Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Perhaps Not... "Veterans Affairs Claims Progress In Ending Homelessness Among Vets"
And many of the new generation will end up out on the streets again (I KNOW THIS for a fact having witnessed it personally with Veteran acquaintances over the years...).(Image at the left, 11/7/2007) «o» Historically, a number of fighters in U.S. wars have become homeless. In the post-Civil War era, homeless veterans sang old Army songs to dramatize their need for work and became known as “tramps,” which had meant to march into war, said Todd DePastino, a historian at Penn State University’s Beaver campus who wrote a book on the history of homelessness.
After World War I, thousands of veterans — many of them homeless — camped in the nation’s capital seeking bonus money. Their camps were destroyed by the government, creating a public relations disaster for President Herbert Hoover.
The end of the Vietnam War coincided with a time of economic restructuring, and many of the same people who fought in Vietnam were also those most affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs, DePastino said.
Their entrance to the streets was traumatic and, as they aged, their problems became more chronic... [More @ MSNBC]
From today's Washington Post:
"Making aggressive use of a voucher program, Veterans Affairs has housed more than 33,000 veterans in the past 21 / 2 years. It did so by changing its longtime policy of requiring homeless veterans to be successfully treated for substance abuse and mental ailments before being given apartments." [Washington Post Federal Insider]The vouchers for the housing, at least the regulatory details, seem to be cribbed from Section 8 FHA/HUD programs (Google) and all the federal requirements of the tenants are the same. "Act out", or have any drug related altercations, and yer out.
I just wonder if the VA IS usurping federal housing money (via some back door transfer of funds perhaps) that was to be used for other people like those 38 percent increase in homeless children (and their mothers) over the last four years reported the other day?
(Just in... A local VFW officer and friend in-the-know has informed me that indeed, the money has been diverted from civilian housing preograms)
I also suspect that many high school and college students will find less service jobs available next summer as SOME Vets return, and are immediately plugged into "Do you want fries with that..." jobs.
In my estimation, the US government IS SCARED of it's veterans, and their pandering to them with jobs/housing is a fear based reaction. Not due to any patriotic 'love' for them. If you have any doubts just look up the phrase "Bonus Army" on your favorite search engine or at Wikipedia
I wonder how many returning Veterans will be satisfied for long with those 'funny hat' jobs and housing that resembles in sociological detail and regulations, 'project housing'?
Labels:
Bonus Army,
Children,
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Housing,
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Veterans
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Merry Xmas Santa Cruz... From An Anonymous Hacker - Signs Of The (digital) Times
«o»This '7-days-left-to-shop-before-Xmas' morning the Rittenhouse Building in the rotting and corrupt heart of Santa Cruz California's Downtown Business District/Special Economic Area, had a VERY SPECIAL display on the networked digital advertising screens that inhabit every window of the completely vacant office/storefront building...
[Someone kant(sic) spell either...]
[He's Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty Or Nice... That's A Threat]
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Zapata's Blood Was Not Spilled In Vain - #OccupyLA > City Of Angels: "Para Todos Todo, Para Nosotros Nada: For Everyone Everything, For Us Nothing"
Resources:
#OccupyLosAngeles Site
#OccupyLosAngeles Twitter Feed
#OccupyLosAngeles USTREAM Live Video Feed From Solidarity Park
«o» Counter-Offer from Occupy Los Angeles G.A. to Mayor's Office, LAPDA sampling of the headlines for today from various MSM and Alt sources...
Submitted by OLA Web Team on Thu, 11/24/2011 - 6:15am
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S RESPONSE TO THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Para Todos Todo, Para Nosotros Nada: For Everyone, Everything, For Us, Nothing
History: passed with full consensus at GA on Wednesday 11/23/2011. The language, ideas and grievances contained herein were culled from the minutes of 2 special City Liaison Committee Meetings, 2 General Assemblies devoted to the issue, one meeting with the Demands & Objectives Committee, consultation with Media and PR, and widely circulated and amended by the online community of occupiers, and adapted into its current form by the General Assembly on 11/23/2011. [In Full below the fold]
Occupy LA Braces for Police Raid this Sunday at Midnight - la.imc
Occupy LA: “Oh No! We Won’t Go!” Mayor Says “11/28 at 12:01am Park Will Be Shut Down” - Firedoglake, La Figa
Occupy L.A.: Mayor, LAPD won't discuss tactics for removal:
At a press conference Friday, neither Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa nor Police Chief Charlie Beck would say whether police were prepared to use tear gas or rubber bullets to clear protesters who refuse to leave, tactics officers in other cities have turned to while clearing Occupy encampments. [LA Times]«o» Click here for the full counter-offer from #OccupyLA, plus a spoken and musical commentary on the topic of "Everything for everyone, and nothing for ourselves", from Zack De La Rocha and Rage Against The Machine.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Time Warner - Giving "Kept In The Dark And Fed BullShit" A New Meaning
"And in the flickering light and the comforting glow
You get the world every night as a TV show
The latest spin on the shit we're in, blow by blow
And the more you watch, the less you know"
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Psychology Of Sociopathy - Obama 'Pardons' Turkeys On Thanksgiving While CIA Predator Drones Hunt Down Whole Familial Bloodlines
I've only begun to read and mean nothing by this comment besides Kentucky has wild turkeys; so viewing the picture: Since when are turkeys white? :-DMe:
When they're Genetically Grown so they're all tittie and leg (do you suppose it's because men run the agribiz corps?) and live a short miserable life in cages... You can thank Chairman Richard Huisinga from the "National Turkey Federation" (mug shot below) for that. I'm sure ALF would LUV to meet him and deliver your greetings personally.
Caption for the images that follow:Obama pardons Thanksgiving turkeys
Obama reprieved a 45-pound turkey called Liberty and an understudy named Peace from the butcher's knife on Nov. 23. The birds will live out their golden years on George Washington's estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
President Barack Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia, pardons Liberty, a 19-week old, 45-pound turkey, on the occasion of Thanksgiving, Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011, on the North Portico of the White House in Washington. At left is National Turkey Federation Chairman Richard Huisinga.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
There's just something disturbing about a guy who'll save a turkey's life but have CIA predator drones hunt down the individual members of Islamic insurgent's families and attempt to wipe out the entire familial bloodline (al-Awalaki, bin-Laden, and ex parte, the al-Gadaffi bloodline... for a start.)
