KARZAI KNOWS WHERE HIS BREAD IS BUTTERED

MONEY TALKS








Hamid Karzai – Crook, Opium King, Statesman
Time For This Bum To Go Or Go It Alone.

(October 20, Kabul, Afghanistan) All of a sudden the corrupt “president” of this war and neglect ravaged country is supporting a run off election after evidence of widespread voting irregularities were documented by a United Nations elections watchdog group. Hamid Karzai had been opposed to the idea of a run off between his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, until the United States threatened to shut off the spigot from which he has collected billions of our dollars. If nothing else, like every other corrupt, self serving politician, Karzai will fight to save his ass to remain in the position to siphon as much of the money intended to rebuild this country into his own coffers.

It should not come as a surprise that Karzai is as criminal and corrupt as he is; after all, he was the hand picked “president” of the Cheney / Bush Administration. They certainly were able to form a “democratic government” in Afghanistan eerily similar to our own – it is rife with corruption, patronage, bribery and criminality of every sort and on a grand scale. The United States has poured untold billions of dollars into Afghanistan for everything from the development of a central government, infrastructure, schools, hospitals, utilities aside from our 9 year old military mission here.

Immediately after the polls had closed on election day, August 20, 2009, complaints began to trickle in from all the far reaching provinces and territories in this rugged, vast land. The United Nations backed Electoral Complaints Commission was made aware of all manner of voting and polling locations reporting irregularities. The voting public of Afghanistan quickly recognized that something was not quite right when the initial results were tallied and announced. In some polling places Karzai had “won”100% of the vote; in other locations, particularly in Abdullah's stronghold, the results were as dramatically skewed.

Despite claims of election fraud from all quarters, Karzai had remained defiant. He resisted the notion that his election was invalid and illegitimate and would not entertain any discussion of a run off. He claimed he had legitimately captured over 50% of the votes cast. With 50% of the vote or more, the Afghan “constitution” would not provide for a run off. The outrage of the Afghan people and the international community has been growing ever since.

Last week Karzai began to speak about the possibility of a “coalition” government; a “power-sharing” arrangement with Abdullah. This was not well received by anyone; this country is notoriously fractious and even the notion of a “coalition” as a central government was considered absurd by experts in America, the United Nations and certainly among Afghanistan's neighbors Pakistan and Iran.

As the debate in Washington, DC has heated up regarding increasing our military troop levels here, the need to rectify the electoral mess grew more pronounced. A group of envoys from several Western nations including the United States, held talks this past weekend with Karzai. Clearly the lack of a perceived legitimate government in this country was impacting the debate in the White House and Pentagon. Our military efforts in this country have been questioned for some time now and a dramatic change in tactics and strategy has been implemented since President Obama appointed General Stanley McChrystal last summer to lead our efforts here. The Taliban and Al Qaeda are widely acknowledged to be as powerful as they were prior to September 11, 2001. Under Karzai's tacit, if not overt approval, the opium trade has grown exponentially and serves as the major source of funding for both the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

According to a recent Newsweek article by Evan Thomas , General McChrystal “is a purebred warrior, the son of a two-star general, West Point class of '76, a former commander of the elite Rangers Regiment, and, from 2003 to 2008, the head of hunter-killer black ops in Special Operations.” He recently released a report for the President in which he requested an increase of up to 60,000 additional troops. That issue, the issue of combat troops, primary among others, dominates the debate and dilemma Obama and his top advisers are engaged in.

A member of the National Security Council, speaking not for attribution said, “We would not be in this position now if George W. Bush would have kept his focus on the real fight in 2001 instead of traipsing off to fight his disastrous war of choice in Iraq. Afghanistan is where our real enemies were. They are still there or, at least the ones who didn't slip away at Tora Bora are. The Taliban, Al Qaeda, they should have been the focus of all our military resources and might. Now, 9 years later, we have to try to sort this out and define precisely what our mission is. We cannot afford to kept spending lives and money recklessly.”

Recently, several in depth, outstanding journalistic pieces have appeared in publications most notably, Dexter Filkins piece in the New York Times Magazine on Sunday, October 18. General McChrystal states his perception of the situation on the ground and his goals for the future. According to the General, he views our troops role as one of “interacting” with the local population hoping to win their trust and cooperation. While his may be a noble ambition it poses risks to our troops that seem to be not worthy. The idea that we, or any outside force, can enact real change and establish a central government in this country is absurd, dangerous and futile. We should concentrate on eradicating Al Qaeda and members of the Taliban who choose to fight.

It is a shame that after nine years in this almost primitive country that it is only now, at this crucial juncture, that a real debate is being waged in Washington, DC about our future here. Hopefully, some pragmatic, realistic, thoughtful minds will craft our future mission that should include letting the Afghans fight their own battles, establish their own government and stop the flow of US dollars and troops into this harsh, unforgiving place. Let the Afghans fight their own insurgents while we concentrate on our enemy. To do anything else is to guarantee that we will be bogged down in Afghanistan for decades. Enough is enough.

Links:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568481,00.html

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-10-21-voa4.cfm

http://www.upi.com/Daily-Briefing/2009/10/20/Afghan-election/UPI-87861256041124/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/magazine/18Afghanistan-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216237



Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

YEAR NINE, DAY ONE:

WE GOTTA GET OUTTA THIS PLACE













Change in US strategy a must.
Time to break out the hi tech and crush the low tech



(October 8, Reston, VA) In an amazing exercise of power and might comprised initially of small CIA paramilitary and Special Forces units covertly inserted, the United States began the campaign to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban who had served as protective hosts of the terrorist group,Al Qaeda., who had orchestrated the massive terror attacks of September 11, 2001. After the initial insertions of men and money who joined forces with the Northern Alliance, the remnants of ragtag militias still resisting the dominant Taliban, the United States brought out the heavy bombers and put troops on the ground. The fight was on and the Taliban was crushed within three weeks while their leaders and Al Qaeda fled into the rugged, mountainous, tribal, area near Tora Bora which borders Pakistan. Rather than finish the job then and there, decisively and definitively, the imbecilic, messianic President George W. Bush decided to start his personal grudge match against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. The rest, of course, is well known history.

The fact that we remain in Afghanistan after eight years is as troubling as it is costly and, at times, seemingly futile. The Obama Administration who inherited this military morass is now struggling to redefine our mission, strategy and goals there. What was originally a righteous cause where the United States had support of virtually every other nation on the planet has devolved into a complex, confusing, pseudo-quagmire where our efforts appear to be disjointed, scatter shot and inadequate. Our NATA allies are dwindling by the day so the military presence in that vast, perpetually ungovernable country are solely American faces. Even the “democratic” government literally installed by the Bush crowd is rife with corruption of every sort and has virtually no governmental authority beyond the small seat of “power” in Kabul. The recent presidential “election” there has been roundly criticized and effectively neutered by rampant charges of electoral irregularities.

Afghanistan for centuries has been an impenetrable conglomeration of tribes of varying ethnic and religious composition. It is a “country” in name only; forever resistant to a central government of any kind. The history of outside forces in Afghanistan is the very definition of failure – stunning, demoralizing, grinding failure. Just ask the Russians (then, the USSR) about there bruising 10 year war and their ultimate humiliating, empire destroying defeat. Of course during that time period the United States was supplying the mujaheddin with money and arms so they could fight our proxy war with the Soviet Union. Now it is our turn.

There is no way for us to “win” in Afghanistan because there is no way presently agreed upon to define victory. Our righteous battle against those who attacked us here at home in 2001 and their extreme Islamic fundamentalist hosts has devolved into an ill defined brawl with various factions, militias and determined tribal warlords. The billions in aid we have given to the Karzai government has vanished in the vast, deep sinkholes of corruption and narco-trafficking, and fleeting alliances. Who are we “fighting” there today? Who is the “enemy”? Who, in that country aside from the self important, criminally corrupt Hamid Karzai, even wants us there? What are our abilities to conduct military operations on the Pakistani border region? Speaking of Pakistan, what exactly is their relationship with the Taliban and other like minded groups? These are not merely rhetorical questions; these are the core issues at the heart of the serious debate being engaged in today in the White House, State Department, Pentagon and the Intelligence community.

