Independent Online Edition > UK Politics
One might be forgiven for thinking that, with George Galloway incarcarated in television's on-air lunatic asylum, Tony Blair has taken up the job of leading his party.
"Thou Shalt RESPECT!"
"Thou Shalt RESPECT!"
"Thou Shalt RESPECT!"
Sadly not - he's simply trying to repeat a sermon delivered too many times before. For the catalogue of failures resulting from the same, Click Here.
Plus - exactly why would US house democrats keep quiet about Bush spying when they knew about it 4 years ago. The stench of corruption and self-interest in Washington continues here.
Later.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"You're Arab, I'll bomb ya!" - Is this Dubya?
Did Bush propose to take out Al Jazeera?
I first covered this a few weeks back, only the find the UK government imposed a reporting blackout almost the moment the leak broke. Obviously, such restrictions can only apply in the UK so its good to least reporting on the matter kept alive at this link to Slate at the Washington Post.
Published yesterday by our timing, it tells nothing particularly new but does reveal that the two persons being prosecuted for the leak are in court to defend their case today. Although British media have restrictions on publishing the contents of the leak itself, in so far as I can tell only standard reporting restrictions would apply to the court case itself. It will be interesting to see if the trial's progress and verdict are even mentioned in our homegrown news sources.
Later.
I first covered this a few weeks back, only the find the UK government imposed a reporting blackout almost the moment the leak broke. Obviously, such restrictions can only apply in the UK so its good to least reporting on the matter kept alive at this link to Slate at the Washington Post.
Published yesterday by our timing, it tells nothing particularly new but does reveal that the two persons being prosecuted for the leak are in court to defend their case today. Although British media have restrictions on publishing the contents of the leak itself, in so far as I can tell only standard reporting restrictions would apply to the court case itself. It will be interesting to see if the trial's progress and verdict are even mentioned in our homegrown news sources.
Later.
Monday, January 09, 2006
On that which never happened
The Quiet Death of Freedom
Turning aside from Amerika, this link leads to an article about Britain from the acclaimed journalist, John Pilger. The erosion of freedom suggested is insidious and he has some harsh words about recent BBC reporting. Read it.
Later.
Turning aside from Amerika, this link leads to an article about Britain from the acclaimed journalist, John Pilger. The erosion of freedom suggested is insidious and he has some harsh words about recent BBC reporting. Read it.
Later.
Fall of the Red Dollar
Strangleholds on the Dollar
OpEd News are rapidly becoming my first choice of the day for political comment (Alternet now second and Counterpunch in third place) and this link proves the point with some coverage I haven't seen elsewhere.
In real times (if you disregard false manipulation of the global economy), Amerika's currency is today a pretty worthless commodity. If Suadi Arabia and China cash were to cash-in their dollar reserves for for a more stable currency, the United States economy would crumble. I recently mentioned that one of the first actions Amerika took after the Iraq invasion was to restore the local oil transactions to a system pegged to the dollar, thus artificially boosting their own currency and effectively controlling the global market for Iraq's oil production. (Saddam had favoured the increasingly strong Euro.)
Last Thursday, China took the first steps toward shifting away from the dollar as the anchor for its exchange rate mechanism. A week or so ago Iran did the same. It will be a slow decline, but if this trend continues, Amerika will be facing a real threat to its current way of life. It's military machine and consumer economy would become impotent if they could no longer afford the resources required. The fall of the Amerikan empire could come as a consequence of their own devise.
For readers in the US, check out this link, also at OpEd. You have two weeks left to protect your freedom! Also - do you know what "Echelon" is? No? Click here.
Later.
OpEd News are rapidly becoming my first choice of the day for political comment (Alternet now second and Counterpunch in third place) and this link proves the point with some coverage I haven't seen elsewhere.
In real times (if you disregard false manipulation of the global economy), Amerika's currency is today a pretty worthless commodity. If Suadi Arabia and China cash were to cash-in their dollar reserves for for a more stable currency, the United States economy would crumble. I recently mentioned that one of the first actions Amerika took after the Iraq invasion was to restore the local oil transactions to a system pegged to the dollar, thus artificially boosting their own currency and effectively controlling the global market for Iraq's oil production. (Saddam had favoured the increasingly strong Euro.)
Last Thursday, China took the first steps toward shifting away from the dollar as the anchor for its exchange rate mechanism. A week or so ago Iran did the same. It will be a slow decline, but if this trend continues, Amerika will be facing a real threat to its current way of life. It's military machine and consumer economy would become impotent if they could no longer afford the resources required. The fall of the Amerikan empire could come as a consequence of their own devise.
For readers in the US, check out this link, also at OpEd. You have two weeks left to protect your freedom! Also - do you know what "Echelon" is? No? Click here.
Later.
Google the good or google the bad
This editorial is copied from the latest newsletter from Info Economy as is worth reading. For longer artcicle, follow the link.
"Big bad Google
In the technology industry, only the unpredictable is predictable. In 1985, IBM dominated the IT industry and Microsoft barely registered; in 1995, Microsoft, now dominant, was scrabbling to stave off the threat from the newly emerged Netscape; in 2005, it was Google, a company that does not sell computers and gives away almost all of its software, that began to deeply trouble the major players in both the technology and the media industries.
Google grabbed the first technology industry headlines of 2006 with the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it will soon begin selling video content over the Internet. Using the Google search service, visitors will be able to search for commercial video content and then download it for a small fee.
The move means that Google can now include the cable and satellite TV companies, and the innovative video serving companies, such as Apple, among those with whom it is now in direct competition.
