"Don't buy drugs. They fund violence and terror," he said.
After
touring gardens raided this week in Shasta County, Walters said the
officers who are destroying the gardens are performing hard, dangerous
work in rough terrain. He said growers have been known to have weapons,
including assault rifles.
"These people are armed; they're dangerous," he said. He called them "violent criminal terrorists."
OUR POLITICS MUST CHANGE
US RENTS PAKISTAN ARMY
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE DEBATE
I
was quite startled to have my critique of the permanent election
campaign to be taken by some partisans as a suggestion that it doesn't
matter who is in power. That's not my view and of course we need regime
change; but we need more than that as
Sam Smith notes in a must read
essay on his Progressive Review. Here is part of his argument:
The
2008 presidential campaign has already revealed the slim odds that
anyone elected to the White House from either party will help bring
America back to life, back to its constitution, back to its ideals,
back to sanity and back to reasons for enthusiasm and pride in being an
American.
The job thus remains a largely non-electoral one, much
as it was the first time around and during periodic revivals such as
the abolition movement, populist era and the 1960s. The mainstream
politics were there, but mainly a reflection of powerful movements that
had reached into American hearts and communities and developed a
constituency for the politics that followed. As John Adams put it, the
American Revolution "was effected before the war commenced. The
Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people . . . This radical
change in the principles, opinions, sentiments and affections of the
people was the real American Revolution."
It is such a communal
revolution that is so strikingly missing from the hearts of America
today. It is certainly not to be found in Democratic Party front groups
like Move On and the Center for American Progress, but it is also
missing from the anti-war effort, the healthcare issue and attempts to
control assaults on our civil liberties. There are, to be sure, groups
dealing with each of these issues but they function often more like
traditional Washington lobbies than as forces of broad inspiration. And
they lack either the will or the skill to merge their cause with
different but compatible efforts, leaving a battlefield that looks more
like a series of information booths at a demonstration rather than a
united force for good.
Part of the problem is organizational,
part a lack of common symbols, part stems from the absence of a common
and clear agenda, and part reflects a vacuum of values that are easily
identified and shared.
There also needs to be a far greater
consciousness of the degree to which traditional American
constitutional standards, political agendas and social values have been
destroyed. We need to admit that the First American Republic is over
and as we flail about in whatever one wishes to call the interregnum -
I sometimes call it an adhocracy - our true task is to design, test and
produce America 2.0
IRAQIS CHALLENGE NEW OIL LAW
Basra,
Iraq ? Today hundreds of Iraqis, led by the Iraqi Federation of Oil
Unions (IFOU), took to the streets of Basra to demand that the Iraqi
Parliament reject the proposed Oil Law.[1] Simultaneous demonstrations
took place in Amara and Nassiryya. Local governate officials made
statements in support of the demonstration and, along with the governor
of Basra, have committed to sending letters to the Minister of Oil
supporting the Union's demands.
Hassan Juma'a Awad al Assadi,
President of the IFOU, charges that the proposed Oil Law surrenders
Iraq's economic sovereignty to multinational oil companies: "'We will
lose control over Iraqi oil. Therefore, the social progress in Iraq
will be curtailed substantially, because the oil companies want huge
profits; they are not concerned about the environment, wages, or living
conditions?." The IFOU calls for immediate and complete withdrawal of
all foreign forces from Iraq. The union represents 26,000 members in 10
state oil and gas companies across four governorates in the south of
Iraq?
From: U.S. LABOR AGAINST THE WAR & OIL CHANGE INTERNATIONAL
MSNBC ON IRAQ: U.S. faces Mahdi Army in west Baghdad
American
soldiers who oversee Baghdad's West Rashid district describe an
organized, well-financed Shiite enemy that rules ruthlessly and
distributes the spoils of war to the area's impoverished residents.
The Sunday Times (UK): GALLOWAY TO BE SUSPENDED IN UK PARLIAMENT
George
Galloway, the MP who campaigned against the Iraq war, is to be
suspended from parliament over his links to the United Nations
oil-for-food programme in Iraq.
The parliamentary standards
watchdog will rule this week that Galloway failed properly to declare
his links to a charitable appeal partially funded from money made by
selling Iraqi oil under Saddam Hussein, according to a source close to
the inquiry. The one-month suspension for Galloway, often referred to
as "Gorgeous George", is one of the most severe given to an MP.
Galloway,
who was expelled from Labour, is now an MP for the Respect party. He
may also be asked to apologize to the Commons for his behavior but will
launch a robust defense of his conduct. He denies any wrongdoing.
The
UN oil-for-food programme was set up to allow Saddam to sell Iraqi oil
to buy humanitarian supplies, but he corruptly awarded oil contracts to
politicians and businessmen around the world.''
US renting Pak army for $ 100 million a month
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA writes in the Times of India 14 Jul 2007
WASHINGTON:
The United States is paying around $ 100 million a month for the
deployment of 80,000 Pakistani troops on its border with Afghanistan
ostensibly for the war on terrorism, a key US official revealed on
Thursday.
