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December 2007

Forget the debates, draw up a list of pertinent questions and make them answer. Example: see this format in action with candidate John Edwards

After the recent Hillary Clinton debacle on her support of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's proposal to issue New York State Drivers' Licenses to illegal aliens where Hillary Clinton flipped-flopped more than an out-of-water fish on a boat deck, one hopes that there would be a better way to determine what candidates believe.

Here is a recent demonstration of a format that seems to have real promise in assisting the voters to determine where a candidate stands on any given issue. In this interview with YouTube.com we see presidential candidate asked a series of questions and his answers. It is a stark no-frills format with no ambiguous questions.

To his credit, Edwards does a credible job even though many would not agree with his answers relative to citizenship for illegal aliens, government-mandated healthcare or his obvious denial of your Second Amendment rights by confusing the right to own and bear arms with a privilege to own and bear arms.

The general questions can be easily  categorized as in this example.

War in Iraq Did you originally vote to go to war in Iraq?
Do you now support the war in Iraq?
Do you believe in an immediate pullout of troops?
Economy Do you favor higher taxes?
Do you favor higher taxes for the rich?
Do you believe illegal aliens should be given free access to non-emergency healthcare? To education? To social services?
Do you believe in outsourcing?
Human Rights Do you believe illegal aliens should be given the rights of citizens?
Do you believe illegal aliens should
Privacy Do you believe in the right to anonymity?
Do you believe in the right to privacy?
Global Warming Do you believe in global warming?
Do you believe an international commission should set and enforce the standards?
Do you believe that the United States should allow any foreign commission to control the United States economy by setting emission limits?
Your Category Here... Your Question Here...

The moderator would combine the questions that have been submitted to the "questioning authority" under the auspices of a candidate's representative, representatives of  the opposing candidate's team and three well-informed public members who are not political partisans (or ringers).

The purpose of the exercise is not to engage in "gotcha" politics, but to ascertain where a candidate stands on any given position relative to their opponents at any fixed point in time.

What can YOU do?

Advocate for candidate forums that do not consist of staged "dog and pony" shows in addition to the more traditional confrontational forms that make a mockery of the questions being asked. Allowing only a few minutes for an answer -- where the host is too polite to hold the candidate's feet to the fire or engage in suitable follow-up questions is not producing the results that the American public needs to elect competent leaders.

Get involved and be resolved to vote. It doesn't even matter what your position is -- only that it was developed based on your informed study of the issues and represents your sincere views.

Forget the party and vote for the candidate. Although this is not likely in a primary unless you are a registered independent, it is important to ignore the individual parties who have placed our nation in jeopardy with their hyper-partisan bickering and pandering to special interests.

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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IS THIS HOW THE GLOBAL WARMING SCHEME WILL END? U.N. to Cut Estimate Of AIDS Epidemic

Once again we find that the United Nation has overestimated a scientific problem with the goal of altering political perceptions and enhancing their fund raising objectives.

In this instance, The United Nations deliberately mischaracterized and inflated the numbers associated with the AIDS epidemic, according to many researchers, for political and economic reasons.

Giving us a glimpse into the manipulation of global warming for the aforementioned political and economic reasons.

From the Washington Post...

"The United Nations' top AIDS scientists plan to acknowledge this week that they have long overestimated both the size and the course of the epidemic, which they now believe has been slowing for nearly a decade, according to U.N. documents prepared for the announcement."

They have just now begun to acknowledge a long-term deficiency in their data which often resulted in the demonizing of their critics in the name of political correctness...

"AIDS remains a devastating public health crisis in the most heavily affected areas of sub-Saharan Africa. But the far-reaching revisions amount to at least a partial acknowledgment of criticisms long leveled by outside researchers who disputed the U.N. portrayal of an ever-expanding global epidemic."

Overestimates to get political and financial support...

"Having millions fewer people with a lethal contagious disease is good news. Some researchers, however, contend that persistent overestimates in the widely quoted U.N. reports have long skewed funding decisions and obscured potential lessons about how to slow the spread of HIV. Critics have also said that U.N. officials overstated the extent of the epidemic to help gather political and financial support for combating AIDS."

$10 Billion a year -- an amount which will be significantly dwarfed if they can pull off their global warming scheme...

"The United Nations' AIDS agency, known as UNAIDS and led by Belgian scientist Peter Piot since its founding in 1995, has been a major advocate for increasing spending to combat the epidemic. Over the past decade, global spending on AIDS has grown by a factor of 30, reaching as much as $10 billion a year."

Need we ask how much money was spent in supporting the United Nations "high-life" infrastructure and how much money was actually spent on programs for the helplessly sick?

"But in its role in tracking the spread of the epidemic and recommending strategies to combat it, UNAIDS has drawn criticism in recent years from Epstein and others who have accused it of being politicized and not scientifically rigorous."

Catastrophic Predictions...

For years, UNAIDS reports have portrayed an epidemic that threatened to burst beyond its epicenter in southern Africa to generate widespread illness and death in other countries. In China alone, one report warned, there would be 10 million infections -- up from 1 million in 2002 -- by the end of the decade.

Warning of the dangers of inaction...

"Piot often wrote personal prefaces to those reports warning of the dangers of inaction, saying in 2006 that "the pandemic and its toll are outstripping the worst predictions.'"

Evidence of flawed methodology...

"But by then, several years' worth of newer, more accurate studies already offered substantial evidence that the agency's tools for measuring and predicting the course of the epidemic were flawed."

And the lie was repeated endlessly in the media over the years...

"The revisions affect not just current numbers but past ones as well. A UNAIDS report from December 2002, for example, put the total number of HIV cases at 42 million. The real number at that time was 30 million, the new report says."

And still the numbers cannot be believed...

"James Chin, a former World Health Organization AIDS expert who has long been critical of UNAIDS, said that even these revisions may not go far enough. He estimated the number of cases worldwide at 25 million."

"If they're coming out with 33 million, they're getting closer. It's a little high, but it's not outrageous anymore," Chin, author of "The AIDS Pandemic: The Collision of Epidemiology With Political Correctness,' said from Berkeley, Calif."

Here we have a corrupt and impotent United Nations, whose members live extremely well while millions continue to suffer. Why should we believe these mostly anti-American corrupt diplomats when they want us to cede political control of a large portion of our infrastructure to their jurisdiction and place out American economy at risk?

In the final analysis, the medical control of AIDS with drugs is proven science and the methods of drug distribution and delivery to patients is well known. The results are measurable. If the United Nations can not succeed with this large-scale, but limited project, ask yourself how are they going to manage global weather change. The answer is simple. Just as they failed in this humanitarian mission, they will most certainly fail at any other global task.

Global warming or climate change is just another United Nations' politicalized position based on questionable science... all for political power and money.

What can YOU do?

Completely shun the United Nations for the corrupt anti-American poseurs that they really are. They don't only appear to be corrupt, they are corrupt. One only needs to look at Iraq's "Oil-for-Food" program which was corrupt from the top of the United Nations to the paper-pushing bureaucrats who even carved out their own share.

