Archive for March, 2014

Occupy, Commies, and Youth — Oh My

Monday, March 31st, 2014

I can’t wrap my head around this Question and Answer.

How is Vice going to cover, say, monetary policy?

That’s a good question. We’re not going to cover monetary policy. For us, we embed with Occupy Wall Street, the communists, the young people.

Watch out, Occupy Wall Street, Communists, and Young People.  Or are these all one thing?

And then after his defense of sending Dennis Rodman to North Korea, we get back to the Kids today…

You believe that young people worldwide are disenfranchised. Do you think popular uprisings will fix things?
No. I’m actually worried, because I believe that it’s going to get worse. Look, economic disparity is bad. But we’ve already tried having governments redistribute wealth. We tried it in Russia and China to disastrous effect.

… Who need to know their history of Russia and China, damnedit.

Edward Snowden and Jimmy Carter… sitting in a tree, or something

Friday, March 28th, 2014

Hm.  As Edward Snowden says positive things on some NSA and administration’s policy changes, we see that On Edward Snowden.   Jimmy Carter would pardon the man.  Obama simply wouldn’t execute him.  So we have an interesting stylistic approach.

Also note:  NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander has denied that the spy agency has any interest in the former president.  “We’re not” tracking him, Alexander said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. If the NSA were snooping on Carter, he added, that would be “illegal.”

So Carter’s not being watched.  The man’s just paranoid.

curious questions.

Wednesday, March 26th, 2014

A t-shirt I own, have worn in the past, though not for a while.

ukraineisweaktshirt

 

Question:

Would it be inappropriate and in poor taste if I were to wear it right about now?

government censorship in the news

Monday, March 24th, 2014

Some interesting government censor stories…

Item… Government Agency in Turkey tries to block Twitter, doesn’t hold.  Everyone takes to Twitter to complain and kvetch.

Finally fed up, Mr. Erdogan tried to shut Twitter down on Thursday — 10 days before important local elections — after lashing out at the social network at a rally in the western town of Bursa, saying that he did not care about international reaction if national security was at stake.

“Twitter, mwitter!” (the rough equivalent of “Twitter, schmitter!”) Mr. Erdogan said. “We will root out all. They say, ‘Sir, the international community can say this, can say that.’ I don’t care at all. Everyone will see how powerful the state of the Republic of Turkey is.”

Nonetheless, the ban appeared to backfire, fomenting a loud and raucous backlash on Twitter, with the hashtags #TwitterisblockedinTurkey, #occupytwitter, #turkeyblockedtwitter, and #dictatorerdogan quickly becoming popular trending topics globally.

According to Twitturk, which records the statistics of Turkey’s roughly 12 million Twitter users, more than half a million tweets were posted in just 10 hours, despite the ban. Statista, a New York statistics portal, lists Turkey as the fourth-largest Twitter community in the world after the United States, Britain and Japan.

One posting circulated featuring a flock of Twitter’s blue birds pounding Mr. Erdogan’s head with bird excrement. Another superimposed the prime minister’s face on a campaign poster of President Obama, with the slogan, “Yes we ban.”

Then there’s … Pakistan... where, this is actually an age old item.  It happened in Batista’s Cuba when they needed to squelch reports that Fidel Castro was alive.

An article about Pakistan’s relationship to Al Qaeda, and its knowledge of Osama bin Laden’s last hiding place within its borders, was censored from the front page of about 9,000 copies of the International New York Times in Pakistan on Saturday, apparently removed by a local paper that has a partnership to distribute The Times.

An image of the front page — with a large blank space where the article appeared in other editions — traveled rapidly around social media on Saturday. A spokeswoman for The New York Times, Eileen Murphy, said that the decision by the partner paper, The Express Tribune, had been made “without our knowledge or agreement.”

The partner was recently the subject of an attack by an extremist group, she said. “While we understand that our publishing partners are sometimes faced with local pressures,” she said, “we regret any censorship of our journalism.”

 

Though the article appeared to have been excised from all copies of the newspaper distributed in Pakistan, the story seemed to be available to Pakistani readers online, Ms. Murphy said. There was no answer at a number listed for the partner paper’s parent company, the Lakson Group, on Saturday.

