Impeachable Offense : Bush administration and media suppressed real story about the state of the US economy to prosecute war

"Seventy days without a peep," Etherzone reports, "The United States of America, reputably the wealthiest in the world, no longer has credit. Its credit card was cancelled seventy days ago, we've got a horrendous and increasing trade deficit, and the Euro is replacing the dollar as the world standard. Has the most powerful nation in the world become so engrossed in invading and stomping some little third world country that all else has been set aside? Not only have we added $653 billion in new debt since the beginning of fiscal 2002, but we hit the national debt ceiling of $6.4 trillion on February 20, 2003, and haven't been able to sell Treasury securities for any reason other than replacing maturing bonds, bills, and notes since that date."
Why wasn't this front page news? Simple. Had this news been revealed to the public when it was made known to the Bush Reich - on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, pushing forward with a billion-dollar a month war would have been unthinkable to everyone but G. W. Bush.

www.etherzone.com/2003/henr050203.shtml

Are We in the Middle of a Military Takeover?

If you read through this week's news detailing the activities of the Bush administration, it becomes very clear who is really running the country right now: Donald Rumsfeld. Bush's antics at PR events like the "show" aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are just figurehead/puppet fluff. Meanwhile, as Bush flops about at the end of his strings, Rumsfeld is flying around in a million-dollar-a-day security system in his own specially converted cargo plane. His entourage, which appears to be growing bigger and more priviledged by the day, rivals the White House staff. Rumsfeld is deciding who is in charge of what in Iraq, from the top down. He is deciding who is given the medieval war tribunal treatment and who is not and, subsequently, who will live and who will die in secret executions. He is deciding when the war is over and when it is merely "an end to major combat." It is also rumored that he and he alone has the ultimate say over who gets what contracts - even who is in the running for said contracts. He is hiring and firing people at the Pentagon at a rate never before seen in US history - a story glossed over or ignored by the news. He is stacking key offices with people who are either outrageously rightwing or miserably weak. He has appointed, as head of the army, a corporate wheeler dealer whose only claim to military expertise comes from weapons peddling and a stint of less than three years in in a top position at the Air Force.
Actually, I think I should rewrite that headline. We are not in the midst of a military takeover, we are in the midst of a corporate takeover facilitated by the military - a military that is being gutted and reshaped in the image of Bechtel or United Defense Technologies.

Delaying Official End of War Has Insured Multi-million POW Prison Building Contract for Halliburton

There are now over 6,000 POWs being held by the US in Iraq. If the war were officially declared over, these men would be allowed to go home and rejoin their families and go on with life. But no, Bush - or should I say the "real" president, Donald Rumsfeld - refuses to officially end the war. Thus these prisoners continue to be US pawns. How so? Because they are prisoners, Rummy can justify a contract for building prisons to house them - and guess who got the contract? Halliburton. So my prediction is that war will not be officially over until Halliburton gets its full payment for building the prisons. Then, I wonder: Why does the new US government need prison space for 6,000-8,000? Who are they going to round up and "detain" in these prisons? If the lessons of Indonesia are any indication, it will be any Iraqis who protest against the corporate takeover of their country. Any Iraqis who try to challenge the US puppet government. In short....the "liberation" of Iraqis is not going to last any longer than the time it takes to snap and print a staged PR photo of cheering Baghdad residents.


