Economy Skids to Near Halt

The economy skidded to a near halt in the final quarter of last year, clobbered by dual slumps in housing and credit that caused people and businesses to spend and invest more sparingly.The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the gross domestic product increased at a scant 0.6 percent pace in the October-to-December quarter. The reading — unchanged from an initial estimate a month ago — underscored just how much momentum the economy has lost. In the prior quarter, the economy clocked in at a brisk 4.9 percent pace.Gross domestic product measures the value of all goods and services produced in the United States and is the best barometer of the country's economic health."The economy just kept its head above water," said Nigel Gault, economist at Global Insight.

Economy Skids to Near Halt

Yet, President Bush said Thursday the country is not recession-bound and, despite expressing concern about slowing economic growth, rejected for now any additional stimulus efforts. "We acted robustly," he said.

"We'll see the effects of this pro-growth package," Bush told reporters at a White House news conference, acknowledging that some lawmakers already are talking about a second stimulus package. "Why don't we let stimulus package 1, which seemed like a good idea at the time, have a chance to kick in?" (The Invasion of Iraq "seemed like a good idea" to some at the time and we see how that turned out!)

Bush's view of the economy was decidedly rosier than that of many economists, who say the country is nearing recession territory or may already be there. "I'm concerned about the economy," he said. "I don't think we're headed to recession. But no question, we're in a slowdown."

So, again we see that when the Chimp's lips are moving he is lying. I can't help asking why this criminal is still allowed to speak in public, aside from the assertion that he should be tried for war crimes and sent to his own Texas Death Row!

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Life Term for Ex-Cop in Woman's Death

A judge in Ohio has spared a former police officer convicted of killing his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn daughter from the death penalty.Jurors recommended a sentence of life in prison with the chance of parole after 30 years for Bobby Cutts Jr. Judge Charles Brown Jr. gave Cutts no chance of parole for 57 years.

Life Term for Ex-Cop in Woman's Death

One fascist pig down. Countless others to go.

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American Axle workers strike against massive wage cut

“When [American Axle CEO Dick] Dauch bought this place he took a risk. We built this place up for him, now they want to cut our wages in half. This place looked horrible 14 years ago. The quality here is incredible compared to what it used to be. We built this place up and he got paid.“We have families, cars, homes, a certain standard of living we are used to and now he wants to take it away. That is ridiculous. The stockholders and CEOs are greedy. If we don’t fight to retain at least what we have now, it is going to get worse.”

American Axle is also proposing to close four facilities, including a forging operation in its Detroit plant and two New York-based plants near a now-idled plant in Buffalo, a move that would cut over 700 jobs. The UAW said it has “made comprehensive proposals that would reduce AAM’s labor costs significantly and grant it operational flexibility,” but that the company has threatened to shift production to low-wage plants in Mexico if its demands are not met.

Kevin Stein told the WSWS, “Basically they are threatening us. They say if we don’t accept this they will close by 2011. They are not even offering buyouts. They want to lower pay from $23 an hour to $14 an hour without a buyout. What are they going to do with the extra money? It will go into the pockets of the CEOs and wasteful spending. Dauch pocketed $100 million when he made this company public; that seems a little extreme.

“We haven’t had a pay increase in eight years. It is the death of the blue-collar worker, and it is snowballing now. The blue-collar worker is no longer middle class. If you don’t have a college degree you will be making $14 an hour whether your work at Wal-Mart, GM or American Axle.

“In addition they are taking away our pensions, as though it is no big deal. They expect you to put money into a 401(k), when you have just taken a pay cut?”

American Axle workers strike against massive wage cut

Ain't Capitalism grand! We, the workers build a business up and create a profit and the money whores who added not one bead of sweat to the company pocket the profit and ditch those who built the business and leave us without a future for our selves and our families. They'll just send our jobs to Mexico. Oh yeah, NAFTA was a really GREAT deal!

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The state of the Jihad, as he might see it

Americans have been taught by their leaders to see al-Qaida behind every rock and tree, ready to pounce. American leaders, in effect, now terrorize ordinary Americans, making Washington appear to be the enemy of its own people's civil liberties.

