Politics, Everyday, All day... morning, noon and night....II

[gyre]

Emails?
How conclusive.
Fascinated with codes?

Everybody knows that anyone can weaponize anthrax.
That's why everyone is doing it.
Small step from vaccine research to weapon grade powder.

Doesn't even sound like enough for an indictment.
A good enquirer story maybe.

It's not even a good fake story.
So it's real and incompetent or really incompetent misinformation.

[gyre]

Or...

it was a story written with the intent of not being believed?

Like, we hit the french embassy by mistake.
Whoops!
(libya)

[DVD Burner]

Schwarzenegger says Obama's stimulus created jobs


WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's Republican governor, defended Democratic President Barack Obama's stimulus plan on Sunday, saying 150,000 new jobs were created in his state thanks to the legislation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN211 ... arketsNews

At a conservative gathering in Washington this week, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney blasted the $787 billion stimulus bill and asserted it did not create any new jobs.

The California governor, asked about the comments on the ABC news program "This Week," said many Republican politicians were railing against the program while seeking stimulus funds for their own districts.

"You have a lot of the Republicans running around and pushing back on the stimulus money and saying this doesn't create any new jobs," Schwarzenegger said.

"Then they go out and they do the photo ops and they are posing with the big check and they say 'Isn't this great?'"

The Obama administration says the stimulus has saved or created as many as 2 million jobs. Private economists widely agree that it staved off a far deeper economic contraction.

State governors are in Washington this week for their annual gathering and will meet Obama on Monday as both parties gear up for congressional elections in November.

"It's kind of politics," Schwarzenegger said of the claims by Republicans that no jobs flowed from the stimulus program.

He said teaching and infrastructure-related jobs were among those created in California. (Editing by John O'Callaghan)



So does this mean that Schwarzenegger is an honest Republican?

[DVD Burner]

Powell backs Obama on national security record



The Associated Press
Sunday, February 21, 2010; 11:52 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01562.html

WASHINGTON -- Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is rejecting charges that the country is less safe because of the way President Barack Obama has handled national security matters.

The former army general and secretary of state under President George W. Bush says the U.S. "is still at risk" of attack. But he says the country isn't less safe because of Obama's handling of security, as former Vice President Dick Cheney has claimed.

Powell is a Republican who supported Democrat Obama for president in 2008.

Powell says he thinks Obama may have put "too much on the plate" as he tackles domestic issues during a period of deep economic uncertainty.

Powell spoke on CBS's "Face the Nation."

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is rejecting charges that the country is less safe because of the way President Barack Obama has handled national security matters.

The former army general and secretary of state under President George W. Bush says the U.S. "is still at risk" of attack. But he says the country isn't less safe because of Obama's handling of security, as former Vice President Dick Cheney has claimed.

Powell is a Republican who support Democrat Obama for president in 2008.

Powell says he thinks Obama may have put "too much on the plate" as he tackles domestic issues during a period of deep economic uncertainty.
Powell spoke on CBS's "Face the Nation."





I think I just fainted a little.

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

HILARIOUS!

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

HILARIOUS!

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

[can't sit still]

These people ALL have nukes;

[DVD Burner]

These people ALL have nukes;

I know. Colin Powell was one of the ones that sold part of them to them. Check Joell's politics thread towards the beginning of that thread a few years ago.

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

[ygmir]

the dems are just as big a turds as the reps........let's flush 'em all..........

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

[dr.placebo]

The funniest part about that video is that the Google ads that ran with it kept trying me to hook up with republican singles:

http://www.republicanpeoplemeet.com/

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]



I guess that's politics for ya!

[DVD Burner]

GOP Lawmaker Demands Recall of Car That Drove Him to Gay Club

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-boro ... 88526.html

SACRAMENTO (The Borowitz Report) - Anti-gay California State Sen. Roy Ashburn today demanded a sweeping recall of the vehicle that drove him to a gay nightclub this week.

Sen. Ashburn, a Republican who has consistently voted for anti-gay legislation, said that the car drove him to the club "against my will."

"If we are recalling cars for problems with their brakes and power steering, then surely we should be recalling vehicles that force their drivers to go to gay nightclubs," Sen. Ashburn said.

The state senator said not only did the car drive him to the gay nightclub, but it forced him to enter the club and party there for hours, resulting in his later arrest for DUI.

