Brooding Cynyx

JACK KEVORKIAN, “RIGHT TO DIE”, ADVOCATE IS DEAD

2011-06-04T13:58:00.002-04:00

CONTROVERSIAL CRUSADER CHAMPIONED
THOSE SEEKING “DEATH WITH DIGNITY”

( Saturday, June 4, 2011. Royal Oaks, MI) He was neither kook nor crank, criminal or quack. His quirks, eccentricities and unusual media moments aside, he was, more than anything a crusader. Dr. Jack Kevorkian came to define what was arguably the most heated and controversial medical ethics issue of the 1990’s. He died at age 83 two days ago in a suburban Detroit hospital.

Dr. Kevorkian, a retired Pathologist, first broke into the national conscience and media spotlight in 1990 after having assisted a chronically ill woman to die by utilizing a machine of his own design and construct which came to be derisively known as his “Death Machine”. His device allowed the “patient” to self administer a lethal combination of narcotics that would guarantee a painless and rapid death.

Perhaps the entire odyssey of Kevorkian would have played out differently today in this world so connected by the various social media that have the proven strength to topple governments, promote issues the main stream media ignores, and connect like minded people globally as never before. At the time he first drew national attention he was a “lone wolf” advocating a position which was poorly understood by many across the country and commonly wrongly defined by his opponents and the media.

Kevorkian did use the technology available to him at the time. He video taped long interviews with his “patients” and their families documenting their desire to “die with dignity”. Each of the deaths he assisted in was also video taped. Kevorkian proved to be equally adept at using the media to his advantage and once he retained the services of a flamboyant, opportunistic but shrewd Attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, he and his crusade remained on the public stage until he was eventually sentenced to prison in 2000. He served seven years of a possible 25 year term.

Before the human genome project was complete, prior to the promised potential of stem cell research, genetic manipulation and the other ethical issues that came about due to the incredible advances in all medical / biological disciplines, there was just Dr. Kevorkian and his passionate arguments for a person’s “Right to Die”. Even while he was lambasted in the press, caricatured, derided, and often had his sanity questioned, he never wavered from his central, core belief that a person can make a logical, rational decision to die and should be permitted to be assisted in their desire by a physician. He was extremely selective in choosing his “patients” employing a strict, objective criteria that left no ambiguity in his mind or the minds of those he assisted as well as in the minds of their families. He refused to even speak with over “99 out of 100 of those” who sought his services. His strict criteria accounted for a host of variables including the potential patient’s mental health status and a rigorous scrutiny of their medical records.

“Death (or) Dying with Dignity”. “The Right to Die”, “Physician Assisted Suicide”, are terms that became part of not only the debate of those days, but have been integrated into our American lexicon thanks to this one courageous man. And let there be no doubt about it, he was a very courageous man driven by the courage of his convictions and the frustration of having a very serious issue mocked, assailed or simply dismissed. It was easier to make fun of him than it was to honestly debate and discuss the very real, profound if not fundamental issue that he’d adopted as his mission in later life.

Perhaps what we as humans fear most about death is not the unknown or its inevitability, but rather that it will be painful, protracted and we will find ourselves in a position of being trapped in a body, conscious of what is going on around us but unable to communicate with that world around us. Those suffering from chronic, degenerative, progressive diseases are much more attuned to these possibilities than are the unafflicted. The vitriolic opposition to Dr. Kevorkian’s beliefs often came from those in politics who, on the opposite end of the continuum advocate vociferously for “The Right to Life”. Many of those zealots claimed to have the “responsibility” to “speak for the unborn fetus” while hypocritically dismissing the adult who sought to end their suffering with the assistance, compassion and professionalism of a physician such as Dr. Kevorkian.

As is all too often the case in America, what began as a matter of medical ethics it soon morphed into a legal, political, social issue with all the accompanying politicos, pundits, activists and talking heads of every stripe. However, in some State’s the issue managed through grass roots organizers to find its way onto ballots in the form of “initiatives” in several Statewide elections. The polls results were mixed but a certain measure of insight was gleaned from the places where the ballot initiatives failed as well as where they passed. The American public, the voting public, was becoming engaged in the debate and did not see it in the stark “black and white” terms our politicians so cherish. This was an issue that any American could identify with in some way or another.

The issue made for some strange political and social bedfellows. Right to Die groups sprang up around the Country and were often joined by staunch Libertarians, privacy and limited government groups; not the usual suspects one would find similarly aligned in such a volatile matter of morals and ethics, of religion and science, pro-life and pro-choice, personal liberty and government intrusion, of life and death itself.

The reader so inclined to learn more about this infamous yet enigmatic man might find some of the links below this article as informative, enlightening and interesting as anything they may have read or learned about Kevorkian before. He was a gifted child, by some accounts a “genius” and possessed by an always curious, restless mind. He was a “Maverick" at a time in medicine when such mavericks were dismissed as fools or worse. He was a “Renaissance Man” , a very talented painter, musician and writer and a deep, creative, innovative, brave thinker.

His memory will fade with time but he does leave a powerful legacy. Not many people can have such a claim stated about them posthumously. Dr. Jack Kevorkian singlehandedly brought the issue of Death with Dignity out of the stifled shadows of the chronically, fatally ill into the harsh light of day and was more than willing to do so, not for fame or fortune, but for principal and a cause.

TAGS: Dr. Jack Kevorkian, The Right to Die, Death with Dignity, Physician Assisted Suicide, patient’s Rights, End of life issues, Personal Liberties, Death and Dying.

LINKS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kevorkian

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/jack-kevorkian-known-as-dr-death-dies/2011/06/03/AGvzJ1HH_video.html

http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/03/dr-jack-kevorkian-champion-of-patients-right-to-die-dies-at-83/

http://www.argus-press.com/news/national/article_dcc7fc41-471c-5771-bd13-8b64792e12ab.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/03/late-jack-kevorkian-also-_n_871236.html

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/03/from-times-archives-a-look-back-at-dr-jack-kevorkian/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8117011/kevorkians_legacy_lives_on_through.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/weekinreview/05backthen.html

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/jack-kevorkian-a-man-who-fought-for-your-right-to-die-is-dead

http://royaloak.patch.com/articles/royal-oak-remembers-jack-kevorkian#video-6399712

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0603/Jack-Kevorkian-drove-the-debate-on-physician-assisted-suicide

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110603/METRO/106030415/1031/Fieger--%E2%80%98Kevorkian-didn%E2%80%99t-seek-out-history--but-he-made-history%E2%80%99

Copyright TBC 2011 © All Rights Reserved

NYPD INTEL UNIT:

2011-05-05T19:50:00.002-04:00

EVER VIGILANT AND ON THE JOB

In a nondescript building in the meat packing district of Lower Manhattan

an elite team functions as NYC’s own CIA

(Thursday, May 5, 2011. Westside, Lower Manhattan, NYC) Just a short walk from what has been referred to as “Ground Zero” after the al-Qeada attacks on America at the World Trade Center in September 2001, is another “Ground Zero” that is the polar opposite of the Site just a few blocks away.

In the most nondescript of buildings in a neighborhood of remarkably nondescript structures, an elite force of under 50 NYPD Officers work in a hi-tech, dimly lit space tracking via high tech wizardry and high level intellect, potential threats to this City. The NYPD Intelligence Unit is among the most closely guarded, uniquely tasked and analytically capable of any Intelligence Unit on the planet. The men and women who staff this ultra-secret Unit are not assigned here by accident. They have all been “hand-picked” by the Deputy Police Commissioner for Intelligence and Counter-terrorism, David Cohen. And make no mistake about it, Mr. Cohen knows, intimately, the machinations and labyrinthine underworld of terrorism and intelligence gathering, analyzing and dissemination.

David Cohen was a CIA Officer for over thirty years. His career spanned some of the most tumultuous times and global events of the latter decades of the last century. He was an analyst who always seemed to “fall upwards” in his career, rising to a top level position in the Directorate of Operations at a relatively young age.

After the abysmal failures of the entire federal and military intelligence apparatus that came to light in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Cohen came to New York City and offered his services. He would go on to create one of the mot sophisticated, effective, efficient and capable “intelligence units” in the world. No other City on the planet can boast of a comparable entity. Cohen realized all too well that New York City would remain the primary “target rich environment” that would attract terrorists of every stripe and inclination.

While this Unit has been functioning in its current iteration since 2003, the death of Osama Bin Laden at the hands of Navy SEAL Team Six in his heavily fortified private compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan last Sunday, has people asking if there is a greater threat to New York City as groups or individuals may seek “retaliatory strikes”. The simple answer, according to one Intel Unit Officer is “Yes. Obviously the threat has been constant since 9-11 but with Bin Laden's death, we have ramped up some of our activities here and obviously, out in the field”.

The business of intelligence is as much science as it is art. This is true of any endeavor that must account for the unaccountable, for an amount of variables and a level of complexity that eludes quantification. The men and women of the NYPD Intelligence Unit must try to extract from a veritable ocean of “raw data” those few drops that constitute real “actionable intelligence”. This is a daunting and often frustrating task. However, the payoffs, when they are correct, can yield enormously significant results. The killing of Osama Bin Laden is a case in point. Years of intelligence data was collected, sifted through, analyzed, interpreted, vetted and put under intense scrutiny while even more information was sought to corroborate what the raw intelligence was beginning to reveal to the CIA and Pentagon.

That very same process is employed here in the NYPD Intel Unit but on a much smaller scale. Certainly, this Unit does not operate in isolation from other intelligence agencies around the world but their primary focus is to identify that one in a million ‘imminent threat’ to the City and residents of New York. Everything from information available in the media and in the public domain, to a very select and fine balance of information sharing with very specific, trusted sources is studied, looking for what? For signs, either covert or intuited, either from within the Five Boroughs or, perhaps from Scotland Yard, Interpol or some other valued, proven to be reliable source, that stands up under the scrutiny it must to be deemed “actionable”.

“We read everything from the local papers, foreign papers and magazines to intelligence reports from our own people stationed overseas as well as those working the streets here in New York”, commented one Intel Unit member who, due to the nature of what he and his colleagues do, cannot be publicly identified. “Actually”, continued the same Officer, “my own wife does not fully know what I do. She is aware that I am involved in something ‘different’, something sorta ‘top secret’ but, that’s about it.”

To enter the loft-like work space of this secretive Unit one is struck by the number of members who just “don’t look like cops”. One senior NYPD Officer who has been assigned to the Intel Unit for the last 6 years continues that, “some of these people were recruited right out of college and I mean the best colleges. They are classic computer nerds. They may have gone to Columbia, MIT, or some Ivy League university and majored in computer science or information technology or some related field. They went to the Police Academy so they could officially become active members of the NYPD but, they have spent their entire careers till now hacking, I mean the ‘good kind’, the ‘white hats’ type hacking and are truly talented and particularly well suited for what we do”.

Other members have long tenure in the NYPD; some started their careers in a radio cars in the Boroughs, on the streets and worked their ways up to higher rank, some had made Detective in their former Commands. It can be an odd mix but, given the mission they have been tasked with, they appear to work cohesively. The sense of “mission” is palpable among them. “I know what I am doing may help save lives of New Yorkers, maybe members of my own family or friends. I was on duty on 9-11-01 and responded. Since then I have been, in a way, obsessed. I have felt it necessary to try to understand our adversaries, the ‘nature of the threats’”, commented one female analyst who began her NYPD career in a rough Precinct sector in the Brooklyn South Patrol Command. She added with a wry smile, “everyday I walk in here I know I’m not in Brooklyn anymore”. Besides her experience on the dark and dirty streets of Brooklyn South, her degree from a prestigious university, her mutli-lingualness and her passion for “The Job”, attracted the attention of David Cohen. With little fanfare or paperwork she was suddenly reassigned. “One day I’m working cases in Brooklyn, two days later I’m here and beginning my ‘immersion training’. It was like, ‘Whoa. I knew we (NYPD) were on top of things but I never realized to what extent our Intel and Counter-terrorism Units functioned”.

Although this tightly knit Unit may have been the “brainchild” of David Cohen, it was NYPD Commissioner, Ray Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg who recognized the value of creating such a Unit and saw that the “return on the investment” would, potentially, be enormous. As Commissioner Kelly himself commented in an interview not that long ago, “We are doing all these things because New York is still the No. 1 target. We have been targeted four times, twice successfully, and the city remains the most symbolic, substantive target for the terrorists. These are cunning, patient, deliberate people who want to kill us and kill us in big numbers."

Lydia Khalil, former counter terrorism analyst with the NYPD Intelligence and Counter Terrorism Units, knows all too well how "cunning, patient and deliberate" the people are who truly seek to do us harm. Currently a Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, Khalil has spoken publicly regarding the Intel Unit’s efficacy since she resigned from her position with NYPD to pursue other opportunities. She is an internationally recognized expert on the Middle East and, in particular, on the conditions in Middle Eastern countries that foment hatred of the West among the largely disenfranchised youths. While with The NYPD Ms. Khalil focused on international terrorism trends and terrorism cases in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

According to Khalil, we , as a Nation and as a City, must strive to understand the true nature of our enemies. Khalil has also been an outspoken proponent for the American Muslim / Islamic communities. She has written that some of the most “valuable, actionable intelligence” NYPD has obtained over the last 9 plus years has come from within the New York City Metropolitan Area Muslim community.

“This is an important thing to remember. The Muslims that live among us here in New York City, who pray at Mosques in all five Boroughs, have a vested interest in providing us with information. Some good, kind hearted Imam out in Queens sees a few members who show up regularly for prayer suddenly become hostile and isolated. He senses something not right. He calls us. The people of New York City are among the most understanding and accepting of each other because we really don’t have a choice. But, the Muslim community has felt a particular brand of hostility, even hatred, since September 11, 2001 and they want to help us more than anyone. After all, it is their very religion, their faith, that is called to question, that has raised suspicions. I give them all the credit in the world for stepping up as they have”, explained an Intel Unit Officer who identified himself as Jack.

If an average New Yorker could walk in off the street and spend some time in this place, they would, no doubt , leave here feeling that much better about their City, that much better about their NYPD and about their security.

The Feds created the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of fear and embarrassment. It has been a colossal failure, at least as seen by NYPD. Our entire federal intelligence apparatus was a colossal failure and dropped the ball regarding September 11, 2001. That is precisely why NYPD is doing what they are. " We won’t be fooled again".

As Jack told us, as he concluded our conversation, “Our Town, Our People, Our Business. We’ll take care of our own. I promise you that”.

Tags: NYPD Intelligence Unit, NYPD Counter terrorism Unit, Deputy Commissioner Cohen, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, Lydia Khalil, Securing NYC, Target Rich Environment, Homeland Security.

LINKS:

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/01/30/the-spymaster-of-new-york.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cohen_%28intelligence%29

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_nypd_post_osama_challenge_YWMrG88tcrYAytmGsHo1VM

http://cryptome.org/nypd-upnose.htm

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/07/25/050725fa_fact2?currentPage=all

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/administration/intelligence_co.shtml

http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=242

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/cohen/cohen-eyeball.htm

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_8286/

Copyright TBC 2011 © All Rights Reserved

LIFE HAS GONE ON:

2011-05-03T17:05:00.005-04:00

FOREVER ALTERED, BUT THE BEAT GOES ON

Cynyc would like to express here our tremendous sense of gratitude to the members (active and retired) of the FDNY, NYPD and PAPD who responded to the World Trade Center Site on September 11, 2001 and have been gracious enough to share their thoughts with us.

We are equally respectful and appreciative to those who lost husbands, wives, fathers, sons and daughters, their friends and relatives at the WTC and those whom have generously and candidly agreed to share their thoughts, open their hearts and answer our questions to make the following Post possible. All of these people who have shared with us did so with the understanding, by their own requests, that their identities would remain private for their own personal reasons. We have promised each of them that they would remain anonymous.

At the end of this post the reader will find a partial list of links to some of the FDNY , NYPD and PAPD Memorial Pages for some of those who spoke to us for this post as well as some of the last duty assignments for those they spoke of and for.

(Tuesday, May 3, 2011. New York City) There was not much cheering or celebrating, no buoyant chanting of “USA,USA, USA”, in the Firehouses and Police Precinct Station Houses as word spread that Osama Bin Laden was dead. Most of the cheering, oddly ebullient crowds were out on the streets in places like Times Square, Battery Park and up and down the corridors of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and The Bronx. Most of the celebrants hooting and hollering, wildly waving American flags probably had few real memories of that day in September 2001 when our City, our Country and our World changed.

As the local TV news began to confirm the initial reports, before President Obama addressed the Nation from the East Room of The White House, a certain, distinct silence ensued in apartments and houses across the Tri-State Area, in the residences that had been homes to so many of the thousands who perished on that bright September morning almost ten years ago, victims of that man, so recently killed by United States Navy Seals half a world away.

The world’s most wanted man did not die the noble death of the warrior he claimed to be. he did not go out in a blaze of glory. Rather, when the SEALs entered the room in which he hide, he grabbed one of his wives and a firearm. Using this particular wife as a human shield he chose not to obey the orders shouted at him to surrender. His death was a cowardly act, perhaps a true reflection of the devious mind and darkened soul who ordered and financed the attacks on America in 2001.

His death came by way of two bullets, as has been reported by the Pentagon. Likely the first shot, the one that pierced one of his eyes before exploding his cranium and brain into a cloud of bloody mist and fragments, killed him instantly. Perhaps, if he had a nanosecond to have a thought, it might have been that the Americans have found me. He chose not to surrender and was summarily killed quickly, cleanly, efficiently in a manner far more merciful than those who perished on 4 hijacked airplanes, at The Pentagon, in an unremarkable field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania and in our Twin Towers.

Maybe he was welcomed to Paradise by 72 virgins. Maybe he was well received in Hell. Who knows. One beefy FDNY veteran from Ladder 24 commented,”It don’t really matter does it? I mean, okay, the scumbag is gone but, we got a wall full of pictures of guys we lost that day. Engine 1 lost that day. Am I glad he’s dead? Sure. But what does it mean?” As humans we are wired to search for “meaning” in events large and small particularly when they have forever altered our internal conscious landscape.

“I went down there with my guys to do whatever we could. I remembered the bombing in 1993, I was on the job then, in Patrol in the 13th Precinct. September 11 will always be something I can’t get outta my head. No, it doesn’t get in the way or, at least not very often. So, this piece of shit is dead? Good. I believe in hell because I grew up believing in it and I saw it on that day. I hope Bin Laden is there”, said a 28 year veteran of NYPD who assisted in the evacuation of the South Tower.

There is a story for every person who was in those buildings, in The Pentagon and on those doomed jets. There are amazing stories of self sacrifice and heroism, some known, some known only to God. Each of those who was present that day and survived has spent at least a portion of the past 3521 days seeking answers, searching for meaning and, oddly perhaps, living with some sense of guilt, with some part of their innermost self wondering how and why they survived while so many didn’t.