The state of the Jihad, as he might see it

Indeed, the U.S. Government has become its own worst enemy. You really can only suck people dry for just so long before they turn off the tit. The only question lies in which direction they turn when they cut this pack of parasites off. If history is any indicator, they will merely substitute Bush and Co. with another pack of parasites.

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Goods Shortages Appearing in American Store Shelves

This is just a personal observation that I have made over the past 6 months or so. Certain items are disappearing from the shelves and simply vanishing. At this point, it is mainly fruit based products that are disappearing from the grocery. However, quite a few household items, plumbing, and hardware items are running out and not being restocked.

It is time, people. Be prepared.

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Congressman Indicted in Ariz. Land Deal

Federal authorities announced corruption charges Friday accusing Rep. Rick Renzi of engineering a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner and stealing from his insurance company's clients.A lengthy federal investigation that had put the three-term Republican congressman under a cloud for more than a year culminated in a 26-page indictment issued Thursday against him and two other men.

"Bluster aside, this latest in a string of congressional indictments demonstrates that Congress simply will not police itself," said CREW executive director Melanie Sloan.

Congressman Indicted in Ariz. Land Deal

If they could only muster the resolve to get the criminal in The White House and all of his accomplices. Impeach one for having sex, but let the mass killer go.

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Socialists: Iraq War Still Number One Issue

Stewart A. Alexander
Vice Presidential Nominee Socialist Party USA
Candidate for nomination Peace and Freedom Party

February 20, 2008

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recently announced that he is supporting a pause in U.S. troop reduction in Iraq; it is a decision that is strongly opposed by socialists throughout the nation and a vast majority of the U.S. population.  It is now certain that President Bush and Congress will maintain a large military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout 2008 and into 2009.

Many Washington Democrats seemed surprised by the announcement and have criticized the decision of the Bush administration and Secretary Gates.  Considering their criticism, the Democrats have continued their strong support for increased war funding during the past five years of the Iraq occupation; and working with Republicans, the Democrats have given Bush more than $500 billion dollars to continue his war.

A growing consensus of the U.S. population is opposed to the continuous occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 80 percent of all American according to recent scientific polls; and the war is the shame of U.S. foreign policy.  As the U.S. prepares to enter into year 6 of the occupation, the losses are staggering.  American military casualties in Iraq are 3,960 and 483 casualties in Afghanistan.  Iraqi deaths now exceed one million, and more than four million Iraqis remain displaced.  It is estimated that it will cost more than $2 trillion to rebuild Iraq, and these recent estimates may be low as the cost continues to rise daily.

Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton have publicly criticized the decision of the Bush administration to halt troop withdrawals; while on the other hand, both senators have pledged to maintain a dominant U.S. military presence in the Middle East to “protect American interest.” Senator John McCain has remained a stalwart supporter for the Bush war and strongly supports a strong U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.  McCain has consistently supported increased troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While it may be said that Senator Obama originally opposed the Iraq invasion, he is now the strongest advocate for U.S. imperialism.  The senator has vowed to increase the U.S. military budget that is now over $700 billion annually and is pledging to add more that 90,000 soldiers to the ranks of the U.S. Army and Marines.  The senator has also pledged to keep American forces in the Middle East and has said that the U.S. will maintain a strong military presence in the region into the next decade; this is only aimed at asserting U.S. hegemony over the oil-rich region of the Middle East and Central Asia.

Recently, the Bush administration sent a $3.1 trillion dollar budget to Congress; however, a majority of Americans are not aware that the high cost of the Iraq War, the cost to maintain U.S. military bases and operations around the world, and the overall cost to maintain the U.S. military and related U.S. military expenses will cost the nation more than $1 trillion.  Due to this waste of U.S. tax dollars, vital services are being sacrificed; including the health care for nearly 50 million of Americans, it has resulted in a higher price tag for a college education, millions of Americans will lose their homes, U.S. veterans are not receiving proper care and many are now homeless and jobless, and the value of the U.S. dollar is rapidly declining around the world.  The war has also caused escalating inflation and has plunged the nation into the beginning stages of an economic recession.

