(recipe for Christmas Fruit cake we made in Virginia in Swedish)
ingredienser:
totalt 6 dl vetemjöl, delade
1 flask citron essens (30 ml)
400 gram påse hasselnötter
store påse valnötter (600 gram?)
4 burker hackad kanderade frukt blandning
3/4 tsk bakpulver
3 dl ljus russin
175 gram smör
4 ägg
för att dekorera toppen av tårta:
1 burk hela kanderade körsbär
några hela nötter
(om du har överblivin frukt eller nötter, bara lägg den till degen)
1. Smörj bakformen med lite margarin
2. Man behöver tre skålor, en liten, en mellan, och en stor
3. I den lilla skålen blanda 4 dl vetemjöl med 3/4 tsk bakpulver och låt stå
4. I den storsta skålen blanda 400g hasselnötter och en store påse valnötter, fyra burker torkade frukt blandning, 3 dl ljusa russin, och 2 dl vetemjöl, blanda väl
5. I mellan skålen använda elvisp blanda 175 gram smör och 3 dl socker, när det är väl blandade lägg till ett uns (30 ml) citron essens (ja den hela lilla flask) fyra ägg och då den innehåll av den forst lilla skålen, lägg till en tredje del åt gången, blanda väl
6. Lägg innehållet till den stora skålen, blända ihop och dela ute mellan två tårtformer eller en stor
7. dekorera toppen av kakor med hela nötter och kanderade frukt
8. baka 150 centigrader ugn för 2.5 timmar och har med en skål vatten i ugn när du bakar
Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wikileaks Reading
Wikileaks, lately I am reading embassy cables at
http://213.251.145.96/
The quardian newspaper is doing several series to help overview here is one
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-embassy-cables-key-points
This website is peers reading and discussing the cables I have really enjoyed watching this site,
http://qualitycontrol.operationleakspin.org/?ticket_status=new
Enjoy! The voice of the Embassy Cables is that of an employee reporting to their boss. For example when the embassy in Stockholm says "During seven months in office, the Alliance government has changed the labor laws to reduce unemployment benefits and
provide incentives to employment. It has announced plans to
do away with the wealth tax and abolish the valuation-based
property tax, replacing it with a much-reduced local tax. (reduced tax for somebody with property but more tax for those of us who don't) It
has introduced and is expected to pass legislation
authorizing the sale of six large state-owned businesses
during the coming three years." The tone is of approval.
http://213.251.145.96/
The quardian newspaper is doing several series to help overview here is one
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/29/wikileaks-embassy-cables-key-points
This website is peers reading and discussing the cables I have really enjoyed watching this site,
http://qualitycontrol.operationleakspin.org/?ticket_status=new
Enjoy! The voice of the Embassy Cables is that of an employee reporting to their boss. For example when the embassy in Stockholm says "During seven months in office, the Alliance government has changed the labor laws to reduce unemployment benefits and
provide incentives to employment. It has announced plans to
do away with the wealth tax and abolish the valuation-based
property tax, replacing it with a much-reduced local tax. (reduced tax for somebody with property but more tax for those of us who don't) It
has introduced and is expected to pass legislation
authorizing the sale of six large state-owned businesses
during the coming three years." The tone is of approval.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
SD are better than Pirates?
This is an unclassified cable in the wikileaks archive that describes Sweden's Pirate party from June 10, 2009.
'A side effect of the Pirates’ success is that it most likely reduced the chances for the far-right nationalist Sweden Democrats to gain representation in the EP. The Pirates have some of the same voter base -- young men with mistrust for politicians. Although the Sweden Democrats tripled their results to 3.3%, up from 1.1% in 2004, they remain below the threshold for representation in either the EP or Swedish Parliament.'
Why is it in American interest to groom a xenophobic backwards little party who focusses on immigration compared to the intelligent rebellious party who focusses on changes to copyright law and file sharing? Do I really need to ask after what has gone on in US with the Tea Party? ( although in my opinion I have an issue with single issue parties)
The voice of the cables is of course extremely opinionated and not neutral when it comes to the election results around the world, when it is seen as affecting the American governments interests. From living in Virginia and experiencing first hand the detrimental effects of media concentration, gerrymandering, single issue, opaque ballot counting, and dirty campaigning, I know how much the establishment we have today values democracy. The results speak for themselves.
'A side effect of the Pirates’ success is that it most likely reduced the chances for the far-right nationalist Sweden Democrats to gain representation in the EP. The Pirates have some of the same voter base -- young men with mistrust for politicians. Although the Sweden Democrats tripled their results to 3.3%, up from 1.1% in 2004, they remain below the threshold for representation in either the EP or Swedish Parliament.'
Why is it in American interest to groom a xenophobic backwards little party who focusses on immigration compared to the intelligent rebellious party who focusses on changes to copyright law and file sharing? Do I really need to ask after what has gone on in US with the Tea Party? ( although in my opinion I have an issue with single issue parties)
The voice of the cables is of course extremely opinionated and not neutral when it comes to the election results around the world, when it is seen as affecting the American governments interests. From living in Virginia and experiencing first hand the detrimental effects of media concentration, gerrymandering, single issue, opaque ballot counting, and dirty campaigning, I know how much the establishment we have today values democracy. The results speak for themselves.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Suicide Bomber Scare?
What has become of Aftonbladet? Wasn't it the newspaper for unions? Today the headline reads suicidebomber! And when you click on it you see some guy actually had a fatal accident with explosives and not near any people whatsoever. Well..... I asked my class this past week, please let Sweden never become like the US with bomb sniffing dogs every time you go on a train, for example. I hope the Swedish people see through this bullcrap. The wikileaks emails reveal a government planning to sell off six large companies, reducing unemployment benefits and no plans for anything better. Of course we can build up an economy with lots and lots of police of all flavors...
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Banks or their Minions Running the Show
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/valet2010/socialdemokraterna/article8121040.ab
Party politics are new to me but banks or private interests running the government is not. Sweden's social Democratic party is being threatened to play along with the privitization schemes, putting the Swedish people into debt and losing social protection, or become irrelevant. By become irrelevant it just means the newspapers will bully them as they do today, right? Or is there more? I have been reading an economist from University of Kansas, Michael Hudson who wrote, -“Join the fight against labor, or we will destroy you,” the EC is telling governments. This requires dictatorship, and the European Central Bank (ECB) has taken over this power from elected government. Its “independence” from political control is celebrated as the “hallmark of democracy” by today’s new financial oligarchy.-
If this is so then the Social Democratic party, given their history of representing the needs of labor, just became more important than ever. It is no wonder that making people like Leif Pagrotsky sit down and shut up has become so urgent, or relegating the Swedish people to a two party system.
Party politics are new to me but banks or private interests running the government is not. Sweden's social Democratic party is being threatened to play along with the privitization schemes, putting the Swedish people into debt and losing social protection, or become irrelevant. By become irrelevant it just means the newspapers will bully them as they do today, right? Or is there more? I have been reading an economist from University of Kansas, Michael Hudson who wrote, -“Join the fight against labor, or we will destroy you,” the EC is telling governments. This requires dictatorship, and the European Central Bank (ECB) has taken over this power from elected government. Its “independence” from political control is celebrated as the “hallmark of democracy” by today’s new financial oligarchy.-
If this is so then the Social Democratic party, given their history of representing the needs of labor, just became more important than ever. It is no wonder that making people like Leif Pagrotsky sit down and shut up has become so urgent, or relegating the Swedish people to a two party system.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Swedish Election 2010
Today there is a large demonstration of between 5 to 7 thousand people in Stockholm because a political party in Sweden that ran their election platform completely on racism. They made the 4% necessary to get some representatives into parliament. As for me and me and my family, we are heartbroken. I am stunned at Swedish people being fooled by the racism card, after we have read so often in the US racism is used to stir up hatred against the wrong cause. It gets the people chasing their tails while they are being ripped off. Even the 'left' media here was very key in making sure the public felt they were doing a corageous thing to vote for people who will take away their right to vote. The parliment will be ruled with a right wing coalition of the environmentalists, which means that people who voted for the environmentalists see their vote go to privatization and more social Darwinistic policies.
