Good, good Saccà. Here's a candy.

Source: Daily Mail

Harriet Harman is campaigning to promote herself as a stand-in Prime Minister should Mr Brown be forced out.

It emerged last night that Labour MPs have been sounded out about her suitability if the PM leaves No10 by the end of the year.

With the Prime Minister's position looking precarious, manoeuvring to replace him is well under way.

The revelation that his own deputy fancies her chances will annoy Mr Brown, who is desperate to dampen speculation about his future.

The Daily Mail understands that MPs acting on Miss Harman's behalf have approached backbenchers in recent weeks to test her popularity as a possible leader.

The People of this Nation do not find Harriet Harman popular. Shouldn't that be what is important?

The public school-educated feminist has been quietly trading on her victory in last year's contest for the deputy leadership.

A fortnight ago she caused an uproar by championing a Communist Equality Bill that will allow discrimination in favour of women and minority employees and require companies to publish details of the salary gap between male and female workers.

To conveniently disenfranchise the strongest indiginious demographic via outright sexual and racial discrimination. These socialists are so confident in their power that they no longer try to cover up their anti-Britain acts.

Some supporters of the Prime Minister say she could emerge as a choice for what is being described as the 'anybody but David Miliband camp'.

The Foreign Secretary is favoured by some as the obvious alternative to Mr Brown, and many are urging him to show his hand.

He is just another Marxist. He signed the Lisbon Treaty. He is a Traitor to the Crown and to the British People. He is a fan of European Union democracy. That is, do what you are told and do not ask questions.

Our Government is completely infested with Socialists/ Communists and self serving civil servants. All with their noses in public funds, busy trying to dismantle our Nation in the name of a Socialist Supranational Government Order. The Conservatives are the same. They just wear a different colour tie.

The real test if a police force has changed lies in the public opinion. A name change and new crispy uniforms are hardly enough.
The Police in Northern Ireland has managed to make the transition from the overly partisan former Royal Ulster Constabulary to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which is widely accepted by both Loyalists and Unionist. But it took massive changes in policing procedures, recruiting and the creation of an independent oversight body, the police ombudsman, under the leadership of the energetic Nuala O`Loan.

The Liberian National Police (LNP) has clearly failed in making this transition. The LNP has taken in many new recruits, all of which have been vetted to ensure that no one with a record of human rights abuse would end up in the new LNP. But the old spirit has survived, and so have the old ways of augmenting their salaries. They are still referred to as " 5 Dollar Police" by the public after the standard bribe or "cold water" extracted form taxi drivers for any alleged traffic violation.
Foreigners pay more. A missionary was hauled to the local police station recently and told that since he had no immigration papers on him he would be jailed for two days. His assurances that his papers were in order (they were) and that he could get and present them within half an hour came to naught. Knowing that he would hardly survive the police cell intact, he paid them off with 50 USD.

In most countries the usage of police car lights and sirens are strictly regulated. They can only be used if life or substantive values are in immediate danger, or in pursuit of criminals. In Liberia LNP uses these emergency signals to advertise that they are above the law. Driving in Monrovia one is frequently overtaken by LNP pick-up trucks with lights flashing and sirens wailing which are clearly not on urgent police business. I was once passed by a pickup truck. For sound, view and driving style the car could have been in hot pursuit, but is was loaded with rattan chairs, drawers, a mirror, in short the complete household of some important police officer. In most countries this kind of behavior would earn the driver a stern reprimand. Here it is seen as a right.

The main test for any police force is if the citizens actually trust the police to help them when they are the victim of a crime. LNP has for a long timed aired an embarrassing commercial using the "Ghostbusters" song from Ray Parker Junior, suggesting that they are indeed the answer. The commercial is really kind of funny because it is made so cheaply. At the end of the line " When there’s something wrong in the neighborhood – Whom you gonna call ? " a dissonant chorus shouts " ELL- ENN – PEEH".
In reality most Liberian who need help immediately see little reason to call LNP. And why should they? Dialing 911 in New York will get you a police dispatcher, no matter at what time you call. Calling the same number in Monrovia, will most of the time get no response at all. The phone just keeps ringing. Or you are faced with a police officer who, after you have explained to him that there is an armed robbery going on in your house, shouts "You are lying" and slams down the receiver. (1)
Calling a local police station does not help much either. You might be told that "there is no fuel in the car", and that you have to provide the fuel if you want them to come. (2)

Reassuring words to hear, especially considering the four guys with machetes outside hacking through your front door. International staff in Monrovia does not even bother to call LNP anymore. Instead they call UNMIL´s Zulu Base, where you will get an answer, and even support. The local population has increasingly opted for another way of protection. All over Monrovia "vigilante" groups or "neighborhood watch" groups are mushrooming. Their members are unemployed youths, in the age between 15 and 25. During the day, the go around and ask the residents for a small donation of 10 - 20 Liberian Dollars or a glass of tea, and by night they "patrol" the area armed with machetes.
As a response to the recent increase in violence Liberian Politicians and LNP itself suggest that the police should be re-armed with guns. This idea is strongly opposed by many UNMIL and CIVPOL internationals, most vociferously by those who work with LNP. One of them went so far as to say privately that if LNP would be re-armed the number of crimes committed with guns would increase substantially. Outgoing UNMIL Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Isaac Obiakor has recently backed that view. In an unusually candid interview he stated that re-arming LNP would no curb the increasing violence but might instead drive it up. He noted that re-arming LNP might leas to the public re-arming as well, and added, "I will say LNP do not necessarily need to be armed. Yes, except you want to start another war" (Arming Police is "Disaster", New Democrat, Monrovia, 04 July 2008, p.1)

There is one thing the General forgot to mention. Should LNP be armed with guns again, the price of standard bribes will go surely up. A man with a gun will no longer be content with 5 Liberian Dollars.

 
(1) This incident was described to me by a European CIVPOL officer working inside the LNP headquarter, who was on duty when the call came, and could not believe the reaction of the LNP officer either.
(2) see quotation from New Democrat Newspaper in this blog below.

On a grand scale, scandals such as the current Grand Regency hotel sale leave Kenyans fuming at what they see as the greed and dishonesty of their leaders. But it’s a day-to-day decision that every Kenyan (and African) makes that is causing fierce debate about their moral fibre.

When a bribe would help things happen, are there some circumstances when it’s OK to pay? And is the fact that so many people answer yes creating a moral crisis that’s preventing Africans differentiating right from wrong?

Rosemarie Onyando pulled no punches in her column in Sunday’s edition of The Standard.

‘...African leaders wined and dined with Mugabe even as his citizens faced uncertainty and hunger and a life of indignity. Yet few African leaders seemed touched by this plight.

And this impunity is not restricted to leaders alone. Just watch the way citizens break the ‘little’ laws every day. This impunity continues because we do nothing about it and our leaders know it.

...This impunity is driven by dishonesty, arrogance and hypocrisy among citizens and leaders...ask yourself why we have done nothing about the numerous scandals that have resulted in the plunder of resources.

In all these scandals, ordinary citizens like us are aiding and abetting these crimes.

...the moral crisis that prevents us from questioning the action of our leaders is so deeply rooted it is unlikely to be overcome soon.’

It’s powerful stuff. But is she right? Is paying a bribe always wrong? Is low-level corruption partly responsible for poor leadership and the lack of a decent moral compass?

This is pretty funny.

“I am prepared to support the PM if he is going to support me."

Support him for what? Marriage? Babies? Corruption? Brokering deals for the Odingas? This guy's smooth.

“I told the PM— as our coordinator (of Government Business)  to accompany me to Parliament but he said he would follow in two minutes. He never turned up,’’ said Mr Kimunya."

Kimunya mistakes Raila for his b*tch. I'm starting to question how often Kibaki's been holding Kimunya's pudgy little hand to the toilet for.

But Mr Kimunya said he would only resign along with Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Attorney General Amos Wako, Lands minister James Orengo, and Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission director Aaron Ringera, who, he said, were also privy to the hotel sale details.

What a looney. Did they or did they not speak out against it?

The Finance minister accused Mr Odinga and Mr Orengo of dishonesty. He said Mr Odinga was informed about the sale of the hotel in April and approved it. Even Mr Orengo knew about the sale, he said.

Sketchy, approved how? A personal meeting? personal signing? Who's this boy trying to kid, he must think the PM's office is smaller than his office.

“If I should step aside on account that I was misled by CBK officers, which is under my ministry, Mr Orengo should also do the same because his officers were involved in the sale transaction,”  the minister said.

