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Ahmadinajad stated that it was students who were asking him to make the move, and said that secularism had adversely affected the Religious movement of the education system.
What wasn't known until now, is that he had formerly stated that Liberal and Secular Professors literally beat their students into submission, and that the only way to salvation was for folks to put down their hard-earned cash for his private religious institutions.
Now, for the first time ever, is his previous statement. Thanks to youtube, now you can witness the depravity that is the man!
Stay tuned . . . I've heard reports that there's a documentary that goes inside the hard-line religious schools employed by Ahmadinajad, the Taliban, and Al-Qaida.
In case you haven't heard, ABC is putting out a new "docudrama" about the events of September 11, 2001. That's almost okay, except that the piece is apparently crap and very, veryfalse.
You can learn the facts at Don't Airbrush 9/11. One of the most telling is that advance copies have been given not only to entertainment reporters, but to conservative and right-wing commentators such as Rush Limbaugh. Bill Clinton and other officials slimed in this movie have not been allowed advance copies, and neither have any of the most popular left-leaning blogs.
ABC has a blog for this movie here. The latest post is quoted below, and I've added my annotations.
It seems that people keep referring to this movie as a "documentary". A documentary is a journalistic format that gives facts and information through interviews and news footage. This is a movie or more specifically a docudrama. Meaning, it is a narrative movie based on facts and dramatized with actors.
The team of filmmakers, actors and executives responsible for this movie have a wide range of political perspectives. I would say that most of those perspectives (which is the vast majority in Hollywood) would be considered "liberal" or "left". Some of the very people who are being villified by the left as having a 'right wing agenda' are the very people who are traditionally castigated by the right as being 'liberal dupes' in other projects they have presented. To make a movie of this size and budget requires many people to sign off on it. One person's "agenda" (if anyone should have one) is not enough to influence a movie to one's individual politics when a far broader creative and political consensus is an inherent part of the process.
Actually, the screen writer for this film, Cyrus Nowrasteh, is a rabid conservative wag. He openly advocates a conservative shift in Hollywood, feeding the myth that Hollywood is liberal to begin with. As James Wolcott noted on the Rachel Maddow show, even though George Clooney is a self-described Liberal, his tar power makes it possible for him to do movies with actors and other who don't share his views. Even trolling Clooney's acting history at imdb, one can find he's been in projects not necessarily liberal in nature. Of course, as Clooney got in the director's and producer's seat, his films can represent more of his views.
So, too, does this film largely represent the views of its director, screenwriter, and production company. It may be that other involved int he project are "liberal," but it also equally true, then that they are earning a paycheck, not calling the shots.
And the consensus that emerged over and over during development, production and post production is that we tried, as best we can, based on 9/11 Commission Report and numerous other sources and advisors, to present an accurate and honest account of the events leading to 9/11.
Well, as covered above, this is anything but accurate and honest. Tom Kean, a 9/11 commission member and an official advisor to the film, has indicated that it contains factual errors. Roger Cressey, a former Bush counter terrorism official, calls the film "something out of fantasy land."
The redundant statement about Clinton and the emphasis to protect his legacy instead of trying to learn from the failures of BOTH administrations smells of "agenda". You may feel we "bash" Clinton and/or you may feel we "bash" Bush but the facts are that the eight years from the first WTC bombing to the day of 9/11 involved two administrations with plenty of culpability all around. Something needs to explain how that happened. Watch the movie! Then let's talk. If you haven't seen the movie with your very own eyes - don't castigate the movie out of ignorance. -David Cunningham September 02, 2006 | Permalink
No, what actually smells of agenda is the the way the film was only pre-screened by right-wing commentators, and how Clinton's office was not allowed an advance copy. The danger in this film, is that if aired on a major network, it could spread its falsehoods to even more millions of households.
This was originally intended as a comment on this blog. Unfortunately, I'm using the new-fangled Blogger Beta, and it doesn't play well with non-Beta bloggers. So the comment is below.
I previously posted about this video and one other here.
I will revisit this issue again soon, but I first must sleep and take care of general other things.
COMMENT:
What really troubles me about Kinky's comment is that Joe Lieberman isn't "Pro-Israel." He's anti-Arab, and anti-Arab democracy, and as a consequence, ant-Israel. TO say what Kinky did, that Lamont and the folks who voted for him are "Anti-American and Anti-Israel," is not only wrong, but it's ignorantly knee-jerk stupid. His campaign manager should have slapped him.
You and a select minority of the nation may be giddy that we have our army over there dying under false pretenses, and Kinky may believe that American dominance in the Middle East is paramount to American national policy. It is this mindset, perpetuated by Bush and the GOP, that subjugates Israel, ultimately foisting her up for defeat.
