Headless Horseman Of The Apocalypse

We are taking a day off. Why? Well, per:

http://members.tripod.com/~Sidlinger/mt.html

we have some Xmas shopping to do. So, here's a news flashback from October 26, 2006. It's getting all scary out there in preperation for Halloween. Enjoy the scare!!

News Flashback (10/26/2006)
In a stealth maneuver, President Bush has signed into law a provision which will actually encourage the President to declare federal martial law. It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a set of laws that limits the President's ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act, helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush is seeking to undo those prohibitions.

The "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007," which was signed by the commander in chief on October 17th, 2006, in a private Oval Office ceremony, allows the President to declare a "public emergency" and station troops anywhere in America and take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder."

President Bush seized this unprecedented power on the very same day that he signed the equally odious Military Commissions Act of 2006. In a sense, the two laws complement one another. One allows for torture and detention abroad, while the other seeks to enforce acquiescence at home, preparing to order the military onto the streets of America.

see also: Martial Law Enacted in U.S. (video title is a link)
October, 2008

and

Army Times (words are the link)
September 30, 2008

Remember, the term for putting an area under military law enforcement control is precise; the term is "martial law."

Bush's new law that grants the Pentagon another $500-plus-billion for its ill-advised adventures, is entitled, "Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies." Section 333, "Major public emergencies; interference with State and Federal law" states that "the President may employ the armed forces, including the National Guard in Federal service, to restore public order and enforce the laws of the United States when, as a result of a natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition in any State or possession of the United States, in which the President determines that domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of ("refuse" or "fail" in) maintaining public order, "in order to suppress, in any State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy."

Wow. This is real folks. Ain't no War Of The Worlds here,
yet. Drink some coffee, get on comfortable clothes, and let's learn together.

For the Still President Bush, "enforcement of the laws to restore public order" means to commandeer guardsmen from any state, over the objections of local governmental, military and local police entities; ship them off to another state; conscript them in a law enforcement mode; and set them loose against "disorderly" citizenry - protesters, possibly, or those who object to forced vaccinations and quarantines in the event of a bio-terror event.The law also facilitates militarized police round-ups and detention of protesters, so called "illegal aliens," "potential terrorists" and other "undesirables" for detention in facilities already contracted for and under construction by Halliburton.

see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79inG_bm_wk

That's right. Under the cover of a trumped-up "immigration emergency" and the frenzied militarization of the southern border, detention camps are being constructed right under our noses, camps designed for anyone who resists the foreign and domestic agenda of the Bush administration.

Aware

An article on "recent contract awards" in a recent issue of the slick, insider "Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International" reported that "global engineering and technical services powerhouse KBR [Kellog, Brown & Root] announced in January 2006 that its Government and Infrastructure division was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in the event of an emergency."

"With a maximum total value of $385 million over a five year term," the report notes, "the contract is to be executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," "for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) - in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs."

"There are 3,768 that have been built in the U.S. since this original story surfaced. They are staffed, fully funded, and do reflect current Army policy. (Reported as early as March 1997 on Google) Look it up for yourself"

The report points out that "KBR is the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton." So, the new law, signed by the president in a private White House ceremony, further collapses the historic divide between the police and the military: a tell-tale sign of a rapidly consolidating police state in America, all accomplished amidst ongoing U.S. imperial pretensions of global domination, sold to an "emergency managed" and seemingly willfully gullible public as a "global war on terrorism.

"Make no mistake about it: the de-facto repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA) is an ominous assault on American democratic tradition and jurisprudence. The 1878 Act, which reads, "Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both," is the only U.S. criminal statute that outlaws military operations directed against the American people under the cover of 'law enforcement.' As such, it has been the best protection we've had against the power-hungry intentions of an unscrupulous and reckless executive, an executive intent on using force to enforce its will. Unfortunately, this past week, the president dealt posse comitatus, along with American democracy, a near fatal blow.

Consequently, it will take an aroused citizenry to undo the damage wrought by this horrendous act, part and parcel, as we have seen, of a long train of abuses and outrages perpetrated by this authoritarian administration.

Give me Liberty (video)

Despite the unprecedented and shocking nature of this act, there has been no outcry in the American media, and little reaction from our elected officials in Congress. 2007's Defense Authorization Act contained a "widely opposed provision to allow the President more control over the National Guard [adopting] changes to the Insurrection Act, which will make it easier for this or any future President to use the military to restore domestic order WITHOUT the consent of the nation's governors.

