Concentric rings of power

What could we expect if martial law were declared on a national scale in America? How would we react, how would it affect our lives and what could we expect on the street and cyberspace level? I’m thinking about these questions much more since the White House and the Department of Homeland Security recently denied a request by Congressman Peter DeFazio to view the secret plans already drawn up in case of a national emergency in a terrorist attack.

From looking at the way 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and major political events have been handled over the past six years I think we can draw several conclusions: 1) Restrictions would have an hierarchal structure in terms of location and the type of restrictions put into place. 2) The presence of government officials and armed forces (police, civilian or military) would be focused to specific locations. 3) Those not in the immediate area of focus would notice very little outward change in their lives and would be accepting of how it affected the few arenas of their lives; while those directly affected would see a significant change in their day to day lifestyle. 4) The media blackout would be extraordinary.

Let’s take a hypothetical situation where two major US cities are targeted and go from there. City A and City B suffer a man-made catastrophe and the top levels of government declare a national state of emergency. Martial law is declared throughout the United States and all of it’s territories. The exact nature of the catastrophe would be irrelevant, the focus of government response would not be assisting the victims and public at large, the focus would be on the consolidation of power and exerting control over the population.

The first step would be controlling all forms of communication in the US and it’s territories. This would mean the seizure of broadcast news in radio and television. All print media would fall into this aegis therefore all newspapers and magazines would be controlled by the government. Our electronic media would also need to be controlled and this is where it gets tricky.

To control the website content of corporate news organization would not be enough. The number of independent sources for news and access to foreign media is virtually limitless. People post and read messages on USENET, message boards and use instant messaging and text messaging for their phones. International calls are no longer the realm of large international corporations; international calling cards can be bought at the local convenience store as easily as buying a Coke. To stem this transfer of information and communication, all access to the Internet and telephones would be tightly controlled.

The Intelligence Community already resides within the Telco Hotels of the major US carriers, collecting data and voice streams as easily as we surf TV channels. They could, quite easily, gain control of the communications hubs and filter/block all electronic voice and data traffic. Control of the financial institutions would also be necessary and in the age of electronic funds transfer (EFT), this control would also be simple to implement and maintain.

With our means of communication stifled and funneled through their hands as well as our means of paying for services/goods needed by the average citizen under any circumstance, the government could create and maintain any scenario they wish to promote. With big business being joined at the hip with government and all major media in the US being controlled by big business it is not difficult to imagine their lack of outrage in such a situation. Compliance has already been bought.

Under this scenario the old lyric of “the revolution will not be televised” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Government abuses cannot be exposed and the citizenry will have no means to know of events beyond their daily realm of living. You would, in effect, not be able to see the forest for the trees. The trees would be your neighborhood, the forest being the rest of the nation.

At this point the government could create concentric circles of control reaching out from the two cities, A and B, which are the epicenter of the event. The closest inner ring would resemble the government’s actions at the 9/11 attacks and especially New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The second closest ring would resemble crowd control in New York City during the 2004 Republican Convention. The third outer ring would resemble the military’s use of embedded press in Iraq and and this would be closest the media would be able to access the area affected. The fourth ring would be the boundary where direct, overt and overwhelming government influence ends/begins with the rest of the nation, which would see little change in their lives other than tighter restrictions on banking and communications. Since this would be a more rural area of the nation these restrictions would be marginally recognized or noticed.

Major cities other than city A or B could be controlled in a manner I describe for the 3rd ring of control, listed below. The undeclared boundaries of urban and suburban life are easily controlled and noticeable in most major metropolitan areas via the interstate road system in the form of perimeter highways. Choke points can be established and controlled easily in this manner.

Inside the central ring, no one would be able to leave to the second ring and no one from the second ring would be able to enter, except specific government personnel. Those caught in the central ring would in all likelihood be rounded up for transportation to specific locations, such as we saw with the survivors of Katrina in New Orleans who attempted to use the Superdome and the Convention Center as their shelter. No one in the outside world or even within the second ring would be aware of the happenings and events taking place in this central ring.

The size of this central ring would most likely depend on the population density and the circumstances surrounding a disaster. A nuclear, biological or dirty bomb attack could result in a very large area being classified as a central ring area, such as an entire city. What would make the job of determining the size and shape of the central ring easier to control is the geography of the area. The more susceptible a city is to being cut off from the rest of the world, the more easy it would be to control it. Such as Manhattan (island) or San Francisco (peninsula). Cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago are bordered on one side by a body of water. A city like Dallas or Denver would be difficult because of the lack of physical boundaries.

The second ring would reach beyond the first ring just far enough away to keep prying eyes from seeing what is going on inside the first ring, yet close enough to give a panoramic view of the central ring. It would provide a staging area to move specific people and equipment in and out of the first and second rings. Anyone trying to sneak in or out of the area could be rounded up easily and quickly, as travel would be completely restricted. Centers for temporary detention could be quickly and easily set up. The typical industrial areas of large cities are an example of this. There would be plenty of room for staging equipment and personnel, processing curfew violators in secret as well as being an ideal location for Command, Control and Communication (C3). Think of the Baghdad Green Zone and you have an idea of the level of security and that example also provides you with an idea of how geography can control the shape and placement of an ideal quarantine zone.

The third ring would operate under nighttime curfew restrictions with stereotypical checkpoint style monitoring of travel by citizens. Access into and out of this area would be tightly controlled on a need to travel basis. This area would operate more freely for it’s citizens as communications in and out of this zone to the rest of the nation would be tightly controlled but it would exist. Think of odd/even, travel/work days. This would be the closest the media would be allowed to get to the area in question. A certain resemblance of normalcy would be seen but with tight restrictions. This would be suburbia, the bedroom communities of the city affected. It would be white, upper middle class to middle class, predominately white collar and educated with too much to loose for speaking up, their silence and compliance would be simple and they would view it as logical and maybe patriotic.

The fourth ring would be the rest of the nation. Travel would be free and open with no restrictions. Communication would be monitored and controlled but it would be easily and freely available. The vast bulk of the US population would live in this zone. Few government officials would be needed in this area but there would be a government presence in locations such as the post office or in city hall of towns and cities across the nation.

So, what would be the purpose of such a restriction of citizens and under what conditions could this occur? Control and power are of course the main motivation for such a scenario but there is another scenario I believe we are heading into. The general attitude of the average American is quickly evolving into an angry response to what they see at the highest levels of government. No longer are we simply satisfied with electing new officials, there is a rising tide of voices wanting accountability for those who have lied to us over the last six years. These voices are becoming more and more loud and the numbers of Americans who want to see criminal charges brought up against those in power is beginning to become more mainstream.

It is obvious that those who are currently in control of this nation have no intention to leave this power behind. The powers they have granted themselves are not the sort of thing they wish to leave behind for another party or a new set of leaders. They will not relinquish their power under any circumstances, even in the slightest bit. An exit strategy from office is simply not an option for them and as the voices grow louder in dissent, the choices they have in maintaining their power grow larger. It would require only a false flag operation or the act of looking the other way when intelligence tells them an attack is imminent.

When the voices in the room become a loud roar, this is when it will occur. Not a moment before or too early. Our economy is clinging to a thread and will only add to the situation when the time is ripe for the takeover. As it stands today the major lenders are announcing that the mortgage crisis is deepening as prime borrowers are now falling behind in their debt and mortgage payments. When the sub-prime market belly flopped we were told again and again that the prime market was strong and steady, that this was a simple correction. We are now seeing the tip of the iceberg as those with outstanding credit and generous incomes are falling behind as well.

