Two aircraft crashed into the Twin Towers in Manhattan, NY, subsequently sending the towers into collapse, causing the loss of thousands of lives and several more casualties in the wake of the clean up.

At the same time, an aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, causing massive damage to the American military headquarters.

The culprit of the attacks was quickly identified; a terrorist organization, Al-Quaida, headed up by its founder Usama bin Laden. In the wake of the attacks, the US administration vowed to chase this man down, and bring him to justice; in the words of former President Bush: “Dead or Alive”.

10 years later, thousands of lives later, an unwelcome war later, a massive recession later, we seem to have accomplished our goal. …..or have we?

Current President Barack Obama called a late night address to the nation on May 1^st, 2011, announcing that justice had been served. Usama bin Laden was killed in a surgical strike executed by American Special Operations Forces, inside Pakistan. So far, so good; the message has been distributed, most of America is in a state of ecstasy, many feel a sense of closure, and the collective appears to believe that the world had just been made a little piece of heaven.  However, the inquisitive mind wants to look a little closer. (I’m switching the format to a “recap” & “Sniper’s take”.)

Media reports:

Recap:

All major newsoutlets are reporting on the developments involving Al-Quaeda, and Osama bin Laden. While Fox News reported that the deadly attacks were carried out by bombing the compound in question as early as during the last week of April, 2001, CNN and others report that a surgical invasion by a Special Ops team is responsible for the events.

Sniper’s take:

There’s a massive difference between an attack carried out by bombs, and a surgical infiltration team strike. There’s a massive difference in time lines – 7 days, give or take, is a very wide window of opportunity in today’s warfare.

How is it possible that there’s one source of news, the White House, yet news outlets manage to report with vastly different details? There is a strange twist in reporting, and given the magnitude of events, the fundamental differences between reporting agencies is concerning.

Events:

Usama bin Laden had been killed with a clear shot to the head, as a result from a fire fight in a highly secured compound within the city limits of “Abbottabad, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.” (CNN)

Leading up to the invasion of the compound was an 8 month long investigation, focusing on a trusted courier of bin Laden. The whereabouts of bin Laden were assumed based on the presence of the courier and his activities at/within the compound. Ultimately, the evidence was enough for President Obama to give the strike order, and watch the events unfold via live link -  welcome to the world of modern warfare.

Sniper’s Take:

We’ve assumed the whereabouts of bin Laden for a duration of anywhere up to 8months. Then we stealth into a secured compound to engage in a fire fight, and shoot him in the head? The logistics behind this event are worthy of a movie script. Wouldn’t it have been easier to conduct the same type of engagement as recently served to Muammar Gadaffi – a precision aircraft strike, laser guided bombs – voila’, job done?

There are only 2 potential reasons I can envision to conduct a surgical ground strike.

1, not to harm any civilians by possible side effects of aircraft strikes with bombs involved.

However, that hasn’t stopped us in Iraq, or Libya. Why would that stop us in Pakistan? At the same rate, today’s bombs are incredibly well guided and rarely miss their mark. Why are we going to the length of sending in special forces, unless we…

2, aim to capture the man alive. Apparently the live capture hasn’t happened, yet we were in possession of the body, which we then conveniently deposed of. More about this below.

No body, just images:

Recap:

So we killed the man. Yet, we have no body, just photos to prove that our claims are actually accurate, and we cut the head of the snake called “Terrorism” off. The president calls a late address, America is in celebratory mood, fireworks are going off; it should be a national holiday. Why don’t we have a body? Because, we disposed of it, in keeping with the Islamic faith of burying an individual within 24hrs of their death.

Sniper’s take:

To begin with, there’s a little ideological problem with this situation. We may(!) have disposed of the leader of a terrorism organization, but by all accounts, the man wasn’t just a leader, he actually stood for something. To his followers, what bin Laden stood for is larger than life. President Obama considered bin Laden a symbol. The simple truth of the matter is; symbols just don’t die. Men who once stood as symbols historically become martyrs. They are considered as individuals who died for the cause. Just because the common member of American society associates a martyr with politically correct figures, doesn’t mean that the evil martyr doesn’t have validity. Where there is one martyr dying, several others aim to take his place to achieve their personal vision of becoming a martyr, carrying on the agenda, etc. What does the USA have to prove to the ones following Osama bin Laden?  It must be going down similar to this: “Sorry guys, we can’t really show you that he’s dead, unless this picture here will suffice? So, yes, don’t aim to become him, or you’ll be a picture soon, too.” What happened to shock & awe? A simple picture isn’t exactly something of shock value to members of a group who capitalize on mayhem, blood and destruction. To them, we’d have to serve a bit more than that.

I think it’s fair to assume that even the members of a terrorism organization know the term “photoshopped”? Look at today’s glamour magazines, nothing’s real. A skilled photoshop artist can whip up a very convincing image in a matter of minutes. Give them more time, and they’ll serve you with an image that looks like absolute reality. Welcome to the world of attribution errors. What you see, may not be what you believe it should be.

