heavy runner
**I for one, am brave enough to take our chances with Mexico and Canada, we just need a small deterrent on the scale of China or Pakistan**

but why do u need a deterence [sic] for china, when was the last time china threaten you ??

namaste
**“we’ll cover the world with our WARs”

Which is pretty much what the WOT is about for the next 100 yr ( or so ? ) **

terror is passe' ,
to sustain the 100 yrs war, wot now means "war on tyranny" [sic]
http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/ENG502A.html

One more comment. In all of our recorded history of the world, which includes all nations, countries, past and present, there has never been peace. It's in our nature, also animals nature to fight to survive. So all of you good peace seekers, I know you mean well but it's not going to happen. Good luck with that!

The use of U.S. Military force in every action listed in this article was for a reason: example - [1980 Iran. Operation Desert One, 8 U.S. troops die in rescue effort.] The Iran idiots stormed the U.S. Embassy and kidnapped our people. Yeah, we tried to do something about it but our lame President Carter couldn't get it right and would not let the military do it's job as trained! I was involved it that fiasco. If you people who are so down on the U.S. Government and it's military, are so upset and do nothing but talk, then I suggest a few things: (1) Vote for change of the people in charge or in other words, Lead, Follow, or get out of the way. (2) Move - to some other country that supports your views of no military or police. I can't list any because I don't know of any in the world. (3) Instead of bad-mouthing the United States, look past the negatives and see all the United States has done to make this world a better place. If not for the U.S. Hitler's Germany and Japan would be splitting the world's plunder, at whatever cost in humane lives. Most of you would be exterminated for making the comments in this article against the "state". I put 30 years in the U.S. Military in three wars. There were good and bad times. But after seeing the living conditions in other countries and how their government treats their "subjects" , I'll take the United States of American any day! Why the hell do you think so many people are comming to this country across the borders at risk of life and limb? If you can't think of an answer, then you don't belong here.

Even people who go to the cemetery on Memorial Day, decent as they are, may still be pro-war twits, falling into the pro-war trap.

They could go both the day before and the day after, thus achieving twice as much time at the cemetery.

I am asking a lot, I know, that even people whose grief is immediate wake up and see how they are being used.

Yes, I did insult you. I'll take it back and apologize profusely if you will join me in a new movement to abolish Memorial Day altogether.

kent shaw, you pointed that militaristic government leaders think of us all as well, the dimmest numbskulls to grace the planet. but it's only because they want us to be!
i got to meet a very influential man, who is a mennonite christian and pacifist, at a peace rally in indianapolis. he is a member of christian peacekeeper teams and has spent time in iraq and palestine living with the common people there and struggling with them as a civilian on the receiving end of his home country's bullets.
later he came to speak in bloomington, indiana about the peace and justice movement and said to us: "the peace and justice movement is alive and is powerful among the people in america and across the world; the world's leaders know this, and fear it, and that is why it never makes the news."
the government knows that the majority of us, as individuals, would rather make peaceful decisions than militaristic ones on a day-to-day agenda; after all when the majority (still speculative to this day) of Americans voted for G. W. Bush in 2000, that majority was not voting for "let's wage a war"... but look, that is just what happened and maybe one of the only major contributions that the current president made while in office. (Most Americans voted for him because in his initial campaign, he supported tax cuts.) Yes, as individuals, we can think...but because the masses are asses, let's saturate their TV screens and favorite webpages with pro-military propaganda and they'll be asses forever because we say they are! Right?
Well to me it says it's time to turn a blind eye what you knew from the start was a scam; if there's no one who you want to stand behind, then don't vote! Or vote for the one who everyone says "isn't going to win because no one will vote for him/her". break the machine by beating it at it's own game if you must, but give no one a reason to think of you as dumb. even if it means they must think of you as an enemy.

quosque, have you heard of iraq veterans against war? their website is www.ivaw.com and I was able to talk to some of the members at hear them speak at the same rally in indy, and their stories are ended the same way, but started for different reasons. some went because they felt that it would be a good thing to do for the people they loved in the US, others felt it was the best choice because they couldn't pay for education, some elt that it was the only hopeful future, period. i've never seen anyone brave enough to stand up and call for peace and know in their hearts that they have killed. i can't even imagine what it is like to be that person but i have to say, they are the ones who will stop this cycle for now if we only hear what they have to say. I agree with you, they have been hurt twice as much by the leaders and it is no one's place to refer to them in such a way as some do.

