"On November 21, 1963, President Kennedy flew to Texas to give several political speeches. The next day, as his car drove slowly past cheering crowds in Dallas, shots rang out. Kennedy was seriously wounded and died a short time later."
JFK Inaugural Address - January 20, 1961
Let the word go forth
From this time and place
To friend and foe alike
That the torch has been passed
To a new generation of Americans.
Let every nation know
Whether it wishes us well or ill
That we shall pay any price - bear any burden
Meet any hardship - support any friend
Oppose any foe to assure the survival
And the success of liberty
Now the trumpet summons us again
Not as a call to bear arms
- though embattled we are
But a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle
A struggle against the common enemies of man Tyranny - Poverty - Disease - and War itself
In the long history of the world
Only a few generations have been granted
The role of defending freedom
In the hour of maximum danger
I do not shrink from this responsibility
I welcome it
The Energy - the Faith - the Devotion
Which we bring to this endeavor
Will light our country
And all who serve it
And the glow from that fire
Can truly light the world
And so my fellow Americans
Ask not what your country can do for you
Ask what you can do for your country
My fellow citizens of the world - ask not
What America can do for you - but what together
We can do for the freedom of man
With a good conscience our only sure reward
With history the final judge of our deeds
Let us go forth to lead the land we love - asking His blessing
And his help - but knowing that here on earth
God's work must truly be our own.
"The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is apt to spread discontent among those who are." -H.L. Mencken
11.23.2005
7.29.2005
Overflowing morgue testament to Iraq's mayhem
The consequences of Dubya style diplomacy...
Overflowing morgue testament to Iraq's mayhem
27 Jul 2005 13:31:39 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD, July 27 (Reuters) - If anyone had any lingering doubts about the full extent of violence in Iraq, they need only visit Baghdad's morgue.
The fridges and autopsy rooms of the beige stone block are crammed full of corpses, some of them so badly mutilated or decomposed that identification is nearly impossible.
Every day, around 30 new bodies arrive, the latest victims of a two-year wave of war, crime and insurgency that has left coroners struggling to keep up with the chaos.
All are classified as "suspicious deaths" and the vast majority have been shot, says Faik Amin Baker, the director of the Medical Legal Institute, which oversees the morgue.
More alarming still is that these are only the bodies that require an autopsy; they do not include those that die of natural causes or in attacks where the cause of death is clear.
"Before the war we used to get maybe 250 bodies a month. Now it is 800 or 900 a month from the Baghdad area alone," says Baker, who trained at Guy's Hospital in London and has overseen operations at the morgue for the past 15 years.
"The situation has worsened dramatically. We cannot cope."
While it is difficult to make comparisons with other violent cities around the world because Iraq is also a war zone, the number would give Baghdad a rate of somewhere around 230 "suspicious deaths" each year for every 100,000 residents.
In Bogota, Colombia, often considered one of the most violent cities in the world, the murder rate seldom exceeded 90 per 100,000 even at the peak of the 1990s drug wars.
BURYING THE UNCLAIMED
The situation in Baghdad has grown so bad that corpses not claimed from the morgue after a few weeks are now being buried in makeshift graves to make room for new arrivals.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 400 unclaimed or unidentified bodies have had to be dealt with in this way.
They are buried by municipal authorities in Baghdad or by a Shi'ite Muslim volunteer group that takes the corpses to a cemetery in Najaf, a religious city south of the capital.
Pictures are taken of the bodies beforehand, and as many other details as possible are collected, so that if relatives do eventually turn up, the deceased can be tracked down.
"We have records, we have death certificates, we are burying them in a certain place," said Baker, playing down concerns that a new form of mass grave may be emerging in Iraq.
Each day, dozens of families arrive at the morgue looking for missing relatives. They view pictures of the dead on a computer, trying to identify loved ones. If the pictures are unclear, they are allowed to trawl through the morgue's vaults.