Invoking the Insurrection Act and using the military for law enforcement activities goes against some of the central tenets of our democracy. On the 9/29/2006, Leahy entered into the Congressional Record that he had "grave reservations about certain provisions of the fiscal Year 2007 Defense Authorization Bill Conference Report," the language of which, he said, "subverts solid, longstanding posse comitatus statutes that limit the military's involvement in law enforcement, thereby making it easier for the President to declare martial law." This had been "slipped in," Leahy said, "as a rider with little study," while "other congressional committees with jurisdiction over these matters had no chance to comment, let alone hold hearings on, these proposals."

In a telling bit of understatement, the Senator from Vermont noted that "the implications of changing the (Posse Comitatus) Act are enormous". "There is good reason," he said, "for the constructive friction in existing law when it comes to martial law declarations. Using the military for law enforcement goes against one of the founding tenets of our democracy."

How could Congress have gotten to this point? It seems the changes to the Insurrection Act have survived the Conference because the Pentagon and the White House want it."The historic and ominous re-writing of the Insurrection Act, accomplished in the dead of night, which gives Bush the legal authority to declare martial law, is now an accomplished fact.

The law facilitates the "transfer" of the newest in so-called "crowd control" technology and other weaponry designed to suppress dissent from the Pentagon to local militarized police units.

It has become clear in recent months that a critical mass of the American people have seen through the lies of the Bush administration; with the Republican's economic rule at an historic low, growing resistance to the war Iraq, and the Democrats likely to take back the White House, the Bush administration is on the ropes. And so it is particularly worrying that President Bush has seen fit, at this juncture to, in effect, declare himself dictator.

McCain on running the country (with video)
October 1, 2008
"I've always aspired to be..."
Views as of this posting: 13,126

Bush speech (video)
January 20, 2007
"I'm the dictator."
Views as of this posting: 33,215

Bush on terrorists (video)
September 20, 2006
"We always must be forward thinking."
Views as of this posting:197,776

Bush press conference (video)
April 9, 2007
"It would be easier if..."
Views as of this posting: 51,806

Bush on running the country (video)
July 17, 2006
"That's ok."
Views as of this posting: 57,592

Bush/McCain on preference for dictatorship.
October 2, 2008
Once might be funny, not, but more then once?

On knowing about 9/11 plan (video)
September 2007
"There's times for politics"
(Um. but we do know you knew. There was a memo. We all know that.)
Views as of this posting: 25,838

Bush, on torture, probable cause... (video)
July 28, 2006
On info Wars, etc.
Views as of this posting: 31,174

Countdown with Keith Olbmerann (video)
May 11, 2006
"Get criminal and get made." The one with Jonathan Turley (see his book).
"Bush's rogue's gallery included those who had either been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes earlier in their careers working with Reagen and Bush Sr., as well as those who many thought should have been indicted, i.e. Elliot Abrams - misdeamenor gate, John Poindexter - 3strikes gate, Otto Reisch - propaganda gate, et al. One has to notice that, and wonder why, Bush seemed to reach out to people who had, or appeared to have, broken the law. In addition, those who had appeared to have broken the law had a rapid ascent within the Bush Administration. You have to wonder if this was sudddenly criteria for moving up quickly, why he seems to like people who are willing to go to the edge of the law, and beyond it to achieve what he feels is a worthy purpose." History will find that the "do nothing" Congress got its nickmane from not investigating the NSA. Congress even gave Bush a standing ovation when he promosed to renew the NSA practices in his State Of The Union." (We suggest you google NSA, General Hayden, and his $2 billion Trailblazer. Hayden, former head of NSA is now head of CIA) Views as of this posting: 178,596

P.S. Every ten minutes or so the links on this page disappear. Copy and paste so you can save.

A Poll Walked Into A Bar

Must not sleep. Must process what I saw. Must go on.

People, those who know much more than I about history, say this is the most important time in the history of time. Seriously. They even have a chart.

Link you will have to cut, paste & piece together:

http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=most+important+time+in&scoring=t&hl=en&um=1&sa=N&lnav=dt

...or you could just trust me. It starts at 4000 BC, goes until 2008 AD, and it shows this is actually the most important time, when they take all factors into account, since humans have started keeping track of history, and in fact, since long before then.

Must drink more coffee, must shake off the fog. You can sleep in November. Open a window, let in some cold air, wake up, get your eagle on.