The result is orchestrated to get all the protest voting used against citizens own interests.
The result is orchestrated to get all the protest voting used against citizens own interests.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Homage to Catalonia
Short and informative, amazing story of George Orwell's volunteered service with the P.O.U.M. militia during the Spanish Civil War.
http://www.george-orwell.org/Homage_to_Catalonia/0.html
http://www.george-orwell.org/Homage_to_Catalonia/0.html
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Swedish-Afghan Hospital Raided by US Soldiers
The military raided the Swedish-Afghan hospital
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/militar-razzia-mot-svensk-afghanskt-sjukhus-1.946596
A hospital that operates Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, not far from Kabul has been scanned with harsh methods by U.S. soldiers.
The hospital is located in Shaniz in Wardak province. The soldiers arrived late Wednesday evening in a convoy of military vehicles. They were quickly into the clinic without asking for permission or even giving an explanation. Four staff and two relatives of patients were tied up. Locked doors were opened by force with violence. And patients, even in bed sick, were forced out of the hospital during the raid, as reported by the committee on Sunday. -
This is not acceptable. It is a violation of international agreements, and also a threat to our operations and personnel safety, "says Anders Fänge, director at the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, told TT.
All the rooms and halls were searched, including the Department for Women. Around midnight, the soldiers went away. But first they ordered the hospital staff to report to the NATO-led ISAF forces in case suspected Taliban seek care. -
Our hospital takes care of all wounded and sick, regardless of which ethnic group they belong, or whether they are rebels, government soldiers or civilians. And we do not report to either side, "says Fänge. (my note-hippocratic oath, international law)
The hospital is located in the province of Wardak, south of the capital Kabul, and the area is often shaken by conflict and attacks. Earlier this summer, got the same hospital raided by a private security force that appeared threatening, destroying equipment and beating employees. The Force was hired to protect from a convoy of insurgents - and wanted care after a violent assault.
The hospital is situated in a conservative, religious Pashtun area. Important to note that that foreign men infringing on the women's department brings bad blood. At the end of August, NATO and Afghan army attacked a hospital in the province of Paktia after information that a Taliban leader was treated there. All parties to the conflict - the Taliban, NATO, the government army and the warlords - have at various times harassed or attacked a hospital and medical staff.
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/militar-razzia-mot-svensk-afghanskt-sjukhus-1.946596
A hospital that operates Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, not far from Kabul has been scanned with harsh methods by U.S. soldiers.
The hospital is located in Shaniz in Wardak province. The soldiers arrived late Wednesday evening in a convoy of military vehicles. They were quickly into the clinic without asking for permission or even giving an explanation. Four staff and two relatives of patients were tied up. Locked doors were opened by force with violence. And patients, even in bed sick, were forced out of the hospital during the raid, as reported by the committee on Sunday. -
This is not acceptable. It is a violation of international agreements, and also a threat to our operations and personnel safety, "says Anders Fänge, director at the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, told TT.
All the rooms and halls were searched, including the Department for Women. Around midnight, the soldiers went away. But first they ordered the hospital staff to report to the NATO-led ISAF forces in case suspected Taliban seek care. -
Our hospital takes care of all wounded and sick, regardless of which ethnic group they belong, or whether they are rebels, government soldiers or civilians. And we do not report to either side, "says Fänge. (my note-hippocratic oath, international law)
The hospital is located in the province of Wardak, south of the capital Kabul, and the area is often shaken by conflict and attacks. Earlier this summer, got the same hospital raided by a private security force that appeared threatening, destroying equipment and beating employees. The Force was hired to protect from a convoy of insurgents - and wanted care after a violent assault.
The hospital is situated in a conservative, religious Pashtun area. Important to note that that foreign men infringing on the women's department brings bad blood. At the end of August, NATO and Afghan army attacked a hospital in the province of Paktia after information that a Taliban leader was treated there. All parties to the conflict - the Taliban, NATO, the government army and the warlords - have at various times harassed or attacked a hospital and medical staff.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
When Will America Wake Up?
Front Page News here today translated from http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/analys/wolfganghansson/article5737972.ab
President Obama will be able to close the Internet with one touch.
Sounds like a joke?
In the name of combating terrorism is everthing permitted. Behind the U.S. bill to "turn off" the Internet is a legitimate fear. Next time Al-Qaeda or other terrorist organizations strikes, it is perhaps not the skyscrapers, but the computer network that controls the U.S. electricity supply, banking, or anything that would create chaos in a modern society. Yet lies a dark cloud of big brother-wacthing-you over the bill which the government can force private companies to disclose any information with reference to the law.
"What happens after 2012, nobody knows"
Interestingly, the "attack" against the open network, this time coming from one of Obama's fellow party members and not from the neo-conservatives. Senator Jay Rockefeller - grandson of the famous oil magnate John D. Rockefeller - voted for the Iraq war, but very soon he turned to Bush and the war. The wording of the bill are very general in nature and would give the president broad powers to decide when a cyber emergency situation "exists. Although in practice it is more about turning off individual servers than the entire Internet. With a reasonable person in the White House, it is perhaps no danger. Right now, Obama seems to have no Dr. Strangelove-trends. It can be changed. What happens after 2012, nobody knows.
The will to defend their country is strong
Instead of Obama maybe it sits a Sarah Pallin in the White House. The will to defend their country with the means whatsoever is very strong in the U.S.. Just look at how George W. Bush acted after the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001. He allowed one million Americans to intercept phone calls and e-mail. Without the support of any law (Jay Rockefeller voted for the nolle prosequi of those involved in the illegal interception). Bush authorized torture as an interrogation method to get suspected terrorists to tell what they knew. Some of which subsequently turned out to be innocent.
"When Americans wake up?
With a vague cyberlag in the back increases the risk that a president might be tempted to take the methods of many perceived as a threat to the rule of law and democracy. The fact that there are both Democrats and Republicans who supports the bill increases the possibility that it will be adopted by the Senate. So far, most political commentators and civil rights organizations who reacted against the bill. The broad American public seems not even have a clue that it exists. Reminds a bit of resistance to the FRA law in Sweden until the eleventh hour run by a small "elite". When Americans wake up?
President Obama will be able to close the Internet with one touch.
Sounds like a joke?
In the name of combating terrorism is everthing permitted. Behind the U.S. bill to "turn off" the Internet is a legitimate fear. Next time Al-Qaeda or other terrorist organizations strikes, it is perhaps not the skyscrapers, but the computer network that controls the U.S. electricity supply, banking, or anything that would create chaos in a modern society. Yet lies a dark cloud of big brother-wacthing-you over the bill which the government can force private companies to disclose any information with reference to the law.
"What happens after 2012, nobody knows"
Interestingly, the "attack" against the open network, this time coming from one of Obama's fellow party members and not from the neo-conservatives. Senator Jay Rockefeller - grandson of the famous oil magnate John D. Rockefeller - voted for the Iraq war, but very soon he turned to Bush and the war. The wording of the bill are very general in nature and would give the president broad powers to decide when a cyber emergency situation "exists. Although in practice it is more about turning off individual servers than the entire Internet. With a reasonable person in the White House, it is perhaps no danger. Right now, Obama seems to have no Dr. Strangelove-trends. It can be changed. What happens after 2012, nobody knows.
The will to defend their country is strong
Instead of Obama maybe it sits a Sarah Pallin in the White House. The will to defend their country with the means whatsoever is very strong in the U.S.. Just look at how George W. Bush acted after the terrorist attacks in New York in 2001. He allowed one million Americans to intercept phone calls and e-mail. Without the support of any law (Jay Rockefeller voted for the nolle prosequi of those involved in the illegal interception). Bush authorized torture as an interrogation method to get suspected terrorists to tell what they knew. Some of which subsequently turned out to be innocent.
"When Americans wake up?
