Mike's Blog

What next?Al Qaeda and Aliens Join forces?

Another example of the degree to which the media has become the pawn of the Bushies. They don't even need trumped up 'intelligence' anymore. Just, well, gee, someonoe might sorta kinda could kinda do this stuff so we better be scared.

FBI warns of possible deadly floating material From Kathleen Koch CNN Washington Bureau Monday, June 28, 2004 Posted: 6:49 AM EDT (1049 GMT) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI issued a warning last week for state and local authorities to be on the lookout for booby-trapped floating material in and around the nation's marinas, warning they could contain explosives.

A homeland security official told CNN on Sunday there is "no intelligence terrorists are planning to or want to do this."
The official said the warning was sent in a weekly bulletin to 18,000 state and local agencies, a lightly classified alert that outlines possible tactics terrorists could use...(link)

Fahrenheit 9/11 - good links

Here's the e-mail from my friend. He'd inlcuded a number of good links so I thought I'd repost them here.
And one more chance to plug my vote for the best Bush in 30 Seconds although it only placed #3.
In My Country

Michael Moore has a new documentary out called "Fahrenheit 9/11" it opens this Friday, June 25. The film has been awarded the Palme d'Or, the Cannes film festival's top prize . It has become quite controversial. Disney has prohibited Miramax from distributing it "because it could be politically divisive" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/05/entertainment/main615648.shtml). Numerous organization are trying the keep the movie from showing since they feel it is "Anti-American" and that we should not use our troops to denounce the war in Iraq -- they claim it is a "political move" (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1966055). This, of course, neglects the manipulation of oil prices, "terror alert levels" and fear mongering by the administration for their gains -- all using taxpayers money. Organizations like Move America Forward (http://www.moveamericaforward.org/) are trying to stop the showing of the "Anti-American" film in what I see as blatant censorship.

See for yourself, do a search on the movie (http://vivisimo.com/search?query=Fahrenheit+9%2F11&v%3Asources=Web) and you can spend hours looking at various views.

I urge you to see this movie/documentary and invite others to see it also. By doing so I feel that we are sending a clear message to the rest of our country (and the media) that we are fed up with Mr. Bush and his corporate cronies attempting to line their pockets under the guise of fighting terror.

Here are a few links to help you out:
Trailer, this is good entertainment in its own right: http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/fahrenheit_911/f911_large.html (QuickTime)
Show locations, find out where it opens: http://www.f911tix.com/

Other sites of interest:
Move On: http://www.moveon.org
True Majority: http://www.truemajority.org

update 6/28
a few more links
http://slate.msn.com/id_2102723
http://www.factcheck.org/

Fahrenheit 9/11

A friend of mine sent out an e-mail encouraging everyone to see this and I did. But the main reason I did was that I'd caught something on the news about Republicans protesting that adveristing of the movie was illegal. Wow, talk about free publicity. Michael Moore couldn't have it any better. It was true Michael Moore style. My only criticism is that the lies and deception are so much worse than protrayed in the film. I'm afraid the Bushies will just say 'bring it on' if that's as bad as it can get. Everything in the moive has certainly been in the media. He only touches the highlights of some of the lies. But there is limit as to how much material can be presented in 2 hours that will represent the last few years of daily lies and deception.

I suppose there is a chance that some will see it or hear about it and be curious enough to look into it a bit. Even if they don't look into the details maybe a few will just stop and think. If only a few percent of the voters out there stop and think it could change things in a major way. I read that Bush 'won' the last election with only 15% of the vote.

It's just so much worse than the movie portrays it, that's all I can say. I suppose that could be the same for his Bowling For Columbine film. I liked it and it gave me a lot to think about and I'm sure things are much worse in real life for people who live with drive by shootings and other acts of gun violence. If just a few people think about things they haven't given serious consideration to before it can make a difference.

"The Marines Tale"

I hadn't seen this article in The Indenpendent in May. The orginal source in The Indepent now requires a fee to go back in the archives but here's a link (via Moosehall) that has the entire article.

The Marine's tale:

'We killed 30 civilians in six weeks. I felt we were committing genocide"

BY NATASHA SAULNIER

23 May 2004 — The Independent— During 12 years in the US Marines, including three years putting new recruits through boot camp, Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey hardly questioned his role. But what he saw in Iraq changed that.
...(link)

My own vote for the new currency

All this talk about Reagan and maybe a new dime or $20 bill. But my vote of course goes to the one and only G.W. Bush. But most fun maybe would to just mix it all up a bit and put him on the $1 bill. Right there with "In God We Trust" and "The New Secular Order" (Novus Ordo Seclorum) (I've been reading too much Dan Brown and Illuminati conspiracy lately). Of course we all know what the most basic requirement is to be on US currency :-)

Scary

I haven't had much time to post lately and don't have much time today but I want to blog this link and article. I need to follow up on this later. From Talking Points Memo

...The article describes a confidential Pentagon report providing legal rationales and interpretations by which US personnel could use torture and methods of near-torture in contravention of various international treaties and US laws. The bulk of the arguments rest on arguments of 'necessity' and the powers of the president as commander-in-chief. They also go into some depth about how people acting at the president's order could avoid prosecution for demonstrably criminal acts.

The article is well worth reading for this alone.

But that whole discussion is different in kind from one passage in the report. I quote from the piece ...

To protect subordinates should they be charged with torture, the memo advised that Mr. Bush issue a "presidential directive or other writing" that could serve as evidence, since authority to set aside the laws is "inherent in the president."

So the right to set aside law is "inherent in the president". That claim alone should stop everyone in their tracks and prompt a serious consideration of the safety of the American republic under this president....