The horrendous attacks on the United States on September 11th had generated an intense debate and a search for answers not only in the US but also around the world. The resultant "Global War on Terrorism" unleashed against Afghanistan shaped new curiosity about Afghanistanand its already troubled neighbour Pakistan. Once the mainstay of United States in the Cold War Era, and the bastion for breeding, feeding and harbouring the Mujahideen movement, Pakistan's support was consequential in breaking up the formerly bipolar world and solely responsible for the orchestrated New World Order, Pakistan once again stands alongside to their former allies and rest of the world against the menace of terrorism.

The hunt for Osama Bin Laden , took more than a decade for the entire world put together. Being the primary contention for invading Afghanistan and killing of thousands of humans, innocent or otherwise, The United States now feels necessitated to pull out its forces from Afghanistan. They now want a negotiated settlement with the Taliban (whom they consider non al-Qaeda), which they now believe is need of the hour. Fresh questions require answers.

"What is going to be the nature of the new regime in Afghanistan?"

"Are we to believe that US is now agreeing to include the so called barbaric faction of extremist Taliban in the new setup?"

"Is US going to give way to the foundation of a new anti- imperialist Islamist regime, will Israel agree? "

"If not, how would Taliban react to it? A bunch of friendly Taliban may be put in place for face saving, but rest assure that won't work"

and the most important question of all "What is to be done in this historical epoch?"

As a prologue to the Great Game' US has so far technically succeeded in forming an imperialist armed ring against the Central Asian Oil Republics stretching from Yugoslavia to Afhganistan, the target, of course the oil resources of the former Soviet Union. The formation of such competing military-political-economic blocks is an inherent feature of monopoly capitalism. The capture of sources, raw material and commodity markets has been the basis of two world wars. Every imperialist power must expand or face the threat of being swallowed by another more rapacious imperialist power. Lenin referred to this propensity as the Law of Combined and Uneven Development of Capitalism. This intensely competitive struggle for resources leads to militarization and war. In other words, war is an integral feature of the imperialist system. The most aggressive and ravenous is none other USA, utilising their enormous propaganda machine to disguise and camouflage each particular step as a different campaign. The "war against terror", the war against "greater Serbia", Chechnya, Daghestan, and so on, are all part of a solitary objective to consolidate their Global Hegemony.

Carter's National Security Adviser, Brzezinski, admitted that the US intervened in Afghanistan before the Soviet Union. He said:

But who were the sufferers, naturally, the Afghan people who were subjected to so many years of war at the behest of the American imperialists and are still not to see peace, not in times to come I presume. The worst to suffer and still does is Pakistan and its innocent people who are subjected to unprecedented terrorism both at the hands of suicide attackers and drone attacks by their so called brethren in Islam and Americans respectively (the number of innocent people killed in targeting a single al-Qaeda suspect has no justification as in both Wars against Iraq and Afghanistan).

]]>

The Iraqi invasion yet another misadventure of US was based on wrong or lets be precise alleged/make-believe information about weapons of mass destruction. It was amply discussed with clear recommendations by IAEA that Iraq has no such capability, to be proven later as a ground reality. A Hollywood block buster movie titled "Green Zone" starring Mat Dammon tells you all.

The initial war against Iraq was a sequel to Saddam's attack on Kuwait (with the consent of the then American Ambassador to Iraq) and its occupation. Then US attacked Iraq along with coalition forces and freed Kuwait.Saddam's contention was his claim on Kuwait to be an integral province of Iraq. US invasion of Iraq and Iraq's attack on Kuwait were based on falsehood, thus they both stand to be immoral. On the gravity of immorality, the facts point towards US invasion of Iraq. It was based on wrong information on weapons of mass destruction and terrorists in Iraq. Majority of international community was against this war. The number of civilian casualties in invasion of Iraq was so high that it makes one scream out loud. The fallout is even worse because it continues to kill more every day, not to mention the regional instability and continual terrorism.

Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr., in his superb tome titled "America's Misadventures in the Middle East", gives a devastating critique of American grand strategy in the Middle East. So in the case of the first Gulf War and in a sense the invasion of Iraq as well, the United States did not know what to do once it had won militarily. Adding further he opines that in the case of the first Gulf War Saddam Hussein was never forced to confront the reality of his defeat or to acknowledge it politically. He, therefore, was able to turn his continued survival into a point of political strength rather than weakness and to carry on for many more years. It resulted in great suffering for the Iraqi people and eventually led to a war designed primarily to dislodge him from power, which was its only accomplishment. That last point lays in part because of US incapacities with respect to Iran, but more broadly their inability to engage, in the case of Iraq, the various countries on the periphery effectively Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Jordan and Kuwait.In Part IV he assesses the impact that America's policy failings in the Middle East have had on its ability to continue leading the world in the same way it did in the half-century following the end of World War II. "Why not try diplomacy?" is the title of one chapter there. But it could be seen as the leitmotif of the whole of Part IV, or indeed, the whole book.

as persisted by Chas Freemen. A vivid example and case in point is the constant denials by United States covering decades about perceived Indian role of policing the South Asian region and the envisaged China Containment Policy, which was finally accepted and unveiled by no less than the Secy of State herself during a recent visit to India.

"Chas W. Freeman, Jr., author of America's Misadventures in the Middle East hit the headlines in the early weeks of the Obama administration when Director of National Intelligence Adm. Dennis C. Blair named him Chair of the National Intelligence Council, citing his "diverse background in defense, diplomacy and intelligence." News of Freeman's impending appointment met a firestorm of criticism from numerous strongly pro-Israeli commentators, who lambasted him for the view he had often expressed that the U.S. needed to maintain an even-handed stance between Israel and the Arab countries. In early March 2009, Freeman withdrew his name from consideration for the position and issued a statement, laying the blame for the campaign against him on a network of pro-Israel activists".