Look at that SMILE!
You wouldn't know he's responsible for the murder 'under color of international law' of thousands of people around the world who just happen to disagree with US policies and goals for their countries.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Non-Violent Protests: "And they are met with fear..." - The Atlantic Senior Political Editor On #Occupy-Related Police Violence
By Garance Franke-Ruta
Senior Politics editor
The Atlantic
Nov 19 2011, 6:58 PM ET
The dousing of seated, non-violent students with a chemical agent at U.C. Davis should provoke a call for restraint. These images show their experience is not unique.
[Pepper Spray in use @ #OccupySeattle]
Police dressed in riot gear at U.C. Davis on Friday afternoon used pepper spray to clear seated protesters from the university quad where they had set up a small Occupy encampment, pro-actively and repeatedly dousing the passively-resisting students with a chemical agent designed to cause pain and suffering in order to make it easier to remove them.
[UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike from the RECORDS DEPARTMENT gets his chance to 'kill commies']
It is hard to look at this kind of attack and think this is how we do things in America.
And yet it is all too American.
America has a very long history of protests that meet with excessive or violent response, most vividly recorded in the second half of the 20th century. It is a common fantasy among people born in the years since the great protests movements -- and even some not so great ones -- that they would have stood on the bold side of history had they been alive at the time and been called to make a choice. But the truth is that American protest movements in real time -- and especially in their early days -- often appear controversial, politically difficult, out-of-the-mainstream, and dangerous. And they are met with fear...
A profile of one of the perpetrators here:
D0Xing the Abusers: Introducing Lt. John Pike, UC Davis Pepper Spraying "officer"
«o» Pertinent California Codes & Rulings in re the official use of Pepper Spray:
United States Court of Appeals,Ninth Circuit
HEADWATERS FOREST DEFENSE v. COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT
o
o
o
"Viewing the facts in the light most favorable to the protestors, we conclude that Philip and Lewis are not entitled to qualified immunity because the use of pepper spray on the protestors' eyes and faces was plainly in excess of the force necessary under the circumstances, and no reasonable officer could have concluded otherwise." (source)
California Penal Code Section 12403.7(a)(8)(g):The code goes on to add further sanctions if, lets say someone knowingly pepper sprays a police officer etc, but the above, based on the 9th Circuit Court's ruling in a civil case ought to go a long way towards convicting ANY official in California who commits, or perhaps even authorizes such an act.
"Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment,"
To show us how out of touch with law the average police officer is (and to add to the extensive list of why one should NEVER ask a law enforcement official for legal advice), simply read the words of UC police Capt. Margo Bennett who said:
"The individuals who linked arms and actively resisted, that in itself is an act of violence,"
Saturday, November 19, 2011
D0Xing the Abusers: Introducing Lt. John Pike, UC Davis Pepper Spraying "officer"
United States Court of Appeals,Ninth Circuit
[Source, Findlaw Cases & Codes]
HEADWATERS FOREST DEFENSE v. COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT
HEADWATERS FOREST DEFENSE, Plaintiff, Molly Burton; Vernell “Spring” M. Lundberg; Michael McCurdy; Eric Samuel Neuwirth; Maya Portugal; Lisa Marie Sanderson-Fox; Jennifer Schneider; Terri Slanetz; Noel Tendick, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. The COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT, a political subdivision of the State of California; Humboldt County Sheriff's Department; Dennis Lewis, Sheriff; Gary Philip, Chief Deputy; Marvin Kirkpatrick, Deputy; John Sylvia, Deputy; Ciarbellini, Sgt.; City of Eureka, a political division of the State of California; Eureka Police Dept; Bill Honsal, Captain; James Manos, Sgt., Defendants-Appellees.
No. 98-17250.
-- January 11, 2002
o
o
o
Moreover, in requiring that the law put a government officer “on notice that his conduct would be clearly unlawful” before he could be held liable for violating the Constitution, the Supreme Court emphasized that it was not insisting that “courts must have agreed upon the precise formulation of the standard.” Id. As we recently noted, a law can be violated “notwithstanding the absence of direct precedent . [o]therwise, officers would escape responsibility for the most egregious forms of conduct simply because there was no case on all fours prohibiting that particular manifestation of unconstitutional conduct.” Deorle v. Rutherford, 272 F.3d 1272, 1274-75 (9th Cir.2001) (citation omitted).
Viewing the facts in the light most favorable to the protestors, we conclude that Philip and Lewis are not entitled to qualified immunity because the use of pepper spray on the protestors' eyes and faces was plainly in excess of the force necessary under the circumstances, and no reasonable officer could have concluded otherwise.
California Penal Code Section 12403.7(a)(8)(g): Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, except that, if the use is against a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, engaged in the performance of his or her official duties and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer...Source: D0X: UC Davis Pepper Spraying officer, Lt. John Pike
D0X: UC Davis Pepper Spraying officer, Lt. John Pike.
Please be respectful in your condemnation of this act of brutality.