Its a shame you couldn't take a trip through the Arizona Valley.

While the focus of most of the Memorial Day activities will be on U.S. military dead ...

I noticed that quite a bit of MSM coverage was on veterans (i.e. the troops) still living, possibly another attempt to divert attention from the actual war dead (and the Congressionally mandated prayer for peace).

Don't worry folks, America is just like a big exuberant adolescent having some innocent fun, flexing his muscles for the girls. But there is trouble brewing. Dad has stopped his allowance, he can't use the car anymore, and mom is out looking for a job and can't find one. Dad lost his quite a while ago. Junior isn't impressing the girls and can't read very well either so he joined the military. Now he's driving around in an armored coffin or driving in a weapons convoy. The American Dream is about to end. Let's all give thanks for that.

Hey there, quousque May 26th, 2008 8:56 pm

Just so you know what your "leaders" think of you. Kissinger and others like him hold and influence great power and they regard you and the rest of us with great disdain. Whether or not YOU are a dumb, stupid animal I cannot say because I've never met you. But Henry Kissinger is convinced of it. And so are the rest of our "rulers".

-- Kent Shaw

Henry Kissinger's Greatest Hits

"Military men are dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns for foreign policy."

"Intelligence is not all that important in the exercise of power, and is often, in point of fact, useless.

"It is an act of insanity and national humiliation to have a law prohibiting the President from ordering assassination." Statement at a National Security Council meeting in 1975.

"I can think of no faster way to unite the American people behind George W. Bush than a terrorist attack on an American target overseas. And I believe George W. Bush will quickly unite the American people through his foreign policy." Statement from 2000.

"Depopulation should be the highest priority of foreign policy towards the third world, because the US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries."

"Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will pledge with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will willingly be relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by their world government. " -- In an address to the Bilderberger organization meeting at Evian, France, on May 21, 1991. As transcribed from a tape recording made by one of the Swiss delegates.

It really is a good time for those who can afford to do so to get out of the United States. I'm borderline financially able to do so, but don't know if I have the guts to really do it. It would be a shame to abandon everyone else, but rats leave sinking ships if they can, and I'm no better than the common rat.

"Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance"

If you were in Cuba, do you think you would be permitted to vocalize your opinions?"

Depends on the opinion. I mean, let's face it, most Cubans generally are not rude - unlike most Americans i have met.

Of course, in the USA one is also unable to vocalize ALL of his opinions.

America, exporter of misery and death.

Veteran '66-68

quousque May 26th, 2008 8:56 pm

Thanks!

What a shame that there are so many people that confuse anti-war with anti-military, that confuse the decisions of Cheney and his boys with our soldiers and Marines.

Insults fly liberally, but I note that they indeed always seem to come from those that have never seen a fighting hole.

Frankly if someone isn't happy here they should move. Not the "love it or leave it" suggestion. But I firmly believe you should always do what makes you happy if you have the choice.

And please don't call me a pro-war twit because I went to the cemetary yesterday to see two of my high school friends who weren't as lucky as I was. I went to honor and remember them because they never got a choice. Do as you please, but there have been enough insults. Its not a nice thing to do.

^^^^ The way things are going, that "live off the land" training might come in handy when they get back home as well.

The US military should be trained to live off the land like the hordes of Geghis Khan (neo Khans). The Army should sieze and operate the oil fields of the Middle East to finance the further conquest/occupation of the area. Then the whiners complaining about "hard-earned taxpayers money" suppoting war can shut up.

Hey thanks, but no thanks Bill Quigley, for writing this piece of fuggin tripe so sloppily researched!

Instead of striving for the truth you chose to describe those 230+ military ventures abroad in euphemistic terms instead of what they actually were: an american military which was really mercenary to the core!

One such euphemism used repeatedly was the term "advisor"
These so-called "advisors" were really CIA (Capitalism's Invisible Army) and DoD SPOOKS who illegally operated inside a designated "enemy's" territory, to train and equip the locals as part of multi-prong offensives to initiate guerrila warfare against their respective imperialist leaders (who had previously been installed by US but now defied their US paymasters ex: Manuel Noriega) in order to place a new, more amenable sockpuppet in power; one who would carry out Washingtoon's wishes and only purchase OUR products (Pepsico, Coca-Cola, McDonnel-Douglas, Boeing, et al).