Demand that scientific results be based on science. Not a politically-driven consensus of credentialed scientists who need to cooperate with the Administration or any other government institution in order to secure funding for their institutions or projects.

Recognize that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant and whose effect as a greenhouse gas  is at least a magnitude of ten less than the primary greenhouse gas: water vapor. It has also been demonstrated that CO2 lags changes in temperature by hundred of years and does not lead or correlate well with any temperature rise we may observe. And the CO2 system may actually be a closed feedback loop where the CO2 dissolved in the oceans and the CO2 content in the atmosphere is more of less constant and controlled by the vapor pressure over the oceans.

Not only did the UN get its data curve wrong, overestimate the most dire consequences of an unproven computer model, they also made fundamental overestimates of assumptions regarding population growth and energy consumption that underlie the computer models. Sound familiar?

Realize that any emission's trading scheme is patterned on the Enron energy trading scheme that cost California billions of dollars in bogus trader-generated costs. Gross polluters will be given a pass to continue polluting by simply buying "credits" whose ultimate cost will be borne by the ratepayers and spread throughout the economy.

We are talking about a temperature rise of approximately one degree Celsius which may well be within the systemic error range of temperature measurement. The primary drivers of global weather change have always been solar output, the action of the oceans and the action of the cloud cover (water vapor). It is extremely doubtful that man can affect the global climate -- and even if it were possible -- no results could be measured for hundreds or thousands of years. The perfect political scam that does not have to yield measurable results.

As with everything political, follow the power and the profits.

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. --Mark Twain

Reference Links:

U.N. to Cut Estimate Of AIDS Epidemic

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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WHERE ARE ALL THE LOUD-MOUTH FAR-LEFT PROTESTERS AGAINST TORTURE?

  1. Probably debating the fine points of water-boarding and the inherent evilness of the Bush Administration over their double de-caf mocha lattes.

UPDATE: RELIGION OF PEACE? -- Calls in Sudan for Execution of Briton -- "Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."

UPDATE: " A British teacher has been charged with insulting religion and inciting hatred after allowing her class to name a teddy bear Mohammed." -- "If convicted, Ms Gibbons faces 40 lashes, six months in prison, or a fine."

UPDATE: " 'My whole back felt like it was on fire': As a British teacher faces 40 lashes, one man speaks out...Just what is it like to be lashed? In 1993, Gavin Sherrard-Smith, a computer expert from Cheltenham, received 50 lashes with a bamboo cane in a prison in Qatar. He was accused of breaking an alcohol ban while living in Doha, the capital - something that Mr Sherrard-Smith, now 47, has always denied. This is his astonishing account of how the brutal punishment was carried out, and how he endured it."

Woman gang-raped and then sentenced by the authorities to the horror of pure physical torture: being whipped 200 times and then forced to spend six months in jail. Her crime: being seen with a man not her husband or male relative.

Where is the outrage from all the far-left idiot activists who ignore real torture while they scream, shout and demonstrate about interrogation techniques that may be applied to a person who tried to kill an American soldier on the field of battle.

What about this problematical case that was tried under laws of the "Religion of Peace" which supporters claim honors womanhood?

According to a Reuters' report...

"Saudi Arabia defended on Tuesday a court's decision to sentence a woman who was gang-raped to 200 lashes of the whip, after the United States described the verdict as 'astonishing'.

"The 19-year-old Shi'ite woman from the town of Qatif in the Eastern Province and an unrelated male companion were abducted and raped by seven men in 2006."

"Ruling according to Saudi Arabia's strict reading of Islamic law, a court had originally sentenced the woman to 90 lashes and the rapists to jail terms of between 10 months and five years. It blamed the woman for being alone with an unrelated man."

"Last week the Supreme Judicial Council increased the sentence to 200 lashes and six months in prison and ordered the rapists to serve between two and nine years in jail."

This is the barbaric enemy and their 12th century legal system. The same system they want to be honored and respected by the civil authorities in their local communities within more modern countries.

What can YOU do?

Be informed, read the my original blog entries on torture. But be warned, the graphic on the following blog entry is extremely disturbing as it shows actual torture.

On August 24, 2007

STUPID LEFTIST LOONY DEMOCRATS: PAY ATTENTION -- THIS IS GOVERNMENT TORTURE! WHERE IS YOUR OUTRAGE? WHERE ARE THE PROTEST MARCHES? IMAGINE WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO YOUR HERO, TED KENNEDY?

"All of you who have endlessly protested our actions at Guantanamo and decried the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Graib, pay attention: the person who is being savagely beaten by government officials in public was said to be a drunk and an adulterer. These are the same people who would bury an adulterous woman up to her waist, put a bag over her head and encourage everybody to throw stones at her head until she was dead."

"IS THIS THE RELIGION OF PEACE AND TOLERANCE? IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT TO BRING TO THE UNITED STATES WHEN YOU SPEAK OF SHARIA LAW?"

"WAKE UP YOU DUMMIES... THIS IS THE FACE OF THE ENEMY!  LOOK CLOSELY -- EVEN HIS FELLOW CITIZENS WILL NOT COME TO HIS AID TO HALT THIS BRUTAL TORTURE."

////////////////////////////////////

On May 26, 2007

CHALLENGE THE LIBERALS: GRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF REAL TORTURE METHODS

The Pentagon has recently declassified and released an al-Qaeda “torture manual” purportedly found in an al-Qaeda safe-house in Iraq.

For those who waffle on-and-on about so-called United States torture methods such as sleep deprivation, cold rooms, disorienting sounds and the dreaded water-boarding, I strongly suggest that you view this document.

////////////////////////////////////////

Maintain a common-sense perspective on those religious crazies (yes, crazies) who want to apply torture and coercion to their citizens all in the name of their religion.

When you encounter the far left activists who deride our government, our soldiers and our lifestyle, ask them if they support the legalized rape of women because of transgressions of their male relatives? As them if they believe in beheadings, amputations, blinding, and whipping a person into a bloody froth? Make them take a stand. If they believe in this barbarism, strongly suggest maybe they would be happier in another country. But warn them first about the severe penalties for speaking out  against government and religious leaders.

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

Saudi defends verdict against gang-rape victim|Reuters

Gillian Gibbons faces 40 lashes - and the British Government has shown its anger by summoning the Sudanese ambassador in London as a "matter of urgency". Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman said: "We are surprised and disappointed by this development." Ms Gibbons has been charged under Article 125 of the criminal code, the Foreign Office confirmed. The case will go before a court in Sudan tomorrow and the 54-year-old from Liverpool is expected to appear. If convicted, Ms Gibbons faces 40 lashes, six months in prison, or a fine.

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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WALL STREET WIZARDS REWARDED FOR PICKING YOUR POCKETS

While many people applaud my previous work in pointing out the real villains of Wall Street, others think that I was too harsh in condemning the Wall Street Wizards for the current liquidity problem in derivatives as well as accusing Wall Street banks and other financial institutions of creating less financial transparency with their deliberately opaque SIVs (Structured Investment Vehicles) and SPEs (Special Purpose Entities). 