Misled? If Orengo knew about the sale and was the finance minister, I'd say he'd have questioned the figure and did something about it. Kimunya shouldn't have to be reminded that he is the minister for finance and not a mere errand boy with no say or do. Orengo upon finding out did something, whereas Kimunya's negligence cost Kenyans billions of shillings. Who is he trying to kid? Kimunya clearly is not capable as the minister of finance as he purports or just a plain rogue with tongue twisting excuses.

And Water minister Charity Ngilu called for the dissolution of the grand coalition Government if President Kibaki does not sack Mr Kimunya.

Vote of no confidence for the president if he does respect the will of parliament.

Graft cost country RM10 billion a year
By Tim Leonard

KUALA LUMPUR ( July 6,2008 ) : Corruption, if left to fester, can cause the country to lose RM10 billion a year in domestic growth.

Pemudah, the government's special task force to facilitate business, gave this cost of corruption statistic in pushing its case for the Anti-Corruption Agency to be given a quick fix and a much-needed shot in the arm to give investors confidence to do business here.

Statistics made available to theSun show the ACA's performance is dismal -- it has only investigated 10.1% or just 7,223 cases out of the total of 71,558 reported between 2000 and 2006.

Pemudah co-chairman Tan Sri Yong Poh Kon told theSun in a recent interview that the statistics and dismal results could pose bigger problems for the country in years to come. “Something must be done fast as the actual situation is a serious cause for concern,” he said.

“The ACA must be given more resources to work with, including an increase in budget by the Government. It is about time to seriously consider recruiting foreign officers to work with the ACA on a contractual basis to solve more cases.”

Yong said World Bank statistics show that corruption can reduce the country’s growth rate by between two and four per cent and this translates to a loss of up to RM10 billion a year.
He said although the ACA is trying to better itself, the figures speak for themselves and paint a gloomy picture of things to come.

Of the total number of cases reported in that seven-year period, only 4.1% or 2,905 people were arrested, 1.8% or 1,287 persons charged/prosecuted and only 0.7% or 524 actually convicted.
“We should perhaps look at emulating the success of Hong Kong, which has done very well in curbing corruption,” said Yong.

Between 2000 and 2006, Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigated 77.2% or 21,649 cases out of the 28,057 reported, with 29.2% ending up in arrests.
“On an average, the Hong Kong Government spends close to RM40 per capita on anti-corruption efforts. In Malaysia, the sum is just a mere RM5 per capita.”

Yong added: “So it is time the Government looked seriously into the problems affecting ACA and work out a solution. Even if RM1 billion is spent on improvising the ACA, the Government will actually be saving RM 9 billion.”

The Government's allocation for the ACA last year was RM148 million.

Transparency International Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said the country risks dropping further on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) if immediate efforts are not taken to put ACA in order. Malaysia has remained at the 43rd spot for the past two years.

In 2003, the country was at the 37th spot, before sliding to the 39th spot in 2004 and gradually to its current position.

Navaratnam said he hoped the ACA would become independent from the Prime Minister’s Department.

“At present, there is less than satisfactory public confidence in the ACA. It is about time the ACA is free from the control of the PM’s office as this will ensure greater transparency, integrity and accountability.”

Navaratnam added it was also time for ACA to be made up of credible people, especially as it will be made a commission soon as announced by the prime minister shortly after the general election.
When contacted, ACA director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan said it will be hard for Malaysia to emulate Hong Kong’s success in anti-corrution efforts.

“Hong Kong is a small, one-state country but we are bigger so we can’t be compared to them,” said Ahmad, in response to Yong’s call.

“We cannot investigate all the cases that were reported because some were anonymous letters, poison pen letters and tip-offs from even Government servants.

“We did investigate all those cases which we could and left no stones unturned in our investigations,” he said.

He added that the ACA has no problem if it is placed under Parliament. “We are constantly striving to be the best and it doesn't matter under whom we work.” (end)

Senior Arab official warns of oil price hike if Iran attacked

Xinhua | July 6, 2008

A senior Arab official warned that oil prices would jump to more than 200 U.S. dollars a barrel if Iran was militarily attacked, the Egyptian state MENA news agency reported on Sunday.

Secretary General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU) Ahmed Guwaili made the remarks in an interview with Egypt's Arabicdaily Al Gomhuria published on Sunday.

Guwaili said the Arab world and all the countries in the world would be affected if Tehran is attacked by military actions.

The United States and Israel have recently stepped up their rhetoric against Iran and are believed to be preparing the public for a war against the oil-rich country.

On Saturday, Iranian Oil Minister Gholam-Hossein Nozari said that no country will ever dare to carry out an act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

"If Israel dares to engage in a military conflict with Iran, itis not clear what would happen to oil prices," Nozari warned, adding that even empty anti-Iran rhetoric "pushes oil prices up by10 to 15 dollars."

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Major General Hasan Firouzabadi said on Saturday if the country's interests are jeopardized in the region, "we will not let any ship pass through the Strait of Hormuz."

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway in the Gulf through which roughly 40 percent of the world oil is transported.

Iran warns of Gulf blitzkrieg, Hormuz closure

AFP | July 5, 2008

Iran's military chiefs warned on Saturday that the Islamic republic would shut down the Strait of Hormuz vital for oil exports and use "blitzkrieg tactics" in the Gulf if it came under attack.

"All the countries should know that if Iran's interests in the region are ignored, it is natural that we will not allow others to use it (the strait)," said army chief General Hassan Firouzabadi, quoted by the Fars news agency.

However, Iran's armed forces joint chief of staff stressed his country's priority was that the Strait of Hormuz remain open.

Speculation has been rife that Israel could be planning a military strike against Iranian nuclear sites, using force to halt Tehran's controversial atomic activities.

The chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards militia, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, meanwhile, warned that his forces would use "blitzkrieg tactics" in the Gulf if his country came under attack.

"The Guards are equipped with the most advanced missiles that can strike the enemies' vessels and naval equipment with fatal blows," Fars quoted the Guards chief as saying.

In case of attack, "blitzkrieg tactics and operations of the Guards' boats will not leave a chance for the enemies to run away."

"These words do not mean that the prerequisites of war are being set but these are the strategies that our alert armed forces have prepared for any hypothesis," he added.

The new commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Vice Admiral William Gortney, said on Saturday that the American naval presence in the region was "a very clear message that we are here to maintain security and to provide stability."

"The chief of naval operations wanted me here, I think, because of my experience," Gortney, who was navy chief during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, told reporters in Bahrain where the fleet is based.

His predecessor, Vice Admiral Kevin J. Cosgriff, has warned that Fifth Fleet would not allow Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait between Iran and Oman is a vital conduit for energy supplies, with as much as 40 percent of the world's crude passing through the strategic waterway.

US President George W. Bush has not ruled out using force in the nuclear standoff between Iran and the West, but emphasised that he preferred a diplomatic solution.

Iran insists its atomic drive is peaceful, but Western powers fear Tehran is using the programme to develop nuclear weapons.

Oliveros said Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toronto told him during the 49th International Eucharistic Congress held recently in Quebec, Canada, that the reason was Suarez’s healing activities.

Oliveros said it appeared Suarez had violated a Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith directive—Article 4, No. 3, of the disciplinary norms contained in the Instruction on Prayers for Healing issued in 2000.

For his part, Oliveros said he was bent on pursuing his complaint against Suarez for holding healing Masses in Malolos City in Bulacan province last year without his permission.

“Although I had said in January that I would lodge a complaint against Suarez for holding Masses in Malolos without my consent, I could not do so due to so many commitments,” Oliveros said in an interview posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ website.

Suarez, a Philippine-born member of the Canada-based Companions of the Cross, has been drawing crowds to his healing Masses in the country and abroad.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz has also barred Suarez from Pangasinan province.(PDI)

=========================

My Take:

Tsk! Pera-pera kasi ito eh.  These very act of Fr. Suarez violates the basics of the Social Doctrine.  Dun pa lang sa pagbebenta nila ng mga CD? Tsk. I smell another filthy scam here.

My apology to his followers, pero he is not God.  And as he defies some rules, he should be reprimanded, just like what the lord did to lucifer (ooops, im not saying that he is that evil). :)

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"Professional" News Media Has A History Of Lies And Manipulation

Once again critics of blogging like Mia Mottley and Ezra Alleyne are reminded that the so-called "professional media" often distorts, lies and manipulates the news to suit corporate, political, religious and individual agendas.

That is reality, folks. Reporters and editors are people like all the rest of us - and sometimes people forget their duty to the truth and to the public. So we end up with media corporations like Reuters News publishing hundreds of faked news photos. We have supposedly-ethical television journalists like Dan Rather who knowingly published forged documents in support of a story even though experts informed Rather that the documents were fakes before his story went to air. Not to mention that both the New York Times and the L.A. Times have been caught publishing fake news stories.

