Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Is This Dude Hitler's Grandson?

He claims he is, and you have to admit, they do look alike.  However, he claims
his birth isn't the result of some Nazi cloning project hidden in the jungles of
Brazil, but rather from his father, Hitler's French lovechild from WWI.  It's a
very plausible tale and a great read...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2126591/Philippe-Loret-believes-Adolf-Hi\
tlers-grandson-French-plumber-tells-family-story.html

***

Greek Town Implements Revolutionary Barter System Without Euro
Sunday, April 22, 2012
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/04/greek-town-develops-bartering-system.html

Greece continues along a path toward self-sufficiency that could very well see
them break free from their debt servitude.

In the wake of their pillaging by international financiers, Greeks who have
realized that protesting is likely to bring little relief have begun to
implement barter systems to meet their local community needs.  Through a
combination of decentralization from the Euro, free markets, local cooperation,
and the creation of a new currency based on productivity, markets like the one
below in Volos are leading the charge to a restoration of the principles that
build truly sustainable economies.

This is an encouraging sign, and one that is replicating throughout
austerity-ridden economies the world over.  International currencies are
increasingly being rejected in the face of reduced living standards through
inflation and outright theft by global banksters.

Americans would do well to learn from the truly revolutionary actions taken by
individuals in deliberately collapsed countries, because if global (mis)managers
have their way, a similar scenario is guaranteed to unfold in the United States.

You can support this information by voting on Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/smnam/greek_town_implements_revoluti\
onary_barter_system/

***

The Obama DOJ and strip searches
Glenn Greenwald
Tuesday, Apr 3, 2012
Full Article:
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/03/the_obama_doj_and_strip_searches

Numerous progressive commentators are lambasting the Supreme Court for its 5-4
ruling yesterday in Florence v. Bd. of Chosen Freeholders, and rightfully so.
The 5-judge conservative faction held that prison officials may strip-search
anyone arrested even for the most minor offenses before admitting them to the
general population of a jail or prison, even in the absence of a shred of
suspicion that they are carrying weapons or contraband. The plaintiff in this
case had been erroneously arrested for outstanding bench warrants for an unpaid
fine that he had actually paid, and was twice subjected to forced strip
searches; he sued, claiming a violation of his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment
rights. In essence, the Florence ruling grants prison officials license to
subject every single arrested individual entering the general prison population
to humiliating and highly invasive strip searches (that's 13 million people
every year, with hugely disproportionately minority representation), based on
the definitive police state mentality — one that has been applied over and over
— that isolated risks justify the most sweeping security measures. This policy
has been applied to those arrested for offenses such as dog leash laws, peaceful
protests, and driving with an expired license.

What virtually none of this anti-Florence commentary mentioned, though, was that
the Obama DOJ formally urged the Court to reach the conclusion it reached. While
the Obama administration and court conservatives have been at odds in a handful
of high-profile cases (most notably Citizens United and the health care law),
this is yet another case, in a long line, where the Obama administration was
able to have its preferred policies judicially endorsed by getting right-wing
judges to embrace them:

In 1979, the Supreme Court ruled that in the interest of security, prisons could
conduct visual body cavity searches of all detainees after they had contact with
outsiders. For years after that ruling, lower courts ruled that the prison had
to have a reasonable suspicion that the arrestee was concealing contraband
before subjecting him to a strip search upon entering the facility.

But in recent years, some courts have begun to allow a blanket policy to strip
search all arrestees.

The Obama administration is siding with the prisons in the case and urging the
court to allow a blanket policy for all inmates set to enter the general prison
population.

"When you have a rule that treats everyone the same," Justice Department lawyer
Nicole A. Saharsky argued, "you don't have folks that are singled out. You don't
have any security gaps."


As The Guardian said yesterday: "The decision was a victory for the jails and
for the Obama administration, which argued for an across-the-board rule allowing
strip-searches of all those entering the general jail population, even those
arrested on minor offenses." Civil rights lawyer Stephen Bergstein added:

This evidence suggesting that minor offenders are not smuggling contraband into
jails was not good enough for the Obama administration, which is asking the
Supreme Court to endorse the restrictive strip search policy in Florence. At
oral argument, a lawyer for the Obama Justice Department told the Supreme Court
that "[p]rotesters…who decide deliberately to get arrested… might be stopped by
the police, they see the squad car behind them. They might have a gun or
contraband in their car and think hey, I'm going to put that on my person, I
just need to get it somewhere that is not going to be found during a patdown
search, and then potentially they have the contraband with them." This position
would probably be identical to that advanced by a Republican presidential
administration.


What makes the Obama DOJ's position in favor of this broad strip-search
authority particularly remarkable is that federal prisons do not even have this
policy. As The New York Times` Adam Liptak explained, "the procedures endorsed
by the majority are forbidden by statute in at least 10 states and are at odds
with the policies of federal authorities. According to a supporting brief filed
by the American Bar Association, international human rights treaties also ban
the procedures."

It's rather strange to so vehemently condemn the ruling in this case as a
warped, sadistic police state excess, and not even mention that the Obama DOJ
vigorously advocated for this very result...

In a speech to the Associated Press today, President Obama boasted that his
signature domestic policies were basically conservative (he labeled them
"centrist"): his individual mandate, he said, was pioneered by conservatives and
the Heritage Foundation; his cap-and-trade policy was first proposed by Bush 41;
federal spending is lower now than it was during any year of the Reagan
administration, etc. Even the successes most touted by his supporters — the
Detroit bailout, TARP, the withdrawal from Iraq — were started by Bush 43.
Obama's foreign policy and civil liberties assaults also, of course, were
largely shared by his predecessor and are frequently praised by the Right.

What is needed most — a strong countervailing force to these policies coming
from a place other than the neoconservative Right and corporatist oligarchs — is
exactly what is missing...

***

The Fall of Bo Xilai
Full Article:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-10/bo-xilais-fall-complicates-china\
s-leadership-transition

Former high-flying conservative Bo Xilai has been suspended from China's Central
Committee, a 200-plus-member top leadership body, as well as the more powerful
Politburo, now with two dozen members. The charge: "suspected of being involved
in serious discipline violations," said Xinhua news agency on April 10. And in a
stunning development, the state news agency also announced that Bo's wife, Gu
Kailai, and an orderly from the Bo household are "highly suspected" in the
homicide of a British businessman who died in Chongqing last November.

It is the biggest political scandal to hit China in years. It destroys any
possibility of a smooth transition to the next generation of top leaders slated
to take control at the National Party Congress, which will happen this fall.
That had been the intention of China's party brass, eager to present a unified
face to the world. And it ends the career of the 62-year-old former party
secretary and princeling—son of a Communist Party revolutionary—whose
once-likely ascension to China's Standing Committee would have made him one of
the nine most powerful men in the country.

For Bo, it is an ignominious end to a career that earned him occasional kudos
and plenty of enemies. He was praised for creating one of China's most livable
cities when he ran coastal Dalian in the 1990s. As minister of commerce from
2004 to 2007, he earned few friends among the foreign business community while
gaining a reputation as a nationalist who favored Chinese state enterprises.

Bo's prospects of reaching top office faded when his former chief of police,
Wang Lijun, fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, Sichuan, in an apparent
failed bid for political asylum. Now it appears Wang carried with him explosive
allegations about Bo's wife's involvement in the Chongqing murder, effectively
ending any possibility of Bo ever being promoted again. The unfolding scandal
saw him replaced as Chongqing's party secretary earlier, on March 15...

***

ACLU Rates Obama Below Ron Paul and Libertarian Gary Johnson
ACLU report card finds fault with Obama, rivals
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, January 2, 2012
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/01/MNND1MJ7UO.DTL

The American Civil Liberties Union has issued "Liberty Watch 2012," its report
card for presidential candidates on issues like surveillance, torture, gay
rights and immigration. No one gets an A, including President Obama.

Obama, the only Democrat among the 10 candidates rated, got a perfect score -
four "torches" - on only one issue, allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly
in the military, for his backing of the December 2010 law that repealed "don't
ask, don't tell."

But he received lower marks on immigration, abortion rights and "closing
Guantanamo Bay and indefinite detention," where his one-torch rating was
attributed to backtracking on a promise to shut the prison for suspected
terrorists and his support for holding their trials in military commissions.

'Surveillance state'

The ACLU gave Obama a zero rating in the category of "ending a surveillance
state," citing his support for renewing the search and surveillance provisions
of the Patriot Act.

The ACLU has praised Obama for banning torture and closing secret CIA prisons,
but says he has refused to hold government wrongdoers accountable. The
organization has gone to court on behalf of alleged victims of illegal
wiretapping and CIA abductions during the Bush administration, lawsuits that
Obama's Justice Department says threaten state secrets.

The nonprofit civil liberties group is officially nonpartisan and does not
endorse political candidates. Its report focuses on issues of government power
and minority rights that attract little attention in most presidential
elections.

GOP candidates

The survey gave low ratings to most of the Republican hopefuls, marks they might
want to trumpet in Tuesday's Iowa caucuses to appeal to conservatives who
consider the ACLU a fighting word. Three candidates - Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum
and Michele Bachmann - received zero torches in all seven categories.

Romney, the ACLU noted, has endorsed Arizona's "show us your papers" immigration
law, called for doubling the size of Guantanamo, backed waterboarding of
terrorism suspects and supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Santorum wants criminal prosecution of doctors who perform abortions, the survey
said, and Bachmann has proposed amending the Constitution to eliminate
citizenship rights for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

Fellow Republicans Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry were given zeros on all issues
but immigration, where both men's statements opposing wholesale deportations
have angered hard-liners and have been seen as liabilities in the primary
campaign.

Gingrich, the ACLU said, supports allowing youngsters brought to the United
States by their parents to earn the right to citizenship by serving in the armed
forces. The ACLU noted that Perry opposed a U.S.-Mexico border fence, said
Arizona's immigration law "would not be the right direction for Texas," and
signed a bill as governor in 2001 granting in-state tuition to illegal
immigrants attending college.

Both candidates were given two torches on the issue, same as Obama. The
president supports a path to citizenship for undocumented youths who enter the
military or college, and he has challenged the Arizona law in court. But his
administration increased deportations to record levels and expanded Secure
Communities, which requires local authorities to forward arrestees' fingerprints
to the federal government for immigration checks.

Highest ranking

The highest overall rating went to former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a
Republican-turned-Libertarian, who opposes the Patriot Act and - unlike Obama -
supports the right of gays and lesbians to marry. Among the leading Republican
candidates, libertarian-leaning Rep. Ron Paul also got a higher score than Obama
despite low ratings in several categories.

The ACLU gave the Texas congressman high marks for opposing the Patriot Act and
indefinite detention of suspected terrorists, condemning waterboarding and
voting to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." But it criticized Paul's call for an
end to "birthright citizenship" for children of illegal immigrants, his support
of the law that denies federal marriage benefits to same-sex couples and his
opposition to abortion.

Obama, endorsed by abortion-rights groups in 2008, was given three torches on
"reproductive choice" by the ACLU, which cited his support for federal funding
of Planned Parenthood and family-planning programs but also his bowing to
Republican demands to ban funding for poor women's abortions in Washington,
D.C., as part of legislation to prevent a government shutdown.

Obama also accepted restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion in the
national health care law that passed in 2010.

Report card link

The survey can be viewed at www.aclulibertywatch.org/ALWCandidateReportCard.pdf.

E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@....

This article appeared on page A - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

***

Fix income inequality with $10 million loans for everyone!
Sheila Bair
April 13, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fix-income-inequality-with-10-million-loa\
ns-for-everyone/2012/04/13/gIQATUQAFT_story.html

Are you concerned about growing income inequality in America? Are you resentful
of all that wealth concentrated in the 1 percent? I've got the perfect solution,
a modest proposal that involves just a small adjustment in the Federal Reserve's
easy monetary policy. Best of all, it will mean that none of us have to work for
a living anymore.

For several years now, the Fed has been making money available to the financial
sector at near-zero interest rates. Big banks and hedge funds, among others,
have taken this cheap money and invested it in securities with high yields. This
type of profit-making, called the "carry trade," has been enormously profitable
for them.

So why not let everyone participate?

Under my plan, each American household could borrow $10 million from the Fed at
zero interest. The more conservative among us can take that money and buy
10-year Treasury bonds. At the current 2 percent annual interest rate, we can
pocket a nice $200,000 a year to live on. The more adventuresome can buy 10-year
Greek debt at 21 percent, for an annual income of $2.1 million. Or if Greece is
a little too risky for you, go with Portugal, at about 12 percent, or $1.2
million dollars a year. (No sense in getting greedy.)

Think of what we can do with all that money. We can pay off our underwater
mortgages and replenish our retirement accounts without spending one day
schlepping into the office. With a few quick keystrokes, we'll be golden for the
next 10 years.

Of course, we will have to persuade Congress to pass a law authorizing all this
Fed lending, but that shouldn't be hard. Congress is really good at spending
money, so long as lawmakers don't have to come up with a way to pay for it. Just
look at the way the Democrats agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts if the
Republicans agreed to cut Social Security taxes and extend unemployment
benefits. Who says bipartisanship is dead?

And while that deal blew bigger holes in the deficit, my proposal won't cost
taxpayers anything because the Fed is just going to print the money. All we need
is about $1,200 trillion, or $10 million for 120 million households. We will all
cross our hearts and promise to pay the money back in full after 10 years so the
Fed won't lose any dough. It can hold our Portuguese debt as collateral just to
make sure.

Because we will be making money in basically the same way as hedge fund
managers, we should have to pay only 15 percent in taxes, just like they do. And
since we will be earning money through investments, not work, we won't have to
pay Social Security taxes or Medicare premiums. That means no more money will go
into these programs, but so what? No one will need them anymore, with all the
cash we'll be raking in thanks to our cheap loans from the Fed.

Come to think of it, by getting rid of work, we can eliminate a lot of
government programs. For instance, who needs unemployment benefits and job
retraining when everyone has joined the investor class? And forget the trade
deficit. Heck, we want those foreign workers to keep providing us with goods and
services.

We can stop worrying about education, too. Who needs to understand the value of
pi or the history of civilization when all you have to do to make a living is
order up a few trades? Let the kids stay home with us. They can play video games
while we pop bonbons and watch the soaps and talk shows. The liberals will love
this plan because it reduces income inequality; the conservatives will love it
because it promotes family time.

I'm really excited! This is the best American financial innovation since liar
loans and pick-a-payment mortgages. I can't wait to get my super PAC started to
help candidates who support this important cause. I think I will call my
proposal the "Get Rid of Employment and Education Directive."

Some may worry about inflation and long-term stability under my proposal. I say
they lack faith in our country. So what if it cost 50 billion marks to mail a
letter when the German central bank tried printing money to pay idle workers in
1923?

That couldn't happen here. This is America. Why should hedge funds and big
financial institutions get all the goodies?

Look out 1 percent, here we come.

outlook@...

Sheila Bair is a former chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and a
regular contributor to Fortune Magazine.

***

Is It True That Only 85 Million Americans Pay Federal Tax? No.
Josh Barro
4/17/2012
Full Article:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbarro/2012/04/17/everything-about-this-drudge-he\
adline-is-wrong

Splashed across the Drudge front page right now is the headline: "DATA: ONLY 85
MILLION PAY FED TAXES." This is the old trope about most Americans "not paying
taxes." And as usual, it's a lie.

The truth is that most American adults pay federal taxes. The data point that
Drudge has mangled here is that only about 122 million Americans pay federal
personal income tax—and most who don't pay other federal taxes.

The underlying data here are the IRS's preliminary figures on 2010 individual
income taxes, which indeed show that only 85 million federal individual income
tax returns included a tax liability. But income tax is not the same thing as
federal tax. Payroll tax raises nearly as much money as personal income tax, and
is much less progressive—essentially everyone who works pays it, at a flat rate,
and the tax is actually capped so that high earners pay a smaller percentage of
their income than moderate and low earners. And people who don't pay income tax
pay other federal taxes, such as excise taxes on gasoline and tobacco. They also
bear some of the burden of the corporate income tax..

Overall, the federal tax code is progressive, but not nearly as progressive as
the federal income tax alone, and a large majority of households have a positive
federal tax liability.

So the "fed taxes" part of Drudge's headline is wrong. What about "85 million"?
There are 85 million tax units that paid federal income tax in 2010, but some of
those tax units are married couples. The IRS hasn't yet announced how many in
2010, but in 2009, 44 percent of filers with a federal income tax liability were
married couples. If that figure held for 2010, then about 122 million Americans
paid federal income tax.

***

Book claims JFK's mistress was assassinated by the CIA 'because she knew too
much about his assassination'
19 April 2012
Full Article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2132334/JFKs-mistress-Mary-Pinchot-assas\
sinated-CIA-knew-much.html

The suspicious death of one of President John F. Kennedy's mistresses just
months after his death has sparked numerous conspiracy theories.

The latest version posits that socialite Mary Pinchot Meyer, a beautiful
divorcee who was close friends with the Kennedys and is widely known for having
a lengthy affair with the playboy President, was shot in a cover-up operation by
the CIA.

A new book alleges that, in her preoccupation with her lover's assassination and
ensuing personal investigation, she may have gotten so close to the 'truth' that
the CIA found her to be a threat.

As a result, agency operatives staged a shooting to make it look like she died
due to a sexual assault that turned violent.

Whether or not the theory is true, there are a number of questionable components
to the story of the months leading up to her death on October 12, 1964.

Her ex-husband, Cord Meyer, was a CIA agent himself and the couple were
card-carrying members of Georgetown's starry social set, which included
then-Senator John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline.

The couples became close friends, along with Mary's sister Antoinette (who went
by Tony) and her husband Ben Bradlee, who was a bureau chief for Newsweek but
later went on to be the managing editor of The Washington Post.

Another couple that they spent time with was Mary's Vassar classmate Cicely
d'Autremont and her husband James Angleton, who was the chief of the counter
surveillance for the CIA.

A book by Peter Janney, called Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John
F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision of World Peace, the author
claims that the the socialite would often bring marijuana and LSD to her trysts
with the President.

During their conversations while on these hallucinogens, Ms Pinchot Meyer
reportedly tried to appeal to Mr Kennedy's pacifist nature and urged him to seek
peaceful solutions to such worldwide crises like the Cold War and the Cuban
missile crisis.

At the time, LSD was not illegal, and many, including Harvard professor Timothy
Leary, advocated its use because they believed it helped people expand their
knowledge base.

Mr Janney's book is not the first to draw conclusions between Ms Pinchot Meyer's
friendship with Mr Leary and her intentions with her relationship with Mr
Kennedy.

He goes on to say that she was later murdered by the CIA, who he believes
organized the assassination of the President in an effort to stop him from
preventing violent escalation that they wanted in the Cold War...

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


The Freemont Experience is a likable attraction for downtown Las Vegas, but a
more ambitious plan was to put a full-sized Starship Enterprise from Star Trek
there:

http://www.thegoddardgroup.com/blog/index.php/now-it-can-be-told-the-star-trek-a\
ttraction-that-almost-came-to-life-in-1992

*

Konformist Book Club: Urville

From Amazon:

Urville, the capital of a large island province, has a population of nearly 12
million, making it the one of the most significant cities in Europe. It is also
entirely imaginary. Gilles Trehin, an autistic man with exceptional creative
talents and an obsession with large cities, conceived and developed Urville over
the course of 20 years. He shares his vision in this beautifully illustrated
guide to the city, which he renders convincingly real in nearly 300 drawings of
different districts of Urville. He describes, in remarkable detail, the
architectural styles of its individual buildings and provides historical,
geographical, economic and cultural information. This includes historical
figures and cultural anecdotes grounded in historical reality - Trehin accounts
for the effects of the Vichy regime, the Second World War and globalisation on
his imagined city. This book offers fascinating evidence of and insight into the
creative power of the autistic mind and will be of interest to people with
autism and without.

To read more on Urville:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/02/16/urville-gilles-trehin/

Amazon Link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1843104199/thekonformist

*

Kool websites

http://steampunkanarchist.wordpress.com/

Steampunk began as a radical satirical form of fiction, but today it encompasses
much more. What precisely is steampunk? As the editors of Steampunk Magazine
explain, steampunk is "a vibrant culture of DIY crafters, writers, artists, and
other creative types, each with their own slightly different answer to that
question". By its diverse nature, steampunk resists definition. Furthermore, in
the ever evolving nature of steampunk, "as each new iteration of the idea
be­comes more ambitious, the mutations are delightfully limitless and
unpredictable"...


BrianFoxBand Records
http://www.brianfoxband.com

"BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH!!"

THE "33" CD

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE CD ($11.99)!!!


Activation Products
http://www.activationproducts.com

Activation Products was created from a desire to become healthy by discovering
and applying the very best foods and technologies in existence.

We collect and offer those products which work the most synergistically with the
systems of the human body. Try a little of everything and discover what works
for you.

We enjoy helping people by sharing the information that has helped us.


http://www.preparewise.com

At PrepareWise, we have one goal in mind: Helping you prepare your family for
emergencies by providing the best prices for freeze dried food storage anywhere
on the web. PrepareWise proudly offers Legacy Premium, the wise food storage
choice, because of it's lower cost per day, greater freeze dried meals variety,
gourmet tastes, and incredible value. Enjoy Free Shipping on every item on our
website, and let us know how we can help you protect your family and build up
your emergency food storage.


http://www.musclebounded.com

New Discovery By Scientists Leads To Massive Muscle Gains...

With the recent media coverage exposing steroid use in professional sports, many
everyday people are looking for an extra edge to build muscle, get stronger, and
look better.

Steroids, although effective, are unhealthy and illegal to use without a
prescription. Millions of dollars have been spent in sports medicine research to
find a completely safe, natural alternative that produces the same results.

After years of research scientists now agree that nitric oxide supplements are a
safe way to maximize your muscle gains.

Many professional athletes, body builders, and even UFC fighters have started
using a nitric oxide supplement called NOX360 last year. Terrell Owens "TO", a
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NOX360 currently sells for as high as $99.99 in retail supplement stores, and
this limited time promotion gives you a free trial of NOX360 for $1.95, just
paying for shipping and handling. To learn more on NOX360 & nitric oxide, we
provided some internal research and reviews for our readers as well as the NO3
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The Science Behind Nitric Oxide & NOX360

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you exercise. This burst of oxygen keeps your muscles functioning while lifting
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Unfortunately, your body can only generate a limited amount of nitric oxide.
When the nitric oxide runs out your muscles can no longer power through the
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Taking a nitric oxide supplement 30 minutes before your workout could be the
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What's the Best Nitric Oxide Product?

Now that the science behind nitric oxide has been proven, several companies are
rushing to bring a nitric oxide supplement to consumers, but which is the best?

NOX360 is, without question, the most popular nitric oxide supplement available
on the market today. Thousands of people have already bought NOX 360 online or
from their local supplement stores. As you can see below, NOX360 out performs
every nitric oxide supplement on the market.

*

FeedBack: Christ's disciples' remains 'discovered'

If you actually want to understand what these symbols mean, you first need to
understand ancient symbology. No one involved in this project seems to have a
clue and thereby all assertions about symbols and their interpretations are
without any factual support.

I will demonstrate that this image purposely portrays the merger of both a fish
and a vessel and it is Hebrew, not Christian. To fully understand what this
image represents, it must be viewed correctly with the "ball" at the bottom,
just as it was drawn. Changing its position breaks the meaning of the symbolic
code. Consider that the ball is the sun rising above the horizon at the spring
equinox. The fish/vessel is the constellation Pisces, and thereby this shows the
spring equinox sun, rising into Pisces, which is how you determine the current
age on the zodiac.

This image would then represent a zodiacal/astrological time stamp pointing to
the second temple period, which was at the start of the age of Pisces. The fish
thereby represents the constellation Pisces, and the vessel shape holds the
"waters" of that age. Water symbolizes the flow of deeds through time, and a
vessel holds a measured quantity of water (or other liquids like wine and oil).
The measured period of time is the 2160 years of the age of Pisces, which ended
in 2001. This image is a perfect symbolic code for the age of Pisces and the
time and deeds (waters...) it represents.

The second temple period was the 11th 360-year cycle on the Hebrew calendar.
That is why the Dead Sea Scrolls were buried in exactly 11 caves, during the
11th cycle, which is also symbolized by the 11 stars in Genesis. The 11th cycle
was also the beginning of the age of Pisces, and it is well known that the
zodiac was used by those who buried the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as other
groups throughout the region.

The symbology of that image is not Christian, but instead a symbolic time code
pointing to the age of Pisces and related details. That is also the true source
of the fish symbolism used by early Christians and later recast by Church
leaders to hide the astrological source and associations with those most call
the "Essenes." Visit my website (SevenStarHand.org) and download a free copy of
my ebook to learn the basic rules for this ancient symbology. They prove all
previous interpretations are erroneous, though both a fish and a vessel were
correct guesses.

You have discovered something that none of you understand and now I bring proof
of the correct solution to this mystery. Sadly for religious leaders, it
completely exposes pivotal ancient lies…

This image provides key proof that Christian assertions about the fish and
related symbology have always been wrong. I'll publish more details soon.

Here are more insights:

Dead Sea Scrolls' Burial Secret Completely Exposes Ancient Lies
http://www.i-newswire.com/dead-sea-scrolls-burial-secret/81149

Here is Wisdom...

Buddy Page
aka
Seven Star Hand

*

Awesome Quotes: Watchmen

"I heard a joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life is
harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world. Doctor says,
'Treatment is simple. The great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go see him.
That should pick you up.' Man bursts into tears. Says, 'But doctor... I am
Pagliacci.' Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains."

Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach

*

April 15th (ironically, better known as income tax day) marked the 100th
anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Here are 10 facts you probably
didn't know about The Titanic...
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/100th-anniversary-titanic-10-things-didn-t-know-232200873.\
html

* On the evening of April 14, the first-class passengers on the Titanic enjoyed
a ten-course meal that included oysters, poached salmon, sirloin of beef, lamb
with mint sauce, chocolate éclairs and waldorf pudding. According to Armchair
World, a different wine was served with each course, and coffee and cigars
accompanied by port and distilled spirits were available with the last course.

* The Titanic had its own newspaper. According to the Natural Science Center of
Greensboro, The Atlantic Daily Bulletin was printed daily and included news
articles, the latest stock prices, horse-racing results, society gossip and a
daily menu.

* The massive ship had some unheard of amenities. A Discovery Channel article
details perks such as an onboard Turkish bath, libraries, a squash court and a
heated swimming pool. The luxury liner even had an infirmary with an operating
room.

* While the Titanic boasted some of the wealthiest people in the world on board,
two famous men of that era didn't make the trip. According to Discovery.com,
financier J. P. Morgan and famed chocolatier Milton S. Hershey had planned to
sail aboard the ship's maiden voyage but canceled at the last minute.

* Less than a month after the tragedy, silent film actress and Titanic survivor
Dorothy Gibson starred in the film "Saved From the Titanic." According to
Stageclick, the actress reenacted her personal story of the tragedy, complete
with the actual white silk evening dress she wore on that fateful night. The
film was a hit in America and England, but the only known prints were destroyed
two years later in a fire.

* Many artifacts from the Titanic were salvaged. The Titanic Museum in
Massachusetts houses The Titanic Historical Society's collection, which includes
a lifejacket, lifeboat flag, luncheon and dinner menus, a square of first-class
stateroom carpet, letters and postcards written on board, first class china and
a bridge bell.

* According to UK's Mirror, a violin alleged to have belonged to Titanic
bandleader Wallace Harley was recently discovered. While tests are being done to
prove its authenticity, if sold it would break the record for a Titanic
artifact, post office keys that were sold in England for £101,000 in 2007.

* The former home of one of the most famous Titanic survivors is now a museum in
Denver. The 1910 home of socialite Margaret Brown - known after the tragedy as
"The Unsinkable Molly Brown," is open for tours and workshops.

* The last remaining survivor of the Titanic died in 2009. Millvana Dean was
only nine weeks old and the youngest passenger on the ship when she was put on a
lifeboat and saved. According to The Guardian, her death at age 97 came just a
month after "Titanic" stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet helped pay her
nursing home expenses.

* Many sources have pegged the band's final song as "Nearer My God To Me." But
in a 1912 interview with The New York Times, surviving crew member Harold Bride
said the band played the hymn "Autumn" as the ship went down.

*

YouTube Movie of the Week
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfFpvaP87UU

*

'Nobody has seen Tupac's body': Suge Knight reveals he is not sure rapper is
really dead...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2133123/Tupac-alive-Suge-Knight-stu\
ns-fans-suggesting-rapper-dead.html

*

Stoner Cooking

Magic Bullet Egg Nog
http://www.buybullet.com/recipes.php?recipe=eggnog&category=drinks&name=Egg%20No\
g

Nothing says, "Holiday Season" like creamy, delicious egg nog. Dazzle your
guests with this quick and easy home brew.

Ingredients

  3 eggs
  2 Tbs sugar
  pinch of salt
  1 - 1/2 cups milk
  1/2 tsp vanilla

Preparation

Start by... adding all the ingredients to the Tall Cup and blend with the Cross
Blade until smooth (about 8 seconds).

Then... Pour into a sauce pan and over low heat, warm the mixture making sure to
stir it constantly.

When... the mixture has thickened remove it from heat. Cover and refrigerate
until well chilled.

Serving Suggestion

This recipe serves 2, double or triple the ingredients (and use the Blender
Attachment) for more servings.

Tip!

Add a shot of rum and a sprinkle of nutmeg to each serving for a classic holiday
cocktail.


The Original Potato Salad
http://www.bestfoods.com/recipe/detail/6609/1/the-original-potato-salad

It's made with Real Mayonnaise, just like mom always made!

  • 2 lbs. potatoes (5 to 6 medium), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
  • 1 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp. vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (optional)

1.Cover potatoes with water in 4-quart saucepot; bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are
tender. Drain and cool slightly.

2.Combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar and
pepper in large bowl. Add potatoes, celery, onion and eggs and toss gently.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Also terrific with Hellmann's ® or Best Foods ® Light or Canola Cholesterol Free
Mayonnaise.

Cost per recipe*: $3.09

Cost per serving*: $0.39

*Based on average retail prices at national supermarkets.

*

Japan comes up with some great ideas, and here's one of them: neko cafes, where
patrons can hang out and pet cats while sipping coffee.  This is an idea that
should be an easier sell than sushi.  Sadly, they may be shutting down due to
laws combatting exploitation of animals, even though the cafes were never meant
to be the target of the laws:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/17/uncertain-future-for-japans-cat-cafes/

*

Food Porn of the Month:

From the UK, Pizza Hut is offering a "Hot Dog Stuffed Crust" pizza with a
mustard drizzle.  Meanwhile, back in the USA, Burger King is test marketing a
bacon sundae in Nashville:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57412379-10391704/pizza-hut-unveils-hot-d\
og-stuffed-crust-pizza-burger-king-offers-bacon-sundae/

*

'The Voice': New Bible translation focuses on dialogue
Bob Smietana, USA TODAY
4-15-12
Full Article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-04-15/the-voice-bible-translati\
on/54301502/1

The name Jesus Christ doesn't appear in The Voice, a new translation of the
Bible.

Nor do words such as angel or apostle. Instead, angel is rendered as messenger
and apostle as emissary. Jesus Christ is Jesus the Anointed One or the
liberating king.

That's a more accurate translation for modern American readers, says David
Capes, lead scholar for The Voice, a complete edition released this month by
publishing company Thomas Nelson. Capes says that many people, even those who've
gone to church for years, don't realize that the word "Christ" is a title.

"They think that Jesus is his first name and Christ is his last name," says
Capes, who teaches the New Testament at Houston Baptist University in Texas.

Seven years in the making, The Voice is the latest entry into the crowded field
of English Bible translations.

Unlike the updated New International Version and the Common English Bible — both
released last year — much of The Voice is formatted like a screenplay or novel.
Translators cut out the "he said" and "they said" and focused on dialogue.

So in Matthew 15, when Jesus walks on the water, scaring his followers, their
reaction is immediate:

Disciple: "It's a ghost!"

Another Disciple: "A ghost? What will we do?"

Jesus: "Be still. It is I; you have nothing to fear."

"I hope we get people to see the Bible — not as an ancient text that's worn out
— but as a story that they participate in and find their lives in," Capes says.

The title for The Voice came from the New Testament book of John and from the
Greek word logos. It's usually translated as "word" in verses such as John 1:1,
which reads: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God," in the New International Version, one of the most popular English
translations.

In The Voice, that passage reads: "Before time itself was measured, the Voice
was speaking. The Voice was and is God." Frank Couch, the executive editor and
publisher of The Voice, says that translation better captures what logos
means...

*

Milestones

THE Paul Krassner, Konformist Kontributor, friend and idol, has turned 80:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/happy_birthday_paul_krassner_father_of_th\
e_underground_press_turns_80_today


Matt Groening reveals that Springfield in The Simpsons is based on the city near
his hometown in Oregon:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Matt-Groening-Reveals-the-Location-of\
-the-Real-Springfield.html


Pat Summitt retires as Tennessee women's basketball coach, won 1,098 games & 8
NCAA titles

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/pat-summitt-to-step-down-legendary-tennesse\
e-womens-basketball-coach-won-1098-games-8-ncaa-titles/2012/04/18/gIQA2CK2QT_sto\
ry.html


Fenway Park turns 100:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/story/2012-04-19/Fenway-Park-1\
00th-anniversary/54422780/1


The first LSD trip turned 69 years old:

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/albert_hoffmans_took_his_first_lsd_trip_6\
9_years_ago_today


The DARPA Robotics Challenge is looking for machines to help the military, but
insists it's not to develop killer robots (as if the military would want
machines to kill humans!) but rather to do things like drive vehicles, replace
broken machinery, and snuggle:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402846,00.asp


Jack Nicholson turned 75.  In honor of his birthday, Life Magazine released on
its website unpublished photos taken in 1969 of the soon-to-be megastar:

http://life.time.com/culture/jack-nicholson-unpublished-photos-1969/


Jamie Moyer, 49, becomes oldest pitcher to win a MLB game:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/04/18/150876220/take-that-kids-jamie-mo\
yer-is-oldest-pitcher-to-win-an-mlb-game


Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice in Chains, has been dead for a decade:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/how-alice-in-chains-fou\
nd-the-most-memorable-voice-in-grunge/255469


The New York Mets turn 50:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/sports/baseball/mets-at-50-the-good-the-bad-bu\
t-mostly-the-ugly.html


Which of the following honors should a man pursue more:

1. Going to Cleveland for induction in the prestigious Rock Hall of Fame

2. Getting a blowjob from Lana Del Rey

Say what you will about Axl Rose, but the crazy SOB sure has his priorities
straight...

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/report-axl-rose-is-dating-lana-del-rey-20\
120409


Best Buy has lost it's CEO, and as CNet puts it: "Best Buy would still need a
miracle to avoid the fate suffered by the likes of Good Guys, Circuit City, and
CompUSA, let alone return to its go-go days. The problem is less anything that
Best Buy did or didn't do than the fact that times have changed and there's no
going back."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57411933-92/worst-of-all-worlds-for-best-buy


Viking robots found life on Mars in 1976, scientists say:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47031923/ns/technology_and_science-space


Bubba Watson wins the Masters:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/watson-works-wonders-and-1411084.html


Phil Humber tosses MLB's 21st perfect game:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/white-sox-rhp-phil-humber-222948392--mlb.html


Arkansas fires coach Bobby Petrino following scandal:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57411010/60-minutes-icon-mike-wallace-dies\
-at-93


Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer known as the `Merchant of Death', was
sentenced to 25 years in prison...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9189852/Merchant-of-D\
eath-Viktor-Bout-sentenced-to-25-years-in-prison.html


San Francisco restaurant Sam Wo, made famous by San Francisco Chronicle
columnist Herb Caen and the "Tales of the City" novels of Armistead Maupin,
closes after 100 years:

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/21/11321018-san-franciscos-world-rudes\
t-waiter-restaurant-sam-wo-shuts-after-100-years


Lollapalooza 2012 lineup headliners: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White, The
Black Keys and, batting cleanup, Black Sabbath:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lollapalooza-2012-lineup-black-sabbath-ch\
ili-peppers-jack-white-20120411

*

RIP

Thomas Kinkade, one of America's most popular painters, 54.  Stop drinking the
haterade, all you dissers!  "What people were responding to was the way his
paintings made them feel. We used to call it a 20-second vacation on their wall.
People wanted to put themselves into the picture in their imagination. He wanted
to give people a way to celebrate the good things in the world around them and
visually take a little break in what they contend with day-to-day."

http://www.mercurynews.com/los-gatos/ci_20385235/brother-says-painter-thomas-kin\
kade-battled-alcoholism


Amplifier maker Jim Marshall, 88
As Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue put it: "You were responsible for some of the
greatest audio moments in music's history and 50% of all our hearing loss......"

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/04/marshall-amplification-jim-ma\
rshall-dies.html


Ferdinand A. Porsche, Designer of the 911, Dies at 76:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/automobiles/ferdinand-a-porsche-76-dies-design\
ed-celebrated-911.html


"60 Minutes" icon Mike Wallace dies at 93:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57411010/60-minutes-icon-mike-wallace-dies\
-at-93


Dick Clark of American Bandstand:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/arts/television/dick-clark-tv-host-and-icon-of\
-new-years-eve-is-dead-at-82.html


Levon Helm, co-founder of The Band, dead at 71:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/19/showbiz/obit-levon-helm/index.html


Jonathan Frid, `Dark Shadows' Star, at 87:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/arts/television/jonathan-frid-ghoulish-dark-sh\
adows-star-dies-at-87.html

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

HAPPY TRAILS TO HIGH WEIRDNESS
A CONSPIRACY THEORIST'S TOUR GUIDE
RELEASED IN PAPERBACK & ON AMAZON KINDLE

"No matter where you go, there THEY are."

Author Is Ultimate Tour Guide to the People, Places, & Parapolitics Throughout
the Weirdscape of California and the Great Southwest

ATLANTA - Apr. 11, 2012 - FEEJEE PRESS (feejeepress.com) announced today the
release of "Happy Trails to High Weirdness: A Conspiracy Theorist's Tour Guide,"
a precise roadmap to the People, Places, & Parapolitics that make up the scenery
of bizarre destinations in & around California and the ever-odd Great Southwest
weirdscape, by author and "crackpot historian" ADAM GORIGHTLY in traditional
paperback and as an ebook for Amazon Kindle and Kindle app users.

Gorightly takes readers along for a wild and hilarious ride to out-and-out
strange locations to meet up with some of the most interesting folks and figures
involved in Conspiracy, UFOlogy, Occultism, Discordian Hijinks, Death Cults, and
more. Gorightly's travels reveal a land of strange, beguiling and sometimes
humorous wonders. From surfing with occult secret societies in Santa Cruz on
through to the dry depths of the Manson Family and other cults of Death Valley
to crashing with aliens and their fans in Roswell, NM, Gorightly has an uncanny
knack for locating the weird, the wanton and the wacky.

"Happy Trails to High Weirdness: A Conspiracy Theorist's Tour Guide" is a must
for readers who need to mix a little levity with their paranoia. Gorightly's
infectious humor takes the edge off the more distressingly dark aspects of
occult and conspiracy history and lore while affording readers a better
understanding of the curious subject matters that makeup fringe and high
weirdness culture. You can't go wrongly with Gorightly.

The book's introduction is by Andy Colvin, a West Coast writer, artist,
"synchroconspiracy" researcher, who is best known for his "Mothman's
Photographer" video/book series and also includes a bonus chapter from legendary
Steamshovel Press publisher Kenn Thomas.

The Feejee Press paperback edition can be purchased online for US $19.95 at
CreateSpace.com (https://www.createspace.com/3835210) or Amazon.com
(http://amzn.to/IdbCos) where a preview of the book is also available. The
Kindle edition can be purchased online for US $9.99 at Amazon's Kindle Store
(http://amzn.to/An00xC).

Press Contacts:

Adam Gorightly - Contact for Interviews
adamgorightly.com
adamgorightly@...

ABOUT ADAM GORIGHTLY

A certified "crackpot historian" and 23rd degree Discordian, Adam Gorightly has
been chronicling fringe and conspiracy culture in an illuminating manner for
over two decades. An active contributor to the 'zine revolution of the late '80s
and early '90s, Gorightly's byline was a familiar sight in many cutting-edge
magazines of the period where he sharpened his literary teeth. His articles have
appeared in numerous publications such as "The Excluded Middle," "UFO Magazine,"
"Paranoia," "Steamshovel Press," and "FourTwoFour," the largest soccer magazine
in Great Britain. Gorightly's explorations into these arcane waters eventually
led to his first book, published in October 2001, "The Shadow Over Santa Susana:
Black Magic, Mind Control and the Manson Family Mythos." Other books by
Gorightly include "The Prankster and the Conspiracy: The Story of Kerry Thornley
and How He Met Oswald and Inspired the Counterculture," "James Shelby Downard's
Mystical War," and "The Beast of Adam Gorightly: Collected Rantings 1992-2004."
Previously, Feejee Press published his "A Who's Who of the Manson Family."

Editors - Feejee Press
feejeepress.com
editors@...

ABOUT FEEJEE PRESS

Feejee Press (feejeepress.com) is an upstart publishing company focused on
"Forbidden, Forsaken, and Forgotten Knowledge" ranging from conspiracy theory to
true crime to love poetry.

***

Yacht Island Design
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/yacht-island-design.html

Robalini: Here's a website for some pretty interesting designs for gigantic
yachts that only the decadently rich can afford.  Which is a shame, because they
sure look cool.  In any case, sit back and check it out, ideally with an iPod
soundtrack filled with the songs of Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and Christopher
Cross...

Yacht Island: Introducing the new concept in luxury yachting...
http://www.yachtislanddesign.com

At Yacht Island Design we like to do things differently

We like to base our designs upon innovative floating platforms. It frees us to
explore bold and daring ideas which challenge the accepted norms within the
yachting industry. No longer are we bound by the restrictions of a conventional
hull shape. This unleashes creative flair and individualism for our clients as
well as us!

Our approach is to consider the design in a holistic manner. We like to ensure
that a common theme runs throughout the yacht, from the overall exterior shape
down to the smallest interior detail. The most important thing for us is to
ensure the original client-driven concept is achieved in a flowing and seamless
manner.

Concepts

Streets of Monaco

'The Streets of Monaco' is our first design proposal. The theme is based around
the Mediterranean principality with the primary focus being the famous grand
prix circuit. The idea was to recreate the circuit as a fully functional kart
track able to accommodate three karts side by side to allow for plenty of
overtaking. By sizing the track in this way it has driven the overall dimensions
of the yacht and the placement of the famous landmarks. The Monaco story extends
beyond this exterior architecture and into the interior spaces giving a seamless
transition as guests move between the various areas of the yacht. The following
pages show some early concept sketches and a variety of artist's impressions of
the final design.


Tropical Island Paradise

These are some of the initial ideas created during the conceptualisation stage
showing a wide variety of designs. From these designs, elements and features are
extracted and combined to produce the final concept.

The brief for this concept was to create an idyllic, floating island, with all
the features of a tropical island getaway built into the design. As you can see,
from the early stages, we wanted to include elements close to the water,
deployable, as well as a mountain/waterfall feature.


Project Utopia

Visions of the future are often constrained by familiarity with the present or
reflection on the past. Project Utopia, a collaboration between Yacht Island
Design and BMT Nigel Gee, is an avant-garde vision of a future concept free from
such restricted thought.