Now to prove, for once and all, that Wall Street does not operate under the same rules governing us mere mortals, I present two examples of chief executives who should have been fired for malfeasance and poor governance along with selected senior executives and various board members who shirked their fiduciary responsibilities to their investors and enabled these executives to cripple their respective companies.

Positive pay for negative performance...

The first example is Merrill Lynch's Stan O' Neal who should have been summarily fired and stripped of any perks, privileges and excessive retirement benefits instead of being "retired" and allowed to walk away with an approximate $160 MILLION. Great compensation for the leader of a company which wrote down losses of $8 BILLION in a single quarter. Of course the board characterized the payments as contractual obligations just as they characterized the parting as a "retirement."  O' Neal is the genius who wanted more subprime product and led the purchase of subprime mortgage originator First Franklin, for approximately $1.2 BILLION, followed by purchasing another 20% interest in the now bankrupt subprime originator Ownit Mortgage Solutions for a paltry $100 million.

The second example is Citigroup's Chuck Prince whose company write-downs will probably exceed those incurred by Merrill Lynch by a healthy sum. One rumored to be in the range of $11 BILLION. His walk-away is alleged to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $140 MILLION; again characterized as contractual obligations and the departure characterized as a Prince decision to retire.

Who are they kidding with the semantic fiction of retirement?  Major firms which have lost major market value for their investors and these guys walk away with the big bucks.  Perhaps to repeat the same egregious behavior as the Chief Executive Officer or Board Member of a smaller, less prominent firm in the near future.

Shareholders lose while executives booze...

One sidelight comes from the blog dealbreaker.com which notes...

"Isn’t it nice to know that Stanley O’Neal didn’t have any trouble fitting in time to play golf while his firm was busy losing billions of dollars? Bespoke Investors notes that while the MER chief may be horrible at making money, he’s actually got the best handicap of all his peers, which can probably be attributed to the fact that he’s apparently a fan of the Jimmy Cayne style of management, wherein you play games instead of coming into the office, and has plenty of time to practice. Pretty cool that in the very near future, he’ll be able to stop faking sick whenever he wants to hit the links, seeing as how he’s probably going to be unemployed."

And from www.Ghin.com -- O'Neal's handicap record showing his golfing activity.

oneal

And now, the  latest outrage as reported by Bloomberg.

"Shareholders in the securities industry are having their worst year since 2002, losing $74 billion of their equity. That won't prevent Wall Street from paying record bonuses, totaling almost $38 billion."

"That money, split among about 186,000 workers at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch & Co., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Bear Stearns Cos., equates to an average of $201,500 per person, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The five biggest U.S. securities firms paid $36 billion to employees last year."

"The bigger bonus pool derives from a record $9 billion of fees for arranging acquisitions and $5 billion for underwriting initial public offerings and sales of junk bonds, the most lucrative securities, Bloomberg data show. Bankers' record fees help explain why 2007 will prove to be the industry's second- most profitable after the subprime mortgage market collapse led to losses at Merrill and Bear Stearns. The last time bonuses declined was 2002 when the Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 23 percent, and Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc. went bankrupt."

Whatever happened to paying people for positive performance and firing people for negative performance?

So the Wall Street Mantra goes:

After all it would be unfair to reward your top performers for selling the toxic wares that were designed, packaged and promoted by others?

And just because one part of the company is performing poorly, you needn't punish the whole company? 

While the executives and salespeople walk away with the big bucks, the real cost is going to be paid by the investors and taxpayers -- as usual!

And it gets worse. It seems that the Feds are planning to bail out the Wizards of Wall Street with preferential loans to banks, rate cuts and accounting rules which allow a companies to hide their true performance from the public. while passing those costs along to the taxpayer. Is it any wonder that the top federal financial people came from Wall Street where they will doubtlessly return after their assigned low-paying "political" gig as the rescuers of Wall Street madness.

More bookkeepers and less accountants?

What we seem to need is more bookkeepers and fewer accountants. Bookkeepers are the ones that provide the tally, while accountants are the ones who make up excuses to write the fiction to improve the company's bottom line. All properly certified by some major accounting firms who either couldn't find fraud if they stumbled upon it or were a part of perpetrating it.

What can YOU do?

Avoid the big national firms which neither offer reliability or security and stick with smaller regional firms without a history of financial shenanigans.

Avoid investments in companies with significant holdings in Special Purpose Entitites (SPEs) or Structured Investment Vehicles (SIVs) which are code names for opaque derivatives comprised of underlying assets which are almost impossible to value without sophisticated computer models -- which conveniently omits the facts that the underlying securities cannot be fraudulent and that an actual willing buyer does exist to purchase the product.

Use Federal Treasury rates to determine the yield on securities with NO RISK. Then decide if the risk/reward ratio offered by a proposed investment is actually worth the assumed risk.

Ignore account executives and advisors who are simply re-branded salesmen who operate on a commission. Anyone who makes their living by taking a piece of yours should be suspect.

Get competent advisors. If you want to really build a diversified portfolio, consider ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) which give the results of a mutual fund at approximately one-tenth the cost. ETFs come in all flavors and can be used to diversify your portfolio.

Heed the Better Business Bureau slogan,"Investigate BEFORE you invest." The recent liquidity crisis proves that have any number of smart people in a company does not necessarily produce profits for their customers -- while it insures that their executives and salespeople will be well compensated, no matter how the company performs. 

Do not vote for those who are willing to allow government bailouts for companies which should rightfully be bankrupt for their poor decisions. At least the cost will be contained to the company's investors and not be spread to the entire taxpaying community.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

O'neal Handicap Lookup|www.Ghin.com

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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I couldn't stop laughing... The Administration, Congress and the Pentagon wants more accountability for the paltry $1 Billion spent on Pakistan

As I was reading the Los Angeles Times today, I was struck by how funny it was that the United States, all of a sudden, wants to link United States funds to the performance of another sovereign nation. A demand for accountability.

This is coming from the same people who awarded a neophyte company with little or no experience a contract to build a funds tracking database. When the system failed, government officials claimed that they could not track between 7.3  billion dollars in funds sent to Iraq.

According to USA Today...

"Robert Raggio quit his $97,000-per-year government job as a financial manager for the Iraq reconstruction effort in September 2005. He said in his resignation form that he wanted to 'pursue other opportunities.'"

"That same day, Raggio's newly formed company, Reviewer Management International (RMI), received a U.S. contract to audit $7.3billion in Iraqi reconstruction spending, according to Army documents obtained by USA TODAY under the Freedom of Information Act."

"The $1.5 million contract was designed to help investigators fight fraud in Iraq. Now, Raggio is under investigation. "

"Before he quit his government position, Raggio wrote the requirements for the federal contract at the same time he negotiated to obtain it for RMI, according to the documents. The Army's Suspension and Debarment Office suspended Raggio and his consulting firm from getting new government contracts in August amid an ongoing investigation into whether he violated conflict of interest laws."