Issues they did not bring up in the debate:

Abortion
Morning After Pill
Violence Against Women Act
Rick Davis
McCain's record with vets
Polar Bears
Troopergate
The incredible
economic collapse happening worldwide

Our other notes from the debate...
She was lovely and all, yeah, but I have to say, "Thanks, but no thanks for the MILF from nowhere." We are still talking Sarah Palin here who got a "D" in macroeconomics from one of the 7 colleges she attended before she managed to get a degree. God Bless her though, she's not a quiter.

The BBC reported she lost. Israeli News says Biden won. French AP says Biden won. So I'm going with, Biden won. For more details, sources and links, go to our cousin website.

Don't worry folks. We are fighting the good fight here. She might be able to bob and weave, but if you watched CSPAN afterwards, she wasn't all that sure how well she did. You could see it on her face as she chatted with relatives and stood at the feet of Joe Biden while he engaged her in talking about their sons.

Most important thing I can focus on, as my sight has gotten rather blurry with these marathon computer sessions, is that 71% of the uncommitted voters out there were reported as still uncommitted after this debate. That's the only Poll numbers I'm paying attention to, and that's the only job I'm gonna focus on. Although, you should know, that the BBC Poll shows that Democrats are registering voters at a rate of 50 to 1 compared to Republicans. 50 TO 1. Now, the question is, will these first time younger voters show up to the polls. The only polls that really matter.

To that end, we have put together a web page to do just that job
http://www.palincomparisonblog.com/OBiden.html

at If The Buck Stops Here, Shoot It.com. We have incredible, breathtaking pictures there, a few new articles worth noting, and tons more, so please take advantage of it. It is our sincere hope that our O'Biden page will be helpful in properly introducing The Fellas to any uncommitted soul that stumbles in.

Let's get 'em registered, and on that gorgeous day in November, crisp as it will be, let's wake 'em up, pick 'em up, and wheel them in. We are gonna take our country back folks! Yes, we are!

Ok, now I'm awake.

Red, White, & Boo: We thought Freddy Kruger was scary, but he didn't have jack on Freddie Mac!

This is what we can find on Freddie Mac's website. It speaks for itself, but let me get my eagle on and break it down for you...

Freddie Mac's Actual Website
Currently, on Freddie Mac's corporate website, please find their

NEWS & INFORMATION PAGE

Here they present a report on why people who can't afford homes should be put in them and supported with voucher and assistance programs. This was created BEFORE any of this talk about bailing them out!! See this mission statement below, present by Rick Davis.

Its purpose:

Homeownership has been a cornerstone of the country’s economic strength throughout the past decade. “State and local governments nationwide must expand their efforts to ensure that every family in America has the opportunity to own a home,” said Davis. “The more Americans we have owning homes, the stronger our economy and the greater the benefit.”

Report From Homeownership Alliance (HA) President Rick Davis.
(and here it is...)

HA Highlights Best Practices for Increasing Housing Affordability
A report released by The HA, a coalition of almost 20 organizations of which Freddie Mac is a charter member. The report identifies existing practices for increasing homeownership opportunities. “We hope this report will spark a much-needed dialogue on affordable housing programs.” said HA President Rick Davis. The best practices in the study fall into five categories and represent both demand-side efforts (e.g. homeownership tax credits, housing cost assistance programs and voucher assistance programs) and supply-side efforts (e.g. agency development initiatives and developer incentives).

Types of practices included:

Homeownership Tax Credits: Homeownership tax credits have helped tens of thousands of families become first-time homeowners.
Housing Cost Assistance Programs: Housing agencies in cities across the country, including Baltimore; Seattle; Riverside, Calif.; Phoenix; New York and Washington, provide funds for participants to use toward the costs of owning a home – i.e. down payments, closing costs and mortgage payments.

Voucher Assistance Programs: In recent years, locations including Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, have begun making federally funded Section 8 vouchers applicable to mortgage payments. With more than half of its residents living in Section 8 housing throughout the city, HACP has implemented a program allowing public housing residents and Section 8 renters to use their HA Payments toward monthly mortgage payments and expenses.

Agency Development Initiatives: In cities including Minneapolis, Minn.; Riverside, Calif.; Atlanta and Philadelphia, agencies are investing directly in increasing the supply of local affordable housing by rezoning or annexing land specifically for the purpose of affordable housing development, investing in the development of affordable housing or funding the rehabilitation of existing unoccupied housing properties. To date, the Philadelphia HA has invested in building four major developments located in communities close to schools, stores and parks and are affordable to eligible families, with mortgage rates as low as $700.