At the center of the debate now is the number of troops that should be kept in and additionally deployed to Afghanistan. This seems to be a question that needs to be asked after several other, far more important questions are asked and answered satisfactorily. We need a true answers of the questions asked above as ell as a complete redefinition of the mission, goal and end game. What will constitute “victory” and how can we accomplish that? What we are involved in right now in Afghanistan is the penultimate example of asymmetrical warfare and counter insurgency. In some ways, despite military successes since Viet Nam, our military appears to have learned little abut the most effective tactics for challenging, fighting and outthinking a hard core insurgency amid a hostile local population.



STREAMLINED AND HI TECH














Air Force pilots operate Predator drones, unmanned aircraft
from an air base far from the battlefields.


To continue our current strategy in Afghanistan essentially dooms our military to a protracted, nasty, bloody conflict. The non combatant citizens of Afghanistan are already beginning to become increasingly hostile to our troops; our continued presence will only breed a stronger, more determined insurgency, gain support for Al Qaeda and, perhaps, create conditions conducive for a resurgent Taliban to exert control over more and more territory. The past eight years have clearly illustrated just how foolish and costly the continuance of the status quo or a mere tweaking of it would be.

The time has come for us to begin to reduce the troop numbers in Afghanistan and refocus on our true enemies - the people who are responsible for 9 11 01 and their hosts. We have the technology that will allow us to continue, if not escalate the fight while reducing the number of troops on the ground. The United States has spent untold trillions of dollars over the years developing new age methods and machinery for modern warfare. Now is the time to use every hi tech tool in our military arsenal to hunt and kill Al Qaeda. Our fight with the Taliban is more nuanced and we need to consider diplomatic efforts with factions of the Taliban who have no use for Al Qaeda and the destruction and devastation they have invited to Afghanistan. The much praised “surge” in Iraq was successful because our military was able to negotiate and ultimately partner with various warlords and tribal leaders to rid specific towns and villages of insurgents and “foreign fighters” - Islamic extremists attracted to Iraq simply to fight “the Americans.” We need a similar approach in Afghanistan.

In October 2001, had we dedicated the vast military resources to Afghanistan that we foolishly squandered going into Iraq in 2003, we would not be in the position we are in today. 160,000 troops, artillery and our stunning airpower, conventional methods, would have yielded quick results. The Taliban fell and fled within weeks of our first air strikes and Special forces skirmishes. That would have been the time to secure as much of the country as possible and allow for some stability which would have bread even greater stability. This would have at least created the basic conditions for the Afghans to decide how they wanted t be governed; no force on earth has ever or will ever be able to govern Afghanistan unless it is homegrown. History is replete with examples of those who tried and failed.

We should stop funding Hamid Karzai and his opium king brother. We are not there to “nation build”. How can you build a nation where one has never existed before? All the schools, bridges, irrigation and electricity projects in the world will not, cn not succeed in Afghanistan unless the Afghans, all the multitude of tribes and clans, want them to. We’ve got to stop wasting our troops lives, national treasure and time. Let all the drones, cruise and hellfire missiles t our disposal dispose of Al Qaeda where ever they may rear their heads. Let’s exert some of the authority at our command as a Super Power and tell tumultuous, nuclear weapon armed Pakistan to clean up their act or there will be no more US dollars flooding in. We could bomb the rugged area of the Afghan - Pakistan border where Al Qaeda is suspected to be until it is nothing but a glass plain. We don’t need top shed another drop of American blood in that god forsaken hellhole. We can fight them with our technology from the comfort of military bases and Naval vessels hundreds if not thousands of miles away. No more “whack-a-mole” tactics. Let’s hit them hard and relentlessly and send the unequivocable message that we’re tired of this shit and we’re not going to take it anymore.



Links:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/obama/2009/10/08/obamas-war-within-the-democratic-party.html

http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3399&Itemid=184

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/team-obama-afghan-taliban_b_314144.html

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/10/07/pakistan-is-the-focus-of-top-level-white-house-meeting/

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216864



Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

MICHAEL VICK, 60 MINUTES AND SECOND CHANCES

CBS MIGHT AS WELL HAVE HAD KATIE COURIC INTERVIEW VICK ...












... JAMES BROWN IS A BUFFOON.




A BRIEF ATHLETE - COMMITTED CRIME, NFL, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA,
CRIMINAL JUSTICE, REMORSE, RETRIBUTION, & RECONCILIATION RAMBLE

(August 17, Atlanta, GA) What former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick was charged with, plead guilty to and served time for were horrendous, deplorable acts. There can be no mistake about the severity of the crimes he committed. He served 18 months in federal prison and was released from a halfway house arrangement just weeks ago. The NFL temporarily reinstated him and he was promptly signed to a two year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. His prosecution and conviction in 2007 cost him the balance of his $130 million contract with the Falcons as well as a pricey endorsement deal with Nike. The NFL will decide on his permanent status sometime around the sixth week of the regular season.

The NFL, in the person of Roger Godell, is an incredibly arbitrary judicial authority. Donte’ Stallworth, a wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns killed a man while he was driving drunk last February in Florida. Stallworth plead guilty, served 24 days in jail and is suspended from playing professional football for this upcoming season. So, the manslaughterer, Stallworth, knows his future while Vick remains in limbo. Seem a little strange?

But Stallworth is not the focus here, his sordid tale is just an aside, a point of reference out there. Michael Vick has been granted a second chance after his highly publicized fall from grace. His crimes struck a particularly sensitive nerve with the American public when the details of his dog fighting operation were revealed. Most people recoil at the thought of fighting dogs, of training to dogs to fight to the death, of beating and abusing dogs and , in this case, of murdering dogs by particularly barbaric means. ( Is the public as outraged when a drunk driver kills an innocent pedestrian? Just another aside.)

Last night Michael Vick appeared on CBS’s famous news magazine, “60 Minutes’. He sat through a real softball “interview” with the sportscaster, James Brown. (When did James Brown join 60 Minutes? Would Vick’s interview have been different if it had been conducted by Mike Wallace or Steve Kroft?)

Vick managed to mouth all the right words: he took full responsibility for his actions, expressed remorse and claims to have found Jesus. The veracity of his words are unknowable. Whether or not he was sincere he did what many athletes never do - he stood up and took responsibility AFTER spending time in prison. He now surrounds himself with handlers like media advisers, agents, PR managers and image makers. Not long ago he surrounded himself with a “posse” of his “friends” and they, ultimately, rolled over on him as quick as they could once the law came down on them. That was a mistake all too commonly made by young athletes. The NFL should put some restrictions on the number of “posse” members they allow to accompany any athlete during the season. But, that too is an aside.

Vick now is said to be working with The Humane Society, the very same group that provided substantial evidence that was used in his successful prosecution. Whether or not this is also another crass media maneuver or not there is no way to know for sure. Only time will tell but, there is some utility to it. If a young pro like Vick can reach out to younger people involved in dog fighting and so many of the other negative behaviors that go along with it particularly in hardcore inner city neighborhoods and poor rural areas, than some good will have in fact come out of Vick’s prior evils.

Perhaps the evolving saga of Michael Vick will serve as a true “learning moment” for some. All too often athletes, professional and collegiate, commit crimes, sometimes brutal crimes like sexual assault and rape and are either never prosecuted or they manage to buy there way out via high priced attorneys. Athletes are treated differently from the time they first display superior athletic talents. They learn they can get away with certain things, that other things are more accessible to them because of their athletic prowess and they can develop a skewed sense of right and wrong; a sense of entitlement and privilege. Michael Vick has paid his price to society, as it were, as is entitled to earn a living again as a professional football player, a member of the NFL.

NFL rosters are populated by all sorts of criminals. There are active players today who have perpetrated some serious offenses yet, for whatever reasons, and the reasons are as many as they are varied, they have not paid a full or any price for their crimes. Commissioner Goodell and the NFL itself should look much harder at the criminal activity and, in several cases, the gang related activity of some active NFL’ers. The League always brags about their “Security” apparatus and their outreach efforts aimed at rookies. They need to look closer at their efforts because too many players are becoming involved in far too many episodes. Granted, the NFL, just like any corporation and individual teams, just like any other employer, can only exert so much influence on their employees. Still, to be an NFL player is to be an exceptional type of employee in a very unique profession. Colleges and universities must also begin to crack down and apply meaningful discipline when their “student-athletes” commit crimes on or off campus. Just take a look at the University of Iowa football team and you will see a perfect example of an athletic program that has come off the tracks. Even the head football coach, Kirk Ferentz’s son, James, has been arrested twice in the last year but remains on the active roster. What message does this send to him and all other athletes?