"The laws, which bar government officials from benefiting from their official actions, carry penalties of up to five years in prison. Civil penalties can include fines equal to the amount of the contract, Army documents say."

"The suspension and the investigation have not been made public before."

"Army contracting officials began looking into the case after the government's Iraq reconstruction watchdog, Stuart Bowen, passed along an anonymous complaint his office received about Raggio, documents show."

Now they are demanding the very same accountability and linkages from Pakistan. Since we deal with any number of countries, I thought that we needed a cut-and-paste template for our reportage.

To illustrate the universality of the problem, I took the Times story and replaced the word "Pakistan" with "Iraq" to see how it read. See for yourself, the results of the demonstration.

According to the Los Angeles Times...

"A Pentagon plan would revamp the practice of reimbursing Pakistan for money it says it has spent battling militants, and would instead emphasize specific objectives."

"Frustrated by limited knowledge of how funds are spent, Pentagon officials seek to implement new controls and reporting requirements."

"With the Pakistani government in turmoil, senior Pentagon officials are quietly moving to overhaul the system of massive U.S. military aid to the country by more directly tying the payments to Islamabad's success in combating Islamic militants."

"Defense Department officials also want to require detailed accounting of how Pakistan spends about $1 billion in annual payments and greater control by Washington over spending."

"Backdoor subsidies is what it can look like to some more skeptical observers, because there hasn't been good oversight and the amounts involved have been so great," said a government official who tracks military payments to Pakistan. "There is suspicion that it's a slush fund."

"The questions about accountability for the program come amid concerns about U.S. aid to Pakistan spent on weaponry and equipment that U.S. military and intelligence officials have said seem ill-suited to fight the militants."

"But Pentagon officials have been frustrated for months by their limited knowledge of how Pakistan was spending the U.S. aid. And they're being pushed by congressional criticism and revelations that Islamabad is not using the money as the administration intended."

"U.S. officials must know 'exactly where it goes' and "have more say" in Pakistan's use of aid, said a senior military official directly involved in the program."

"If I could craft it to allocate those resources to do specific things, I'd have a priority list of where I'd like to see it applied to," the official said.

"The push for greater oversight has been given new urgency by calls from congressional Democrats for more accountability. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the subcommittee responsible for foreign aid, said he planned a hearing to press the Bush administration to explain how money is being spent in Pakistan. In an interview, Menendez said State Department officials provided 'unacceptable' answers."

"'The administration hasn't been overly forthcoming, and I don't know why,' he said. "If they're not forthcoming because they don't really have the type of accountability that we should be getting from the Pakistanis, then we need to deal with that."

Before getting to the cut-and-paste version, one might ask if the amount cited is the total compensation amount or just a special-use amount? Does it include "black ops" project and the recently revealed costs for assisting in safeguarding Pakistan's nuclear arsenal? Are any payments being funneled through NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) or third-party contracting firms? Has anyone checked the Washington lobbyists and lawyers for kickbacks in the public relations programs?

The cut-and-paste version...

"A Pentagon plan would revamp the practice of reimbursing Iraq for money it says it has spent battling militants, and would instead emphasize specific objectives."

"Frustrated by limited knowledge of how funds are spent, Pentagon officials seek to implement new controls and reporting requirements."

"With the Iraqi government in turmoil, senior Pentagon officials are quietly moving to overhaul the system of massive U.S. military aid to the country by more directly tying the payments to Iraq's success in combating Islamic militants."

"Defense Department officials also want to require detailed accounting of how Iraq spends about $1 billion in annual payments and greater control by Washington over spending."

"Backdoor subsidies is what it can look like to some more skeptical observers, because there hasn't been good oversight and the amounts involved have been so great," said a government official who tracks military payments to Iraq. "There is suspicion that it's a slush fund."

"The questions about accountability for the program come amid concerns about U.S. aid to Iraq spent on weaponry and equipment that U.S. military and intelligence officials have said seem ill-suited to fight the militants."

"But Pentagon officials have been frustrated for months by their limited knowledge of how Iraq was spending the U.S. aid."

"And they're being pushed by congressional criticism and revelations that Islamabad is not using the money as the administration intended."

"U.S. officials must know "exactly where it goes" and "have more say" in Iraq's use of aid, said a senior military official directly involved in the program."

"If I could craft it to allocate those resources to do specific things, I'd have a priority list of where I'd like to see it applied to," the official said.

"The push for greater oversight has been given new urgency by calls from congressional Democrats for more accountability. Sen. Whatshisface (D-N.N.), chairman of the subcommittee responsible for foreign aid, said he planned a hearing to press the Bush administration to explain how money is being spent in Iraq. In an interview, Menendez said State Department officials provided 'unacceptable' answers."

"'The administration hasn't been overly forthcoming, and I don't know why,' he said. "If they're not forthcoming because they don't really have the type of accountability that we should be getting from the Iraqis, then we need to deal with that."

Plausible Deniability: They really don't want to know the specifics...

I think that they really don't want to know exactly where the money is spent and how much certain vendors are being paid from multiple unconsolidated accounts. It is the same way with the way our domestic accounting at the local, state and federal levels is run. The only people that they need to keep in the dark is the American Public who is footing the bill and their political opposition who may garner an undue "media" or "investigatory" advantage from highlighting waste, and fraud -- not to mention the opposition's exploitation of  "their" hard-won political campaign funding mechanisms.

The most honest man in Washington was a crook...

As unfortunate as it seems, perhaps Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the disgraced Congressman now serving 8+ years in the slammer, was the most honest politician in Washington. He simply wrote out his price list for all "players." The contract amount (in millions) on the right and bribes (in thousands) on the right. And apparently when he was bought, he stayed bought ... another indication of his sterling character.

So why is this non-story even a story?

Someone must need good public relations or something bad is about to happen. Or is it that something bad may happen and they need to demonstrate that they were prudently investigating the matter? Or is it just the type of stuff that comes out during an election cycle? Knowing Washington, one can only hazard a guess?

What can YOU do?

Forget the old, corrupt party system which breeds indifference to citizens and corruption in favor of special interests and the bureaucracy. Vote for the person  who appears to be the most effective, ethical and who surrounds themselves with like-minded people.

Do not be swayed by "divide-and-conquer" politics which feature "single issue" appeals be they abortion, religion, war or any other issue which keeps you from viewed the candidate as a "total package."

Always support the troops even though the Administration and their institutions may seem somewhat corrupted. These are the front line men and women who stand between your freedoms and those who want to deny them. In spite of those who claim Islam is the "religion of peace," one only has to question themselves to see who has been at war with themselves and others for a thousand years or more. Who has barbaric laws that require an innocent woman be raped for the transgressions of her family. Who has laws that elevate the "religious" police to the powers of petty and capricious dictators and who shun woman's rights while protesting that they "respect" women. Open your eyes and observe what is happening around you.