With a vague cyberlag in the back increases the risk that a president might be tempted to take the methods of many perceived as a threat to the rule of law and democracy. The fact that there are both Democrats and Republicans who supports the bill increases the possibility that it will be adopted by the Senate. So far, most political commentators and civil rights organizations who reacted against the bill. The broad American public seems not even have a clue that it exists. Reminds a bit of resistance to the FRA law in Sweden until the eleventh hour run by a small "elite". When Americans wake up?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Outstanding Members of Congress
http://www.actblue.com/page/theytookthepledge?refcode=moveon1
A list of pretty amazing people who should be noticed, IMHO
A list of pretty amazing people who should be noticed, IMHO
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
My View on Healthcare
To have the confidence that your family can see the doctor without the fear that it will result in years at a credit counselling service is priceless. I am surprised at those who defend degradation. I am calling my representatives and asking them to support Conyers/Kucinich Bill HR676. During his July 22, 2009 news conference, in responding to a question from MSNBC's Chuck Todd, President Obama conceded that the only way we can insure that every American has health care coverage is through a single-payer system.
At the fourth prime time health care news conference, President Obama said "I want to cover everybody. Now, the truth is that unless you have a -- what's called a single-payer system, in which everybody's automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual."
As an American voter I was lured repeated by the rainbow on the horizon. No more. There is absolutely no transparency in these private alternatives, unless I am a share holder, I have no idea what ABB pays for a transformer for example. The problems we see are due to lack of Democracy, not because of Democracy. Citizens who are held under threat of loss of their families’ healthcare by their employers have not experienced democracy. Private, non-democratic entities already expanded our money supply and destroyed our savings and investments in the US, if my retirement fund is any example. HR676 does keep healthcare delivery privately owned. We must eliminate extraneous for profit health insurance. Avoiding competition, maintenance, and services is exactly how private for profit companies increase profits. Moral hazard can be reduced when we give the powerful market forces just enough regulation to keep them from hurting each other by eliminating all competition, or hurting us as the case with denying healthcare. Nobody wants to nationalize the pharmaceutical companies either, they will have to compete, and working for us is what we pay the government to do. If a company is not profitable to its investors it is destroyed, profit can be made from the falling price of stocks. Planning on the corporate level is done for three months ahead. Healthcare, preventative care we do today will pay off in 30-50 years or more, governing is a job to execute political will of the constituents. It is true that a reform in the US political system is needed and the healthcare issue is like a litmus test, we can now see who is working for us or not. Healthcare funded by private insurance which receives government subsidy removes competition and collective bargaining which are both tools of a healthy market. I insist that healthcare for profit is fraught with great moral hazard. I support HR 676, not healthcare vouchers. Vouchers for private insurance will never keep citizens free from medical bankruptcy, or give them the choice to see any doctor they want. They will constantly fear that a treatment goes outside the boundaries of their approved plan. That is not liberty.
Having a large population is an advantage for saving money in a single payer system. More people can benefit from expensive medical equipment, for example. If little Sweden can do it, it should only inspire you in the US. (Those higher taxes in Sweden also give access to higher education and vocational training, btw.) In the case of an example of expensive kidney dialysis, it is not the same as a purchase of a BMW! But when government is paying they do research ways to lower the cost and spend more money on research. Sweden currently spends 4% of gdp on R&D according to Scientific American Magazine. (Not all the money is spent on medical research. The dialysis machine, for an example, is an investment and can used by many people. Dialysis machines are not built to wear out soon after purchase, like a cd player. As Americans we all have a similar goal. A government is meant to serve you, remember, you are the government. Sure we should not disregard the emotive element in a discussion of a budget! Doesn't our fear and paranoia justify the over bloated defence budget? Paying a deductable or surcharge is standard practice in a single payer system. Citizens are protected from too high costs, which relieves stress and this is essential to the health of your nation, your overall lifespan and the health of mothers with small children particularly. Then perhaps removing the burden of healthcare from industry is a way to facilitate innovative new business. Learn how these same problems were solved by different countries around the world, I am an American who has moved to a country with a single payer system so Iwill tout the virtues of that because of my experiences with it. I commend effort to craft a uniquely American solution and Medicare is a single payer idea of the same line as HR676, which I support.
According to the OECD, health expenditures per US citizen 5,711, rated 37th in the world for quality and coverage. France NO1, 3,048 per citizen, Sweden 23rd with 2,745, the UK is 18th 2,317 per citizen, Cuba at number 38th around 40$ per citizen, Cuba with the same lifespan as Americans and have a lower infant mortality rate.(CIA fact book updated since this post, this month). There is competition in a single payer system. Companies compete for the government contracts. Collective bargaining and direct competition between companies for the government contracts will lower the costs in a single payer system. If my insurance allows an ointment purchase at 30$, by eliminating the insurance company and my state or national healthcare plan negotiates the price of said ointment at its public facilities, the same or competing brand will cost a fraction of that. It is childlike to believe that an individual can navigate such things alone, and a delicious source of corruption for any despot. If you believe this, then you attract corruption with your gullibility. According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, the Healthcare industry in the US spent more than $134 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2009 alone. Administration consumes one-third (31 percent) of Americans’ health dollars. With a single payer financed system we could recover more than $350 billion per year. (Source PNHP)
To dispel the myth of death panels I must say this. The same end of life legislation is debated in the US and EU. Currently in VA you can watch Senator Warner questioning Director of the finance committee for his input on YouTube. EU legislation discussing assisted suicide is demanded by the people for conditions where nothing more can be done for the patient when medical solutions are exhausted and the patient themselves has demanded it, to secure the dignity and liberty of that individual, to honour their wishes and is unique the EU country in which the law is crafted, as it will be in Virginia.
At the fourth prime time health care news conference, President Obama said "I want to cover everybody. Now, the truth is that unless you have a -- what's called a single-payer system, in which everybody's automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual."
As an American voter I was lured repeated by the rainbow on the horizon. No more. There is absolutely no transparency in these private alternatives, unless I am a share holder, I have no idea what ABB pays for a transformer for example. The problems we see are due to lack of Democracy, not because of Democracy. Citizens who are held under threat of loss of their families’ healthcare by their employers have not experienced democracy. Private, non-democratic entities already expanded our money supply and destroyed our savings and investments in the US, if my retirement fund is any example. HR676 does keep healthcare delivery privately owned. We must eliminate extraneous for profit health insurance. Avoiding competition, maintenance, and services is exactly how private for profit companies increase profits. Moral hazard can be reduced when we give the powerful market forces just enough regulation to keep them from hurting each other by eliminating all competition, or hurting us as the case with denying healthcare. Nobody wants to nationalize the pharmaceutical companies either, they will have to compete, and working for us is what we pay the government to do. If a company is not profitable to its investors it is destroyed, profit can be made from the falling price of stocks. Planning on the corporate level is done for three months ahead. Healthcare, preventative care we do today will pay off in 30-50 years or more, governing is a job to execute political will of the constituents. It is true that a reform in the US political system is needed and the healthcare issue is like a litmus test, we can now see who is working for us or not. Healthcare funded by private insurance which receives government subsidy removes competition and collective bargaining which are both tools of a healthy market. I insist that healthcare for profit is fraught with great moral hazard. I support HR 676, not healthcare vouchers. Vouchers for private insurance will never keep citizens free from medical bankruptcy, or give them the choice to see any doctor they want. They will constantly fear that a treatment goes outside the boundaries of their approved plan. That is not liberty.
Having a large population is an advantage for saving money in a single payer system. More people can benefit from expensive medical equipment, for example. If little Sweden can do it, it should only inspire you in the US. (Those higher taxes in Sweden also give access to higher education and vocational training, btw.) In the case of an example of expensive kidney dialysis, it is not the same as a purchase of a BMW! But when government is paying they do research ways to lower the cost and spend more money on research. Sweden currently spends 4% of gdp on R&D according to Scientific American Magazine. (Not all the money is spent on medical research. The dialysis machine, for an example, is an investment and can used by many people. Dialysis machines are not built to wear out soon after purchase, like a cd player. As Americans we all have a similar goal. A government is meant to serve you, remember, you are the government. Sure we should not disregard the emotive element in a discussion of a budget! Doesn't our fear and paranoia justify the over bloated defence budget? Paying a deductable or surcharge is standard practice in a single payer system. Citizens are protected from too high costs, which relieves stress and this is essential to the health of your nation, your overall lifespan and the health of mothers with small children particularly. Then perhaps removing the burden of healthcare from industry is a way to facilitate innovative new business. Learn how these same problems were solved by different countries around the world, I am an American who has moved to a country with a single payer system so Iwill tout the virtues of that because of my experiences with it. I commend effort to craft a uniquely American solution and Medicare is a single payer idea of the same line as HR676, which I support.