There are no easy answers or quick fixes available and, if any have been implied here, it has been unintentional. Each episode is a unique case comprised of unique individuals, scenarios and circumstances. Still the discussion has begun and actually began long before Michael Vick ever saw a pit bull. The discussion must now continue.

If Michael Vick is not permitted an actual “second chance” with his football career in the NFL, that too will send a bad message to other men who serve their time, pay their debt to society and want to rebuild their lives. being a convicted felon is a serious, life long sanction the weight of which can be crippling. Hopefully Michael Vick has learned lessons and will never again commit felonious acts or crimes of any sort; that is, after all, the whole idea behind our criminal justice system as far as incarceration, parole, probation and release are concerned, isn’t it?




Links:



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/08/michael-vick-admits-what-he-did-to-animals-was-horrendous.html

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80fe7ea9&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=111784


http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/catholicamerica/2009/08/michael_vick_and_the_act_of_contrition.html?hpid=talkbox1

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-streeter16-2009aug16,0,4735769.column

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/vick-should-forget-big-cities-work-area-shelters

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4047459


Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

SARAH PALIN - UNPLUGGED

AS REAL AND SINCERE AS IT GETS
Pundits and Commentators Missed The Point















WHO HEARD WHAT ?


( July 3, Wasilla, Alaska) Clearly the woman was tired, worn down by her baptism by fire onto the national political stage. Her ascendancy, apogee and ultimate waning was as rapid an arc and decline as has ever been seen in the American political realm. It took a toll on this 45 year old, mother of five and, for some reasons, the chattering class cannot and will not accept her words as honest.

Unfortunately, the majority of American’s receive the “news” not as unbiased, objective reporting but rather through the ideological prism of each media outlet. Pundits and other asinine talking heads declare their opinions on each and every move and word of a politician , for some odd reason, it is their interpretations and pronouncement that become fact for the rest of the public. The examples of this dangerous phenomenon are many; the toll they have taken on our public discourse and governance has been disastrous. Responsibility seems to be divorced from the newsertainment world which was once, what we knew as the “Fourth Estate”, the media outlets that served an important, if not profound roll, in our democracy. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press were forever codified in our Constitution but, over the years, the media insinuated themselves into the headlines and story lines forever forfeiting objectivism for crass popularity.

Moments ago one of the most dynamic political personalities in years announced her resignation from office and wish to return to private life. Sarah Palin, the media star and target, first term Governor of Alaska and former Vice Presidential Candidate in 2008, stood before the assembled press and informed them of her impending retirement from politics.

Then, the trouble began.

The words of her speech were still reverberating off the lake she stood in front of when the critics opened fire. The talking heads and cables TV newsertainment blowhards criticized Governor Palin not only for resigning with 16 months remaining in her term but for what they called “a rambling, sometimes incoherent speech.” This response from the media seemed to become the truth cemented in the public’s mind by the time the Saturday newspapers hit the stands.

Let’s concede that her impromptu resignation speech was not grand political oratory, it was not a finely crafted document calling upon the host of rhetorical clichés’ and the regular tired bullshit hyperbole that seem to be essential to a political speech.

Right or wrong, due to her circumstances beyond her control and her suddenly being pushed from obscurity to the national public stage, thrust into the last months of a historic Presidential Election, she was as much a victim of the press as she was victim of her own shortcomings. Still, few politicians could have thrived in the environment, the incredible scrutiny, attention, and interest that Palin was bombarded by from her introduction as John McCain’s running mate.

It was obvious very early on that she was grossly unprepared to ever be our Vice President. But, to her credit, she campaigned often and hard perhaps recognizing on some deep visceral level that she was not going to be the Vice President because John McCain was going to get his fossilized kicked mightily by Barak Obama.

The future will produce a wide array of magazine articles, essays, scholarly works, books, cable TV specials and every other form of media today all attempting to understand Sarah Palin: he life, her politics, her decisions, ethics, accomplishments as Governor and of course her role in the GOP ass whupping of 2008. That is normal and how it should be.

For now, maybe, we just witnessed a nervous woman facing an always hostile press with some heartfelt reasons for her seemingly abrupt resignation. Everything from ongoing FBI ethics scandal rumors as well as a host of other sordid and tawdry gossip has been given weight in her decision. All of any of it may or may not be valid bit, for now, all we have are her words.

So what if they were clumsy, awkward and disjointed. Who cares that her delivery was not polished. Who can imagine the pressures she has lived with over the past 10 months and not understand her desire to have more normalcy, to fade off the stage for the time being.

Sarah Palin will have a future in public life, most likely not in elective politics, but a public role in the discourse regarding a handful of core GOP issues. She can do what she wants; anything from hosting a TV program, writing a book or becoming a spokesperson for causes she has aligned herself with. That is her business and she and her family should be allowed to return to some semblance of privacy and normality.

Maybe she will just be a footnote in history, a continuing target of contempt by pundits and bloviators of all persuasion. Comedians will continue to get some mileage out of her many awkward interview moments and the wealth of oddball remarks she has made publicly. So what.

Perhaps she has decided that she has had enough of national politics and has absolutely no intention of ever running for any Office again, let alone The Presidency. She got a good taste in a brief time of the game that steamrollers veterans and novices alike.

Good for you Sarah.

Take some time to decompress and spend time away from the harsh reality of such a high profile public existence.



Related Links:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/03/AR2009070301738.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/03/sarah-palin-resignation-s_n_225557.html

http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/07/reagan_palin_and_that_vanity_fair_palin_story.php

http://www.theweek.com/article/index/98198/Sarah_Palin_Vanity_Fair_and_2012




Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

DON’T CRY FOR HIM ARGENTINA

SANFORD REAPPEARS: ADMITS TO AFFAIR















South Carolina Republican Governor
Mark Sanford slobbering at news conference earlier.
(AP Photo)


ANOTHER SUCKER PUNCH FOR THE GOP

(June 24, Columbia, SC) Unless the Appalachian Trail extends deep into South America, the half-assed cover story offered as late as yesterday by Governor Sanford’s staff was not simply a lie, it was proof of just how far off the reservation this darling of the Right has wandered.

Regardless of what his staff did or did not know, the excuses, as lame as any ever proffered by a politician’s aides, the facts, as they were related earlier by the Governor himself, most likely spell the end of his political career beyond South Carolina. Sanford is the latest of the alleged “New Faces of the GOP” who have been exposed as adulterous dirt bags in the last two weeks. Sanford’s admissions and tearful, sometimes incoherent statements to the press, come within a matter of days of Republican Senator, John Ensign of Nevada revealing he, too, had been engaged in an extramarital affair. Ensign’s scenario is also clouded by accusations of extortion and bribery. Both Sanford and Ensign had been mentioned as potential national candidates in 2012. Oops.

Had the Republican Party not spent the better half of the decade of the 1990’s attempting to bring down and impeach then president Bill Clinton for allegations surrounding his affair with an intern, most observers would probably not be so unforgiving in cases like Ensign and Sanford. The fact that both men have been hard-core conservatives, champions of family values and popular with activists on the “Religious Right” and “Christian Conservatives” give these dalliances an air of hypocrisy and self righteousness that does give some pleasure. “To watch Governor Sanford finally realize that he doesn’t live in a house without glass, that he talks one hell of a talk while walking a distinctly different walk somehow just seems like cosmic justice”, commented long time Clinton friend, apologist, and flakey, Lannie Davis.

Governor Sanford admittedly began to have a ‘relationship’ with a woman in Argentina “about eight years ago.” he said that “It became much, much over the last year” and that he confessed the affair to his wife about “five months ago.”

Sanford resigned his position as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association but refused to comment on his status in his current term in the SC State house. The entire mess became public slowly over the last five days when it was reported that the Governor had taken off on his own and that his staff “did not know” his exact where abouts. The SC Lieutenant Governor, Andre Bauer, had expressed dismay and confusion about who was legally “in charge” of the State while the flighty Governor was MIA.

The fact that Sanford seemed to disappear over Father’s day weekend while he has four sons, raised more and more questions as well as concerns. His wife, Jenny, gave a terse statement to the local media on father’s day saying that she was “being a mom” and taking care of her family despite her husband’s bizarre vanishing act. As it was revealed today the couple is now in a “trial separation”.