And it confirms the fears of these and other media companies that their distribution mechanisms - such as TV channels - may soon be bypassed as viewers simply search the web for the programmes they want and download them.
Google - now with sales of more than $5 billion and growing at nearly 100% a year - is managing to freak almost everyone out. Newspaper and magazine publishers, for example, are losing vast swathes of advertisers to Google, who pick up the visitors on their way to visiting the actual content producer's site. Book publishers are suing Google over its plans to digitise their content and allow some searching and display of these texts without paying royalties; eBay, Amazon and others are worried about Google's move into transaction services; telecom services providers are concerned about Google's move into Voice-over-IP services; Microsoft and Dell are worried by rumours of a Google Cube - a low cost box that searches, finds, displays and plays but does little else.
There is, reportedly, much more to come. Insiders say Google is preparing a big move into local content, taking on the likes of Yell.com and local newspapers; there are also reports of more advanced, contextual information management services that users will be able to subscribe to. Even governments - including the European Commission - are worried that Google seems to have taken on the role of global archivist and information manager.
The extent to which all these threats will materialise is as yet unclear - but Google is unique in one key respect. Unlike Microsoft, for example, it has no constituency to protect, no installed base that it must service, no network of dealers who must be protected. Only its advertisers need to be kept happy, but there are so many of these, and Google's proposition is so strong, that their fears do not represent a major constraint on Google's expansion. History suggests that the anti-trust authorities are already watching, will no doubt start an investigation in the coming year or two, but will do little or nothing of real consequence.
What happens next? That is almost certainly likely to be the technology industry's biggest discussion point of 2006: the world of Google, competing with Google, living with Google, controlling Google, forecasting Google. The only certainty is that almost all of the analysts will fail to foresee the really next big thing - if it happens at all, that is."
Personally, I love Google - they even host this blog. There is of course a warning here, but their maverick approach and commitment to freedom of information currently shows no real sign of fading.
Later.
"Big bad Google
In the technology industry, only the unpredictable is predictable. In 1985, IBM dominated the IT industry and Microsoft barely registered; in 1995, Microsoft, now dominant, was scrabbling to stave off the threat from the newly emerged Netscape; in 2005, it was Google, a company that does not sell computers and gives away almost all of its software, that began to deeply trouble the major players in both the technology and the media industries.
Google grabbed the first technology industry headlines of 2006 with the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it will soon begin selling video content over the Internet. Using the Google search service, visitors will be able to search for commercial video content and then download it for a small fee.
The move means that Google can now include the cable and satellite TV companies, and the innovative video serving companies, such as Apple, among those with whom it is now in direct competition.
And it confirms the fears of these and other media companies that their distribution mechanisms - such as TV channels - may soon be bypassed as viewers simply search the web for the programmes they want and download them.
Google - now with sales of more than $5 billion and growing at nearly 100% a year - is managing to freak almost everyone out. Newspaper and magazine publishers, for example, are losing vast swathes of advertisers to Google, who pick up the visitors on their way to visiting the actual content producer's site. Book publishers are suing Google over its plans to digitise their content and allow some searching and display of these texts without paying royalties; eBay, Amazon and others are worried about Google's move into transaction services; telecom services providers are concerned about Google's move into Voice-over-IP services; Microsoft and Dell are worried by rumours of a Google Cube - a low cost box that searches, finds, displays and plays but does little else.
There is, reportedly, much more to come. Insiders say Google is preparing a big move into local content, taking on the likes of Yell.com and local newspapers; there are also reports of more advanced, contextual information management services that users will be able to subscribe to. Even governments - including the European Commission - are worried that Google seems to have taken on the role of global archivist and information manager.
The extent to which all these threats will materialise is as yet unclear - but Google is unique in one key respect. Unlike Microsoft, for example, it has no constituency to protect, no installed base that it must service, no network of dealers who must be protected. Only its advertisers need to be kept happy, but there are so many of these, and Google's proposition is so strong, that their fears do not represent a major constraint on Google's expansion. History suggests that the anti-trust authorities are already watching, will no doubt start an investigation in the coming year or two, but will do little or nothing of real consequence.
What happens next? That is almost certainly likely to be the technology industry's biggest discussion point of 2006: the world of Google, competing with Google, living with Google, controlling Google, forecasting Google. The only certainty is that almost all of the analysts will fail to foresee the really next big thing - if it happens at all, that is."
Personally, I love Google - they even host this blog. There is of course a warning here, but their maverick approach and commitment to freedom of information currently shows no real sign of fading.
Later.
Updates
President Bush at Recess - New York Times
By popular request, click above link for more on those sneaky appointments Bush made during the reccess.
As I write, news has just broken that Dick Cheney has been hospitalised due to breathing difficulties. He is known to have heart problems but whether this is serious enough to knock him off the stage like Sharon is unclear.
Labour political Tony Banks' stroke has now proved fatal, so we say goodbye to an ardent animal rights supporter and strong voice in the British parliament.
Later.
By popular request, click above link for more on those sneaky appointments Bush made during the reccess.
As I write, news has just broken that Dick Cheney has been hospitalised due to breathing difficulties. He is known to have heart problems but whether this is serious enough to knock him off the stage like Sharon is unclear.
Labour political Tony Banks' stroke has now proved fatal, so we say goodbye to an ardent animal rights supporter and strong voice in the British parliament.
Later.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
A "Case" soon to be "Heard"
The Bush Administration vs. Salim Hamdan
Ah, Sunday. Well the weekend here starts like any other day really. Having fallen, stumbled or otherwise extricated myself from bed or whatever other location and position I've fallen asleep in, I head first for the coffeee filter and than the "inbox". Or rather, the "spambox".