Before trying to understand the design one has to examine why the greater
majority of yachts have evolved to the traditional form that has derived from
millennia of engineering and naval architecture. Once the mind is free from
these constraints the possible forms that a concept might take are wide ranging.

Email: enquiries@...
Tel: +44 (0)1909 511224

***

Discover your deepest goals with our Free NLP Mini-Course
http://inlpcenter.com/free-nlp-course

As you make efforts to improve your life, gain new skills and grow as a person,
consider the following: What if you were missing some key factors? What if some
of your deepest needs were forgotten along the way?

It is entirely possible to set goals that "miss the point" from a deeper
personal development perspective. Many of these goals can be perfectly
worthwhile – not everything in life is meant to be "deep." However, if you are
not clear about your core goals, the results of your efforts will be mediocre at
best. The deeper issues in your life will remain untouched.

We've created a simple and free NLP-based mini course to multiply your personal
development effectiveness by helping you discover your deep goals. This
important mini-course:

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  your Deepest Self-Improvement Goals
will be yours immediately when you subscribe to the iNLP Newsletter.

This mini-course contains:

  • PDF workbook that you can print out immediately.
  • 5 Informative audio guides to take you through the course
  • 3 Unusual questions that will reveal the raw material
  of your deepest self-development goals.

Awareness is the key to every personal development effort…

Addressing your core needs requires high self-awareness and this is what you
will gain from our free course. Additionally, as a subscriber to the iNLP
Center's newsletter, you'll receive regular personal development strategies and
insights. Our newsletter is not a sales pitch, but a real personal growth tool.

In the near future this course will only be available as part of our paid
membership organization, so grab it now by entering your email address below and
following the prompts.

***

BabeWatch: Dania Suarez
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/babewatch-dania-suarez.html

The Colombian "escort" behind the Secret Service Hookergate

For more pics from NYDailyNews.com:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/secret-service-colombian-hooker-scandal\
-escort-explosive-scandal-article-1.1064287

***

A Question of Human Rights
Keeping the F1 Racing Series Out of Bahrain
by Dave Zirin
Edge of Sports
http://bit.ly/IwCluV

On April 22nd, the royal family of Bahrain is determined to stage its annual
Formula 1 Grand Prix race. This might not sound like scintillating news, but
whether the event goes off as planned is a question with major ramifications for
the royal Khalifa family, as well as for the democracy movement in the Gulf
kingdom. It will be viewed closely by the US state department and human rights
organizations across the globe. From a renowned prisoner on a two month hunger
strike to a British billionaire fascist sympathizer, the sides have been sharply
drawn.

For the Bahraini royals, staging the Formula 1 race is a chance to show the
people that normalcy has returned following last year's massive pro-democracy
protests. In 2011, the race was cancelled to the rage of the royals. Now, the
royal family is hoping that the 60 people slaughtered by Bahraini and Saudi
forces, as well as the thousands arrested and tortured can be forgotten in the
roar of the engines.

For those protesting in the name of expanded political and personal freedoms,
the return of the F1 racing series as a slap in the face, given all they've
suffered in the last year and continue to suffer today. Now the protest movement
and human rights organizations are calling upon Bernie Ecclestone, the CEO of
Formula 1 Grand Prix, to cancel the race.

Maryam al-Khawaja, head of the foreign relations office at the Bahrain Centre
for Human Rights, said:

"The government promised changes last year but no changes have taken place
because there is no incentive to make them. And tortures are still taking place.
The government want the message to go out that it is business as usual. But
today armored vehicles went into residential areas for the first time since last
year's martial law ended in June. I have heard reports of protesters being
thrown from rooftops and others having legs broken. That it is why Formula One
should make a stand and call this race off."

At a mass anti-F1 rally, Ali Mohammed commented to the AP, "We don't want
Formula [1] in our country. They are killing us every day with tear gas. They
have no respect for human rights or democracy. Why would we keep silent? No one
will enjoy the F1 in Bahrain with cries for freedom from the inside and outside
of the race."

Then there is prominent activist, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on hunger
strike for more than 50 days. Calls for his immediate release have merged with
calls for the F1 cancellation. Protesters are described as holding al-Khawaja's
picture in one hand, and a "no to F1" sign in the other.

1996 F1 champion Damon Hill, who is now a commentator for Rupert Murodch's Sky
News also expressed his concern, saying, "It would be a bad state of affairs,
and bad for Formula One, to be seen to be enforcing martial law in order to hold
the race. That is not what this sport should be about. Looking at it today you'd
have to say that [the race] could be creating more problems than it's solving."

One might think that all of this would pose a moral and ethical quandary for
81-year old Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone. One would be wrong. The
multi-billionaire Ecclestone, the 4th richest man in England, has done little
more than roll his eyes. In February, when hundreds were arrested and tortured
for protesting on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, he was asked if the F1
race would be pulled,  He said, "I expected there was going to be a big uprising
today, with the anniversary. But I think what happened, apparently, was that
here were a lot of kids having a go at the police. I don't think it's anything
serious at all."

In March, Ecclestone said of the plans for Bahrain,  "It's business as usual. I
don't think the people who are trying to demonstrate a little bit are going to
use anything to do with F1. If they did they would be a little bit silly…The
good thing about Bahrain is it seems more democratic there than most places.
People are allowed to speak when they want, they can protest if they want to."
There is no word as to what color the sky is in Ecclestone's world or if at the
conclusion of this interview, he released the hounds.

Not to shock anyone, but this 81 year old British billionaire has in the past
expressed sympathy for Adolf Hitler, and by "past" I mean 2009. During an
interview in July of that year, Ecclestone said, "Apart from the fact that
Hitler got taken away and persuaded to do things that I have no idea whether he
wanted to do or not, he was in the way that he could command a lot of people
able to get things done…..If you have a look at a democracy it hasn't done a lot
of good for many countries — including this one."

This is an ugly twisted old brute, but say this for him: at least he commented
when asked about Bahrain. That's far more that we can say for President Barack
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  As Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, a
consultant to Human Rights Watch, wrote, "President Obama... loses his voice
when it comes to Bahrain." This isn't just oversight or happenstance. Bahrain
happily houses the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, and has pledged to do so for another
50 years. It appears that this favor has bought silence and that's exactly why
we need to be loud. The call has gone out form inside of Bahrain to call upon
Formula 1 to cancel this race. We should do our part.

People can email business@... and tell them their feeling.  For more
information on Bahrain, visit http://witnessbahrain.org.

Dave Zirin is the author of "The John Carlos Story" (Haymarket) and just made
the new documentary "Not Just a Game." Receive his column every week by emailing
dave@.... Contact him at edgeofsports@....

***

Tommy Lee Speaks Up for Animal Adoption
'I would highly encourage people not to buy animals from a pet store'
Steve Baltin
April 9, 2012
Full Article:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tommy-lee-speaks-up-for-animal-adoption-2\
0120409

Before heading out on the road for Mötley Crüe and Kiss' joint tour, Crüe
drummer Tommy Lee is enjoying some quiet time at home with his new puppy, Bowie.
"He's got these crazy gray-green eyes. I love David Bowie and it was either
Bowie or Bam," Lee tells Rolling Stone. "We ended up going with Bowie just
'cause of his eyes. He looks like Bowie, dude."

When Lee and his girlfriend Sofia decided the time was right to bring a
four-legged friend into the household, they decided to adopt. "We went to a
couple of different shelters and we ended up over at East Valley in Van Nuys and
there he was, just sitting there with three other dogs. And we were like, 'Oh my
God, we gotta get this guy a home. Who could abandon this fucking thing? This is
the cutest thing on the planet. I want to kill whoever let him go,'" Lee says.

Anyone who's ever rescued a dog can empathize with Lee's anger, which is why the
drummer is speaking out on behalf of adoption. "The [shelter] is scary. It is
loaded with beautiful dogs and I would highly encourage people not to buy
animals from a pet store," he explains. "They're bred for all the wrong reasons,
for mostly money and it's just kind of a bad scene. We ended up going [to the
shelter] and I'm so glad we did."

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


Why are we not already widely aware of non-Earth civilizations and beings?
Seven theories behind the lack of present-day "contact"
Full Article:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035420_human_beings_invasive_species_intelligent_life\
.html

• Theory #1 - Earth has been declared a "non-intervention" zone and all
non-Earth civilizations have agreed to stay "hands off" while simply observing
our planet and our species. This would, of course, imply some sort of galactic
governing body, which is a fascinating subject all by itself.

• Theory #2 - There are no advanced aliens in the galaxy. We are the only
intelligent life in the universe. God help us if this turns out to be true, as
there will be nothing to stop human-led corporations from pillaging and
destroying entire worlds if inexpensive space travel technology can be
developed. Imagine Jupiter renamed "Planet Microsoft, Inc." Technology without
ethics is extremely dangerous.

• Theory #3 - There are aliens, but they just haven't noticed us yet. Maybe they
only get around to checking each life-supporting planet every 50,000 years or
so, and since our entire civilization is only about 10,000 years old (or so), we
haven't yet showed up on their radar. Our use of nuclear weapons -- a series of
events easily visible from space -- has only taken place in the last 75 years or
so. The light from such events has only begun to reach many advanced
civilizations that might be gearing up to take action against Earth as a result.

• Theory #4 - Our own present-day human species was created by non-Earth beings
genetically seeding or altering native primates in order to create a more
intelligent race for some purpose that we don't yet know about. (A slave race of
obedient workers, perhaps? That trait seems to have been made quite prominent
among present-day humans...)

• Theory # 5 - Extraterrestrials know all about us, but they're waiting to see
if we will destroy ourselves first. If we somehow get through the next couple of
hundred years without decimating our own planet, then perhaps they will make
contact. This is a question of species maturity -- are human beings mature
enough to even bother being contacted? Or are we still just fair-skinned apes
who beat each other over the heads with sticks and rocks while poisoning our own
planet and destroying life? Earth's "advanced weapons" are a joke in a galactic
sense, and our focus on weapons and war only proves how stupid we are when it
comes to wisdom and maturity.

• Theory #6 - Extraterrestrials are already here, and they're already taking
over with some sort of nefarious infiltration agenda. Remember the "V"
television series? Yeah, lizard people and all that... The "David Icke theory."

• Theory #7 - Earth has already been claimed as "property" by one of the
non-Earth races, and they will soon come to the planet to claim its resources.
If you think about it, if earthlings had the technology of faster-than-light
space travel, wouldn't we run around the Milky Way staking claim to all the
valuable planets we could find? And the most valuable planets of all, it seems,
would be water planets, as water is really the "gold" of life (as we know it) in
the galaxy. A big blue planet like Earth would look like a valuable gem floating
in a sea of mostly inhabitable rocks. Every advanced civilization in the
universe would want to "own" Earth if, indeed, ownership was still one of their
functioning tendencies.

***

Mark Ruffalo: Fracking is a public health concern
Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/04/mark-ruffalo-fracking-is-a-public-health-c\
oncern/

Actor Mark Ruffalo appeared Wednesday on MSNBC to discuss his campaign against
hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, a controversial method of natural
gas extraction.

"Everywhere we've done it there has been contamination," he said. "You have to
ask yourself: `If we could do it safely, why aren't we doing it? Why is this
industry asking to be exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air
Act, the Hazardous Waste Act, the Superfund Act.' They're saying that because
they can't make money, they can't make it economically profitable to do it
safely."

Fracking involves injecting a mixture of water and chemicals deep underground,
triggering small explosions that drive gas pockets upwards.

The energy industry defends fracking as a safe method of natural gas extraction,
but the U.S. Geological Survey and others in the energy industry believe that
fracking, or deep underground liquid injection similar to fracking, can cause
earthquakes. Others near fracking wells have detected high levels of methane in
their water supplies, including several cases where water was so volatile it
could be set on fire.

"This is a public health issue," Ruffalo said. "There have been no credible
public health studies done on this."

He explained that his anti-fracking campaign, called Water Defense, was meant to
fight the millions of dollars being spent by the energy industry to promote the
method.

***

Holy Shroud! Was resurrection story inspired by the cloth?
Alan Boyle
4-4-12
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/04/11020390-holy-shroud-was-resurre\
ction-story-inspired-by-the-cloth

The Shroud of Turin has been seen as many things over the past 620 years,
ranging from true burial cloth of the risen Jesus to clever medieval fake, but
Cambridge art historian Thomas de Wesselow puts together a 448-page-long case
for one of the lesser-known theories in his new book, "The Sign": that the
shroud's negative image of a naked, bloodied man was really produced by Jesus'
decomposition, and that the stories of his resurrection were inspired by the
display of that cloth to his earliest disciples.

"The message really is that the Shroud of Turin is authentic," de Wesselow told
me. "This is the only rational way of understanding this image. It can be
understood entirely naturalistically. There's no reason to invoke a miracle to
explain the image."

De Wesselow acknowledged this could be a hard sell for believers as well as for
skeptics. "There are two big things I am arguing against," he admitted.

He's already taking flak from both sides.

"It's breathtakingly astonishing," said Joe Nickell, a senior research fellow at
the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry who has written extensively about the
shroud. "He's clearly not a doubting Thomas. He's come up with some rather silly
ideas, and then as people often do, he's fallen in love with them."

Meanwhile, in a column about the shroud, the Catholic Herald's Francis Phillips
basically brushed off de Wesselow's views, saying they were "too eccentric to
reproduce here."

Legends and lore for Easter

"The Sign" is the latest example of shroud lore that comes out during the Easter
season, just around the time when millions of Christians are dwelling on the
story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. (I'm linking to other examples at
the end of this item.) The Shroud of Turin has a clear line of provenance going
back to around 1390, but when you try to go further back, you can easily get
swept up in tales of the Knights Templar and legendary relics like the Veil of
Veronica and the Holy Mandylion.

De Wesselow comes at the story from his background in art history. He's been
researching the story of the shroud full-time for the past five years, and has
woven together an explanation from scientific findings that seem to support the
shroud's authenticity, plus perspectives on the animist beliefs of ancient
peoples.

"I've studied images, what they mean and how they affect people," de Wesselow
said. "In the old days, people saw images as potentially alive. They had
potentially a consciousness. ... That type of thinking was absolutely standard
before the modern age. It has nothing to do with an optical illusion, and it has
nothing to do with people being stupid."

De Wesselow picks up on the idea that the shroud is actually a "vaporograph,"
colored by a chemical reaction between the gases exuded by a dead body and the
carbohydrate deposits on the surface of Jesus' burial cloth. Blood stains were
left on the cloth as well. When the shroud was taken from the body, the ghostly
image remained behind — and de Wesselow said Jesus' disciples could have
interpreted that image as the spiritual manifestation of their leader.

"The appearances of the risen Jesus were simply viewings of the shroud image,"
he said.

Here's what de Wesselow thinks happened next: After a series of viewings in the
Holy Land, the shroud was and taken to the city of Edessa in modern-day Turkey,
where it came to be folded up, framed and venerated by the Byzantine Christians
as the Mandylion. The cloth was transferred to Constantinople in the 10th
century, and disappeared in the year 1204, only to turn up again in France in
the 1300s. The shroud was transferred to Turin in 1578, and it's been there ever
since.

Holes in the theory?

What about the biblical references to the risen Jesus conversing with the
apostles, or eating fish to prove he was really real, or letting St. Thomas
touch his wounds? De Wesselow noted that the first accounts of the crucifixion
and resurrection were written down decades after they supposedly occurred. "In
that time, there's plenty of room for all the legends to be added to the
story... These are stories written by sophisticated individuals later on to
prove the point that there was a physical resurrection," he said.

Is there any evidence that dead bodies could actually produce the sort of
vaporograph that de Wesselow is talking about? "We haven't got anything
precisely similar," he acknowledged, "but I don't think that's surprising."

He pointed to a phenomenon known as the Jospice Imprint: In 1981, a cancer
patient died at an English hospice and left a partial imprint of his body and
face on a mattress cover. "It seems to have been formed from urine pooling
around his body," de Wesselow said. That's not what he thinks happened in Jesus'
case, but he nevertheless cited the imprint as "another example of a strange
image."

De Wesselow totally buys into the evidence provided by the Shroud of Turin
Research Project, to the effect that the image is not an artistic forgery but
the real imprint of a battered man from centuries ago. That's a huge leap of
faith right there. If you accept that, there are only so many types of
explanations for the shroud you can come up with. De Wesselow said his
explanation addresses the shroud mystery as well as the roots of belief in
Jesus' resurrection.

"There are explanations involving a miracle, or that Jesus was spiritually
resurrected and appeared in visions to his disciples," de Wesselow told me.
"Since the 18th century, scientists have tried to explain the resurrection, and
they've basically given up. They've basically forgotten about the whole problem.
What I think I can do is provide a fairly coherent explanation which is
completely naturalistic. It's a better alternative to the traditional Christian
view."

A skeptic speaks

Nickell, however, prefers to stick with his own skeptical view. "I think the
resurrection appearances can be seen as pretty much the same kind of thing we
have today with apparitional experiences — ghosts, if you will," Nickell said.
"We could see ourselves in such a situation with, say, Elvis sightings. You can
understand them as experiences that people had but were illusory."

The way Nickell sees it, the biggest argument against de Wesselow's
"cloth-as-Jesus" hypothesis comes from the scriptures themselves: There are only
vague references to burial cloths in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The gospel of John,
meanwhile, refers to Jesus being covered by separate cloths for the face and the
body, which is "fatal to the Shroud of Turin," Nickell said.

"The bottom line for me is, if this author were correct, and Jesus' shroud had
survived, surely one of the holy evangelists would have made note of it,"
Nickell said. "If it had been kept and had a remarkable picture of Jesus on it,
we would have known about it. And we don't."

***

Farm-fresh infringement: Can you violate a patent by planting some seeds?
Timothy B. Lee
4-5-12
Full Article:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/04/farm-fresh-infringement-can-you-\
violate-a-patent-by-planting-some-seeds.ars

Can a farmer commit patent infringement just by planting soybeans he bought on
the open market? This week, the Supreme Court asked the Obama administration to
weigh in on the question. The Court is pondering an appeals court decision
saying that such planting can, in fact, infringe patents.

In 1994, the agricultural giant Monsanto obtained a patent covering a line of
"Roundup Ready" crops that had been genetically modified to resist Monsanto's
Roundup herbicide. This genetic modification is hereditary, so future
generations of seeds are also "Roundup Ready." Farmers had only to save a
portion of their crop for re-planting the next season, and they wouldn't need to
purchase new seed from Monsanto every year. The company didn't want to be in the
business of making a one-time sale, so when Monsanto sold "Roundup Ready"
soybeans to farmers, it required them to sign a licensing agreement promising
not to re-plant future generations of seeds.

However, farmers remain free to sell the soybeans they grow in the commodity
market, where most are used to feed people or livestock. Roundup Ready soybeans
have become extremely popular; they now account for 94 percent of all acres
planted in Indiana, for instance. Vernon Bowman, an Indiana farmer, was a
customer of Monsanto who realized that Roundup Ready soybeans had become so
common in his area that if he simply purchased commodity soybeans from a local
grain elevator, the overwhelming majority of those soybeans would be Roundup
Ready. Commodity soybeans are significantly cheaper than Monsanto's soybeans,
and they came without the contractual restriction on re-planting.

So Bowman planted (and re-planted) commodity soybeans instead of using
Monsanto's seeds. When Monsanto discovered what Bowman was doing, it sued him
for patent infringement.

Patent protection or freedom to farm?

Bowman argued his use of the seeds is covered by patent law's "exhaustion
doctrine." This doctrine, like copyright law's first sale doctrine, holds that a
patent holder's rights in a particular product are "exhausted" when the product
is sold to an end user. The Supreme Court beefed up the exhaustion doctrine in
2008 when it held that LG could not "double dip" on patent licensing
fees—charging both chipmaker Intel and OEM Quanta royalties for the same chip.

Bowman argued that when Monsanto sold seed to a farmer, it exhausted its rights
not only to that specific seed but to all of the seed's descendants. Since
Bowman wasn't required to sign a licensing agreement before buying commodity
seeds, he argued that he was free to plant the seeds and even to save and
re-plant each season's crop for future seasons.

But Monsanto countered that each new generation of seeds is a separate product
and thus requires a separate patent license. In effect, Monsanto contends that
Bowman is illegally "manufacturing" infringing soybeans...

Last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled, as
it had on several previous occasions, that patent exhaustion did not cover
second-generation seeds. The Supreme Court has now asked the Solicitor General,
the official in charge of representing the Obama administration before the
Court, to weigh in on the case...

***

AT&T will allow out-of-contract customers to unlock their iPhone
4-6-12
Full Article:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/04/06/att_will_allow_out_of_contract_cus\
tomers_to_unlock_their_iphone.html

Starting this Sunday, AT&T will begin offering out-of-contract customers the
ability to unlock their iPhone and use it on another carrier.

AT&T announced the change in policy in a statement issued on Friday. It takes
effect in just two days, on April 8...

Previously, customers who finished the terms of their two-year contract with
AT&T had an iPhone that could not be unlocked through official avenues. That
meant even though they were free to leave for another carrier, they could not
bring their iPhone with them...

***

World's Most Heinous Conspiracy
Millions Suffering Needlessly and Dying Prematurely
Steven A. Swan
4-11-12

Imagine there being a scientist who had earned a doctorate degree in cellular
biology and physiology (the study of how living things function) way back in
1959. Imagine that this scientist also participated in developing
electrocardiography—the interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart.

Imagine that this scientist's curiosity led her to experiment further with using
electricity, as well as radio waves, to analyze substances. Imagine that this
scientist discovered that everything in existence, living or dead, animate or
inanimate, produces and emits its own radio frequency or range of radio
frequencies. (Tiny entities produce a single radio frequency; larger entities
produce a range of radio frequencies. The larger the entity, the wider the
range.)

Imagine that this scientist invented a device with which she could determine the
composition of any substance based upon the radio frequencies emitted by its
components. Imagine that this scientist used this invention to analyze
individuals with diseases to determine that combinations of toxins and foreign
invaders (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.) were causing most of them and that
by removing these toxins and foreign invaders, virtually all diseases could be
cured.

Imagine that this scientist decided against submitting her discoveries for
conventional (and somewhat political) scientific review and verification because
the process would take much too long and in the interim many people would suffer
needlessly and die prematurely. Rather, she opted to disseminate her discoveries
directly those who most urgently needed them. She did so by publishing books
documenting her discoveries, through media interviews, through word-of-mouth,
through whatever she could think of. Fortunately, she was able to reach and help
hundreds of thousands of individuals using these methods.

Imagine that when the mainstream medical establishment (including the giant
pharmaceutical companies) learned of this scientist's discoveries, it naturally
feared losing its highly profitable health care monopoly. Imagine the mainstream
medical establishment, in conjunction with the mainstream scientific community
and the corporate-controlled mainstream media, conspiring to savagely and
repeatedly vilify this scientist and her discoveries in as many ways as they
could imagine.

Imagine this scientist taking all of this unwarranted vilification in stride and
continuing her research. This included sharing her new discoveries with others.
Being precluded from practicing medicine within the United States because she
was not a medical doctor, she also established a clinic in Mexico to help
individuals cure their life-threatening diseases. This included closely
monitoring their conditions with her invention to ensure that her protocols were
being effective. Because they needed her the most, she only admitted the most
terminally ill of patients.

Imagine that this scientist was so engrossed in her research and in helping to
save the lives of others that she neglected her own health. Inexplicably, she
refused to postpone her important work to concentrate on her own ailments.
Tragically, in 2009 at the age of eighty, this remarkable scientist's
extraordinary life came to an end.

Imagine this scientist's detractors using her death as an opportunity to vilify
her and her discoveries even further. They cited her death as proof that she was
a charlatan, that her discoveries were fabricated, and that her cures did not
work. Unfortunately, they have convinced millions of others that their lies are
true.

Fortunately, many thousands of us know the real truth. We have used this
scientist's discoveries, inventions, and cures to keep ourselves, our families,
our friends, and others healthy and to cure our own ailments and diseases. We
only wish that it were easier to overcome the lies of the mainstream medical
establishment, et. al., and bring these truths to the millions of other
individuals in the world who are suffering needlessly and dying prematurely.

The above account is true. It is the remarkable story of scientist
extraordinaire, Dr. Hulda Regehr Clark, Ph.D., N.D. Unfortunately, Dr. Clark is
no longer with us. However, there are many thousands of us attempting to
disseminate Dr. Clark's remarkable discoveries to as many others as possible.
However, it is a daunting task given the power and influence of those who have
conspired against her and her discoveries.

Steven A. Swan has been studying and using Dr. Clark's discoveries and
inventions for many years to keep himself healthy. He was also able to adapt
information in Dr. Clark's final book about curing cancer to cure his own asthma
and his own psoriasis.

Swan offers consultations to anyone wishing to use Dr. Clark's discoveries to
cure their own ailments or diseases or who simply wish to understand them
better. (Because of the vast amount of scientific information contained in Dr.
Clark's books, they can be somewhat confusing to individuals who have not
studied them.)

Swan's website is entitled Dr. Hulda Clark Consultant and it is located at
drclarkconsultant.com. Swan can be reached by email at
contact@....

***

It's already been a very record-breaking hot year
Full Article:
http://news.yahoo.com/already-very-record-breaking-hot-070315035.html

It's been so warm in the United States this year, especially in March, that
national records weren't just broken, they were deep-fried.

Temperatures in the lower 48 states were 8.6 degrees above normal for March and
6 degrees higher than average for the first three months of the year, according
to calculations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That far
exceeds the old records.

The magnitude of how unusual the year has been in the U.S. has alarmed some
meteorologists who have warned about global warming. One climate scientist said
it's the weather equivalent of a baseball player on steroids, with old records
obliterated.

"Everybody has this uneasy feeling. This is weird. This is not good," said Jerry
Meehl, a climate scientist who specializes in extreme weather at the National
Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. "It's a guilty pleasure.
You're out enjoying this nice March weather, but you know it's not a good
thing."

***

Was Stonehenge designed for sound?
Full Article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2131519/Was-Stonehenge-designed-s\
ound-Researchers-recreate-ancient-site-sounded-like-Neolithic-man.html

Stonehenge could have been designed with acoustics in mind like a Greek or Roman
theatre, a study has revealed.

A team of researchers from the University of Salford spent four years studying
the historic site's acoustic properties in a bid to crack the mystery of why it
was built.

While they could not confirm the exact purpose of the stones, the researchers
did find the space reacted to acoustic activity in a way that would have been
noticeable to the Neolithic man...

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Near death, explained
New science is shedding light on what really happens during out-of-body
experiences -- with shocking results.
MARIO BEAUREGARD
SATURDAY, APR 21, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/21/near_death_explained

This article was adapted from the new book "Brain Wars", from Harper One.

In 1991, Atlanta-based singer and songwriter Pam Reynolds felt extremely dizzy,
lost her ability to speak, and had difficulty moving her body. A CAT scan showed
that she had a giant artery aneurysm—a grossly swollen blood vessel in the wall
of her basilar artery, close to the brain stem. If it burst, which could happen
at any moment, it would kill her. But the standard surgery to drain and repair
it might kill her too.

With no other options, Pam turned to a last, desperate measure offered by
neurosurgeon Robert Spetzler at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix,
Arizona. Dr. Spetzler was a specialist and pioneer in hypothermic cardiac
arrest—a daring surgical procedure nicknamed "Operation Standstill." Spetzler
would bring Pam's body down to a temperature so low that she was essentially
dead. Her brain would not function, but it would be able to survive longer
without oxygen at this temperature. The low temperature would also soften the
swollen blood vessels, allowing them to be operated on with less risk of
bursting. When the procedure was complete, the surgical team would bring her
back to a normal temperature before irreversible damage set in.

Essentially, Pam agreed to die in order to save her life—and in the process had
what is perhaps the most famous case of independent corroboration of out of body
experience (OBE) perceptions on record. This case is especially important
because cardiologist Michael Sabom was able to obtain verification from medical
personnel regarding crucial details of the surgical intervention that Pam
reported. Here's what happened.

Pam was brought into the operating room at 7:15 a.m., she was given general
anesthesia, and she quickly lost conscious awareness. At this point, Spetzler
and his team of more than 20 physicians, nurses, and technicians went to work.
They lubricated Pam's eyes to prevent drying, and taped them shut. They attached
EEG electrodes to monitor the electrical activity of her cerebral cortex. They
inserted small, molded speakers into her ears and secured them with gauze and
tape. The speakers would emit repeated 100-decibel clicks—approximately the
noise produced by a speeding express train—eliminating outside sounds and
measuring the activity of her brainstem.

At 8:40 a.m., the tray of surgical instruments was uncovered, and Robert
Spetzler began cutting through Pam's skull with a special surgical saw that
produced a noise similar to a dental drill. At this moment, Pam later said, she
felt herself "pop" out of her body and hover above it, watching as doctors
worked on her body.

Although she no longer had use of her eyes and ears, she described her
observations in terms of her senses and perceptions. "I thought the way they had
my head shaved was very peculiar," she said. "I expected them to take all of the
hair, but they did not." She also described the Midas Rex bone saw ("The saw
thing that I hated the sound of looked like an electric toothbrush and it had a
dent in it … ") and the dental-drill sound it made with considerable accuracy.

Meanwhile, Spetzler was removing the outermost membrane of Pamela's brain,
cutting it open with scissors. At about the same time, a female cardiac surgeon
was attempting to locate the femoral artery in Pam's right groin. Remarkably,
Pam later claimed to remember a female voice saying, "We have a problem. Her
arteries are too small." And then a male voice: "Try the other side." Medical
records confirm this conversation, yet Pam could not have heard them.

The cardiac surgeon was right—Pam's blood vessels were indeed too small to
accept the abundant blood flow requested by the cardiopulmonary bypass machine,
so at 10:50 a.m., a tube was inserted into Pam's left femoral artery and
connected to the cardiopulmonary bypass machine. The warm blood circulated from
the artery into the cylinders of the bypass machine, where it was cooled down
before being returned to her body. Her body temperature began to fall, and at
11:05 a.m. Pam's heart stopped. Her EEG brain waves flattened into total
silence. A few minutes later, her brain stem became totally unresponsive, and
her body temperature fell to a sepulchral 60 degrees Fahrenheit. At 11:25 a.m.,
the team tilted up the head of the operating table, turned off the bypass
machine, and drained the blood from her body. Pamela Reynolds was clinically
dead.

At this point, Pam's out-of-body adventure transformed into a near-death
experience (NDE): She recalls floating out of the operating room and traveling
down a tunnel with a light. She saw deceased relatives and friends, including
her long-dead grandmother, waiting at the end of this tunnel. She entered the
presence of a brilliant, wonderfully warm and loving light, and sensed that her
soul was part of God and that everything in existence was created from the light
(the breathing of God). But this extraordinary experience ended abruptly, as
Reynolds's deceased uncle led her back to her body—a feeling she described as
"plunging into a pool of ice."

Meanwhile, in the operating room, the surgery had come to an end. When all the
blood had drained from Pam's brain, the aneurysm simply collapsed and Spetzler
clipped it off. Soon, the bypass machine was turned on and warm blood was pumped
back into her body. As her body temperature started to increase, her brainsteam
began to respond to the clicking speakers in her ears and the EEG recorded
electrical activity in the cortex. The bypass machine was turned off at 12:32
p.m. Pam's life had been restored, and she was taken to the recovery room in
stable condition at 2:10 p.m.

Tales of otherworldly experiences have been part of human cultures seemingly
forever, but NDEs as such first came to broad public attention in 1975 by way of
American psychiatrist and philosopher Raymond Moody's popular book Life After
Life. He presented more than 100 case studies of people who experienced vivid
mental experiences close to death or during "clinical death" and were
subsequently revived to tell the tale. Their experiences were remarkably
similar, and Moody coined the term NDE to refer to this phenomenon. The book was
popular and controversial, and scientific investigation of NDEs began soon after
its publication with the founding, in 1978, of the International Association for
Near Death Studies (IANDS)—the first organization in the world devoted to the
scientific study of NDEs and their relationship to mind and consciousness.

NDEs are the vivid, realistic, and often deeply life-changing experiences of
men, women, and children who have been physiologically or psychologically close
to death. They can be evoked by cardiac arrest and coma caused by brain damage,
intoxication, or asphyxia. They can also happen following such events as
electrocution, complications from surgery, or severe blood loss during or after
a delivery. They can even occur as the result of accidents or illnesses in which
individuals genuinely fear they might die. Surveys conducted in the United
States and Germany suggest that approximately 4.2 percent of the population has
reported an NDE. It has also been estimated that more than 25 million
individuals worldwide have had an NDE in the past 50 years.

People from all walks of life and belief systems have this experience. Studies
indicate that the experience of an NDE is not influenced by gender, race,
socioeconomic status, or level of education. Although NDEs are sometimes
presented as religious experiences, this seems to be a matter of individual
perception. Furthermore, researchers have found no relationship between religion
and the experience of an NDE. That is, it did not matter whether the people
recruited in those studies were Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish,
Buddhist, atheist, or agnostic.

Although the details differ, NDEs are characterized by a number of core
features. Perhaps the most vivid is the OBE: the sense of having left one's body
and of watching events going on around one's body or, occasionally, at some
distant physical location. During OBEs, near-death experiencers (NDErs) are
often astonished to discover that they have retained consciousness, perception,
lucid thinking, memory, emotions, and their sense of personal identity. If
anything, these processes are heightened: Thinking is vivid; hearing is sharp;
and vision can extend to 360 degrees. NDErs claim that without physical bodies,
they are able to penetrate through walls and doors and project themselves
wherever they want. They frequently report the ability to read people's
thoughts.

The effects of NDEs on the experience are intense, overwhelming, and real. A
number of studies conducted in United States, Western European countries, and
Australia have shown that most NDErs are profoundly and positively transformed
by the experience. One woman says, "I was completely altered after the accident.
I was another person, according to those who lived near me. I was happy,
laughing, appreciated little things, joked, smiled a lot, became friends with
everyone … so completely different than I was before!"

However different their personalities before the NDE, experiencers tend to share
a similar psychological profile after the NDE. Indeed, their beliefs, values,
behaviors, and worldviews seem quite comparable afterward. Importantly, these
psychological and behavioral changes are not the kind of changes one would
expect if this experience were a hallucination. And, as noted NDE researcher Pim
van Lommel and his colleagues have demonstrated, these changes become more
apparent with the passage of time.

Some skeptics legitimately argue that the main problem with reports of OBE
perceptions is that they often rest uniquely on the NDEr's testimony—there is no
independent corroboration. From a scientific perspective, such self-reports
remain inconclusive. But during the last few decades, some self-reports of NDErs
have been independently corroborated by witnesses, such as that of Pam Reynolds.
One of the best known of these corroborated veridical NDE
perceptions—perceptions that can be proven to coincide with reality—is the
experience of a woman named Maria, whose case was first documented by her
critical care social worker, Kimberly Clark.

Maria was a migrant worker who had a severe heart attack while visiting friends
in Seattle. She was rushed to Harborview Hospital and placed in the coronary
care unit. A few days later, she had a cardiac arrest but was rapidly
resuscitated. The following day, Clark visited her. Maria told Clark that during
her cardiac arrest she was able to look down from the ceiling and watch the
medical team at work on her body. At one point in this experience, said Maria,
she found herself outside the hospital and spotted a tennis shoe on the ledge of
the north side of the third floor of the building. She was able to provide
several details regarding its appearance, including the observations that one of
its laces was stuck underneath the heel and that the little toe area was worn.
Maria wanted to know for sure whether she had "really" seen that shoe, and she
begged Clark to try to locate it.

Quite skeptical, Clark went to the location described by Maria—and found the
tennis shoe. From the window of her hospital room, the details that Maria had
recounted could not be discerned. But upon retrieval of the shoe, Clark
confirmed Maria's observations. "The only way she could have had such a
perspective," said Clark, "was if she had been floating right outside and at
very close range to the tennis shoe. I retrieved the shoe and brought it back to
Maria; it was very concrete evidence for me."

This case is particularly impressive given that during cardiac arrest, the flow
of blood to the brain is interrupted. When this happens, the brain's electrical
activity (as measured with EEG) disappears after 10 to 20 seconds. In this
state, a patient is deeply comatose. Because the brain structures mediating
higher mental functions are severely impaired, such patients are expected to
have no clear and lucid mental experiences that will be remembered. Nonetheless,
studies conducted in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States have
revealed that approximately 15 percent of cardiac arrest survivors do report
some recollection from the time when they were clinically dead. These studies
indicate that consciousness, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings can be
experienced during a period when the brain shows no measurable activity.

NDEs experienced by people who do not have sight in everyday life are quite
intriguing. In 1994, researchers Kenneth Ring and Sharon Cooper decided to
undertake a search for cases of NDE-based perception in the blind. They reasoned
that such cases would represent the ultimate demonstration of veridical
perceptions during NDEs. If a blind person was able to report on verifiable
events that took place when they were clinically dead, that would mean something
real was occurring. They interviewed 31 individuals, of whom 14 were blind from
birth. Twenty-one of the participants had had an NDE; the others had had OBEs
only. Strikingly, the experiences they reported conform to the classic NDE
pattern, whether they were born blind or had lost their sight in later life. The
results of the study were published in 1997. Based on all the cases they
investigated, Ring and Cooper concluded that what happens during an NDE affords
another perspective to perceive reality that does not depend on the senses of
the physical body. They proposed to call this other mode of perception
mindsight.

Despite corroborated reports, many materialist scientists cling to the notion
that OBEs and NDEs are located in the brain. In 2002, neurologist Olaf Blanke
and colleagues at the University Hospitals of Geneva and Lausanne in Switzerland
described in the prestigious scientific journal Nature the strange occurrence
that happened to a 43-year-old female patient with epilepsy. Because her
seizures could not be controlled by medication alone, neurosurgery was being
considered as the next step. The researchers implanted electrodes in her right
temporal lobe to provide information about the localization and extent of the
epileptogenic zone—the area of the brain that was causing the seizures—which had
to be surgically removed. Other electrodes were implanted to identify and
localize, by means of electrical stimulation, the areas of the brain that—if
removed—would result in loss of sensory capacities, linguistic ability, or even
paralysis. Such a procedure is particularly critical to spare important brain
areas that are adjacent to the epileptogenic zone.

When they stimulated the angular gyrus—a region of the brain in the parietal
lobe that is thought to integrate sensory information related to vision, touch,
and balance to give us a perception of our own bodies—the patient reported
seeing herself "lying in bed, from above, but I only see my legs and lower
trunk." She described herself as "floating" near the ceiling. She also reported
seeing her legs "becoming shorter."

The article received global press coverage and created quite a commotion. The
editors of Nature went so far as to declare triumphantly that as a result of
this one study—which involved only one patient—the part of the brain that can
induce OBEs had been located.

"It's another blow against those who believe that the mind and spirit are
somehow separate from the brain," said psychologist Michael Shermer, director of
the Skeptics Society, which seeks to debunk all kinds of paranormal claims. "In
reality, all experience is derived from the brain."

In another article published in 2004, Blanke and co-workers described six
patients, of whom three had experienced an atypical and incomplete OBE. Four
patients reported an autoscopy—that is, they saw their own double from the
vantage point of their own body. In this paper, the researchers describe an OBE
as a temporary dysfunction of the junction of the temporal and parietal cortex.
But, as Pim van Lommel noted, the abnormal bodily experiences described by
Blanke and colleagues entail a false sense of reality. Typical OBEs, in
contrast, implicate a verifiable perception (from a position above or outside of
the body) of events, such as their own resuscitation or a traffic accident, and
the surroundings in which the events took place. Along the same lines,
psychiatrist Bruce Greyson of the University of Virginia commented that "We
cannot assume from the fact that electrical stimulation of the brain can induce
OBE-like illusions that all OBEs are therefore illusions."

Materialistic scientists have proposed a number of physiological explanations to
account for the various features of NDEs. British psychologist Susan Blackmore
has propounded the "dying brain" hypothesis: that a lack of oxygen (or anoxia)
during the dying process might induce abnormal firing of neurons in brain areas
responsible for vision, and that such an abnormal firing would lead to the
illusion of seeing a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Would it? Van Lommel and colleagues objected that if anoxia plays a central role
in the production of NDEs, most cardiac arrest patients would report an NDE.
Studies show that this is clearly not the case. Another problem with this view
is that reports of a tunnel are absent from several accounts of NDErs. As
pointed out by renowned NDE researcher Sam Parnia, some individuals have
reported an NDE when they had not been terminally ill and so would have had
normal levels of oxygen in their brains.

Parnia raises another problem: When oxygen levels decrease markedly, patients
whose lungs or hearts do not work properly experience an "acute confusional
state," during which they are highly confused and agitated and have little or no
memory recall. In stark contrast, during NDEs people experience lucid
consciousness, well-structured thought processes, and clear reasoning. They also
have an excellent memory of the NDE, which usually stays with them for several
decades. In other respects, Parnia argues that if this hypothesis is correct,
then the illusion of seeing a light and tunnel would progressively develop as
the patient's blood oxygen level drops. Medical observations, however, indicate
that patients with low oxygen levels do not report seeing a light, a tunnel, or
any of the common features of an NDE we discussed earlier.

During the 1990s, more research indicated that the anoxia theory of NDEs was on
the wrong track. James Whinnery, a chemistry professor with West Texas A&M, was
involved with studies simulating the extreme conditions that can occur during
aerial combat maneuvers. In these studies, fighter pilots were subjected to
extreme gravitational forces in a giant centrifuge. Such rapid acceleration
decreases blood flow and, consequently, delivery of oxygen to the brain. In so
doing, it induces brief periods of unconsciousness that Whinnery calls
"dreamlets." Whinnery hypothesized that although some of the core features of
NDEs are found during dreamlets, the main characteristics of dreamlets are
impaired memory for events just prior to the onset of unconsciousness,
confusion, and disorientation upon awakening. These symptoms are not typically
associated with NDEs. In addition, life transformations are never reported
following dreamlets.

So, if the "dying brain" is not responsible for NDEs, could they simply be
hallucinations? In my opinion, the answer is no. Let's look at the example of
hallucinations that can result from ingesting ketamine, a veterinary drug that
is sometimes used recreationally, and often at great cost to the user.

At small doses, the anesthetic agent ketamine can induce hallucinations and
feelings of being out of the body. Ketamine is thought to act primarily by
inhibiting N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors, which normally open in
response to binding of glutamate, the most abundant excitatory chemical
messenger in the human brain. Psychiatrist Karl Jensen has speculated that the
blockade of NMDA receptors may induce an NDE. But ketamine experiences are often
frightening, producing weird images; and most ketamine users realize that the
experiences produced by this drug are illusory. In contrast, NDErs are strongly
convinced of the reality of what they experienced. Furthermore, many of the
central features of NDEs are not reported with ketamine. That being said, we
cannot rule out that the blockade of NMDA receptors may be involved in some
NDEs.

Neuroscientist Michael Persinger has claimed that he and his colleagues have
produced all the major features of the NDE by using weak transcranial magnetic
stimulation (TMS) of the temporal lobes. Persinger's work is based on the
premise that abnormal activity in the temporal lobe may trigger an NDE. A review
of the literature on epilepsy, however, indicates that the classical features of
NDEs are not associated with epileptic seizures located in the temporal lobes.
Moreover, as Bruce Greyson and his collaborators have correctly emphasized, the
experiences reported by participants in Persinger's TMS studies bear little
resemblance with the typical features of NDEs.