Muslim burial

Recap:

He lost the fire fight, got shot in the head, was pronounced dead and we took possession of the body. Then Osama bin Laden’s body was buried at sea according to Islamic law because no country was willing or able to take his body for burial on land, senior Defense officials said.

“When there is no land alternative, Islamic law dictates that the body be buried within 24 hours, and that was the basis,” one official said.” (CNN)

Sniper’s take:

We had the body, then played nice and gave him a quick burial, according to Islamic law. Why? Because, we didn’t want to upset Muslims?

When we invaded Iraq, which is a whole other story itself, we bombed, shot, found, prosecuted, and publicly hanged Hussein. We set an example. We demonstrated that we mean business, no matter whether the business was right and just, we simply showed off that “here hangs an arch enemy of the United States of America”. However, last I remember, Hussein has not sent his army to attack the USA, at least not on American soil. Yet, the much larger threat to the American way of life, Osama bin Laden gets a quick burial, although in the ocean, in keeping with Islamic tradition? I see a massive disconnect here. Terrorists, who undoubtedly have seen more bloodshed than many of us, are trained to inflict harm, cause mayhem, and destruction, are hardly going to be impressed by the American willingness to observe their customs. They play by different rules, or lack thereof, and if we expect an act of courtesy, just because we buried him within 24 hours, then someone needs to look back through time and realize that they have no mercy for us. Of course, I’m not going to leave you hanging just like that. So, here is…

What should have happened:

Osama bin Laden should have been put on display for all his followers to see. Surely, the easy way out by burying him in the ocean, might attract less retaliation and infuriated terrorists. But, at the same time, it gets the message across that “you could be next”. In reality, there is no winning in this argument, but at the very least, seeing more than just an image, would have also given many individuals a sense of true closure.

What’s next?

No recap on that, just the Sniper’s take:

The United States always had some sort of mortal enemy. The position of arch enemy to the way of freedom and life as we know it, was handed around much like a wandering trophy. The Russians, Hussein, bin Laden, etc.

The simple truth is that America needs an arch enemy to function. It’s the evil impersonation that keeps our patriotism flowing in the “right” direction. We pride ourselves in fighting against an adversary, and believe in our mission to bring our flawed system of democracy around the world. We liberate. At the very same time, the fight against the bad element brings us closer together. We refer to our military as the ones fighting to keep us free, to uphold the American way of life. Yet, we haven’t had to fight ourselves free from oppression on our own soil. While I question the entire idea of “fighting for our freedom”, I credit our administration in keeping the illusion going.

We have just disposed of the primary focal point of American hatred. The question is; Who will be the next individual we focus upon? Bin Laden’s #2? Gaddaffi? Keep our focus on the middle east and identify a new target? It may be a long shot, and a bold statement to make, but we might have needed bin Laden for a little while longer, unless we find a placeholder rather quickly.

The conspiracy theory

What if 9/11 was not quite the way it’s made up to be? What if it is indeed a conspiracy between a number of organizations? What if bin Laden played an integral, invited part in it?

Something along the lines of: The US administers the attacks on their own soil to create a shift in public perception, crash markets, create a sense of fear and urgency within our society. There seems to be a recurrent storyline motivated by financial gains, orchestrated by individuals regulating the financial market. While I’m not entirely in line with Michael Moore, there is some rather thought provoking video evidence of the events of 9/11 available. It all boils down to profiteering by use of the most historic form of revenue generation – war. To effectively orchestrate this, we need an independent villain – bin Laden.

What if bin Laden was just a pawn in a much larger play? What if he outlived his usefulness and has now been removed from our society’s “top of mind awareness”? Would we still have to expect retaliation by Al-Quaeda? Or, was the entire terrorist organization, attacks on 9/11 and the Pentagon, just a made up ploy to provide us with a reason to get into Iraq?

After the attacks, we vow to go after him, side swiping Iraq as we establish our dominance in the mid east. Once we eradicated Hussein, who has undoubtedly been a thorn in our side for decades, we continue to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan, and at a set point, we publish the news of finally having succeeded in our actual mission.

Again, it’s a rather farfetched conspiracy theory,…or…is it?

2011 might be the year where we repeat 1995 – with a sweet little government shutdown. 800.000+ employees of the public sector, not deemed necessary, will be sent home, without pay, and asked not to show up the next day of work. Furloughed is the word of choice here, folks.

However, here’s the cute part. While a vast amount of individuals will go without, or severely delayed pay, yes, including our military forces, the U.S Congress still gets paid.

In short; while everyone else is suffering, the idiots we voted into their positions are still taking home a paycheck. They can’t get their heads together and make sense out of a simple situation. Why? Because, principles are at stake. I have hardly ever heard something as ridiculous as that.

Our powers in charge would rather suspend the operation of an entire nation, just because they can’t come to terms. What is this? The inefficiency or our government is breathtaking. However, I do have a solution to all this mess. Before we get there though, here’s a list of how everything could be effected:

Sources: CNN, White House, Congress, Various federal agencies

At the time of this posting, CNN ran a poll: This is not a scientific poll

The “cool aid” drinking, main stream thinking, critically challenged individual will argue that anything that promotes faith in a higher god, cannot be evil, cause disturbance and promote misery. It’s all under one god and god protects its flock. Time to wake up, o’dear sheep.

