Blu's Bar and Grill

Tax Day Rall(e)ys

2009-04-14T13:23:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is Tax Day, and people are organizing "Tea Parties" to protest unrestrained government spending. These rallies are taking place from sea to shining sea, and the scope of this protest is relatively new. This has led some sheep-minded liberals to assert that this is conservative astroturfing specifically organized to foment opposition to Obama's fiscal policies. However, as a former Ron Paul supporter, I recall similar protests endorsed by Dr. Paul in 2008 and 2007 (original site is 404'ed). My initial reaction to this was, overall, positive. As an anarchist, I deny theft by the state in any form, taxes being the most common. However, I will not participate in these protests for two reasons.

First, the people organizing and participating in these protests are statists, and are okay with being considered government property, they just want fewer and lower rates of state theft.

Second, I will not associate with any of these people.

And, just for fun, here's a picture promoting the tea party in Peoria, IL before...

and after some grammatical revision...

Maybe they burned the dictionaries with the rest of the books? Or maybe they pay so much in taxes that they can't afford a program with spell-check? Or maybe they're just a bunch of anti-intellectual morons who don't like black presidents. Considering what the video showed, I'd tend toward the latter.

However, I will be attending the rall(e)y tomorrow to tape the antics I hope to witness.

I can totally understand why they're mad as hell

about the state of their country. However what they fail to recognize is that the measures the wish implemented don't put liberty first, they just negotiate with fascism.

NOTE: As I'm writing this, my grandfather is watching a FOX News report about how the Department of Homeland Security just released a report about these protests, intimating that they are "right-wing radicals". Here's the report: WARNING PDF. Where was the outrage at FOX when PBR's (People Besides Republicans) protested terrible statist policies?

Jesus fucking Christ, they arrested a FUCKING JOURNALIST!!!!!!

They must have been covering the real news instead.

Depression

2009-01-18T09:58:00.001-08:00

I'm depressed. Not the "I hate/dislike/am disappointed with my life", the "I'm angry/fearful of the world I'm handing my children" type of depression. As an individual am doing all I can to isolate myself and my loved ones from the corrupt economic and political systems that enslave and deceive us. However, I feel I should be doing more. For instance, I should actively participate in my Food Not Bombs Chapter; I should work harder and save my money so I have options should things turn for the worse; I just should be doing more.

But what else can I do? The aforementioned actions I could take are compromises at best. There is a foundational flaw in my life somehow, and I think I found it. America is built on a flawed system of property and representation. Flawed from my perspective, anyway. I believe the supreme goal that all systems of production, society, and economy should be human happiness. The American system of capitalism is perfect for creating wealth and concentrating it within the clutches of a few individuals (in modern times, read "corporations"). A normal person has no other option than to sell his/her labor for a wage while a capitalist gleans profit due to his/her name being on the deed to the property and other invested capital. This sad truth is disheartening. It feels like I'm swimming upstream both financially and ideologically. The system of representation in These United States is limited to choosing between two equally terrible candidates every two, four, and six years. I cannot bring my grievances to anyone with any glimmer of hope that I might be either listened to or offered a real solution. My choices are limited to either compromising my morals on a daily basis, or starve, or fight back and be either imprisoned or killed by the state. As you can see, I don't like the options I'm presented with.

That's why I've been contemplating a fourth solution: Just leave. Leave the country. Why should I limit myself to life within the confines of any certain state? Just because I was born in a certain arbitrarily defined geographical area doesn't mean that I must pledge loyalty to the most powerful entity (the government) within that area. Indeed, the only thing that keeps most people from pursuing what makes them happy is the threat of overwhelming coercion on the part of the state, be it through captivity, theft, pain, or murder.

But then I run into another problem: Where would I go?

I've been tossing a couple of places...

Exarchia, Greece: Not a state or city, but an anarchist neighborhood within Athens that is largely left alone by the Greek government. Considering the turmoil in which Greece is embroiled right now, this may change. Either the insurrection is successful, which is unlikely at this time, or the state instills enough fear in the population to stem the onslaught of rocks and molotovs.

Southern Chiapas, Mexico: The EZLN ceased violent insurrectionary tactics and abided by the peace treaty they signed with the Mexican Government in '96. Since then it has focused on media and international support. I'm okay with living under a Council of Good Government. I am concerned about how they might receive a foreigner from the States. I may be viewed with suspicion, and thus be unable, at least at first, to live a productive and fulfilling life.