The scientific NDE studies performed over the past decades indicate that
heightened mental functions can be experienced independently of the body at a
time when brain activity is greatly impaired or seemingly absent (such as during
cardiac arrest). Some of these studies demonstrate that blind people can have
veridical perceptions during OBEs associated with an NDE. Other investigations
show that NDEs often result in deep psychological and spiritual changes.

These findings strongly challenge the mainstream neuroscientific view that mind
and consciousness result solely from brain activity. As we have seen, such a
view fails to account for how NDErs can experience—while their hearts are
stopped—vivid and complex thoughts and acquire veridical information about
objects or events remote from their bodies.

NDE studies also suggest that after physical death, mind and consciousness may
continue in a transcendent level of reality that normally is not accessible to
our senses and awareness. Needless to say, this view is utterly incompatible
with the belief of many materialists that the material world is the only
reality.

Excerpted with permission from "The Brain Wars: The Scientific Battle Over the
Existence of the Mind and the Proof That Will Change the Way We Live Our Lives."
Courtesy of HarperOne.

Mario Beauregard is associate research professor at the Departments of
Psychology and Radiology and the Neuroscience Research Center at the University
of Montreal. He is the coauthor of "The Spiritual Brain" and more than one
hundred publications in neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

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50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know: Religion
A Konformist Book Klub Special
Daniele Bolelli (Author)

Paperback List Price: $12.95
Price: $10.36 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
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Publication Date: December 20, 2011
Series: Things You're Not Supposed to Know

If you're waiting for the world's "Holy Men" to tell you the truth about their
religions, do you suppose they'll mention that:

The Tao Te Ching was only created because Lao Tzu was thrown in jail by a
disciple who didn't want to let him leave town without writing down his
teachings? "Passover" celebrates God killing all firstborn Egyptian kids while
Jewish homes were "passed over" by the angel of death? Shinto, a nature-loving,
mellow religion, was transformed by the Japanese government into a nationalistic
ideology promoting "holy" war?

Adding to its popular 50 Things You're Not Supposed To Know series,
Disinformation has teamed with Daniele Bolelli — writer, professor of
comparative religion, and renowned martial arts practitioner and philosopher —
to tackle an ever more serious and important topic: popular misconceptions about
religion. Among other revelations:

Carpocrates, an early Christian, argued that sex orgies were a key to heaven.
Prostitution was a religious duty in Mesopotamian temples.The two major Chinese
religions (Taoism and Confucianism) are completely at odds with each other and
yet are often practiced together. Despite having persecuted Jews for 2,000
years, Christian fundamentalists are Israel's biggest supporters.

Capturing just the right balance of in-depth knowledge, respect, humor and
irreverence, Bolelli takes an ecumenical approach to the task, revealing
surprising, shocking, and little-known facts about the "big three" religions but
also many more, including Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and, of
course, the increasingly popular non-religion: atheism.

About the Author

Daniele Bolelli is a writer, college professor and martial artist. Born in
Milan, Italy, he is part of a family of writers. His father, Franco Bolelli, is
one of the most influential modern Italian philosophers, while his mother,
Gloria, is the author of four books and a freelance journalist.

His first book published in the United States was On the Warrior's Path:
Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology. It is one of the top modern
bestsellers on the philosophy of martial arts and has been used as a textbook in
several universities in the United States, Canada and Italy. A fourth-degree
black belt, Bolelli has taught seminars about martial arts in schools around the
world and has coached and fought professionally in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Bolelli is a lecturer at several major universities in Southern California. He
is a professor in the History Department at Santa Monica College, teaching
courses on the history of religions. He also teaches in the Asian American
Studies and World Arts Cultures Departments at UCLA and the American Indian
Studies Department at CSULB.

Bolelli is a regular contributor for several magazines both in Italy and in the
United States. A graduate of UCLA with Bachelors and Masters degrees, he lives
in Los Angeles.

Product Details
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: The Disinformation Company (December 20, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934708690
ISBN-13: 978-1934708699


***

Thank You God for Killing My Enemies' Children
Daniele Bolelli
April 7, 2012
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/04/thank-you-god-for-killing-my-enemies-children

The following is an excerpt from the recent Disinformation title 50 Things
You're Not Supposed To Know: Religion, authored by Daniele Bolelli.

Often, the stories at the origin of many religious holidays sound like sweet
fairy tales.

Think of Christmas, for example, with the shooting star, the three wise men
bringing gifts, and baby Jesus being born in the midst of all the happy barn
animals. It has a "God meets Old-MacDonald-Had-a-Farm" feel to it.

The story at the roots of the Jewish holiday of Passover, on the other hand,
doesn't sound quite like a fairy tale—unless perhaps one created by Stephen
King. What exactly is celebrated during Passover? Our tale begins in Egypt over
3,000 years ago—or at least so we are told, since there is less historical
evidence for the authenticity of this story than for the existence of the Yeti
and the Loch Ness monster. No source for its truthfulness exists other than the
Torah. For all we know, it could be all exactly true or it could just as well be
entirely made up. But in any case, here's what the Torah has to say about the
origins of Passover. Over three millennia ago, times were not rosy for Jewish
peoples (some things never change …). Being enslaved in ancient Egypt was not
the epitome of fun, so Jews were desperately looking for a way out. The one and
only God came to the rescue by empowering Moses to threaten the Pharaoh with a
series of horrific plagues unless he freed his people. Nine consecutive plagues
failed to sway the Pharaoh. So, for the tenth plague, God decided to pull out
the big guns. He told good monotheistic Jews to mark their doorposts with the
blood of sacrificial lambs. This was to make sure that the angel of death—who
apparently could be a bit distracted sometimes—would not make mistakes. The
blood on the door was the signal to the angel of death that he was not welcome
to come in for a visit: the blood told him to "pass over" those homes and go
carry out his murderous homework elsewhere. God's orders, in fact, were pretty
specific: all the firstborn children of the Egyptians were to be wiped out in a
single night. And just in case that weren't enough, all the firstborn calves
were also to be killed (if you are wondering about that, sorry but the Torah
doesn't tell us exactly what evil sin Egyptian cows had committed to deserve
such punishment).

Since this story was apparently not perverted enough, here's the icing on the
cake. It was God all along who had hardened the heart of the Pharaoh to make
sure he wouldn't release Jewish people before He had a chance to unleash all ten
plagues. "Why?"—you may ask—"What kind of weird game was God playing?"

This whole drama was a publicity stunt set up by the one and only God, "… in
order to show you My power and in order that My fame may resound throughout the
world." In other words, the killing of thousands of Egyptian kids was but a way
for God to flex His muscles and gain some fame: bloodshed and terror tactics as
a strategy to get attention.

Now, ancient Jews were clearly not overly fond of their enemies' children. In
Psalm 137, which begins as a moving lamentation over being exiled from their
homelands, we are told with gleeful satisfaction about the joys of smashing the
heads of the children of Babylon. During the march to the Promised Land, we are
told in multiple occasions about Jewish armies hacking to death all enemy males,
including those still suckling. But the lovely tale of the angel of death having
a field day with Egyptian kids is the only massacre of babies to get its very
celebratory holiday.

***

The Godfather of Christianity
Daniele Bolelli
April 8, 2012
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/04/the-godfather-of-christianity

This is an excerpt from the recent Disinformation title 50 Things You're Not
Supposed To Know: Religion, authored by Daniele Bolelli.

The Roman emperor Constantine is one of the great heroes of Christian history.
As legend would have it, he singlehandedly put an end to religious persecution
and became the first Christian emperor. His impact was nothing short of
miraculous, and this is why his name is often adorned with superlatives: he is
Constantine "the Great," or as some branches of Christianity regard him "Saint"
Constantine. More than any other figure, he is the true Godfather of
Christianity, who helped it turn from a small troubled sect into the dominant
religion of the empire.

But the word godfather applies to Constantine in more ways than one. Think Don
Vito Corleone kind of Godfather (actually, I like Don Vito Corleone, so more
like Michael Corleone). The historical reality is that Constantine was a brutal
dictator who used Christianity for his own self-aggrandizing means and probably
never even converted (some say he converted on his death bed, while others say
he never did).

At the beginning of the 300s, the Roman Empire was a mess: there were too many
people following too many religions speaking too many languages. Culturally,
politically, religiously and in every other way, hardly anything brought unity
to the empire. The confusion was so intense that it was not unusual for multiple
people to claim the title of emperor at the same time. Civil wars to settle the
squabbles between these contenders were the norm.

Constantine had quickly understood that ruling over such a diverse population,
with such divided loyalties, would always be an uphill battle unless he figured
out a way to bring them together. Religion seemed to fit the bill: a shared
religion would give his citizens a common sense of loyalty and identity.

The old Roman polytheism didn't seem to serve his purposes since few people
still believed in it. Christians instead were very enthusiastic about their
faith. Perhaps even more attractive, monotheism preached the need for all to
worship a single source of authority—a concept that was music to Constantine's
ears. By tying religion and imperial power together, Constantine would be able
to claim that any rebellion against him was a rebellion against God's right hand
man. Saint Paul's writings about political leaders receiving their authority
from God gave Constantine plenty of ammunition for his totalitarian project.

Constantine probably didn't give a rat's ass about religion (or if he did, he
had a curious way of showing it since—as we will see—his newly found interest
for Christianity didn't dampen his passion for murder). He professed devotion to
the Church, but he also regularly offered sacrifices to Apollo, Diana and
Hercules, and remained head of the official pagan priesthood throughout his
life. What he was looking for was a tool that would allow him to tighten his
grip on power.

Accordingly, Constantine tested the waters by putting an end to the persecutions
against Christians in 313 CE. The infighting among different Christian sects,
however, bothered him. Religious disagreements could lead to conflicts and
rebellion, and this would mean more people to kill, more heads to be bashed, and
nothing but work, work, work. If Christianity were to serve his purpose, only
one official version should be allowed. So, in 325, Constantine invited bishops
from all over the empire at the Council of Nicaea, where they could get their
act straight and vote once and for all regarding which one would the true
Christian doctrine, and which should be eliminated as heresies. Once the bishops
were done bickering, Constantine immediately moved to repress any alternate
versions of Christianity.

Shortly after thus becoming the champion of the new religion, Constantine
demonstrated how much religious piety had touched his soul by having his son
executed, and his own wife boiled alive, for he feared they may have been
plotting against him. Jesus's message to "love your enemies" must have not
gotten to destination, since Constantine had some of his rivals beheaded, and
others hanged after he had promised them clemency if they surrendered.

Constantine played an incredibly important role in legitimizing Christianity,
but considering him a saint may be a tad overoptimistic. The man, in fact, was a
gangster with a tiny heart and a Godzilla-sized ego.

***

Orgies for Jesus
Daniele Bolelli
December 17, 2011
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/12/orgies-for-jesus

The following is an excerpt from the new Disinformation title 50 Things You're
Not Supposed To Know: Religion, authored by Daniele Bolelli.

What if Christian theology dismissed the virgin birth and other miracles as
fairy tales? What if your pastor/priest told you to flush the Ten Commandments
down the toilet and instead live life to the fullest? What if Sunday service at
your local church consisted in a juicy orgy? All of this could have happened had
Carpocrates had his way.

Carpo … who? The lead character in our story was the leader of a second century
Christian community based in the Greek islands. Back in those days, early
Christians couldn't agree on just about anything. Official Christian doctrine
hadn't been fully established yet, so an extremely wide range of opinions and
teachings fell under the label of "Christianity." The only thing they had in
common was that they all thought Jesus was a cool guy. Other than that,
everything else was up for debate since they couldn't even agree on which books
should become official scriptures. Some Christians believed their religion was
to remain exclusively for Jewish people. Others wanted to open it to all
ethnicities. Some believed Jesus and God were one. Others were far from sold
about this. Some were strict ascetics. Others enjoyed a very sensual life. Some
promoted women as leaders within their groups. Others felt women were good to
cook dinner and make babies, but religious leaders? Ha!

In the midst of this very chaotic beginning, Carpocrates emerged as a
particularly charismatic preacher, who soon attracted enough of a following as
to give birth to his own branch of Christianity. His ideas were just a tad on
the wild side. Jesus—Carpocrates argued—was as human as anyone else. He was a
visionary whose brilliance and wisdom put him in touch with God, but was not God
himself. This didn't diminish Jesus's status in Carpocrates's eyes, since it set
him up as a model of behavior that regular human beings could hope to emulate.
The whole story of the virgin birth made Carpocrates laugh. In his view, good
old Jesus was conceived in the old fashioned way: through sweaty sex. The depth
of Jesus's wisdom was enough for Carpocrates to admire and love him, so he felt
no need for any supernatural special effects.

Since this beginning was apparently not controversial enough, Carpocrates
promptly taught his followers to reject Mosaic Law as well as the prevailing
morality of his times as mere human opinions, not divine commandments. A
goodie-goodie morality was according to Carpocrates nothing but a cage built by
those who were too scared by life's intensity. The soul could only achieve
freedom and fulfillment by experiencing all of life, without discriminating too
much. Only in this way, it would free itself from the cycle of reincarnation …

Oh, yeah, did I forget to mention that? Carpocrates's followers—like the members
of many other early Christian sects—fully believed in reincarnation. And just
like several tantric schools found in the history of both Hinduism and Buddhism,
they also believed that human beings should explore every emotion without
holding back. Sensual pleasure in their eyes was not any less sacred than the
most spiritual practices, so good food, sex and every other earthly joy was
embraced as a stepping stone toward liberation.

This determination to live life to the fullest went hand in hand with another
radical notion. Carp considered differences in wealth and social class as
unnatural perversions. Since everyone is born naked and equal in front of God,
human attempts to gain status at the expense of others were misguided and
ultimately against God's plan. The cure for the very human tendency toward ego
aggrandizing was to discourage the evil of private property. Instead,
everything—from material possessions to sexual partners—was to be held in
common. Coupled with Carp's insistence on indulging in sensual pleasures, this
idea led his followers to regularly stage sexual orgies as part of their
spiritual practices … which makes you wonder: just how different would the world
be had mainstream forms of Christianity decided to embrace Carpocrates rather
than stern moralists like Saint Paul and Saint Augustine? I think it's a safe
bet that church attendance would be much higher.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


Healthcare Jujitsu
Robert Reich
Monday, March 26, 2012
http://robertreich.org/post/19972321637

Not surprisingly, today's debut Supreme Court argument over the so-called
"individual mandate" requiring everyone to buy health insurance revolved around
epistemological niceties such as the meaning of a "tax," and the question of
whether the issue is ripe for review.

Behind this judicial foreplay is the brute political fact that if the Court
decides the individual mandate is an unconstitutional extension of federal
authority, the entire law starts unraveling.

But with a bit of political jujitsu, the President could turn any such defeat
into a victory for a single-payer healthcare system – Medicare for all.

Here's how.

The dilemma at the heart of the new law is that it continues to depend on
private health insurers, who have to make a profit or at least pay all their
costs including marketing and advertising.

Yet the only way private insurers can afford to cover everyone with pre-existing
health problems, as the new law requires, is to have every American buy health
insurance – including young and healthier people who are unlikely to rack up
large healthcare costs.

This dilemma is the product of political compromise. You'll remember the
Administration couldn't get the votes for a single-payer system such as Medicare
for all. It hardly tried. Not a single Republican would even agree to a bill
giving Americans the option of buying into it.

But don't expect the Supreme Court to address this dilemma. It lies buried under
an avalanche of constitutional argument.

Those who are defending the law in Court say the federal government has
authority to compel Americans to buy health insurance under the Commerce Clause
of the Constitution, which gives Washington the power to regulate interstate
commerce. They argue our sprawling health insurance system surely extends beyond
an individual state.

Those who are opposing the law say a requirement that individuals contract with
private insurance companies isn't regulation of interstate commerce. It's
coercion of individuals.

Unhappily for Obama and the Democrats, most Americans don't seem to like the
individual mandate very much anyway. Many on the political right believe it a
threat to individual liberty. Many on the left object to being required to buy
something from a private company.

The President and the Democrats could have avoided this dilemma in the first
place if they'd insisted on Medicare for all, or at least a public option.

After all, Social Security and Medicare require every working American to "buy"
them. The purchase happens automatically in the form of a deduction from
everyone's paychecks. But because Social Security and Medicare are government
programs financed by payroll taxes they don't feel like mandatory purchases.

Americans don't mind mandates in the form of payroll taxes for Social Security
or Medicare. In fact, both programs are so popular even conservative Republicans
were heard to shout "don't take away my Medicare!" at rallies opposed to the new
health care law.

There's no question payroll taxes are constitutional, because there's no doubt
that the federal government can tax people in order to finance particular public
benefits. But requiring citizens to buy something from a private company is
different because private companies aren't directly accountable to the public.
They're accountable to their owners and their purpose is to maximize profits.
What if they monopolize the market and charge humongous premiums? (Some already
seem to be doing this.)

Even if private health insurers are organized as not-for-profits, there's still
a problem of public accountability. What's to prevent top executives from being
paid small fortunes? (In more than a few cases this is already happening.)

Moreover, compared to private insurance, Medicare is a great deal. Its
administrative costs are only around 3 percent, while the administrative costs
of private insurers eat up 30 to 40 percent of premiums. Medicare's costs are
even below the 5 percent to 10 percent administrative costs borne by large
companies that self-insure, and under the 11 percent costs of private plans
under Medicare Advantage, the current private-insurance option under Medicare.

So why not Medicare for all?

Because Republicans have mastered the art of political jujitsu. Their strategy
has been to demonize government and seek to privatize everything that might
otherwise be a public program financed by tax dollars (see Paul Ryan's plan for
turning Medicare into vouchers). Then they go to court and argue that any
mandatory purchase is unconstitutional because it exceeds the government's
authority.

Obama and the Democrats should do the reverse. If the Supreme Court strikes down
the individual mandate in the new health law, private insurers will swarm
Capitol Hill demanding that the law be amended to remove the requirement that
they cover people with pre-existing conditions.

When this happens, Obama and the Democrats should say they're willing to remove
that requirement – but only if Medicare is available to all, financed by payroll
taxes.

If they did this the public will be behind them — as will the Supreme Court.

***

The Real Health Care Debate
Chris Hedges
Apr 9, 2012
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_real_health_care_debate_20120409

The debate surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
illustrates the impoverishment of our political life. Here is a law that had its
origin in the right-wing Heritage Foundation, was first put into practice in
2006 in Massachusetts by then-Gov. Mitt Romney and was solidified into federal
law after corporate lobbyists wrote legislation with more than 2,000 pages. It
is a law that forces American citizens to buy a deeply defective product from
private insurance companies. It is a law that is the equivalent of the bank
bailout bill—some $447 billion in subsidies for insurance interests alone—for
the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. It is a law that is
unconstitutional. And it is a law by which President Barack Obama, and his
corporate backers, extinguished the possibilities of both the public option and
Medicare for all Americans. There is no substantial difference between Obamacare
and Romneycare. There is no substantial difference between Obama and Romney.
They are abject servants of the corporate state. And if you vote for one you
vote for the other.

But you would never know this by listening to the Democratic Party and the
advocacy groups that purport to support universal health care but seem more
intent on re-electing Obama. It is the very sad legacy of the liberal class that
it proves in election cycle after election cycle that it espouses moral and
political positions it will not pay a price to defend. And since we have no
fight in us, since we will not punish politicians like Obama who betray our core
beliefs, the corporate juggernaut rolls forward with its inexorable pace to
cement into place our global neofeudalism.

Protesting outside the Supreme Court recently as it heard arguments on the
constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act were both conservatives from
Americans for Prosperity who denounced the president as a socialist and
demonstrators from Democratic front groups such as the SEIU and the Families USA
health care consumer group who chanted "Protect the law!" Lost between these two
factions were a few stalwarts who hold quite different views, including public
health care advocates Dr. Margaret Flowers, Dr. Carol Paris and attorneys Oliver
Hall, Kevin Zeese and Russell Mokhiber. They displayed a banner that read:
"Single Payer Now! Strike Down the Obama Mandate!" They, at least, have not
relinquished the demand for single payer health care for all Americans. And I
throw my lot in with these renegades, dismissed, no doubt, as cranks or dreamers
or impractical by those who flee into the embrace of empty political theater and
junk politics. These single payer advocates, joined by 50 doctors, filed a brief
to the court that challenges, in the name of universal health care, the
individual mandate.

"We have the solution, we have the resources and we have the money to provide
lifelong, comprehensive, high-quality health care to every person," Dr. Flowers
said when we spoke a few days ago in Washington, D.C. Many Americans have not
accepted the single payer approach "because people get confused by the
politics," she said. "People accept the Democratic argument that this
[Obamacare] is all we can have or this is something we can build on.

"If you are trying to meet the goal of universal health coverage and the only
way to meet that goal is to force people to purchase private insurance, then you
might consider that it is constitutional," Flowers said. "Our argument is that
the individual mandate does not meet the goal of universality. When you attempt
to use the individual mandate and expansion of Medicaid for coverage, only about
half of the uninsured gain coverage. This is what we have seen in Massachusetts.
We do, however, have systems in the United States that could meet the goal of
universality. That would be either a Veterans Administration type system, which
is a socialized system run by the government, or a Medicare type system, a
single payer, publicly financed health care system. If the U.S. Congress had
considered an evidence-based approach to health reform instead of writing a bill
that funnels more wealth to insurance companies that deny and restrict care, it
would have been a no-brainer to adopt a single payer health system much like our
own Medicare. We are already spending enough on health care in this country to
provide high-quality, universal, comprehensive, lifelong health care. All the
data point to a single payer system as the only way to accomplish this and
control health care costs."

Obamacare will, according to figures compiled by Physicians for a National
Health Plan (PNHP), leave at least 23 million people without insurance, a figure
that translates into an estimated 23,000 unnecessary deaths a year among people
who cannot afford care. Costs will continue to climb. There are no caps on
premiums, including for people with "pre-existing conditions." The elderly can
be charged three times the rates provided to the young. Companies with
predominantly female workforces can be charged higher gender-based rates. Most
of us will soon be paying about 10 percent of our annual incomes to buy
commercial health insurance, although this coverage will pay for only about 70
percent of our medical expenses. And those of us who become seriously ill, lose
our incomes and cannot pay the skyrocketing premiums are likely to be denied
coverage. The dizzying array of loopholes in the law—written in by insurance and
pharmaceutical lobbyists—means, in essence, that the healthy will receive
insurance while the sick and chronically ill will be priced out of the market.

Medical bills already lead to 62 percent of personal bankruptcies, and nearly 80
percent of those declaring personal bankruptcy because of medical costs had
insurance. The U.S. spends twice as much per capita on health care as other
industrialized nations, $8,160. Private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork
consume 31 percent of every health care dollar. Streamlining payment through a
single, nonprofit payer would save more than $400 billion per year, enough, the
PNHP estimates, to provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage for all
Americans.

But as long as corporations determine policy, as long as they can use their
money to determine who gets elected and what legislation gets passed, we remain
hostages. It matters little in our corporate state that nearly two-thirds of the
public wants single payer and that it is backed by 59 percent of doctors. Public
debates on the Obama health care reform, controlled by corporate dollars,
ruthlessly silence those who support single payer. The Senate Finance Committee,
chaired by Max Baucus, a politician who gets more than 80 percent of his
campaign contributions from outside his home state of Montana, locked out of the
Affordable Care Act hearing a number of public health care advocates including
Dr. Flowers and Dr. Paris; the two physicians and six other activists were
arrested and taken away. Baucus had invited 41 people to testify. None backed
single payer. Those who testified included contributors who had given a total of
more than $3 million to committee members for their political campaigns.

"It is not necessary to force Americans to buy private health insurance to
achieve universal coverage," said Russell Mokhiber of Single Payer Action.
"There is a proven alternative that Congress didn't seriously consider, and that
alternative is a single payer national health insurance system. Congress could
have taken seriously evidence presented by these single payer medical doctors
that a single payer system is the only way to both control costs and cover
everyone."

***

What Is ObamaCare?
Paul Craig Roberts
Institute for Political Economy
April 10, 2012
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2012/04/10/what-is-obamacare

Growing up in the post-war era (after the Second World War), I never expected to
live in the strange Kafkaesque world that exists today. The US government can
assassinate any US citizen that the executive branch thinks could possibly be a
"threat" to the US government, or throw the hapless citizen into a dungeon for
the rest of his or her life without presenting any evidence to a court or
obtaining a conviction of any crime, or send the "threat" to a puppet foreign
state to be tortured until the "threat" confesses to a crime that never occurred
or dies at the hands of "freedom and democracy" while professing innocence.

It has never been revealed how a single citizen, or any number thereof, could
possibly comprise a threat to a government that has a trillion plus dollars to
spend each year on security and weapons, the world's largest navy and air force,
700 plus military bases across the world, large numbers of nuclear weapons, 16
intelligence agencies plus the intelligence agencies of its NATO puppet states
and the intelligence service of Israel.

Nevertheless, air travelers are subjected to porno-scanning and sexual groping.
Cars traveling on Interstate highways can expect to be stopped, with traffic
backed up for miles, while Homeland Security and the federalized state or local
police conduct searches.

I witnessed one such warrantless search on Easter Sunday. The south bound lanes
of I-185 heading into Columbus, Georgia, were at a standstill while black SUV
and police car lights flashed. US citizens were treated by "security" forces
that they finance as if they were "terrorists" or "domestic extremists," another
undefined class of Americans devoid of constitutional protections.

These events are Kafkaesque in themselves, but they are ever more so when one
considers that these extraordinary violations of the US Constitution fail to be
overturned in the Supreme Court. Apparently, American citizens lack standing to
defend their civil liberties.

Yet, ObamaCare is before the US Supreme Court. The conservative majority might
now utilize the "judicial activism" for which conservatives have criticized
liberals. Hypocrisy should no longer surprise us. However, the fight over
ObamaCare is not worth five cents.

It is extraordinary that "liberals," "progressives," "Democrats," whatever they
are, are defending a "health program" that uses public monies to pay private
insurance companies and that raises the cost of health care.

Americans have been brainwashed that "a single-payer system is unaffordable"
because it is "socialized medicine." Despite this propaganda, accepted by many
Americans, European countries manage to afford single-payer systems. Health care
is not a stress, a trauma, an unaffordable expense for European populations.
Among the Western Civilized Nations, only the richest, the US, has no universal
health care.

The American health care system is the most expensive of all on earth. The
reason for the extraordinary expense is the multiple of entities that must make
profits. The private doctors must make profits. The private testing centers must
make profits.The private specialists who receive the referrals from general
practitioners must make profits. The private hospitals must make profits. The
private insurance companies must make profits. The profits are a huge cost of
health care.

On top of these profits come the costs of preventing and combatting fraud.
Because private insurance companies resist paying and Medicare pays a small
fraction of the medical charges, private health care providers charge as much as
they possibly can, knowing that the payments will be cut to the bone. But a
billing mistake of even $300 can bankrupt a health care provider from legal
expenses defending him/her self from fraud accusations.

The beauty of a single-payer system is that it takes the profits out of the
system. No one has to make profits. Wall Street cannot threaten insurance
companies and private health care companies with being taken over because their
profits are too low. No health-provider in a single-payer system has to worry
about being displaced in a takeover organized by Wall Street because the profits
are too low.

Because a single-payer system eliminates the profits that drive up the costs,
Wall Street, Insurance companies, and "free market economists" hate a
"socialized" medical care system. They prefer a socialized "private" health care
system in which public monies flow into private insurance companies.

To make the costs as high as possible, conservatives and the private insurance
companies devised ObamaCare. The bill was written by conservative think tanks
and the private insurance companies. What the "socialistic" ObamaCare bill does
is to take income taxes paid by citizens and use the taxes to subsidize the
private medical premiums charges by private health care providers in order to
provide "private" health care to US citizens who cannot afford it.

The extremely high costs of ObamaCare is not "socialistic medicine." ObamaCare
is high-cost privatized medicine that guarantees billions of dollars in profits
to private insurance companies.

It remains to be seen whether such a ridiculous health care scheme, nowhere
extant on earth except in Romney's Massachusetts, will provide health care or
just private profits.

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy
and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business
Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many
university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide
following.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


Two anniversaries, same story...

"Open sores. Parasitic infections. Chewed-up-looking fins. Gashes. Mysterious
black streaks. Two years after the drilling-rig explosion that touched off the
biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, scientists are beginning to suspect
that fish in the Gulf of Mexico are suffering the effects of the petroleum."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gdkmCejVkHtKL-KDVX4aYymbokdA

"After the deadly earthquake and tsunami in Japan, airborne radiation levels
from the Fukushima nuclear power plant are expected to remain at or close to
dangerous levels at least until 2022, according to a government report."

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_dangerous-radiation-from-fukushima-could-re\
main-for-10-years_1680498

*

Awesome Quotes

"Politics is weird, and creepy, and now I know lacks even the loosest attachment
to anything like reality."

Shepard Smith, showing once again why he's the best thing about Fox News.

*

Looking for a cheap home?  In Detroit, the median price for a home is $84,900,
$13K less than any city in the USA.  But with minimal effort, you can find gems
like a 750-foot three bedroom home from $500:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134705/After-bargain-Own-bedroom-home-D\
etroit-JUST-500--city-revealed-cheapest-housing-U-S.html

*

Stoner Cooking: McDonald's Style French Fries
http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/perfect-mcdonald-8217-style-french-fries-home-\
192700419.html

6 Idaho russet potatoes
Peanut oil
Sea salt

Method:

Peel and square off potato ends. Cut into 3/8" batons. Soak for two hours
changing water after an hour. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Heat about an
inch of oil (or enough to cover potatoes) in a large, heavy bottomed pot to 290
degrees. Blanch potatoes gently for about two minutes until cooked through but
still completely pale. Place on a paper-towel lined sheet pan and cool in the
refrigerator to stop cooking process.

Re-heat oil to 370 degrees. Cook fries until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4
minutes. If necessary, agitate gently with a spatula to prevent sticking. Remove
from pan and toss with salt to taste (Myers doesn't blot but you can if you want
less fat). Serve immediately. Recipe serves 4 to 6.

*

Burger King announced that all its eggs and pork will come from cage-free
chickens and pigs by 2017:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/story/2012-04-25/burger-king-pigs-\
eggs-cage-free/54534572/1

*

Dubai Capitalism is back!  Deep Ocean Technology has plans for a
spaceship-shaped hotel with underwater rooms offering views below the sea
surface.  It looks less like a hotel and more like a lair for a James Bond
villain:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2138828/Dubai-underwater-hotel-Emirate\
-plans-hotel-rooms-10m-surface-sea.html

*

Konformist Book Club: The Passage of Power
The Years of Lyndon Johnson
Written by Robert A. Caro
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/24315/the-passage-of-power-by-robert-a-caro

$35.00
Published by: Knopf
Hardcover
On Sale: May 01, 2012
Pages: 736 | ISBN: 978-0-679-40507-8

Book Four of Robert A. Caro's monumental The Years of Lyndon Johnson displays
all the narrative energy and illuminating insight that led the Times of London
to acclaim it as "one of the truly great political biographies of the modern
age.  A masterpiece."

The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating
and the most triumphant periods of his career—1958 to 1964.

It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power he had created for
himself as Senate Majority Leader for what became the wretched powerlessness of
a Vice President in an administration that disdained and distrusted him. Yet it
was, as well, the time in which the presidency, the goal he had always pursued,
would be thrust upon him in the moment it took an assassin's bullet to reach its
mark.

By 1958, as Johnson began to maneuver for the presidency, he was known as one of
the most brilliant politicians of his time, the greatest Senate Leader in our
history. But the 1960 nomination would go to the young senator from
Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. Caro gives us an unparalleled account of the
machinations behind both the nomination and Kennedy's decision to offer Johnson
the vice presidency, revealing the extent of Robert Kennedy's efforts to force
Johnson off the ticket. With the consummate skill of a master storyteller, he
exposes the savage animosity between Johnson and Kennedy's younger brother,
portraying one of America's great political feuds. Yet Robert Kennedy's overt
contempt for Johnson was only part of the burden of humiliation and isolation he
bore as Vice President. With a singular understanding of Johnson's heart and
mind, Caro describes what it was like for this mighty politician to find himself
altogether powerless in a world in which power is the crucial commodity.

For the first time, in Caro's breathtakingly vivid narrative, we see the Kennedy
assassination through Lyndon Johnson's eyes. We watch Johnson step into the
presidency, inheriting a staff fiercely loyal to his slain predecessor; a
Congress determined to retain its power over the executive branch; and a nation
in shock and mourning. We see how within weeks—grasping the reins of the
presidency with supreme mastery—he propels through Congress essential
legislation that at the time of Kennedy's death seemed hopelessly logjammed and
seizes on a dormant Kennedy program to create the revolutionary War on Poverty.
Caro makes clear how the political genius with which Johnson had ruled the
Senate now enabled him to make the presidency wholly his own.  This was without
doubt Johnson's finest hour, before his aspirations and accomplishments were
overshadowed and eroded by the trap of Vietnam.

In its exploration of this pivotal period in Johnson's life—and in the life of
the nation—The Passage of Power is not only the story of how he surmounted
unprecedented obstacles in order to fulfill the highest purpose of the
presidency but is, as well, a revelation of both the pragmatic potential in the
presidency and what can be accomplished when the chief executive has the vision
and determination to move beyond the pragmatic and initiate programs designed to
transform a nation.  It is an epic story told with a depth of detail possible
only through the peerless research that forms the foundation of Robert Caro's
work, confirming Nicholas von Hoffman's verdict that "Caro has changed the art
of political biography."

For his biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, Robert A. Caro has twice
won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, twice won the National Book Critics Circle
Award for Best Nonfiction Book of the Year, and has also won virtually every
other major literary honor, including the National Book Award, the Gold Medal in
Biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Francis Parkman
Prize, awarded by the Society of American Historians to the book that best
"exemplifies the union of the historian and the artist." In 2010, he received
the National Humanities Medal from President Obama.

To create his first book, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New
York, Caro spent seven years tracing and talking with hundreds of men and women
who worked with, for, or against Robert Moses, including a score of his top
aides. He examined mountains of files never opened to the public. Everywhere
acclaimed as a modern classic, The Power Broker was chosen by the Modern Library
as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books of the twentieth century. It is,
according to David Halberstam, "Surely the greatest book ever written about a
city." And The New York Times Book Review said: "In the future, the scholar who
writes the history of American cities in the twentieth century will doubtless
begin with this extraordinary effort."

To research The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Caro and his wife, Ina, moved from his
native New York City to the Texas Hill Country and then to Washington, D.C., to
live in the locales in which Johnson grew up and in which he built, while still
young, his first political machine. He has spent years examining documents at
the Johnson Library in Austin and interviewing men and women connected with
Johnson's life, many of whom had never before been interviewed. The first volume
of The Years of Lyndon Johnson, The Path to Power, was cited by The Washington
Post as "proof that we live in a great age of biography . . . [a book] of
radiant excellence . . . Caro's evocation of the Texas Hill Country, his
elaboration of Johnson's unsleeping ambition, his understanding of how politics
actually work, are–let it be said flat out–at the summit of American historical
writing." Professor Henry F. Graff of Columbia University called the second
volume, Means of Ascent, "brilliant. No review does justice to the drama of the
story Caro is telling, which is nothing less than how present-day politics was
born." And the London Times hailed volume three, Master of the Senate, as "a
masterpiece . . . Robert Caro has written one of the truly great political
biographies of the modern age."

"Caro has a unique place among American political biographers," according to The
Boston Globe. "He has become, in many ways, the standard by which his fellows
are measured." And Nicholas von Hoffman wrote: "Caro has changed the art of
political biography."

Caro graduated from Princeton University and later became a Nieman Fellow at
Harvard University. He lives in New York City with his wife, Ina, an historian
and writer.

Robert Caro is represented by Random House Speakers Bureau
(http://www.rhspeakers.com).

*

'The Scream' sold for nearly $120 million:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/02/us/new-york-the-scream

*

A new look at a 425-year-old map has yielded a tantalizing clue about the fate
of the Lost Colony, the settlers who disappeared from North Carolina's Roanoke
Island in the late 16th century.

Experts from the First Colony Foundation and the British Museum in London
discussed their findings Thursday at a scholarly meeting on the campus of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Their focus: the "Virginea Pars"
map of Virginia and North Carolina created by explorer John White in the 1580s
and owned by the British Museum since 1866.

"We believe that this evidence provides conclusive proof that they moved
westward up the Albemarle Sound to the confluence of the Chowan and Roanoke
rivers," said James Horn, vice president of research and historical
interpretation at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and author of a 2010 book
about the Lost Colony.

"Their intention was to create a settlement. And this is what we believe we are
looking at with this symbol — their clear intention, marked on the map..."

Full Article:
http://news.yahoo.com/researchers-clue-lost-colony-214550117.html

*

U.S. minorities now represent more than half of America's population under the
age of 1, the Census Bureau said, a historic demographic milestone with profound
political, economic and social implications:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/17/us/census-population-diversity

*

YouTube Clip of the Week:
Nine Inch Nails - March Of The Pigs

"Closer" & "Hurt" are better remembered, but the opening single to The Downward
Spiral perfectly represents the ferocity of the best album of the 90s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL72Tyxe1rc&ob=av3e

*

Audio Short Story of the Week:

"- All You Zombies-" by Robert A. Heinlen

One of the greatest short stories of all time:

http://hw.libsyn.com/p/c/4/d/c4d53757bbe94615/EP200_AllYouZombies.mp3?sid=2b4447\
1b1a6fc4a1faf5fa8623734130&l_sid=18601&l_eid=&l_mid=1643028&expiration=133725439\
0&hwt=3c41702ecaf240636b4e97200492970b

*

Maxim's 2012 Hot 100 List

1. Bar Refaeli.
2. Olivia Munn
3. Mila Kunis
4. Katy Perry
5. Olivia Wilde,

Stephen Colbert came in at #69...

*

New Planet Found in Our Solar System? Odd orbits of remote objects hint at
unseen world, new calculations suggest:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/05/120511-new-planet-solar-system-k\
uiper-belt-space-science

*

Kool Website: Room & Board
http://www.roomandboard.com

As a Minnesota-based, privately owned company, we've been designing home
furnishings for more than 30 years. Reflected in every piece of our assortment,
you'll see the principles that have guided us from the very beginning.

As you browse our collection you will find beautiful, thoughtful designs. You
will find natural materials shaped, welded and woven by dedicated craftspeople
across the United States. And you will find all these things at an exceptional
value. But most importantly, we hope you find inspiration. Because helping you
create your ideal home is the cornerstone of our business. You are the reason we
do what we love.

*

The top 20 baby names of 2011:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57433712/jacob-sophia-top-2011s-list-of-most\
-popular-baby-names-from-united-states-michael-falls-from-top-5/

Girls

1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Abigail
8. Madison
9. Mia
10. Chloe
11. Elizabeth
12. Ella
13. Addison
14. Natalie
15. Lily
16. Grace
17. Samantha
18. Avery
19. Sofia
20. Aubrey
Boys

1. Jacob
2. Mason
3. William
4. Jayden
5. Noah
6. Michael
7. Ethan
8. Alexander
9. Aiden
10. Daniel
11. Anthony
12. Matthew
13. Elijah
14. Joshua
15. Liam
16. Andrew
17. James
18. David
19. Benjamin
20. Logan

*

It was a pretty good spring for movies, with a hilarious reboot of The Three
Stooges & the Indonesian action film The Raid leading the way.  Two other noted
films: John Cusack playing Edgar Allen Poe in The Raven, and the Jason Statham
action film Safe, described by Salon as possessing  "Charlie Bronson,
bullet-in-the-teeth authenticity" that is "trashy, bloody, riveting":

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/26/showbiz/movies/john-cusack-raven-edgar-allen-poe

http://www.salon.com/2012/04/26/safe_ultra_violent_70s_action_flicks_are_back

Meanwhile, the summer opened with The Avengers making a record $207.4 million in
it's first weekend:

http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3438&p=.htm

*

Representatives of Chinese company Wanda signed a deal in Beijing Monday morning
to buy AMC, the second-largest theater chain in the USA:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/story/2012-05-21/china-company-buys-amc-movi\
e-theater-chain/55106114/1

*

A doctor claims to have found the G-spot.  And he's so confident, he's putting
ads in the back pages of Penthouse, Maxim and High Times touting his discovery,
with the promise of sharing the details in a manual costing only $19.95 plus
shipping & handling:

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-g-spot-20120425,0,5021807.story

*

An Australian billionaire has signed up with a Chinese shipyard to create a
replica of the Titanic:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/30/titanic-ii-retro-genius-or-just-another-bad-\
remake/

*

The top two picks in the NFL draft are Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/nfl/04/26/draft.ap/index.html


Josh Hamilton hits 4 home runs in a game:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Josh-Hamilton-hits-4-home-runs-for-Texas-Rang\
ers-vs-Baltimore-Orioles-050812


The NFL Pro Bowl could be gone for good:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/report-pro-bowl-could-suspended-130607042--nfl.html

LeBron James wins his 3rd NBA MVP.  It should've gone to Kevin Durant:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ap-source-james-wins-3rd-072306619--nba.html

*

From Ken Segall's new book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's
Success, illustrating Steve Jobs' genius in plans to celebrate the millionth
iMac sold:

"Steve's idea was to do a Willy Wonka with it. Just as Wonka did in the movie,
Steve wanted to put a golden certificate representing the millionth iMac inside
the box of one iMac, and publicize that fact. Whoever opened the lucky iMac box
would be refunded the purchase price and be flown to Cupertino, where he or she
(and, presumably, the accompanying family) would be taken on a tour of the Apple
campus.

Steve had already instructed his internal creative group to design a prototype
golden certificate, which he shared with us. But the killer was that Steve
wanted to go all out on this. He wanted to meet the lucky winner in full Willy
Wonka garb. Yes, complete with top hat and tail."

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/26/steve-jobs-plan-for-a-willy-wonka-style-cele\
bration-of-the-millionth-imac

*

Microsoft's $300 million investment in Barnes & Noble for its Nook e-reader
should allow it to survive and compete against the Amazon & Apple:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57423980-93/microsoft-deal-allows-b-n-to-go-toe\
-to-toe-with-amazon-and-apple

*

Notorious 1980s drug dealer James Corley arrested in NYC:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-05-18/1980s-drug-dealer-arrested-\
nyc/55049282/1

*

The "99.9% Positive" Guy Is Wrong

Ball Park "99% Sure" Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJohCpifELE

Am I the first guy so obsessed with obscure baseball stats to realize the guy
who is "99.9% positive" in this commercial is actually wrong? Nobody hit .386 in
1938. He may be referring to Arky Vaughan, who in 1935 (the same year as the
first guy alleged) hit .385. This may be the strangest baseball geek inside joke
in history...

*

Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory comes out. Between Parsons, Neil Patrick
Harris & Jane Lynch, the best three actors on TV now are openly gay actors...

http://www.eonline.com/news/marc_malkin/big_bang_theorys_jim_parsons_did_just/31\
8608

*

RIP

That Junior Seau, a 12-time NFL Pro Bowler and likely first ballot Hall of Famer
who spent the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers, chose to take
his own life at the age of 43 is an absolute tragedy.

But if Mr. Seau's passing is eventually linked to depression-like symptoms
stemming from brain trauma incurred over a lifetime of repeated hits, then this
tragic tale acts as yet another signal that the NFL's biggest challenge in the
foreseeable future is dealing with the task of minimizing head trauma in the
game today while fighting off lawsuits from retired players dealing with mental
and emotional illnesses which are a byproduct of their football past.

