doctor who believes that abortion in some cases is medically necessary. So, who kills the guy, for killing the guy who "killed" babies? And where does that cycle end? And who makes such decisions?

It is my belief, and firm conviction, that this, among many countless other issues, is precisely why we created America. This is a country where I can believe whatever I want. And don't you dare come into my world and tell me what to believe or think or feel. If you don't like what I do, stay the hell away from me. I am not coming into your world and making you do what I believe. How in the world do these people feel they have any right to impose their will on me, or any other American, who doesn't believe what they do? It's righteous indignation and utter hypocrisy.

How about we live in a country where we can each believe in whatever we want? A country where we respect the reality that we are Americans first, and our personal beliefs come second to that hard fought for freedom. This is the ultimate price we each pay every day here; tolerance of differences out of respect for the foundations of our country.

But that freedom has a responsibility. We all live in this country together; Jews, Christians, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, Democrats, Corporatists, Republicans, Greens, loggers, doctors, lawyers, carpenters, husband, wives, sons and daughters.

We have a system of government which allows for each town, city, county, state to have representatives that we vote into office; that closest resemble what we believe, so that our voice may be heard in government. We live in a country where, if you don't like the demographics of your surroundings, you are free to move to any area in the country that closer resembles your value system. That could be gambling and prostitution in Nevada, third term abortions in Wichita, Mormonism (polygamy) in Utah, Amish in Pennsylvania and even the Cowboys in Dallas. That was the whole point of forging America.

If you don't like the way this country works, go to school, enter the government and change it. Or move to Zimbabwe. Or Jakarta. In any case, whatever you do, get off my lawn and off of what's left of my personal freedoms.

Transparency, Indeed.

Cartoon by Daryl Cagle


Let me start this rant by apologizing, in advance, to anyone who might be offended by the language that ensues......it is my intent to offend.

For anyone currently feeling, as I do, as if their life is in a sort of limbo; I was reminded today of the butterfly.

Now, being a caterpillar is probably pretty cool. I'm not exactly sure what the upside would be, but if I was a caterpillar, I would find one, or two. And the coolest thing would have to be the butterfly you knew you would soon become. If only you don't get eaten by all the thousands of different entities that specifically want to eat you. And/or, all the thousands of different things that squish you, simply because you were in the way.

And that time that you languish on the underside of a leaf, the most vulnerable time of all, must seem like an eternity. Or at least as long as the Bush Dynasty. Just not as scary. Close, but not as scary as the Bush Dynasty.

We, my fellow Americans, my fellow humans, we are that pupae. It is a scary time indeed. The chances of death and despair far out way the chances of exceeding our potential. And yet, this feeling. This nagging fucking feeling like the other shoe is about to drop. It is unmistakable. The sky isn't falling, sheeple. It fell a long time ago. You don't construct over three hundred FEMA camps all over the country for shits and giggles.

We just handed Chrysler and G.M. 70 billion dollars. And now they are bankrupt. We knew they were going bankrupt. We gave them the money and then they went bankrupt. How does that work? Why, exactly, did we buy such an expensive bucket to bail out the Titanic? And where is the money?

How about Citigroup? I heard on the news, in the shadow of G.M. going bankrupt, that Citigroup was also being taken off the 'big board'. And we just handed them billions and billions and....let's face it folks; we have been robbed.

Anyone out there ever come home to an empty house? Or worse, like me, have you ever been home and been robbed? Well, if the answer is yes, then you know the feeling of having your dignity handed to your heart by way of your asshole. You also know the rage that comes with being so totally violated on every level of human understanding. The social contract was ripped up in your face and all you can do is watch.

Well, what do you think is going on in front of our faces, sheeple?

Can I ask just one very simple question? Why in the hell would anybody write a check to the government ever again? We know exactly where that money is going. Obama campaigned on transparency. Well, my friends, it doesn't get anymore transparent than this.

Let's just say I wanted to buy a rug. So I go to the rug store and pick one out and pay for it. Only, I don't get the rug. In fact, they are telling me, I now owe more for the rug, that I didn't get, than when I paid for it. So, like an idiot, I pay the extra and hope to get out of there with the rug. Only, I don't get the rug. No, no, no. This time, they assure me, when I pay for the rug, it'll be a nicer rug than the one I bought two times ago. So, I leave the store vowing never to do business there again, only to discover I never got the rug. So I go back to the store and the store is now closed for renovations. There is a sign on the door and it says; Sorry for the inconvenience, we are too busy counting all the money we just stole from this idiot who thought we sold rugs.