These are the top two so far, but I'm looking for others. If you have any suggestions, leave a comment.

The Fall of Capitalism?

2008-12-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Reactionary and shortsighted socialists, anarchists, and European free-marketeers believe wholeheartedly that the monies disbursed to private enterprises by the American federal government through investment and loans signify the beginning of the downfall of laissez-faire capitalist economics. I am not one of those individuals. While the privatization of profits and socialization of losses is both unsustainable and an abhorrent abomination of any principle the people of the United States have ever held, it is not the harbinger of doom for capitalism as it is practiced today. Obama's election and the Democratic control of both Houses of Congress will not change anything, as was promised to millions of easily deceived voters. Both parties are in the pocket of corporate interests, because reelection often hinges on how many dollars a campaign can glean from the pockets of interested parties. Considering that the distribution of wealth is disgustingly skewed, and will likely grow more so in the coming decade, those few parties who have amassed such wealth (like corporations and multinational businesses) hold more sway over politicians than “normal” people because normal people cannot afford to donate money to political parties. Their budgets are spread thin by medical expenses, food, gasoline, and mortgage payments. In addition, if there is any intention by Washington to balance the budget, rest assured taxes will increase. One may cite the example of Obama's unprecedented fundraising in the later months of his campaign as proof that “normal people” can and do donate money to political candidates. This is because the economy has not turned sour on many “normal people” yet. When layoffs and salary cuts become more pervasive, political campaigns will focus on pleasing businesses that are doing well in this crisis. Wal-Mart, for instance, is making money hand over fist as people flock to their stores to spend less money maintaining their unsustainable lifestyles. There may be a socialist tinge to American economic policy for the next ten or fifteen years, however politics and the economic distributions of wealth and income will return to their present conditions, perhaps even more extremely unequal due to the opportunities open to those with wealth to invest during a depression, when competition for ripe investment opportunities falls.

My interview with the CO$

2008-12-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

It was about 4:20 in early February as I walked across the street just as a tan four-door pulled in the modest parking lot outside the CO$ Peoria Mission on Prospect Rd. An old man, say, 65 years young, got out his key to unlock the door. I approached him and introduced myself to Mr. Smith (names have been altered to protect my ass from the CO$'s team of superlawyers) as Ryan Turner (a pseudonym, of course) , of the community college periodical "The Pulse", and asked if he could answer a few questions about the CO$. He mumbled something incoherent and walked inside, holding the door open for me behind him. I walked in the cramped office, crammed to the ceiling tiles with LRH books. The only seating was an old leather couch on the right. "I'm with "The Pulse" and I just wanted to ask you a few basic questions about Scientology." He told me that they had a 45 minute video that would answer all of my questions. "I actually don't have the time to watch it tonight, however I would be happy to come back tomorrow if you could answer some of my more specific questions tonight." (I had no intention of returning for a 45 minute brainwashing session) He told me that he was just leaving, and that he'd be there from about 7pm to 10pm. "Would it be okay if I returned later this evening?" He said it would be fine, and I got his name, shook his hand and left.
When I returned that evening, I was greeted by a fresh faced thirtysomething, who called the man I had spoken to earlier in his office. She took a few minutes to introduce me to a piece of Scientology propaganda, “Overcoming Up's and Down's In Life”, which I later found out cost $82 including the corresponding course. After pretending to take notes in the notebook that I had brought with me, I she returned the book to it's proper place on the shelf. I tried to ask her why she became a Scientologist, but she brushed off the question, saying that she was very busy. After that little exchange Mr. Smith came in and escorted me down a short hallway into his office.
Behind his desk was a huge bookcase that stretched wall to wall, filled with L.R.H. propaganda, including roughly 16 red volumes of technical bulletins and about nine black books covering management techniques and applied Scientology. At least that's what he told me. Dotted around the walls were various diplomas from the CO$. One declared him to be a Level V Auditor, and he had a Doctorate in Scientology.
We spoke briefly about his background and why he went into Scientology. He served as a medic in the European theater of WWII, and was living in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1950 when he attended a lecture at his alma mater, UC Berkeley. It was about Dianetics, of course. A friend of his had previously lent him Dianetics, and he wanted to learn more. “That lecture changed my life”, he said. After the lecture, he approached the lecturer about getting an audit. Audits cost, in 1950 dollars, about $500. “Even if you had the money, there are only 29 certified Auditors in the world, and most of them are on the East Coast. But, we are currently building a facility in LA.”, the lecturer said. The Hubbard School of Scientology was being constructed in Los Angeles. The auditing classes and services there were free, so long as new auditors would work for the CO$. He had to borrow $500 from his friend to get to LA. In exchange, he agreed to audit his friend pro bono after he took the course.
He told me he has been continuously auditing and supervising for 57 years, and has achieved OT VIII. He also was instructed by L. Ron Hubbard himself, and has a picture of him with L.R.H. hanging to the left of his desk. I asked him a few more questions: “What are the main holy books of Scientology?” He responded quickly, “We don't call them 'holy books'. We call them the 'basic books'. There are thousands of books, but only 18 basic books.” These books occupied the lower shelves of his bookcase. Many looked to be over 500 pages.
“Is there a system of rank or hierarchy in Scientology?” His response was to bring out a large sheet of the various organizations and groups within the CO$ and their relationships to each other. It was a complex hierarchy that made no mention of the Loyal Officers or any other “high-level” entity.
After I followed with some other docile questions about his time with the CO$, etc... I turned to some other more...hostile questions. I prefaced this new breed of inquiry by claiming that my editor gave me some other questions to ask, and that he following questions were not mine but his.
“Who was Xenu?”, I asked.
Mr. Smith bristled at this question, obviously caught off-guard by a question aimed at high-level information allegedly unattainable by the public. “There are groups, hackers, on the internet who try to disseminate information that attempts to discredit the teachings of Mr. Hubbard and Scientology.”, he replied. I apologized, saying, “I'm sorry if these are stupid or irrelevant questions, but I have to ask them.”
“Who were the Loyal Officers?”, I asked.
He replied with the same line as before, claiming “hackers” propagated this strange information in an attempt to discredit Scientology.
I noticed he was getting a little hostile after that last question, so I decided to cut our time short. I stood up and told him, “I'm what you call an SP. I feel it's my duty to let you know that there will be a protest outside your building February 10th.”
I marched out of his office and right out the front door, thanking the secretary for her help. I walked to my car and drove away, taking in what I had just done.