While there’s certain relevancy in believing in a higher power, in a creator above all, it’s utter bullshit at the same time. “Blasphemy!” you scream? Sure, in your eyes – but let me explain.

As a formal disclaimer, I’m not just shooting at Islam, I’m equally targeting Christianity and any other form of organized religion. Don’t feel special, just because your denomination has been named in this post.

Hundreds of years ago, starting in the 12th century, Christianity promoted an idea to flush out the evil. Troops, sanctioned by religious leaders went through the lands on their “Holy Inquisition” tour, burning people at the stake. Simple accusations of witchcraft were sufficient to place the burden of proof upon the accused to dispel, pun intended, the accusations and proof that they cannot perform anything “magic”. What should be simple enough, was oftentimes overruled by doubt, red hair, some “heckler” screaming “Witch” and off you went. Heat treatment at the stake, for the entertainment of the audience and a hearty demonstration that the Church rules the lands and no one is to oppose the declared god.

4 time frames are assigned to the evolution of inquisition:

1. the Medieval Inquisition (1184–1230s)
2. the Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834)
3. the Portuguese Inquisition (1536–1821)
4. the Roman Inquisition (1542 – c. 1860 )

The demonstration that the power of the church, an organized religion, reigning death upon the nonconformist lasted for centuries.

Also under the sanction of the christian church, starting in early 1000 BC, crusaders brought war, death and bloodshed to countries around Europe and parts if Asia. Millions of lives lost or converted to a different religion, while being taxed.

Fast forward to the arrival of European Conquistadors in the continental USA – we all know the outcome of that.

On a scale from 1-10 (10 being best), as an organized religion, Christianity fails. Completely. Utterly. It’s bloodshed while carrying the holy cross, and hiding behind a cloak of believing in a higher power.

At the same time, a religion of peace, taught by the Qur’an, regarded as verbal divine guidance and moral direction for mankind, is equally used as a cloak to lash out in violence towards other religions. The common denominator between all reglions – there can only be one (thanks Highlander), is abused and used to cause bloodshed around the world. While Christianity has awoken and realized that crusades and inquisitions wouldn’t be an acceptable mainstream solution in the 21st century, some antiquated, fanatic knuckleheads, following the teachings of  some deranged and delusional religious leaders, offer up their physical existence to cause as much harm as possible to believers of a different god.

I’m not even going down the road of 9/11, as I believe that we all don’t know the half of what’s been going down and that the American Government is feeding us false information as to who was truly involved.

What I’m sniping are the numerous attempts and oftentimes successfully carried out missions in front of embassies, public places of importance and other, non Islamic churches.  The recent bombing in Stockholm and the countless dead christian worshipers in Cairo, Egypt.

Islam, as a religion of peace, has caused equal harm as Christianity did back in the days of the dark ages. The main difference of today – I don’t see a Christian running around with a bomb strapped to their beer gut, blowing himself up in the name of the Lord, hoping to find 72 virgins on the other side of the tunnel. I don’t see any woman or men dug into a pile of rubble, stoned to death, based purely on allegations that were never proven in a court of law. I don’t see a Christian screaming from a tower, singing a hymn, exposing everyone, believer or non believer, to a religion that not everyone may be in favor of.

While many things can be argued about religion – there’s one thing that all religions claim to be about; peace. Yet, no other organized institution has managed to fail its core principals as often and continuous as organized religion has through the centuries of its fabled creation.

Is the Qur’an real? Is Mohammed really the man? Is the Bible real? Is Jesus really the man? Is any religion that finds itself written in a book, delivered by word of mouth for centuries, until someone finally figured out how to print the thing into book form? Remember the game you played as a child? Whispering in your neighbors ear – your initial message gets whispered further on down the line – remember what you got out of the 10th kid that heard your initial message? It wasn’t even close to what it once was. Now extrapolate this situation by hundreds of years and add the flavor of human conditioning to it – everyone adds a little tidbit of “sensational” to make the story sounds more exciting, gripping and wonderful? You might just end up with someone who healed the terminally ill, made wine out of water, parted oceans, etc. Anything super natural that has happened 2000+ years ago, that was unfathomable then, would be unfathomable now. Except, it doesn’t happen nowadays. Why is that? Because mankind has become more inquisitive? Looking for scientific solutions to matters of faith? Where are the “magicians of today”?

In short, the cloak of organized religion to cause bloodshed, cost lives and bring death and destruction upon the ones that believe in someone else, is utter BS. It’s one of mankinds best excuses to go to war, repeatedly; and “get away with it” – because it all happens in the name of someone else who’s a guiding light, hand, incomprehensible being.

Unfortunately, religion is deeply anchored within the roots of mankind. There is no “doing away” with it. As individuals, most are too weak to act self guided and need higher spiritual power to feel accommodated and strong enough to make it through their day.

Am I denying that there is a god, mohammed or another unproven leader? Not at all – but if that’s the case; stand up and show yourself with a clear, concise and actual act that undeniably proves your existence. A tree, flower, sun, universe, etc. is not sufficient proof, unless you show up and start creating in front of our witnessing eyes.

