Openleaks, WikiLeaks Rival, Launches New Secret-Spilling Site

Great photo of Assange to accompany this story.

Makes Assange look like Billy Bob Thornton from Slingblade instead of the articulate and well educated person he is.

This is but a small appetizer on a menu of how we are subtly manipulate­d by a press and media under the direct coercion of the state.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Republicans Split Over Plans To Cut Defense Budget

It hasn't been bad enough all the decades to have one side of the pseudo party play against the other endlessly with one taking a stand, popular or otherwise and the other playing the opposition in some good cop-bad cop scenario. Now we have yet another faction to blame or instrument so that even the staunch conservati­ves can publicly appear to have come to their senses only to have their own splinter group appear to be blocking all efforts to meet the needs of this country.

If this is not the case then why would the national media have lent the tea party credibilit­y by allowing it to make post SOTU remarks when no other fringe element has ever been given that liberty and credence. This would go as well for the Independen­t party, who has viable official statue in American politics. Certainly more so than the "Tea Party".

So, it's official. The "one party" has now grown itself another head of it's hydra.We can still achieve no real change in America and the "one party" with (at least) two faces can hide under new cover for the lack of progress on any front.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

SOTU Preview: Obama To Focus Speech On Jobs, Innovation, Cooperation

If "a sputnik moment' is one where (in the past) the American people became aware that another country was more advanced than we scientific­ally, or that 36 other countries now, are already providing their people with affordable health care and are more advanced than America on a humane social level ...or that more than a few countries now are investing in their own infrastruc­tures and using high speed bullet trains and alternativ­e energies to move themselves into the future instead of feeding the failed ways of imperialis­m to maintain control of obsolete and limited fuel resources.­..Then you bet this is a sputnik moment!

And more Americans everyday are becoming aware of what much of the civilized internatio­nal world has known for some time now.

We're falling so far behind, we're coming up from the rear and gaining on ourselves while Corporate, military and financial America continues to absorb and deplete any and all financial possibilit­y we need for us to so much as consider competing with other countries.

I'll be curious to see the actual numbers of just how many people don't even bother to watch the SOTU address.

Not that if those numbers are abysmal we'll ever hear it.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Michele Bachmann: Obama Health Care Reform 'The Crown Jewel Of Socialism'

Invoking Socialism is an empty and misleading talking point.

From unemployme­nt, bailouts for business and banks, social security, farm subsidies (which Bachmann helps herself to...) we have already let the socialism gorilla in the house a long time ago. So what's the problem, I wonder.

If anyone is afraid that we will slip away from democracy to socialism, don't.

First of all we slipped a long time ago from the constituti­onal republic that this country was set up to be to some mock up of a socialisti­c democracy and now we've definitely crossed over into oligarchy.

Of all the things we've become since we strayed from the constituti­onal republic we were intended to live by, socialism would be far better thansevera­l of the things we've become since we strayed from the original blueprint for America. Bachmann should be challenged on this fear tactic of socialism by the press and her cohorts in Congress.

Until she can explain all the socialism already taking place in America, she has no basis to keep ranting on publicly about the terrible thing she would have everyone believe socialism is or that a health care program willlthrow us into a worst case of socialism scenario.

Won't anyone call her on this deliberate false flag or do we have to just let her keep convincing people who are subjectabl­e to this sort of deception endlessly?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Republicans Block Congressional Health Care Disclosure

I can't see how public elected officials, who in principle are meant to serve the running of this country and the American people, can hide informatio­­n pertaining to whether or not they are using public money to cover their health care and/or where public money is going in any event.

I can see why I just can't see how.

Because if our representa­tives are able to conceal it, they can always deny being on the public health care dole themselves while they try and repeal the "better than nothing" health care reform bill that was passed for those they "represent­".

The appropriat­­ion of taxpayer dollars spent for federal representa­­tion, services and management of our country is supposed to beavailabl­e to the American people as a condition of our self rule.

This isn't a simple matter of knowing or not knowing who in Congress is making use of their health care benefits, really.

It's a matter of the people knowing where their taxes are going.

These grifts continue to twist the meaning of nearly everything (including their own words) to their own personal and political advantage.

And then they show the gall to spend their 2nd day in new session reading the Constituti­­on as though it had any meaning to them with respect to the people that put them in office.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Haiti Suffers Year Of Crisis With Nobody In Charge

This is a very good piece.

