Razed By Wolves: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

September 30 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: The French-Rooted Word 'Clemency' Might Relate To California's Impending Prisoner Release

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 30 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Understanding The French Language Rooted Word 'Clemency' And How That Word, In The Western Vernacular, Might Relate To California's Impending Release Of 40,000 State Prisoners

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In The News: A one foot tsunami hit the west coast of the US late last night causing no apparent injury or damage, but American Samoa got hit hard... Hundreds of people killed (at least 89 according to the NYTimes) by five waves generated by the 8.3 undersea earthquake near Pago Pago. Now there's been a 7 plus quake off the coast of Sumatra. There are 75 know dead so far from that diaster.

More bad news in that general region of the planet. A major typhoon hits the Philippines, Vietnam, Burma, killing at least 331 people across Southeast Asia.

The Senate finance committee surgically removes BOTH the Rockefeller and Schumer plans for a 'public option' in the Health Care Reform bill... More. The New York Times "Live Blogs" the proceedings here. More from Time Magazine.

Da Buffalo hopes you didn't REALLY expect there was going to be anything resembling nationalized health insurance for ALL Americans, did you folks?

From the National Priorities Project some details on where A LOT of the money that COULD be used as health care funding for American citizens gets spent every second of every day:

# Total spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will exceed $1 trillion February/March 2010.

# From FY 2001 to FY 2008, federal grants to state and local governments increased 0.57% for every 1% increase in total federal budget authority. Yet, during the same period, federal military expenditures increased 1.47% for every 1% in total federal budget authority.

In other words, as the “budgetary pie” increased, the defense slice got bigger and fatter and the “grants to the states” slice of the pie got smaller .

# Even without including current war allocations, U.S. military spending is at its highest level since World War II. This takes into account the war-time budgets of Vietnam and Korea.

# Despite rhetoric to the contrary, the Obama Administration is not cutting defense. In fact, the Pentagon budget is projected to grow25% over the next decade.

# This is an unprecedented period in our nation’s history. Two wars, staggering national debt, the economic crisis and an impending climate crisis make these extremely challenging times. At the same time, President Obama endeavors to respond to the sweeping mandate for change. [In Full, PDF format]

4,000 US troops are going to be pulled out of Iraq by the end of October leaving approximately 120,000 troops in the theatre.

You'd figure they'd leave some extra troops in Iraq to do water works projects and help out with the drought decimating the country, but most likely they'll be R&R'd and returned to Afghanistan or the Pakistan border war. It IS approximately 10% the number of troops General McChrystal is calling for in Afghanistan or, as he puts it "face the possibility of military failure."

Speaking of Afghanistan, or more correctly Af-Pak-istan, a drone strikes take out the Pakistani Taliban leader. More from Juan Cole @ Informed Comment:

Meanwhile, in Pakistan US drones killed 12 persons in Waziristan. The dead included local commanders of the Pakistan Taliban Movement, along with some unidentified foreigners (typically foreigners associated with the Pakistani Taliban are either Arabs or regional Muslim radicals-- from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan or Xianjian). One of the strikes was on Dandey Darpakhel village, the site of a seminary linked to Siraj Haqqani, the son of old-time warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose network in neighboring Afghanistan targets NATO and Afghan troops.

...and just in case you thought the Afghan government was happy about our military presence in their country, professor Cole continues:

ABC News reports [Link] that many high Afghan officials are opposed to the idea of the US sending more foreign troops to Afghanistan. [In Full, and much more at Informed Comment]

Killer clowns in outer space! A former street performing French Canadian clown who went on to create Cirque du Soleil, one of the largest entertainment 'complexes in the world, has paid $35 million dollars to be the first clown in space.He blasted off today on a rocket from Kazakhstan.

From TimesOnline (UK):

"Before blast-off, the entertainer donned a red clown nose, blew kisses to supporters and held both hands over his heart in a mime’s show of affection. He brought more novelty noses for his crew mates and promised that he will tickle them as they sleep." Click the image for more, and a video.