***** ***** *****

Not every women is cut out to be the wife of an NYPD Officer or an FDNY Firefighter. The stress of “the job” takes tolls on relationships and marriages that is often too much for a spouse to bear. “I always knew when my husband walked out the door to go to work there was a risk...a chance, he would not come home. I came to dread the phone call in the middle of the night telling me which hospital he was in. It didn’t happen that way. I’ve raised our three daughters these last ten years. Our youngest was born on September 21, 2001. She never knew her Dad. That breaks my heart sometimes but, then I realize, my heart is already broken. It can’t get broke more than it is but sometimes it just does”. those are the words of a beautiful, intelligent widow who has nothing left of her husband except memories and “three wonderful girls”, who was last heard from as he approached the 78th floor of the North Tower. “All they ever recovered to identify him was his service piece. His gun. I have it and keep it wrapped up and hidden. I never did like the fact that he had guns in the house. Bin Laden, I do believe with all my heart that I could have shot him had I had the chance. What he took from me is something I can’t fully explain”, she continued before her tears began to flow.

***** ***** *****

Most of the members of Service from the FDNY and NYPD who survived that event will say that “only in New York” could such an amazing amount of “citizens", civilians, calmly, orderly and with an absolute absence of fear or panic evacuate those Twin Towers as they did. “Sure, the training after the February 1993 bombing was crucial to the fact that so many of us survived”, said an accountant who made his way down from the 59th floor of the North Tower. “We had Fire Marshals. Each company on each floor had someone who was the designated Fire Marshall. Shit, we’d drill...kinda like in grade school..we actually had fucking fire drills. Those drills, my fiend, saved thousands of lives”.

One third generation NYPD Detective noted that, “As New Yorkers, we are used to things fucking up. The subway suddenly stops in a tunnel, no air conditioning, no lights. We give it a good 15, 20 minutes tops before we start to wonder. We’re used to things going wrong. After all, we live in a city of 10 million with God knows how many visitors and tourists in town a day. Had we known the North Tower was hit intentionally by a commercial jet and that the South Tower had already collapsed, I don’t know, honestly, if we would have made it out”. “Literally, after the dust and debris settled it dawned on me I was still alive. I was shocked. I could hardly breath and really couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. But, after awhile, I don’t know if it was 30 minutes or an hour, I heard sounds...I heard voices...I heard sirens. I crawled towards the sounds I heard. I found a guy under a car. I grabbed his hand, drug him out from under the car and told him, ‘Listen to me cuz, we’re okay. Now, let’s move our asses outta here’. We walked west. Suddenly after walking like what seemed a mile, we ran into some other guys from the job. After that, I think I passed out for a few minutes. Next thing I remember was waking up with (name with held) tossing bottled water in my face”, said a MOS of FDNY from a Ladder Company in Brooklyn that lost many members.

***** ***** *****

343 members of FDNY were killed on September 11, 2001. 23 MOS of NYPD lost their lives and 37 PAPD Officers also perished. Some Firehouses lost entire companies; others suffered losses in double digits. As Mayor Guiliani later answered a reporters question saying “ The loss of life will probably be more than we can bear, we can only imagine. It is beyond our grasp at this time”. The innocent civilians: the brokers and traders, the cooks, custodians and window washers; the secretaries, executive assistants, CEOs, VPs, CFOs who were killed were, in a way, sadder losses to the Tri-State Area than were the tragic deaths of the MOS.

Cops, Firemen and other First Responders are expected to run into environments from which everyone else is frantically running out of. They sign on to that the day they take the oath. Those people who showed up for work, on time, that gorgeous New York morning probably never gave a moments thought to their own mortality or the random nature of chaos and evil as they commuted by bus, subway, bike and walk to work on that morning. “I remember thinking to myself”, began a veteran Homicide Detective assigned to the recovery effort, “that the parts of these people we was finding, the ‘biologics’ as they were called, ever gave a moments thought that morning that that day could be their last. At least, as a cop, I was in touch with how quickly my life and the life of my family could change. I don’t know how to explain it to you, ya know what I mean”?

***** ***** *****

Life has gone on. Tens years is a long time especially in the life of a child. So many children across the Tri-State don’t have clear memories of their Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. Many of those children whose lives have been defined by the events of September 11, 2001 were those who took to the streets in NYC and DC while their surviving parent stayed home watching the news and, of course, searching for meaning. Each has their own private pain, each, their own private mechanism that has allowed them to cope and function from that day until today. Will the death of Osama Bin Laden somehow provide them “closure” or a sense of justice, retribution or solace? Only they can answer and their answers are probably as diverse as they are disparate.

***** ***** *****

Sadly, 9-11-01 is still killing. Hundreds of First Responders, the underpaid MOS from FDNY, NYPD and PAPD as well as the hundreds of steel workers, welders and construction workers who toiled at “The Pile” for months after 9-11-01, have died from exposure to the toxins in the air at the WTC Site. Odd malignancies and other respiratory and autoimmune diseases plague them and some are so sick that their deaths are immanent. Many have had to swallow enormous lumps of pride and accept disability retirement because they could no longer function in the manner their jobs, jobs they devoted their lives to, requires. Still others, haven’t the energy to swallow their pride. They live their lives in the shadow of sites, sounds, smells, sensations and memories. Several have found the intervening years too tough and have taken their own lives. In a sense, each one of us who has survived exists with the profound sense of being on “borrowed time”.

So be it. Some of us may, on occasion believe, at least on some spiritual or neural level that our survival was meant to be. Again, who knows. We talk and debate in hushed tones on the phone about the death of Osama Bin Laden. We disagree about aspects of it from its overall significance in America’s ongoing battle against terrorist elements seeking to inflict us harm. We wonder what his capture might have meant. we ask each other how we feel about his death and if it really makes any difference in what we lived through and live with. We are permitted our disagreements; we’ve earned them. We speak with the wives and children of the men we once called Brothers and do what we can for them.

We all realize that they have the strength and resolve to do fro themselves what non of us could ever do for them. We mourn our friends and strangers alike. We think about the people we carried on our backs from one floor to the next in the North and South Towers. Some of them, we know their status; others of them, we haven’t a clue. All we know is we got out while some of the best of the best, civilian and public servant did not.

The Obama Administration reports that Bin Laden’s corpse was given up to the sea. New York City is a port town, a coastal city. We understand the power and infinite depths of the waters that wash with amazing regularity on our shores.

Life has gone on and will continue to do so. The moon will wax and wane and induce our tides accordingly. Perhaps, someday, years from now, a young child will find a sun and salt bleached bone fragment out in Coney Island or Jones Beach. Who knows whose bone that may be?

If cosmic justice exists in some form or any fashion, the child who finds that bone fragment will toss it back into the surf.

The sea tells know tales.

To all of those who died on September 11, 2001, we wish you a peaceful rest Safely Home.
God Bless.
5-5-5-5
10-13

LINKS:

http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/091101rescuers.html

http://www.afge171.org/news/911/POLICE.HTM

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/memorial/index.shtml

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/home/memorial.shtml

http://our.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/portauthority.html

Posted Tuesday, May 3, 2011 @ 5:45PM EST

OSAMA BIN LADEN FINALLY KILLED

2011-05-02T09:11:00.005-04:00

MEMBERS OF THE FDNY READ THE NEWS ON THE TIMES SQUARE TICKER

(Monday, May 2, 2011. NY, NY) After being the most wanted fugitive in the world and the very face of radical extremist Islamic terrorism for nearly the past ten years, the man who masterminded the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and at The Pentagon, Osama Bin Laden, has been killed in a daring operation carried out by US Special Forces and CIA Operatives. The particulars of the raid that resulted in this much celebrated milestone in our on-going “War on Terror” are headlines around the world and dominating cable TV news coverage.

The news considered so important to our government and the American people that President Obama made a late night, unscheduled televised address to report the news from the East Room in the White House. The President's quote that “Justice has been Done” has appeared in bold headlines all over the world. As word spread last night that Bin Laden had been killed in a camp in Pakistan, crowds gathered at various sites in New York City and Washington,DC to mark the occasion. There was an odd “carnival like” atmosphere reported by some present in the cheering, chanting throngs outside the White House last night while at the site where the World Trade Centers stood, the mood was mixed.

During most of the last decade, actually since October 16, 2001 when CIA Operatives and Special Forces were first covertly inserted into Afghanistan to capture or kill as many members of al Qaeda and their hosts, The Taliban, our intervention there has been full of irony. In a matter of weeks after our official military campaign began, in earnest, in Afghanistan, is has been widely acknowledged by military and government officials, that the titular head and spirit leader of al Qaeda – Bin Laden – was “trapped” in the rugged mountains of Tora Bora and was able to slip across the border into Pakistan. “We had him and we let him get away”, commented a top ranking CIA Operative who had been there. Then President George W. Bush refused the military's and CIA requests to insert a larger troop force to seal the Afghan – Pakistan border. Instead, Bush “outsourced” the Pakistani border mission to Pakistani forces many of whom had tribal and ideological sympathies with both Bin Laden and his “mujaheddin” forces and The Taliban.

Since that time Bin Laden's whereabouts had been a “huge mystery” and a “constant reminder of our lost opportunities” according to the same CIA Operative. In the intervening years our military efforts to secure Afghanistan and allow for some sort of homegrown government to “step up” and secure their own Country have been noteworthy only because of their many victories, though most were merely Pyrrhic at best, and constant set backs our military have experienced. It has become a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse as, over the years first The Taliban fell from power, al Qaeda was in disarray only to watch as both entities have seen resurgence in recent years and have proven to be more tenacious than initially expected.

The puppet regime of Afghan “President” Harmid Karzai, hand picked by the Cheney / Bush Administration to take over in the wake of the Taliban's retreat in late 2001 has been an abject failure in every measurable way. If anything Afghanistan today, despite the billions of US dollars we've poured in to that perpetually corrupt, lawless, failed Nation / State is not all that much different that it was prior to September 11, 2001. This fact is not a reflection on our dedicated and brave troops but rather on the Cheney / Bush Administration and civilian Pentagon and State Department leadership from 2001 through the inauguration of President Obama in January 2009.

But now, 3519 days since the 9-11-01 attacks, Osama Bin Laden is dead; killed, according to military after action reports, by a bullet to the head. His body was recovered and was allegedly positively identified using comparative DNA analysis. Since the elite United State Navy SEALs, arguably the most capable of all our Special Forces Troops, conducted the raid and scored “the hit”, Bin Laden was “buried at sea” and done so within 24 hours of his death in deference to Muslim tradition. It is also important to note that only three other people are reported to have been killed during the raid on his 8 acre compound just outside the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. “This was a precision strike, a surgical operation with a singular focus and mission objective”, commented a senior Pentagon official speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the raid into Pakistan.

Links

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/osama-bin-laden-is-killed.html?hp

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/02osama-bin-laden-obituary.html?hp

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/05/02/2011-05-02_us_spies_eyed_bin_laden_compound_for_year.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/05/02/2011-05-02_justice_done_but_greatness_has_always_been.html

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/us_raiders_slay_beast_QgxwTCzo6XLjib9bJKPckK

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/osama-bin-laden-is-killed-by-us-forces-in-pakistan/2011/05/01/AFXMZyVF_story.html?hpid=z2

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/al-qaeda-threat-more-diffuse-but-persistent/2011/05/01/AFt4KZWF_story.html?hpid=z3

Posted Monday, May 2, 2011 @ 9:11AM EST

MAYDAY

2011-05-01T13:45:00.003-04:00

“Mayday - an internationally recognized distress signal”
(From the Oxford English Dictionary)

OUR SOCIETY IS IN DISTRESS:
LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMBERS ARE BEING KILLED AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE

(May 1, 2011. NY, NY) Their names and locales are as diverse as is our Country and the jurisdictions they serve. Men and women from the largest, sprawling urban megalopolises to the smallest rural counties and towns are part of a tragic litany. That they are being killed, murdered actually, at an alarming rate seems to not have the newsworthiness the media animal requires to be fed. While each of these heartbreaking fatalities individually have been headline news in their respective localities, collectively they have yet to resonate nationally.

No sector of the Law Enforcement Community (LEC) seems to have been spared. Agencies and Departments at the federal, state, county and municipal levels have suffered “in the line of duty” deaths; so far, this year, alone, 65 Members of Service (MOS) have died “on the job”; 32 of these fatalities were from gunshots. No, this is not going to be a rant about “gun control” or access to firearms. Neither will this be a sweeping indictment of the failures, in many cases, in mental health availability and affordability. Those are valid topics for another time, another discussion.

This is more about society, our society, America's society as of late April 2011 - where we as a society have been, currently are and, perhaps, in certain respects, where we are going.

There is inherent in our society a contract, a compact or, perhaps a covenant that we collectively abide by. We are a nation of laws and, as such, most of the populace abides within the constraints of that concept. Most folks don’t steal, rob, assault, rape, murder or otherwise “break the law” not because they are disinclined. No. Most live their lives within the well defined boundaries of “The Law” for fear of getting caught. Some might argue that this sentiment is a poor reflection on our society. Those that would argue that most people are disinclined to break the law are so predisposed not for fear of discovery but rather because they are simply disinclined - they are “good, honest people”. It’s a tough task to argue to the contrary but, given the tone and tenor of today’s America, it has become more difficult to believe. Those in the LEC struggle mightily with this issue.

There exists among members of the LEC the notion that they constitute a “Thin Blue Line”. This notion or, actually, a belief, is that given the size of our population juxtaposed against the size of the LEC, that the ratio is so disproportionate as to be as frightening as it is perilously inefficient. The concept of “The Thin Blue Line” is representative of the fact that the LEC constitutes the fabric of our society that connotes “The Law”. It is this knowledge of the existence of “The Law” as an intricate component of our society that maintains the level of order that permits us , collectively and individually, to live out our daily lives free of the burden of fear, of impending anarchy.

The stark fact is that roughly 10% of our population is responsible for 100% of the crime that plagues us. Perhaps that fact makes the challenge to the LEC a fairer fight. Who knows. Crime is more familiar than it is random. The overwhelming majority of homicides, for example, are perpetrated by people known to each other. Stranger on stranger murder is far rarer than TV shows and popular novels lead us to believe. Yes, oh yes, there are predators, serial killers, sexual predators and every variety of emotionally deranged persons (EDP’s) who roam our streets in communities large and small. They will always be there, they always have.

America today is home to almost 310 million people. The LEC numbers approximately 600,00 members. If you add in all the non-Law Enforcement agents employed by the federal government such as the Sate department Security Unit, The Secret Service, and the like, the total number of sworn LEO’s approaches 800,00. Roughly calculated, for every 400 American residents there is a single LEO. Not a good ratio particularly in some of the more densely populated areas.

So the fabric of our Thin Blue Line is already stretched pretty thinly from coast to coast. each death of a MOS of the LEC is one less fiber in an already threadbare fabric, the fabric that we all rely on, take for granted or merely presume to be “out there”. And, that we are. The Members of Service of every Law Enforcement Agency in the Nation are “out there” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It has been horrifying to read at least weekly so far this year, of the death of another MOS. The scenarios that have claimed their lives have run the gamut from the “routine” traffic stop that goes bad quickly, to shoot-outs, standoffs between lone gunmen and Deputies, Border Patrol Agents working one of the most treacherous beats on our southern border and other incidents with unique details but all with a similar outcome. One less fiber of our fraying Thin Blue Line fabric is “out there” doing what they have each sworn to do.

A Part of America Died

Somebody killed a policeman today, and a part of America died. A piece of our country he swore to protect, will be buried with him at his side. The suspect who shot him will stand up in court, with counsel demanding his rights, While a young widowed mother must work for her kids, and spend alone many long nights. The beat that he walked was a battlefield too, just as if he’d gone off to war. Though the flag of our nation won’t fly at half mast, to his name they will add a gold star. Yes, somebody killed a policeman today, It Happened in your town or mine. While we slept in comfort behind our locked doors, a cop put his life on the line. Now his ghost walks a beat on a dark city street, and he stands at each new rookie’s side. He answered the call, and gave us his all, and a part of America died.

- Deputy Sheriff Harry Koch, Maricopa AZ County Sheriff, Retired

Links:

http://www.odmp.org/year.php

http://www.odmp.org/

http://www.policeone.com/officer-shootings/

http://www.nleomf.com/facts/officer-fatalities-data/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41235743/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/0323/Is-there-a-war-on-cops-Eric-Holder-vows-action-as-police-fears-rise.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/25/justice-department-alarmed-rising-number-police-deaths/

http://goforward.bm23.com/public/?q=preview_message&fn=Link&t=1&ssid=10534&id=6qpwovojvk66jvfpi05sf0id8wjz5&id2=706d1xuz7zbez2ojccdr142tl19eo&subscriber_id=afdsbsycqmyafeauubjfvygnlzstbeo&messageversion_id=afjlychppcngudphfmxnzaanlheubje&delivery_id=apsuufggtcjvinmibcomyepipxtybmo&tid=3.KSY.Bot4Zw.CDEw.Jfu5..No61.b..l.AtcB.b.TbYSJQ.TbYSJQ.RpTPGA

http://nypd.police-memorial.com/

Copyright TBC 2011 © All Rights Reserved

I'M FREEZING MY ASS OFF AND AL GORE SAYS ITS GLOBAL WARMING

2011-02-05T20:53:00.005-05:00

Blizzard in the Northeast. Snow in Dallas, Houston and Atlanta. Freezing temperatures all through out the South, but the one thing that remains constant through out all of this is the blithering idiot Al Gore. Al will tell us that global warming is the cause for all of this, when its too hot - global warming. Too cold - global warming. No snow in the winter - global warming. Too much sgow - global warming. Twenty hurricanes in a year - global warming. Zero hurricanes - Global warming.

How is it that global warming is responsible for everything in weather? Aren't these the same people who in the late 70's and early 80's were claiming we were about to have another ice age! I guess flunking out of divinity school makes you a expert on weather! Al and all you other communists, lets test my theory out and if you can prove it wrong I will donate ONE MILLION DOLLARS to all your efforts.

Here is how my theory works and I have 100's of years of proof and records to back it up.

First: The months of September, October and November the temperature tends of go down. Second: In the months of December, January and February, it tends to be cold.
Third: In March, April and May the temperatures tend to rise again, and in June, July and August it gets hot! Or a very simple way to explain this strange trend in climate is: ITS HOT IN THE SUMMER AND COLD IN THE WINTER!

I am glad I could solve this problem for you Al, now give back that Nobel Prize you didn't earn!

THE NFL AND THE HAZARDS OF AN ELITE PROFESSION

2011-02-05T12:30:00.001-05:00

TWO OF THE HARDEST HITTING TEAMS WILL SQUARE OFF
CAPPING THE "SEASON OF THE HEAD INJURY"

(Saturday, February 5, 2011. Fort Worth, TX) The contenders have been here for over a week. In approximately 26 hours the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers will meet here on the field at the North Texas Stadium to play in what is arguably the single biggest sporting event in America - the NFL Championship Game - The Super Bowl. This years version of the Super Bowl will showcase two of the most storied franchises in NFL history and two of the most evenly matched teams in recent years.