I subscribe to an ever-increasing number of newspapers, magazines, newsletters and links pages. Since many are mailed in bulk, I have to check the spam folder to make sure something genuine hasn;t slipped into it. Only then to I delete.
The sad fact is that, starting Friday midnight, the profusion of spam continues all weekend with junk arriving almost non-stop. 3 to 5 times the amount I get on weekdays and it is highly frustrating to sort it.
That done I move to the real inbox. Normally I read headlines and synopses rather than full articles, but since a lot of my regulars go dormant at the weekend it is when I take some time to read in more depth. Now and then there is a longer story that departs from the worldview whilst being whooly relevent at the same time and this link leads to one such.
Salim Hamdan is a detainee in Guantanamo Bay. His case will be a first for those incarcerated in the Cuban outpost and may become a test-case for Bush/Rumsfeld policy. This is his story and well worth reading. Some tangental issues, such as the nature of "Jihad" also give pause for thought. Lying somewhere between evangelism and crusade it is a notion not easily perceived in the west despite bearing an uncanny resemblence to Christian and Jewish fundamentalism. Less obvious still its that its rise is clearly the result of the western world's interference with and betrayal of Islamic cultures and their values.
In learning Hamdan's history, it was impressed on me that, despite its loose-knit and widespread structure, Al Qaeda seems to operate using a very familiar hieracharchial system of command and class divide. Hamdan may have been as physically close to Bin Laden as it's possible to be, but at the end of the day he held the lowliest rank, was concerned only about his paypacket as a driver and was also intellectually ignorant of his position in place and time. This is like penalising a chauffeur for the crimes of a missing passenger.
I hate war and violence and have nothing but contempt for those that promote it. Nonetheless, and as I've said before, "terrorism" has always been a method of warfare and not a finite thing in itself. Witness some of the activites of both ourselves and the French resistance during World War 2. The war against Amerika and its allies in the west is not at all welcome or to be condoned, but is is the end by-product of imperial interference and betrayal.
A quote in the artice reads:
Bin Laden was clear about the goals. "He would say over and over again that we must carry out painful attacks on the United States until it becomes like an agitated bull," al-Bahri recalled, "and when the bull comes to our region, he won't be familiar with the land, but we will."
Therein is the quandry. Amerika is indeed behaving like an agitated bull and has quite literally stampeded into the lion's den. Worse still, it taken half the western world in with it! The task ahead is not just withdrawl, it is to make reparations that will be both understood and beneficial to those who will otherwise be the next generation of conscripts for "Jihad". If the footsoldiers of this hidden army are given hope and the motivation to direct their energies elsewhere, the command structure of dissent will fall and a peaceful accomodation might be in sight.
That won't happen if we abandon them to the festering ruins of a raped and pillaged infrastructure - democracy and freedom are meaningless without hope and the foundation on which to build them. If Hamdan versus Rumsfeld ends in defeat for Rumsfeld, it may just send the smallest of signals that justice and conscience can still prevail in the empire of fear.
Later.
Ah, Sunday. Well the weekend here starts like any other day really. Having fallen, stumbled or otherwise extricated myself from bed or whatever other location and position I've fallen asleep in, I head first for the coffeee filter and than the "inbox". Or rather, the "spambox".
I subscribe to an ever-increasing number of newspapers, magazines, newsletters and links pages. Since many are mailed in bulk, I have to check the spam folder to make sure something genuine hasn;t slipped into it. Only then to I delete.
The sad fact is that, starting Friday midnight, the profusion of spam continues all weekend with junk arriving almost non-stop. 3 to 5 times the amount I get on weekdays and it is highly frustrating to sort it.
That done I move to the real inbox. Normally I read headlines and synopses rather than full articles, but since a lot of my regulars go dormant at the weekend it is when I take some time to read in more depth. Now and then there is a longer story that departs from the worldview whilst being whooly relevent at the same time and this link leads to one such.
Salim Hamdan is a detainee in Guantanamo Bay. His case will be a first for those incarcerated in the Cuban outpost and may become a test-case for Bush/Rumsfeld policy. This is his story and well worth reading. Some tangental issues, such as the nature of "Jihad" also give pause for thought. Lying somewhere between evangelism and crusade it is a notion not easily perceived in the west despite bearing an uncanny resemblence to Christian and Jewish fundamentalism. Less obvious still its that its rise is clearly the result of the western world's interference with and betrayal of Islamic cultures and their values.
In learning Hamdan's history, it was impressed on me that, despite its loose-knit and widespread structure, Al Qaeda seems to operate using a very familiar hieracharchial system of command and class divide. Hamdan may have been as physically close to Bin Laden as it's possible to be, but at the end of the day he held the lowliest rank, was concerned only about his paypacket as a driver and was also intellectually ignorant of his position in place and time. This is like penalising a chauffeur for the crimes of a missing passenger.
I hate war and violence and have nothing but contempt for those that promote it. Nonetheless, and as I've said before, "terrorism" has always been a method of warfare and not a finite thing in itself. Witness some of the activites of both ourselves and the French resistance during World War 2. The war against Amerika and its allies in the west is not at all welcome or to be condoned, but is is the end by-product of imperial interference and betrayal.
A quote in the artice reads:
Bin Laden was clear about the goals. "He would say over and over again that we must carry out painful attacks on the United States until it becomes like an agitated bull," al-Bahri recalled, "and when the bull comes to our region, he won't be familiar with the land, but we will."