The GOP, expressed through the "Freedom Plan" Bush and Cheney enacted after 9/11, sees Israel simply as an immune military arm enslaved to do bidding of the U.S.
Let's be clear about something: "the bidding of the U.S." refers not to the will of the people, expressed through Democratic means. Rather, it refers to the hegemonic interests of behemoth corporations whose headquarters reside int he U.S. Or at least whose campaign contributions find their way to the GOP.
Take a minute and educate yourself. You don't have to be Liberal to understand that this Administration is very far off base. Just ask John Dean. I'll be happy to recommend some reference books.
Really, now, I got thinking about it. because I don't want to procrastinate, and the election really gets under way in the next few weeks...
On the issues, Chris Bell and Kinky Friedman are very similar in their positions. They both want a cleaner Texas in both the Environmental and Political sense, both want to bridge the divide between Republicans and Democrats on major issues, both are opposed to the "Trans-Texas Corridor." The Greens don't appear to have a gubernatorial candidate this cycle, at least not posted to their website.
Rick Perry has the party-line Republican stance on issues and Strayhorn hasn't posted a stance on the issues on-line. Both are in support of toll-roads, and largely pushing Corporate interests are and disguising them as the people's interests. This is the undue influence of Special Interests their opponents speak of.
James Werner, the Libertarian candidate, is even further off that "Big Corporation need more freedom to gauge us," meme. He and Kinky are the only to list immigration as issues, and Werner is the only Pro-Immigration (free borders) candidate.
IRV was a big point of the Green Party back when I was involved in the Bexar County Chapter in 2000. Think about it. With the current set-up, you literally are afraid to vote your conscience for fear of "throwing away" your vote and giving the race to the one candidate you hate the most. IRV allows you to vote for your top choice, and then for the safety as well. . .if our vote is our voice, don't we all want to be heard?
With all the talk of NAFTA, free-trade and secure borders, (meaning: free flow for money and wealth, no flow for human capital) it's important that we think about the incentives that drive people. I'll have a more cogent thought later, but I wanted to pass this on:
Over the Texas Green Party's Site, they're hosting a Flash animation, Who Rules the World? that was put up a few years ago, I believe.
It raises an important question about the corrupting power of money, and the influence that has over politics. Think about it when you consider the practices, in China or elsewhere, of an old-money corporation such as Wal-Mart versus a new-money corporation such as Google.
Take a moment, after, to reflect on how small businesses get treated.
Then think about how the U.S. Congress treats the two companies. Wal-Mart and Google.
Part of what i like about PayPerPost, is that it represents guaranteed income.
Unlike every other ad program out there for bloggers at my level and slightly above, PayPerPost provides a sure-fire way to make money blogging. The referral system, the ad syndicates, all require that you, the reader, click on their dad in order for me to see a penny.
While I'm getting started, finding my particular territory, hooking up with a system such as PayPerPost gives me an incentive to keep blogging, keep creating ever more interesting posts for you to enjoy.
By the way, I was compensated for writing about this topic through PayPerPost.com and am being compensated for my words. Check it out if you blog, and mention me: ellisbean AT earthlink.net
I apologize for taking so long to post this memo. I've been busy doing what I can to prevent covert officials from doing their jobs and discovering a truth that disagrees with us. Your welcome in advance.
I'm writing in response to your recent petition request regarding the Flag Burning Amendment.Please allow me to send you my sincere condolences for your failur to push through your agenda.
You say you pushed this amendment because you don't think the flag should be desecrated, and not because you hate the first amendment. Therefore, it is most important that you address, or re-address explicitly, the flag desecration statutes already on the books. Specifically: U.S. Code, title 4, Chapter One. We'd hate to have a bloated Government rife with duplications, wouldn't we? Think how many Departments of Homeland Security would have to be created just to sort through the different laws pertaining to the flag!
The FLAG, symbol of our great nation, is greater than a mere dress.
IF President Bush has stained the flag, we must tell him what "is" is!!!
Also, in an unrelated matter, I know that you are a supporter of open markets and not a fascist, so I know I don't need to worry about your support for Net Neutrality. You do support Net Neutrality, don't you?
Oh and before I go, please stop the Lie-and-Die rhetoric. I know it's a great piece of TP to say that the War in Iraq is notstrenghtening the terorrists. As a USAA member, I am deeply offended by your ignorance regarding war, and must ask you to refrain from lying.
That would go a long ways toward allowing our soldiers to stop dying.