A falling stock market, rising inflation, a failed housing market, a failed credit system and an overall sense of desperation will be the sign that something is on the verge of happening in this nation. When the economy is in shreds, the anger is at it’s highest and the leaders are at their most smarmy, condescending levels we can expect something to occur.

The Pall Malls are on the house

Sad news this morning from the world of TV. Interviewer Tom Snyder has passed away. I became a really big fan of his back in the early 80’s when he brought on a wide variety of rock & rollers for interviews. He wasn’t condescending no matter how outrageous or controversial they were. From these interviews his style grew on me and when his 90’s show aired following Letterman at CBS I spent many a sleep-deprived night listening to his warm tone and genuine curiosity for the people he was interviewing.

Back in the early 80’s I saw on his show The Clash, The Grateful Dead, The Plasmatics, John Lydon, U2 and I even remember seeing Adam Ant during the days when the art school girls all had the hots for him. He never seemed out of it even when he was clearly mystified by the performer and it was always obvious that a key to his style as an interviewer was getting to know his subject. The good-natured humor and understanding of a generation gap seemed to make his interviews all that more vital. In many ways he seemed like an old friend in his interviews.

On the strength of those rock and roll interviews alone I would say that if anyone wants to know how to properly interview a musician, especially a young musician, for the television format, look to Snyder for your guiding light. He allowed the musicians to explain themselves and have fun and be themselves. All the while he probed from the standpoint of being a middle-aged man, who was confused by all the hub-bub and it brought out the performer’s ability to explain their music and what they were doing it for.

He never kowtowed to the guest, never talked below the viewer and always seemed to match wits with whoever was in the chair opposite. The show could be smart, light, cutting, deep and entertaining all within the time frame between commercials. He was more fun than Charlie Rose and much more at ease with his guests than Travis Smiley. He could be more insightful than either man and he was much less conspicuous in showing his intellect than they are. The man just had a great presence and a great style.

Adios, Tom. The Pall Malls and martinis are on the house.

Granny, the Islamofascist

So typical of the twisted logic of the current crop of leaders and bureaucrats in this nation, we have learned a new factoid in the TSA scare tactic regarding dry runs of terrorists in America’s airports and skyways. The spooky references to devices that they told us were simulations of explosive devices? Nah, one was nothing more than gel based ice packs being transported by a 61 year-old woman flying out of San Diego. I saw this nice Grandmotherly woman on TV last night. A jihadi she ‘aint.

Like the “terrorist cell” in Miami and the “terrorist cell” that was planning to attack Fort Dix, the examples of why we should lose our freedoms to protect ourselves are truly pathetic. That cell in Miami? They didn’t have plans or weapons and seemed to be playing a retarded version of cowboys and Indians. A bunch of burnt stub idiots with the mouth breather quotient of typical nature for this day and age. Spend 10 minutes in Atlanta and you’ll meet at least a half dozen morons of their stature. The Fort Dix group? They “trained” by playing paintball in the woods, stole a map of the base from a local pizza delivery joint and got busted after they asked the tech people at a local Circuit City to transfer their jihad training video onto DVD. What a bunch of bullshit.

Ice packs become statistics for terror threats after they pass through DHS Secretary Chertoff’s bowels, this I am sure of. When Chertoff pinches a loaf, we have the makings of a new intelligence report. When Moe, Larry and Curley (sometimes Shemp) go traipsing into Circuit City with their Jihadi training video and ask Ron or Felisha or whoever is working the electronics aisle, to transfer it to DVD, you have to wonder how a person of such stupidity can survive even out of their teens. It calls into question the theories presented by Darwin.

For all the Grannies out there who may be planning a trip to visit the grand kids, take care that your Blue Star ointment isn’t confused with C4. Don’t let them rough you up and ruin your hairdo when you pass through the metal detector. Get tough with them, don’t suffer fools gladly and if that fails, threaten to go get yourself a hickory switch and wear out their britches if they get pushy. Our freedom, and your new do from the salon, depends on you standing tall and tough, ladies.

When the MSM realizes a Conspiracy Theory may be true.

An op-ed piece that was published this week by the Register-Guard of Eugene, Oregon and deeply discussed on the Crooks and Liars blog has caught my eye. Once again we are seeing the mainstream public opening up to conclusions that the Conspiracy Theory crowd has been talking about for many years. The piece discussed the recent refusal to let Congressman Peter DeFazio see the secret plans by the current administration on what they will do following a terrorist attack.

For most of us, the first inkling we had of secret government plans to declare martial law, suspend the Constitution and round up American citizens came to light when we learned about Rex 84 in the early 1990's. Most of us began to brace and keep a suspicious eye open following 9/11 and the passage of the Patriot Act. The current MO of our leaders have a lot of us jumpy at the thoughts of what is coming next and what is in store for us. The MSM occasionally pops up with a response like the Register-Guard, which should be a major red flag to people who dismiss Conspiracy Theories outright.

Each segment of society has extremists; this community is no different in that regard. There are theories out there so elaborate and extreme that it is difficult to rationalize the loops and twists that make up even the foundations of belief. However, it is obvious that many ideas floated in the past 5 ½ years are showing up as fact. Real ID, the suspension of Habeus Corpus, the criminalization of dissent, the destruction of the 1st Ammendment; all of these things were laughed at 10 years ago as mere paranoid ramblings from the fringe. Now, who is laughing?

I am someone who drifts in and out of the false veil of normalcy in America, the America we were brain washed into believing existed, the America that we were taught in school, the Boy Scouts and in history books. The America that is a mirage and a symbol of hope but doesn’t exist in reality. The real nature of power over the public and over the image of what America actually is, comes banging on the door like storm troopers each time I look at what we have actually become. Reality is sometimes difficult to swallow.

The America we were told existed is like comfort food. It is something to imagine when fear and despair and confusion set in. Like wishing we were young again, waiting for Santa Claus, and the world is good and innocent and right. There never were “Good Old Days” only a blissfully innocent youth for those of us lucky enough to not be shattered by tragic and evil events. Sooner or later the evil presents itself and we are never again the same. We are shattered and left bloody, like ex-virgins on the backseat of a 57’ Chevy with blood drying on our thighs. We never again see things as we thought they were, we are bloodied and we are left knowing that the fantasy and innocence of childhood are long gone.

If the public were confronted with the reality of what we really are and what we have become I think the nation would change. Opening the eyes of those who still believe in the fantasy of a normal America could become the instrument of change. No one in the MSM is willing to weave together the tapestry of reality, a reality that has only a thin glaze preventing it from being seen by all, and open the public at large to a new way of dissecting the day’s events.

We are left to our own devices and left to rely on each other to help us see what is actually occurring. Just because some Conspiracy Theories are outrageous doesn’t mean they are all wrong. The outrageous and seemingly impossible are always possible. Once we all realize that fact we can go about trying to effect real change in the world. The saying from the 90’s of think globally, act locally is possibly the most subversive thought to arise in the last 70 years. Imagine if we were able to effect change on a small scale in our homes and in our communities, how the collected effect would devastate the old guard, the powers that be, the evil men who hold true power in this world.

If an abusive spouse controls a woman the most powerful action she can take is to simply leave him, disappear into the ether and never be seen by him again. If money controls us how can we shed the chains that bind us? Society has been configured to include money and earnings into every aspect of our lives. Escaping it entirely means turning your back on society as a whole. This is a drastic response and is really far beyond what needs to be done. If even 1% of the population were able to reduce their monthly bills by 1% and redirect those funds into something that benefits themselves and their local community, the masters of our economy would notice, immediately. Like the old saying goes, a billion dollars here, a billion dollars there and sooner or later you are talking real money. A billion dollars may not represent 1% income of 1% of the population but a million here and a million there out of more than 400 million Americans and the next thing you know we would have Wall Street scratching their greedy little heads.