Much like we tell each other:  Shut up, or put up! Half hearted stories in a book, delivered through the ages, isn’t cutting it. Specially not when we continue to use them as excuses to kill each other.

Peace -

Sniper

One can speculate that he didn’t have a chance, that most of his problems were inherited from another presidency that was run by an amateur, or alternatively, that Mr. Obama is just too much of a rookie to navigate the difficult course to run this country.

Be that as it may, the facts that we, the USA, are in worse shape now than when he took over, are irrefutable. It stands to conclude that he won’t be reelected. At least not if the voters of this country have at least a higher level of intellect than a Wendy’s sandwich, or -much like at the last election, they Republicans won’t send another pair of completely inadequate morons to compete.

Let’s have a look and see who could possibly run for President of the United States in 2012.

Barack Obama: I think it’s highly likely that he’ll consider to run again. He’s going to bring forward that he needs more time to make his promises from the first campaign trail true. That the burden he’s inherited was too much to overcome in just 4 years and that his word is as good as it was the first day he ran for election.

Opinion: BS – you had your turn and most everything you’ve tried, at least on the big ticket items, you were stone walled by Congress. It’s quite apparent that there’s a level of animosity between the elderly group of social misfits that sit in Congress and you, Mr. President. Your socially valid concerns and intellectually correct agenda, won’t get you anywhere fast.

Not to wash old, dirty laundry, but I distinctly remember the promise to withdraw our troops from the mid-east, yet there’s no end in sight and our numbers were actually increased. This has somewhat gone backwards, hasn’t it?

Conclusion: Barack Obama – No.

Sarah Palin: This should really be more of an unreasonable joke than a serious bid for presidency of the United States. I couldn’t fathom that she’d actually consider running as primary candidate for the position.

There’s not an ounce of positive that this woman has brought to the table. Meanwhile a reality TV performer (not a star), her skewed views and statements are beyond ridiculing to even the lowest amount of intellect.

Not to mention her children – although they wouldn’t run for office, they’re still part of her overall image and therefore would “rub off” on how the world views the U.S. That in itself is a no-go.

Just overall, I can’t help but sense “trailer trash” when I look and listen to them.

Conclusion: Sarah Palin – Hell No!

Jeb Bush: Florida in “da house”! Is America ready for another Bush? Not just that his predecessors have royally screwed us over, if Jeb were to run and actually gets the position, we could expect more of the same. A little more war mongering, inadequate statements, agendas of self interest and Bush philosophy, which undoubtedly has damaged this country more than we can repair within another decade.

Conclusion: Jeb Bush – sorry bud, your relatives killed your chances on that one.

Donald Trump: Here’s one that actually rivals the lighthearted, laughable character of Sarah Palin. Real Estate Tycoon, Reality Show host and the star of multiple runs through bankruptcy court would want to run this country.

Here’s one to an overly inflated ego! Cheers, Donald!

Interestingly enough, he’s actually considering the bid, citing that he’s “sick of the world looking at the USA in disrespect, as a reality tv infested nation.”

Is it just me or is there a little element of contradiction in his reasoning?! What could this caricature of an individual really bring to the table for our country? His continued bitching about having lost the bid for the Olympic games and other small items are hopefully not the staples of his approach. If so, he’s even less than a poor excuse of an overly inflated, self centered ego, who has no business in world politics. Stick with what you know, Donald – and keep the rest of us light-heartedly entertained. It’s what you’re best at. Leave the rest to the pros.

Conclusion: Donald Trump: You’re Fired! (before you started)

The list of speculation candidates is long and colorful: Interesting candidates are in Green | Strange in Orange | No! in Red | No opinion in Black

* Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona – we are overly policed as it is. Do we need another “Sheriff in town”?
* Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi
* Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts
* Former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida – 2 Bush interventions have been enough. We cannot handle a 3rd with the same ideas.
* Businessman and radio talk show host Herman Cain of Georgia – An entertainer? Yes! Good idea. Make the world scratch their head over a candidate with zero experience on the world stage. Surely a great way to set the course for the future.
* Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey
* Senator John Cornyn of Texas
* Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana
* Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina
* Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich of Georgia – Seriously? No…that’s a joke, right?
* Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York – just because he got major press during 9/11, doesn’t make him fit to run the country. Frankly, in the aftermath of 9/11, after everything was said and done, he’s been less of a joy to witness.
* Former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas – Interesting choice. I’d be interested to hear a plan.
* Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana
* Former Governor Gary E. Johnson of New Mexico
* Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia
* Former Governor and  vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin of Alaska – A dream come true for … the opposing candidate. A surefire way to win the election. The Alaskan imbecile and her distorted views would cause a lot more harm on the world stage than she could ever do good for this ridden nation of ours.
* Former Governor George Pataki of New York
* Representative Ron Paul of Texas – Interesting choice yet again. The man is definitely persistent. I’d like to see what he’s got up his sleeve this time ’round.
* Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota
* Representative Mike Pence of Indiana
* Governor Rick Perry of Texas
* General David Petraeus of New York – A military vet as President. I’m not sure what the implications of that would be. But, since he’s military and understands how to wage a war. Since this is all we’re doing of late, it may stand to reason that he’s a good choice – if this is the voters ideal choice for the next 4 years. Otherwise, I’d like to hear his plans.
* Former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts – Also an interesting candidate. Let’s hear some plans…
* Senator-Elect Marco Rubio of Florida
* Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin
* Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania
* Senator John Thune of South Dakota
* Businessman Donald Trump of New York - see above.