Barbados News Media Can't Be Trusted Either!

Closer to home in Barbados, we have reporters and editors at The Nation News ignoring important stories like Ronja Juman and how a Barbados Government Minister built a house on land that he expropriated! We have a radio station vowing to never again ask how a Government Minister became a millionaire in a short time on his government salary.

In Barbados we have cowardly news media that still won't mention the story of how a flyover contractor admitted to paying huge bribes on other government projects. The Barbados news media wouldn't print the original story for weeks until they were shamed into it by citizen bloggers like BFP and Barbados Underground.

We also have our famous "disappearing Barbados news stories" where the cowardly and corrupt news media simply never mention a major story again and even remove news stories from their archives to make it like it never even happened.

At least with the blogs we now have a chance to hold the news media accountable and to expose their wrong-doing... the same as our readers do with us when they disagree with something we've said or find any errors.

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Disgusting Deceit By Fox News Television

The latest proof that the public needs to look at "professional news media" with a questioning mind comes from Fox News Television - who aired a supposedly "fair and balanced" story on two New York Times journalists and altered their photos to lower their images in the eyes of the viewers. Fox News used software like PhotoShop to alter the facial features of the two including yellowing their teeth and making their ears stick out. Noses and foreheads were enlarged and dark circles were placed under their eyes.

Will Fox News admit to the deceit and publish an apology?

Guess again...

There is as much chance of Fox News apologising as there is of the Nation News apologising for covering up the Ronja Juman story or confirming if they hired a plagiarist to be their newest columnist. And don't expect the Nation News to publish a story questioning what Owen Arthur did with that $75,000 "campaign donation" cheque he corruptly deposited into his personal bank account.

The next time that someone says that blogs aren't reliable like the "professional" news media is...

Let your friends know that each of us must look with an inquisitive mind at everything that is presented everywhere - but at least on the blogs an individual has a chance to set the record straight and present contrary facts and opinions.

Further reading - click on the photos and various links within our story.

Well, 4th of July just passed. And the celebrations could be seen all around us. Flags flying, parades everywhere and fireworks to scare the cats - and kids. And it made me wonder - what does it mean to be a patriot?

We were sitting outside having a barbeque. American style. Burgers and all. Pretty American on 4th of July. Just us South Africans and an Aussie friend. Anyway... Our backyard neighbors were having their own party. Big family gathering. Even bigger griller. And meat to feed an army. At least a few divisions. And it went on and on. The crowd kept on growing and the noise kept on rising. We didn't have a problem with it. They were having fun. Good clean fun. (And we loved the fireworks later in the evening - all courtesy of our partying neighbors.) And then we noticed the balloons.

Big balloons. All in the American colors. Red, white and blue. Stars and stripes everywhere. Almost every chair had a few of them tied to the back. Flying in the wind. This new type of flag. My wife and myself looked at each other and laughed. A very typical thing for us - we know each other way too well already! We said it at almost the same time, "I bet you those balloons were made in China!"

She won the right to blog on the "Made in China" joke. I really can't say no to her. But it made me think of China. Again. And on the meaning of being proud of your country. Being a patriot.

And no. It wasn't the "Free Tibet" flags that was made in China that made me think of China. It was my recent chats with a few Chinese in China that made me realize they are very proud of their country. Well, most of them anyway. Wherever I went they told me so. How they love their country and how proud they are of how China is developing. And, of course, the Beijing Olympics. For them the Olympics was about the Chinese people and not the Chinese government. A chance for us to meet China and the Chinese people. For them it was about them and their country. And not their government. I know, the Chinese government really secured the Olympics - not the people. But it still made sense. I know how it felt.

I have always loved my country. And my people. But I wasn't always that proud of my government. The Apartheid government was not a regime to be proud of. Trust me. They weren't. But I always loved my country. The mountains, the rivers, everything. And I really loved my people. It was an easy call. I loved my country. I loved my people. And I still saw myself as a patriot. I would defend my country and my people. But not my government. They were corrupt. In every sense of the word. If they asked me to go to war I would say no. If they asked me to vote in their rigged elections I wouldn't. I would not listen to them and I would not support them in anything. But I would defend my country and my people. In my way. By protesting against the Apartheid regime. By speaking out when ever I got the chance. I would defy them. And challenge them. Because I was a patriot.

Over here in America people are asking the patriotism question. Again. And I am not just talking about Obama. Whether him wearing a flag or not makes him more or less patriotic. Like everyone wears that each day. Go do a Google search on the Mac and see how many times he wears one. Being a vet does not give you a free pass. Or at least I don't think so. But this isn't about Obama. Maybe only in an indirect way. The questions about him being American and being a patriot triggered some initial thoughts. But it isn't about him. No, it's about people who are claiming to be more patriotic than the next.

Supporting the war. That makes you a patriot. Being against gay marriages. That makes you a patriot. Not criticising President Bush. That makes you a patriot. Saying it is okay to hold people without trail and (maybe) torturing them. That makes you a patriot. Being in favour of subsidies for big oil but against universal health care. That makes you a patriot. Being Republican. Being conservative and against liberals. Listening to Rush and Bill. Watching Fox. Pro-flag. Anti-protests. And so on. And so on. It all makes you a patriot.

Or does it?

Were you a patriot if you supported the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII? Or were you a patriot when you tried to speak out against it? Were you a patriot when you supported segregation? Or were you a patriot when you acted against it? Were you a patriot when you lynched blacks and burned crosses and churches all over? Or were you a patriot when you marched against it? Were you a patriot when you supported a war to get rid of weapons of mass destruction? Or were you a patriot when you protested against a war with little evidence to support the claims of the President? Are you a patriot when you support a war no matter what the reasons? Or are you a patriot when you believe you can support the soldiers and still not agree with the war? Are you a patriot when you say other Americans are not American enough because they do not agree with everything you do or say? Or are you a patriot when you say that being an American means celebrating and loving diversity of all kinds - religion, color, languages, political thoughts, food and even stupid bloody movies?

You decide. I am not here to tell you what patriotism means in America. I can only tell you what it means for me as a South African. It means loving my country. Believing in my people. Caring for those around me. Looking after our land and the animals who live there. And speaking out when my government is unjust. Or just plain wrong. They are not my country. They are not my people. They do not stand for what my country stand for. Or at least not what the majority of us want our country to stand for. They are our government. They come and go. The people, the land and the spirit that make us never die. The meaning of being South African never come and go. It is more than the sum of us. It is that intangible meaning of us.

I am a patriotic South African when I disagree with my government when they are wrong. I am a patriot when I speak out against stupid decisions made by my government. I was a patriot when I protested against the government during Apartheid. I am a patriot when I speak out and protest against my government when I believe they are not being true to what we want our country to stand for - freedom, tolerance, equality and celebrating our diversity. And all the other good stuff.

And don't confuse the patriotism bit with loving it or being proud of it. I love my children. But I am not proud of them when they do something wrong. I still love them. I still care for them. Deeply and without question. No less than before. But I also know I have to remind them of the rules. Our rules. Rules of respect, love and hard work. It does not make me less of a dad just because they need to know when I am disappointed with them. I tell them. But I also tell them I love them no less. I love them. I care for them. But I can't always be proud of them. But I can be even more proud of them when they make right what they did wrong. That makes me love them even more. When they hold up their hands and say, "Yeah, I was wrong. Sorry dad."

But driving a car made in Japan? Wearing clothes made in India? Eating food grown in Mexico? Drinking coffee grown in Ethiopia? Buying gas imported from Saudi Arabia? Reading books written by an Englishman? Watching a French movie? Having balloons made in China?

I don't know. I like it when I see something made in South Africa. But I don't buy it just because it is made in South Africa. I buy it (or not) because of many reasons - price, quality, taste, smell, functionality etc. Whatever. I buy it when I can. But I won't buy a SUV just because it was made in South Africa. I'll buy the less thirsty car made wherever.

A patriot. What is it? You decide. Because you make it. You build your country with every decision you make. The easy decisions and the difficult ones. They all count. There is no end. You build it every day. America is different from what it was a 100 years ago. Every single day you are still working on it. Keeping the good bits alive. And turning it into something new and making it relevant for society today. No end game. It's not a game. It a journey. With no end destination. And every step counts. Every person count.