Lieutenant John PikeRecords Unit Manager
Phone: 530-752-3989
Cell: 530-979-0184
japikeiii@ucdavis.edu
Address: 4005 Cowell Blvd, Apt 616. Davis, CA 95618-6017
Skype: japike3
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-pike/18/a76/879
Pike has received 2 Meritorious Service Awards from UC Davis
File formal complaint against UC Davis police officer here: (pdf)
UC Davis Support Services Division
Contact Information:
Captain Joyce Souza
530-752-6202
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
jxsouza@ucdavis.edu
Reporting a Crime or Accident
UC Davis Police Non-Emergency Service
(530) 752-1727
UC Office of the President
Mark G. Yudof
University of California
1111 Franklin St., 12th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607
Email: president@ucop.edu
Professor at the university, Nathan Brown, wrote an “open letter” calling on Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi to resign. The entire letter boldly condemns the Chancellor for permitting riot police to handle students as police did. (source)
UC Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi
Her response to the brutality
Offices of the Chancellor and Provost
Fifth floor, Mrak Hall
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-2065
Contact form: http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/contact.php
Katehi’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Linda-PB-Katehi/147754228574654
UC Davis FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/UCDavis
His boss, UCD Police Chief Annette Spicuzza, told the Davis Enterprise that she’s “very proud” of her officers. “I don’t believe any of our officers were hurt,” she says, “and I hope none of the students were injured.” (source)
UCD Police Chief Annette Spicuzza
(530) 752-3113
Salary: $125,000/yr
Linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/annette-spicuzza/18/435/772
UC Davis Police Department
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-6823
FAX: (530) 752-3216
John Pike’s Education
California State University-Hayward (BS)
Activities and Societies: Theta Chi Fraternity
Submit a story to Theta Chi Fraternity
International Headquarters: 317-824-1881
http://www.thetachi.org
Theta Chi UC Davis Chapter: Zeta XI
California Penal Code Section 12403.7 (a) (8)
(g) Any person who uses tear gas or tear gas weapons except in self-defense is guilty of a public offense and is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months, or two or three years or in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment, except that, if the use is against a peace officer, as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, engaged in the performance of his or her official duties and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16 months or two or three years or by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Update: The Siege Of #OccupySantaCruz - A Move To Get The City Injunction Into A Court Where "Constitution" Is Spoken... Federal Court
«o» The upper encampment and the Geodesic Dome Information Center by the court house steps are still under threat of removal.
[Type of tent given by local Veterans groups to homeless Veterans]
THAT confrontation may occur as early as tomorrow morning.
There IS some good news on the legal front though.
The #OccupySantaCruz General Assembly achieved consensus this afternoon to kick the legal 'football' into federal court, with filing fees already voted and appropriated, to seek relief from a Santa Cruz city injunction against their city park encampment, on undisclosed evidence, presented in a closed door session of Santa Cruz Superior court after a secret city council meeting.
There MAY BE further consensus on a counter-suit against the city of Santa Cruz California for attempting to violate the first amendment rights (among others) of the people at the encampment considering that legal counsel has informed the General Assembly federal court decisions consistently support camping as an exercise of the First Amendment right to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.
We HAVE grievances!
The city of Santa Cruz IS attempting to deny #OccupySantaCruz that right to peaceably assemble, and considering the secrecy of the process that caused the delivery of the injunction, that attempt to deny MAY HAVE occurred under circumstances that could be described as fraudulent, or perjured.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The Siege Of #OccupySantaCruz Begins... And A 'Sidebar' About The Treatment Of Veterans In That Namesaked City
"This morning Francis Moore Lappe (world-renowned author of 19 books, including the revolutionary books "Diet for a Small Planet") stopped by Occupy Santa Cruz on her way to San Francisco's Green Fest, to show her support and solidarity with the Occupy movement--especially our local group in light of recent events." [source]The recent event?
#occupysantacruz support needed! all tents in front of the courthouse are being taken down! Come down and show support for the people who have been out occupying, they need solidarity now!
"20 sheriffs showed up in the early morning & the occupy night watch successfully warned all occupiers before they arrived. Tents were taken down after sheriffs began removing tents themselves under the offense of "lodging". 2 tents confiscated, no tickets or arrests. Occupirates put tents on cars to sattiate(sic) threats & followed them back to the courthouse continuously requesting what "lodging" actually consists of. The sheriffs refused to or could not answer." [source]
This is the type of tent that was given by local Veterans groups to homeless Veterans.
Did you see a 'sanitation or safety hazard in those photos?
Neither did I.
Yet, barring evidence to the contrary these are the kind of photos the city presented after a secret city council meeting, later to be presented in a closed door Superior Court session the other day to garner support for a Preliminary Injunction against the encampment.
Here's a shot of the 'Bench-lands' just around the corner and down the hill from the court house building in the City's San Lorenzo Park near the lovely banks of the San Lorenzo Sewage Chan... I mean 'River'! [snigger]:
Not seeing the 'feces' the city claimed to be littering the ground here.
Albeit some winos absolutely delight in shitting and pissing on the county building and it's attached court house whenever possible (and it's been that way since the first wino walked the Earth in Santa Cruz), there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to say the 'poop & pee' incidents have increased since the campers presence, and it's also quite unlikely, as the encampment has a Porta-Can emptied regularly, and available to all.
Unlike the city park's bathroom.
The warning that was handed out in lieu of arrests or tickets:
(click on all document images below for larger copies)
Note the care with which they say they'll handle the #Occupiers personal property.
The city and county are worried about ANY bad PR that could go national or even global if things, for some unimaginable reason, went seriously South.
It wasn't apparent at last year's PeaceCamp2010 demonstration that the sheriffs or the Santa Cruz police department were very concerned with that issue...
...nor did they show concern in their action, with a lot of damaged or 'disappeared' property reported by the protesters. The rest being seriously delayed by the SCPD's property recovery hours. If I remember correctly there were only 2 hours during the work week where the SCPD would arrange to return your property a day or two later.
More information on the California Penal Code 647(e) "Lodging" law, and the PeaceCamp occupation here.
Nevertheless, in spite of the attempts to repress #OccupySantaCruz, we're all expecting a well attended General Assembly today, Saturday, November 12 2010 at 6pm, on the steps of the Santa Cruz County court house.
Iraq Veteran, Marine Corp, hailing from North Carolina, with a furry friend, at #OccupySantaCruz:Occupy Santa Cruz
We gather together as Occupy Santa Cruz in solidarity with the worldwide Occupy Movement. We are individuals committed to promoting justice. We have no leaders. We recognize the right of ALL voices to be heard: our diversity is a source of strength. We present a united front in our non-violent approach to addressing the problems we face and generating solutions beneficial to all. Please join us in creating a better world. We gather 24/7 on the steps of the Superior Courthouse on Water Street. General Assemblies are held daily at 6pm, and on Sundays at 2pm in San Lorenzo Park.