According to the OECD, health expenditures per US citizen 5,711, rated 37th in the world for quality and coverage. France NO1, 3,048 per citizen, Sweden 23rd with 2,745, the UK is 18th 2,317 per citizen, Cuba at number 38th around 40$ per citizen, Cuba with the same lifespan as Americans and have a lower infant mortality rate.(CIA fact book updated since this post, this month). There is competition in a single payer system. Companies compete for the government contracts. Collective bargaining and direct competition between companies for the government contracts will lower the costs in a single payer system. If my insurance allows an ointment purchase at 30$, by eliminating the insurance company and my state or national healthcare plan negotiates the price of said ointment at its public facilities, the same or competing brand will cost a fraction of that. It is childlike to believe that an individual can navigate such things alone, and a delicious source of corruption for any despot. If you believe this, then you attract corruption with your gullibility. According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, the Healthcare industry in the US spent more than $134 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2009 alone. Administration consumes one-third (31 percent) of Americans’ health dollars. With a single payer financed system we could recover more than $350 billion per year. (Source PNHP)
To dispel the myth of death panels I must say this. The same end of life legislation is debated in the US and EU. Currently in VA you can watch Senator Warner questioning Director of the finance committee for his input on YouTube. EU legislation discussing assisted suicide is demanded by the people for conditions where nothing more can be done for the patient when medical solutions are exhausted and the patient themselves has demanded it, to secure the dignity and liberty of that individual, to honour their wishes and is unique the EU country in which the law is crafted, as it will be in Virginia.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Larry Summers Apologetics
Rescuing and Rebuilding the US Economy: A Progress Report by Lawrence H. Summers, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy July 17, 2009 To read the recommended page: http://www.piie.com/events/event_detail.cfm?EventID=119
> Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics
> 1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
> Washington, DC 20036
> www.piie.com
This was a speach given by our treasury secretary Larry Summers. He was talking to a room of people and here they are for you to check outhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Peterson_Institute_for_International_Economics
Perhaps this speach was meant to reassure a group of people who could sink the value of the dollar. And as I was reading this I thought of something Paul Krugman had published the day before "The American economy remains in dire straits, with one worker in six unemployed or underemployed. Yet Goldman Sachs just reported record quarterly profits — and it’s preparing to hand out huge bonuses, comparable to what it was paying before the crisis. What does this contrast tell us?First, it tells us that Goldman is very good at what it does. Unfortunately, what it does is bad for America.Second, it shows that Wall Street’s bad habits — above all, the system of compensation that helped cause the financial crisis — have not gone away.Third, it shows that by rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely."http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/opinion/17krugman.html?_r=1&em
Summers' speech, I am not sure whether to laugh or cry about it, Is he really that out of touch? "As of May, the tax cuts, fiscal support for state and local government, and family assistance programs in the Recovery Act have boosted disposable income by nearly two percent. This has supported household spending as families have begun the necessary repairing of their household balance sheets."
Now I have a response from Virginia department of social services on this please watch this video and tell me if families are getting assistance.
Poverty in Virginia Presentation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBY2ojUeZ5w
> Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics
> 1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
> Washington, DC 20036
> www.piie.com
This was a speach given by our treasury secretary Larry Summers. He was talking to a room of people and here they are for you to check outhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Peterson_Institute_for_International_Economics
Perhaps this speach was meant to reassure a group of people who could sink the value of the dollar. And as I was reading this I thought of something Paul Krugman had published the day before "The American economy remains in dire straits, with one worker in six unemployed or underemployed. Yet Goldman Sachs just reported record quarterly profits — and it’s preparing to hand out huge bonuses, comparable to what it was paying before the crisis. What does this contrast tell us?First, it tells us that Goldman is very good at what it does. Unfortunately, what it does is bad for America.Second, it shows that Wall Street’s bad habits — above all, the system of compensation that helped cause the financial crisis — have not gone away.Third, it shows that by rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely."http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/opinion/17krugman.html?_r=1&em
Summers' speech, I am not sure whether to laugh or cry about it, Is he really that out of touch? "As of May, the tax cuts, fiscal support for state and local government, and family assistance programs in the Recovery Act have boosted disposable income by nearly two percent. This has supported household spending as families have begun the necessary repairing of their household balance sheets."
Now I have a response from Virginia department of social services on this please watch this video and tell me if families are getting assistance.
Poverty in Virginia Presentation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBY2ojUeZ5w
Creigh Deeds and an Election Promise
Creigh Deeds will be Dem candidate for Governor of Virginia, so I was looking him up and found this, its something important to me, if he becomes elected can we please push him to fulfill his election promise?
"He also vowed to use his executive power to push non-partisan redistricting, if elected Governor. Sen. Deeds is hoping to eliminate the time honored political tradition of Gerrymandering(haha time honored?)
"Government ultimately belongs to the people, not elected officials," said Senator Deeds. "Yet, our broken redistricting process allows for legislators to protect their own interests by drawing districts that protect incumbents and political majorities. When I’m Governor, Virginia voters will be the ones to choose their elected officials instead of allowing legislators to choose their voters." (powerful words let's hold him to it)http://nbc12.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/deeds-presents-redistricting-plan Highlights of Creigh's Victory Speechhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SLiSRNWwE
Reading some about Gerrymandering, its VERY importanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
I am not telling you how to vote i am telling you that if this is important to him, it also happens to be something very important to me and I would love to see Gerrymandering GONE.
"He also vowed to use his executive power to push non-partisan redistricting, if elected Governor. Sen. Deeds is hoping to eliminate the time honored political tradition of Gerrymandering(haha time honored?)
"Government ultimately belongs to the people, not elected officials," said Senator Deeds. "Yet, our broken redistricting process allows for legislators to protect their own interests by drawing districts that protect incumbents and political majorities. When I’m Governor, Virginia voters will be the ones to choose their elected officials instead of allowing legislators to choose their voters." (powerful words let's hold him to it)http://nbc12.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/deeds-presents-redistricting-plan Highlights of Creigh's Victory Speechhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SLiSRNWwE
Reading some about Gerrymandering, its VERY importanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering
I am not telling you how to vote i am telling you that if this is important to him, it also happens to be something very important to me and I would love to see Gerrymandering GONE.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Thoughts On July 4th
let it go - the
smashed word broken
open vow or
the oath cracked length
wise - let it
go itwas sworn to
go
let them go - the
truthful liars and
the false fair friends
and the boths and
neithers - you must let them go they
were born
to go
let all go - the
big small middling
tall bigger really
the biggest and all
things - let all go
dear
so comes love
~ e. e. cummings ~
In June 2009, the Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Report concluded the number of millionaires in the US was 2.5 million people.1.In a nation of 306 million people, that's .8% unless you count the 13 to 15 million illegal immigrants, who also live work in the US. Certainly puts a new twist on that old talking point "1% pay 58% of all income tax." With one in 50 children homeless in the US, one has to wonder why they do not pay even more in if it is indeed true that one percent of all the people on Wall St. make ninety-nine percent of all the profits. 3.Such a tiny number of Americans benefit and thrive from the current way of doing things.
Our current federal bank/war economic model always will require a group of 'losers' to control inflation, that means minorities and women are first ones out even when things are going well, and today it is not. 2. I found this astounding and sad. Since our government can never directly offer services useful to us, in the name of preserving a 'capitalist' system, it instead stealthily manipulates the economy through 'defense' spending, (we are 5% of the world who spend 52% of the world's military spending) and industrial agriculture policies (monetization) that subsidize production and shipping beyond the loftiest dreams of any marxist.