So I ask you, why in the hell would you go back to that store and give them another dime? Now, or ever? They are bad businessmen and even worse people. All they have done is take, and all they plan to continue to do is take, and I really don't even have enough for myself and those around me.

As the time draws near, and the very construct of our society awakens to it's full potential, I will be, and have been, present to do the work that is required to make life's difficult changes. For if we do not evolve, then we will surely die.

Man, am I an impatient little pupae.

"I Heard The News Today, Oh Boy...."

When I was a child, growing up in Manhattan, Simon and Garfunkel put out a version of Silent Night. Under the music, the nightly news was being aired. I remember thinking how over the top that particular news segment was; everything from the Vietnam War, to the shootings at Kent State, to the killings of the nurses at the University of Florida. It goes on for several minutes, each story seemingly more outrageous than the last.

Then I watched Meet the Press this morning. On the show, David Gregory had the CEO of Xerox, the CEO of Caterpillar, and the CEO of Google. The interview takes place on the floor of the stock market in New York, on the day that General Motors announced it will file for bankruptcy.

Mr. Gregory asks each of these people their opinion on what the future of America, and specifically the future of economic wealth in America, will be.

It struck me: how similar to the parable of the three blind men; each one held a different part of an elephant. When asked to describe what an elephant looked like, each man had an eloquent and accurate description of the body part they were holding. And not one of them came remotely close to actually describing the elephant.

The CEO of Google was asked the scariest question: "What are the top searches on Google?" That he even had a response was scary.

The CEO of Caterpillar was asked what the future of American manufacturing looked like. His response was even scarier; the US must be a Global leader.

The CEO of Xerox was asked if she thought America would rebound economically; if corporations were starting to hire again. Her response; no. Then he asked her about American's wealth, and if that would return to the levels we have grown accustomed to. Her response; no.

Mr. Gregory started, and ended, by acknowledging the fact that they were doing the interview on the floor of the NYSE, because the corporations they represented were major players on the market, General Motors was about to be erased from the board and because the market itself is intrinsically linked to our economy.

Let that sink in real good.

The market itself is intrinsically linked to our economy.

Now, when I tell you that the multi-national corporations are running this country and this planet, do you think anyone will believe me?

And yet you have one senator openly stating that the banks own Congress. You have another senator saying the insurance companies own Congress. And we nod in fake understanding when our elected "representatives" tell us that certain companies are "too big to fail", so we have to open our Treasury and let them literally empty the banks. Literally.

The bottom line should be fairly obvious. Everything that we are seeing today is designed to prepare us for what has already happened.

We are broke.

The system is broke.

Never has there been a clearer time for action than now....."in order to form a more perfect union".

Not So Brave New World

The only way to defeat terrorism is to not allow it to terrorize you. Now, sitting here in my office in Kaua`i, that's a pretty easy thing to say. So let me premise it by saying that I have travelled all over this beautiful planet and, seemingly, wars, revolutions, and conflicts follow me wherever I go. Thank goodness that hasn't happened here.

I was in Greece, during the height of the resistance, just after (US backed)Papadopoulos' brutal military dictatorship ended. I was in Israel/Palestine/Lebanon/Syria during the 2nd Lebanese invasion. I was in a town in Guatemala hours after they killed every man/boy in the town and dumped them in the volcano, (the women were still washing the blood off the street where the men were lined up and executed). I lived in south central Mexico, where the indigenous people of Chiapas weekly blew up the bridge that bordered Guatemala. In Indonesia, the East Timorese were being slaughtered by the military using coordinates supplied to them by the now current National Security Advisor, Gen. James L. Jones.

I'm from New York City and spent my adolescence in Washington D.C. when the mayor was busted for smoking crack with a whore in a motel in S.E. D.C.. At the time, Washington boasted the highest murder rate in the world, comparable only to Watts in the mid-sixties, when an 18 year old black man had a better chance of living to 19 in the Vietnam War, than he did at home. Also I have been an alternative agricultural specialist for over twenty years. Yes, the last twenty years that have been an openly declared war, in my own country, on me. Big helicopters, big guns, and all my friends constantly having the State come and take their children away because they were growing an herb. In my country.

I watched in horror with the rest of the world as the Israelis were killed in Munich. I watched what seemed like monthly hijacking of planes to Cuba, Libya, Somalia. I watched the French and Israelis storm planes, I watched the Basque Separatists blow up trains, the Georgians (Russians) blow up a school of children. I watched our own FBI, during a democratic presidency, burn 80 people to death in Waco, shoot a woman holding her infant son in Idaho.

