Wednesday, August 24, 2005

What's it gonna take?

Dedicated to my friend, J. P. -

Some days, I just can't help but wonder just what it is that must happen before the cries of the populace who know and understand that our country has been kidnapped right before our eyes rise up in unity and reclaim what was once the greatest country in the world.

The entire world is watching us, wondering, waiting and wanting to know where do we as a people draw the line in the sand. Each day that passes is a day lost to something that most cannot name. And if they could, would they? Or are they immobilized by F-E-A-R, denial and betrayal, desperately hoping that someone else will take care of the situation while they continue to slumber in stuporous sleep? If I knew the answer, I would tell it. I would scream it. I would do whatever would be needed to save us from the evil, YES, E-V-I-L, manifest through the sordid existence of those who falsely name themselves agents of God.

But alas, I cannot save anyone from what is upon us unless I become You and You become Me and We become Truth. Each day we continue to excuse the lies, to remain silent as we are led closer to the edge of the abyss, is a day that we are complicit in the mockery and betrayal of humanity. I am nearly mad with outrage at what's being done in my name and I want you to be mad too. I want us to spend every waking moment commited to fighting the Good Fight, unlike the charlatans, jesters and goons who occupy Our house would wish us to believe is their charge.

Liars. Hypocrites. Evildoers. Whitened sepulchres full of the stench of rotted bones drenched in blood; not theirs, but of those they sacrifice on their altar of greed.

There is no time but this moment. Let us not squander it. Let us awaken and unite and do what we know is right from the depths of our souls. We must move, we simply must remember our humanhood; for if we do not real-ize the Truth of what our hearts and minds tell us is in alignment with all that means Sacred, we are doomed... not to be drenched in the blood we craved but rather, doomed to choke on the blood that is our own.

Peace.



To What Is Cindy a Threat?

by Butler Shaffer

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

~ Pastor Martin Niemoller

What has Cindy Sheehan done to warrant the unfocused rage and vicious name-calling to which she has been subjected? What is the nature of her "offense" that has led conservative war-whoopers to heap untold abuse upon her for daring to exercise what they pretend to "defend" – even as they work to destroy its expression – namely, individual liberty?

She has been referred to as a "crackpot," an "America hater," a "tragedy slut," a "media whore," an "anti-Semite," and a "traitor," by various conservative talk-show hosts or websites. One allegedly Christian website went so far as to say that "traitors deserve firing squads." One can buy T-shirts reading "Sheehan is Nuts," or read a seemingly endless flow of non-sequiturs having nothing to do with her stated position. She has been condemned as a "Leftist," and for her association with Michael Moore. With the same sense of irrelevance that permeates both Congress and the media, Republican congressman Duncan Hunter observed that some of her supporters looked like "aging hippies." Nor does one have to wait long, on any Reich-wing talk show, to hear the refrain that offers their unassailable response to all dissenting views: "if you don’t like it here, why don’t you go to Africa or Asia?"

At her Camp Casey site, over five hundred crosses bearing the names of soldiers killed in Iraq were knocked over by one of Cindy’s critics in a pickup truck; an act that received little criticism from the allegedly Christian war defenders. A neighbor of George Bush twice fired his shotgun into the air in the presence of Cindy’s supporters; an act which, had it been engaged in by any of the antiwar people, would have resulted in massive arrests and Bill O’Reilly bellowing accusations of "terrorism" and Cindy’s ties to Al Qaeda!

At the same time the war-lovers were excoriating Cindy for the offense of having been born, the children and spouses of persons murdered by Dennis Rader – Kansas’ BTK killer – were testifying at his sentencing hearing. I heard no words of rabid vilification – from people who had the most personal reasons for being angry at this mass-murderer – that came close to those being directed at Cindy Sheehan.

What explains these ferocious and slanderous attacks? Cindy is but one lone woman. Unlike President Bush, she does not claim to speak or act on behalf of 275,000,000 people, but only for herself. Relatives of other dead soldiers have criticized this woman, saying "she doesn’t speak for us." But I am unaware of any statement made by Cindy purporting to speak for anyone but herself. She only seeks an answer to her personal question: "why did my son die?"

Cindy Sheehan does constitute a threat, not to America, but to the totalitarian forces that insist on crushing the spirit of peace and liberty in order that they might dominate the American people. History is awash with examples of men and women eagerly cooperating with those who would subjugate and destroy them. As Pastor Niemoller’s words so eloquently remind us, cristalnacht was neither the first nor last instance of people turning upon – rather than coming to the defense of – their neighbors when under attack by the state.

Sadly, what makes Cindy such a poignant figure is the fact that she is such a lone public voice in opposition to the brown-shirted mentality that has taken over in this country. That there are many individuals who have expressed the same concerns for peace, liberty, and the ending of the Iraqi war, is obvious. LewRockwell.com, Antiwar.com, and a long list of names that include Vidal, Rockwell, Higgs, Lapham, Pilger, Raimondo, Sobran, Hedges, Cockburn, Kwiatkowski, Woods, Bock, DiLorenzo, Bovard, Conger, Hersh, and many others that would turn this into far-too-lengthy a paragraph, are outspoken critics of this regime. But while these people find expression in the Internet and some of the print media, Cindy has galvanized widespread latent resentment to vicious statism and brought it to the surface.

Cindy has awakened the long-anesthetized souls of many Americans. Spirituality is a quality found only within individuals, as the expression of the inner nature of living beings. It is an attribute alien to institutional hierarchies, whose interests are confined to the physical and mechanistic world. To men and women who have adopted an institutionalized perspective, the non-material is immaterial. This is why you find little, if any, support for Cindy coming from corporations, political agencies, the major news media, or organized churches or universities. It is individuals who have responded to Cindy’s stance.

Cindy reminds people of the importance of the centered life that is free of contradiction; wherein one’s words and actions exhibit integrity; a sense of wholeness. Unlike the institution-serving news media – who insist on deflecting our attention from such concerns by entertaining us with scandals, Hollywood gossip, and the missing person du jour – Cindy’s questions get to the essence of human character. She has awakened dormant thoughts about the loathsome nature of killing innocent people and sacrificing our children upon the altar of political ambition. She reminds us that lying does matter, that deceit is not to be applauded, and that those in power should be held accountable to some standard higher than that of self-aggrandizement.

Most of us long ago sold out our souls, and at prices determined in a buyer’s market. But deep within even the most brutish can be found the echo of a voice that asks "why?" in connection with the demands made by tyrants. It is the stirring of such voices that underlies the anger directed at Cindy Sheehan.

