News and Politics // Current

: ^#1

The True Meaning of Patriotism

http://www.peacefreedomprosperity.com/?p=1840 An American Patriot Does Not Defend Land nor Government, It Defends The... more

shanklinmike
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CIA lied repeatedly to Congress since 2001, says CIA Director Leon Panetta

WASHINGTON — CIA Director Leon Panetta told Congress last month that senior CIA officials have concealed significant actions... more

bansheewail
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The Price they Paid for Freedom - TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL is an acronym that means "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Or in other words "Freedom isn't free, it requires a price to be paid." The acronym is taken from a science fiction book entitled "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" written by a patriot named Robert Anson Heinlein.

I mention this because it is the essence of the message that is conveyed in an email that has been circulating on the internet due to the recent 4th of July holiday. It is a reminder that many sacrifices were made by our Founding Fathers through the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent Revolutionary War.

It is also timely because our country, our republic has been demonstrating signs of being very sick and on the verge of collapse because we as a people have lost sight of our common good. We have been manipulated by the money masters to turn on each other and ascribe to the mentality of "dog eat dog". I realize this is a generality, there are indeed many people who are not of this mentality, but I am speaking in terms of the overall systemic condition. This "dog eat dog" mentality is the mainstay of most Capitalist undertakings, as they are only beholden to their stockholders.

However, I would argue that they do have a responsibility to each and every citizen of the United States, because we are unrecognized stockholders in the future of our nation and those that benefit from its capitalist free market economy. Perhaps America should be a stockholder in every single Corporation because of the privilege they, the corporations, enjoy through their "Artificial Person" status as was decreed by Nobel Prize winning Economist, Milton Friedman (a prophet and demigod of the Neo Capitalist).

The message that is circulating is copied here below:

What do you think? Is the country ripe for a new revolution? Do people care about the nation the way the founding fathers did? Are people willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of others? Has the 4th of July lost its meaning in favor of BBQ's and Fireworks? Do you think that America should be a stockholder in all corporations operating within her borders? Should corporations be allowed to have the rights of real people but not the same responsibilities as real people?TANSTAAFL is an acronym that means "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Or in other words "Freedom... more

jubal
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11 responses

6 hours ago

: ^#4

Dove World Outreach Center: Islam is of the Devil

About 125 people of diverse religions, ages and races gathered in front of the Dove World Outreach Center Wednesday evening for a... more

FallenMorgan
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7 responses

53 minutes ago

: ^#5

Ron Paul Is Right! We Should Audit the Fed: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance

http://finance.yahoo.com/techticker/article/275761/Ron-Paul-Is-Right!-We-Should-Audit-the-Fed Yahoo! Ticker Posted Jul 08,... more

shanklinmike
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20 responses

15 hours ago

: ^#6

Freedom Watch 7/8/09 Dr Ron Paul, Peter Schiff, Tom Woods, Jim Demint, Dr. Rand Paul

http://www.peacefreedomprosperity.com/?p=1832 Freedom Watch 7/8/2009 ***This article has been chosen as a discussion... more

adamsmithfreedom
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9 responses

14 hours ago

: ^#7

Statue of Liberty Beheaded

A replica Statue of Liberty stolen from a Brooklyn coffee shop reportedly turned up in a video that showed it blindfolded,... more

ebindelglass
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17 responses

18 hours ago

: ^#8

Greenpeace activists arrested for banner on Mount Rushmore

Will they be seen as 'terrorists' too? I stand with them and their message 100%. Especially since they did not hurt the... more

JanforGore
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63 responses

18 hours ago

: ^#9

Greenpeace gets Badass at Mt Rushmore

In addition to heaps of praise and words of encouragement, we’ve been getting a lot of flak from people who were upset that we would deface a national monument. My response to them is twofold: First, there are already climbing leads established on the rock, which the park employees use to clean the monument. Our climbers used those leads and were extremely cautious not to do any harm to the monument, and in the end they did not do any damage.

Second, all of the sanctimonious claims about our disrespect for what Mount Rushmore represents are completely baseless. We have utmost respect for the accomplishments of the great leaders who built this country, that’s why we chose it as the site for issuing our challenge to President Obama to be a leader on global warming. But Mount Rushmore was built on a mountain stolen from Native Americans. Adding insult to injury, we then carved a bunch of white people’s faces into it. So you gotta ask yourself: What does Mount Rushmore really represent?