Imagine for a moment if you and your neighbors were able to knock that 1% out of your bills every month and reinvest it into something you can all use such as a community garden or the installation of solar power panels, the effect would be immediate. Corporate farms would see a huge decrease in demand for their goods. The energy sector would see a drop in their income and the manufacturers of alternative energy devices would see a rise in their income. Imagine their reaction when they realize that they have slightly less power over the public than they did yesterday.

I’m not talking about creating hippie communes or exhuming socialism. I’m talking about reducing the control over your life that is held by evil, corrupt men and returning it to your hands. Simple modifications in our lives can have far ranging effects. Driving less by combining trips saves gas and reduces the money residing in the coffers of big oil and the government. Using electricity more wisely reduces the money in the coffers of the energy conglomerates and the government. Planting a vegetable garden keeps you and your family and neighbors fed and keeps your money out of the coffers of the corporate food industry and the government. They understand money and the power that comes from controlling how much you spend each month and how much you earn and save from your labor. The slightest chink in their profit margins would go far in reducing their power over us. Even failing to meet expected profits when there is still a profit can be devestating to the men who control our lives through money.

Would this prevent martial law being declared in the event of a terrorist or false flag attack? In our current state it would not. We have allowed ourselves to become so swaddled in the cotton of the world they created that far too many of us would bow down to anything as long as the cable is working and the McDonalds is stocked. Taking nicks and pieces of their control would certainly be beneficial to all of us and it’s not too late to start.

In my mind the most valuable aspect of Conspiracy Theories is that they can be used as cautionary tales in our lives. If your food is being poisoned in the factory, grow your own food or buy from a local farmer. If your freedoms are being threatened, use your mind and talents to determine what aspects of your life that can be truly made free from outside interference. If your future is threatened, plan for a future that avoids or limits how much of your present life is being controled.

A true revolution can be silent and peaceful.

High Weirdness back roads

I've been thinking a bit about some of the subjects and events which seem to stay low on the horizon within the Conspiracy Theory and High Weirdness communities these days. With the current state of events in America we certainly have our plates full and it seems the odd, kooky and more curious stories get shuffled out of the deck. The recent Drones photos and revelations are a prime example, so is the VaTech Black Op.

Listed below are three subjects that fit this description. The Gulf Breeze Six is an example of a story that simply gets overlooked because it predates the Internet and doesn't have the broad range of appeal that the JFK assassination or UFOlogy has. Maitiera seems to only interest the folks who are interested in cults or mind control and those who are interested in Theocratic Conspiracy Theories. The emergence of the Internet and it's effect on our community falls more in line with people who have an interest in the history of our communities or those who have been publishing their ideas for long before the Internet was known of by the average person.

There are many other subjects and stories that can be listed but these three seem to have more prominence in my mind these days. The Gulf Breeze Six have been in my head because of the recent drones photos and the major UFO sightings in England this week. Maitiera has been in my mind because I have been thinking more about the VaTech Black Op. Our history has been in my mind because I'm in a mood to assess where I want to take this blog and looking back is always a part of looking forward.

The Gulf Breeze Six – This was an extremely peculiar case when it played out in the summer of 1990. I had spent several years in the Pensacola area before this occurred and was in fact stationed in Pensacola during the Gulf Breeze sightings. I never had a sighting but there was indeed a “feeling” of strangeness around the area during the sightings time frame. The story itself was odd on far too many levels and I’m afraid that Vance Davis’ publication of Unbroken Promises has only added to the muddy waters of this story, in my eyes.

I’ve thought that this story would actually make a very good film. The story has it all; intrigue, mystery, a manhunt, the supernatural, all of this against the backdrop of the military Intelligence Community. There has been very little interest about these six individuals and I think it would be interesting if someone could get them together for an interview to talk about the history of their adventure and perspective since we are nearing the 20th anniversary of the event.

Maitiera – In early 2006 several local Atlanta television stations began airing Maitiera commercials in the early morning hours, usually around 4:00 AM. I often wondered how many people were first introduced to this figure because of the ads. I especially wondered how many trust fund babies in Atlanta saw the ads after a particularly bad and desperate night of drinking and drugging in the Buckhead nightclub district. In the right set of circumstances, with a head full of coke, a belly full of Grey Goose and a empty yearning in the heart, a young person perched in their lofty condo looking down on Peachtree could see a possible “meaning” to their life by seeing those ads.

Cults and cult leaders in general seem to garner very little attention these days. I do have a feeling that the renewed Pentecostal movement has tempered any desire of the corporate news outlets to expose and discuss the activities of cults. I’m not saying that the Pentecost is a cult but it is obvious that cults use the tactics of organized religion to recruit and keep members.

The emergence of the Internet – Before the web, the typical Conspiracy Theory or High Weirdness enthusiast had to rely on a loose and ethereal world of mail order and print magazines for information, new ideas and guidance. Those were the days of kitchen publishing and printed databases and mailing lists that you could get from sources as varied as Donna Kossy and Ivan Stang. What the web has done to this sub-culture is open it to a completely new audience but it has also removed a certain charm and work ethic that was inherent to the subject. It’s been years since I sent out a SASE and got that rush of excitement many weeks later when I saw my handwriting on the envelope, knowing there were pages of goodies inside.

I have never read or even seen an essay on the effects of the Internet on our community. I think this would be a marvelous subject for one of the better writers to tackle. I think we have some incredible historians in the community and their perspective on how things have changed, become more mainstream and more open for disinfo would be exciting to learn.

Doom and Gloom

A few odds and ends this morning to get things rolling.

In testimony before the Senate yesterday afternoon, AG Gonzales either let the cat out of the bag or opened himself up in yet another instance for a perjury charge as he admitted that the now infamous bedside visit with former AG Ashcroft was in regard to a completely different secret spying program than what the Senate was referring to. When Gonzales first addressed this issue of a spy program that needed authorization from Ashcroft during his testimony in May, I opined that the program he was referring to was not FISA and that the program was more sinister and the Senators were missing the nuance of Gonzales’ testimony. The link to that posting can be found here. I have a sneaky suspicion that Gonzales was indeed telling the truth about another spy program, if only the Senate will dig and investigate this further.

As stupid as Gonzales acts and appears to be, never underestimate his powers of deceit. This is a problem that far too many people have fallen for, underestimating the intelligence of the sociopaths who wield power in our government. Yes, their actions and words do seem incredibly moronic at times but they should not be discredited as simpletons. The harder you look, the more you can see grand design in their failures. They are pulling a trick like the Chief in One Flew Over The Cookoo’s Nest. They aren’t deaf and dumb no matter how convinced you are that its true.

More booga-booga terror scares are hitting the airwaves today with the TSA warning all of us that dry runs of terrorist attacks have been performed since September of last year. This hot on the heels of Chertof’s guts comment and an ever escalating anger and frustration by the American public regarding it’s government is drawing a false flag attack even closer. Conspiracy Theory bloggers and personalities have been posting information about the recent Presidential Directive signed into effect by Bush, which gives the Justice and Treasury Departments unprecedented authority to seize the funds of anyone who threatens the process of the war in Iraq. In other words, simply saying you are against the war can be grounds for the government to seize your bank accounts and freeze your rights to earn income or pay your bills.

Speaking of the Iraq bloodbath, that September date for evaluating the surge isn’t as solid as people thought. Word is coming out that the government wants to wait until December before addressing the success of the surge. Anyone who falls for these false deadlines and milestones needs to come over to my place and play cards with me. The intention is to never leave Iraq. Only with a complete changing of the guard in the highest levels of power will we ever leave Iraq. Threats of sanctions, censures and subpoenas won’t work with this crowd.