Every American count. Every American equals one brick. And you decide how strong you want this structure called America to be. You place your brick. You make it strong or you make it weak. It isn't easy. And it has never been easy to build this great nation. It wasn't easy to fight the British for independence. It wasn't easy to free the slaves. It wasn't easy to give women voting rights. It wasn't easy to fight in WWII. It wasn't easy to end segregation. It wasn't easy to pull out of Vietnam. But it was the right thing to do.

Are you a patriot? Just wait before you answer. First ask yourself what does it mean to be a patriot? Define it. Look around and ask if this is what your fellow countrymen mean by it? Do you agree with it? What is your America? Happy you got all the info you need? Good. Now answer it. Are you a patriot?

Just don't forget to look in the mirror when you answer.

 This is what happens when you have dirt on the Clinton's:

 1 - James McDougal - Clinton 's convicted Whitewater partner
 died of an apparent heart attack, while in solitary confinement. He
was a key witness in Ken Starr's investigation.

 2 - Mary Mahoney - A former White House intern was murder
July 1997 at a Starbucks Coffee Shop in Georgetown . The murder
happened just after she was to go public with her story of sexual
 harassment in the White House.

 3 - Vince Foster - Former white House councilor, and
 colleague of Hillary Clinton at Little Rock 's Rose Law firm. Died of
 a gunshot wound to the head, ruled a suicide.

 4 - Ron Brown - Secretary of Commerce and former DNC Chairman.
 Reported to have died by impact in a plane crash. A pathologist close
 to the investigation reported that there was a hole in the top of
Brown's skull resembling a gunshot wound. At the ti me of his death
 Brown was being investigated, and spoke publicly of his willingness
to cut a deal with prosecutors.

 5 - C. Victor Raiser II and Montgomery Raiser, Major players in the
 Clinton fund raising organization died in a private plane crash in
July 1992.

6 - Paul Tulley - Democratic National Committee Political
 Director found dead in a hotel room in Little Rock , September 1992...
 Described by Clinton as a "Dear friend and trusted advisor."

 8 - Jerry Parks - Head of Clinton's gubernatorial security tea m in
 Little Rock . Gunned down in his car at a deserted intersection
 outside Little Rock . Park's son said his father was building a
dossier on Clinton . He allegedly threatened to reveal this
 information. After he died the files were mysteriously removed from
 his house.

 9 - James Bunch - Died from a gunshot suicide. It was reported
 that he had a "Black Book" of people which contained names of
  influential people who visited prostitutes in Texas and Arkansas .

 11- Kathy Ferguson , ex-wife of Arkansas Trooper Danny Ferguson, was
 found dead in May 1994, in her living room with a gunshot to her
head. It was ruled a suicide even though there were several packed
suitcases, as if she were going somewhere. Danny Ferguson wa s a
 co-defendant along with Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones lawsuit. Kathy Ferguson was a possible corroborating witness for Paula Jones.
 
12 - Bill Shelton - Arkansas State Trooper and fiancee of Kathy Ferguson . Critical of the suicide ruling of his fiancee, he was found dead in June, 1994 of a gunshot wound also ruled a suicide at
 the grave site of his fiancee.
 

 19 - Jon Parnell Walker - Whitewater investigator for Resolution  Trust Corp. Jumped to his death from his Arlington , Virginia apartment balcony August 15, 1993. He was investigating the Morgan
 Guarantee scandal.

20 - Barbara Wise - Commerce Department staffer. Worked closely
with Ron Brown and John Huang. Cause of death unknown. Died November29, 1996. Her bruised, nude body was found locked in her office at the Department of Commerce.

 21- Charles Meissner - Assistant Secretary of Commerce who gave John Huang special security clearance, died shortly thereafter in a small plane crash.

 24 - Johnny Lawhorn Jr. - Mechanic, found a check made out to Bill Clinton in the trunk of a c ar left at his repair shop. He was found dead after his car had hit a utility pole.
 
25 - Stanley Huggins - Investigated Madison Guarantee. His death was a purported suicide and his report was never released.

 26- Hershell Friday - Attorney and Clinton fund raiser died March 1, 1994 when his plane exploded.

27 - Kevin Ives and Don Henry - Known as "The boys on the track" case. Reports say the boys may have stumbled upon the Mena Arkansas airport drug operation. A controversial case, the initial report of
 death said, due to falling asleep on railroad tracks. Later reports
 claim the two boys had been slain before being placed on the tracks. Many linked to the case died before their testimony could come before a Grand Jury.

 THE FOLLOWING PERSONS HAD INFORMATION ON THE IVES/HENRY CASE:

28 - Keith Coney - Died when his motorcycle slammed into the back of a truck, July 1988.

29 - Keith McMaskle - Died stabbed 113 times, Nov, 1988

30 - Gregory Collins - Died from a gunshot wound January 1989.

 35 - Richard Winters - A suspect in the Ives / Henry deaths. He was
 killed in a set-up robbery July 1989.

THE FOLLOWING CLINTON BODYGUARDS ARE DEAD:

 36 - Major William S. Barkley Jr.

37 - Captain Scott J. Reynolds

 38 - Sgt. Brian Hanley

39 - Sgt. Tim Sabel
 
40 - Major General William Robertson
 
41 - Col. William Densberger

 44 - Steve Willis
 
45 - Robert Williams
 
46 - Conway LeBleu

But wait!  We have the Patriot Acts 1 & 2 to scare those terrorists away!  We have the Military Commissions Act!  The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007, the FISA spying bill, and even the Civil Assistance Plan with Canada and Mexico so that their militaries can be brought here and used in the event of a national emergency….against us!  We have all of these and many more, plus many in the works supposedly to thwart those evil terrorists and to keep us safe from being attacked again……only all these bills are directed at us, not the terrorists.  The only people they have any adverse affect on, is us.  The only people that need to fear these kinds of laws…are the people of the United States.

So if I understand all of this correctly, its ok to attack our communities on the border, to kill or attempt to kill our border agents, to jump the border and enter the country illegally, to assault or kill anyone who interferes with drug cartel free trade and ok to unconstitutionally and illegally extend an invitation to the military of a foreign country to perform active duty on our sovereign soil against us.  But we can’t send an armed military force of our own to patrol and secure that border and defend the communities along that border. 

Strange, but I thought all this unconstitutional legislation and dictatorial power given to el presidente was to keep us safe from things like this.  Isn’t that the excuse given for why we should willingly give up our civil liberties?  Why spy agencies are now spying on American citizens? Why the FBI is compiling personal dossiers on every person?  Why Homeland Security wants us all tagged like cattle and why they are compiling lists of American citizens deemed to be “suspect” for speaking out? 

The military police can be called in for a flood but not for a war on our southern border? 

Isn’t it strange that during the recent flooding in Iowa, “military police” were patrolling the streets in full riot gear armed with assault weapons, and making it apparent that this was a test run of martial law and few took note of this?  I guess Iowans should be thankful that Blackwater or CACI wasn’t called in. 

As the war on the border escalates, I can only assume that the drug lords are joyously celebrating the construction of the NAFTA highway that will cut up through the heartland of the country giving them unfettered access.  No wonder they are so adamant about maintaining their free trade status.  Personally, I think they should form corporations which would give them expanded access to our government, allow them to lobby and pay for laws they want passed to benefit their free trading.  Instead of meeting resistance at the border while plying their drug trade, el presidente could order our military to the border to make sure the drugs are brought across safely, ensuring the drug, free trade policy operates as smoothly as possible.  After all, our military is used to wage wars for oil cartels…..why not drug cartels?

Is this any less ludicrous than what is actually happening?  How screwed up do things have to get?

The idea that our government has entered into agreements with foreign governments against the legal citizens of the United States, just in case we get really pissed off and actually stand up and demand the corruption ends, should have had all of us storming the streets and should have seen many members of congress and the Bush administration jailed for treason.  The idea that this agreement was entered into, illegally, and is accepted and condoned if only by the silence from congress, while our entire southern border is under siege and left undefended is untenable. 

What about this phony “War on Terror”?  If the situation on our southern border is not terrorist activity…..what is it?  United States citizens are being attacked and/or killed.  Our border patrol is being attacked and/or killed.  And all of this by criminals whose intent is to sell drugs in our communities or kill us trying.  Sound like terrorism to you?

If this situation points out no other thing, it surely has to be that the “War on Terror” is really a “war OF Terror” brought to you courtesy of your own government.   While American citizens are threatened with military force for dissenting, protesting, speaking out or otherwise opposing this fascist regime that has taken control of our country, Mexican drug lords are attacking our border and its citizens without fear of reprisal. 