What is to be Done?

It is clear that outside powers have meddled in Afghanistan's internal affairs far too long. Therefore,

Pakistan's struggle to root out terrorist strongholds and training camps, coupled with a unilateral U.S. effort to use drone strikes to combat al- Qaeda on Pakistani soil, have stoked mutual distrust between the two countries. The incursion of U.S. forces into Pakistani territory to kill bin Laden have further strained relations. Remedial measures are being taken to limit the damage done.

Though serving a mutual interest, Pakistan with its limited resources has done much more than expected and suffered profoundly, both in terms of human and economic resources. The impact of being a front line ally on GWOT has profusely effected the overall security situation in Pakistan. But the American leadership is still not satisfied. In an interview to the CNN on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, US Vice President Joe Biden remarked, "Pakistan has been an unreliable ally of the US in the war against terror and failed on occasion' when forced to choose between Washington and the al-Qaeda".

What else do the Americans expect from Pakistan as a trusted Ally?

Or is this just an added reason to make grounds for another yet greater misadventure?

Pakistan Armed Forces have till date contributed tremendously towards GWOT and played its part surely in every eventuality, to safe guard National interest and integrity of the country. The LEA's, intelligence community and media have also done their bit and so has the incumbent democracy. The episode of US misadventure and the covert raid killing Osama Bin Laden was a direct blow on the sovereignty of the country; it had virtually traumatized every Pakistani. The hard-hitting reaction from the entire Nation was rightly called for. The setback in bilateral ties with US is slowly and gradually thawing, but have we really learned from it? Are we really ready to guard against any future misadventures? American intent is quiet clear as proclaimed by the President himself on the night of the referred raid, quote "Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was," Unquote. They won't hesitate in furthering their misadventures in Pakistan, may it be our nuclear assets for fear of seizure by Taliban, the Baloch imbroglio or any other imaginably protracted reason.

George Kennan assessed the Soviet Union adequately; through the X' article, he was able to sum up the major weaknesses in the Soviet state, their threat to the western world and he also outlined a possible strategy which the United States should follow in dealing with this Soviet threat. The essay shall look at Kennan's analysis in detail and opinions given on whether this was actually good advice for dealing with the Soviet threat.

Kennan's assessment of the Soviet Union is found in a telegram which he sent from Moscow in response to a request made by the United States Treasury which sought to find out explanations about The Soviet Union's recent behavior. Kennan decided to respond to this request in a lengthy article called The Sources of the Soviet Conduct'. The telegram was eventually published in a journal know as Foreign Affairs. However, Kennan's name was not revealed and he posed as an anonymous author called X'. However, with time, information leaked to the public that the person who actually wrote the article was a government official. This eventual affected the future of foreign policy in the United States. (Pleshakov and Vladislav, 1996)

In the article, Kennan explained that the United States' stance on ideologies between itself and the Soviet Union were ill placed. Kennan felt that the Soviet Union's ideology of Socialism was very different from social democracy. This was a relatively new concept because many US government officials actually thought that these were sister ideologies and that there was actually a relationship between them.

Besides differing ideologies, Kennan was also able to highlight the driving force behind the Soviet Union government. He did this by explaining the fact that they were not able to perceive occurrences within their own country and in the external world objectively

Kennan also brought out the fact that the Russian government was not driven by rational thought. By looking at the history of the Russian state, Kennan highlighted a pattern of paranoia and xenophobia. This usually occurred regardless of prevailing economic conditions.

Kennan explained that the Soviet Union's power was largely driven by its communist ideology. Consequently, its power came from seeking an alliance with other powers in the world that supported Marxist ideologists. These allies did not necessarily have to emanate from communist states alone, as matter of fact, their greatest power laid with allies from capitalist states.

Kennan asserted that The Soviet Union thought of its ideologies as the ultimate truth. Consequently, any other opposing ideologies were thought to be false and had to be dealt away with. This was the reason why the Soviet thought that it was at war with capitalism as an ideology. (Gaddis, 1982)

Kennan began his assessment of the Soviet Union by expanding the basis upon which the latter government was formed. He claimed that the Russian government revolved around communism. However, Communism itself was propelled by a number of factors. By explaining the root cause of these issues Kennan was able to offer a sensible explanation as to why the Russian government behaved the way it did and this explanation can then be treated as a satisfactory one.

In the article X, Kennan explains that Communism emanated from the Russian revolutionaries who were looking for a vehicle that would assist them in meeting their selfish needs for power. This assertion is actually sensible owing to the fact that Communist leaders usually have absolute powers. Additionally, communism, was also founded on an ideological basis where it was seen as the solution to capitalism. According to this author, he believed that Capitalism had inherent weaknesses. It oppressed the working class and prevented distribution of the means of production equally. Consequently, capitalism resulted in so many discontentments among the proletariat that it would necessitate the use of revolutionary force for elimination.

In light of the latter fact, communists felt that they were instituting justice by fighting the evils of capitalism. They believed that one had to conduct a revolution in order to eliminate capitalism and this was the major propelling force in the Soviet Union government. Such an assertion by Kennan was fairly accurate given the fact that many Russian leaders regarded capitalists as their ultimate enemies. As a matter of fact, a huge chunk of the communist cause was based on the overthrow and elimination of such forces. (Gaddis, 1982)

In Kennan's assessment of the Soviet Union, the author attempts to explain the absolutist nature of the Russian government. His assessment was an informed one because it brings out an inherent part of the human nature. He explains that the Russian revolutionists had a choice of deciding to support their ideologies or become dictators. They eventually chose to pursue the latter. In the minds of the Russian government, any form of organization outside the Communist party was perceived as threat. This is because if there were mechanisms which could help their people organize themselves, then they would begin questioning the Russian approach and this would eventually undermine their cause. This was the major reason why there were no other parties allowed in the Soviet Union. Also, no religious organizations or collective movements were allowed because the Soviet government believed that these groups could act as sources of influence. The Russian government believed that they had to oppress all other groups so that they could have absolute power.