Both Democrats and Republicans in South Carolina and beyond have expressed a wide range of reactions to the entire saga and about Mark Sanford himself. One top SC State Senate leader speaking not for attribution noted, “Mark has always been his own man. He is strange, sometimes aloof and snobby. I think he has meant well at times in his political career it’s just that he’s, ah...ah, weird. He couldn’t have found himself a girlfriend right here in the US of A? My goodness, what an odd duck he is.”

Most political observers agree that, while sanford’s romantic adventure may be nothing more than a “matter of the heart”, there remain many questions to ask. Who financed his trip to Buenos Aires? Who , if anyone, knew the truth about Sanford’s location during his absence?

Clearly the Governor has profound troubles at every turn which, in some ways, the politics is the least. He must face his four sons and continue to cope with his “trial separation” which may in fact lead to a more permanent status. But, for those who dare venture out into the arena of public service and seek the fame, power, accolades and trappings that come with high office, they should never forget they are under constant, sometimes rigorous scrutiny. Even more pointedly, Republican Right wing conservatives ought to reconsider their public positions on specific social policy matters in light of their personal behaviors and also recognize the true role of government in all our personal lives.

LINKS:


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/us/25sanford.html?ref=global-home

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/sanfords-admits-affair-first-t.html?hpid=artslot

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/274712,south-carolina-governor-admits-affair-after-mystery-trip--summary.html

http://www.thestate.com/sanford/story/839231.html

http://www.thestate.com/154/story/838823.html


Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

OBAMA’S IRAN STANCE - BRILLIANT: LET THE THORNS WITHER AND DIE

NO NEED TO INSINUATE OURSELVES INTO THIS CAULDRON








TEHRAN AND OTHER CITIES SEE LARGEST CROWDS OF PROTESTERS SINCE 1979


(June 20, Paterson, NJ) IRAN has been a four letter word in our political lexicon ever since Ayatollah Khamenei took the American Embassy with 56 American hostages captive in 1979. Actually, Iran has proven to be a tenacious thorn in America's side ever since. That unanticipated “Islamic Revolution” caught our intelligence services with their collective heads up their asses and actually swayed our Presidential Election that year. If not for the “Iranian Hostage Crisis” Ronald Reagan, arguably, may not have been elected President.

Here in this gritty, deteriorated, former industrial city just 11 miles from New York City a large Islamic Community has taken hold. Iranian immigrants constitute a substantial segment of Paterson’s population and, as could be expected, emotions are running high as the aftermath of last week’s election in Iran are playing out on TV for all the world to see.

While the hapless, moronic chatter from the Republican, tone deaf, obstinate, sputtering heads are advocating for a stronger United States response to the upheaval in Iran, virtually all the Iranian immigrants spoken to here believe that President Obama is doing the right thing by not overtly supporting the protesters and opposition movement.

Indeed, most believe last week’s election to have been most likely rigged. The fact that the hard line, controversial, incumbent, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared locked into a tight political contest with his main rival opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi, only to be declared the victor by a ‘landslide’ margin of over 62% of the national vote, triggered the vocal and increasingly violent public demonstrations that threaten Iran’s very stability.
The overwhelming majority of regional experts and others intimately familiar with America’s troubled history in Iran, assert that the president is taking precisely the correct, prudent position at this time. This is not an “American” fight and, if President Obama was to come out vocally in support of the opposition movement, then the current regime and the Supreme Leadership Council would be able to proclaim this grassroots uprising as an “American led” effort.

A top ranking analyst working the Iran desk at the CIA, speaking anonymously commented, “The worst actions Obama could take would be doing anything that even appeared to be taking sides in, what is essentially, an internal political revolt. France and Germany can publicly condemn President Ahmadinejad, the Clerics and the rigged elections. They were not designated “The Great Satan” by the Ayatollah 30 years ago. For all these years Iran has used America as the reason for all their problems. Now is not the time to help perpetuated that dangerous myth.”



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/weekinreview/21cooper.html?ref=global-home

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/2009620184151643728.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/20/iran-election-live-bloggi_n_218402.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/21/barack-obama-iran-protests


Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

REAL COPS PERFORMED AS USUAL

NYPD ONCE AGAIN PROVES WHY THEY ARE THE BEST











WHAT WASHINGTON CAN LEARN FROM NEW YORK CITY


(May 22, The Bronx, NYC) It is one of the oldest detective techniques and often, one of the most fruitful. An arrest is made, the suspect facing serious charges. During interrogations he alludes to information about people, places and past events he claims to have direct knowledge of. Once his assertions are confirmed as accurate, the detectives offer a deal; either cooperate with us or face the full weight and force of criminal prosecution for your crimes. The suspect, once “flipped” becomes a source of valuable information often leading to other arrests, apprehensions of ‘higher-ups’ in a criminal enterprise, or, actionable intelligence.

That is precisely what allowed NYPD and, with later involvement, the FBI, to thwart a plot to bomb synagogues and Jewish community centers in New York City. The alleged terrorists also wanted to shoot a military aircraft from the Newburgh Air National Guard Base. Had they managed to have been successful, they would have perpetrated terrorist acts here that would have had far reaching repercussions beyond the immediate death toll and damages. The NYPD credits the informant with providing the “inside” information needed to arrange sophisticated surveillance, gather the information for the prosecution, and, ultimately arrest the four would-be terrorists.

Already the would-be terrorists are being defended by their families and talk of “entrapment” is already swirling about. The entrapment matter will be decided in the courtroom; the personal character of each of the four suspects will emerge in that forum as well. Even if these men were dimwitted, drug addicted and other wise small time losers, they did in fact hatch a plan, clearly expressed their desire to inflict harm and spent the time and resources necessary to do so. The tried and true methods of policing - investigation, surveillance, infiltration and subsequent arrests - worked flawlessly. This case may someday stand as a model for how domestic terrorism cases are made and prosecuted.

These men will be tried in a court of law, entitled to all the rights and provisions of criminal law afforded them in our Constitution and legal precedent. They are not being held in a “gray area”, they are not “enemy combatants”, “prisoners of war” or “detainees”. They are criminals accused of some of the most serious felony charges under the Patriot Act and the body of law addressing domestic terrorism. They will have their day in court; no water boarding or other “enhanced interrogation techniques” will be employed. Any seasoned NYPD Detective or FBI Agent will tell you unequivocally that such methods simply do not work, they often backfire and produce garbage information from the prisoner that wastes law enforcement time and resources.

From this vantage point, just two days hence from the interruption of their plot, it appears all involved acted accordingly, legally and with the supreme professionalism, diligence and commitment that defines all of the men and women of NYPD. Once called in to assist, the FBI performed just as well. We should be grateful to all and appreciate the efforts of such men and women that keep us safe. They work in anonymity, sometimes in the darkest of shadows, but they do their duty and do it exceptionally well.

Gina Provanzonno, ESQ. of the BronxWest Consulting Office of Legal Affairs contributed to this post. TBC express our gratitude.



Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

SAME SEX MARRIAGE BOOSTS IOWA’S SAGGING ECONOMY

FIELDS OF QUEENS


















GAY & LESBIAN COUPLES FLOCKING
TO IOWA IN DROVES


(May 13, Twisted Gullet, IA) Just weeks after a three court panel of Iowa Supreme Court justices allowed same sex marriage as legal in this state of hogs, cows and corn, there has been a noticeable surge in people coming here to get married. The economy is getting a much need boost from these homosexual visitors. Merlin Knebel who owns several Holiday Inn’s around the Des Moines area said, “ We have been fully booked for nearly two weeks with reservations being called in from all over the country. My hotels haven’t been this filled up since the Pork Expo in 2002.”

According to the Iowa State Board of Tourism, legalizing homosexual marriage has brought millions of dollars to this state. The homosexuals seem to spend lavishly while here with some of the couples spending thousands of dollars for receptions, parties and other celebration functions. Gillian Krumpf of the Governor’s Commission For Homosexuals commented, “These people know they are welcome here, not only to get legally married but to just fool around if they want to. We welcome their tourism money for our hotels, motels, restaurants, gay book stores, tuxedo rental establishments and bridle and tack shops. If you are gay and live in the midwest and want to get hitched, well, you bet this is the place to come.”

Not all Iowans are as comfortable with same sex marriage but, for the most part, them appear to be tolerating it well. Manure farmer Landel Schwartzendruber said, “I could care less what you do in your private times. Hell, my cousin Floyd had a thing going with a goat for many years. I figure to each his own but, well, all these queers and dykes coming here just don’t seem right.”