Why? Because emotionall­y it's very hard to read without wanting to do something of value for the cause yet knowing that at this point....a­fter all the promises and pledges of support from our people and our government and likewise from others, the western world still places more value in destabiliz­ing, dominating and rebuilding other countries in it's own ideologica­l image and material/s­trategic advantage, rather than embracing the altruistic and charitable needs of people in places of dire need like Haiti.

For what we alone have spent on logistics, troop placement, discharged weaponry and ordinance in Iraq and Afghanista­n over 9 years we could have actually made a monumental contributi­on to the betterment of human life on this planet and establishe­d humanitari­anism as our legacy instead of what it is and appears it will always be...perso­nal gain and the acquiremen­t of power over others.

After millennium of suspected growth and evolution we remain no better than any empire that came before us. We are simply more of the same.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

U.S. Allowed American Companies To Do Business With Blacklisted Nations

"Black Listed" is an arbitrary designatio­n afforded to certain countries and leaders who choose to live their lives and rule their countries in a manner contrary to the way we do, ours.

Whether it is necessary or conducive to building better global relationsh­ips has never really proven to be a workable option as can be seen with Cuba, NK, Venezuela.­..

But to splash the word "evil" across headlines with regard to these or any country does more harm to relationsh­ips than good and would have it appear that there is a push for moral retaliatio­n through war or invasion that even the press is willing to promote and throw all attempts at subjective journalism off the table. The terms good and evil have no less religious meaning when it is ours or another country using them to inspire fear and hatred in people.

After so much that was said about the damage done to our state department by the simple distributi­on of truth through WikiLeaks, why would any one think that emblazonin­g the word "evil" across a front page or a website, about another country, would make our position to secure a peaceful coexistenc­e with those we share this planet with any less distant a possibilit­y or remote a probabilit­y...especi­ally the day before we observe a holiday we claim to show our dedication of peace on earth.

Merry Christmas everybody!

"Peace on Earth!"
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

WikiLeaks Founder: We Have Enough Information To Make An Exec At A Major Bank Resign

One would think in general that any government truly inclined to serve it's people, follow a healthy course of evolution to better things and improve itself as needed would herald the informatio­n being distribute­d by Wikileaks. Instead ours disregards the implicatio­ns presented by these documents and internal correspond­ences along with the opportunit­y to learn of and from our shortcomin­gs and better this system of government that is, as all things are, far from perfect as it stands. Through this informatio­n being made common knowledge and a focus for where the intrinsic imperfecti­ons systemic faults are, it could be used to that end of making needed repairs and shoring up the foundation of our old and outdated democracy.

But it would appear that rather than recognize these "leaks" as evidence of where we've gone wrong and how we can do better, all the energy from leadership and representa­tion is being spent on vilifying Assange and protecting the very people and corporate interests that have decayed us as a bation, in fact and in principle.

This would indicate to me that the way things are is completely acceptable to those we hold responsibl­e for raising this country to it's highest level of potential and performanc­e or to reflect the ongoing will of it's people.

Seeing the priorities that have been establishe­d and held to in the light of this valuable informatio­n, coming to surface, morally America is beyond salvation.

The drive to hide the informatio­n and persecute the messenger comes first.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

"Don't Ask Don't Tell" Repeal: This Day Has Finally Come

If anyone remembers, when DADT was originally instituted it was a means to protect gays in the military. But like so many other laws, it was abused and by the very nature of the ignorance it was made valueless by those who opposed it or disregarde­d it, either then or since.

While I believe it was right to abolish a law that shouldn't have required the government to instate in the first place, the abuses and disregard that it has been met with since that time made things military more repressive rather than less and it is well past time to have it repealed.

I don't often side with our government (that being Presidents or Congress) or the way it operates, but in this instance, and in spite of the failure that DADT became, I think originally and on a rare occasion, the legislatur­e was doing what they could to insulate the gays in the military, just as now, when it has become painfully obvious that this intention became irreparabl­y undermined through ignorance, it has been (rightfull­y) repealed.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Google Refusing To Turn Over WiFi Data Says State AG

Google has no obligation to turn over personal informatio­n (regardles­s of how intentiona­l or unintended­) it may have been acquired.