Kennan also gave an explanation for the Soviet's Union's governments' paranoia. This government was directed by the latter concept because they were always on the look out for any form of control among the people. Kennan's assertion can be supported by the fact that Russian youth had never witnessed any system of collective action and that they had no idea what their effects could be if they came together as a unified force. The USSR's negative perceptions were further taken into the international scene. Most of them felt that capitalists could not be trusted. They were always plotting something evil and one could no be sure whether these are trustworthy groups. ( Kennan, 1947)

]]>

An important part of Kennan's assessment was the issue of external capitalists as sworn enemies of the Russian states. The latter author in his article explained the Soviet government perceived non-Russian countries as enemies to their cause because they needed a scapegoat for maintaining absolute power or a dictatorial element. Soviet Authorities wanted absolute power in any way they could get it. In order to ensure this, they had to create enemies that would be used to convince ordinary citizens of the need to use dictatorial force in the government. At that moment, they chose to accuse all existing capitalists that still existed in Russia. They claimed that these capitalists had the potential to change the state and hence destroy it and this could not be acceptable. In this sense, the Soviet government asserted that the capitalists were the target that had to be eliminated in order to restore justice in the Russian society. However, after the capitalists had been eliminated, there was a need to look for ways in which they could support their dictatorial system. They thus identified the international community as a potential threat. The Russian government believed that all capitalist states had ill intentions for them. Consequently, Russia had to be on the look out for these impeding external forces by strengthening their own communist system. There was no room for cracks or weaknesses because the Soviets convinced the proletariat that they were fighting against the rest of the world. This explanation by Kennan is accurate because all the organs of absolutism were maintained in Russia while those ones that seemed to oppose these opinions were eliminated. By and large, Soviet rulers used the army and the police as organs of suppression. They were streamlined to fall in line with Russian ideologies. Another reason why this particular assessment was correct was that Kennan has considered an age old approach that numerous dictators use; a fictional story for maintenance of their power. Many dictators around the world have managed to garner support from their citizenry regardless of the excesses of their powers because they have an ideology or an explanation to fall back on. Human beings have the capacity to tolerate great injustices all in the name of just cause. The Soviet government had managed to identify this fictional explanation or just case'; it was the international arena. The Russians created in their citizenry a need to assist in the process of eliminating their enemies-the capitalists. This was to ascertain that no future occurrences would affect them again. In light of the latter facts, the Russians began perceiving the rest of the world as a misguided one and that they had to stand firm and vigilant against these forces. (Gaddis, 1982)

Kennan's article X also provides a platform for understanding the inconsistent nature of the Russian government. Sometimes, the Russian government would sign contracts that seemed contrary to other documents signed in the past. Additionally, they seemed inconsistent and frequently changed their stance on a number of foreign issues. Kennan asserted that this was as a result of their definition of honor'. The Soviet government was driven by an antagonism between capitalists and themselves. This government felt that they were the ultimate determinants of the truth and that all other ideologies (capitalists) were in fact dishonorable. By describing capitalists so negatively, the Soviet Union was justified in employing all means to counter their enemies. They felt that it was sometimes necessary to change the truth so that it could fit a certain situation or so that it could give them an advantage over their enemies. This is the reason why the Russian government was very inconsistent in their foreign policy. The latter had no definition of what the truth was and changed it frequently to suit their prevailing circumstances. Kennan's assessment enables the reader to see the relationship between the Russian ideology and their inconsistency in foreign policy. Since there is link between cause and effect, then one can assert that this assessment is accurate. (Pleshakov and Vladislav, 1996)

Kennan addressed the reasons why the Soviet Union was very negative in their administration of justice. In Russia, the Kremlin were the sole determinants of the truth. These groups were the only ones with a capacity to decide the ultimate truth. All other groups that organized themselves along the basis of seeking for legitimacy would undermine the effect of the Kremlin and would therefore ruin their powers. The Soviet dictatorial government was based on the existence of followers who advanced their cause without question. This explains the fact that the Kremlin never listened to popular sentiments. To them, the only thing that mattered was their opinion

Kennan gave good advice to the United States because he proposed a long term strategy. This approach was quite appropriate given the fact that Soviet's strategy itself was also a long term one. Kennan argued that Russia was actually weak in comparison to a united capitalist world. This was true because of the nature of the communist state's internal structure; it was weak and would eventually collapse if external forces acted as "the straw that would break the camel's back". He also brought out the fact that the Russian system of government was based on negative propaganda and if the United States could look for mechanisms of highlighting their positive traits while eliminating their negative ones, then this would go long way in dealing with the Russian threat.

Kennan's strategic advice encompassed the following;

Restoration of US public education
Sound appraisal
Solving Western internal conflicts
Resenting a positive illustration of the US to the Soviet Union

Though Kennan's proposal's the US government would be using the same tactics that Communists used to advance their own cause. These strategies were largely economic and social in nature. He explained that Soviet Union rarely used direct force to advance their ideologies; instead, they were tactful and always looked for slow mechanisms of permeating the rest of the world. Therefore, if the United States were to pursue a strategy that involved direct confrontation, then there would be a high risk of loosing. This direct confrontation could never change the aggressive state of the Soviet Union.

