Friday, July 01, 2005

Bush Propaganda Tricks

from www.waynemadsenreport.com


DISINFORMATION ALERT July 1, 2005 -- Be wary of spin from the Neo Cons on new Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The cabalist network of American Enterprise Institute, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Hudson Institute, the Moonie Washington Times, Heritage Foundation, AIPAC, Mojaheddin-e-Khalq (MEK) terrorists, Pahlavi Royalists, and Pentagon perception managers want to force a war with Iran. These disinformation specialists have given us phony Iraqi WMDs, false links between Saddam and Al Qaeda, plagiarized graduate school papers as intelligence, bogus Niger government documents, fake Iraq Oil-for-Food documents, fantasy meetings between Iraqi intelligence and Al Qaeda in Prague, and fake intelligence on Iraqi biological mobile weapons labs. And now the White House, where a number of neo-cons nest inside the National Security Council, is climbing aboard the "Ahmadinejad-is-a-hostage taker" bandwagon. The CIA, which tracks all Iranian political leaders and their biographies, has not commented on what five former hostages claim they saw over 25 years ago -- that Ahmadinejad was one of their captors at the seized US Embassy in Teheran. In 2003, the hostages lost a $33 billion lawsuit against the Iranian government after a federal judge dismissed the suit.
Other former hostages, including retired Air Force Col. Thomas E. Schaefer, and some of the hostage takers claim Ahmadinejad was not one of the captors. And the photo being shown of a dark-eyed Persian from Hollywood central casting is not the famous stock photo used by the meida during the embassy seizure. The following photo is what we all saw. Which begs the question. Where did this new photo come from? The Times (London) is reporting the photo "just emerged" and that it is from Iran Focus, a London-based anti-Ahmadinejad "news agency" It is claimed the "new" photo of Ahmadinejad is from the Associated Press's (AP) photo library and was taken on Nov. 4, 1979, the first day of the hostage crisis. The Times Middle East specialist says the photo will only have an impact if it is "genuine." However, some newspaper and broadcast web sites around the world, including The Times and the BBC are not posting the AP credit alongside the photo. Several news web sites are not even running the newly-emerged photo. On July 1, the White House announced there is no "solid evidence" that Ahmedinejad was a captor. However, the involvement of arch neo-con National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley in stoking this story calls into question the National Security Council's links to a discredited bunch of Iran-contra felons and other suspects investigated by Independent Special Counsel Lawrence Walsh: Elliot Abrams, George H. W. Bush, Oliver North, John Poindexter, Michael Ledeen, and Iranian exile Manucher Ghorbanifar.
Ahmadinejad has been mayor of a major metropolitan city and a top presidential candidate and just now he is being recognized by former hostages and the White House as a hostage taker? One former hostage's comments could have come right from the Neo-Con quotation spin machine: "The new president of Iran is a terrorist."


ABCNews Pics

FEMA Preparing for Mass Destruction Attacks on Cities

FEMA Preparing for Mass Destruction Attacks on Cities: "A source familiar with the deadline believes the effort is related to making the U.S. prepared for counterattacks if the U.S. invades Iraq sometime next year. "

FEMA Concentration and Internment Camps

FEMA Concentration and Internment Camps

"Proud Zionist"

Forward Newspaper Online

there must be as many pilars of truth erected in the cafeteria as there are Cirque de Soleil's in Vegas

Crooks and Liars: "'very disturbing' for the Bush Administration."

"very disturbing" for the Bush Administration.

Crooks and Liars

9/11 - US Complicity: Implausible, or Very Probable?