Even if the entire administration were replaced they have embedded so many of their version of the sleeper cell into all branches of power in Washington, we will be seeing the after effects of this administration for generations to come, if the playing field were level. Just look at the information that has come out about the rank and file employees at Justice and you will see exactly what they have wrought on this nation. The greedy and evil walk the halls of power.

All in all, it’s just a typical Wednesday in America.

Ookie, Ookie, lend me your comb.

The story of Michael Vick is oddly absent from a lot of Atlanta bloggers right now. For sports and animal rights bloggers he’s still a main source of subject material but the folks who blog about daily life in Atlanta are generally ignoring him. Considering this story hits two areas that I have a major interest in (sports and our treatment of animals as a society) I think I finally need to chime in on this.

Let me begin by saying that I have been a constant cheerleader for Vick. I’ve made excuses for his behavior and performance over the years. The Rolex incident was easily brushed aside in my point of view. The “coach killer” comments by Jim Mora Sr. were sour grapes from a protective Father in my eyes. At every step of the way I defended him.

When he couldn’t seem to get the ball down and into the arms of his receivers I always wrote it off to excitement and nerves, he was just overly eager. He was overthrowing the ball not because of a lack of skill; it was all because of basic human nature and his ambition to win. When he had trouble reading a receiver’s route and didn’t throw it to where the receiver would ultimately be, even under heavy coverage, like a quarterback should be able to do even in college, I wrote it off as a failure of the coaching staff in not emphasizing the fundamentals of the game. None of it was ever Vick’s fault in my eyes.

The only problems I had really had with the direction of the team since 2002 was that I didn’t like the way Dan Reeves was treated when he was fired. I really believed that Reeves should have been kept and that Reeves seemed to have a better grasp on how to get wins with Vick than Mora ever did, or will, know. I didn’t like the lack of interest in building a stronger defense, especially in light of the injuries we’ve had in recent years.

In other words, I was a typical hometown fan of my team. I’ve followed this team since before Steve Bartkowski joined in the mid-70’s. I’ve suffered through the June Jones era, Jerry Glanville’s “California State Champions Trophy” and William Andrews blown knee. I’ve loved a place kicker who was a bartender, Jamal Anderson’s massive Earl Campbell-ian thighs and a gang of thugs who thrilled us with the Grits Blitz.

Another side of my life

In 1997 I became an ethical vegetarian. I’m not a stereotypical Birkenstock wearing vegetarian. I am a convert from an entirely different lifestyle than what most vegetarians come from. I’m a former hunter and fisherman. Other than elk and moose I have hunted for, killed and eaten just about any animal you can think of. I was a very skilled and effective hunter. As a fisherman I was the sort of person who could get the limit almost every time. There are pictures of me even as a small boy where I am holding up a stringer of huge bream and crappie.

My conversion from one lifestyle to another happened on a Saturday morning when I was in a tree stand on the edge of a field that I knew a herd of deer would be crossing soon. I saw a sunrise that I had never seen before and a thought entered my mind that had never been thought of by me before. I suddenly realized that nothing should be killed by me that morning and I should not take the life of another one of God's creatures that morning. With a rainbow of color blistering the morning sky, and a field that was literally frosting over from dew to ice in front of my eyes, I crawled down from the tree stand and went into a long process of thought about what happened to me in that tree stand.

Within weeks I went from a hunter to a vegetarian. I first thought that I shouldn’t kill that morning. I then realized my family or I would not go hungry if I stopped hunting and therefore I had no right to kill a living creature for food. I ultimately decided that no living creature should ever die just to provide me with food or clothing. 10 years later I still do not eat meat, wear leather or use products tested on animals. I’m healthy, I look younger than my actual age of 41 and I can kick ass almost as good as I did 10 years ago.

When the story of Vick’s cousin being arrested for drugs and there was suspicion of dog fighting at his house was announced I was ready to once again hook up the Vick love train. But the Humane Society said that they had heard rumors about Vick’s involvement in dog fighting for many years. The Humane Society isn’t a left field organization; they exist only to ensure that animals are properly treated. They have never gone to the extremes that PETA does. PETA, for all the good they do, shoot themselves in the foot and drive away people who may be sympathetic to the cause, in my opinion, with their crude and brash behavior.

My reaction to the indictment, and the level of reactions from other NFL players, is simple. I cannot find it in my spirit to ever watch another professional football game again. Too many players like Portis and Horn have said things that show me where the minds and hearts of the current flock of players is coming from. To them and the Vick defenders all he is guilty of is doing something stupid, getting caught.

This isn’t betting on boxing, or illegal fighting between two people. This is an involvement in forcing living creature to fight when they have no other option. If they won’t fight or they fight poorly, they are executed in a cruel fashion through electrocution or hanging. How we treat the vulnerable and weak, the lesser among us, is the truest reflection of our soul. You don’t have to love animals to understand that treating them this way is wrong, you only need to be a person who understand right and wrong, cruel and loving, human and inhuman, good and evil.

People are throwing out the race card. Race isn’t a part of this. Had it been Keith Brooking I would have been equally disgusted and my reaction would have been no different. People are throwing out the innocent until guilty line. That’s bullshit too. The actual line is “presumed innocent until proven guilty.” And that only applies to a court of law. This is the court of public opinion and there are too many things that make me realize he is as guilty as sin. I don’t have to presume Michael Vick innocent of any goddamn thing.

The man had the world in his hands. He had a fortune in money, which could have been turned from riches into real wealth. He could have become a leader of men and a better man in the process that was inherent in the position he earned as a gifted athlete. He had a city that was willing to stand by his side no matter what happened on the field and very little of his off field antics swayed us against him. He blew it all and he blew it for one thing. He blew it because he received pleasure at watching two of God’s creatures tear each other to shreds in forced fights. He blew it because that pleasure wasn’t enough, when those creatures didn’t please him he killed them by hanging them, electrocuting them and even slamming the body of one to the ground.

Athletes these days are fond of praising their success by claiming it’s all due to the power of Jesus Christ. When they fail they point their finger at the coaches, their teammates, the press and the fans. Hypocrisy is rampant in American society today. The hypocrisy of the modern athlete and the world they operate in is just as sordid as what we see in Washington. I can no longer provide voluntary support for an activity that works in this way. The NFL is in trouble and Commissioner Goodell needs to prepare himself for more Michael Vicks and more Pacman Jones. He has inherited a snake’s den.

Trying to get that groove back

Does Bootsy Collins ever have to work on his groove?

The last two months have been pretty active for me. Work has been much more demanding of my time and my personal life has been more active than normal. Writing for the blog requires taking some time to sit and think and thinking about subjects that aren’t necessarily typical in the day to day living of life. Think about how often the subject of the Illuminati comes up when you are out at dinner or on a conference call. Not often, is it? Now that I am getting the personal and professional demands more in order I’m able to make the time to write. The problem is I need to spark myself.

I think you can look through the various posts in the blog and find the days where I had interruptions as I was writing. The flow seems curbed, something is grammaticly confusing or conflicting, or I seemed to make very little sense. I can often spot those problems when I go back and review old posts and I can remember what broke my concentration. In many ways I believe this is a blessing of the medium and not a drawback. It allows for an informal arena where the point you are trying to make is more important than the delivery. It also allows a person to work on their style and their narrative flow, which I struggle with. In short, it offers benefit for the writer as much as the reader.

Just getting in the habit of writing can be tough when something pulls you away from it. I have kept a personal journal for years and the gaps in my writing are huge. I know other people have the same problem and it seems that only a certain amount of obsessive compulsive behavior can save a journal writer. You have to crave and need the act of writing to keep a solid journal. As there has been a gap in the blog I have had a gap in my journal of late.