Some of those actions you described I found LMAO funny, suhc as with the following:
2005 Haiti, US troops land in Haiti AFTER elected president forced to leave HUH???? Those US troops landed in Haiti BEFORE their democratically elected president was removed forcibly removed from office by those same troops, kidnapped and spirited out of his country and placed in Africa under house arrest and blocked from ever returning to Haiti...you left out a lot aof details Mr Storyteller!

Continually Amused, I used the word 'most' because WW2 seemed to be not of America's choosing. I mean it took it a long time to become involved, didn't it?

However, the next war it starts (Iran) will be the one that will bring it undone. This assumes, of course, it doesn't clear the surface of Iran of all signs of human habitation using nukes which would leave all that beautiful oil under the ground just waiting for its oil companies.

Dig the bomb shelter I reckon. About two miles deep!

There's only one reason the U.S. spends so much money on the military-industrial complex. It wants to dominate the world and steal valuable resources, e.g. oil, from weaker countries.

No country is insane enough to attack the world's superpower with all of the nukes and weapons of mass destruction it has, so the bloated military budget is unnecessary. Only war profiteers believe it is necessary.

Give him a chance. After what we've had,
he seems the least corrosive of the choices. Besides which, he can think and speak. If he is elected, all the hyper-critics will disappear for a short while in the first year. People will realize
finally that he was pretty smart the whole
time.

This is a benign scenario I've come up with
and I certainly don't have the power of prophecy. But if you were working for a company and you had somebody at the top that quiet and reasonable and thoughtful, you'd be grateful, I think.

Private corporations, big government-- exactly the same thing, of course.

Hey all you Obama fans, explain this:
How come Obama hasn't once---not one time---criticized this outrageous U.S. history and current stance? I thought he was for change.

In fact, the guy who did criticize all this U.S. criminality, Rev. Wright, was condemned by Obama.

The new boss is the same as the old boss.

Oh, I'm glad that, by a fluke, I came back and found an actual response. But continually amused, you don't sound continually amused. No, my cool Cuban musician friends-- especially the vibraphonist, Roberto-- wouldn't mind the above opinion. Neither would Raoul. Now he might not like something else I might say, but I haven't said it yet, and I hope not to give him the chance to imprison me.
As for imprisonment here, I figure it's been sheer luck so far, certainly not the enlightenment of our leaders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It doesn't work to tell the pro-war twits that Memorial Day is about peace.

They just go by the surface of things, the "Memorial" in Memorial Day.

And it never would occur to them that if they weren't so eager to wage war (and talk it up and play taps, their eyes all teary, and all the other garbage they can think of to "honor our boys"), there would be fewer people to memorialize.

Nor are they capable of understanding the basic truth that they are murderers.

Let's try NOT honoring our boys for a while, every one of which started out as a neo-conservative. Let's teach them instead that being a neo-conservative is vile and disgusting.

Let's not stop their free speech, but try to extinguish their anti-life inclination
in the psychological version of that term.

I wish everybody would read or re-read The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. There are so many ways that a goose like Bush can get away with glorifying war, even with the vast majority of the country understanding perfectly well what a complete goose he is.

We're told our boys are protecting our way of life. Bullshit. They're screwing us out of it in every way they can.

A few reform, become Winter Soldiers. Those are the only ones we should support.

Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Heard it? Yes. Believe it? Not if you're an American, it seems.

Most of America's wars were initiated by itself as part of its 'Manifest Destiny' and 'Imperialism'. Those that died were the fodder that fueled the ambitions of the ruthless.

I've just posted an item on my blog about digging a very deep bomb shelter. Be warned - it's only for realists.

Memorial Day is the favorite holiday of the pro-war twits.

I am not a veteran, but I have close family members who have served and are serving now in the military during wartime. I was born while my oldest brother was away at war. My earliest memory of my brother (when I was about two) was on the fourth of July. My other brothers and sisters were outside shooting off firecrackers and bottle rockets. My brother was in the kitchen with my mother. He had his hands over his ears screaming "Make them stop, make them stop". My brother is dead now, and I miss him so much. This gentle man was so tortured by his war memories. I did not go to the cemetery today to remember him. Tomorrow I will plant a white rose bush in my garden and I will feed the doves. That is how I will remember and honor him.

