Politicked Off

From AFP:

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Lakota Indians, who gave the world legendary warriors Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, have withdrawn from treaties with the United States, leaders said Wednesday.

“We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,” long-time Indian rights activist Russell Means told a handful of reporters and a delegation from the Bolivian embassy, gathered in a church in a run-down neighborhood of Washington for a news conference.

A delegation of Lakota leaders delivered a message to the State Department on Monday, announcing they were unilaterally withdrawing from treaties they signed with the federal government of the United States, some of them more than 150 years old.

The following is copied from LewRockwell.com

What would it cost to buy the support of just about every nationally-syndicated neocon talk show host in America? About $19.5 Billion, which is what Mitt Romney’s private equity firm, Bain Capital, and Thomas H. Lee Partners have agreed to pay in a leveraged buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications, the largest radio station owner in the country.

Clear Channel owns over 1,100 full-power AM, FM, and shortwave radio stations, twelve radio channels on XM Satellite Radio, and more than 30 television stations in the United States. Premiere Radio Networks, which is the largest syndication company in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel and is home to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and many others. Sean Hannity recently signed a large multi-market contract with Clear Channel, as well.

From an anonymous email:

“I’ll bet those hosts won’t reveal that conflict of interest, but it’s worth noting when you hear them begin hyping Romney, which has already begun. A lot of GOP supporters will support whomever they are told to support, so be prepared for a big push for Romney. On the bright side, Romney has more vulnerabilities than Rudy, based on his record. Look at this as the GOP establishment doing us a favor. Rich men can bankroll their own campaigns (a la John Kerry), but it takes a special breed to use investors’ money to buy entire networks that can operate as passive wings of a presidential campaign.”

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, a 10-term Texas congressman and advocate of military non-interventionism overseas, has condemned the war in Iraq but praised American humanitarian and commercial efforts helping to bring peace to the Iraqi people.

Thursday morning, a five-year-old Iraqi boy named Youssif, was afforded an important and life-altering surgery by CNN.com readers, the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, California, and the Children’s Burn Foundation. More than $300,000 was raised to bring the Iraqi boy, whose face was severely scarred after being doused with gas and set on fire in Baghdad this January, and his family to America two months ago. Dr. Peter Grossman, a plastic surgeon with the Grossman Burn Center, has donated his services to repair the scarring to the young boy’s face.

Congressman Paul today issued the following statement in support of Dr. Grossman and the generous contributors:

“I often state that America’s greatest characteristic is not our military might, but rather the individual generosity and kindness of our people. Many have thanked God for it, in many different languages, and I am continually moved by the countless acts of humanitarianism by American citizens. Today, I have the pleasure of commending Dr. Peter Grossman, the Grossman Burn Center, Children’s Burn Foundation, and CNN readers who have forever changed Youssif’s life and given him hope after surviving an unthinkable and heinous attack. Their remarkable generosity is a testament to the global goodwill of the American people. Youssif himself is a reminder to us that we must not isolate ourselves from people in nations we perceive to be against us. That human connection must always be in our hearts and minds, as it certainly is with Youssif and his family. My family and I wish Youssif a safe and peaceful recovery.”

CNN first brought Youssif’s story to light nearly three months ago.

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Good for CNN, good for the many who contributed, and good for Ron Paul for consistently opposing this war while bringing attention to the good work being done in Iraq voluntarily. 

Update:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, architect of an unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon, Republican officials said Wednesday.

Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.

Read more here

Hush, little blogger, don’t say a word,
It’s best you become part of the mindless herd.
And if you feel the need for a political rant,
Mama’s going to recommend you keep it scant.
And if you continue to question authority,
DHS will consider your unlawful captivity.
And if this warning won’t keep you mum,
Government’s going to classify you a terrorist scum.
And if you still think your speech is free,
Try selling 9-11 as a conspiracy.
Your NSA file will have an “enemy combatant” stamp,
And soon you’ll be heading off to a detention camp.
So if you know what’s good for you,
Keep your posts in check and your attitude too.
Now shut your mouth and watch Fox News,
Enjoy your IQ drop and let it be your muse.

Check out the olive ream for more great content.

S. 3930 passed just before Congress adjourned to campaign for re-election. They passed it to show they were tough on terrorism. But it effectively repeals the Bill of Rights. It permits the federal government to . . .

• “Disappear” anyone (including American citizens)
• Detain them indefinitely without recourse to legal defense
• Torture them
• Try them without due process
• Punish them, also without due process

The entire bill is bad, but the “killer” passage is subsection ii which defines an Unlawful Enemy Combatant as anyone . . .

“who, before, on, or after the date of the enactment of the Military Commissions Act of 2006, has been determined to be an unlawful enemy combatant by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal or another competent tribunal established under the authority of the President or the Secretary of Defense.”

1. This section makes it clear that this law applies to anyone appointed bureaucrats label an “enemy combatant.” That could be you.
2. There’s no limit to application of this law. It could be applied to anyone at anytime — war or no war.
3. Notice also that this new law is retroactive. You could have done something to violate this law before it even became a law.
4. Please also notice that the President is given the authority to create another “competent tribunal” to make these decisions if he or she is not satisfied with the efforts of the Combatant Status Review Tribunal. In other words, the President can create other tribunals, not even governed by this law, as long as he declares them to be “competent” to make decisions about who should be disappeared, detained, tortured, tried and punished, all without recourse to a legal defense.

Please be clear about what this all means . . .

You could be disappeared at anytime, detained and tortured, forever, and no one need ever know what became of you.

You were told this law would only apply to non-citizens. You were told a deal was being struck to make the bill less oppressive. Congress lied on both counts. The deal they struck actually made the law worse.

You were informed by the mainstream media that you could trust Senator McCain to protect you because he had once been tortured in Vietnam, but Senator McCain did not protect you. He betrayed you. He agreed to make this law worse, not better.

The final version of this law actually repeals the entire Bill of Rights for everyone; citizens and non-citizens alike. The only right you still retain is the protection against being forced to quarter troops in your home.

Please help by heading to Downsize DC to contact your local representative demanding that this bill be repealed immediately.