The other way which one could look at the Soviet threat is by pursuing some form of peaceful co-existence with the Soviet Union. Kennan very explicitly addressed the fact that this was not a plausible course of action because the Soviet Union perceived all the capitalists as unpalatable enemies. Consequently, there was no hope for ever creating a long term association with the Russians. Since the Soviet Union had a tendency to adopt some levels of pretentiousness, then the United States would be misleading themselves if they thought that they could pursue a policy of association with the Soviet Union. ( Kennan, 1947)

All in all, Kennan was advocating for the following elements in the US strategy

It must be long term
it must be vigilant
It must be firm
It must encompass containment

Kennan was right in supporting a containment strategy because the Soviet Union was always looking for avenues that would advance their communist cause. In this regard, Russian Kremlin were never asleep. They had the potential to penetrate different parts of the world by looking for any cracks in the international system. This meant that Russian authorities had the capability of advancing their cause at any moment and it was the duty of the United States to prevent this by depicting the successes of their own economic and social successes. (Pleshakov and Vladislav, 1996)

It should be noted here that there was grave misunderstanding of Kennan's assertions in article X. Many critics blame the article for causing the cold war. However, the cold war was in fact a direct result of the misinterpretation of this article. Kennan claimed that Russian expansive tendencies should be contained in order to deal with the threat. He proposed the use of sound economic and social changes within US borders. However, many readers assumed that Kennan actually meant the use of military force to counter these expansive tendencies. In the process, this caused a lot of tension between Kennan and the US population; this eventually brought problems to him in the end. As a matter of fact, the US government was at a point where they were looking for any possible explanations that could guide their actions against Russia. It should be noted here, that Kennan had not been asked to map out a military strategy on the US-Russian foreign policy. The advice he gave was merely an analysis of his thoughts on the psychological factors that make the Soviet Union behave the way it does. However, when the article was used as a basis for determining US Russian relationship, then this ended up backfiring in the face of the US. ( Kennan, 1947)

Many Kennan critics have argued that if it was not for article X, then the US would not have changed their tactics against the Soviet Union and they would not have maintained their stance in the cold war. In this regard, these critics argue that Kennan was the cause of all the turmoil that came with the cold war and that Kennan gave wrong advice. However, these perceptions are totally wrong. Kennan's advice was not responsible for the cold war; the cold war represented an opposite approach to what Kennan was advocating. Many readers simply borrowed the words from the Kennan article without examining their context. If these groups had taken the time to understand Kennan's proposals' then this would have gone along way in streamlining the Soviet threat.

.

Article X was on of the profound documents on US foreign policy because it shaped US perceptions on the Soviet Union. Kennan's assessment of the Soviet Union and his subsequent suggestions on the way forward were actually accurate and could be supported by existing political, social and economic conditions in the Soviet. However, the meaning behind Kennan's advice was taken out of context by the US and thus led to the subsequent cold war. Critics who blame Kennan for this, are actually being unfair because he advocated for a change in internal US structures and not military confrontation as was the case in the cold war.

Gaddis, J. (1982): Strategies of Containment- A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American Security Policy; Oxford University Press

Pleshakov, C. and Vladislav, Z. (1996): Inside the Kremlin cold war. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press
Kennan, F. (1947): The Sources of Soviet Conduct; Foreign Affairs, July 1947

The Real' State of the Union, 2005

Our current cheerleader for the corporate criminal class, George W. Dubya, the Dangerous Dumb-Shit' Bush---he was a cheerleader in college---gave his State of the Union address last week and his hubris was outrageous. I use the word hubris because it means an exaggerated pride or self-confidence often resulting in retribution,' and due to his ignorance and arrogance, the threat of terrorist attacks against America has grown exponentially. When I look at Bush Jr., I am reminded of Ronald Reagan and his simplistic world-view. Both of these mental midgets viewed the world as some sort of old western such as High Noon and saw themselves as Gary Cooper bravely going out to face the bad guys in a shoot-out. Both of these men have seriously impugned our reputation around the world and America has come to be considered somewhat of a dangerous joke. I submit that Bush is one of the most outlandish liars, cheaters, frauds, and killers of all time and should be ranked alongside of Hitler & Stalin. Right about now you're probably thinking I should be run out of the country for being anti-American? Well my friend, I argue that it is far easier to just blindly go along with the herd in terms of popular opinion and that I in fact am a loyal American because I take Thomas Jefferson's admonition seriously. Jefferson forewarned us that it was not only our right but our duty to hold our government accountable. Jefferson, John Adams, and others feared one branch of our government gaining too much power and this is why they established the separation of powers by creating a three-way division of power i.e. the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. Well, we have slid down that slippery slope towards an oligarchy and I posit that we have indeed arrived there. The executive has effectively usurped the overwhelming majority of the true power of our government. In fact, it's nave to even refer to it as our' government any longer. Why? Well, consider the definition of oligarchy' (a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes).

For instance, here are but a few brief illustrations of the Bush/Cheney junta or cabal which reveal we are living under an oligarchy: the presidential election of 2000 in which there was massive voter-fraud in Florida (which coincidentally was governed by Bush's brother, Jeb) and the Supreme Court took the unprecedented and anti-Constitutional action of intervening in and appointed Bush as the president; the fact that this is the most secretive administration ever in U.S. history i.e. Cheney's Energy Summit' and his refusal to disclose who attended & the fact that his refusal was backed by the Supreme Court; the intimidation and manipulation of the major intelligence agencies in order to con the U.S. public into supporting the invasion of Iraq; the almost total acquiescence on the part of Congress in going along with the Bush agenda right down the line; the repetition of voter fraud in the 2004 presidential election and the immediate abdication by the democratic' contender, Senator John Kerry; etc. etc. etc. The list goes on and on & I will highlight more examples as I piecemeal Bush's State of the Union speech.