I never expected to have the opportunity to “interview” someone who was in as deep as Mr. Smith. I went home and typed out my notes, trying to excavate useful tidbits from my faulty memory as images and events faded, forever lost. I have a bad memory :-)

2008-11-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

John F. Harris and Jim Vandehei both said it more eloquently than I ever could. "The ascent of an African-American to the presidency — a victory by a 47-year-old man who was born when segregation was still the law of the land across much of this nation — is a moment so powerful and so obvious that its symbolism needs no commentary."

It's time to look ahead to see what this new mandate from the voters could drive a democratic Washington to do. It's also time to stake out predictions for the next election! I know it might seem too early, but this was my SUPERBOWL!!!!

Hilary Clinton is going to keep her Senate seat in New York City. Obama may help raise funds to help her repay her campaign debts. She will sit in Congress and either author or endorse important legislation that will help her differentiate herself from the President-Elect, but will not go more right than she is now. She will not run against Obama in 2012. If Joe Biden is President when we are in the 2012 election cycle, then something terrible has happened and she will portray herself as Mr. Obama's political heir, and may run in 2016 on a platform of "continuing the radical change Pres. Obama began back in 2008.".

Palin will high-tail it to Alaska and cultivate a reputation of good governance. She will hire political consultants to help her distance herself from the moronic comments she's made during this campaign. If she cannot cast off that albatross, then when she runs in 2012, AND SHE WILL, she will lose the primary. If she is able to portray herself as well-informed and intelligent, then she will be a force to be reckoned with. Many pundits say that the Reagan era is over, but I think that Sarah Palin could win in 2012 if she makes the right decisions now. The evangelical vote isn't going away, folks. They will vote for someone with the background and beliefs that she has. Right-wing evangelical groups will begin planning fundraising events for her very, very, VERY soon.