All in all, whether the candidate is Blue or Red, doesn’t make much of a difference. The political stage is one of concessions. Promises made to self interests group who have the funding to support an efficient campaign. The ones who make the most concessions, get the most funding. The ones with the most funding, and subsequently best marketing, have the best chance of succeeding in their presidential bid. Logically, once attained, it’s time to pay up. In reality, other than a REAL business tycoon (NOT TRUMP), who’s truly independent and couldn’t give a rats ass about self interest groups, being elected for President, not much is going to change.

The ones with money dictate the direction, the ones without money are being coerced into a vote that’s been skewed from the get-go.

Welcome to America!

Sniper

1; 9/11 – Who was behind the attacks of 9/11. Is the enemy among us, or truly a foreign terrorism organization? Is it a blend of both? Any documentation of state departments, presidential, vice-presidential, etc. Anything that sheds light on the mechanics of how 9/11 was conducted, administered and carried out. If the enemy is among us, we deserve to know. Otherwise the disastrous course of the USA is going to continue.

2; Wall Street – Complete disclosure of the inner mechanics of the financial epicenter of the world. Who’s turning the wheels? What and how much is changing hands in the (planned) demise of the USA? Who’s profiteering? Why aren’t the ones responsible for our economic meltdown behind bars?

3; The Federal Reserve – What’s the agenda? The memos, conversations and plans are guarded secrets and inevitably contribute to the economical destruction of financial systems.

4; US Government War List – Much like a check list, is there a war list that our administration is following? Maybe in no specific order, but which countries are on the list of inevitable targets? Memos of war fare.

5; Bilderberg Group – Topics, memos, decision making process, implementation. Who’s truly inside the circle of trust, who’s pushing the buttons and who decided on what?

6; FEMA – The catastrophic intervention during and after Hurrican Katrina. President Bush’ involvement (or lack thereof).

7; Global Warming – What’s being hidden, is there a skewed agenda and falsified documentation? (This could swing either way, but at least we’d finally have the truth on the table)

8; Assassination of JFK – Was is truly an arrangement by one or more men to assassinate the president, or did the conspiracy reach deeper levels?

9; Area 51 – What’s in it? what’s being produced or guarded there?

9a; Extraterrestrial Life Forms – UFOs – Do we have proof, or are we in possession of any non-man made device or organism? What is it? Where is it held? What’s the current state of examination.

10; NASA Technology – Secret space missions? Where are we truly at in the current state of exploration?

11; Patriot Act – How is it enforced? What’s really done with it?

12; Satellite Coverage – What’s orbiting us? What’s really up there? An itemized list with purpose of each satellite and who’s responsible for it.

A few of these items, such as #8 & #12, are probably nothing more than stocking stuffers and wouldn’t contribute much to the current state of affairs. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to know what type of character profiles we’re dealing with, inside our (self) glorified administration.

You’re welcome to add your (meaningful) “request” to this WikiLeaks wish list. Is Elvis still alive is not a meaningful request.

Sniper

In his blog he wrote, “the more secretive or unjust an organization is, the more leaks induce fear and paranoia in its leadership and planning coterie. … Since unjust systems, by their nature induce opponents, and in many places barely have the upper hand, mass leaking leaves them exquisitely vulnerable to those who seek to replace them with more open forms of governance.”

Granted, the guy is obviously on a mission. The mission is quite blatantly, to free common society from the predigested bullshit that our administration, government as well as corporate, are dishing out on daily bases.

The days where thought processes were left to the individual, to form an educated opinion, have long been skewed by self interest agendas, and “secret” roadmaps to keep us, the general public, in the dark as much as possible.

Now, the question is; Why would our administration modify, edit, and lie to us?

The answer is actually quite simple: It’s easier. It makes their agendas a much more feasible goal, without public resistance.

On 28 November 2010, WikiLeaks began releasing more than 251,000 American diplomatic cables, mostly unclassified but including many labelled “classified” or “secret”.

The United States launched a criminal investigation related to the leak of US government information by Assange and WikiLeaks on 29 November. Prosecutors are looking at charges of espionage.

Interestingly enough, WikiLeaks is nothing but a conduit to release documents, the actual violation of law would have to be conducted by someone with actual access to the documents. Most likely, this/these individual(s) are sitting with the ranks of military or the diplomatic offices, with sufficient access to privileged information.

It is not clear how WikiLeaks obtained the diplomatic documents, but the U.S. government’s prime suspect is an Army private, Bradley Manning, who is in custody on charges of leaking other classified documents to WikiLeaks.

