Is It Too Much To Ask For Someone Decent To Help Run Our Country?

I read this article today about Cheney's new Chief of Staff, who's replacing Gonzo. It's very interesting.

Source:

The Hidden Power
by Jane Mayer
July 3, 2006


LETTER FROM WASHINGTON about David Addington and the war on terror. At a Redskins game in December, Colin Powell commented privately on a recent report in the Times which revealed that Pres. Bush had secretly authorized the N.S.A. to eavesdrop on American citizens without first obtaining a warrant from the FISA court. “It's Addington,” Powell said. “He doesn't care about the Constitution.” He was referring to David S. Addington, Vice-President Cheney's chief of staff and his longtime legal adviser. Most Americans have never heard of him, but he has played a central role in shaping the Bush Administration's legal strategy for the war on terror. Known as the New Paradigm, this strategy rests on a reading of the Constitution that few legal scholars share-namely, that the President has the authority to disregard virtually all legal boundaries, if national security demands it. Under this framework, statutes prohibiting torture, secret detention, and warrantless surveillance have been set aside. Mentions Guantanamo Bay. Many constitutional experts question Addington's views on Presidential power. Mentions Arthur Shlesinger, Jr., and Bruce Fein. Richard Epstein warned of an impending constitutional crisis. Mentions Richard Shiffrin. Addington is a tall, bespectacled man of 49, with a trim gray beard. He has been an ally of Cheney's since the 1980s and is sometimes described as “Cheney's hit man.” Mentions Bradford Berenson. After September 11th (9/11), Addington offered legal certitude at a moment of great confusion. Mentions Alberto Gonzales. Addington was able to promote vast executive powers after 9/11. Mentions Steve Berry. Mentions Leonard Napolitano. Describes Addington's background and his conservative ideology. After graduating from Duke Law School, he got a job in the general counsel's office at the C.I.A. There, he strongly opposed the reform movements that followed Vietnam and Watergate. “He thought the Presidency was too weakened.” These views were shared by Cheney. Mentions the Iran-Contra scandal. Addington served as the Pentagon's General Counsel during the first Bush Administration. Once Cheney became Vice-President, Addington insured that virtually all important national-security documents were seen by the VP's office. Mentions William J. Haynes. After 9/11, Addington dominated the debate over how to frame the Administration's legal response to the attacks. On September 25th, the Justice Dept.'s Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo declaring that the Pres. had inherent constitutional authority to take whatever military actions he deemed necessary, not just in response to 9/11, but in the prevention of future attacks. Another memo sanctioned torture when the Pres. deems it necessary. Addington either drafted the memos himself or advised those who drafted them. On November 13, 2001, an executive order setting up special military commissions was issued under Bush's signature, stunning Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and the JAGs. Mentions Rear Admiral Donald Guter and Marine Major Dan Morii. Addington has fought to stem reform of other controversial aspects of the New Paradigm, such as the detention and interrogation of terror suspects. Discusses whether potentially innocent people have been detained indefinitely at Guantanamo. Addington has proved deft at outmaneuvering his critics. Describes his ruthless tactics. Describes the N.S.A.'s warrantless wiretapping program and how Cheney and Addington pressed the agency to engage in practices it thought were illegal. Fourteen prominent constitutional scholars recently wrote an open letter to Congress, claiming the N.S.A. surveillance program “appears…to violate existing law.” Discusses the lack of congressional oversight. Mentions signing statements, which allow Bush to disregard portions of laws passed by Congress. Fein argues that the Founding Fathers would have been shocked by what Cheney and Addington have done.

Jane Mayer, "The Hidden Power," The New Yorker, July 3, 2006, p. 44

Sorry this is so long, but I didn't want anything taken out of context.

What is it with this administration?? They're always picking people that have questionable backgrounds. Not that we're perfect (though some come close) but we at least want someone decent to run the country we live in. Is that too much to ask??

Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

That's right folks, I'm talking about Illegal Immigration. I have some interesting stuff for ya'll to read, interesting facts and suppositions, interesting websites..all in all it's going to be fun.

What upsets me the most about the illegal immigrants isn't that they're here to make a living, or to get adequate health coverage for their families. It's the lying, cheating and stealing their way in that pisses me off. The fact that they don't pay taxes, the fact that they live off us -the taxpayers.