I find it odd that our National Guard can be sent all the way to the other side of the world to fight a previously non-existent enemy for a non-existent crime; they can bomb, shoot, set fire to, blow up, mow down and in a thousand different ways eradicate an entire indigenous population because they refused to let multi-national oil cartels raid their oil deposits and no one seems to think there is anything wrong with this.  But we can’t take the same National Guard units, arm them and put them on our border to defend it from drug traffickers and illegal entry into this country of millions of opportunists.

Let’s get this straight.  There is no War on Terror!  There is only a war against you and me and every other citizen of this country that has been the focus of every rights robbing piece of legislation, every instance of the failure of government to act to protect us.  We are the “terrorists” referred to.  We are the intended recipients of military force, of martial law, as we are the people that represent a threat to this government.

If you think this situation is out of control now, just wait till that NAFTA highway divides our country and provides a route straight into Canada. 

© 2008 Marti Oakley

Ask any old-timer at the Department of Foreign Affairs and you'll learn, not in whispers, how there has existed , for the longest time, the 'other DFA' where authentic, but fake Philippine passports can be had sat prices ranging from P5,00 to P15,000, complete with all the official trimmings.

How is this possible? Unless a miracle of miracles has taken place overnight, the proliferation of fake authentic passports continues to be a cottage industry, thanks to the 'established' passport spoilage allowance (read:quota) of 70 passports per day. 70, not 69, but 70.

And this allocation is 'dutifully' achieved each day, except Saturdays and Subdays, of course, with the DFA continuously using not organic but 'project-basis' employees who do the 'highly-technical' task of beautifully writing in script form such passport entries as required by law, given that the security-sewn' passports are "protected" against forgery and such.

This holds as well even for the brand new 'machine-readable' passports!

It is also no surprise that the eminent ambassador Lauro Baja, with his wife touting his "imblemished" record on the foreign service, is expressing "shock" over the "lies,all lies."

And surely they will not allow anyone, much less a 'maid' to besmirch their reputation and that of their New York-based and family-owned Labaire Interrnational Travel. Address: 60 E 42nd St Rm 758, New York, NY 10165-0703, United States

Such cannot be allowed lest it impact negatively on Labaire's 'preferred status' as travel services provider at the DFA. Never mind questions about conflict of interest, right?

So now the Bajas are preparing to protect their good name and will sue poor Marichu Suarez Baoanan.

By the way, no less than a former high-ranking (superior to Baja) foreign affairs official had called Malacanang's attention several years back about rampant talk revealing Mr. Baja's alleged wheelings-and-dealings.

But nothing came out of it except that the good ambassador being promoted to a higher, though non-existent office at the head office in the old Asian Development Bank building.

* Labour's would-be candidate for the Glasgow East by-election failed to attend the selection meeting and dropped out, leaving the party without a candidate. Word is that his past nationalistic tendencies would prove embarrassing: the SNP are the main challenger in this safe Labour seat.

* Shadow Chancellor Gideon George Osborne has denied breaking his party's rules by accepting ten grand for appearing at the conference of the Institute of Directors. He's refusing to give the money back...

* Back in the confusing world of Scottish Labour politics, Margaret Curran, a member of the Scottish parliament, is tipped to be Labour's candidate for the British parliament. This is particularly problematic - in the past, Labour made much of the SNP's Alex Salmond being a member of both parliaments...

* The Tories have adopted a modified verson of the Scottish and Welsh nationalists' proposals for tacking the soaring cost of fuel. The difference? Plaid Cymru and the Scottish Nationalists want a fuel price regulator, the Tories want a fuel price stabiliser. It's a matter of branding...

What was Donald Rumsfeld doing before he collaborated with George Bush and Dick Cheney to invade and destroy Iraq (and the US economy and military in the process?)

As CEO of G.D. Searle, he pimped for a chemical called "aspartame."

For eight years, even the highly corrupt FDA refused to certify aspartame as safe because it produced seizures and brain tumors in lab animals.

Then Ronald Reagan became president and removed the FDA commissioner who was blocking its acceptance.

Rumsfeld's company followed up by presenting the FDA "new and improved" studies showing the additive to be safe. The data presented was later proven to have been falsified.

Sound familiar?

Yes, very familiar.

It's another to promise one thing to Senator McCain regarding fund raising and then go back on your word, isn't it? These things are troubling. Very, very troubling.

The best story comes out of Aspen, Colorado from The Aspen Times... this morning. Don't miss this read! The last few grafs are priceless. I hate to be the spoiler, but the writer Addison Garner nails it:

"...Sen. Obama, Abraham Lincoln had it right: “You cannot fool all the people all the time.” You cannot take a vow of pubic-finance piety — then give us a head-fake — and grab the bundled corporate cash. Voters notice.

Nor can you ignite a wall of racial animus, dance behind the flames, and then claim that your true mission is one of American unity and “post-racial” reconciliation. We hear you, Sen. Obama; but, increasingly, we also see you.

Don’t polish that presidential seal prematurely..."

There is also the no small matter of your forged Birth Certificate? It's only a tad alarming, to any thinking voter. No, make that VERY alarming. Where is your REAL Birth Certificate? And, it certainly is audacious to think you could hope your way through this one now, no? It seems to me that our Government ought to intervene on this. Something seems wrong, doesn't it? And since when is it up to a blogger to produce a document for you?

Over at Stop-Obama.org they have this up regarding the "Birth Certificate" matter.

Funny, The DNC sent a fundraising letter. It arrived yesterday. But, you aren't getting one cent. Not a cent. Hillary Clinton was our candidate of choice, not you. You aren't going to get any money and you aren't going to get support, or our votes around here. Even the wording in the letter was bogus. I quote from your letter:

"We're the party of a man who told us the only thing we had to fear was fear itself; and who faced down fascism and liberated a continent from tryanny"

Well, I think that is going to happen. John McCain is going to LIBERATE us from YOU! He will!

You see, you've tried to pull off some very strange things in this election, already. Haven't you?

Why didn't you stick to what you told John McCain about financing? It's not as if the public hasn't noticed, is it? Or how about the FEC? How about the FEC and all the things that happened this year, especially when it was "on shut down." Maybe we ought to refresh our memory over at Democracy21.org, and then watch a little film on all of this, no? Concerned Americans want to know more about your involvement regarding this whole issue, don't we?

Perhaps we should revisit something that the head of Democracy21.org said back in 1999, from the NYT:

A New Form of Soft Money Belies Much Talk of Reform

''...The problem with these PAC's is their Cayman Islands quality,'' said Fred Wertheimer, the president of Democracy 21, a public policy organization here. ''Secret, unlimited money is about as dangerous as you can get in American politics in terms of corrupting the system.''

Larry Makinson, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, said that nobody knew how many soft-money PAC's were in operation in individual states by Senate and House members.

''This is a completely invisible, brand new area of fund-raising,'' Mr. Makinson said..."

See, the whole problem a lot of us are having? It's all about your CHARACTER! You thought people were just going to love your little hopey, unity, message didn't you?

Except, no, what we wanted to see this year was CHARACTER! In the candidates for President of the United States. Because it COUNTS! So do ETHICS, don't they?

You know, you seem FAUX and McCain seems GREAT! to this now ex-Democrat.

Here is an article from the NYT on McCain! From 2007! I know who I'm going to vote for now, strictly on CHARACTER, after what you pulled on Hillary Clinton, what you have pulled in terms of fundraising, how you broke your word to John McCain, how you allowed a forged Birth Certificate to appear in the web, and made a cheesy PRESIDENTIAL SEAL way in advance of even being named a nominee in Denver.

Don't expect any unity from this voter, EVER! McCain will get my vote. Here is why:

The Character Factor

McCain HAS IT! -- read the op-ed by David Brooks:

"...Telling the truth is a skill. Those who don’t do it habitually lose the ability, but McCain is well-practiced and has the capacity to face unpleasant truths. While other conservatives failed to see how corporations were insinuating themselves into their movement, McCain went after Boeing contracts. While others failed to see the rising tide of corruption around them, McCain led the charge against Jack Abramoff. While others ignored the spending binge, McCain was among the fiscal hawks.

There have been occasions when McCain compromised his principles for political gain, but he was so bad at it that it always backfired. More often, he is driven by an ancient sense of honor, which is different from fame and consists of the desire to be worthy of the esteem of posterity..."

And, this was interesting. It's kind of a strange choice of colors for the menu selection isn't it?

Funny, just how are you going to let your biggest meanest supporter get her "greasy fix" all cooked up out of those things when you have no plans to serve fried things. Let's try and dream up a menu for the DNC.

"...The Democratic guidelines say every meal should be nutritious and include "at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, purple/blue and white..."

Let's see:

You could have guacamole and salsa cruda on blue corn chips with sour cream.