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Recorded & transcribed by Da' Buffalo Amongst Wolves

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

September 29 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Afghanistan IS Like Vietnam - Our Post-Colonial Wars On Their Nations, People, And Culture

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 29 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Afghanistan IS Like Vietnam - Comparing Our Post-Colonial Wars On Their Nations, People, And Cultures

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In The News: Maybe they'll speak more kindly of us if we send them ALL to Palau? In an attempt to close Guantanamo military concentration camp by the January deadline the US is preparing to release 75 more inmates and torture victims, most or all of whom had done absolutely nothing, and will most likely be interviewed globally in regard to their 'treatment'. (On the other hand, the Obama administration has reaffirmed it's 'right' to INDEFINITLY detain suspects)

In Pebble Beach, a wealthy enclave on the Monterey Bay of California that surpasses what one would normally call a gated community (a 'gated town' if you would) A mansion being rented (A RENTER!) has experienced a 27 million dollar art theft Van Goghs, Jackson Pollacks, Mattise. It's notable that these types of artworks are too well known to move on the black market... The insurance companies will most likely pay... But a "Renter" in Pebble Beach? Really! There goes the neighborhood!

Like Watching your sausage being made - Senator Chuck Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee, who opposes a 'public option' has stalled the health care bill by pushing his amendment to equalize the pay scales of rural and urban doctors (in reality, a good idea, but are his motivations as good?) before the Heath Care bill moves forward. The 'Rockefeller Plan' public option and Charles Schumer's plan are also on the grill. Hopefully, expect some movement by Thursday.

Moammar Khadafy of Libya and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez are working on a new military and economic cooperation organization (SATO?), the South Atlantic Treaty Organization. Brazil and Argentina are likely candidates as neither nation is very happy with US Latin American policy right now... See the next story for Brazil's 'bitch'.

Honduras is under internal siege, essentially in a state of martial law, with it's constitution and civil rights suspended along with TV and radio broadcasters being shut down. The Honduran coup leaders have threatened to "Shut Down" the Brazilian embassy where the legitimate president of Honduras is ensconced, to which "Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva responded, saying that his government "doesn't accept ultimatums from coup-plotters". Expect short lived mayhem and a thoroughly neutered US presence in Latin America if the OAS and the Brazilians assemble a peacekeeping force to...umn... neutralize the coup regime. Brazil is 'laying low' for now and simply calling for a restoration of President Zelaya. Also, the European Union is exploring nullifying Honduran diplomatic visas until resolution of the crisis.

However... There now appears to be internal dissension within the coup government. The Honduran 'congress' has called in the Michelletti government to back off the media and constitutional suspensions, and says that may happen by the end of the week ("Michelletti is claiming that many liberties will be restored by the end of this week...")

As if it isn't bad enough already, Iraq is experiencing a drought causing half the crops in the country to fail, further decimating their non-oil producing export sector. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers and their dams are precariously low with Turkey, originally saying it couldn't, relenting and now says it WILL deliver more water to Iraq (and Syria). Iraq is already importing half it's food and the drought is taking it's toll on other national resources and cultural heritage as well. (see: Iraq's drought: Eden drying out, The Garden of Eden is in danger of turning into a dustbowl and "Iraq's marshes are dying a second death, Drought, not Saddam Hussein, is the culprit this time in the area some consider the cradle of civilization."

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Recorded & transcribed by Da' Buffalo Amongst Wolves

Monday, September 28, 2009

AfPakistan... PakGhanistan... 'Themistan'... Why The Obama Administration Is "Gravely Concerned"

Courtesy of Brave New Films (YouTube Channel)

September 28 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: The Iranians And Their Uranium - American Foreign Policy Towards Iran

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 28 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: The Iranians And Their Uranium - American Foreign Policy Towards Iran... Stuck In The Horns Of A Dilemma About What Was The 'Youth Of Iran' Generations After Their American University Educations

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In The News: It's NOT the first lie the Obama administration has told, but still.... adorable! The Bush administration apparently knew about the "Secret" Iranian nuclear program that was rolled out like a new product by the Obama administration during the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, and holy moly, the IAEA says the facility is perfectly legit... that they were informed and all paperwork WAS delivered as scheduled, and THEY TOLD US ABOUT IT.

In celebration of blowing the West's anti-Iranian nuclear cover, the Iranians, during a war game exercise, launched TWO missiles of the medium range variety (a liquid-fueled Shahab-3 and the solid-fueled Sejil-2).

Meanwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a little slow on the nuclear uptake and rambles on about Iranian Uranium ("We'll only accept full transparency... or there will be additional sanction". 'Full transparency' apparently IS the case here.) as president Obama plans to visit Copenhagen Denmark where he will pitch for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to be held at a Chicago Illinois venue. The Competition for venues? Brazil... a country that recently chose to buy 36 fighter jets made by France's Dassault Aviation and not from U.S. Boeing Co, and who's embassy is under siege in Honduras by a coup army that until recently had been supplied by the Pentagon and fully supported by the U.S. State Department. See the next story for more.