Developer Incentives: Chicago, Atlanta and Phoenix increased the supply of affordable housing. In the last two years, Chicago has created 466 affordable units because residential developers receiving discounted city land or using city financial assistance must set units aside for affordable housing. The program will help the city create 700 affordable units in the next three years.

And in closing, he ads...

Homeownership has been a cornerstone of the country’s economic strength throughout the past decade. “State and local governments nationwide must expand their efforts to ensure that every family in America has the opportunity to own a home,” said Davis. “The more Americans we have owning homes, the stronger our economy and the greater the benefit.”

Deep Breath. I'm trying not to yell. So, who's fault is this again? And why is Rick Davis still McCain's campaign manager? And lastly, and this one just spins me around, how is it that McCain is gonna 'clean up' Freddie Mac?

Feeling Impailed

P.S. for S.P.

Why we are so exhausted...Our Historic Two Weeks.

Its been going so fast and furious that many of us may not really know what it is that makes us feel so drained right now. Alot of us have fought in campaigns before, but this seems like more than the usual 4th quarter blues.

Well, I gave it some thought. Let's review.

I think it is safe to say that the Democratic party was generally happy and energized after their convention. Glowing, crying, hopeful.

Almost immediately after, Gustav was brewing out in the Caribbean and had already killed some people. The storm was bearing in on the coast of the U.S. and millions were evacuated. You couldn't be human, or part of the movement to elect Obama, if you didn't identify with all the unfortunate people that had to pack up, leave, and spend money just to find a space to sleep, find gas, etc.

Then, with that low lying anxiety, and with Ike on the way, Bush jumped out of the circle and ran to Texas as the Republican convention started to "oversee things from there." We were robbed of our ability to see the incumbent standing next to one of his biggest supporters, proving to everyone watching that McCain would be more of the same.

Instead, we got a surprise distraction and a rollercoaster ride. An unprecedented number of people started very actively arguing about politics. It wasn't a fair fight. They're shorter, so there were alot of low blows.

Then the nation watched as Ike began to bear down. Barack canceled what was to be his Saturday Night Live appearance. (Now that just wasn't fair! I was really looking forward to that). But it was o.k., we were doing the right thing. Ike was on its way and, in a rare natural metaphor, was the size of Texas. No matter where it hit the U.S., work was going to have to be done to help alot of people.

No details needed. Wipeout. Same time, Palin was doing her press junket, shaking hands, and making friends. Miraculously, the other team seemed to start to take the lead.

Last weekend was sleepless for alot of us. I don't know about you guys, but at this point I was glued to my computer, reassuring friends the polls were going to prove wrong, feeling it in my gut, which was also full of coffee and fast food.

Monday morning we woke to the news that Wall Street had lost two of its major brokerage firms. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy after the government refused to bail it out, and Merrill Lynch employees bit their nails.

Barack had to swat some flies away (literally and figuratively), but the tables were turning.

Then, Bank of America bought Merril Lynch in a quickee deal and the stock market responded with a huge sell off, down 504 points for the day. There were fears about Washington Mutual, Morgan Stanley and other firms, so financial stocks tanked. Markets around the world took a beating. If you didn't know, trust me, we really wiped out everybody. Some of the markets weren't even able to reopen. AIG was on the precipice, looking out over the lemming Lehman's below, and they are huge in almost every world market, so this was going to be bad. If you watched the BBC, or any other major world news agency, THEY used the words 'earthquake, The Great Depression, Black Tuesday, and devastating emergency' to describe what was happening everywhere. I actually made the mistake of tivoing some shows from Fox News to get the other perspective and boy, there is no way for me to get those hours back.

But we rallied. We picked up. We really did folks. The more she spoke, the stupider she sounded. The more McCain spoke, the more he got things wrong in a pretty visible way. What went up, was starting to go down. Who had time for lipstick, when the house was on fire?

First, those who cared (wearing both red and blue) sat around a big table in Washington and someone said something, and someone else agreed, and someone took out a checkbook.

*The federal government jumped in Tuesday night and bailed out AIG to the tune of an $85 billion loan.
*The FCC put a ban on shortselling.
*The world's central banks took action, injecting $180 billion into the financial system to stem the losses.
*The market rallied, bounced, went back up.
*Even the government's #1 Deregulator was screaming for regulation!

So if you feel exhausted, it's not the election, it's not this fight we are in. Its all the unbelievable distractions, regrettable as they were, that hit the world the last two weeks.

Good news?