Being aware that the human soul can never be wholly repressed, the political establishment has never been without a laundry list of "noble causes" with which to rouse men into battle. Ridding the holy lands of infidels, freeing the slaves, making the world safe for democracy, and halting the spread of communism, are just a few of the better-known excuses for war. Unlike previous regimes – which did not have to contend with the Internet and its widespread, instantaneous flow of information – the Bush administration has had to tap-dance around lies in an effort to find a "cause" that might stick. In desperation, it exhumed Wilson’s excuse for America’s participation in World War I: to foster "democracy." But in today’s political climate, I wonder if Bush’s campaign on behalf of "democracy" is designed for any higher purpose than to allow one of his most ardent supporters, Diebold Election Systems, to sell more of its voting machines!
Increasing numbers of Americans are beginning to grasp the wholesale fraud underlying Bush’s foreign policies. His administration has been dominated almost exclusively by the worldwide pursuit of power. Not power as a means for the accomplishment of some end, but power for its own sake; not power "to," but power "because."

This administration is as Machiavellian as any I recall in my lifetime, having already done much to rehabilitate the image of Nixon! In their predilection for political power, they have internalized Machiavelli’s advice "never to let his thoughts stray from the exercise of war." Even the tortures at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere bear the imprimatur of their 16th century guru: "A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and faithful."

When power becomes its own raison d’ĂȘtre, how it is acquired, upon whom it is exercised, and for what alleged purpose, become irrelevant questions. If power is an end in itself, and war is a strategy for keeping and expanding such power, the enemy can be selected by the tossing of coins or the throwing of darts at a world map. Was Afghanistan harboring Osama Bin Laden? Did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction, and did he plan to use them on Americans? Did Hussein have any connections to Al Qaeda or the attacks of 9/11?

There is no point to engaging in an empirical discussion of such questions, for to the neo-Machiavellians – and their flag-waving sycophants – answers do not really matter. To kill and die on behalf of lies is as meaningful as doing so for some allegedly loftier calling. It is enough that the state needs a permanent condition of war to sustain and enhance its powers. The "why?" of things is left to men and women whose conduct is informed by moral and philosophic principles; the kind of people whose sense of propriety is being aroused by Cindy Sheehan.

But for people or systems whose decision-making is focused on quantitative rather than qualitative factors, on the purely physical instead of the metaphysical, such normative inquiries can be most unsettling. There is no word more aggravating to authority figures than "why." To have to justify actions against another by criteria other than the arbitrary exercise of one’s will, is a challenge to the brute, a confrontation of bullying behavior.

To openly question power is one of the prime reasons for the unrestrained expression of ideas and opinions in society. Free speech – whatever its medium – is premised on the idea that there are normative standards by which the propriety of governmental action is to be judged. But if power is to be its own purpose – restrained only by logistics, material calculation, and causal analyses – what remains to be evaluated and judged? Beyond such mechanistic considerations, what is the relevance of opinions as to the "rightness" or "wrongness" of state action? One is either compliant or disobedient, and if you don’t like what the state demands "why don’t you move to another country?"

Institutional fears of questioning minds plagued mankind long before inquisitions, heresy trials, and the persecution of witches made such vicious practices known to every educated person. Modern statists are equally aware of the disruptive consequences of the free flow of information as well as philosophic, value-laden questions they are incapable of answering.

Institutions insist upon nothing so much as the maintenance of the status quo. But the prevailing state of affairs is being challenged by processes of decentralization that are causing vertically-structured institutional systems to collapse into horizontally-networked patterns of which I have often written. It is the de-institutionalizing of society that represents "terror" to established interests, against which "wars" must be fought.

But there are those who question the rationale for societies operating on the premise of unquestioning obedience to self-styled emperors; rulers who enjoy the unrestrained exercise of police powers and military authority. America and Great Britain are two Western nations succumbing to this totalitarian madness. The first step, in this absolutist subjugation of erstwhile free people, will be to restrain free expression and the questioning of state policies.

Hillary Clinton proposed such chains upon the Internet a few years ago, suggesting that a "gatekeeper" – guess who – control what gets communicated through this medium. Other totalitarian minds – such as Bruce Fein, Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer, and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman – have proposed the punishment or blacklisting of those who engage (in Fein’s words) in "speech likely to motivate terrorism." "Reasonable suspicion" of "sympathy with terrorism" would seem enough to satisfy Fein’s test for calling in the state!

Friedman’s proposed government blacklist – what he terms a "War of Ideas Report" – would include "excuse makers" (i.e., those who "tell us why imperialism, Zionism, colonialism or Iraq explains why the terrorists acted"). According to public opinion polls, most Americans would appear on Friedman’s blacklist, as they see a connection between the Iraq war and terrorist activity!

Just how far such thought-policing might go was well-expressed by Bill O’Reilly who declared that "any American that undermines [the Iraq War] . . . is a traitor. . . . [A]ll those clowns over at the liberal radio network, we could incarcerate them immediately. . . . Send over the FBI and just put them in chains." Such is the evidence for an intellectually bankrupt political system in freefall.

In his short story, Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut presented what has to be the ultimate crime in a bureaucratic police-state: "suspicion of intent to conspire." Life is now imitating art, with Britain’s Tony Blair leading his own war against individual liberty. Blair recently announced his plan to deport any non-citizen who is guilty of "justifying or validating . . . violence," adding that visitors to Britain have a "duty" to "share and support the values that sustain the British way of life." That these "values" consist of accepting governmental policy was expressed by Blair as follows: "We are not having any of this nonsense about [the subway bombings having anything] to do with what the British are doing in Iraq or Afghanistan, or support for Israel, or support for America, or any of the rest of it. It is nonsense and we have to confront it as that." Blair’s fascistic rant was even too much for his wife who, in a speech, declared that attacking civil liberties "cheapens our right to call ourselves a civilized nation."

In other words, Blair is warning tourists that if you suggest there is a causal connection between British, American, and/or Israeli governmental policies and "terrorist" attacks, you are likely to be thrown out of the country. These standards for state action would doubtless satisfy the totalitarian preferences of Messrs. Fein, Krauthammer, and Friedman for dealing with Americans as well. To such impoverished minds, a "free society" can be maintained only as long as the state can punish those with differing opinions!