I want to get back to writing the longer essay-ish pieces for the blog but I need to get back into a groove. The daily political events are a good source for having something to write about but I don’t think those stories are entirely helpful as they happen in spurts and their subjects can be far ranging. I think it takes away from the overall tone and depth of the pure conspiracy theory stories.

In the interim I think the best thing I can do is write a week or two worth of posts about my personal thoughts and experiences with conspiracy theory and High Weirdness, interspersed with some political and conspiracy theory minded mini-posts. Maintaining this blog is something I really want and need to do, for my own personal reasons. It provides me a chance to work on my style and narrative abilities. I work as an IT professional and I have always struggled with putting abstract ideas into a form that others can understand and the act of writing this blog has helped me immensely in that area.

Please bear with me for the next week or two. The posts may be a bit different in tone from what has come before but I’m working on a groove.

Server Jihad

New posts should begin appearing next week. The last week has been spent dealing with a server jihad at my workplace. The uprising has been quelled, sleep was lost, hair was pulled, the names of Balmer and Gates came up quite often. There were questions asked about the marital status of their respective Mothers. I'm tired and want some scotch. I've also realized that my new junior sysadmin has shitty taste in music.

Chertoff's guts

Two interesting and chilling comments have been made over the past few days regarding possible terrorist attacks. On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a group of people from the Chicago Tribune that he has a “gut feeling” we are about to enter a new period where terrorist attacks are likely. This past Friday, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum spoke on the Hugh Hewitt Show and said that he understands that “between now and November, a lot of things are going to happen and I believe that by this time next year, the American public’s going to have a very different view of this war.”

These comments can only be classified as one of three things. 1) Typical fear mongering that is par for the course of the current Republican leadership. 2) Signs of a possible false flag op. 3) Incredible insight.

Based on the past performance of both Chertoff and Santorum, I think the word insight does not apply to these two people. Chertoff has bungled the DHS job with the near death of New Orleans, leaky borders and the disclosure this week that a massive hole in senior leadership positions within his department exists, with a quarter of the necessary senior positions unfilled. Santorum, of the “man-on-dog sex” infamy, has been wrong on so many occasions regarding the war in Iraq and life in general that they are too numerous to mention. The short list includes his 2006 comparison of Islamic fascism to Nazism and Japanese Imperialism from World War II and his adamant claim that “hundreds of WMDs” were found in Iraq. These two lackeys have the insight of men who dig tunnels.

Sign of a possible false flag op? Possible, very much within the realm of possibility. A series of warnings given before an event could give those in power the traction they need to implement sweeping changes that would allow them to cover their tracks and put out the fires in their burning castles. With the VP’s approval ratings hovering slightly above single digits at only 13%, the rising acceptance of the American public to impeachment proceedings against the President and VP, scandal upon scandal breaking and an overall sense of anger and frustration building against the Washington elite; a terrorist attack that was “predicted” would be a relief to those in power.

Typical fear mongering? I think this pony used up its single trick a while back. The average American appears to be keyed into the strategy of scaring the living hell out of them and the effect is somewhat lukewarm right now. Even the regular Joe Six Pack on the street has begun to notice that every time something comes to light that makes the powers that be look bad; “something” seems to happen involving terrorism.

The question I have out of these two comments is who in the hell thought it would be a good idea to “tune in” Santorum to something happening? Santorum is little more than a dullard, a cheerleading parrot and a freakish example of the American Dream on acid. I wouldn’t trust his strategic thinking abilities although he is very adapt at the Republican smear job and dirty tricks. But as far as letting him in on secrets, never. So his coaching on this subject probably involves some basic direction and no specific details.

The next few months should be interesting to watch. Something is afoot in DC based on the signs we see and the recent comments regarding “chatter” and now “gut feelings”.

Our Governor, the charity case

Talk about creative interpretation. The AJC is reporting today that the Ethics in Government Group has filed a complaint with the state ethics committee regarding our Governor’s donation of campaign funds to his personal PAC. The PAC, Perdue PAC, was apparently setup last month as a nonprofit entity and state laws allow a political campaign to donate leftover election funds to nonprofits, other candidates or political parties.

To the tune of over $750,000.00 our Governor is sliding funds around in a nonprofit that was setup to “push his agenda”, according to the AJC. Hmm, the Governor needs ¾ of a million dollars to push his agenda? The weight of the office itself doesn’t give the Governor a leg-up on the competition? He needs a fleet of wheelbarrows full of cold hard cash to get the job done? This is just a flagrant flaunting of power and money in the faces of Georgia citizens.

I believe I can add something to our Governor’s “Sonny do” list, how about knocking off the shit for a change, Sonny?

The return of the DC Madam story

Didn’t ABC News, more specifically ABC reporter Brian Ross, say that there were, “no members of Congress we can find in these phone numbers.” When reporting on the DC Madame case just two short months ago? I guess Brian shouldn’t have made such a broad comment since he, and the rest of us knew he was seeing only a small portion of those phone records because lo and behold we have a Senator who is now caught up in the story.

I’ve said before that the only problem I have with these people using the services of prostitutes is the fact that it opens them up to blackmail. I could care less if they like kinky sex or the kind of sex they may not be able to get at home. Their choices are theirs to make and that’s between them and their spouse. But, as a Senator or any other high ranking public official, if you choose the services of a prostitute you are ripe for being blackmailed.

So, why did Ross go to such lengths to defuse the story and make a dismissive remark on a story he was covering? I think we can all guess the reason why but it is still a very good reminder of how the corporate media operates. ABC or it’s parent company, Disney, rolled the dice that a judge would not allow the rest of Ms. Palfrey’s phone records to be released. They downplayed the importance of the story and for those of us who made note of their light touch are remembering it.

Let’s wait and see who else pops up on the list. Remember that Wayne Madsen was reporting at the time of the 20/20 whitewash that VP Cheney was also among the patrons of Palfrey’s operation. For further posts on this subject, click here.

My seven wonders of the world

The new 7 Wonders of the World has been announced and I am heartbroken that none of my choices were picked. If it had been up to me, here are the winners in no speciic order:

Salvation Mountain:

Paradise Gardens:

The Beer Can House:

The Goatman's Trailer:

The Clermont Lounge:

The Fabulous Fox Theater, Atlanta:

Old Engel Stadium, Chattanooga:

Don't look back

While in the middle of a major Google session earlier this past week for work related information, I happened upon a name that stopped me cold in my tracks. A name of an old friend from a decade and a half ago was staring me in the face. After some hemming and hawing on my part I fired off an email and less than 10 minutes later he and I were talking on the phone, laughing it up with a tone of incredulity in our voices. This doesn’t happen often, in my life and probably yours either.

In the middle of this wayback machine trip another name came up, the name of an old flame of mine. The old flame, the one who haunted me for years and whom I had always believed had moved on and probably made a great life for her self, still lives there. What little I was told about her has left me feeling a bit down and conflicted. I moved on, I changed my life for what I know is the better and I think I am a much better man for the changes. That is how life has gone for me over the past 15 years. She, on the other hand, has apparently entered assort of hermetically sealed life. Nothing, it appears, has changed in her life. The same job, the same interests, the same life and no new wrinkles to add color to her life.

I really do not know what to think about this new piece of information. I feel sad for her and a bit guilty for having moved into a different realm of living without her influence. These conflicted emotions have almost overshadowed the possibility of rekindling my old friendship with my old “co-conspirator in crime”, who is still an amazingly fun and interesting person. At some point he is going to break the news to her that he’s been in contact with me, and his delivery was that of absolute boyish glee. I suppose the mystery of whatever became of me has finally been solved, with a happy ending too.