Monday, August 21, 2006
I was going to post this awhile back, but I got too busy procrastinatin'
I'll start by saying that I was pleased as pudding when Kinky Friedman announced he'd run for Governor. I like Kinky, and think Texas should have someone in office who can play music and write comedy. I also don't hold personal religious beliefs as a criterion for a candidate.
Problem was, and still is, Kinky doesn't have much of a platform. Not that the Actual platforms offered are all that good, but you know what I mean. Lazy fare ain't what we need in Texas right now.
Almost all of his campaign is Kinky talking shit about the other candidates. The rest is wisecracks that evade the issues. Again, not better than the rest, not quite not worse.
If you only watched mainstream media, you wouldn't even know that a Democrat was running, since the media only reports on the circus.
Then he appeared on Scarborough Country and said the dreaded words: "[Lieberman] is Pro-Israel and liberals are not." Watch it yourself. Also, if you're curious, check out Lamont's and Lieberman's ad campaigns so far, and see how wrong Buchanan is again.
Part of the problem with his attempt there is that over on his website, he and his campaign manager are pointing to Lamont's victory as a sign that people want change. Kinky, what kind of change is happening, exactly, and how do you fit in?
Here's a clip of Kinky being funny, but I don't get it. If you know what he means by the phrase, clue me in. Something about the death penalty, but what?
More on the Democrat's candidate, Chris Bell, and the other independents later.
Hey, I've switched over to the new Blogger beta, and so far it seems to be an improvement, but with some quirks in moving the old data over to this new template.
Well, by that I mean I'm quirky. I'm still learing the HTML and other web stuff, so a whole new site design is on the way!
I've also just been busy with other things, and I apologize. I'll get back to blogging very soon, I promise. Lots of entertaining stuff to come...
One of th emain things is that the program tells me it can't do what I've requested (publish thisa post), but it does. So I end up with five or more of this post that I've then got to delete. fun times!
If you're like me, you have music on almost all the time. I'll suggest the personal mix I sometimes turn on when I get back from work later.
Right now, I have to share my excitement over this exciting announcement. Click the link below to pre-order Bob Dylan's new album, Modern Times. This, from an American artist considered by many to be timeless.
Pre-ordering through iTunes not only gets you the bonus four videoes, but also an extra fifth video, "Jokerman," AND exclusive access to up to four pre-sale tickets for Bob Dylan's upcoming tour. That's a lot of value!
George Allen and his campaign staff: unpatriotic or idiotic?
You've read the coverage about George Allen of Virginia issuing forth the racist slur at his opponent's staffer. Catch up if you haven't.
His staff has defended the comment, saying that "Macaca", or however you spell what George Allen said, he meant to say "Mohawk." The Webb staffer at whom the slur was aimed is Indian-American. Here's a picture:
On the left is Sidarth, Webb for Senate campaign staffer. The original source for this image is dkos. Crooksandliars has additional info, including the Situation Room video, which has a good side angle on S.R. Sidarth's haircut.
Personally, I think his cut looks more like a G.I.'s
Perhaps this is what George Allen's Staff meant by the "Mohawk" comment:
Uh-oh. WRONG kind of Indian there, guys.
Here are some other haircuts that more closely resemble Sidarth's (in my humble opinion). Let me know what you think!
P.S. I've added George Allen-style nicknames all the anonymous soldiers.
Or, as Allen would call him: "Commodore Macaca Mickey D"
A U.S. Military Cadet. A Brave young man ready and able to serve this nation in wartime.
Allen's nickname for him: "Macaca Political Tool"
This brave young man is getting his hair cut to regulation soon after arriving at the Military Academy. Personally, I stood up my appointment to the Academy not because of the official "medical disqualification" but because of my trepidation at cutting my then gorgeous mullet. Seriously.
There are more examples out there, but really. Are we going to let this slide?
Certainly, there are bigger issues on the immediate horizon than something that could be seen as simple drama on the campaign trail.
But this guy George Allen speaks to a much more aggressive part of our historical traditions. We, as moral citizens, cannot just yawn as he attempts to defend the lynching of minorities for another term. Remember, folks who know are thinking that he may be the next one who has the Presidential election stolen in his favor.
Election graft is small-time compared to lynching. In my book, that is.
Email me if you have any issue with me hosting these images. I mean no harm, and try to link to sources when possible.
What's disappointing about the Situation Room's editing (of George Allen's Racist comment) is that they cut off the two statements -- "Macaca" and "welcome to America. . . " allowing Allen's defense to seem plausible to the average non-blogosphere-reading viewer.
It's this context that keeps Allen's hopes alive. Compare this to the coverage on the other networks -- including of course Fox, and see how hard the Media tries to side with whitey over any minority, without being open or honest about the spin.