I downloaded a copy of the complete text of Bush's address and the following is my critique or dissection of this dangerous dissimulator's rhetoric and dogma which his spin-doctors so cleverly wrapped in simplistic images and empty words and phrases designed to pull at our heartstrings in order to cloud our judgment and manipulate us. And speaking of manipulation, it is apropos to start off with this caution, perhaps the most pernicious proverb ever uttered is Ignorance is Bliss?' Why do I say this? Because the more ignorant a people are, the easier it is for the powers that be to control and manipulate them. And this is the motto of the evangelical fundamentalists of which Bush is a proud member and champion. But on the contrary, St. Jerome stated that "It is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance." In other words, far too many Americans aren't even aware that they are ignorant. And I say this not out of a spirit of arrogance but as a matter of sad fact. Because our educational system is so extremely bureaucratized with layer upon layer of administrators all trying to hold onto their power and prestige, our children and hence, our citizenry, ranks 50th amongst approximately 150 nations that make up the United Nations. It is important to bear in mind that ignorance isn't the same as stupidity. Ignorance simply means to not know and the overwhelming majority of Americans simply aren't aware that they have been so seriously short-changed in their public education.

Furthermore, I would remind you of the dire warning George Santayana gave us; "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." In brief, because the majority of us are the products of such an inferior public educational system, we often don't make the connections or remember the events of even the relatively near-past and the corrupt politicians and corporate C.E.O.s again and again get away with ripping us off. Georgie is suppose to be an affable, bumbling Big Brother' of benevolence simply trying to bring democracy' to the world yet, he struts around the world stage like a bantam rooster, cocky and sneering. I believe his image as a down-home, good ol' boy from Texas is a total faade and this charade has been used time and time again to dupe the public into believing that they're one of us. Yeah, right! He was raised in the northeast and went to elite prep schools and got into Yale on his daddy's coattails and was a member of that ultra secret Skull and Bones Society of which John Kerry was also a member. They really think we're all a bunch of stupid morons to believe we will fall for this country boy image. Every politician that runs for president cloaks themselves in this image because it has been so effective and it dates back to Abraham Lincoln and his being born in a log cabin and being a humble man who pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. You can't even run for president in today's America unless you're a multi-millionaire or billionaire! And herein lies the problem, in order to raise the kind of money necessary to run for the presidency, a politician must make countless deals with the corporate cockroaches and they don't give money without expecting something in return i.e. protection from prosecution, sweetheart deals such as Halliburton's contracts to rebuild' Iraq after our military bombed it into the Stone Age, etc.

Now, I am often guilty of long, polemical diatribes when I get into talking about politics but I am doing so partly because I often feel on the defensive because so many people I get into heated arguments and/or discussions with, have never heard the things I accuse Bush et al of. I want to cite Noam Chomsky here because I agree with some who have declared him as among the top ten most quoted people throughout western civilization and he happens to be the only one alive. This is my crude paraphrasing of something Chomsky said awhile back on Free Speech T.V.; "the information is available but few are able or willing to put the tremendous amount of effort into researching and digging the information up." This essay is my opinion and my qualifications are the over thirty years I have spent pursuing the truth,' wisdom, knowledge, and experience. I have traveled fairly extensively, spent fourteen years pursuing & earning a bachelor's degree in English literature, worked at perhaps a hundred different jobs, been an educator for over fifteen years, collected several thousand books, and read several hundred of which while making copious notes in them, etc. And I am not saying that I possess the Truth' but simply that I feel that I have at least paid some substantial dues and therefore deserve at least to be heard, and this brings me back to Chomsky. He points out that Bush and "most politicians use terms like values' in order to avoid the issues because discussion of the issues would reveal their true policies and actions. And values' appeal to people's emotions and cloud their reasoning abilities." (my paraphrasing) For example, note how often Bush used terms like democracy' and freedom' in his State of the Union. I have also noted how fond Bush is of throwing the word tyranny' around. Consider the definition of tyranny if you will (a government in which absolute power is vested in a single ruler; oppressive power), I contend that Bush is projecting' upon all the other leaders' of the nations he doesn't like, this image of tyranny which in fact he is dangerously close to realizing in total himself. Let's now get to the meat and potatoes of his rhetorical bombast.

In the very first sentence of his speech, Bush asserts or claims that "we have been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve." Well this may be a Freudian Slip because the people he serves are the top 1% or the corporate ruling elite but on the other hand as I said, this is a lie because he was appointed by the Supreme Court and therefore it wasn't a true election. I believe this was significant and purposely chosen because in approximately half the nation's voters' minds, there is still doubt that he won the 2004 election fairly? And one thing all spin-doctors know is that if you repeat a lie long enough, most people will eventually accept it as fact or truth. In the next sentence he proclaims that Iraq is free and sovereign.' This is an incredible statement because only the most nave and woefully ignorant could look at the current state of affairs in Iraq and call it free and sovereign. Their provisional government' was hand-picked by the Bush cabal who first tried to install Chalabi as president. Then Chalabi was revealed as a bank embezzler who is wanted by the Syrian government and all of a sudden Chalabi was persona non grata and just like ol' Kenny Boy' i.e. Ken Lay of ENRON, Bush et al claimed they barely knew him. Yeah, right! Look up Bush's first inauguration,' and the picture that was splashed across the front pages of newspapers all over America and the world clearly shows Chalabi seated right behind Bush as he is giving his speech. Barely knew him? Yeah, right!