Honduras Coup Update from CEPR: "Honduras Coup Regime Suspends Constitutional Rights, Closes Media, Threatens Brazil:"

Washington, D.C. - The Honduran de facto regime suspended constitutional guarantees to civil liberties, including freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, for 45 days on the eve of mass protests planned to mark the three-month anniversary since the coup d'etat against President Manuel Zelaya took place. The regime has also shut down Radio Globo, a prominent independent media outlet that has covered anti-coup activities and that reportedly has a journalist inside the Brazilian embassy where Zelaya is staying, and TV station Channel 36.
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The regime also issued an ultimatum to Brazil over the weekend, warning the Brazilian government that it has 10 days to decide what to do about Zelaya, and a regime spokesperson warned that since Brazil broke off diplomatic relations with the coup government, it could remove the flag and shield from the Brazilian embassy, making it a "private office." Brazilian President Lula da Silva rejected the threats, saying that his government "doesn't accept ultimatums from coup-plotters."
[More @ CommonDreams]

The Honduran coup leaders say they will 'close down' the Brazilian embassy if they don't turn over Honduras legitimate president holed up inside. The coup government is chemically and physically harassing the embassy and it's staff with tear gas, noxious chemicals, and LRAD acoustic weapons.

Some details:

(Xinhua) -- Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya denounced on Friday that the country"s interim government harassed him and the people who are staying with him at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa with toxic gases.
Zelaya told a press conference that the interim government was strongly harassing him and the people inside the Brazilian embassy with toxic gases and a strong noise, which has affected his health and that of the other people with him.
Zelaya showed pictures of the policemen setting the device and placing bags with the toxic liquid.

Zelaya urged the international community "to make a strong pressure, to take measure for this bombing against the embassy and our health not to continue."

Doctors who took blood samples of the people inside the Brazilian embassy said that they had a high concentration of ammoniac, hydrogen of cyanide, which blocks the breathing system, produces vomit and abdominal ache. [In Full]

A skeptical report, and in THIS Buffalo's opinion uneducated one (the author's statement about the hows and whys of LRADS shows a certain lack of knowledge of even the most elementary physics of sound, along with other flaws in his logical assumptions) appears at TPMuckraker, which bristles at the thought that the Honduran president partially blames Israel, despite the known fact that Israel is one of the LARGEST weapons merchants in Latin America. TIME Magazine, from 1983, on the topic.

More recently:

Although not nearly as important to Honduras as is the United States--which alone supplied 73 percent of the arms that Honduras imported from 1984 to 1988--Israel has also been a noteworthy provider of training and sophisticated weaponry to the Armed Forces of Honduras. A 1982 visit by a high-level Israeli delegation headed by (then) Defense Minister Ariel Sharon and Air Force General David Ivry, was followed by an increase in arms deliveries and training for Honduras. A dozen Israelis trained the Cobras (the elite counterinsurgency unit) and the personal security guards of former Honduran presidents Roberto Suazo Cordova and Jose Azcona Hoyo (see Public Security Force , this ch.). In mid-1983 the New York Times reported that significant quantities of weapons captured from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) by Israel in their 1982 invasion of Lebanon were passing through the Honduran armed forces to the Contras.

Brazil, France, Britain, and the former West Germany supplied about US$70 million worth of arms to Honduras between 1984 and 1988. The total in weapons sales deliveries from both foreign government and commercial sources was US$331.7 million during the years 1981 to 1990. [In Full]

The Obama administration is going to examine the US educational system's 'system'. According to current plans it will result in longer hours at school, weekend and night sessions, more. Currently the "Unions Criticize Obama's School Proposals as 'Bush III'"

[After the commentary... Robert Lund, with a parody of an old American show tune (Marian the Librarian). The video is quite amusing too!]

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Recorded & transcribed by Da' Buffalo Amongst Wolves

Friday, September 25, 2009

Market Capitalism 101: Constantly Expanding Markets Are A Must, Despite The Cost To Your Society

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BUSINESS AS USUAL

Economic crises are not natural disasters. They are brought about by the actions of bankers, officials, and developers, not to mention ordinary folks struggling to get by in a world we didn’t choose. They appear beyond our control, but they are not inescapable facts of life.