"It was horrible, terrible," said Yassin, a driver employed by Reuters who this week spent hours searching for his lost brother, whose body appeared to have been left for days in the sun after he was shot dead, burning his face beyond recognition.
"I knew it was him only by his shorts and a tattoo on the inside of his arm."
Baker says that every month up to 20 percent of the bodies are unclaimed -- nameless or lost victims of Iraq's mayhem.
"We keep them for as long as we can, but how long depends on how many more bodies we get," he said. "At the moment we are keeping them for maybe three weeks, but sometimes it is less."
Overflowing morgue testament to Iraq's mayhem
27 Jul 2005 13:31:39 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD, July 27 (Reuters) - If anyone had any lingering doubts about the full extent of violence in Iraq, they need only visit Baghdad's morgue.
The fridges and autopsy rooms of the beige stone block are crammed full of corpses, some of them so badly mutilated or decomposed that identification is nearly impossible.
Every day, around 30 new bodies arrive, the latest victims of a two-year wave of war, crime and insurgency that has left coroners struggling to keep up with the chaos.
All are classified as "suspicious deaths" and the vast majority have been shot, says Faik Amin Baker, the director of the Medical Legal Institute, which oversees the morgue.
More alarming still is that these are only the bodies that require an autopsy; they do not include those that die of natural causes or in attacks where the cause of death is clear.
"Before the war we used to get maybe 250 bodies a month. Now it is 800 or 900 a month from the Baghdad area alone," says Baker, who trained at Guy's Hospital in London and has overseen operations at the morgue for the past 15 years.
"The situation has worsened dramatically. We cannot cope."
While it is difficult to make comparisons with other violent cities around the world because Iraq is also a war zone, the number would give Baghdad a rate of somewhere around 230 "suspicious deaths" each year for every 100,000 residents.
In Bogota, Colombia, often considered one of the most violent cities in the world, the murder rate seldom exceeded 90 per 100,000 even at the peak of the 1990s drug wars.
BURYING THE UNCLAIMED
The situation in Baghdad has grown so bad that corpses not claimed from the morgue after a few weeks are now being buried in makeshift graves to make room for new arrivals.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 400 unclaimed or unidentified bodies have had to be dealt with in this way.
They are buried by municipal authorities in Baghdad or by a Shi'ite Muslim volunteer group that takes the corpses to a cemetery in Najaf, a religious city south of the capital.
Pictures are taken of the bodies beforehand, and as many other details as possible are collected, so that if relatives do eventually turn up, the deceased can be tracked down.
"We have records, we have death certificates, we are burying them in a certain place," said Baker, playing down concerns that a new form of mass grave may be emerging in Iraq.
Each day, dozens of families arrive at the morgue looking for missing relatives. They view pictures of the dead on a computer, trying to identify loved ones. If the pictures are unclear, they are allowed to trawl through the morgue's vaults.
"It was horrible, terrible," said Yassin, a driver employed by Reuters who this week spent hours searching for his lost brother, whose body appeared to have been left for days in the sun after he was shot dead, burning his face beyond recognition.
"I knew it was him only by his shorts and a tattoo on the inside of his arm."
Baker says that every month up to 20 percent of the bodies are unclaimed -- nameless or lost victims of Iraq's mayhem.
"We keep them for as long as we can, but how long depends on how many more bodies we get," he said. "At the moment we are keeping them for maybe three weeks, but sometimes it is less."
5.06.2005
Pefectly Insane 2
The world is perfectly insane. Look around you, inhale the world for what it is, because you will never be content. With this knowledge handy, I struggle with the paradox of letting go of reality, and making due with what it has given me, complete disregard.
Alas, we are all bore, unwilling participants, into a sick theatrical production that has no certainty accept for the end. And the end we will never see, only imagine.
Thoughts of coarse nature with blatant ill regard for all things alive are intrinsic among all who share in this life. Is that the nature we must pass to the future?