UPDATE MAY 2 7:20 PM EDT

Bush's PR Show on Thursday Was More Laurel and Hardy than Barnum and Bailey

What a hoot! I knew in advance that Bush's "victory speech before the troops" gig was going to be a pathetic bit of staged fluff. However, I had no idea just how outrageous it would prove to be!!
First off, you know that bit blasted all over the mainstream news outlets on Wed. and early Thurs. about how Bush was going to be flying across the Pacific in a jet, co-piloting it. "I shore missed flying, I can tell ya," he was quoted as saying to the troops. Well, George, your officers back in the Texas National Guard shore missed your flying, too, seeing as how you blew off most of your training and flight time.
But the big hoot here is that Bush's only "jet flight" was neither across the Pacific nor in a real jet. It was a 15-minute flight of just 30 miles - turns out the Lincoln was only that far off the coast of California. He took Air Force One as far as North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego, then flew in an Viking S-3B from there - a relatively staid craft that has a cruise speed of 360 knots - hardly a fighter jet! Bush made it seem like he was "back in the saddle," getting to fly once again like in the old days. But all he did was take the controls for a few minutes while (as he put it himself) "on the straight parts." Big Whoop! Even a five-year-old Shirley Temple did that much! In her 1934 film "Bright Eyes," she took the controls of a plane from "Loop" (James Dunn)for several minutes "on the straight parts."
Rumor has it that Bush's advance PR teams had to instruct the shipboard officers to find and identify for them the most Bush-friendly sailors, who were then the ones ushered into position to appear on deck in close range of the Idiot Prince. Some of the photos taken of Bush - with just his head and shoulders visible surrounded, wreath-like, by smiling young people in uniform, were eerily similar to the PR photo arrangement favored by Hitler. But even with this bit of advance "priming of the pump," the troops did not appear thrilled to have His Heinous aboard. In fact, the crew had to be asked by officers specifically to cheer for Bush and NOT to "spit on the deck." What does that mean? Well, seems the common gesture of contempt among many hip types, esp. black men, is to spit on the ground in the presence of someone contemptible. So, you get my drift. Here's a bit from the Washington Post (and keep in mind the wimpy Post probably massaged this story a bit to soften it): "Some in the audience of salors and airmen sat on the upper fuselage and wings of two F/A-18 Hornets on deck. Most stood quietly between what were clearly the applause lines and then clapped respectfully. Their most enthusiastic and lengthy cheers came when Bush congratulated their performance in Iraq and oold them near the end of his speech "you are homeward bound." " In short, the troops did not let ME down, anyway! They showed more respect for themselves - and most deservedly so - than they did for Bush. And I join in their cheers, delighted that they are bound for home and safety.

Bush Appears Where "Warm Welcome" Is Insured: A Company owned By Daddy's Carlyle Group

Man, the White House folks must have REALLY detected the true lay of the wind where their boy Bush is concerned. They apparently figured out just how unpopular he really is outside their fantasy land of bogus polls. His PR venues have become narrower and narrower in scope until they are now reduced to about four possibilities: 1. the military (he is, despite all gagging the idea induces, the commander-in-chief and thus cannot be challenged by anyone down the food chain in the military) where at least respectful silence can be guaranteed. 2. Exclusive rightwing clubs: Heritage Foundation luncheons, American Enterprise Institute dinners, Club for Growth fundraisers, etc. 3. gatherings of people who are too afraid of being deported or fired to NOT go along with a "supportive scene." 4. Companies in which his Daddy and his daddy's friends own a controlling or sizeable share. So, in the past several days, we have seen him hit just about each of these. But even these venues are requiring more and more preliminary "insurance work" by the advance Bush teams. In Michigan, the teams had to work to give the appearance that the members of the Iraqi community who "welcomed" Bush were really Iraqis. Seems that many in the community, esp. the more traditional Muslims, stayed away either out of fear or in protest (in Bush's simplistic brain, if you are an Iraqi, then you feel "liberated and grateful." - it wouldn't occur to him that even many American Iraqis found his vicious invasion an affront to humanity). We next find him aboard the U S.S. Abe Lincoln (see above for the sorry details)
Now, today, Bush appeared at an even safer venue: at the United Defense Industry plant in Santa Clara California. Being a man who believes that the only good friend is a bought friend, Bush figured that the plant personnel could at least be counted on to be grateful - one week ago, United Defense posted its first-quarter earnings - thanks to the war in Iraq and some very juicy government contracts, the earnings had DOUBLED! But there is another reason - not just that Bush selected the plant as a safe PR venue, but for the company's huge profits off the war: Bush's daddy's company, the Carlyle Group owns just over 49% of the interest in the company!
So what a spontaneous PR event, eh? A company that is not just rolling in the loot Bush threw its way, but a company owned largely by Daddy and friends.