Such is the barbaric nature of the state when individuals dare to question its actions. Such savagery becomes escalated when, as now, vertically-structured, command-and-control systems are in retreat before the forces of decentralization. In such circumstances, the high-school civics class lies about the state as "representing" the "sovereign" people get stripped away to reveal Leviathan in its bloody-clawed monstrousness. Even the most gullible valedictorian might become aware that the state "serves" the public in the same way that a cannibal "serves" his neighbor!

As social systems become more decentralized and individuals regain more control over their lives, an understanding of the processes of chaos and complexity will provide insight into alternative forms of order. In the study of chaos, we learn of the "butterfly effect," wherein even the slightest local perturbation can, when reiterated back into the system, produce unpredictable global consequences. Those conditioned in the political mindset will continue to believe that, only in mass action can change occur. But with Congress having become as impotent and politically meaningless as the British House of Lords, even the most ardent political activist must begin to sense the need for alternative responses. Perhaps they will realize, as did Carl Jung, that only the transformation of individuals can save mankind from self-destruction.

As we better understand the nature of complexity and the decentralized systems implicit therein, we may finally bring an end to the soulless and destructive machinery of state violence, and rediscover the humane sentiments that may allow us to walk away from war, torture, genocide, and other acts of repression. The world of politics divides us into groups with allegedly conflicting interests. But, as Pastor Niemoller’s words remind us, the way of peace and liberty lies in breaking down these contrived barriers and discovering what the statists hope we never learn, namely, the common interests we have in protecting one another from the state. Let us retain such thoughts as we contemplate – and join in – Cindy Sheehan’s stand on behalf of all humanity.

Let us also not forget the "butterfly effect" and the power of local, decentralized action. If wars can be started by nineteen men, armed with nothing more than box-cutter knives, perhaps peace can be precipitated by a lone woman standing alongside a road in Texas, demanding that a president be accountable for his actions. Don’t think for a moment that the established order is unaware of and fearful of just such a possibility.

August 23, 2005
Butler Shaffer [send him e-mail] teaches at the Southwestern University School of Law.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Case Closed

Every once in a while, someone crosses your path who triggers an inner response I've come to identify as "soul whispers." It can happen very quickly or evolve over time; neither way is superior to the other. What's important is the dialogue that is begun; a dialogue that ultimately becomes recognized as "soul speak." It's with that person that one can share those thoughts you might not reveal to others for many mundane reasons simply because there is no need to...Soulspeak is unconditional and by its nature defines the language of love. It knows no gender, no age, no cultural influences nor limitations. It was, and will be just what it is...the conversation of Spirit real-ized. It is with deep delight that I invite you to read the words of one of my own spirit sisters as I welcome her to share her multitude of wisdom with us all. Thank you to Elsie, my mentor, friend and sister of my soul.


Case Closed
by Elsie


The case against Karl Rove, that is. We now have all the proof we need that he isn't the political "genius" he's been acclaimed as by so many for so long. No, I'm not talking about his incredible stupidity in the treacherous outing of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame, in order to launch his smear campaign against her husband, Gulf War hero and former ambassador to Africa, Joe Wilson. That investigation is still being conducted by Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, so we'll have to wait and see what, if any, charges are brought against Rove for his part in the treachery which did so much damage to our entire intelligence community.I'm talking about the case of Cindy Sheehan, the Gold Star mother who has Bush squirming in the media spotlight because of her stand at Camp Casey, named after the son who died in Bush's war in Iraq.


As most of the watching world knows, she set up camp only a few miles down the road from Bush's ranch and oft-visited vacation spot in Crawford, TX. She and other members of the group she co-founded last year, Gold Star Families for Peace, have since been joined by members of groups who also oppose Bush's policies, such as Military Families Speak Out and Veterans For Peace, and by individuals from all over the nation who wish to lend their encouragement and support. Members of Veterans For Peace had temporarily relocated the crosses they'd been erecting at Arlington West in California since last February, when there were only 540 troops dead in the war in Iraq. Now there are over 1800. Family members of some of those troops helped erect them in carefully laid out order along the road in Crawford. I read that some Stars of David and Crescents were included, honoring the Jewish and Muslim troops who've died alongside their Christian buddies in Iraq.

Counter-protestors, organized by right-wing talk show host Mike Gallagher, who never served in the military and who has no "skin in the game", although he does have four sons - three more than Cindy Sheehan has now - showed up and placed American flags near the crosses. They chanted, "We Don't Care" as the other protestors sang, "God Bless America."

Late last Monday night, a "hostile" Texan, Larry Northern, affixed a bar and chains to his pick-up truck and plowed through that row of crosses, damaging many and running over about 50 of the American flags as well. Right-wing bloggers and media continue to assail Cindy Sheehan for her "un-American", "treasonous" behavior, and blame her for "damaging the troops' morale. If anything damages their morale, wouldn't it be the appalling disrespect for their fallen comrades which this contemptible act of vandalism showed?

What a real "genius" of a political advisor should have done, as soon as he learned of this act of wanton destruction and disrespect, was haul Bush's butt out of bed early Tuesday morning, tell him to dress in his best Texas cowboy duds, and gather up some of those tools he uses as props in his photo ops. He should have given all other members of the Bush administration who were present at the ranch orders to dress accordingly, and prepare themselves for duty on the front lines of the propaganda war. Then he should have summoned the members of the press corps, who are apparently held as perpetual hostages somewhere near that charmingly dilapidated shed on the ranch, and marched the whole assembly down the road to Camp Casey. Imagine the stunning impact of scenes of Bush and his companions helping to gather up and replant the downed crosses! Bush could have defused the mounting political tensions and hugged Cindy Sheehan and as many of her fellow protestors who were willing, without losing any political "face" or credibility at all. It was an opportunity to show himself as a "uniter, not a divider", and to prove that he really does support the troops and honor those who've given their lives for the cause he claims is "noble." TV networks and cable commentators would still be running video clips around the clock, and newspapers would be filled with articles praising his display of compassion and caring.

Instead, Rove allowed Bush's callous, insensitive remarks on Sunday about his need to stay "balanced" and to "go on with my life" to linger in the minds of the public. These remarks, made on a day when Bush had time to ride his bike but not to meet with Cindy, called to memory the difficulties Bush has had in staying "balanced" on said bike in the past, as well as a scooter and a couch (as the result of an attack by a "terrorist" pretzel). More importantly, they were a grim reminder that the troops honored by those downed crosses lost all chance of going on with their own lives, and that many thousands of others are still in harm's way in Iraq.