On the subject of the "Reagan Era", many experts believe Obama's victory marks the end of the Conservative Revolution. I strongly disagree. We need only look at the various ultra-conservative ballot propositions, the most famous being Prop. 8 in California. Most of these referendums succeeded, and that tells us two things:

1. Obama's election reflects the public's disgust with the last administration. People didn't feel comfortable electing McCain, someone portrayed by his rival as practically the same thing as our current President. More people voted against their values or party for Obama, than others did for McCain. People were desperate enough for change that they voted for Obama instead of their party's nominated successor to Bush.

2. Those same people are the ones who voted for these ballot propositions. There are plenty of conservatives in the country, and they aren't going away anytime soon.

Obama will have to implement his policies very quickly after his inauguration.

The Legislature will push through almost anything Obama wants within 6 months of his inauguration. After that, their enthusiasm will be tempered with their concern over their reelection campaigns, and legislation will take on a strong moderate flavor.

Obama's economic plans will include another stimulus package within 1 year of inauguration.

Obama will be President during another act of aggression from russia. We will send aid, but will not deploy soldiers. NATO will not allow Georgia in.

Obama will not break his promise of a withdrawal of armed forces in Iraq. The withdrawal will end in 2010. Iraq will fall apart, but he CANNOT break that campaign promise, unless he plans on being a one-term President.

He will win in 2012 unless he has been murdered, or has not withdrawn forces from Iraq, or has mishandled another notable terrorist attack, or if there is a huge market crash within a year of the 2012 election, even if it isn't his fault.

Obama will PROBABLY not be assassinated...
BUT
If Obama is assassinated by a white male, it will be like Martin Luther King's murder all over again. Chicago, Detriot, Washington D.C. will be a war zones. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson will not take strong positions against violence. The black community will be rightly outraged, but will turn to violence. I could not expect them to refrain from doing so. If any group of people had a long history of being discriminated against, lynched, and downtrodden, and surviving to see one of their own voted President of the United States, only to see him murdered, they would do the same thing.

A Joe Biden administration would be very different from an Obama presidency. He would not honor all of Obama's promises, but would not make any unnecessary attempts to keep our troops in Iraq. He would face Sarah Palin (that is if Mrs. Palin can clean up her image by that time) in 2012 and win, due to the ill-will against whites. Joe Biden would have to carry on Obama's image as a reformer.

Answer The Call

2008-09-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Fellow citizens, there is a crisis in America today. Our generation has found its task. Like our brave forefathers who enlisted out of love of country and a sense of duty after Pearl Harbor, we also must answer the urgent siren call sounding around the nation. This crisis was made apparent during the recent major party conventions in Denver and St. Paul, during which innocent journalists and peaceful protesters were detained and imprisoned without cause, and with extreme prejudice. While our brave men and women fight in Afghanistan to free a people enslaved by an abhorrent abomination of the peaceful faith of Islam, while our nation's finest soldiers, no, the World's finest soldiers struggle against an enemy indistinguishable from a crowd of civilans in Iraq, while our sons and daughters are deceived by silver-tongued recruiters who talk of “seeing the world” and “defending our freedom” and sent to the streets of Baghdad to continue an illegal occupation that was perpetrated on the premise of securing stores of “weapons of mass destruction”, there is a crisis in America. We need our troops here, as civic-minded citizens of conscience and discipline, whose skills we are in desperate need of.

This crisis is an urgent one, in need of immediate and passionate attention. Unemployment, unacceptable wealth disparity, lazy or incompetent public servants, an unjust war draining the youth and talent of the nation, out-of-control spending, private profit and public debts, and the endless encroachment of the liberties and freedoms we as Americans and as Human Beings hold dear... All of these issues require our action. YOU can help save America. The United States was born out of the blood and treasonous action of brave, fearless men who valued freedom above all else. We too, the residents and citizens of America, are in desperate need of another American Revolution. We too must place our freedom and liberty above

Our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor

Proposed Legislative Measures

2008-09-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

1.Read the Bills Act: Every bill be read in both Houses of Congress in its entirety before Congress can vote on it. Every bill to be voted on must be published online for at least 7 days before a vote is taken. Every member of Congress must sign a sworn affidavit, under penalty of perjury, that they have read, or heard read, the full bill to be voted on.

2.Earmarks: Earmarks and other additions or changes to bills that have been read according to the RTBA shall be guilty of public deception, a crime which carries with it a minimum penalty of one year in prison and a fine equivalent to that legislator's net income for the last two years.