As all of you alive today know, we have all seen some serious shit.

So why now are willing to throw away our rights to be more "safe"?

Why?

WHY?

We live in a world today where everything has the dubious task of being better, larger, faster, more horrific than anything else, ever, at any time. The best golfer ever. The best home run hitter ever. The worst tragedy in history. The hottest day on record. Worst recession ever.

What do our schools teach children today? Certainly it is not how to read a newspaper or to use proper discernment when coming across information. Knowing your source is a good start. Newspapers have to sell in order to stay in business. But if there is no breaking news that day, then they have nothing to sell. So they make things important so they have something to talk about. Something to sell you. So it has to be sensational in order to get you to buy their product. In order for them to stay in business.

To be an American, to me, has always meant; fuck what the rest of the world does, we are Americans and we will not be deterred in our willingness to live, and/or die, free. You can pry my civil liberties from my cold dead heart, but don't be surprised if I put up a fight even when I'm dead. There have always been factions of individuals and groups that resent what we have, and there always will be. And if they want to come over here and try and pick a fight with us, we will kick their ass back to the stone age.

And yet, the threat to our freedom, our way of life, our Uniquely American Spirit, isn't from the outside at all. It is coming from the inside, in the form of fear mongering, from our own government. Newspapers sell fear. TV sells fear. The government sells fear. Why? Because fear sells. Period. So, in order for you to feel 'safe', you are going to read every fear mongering newspaper and website to prove that you really need to give up all your rights in order to be truly free.

FORGET THAT. DON'T TREAD ON ME. NOT NOW. NOT EVER.

The War on Terror

After watching the brief testimonials,from the returning Iraq War veterans at the Winter Soldier hearings in D.C., it became obvious to me that even the name "War on Terror" is a clear use of newspeak. How does one win a war on terror? A war on poverty? A war on crime, homelessness, drugs, welfare? In short, a war on an idea, or feeling? While the intention may be a good one, the very notion that we can "win" a war on terror, by terrorizing people, is patently absurd. Nevertheless, we are in this so called war on terror,and are constantly being asked to pay for it. As if this war on a feeling could be won with more money,or more troops,or more fire power.

Terror is a matter of the heart. It is a choice we all make every day, all day long. We could be run over by a bus. Hit by lightening. Shot by a stray bullet. Our children could be abducted, die in their sleep, molested by their preacher. We have no job security, health care and our system is as corrupt as any I have witnessed on this planet. Now, or ever. It would be easy to walk around, living in fear of things that we cannot control. But we have all made a conscious choice to go on with our lives the best we can. Of course there are people all over the world that want to see the end of America. But how is that different than at any other time in our history?

I beg the American people to not buy into the notion of National Security. There is none. In the last year we have seen our own banks, corporations and politicians openly rob the bank. Openly. We are witnessing the completion of the corporate take over, not just of this country but the world. And they are using fear and the notion of National Security to advance their cause. Every time there is a so called terrorist action, I beg of every one of you to please, please, look a little deeper and see the smoke for the fire.

See Dick Burn. Burn, Dick. Burn.

Newt Gingrich and Dick Cheney have been on the airwaves over the last couple of weeks, pulling out their best Orwell impersonation.


Let me make this as simple as possible, for all the sheeple out there;

Water boarding is torture.

Torture is illegal, both federally and internationally.

Dick has openly admitted he ordered the implementation of water boarding.

This makes Dick a criminal.

The reasons for why Dick broke the law are irrelevant.

Let me say that again:

The reasons for why Dick broke the law are irrelevant.

Dick broke the law.

Dick is a criminal.

Any other conversation about this is nothing else but doublespeak.

There is no conversation.

None.

Dick broke the law.

Dick is a criminal.

Dick will be easy to prosecute, and anyone who followed Dick's orders are equally culpable.

On both sides of war, torture has been prosecuted: Vietnam, Korea, Civil War, WWI, WWII, Iraq, to name just a few. There is precedent after precedent of the United States of America prosecuting those who were just following orders. The most recent example of this would be the 89 yr old death camp guard, John Demjanjuk. Here is a man who was just following orders.

NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and anyone else who allows these criminals on the airwaves to reinvent what has happened, makes them culpable as well. These major news corporations have been hammering away at us, allowing for these criminals to try and justify a crime. Not just any crime either, but crimes against humanity.