Tuesday morning, August 16, 2004, Bush had the perfect opportunity to reach out across the bitter and growing division in the heart and mind of his nation. He could have regained a bit of that high "moral ground" where Cindy Sheehan's feet are firmly planted.

Karl Rove, Bush's "brain", stroked out.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Take with a grain of...

In an effort to hold myself to journalistic standards though quite far from my real profession, the articles I post are only done so after meticulous verification of sources. As we all know, there is a big difference from the front page to the editorial page and I try to be careful so you know which page I'm on. Having said that, I'm offering the following piece as grist for your own mills. Many credible blogs are coming forth with this same information; enough for me to ask myself the question "if I don't post and it's true, how would I feel?" And the answer was.."not so hot!" But take with a grain of salt...or aspirin...whichever you choose.

For those of you out there who consider yourselves "sensitives" or highly attuned, I would ask you to check in with your "bullshit" (thanks, Novak) detectors and assess how you're feeling. I've said over and over again: this war is being fought on many levels. Spiritual included. Trust your senses. Listen to the stirrings inside you. Seek the truth. In all things. Always.


Nuclear Terror Drill to Go Live? Let's Hope Not

Mother Media August 10, 2005
by R. Leland Lehrman
August 10, 2005 12:56PM Santa Fe, New Mexico (Mother Media)

On June 29th, United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) posted news of a nuclear terrorism drill on its website:: "Here’s the scenario…A seafaring vessel transporting a 10-kiloton nuclear warhead makes its way into a port off the coast of Charleston, S.C. Terrorists aboard the ship attempt to smuggle the warhead off the ship to detonate it." It went on to say that "Sudden Response 05 will take place this August on Fort Monroe and will be carried out as an internal command post exercise. The exercise is intended to train the JTF-CS staff to plan and execute Consequence Management operations in support of Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IV’s response to a nuclear detonation." As Alex Jones of infowars.com and others have pointed out, terror "drills" are now known to be the favorite "cover story" for New World Order terrorist operations, as evidenced by the eerily accurate terrorism drills happening on both 9/11 and 7/7.


Recently, former CIA/DIA analyst Philip Giraldi has informed us that "Vice-President Cheney has tasked STRATCOM with "drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11- type terrorist attack on the United States" and that "the plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons."


Investigators and counter-intelligence specialists are concerned that this upcoming August nuclear terror scenario might go live to create the pretext for tactical nuclear war against Iran.
Mother Media contacted NORTHCOM Public Affairs this morning and learned that the Fort Monroe drill may begin tomorrow, 8/11. Mother Media hopes that mass awareness of New World Order methods could prevent the attacks, whether tomorrow, next week or next year.


In the course of the conversation with NORTHCOM Public Affairs, Mother Media also learned that CNN recently launched their military operations news special "Situation Room" from inside the NORTHCOM situation room in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Wolf Blitzer is the show's famously hawkish and pro-Israel host. Imagine that - a new CNN "Situation Room" military focus news program debuts in NORTHCOM headquarters days prior to a nuclear terror drill.


They're not even bothering to pretend there's separation between the press and the government anymore. CNN here makes it obvious that they are now the New World Order's propaganda mouthpiece. At the war crimes trials, let's not forget it.


Adding to the drama, the four-star commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at the Fort Monroe base where the nuclear terror drill is to occur, Kevin P. Byrnes was just relieved of his command amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. Veteran investigator Greg Szymanski has uncovered another plausible motive: "Sources close to the military who remain anonymous said Byrnes was part of a U.S. military faction discontented with the Bush administration war policies in Iraq and the potential for a nuclear disaster in Iran.


In an effort to stop the Bush administration in its tracks, sources say Byrnes was about to lead a coup against the hawks in the military and executive branch determined to lead America into a global conflict, leading to devastating ramifications for the country, as well as financial and social chaos.


Rumors inside the military say that a growing faction of discontented high-ranking officers are attempting internally to try and stop the Bush administration’s imminent plans for war with Iran in an effort to avert global war.


Although the exact number of high-ranking military involved is undetermined, sources have disclosed it appears to be evenly split between pro Bush and anti Bush factions.
Even though speculation abounds about an attempted coup relating to the Byrnes firing, no one would question the strange rumblings of war against Iran and warnings of terrorist threats on the homeland that are beginning to circulate from administration officials and media talking heads almost on a daily basis.


Further, ominous reports are even coming from the Washington Post this week that the Pentagon has developed its first ever war plans for operations within the United States, plans justifying and making necessary preparations for martial law in case of a homeland terrorist attack."


If you look at NORTHCOM's website, you will find a discussion of the situations under which Posse Comitatus, the restriction against military policing in America, can legally be suspended. One of those conditions is an attack by a nuclear or other weapon of mass destruction. Another is "insurrection."


Diabolically standing over all of these scenarios is Global Cleanse 2000 or just Global 2000, a population control methodology developed by the New World Order which includes triggered natural disasters, wars and diseases designed to reduce the world population by two thirds. Rene Welch, who had access to the Global Cleanse 2000 database in the late eighties, recently appeared on Mother Media's radio program to discuss her findings.


In response to this author's article, Israel, Iran and a Nuclear False Flag Attack, reports have been flowing into Mother Media's office confirming and buttressing this story. One former Air Force member writes that all military leaves have been cancelled after September 7th and that Homeland Security is beefing up security at local Draft Board Offices. Writing as TeaParty2Come, this source paints an ominous picture:

About 3 weeks ago I was surfing some of the sites I enjoy posting on, when someone posted in all caps that they had just heard from an officer friend in the military that all leaves had been cancelled for the month of September. Obviously aware of the false flags our government is famous for, this person sounded desperate, asking for help in confirming or denying this "rumor" from anyone who had connections in the military.


I happened to ask a co-worker friend of mine whose son in-law is in the Army (82nd) about checking out the "rumor". Well guess what, they've had to move up their leave to this coming week to come home because his unit has to be back by September 7th where upon all leaves are cancelled! They have seen a steady build up of heavy materials just sitting in storage facilities. He also commented that they were rushed through a training course on new weapons systems they just rolled out. He thought this very odd and a first.


This sent shivers all through me.