9/11 - US Complicity: Implausible, or Very Probable?

where America went wrong in Iraq in a piece in today's San Jose Mercury News

TAPPED: June 2005 Archives

Who's in the Army Now? - Why we can't send more troops to Iraq. By Fred�Kaplan

Who's in the Army Now? - Why we can't send more troops to Iraq. By Fred�Kaplan

Baghdad's Mayor Bemoans Crumbling Capital - New York Times

Baghdad's Mayor Bemoans Crumbling Capital - New York Times

Bush Words Reflect Public Opinion Strategy

Bush Words Reflect Public Opinion Strategy

‘Doonesbury’ comes to aid of Fisher House

European and Pacific Stars & Stripes

WSJ.com - From Rental Cars to CEOs: A Review of 'Freaky' Research

WSJ.com - From Rental Cars to CEOs: A Review of 'Freaky' Research

BG: George Mason = Neocon City

Audio: Steve Collins? Lisa Guiliani Exhortion

Not Sure about This but interesting.

www.wingtv.net

The Seattle Times: Opinion: The rebirth of McCarthyism

The Seattle Times: Opinion: The rebirth of McCarthyism

YOU BE THE JUDGE: Dr. Bill Deagle

YOU BE THE JUDGE

Audio: Alex Jones Interview with Dr. Deagle


OK City, 911 Shocking Interview

9/11 Fraud

9/11 Fraud

Roger Burbach and Paul Cantor: Bush's Big Democratic Hoax in Iraq

Roger Burbach and Paul Cantor: Bush's Big Democratic Hoax in Iraq

Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, Lies in Rand Document

BG: One of many lies (page 60.) "With the cold-blooded murder of 3,000 Americans and citizens of many other countries,
we were once again in the middle of a war we didn’t look for. It found us. We learned
in one shattering and horrific attack that evil remains on the loose. Like each past confrontation,
the target is freedom itself."

Wonkette - Conflict Resolution Programs Threaten Schools, Nation

Wonkette - Conflict Resolution Programs Threaten Schools, Nation

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Iraq's New War Zone: American vs. American

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Iraq's New War Zone: American vs. American: "Iraq's New War Zone: American vs. American"

Mossad and Moving Companies by Laura Knight-Jadczyk

Mossad and Moving Companies by Laura Knight-Jadczyk

TSA contractor wasted millions, audit shows - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

TSA contractor wasted millions, audit shows - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

Audio: Daily Show Coverage of Iraq and Bush Clowns

Not sure it's funny.

UNDERNEWS: BRITISH SEIZE PROGRESSIVE NEWS SERVER BEFORE G8 SUMMIT

UNDERNEWS: BRITISH SEIZE PROGRESSIVE NEWS SERVER BEFORE G8 SUMMIT

BG: They must be doing something right.

April 20 - Before seeing "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," I'd read enough about the Enron scandals to know ...

Asking Why - - MSNBC.com

National Security Whistleblowers Demand Protections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Greenhouse Hypocrisy - - MSNBC.com

Greenhouse Hypocrisy - - MSNBC.com

Children tortured at Abu Ghraib | World War 4 Report

Children tortured at Abu Ghraib | World War 4 Report

Just hope you don't have one of those dark nights of the soul when you wake up just before your daughter's drafted and wonder, 'What the hell have I..

The Rude Pundit

AlterNet: Bush's Big Gambit

AlterNet: Bush's Big Gambit

Oops. Haha, make that $3 billion.

Operation Truth

The Heretik: BUSH: SORRY AND SORRIER

The Heretik: BUSH: SORRY AND SORRIER: "BUSH: SORRY AND SORRIER"

Thursday, June 30, 2005


BG: DemsTV = underwhelming.....

Alternative view says homosexuals can change - Politics - MSNBC.com

Alternative view says homosexuals can change - Politics - MSNBC.com

BG: I'd bet heterosexuals can change too.

UNDERNEWS: THE REAL PROBLEM WITH ED KLEIN'S BOOK

UNDERNEWS: THE REAL PROBLEM WITH ED KLEIN'S BOOK

BG: This gets some of it right....

Public Domain Progress: Updating the flypaper theory.

Public Domain Progress: Updating the flypaper theory.

Republican Rep. Robin Hayes' office is standing by -- sort of -- the congressman's claim Wednesday that Saddam Hussein had a hand in the attacks of 9/

Salon.com Politics War Room | Politics
More on the Saddam-9/11 link -- or not



Republican Rep. Robin Hayes' office is standing by -- sort of -- the congressman's claim Wednesday that Saddam Hussein had a hand in the attacks of 9/11. Carolyn Hern, Hayes’ communications director, told North Carolina's Independent Tribune Wednesday: “We know Iraqis did not board the planes, but there is strong evidence a connection exists between Saddam and al Qaida. All he's saying’s there is a connection between the two.”

