Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Gaza Update...
With Allies like Israel, Who Needs Enemies?
Pollard was caught while committing his crimes and as such, is serving a life sentence in Butner Federal Correctional Institution in South Carolina. Israel granted him retroactive citizenship in 1995 and now lobbies for his release. [Ed. Don't be surprised if Pollard is on George Bush's last minute pardon list.]
Kadish's crime however was not discovered until years after the fact. He retired in 1990. The now 85-year-old Kadish has this week negotiated a non-prison time plea agreement with U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz and Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris Lan.
Quite a cozy deal: treason, espionage, no death sentence, not even prison time. Great work if you can get it, especially since a passport and a luxury condo on the beach in Tel Aviv are probably already ready and waiting.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Constituent Parts
http://wildbee.org/2008/12/09/carrying-gunpowder-through-airport-security/
Surprise, well not really...
Israel Tries to Assassinate U.S. Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney
The basic facts, as commonly reported so far, are as this: A Gibraltar-registered private vessel named Dignity, with a CNN correspondent on board, was attempting to ferry medical supplies and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus, along with human rights activists, including former U.S. House Representative from Georgia and U.S. Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney to Gaza to perform humanitarian aid. The CNN correspondent, Karl Penhaul, reports that the Dignity was shadowed by Israeli military patrol boats without contact for approximately half an hour.
After that time, and while the Dignity was still in international waters, one of the Israeli patrol boat rammed the Dignity, apparently attempting to sink her. McKinney stated that the patrol boat rammed the Dignity three times. The captain of the Dignity told Penhold he received no warning, which the Israeli are denying, as are they denying that they intended to ram the boat. (Ed.: Nonetheless, they apparently did not bother to offer any help of assistance either, which is quite possibly against a number of international maritime regulations.)
The Dignity managed to escape into Lebanese waters and to reach the Lebanese port city of Tyre, with severe damage to the port side of the craft and with her roof collapsed. There were no reports of causalities.
Ms. McKinney is no longer a member of Congress, but were she, it still would not have been the first time that the Israeli government had attempted to murder U.S. citizens or even U.S. federal employees. In 1967, the Israeli air force and navy attacked and attempted to sink the U.S.S. Liberty, while she was in international waters, apparently because she was accidentally in a position to expose Israel's staging to attack Egypt prior to the supposed justification for their doing so in the Six-Day War.
As with the Dignity, Israel claimed the attack on the Liberty was a mistake, even though the Liberty was clearly flying, not one but, three U.S. flags. The Liberty escaped under its own power and only received help from a fellow U.S. navy vessel the next day, which was too late for many. Thirty-four men died and 170 crew members were killed.
Admiral John McCain Sr. was part of the team investigating the incident, which was closed in just over week, without taking a single statement from a single Israeli. Indeed, very few men from Liberty were even interviewed. The U.S. government's official position was officially a rubber stamp of the Israeli position -- that it was an accident. In the intervening years though, memos and affidavits have surfaced showing that this was whitewash. Nonetheless, John McCain Jr. has on many occasions during his years in the Senate fought the efforts the U.S.S. Liberty survivors as they have, for over forty years now, plead for justice and recognition from their own government -- which might explain some of his failure at the polls this past fall.
Monday, December 29, 2008
את חזקה של תקווה
Of course, there were protesters protesting the protester, shouting things like, "Take their identification cards away," and they more typified the (ironically) fascist Israel that has formed under the Star of David.
Prop 8 Redux
Not all of the discussion is on the Left either.
One surprising side effect of Prop 8, is that many are rediscovering that the issue of Gay Marriage as a viable political goal didn't even originated from the Left. In fact, the first national political party to openly call for complete gay equality was the Libertarian Party, with a plank in their platform, first inserted in 1975. The marriage issue itself first arose to national prominence in a 1998 Slate article by a prominent libertarian who called, not for Gay marriage, but for the privatization of all marriages, as a means of both removing government from the sphere of religion and as way of achieving marriage equity for Gays. Soon thereafter, seeing that the issue had finally become politically viable, the New Left jumped onto the issue and claimed it as their own (sort of as they did with racial equality, which was also originated by libertarians.) The rest is, as they say, history, or at least the history so far...
For some enlightening, and non-New Left, perspective, I recommend visiting the Independent Gay Forum (http://www.independentgayforum.org), which has dozens of articles on Same-Sex Marriage, many of them presenting intelligent post-analysis discussion of the failure of the No on Prop 8 campaign.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
WWJD? -- Indeed.