"I can't tell you what a menace this car is," he said. "It really is the gayest car I've ever seen."
In addition to calling for a recall of the gay car, Sen. Ashburn said he would sponsor legislation mandating that all California vehicles be fitted not only with GPS but gaydar.

In other news, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin offered this appraisal of her standup comedy performance on The Tonight Show: "I was like, I'm not going to quit my day job, but then I remembered I already did."

[DVD Burner]

IN ADDITION TO DRIVING DRUNK AND BEING A HYPOCRITE, ASHBURN STOLE - WORD FOR WORD - DRUNK-DRIVING GOP SENATOR SHELDON KILLPACK'S APOLOGY FROM JANUARY:

ASHBURN: I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me ? my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate." MAR 2010

KILLPACK: I am deeply sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me -- my colleagues in the Senate, my constituents, and, most importantly, my family." JAN 2010

[DVD Burner]

The funniest part about that video is that the Google ads that ran with it kept trying me to hook up with republican singles:

http://www.republicanpeoplemeet.com/

Ha ha ha ha ha!

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

[DVD Burner]

GOP message: ‘Save the country from socialism!’

9:43 pm March 3, 2010, by Jim Galloway




An RNC Powerpoint slide obtained by Politico.com

When you wake up, this will be the story of the day. From Politico.com:

The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fearâ€

[DVD Burner]

Some lost minds.

[cowboyangel]

http://understandingdeeppolitics.org/

Hey POLITICS followers, come to Santa Cruz May 14-16 for the Deep Politics Conference. Ellen Brown will speak there! Mike Parenti, Barry Zwicker. This will be great. Cowboyangel will be there too.


Come on!

CBA

[DVD Burner]

If I get a ride I'll go. I can even share driving duties and gas.

[can't sit still]

This is an article from Byron King at the Daily Reckoning. Now, while it engages in a fair amount of "fear mongering" , much of the info is accurate. It concerns the Sunni-Shia rivalry.
At the moment, many parts of the world are close to collapse. An economic collapse could be the catalyst that persuades all the opportunists that now would be a good time for a jihad against their favorite enemy. Saudi and israel are the leading candidates.
Whether or not a grand finale is in the near future, it's a good idea to understand the Sunni-Shia schism.

1,354 Years in the Making:
The "NEW" War
That Could Rocket Oil
Past $220 Before 2011
by Byron King, Editor
What could be eight times bigger than the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan — and lethal enough to at least DOUBLE the price of gas and oil next year?

Brace yourself for the "new" and bloody war nobody saw coming... by bunkering down against soaring energy costs, thanks to a "safe haven" financial plan that could pay you gains up to 668%...



Nobody in the Pentagon will talk openly about it. Nobody in the White House knows what to do.

But make no mistake...

What I'm about to show you could be the deadliest surprise threat to your money and livelihood of the coming year.

I say "new" because as you'll see there's not much new about it at all — the pressure's been building behind this for the last 1,354 years!

Yet for the first time in history, that pressure has found its release. I’m imagining a volcano of blood.

When it blows, you could see your savings get SLAMMED... the dollar thrown into a TAILSPIN... and, here's what will stun the still-recovering world economy, gas and oil prices doubling or even tripling by sometime early in the coming year.

How on earth is that possible?

It's the last thing most people expect, from market pros to bumbling D.C. bureaucrats... but if nothing changes in what I'm about to show you... this is a page in future history books that's already writing itself.

I'll show you the evidence myself.

If I'm right, as many as eight key Islamic countries are hurtling headlong toward a bloody "new" war — with each other — that's been FOURTEEN CENTURIES in the making.

This could begin as early as the next 12 to 18 months. And with no less than 66% of the world's key energy reserves smack dab in the crosshairs.

Sound impossible?

Even if I'm only half right, and we get an oil-state stalemate unlike anything the world has ever seen — you could see oil soar past the old high of $147.30 per barrel, well on its way to as much as $220... with gasoline bucking against a ceiling of $8 per gallon.

I'll show you how this unfolds below.

You'll see the maps, I'll name the names. And I'll reveal to you the stunning web of "secret revenge" that lies behind it all... waiting over 1,354 years for this moment!

Soaring Oil Costs, Even a Dead Economy?

Remember the "Nixon Shock" and market collapse of '73? Stocks fell 43%... but that didn't stop oil and gas prices from quadrupling thanks to an Oil Embargo.

And how about 1979 and gas lines? Even with Jimmy Carter's "malaise" and stagflation, oil prices almost tripled... thanks to the hostage crisis in Tehran.