Vote as if your life, and the lives of your family, friends and community depend on your vote. As we face this historic crossroads is surely does. Ask yourself, do we want more party politics, corruption, pandering to the special interests, increased governmental control over our lives, and being taxed so that the government can "bulk-up" to a size where it becomes a de facto totalitarian regime -- acting in its self-interest instead of that of its citizens?

Take heed of our "Quote of the Day:"  Dishonesty, cowardice and duplicity are never impulsive. --George A. Knight

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:
U.S. aims to reshape Pakistan aid - Los Angeles Times

US: Head of firm paid to track Iraq spending investigated|USA Today

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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New campaign low: Hillary Clinton getting credit for "what she did not say" in smearing another candidate

WOW! Barack Obama is a [fill in your best guess] and Obama has [fill in your next best guess].

From the pen of Robert Novak, distinguished author and recently one of the principal players in the Valerie Plame affair, we are told...

Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it. The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed.

This word-of-mouth among Democrats makes Obama look vulnerable and Clinton look prudent. It comes during a dip for the front-running Clinton after she refused to take a stand on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's now discarded plan to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens."

The elephant in the room...

With apologies to the Republicans for the use of their symbol in a disclosure of democrat behavior, this seems to be a brilliant maneuver by a candidate who now has plausible deniability while appearing to be ethical.  And if the staff source or operative is revealed, they will be fired as a further demonstration of an ethical campaign.

But, it isn't working for this observer...

Unfortunately, this type of circumspect behavior comes extremely late in the candidate's career. One marked by lies, corruption, potential illegalities and a host of moral and ethical lapses. So while the uninformed may give Hillary some brownie points for this latest alleged circumspect behavior, when it is weighed against her pass ethical lapses -- it means nothing and serves as a further reason not to vote for one of the most polarizing, divisive and morally bankrupt candidates to ever be considered for high office.

And the predictable responses...

From the Obama contingent...

"Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) took the rare step of issuing a statement in his own name on Saturday to call attention to a report by columnist Robert D. Novak that New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is sitting on 'scandalous' information about Obama. " "The information was not described and there is no proof it exists."

"Obama accused Clinton of 'Swift boat’ politics' and vowed he will not be intimidated.
'I am prepared to stand up to that kind of politics, whether it's deployed by candidates in our party, in the other party or by any third party,' Obama said. “The cause of change in this country will not be deterred or sidetracked by the old ‘Swift boat’ politics. The cause of moving America forward demands that we defeat it.”

A denial from the Hillary contingent...

"A Republican-leaning journalist runs a blind item designed to set Democrats against one another. Experienced Democrats see this for what it is. Others get distracted and thrown off their games," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a statement."

"We have no idea what Mr. Novak's item is about and reject it totally."

And then Hillary turned it into a positive attack...

"The Clinton campaign denied the accusation, saying Obama's reaction to the vaguely worded column by Robert Novak played into Republican hands and showed the Illinois senator's lack of political savvy."

Obama's response...

"Obama's team later said they took the Clinton campaign at its word but bristled at the idea they fell for Republican tricks and should not have fought back against 'smear politics' in the race for the presidency in the November 2008 election".

Who do you believe?

First, about the "Swift Boat" tactics. The accusations against Senator John Kerry were not anonymous and were made by clearly identifiable individuals who served with John Kerry on scene and at the time of the original events. In no way were the "Swift Boat" allegations a "smear," but a recounting of a different interpretation of events than that put forth by Senator Kerry. Considering the circumstances, I would much rather believe the Swift Boat veterans than a duplicitous politician who apparently hates his own military comrades and country enough to tell embarrassing lies about his war-time experiences. Did I mention that former presidential candidate, John Kerry,  is the liberal, left-leaning junior Senator from Massachusetts.

Second, about Novak's ability as a reporter and his journalistic ethics. Does anyone really believe that Novak, fresh off a major government inquiry into the Valerie Plame affair, would deliberately make up allegations against Hillary Clinton? Here is a man who adhered to his journalistic code of silence, even when facing significant jail time, and refused to "rat out" his source. This is a man of both intelligence and integrity. A journalist for whom the story is what matters -- not the political party it may apparently damage. Only when Novak was released by his source to testify did he do so. Thus proving he is far superior to the normal cadre of "drive by" journalists who normally cover sleazy politicians.

While this remains as an accusation and that both sides vehemently deny that the Novak item has any substance, perhaps the next debate can feature a question about this allegation. Ask both Obama and Hillary the same question. "Is there anything that you know about the other candidate which could materially alter the public's perception of the candidate?

Since I do not regard either Hillary or Obama as fit candidates for the Presidency, it really doesn't matter what additional revelations may surface. The facts, as I know them, remain the same. Hillary is a "say anything, do anything" divisive politician seemingly without morals or ethics. Obama is a second-rate junior senator with a lack of experience and political ability to function at the level required for the top political position in the land. No matter what is going to be said about the candidates in the future: they should not be elected to the Presidency.

What can YOU do?

Do not give any weight or credence to non-statements by ethically-challenged candidates who are trying extremely hard to divert the American public's attention from their own scandalous behavior while attempting to smear a prominent member of the opposition.

This is not a defense of Obama who, in my opinion, is not qualified for high public office due to the ambiguities in his nature, his lack of political seasoning and his early showing of a willingness to accept support from corrupt special interests. In essence he is still is a junior Senator who was elected on a fluke and has parlayed his "difference" into a political bid for the presidency on a tax-and-spend platform that can be summarized as "I am NOT George W. Bush!"

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

Hillary vs. Obama|Robert Novak

Clinton camp fires back over column|Reuters

Obama: Don't 'swift boat' me|Politico

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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I CAN'T WAIT: UNITED NATIONS TO RELEASE REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE -- the excitement builds!

Once again we find the United Nations attempting to push their plan to gain increased funding and political power based on their political corruption of science. Which is the real goal of their "global climate" initiative. 

According to the International Herald Tribune (Associated Press)...

"Conference releases summary for action on climate change"

"VALENCIA, Spain: Delegates from more than 140 countries agreed Friday on an environmental "instant guide" for policy makers, stating more forcefully than ever that climate change had begun and that it threatened to alter the planet irreversibly."

Excuse me, these politicians have announced that "climate change had begun." And exactly when was that? Since the dawn of time? Ten thousand years ago? One thousand years ago? One hundred years ago? Ten years ago? Yesterday?

Any competent observer, be they layman or scientist, will tell you that  weather is a continuous process and appears to be cyclic in nature. What we do not know is the extent of these cycles, be they cooling cycles, warming cycles or just plain "good weather" cycles.

As for the the speculation "that it (global climate change) threatened to alter the planet irreversibly" is complete and utter nonsense. As time moves in only one direction (forward) all climate events will serve to alter our natural environment as can easily be demonstrated by wind and water erosion of our landscape. A landscape which is ever changing due to tectonic plate forces, the actions of the moon on the tides and numerous other forces beyond our control. Again, we do not know the full interactive nature of these forces and  if they are irreversible.  Consider the seasonal sand erosion/rebuilding cycle. Or the action of the wind and rain when material is moved from place to place. Yes, there are changes associated with natural phenomenon -- but since we do not know the periodicity of the cycle, it is almost impossible to determine whether or not they are reversible.