We are an embryo now. With the aid of God, the creator of insanity, we shall find a better understanding of ourselves, and perhaps grow into something that can be heard.
For now I vest faith, the only conception that is capable of transcending reason, in my brutality, for I have accepted my future as one of incomprehensible savagery.
Alas, we are all bore, unwilling participants, into a sick theatrical production that has no certainty accept for the end. And the end we will never see, only imagine.
Thoughts of coarse nature with blatant ill regard for all things alive are intrinsic among all who share in this life. Is that the nature we must pass to the future?
We are an embryo now. With the aid of God, the creator of insanity, we shall find a better understanding of ourselves, and perhaps grow into something that can be heard.
For now I vest faith, the only conception that is capable of transcending reason, in my brutality, for I have accepted my future as one of incomprehensible savagery.
The Government Lies and the Innocent Die
By John T. Webb
As he bid the nation farewell, President Dwight D. Eisenhower forewarned the American people with a sobering remark. “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”, unfortunately the American people did not heed this warning. Then on November, 22 1963 there was a coup d’etat propagated by the sinister forces Eisenhower so diligently warned us about. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy changed the course of American politics, and diverted the road to peace to that of war. To this day we still do not know the truth surrounding this national tragedy, and the government is still reluctant to release documents of monumental importance with regards to this crime. National Security Action Memorandum 263 signed by JFK on October 11th, 1963 called for the withdrawal of 1,000 troops from South Vietnam, then just 4 days after the death of JFK this policy was reversed in NSAM 273, signed by LBJ, which called for escalation of U.S. military aid to the South Vietnamese government. Coincidence, or conspiracy? For those who assume this is nothing more than a coincidence, the history following NSAM 273 tells a tale of unprecedented disregard for human life, and capitalist gluttony, with only one beneficiary; the military-industrial complex. Those who dared to speculate that their beloved government could commit such an atrocity were instantly marginalized as ‘conspiracy theorists’ and therefore void from political discourse. But what is a conspiracy, and why does this label instantly nullify a specific view point? Are conspiracies not common place in our nation’s capitol, as elites gather in back rooms with goblets of brandy and expensive cigars to determine the future of the free world? We as a nation must rise above prefabricated labels and seek the truth no matter how painful it may be.
And now it is 2005, the lessons of history have been forgotten, and the masses are content with their security blankets of denial. This denial is further perpetuated in the context of modern American politics, especially with regards to September, 11th 2001. What really happened on that clear September day? Did a group of Islamic extremists really accomplish such a complicated feat by themselves, or were there much more sinister forces involved? I have been reflecting on this question for the past 2 years, and from a political science stand point there is only one logical explanation; elements of the United States government facilitated the attacks of September 11th, 2001. Insane, is probably the first word that comes to mind after reading that statement, but how far fetched is it really? A political power play quite similar to the events of September 11th, occurred in Germany when the Nazi party torched the Reichstag in an effort to marginalize opposition and institute martial law, and it worked perfectly. You might say that the government would never intentionally hurt its own people. For those of you who think that, I would refer to the March 13, 1962 ‘Northwoods Memo’ to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, entitled “Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba”, in which the U.S. government contemplated starting a ‘terrorist’ campaign in the Miami area to garner popular support for a full scale invasion of Cuba. The next logical question would be; why did the government let the events of 9/11 take place? The motive is easily recognized in the context of the global energy game. Half of the worlds oil is, or in the very near future, will be exhausted, and oil is the key to controlling the world. Modern society is based on cheap energy as everything either requires oil in its manufacture or operation. According to Michael C. Ruppert, author of Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil, for every 1 calorie of food we consume the equivalent of 10 calories of hydrocarbon energy is required to produce that 1 food calorie. In short, with out cheap oil, food prices will skyrocket and heating fuel will become inaccessible except to those who can afford the exorbitant prices. The implications of this for a modern petroleum dependent society such as the United States are spectacular. Dick Cheney and his energy task force knew about this prior to the invasion of Iraq, and perhaps the deepest secrets of 9/11 are contained within the documents of that meeting. Any movement advocating the release of that information has been met with vicious opposition by the government. Cheney, a member of the Project for a New American Century, which calls for the unfettered use of military power to establish U.S. hegemony, singed a document which openly stated that in order to garner mass support for such a drastic transformation of U.S. foreign policy there would have to be a “cataclysmic and catalyzing event- like a new Pearl Habor”. The PNAC members (which include Perle, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld) got their wish on September 11th, 2001.
