Blind Consumerism is its own kind of Terrorism

Wal-Mart shoppers who trampled NY worker

NEW YORK – Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman.

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," Fleming said. He described the scene as "utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough security.

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store.

Fatal shooting followed toy store brawl

PALM DESERT, Calif. – The shooting occurred in a crowded toy store on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, but authorities say it wasn't related to the bargain-hunting frenzy. Instead, two men pulled guns and killed each other after the women with them erupted into a bloody brawl, witnesses said.

Authorities released few details about the mayhem that broke out at the Toys "R" Us store around 11:30 a.m. Friday, sending scared shoppers fleeing. Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the fight was not over a toy and that handguns were found by the men's bodies. He refused to say whether the shooting was gang-related.

The victims were identified as Alejandro Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs, and Juan Meza, 28, of Cathedral City. No one else was hurt.

Witnesses Scott and Joan Barrick said they were checking out of the store when the brawl began between two women, each with a man. The women were near the checkout area, but the Barricks did not think the women had purchases.

One woman suddenly started punching the other woman, who fought back as blood flowed from her nose, said Scott Barrick, 41. The man who was with the woman being punched pulled a gun halfway out of his pocket, then shoved it back in, he said.

"He pulled his gun right next to me. I turned to look for my wife, and she was already hiding," Scott Barrick said.

"I was scared," said Joan Barrick, 40. "I didn't want to die today. I really didn't want to die today, and I think that's what we were all thinking."

The other man pulled a gun and pointed it at the first man but forgot to cock it, Scott Barrick said. The first man tried to run but was blocked by the line of people, then ran back toward the store's electronics section as the other man fired his gun, he said.

The first man reached a dead-end in electronics, turned around and ran toward an exit, pulling his gun and firing back, Scott Barrick said.

"He went up to the cash register, he went to put his hand on the thing and he just went phoomp," he said, indicating the man fell.

He said he did not see what happened to the other man.

Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson said police told him two men with handguns shot and killed each other.

"I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toys "R" Us?" he said. "I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper."

Ya'll have a happy holiday season now. And go out and shop 'till ya drop!

Deepak on the India Attack

Transcript

Chopra: What we have seen in Mumbai has been brewing for a long time, and the war on terrorism and the attack on Iraq compounded the situation. What we call "collateral damage" and going after the wrong people actually turns moderates into extremists, and that inflammation then gets organized and appears as this disaster in Bombay. Now the worst thing that could happen is there's a backlash on the Muslims from the fundamental Hindus in India, which then will perpetuate the problem. Inflammation will create more inflammation.

CNN: Let me jump in on that because you're presuming something very important, which is that it's Muslims who have carried out these attacks and, in some cases, with Washington in their sights.

Chopra: Ultimately the message is always toward Washington because it's also the perception that Washington, in their way, directly or indirectly funds both sides of the war on terror. They fund our side, then our petrol dollars going to Saudi Arabia through Pakistan and ultimately these terrorist groups, which are very organized. You know Jonathan, it takes a lot of money to do this. It takes a lot of organization to do this. Where's the money coming from, you know? The money is coming from the vested interests. I'm not talking about conspiracy theories, but what happens is, our policies, our foreign policies, actually perpetuate this problem. Because, you know, 25% of the world's population is Muslim and they're the fastest growing segment of the population of the world. The more we alienate the Muslim population, the more the moderates are likely to become extremists.

(all emphasis mine)

I was kinda wondering when someone would get around to publicly making the connection. Now, I wonder when you will all realize that they will do it to all of you where ever you are! They are making "extremists" the world around. And not all of the "extremists" that they are making are Muslim "extremists". They are growing a nice crop of Christian "extremists" the world around as well.

The disturbance in the Senate

A family of three protesters traveled from North Carolina to Washington to disrupt a Senate meeting. They were identified by police as a couple, Ante Nedlko Pavkovic and Katherine Lynn Pavkovic, with their daughter Kristen Sugar Pavkovic. They allegedly belong to a conservative Christian anti-abortion group called Operation Save America -- formerly known as Operation Rescue.

When Chaplain Zed, a Hindu chaplain, had stood before the microphone, but before he had a chance to deliver his prayer, Ante Pavkovic loudly objected from the visitors' gallery, saying:

"Lord Jesus, forgive us father for allowing a prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. You are the One true living God."