And, you may note that these political hacks never mention the proven benefits of a warmer climate. Only the dire consequences of the most dire events as predicted by a computer model!

"The document summarizes the scientific consensus on human-induced climate change."

This is a flat-out lie. There is no scientific consensus on either the climate phenomenon or whether the climate phenomenon is "human induced." The real scientific consensus is that "the only constant is change" and that more study is needed before we reach any conclusions which will have a far-reaching and lasting impact on our political status and economy.

"It will be distributed to delegates at a crucial meeting in Indonesia next month that is intended to begin a political process on international cooperation to control global warming."

It is sheer lunacy to believe, at this point in time, that man can control the weather. Yes, we can mitigate its effects by building protective structures, but control -- no way. But there is an undeniable truth in the above paragraph: what we are seeing is a POLITICAL PROCESS! One designed by people who want to strengthen their control over the world's people and engage in the transfer of wealth from the peoples of this earth to those already rich, in power or both.

Continue reading "I CAN'T WAIT: UNITED NATIONS TO RELEASE REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE -- the excitement builds!" »

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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Is Benazir Bhutto Pakistan's Ayatollah Khomeini and are the Democrats repeating Jimmy Carter's mistake when they urge Pakistanis to oust Pervez Musharraf?

UPDATE:  BENAZIR BHUTTO ASSASSINATED

According to Reuters...

"RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in the city of Rawalpindi on Thursday[December 27, 2007], her party said. "She has been martyred," said party official Rehman Malik. Bhutto, 54, died in hospital in Rawalpindi. Ary-One Television said she had been shot in the head."

At this early stage in the investigation, it is believed that "Islamist militants were blamed for that attack but Bhutto had said she was prepared to face the danger to help the country." Another example of the "Religion of Peace" working its magic with guns and bombs instead of a more democratic process. In any event, it appears that the perpetrators achieved their objective: throwing the country into turmoil. It is suggested that more information may be found on Wikipedia.

Another interesting link "Who killed Benazir Bhutto? The main suspects" was published by the UK TimesOnLine.com.

Original Story+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It all starts with a cautionary quote from an undisputed Democratic President, Harry S. Truman, who famously said, ""Those who do not read and understand history are doomed to repeat it."

Consider the actions of another Democratic President, Jimmy Carter, who in the guise of promoting democracy and establishing "human rights" in Iran, decided that it was best that the administration turn its back one of America's loyal friends, the Shah of Iran, which lead to the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini who repressive religious theocracy gave rise to the current crop of Islamo-fascists. And I might add, aided an abetted by our other so-called friend in the region, the Saudi Arabians who financed most of the Islamic fundamentalism that has spread throughout the world.

The effete liberals and their media sycophants could not stop denigrating the Shah and promoting the Ayatollah as a moderate influence who would re-introduce "human rights" and move towards "democratic" elections.

Subjects near and dear to Jimmy Carter's heart to this very day -- especially as he jets around the world "certifying" elections and acting as a so-called "neutral" observer.

According to Wikipedia...

"During Carter's presidency the United States suffered serious fuel shortages and struggled through several major crises including the invasion of the American Embassy in Tehran, the subsequent holding of embassy personnel as hostages by Islamic Radicals, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan."

"The main conflict between human rights and U.S. interests came in Carter's dealings with the Shah of Iran. The Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had been a strong ally of America since World War II and was one of the "twin pillars" upon which U.S. strategic policy in the Middle East was built. However, his rule was strongly autocratic, and he went along with the plan of the Eisenhower Administration to depose Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953."

From the left-leaning and liberal PBS...

"Yale Professor Gaddis Smith might have put it best: 'President Carter inherited an impossible situation -- and he and his advisers made the worst of it.'  Carter seemed to have a hard time deciding whether to heed the advice of his aggressive national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, who wanted to encourage the Shah to brutally suppress the revolution, or that of his more cautious State Department, which suggested Carter reach out to opposition elements in order to smooth the transition to a new government. In the end he did neither, and suffered the consequences.

Thus Carter's inaction and his Administration's later urging of the Iranian military to abandon further resistance to the Khomeini regime led directly to our present day situation:  Terrorist thugs, invoking a religious holy war (jihad) and wanting the world to bow to their power.

Increasing the stakes: going nuclear...

"The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that Pakistan has built 24-48 Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU)-based nuclear warheads with HEU reserves for 30-52 additional warheads.  The U.S. Navy Center for Contemporary Conflict estimates that Pakistan possesses between a low of 35 and a high of 95 nuclear warheads, with a median of 60."

These are not "maybe they have them, maybe they don't" weapons. Independent observers have confirmed successful nuclear tests and have intimate knowledge of the history of Pakistan's nuclear weapon development.

And, if even one nuclear weapon went missing and wound up in the hands of the religious crazies, the result to either Israel or the United States and her allies would be catastrophic.

Which brings us to TODAY in PAKISTAN...

Facing the same type of student and religious opposition that is the radical hallmark of the far-left, Musharraf is being portrayed in exactly the same light as the late Shah of Iran. Walking a tightrope, Musharraf has been openly supportive of this Administration's "War on Terror" while trying to keep radical elements from overthrowing his government.

The result is that the media and effete liberals now parrot Jimmy Carter's "human rights" and repressive anti-democracy rants. The democrats, apparently willing to sacrifice the safety and security of our nation and other nations in order to regain political power have been thwarted, at every turn, by the man they fear most: President George Bush.

The Washington Times prints an op-ed piece by Benazir Bhutto...

Musharraf's Electoral Farce by Benazir Bhutto...

LAHORE, Pakistan -- All through the years of the Soviet empire, its Politburo held "elections." Of course, calling something an election and actually having it be an election are different things.

I am under house arrest in Lahore, barricaded in by Pakistani police with bayonets. Despite Gen. Pervez Musharraf's announcement of a date for parliamentary elections, I doubt that we are in for a change.

Musharraf imposed martial law by suspending the constitution, and he removed several of the Supreme Court justices. Today the nation is paying for his mistake.

We are witnessing a farce in Pakistan: While an election schedule has been announced, the problem lies in what has not been announced. No indication has been given as to whether Musharraf will keep his previous commitment to retire as army chief on Thursday.

No date has been given for the lifting of emergency rule; the reconstitution of the election commission; the implementation of fair election practices; the removal of biased officials; or the suspension of the mayors, who control the guns and the funds -- that is, police and government resources -- to adversely influence elections.

A description of the radical left and their sympathizers...

Moreover, judges, lawyers, human rights activists and students across the country are in prison or under house arrest. The independent media have been shut down, television stations stopped from broadcasting news. Several foreign journalists have been expelled. Thousands of political activists, a majority from my Pakistan People's Party, have been arrested.