There are literally hundreds of reasons to be skeptical of the government’s official explanation of 9/11, including the fact that the head of Pakistani’s ISI (essentially a puppet of the CIA) Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ahmed wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta, the lead 9/11 hijacker (who reportedly dated a white women and frequently used drugs and alcohol, which is hardly something an orthodox Islamic radical would partake in) while meeting with CIA director George Tenet and having breakfast on the morning of 9/11 with the new head of the CIA, Porter Goss. Of course this information was left out of the Official 9/11 Commission Report because according the the report “Ultimately the question [of who funded 9/11] is of little practical significance”. Coincidence or conspiracy?
The American people, especially the 20 something generation must look deeper into the historical past, and question what has been presented as truth. The only way our generation will be cleansed of the sins of our forefathers, is to pursue the truth relentlessly and courageously. We must relinquish the partisan binds which have constricted our unity, and demand accountability. Too many people have perished needlessly from the exploits of politics, it is time to change the course of our future, and the future of our children, by looking deeper into who we are as a people and a society.
As he bid the nation farewell, President Dwight D. Eisenhower forewarned the American people with a sobering remark. “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”, unfortunately the American people did not heed this warning. Then on November, 22 1963 there was a coup d’etat propagated by the sinister forces Eisenhower so diligently warned us about. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy changed the course of American politics, and diverted the road to peace to that of war. To this day we still do not know the truth surrounding this national tragedy, and the government is still reluctant to release documents of monumental importance with regards to this crime. National Security Action Memorandum 263 signed by JFK on October 11th, 1963 called for the withdrawal of 1,000 troops from South Vietnam, then just 4 days after the death of JFK this policy was reversed in NSAM 273, signed by LBJ, which called for escalation of U.S. military aid to the South Vietnamese government. Coincidence, or conspiracy? For those who assume this is nothing more than a coincidence, the history following NSAM 273 tells a tale of unprecedented disregard for human life, and capitalist gluttony, with only one beneficiary; the military-industrial complex. Those who dared to speculate that their beloved government could commit such an atrocity were instantly marginalized as ‘conspiracy theorists’ and therefore void from political discourse. But what is a conspiracy, and why does this label instantly nullify a specific view point? Are conspiracies not common place in our nation’s capitol, as elites gather in back rooms with goblets of brandy and expensive cigars to determine the future of the free world? We as a nation must rise above prefabricated labels and seek the truth no matter how painful it may be.