Contact Info to get involved on a local level:
Email: occupysantacruz@gmail.com
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/OccupySantaCruz
How do YOU want to get involved?!
«o» Since I brought up the topic of Veterans, it's just been reported that the unemployment rate for Veterans is now THIRTY PERCENT!
So it behooves us, in the wake of Veterans Day, to discuss the city and county of Santa Cruz treatment of it's own.
This morning's Santa Cruz Senile mentions the fact that it was Veterans Day yesterday by featuring a front page picture of the parade in Watsonville, because not only does Santa Cruz not deem it fit to hold a parade for their Veterans, they and the county have been, dast I say (Dast!... Dast!...), actively hostile towards local Veterans, with the closure of the Bill Motto Post #1588 VFW building under suspicious circumstances and the now ongoing delay in getting the building repaired and reopened.
The building was, and WILL BE AGAIN, the home of the annual community Thanksgiving and Christmas day dinner for all. The county and city were lambasted last year for not making any plan for a replacement community meal venue until complaints by the community at large became too strident and the Civic Auditorium was used, on short notice, in what could only be described as a sterile and non-festive atmosphere.
The county and city's rationale for not acting sooner essentially boiled down to:
"It's not our problem, but since you whined...".
Just in case you wondered how much your city government cares about it's community.
Meanwhile last night, Bill Motto VFW Post# 1588 (Facebook page), which I might mention, is the only avowedly Anti-War Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in the United States, DID NOT 'parade'.
They engaged in a drum circle in front of O'neil's Surf Shop across from the Cinema 9 theater on Pacific street in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz, with a group of traditional Lakota Sioux drummers, under a cabana, in the rain.
#Occupy. (period)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Republican Presidential Contender Rick Perry's Ties to an American Terrorist Right-Wing Militia ('Republic of Texas')
"...while Indybay’s Juan Batista alleges that also-running Rick Perry once “sought the support of the Republic of Texas militia (Ed. link intentionally broken... remove dashes... if you must), which has a long history of terrorism,”(H/t: Congressional Quarterly 'Behind The Lines' homeland security newsletter)
Rick Perry denies he ever spoke in favor of Texas secession from the United States. But records show he not only spoke in favor of secession, Perry spoke at a rally attended by secessionist leaders and a top Perry aide met with secessionist leaders privately. Perry went on to push for legislation favored by secessionists and others. One of the groups he sought the support of, the Republic of Texas militia, has a long history of terrorism, including plots to assassinate a Republican governor (later president), a Democratic president, attempted attacks on a US Army base and federal building, and attempts to acquire missiles and biological weapons.
Rick Perry's Ties to a Terrorist Militia
By JuanBatista
Wednesday November 2, 2011 - 9:20 pm
[...]
These are the type of people Governor Rick Perry for a time chose to associate with and sought out their support.
(Summing up, the ROT militia is guilty of:)
Treason, seeking to overthrow the US and Texas governments by force
Plots to assassinate one American President and one Texas Governor (later a US President)
Plotting to murder soldiers at an American Army base
Plotting to murder federal employees
Over $1.5 billion in various forms of fraud
Three kidnappings
Three other attempted murders, including of two policemen
Three other assaults on police
Numerous threats against police and public officials
Attempts to acquire surface to air missiles, plastic explosives, and other military weapons including biological ones
Paper terrorism using phony liens, court orders, summons, warrants
Numerous counts of forging passports, driver’s licenses, other documents
The ROT militia claims to have thousands of members statewide, and admits that some of the membership includes a “white supremacist faction.”[16]
Recall the phony charges against Obama in 2008 about “palling with terrorists” over serving on a committee with someone who, a quarter of a century early, had solely destroyed property.
But Rick Perry shared the stage with real terrorists, and sought their support. The ROT tried to assassinate a Democratic president and a Republican governor, murder police, soldiers, and civilians, force elected officials from office using threats, steal on a scale organized crime can only dream about, and intimidate any who disagree with them.
[...]
Beyond Nepotism - Santa Cruz California Mayor Uses City Council Proclamation To 'Plug' Self-Sponsored Book/Talk Event At His Businesses
Looks like Mayor Ryan Coonerty is AGAIN misusing his power with a Mayoral proclamation that sells both books at Bookshop Santa Cruz(ed. his family's business downtown) and tickets at NextSpace (ed. transient office worker rental space downtown).It might also be noted that Mayor Coonerty is married to the one of the owners of Dell Williams Jewelers, an old-line locally owned store downtown.
Feathering his own nest? Heck, that's all he ever does.
Coonerty is the co-owner and co--founder of NextSpace.
He's used his mayoral proclamation to sell tickets to the speaking event his company is sponsoring AND the woman's book is sold in Bookshop Santa Cruz.
See: What's Next Lecture: Jacqueline Novogratz & The Blue Sweater and http://whatsnextlectures.com/
That may not sound like an 'issue' but it must be considered that his wife is also the current chairperson for the Santa Cruz Downtown Business Association.
And even while his engagement to a woman who chairs a merchant organization that is responsible for most of Santa Cruz city's tourist and student generated revenue was kept in near secrecy, mayor Coonerty voted on matters affecting the downtown shopping district.
To this day the "Boy Mayor", as he's referred to affectionately by those in the know and those who remember his father Neil Coonerty's corrupt so-called 'progressive' reign over Santa Cruz politics, STILL refuses to recuse himself on city council votes regarding their "Shopping Mall By The Sea" formerly known as the "Pacific Garden Mall".
The Santa Cruz City Council Agenda for November 08 2011 with his self-involved 'proclamation':
For more information about nepotism and corruption in Santa Cruz politics...
See how a member of the Santa Cruz city council actually attempted to have a local church pastor fired for attempting to feed the homeless at his church located across the street from a house owned by the councilwoman's daughter, despite the fact the pastor had ameliorated the city's alleged complaints, and documentation to the fact that Councilwoman Matthews did so on an official city letterhead, with nary a word to the council OR public, here:
"Sorry... Two Words" (That Describe How Corrupt A Local Government Official Can Be) - Santa Cruz California Edition
You might also want to peruse Becky Johnson's One Woman Talking for more 'dirt' on Santa Cruz city dealings and corruption.