Therein is the quandry. Amerika is indeed behaving like an agitated bull and has quite literally stampeded into the lion's den. Worse still, it taken half the western world in with it! The task ahead is not just withdrawl, it is to make reparations that will be both understood and beneficial to those who will otherwise be the next generation of conscripts for "Jihad". If the footsoldiers of this hidden army are given hope and the motivation to direct their energies elsewhere, the command structure of dissent will fall and a peaceful accomodation might be in sight.
That won't happen if we abandon them to the festering ruins of a raped and pillaged infrastructure - democracy and freedom are meaningless without hope and the foundation on which to build them. If Hamdan versus Rumsfeld ends in defeat for Rumsfeld, it may just send the smallest of signals that justice and conscience can still prevail in the empire of fear.
Later.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
An animal trapped is at its most dangerous
YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN...
From the same source as the previous items, this article notes how Bush has been summoning heavyweights from various previous administrations to ffer "advice" on how to extract himself from the current foreign policy. It is suggested he doesn't actually give a damm for any such advice - rather he wants to pretend co-operation with individuals on whom he can later "pass the buck". Given all his troubles, the fact that he used the holiday reccess of the senate to (legally for once) bypass approval of new political appointments and the creation of the new national police force heralded by many as an "Amerikan Gestapo", suggests he is following an agenda that has no intention of compromise. The totalitarian madness is so transparent that one is almost tempted to call him honest, save for that being a serious misnomer where intentions are concerned.
Scariest of all, though not considered by the writer of this link, is that now the ape emperor has no way to back out of his self-imposed prison, he is possibly at his most dangerous. Those who are finally waking up and demanding withdrawl from Iraq, his impeachment for high crimes, war crimes and other myraid misdemeanours must act quickly. Most of all, they must convince their representatives in the senate and congress to give up their financial sedatives long enough to fix a machinery of state that has entered terminal decline. The people of the USA need champions who address their needs, not the entrenched corruption of the Washington elite and their corporate paymasters.
So too to an extent here in Britain. One of the saddest aspects about the current hounding of the Liberal Democrat party leader, Charles Kennedy, is that it looks set to throw the one political force that opposed our partaking in the Bush wars into turmoil and a temporary uncertainty of direction. As a supporter of that party, I have long felt we needed a stronger personality at the head of the party, but this turn of events has all the hallmarks of a secret agenda to discredit the party and halt its ambitions on the eve of forthcoming local elections. This article holds some information that might give us a clue as to what's really up behind the scenes and suggests certain media may be complicit in the affair.
The supreme irony too is that Britain's other anti-war party, Respect, is currently disabled too. Its leader (and only MP), a certain George Galloway, has returned from extensive touring engagements in the USA only to enter the confines of the "big brother" television house. Whatever the folly (or otherwise) of this move in itself, those familiar with the programme will be aware that he has no contact with the outside world. He is thus oblivious all this Whitehall intruige and absent from the fray when his voice might be useful. Co-incidence probably, but one never knows.
Back in the US, religious mouth Pat Robertson has declared that the fate of Ariel Sharon is "god's will". Bush won't be happy about that one! The Palestinians must be very confused - a couple of decades back it was the Christians who moved in to slaughter them while Sharon directed the proceedings.
My view is that the absence of Sharon on the political stage may be no bad thing. His new centre-party has never seemed like more than a sham to give him the personal authority he needed to engineer an expaned, highly-fortified Israel to the detriment of a Palestine still struggling to achieve statehood. Withdrawl from Gaza was simply a ploy to get rid of a small unwanted region whilst grabbving more territory where he did wanted. That is served as a bit of good well-spun international PR was an added bonus. Given that his new party (without him) will probably not have enough support to form a government, the Israeli electorate will most likely end up with another coilition government. No exactly the best for stability, but preferable to one party following a criminal's agenda.
More interestingly, the departure of Sharon represnts the end of an era. His credentials have always been tied to the perpetration of a non-secular jewish state - a cause he fought for even in days preceding its formation. Whether post-war Britain had the right to cede Palestinian land to what became an expansionist occupational force is now ancient history. That land, and that land only, is now accepted by most Palestinians to be Israel's own and the future lies in co-operation not dictation. Sharon and his generation are ancient history too and the region needs new voices and new attitudes for a new era.
Israel was also one of the sadder failing of the United Nations. Not only did they fail to stop new new state illegally stealing neighbour's territory, but also turned a blind eye to the state's development of nuclear weapons. To this day, no action has been taken - yet all manner of sqawking is going on when Iran is thought to be doing the same. Even as the western world jumps back on the bandwagon to promote nuclear power, we have the audicity to prevent less developed nations doing the same. But I digress.
This link is more bad news for the future of the UN and indeed NATO. As if you hadn't guessed - Bush is withdrawing support for both.
Later.
From the same source as the previous items, this article notes how Bush has been summoning heavyweights from various previous administrations to ffer "advice" on how to extract himself from the current foreign policy. It is suggested he doesn't actually give a damm for any such advice - rather he wants to pretend co-operation with individuals on whom he can later "pass the buck". Given all his troubles, the fact that he used the holiday reccess of the senate to (legally for once) bypass approval of new political appointments and the creation of the new national police force heralded by many as an "Amerikan Gestapo", suggests he is following an agenda that has no intention of compromise. The totalitarian madness is so transparent that one is almost tempted to call him honest, save for that being a serious misnomer where intentions are concerned.