Not to push any panic buttons I spoke with a dear woman with whom I work whose son is in the Army in an artillery unit. She is a former Captain, her husband is a former Colonel and Vietnam vet and successful attorney here in our area who also happens to be dying from the effects of Agent Orange. Lo and behold their son was told all leaves are cancelled for September and in December they may get leave, but can travel no further than 17 kilometers from their base.
My niece is married to a young man in the Army stationed on the East Coast he is also 82nd, his leave has also been cancelled. Their first baby is due in December.


I'm not prone to fits of paranoia but I have to tell you, I have begun stocking water and canned goods. I am ex Air Force, I was on three ring standby most of my enlistment and was in a constant training mode. I know how this works and it doesn't sound good.


The draft board offices are in place with staff waiting for the word to go. I read an article from a guy who works in one of those offices, he said Homeland Security came in there early last month and put up bullet proof glass on the windows and iron bars, they installed blast proof glass on the doors, and removed the mail drop box slots on the outside of the building. When he asked what was going on they identified themselves as Homeland Security and said don't worry about the rest and left.


It's coming no doubt about it. Sorry I can't be more positive, but this is what I have heard with my own ears from three independent military member sources in different parts of the country.

A source in New Mexico passed this on to Mother Media a couple weeks ago:


"A friend came by today. His relative is fairly high-level in regional counter-terrorism. My friend says his relative told him they are preparing for the strong possibility that there will be 7 U.S. cities attacked with small, backpack-held nuclear devices by 'al-Qaida types.' It sounds like the propaganda -- the cover stories for PNAC or whomever these bad guys are -- has begun."


The sheer number of warnings and events, subtle hints and overt threats is now too much to ignore. More background and warning signs, especially as regards Israel and Iran can be found in my article at physics911.net entitled Israel, Iran, Mossad and a Nuclear False Flag Attack. Americans should alert friends and family members and active citizens should inform their neighbors and local authorities. Mother Media has contacted FBI counterintelligence director David Szady, who is in charge of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spying investigation, with some this information and plans to distribute it widely throughout the local, national and international media. An FBI investigation directed by Szady caught AIPAC using Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin to spy on America's Iran policy and more. Given that AIPAC is committed to war with Iran, we can imagine why they were interested in official American policy on Iran. It is still possible to stop this insanity, but it will require serious citizen initiative.

Good Luck, Fellow Citizens, and God Bless You.

Four Star General Fired For Organizing Coup Against Neo-Cons?

Reporter suggests Brynes discovered plan to turn nuke exercise into staged terror attack
Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones August 10 2005

The head of Fort Monroe's Training and Doctrine Command, four star general Kevin P. Byrnes, was fired Tuesday apparently for sexual misconduct according to official sources.

Other sources however have offered a different explanation for Byrnes' dismissal which ties in with the Bush administration's unpopular plan to attack Iran and the staged nuclear attack in the US which would provide the pretext to do so.

According to reporter Greg Szymanski, anonymous military sources said that Brynes was the leader of a faction that was preparing to instigate a coup against the neo-con hawks in an attempt to prevent further global conflict.

Indications are that, much like popular opinion amongst the general public, half the military oppose the neo-con's agenda and half support it.

Further revelations were imparted by journalist Leland Lehrman who appeared today on The Alex Jones Show.

Lehrman's army sources, including a former Captain in intelligence, became outraged when they learned that the official story behind 9/11 was impossible.

They told Lehrman that the imminent Northcom nuclear terror exercise based in Charleston, S.C, where a nuclear warhead is smuggled off a ship and detonated, was originally intended to 'go live' - as in the drill would be used as the cover for a real false flag staged attack.
This website has relentlessly discussed similar style drills which took place on the morning of 9/11 and on the morning of 7/7 in London.

"Speculation exists that he had potentially discovered the fact that it was gonna go live and that he was trying to put a stop to it or also speculation indicates that he may be part of a military coup designed to prevent the ridiculous idea of doing a nuclear war with Iran, " said Lehrman.
Lehrman said that other sources had told him all army leave had been cancelled from September 7th onwards, opening the possibility for war to be declared within that time frame.
Northcom officials also admitted to Lehrman that CNN had been using its situation room as a studio.

Earlier this week, Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has developed its first ever war plans for operations within the continental United States, in which terrorist attacks would be used as the justification for imposing martial law on cities, regions or the entire country.
American Conservative Magazine recently reported that Dick Cheney had given orders to immediately invade Iran after the next terror attack in the US, even if there was no evidence Iran was involved.

Government and media mouthpieces have been fearmongering for weeks about how a nuclear attack within the US is imminent.

Now would be the most opportune time for the Globalists to stage a major attack, as it would head off any potential indictments against the Bush administration for their involvement in illegally outing CIA agent Valerie Plame.

While rumors circulating about indictments having already taken place against Bush and Cheney should rightly be treated very carefully, the fact that there is an ongoing criminal investigation into the matter is something that's admitted and shouldn't be viewed as speculation.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Bloodlust for Oil

I don't know how much plainer it could be said. We have been lied to. We ARE being lied to. We will continue to be lied to until we demand accountability and get this evil regime out of our democracy. Are you ok with the lies? If so, then stop reading right here. If not, read the following article to understand why. It is not new "news" for those who have been paying attention. For others, it's a good place to start. And for the numbed down, dumbed down "patriots," it doesn't matter.

First, it was "WMD." Then it was "liberation." Next, we were "spreading freedom to those who hate us for our freedoms." All reasons to assuage the guilt of genocide but, any thinking, rational and reasonably astute American understands that all of it was nothing more than intellectually staggering sleight of "speech" in the grandest magic show ever staged upon our people. But the curtain is about to close on the final act and the best we can hope for is that the actors do not return for an encore.

"Money is the root of all evil." Indeed.

**********

You have heard the term "follow the money". The attack on IRAN beforeMarch of 2006 is no different. Iran is going to open the FIRST Oil Trading Market (in EURO's) March 2006. This is NOT GOOD for the US Dollar.Many of you know that IRAQ changed from trading OIL in the $US to Euros BEFORE he was attacked and other OPEC Countries have suggested the same....why? Because the US dollar is weak and getting weaker. The Iran Oil trading market has been known for some time. Bush will not "let this happen."

Petrodollar Warfare: Dollars, Euros and the Upcoming Iranian Oil Bourse

by William R. Clark
(Friday August 05 2005)

In 2002 I wrote an award-winning online essay that asserted Saddam Hussein sealed his fate when he announced on September 2000 that Iraq was no longer going to accept dollars for oil being sold under the UN's Oil-for-Food program, and decided to switch to the euro as Iraq's oil export currency. Indeed, my original pre-war hypothesis was validated in a Financial Times article dated June 5, 2003, which confirmed Iraqi oil sales returning to the international markets were once again denominated in U.S. dollars – not euros.