The money is meant to be "reimbursements" to Pakistan
"for stationing troops and moving them around, and gasoline, and
bullets, and training and other costs that they incur as part of the
war on terror," US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, told a
Congressional panel.
"That's a lot of money," Boucher admitted
before the panel about what amounts to a $ 1.2 billion per year
reimbursement. "I don't know if it comes to the whole amount of their
expenses, but we support their expenses, yes."
In all, US aid to
Pakistan is now close to $ 2 billion a year, according to figures
provided by Boucher, the top U S diplomat for South Asia.
BBC: Karzai pardons 'suicide bomb' boy
Afghan
President Hamid Karzai has pardoned a 14-year-old boy caught wearing a
suicide vest on his way to assassinate a provincial governor.
Rafiqullah had crossed the border from Pakistan and intended to kill Arsala Jamal, governor of Khost province.
Mr Karzai said Rafiqullah had been deceived by the "enemy of Islam" while attending a religious school.
Pardoning him at the presidential palace, Mr Karzai said: "I forgive him and I wish him the best of luck."
AND WHAT IF THERE IS A NEW TERROR ATTACK ON THE US? WHAT THEN?
Writing on Buzzflash, Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D. discusses a worst case scenario:
The
unfolding of events over the past 7 years and the recent emergence of
certain key facts point to the prospect of an ominous conclusion:
before the summer is up, America will be brought under martial law with
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney at the helm.
In May 2007, Bush
posted a national continuity policy to the White House Web site that
bypasses Congress and puts him in charge of all three branches of the
federal government if there is a "catastrophic emergency" ? vaguely
defined to include anything from a destructive hurricane to a terrorist
attack. This leaves democracy in America dangling on a thin thread of
chance that such a "catastrophe" doesn't happen.
On Wednesday,
Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,
said he has a "gut" feeling that Al Qaeda will launch another terrorist
attack on the U.S. mainland sometime this summer. Chertoff's "gut
feeling" comes on the heels of the latest National Intelligence
Estimate, which maintains that in the past year, Al Qaeda has
reconstituted its core structure and has grown stronger along the
Pakistan/Afghanistan border.
This information is disconcerting
in itself. But it becomes even more so when considered in the context
of the Bush administration's unrelenting quest for power.
IRAN'S JEWS SPURN CASH OFFER TO MOVE TO ISRAEL
By Robert Tait The Guardian (UK)
ALTERNET.ORG: In the Lawless Post-Katrina Cleanup, Construction Companies Are Preying on Workers
By Brian Beutler, Media Consortium
After
Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast, construction companies have
squeezed billions out of federal contracts with few labor regulations
and almost no oversight, allowing outrageous worker abuses to occur.
AIRPORT SCREENINGS LESS UPTIGHT IN CANADA
Canadians can now mention bombs, guns at airports
Reuters
- Air travelers in Canada who make comments about bombs and guns will
from now on only be arrested if it is clear they are making a serious
threat, officials said on Wednesday
IAN WILLIAMS
And some thoughts on the Malloch Brown appointment and the consequent disappointment of the US unilateralists.
CORPORATE CRIME WATCH (From Investment News Daily)
Edward Jones to pay $75 million
Edward Jones will part with $75 million to settle charges with the SEC regarding inadequate disclosure.
UBS settles suit for $23.3 million
UBS has agreed to pay $23.3 million for "inappropriately steering" brokerage customers into fee-based accounts.
Can Wall Street be trusted to value risky CDOs?
National Housing Horror Gets Gorier
Comment on this post...
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Media: Dems Block Fairness Doctrine Amendment
Call to end war signals start of a media battle
WILL IMUS BE BACK ON THE AIR?
RADARONLINE
SAYS YES: "Imus buddy Bo Dietl dropped heavy hints on a radio show over
the weekend that the aging shock jock will be back at WFAN no later
than September. That would mean a mere five months of wandering in the
wilderness for the I-Man, who was fired in April by CBS Radio and MSNBC
after calling female college basketball players "nappy-headed hos."
Sharpton,
of course, played no small part in Imus's downfall, even inviting the
man onto his radio show to apologize to viewers only to declare his
apology inadequate. Yet the Rev. tells Radar he would not oppose Imus's
return this fall.
"My position is that we never called for him
to be permanently barred from being on the air," he says. "We'll see
when he comes back, and if he comes back, what are the boundaries and
what is the understanding. We'll be monitoring the situation, but we
wanted him to pay for being a repeat abuser, and he paid. We never said
we didn't want him to make a living."
As for the claim that Imus
is seeking a black comedian to "take the sting out" of his racial
humor, Sharpton says, "A sidekick is not cover. What he needs to give
him cover is his own conscience and whether he'll live up to the
apology he gave those Rutgers girls."
TV WEEK: DEMS BLOCK FAIRNESS DOCTRINE AMENDMENT
Democrats
may not be winning the talk radio battle, but they quashed the first
Senate bid to bar the Federal Communications Commission from doing
something about the inequity. In a procedural move, Senate Majority
Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) prevented Republicans from amending a
defense appropriation bill to block the FCC from reviving the Fairness
Doctrine. The doctrine requires broadcasters to offer competing
viewpoints in a balanced manner when presenting controversial issues.