1. Their numbers are down, ours are up.

2. The judge in the Cheney lawsuit ordered Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president. Oh, you didn't know he had a lawsuit against him? Well, the lawsuit alleges that the Bush administration's actions over the past 7 1/2 years raise questions over whether the White House will turn over records created by Cheney and his staff to the National Archives in January. And Cheney lost.

3. Alaska's state Senator Hollis French said the retired prosecutor hired by the Alaska Legislature to investigate Palin (aka Troopergate), Stephen Branchflower, will conclude his investigation by Oct. 10. So they aren't giving up. And it will be in time for the election.

4. The other team's lies are getting so transparent that incredible people like that female reporter on FOX, Carl Rove, and even Hardball has to call them out on it, daily.

Bottom line, this is where we stand,

COSTS OVER THIS LAST YEAR
Status: Inflation up 5.4%
Average Salaries: Down 3.3%
Gasoline: Up 35.6%
Household Energy costs: Up 17.3%
Food: Up 7.5%

Its bad, but not unfixable. We will have alot of work to do, but we'll have to do it from the Oval Office.

So, take a deep breath.... Right now. Breathe in, and then out.

Make a bubble bath, catch a rerun of The Daily Show from their website, catch a sunset, or see the funny short: 'Its time for some campaignin'

Funny no matter what side you are on.
http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm

Then remember why we're doing this. If you haven't already, see:
You Made Me Love You Obama!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW19otZgxY8

Get some yogurt to settle your stomach, splurge and let yourself have some chocolate, and take just a second to rejuvenate.

and then....LET'S GET OUT THERE AND GET 'EM.

We will do it by registering MORE voters! http://my.barackobama.com/vfc

We will do it by making the right points with our messages:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJThPjvscFs

We will do it by making people aware of Barack's actual financial plan: http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/economyplan

We will do it because WE CAN!

The Day That Shook The World

September 16, 2008 -- It started with McCain saying something like, "The fundamentals of the U.S. Economy are strong."

Meanwhile people started to walk around and photograph all the damage from the storm before. Texas and many, many others were whiped out. So much to figure out: aide (first responders didn't have support, or water or food or supplies), how to rebuild, how to clean up the toxic mess that would no doubt be left behind. Get water pressure going, how to get a meal, power, clothes, shoes, help, phones, a place to sleep. 30,000 people in shelters just in the Galveston area. And, of course, how would the oil industry be affected?

The fact that this storm was reported as "the size of Texas" got washed away along with the video of the huge surge of water. A storm that big, for anyone who has been paying attention, is a direct result of global warming.

Ms. Palin was reported on ABC as saying, “A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.”

On the same day that she said that on ABC, the Associated Press (AP) wrote "Palin opposes the Bush administration's decision to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act." You'd think everyone had seen the images of the bears bearly able to cling onto ice chunks, exhausted, beautiful and sad. Apparently, that was under her radar.

And now the global warming was really going to go global.

The levies, the regulatory agencies and policies and laws of the U.S. that HAD been placed there to protect its citizens from another Black Tuesday (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tuesday), failed. With no regulations on speculation, and no oversight on companies that ran boiler rooms of phone sales agents selling fraudulant low interest loans, it was just a matter of time. Then it started. The wave that would shake the world. Floreclosures, banks closing, people fired, more people fired, more people fired, and then...Lehman Brothers. On the BBC they said it felt like an earthquake hit London. It was a Monday, so much of the rest of the world was on holiday.

Then came today. And AIG started to wobble on its feet. Much larger than Lehman, for those who don't know. Japan, ouch, India, oy, England, oh my, and all of the rest of the world -- body blow, body blow, body blow. Their markets crumbled.

So it would appear that this would be an excellent time to remember we are all connected. As goes the US, there goes the world. So we have to get Roosevelt on their ass. Perhaps Biden can get some of the rest of the world to invest in our rebuilding of our infrastructure. It could provide millions of jobs, if we were to share the info we invent on energy reform and renewable options with green foreign investors who are willing to put dollars in our country, jobs in our towns, and food on the table. We are gonna need help here. And we might as well realize that the rest of world needs us as much as we need them. So to defeat McBush, we need to elevate the discussion to the beginnings of a worldwide plan to get out of this. Let's get Warren Buffet in on this. Let's get some of the best brains out there. Let's be our own FEMA, our own community organizers.

The Palin discussion can fade away to cocktail jokes about lipstick and comparisons to Cheney. Let her go. She's insignificant.