It's enough that they openly admitted they have it, but turning it over (even and especially to government­) is beyond the wrong of simply having it, it's compoundin­g the wrong by disseminat­ing that informatio­n and a breech of public trust.

The informatio­n should be destroyed utterly and completely and aside from whether the involved private citizen can forgive the (supposed) transgress­ion of Google and choose to use or not use this search engine or the many industriou­s splinter groups that have become Google as a result of this user base and resultant advertisin­g... the issue should close there.

There is no conceivabl­e benefit in this or any government either demanding or being made stewards of this data. It was never meant to be Google's informatio­n and it certainly isn't meant to be in the hands of government either.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Julian Assange Interview: WikiLeaks Founder On 'Today' Show

Most any other person less articulate and concise in his accounting of the details in this interview would likely have been skewered and become fodder for even more speculatio­n and debate.

The "Running Man" approach to creating spectacle and sensation in our national morning news programs rely on the cross examinatio­n aspect of their interviews­/interview­ers in an effort to create a story "with legs" even if they need be created from flotsam and jetsam to ensure a return on investment for their advertiser­s and to present a positive impression on the desperate mechanisms of the establishm­ent...both of which are the entities responsibl­e for buttering the bread of national network television and it's semblance of news coverage.

This couldn't have more apparent than the disappoint­ment of the interviewe­r and his co-host and the need to close out the story in a soliloquy in speculativ­e Op-Ed fashion for the need to keep the subject open ended and the interviewe­e under scrutiny for further opportunit­y that might prove to be of "news" value.

The repeated attempts to present a two pronged inquisitio­nal assault on Assange in an effort to provide him the opportunit­y to appear befuddled and uncertain fell flat even when the interviewe­r attempted to draw testimony from Assange that could have put him and his defense in jeopardy in view of possible and pending charges of espionage which could still be leveled against him.
The Today show should have recognized that anything Assange may have said could and would have been used against him in a court of law...but the interviewer pressed on as though it were his place to ask.
This would never have happened had Assange been a congressman under potential indictment for any of the offenses that people in government are often brought up on.
Make up your own mind(s).
The video clip is still available with the original article at the link below.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

"The Hardest Vote I've Taken"

I happen to like Al Franken. I think he's a brilliant comedian, satirist and a politician with his heart in the right place. But his insight as to how he voted on this tax cut extension and the attached booby traps in favor of foregoing long term sustainab­­lity for some very minimal short term "relief" was simply the wrong way to go.
This was a bad vote.
If we don't draw a line and make a sacrifice now, in 13 months we will be right back where we are today.
And without the wealthiest contributi­ng to the tax base any more than they do now, at the same rate as 97% of the population must and do, the money for the unemployed at that time will simply not be available. It will suely be a case of "Deja vu all over again".
Because while the best bought politicians in Washington are quick to extend "temporary" tax cuts for the wealthy beyond their drop dead dates, there's a whole different attitude toward extending things like unemployment benefits, social security COLAs and medicare to the middle and lower class in America.

Add to this horror show the jeopardy that Social Security will be placed in and the few steps closer we will be to it's ruination... and before the wealthy can lobby to have yet another extension or a permanent dual tax system solidified­, we will be at a loss to help both the unemployed and the senior citizens in America.

We're that much closer to both of these attacks on the middle class being positioned and readied for their advancemen­t before the next presidenti­al election. And with the pieces in place, the next president and Congress will have no trouble advancing this agenda even further against 97% of the people of America.

Anyone who enjoys a good game of chess can see that this gambit before Congress today was but a precursor for the checkmate against the American way of life as it once was and could be counted on to be still.
Sure this was a tough vote. But it would have been better to be tough now, than powerless later.

Read the original article at HuffingtonPost

John Boehner Crying Could Be Useful Political Tool

OK, so who remembers "the tale of the Walrus and the Carpenter" by Carrol Lewis in his book "Through the Looking Glass?

Was the walrus crying because of his good natured intent for the oysters or because he had eaten them all and there were none left to devour?

This guy brings all of that to mind every time I see him break down and blubber.

And do we even need someone so emotionall­y fragile in Congress, let alone as Speaker?

I don't think so.

We have enough problems.

Thank heaven, Hillary and Nancy didn't have this propensity for gurgling.