Bizarre and disturbing are the cries from so many fellow citizens to deliver us from our current suffering by abandoning the enlightment ideals that founded the United States of America and relenqish democracy. "We are a republic, not a democracy," they say, quoting Pat Buchanan, (then what about the republics of China or Iraq under Sadam Hussein? Republic only means you have a president, it has nothing to do with balance of power) or, "once people are elected they can do whatever they want" These people are speaking in the interest of that 1% in a severe case of Stockholm syndrome, considering giving up their citizenship. Do not let yourself be distracted with race issues, or homosexual issues until we get to the root of the problem.
According to our senator Warner, The Federal Reserve's primary responsibility is to conduct monetary policy to achieve twin objectives: price stability and full employment. 4.Just in case you were not aware of the relationship between employment rate and inflation I think this author below offered an excellant explanation, but I do NOT agree with the conclusions this person comes to to fix the problems we face today. I am in favor of social insurance personally, not a libertarian facade for futher weakening our protection from corruption. " In strong and vibrant democracies, a generous social-welfare state is not a road to serfdom but rather to fairness, economic equality and international competitiveness. " Scientific American Magazine 5.
So what can we do to revive our democracy? What we are doing right now!
Quote:
A paper by Milton Friedman, published in the month before Dr. King spoke, and another by Edmund Phelps, published a few months later, gave reason to believe that in the long term, if unemployment falls below a certain rate, inflation speeds up, whereas if unemployment rises above that rate, inflation slows down. That magic unemployment number became known as the Non-Accelerating-Inflation Rate of Unemployment, usually abbreviated by the acronym NAIRU.By about 1980, during the term of Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, it was accepted that the aim of interest-rate policy was to create enough unemployment to exert enough downward pressure on wages to give stable (and low) inflation. That didn't mean that central bankers always aimed at a particular unemployment rate — the NAIRU — because they didn't always know what the magic rate was. But it did mean that the Fed concentrated on inflation and accepted whatever the unemployment outcome might be. And it did mean that the Fed would sometimes cite falling unemployment as a sign of rising inflationary pressure, which supposedly had to be checked by raising interest rates.While central banks determined interest rates, governments still had a role in setting other policies so as to minimize the NAIRU. But eventually that role was limited to making life for the unemployed as unpleasant as possible, in order to maximize wage restraint for any given unemployment rate, and defining an unemployed person as narrowly as possible, so that official statistics understated the extent of unemployment. (Attacking workers' wages and conditions is also widely advocated, but harder to do in a democracy. That's one reason why some people prefer dictatorship.)http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_gavin_r__080401_still_on_the_mountai.htm
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Peru
Peru
At least 84 indigenous people have been killed by Peruvian Special Forces ths week fighting to defend their traditional territories from oil exploration. http://www.earth-stream.com/outpage.php?s=18&id=174386
In the first twelve minutes of this interview, you can get an understanding of why the Panamanian government have fired on and killed their own indigenous native citizens.In the first 13 minutes you can understand why we are still in Iraq.In the first 22 minutes you can understand how people who do these things can ignore their conscience and dispell guilt.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8
At least 84 indigenous people have been killed by Peruvian Special Forces ths week fighting to defend their traditional territories from oil exploration. http://www.earth-stream.com/outpage.php?s=18&id=174386
In the first twelve minutes of this interview, you can get an understanding of why the Panamanian government have fired on and killed their own indigenous native citizens.In the first 13 minutes you can understand why we are still in Iraq.In the first 22 minutes you can understand how people who do these things can ignore their conscience and dispell guilt.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTbdnNgqfs8
'Fake' Congress Sites
‘Fake’ congress sites, well they can be helpful just remember they each have their own ‘voice’ They have their donors and special interests too and a right to be heard, just that the people are not being heard right now.Roll Call Congress.org http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
These people have deliberately worded votes to sway my opinion and sent me petitions with tricky wording, they seem to represent business interests
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
This is BIZARRE and funny!
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/
Red background, communist logo and they work with the Heritage foundation and Cato institute, LOL are the neoconservatives closet commies?
http://techliberation.com/2008/11/20/washingtonwatchcom-1000000-visitors/
Open Congress is from the Sunlight Foundation, I have not had any problems with them and heard good things about Maplight.org, but of course they have their own donors
http://www.opencongress.org/
http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/
http://maplight.org/map/us/bill/83086/default
And last but not least….. the Library of Congress!!
You know what’s really funny it was a Russian with very poor English who showed me how to look up my own Congress!
http://thomas.loc.gov/
These people have deliberately worded votes to sway my opinion and sent me petitions with tricky wording, they seem to represent business interests
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
This is BIZARRE and funny!
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/
Red background, communist logo and they work with the Heritage foundation and Cato institute, LOL are the neoconservatives closet commies?
http://techliberation.com/2008/11/20/washingtonwatchcom-1000000-visitors/
Open Congress is from the Sunlight Foundation, I have not had any problems with them and heard good things about Maplight.org, but of course they have their own donors
http://www.opencongress.org/
http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/
http://maplight.org/map/us/bill/83086/default
And last but not least….. the Library of Congress!!
You know what’s really funny it was a Russian with very poor English who showed me how to look up my own Congress!
http://thomas.loc.gov/
106$ Billion for More War
How did they Vote on HR 2346? http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll348.xml#N
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:2:./temp/~bdALRm::/bss/111search.html
I am looking for a way to discern what representatives are actually employed by, and working for, the citizens of the US and who is parasiting on a system that creates war and poverty.
$106 Billion dollars to more war in Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic for air operations, other Eurasian countries, Israel for weapons systems, Egypt for border patrol, Iraq and Afghanistan, Mexico (drug war), Lebanon, funding for the IMF (international monetary fund) a requirement that none of the money is spent on relocating detainees at Guantanamo detainees to the US, and a BAN on releasing photos of torture even if it is required by the freedom of information act. (open congress summary)
So here are the 32 Democrats who had the balls to not vote for this bill. I will be noticing them.
1.Baldwin http://tammybaldwin.house.gov/aboutTammy.html2.Capuano http://www.house.gov/capuano/3.Conyers http://conyers.house.gov/4.Doggett http://doggett.house.gov/5.Edwards (MD) http://donnaedwards.house.gov/
6.Ellison http://ellison.house.gov/7.Farr http://www.farr.house.gov/
8.Filner http://www.house.gov/filner/
9.Grayson http://grayson.house.gov/ 10.Grijalva http://grijalva.house.gov/11.Honda http://honda.house.gov/12.Kaptur http://www.kaptur.house.gov/ 13.Kucinich http://kucinich.house.gov/
14.Lee (CA) http://lee.house.gov/15.Lofgren, Zoe http://www.lofgren.house.gov/16.Massa http://massa.house.gov/17.McGovern http://mcgovern.house.gov/ His words on this Bill (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9m0M85IrbU18.Michaud http://www.michaud.house.gov/
19.Payne http://www.house.gov/payne/20.Pingree (ME) http://pingree.house.gov/
21.Polis (CO) http://polis.house.gov/22.Serrano http://serrano.house.gov/Default.aspx23.Shea-Porter http://www.shea-porter.house.gov/
24.Sherman http://www.house.gov/sherman/
25.Speier http://speier.house.gov/
26.Stark http://www.stark.house.gov/27.Tierney http://tierney.house.gov/
28.Tsongas http://tsongas.house.gov/29.Waters http://www.house.gov/waters/
30.Watson http://www.house.gov/watson/ Her words on this bill
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca33_watson/20090617.html
31.Welch http://www.welch.house.gov/
32.Woolsey http://woolsey.house.gov/default.asp Her words on this bill (video) http://content.cq.com/floorvideo/play.do?id=83505437ec1a49ecd1f2ab1da73556bebc6a241f69be13324d920d417d49b1b40e7494cf2f6adf7e67643b853441405c301621cfaccbcd627c4b771b08dfc6de9c02a2fdbc7f5a80
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:2:./temp/~bdALRm::/bss/111search.html
I am looking for a way to discern what representatives are actually employed by, and working for, the citizens of the US and who is parasiting on a system that creates war and poverty.