So far, I don't see a problem. Musharraf has contained the radicals trying to force a regime change in the guise of a democratic election. As a side note, Yasser Arafat was also a "democratically" elected leader of the Palestinian people and you can see just how that "democracy" played out. However, there are further parallels --  as Bhutto was removed twice from office on Pakistani corruption charges and went into self-exile until the present day.

According to SwissInfo.ch... 

"The former Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, may avoid a money-laundering trial in Switzerland thanks to a new corruption amnesty at home."

"A 'reconciliation ordinance' issued by the Pakistani government last week grants across-the-board immunity for politicians who were active between 1988 and 1999."

"Daniel Zappelli, the general prosecutor of Geneva, is facing a quandary. Should the politician and her husband stand trial now that Bhutto has been granted an amnesty by her own country?"

"The couple were accused of receiving multi-million dollar kickbacks in exchange for handing out a contract to a Swiss firm during Bhutto's second term in office between 1993 and 1996."

"The couple were first convicted of simple money laundering in 2003 by a Geneva investigating judge who handed down a six-month suspended sentence. The Bhuttos appealed against the magistrate's decision but were later accused of more serious money laundering offences."

Playing to the left...

"Musharraf knows how to crack down against pro-democracy forces. He is, however, unwilling or unable to track down and arrest Osama bin Laden or contain the extremists. This is the reality of Pakistan in November 2007."

"The only terror that Musharraf's regime seems able to confront is the terror of his own illegitimacy. This is the second time Musharraf has imposed martial law and the second time he has sacked judges since taking over the country in a coup in 1999. It was then that he first promised 'to bring true democracy.'"

Courting the media...

"While living in America when I attended Harvard in the early 1970s, I saw for myself the awesome, almost miraculous, power of a people to change policy through democratic means. Today I am seeing the power of the people coalescing once again. Journalists, judges, and political and civil activists have joined together against Musharraf's second declaration of martial law. They see him as the obstacle to the democratization of Pakistan."

Transfer of power AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS...

"This is why I have called upon Gen. Musharraf to resign as president and chief of army staff, and to pave the way for the composition of an interim government of national consensus that will oversee the transfer of power to duly elected representatives of the people."

For those wishing to read the full op-ed piece in context, click on the Washington Post link below.

So where should we put our trust and faith...

Should we listen to the democrats and their left-leaning media flacks waffle on-and-on about human rights and democracy, all the while urging the support of a corrupt leader? People who would stop at nothing to discredit President Bush and his Administration?

Should we heed the word of American public relations companies who have been paid to provide favorable media coverage to Bhutto and he wannabe regime or the paid lobbyists who roam the halls of Congress seeking support for their tarnished client?

The question is simple:

DO WE RISK OVERLOOKING A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER BY DOING A "JIMMY CARTER" AND ALLOWING RADICAL ELEMENTS TO SEIZE CONTROL OF A NUCLEAR ARSENAL?

Perhaps we should turn once again to Harry Truman for advice.  Right or wrong, the sign on Truman's presidential desk read, "THE BUCK STOPS HERE!" And so it is with our Constitution: the President, our President, the man charged with preserving the sovereignty, safety and security of the United States and protecting against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, should be given our unconditional support on this matter.

What can YOU do?

Support our President during this troubling time. Do not listen to the democrats who seem willing to sacrifice the safety and security of the United States for the sole purpose of regaining political power and running the Administration.

Ask your elected officials to support Musharraf and avoid repeating the mistakes that were made by the Carter Administration when he failed to support the our friend the Shah.

Regard this assassination as a clear demonstration of Radical Islam's approach to politics. Where they kill political leaders simply to foment the chaos that they hope will bring about a theocracy and the imposition of their 12-century religious ideals.

While we should feel sorry for the loss of life in any circumstances, we should be extremely mindful of making a saint out of someone who was killed. While Bhutto certainly had her good and bad points, she did not deserve to die any more than the innocent people surrounding her at the time of the assassination attempt.

History has a way of sorting out events as time progresses and those in both our government and the governments of foreign lands should allow a sufficient time to more fully develop the information required to judge Bhutto's place in history as well as to bring the perpetrators and their leaders of this tragic event to justice.

Over the next few days, it may be highly instructive for the American voter to see what the candidates and our currently elected officials say about the assassination. Most instructive will be the reaction of those in the far left, the media and the effete Hollywood elite. (Hollywood, where the race is probably on to greenlight a movie about Bhutto's semi-fictional life.)

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Research Links:

Musharraf's Electoral Farce|Washington Post

People & Events: The Iranian Hostage Crisis, November 1979 - January 1981|PBS

Pakistan's Nuclear Arsenal|Wikipedia

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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LEGAL SYSTEM PUTS YOU AT RISK FROM YOUNG, DRUNK AND/OR DRUGGED-UP CELEBRITIES: Lindsay Lohan Does 84 Minutes in Jail

Our streets are no longer safe. Our justice system is either bending over backwards for illegal aliens driving drunk or celebrities driving under the influence of intoxicants. This is OUTRAGEOUS!

Should we wait until these scofflaws kill someone's family before the legal system recognizes that widely-publicized leniency in sending the wrong message to a much wider audience.

"Drive drunk, so what? I can do a few days in jail!" seems to be the prevailing attitude among young people. To the detriment of all of us who drive in and around Southern California. 

According to Associated Press...

Lindsay Lohan Does 84 Minutes in Jail

"Lindsay Lohan was a jailbird for just 84 minutes Thursday, becoming the latest celebrity to serve less than a day for a drunken driving offense."

"Lohan, 21, turned herself in to the Los Angeles County women's detention center in Lynwood at 10:30 a.m. She was searched, fingerprinted and placed in a holding cell in the inmate reception area but got to keep her street clothes, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said."

"Lohan was released at 11:54 a.m. Her original daylong sentence was reduced because she met criteria that took into account overcrowding at the lockup and the fact that her crime was nonviolent, Whitmore said."

"Did the celebrity receive special treatment?"

"'Absolutely not. This is what we do for most everybody in this position,'Whitmore said. In fact, 30 to 50 women are granted early releases from the facility every day, he added."

Like this is some type of mitigating circumstances for treating drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs lightly? And if this is the routine procedure; we, the people, are being shortchanged.

Steve Whitmore, the overly emotive spokesman and the son of actor James Whitmore seems to go out of his way to insure the public that everything is normal at the Sheriff's department. Yeah, as if every citizen convicted of a DUI offense gets a publicity-boosting news conference or news release.

"In May, the star of "Mean Girls" and "Freaky Friday" was arrested after crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a tree in Beverly Hills."

"She was arrested again in July after the mother of Lohan's former personal assistant called 911 to report that her car was being chased by an SUV. The chase ended in Santa Monica, where police arrested Lohan for being behind the wheel. In both cases, Lohan was found in possession of small amounts of cocaine."

