Blackwater Operational in Pakistan

Blackwater’s Secret War in Pakistan: Jeremy Scahill Reveals Private Military Firm Operating in Pakistan Under Covert Assassination and Kidnapping Program

From: DemocracyNow.org, 11-24-09 broadcast

"In an explosive new article in The Nation magazine, investigative journalist and Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill reveals the private military firm Blackwater is part of a covert program in Pakistan that includes planning the assassination and kidnapping of Taliban and Al-Qaeda suspects. Blackwater is also said to be involved in a previously undisclosed U.S. military drone campaign that has killed scores of people inside Pakistan. The article says the program has become so secretive that top Obama administration and military officials have likely been unaware of its existence. In a Democracy Now! exclusive, Scahill joins us for his first interview since the story broke."

Yet another example of superb journalistic integrity. Jeremy Scahill is well known for his many articles about the corporate world of mercenaries and private security firms interactions with military operations around the globe. The watchdog role of journalism is still present in his investigative pieces. He is doing everything he can to alert the people of our country to the gross injustices being perpetrated in the world by private interests in war mongering. Democracy Now, with it's impeccable news selections, continues it's vital role as a premier news agency with incredible reporting. Thank you to all involved. Read the full article and watch the interview video at the link below and at DemocracyNow.org.

Blackwater's Secret War In Pakistan - Video + Article

Fox v. Fox

Fox is ridiculous. All the current speculation about it's credibility as a NEWS source is justified if by nothing else but it's own mishandling of the situation. The ignition point was a bland comment questioning the integrity of their reporting. It is true. The talking heads there take more precedence over their actual reporters. Those thinking of Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly as news reporters are sadly mistaken. Also, the news anchors pick up on stories that the talking heads bring to light, hurting their journalistic credibility when all they are doing is reporting what their other on air personalities are saying. It's a sad cycle that leaves Fox creating it's own news and own spin in a despicable circle. Fair well balanced news is far from their goal. Their reaction to the statements by White House officials only creates "the war on Fox News" for their own further comment against the president. They are not credible reporters of news. That is a fact. They should be forced to stop purveying themselves as a veritable news station. Period.

Politics spelled O-O-P-S

I hope everyones happy now. I hope he gets it together. I hope it all works out. Overall, I just hope he is good on his word.

I did not vote for Barack Obama. A lot of people did, but the did not see what I saw, still, they are now understanding. There is a lot of things said about our President but many of them are slanderous lies created from ignorance and racism. Those were expected. I am not speaking against anyone. I am simply observing and weighing possibilities for myself.

Photo courtesy of U.I.U.C. College Democrats.

I did not vote for Obama because he was too good a politician. Yes his values are admirable and his story inspiring. But that is not what I want in a President. I want someone with a backbone and fighting spirit. Not fighting in a war like sense. A spirit endowed with courage and conviction with a will to do what needs to be done. Someone who will be steadfast and forthright in his decisions. A doer.

President Obama is a great man and has done wonders for equality in this country. Though many don'y agree and will do their best to bring him down, I think he is doing the best he can. I still do not think this is enough though.

We need a President not a Politician. Someone who will lead with the conviction Bush had, just a bigger brain and a better goal. Someone who will stand by his morals, but for the right reasons this time. If Barack wants to do good for this country, he must do it. Cut the shit and do it. You can not please everyone, even everyone in one party. Diplomacy has its uses, but action is needed in emergencies. We are in an emergency. I just hope he realizes it in time to make the most of his presidency. That his potential for good is not overshadowed by bickering and partisan politics. That real improvement will come. I hope it will.

That Rockstar Swagger

This has gotten ridiculous. In an age ripe with infuriating political occurrences, egregious assaults on civil liberties, obviously unjust corporate practices, accelerating environmental degradation and regrettable wars for profit it really irritates me that the biggest outcries come from people concerned with pop stars being embarrassed. RIDICULOUS!