It can’t be this story, as it was in the New York Times Magazine … alongside a piece about bi-sexuals having to prove their worth in the gay community as actual bi-sexuals.  Hard to picture which story would offend and enflame the political religious climate more…

on the passing of Fred Phelps

Saturday, March 22nd, 2014

Two points to anyone who can find the most absurd or insane protest / picket staged by Westboro Baptist Church.

Maybe Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson?

Have they ever picketed an Abba Cover band?

I suppose this is the absurd response that they’re getting now, as in… why bother going to the high ground?  It doesn’t matter, I suppose… they don’t know what he’s saying because… Fred Phelps was ex-communicated last year.

what happens when news media reads tweets

Thursday, March 20th, 2014

Hm.

Near the end of CNN’s special primetime report on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on Wednesday, anchor Don Lemon read a pair of tweets he received from viewers suggesting the plane’s disappearance could be the result of a “black hole,” Bermuda Triangle or an occurence akin to the television series “Lost.”

Lemon then turned to Mary Schiavo, former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and said, “I know it’s preposterous, but is it preposterous, do you think, Mary?”

“It is,” Schiavo replied. “A small black hole would suck in our entire universe. So we know it’s not that. The Bermuda Triangle is often weather, and ‘Lost’ is a TV show.”

“Right,” Lemon said.

They’re mocking this at the Alex Jones site.  Mostly because it doesn’t correspond to their theories, but whatever the case… 24 Hour News Networks are pretty useless, and are prone to slip and slide into a “throwing out whatever” mode.

Or… you know… reading tweets.

what they’re saying on russian and iranian media

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014

In the grand scheme of things, more important than the side-show of the Kesha Rogers campaign in looking at the Larouche Movement…

Michael Billington impeach Barack Obama.  This is An interesting search phrase to this site, which came via the Russian search engine Yandex.

A summary of what is spiking the q rating for Michael Billington

If you’re wondering, the American guest who advocates impeaching President Obama before he nukes Russia to avert America’s financial collapse is Mike Billington, an author and longtime active member of the Lyndon LaRouche movement who served 12 years in prison for what he claims were politically motivated reasons (prosecutors say he bilked old people out of $1.24 million).
Iran is a Russian ally. But even head-scarfed newscaster Kaneez Fatima seems uncomfortable with Billington’s commentary.

And this brings us to the main story in the field of Larouche right about now.  The Executive Intelligence Review spigot into the propaganda outlets of Russia and Iran state media, which is working overtime right about now.  The main items

West in no position to threaten Russia… says Geoffrey Steinberg.  (SIC)  And more from Jeffrey Steinberg on this “political football”.   And, the biggie of their message Obama after ‘thermonuclear war’ by provoking Russia, says Steinberg.  Obama Should be Impeached Over Crimes, says Journalist Jeffrey Steinberg.

US Stance on Ukraine not helping, says Bill Jones.  Diplomacy moving very slowly in Crimea: Analyst.  Says Bill Jones.  ‘Ukraine crisis edges near nuclear war’, says Bill Jones.  Global nuclear war likely in Ukraine, says Bill: Jones.

Criminal Obama must be impeached over Ukraine says  Analyst  Michael Billington.  Obama should be impeached over Crimea stance, says Analyst Michael Billington.
US seeks to provoke Russia over Ukraine, says Mike Billington.  Obama Antics Moving Us Toward Nuclear War, says “Expert” Billington.

“His [Obama’s] claim that is a national emergency in the United States is simply proof that Obama is declaring himself a dictator, that he’s acting outside of the constitution, outside of the Congress and that he must be impeached immediately if we are not to go with a thermonuclear confrontation with Russia in the coming days,” Mike Billington, editor for Executive Intelligence Review newsmagazine, told Press TV. […]
Billington added that the upcoming referendum in Crimea is not an issue about Ukraine rather it is an issue about a thermonuclear war between Obama and his British controllers with Russia.
“A war confrontation they desire because the entire Western civilization is in complete collapse and therefore they are pushing for a war to have the right to force Russia and China to back down to an imperial policy of looting the entire world. And this has to be reversed and the only way it can be reversed is under US constitutional law to impeach this criminal president,” the commentator pointed out.

‘US must stop supporting neo-Nazi coup in Ukraine’, says Edward Spannaus.
Interesting to note about Edward Spannaus… he’s the secretary of the Lovettsville Historical Society“– which sounds a lot like the Leesburg Garden Club.