For all the talk of collapse, capitalism itself is as healthy as ever. The fundamental relationships remain unchanged: employers and employees, politicians and voters, police and policed. Our masters may loan us cars or houses to pacify us, but we still lack control over our own lives.

Crises like this are part of the protection racket that keeps them in business.

They profit on the industries that heat up the earth’s atmosphere, and when hurricanes destroy our neighborhoods they replace them with condominiums and sell us energy-saving light bulbs.

They profit on the invasions that secure more resources for the economy, and also on the occupations in which our friends and relatives die.

They profited from the subprime mortgages that contributed to the latest disaster, and now they’re profiting from the bailout.

Imagine another kind of crisis, one that could really pose a threat to their precious market: neighbors defending each other from eviction, workers seizing the goods they need, people building communities based on cooperation and self-determination.

Imagine a world in which we’d never be vulnerable to the whims of the market again.

As far as we’re concerned, it can’t come soon enough.

Get the poster (PDF)

Repost (In solidarity with the people of Honduras): Picture (and philosophical thought) of the Day… Resistance Is Fertile

H/T to Not My Tribe

The greatest illusionist spectacle in the world no longer enchants us. We are certain that communities of joy will emerge from our struggle, here and now.

And for the first time, life will triumph over death.

CrimethInc

September 25 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Iran's Newest 'Secret' Nuclear Project And Some Notes On Disarming A Nuclear Planet

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 25 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Iran's Newest 'Secret' Nuclear Project And Some Notes On Disarming A Nuclear Planet

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In The News: Iran and the four permanent members of the UN Security Council including Germany are going into conference next week over Iran's nuclear program and global nuclear disarmament even as Iran announces some details of another nuclear program. Expect some pronouncements from Western leaders attending the G20 as well.

See the commentary for perspective, and the note below the synopsis for information on who exactly the "international community" is comprised of, and what THEY think about Iran's nuclear projects.

Speaking of G20, Breaking News from the Pittsburgh G20 Protests
Courtesy of CrimethInc, The Ex-Workers' Collective

Disclaimer: This was written the night of September 24, immediately following the events described, without time to verify all the reports summarized or assemble additional information. There may be errors; if so, we will correct them shortly.

This is on-the-spot reporting just in from the first day of the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, which has seen a great deal of spirited resistance and confrontation—perhaps as much as has occurred at any anarchist mobilization in North America in half a decade. This gushy, hastily composed account presents the context, attempts to convey the spirit of the day, and raises a few preliminary questions.

The basic narrative of the day runs thus: The protesters attempt to reach the summit site, but are brutally forced back by police. They eventually turn around and march through Pittsburgh neighborhoods and shopping districts, where the police pursue and attack them. Property destruction intensifies in response to these attacks, and the conflict culminates in a standoff between police and students during which a black bloc destroys a business district. [In Full @ CrimethInc]

UPDATE: September 25 2009, 1735 Pacific Daylight Time

Sonic weapons (LRADS) reportedly being used on G20 protesters in Pittsburgh

A heads up: it seems either US federal police or the US military have used sonic weapons on protestors in Pittsburgh.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/military-attacks-american-citizens-with-sound-weapons-tear-gas-at-g20.html
National Guard, police, and other military units attacked American citizens with tear gas and deployed sound cannons today in response to an “unpermitted protest” as bedlam hit the streets on the first day of the G20 summit in downtown Pittsburgh.

The First Amendment is officially dead in the United States. If this isn’t martial law then we don’t know what is. Associated Press photographs show National Guard troops in full fatigues with active duty military running checkpoints that make the roadblocks in Iraq positively friendly. Like Iraq, America is now a conquered nation occupied by troops whose primary function is to oppress anyone who tries to express the freedoms that they once enjoyed.

It all unfolded live on The Alex Jones Show as the Infowars crew called in to the program as sound cannons were turned against protesters who police were attempting to force out of the immediate area. [In Full @ Seeker 401]

The FBI is apparently producing some significant evidence leading to the indictment of a Denver shuttle bus driver Najibullah Zazi and some 'friends' who were allegedly actualizing some sort of terrorist act (with some "hoarded" chemical that haven't been found yet) in the U.S. even as two more plots, including a 15 year old Jordanian teen in Dallas Texas who planned to take down a 60 story skyscraper make news.