Zed then began his prayer. Kathy Pavkovic then interrupted him by standing and quoting John 14:6:

"Jesus is the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Finally, their daughter Christen stood and pleaded to God:

"Father, forgive us for betraying your Son Jesus." ₁

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) was the presiding officer that day. He ordered that the protestors be removed. As they left the Senate chambers, they continued to yell at the chaplain such phrases as "No Lord but Jesus Christ!" and "There is only one true God! Afterwards, they described themselves as "Christians and patriots"

It is a pity that the group had not waited until the prayer was finished. They might possibly have approved of it because it was a generic prayer to "the Deity Supreme," which the group of three could have easily equated with the Christian Trinity, just as Jews could equate him with Yahweh, and Muslims could have equated him with Allah, etc.

The text of chaplain Zed's prayer was:

"Let us pray. We meditate on the transcendental glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky, and inside the soul of the heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds. Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality. May we be protected together, may we be nourished together. May we work together with great vigor. May our study be enlightening."

CSPAN broadcast the prayer and the protest. The following clip was posted to You Tube:

The Continuing Fleecing of America

Congressional interrogators pointed out that banks were not lending more money. Mortgage interest rates have risen, not fallen, even though the Fed is supplying banks with credit at only a quarter of a percentage point (an average of about 0.30 per cent last week). Credit standards (understandably) have been tightened to require prospective buyers to put up more of their own money. Foreclosures and evictions are up and real estate prices continue to plunge. Also plunging almost straight down has been the Dow Jones Industrial Average, sinking below the 8000 mark last week to the lowest levels in years. Nothing is working out the way Mr. Paulson promised.

The word being used most by Treasury officials these days is “unexpected.” At his subcommittee hearing on Friday, Nov. 14, Dennis Kucinich asked Mr. Paulson’s sidekick, Neel Kashkari, whether the Treasury’s lack of realistic foresight was an innocent error or a case of bait and switch. Mr. Kashkari stonewalled by repeating a “talking point” loop-tape claiming that giveaways were the way to get the economy “moving” again. The banks would use their newfound power to help customers run back into debt even more deeply, presumably at the exponential rates needed to re-inflate property and stock prices.

Ok, boys and girls. This is an excerpt from a Counterpunch piece. The thing that strikes me as most offensive is that they say this is all "unexpected". Someone just hasn't read any Carl Marx, now have they?!

Just don't expect any of this to change much with our "great white hope", No Drama Obama. There will be drama a plenty in the months to come. For if you think for one moment that the money whores are going to let this man, even if he would, do anything but look like a fool, you are sorely mistaken. Their main man, Herr Bush, was a (is a)bumbling buffoon, not to mention a cold criminal. Yet, he was held up as the savior of the world!

No, the markets are going to continue to crash, our bailout money is going to continue to be plundered and pilfered, we are going to increase our wartime status and Mr. Obama is going to made the underdog for it all so that our neocons can come back saying some such shit as "we were misled or bamboozled but we are your true hope".

But make no mistake about it, jobs are history. The illusion of wealth is history. We have collectively rolled over and let the cell block bully have his way with our asses. Wanna blame someone, look in the mirror.

And there is a new breath blown into the lungs of the dying Jim Crow, too. If I had a nickel for every time I have heard the phrase "that nigger in the White House", I would be prepared to weather an economic depression for the rest of my life. The little Nazi's of America are getting themselves all worked up into a frenzy. And we are all allowing it to happen by NOT confronting racism and class dogma any more than we confront religious dogma.

And on that note, I have heard bus loads of little rednecks saying that Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas would have made a good presidential pick because he "is a nice guy". Yeah, just like Palin is a "hot chick"! NOT. Personally, I do not want anyone that is actively anticipating the rapture to occur just any day now to be in a position to make decisions for future generations!

Don't look for me to continue posting much here. I have absolutely lost interest. I can hardly bare to continue watching mankind destroy his self with hatred, bigotry and greed. Good Night and Good Luck!

AIR POWERED CAR?

New? Lemme see, I posted on this a year and a half ago and described events that occurred over twenty-five years ago.

Wanna read my post about this? Click here.

The only problem with this "breaking news" is that it is OLD NEWS. And I haven't found anyone who really gives a rats ass in a quarter of a century! Yup I'm definitely nuts.

Anyone beginning to see why I haven't been posting much lately?

Call me when you all save the world.

Shall we all Ride?