$106 Billion dollars to more war in Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic for air operations, other Eurasian countries, Israel for weapons systems, Egypt for border patrol, Iraq and Afghanistan, Mexico (drug war), Lebanon, funding for the IMF (international monetary fund) a requirement that none of the money is spent on relocating detainees at Guantanamo detainees to the US, and a BAN on releasing photos of torture even if it is required by the freedom of information act. (open congress summary)
So here are the 32 Democrats who had the balls to not vote for this bill. I will be noticing them.
1.Baldwin http://tammybaldwin.house.gov/aboutTammy.html2.Capuano http://www.house.gov/capuano/3.Conyers http://conyers.house.gov/4.Doggett http://doggett.house.gov/5.Edwards (MD) http://donnaedwards.house.gov/
6.Ellison http://ellison.house.gov/7.Farr http://www.farr.house.gov/
8.Filner http://www.house.gov/filner/
9.Grayson http://grayson.house.gov/ 10.Grijalva http://grijalva.house.gov/11.Honda http://honda.house.gov/12.Kaptur http://www.kaptur.house.gov/ 13.Kucinich http://kucinich.house.gov/
14.Lee (CA) http://lee.house.gov/15.Lofgren, Zoe http://www.lofgren.house.gov/16.Massa http://massa.house.gov/17.McGovern http://mcgovern.house.gov/ His words on this Bill (video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9m0M85IrbU18.Michaud http://www.michaud.house.gov/
19.Payne http://www.house.gov/payne/20.Pingree (ME) http://pingree.house.gov/
21.Polis (CO) http://polis.house.gov/22.Serrano http://serrano.house.gov/Default.aspx23.Shea-Porter http://www.shea-porter.house.gov/
24.Sherman http://www.house.gov/sherman/
25.Speier http://speier.house.gov/
26.Stark http://www.stark.house.gov/27.Tierney http://tierney.house.gov/
28.Tsongas http://tsongas.house.gov/29.Waters http://www.house.gov/waters/
30.Watson http://www.house.gov/watson/ Her words on this bill
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca33_watson/20090617.html
31.Welch http://www.welch.house.gov/
32.Woolsey http://woolsey.house.gov/default.asp Her words on this bill (video) http://content.cq.com/floorvideo/play.do?id=83505437ec1a49ecd1f2ab1da73556bebc6a241f69be13324d920d417d49b1b40e7494cf2f6adf7e67643b853441405c301621cfaccbcd627c4b771b08dfc6de9c02a2fdbc7f5a80
Geitner and Summers to Regulate?
Geitner and Summers , Sounds like a good name for a Music Duo
While Geitner and Summers pretend to be asking for tighter regulation and more power to the Fed to ‘regulate’ the financial industry we need to re-read this last article carefully and then you will understand why what they are saying is so laughable. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124532495495527289.html
Top Economics Aide Discloses Income
Summers Earned Salary From Hedge Fund, Speaking Fees From Wall St. Firms
Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, April 4, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040303732.html?hpid=topnews
From “What Cooked the Economy, it wasn’t your overdue mortgage by James Lieber
http://www.argumentations.com/Argumentations/StoryDetail_10568.aspx
“People still seem surprised to read that hedge principals have raked in billions of dollars in a single year. They shouldn't be. These subprime-time players knew how to score. The scam bled AIG white. In mid-September, when it was on the ropes, AIG received an astonishing $85 billion emergency line of credit from the Fed. Soon, that was supplemented by another $67 billion. Much of that money, to use the government's euphemism, has already been "drawn down." Shamefully, neither Washington nor AIG will explain where the billions went. But the answer is increasingly clear: It went to counterparties who bought derivatives from Cassano's shop in London.”
“AIG's lavishly compensated counterparties were willing participants and likewise could be considered for prosecution, depending on what they knew. Who were they?
At a 2007 conference, Cassano defined them as a "global swath" that included "banks and investment banks, pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, hedge funds, money managers, high-net-worth individuals, municipalities, sovereigns, and supranationals." Abetting the scheme, ratings agencies like Standard & Poor's gave high grades to the shaky mortgage-backed securities bundled by investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers.”
While Geitner and Summers pretend to be asking for tighter regulation and more power to the Fed to ‘regulate’ the financial industry we need to re-read this last article carefully and then you will understand why what they are saying is so laughable. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124532495495527289.html
Top Economics Aide Discloses Income
Summers Earned Salary From Hedge Fund, Speaking Fees From Wall St. Firms
Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, April 4, 2009
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/03/AR2009040303732.html?hpid=topnews
From “What Cooked the Economy, it wasn’t your overdue mortgage by James Lieber
http://www.argumentations.com/Argumentations/StoryDetail_10568.aspx
“People still seem surprised to read that hedge principals have raked in billions of dollars in a single year. They shouldn't be. These subprime-time players knew how to score. The scam bled AIG white. In mid-September, when it was on the ropes, AIG received an astonishing $85 billion emergency line of credit from the Fed. Soon, that was supplemented by another $67 billion. Much of that money, to use the government's euphemism, has already been "drawn down." Shamefully, neither Washington nor AIG will explain where the billions went. But the answer is increasingly clear: It went to counterparties who bought derivatives from Cassano's shop in London.”
“AIG's lavishly compensated counterparties were willing participants and likewise could be considered for prosecution, depending on what they knew. Who were they?
At a 2007 conference, Cassano defined them as a "global swath" that included "banks and investment banks, pension funds, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, hedge funds, money managers, high-net-worth individuals, municipalities, sovereigns, and supranationals." Abetting the scheme, ratings agencies like Standard & Poor's gave high grades to the shaky mortgage-backed securities bundled by investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers.”
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
If you aren't upset, you aren't paying attention
If you aren't upset, you aren't paying attention. Obama says he will seek to block the court-ordered release of photographs depicting the abuse of detainees held by U.S. authorities abroad. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/13/AR2009051301751_pf.html
Meanwhile torture continues at Quantanamo Bay. (see more below)http://www.alternet.org/story/140022/
Obama administration will announce plans today to revive the Bush-era military commission system for prosecuting terrorism suspects (they always had a UN observer at these kangaroo court trials, you can follow it at the UN website, I believe)http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-military-tribunal15-2009may15,0,4322036.story
Calls to create an outside "truth commission" are gaining momentum in both the House and Senatehttp://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/14/to-probe-detainee-abuse-congress-leans-toward-outsourcing/
Did you look at these articles? Seymour Hersh, an investigative reorter who gave us information on Watergate and military abuses in Vietnam, I have waited for his comments since last year, reports:
Hersh gave a speech last week to the ACLU making the charge that children were sodomized in front of women in the prison, and the Pentagon has tape of it.Hersh: "Debating about it, ummm ... Some of the worst things that happened you don't know about, okay? Videos, um, there are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib ... The women were passing messages out saying 'Please come and kill me, because of what's happened' and basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. And the worst above all of that is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror. It's going to come out." http://www.truthout.org/051509J
What follows next are exerpts from the IRF article. "One day they took me to a room that had very large snakes in glass boxes. The room was all painted black-and-white, with dim lights. They threatened to leave me there and let the snakes out with me in the room. This really got to me, as there were such sick people that they must have had this room specially made."
"They brought their pepper spray and held him down. They held both of his eyes open and sprayed it into his eyes and later took a towel soaked in pepper spray and rubbed it in his eyes."Omar could not see from either eye for two weeks, but he gradually got sight back in one eye."He's totally blind in the right eye. I can report that his right eye is all white and milky -- he can't see out of it because he has been blinded by the U.S. in Guantánamo."
ERF-ing Omar -- The Feces Incident On one of the ERF-ing incidents where Omar was abused, the officer in charge himself came into the cell with the feces of another prisoners [sic] and smeared it onto Omar's face. While some prisoners had thrown feces at the abusive guards, Omar had always emphatically refused to sink to this level. The experience was one of the most disgusting in Omar's life.
ERF-ing Omar -- The Toilet Incident In April or May 2004, when the Guantánamo administration insisted on taking Omar's English-language Quran, he objected. The ERF team came into Omar's cell and put him in shackles. He was not resisting. They then put his head in the toilet, pressed his face into the water. They repeatedly flushed it.