The current post on her site: Council's behind the scenes machinations typical of the 1%ers
And Now For A Veterans Day "Warm Fuzzy" - (Donald Rumsfeld's Own) "Charity" Offering Veterans Chance To Strangle Donald Rumsfeld
Because, after all, Vogon poetry, in all it's horrid spleen-bursting metre, is infinitely preferable to Rumsfeld's, and with Donny boy's fighting techniques, he simply doesn't stand a chance against some Special Forces Operator who lost a number of friends in one of Rummy's worthless wars.
[Click on the screenshot for the full story @ Wonkette]
o
o
o
"Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is auctioning the opportunity for a winning bidder and two guests to join him for a private lunch at his office in Washington, D.C.
Secretary Rumsfeld will personally give the winner and guests a tour of his office after lunch, which contains memorabilia, historic photos and more. They will also all receive a personally inscribed copy of his latest book, Known and Unknown.
Excerpt:Auction proceeds will benefit the Rumsfeld Foundation.The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.
—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing
Bidding on the experience, valued at $10,000, is open at http://www.charitybuzz.com/catalog_items/275001no
Uhh, so the “charity” is Donald Fucking Rumsfeld’s own foundation? A fucking TAX SCAM to continue enriching DONALD RUMSFELD?
While you're at Wonkette, you MIGHT want to...
[Click the screenshot for the complete travelogue]
This is Razer Raygun Saying: "If you're going to 'go for it' you may as well go for the throat"
Labels:
Black Humor,
Donald Rumsfeld,
Humor,
Sarah Palin,
Satire,
Veterans,
Veterans Day,
Warmongers,
Wasilla Alaska,
Wonkette
Monday, November 7, 2011
#The1stAmendmentIsOurPermit - OccupySantaCruz Reads "The Riot Act" To The Political Cronies Of Santa Cruz California
The cronies of the 1% of Santa Cruz got swarmed at city hall this afternoon...
At least 50 people from #OccupySantaCruz (California) marched to city hall today to deliver a mass vocal rejection of an ultimatum disguised as a 'non-commercial event permit' which would have limited the Occupier's autonomy and control over their encampment in San Lorenzo Park near the Santa Cruz County Court House, by the lovely banks of the San Lorenzo sewag... I mean "River" (really I do!) along with a number of other issues recounted at the background link above and in the rejection document authorized by the General Assembly that follows.
The crowd you see gathered above read the document in unison to city council members who were present and the city manager who had authorized the issuance of the 'permit'.
The city manager of Santa Cruz California claims that the police department 'serves at his pleasure'. In other words, the city council has delegated the day to day authority of the local police department to a hired manager.
Consensus among the Occupiers however is simply; Since the city manager is employed or fired at the city council's pleasure, they are indeed in charge of their own police force. Hence the attempt to trap these rats in their own lair for them all to hear the recited refusal to accept the regulations their manager was demanding of a first amendment related protest.
You could hear the reading of the following document all the way to the back of the City Hall complex:
Meanwhile, about another 50 people stood by at the information center on Water Street, one of the busiest traffic routes in the city, near the court house steps, to protect a Geodesic Dome structure which had been erected to protect the #Occupy visitors center from inclement weather, only to have it threatened with forcible removal by the city authorities.
We're waiting Santa Cruz city... ...THIS is what we expect to see:
Sunday, November 6, 2011
One Word... "Nuts!" - An Open Letter From #OccupySantaCruz To Santa Cruz' Government
According to various accounts from those present, when (General Anthony Clement) McAuliffe was told of the German demand for surrender (at the Battle of the Bulge, WWII) he said "nuts".«o» At first "Wes" came up with this draft letter to the city of Santa Cruz in response to their ultimatum masquerading as a 'permit':
At a loss for an official reply, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard suggested that his first remark summed up the situation well, which was agreed to by the others. The official reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, and his S-3, Major Alvin Jones, to the German delegation.
It was as follows:To the German Commander.Suffice it to say, the Germans were perplexed at the short reply. Harper offered an explanation of the meaning of the word to the Germans, telling them that in "plain English" it meant "Go to hell."[1] (source)
NUTS!
The American Commander
Uh, thanks City. I can see how this makes it easier politically for you to still bust homeless people in the park while ignoring our occupation, but since the need for usable public space is a small and important part of our occupation, we got that covered, thanks.«o» This final draft open letter is in response to the city of Santa Cruz California's attempt to deliver an ultimatum to #OccupySantaCruz in the form of an unrequested and unwanted 'permit for a non-profit event'.
While neither the GA nor the individuals in the legal committee asked for the special event permit, nor for all the restrictions that come with it, thank you for the kind thought, but no thank you.
If you still would like to help (and to be sure, help without strings attached is certainly welcome), perhaps you could direct the city manager to direct the police to leave the occupation alone. We know you have no direct say over the county sheriffs, but perhaps your example will inspire the county supervisors to direct the sheriff to also leave the occupation alone.
In any case, thank you for thinking of us. While your help is welcome, we’ll be okay without you.
Of course #Occupations are not really a non-profit event, but a protest, and there were a number of other issues with the document, including the concept of 'permission to #Occupy' itself that caused the following letter to be voted affirmative in a near consensus.
It will be delivered tomorrow November 7 2011 at 3PM PST by the whole of #OccupySantaCruz not only to the city manager who actualized it, but the city council members, wherever they may be found at the city hall complex, to whom the city manager is answerable.
IF all goes well, we'll see a response similar to this:
Monday, October 31, 2011
#Occupy PSA - $5,000 Reward Offered For Identification Of The Police Officer Who Assaulted USMC Veteran Scott Olsen
Due to difficulties identifying the police officer who shot USMC Marine Veteran Scott Olsen in the face at point blank range with a tear gas canister at the #OccupyOakland Police Riot last week there is a $5,000 dollar reward being offered to anyone who can identify the assailant.
Some of Scott's 'brothers' want to speak with the 'gentleman'
[Disclaimer: It is unknown whether the Brother above is one of the people making that offer.]