Here's some interesting statistics for you. (Source:http://www.immigrationcounters.com/)

1. There are 20,807,746 illegal immigrants in our country.

2. $22,213,559,996 have been wired to Mexico since Jan. 06

3. There are 3,958,846 children of illegals in Public Schools.

4. The cost of incarceration since 2001: $1,398,147,712

5. There are 332,598 illegals incarcerated now.

6. But, there are 642,804 illegal fugitives out there roaming the streets.

7. There are 9,872,933 skilled jobs taken by illegals.

8. There have been 1,942,742 Anchor babies born since 2002.

Let me tell you a story. My husband works for a company here in The Middle Of Nowhere, that just KNOWINGLY hired 16 (!!!!!!) illegal Mexicans. Oh, they have all the right document (fakes, as they all have the same birthday...yeah right) and all the proper identification. But if they're legal, why isn't taxes being withheld from their paychecks? BECAUSE THEY'RE ILLEGAL. My husband knows this for a fact, because his own BOSSES told him this, thinking we wouldn't do anything about it. Ha! Wrong move asshole. We've already reported them to Customs, and our local television news station.

Anyway, border patrol wouldn't be such a bad idea if Mexico's leaders would quit encouraging their citizens to jump the border. In an article written by Jon E. Dougherty from NewsMax.com, he writes:

"On the surface, Mexico is indeed laden with extreme poverty. A great many of its citizens live in squalor, and the infrastructure to provide for the population does not exist on the scale it exists in America.

One of the most common misconceptions is that Mexico is a poor nation. Mexico has a lot of poverty, yes, but it's not "poor." In terms of the potential to obliterate much of that poverty, Mexico has one of the greatest capacities in all of the Americas to do just that. It is rich in natural resources and, should it decide to tap those resources, could eradicate much of its own destitution.

Mexico is the richest nation in Latin America when measured by GDP, and by a wide margin: in 2001, Mexico's GDP was the highest in Latin America, a substantial 22.5 percent more than runner-up Brazil," writes Walker. "When GDP per capita is the gauge, Mexico is second only behind Argentina."

Why so much poverty? Why isn't Mexico City doing more to alleviate the suffering? Why are so many Mexican migrants risking life, limb and capture to sneak into the United States? Why aren't there more opportunities for them at home?

Simple. The country's oligarchic elite won't allow that to happen.

Others argue Mexico, by adequately tapping its own financial and physical resources, could do what other economic powerhouses have done – invest its way to success, by building up its industrial infrastructure and educating its own workforce.

Such investment would require money, however. And it's much easier for Mexico to freeload off a willing wealthy neighbor. One like the United States.

And by doing so, Mexico actually reaps financial benefits.

They know Mexican children will be cared for and educated. They know medical needs will be met, and they know other basic amenities of life will be supplied.

More importantly, they know they won't have to pay for it.

It's past time for Mexico to grow up and stop mooching from its more successful neighbors. The longer we allow Mexico to freeload, the longer its people will suffer." (Note to reader: I didn't copy the entire article here..for a more complete read click the link above)

There have been numerous debates about solutions to this problem, and one such "solution" is the North American Union (also the building of a North American Super Corridor). And while I support Pres. Bush on most of his endeavors, this one I do not.

The North American Union (NAU)/ North American Super Corridor (NASC) is supposed to open the borders for trade purposes (yeah right), and help stabilize the immigration issue. Dennis Berheandt writes:

"On June 21, viewers of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight heard the alarming introduction to a segment of the program devoted to the future of the United States of America. "The Bush administration's open-borders policy and its decision to ignore the enforcement of this country's immigration laws is part of a broader agenda," Dobbs intoned. "President Bush signed a formal agreement that will end the United States as we know it, and he took the step without approval from either the U.S. Congress or the people of the United States.

The standard diplomatic language was a prelude to a radical proposal calling for the merger of the three nations in several important ways. Under a so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), the nations will no longer have separate borders, but will "implement common border-security." The three nations will no longer respond on the national level to emergencies but will have a "common approach to emergency response." And, in a move that has tremendous implications for the growing immigration crisis, the three leaders agreed that the United States' north and south borders would be eliminated. Under the SPP plan, the three nations will "implement a border-facilitation strategy to build capacity and improve the legitimate flow of people and cargo at our shared borders"."