In turn, the objection kicked off an expansive colloquy on broadcasting
fairness issues between Sen. Durbin and Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), the
amendment's chief sponsor.
CRITIQUING THE WASHINGTON POST
Jerry
Policoff asks: Why a phony headline on this piece? "Sunni Insurgent
Leader Paints Iran as 'Real Enemy' U.S. Strategy Described as Only
Inflaming Iraqi Resistance
By Joshua Partlow
This article has
nothing to do really with Iran. It is based on an interview with a
leader of the Sunni insurgency, and it underscores why we will never
"win" this war. Abu Sarhan regards Iran as the "real enemy " because it
is a Shia state. The Sunni insurgents want to subjugate the Shia and
return to the status quo that existed under Saddam. The Shia,
conversely want to subjugate the Sunnis. This article could lead to a
better understanding as to why the insurgency is a civil war with
little to do with Al Qaeda or Osama Bin Laden or external meddling by
Iran. Instead of giving it a headline that would have described the
article, The Washington Post instead misleadingly implied that "Iran"
is the problem, thus continuing the mainstream media's efforts to
enable the Bush/Cheney, Neocon dream of invading Iran, as if that would
solve the problem. The sub-heading would have made a much more
descriptive and appropriate headline for this article: "U.S. Strategy
Described as Only Inflaming Iraqi Resistance." The mainstream media
bears much of the responsibility for the mess we are in in Iraq, and
they are out to do once again facilitate the Bush agenda in Iran. Below
is what I consider the key excerpt from this article followed by the
entire article.
MUST READ: THE REAL MEDIA DIVIDE (Washington Post)
By Markus Prior
Greater access to media, ironically, has reduced the share of Americans who are politically informed.
Mark
Crispin Miller sent this to me reminding me that I made some of these
same points in my book The More You Watch The Less You Know published
TEN years ago!
Should Reporters Boycott Politicians Who Insult Them? [opinion]
AllAfrica.com
Media baron Black facing financial inquiry
Monsters and Critics
A Sony web site to offer videos by aspiring filmmakers
Sony
is trying to edge into Internet videos with a Web site to be introduced
today called Crackle that will feature short segments by aspiring
filmmakers, many of whom Sony paid for their productions. Sony is
looking to make Crackle the centre of a new generation of young
filmmakers, holding out the hope of possible stardom in productions
from Sony's movie and television studios. Sony is hoping that
higher-quality videos would enable Crackle to stand out in the market
and attract advertisers as well. The makers of the best videos each
quarter will win trips to Los Angeles, where they can promote their
ideas to Sony executives. The videos will also be distributed on AOL,
MySpace, Facebook and several other social networks (The New York Times)
THE STRUGGLE OF INDY JOURNALISTS
Some stories by Saab Loften, an excellent journalist looking for work:
HOORAY FOR B92,net
Belgrade, July 16, 2007 - B92.net last week ranked as 937th out of over 120 million registered websites, according to Alexa.com.
Our web site has been the most successful internet portal in Serbian for a number of years.
However,
the growth of its popularity has continued, to launch it to the top
1,000 sites in the week of July 8 - 15, from among more than 120
million registered websites worldwide.
Alexa.com, a service that provides information on the web traffic, ranked B92.net at 937 of its list last week.
B92.net
left behind such websites as that of UK's Sky News, Channel 4, The
Times, Le Figaro, Le Monde, RTL, Stern, and many other global household
names.
Comment on this post...
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Dissector Daily Forum: A New Tour Of Times Square
TIMES SQUARE BUY OUT "TOUR" THURSDAY IN NYC: WHO OWNS TIMES SQUARE?
SEIU TO RELEASE NEW INTERACTIVE WEB MAP, REPORT SHOWING IMPACT OF PRIVATE EQUITY BUYOUT BOOM ON "CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD"
NEW YORK ? In Times Square, the buyout industry is, literally, everywhere you turn.
On
Wednesday (July 18, 2007), SEIU is releasing a new report and an
original, interactive map detailing the Times Square buyout boom. The
report and map will be available online at
http://www.WhoOwnsTimesSquare.org and http://www.BehindtheBuyouts.org
as of noon on July 18.
The staggering concentration of private
equity-owned companies at the "Crossroads of the World" provides a
microcosm of the impact of this wealthy and growing industry over
America's national economic landscape.
Also on Thursday: New
York residents and others will participate in a guided tour by
double-decker bus of private equity-owned companies in Times Square.
The tour is sponsored by SEIU, ACORN, and the Working Families Party of
New York.
The buyout boom, coming at a time of historic income
inequality in America, is raising increasing concerns about private
equity's impact on American workers, communities, and the nation. For
more information, go to http://www.BehindtheBuyouts.org.
NY SCREENING THURSDAY NIGHT
"War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Spin Us to Death," narrated by Sean Penn, featuring Norman Solomon
Wednesday, July 18
10:30 p.m.* KGB Bar's Red Room
85 E. 4th St. 3rd floor
Thanks for being with me. Your comments add value to the blog and to the debate. Write:
Dissector@mediachannel.org