Glory days on the gridiron seem to be increasingly turning into gory days for
NFL retirees.  And the evidence of the ties between football, "hit counts", and
brain trauma is mounting...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2012/05/03/junior-seaus-suicide-nfls-death-kn\
ell-regarding-head-trauma-liability/


Adam Yauch, aka MCA of The Beastie Boys, 47:

http://globalgrind.com/news/adam-yauch-mca-beastie-boys-dies-47-photos


Though he isn't dead, Mariano Rivera, the greatest relief pitcher in MLB, may
have ended his career at 42 after a torn anterior cruciate ligament.  I'm sure
Adam Yauch would be honored to have his obit next to the Yankee great's
farewell, so we'll include it here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/may/04/mariano-rivera-torn-acl-new-york-yan\
kees


Maurice Sendak of Where the Wild Things Are fame:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/08/opinion/maguire-maurice-sendak


Donna Summer, Queen Of Disco:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1685299/donna-summer-dead.jhtml


Robin Gibb, Bee Gees co-founder:

http://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/20/robin-gibb-bee-gees-co-founder-dies-at-\
62


Hairdresser Vidal Sassoon:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/09/celebrity-hairdresser-vidal-sassoon-dead-a\
t-84/


Carroll Shelby, creator of the Shelby Cobra:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/auto-legend-carroll\
-shelby-father-of-cobra-dies


Duck Dunn, bassist for Booker T. and the MG's:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/arts/music/duck-dunn-bassist-in-booker-t-and-t\
he-mgs-dies-at-70.html


Meow, the 39-pound cat:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/meow-the-39-pound-cat-has-died


Desperate Housewives & House end their TV runs:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2012/05/14/desperate-housewives-f\
inale-shocking-revelations-from-longorias-character

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/story/2012-05-21/House-series-fi\
nale/55123910/1


Kerry Wood, who in his rookie season became one of three MLB pitchers to strike
out 20 hitters in nine innings, has retired after 15 seasons:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7947806/kerry-wood-talent-inspired-awe-other-p\
layers-mlb


Last but not least, the lovable George Lindsey, Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith
Show and Mayberry RFD from 1964-71 and a regular on Hee Haw from 1971-73:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i6Y5pTZeed_2Azkz1dj_b8ERn7bw

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


Supremes Sympathetic to Arizona Profiling Law

"Justices seem sympathetic to central part of Arizona law."  The headline
suggests the Supreme Court has once again used a case to turn our political
system farther to the right, in this case using a race-baiting anti-immigration
law.  (And no doubt the Roberts regime deserves such cynical suspicions.)  But
the real story here, as has often been the case during the Obama Administration,
is how the executive branch has evaded a political fight against reactionary
forces.  This latest example: rather than argue SB 1070 was racist not only in
practical outcome but in design, they instead only argued it was
unconstitutional due to states taking supposedly federal-only powers.  If you
think I am making this up, here's the exchange during oral arguments between
Chief Justice John Roberts and Solicitor General Donald Verrilli that says it
all:

Roberts: Before you get into what the case is about, I'd like to clear up at the
outset what it's not about.  No part of your argument has to do with racial or
ethnic profiling, does it?  I saw none of that in your brief.
Verrilli: That's correct.
Roberts: Okay.  So this is not a case about ethnic profiling.
Verrilli: We're not making any allegation about racial or ethnic profiling in
this case.


By this logic, it would be okay for federal agents to demand papers from people
proving they are US citizens (which is what AB 1070 is about.)  The problem,
according to the Obama Administration, is who is doing it and not is what being
done.

To her credit, Justice Sonia Sotomayor (the only Hispanic on the court) could
barely conceal her disgust with the argument.  "You can see it is not selling
very well.  Why don't you try to come up with something else?"

In retrospect, Team Obama's reasoning here shouldn't be too surprising. 
Consistently, his DOJ has sanctioned the most repellant arguments made by the
Bushistas.  In this case, they are arguing more for consolidation of power in
the federal government than against racial injustice.  Such an argument
conveniently sidesteps opposing a political scapegoating that appeals to the
ugliest form of populism.

The good news here is if the Supreme Court sides with Arizona in its decision
(which some believe the Supremes were hinting at in the tone of their questions)
the battle over 1070 won't be over.  As the SJ Mercury notes: "Should the court
uphold any part of the law, immigration groups are likely to challenge it based
on an argument not before that court Wednesday -- that the law discriminates on
the basis of race and ethnic background."  An argument, sadly, the Obama
Adminstritation lacked the spine or sense of decency to present.

To read the original article:

http://www.mercurynews.com/census/ci_20482689/justices-seem-sympathetic-central-\
part-arizona-law

***

TSA defends pat-down of 4-year-old at Kan. airport
Full Article:
http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-25/news/31399816_1_pat-down-tsa-agents-screen\
ing-procedures

The grandmother of a 4-year-old girl who became hysterical during a security
screening at a Kansas airport said Wednesday that the child was forced to
undergo a pat-down after hugging her, with security agents yelling and calling
the crying girl an uncooperative suspect.

The incident has been garnering increasing media and online attention since the
child's mother, Michelle Brademeyer of Montana, detailed the ordeal in a public
Facebook post last week. The Transportation Security Administration is defending
its agents, despite new procedures aimed at reducing pat-downs of children.

The child's grandmother, Lori Croft, told The Associated Press that Brademeyer
and her daughter, Isabella, initially passed through security at the Wichita
airport without incident. The girl then ran over to briefly hug Croft, who was
awaiting a pat-down after tripping the alarm, and that's when TSA agents
insisted the girl undergo a physical pat-down.

Isabella had just learned about "stranger danger'' at school, her grandmother
said, adding that the girl was afraid and unsure about what was going on.

"She started to cry, saying `No I don't want to,' and when we tried talking to
her she ran,'' Croft said. "They yelled, `We are going to shut down the airport
if you don't grab her.'''

But she said the family's main concern was the lack of understanding from TSA
agents that they were dealing with a 4-year-old child, not a terror suspect.

"There was no common sense and there was no compassion,'' Croft said. "That was
our biggest fault with the whole thing — not that they are following security
procedures, because I understand that they have to do that.''

Brademeyer, of Missoula, Mont., wrote a public Facebook post last week about the
April 15 incident, claiming TSA treated her daughter "no better than if she had
been a terrorist.'' The posting was taken down Wednesday. Another post said the
family had filed formal complaints with the TSA and the airport.

The TSA released a statement Tuesday saying it explained to the family why
additional security procedures were necessary and that agents didn't suspect or
suggest the child was carrying a firearm.

"TSA has reviewed the incident and determined that our officers followed proper
screening procedures in conducting a modified pat-down on the child,'' the
agency said...

***

RFK assassination witness tells CNN: There was a second shooter
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/28/justice/california-rfk-second-gun

As a federal court prepares to rule on a challenge to Sirhan Sirhan's conviction
in the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, a long overlooked witness to the murder
is telling her story: She heard two guns firing during the 1968 shooting and
authorities altered her account of the crime.

Nina Rhodes-Hughes wants the world to know that, despite what history says,
Sirhan was not the only gunman firing shots when Kennedy was murdered a few feet
away from her at a Los Angeles hotel.

"What has to come out is that there was another shooter to my right,"
Rhodes-Hughes said in an exclusive interview with CNN. "The truth has got to be
told. No more cover-ups."

Her voice at times becoming emotional, Rhodes-Hughes described for CNN various
details of the assassination, her long frustration with the official reporting
of her account and her reasons for speaking out: "I think to assist me in
healing -- although you're never 100% healed from that. But more important to
bring justice."

***

Americans Elect canceling caucuses, has no candidates
ALEX PAREENE
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/03/americans_elect_canceling_caucuses_has_no_candid\
ates

Americans Elect is a weird experiment in applying a lot of money and time and
resources into proving a common elite myth: That Americans as a whole are crying
out for "bold," nonpartisan political leadership, and that their strong desire
for moderate, independent solutions is stifled by the two-party system. So far,
the organization has managed to win presidential ballot access in 26 states,
which is a remarkable achievement. The only problem is, it has no candidate. And
the process it developed to select a candidate is turning out to be a big,
hilarious mess.

So any Americans Elect delegate can "draft" a candidate, and any eligible
citizen can declare him- or herself a candidate, but AE has a high bar for a
candidate to be declared "qualified" to actually run in its online primary:
"Insiders" require 10,000 clicks — 1,000 people in at least 10 states — of
support from delegates. "Outsiders" require 50,000. Thus far, Ron Paul, a
drafted candidate, has received 8,753 clicks. Buddy Roemer, a declared
candidate, has 4,389. In other words, no one is close to being qualified, and
the massive grass-roots support AE expected did not really pan out. The first
"caucus" vote, scheduled for next week, has been canceled. The next vote, set
for May 22, is reportedly "in jeopardy."

They are still really confident that they'll find just the right deficit hawk,
though. There is a shortlist, they cryptically explained to the Washington Post:

The group is still on the lookout for a Goliath-toppling personality. "There's a
short ­list," said chief executive Kahlil Byrd, without sharing names. How many?
"Negative eight," he said, and his spokeswoman repeated the cryptic tally. As in
less than zero? Byrd would only clarify: "More than four."

I don't think they count Ron Paul, the only possible AE candidate with an actual
substantial base of support. (He is too "extreme" for this crowd.) At the
moment, some AE types seem to be attempting to draft David Walker, the former
comptroller general and "No Labels" co-founder. (Oddly, his "No Labels" site bio
was recently scrubbed, then replaced with lots of info missing.) David Walker,
now there's a name that'll get voters to the polls.

Americans Elect has thus far spent $9 million on its website alone.

Alex Pareene writes about politics for Salon and is the author of "The Rude
Guide to Mitt." Email him at apareene@... and follow him on Twitter
@pareene

***

Provocateur Unmasked
The FBI's Cleveland Bridge Bomb Plot Informant
Full Article:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/05/03-7

The Associated Press reports:

An attorney representing one of five defendants in an alleged conspiracy to blow
up an Ohio bridge questioned the role of an undercover informant, saying the
ex-con hired by the FBI appeared to have played an active role in the plot.

Their arrests that night marked the latest case in which FBI agents or
informants planned fake terrorism plots alongside targeted suspects. Cleveland
defense lawyer John Pyle also said Wednesday that the case could be one of "the
tail wagging the dog." He said his client, Brandon Baxter, will plead not guilty
in the case, which is set for a preliminary hearing next week.

Much of a 22-page FBI affidavit outlining the charges was based on the work of
an undercover operative who has drug, robbery and bad check convictions.

"We need to get the discovery and put the case under a microscope," Pyle said.
"But just on the basis on the filing in the court, there's some indicators that
this informant was playing a really active role."

Federal authorities described the men as anarchists who are angry with corporate
America and the government and unknowingly worked with an FBI informant for
months as they crafted and carried out their plan. [...]

Their arrests that night marked the latest case in which FBI agents or
informants planned fake terrorism plots alongside targeted suspects...

***

Liberals' defense of Obama fails to withstand scrunity
Bill Crane
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1577/liberals-defense-of-obama-fails-to-withstan\
d-scrunity-1.2735646

Let me begin with a thought exercise. In 2008, you face a choice between two
candidates to vote for. You happen to have a crystal ball that tells you that,
if one of the candidates is elected, he will escalate one ongoing war in the
Middle East, begin another, step up deportations and extraordinary renditions,
attack our social safety net and vastly step up the war on the racial undercaste
laughingly referred to as "the War on Drugs." An unsavory choice, but you can't
vote for the other candidate, because he is a Republican.

It is with this in mind that I read last week's opinion column in The Misc by
Mr. Jack Mullan, who claimed my reasoning was as "artificial as it is absurd" in
my column on the subject of the 2012 presidential election published two weeks
ago.

It seems that anytime someone on the left has the temerity to point out how
disastrous the Obama presidency has been to the vast majority of Americans, a
response takes one of the following forms: (1) The Republicans, evil and
powerful, stopped Obama from doing everything he really wanted very badly to do,
(2) He actually has accomplished very much (insert reference to healthcare/Don't
Ask Don't Tell or some other supposed accomplishment as needed), or (3) The
Republicans are so evil that you can't possibly think of not supporting Obama,
perhaps followed by (4), if you only vote for him one more time, Charlie Brown,
it will really change things!

Our Mr. Mullan, sadly, follows these stages to a T—but that is perhaps not his
fault, as Obama is so hard to defend at this point that his remaining champions
are more or less forced to fall back on rote formulas. These defenses are
similar to what I remember thinking as an altar boy when I would say the Nicene
Creed—it was full of contradictions and just plain nonsense, but comforting in
its vagueness and fluffy language.

Mr. Mullan's first point, in an interesting variation on the theme, deals with
the bank bailouts pilloried in the famed chant at so many Occupy events (Banks
got bailed out!/We got sold out!). Normally this is something an Obama supporter
would do well to forget ever happened, but Mr. Mullan makes a valiant effort to
find something positive: "President Obama did enact a bailout, but did so in
order to rescue the auto industry and preserve thousands of manufacturing jobs
for the middle class."
An interesting prospect! Obama helped to save the jobs of the middle class.
Surely everyone could get behind that?

Everyone, that is, except the "middle class" autoworkers whose jobs were
supposedly "saved" by the bailouts. Perhaps they have not been sufficiently
grateful to Obama because, well, they are too busy getting screwed by the
companies he stepped in to save. GM, for instance, has instituted wages for new
hires that are less than half those of current employees, and is bent on
shredding the pensions of retirees.

By the way, in case you are wondering where banks fit into the bank bailouts
(which is what I actually addressed in my last article), it is because Mr.
Mullan would seemingly prefer to not remember that $700 billion of taxpayers'
money was handed over to the banks that caused the financial crisis, gratis.
Even where this money made the federal government primary shareholder, as in the
case of AIG and others, Obama stepped in to make sure their management (as we
must again remember, the ones who caused the crisis through insane speculation)
would not be replaced.

Acts like this, combined with other matters such as the escalated war on
Afghanistan and futile War on Drugs, the execution of foreign and a few American
citizens by flying death robots, the record deportations of "illegal"
immigrants, and the alarmingly severe restrictions on civil liberties including
the continuation of the PATRIOT Act (matters so small they have escaped the
notice of Mr. Mullan except for a small nod toward the end of his piece) should
be enough to convince most of us that Obama is Bush's spiritual successor on
practically all the issues we care about. In which case, his supporters turn to
the following helpful phrase: Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Mullan's description of this magical piece of legislation is pretty typical.
The ACA "represents a landmark reform that expands access to healthcare to
millions of citizens while tackling the rising costs of insurance premiums." The
fact that it does not include a public option is unfortunate, but according to
Mr. Mullan, "the votes for a public option simply did not exist in Congress at
the time."

I have to say I am a bit confused that Mr. Mullan chooses to write so much about
a public option in a healthcare bill that, in accordance with the president's
wishes before Democrats lost a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, was
actually written by the insurance corporations. The option of creating a sane
healthcare system by putting them out of business was never even suggested by
Obama, who caved on the weak "public option" as soon as it was suggested that he
might face Republican opposition on it.

As for the ACA "expanding healthcare to millions of citizens," well, I and many
other citizens are less than thrilled about what it has to offer. Obamacare
solved the problem of millions of uninsured by promising to enroll them in
state-funded Medicare in a few years, the very same program that—wait for
it—states are currently taking the hatchet to. What remains is a by the
corporations, for the corporations law that forces most of us to purchase awful
healthcare plans with the slight consolation that our premiums may not go
through the roof—that is, unless our state governments find that such increases
are "reasonable."

Mr. Mullan finally has no other option than (3)—look at how evil the Republicans
are! He writes, "The proposal coming from Romney and the Republicans is to cut,
cut, cut: regulations, taxes, and vital social welfare programs would be
severely slashed." Excuse me? This from a supporter of the man who has kept the
NLRB and OSHA on a starvation diet, and who stopped the sunset of the Bush tax
cuts on the wealthy? Pot, meet kettle.

What are the prospects for Obama's next term? Following his proposed budget for
the next year, Mr. Mullan writes, "The president maintains strong support for
the social safety net, invests in education, energy and infrastructure, and
introduces new taxes not only on the wealthiest earners, but also on big
banks…that would raise $60 billion over the next decade."
Sounds good, right? Until you remember that Obama has promised big things along
these lines before, namely, last time he was trying to get elected. But we're
still waiting for the Employee Free Choice Act, intended to help workers
unionize easier, or the closing of the detention center at Guantánamo Bay.

As for Mr. Mullan's other objections, they are so insincere that I hesitate to
even address them. "It would be remiss to abandon a such a central civil right
as voting because of dissatisfaction with one's options," he writes. Well, if it
is a choice between sacrificing every principle I have as a socialist and
exercising this "central civil right," my rights will have to take one for the
team this time around. Similarly, I do not pose a dichotomy between activism and
voting. Some of my best friends vote. What I do argue is that voting in this
presidential election is ineffective, and ultimately a scam.
If you have been paying attention to anything that has been going on in
Washington rather than sticking your head in the sand ostrich-style, it should
be perfectly clear that in all likelihood, four more years of Obama means
another four years of broken promises as he drifts increasingly rightward.

Whoever wins the election will be the bought and paid for candidate of the one
percent. Obama raised the most money from Wall Street of any candidate, ever,
last time around, and he may yet have a chance to beat his own record. If you
desire real change in this country rather than words, you belong outside the
voting booths in November.

***

Those Revolting Europeans
PAUL KRUGMAN
May 6, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/opinion/krugman-those-revolting-europeans.html

The French are revolting. The Greeks, too. And it's about time.

Both countries held elections Sunday that were in effect referendums on the
current European economic strategy, and in both countries voters turned two
thumbs down. It's far from clear how soon the votes will lead to changes in
actual policy, but time is clearly running out for the strategy of recovery
through austerity — and that's a good thing.

Needless to say, that's not what you heard from the usual suspects in the run-up
to the elections. It was actually kind of funny to see the apostles of orthodoxy
trying to portray the cautious, mild-mannered François Hollande as a figure of
menace. He is "rather dangerous," declared The Economist, which observed that he
"genuinely believes in the need to create a fairer society." Quelle horreur!

What is true is that Mr. Hollande's victory means the end of "Merkozy," the
Franco-German axis that has enforced the austerity regime of the past two years.
This would be a "dangerous" development if that strategy were working, or even
had a reasonable chance of working. But it isn't and doesn't; it's time to move
on. Europe's voters, it turns out, are wiser than the Continent's best and
brightest.

What's wrong with the prescription of spending cuts as the remedy for Europe's
ills? One answer is that the confidence fairy doesn't exist — that is, claims
that slashing government spending would somehow encourage consumers and
businesses to spend more have been overwhelmingly refuted by the experience of
the past two years. So spending cuts in a depressed economy just make the
depression deeper.

Moreover, there seems to be little if any gain in return for the pain. Consider
the case of Ireland, which has been a good soldier in this crisis, imposing
ever-harsher austerity in an attempt to win back the favor of the bond markets.
According to the prevailing orthodoxy, this should work. In fact, the will to
believe is so strong that members of Europe's policy elite keep proclaiming that
Irish austerity has indeed worked, that the Irish economy has begun to recover.

But it hasn't. And although you'd never know it from much of the press coverage,
Irish borrowing costs remain much higher than those of Spain or Italy, let alone
Germany. So what are the alternatives?

One answer — an answer that makes more sense than almost anyone in Europe is
willing to admit — would be to break up the euro, Europe's common currency.
Europe wouldn't be in this fix if Greece still had its drachma, Spain its
peseta, Ireland its punt, and so on, because Greece and Spain would have what
they now lack: a quick way to restore cost-competitiveness and boost exports,
namely devaluation.

As a counterpoint to Ireland's sad story, consider the case of Iceland, which
was ground zero for the financial crisis but was able to respond by devaluing
its currency, the krona (and also had the courage to let its banks fail and
default on their debts). Sure enough, Iceland is experiencing the recovery
Ireland was supposed to have, but hasn't.

Yet breaking up the euro would be highly disruptive, and would also represent a
huge defeat for the "European project," the long-run effort to promote peace and
democracy through closer integration. Is there another way? Yes, there is — and
the Germans have shown how that way can work. Unfortunately, they don't
understand the lessons of their own experience.

Talk to German opinion leaders about the euro crisis, and they like to point out
that their own economy was in the doldrums in the early years of the last decade
but managed to recover. What they don't like to acknowledge is that this
recovery was driven by the emergence of a huge German trade surplus vis-à-vis
other European countries — in particular, vis-à-vis the nations now in crisis —
which were booming, and experiencing above-normal inflation, thanks to low
interest rates. Europe's crisis countries might be able to emulate Germany's
success if they faced a comparably favorable environment — that is, if this time
it was the rest of Europe, especially Germany, that was experiencing a bit of an
inflationary boom.

So Germany's experience isn't, as the Germans imagine, an argument for
unilateral austerity in Southern Europe; it's an argument for much more
expansionary policies elsewhere, and in particular for the European Central Bank
to drop its obsession with inflation and focus on growth.

The Germans, needless to say, don't like this conclusion, nor does the
leadership of the central bank. They will cling to their fantasies of prosperity
through pain, and will insist that continuing with their failed strategy is the
only responsible thing to do. But it seems that they will no longer have
unquestioning support from the Élysée Palace. And that, believe it or not, means
that both the euro and the European project now have a better chance of
surviving than they did a few days ago.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


DITKOMIC!
SteamshovelPress.com

Still can't help from being wowed by the idea that Steve Ditko, the artistic
genius who gave Spiderman to every baby boomer's youth, continues to produce
original comics much better than those found in the comics shops. His latest,
Sixteen, includes several full page takes on "The Celebrity," a generalized
caricature that surely has in part Stan Lee as its inspiration. Much as he does
with Jack Kirby, Lee relies on a professed bad memory to give Ditko short shrift
when it comes to the creation of Spiderman. Ditko's over that certainly,
although it's something to remember now that Hollywood plans a reboot of the
Spiderman movie franchise, but he has generalized a celebrity type that
certainly includes Lee--who still rides Ditko and Kirby creations to fame and
fortune via movie cameos and interviews. The likes of the shallow celebrity are
legion in the media and they all fit on Ditko's skewer. Mad quotes fall over the
pages depicting him: "We want...a new...different...
change...same...better...keep...ad...why...who is...where...have to...why
that... why not...who did you swipe that from.?" Sixteen also has a character
called "The Madman-"-deriving inspiration perhaps from that current television
hit about the advertising world set in the time of Ditko's creative zenith.
Ditko long ago went down philosophical paths that went places where many of his
readers can only wave to, but how can anyone not be fascinated by what this
elder statesman of the comics industry still has to say? Four dollars from Robin
Snyder and Steve Ditko, 3745 Canterbury Lane #81, Bellingham, WA 98225-1186. As
for Stan Lee, his memory may be poor but he hasn't forgotten how they do
business in the comics industry.

***

The Road from Ruin: California Part 2
Jaye Beldo
Thursday, May 3, 2012
http://roadruin.blogspot.com/2012/05/road-to-ruin-california-cont.html

Death will be easy here. Ravines, runnels, ridges and the valley itself will
funnel the miscreants in. Tweak whacked trash, guided by a revenant Jack rabbit
we call The Messenger, will someday climb this high and break through the gate. 
Haunts me all the time now.  Guy got three bullets in his head down the road
last year. Not that far down from here I guess. Raven radar helps though, even
in the fog shroud. Perk of canine ears in any direction has me reaching for a
fire arm I don't even have.

What drives them is easy to figure for they're on the same death march as over
150 years ago. Whose hand the ace is in is still hard to tell though.

The abyss is my own gravestone, epitaph being a bottomless marl plummet right
through the collective ravage down on the rez.
Eulogy a somber report some deputy far below can gauge the caliber of as he
muses on the ensuing investigation and if it would be worth it going all the way
to the top of Quail ridge. The Messenger may not even take any interest in it
either, answering to some other blood or an earthquake echo or some vaporous
release of the blackness the soil here still holds. Not enough shovel power to
shed light on it though. Only the plants can break through it ,given they are
the right strain.

Now, the clouds suck into some riverine foliage below a revealing alpine expanse
on the other ridge, some lime light after burn, ignored by two legged pack mule
ghosts clambering back into the past en route to Bloody Run creek. My host
complains about the cost of potato salad and a distant Costco retribution over
2.5 hours away and that keeps me together. My penned and remembered bible quotes
are tenuous in this kind of atmosphere.

Did some Job suffering in the barren and iced trailer this morning, 90's décor
conspiring betrayal, spelled out mostly in the wall paper, little paintbrush
arcs of cold grey and brown, intended to break up the interior monotony but only
rousing the absoluteness of the context itself which the sunlight sealed into
ersatz permanency. My skeletal system, utterly racked by my sorrowed and
quivering flesh, bore most of the brunt.

The resident Mockingbird provides counterpoint though via a prolix and doubled
medley, a repertoire potpourri that only Messiaen himself could transcribe. The
composition would be only be barked at the auction of this property after the
Feds seized the composition, their helicopters smacked down by clouds turned
into concrete via some umbrage mantra uttered by one of the birds completing a
migration all the way from Columbia. It makes a nest egg out of the debris
field, albeit inaccessible from this vantage. It would be a nice prize to snatch
and dash away with and sell in town for sufficient gas money to escape.

Artists would freeze in this kind of light, unable to acclimate to such a
mystique confine.

***

Fluffer & Robalini
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/fluffer-robalini.html

I just came back from swimming, and my little girl wanted to snuggle. She's the
boss.

***

Are You Mom Enough?
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/are-you-mom-enough.html

Cover photo from Time...

***

Kiss Monster Mini Golf
http://monsterminigolf.com/kiss

Now Open
7 Days a week 10AM - 12AM

4501 Paradise Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89169

(Across from the Hard Rock Hotel, next to Rumor)

Phone: (702) 558-6256
Fax: (702) 558-6259
or contact us by email at:
kiss@...

***

Humor Break: Lucky Ducky - Tricklin' Down
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/humor-break-lucky-ducky-tricklin-down.html

***

Los Angeles riots: Gangsta rap foretold them and grew after them
Toddy Tee and N.W.A were a ready-made soundtrack in April 1992. Ice Cube's and
Dr. Dre's albums that year explained the feelings in South L.A. neighborhoods.
Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and more followed.
Ernest Hardy and August Brown, Los Angeles Times
May 2, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-riot-music-20120503,0,515224.sto\
ry

In 1985, Los Angeles rapper Toddy Tee released what could be considered West
Coast hip-hop's opening salvo against police brutality in black neighborhoods.
The electro-grooved "Batterram," named for the battering ram that then-LAPD
Chief Daryl F. Gates used to smash into homes of suspected drug dealers, was a
hit on local radio station KDAY-AM.

The track went on to become a protest anthem in minority neighborhoods around
the city where the device was often deployed against homes that were later
proved drug-free: "You're mistakin' my pad for a rockhouse / Well, I know to you
we all look the same / But I'm not the one slingin' caine / I work nine to five
and ain't a damn thing changed …" rapped Toddy Tee.

The L.A. riots of 1992 arrived with its soundtrack in place. Sanctioned police
brutality, a grim job market, gang life, a decimated school system, the toll of
crack on poor neighborhoods and racial tensions were all being documented by
West Coast rappers long before Rodney King's beating by Los Angeles Police
Department officers was documented on tape. Inner-city kids were infusing
hip-hop — a genre that arose out of the Bronx in the last '70s — with hard-core,
L.A.-centric rhymes about gangs and the crack-addled neighborhoods around them.

"Even before the riots … voices in L.A. hip-hop were foretelling what was to
come," said director John Singleton, whose 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood" was one
of the first empathetic looks at South L.A. life for many Americans. "So many
people who didn't grow up black and poor couldn't understand why it happened.
You can live in a different part of L.A. and never understand that frustration.
But if you listen to 'F— tha Police,' you hear where they're coming from."

The riots gave marginalized music from the hood a global stage and sudden
mainstream legitimacy. The music born of the very conditions that precipitated
the riots now transcended South L.A., and major labels began signing and
promoting West Coast artists like Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur. For better or for
worse, the Southland style that became known as gangsta rap changed the
trajectory of pop music by becoming the '90s definition of cool.

For suburban fans who'd been consuming N.W.A's music as a race-music expression
of white teenage angst, the televised revolution in L.A. made it clear that the
lyrics weren't just outlandish fiction set to hard beats. They were rooted in
bitter truths, a hard reality that L.A. was a two-tier city with gross
inequities in both wealth and possibility.

In addition, references from the riots permeated pop music culture like no other
medium — from rapper Biz Markie name-checking Rodney King to rockers Rage
Against the Machine screaming songs about the uprising.

Though gangsta rap eventually lost touch with the very streets it came from
thanks to heavy commercialization, its initial promise has not been lost on a
new generation.

Kendrick Lamar was just 4 when the riots broke out, yet many credit the Compton
rapper with reviving those early strains of West Coast rap. "When I talk about
what people are going through, all it's doing is letting people know what's
going on in the community," said the 24-year-old. "There's nothing new under the
sun. I just got a different spin on it. It's about looking at all angles of the
person growing up in Compton, not just the shooter but the victim."

If L.A.'s rappers seemed prescient in the face of the riots, it was nothing
compared with how fast they reacted in the days that followed. Before the
National Guard even pulled out of L.A., underground freestylers at South L.A.'s
Good Life Cafe were rapping about the uprising, and N.W.A's Ice Cube was
recording "The Predator." The album was released seven months after Florence and
Normandie exploded: "Started they investigation / No driver's license, no
registration / When I stepped out the car they slammed me / … y'all, who got the
camera" he rapped in "Who Got the Camera."

"Creatively, the rhetoric may have got a little higher" after the riots, says
Ava DuVernay, who directed the documentary "This Is the Good Life," about South
L.A.'s underground Good Life rap scene of the late '80s and '90s. She is the
first African American woman to win the directing award at Sundance, with her
recent film "Middle of Nowhere."

"It wasn't like the content was changing, maybe just the style got a little more
aggressive," she said. "People were mad, but there wasn't a change in what
people were talking about — just the manner in which it was being expressed."

Ironically, though, it was seemingly an ode to smoking pot — recorded during the
riots and released in December 1992 — that would change the course of rap. The
new, laid-back sound belied the fact that the record was tackling some of the
toughest subject matter around.

"When talking about music that really defines and captures that moment," says
Sheena Lester, former editor in chief for XXL and Rap Pages magazines, "the only
one that matters is Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic.' Not only did it capture the essence
of pre-riot, during-the-riots and post-riot energy in the neighborhoods, it
actually featured excerpts from filmmaker Matthew McDaniel, who captured [the
reactions of] people outside of First AME Church right after the verdicts were
announced. Those excerpts are what give 'The Chronic' its resonance."

"I don't know what kind of album 'The Chronic' would have been without the
riots," said Kurupt, who rapped on the record when he was 19. He recently
appeared in the VH-1 documentary "Uprising: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots."

"It was coming from the middle of it all, saying this is what happened. Not only
did the streets feel it, America felt it. It was a blueprint and a map through
the emotions and situations that transpired over those three days," he said.

Major record labels began to cash in on this new twist on the rap narrative, and
that gave rise to a new breed of superstar MC in the form of Snoop and Tupac.
But like most music co-opted by the mainstream, the style dubbed "gangsta rap"
quickly devolved into very profitable self-parody while claiming to "keep it
real." Enter MTV's"Cribs," "Pimp My Ride" and Ja Rule's gold-toothed grill.

It also paved the way for a far more commercial style of hip-hop that largely
dropped the subject of social ills in favor of bragging about bling. Still, that
early West Coast rap alerted the mainstream — and a post-civil rights generation
— that all was not well in America.

But today a younger generation of rappers outraged by the killing of Trayvon
Martin, and the ways in which socioeconomic conditions for minorities remain
much the same as they did 20 years ago, are still harnessing the potential power
of rap.

Lamar, who performed with Snoop and Dr. Dre at the Coachella festival and is on
Dre's forthcoming album, recently began talking about the resonance of the track
"Batterram" in interviews. He recalls living in Compton when the riots erupted.

"That was just us in the community giving a cry for help, letting the world know
that we weren't gonna take no more, even if we gotta do some off-the-wall … for
people to understand it," said Lamar, who's working on his own album.

"Looking back, it just taught me the responsibility of doing something I
actually believed in. People believed that situation wasn't right, so they took
a stand for it, you know?"

***

Babewatch: Zoe Saldana - Cosmopolitan for Latinas
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/babewatch-zoe-saldana-cosmopolitan-for.html

***

A Little Treat ...from Michael Moore
Friday, May 4th, 2012

Friends,

Here's a free song for you:

http://soundcloud.com/occupy-this-album/01-michael-moore-the-times

It's my contribution to "Occupy This Album", a compilation CD (99 songs!)
featuring David Crosby & Graham Nash, Steve Earle, Tom Morello, Willie Nelson,
Ani DiFranco, Third Eye Blind, Immortal Technique and Jackson Browne to be
released Tuesday, May 15th. All proceeds from this album will go to fund the
Occupy Wall Street movement (all the musicians and songwriters have donated
their time and music).

They asked me if I'd like to record a poem or maybe make a music video of some
of the songs. I said, "I could just sing a song."

When the laughter died down, I recorded this.

I hope you enjoy my first try at this new profession (though I have no intention
of giving up my day job).

And thank you, Bob Dylan, for your contribution, and for approving this, my
debut.

Enjoy!

Michael Moore
MMFlint@...
@MMFlint
MichaelMoore.com

***

The Uni-Cub
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/05/uni-cub.html

Honda says the Uni-Cub is a competitor for the Segway, but judging by this
photo, its real target audience is the Sybian...

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-honda-new-people-mover-20120\
515,0,140255.story

***

Why College Football Should Be Banned
The costs are high, the benefits to students are low, argues Buzz Bissinger. And
academics pay the price
BUZZ BISSINGER
May 4, 2012
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304743704577382292376194220.html

In more than 20 years I've spent studying the issue, I have yet to hear a
convincing argument that college football has anything do with what is
presumably the primary purpose of higher education: academics.

That's because college football has no academic purpose. Which is why it needs
to be banned. A radical solution, yes. But necessary in today's times.

Football only provides the thickest layer of distraction in an atmosphere in
which colleges and universities these days are all about distraction, nursing an
obsession with the social well-being of students as opposed to the obsession
that they are there for the vital and single purpose of learning as much as they
can to compete in the brutal realities of the global economy.

Who truly benefits from college football? Alumni who absurdly judge the quality
of their alma mater based on the quality of the football team. Coaches such as
Nick Saban of the University of Alabama and Bob Stoops of Oklahoma University
who make obscene millions. The players themselves don't benefit, exploited by a
system in which they don't receive a dime of compensation. The average student
doesn't benefit, particularly when football programs remain sacrosanct while
tuition costs show no signs of abating as many governors are slashing budgets to
the bone.

If the vast majority of major college football programs made money, the argument
to ban football might be a more precarious one. But too many of them don't—to
the detriment of academic budgets at all too many schools. According to the
NCAA, 43% of the 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision lost money on
their programs. This is the tier of schools that includes such examples as that
great titan of football excellence, the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Blazers, who went 3-and-9 last season. The athletic department in 2008-2009 took
in over $13 million in university funds and student fees, largely because the
football program cost so much, The Wall Street Journal reported. New Mexico
State University's athletic department needed a 70% subsidy in 2009-2010,
largely because Aggie football hasn't gotten to a bowl game in 51 years. Outside
of Las Cruces, where New Mexico State is located, how many people even know that
the school has a football program? None, except maybe for some savvy contestants
on "Jeopardy." What purpose does it serve on a university campus? None.

The most recent example is the University of Maryland. The president there,
Wallace D. Loh, late last year announced that eight varsity programs would be
cut in order to produce a leaner athletic budget, a kindly way of saying that
the school would rather save struggling football and basketball programs than
keep varsity sports such as track and swimming, in which the vast majority of
participants graduate.

"If you want to establish a minor league system that the National Football
League pays for—which they should—that is fine."
Part of the Maryland football problem: a $50.8 million modernization of its
stadium in which too many luxury suites remain unsold. Another problem: The
school reportedly paid $2 million to buy out head coach Ralph Friedgen at the
end of the 2010 season, even though he led his team to a 9-and-4 season and was
named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year. Then, the school reportedly
spent another $2 million to hire Randy Edsall from the University of
Connecticut, who promptly produced a record of 2-and-10 last season.

In an interview with the Baltimore Sun in March, Mr. Loh said that the athletic
department was covering deficits, in large part caused by attendance drops in
football and basketball, by drawing upon reserves that eventually dwindled to
zero. Hence cutting the eight sports.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are the medical dangers of football
in general caused by head trauma over repetitive hits. There is the false
concept of the football student-athlete that the NCAA endlessly tries to sell,
when any major college player will tell you that the demands of the game, a
year-round commitment, makes the student half of the equation secondary and
superfluous. There are the scandals that have beset programs in the desperate
pursuit of winning—the University of Southern California, Ohio State University,
University of Miami and Penn State University among others.

I can't help but wonder how a student at the University of Oregon will cope when
in-state tuition has recently gone up by 9% and the state legislature passed an
11% decrease in funding to the Oregon system overall for 2011 and 2012. Yet
thanks to the largess of Nike founder Phil Knight, an academic center costing
$41.7 million, twice as expensive in square footage as the toniest condos in
Portland, has been built for the University of Oregon football team.

Always important to feed those Ducks.

I actually like football a great deal. I am not some anti-sports prude. It has a
place in our society, but not on college campuses. If you want to establish a
minor league system that the National Football League pays for—which they
should, given that they are the greatest beneficiaries of college football—that
is fine.

Call me the Grinch. But I would much prefer students going to college to learn
and be prepared for the rigors of the new economic order, rather than dumping
fees on them to subsidize football programs that, far from enhancing the
academic mission instead make a mockery of it.

—Mr. Bissinger is the author of "Friday Night Lights."

A version of this article appeared May 5, 2012, on page C3 in some U.S. editions
of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Why College Football Should Be
Banned.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Not What the Doctor Ordered
20 Million Could Lose Employer Coverage
Posted by Robalini on May 9, 2012
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/05/not-what-the-doctor-ordered-20-million-could-lose\
-employer-coverage

In all the hand-wringing over the last two months for Obamacare by “liberal”
apologists, little has actually been said about the actual effects of the law.
True, whether or not Obamacare is beneficial has little if anything to do with
its constitutionality. (And the actual Constitutional issues involved, however
valid, have little to do with the cynical politics behind the Supreme Court’s
right-wing block in the case.) But you’d think if someone was gonna go to bat
for a law, they’d at least acknowledge the law’s merits.

Hence one story that caught my eye in March: “20 million could lose employer
coverage under Obama health care overhaul.” The source, the World Socialist Web
Site, may not be acceptable to the media establishment, but the primary source
for the WSWS certainly is: the Congressional Budget Office. Here’s what the CBO
concludes:

As many as 20 million Americans could lose their employer-sponsored coverage in
2019 under the health care legislation signed into law by President Obama in
March 2010…The CBO’s most optimistic estimate, which the federal agency says is
subject to a “tremendous amount of uncertainty,” is that 3 million to 5 million
could lose their employer health coverage each year from 2019 through 2022.The
new projections for loss of employee coverage are a substantial increase over
last year’s estimates, when the CBO’s best prediction was that only 1 million
people would lose employer-sponsored coverage.The new study is the latest
indication that the health care overhaul will result in a deterioration of
health care for the majority of Americans, and not the improvement touted by the
Obama administration. Working families and those in low-wage jobs stand to
suffer the most from companies eliminating coverage.

As many as 20 million Americans could lose their employer-sponsored coverage in
2019 under the health care legislation signed into law by President Obama in
March 2010…

The CBO’s most optimistic estimate, which the federal agency says is subject to
a “tremendous amount of uncertainty,” is that 3 million to 5 million could lose
their employer health coverage each year from 2019 through 2022.

The new projections for loss of employee coverage are a substantial increase
over last year’s estimates, when the CBO’s best prediction was that only 1
million people would lose employer-sponsored coverage.

The new study is the latest indication that the health care overhaul will result
in a deterioration of health care for the majority of Americans, and not the
improvement touted by the Obama administration. Working families and those in
low-wage jobs stand to suffer the most from companies eliminating coverage.


Of course, this one very disturbing study is hardly the Alpha or Omega on
Obamacare. But it certainly shows one major part of the sales job for the bill
was a complete con. In June 2009, President Obama declared before the American
Medical Association: “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your
doctor, period. If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your
health care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.”  This
declaration wasn’t an aberration but the decided norm.  When pressed, Obama
would admit even then the statement was only true using weasel talk: that he
meant Obamacare wouldn’t require anyone be dropped from a health plan.  But as
the CBO now concludes, the framework of Obamacare will certainly encourage — and
pretty much subsidize — businesses dumping their workers into inferior health
care plans for profit.

Perhaps you have a different conclusion of Obamacare based on the evidence. 
(The CBO itself oddly declares “a sharp decline in employment-based health
insurance as a result of the ACA is unlikely” when summarizing its own
findings.)  Fair enough. But even if you do, a CBO study warning 20 million
Americans could lose their health plan shouldn’t be ignored, and for the most
part, it has. The de facto censoring of this report is part of a larger pattern
of deception: while Obamacare has been sold as supposed universal healthcare
program, in reality it is a gigantic windfall for the already crooked and
bloated insurance companies at the expense of the public at large. The irony is
this masquerade is promoted by progressives that will be left holding the bag as
Obamacare continues to be a unpopular political disaster.

*

Did All Dinosaurs Have Feathers?
Posted by Robalini on May 10, 2012
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/05/did-all-dinosaurs-have-feathers

I remember reading long ago an article about how man's own psychological and
sociological biases can shape how they view scientific phenomenon.   (Sadly, as
this was in the pre-Internet days, I can't locate it anywhere on the Web, so
forgive me if the details are vague or off a bit.)  Perhaps the best example:
when the biological process of impregnation is usually presented, the model is a
valiant army of noble sperm battling waves of defenders to the egg as it lays
helpless from the attack without the surrounding protections.

This image evokes the idealized fantasies of the Age of Chivalry, turning the
act of conception into a battle between knights and warriors over a chaste and
passive queen.  (Talk about a Holy Grail.)  It also squares with the gender
roles that dominate society, that of the male aggressor and the female as his
prey.

It is also, biologically speaking, completely wrong.  Or at least that is what
many biologists argue after looking at the evidence.  The conclusion of these
biologists: the more accurate model is of an egg, eager to become fertilized,
utilizing all its energies to attract and capture the sperm, which would
otherwise wander cluelessly and aimlessly to their pointless self-destruction. 
And even then, with the millions of sperm released in each ejaculation, the egg
is lucky to acquire even one lucky duck in the batch of losers.  Suddenly,
conception looks less like a Camelot romance and more like a Judd Apatow comedy.

I don't pretend to be an expert in biology, so I don't have a side in this
debate if in fact any debate still exists.  What I do understand is human
psychology, and thus I do understand that our own biases can create a paradigm
that frames our vision of reality, a paradigm that can trump the evidence itself

With this as a backdrop, it becomes quite quite understandable that when
dinosaur bones were first discovered, it would immediately evoke images of
lizards.  The creatures revealed by the remains were quite large and thus
intimidating, and lizards are quite intimidating as well.  (That the dinosaur
could evoke mythological visions of dragons certainly didn't hurt either.)  It
is quite understandable looking at their skeletons to immediately equate them
with giant reptiles, covered with scaly hides.