You could have yellow cornbread, grits, collard greens, baby purple potatoes and sliced tomatoes.

You could have a really large white cake, with artificial frosting colors, no? That would be so faux real and surreal at the same time. But first? Maybe you better get going on that Birth Certificate deal. especially before you declare yourself the nominee like you did in that letter that just came, no?

It's not nice to try and pull a fast one on all of us former Hillary Clinton supporters. We call ourselves P.U.M.A., in case you haven't heard.

Recent revelations about scores of no-bid contracts and sweetheart land deals being given to friends and contributors of Prince George's County County Executive Jack B. Johnson, along with similar cronyism being uncovered in Baltimore City by the state prosecutor's investigation of Mayor Sheila Dixon, show that it's time for the feds to step in and send a pubic corruption tax force to the Unfree State.

The Washington Post's excellent expose today about Johnson and the sweetheart deals meted out to his cronies, shed some light on a hidden world where campaign donations appear to guarantee development projects to neophyte developers and keep many million-dollar projects from ever being submitted to the required bidding process.

The potential and real, public corruption in Maryland has reached epidemic proportions, clearly beyond the scope of a small state prosecutor's office and the regular contingent of the state's current FBI office. It's time to call in the cavalry, which is a function of the federal government I fully support.

Such a federal public corruption task force was formed to root out crooked dealings in Northern Virgina, and it's high time that our Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley recognize the crisis, put aside partisanship -- and ask for help now!

What do you think?

Copyright © 2008 UnfreeState.com
All rights reserved.

Now, if many of us have bothered to think beyond the sound bytes and half-baked analyses that we have been offered about "corruption", "violence" and "crime", we should already know that NONE of these systems and practices are possible, nor can they succeed to the extent they have, without the active participation of the private sector. This is a truism everywhere.

In other words, Government's specialty is losing the documents; the private sector specializes in hiding the money.

But we are so afraid to speak out, so afraid to call names, so afraid to name things as they are, because we know that the REAL power of politicians lies in the relationships they have cultivated with the movers and shakers in private sector. When we don't ask in whose interests the politicians are working, we are also acquiescing to the power of the forces behind the scene, but in plain sight. It is (heterogeneous) THEY who bring in the guns, who sit and conspire at their poolsides, strip clubs and via I-Phones about who needs to be eliminated, paid off, taken care of, in literal and metaphoric terms.

We KNOW that when persons like JUTC's Chambers is gunned down in broad daylight, it is far more likely that his death was orchestrated by a businessowner or a board member than a former bus driver. We KNOW this, but can't say it, won't say it, and certainly won't investigate the possibility.

This is where our real problem is. This is what the Police Commissioner knows, the Prime Minister knows, the Minister of Justice knows. That our problem is not government, or only government. Its how the State has become a pawn of the business class. Its the silence that helps such a parasitic relationship to fester and take over. A friend once said to me that we often characterize, mistakenly, fascism as something that WAS of the past. What we can't see before our faces is a new form of fascism: the rise of the corporate state. There is still much to be said and understood about this feature of our society. At the end of the day, the waste that we imagine and hear quoted in millions of dollars is really treasure for someone. We would rather not ask for whom, even as we watch and exult in the excesses of elite life and the spoils of class warfare.

So, reading between the lines of the editorial, I found some familiar (and highly successful) discursive strategies, designed to distract the public and muddy up the picture so that we, the uneducated consuming classes, won't know our head from our ass by the time the PSOJ is done with us.

Let me illustrate using the text (in red) of the editorial:

It might have been overenthusiasm or Mr Shaw might have been trying to show Mr Moreno how tough he was on non-tax compliance, but the minister said these words:

"Customs has been a hotbed of corruption and Mr PSOJ president, I am going to be blunt, it is a hotbed of corruption because private sector importers themselves are participating along with customs officers and customs brokers in robbing the treasury of vitally needed money to run the country."

In other words, Shaw, finding himself before such awesome powerful figures of the PSOJ, nearly pissed in his pants because he was so dazzled by the brightness of the light bouncing off the skins of the local lords and the shiny glassware, he wanted to show that he could talk TOO. He could say something of worth TOO. He was not just a monkey on strings, he could be blunt TOO.

Mr Shaw started out on good grounds. Nearly every Jamaican who is not a tax dodger, agrees with him that too many people are not paying their taxes.

Mr. Shaw really needed to stay on the general path and not get into particulars. Not point fingers but wave the hand. He needed to follow the code that says when "too many people" are not doing something, that means "the masses", of which we the PSOJ, are not. We are not even people, we are the private sector. No people, just jargon and buildings and transactions and forums and policy.

That is one of the reasons for the heavy burden on those who are forced to pay their taxes through the Pay As You Earn, or PAYE system, where the tax is deducted before the pay packet reaches the hands of the employee.

You see, we need to keep people's eyes on the problem. The GOVERNMENT. Income tax. The plight of the working person. It is them who are suffering as a result of a GOVERNMENT that love to tax people. Remember, we are not people, we just hire them and speak for them. And then give the employers a hell of a time to figure out how to set up our payroll and allow them to collect these taxes. All this thing is just headache. When you start making "the private sector" sound like part of the people, you also saying that we should be paying that tax too. And we not paying no tax. We helping the government, just remember that!

In any event, a small country like Jamaica cannot sustain such high levels of non-payment of taxes and still expect to meet all the pressing needs of the country, such as good schools, roads, hospitals, delivery of potable water and the like.

Yes, it is about economies of scale, and GDP, and infrastructure, globalization and what and what and what. None of this have anything to do with "the private sector", you know. This is about GOVERNMENT. It is about a backward people who just don't want to pay taxes. We "the private sector" don't drive on government funded roads with our big trucks for our businesses and SUV's for our leisure, or send our children to schools built with government subsidies or taught by teachers trained by government-funded institutions, or get sick and go to hospitals and get special treatment staffed by government-funded persons, or take hot showers with government-subsidized infrastructure etc. etc. etc.

The minister, quite correctly, quantified it an astounding $59 billion in total tax arrears, without interests and penalties, with the bulk owed being corporate income taxes.

"Sixty-eight per cent of those arrears are held by people.falling within the corporate income tax section," said Mr Shaw. Overall tax compliance, he said, was not encouraging. GCT at 65 per cent compliance was the best performing tax group. "Every other tax type is below 50 per cent and the worst of all tax types is corporate income tax," he disclosed.

Yes, tell us the numbers, Audley. Just don't attach the numbers to the bodies or persons in this room. Try yuh best, please. You treading on dangerous waters now, sah!

Where Mr Shaw loses us is in not taking the care to not leave the impression that every single business person in this country is robbing the treasury.

Oh, Audley, what have you done, what have you done. We give you nice lunch and big yuh up, and now you come tell us that we are the problem. That we "the private sector" should be doing something rather than this smoking mirrors dance of big words, big speeches, and pointing fingers at the government. Look bwoy, we nuh put JLP inna power fi yuh come tell we seh we owe yuh nutt'n. Is you owe we, memba dat! We did not give you food and a podium for you to come and tell us that we are part of the problem. Ungrateful bastard!

Had Mr Shaw consulted with his PR people before making that speech, they would have edited out that section and saved him the embarrassment of himself and his Government.

But hear yah?! Shaw, me neva tell yuh seh fi call Butch Stewart fi get di speech? Is wha' dis yah foolishness yuh a come wid? How yuh hard a hearing so? Eh! Yuh tink yuh a big shot now? Mr. Finance Minister, yuh tink yuh reach now? Wha' yuh tink dis is? Bwoy, yuh figget yuhself? Wait till I tell Brucie wha' yuh come yah an' gwa'n wid? Yuh mus a figget yusself, ah mus dat.

In this regard, the concern expressed by the PSOJ president, Mr Chris Zacca, and the president of the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica (CBFFAJ), Mr Christopher Kennedy, is quite understandable.

Unnu 'ear wha' di bwoy Audley a gw'an wid? Yuh nuh ear? Bwoy, smaddy affi deal wid dat! Dat cya'an gwa'an. No sah! Kenno, yuh w'an dweet? No, sah, yuh gwa'an deal wid dat. Me g'ahn a Lime Cay an' Ochi an Cayman an me na'a come back till mont' en' when di next shipment suppose fi come. How dat look? Nuh too bad, y' know. It a'right still...

But that is a problem we face in this country. Instead of facing those who are guilty, there is a tendency to reach for the broad brush and paint everyone in the same worthless colour. No one needs us to tell him or her how desperately demoralising this practice can be.