A outwardly racist representative shouts during a presidential address, I get it, it's a big middle finger to the country, but at least that assholes got the right idea! Some squeaky clean teeny bopper gets an award for a cookie cutter video for a typical bubble gum song and a revolutionary rap star steals her spotlight and says what's on his mind. By all means a dick move, but once again, THE RIGHT IDEA! Now if we could only get someone to do this about what actually MATTERS we'd be set.

There's an area of plastic trash twice the size of Texas floating around in the North Pacific, killing the marine life we depend on to sustain ourselves, yet no one seems to care. Our president continues an ideological war we had no business getting involved in in the first place, and only a few people care enough to actually protest. (And are labeled traitors and unpatriotic for trying to SAVE SOLDIERS LIVES by bringing them home. Really?) Our school systems are getting stripped down and sold to the highest bidder while politicians preach knowledge is power. (Anyone got a couple mill for one of the biggest school districts in the nation? Anyone? Oh thats right, all the financiers were too busy counting their billions to realized they've fucked themselves and the rest of the country. No worries, they get to keep their bonuses and We as taxpayers bailed them out. Perfect.) Do you see where I'm going with all this?

WAKE THE FUCK UP!

I normally try to avoid using offensive language in my postings, as an ethical choice, not because I have to, this is the internet and I can do as I damn well please, at least for now, but for the moment I just cannot figure out another way to phrase it.

Our country was built on the backs of revolutionaries. Intelligent people who challenged the status quo and believed in fighting for their ideals. (Granted they committed mass genocide and nearly wiped out a whole continents worth of indigenous people, but what country hasn't? Sadly spoken but true none the less.)

America has lost that revolutionary spirit. The idea of a government by the people for the people. It has given way to a government of the few for the privileged and it's not right. It is written into our constitution, that the people have a duty to maintain a just and beneficial government and it is their duty to replace it if necessary. I do not believe it necessary to storm Washington and toss the Senate to the wolves, but there definitely needs to be more political pressure exerted on the powers that be so we can regain control of our country.

We can wrest control of our lives back from the corporations. We can demand healthy food and good education. Clean water and a sustainable society. Fresh air and green buildings. We can do this! But only together! We must recapture the revolutionary spirit, that rockstar swagger. That "I'll do what I want when I want and you can't say shit about it," attitude. Once upon a time that was called Freedom. Once upon a time, our countries founders took that to heart, and built a society. Now it seems that confidence in righteousness is spared only on assholes and zealots, those who refuse to give it up. I think we need to take that back. The COMMON MAN needs that swag, that confidence, that belief that in this country, one can do what he chooses with his life, within reason, and make a life out of it. Not be subject to unreasonable laws and constant invasion of privacy. I believe that we can return once again to what was a FREE COUNTRY. But we need to do it together. United. As a country of everyday people, not as a government of elitists claiming to be the people.

WE ARE OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE THE PEOPLE. WE WILL BE HEARD.


FREEDOM

Oh Baby

This just illustrates the rediculous ends now available for crime. A lovely piece to come out amidst the storm healthcare reform. Coincidence?

It is a serious problem though. The potential for experimentation and exploration of the human condition is really terrifying. Depending who get a hold of implantable embryos holds the blank page in the human notebook.

UCI Pays Out for Stolen Eggs, Embryos

Irony in Education

There is an irony in American education.

We call ourselves the most advanced, the smartest, the most evolved. Yet we fail in simply subjects like geography. Our literacy levels are abysmal. Many people in our society could not even spell abysmal, much less know it's definition. It is sad that such an influential country sets such a terrible example.

Obama recently addressed children in classrooms across the country. His message was clear, stay in school, go to college, get an education. I wish he could hold good on his promise.

The first things cut in the budget are always Healthcare and Education. That is ludicrous. The two things a country needs most for a prosperous and intelligent society are the first things to go. That line of thinking makes absolutely no sense. Why would the first cuts go to the most vital programs? School has never been more expensive and our country pays the most of any for health care. Shouldn't those be the last things cut?

It is not lucrative to educate a society. They consume less and question more. That is why the government fails so miserably at reforming our society. Big money is made off snack food sold in schools, unnecessary consumer goods imported from cheap labor countries and trends put forth by advertising agencies. Corporations control government with lobbyists and campaign contributions. Business reforms and government contracts. Those are the priorities. Not healthy educated people.