The Peace and Freedom Party and Socialist Party USA, both socialist parties, have strongly opposed U.S. involvement in Iraq, even prior to the invasion in March 2003.  Both parties have maintained that the Iraq War was launched only to advance U.S. imperialism and to control the vast oil reserves in the Middle East.  Both socialist parties are calling for an immediate end to the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, the withdrawal and return of all U.S. troops, and the immediate release of all prisoners of war and detained civilians.

In the 2008-2009 Platform of Socialist Party USA, it states “The United States is the sole remaining global superpower.  The U.S. government uses its overwhelming military power to consolidate its strategic hold over the entire world and to defend and advance the interests of U.S. owned corporations as they exploit the working people and natural resources of the entire planet.  We stand in total opposition to U.S. imperialism and the current “war on terror” which is just another subterfuge for U.S. imperialism.”

To better understand the growing threat to working class people, democracy, and the threat to our civil liberties, please read the Platforms of the Peace and Freedom Party and the Socialist Party USA.  I would also suggest reading an article that was recently published on the World Socialist Web Site by Bill Van Auken, February 14, 2008, “The Two Faces of Barack Obama.”

For more information search the Web for: Stewart A. Alexander; Iraq War, Counting the Cost; Independent Voters Rejecting Democrats and Republicans.

“Where Your Tax Money Really Goes” Pie Chart
http://www.warresisters.org/piechartFY2009.pdf

http://StewartAlexanderCares.com
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=3882
http://socialistparty-usa.org/platform/internationalpolicy.html
http://peaceandfreedom-sjv.org/home/
http://banderasnews.com/0704/eded-countingthecost.htm

The Two Faces of Barack Obama
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/feb2008/obam-f14.shtml

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Killer Appliances

Killers Invade Homes Around the World!

"Sears Holdings Corp. will install safety brackets on its stoves in millions of households or offer gift cards in settling an Illinois class-action lawsuit over the appliances' supposed propensity to topple... Consumer groups, which were not involved in the lawsuit, say more than 100 people have been killed or injured from scalding and burns caused by hot foods and liquids spilling from the stove top, or from being crushed by the weight of a stove that has tipped over."

Apparently, people leave oven doors open while cooking and allow children to climb onto it or they set heavy items on the open door, both ideas of which strike me as colossaly stupid in the first place. I guess it is like the motorcycle helmet law or seat belt law: an infringement on personal rights and responsibilities yet a mindless blunder not to wear them.

To focus in on this effort to protect idiots from themselves while governments (i.e. Amerika) kill scores of people every day is simply their shell game. In my half-century of life, I have never seen or even heard of a stove tipping over. And it's alarming to realize that anyone would even put their selves into such a foolish position. But it seems galling for the media to cover this idiotic episode of consumer ignorance when so many others are needlessly being shot and blown up as a direct result of Amerikan Foreign Policy. I guess that this is simply a sleight of hand to divert attention from their crimes against humanity.

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The Communist Manifesto

February 21, 1848 Friedrich Engels Karl Marx “The Communist Manifesto,” written by 29-year-old Karl Marx with the assistance of Friedrich Engels, was published in London (in German) by a group of German-born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League. The political pamphlet—arguably the most influential in history—proclaimed that "the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles" and the inevitable victory of the proletariat, or working class, would put an end to class society forever.

Click on the Peace sign for the Communist Manifesto.

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Fidel Castro stepping down

Fidel Castro stepping down as Cuba's leader 19 Feb 2008 Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that he will not return to lead the country as president, retiring as head of state. Castro, 81, said in a statement to the country that he would not seek a new presidential term when the National Assembly meets on February 24.

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Desea Vivo la Revolución!

Now, if only the the small band of Socialist Latin American Nations can withstand the constant onslaught of subversive tactics by the Capitalist Fascists through this transitional time.

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US court attacks web freedom - Wikileaks

Now censorship has extended to the United States of America, land of the First Amendment. As of Friday, February 15, those going to Wikileaks.org have gotten Server not found messages. Today I received a message explaining that a California court has granted an injunction written and requested by Cayman Island’s Bank Julius Baer lawyers. It seems that the bank is trying to keep the public from accessing documents that may reveal shady dealings. Wikileaks was only given a couple of hours notice “by email” and was not even represented at the hearing where a U.S. judge took such a drastic step attempting to totally shut down an important information outlet. The result was this totally unprecedented attempt to totally wipe out the existence of Wikileaks:

“Dynadot shall immediately clear and remove all DNS hosting records for the wikileaks.org domain name and prevent the domain name from resolving to the wikileaks.org website or any other website or server other than a blank park page, until further order of this Court.”