You probably aren't a veteran Bill, right?

We "Poor Dumb Suckers" do appreciate at least one day of slight rememberance, albeit patently phony. Most of us would prefer America creates fewer veterans in the future, and have strong personal reasons for feeling that way.

You wrote a good screed and the cause is good, but you really shouldn't dump on us troops, aka P.D.S., just because the Peace Movement is so lame .......... thanks.

Quigley has been doing great work in New Orleans since Katrina and I enjoy his insights when he's on Democracy Now!

But his numbers are way off in a few places in this list of war dead. If his WW II figure is supposed to include civilian deaths, like he says, 60,000,000 is a more widely accepted figure. Twenty million died in Russia alone.

Sadly, Iraq has suffered a million deaths.

I read an editorial in the New York Times a few days ago that was supposed to be a plea for Peace and it called for an end to the war in Iraq so we could help our military "recover" from the damage it has received in Iraq. The editorial went on to list how many hundreds of billions it will cost to rebuild various components of the war machine.

I say let it go. Let's go forward to build a renewable energy, sustainable future instead of building more damn death machines.

I for one, am brave enough to take our chances with Mexico and Canada, we just need a small deterrent on the scale of China or Pakistan. And after a few decades of Peace, perhaps that can wither away too.

Memorial Day started after the Civil War to honor Civil War dead.

Last document I can find comes from President Clinton:

Memorandum on the White House Program for the National Moment
of Remembrance

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: White House Program for the National Moment of Remembrance

As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to pause and consider the true meaning of this holiday. Memorial Day represents one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values. While we should honor these heroes every day for the profound contribution they have made to securing our Nation's freedom, we should honor them especially on Memorial Day.
In this time of unprecedented success and prosperity throughout our land, I ask that all Americans come together to recognize how fortunate we are to live in freedom and to observe a universal ``National Moment of Remembrance'' on each Memorial Day. This memorial observance represents a simple and unifying way to commemorate our history and honor the struggle to protect our freedoms.
Accordingly, I hereby direct all executive departments and agencies,
in consultation with the White House Program for the National Moment of
Remembrance (Program), to promote a ``National Moment of Remembrance''
to occur at 3 p.m. (local time) on each Memorial Day.
Recognizing that Memorial Day is a Federal holiday, all executive
departments and agencies, in coordination with the Program and to the
extent possible and permitted by law, shall promote and provide
resources to support a National Moment of Remembrance, including:
Encouraging individual department and agency personnel, and Americans everywhere, to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. local time) on Memorial Day, to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many to provide freedom for all.
Recognizing, in conjunction with Memorial Day, department and agency personnel whose family members have made the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation.
Providing such information and assistance as may be
necessary for the Program to carry out its functions.

I have asked the Director of the White House Millennium Council to issue additional guidance, pursuant to this Memorandum, to the heads of executive departments and agencies regarding specific activities and events to commemorate the National Moment of Remembrance.

William J. Clinton

Note: This memorandum was released by the Office of the Press
Secretary on May 3.

Ghawar:

You don't need to do anything so radical or expensive as testosterone injections. Actually, it's pretty easy to join the crowd. Get drunk enough to puke, or shit-faced stoned, but before you throw your cookies, yell: "Whooooo...Whooooo! We're Number 1!" at least three times, like Dorothy.

It helps if you have a loaded weapon in your hand (there are 200 million of them laying around here and there, so it won't be hard to get one). Also, you get extra points for driving a vehicle while you're doing this, preferably a motorcycle, motorboat or jet-ski.

It's nice to see that you're learning the language, but you really must become adept at using the N-Word, C-Word,etc., in casual conversation. Frequently, as if they are punctuation.

I know all this because, despite being a grandchild of immigrant laborers and trade union members and beginning work at the age of 14, I committed the sin of getting a formal education and a couple of degrees, so I am an elitist -- unlike the working-class heroes, the Clintons, who are $100 millionaires.

And there's this too: since you enjoy quiet so much (you geeky nerd, you) curl up on the couch and pick up the NYT Sunday mag where you can read the "happy" story of an Iraq vet who was vegetized and how his mom cares for him. Or flip through the TV and watch any number of stories about legless, scrambled vets who are fighting the good fight at home.