And now it is 2005, the lessons of history have been forgotten, and the masses are content with their security blankets of denial. This denial is further perpetuated in the context of modern American politics, especially with regards to September, 11th 2001. What really happened on that clear September day? Did a group of Islamic extremists really accomplish such a complicated feat by themselves, or were there much more sinister forces involved? I have been reflecting on this question for the past 2 years, and from a political science stand point there is only one logical explanation; elements of the United States government facilitated the attacks of September 11th, 2001. Insane, is probably the first word that comes to mind after reading that statement, but how far fetched is it really? A political power play quite similar to the events of September 11th, occurred in Germany when the Nazi party torched the Reichstag in an effort to marginalize opposition and institute martial law, and it worked perfectly. You might say that the government would never intentionally hurt its own people. For those of you who think that, I would refer to the March 13, 1962 ‘Northwoods Memo’ to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, entitled “Justification for U.S. Military Intervention in Cuba”, in which the U.S. government contemplated starting a ‘terrorist’ campaign in the Miami area to garner popular support for a full scale invasion of Cuba. The next logical question would be; why did the government let the events of 9/11 take place? The motive is easily recognized in the context of the global energy game. Half of the worlds oil is, or in the very near future, will be exhausted, and oil is the key to controlling the world. Modern society is based on cheap energy as everything either requires oil in its manufacture or operation. According to Michael C. Ruppert, author of Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil, for every 1 calorie of food we consume the equivalent of 10 calories of hydrocarbon energy is required to produce that 1 food calorie. In short, with out cheap oil, food prices will skyrocket and heating fuel will become inaccessible except to those who can afford the exorbitant prices. The implications of this for a modern petroleum dependent society such as the United States are spectacular. Dick Cheney and his energy task force knew about this prior to the invasion of Iraq, and perhaps the deepest secrets of 9/11 are contained within the documents of that meeting. Any movement advocating the release of that information has been met with vicious opposition by the government. Cheney, a member of the Project for a New American Century, which calls for the unfettered use of military power to establish U.S. hegemony, singed a document which openly stated that in order to garner mass support for such a drastic transformation of U.S. foreign policy there would have to be a “cataclysmic and catalyzing event- like a new Pearl Habor”. The PNAC members (which include Perle, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld) got their wish on September 11th, 2001.
There are literally hundreds of reasons to be skeptical of the government’s official explanation of 9/11, including the fact that the head of Pakistani’s ISI (essentially a puppet of the CIA) Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ahmed wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta, the lead 9/11 hijacker (who reportedly dated a white women and frequently used drugs and alcohol, which is hardly something an orthodox Islamic radical would partake in) while meeting with CIA director George Tenet and having breakfast on the morning of 9/11 with the new head of the CIA, Porter Goss. Of course this information was left out of the Official 9/11 Commission Report because according the the report “Ultimately the question [of who funded 9/11] is of little practical significance”. Coincidence or conspiracy?
The American people, especially the 20 something generation must look deeper into the historical past, and question what has been presented as truth. The only way our generation will be cleansed of the sins of our forefathers, is to pursue the truth relentlessly and courageously. We must relinquish the partisan binds which have constricted our unity, and demand accountability. Too many people have perished needlessly from the exploits of politics, it is time to change the course of our future, and the future of our children, by looking deeper into who we are as a people and a society.
3.29.2005
3.12.2005
Dissent is Terroism
I bid all Americans to doubt Peak Oil and US government complicity in the attacks of 9/11.
Please continue to live your shallow, meaningless lives like the chattel you are.
Please continue to bow to authority.
Please continue living in fear.
Please continue your wasteful and over consuming ways.
Please continue to support illegal acts of genocide.
For when reality rears its evil head you will perish, you will be the starving, the suffering, the refugees, the sheep, your lives will feed the wealthy.
Please, don't change, keep in that mental line, don't deviate or question authority.
Continue to obey and your passing will be free from pain.
Everything is fine, your government does no wrong, dissent is terrorism, obedience is patriotism.
Stay in line, your number will be up soon.
Please continue to live your shallow, meaningless lives like the chattel you are.
Please continue to bow to authority.
Please continue living in fear.
Please continue your wasteful and over consuming ways.
Please continue to support illegal acts of genocide.
For when reality rears its evil head you will perish, you will be the starving, the suffering, the refugees, the sheep, your lives will feed the wealthy.
Please, don't change, keep in that mental line, don't deviate or question authority.
Continue to obey and your passing will be free from pain.
Everything is fine, your government does no wrong, dissent is terrorism, obedience is patriotism.
Stay in line, your number will be up soon.
3.06.2005
Jumbo King Crab Leg From God
3.03.2005
Wal-Mart is Pure Evil
"Wal-Mart regularly says it does not tolerate child labor or forced or prison labor, but when it comes to walking the walk the company refuses to reveal its Chinese contractors and will not allow independent, unannounced inspections of its contractors’ facilities.