There have, of course, been previous attempts by the U.S. Government and others to block publication of particular documents, most famously in 1971 when the Nixon administration attempted to stop publication by the New York Times of excerpts from the Pentagon Papers, leaked by Daniel Ellsberg. But trying to close down an entire site in this way is truly unprecedented. Not even the Nixon administration, when they sought to block publication of the Pentagon Papers, considered closing down the New York Times in response.

If this injunction stands, it will set an incredible precedent for all of us who use the web to unveil misbehavior by the rich and powerful. Fortunately, Wikileaks is fighting this unconstitutional attack on press freedom, aided by six pro bono attorneys in San Francisco. While Wikileaks has so far not issued any particular call for support, all who value freedom should stand ready to offer whatever support they need.

Meanwhile, Wikileaks still exists. Its founders, knowing that governments and institutions will go to extreme lengths to censor the truth, have created an extensive network of cover names from which one can access their materials or continue leaking the secrets of governments and the corrupt rich and powerful. Thus, everything is available at Wikileaks.be, among other names. Let the leaks continue!

US court attacks web freedom - Wikileaks

"... for the land of the free, and the home of the brave." Yeah, right.
And the fascist police state grows bolder! Back up your blogs and websites regularly!

It truly is amazing the lengths that Capitalism will go to in protecting their own when outed for wrong doing. Instead of courts hauling bankers, investment brokers, and the like before the docks for their obvious responsibilities in the mortgage melt down and the junk stocks and bonds they pushed off onto trusting, unsuspecting world markets, they are censoring those who would expose the criminals for their actions. It just goes to show you that the courts and legal system are as crooked as the capitalists that empower them.

One day, soon I hope, the masses will awaken to the fact that ALL POWER AND AUTHORITY IS CORRUPT! We should all cease to recognize the power and authority that they assume.

¡Un mundo, somos iguales!

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The Kosovo Liberation Army

The Kosovo Liberation Army was a mercenary army, and it's recruiter
was... Osama bin Laden

I knew that something was not quite right about the Bush Jr. position on this Kosovo affair.

Milosevic stated his intel services knew in 1998 that Bin Laden was in Serbia and was controlled by US officers. He stated that he telephoned Bill Clinton personally that year to demand that he remove Bin Laden and his men from Serbia. But Clinton refused.

The fact that Al Qaeda continues to support KLA terrorist operations in Macedonia, with the full support of NATO and the US government, has been carefully overlooked. With the complicity of NATO and the US State Department. Mujahideen mercenaries from the Middle East and Central Asia were first recruited to fight in the ranks of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in 1998-99, largely supporting NATO's war effort.

Bin Laden had visited Albania himself. His was one of several fundamentalist groups that had sent units to fight in Kosovo. He is believed to have established an operation in Albania in 1994. Albanian sources say Sali Berisha, who was then president, had links with some groups that later proved to be extreme fundamentalists. (Sunday Times, London, 29 November 1998.)

Among the foreign mercenaries now fighting in Macedonia (October 2001), in the ranks of self-proclaimed National Liberation Army (NLA), are Mujahideen from the Middle East and the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union. Also within the KLA's proxy force in Macedonia are senior US military advisers from a private mercenary outfit on contract to the Pentagon. (Scotland on Sunday, Glasgow, 15 June 2001)

http://www.projectc ensored.org/ Publications/ 2003/10.html

¡Gran ayuda!

La víctimas del Katrina, continúan sufriendo, luego de ser instalados en remolques hace años, y no recibir ninguna ayuda del gobierno, ahora descubrieron que dichos trailers, tiene altos niveles de formaldehído( usado en polímeros plásticos y conservante de maderas), por lo que vivir en ellos es perjudicial para la salud ya que es considerado cancerígeno.
Lo interesante es que son 120.000 los remolques usados por las víctimas de varios huracanes.
Los que se salvaron del huracán y las inundaciones, morirán de cancer.
¡Que gran ayuda les dic el gobierno Bush!
Way to go George!