What seems to trouble Iowans most is that the decision to allow same sex marriage was made by three judges. Most Iowans wish they had the opportunity to vote on the issue since it is somewhat controversial in certain segments of the state. Already several special interest groups have been organized protesting the same sex bill and plan to oppose it fiercely if they manage to get it on the state wide ballot in 2010. Burl McHusk, founder of Iowans Against Non Same Sex Marriage commented, “We’ll fight this tooth and nail. We don’t need these people coming here corrupting the minds of our children, steers and swine. Enough is enough, by golly.”

Conversely, there are a number of pro same sex marriage groups aggressively organizing ad campaigns promoting it as just another well deserved civil right. Lance Phluffer of the Iowa Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Education Movement sees the often subtle, just under the surface prejudice against gays in Iowa as potentially dangerous. Phluffer said, “While most Iowans will tell you to your face they support you, some would shoot you in the back if given the chance. Civil rights include rights for all citizens no matter whom they choose to sleep with, have bawdy, illicit sex with or marry. We will get our message out and we thank the Iowa Supreme Court for being so progressive.”



This post is the latest installment in our “Unsalted Earth” series.


Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

FINAL HONORS FOR PITTSBURGH OFFICERS LAID TO REST

THEY, NOT THE PERPETRATOR, ARE THE STORY







(April 9, Pittsburgh, PA) Five days after being ambushed after responding to a domestic dispute call, three slain Pittsburgh Police Officers were laid to rest earlier today. It was the second time in as many weeks that a major American city buried multiple officers who were killed in the line of duty. Three weeks ago 4 members of the Oakland (CA) PD were gunned down by a life long criminal.

The circumstances of the fatal events in oakland and Pittsburgh were very different yet they both dramatically underscored the notion that, for a Police Officer on duty, there is nothing routine in the routine. Each and every call, no matter how seemingly innocuous, may in fact unfold as a life and death scenario. Each public encounter, from a traffic stop to a distress call from a suburban home, requires vigilance in approach and tactics. Safety of the Officers and the public should always be the prevailing guideline.

Over the past few weeks we have witnessed several mass fatality shootings across the country. The day before the tragic event in pittsburgh, a Viet Namese immigrant killed 13 people in a civic center in Binghamton, NY. There were several incidents of recently laid off employees returning to their former place of employment and shooting randomly. An assisted living facility in North Carolina was the scene of a mass casualty shooting and at least three families have been murdered by the head of the household. Each of these events leaves us dismayed, confused and angered. We seem to have the need to know the motives that drove the individuals to murder; after all, some of these folks appeared almost familiar to us in a generic sort of way.

In the wake of such senseless crimes there gun control debate is sure to surface as are other corollary avenues of inquiry all of which pertain to the perpetrators. Yes, motive is important; understanding the dynamics of such actors can prove to be of value to the law enforcement community in the future. However, a greater degree of focus needs to be placed on the victims, the Police Officers who in reality do tangibly represent law and order in our communities.

The media is too eager to sensationalize the crime, psychoanalyze the perpetrator and pay brief, cursory attention to those who died in the line of duty. This is simply the way our culture is today: all about entertainment and appealing to the basest of human emotions. Soon we find days have turned into weeks of increasingly greater detailed coverage of the murderers as the Officers are laid to rest away from the media’s eye.
As facts about the two Police killers became known, portraits of two very different but equally disturbed individuals have emerged. In both cases, specifics from their pasts, certain items found in their possession or where they resided, have provided the media ample fodder for their hyperactive extrapolation machines. Jiverly Wong, the Binghamton shooter, was reportedly “upset” by many slights, real and imagined, ranging from being “made fun of “ because of his accent, to paranoid delusions that “undercover police” were stalking him. The press had a field day with these items and an even greater time reporting on an alleged “death threat” towards President Obama, Wong had reportedly made in front of coworkers. The media wasted no time exploiting some comments made by friends of Richard Poplawski, the Pittsburgh cop killer. According to some of his self-described friends, Poplawski resented President Obama for “wanting to take” away the right to bear arms, among his other alleged complaints.

So naturally, the coverage of these horrific stories had a distinctly political slant as if some political issues had actually driven these two troubled men to murder Police Officers. Some in the media took the approach that the hyperbolic rhetoric of “right wing talk radio hosts” may have been a motivating factor to Poplawski. Likewise, the immigration debate became front and center in the Binghamton tragedy simply because Wong was a naturalized immigrant. Sensationalistic, simplistic, tabloidesque writing is neither reporting or journalism. It is the lowest form of mass exploitation and dissemination of misinformation.

But, then again, who really cares? The question is, why is so much media attention given to lunatics who randomly, wantonly murder rather than the Police Officers who have given their lives while performing in the line of duty? Why does our society not collectively respect such sacrifice and celebrate such noble courage?

Until we can answer these and many other difficult questions, our society will continue to be plagued by criminal and random violence. This is not to suggest that some societal revelations will eliminate the violence in our cities and towns. Not at all. We will remain a violent society if, for no other reason, that we have always, historically, been a violent people. There are no practical solutions to mitigate the levels of violence we have come to accept as normal however, this does not rule out trying to instill a greater respect towards members of the law enforcement community within our communities.

Indeed, for every Peace Officer in the land there is no “routine” call; the dangers are ever present, insidious and very often random acts of psychotic desperation, paranoid delusions or sociopathic bloodlust. We should support and empower our Police at all times.

May we learn to show greater respect for the “Thin Blue Line” and the men and women who comprise it.

Rest in Peace, Officers Sciullo, Kelly, and Mayhle
Godspeed, Brothers.





Links:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09100/961933-53.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09100/961912-53.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09095/960744-53.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09098/961304-53.stm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/04/2009-04-04_who_is_jiverly_voong_aka_jiverly_wong_co.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/04/06/2009-04-06_letter_from_jiverly_wong_the_gunman_in_t.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/08/jiverly-wong-fired-98-sho_n_184950.html

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04052009/news/nationalnews/failed_life_for_killer_coward_162952.htm


Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved
Copyright Bronxwest Consulting 2009 © All Rights Reserved

GREED AND GULLIBILITY: THE MADOFF “VICTIMS”

BERNIE’S GOLDEN CALF WAS A FALSE IDOL




(March 12, Manhattan Criminal Court, NYC) As Ponzi scheme criminal extraordinaire, Bernie Madoff, was lead off to jail, some of his “victims” were present and willing to speak to the press. It is very difficult to feel sympathy for any of these people for a number of reasons.

The majority of the people involved with Madoff’s phony investment fund are very wealthy; these are not your average Joe and Jane Blue-collar whose 401K was decimated when Madoff’s house of cards came crashing down. To be certain, simply due to the scale and scope of Madoff’s connections in various banks and markets, some regular Joe’s have been impacted. But, they are in a distinct minority. Most of Madoff’s minions were playing with big money up front; their substantial investments were meant to yield very substantial dividends and boy, did they ever.

Until they didn’t.

An examination of the public records from Madoff’s multi-charge indictment reads like a ‘Who’s Who” of the ultra wealthy American and Israeli Jewish communities. Yes, this is a fact, not an anti-Semitic accusation. Bernie’s “investors” really thought they had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow Madoff painted for them. Their greed and their greed alone allowed Madoff to run his scheme for almost 20 years. As long as the unrealistic, unnaturally lucrative dividends were being paid to his investors, they happily banked and spent the money. While the rest of the country’s investors were subject to the natural ups and downs in the markets, saw their investments and pensions seesaw from bull to bear cycles, those in Madoff World were immune and never wondered why. It was like manna from Heaven, the financial incarnation of the Loaves and the Fishes. Praise Yahweh!

A scam or con of any kind, from the most basic street hustle, to the complex manipulations of derivatives, future markets, commodities trading and the host of other exotic products that had been routinely offered by Wall Street, all rely on the “dupes” or, in Bernie’s case, the gullibility of his investors. It is just like lying; the most effective lies and liars are those who feed the person they are lying to what they want to hear. Likewise, Madoff’s tightly knit collection of rich Jews were more than content to think of themselves as “on to something special.” Yes, they felt tapped in to a secret, a closely guarded secret that played right into their greed. If nothing else, Madoff was a brilliant “social engineer”. He craftily blended his past Wall Street reputation and success, with his own unquenchable avarice, his ability to “smooth talk” his clients, some high profile philanthropy to bolster his public image, and his fabricated facade of a benevolent millionaire, mortared with unimaginable hubris. He had them all duped because they were willing to be had.