Concerning Iran, recent articles have revealed active Pentagon planning for operations against its suspected nuclear facilities. While the publicly stated reasons for any such overt action will be premised as a consequence of Iran's nuclear ambitions, there are again unspoken macroeconomic drivers underlying the second stage of petrodollar warfare – Iran's upcoming oil bourse. (The word bourse refers to a stock exchange for securities trading, and is derived from the French stock exchange in Paris, the Federation Internationale des Bourses de Valeurs.) In essence, Iran is about to commit a far greater "offense" than Saddam Hussein's conversion to the euro for Iraq's oil exports in the fall of 2000.

Beginning in March 2006, the Tehran government has plans to begin competing with New York's NYMEX and London's IPE with respect to international oil trades – using a euro-based international oil-trading mechanism. The proposed Iranian oil bourse signifies that without some sort of U.S. intervention, the euro is going to establish a firm foothold in the international oil trade. Given U.S. debt levels and the stated neoconservative project of U.S. global domination, (google PNAC) Tehran's objective constitutes an obvious encroachment on dollar supremacy in the crucial international oil market.

Despite the complete absence of coverage from the five U.S. corporate media conglomerates, these foreign news stories suggest one of the Federal Reserve's nightmares may begin to unfold in the spring of 2006, when it appears that international buyers will have a choice of buying a barrel of oil for $60 dollars on the NYMEX and IPE - or purchase a barrel of oil for €45 - €50 euros via the Iranian Bourse. This assumes the euro maintains its current 20-25% appreciated value relative to the dollar – and assumes that some sort of U.S. "intervention" is not launched against Iran. The upcoming bourse will introduce petrodollar versus petroeuro currency hedging, and fundamentally new dynamics to the biggest market in the world - global oil and gas trades. In essence, the U.S. will no longer be able to effortlessly expand credit via U.S. Treasury bills, and the dollar's demand/liquidity value will fall.

http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/17450

IF you don't think the world doesn't know what is going on...guess again. China will not sit down and watch their "oil connection" taken over.









Tuesday, August 09, 2005

When I was thirsty you gave me to drink..

Cindy Sheehan, prior to April 4, 2004, was a wife, mother and what we might say an ordinary, middle American woman. But ordinary she is not since that fateful day; this woman learned the worst news a mother can ever face. Her son, Casey, 24 years old and on his 5th day serving in Iraq was killed by the opposition. Her pain was unspeakable but as she moved through the stages of grief, she was able to put that grief into action and created the "Gold Star Mothers," a group dedicated to learn the truth and to support, comfort and console one another. When she was able to mobilize her grief and shock, she began to seek answers to very hard questions, the first being "why did my son die?"

Her quest for the truth has now brought her a mile outside Crawford, Texas. Her mission is to simply speak to the President and pose the questions that she and others deserve to have answered. Why? Why did her son die? She gave her life's blood to the blood thirsty, vacationing Brush Clearer and now, on her third day out in the hot, dry, climate surrounding fake ranches, the only thing she could surmise is that there must be a whole lot more brush than was there on his last vacation. He has no time to meet with a woman whose child lies in a coffin in the ground that came back to this country in the dark of night, away from the cameras, away from her, away from our view. Several sources now claim that this broken hearted lady, whose life is forever changed, stands to be arrested on Thursday as a "National Security Threat." Oh, how the heavens will weep should Cindy find herself in an orange jumpsuit. There is much more I could say but this is the priority...She and her supporters, and oh, how I wish I could be there, are in desperate need of water and food. The fake ranch certainly won't be providing it. But I wonder if we can. $5, $10, even $1 would be greatly appreciated..."When I was thirsty you gave me to drink..." Below are two addresses that checks can be mailed...I have a contact in Crawford that is managing donations and if sent to the addresses below, Cindy can be nourished by our hands. This is not political...it is a human matter. A little water for a grieving, haunted woman who only wishes to speak to the executor of her son? I'm not urging anyone to act in any way that doesn't feel right. I've never used my blog in a financial way but Cindy Sheehan, whom you can look up simply by a Google search, is a brave, courageous woman who is seeking truth. Can we help make her journey a wee bit easier? Losing a child, having no ability to rationalize the senseless, hurting in ways that cannot be spoken of unless one has traveled the road of losing a child, is something she deserves to know and paying a visit to the one who altered her life and her family's life needs is how she walks her journey, hopefully to find her way to the truth and just maybe some peace. She camps out for me, for you...let us give her a drink of water?

CINDY SHEEHAN
C/O CRAWFORD PEACE HOUSE
9142 E.5TH
CRAWFORD , TEXAS
76638

CINDY SHEEHAN
P.O. BOX 710218
DALLAS, TEXAS 75371-0218


Should she be arrested, any donations will go to her legal defense. And should that happen, it is very clear that not only freedom of speech is being denied but the right to peacefully assemble is gone with the wind. My heart is heavy tonight. I, too, lost a child...not through war but a brain tumor; I understand her pain. We can never quench her desire to bring her soldier home to her; but we can quench her thirst. "Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted." Where are you, George? Can you comfort and console?

As I receive more information, I will offer it to you. Thank you, brothers and sisters for hearing my plea
.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Crucifixion

I have never stopped mourning the music of the 60's. It's not to say that there isn't quality folk music out there; there is. From time to time, I'll run across a song or an artist that I'll want to explore but inevitably, I find something lacking. I'm not so sure what that is but one thing I've noted is prominence. To discuss the evolution of protest songs would take an entire dissertation but frankly, my mood is such that my own creativity is muted by all the danger I perceive around me today. Music is a way to connect emotion with reality and perhaps, our reality today is too frightening to embrace.

In Atlanta, GA yesterday, a bona fide march took place a la 60's style. Voices from the past rang out, reminding us of a place we once knew...a place where dissent was not stifled...a place where rallies could be attended by all who wished to participate without being pre-approved by those in power...a place where the truth of our equality was sung from the mountain tops and fought for valiantly...a place where individual rights were honored and respected...and where our collective rights were not plundered and raped by measures entitled by the exact opposite of their meaning that were run through Congress in the dead of the night. "Those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end...."