3.Legislator salary: All legislators shall be paid a salary equivalent to the median income in the United States from the last Census. No aide, assistant, secretary, or any employee or contractor under employment with the Legislative branch of the United States Government shall be paid more than that amount.

4.Legislator benefits: All legislators shall be part of the Social Security system, or whatever like system is in place. No funded retirement or benefits program exclusive to Legislators or elected officials shall be allowed.

5.Lobbyists: No legislator shall be allowed to accept gifts from anyone except family members if that gift exceeds $1000. No legislator's family members shall be allowed to accept gifts from any party affiliated with any political party, advocacy group, or lobbying firm or lobbyist. No legislator shall be allowed to accept any gifts of greater value than $5000 annually(excluding gifts from family members). If a legislator is guilty of such behavior, than he/she shall be guilty of undue compensation, a crime that carries with it a minimum penalty of two years in prison and a fine equivalent to the amount that the legislator received in gifts exceeding the amount allowed, multiplied by number of times such behavior has been perpetrated by the individual in his or her lifetime.

6.Term limits: No elected official shall be allowed to serve more than two consecutive terms.

7.Proceedings: All legislators must attend Congressional proceedings in their entirety at least 80% of the time.

8.Naming of legislation: No legislation shall be referred to by legislators or lobbyists or in any ads connected to any such groups, by any name other than the file number of that particular bill.

9.Periodic Investigations: All departments of government shall be subject to thorough investigation to determine illegal activity every five years. All legislators shall be subject to thorough investigation to determine illegal activity within the first year of their term and again within the last year of their term. All Presidents shall launch investigations looking into actions taken by the previous administration. Investigations shall be subject to the oversight of the GAO.

10.Proposed amendment: Congress shall not pass any legislation that violates the Constitutional Rights of any citizen. The President shall veto any legislation that violates the Constitutional Rights of any citizen. Any legislator or executive that approves, fails to hinder to the fullest of his/her ability, or votes for any measure that is determined to violate any Constitutionally protected right shall be guilty of Constitutional treason, a charge that carries with it a minimum penalty of death.

11.Banishment From Public Office: Any legislator that votes yes or abstains from voting on legislation that is concluded to be in violation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court of the United States of America shall be barred from holding any elected or appointed office in perpetuity. They shall also be imprisoned for at least two years.

12.Mandated Congressional Subpoenas: Any person who does not appear before Congress when mandated to do so shall be taken into custody by any law enforcement official and imprisoned immediately until they submit to the subpoena.
13.Campaign Honesty: Any elected official that is determined by a court of law to have lied in campaign ads shall be barred from holding any elected or appointed office in perpetuity.

14.Honest Public Servants: Any elected or appointed official that is determined by a court of law to have lied to any citizen of the United States concerning any public or secret matter shall be barred from holding any elected or appointed office in perpetuity.

15.Ballot Options: An additional entry shall be placed on every ballot for every public office. That entry shall read, “None of the Above.” If that option is voted for by the simple majority of the voters, then another election shall take place six weeks from the date of that election. All people who were on the first election's ballots shall not be allowed to run or be voted for in the replacement election. All write-in votes for such individuals shall be discarded.

16.Enforcing Enforcement: Any agent of a state, municipal, county, or federal government that fails to enforce the law shall be barred from holding public office in perpetuity.

17.Nepotism: No family member within three degrees of separation to any elected or formerly elected official shall be allowed to serve in any elected or appointed position.

18.Signing Statements: No President or Governor shall be allowed to use any form of signing statement.

19.Declarations of War or Armed Conflict: Any conflict between the United States and any organized or disorganized internal or international group besides that conflict which is a direct result of defensive actions taken by US military personnel shall first be voted on in an Official Declaration of War. Such a declaration shall include the exact parties or groups to be targeted.

20.Wartime Suspension or Modification of Laws: All modifications to domestic or international law made in order to facilitate the waging of war or armed conflict against any party or parties, shall be prescribed in a limited fashion for a limited time, after which there shall be a nationwide ballot initiative to mandate an extension, suspension or termination of such modifications.

21.Presidential Election Debates: All Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates who can submit a petition of inclusion for the Presidential or Vice-Presidential debates with at least two million signatures by March 15 of the election year shall be included in every private and public debate between presidential or vice-presidential candidates.

Any input is welcome, let me know what you think.