Meaning, the US government is holding a soldier with the rank of PRIVATE in custody for investigation? Seriously? If a Private has access to the amount of documents that have been released by WikiLeaks, then the entire military needs a drastic reform and review of their internal mechanics. Unless of course, the Private is being held as a possible scape goat and the actual investigation is one of the nature of “how to best pin charges” on the guy.

In the meantime, the call is for Julian Assange to be arrested on charges of sexual misconduct, in the country of Sweden. Supposedly, he raped one Swedish woman and molested at least one other.

Frankly, I find the circumstances quite intriguing. It’s tit for tat warfare now. I’m quite certain that the charges are fabricated, and nothing but a smear campaign. But, let’s assume for a moment that they charges are actually accurate. Then we’ll have an issue:

An encrypted cache of uncensored documents that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has circulated across the Internet may ensure that a huge array of secrets will be revealed even if the website is shut down or Assange is arrested.

Tens of thousands of supporters have downloaded the “insurance” file, which has been available since July, and it includes files on BP and Guantanamo Bay, The Sunday Times reported.

Assange has warned that efforts to curtail his activities could trigger a deluge of national and commercial secrets.

“If something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically,” he said in a live chat with readers of the Guardian newspaper this week.”

Obviously, what I’m wondering about is quit simple: Let’s dissect:

The Good:

WikiLeaks brings some balance to highly secretive, mainstream manipulating, corrupt, self interest satisfying administrations – government and corporate alike. It’s indeed good to have an organization that reveals the inner mechanics of how things are being skewed, falsified, edited and artificially generated, just to keep the flow of money alive. How else could we continue to wage a war that is destroying the USA, as we fight an unjust war abroad.

The recent publishing of diplomatic cables is actually quite entertaining. High ranking individuals are described in layman’s terms: Uncreative, unflexible, weak, rigid, muppet, etc.  Not exactly the type of lingo one would expect from government officials, assigned to represent the USA in a foreign country.

The war in Afghanistan and Iraq: Several respondents on websites keep calling for the assassination of Assange. They claim that he’s endangering our soldiers lives by publishing documents about the current state of war.

Frankly; WikiLeaks is not endangering any more lives than the current war endangers already. What are the Taliban going to do? Conjure more fighters, more weaponry, more roadside suicide bombers, because the just read the recently published documents and feel that the jihad is even more just now? Give me a break. They’ve already thrown everything at us that they have, and they will continue to do so. WikiLeaks or not, WE are their enemy, not a website. People who accuse WikiLeaks of additional killings, by fueling hate against the US & allied forces, need to rethink how many years we’ve been over there now, how many years we’ve committed to this war and how many lives already been lost prior to publishing of the documents.

Furthermore; governments are being put in place by the ones who can afford to contribute to the campaign funds. The ones who make the most concessions during election period, are the ones attracting the most funding. The ones with the biggest funded accounts are capable of booking better marketing campaigns and  subsequently, more air time. Unfortunately, the masses are influenced by psychologically thought out advertising. Industrial and behavioral psychology at its best, is at work when you watch campaign commercials. The more they can get across, the more they’ll get into your mind and American mainstream votes accordingly. (Side note: If anyone really thinks that McCain and Palin were valid contenders to a well spoken, well funded African American – please think again. That election was as rigged as psychologically, humanly possible The American Advertising Industry gives out an annual award for best advertising: In 2008 the “Obama Campaign” was the recipient)

What’s good about WikiLeaks challenging our government by revealing their own documents? They’re unmasked. Raw. True. Without agenda, and without a secondary thought of satisfying a self interest group.

The Bad:

The bad is inherently about how Julian Assange and his team of WikiLeaks admins are going to use their newly found power. It’s going to be near impossible to bring the guy down, whether justified or not, when you consider the following: “An encrypted cache of uncensored documents that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has circulated across the Internet may ensure that a huge array of secrets will be revealed even if the website is shut down or Assange is arrested.

Tens of thousands of supporters have downloaded the “insurance” file, which has been available since July, and it includes files on BP and Guantanamo Bay, The Sunday Times reported.

Assange has warned that efforts to curtail his activities could trigger a deluge of national and commercial secrets. If something happens to us, the key parts will be released automatically,” he said in a live chat with readers of the Guardian newspaper this week.”

The key element in the above statement is: “Arrested”. Let’s assume that they charges that Sweden has brought forward are legit. The he’d deserve prosecution to the full extent of the (Swedish) law. Unfortunately, Assange holds an incredible “get out of jail free” card in his hands. Who really knows what’s included in the encrypted documents that are circulating? Rumor is that even specialists couldn’t break the encryption. All the more, the rumor is reinforced by Assange’s reputation of being a former hacker himself.

The ethical challenge is two fold. One, WikiLeaks is taking governments and corporations into their cross-hairs, sniping them where they should be sniped. At the same time, the looming sword of unknown documents above their heads provides a never before seen level of power for Assange.

I suppose the jury is out on the voting, as it solely depends on how Assange would use his trump card in the event of getting arrested and/or prosecuted. Will he make his “get out of jail card” a personal one, or would he only use it if threatened, attempted to get assassinated by a foreign force? It’s an ethical question, that remains to be answered.