Next, Bush says that he has "renewed the commitment of our Nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all." Hmm? He has a strange notion of liberty?' Because when I look at Afghanistan, Kabul is the only place that has some degree of law and order and only because it is heavily defended by U.S. forces. Outside of Kabul, the drug war lords rule once again just as they did before we invaded Afghanistan. Funny that we don't seem to be concerned about the fact that these war lords preside over perhaps the largest opium growing fields on the planet? The people of Afghanistan are definitely not liberated from their oppressors. And the people of Iraq are definitely not liberated and in fact have been demanding that the American military leave for over two years. The people of Iraq are often under martial law, go through check points where they are bodily searched daily, have no work, electricity for about two hours per day, live under constant fear of being blown up by either an insurgent' or an American bomb or be shot, etc. This is so chillingly Orwellian in that oppression has now become liberty.' Equally important is the fact that with the aid of the Patriot Act' which only one member of Congress even bothered to read before it was signed and passed into law, which has demonstrably gutted our . The ultra secretive and scheming Bush is now free to enter our homes and rifle through our personal belongings and lives without ever telling us and without a warrant. They can spy on our mail, our phone calls, the websites we go to, in short, they have complete freedom to spy on us whenever and wherever they please. They can and they have arrested hundreds if not thousands of Americans and held and tortured them all without ever even charging the people they abducted, giving them legal representation, or notifying their loved ones where they were being held. This is liberty?' The only liberty' is the liberty of the powerful and rich to screw us and the entire world. We are free to be subservient, an oxymoron George Orwell would have probably appreciated. Furthermore, Bush's concept of liberty' is again revealed in the fact that at all his public' speeches and/or rallies, you must first sign a document testifying that you are one of his supporters. Remember that quaint notion sometimes referred to as Freedom of Speech? Or what about the right to dissent? We salute you o glorious Fuhrer! I believe Bush's next assertion to advance that ideal (liberty) at home and around the world,' is a thinly disguised declaration of warfare against any and all who dare to stand up to him and his corporate masters?

Next Bush declares that we have a healthy, growing economy.' Oh it's growing for the top 1% of the tax bracket for whom he gave the lavish tax breaks just like his second-rate actor predecessor, Reagan did. They are enjoying obscene rates of profit but for millions upon millions of working class Americans, they are being down-sized' and their jobs are being outsourced' overseas so their poor CEOs can make even greater profit off the slave labor of indigenous people around the globe. Bush cites a statistic of over two million new jobs have been created in the last four years but of course he forgets to mention the millions of jobs outsourced.' Naturally, statistics can be manipulated by both the conservatives and the liberals and they vary greatly from agency to agency but I believe one of the most accurate statistics is that the net result of the last four years under the bushwhackers is that approximately a hundred thousand jobs have been created. But don't be mislead my friend. What the propagandists don't tell us is how many more citizens have entered the job market in the last four years along with precisely what kinds of jobs have been created?' Are they service' sector jobs i.e. flipping burgers and such? Or are they part-time' as that exemplar of capitalist greed run amok, Wallmart is so fond of because they can therefore avoid providing any modicum of medical benefits? The ugly reality is that starting most blatantly under old Ronnie Reagan, the conservative extremists have been waging a war on all unions in America and around the world wherever and whenever any of their corporate interests have been threatened.' Translation, whenever their profits are reduced or disturbed by pesky workers who ask for a fair wage so they can provide food and shelter for their families. I don't know about you but, I have been job insecure for most of my adult life. I couldn't find work for three years approximately. And I'm a college graduate. Imagine how difficult it is and has been for those millions of Americans who not only don't have a college education but many also of whom which didn't graduate from high school. Again Bush thinks that by repeating ad nauseam that our economy is confident and strong,' it becomes a fact. This is akin to Dorothy in believing that by simply clicking her heels, closing her eyes, & wishing for something, it comes true. I'm no big fan of Clinton's but when he left office, there was something like a 400 billion dollar budget surplus and now after four years of the Bush junta, we are at an all-time record high of something like a 0,000,000 deficit. I'm definitely not an economic expert but this is suppose to be a confident and strong' economy?

And then the great deceiver goes on to say that "Our generation (code for him and his creepy crime partners) has been blessed---by the expansion of opportunity, by advances in medicine" In fact, if you bear in mind that he is really referring to his inner circle, this then does indeed become a true statement. Thanks to NAFTA, GATT, and other such trade agreements along with the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, etc. which, by the way was signed by that democratic liberal' John Kerry, the greedy corporate pigs have almost carte blanche to exploit just about every square inch of the planet. Globalization' and privatization' are the camouflage behind which the Robber Barons now hide. And just as they have privatized' the hell out of South America and destroyed the economies of dozens of countries by privatizing' their water, power, telephone, etc. utilities, in this State of the Union, Bush is now seeking to privatize' Social Security so his Wall Street cronies will be able to plunder it. Of course the scheming and conniving bastards behind the Bush faade e.g. Karl Rove et al, realize that the word privatize' might scare off a good number of Americans whom aren't totally brain-dead so they cloak their intentions by calling it retirement accounts.' And as for his claim regarding advances in medicine,' is he being facetious because he has clearly stated and pursued a policy of stopping stem-cell research in order to placate his fundamentalist constituents. These anti-intellectual evangelicals were the primary reason Bush was able to dupe approximately half the American public into believing he is a man of character and principle.

Next, if it weren't so devastating in terms of the harmful consequences, it'd be almost hilarious because Bush with a straight-face tells us "we have provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxesopened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals" Let's see, hmm? Tax relief to every person who pays' income taxes?" In reality, most of Bush's champions of capitalism have avoided paying their taxes almost entirely by opening front corporations in places like the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. And while they reap their fantastic profits from operating in the U.S. and enjoying the protections of the U.S. government and the U.S. military, they give practically nothing back. Our infrastructure is imploding and they sit back fat and sassy like Nero fiddling while Rome went up in flames. Furthermore, I heard awhile back that Bush has cut the funding for the department of the IRS that pursues corporate tax cheaters and at the same time, Bush increased the funding for the IRS department who's job it is to pursue the small-time, individual citizens who cheat on their taxes. Equal justice for all?