You'd think that SOME PEOPLE are still very angry at the West, and getting angrier.

Just in case you can't imagine WHY:

Paul Kirk, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1985-89) has been appointed interim Senator until January.

The Senate Finance Committee has rejected an amendment that would have limited the ability of the president to appoint 'czars' without senatorial confirmation. The 'Right' is concerned that they'll lack control over who makes executive decisions on policies such as health reform... To wit: "Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) on Friday told his fellow Senate Finance Committee members he wanted any "czars" handling health care issues to be subject to the Senate confirmation process..."

In Honduras, the first talks between the illegitimate coup government and moderator Oscar Arias are a failure even as "President Roberto Micheletti has told the Organization of American States not to send the ministers because they will not be allowed into the country". The national police, led by staff of whom many were trained at the notorious "School of the Americas" ("Honduran General Humberto Regalado Hernandez was inducted into the SOA's Hall of Fame") and US 'Advisors', are surrounding the Brazilian embassy where Jose Manuel Zelaya, the legitimate president is waiting, and have themselves been surrounded by thousands of citizens. The police respond with tear gas, clubs, and rubber bullets. There are at least two dead in the rioting so far.

In regard to the commentary, whenever anyone mentions how the "International Community" abhors and opposes Iran's nuclear power ambitions (We DO want their oil, Right? ...And they SHOULDN'T BE be relegated to third world status in the process, right?) here's an interesting fact... AKA "What 'International Community'?":

All 118 members of the Non-Aligned Movement have signed a statement declaring support for Iran's nuclear program. At least 7 non-members have also publicly expressed support (Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Turkey), bringing the total to at least 125.

So perhaps Iran is at risk of alienating an international minority, but certainly not the majority.[In Full @ The Ruh of Brown Folks]

[After the commentary, P.F. Sloan, Bill Miller, and Frank Black. You know this song... Courtesy of the respective artists.]
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Thursday, September 24, 2009

September 24 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Double-Edged Swords Swung In The Halls Of Congress Over An ACORN

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 24 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Double-Edged Swords Swung In The Halls Of Congress During A Desperate Attempt To Emasculate ACORN For Giving Good Tax Advice To A Hooker

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In The News: President Obama is still "on tour". This morning he chairs the UN Security Council meeting on global nuclear disarmament and then he's off to Pittsburgh for the G-Whatever meeting (issue backgrounder from Xinhua, China.net)... and then back to Washington where the issue at hand is intense pressure by his generals on that nasty little matter of Afghanistan. His generals are backing McChrystal's request for approximately 40,000 more troops in theatre and Obama appears to be wavering...

“I’m not interested in just being in Afghanistan for the sake of being in Afghanistan or saving face or, in some way– you know, sending a message that America– is here for– for the duration,” (source)

...but not ready to pull out of the country. Expect a decision within the next couple of weeks... More.

Juan Cole at Informed Comment details some current executive thoughts on strategy.

At the moment, US policy toward Afghanistan consists of several levels:

# development aid

# state-building and giving the Kabul government greater bureaucratic capacity

This includes working to improve the civilian bureaucracy
As well as training up 400,000 military troops and police

# counter-insurgency-- defeating the guerrilla groups of Gulbadin Hikmatyar, Jalaluddin Haqqani, and Mulla Omar, in the eastern and southern Pashtun regions

# counter-terrorism -- destroying the small Arab terrorist cells that exist in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, which security analysts fear are directing plots in London, New York, and so forth.

This multi-level approach is a disaster. You can't do development aid very effectively in a country beset by guerrilla violence. Moreover, counter-insurgency requires a legitimate, effective Afghan partner that can compete with the Taliban and their allies for Afghan hearts and minds. And, if counter-terrorism is really the goal, then you don't need a 60,000-man army in a country notoriously inhospitable to foreign armies.

The Obama administration seems to be considering whether these four levels can be usefully unentangled.

In particular, incumbent president Hamid Karzai's clumsy attempt to steal the election and his continued seeming inability really to take charge in the country he de jure rules, appears to have provoked the Obama team to wonder whether they could in fact work with Karzai.

Personally, I think Biden is right (Nb. More drones, less boots on the ground, focus on al Qaeda//Da Buffalo) and that if the administration will bet on him, they'd put us 2 or 3 years ahead of the curve.