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Bush insists Kosovo must be independent and receives hero's welcome in Albania

George Bush declared yesterday that he had made up his mind that Kosovo should be an independent country, throwing down the gauntlet to Russia and challenging President Vladimir Putin to abandon attempts to block the path to statehood at the UN security council.

Bush insists Kosovo must be independent and receives hero's welcome in Albania

It is rare that I question a declaration of independence from anyone. However, if history has taught us anything, when George Bush advocates anything, that subject should immediately become suspect and closer scrutiny be employed. We all know by now that if his lips are moving he is in all likelihood lying. And when he is waging a war against Islam around the globe it strikes me as suspicious when he supports a bid for autonomy by a predominantly Muslim state, as is Kosovo. And furthermore, why would he alienate Russia over such a state? Something is not adding up. Are we to understand that George Bush is suddenly doing "the right thing"? I find this proposition highly suspect.

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Powerful Council Opposes Iran President

Instead of waiting for parliament's next move, Ahmadinejad ignored both institutions and issued a decree ordering the merger of the institutions, a decision Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said Saturday was illegal.The order "lacks legal justification because ... the president can't carry out measures directly and without parliamentary law," Kadkhodaei told reporters.

Powerful Council Opposes Iran President

The United Stated government could learn a lesson or two from Iranian Parliament.

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China Concerned About US Satellite Plans

The U.S. military has said it hopes to smash the satellite as soon as next week - just before it enters Earth's atmosphere - with a single missile fired from a Navy cruiser in the northern Pacific Ocean.

The official Xinhua News Agency quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao as saying the Chinese government was monitoring the situation and has urged the U.S. to avoid causing damages to security in outer space and in other countries.

"Relevant departments of China are closely watching the situation and working out preventive measures," Liu said. Xinhua did not elaborate.

Russia also has voiced worries about the U.S. plan to shoot down the damaged satellite, saying it may be a veiled test of America's missile defense system.

The U.S. has insisted the plan to shoot down the satellite is not a test of a program to kill other nations' orbiting communications and intelligence capabilities.

China Concerned About US Satellite Plans

Isn't that kind of what the U.S. said about "them" just a few months ago?

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Billary: FL and MI should be heard

"I think that the people of Michigan and Florida spoke in a very convincing way, that they want their voices and their votes to be heard. The turnout in both places was record-breaking and I think that that should be respected," she told reporters. However, Clinton was the only major Democratic candidate on the ballot in Michigan, as a significant number of people there voted "Uncommitted." And it's worth noting that Clinton never spoke this way about Florida and Michigan until right before the South Carolina primary, a contest she lost decisively.

Hillary: FL and MI should be heard - First Read - msnbc.com

To assert that Billary won the popular elections in MI and FL is... flimsy, at best. No other Democratic challengers were even on the ballot in those states. And many that did show up for the primary knowing that there would be no choice voted "uncommitted". That strikes me as a vote against the Clinton Machine.

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The Telecom Immunity Lie (Did they mean Impunity?)

"If the President seems to through the baby out with the bath water, it means that we can safely conclude that there is no baby."

It is not about saving American lives. It is about protecting criminals.

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People's Weekly World - A people’s surge that could reshape our country

A people’s surge is heaving its way across the country with unexpected force. And in doing so, it is confounding pundits, challenging conventional wisdom and reconfiguring our nation’s politics. Only one thing is for certain: it could well prefigure a triumphant victory for peace, economic security and equality in November.

People's Weekly World - A people’s surge that could reshape our country

I, for one, cannot understand why communists and socialists can see the flood of sentiment and support in the Democratic Primaries as anything but another fine example of the people being bamboozled into more corporate sponsored societal rape. It is simply a shell game that they keep playing on the people, and the people keep putting their money down on the table expecting anyone else to win but the house.

Wake up! Dumb ass...

Until the capitalists are quite literally jailed and silenced there can be little hope at all for the "good of the people" to prevail over the good of the privileged few.

DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT, OR LIBERTARIAN! If you must vote capitalist, vote Green. However, my support will never again go for anyone that is not running as a socialist or communist. And if you research the various parties AT ALL my reason will be obvious.

But at the same time, we must listen to the bilge that spews forth from any of the mouth pieces. And this PWW article is a fine example. Why anyone would advocate pinning ones hopes on an election with nothing but capitalists being allowed center stage is the stuff that fantasies are made of.

From my perspective, nothing short of revolution will restore the true rights and power of the people. I make this declaration because you can rest assured that the money whores will not give up their strangle hold on the people with a fight.

nuff sed...

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This is What A Police State Looks Like, It's Here Now

This is What A Police State Looks Like

Add to My Profile | More Videos

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McNamee Says Clemens Had More Injections

McNamee told baseball investigator George Mitchell that he injected Clemens 16 to 21 times with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998-01. McNamee also said that Yankees teammates Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch used HGH.Committee chairman Henry Waxman questioned the credibility of McNamee, a former New York City police officer, saying he lied to police seven years ago during an investigation of a possible rape. And he challenged the credibility of Clemens.

My Way News - McNamee Says Clemens Had More Injections

While I could personally give a fuck about "America's Pass time" , the important issue to note, in my opinion, is that McNamee is a former New York City police officer who admits to injecting illegal drugs into others and then lied about it.

Who's your friend? Certainly not ANY police officer. They are thugs, liars, and thieves that hide behind a gun, a badge, and quite often a Bible.

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It will get worse before it gets better

April 13, 2002 Venezuela failed coup d'état

Venezuela April 13
by Guarataro
We might learn something of honor from our Venezuelan brothers and sisters.

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Do I really have to say it: Don't Tase me Bro, Get used to it

Somebody's wife, mother, daughter,... Your tax dollars at work. Don't take it from me. Just wait, it'll happen to you or someone that you know and love. Just turn your heads and look the other way... ASSHOLE! YOU are allowing this. YOU! It is YOUR FAULT! YOU! YOU! YOU! It is all YOU!

Dumb ass pricks! Yeah, I said it! It's all YOU!

It might bare mentioning that this is the Sheriff Office of Canton, OH. But it really makes little difference. Every law enforcement agency across this once great nation waits with anticipation the moment that they will be in a position to use their (limited) training and intelligence against citizens. Think about it... That is what the police are for: use against civilians.

What... no one caught on at Ruby Ridge or Waco? Dumb ass!

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Like Hope, but different

Bomb, bomb Iran



You Ain't seen nothin' yet.

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Political Incorrectness

Economic uncertainty, enhanced interrogation, War on Terror, "what the definition of 'is' is", "off the table",...
I need a break! I do know the difference between lemon aid and piss.

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Gates: Iraq Drawdown May Be Paused (or halted?)

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq (AP) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday endorsed, for the first time, the idea of pausing the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq this summer.

"A brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense," Gates told reporters after meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Petraeus has indicated in recent weeks that he wants a "period of evaluation" this summer to assess the impact on Iraq security of reducing the U.S. military presence from 20 brigades to 15 brigades.

Honestly, who did not see this coming? Leaving Iraq is not an options for the "brown shirts".

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Albert Einstein and Civil Disobedience

I got some buttons, books and other stuff from the Socialist Party USA yesterday. I like the buttons and the book on Einstein, "Rebel Lives", is going to be a great addition to my library, though much of what is in the book is in a book I already have, "Idea's and Opinions". But the information is presented in a somewhat different context: that Einstein was a great progressive thinker on Socialism, pacifism and disarmament.

Interestingly, Einstein made a declaration at a speaking engagement in the U.S. in 1930 that if 2% of the citizens called to compulsory active duty would simply refuse to serve that there would be nothing that authorities could do about it because, by his reasoning, there would be no way that so many people could be incarcerated. This, in his mind, would be civil disobedience on the grounds of conscientious objection that could cripple the worlds' Military Industrial Complex and severely thwart their ability to wage war.

This prompted me to wonder about the assertions made in that statement. From my own experience with "Corrections" I am aware of the Capitalistic pursuit of monetary gains to be garnered from the warehousing of "criminals". Now, this is a phenomena that had not come to fruition in the time of Albert and I am sure that he would have been appalled by the growth of that industry.