ERF-ing Omar -- The Beating In one ERF-ing incident, Omar was shackled by three American soldiers in their black Darth Vader Star Wars uniforms. The first was going to punch Omar, but before he could, the second kneed Omar in the nose, trying to break it. The third queried this, and the second said, "If his nose is broken, that's good. We want to break his ******* nose." The third soldier then took him to hospital.
ERF-ing Omar -- The Drowning The ERF team came into the cell with a water hose under very high pressure. He was totally shackled, and they would hold his head fixed still. They would force water up his nose until he was suffocating and would scream for them to stop. This was done with medical staff present, and they would join in. Omar is particularly affected by the fact that there was one nurse who "had been very beautiful and kind" to him to [sic] took part in the process. This happened three times.
ERF-ing Omar -- Tango Block Omar was out on the Tango block rec yard when 15 ERF soldiers came, with two other soldiers in the towers, armed with guns. They grabbed him (and others) and sprayed him.They then pulled him up into the air and slammed his face down, on the left side, on the concrete. They had someone from the hospital there, and she just watched. She then came up to him and asked whether he was OK. He was taken off to isolation after that."
The first man is meant to go in with a shield. On this occasion, the man with the shield threw the shield away, took his helmet off, when the door was unlocked ran in and did a knee drop onto Jumah's back just between his shoulder blades with his full weight. He must have been about 240 pounds in weight. His name was Smith. He was a sergeant E-5. Once he had done that, the others came in and were punching and kicking Jumah. While they were doing that the female officer then came in and was kicking his stomach. Jumah had had an operation and had metal rods in his stomach clamped together in the operation."
The officer Smith was the MP sergeant who was punching him. He grabbed his head with one hand and with the other hand punched him repeatedly in the face. His nose was broken. He pushed his face, and he smashed it into the concrete floor. All of this should be on video. There was blood everywhere. When they took him out, they hosed the cell down and the water ran red with blood. We all saw it."
According to Tarver, "Nasal gastric (NG) tubes [were removed] by placing a foot on one end of the tube and yanking the detainee's head back by his hair, causing the tube to be painfully ejected from the detainee's nose. Then, in front of the Guantanamo physicians … the guards took NG tubes from one detainee, and with no sanitization whatsoever, reinserted it into the nose of a different detainee. When these tubes were reinserted, the detainees could see the blood and stomach bile from the other detainees remaining on the tubes." Medical staff, according to Tarver, made no effort to intervene. This was one of many incidents where IRF teams facilitated such force-feeding.
Jamal al-Harith claims he was beaten by a five-man IRF team for refusing an injection: "I was terrified of what they were going to do. I had seen victims of [IRF] being paraded in front of my cell. They were battered and bruised into submission. It was a horrible sight and a frequent sight. … They were really gung-ho, hyped up and aggressive. One of them attacked me really hard and left me with a deep red mark from my backbone down to my knee. I thought I was bleeding, but it was just really bad bruising."
They grabbed my arms, my legs, twisted me up and, unfortunately, one of the individuals got up on my back from behind and put pressure down on me while I was face down. Then he -- the same individual -- reached around and began to choke me and press my head down against the steel floor. After several seconds, 20 to 30 seconds, it seemed like an eternity because I couldn't breathe. When I couldn't breathe, I began to panic and I gave the code word I was supposed to give to stop the exercise, which was 'red.' … That individual slammed my head against the floor and continued to choke me. Somehow I got enough air. I muttered out: 'I'm a U.S. soldier. I'm a U.S. soldier.'"After I stopped talking, and tears were flowing from my eyes, I could hardly see or breathe."They then beat me again to the ground, one of them held my head and beat it against the ground. I started screaming to his senior 'see what he's doing, see what he's doing' [but] his senior started laughing and said 'he's doing his job.'"
Meanwhile torture continues at Quantanamo Bay. (see more below)http://www.alternet.org/story/140022/
Obama administration will announce plans today to revive the Bush-era military commission system for prosecuting terrorism suspects (they always had a UN observer at these kangaroo court trials, you can follow it at the UN website, I believe)http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-military-tribunal15-2009may15,0,4322036.story
Calls to create an outside "truth commission" are gaining momentum in both the House and Senatehttp://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/14/to-probe-detainee-abuse-congress-leans-toward-outsourcing/
Did you look at these articles? Seymour Hersh, an investigative reorter who gave us information on Watergate and military abuses in Vietnam, I have waited for his comments since last year, reports:
Hersh gave a speech last week to the ACLU making the charge that children were sodomized in front of women in the prison, and the Pentagon has tape of it.Hersh: "Debating about it, ummm ... Some of the worst things that happened you don't know about, okay? Videos, um, there are women there. Some of you may have read that they were passing letters out, communications out to their men. This is at Abu Ghraib ... The women were passing messages out saying 'Please come and kill me, because of what's happened' and basically what happened is that those women who were arrested with young boys, children in cases that have been recorded. The boys were sodomized with the cameras rolling. And the worst above all of that is the soundtrack of the boys shrieking that your government has. They are in total terror. It's going to come out." http://www.truthout.org/051509J
What follows next are exerpts from the IRF article. "One day they took me to a room that had very large snakes in glass boxes. The room was all painted black-and-white, with dim lights. They threatened to leave me there and let the snakes out with me in the room. This really got to me, as there were such sick people that they must have had this room specially made."
"They brought their pepper spray and held him down. They held both of his eyes open and sprayed it into his eyes and later took a towel soaked in pepper spray and rubbed it in his eyes."Omar could not see from either eye for two weeks, but he gradually got sight back in one eye."He's totally blind in the right eye. I can report that his right eye is all white and milky -- he can't see out of it because he has been blinded by the U.S. in Guantánamo."
ERF-ing Omar -- The Feces Incident On one of the ERF-ing incidents where Omar was abused, the officer in charge himself came into the cell with the feces of another prisoners [sic] and smeared it onto Omar's face. While some prisoners had thrown feces at the abusive guards, Omar had always emphatically refused to sink to this level. The experience was one of the most disgusting in Omar's life.
ERF-ing Omar -- The Toilet Incident In April or May 2004, when the Guantánamo administration insisted on taking Omar's English-language Quran, he objected. The ERF team came into Omar's cell and put him in shackles. He was not resisting. They then put his head in the toilet, pressed his face into the water. They repeatedly flushed it.
ERF-ing Omar -- The Beating In one ERF-ing incident, Omar was shackled by three American soldiers in their black Darth Vader Star Wars uniforms. The first was going to punch Omar, but before he could, the second kneed Omar in the nose, trying to break it. The third queried this, and the second said, "If his nose is broken, that's good. We want to break his ******* nose." The third soldier then took him to hospital.
ERF-ing Omar -- The Drowning The ERF team came into the cell with a water hose under very high pressure. He was totally shackled, and they would hold his head fixed still. They would force water up his nose until he was suffocating and would scream for them to stop. This was done with medical staff present, and they would join in. Omar is particularly affected by the fact that there was one nurse who "had been very beautiful and kind" to him to [sic] took part in the process. This happened three times.
ERF-ing Omar -- Tango Block Omar was out on the Tango block rec yard when 15 ERF soldiers came, with two other soldiers in the towers, armed with guns. They grabbed him (and others) and sprayed him.They then pulled him up into the air and slammed his face down, on the left side, on the concrete. They had someone from the hospital there, and she just watched. She then came up to him and asked whether he was OK. He was taken off to isolation after that."
The first man is meant to go in with a shield. On this occasion, the man with the shield threw the shield away, took his helmet off, when the door was unlocked ran in and did a knee drop onto Jumah's back just between his shoulder blades with his full weight. He must have been about 240 pounds in weight. His name was Smith. He was a sergeant E-5. Once he had done that, the others came in and were punching and kicking Jumah. While they were doing that the female officer then came in and was kicking his stomach. Jumah had had an operation and had metal rods in his stomach clamped together in the operation."