Of course none of them realized they were being had at the time. No, not at all. The money kept pouring in regularly just as brilliant Bernie had promised. Those rich powerful Jews fortunate enough to be “in the know” about the Madoff fund would quietly, almost conspiratorially, whisper in the ears of other rich, powerful Jews, close friends, swear them to secrecy and tell them about the fortune that could be made with Madoff. Not only was he an investing genius, he was a Jew, one of US. What could be better and, after all, who deserve such blessings more than the Jewish community. They could fund their charities here and in Israel, donate to good Jewish causes lavishly; almost as lavishly as they could spend their treasures on themselves. Oh yes, what a mensch, that Bernie!

And now come the melodramatics; victims crying for the cameras, expressing their hope that brilliant Bernie “rots in hell”. Now they turn to the government demanding answers, blaming laxity on the part of the SEC for their terrible losses. Sorry, folks, that dog won’t hunt. You, the victims had no problems with the lax regulatory climate that allowed your “God” (as Elie Weisel has called Madoff) to somehow create unknown wealth from an increasingly shaky market. No problem that your returns were absurdly out of sync with market and securities activities. Greed is am impressive insulator just as is the feeling that you are “one up” on everyone else. That hubris has all come home to roost and the only tears that should be shed should roll down the cheeks of the schleps who bought into Bernie’s game. Screw them. You lost it all because Bernie turned out to be the Big Bad Brilliant Jew? Too friggin bad. Suck it up.

These throngs of alleged “victims” are acting like strung out crack addicts demanding the police arrest their suppliers. Whose fault is it that you are addicted? Whose fault is it that you thought Bernie was plugged into a mysterious money making gizmo?

While it is sad that many charitable organizations that have done altruistic, noble works that have helped many, the people who managed such endeavors, those that made the decisions for endowments, trusts and other people’s futures have no one to blame but themselves. Sure, they don’t want to hear it and they will never admit it. Their failure to admit their financially fatal flaws will forever prohibit them from accepting the harsh facts of reality. There are painful yet profound lessons to be learned here; lessons that go way beyond investment strategies. Human nature at its worst, at its most base level manifest itself in greed pure and simple. These arrogant, mega rich Jews lived by the credo of the fictional Wall Street tycoon Gordon Gekko, “Greed is good.”

Well, folks, its not. At least not always and for you - not for ever. So put away your hankies, turn away from the TV cameras, keep your outrage and anger to yourselves. You had no problems keeping the great Madoff scheme a secret when it served to enrich you so please have the same courtesy now; shut the fuck up! Go away. Scurry back to your upper East Side penthouses, your Grammercy Park brownstones, your beachfront condos in West Palm Beach and your palatial mansions in Englewood Cliffs, The Hamptons, and Beverly Hills. Go back into the comfort your riches have brought you to lick your wounds. You’ll find no sympathy out here in the real world, among the masses you once so callously derided because you were wealthy. You lost money. Big deal. Everything is relative. Tell it to your Rabbi.



Links:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=7078463&page=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/business/14nocera.html?_r=1&hp

http://www.businessinsider.com/2008/12/bernie-madoff-hosed-client-list

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236764171580&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

STEELE FILLS TOP POSTS

NEW FACES AT THE RNC




MC HAMMER AND VANILLA ICE TOP EXECS AT THE GOP


(March 12, Washington, DC) Touting his efforts to broaden the appeal of the Republican Party, embattled GOP Chairman Michael Steele has named two former rap one hit wonders to his Executive Committee. Steele has expressed his desire to give the impression that the Republican Party is inclusive and not the refuge for white, southern men, conservative oddballs, the NRA and other hard core fringe groups. He promised to make it more, “hip-hop, urban, suburban” with an emphasis on political “bling”. His staffing picks announced today may in fact help him accomplish his outreach to a younger generation of potential Republicans or it may only accelerate his departure from his current job.

Steele really had to dig deep in the greasy barrel of forgotten rappers or pseudo-rappers. Most of the big names in rap that he initially approached told him to fuck off or simply get lost. Chairman Steel had met with famous gangsta rappers like Snoop Doggy Dog, Fifty Cent, Eminem and Will Smith. He was rebuffed and ridiculed by them all and others not named here. Desperate to prove his Party is “down with wuz up on da streets”, Steele enthusiastically introduced his two top appointees here today.

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice, coming off there widely successful concert tour that lasted one night in Orem Utah, will play key roles in the GOP’s outreach initiatives. During a news conference held at Big Slappy Pappy’s, a hip-hop bar, bordello and hair styling mecca in northwest Washington, DC, Steele enthusiastically told reporters that, “I am delighted to have MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice on board at the GOP. I think they are jus’ B A D. We gonna hit da streets and git with the brothas and sistas. We wants to know wut dey sayin’, wut dey sayin’ and wut dey think of the stimulus package.”

Since his razor thin margin of victory in his bid to be Party Chairman last month, Steel has been embroiled in a continuous series of controversies, gaffes, miscues and finds himself literally fighting to hold on to his job. The GOP will hold a “no confidence” vote in two weeks that will determine the Chairman’s fate. “ I’m confident that I will prevail, hold onto my job and will be able to lead the Republican Party out of the depths of despair after getting our asses whupped last November, to a new and brighter future. What the base of the GOP is going to have to understand is that our future will be Blacker as it gets brighter” Steele commented.

The Republican’s appear to be in disarray since the inauguration of President Obama. They find themselves in the minority in both Houses of Congress and have long been known to not be at all receptive or supportive of policy initiatives that concern African Americans, Latinos, Hip-Hoper’s, Gang Bangers, Low Riders, Side Winders and Gay-Lesbian-Bi, Tri, and Multi-Sexuals and other special interest groups long affiliated with the Democratic Party. Perhaps Steele’s new Executive Committee members will play significant roles towards making inroads with inner city and minority voters. Naming MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice to his staff has generated a variety of responses from across the political spectrum. Some top ranking members of his own Party, already at odds with him, have come out strongly in opposition to Mr. Hammer and Mr. Ice.

Senate Minority Leader, Mitch “Little Bitch” McConnell said, “I don’t know what exactly the Chairman is planning but, it seems to me that he has lost his mind. Who are these people he has appointed? Frankly, I am confused and I will be demanding answers from Mr. Steele immediately.” Conservative radio blowhard Rush Limbaugh who has been feuding with Mr. Steele for weeks over the actual leadership of the GOP, told his talk show audience that, “Steele thinks that the Republicans, the Party of Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan actually needs to attract voters who are not gun-toting, southern, midwestern, God fearing, rock ribbed conservatives. I say that is hogwash. I say that is crap and I think Steele has to go. The last thing we need in the Republican Party are Blacks, Hispanics and other misfit, low lifes.”

When Steele was informed about McConnell’s and Limbaugh’s harsh comments he replied, “Listen, y’all. Those two morons can kiss my black ass. They are the reason that the Republican Party is dying. Those two honky, cracker, muthafuckas deserve to get they asses kicked. People like them don’t know wuts goin’ down in the ‘hoods with the real people. I say they can both go fuck themselves and each other. Mitch, bein’ from Kentucky, would probably enjoy that.”



http://blogs.courant.com/stan_simpson/2009/03/michael-steeles-gop.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/03/12/2009-03-12_rush_limbaugh_michael_steele_bobby_jinda.html

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/flashinthedark/2009/03/you-can-be-a-lot-of-things-and.php?ref=reccafe

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/10/politics/main4857494.shtml

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/268912



Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

STEELE - TOED BOOT

RNC MIGHT EXERCISE “CHOICE”
McCain Looks To Run The Ship





Michael Steele with his only friend,
while John McCain chokes on sour grapes.


(March 11, Washington, DC) Until the bizarre events of the last few weeks, all the talk about the demise of the “rudderless” Republican Party and their “identity crisis” seemed like just so much inside the beltway chatter. Now, it all seems right on the money. Their troubles may have only begun with the trouncing they took in November 2008 given the absurdity of what has transpired since. Witnessing the GOP devolve into ‘The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight’, has been one of the most enjoyable sideshows in the history of modern American politics. It promises to only get better.