According to recent statistics,  a record 6.9 million adults were incarcerated or on probation or parole in 2003, nearly 131,000 more than in 2002, according to a Justice Department study. Put another way, about 3.2 percent of the adult U.S. population, or 1 in 32 adults, were incarcerated or on probation or parole at the end of 2003. Think about that. Chances are that every time you leave your home, you will come into contact with a "criminal" in some manner.

I am quite sure that Albert would be shocked at these statistics. But more to the point, it is obvious that Capitalist Imperialism not only has the ability to incarcerate over 2% of American population but are also inclined to do so.

One of the prisons that I was in had a federally imposed maximum capacity of 850 men. During the great flood of 1993 several prisons in the state of Missouri were rendered inoperable due to flood waters. Over night the population of the institution in which I was housed jumped to over 1600 inmates. And they had no qualms whatsoever about violating the federally imposed maximum capacity mandate nor about the obvious danger to the safety of inmates and prison staff that was imposed on them all by the over crowded situation. And in spite of any federal sanctions placed upon them, they took two years to begin to address the unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

This experience highlights the ability and willingness of Capitalist Imperialism to DOUBLE their capacity over night! And the seemingly mind boggling figure of 2% of the American population is really just a drop in the bucket in their minds.

So, while considering Civil Disobedience one should keep in mind that despite the good company of some of the greatest thinkers that mankind has ever produced (Albert Einstein, Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., etc.), one should always bare in mind that the likelihood of incarceration for disobedience is greater than could once have even been imagined and is a probable inevitability.

But as many of these great minds observed, freedom is more a state of mind than a physical manifestation. And if we are true to our selves, our ideals and to humanity, incarceration in the name of "freedom to choose" is preferable to bowing to the will of the masters. And we must be prepared to stand in solidarity, even if in chains, if we are to overcome the will of the criminal Corporate Bourgeoise.

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The Battle For America Has Begun?

I must have missed something. All that I heard was, "Don't tase me, bro!"


And then some static over the air waves....

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Si Se Puede!

If only "hope" were still alive...
Aside from that little glitch, truly an awesome video!

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The Devil made him Do It

ODESSA, Texas (AP) - A man accused of killing his wife says he was trying to exorcise a demon from her when the devil entered his body and caused her to die, according to a police probable cause statement.

Jan David Clark, 60, was arrested Friday after authorities went to his home and found Susan Kay Clark's body wrapped in a bed sheet with a cross and sword on top of it.

That's just down the road from the Commander and Chimp's ranch in Crawford. I wonder if it's something in the water.

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Breakthrough in Striking Writers Talks

Feb 2, 5:55 PM (ET)

By LYNN ELBER

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A breakthrough in contract talks has been reached between Hollywood studios and striking writers and could lead to a tentative deal as early as next week, a person close to the ongoing negotiations said Saturday.

The two sides breached the gap Friday on the thorniest issues, those concerning compensation for projects distributed via the Internet, said the person, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Although work remains to be done on elements of the agreement, prospects for a deal appeared solid, the person said. The tentative agreement would have to be approved by a majority of guild members.

The Writers Guild of America, whose 3-month-old strike has brought the entertainment industry to a standstill, began informal talks with top media company executives Jan. 23 in an attempt to reach a new deal covering governing work for film, TV and digital media.

We can only hope that the Writers Guild holds out for all that they have coming to them. Sure, reruns are becoming a drag. But to be sure, Studios will stop at nothing to fill the void of the writers if they hold out long enough to threaten the viewers much needed attention. And the content of the programing that is forced down our eye sockets will suffer as a result.

But the power of the Unions and of the workers must be held over the Studio bank accounts to ensure that the workers value to the production chain is held to its appropriate level of import.

And it won't be long before all workers will stand together, as it should have been all along, to prove that people and nations can live and work together. Our world decays into murderous corruption when it is left to the hands of the privileged few to control international and even national rule. Power to the People.

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Welfare for Billionaires

Socialist: Federal Tax Relief Package is Welfare for Billionaires
"A Real National Rebuilding Program is needed"

 Stewart A. Alexander
 Socialist Party USA Nominee for Vice President, and
 candidate for nomination by the Peace and Freedom Party.