I have for some time been saying that I can't imagine that what most Pashtuns really want is to have more US troops patrolling their villages...
[In Full]

Da Buffalo has a comment in regard to one detail mentioned about what the US is attempting to do in Afghanistan now that our back's against the "Both Feet In or GET OUT!" 'wall'.

"...working to improve the civilian bureaucracy..."

Apparently US foreign policy makers are ignoring the simple fact that the so-called "civilian bureaucracy" is a DIRECT THREAT to Afghanistan's culture and social system.

It's EXACTLY the reason (but undoubtedly not the only one) the Talib are so successful recruiting people and the US is being reduced to crass bribery, which BTW will work even worse, and make even MORE enemies, than it did in Iraq.

We're continually insulting these people in the name of our own self-interests.

In this case, the self-interest is what a "civilian bureaucracy" will garner us in the way of trade and resources, even more than an ally in the region, because the Afghan people will most likely hate us for a long, long time due to our government's childish, self-serving, arrogant attempt to, essentially culturally assimilate them from a distance.

Massachusetts governor is apparently ready to appoint (Done) the state's Democratic Party chairman Paul Kirk to senator Kennedy's senate seat, after he declares a state emergency claiming 'absence of political representation' in the senate.

The big defense contractors, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, currently on trial for fraud (87 incidents, 43 contractors, listed here at the Project on Government Oversight) are stuck in the middle of the legal rush to condemn ACORN for fraud... See the commentary for more 'bloodsport'.

There was another confrontation in the UN Security Council today as Moammar Khadafy addressed it over the Middle East peace talks and the very structure of the UN itself. He said: "It should not be called the Security Council, it should be called the ‘Terror Council,". He also suggested the US "...make Barack Obama president for life...". A truly ringing endorsement!
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

September 23 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Will They 'Ban The Bomb'? One Can Hope There Will FINALLY Be A Historic Moment At The U.N.

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 23 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Will They 'Ban The Bomb'? One Can Hope There Will FINALLY Be A Historic Moment At The U.N. Today

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In The News: Yesterday president Obama addressed the UN on global warming but today he'll make his official opening day speech and it will mostly be focused on global economics, that double-edged sword of interactions between national economies we so very recently witnessed with the 'global market meltdown'. His talk will be followed by Moammar Khadafy of Libya, sometimes America's boogeyman, sometimes Chevron's best buddy, and currently having trouble getting permission to pitch his tent... Literally.

Ninety one years old Senator Robert Byrd (D) of West Virginia has taken a fall and it may be due to an ongoing infection with an elevated white blood-cell count. He's the 60th Democratic vote in the chamber, assuming Massachusetts governor appoints another Democrat to replace Edward Kennedy, and if Byrd can't return to his senate seat or passes, then the Democrat's filibuster-proof majority passes too.

The next big congressional battle... The renewal of the "Patriot Act". A couple of the acts huge number of police-state like provisions up for renewal include the need for wiretap and evidence warrants. For instance, as Senator Patrick Leahy put it, a provision that "would require the FBI to include a statement of facts articulating why the information it is seeking it is relevant to an authorized investigation.".

We WOULD like our federal criminal investigation to collect material relevant to the crime in question, wouldn't we?

The Honduran coup leader Roberto Micheletti wants the Brazilian government to hand over elected president Manuel Zelaya, currently a guest of the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, on a warrant from the coup's supreme court, and has asked the UN for a security council session on that subject.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Hoduras are getting a little edgy.

The Washington Post Headlines:

Tensions Rise In Honduras Over Coup
Violence Feared as Ousted President And De Facto Leader Refuse to Buckle(Click the picture for the article and more images)

In light of the commentary, PakAlert Press has a number of scenarios that may come to pass someday that could start a nuclear war:

Escalation Scenarios: The Third World War and Its Aftermath
2009 SEPTEMBER 23

A world nuclear war is one that involves most or all nuclear powers releasing a large proportion of their nuclear weapons at targets in nuclear, and perhaps non-nuclear, states. Such a war could be initiated accidentally, aggressively or pre-emptively and could continue and spread through these means or by retaliation by a party attacked by nuclear weapons. While some speak of “limited nuclear war,” it is likely that any nuclear war will quickly escalate and spiral out of control because of the “use them or loose them” strategy. If you don’t use all your nuclear weapons you are likely to have them destroyed by the enemy’s nuclear weapons.