Since the inauguration of President Obama, the Republicans have shown the entire country their true colors. The rabid vermin representing the GOP in all their glory are as unappealing to view as they are to hear. Spewing the tattered and torn, bogus rhetoric of yesteryear, fools like Mitch “Little Bitch” McConnell, Eric Cantor, John “Tanning Bed” Boehner and, lest we forget, obese, pill popping hero of conservative radio and all things Republican, Rush Limbaugh, are a vivid example of what the GOP stands for. They loudly and proudly hope that President Obama fails, and are so much more concerned with small “P” politics rather than governing that it is nauseating. As sickening as these corrupt imbeciles are, it is important that they are seen and heard - often. As they obstruct the new Administration’s initiatives, sit on their hands as the country teeters on the verge of a depression, they collectively choose to throw mud and plot future campaigns while huddled beneath the frayed and flimsy banner of their Alzhiemic deceased hero Ronald Reagan. Yup, this is great, boys. Show the entire country what and who you really are, not just your “base.”

The CPAC convention two weeks ago was a one-of-a-kind display of the GOP at their very best , celebrating the very best they have to offer. Gomps like Joe the Plumber, El Rushbo, Newt Gingerich and a host of equally repulsive has-beens, never-weres, retreads, and burnt out neo-cons, delivered some real “red meat” for their “base”. Being base for the “base” may keep them wandering around off the governing bases for a good long time to come. After eight years of the most disastrous Presidency in the history of our Nation while the GOP ruled both Houses for 6 of those 8 years, finally, the currents of some cosmic retribution are swirling through the streets of Washington as well as the Halls of Power in the Capitol.

The missteps, miscues and blatant mistakes grow in number virtually every day. First, the Republicans have the gall to attempt to rewrite the history of last 8 years and lay blame for the economic implosion on the Democrats and Obama. Then, of course, there was Senator Judd Gregg and his brief moment in the sun when asked to be nominated as Commerce Secretary, that inspiring drivel from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindel after the President’s Address to the Joint Chambers of Congress and, perhaps the greatest gift that keeps on giving, the newly elected chairman of the RNC, Michael “Boggie Down” Steele. It really can’t get much better than this or, can it?

While the addled sore looser John McCain slaps his hand angrily on non existent tables in the Senate Chamber, his Party’s de facto leader, Steele, has been alternately bickering and apologizing to and with that massive tub of shit, Limbaugh. yes, indeed. A low browed, knuckle dragging talk radio host has laid claim to the GOP as his own. The very fact that rotund, obtund, Limbo carries such sway with the GOP “Base” in and of itself clearly illustrates just how far gone the Republicans really are. Rush and Steele can’t decide who actually is the ‘leader” of the party. That is priceless.

Steele’s tenure at the helm of the GOP has been like watching the Exxon Valdez hit the rocky Alaskan coast in slow motion over and over again. If Michael Steele is not absolutely insane, then he is a total moron. With each interview granted, every television appearance, Steele hungrily shoves more and more feet into his perpetually open mouth. Just today, during an interview with a GQ reporter, Mikey incoherently stammered over his interpretation of “choice” regarding abortion. Inexplicably his comments were in direct contrast to the long held, sacred, ironclad, cornerstone position of the Party he alleges to “lead”. So much for appealing to the base, Mike. Oh, and by the way, you and your Party will probably not have much electoral success given your current policy positions and inept, shameful behavior. Chairman Steele will actually be subjected to a “No Confidence” vote by his own Party later this month. Wow! Don’t let the door hit you on your pea-brained ass, Mike.

The saddest truth about all the GOP activity since the election is that, in this, our Country’s time of greatest need, they continue to sally forth arrogantly, selfishly, without making any real effort to find common ground solutions so desperately needed. Back home they are able to con their illiterate constituents; once back in the fishbowl of Washington, they feel free to play their horrid games, undermine the greater good, lie, and corrupt the very machinery of government. They seem to have been watching a different movie from the rest of us for the last eight years. They obviously have not yet come to terms with the results of the November 2008 elections. Some of their stupidest operatives are polishing up Sarah Palin for 2012 while their miserably beaten Presidential candidate, Senator John McCain, hints that HE should be the Chairman of the RNC. Why is this tired, confused, blithering old man still standing? Some one should have the decency to put him out of his misery and plant him in one of his mansions where he can drool into a bucket in solitude.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/11/steele-abortion-is-an-ind_n_174092.html

http://wonkette.com/tag/michael-steele/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101612112

http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/The-Whispered-Worries-About-Michael-Steele-41132357.html

http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2009/03/michael-steel-off-001685.php

http://www.thetoledojournal.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=94961&sID=16

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

UNSALTED EARTH:

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS AND MYSTIQUE OF IOWA
An Expose’ Of the Heartless Heartland

















A BROODING CYNYX SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

The first Brooding Cynyx to come to Iowa in September 2007, were the advance guard of the greater contingent to follow. We were coming to Iowa to cover the Presidential Primary Campaigns which would culminate here in January 2008 with the much hyped Iowa caucuses, the “First in the Nation” contests that historically have launched winners and often narrowed the field of contenders. We wanted to provide in depth coverage leading up to the Caucuses, the type of coverage that only on the ground correspondents could provide.

Our presence here diminished after the Caucuses but we had seen enough to know that Iowa, this odd place in the middle of the country, was indeed a place rich in story lines - fertile fields for exploring a variety of current events and issues. There was much to learn about Iowa and what went on here when the national media was not present in profusion for the quadrennial Caucuses. We had begun to glimpse the wealth of material that could tell many stories, frame many issues and serve as a microcosm through which we could explore social and cultural topics.

Not long after the caucuses sent Barak Obama on to what would be electoral victory, a sordid tale of secret lives, murder and mayhem broke when a local banker killed his wife and children before talking his own life in a fiery crash on Interstate 80. This was a tale rich with sensationalism locally yet oddly mundane in its detail anywhere else. We stayed to cover this event and its aftermath and knew by this time that we would remain here until we obtained a greater perspective on this place and its people.

By June 2008 the “500 Year Flood” had much of eastern Iowa under record breaking flood waters. We were able to cover this event in depth and from it flowed a rich crop of tangents we were anxious to pursue. That was the real beginning of this series we are about to post in installments.

“Unsalted Earth” is the product of over 20 months of investigative journalism, aggressive reporting amassed from hundreds of interviews with people across the broad spectrum that is Iowa today. Editorially, we decided to focus on just one of the 99 counties in this vast state; Johnson County, home of the University of Iowa; an honest blend of midwest urban, suburban and rural veins occupying 600 square miles in the east central portion of the state. This would be our microcosm within a microcosm, our laboratory from which we could illuminate current events as perceived from this locale. We had also been convinced that this place was rich with stories of its own that deserved telling and told they would be. We were beginning to get an objective appraisal of this place, her people and saw that there was no lack of subject matter. Just the opposite; Iowa was a bumper crop of interesting and surprising tales to be told - good and not so good. Johnson County was just the platform we needed to cast our view and our fishing lines. This was indeed a well stocked pond.

Over the course of the next few months we will post installments covering a variety of issues, local, national and international, as seen from Iowa and as they impact the people of Iowa. Our readers will vicariously see behind the “Iowa Mystique” and come to see the myths about the “heartland” be splayed open and exposed as just so much inaccurate stereotype and bunk. We were seeing Iowa as it really is not the idyllic, bucolic, ‘salt of the earth’, “Fields of Dreams” the rest of America may think of when (and if) they think of Iowa.

Reality as we have found it, seen it and lived it here is an expansive departure from those antiquated myths. Iowa had been showing it’s true self to us and we felt obliged to share our acquired observations with our loyal, discerning readers. How could we not? This is, after all, our stated mission and motivation, our reason for being in many ways.

We hope you will enjoy reading this series as much as we have constructing it. We will be examining relevant issues and topics diverse and disparate through which so much is revealed about this place, its people and its place in our country literally, figuratively and in some collective imaginations. It is a hard hitting, no-hold-barred expose’ of domains from agribusiness to the legal system, to the front lines in the clash between urban development and the rural way of life which, by the way, is not “farming” as most people would think of “farming” to be.

We refer our loyal readers and new followers alike to visit our archives from November 2007 through June of 2008. There can be found some of the initial postings that grew into this long reporting process.

We are proud of “Unsalted Earth” and hope you will find it provocative, educational, entertaining, amusing, thoughtful and penetrating. We of course, as usual, invite you to join the discussion; to contribute your thoughts and comments as you see fit. The Brooding Cynyx always welcomes input from our readers.

With that, we now leave you. The first installment of “Unsalted Earth” will be posted in short order.