You know what? This is scary stuff. Not just because it rids us of our sovereignty as a country, but because this opens up a whole new wad of issues concerning our nation's liberty.

I want to know your thoughts and feelings on this topic. If you have anything you'd like to add, please feel free.

Want more info? Check these sites:
http://www.cis.org/topics/illegalimmigration.html

http://www.cis.org/topics/currentnumbers.html

http://www.illegal-immigration-statistics.net/

This is something I've been following for quite some time now...the North American Union. The joining of the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Also in the works, one shared currency. This is a frightning idea really. But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself.








If this isn't enough for you, here's some links:


http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14965

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=North_American_Union

http://www.stopthenorthamericanunion.com/

http://www.newswithviews.com/Yates/steven23.htm

**http://www.cfr.org/publication/8102/building_a_north_american_community.html

http://www.jbs.org/nau

Here's some for the currency debate:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15017

http://www.amerocurrency.com/

http://oldfraser.lexi.net/publications/critical_issues/1999/amero/

Note: this one is from CanadaFreePress.com: http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/cover121406.htm

I've just heard of this disease, it's running rampant in several states. Here are some facts. From: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000977.htm

Alternative names Return to top
Parvovirus B19; Erythema infectiosum; Slapped cheek

Definition Return to top
Fifth disease is an illness caused by a virus that leads to a rash on the cheeks, arms, and legs.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top
Fifth disease is caused by human parvovirus B19. It often affects preschoolers or school-age children during the spring. The disease is spread by contact with respiratory secretions and usually lasts for 5 days. However, the rash associated with fifth disease may return for several weeks. Return of the rash may be brought on by sunlight, heat, exercise, fever, or emotional stress.

The first sign of the disease is usually bright red cheeks, which look as though the child has been recently slapped on both sides of the face. Following this, a rash appears on the arms and legs and middle of the body. The rash fades from the center outwards, giving it a lacy appearance. Over a period of 1 to 2 weeks, the rash completely goes away.
Fifth disease is also sometimes associated with fever.

If a pregnant woman becomes infected with parvovirus B19, it can cause significant harm to her unborn baby. Any pregnant woman who believes that she may have been in contact with a person who has this virus should talk to her health care provider.
Parvovirus B19 is also thought to cause other diseases, including an infectious form of arthritis.
The majority of adults seem to have antibodies to parvovirus B19 in their bodies. This indicates that most people have been exposed to the virus, and also suggests that many infections go unnoticed.

Symptoms include:

Symptoms Return to top
Rash
First appears on the cheeks, often looks like "slapped cheeks"
Spreads to the arms and legs about 1 day later, often has a "lacy" appearance
Fever

Joint pain
Temporary anemia -- this is only serious if the patient has a immune system problem and some other, existing form of anemia

Treatment Return to top
No treatment is usually required for fifth disease in children. If fever or joint discomfort is present then oral acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) may be given.

Expectations (prognosis) Return to top
Since this is a mild and generally benign viral infection, complete recovery can be expected.

Complications Return to top
There are generally no complications in normally healthy children.

Calling your health care provider Return to top
Call your health care provider if symptoms suggestive of fifth disease develop (to rule out other disorders that could be causing the symptoms).
The reason for doing this is I just got an email from someone saying their young cousin has it.
A friend of mine in Washington said that it's going around there like wildfire, and it's here too. I'd never heard of it before and I thought it would be a good topic to blog about, you know, get the info out. Hope it helps some of you.
S