For the record, a member of the local Oglala Sioux tribe has published an op-ed praising our action.

And our larger point still stands: If President Obama wants to be considered equal to the pantheon of great American leaders depicted on Mount Rushmore, he needs to start providing real leadership on global warming, the greatest challenge of our time.

The pesident is currently meeting with the rest of the G8 leaders in L’Aquila, Italy. Yesterday they held a press conference to announce that they were setting a target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. But that is not what real leadership looks like – that target had already been endorsed by 109 nations even before the G8 announcement.

Plus, as worthy as this long-term goal is, the truly critical issue is that President Obama and the rest of the world’s leaders still have not laid out an adequate roadmap for how we’re going to get there. In other words, they haven’t set short-term goals that are ambitious enough to get us to the long term goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius. Scientists have clearly stated that the United States and other industrialized countries must cut their emissions by 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. But the Obama Administration, like Congress, continues to promote short-term emissions reductions targets that fall far short of what science demands.

We can’t continue to put off for tomorrow what science tells us we need to do today. While the 2 degree commitment would appear to recognize the severity of the crisis we're facing, the Obama Administration and the G8 have failed to provide any plan for staying below this critical threshold. Sign our petition now and ask Obama to be a leader on global warming, not just here in America but for the world as well.In addition to heaps of praise and words of encouragement, we’ve been getting a lot of flak from people who were upset that... more

asherp
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4 responses

6 hours ago

: ^#10

My Debate With A Socialist (Argument #2)

http://www.peacefreedomprosperity.com/?p=1748 by Jim Anderson Interestingly enough, he agreed by saying that I was... more

polochick85
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18 responses

14 hours ago

: ^#11

Video Shows Metro Operator Asleep at the Controls

"At first he's dozing off then, he's not in a full sleep. I see him start to doze off and his head going... more

sickinjersey
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10 responses

11 hours ago

: ^#12

Recession leads to less rush hour congestion

Drivers are spending less time stuck in rush-hour traffic for a second straight year, the first-ever two-year decline in... more

ebindelglass
added this

7 responses

18 hours ago

: ^#13

What The Alternative Parties Need To Do

Since it was founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party hasn’t really gotten anywhere. I believe that the party was doomed at birth – not because of ideology or structure, but because of misguided ambitions. In this blog I will be talking about the Libertarian Party, but this can be applied to any alternative party in the United States.

In 1972 the LP had eighty members and ballot access in two states. There should not have even been a Libertarian candidate for President in that year. John Hospers should have ran for Congress, or for the California state legislature.

Candidates from alternative parties can and do fair better in congressional elections. Less people you have to reach with your message, and thus, less money that has to be spent. You have to target the whole state in a race for governor or senator, and the whole nation in a presidential race. Alternative candidates rarely win, but they do have a nasty habit of taking a big chunk of the vote.

With an effective campaign, that chunk can grow, perhaps even growing in size to a plurality. The chances of that happening can increase in an election for the state legislature. The sad fact about the centralization of government is that nobody cares about the state legislature. The only reason why people even vote in such elections is because it’s on the same ballot as the “important” stuff. It’s worth noting too, that voter turnout drops dramatically in the midterm elections.

I did not see one commercial for any of the people running for the state senate in my district in 2008. I did not even know there was a state senate, or know who was running, before I got a sample ballot. Because, they got absolutely no media coverage, as far as I know – nothing.

If one candidate gets a fifty dollar thirty-second commercial, he or she can accomplish victory. It’s the same for city council and other more local elections. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t care or that I don’t care – it’s just that it seems as though nobody cares, and to me that contributes to why American politics are in such a sad state.

The Libertarian Party should have worked from the ground-up, not the top-down. They should have put their resources towards elections for Congress, state legislatures, and local offices, with the national (or state) party contributing a logical amount of money for that person’s campaign.

There have been some elections where it was only a Republican and a Libertarian, or a Democrat and a Libertarian. In either case, the former usually received a huge majority. Does this mean people don’t agree with libertarianism? No. It means a lot of people don’t know what a “Libertarian” is.

In alternative party campaigns for president, a huge amount of funding goes to ballot access. Many states have very tough ballot access laws. Often, thousands of signatures are required, and the occasional legal battle shows up, taking up a lot of time and money. Imagine what ballot access laws would be like, if the state’s legislature had a multi-party structure. They’d still exist, probably, but there would be less toiling involved.