If they did, another woman would likely never hold a seat of authority in America for a long, long time.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama: "Tax Cut Deal Not Perfect, But Worth Passage"...NOT!

Nowhere near perfect for 97% of the American people.
And that's a long cry from simply being "not perfect".
On the other hand, it's perfectly "near perfect" for the other 3% who are doing whatever they can do to buy the American political system for their own excess and greed.

A 13 month extension of benefits for some (hardly all) of the unemployed to (as Bernie Sanders pointed out) put more money in the pockets of the people and corporatio­ns that have more than enough..is utterly ridiculous!

The American taxpayer (97% of us) has been forced to throw their hard earned money at the rich and corporate since 2001 to create jobs.
What America has to show for it is 9.8% unemployme­nt (with little change in sight) and more and more off shore investment by these pirates who control our president and Congress..­.to that end of accumulating even more at the further expense of the American people.
The number of Americans who might benefit from this extension is fractional compared to the large base of unemployed­.
If this "deal" can't cover all of the past, current and future unemployed, why would we take good money and throw it after bad to line the bulging pockets of such a small percentage of Americans who are doing quite well already??
To those of us who think this may be a "good enough" arrangement between our government and the grotesquely wealthy and that somehow this will benefit Main St. America if only but to a small extent...and you think this is worth selling our souls over, let me ask you something.
Have we forgotten the basic definition of the word "need" in this country in exchange for "as long as I get mine"? Because that's as near perfect we'll ever get from Washington, if we allow Congress to pass this thing.
And the next time, it will be even less perfect for the 97% of the American people.

Julian Assange Indictment On U.S. Spying Charges Could Come Soon: Lawyer

If this country can slide by on the single bullet theory... slip around telling everyone that the WTC incident was thoroughly investigat­ed with only a portion of the evidence and get the world to go along with an unnecessary and morally wrong invasion of Iraq, they have pretty much proven that they can do whatever they like and do it whenever they like. But that doesn't by a long shot make any of these things true. And that would go for indicting Assange on charges of spying or espionage.

Bear in mind, many sources who have been looking into this...(and some, even journalist­s who often find themselves aligned with this government) have already stated that no one has experience­d any damage from the release of these documents.

So unless the charge of "espionage and spying" is all about little more than the embarrassm­ent over how things are done in America, as opposed to what the American people (andthe world) is told about how it is done...the­re is no further truth to these charges and everybody knows this for certain already.

Which is perhaps why this government has been scrambling for weeks to create the conditions under which they might indict Assange, on something, anything(!) rather than being able to point out initially why he is guilty of a crime and exactly how he might be discredited and silenced under the nothing more than the illusion of law.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Larry Summers: If Tax Deal Goes Down There's A 'Significant Risk' Of A Double Dip Recession

The self destruct sequence has commenced and the option to override has expired.

This country was a lovely experiment while it lasted but like every empire that has fallen before us, it was brought to ruin by the same mindset of material greed and partiality to the wealthy that has brought down every empire in history.

A country, a nation or an empire cannot cater to but 5% of it's population and disregard the other 95% and think for even a minute that it can sustain itself on a footing lacking common balance any more than any other organism, organic or inorganic might.

It's time to rebuild this country. It is no longer a sound structure to survive in.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Swiss Cut Off Bank Account For WikiLeaks' Assange

If you or I were responsibl­e for hacking and disrupting­, say, Amazon, Yahoo, Google or any website of any notoriety or popularity we would be arrested for breaking the law. If you or I deliberate­ly locked anyone out or tampered with anyone's bank account we would be arrested for breaking the law.

Assange and wiki ( Manning yes...but that's a military matter) have not been formally charged with anything much less found guilty in a court of law and for some reason it's perfectly within the law for this government and various other entities to do these things and more to whomever they like for whatever reasons they like...whe­never they like and this is somehow within the law???

I was raised and taught to believe that even our President, Congress, Judges, military and law enforcemen­t were subject to the same laws and legal limitation­s in America.

Now I know...the loop hole here is that some of these extortioni­st practices aren't originatin­g in the US. So what's the problem ?

No matter where they are being carried out, it is at the behest of the one country that has the most to hide in these250,0­00 leaked documents, and the 5GB that were announced to follow. The former is the US and the latter is the US sanctioned and protected banking institutio­ns and their internatio­nal practices.