Such a war could start through a reaction to terrorist attacks, or through the need to protect against overwhelming military opposition, or through the use of small battle field tactical nuclear weapons meant to destroy hardened targets. It might quickly move on to the use of strategic nuclear weapons delivered by short-range or inter-continental missile or long-range bomber. These could deliver high altitude bursts whose electromagnetic pulse knocks out electrical circuits for hundreds of square miles. Or they could deliver nuclear bombs to destroys nuclear and/or non-nuclear military facilities, nuclear power plants, important industrial sites and cities. Or it could skip all those steps and start through the accidental or reckless use of strategic weapons.

Below are seven scenarios by which world nuclear war could come about. While these are some of the major scenarios and combination of attacks and retaliations, they are hardly exhaustive. U.S., Russian and other nuclear nations’ weapons strategizers deal with these scenarios every day but rarely let mere citizens in on their grizzly thinking. Citizens must end their denial and become aware of such scenarios.

GENERAL SCENARIOS

Accidental: Since the United States and Russia have “launch on warning” systems that send off rockets before it is confirmed a nuclear attack is underway, any tensions between them can lead to massive nuclear war within thirty minutes of a warning — no matter how false the warning may be.

Aggressive: One or more nations decides to use weapons against nuclear or non-nuclear nations in order to promote an economic, political or military goal, as part of an ongoing war or as a first strike nuclear attack. (The state , of course, may claim it is a pre-emptive, retaliatory or even accidental attack.)

Pre-emptive: One or more nations believes (correctly or incorrectly) or claims to believe that another nuclear nation is about to use nuclear weapons against its nuclear, military, industrial or civilian targets and pre-emptively attacks that nation. May result from political or military “brinkmanship.”

Retaliatory: Use of nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack — or even a conventional, chemical or biological attack by a non-nuclear nation.

ASSUMPTIONS OF THESE SCENARIOS

There is a whole body of knowledge and assumptions that is taken into account when putting together scenarios like the below. My bottom line assumption is that any nuclear exchange has an excellent chance of resulting in a series of escalations that will spiral out of control, setting off a round of exchanges among various enemies under a “use it or lose it” philosophy, as well as among the treaty allies of the relevant nuclear powers and their allies. This continues until most of the planets’ 20,000 odd nuclear weapons are exhausted. In making “limited nuclear war” calculations all nations should assume “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Unfortunately, too many strategizers assume they can conduct limited strikes and keep them limited...
[In Full, Illustrated, @ PakAlert Press]

[After the commentary, who wants to die in a Nuclear War? From Adbusters July 2003 issue which included the CD "Live Without Dead Time" (torrent), Sun Ra & His (Celestial) Arkestra]

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

September 22 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: A Vested Interest In Keeping As Many People Behind Bars As They Can Possibly Get Paid For

"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."

September 22 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Let's Talk 'A-ADD' Authoritarian-Attention Deficit Disorder - SOME PEOPLE Have A Vested Interest In Keeping As Many People Behind Bars As They Can Possibly Get Paid For

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More interesting facts about the New American Police State below the news synopsis...

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In The News: Don't hold your breath or you'll need the Health Care bill Loooong before it's available... 564 amendments to the Health Care Bill are being heard in the Senate Finance committee right now... from the serious, like tort reform, to Utah senator Orrin Hatch's amendment attempting to exempt all states beginning with the letter "U". (That should be a breach of Senate ethics and decorum... but again, don't hold your breath.)

The president has addressed the U.N. on global warming, now he's off to a trilateral meeting with the illegitimate (more on US involvement in Palestinian election tampering here: U.S. Funds Enter Fray In Palestinian Elections)president of the Palestinians Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel about Israel's refusal to limit the growth of settlements in the West Bank. Later this week to he's off to Pittsburgh for the G20 summit, and there'll be a welcoming committee:

Protesters make final G20 plans as Pittsburgh digs in

Agence France-Presse

September 20, 2009

Pittsburgh is beefing up security with thousands of extra police, as anti-globalization, anti-war, anti-government and anti-poverty activists descend on it for the G20 summit.

Protesters say they plan to air their opposition to “the undemocratic way in which the G20 operates and the decisions the group makes, which affect the more than six billion inhabitants of this planet.”
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The fear in the minds of residents, officials and security forces is that violent demonstrations such as those seen in 1999 in Seattle — where protesters and riot police faced off for days, disrupting a meeting of the World Trade Organization — will mar this week’s G20 summit.