The Ugly:

The most challenging question of all is: When and where will it stop. When is enough, truly enough? Is there truly a limit to revelations? And lastly, should there be a limit to revelations.

If we, the common people, are being lied to by the ones we voted into office, is it truly for the greater good, because we are not capable of independent thought? Or is this very independent thought one that must be contained and managed at all cost? Is our administration, once voted into office(s) superior and has, practically overnight, assumed a higher power that permits them to suppress, falsify and edit truths, just to keep us “in a perfect world”? Lest we know, the world we’re living in is far from perfect…

The ugly is two fold: It’s a tug of war and there’s really no winner at present times: We’ve already been lied to and the presence of WikiLeaks just continues to undermine the authenticity of governments and corporate leadership.

On the flip side; the revelation of decades of lies, shows us what and who we’re dealing with and reminds us that our constitutional amendments are continuously being ridiculed. We have long been robbed of the authenticity of critical thought and suppressed into conformism. The way the system works is based on mainstream, reality shows and mental wasteland.

So the question remains unanswered: What’s truly more ugly? The wake up call, or the continued lies of the ones we voted into power.While one part of the country may decide to live in perpetual, artificially created perfect world scenarios, the other half may decide to return to the truth, nothing but the TRUTH, so help me God.

Let me end this snipe with the following, America:

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, but an instrument for the people to restrain the government” – Patrick Henry

Sniper

The issue is quite simply that in our overly correct world, the ones that assert themselves most viciously generate results, creating an effective imbalance with the ones who’s agenda is nothing else but to please the complainant.

Point in case; the defendants neighbors, continuously broadcast their prayer ritual via speakers into the neighborhood, by means of amplifiers, and other powered equipment. Amplified and artificially powered prayers vs human voice? I’m having a hard time imagining that the defendant was heard much over the sound of his lawn mower and even if, it’s virtually impossible that he’d have been louder than the Muslims speakers.

One could argue that the Styrian retaliated against their public broadcast. Yet, even if that was the case, wouldn’t that level the issue as opposed to sentencing the man who exercises his right to sing, during daytime hours, in the traditionally renowned way of jodeling?!
I’m not sure where this world is coming to, but if the creation of imbalance continues, just to humor, entertain, please and kiss ass to individuals whom are way outside their rights to even begin a complaint, but should rather be thankful to reside in a country that permits their residency, then we might as well reduce ourselves to servants. Servants to the ones whom are relentlessly enforcing their rights and where they have no rights they assert themselves long enough to create law in their favor.

Political correctness has become a term that is most commonly used against the ones who created a regulated society based on respect and equal rights.

These very rights have long become unequal, and daily demands to create even more imbalance are being honored, while they should be rejected and the complainant be brought to the court of public opinion.

Sniper

The length that some (most?) are going to, just to safe a few dollars, starts in the parking lot. Rather than walking at the outskirts of the parking structures, people get combative about the closest spot to the entrance. Regardless of common courtesy, drivers block entire access roads, just because someone appears to be walking up to their vehicle to pull out. To efficiently secure their upcoming parking spot, drivers oftentimes come to a stop in a sideways position, just so no one else can get their desired, and close parking spot. All the while, the socially inept douche causes a pile up of cars, since the car immediately following behind them, gets boxed in by someone else.

Logically, this quickly causes a mini traffic jam, just so one person can conveniently roll their obese ass into a store to purchase something that most likely don’t need.

The low hanging fruit of capitalism, corporate greed and motivational enticement casts an interest paradox onto the American public.

Toys ‘R’ Us opened at 10pm on Thursday evening, Walmart at midnight, countless other stores opened at 3am. For the common individual, getting up at these times of night is unthinkable. So what is it that motivates individuals to submit to the calling of merchants? Their desires are kindled. The fruit hangs low, savings are attainable and perceptively, we get what we want.

Yet, the stark contrast to all this is; America is predominantly overweight. To the point where morbidly obese has become a mainstream term. It’s intellectually ridiculing that individuals are heeding the call for savings and fall into the trap of Black Fridays and even Blacker Thursdays – all the while, their physical well being remains an untouchable dream.

We glance at cheerleaders, Hollywood superstars of the likes of Hugh Jackman, and wish we could look like them. Ripped, in shape and eternally good looking. It strikes me as interesting that America has enough motivation to go shopping, but not to get in shape.

So, let me ask you America; what’s more important to you; the savings you attain by beating the masses to the checkout line, or your physical and mental fitness going into your next decades?

I’m guessing the answer is obvious, then again, when I look at what’s going on at the local shopping malls and large retailers, I’m beginning to wonder just how screwed up our priorities are.

So, here’s a Happy Thanksgiving to you, fatsos.

Sniper.