It was oil that German subs targeted in both World Wars... and oil Japan gunned for in Pearl Harbor... even Afghanistan is part battle over a $3.2 billion oil pipeline.

After the S&L banking crisis of the late '80s, oil still soared in Gulf War One... and soared again on 9/11, despite the aftermath of the dot-com bomb. It took off again in 2003, as bombs dropped on Baghdad.

With politics as a driver, oil doesn't need a red-hot economy to take off... even the last peak of $147 came six months after the Dow first started shedding points and two years after property markets turned south!

Of course, events like these echo around the world.

And nobody gets the chance to just "sit on the sidelines."

But there's good news too.

Because, you see, just like every major shift of history... deep within every crisis... you'll also find an opportunity to protect yourself. And this event is no exception.

But before I do, let's step back so I can explain how this "war" begins.

Long before $147 oil... before the war over 9/11 or the war in Afghanistan... before either war in Iraq, the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, or even the oil crisis of 1973.

All the way back to a lamb dinner, served up one evening in the year 629 AD...

The Murder That's About
to Change the World

Nobody could have known that the dinner they were about to eat would one day change history. Some say it was goat. Others say it was lamb.

Either way, it was poisoned.

And the guest of honor was Mohammed, the controversial founder of Islam.

It was just one bite, that's all it took. He tasted the poison and immediately spit it out. But it was too late. He would soon die, sparking a bitter and deadly divide.

See, when Mohammed died nobody could agree on who should take over...

And they've been killing each other as a result ever since.

On the one side, you've got the Sunni Muslims. They're the ones that run Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and many of the other countries in the Middle East.

On the other, you've got the Shia Muslims. It's the Shia that run Iran. And now run Iraq, as well as Lebanon and Syria.

Think Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland... Serbs vs. Croats in Bosnia... or even the religious Thirty Years War that ripped apart Europe in the 16th century.

Only this Sunni-Shia split has built up pressure now for the last 1,354 years.

But it's only now that this pressure has found its ultimate release — with Iran driving a new Shia uprising smack dab in the middle of the most dangerous place on Earth — the oil-soaked Middle East.

Isn't the Middle East already a mess? Yes, it is.

What's different is that too many in the West... right up to the White House and the Pentagon... don't "get" just how deep this Islam divide could go or how far it could run.

Take a look at this map...

The Deadly Sunni-Shia Divide — 2010-2011

If it's black in this map, it's Shia ground. It's also mostly oil heartland
and some of the most strategic territory in the entire Middle East!

One terrorist with a grudge can do a lot of damage.

Iran, all by itself, could even be a deadly force.

But can you imagine what millions of Shiites with a 1,354-year old ax to grind could do?

The 162-Million-Man March

Nobody knows exactly how many Shia there are right now in the Middle East. That's because in all but four Middle Eastern countries, Sunni leaders don't bother to count.

Sunni schools teach that Shiites aren't real Muslims. Shias don't get a seat in government. They can't become judges or even testify in high courts. In Sunni-run Saudi Arabia, Shias and Sunni can't even marry.

For centuries, the Shia have been the underclass.

But now, for the first time in history, they see this as their chance to turn the tide. And how big a tide is it? Hands down, saber-rattling Iran has the most — 70 million Shia.

But then you've got the "liberated" Shia of Iraq — 22 million. Plus as many as 2 million Shia in Iran-backed Lebanon. And up to 4 million Shia in Iran's top ally, Syria.

Then you've got another 700,000 Shia in Kuwait... up to 500,000 Shia in Bahrain... up to 400,000 Shia in the United Arab Emirates... 300,000 Shia in Oman... and around 100,000 Shia in Qatar, according to the Pew Research Center in Washington.

On top of that, as many as 10 million Shia in Yemen... another 7 million Shia in Azerbaijan... and 11 million Shia in Turkey... not to mention the combined 30 million Shia in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Not all Shia want a revolution.

But out of between the 147 million to 162 million Shia spread from Pakistan to Lebanon and Azerbaijan to Yemen, enough do that this is the river of "Secret Revenge" and common blood running through the entire Middle East.

The Sunnis are worried.

Especially in Sunni-run Saudi Arabia.

And especially now.

Here's why...

"New" Oil War Flashpoint #1:
The Real Reason Iran
Wants the Bomb

Don't forget, Iran used to be Persia.