Or better yet, if you have a passport from somewhere else, there's still time to get out, Dude. But not alot.

Enjoy your holiday.

"a day set aside by the US Congress to pray for peace"

Isn't that sort of like having the local butcher campaign for Vegitarianism?

The U.S. is far and away the most militarized country in the world and the most aggressive.

No wonder I'm not happy here. I like books, science, math, nature, the woods. I have never watched a football game, not even one. I drive under the speed limit. I like it quiet; I don't use a a chain saw or ride a motorcycle. I don't hunt. I don't have a knife and gun collection, and I don't drink. About the only thing I have going for me here is profanity, in which I have some talent, but overall I just don't have the testosterone level that's needed to find happiness in the U.S. I'm thinking of getting some injections that might make me more aggressive.

The 20 million military and civilian deaths tally for World War II is also way too low. The range is more like 50-80 million.

"US military does not count deaths of non- US civilians, but estimates of over 8000 Afghan troops killed, over 3500 Afghan civilians killed."

Well, if the US military says so at a guess who is there to argue?

No numbers of US militaty guesses as far as The First Gulf War or the present invasion and occupation? This is not unexpected, as to imagine the security situation is improving is the aim so as to encourage those business people back in. Next step will be the tourists flooding in?

"2003 to present Iraq. Operation Iraqi Freedom. 4082 U.S. military killed. British medical journal Lancet estimates over 90,000 civilian deaths. Iraq Body Count estimates over 84,000 civilians killed."

The author is understating the civilian casualties by 900%.

Evil people profit from war. Divest your war profit stocks!

When will we stop celebrating military death cult days like Memorial Day and Veterans Day? The US flag should be flown upside down.

"I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free." That song became big right after 9/11. It seemed to me to reflect what we all felt as a wave of patriotism swept our country for the first time in a long time. Unfortunately,Bush has betrayed the American people with his personal agenda. And now after so many dead soldiers only the truly duped can sing that song with any fervor. I for one am sickened by America and will probably never pledge allegiance to the flag again!! Thanks Bush!!

Imagine 100,000 excited, colorfully dressed spectators on a gorgeous fall afternoon, jammed into a football stadium like the Big House in Ann Arbor or the Los Angeles colesium.

Next imagine that same stadium, filled to the brim with corpses in body bags, silent as stone.

Then envision 20 to 30 identical macabre, corpse-filled stadiums, nestled end to end, all in a row. That would be the body count for the 2 to 3 million Asian military and civilian deaths attributed to United States militarism in the Vietnam War.

25 million or so, give or take a few, that were killed in all the theatres of World War II, the "Good" War? Just imagine 250 such silent football stadiums laid end to end, packed with the mangled and charred corpses of the the Japanese, Chinese, Russian, German, Itallian, British, Polish, French, American, and all the other nationalities, with special sections set aside for the European Jews, gypsies, and other holocaust victims.

Thank you, Bill Quigley, for the timely historical reminder of what Memorial Day in the USA is supposed to be all about.

Bill from Saginaw (member, Veterans for Peace)

The US is a fucked up criminal nation!

The USA (Union of Simplistic Assholes) will NEVER pull up its pants and stop ordering the rest of the world to gaze with shock and awe upon the size of its schwanz. NEVER! This is all that's left for us, the slide into irreversible mediocrity and poverty. Perhaps we will become the world's mercenaries. When the next great economic and military powers assume preeminence they will hire Americans to fight their wars. And that will be the basis of our economy. A nation of thugs-for-hire by other, wealthier and more powerful thugs who send money home, as undocumented immigrants do now.

This article points out one of the key features of American society at its oppressive heights: fascism.
We are all fascists, we are all brownshirts.
We turn our backs on the plight of the current veterans.
A report released by the Rand Corporation last month indicates that approximately 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer PTSD or major depression. That's one of every five military men and women who have served over there.
Approximately 12,000 members of our military or recently discharged vets (left after 2003) try to commit suicide each year, about half succeed.
We associate fascism with death camps and gas chambers, the American variety is to download the killing overseas (approximately 2 million dead Iraqis due to military or economic action) and then to kill the troops slowly with inflicted dishonor.

The Empire strikes again and again and again. The only good thing is that we know that fascism is the final stages of an empire. We are there now.
Hoa binh

Thanks for informing - "reminding" us that today is all about praying for PEACE. Seriously.