But that's just me reading phonemes and such into this. The MSM (ugh) is much too vapid, right? Until Cafferty has his spot, which I'm looking for now ...
You may have missed the Sunday talk shows. Thankfully, this mass of clogged tubes we know as the "internet" is kind enough to push through videos of selected semgents with certain guests that can be enlightening and/or fucking hilariously stupid.
And even though most of the talking heads that appear on the major networks (or as others say, the MSM) espouse a conservative bias, two three of today's guests come from the "left".
1 To start us off, the first clip features "TP" bobblehead Ken Mehlman. My $20 says that Ken & Crew will toss poor Alan Schlesinger "under the bus" when it's too late to replace him on the GOP ballot, thus giving votes to Lieberman wihthout "endorsing" him. That's what kissing the Prez and winking to Rove and Cheney will buy.
I'm no gambling man, so I don't have the odds on that... maybe we can get them from Schlesinger. You know how gambling debts score points with the Christian Coalition!
2 Second up is my favorite Senator, Feingold from Wisconsin. He responds to the mindless right-wing agitprop with poise and confidence. That is to say, he actually calls Lieberman and Cheney on their false assertions. WOWZA! I gotta say, if anyone were to put out a DVD of Feingold's more stellar moments in comittee and interview, I'd consider buying it...hint,hint...
There's a bonus coming up, and the third round, as I said above... after the break. Oh, and the hosts' blatant laziness -- the toadies to the right-wing agenda -- are stubborn and even stupid in their repetitive questioning (coming up). You don't wanna skip it!
The videos to come.... they get GOOD.
3 Dean goes on the air, and plays it cool even though the host tries to get Dean to "blow his top." That's what the media called him on during the Presidential race, even as he was justified to be fucking upset about the way every damn thing's been going ...... He gives it to Lieberman very good, basically saying (and these are my words): "Get off the pot already. The rest of us are courteous, and we are all tired of your CRAP!"
*BONUS* 4LAMONT speaks to the nation. I don't even live in Connecticut, but if thei guys wins the senate seat, I might move. After/if it warms up sufficiently for my fiance, that is;)
The key to this video is that even though the interviewer repeats the same TP over and over, saying that Lamont is an "Anti-War" candidate, Lamont steps back and reclaims his territory as a very successful businessman who undertsands the needs and struggles of us entrepreneurs.
Crooksandliars.com has some great video of Bill O'Reilly going off the deeep to defne th Republican hegemony over our NAtion's capitol. The good part, of course, is when he stops attacking "Liberals" to offer proof of his claims, he actually proves the very criticism leveled by the Democrats.
Check it out:
"Bill talked about the NSA program guest after guest, condemning liberals for opposing it and citing information that the NSA wiretapping program was used to stop the threat. Thats great news, we need all the tools we have to fight off the terrorists. Except. . . here comes the good part. . . he admitted that the government got warrants . . .
It's one thing to thumb your nose at the international Criminal courts, as Henry Kissinger and BP have done, and call anyone asking for accountability "Anti-Semitic."
It's another to attmep to subvert the laws of your own country.
The article linked to, by the way, was published in the Washington Post. Ironic that a bill passed by a republican house and senate in 1996 comes back to haunt the current administration. The 1996 bill made it a capitol offense to violate the Geneva convention. Maybe bush should have thought twice before Abu Graib and Guantanamo.
Heard this on the radio today. Analysis of the very Rational process behind Fascism: Fascist rulers have served, and been served by, guess who? Big Business. Audio here: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php?op=program-info& program_id=15029&nav=&
Here is a quote from the Texas GOP's 2006 platform:
"Homosexuality - We believe that the practice of sodomy tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” We are opposed to any granting of special legal entitlements, recognition, or privileges including, but not limited to, marriage between persons of the same sex, custody of children by homosexuals, homosexual partner insurance or retirement benefits. We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values." You can go read it for yourself on page 14 of the Texas GOP Platform, available here.
(Emphasis mine) Understand this: if there is any member of the KKK or the National Socialists who wishes to go on a campaign of "exterminating" suspected homosexuals, even if the targets are disproportionately non-white, the Texas GOP will do everything in its power to keep them out of legal trouble.
That is, if you're white and you wanna go bash in some people, just say you did so out of religious or traditional belief, and the GOP will support you.
But wait, that isn't the truly scary thing. The scary thing is this: anyone runningont he Republican ballot in Texas mjust sign off on all statement contained inth eplatform of the party. So, every GOP candidate must swear to validating the murder of homosexuals.