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Perspectives: On The Topic Of Muammar al-Gadaffi, Other 'Brutal Dictators', And 'Atrocities'
THIS in an "Atrocity":
"We don't do body counts" ~~General Tommy Franks srcBut, of course that was just another lie:
"The Wikileaks Iraq war logs provide us with a unique picture of every death in Iraq.
These are those events mapped using Google Fusion tables."
When the Hand Cursor points at a red dot, click once for the specifics of that particular death.
[Baghdad alone. This map zooms out to cover every death in Iraq at the time of 'purloin-ment']
Fullscreen online version available here
[Download the data]
Go To The Guardian (UK) For More
Sunday, October 16, 2011
9/11... Who NEEDS A "Conspiracy"? Just Buy The Airplane Tickets And Hand Them Out At 'Appropriate' Places
Unless his experience includes crashing airplanes into buildings or structural engineering for the construction trade, yours truly's experience is just as valid as his.(Mine maybe more so with experience in construction and foundry work).
The story he's been told... quite simply is an evasion, a carefully crafted fiction using denial and rationalization of facts like 'we have people working as slaves to make our lifestyle possible...'
Twin tower 'Terror Toy' packaged in candy for American children.
Click the image for the news story.
In conditions usually WORSE than this:
When people culturally and economically in cadence with the Air Force pilot pictured above allow their elected representatives to bomb countries 'back to the stone age' "Protecting us" from the enemies we've created by our own callous disregard for other cultures, societies, and those lives, it wouldn't even take a charismatic figure like Osama to find a group of people despondent enough to drive an airliner into one or more of our buildings.‘Blood factories’ of Capitalism
The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn is the single largest exporter from China. It manufactures high-end equipment for Apple, Dell, HP, Nintendo, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and a clutch of other global brands
o
o
o
Foxconn’s business model is based on mass production at thin margins, realised by driving its young workforce to the maximum.
While Foxconn has largely achieved anonymity as the world’s largest maker of electronic gadgetry, its shocking suicide rate has catapulted the company to global notoriety.
It’s mastodon factories – Foxconn employs a million workers in China – which resemble medium-sized cities, are run like a military dictatorship.
All the suicide victims at Foxconn’s two Shenzhen factories have been migrant workers in the 17-25 age group. Employees are forced to work double or triple the legal limit on overtime on a regular basis, according to independent surveys. While the maximum legal amount of overtime is 36 hours per month in China, researchers report that 80 to 100 hours of overtime is normal at Foxconn.
Another factor is systematic repression. The company prefers to employ ex-army officers from Taiwan as line supervisors. Militarisation of the production process is a feature of the ‘Foxconn model’. [More]
Just buy the airplane tickets and hand them out at appropriate places.
Why the buildings fell the way they did or why WTC 7 seemed to independently collapse, is not only irrelevant to the overarching issue, but much of it is easily explainable within a reasonable margin-of-error using simple physics.
But we're talking about self-obfuscation here... we're not talking about reasonable people. We're talking about mainstream middle-class people (and people aspiring to be middle-class) desperate to maintain their lifestyles.
Addicts... Any kind... From the 'depths and degradations' of Heroin addiction to the typical American compulsively consuming 'Stuff' they're told they must have.
As they spin out of control they attempt to micromanage, control, assign responsibility to, and blame everyone but themselves.
Responsibility-for-their-own-actions while simultaneously maintaining the addiction is not possible.
You blame Dick Cheney.
You blame Osama.
You blame the Military-Industrial complex that DOES indeed profit from the War on Terror while you receive the benefit of a continuation of lifestyle for a little while longer...
But you will NEVER blame yourself, your lifestyle, or take any sort of personal responsibility for your government's actions taken in your name.
Because you would have to admit you've been 'bought and sold', like sheep, led without resistance to the slaughter.Sheep To The Slaughter/If - Paris, and The Maroons
Monday, October 10, 2011
Auntie's Bookshelf: American History 101 - Readings On The Advent Of 'Indigenous Annihilation Day', Howard Zinn
by Howard Zinn
Presented by History Is A Weapon.
A Note and Disclaimer are below.
1. Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress
3. Persons of Mean and Vile Condition
7. As Long As Grass Grows Or Water Runs
8. We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God
9. Slavery Without Submission, Emancipation Without Freedom
14. War Is the Health of the State
16. A People's War?
18. The Impossible Victory: Vietnam
19. Surprises
20. The Seventies: Under Control?
21. Carter-Reagan-Bush: The Bipartisan Consensus
23. The Clinton Presidency and the Crisis of Democracy
24. The Coming Revolt of the Guards
25. The 2000 Election and the "War on Terrorism"
A Note and a disclaimer.
The Note: This great book should really be read by everyone. It is difficult to describe why it so great because it both teaches and inspires. You really just have to read it. We think it is so good that it demands to be as accessible as possible. Once you've finished it, we're sure you'll agree. In fact, years ago, we would offer people twenty dollars if they read the book and didn't think it was completely worth their time. Of all the people who took us up on it, no one collected.
The disclaimer: This version is made from OCR. That is a fancy way of saying that we scanned in and coded over six hundred fifty pages. There will be a few small occasional errors: spelling mistakes, odd punctuation, and the like. If you see any, please contact us. We have posted it in spite of these mistakes for two simple reasons. First, the book is worth a mistake or two because it really deserves the widest audience possible. Second, we are sure that once you new people begin reading it, you'll go out and get a physical copy. You should go and get it (and ones for your friends and family). At this point, A People's History Of The United States is available in regular form, read aloud on audio, on posters, in a teaching edition, and as just the twentieth century chapters (we have all but the posters). And now here. Please Enjoy!
"Stop Thinking Like An "American" (more on that here)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
US Veteran: "I Was Deployed To Iraq Four Times... And I Support #OccupyWallStreet"
I was deployed to Iraq 4x
1 of my friends is missing his arm
1 of my friends killed himself
I've been blown up 2x by roadside bombs
Hearing fireworks makes me nervous
I can't sleep at night
All so bankers and war profiteers could get richer
I am the 99%
www.occupywallst.org
This is Razer Raygun saying:
"In order to succeed in your...