Slowly, however, a dissenting view of the dinosaur has developed and evolved, a
scientific argument based on observation.  The dinosaur, these intellectual
renegades have argued, have less in common biologically with reptiles and more
in common with birds, which are direct descendants of the dinosaur.  Given that
lineage, it would be more likely that dinosaurs would be covered with feathers.

As evidence has slowly been uncovered of dinosaurs that did indeed have
feathers, what was once dismissed without comment has been included in the
officially sanctioned view of reality.  Yes, some dinosaurs did have feathers,
at least the smaller ones.  Still, as the creatures got larger, the lower the
percentage of the creatures that would have feathers.  Thus, the establishment
view of prehistoric reality could continue with only minor modifications.

This vision has taken a major blow recently with the discovery of Yutyrannus
huali, a name that translates into "beautiful feathered tyrant."  As MSNBC
reports: "A team of Chinese and Canadian scientists analyzed three
well-preserved fossil skeletons — an adult and two juveniles — recovered from a
quarry in China's Liaoning Province by a private fossil dealer. Most striking
were remains of downlike feathers on the neck and arm. Though coverage was
patchy, scientists suspected the species had feathers over much of its body."

Granted, Yuty-hu wasn't quite as big as T. rex, but it was big enough in its own
right, 30 feet long and weighing over a ton.  So the obvious question that MSNBC
asks: "If a T. rex relative had feathers, why not T. rex?"  As Luis Chiappe,
director of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County summarized: "People need to start changing their image of T. rex."

But perhaps this is merely the tip of the iceberg.  Rather than ask if T. rex
had feathers, shouldn't it be asked if ALL dinosaurs had feathers?  Granted,
perhaps this is an assertion that is absurdly false, and one that is almost
impossible to prove to boot.  But somehow I suspect that just by asking this
absurd little question, one may get a closer view of prehistoric reality than
what has dominated our belief system.

To read more:

Scientists find the king of the feathered dinosaurs
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46954385/ns/technology_and_science-science

It's Official: Paranoia Magazine out the first week of June!
http://paranoiamagazine.com/2012/05/27/its-official-paranoia-magazine-out-the-fi\
rst-week-of-june/

After an almost three year hiatus, Paranoia magazine will once again appear in
newsstands, bookstores, and mailboxes, the first week of June. It will be
published from 3 to 4 issues, yearly at a reasonable subscription price of $28.
PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Money Order, or Cashier's Check are gladly accepted.
Check out www.paranoiamagazine.com for additional subscription and distribution
information.

Here's a letter from the editor:

As things literally heat up in 2012—an election amidst solar storms and
planetary alignments, a global financial meltdown amidst shifting
consciousness—Paranoia magazine returns with what the Mockingbird media avoids
at all costs.

Richard Spence, professor of History at the University of Idaho and author of
Secret Agent 666: Aleister Crowley, British Intelligence and the Occult (Feral
House, 2008), delights us with "Searching for James Shelby Downard," the
magister survivor of early 20th century Freemason persecution who strove to
prepare us to discern their wily hoodwinking in the 21st century.

In "9/11 & Israel's Nexus of Terror," Navid Kahn sees that like 2001, the year
2012 also has "occultic, esoteric, and kabbalistic significance" and ponders yet
more sinister "world theatrics" in Chicago with a new (Mossad asset) mayor, or
in London, city of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Adam Gorightly continues the "skullduggery and mindphuckery" theme by examining
"paranormal-conspiratorial-doppelgänger phenomena" from Lee Harvey Oswald to
Kenn Thomas (also in this issue)—including the sighting of his own double at a
late 1990s East Coast New Age conference.

And speaking of Aleister Crowley and London, we've included a peek into London's
Mystical Legacy by Toyne Newton & Jonathan Tapsell, due out on Illuminati Day,
May1, 2012 (Salamander and Sons). Madeline Montalban (1910-1982), ceremonial
magick student of The Beast himself, held positions of influence throughout the
1930s and 1940s, from private astrologer/secretary to the late Lord Louis
Mountbatten (Prince Charles' uncle), to scribe for Gerald Gardner, modern father
of Wicca. Given that spell-casters have played into the politics of war as much
as military tacticians and spies, what if Madame Montalban had something to do
with Hitler's abandonment of Operation Sea Lion for an ill-fated invasion of
Russia?

In his article "Mothman, JFK, UFO, MIB, and Me," Andy Colvin returns to the late
1960s when the legendary Fortean researchers Gray Barker and John Keel came to
his neighborhood in the Kanawha Valley of the Ohio River basin to investigate
the unusual creatures and craft people were seeing. Colvin ties the ancient past
of mound sites and earthworks derived from the same mathematics Stonehenge and
the Great Pyramid drew on to Mothman's recent haunts, including Union Carbide's
Blaine Island plant on a U.S. Naval Reservation, now operated jointly by Bayer
and Dow Chemical. Were the sightings hoodwinks to cover for something else going
on?

"Who are the Men in Black, Really?" by Olav Phillips examines various MIB
theories, from cultural constructs to tolpas to CIA and NASA weirdos, until
Phillips guides us to, "There is only one organization, and it is a shadowy one,
that fulfills all the prerequisites for Men in Black."

Iona Miller's "Did COINTELPRO & CIA `Back Pocket Agents' Kill Rev. King, Jr.?"
echoes Downard's diagnosis of the American political landscape when she
reexamines the murder of one of the Three Kings and says, "Manipulation of the
public collective unconscious constitutes Masonic hoodwinking at its best or
worst. Whether you think in terms of a shadow government or a government Shadow,
we all share responsibility for allowing shadow masters who get away with
murder, dreaming mind or no dreaming mind."

In his column "Profiles in Parapolitical Research," Kenn Thomas features two
researchers. For current work, he extols David Talbot of salon.com, whose book
and to-be film Brother: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years looks at the
military's overriding role in the brutal murders of the other two of the Three
Kings, the  Kennedy brothers, "twin traumas that set the country on a course of
violence and greed from which we continue to suffer today." As for the
researcher of great historic significance, Thomas extols Sherman Skolnick, a
legend in the parapolitical underground who, as Thomas points out, "is often
portrayed by the general media as just another conspiracy nut job." (Skolnick
died May 21, 2006.)

Past co-editor of Paranoia magazine and past editor of HunterGatheress Journal
Joan d'Arc weighs in with "The Manchurian Candidate Lives," an extremely
important revisiting of the CIA's MK-ULTRA program and its ongoing relationship
(60 years later!) with the false memory syndrome movement and
military-corporate-secret society cover-up.

And finally a primer by yours truly on the 21st century "non-lethal" technology
of your worst nightmare, "This Covert Electromagnetic Era: Domestic Use of
Directed Energy Weapons for Political Control."

Paranoia magazine lives! May your repast give birth to a thousand transformative
questions in preparation for the awakening consciousness of 2012.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Since 1992, Paranoia: The Conspiracy & Paranormal Reader has presented
alternative views and marginalized theories of the inner workings of the
cryptocracy. Subjects include conspiracy theories, parapolitics, alternative
history, and the paranormal.

Paranoia was founded during the zine explosion of the early 1990s. The first
issue had a black-and-white tabloid-style layout, with feature stories starting
on the cover and continuing inside. Over the years, Paranoia evolved into a
72-page print magazine published three times a year, with a print run that
reached 15,000 copies. It was sold on newsstands throughout the U.S., the U.K,
and Canada, as well as to subscribers.

Paranoia received a 2001 Award of Merit in the Writer's Digest Zine Publishing
Awards, and has been rated by Playboy magazine as a "Top 10 Zine." Pagan Kennedy
of The Village Voice called it "Weirdness on a grand scale …" containing "a
dizzying web of connections." Alternative book publisher New Paradigm Books
recently stated that Paranoia is "an original and provocative thrice-yearly
magazine, with an occasional compelling focus on women writers."

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


Engineered Austerity Coming to America Starting with the Post Office
Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
Saturday, May 19, 2012
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/05/engineered-austerity-coming-to-america.html

Over the past few months, the dismal financial state of the United States Postal
Service has been the subject of much derision and contempt in the mainstream
media. The massive debt held by the USPS has been the bloody sheet waived by
both reactionary Republicans and Wall Street Democrats in order to justify the
privatization or even the elimination of such an important service from
oversight and administration by the Federal government.

The large debt held by USPS, coupled with exaggerations of wait times and other
aspects involved in shipping services, are constantly highlighted as the latest
example of how "government is incapable of running anything effectively." The
general public is then subjected to a barrage of "free market" solutions which
are, as is almost always the case, nothing more than the fleecing of the
taxpayer who will inevitably end up paying more and receiving less while
benefiting crony corporations.

The most immediate solutions proposed by the reactionaries are, of course,
austerity measures which take the form of closing thousands of rural post office
branches, ending Saturday delivery, increasing prices, and downsizing staff.

Initially the plan proposed by the more savvy austerity ghouls, as well as the
Postmaster General himself, would have resulted in the closing of more than
3,700 post office locations all across the country, with the vast majority of
those offices in rural areas. Thankfully, there was enough community opposition
to derail these disastrous plans. That is, at least for the moment.

The new plan, however, now involves the reduction of staff at over 13,000 rural
post office locations as well as a reduction in hours of operation down to as
little as two hours in some offices. Estimates of potential job losses run over
100,000.

But because the Post Office intends to seek approval for its plans from the
public and the relevant regulatory agencies before moving forward on any
"cost-cutting" plans, the process may take several months.

Nevertheless, the Post Office is not only facing a battle from without. Many
within the administrative and directional wing are lobbying for programs such as
the one mentioned above that will result in the closing of offices and an end to
Saturday mail delivery. In fact, it has been the Post Office itself that has
pushed Congress to pass legislation allowing these cuts to take place.

Yet to lay all the blame, even on the feet of the Postmaster General is not
entirely fair. After all, the Post Office has been dealt a bad hand in terms of
its financial solvency due to the psychosis of austerity and hatred of public
services pushed by reactionary politicians and corporate competitors. It has
essentially been given an impossible task in terms of its own continued
existence as an institution.

The real financial problems come not from decreased traffic or even
mismanagement, but from the reactionaries themselves. Due to the constant
barrage of criticism and mockery hurled at USPS from the mainstream media, as
well as the gullibility of the average American, little is known about the 2006
mandate which has done more to bankrupt the Post Office than any other factor.

This mandate, a provision of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of
2006, requires the Post Office to fund the health care benefits of future
retirees as far out as 75 years into the future – all within a 10-year window.
Previously, as in every other business (and the United States Government), the
health care of retirees was a pay-as-you-go system. Thanks to the reactionaries
and Wall Street tools like Dennis Hastert, this is no longer the case for the
Post Office.

Indeed, the ridiculous mandate now costs the Post Office over $5.5 billion per
year (about 2 weeks of Afghan war costs), with the federal government actually
holding billions of dollars of overpayments made to the pension accounts by
USPS. According to FireDogLake, all of the Post Office's losses over the past
four years have come from this mandate.

Even the Washington Post has reported that, without the 2006 mandate, the Post
Office would have actually realized a profit, not a loss, since 2007. Joe
Davidson writes,
"The last four years' reported losses can all be attributed to this prefunding
and then some,'"Fredric V. Rolando, president of the National Association of
Letter Carriers, said in an interview.
He is correct.

According to the USPS white papers, from 2007 to 2010, mail volume declined 20
percent while postage remained capped at the rate of inflation, "resulting in
net losses over the period of just over $21 billion, including a loss in FY2010
of $8,5 billion."

During that period, the prefunding of retiree health benefits cost $21 billion.
Without that congressional mandate, the USPS would have cleared $611 million.

This is quite interesting considering the fact that the overwhelming majority of
the mainstream media never mentions the mandate. We do, however, continually
hear the repetition of the debt owed by the Post Office which is almost always
used to shore up the claim of incompetence and waste and to promote the cause of
privatization.

In addition, the administrators of the Post Office, especially the Postmaster
General, have been showing their true colors for some time refusing to
acknowledge the root cause of the problem (the mandate). Instead, the agency is
claiming that, in the case of rural offices, 80% of its costs are labor-related.
It also suggests that the Internet and a decline in first-class mail volume is
the reason for its financial straits.

However, this is a misleading and, I would venture, an intentionally misleading
position. Labor costs are a factor in any business, particularly in harsh
economic times. Yet hiring labor and/or paying them living wages does not
outweigh a mandate such as the one discussed above. It is a stated plan by the
Post Office administration to begin replacing full-time workers with part-time
workers, in an effort to reduce wages and eliminate benefits and this mandate,
along with the deleterious effects it is having on the institution as a whole,
merely provides the excuse to initiate a downsizing of the workforce.

Indeed, those who have labor contracts are inevitably going to see those
contracts attacked in the very near future. Undoubtedly, in another example of
the American people's often misplaced anger, when the time comes for USPS labor
to be dismantled, it almost certainly will be done to the cheers of an ignorant
public.  That is what the media campaign is for.

It should also be pointed out that, while the Internet may be a factor in
reduced first-class mail, the world economic depression is another. Naturally,
mail delivery and all other services will decrease as the vast majority of
Americans are financially strained and as less and less businesses continue to
exist inside the United States.

With all this in mind, it is worth noting that there is rarely, if ever, a
comment made by the office of the Postmaster General regarding the 2006 mandate,
even though his agency is being crushed by the burden Congress has created.

For all of the heated rhetoric spouted off by politicians and talking heads
about the privatization of postal services, it should be pointed out that no
other private company bears the burden of having to fund all of its retirees
benefits – some of whom do not even work at the Post Office yet, others have not
even been born – for a period of 75 years or anything close to that number.
Certainly no private company is being forced to do so by the Federal Government.

In all fairness, shouldn't UPS and FedEx be forced to fund retiree pension funds
if there was to be fair competition? The reactionaries would say no, of course,
because that is a violation of the "free market." Only when these theories are
applied to government services that actually benefit people are they acceptable.

Even the Federal Government itself, which actually did make a commitment to
future generations with the Social Security program, released itself from future
liabilities (in terms of trust funds) and converted to pay-as-you-go, a truly
unfortunate policy in this instance. Of course, with massive police states to
build, giant bureaucracies to maintain, and numerous illegal foreign wars to
fight, one can clearly see the logic behind the decision.

Nevertheless, the situation is dire because the Post Office is already $13
billion in debt, largely due to the congressional mandate. Somewhere between
August and September, USPS will be required to pay more than $11 billion to the
U.S. Treasury yet again for the prefunding of health benefits, potentially (and
almost inevitably) causing the agency to reach its $15 billion debt ceiling.

But, while the members of the general public may envision a utopia of companies
competing to deliver their mail, the reality will undoubtedly be much different.
For all their rhetoric about competition and lower prices, the amount of price
increases for the base level of hard copy correspondence will skyrocket as soon
as the Post Office ceases to exist. Just take a look at the private competition
in the market now and you will easily see how much your mail delivery costs will
rise if the Post Office option is no longer available. With USPS out of the
picture, it is just as likely that the private companies will not only continue
to gouge customers, but that prices will increase dramatically using fuel costs
and anti-union sentiment as justification.

Currently, the United States Postal Service stands as a model for the rest of
the world in terms of logistical capabilities, infrastructure, and especially
pricing. It is, in fact, the cheapest mail shipping method available amongst
Western nations and most of the rest of the world.

It is also one of the only services that reaches virtually every American and
does so on a daily basis.  Besides the manufactured debt of the USPS, for all
intents and purposes, it accomplishes its goals of getting the mail to you in a
timely fashion.

It might be hard for many to comprehend the ramifications of the privatization
of mail and shipping services currently administered by the USPS. However, one
need only look to Europe to see that, invariably, prices will rise. Indeed, one
need not look across the ocean when a glance at the domestic landscape would
prove the same point. A glimpse of UPS and FedEx should be self-explanatory.

With this in mind, it is also worth noting that price increases will be
especially true (and especially harmful) for rural areas where no competition
exists.

Rising prices in shipping have long been a problem for businesses, particularly
small ones. The removal of the USPS option might even be the death knell for
many of them. As it stands, it is possible to put a business virtually anywhere
in the country because of the availability of the USPS. However, removing those
services will force a great many to move further into cities. Those unable to do
so may be driven into extinction.

This plan for reduction of services to rural areas may also dovetail with the
intentional increase in urbanization called for by UN plans such as Agenda 21.
Removing Post Office services from rural areas would be just one more step in
the designed inaccessibility of rural living.

Yet there might be one more aspect to the 2006 mandate that bears mentioning.
The fact is, the USPS has many enemies who would like to see the agency
destroyed and privatized whether it is indebted or not. Even if the USPS meets
its commitments over the next ten years, the attacks are not likely to cease.
Corporate predators and other agents of Wall Street have a vested interest in
seeing the USPS dissolved due to their own interests. So, unless there is an
unlikely return to reason by Congress, the fate of USPS might very well be
sealed.

Thus, the 2006 mandate, seems to be a two-pronged attack: First, it is designed
to handicap and precipitate the destruction of the USPS through unreasonable
demands, debt and then austerity measures.

Second, it serves as a fattening of the prey for the Wall Street jackals who are
now surrounding it. Let there be no doubt that a "pre-fund" stacked to the tune
of billions of dollars will not be ignored at feeding time. Simply put, Wall
Street agents appear to be loading the institution with debt as well as assets,
waiting on the moment when large-scale asset stripping can commence.

Thus, one might assume it to be very likely that the attacks against the Post
Office will soon resume and the asset stripping of the agency and its employee
healthcare fund will not be far behind once the final blow has been struck.

Americans have become complacent on such a wide variety of issues that Post
Office service might seem as of little consequence when faced with a worsening
economic depression, foreign wars, and the prevalence of a domestic police
state. Yet losing the USPS would be yet another nail in the coffin of what was
once the envy of the world.

It has often been said that you never know what you have until you lose it.
Austerity is coming to America starting with one of the only services that
delivers.  If Americans do not soon wise up to the game, we might once again
prove just how true that statement really is.

Brandon Turbeville is an author out of Mullins, South Carolina. He has a
Bachelor's Degree from Francis Marion University and is the author of three
books, Codex Alimentarius -- The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, and
Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident. Turbeville has published
over one hundred articles dealing with a wide variety of subjects including
health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon
Turbeville is available for podcast, radio, and TV interviews. Please contact us
at activistpost@....

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


GREEK `RADICAL LEFT' LEADER CAUSES WORLDWIDE STOCK MARKET TURBULENCE
Richard Metzger
05.08.2012
http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/greek_radical_left_leader_causes_worldwid\
e_stock_market_turbulence

No one seems to be able to say with any real certainty whether or not Greece
will stay in the EU, try to negotiate an orderly exit from the eurozone or be
pushed out of the monetary union. Sunday's unprecedented election saw the
political establishment that has dominated the country for four decades nearly
wiped out. No surprise, extreme volatility in the stock markets was one of the
knock-on effects. Greek markets dropped 8% today.

37-year-old Greek politician, Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the socialist
Coalition for the Radical Left (S?????), who has been charged with forming a
coalition government, is being blamed for much of today's market selloff for
some of his more incendiary remarks. Mr. Tsipras wasted no time announcing his
opinion that the "barbarous" Greek bailout agreement is "null and void" and
should be torn up and abandoned for the sake of the Greek working class. Global
markets went on a roller coaster ride as Tsipras's words threatened to cause a
domino effect that could force the country to quit the euro. Besides his
opposition to the terms of the bailout, Tsipras wants to nationalize the banks,
restore all cut salaries and pensions to their former levels and to bring back
union bargaining.

Bad idea from the point of view of the markets, true. The Germans will most
certainly be pissed, as well. But it's probably the best outcome for the lives
of the citizens of Greece, who are feeling squeezed to pay off what is widely
seen to be the mess caused by the elites. If the revolt against the EU-mandated
austerity doesn't come from the left, it will certainly come from the far right.

As Tsipras has repeatedly asked: "The main question is who will pay for the
crisis? The rich or the poor?"

Last September in an interview with CNBC anchorwoman Michelle Caruso-Cabrera,
Mr. Tsipras said that the austerity measures inflicted upon the Greek population
via the "troika" of the IMF, the European Central Bank and the EU were
counter-productive and couldn't be allowed to stand:

"The solution is to be able to get out of the memorandum (the troika plan) and
to be able to get rid of the destructive policy that is being implemented right
now… I think the medicine they have given us is worse than the disease itself
and I think it's going to kill us."

In order to receive more than 200 billion euros in long-term, low-interest
loans, the troika has demanded that the Greece reduce its spending. The Greek
government has responded by laying off thousands of government workers, cutting
the salaries of those who are left, and cutting pensions to retirees. They've
nullified collective bargaining agreements in an effort to get wages lower so
that Greeks will be more competitive in the world economy.

Additionally they've raised taxes and fees on everything under the Greek sun.
The moves have angered Greeks, and they demonstrated this in last weekend
elections by punishing the parties that agreed to the troika's requirements, and
giving many more votes to Tsipra's Coalition for the Radical Left.

Tsipra told CNBC: "I think this will totally destroy the middle class. So I
think that what is really needed is a plan which involves growth and I think
fiscal consolidation can be achieved through other means. I think the rich
should pay and not just the poor and middle class."

If Greece ditches the harsh bailout terms, the money flow will stop, so the
country would probably be forced to "print money" to pay salaries, pensions and
the military or else resort to massive layoffs. Bet on the former, not the
latter.

Sensibly, Tsipras is calling for something like the New Deal's WPA or the
Marshall plan, governmental efforts, he says, "which would lead to investment
opportunities in Greece and this of course would create jobs which are much
needed in the country." Additionally, Tsipras told CNBC last year that he was of
the opinion that the financial sector should be placed under government
control..

"Do you know what (Warren) Buffett said? He said come on, "let me pay." Why did
he say that? He said that because he could understand the danger, the danger for
his class if everything is burned."

Smart man. He obviously gets what's at stake. Refreshing in a politician, isn't
it?

Many Greek and European political observers don't think Mr. Tsipras will be able
to form a coalition government in just three days (the time set by Greek law). A
new round of elections seems likely in June, but for the next 48-hours, the
financial world has its attention directed towards Greece and the rising
political star of "Radical Leftist" leader Alexis Tsipras.

***

Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras: 'It's a war between people and capitalism'
Greece's eurozone fate may now be in the hands of the 37-year-old political
firebrand and his Syriza party
Helena Smith in Athens
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 May 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/18/greek-leftist-leader-alexis-tsipras

Alexis Tsipras in his office at the Greek parliament building on Friday. He says
Greece has been used as a guinea pig for the rest of Europe. Photograph: Martin
Godwin

"I don't believe in heroes or saviours," says Alexis Tsipras, "but I do believe
in fighting for rights … no one has the right to reduce a proud people to such a
state of wretchedness and indignity."

The man who holds the fate of the euro in his hands – as the leader of the Greek
party willing to tear up the country's €130bn (£100bn) bailout agreement – says
Greece is on the frontline of a war that is engulfing Europe.

A long bombardment of "neo-liberal shock" – draconian tax rises and remorseless
spending cuts – has left immense collateral damage. "We have never been in such
a bad place," he says, sleeves rolled up, staring hard into the middle distance,
from behind the desk that he shares in his small parliamentary office. "After
two and a half years of catastrophe, Greeks are on their knees. The social state
has collapsed, one in two youngsters is out of work, there are people leaving en
masse, the climate psychologically is one of pessimism, depression, mass
suicides."

But while exhausted and battle weary, the nation at the forefront of Europe's
escalating debt crisis and teetering on the edge of bankruptcy is also hardened.
And, increasingly, they are looking towards Tsipras to lead their fight.

"Defeat is the battle that isn't waged," says the young politician who almost
overnight has seen his radical left coalition party, Syriza, jump from
representing fewer than 5% of Greeks to enjoying ratings of more than 25% in
polls.

"You ask me if I am afraid. I'd be afraid if we continued on this path, a path
to social hell … when someone fights there is a big chance that he will win and
we are fighting this to win."

Before Greeks went to the polls on 6 May, neither Tsipras nor his party were a
name to be reckoned with. If anything both were the butt of vague mockery: a
former pony-tailed student communist leading a rag-tag band of ex-Trotskyists,
Maoists, champagne socialists and greens. Tsipras's assistants – wielding Louis
Vuitton bags and fashionable sunglasses – readily admit they are signed up
"militants" mostly of the anti-globalisation cause.

But today I am the third person to pass through Tsipras's second-floor
parliamentary office. The others have been the German ambassador to Greece and
the president of the European parliament, Martin Schulz. As Greeks prepare to
head to the polls again on 17 June, Tsipras, the politician poised to win the
greatest number of votes – after Syriza came in second place in this month's
inconclusive election – is the man everyone wants to see. "He is not as
dangerous as he appears on TV, but he does have some risky positions," says
Schulz emerging form the talks.

"The [upcoming] vote in Greece will decide not just what happens here but what
will happen internationally", adds the German before saying what he really wants
to say. "If the memorandum [loan agreement] is cast in doubt, the payment [of
rescue funds from the EU and IMF] to Greece is cast in doubt."

Tsipras, who turns 38 in July, wants me to know that the war is not personal.
The enemy is not Berlin, until now the biggest provider of the monumental rescue
funds keeping the debt-stricken economy afloat. "It is not between nations and
peoples," he says. "On the one side there are workers and a majority of people
and on the other are global capitalists, bankers, profiteers on stock exchanges,
the big funds. It's a war between peoples and capitalism … and as in each war
what happens on the frontline defines the battle. It will be decisive for the
war elsewhere."

Greece, he says, has become a model for the rest of Europe because it was the
first country to fall victim to the enforcement of hard-hitting "growth through
austerity" policies pursued in the name of resolving the crisis.

"It was chosen as the experiment for the enforcement of neo-liberal shock
[policies] and Greek people were the guinea pigs," he insists.

"If the experiment continues, it will be considered successful and the policies
will be applied in other countries. That's why it is so important to stop the
experiment. It will not just be a victory for Greece but for all of Europe."

Under the current rescue plan, which has subjected the nation to relentless
austerity – the average Greek's purchasing power has dropped by 35% – the
international financial system, and especially banks, are gaining most, he says.
"Who is surviving, tell me?" he asks. "Greeks aren't … The loans are going
straight to interest payment and banks."

The other point that Tsipras wants to make is that he is not against the euro or
monetary union. Fears that the country is about to exit the eurozone are about
terrorising people to keep the status quo, he claims. They are why the nation
has seen "more then €75bn" of cash taken out of Greek banks since the outbreak
of the crisis in Athens in December 2009.

But Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, should know she has "a huge historical
responsibility" – a point he will be making when he holds talks with
representatives of the German government in Berlin next week.

"We are not against a unified Europe or monetary union," he insists. "We don't
want to blackmail, we want to persuade our European partners that the way that
has been chosen to confront Greece is totally counter-productive. It is like
throwing money at a bottomless pit."

Over the past two years, Athens had received two bumper bailouts from the EU and
IMF: €110bn in May 2010 and then €130bn in March this year, but the stringent
fiscal adjustment programmes demanded in return for the aid are clearly not
working, he says.

If the emphasis is not now put on re-energising Europe's most moribund economy
through development and growth, "in six months we will be forced to discuss a
third package and after that a fourth," he predicts,

"European tax payers should know that if they are giving money to Greece, it
should have an effect … it should go towards investments and underwriting growth
so that the Greek debt problem can be confronted because with this recipe we are
not confronting the debt problem, the real issue."

All this sounds remarkably toned down from the fiery rhetoric Tsipras has come
to be associated with – until, that is, the mention of rescue funds drying up if
(as seems likely) his party emerges as the governing force in a hung parliament.

The first thing Syriza will do in power is tear up the controversial "memorandum
of understanding" Greece signed up to with creditors, which details the onerous
conditions under which the country receives quarterly injections of cash.

The agreement, he says, was reached without the Greek people ever being
consulted. And now in the wake of the 6 May vote, when more than 70% of those
opposing the policies voted for "anti-bailout" parties, it is clear it has lost
all legitimacy, he insists

It is a high stakes game but, he argues, Europe is holding the gun because
ultimately, under European law, Greece can't be ejected from the 17-nation bloc.

"Europeans have to understand that we don't have any intention of pushing ahead
with a unilateral move. We will [only] be forced to act if they act unilaterally
and make the first move," he says. "If they don't pay us, if they stop the
financing [of loans] then we will not be able to pay creditors. What I am saying
is very simple."

And if Athens stops paying its creditors, the problem then takes on a different
hue. Greece is in a much stronger position than most think.

"Keynes said it many years ago. It's not just the person who borrows but the
person who lends who can find himself in a difficult position. If you owe £5,000
to the bank, it's your problem but if you owe £500,000, it's the bank's
problem," he said. "This is a common problem. It's our problem. Its Merkel's
problem. It's a European problem. Its a world problem."

With his good looks, raven black hair and propensity for rousing oratory,
Tsipras comes across more as a pin-up (which is how many in Greece see him) than
a saviour, which is how a great deal of others see him.

His aides add in passing that one of his heroes is Venezuelan leader Hugo
Chávez, with whom he shares the same birthday. Nor does he believe in political
tags "at this time of crisis".

But though he appears to be preparing for power and moderating his tone, he says
the war will continue.

***

After the JPMorgan Chase mess, we must bust up the big financial houses
Peter Morici
May 11, 2012
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/11/after-jpmorgan-chase-mess-must-bust-up\
-big-financial-houses

JPMorgan Chase's $2 billion loss from betting on corporate bonds will embolden
advocates of the Volcker Rule—a provision of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that will
prohibit banks from trading on their own account. Unfortunately for federal
regulators, trading in securities is essential to modern banking, and busting up
the big Wall Street financial houses may be the only way to better ensure
financial stability.

The Glass Steagall Act of 1933 separated commercial banking—taking deposits and
making loans to finance businesses, homes and the like—from investment
banking—selling stocks, bonds and other securities, and making markets for
investors to buy and sell those assets quickly.  That separation was repealed
during the final years of the Clinton administration, and Wall Street
institutions like J.P. Morgan now perform both roles.

Modern commercial banking simply won't tolerate such an absolute separation,
because banks cannot finance all the demand for loans from deposits. In recent
decades, too many savers have found they can earn higher returns than at the
bank by investing in money market funds, bond funds and directly buying bonds.

Regulators have been working for the last two years to define the difference
between hedging and gambling. They can't.

Consequently, banks make loans, issue credit cards and the like, and bundle
borrowers' promises to pay into securities and sell those to bond investors.
Fannie Mae and other government backed housing banks don't take deposits at all,
and get virtually all their financing selling mortgage-backed securities.

Also, regional banks can buy securities backed by the loans of banks in other
regions to mitigate the risks inherent in serving a local economy. Kansas banks
are just too dependent on the price of corn, and do well to hold some debt whose
repayment depends on the vitality of other regions and industries.

Of the many activities performed by large investment banks—essentially, the big
financial houses on Wall Street like JP Morgan —making markets for securities,
so that investors can buy and sell when they like, is most essential for making
the U.S. and broader global economies work.

Without assurance bonds can be sold when liquidity is needed, many investors
simply would not buy mortgage-backed securities or would demand much higher
interest rates, making the cost  ordinary folks pay on home mortgages
prohibitively high. The same reasoning applies to the availability and cost of
business, auto loans and credit card debt that create jobs.

Investment banks must buy and sell securities with their own capital, "on their
own account," to ensure liquidity and hedge, in other words to insure their
positions against losses. The Volcker Rule would permit these activities but ban
simple gambling—the latter is what cost JPMorgan Chase at least $2 billion in
recent weeks.

The basic problem is that regulators have been working for the last two years to
define the difference between hedging and gambling, and can't. Either the rules
would be too severe and shut down banking, or would permit reckless risk taking
that could take down a huge bank, and potentially put the taxpayer on the hook
to pay off depositors through the FDIC.

Commercial banks are essential to the smooth function of a market
economy—capitalism runs on credit much as air conditioning runs on
electricity—and without stable commercial banks the economy can't grow.

The simplest solution is to once again separate commercial and investment
banking, as was required by the Glass Steagall Act, with some modest exceptions.

Let banks take deposits and make loans, and sell those to investors through
investment banks who would do the bundling of loans into securities. Even let
commercial banks own securities backed by loans in other regions to balance
default risk, but leave the business of making markets and trading to separate
investment banks.

Commercial banks would continue to be regulated and government insured by the
FDIC, and investment banks would be free to trade and take risks with their
stockholders capital. If the latter failed from foolish trades their investors
would lose their capital, but the taxpayer would not be on the hook.

***

Easy Useless Economics
PAUL KRUGMAN
May 10, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/opinion/krugman-easy-useless-economics.html

A few days ago, I read an authoritative-sounding paper in The American Economic
Review, one of the leading journals in the field, arguing at length that the
nation's high unemployment rate had deep structural roots and wasn't amenable to
any quick solution. The author's diagnosis was that the U.S. economy just wasn't
flexible enough to cope with rapid technological change. The paper was
especially critical of programs like unemployment insurance, which it argued
actually hurt workers because they reduced the incentive to adjust.

O.K., there's something I didn't tell you: The paper in question was published
in June 1939. Just a few months later, World War II broke out, and the United
States — though not yet at war itself — began a large military buildup, finally
providing fiscal stimulus on a scale commensurate with the depth of the slump.
And, in the two years after that article about the impossibility of rapid job
creation was published, U.S. nonfarm employment rose 20 percent — the equivalent
of creating 26 million jobs today.

So now we're in another depression, not as bad as the last one, but bad enough.
And, once again, authoritative-sounding figures insist that our problems are
"structural," that they can't be fixed quickly. We must focus on the long run,
such people say, believing that they are being responsible. But the reality is
that they're being deeply irresponsible.

What does it mean to say that we have a structural unemployment problem? The
usual version involves the claim that American workers are stuck in the wrong
industries or with the wrong skills. A widely cited recent article by Raghuram
Rajan of the University of Chicago asserts that the problem is the need to move
workers out of the "bloated" housing, finance and government sectors.

Actually, government employment per capita has been more or less flat for
decades, but never mind — the main point is that contrary to what such stories
suggest, job losses since the crisis began haven't mainly been in industries
that arguably got too big in the bubble years. Instead, the economy has bled
jobs across the board, in just about every sector and every occupation, just as
it did in the 1930s. Also, if the problem was that many workers have the wrong
skills or are in the wrong place, you'd expect workers with the right skills in
the right place to be getting big wage increases; in reality, there are very few
winners in the work force.

All of this strongly suggests that we're suffering not from the teething pains
of some kind of structural transition that must gradually run its course but
rather from an overall lack of sufficient demand — the kind of lack that could
and should be cured quickly with government programs designed to boost spending.

So what's with the obsessive push to declare our problems "structural"? And,
yes, I mean obsessive. Economists have been debating this issue for several
years, and the structuralistas won't take no for an answer, no matter how much
contrary evidence is presented.

The answer, I'd suggest, lies in the way claims that our problems are deep and
structural offer an excuse for not acting, for doing nothing to alleviate the
plight of the unemployed.

Of course, structuralistas say they are not making excuses. They say that their
real point is that we should focus not on quick fixes but on the long run —
although it's usually far from clear what, exactly, the long-run policy is
supposed to be, other than the fact that it involves inflicting pain on workers
and the poor.

Anyway, John Maynard Keynes had these peoples' number more than 80 years ago.
"But this long run," he wrote, "is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the
long run we are all dead. Economists set themselves too easy, too useless a task
if in tempestuous seasons they can only tell us that when the storm is long past
the sea is flat again."

I would only add that inventing reasons not to do anything about current
unemployment isn't just cruel and wasteful, it's bad long-run policy, too. For
there is growing evidence that the corrosive effects of high unemployment will
cast a shadow over the economy for many years to come. Every time some
self-important politician or pundit starts going on about how deficits are a
burden on the next generation, remember that the biggest problem facing young
Americans today isn't the future burden of debt — a burden, by the way, that
premature spending cuts probably make worse, not better. It is, rather, the lack
of jobs, which is preventing many graduates from getting started on their
working lives.

So all this talk about structural unemployment isn't about facing up to our real
problems; it's about avoiding them, and taking the easy, useless way out. And
it's time for it to stop.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on May 11, 2012, on page A31 of the
New York edition with the headline: Easy Useless Economics.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
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Why You Should Upload Your Mind
Eugen Spierer
May 9, 2012
http://hplusmagazine.com/2012/05/09/why-you-should-upload-your-mind/

Space travel, particle physics, cosmology. These are just some of the endeavors
humankind has embarked on, trying to understand the great mysteries of the
universe. But why haven't we been able to decipher those puzzles yet? Is it
because they are vast and we are so small and insignificant? Well, yes.

In order to achieve these huge goals we need to change the very thing which is
holding us back: Ourselves. Our mind has limits which we are only starting to be
aware of and those limits are only made more restrictive by our fragile,
sickened, mortal bodies.

How can we expect to learn the secrets of the world around us while trapped
within a body which only lives for several decades, demands constant nourishment
and attention, and dictates limits and desires beyond our control? This is why I
think the first and foremost challenge we should "put our minds to" is mind
uploading.

Once we have severed the link between our consciousness and the cruel joke
someone has played on us by enclosing it in a mortal body, can we begin to
really appreciate the beauty of the world around us. We would then be able to
explore its secrets not just for a limited number of years, but for an eternity.

The first steps toward such a noble cause have already been taken in
Switzerland. Scientists have already simulated a part of a rat's brain with
proven accuracy. It's called the Blue Brain Project and it aims to use
developing computer technologies in order to simulate an entire human brain and
thus, hopefully, create a human personality which will be based on computer
hardware rather than on the miserable excuse we have for a wetware body.

Just think of the possibilities! Eternal life. Easy and accessible space travel
and colonization. Plenty of time for all human beings to grow and develop. Far
less strain the planet's limited resources. No more disease. No more suffering.
No more death. A better understanding of the world around us, free of the
constraints which currently bind us to a meager existence and a short life span.

No other research is this important, for this will be the base of our success as
a species.

***

Blade Runner Magazine Covers
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/06/blade-runner-magazine-covers.html

These magazine covers can be seen in the movie Blade Runner, and thanks to a
devoted fanbase, it is now available on the web.  Here's where you can see them
all:

http://sciencefiction.tumblr.com/post/23608072333/these-are-fictional-magazine-c\
overs-from-blade

***

Federal government says it's okay to lie about pomegranate juice, but not to
tell the truth
J. D. Heyes
Monday, May 28, 2012
http://www.naturalnews.com/036000_pomegranate_juice_FTC_health_claims.html

Do you remember our recent story about Coca-Cola getting away with advertising
one of its drinks as "Pomegranate Blueberry," even though it only contained a
measly 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively, of each of those juices? Well,
we now learn that the federal government not only sanctions lying about
ingredients in drinks, but will punish companies who try to tell the truth about
those same products.

To recap:

Beverage company Pom Wonderful which, as its name suggests, manufactures drinks
containing lots of pomegranate, lost a federal false advertising suit it
launched against Coca-Cola's subsidiary, Minute Maid, which manufactures the
aforementioned Pomegranate Blueberry, because while the ingredients are
prominently displayed on the labeling, there is very little of them actually in
the drink.

But a federal appeals panel, citing federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
rules, disagreed with Pom Wonderful. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that said federal regulations say a
company can name a drink after a "flavoring" that it contains, even if it's not
the primary ingredient.

What makes the ruling even more incredulous, given the second part of this
story, is the fact that Minute Maid's label on Pomegranate Blueberry says, "Help
Nourish Your Brain" above a drawing of fruits. That, as you may have deduced,
suggests a medical benefit from drinking this pomegranate concoction, even if
there isn't much actual pomegranate in it.

What's 'deceptive' about the truth?

Enter Pom Wonderful, the company that actually puts pomegranate - which research
proves can lower harmful LDL cholesterol levels, improve blood flow to the heart
for cardiac patients, reduce thickening of arteries that supply blood to the
brain, and lower blood pressure - in its drinks.

It seems the same federal court system thinks it's okay for Coca-Cola to
sprinkle a little of the juice in its drinks and call it nourishment for your
brain, but Pom Wonderful - whose drinks contain 100 percent pomegranate juice -
can't tout the fruit's health benefits.

Just days after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals shot down Pom's lawsuit
against Coca-Cola, a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) judge ruled that health
claims made by Pom were deceptive.

The ruling from Administrate Law Judge D. Michael Chappell came after hearing
testimony for months, from May through November 2011 - testimony which included
appearances by noted diet and coronary expert Dr. Dean Ornish, who - among other
foods - recommends eating pomegranates to improve cardiac health.

Note, too, that Pom Wonderful, a Delaware company which is headquartered in Los
Angeles, has spent some $35 million over the past 10 years studying the health
benefits of pomegranates, and relied on the results of that body of research in
advertising its products.

Not officially sanctioned research

Chappell, however, said Pom's advertising "would lead reasonable consumers to
conclude that drinking Pom's juice or taking its supplements would treat,
prevent, or reduce serious health problems, and that it was clinically proven to
do so," according to Courthouse News Service.

What's more, Chappell said in his 330-page ruling that while Pom's research
indeed showed a general health benefit in consuming pomegranate, "the weight of
the persuasive expert testimony demonstrates that there was insufficient
competent and reliable scientific evidence to support" the company's specific
claims.

Huh?

Well, all of this is much easier to understand if you look at it from this
perspective. It's all about the Leviathan telling you what is, and is not,
"healthy," and what you can, and cannot say, about legitimate research if it is
not conducted or sanctioned by the high-and-mighty in D.C.

Pom Wonderful spent tens of millions on research that proves consuming its
pomegranate beverages improves overall health. But because the federal
government didn't make this discovery, then it's not legitimate and, therefore,
inadmissible.

Now do these conflicting rulings make sense?

For the record, pomegranate is quickly gaining favor in health circles for its
nutritional value as an antioxidant-rich fruit. It's health benefits are
well-documented now, even if you don't read about them in some government
agency's literature.

You might say a company that does its own research is tainting the results, but
on the other hand, if the same company is later found to have falsified data,
what implications would that discovery have for a business that wants to stay
around for the long haul?

Sources for this article include:

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/23/46760.htm

http://www.ornishspectrum.com/proven-program/nutrition/

***

New Dr. Hulda Clark Blog
http://huldarclark.wordpress.com

Dr. Hulda Clark, PhD., N.D., was a remarkable scientist. She discovered that
everything in existence emits a radio frequency or range of radio frequencies by
which it can be identified. The new method of analysis she pioneered using that
discovery is many thousands of times more sensitive and accurate than anything
used by other scientists today.

Using this information, Dr. Clark identified the true causes of many diseases.
She then determined that when those causes were removed, the diseases were
cured.

Rather than submitting her findings for clinical trials for confirmation (which
could have taken years), she made her findings directly available to the public
by publishing them in books. There are many thousands of satisfied individuals
worldwide who have used her information to cure their diseases or otherwise keep
themselves healthy.

Unfortunately, Dr. Clark and her discoveries were targets of a massive
disinformation and vilification campaign perpetrated by the highly-profitable
mainstream medical establishment and its minions. Otherwise, her discoveries
would be more widely known and many more people would be able to benefit from
them. Her discoveries have the potential of positively affecting the health of
everyone in the world.

Steven Swan has been studying and using Dr. Clark's health discoveries and
health protocols for many years to keep himself healthy. He has also used them
to cure his own asthma and his own psoriasis.

Swan has a Dr. Hulda Clark blog where he disseminates her discoveries,
inventions, and protocols to others. It is located at
http://huldarclark.wordpress.com.

Swan also has a consulting service for anyone wishing assistance in implementing
Dr. Clark's discoveries and protocols to cure their own ailments or diseases. It
is located at www.drclarkconsultant.com.

Swan has also updated Dr. Clark's cures for asthma, psoriasis, eczema, epilepsy,
and seizures using information that Dr. Clark provided in her last cancer-curing
book. They are located at www.clarkupdates.com. The cost is only $19.95 each.

Steven Swan
Email: contact@...

***

'Mermaids: The Body Found' On Animal Planet Argues Mythical Sea Creatures Are
Aquatic Apes
David Moye
05/26/2012

The mermaid legend has been around since before the Romans ruled the earth, and
even back then, guys were asking the same question: How did these womanly fish
have sex?

It's a question that dogged filmmaker Charlie Foley when he started work on
"Mermaid: The Body Found," a speculative documentary airing May 27 and 28 on
Animal Planet -- from his own father, no less.

"It was the first thing my dad asked me when I told him about the special,"
Foley laughed to The Huffington Post. "We had to think about this, and I assume
that mermaid sex organs would evolve like those of whales, seals and porpoises.
Their bodies are streamlined, but those parts 'pop out' when needed."

Sorry, fish fetishists, the special doesn't show mermaids and mermen splashing
around in icthyological intercourse, but there is a scene of a CGI mermaid
giving birth.

Foley isn't saying that mermaids exist, but finds it fascinating that the comely
sea creatures have been talked about for thousands of years and show up in the
writings of numerous cultures -- even among cultures that had no contact with
each other.

There has never been a confirmed mermaid sighting, and some researchers
speculate that people who've claimed to have seen one outside of a movie theatre
actually saw creatures like manatees or dugongs.

However, some researchers have suggested the "Aquatic Ape Theory." They claim
that during a period of massive coastal flooding, some ancestors moved inland
and others went into the ocean for food.

The theory forms the basis of the show and while the idea that mermaids might be
real may sound absurd on the surface, filmmaker Charlie Foley says further study
suggests it might not be all wet.

"There are cases of animals going from terrestrial to aquatic," Foley told The
Huffington Post. "And when you look at what makes humans unique among other
terrestrial animals, it raises some interesting questions on whether mermaids
might be plausible."

Some of the evidence that Foley said could conceivably suggest a missing mermaid
link include webbing between fingers, something other primates don't have and
the loss of body hair (which would create drag in water).

Other evolutionary steps that suggest a sea creature cousin include the fact
that humans are the only land animal with subcutaneous fat, which helps insulate
whales, seals and dolphins from the cold, and breath control.

"Humans can hold their breath up to 20 minutes, longer than any other
terrestrial animal," Foley said. "In fact, we're the only land animal with an
instinctive ability to swim."

Foley is quick to point out that he doesn't necessarily believe that mermaids
existed, but, as he did with a previous special, "Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real,"
wanted to "plausibly imagine them."

To do that, he had to think about how a real mermaid would actually look -- and
it's wouldn't be a red head like Ariel the Little Mermaid at all.

"Evolutionarily speaking, hair would be the first to go because it's a drag
underwater," he said. "Also, we thought about the coloring. Sea mammals tend to
have countershading. They are lighter on what, in layman's terms, would be the
belly and darker on the back. This is so they would blend in with the water if
you're looking at them from above and would blend in with the sun shining
through the water if you're looking at them from below."

Foley hopes the special gets people interested in the Aquatic Ape Theory, but
also admits that his goal isn't to win converts to the idea.

"This is meant for entertainment," he laughed. "We didn't submit this for peer
review."

***

How to Survive Miami's Zombie Apocalypse, According to Zombie Expert Jonathan
Maberry
Hannah Sentenac
Wed., May 30 2012
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/cultist/2012/05/draft_how_to_survive_miamis_zo.ph\
p

According to authorities, there's a good chance that last week's face-eating
incident was the result of mind-altering drugs. (Just say no, kids.)

But according to the rest of us, it may signal the beginning of an inevitable
threat Hollywood has warned us about for years: a zombie apocalypse. (Just ask
The Miami zombie.)

Naturally, we're all a little concerned that the undead may choose our sunny
paradise as their next city of smorgasbord. After all, the heat is nice and
lubricating for their stiff limbs.

So, in the interest of being prepared, we spoke to zombie expert Jonathan
Maberry, author of Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead on how best to
survive a zombie apocalypse. Y'know, just in case.

Cultist: I'm sure you heard about the recent face-eating zombie attack in Miami.
Any commentary?
Maberry: Within a few hours of the report hitting the news I was inundated by
emails, IMs, Facebook and Twitter posts telling me, in essence, that the stuff
I've been writing may not be fiction.

What would you say is the top rule of zombie survival?
Don't be the dumb loudmouth in your group of survivors. These days, folks are
likely to feed you to the zoms and make their escape during the chow-down.

What weapons or supplies should we procure to prepare ourselves?
In my series of teen post-apocalyptic zombie novels (Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay,
etc.) the smartest object of defense isn't a gun or knife -- it's body armor
made from carpet. You can't really bite through it and there's carpet
everywhere. In the movies, the characters always run out into a crowd of zoms
wearing ordinary clothes. I'd tear up the carpet, secure it with some duct tape
(and we all have duct tape), and then stroll through the crowd of frustrated
zombies.

Can we ply them with any other food besides human flesh?
If we accept the movies of George Romero as "zombie canon," then the living dead
eat everything -- humans, animals, insects. We can always breed food for them.
And it would provide jobs for farmers in a troubled economy.

How do zombies react to hot weather?
Zombies would thrive in hot weather. The heat keeps them limber. Cold would
freeze them solid since body heat comes from blood flow. Of course, as the
temperature rises, the zoms would spoil pretty quickly. Smelly ... but
eventually they'd fall apart.

Can zombies swim?
Zombies wouldn't be a threat in the water. The freshly killed ones would sink
like a stone without air in their lungs for buoyancy. The rotting ones might
float because of gasses released by putrefaction, but they would lack the
coordination for the mechanics of swimming and couldn't strategize on how to
overcome tides and currents. So, a great way to survive the zombie apocalypse is
to strap on that Speedo and take a dip.

Are there different varieties of zombie?
There are several classifications of zombies. The old-school zombies are the
raised dead used as slaves by priests of the Haitian religion of vodou. Since
the 1960s we've come to hang the "zombie" nickname on flesh-eating ghouls of the
Romero kind, and these are slow-moving, mindless corpses. Then there are the
fast zombies, as introduced first in the film Return of the Living Dead (1985)
and made famous in the 2004 Zack Snyder remake of Dawn of the Dead. Then you
have the "rage virus-infected," who are mindless humans infected by a disease
that makes them kill everyone they meet. They were first introduced in George
Romero's 1973 flick The Crazies, then later became wildly popular in Danny
Boyle's 2002 classic, 28 Days Later and the 2010 remake of The Crazies. Oh, and
Europe is famous for its demonically possessed zombies, and there have been a
zillion of those films.

What's the most common misconception about zombies?
The most common misconception about zombies is that the disease only spreads
through bites. However Romero established that everyone who dies, no matter how
or why, will rise as a zombies. Bites simply make it happen faster.

So there you have it. Get ready to tear up that carpet and make a swim for it,
Miami.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


ACA's Much Touted Health Insurance Premium Review Is Basically Useless
Jon Walker
Wednesday May 9, 2012
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2012/05/09/acas-much-touted-health-insurance-pr\
emium-review-is-basically-useless/

In the Affordable Care Act the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was
given the power to review health insurance premium increases, but it wasn't
given the power to actually do anything about unreasonable increases.  HHS can
only say an increase is "unreasonable," but it has zero regulatory power to
force the companies to change their premiums. Not surprisingly this totally
toothless provision is now proving to be mostly worthless. From Politico:

HHS can use its bully pulpit to publicly shame insurers whose rates don't pass
its sniff test – and HHS has done just that, holding four media calls since
November to scold insurers each time it's made a new "unreasonable"
determination.

Faced with the choice of dealing with some negative press on the national stage
or upending their business plan, the four insurers that have been dinged by HHS
have all chosen to stick with the business plan.

Even though a provision with zero enforcement obviously has almost no value,
this hasn't stopped Democrats from claiming the rating review process is amazing
and should be super effective. The White House's official overview of the law
still falsely implies the law has regulatory teeth:

Stopping Unreasonable Rate Increases: In every State and for the first time
ever, insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they
want to raise rates by 10 percent or more.

The reality is that the law now merely lets us officially know that HHS thinks
the rates are "unreasonable," but it does nothing to actually stop them.

During the drafting of the ACA, efforts were made to include a provision that
would give HHS the power to stop unreasonable rate increases, but the provision
didn't make it into the final law. Instead the Obama administration seems to be
just pretending it did.

With so much over promising and under delivering around the health care law, it
is no wonder it is still unpopular.

***

Awesome Quotes: Dennis Kucinich

From a 2007 Democratic Party Presidential Debate...

Wolf Blitzer: Congressman Kucinich, I believe you're the only person on this
stage who had a chance to vote on the Patriot Act right after 9/11 who voted
against it right away.

Dennis Kucinich: That's because I read it.

***

A vital (and unlearned) lesson from Julius Caesar
When a band of Roman traitors was uncovered, he urged they not be killed due to
the precedent it would set
GLENN GREENWALD
TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/08/a_vital_and_unlearned_lesson_from_julius_caesar

In 63 B.C., Julius Caesar delivered a speech to the Roman Senate in which he
conveyed a crucial point, one highly relevant to many of our current
controversies. A conspiracy of prominent Roman citizens, led by the patrician
Catiline, had been caught attempting to foment a massive civil war in order to
overthrow the Roman government. Their crimes were widely reviled — it was pure
treason — and, due to multiple confessions, their guilt beyond dispute. Common
citizens were demanding their deaths. When the Roman Senate convened, Cicero
asked what should be done to them, and several Senators — beginning with
consul-elect Decimus Junius Silanus — railed against the profound evil of the
conspirators and advocated their execution.

As recounted by the historian Sallust, Julius Caesar then stood and noted that
Roman law forbids the execution of Roman citizens even for heinous crimes, and
that executing the conspirators would thus require the creation of a radical and
dangerous precedent: dangerous because to vest the power in the State to kill
its own citizens, even if justified in the specific case where it is first done,
would be to vest the power generally and thus ensure its inevitable abuse. Thus,
even as Caesar professed his boundless contempt for the traitors ("I consider no
tortures sufficient for the crimes of these men"), he vehemently argued against
allowing passions to lead the Senate to embrace punishments "foreign to the
customs of our country" — not primarily on moral grounds but on pragmatic ones:

But, you may say, who will complain of a decree which is passed against traitors
to their country? Time, I answer, the lapse of years, and Fortune, whose caprice
rules the nations. Whatever befalls these prisoners will be well deserved; but
you, Fathers of the Senate, are called upon to consider how your action will
affect other criminals. All bad precedents have originated in cases which were
good; but when the control of the government falls into the hands of men who are
incompetent or bad, your new precedent is transferred from those who well
deserve and merit such punishment to the undeserving and blameless.

The Lacedaemonians, after they had conquered the Athenians, set over them thirty
men to carry. These men began at first by putting to death without a trial the
most wicked and generally hated citizens, whereat the people rejoiced greatly
and declared that it was well done. But afterwards their licence gradually
increased, and the tyrants slew good and bad alike at pleasure and intimidated
the rest. Thus the nation was reduced to slavery and had to pay a heavy penalty
for its foolish rejoicing. . . .

For my own part, I fear nothing of that kind for Marcus Tullius or for our
times, but in a great commonwealth there are many different natures. It is
possible that at another time, when someone else is consul and is likewise in
command of an army, some falsehood may be believed to be true. When the consul,
with this precedent before him, shall draw the sword in obedience to the
senate's decree, who shall limit or restrain him?

This is the point I've tried to make literally hundreds of times over the last
several years. If you're faced with this question — should President X have the
power to impose Punishment Y on Bad Person Z? — and you answer in the
affirmative based on your adoration for or trust in current President X, or your
belief in the wisdom and justness of Punishment Y in the specific proposed case,
or your acute scorn for Bad Person Z, you're actually doing much more than
ratifying this power in a single instance, even if that's the limit of your
intention. Whether desired or not, you're affirming — and entrenching — the
legitimacy of the principle itself, ensuring that this power will be exploited
in ways you can't control. When enshrined without checks, the endorsed
punishment power will inevitably — necessarily — endure, and even grow, beyond
the reign of the leader you trust to future leaders you don't, and will be
applied against not only those you believe are deserving of it but those you
know are not.

In our contemporary political debates, "Punishment Y" can be limitless, secret
surveillance, and torture, and due-process-free and oversight-less citizen
assassinations ordered in the dark, and indefinite detention, and extra-judicial
killings carried out by drones. As for the question Caesar posed — when a future
malevolent leader, "with this precedent before him," shall invoke this newly
created power in malignant ways, "who shall limit or restrain him?" — the answer
is: nobody. That's the point of his rhetorical inquiry. He even answered it
himself: "All bad precedents have originated in cases which were good; but when
the control of the government falls into the hands of men who are incompetent or
bad, your new precedent is transferred from those who well deserve and merit
such punishment to the undeserving and blameless."

When that happens — and it will, if it isn't already happening — those who bear
the greatest culpability will be those who cheered for the precedent in the
first instance without regard for what they were endorsing. After Caesar spoke,
Marcus Cato delivered an angry, vengeful, rousing speech demanding death to the
accused traitors, and a majority of Senators was swayed. Still, it's
extraordinary how clearly this lesson was understood more than 2,000 years ago
by one of history's most influential and admired figures, and how steadfastly
disregarded it is now.

***

The Battle Of The Metrosexuals
Gerald Celente

KINGSTON, NY, 21 May 2012 — A recent Newsweek cover provocatively depicted
Barack Obama beneath a glowing rainbow halo and carried the bold headline, "The
First Gay President." Days later, The New York Times broke the story of a
billionaire-funded smear campaign that labeled the President a "metrosexual
black Abe Lincoln."

The incendiary magazine cover and the revelatory Times piece set off a firestorm
of commentary and accusations replete with racial overtones and sexual
innuendos.

While the sensationalistic Newsweek cover can be brushed aside as an obvious
sales gimmick, the metrosexual label applied to Obama (minus the "black Abe
Lincoln") not only has merit, it aptly applies to Romney as well. Lost in the
political mudslinging and shallow punditry are the deeper psychological aspects
of the archetypal metrosexual that fit them both so well. Among these:

Mr. In Between

Neither outwardly effeminate nor aggressively macho, these two contestants in
America's first "Battle of the Metrosexuals" manifest their metrosexuality as
straight arrow, sensitive urban guys with a well-developed feminine side.

Clean-cut, non-threatening, even-tempered, always dressed appropriately for the
occasion, these physically fit soft-core jocks are as much at home on the
basketball court or in the paddock as they are sipping tea with the ladies. "I
like hanging out with women," beamed President Obama, as he ingratiated himself
with the flattered ladies of "The View," this past week.

Neither Man nor Mouse

When it comes to business, Metromen can be as hard as nails, but when it comes
to the wife and the kids, they're soft as kittens.

As Commander in Chief, when it comes to making those tough military decisions
about troop surges, drone strikes, and secret missions to take out Public Enemy
No. 1, Obama alone calls the shots. But when it comes to social issues, such as
gay marriage, not only does he talk it over with his wife, he consults his
children.

Analogously, for Metroman Mitt, on the rough and tumble business battlefield,
nothing has ever stood in the way of the corporate vulture (who made his fortune
raiding, looting and gutting businesses) in his pursuit of the bottom line. But
when out on the campaign trail, he's just Mr. Mittens, married to the perfect
wife and loving father of five perfect boys … all of whom he drags out of their
mansions for every possible photo op, to prove what a sensitive and caring
family guy he really is.

Sissy Tough

Like the dignified and well-groomed citified metromen they are, whether it's
Obama declaring a war or Romney bravely declaring his willingness to start
another, both talk tough, but never get tough … cravenly sending others do their
fighting for them.

Jekyll and Hyde

The manicured metrosexual image ­ one that presents both contestants as
all-around family men, the nicest, most trustworthy guys you'd ever want to meet
­ plays well to a junk food, junk news, junk entertainment-addicted audience.

But the 2012 "Battle of the Metrosexuals," part sitcom, part reality show, is in
fact, an American tragedy. The carefully crafted metrosexual campaign persona is
merely a cover for the Jekyll that hides the Hyde … and part of the tragedy is
that nobody seems to notice … or cares to notice.

For more on who will win America's first "Battle of the Metrosexuals" and what
it will mean to the nation, schedule an interview with Gerald Celente, Trends
Journal publisher. For availability please contact: Zeke West, Media Relations,
zwest@... 845 331.3500 ext. 1

©MMXII The Trends Research Institute®

***

Was Columbus secretly a Jew?
Charles Garcia, Special to CNN
Thu May 24, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/20/opinion/garcia-columbus-jewish/index.html

Editor's note: Charles Garcia is the CEO of Garcia Trujillo, a business focused
on the Hispanic market, and the author of "Leadership Lessons of the White House
Fellows." A native of Panama, he now lives in Florida. Follow him on Twitter:
@charlespgarcia. Lea este artículo en español/Read this article in Spanish.

Today marks the 508th anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus.

Everybody knows the story of Columbus, right? He was an Italian explorer from
Genoa who set sail in 1492 to enrich the Spanish monarchs with gold and spices
from the orient. Not quite.

For too long, scholars have ignored Columbus' grand passion: the quest to
liberate Jerusalem from the Muslims.

During Columbus' lifetime, Jews became the target of fanatical religious
persecution. On March 31, 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella proclaimed
that all Jews were to be expelled from Spain. The edict especially targeted the
800,000 Jews who had never converted, and gave them four months to pack up and
get out.

The Jews who were forced to renounce Judaism and embrace Catholicism were known
as "Conversos," or converts. There were also those who feigned conversion,
practicing Catholicism outwardly while covertly practicing Judaism, the
so-called "Marranos," or swine.

Tens of thousands of Marranos were tortured by the Spanish Inquisition. They
were pressured to offer names of friends and family members, who were ultimately
paraded in front of crowds, tied to stakes and burned alive. Their land and
personal possessions were then divvied up by the church and crown.

Recently, a number of Spanish scholars, such as Jose Erugo, Celso Garcia de la
Riega, Otero Sanchez and Nicholas Dias Perez, have concluded that Columbus was a
Marrano, whose survival depended upon the suppression of all evidence of his
Jewish background in face of the brutal, systematic ethnic cleansing.

Columbus, who was known in Spain as Cristóbal Colón and didn't speak Italian,
signed his last will and testament on May 19, 1506, and made five curious -- and
revealing -- provisions.

Two of his wishes -- tithe one-tenth of his income to the poor and provide an
anonymous dowry for poor girls -- are part of Jewish customs. He also decreed to
give money to a Jew who lived at the entrance of the Lisbon Jewish Quarter.

On those documents, Columbus used a triangular signature of dots and letters
that resembled inscriptions found on gravestones of Jewish cemeteries in Spain.
He ordered his heirs to use the signature in perpetuity.

According to British historian Cecil Roth's "The History of the Marranos," the
anagram was a cryptic substitute for the Kaddish, a prayer recited in the
synagogue by mourners after the death of a close relative. Thus, Columbus'
subterfuge allowed his sons to say Kaddish for their crypto-Jewish father when
he died. Finally, Columbus left money to support the crusade he hoped his
successors would take up to liberate the Holy Land.

Estelle Irizarry, a linguistics professor at Georgetown University, has analyzed
the language and syntax of hundreds of handwritten letters, diaries and
documents of Columbus and concluded that the explorer's primary written and
spoken language was Castilian Spanish. Irizarry explains that 15th-century
Castilian Spanish was the "Yiddish" of Spanish Jewry, known as "Ladino." At the
top left-hand corner of all but one of the 13 letters written by Columbus to his
son Diego contained the handwritten Hebrew letters bet-hei, meaning b'ezrat
Hashem (with God's help). Observant Jews have for centuries customarily added
this blessing to their letters. No letters to outsiders bear this mark, and the
one letter to Diego in which this was omitted was one meant for King Ferdinand.

In Simon Weisenthal's book, "Sails of Hope," he argues that Columbus' voyage was
motivated by a desire to find a safe haven for the Jews in light of their
expulsion from Spain. Likewise, Carol Delaney, a cultural anthropologist at
Stanford University, concludes that Columbus was a deeply religious man whose
purpose was to sail to Asia to obtain gold in order to finance a crusade to take
back Jerusalem and rebuild the Jews' holy Temple.

In Columbus' day, Jews widely believed that Jerusalem had to be liberated and
the Temple rebuilt for the Messiah to come.

Scholars point to the date on which Columbus set sail as further evidence of his
true motives. He was originally going to sail on August 2, 1492, a day that
happened to coincide with the Jewish holiday of Tisha B'Av, marking the
destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples of Jerusalem. Columbus
postponed this original sail date by one day to avoid embarking on the holiday,
which would have been considered by Jews to be an unlucky day to set sail.
(Coincidentally or significantly, the day he set forth was the very day that
Jews were, by law, given the choice of converting, leaving Spain, or being
killed.)

Columbus' voyage was not, as is commonly believed, funded by the deep pockets of
Queen Isabella, but rather by two Jewish Conversos and another prominent Jew.
Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez advanced an interest free loan of 17,000
ducats from their own pockets to help pay for the voyage, as did Don Isaac
Abrabanel, rabbi and Jewish statesman.

Indeed, the first two letters Columbus sent back from his journey were not to
Ferdinand and Isabella, but to Santangel and Sanchez, thanking them for their
support and telling them what he had found.

The evidence seem to bear out a far more complicated picture of the man for whom
our nation now celebrates a national holiday and has named its capital.

As we witness bloodshed the world over in the name of religious freedom, it is
valuable to take another look at the man who sailed the seas in search of such
freedoms -- landing in a place that would eventually come to hold such an ideal
at its very core.

***

NATO rebrands "occupation" of Afghanistan?
22 May, 2012
http://www.rt.com/news/nato-summit-afghanistan-chicago-835

On the last day of the NATO summit in Chicago, the bloc's leaders have
reaffirmed their commitment to ending the war in Afghanistan in 2014 and vowed
support to the Afghans. But is it going to be the end of the occupation?

Afghanistan dominated the two-day summit in Chicago that brought together more
than 50 nations, including 28 NATO countries, as well as the Afghan leader,
Hamid Karzai, and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari.

The alliance declared in a summit communiqué that while NATO will maintain a
significant presence in Afghanistan after 2014, "this will not be a combat
mission.''

"As transition of security responsibility is completed at the end of 2014, NATO
will have made the shift from a combat mission to a new training, advising and
assistance mission, which will be of a different nature to the current ISAF
mission," NATO said in the Chicago Summit Declaration on Afghanistan.

The document also vowed to provide a "sound legal basis" for the new NATO-led
mission, such as a UN Security Council Resolution.

Obama called the transition "the next milestone'' in bringing the near 11-year
long war to an end.

NATO stated that the preliminary model of the Afghan National Security Forces
envisages a force of 228,500 with an estimated annual budget of US$4.1billion.

However the Afghan situation in reality seems to be less optimistic than the
Chicago summit suggested.

NATO's chief Anders Fog Rasmussen acknowledged that enormous progress must be
made for their plan to become a reality.

"We still have a lot of work to do, and there will be great challenges ahead,''
President Obama said after his lengthy talks with Hamid Karzai. "The loss of
life continues in Afghanistan.''

Last month, Obama went on a secret trip to Afghanistan where he signed an
agreement pledging US financial and military support to the country for 10 years
beyond the 2014 withdrawal.

The US president also thanked other nations in Central Asia and Russia for their
roles in providing "critical transit'' for supplies, though pointedly made no
mention of Pakistan, highlighting tensions between Washington and Islamabad.
Pakistan closed the supply lines in November following a US airstrike that
killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers.

However NATO chief has said at a summit that he is optimistic Pakistan will
reopen the supply route to Afghanistan. Rasmussen said he expected such a move
"in the very near future".

The United States has indicated that it is not willing to pay for the whole
mission and invited other NATO members to contribute, and they're expected to
provide about US$1.3 billion. Around US$1 billion of that has already been
pledged, a senior Western official said Sunday.

Meanwhile public frustration with the long lasting war is growing in NATO
countries. Sixty six percent of Americans oppose the war, while only 27 percent
support the effort, according to an AP-GfK poll released this month.

The US, Germany and NATO are not intending to give up Afghanistan, a
resource-rich, strategic part of the world, for a very long time, believes Brian
Becker, the director of the ANSWER anti-war coalition.

"NATO forces and the US are in the process of rebranding what they anticipate
will be a long-term occupation, going way beyond 2014," he told RT.

"They can call it troop's trainers or Afghan military bases instead of NATO
military bases," he said. "Whatever they do, however they brand it, NATO and US
forces intend to stay as we know from the strategic partnership agreements
signed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US President Obama and then by
President Karzai and German Chancellor Angela Merkel."
The US scripted the situation in Afghanistan in a particular way, Becker
stresses. "They have created what is a proxy government that lacks credibility,
and lacking credibility it is thus dependent on foreign occupation forces."

The real goal of the US is to secure military bases in this strategic area and,
broadly speaking, in southern Asia, the anti-war activist maintains

"What we're looking at is a different form of US and NATO presence in
Afghanistan," says political analyst and writer Rick Rozoff.

"It is clear that NATO wants to expand its military presence throughout Central
Asia as well as maintaining some sort of presence in Afghanistan," he told RT.

"The unprecedented insurgent assault on Kabul in April suggested that the Afghan
government cannot even protect its own capital, much less the country as a
whole," Rozoff said.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


iPhone Ad starring Zooey Deschanel

iPhone: Hey Zooey, why don't you take your top off so I can shoot some photos of
your breasts? Don't worry, I won't share the pictures with anybody!

Zooey: Um, okay...

iPhone: Great news! The vibrator I recommended from Amazon should arrive this
afternoon according to its FedEx tracking number!

Zooey: Awesome.

iPhone: Remember the link I sent to you of that lesbian scene from Vivid.com?
Did it arouse desires to experiment sexually like I suspected it would?

Zooey: It sure did! Speaking of lesbianity, can you put a reminder of 7PM
tomorrow for my weekly Feminist Poetry Slam? The theme is "The Plight of the
Trans-Gendered."

iPhone: Shut up, bitch. You talk too much.

***

Photo Break: Robalini in Palm Springs
http://robalini.blogspot.com/2012/06/photo-break-robalini-in-palm-springs.html

December 2011

***

Uncle Fat's Tasty Meal: Vegetarian Grilled Zucchini Croque

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/vegetarian-grilled-zucchini-croque-ma\
demoiselle-recipe.html

Makes 1 giant sandwich, total time 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini, cut into 4 long planks
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of herbes de Provence
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for spreading on the
bread
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 (2/3-inch) slices of fresh white sandwich bread
1 1/4 cups grated Emmenthaler cheese

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Toss the zucchini lightly with olive
oil, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Grill until charred and cooked
through, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat
for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, and continue whisking until the mixture has
thickened enough to thickly coat a spoon. Set aside.

Preheat broiler to high. Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter.
Place 6 tablespoons grated cheese on un-buttered side of one slice of bread. Top
with the zucchini, then top with 6 more tablespoons cheese. Close sandwich,
buttered side out. Toast the sandwich in a nonstick skillet over medium heat
until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
Place the sandwich on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread the top with the
white sauce, then top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Broil until the cheese is
toasted. Serve immediately.

***

Bill blockbuster: O's an `amateur'
CARL CAMPANILE
May 11, 2012
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/bill_blockbuster_an_amateur_XJHYdaV5LT1vpr\
5I39IKrN

Bill Clinton thought so little of President Obama — mocking him as an "amateur"
— that he pressed his wife last summer to quit her job as secretary of state and
challenge him in the primaries, a new book claims,
"The country needs you!" the former president told Hillary Clinton, urging her
to run this year, according to accounts of the conversation included in Edward
Klein's new biography of Obama.

The title of Klein's explosive, unauthorized bio of Obama, "The Amateur"
(Regnery Publishing), was taken directly from Bill Clinton's bombshell criticism
of the president, the author said.

"Barack Obama," Bill Clinton said, according to book excerpts, "is an amateur."

The withering criticism is incredible, given the fact that Bill Clinton is
actively campaigning for Obama's re-election.

But according to the book, Bill Clinton unloaded on Obama and pressed Hillary to
run against her boss during a gathering in the ex-president's home office in
Chappaqua last August that included longtime friends, Klein said.

"The economy's a mess, it's dead flat. America has lost its Triple-A rating . .
. You know better than Obama does," Bill said.

Bill Clinton insisted he had "no relationship" with Obama and had been consulted
more frequently by his presidential successor, George W. Bush.

Obama, Bill Clinton said, "doesn't know how to be president" and is
"incompetent."

But Hillary resisted the entreaties, according to two of the guests interviewed
for the book.

"Why risk everything now?" a skeptical Hillary told her husband, emphasizing
that she wanted to leave a legacy as secretary of state.

"Because," Bill replied, his voice rising, "the country needs you!"

"The country needs us!" added Bill.

He later even joked about the prospect of having two Clinton presidential
libraries — about the only time that Hillary cracked a smile.

"I want my term [at the State Department] to be an important one, and running
away from it now would leave it as a footnote," Hillary argued.

She said she had the option of running again in 2016.

But Bill wouldn't let go.

"I know you're young enough!" Bill said, his voice booming. "That's not what I'm
worried about. I'm worried that I'm not young enough."

"I'm the highest-ranking member in Obama's Cabinet. I eat breakfast with the guy
every Thursday morning. What about loyalty, Bill? What about loyalty?" she
responded.

"Loyalty is a joke,'' Bill shot back. "Loyalty doesn't exist in politics."

Bill's verbal battle with Hillary over the presidency, if anything, intensified
when daughter Chelsea showed up with her husband, Marc Mezvinsky.

"You deserve to be president," Chelsea said.

Bill was clearly pleased that Chelsea was on his side and vowed to have allies
commission polls on a Hillary-Obama matchup.

"What are you trying to do — force my hand?" Hillary said.

"I want everyone to know how strong you poll," Bill said.

Hillary said, "Go ahead and knock yourself out."

The book's explosive claims were shot down last night by spokesmen for the White
House and the Clintons, who closed ranks last night.

Bill Clinton's spokesman Matt McKenna said the excerpts were "totally and
completely false" and called Klein "a known liar."

Phillipe Reines, a spokesman for the secretary of state, noted that Hillary
Clinton challenged the veracity of an earlier book Klein wrote about her, "Truth
About Hillary."

White House spokesman Eric Schultz accused Klein of making up facts to sell
books.

"Nobody in their right mind would believe the nonsense in this one, especially
since both Secretary Clinton and President Clinton have been loyal and
supportive of the president at every turn."

Klein, a former editor of The New York Times Magazine and Newsweek, defended the
book and his earlier one as factually sound.

Meanwhile, today's daily presidential Rasmussen Poll shows Mitt Romney ahead of
the president with 50 percent to Obama's 43 percent. It is the highest level of
support the presumptive Republican nominee has received in his matchup with
Obama as well as his largest lead.

***

A Half-Century-Old Road to Today
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/arts/television/route-66-shows-50-year-old-iss\
ues-relevant-today.html

IF there is such a thing as a visionary time capsule, the newly released boxed
set of "Route 66" is it. Watch these discs (from Shout! Factory) and you are
transported back to a version of the United States that was still basking in
postwar success, a country rich in blue-collar jobs and industrial production
and somewhat oblivious to its problems. But while enjoying that return to
America as it was, you may also be struck by how often this half-century-old
black-and-white television series tackled issues that seem very 21st century.

"Route 66," which ran from 1960 to 1964 on CBS, was an earnest, ambitious serial
about two young men on a random journey across North America in a Corvette. It
was shot on location, something hard to imagine given the bulkiness of equipment
at the time. Viewed today, a scene on a shrimp boat in New Orleans or at the
half-built Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona prompts admiration for the producers,
camera operators, electricians and others who made the shots feasible.

It was seat-of-the-pants television, demanding for everyone.

"You were always behind schedule, working 14, 15, 16 hours a day," recalled
George Maharis, who starred with Martin Milner in the initial seasons. "But it
was fun. It was like being a pioneer, going over the mountains."

There was pioneering in the structure of the show as well, and in its scripts.
The series was created by Herbert B. Leonard and Stirling Silliphant, who
earlier had combined on "Naked City," and they seemed intent on shining a light
into every out-of-the-mainstream corner of America.

Mr. Maharis played Buz Murdock and Mr. Milner was Tod Stiles, friends who embark
on a cross-country odyssey after Tod inherits the Corvette. They are among the
least fleshed-out lead characters in television history, jarringly so by
standards today, when Tony Soprano has inspired entire books. Buz was a
hard-slugging guy from New York (not unlike Mr. Maharis himself), and Tod seemed
rather preppy, but their main purpose each week was usually to get the show,
literally and figuratively, to a place where it could tell a story about someone
else.

And what stories they were. This was an era when television hadn't yet settled
into the pattern of silly sitcoms and not-too-taxing dramas that would define it
for decades. A TV script — Mr. Silliphant, who died in 1996, wrote many for
"Route 66" — could still aspire to be literature. That made for some clunkiness.
Writers hadn't fully grasped that television shows were not stage plays. But
even at its most awkward, "Route 66" reached high.

Take, for instance, this slice of dialogue from a 1962 episode called "Aren't
You Surprised to See Me?" A religious nut takes Buz hostage in Dallas and
threatens to kill him if the city's population fails to follow the Ten
Commandments for the next 24 hours. The man (played by David Wayne) explains
himself in a dizzying monologue that foreshadows both the anti-establishment
mood of the Vietnam era and the current laments of the religious right.

"Drop the scales from your eyes," he tells Buz. "Consider the present society of
the world. Are we still individuals, or are we prisoners of bureaucracy? Insects
in vast, grinding systems, carrying out antlike, apparently rational actions
with no human idea of the ends they serve? Ours is no longer a guilt culture in
which control of wrongdoing is self-imposed by conscience. Instead we have a
shame culture, one in which acts are judged good or evil solely on the basis of
whether one is caught or not, in which the worst punishment is public
humiliation, not private guilt. Ours is a world, Murdock, in which conscious
morality is treated with derision and reason with scorn. This is an age which no
longer waits patiently through this lifetime for the rewards in the next, but
instead mills anxiously about overindulging, driven to cheat, driven to crime.
So I have killed six men.

"Well, let me tell you that each time, I died with them. Each time I killed
myself, too. So what is that insignificant sacrifice against the gigantic moral
collapse of the world?"

And that's just an excerpt.

If that character sounds as if he could be any of today's unbalanced zealots
with a gun, he is not alone. The series was full of people and plot lines that
would fit easily in 2012.

Those doomsday preppers who have been the subject of several reality shows would
have had a lot to talk about with the central character in "A Fury Slinging
Flames," a 1960 episode in which a physicist expecting a New Year's Day nuclear
attack takes shelter in the Carlsbad Caverns with a group of followers. "Eleven,
the Hard Way" (1961), about a small town that sends a gambler to Reno to try to
win it a return to prosperity after the local mine goes bust, seems like a
metaphor for all those states that hope a casino economy can replace their lost
manufacturing revenue. "City of Wheels" (1962), about an embittered veteran in a
wheelchair, feels like a precursor to any of the post-traumatic stress disorder
plots that are so common in television drama today.

Mr. Maharis, now in his 80s, cited "City of Wheels" as among his favorites. In
it, he plunges into a pool to stop a suicide.

Another episode that also involved an icy dip, "Even Stones Have Eyes" from late
in Season 2, may be his least favorite, not because of the story but because of
the aftermath. The script called for him to dive into a pond to rescue a blind
woman.
"The water was like 40 degrees," he recalled in a telephone interview from his
home in Los Angeles. "They couldn't get my clothes on over the wet suit." So he
went without the wet suit.

"It was 4 in the morning," he said. "It was freezing. My jacket froze on me.
They had to pour hot water on me; you can see it in the shot, the steam rising."

He became thoroughly ill, and soon he found himself with hepatitis (later linked
to a B12 shot, Mr. Maharis said). Though he continued to appear into Season 3,
he said the lingering illness ultimately knocked him out of the series. Mr.
Milner went on alone for a time, then acquired a new partner played by Glenn
Corbett, but the show was never quite as strong.

"If I had it to do all over again, the only thing I'd change would be getting
that bug," Mr. Maharis said. Among the pleasures, he said, was working with
numerous actors who would go on to have substantial careers. The doomsday
character in Carlsbad Caverns was played by Leslie Nielsen, later so successful
in, among other things, the "Naked Gun" movies. That gambler sent to Reno
carrying his town's hopes? Walter Matthau.

Martin Sheen, Barbara Eden, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Julie Newmar and
other now familiar names also make appearances. Most had yet to achieve fame,
but as its reputation grew the series was able to attract a different order of
star. "Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing," from 1962, features the horror greats
Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff as themselves.

Mr. Milner, 80, went on to roles in "Adam-12" and many other shows. (He had a
stroke a few years ago, acquaintances said.)

The other star of the series was the Corvette, which was actually a series of
Corvettes. Though in references to the series the car has been described as red,
Mr. Maharis said that was never the case.

He recounted how he ended up with a nice perk through a bit of subterfuge. "I
said to them, `Listen, I would like to bring my car on location with us; is that
O.K.?' And they said, `What are you driving?' And I said, `A Ford Thunderbird.'
"

They gave him his own Corvette.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Humor Break

Q: How many homosexuals does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Wait, we're letting gay people change light bulbs now? See, this is what
happens when you elect a Muslim Kenyan socialist as president!!!

***

Awesome Quotes: Clint Eastwood on Gay Marriage

"These people who are making a big deal about gay marriage? I don't give a fuck
about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We're making a big
deal out of things we shouldn't be making a deal out of. They go on and on with
all this bullshit about 'sanctity.' Don't give me that sanctity crap! Just give
everybody the chance to have the life they want."

***

Andrew Sullivan's father figure
The tearful Newsweek writer speaks on why paternalistic acceptance from the
president is so meaningful
GLENN GREENWALD
MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/14/andrew_sullivans_father_figure/

Andrew Sullivan — who has become the most reliable media hagiographer of an
American President since... the 2002 version of Andrew Sullivan under President
Bush — spent the past three years continuously insisting that President Obama's
opposition to same-sex marriages was largely irrelevant ("We will win not by
begging presidents to back us (they have no role in a matter involving state
legislatures, governors and courts")). Based on that view, he constantly berated
gay groups and gay activists for complaining about Obama's opposition to
marriage equality: "this desperate desire among some gays for some kind of
affirmation from one man is a little sad," he wrote just last week. But that was
when President Obama opposed same-sex marriage, so defending the President
required one to voice that position.

Last week, everything changed. President Obama "evolved" into a supporter of
same-sex marriage. So now let's hear what Andrew Sullivan has to say on this
topic. The day Obama announced his reversal evolution, Sullivan wrote that he
was "uncharacteristically at a loss for words"; that " it reaffirms for me the
integrity of this man we are immensely lucky to have in the White House";
"that's why we elected him. That's the change we believed in"; and that "there
are tears in my eyes." He then spent the next week on his blog hailing Obama's
courage, integrity and greatness as reflected by this decision of historic
significance (the same decision that he spent three years insisting was
irrelevant before Obama made it). He then penned this week's Newsweek cover
story in which he wrote that "when I watched the interview, the tears came
flooding down" and "to have the president of the United States affirm my
humanity — and the humanity of all gay Americans — was, unexpectedly, a
watershed."

That's from the same person who, to defend anti-gay-marriage Obama, has been
writing things like: "this desperate desire among some gays for some kind of
affirmation from one man is a little sad." I've long defended Sullivan as much
as anyone; I consider him a friend; and I understand that as one of the first
marriage equality advocates, he might be more emotional than most about this
admittedly emotional issue. Still, this has to be one of the creepiest episodes
in American punditry in some time, and that's true for two independent reasons:

First, it shows the dedication some media figures and Obama followers have to
glorifying and justifying whatever the President does, even when the acts being
defended are the exact opposite of one another. Sullivan spent three years
aggressively scorning everyone who criticized Obama's marriage position on the
ground that it's irrelevant and inconsequential what the President thinks about
marriage equality, even arguing that it's "sad" to watch gays seek presidential
approval; then, the minute Obama announces that he supports same-sex marriage,
Sullivan takes the lead role in depicting this act as the Peak of Human Courage
and Integrity, one of monumental significance, while he all but crusades for
Obama's instantaneous Sainthood. Given how effusive Sullivan now is about the
incalculable importance of Obama's support for same-sex marriage — for gay
youth, for equality generally, for all that is Good and Noble in Our Politics —
doesn't he at least owe an apology to all those gay activists who endured
Sullivan's condescending scorn when they were trying to pressure Obama to
"evolve"?

But the more important point is that it's dangerous, literally, to be willing to
twist one's own views this way to glorify whatever the leader does at any given
moment. Sullivan has been willing to criticize Obama more than most of the
President's most devoted followers, but this complete turnaround in the flash of
a presidential gesture is hard to watch.

Second, and much more important, it is wrong on every last level to relate to
the President as a "father figure." There was a time when I thought Sullivan's
serial blinding reverence for political leaders — Reagan and Thatcher, then Bush
43, now Obama — was the by-product of some sort of transferred British need to
be subjects of a monarch. But I don't think that theory explains much, since all
kinds of native-born Americans do the same (remember all this and this?). I was
supportive of Obama's marriage announcement because of the political benefits it
would engender, not because it gave me some kind of personal validation that my
father has finally accepted who I am. The President is not Our Father; he's a
politician who, like all people wielding political power, is in great need of
constant critical scrutiny and adversarial checks — from all citizens, but
especially media figures. Relating to him as some kind of guiding paternalistic
authority is, I'm sorry to say, really quite warped. But it's far from uncommon,
and that explains a lot.

***

Our real first gay president
Don't believe what Newsweek's cover tells you: The first gay president was James
Buchanan more than a century ago
JIM LOEWEN
MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/14/our_real_first_gay_president/

This piece originally appeared on History News Network.

The new issue of Newsweek features a cover photo of President Obama topped by a
rainbow-colored halo and captioned "The First Gay President." The halo and
caption strike me as cheap sensationalism. I realize airport travelers look at a
magazine for 2.2 seconds before moving on to the next one. I grant that this
cover will probably get Newsweek a 4.4 second glance. I also understand that
Newsweek is desperate for sales. Nevertheless, I doubt that the Newsweek of old,
before it was sold for a dollar, would have pandered as shallowly.

The caption is a superficial way to characterize an important development of
thought that the president — along with the country — has been making over
recent years. It is also entirely wrong. Like the mini-furor a couple of months
back about the claim that Richard Nixon was our first gay president, the story
simply ignores that the U.S. already had a gay president more than a century
ago.

There can be no doubt that James Buchanan was gay, before, during and after his
four years in the White House. Moreover, the nation knew it, too — he was not
far into the closet.

Today, I know no historian who has studied the matter and thinks Buchanan was
heterosexual. Fifteen years ago, historian John Howard, author of "Men Like
That," a pioneering study of queer culture in Mississippi, shared with me the
key documents, including Buchanan's May 13, 1844, letter to a Mrs. Roosevelt.
Describing his deteriorating social life after his great love, William Rufus
King, senator from Alabama, had moved to Paris to become our ambassador to
France, Buchanan wrote:

I am now "solitary and alone," having no companion in the house with me. I have
gone a wooing to several gentlemen, but have not succeeded with any one of them.
I feel that it is not good for man to be alone; and should not be astonished to
find myself married to some old maid who can nurse me when I am sick, provide
good dinners for me when I am well, and not expect from me any very ardent or
romantic affection.

Despite such evidence, one reason why Americans find it hard to believe Buchanan
could have been gay is that we have a touching belief in progress. Our high
school history textbooks' overall story line is, "We started out great and have
been getting better ever since," more or less automatically. Thus we must be
more tolerant now than we were way back in the middle of the 19th century!
Buchanan could not have been gay then, else we would not seem more tolerant now.

This ideology of progress amounts to a chronological form of ethnocentrism. Thus
chronological ethnocentrism is the belief that we now live in a better society,
compared to past societies. Of course, ethnocentrism is the anthropological term
for the attitude that our society is better than any other society now existing,
and theirs are OK to the degree that they are like ours.

Chronological ethnocentrism plays a helpful role for history textbook authors:
it lets them sequester bad things, from racism to the robber barons, in the
distant past. Unfortunately for students, it also makes history impossibly dull,
because we all "know" everything turned out for the best. It also makes history
irrelevant, because it separates what we might learn about, say, racism or the
robber barons in the past from issues of the here and now. Unfortunately for us
all, just as ethnocentrism makes us less able to learn from other societies,
chronological ethnocentrism makes us less able to learn from our past. It makes
us stupider.

To think even for a moment about aspects of personal presentation other than
sexual orientation forces us to realize that we today are not necessarily more
tolerant. Consider facial hair. In 1864, with a beard, Abraham Lincoln won
reelection. Could that happen nowadays? Is it mere chance that no candidate with
facial hair has won the presidency since William Howard Taft — and he wore only
a mustache? Indeed, since Thomas Dewey in 1948 no major party candidate with
facial hair has even run for president, and Dewey wore only the smallest of
mustaches.

Perhaps the presidency is too small a sample. Let's add in the Supreme Court.
Since 1930, 34 different men have served on the Supreme Court. All save Thurgood
Marshall have been clean-shaven. (Lest readers think that Marshall's tiny
mustache might topple this argument, let me point out that during most of the
last 82 years, 70 percent of adult black males have had some facial hair, yet
the only three African-Americans to have served on the Supreme Court or as
president have had almost none.) The chance that a random sample of 33 white
males would have had no facial hair is something like (.9)33 or about .03, not
very likely.

"Even" today, many institutions, from investment banking firms to Brigham Young
University, flatly prohibit beards on white males. Brigham Young falsifies its
past to make this rule seem "natural." Its chief founder, John Maeser, usually
wore a full beard and mustache. In front of the building bearing his name stands
his bronze statue complete with full beard and mustache. In about 1960, however,
perhaps earlier, BYU banned beards. Then in 1986, the university commissioned
artist Ron Bell to paint a portrait of Maeser. Working from an old photograph,
Bell did; of course, Maeser wound up bearded. So the administration asked him to
remove the beard. "They didn't want today's students to believe they could
follow suit," in the artist's words. He complied.

If this example seems too religious, consider the huge secular company Walt
Disney Enterprises. The last time I visited Disney World, it still banned facial
hair, although it quietly made exceptions for African-Americans with
well-trimmed beards or mustaches.

In themselves, beards may not be signs of progress, although mine has subtly
improved my thinking. Nevertheless, we reached an arresting state of intolerance
when the Disney organization, founded by a man with a mustache, would not allow
one even on a janitor. Moreover, before we trivialize these examples by thinking
they apply only to facial hair, consider that Lincoln was also our last
president who was not a member of a Christian denomination when taking office.
Could a non-Christian like Jefferson or Lincoln be president today? It's not
clear.

All that said, President Obama's change of heart about gay marriage remains
significant. It does show increasing tolerance compared to our recent past.
During the nadir of race relations, that terrible period between 1890 and about
1940 when white America went more racist in its thinking than at any other time,
the U.S. also clamped down on beards, liquor (briefly) and, yes, homosexuals. As
Jackie Robinson was not the first black player in Major League Baseball, but
rather the first after the nadir, so President Obama is not our "first gay"
president (Forgive me: I cannot seem to retype Newsweek's silly headline without
putting quotation marks around the words), but only our "first" since the nadir.

Remembering that James Buchanan was homosexual complexifies our national
narrative, to be sure, but it is a complexity that we need. It prompts us to
remember that terrible era, the nadir, when we all moved backward, not just the
South. Not just organized baseball but also the Kentucky Derby, the NFL and even
previously "black" jobs like railroad foremen got redefined "white only."
Communities across the North became sundown towns, barring African-Americans
formally or informally. Even North Dakota outlawed interracial marriage.

Forgetting Buchanan's sexual orientation helps us forget all the other national
secrets we have packed into that closet with him. Ultimately, it prompts us to
succumb to chronological ethnocentrism. If, however, we can rid ourselves of the
fantasy that we are always getting better, then maybe we can create a nation
that actually becomes more tolerant. Then we might — again — elect a real gay
president. After all, just three months ago, Disney started letting white male
employees grow beards.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Going back on the Majestic Mo'Mints Radio Show to talk about the National
Foreclosure Settlement (its impact on the ability to get a loan mod and other
effects), state of foreclosure challenges in VA, and US, state, county and
municipal debt - how it will impact you.

You can listen or even watch on Ffx Public TV / online!! Mo has advised me that
those interested in listening / watching should go to:

Radio Show-Majestic Momints

www.fcac.org

Please forward to anyone you think might benefit from hearing the interview --
those seeking loan mods, short sales, to challenge a foreclosure, or those
interested in the state of the economy given the economic downturn caused by the
reckless and criminal behavior of the largest banks (libor rigging, money
laundering, targeting minorities with predatory loans, defrauding investors into
purchasing "certificates" backed by loans designed to go into default,
defrauding Fannie and Freddie by selling them loans that did not comply with
underwriting requirements, bribery in municipal bond deals, etc).

MajesticMo'Mints: Interview with Chris Brown on September 14, 2011
http://majesticmomints.blogspot.com/2011/09/interview-with-chris-brown-on-septem\
ber.html

Christopher Brown followed in his grandfather and father's footsteps as a third
generation principal of BB&B.  He graduated from Duke University with a degree
in philosophy and history, excelling in the classroom and on the football field
as running back for Duke's 1989 ACC Championship football team.  Mr. Brown
graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1995 and joined the firm in
1997 after a judicial clerkship in the D.C. Superior Court.  He immediately made
an impact litigating insurance defense cases and to date has tried over 75 jury
trials in the DC and Virginia State and Federal Courts.
Mr. Brown has experience handling matters involving government leaders, top
government officials, and local administrative bodies.  He is widely-known and
widely-cited in briefs across the country for his 2003 record-setting $5.2
million verdict in the case of White v. BFI, an employment discrimination case
in the Eastern District of Virginia - a reputedly difficult jurisdiction for
discrimination claimants.??A seasoned litigator, Mr. Brown consistently proves
that a small firm with the right talent can truly "level the playing field."

Contact Info:
Brown, Brown & Brown, P.C.
6269 Franconia Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22310
Phone: 703.924.0223
Fax: 703.924.1586
brownfirm@...
www.metrotriallaw.net
www.facebook.com/virginiaattorney

*

Ex-UBS Bankers Guilty Of Scamming U.S. Cities
Basil Katz and Grant McCool
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/31/ex-ubs-bankers-guilty_n_1847501.html

Christopher Brown's Note: Manipulating Libor, laundering drug cartel money,
selling assets to clients knowing they are worthless (mortgage backed
securities), targeting minority communities with toxic loans, lying to
shareholders about risk, using legally meaningless documents to foreclose on
homes, and now bribing officials to get contracts to handle municipal bond
transactions. Is there anything these banks do with any integrity?

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Three former UBS AG executives were convicted on
Friday of conspiring to deceive U.S. cities and towns by operating a scheme to
rig bids to invest municipal bond proceeds.

The verdict by a federal court jury in Manhattan is the latest victory for the
U.S. Department of Justice in its broad investigation of the $3.7 trillion U.S.
municipal bond market. The widespread probe has touched some of the world's
largest banks.

The three defendants, Peter Ghavami, Gary Heinz and Michael Welty, were charged
in 2010 as part of a probe focused on rooting out schemes to fix prices and rig
bids on bond transactions. The former bankers denied wrongdoing and said
government witnesses had lied to ensnare them.

Each defendant was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy. The jury also
convicted Heinz and Welty on other charges, but found Welty not guilty on one
wire-fraud count, and Heinz not guilty of witness tampering. Heinz was the only
one of the three to face that charge.

Ghavami, a Belgian national, left UBS in 2007 as global head of commodities.
Both Heinz, of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Welty, of New York, worked on UBS'
municipal bond reinvestment and derivatives desk at the time of the suspected
offenses.

The two conspiracy charges involved rigging bids in 2001 and 2002 for guaranteed
investment contracts, which cities and counties use to park proceeds from
municipal bond sales.

The conspiracy charges carry a maximum of five years in prison each. No
sentencing date has been set.

Charles Stillman, a lawyer for Ghavami, told reporters: "We are obviously
disappointed with the verdict. We are looking forward to an appeal ... "

Lawyers for the other two defendants declined to comment.

Stillman told the jury in his closing arguments this week that his client "did
nothing more than his job entirely in good faith and that he never intended to
and never did cheat a municipality, the Internal Revenue Service, anyone."

During the trial, the jury heard from government witnesses who pleaded guilty to
similar crimes and agreed to testify against the defendants, and also heard
audio recordings of conversations between the bankers.

"It was fraud, plain and simple. It involved greed, deception and betrayal,"
prosecutor John Van Lonkhuyzen said in his closing statement to the jury on Aug.
27.

The jury began deciding the case on Wednesday afternoon. The trial began on July
30.

"It was horrendously difficult. It was a big deal, what we had to weigh," said
one juror, who asked not to be identified, after the verdict.

Thirteen people and one company have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the
bid-rigging investigation. A total of 19 people have been charged.

The U.S. government has a 10-year window to bring criminal charges over
suspected crimes that affect financial institutions.

In this case, since the three bankers were charged in December 2010, the case
falls within the statute of limitations, U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood has
ruled.

In May, three former financial executives were convicted of similar charges by
another federal jury in Manhattan.

In July, former JPMorgan Chase & Co banker Alexander Wright pleaded guilty to
one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for manipulating the bidding
process for a June 2002 contract.

Wright and former UBS employee Mark Zaino testified for the government at the
trial of the former UBS executives. Zaino pleaded guilty in 2010 to bid-rigging
charges.

The case is USA v. Peter Ghavami et al, U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of New York, No. 10-cr-1217.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Robalini's 2012 NFL Football Predictions
(Plus Wednesday Opening Game Pick)

NFC

NFC North

This is a division with three real Super Bowl contenders, and I expect the
Vikings to be vastly improved.  In the end, I'm taking the Lions here, who will
add some maturity to their talent and become the most entertaining trash talking
team this side of Jimmy Johnson's Cowboys 20 years ago...

NFC South

This may be the best division in the NFL.  The Saints will only drop a step, but
that will be enough to fall to third.  (Don't count out the Bucs either.)  In
the end, I'm going with the Panthers, because Cam Newton has an even greater up
side than solid Matt Ryan...

NFC West

Seattle may be underrated, but Niners Niners Niners...

NFC East

It'll come down to the Cowboys and Giants again, but this time Dallas will
deliver...

Division Winners:
Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys

Wild Cards: Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons

NFC Championship:
San Francisco 49ers over Detroit Lions

*

AFC

AFC North

I still don't take the Bengals too seriously.  Sorry.  In the end, this will go
down to two old and banged up teams.  I'm going for the Ravens, since they're
less banged up than the Steelers...

AFC South

This division should belong to the Texans...

AFC West

In a weak division, a second rate Peyton Manning is better than the
alternatives...

AFC East

Though I often do it, only a fool bets against Tom Brady.  I won't in this
division...

Division Winners

Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots

Wild Cards
Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers

AFC Championship:
Houston Texans over Baltimore Ravens

Super Bowl

San Francisco 49ers over Houston Texans

Bonus Pick: Wednesday Kickoff Opener

Dallas Cowboys (+3 1/2) over New York Giants

The Giants have received so much deserved credit for their Super Bowl victory
that it has been forgotten their defense allowed 400 points last season, placing
them in the bottom quarter.  Meanwhile, for all the hatred heaped on Tony Romo,
his Passer Rating last season was 102.5 with a 31-10 TD to interception ratio. 
I could give a few reasons why the Cowboys will win, but it doesn't since they
just have to lose by less than a field goal.  It's a good bet...

All bets are placed at Station Casinos:

http://www.stationcasinos.com

To check Las Vegas odds, The Konformist recommends VegasInsider.com:

http://www.vegasinsider.com

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


A little note: I'm not a big fan of parlay bets.  In the long run, they have a
smaller payout than if you bet one-on-one each game like I prefer.  I also have
found the "sure" bets tend to not do that much better than ones I don't have the
100 percent conviction of.  With that disclaimer attached, here's my favorite
three games:

Atlanta Falcons (-3) over Kansas City Chiefs
This one, believe it or not, started as a pick 'em.  The Chiefs are getting a
lot of hype at the start of the season, but I don't buy it at all, even if
they're at home.  The Falcons, on the other hand, are a real Super Bowl
contender.  Note the Dirty are also a even payout and not -110, so that makes
them a better value.

Seattle Seahawks (-3) over Arizona Cardinals
An even greater point spread swing, the Cards actually started favored by 2 1/2.
Again, the big bettors got this right: the Seahawks have a great coach, a great
and an a rookie QB who looks to be very efficient.  Seattle also is an even
payout and not -110.

San Diego Chargers (+1) over Oakland Raiders
Besides the Raiders home field advantage, the point spread must be due to the
Charger deserved notorious rep of starting slow.  But the Chargers are still a
seriously talented team who should take care of a Raiders team that has had too
much coaching turnover.

Here's my other six picks:

Philadelphia Eagles (-9 1/2) over Cleveland Browns
9 1/2 is a lot of points, but the Eagles are very good and the Browns aren't.

New York Jets (-3) Over Buffalo Bills
This is a tough game, but I'll take the Jets a field goal at home over a Bills
team that looks like a playoff threat.  The real selling point: the Jets are
another even payoff team rather than -110, making this a great rate of return
game.  (If it isn't even payout where you bet, I advise a pass on this game.)

New Orleans Saints (-7 1/2) over Washington Redskins
This game started as Saints -11, and that would've still been a tempting bet.  I
love RG3, but a rookie on the road in the Superdome against the most frightening
offense in football?  Forget it.

Detroit Lions (-7 1/2) over St. Louis Rams
The Lions like to beat up on weaker, helpless teams.  The Rams fit the bill.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+1 1/2) over Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning should have a tougher time in his return to the NFL against last
year's number one defense than Tim Tebow did the last time they played.

Baltimore Ravens (-7) over Cincinnati Bengals
I just don't take the Bengals seriously yet.  Sorry.

Here's the games I passing and why:

Chicago Bears (-9 1/2) Indianapolis Colts
The Bears are a serious Super Bowl threat, but 9 1/2 is a lot of points, and
before I give those points to the Colts, I want to see just how good Andrew Luck
is.  (My guess is he'll be, like RG3, real good from the start.)

Tennessee Titans (+5 1/2) New England Patriots
There's a lot of experts picking the Patriots to go undefeated this season and
it's not an implausible scenario.  Still, they looked out of sync in preseason,
and 5 1/2 points are a lot on the road against a team that had a winning record
last season.

Minnesota Vikings (-4) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Vikings were much better last year than their 2-14 record would suggest, and
they are at home.  But the Jags have MJD back, and running backs miss preseason
less than other players.

Houston Texans (-13) Miami Dolphins

The Texans are my AFC Super Bowl pick, and the Dolphins look really bad.  But 13
points is too much, especially against a Houston team that had real trouble last
year covering big spreads.

Green Bay Packers(-4 1/2) San Francisco 49ers

The spread start with the 49ers +6 1/2, which made this a real attractive dog
bet.  But 4 1/2 make this a tougher sell, especially since the Packers did have
an amazing track record last year covering spreads.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2 1/2) Carolina Panters
Surprisingly, the question mark here isn't Cam Newton, who I expect not to have
a sophomore slump.  My question is the Bucs, who ended last year with a 10-game
losing streak.  I think they're much better than their record last year would
indicate, and want to hold off on TB games until I see just how good they are.

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Here's my results for week 1
W-L-T record: 5-5
Hot Picks record: 2-1

Though I went 2-5 on Sunday, I still had a .500 record thanks to Thursday &
Monday games.

Hot Picks (in order of hotness):

Washington Redskins (-3 1/2) over St. Louis Rams

This is the first time I've ever picked the Skins in a game since starting this
last season.  RGIII will do that to you.

Oakland Raiders (-2 1/2) over Miami Dolphins

Despite their loss to the Chargers, the Raiders looked surprisingly good, and if
they only had a decent backup long-snapper, they could've won the game.  The
Raiders need some work, but Miami is a great team to get in gear with.

Baltimore Ravens (+2 1/2) over Philadelphia Eagles

I was pretty sold on the Ravens after their crushing victory over the Bengals,
but Vegas isn't convinced.  I'll take them over the Eagles on the road.

My other four picks:

Cincinnati Bengals (-6 1/2) over Cleveland Browns

The Bengals weren't really that bad last week: the Ravens just were that good. 
The Browns didn't overplay last week: the Eagles just underplayed.

Houston Texans (-7) over Jacksonville Jaguars

I'm not convinced the Texans are the AFC top team now after seeing the Ravens in
action, but I am convinced they're better than the Jags.

Dallas Cowboys (-3 1/2) over Seattle Seahawks

In the past, the Seahawks are the kind of team the Cowboys would underperform
against.  That is the past.

San Diego Chargers (-6 1/2) over Tennessee Titans

The Chargers didn't look good last week, but I expect them to improve at home
against a Titan team humiliated by the Patriots last week.

Games I'm passing on and why:

New York Giants (-7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I'm not sure where these teams stand after Week 1, and the spread is too high to
bet on the Giants.

New England Patriots (-14) Arizona Cardinals

After their win over the Titans, I'm sold on the Pats being back at playoff
form.  But fourteen points is too much a risk.

Indianapolis Colts (+2 1/2) Minnesota Vikings

Both teams are a question mark still, and the Vikings are a -120 pick.

Carolina Panthers (+2 1/2) New Orleans Saints

I may still bet on this game, but am planning to pass since the Saints are a
-120 payout.  If you can get the Saints at -110, it's a great bet.

Buffalo Bills (-3) Kansas City Chiefs

The better bet of the two is Buffalo, but it's a -120 game.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-5 1/2) New York Jets

I like the Steeler, but think it's gonna be a close game.

San Francisco 49ers (-7) Detroit Lions

I love the Niners, but respect the Lions too much to give them a touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons (-3) Denver Broncos

I'm pretty big on the Falcons this year, but holding back due to the Peyton
X-Factor.

All bets are placed at Station Casinos:

http://www.stationcasinos.com

To check Las Vegas odds, The Konformist recommends VegasInsider.com:

http://www.vegasinsider.com

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

When I  went to the Palace Station today, the Saints' bet went down to a -110,
so per my advice, I took them.

Meanwhile, the Ravens bet dropped to a -120 payout.  No problem: I bet on them
via the moneyline i-ad as a +130.


All bets are placed at Station Casinos:

http://www.stationcasinos.com

To check Las Vegas odds, The Konformist recommends VegasInsider.com:

http://www.vegasinsider.com

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits
by Greg Palast
GregPalast.com

To order via Amazon.com:

Paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Billionaires-Ballot-Bandits-Steal-Election/dp/1609804783/t\
hekonformist

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Billionaires-Ballot-Bandits-Election-ebook/dp/B008EDPP00/t\
hekonformist

If you're not sick and outraged and ready to vomit, then don't talk to me.

When I see a cruel bucket of garbage and winky-winky racism and bullshit and
venom like Paul Ryan talk to America like he's some kind of Boy Scout, I want a
gun, or a TV network where I can tell the truth or a giant washing machine to
dunk America and rinse off the crud of lies and pure manipulative evil that
they're feeding us.

But I don't like guns, I don't have a TV network, I just have this:  A book.

It's called Billionaires & Ballot Bandits:  How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy
Steps.

An investigation of Karl Rove, the Koch Gang and their billionaire Buck-Buddies.
The guys who bought Ryan.

It's the most important bullet I've ever fired.

I watch these smug jerks at the Republican Convention and I'm ill ... because I
know something they won't tell you on CNN or CBS, let alone Fox.  And here's the
facts, ma'am:

In 2008, no fewer than 2,706,275 ballots were cast—and never counted.

It didn't make a difference then, but it will make a difference now.

And, in 2008, no fewer than 3,195,539 legal voters were denied the right to
vote. Told to get the hell out of the polling station.

Add it up.  That's at least 5,901,814 legitimate votes and voters tossed out of
the count.

So God Bless America. By the way, these numbers are from the raw data supplied
to me by the US Elections Assistance Commission.
It's official. It's in your face.  It's sick.  It's unreported.

I cry.  I scream.  I retch.  Then I make jokes — but I give you the inside info
on the Koch Brothers ("Target 67C" as federal prosecutors called Charles Koch)
that will make your eyes pop.

Fact: The 2012 election's been stolen.  Already.  Stolen by billionaires who've
created data bases called "Themis" (the Kochs own that) and "DataTrust" (Karl
Rove's satanic machine).

The election has not been stolen from Barack Obama — it's been stolen from you. 
From We the People who march to the polls believing America is still a
democracy, the land of the Brave, home of The Free, and that our votes count.

The Rove-bots and the monsters behind the data bases have figured out how to
fiddle, finagle and ultimately throw your vote in the garbage.

America is on the line.  ON THE LINE.  I have two kids and God forbid if I stand
here silent with my hands in my pockets whistling at my shoes.

How did a sick little monster like Paul Ryan end up on the Republican ticket? 
Follow the money.  The big sugar daddy behind Ryan, his donor Numero Uno, is
Paul "The Vulture" Singer.  Singer's the guy who started the Romney super-PAC
"Restore Our Future" and he's funded Ryan up the Wazoo.

Why?  Because Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton told a federal court that Singer
The Vulture is a "threat to the entire financial system" of the planet.  And now
Singer wants their blood—and your dead carcass.

Frankly, I don't care, as Shakespeare said, if Obama's campaign "farts or
flies."  I do care if a billionaire can steal the votes of Black soldiers just
so he can make another billion.

So I want, I demand, I insist, that you order a copy of the exposé on The
Vulture and Romney's billionaires (and Obama's, too):  Billionaires & Ballot
Bandits:  How to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps.

With a foreword by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., "The Hostile Takeover of America". RFK
is as outraged as I am but a lot calmer.

And inside it, there's a 48-page comic book by Ted Rall because every cartoon is
worth a thousand bullets.

Don't be fooled again. This election is about a bunch of madly dangerous
financiers — "The Vulture," the "Ice Man," and guys so evil they don't even have
nicknames -- who can't tolerate the idea that Americans have a right to choose
our leaders, our destinies.

You want to know who owns your ballot?  Then get the book right now by ordering
it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Indiebound.  Or go and pound the counter at
your local bookstore and tell them that instead of another Yoga Diet Cookbook
you want a HAND GRENADE MADE OUT OF TRUTH:  Billionaires & Ballot Bandits.

Alternatively, make a donation and get a signed copy.
[Whichever way you choose to get it, your dollar goes to support the Palast
Investigative Fund. I am donating all my proceeds to the fund.]

Can a book make a difference?  Can't say. But I know this:  Ballot Bandits are
cowards, are cockroaches.  When we turn on the lights, they run run run away.

Do this now.  Get the info ammo and pass it on to your friends and mailing
lists.

And for my terrible language, I apologize.

Yours,

Greg Palast

Palast's brand new book Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election
in 9 Easy Steps, will be out on September 18. You can pre-order Billionaires &
Ballot Bandits from Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Indie Bound. Author's proceeds
from the book go to the not-for-profit Palast Investigative Fund for reporting
on voter protection issues.

Or donate and get a signed copy of the book.

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Best Democracy
Money Can Buy, Armed Madhouse and Vultures' Picnic.

***

Colonels in Mirrored Sunglasses

Excerpt: Billionaires & Ballot Bandits
Greg Palast

To order via Amazon.com:

Paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Billionaires-Ballot-Bandits-Steal-Election/dp/1609804783/t\
hekonformist

Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Billionaires-Ballot-Bandits-Election-ebook/dp/B008EDPP00/t\
hekonformist

Chapter One: Colonels in Mirrored Sunglasses

Here are the facts, ma'am: In the 2008 election, no less than:

767,023 provisional ballots were cast and not counted;

1,451,116 ballots were "spoiled," not counted;

488,136 absentee ballots were mailed in, but not counted.

Add it up: in the last presidential election, no less than 2,706,275 ballots
were cast—and never counted. I have not included a quarter million (251,936)
provisional ballots counted only in part (that is, for some offices). That's the
official number I've calculated from the records of the US Election Assistance
Commission. Approximately three million votes flushed away are ugly enough. But
it gets worse. In addition to the roughly three million ballots cast and not
counted, no less than:

2,383,587 would-be voters had their registrations rejected;

491,952 voters already registered were wrongly purged from the rolls; and

320,000 properly registered voters were simply turned away from the polls when
they tried to vote, mostly for not having IDs acceptable to a poll worker.

Add it up again and total grows to no less than 5,901,814 legitimate votes and
voters tossed out of the count. Let's call it the Missing Six Million. Karl
Rove, when he was senior advisor to President George W. Bush, summed it up
perfectly:

"We are beginning to look like we have elections like those run in countries
where the guys in charge are, you know, colonels in mirrored sunglasses."

Rove is not complaining, he's boasting about his own accomplishments. But for
strategist Rove, six million isn't enough. Through several front organizations
and affiliates, Rove and his comrades have launched a campaign making brilliant
use of the tactics originating from the Red Scare and the War on Terror.

Now, instead of the communist lurking under your bed or the al-Qaeda sleeper
cell next door, they've created a new monster to fear, to hunt, and to destroy:
the Fraudulent Voter.

There aren't any, of course. Or, to be accurate, so few you can literally count
them on your fingers—about six in any year—not six million, half a dozen jerks
convicted of voting illegally. In the whole country.

But in Rove's echo chamber of fear, in the Voter-Fraud Hysteria Factory, these
six become so threatening and dangerous that they will be used to take away the
vote from six million. Tracking ballot-bending tricksters, figuring out how they
game US elections and snatch the choice away from the electorate, that's my job,
my beat for more than a decade, for the Guardian newspaper and BBC television,
and in 2008, for Rolling Stone.

I started covering the election games in November 2000 when I got my hands on
two computer disks from the office of Secretary of State Katherine Harris of
Florida. My team cracked the computer codes and found the names of ninety-one
thousand criminals—felons—Harris listed to purge from voter rolls. We went
through Harris's list name by name. We didn't find felons. But most were guilty
of VWB: Voting While Black. "Purging" is one way to get rid of legal voters.
There are eight more tricks, and I'll take you through each in turn. It was bad
in 2000. It was worse in 2004 and 2008. But in 2012, it will be much worse. And
in 2016, worse than in 2012.

Chapter Two:

"Why Obama is Likely to Lose in 2012"

"Why Obama Is Likely to Lose in 2012" is the title of a column Karl Rove wrote
in the Wall Street Journal in June 2011. It's not Rove's prediction: this is his
plan to make sure Obama will lose. That's fine with me—if Rove prefers vanilla
to chocolate, hey, it's a free country. But how Rove plans to take Obama down is
contained in the subhead, and it gives me the chills...

***

Cartoon Killers for Romney
Greg Palast, Seven Stories Press
Friday, 07 September 2012
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/11379-cartoon-killers-for-romney

Greg Palast is back with a timely new book, "Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How
to Steal an Election in 9 Easy Steps." Illustrated by Ted Rall and with and
introduction by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Palast warns of more than a decade of
Republican elections theft – and explains how they do it. And you'll also get
Palast's "Why We Occupy" DVD free, which includes a Palast talk, a rant by Lee
Camp, and a variety of other video segments.

Make a minimum donation and support progressive writers and Truthout.

Charles Manson can't vote, but Manson Inc., al-Qaeda LLC, and Putin & Co. can
run negative campaign ads on the Fox network.

And maybe they have.

In ancient times, before the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United,
the maximum amount you could give a candidate for president, legally, was two
thousand dollars. And, until 2010, to legally donate to a candidate, you had to
1) have a first and last name, 2) be a citizen of the United States, and 3)
breathe oxygen.

Then, in 2010, the US Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission decision (followed by a lower-court decision, SpeechNow.org v. FEC)
blew the doors off the limit on secret political campaign contributions.
"Unnatural" persons—headless, heartless creatures called corporations—could now
spend in election campaigns. And, unlike us mere mortals, these corporate
creatures are not limited to two thousand dollars.

As soon as Citizens came down, billionaires pulled out their debit cards and
went on a shopping spree.

In 2012, Paul "The Vulture" Singer, a billionaire, gave $1 million to Restore
Our Future, the super-PAC behind Mitt Romney. So did The Vulture's buddies John
Paulson (also a billionaire), Julian Robertson (billionaire), Bill Koch
(billionaire). Half a dozen other rich guys also ponied up millions to Restore
Our Future—including, of course, The Ice Man.

And a million bucks came into Restore Our Future from something called "F8 LLC."
Records indicate that F8 has estimated annual revenue of only $87,000 a year. So
that $1 million donation must have been a real sacrifice. The "principal" of F8
is listed as Mr. Diego Villasenor. No photo, so I looked up the F8 man in Google
image search and found this:

You may recognize Mr. Villasenor, a well-known assassin. But luckily, as a
cartoon, he only kills other cartoons. However, he does have a million in real
cash money to blow on making Governor Romney our president.

Whether this is the real Mr. Villasenor, or if there is a real Don Diego, or if
he's a Quechua Indian in Peru who believes photos will steal his soul, or if he
has a soul at all, well, that just doesn't matter. What matters is the "LLC,"
which stands for Limited Liability Corporation. And under Citizens, the letters
LLC mean F8 LLC can donate unlimited millions for political advertisements—and
F8's owner's name, whether it really is Diego, his nationality, or even if he
shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, is none of your damn business.

And what is Restore Our Future? Well, it is a kind of campaign Death Star that
can and does emit crushing blasts of money to mutilate and destroy candidates
who would oppose the electoral will of Paul "Vulture" Singer, F8, Bill Koch ($2
million donation), and the other billionaires.

In just the first couple months of 2012, Restore Our Future ran about $56
million through its cash colon to crap all over the opponents of Romney's
presidential bid. (Official records showed 87.4 percent of the super- PAC's
spending went into hate messages, i.e., negative ads and telephone calls.)

But why play? What do they want? And as Butch said to Sundance, "Who are these
guys?"

Well, despite the name "Citizens United," not all those united are citizens.
Less noted in the hubbub about corporate personhood was that the Citizens and
SpeechNow decisions OK'd political spending by foreigners. Look forward to
candidates funded by Zeta Gang Inc PAC. And while Charles Manson has lost his
citizenship and right to vote, Citizens has restored his right to form Manson &
Company Super-PAC.

The Chinese military is already positioned to support its Manchurian candidates.
In fact, the Peoples Liberation Army is already incorporated in the US via its
clothing line sold at WalMart called, "New Order." I kid you not.

And maybe they have. Senator John McCain has disappeared from TV screens since
letting the cat out of the bag that the largest contribution to "Restore," the
Romney super-PAC, likely came from China via the Sands Casino Corporation. It's
been a long time since Sinatra played the Sands in Vegas. Today, its entire
income comes from casino operations in Macau, China, an operation created in
partnership with Communist Party apparatchiks.

But there's no sense asking about it. Mr. Villasenor isn't taking questions.

For the full story of Karl Rove, the Vulture, the Ice Man, and the Kochs, donate
to Truthout.org and get a copy of Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an
Election in 9 Easy Steps by Greg Palast, with comics by Ted Rall.

Greg Palast's investigative reports are broadcast by BBC Television's Newsnight.
His new book is Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election in 9
Easy Steps (7 Stories Press/Palast Investigative Fund).

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
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Greg Palast Returns to San Francisco Bay Area
Sept. 24 & 25

With his new book:
Billionaires and Ballot Bandits

Berkeley
Monday—September 24
7:30 PM
St John's Presbyterian Church
2727 College Avenue
Santa Rosa
Tuesday---September 25
7:00 PM
Glaser Center, UU Congregation
547 Mendocino Ave

$10.00 donation at the door — no one turned away — Wheel chair Accessible

Benefit for Project Censored, Media Freedom Foundation, Flashpoints, KPFA in
Berkeley and KRCB in Santa Rosa

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In the 2008 election, no less than: 767,023_provisional ballots were cast and
not counted; 1,451,116 ballots were_"spoiled," not counted; 488,136 absentee
ballots were mailed in, but_not counted. Add it up: in the last presidential
election, no less than 2,706,275 ballots were  never counted.

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***

The Worst Teacher in Chicago
by Greg Palast | For the Occupied Chicago Tribune
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
GregPalast.com

This is a true story.

CHICAGO.  In a school with some of the poorest kids in Chicago, one English
teacher – I won't use her name – who'd been cemented into the school system for
over a decade, wouldn't do a damn thing to lift test scores, yet had an annual
salary level of close to $70,000 a year.  Under Chicago's new rules holding
teachers accountable and allowing charter schools to compete, this
seniority-bloated teacher was finally fired by the principal.

In a nearby neighborhood, a charter school, part of the city system, had
complete freedom to hire.  No teachers' union interference. The charter school
was able to bring in an innovative English teacher with advanced degrees and a
national reputation in her field - for $29,000 a year less than was paid to the
fired teacher.

You've guessed it by now:  It's the same teacher.

It's Back to School Time!  Time for the editorialists and the Tea Party, the GOP
and Barack Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan to rip into the people who
dare teach in public schools.

And in Arne's old stomping grounds, Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is stomping on
the teachers, pushing them into the street.

Let's stop kidding ourselves. This is what Mitt Romney and Obama and Arne Duncan
and Paul Ryan have in mind when they promote charter schools and the right to
fire teachers with tenure:  slash teachers salaries and bust their unions.

They've almost stopped pretending, too.  Both the Right Wing-nuts and the Obama
Administration laud the "progress" of New Orleans' schools–a deeply sick joke. 
The poorest students, that struggle most with standardized tests, were drowned
or washed away.

One thing Democrat Emanuel and Republican Romney both demand of Chicago teachers
is that their pay, their jobs, depend on "standardized tests." Yes, but whose
standard?

Here is an actual question from the standardized test that were given third
graders here in NYC by the nation's biggest test-for-profit company:

"...Most young tennis stars learn the game from coaches at private clubs.  In
this sentence a private club is...."   Then you have some choices in which the
right answer is "Country Club - place where people meet."

Now not many of the "people [who] meet" at country clubs are from the South Side
of Chicago--unless their parents are caddies.  A teacher on the South Side whose
students are puzzled by the question will lose their pay or job. Students on the
lakefront Gold Coast all know that mommy plays tennis at the Country Club with
Raul on Wednesdays. So their teacher gets a raise and their school has high
marks.

And while Mayor Rahm promises kids in "bad" schools new teachers (the same ones
at lower pay) at high-score schools, in fact, they are never actually allowed
in.

But Rahm, after all, is just imposing Bush education law which should be called,
No Child's Behind Left.

You want to know what's wrong with our schools?  Benno Schmidt, CEO of the big
Edison Schools teach-for-profit business is a creepy, greedy privateer.  But he
told me straight: that before Hurricane Katrina, his company would never go into
New Orleans because Louisiana spent peanuts per child on education.  He made it
clear: You get what you pay for.  Not what you test for.

So the charter carpetbaggers slither in, cherry-pick the easy students, declare
success. The tough cases and special ed kids are left in the public system so
they can claim the public system fails.

Here's what the teacher who was terrible at $70,000 but brilliant at $41,000
told me:
"They're not doing this in white neighborhoods.  And they want to get rid of the
older, experienced teachers with seniority who cost more.  Get rid of the
teachers and, ultimately get rid of the kids.  And the charter school gets to
pick the kids who get in."

It's simple.  When you look at the drop-out rates in New York (41%) and Chicago
(44%), the solution offered is to pay teachers less. They punish those who dare
to work in poor schools where kids struggle and you can bet that "washing away"
half the kids in our schools is, in fact, exactly what they've planned.

It's notable that, when he lived in Chicago, Barack Obama played basketball with
city school chief Arne Duncan, but Obama sure as hell didn't send his kids to
Arne's crap public schools. Those are for po' folk.

His kids went to the tony "Lab" School in Hyde Park.  Obama believes what Duncan
believes and what Romney believes:  there's no need for universal education and
no need to spend money on it.  Yes, they like to say that "children are our
future."  But they mean the children of China are our future, the Chinese kids
who will make the stuff we want and the children of India who will program it
all for us.

After all, how much education does some obese kid from Texas need to stack boxes
from China in a Wal-Mart warehouse?

Education is no longer about information and learning skills.  It's now about
"triage."  A few selected by standardized tests or privileged birth will be
anointed and permitted into better and "gifted" schools.

The chosen elite are still very much needed:  to invest in India and Vietnam, to
design new derivatives to circumvent the laughable new banking laws, and to
maintain order among the restless hundred-million drop-outs squeezed out of the
colon of our educational system.

Democrats' Bantustans, Republicans' Value-less Vouchers.

The Obama/Duncan/Emanuel plan is to create Bantustans of un-chartered,
cheaply-run dumpster schools within a government system.  But Romney and the GOP
would give every child a "choice" even outside government schools with
"vouchers."

Of course, the "vouchers" don't vouch for much.  Romney's old alma mater,
Cranbrook Academy, runs at $34,025 a year, not counting the polo sticks and
horse.  The most generous voucher program is Washington DC's, beloved of the
GOP, which pays about $7,500, or if the student's "choice" is Cranbrook, about 2
months of school.  Hyde Park Day School Chicago is $35,900.  To give each kid a
real choice, not just a coupon, means a massive increase in spending per pupil. 
I didn't see that in the Republican platform, did you?

The experienced teacher in Chicago who took the pay cut was offered one
consolation.  She was told she could make up some of the pay loss by quitting
the union and saving on union dues.

So that's the program.  An educational Katrina: squeeze the teachers until they
strike, demolish their unions and drown the students.

Chicago's classroom war is class war by another name.

Class dismissed.

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Best Democracy
Money Can Buy, Armed Madhouse and Vultures' Picnic.

Palast's brand new book Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an Election
in 9 Easy Steps, will be out on September 18. You can pre-order Billionaires &
Ballot Bandits from Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Indie Bound. Author's proceeds
from the book go to the not-for-profit Palast Investigative Fund for reporting
on voter protection issues.

Or donate and get a signed copy of the book.

***

Why We Occupy
Greg Palast - the film

"The first thing that the military police say is, 'Give us your film.' They had
real weapons and I had a fake press pass, so it was an easy choice.  They let me
keep my pen -- but they didn't know it was one of those Austin Powers jobs with
the video camera hidden inside."

For donors to the Palast Investigative Fund only:
"Why We Occupy":  Greg Palast LIVE.
Get the signed DVD, download the film or download the audio.

In an extraordinary talk mixed with live, undercover footage from his
investigations from around the globe, Palast rips the sheets off the One
Percent, exposing the Koch Brothers, Chevron, BP, Goldman Sachs, the IMF,
WTO—the bribers and billionaires in stories that grip you, scare you—and make
you laugh.

Right now, the Palast investigative team is taking on the Koch Brothers, the
super-PAC-men and the vote thieves in our most important investigation ever. 
Join us:  Make a tax-deductible donation of at least $30 to our not-for-profit
Fund and get, as thanks, the DVD Why We Occupy signed by Palast. Here are his
tales from his smash hit book, Vultures' Picnic, a five-continent hunt for the
fiercest financiers, petroleum barons and dons of the corporate crime wave.

The DVD includes two bonus segments, beginning with the 14 short films that go
with each chapter of Vultures' Picnic.  If you have the book or just want to see
Greg Palast gagging on whale meat, under arrest in Asia or on a stake-out at
dawn in front the mansion of The Vulture, you'll want this DVD.  It's on the
download too.

Plus—the in-your-face comic genius of Lee Camp with "A Moment of Clarity" taking
off on Palast's investigations.

Get the combo:  Donate at least $70 and get Vultures' Picnic, the hardbound
book, signed by Palast, and the DVD Why We Occupy with the 14 videos that go
with the book.

Nomi Prins says, "It is an amazing multi-media experience...Vultures' Picnic is
an eye-opening, heart-pumping, mind-blowing experience that should not, MUST
not, be missed.

Right now, get the info, support the work, change history.  Join the Palast
Investigative Fund, get the film on DVD, download the film or get the audio for
a donation of at least $5, and don't let them lie to you.

Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Best Democracy
Money Can Buy, Armed Madhouse and Vultures' Picnic.

His brand new upcoming book Billionaires & Ballot Bandits: How to Steal an
Election in 9 Easy Steps, will be out next month on September 18. You can
pre-order Billionaires & Ballot Bandits from Barnes & Noble, Amazon or Indie
Bound.

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
konformist group:

Who is The Konformist Beast of the Year?

It's time for the annual pick of The Konformist Beast of the Year.

To read more of the nominees go to:

http://www.konformist.com/page4.htm



May 2011: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

June 2011: Paul Ryan

July 2011: Ken Feinberg

August 2011: John Lipsky

September 2011: Jersey Shore

October 2011: Peter King

November 2011: Brian Moynihan

December 2011: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Mitt
Romney & Rick Santorum

January 2012: Eric Holder

February 2012: Chris Dodd

March 2012: Terry Gou

April 2012: Joseph Kony & Kony 2012


   o Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
   o Paul Ryan
   o Ken Feinberg
   o John Lipsky
   o Jersey Shore
   o Peter King
   o Brian Moynihan
   o Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney & Rick
Santorum
   o Eric Holder
   o Chris Dodd
   o Terry Gou
   o Joseph Kony & Kony 2012


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist/surveys?id=3116830

Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups
web site listed above.

Thanks!

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Who is The Konformist Beast of the Year?

To vote for your pick go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist/polls

Or send email to: robalini@...

It's time for the annual pick of The Konformist Beast of the Year.

One nominee was chosen each month from May 2011 to April 2012. Here are the
choices:

May 2011: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
Despite an attempt to suppress the horrifying effects via a collaboration of
political leaders and korporate media, strong evidence is quietly accumulating
that Fukushima is even worse than Chernobyl.  The coverup by the establishment
is not only in Japan and the US, but in the entire industrialized world, where
military industrial complexes profit off the false notion that nuclear power is
both safe and cheap.

June 2011: Paul Ryan
As reactionary and feckless as the Democratic Party has been in the age of
Obama, the GOP has become scary crazy.  Exhibit A: Paul Ryan's 2012 federal
budget plan, which would abolish korporate income taxes, estate taxes, taxes on
capital gains, dividends and interest, and heavily reduce tax rates on the
wealthy while ruthlessly cutting social programs, partially privatizing part of
Social Security to Wall Street and fully privatizing Medicare.  Some would call
this "Ayn Rand on Crack" (which may be an unfair smear of Ms. Rand, who was at
least a gifted writer) yet all but four Republicans in the the HOR and five in
the Senate voting for it.

July 2011: Ken Feinberg
Though not particularly well known, Ken Feinberg is a stunningly loathsome
individual: as the government-appointed pay czar for the BP Gulf oil disaster,
he has squeezed victims to sign off on lowball compensation claims or face long
painful legal battles while dealing with personal economic crisis caused by BP's
gross negligence.  This is not new: previously Feinberg had done the same
screwing victims of Agent Orange, Dalkon Shield and even the 9/11 disaster,
bullying them all in lawyer hardball for korporate and insurance giants. 
Unsurprisingly, the one time Feinberg hasn't ripped off those he administered as
a pay czar is in approving obscene salaries to beneficiaries of the Wall Street
Bailout via TARP.

August 2011: John Lipsky
If there's one news story over the last year that just stinks of a frame-up,
it's the supposed rape charge and continued harrassment of Dominique
Strauss-Kahn, former IMF Managing Director and (until the dubious arrest)
leading contender for the French presidency.  DSK was becoming an increasingly
strong critic of the neoliberal economic agenda and even suggested the taboo (as
far as the US banking system is concerned) of replacing the dollar as the
solitary international currency.  He was arrested in New York in potential
violation of both international law and diplomacy protocol before any evidence
had been properly analyzed, then dumped onto Rikers Island until he resigned,
conveniently timed to allow Lipsky to push the Greek austerity plan through.

September 2011: Jersey Shore
The idea that "Reality" TV is manufacturing a more depraved society in America
is a conspiracy theory The Konformist has supported for over a decade.  Jersey
Shore, the new low in culture trash, is pretty ironclad proof in our book.

October 2011: Peter King
Ten years after 9/11, Congressman King is perhaps the most notorious elected
official to engage in anti-Muslim rhetorics that is barely concealed
race-baiting against Middle Easterners.  His "Muslim radicalization hearings"
give him the stench of a modern-day Joseph McCarthy.

November 2011: Brian Moynihan
That none of the leaders of the big banks have been jailed for their crimes is
an outrage: that instead they were given billion in bailouts while homebuyers
were given the shaft is a complete offense.  That Bank of America under their
CEO Moynihan then tried to gouge customers with a monthly $5 debit card fee was
a complete insult to account holders who bailed out the company's ass in the
first place.  Fortunately, in the backlash that followed, account cancellations
increased by 20% and B of A backed down.

December 2011: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Mitt
Romney & Rick Santorum
The six best arguments for Barack Obama in 2012 are these six jokers, who
represented the GOP in the campaign against him.  Whether it be they are true
believers or cynical opportunists, the policies and positions of these
politicians perfectly exemplify the toxic combination of cluelessness and
frightening demagoguery that dominates the Republican Party.  (Ron Paul, despite
his many flaws, was once again exempted from Beasthood due to his surprising
level of honesty, integrity and principled stands for a politician.)

January 2012: Eric Holder
While most analysis of Obama as a leader focus on the economy, his failures on
justice and civil liberties may be his more notorious legacy, a legacy
sanctioned by Holder as Attorney General.  The legacy includes sanctioning
unauthorized wiretapping, torture techniques and punishing whistleblowers. 
Meanwhile, the ruthlessness Team Obama has hunted whistleblowers, along with the
push for indefinite detention of supposed War on Terror suspects and the
legalization of assassination of Americans, has made a shockingly strong case
that Obama is even worse than George W. Bush was on defendingthe Constitution,
the supposed primary purpose of a prez.

February 2012: Chris Dodd
Based on their history of attacking freedom of speech, it would be reasonable to
assume the GOP would be behind the greatest threat in years to the Internet. 
Sadly, that would be false: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) may have had some
backings by Republicans and right wing business leaders (most notably the
repulsive Rupert Murdoch) but in the end it's fair to say it was a Democratic
Party bill funded by big Democrat money.  The biggest player was the Motion
Picture Association of America, the lobbying arm of the supposed "liberal"
Hollywood film industry in Hollywood, whose Chairman is the former Democratic
Senator Dodd.

March 2012: Terry Gou
If one is to make a case for the dark side of Apple, item one would be its
Faustian collaboration with Foxconn in making its products, all the more
offensive due to lack of necessity.  (Unlike most companies, Apple competes in
value rather than price, making the extreme exploitation of workers not part of
their business model.)  Still, the crude exploitation by Gou's Taiwanese goes
far beyond their partnership with Apple and indicts the entire electronics
industry.

April 2012: Joseph Kony & Kony 2012
What could be worse than an African war criminal whose deranged pseudo-religious
cult of mysticism pushes children into sex slavery and cannon fodder for his
theocratic Lord's Resistance Army?  (As Marlon Brando would put it Apocalypse
Now: "The horror.")  How about a movement pushed forward by a film that, no
matter how well meaning, seems to only the public on a Western invasion of
Africa, the real purpose of which seems to be to steal even more natural
resources from the continent?


To vote for your pick go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist/polls

Or send email to: robalini@...

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

Were the Batman murders a covert op?
Friday, July 27, 2012
Jon Rappoport
http://www.naturalnews.com/036612_Batman_massacre_covert_op.html

(NaturalNews) The obvious way to begin an investigation is to look at the event
itself for any obvious contradictions or unexplained details.

For example, in the Batman murders, we have two witnesses who were in the
theater and implied there were accomplices.

One witness, Corbin Dates (aka Dayton), told Aurora news outlets a man sitting
in the front row took a cell phone call and went to a side exit, propped the
door open with his foot, and seemed to be signaling somebody. Ten to 15 minutes
later, James Holmes appeared in full gear with weapons as the exit door swung
open The other witness (no name as yet) stated that, during the massacre, a gas
canister was thrown from a direction where Homes wasn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-fcD7pyfL8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4MW_qhAPAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Hoaiw2jrpmE&NR=1

Despite the statements of these apparent witnesses, Aurora Chief of Police
Daniel Oates claims he is sure James Holmes acted alone.

But we need to back up. First of all, neither witness actually IDed Holmes. They
IDed a man who was dressed in black from head to toe, wore a helmet, body armor,
and a gas mask. Actually, no one has identified Holmes as the man in the
theater. How could they? His face and body were covered and concealed.

How did the shooter get into the theater? Clad in black, wearing body armor,
carrying several weapons, he buys a ticket and walks in with everyone else?
Authorities suggest he came through a side door. If so, how did he know the door
would be unlocked? After a few months of meticulous planning, he simply hoped it
would be?

Watching these two witnesses being interviewed by TV news reporters is extremely
frustrating. The reporters have their hands on potentially explosive information
and they don't follow up. Nor do they press police for comments on the witness
statements.

Nevertheless, from what we can provisionally surmise about the crime scene,
there are huge gaps in the official scenario---if we can even call it a
scenario.

Standing out above everything else is the fact that no one can ID Holmes as the
shooter.

We are told by police that, after Holmes was done killing people in the theater,
he exited a side door (the same door through which he had entered?), stood
quietly, and surrendered himself to the authorities. This, too, is unclear. The
police were already stationed at the exit door? Holmes waited until they
arrived? Was he still holding weapons?

It's said he was calm. He gave himself up.

After killing scores of people and wounding others, the first-time shooter was
calm? How could this be? Well, drugs would enter the equation. What drugs?
Vicodin. Others? Where were these drugs obtained? Who wrote the prescriptions?
Where is the doctor? Why have we heard nothing about a doctor? What, exactly,
going back into childhood, is Holmes' pharmaceutical history?

If this was a true covert op, it would have been easy for a pro shooter to
decimate the people in the theater, slip out the exit door with his accomplice
or accomplices, where the patsy, Holmes, drugged, was waiting with other
operatives. After dousing Holmes with gunpowder residue, the pros left the
scene, disappeared into the night, leaving a pre-programmed Holmes there to
confess to the crime and state that his apartment was rigged with explosives.

If this is how things happened, it would explain how Holmes, possessed of no
apparent knowledge about constructing bombs, could have had his apartment wired
with exotic devices. Holmes didn't put them together. The pros did.

At Holmes' court appearance on Monday, he certainly looked drugged as he moved
slowly in the courtroom and sat in his chair. If so, who gave him the drugs in
jail?

Of course, huge gaps exist in Holmes' life story. We have no explanation for his
transformation from a young eager science student into a blank-faced defendant
in a mass-murder case. Had he ever been to see a psychiatrist? If so, what drugs
were prescribed? Ritalin, which can cause violent behavior? Antidepressants,
which can cause violent behavior?

Had he ever been enrolled in a clinical trial of an experimental drug? During
his brief matriculation at the University of Colorado, Denver, had he been used
in a neuroscience experiment? The web page for the University neuroscience
department, where Holmes studied on a government grant, has been taken down.

One oddity about the investigation of the killings: the FBI presence is minimal.
We don't know what the FBI is doing behind the scenes, but by contrast, in the
1999 Columbine massacre the FBI was all over the scene in a very visible way.
They interviewed witnesses, processed evidence, and made public statements.
Here, they're in the background. Why?

I offer one possible explanation. In Columbine, the FBI became a lightning rod
for doubts and questions, and accusations of overlooking/suppressing evidence
that would lead to more than two shooters. Here in Aurora, it's all local: "we
have the killer, he's in jail, the case is proceeding, nothing to see, move
along." This appears to be an intentional strategy. Keep it simple, don't stir
up the populace.

We'll have to watch, as the disposition of the court case unfolds, to see
whether the "simple" strategy is extended. Perhaps we'll have a guilty plea and
a quick sentence. Or perhaps court-appointed psychiatrists will decide Holmes is
incompetent to cooperate in his own defense, in which case he'll be remanded to
a mental facility for a period of time, after which he'll quietly enter a guilty
plea and be sentenced. But what does "incompetent" mean? Drugged into
submission?

I believe there are specific items of evidence which, if known, would provoke
new questions on top of the witness statements above. For example, was an older
model (outdated) police car seen leaving the area of the theater after the
shootings? What was the blood evidence on Holmes' clothing and shoes? Whose
blood was it? Did it belong to victims inside the theater? Was Holmes, as he
stood at the exit to the theater and surrendered himself, covered in more blood
than he would have accumulated as a shooter? In other words, was he set up as
the designated patsy?

And are there more witnesses in the theater who saw accomplices? If so, as in
Columbine, they will, no doubt, be told by law enforcement to keep quiet. If
there is a trial, will Corbin Dates and the other anonymous witness mentioned
above be asked to testify? The chances are slim to none.

If the Batman murders are indeed a covert op, the motives behind it don't need
much explanation. The UN Arms Trade Treaty, which has been under final
discussions in New York since July 3rd, and is due to wrap up on July 27th, is a
new step in the direction of gun confiscation, despite its announced aim of
limiting only the export of weapons from one nation to another. Once the Treaty
is signed, it will need senate ratification to go into effect and impact the 2nd
Amendment. That ratification is the hard part for gun-control advocates. The
tragedy at the Batman premier on July 20 could act as a pressure wave-front on
senators to rubber-stamp the treaty.

Other motives to stage the shootings in Aurora? The manufacture of a consensus
for massive "crime prevention," and that means the extended use of medical drugs
to influence behavior and the brain toward the goal of passivity and
conformity---with the victims ENJOYING IT. (See Soma, the drug of choice in
Huxley's Brave New World.)

"Say something, see something" is only part of the picture. Creating a nation of
snitches is certainly on the DHS's to-do list. But we are in the Century of the
Brain. Researchers are eager to pawn off their discoveries for the development
of technology that can literally limit behavior and thought. Behind the facade
of "curing mental disorders," this is where brain research is heading. Free will
and choice are considered flimsy outmoded notions that need to be cast aside, so
the Brave New World can emerge. James Holmes becomes a classic case of a man
whose brain needs "restructuring." The globalist technocrats want every inch
they can win in the battle to convince the public that brain manipulation holds
a promising future for the human race. Of course, their idea of the future is
synaptic and neuronal control. Holmes is one more poster child for their
chilling agenda.

Brad Garrett, a former FBI profiler and now an analyst for ABC News, is one of
the prime go-to experts who deliver pronouncements on mass murderers. Garrett
supplies the public perception of these killers.

Here are his off-the-shelf conclusions about James Holmes: "[Mass killers are]
insecure, they start having, perhaps, dark thoughts that people are following
them or that there are voices---auditory voices---that are directing them...some
version of this happened to Mr. Holmes...the onset of whatever this chemical
imbalance might be, it starts taking over, and he starts withdrawing..."

It's a well-recognized fact that there are no chemical or biological tests to
confirm a diagnosis of any so-called mental disorder. The whole hypothesis of
"chemical imbalance" as the basis for mental disease is just that, a hypothesis.
Nevertheless, Garrett promotes it as if it's accepted science, and he doubles
down by suggesting that Holmes was hearing voices directing his actions.

But psychiatric drugs (e.g., Ritalin, Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Haldol, etc.), used
to curb mental problems, instead actually CAUSE patients to experience paranoia
and hallucinations and withdraw---and plan and commit violence. It's the drugs.
Garrett is providing cover to explain Holmes' actions as mental illness, when in
fact he knows nothing about what Holmes experienced or why. If Holmes was, in
fact, a mind-control subject, that is hidden behind psychobabble.

Garrett supplies exactly the kind of narrative that calls for "early
intervention," prevention of crime throughout society before it occurs, which,
in the hands of brain researchers, means chemical and other means of controlling
"anti-social" impulses.

It is noteworthy that a young neuroscience student, Holmes, who was at one point
studying "the biological basis of mental disorders," winds up as an accused mass
murderer who is "obviously deranged" and "suffering from a chemical imbalance in
the brain."

At this point, we go down the rabbit hole, and the pieces of the puzzle are
strange and tantalizing.

A video has emerged of Holmes, at age 18, six years ago, lecturing to fellow
attendees at a science summer camp at Miramar College in San Diego.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lotOPjLlbDU

Holmes explains he has been studying temporal illusions and subjective
experience. A temporal illusion, he states, is the idea that you can change the
past.

At the Cannonfire blog (http://cannonfire.blogspot.com) there are comic-book
panels posted from what Joseph Cannon calls "the most famous passage in the most
famous of all Joker stories, Alan Moore's 'The Killing Joke.'"

The Joker is asked: "I mean, what is it with you? What made you you the way you
are? Girlfriend killed by the mob? Maybe brother carved up by some mugger...?"

The Joker replies: "Something like that happened to me, you know...I'm not
exactly sure what it was. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes
another...if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha ha
ha!"

James Holmes, at 18 years of age, said he was studying temporal illusion, "the
idea that you can change the past," a feat the fictional Joker had obviously
accomplished.

In the last ten years, the film that explored this subject---and Holmes' other
interest, the subjectivity of experience---most deeply, through its treatment of
dreams and the insertion of synthetic experience in the mind, was Inception,
directed by Christopher Nolan, who of course also directed the recent Batman
trilogy, including The Dark Knight Rises. In yet another version of changing the
past, in 2000 Nolan directed Memento, which unraveled its story backwards, as a
victim of anterograde amnesia, who can't store memories, tries to revenge his
wife's murder by leaving clues for himself that will lead him to the identity of
her killer.

Are we simply talking about a neuroscience student's (Holmes') interest in
comics and films, or did he participate in experiments that attempted to alter
his subjective view of the world and his own past?

For example, there is wealth of information about the criminal experiments
conducted by Canadian psychiatrist, Dr. Ewan Cameron, who operated with funding
from the CIA during the 1950s. Cameron ran MKULTRA Subproject 68, during which
he used massive electroshocks, sensory isolation, drug-induced periods of sleep
(7-10 days), and audiotapes of "re-patterning" commands to attempt to wipe out
patients' pasts, their memories, their former subjective mindsets, their very
personalities---in favor of recreating these patients as "new and improved
people."

As a teen, Holmes interned at the Salk Institute in San Diego. Salk carries out
studies using functional MRI, a technique of brain mapping that involves
correlating read-outs with various mental activities. It's only speculation at
this point, but somewhere along the line, did Holmes participate in such
experiments, and were the results used to map regions of his brain for later
inputs, so someone could achieve behavioral/thought control over him?

To even suggest Holmes may be a mind-control subject brings immediate criticism,
to which I would offer this counter: why accept the scenario of the crime put
forward by the Aurora police? Why do they deserve the benefit of the doubt? Why
limit and narrow the investigation to their story?

Was law enforcement correct about the JFK and JFK and MLK assassinations? Was
law enforcement correct about the Columbine massacre, in which 101 witnesses
state they saw other shooters? Was law enforcement correct about the lone duo of
plotters in the Oklahoma bombing? Was law enforcement correct about 9/11?

In all cases---no.

I'll tell you this. If the authorities really wanted to know what makes James
Holmes tick (a prospect I strongly doubt), their best chance would be to send
someone into his cell who could talk to him about Christopher Nolan, Inception,
Memento, functional MRI, the TV series, Lost, which contained time-travel themes
and was a show he and his friend, Ritchie Duong, used to watch together every
week when they attended UC Riverside. Talk to Holmes about what he wants to talk
about. Who knows what would eventually unravel?

It might be far more than the police wish to uncover.

Sources:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan

About Jon Rappoport

The author of an explosive new collection, THE MATRIX REVEALED, Jon was a
candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California.
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for
30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS
Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines
in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global
politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world.

NoMoreFakeNews.com
QJRConsulting@...

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com


Obamacare Constitutional but Still Sucks
Robert Sterling, Konformist.com

In a last minute reversal by Chief Justice John Roberts, Obamacare was ruled
constitutional by the Supreme Court.  It is important to note that in upholding
the law, the Supremes rejected the usage of the Commerce Clause to justify the
individual mandate, which is a victory for those who found such an argument to
be insidious.  Obviously, include myself in that group.

The claim that mere existence made one involved in commerce (which was central
to the Commerce Clause argument) had no historical precedent, as even judges who
had previously upheld the law had agreed in unanimty.  Even worse, any precedent
that was even close to this was one that no self-respecting progressive should
ever embrace.  (The most notable precedent being written by Antonin Scalia,
where he argued that due to the Commerce Clause, the War on Drugs trumps the
power of states to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.)  It was
disappointing to see so many so-called liberals, in their desperation to defend
Obamacare, to be totally oblivious and dismissive of such concerns.  It
shouldn't be surprising, as in the last four years what has passed for
liberalism has bottomed out to merely mean being a pathetic shill for Barack
Obama rather than represent any coherent philosophy.

Of course, that Obamacare is constitutional should be the minimum standards one
should expect for a law.  (Alas, in the age of torture and the Patriot Act, such
minimum standards is increasingly becoming a norm.)  Another standard is how
popular it is with the public.  On this score, Obamacare has been a major flop
since its inception.  A June 2012 NY Times/CBS News poll before the Supreme
Court ruling underscored this: 41 percent of all polled believed the entire law
should be overturned, while 27 percent wanted an overturn of the mandate.  Only
24 percent wanted the law to be upheld.  This was despite a relentless push by
the White House, Democratic Party and the media establishment to sell the public
on the law as some sort of progressive victory.  While there was a slight
increase in approval of Obamacare after the ruling (a bump that is normal in
terms of how polling goes) the general trend on Obamacare is unpopular with a
bullet downward.

That Obamacare is unpopular shouldn't be too surprising, and I for one am
someone who warned of this when the law passed.  And the establishment liberal
response to this unpopularity, merely dismissing the opposition to ignorant
dupes, is not only false but highly insulting to voters.  In this case, the
public rightfully smells a loser here.  While Obamacare is sold as a progressive
law, all its origins come from from right-wing think tanks, and its premises are
all based on snide contempt for the poor and working class.  It's solutions are
based on slashing funds to Medicare (a fact which proves the widely mocked
"death panels" cry to be not completely off-base) and the individual mandate is
based on the premise that poor young people are somehow cheating the system by
not purchasing health insurance they can't afford.  It is a Marie Antoinette
solution to our health care crisis, except cake is a lot cheaper and not
manufactured by parasitic oligopolies that rip off its customers at every
opportunity.  (The opportunities, thanks to Obamacare, will soon radically
increase.)  The worst thing about Obamacare isn't Obamacare itself, which I
assume will eventually fail and die due to its fundamental flaws.  The worst
thing about Obamacare is whenever a real progressive reform is ever proposed in
the future, it will be called Obamacare II, and it will be that much harder for
it to pass.  Sadly, any such skepticism will be deserved, as the liberal
apologism for the reactionary law known as Obamacare should rightfully discredit
any supporters further arguments on the issue of health care.

Poll URL source:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/new-poll-the-supreme-court-and-the\
-health-care-law/

***

John Roberts, evil genius
ROBERT E. MALCHMAN
Full Article:
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-06-28/news/32461302_1_individual-mandate-he\
alth-insurance-mandate-affordable-care-act

Chief Justice John G. Roberts is an evil genius. The ruling to uphold the
Affordable Care Act is, on its face, a win for President Obama both because the
media are saying it is and because it is the signature piece of legislation of
his first term. But it may turn out to be a pyrrhic victory, as Roberts
accomplished numerous, subtle victories for conservative Republicans.

First, remember that "Obamacare" and the individual mandate started out as a
proposal from the conservative Heritage Foundation as a counterproposal to the
Clinton administration's health care plan. The only reasons Republicans are now
opposed to it is because Obama proposed it and is getting credit for it. Before
it was Obamacare, the program was known as Romneycare in Massachusetts — and if
the 2008 election had gone the other way, it might be known as McCaincare today.

Meantime, the survival of the Affordable Care Act eliminates any clamor for
real, progressive health care reform, whether universal Medicare or for the
creation of a public insurance option. Such programs are anathema to
conservatives who want most things privatized — either for ideological reasons
or so that their corporate masters can further enrich themselves.

The effect of the law will be to drive millions of people to buy insurance from
insurance companies in many cases with federally subsidized funds, lining the
pockets of those corporations with the public's money. Is it any surprise that
health care stocks were surging in the wake of the ruling?

***

MLRs: Obamacare Silver Lining

Let's give Obamacare credit where it does deserve some: with the inclusion in
the law of Medical Loss Ratio.  From NBC News:

Affordable Care Act means $1.1 billion insurance rebate
Herb Weisbaum, The ConsumerMan
7-3-12
Full Article:
http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/07/03/12525490-affordable-care-act-mean\
s-11-billion-insurance-rebate

The nation's health insurance companies will refund approximately $1.1 billion
to their customers this summer. It's one of the new benefits of the health care
reform law.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department expects 12.8 million Americans to
get some of this money – although in the majority of cases that refund will be
sent to employers.

Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies are required to
disclose how much of your premium dollar they actually spend on health care and
how much they spend on administration, such as salaries and marketing. In the
past, consumers did not have a right to this information.
But here's the real game-changer: The 80/20 rule. If the insurance company
spends less than 80 percent of premiums on medical care it must rebate the
excess. For large group plans (the kind provided by companies that employ 50
people or more), health insurance companies must spend 85 percent of the
premiums on medical care...

The new law also requires health insurance companies to tell customers whether
they hit, exceeded or missed the 80/20 mark. If they missed the goal, they must
say by how much and what percentage of your premium will be rebated. This new
transparency is unprecedented...

Health and Human Services says it expects the average rebate for a family that
buys its own insurance to be $151. The states with the highest average rebates
per family in the individual market are: Mississippi ($651), Alabama ($582),
Maryland ($496), Delaware ($461) and West Virginia ($383). The average rebate in
the individual insurance market is zero for families in Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa,
Maine, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont...

The bottom line:

The new 80/20 rule is a major step forward in making health insurance companies
responsible to their policy holders. It is hoped it will motivate insurers to
lower prices and/or improve their coverage to meet the new standard.

So what about this summer's rebates? Any way you look at it, a billion dollars
is a lot of money. But it won't solve the problem of skyrocketing medical bills.
It's just a drop in the bucket...

Please send as far and wide as possible.

Thanks,
Robert Sterling
Editor, The Konformist
http://www.konformist.com
http://robalini.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/konformist

Steamshovelpress.com is back! New web content! New book product! New conference
information! PLUS: a new, daily, twitterish quip: "Parapolitics Offhand!"

Now available on CD and through US Mail only: Popular Parapolitics, 219 pages,
illustrated, of comentary on the nexus of parapolitics and popular culture. $15
post paid from Kenn Thomas, POB 210553, St. Louis, MO 63121.

http://www.steamshovelpress.com

The Supreme Court & Citizens United
Robert Sterling, Konformist.com

The Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United has become widely loathed, and
rightfully so.  What has become less well known about the decision, however, is
as bad as the ruling may be, had they ruled against Citizens United, it would
have been decidedly worse.  And perhaps most surprising to Konformist readers is
that the issues in the ruling directly involve the history of The Konformist.

A little background: the case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission,
involved a 2008 documentary by the right-wing Citizens United titled Hillary:
The Movie.  The movie was a hack attack on Ms. Clinton, ironically on the false
assumption that she would be the Democratic Party nominee in November.  In July
2008, the DC District Court ruled that advertisements for the film during the
election period would violate election finance laws.

Jeffrey Toobin is not the most trustworthy of writers, but in a May 2012 New
Yorker article he presents the facts pretty clearly, facts which have been
usually ignored in any discussion of the ruling.  The most telling part was the
exchange between the conservative Supreme Court judges and Deputy Solicitor
General Malcolm L. Stewart.  Here is the excerpt from Toobin's piece:

Since McCain-Feingold forbade the broadcast of "electronic communications"
shortly before elections, this was a case about movies and television
commercials. What else might the law regulate? "Do you think the Constitution
required Congress to draw the line where it did, limiting this to broadcast and
cable and so forth?" Alito said. Could the law limit a corporation from
"providing the same thing in a book? Would the Constitution permit the
restriction of all those as well?"

Yes, Stewart said: "Those could have been applied to additional media as well."

The Justices leaned forward. It was one thing for the government to regulate
television commercials. That had been done for years. But a book? Could the
government regulate the content of a book?

"That's pretty incredible," Alito responded. "You think that if a book was
published, a campaign biography that was the functional equivalent of express
advocacy, that could be banned?"

"I'm not saying it could be banned," Stewart replied, trying to recover. "I'm
saying that Congress could prohibit the use of corporate treasury funds and
could require a corporation to publish it using its—" But clearly Stewart was
saying that Citizens United, or any company or nonprofit like it, could not
publish a partisan book during a Presidential campaign.

Kennedy interrupted. He was the swing Justice in many areas of the law, but
joined the conservatives in all the campaign-spending cases. Sensing
vulnerability on the subject of books, he joined Alito's assault.

"Well, suppose it were an advocacy organization that had a book," Kennedy said.
"Your position is that, under the Constitution, the advertising for this book or
the sale for the book itself could be prohibited within the sixty- and
thirty-day periods?"

Stewart's answer was a reluctant, qualified yes.

But neither Alito nor Kennedy had Roberts's instinct for the jugular. The Chief
Justice wanted to make Stewart's position look as ridiculous as possible.
Roberts continued on the subject of the government's censorship of books,
leading Stewart into a trap.

"If it has one name, one use of the candidate's name, it would be covered,
correct?" Roberts asked.

"That's correct," Stewart said.

"If it's a five-hundred-page book, and at the end it says, `And so vote for X,'
the government could ban that?" Roberts asked.

"Well, if it says `vote for X,' it would be express advocacy and it would be
covered by the preëxisting Federal Election Campaign Act provisions," Stewart
continued, doubling down on his painfully awkward position.

Through artful questioning, Alito, Kennedy, and Roberts had turned a fairly
obscure case about campaign-finance reform into a battle over government
censorship. The trio made Stewart—and thus the government—take an absurd
position: that the government might have the right to criminalize the
publication of a five-hundred-page book because of one line at the end.

Source:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/05/21/120521fa_fact_toobin


Though Toobin makes the issues raised in the case seem surprising, they
shouldn't have been.  In fact, in communications with Citizens United before the
Supreme Court heard the case, I supported their side in the legal battle on this
basis.  By defining Hillary: The Movie (and any advertisement of it) as
electioneering rather than a work of speech, the FEC had turned speech into
something it could regulate.  The questions asked by the Supreme Court judges
were questions that should have been asked by implication of a ruling in favor
of the FEC, and the response by Stewart confirmed that siding with the FEC was
an extremely dangerous precedent.

Put it another way: let's pretend that instead of this case involving the 2008
documentary Hillary: The Movie, it was the 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 at
the center of the battle.  It is pretty hard to argue that Fahrenheit wasn't a
movie with a definite political agenda, and thus it too would be defined as
political advocacy.  Would it have been acceptable if the FCC had restricted it
during the 2004 election?

And since Stewart declared the FCC had the power to regulate books with
political advocacy during a campaign season, are there any books that could fit
this description?  In fact, there are many, but there's at least one I can think
of right away: 50 Reasons Not to Vote for Bush, a book written by myself and
published by Feral House in 2004.  By the FEC's own logic, this book (which I
admit was a work of political advocacy, something that is pretty hard to deny
when reading the title) could be regulated by virtue of election finance laws.

This was the fundamental issue behind the Citizens United case.  And in this
case, the FEC had way overstep its legal boundaries.  With Orwellian logic, the
FEC had redefined speech as campaign contributions, and turned a law designed to
restrict the perversion of politics by money into a law that could restrict the
presentation of ideas.

This doesn't mean I support the Citizens United ruling.  The Supreme Court could
have allowed the continued regulation of political commercials over public
airwaves, but declared the restrictions on Hillary: The Movie as an expansive
and unconstitutional abuse of power.  Even so, the can of worms opened by this
ruling (starting with the rise of SuperPACs) is just as much due to the FEC's
lack of respect for constitutional issues than it is the cynical posturings of
the Supreme Court's right wing.

***

The Supreme Court & Arizona Immigration

A common theme in news involving the Supreme Court and Obama lawyers is how
woefully incompetent Team Obama appears.  This may be charitable at best: the
Obama DOJ pretty much comes off as arrogant, dismissive of basic constitutional
questions and ultimately spineless to take any principled stand even if they
believed in any.  In short, the DOJ has become a perfect representation of
Barack Obama.  That was the case in the Obamacare challenge, was the case in the
Citizen's United case, and was the case in the recent Supreme Court battle over
Arizona's immigration law.

An AP news story from June 25 had the title "High court rejects part of Arizona
immigration law."  The story gets all the facts right: despite the extreme
right-wing tilt of the court, the Supremes overwhelming rejected the reactionary
law: "The court struck down these three major provisions: requiring all
immigrants to obtain or carry immigration registration papers, making it a state
criminal offense for an illegal immigrant to seek work or hold a job and
allowing police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without warrants."

Despite these rulings, one key part of the law was left in place: "that police
must check the status of people stopped for various reasons who might appear to
be in the U.S. illegally."  Prez Obama decried this provision being left intact,
declaring in writing: "No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion
just because of what they look like."

That Obama presented his objection in writing rather than one of his supposedly
awesome speeches should tell you something.  What was left out in the AP
article: the reason didn't reject the "Show me your papers" provision as an
in-your-face abuse of civil liberties is because the Obama DOJ never objected
the law on this point.  In fact, many of the Supreme judges could barely conceal
their disgust of the DOJ during arguments over this fact.  The reasons seem
pretty obvious: the Obama political team felt that sticking up for the rights of
Latinos would be an election loser.

The good news: though they didn't overturn the most offensive part of the law,
the Court made it pretty clear that they would if anyone could present evidence
to the court that the law has or could violate any person's basic constitutional
liberties.  It's a shame that Team Obama weren't the ones who did it.

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/high-court-rejects-part-arizona-immigration-law-142916381.\
html

***

Rush to Judgment in Sandusky Trial?

It's hard to come to the defense of a man charged with serial pedophilia,
especially when there are so many witnesses against him, like there are against
Jerry Sandusky of Penn State infamy.  Fortunately, I won't be coming to his
defense.

But his lawyers in the case felt the trial timeline (seven months from arrest to
verdict) gave them inadequte time to fairly defend their client.  According to
Joe Amendola:

"We told the trial court, the Superior Court and the Supreme Court we were not
prepared to proceed to trial in June due to numerous issues, and we asked to
withdraw from the case for those reasons."

Source:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8088760/penn-state-nittany-lions-\
jerry-sandusky-lawyers-wanted-resign-judge-said-no


Regardless of what one thinks of Sandusky, one should expect he receive a fair
legal defense.

And besides, what's the harm in giving the defense more time, especially since
the case seems pretty airtight?  In fact, given that serial pedophiles like
Sandusky usually have even larger stat counts than they're charged, postponing
the trial would have allowed the prosecution to uncover even more victims.

And there's the rub: postponing the Sandusky trial would have allowed more time
for new evidence to pop up, evidence the prosecutors decided not to investigate.

Item one prosecutors chose not to investigate:

"I can give you a rumor and I can give you something I think might happen,"
Madden said on the radio. "I hear there's a rumor that there will be a more
shocking development from the Second Mile Foundation -- and hold on to your
stomachs, boys, this is gross, I will use the only language I can -- that Jerry
Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors. That was
being investigated by two prominent columnists even as I speak."

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/10/penn-state-scandal-rumors-sandusky-pimp\
ing_n_1086099.html


In other words, Sandusky faced a speedy trial in order for richer, more powerful
individuals to evade punishment.  Individuals so rich and powerful that Joe
Paterno became an acceptable scapegoat to demonize as an alternative.

It's a shame (but understandable) that prosecutors lack the tenacity of a
previous investigator:

The district attorney who tried and failed to prosecute Jerry Sandusky in 1998
after reports of sexual abuse emerged, has been missing since 2005 and was
declared legally dead in July.

Ray Gricar disappeared on April 15 six years ago after telling his girlfriend he
was going for a drive.

His body was never found, only his abandoned car and his laptop which had been
tossed in the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania without its hard drive.

Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2060027/Ray-Gricar-disappeared-2005-trie\
d-bring-sex-abuse-case-Penn-States-Jerry-Sandusky.html

***

Mexican leftist asks for presidential recount
Lizbeth Diaz
MEXICO CITY | Tue Jul 3, 2012
Full Article
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/03/us-mexico-election-leftist-idUSBRE8621\
6W20120703

The runner-up in Mexico's presidential election said on Tuesday he would ask
election authorities to recount the votes from Sunday's contest, alleging it was
riddled with fraud.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who finished about 6.5 percentage points behind
President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI), said the election had been corrupted by PRI vote-buying and other abuses.

Stirring up memories of the 2006 election, when he refused to accept defeat and
unsettled financial markets by calling out his supporters to stage massive
demonstrations in the capital for weeks, Lopez Obrador followed through on hints
he dropped during the campaign that he might contest the result.

He said his campaign would ask the Federal Electoral Institute to recount the
votes.

"We're going to ask them to clean up the election and make it transparent," the
he told reporters in Mexico City. "For the good of the democracy and the good of
the country, they need to count all the votes."

Financial markets were unmoved by his announcement on Tuesday.

Lopez Obrador, 58, has repeatedly accused the telegenic Pena Nieto of using
illicit funding, breaching campaign spending limits and being supported by
Mexico's mainstream media...

***

U.N. takeover of the Internet must be stopped, U.S. warns
A U.N. summit later this year in Dubai could lead to a new international regime
of censorship, taxes, and surveillance, warn Democrats, Republicans, the
Internet Society, and father of the Internet Vint Cerf.
Declan McCullagh
May 31, 2012
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57444629-83/u.n-takeover-of-the-internet-must-b\
e-stopped-u.s-warns/

Democratic and Republican government officials warned this morning that a United
Nations summit in December will lead to a virtual takeover of the Internet if
proposals from China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia are adopted.

It was a rare point of bipartisan agreement during an election year: a proposal
that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin described last year as handing the
U.N. "international control of the Internet" must be stopped.

"These are terrible ideas," Rep. Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican, said during
a U.S. House of Representatives hearing. They could allow "governments to
monitor and restrict content or impose economic costs upon international data
flows," added Ambassador Philip Verveer, a deputy assistant secretary of state.

Robert McDowell, a member of the Federal Communications Commission, elaborated
by saying proposals foreign governments have pitched to him personally would
"use international mandates to charge certain Web destinations on a 'per-click'
basis to fund the build-out of broadband infrastructure across the globe."

"Google, iTunes, Facebook, and Netflix are mentioned most often as prime sources
of funding," McDowell said. Added Rep. Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat whose
district includes Facebook's headquarters, many countries "don't share our view
of the Internet and how it operates."

What prompted today's hearing -- and a related congressional resolution
supporting a free and open Internet -- is a Dubai summit that will be convened
by the 193 members of the U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union, which
was chartered in 1865 to oversee international telegraph regulations.

Called the World Conference on International Telecommunications, or WCIT, the
summit will review a set of telecommunications regulations established in 1988,
when home computers used dial-up modems, the Internet was primarily a university
network, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was a mere 4 years old.

That review has created an opening for countries with a weak appreciation of
free speech and civil liberties -- with Russia and China in the lead -- to
propose the U.N. establish an new "information security" regime or create an
alternative to ICANN, the nonprofit organization that has acted as the
Internet's de facto governance body since the late 1990s.

Unless the U.S. and its allies can block these proposals, they "just might break
the Internet by subjecting it to an international regulatory regime designed for
old-fashioned telephone service," Rep. Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican said.
(U.S. allies include Japan, Canada, Mexico, and many European countries.)

This is hardly the first time that the U.N. or its agencies wanted to expand
their influence over the Internet. At a 2004 summit at the U.N.'s headquarters
in New York, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan criticized the current system
through which Internet standards are set and domain names are handled, and
delegates from Cuba, Ghana, Bolivia and Venezula objected to what they said was
too much control of the process by the U.S. government and its allies.

Two years later, at another U.N. summit in Athens, ITU Secretary General Yoshio
Utsumi criticized the current ICANN-dominated process, stressing that poorer
nations are dissatisfied and are hoping to erode U.S. influence. "No matter what
technical experts argue is the best system, no matter what self-serving
justifications are made that this is the only possible way to do things, there
are no systems or technologies that can eternally claim they are the best,"
Utsumi said.

In 2008, CNET was the first to report that the ITU was quietly drafting
technical standards, proposed by the Chinese government, to define methods of
tracing the original source of Internet communications and potentially curbing
the ability of users to remain anonymous. A leaked document showed the
trace-back mechanism was designed to be used by a government that "tries to
identify the source of the negative articles" published by an anonymous author.

December's meeting has alarmed even the Internet's technologists. The Internet
Society, which is the umbrella organization for the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), sent a representative to
today's hearing.

ISOC's Sally Wentworth, senior manager of public policy for the group, warned
that the proposals to be considered are not "compatible" with the current open
manner in which the Internet is managed.

Vint Cerf, Google's chief Internet evangelist, co-creator of the TCP/IP
protocol, and former chairman of ICANN, said the ITU meeting could lead to
"top-down control dictated by governments" that could impact free expression,
security, and other important issues.

"The open Internet has never been at a higher risk than it is now," Cerf said.

***

George P. Bush: Ricky Martin Meets Hitler
Robalini's Note: Beware the next generation of the Bush clan.  You heard it here
first...

George P. Bush: A Political Dynasty's Young Hope
Full Article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/07/george-p-bush-a-political-dy\
nastys-young-hope/259640/

His great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather and uncle presidents, his
father governor of Florida. Now a new George Bush is contemplating going into
the family business.

George Prescott Garnica Bush, known to friends as "P," is not just a chip off
the old preppy block. The 36-year-old son of Jeb Bush and nephew of W. is
Hispanic -- his mother, Columba, is from Mexico -- with brown skin, thick black
hair, and a toothy, gleaming smile. He's a lawyer, a Navy vet who served in
Afghanistan, and a political fundraiser who works to expand the Republican
Party's outreach to Latinos and young people. Chatty without being overly
polished, he lives in Fort Worth with his wife, whom he met in law school at the
University of Texas, and runs half marathons in his spare time. It's as if the
ruling class kept pumping out new, less WASPy, more modern products to keep up
with changing demand.

Bush has been touted as a political prospect practically since he was old enough
to walk. At 12, he spoke at his grandfather's first nominating convention; at
24, he recorded TV commercials for his uncle's 2000 campaign. ("I have an uncle
who is running for president because he believes in ... opportunity for every
American, for every Latino," he said in the ad. "His name? The same as mine,
George Bush.") Of George H.W. Bush's 17 grandchildren, he once boasted of being
the favorite.

Now, Texas and Bush family observers wonder if his time is drawing nigh. As soon
as 2014, they speculate, he could run for Congress or state office in Texas.

In Washington this week to tout a new partnership on young voter outreach, Bush
proved adept at the political art of coyly encouraging such speculation. "I'm
weighing that in my own mind," he said of his political future. "I'm not
specifically looking at anything right now, but yeah, I'd be open to it."

He would, he said, want to do it on his own terms, not the strength of his
famous name.

"My family has always said ... if you're going to get into politics, do it for
the right reasons, not because you've got to carry on something," he said. After
graduating from Rice University, he noted, he "taught in an inner-city high
school," then became a lawyer, launched an investment company and joined the
military. At this point, he said, he's focused on his business, his marriage,
and hopefully having kids.

"So I don't know," he said modestly, having swiftly and skillfully recited his
sterling political resume. "I'm drawn to public service. I love politics, but
from the sidelines."

For now, that is. Bush's Maverick PAC recently transformed from a Texas to a
federal committee, and on Tuesday it announced an initiative to work with the YG
Action Fund -- the super PAC extension of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's
political operation. Together, they hope to bring young voters and donors into
the GOP fold -- a $5 million "effort to mobilize and elect the next generation
of conservative leaders." He also has a Texas PAC that recruits Hispanic GOP
candidates and frequently speaks on the need for a more moderate GOP line on
immigration. (The current Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, has been outflanked
by President Obama on immigration, Bush said Tuesday, but still has "an
opportunity to lead" if he will "be aggressive" on the issue, perhaps by
embracing the proposals of Senator Marco Rubio.)

Add up these efforts and it's clear that Bush is his family's missionary to the
next American generation, the embodiment and bid for relevance of the
multigenerational political clan. He's building a national network of
up-and-coming Republican donors and, with his work to bring the party's message
Latinos, bridging its widening gap with the demographic that stands to be
pivotal to its future electoral prospects.

"If George P. ever runs, you better believe he will be a Republican that carries
the Hispanic vote," says his friend Ana Navarro, a Republican consultant in
Florida who is close to Jeb Bush. "He gets inclusiveness and the big-tent
thing."

Navarro calls Bush "the real deal and a complete package -- has intellect,
personality, good looks, business experience, military service, is bilingual and
half Hispanic, and the family connections don't hurt."

Having been an up-and-coming political scion practically his whole life, Bush
seems to finally be on the brink of stepping into his destiny, and if this is
bad news for opponents of dynastic politics, it is music to the ears of
Bushworld.

"A lot of his dad's friends would love to see him run for office," Navarro said.
"I hope he gets around to it soon, so we're not all too old and tired to help on
one of his campaigns."