Just for fun, here's another doozy from page 21: "Safeguarding Our Religious Liberties – We affirm that the public acknowledgement of God is undeniable in our history and is vital to our freedom, prosperity and strength as a nation. We pledge to exert our influence toward a return to the original intent of the First Amendment and dispel the myth of the separation of church and state."
Just as a historical note, here's the first and second amnedments: Amendment I - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment II - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
As someone who believes in free markets and capitalist markets, I believe in SAVING THE INTERNET! Check out http://www.savetheinternet.com for more info.
Here's a video for more information (I'm actually having trouble viewing the plugin, so it's possible that blogger doesn't allow embedded shockwave movies.):
Anyway, I got off my lazy ass and SENT A LETTER TO CONGRESS:
"There is important legislation up for vote in the Senate regarding the Principle of Free Enterprise.
Please support Senate Bill S. 2917, "Internet Freedom Preservation Act".
It's called Net Neutrality. Net Neutralitry is vital to the capitalistic expansion of the internet. The opposite, for which you are being paid by the big Telecom companies, is clear and simple corporatism.
That's Corporate Fascism, the kind practiced by Mussolini half a century ago. If you don't find your balls and stand up to ATT&T and the other top-heavy big caps, they'll effectively prohibit the rise of any new tech small-caps, and begin the consolidation that's so rampant everywhere else.
The consolidation that harkens the decline of capitalist markets. Imagine living in a country run by Left-Wing CEOs and congress, who act to prevent your conservative values from finding equal expression. Imagine that.
But what do you care about me? I'm just a legal constituent of the great state of Texas who's trying to start a small business and make a smart use of the technology available to build my enterprise. An escalalting barrier to entry doesn't hurt your pocketbook, it kills mine. It kills all entreprenuerial spirit.
Please keep market entry affordable, and SUPPORT NET NEUTRALITY. And if you aren't going to be sincere, if you're already bought and paid for, please don't kill a tree to send another stupid form letter in response. Just understand that if you vote against Net Neutrality, freedom will once again be left to the courts.
Um, this isn't exactly germain to this blog (but what the hell of my last posts was?), but since I recently moved to Houston, and am blogging in some regards to Houston, this merits attention.
One thing I keep saying to people when they ask me about how I'm doing now that I'm here in Houston (moved from Austin / San Antonio), I usually reply, "Humid! Hotter, usually, and wretched for mold and dust -- the two things I'm horribly allergic to!"
Um, so, basically, I'm caught in this hard place: keep being hyper-allergic to the ecological environment (even with Claritin), and possibly damage my career in the wine business (because I not only can't smell, but I feel drugged-up), or bathe less, have clearer nostrils and hurt my wine business and possibly scare off my fiance (because I do indeed have incredibly bad B.O. lately).
So what's a guy to do? I know that the underlying theory is the same as the study from a few years ago that concluded we ought to not use Anti-Bacterial Soap because it kills beneficial bacteria. Beneficial bacteria kill harmful bacterias ad other microbes. At the momnet, I need to worry about sterile environements, since I'll brew soon, and currently and for the near future expect to constanty be around wine.
Therefore, I'll simply assume that our fear of microbes is two fold:
1) We're so inundated in artificial realties, be they the internet, or movies or TV, that we are deathly afraid of the virtually unknown microscopic world, and thus sterilize ourselves from birth, preventing our immune systems from actually effectively working. There's a corollary in this and the fact that alligators are immune to HIV, but I'm not sure of the exact corollary. I'll need a multi-billion dollar grant to tease that one out.
2) Someone in big Pharma or Insurance or Hospitals or in general HealthCare figured out the gist of the first point long ago and also derived how to massivley drill profit from it. Probably an intern. go figure.
Now I'm back on track, aren't I? More drunk-blogging and, soon, rants about Texas electricity deregulation to come. I PROMISE!
YO, seriously, people, if you use a MAC , you do so because you like tings elegantly deisgned and easy to use. Spotlight Ain't!
HoudahSPOT, on the other hand is mad cool. IT will find any file you want it to, based on however much information you might have about it. Like the novel I wrote five years ago and then hid somewhere under business stuff...or the movie I started to make before the enterprise went near bankrupt. HoudahSPOT! is freakin' AWESOME!
NOTE: If you're seeing this on June 16, 2006 head over to MacZOT, you might be able to get a Free copy of HoudahSpot
30 Days is a documentary-style show by Morgan Spurlock that places an individual into a foriegn situation for thirty days. in this episode, a MinuteMan agrees to live with an undocumented family in L.A. Watch as the hyperbole breaks down and real emotions emerge, and people grow personally.
Who says Macs are expensive?
This is a project based on exploration of the mind, mental athletics, and a clear conscience.
Commodore Theodore McDonough