Once the Libertarian Party has members in Congress and state legislatures, they can move on to the offices of governor or senator. Instead of having some activist from Bumfuck, Egypt running for governor, you’ll have an actual politician running as the Libertarian candidate for governor. When there are Libertarian governors and senators, we can work on fronting a presidential candidate.

If America’s alternative political parties want to create a multi-party democracy, they have to switch gears and begin working from the bottom-up. Members of these parties can write-in Hebrew National Hot Dogs for president until their goal is accomplished.Since it was founded in 1971, the Libertarian Party hasn’t really gotten anywhere. I believe that the party was doomed at... more

FallenMorgan
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3 responses

4 hours ago

: ^#14

NYSE, DHS, the White House hit by Cyber Attack

U.S. and South Korean computer networks were besieged for days by a series of relatively unsophisticated attacks, possibly from... more

bansheewail
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2 responses

16 hours ago

: ^#15

Mexico accused of torture in drug wars

The Mexican army has carried out forced disappearances, acts of torture and illegal raids in pursuit of drug traffickers,... more

WakeUpPeople
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2 responses

9 hours ago

: ^#16

Politicide or politic: Gillard and the Gaza muzzle

Days after the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was greeted in Israel and thanked for having been "alone in sticking by us" during Operation Cast Lead, the attack on the Gaza Strip in December and January, the Jewish state added piracy to its list of recent crimes against international law. The two developments are connected, and not just by coincidence of timing.

Israel sent six military vessels to seize a ship, the Spirit of Humanity, sailing from Cyprus with relief supplies for the people of Gaza, and arrested - no, make that abducted - 21 people on board, including the Nobel laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire. After a week in detention, they were released and deported.

At no time did the Spirit enter Israeli waters, so Israel's action could be deemed piracy under the definition of the International Maritime Bureau: "The act of boarding any vessel with an intent to commit theft or any other crime, and with an intent or capacity to use force in furtherance of that act". At least it amounts to an infringement of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which reserves the high seas for "peaceful purposes".

The Spirit's three-tonne cargo included medical and reconstruction supplies, and children's toys. Greece, whose flag the ship was flying, has asked for its return, and Israel says some of the goods on board may be passed on to Gazans for whom they were intended, "subject to security clearance". For now, it is forcibly keeping them from their rightful owners.

The international jurist Richard Falk, who has served as UN Human Rights Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, points out that this compounds an existing and ongoing violation of international law. The boat set sail in response to Israel's blockade of Gaza, which, Falk says, contravenes Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits any form of collective punishment of an occupied people.
---------------there's alot more at the link. The above story is typical. Speak against any thing Israel does, and you will be castrated as a hater or antisemitic, despite the FACT that Israel has broken numerous laws, as well as criminal acts.Days after the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, was greeted in Israel and thanked for having been "alone in sticking by... more

WorldPeaceTV
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1 response

1 hour ago

: ^#17

Israel shows its Criminal Guilt: Gaza War Crimes Probe Faces Israel Resistance

The fact that Israel will not cooperate with ANY investigation, is in itself a show of Guilt. This Guilt is for crimes against humanity that are some of the most atrocious acts ever committed against innocent people-here's the story...

Donatella Rovera, who headed a field research mission to Gaza and southern Israel during and after the conflict said that "Israel's failure to properly investigate its forces' conduct in Gaza, including war crimes, and its continuing refusal to cooperate with the UN international independent fact-finding mission headed by Richard Goldstone, is evidence of its intention to avoid public scrutiny and accountability." Donatella Rovera added, "the international community, led by the UN Security Council, must use all its leverage to ensure that Israel cooperates fully with the Goldstone inquiry, which now offers the best means to establish the truth."

The Amnesty International report documents Israel's use of battlefield weapons against a civilian population trapped in Gaza, with no means of escape. The report is based on evidence gathered by Amnesty International delegates, including a military expert, during field research in January and February. The report shows that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired hundreds of rockets into southern Israel, killing three Israeli civilians, injuring scores and driving thousands from their homes. "Such unlawful attacks constitute war crimes and are unacceptable," added Donatella Rovera.

In an Amnesty International release, the organization indicates that the scale and intensity of the attacks on Gaza were unprecedented. Some 300 children and hundreds of other unarmed civilians who took no part in the conflict were among the 1,400 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. Most were killed with high-precision weapons, relying on surveillance drones which have exceptionally good optics, allowing those observing to see their targets in detail. Others were killed with imprecise weapons, including artillery shells carrying white phosphorus – not previously used in Gaza - which should never be used in densely populated areas.

