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January 7th, 2009:

A Second Look at The Bush Legacy Propaganda

Jan 7th, 2009
by Tom.
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The Progress Report wrote:

The Bush Legacy Propaganda


From: The Progress Report [progress@americanprogressaction.org]

Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 9:25 AM

Subject: The Bush Legacy Propaganda

ADMINISTRATION

The Bush Legacy Propaganda

President Bush repeatedly argues that neither he nor his contemporaries are yet able to fully assess his legacy. Rather, he and his advisers say — again and again and again — that “history will judge” whether he was an effective president. Despite this oft-repeated claim, the President seems disinclined to leave any of his legacy to chance. In recent weeks, he and his advisers have offered assessments of the Bush era that are increasingly at odds with reality. Condoleezza Rice, for example, argued that Bush engaged the United Nations more than any other president. And just yesterday, Bush told a crowd that Donald Rumsfeld did an “outstanding job” as Secretary of Defense. In a similar vein, the White House recently released a report entitled, “Highlights of Accomplishments and Results of the Administration of George W. Bush” that featured a list of “100 Things Americans May Not Know About the Bush Administration Record.” As Frank Rich wrote for the New York Times, “This document is the literary correlative to ‘Mission Accomplished.’” As Rich notes, much of the legacy report’s claims about the Bush administration’s economic, social, and international accomplishments are only true under very narrow conditions, suggesting that the President hopes that Americans would blind themselves to the broader failures of his presidency.

The entire eight year reign of George W. Bush has been a lie, so why stop now. If someone, like a preacher for example, has to preach to me every Sunday to convince me of what is right, then I have to throw up a flag or two to tell me to watch out, someone is lying.

Likewise, if a politician has to preach to me over and over that something is so, then he is trying to sell a lie. As Katie Couric said in her now famous interview with Sarah Palin, “not to belabor the point” but I’ve really got to ask the question one more time.

Republican neo-conservatism has failed. Republicanism has beed given the pink slip. Elections have consequenses. The right-wing, neo-nutjob, trickle-down, breaks-for-billionairs, bad governance, turn-the-back-to-crime, philosophy of government is DEAD, DEAD, DEAD! So why is anyone listening to them?

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A Second Look at Gaza Talks In Cairo Thursday UPDATES, VIDEO

Jan 7th, 2009
by Tom.
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via Gaza Talks In Cairo Thursday UPDATES, VIDEO.

Scroll down for video, photos

CHEERS!!!!

UPDATE: 1/7 5:30 pm

Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority will meet Thursday to negotiate a cease-fire plan, reports the AP.

UNITED NATIONS — Egypt’s U.N. ambassador says representatives of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have agreed to meet Thursday for talks in Cairo on the Gaza crisis.

Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz says all the parties agreed to send technical delegations to discuss an Egyptian-French initiative to end the fighting in Gaza.

Details of the plan aren’t clear, but the initiative calls for a limited cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

UPDATE: 1/7 3 pm

Israel increased its anti-tunnel operation on Wednesday night and captured 120 suspected Hamas fighters, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Tunnel openings are frequently hidden inside houses and Palestinians reported that by 9 p.m., 30 homes had been destroyed. According to Channel 10, the army said that anti-tunnel operations would continue through the night.

Finally some adult supervision. But France and Egypt? It figures that the US, still under Bush, would want war to continue. It makes me want to puke. I don’t care who’s leading the talks, just so they are happening.

Watch this video. Warning, there’s some blood.


Watch CBS Videos Online

The AP reports that last year’s US-funded plan to disrupt the tunnels between Gaza and Egypt had little effect.

Yes. It goes on to speak of the huge efforts to stop the illegal smuggling of rockets from Egypt through the border tunnels. The article says that the tunnels they found in Gaza City are different tunnels than the border ones, that these are dug for the purpose of kidnapping Israeli soldiers.

They are dug by Hamas militants for military purpose.

This makes sensational news, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. I will not waiver from my position that the tunnels may have been originally designed for covert military missions, but were later put to practical use for humanitarian purposes. Our own Interstate Highway System was originally passed in Congress as part of a homeland defense act enabling our military to move from one coast/border to another with minimum delays, then used extensively for civilian needs. When you imprison people, then allow them to have shovels, well…..you’re going to have tunnels for whatever purpose.

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A Second Look at Just Foreign Policy News, January 6, 2008

Jan 7th, 2009
by Tom.
No comments yet

Just Foreign Policy wrote:

Just Foreign Policy News, January 6, 2008


From: Just Foreign Policy [info@justforeignpolicy.org]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 3:28 PM
Subject: Just Foreign Policy News, January 6, 2008
The US is trying to persuade countries in the Middle East to back a cease-fire based on three pillars: an end to the rocket attacks; an arrangement to open border crossings into Gaza; and a plan to deal with a network of tunnels, the New York Times reports. Diplomats involved in the talks said the US had so far been reluctant to accept any cease-fire resolution. “The Americans don’t seem to have a sense of urgency,” said one Arab ambassador.

Tunnels? Now why on earth would these unruly wild Indians want to tunnel their way off the reservation? Can’t get out the gate?

Necessity. Nice word. It’s one of those words that can make the difference between life and death like “It became a necessity to operate on the child.” Or it is a word that could help justify just about any act committed like “Your honor, this act was a necessity. Please have mercy!”

Necessity. I like it. It is the mother of invention. Tunnels? Now you know why the Palestinians in Gaza need those stinking tunnels. Prisoners of war need tunnels. Prisoners in prisons dig it, too. Can you dig it? They are necessary.

“The Americans don’t seem to have a sense of urgency,” said one Arab ambassador. Of course not. Why should Bush have a sense of urgency? The voters fired the Republicans. They are out. They failed. But Bush has a secret Jihad. He wants the world to end like he thinks his right wing friends say is Bible prophesy. He doesn’t have first hand knowledge, though. He doesn’t read that fairy tale, although he wants his evangelical friends to think so. What a fake! He wants to drag his feet because his real supporters who are on this secret Jihad with him are none other than the arms dealers and gun manufacturers, and the oil men.

Oh yes, I went there. It’s all about control. Who cares if the US goes green? He still wants to control the oil. Oil is power. If every car in the US had been electric in 2003, he still would have invaded Iraq. Control. Secret Jihad.

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