“I hope they’ll keep the protesters under control so Seattle doesn’t repeat itself,” said resident Nancy Provil.

Ravenstahl has said protesters will be allowed to exercise their constitutional freedom of speech and assembly “within sight and sound” of the summit venue.

It turns out this will be in a strictly delineated area outside of the downtown...
[In Full]

President Obama has rejected the letters by seven former CIA directors in regard to the torturing of 'terror' detainees during interrogation but the DOJ did get 60 more days to figure out how and where to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (Meanwhile, AFP reports Mohammed refused to attend) and two other defendants for the 9/11 attacks.

An interesting note on the efficacy of torture during interrogation from the Brisbane (Australia) Times:

Prolonged stress from the CIA's harsh interrogations could have impaired the memories of terrorism suspects, diminishing their ability to recall and provide the detailed information the spy agency sought, a new scientific paper says.

The methods could even have caused the suspects to create - and believe - false memories, contends the paper, which scrutinises the techniques used by the CIA under the Bush administration through the lens of neurobiology.

It suggests the methods are counterproductive, no matter how much suspects might eventually say.
[In Full]

In other words, if this assumption is correct, the US government destroyed evidence and sabotaged their own case.

Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya is back in the national capital Tegucigalpa, ensconced safely at the Brazilian embassy... Meanwhile the coup government has been denied visas to attend the UN General Assembly. Perhaps they'll fly Zelaya to the UN for the meeting. BBC with some words from a variety of Honduran citizens on the issue even as the US and European Union appeal to the Honduran population to remain calm.

The leaking of the McChrystal report on the seriously deteriorating situation in Afghanistan appears to have been a double edged sword with the "right" chomping at the bit to send more troops and waste-more-land. There are other ideas on how to subdue a region which HAS NEVER been conquered (send more drones), but the majority of AMERICANS are siding with GET OUT!

A record majority 58% of Americans now oppose the war in Afghanistan, while only 39% support the U.S. war. Only 23% of Democrats and only 39% independents support the war, while a majority 62% of Republicans support the war
[Source]

Now, about the US Prison-Industrial Complex:

Folks... The last time I walked into a 'Jamba' Juice store, I picked up one of their job applications on the counter and noticed there was a question: "Are you in a program or on probation? It won't affect our decision but we'd like to know."

These are jobs taken by High School and college students, and they expect that there are enough 18 year olds that have ALREADY been institutionalized to warrant the placement of that question on the front of the application, or for that matter on the application at all (especially the 'program' part which DOES NOT necessarily indicate a criminal act).

So, If you need a job to weather the ongoing U.S. economic depression, and have the 'correct' socio-psychological profile, see: Private Police State: Domestic police operations in the US are becoming the newest business for private security companies

...and business is booming!

Corrections Corporation of America Announces Fourth Quarter 2008 and Full-Year Financial Results
Marketwire

Fourth Quarter EPS of $0.32, Up 14.3%; Full-Year EPS of $1.20, Up 13.2%

February 10, 2009: 07:00 AM ET

Total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2008 increased 8.8%, primarily driven by a 5.2% increase in per diem rates combined with a 4.1% increase in inmate populations. Management revenue from federal customers increased 7.5% to $162.0 million generated during the fourth quarter of 2008 compared with $150.6 million generated during the prior year period. Management revenue from state customers increased 12.5% to $218.3 million during the fourth quarter of 2008 from $194.0 million for the same period in 2007. The growth in inmate populations was primarily attributable to increased inmate populations from the states of California and Idaho as well as from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"). The growth in inmate populations was partially offset by declines in inmate populations from the states of Minnesota, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming.

Total portfolio occupancy decreased to 92.9% during the fourth quarter of 2008 from 98.0% during the fourth quarter of 2007, primarily due to a 9.9% increase in the average number of available beds from the fourth quarter of 2007 as a result of placing approximately 10,000 new beds into service since the end of the third quarter of 2007. In Full @ Reuters
(Here's their current financial status, First Quarter 2009)

Also, see this post with a mapped comparison of poverty/prisoners-per-capita in the US.

[February 29 2008] Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: The Prison-Industrial Complex In A Nutshell - Your Money, Your 'Stuff', Or Your Freedom... Your Choice

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Travus T. Hipp's Commentary Archive Is [ Here]
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Cabale New Service, KPIG Radio, and KVMR radio.
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Recorded & transcribed by Da' Buffalo Amongst Wolves