But I now worry about the fallout from this. I’m not concerned about how this will affect my life because I know where I am going. The passage of time and the literal distance of a third of the country separate us, so there are barriers to prevent something stupid from occurring. But I worry about her reaction when she realizes that so much has changed for me and nothing has changed for her. I’m worried that she will not take this well. I just wanted to say hello to an old friend and to be honest, I had assumed more than a decade ago that she had more than likely left for a completely different city. I thought she had probably moved home to Philadelphia. When her name was spoken it was more than a shock, it was an impossibility that had never occurred to me.

We float in and out of each other’s lives and we have a profound effect on each other. I believe in God and the human soul in part because of this effect. Our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Our siblings and our friends and lovers all have a hand in the evolving nature of our lives and we play a part in shaping their lives. For good or bad, empathy, love and searching for answers seem to change with each person’s influence but all these people and events interweave with one another to create the tapestry of our lives. We even have these effects on one another online, with no physical presence being a part of the equation.

So I am left in a strange place right now. Remembering this great love, the one who was unequaled at the time and has been unequaled since, with a sense of sadness for what her life has not become. I even feel a sense of anger that no “good man” has stepped up to the plate and taken her someplace that she really deserved to be in her life. I was a mess when I last saw her and was in no shape to take her on the journey that I have taken. I’m dismayed that she didn’t take the trip herself. In short, I am sure that I’m going to have a lot of old memories and some unresolved issues to consider very soon. The cat is about to get out of the bag and it’s been in there for a long time.

Low rumbles on the horizon

I’m trying to stay away from the purely political posts for at least a few days. The recent Libby commutation of sentence still has my blood boiling. I still need to spend some time digesting the CIA “Family Jewels” release and I haven’t even made the time to do that yet. So let’s go off in a different direction today.

Courtesy of Kent Steadman’s website we have some interesting information that has come to light regarding the Roswell incident. For those who have followed the players in the case, the name of Col. Walter Haut will ring a bell. Col. Haut’s “deathbed confession” has been released. He wrote an affidavit before he passed away which explains the things he saw and did surrounding the infamous incident.

The British media are reporting the details of this affidavit in surprising depth. The American media are, as par for the course, ignoring it. It’s quite interesting to read the Col.’s comments and it’s even more interesting to consider whether his affidavit is a real confession, disinfo or a prank.

The timing of this release is extremely curious considering some of the related and non-related events of the past two weeks. We first had the botched automobile-as-a-Molotov-cocktail “attacks” in the UK, followed by the detainment of a number of conspirators that include physicians and this was book ended by a new al-Quaeda video being released; an abnormally long video at that. The American political scene has given us the insulting Libby commutation, a potential physical threat on the life of Presidential hopeful Barrack Obama and a meeting in Kennebunkport between the Bush clan and Vladimir Putin. The UFOlogy field has also had two new stories to follow with the sudden emergence (and quiet follow-up) of the “Drones” photos and sightings which were accompanied by a release of documents purportedly by a former “insider”.

It’s quite obvious that some of these stories are plants and distractions. Which story is the real McCoy is a question up for debate. We are being distracted, intentionally, for a reason. The Libby story surprises me not in the least bit, but it still infuriates me. The hypocrisy of those in power knows no bounds and the overt in your face attitude is stunning. The Obama story, which I first learned of last night, troubles me the most.

I have feared since the VaTech massacre that we will soon be seeing a return to the days of assassins, where the leaders who appeal to the populace and those with a certain charismatic appeal to the masses, will be gunned down. The threats to all of us are lined up like rings, each one a barrier to keep us in line and under control. Assassination of our own leaders in America is a tactic we have not seen in a generation. Enough time has passed and it is of great concern to me.

Which bottle do politicans suck from?

One thing you can never underestimate about politicians is their inflated sense of self and the thin skin which covers that ego. The Speaker of the House here in Georgia has come up with a doozy. In a press conference earlier this week, Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson had this to say about bloggers,

“Those dadgum blog sites. You know what I predict is going
to happen? I predict somebody’s going to sue one of those site domains for
slander, and somebody’s going to get hit with a big suit because there’s no
accountability, and they say and do things about people that are blatantly
false.

“If y’all did, you’d get sued in a New York minute ... Somebody’s going
to sue ‘em and hit ‘em with enough money ... and somebody is going to say, ‘We’d
better be careful with this.’

“We’re brazen now because people will say things ‘cause they know
there’s no accountability. There’s no reason for it. It bugs me a little. I see
‘em do it about people who’re private citizens. I accept my role as a public
official. They can say I’m bad, dumb and ugly, and truth is a
defense."

“I know everybody thinks that’s going to last a while. I don’t believe
it’ll last too much longer.”

Isn’t it funny how our employees, public servants such as politicians, get their panties in a wad over little things like the exercise of free speech by their employers, we the citizens for whom they work for? Bitching and moaning by the unwashed masses at the neighborhood Waffle Hatchi doesn’t bother them in the least but when their constituents put their beliefs online it’s a different story.

Dissent becomes slander, criticism becomes brazen behavior and accountability is only applied to non-politicians in the minds of these egotistical idiots. Grow a thicker skin, Mr. Speaker. If the Speaker want’s some cheese to go with his whine he only needs to follow the rats who fatten themselves under the gold dome downtown.

Political discourse has gone downhill, that is a fact. But it’s the behavior of politicians and their ability to work the lowest common denominator that has brought things to the point they are now. Who are our great leaders in the state of Georgia? Who is the bright boy who clears the fog and bullshit of politics to help lead this state into a brighter future? There isn’t one and we are left with the dimmest bulbs the state can offer. Dear God, if we even had a new George Busbee among us I would be thrilled. If another Sam Nunn came to power I’d be ecstatic. We are stuck with a bunch of mouth breathing parrots who make JB Stoner look like a brilliant and progressive thinker.

All we have are a bunch of spoiled brats running this state, some of whom can’t even come to town without getting a Goddamn DUI arrest on the books. Grow up, Mr. Speaker and do what’s best for the entire state of Georgia, not just what the special interests groups , who donate huge amounts of money to political parties and campaigns, want the elected officials to do for them. Maybe folks will be a bit more civil when critiquing the House when our representatives act like leaders, instead of the glad handing money grubbers we now have. Until then, you politicians are the ones who made this bed so you need to learn to lie in it. Change the sheets or go sleep on the couch if the mattress doesn’t suit your delicate sensitivities.

The sky is falling

After watching the mainstream media’s reporting of the attempted car bombings in the UK this past weekend I can only say that the bloodthirsty little beggars are little more than cheerleaders and idiots, as they have been for quite some time, who also need to look up the actual meaning of the word foiled. I spent all of Saturday morning and some of the early afternoon completely in a news vacuum, away from the TV and out of the house with only CDs to keep me occupied while I was out and about doing Saturday errands. I came home to MSNBC’s coverage and realized quickly what was happening and how deeply they wanted this to be far more serious than it really is. Have these idiot talking heads of the TV news ever heard of the IRA? Do they even know the history of terrorist attacks in London? Of course they have not and do not to answer both questions.

So bad were the early 80’s attacks that even Roger Waters of Pink Floyd was inspired to write, “and maniacs don’t blow holes in bandsmen by remote control.” in the lyrics to a song. If an IRA bomber had screwed up as badly as these idiots did this past week, in making such a lame excuse for a car bomb, I am pretty sure they would kill them just to weed out the idiots from their ranks. And yet the mainstream media are acting as though death is waiting to descend upon America at any moment, as though London is burning and we are spiraling into the sun.