"In August, she reached a plea deal on misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges stemming from the arrests. The judge sentenced her to four days in jail—the mandatory minimum for a second drunken-driving offense—but gave her credit for 24 hours already served. She elected to complete 10 days of community service instead of 48 hours behind bars."

"The total deal called for her to enter treatment, spend a day in jail and perform community service." 

82 Minutes in an office-- double DUI convictions and driving the wrong way on the freeway...

"Richie was arrested Dec. 11, 2006, after witnesses reported seeing her black Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle headed the wrong way on a freeway in Burbank. She pleaded guilty in July to a misdemeanor DUI charge in a deal with prosecutors that helped her avoid a potential year in jail because it was a second driving-under-the-influence conviction. She served 82 minutes in custody, during which she was booked but never actually placed in a cell. "

Paris Hilton -- 23 days in Jail for disrespecting the judge and trying to make her publicist responsible for her driving with a suspended license.

Richie's co-star on TV's "The Simple Life," Paris Hilton, served 23 days at the same jail this year after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended license while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless-driving case.

Question: does a celebrity's high-powered attorneys and representatives attempt to game the system by taking advantage of a liberal surrender policy to insure that their client surrenders at the right place and at the right time to be afforded early release?

Enough is enough. Are you willing to place your life at jeopardy with further exposure to multiple-offenders who believe that they are invincible, above the law and if caught, will only suffer a minor inconvenience? People who look at a DUI conviction as enhancing their "street cred" while "keeping it real?"

What can YOU do?

Demand that those convicted of driving while impaired be required to serve a full and complete sentence and lose their driving privileges for at least a year. Maximum sentences, not minimum or conditional sentences.

No celebrity rehab in a posh Malibu setting. Sentence to be executed directly after sentencing. No exceptions for public appearances or film roles.

Continue to drive defensively. Do not let your friends drive under the influence.

And do not elect star struck judges, police chiefs or sheriffs.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

Lindsay Lohan Does 84 Minutes in Jail|Associated Press

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

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SAN FRANCISCO: UNDERMINING THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF CALIFORNIA AND THE UNITED STATES

The rest of the United States makes fun of California as the home of "the crazies" who create the fads that sweep the nation. And in the case of San Francisco, the home of ultra-looney liberalism, I would be hard-pressed to defend what I believe to be somewhat accurate.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle...

"New SF ID cards for residents - whether in the country legally or not"

T"he Board of Supervisors voted today to make San Francisco the largest U.S. city to issue municipal identification cards to its residents, regardless of whether or not they are in the country legally."

False premise?

"Supervisor Tom Ammiano, the legislation's author, said the availability of identification cards is a smart public safety measure because it would make residents living on the social margins of San Francisco more likely to seek the help of police and could give them more access to banking services."

"'People are afraid to report crimes,' Ammiano said, referring to illegal immigrants who avoid local law enforcement authorities over fear of being arrested or deported by federal immigration officials."

There is no proof or rational reason why an illegal alien with an identification card would be more inclined to report a crime than the ordinary citizen. And even as a more compelling negative argument, reporting crime against a fellow illegal alien from the same cultural background. And we all know, that no identification card is going to make a difference in reporting a violent crime perpetrated by ruthless gang members or members of your extended family. 

The danger...

"The legislation would require companies doing business with San Francisco to accept the municipal card as a legitimate form of identification - except in cases where other state and federal laws require other forms of proof of age, name and residence."

The danger is not in issuing the cards, but in mandating that all organizations and  businesses need to accept the cards as legal identification if they do business in San Francisco. Thus placing millions of dollars worth of business and contracts at risk to enforce a "social experiment" with demonstrably harmful consequences.

But the real danger is, and always has been...

"Under San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance, it already is city policy that no municipal government personnel or resources may be used to assist federal immigration officials in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants."

By not assisting federal immigration officials in executing their sworn duties, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors puts San Franciscans as well as other Californians in clear and present danger. Liberals, who are fond of saying "if only it saves one life" as justification for their social experiments, are overlooking the fact that drunk drivers, rapists, robbers, drug dealers and violent gang members get a pass when the authorities do not cooperate in the arrest and deportation of illegal aliens who have no business being in San Francisco or anywhere else in the United States. Illegal immigrants with outstanding court-issued deportation orders also get a pass -- thereby obstructing justice and making a mockery of judicial due process.

A bad regulation backed by those who profit most...

"Ammiano said banking institutions in San Francisco have signaled their willingness to accept the municipal ID card for the purpose of setting up accounts. He noted that people without bank accounts are frequently more vulnerable to theft and robbery."

Banks and other financial institutions were the first to accept the "matricula consular" cards and will do almost anything to get their share of the multi-million dollar "home nation remittance" business. A lucrative business with minimal costs and maximum returns.

A city, a county, a state, a nation ...

The degradation of  "respect for the law" always begins with local government. It does not matter why they did what they did, but it does matter that the consequences of their actions may legitimize and encourage other like-minded legislators to pass similar legislation that is contrary to and extremely damaging to the "good order" that is necessary to maintain the rights of all legal citizens and taxpayers.

Citizens force New York Governor to back down...

Eliot Spitzer has just announced that the State of New York will not be issuing drivers' licenses to illegal aliens after being confronted by an overwhelming demand to drop the plan from the citizens of New York. It's not that Spitzer thinks he is doing anything wrong by issuing drivers' licenses to illegals -- especially since he cited the exact same "out of the shadows" reasoning that is cited by San Francisco. But when push comes to shove, Spitzer finds that it is in his best political future to actually listen to his constituents and follow existing law.

The SECRET to handling wayward politicians...

Politicians always act in their own best interests. They will do almost anything to secure campaign funding, attract voters and look good in the media. By withdrawing financial and voter support and providing negative comments to the media -- one can often turn the tide of political stupidity and outright malfeasance.   

What can YOU do?

Perhaps we should move beyond electing 60s-era hippie liberals to positions of authority. In fact, maybe we should also consider electing fewer legislators who seem to have more allegiance to a foreign power than they do to the United States of America,

We should ask our federal legislators to severely curtail the flow of federal funds to the City of San Francisco until they prove compliance with existing federal laws, rules and regulations.

And, perhaps we should curtail our purchases of goods and services from companies operating or headquartered in San Francisco whenever possible.

It is now time to stand up to those petty bureaucrats who flaunt our laws -- perhaps prosecuting them for obstruction of  justice, suing them for aiding and abetting any crime which results in personal damage, and removing them from office for not upholding the California and/or United States Constitution.

Consider the wisdom of Homer, "I detest the man who hides on thing in the depths of his heart and speaks forth another," and speak out even it runs contrary to popular opinion.

Do not vote for any candidate or current politician who is willing to subvert the safety, security, sovereignty and economic strength of the United States or limit an individual's right of self-defense for personal power, prestige or profits.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. -- Marcus Aurelius

Reference Links:

New SF ID cards for residents - whether in the country legally or not|San Francisco Chronicle

“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS

| Comments (0)

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