Ted Stevens INDICTED

2008-07-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

One of the first stories I posted about is finally coming to the fore of the public consciousness. Throw this man in prison!! He has defrauded the United States Government, and should be treated like the corrupt, treasonous scum that he is.

AP Story
Another AP Story

Change the change with some changalicious changedy CHANGE!

2008-07-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Change is the order of the day. Barack Obama has ridden the wave of dissatisfaction to the forefront of the Democratic party, and John McCain is the least Republican of the Republicans. The last 8 years of the American Presidency have torn the country's parties further apart, with party discipline demanding conformity and cooperation from the nation's conservatives. All the while, people who remember the sixth article of our Constitution are either shaking their heads or their fists, trying to determine the proper course of action to bring our Nation back on track. The US has lost its former place of honor as the nation that respects the rights mankind.

But what are we going to do about it?

I will outline in the next few posts several legislative and executive acts that I believe would improve our international standing and our domestic circumstances.
It is more a thought experiment in public policy than anything else.

The Pickens Plan

2008-07-15T06:27:00.001-07:00

You might have seen his advertisements on television recently. T. Boone Pickens , a former oil-man from Texas is touting a cocktail of solar and wind power, supplemented by natural gas as a stop-gap replacement for gasoline, as the future of energy in America. His ads are powerful and make obvious good points. He is supporting proven technologies in greater abundance than they are utilized today. He is financing a public movement towards greener and more independent energy that could influence the next administration or the impotent Congress. All this seems too good to be true, doesn't it? All of this progress, all of this to create public awareness of an issue that is at odds with the numerous accomplishments of his entire personal and professional life?

Yep.

I've signed up to support this public campaign. I encourage you to do so as well.

Update

2008-05-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Again, personal affairs have prevented me from updating this blog. Regular entries are coming.

In the meantime, follow me on twitter @ https://twitter.com/blututh

UF Student Tasered at John Kerry Speech; Blackwater USA Banned from Iraq

2007-09-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus due to school, work, and personal affairs, I have finally set aside some time to post another post.

UF Student Tasered in Kerry Forum

An interesting development played out Monday night at the University of Florida. Former presidential candidate John Kerry was holding a "town hall" meeting and during the question and answer session, a student questioned Kerry about his connections with George W. Bush and the Skull and Bones Society.
The long-winded young man ran over his allotted time, and police restrained the man and began to escort him away from the microphone. He resisted, and was tased.
Here is MSNBC's article about the event: Student Tasered at Kerry Forum

Here are some youtube videos of the incident: Student Tasered at Kerry Forum

I'll spare you any further synopsis of the aforementioned event, although I do have a few concerns. What was he doing that prompted police to forcibly remove him from the microphone and escort him out? I doubt it was the simple fact that he was running over his allotted time. I think it's pretty obvious to anyone who reads the article and watches the video that if he had been singing Kerry's praises, then they would have been happy to allow him more time. However, he was asking Kerry pointed questions that he was not prepared, nor wanted, to answer. Precautions are routinely made to screen people entering these "open forums" so that this type of thing doesn't happen. When it does, there are always personnel ready to apprehend and silence those who wish to ask candidates questions they don't want to answer, or are unable to answer. It is common knowledge today that politics is largely image-based, your substance doesn't matter too much, as long as you can make enough promises and choose the right language to express them.

In short, the police involved used excessive force. They had roughly six officers involved in the scuffle, and when they tased him they had him on the ground. He even said that he was willing to walk out if they let him up.

This illustrates a larger trend in law enforcement. When tasers were introduced to law enforcement, officers were pleased. Many police officers claimed that it would allow another step in the escalation of force before a firearm is used. In other words, it would allow an officer to force compliance without shooting the suspect.

This didn't happen. It simply created another group of people that are tased instead of being taken into custody with non-lethal force. Instead of using dialogue to stabilize a situation, officers are too ready to whip out the taser and shock a person into submission and cuff 'em.

They shouldn't have apprehended him in the first place. He was doing nothing wrong, except for arguing against the speaker.

Blackwater USA Banned from Iraq

Blackwater USA, a private security firm (read as, "mercenary company"), had their license revoked Monday, as the Iraqi government cited an incident that resulted in the deaths of 8 civilians and wounded 13.