What has happened in London and Glasgow can be clearly seen as nothing more than idiots on parade. Nothing was “foiled” as the press are falling over themselves to say. Foiling an attack would mean that the police or intelligence agencies raided them before they were able to carry out an attack. Catching them after they’ve left two sedan sized Molotov cocktails in London and damaged the passenger drop off at the Glasgow Airport isn’t “foiling” a plot. It’s called catching criminals after they have committed a crime, regular police work in other words.

Can the media talking heads, with their neat suits and neat hair and neat accents keep their little bloodlust fantasies to themselves for 5 minutes these days? I don’t think they can, to be honest. All afternoon long on Saturday I watched them talk about al-Qaeda, potential victims of shrapnel wounds, Osama bin Laden giving his okay, fighting them over there so we don’t have to over here, and the usual clap trap that they can’t prevent themselves from saying when there is very little actual news to report.
Fear not only serves the government, it also serves the media and the sponsors of the networks that cover the news. The true leanings of the talking heads are on display when something like this occurs. They are bloodthirsty little monsters who probably tortured small animals for gratification when they were adolescents. Their “reporting” is more akin to masturbation than professional journalism.

The Drone photographs

The last few nights I have had some free time (for a change) to simply relax and do whatever the mood strikes me to do. This doesn’t happen as often as I’d like and probably not as often as should be. On Wednesday night I happened upon some recent reports coming from the UFOlogy world regarding a series of sightings of a new variety. If you don’t follow the UFOlogy world here is the scoop.

A series of photos have been released by what appears to be 3 different people, who took the photos at different locations and within a very, very short time frame of one another. The photos are quite sharp and appear quite convincingly real. The photos show objects that are being described by UFOlogists as “Drones”, and their appearance is appropriate given the name. The photos do not show the hallmarks of being PhotoShopped, at least on a casual glance and the objects in the photos appear to me, in my opinion, to have a certain physical “weight” that is lacking in PhotoShopped images.

What I mean by physical “weight” is a certain quality that seems amiss and unnatural in CGI or photo editing suites. When you look at a special effects laden movie, say Spiderman, doesn’t the action seem “off” because the computer created people don’t seem to have a physical presence in reality? Maybe it’s the speed in which the characters move or the quality of only being a series of points in a grid in a computer program. There is just a quality that feels more unreal than it looks real.

These photos do not have that feel about them. There isn’t a sensation of unnatural depth like we used to see when people would fake film-based photos. They just seem to have a quality of realism, depth and presence, which is quite natural in the “feel” of the images. There has been an anonymous explanation for these drones released on a web site that is purportedly written by an engineer who claims to have worked on advanced projects that are virtually identical to the drone images.

While I can’t say I am bowling over with excitement about this story I can say that my interest has been piqued. Something about the speed of this story developing, the information that has been released and the circumstances of the events seems both right and wrong to me. Not since the Phoenix Lights has a UFO story captured my thoughts as this one is.

This could, as so many high weirdness stories, turn out to be an elaborate hoax. So many hoaxes collapse simply because the inertia of the story brings too much info to the forefront too soon and the weak aspects of the story simply cause the whole story to collapse. The Aussie Bloke postings are a prime example of a story folding after the weight and inertia cause the weak foundation to give way.

I’m going to keep watching the story and see how it progresses. The story is either scripted or it’s not and scripted stories begin to show the veneer of fiction and creative writing quite soon. Until then…keep watching the skies.

41 is the new...well, what is it?

Tomorrow marks my birthday. I no longer get excited about my birthdays and feel somewhat relieved when the day has passed. This year I will be turning 41 and for some odd reason, numerology popped into my head.

When I think of the number 41 I tend to think of the year 1941. That was, of course, the year of the Pearl Harbor attack but it was also a huge year in baseball history. Joe DiMaggio had his 56 game hitting streak and Ted Williams hit .406 in that year. It is now 66 years beyond 1941 and I was born 41 years ago, in 1966.

41 is the atomic number of niobium, the number 41 is encoded into much of JS Bach’s music and Arthur C. Clarke used the number prominently in the Rama cycle of books. If you are a fan of Kevin Smith’s film Clerks, you’ll understand when I say that I enjoyed turning 37 far more than I am enjoying turning 41.

I’m not so much freaked out about the actual age itself. Middle age isn’t really shaking me up. To be honest I am somewhat surprised and grateful to have not met my demise long ago. My Navy experiences forced me to understand and accept my mortality in my early adult life because there was no other choice. When I left the service at the age of 26 I was under the impression that I was living on borrowed time and I’ve had to readjust my behavior since my physical safety has improved greatly since then.

The only things I really despise about middle age is the effect it has on my body. I am not, and never will be, as limber as I once was. I have to force myself to exercise daily and I can’t seem to break past certain points in that exercise. It’s like I’ve plateaued and can’t increase my stamina or reps of just about every exercise routine I know. I don’t mind the gray hair; except for the gray chest hair, I actually dislike that.

I enjoy the moderate level of wisdom that has accompanied middle age. I am certainly enjoying the look on young men’s faces when I loose patience with them and read them the riot act. Instead of trying to physically posture and assert themselves over me the way they would try to do when I was younger, they now just open their eyes wide and skulk, and I have learned that I can get away with a lot when I dress down someone who deserves it. I think the curmudgeon clothes will fit me well in 20 years.

I also enjoy the fact that a woman in her early 30’s is a younger woman for me. It is a relief to date a “younger woman” and feel at ease since she now is at an age where she actually knows what she is doing. Being the older man now adds a new twist that is interesting as well. So, there are advantages to this middle age business.

If 51 presents itself to me I certainly hope I am able to handle it as well as I think I am handling 41.

That formaldehyde aftertaste

Because of my recent work related break from the blog I’ve found it to be a bit tough to get the rhythm going again in terms of writing posts. It’s been weeks since I had a roundup of news articles about the melamine contamination scandal so I thought a new one is in order. There has actually been some new and troubling developments.

Just this morning we have learned that the Chinese government has closed 180 food plants in China for their use of toxins in their food. Among the toxic substances found to have been used were formaldehyde, banned dyes and industrial wax. Some of the food processors were also found to have been using recycled or expired food in their plants. I wonder what “recycled” food is exactly? I have to assume it is analogous to the method of making pig feed from the excess or waste feed which we learned about several months ago as this scandal first gained momentum.

An ominous statement regarding this which was made by a director in the Chinese quality control administration, as quoted in the article linked above, “These are not isolated cases.” I take that to mean that what we have seen so far are examples of a general culture and accepted practice within the Chinese food industry as a whole. Of course, since we are shamelessly capitalistic here in the States, big business concerns grow fatter off the response by increasing sales of their products and services.

Now, don’t get me wrong on my last statement. I do believe that a person (Corporate entity in this case, which is really a legal person) deserves the profits of their labor when they devise a method or system or device which provides a legitimate and needed service to humanity. But it continues to irk me that for the last 6 years we have seen one business concern after another making huge profits in response to problems that are intentionally created by men, which doesn’t address the root problem.

The root problem in this case isn’t a natural byproduct of human activity, such as methane release in coal mining as an example, it’s a problem related to food processors intentionally adding toxic substances to their food products. It’s a safety issue that is man-made, not a naturally occurring problem. The companies that make a living by selling products that monitor methane in coal mines provide a necessary and noble product that ensures the safety of miners and the corporate assets of the business they work for. That is what I am referring to.

This series of problems is a result of big business and government holding each other’s hands and looking the other way thus allowing a problem to fester by ignoring their primary responsibilities. Once the cat is out of the bag and the problem makes them look bad, a problem that they created, they spring into inaction. Bureaucracy and cost are always the reasons given why they can’t do something. Next tune, please.