For two weeks now members of each organization have spent countless hours involved in photo ops, endless interviews and press scrutiny usually reserved for Presidential candidates on election eve.

The story lines coming out of each camp have been as diverse if not disparate as any however, due to the unusual attention this past season has invited regarding the safety of the players (particularly head-to-head contact and concussions), the short and long term affects of playing such a violent game, a great deal of the focus has been on these rather sensitive issues rather than the usual X’s and O’s of the contest itself. Some of the NFL’s biggest “hitters” will take the field. Both of the quarterbacks who will be leading their respective offensives tomorrow have suffered head injuries and concussions over the course of their careers. The signal caller for the Packers, Aaron Rogers will be wearing, for the fourth consecutive game, a specially modified helmet to protect him from sustaining yet another concussion; he missed several games this year as a result of not being able to pass the newly implemented “post concussive” medical examinations developed by the medical consultants to the NFL.

RISKS AND REWARDS

Any boy who has ever put on a pair of shoulder pads and the rest of the standard equipment required to play football on every level, has, at one time or another, dreamed of playing at “the next level.” High schoolers want to play big time collegiate ball while those fortunate, talented and physically gifted enough to play the college game on the highest level all inevitably desire the money, fame, fortune, glory and sense of competition, of being among the small elite fraternity of NFLers playing this immensely popular sport professionally. Few, at any time in their playing days; be they in high school, college or on the professional level, give serious consideration to the potential for sustaining acute, chronic and / or life altering physical and neurologic injuries that may result in varying degrees of impairment once their playing days are over.

If the sense of indestructibility is common among young men it is taken to an entirely uniquely lofty apex among the men playing in the NFL considered to be among the best athletes in the world, bar none. Even as evidence mounts correlating certain forms of degenerative brain disease from the thousands of “sub-concussive collisions” a football player encounters from the time he first straps on a helmet, to the well known potential of life long chronic musculo-skelatal problems, arthritis, chronic pain and a list of symptoms, syndromes, diseases and disabilities that is far too long to list here, one would be hard pressed to find a football player, particularly an NFLer prepared to walk away from the sport that defines him or has become his chosen profession.

THE FACT OF THE MATTER

The harsh facts of life are that less than 99.9% of boys who play college football will never even have a remote chance of playing football professionally. Those who manage to actually graduate from college with a degree may have opportunities to make a comfortable living and carve out a decent life for themselves and their families without football.

Thus far no professional football player has received a fatal injury on the job.
The professions listed above, however, are well represented among the most dangerous jobs in America.

All the rest, whether or not they ever played a down in a college football game will go on into the workforce just as their peers who never strapped on a football helmet. But, many men do indeed put helmets on everyday they go to work. They may be men who walk high steel, coal miners, firefighters, construction workers and tradesmen, welders or sandhogs. Most won’t wear helmets of any kind as they earn their livings in every type of blue collar job there is; some, far more hazardous on a daily basis than any minute on a football field.

The average salary for an NFL player this season is $1.8 million - quite an “average” income for any profession. That average salary is at least three times higher than the average salary for those who work in professions with far greater instances and potentialities of injury and even death. Commercial fisherman, truck drivers, ranch laborers, garbage men, cops, highway road crew workers, high voltage electrical repair and installation workers - these are the workers, toiling for annual wages that range from the mid $30,000 range up to the high end of their neighborhoods near $88,000. The statisticians and labor demographers out there can argue the ratio of and per capita representation of all the other hazardous professions in America compared to the small number of professional football players and still not have a valid argument when it comes to risks and rewards. Indeed, this year their were 1,696 men playing in the NFL.

HAZARDS, CHOICES, MONEY

Enough has already been made about how we as a society, a culture put our athletes on pedestals from the first time they show any real promise. Everyone who has been in High School recalls that the athletes, the members of this or that team had been treated differently, “specially” in comparison to their non-athletic classmates. In college, especially in the big, major conference universities where head football coaches salaries are measured in the millions of dollars, this coddling and special treatment of athletes is taken to an entirely new plane of apartnessness, privilege, uniqueness and entitlement. That is not the argument here.

What is at the heart of this discussion and the disingenuous “concern” expressed by the NFL hierarchy regarding players safety and health as well as their long term medical problems, is that this elite group of 1, 696 men have made their choice. They have chosen to follow their dream, some one else’s dreams for them, the money and all that attaches to them as professional football players. Money is no small motivator and the promise of ever increasing sums of money in higher salaries, incentives and endorsements in the present tense certainly obscure whatever risks they may be taking as well as the chance they might end up seriously impaired after their careers end.

Careers end quickly in the NFL, sometimes in the blink of an eye. The specter of a wrong turn or cut, a twisted knee with torn ligaments and cartilage, broken, dislocated bones, degenerative structural ailments of all kinds roam the sidelines of every game as phantom menaces not to be seen, thought of or acknowledged in any way.

Careers and sometimes lives end in similar nanoseconds for underground miners, law enforcement officers, oil rig workers and others. Many professions carry with them a deadly legacy by way of the various toxic and carcinogenic exposures workers incurred while on they way to a pension.

THERE ARE REAL CONCERNS BUT...

The last few years has seen a massive amount of data assembled from research and medical surveillance programs that track the health and well being of men who have retired from the NFL. The conclusions drawn from much of this data regarding the long lasting affects of repetitive head trauma alone is sobering. Tissue samples examined microscopically from brains donated by the families of retired NFLers show neuropathological changes in their brains suggestive of the same type of degenerative processes seen as markers for Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

Other long term medical surveillance programs have tracked lung disease in miners, factory workers from a wide range of industries, and a veritable medical encyclopedia of ailments many of which will prove to be fatal for some of those affected. Many professions in this country are hazardous on a daily basis and still others bring with them the possibility of chronic conditions that will alter the quality of life long after their workers have punched the clock at the end of their last shift.

Tomorrows game will go on as scheduled and each man that takes the field will, no doubt, look back when questioned sometime years from now as his Super Bowl experience as one of the highlights of his life. Many of the former NFLers who have been interviewed admit that the quality of their day to day life is a direct result of the years they played football. They all cite examples back to junior league and their high school careers when they sustained injuries, sometimes severe concussions, yet chose to “walk it off” and get back in the action. Imposing fines and penalties will not alter the way the current NFL players play the game.

As Drew Breese last seasons Super Bowl winning quarterback of the New Orleans Saints noted on ESPN earlier this week, the “improved equipment meant to protect the players’ has actually made the players “more” dangerous, more lethal. The NFL stresses player safety but everyone involved in the game on any level and certainly all those even on the periphery realize that money is the bottom line, the only bottom line that counts. As long as the NFL produces a product - highly competitive football played by the world’s greatest athletes - there will continue to be violent collisions, injuries and long term repercussions for these men when they ultimately leave the game.

The same can be said for so many hundreds of thousands of American workers from every corner of the workforce, every sector of the giant apparatus that is American production, industry, manufacturing, construction, transportation and distribution. According to the Occupational safety and Health Administration (OSHA), everyday 16 men and women who punched a clock in the morning did not return home from work as the result of a workplace injury or death. That is reality.

TAGS: NFL, NFL Player Safety, Concussions, OSHA, Football, Risks, Rewards, NFL Head Injury Advisory Committee, Super Bowl.

LINKS:

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/the-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america/

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-most-dangerous-jobs-in-america-2010-3#no-15-grounds-maintenance-workers-1

http://www.myoshaadvisor.info/2010/08/does-osha-have-jurisdiction-over-the-nfl/

http://cashmoneylife.com/most-dangerous-jobs/

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/11/nfl-injury-rate-has-actually-decreased-since-last-year/1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_issues_in_American_football

http://www.slate.com/id/2135433/

http://www.wharz.com/nfl-injury-rate-hasnt-increased/

Originally posted on BroodingCynyx.blogspot.com & zimbio.com/The+Brooding+Cynyx Saturday, February 5, 2011 @ 12:30PM EST

Copyright TBC 2011 © All Rights Reserved

“WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF EVIDENT”...

2011-02-03T00:03:00.001-05:00

AND SO DO MANY OTHER PEOPLE

Antigovernment protesters clash with regime backed thugs
Tahrir Square on Wednesday.

(February 3, 2011. Washington, DC) Dawn broke on Cairo, Egypt hours ago after yesterdays violence raged on through the night between the antigovernment protesters and “bands of armed thugs” allegedly doing the dirty work for the embattled President Mubarak as his Army has apparently taken a neutral position amid the escalating tension and violence. It appears that Egyptians have had enough of the 30 year reign of the oppressive Mubarak regime. The last 30 years has seen the 80 million plus population of one of the oldest civilizations on the planet struggle with 40% unemployment, poverty, human rights violations and a host of societal ills that has spawned everything from high infant mortality to the radical Muslim Brotherhood.

It is difficult to witness the live footage airing since earlier yesterday on MSNBC of the scenes in Cairo without hearing the words that Thomas Jefferson wrote in our own Declaration of Independence in 1776. The “self evident” truths that motivated our own struggle to be free of the tyranny of the British Empire resounds with millions and millions of people today living under varying degrees of modern day tyranny and rigid, strong-armed regimes deaf to the plight and problems plaguing their own citizenry.

Yesterday saw the widest scale escalation of violence as armed marauding bands of Mubarak’s “Secret Police” and other factions loyal to and paid by the 82 year old President went on the offensive against the huge crowds that have been gathered in and around Tahrir Square within stands the Egyptian National Museum. As fires blazed and automatic weapons fired echoed off the ancient streets, tanks of the Egyptian Army stood idle apparently manned by personnel unwilling to engage their fellow countrymen with the armed might at their disposal.

Just as all Americans since our founding have valued and often died for the noble, inspired concepts that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”, the world is standing witness to the latest assertion of these concepts. Contrary to reports from the right-wing media outlets in the United States crassly using the “distinctly secular” uprising in Egypt to somehow promote their own narrow-minded political ideology and label it as a “radical Islamic movement”, the images broadcast via satellite tell a vastly divergent truth. It is a simple truth, a resounding truth and a truth our own freedoms are founded on. The Egyptian people are standing up and bravely proclaiming their desire to join with their global democratic brothers and sisters as they seek Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. It is that simple and, due to the geopolitics of the last 50 years in the Middle East, that complex.

Obviously, America, the Obama Administration, and our incredibly inept “intelligence community” were “caught flat-footed” by the rapidly developing events in Egypt that ultimately may topple the regime of one of our oldest “allies” in that perpetually and perplexingly troubled region. Further complicating this powder keg, Israel, one of Egypt’s neighbors allowed 800 pro Mubarak forces to move into a strategic position in the Sinai Desert. Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 when President Anwar Sadat shook hands over the historic Camp David Accords brokered by then US President Jimmy Carter and Israel's Yihtzak Rabin. Mubarak came to power after Sadat was assassinated in 1981 by factions of his own military incensed by the peace treaty with the “Zionist State.” Since that time Mubarak has been a key US ally in maintaining a “cold peace” with Israel as well as playing a vital yet controversial role in supporting George W, Bush’s “War on Terror.” So, for the Obama Administration and other Middle East nations Egypt and her erupting internal conflict is not an easy matter to assess or intervene.

Yes. This is about as complicated a situation as can be imagined rivaling the byzantine tensions between our “partners and allies” in the Afghanistan-Pakistan-Indian rim. We used Mubarak’s secret Police to aid in the CIA’s “Special renditions” and sent more than a few of those we rounded up on the plains and in the mountains of Afghanistan post September 11, 2001 to Egypt for the sort of special interrogation tactics W. claimed we’d not engage in. Oh yeah, oh yeah. That old wheel is going to turn around once more.

It is literally anyone's guess what the Egyptian dusk of tomorrow will bring or not bring.

Not matter. People the world over hold certain truths to be self evident. Many have died for that just cause and many more will. Hopefully we will not see massive chaos and death live on MSNBC. But, we might.

TAGS: Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, Thomas Jefferson, Cairo Uprising, The Declaration of Independence, Barak Obama, Secular Protests, Mubarak’s Thugs, Inept CIA, MSNBC, Democracy.

LINKS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353128/Hosni-Mubaraks-camel-warriors-fight-protesters-Cairo.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353128/Hosni-Mubaraks-camel-warriors-fight-protesters-Cairo.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/02/idINIndia-54606120110202

http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2045166,00.html

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/israel-and-palestine/110131/sinai-egypt-israel-mubarak-cairo-jerusalem

Copyright TBC 2011 © All Rights Reserved

WHY EGYPT MATTERS

2011-01-29T13:20:00.002-05:00

US SUPPORT HAS BOLSTERED CURRENT REGIME FOR DECADES

Egyptians protest for sixth day defying government imposed curfews and
restrictions. Many Egyptian Army troops appear sympathetic to protesters

(January 29, 2011 - NY, NY) Last Tuesday night as President Barak Obama, stood before a joint session of Congress and the American people delivering the annual State of the Union address, half a world away one of our oldest “allies” in the Middle East, Egypt, was beginning to feel the rattle and hum of a populace fed up. By today the rattles and hums have exploded into full blown revolt with the very real threat of being able to bring down a government.

After 30 years of tightfisted rule over the largest Muslim Nation in the world and respected by all Muslim countries for their place in world history, President Hosni Mubarak has unleashed his police and military forces to quell the increasingly vocal, unruly and, in some locations, violent protests. It appears that a “tipping point” may have arrived for Egyptian frustration with their government and the social ills that Mubarak has done little to address since becoming President in 1981. He succeeded Anwar Sadat who was assassinated shortly after normalizing relations with Israel in the famous Camp David Peace Accords brokered by then President Jimmy Carter making Egypt the first of Israel’s neighbors to recognize her tight to exist.

Mubarak, a crafty international figure and consummate Washington inside has long enjoyed extremely close relationships with the United States and our Presidents. In some cases the relationships Mubarak used to his advantage were more than diplomatic - they were personal as with the Bush family. On average the United States provides Egypt with almost $2 billion annually in financial and military aid. As with so many other Middle East nations who repress their people, the ruling regimes have been so heavily reliant on the United States that it can be said such regimes would not have lasted this long without the direct aid of the United States. Now, Egyptians seemed poise to oust Mubarak and make an effort towards some form of self determination and a more “democratic” form of governance.

While most Americans would have been hard pressed to locate Tunisia on a map a few weeks ago, it was in that northern African country where a very similar uprising by millions of frustrated Tunisians led to the toppling of the long time regime there. In Middle Eastern nations from Yemen to Syria, Iran and Lebanon, grass roots protests are threatening other US backed, long time regimes. So, what does it all mean? What has this got to do with us?

The answers to these questions are not black and white and, at this point in time, extremely difficult to even speculate on due to the fluid nature of the events in Egypt which is the current and perhaps most unstable epicenter of what are secular expressions by long suffering people; the millions upon millions who want unrestricted entry into the 21st century.

A report released earlier last week noted that the world wide Muslim population is increasing at twice the rate of the non-Muslim world. We already know about the “youth bubble” in Muslim countries where the bulk of their populations are under 30 years of age. These might be ominous signs for the rest of the West and America in particular depending on how the Obama Administration chooses to navigate the roiling waters in an already unstable region of the world that does, whether we like it or not, is vitally important to our national security concerns. The apparent intractability of the Israeli - Palestinian issue has always made the Middle East a powder keg. Now, with the rising tide of discontent and open, hostile rebellion taking on a viral component, President Obama must make some very difficult decisions regarding who are “true” allies are in that region and just how long we can remain “loyal’ to what are essentially American backed leaders who have done nothing to address the endemic ills of their own countries. Despite the billions of US tax payer provided financial support we have thrown into these countries for decades, we are learning the hard way that America’s voice does not carry the clout, moral authority or authenticity it once did. Muslim, the proverbial “Arab Streets” from Cairo to Tunis has no trust that the United States can or will do anything to really support their efforts other than offer hollow, token, tired rhetoric they’ve all heard before.

The “global economy” just barely showing some signs of having been resuscitated after the near collapses from 2008 until now is already reacting negatively to the unrest in Egypt. We have been militarily involved in Iraq since 2002, engaged in an escalating, odd and hazardous game of chicken with Iran regarding their nuclear ambitions among other things, and have vocal enemies spread across the region like clusters of chicken pox. Some are state-sanctioned players with terrorism ambitions while others, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Queda and its bastard off shoots enjoy safe havens from Sudan, Yemen and into Iraq. When the US Stock Exchange opens tomorrow look for a tumultuous day as investors find the instability in Egypt generating a ripple effect throughout the already shaky global economy. One way or another, acknowledge it or ignore it, everything is connected. The happenings in Cairo, Egypt will, in some way or another effect the happenings, at least financially as in the price of gas in Cairo, Illinois.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Americans learned the consequences of “blow back”. This is not to imply that the secular unrest in Egypt and elsewhere will once again bring radical elements with terrorist intents to our shores but, there is more than one way to impact a country, there is more than one way to inflict critical wounds on America in this all too connected world.

Hopefully the events in Egypt will bring about some positive, tangible changes for those long suffering 80 million human beings. Hopefully transitioning from brutal semi-dictatorship will not be the result of massive bloodshed. Maybe Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the vast electronic / cyber landscape will be able to usher in a era of change using the power of social media, thoughts, ideals, words and free expression and take the place of the bullets, bombs, grenades and mortars of the last century. It would be fitting and just if this were to turn out to be so.

Let us hope, wait and see.

TAGS: Egypt, Cairo Demonstrations, Secular Uprising, Hosni Mubarek, Muslim Discontent, Tunisia, Middle East Instability, Democratic Aspirations, US Support, Israel - Palestine Conflict, Iraq, Iran, President Obama

LINKS: (Updated)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48366.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/weekinreview/30cooper.html?hp

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/americas-fragile-arab-dom_b_815058.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/world/middleeast/30-egypt.html?hp

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011129153021167916.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/2011129081571546.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/28/AR2011012806355.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/28/AR2011012806330.html?sid=ST2011012806535

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/28/whats-going-on-in-egypt_n_815734.html

Copyright TBC 2011 © All Rights Reserved

ISRAEL UP TO OLD TRICKS?

2010-11-30T13:45:00.001-05:00

TEHRAN BOMBINGS HAVE “ALL THE SIGNS”
OF MOSSAD

Massoud Mohammadi, a professor at Tehran University, was killed on Tuesday when a bomb strapped to a motorcycle was triggered by remote control outside his home.

(November 30, 2010, The United Nations, NY, NY) Well, what do we do now? What can we say?

There was a time when we would have had a leg to stand on, when the United States possessed sufficient “moral authority” to at least be in the position to do or say something. Something with some meaning, some heft, some weight behind it. Sadly, those days are gone for good and, at least for the time being, gone also is our international standing and reputation. The Cheney / Bush Administration saw to that. Now, we have a torrent of “leaked” information from diplomatic correspondence and other sources from which the world can draw their own conclusions about the United States, our veracity, our ability to be a friend and “honest broker” when it comes to some of the most delicate of foreign relations and dealings with the world at large.