Oh, but they have. In our name, yours and mine, genocide is occurring. It's really nothing new, mind you, but nevertheless, this is now. The blood of our precious resource (no, not OIL, you neocon lurkers) our youth, runs through the River of Lies in a faraway land where the seeds of all we call good and holy were planted while our leaders, who call themselves good and holy create death and destruction and despair. In our name, good brothers and sisters, in our name. We can run but we cannot hide. Every voice of silence contributes to more of it. In our name.

And so yesterday, I heard Harry Belafonte interviewed on Air America having attended the march in Atlanta. And I got to thinking how at 78 years old, he is still out there, fighting for what is good and holy. And I got to thinking about Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger, Odetta, The Chad Mitchell Trio and Phil Ochs, artists who were unafraid to let their voices ring out and sing out their conscience. To wonder where they are now is to look toward Atlanta; there they are, still doing the same.

But the difference is that the enemy has changed. It lies from within. And no, for once, I don't mean in Washington. I mean it lies within you, within me, each and every time we choose complacency over compassion, silence over giving voice, fear over courage. All of life is depending on what we do now. The facts are out there. Can we bear them? Can we bear the truth of the ugliness of what is being done in our name? Until we do, we continue our downward spiral into the abyss. I don't know about you but I'd rather sing. Won't you come and sing with me?

From Phil Ochs...

Crucifixion


And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in lonliness they lie
'Till the universe expodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the briliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity, then he dies.

In the green fields a turnin', a baby is born
His cries crease the wind and mingle with the morn
An assault upon the order, the changing of the guard
Chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard
And the only single sound is the sighing of the stars
But to the silence and distance they are sworn

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you

Images of innocence charge him go on
But the decadence of destiny is looking for a pawn
To a nightmare of knowledge he opens up the gate
And a blinding revelation is laid upon his plate
That beneath the greatest love is a hurricane of hate
And God help the critic of the dawn.

So he stands on the sea and shouts to the shore,
But the louder that he screams the longer he's ignored
For the wine of oblivion is drunk to the dregs
And the merchants of the masses almost have to be begged
'Till the giant is aware, someone's pulling at his leg,
And someone is tapping at the door.

To dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance'
Cause we love you

Then his message gathers meaning and it spreads across the land
The rewarding of his pain is the following of the man
But ignorance is everywhere and people have their way
Success is an enemy to the losers of the day
In the shadows of the churches, who knows what they pray
For blood is the language of the band.

The Spanish bulls are beaten; the crowd is soon beguiled,
The matador is beautiful, a symphony of style
Excitement is ecstatic, passion places bets
Gracefully he bows to ovations that he gets
But the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweat
And saliva is falling from their smiles

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you

Then this overflow of life is crushed into a liar
The gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire.
First a smile of rejection at the nearness of the night
Truth becomes a tragedy limping from the light
All the (canonsheavens) are horrified, they stagger from the sight
As the cross is trembling with desire.

They say they can't believe it, it's a sacreligious shame
Now, who would want to hurt such a hero of the game?
But you know I predicted it; I knew he had to fall
How did it happen? I hope his suffering was small.
Tell me every detail, I've got to know it all,
And do you have a picture of the pain?

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you

Time takes her toll and the memory fades
but his glory is broken, in the magic that he made.
Reality is ruined; it's the freeing from the fear
The drama is distorted, to what they want to hear
Swimming in their sorrow, in the twisting of a tear
As they wait for a new thrill parade.

The eyes of the rebel have been branded by the blind
To the safety of sterility, the threat has been refined
The child was created to the slaughterhouse he's led
So good to be alive when the eulogy is read
The climax of emotion, the worship of the dead
And the cycle of sacrifice unwinds.

So dance dance dance
Teach us to be true
Come dance dance dance
'Cause we love you

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky
The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie
'Till the universe explodes as a falling star is raised
Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed
But they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blaze
With the speed of insanity, then he died. - Phil Ochs

It is time to throw the nails away.

"There is nothing worse than gangrene of the soul."Mike Malloy ~ 1/20/05

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs....

The signs are all there. Everywhere we turn, the clarion call bubbles beneath the surface, detectable only when you dare allow yourself to listen because if you dare, you court your own loss of sanity. We have arrived. The "Eve of Destruction" is here.

Four years exactly to this date of August 6th, 2001, a Texas carpetbagger was busily clearing fake brush from fake land when he received a most critical warning. "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" sounded the alarm to the highest officials of our government that echoed what other, truthful principals had tried to warn him of since stealing office. But this charlatan, intent on talking to fake cows while playing the starring role in "The Cowboy of the Corporate Elite," continued a month's long vacation that any blue collar factory worker would give his right arm to have. Evidently, it is much easier to brush briefings than it is to clear.

Today, while the Imposter-in-Chief relaxes again in his Crawford Vacation Resort for at least the 50th time since stealing office, we have the Vice Imposter-in-Chief also away on vacation in an undisclosed location. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. In the aftermath of Bin Laden's successful "determined" attack, we learned that Cheney was behind the orchestration of drills and military exercises, by nature qualifying as fake, being conducted at the same time a real drill was in progress against our own people resulting in a slaughter of approximately 3,000 people whose senseless deaths created thousands more victims left behind. If you happen to live in NYC, you'll discover that another drill is being orchestrated; this time, it's a bio-chemical pretend attack. Don't worry though, they're only using fake gas that carries just "tracers" of bio-chemical material for tracking purposes. No problem. We can trust our government, right?

Interestingly enough, healthcare personnel all around the country are seeing a sudden upsurge of mandatory training as first responders in the event that in 42 days, someone else becomes "determined" to strike us/US. A new tape has surfaced over the last few days warning the UK that further attacks are being planned in retaliation for their alliance with the US in Iran, oops, I meant Iraq. Oh, what's one letter anyway? "Q" is a real stickler in a Scrabble game.

The polls indicate that "We the People" are not very happy with our unelected President of the United States. For those of us who love this country and are unwilling to compromise truth over money, power, greed and lies, we might be inclined to look at these numbers with great joy. To do so, though, would be to overlook the gravest danger of all. Distraction is the primary tool that this administration uses as a tool to arm the Media Prostitutes Against Truth, and given their tanking in the polls, they're going to need some pretty powerful weapons to divert our attention from the devil's work that they do. And now, we can't even count on rainbow colored alerts; they have virtually disappeared from the scene since November 2, 2004.

So, my fellow travelers, put on your critical thinking caps. The signs are all there. Think well. Think hard. The un-Thinkable must be thought about. It must. And when you are through, there is only one thing left to do.