America and Israel are indeed in the process of being brought low, and the arrogance of the theocrats and the pious are not without guilt in bringing down the rafters upon all of our heads. Hopefully those that survive will remember this unfolding history and never again allow such people to gather similar power in future societies that would presume to remain free.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Come Home, America
The Israeli butchers are at it again. Less than three years after killing over a thousand Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon, they are using the full might of Israel's high-tech military technology to slaughter Palestinian civilians in Gaza today -- all because a few Palestinian criminals lobbed a couple of stolen rockets into the no-man's-land between Gaza and Israel, and because a few angry teenagers threw stones at Israeli soldiers. As with Lebanon, the response is so out of proportion to the instigation as to be morally indefensible; indeed it is barbaric.
It is high time that the United States cut off all foreign and (especially) military aid to Israel, as well as to the Palestinian and Arab states. We should not have a dog in this fight. It is none of our business. Let these petulant child theocrats work it out between themselves. It is time for America to come home.
As further justification for withdrawal, it has been those with extremely close ties to Israel who have brought Wall Street to brink of financial catastrophe over the last year. If you are not sure, go back and look at the roster of names of those individuals who have been responsible for the government agencies and corporations that created this mess. If it weren't for the billions of U.S tax dollars that are transferred to Israel annually, and Israel's professed ally status (despite its long history of spying on us), one would have to wonder if the collapse of the United States economy was really any accident.
Likewise, it is equally hard to believe that the Arab states, and their corrupt American partners, had no inside knowledge or hand in manipulating the oil prices last summer that created record profits for themselves, while weakening the American economy right as it verged on the brink of collapse.
The U.S. shouldn't be subsidizing its own destrustuction. Let the both of these corrupt "allies," with their inflated sense of superiority and their oil, rot. The U.S., and the world, will find a way without them. If they can't learn to get along, then let them bomb each other back to the stone age so that the rest of us can get on with the future.
It would also seem a fair trade at this point, to let money managers and the oil executives decide which passport they want to hold -- and we should be glad to pay for the airfare of the ones who will agree to migrate to whichever country they hold dearest, whether that be Israel or Dubai. In the meantime, we should keep our U.S. dollars here in the United States, by backing them with solid assets like gold, and where they can be then be used to rebuild our own failing infrastructure and economy -- and where we can be sure they won't be used to bomb innocent children just because they prey to the wrong god.
Monday, December 22, 2008
The missing seat
It can't be ignored that after almost two decades this isn't much of advance for women. Further, Obama's victory was only possible through the hard work of young idealists and progressives, both of whom are notably missing from his appointments so far. If anything is notable about his appointments it is that they are mostly status quo retreads, Washington insiders, Clintonistas, internationalist, predictable, boring.
Most disappointing rhough, not only has Obama not only NOT thrown a single crumb to the Gay community, he has deeply offended them by asking a fundamentalists supporter of Proposition 8 to partake in his inaugural activities. Many Gays naively supported Obama, believing that they would finally be granted a seat at the table of an African American administration. Prop 8's cross tabs and Rick Warren's invitation appear to have put to death that hope.
Until Gays grasp political reality and forsake their own partisan fundamentalism, this is not going to change. Power is something that you take, rather than something that you have given to you. Gays are not going to be given a seat at the table in Washington, by a Black president, or a Liberal president, any more than they are by a White president, or a Republican president, unless they can demonstrate a show of political power and influence -- in short, unless they kick down the White House door and march in with their own chair.
The mass reaction to Prop 8 was a good start, but I fear it has lost momentum sufficiently fast that Obama can afford to ignore it. With the holidays fast approaching, we can expect even less to happen. Certainly there is no risk of any doors being kicked in -- not even in California, let alone in Washington.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
The Savagery of Nations
The country of Libya eventually took the blame and provided compensation to the victims' families, but there is ample evidence that they did so, not because they were guilty, but because they desperately needed to get international economic sanctions removed from their country. It is entirely possible that those responsible for the Lockerbie slaughter remain free and unpunished to this very day.
Certainly, it could have been Libya, or it could have been another country. State-sponsored mass murder is nothing new, not even in the history of civil aviation. Most people would find it surprising to see a complete list of civilian airliners that have been shot out of the sky by governments and to know which countries were responsible for those atrocities.