Two prominent physics professors were blown up earlier today in Teheran by as yet to be identified operatives. The bombings have all the hallmarks of The Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence Service known as much for their ability to carry out assassinations across all borders as they are for “gathering” intelligence. One of the “nuclear scientists' killed as was his wife, the other targeted academic survived with injuries. Yes. It was a matter of time. Israel simply cannot stand the fact that she will at some point have nuclear armed neighbors.

And why should her neighbors not be nuclear armed? The oh so tired and all too often repeated claim that poor Israel, the only “democracy” in a sea of hostile Arab nations, needs to be able to “defend” herself just doesn't cut it anymore. Actually, it really never did. Israel has been a nuclear power for decades although, to this day, she refuses to acknowledge or admit the truth. Israel was provided all the “nuclear secrets” she needed to develop her own nuclear weapons program by spies and sympathizers decades ago. That is just one among the unknown and unknowable host of “secrets'”she has either directly stolen from us or had deliberately obtained by other nefarious activities. Israel has arguably perpetrated the greatest number of espionage scams against us than any other nation “friend” or otherwise.

Yes, Israel, our “Ally” in all matters of security. Israel, who we routinely provide carte blanche coverage for in the United Nations no matter how heinous her actions may be. Israel who criminally prosecutes a decades long occupation against the Palestinian people, murders men, women, and children with American supplied arms of every caliber and kind. Israel, the Zionist state immune from international and United Nations sanctions of any kind, free to murder and maim with impunity; possessed of sufficient hubris, safe in the knowledge that she can hide behind America's fraying apron strings when the international outrage becomes too hot, yes Israel has done it again.

The bomb attacks on two prominent Iran nuclear scientists is just the latest in a litany of international crimes committed by Israel in the factious name of her “national security.” Admittedly there is no evidence circumstantial or otherwise linking Israel to these assassinations however, the modus operandi is all too familiar to those in the international intelligence community. One former CIA operative now working in the private sector, speaking anonymously to protect his identity commented, “ As soon as I learned of the details of the attacks in Tehran, I knew, without a moment of doubt that this was the handiwork of the Mossad.” Other sources throughout Europe and the Middle East were equally harsh in their assessment of what are broadly considered to be “terrorist actions”. Lord Philip Lloyd Dunham, retired Scotland Yard veteran and Middle East expert commented, “Israel has a long history of violating international law, flaunting her brazen activities and generally conducting herself abominably. Sadly, due to her “special relationship” with the Americans, Israel has a sense of unaccountability. She has ignored UN Security Council Resolutions for as long as I can recall and I fear with each passing year she grows more emboldened. Israeli behavior of the sort seen in Tehran yesterday will, no doubt, one day trigger a crisis of massive proportions. I pray and hope that somehow something can be done to reign in what is, in essence, a rogue nation.”

Iran has long held nuclear ambitions and, despite American and Israeli beliefs to the contrary, has insisted their nuclear ambitions are for peaceful purposes. Long standing international sanctions of the materials required to refine uranium and conduct other highly sophisticated processes vital for developing nuclear power generation have denied Iran the ability to fulfill her desire. Despite repeated overtures from Iran to conduct her nuclear program under the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) , the United States has spearheaded the sanctions efforts. Most objective observers however, agree that Iran should be permitted to develop a nuclear program until “ Iran demonstrates her intentions to be that other than power generation.”

Iran has had troubled relationships with the west and the United States in particular since the days of the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979.

TAGS: Current Events, News Opinion, Editorial Commentary, Iran Nuclear Program, Iranian Nuclear Scientists, Israel, The Mossad, United Nations, Israeli Crimes, Zionist Regime, CIA, Scotland Yard, IAEA.

LINKS:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112906300.html

http://www.hamsayeh.net/hamsayehnet_iran-international-news1941.htm

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8909100932
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=214969

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/11/201011297228879910.html

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2033725,00.html

http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2010/November/30%20n/US,%20Israel,%20Britain,%20MKO%20Collaborating%20in%20Assassination%20of%20Iranian%20Scientists,%20Says%20Iranian%20Defense%20Minister.htm

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-01/iran-calls-nuclear-physicist-s-killing-terrorism-notes-western-silence-.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/153477.html

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

SCRAMBLED EGGS BENEDICT

2010-11-23T11:29:00.001-05:00

POPE CAN'T PUT YOLK BACK IN CRACKED SHELLS

Pope Benedict XVI: more progressive than anyone would have imagined.

(Nov. 23, 2010 – Vatican City, Rome, Italy) What the hell is going on here? Has the Pope suddenly realized some of the harsher realities of life in the 21st century? Does the 82 year old Pontiff want some modernization of the Roman Catholic Church to be part of his legacy? Or did he simply misspeak during an interview with a German journalist?

Whatever the answers to these questions might or might not be, there can be no denying the scale and scope of the fallout from some comments the Pope made during a series of interviews which are being published as a book. Early leaked excerpts from that book included a statement accredited to the Pope where he said that condom use for male prostitutes comports with Catholic doctrine provided the condoms are worn to prevent the spread of AIDS. Holy Moses! The Pope, male prostitution, and condoms all in the same sentence? That is impressive. What's more impressive are the implications of Pope Benedict's words.

The Roman Catholic Church has been, arguably, the least receptive to a changing world when compared to other major organized religions around the globe. Her (The “Church”, for Catholics, is typically referred to in the feminine sense,i.e.: She, Her) intransigence if not flat out hostility to many of the issues facing Her followers, the world and the Church in general has resulted in dwindling flocks in America and other western countries. The Catholic Church has seen Her greatest expansion in some of the poorest places on the planet; many of the developing countries in Central and South America as well as throughout the African continent. This has presented unique challenges to the Vatican but, more about that lsome other time.

Back to the Pope and condoms.

Birth control has long been one of the most strict doctrines of the Catholic Church and among the most divisive and contentious for American Catholics. The fight began when the first birth control pill, known as “THE PILL” hit the market in the late 1960's. Suddenly men and women could copulate freely, recreationally, without the fear of an unwanted pregnancy. Men no longer had to carry “rubbers” in their wallets or steal them from their Dad's sock drawer. The Sexual Revolution had been declared a victory but the powers that be in the Vatican responded like stranded Japanese soldiers still fighting World War II alone on some anonymous atoll in the South Pacific long after VJ Day.

When the Supreme Court decided the landmark case known as Roe v. Wade in 1973 essentially legalizing abortions in the United States, the Catholic Church held firm in their unshakable opposition and adhered to the belief that abortion is “murder”. That is some heavy duty stuff.

For centuries the Vatican's word on issues related to sexual behavior was so ingrained in predominately Catholic nations that the demographics of those nations were profoundly affected. Among specific staunchly Catholic nationalities, the birthrate remained staggeringly high even as people struggled with high infant mortality rates and poverty. On the other side of the coin until very recently in history a marriage that ended in divorce was sufficient for excommunication from the Catholic Church. Many Catholics were driven from the Church believing that extramarital sex, the use of birth control, or having a divorce automatically meant they could no longer be “practicing” Catholics. It became a common notion among people, Catholics and non-Catholics, that the Church of Rome, The Vatican, The Holy See, and its Pope, the titular head of the Roman Catholic Church on earth, were backwards at best, behind the times, stuck in the Dark Ages, oppressive, unyielding, and basically, not very Christian in the broadest sense of the term.

They were all correct.

To truly be a practicing Catholic from the mid 1960's on (after the Vatican II Conference, when The Church sought to “modernize” the liturgy and some of Her teachings, proclamations, and social positions) was not an easy way of life. People coming of age during those years of true social upheaval of every kind in American society found themselves at odds with their parents and Church over issues that had increasingly become more publicly debated and more valued as “personal freedoms”. In virtually all the major issues of the day, The Church obstinately held on to Her dogma, doctrine and traditions even as self identified Catholics in America deserted The Church in droves. So many left embittered, humiliated, and angry that many of them have felt ostracized on some level to this day.

As the world turned and life went on, as the sixties gave way to the seventies and beyond, The Church never varied. So stubborn was Her position that The Vatican would always oppose any United Nations initiative that included introducing birth control into the largest emerging Catholic populations in the worlds who just happened to live in the poorest parts of the planet.

Now after two disastrous decades of being battered by sexual abuse scandals committed by Priests and covered up by the Church hierarchy at every level, this gaffe prone Pope drops a bomb on the core of Roman Catholicism. Intentional or not, in one fell swoop, one run-on sentence, one statement perhaps mangled in translation, may have unwittingly brought Catholics into the present day. No Catholic of a certain age could read the Pope’s statements without feeling that finally, after all these years, the Catholic Church recognizes the realities of the world and that many who have stumbled and strayed from Her teachings may suddenly find a renewal of Faith in the Church of their youth.

People have sex, people use birth control, abortions are performed legally for a variety of reasons both medical and personal and it is no Church’s or governments business. There are deadly sexually transmitted diseases, Catholics in the poorest countries should be able to practice birth control without the burden of feeling as though they have “sinned”. Priests have been predators, some predators pedophiles and the Church in all Her majestic splendor and glory has been fallible, yes indeed, horribly, oh so humanly fallible.

Tags: News Comment, Current Events, Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict, The Vatican, Condoms, Birth Control, Abortion, Opinion, Observation, Editorial, Church Scandals

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/20/pope-oks-condoms-in-some-cases-cites-use-by-male-prostitutes-av/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/11/23/2010-11-23_pope_benedict_xvi_and_vatican_on_condoms_men_and_women_can_use_condoms_to_preven.html

http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/nov/23/pope-words-on-condoms-bolster-aids-fight-in-africa/

http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=zenit&id=31026

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_pope_condoms

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

THE INCONVENIENCE OF PRIORITIES

2010-11-19T15:15:00.002-05:00

TERRORISTS TESTING AVIATION SECURITY

Port Authority Police Officers on duty
at NYC's JFK Airport.

(Nov. 19, 2010 – Queens, NY) While stories of passengers discontent with the recently implemented screening techniques at our nation's airports have dominated press and Internet coverage, there is a more important story playing out beneath the inane headlines and viral videos on YouTube. Security experts throughout the government intelligence apparatus and the private sector have concluded that terrorist cells have been conducting “tests” by sending packages, some capable of exploding, via air freight since late October. Thus far authorities believe they have “intercepted” all the suspicious parcels but there is some doubt as to whether or not some “dummy packages” have made it through multiple security checks at different airports and, ultimately, to terrorists operatives here in the United States. Most of these packages have originated in Yemen or Sudan; both North African countries have become favored havens for al-Qaeda and other like-minded groups.

Just as during the months prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the intelligence community has been reporting a significant increase in “chatter” among known terrorist groups from the towering mountains of the Afghanistan – Pakistan border all the way across Central Asia and into North Africa. The notoriously tight lipped National Security Agency (NSA) as well as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have each made off the record statement confirming their shared belief that the “terrorists are probing, planning, and plotting. We have not seen this level of chatter since August 2001 and we all know what happened after that”, said one DIA analyst speaking not for attribution. She continued, “We now know that Mohammed Atta and his crews took many cross country flights to observe the in-flight security procedures on the types of planes they were planning to hijack. They meticulously collected their own intelligence and, as a result of their preparations, were able to pull off the fatal hijackings of that God awful day. We had all better take notice of this chatter now and begin to act accordingly.”

The “enhanced” screening procedures causing so much outcry from travelers, some pilots and civil libertarians have been implemented to interdict nonmetallic objects, including plastic explosives, that could be used in-flight to cause damage to an aircraft or actually “blast it out of the sky.” Some major airports are now equipped with full body scanners, an imaging technique that travelers can refuse for health or personal reasons. The frisk method or “pat down” as it has been called in the media, is similar to the techniques law enforcement officers have employed on the streets of America for decades. Some of the loudest opponents to the pat downs claim that TSA officers are not as well trained as most police officers and that some of the pat downs have turned into “humiliating public gropings.” Administrators at both the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claim the new techniques have been developed with privacy, decorum, and professionalism in mind. One senior manager at TSA speaking anonymously commented, “Sure, some folks are upset, some see it as a waste of time and a hassle. Obviously these folks have lost sight of the real threats we confront and have short memories. 9 – 11 was not even ten years ago and already the national mood seems to have turned against security measures in all aspects of our lives. The fact of the matter is that it is just a matter of time until some terrorist group or splinter cell manages to launch a successful attack against some vulnerable aspect in our infrastructure or transportation systems. After that, people will be complaining that we (TSA & DHS) did not do enough. You can't win in this climate of impatience.”

Airports and air passenger carriers around the world have been on a higher alert level since the initial parcel bombs were discovered on planes in Germany and Britain on October 29th, just 3 weeks ago. A timely “tip” from the Saudi Intelligence service and fast action on the ground resulted in the bombs being rendered harmless and thus subject to detailed analysis and testing by intelligence agencies from Scotland yard, to our CIA and FBI. Two of the original bombs were addressed to synagogues in Chicago and, after extensive testing that took several days, the British Intelligence Ministry revealed that those two bombs were “sophisticated” and ‘intended to blow up in the skies over Chicago.” the bombs were far more powerful than first indicated but also bore some of the hallmarks of other recent al-Qaeda manufactured explosive devices. “The use of cell phones as trigger or detonation mechanisms pointed to al-Qaeda on the Arabia Peninsula (AQAP), a terrorist group based in Yemen with related suspected sects or cells in Sudan, Kenya and possibly Libya.

Under orders from President Barak Obama the United States military has increased the number of un-manned flying vehicles (known as drones) patroling the skies above remote sectors of the Yemeni desert. These drones are capable of firing guided missles and are often armed with other classified ordnance. The government in Yemen, although weak, has pledged to assist in counter-terrorism efforts and step up their own persuit of al-Qaeda members known to be at large in their country.
Late today the Pilot’s Union was able to secure a deal with the TSA that would exempt their members from the enhanced screening procedures that have been the source of thousands of complaints. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is also looking into taking some legal action against the TSA and some of their personnel at specific airports where the highest number of complaints have been logged.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the owner and operator of the 3 major metroploitan New York City airports who also have their own police force said the complaints in their 3 airports have not been overwhelming. Captain Terrance Flynn who commands the counter terrorism unit at JFK here in Queens said, “At first we had a lot of angry travelers. there was a good deal of anger and simple bitching. But, when people realized that everything is done with their safety in mind, most travelers just accept it. We could be saving lives, but, hopefully, we will never know. I pray every night that we do not get hit again.”

TAGS: TSA, Parcel Bombs, Pat Down Screening, CIA, NYPD, PAPD, al-Qaeda, Aviation - Airport Security, Yemen, Terrorism Risk, Threat Level, ACLU, Pilot’s Association,

UPDATED LINKS:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/business/19security.html?_r=1&hp

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/world/europe/20germany.html?hp

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-30-yemen-us-mail-attack_N.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/29/2010-10-29_suspicious_ups_packages_across_east_coast_including_one_in_brooklyn_under_invest.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/11/18/tsa-enhanced-imaging-kept-illegal-dangerous-items-plans-year/

http://www.tsa.gov/

http://www.panynj.gov/police/

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/19/airport.security.issues/

http://www.zimbio.com/The+Brooding+Cynyx/articles/SQgOrlMPKqZ/THE+THREAT+REMAINS

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=7758263

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/1119/Pilots-to-be-exempt-from-airport-scanners-intrusive-pat-downs

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

CHARLIE FINALLY WRANGLED

2010-11-19T13:20:00.001-05:00

HOUSE VOTES TO CENSURE HARLEM DEMOCRAT

THE ORIGINAL SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
GUILTY OF ETHICS VIOLATOINS: ARROGANT TO THE END

(Nov.19, 2010 – Harlem, NYC) Standing on the corner of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue one finds themselves in the figurative if not geographic center of the New York's 15th Congressional District represented for the last 40 years by the Democrat Charlie Rangel. The 15th is geographically the smallest Congressional Dstrict in the nation as well as one of the poorest. It is comprised of famous neighborhoods such as Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, as well as a slice of Astoria Queens. From this corner one can walk in any direction and find themselves on streets named after icons of the Civil rights Movement such as Malcolm X, Percy Sutton, and Martin Luther King. Hollowed halls such as the Apollo Theater and The Audubon played key rolls in the tumultuous history of Black New York in the sixties and seventies.

Charlie Rangel's political career was shaped as much by the issues that resonated with the residents of these communities as it was by his own opportunism, greed, hubris and blatant exploitation of his own constituents. After years of rumors and innuendo the House Ethics Committee began an investigation into allegations related to Rangel's income, taxes, and political influence peddling in 2008. Just today, after being found guilty of 12 out of 13 charges, the Ethics Committee voted to have the 80 year old Congressman censured. This action would basically be a slap on the wrist. Rangel made a tearful plea to the Committee asking for leniency. What the ultimate outcome will be remains to be seen. One thing is certain, though; finally, after a 50 year run in politics, the gravel-voiced Puerto Rican's legacy will forever be tarnished. And rightfully so.

If one were to plot the course of Rangel's political ascendency, it would become clear that his career has been defined by crass opportunism. At every step of the way he was able to launch forward on the backs and ideology of other far more gifted, noble men.

While it is true that Rangel performed with valor in the Korean War, was wounded in combat and received decorations for his meritorious service, so did tens of thousands of other men. The overwhelming majority of them returned home after the war and went about the rest of their lives in obscurity; toiling to raise their families and provide a better future for their children. Rangel took advantage of the GI Bill to attend college and law school and worked as an Assistant Federal Prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. He ran for Assemblyman and quickly threw his hat into the ring running for Congress against the very popular Harlem icon Percy Sutton. Rangel was victorious and has never looked back. The story of how he managed to become a multimillionaire on a Congressional salary of 40 years is one that largely played out in the shadows of the NYC Democratic Machine. Representing Harlem, an iconic neighborhood to African Americans for over 100 years, Rangel leveraged that position into one of power, influence, and wealth. That he exploited his own constituents and African Americans at large, never seemed to give him pause.

Rangel is Puerto Rican, albeit dark skinned. His appearance in Congress in 1971 coincided with the first true representation of “people of color” in the House of Representatives. His complexion was “close enough”, as one long time Democratic operative recently noted. Rangel immediately aligned himself with the Civil Rights movement and the brutal struggles that played out across our Country in the sixties, particularly, in the South, despite the fact that he never participated in it. His ambition and egotism was unbounded and he stood on the shoulders of true Civil Rights heroes such as John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and so many others who sacrificed in the Jim Crow South promoting himself as a “Black Leader”. He was a charter member of the Congressional Black Caucus, was “tolerated” by the other members simply because “...they needed numbers. They needed all the help they could get in those days”, said former Washington DC Mayor, Marion Barry.