People who know about economics don't get sucked in by stupid sales gimmicks. They don't spend beyond their means. They questions authorities decisions and hold them accountable for their actions. They observe and analyze society. They do not go down like sheep. They do not accept this ridiculous cycle of governmental corruption at the hands of big corporations who have no regard for public welfare. They grow up to be lawyers, economists, green business owners, entrepreneurs, politicians and activists. People who want real changes.

It seems ironic then that people are not educated in this country. That a country built on the foundations of progress and equality is one of the most unequal countries in the world. We say all these things about education and children, but we do nothing about them. Students are left without books or directions, buried under conspiratorial bank loans just to try to better themselves with college. It seems as though the country is set up so that all that is preached is made unattainable. Like we are meant to struggle.

The struggle is what makes money. The struggle is what the corporations want. It is what keeps the status quo. If we are made to desire all these things, then we will do whatever we are told to try and get them. IF making more money will buy me more things, then I need to make more money. Students are drawn into college and then away again for the same reason. Money. It is so ironic to me that it is the same reason for both decisions.

Kids are conditioned by media to want certain things. Nice clothes, big houses, fancy cars. Yet when it comes to education, the key to getting all that, the banks work to make it hard. The system works against you. Colleges are set up with standards and restrictions that only some are allowed in. Not the most intelligent, but the most connected. Those who will bring the school prestige and awards. Championships and notoriety. Even our education system has become corrupt.

Obama preached about education, but I think only as a last resort. There are no jobs for these kids. No factories for the average person. No good wage for an honest days work. No where else for kids to go, other than a school that will not teach them how to do a job, because there are no jobs to do. There is no education not sanctioned by the government. No classes on how the world really works, or how the government screws every day people. How billions are wasted in wars for profit while the poor die on the front lines for a few measly dollars in a corporate profit margin. We speak of education, but hold it for the few, the proud, the rich. It is not for the innovative young mind, or the politically aware youth. It is for the cookie cutter with the white collar. He who will uphold the status quo. Those that wish to make a difference are left a outcasts. People with crazy idealistic visions. Wild dreams of a world at peace with earth and each other. Those people are crazy, not students, sociopaths. Right? Right?

The Lion has Fallen

The Liberal Lion is dead at 77. Ted Kennedy died at his home in Massachusetts shortly before midnight Tuesday after a year of battling brain cancer. The staunchly liberal senator served four decades in the Senate, beginning in 1962. Though he led a tumultuous life filled with both personal and family tragedies, he remained a strong advocate for liberal ideals and bi-partisan relations. Through the loss of his brothers, sisters, sister-in-law, son, all his alleged indiscretions and the fatal 1969 car crash he endured as the center of the family affectionally known as America's Royalty. He will be missed.
This does however beg the question of what Obama will do in the absence of this fervent and popular supporter for healthcare reform. It does take some of the wind out of his sails, hypothetically speaking. It may not though, depending on how he plays the issue. It all depends on the spin the White House will inevitably exert on the story. Using the famous senators constituents as a rallying point to rebuild the crumbling reform proposal, Obama may be able to use this tragedy as a catalyst. Not that any event of this gravity should be used as leverage, but the silver lining on this American rain cloud could be renewed interest and support for healthcare reform in the Lions memory. Time will tell.
May the youngest Kennedy finally find peace at rest with his family.

Senator Ted Kennedy Dies of Brain Cancer at 77 - ABC News

Health Cared

I remember a time when my doctor cared. Her name was Doctor Morales. She was the most engaged and caring person I had ever been treated by. Since the beginning she remembered everything about my health problems, my family, even my birthday. Whether she briefed herself on it before every appointment or not, it made me feel important. Like I mattered. Like this person would actually take care of me. I have since relocated and had to move doctors and change hospitals, but I have never forgotten that most compassionate woman.