Here is a list of the (so-called civilized) nations and not-so-civilized nations that have shot down large commercial civilian airliners:
- Bulgaria (Soviet Union) -- El Al Flight 402 -- 1952 -- 58 dead
- Israel -- Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 -- 1973 -- 108 dead
- Russia (Soviet Union) -- Korean Air Lines Flight 902 -- 1978 -- 2 dead
- NATO (disputed) -- Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 -- 1980 -- 80 dead
- Russia (Soviet Union) -- Korean Air Lines Flight 007 -- 1983 -- 269 dead
- United States -- Iran Air Flight 655 -- 1988 -- 290 dead
- The Ukraine -- Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 -- 2001 -- 78 dead
Friday, December 19, 2008
Majel Barret, RIP
The line
Obama says he is for equality, but so far he hasn't taken a single solid position or action to support that claim, either in Illinois or as a national candidate.
Talk is cheap. Where is the change?
Blair House 2.0
And before you put up that Christmas tree... (more insight from the "Christian nation")
2 This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
As recently as 150 years ago, Christmas trees were considered a heathen, pagan practice. In 1851, Pastor Henry Schwan of Cleveland, OH was threatened with harm by his own congregation for having set up a Christmas tree in their sanctuary. Of course, you can't sell ugly socks and unneeded plastic toys without a tree to put them under, so commercialism soon pushed aside sanctity and the trees that the Lord forbade snuck into the homes of capitalist "Christians."Jeremiah 10:2-4 (New International Version) [emphasis added]
The ways of nations indeed.
One down, Gaia only knows how many more to go
Paul M. Weyrich dead at age 66
Paul M. Weyrich, one of the early founders of the Heritage Foundation and a leading force in the conservative movement, died Thursday morning at age 66, the foundation reported.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Bernie made off with billions, without any help
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Blair House
By the way, under normal circumstances, I would agree with many here who suggest a presidential suite at a nice hotel. However, the security threat to the Obamas is very real. Just read some of the veiled racist comments made below the San Francisco Chronicle's article on this issue -- on the website of one of the most liberal newspapers in America. There is a high risk to ignoring the reality of white supremacist nut cases and the threat they represent. It is most especially morally irresponsible to put those two young girls in a public hotel and on the public streets of Washington, DC.
(So why? I remain concerned that there is a remote possibility that George W. Bush doesn't plan on leaving office or going anywhere. All George would need is a few "threats," a bomb here, a plane crash there, to justify executing one of his martial-law executive orders and democracy in America is over.)
Friday, December 12, 2008
The same ol' same ol'
HOW MUCH HAVE WE SPENT? THE NEXT GENERATION OF MARKET PATERNALISM BEGINS TO TAKE THE REIGNSThe original article is here, which has lots of links and citations for facts and figures.
Obama's first press conference (Nov. 7) highlighted a few of his economic priorities:And thus it begins, a new era of market paternalism and new progressivism. Bring on the Brand New Deal, Keynesianism, and pseudo-socialism are back in vogue.
- A new stimulus package for the economy. This doesn't come as much a surprise, he has previously advocated for another stimulus package around $175 billion.
- An extension of unemployment benefits.
- Make auto industry a priority.
In reality, these policies of market paternalism aren't much different from the outgoing administration. Obama's call for more unemployment benefit spending was mirrored by President Bush today. We've already handed out cash from the Treasury a couple times under Bush. And the auto industry has already received special treatment from the GOP-led executive office as well.
Recently, The Big Three, soon to be come The Big Two, began asking for an additional $50 billion. Note that they got $25 billion in September to cover increased costs of meeting the CAFÉ fuel efficiency standards. And GM has asked for $10 billion so it can buy Chrysler. This money would be $25 billion to cover healthcare costs, and $25 billion for general liquidity issues.
Just a few months ago it seemed like we operated on a general principle in America: if you couldn’t make enough money to cover your costs, then you went out of business. But now with unemployment at 6.5%, the argument is that jobs are so critical we must protect our industries. Keep in mind that this is how Europe operates and they are over 10% unemployment… so, maybe the logic isn’t right.
To get your blood boiling a bit, here is some news from MSNBC on how the bailout money has been spent thus far:
“As if the economic bailout by U.S. taxpayers isn't enough to make you sick to your stomach, new information has come to light that several banks are planning to pay billions of dollars in year-end bonuses from the bailout funds they received. Investigations are beginning into the nine banks that took in the first $125 billion -- the same $125 billion that was supposed to be used to unclog the credit system which was preventing banks from providing much needed funds for individuals and businesses.”