If there was one talent that Charlie always demonstrated, it was his true gift for “talking a good game.” Rangel could schmooze, bullshit, back-slap, intimidate, threaten, and simply produce such an avalanche of boilerplate rhetoric, race baiting incendiary, and trash talk, that he became a favorite of the press always ready to grab one of his sound bites. Gabe Pressmen, the legendary newsman at New York City's NBC Flagship Station WNBC, who covered NYC politics for over 50 years once said, “Charlie has never found a camera or microphone he didn't like. I remember when he first ran for Sutton's seat in Congress. He was ruthless in his attacks and with money from who knew where, he was able to win. Throughout his years in Washington he became so far removed from the people and issues of his District that it was quickly apparent he was in it (Congress) for himself. Journalist's in town (NYC) knew decades ago that he was a crook. A real smooth talker with a true mean streak. He used his 'race' as camouflage and to accuse his detractors as racists. He was always basically a scum bag.”

The specifics of Charlie's guilty charges are not unique; he is but the latest hack politician to be caught with his grubby dirty hands in various cookie jars. The one charge New Yorker's are most sensitive to and angered by is his blatant abuse of the Holy Grail of your average New Yorker's life – rent controlled apartments. If not for NYC's strict “rent stabilization” rules there would be no working class, blue collar people living in the fFive Boroughs. The people who keep that City afloat and running only live there by the grace of rent control. Rangel used several rent controlled apartments as offices and for nepotistic gain while his declared residence is in Washington, DC. “The income and property tax structure in the District of Columbia is far more favorable to a bum like Rangel than it is in New York City”, commented Filbertto de Leone, a prominent tax attorney in The Bronx.

African American's in New York City have always been protective of and loyal to the politicians who look like them. This is only natural. It was always easy for Charlie to go back home and bemoan how all the “redneck White Republican's” in Congress “have it out fore.” But, ask the man or woman on the street here in this neighborhood about Rangel's rent controlled hijinks and a truer picture emerges about hos they feel about “Our Charlie.” DeShawn Thigpen, a 42 year old father of two , an unemployed carpet layer and a self described “Old time Democrat and lifelong supporter of Charlie Rangel”, said “This deal of his with the apartments. That is a slap in the face to all of us who live up in here. He oughtta be punished for that if nothing else.”

TAGS: Current Events, News Commentary, Opinion, New York City Politics, Charles Rangel, Charlie Rangel Scandal, Charlie Rangel Censure, Charlie Rangel Ethics Violations, Editorial, Sarcastic Commentary, Political Satire

LINKS:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AF47I20101116

http://weaselzippers.us/2010/11/03/harlem-sends-a-career-criminal-charlie-rangel-back-to-congress/

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/12/charlie-rangels-birthday-bash-a-night-for-ethics-amnesia/

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/08/13/the-other-scandal-of-the-charlie-rangel-scandal/

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/just_don_o4LUuhrmDip5pcpADAecPK

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-01/the-scandal-that-could-doom-the-democrats/

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

THE THREAT REMAINS

2010-11-01T13:01:00.001-04:00

PARCEL BOMBS LATEST REMINDER
al-Qaeda Intentions Never Waned

A UPS Cargo jet is inspected at Newark Airport on Friday morning aftert two explosive devices found on similar aircraft overseas.

(Nov. 1, 2010 – New York, NY) While the FBI continues to analyze components of the explosive devices found on two cargo planes in Britain and Dubai last Thursday night, some answers have already been pieced together. Members of the international intelligence and counter terrorism community have already admitted that the two devices bear “most of the hallmarks” of being constructed by a member of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Ibrahim Hassan Al Asiri , a known AQAP bomb maker. Al Asiri is thought to have constructed a bomb he later sewed into the underwear worn by his 23 year old brother, Abdullah, who later died in a failed attempt to murder a Saudi Prince, Muhammad Abdul Aziz Al-Saud , who runs a program in his Country intended to “re-educate” repentant jihadis. The Prince survived with minor injuries while Abdullah was blown to pieces.

The “sophisticated” explosive devices were concealed in the commonplace toner cartridges within computer printers. The devices contained 300 and 400 grams of the plastic explosive PETN, a compound favored by terrorists and detected in other home made bombs and long known to be utilized by al-Qaeda and its affiliate brigades. Authorities in Britain, Germany and at the international police agency Interpol have expressed the belief that each of these devices was capable of “taking a plane” out of the sky and may have been intended to be detonated “during flight.” Authorities in America, both in the FBI and CIA have been reluctant to classify the devices in such a way. One CIA analyst, speaking confidentially noted, “these devices could have been sent as part of a 'dry run' or simply to see if they would be detected and what the response would be. If that is the case, they have probably been able to make certain assumptions about the security of commercial cargo aircraft.”

Perhaps most disturbing to experts around the world is the fact that these two devices managed to be transported undetected on four separate flights. After a timely tip from the Saudi Intelligence agency, the devices were located on planes at airports in Britain and Dubai. Apparently the construction, composition and concealment of the explosives in computer printer toner cartridges was sufficient to thwart existing security screening measures at airports from Yemen to Germany and Great Britain. According to address labels on the packages they were intended for a Chicago area synagogue. Currently security procedures regarding airfreight and air cargo planes is under review world wide. Air transport security officials and experts in America acknowledge that 'huge gaps” still persist to be in evidence in this area almost 10 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Dr. Raymond Onelli, a specialist in airport and air freight security currently at BronxWest Consulting, a security, analytics, and counter - terrorism consultancy commented, “I'm often stunned by how quickly people, people in our own government have seemingly forgotten the horror of September 11th. All the promises of funding, training and increased security measures have been lost. Our priorities after the initial shock of September 11th have reverted to the 'old order', 'business as usual' mindset. It saddens me to think that we can be hit again and that our government will once again be culpable.” Many terrorism experts in America and around the world have echoed Dr. Onelli's sentiments. Sir Benteley Pith Whitehouse, a former British Intelligence operative said, “we appear to have dodged a major bullet this time. What this incident means as far as the operative effectiveness of AQAP is unclear. However, it most certainly does tend to remind us that their intent has never waned.”

The North African nation of Yemen, a country that shares a porous border with Saudi Arabia has been of increasing interest to intelligence agencies in the United States and abroad in recent years. Many of Saudi Arabia's most feared and sought after terrorists have fled to Yemen in recent years. The growing presence of AQAP in Yemen has received even greater scrutiny after a failed plot to bomb a Detroit bound airplane during the 2009 Christmas travel season and several assassination attempts of British and United Nations personnel in Yemen. One British intelligence officer, speaking not for attribution for his own operational safety commented, “Some of the wealthier and better educated disaffected Saudis have made their way to Yemen. I fear that Yemen will be the launching point for the next series of terrorist actions worldwide. Yes, I said 'actions', for I do believe it to be just a matter of time until they are successful in either bringing down a plane in flight or initiating a mass fatality incident in an urban center in Europe of America. They need not pull off another attack on the scale and scope of 9 11. No, they can be highly effective on a much smaller scale as we have all witnessed the cold efficiency of IAD's (Improvised Explosive Devises) in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.”

As the investigation continues in many countries, American intelligence officials have been more guarded in making conclusions about the devices and their purpose. As Bruce Crumley of TIME Magazine writes in today's edition from his post in Paris, “John O. Brennan, President Obama's top anti-terrorism adviser, suggested on CNN that the bombs' construction didn't require someone aboard to "physically detonate them" — raising the likelihood that they were meant to blow up mid-flight, as British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested.”

President Obama, speaking on Saturday, called the incident a “credible terrorist threat.”

Tags: Current Events, News Analysis, Commentary, Yemen, Parcel Bombs, AQAP, Intelligence, Counter terrorism, PETN, Air Freight, Airport Security, BronxWest Consulting, CIA, FBI.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/1029/Suspicious-US-bound-packages-from-Yemen-A-terrorist-test-run

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-the-new-crucible-of-global-terrorism-2121364.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39911024/ns/us_news-airliner_security/

http://www.cfr.org/publication/23281/growing_terrorism_threat_postmarked_yemen.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/01/germany-yemen-cargo-_n_776951.html

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news227836.htm

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_8286/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/yemen/8099241/Yemen-parcel-bombmaker-believed-to-be-al-Qaeda-terrorist-Ibrahim-Hassan-Al-Asiri.html

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

YE OF LITTLE FAITH

2010-10-18T14:37:00.002-04:00

DEMS POISED TO GIVE UP
CONGRESSIONAL MAJORITIES

President Obama is getting poked in the eye
by Democrats as often as Republicans as
his Administration limps into the midterms and a probable electoral rebuke.

(October 18, 2010. Middle America, USA) If the polls, for what they are, can be believed, the looming midterm elections will see a major shift in power in Washington come the morning after. President Obama's poll numbers have been in a steady decline and, while he is not yet as unpopular as Congress, Wall Street, Banks, and mortgage firms, he has fallen far enough from his lofty numbers of just 22 months ago to cause real concern among Democrats. As his fortunes have taken on water so to the fortunes of his party. Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress are predicted to fall. What a difference the reality of governing makes.

President Obama was swept into Office by a wide and deep current of intense discontent, frustration, anger, and even gross disgust after having witnessed the unmitigated individual failures that collectively defined the eight year reign of the Cheney / Bush Administration. That candidate Obama was running against a feeble-minded, self serving creature of Washington in John McCain, and his barely literate, woefully inept, dangerously unequipped, running mate he inexplicably grabbed from the obscurity of Alaska's Governor’s Mansion, the hopelessly dimwitted Sarah Palin, no doubt helped Obama's cause. The time was right for “change” and, at least on the most superficial of criteria, candidate Obama did personify change.

Our first African American President was elected by a broad coalition of traditional Democratic interests as well as hundreds of thousands of others, voters, who had come to feel disenfranchised as our economy tanked, banks failed, homes were lost at as fast a rate as jobs, we learned of the lengthy trail of lies that lead us into a fabricated, criminal, “war of choice” in Iraq while we remained deeply entrenched in an untenable conflict across the expanse of Afghanistan while the elements that attacked us on 9-11-01 reconstituted under our puppet government in that perpetually ungovernable failed nation / state. Yes, the Cheney / Bush fiasco had easily paved the way for a freshman Senator to bill himself as just what was needed in Washington, DC. That he was able to defeat the formidable political juggernaut of Hillary and Bill Clinton merely added to his appeal for many, for those most eager to see actual, tangible, change come to the White House and a reversal of the way our government had been co-opted by the many negative forces of hubris, greed, deceit, special interests, as well as the dangerous disconnect from reality across the board. The public was more than restless and, obviously, more than ready to give Mr. Obama the keys to the White House.

He was not given those keys by any one demographic or segment of voters. He was not elected by African Americans, labor unions, any traditional Democratic allies alone. His victory was a coalition in the truest and broadest sense of the term or, at least, as broad as is possible in our heavily divided, dangerously polarized, ultra-partisan electorate. His victory was a shining example of what a diverse and disparate electorate could accomplish if sufficiently motivated. Self identified Republicans and Independents cast their votes for Obama as did record numbers of young and first time voters. The victory and history making coalition was initially viewed as commanding enough to represent a mandate. That may have been so. Certainly, the “anti-Bush” Obama was granted a relatively long honeymoon and was also blessed by a wave of good will not seen by any President in many years. For a time, a time not easily defined but, still, a time of substance, virtually anything was possible. The public was ready to believe, was prepared to accept the facts that the Cheney / Bush Administration had left the new President was such an array of daunting, complex, and ever increasing problems, that there was not going to be a “quick fix”; solutions to the enormous troubles that ailed the Country and remained on the desk in the Oval Office even as the imbecilic Bush retreated to his simpleton existence in Texas, would require tough measures. None of the problems would readily succumb to “black and white” fixes and, after an especially black and white Cheney / Bush Administration, there would be some very difficult and nuanced challenges to be met head on. Shades of gray colored days while time was of the imperative.

As of this writing, President Obama has been in Office for 687 days. 687 days. Given the glacial pace our Government has devolved to working at, given the severity, complexity and sheer number of issues that needed to be addressed, why has the coalition that gave Obama his victory allegedly crumbled? Why is there so much dissatisfaction among the population that certain Democratic defeats are all but confirmed?

There are no easy answers to these questions and, the most likely answers being bandied about fall short of reality. They are but partial and, in some respects, “pseudo” answers. Our collective attention deficit disorder is a partial reason for the pronounced discontent with the President as is the rapid pace of the simple-minded “newsertainment” cycle. The non-stop inflammatory blather from the right wing media outlets and such dangerously demented demagogues as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, the village idiots at FOX News, and all the other more insidious cast of behind the scenes characters, financiers, organizers, zealots, and flame throwers provide just another piece of an answer. The answers, just like the questions, defy simplicity. This is not to imply they are not understandable. Not at all. However, they do require some thought, some small modicum of effort to understand, and an appreciation for the interconnectedness that defines our world and all topical landscapes today. The problems of today have been years in the making and, in some cases, decades of efforts by various factions in the business, banking, regulatory, lobbying, and Congressional corridors acted with blatant, arrogant purposefulness to create the conditions and climate that made the institutional melt downs and subsequent fires possible. The “mortgage crisis”, “toxic assets”, “deregulation”, and all the other myriad causative factors were permitted to amass under the eight long years of the Cheney / Bush regime of greed and gall.

THEM

Say what you will about the Republican Party but, there is much to be learned from them. Aside from being able how to launch massive smear campaigns, lie with unmitigated impunity, dodge issues while creating phantom causes, and having absolutely no interest in the greater good, the GOP is at least unified, for the most part. they exercise a discipline of message and matters the Democrats can not match. Right or wrong they support their leadership as was in evidence virtually every day of the Cheney / Bush disaster. They talk without speaking, they oppose without offering alternatives, and they can erect huge edifices of “social issues” they stand behind tossing incendiary rhetorical grenades into the political landscape. While their may be various factions within their numbers, they present a united front.

US

The Democrats, on the other hand, have so little patience and discipline that they are eager to self destruct over substantively marginal issues rather than adopt a long term strategy. President Obama could do nothing fast enough for certain factions while he rushed to quickly according to others within the sprawling, tattered, threadbare canvas of the “Big Tent”. Currently he is taking as much heat from inside his Party as he is from the GOP and others who sit on the sidelines defining the debates absent any relationship to reality. Those on the far Left seem poised to allow the Congressional majorities to vanish simply to “prove a point.” The idiocy, the sheer churlishness of such a tactic is beyond comprehension when the alternative is fully considered.

THEN

Candidate Obama’s Presidential campaign was in many respects a work of political art. What he was able to accomplish while starting as a relative unknown on the national stage has not been seen for decades or, arguably, ever. As much as the time was rigfht for his campaign and for the candidate himself, circumstances had coalesced to present a rare electoral opportunity, sufficient numbers of grassroots organizers, field workers a well oiled campaign machine was assembled and run up to the red line level for almost 2 years. The candidacy of Barak Obama was able to move people, inspire people, and, for a host of reasons allow divergent forces to gather the momentum that swept him to victory. Sadly, his political instincts have not served him well as President up to this point.

NOW

However, no matter his failings, shortcomings, or quirks of personality, real or imagined, he is the best hope for the greater good. To abandon hope now, at this early junction of his first term in Office is to defy whatever promise once prompted record numbers of voters to propel Candidate Obama into the Presidency.

Some of the most extreme left wing elements in the Democratic Party have expectations so far removed from reality that they are prepared to throw the baby out with the bath water. The bath water that will fill the tub once it is painted Republican Red, they will soon find out, will be of a temperature that will scald all their hopes and dreams. Gay rights? Forget it. Environmental concerns? Not a chance. Energy policy? Get real. The issues that drive many factions of the Democratic Party and sway the much courted “Independents” must be carefully raised, addressed, and incrementally attacked. Any broad sweeping legislation meant to cure a perceived social ill or address a “cultural issue” will not stand a chance of surviving more than an hour or two on Capital Hill. In their discipline the GOP are extremely dedicated, motivated, obstructionists. Just look at what they have managed to destroy or neuter in the last two legislative sessions.

As all midterm elections this one is being touted as a referendum on the entire Obama Administration. Historically the majority Party and Party in the White House suffer loses. This election cycle has seem record amounts of money funding special interest groups with a ferocity that belies all reality. The mainstream media has once again proven to be unable or unwilling to investigate some of the irregularities in campaigns across the country. The advent of the bizarre “Tea Party Movement” is the just the latest iteration of a wacky fringe movement that actually taps into the fears, frustrations and more sinister idealizations of the “base” of the Republican Party. So crass are their efforts that they have taken to fear mongering and intimidation as never before.

Memories are short in America and, apparently, especially where our politics are concerned. It was just 22 months ago that arguably the worst Administration in the history of America left Washington with an economic collapse rivaling the Great Depression, our banking and financial institutions on the brink of total annihilation after years of unmitigated deregulation, record home foreclosures, staggering unemployment on two full fledged military conflicts that have somehow receded into the not so distant past yet the costs we are paying in blood and treasure continue to escalate, all awaiting President Obama. He inherited a series of challenges of such scale and scope that was unprecedented. No other new Administration had ever taken Office under such dire circumstances domestically and internationally. That the Obama Administration has been able to enact some stabilizing measures to stop the worst of the hemorrhaging is a testament to their tenacity. Every measure they have managed to enact has been done with virtually no Republican support or, if any GOP'ers did “cross the aisle” out of conscience or pragmatism, they were less than a handful in number.

This election cycle will play out as it will. If the predictions prove prescient President Obama will have to find a way to work with republican majorities in the House and Senate. If voters think that divided government configured this way provides “checks and balances” they are sadly mistaken. One only has to look back a few years and see just how the Republicans govern when handed the reigns of power. We are still digging out from the wreckage and debris of their last go around in power and it will take years more of heavy lifting to see our way clear again. President Obama has a far better chance to chart a path to recovery on many levels provided he has a friendly Congress. We will see what happens and we will have to live with the consequences. The stakes are high, perhaps higher than nervous, petulant democrats can imagine.

Tags: Political Commentary, Social Observation, Midterm Election, Democratic Majority, President Obama, Current Events, News Comment, Opinion.

http://themoderatevoice.com/89351/mid-terms-2010-will-likely-symbolize-the-political-depreciation-of-barack-obama/

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iKmo4HyVujR3h6CDP6985hPJ2UnQ?docId=078b9051ec1d48ff94faf9b19f81360b

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/10/17/2010-10-17_many_of_obamas_2008_supporters_will_flee_to_gop_in_midterms_mccain_backers_flipf.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147158.html

http://www.freep.com/article/20101018/NEWS07/10180378/1001/NEWS/Many-looking-to-GOP-for-change-poll-shows

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Election-2010/2010/1017/Boo!-Halloween-for-Democrats-comes-early-with-spooky-poll-numbers

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

REMAINS OF THE DAY

2010-10-05T19:04:00.004-04:00

REMAINS OF THAT DAY

ALL THOSE REMAINS

(October 5, 2010, Barclay & Church St., Lower Manhattan, NYC) In a cold, dispassionate, and practical sense it was a crime scene, albeit a crime scene of unprecedented proportions infused with emotional, if not sacred significance, for a large number of people across the diverse spectrum that is New York City and its Metropolitan Area. The sheer number of fatalities contained within this hulking, smoldering 16 acre debris field that soared to over 10 stories in height in some places and continued below ground for another seven stories, put it in a class of its own. The nature of the deaths and destruction, a blatant act of war on our soil, in our City, forever sanctified this plot of real estate and everything that would be removed from it.