Here is the article on CNN's website: Blackwater USA Banned From Iraq

This war is by far the most privatized conflict in modern history. Some claimed that in the past America resembled ancient Rome, citing Pax Americana as a parallel to Pax Romana. Now, it seems as though America is taking after Carthage's example: hiring mercenaries to fight it's wars. Recruitment numbers are very low for most of the branches, and absolutely unacceptable for the Army and Marines, the branches who need more personnel than any others. In order to keep forces up, the DoD hires private military companies to patrol neighborhoods, protect objectives, and escort convoys. Some of these companies are not held to the same legal or disciplinary standards as the US armed forces are. This sets a dangerous scenario, where these soldiers-for-hire shoot indiscriminately and wound and kill civilians with reckless abandon. This might seem like an exaggeration, except for the important fact that this is not the first time Blackwater USA has has problems with the Iraqi government, or rather vice-versa.

It's hard to recruit soldiers for the armed forces, when there is all certainty that they will be deployed to Iraq to fight a war that has almost no popular support, and which was begun under false pretenses.

VECO Investment in Ted's Kitchen Returns Lucrative Contracts

2007-07-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Senator from Alaska gets a neat new addition to his home, and an oil firm gets a few lucrative contracts directed their way from a certain legislator in Congress. Does this news really surprise anybody?

For those of you who aren't familiar with this story, take a look here.

Ted Stevens Bribed by Big Oil

The collusion between politicians and corporations is nothing new inside the Beltway, and this development is nothing different. Lobbyists secure lucrative government contracts for public services and projects by swooning senators and congressmen with expensive steaks and "business vacations" to exotic destinations. The two parties that engage in this less-than-noble activity are the only ones to benefit from the practice. Constituents often are shortchanged, with less-qualified companies taking contracts from other firms that would likely perform better for less tax dollars. Is it any coincidence that politicians often live in more luxurious abodes than many of their voters? I think not, considering that the addition to Ted Steven's home funded by the oil firm VECO more than doubled his home, already located on a remote golf resort. I'm sure VECO's investment in Ted Steven's newly expanded kitchen and game room was a smart business decision, otherwise they wouldn't have done it.

Considering the symbiotic relationship between large companies and politicians, it is no wonder that the demands of the middle class are repeatedly ignored.

On another note, The Wall Street Journal was acquired by media tyrant Rupert Murdoch. I suppose offering $60 a share for a stock that was trading at $33 dollars per share was too much for the Bancroft family.

Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of various news media outlets is nothing new. He loses millions of dollars a year owning the New York Post. However, that paper gives him a great pulpit from which to preach his conservative views, which clock in just a little to the right of Attila the Hun.

Objective journalism took another hit today, I just hope people can tell the op ed pieces from the sliver of news that will remain between the lines. But the American people have failed themselves before, and it's doubtful that this they will pass this test either.

Reviewing the CNN*YouTube Democratic Debates

2007-07-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Just givin' ya the broad strokes, folks. It's late and I'm kind of tired.

First off, it feels really good to see normal people airing their grievances through a mainstream media outlet. The candidates performed well, and there were a few questions that I thought penetrated through their usually thick armor of bullshit and empty promises. However, I did notice they often resorted to a time-tested tactic, changing the question. Usually going with a seemingly harmless phrase, such as, "The real question/problem/issue here is (fill in prepared Q/A here)", so in some ways this novel debate got us nowhere fast.

I think that the memories of the Bush administration will steer the public clear of any but the most charismatic Republican candidates, especially those that don't openly declare their dissatisfaction with the current president. Hopefully if a Democrat is elected, they will engender cooperation between ethnic, economic, and party lines, as so many of them promise to do.

Big issues included the Iraq War (unexpectedly), healthcare (or the lack thereof), the lackluster and achingly slow response to Katrina, and restoring the respect and prestige that America only recently lost worldwide, despite carrying out policies in Central America and other regions that clash strongly with American values and border on complicity with genocide for decades previous to Dubya.

But I digress, I'm getting off topic.

I think this debate cleared a few questions people may have had, and I saw afterwards on FOX that based on a 30 person focus group, people walked in the room pulling for Hillary in 1st place and Obama in 2nd place. They left with the opposite views, with Obama taking the most favorable position at the top spot and Hillary losing a few people.

Overall, I think that Kucinich, Obama, and Hillary came out smelling like sunflowers. The other candidates performed well, but lacked something that these three candidates showed plenty of.

Comments are welcome.