Isn't it amazing that during the lead up to the Invasion in 2003 there was no mention what so ever in the MSM of the utter disparity between the US and the military piss ant Iraq. Iraq's total military budget for 2000 couldn't buy one American B-2 bomber. CIA Fact book used to include Iraq's Military spending, its all been scrubbed.

Here's another inconvenient fact. Mighty Iraq, the looming destroyer of the Free World, was unable to defend its own airspace. http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9901/04/iraq.no.fly/large.no.fly.map.jpg

Bill Quigley,

Thank you for an honest Memorial Day gift. I salute you, Bill!

Thanks to Bill Quigley for having the guts to compile this comprehensive and sickening list.

One big omission: Us-led bombings and sanctions of Iraq resulting in about a million deaths, uncounted injuries, and devastation of the Iraqi environment and economy: 1992-2003.

Since con-ception of america is supposely based on liberty and justice for all , and we all now know thats bullshit criticle mass is a comming to fruitation. No longer can we pretend the "garden" needs protection from un-seen vermon who are determined to wipe us out for our beleifs in freedom.
You know I can hardly say that with-out choking and clearing the immages of Iraqi families being murdered by f/15s cluster bombs. And as far as freedom is concerned we all-so real-lies that NOBODY WANTS THE KIND OF FREEDOM we offer. NO-BODY PERIOD!
No longer can these lies sustain a nation built on them right from the start, right from when the first Native Indian was murdered to make room for the out of control sick white masses that were not WANTED or NEEDED in thier OWN lands. So in effect we ended up with the worlds rejects and that is where the founding fathers (and my people shure know who they were screwing) came from.
And now on this day what is called memorial day I would like to thank the writer of this article of reminding us of what it is REALLY about PEACE. And I send you all red,yellow white and black PEACE not the piece of the american dre....nightmare that has some sooooo consumed by the fear of never having enough. No I mean the kind of PEACE that comes from living through trying times and becomming a better human being for it. When in-stead of awnswering the door with the same old fear and loathing and falling for the beefed up stats. that are MADE to keep you in constaint state of fear I challange you dear american to take a real risk and meet the rest of us on real terms facing the truth together and fixing years upon years of mis-managment ,lie and deceit.
Lets remember we will never find true PEACE in our churches and inflamatory preachers who in the end of the day really only want your money (watch any "religous"(and I use that loosly)program on ANY sunday and after the preacher finishes his and sometimes hers vermom opps sermon then the begging for money starts using the same old lies and the fearfull send in thier megers so some person who really does not care for them can pray for them....pretty sick uh?
Remember to make change we must FIRST face the lies that have held ALL of us hostage and to finish PEACE TO ALL.

Did anyone watch the Memorial Day "special" on PBS? I had it on after watching All Creatures Great & Small and had to turn the TV off after 5 minutes before I lost my dinner. What a bunch of rabidly jingoistic bullshit!

U.S. Imperialism: #1 terrorist

wow, thats quite the list, perhaps if our elected officals divert just 10 percent of that large sum on renewable energy, our soldiers wont be over there fighting for OIL, though it just reached $4 a gallon around these parts...

THE SAUDIS ARE LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK, but little sally just went without dinner tonight because papa had to fill the tank to get to work. He would throw away his pride and apply for food stamps, but those public funds went to buying bullets instead.

Just started reading Sheldon Wolin's DEMOCRACY, INC. the thesis of which is that the United States is suffering from what he defines as "inverted totalitarianism." An important book to read for those among us who still cling to the notion that "it can't happen here."

George Monbiot calls for citizen's arrest of John Bolton
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2282155,00.html

Embarrassment, horror and despair – what Carter feels about torture by US

The ONLY difference between the present USA and a typical tyrannical dictatorship is the simple fact that its citizens can still continue to criticize the government without fear of serious punishments. Not surprising actually, since all that criticism has no real effect upon present US govt policies, foreign or domestic.

No doubt the plutocratic dems thought it was a good idea, to let the citizens continue to criticize US govt policies, because after all, that basically generates and maintains the facade that the US govt still continues to be democratic (even though it is not).

Bush says America's freedoms "come at great costs."

Freedom from Warrantless Wiretaps
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Bill of Rights
All gone