Secondly, Bush stated that we have opened up new markets abroad.' Yes, this is true but as I stated earlier, these new markets' were opened up via the policies and practices of the IMF, the WTO, the World Bank and etc. And what Bush neglects to inform the public of is that these markets have been opened' through brutal intimidation tactics, through bribery, and a multitude of nefarious and immoral practices e.g. Coca-Cola has hired thugs in Columbia amongst other places to threaten, beat, and sometimes even kill union organizers in their plants. Ah yes, nothing like the free market!' Next, the bush leaguer proclaims we' "[have] prosecuted corporate criminals" Yeah, right! They went after that horrible Martha Stewart who wasn't actually convicted of insider trading but of some minor infraction. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of hers but her prosecution was a joke because she was clearly a scapegoat or a sacrificial lamb and when you consider the trivial amount of profit she made compared to the likes of Ken Lay and the billions he screwed his employees and investors out of, it's absurd almost beyond belief? I'm not sure but I don't think that Ken Lay even received any jail time whatsoever? Of course I shouldn't be surprised at this turn of events because after all, back during Reagan's reign and the Savings and Loan Scandal which also bankrupted and wiped-out tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans life savings, good old Ned Bush was the president of Silverado Savings and Loan, and he too never saw the inside of a jail cell. These pirates and ideologues keep on resurfacing over the decades and they enrich one another and pardon one another. Meanwhile, they preach to us, the public, to be honest, frugal, hard-working, and etc. By the way, ENRON was just the most glaring example of corporate malfeasance. There were dozens and dozens of corporate giants who committed the same crimes of cooking their books and manipulating the gullible public by artificially pumping up stock prices by claiming projected future earnings and etc. as assets. This would not have been possible were it not for the accepted business practices and the atmosphere of unaccountability and license to pillage and plunder the public at will.

And then Bush has the gall to lecture us that "America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government." What? He and his henchmen must think us a nation of Alzheimer's patients because as I recently stated, we went from a budget surplus when Clinton left office and we are now in hock up to our eyebrows. Every snake-in-the-grass politician running for the executive office swears that he is the foe of big government and will drastically reduce its size. And every president for the past few decades has been a bald-faced liar because the actual size of their administrations has grown not been reduced. In fact, if you will recall, before we attacked Iraq, that fascist, Wolfowitz, was questioned at length about how much it might cost us to wage this war and he said about 50 billion after repeated questioning and he reassured us that other countries would contribute funding and that the oil revenues from Iraq's industry would be used to compensate our tax dollars expended. Well to date, we have spent something like 240 billion dollars and there is no end in sight. Do you see why I used the word hubris' in my opening remarks? I used it because appropriately it illustrates a vital lesson several empires' have learned the hard way. It was the ancient Greeks who learned this lesson first I believe? Then the Romans, then the British, and now it is our turn. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, we may go down in history as one of the shortest lived empires due to the greed and stupidity of presidents like Bush?

]]>

Furthermore, the bastard goes on to proclaim that he has "substantially reduce[d] or eliminate[d] more than 150 government programs that are not getting results" Yes indeed! What he wisely leaves out though is that while he is slashing the budgets of many programs that he disagrees with politically and policy-wise, he is meanwhile transferring the funds to his faith-based' programs. He also neglects to mention that one of the very first acts he did upon taking the throne was to use executive privilege to make an end run around the wishes of Congress to establish his faith-based' offices in several of the federal governments' major departments such as the Dept. of the Treasury, the Dept. of Health, Education, & Welfare, the White House, etc. etc. etc. This is clearly a gross violation of the principle of Separation of Church and State and hence anti-Constitutional. It's critically important that we wake up to the fact that King George is a true-believer' and has an agenda with the main goal of making Christianity' the official state religion and of silencing every dissenting voice. Dubya is serving two masters, his corporate masters and God. He might actually believe he is waging a holy crusade against the heathen Muslims? He slipped and used the word crusade' in a few public speeches but was inundated with criticism and promptly stopped using the word. The vile, republican reptile then goes on to chastise us that "the principle here is clear: taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all." Can you believe the audacity of this guy? We are now the largest debtor nation in the world and if two of our major creditors call in the debts we owe them i.e. China and Japan, our economy could very easily go into a tail-spin and land us in another Great Depression perhaps more severe even than the last one in the 1930s? Another bleak scenario is that the European Economic Union may get fed up with us bullying the rest of the world and stop dealing with us which also could have catastrophic consequences for our economy. Lastly, some scholars have posited that one of the secret reasons why we invaded and will most likely occupy for decades to come is because Saddam was making overtures of switching the currency upon which oil from Iraq is currently based i.e. the dollar, to the Euro-dollar? This too would have been a serious blow to our economy.