These days medical life is much different. Granted I am one of the lucky few to actually have health insurance and access to a trained professional, my doctor is cold. He is a somewhat grumpy Iranian man with a thick accent and clumsy hands. Any time I go to him it is as if I am imposing. A quick few questions and he checks me out, prescribes some meds, and sends me on my way. There is no care given. Just drugs. This is not the type of healthcare I want. I am not asking for a cheery Mary Poppins with a stethoscope, just some compassion and a job done correctly.

People already pay companies for insurance, yet get dropped when they get sick? We have plans that pay for the doctor, but when we need medicine we go broke? This is not right. It is one group taking advantage of another. Healthcare is not something to be feared. Regulation will make things better for the people, even if it doesn't buy a few CEOs new jets. It is not socialism. It is just prudent thinking. Healthcare is essential to a country based on the pursuit of happiness. Money makes some happy, but good health benefits everyone.

It is a terrible truth that big pharmaceutical companies essentially run healthcare. With the new plans proposed, I think the possibility for improvement is great. Especially with so many uninsured Americans now out of work. If we can give trillions of dollars to finance companies and banks that deceived the public for their own gain, we can spend a little money revamping our system so doctors get paid, patience get better and our country gets healthier.

A Day After

     Today, 64 years ago, the world got it's first glimpse of the aftermath left by the first nuclear weapon. It was horrifying.
     Yesterday was the 64th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. A survivor, who was a 10 year old girl at school during the explosion, described it as "the end of the world." By all means that should be a glaring reminder of the evil unleashed on the world through nuclear proliferation and its very real possibilities. In an age where our weapons are hundreds of times more powerful and we have thousands more of them, we need to take this remembrance to heart. We are in the midst of a new Cold Era, though it is hot when considering Iraq (US use of depleted Uranium muntions) and the Taliban (actively seeking atomic weapons through the use of dirty bombs). Iran and other hostile middle eastern countries are dead set on obtaining nuclear weapons. Israel already has them, will not leave Gaza alone and is making every possible effort to take the hard line against its opponents. North Korea has just restarted it's nuclear program; they will soon have a new leader, with his own agenda, own politics and who knows what his temperament will be like. Needless to say, though Obama has called for a world without nuclear weapons, he is resigned to say it may be out of reach during our lifetime. 

     This time 64 years ago survivors were looking at the smoldering wreckage of what was once their homes, or at least what was left. Fires still burning. Buildings shattered or nonexistent. Shadows burned into the pavement, the last remnants of friends and family. Mutilated bodies lying scattered around their places of refuge. People still trapped in the rubble, protruding bones, skin sloughing off, screaming for help. Those that died in the blast were the lucky ones.

     Is this the world we wish to live in? Where atrocities like this are seen as victories, triumphs of modern science, justified as wartime necessities? The US is responsible for those first attacks. Though it was provoked, how much force can truly be justified? Over a 250,000 people died as a result of those two atomic attacks. Combined casualties from the initial blasts, resulting fire storms and radiation poisoning make a terrifying picture of atomic repercussions. The areas are still contaminated with radiation today. I never want to see this happen again. We need an COMPLETE END to ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS, and we need it NOW! Conventional weapons are bad enough, but do we ever want to see another day after?

Happy and confused

As a journalist, I am extremely elated to hear about the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee to former president Clinton. It just seems odd to me that it took a former president to actually bridge the gap enough to bring the 4 month ordeal to an end. Why is it that his wife, current Secretary of State or any other of our ambassadors could not have accomplished this. Why was it that they saw right through master politician Obamas constant posturing and hardline approach and refused to negotiate. I won't even comment on why the hell our most recent abomination of a president or his ogre of a VP were not the emissaries needed to free these noble professionals. If indeed the US government and his former VP, as well as the women's employer, Al Gore asked Clinton to go on this "private" trip to talk to the hostile reclusive communist leader of a nuclear armed nation.

I still can't figure out who is allowed to save face though. Is it the ineffective politician president? The ice queen insincere Secretary of State? The deathbed communist? Or the employer who somehow avoided all scrutiny in his treatment of the situation regarding his top notch reporters. Or, to play devils advocate, was it all one big nuclear conspiracy for some random reason to push our nation further into paranoia and fear of a radioactive WWIII? I offer no explanation. Merely a look at several different aspects. We must take this development in stride and not forget our critical eye. We must ask, who stood to gain from all this? And what was it?