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,85839,00.html



Freepers within the Pentagon Force Pentagon Officers' Club to Tune into FOX News

The Freeps are everywhere - even in the Pentagon. The Freepers, to refresh your memory, are hat tiny army of megaphone mouths in the service of the ultrarightwing cause. They are highly organized and thus one or two of them unleashed on an unsuspecting target can, like mosquitoes, be loud enough and annoying enough to seem like a hundred. These are the folks who launched the letter/phone call campaign against the Dixie Chicks (with the aid of their local reps , the rightwing talkshow thugs at the CLEAR Channel stations) and against Peter Arnett. Anything that does not represent the Nazi-ish Freeper philosophy is BAD and MUST BE STOPPED. They don't have a real philosophy or independent thought process: in place of individual minds, these folks have on collective knee - which jerks constantly.
Now it seems their fellow mosquitoes in the Pentagon have decided that having the television in the work out rooms tuned to CNN is not rightwing enough for their tastes. They have demanded that FOX, the preferred news outlet for warmongers and KKK charter members (both KuKluxKlan and the Kalorama Kocktail Klub (Dick Cheney, Pres.) be tuned in at least two or three times a week. CNN, which is considered rightwing by most truly moderate folks, is condemned by the Pentagon Freeps as "commie." Yep, folks, this is your tax dollars at work for you: coddling the whims of a belligerent minority.



UPDATE May 2 10:00 PM EDT

The Fourteen Common Characteristics of Fascist Regimes
from "Fascism, Anyone?" by Dr. Lawrence Britt

The following is an excerpt from an article by political scientist Dr Lawrence Britt entitled "Fascism Anyone?" that appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of "Free Inquiry," a journal of humanist thought. Britt analyzed the common characteristics of several fascist regimes, including that of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto,and Pinochet. Britt identified 14 characteristics shared by all fascist regimes. Quite chillingly, all 14 area also shared by the Bush regime.


1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- Fascist regimes tend to make
constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symb ols, songs, and other
paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in
public displays.


2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -- Because of fear of
enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded
that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need". The
people tend to 'look the other way' or even approve of torture, summary
executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people
are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a
perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities;
liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military -- Even when there are widespread domestic
problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government
funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service
are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism -The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost
exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender
roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia
and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly controlled by
the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by
government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and
executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security -- Fear is used as a motivational
tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined -- Governments in fascist
nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to
manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from
government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are
diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The industrial and business
aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders
into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship
and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed -- Because the organizing power of labor is
the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either
eliminated entirely or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Fascist nations tend to
promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is
not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even
arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments
often refuse to fund the arts.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Under fascist regimes, the
police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often
willing to overlook police abuses, and even forego civil liberties, in the
name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually
unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -- Fascist regimes almost always are
governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to
government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect
their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes
for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright
stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections -- Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a
complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns
against (or even the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of
legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the
manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their
judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

NOTE: To the above characteristics, I would add one major glaring trait not listed that is also shared by all fascist regimes:
ALL ARE RIGHTWING
--CS

Speaking of Fascists....
HERE'S AN APPROPRIATE STORY TO FOLLOW THE "14 CHARACTERISTICS"

Bush Administration, Just Like Hitler, Is Seeking to Expand the Power of the 'Secret Police' and Military over Citizens

NY Times reports: "The Bush administration and leading Senate Republicans sought [May 1] to give the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon far-reaching new powers to demand personal and financial records on people in the United States as part of foreign intelligence and terrorism operations, officials said. The proposal, which was beaten back, would have given the C.I.A. and the military the authority to issue administrative subpoenas — known as "national security letters" — requiring Internet providers, credit card companies, libraries and a range of other organizations to produce materials like phone records, bank transactions and e-mail logs. That authority now rests largely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the subpoenas do not require court approval.

"The surprise proposal was tucked into a broader intelligence authorization bill now pending before Congress. It set off fierce debate today in a closed-door meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, officials said. Democrats on the panel said they were stunned by the proposal because it appeared to expand significantly the role of the C.I.A. and the Pentagon in conducting domestic operations, despite a long history of tight restrictions, officials said. "
Heil Bush!

www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/international/worldspecial/02TERR.html