From the very beginning, while the smoke and dust still obscured the bright September sun, the task at hand appeared monumental, insurmountable. As the hours of that day of infamy bled away and the darkness of the early September 12th, 2001 morning shifted the wind ever so slightly to the west, every man and women whose fate had placed them there grudgingly admitted that this would not be a mass rescue mission; it was realized that early on that it would be a recovery effort. Initial assessments and carefully orchestrated forays into the wreckage by members of FDNY revealed a level of devastation that would most likely not yield any survivors. The incessant electronic pings from the hundreds of fire fighters location beacons punctuated the silence. Certainly there were unknown thousands who perished, whose remains were held captive by the forbidding steel and concrete mountains that just mere hours ago had been two towering office building, 220 acres of office space where 50,000 or so came to work every day. Head counts continued frantically into the dawn of the 12th, every FDNY House and NYPD Precinct, all the government agencies who had office space in buildings throughout World Trade Center Plaza, as well as all the employers in Tower I and Tower II needed to determine who was missing, who was not, and who had been were when that morning prior.

***** ***** *****

The troops gather at the beginning of a morning shift at the WTC Site.

“The number of casualties will be more than any of us can bear ultimately”, replied the Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, just hours after the Towers collapsed when asked by a reporter about the number of casualties. The actual number would be unknown and unknowable, with any degree of certainty, for many days. This harsh fact steeled the recovery workers determination and it was this knowledge, the knowledge that this monstrous, sprawling crime scene was the site of a mass fatality event the likes of which no other modern American city had ever witnessed. It was not fully realized at that time that this Site would be a grave, the heap a funeral pyre for so many, that so many would forever be entombed, unidentified, rendered unidentifiable by the brutality of the jet fuel feed infernos, the shear physics of fire, force, and magnitude of the pulverizing collapse.

***** ***** *****

Yesterday the 2010 – 2011 session of the United States Supreme Court was called to order. Among their first pronouncements was that they had decided not to hear a case, the case docket number 09-1467 entitled “World Trade Center Families for Proper Burial v. New York City”. Essentially the case addresses the approximately 1.6 million tons of materials that was removed from the WTC site and transported to a closed landfill on Staten Island. While this material was handled as meticulously as possible throughout the recovery process, was scrupulously sifted both at the WTC site and again at the Fresh Kills Landfill, the families contend that it is inappropriate to have this material, which contains the remains of those who perished, interred at a landfill. They also sought a ruling on their allegation that 223,000 tons of material was never processed for human remains. There have been no positive identifications made for approximately 1,100 of the 2,752 people killed at the WTC Plaza on September 11, 2001.

***** ***** *****

An uninterrupted procession of dump trucks ran 24 / 7 for over 8 months from the Pile to barges which would transport the debris to Staten Island for additional scrutiny.

The massive task at hand was undertaken with a distinct sense of solemnity that was in stark contrast to the horror and brutal, jagged lines of the Pile. Within days of the twin collapses, the Site was divided into four quadrants each under the supervision of a different contractor. The men and women of FDNY, NYPD, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of NYC,(OCMENYC) the FBI, and other agencies were tasked with the recovery of “biologics”, human remains. The WTC Plaza became a well coordinated job site were man and machinery, the senses of smell and tactility were augmented by computer mapping and GPS. Meticulously each and every fragment of a biological nature was cataloged first by its GPS coordinates, bagged, labeled and sent for processing first to an on site examination tent and then on to the OCMENYC. The Medical Examiner's Office soon had to rent several refrigerated semitrailers to store the collected remains. The existing storage space and laboratories were overwhelmed by sheer volume.

At the same time personal items from the missing were being delivered by next of kin; toothbrushes, combs, hairbrushes, anything that might contain traces of DNA with which to establish a data base. The recovered remains would be processed if they were determined to be “viable” - amenable to genetic analysis. Other labs in far away places such as Virginia joined the effort. Everyone involved knew the scale and scope of the endeavor was staggering yet not one among them ever baulked or tried to cut corners. If anything, the benefit of the doubt was applied more often than not simply in deference to the “maybe factor”, perhaps this small, irregular fragment of human tissue might render viable DNA that will lead to a data base match and ultimately to “closure” for one family out of the thousands torn apart by the uncertainties of the circumstances and the rapidity with which the fabric of their lives had been forever tattered.

***** ***** *****

Ask the men and women who labored on the recovery teams how they feel about some of issues that have arisen since that fateful day 9 years ago. Most will tell you it is time to dismiss forever the designation of “Ground Zero” for the more respectful and dignified monickers such as “The Site”, “The Pile”, or ”The Hole”. Ask them about the controversy surrounding a mosque and Muslim Center proposed to be built just two blocks from the northeast corner of the WTC Site. Most will reply that the mosque is a non issue. The real issue that the City of New York and all the individual agents and special interests should have addressed long ago is the rebuilding of the Site and a permanent, appropriate memorial of some kind. The fact that that open, jagged wound still exists on the tip of Manhattan in 2010 is abominable.

***** ***** *****

One conveyer line at Fresh Kills manned by members of
NYPD Homicide, CSU, The OCMENYC, and FBI Forensics Specialists.

The cleanup that ensued over the 8 months immediately after the events of 9 11 01 will be studied by engineering, demolition, excavation, and other construction trade specialists for years to come. It was a logistical nightmare tamed by the minds and backs of all those called upon to participate.

As a crime scene it too will be studied and recognized as a seminal undertaking in the history of forensics, mass fatality events, crime scene processing, DNA identification, and a host of other sciences that were utilized during every step of the recovery.

Not only was every square inch of debris scoured on site at The Pile, it was examined just as closely, if more slowly, once it arrived at the Fresh Kill Landfill. Mining equipment from Pennsylvania and West Virginia was set up. Conveyors and sifting trays of increasingly finer gauge trapped fragments of tissue as well as remnants of personal effects such as jewelry. Whether an individual fragment of human tissue yielded sufficient viable genetic material for the rigors of the identification process was another story. No matter, each captured fragment was handled as if it contained the treasures for a positive identification and with the respect afforded a corpse at burial. Nothing was taken lightly, nothing dismissed as irrelevant.

The Liberty Street medical Examiner’s Station. One among many at the largest crime scene ever processed on American soil.

***** ***** *****

that the Supreme Court decided yesterday to not hear the case brought by surviving family members of some of those killed at the WTC Site was not a surprise. Lower Courts had not seen the case as having merit. Perhaps this defeat is for the best. Maybe those family members can find some permanent closure knowing the debris in question is on Staten island. Certainly that material is in a distinct segment of the vast, closed landfill. A memorial marker of some type can be placed there. This was a legal matter that never had a great deal of public or political support.

Given the fact that the Courts on every level have not treated 9 11 01 issues very well, people whose lives are inextricably linked to that day, that Site and those remains have found satisfaction and peace in other ways.

Politically, the fallout from 9 11 01 reverberates in the corridors of power and for all the wrong reasons. The latest insult perpetrated on the 9 11 01 Recovery Worker’s is the Congressional defeat of a Bill that would have afforded those workers suffering from the various respiratory illnesses associated with the contaminants in the WTC Site air, a measure of security in that their medical costs would be covered. Those who labored there in the harsh conditions and are now sick themselves are, for the most part, stoic in the face of their illness and own mortality. That September day taught many a powerful lesson on mortality, the whims of circumstances and chance, the unseen eddies of fate and destiny. Who lived and who died was often a matter of inches or seconds, the smallest increments that we measure time, distance, action, reaction, fear. fight, and flight. There is a story behind every one who left those buildings intact physically just as their is a story for every soul that did not.

In the Common Book of Prayer the Burial of the Dead, Rite I, contains the phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. And so it is.

In a sense the remains of the unidentified have already been spread by the prevailing winds of that day as well as by the otherworldly gusts that billowed as the pulverized constituent elements and over 1000 souls wear reduced to their most elemental forms. Those angry roiling clouds of smoke and dust spread far beyond the immediate area. Some particles from those clouds went high into the atmosphere are were caught in the jet stream and whisked far and wide. Others came to rest much closer to their point of origin. In either case all the remains, as they are, could never physically be recovered. Having had over 20,000 “biologics” recovered was remarkable but never satisfactory. The best efforts were exerted in the pursuit of remains.

The names of the unidentified are known today. Families and friends, colleagues and coworkers, neighbors and acquaintances have mourned appropriately. Those who perished are not forgotten nor will they ever be. Out of respect for all involved the powers that be should work tirelessly so that a fitting memorial be erected soon at the WTC Site and progress should be measured in stories complete on the structures that have been ever so slowly taking shape on that 16 acre plot.

The Burial Rite continues after mention of ashes and dust saying, “All we go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. And so it is and so many songs waft from that Site heard to ears receptive to the words carried in the winds.

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/sifting_for_remains_at_fresh_k.html

http://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/evidence/bodies.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/911-human-remains-found-ground/story?id=10980468

http://www.silive.com/westshore/index.ssf/2010/02/debris_from_world_trade_center.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_site

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

COMBAT: THE ULTIMATE BULLY

2010-10-02T10:54:00.002-04:00

MILITARY SUICIDE RATE SETS INFAMOUS RECORD UNNOTICED
GAY STUDENT JUMPS FROM GWB - MEDIA NOTICES

Suicide among active duty members of the Armed Forces as well
as veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan combat has reached epidemic proportions.

Saturday Oct.2, 2010 Piscataway,NJ) Makeshift shrines comprised of framed photos of the young suicide victim, votive candles, short hand written notes, and stuffed animals dot the sprawling campus of Rutgers University. Earlier this week a 19 year old freshman, Tyler Clementi, apparently jumped to his death from the towering span of the George Washington Bridge just days after a sexual encounter between Clementi and another man was caught on a hidden video camera and spread on the Internet. The two students responsible for streaming the sex video may face criminal charges. This case has gotten has tremendous amount of attention in the national media and two New Jersey Congressional Representatives have announced plans to introduce a Bill to combat such “hate crimes.”

Far from this tree lined, grassy, rather sleepy college campus in the dusty flats of West Texas, Fort Hood, one of the largest Army bases in the Country, is still in the grips of its own suicide crisis. Before Tyler Clementi jumped to his death as the result of Internet “bullying” four combat veterans from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan killed themselves; just the latest in what is quickly turning into a veritable “suicide epidemic” in the Armed Forces of the United States. The military suicides received nowhere near the publicity the Clementi death has and, therein lies a dilemma if not a corollary: returning Vets suffer in silence and obscurity.

Wracked by profound cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), thousands of young war veterans continue to live the horrors of their battlefield experiences, many spiraling down into the darkness of severe depression,many self medicating with excessive alcohol and drug intake,while others among them, many others, having sought relief from their suffering by killing themselves. Yet, what merits the national attention, which tragic circumstance is embraced as the latest cause celebre’ by famous actors and artists, and what has come to define the suicide debate among politicians? Clearly, it is not the ongoing crisis in the ranks of our military service personnel, both veterans as well as active duty. After almost 10 years of continuous war on two disparate fronts, years of multiple deployments, inadequate mental health care resources, and increasingly greater demands placed on their young shoulders, the men and women of our military have become largely forgotten by the media and their fellow Americans. That is tragic for everyone on both sides of the equation.

What merits our attention, outrage, and ultimately our action, says a great deal about the culture, the society we live in. We as a country ask great efforts and sacrifices from those few among us who answer the call of their own to voluntarily serve their country in uniform. Gone are the days of shared sacrifice. Long ago is the time when going into the “service” was a right of passage for men in times of peace and times of struggle. When our elected leaders had that common service experience among them, they were much less willing to ask other young men (and women) to go and serve in armed combat, to put lives “in harm’s way”. When our leaders were familiar with the brutality and horrors of war, the nuts and bolts of close combat and all that it entails, they recognized exactly what it meant to send troops to defend our national interest, our “National Security”. Now the burden is borne by a mere fraction of the population and the hell of war for the rest of us is reduced to short film clips on the news. We can little imagine or appreciate what stresses our troops incur having to live hypervigilantly in horrid environments with the very real specter of their own deaths as well as the taking of others lives is a major constant component of thier reality.

Our society is still beset by internal conflicts of varying importance and significance. We have overcome some of our greatest collective fears and failures yet pockets of ugliness exist in segments of the populace as well as among individuals within it. That Mr. Clementi came of age during years of increasing tolerance and understanding for all individual rights seems sadly ironic when juxtaposed with the stark fact that he was “done in” by the unjust intolerance and cruelty of his peers. Certainly his death, the fact that mockery and “bullying” figuratively pushed him over a very real ledge, is proof of the lack of understanding that still exists. His death should not be “in vain” (as if any death can ever be classified as such) and should be held as a tragic example of what stresses our misunderstanding and lack of tolerance can put on an individual, a vulnerable, young individual just beginning to find his way in life.

Likewise we as a nation should recognize the stresses we are expecting our service members to endure for years on end and recognize that many of them are returning home badly damaged physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. We need our Government to repay these brave men and women by giving the military all the resources required to assure everyone in need of help, no matter the nature of the condition or malady, has the opportunity to receive it. We as a people should hold our elected representatives accountable. We should expect as much vigor and enthusiasm to greet our returning warriors as there was when we sent them away to do our battles.

By every metrics available as quantified in clinical studies by agencies from the CDC to the DOD the mental health crisis in all branches of our military is truly at epidemic proportions. Suicide is just the tip, a sad and very obvious tip of a cold, heavy, impenetrable iceberg that extends deeper than anyone ever thought it could. Our military is broken and many of the young enlistees are coming back to civilian life accompanied by demons we cannot imagine. They need as much attention as do the young people who live closed lives wrestling with their sexual identity or a myriad of other mental health troubles that leave them damaged and more vulnerable.

Until every suicide of a young American results in the same level of outcry and outrage from the public we will continue to send youngsters to fight our wars and allow others among us to live in fear. Equal rights are equal rights and should be equal. Sadly, we only begin to approach matters of equality and responsibility when the damage is already done and can no longer be avoided.

Please support our military veterans.

Please teach your children the meaning of tolerance.

LINKS:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/30/AR2010093006496.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/us/30hood.html

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/military/fort-hood-suicides-hit-record-number

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/commander_orders_review_after_four_gi_suicides_104186824.html

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpps/news/mullen-warns-of-rise-in-troop-suicides-dpgonc-20100930-gc_9889244

http://www.livescience.com/health/ptsd-veterans-medical-illnesses-100928.html

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20430930,00.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/10/02/2010-10-02_vile_and_viral.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20018170-504083.html

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

CNN SHOWS SANCHEZ THE DOOR

2010-10-01T12:29:00.004-04:00

ANCHOR CANNED FOR “OFFENSIVE” COMMENTS

Rick Sanchez did not leave CNN Headquarters without a fight.
Security guards had to taser, mace, pepper spray and beat him before tossing
him out to the street.

(October 1, 2010, Atlanta, GA) Rick Sanchez was unceremoniously dismissed by CNN in the aftermath of some racially charged comments he'd made during a radio interview with an XM/Sirius Radio host broadcast on Wednesday. During his on the air talk with Pete Dominick host of the Stan Up program, Sanchez called Comedy Central star John Stewart a “bigot” and stated his belief that the major media outlets in America are controlled by “Jews”. The outcry over his comments was swift and loud and came from many in the Jewish community and others who support Israel. While Sanchez, a Cuban-American, was trying to make a valid point about who is and who is not in a “oppressed minority” in America, the mere mention of “Jews” in what can be perceived as a derogatory characterization, was sufficient to end his 6 year term with CNN.

Sanchez began his employ with CNN as a field reporter. Known as a journalist of “barely mediocre talents”, he was often sent out to spots far and wide to cover natural disasters such as hurricanes, mudslides, sinkholes, brush fires and locust infestations. “Rick was good at that. He would stand in the pounding surf during a wicked hurricane and not be afraid to look like an idiot. I admired that about him”, said Niles Dirley and associate producer at CNN. “Rick would do anything he was told to do no matter how asinine. He was a real trooper, a bit daft, but a real trooper”, noted Sanchez's former colleague at CNN Frank Sesno.

Some observers and experts who follow media issues see Sanchez's firing as “unfair” and as a “reinforcement” of his stated opinions. Brent Bozell president of the Media Watchdog Center commented, “Rick was simply telling the truth. Jews do run all the major media outlets in the United States in print, in radio and on the networks. For as small of a percentage as Jews are population wise in this country, they have a grossly disproportional amount of content control in the media. That is why so little truth is ever reported about the Palestinians and the fact that they are held in captive occupation by the Israeli government. God help you if you dare speak ill of the Jews, Israel, or their barbaric policies”.

Other critics point to some of the outlandish rhetoric that pervades the cable news airways on networks such as FOX and MSNBC. Professor Floyd L. Phungall, director of Media Studies at Central Lower State University in Blemish North Dakota said, “Glen Beck has called President Obama a 'racist' with a 'deep seated hatred of white folks' while on FOX News, and that pompous moron, Keith Olbermann on MSNBC was brutal in his commentary during the Bush Administration. Still those 2 scum suckers still have jobs”. Professor Phungall continued, “The vitriol on the TV these days, on talk radio and on the so called cable news channels is stunningly low brow, vile, irresponsible, and just plain cruel. Sure, is there a modicum of truth embedded within some of that kind of commentary? Of course. But, when Limbaugh, Beck,or that total idiot Hannity, Chris Matthews and Olberamann get their audiences whipped up into an irrational frenzy over non-issues, who is there to reign them in”?

Some well respected media commentators have kept quiet and are waiting to see the fallout from the Sanchez dismissal before entering the debate. One such expert affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School of Journalism, speaking anonymously noted, “Perhaps this Sanchez matter will generate some honest debate at the highest levels in media company board rooms across the country. The last few years has seem a dramatic and rapid decline in both the quality of what they bill as 'news shows' and ' serious journalism' . What they have surrendered to are the ratings, advertising revenue, and the lowest common denominators. They play to the ultra extremists on the left and the right, inflaming base passions, inciting anarchy and even violence. FOX is the tool of the Tea Party movement while MSNBC is an arm of the Deomocrats. Neither of these outlets or the outcasts, rejects, have-beens, and never-were's they employ truly air anyting close to “news”. They are entertainment shows using carnival barkers, village idiots, town criers, and just plain old talentless, brainless, egotistical assholes. I do not consider any of these networks to be serious nor can they be taken seriously by the public. The really do a great deal of damage and hurt the democratic process by spreading false information, propaganda, and tripe”.