And working for China, French intervention in CAR keeps China out – analyst Douglas DeGroot.  And China sees peace between Koreas through denuclearization: Analyst William Jones.
Africa… with Lawrence Freeman… everything bad in Africa is the result of British Imperialism.

And now… Lyndon Larouche himownself… Obama’s US Government Must be Removed to Save Mankind.  Could Obama be impeached over the Crimea Crisis?

And, yes, we do see the EIR staff breaking out the Larouche.   Many American analysts – Lyndon LaRouche, the founder of my publication, Paul Craig Roberts, a number of others says Journalist Jeffrey Steinberg.  (Hm.  “founder of my publication”.)

Hm.  Things are more complex in the East. The threat of sanctions against Russia, he finds amusing. He recalls how he himself suffered for his convictions. In 1989 LaRouche was sentenced to 15 years in prison on false charges of fraud. Later, former Attorney General Clark called the case against the politician “a gross abuse of power by the U.S. government.” Sanctions against Russia won’t get anywhere, LaRouche believes.  So Sayeth Russia 1.

World War 3 Could be… TUESDAY.  Wait.  Wasn’t that just the Post St Patrick’s Day Hangover?
Hm…  Interesting analysis here…

On Tuesday evening, a corrupt U.S. Congress, with no concern for anything but its re-election, voted by a margin of 383 to 2 (with 50 not voting), to endorse a resolution supporting the fascist opposition in Ukraine, and therefore a nuclear war confrontation with Russia. LaRouchePAC representatives on the scene confronted particularly the Jewish members, and found them and others either ignorant, or totally craven. The two ‘no’ votes were by Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC) and Thomas Massie (R-KY)

 

ITEM NUMBER TWO:  The Kesha Rogers Campaign kicks into High Gear.

Campaigning here…
Ema Reuter, who pitched an umbrella and handed out materials in the 1500 block of RR 1431, […]
After consulting with the Burnet County attorney, investigators on the scene cited state traffic safety code 392.0325 in reference to the signs and the umbrella’s proximity to the RR 1431 traffic light.
And that’s the end of Campaigning there.

Politifact checks in and catches Kesha Rogers on Obama’s controversial drone policy at … half true.  Hm.  Actually, hopefully politifact can check up and down the Kesha Rogers campaign.  Might be good comedy.

Sounding the Alarm.

Any chance that a Democrat has of being elected to statewide in 2014 will be wiped out if Rogers is the Democratic nominee for US Senate from Texas.  In the upcoming runoff on 27 May, Texas Democrats must rectify this situation and vote David Alameel as their candidate for the US Senate.

Important note...

On her campaign website, Rogers says she wants to restore the JFK-FDR legacy in Texas.  That’s great, a sign of progress, right?  Think again. […]
As a son of Texas and brilliant statesman once said, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

And on to

As hard as Texas Democrats are campaigning for Wendy Davis, they are campaigning equally as hard against Kesha Rogers, who is running for U.S. Senate nomination.
SMU political science professor Cal Jillson says Democrats don’t want Rogers running under their brand.
“Keisha Rogers is way off on the fringes, so the Democratic Party doesn’t want to be identified with her very strange issue positions,” said Jillson.
Jillson says that the fact that Rogers and David Alameel are the Democrats fighting for the Senate nomination says something else.
“It says that the party is weak, and the frontline candidates, candidates who have some experience, success in running statewide, don’t exist in the Democratic Party.”

Political analyst Cal Jillson of SMU says because of that, Democrats are taking the unprecedented step of disavowing one of their own candidates in a high profile primary election, sending out letters to voters declaring that Rogers ‘IS NOT A DEMOCRAT’ and urging voters to back the other candidate in the race, Dr. David Alameel, a wealthy dentist and the founder of the Jefferson Dental Clinic chain of dental centers.
“Because he is running against a candidate that the Democratic Party establishment fears would make them a laughing stock,” Jillson said.

Down the ballot we get some interesting figures

During the primary campaign, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, a candidate for lieutenant governor, recorded a telephone plea targeted at Democratic voters, urging them to vote for Hugh Fitzsimons III — “the only real Democrat in the race.” Her fellow San Antonian finished third. Here’s what she said in that robocall about the most famous guy in the race: “It would be no laughing matter to let comedian Kinky Friedman win a spot on the ballot with Wendy Davis and me in the fall.”
Friedman finished just behind Hogan in the primary. Friedman is the better known of the two — an assessment shared by Hogan himself — and some in the party are talking about kissing and making up with the Kinkster.
This is not just a riff on weird politics.