Don't forget to meditate kiddies."
Sunday, September 25, 2011
#Occupy. An IMPORTANT Message From Anonymous... A 'Tahrir Square Moment' Channeled Through Keith Olbermann
Wall Street: US stocks end week with $1 trillion loss - The Economic TimesHint: They aren't 'losses', they're 'sales'.
24 Sep 2011
NEW YORK: An estimated $1 trillion was wiped off the value of US stocks this week, amid heightened fears that the world economy is heading for another recession. [More]
It's the "sound" of bankers, corporations, and financial institutions taking the money and running.
A 'Tahrir Square Moment' ... Courtesy of Anonymous
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Whether You Bothered To Notice Or Not 'The Dirty Fucking Hippies' Were Right!
If I still lived anywhere near NYC, I'd bring a tent.
It's just too bad that one can no longer throw money from the balcony of the Stock Exchange the way Abbie Hoffman did. I think it was fifty dollars in one and five dollar bills, and he brought the exchange to a screeching halt.
That story as retold by one of Abbie's closest friends, Stew Albert, who was a participant in the 'celebration' is here.
Now, they won't even let you on Wall Street, no less the balcony to the Exchange... Today (#OccupyWallStreet Day 2):
Police officers had completely blocked off Wall Street. In order to get on the street Sunday, people, including employees from the International Business Times, were asked if they lived or worked in the area before they were granted permission to pass through the barricades. [In Full, NYTimes]I wonder what they'll do to verify 'local' creds tomorrow (Monday) when zillions of people are on their way to work?
"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." ~~Abbie Hoffman, Tikkun (July-August 1989) [wikiquotes]
It's time to give new meaning to the word "overthrow"
Excerpt, Country Joe McDonald's testimony at the trial of the Chicago 7... 8... 6... 9.
"We had a very long discussion. The meeting had been called to discuss the proposed Yippie! Convention in Chicago, to be held in Chicago. We never -- we hadn't heard much about it, and so we all met and we were staying at the Chelsea Hotel in New York and we met to discuss the Yippie! happening thing in Chicago.
Jerry Rubin said to me,"We feel that the Democratic Convention being held in Chicago is a very important political event in the country, and that it represents fascist forces in America, oppression of minority groups, continuation of the war in Vietnam, and actual celebration of death, that the Democratic Convention being held in Chicago will be a celebration of death in that all of those things which are held in high esteem by the establishment, political parties in this country are those things which represent death and oppression,"....and that it was the responsibility of those people, young people, who are concerned with freedom in America to try to do something in Chicago which would counter-balance the evil and negative vibrations from the Democratic Convention and that since I had written the Vietnam Rag, which has become the most well known song against the war in Vietnam, and that my group was very influential with young people of America, amongst the youth, that it was very important that we try to say something in Chicago which would be positive, natural, human, and loving, in order to let the people of America know that there are people in America who are not tripped out on ways of thinking which result only in oppression and fear, paranoia and death.
At that point Abbie Hoffman wanted to know what the song was, and then I -- then I sang the song.
It goes:
[he sings] "And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. The next stop is Vietnam. And it's --"
THE COURT: No, no, no, Mr. Witness. No singing.
THE WITNESS: "five, six, seven -- "
THE COURT: Mr. Marshal --
[the marshal goes over to Country Joe and puts his hand on Joe's chin to close his mouth]
THE MARSHAL: The Judge is talking.
THE COURT: No singing is permitted in the courtroom. You are here to answer questions. You may continue telling about this conversation.
BY MR. KUNSTLER:
Q. Can you recite the song? Do you think you can do that?
A. Yes, The chorus of the song is:
"And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. The next stop is Vietnam....
[Click the image for more @ The Realist archive]
Also See:
Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: As The Saying Goes: "The next time you need help, call a hippie..."
Capitalism is holding a loaded gun...
...And the target is ANYONE who gets in the way of their profits.
Take it easy... But TAKE IT!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Festivities WILL BE WebCast! #OccupyWallStreet #Sep17 Is The Beginning Of A Global Revolution... The Power Elite Just Don't Know It Yet
[Pop Out Player For Your Viewing Enjoyment]
Brought to you by globalrevolution on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free
Friday, September 9, 2011
9/11 Nostalgia & Memoriam Department - The "War on Terror" Is An Absolute (but quite murderous) Fraud
The War on Terror is a Fraud
Thursday, September 8, 2011
A decade of war started, and both fueled & fought by the same corporate-financier interests.by Tony Cartalucci
From the beginning, even for those wanting to believe the fairy tale that 9/11 was carried out by cave dwellers carrying box cutters directed by Osama Bin Laden, who by all accounts was dying or already dead from kidney failure in 2001 - "unfortunate blunders" in US foreign policy can still be blamed for the creation and perpetuation of the ubiquitous, unceasing terror organization known as Al Qaeda. However, in light of recent events in Libya, Syria, Iran, and Algeria, there is exposed a truth, many have known for over 10 years, and many more are catching onto now - that the "War on Terror" is an absolute fraud, started, fueled and simultaneously fought against by the same handful of corporate-financier interests for the sole purpose of spreading Wall Street and London's hegemony across the globe.
Inception: Al Qaeda Made in USA
By all accounts, including admissions by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, Osama Bin Laden's organization that would become Al Qaeda was created during the Soviet-Afghan war in in the late 70's and throughout the 80's. The funding of these militants did not begin after the Soviet invasion, but actually several years before the invasion. US intervention in Afghanistan by training and arming Afghanistan's Mujaheddin, along with Osama Bin Laden's Arab fighters, is one of the leading factors that led to the murderous and protracted decade-long war, according to the Nation in an article titled, "Blowback, the Prequel."
Photo: Former US National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski meeting with Osama Bin Laden, then leading the CIA's Arab legionaries in Afghanistan. Bin Laden's Al Qaeda would later spin off into regional terrorist organizations, covertly armed, trained, and protected by the CIA to this day, including LIFG in Libya, MEK in Iraq and Iran, and Baluchi terrorists in Pakistan.....