Let me try to make this even simpler:

I have no money.

I owe all kinds of money for school, homes, cars, etc. and cannot makes ends meet.

Hell they’re going to foreclose on my home, repo my car and take my kids, because I cant afford food.

So, I rob a bank.

Now, I can pay all my bills, my kids will be well fed and educated and I get to stay in my home and pay off my car.

I could continue to justify why I robbed the bank, but the reality is that no judge or jury would care for even a second as to the REASONS why I robbed the bank.

The bottom line;

I broke the law and will be going to jail.

Period.

Dick should be tried and easily convicted of war crimes.

Dick is a criminal.

Dick should go to jail in Spandau for the rest of Dick's miserable life.

And then some.

The Crusade

On September 11, 2001, I awoke to find that my birth place, New York City, and my adolescent home, Washington D.C. were 'under attack'. Shaken to my core, I rushed to the nearest T.V. in time to watch the plane hit the second tower. Then, as I watched to see how they would put out the fires, the first tower was demolished.

As I said, I was born in N.Y.C. and for kicks we would watch old apartment buildings get demolished, imploded, collapsed. I had seen it so many times, that when the first tower fell, I knew it was intentionally demolished. I knew what my eyes told me. And I knew what my heart was telling me. And because of the amazing schooling I was afforded, I knew what was happening. This was the final push.

On Sunday, September 16, 2001, less than one week after the towers fell, George Bush Jr. declared a Crusade. Ever since 911, everything that has happened, has happened as a direct result of that day.

Since that day, we have seen the suspension of Habeas Corpus, the right to free speech and dissent, the right to protest, the right to privacy, search and seizure laws, all but vanish. We have had a Supreme Court expanding the rights of corporations while reducing the rights of the individual citizen. We have seen the complete corruption of our Judicial system to justify this war on terror, this Crusade. We watched as the Executive Branch routinely snubbed it's nose at the Congress and continues to this day to claim 'executive privilege' to justify renditions and secret prisons.

As long as we have an ambiguous 'war on terror', we have an Executive Branch that can operate under the War Powers Act and everything can be classified under National Security.

In Orwellian fashion the realities of this crime; this horrible unspeakable act against our own citizenry, have been transformed from an obviously psychopathic, tyrannical evil, that has no place amongst humans, to a question of whether or not we have the moral authority to do whatever is necessary to root out evil. Even the left-leaning media continues this dialogue, as if it had merit to discuss.

What happened on 911 was a crime. If it turns out that this crime was perpetuated in order to justify a Crusade, then what we have is one of the largest atrocities ever known, in any time.

Imagine;

1) Create a catastrophe on your home soil

2) Create one Central Authority to manage FEMA, NSA, CIA, FBI, state and local police, ie; Homeland Security. (How Orwellian is that?)

3) Wage a vengeance war on Afghanistan and take control of the poppy production. (In 2007, opium production out supplied its demand for the first time in recorded history.)

4) Appoint a politically ambitious Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, and stack the Federal Courts with politically appointed judges, Bybee,for one.

5) Seek judicial clearance, from said corrupt judges, to justify torturing confessions from prisoners that Iraq and Al Qaeda were linked.

6) Lie to the Congress to justify a war with Iraq, (based on confessions from tortured children), in order to gain control of their oil fields. (Exxon topped out the Fortune 500 list this quarter, Number 1 on the Charts)

7) Create a private army, to perform assassinations and covert operations, that doesn't answer to military or civilian authority, only to the executive branch.

8) Out a covert CIA operative in a time of war because her husband had proof that the justification for the war was based on faulty intelligence and lies.

9) Bankrupt the country by literally robbing the bank. (The largest withdrawal in U.S. Banking history was made from the New York Federal Reserve, 2.5 billion dollars, in cash, on pallets, loaded into an 18 wheeler and disappeared.)

10) Announce, after losing the election and leaving behind moles in the highest levels of government, that the new President has made the country less safe.

What happens next should be obvious.

And yet, the so-called news outlets entertain the conversation of whether it is viable to prosecute these barbarians, these animals. They are even going so far as to debate whether or not we should be torturing someone, if it provides valuable information.

What George Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Carl Rove and everyone else who participated in these atrocities did were crimes against humanity. And as long as this goes unpunished, we are all responsible for these crimes.