Scariest of all, though not considered by the writer of this link, is that now the ape emperor has no way to back out of his self-imposed prison, he is possibly at his most dangerous. Those who are finally waking up and demanding withdrawl from Iraq, his impeachment for high crimes, war crimes and other myraid misdemeanours must act quickly. Most of all, they must convince their representatives in the senate and congress to give up their financial sedatives long enough to fix a machinery of state that has entered terminal decline. The people of the USA need champions who address their needs, not the entrenched corruption of the Washington elite and their corporate paymasters.
So too to an extent here in Britain. One of the saddest aspects about the current hounding of the Liberal Democrat party leader, Charles Kennedy, is that it looks set to throw the one political force that opposed our partaking in the Bush wars into turmoil and a temporary uncertainty of direction. As a supporter of that party, I have long felt we needed a stronger personality at the head of the party, but this turn of events has all the hallmarks of a secret agenda to discredit the party and halt its ambitions on the eve of forthcoming local elections. This article holds some information that might give us a clue as to what's really up behind the scenes and suggests certain media may be complicit in the affair.
The supreme irony too is that Britain's other anti-war party, Respect, is currently disabled too. Its leader (and only MP), a certain George Galloway, has returned from extensive touring engagements in the USA only to enter the confines of the "big brother" television house. Whatever the folly (or otherwise) of this move in itself, those familiar with the programme will be aware that he has no contact with the outside world. He is thus oblivious all this Whitehall intruige and absent from the fray when his voice might be useful. Co-incidence probably, but one never knows.
Back in the US, religious mouth Pat Robertson has declared that the fate of Ariel Sharon is "god's will". Bush won't be happy about that one! The Palestinians must be very confused - a couple of decades back it was the Christians who moved in to slaughter them while Sharon directed the proceedings.
My view is that the absence of Sharon on the political stage may be no bad thing. His new centre-party has never seemed like more than a sham to give him the personal authority he needed to engineer an expaned, highly-fortified Israel to the detriment of a Palestine still struggling to achieve statehood. Withdrawl from Gaza was simply a ploy to get rid of a small unwanted region whilst grabbving more territory where he did wanted. That is served as a bit of good well-spun international PR was an added bonus. Given that his new party (without him) will probably not have enough support to form a government, the Israeli electorate will most likely end up with another coilition government. No exactly the best for stability, but preferable to one party following a criminal's agenda.
More interestingly, the departure of Sharon represnts the end of an era. His credentials have always been tied to the perpetration of a non-secular jewish state - a cause he fought for even in days preceding its formation. Whether post-war Britain had the right to cede Palestinian land to what became an expansionist occupational force is now ancient history. That land, and that land only, is now accepted by most Palestinians to be Israel's own and the future lies in co-operation not dictation. Sharon and his generation are ancient history too and the region needs new voices and new attitudes for a new era.
Israel was also one of the sadder failing of the United Nations. Not only did they fail to stop new new state illegally stealing neighbour's territory, but also turned a blind eye to the state's development of nuclear weapons. To this day, no action has been taken - yet all manner of sqawking is going on when Iran is thought to be doing the same. Even as the western world jumps back on the bandwagon to promote nuclear power, we have the audicity to prevent less developed nations doing the same. But I digress.
This link is more bad news for the future of the UN and indeed NATO. As if you hadn't guessed - Bush is withdrawing support for both.
Later.
A timely quote and a bit of newspeak
As huge gatherings for the "out of Iraq" movement take place today across Amerika (some even with republican support) this quote from the ape emperor's daddy (circa 1990s) shows just how extreme the Washington mind-shift has become.
"Trying to eliminate Saddam .. would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible ... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq ...there was no viable 'exit strategy' we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
And you can forget the Orwellian dictionary. Here's the latest bit of newspeak ...
Bush (boosh) adj. 1. of or relating to George W. Bush. –n. 1. a person elevated by money and powerful interests to a position far above his abilities. 2. an amoral, deceitful, self-righteous hypocrite: COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE 3. an inarticulate nincompoop, who believes himself to be amusing. 4. a corrupt, scheming demagogue, ruling an Orwellian world using Machiavellian principles. –v. 1. To screw up everything—completely. 2. to use the vast resources of the government to attack and malign those who oppose you.
Be sure to use it in a sentence today. (e.g., He is a real Bush.[or] Anybody that Bush ought to be in jail.)
Both the above thanks to items at Op Ed News.
Later.
"Trying to eliminate Saddam .. would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible ... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq ...there was no viable 'exit strategy' we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."
And you can forget the Orwellian dictionary. Here's the latest bit of newspeak ...
Bush (boosh) adj. 1. of or relating to George W. Bush. –n. 1. a person elevated by money and powerful interests to a position far above his abilities. 2. an amoral, deceitful, self-righteous hypocrite: COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE 3. an inarticulate nincompoop, who believes himself to be amusing. 4. a corrupt, scheming demagogue, ruling an Orwellian world using Machiavellian principles. –v. 1. To screw up everything—completely. 2. to use the vast resources of the government to attack and malign those who oppose you.
Be sure to use it in a sentence today. (e.g., He is a real Bush.[or] Anybody that Bush ought to be in jail.)
Both the above thanks to items at Op Ed News.
Later.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
A hidden side to Oil profits
IRAN WILL BE CHENEY'S NEXT TARGET
This link leads to a very interesting article indeed - raising also a question about the invasion of Iraq that had, I admit, totally excaped my attention before today. In essence, it relates to the fact that all international oil trading is conducted in US dollars, which means traders have to buy that currency in the first place in order to do business. With its huge debts, Amerika's money is no longer of any value in the real sense, so the Middle East suppliers were looking to do business using the newer Euro as a common currency.