But that's not "all" that Hayes said, of course. In a CNN interview Wednesday, Hayes didn't just say that there's a "connection" betwen "Saddam and al Qaida." He said: "I'm saying that Saddam Hussein -- and I think you're losing track of what we're trying to talk about here -- Saddam Hussein and people like him were very much involved in 9/11."

Hayes suggested that members of Congress know things about 9/11 that the rest of us -- including, apparently, the members of the 9/11 Commission -- don't. His colleagues in Congress don't agree. John McCain said Wednesday that he's seen no compelling evidence of a link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11, and Rep. Brad Miller, a North Carolina Democrat, told the Independent Tribune that he hasn't, either. "Unless Robin is going to some tippy-top secret briefing, I’m not sure what Robin’s source of information is," Miller said.

Hayes says that anyone who hasn't seen the evidence of Hussein's involvement in 9/11 just hasn't "looked in the right places." At the suggestion of a reader, we just went looking on Hayes' Web site. Sure enough, there's a link there for the "Hayes statement on terrorist attacks." It leads to Hayes' biography. We're not sure how the fact that Hayes has two kids and owns the Mt. Pleasant Hosiery Mill establishes a connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. But we're the first to admit: Robin Hayes knows things that we don't.

-- Tim Grieve

KR Washington Bureau | 06/29/2005 | Reporter shot to death in Iraq

KR Washington Bureau | 06/29/2005 | Reporter shot to death in Iraq

She says it's shallow, superficial, sarcastic, and makes Carlson look dumb.

The Huffington Post | The Blog

Daily Howler: Did Perot cost Bush the 92 race? At 'Tapped', we learn where spin comes from

Daily Howler: Did Perot cost Bush the 92 race? At 'Tapped', we learn where spin comes from

BG: Truth?

Widow tells Bush to stay the course in Iraq war -- The Washington Times

Widow tells Bush to stay the course in Iraq war -- The Washington Times
BG: Puke

Bank of America Corp , the No. 2 U.S bank, on Thursday said it agreed to buy MBNA Corp.

Top News Article | Reuters.com

Senate May Vote on CAFTA This Week

Senate May Vote on CAFTA This WeekSenate May Vote on CAFTA This Week
- By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, June 30, 2005


(06-30) 01:08 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --


Buoyed by the addition of several new converts, Senate supporters of the Central America Free Trade Agreement closed in on a vote to approve the accord with six Latin American nations.


A successful Senate vote for CAFTA, which could come Thursday, would shift the battle to the House, where Democrats opposing the labor rights provisions in the agreement and Republicans concerned about its effects on local industries have vowed to bring it down.


The House is expected to consider the agreement, signed a year ago but needing congressional approval to take effect, sometime in July.


The Bush administration has lobbied hard for its passage, stressing its importance in promoting economic development and political stability in Central America and determined to avoid what would be a stunning defeat for its policy of promoting a more open global trading environment.


Backers say the agreement, which would break down trade barriers on U.S. farm and manufactured goods, could significantly increase exports to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, now totaling about $15 billion a year. It would also tear down obstacles to U.S. investors and strengthen intellectual property rights.


But CAFTA has met stiff opposition from labor and environmental groups that contend it doesn't require the Central American countries to improve their records in those areas. Some lawmakers link free trade deals to America's soaring trade deficit and loss of manufacturing jobs. Some Hispanic groups are concerned that poor Central American farmers will not be able to compete with cheap food imports from the United States.


Leading groups in the U.S. sugar industry say increased imports from Central America, while minimal, will open the door for imports from other countries that could destroy the industry.


CAFTA, said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., generally a free-trade supporter who has come out against the agreement, is "the most controversial trade agreement to come before the Congress since the North American Free Trade Agreement a decade ago."


Supporters picked up three votes Wednesday after the administration offered proposals to ease concerns over labor rights and sugar.


Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., announced he would vote for CAFTA after U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said the administration was committed to spending $160 million over four years to promote labor and environmental laws, as well as $150 million over five years to help subsistence farmers in three Central American countries who might be displaced by an increase in U.S. agriculture imports.