Clothing sewn in China is usually done by young women, 17 to 25 year old (at 25 they are fired as ‘too old’) forced to work seven days a week, often past midnight for 12 to 28 cents an hour, with no benefits. Or that the women are housed in crowded, dirty dormitories, 15 to a room, and fed a thin rice gruel. The workers are kept under 24-hour-a-day surveillance and can be fired for even discussing factory conditions. The factories in China operate under a veil of secrecy, behind locked metal gates, with no factory names posted and no visitors allowed. China’s authorities do not allow independent human rights, religious or women’s groups to exist, and all attempts to form independent unions have been crushed. (http://www.nlcnet.org, 10/22/02)"
When are we going to wake up and right this wrong?
Clothing sewn in China is usually done by young women, 17 to 25 year old (at 25 they are fired as ‘too old’) forced to work seven days a week, often past midnight for 12 to 28 cents an hour, with no benefits. Or that the women are housed in crowded, dirty dormitories, 15 to a room, and fed a thin rice gruel. The workers are kept under 24-hour-a-day surveillance and can be fired for even discussing factory conditions. The factories in China operate under a veil of secrecy, behind locked metal gates, with no factory names posted and no visitors allowed. China’s authorities do not allow independent human rights, religious or women’s groups to exist, and all attempts to form independent unions have been crushed. (http://www.nlcnet.org, 10/22/02)"
When are we going to wake up and right this wrong?
1.24.2005
Letter to My Criminal Representatives in Congress
US troops in private contractor vehicles
To:
Sen. Mike DeWine
Sen. George Voinovich
January 23, 2005
To whom it may concern,
It has recently come to my attention that the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq are being needlessly put in jeopardy because they are being forced to ride with untrained private contractors on various missions. For the most part U.S. troops are being forced to ride with Kellog, Brown and Root drivers of which none have had military training on defensive driving, proper convoy operations, avoiding ambushes, navigating around IED's[hidden roadside bombs], proper procedure for calling in support or medivac or fire support, procedures to follow after taking enemy fire, the list goes on. The vehicle operators for KBR have no combat training and are basically drivers ill prepared for operations in a war zone, yet they are paid 5-8 times what U.S. soldiers are paid.
As a U.S. citizen, I find this policy unacceptable. It's bad enough our troops are mired down in a quagmire that echos other great foreign policy failures, it's even worse that the policy making elites in Washington have apparently lost all touch with the reality on the ground in Iraq.
I beg of you to salvage any remaining shred of humanity that may have survived your political ambitions, and do what is right, by pushing congress and those who have ceased power in the White House, to change the policy of the U.S. military by making it mandatory for drivers to be properly trained for their duties in hostile situations.
To:
Sen. Mike DeWine
Sen. George Voinovich
January 23, 2005
To whom it may concern,
It has recently come to my attention that the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq are being needlessly put in jeopardy because they are being forced to ride with untrained private contractors on various missions. For the most part U.S. troops are being forced to ride with Kellog, Brown and Root drivers of which none have had military training on defensive driving, proper convoy operations, avoiding ambushes, navigating around IED's[hidden roadside bombs], proper procedure for calling in support or medivac or fire support, procedures to follow after taking enemy fire, the list goes on. The vehicle operators for KBR have no combat training and are basically drivers ill prepared for operations in a war zone, yet they are paid 5-8 times what U.S. soldiers are paid.
As a U.S. citizen, I find this policy unacceptable. It's bad enough our troops are mired down in a quagmire that echos other great foreign policy failures, it's even worse that the policy making elites in Washington have apparently lost all touch with the reality on the ground in Iraq.
I beg of you to salvage any remaining shred of humanity that may have survived your political ambitions, and do what is right, by pushing congress and those who have ceased power in the White House, to change the policy of the U.S. military by making it mandatory for drivers to be properly trained for their duties in hostile situations.
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