LINKS:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-cnn-sanchez-20101002,0,7072209.story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/01/AR2010100107147.html

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/10/02/the-kernel-of-truthiness-behind-rick-sanchez-s-ugly-rant/

http://www.mediaite.com/online/rick-sanchez-names-msnbc-olbermann-maddow-to-list-u-dont-want-2-be-on/

http://www.zimbio.com/The+Brooding+Cynyx/articles/675/CABLE+S+BIGGEST+EGO

Tags: Political Humor, Satire, Sarcastic Commentary, Cynical Opinion, Cultural Humor, Media Issues, Truth in Media, Critique, Rick Sanchez- Buffoon, Keith Olbermann – Ass.

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

OBAMA CHIEF OF STAFF BAILING OUT

2010-09-30T14:27:00.003-04:00

EMANUEL WILL RUN IN CHICAGO MAYORIAL RACE
EARLY DEPARTURE OMINOUS SIGN BEFORE MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Rahm gives Obama his good bye salute

(Sept. 30, 2010, Washington, DC) Despite what will no doubt be vigorous statements to the contrary, the early exit of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, ostensibly to run for Mayor of Chicago, is but the first of what will be several high profile departures of top aides and advisers just 20 months into Obama's first term in Office. Members of the Administration's Cabinet and Economic team are expected to jump ship shortly after the upcoming mid-term elections if not sooner. The fact that an exodus of a small but highly placed and trusted band of those closest to the President is an ominous sign and does not bode well for Mr. Obama and his legislative agenda.

No matter what arguments the White House and Democratic Party spin machine spew forth as one by one Obama says good bye to those abandoning his ship, there is great disappointment and frustration among Democrats and Independents both in and out of the White House and across the country. Some of candidate Obama's strongest allies have grown disenchanted with many of the stands the President has taken on such major issues as the protracted economic recession, the automobile industry bail outs, as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. No amount of spin can obscure the absolute failures and self inflicted wounds that have left a restless public angry and poised to unseat Democratic majorities in both Houses of Congress.

It is true that on the day he was sworn in to Office Mr. Obama inherited a mother lode of staggering problems, domestic and international, compliments of the horrendous 8 year reign of ignorance and hubris of the Cheney / Bush Administration. However, his electoral victory was interpreted by many as a mandate. The President had control of both Houses of Congress, public support, and an opportunity to capitalize on the apparent “good will” the public had towards him as our first African American President. And a radical departure from the moronic, messianic Bush.

As the Obama team set out to prioritize the host of problems before them they felt confident that they would be able to maneuver their legislative remedies through the Democratically controlled House and Senate. Emanuel's appointment as Chief of Staff was advertised as a huge asset; they claimed that Rahm's experience “working on the Hill” as a member of Congress would allow them to shepherd their bills and initiatives through the “friendly” Congress and , perhaps, pick up some “bipartisan” support for some of the thorniest issues such as health insurance reform. Mr. Obama's honeymoon was doomed to be over very quickly. Emanuel proved to be not only “ineffective” among his former Congressional colleagues, he actually served to inflame the passions of the Republican minority by employing his well known tactics of “sharp elbowed politicking”.

When the then President-elect began announcing the names of those who would go on to comprise his Cabinet and upper echelon advisers, many were disappointed with the lack of “creative' choices he was making. Many of his Cabinet nominees came with baggage, poor reputations, and scant credentials for the positions they were about to assume. “President Obama had the opportunity to draw a great deal of 'new blood' into Washington. He could have populated his Administration with some real outsiders, some very talented minds were not even considered”, said Hank Belcher, a long time, behind the scenes Democratic Party operative. Belcher went on, “Many of us were not only disappointed with his (Obama's) choices but were actually dismayed. Rahm was never going to be a truly effective Chief of Staff and many of us knew that”.

Now as the President faces the possibility of substantial mid term election loses in his Party with the Majority status in both Houses on the line, some of his ship jumpers are inflicting “extra damage” to an already bloodied and wounded Administration. One of Obama's top aides speaking not for attribution commented, “Let's face it. Our economic team has been disastrous. Our outreach to the GOP was doomed from the get go yet we persisted thinking they were acting in good faith. That especially hurt us in negotiations for the health insurance overhaul. Rahm had us talking to assholes like Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, and Ben Nelson when we knew these guys were bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical and insurance special interests and in the pockets of lobbyists. We should have written our bill our way and dared them to vote publicly up or down. I can tell you one thing, had we done that, we would be looking at an entirely different political landscape this fall”.

The President in recent days has taken to “campaign style” rallies across the country in the hopes of boosting the Democratic candidates in tight House and Senate races. Mr Emanuel's decision to leave and run for Mayor of Chicago has been a “distraction” to say the least. “I wish he would have left months ago if he knew he had any intentions of running for Office”, noted Obama's closest adviser, David Axelrod. He continued, “Rahm and I have known each other for years. I never liked or trusted him and he knew that. I blame him for many of the gross missteps, miscalculations and inaccurate readings of the political winds over the last 20 months. Frankly, he should go run for mayor of Tel Aviv”.

Tags: Political Commentary, Political Humor, Satire, Cynical Observation, Rahm Emanuel, President Obama, Midterm Elections, Obama Cabinet.

LINKS:

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/09/the-rahm-emanuelinsult-fill-in-the-blank-challenge.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704483004575524011330451740.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/09/bob_woodwards_tough_takes_on_d.html

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/09/27/axelrod-stabs-rahm-runs-from-wreckage-of-health-care-bill/

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/tifs-chicago-mayor-election-rahm-emanuel/Content?oid=2492034

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704814204575508253319631386.html

Copyright TBC 2010 © All Rights Reserved

INEXPLICABLE SECURITY BREACH AT WHITE HOUSE STATE DINNER

2009-11-26T00:30:00.003-05:00

GUESS WHO CAME TO DINNER?

Photos that should send shivers down the collective spines of the Secret Service.

(November 26, Washington, DC) Two uninvited guests sashayed their way into the White House State Dinner here on Tuesday nights before the flashing cameras and TV crews filming. Once they had passed the external “security” check point, they proceeded into the White House where they were photographed along with all the other arrivals. The biggest difference between Michaele and Tareq Salahi and everyone else who attended the first White House State Dinner of the Obama Presidency, was that the Salahi's were not on the official guest list. That they were able to gain entry to the White House and actually pose for pictures with high ranking government officials including President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, has left this town stunned and concerned.

This security breach is unprecedented in its audacity and success. The United States Secret Service (USSS), the agency charged with providing presidential security, has announced an internal investigation will commence to identify how these two party crashers were able to perpetrate such a brazen feat. Retired Secret Service Agent Matthew Donohue who served on the Personnel Protective Detail for President Clinton and George W. Bush commented, “The (Secret) Service has not been so embarrassed since Reagan was shot. Clearly, heads should roll due to the seriousness of the breech. Luckily, these two perpetrators were seeking publicity not to do harm. Had they intended to do harm, they could have wiped out a large segment of the Executive Branch.”

Initial reports tried to downplay the incident. The White House released statements that seemed to indicate they were minimizing the significance of having two uninvited people simply stroll into a State Dinner. Now that numerous photos of the two intruders with President Obama, Vice President Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel have emerged, it is hard to deny that this breech could have been disastrous. “ What if these people had evil intent? What if they were infected with a lethal virus and were sent in to infect the President? It is difficult to imagine what could have happened. Yes, the metal detectors would have caught any conventional weapons they may have tried to secret into the White House. It is the unconventional weapons that would not have been detected. You can bet that terrorists of every stripe have sat up and taken notice of this severe breakdown of White House and Presidential security”, noted Director of Security for BronxWest Consulting, Vito Amendolla a retired NYPD Captain.

Since Tuesday night, much has been learned about Michaela and Tareq Salahi. According to sources the two are “semi- reality TV stars or wannabees.” The two are relatively well known in certain social circles in and around the DC area. Tareq Salahi is a part owner of a winery with his family in Northern Virginia. Apparently the couple has been involved in some way with the filming of the reality TV program “Real Housewives of DC.” The Bravo Network which airs the program admitted that a Bravo film crew were present at the White House when the Salahi's entered. The network denies having encouraged the couple to pull off this stunt but the Secret Service has said they will “vigorously investigate” whether or not the network played any role in the perpetration of the intrusion.

What is known at this point is that the Salahi's were able to p[ass through the outer most checkpoint; the entrance for all guests which was manned by Secret Service Agents as well as the White House Social Secretary's Office staff. Despite not being on the invited guest list, the couple easily passed through the checkpoint and magnetometer. Once passed this security point, they had free access to all the areas of the White House and grounds which were being utilized to accommodate the hundreds in attendance for the State Dinner with India Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh.

The photographic evidence is damning in that the photos are stark proof that these intruders mixed and mingled among the invited guests with ease. “When I saw the picture of those tow nuts standing with Obama, I could not believe it. It is almost inconceivable that anyone could just walk in to an event at the White House and not be challenged in any way after gaining illegal entry. The Secret Service had better get to the bottom of this quickly”, commented Frank Blussner, of the State Department. He continued, “We could have had an international crisis had something gone wrong and Prime Minister Singh had somehow been injured. This is the most serious breakdown in the security and protection of a United States President in many, many, many years.”

Many security experts both in various government agencies and private enterprises have expressed dismay at this unauthorized intrusion. Many comment that in this post 9 11 age, one would think that the security of the White House would be so robust that unauthorized entry would be impossible at any time. The fact that this incursion occurred during a State Dinner only intensifies and magnifies the scale and scope of the myriad security failures that allowed two publicity seekers to crash the gates at a White House bash.

Attorney Gino Palermo of the Palermo Associates, an expert in Constitutional and Criminal Law and a resident Fellow at BronxWest Consulting said, “These two people should be prosecuted. The White House has the grounds to prosecute and bring a variety of charges. This was not a simple 'party crasher' incident. This was a State function where literally dozens of our government's highest official were present. It was also an international affair with other world leaders among the attendees. Frankly, I am of the opinion that they should be locked up right now. They should be incarcerated until a full investigation is completed. What do we really know about these people, after all? There may be more to this story than we are being led to believe. The White House and Secret Service cannot afford any mistakes and must get to the bottom of this ASAP.”

Links:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/26/eveningnews/main5791444.shtml

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/25/tareq-and-michaele-salahi_n_371336.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2009/11/salahi_photos_etc.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-state-dinner-27nov27,0,6774327.story

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577448,00.html

http://washingtonindependent.com/69035/white-house-dinner-crashers-may-face-criminal-charges

http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/412725_tvgif29.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/11/30/2009-11-30_white_house_party_crashers_michaele_and_tareq_salahi_deny_trying_to_cash_in_on_p.html

This post is a collaborative effort between The Brooding Cynyx and our strategic partners at BronxWest Consulting and The Palermo Associates.

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

ROBERT BYRD : WHY TERM LIMITS ARE ESSENTIAL

2009-11-20T17:12:00.002-05:00

THE 92 YEAR OLD POSTER BOY
FOR CONGRESSIONAL INERTIA

The former West Virginia Klansman and current US Senator
is now the longest serving member of Congress in history.

(November 18, Washington, DC) If one was in search of the perfect example of what is wrong with Congress, you'd need look no further than the quivering, blithering, drooling lump of fossilized flesh that is Robert Byrd. The West Virginia Democrat is serving his ninth six year term in the Senate. He has been a member of Congress since 1952.

Byrd is the perfect example of many of the most glaring faults in the Congress, the faults that have lead to perpetual legislative gridlock, ultra-partisanship and the corrupt art of delivering pork barrel money to constituents. Byrd has more buildings named after him in West Virginia than there are dirty, stinking coal mines. He is notorious for securing funds for West Virginia none of which seem to have ever really benefited the people and greater good of that forever impoverished state.

Prior to his long career as a politician he was a proud member of the Ku Klux Klan. He credits his Klan membership with his self discovery of untapped leadership abilities. Byrd was a tender 24 years old when he joined the KKK and later commented that a high ranking Klansman told him, "You have a talent for leadership, Bob... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation." Years later Byrd recollected, "suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities! I was only 23 or 24 years old, and the thought of a political career had never really hit me. But strike me that night, it did." The young Bobby Byrd eventually was elected Exalted Cyclops of his local Klan chapter. Byrd was indeed on his way to a successful career in Congress.

Near the end of World War II Bobby Byrd cemented his truest, most deeply held racist beliefs when he wrote a passionate letter to one of his heroes of the time, Mississippi segregationist Senator, Theodore Bilbo. In that letter Byrd wrote, “I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side... Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.” One can easily see why this cretin was elected to Congress by the fine folks of 1952 West Virginia.

Once in Washington, the barely literate, in-bred, hillbilly Klansman quickly aligned himself with like minded southern Democrats and began what would become his life’s work - bringing federal money back to his impoverished home state. Arguably, no other Senator in history has delivered more pork to his home state than this racist, bigoted con man. Given the tremendous amount of federal dollars that have poured into West Virginia compliments of Robert Byrd and his ability to use the legislative process and in particular, his knack for attaching amendments and riders to larger spending bills, one would think that West Virginia would be tops in providing education, social services and health care to its residents. Unfortunately, that is not the case; it is nowhere near being the case.

Robert Byrd shunted most of the federal billions he secured to pork barrel projects that benefited his primary campaign donors and his most loyal supporters – the coal mining industry. He has been bought and paid for by the mining industry and related enterprises despite the health and environmental havoc they have induced on that small, mountainous state.

For the better part of Byrd's tenure in Congress his state has ranked near the bottom of the list in education, literacy, public health, and all manner of governmental services that could help lift his constituents out of pervasive poverty, un- and underemployment and a better quality of health care, more accessibility and affordability, that could result in a better quality of life and infant mortality rates. Byrd's only “constituents” are his corporate benefactors; the corporate donors who have assured his incumbency so he could protect their narrow, selfish interests. For all his 56 years in Congress what legislative measures has he authored or sponsored that have had any positive impact towards the greater good? You'd be hard pressed to find a bill with his name that meets that criteria. As Byrd has spent decades enriching himself and his corporate benefactors, West Virginians have continued to suffer, mired in profound illiteracy, obesity, alcoholism, high rates of teenage pregnancy, methamphetamine addiction, incest, bestiality, joblessness and a lack of good cable TV service.

Byrd is the living embodiment of the drastic need for term limits. It has been years since he has been in any way effective. His physical and mental health have steadily declined noticeably over the course of the last 15 years or so. One close, long serving aide to the Senator, speaking not for attribution revealed, “It is a real chore to get him going in the morning. A great deal of effort goes into making him able to get to the Capitol. We have to pump him full of Geritol, Red Bull, Ex-Lax, B-12 and Milk of Magnesia. Some days he demands a shot of moonshine. He is often incoherent and combative in the morning so sometimes we have to add a sedative to his morning cocktail. We have a group of four aides who are assigned to him and are close by him at all times he is in public. Lately, he has had more frequent episodes of urinary and rectal incontinence. He can be a real handful.”

One of the most troubling aspects of this old coot's longevity in Congress is that in this day and age of terrorist threats, Byrd is the third in the “line of succession” to the Presidency positioned behind The Vice President and Speaker of the House. Even some of his closest friends in the Senate like the ferret-faced, chinless, spineless wonder Mitch “Little Bitch” McConnell express great concern about Byrd's position in the Presidential line of succession. “I've known Bob since I came to Washington. We share many deeply held racist and conservative views even though he sits on the Democrat side of the aisle. After 9 11 we all became very aware of issue related to security and continuity of government. God help us all if Bob ever became President due to highly unusual circumstances. It would be a disaster”, said McConnell.

Today is Byrd's 92nd birthday and the addled, demented Senator shows no signs of slowing down. The lesson that should be extracted from his career is the absolute need for term limits and campaign finance reform. There are many other Byrd's in the making; seniority insures incumbency and when a politician answers only to his corporate sponsors and donors, they are essentially useless in the legislative process as we are now witnessing in the health care reform efforts. Not one Republican member voted for the bill to be debated because they are secure in their incumbency. What America needs is an infusion of new blood in both Houses of Congress so that there will never be another Senator serving for over 50 years. Clearly Byrd is not what our Founding Fathers intended when they crafted a legislative branch of citizen-statesman. We limit the term of our President, isn't it about time we allow for the fossilized, ossified, senile “lifers” in Congress, life long politicians who have become wealthy in public office at the expense of the American people and legislation that could address the concerns of the majority of the populace.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Byrd

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-byrd19-2009nov19,0,7046990.story

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/17/byrd-make-history-longest-serving-member-congress/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+foxnews%252Fpolitics+%2528FOXNews.com+-+Politics%2529

http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=234642&format=html

http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/archives/4326

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

9 11 TERRORISTS WILL FINALLY FACE JUSTICE

2009-11-17T15:50:00.003-05:00

THE ONLY THING TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF

The Metropolitan Correctional Facility located across from
the Federal Court House in Foley Square, Lower Manhattan.

(November 17, Foley Square, NYC) The hardest core right wingers, neo-cons and GOP hawks are proving to be what they have long been suspected of being – fear-mongering cowards. Their near apoplectic reactions to the thought of having some of the Guantanamo Base prisoners transported to and incarcerated in American prisons reveal the true colors of these ignorant people and that color is decidedly yellow. For such tough talkers who had been rabidly gung ho to support the Cheney / Bush war of choice in Iraq and send others to die for their ideology, they look petty and weak in light of their criticism of the Obama Administration to try several of the “detainees” in Federal Court. Most of the loudest, staunchest hawks never served in the military. Morons like Dick Cheney managed to avoid service in Viet Nam remaining securely on American soil compliments of five, yes five, deferments.

The controversy resulting from the Administration's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and four other “enemy combatants” in New York City and to possibly transfer many of the remaining Guantanamo inmates to a vacant prison in northwest Illinois, is largely predicated on falsehoods, partisanship and fear. To listen to some of the most outspoken on the Right is to think that these detainees are superhuman, that they cannot be held safely and securely on American soil. That is a bogus, misinformed, idiotic premise.

After Attorney General Eric Holder announced the decision to try KSM, the self confessed architect of the terrorist attacks that struck the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, many prominent Republican and conservative politicians, pundits and has-beens, leveled vicious attacks on everyone from Holder to the Department of Justice and the Obama White House. Much of the criticism was in response to the decision to try KSM and four others in Federal Court rather than in some military court or setting. These critics seem to have zero faith in our legal system. Their cries of doubt regarding the Federal Court and Federal Prosecutors ability to obtain convictions expose their belief that our legal process cannot overcome the challenges these trials will pose.

Given the unprecedented nature of these trials, it is doubtful the DOJ would proceed in Federal Court if they were not highly confident the trials will result in convictions. There are a number of approaches the Prosecution has available by which to try these men and other detainees. The Federal Courts allows the most legal latitude in that most of the “charges” leveled against the defendants are but variations of charges that are successfully argued in Federal Courts across the land on a daily basis. There is no need to “reinvent the wheel” in the effort to bring these murderous zealots to justice.