And don’t forget that lovely $440K that AIG spent on a spa for sales people.
Lets recap the amount of money spent thus far this year. A word to the wise, get some duck tape to wrap around your head, cause these numbers all together is gonna make it explode… if it hasn’t already:Yes, over $2 trillion dollars. That $8 billion for IndyMac doesn’t even seem big anymore. Oh, and keep in mind that this doesn’t include the hundreds of billions the fed has and will buy up in commercial paper and lend out to other financial firms. The deficit is nearly $440 billion this year, and the national debt is $10.5 trillion. If these numbers don’t shake the next Congress into becoming more fiscally responsible, nothing probably will.
- $29 billion for Bear Stearns
- $143.8 billion for AIG (thus far, it keeps growing)
- $100 billion for Fannie Mae
- $100 billion for Freddie Mac
- $700 billion for Wall Street, including Bank of America (Merrill Lynch), Citigroup, JP Morgan (WaMu), Wells Fargo (Wachovia), Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and a lot more
- $25 billion for The Big Three in Detroit
- $8 billion for IndyMac
- $150 billion stimulus package (from January)
- $50 billion for money market funds
- $138 billion for Lehman Bros. (post bankruptcy) through JP Morgan
- $620 billion for general currency swaps from the Fed
- Rough total: $2,063,800,000,000
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Rest of the Story
Blago
What we have to do now is ask ourselves, why is he being thrown to the wolves?
The long and short of it is, Obama, Emmanuel, Paulson and others, right up to the very top, knew exactly what Blagojevich was doing and went along with it -- until he threatened their banker friends. Ironically, this rain of shit came down on Blago for trying to do a good thing for once, when he demanded that BofA bailout a small Chicago factory that couldn't meet payroll two weeks before Christmas.
Note, it is Larry Sinclair, the guy who claims to have had sex and done drugs with Obama 20 years ago, who really asks the pertinent questions in the last entry below. It's interesting that one of his commenters (bolded below) calls Obama a "cardboard cutout" figure. Aren't they all?
----
Why the Feds Arrested Illinois Governor Blagojevich
Posted by Lew Rockwell at 11:22 AM
When the feds arrest the governor of a state, you know it can't be over corruption. After all, government is corruption. In fact, as Ken Langston points out, it was his threat against that Paulson-Bernanke fave, Bank of America, that sealed Blagojevich's fate.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/
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Illinois Threat to Bank of America Is Dangerous, Critics Say
By David Mildenberg and Brian Louis
Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s threat to halt the state’s dealings withBank of America Corp. over a shut-down factory in Chicago extends a “dangerous” trend of politicians meddling with commerce, a former general counsel of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, yesterday said the biggest U.S. retail bank won’t get any more state business unless it restores credit to Republic Windows & Doors, whose workers are staging a sit-in. John Douglas, an attorney with Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker in Atlanta, said Blagojevich and Senator Christopher Dodd -- who called on General Motors Corp. to fire Chief Executive Rick Wagoner -- can’t tell companies how to run their business.
“This is a very dangerous thing,” said Douglas, who was at the FDIC from 1987 to 1989 and has since represented financial institutions including Bank of America. “There becomes an expectation that these government officials have some say over what the institution does,” he said in an interview.
The Illinois governor met Republic Windows & Doors employees who remained at the factory since Dec. 5, after Bank of America canceled a credit line. The members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers Union have won support from politicians including President-elect Barack Obama, who said the 250 workers are justified in demanding benefits and pay.
“They’re absolutely right,” Obama, who gave up his U.S. Senate seat from Illinois last month, said over the weekend. “These workers, if they have earned these benefits and their pay, then these companies need to follow through on those commitments.” (more)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20670001&refer=home&sid=agOFtufX.FXQ
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008
OBAMA SUPPORTERS/SURROGATES NOW CLAIMING OBAMA VICTIM OF BLACKMAIL AGAIN?
by Larry Sinclair
(Updated @ 5:34pm 12-9-08) Obama transition team now officially stating that Obama senior adviser David Axelrod "simply misspoke" when in a November 23, 2008 interview Axelrod stated Obama and IL Governor did discuss Obama's senate replacement. If Axelrod told the truth, then Obama would be on tape in that discussion with the IL Governor. These tapes need to be ordered into protective custody.