Having wasted its own huge natural resources through excessive consumption, Amerika's interest can only be served by raping resources elsewhere in the world. Controlling the financial infrastructure under which such deeds are conducted obviously gives tham a lot of additional leverage in getting their way. It seems that prior to invasion, Iraq switched its exchange currency to Euros. More currently, Iran has just done the same. After the invasion, Amerika forced Iraq to return to dollar-based trading. Unknown is how they will make Iran do the same.
Here in the UK the status of cannabis legislation has popped up yet again and the government wants to reverse previous reforms after scares about the link to mental illness. Typically, they are only reading from one biased textbook. For every allegation of users suffering mental health problems, there are others of the herb being a curative for the same. As with Alcohol, different individuals react in different ways to mind-altering substances. Campaigns to repeal cannabis prohibition (its illegality is comparitively new and was only an accidental byproduct of opium legislation anyway) have been prominent since the late 1960s and in not needed them, successive governments have allowed a huge underground industry to grow. This industry has of course become entangled with other illegal trafficing and the unscrupulous behavior of some of those to conduct it.
Any significant rise in mental health problems is more than likely due to the gentically-modified variations now on the market and other (truely criminal) tampering with the product by those who do not advise consumers accordingly. It is hardly surprising either - they are only mimicing the corrupt market model used by so-called respectable industries. More here.
All this on the same day that GW Pharma, producers of the medinical pot product Sativex, get approval to conduct research in, of all places, the USA. See here. It's a weird world.
Later.
This link leads to a very interesting article indeed - raising also a question about the invasion of Iraq that had, I admit, totally excaped my attention before today. In essence, it relates to the fact that all international oil trading is conducted in US dollars, which means traders have to buy that currency in the first place in order to do business. With its huge debts, Amerika's money is no longer of any value in the real sense, so the Middle East suppliers were looking to do business using the newer Euro as a common currency.
Having wasted its own huge natural resources through excessive consumption, Amerika's interest can only be served by raping resources elsewhere in the world. Controlling the financial infrastructure under which such deeds are conducted obviously gives tham a lot of additional leverage in getting their way. It seems that prior to invasion, Iraq switched its exchange currency to Euros. More currently, Iran has just done the same. After the invasion, Amerika forced Iraq to return to dollar-based trading. Unknown is how they will make Iran do the same.
Here in the UK the status of cannabis legislation has popped up yet again and the government wants to reverse previous reforms after scares about the link to mental illness. Typically, they are only reading from one biased textbook. For every allegation of users suffering mental health problems, there are others of the herb being a curative for the same. As with Alcohol, different individuals react in different ways to mind-altering substances. Campaigns to repeal cannabis prohibition (its illegality is comparitively new and was only an accidental byproduct of opium legislation anyway) have been prominent since the late 1960s and in not needed them, successive governments have allowed a huge underground industry to grow. This industry has of course become entangled with other illegal trafficing and the unscrupulous behavior of some of those to conduct it.
Any significant rise in mental health problems is more than likely due to the gentically-modified variations now on the market and other (truely criminal) tampering with the product by those who do not advise consumers accordingly. It is hardly surprising either - they are only mimicing the corrupt market model used by so-called respectable industries. More here.
All this on the same day that GW Pharma, producers of the medinical pot product Sativex, get approval to conduct research in, of all places, the USA. See here. It's a weird world.
Later.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Last exit closes for Guantanamo victims
Dismissal Of Gitmo Lawsuits Sought
This link to CBS News is distressing in that it suggests those detained without trial by Amerika in Guananamo Bay will no longer have any method at all to contest their imprisonment. In other words - "abandon hope all ye who enter" - whether guilty or not.
Maybe one day this godforsaken place will get a new use - a place of exile for the corrupt and criminal elite now infesting Washington.
Later.
This link to CBS News is distressing in that it suggests those detained without trial by Amerika in Guananamo Bay will no longer have any method at all to contest their imprisonment. In other words - "abandon hope all ye who enter" - whether guilty or not.
Maybe one day this godforsaken place will get a new use - a place of exile for the corrupt and criminal elite now infesting Washington.
Later.
Pay-Per-View for Freedom of Information
UK news from The Times
... and get it if you're lucky!
Yes - no sooner have we British got the right to obtain information about ourselves and those who supposedly serve us, than the Blair Bitch Project decides to take the "free" out of "freedom" and to charge us for the privilage. Regardless, it seens, whether or not they even decide to impart the requested data to us or not. The reality of the situation is that the disenfranchised who are likely to need information access the most are the very people will will not be able to afford it.
Given that the beaurocrats already seen incapable of finding answers to comparitively simple questions, one also wonders about the value of the service anyway. Maybe those who can afford to access will find themselves paying good money for what in practice will be disinformation anyway. In an age where information can be stored in databases and the cost of retrieval is virtually non-existant, these plans are absurd.
The link leads to a report in The Times.
Later.
... and get it if you're lucky!
Yes - no sooner have we British got the right to obtain information about ourselves and those who supposedly serve us, than the Blair Bitch Project decides to take the "free" out of "freedom" and to charge us for the privilage. Regardless, it seens, whether or not they even decide to impart the requested data to us or not. The reality of the situation is that the disenfranchised who are likely to need information access the most are the very people will will not be able to afford it.
Given that the beaurocrats already seen incapable of finding answers to comparitively simple questions, one also wonders about the value of the service anyway. Maybe those who can afford to access will find themselves paying good money for what in practice will be disinformation anyway. In an age where information can be stored in databases and the cost of retrieval is virtually non-existant, these plans are absurd.