I see that, centuries later, these people have not learned that THEY are worthless and stupid and different from US, and that WE tell them what they should do, think and say. It is desperately depressing to have to teach this lesson over and over again. When will they ever learn? Don't they realize that we have better things to do? There is land to conquer with hotels and casinos; there is money to be made from dead bodies lying around. This persistent desire to make US seem no different from THEM is just mind-boggling. I know that WE have changed our names many times over the centuries. But surely THEY know that WE are "the private sector" and that when THEY say things like this that it causes much consternation? Don't they know that WE will punish THEM for speaking without permission? It seems some things never change.

Moreover, Mr Shaw must understand that he is dealing with a problem that has plagued every administration since tax collection began. To solve that one is going to take only the most creative approach, in order to pull everyone into the tax net.

It seems that my dear Mr. Shaw has not been reading his history books. WE don't pay taxes, we collect them. At the very least, we will not be disciplined by any government, even one that we purchased, telling us, insulting us, by suggesting that we are part of this "everyone". WE are the PRIVATE SECTOR! It is "everyone" who needs to be told what to do with their money, and we need to ensure that "everyone" is indeed milked and squeezed dry. No matter how we despise government, this is one thing that government can do very well. This one just needs more practice.

He needs to sit quietly with all the players and work, work and work until a solution is found. Not run off at the mouth. If Mr Shaw already has a PR practitioner, he should know what to do with him.

It seems as if WE "the private sector" need to remind Mr. Shaw that he has a specific job, and none of it includes speaking to us in language or tone that we did not approve beforehand. He is the cowdriver; he is to whip up as many workgroups, committees, taskforces, conferences, proposals, white papers and what have you, and keep himself busy with all the paper and email that we send his way until we have need of him. Please dispatch a courier immediately to apprise him of his role. Yes, our very reliable and dependable press is ready and waiting to do this job. WE the PRIVATE SECTOR have spoken. So let it be.

...... Oops, sorry, for a moment there I forgot how the mobsters who run most U.S. corporations respond to adversity.  What will really happen is they'll appeal this ruling and retaliate with even greater vengeance and immediacy against any employee who doesn't "go along" with their criminal mandates.

Anyway here's the ruling:

Plaintiff Awarded $46 Million Dollar Verdict in Retaliation Case

An Ohio jury recently awarded the largest verdict in Ohio history -- $46.7 million -- to a man who they said was wrongfully fired last year. 

Ronald Luri, 55, accused Republic Services Inc. of retaliation and of forging documents critical of his job performance after he refused to fire three of his employees -- all about 60 years old -- on the grounds that such actions would constitute age-discrimination.

The jury awarded Luri $3.5 million as compensation for his lost wages as general manager of Republic's Cleveland division, and $43.1 million in punitive damages as punishment for the company's treatment of Luri.

The jury also ordered Republic to pay Luri's attorneys' fees, which could run into the millions of dollars and will be determined by Judge Bridget McCafferty.

Several of the jurors said they were especially dismayed by testimony of evidence-tampering and actions taken by Luri's superiors to prevent him from obtaining new employment in the Cleveland area after his firing.

Even after Luri was fired on April 27, 2007, he didn't file the wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit until after Republic enforced a one-year non-compete clause that prevented him from working at a local competitor.  The jurors reportedly felt that the company blocked every opportunity for the plaintiff to get another job and left with with little choice but to sue.

Reportedly, the jurors said the key piece of evidence was an email penned by the plaintiff's boss.  The Plaintiff presented a computer expert who found that Bowen had post-dated the memo and added two paragraphs critical of the Plaintiff's job performance two weeks after he filed the lawsuit.

Republic is in the process of a merger that will make it the second largest waste-collection company in the country. It employs 13,000 workers in 21 states, and had $3.2 billion in revenue last year.

It's hardly an anniversary many will register, but last week marked 30 years since President Jimmy Carter authorised the first covert CIA operations against the government of Afghanistan.

By backing the anti-Communist mujahideen and creating civil unrest, the plan was to provoke a Soviet invasion and thus, in the words of Carter's adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, "[give] the Soviet Union its Vietnam War".

History records this Cold War gamble paid off. But the laws of unintended consequences have also meant that 30 years on we're still living with its legacy.

The "warlords" who inherited the ruins of Afghanistan after the Soviet army began pulling out 10 years later in turn provoked the reactionary extremism of the Taliban. The ensuing fundamentalist Islamic state became a refuge for bin Laden and al Qaeda . September 11 provoked another invasion, this time by the US and its western allies. Seven years on we are hearing the familiar comparisons with Vietnam all over again.

Overall, civilian deaths are at their highest since the start of the war and military casualties, while not as bad as in Iraq in terms of sheer numbers, are rising. Pakistan now harbours something like 1.5 million Afghan refugees. The opium trade is back in business. The Afghan army remains inept and untrained. Iraq has drained American and Nato military resources.

Coalition troop deaths in Afghanistan surpass Iraq

• May and June death tolls for foreign troops were higher in Afghanistan than Iraq
• 46 U.S. and allied troops died in Afghanistan in June; 31 in Iraq
• Afghan deaths included troops from U.S., U.K., Canada, Poland, Romania, Hungary
• Same trend seen with civilian deaths, analysts say

(CNN) -- For the second month in a row, U.S. and allied troop deaths in the Afghan war have surpassed those in Iraq, according to official figures tallied by CNN.

In June, 46 foreign troops died in Afghanistan and 31 troops died in Iraq. In May, 23 foreign troops died in Afghanistan and 21 died in Iraq.

A Pentagon report issued last week about Afghanistan said that security in many areas of the country is regarded as "fragile" and that Taliban militants have regrouped into a "resilient insurgency" after the Taliban was toppled from power in 2001.

June was the deadliest month for foreign troops in Afghanistan since the conflict there began in 2001. Twenty-eight Americans, 13 Britons, two Canadians, one Pole, one Romanian and one Hungarian died in Afghanistan. The latest deaths were three American troops who died in a vehicle rollover while on patrol in Kandahar province.

Afghanistan: Airstrikes kill civilians

• U.S. airstrikes hit Nuristan province in Afghanistan on Friday
• Provincial governor says strikes killed 22 civilians, including 1 woman, 1 child
• U.S. says strikes hit two vehicles carrying insurgents

US, NATO deaths in Afghanistan pass Iraq toll

Afghan Civilian Casualty Rates

A Dossier on Civilian Victims of United States' Aerial Bombing of Afghanistan:

Karzai orders probe into deadly U.S. strike

• Afghan president orders inquiry into allegations 15 civilians killed in U.S. strike
• In second strike local officials said coalition bombing killed 23 in wedding party
• Karzai has stepped up pressure on his U.S. allies to take more precautions

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered an inquiry into allegations that 15 civilians were killed in a U.S. military strike targeting militants.

UN figures reveal 62% rise in Afghan civilian deaths

The number of civilians killed in Afghanistan has risen by almost two-thirds in the first half of the year compared with 2007, UN figures showed today.

The figures, which reveal that almost 700 civilians have died, show that the instability and violence afflicting the country are taking an increasing toll on ordinary Afghans.

John Holmes, the UN's humanitarian affairs chief, said a recent increase in militant attacks was making it increasingly difficult to deliver emergency aid.

"The humanitarian situation is clearly affected and made worse by the ongoing conflict in different parts of the country," he said in Kabul.

"Most of these casualties are caused by the insurgents, who seem to have no regard for civilian life, but there are also still significant numbers caused by the international military forces."

The hearts and minds of those we are trying to save, die from the good intentions the Bush Message sends every day.

Send More Troops To Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (CBS News) ― Grappling with a record death toll in an overshadowed war, President Bush promised Wednesday to send more U.S. troops into Afghanistan by year's end. He conceded that June was a "tough month" in the nearly 7-year-old war.

In fact, it was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the conflict began.

"One reason why there have been more deaths is because our troops are taking the fight to a tough enemy, an enemy who doesn't like our presence there because they don't like the idea of America denying safe haven (to terrorists)," Mr. Bush told reporters Wednesday. "Of course there's going to be resistance."

Mr. Bush said it was a tough month too for the Taliban fighters. The former ruling Islamic militants have rebounded with deadly force since their overthrow 6½ years ago by U.S.-led troops.    "We're going to increase troops by 2009," Mr. Bush said, without offering details of exactly when or how many.

It amounted to a reiteration by Mr. Bush of a promised buildup of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. He said coalition forces have doubled in size over two years and pledged that the twin strategy of fighting extremists and supporting Afghanistan's civil development "is going to work."