Obama supporters/surrogates are now claiming that Illinois Governor was in fact trying to extort Barack Obama and claim that Obama Chief of Staff Rahm "Dead Fish" Emmanuel turned in the Governor. What is it with the Obama camp always claiming they are the victims? Obama's former classmate was accused by the Obama campaign of trying to extort money from Obama but never reported it to law enforcement, instead they reported it to the Chicago Tribune! Then Robert Gibbs claims I or someone claiming to represent me, attempted to extort Obama out of $100,000 which never happened and the campaign never made any such report to any law enforcement.
Now, the Governor of Illinois, who Barack Obama this very day claims he has had NO contact or discussions with for some time, is arrested and Obama camp claims the Governor was trying to extort Obama? Oh and Barack Obama might want to explain why David Axelrod said Obama and Illinois Governor had a lengthy phone conversation less than a month ago about Obama's Senate seat replacement.
So which is it Barack, you did or you did not discuss the filling of your senate seat with Illinois Gov?
But will the media report this conflict of statements from the Obama camp?
Posted By Larry Sinclair at 3:37 PM
http://larrysinclair-0926.blogspot.com/2008/12/obama-supporterssurrogates-now-claiming.html#comment-7296944627074747821
6 COMMENTS:
Norman Christian Hoffmann said...
Great site! Good luck with your book. BTW your copyright does not extend to software. I suggest you drop your feeds down to teasers etc. I use your feed alot on my website but then I am a loyal and dedicated fan.
Good luck with the future, Larry.
Sincerely yours,
The Editor of
NewsMediaMagazine.com
Norman Christian Hoffmann
December 9, 2008 7:09 PM
Watchmanonthewall said...
Yes they are reporting it on Dobbs but the Obama camp decided to let Axelrod take the hit and claim he misspoke. The media is in full protect Obama mode. It's idiotic. How can they arrest a Gov and charge him selling Obama's Senate seat without Obama knowing about it or even discussing it? They have the Gov on tape saying Obama refused to cough up the money!!! Pretty pathetic lying by both Obama and the media. And why would Obama come out and lie saying he had no spoken to the Gov at all. Because he had discussed it and now he has to lie. Corrupt - you betcha!
NewsMax asks what did Obama know and when did he know it. A good question the rest of the media is not asking.
I think Clinton is behind this OP to take Obama out. Look at the Fitzgerald connections - you will find the link.
December 9, 2008 7:22 PM
Anonymous said...
The more this sordid saga unfolds, the more I believe your story to be 100% true Mr. Sinclair.
December 9, 2008 7:59 PM
Anonymous said...
The government is bringing the charges against the Il. Governnor.
He is being thrown under the bus. He stuck up for the workers at the Republic Window and Dooor Co. Plant and said that the Bank of America should be boycotted by the Il. Legislature and other branches of government in the State of Il. 24 hours later he was arrested. Obama is funded by the largest operators on Wall Street and they are pushing for the bailout of their derivatives debts, so why should Obama be party to a blackmail conspirace. It sounds like a smokescreen and another false scenario. But they are living in a fantasy world so in the words of the Beatles "Nothing is Real" unless you're standing outside a closed down factory with no job and Christmas just around the corner. Obama doesn't celebrate Christmas so he can ignore that part of the tragedy too. He is apparently a cardboard cutout.
December 9, 2008 8:55 PM
EA said...
Mr. Sinclair.
You Sir are a fine Human Being. Willing to loose everything in the way of privacy to stand up to corruption.
We are out of time unfortunately, but maybe, just maybe there will be a wild card in the deck.
Either way keep well and safe, and know that many are behind you all the way.
Peace and Love to you and yours!
December 9, 2008 11:22 PM
Anonymous said...
Obama is bringing change you guys ought to be ashamed of yourselves Obama is bringing change for every American 3 cents for every dollar change
December 10, 2008 12:19 AM
Monday, December 01, 2008
Transparancy
What Americans should be more concerned about, both on the Left and the Right, is the sudden lack of transparency in government and candidacies. There existed not only questions regarding birth, but also regarding health, that remain unresolved to this day, because candidates from both parties refused to release various academic, medical and financial records.
This appalling lack of sunlight on politics, in what is supposed to be a free and fair democracy, should offend us all -- no matter whom we supported. It is most especially appalling to see those on the Left defending this "secrecy" in government and candidacies.
Private citizens have an expectation of privacy; public officials do not. That is the price they pay, and should pay.