The link leads to a report in The Times.
Later.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Amerika will reap what its sown
AlterNet: Iraq - Civil War in 2006?
A link to AlterNet where the former UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter debuts with what promises to be a regular blog. Here he argues that 2005 will be remembered less for the elections in Iraq than for sowing the foundations for what will this year turn into a bloody civil war. With repurcussions that will be the exact opposite of what Amerika intended, this article articulates what for many should have been instinctively obvious and reminds us of the folly in following the dictates of leaders incapable of foresight.
Would that we could exile Bush and Blair to Bagdad so they can personally reap what they've sown.
Later.
A link to AlterNet where the former UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter debuts with what promises to be a regular blog. Here he argues that 2005 will be remembered less for the elections in Iraq than for sowing the foundations for what will this year turn into a bloody civil war. With repurcussions that will be the exact opposite of what Amerika intended, this article articulates what for many should have been instinctively obvious and reminds us of the folly in following the dictates of leaders incapable of foresight.
Would that we could exile Bush and Blair to Bagdad so they can personally reap what they've sown.
Later.
40 lessons from the new millenium
Secret Webs, Scared Bullies and a Global Mind Shift
It's always good to find someone re-affirming my own thoughts. This link leads to Richard Neville who gives us 40 things to consider for the coming cycle - precise, concise and very much to the point!
It's always good to find someone re-affirming my own thoughts. This link leads to Richard Neville who gives us 40 things to consider for the coming cycle - precise, concise and very much to the point!
Monday, January 02, 2006
Hindsight and Blindsight
AlterNet: Excerpt: Feet to the Fire
So the party's over and we get back slowly to serious news analysis. This link leads to an interesting journalistic take on the falsehoods perpetrated as a prelude to the Amerikan war on Iraq. Most notable is, whatever else you might say about Saddam Hussein, he presided over a secular government and was just as worried about Bin Laden and other religious extremeists as anyone else.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. "In retrospect, we might have ..." - the perfect excuse to those unwilling to offer any real apology for their errors. This is the time when the media fill their pages and airwaves with retrospectives. For the most part this is simply the recent news repackaged and condensed in chronological order as seasonal fodder for those with short attention spans. In some cases however, serious journalists are able to use the hindsight analogy to give us an overview of events without the immediate political bias with which they were presented at the time. I would dearly like to see the likes of Blair and Bush forced to present such a summary to their nations themselves - I suspect they'd be tripping over themselves so fast that they would be reduced to measuring their time left in office to mere hours.
Here in Britain we have something called the "30 year rule" under which classified documents are finally released to the history books. As I've said before, one of the more fascinating advantages of reaching a certain age is that one finally finds out the truth about events that have occurred during one's own lifetime. There are sad exceptions - anything too sensitive can be witheld for an additional 20 years or even until after the death of persons concerned. In the case of misadventures involving the Royal Family, the entire rule is extended to 100 years. Nonetheless, we do obtain a glimmer of the real history we've lived. Strangely there hasn't been much of intruige revealed yet this this time round, but I'm about to go searching just in case. Watch this space.
It will be another seven or eight years before this rule reveals more facts about Britain's 1980's war in the Falklands - especially the suggestions that the whole sequence of events were engineered by the Thatcher government to justify fortification of the supply routes to our oil and mineral resources in Antarctica. However, given that we are now immersed in a worldwide economic war for energy reserves, one has to wonder if certain rumours have real basis in fact. Yesterday we heard that Russia cut off gas supply to a customer that refused to pay the same price as other customers. In a world where commerce dictates everything, it is hard to see what the fuss is about. The detail is in the contract. Russia needs to pay a decent rent for the land under which its pipelines run, but the real message is they are no longer handing out favours to those who have left the fold. The danger is that the move will send signals that unduly affect the forthcoming democratic elections in the Ukraine.
The whole affair seems to be making Russia's other European customers nervous. Given that they are paying the full market price for the gas, there hardly seems to be any real cause for panic. So long as they pay the bills required by the same consumer-driven economy they themselves promote, there should be no threat. The paranoia comes from addiction to the product - it may not be opium, but oil and gas dependency makes the so-called "civilised" world behave like any other junkie. There's a problem with that - upset the dealer and your life becomes a very cold turkey indeed. When and if Iraq gets its own act together again, this could be a lesson that comes back to haunt us. The supplier doesn't usually respond well to blackmail.
A closing note. Yesterday I posted this link about Britain's planned energy cuts in the "Latest Clicks" section. It was published before the Ukraine business happened. As Europe reacts to Russia's move with similar restrictions, one wonders if the whole affair is being hyped up and over-played simply to hide cuts that were on the agenda anyway.
Later.
So the party's over and we get back slowly to serious news analysis. This link leads to an interesting journalistic take on the falsehoods perpetrated as a prelude to the Amerikan war on Iraq. Most notable is, whatever else you might say about Saddam Hussein, he presided over a secular government and was just as worried about Bin Laden and other religious extremeists as anyone else.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. "In retrospect, we might have ..." - the perfect excuse to those unwilling to offer any real apology for their errors. This is the time when the media fill their pages and airwaves with retrospectives. For the most part this is simply the recent news repackaged and condensed in chronological order as seasonal fodder for those with short attention spans. In some cases however, serious journalists are able to use the hindsight analogy to give us an overview of events without the immediate political bias with which they were presented at the time. I would dearly like to see the likes of Blair and Bush forced to present such a summary to their nations themselves - I suspect they'd be tripping over themselves so fast that they would be reduced to measuring their time left in office to mere hours.