Paul Wolfowitz: The Engine Behind The Power

While digging for stuff about 9/11, I recall a name that always jumped out at me. Paul Wolfowitz. He's been described as the engine behind the Bush administration. The brains.
He left a job teaching at Johns Hopkins University in 1973 to join the Nixon administration. He's a member of the PNAC, He was the Deputy Secretary of Defense under Rumsfeld. He was a military analyst for Reagan and later he was a leading member in the PNAC.
It's interesting that they were pushing new policy that basically said they wanted to push preemptive strikes on any country that was potentially aggressive, they dismissed containment. Sound familiar? It should.
I just described the Iraq war. These are the people we have running our country. Scary isn't it?
In an article by Time Magazine it is said that:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030127-409546,00.html
"On Sept. 15, 2001, President Bush summoned his top national-security advisers to Camp David to plot America's retaliation for the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington. As the group began to hammer out a strategy for war against the Taliban, Paul Wolfowitz, the 57-year-old Deputy Defense Secretary, took a different tack. An Afghan war in his view had the makings of a quagmire. The larger threat to American security was sitting not in a cave in Afghanistan but in a Baghdad bunker. And so, just four days after Sept. 11, Wolfowitz urged Bush to go to war against Iraq.
"Wolfowitz's presentation didn't persuade his colleagues. But he made a lasting impression on Bush. After telling aides that the first phase of the war would be limited to removing the Taliban, the President privately encouraged Wolfowitz--"Wolfie," as Bush calls him — to keep pressing his case. "When he speaks, his intellect is moving so fast that sometimes he's editing as he goes along," says a senior Administration official. "But you always want to listen carefully to what he's saying."
And that Wolfie spent the months following 9/11 laying out a plan to explain why they went to war in Iraq instead of Afghanistan. Considering the fact that he has close ties to Rumsfeld and Cheney, it's not hard to see why..check this link.
Another quote from Time had Scooter Libby praising his name:
Though often caricatured as Washington's most menacing hawk, Wolfowitz is popular for his self-deprecating humor. "Bad pennies keep turning up," Wolfowitz said in an interview with TIME this month, mocking his own lengthy resume. A trained mathematician who speaks four languages, Wolfowitz is at ease discussing anything from Civil War battles to how he performs Eskimo rolls in his kayak. "Paul is one of the smartest guys I've ever known," says I. Lewis Libby, Cheney's chief of staff. Says a senior official who has worked with Wolfowitz in both Bush administrations: "He's had an intellectually coherent set of views he's pursued over a long time. On Iraq, on the Soviet Union — those ideas have stood the test of time."
So, who is Paul Wolfowitz? He was Time's Person Of The Year in 2003, and he's also the guy that said:
"I think all foreigners should stop interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq. Those who want to come and help are welcome. Those who come to interfere and destroy are not."
What a guy that Wolfie!!

An Overview of Revelation Part 6

144,000
[1] After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowingon the land or on the sea or on any tree. [2] Then I saw another angel comingup from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea. [3] "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we puta seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." [4] Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
[5] From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, [6] from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, [7] from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, [8] from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
THE GREAT MULTITUDE IN WHITE ROBES:
[9] After this I looked and there before me was a great multitudethat no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. [10] And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."[11] All the angles were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces beforethe throne and worshiped God, [12] saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
[13] Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes-who are they and where did they come from?" [14] I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the greattribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in theblood of the Lamb. [15] Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. [16] Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. [17]For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
***********************************************************************
Verses 1-8 are about the Jews that are protected during the last half, the worst and hardest half of the tribulation. 12,000 from each of the old tribes (blood line).
Verses 9-10 are the fruit of the 144,000, the people they help bring to Christ.
Verses 10-17 is worshiping the Lord.

An Overview of Revelation Part 5

THE SEALS
[1] I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" [2] I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
[3] When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" [4] Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
[5] When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. [6]Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!
[7] When the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" [8] I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
[9]When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. [10]They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" [11]Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
[12]I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, [13]and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. [14]The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
[15]Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. [16]They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall onus and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! [17]For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

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Verses 1 and 2 are about the Antichrist. He will be given power in a time when there are wars, and he will promis peace for 7 years. It's important to note that it says "...he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." Though he speaks of peace, he is really about conquest.
Verses 3 and 4 are about the red horse..which signifies war. Which is why it says, "...was given a large sword."
Verses 5 and 6 are about famine. A whole day's wages ($90.00 or more) for a quart of wheat, three quarts of barley. That's way too high.
Verses 7 and 8 are about death and hades. Many people will die during this seal judgement. By war, famine, and plagues, and by the wild beasts.
Verses 9-11 are about the martyrs.
Verses 12-14 are about the book of Joel.
Verses 15-17 are about fear. People will die from fear, their hearts will give out.