Thank you and be well.

The Brooding Cynyx

OMBUDSMAN’S NOTE

The “Unsalted Earth” series is investigative (subjective) reportage at its best and in its purest form. It is our contribution to the blogging community as represents a "blog" in its truest form, purpose and mission. Names are named, subjects discussed in as unvarnished a manner as possible. That said, the series is also a collection of subjective observations and, as such, is protected under the laws of journalistic practice related to editorializing, opining and commentary. All installments of “Unsalted Earth” have been rigorously scrutinized by our legal staff. Since each installment is labeled as “subjective observation”, “commentary”, “opinion”, and “commentary”, they (and we as authors) are protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech). We make no apologies for writing and reporting as we have seen fit. We have not sought to intentionally offend, insult or otherwise upset anyone however, if we have, that’s too bad. If anyone takes issue with anything we have written or reported it is probably because they are guilty as charged. The truth often hurts. Those who become insulted are also frightened because they have been dragged into the harsh light of day, their deeds exposed for a wider audience. We express and maintain our rights under law for the contents of “Unsalted Earth”. We welcome any legal challenge; that would provide additional grist for our very able and active mills.

TBC
March 1, 2009
New York, New York
Iowa City, Iowa

Photo image courtesy of webs.lanset.com/.../New_Am...othic.jpeg

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

TOM DASCHLE

DASHING THROUGH THE TROUGH
Another Tax Cheat In the Cabinet?














Daschle answering questions while Bob Dole
(sitting in front of mannequin) glowers at the press corps.


(Jan. 30, Washington, DC) Tom, oh Tom. What is a newly elected President to do with you?

There is nothing wrong with the fact that you have become a multimillionaire after you were trounced in your last reelection bid. That is, after all, the America Way. Failed politicos dive into the private sector salivating over the big money they can make cashing in on their connections and 'knowledge’ of the ways of Washington. Good for you Tom. Your unabashed greed and lack of ethics across the board is no less than that of so many of your colleagues who have been bounced out of office.

There is nothing wrong with serving on a Board of Advisers for a company owned by your buddy and big campaign contributor. Hell, he was such a good friend he provided you with a chauffeur driven limo for the last few years. What a shock it must have been, Tom, to learn that your good pal was not THAT good of a pal; the driver and limo apparently left you holding the bag for $128,000 in unpaid taxes. Shucks. That was an “honest” mistake, a mere trivial oversight in the big scheme of things. Yup. So you've been gluttonous scarfing down all the lobbyist money available in the K-Street trough. So what, who cares, Tom-tom, that is your right as a former Senator. Loosing hasn't been all that bad, eh?

Some Americans may recall Daschle as the soft spoken, incompetent Senate Majority (for two days) Minority Leader until he was knocked off his little thrown by an empty headed pretty boy, John Thune. Thune has followed in your footsteps, Tommy boy, and is equally inept, ineffective and unremarkable as you were in your time in the Senate. Sorry, this is not about John, Tom. This is about you and your disingenuousness, lack of ethics, morals or any ability to serve in the cabinet. Secretary of Health and Human Services? Sure Tom, that is right up your alley, eh?

Tom, if you have a decent bone in your corrupt, skinny body, you should do the honorable thing and remove yourself as a candidate for this Cabinet post. Cut yourself quickly from any affiliation with the Obama Administration, save them the embarrassment of you; they do seem to have problems aplenty without your crookery added in.

ps: Tom, if you need some quick cash look under your mattress or in your lobbyist wife's purse. Plenty there, right? Scumbag.

Links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/31/us/politics/31daschle.html?hp

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100096749

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/bumps-in-the-ro.html

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/01/30/daschle-paid-100000-in-back-taxes-during-hhs-vetting/

Yeah, that's right. Google has YET to repair the active links problem that has been plaguing so many of us for so long. Once again, please cut and paste the link you are interested in reading into your browser.

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT:

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?



You have your mandate: Step up boldly now
or risk falling into permanent status as a failure.




(Jan. 25, Gaza City, Occupied Palestine) For far too long the international Criminal Court has been unwilling or unable, to tackle the most egregious of violations of international war, the blatant crimes against humanity, and war crimes perpetrated by the Zionist State of Israel and The United States of America. Each of these countries have been able to conduct the grossest atrocities against others; crimes that the ICC was chartered to adjudicate. It appears the ICC is poised to be relegated to the trash bin of world history as an abject failure.

The myriad crimes committed over the last 8 years by the USA and over the last sixty years by Zionist regimes in Israel cry for justice. The countless souls who have lost their lives scream from their graves for a voice; a voice that was intended to ring from the corridors of justice in the Hague. Thus far their cries have remained unheard. The silence from the ICC has been not only profound but also the silence of indifference, cowardice, and shame.

While 172 countries ratified the ICC Charter and several signatory nations have not actually fully recognized the legitimacy of the ICC, the overwhelming majority of the world community has patiently waited for this body to rise; rise with bold and swift action. Sadly, neither has occurred to date.

The ICC seems willing to tinker around the edges, to engage in conflicts not easily identifiable to the world at large. They have insinuated themselves into some of the horrors and war crimes committed in various African conflicts such as Dafur and Congo, while permitting the mass slaughter of innocent Iraqis, Afghans, and, of course, Palestinians. They have been comfortable adopting a position of weakness and disengagement following the lead of their useless, inept cousin, The United Nations. Just as the UN has lost all respect and credibility around the globe so too is the ICC rapidly proving its uselessness.

The recent Israeli assault into the so called Gaza Strip that has resulted in the slaughter of AT LEAST 1300 Palestinians, injuring over 5600 more innocents, has been a virtual showcase of war crimes that demand prosecution. For every Israeli killed in the conflict, over 100 Palestinians lost their lives, often as the innocent victims of the most barbaric and illegal use of tactics, armaments and the flagrant disregard of human rights. If the protection of human rights is at all to be enforced and respected, the time has certainly come for the ICC to begin prosecutions.

The United States, a staunch promoter of “Human Rights” has allowed their former President, George W. Bush and his cronies to unleash unmitigated atrocities of their allegedly sacred “Human Rights” from Iraq to Pakistan and Afghanistan and even on their own soil in the form of domestic espionage. They have shredded their own “Constitution” and have run roughshod over any state, nation, non-state entity or individual they “perceived” as enemies. Yes, from “sea to shining sea” the serpent souled Bush has forever altered the world in a most disastrous and criminal fashion. is the USA beyond reproach? Are they above the law they so vehemently ‘protect’ and “enforce”? Apparently so.

Likewise, Israel is permitted to continue their genocidal assault on Palestine in full view of the international media while the ICC sits idly by refusing to look at the faces of the dead, the poor and the suffering - the children of a 60 year war. How could such pained souls believe in any notion of justice as the ICC and the world turns their collective back as they continue to die?

The message emanating from The Hague speaks clearly saying, white phosphorous used against unarmed civilians is tolerated as is the total destruction of communities, homes, schools, aide stations and Mosques. The ICC cannot see the Israeli occupation as the cause of hundreds of thousands of deaths, actually, by now, deaths measured in the millions of Palestinians who have been starved to death, tortured to death, bombed, shelled, and invaded by the most ruthless, yet gutless of military forces - the Israel Defense Forces. They live today only by the protection afforded them by the USA. The criminal Zionists are like frightened children taunting a bully form behind their mothers back, taking refuge under the wing of America. The world sees this, nations around the world stand stunned by the ICC’s inability and unwillingness to aggressively activate their mandate, exercise the authority given to them by the majority of sovereign states the world over.

Time is running out quickly for the International Criminal Court to ever have a chance for effectiveness, to ever five suffering people hope, hope in true justice, hope that those who perpetrate the most barbaric of war crimes and crimes against innocent humanity , will ever be held accountable. Perhaps once the first Israeli military commander stands in shackles before the International Court, the world will take notice.

But, as has already been mentioned; time is most certainly running out.

LINKS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7846625.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7848768.stm

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/war_on_gaza/2009/01/2009119102548942367.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/200912315512265804.html

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=187696

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=187669

Of course, this being Google Blogspot, the above links are not active. Please, cut and past whatever link you want to read into your browser. If you have the time, please join with us in our mass complaint to Google to repair this long existing defect. Thanks for your continued support and loyalty to TBC. We appreciate you all very much.

Be well.

Copyright TBC 2009 © All Rights Reserved