The officer Smith was the MP sergeant who was punching him. He grabbed his head with one hand and with the other hand punched him repeatedly in the face. His nose was broken. He pushed his face, and he smashed it into the concrete floor. All of this should be on video. There was blood everywhere. When they took him out, they hosed the cell down and the water ran red with blood. We all saw it."
According to Tarver, "Nasal gastric (NG) tubes [were removed] by placing a foot on one end of the tube and yanking the detainee's head back by his hair, causing the tube to be painfully ejected from the detainee's nose. Then, in front of the Guantanamo physicians … the guards took NG tubes from one detainee, and with no sanitization whatsoever, reinserted it into the nose of a different detainee. When these tubes were reinserted, the detainees could see the blood and stomach bile from the other detainees remaining on the tubes." Medical staff, according to Tarver, made no effort to intervene. This was one of many incidents where IRF teams facilitated such force-feeding.
Jamal al-Harith claims he was beaten by a five-man IRF team for refusing an injection: "I was terrified of what they were going to do. I had seen victims of [IRF] being paraded in front of my cell. They were battered and bruised into submission. It was a horrible sight and a frequent sight. … They were really gung-ho, hyped up and aggressive. One of them attacked me really hard and left me with a deep red mark from my backbone down to my knee. I thought I was bleeding, but it was just really bad bruising."
They grabbed my arms, my legs, twisted me up and, unfortunately, one of the individuals got up on my back from behind and put pressure down on me while I was face down. Then he -- the same individual -- reached around and began to choke me and press my head down against the steel floor. After several seconds, 20 to 30 seconds, it seemed like an eternity because I couldn't breathe. When I couldn't breathe, I began to panic and I gave the code word I was supposed to give to stop the exercise, which was 'red.' … That individual slammed my head against the floor and continued to choke me. Somehow I got enough air. I muttered out: 'I'm a U.S. soldier. I'm a U.S. soldier.'"After I stopped talking, and tears were flowing from my eyes, I could hardly see or breathe."They then beat me again to the ground, one of them held my head and beat it against the ground. I started screaming to his senior 'see what he's doing, see what he's doing' [but] his senior started laughing and said 'he's doing his job.'"
Thursday, May 14, 2009
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
After reading this article,
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/702093.html
3,500 children in public schools, plus an untold number of their younger siblings. Homeless in Charlotte. "There are pockets of folks energized around their efforts," said Bert Green, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte. "But there's no one organization that's trying to pull all these groups together and say: ‘This is our strategic plan.' We know what we need to do. I don't think there's a political will out there to do it."
No political will. So I wondered why not? Haven't I heard for many years people say that they voted for a candidate based on 'values'? So I chose nine senators who recieved 100% rating from an organization called 'Christian Voice,' back in 1992, to get people who have consistantly enjoyed the support of Christians.
"The Christian Voice is one of the largest conservative evangelical lobbys in Washington. "Devoted to reviving religious freedom in helping make Christians good stewards."
Fast forward to today. I have taken these same nine Congressmen and compared their rating by the Christian Coalition, the Chamber of Commerce, and RESULTS.
I tried to find three groups who would represent the issues that must be addressed in todays recession. Christian Coalition, Chamber of Commerce, and RESULTS. Here is what they each claim to be about.
"The Christian Coalition was founded in 1989 by Dr. Pat Robertson to give Christians a voice in government. We represent millions of people of faith and enable them to have a strong, unified voice in the conversation we call democracyOur Five-Fold Mission: Represent the pro-family point of view before local councils, school boards, state legislatures, and Congress Speak out in the public arena and in the media Train leaders for effective social and political action Inform pro-family voters about timely issues and legislation Protest anti-Christian bigotry and defend the rights of people of faith"
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. It includes hundreds of associations, thousands of local chambers, and 111 American Chambers of Commerce in 99 countries.Whether you own a business, represent one, lead a corporate office, or manage an association, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America® provides you with a voice of experience and influence in Washington, D.C., and around the globe. Our core mission is to fight for business and free enterprise before Congress, the White House, regulatory agencies, the courts, the court of public opinion, and governments around the world."
"RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. RESULTS is committed to individuals exercising their personal and political power by lobbying elected officials for effective solutions and key policies that affect hunger and poverty.RESULTS Educational Fund is committed to educating the public, the media, and leaders about issues related to poverty and hunger in the United States and abroad. We hold public forums, train citizens in democracy, hold media conference calls to share the latest information, and produce quality oversight research to determine the effectiveness of programs for the poor. RESULTS Educational Fund is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt nonprofit organization."
Here is how our 9 'Christian' Congressmen are rated today, 2008.
Christian Coalition
80,100,100,100,100,100,90,100,100
Chamber of Commerce
100,80,75,80,90,90,88,79,75
RESULTS
8,11,21,62,21,9,11,11,5
So is there really a chance that goals of 'millions of people of faith' and 'business and free enterprise' are the same goals?
I chose a group that represents 'issues related to poverty and hunger' because of Jesus words in Mathew 27:35-40 "Then the righteous will say to him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or see you naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? The king will answer them, 'I tell you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.' I welcome you to repeat this research yourself. I used a resource called Project Votesmart http://votesmart.org/program_about_pvs.php
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/408/story/702093.html
3,500 children in public schools, plus an untold number of their younger siblings. Homeless in Charlotte. "There are pockets of folks energized around their efforts," said Bert Green, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte. "But there's no one organization that's trying to pull all these groups together and say: ‘This is our strategic plan.' We know what we need to do. I don't think there's a political will out there to do it."
No political will. So I wondered why not? Haven't I heard for many years people say that they voted for a candidate based on 'values'? So I chose nine senators who recieved 100% rating from an organization called 'Christian Voice,' back in 1992, to get people who have consistantly enjoyed the support of Christians.
"The Christian Voice is one of the largest conservative evangelical lobbys in Washington. "Devoted to reviving religious freedom in helping make Christians good stewards."
Fast forward to today. I have taken these same nine Congressmen and compared their rating by the Christian Coalition, the Chamber of Commerce, and RESULTS.
I tried to find three groups who would represent the issues that must be addressed in todays recession. Christian Coalition, Chamber of Commerce, and RESULTS. Here is what they each claim to be about.
"The Christian Coalition was founded in 1989 by Dr. Pat Robertson to give Christians a voice in government. We represent millions of people of faith and enable them to have a strong, unified voice in the conversation we call democracyOur Five-Fold Mission: Represent the pro-family point of view before local councils, school boards, state legislatures, and Congress Speak out in the public arena and in the media Train leaders for effective social and political action Inform pro-family voters about timely issues and legislation Protest anti-Christian bigotry and defend the rights of people of faith"
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. It includes hundreds of associations, thousands of local chambers, and 111 American Chambers of Commerce in 99 countries.Whether you own a business, represent one, lead a corporate office, or manage an association, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America® provides you with a voice of experience and influence in Washington, D.C., and around the globe. Our core mission is to fight for business and free enterprise before Congress, the White House, regulatory agencies, the courts, the court of public opinion, and governments around the world."
"RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization committed to creating the political will to end hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. RESULTS is committed to individuals exercising their personal and political power by lobbying elected officials for effective solutions and key policies that affect hunger and poverty.RESULTS Educational Fund is committed to educating the public, the media, and leaders about issues related to poverty and hunger in the United States and abroad. We hold public forums, train citizens in democracy, hold media conference calls to share the latest information, and produce quality oversight research to determine the effectiveness of programs for the poor. RESULTS Educational Fund is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt nonprofit organization."
Here is how our 9 'Christian' Congressmen are rated today, 2008.
Christian Coalition
80,100,100,100,100,100,90,100,100
Chamber of Commerce
100,80,75,80,90,90,88,79,75
RESULTS
8,11,21,62,21,9,11,11,5
So is there really a chance that goals of 'millions of people of faith' and 'business and free enterprise' are the same goals?
I chose a group that represents 'issues related to poverty and hunger' because of Jesus words in Mathew 27:35-40 "Then the righteous will say to him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or see you naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? The king will answer them, 'I tell you with certainty, since you did it for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.' I welcome you to repeat this research yourself. I used a resource called Project Votesmart http://votesmart.org/program_about_pvs.php
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