Amnesty International found that the victims of the attacks it investigated were not caught in the crossfire during battles between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces, nor were they shielding militants or other military objects. Many were killed when their homes were bombed while they slept. Others were sitting in their yard or hanging the laundry on the roof. Children were struck while playing in their bedrooms or on the roof, or near their homes. Paramedics and ambulances were repeatedly attacked while attempting to rescue the wounded or recover the dead.

"The deaths of so many children and other civilians cannot be dismissed simply as 'collateral damage', as argued by Israel," said Donatella Rovera. "Many questions remain to be answered about these attacks and about the fact that the strikes continued unabated despite the rising civilian death toll."The fact that Israel will not cooperate with ANY investigation, is in itself a show of Guilt. This Guilt is for crimes against... more

WorldPeaceTV
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1 response

54 minutes ago

: ^#18

The information revolution has begun!

The information revolution has begun! This is a set of new clips from 2009 exposing the new world order, Barack Obama, and the... more

Highr0ller
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3 responses

6 hours ago

: ^#19

A Jews View: Visit to Gaza was an assault on sense of justice

By Joyce Ravitz
When I was growing up, my parents instilled in me the knowledge that Jews were hardworking people who would not stand for injustice. My Jewish education taught me that Jews were obliged to fight against discrimination and other wrongs whenever they occurred. And we met discrimination ourselves. My parents left the Lower East Side and I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town. My uncle, brother and I were the only non-Christians in the school system. A friend asked to see my horns. It was difficult. No wonder I returned to the Lower East Side.

When I was 13, my grandmother took me on a pilgrimage with Hadassah (the Zionist women’s organization) to Israel in 1956. I remember the wonderful feelings I had traveling around this new exciting pioneer state. This land opened its doors to people who had survived the Holocaust, to people who had been banished from their homes because they were Jews. The United States and other countries did not let these refugees enter their borders but, in essence, gave them a small piece of land on which they could resettle. It was a time of hope and passionate belief in how special Israel was and would become. I grew up believing that a people who had no land were given a land that had no people.

I am heartbroken and appalled by what Israel, the land I loved, is doing in Gaza today. On my trip in late May of this year, I witnessed physical and psychological damage from the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Israel had been blockading Gaza — by air, sea and land — for years before this recent December and January assault. The years-long blockade itself threatened the lives of adults and children. Most Gazans were unable to get medication or go to hospitals. Think of what your life would be like without ordinary items, such as fabric, thread, needles, candles, matches, mattresses, sheets, blankets, cutlery, crockery, cups, glasses, musical instruments, books, tea, coffee, chocolate, sesame seeds, nuts, crayons, clothing and shoes. These have not been allowed legally into the Gaza Strip for years. People in Gaza essentially live in a prison colony that they cannot leave.

Yes, Hamas sent rockets into nearby cities. And yes, these rockets violated international law since they were aimed at civilians. Israel returned with sophisticated weapons and an all-out assault on areas densely populated with Palestinian civilians who cannot leave, killing more than 1,400 people, including many children. Thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed during the December-January bombing. The number of deaths is disproportionate for Israel’s claim to be acting in self-defense.

I can’t ignore the context of this violence. Palestinians have been struggling by legitimate means to end the occupation of Gaza. The proper Israeli response to such actions should be a true withdrawal from the occupied territories. Israel still controls key aspects of day-to-day Gazan life, even though it withdrew the military bases and settlements. I ate at a beachside cafe watching Israeli gunboats patrol the Gaza coast. Do prisoners control a jail because they are the only workers in the laundry, library and kitchen?

During the December assault, the residents of Gaza were told to go to safe areas. I met families who thought they were in “safe” areas during the last assault. One grandfather of a family I met was killed instantly when a white-phosphorous bomb came through the roof of his home. The mother in the same family, sitting near him, was seriously injured. When friends tried to drive her by tractor to a hospital, she was killed by Israeli solders. Her 3-year-old daughter, now motherless, has scars over both legs and a 3-inch white-phosphorous burn around her middle. This same quiet child clings to a teenage relative, afraid to leave him even for a minute. They learned that there are no safe areas in Gaza.

Israeli pressure is shrinking the actual area available to the people of the Gaza Strip further.---more belowBy Joyce Ravitz When I was growing up, my parents instilled in me the knowledge that Jews were hardworking people who would not... more