Granted, risking ones live is never an easy thing to do. It is even more difficult to comprehend for the ones never having held a gun in their hands, while in uniform. Then again, as a member of the military, it’s called “occupational hazard”. As far as I remember there’s something called (rough interpretation) “combat pay” – an addition to the basic paycheck, when in active combat. Surely, I thank you as well, for having made a career choice that any member of the armed forces has been made aware of, could cost your life. But, there’s a fine line as to when the thanks that everyone is uttering, becomes gratitude without substance. If this country truly wanted to thank its soldiers, it would have to go far beyond just saying “thanks”.

Fighting a senseless war is definitely not very high on anyone’s list of favorite things to do. The so called freedom that comes at a price needs by far more protection from forces inside our own country, than it needs to be fought for in Iran or Afghanistan. We certainly have yet to capture Osama, yet we found Hussein reasonably quick. I’m seeing a bit of a disconnect here. In the meantime, the true enemy -  “political correctness” is slowly and without bloodshed, taking over inside our nation. It’s yet again, a classic case of looking in the other direction when things go sour at home.

Are we really free and independent because of our military? Sure, it helps to have armed forces, but they surely don’t help much being dispatched to other countries, mostly fighting somewhat organized military forces. The true terrorists are not wearing a uniform. They’re mostly not engaging in an all out open war with our soldiers. They’re silently plotting their next move. It’s going beyond acts of violence, bombing and crashing aircraft into towers. It’s political warfare, economical and financial warfare, elements where the common military is useless.

Coming back to the value of a life; an active duty soldier risks his/her life in the line of duty, and we thank them for it. We thank police and firefighters. Where’s the “Fisherman Day”, or the “Logger Day”, or any other day that celebrates the lives of other professionals who put their lives on the daily line to provide food, raw materials, etc. to you? Nowhere. There’s no public gratitude for the ones that are behind the scenes. If the Discovery Channel hadn’t dug out the crab fishermen in Alaska, dubbed them “Deadliest Catch”, none of us would know about their contribution, or even mildly consider them. Same goes for the loggers.

Today people thank veterans for that we are free. Today, the Sniper thanks everyone in the line of public and private service. Providing for our country. Whether this be in the form of military contribution or by putting food on our tables, timber for our homes, mining for our raw materials, etc. I thank you not because you’ve chosen a profession that could cost your life, as you knew well what’s in store for you before you entered your profession, but because you walk a path less traveled and do what you believe in, which is something we surely can’t say for the majority of this so called “great nation” of ours.

Life long and…safe.

Sniper

Little things like; public retirement plans, public health care, oh yeah, participation in a senseless war, and countless other subsidies are by far outweighing the tax revenue income.

Since the British Government owns a healthy amount of natural reserves, their solution is as follows: Britain’s Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman will unveil the plans to dispose about 50 percent of the 748,000 hectares (1.85 million acres). Source: msnbc.com The sell off will go to the highest bidder, providing harvesting rights and eventually the opportunity to create resorts, golf clubs, recreational environments, etc.

“We are looking to energize our forests by bringing in fresh ideas and investment, and by putting conservation in the hands of local communities,” - source close to the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Laws overseeing ancient forests, such as the Forest of Dean and Sherwood Forest, are most likely to be changed to allow companies to cut down trees, according to the Telegraph.

I’m guessing that Robin Hood would throw a bit of a tamper tantrum upon these news. Not just that the forests are ancient, quite literally, so is the law covering them. The Magna Carta, stemming from 1215 and King John, also included the dealing with forests.

The true issues are not ones of political nature, though. The issue is that a long term action of destruction is supposed to cure a temporary illness. Economy usually goes in swings. There are ups and downs and while many systems of public support need a 21st century revision, the eternal destruction of forest is not going to solve the problem, but only creates new, time delayed ones.

Some may say that we negatively impact the environment for our future generations to play in, grow up with and experience. While this is certainly true, the bigger issue is actually of global concern.

• A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 48 lbs./year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings.
• On average, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year. Two mature trees can provide enough oxygen for a family of four.
• Mean net annual oxygen production (after accounting for decomposition) per hectare of trees (100% tree canopy) offsets oxygen consumption of 19 people per year.

Although the bottom line may be a bit dramatized based on pure math, but how many people would the British government actually choke to death by providing harvesting rights to oxygen producing plants?

While our population grows similar to bunny rabbits – sure, the production is fun, the rest,…not so much, we continuously manage to cut ourselves where it will hurt the  most. Taking our own vital resources has inevitable repercussions.

Land and soil erosion, changes in climate, the above mentioned oxygen production, changes in weather, etc. So far, the reflection is really only cast upon the harvesting of wood. What happens when the mining starts? When strip mining for minerals becomes the next step? Parts of the otherwise very scenic U.K may become a barren wasteland, fit for sci-fi movies. Maybe Hollywood can fill some of the economic void then?

What’s being proposed is an agenda that would promote long term damage to fix an economic problem that’s cyclic.

While Britain will cut half a million jobs, sharply reduce welfare payments and raise the retirement age as part of an unprecedented plan that will test the strength of both the economy and the government, other agendas must be stopped in their entirety.

The problematic is that it’s relatively simple to sound off from across the pond. What I’m wondering about is what the general (British) public thinks about this? What’s the price of YOUR nature, Britain?

Sniper