The more Bush pledges, the more Bush promises, the more Messages Bush sends dig us deeper into the body count ...  The message the world has heard since 9/11 is that the USA has devolved into the evil empire.  The seeds of resentment, hate and conflict have been sewed by the USA since WWI.  That was when the US started picking up where British Imperialism left off.  Using better euphamisms, the US has embedded its influence across the world with the similar manipulation techniques used by Britain.  It is all about creating a monopoly for resources and commerce.  Body count becomes incidental.

Any promises Bush makes at this point is so moot it would be comical had Bozo the Clown not passed away recently.   Bozo actually reincarnated before his passing.

The only problem is Bush has the personality of

SHANGHAI (AFP) — A US citizen has been released from jail in China after serving 10 years of a 16-year term for violating tax laws, a US official and rights groups said Thursday.

Jude Shao was released from a Shanghai jail on parole on Wednesday, a US embassy spokeswoman in Beijing, Diane Sovereign, told AFP.

"US ambassador Clark Randt has spoken to Shao by telephone, confirming and welcoming his release from prison," she said.

Shao's case had drawn the attention of the US government at the highest level, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other top US diplomats repeatedly calling for his release, she said.

"We welcome this development and urge China to continue to make progress on other prisoner cases and issues of domestic and international concern, such as those raised at our recent human rights dialogue," the spokeswoman said.

Shao was arrested in 1998 and convicted of tax evasion in March 2000 when his 16-year sentence was handed down, according to the www.freejudeshao.com, a website set up by his former classmates at Stanford Business School.

The naturalised US citizen born in China was convicted of underpaying 119,000 dollars in value added taxes and evading 253,000 dollars in sales taxes.

Shao, reportedly 46, maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal and had cited numerous procedural irregularities in his trial and conviction, the website said.

During his trial, he was denied access to the seized records he needed to defend himself and was not allowed to meet with his attorney until 10 days before trial, it said.

His real "crime" was likely that he refused to pay bribes to Shanghai officials, it said.

His case has widely been seen as evidence of widespread human rights violations in China.

According to the website, six Chinese legal scholars had reviewed the case and found serious violations of due process.

Besides the US government and a long list of US Congressmen, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and California Senator Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco-based rights group the Dui Hua Foundation has also worked for Shao's release.

"Jude Shao's release reflects the hard work over many years of his Stanford Business School classmates and the US government, in particular President Bush, who repeatedly raised his case with Chinese President Hu Jintao," Dui Hua director John Kamm said.

"His parole comes days after Secretary Condoleezza Rice's visit to Beijing and six weeks after the resumption of the US-China dialogue on human rights," he said in a statement.

Dui Hua is a foundation that seeks to work with the Chinese government in an effort to release prisoners of conscience, political prisoners and other people believed to be unjustly jailed in China.

China's foreign ministry refused to comment on the details of the case or respond to questions on whether Shao was released due to pressure from the United States.

"I am not clear about the details of this particular case, but in principle China is a nation ruled by law and this case was handled in accordance with the law," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

- AFP: US prisoner freed after 10 years in China prison: US embassy

https://cid-1aa26630dccde52d.skydrive.live.com/

This is the U.S. on drugs
Only cops and crooks have benefited from $2.5 trillion spent fighting trafficking.

David W. Fleming and James P. Gray | July 5, 2008

The United States' so-called war on drugs brings to mind the old saying that if you find yourself trapped in a deep hole, stop digging. Yet, last week, the Senate approved an aid package to combat drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America, with a record $400 million going to Mexico and $65 million to Central America.

The United States has been spending $69 billion a year worldwide for the last 40 years, for a total of $2.5 trillion, on drug prohibition -- with little to show for it. Is anyone actually benefiting from this war? Six groups come to mind.

The first group are the drug lords in nations such as Colombia, Afghanistan and Mexico, as well as those in the United States. They are making billions of dollars every year -- tax free.

The second group are the street gangs that infest many of our cities and neighborhoods, whose main source of income is the sale of illegal drugs.

Third are those people in government who are paid well to fight the first two groups. Their powers and bureaucratic fiefdoms grow larger with each tax dollar spent to fund this massive program that has been proved not to work.

Fourth are the politicians who get elected and reelected by talking tough -- not smart, just tough -- about drugs and crime. But the tougher we get in prosecuting nonviolent drug crimes, the softer we get in the prosecution of everything else because of the limited resources to fund the criminal justice system.

The fifth group are people who make money from increased crime. They include those who build prisons and those who staff them. The prison guards union is one of the strongest lobbying groups in California today, and its ranks continue to grow.

And last are the terrorist groups worldwide that are principally financed by the sale of illegal drugs.

Who are the losers in this war? Literally everyone else, especially our children.

Today, there are more drugs on our streets at cheaper prices than ever before. There are more than 1.2 million people behind bars in the U.S., and a large percentage of them for nonviolent drug usage. Under our failed drug policy, it is easier for young people to obtain illegal drugs than a six-pack of beer. Why? Because the sellers of illegal drugs don't ask kids for IDs. As soon as we outlaw a substance, we abandon our ability to regulate and control the marketing of that substance.

After we came to our senses and repealed alcohol prohibition, homicides dropped by 60% and continued to decline until World War II. Today's murder rates would likely again plummet if we ended drug prohibition.

So what is the answer? Start by removing criminal penalties for marijuana, just as we did for alcohol. If we were to do this, according to state budget figures, California alone would save more than $1 billion annually, which we now spend in a futile effort to eradicate marijuana use and to jail nonviolent users. Is it any wonder that marijuana has become the largest cash crop in California?

We could generate billions of dollars by taxing the stuff, just as we do with tobacco and alcohol.

We should also reclassify most Schedule I drugs (drugs that the federal government alleges have no medicinal value, including marijuana and heroin) as Schedule II drugs (which require a prescription), with the government regulating their production, overseeing their potency, controlling their distribution and allowing licensed professionals (physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc.) to prescribe them. This course of action would acknowledge that medical issues, such as drug addiction, are best left under the supervision of medical doctors instead of police officers.

The mission of the criminal justice system should always be to protect us from one another and not from ourselves. That means that drug users who drive a motor vehicle or commit other crimes while under the influence of these drugs would continue to be held criminally responsible for their actions, with strict penalties. But that said, the system should not be used to protect us from ourselves.

Ending drug prohibition, taxing and regulating drugs and spending tax dollars to treat addiction and dependency are the approaches that many of the world's industrialized countries are taking. Those approaches are ones that work.

Bush-Cheney Crony Got Iraq Oil Deal

Jason Leopold | July 6, 2008

Ray Hunt, the Texas oil man who landed a controversial oil production deal with Iraq’s Kurdistan regional government, has enjoyed close political and business ties with Vice President Dick Cheney dating back a decade – and to the Bush family since the 1970s.

Despite those longstanding connections – and Hunt’s work for George W. Bush as a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board – the Bush administration expressed surprise when Hunt Oil signed the agreement last September.

At that time, administration officials said Hunt Oil’s deal with the Kurds jeopardized delicate negotiations among competing Iraqi sects and regions for sharing oil revenues, talks seen as vital for achieving national reconciliation.

“I know nothing about the deal,” President Bush said. “To the extent that it does undermine the ability for the government to come up with an oil revenue sharing plan that unifies the country, obviously if it undermines it I’m concerned.”

However, on July 2, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released documents showing that senior administration officials were aware that Hunt was negotiating with the Kurdistan government and even offered him encouragement.

Hunt also personally alerted Bush’s PFIAB about his oil company’s confidential contacts with Kurdish representatives.

In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-California, committee chairman, complained that the administration’s comments last year were “misleading.”

“Documents obtained by the Committee indicate that contrary to the denials of Administration officials, advisors to the President and officials in the State and Commerce Departments knew about Hunt Oil’s interest in the Kurdish region months before the contract was executed,” Waxman wrote.

Waxman said the Hunt-Kurdish case also raised questions about the veracity of similar administration denials about its role in arranging more recent contracts between Iraq and major U.S. and multinational oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP and Chevron.

Plus, there’s the longstanding suspicion that oil was a principal, though unstated, motive behind the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, which sits on the world’s second-largest oil reserves.

Administration officials – and much of the mainstream U.S. media – have ridiculed the oil motive charge as a conspiracy theory.

Oil Deals

But many of the oil companies now stepping forward to benefit from Iraqi oil were instrumental in both supporting Bush’s political career and giving advice to Cheney’s secretive energy task force in 2001.

For instance, Ray Hunt’s personal relationship with the Bush family dates back to the 1970s as Hunt, the chief of Dallas-based Hunt Oil, helped build the Te