Here in Britain we have something called the "30 year rule" under which classified documents are finally released to the history books. As I've said before, one of the more fascinating advantages of reaching a certain age is that one finally finds out the truth about events that have occurred during one's own lifetime. There are sad exceptions - anything too sensitive can be witheld for an additional 20 years or even until after the death of persons concerned. In the case of misadventures involving the Royal Family, the entire rule is extended to 100 years. Nonetheless, we do obtain a glimmer of the real history we've lived. Strangely there hasn't been much of intruige revealed yet this this time round, but I'm about to go searching just in case. Watch this space.
It will be another seven or eight years before this rule reveals more facts about Britain's 1980's war in the Falklands - especially the suggestions that the whole sequence of events were engineered by the Thatcher government to justify fortification of the supply routes to our oil and mineral resources in Antarctica. However, given that we are now immersed in a worldwide economic war for energy reserves, one has to wonder if certain rumours have real basis in fact. Yesterday we heard that Russia cut off gas supply to a customer that refused to pay the same price as other customers. In a world where commerce dictates everything, it is hard to see what the fuss is about. The detail is in the contract. Russia needs to pay a decent rent for the land under which its pipelines run, but the real message is they are no longer handing out favours to those who have left the fold. The danger is that the move will send signals that unduly affect the forthcoming democratic elections in the Ukraine.
The whole affair seems to be making Russia's other European customers nervous. Given that they are paying the full market price for the gas, there hardly seems to be any real cause for panic. So long as they pay the bills required by the same consumer-driven economy they themselves promote, there should be no threat. The paranoia comes from addiction to the product - it may not be opium, but oil and gas dependency makes the so-called "civilised" world behave like any other junkie. There's a problem with that - upset the dealer and your life becomes a very cold turkey indeed. When and if Iraq gets its own act together again, this could be a lesson that comes back to haunt us. The supplier doesn't usually respond well to blackmail.
A closing note. Yesterday I posted this link about Britain's planned energy cuts in the "Latest Clicks" section. It was published before the Ukraine business happened. As Europe reacts to Russia's move with similar restrictions, one wonders if the whole affair is being hyped up and over-played simply to hide cuts that were on the agenda anyway.
Later.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Not just cold, but also ...
Hunstanton, Norfolk, UK. Geriatric seaside resort maybe, but not the place to spent winter. It still can't receive Channel 5 terrestial television, can't get a decent mobile phone signal if indeed one at all, has only a couple of stone-age public computer terminals and just has to be the only place with dangerous hills in an otherwise flat country. All this is mainland UK and I guess the only claim to fame is its proximity to the royal palace at Sandringham. More pictures here.
eTV Picture Post
New cycle
So after a few days of silence I'm back to wish you a good new year - or a fine forthcoming 365 days if perchance you subscribe to a calender other than the one here in Britain.
No links today (and I've got 5 days of news to catch up on) but the radio reports that last night's celebrations here in London involved an unprecedented number of knife attacks on otherwise innocent party-goers. A sad sign of the times and I didn't escape unscathed myself.
After a nightmarish few days stranded snow-and-icebound without communications in a remote village on the North Norfolk coast (where I'd been called on false pretenses at short notice and some cost anyway) , I arrived back in London only to be forced to navigate through all manner of intoxicated drivers in an attempt to cross town from the station to home. Since my bike was parked at the station and the tube system was out on strike for the evening I really had no choice but to cycle it. Fine until a big red London Bus came barging by and used a diagonal route to push me out of the cycle lane and into the fencing protecting pedestrians.
Thanks to some hasty halting by the car behind I have survived with just some nasty bruises, but when even public service vehicles are driven by people behaving like lunatics one despairs. My thanks to the decent people that picked me up off the road and rescued most of the bike too.
So I'll probably need a new cycle for the new cycle, but that's a minor worry given what could have happened.
Back in the less personal news I also read that the UK government is planning for a worse Winter than predicted and will probably cut power usage by industry in order to maintain the illusion that there is no energy crisis by maintaining supplies to our homes. Presumably it will be Spring before any cost to the greater infrastructure will be noticed? See here.
Later.
No links today (and I've got 5 days of news to catch up on) but the radio reports that last night's celebrations here in London involved an unprecedented number of knife attacks on otherwise innocent party-goers. A sad sign of the times and I didn't escape unscathed myself.
After a nightmarish few days stranded snow-and-icebound without communications in a remote village on the North Norfolk coast (where I'd been called on false pretenses at short notice and some cost anyway) , I arrived back in London only to be forced to navigate through all manner of intoxicated drivers in an attempt to cross town from the station to home. Since my bike was parked at the station and the tube system was out on strike for the evening I really had no choice but to cycle it. Fine until a big red London Bus came barging by and used a diagonal route to push me out of the cycle lane and into the fencing protecting pedestrians.
Thanks to some hasty halting by the car behind I have survived with just some nasty bruises, but when even public service vehicles are driven by people behaving like lunatics one despairs. My thanks to the decent people that picked me up off the road and rescued most of the bike too.
So I'll probably need a new cycle for the new cycle, but that's a minor worry given what could have happened.
Back in the less personal news I also read that the UK government is planning for a worse Winter than predicted and will probably cut power usage by industry in order to maintain the illusion that there is no energy crisis by maintaining supplies to our homes. Presumably it will be Spring before any cost to the greater infrastructure will be noticed? See here.
Later.
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