We can say that we acquiesced our rights because we were afraid. Because we needed the security of a strong defense. We can say that and we can fool ourselves into believing that we didn't know, that we couldn't believe our own government would do something so horrible, so blatantly evil. We could. And maybe, just maybe, we might even believe it, a little.

But when Orwellian terms like Homeland Security, and devices such as the microwave gun and the crowd dispersing ray gun, and the ever growing population of unmanned, heavily armed, drone aircraft and tanks with ray guns start to become a part of our every day vernacular, we have crossed the line of ignorance, and moved into denial.

Make no mistake about it, this is a Crusade. But it is not the Crusade that has been presented to us. No. It is not the wars and the terror and the clashes of religions, nor the long fought wars over territory or minerals. No. This is a Crusade against us, the people. As long as things continue to blow up, as long as there is an avian flu, or a swine flu, or drug resistant TB, or Aids, as long as there are people starving to death while there are warehouses of food rotting in storage, as long as we continue to entertain a conversation over whether or not torture works, the Crusade continues to be waged. And won. It is a Crusade against our rights as Humans. It is a Crusade being waged in such an Orwellian fashion that we are asking to have our rights taken away from us, in order to have a false sense of security.

But in the end, we will have surrendered our rights to the very people whom aim to enslave us.

The Torture Memos

It has become evident that the secret government, set up during the Reagan years, continues to operate without regard to the law, or the Constitution, or any fear of reprisal.

Admiral Poindexter, several months after 911, was exposed for holding an open betting ring inside the Pentagon, wagering on which leaders would be assassinated, which countries would be overthrown.

Lt. Col. Oliver North has an extreme right wing radio show in Virginia, and is regularly interviewed on the right wing talk shows. He continues his radical rants in open support of secret government operations to further his defense of shredding the constitution during his private Iran-Contra weapons-for-drugs-and-money program.

Dick Cheney has been in the highest levels of government since Reagan until present day. And even now, it has been revealed that he left several high ranking bureaucratic moles inside the Pentagon, NSA, NSC, CIA, Homeland Security, et al. It has been openly discussed that Dick had (HAS?) his own 'hit squad' that operated outside of military and civilian law

George Bush Sr. has been in the deepest darkest levels of our government since Nixon, not to mention his daddy, Prescott Bush. The depth of this man's involvement in the outrages perpetuated in our name is staggering. To list them here is daunting.

This secret government has been involved directly in the overthrow of numerous democratically elected governments; Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Indonesia, Yugoslavia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Haiti, Palestine, Lebanon, just off the top of my head. They have been involved in the assassinations of untold heads of state, movement leaders, union organizers, and potential whistle blowers.

And now the absolute smoking gun; the so-called "Torture Memos".
No one should be surprised by the complete lack of morality, the shuddering cold and calculated, premeditated and systematic torture of, admittedly known to be innocent, people.

Will there be any prosecutions? History says no. My heart tells me that if our government does not aggressively pursue criminal convictions of those that broke our collective moral code, it will be the end of the Republic. If there is no accountability for crimes of the worst nature committed by people in the highest offices that they were elected to, then the people who elected them will inevitably behave the same way. And that, my friends, is the end of the Empire.

Separation of Powers

The separation of powers is the foundation of America. Having a corrupted, politicized and incompetent Judicial branch allows for the other two branches of government to enact laws, or break them, with impunity. The American Attorney General, Eric Holder, has no choice but to prosecute to the full extent of the law those who tortured and those who authorized torture.

When a criminal mastermind plans to rob a bank, but gets others to do the actual bank robbing, do we not still want to catch the planner? Won't he just do it again? I use the term 'criminal mastermind' because I believe 911, Afghanistan, Iraq, the economic , social and moral collapse of my country was designed. Yes, planned. The smoking guns are everywhere; nano thermite at ground zero in NYC, Osama Bin Laden planning and pulling off the largest terrorist action against the strongest country in the world from a cave in Afghanistan, the outing of Valery Plame because her husband had debunked the yellow cake from Africa to Iraq story and the bogus linking of Saddam Hussein to 911 and Al Qaeda, to Alan Greenspan lying to a Senate sub-committee hearing on the largest withdrawal in United States banking history (2.5 billion dollars in cash) which simply disappeared, to the decision to let Lehman Bros. fail and not Goldman Sachs, on which board Henry Paulson and Timothy Geitner reside (both Secretaries of the Treasury).

Not only is it Eric holder's duty to prosecute to the full extent of the law those that transgressed them, but he is also bound by international law to do so. And if he chooses not to, then he will legally be an accessory to war crimes.