Act.




"There is nothing worse than gangrene of the soul."Mike Malloy ~ 1/20/05

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

14 Marines Slaughtered Today; 21 this week

Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Pete Seeger
It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in-a Loozianna,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain told us to ford a river,
That's how it all begun.
We were -- knee deep in the Big Muddy,But the big fool said to push on.
The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river'
Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big MuddyAnd the big fool said to push on.
The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"
The Captain said to him."
All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I'll lead on.
"We were -- neck deep in the Big MuddyAnd the big fool said to push on.
All at once, the moon clouded over,
We heard a gurgling cry.
A few seconds later, the captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around men!
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big MuddyWith the captain dead and gone.
We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Than the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
'Bout a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy When the big fool said to push on.
Well, I'm not going to point any moral;
I'll leave that for yourself
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers
That old feeling comes on;
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a Tall man'll be over his head,
We're waist deep in the Big Muddy! And the big fool says to push on!
Words and music by Pete Seeger (1967)TRO (c) 1967 Melody Trails, Inc. New York, NY

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Backdoor Bolton

As if things weren't already bad enough, the previously unthinkable became a reality today as Mr. Stay the Course Unwavering Right or Wrong Squatter in OUR White House recess-appointed John Bolton today after Beam Him Up Scotty McClellan dropped not so subtle hints last week to prepare us for this despicable eventuality.

The smirking monkey's eyes had more than a glimpse of "ha, ha, ha- ha- ha- fool me once shame on"...oh, forget it. We already know it will be spun into gold by the time the media pigs try to sell us yet another phony bill of goods by advancing the notion that those bad, bad, spoiled, obstructionist Democrats deprived this noble, upstanding patriot of an up or down vote. Hello, Iran..here we come!

Booed as he entered the UN to officially begin terrorizing this once noble institution, (except for FRANCE of course, right neo-cons?) he openly laughed in the entryway. Some bloggers noted that he'd recently already expanded and decorated his "new" office to accommodate the demands of his 17 month appointment. Arrogance beyond belief.

An abuser. A liar. A male chauvinist. A power monger. A sneak. A hot-headed thug who's only requirement to meet bush's agenda is that he is "loyal." Cosa Nostra anyone?

Today is a day that the United States is officially represented by the lowest of human life forms. This is the face we now show to the world.

Damn you, damn you, damn you, you sneaking snake of the night who does his best work in the dark. How dare you insult Congress and worst of all, how dare you insult the American people with this evil, underhanded move? At best, the bloodied bully you snuck through the back door as you'd planned all along accepts this job in disgrace, decadence and to the detriment of our country...once again.


The Bolton Embarrassment
John NicholsMon Aug 1, 6:29 PM ET

The Nation --

When the United States sought to be a true world leader, as opposed to a petulant global bully, this country's seat at the United Nations was occupied by great men and women. Consider just some of the amazing figures who have served as U.S. ambassadors to the international body: former Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., two-time presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson, former Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, former Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, former civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman Andrew Young, academics and public intellectuals Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Jean Kirkpatrick, Madeine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, former State Department aide and New Mexico Congressman Bill Richardson, former Missouri Senator John Danforth.

These ambassdors came from different parties and from different ideological backgrounds, they had different styles and different goals, but they had one thing in common: They served with the broad support of official Washington and the American people. When they spoke, they spoke for America. And they did so in a tradition of U.S. regard for the mission of the UN, which was perhaps best expressed by an American who served for three decades as a key player in the world council, Ralph Bunche. "The United Nations," said Bunche, "is our one great hope for a peaceful and free world."

To make that hope real, U.S. ambassadors had to be both strong and pragmatic advocates for the best interests of their own country and visionaries who recognized that all United Nations member states merited at least a measure of diplomatic regard. As Adlai Stevenson, who capped a brilliant career in American politics by representing his country at the UN during some of the hottest years of the Cold War, explained, "The whole basis of the United Nations is the right of all nations--great or small--to have weight, to have a vote, to be attended to, to be a part of the twentieth century."

Needless to say, John Bolton has never expressed any sentiment regarding international affairs or the United Nations so well or wisely as Stevenson. Bolton is a hack politician, a career retainer of the Bush family who is famous for nothing so much as his disrespect for the diplomacy and international cooperation in general, and for the United Nations in particular.
So creepy has been Bolton's partisanship -- he was a prime player in moves to shut down the recount of Florida votes following the disputed 2000 presidential election -- and so crude has been his behavior that thoughtful Republicans such as Ohio Senator George Voinovich determined that the nominee would not be an appropriate representative of the United States.But President Bush has forced Bolton on the U.S. and the UN, making a recess appointment that places his controversial nominee in the same position once occupied by Lodge, Stevenson and Moynihan.

Bolton will serve differently than his predecessors. For one thing, he is neither the intellectual nor the emotional equal of those who came before him. For another, he will be seen as a representative only of the Bush White House -- not of the United States or its people.
At a time when the United States should be a full and active participant in the United Nations, it will instead be marginalized force -- an embarrassed land represented by one its most embarrassing sons.

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been a leading advocate for bipartisan approaches to foreign policy, spoke well for America -- and for this country's shattered tradition of respect for the UN -- when he said on the day of the recess appointment: "Mr. Bolton is fundamentally unsuited for the job, and his record reveals a truly disturbing intolerance of dissent. Mr. Bolton did not win the support of a majority of members of the Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate refused to make a final decision on this nomination pending review of documents that the Administration declined to provide in blatant disregard for the Senate's constitutional rights and responsibilities. But despite all of the warning signs and all of the red flags, the President has taken this extraordinary step to send a polarizing figure with tattered credibility to represent us at the United Nations. At a time when we need to be doing our very best to mend frayed relationships, encourage real burden-sharing, and nurture a rock-solid international coalition to fight terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the American people deserve better than John Bolton."

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John Nichols's new book is Against the Beast: A Documentary History of American Opposition to Empire (Nation Books). Howard Zinn says, "At exactly the when we need it most, John Nichols gives us a special gift--a collection of writings, speeches, poems and songs from thoughout American history--that reminds us that our revulsion to war and empire has a long and noble tradition in this country." Frances Moore Lappe calls Against the Beast, "Brilliant! A perfect book for an empire in denial." Against the Beast can be found at independent bookstores nationwide and can be obtained online by tapping the above reference or at www.amazon.com