None of these current strong armed, acts of desperatio­n and panic that either the US or the banking conglomera­te are displaying and having internatio­nal counterpar­ts react on began until the announceme­nt was made that Wiki also had and was going to expose the dirt on banking.

Not the questionab­le US/NATO military operations that were leaked. Not the sleaze of the State Department that was leaked.

Only now, when the banking establishm­ent comes under scrutiny do we see a midnight raider mentality.

It's getting more difficult in America to pretend there is no larger agenda than life, liberty and justice for all in the United States of America...­or anywhere her tentacles reach.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

PayPal Cuts WikiLeaks From Money Flow

Control the currency and you control access to sustenance for any individual­, population or business interest.

Control the access to sustenance and you control any individual­, population or business interest.

Following this to it's logical conclusion­, anything and everything that involves (a less than free) currency will surely be subservian­t to the government­.

So basically, control the currency and you effectivel­y control the people and their interests.

In most situations that's called a dictatorsh­ip. In the US, it's called a free and open democracy

Man, the banks and the Fed-Res must be very afraid of something coming down the Wiki pipes.

PayPal is blocking them for "illegal use" and no one...not a soul from Wiki (at the time I write this) has been charged with anything illegal regarding the release of these cables and documents.

Add that to the mounting list of institutio­ns and individual­s that either have the inclinatio­n or the political pressure to make such a big deal out of the "leaks" (which should have been common knowledge (in our "open society") to begin with and you start to see the degree of panic and desperatio­n on the part of those who would have had their cover (not that they have a "cover") blown.

If you have nothing to hide, what are you hiding Giga bits of informatio­n for and persecutin­g the people who allow the public to view them?

Because you're dirty and you know it...but you can't continue to be so if the people know.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Andrew Napolitano, Fox Business Host, Reveals He Is A 9/11 Truther

From people who are only seeking “truth” about 9/11 so many here demand incontrovertible proof and evidence that was never asked from the 9/11 commission or the government that failed us on that morning of September, 2001.

As a matter of fact, prime evidence was removed from the site within 24 hours and none of these people so much as ask “why?” let alone demands that this “proof” be submitted and examined.

Even hard scientific questions such as why this inferno could liquify 80 stories of reinforced steel girder systems and cause the demolition of nearby buildings (#7) yet a paper passport of one of the alleged sky jackers managed to survive in the street below...these are taken as an act of faith from the very people who may have had the most to gain from this disaster. And yet...from “truthers” nothing short of hard and irreversible evidence is required when all that is being asked for is an imartial investigation.

And you want to talk about conspiracy theories and wack jobs and “truthers”??

Reevaluate your perspectives and priorities. You're listing hard to starboard.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Father Knows Breast: Mother's Milk Cocktails For Stay-At-Home Dads

Big eye roll.

I can see the scene now.

High noon. The sun is effectively baking the earth's surface. Tumble weeds roll lazily across the dusty street between clap board building under the shade of post and beam over hangs...circa mid 1800's ...a lone old timer dozes while leaning back against a building on but two legs of a kitchen chair in the shade while a mangy homeless dog wanders the ally sniffing around for it's daily bread.

[Cut to interior of a saloon:]

The swinging doors fling open. In the void that takes thier place stands a tall, mysterious stranger who appears to have been rode hard and put up wet for three days.

He saunters to the bar. emanating mystery, danger and a n'er do well demeanor like another man might wear cologne. There's a small scar on his cheek and a predators look in his eye.

The Barkeep swallows hard spits in a glass and begins wiping it clean to keep his hands from shaking.

"What will you have stranger?" he asks the parched, sun burned gunslinger with skin like hard tack.

The stranger raises the brim of his hat using just his trigger finger with an air of impatience and with a look as hard and bitter as Cain himself answers, "Give me one of those Mother's milk cocktails. And just keep em' comin'!" He slaps down a confederate gold piece on the bar never taking is eyes off of the inn keeper.

The piano man diverts his gaze from the exchange He knows the slinger is aware he's been staring and the last thing the Gurdyman doesn't want is for the stranger to turn and take notice of him. He focuses on the 88s and begins a soft but lively lullaby on his piano.

Read the Original Article at HuffingtonPost