Bin Laden's Al Qaeda would continue to fight after the Soviets were expelled from Afghanistan, this time in Kosovo's bid for independence from Serbia in the late 1990's. Al Qaeda-trained Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) militants garnered a Serbian response which was then used by NATO as a pretext for intervention. NATO's entry into the war led to the eventual carving up of the nation. Again, the CIA was found to be propping up Bin Laden's terrorist legionaries. Serbia's president, Slobodan Miloševic' would later be removed from power by yet another arm of American interventionism, the National Endowment for Democracy via Optor, now known as the infamous CANVAS organization which, with US funding, trained activists ahead of the now admittedly US-engineered "Arab Spring."
Despite Al Qaeda quickly becoming America's arch enemy, filling the void left by a collapsed Soviet Union, and justifying America's continued absurd defense spending as well as its enormous tactical holdings overseas throughout the 90's, it appears the organization was still very much a vehicle carrying forward US foreign policy. And despite accusations that it was a terrorist organization, it continued receiving covert support from US and British intelligence agencies, as did many other extremist groups which eventually were integrated with Al Qaeda after September 11, 2001...
Saturday, September 3, 2011
West Point Study - Libyan 'Rebels' Are Also Most Likely To Be The 'Foreign Fighters' Killing US Troops In Iraq
[Click for full size chart. Courtesy of West Point Military Academy and Land Destroyer]
Taken from a US West Point study [West Point, PDF] these graphs created by data obtained in Iraq clearly show that Libya's eastern region, and the cities of Darnah and Benghazi in particular, provided by far more militants found fighting US troops in Iraq than any other nation, including Saudi Arabia.
Further, a major part of the Libyan "rebel" army is still on U.S. State Department Terrorist Organization sanctions list:
"Belhaj/al-Hasidi and his men are being portrayed as reformed terrorists despite the fact that they are still LIFG fighters and LIFG itself is still listed as an international terrorist organization."
All docs at the above link, and an update here:
"West Point CTC Confirms LIFG Terrorists Leading Libyan Rebellion - then apologizes for them."
Friday, September 2, 2011
More Reasons The West Wants Muammar al-Gadffi Dead Or Gone (via William Blum, The Anti-Empire Report)
Part 1, "Why They Want Muammar al-Gadaffi Dead... The War On Libya Is A War On Most Of Africa" is here
The following is excerpted from: Libya and the world we live in, William Blum, The Anti-Empire Report September 1st, 2011
The desire to get rid of Gaddafi had been building for years; the Libyan leader had never been a reliable pawn; then the Arab Spring provided the excellent opportunity and cover.
As to Why? Take your pick of the following:
Gaddafi's plans to conduct Libya's trading in Africa in raw materials and oil in a new currency — the gold African dinar, a change that could have delivered a serious blow to the US's dominant position in the world economy. (In 2000, Saddam Hussein announced Iraqi oil would be traded in euros, not dollars; sanctions and an invasion followed.) For further discussion see here.
A host-country site for Africom, the US Africa Command, one of six regional commands the Pentagon has divided the world into. Many African countries approached to be the host have declined, at times in relatively strong terms. Africom at present is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. According to a State Department official: "We've got a big image problem down there. ... Public opinion is really against getting into bed with the US. They just don't trust the US." (The Guardian (London), June 25, 2007)
An American military base to replace the one closed down by Gaddafi after he took power in 1969. There's only one such base in Africa, in Djibouti. Watch for one in Libya sometime after the dust has settled. It'll perhaps be situated close to the American oil wells. Or perhaps the people of Libya will be given a choice — an American base or a NATO base. Another example of NATO desperate to find a raison d'être for its existence since the end of the Cold War and the Warsaw Pact.
Gaddafi's role in creating the African Union (ed. Libya is one of five countries along with Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa, that cover 75 percent of the AU's budget). The corporate bosses never like it when their wage slaves set up a union. The Libyan leader has also supported a United States of Africa for he knows that an Africa of 54 independent states will continue to be picked off one by one and abused and exploited by the members of the Triumvirate. Gaddafi has moreover demanded greater power for smaller countries in the United Nations.
(Editorial note from Auntie Imp: More information about Libya's relations with the African Union and the country's funding of development projects throughout Africa can be found here. The funding of those projects was contingent on the recipient nation's attempts at reducing government corruption.)
The claim by Gaddafi's son, Saif el Islam, that Libya had helped to fund Nicolas Sarkozy's election campaign could have humiliated the French president and explain his obsessiveness and haste in wanting to be seen as playing the major role in implementing the "no fly zone" and other measures against Gaddafi. A contributing factor may have been the fact that France has been weakened in its former colonies and neo-colonies in Africa and the Middle East, due in part to Gaddafi's influence.
Gaddafi has been an outstanding supporter of the Palestinian cause and critic of Israeli policies; and on occasion has taken other African and Arab countries, as well as the West, to task for their not matching his policies or rhetoric; one more reason for his lack of popularity amongst world leaders of all stripes.
In January, 2009, Gaddafi made known that he was considering nationalizing the foreign oil companies in Libya. He also has another bargaining chip: the prospect of utilizing Russian, Chinese and Indian oil companies. During the current period of hostilities, he invited these countries to make up for lost production. But such scenarios will now not take place. The Triumvirate will instead seek to privatize the National Oil Corporation, transferring Libya's oil wealth into foreign hands.
The American Empire is troubled by any threat to its hegemony. In the present historical period the empire is concerned mainly with Russia and China. China has extensive energy investments and construction investments in Libya and elsewhere in Africa. The average American neither knows nor cares about this. The average American imperialist cares greatly, if for no other reason than in this time of rising demands for cuts to the military budget it's vital that powerful "enemies" be named and maintained.
For yet more reasons, see the article "Why Regime Change in Libya?" by Ismael Hossein-zadeh, and the US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks — Wikileaks reference 07TRIPOLI967 11-15-07 (includes a complaint about Libyan "resource nationalism")
William Blum is the author of:
Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War 2
Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower
West-Bloc Dissident: A Cold War Memoir
Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire
Portions of the books can be read, and signed copies purchased, at www.killinghope.org
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