At one point Persia was the biggest and most powerful empire in history!

Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Egypt — even Israel — the Persians controlled them all. Along with all of Afghanistan and Pakistan and most of the oil-rich coast of the Caspian.

For 300 years, Persian armies held off the Roman Empire. Their scholars walked with Aristotle and Plato. And influenced Greek art.

It was the Persians who invented chess. And the windmill.

Not to mention bricks, algebra, trigonometry, and wine.

The bottom line is... no Empire forgets its past glory.

The Iranians resent losing theirs.

But now they see a chance to get it back.

The nuclear bomb? Tehran's crackpot leaders don't just want it to scare Israel. They want it so they can throw a dark shadow over their Sunni Arab neighbors, too!

Take a look at this...

Iran's First Move...

With total control of the Hormuz "oil chokepoint" in the Persian Gulf
and new power in "liberated" Iraq, the Iranians have a brand new foothold
for kicking off the long-awaited "Shia Revolution."

You'll notice two things.

First, you'll see how Iran's Shia influence has spilled across the border into southern Iraq. Southern Iraq is where you'll find six of Iraq's eight "Supergiant" oil fields. It's also where you'll find a key border with Shia Islam's mortal enemy — Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is Sunni.

For eight years back in the 1980s, Saudi Arabia helped Iraq wage a bloody war against Iran. Along with other Sunni governments, the Saudis even gave Saddam over $47 billion to launch missiles and nerve gas attacks over the Iranian border.

Iran hasn't forgotten. Or forgiven.

(Imagine if Canada or Mexico had given money to Japan to help them bomb Pearl Harbor. Iran has waited to make the Saudis pay — and now they have their chance.)

"Iran is clearly seen as a very serious threat by those on the other side of the Gulf front."

— Gen. David Petraeus,
Jan. 31, 2010

The second thing you'll see in the map above is that Iran has almost total control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Hormuz is the tight waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean. Over 17 million barrels of oil have to pass through Hormuz every day.

That's 40% of all the oil shipped in the world.

And 90% of all the daily oil shipments from the entire Middle East.

With Hormuz alone, Iran could cripple the world overnight.

Today, Iran backs Shia militants in Iraq. They give them money and guns. They've even helped Shia politicians take over the Iraqi government. Why?

Because gaining control in Iraq takes the Iranians one step closer in their twisted plot for secret revenge. For another one of those steps, just look further south... to Yemen.

"New" Oil War Flashpoint #2:
Yemen's Ugly Secret

The Pentagon has just tripled its budget on Yemen.

Top U.S. General Patraeus just had a not-so-secret meeting with Yemen's president.

And our own State Department calls Yemen a “threat... to global stability.â€

[dr.placebo]

This is an article from Byron King at the Daily Reckoning. Now, while it engages in a fair amount of "fear mongering" , much of the info is accurate. It concerns the Sunni-Shia rivalry.

spam, investment grade

[can't sit still]

Yes, you're very quick to dismiss situations that you don't understand. You're obviously ignorant of the situation between the Shiites and the Sunnis. I traveled by road all through the area.
Yemen has become a VERY hot spot all of a sudden. Syria is talking about war. Israel is beating the war drums over Iran. The high mucky-muks are all talking about a disintegration in Saudi. There are huge problems under the surface in Saudi. There are 22.6 million Saudis and 5.6 million foreigners. No jobs for the young.
The Sunni-Shia problems never go away. Iran had a million casualties with Iraq. They don't forget that stuff.
Even Jim Willie has speculated about revolution in Saudi. They're the force that is holding the whole thing together. But, they're also coming apart at the seams.

[DVD Burner]

[youtube][/youtube]

[dr.placebo]

Yes, you're very quick to dismiss situations that you don't understand. You're obviously ignorant of the situation between the Shiites and the Sunnis. I traveled by road all through the area.

Actually, I kinda agree with the info on the Shia/Sunni conflict, although given the long history of enmity my bet is that they will be fighting with each other for centuries to come, but it's unlikely to become a widespread hot war.

My "spam" label was based on the investment advice at the tail of the long-winded post. I still think it's spam.

[can't sit still]

Gotcha

[DVD Burner]

News from outside of the states.

Israel and the States dont look too good.

[DVD Burner]

I think George W. Bush should be commended for how he has conducted himself since leaving office.

JK

I have always wanted to post this behind this quote.

[youtube][/youtube]


And Bush has been quiet for good reason!