Hm.  Different people, different reactions.  As opposed to… you know
Dallas County Democrats also tweeted on Monday, “Friends don’t let friends vote Kesha Rogers in the Primary Runoff (May 27).”
Note to this blogger:  “Rogers’ unexpected primary victory has embarrassed the Texas Democratic establishment and has put the party on high-octane damage-control mode” is an incorrect statement:  Kesha Rogers has not won anything.  The nomination will be decided in May.

Dicing and slicing these results from a right perspective.

Unlike Ray Madrigal’s surprising 20% of the vote in the gubernatorial primary, which was concentrated in the heavily Hispanic border counties, Roger’s support comes from all parts of the state.  Nor can it be attributed to racial solidarity, as she won several counties in the Panhandle and in West Texas where there are few African Americans.

LaRouche isn’t all that distant from Ron Paul.
Only if you look at the spread of political philosophy as a circle. I talked with a LaRouche supporter who explained to me how my support of free markets proved I was a worshiper of Baal. They are very, very distant.
The LaRouche people are out there in a very different orbit – they always have been.

Some perspective from one county.
On the Democratic referendum:  Kesha Rogers took 40.07 of the votes from Red River County for the office of U.S. Senator; for commissioner of agriculture, Jim Hogan took 84.59 percent of the county vote; Steve Brown took 65.11 percent of the votes in RRC for state railroad commissioner. […]
The county’s voter turnout showed about 20 percent of registered voters voting in the Republican primary, and 3-4 percent in the Democratic primary.

And this commentary, typical.  On the various results… “If you don’t know what you’re voting for, Don’t.”
ITEM NUMBER THREE:  Historical footnote.
Rest in Peace, Michael Holwett, Jr, who
In 1986, Mr. Howlett ran for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Adlai Stevenson III. It was the year candidates linked to political gadfly Lyndon LaRouche ran on the Democratic ticket, forcing Stevenson set up a third party in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Jim Thompson.
ITEM FOUR:  Dateline Florida
Ted Yoho’s Townhall Meeting
The Larouchies try to jump on the Tea Party message, sounding the same themes of “Republicans not willing to Impeach”, and on from there… , and we get this this comment
There are LaRouche people in Marion County? Wow.

Dateline New Jersey:

Rep. Leonard Lance,R-7, had to do a nifty tap dance to avoid addressing some of  the more far out questions at his town hall meeting held on Friday at the Mount Olive town hall.
It was a dreary, foggy day but it didn’t keep around 30 or so people from attending from as far away as Ocean County. Among them were a few followers of Lyndon Larouche, the  91-year-old political extremist, perennial presidential candidate, conspiracy theorist and founder of the U.S. Labor Party. Larouche and his followers have been accused of being fascistic and anti-Semitic.

ITEM FIVE:  Odds and Ends.
Wedler’s performances resemble the brainwashed productions of LaRouche Youth and their Communist predecessors. There is that same rigidity

Hm.  Hersch Krustofsky’s facebook page.
The Blog of Internet muck raking Scandal Wizard Spike1138 exposes Webster Tarpley.  Kind of.  It’s just a reposting of a letter already seen, one found at Dennis King’s website, Tarpley trying to write off Larouche.  But never mind.  Whatever works.  You go, Scandal Wizard Spike1138… you go.

Occupy Movement disassociates…

It’s true that individuals and groups associated with the far right became involved in the movement, or tried to co-opt it, such as with calls to “End the Fed.” However, he overstates particular impact they had in the movement’s primary decision-making processes. For instance, he points out that supporters of Lyndon LaRouche supported calls within Occupy for reinstating the Glass-Steagall act — but so did a lot more left-leaning Democrats, and even the initial Adbusters call that seeded the movement. Early on, too, traditional leftists like socialists and anarchists were generally reluctant to claim the movement wholly as its own

Roger Moore on this thread is accused of being a Larouchie.  And hm.
Thom Hartmann references the “October Surprise”, Newsbuster brings up Larouche in denunciation.

Also on the Left but appearing to cater to the right is the Lyndon LaRouche crowd which publishes the Executive Intelligence Review. LaRouche wormed his way into conservative circles by attacking Jane Fonda and the environmentalists.