The CIA reports are now available online

A word of caution before clicking the link to the "Family Jewels" reports, the pages of the report have been converted into .gif files which will load in your browser. There are over 700 pages so I would recommend dial-up users using a different URL to view/download the files. If I can find a Table of Contents style index page for the reports I'll post it. For those with a broadband connection, here you go: Selected excerpts from the CIA "Family Jewels" report.

Also keep in mind that you are viting the CIA's public website when viewing these documents.

Atlanta on the verge of a healthcare meltdown

Nothing like a good case of coincidence to turn your head, is there? Here in Atlanta we are beginning to see the true early stages of what will probably turn out to be a major failure of our healthcare system and this is hot on the heels of the new Michael Moore film that will be released this week. For years we have been learning about the financial crisis at one of the major hospitals in Atlanta, Grady Health Care System, and the crisis is finally at a tipping point 7 years after the hemorrhaging began.

Grady Hospital plays a vital and central role in the health care system for the metropolitan Atlanta area, for those not from Atlanta or familiar with our health care system. It is the only level 1 trauma unit in the area and its location in downtown Atlanta puts it in a busy and special location. Indigents and the uninsured also use Grady, as it is the only source of medical care they have and in a metropolitan area of more than 4 million people, you can imagine its level of use simply for those two aspects.

We are now hearing that the financial situation is so dire at Grady that we Atlantans need to consider and prepare for it’s possible closure. If this happens the patients that would normally use the Grady Healthcare System will be redirected to the remaining hospitals and clinics in the metro area. In other words, an already overwhelmed health care system for the metropolitan Atlanta area will have to absorb the load of almost 1 million patients per year.

You may be wondering where the conspiracy is in this story? To be honest, there may be one; there may not be one. What can be said is that the experience of getting sick or being injured in one of the major cities of America may turn into a nightmare of shocking proportions. Who’s to blame, the isolated administrators of the Grady Healthcare System or a broader administration of healthcare in America? Probably a combination of both.

What we will see is patterns emerge from this problem and we will see the pattern solidify in shape and form. The wealthy, those who have the resources to fend for themselves, will be taken care of and their finances will carry them through. The poor and middle class will suffer for they haven’t the financial resources to protect themselves. Lives will be torn, lives will be lost and the strong will continue to survive. In effect, we will see a microcosm of the greater Illuminati Conspiracy Theory. Depopulation and a greater divide between the haves and the have nots.

Many can argue that business, like nature, is a struggle for survival and those that cannot survive in business should and will die. I agree with that idea to an extent. When it comes to vital services, and healthcare is a vital service, survival of the fittest should not be a factor. While Grady does need stronger leadership, it should not be sacrificed as a failed business. It provides more than just a service to the indigent and poor of Atlanta; the very structure of healthcare for all Atlantans and Georgians is at risk if it is allowed to close its doors. Doctors who practice within a 100-mile radius of Atlanta also send their patients to Atlanta for the higher quality of care they can receive in the city. They would no longer be able to do this if Grady is allowed to close as the remaining city hospitals and clinics will be overwhelmed with nearly 1 million more patients per year. The healthcare of Georgians and the healthcare for the entire southeastern US would feel the ripple effects of this.

The release of SiCKO should provoke discussion in this country about the healthcare system and we need to pay attention to how the film is discussed. We know that the health insurance industry has ramped up their attack machine on Moore and they will spin the lies and propaganda about their industry on a daily basis. Let’s try to look through the lies and bullshit that will rise to the top and go beyond them. In the end, all Americans, not just a select few, will benefit if we do this.

Executive Branch Three Card Monte

The past week has brought to light an aspect of the Bush administration that has only been reported peripherally. The revelation that VP Cheney is not only violating the Presidential Records Act intentionally but has also created his own security and classification system for documents and is claiming that he, his office and his responsibilities are not connected to the Executive Branch, shouldn’t be surprising. The fact that no one seems to give a damn and holy hell is not being raised is surprising. Cheney’s control over the shadow government has been documented several times since the 9/11 attacks, what we are now seeing are glimpses of the mechanisms he has put in place to work behind a veil of secrecy of his own creation.

Several months after 9/11 there was an article published by Time Magazine that provided a general overview of Cheney’s whereabouts in the days and weeks following the disaster. Site R was described and vague details of how the shadow government operates were given. Cheney is many things, but dumb and disorganized he is not. The processes we are now being seeing for the first time, such as his customized document classification system are simply the surface gloss covering what he and his office and henchmen are doing as day-to-day work.

The fact that the Fourth Estate is rolling over and purring like a content kitten and not making this a major news story is one more piece of evidence that the so-called “Liberal Media Bias” is simply a fable and term used by propagandists. Our senior members of the Executive Branch are showing all of us once again that they believe the laws of the land do not apply to them, that they are above the law and complicit in this conspiracy to circumvent the law is our mass media, the Fourth Estate.

The details of what Cheney and his staff are and have been doing in secret will most likely never be learned. Document shredding appears to be a full time job at the Naval Observatory and we have seen first hand that those who are the leaves on this tree of power do not open their mouths, even with the threat of prison hanging over their head. Their loyalty is to individuals and to the maintenance of power, not to our nation and certainly not to their fellow Americans. The scandal that brews beneath the surface of this process in the office of the VP may never see the light of day, and it never will if the corporate news leaders have their way.

But few care and why should they with Paris Hilton nearing the end of her jail stint and an interview ready to happen with the giant of journalism, Larry King. We have pregnant white women being murdered to satisfy your news jones and if that isn’t enough to satisfy our need to be informed about the world around us we still have Barry Bonds waiting in the corner with his juiced race to surpass Henry Aaron for the home run record. With race, murder, sports and celebrity to ponder who needs to spend time thinking about boring politics?

The infamous Family Jewels reports see the light of day. Did hell freeze over?

The Washington Post and MSNBC are reporting that DCI Michael Hayden is about to okay the release of several hundred pages from the CIA's infamous "Family Jewels" reports. Backstory on these reports and their history can be found in the link.

This is a very curious development, especially at this critical juncture in US history. We have major Constitutional questions that the agency are a central component of in their actions in this "War on Terror". Most specifically we know some details of the extraordinary rendition program being run by the agency. Several CIA agents are currently being tried in abstentina in an Italian court for kidnapping suspected terrorists from that country.

We also have VP Cheney's foreboding comments from 2001 where he stated the US Intelligence Community would have to work in "the dark side" from that point on. If Abu Grahib, Guantanamo Bay, the spying on Americans and rendition strategies is only the tip of the iceberg, and who's to say it isn't, there could be things going on that make even the Family Jewels reports seem tame in comparison.

The timing of this release of historical info is also interesting. Perhaps the agency sees the writing is on the wall regarding their activities since 9/11/2001 and they know it will be sooner than later before the word leaks out and they wish to soften the blow by desensitizing us to what is coming? Perhaps they know a leak is in the works already? Who knows.

All that can be said is that the agency releases information of their own choice about as often as Haley's Comet swings around in view. Something is driving this release and it isn't patriotism or a belief that state secrets are damaging to a Democracy. The trick in this case is trying to understand why they want to release it.

Once the papers are released I am certainly going to have a look and I highly recommend that all Conspiracy Theory researchers and enthusiasts do the same, even if the agency or government theories are not your main subject of interest. Red herrings, misdirection, disinfo and manipulation should be things we all keep in mind while digesting the documents. Whatever reason the agency has in releasing these documents there has to be an ulterior motive and we need to step back and think of their place in the big picture.

The disappearing act

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, or been renditioned to spend a summer vacation in Gitmo. Work, the kind that pays the bills and adds gray hair to my head, has been busy and hectic. If I can get through this week unscathed I should be back to posting regularly once again.