 February 1, 2008

 The presidential candidate's debates, which are being hosted by the corporate networks, are basically media spectacles. Nothing is being addressed in these television debates, by the Democrats or Republicans, regarding how they plan to get this nation out of the mess that is presently destroying the lives of millions of Americans. They do not have a plan, or at least not one they dare reveal to the voters.

Socialists, who consider the needs for the people rather than the desires of the corporate rich, push for solutions that will provide for the needs of working people. Seventy five years ago the U.S economy was crippled.  Under heavy pressure from a growing socialist movement, some U.S. leaders decided to introduce various government programs that would put the nation back to work, initially part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This was followed by the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act of 1935.

 Within the first year of the program, over 3.4 million people were back to work and the government invested in work projects that provided jobs for the young and elderly. According to public records, the WPA focused on tangible improvements.  During its tenure, workers constructed 651,087 miles of roads, streets and highways; and built, repaired or refurbished 124,031 bridges, 125,110 public buildings, 8,192 parks, and 853 landing fields. In addition, workers cleaned slums, revived forests, and extended electrical power to rural locations.

 The Emergency Relief Appropriations Act was not the total solution for bringing an end to the Great Depression, but it was a good beginning. The program eventually put over 8.5 million people back to work and improved the lives of millions nationwide.

The Bush administration has introduced a stimulus package that will give millions of Americans a one time payment up to $600; this is an election-year act of desperation. It is for certain that the federal stimulus package will not significantly ease the current economic crisis the U.S. is presently facing, and it will only give millions of individuals false hopes as the nation slides deeper into the Bush recession. American retailers had a disappointing Christmas; the $150 billion stimulus package is a late Christmas present and a welfare check for the billionaire retailers, with many goodies thrown in for other wealthy corporations.  While some in the Senate are making a worthy effort to add some unemployment relief, and direct some of the money to those with too little income to pay income tax, even these positive effects will be minor.

 The stimulus plan we need today requires some bold moves.

First, we must end the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.  These wars, whose tremendous cost is not offset by taxes, are the immediate cause of the weakness of the dollar, skyrocketing oil prices, and the widening trade deficit, as well as being a pointless waste of precious lives.

 We must put an end to the present housing market crisis; action must be taken quickly, or the damage will spread quickly.  The federal government needs to take action to protect the millions of Americans that could lose their homes in 2008 and 2009, and shift the cost of this disaster from working people to the financial operators who created the problem.

An immediate change in tax policy must reverse the trend of the last thirty years of shifting the tax burden to those least able to pay.  Income taxes should end on individuals earning less than $30,000 annually and couples earning less than $60,000 annually, and increased federal taxes on those with incomes in the millions, who pay less proportionately than they have for a century, must replace this revenue.

A real national rebuilding program is needed.  The federal government must invest $3 trillion within the next five years and a total of $5 trillion over the next decade to rebuild the nation's utilities, communications, and rail infrastructure, refurbish public buildings, strengthen bridges, and repair low income housing across America.

The federal government must invest in constructing low income housing, providing jobs for low income families and providing good paying jobs for women and men.

The federal government must develop programs to relieve working people from the tremendous debt burden that modern capitalism constantly creates. We need universal health care, free education for college students, a universal basic income, and fully comprehensive assistance for the aging.

The laws that tilt the scales against union organizing need to be repealed or changed, freeing millions of workers to fight effectively for better wages, hours and working conditions.

To break the stranglehold of the big energy corporations and associated financial institutions on our government and economy, natural resources including oil must be brought under public ownership and democratically managed by the people, not controlled and owned by private corporations.

Public transportation and electric vehicles must be developed to meet the needs of our people in the 21st Century.  This will not be fully accomplished without public ownership under democratic management, as only in this way can the drive for private profit at the expense of society and the environment be defeated.

 President Franklin Roosevelt introduced the New Deal that began to release the nation from the grips of the Great Depression. America is now in the Bush Recession, and to implement effective economic solutions, it will be necessary to take a page from the socialists' book. One-time checks are not the answer, and the federal stimulus package is already doomed to failure.

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