Why

I figured it should be included as to what exactly set of this next tirade. So this is the link to the article which began my introspection. People in Iran know the election was unfairly decided if not corrupt, but they are not standing for it. They want change. Real change and many are fighting and dying for it. They believe in their cause and will accept nothing left. America has lost that fire, but I mean to get it back. Those who agree are encouraged to do whatever is in their power to better their communities and facilitate change on a personal level, so that soon we may all bring real change to our society.

Iranian Protesters beaten at Memorial

A Failed Attempt

I find it alarming that the US is a country so open to criticism and accepting of protest but also a country that uses it sparingly. Our bill of rights protects our rights to protest and speak our mind, yet we refuse to exercise them. When Bush won his first term in office, everyone protested, there was a recount, etc. but what really came of it? Independent groups in Florida found many discrepancies in the accounting practices, missing votes and evidence of voting machine tampering. It's been proven that they can actually alter vote counts and change candidates voted for in the machines used throughout the country. 

Yet for as much grumbling as people did what actually came of it? Nothing. No big protests. No civil unrest. No calls to action. I find it pretty pathetic that a country whose constitution demands removal of corrupt governments by an unsatisfied people did nothing for this obvious farce. 

In the second election against Kerry, in the midst of an unpopular war and obvious idiocy, Bush announced victory before the votes had all even been counted. It was a terrible time for America where every possible social embarrassment came to fruition at the hands of our leader. Still, only mild protests and minor unrest took place. People should have been angry! Enraged! Livid! All at the state of our once great republic. But no one cared, once again, no one cared. We have become too comfortable with our couches and TV screens to really look at the society we live in. It sickens me. 

I am not ok with more than half of my country being overweight. I am not ok with a government that does more for politics than it does for it's people. I am NOT ok with a justice system that punishes the ones it needs most and forsakes rehabilitation for a jail cell and shorter sentence. I am NOT OK with my country, my society, myself. I write this not for my benefit, but for the rest of us. ALL OF US. America. 

We need to wake up and do something about our lives, about our Country. Obama is in the White House. Change has come. Right? WRONG! We have made a big step in the right direction, but to truly make change a reality we cannot let this devolve into a minor political stunt to calm the masses. We need to make the change. Everyone! No more stolen elections, no more complacency, ACTION! ACTION!

Do whatever you can to make sure these atrocities of state do not further mar our countries good name. Get involved. Clean a park. Volunteer at a hospital. Feed a person in need. PAY ATTENTION! It all starts with one person, one small act of kindness, one sense of civic duty. The failed attempt is not one of a corrupt government, sadly they succeeded. The failed attempt is one of civic pride. The nation united under the dollar nourished by the burger. No longer will we ride the waves of intolerance into a sea of ignorance. We are here, we are dedicated, and Change will come.

Does Anyone Care?

I find it sad that in the midst of such a severe recession, no one seems to care anymore. I also find this a fitting subject to begin this blog.

People are still losing their homes and falling into deeper debt just to stay afloat. Homeless shelters are overcrowded to the point where people are more comfortable back out on the street. I've seen people asleep in front of huge corporate skyscrapers with giant suitcases, gleaming bright and new in shiny colors with gold finishes. I can't help thinking this is the first time they've ever been used. I've been to skid row, through downtown LA, to San Diego, but never before have I seen so many people out on the street. 

I understand there are many different reasons WHY people end up homeless (debt, forclosure, drugs) but the simple fact is that they are there. So why does no one seem to care? These people are not bad people, they have just hit different degrees of rough patches. I just want people to notice them and treat them with the same respect they would anyone else. No disgusted looks, snide remarks or other social torture. It is easy enough to give a little change if you've got it, or like I do, some food or leftovers you have. Share what you can. If you don't want to welcome them into your home for a shower and shave that is perfectly fine, but don't make life harder than it already is. 

Show a little compassion, a little care, at the very least, a little humanity.