Two senators who had previously criticized the agreement, Agriculture Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said Wednesday the administration concessions to protect the sugar industry were enough to win their votes. Those included a pilot program to determine whether a sugar-based ethanol initiative is feasible.


The American Sugar Alliance, an industry association, said the administration proposals were inadequate.


"We came up with some good ideas, but in the end the timeline was too short," said Republican Sen. Craig Thomas of the sugar beet-growing state of Wyoming. Thomas voted against the pact when it cleared the Senate Finance Committee earlier Wednesday.


The Bush administration has so far succeeded in enacting free trade agreements with Singapore, Chile, Australia and Morocco. It is working on a new World Trade Organization round of market-opening measures as well as bilateral agreements with South Africa, Bahrain and others.


___


The bill is S. 1307.

....twisting his quote to mean the very opposite of what he apparently believes.

The Huffington Post | Latest News: "State Department Doctors Bono Quote... "

06.29.2005 David Rees, My Old Bus Stop

The Huffington Post | The Blog: " I am convinced that within his essay we will find the distillation of every cognitive danger attendant to the support of war on humanitarian grounds. "

DIPLOMATIC CABLES

DIPLOMATIC CABLES
Under orders from CIA Directors George Tenet and Porter Goss, some CIA Special Activities Division paramilitary personnel have reportedly been assigned to work with the Pentagon's Task Force 121covert units, as was the case in the Italian operation.

Ray McGovern: Bush at Ft. Bragg

Ray McGovern: Bush at Ft. Bragg

Linda S. Heard: Bush's Speech, the View from Cairo

Linda S. Heard: Bush's Speech, the View from Cairo

Intelligence Whispers

Intelligence Whispers

Terrorists, terrorists, Terrorists

Joe Banister: He Challenged The Income Tax And Withholding Laws -- And He Won

WTP Update

Hannity Says Pre-9/11 Iraq Invasion Plan A Conspiracy Theory

Hannity Says Pre-9/11 Iraq Invasion Plan A Conspiracy Theory

Video: Hannity (labeling the Truth "Conspiracy Theory") (via Crooks and Liars) said that Democrats are "playing politics"

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Aljazeera.Net - US millionaire linked to looted relics

Aljazeera.Net - US millionaire linked to looted relics

UNDERNEWS: MASSIVE CORRUPTION IN IRAQI GOVERNMENT

UNDERNEWS: MASSIVE CORRUPTION IN IRAQI GOVERNMENT

23666327.lizzyport


23666327.lizzyport
Originally uploaded by hodad66.

DSCK0124


DSCK0124
Originally uploaded by reefmonkey.

Don't "Son" Me - End this silly talk about sacrificing children. By Christopher�Hitchens

Don't "Son" Me - End this silly talk about sacrificing children. By Christopher�Hitchens: "Christopher Hitchens"

BG: Hitchens is the top nominee so far for my "Most likely to be lying for money" contest.

Wonkette - Ask Wonkette: Washington Do's and Don'ts

Wonkette - Ask Wonkette: Washington Do's and Don'ts

BG: Too funny to pass up.

ProfessorBainbridge.com: WSJ on 10 Commandments Cases

ProfessorBainbridge.com: WSJ on 10 Commandments Cases

BG: Things are be going down the tubes. It seems that I agree with Bainbridge and WSJ EB.

Of course, I'm sure if the question comes back to an ndividual State's ruling, things might get contentious.

A Supreme Court Conversation - The Miss Manners school of jurisprudence. By Walter�Dellinger, Charles�Fried, Dahlia�Lithwick, and Tim�Wu

BG: Scotus = Bonkers

Here's why... (not saying I completely agree with analysis, but the idea that this is our reality is just mind bending to me.)