Certainly there are Federal Judges infinitely capable of managing their Court Room in an orderly, efficient, effective, professional manner. The critics concerns that the Court Room will be transformed into a circus implies their lack of confidence in the ability of those Justices sitting on the Bench in the Southern District of New York. Actually, that particular Office has successfully prosecuted more diverse if not disparate cases (including other terrorists) than any other in the country. This Court is uniquely capable and equipped to conduct these trials.

The fear-mongers on the Right fretting over “security” concerns are simply not familiar with the setting – New York City is blessed in that it is the home of the premiere law enforcement agency in the world – the New York Police Department (NYPD). New York City has historically been a most unique urban environment for a host of reasons and the NYPD has evolved into a highly sophisticated, innovative, efficient, Department staffed with the most well trained and experienced Officers in the world. Their capabilities are legendary; the array of Special Units and tactics permit them to handle any situation or scenario.

NYPD MORE THAN UP TO THE TASK

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly

New York City is home to the United Nations, the Embassies and Consulates to the member nations, the Stock Exchange, banking and finance industries, communications and is an international city in every sense of the word. Because the nature and composition of NYC is so unique, the NYPD can claim a wealth of experience that no other Police Department in America and, arguably, the world can match or even come close to. That is a fact.

When the trials of the “detainees” begin, there should be no doubt whatsoever that the NYPD will provide sufficient security and safety. Of course, their ranks will be bolstered by members of the Federal Marshall's Service, the NYC Department of Corrections, NYC Sheriff's, the FBI and, perhaps, some military detail. While the precise nature of these trials may be more unusual than most, NYPD will not view it that way. “Sure, we are acutely aware of the challenges involved but we do not perceive them as unmanageable”, commented Captain Patrick McCann of the famed Emergency Services Unit (ESU).

According to a senior high ranking command officer assigned to the Manhattan Operations Unit, speaking anonymously, said, “ We will be ready when the day comes. We have seen a variety of situations that other police departments have never and will never see. We have several Special Units designed for this type of high profile event and the threats that will no doubt be generated by these trials. Since 9 11 we have formed our own Intelligence Unit as well as enhanced our Joint Terrorism Task Force presence. We strategize and plan for events such as this and we can assure the good people of New York City we will be rigorously diligent in providing security not just in the Foley Square area but across the City. We do this everyday.”

Retired NYPD Deputy Inspector Timothy Dowd said, “I think it is very appropriate that these vermin will face justice in a court of law in the City of New York. I want them here, I want them to be convicted here and to ultimately receive the death penalty here. If I had my way, their executions would be held in Yankee Stadium and you can bet the place would be packed. They thought they could hurt us, break us, somehow demoralize us. Man, were they ever wrong.”

Links

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_8286/

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-plans-security-cordon-for-terror-trial-1.1603994

http://www.examiner.com/x-25812-NY-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2009m11d14-911-terrorists-trialkeeping-New-York-City-secure

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/11/18/2009-11-18_president_obama_ag_holder_predict_khalid_shaikh_mohammed_guilty_verdict_will_vin.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/11/20/2009-11-20_pay_up_mr_president_the_feds_should_eat_security_cost_of_foolhardy_ksm_terror_tr.html

http://ny1.com/5-manhattan-news-content/top_stories/109031/nypd-lays-out-safety-plan-ahead-of-9-11-trials

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

KSM TO BE TRIED IN NYC

2009-11-16T05:45:00.000-05:00

FINALLY JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed self proclaimed
9 11 “mastermind”

(November 16, New York, New York) After being held prisoner by the United States for over six years, the self proclaimed “mastermind” of the terrorist attacks perpetrated on September 11, 2001, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM), is slated to stand trial in the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York. Since the Attorney General, Eric Holder, made this announcement there has been a great deal of vocal reaction both for and against this decision. The most hyperbolic of the reactions are emanating from the perpetually in motion mouths of Republicans and conservative opponents of President Obama.

The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomburg, has expressed his support for trying the Kuwait born terrorist just blocks from the site where the World Trade Center Towers once stood. Polling data indicates that the people of New York City are evenly split over the issue of having his trial, and that of four other Al Qaeda prisoners, in New York City. KSM is the uncle of convicted terrorist Ramzi Yousef, the man responsible for the first World Trade Center attack in February 1993. He was convicted in this very same Federal Courthouse in September 1996 and is serving a life sentence in solitary confinement.

At the heart of what is rapidly escalating into a controversy for the Obama Administration, is the core question of whether or not terrorists should be tried in Federal Court or in a military tribunal or other military court setting. Those opposed to the NYC trials claim that such a venue will be inadequate for such proceedings emphasizing that national security and intelligence gathering methods will be compromised. Additionally, those opposed predict that the Federal Court will provide Mr. Mohammed with a platform from which he will be afforded the opportunity to rant and rave about all manner of complaints from his alleged exposure to harsh interrogation techniques to his outrage over his perceived belief that the US is at war with Islam.

Other terrorists have been tried in Federal Courts and convictions were handed down. There is no reason to believe that the results will be any different in this case. Yes, there are concerns regarding having the trials held in New York City. Yes, there are legal matters that will need to be determined in the pre-trial phase. Certainly the defense will seek a change of venue. Despite some new and novel legal, logistic and security challenges, our legal system is more than capable of providing for justice for these defendants.

Many of the yammering critics opposed to the trials exclaim that these men are not defendants but rather “enemy combatants” or they employ some other ill defined term to describe their status. Whatever the case may be, they will be designated as defendants in order to be tried in accordance with applicable judicial procedures. Our Constitution is sufficiently robust to allow these men to be tried in a US Court of law with all the “rights” granted them under our laws. The critics harangue over this concept expressing outrage and dismay that we would grant them any “rights” whatsoever. The fact of the matter is they have been held by the US for years and they must be dealt with legally. Trying them in Federal Court is the most effective means to the ends of conviction and ultimately, execution. There is a wealth of substantive evidence that will assure KSM's conviction without ever having to mention information he may or may not have revealed while reportedly being “water-boarded” while in captivity. The asinine critics who fear what this cowardly thug might do or say in Court are essentially revealing their own cowardice and certainly there own doubts in our Constitutional system, the Federal Court and the cases assembled against these men.

What some of the most ignorant of the blithering critics fail to recognize is that the day the United States took custody of these men, they became our prisoners as well as our responsibility. How they are treated and adjudicated will be watched not only by the terrorists out there but by the entire world. Our reputation was scarred enough under the Cheney / Bush era and having these goons prosecuted in Federal Court, transparently and within the well demarcated borders of our legal structures will be noticed and noted. They were not captured on the “field of battle” and, therefore are not prisoners of war in the conventional sense. We have held them off shore in Guantanamo Naval Base at a prison designed specifically for such captives. Critics act as if the moment these murderous men step foot on US soil, we will all automatically be thrust into an age of jeopardy; that our very existence will be threatened. This is idiotic at best, base fear-mongering at worse.

No matter what these men have done or who they are they are men – not endowed with superhuman powers that will melt prison bars and crumble penitentiary walls. As for the terrorists around the world and possibly here at home who continue in the pursuit to perpetrate mass murder on our soil, yes, they will no doubt issue fatwas and war cries condemning our legal process and the validity of the Court. So be it. We have been under threat since long before 9 11 01 and, since that dreadful day, we have significantly improved our security particularly in New York City.

It is just and fitting that KSM and his co-conspirators stand for the horrific crimes of which they are accused and no doubt guilty in New York City. Having them return to the scene of the crime and appear in Federal Court will diminish them; they are not martyrs. As long as they were held under the auspices of the US military, they could claim they were political prisoners and, if executed by the military, say their lives were sacrificed for their delusional “cause”. We need not make these men martyrs, that would satisfy them and their cohorts worldwide.

Links:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/67907-dems-portray-911-trials-as-nycs-justice

http://themoderatevoice.com/53292/new-yorkers-react-to-the-ksm-terror-trials/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703683804574533622533459520.html?mod=rss_com_mostcommentart

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29661.html

http://www.frumforum.com/terror-trial-a-risk-we-have-to-take

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_Sheikh_Mohammed

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

DEMOCRATS - A MAJORITY IN NAME ONLY

2009-11-06T04:42:00.003-05:00

FUZZY MATH, SCUZZY PEOPLE:
CONGRESS AT WORK

Joe Lieberman, traitorous, spineless, corrupt,
Prima Donna of the Senate

(November 6, Washington, DC) Americans have had the experience of learning a great deal about how our government works (and doesn't work) over the last few months. The “health care reform” debate which has been raging for most of the year reached its moronic, histrionic crescendo during the dog days of August's town hall meetings. Once the GOP misinformation machine got in gear and the special interest money began to flow in earnest, the “debate” such as it was, had forever been altered beyond recognition. The Republican efforts were aided by the hapless, spineless Democrats as well as a White House so enamored with the notion of bipartisanship that they literally sold out.

The summer heat laid bare for all to see the abject dysfunction that plagues the legislative process, the lack of character of our elected officials, the blatant role that corporate and special interest money plays as well as how the idiosyncrasies of the Congress can allow a few to hold the entire legislative process hostage. Indeed; we have learned more about why nothing that would substantively benefit the greater good can ever come out of the Washington DC of today.

We can see the shallow, self centered greed of our politicians; men and women who can never measure up to their predecessors. There was a time when Congress was populated by people of character, courage, a strong sense of duty, conscience and morals. Those people and those days have long since passed. What we have now is a collection of corrupt incumbents determined to remain in office despite all and at any cost. The concept of representing their constituents is as antiquated as are the days of civil discourse. Narrow self interest defines the motivation of virtually every member of Congress.

To say that this Congress is out of synch with the realities of the day would be a gross understatement. Enormous challenges confront us on every front from the economy to the two wars inherited from the Cheney / Bush Administration. One of the most intractable of issues that has variously been ignored and center stage over the last 50 years or so is our health care system's inability to function as it should. Far too many of us are without insurance coverage while those with health insurance are paying far too much for far too little. The system is and has always been tilted towards the insurers who call the shots at every level of the process.

Money drives the system and health care expenditures comprise a huge segment of our economy. The free market has reigned as patients have suffered; the quality of care you may receive will be directly dependent upon what type of coverage you have. Medical decisions are too often dictated by the insurers and, physicians greed, has helped fuel the sky rocketing costs associated with addressing acute and chronic conditions, hospitalization and treatment modalities.

But, we already knew all of this. What we have learned new, is that the insurance companies have bought and paid for a handful of Senators who wield disproportional influence on key Senate Committees simply due to seniority. That these people, some of whom have come to be known as “The Gang of Six”, represent a sliver of the population yet are positioned to shape health care reform in the image most advantageous to them and their corporate benefactors.

Let's call these people out; call them out for the corrupt scumbags that they are. While we're at it, let's not forget to call out the inept White House and our President too weak with majorities in both Houses of Congress the cornerstone of his domestic agenda. What we have sadly learned over these last few months is just how dysfunctional our system has become. This endemic, perpetual dysfunction is the direct result of the quality of those we elect. In a sense, to paraphrase the former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, we have gotten the government we deserve, not the one we wish we had.

We seen bailouts and handouts from Wall Street to Detroit. We've witnessed the collapse of the legislative process, the core element of our Republic, eroded by crass and callous scumbags whose only interests are to remain in office and reap the rewards of their powerful positions. It has been a long time since we have had a truly “representative “ government in Washington; by the people, of the people and for the people.

We've been gang banged by these six bastards:
Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Kent Conrad - North Dakota
Mike Enzi - Wyoming, Olympia Snowe - Maine, Mark Bingaman -
New Mexico and Max Baucus, -North Dakota.

Despite a commanding election victory last November, President Obama's White House has refused to exert their full influence in the health care reform process. It appears the President made a staggering miscalculation when he set his sights on the concept of a truly bipartisan health care reform bill. He invested a great deal of capital and trust into men who were ill equipped to handle such trust responsibly. His miscalculation may cost him politically in ways he did not envision. Although Obama has stated that “if real health care reform makes me a one term President, it will be worth it”, his Administration has demonstrated an odd propensity for appeasement, placating and pacifying the carnival barkers on the Republican side of the debate.

Back in August during the absurd town hall meeting furor, eels like Chuck Grassley were out proclaiming loudly and proudly that Obama's efforts would fail. Crooks like Grassley were also saying that any Bill the size of the one needed to reform the health care industry should have a t least “70 or 80” Senate votes. Where did that come from? When has any legislative measure been expected to garner that sort of majority in the Senate? It was ludicrous on its face when it first starting filtering through the media coverage and became more bizarre as many of Grassley's cohorts echoed his position. Still the White House publicly stated that they were willing to do business with Grassley and the rest of the obstructionists; crooks all bought and paid for by the special interests vested in the preservation of the status quo.

Then, we can look at the likes of the so-called “independent” Senator from the insurance capital of the world, Connecticut, Joe Lieberman. Joe is the among the most cravenly self centered politicians of his or any generation. When Joe saw he was going to have a real re-election challenge in 2004, he simply dropped his Democratic Party affiliation and became an Independent. Since, the Democrats have allowed him to retain the Chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. From this perch he looks after the interests of Israel above all else and the interests of his corporate donors. That this man was the Vice Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in 2000 is almost unbelievable given where he is politically and who he is today. He said recently on Fox News Sunday that he will do everything in his power to block the Democrat's effort towards comprehensive health care reform.

For Joe, it is all about keeping the insurance companies content so they continue to feed his campaign coffers. This is the story for so very many, if not all of the Senators and Representatives serving today. Each time the Congress appears to slam into the basement of dysfunction they manage to find a new and lower low. There is no sign that anything about this inertia and greed will ever change.

Knowing this by now, the President and his Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress should craft and pass their version of health care reform including a strong “public option.” The public option does not represent a “government takeover” of the “entire health care delivery system” as the GOP and their corporate sponsors would have you believe.

Until the President begins to exercise his influence in a meaningful way domestically, he is doomed to fail. If his agendas fails it will be a failure for all of us; a failure we can ill afford to have inflicted on us. A good first step to establishing a tougher stance would be for the Democrats to strip Jew Lieberman of his Chairmanship – send the unambiguous message that such treachery will not be tolerated. The Democratic leadership should muster their caucus to pass the components of Obama's legislative initiatives they can and do so in the form and fashion that will have the broadest benefit to society. Now is the time for some real change and that change should first come in the form of brass balls: the majorities are there, use them and use them forcefully and wisely.

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

POST MENOPAUSAL DIPLOMACY

2009-10-29T11:44:00.002-04:00

FEISTY CLINTON BLASTS PAKISTAN

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Lahore earlier today.

(October 29, Lahore, Pakistan) On a trip meant to improve our relations with Pakistan, our secretary of State, Mrs. Bill Clinton, took the opportunity to lambast the Pakistani government. In her most strident tone Hillary Clinton commented, "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get to them if they really wanted to," she said to a group of Pakistani journalists on her second day here. "Maybe that's the case; maybe they're not gettable. I don't know."

The United States has poured billions of dollars into Pakistan since September 2001 in the form of military and civilian aide. Then President George W. Bush sought the cooperation of then Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf after the Al Qaeda attacks on America on September 11, 2001. General Musharraf had obtained the Presidency after a military coup in 1999. From the outset of our courtship of Pakistan it was widely known within the United States military and intelligence communities that the Pakistani government was rife with corruption and was staffed by many high ranking officials sympathetic to Al Qaeda and the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

The past eight years has seen an uneasy relationship between the U.S. And Pakistan. Over the years there have been numerous occasions where Pakistan has acted in direct opposition to our national security interests in our military efforts in Afghanistan. The Pakistani Intelligence Service (IIS) has repeatedly dropped the ball when tasked by the U.S. To engage Al Qaeda and Taliban elements along the rugged, mountainous border territory that constitutes the ill defined border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The most notable failure of Pakistan as far as the United States is concerned was when they were expected to seal off the border at Tora Bora. Their failure to secure that region allowed Osama Bin Laden and his closest, highest ranking henchmen, as well as Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban to escape. Many in the U.S. Military and intelligence communities believed they escaped with Pakistani culpability if not overt assistance. One high ranking Pentagon official, now retired, speaking anonymously noted, “ The entire situation in Afghanistan would be dramatically different had the Pakistani forces cooperated with us instead of selling out and letting our enemies slip away. Bush should never have outsourced that mission to them and we should have had substantially more troops on the ground at Tora Bora. Unfortunately, Bush and his cronies had shifted their attention and all our military resources to his war of choice in Iraq. The damage done on both fronts was monumental.”

Given the rocky history with Pakistan, President Obama dispatched Secretary of State Clinton to meet with the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, to seek broader cooperation across a full range of issues. Pakistan is home to many important members of both Al Qaeda and the Taliban; this country remains a safe haven for radical Islamic fundamentalists of every stripe.

Clinton visit here was punctuated with several public events that exposed the often divergent interests between the two countries. In one public forum Clinton was challenged to defend the United States use of unmanned aircraft known as drones to seek out, locate, identify and kill members of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. In several recent drone attacks, the Pakistani's contend that many civilians were killed. "We are fighting a war that was imposed on us. It is not our war, it is your war," television journalist Asma Shirazi told Clinton. He continued, "You had a 9-11. We are having daily 9-11s in Pakistan."

Secretary Clinton had several nasty exchanges with government officials and civilians alike during her three days here. At a woman's issue oriented forum she seemed to take pleasure in her verbal assault on Pakistan and its population. She told the audience that “You should all be grateful we haven't bombed your entire pathetic country back into the stone age. Actually, since the majority of this god forsaken nation is presently still in the stone age, it wouldn't take much effort on our part. You should get your act together; get with the program, get educated, sanitized and civilized. Being here reminds me of being in Arkansas in 1982.”

Hillary's visit here got off to a rocky start. On Wednesday, when Clinton arrived, a powerful car bomb in a market in Peshawar killed more than 100 people, mostly women and children, wounding an estimated 200 others. One radical Iman who operates a religious school for young men in Peshawar told Al Jezeera, the Arab language news outlet, “we will continue our fight against the infidels. The United States has murdered Millions of Muslims, supports the Zionist pigs in Israel and continues to oppress our people. They will never know safety until, God willing, we kill them in greater numbers. This Clinton woman who comes here should be stoned to death for her disrespect of our Holy places and religion. God willing, she will die a slow, painful death. Praise Allah.”

One of the most contentious meetings came when Secretary Clinton met with a high ranking Muslim Cleric, Mullah Ali Shali – Wali Bingbang. She challenged Bingbang to “teach your students, your people, the true Koran not the bastardized version that you interpret as giving you license to kill Americans. You are basically an asshole creating another generation of terrorists, suicide bombers and illiterate warriors.” Mullah Bingbang became visibly angered by Clinton's rebuke and threatened to have her beheaded. Her cadre of State Department security officers managed to whisk her away to a safe place.

Links:

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE59R0II20091030

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6896956.ece

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/10/2009102919522938695.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/world/asia/28diplo.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/30/clintons-tough-talk-pakistan-drives-home-message-way-street/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33502831/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved