D.C. Buzzsaw Is Not A Rock Band

Candidate Obama made strong statements about his plans to get busy with some needed changes if he was elected to the Office of President:

During the campaign, Barack Obama invoked the words of Martin Luther King Jr. in calling for transformational change. "I am running because of what Dr. King called 'the fierce urgency of now,' " Obama said in South Carolina on Nov. 3, 2007. "I am running because I do believe there's such a thing as being too late. And that hour is almost here." ...

His critics have a point. His challenge to the status quo may be causing too many powerful forces to line up against him, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, members of the medical establishment, the conservative power structure in Washington, and Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts in the punditocracy of the right. If Obama fails to overcome them, his credibility could be shattered, and his dreams of change could evaporate.

(I Have Net). A recent post here asked how good of a president can he be, and pointed out change is not a one branch function.

It takes all branches of government to agree, and then business to implement some of these changes, then the people going for it.

An example is climate change. There may be consensus that climate change is a real issue, but how to fix those problems is not as easy an issue to develop consensus on:

Hours after the House passed landmark legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions and create an energy-efficient economy, President Barack Obama on Saturday urged senators to show courage and follow suit.
...

"We passed transformational legislation, which will take us into the future," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after the 219-212 vote.

"For some it was a very difficult vote because the entrenched agents of the status quo were out there full force, jamming the lines in their districts and here, and they withstood that," Pelosi said.
...

The "razor-thin vote in the House spells doom in the Senate," said Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the top Republican on the Senate's environment panel.

(MSNBC). Even if it passes then it must be found constitutional by the courts, and then used effectively by business and the people.

A president can be stopped or slowed down by the D.C. buzzsaw from what that president really wanted, and Obama is no exception.

The Surge Of Neocon Mythology

The mantra of the neoCon republicans has been that America was and is made safer by their wars, torture, and economic prowess.

Their efforts led, among other things, to Senator Ted Kennedy being put on the terrorism no fly list, and for sure he could not get a pilots license after that or get on board an airliner.

However terrorists can keep their pilot's license:

At least six men suspected or convicted of crimes that threaten national security retained their federal aviation licenses, despite antiterrorism laws written after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that required license revocation. Among them was a Libyan sentenced to 27 years in prison by a Scottish court for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.

(NY Times). What is all this letting foreigners take over our ports, military factories, but call elderly Senators terrorists?

Rush Limbaugh is surging ahead, saying Governor Sanford was driven to adultery by democrats. What is next, the Iraq war was not for oil?

There is a surge in fantasy reasons for wars and torture, fantasy reasons to put Ted Kennedy on the no-fly-list, fantasy reasons for not revoking terrorists pilot licenses, and so on.

Is somebody a sicko in the heezy land?

Joe The Plumber says Senator Dodd should be hanged.

The right wing is the place for inciting hatred these daze.

Power Toxins Limited To Government?

This post was moved to the Toxins Of Power blog.

Survival In A Trailer Park In Space?

This post has been moved to the Ecocosmology blog.

Neocon Ahmadinejad Fools Progressives

The Iranian election debacle has blown the clothes off some in the election integrity movement who fancy themselves as progressives, but whose political analysis capacity is actually now naked in the face of reality.

They continue to say Ahmadinejad is the good guy, the protesters are the bad guys, and the U.S. is behind the bad guys, so election results be damned.

In other words they are parroting the dictators of Iran, and harming the cause of the demonstrators in Iran who want fair and open elections.

Like the Iranian dictators, they compare Obama to Bush II, and then conclude that Obama and Bush II are the same.

This perplexing phenomenon has been cropping up since the women for choice left Clinton for McCain, who is not for choice, in the last election.

It is the result of cognition that goes awry based upon irrelevant notions; majoring in the minors; and one trick pony polemics.

In short, it is unstable.

Crazy Scientists Say World Will End?

Willie Geist on Mourning Joe (MSNBC) today reminded everyone of "the crazy guy" on the street outside the subway tunnel who says the world is going to end.

However, Willie improvidently compared his crazy subway guy to the North Korean dictator who is delusionally threatening to destroy the U.S. with things he does not have.

Once again Willie is being the media that confuses and contorts issues it does not understand, acting the fool in so doing.

Willie does not mention whether or not his crazy guy by the subway saying the world will end is a Bible thumper or a science book thumper.

So, we can only know that Willie is adverse to the idea of the world coming to an end, and wants to avoid the issue by calling those who raise it "crazy".

But I wish I at least knew if Willie's fear was directed toward the religious version or the scientific version of the truth.

Essentially, however, Willie's crazy guys whether thumping the Bible or a science book say the same thing in terms of results; however, the reason the earth is certain to be destroyed in the future is different when it comes from Bible thumpers, who say it is because of someone else's sins; and the science book thumpers, who say that is just the way the solar system is (good people, bad people, all people are the targets regardless of any notion of sin).

Willie, take heed, the mature approach to this is Ecocosmology, because the important issue is how we find a new home world, when we begin that process, and how to include everyone in the process of a mature reaction to the reality.

I just hope that global climate change and solar flare incursions do not become used by those who scare the willies out of Willie, so that he hides from those realities too.

That is life at Mourning Joe, the washing machine for tired and worn out republican dogma, which Joe is trying to get started running again, after the rhetoric fuses blew in the past two elections.

Joe, take heed, it is the clothing dogma of the neoCons that you need to put in the trash; don't try to wash them, it will not work, it will ruin the washing machine.

And Willie, take a lesson from the Hobbits from Hobbiton.

Neocon Election Fantasies

Have you heard the neoCon fantasy about "the fraud of 1960, where the Dems stole Illinois and the election for JFK"?

Someone who was born in Illinois, and who still lives in that state said:

"I'm really tired of hearing this one. The final electoral vote count was 303-219. Illinois had 27 electoral votes at that time. Had they been handed to Nixon, he still would have been short. Remember, Kennedy was a pro-union Catholic and Chicago, the major population center, was heavily made up of pro-union Catholics. What a surprise that Kennedy carried Cook County!"

An excerpt of an account of the 1960 election says:

"With Nixon distancing himself from the effort, the Cook County state's attorney, Benjamin Adamowski, stepped forward to lead the challenge. A Daley antagonist and potential rival for the mayoralty, Adamowski had lost his job to a Democrat by 25,000 votes. The closeness of his defeat entitled him to a recount, which began Nov. 29.

Completed Dec. 9, the recount of 863 precincts showed that the original tally had undercounted Nixon's (and Adamowski's) votes, but only by 943, far from the 4,500 needed to alter the results. In fact, in 40 percent of the rechecked precincts, Nixon's vote was overcounted. Displeased, the Republicans took the case to federal court, only to have a judge dismiss the suits. Still undeterred, they turned to the State Board of Elections, which was composed of four Republicans, including the governor, and one Democrat. Yet the state board, too, unanimously rejected the petition, citing the GOP's failure to provide even a single affidavit on its behalf."

(Slate). Yet if you browse through the right wing blogosphere you will find that story perpetuated ad nauseum.

I predicted on 5/9/08 that McCain would lose 55-45 in the 2008 election, before there was a democratic candidate (it was only known to be either Clinton or Obama).

My prediction was fairly close to the actual results, and certainly closer than neoCon fantasy pundits (Morning Joe & Pat Buchanan) who were saying it was going to be 50-50 and too close to call.

Fake Progressives May Plunger This Out

This post has been moved to make room for next year.

President OK's Military Factory Sale

Yes, a sale of ports and military factories to the government of Dubai.

Do you remember that Dubai was the only nation to publicly support the Taliban prior to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan?

Do you remember when Bush II wanted to let that same foreign nation own factories that make things for Pentagon usage?

Do you remember that this happened after he outraged the country by wanting to let them take over some of our ports?

The outrage cancelled the deals as far as we know:

Hoping to avert the sort of controversy that erupted over another Dubai state-owned company's plan to acquire operations at U.S. ports, Bush signed off on the deal late Friday after getting company assurances that the military supply chain would not be broken, the White House said.

(NY Times). Think about it for a moment and ask yourself what would the nation think if President Obama did that?

Documents are showing up that also reveal more about relationships between Saudi Arabia and those who are in enmity with the U.S., including al-Qaeda.

Another Innocent Person At GITMO

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon has chided the government for telling tall tales that do not pass the smell test:

On Monday, a federal judge ordered Rassak released, chastising the government for claiming he was still part of the same terror network that tortured, imprisoned and abandoned him.

(CBN News). We had an earlier post on another innocent GITMO detainee who was released to France, after winning in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The neoCons, in their Strauss fashion, have been saying these people hate America and killed thousands of Americans so that is why we put them in prison and tortured them.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Everybody's Got To Serve Somebody

I received this email from the White House:

Dear Friend,

Last week, I announced United We Serve – a nationwide call to service challenging you and all Americans to volunteer this summer and be part of building a new foundation for America.

And when I say “all,” I mean everyone – young and old, from every background, all across the country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort.

Today, for the official kick off of United We Serve, members of my administration have fanned out across America to participate in service events and encourage all Americans to join them.

The First Lady is rolling up her sleeves and getting to work too. But before she headed out today, she asked me to share this message with you.

A Message From The First Lady

Our nation faces some of the greatest challenges it has in generations and we know it’s going to take a lot of hard work to get us back on track.

While Michelle and I are calling on every American to participate in United We Serve, the call to service doesn’t end this fall. We need to stay involved in our towns and communities for a long time to come. After all, America’s new foundation will be built one neighborhood at a time – and that starts with you.

Thank you,
President Barack Obama

(June 22 email). This is a good approach for any nation at any time. A sense of service to others. It is the fundamental essence of survival in this solar system.

And remember that not serving the greater good is serving the greater ill.

UPDATE: This service needs to begin with the well off and rich. The poor and middle class have lost too much at the hands of the plunder barons.

9/11 Conspiracy Theorists Take A Hit - 2

According to documents in The Department of Transportation, Freedom of Information Act Appeal Reference Number 2009-0024, dated June 12, 2009, the aircraft that were reported to have hit the Twin Towers in New York City, and the one that crashed in Pennsylvania, had not flown any in the months before 9/11 during the year 2001.

The last time they had flown was in December of 2000. What was wrong with them, if anything?

The aircraft which was said to hit the Pentagon has no records of any flights in 2000 or 2001.

All flights must be recorded, and details about every flight every aircraft makes is to be reported each month to the DOT according to aviation law.

Evidently a man named Aidan Monaghan did a Freedom of Information Request to get each month's flight information for each 9/11 aircraft for each flight prior to 9/11.

He was sent a spreadsheet that reflects the information above, showing no flights in 2001 (prior to 9/11 I presume) for any of the aircraft involved.

The Airline Handbook, Chapter 4, on airline economics, points out that an aircraft flies segments like links in a chain:

Whatever arrangements an airline chooses to pursue, its capital needs require consistent profitability. Because airlines own large fleets of expensive aircraft that depreciate in value over time ... Contrary to popular myth, airlines do not cancel flights because they have too few passengers for the flight. The nature of scheduled service is such that aircraft move throughout an airline’s system during the course of each day. A flight cancellation at one airport, therefore, means the airline will be short an aircraft someplace else later in the day, and another flight will have to be canceled, rippling costs and foregone revenue across the network ... Selecting the right aircraft for the markets an airline wants to serve is vitally important to its financial success. As a result, the selection and purchase of new aircraft is usually directed by an airline’s top officials, although it involves personnel from many other divisions such as maintenance and engineering, finance, marketing and flight operations ...

(Airline Handbook). Airlines need to have all their fleet that is in good condition working and producing cash flow. The margins are too close to get loose and inefficient and let a plane sit idle. They do not take aircraft off-line for nine months just to give them a rest.

There are substantial questions in this case where multiple airlines had aircraft off-line for months, then all of a sudden on the same day brought them back on-line, and all of them were suddenly lost with all aboard.

In several Dredd Blog posts, here, we explain that the official conspiracy theorists acknowledge some holes in their story which they attribute to government officials lying to them.

Who lied and what they lied about is what all of the controversy is founded upon.

UPDATE: Evidently this has caused a stir, and there is a frantic effort to find the missing flight information for these aircraft.

It would be nice to know what these aircraft were doing during 2001 wouldn't it?

Maybe the missing records will show up and end up explaining everything.

When that is completed I will update this post again.

UPDATE 2: On a similar note, professional pilots requested and received, via a FOIA request, the purported flight data from 9/11 American Airlines Flight 77 which was said to have crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.

Professional pilots have concluded that the NTSB has not given them the flight data from a civilian aircraft "Flight 77", but flight data more likely from a military aircraft.

Holt Bill Is A Change In Direction

The "Holt Bill", concerning electronic voting and election integrity, has a long history. I wrote this on a blog in 2007:

I have been trying to figure out why some in the EI movement do not want to talk about S 559 and the real HR 811. The more I read up on it, I think their reasons are nefarious. Take a look at the Thomas page on S 559:

S.559 Title: A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a voter-verified permanent paper ballot under title III of such Act, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] (introduced 2/13/2007) Cosponsors (None) Related Bills: H.R. 811 Latest Major Action: 2/13/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

(Thomas, emphasis mine). And in like manner, look at the lead Thomas page on HR 811:

There are 2 versions of Bill Number H.R.811 for the 110th Congress 1 . Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)[H.R.811.IH] 2 . Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 (Reported in House)[H.R.811.RH]

(Thomas, emphasis mine). There are TWO VERSIONS of HR 811, not one. Thomas also says:

H.R.811 Title: To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a voter-verified permanent paper ballot under title III of such Act, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] (introduced 2/5/2007) Cosponsors (216) Related Bills: S.559 Latest Major Action: 5/16/2007 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 91. House Reports: 110-154

(Thomas, emphasis mine). Why is it so scary to include S 559 and both HR 811 RH, and HR 811 IH n what poses as comprehensive discussions? Isn't it deceptive to tell only 1/3 of a three-part story as if it was the whole story? To talk about only one chapter of a book as if it was the whole book, when there are actually three chapters? Especially when HR 811 RH is "an amendment in the nature of a replacement" to the original HR 811 IH, and if HR 811 RH is not passed, the better text in HR 811 IH will prevail? The Election Integrity movement should have high integrity if it is to be respected more than political hacks are respected.

(Dredd 2007). That Bill is still being discussed years later in a recent article in the NY Times, since the election integrity movement through infighting has contributed to inhibiting its passage. Gerrymandering is also still being ignored even though it is also a threat to election integrity. UPDATE: Brad Blog is noted for its opposition to the Holt Bill in both past and current incarnations. Some of the bloggers there disagree and think that the Holt Bill is an improvement over the status quo. The discussion over there is much improved this time.

Things Are Going Rummier & Rummier

The classic memetic disposition of Strauss influenced neoCons is to revise history.

There is a reason they need to mould history with a predisposition to have their own version of the facts, and that reason is that history is not otherwise kind to them.

Time magazine has an article about Donald Rumsfeld, who is trying to do his version of Mein Kampf these days.

His version of the facts is the same as Nixon, who he worked for as his first claim to fame, then later worked with, and was fired by, Bush II for his final claim to fame.

Richard Nixon, who has the reputation of being ruthless, said of Rummy:

"He's a ruthless little bastard. You can be sure of that."

(Wiki). When Nixon, the master of ruthless, sees someone as ruthless that says a lot.

How Good Can President Obama Be?

The military has an advertising slogan "be all you can be in the" military, without really saying how much "all" is.

Bob Dylan made this statement about Obama's potential:

"He'll be the best president he can be. Most of those guys come into office with the best of intentions and leave as beaten men."

(Telegraph). It is fiction to expect more than can be done, and it sets one up for disappointment to give in to the delusion of expecting too much.

For example, in a declining republic no person can do as much as they can in a robust booming republic; and the opposition to the goals a president has can be overwhelming.

Capacity and potential are major players in the game, so we will miscalculate if we do not take them into consideration.

This delusion of excessive expectations has led many progressives to join the neoCons in denouncing this president before he even had a chance to do the first 100 days.

With minds like that, the capacity and potential is diminished further, thus the nation is held back even further by unfair and fake progressives who talk as if they are really wannabe neoCons.

I think a telling illustration is to ask:

"Would you rather enter the presidency following the Bill Clinton years, with a big budget surplus and no unpopular wars, or enter it after Bush II with a financial disaster, two unpopular wars on your hands, and a global dislike of Americans like no time in the past?"

The potential in the two cases is vastly different, and will have a bearing on the capacity and potential a president has to work with ... and what ultimately can be accomplished.

Fathers Of The World Unite

Many fathers, me included, are happier now with the change in direction our nation is experiencing.

A change in the direction away from hard line rhetoric which upsets our nation and the world, and toward a more traditional American message and experience.

The ultimate goal of a human father is to be a leading part, along with his partner, in the smallest group in our society which we call the family.

And the ultimate goal of human society, as sentient beings, is to fulfil the expectations our planetary environment, then ultimately to fulfil the expectations of our universal environment.

One of our early fathers, both of our nation and of his children, said that our mission as citizens of the United States, and as fathers, is to resist our worst enemy, and instead to lead toward "the desire and duty of peace".

Happy Father's Day.

UPDATE FROM MICHELLE:

Happy Father's Day,

I’m writing to share a special video of Barack talking about fatherhood, but first I want to share some thoughts of my own.

My father, Frasier Robinson, was the rock of our family. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties, he was our provider, our champion and our hero.

He worked tirelessly through good days and bad to make sure my brother and I had every opportunity he didn't -- to go to college and pursue our dreams. His example continues to guide me every day.

Barack didn't have my good fortune -- his father left when he was just two years old. But he has always been determined to give our daughters what he never had, and he values being a good father more than any other accomplishment in his life.

On Friday, Barack brought some men (and a bunch of kids!) to the White House to talk about fatherhood. Check out a video of the event:

Happy Fathers Day

We all know the remarkable impact fathers can have in our children's lives. So today, on this 100th anniversary of Father's Day, take a moment to celebrate responsible fatherhood and the men who've had the courage to step up, be there for our families, and provide our children with the guidance, love and support they need to fulfill their dreams.

Thanks,
Michelle

(emailed to Dredd)