A Supreme Court Conversation - The Miss Manners school of jurisprudence. By Walter�Dellinger, Charles�Fried, Dahlia�Lithwick, and Tim�Wu: "From: Tim Wu
To: Walter Dellinger, Dahlia Lithwick, and Charles Fried
Subject: The Miss Manners School of Jurisprudence
Tuesday, June 28, 2005, at 7:31 AM PT
Dear Walter and Dahlia:
It may strike you as ambitious for me to suggest similarities between the Ten Commandments and Grokster cases (though in a certain sense both are about the distribution of forbidden content). But reading your posts, I do think the cases have something in common and reflect a theme that is particularly strong over the last five years in the writings of O'Connor and Breyer.
The theme is respectability and etiquette. The O'Connor-Breyer view is that there are sometimes well-mannered and ill-mannered ways to do something�and that in hard cases, how you do things can make all the difference. It's almost like the Miss Manners' School of Jurisprudence�be polite and ask nicely, and you'd be surprised what can be done. This view of the law has gained surprising influence over the last five years, particularly in hard cases. Consider the Michigan affirmative-action cases, where the court, in essence, said that while quotas are unseemly, a little nudge and wink, done quietly and discreetly, is a respectable way to handle racial preferences.

Grokster turns on these ideas to a degree. The P2P companies were loud scofflaws, foreigners, and college students who blatantly encouraged illegal acts. KaZaA's successor by contrast, Apple's iTunes, may ultimately pose a greater threat to the recording industry, but it operates in a respectable way. Steve Jobs is a rebel with manners. And that has made all the difference.

The Ten Commandments cases are even more clearly centered on etiquette. You can talk about Lemon all you want, but in Van Orden everything seems to turn on the dull respectability of the stone tablets near the Austin State Capitol. Kentucky's gold-framed courtroom commandments, on the other hand, have all the subtlety of Pat Robertson—they're flashy, aggressive, and even rude. The contrast between loud and quiet religiosity may be the key to understanding the differing outcomes in Van Orden and McCreary County.

It may seem strange to court-watchers and American citizens that something akin to etiquette can decide cases. It certainly drives people like Justice Scalia up the wall—he thinks that rules are rules and that it is ridiculous to worry about manners in a serious case. But of course those from the etiquette school (while they'd never say so) think Justice Scalia himself ill-mannered and brash (not personally, but judicially). Using the power of judicial etiquette, they have successfully contrived to isolate Scalia's views and mark them as inappropriate for the court to follow in important cases. There's a lesson here. As Amy Vanderbilt herself might have said: As powerful as law may be, the power of good manners should never be underestimated.

Among the geographic coordinates the CIA thought were hidden in the Al-Jazeera crawl were those of the White House, the Space Needle, and....Tappahann

The Washington Monthly

Contradicting generals, WSJ exaggerated Iraqi t ... [Media Matters for America]

Contradicting generals, WSJ exaggerated Iraqi t ... [Media Matters for America]

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

The Daily Telegraph | Blair is 'unfit and drinking'

The Daily Telegraph | Blair is 'unfit and drinking'

A Russian citizen released last year from Guantanamo Bay prison said on Tuesday U.S. guards at the camp ...threw copies of the Koran into toilets.

Top News Article | Reuters.com

09/11/2001 News from Alex Jones Radio (Bomb in Basement of WTC)

Scalia’s invocation of 9/11

Crooks and Liars

GLOBAL ANTIWAR MOVEMENT DECLARES SUPPORT FOR TERRORISTS AGAINST US, UK

GLOBAL ANTIWAR MOVEMENT DECLARES SUPPORT FOR TERRORISTS AGAINST US, UK: "THE ENEMY IS WITHIN"

BG: The Freepers would be funny if they weren't stone cold serious.

Conspiracies and Underdogs

Conspiracies and Underdogs

Protesters Disrupt Soldier's Funeral - Yahoo! News

Protesters Disrupt Soldier's Funeral - Yahoo! News

News Hounds: Hannity Distorts Court Decision

News Hounds: Hannity Distorts Court Decision

US commander says no talks yet with Iraq insurgents

Top News Article | Reuters.com

Bogus analysis led to terror alert in Dec.� 2003 - Lisa Myers & the NBC Investigative Unit - MSNBC.com

Bogus analysis led to terror alert in Dec.� 2003 - Lisa Myers & the NBC Investigative Unit - MSNBC.com

Mouse You, Buddy!

American Prospect Online - ViewWeb

Army Recruits Quickly Abused in Training

Army Recruits Quickly Abused in Training

Conservatives playing games with Ed Klein's Book

Crooks and Liars

News Hounds: Supreme Court News - What's Missing?

News Hounds: Supreme Court News - What's Missing?

Reagan: the Most Popular War Criminal

Another Day in the Empire

Rumsfeld on Vietnam and Government Secrecy

Informed Comment

Israel remains silent over Mossad role in scandal

The New Zealand Herald

TIME.com: Selling Security Clearance -- Jul. 04, 2005

TIME.com: Selling Security Clearance -- Jul. 04, 2005

Biden's BS on Iraq- by Justin Raimondo

Biden's BS on Iraq- by Justin Raimondo

Bush vs. World

Bush vs. World - Altercation - MSNBC.com

DSCF1764


DSCF1764
Originally uploaded by homie bear.

The Raw Story | The unofficial war: U.S., Britain led massive secret bombing campaign before Iraq war was declared

The Raw Story | The unofficial war: U.S., Britain led massive secret bombing campaign before Iraq war was declared

GreatScat!: It could have been worse .

GreatScat!: It could have been worse .

CNN Buffoonery

mediabistro: TVNewser

Wonkette - Supreme Court Swings Both Ways on
Hot Church-State Action

Wonkette - Supreme Court Swings Both Ways on
Hot Church-State Action


BG: That Greg Beato... :-)

John Edward's campaign site sickens me more each time I visit.

Big Scandle Mostly Not Covered in the Media

Who's got an explanation for what's going on here?

The Rove Remarks

The Rove Remarks

Breyer casts decisive vote on religious displays - Tom Curry - MSNBC.com

Breyer casts decisive vote on religious displays - Tom Curry - MSNBC.com

BG: I find myself in the extremely usual position of thinking Thomas has this right:

[Joining Scalia in Monday’s Ten Commandments decisions was Clarence Thomas.

In his view, when the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” it means exactly that and nothing more than that. Congress “shall make no law,” but the states may do so, if they choose to.

“This case would be easy,” Thomas said, if the court would simply “return to the original meaning of the (Establishment) Clause.” ]

Instead of a logical approach to this question, look what a muddle has been created. Check out this paragraph:

[Hinting at practical political consequences, Breyer also worried that if the court banned long-standing displays of the Ten Commandments, it might spark public outrage, “the very kind of religiously based divisiveness that the Establishment Clause seeks to avoid.]

The highest court in the land ends up with a split-the-middle ruling with logic that amounts to deciding what rules should govern the kindergarten based on what might cause too many tantrums. (Perhaps if I'd ever been a K-school teach, I be more inclined toward this compromise).

I can't remeber which Justices I most often agree with, nor do I have Breyer's record in mind. All indications to this observer are that Breyer's reasoning, using whimpy logic and prose as shown above, sets a lower tone than even the Court's low standard. Guessing (prior to looking at the details) Scalia is on the side of 10 Commandments in public buildings, it's interesting that one of the best minds who could excoriate Breyer for his "how can we all just get along" reasoning, is in fact on his side (for logical reasons one would hope).

... looking up Scalia... in news article....

Logical Reasons, perhaps not: examine Scalia....

[What Justice Antonin Scalia wanted — and could not get from most of his colleagues — was a robust statement that religion is not merely part of America’s heritage but a vibrant part of American society and government today.]

Using this from Scalia, you have nothing standing out as logic being applied to the situation. Rather, you simply have a cultural bias being expressed as right because of it's imputed value (in the jurist's mind, i.e. public emphasis on historically embraced religious values and symbols being more valuable to our Republic over neutrality on such matters).

Whatever the dubious quality of this ruling, given the current political climate I think it can be assumed that future rulings will fall further from reasoned enlightenment.

All in all, this ruling is not unexpected (muddled, illogical, and unlikely to stand for long), considering that decisions such as Bush v. Gore are part of this Court's legacy.

Audio: Klein nailed on falsehoods in Al Franken Show grilling

I wondered if I should post this. But now that I listen, it is just devastating.