At the same time, and in his very next breath, the Sultan of Swindle segues into "To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, " As some wit put it, "the No Child Left Behind Act should more accurately be called the No Childs Behind Left." Once again it's amazing how short people's memories are or how uninformed so many of us are. This miracle' act of legislation originated in Bush's former governorship of Texas. The television program aired a story sometime back which revealed that school administrators falsified data and records to make this act appear a success and Bush still goes around the country touting its positive results? Once again the wizard of oz is attempting to fool us into believing his hocus pocus i.e. because he has declared its efficacy, it is so. Additionally, just because they raise the standards' and claim that test scores are on the rise,' doesn't make it true or real. As a person who has worked in our public schools in both L.A. and Portland, Oregon in a variety of capacities and for over fifteen years, I know a thing or two about this subject in particular. Simply raising standards does nothing in terms of enabling teachers to become better teachers. Teachers need their bureaucratic paperwork to be reduced substantially, they need more rigorous training in college, they need more teaching assistants, they need better classroom furniture and environments, they need drastically better textbooks, they need to be paid at least ,000 to start and be able to advance up to perhaps 0,000 per year if they have made significant improvements in the overall educational abilities of their students. Moreover, Bush leaves out of his rhetoric the fact that due to his massive giveaways to the oil industry, the Pentagon, the rich, his cuts in federal programs designed to help cities and states pay for their infrastructures costs, along with federal programs for health, education, and welfare, along with the outsourcing' of millions of jobs, school funding has been shrinking and the results are even lower levels of excellence and accomplishment. This pretense of caring about our children's educations is a stupendous sham. Bush and his cretin friends don't give a damn about public education because their children attend the elite private academies where the Classics in history, philosophy, literature, political science, etc. are rigorously taught. This superior' class believe like the royalty' of Europe during the medieval ages that theirs is a divine right to the monarchy' i.e. they alone are meant to rule and they alone are capable of leading.'

Now Bush gets to what is the core of the truth' which lurks behind all the diatribes and polemics. "To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs (Chalabi, for instance). Small business is the path of advancement, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims" This last passage is so rife with lies and distortions that I hardly know where to start? Well, to begin with, this is the crux of the agenda by Bush and his gang in that what they want ideally is complete and total free rein for the megalithic corporate leviathans. Ken Lay was one such entrepreneur' as well as Chalabi whom I mentioned above. And there were and are countless other such rugged individualists whom are bankrupting their companies, their countries, and the environment. And in this process of unbridled capital accumulation, millions and billions of human beings are suffering and dying from unspeakable living conditions.' Perhaps I should remind my reader here that entrepreneur is defined thus; one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise' ? Now I ask you who actually assumed the risks' of ENRON, the Savings and Loan industry, the war against Iraq, etc. etc. etc. Yeah, Kenny Boy and the hundreds if not thousands of other corporate cockroaches pretended to accept the risk' but the end result has been that millions of Americans were the ones who paid the costs because they trusted their politicians, pundits, preachers, journalists, and corporate icons. It's imperative that we remember how pervasive the corruption was in many of the most venerated Stock brokerage houses such as Merrill Lynch.

Of course by small businesses,' Bush really means the small businesses such as Halliburton, Bechtel, General Electric, Shell Oil, etc. And these honest job-creators,' who threaten their employees that if they complain or demand better wages or job conditions, they will close up shop and go overseas. In addition, even though the majority of workers around the country have capitulated and even taken reductions in pay and benefits, they have still been down-sized' and reduced to near poverty conditions and have suffered serious depression and personal humiliation. This again is a reflection of the true compassionate conservatism' that Bush's handlers came up with as their motto. The needless regulations' Bush was referring to are trivial matters such as polluting our environment and speeding up the process of global warming, the paying of bribes to journalists' who then help spread the propaganda put out by Karl Rove, banking regulations, savings and loans regulations, campaign contributions, workplace safety regulations, the selling off of our national parks, the insider trading regulations of which Bush himself was guilty but beat the rap with the help of his recently nominated Attorney General, the manipulation of stock prices, the right for workers to form unions, etc. etc. etc. Yes, these are all frivolous' and unnecessarily obtrusive regulations on those honest job-creators.' The aristocracy demands complete freedom and trust for those CEOs who have shown us repeatedly how untrustworthy they are and at the same time they have the balls to also declare that these self-same thugs not be held financially liable to all whom they screw, bankrupt, and physically maim or kill. The fact that the majority of politicians are or were lawyers is especially pertinent here. As lawyers they know that the highest paying clients are the corporations because the corporations can write off their legal expenses as business expenses. And when you have the kinds of assets and resources that these giants have at their disposal, they can clearly afford to outwait the little piss-ants who dare to sue them for their grievances. They simply play the delay game until the little guy or gal becomes totally destitute and is forced to drop their lawsuit. Isn't it interesting that irresponsibility' and frivolous' are the adjectives applied to us as individual citizens but Bush doesn't mention the irresponsibility' i.e. deaths and wiping-out of millions of Americans pensions and/or life savings? Bush at least did get something right although he attempted to misdirect us by laying the blame on the victims rather than the culprits when he said "Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back" Even the most illiterate amongst us know the reality of our justice system i.e. if you're rich you can often get away with literal murder but if you're poor, justice is swift and brutal!

Equally important in terms of justice' and in terms of the economic devastation wreaked upon millions of Americans to say nothing of the billions of people around the globe is the farce of concern and compassion regarding the skyrocketing health costs and the simultaneous cutting of medical benefits by employers and government officials. The health care industry has possibly the largest lobbying force in Washington D.C.? Better known as the American Medial Association, they and their co-conspirators, the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) are paid by the pharmaceutical industry for instance, to rush through certain drugs which are potential great money-makers for the industry but which haven't actually been fully tested for safety or reliability and at the same time, they drag their heels when it comes to approving the manufacture and distribution of drugs which are much more affordable for the poor, the working class, and the middle class and which could do the general public great benefit as in the case of diseases like HIV/AIDS. These are monsters masquerading as men! As a result of their compassion,' diseases which had once been totally eradicated are now making a comeback and countless thousands are dying and/or suffering needlessly. I don't know if I really believe in Hell but, if there is a Hell, I hope and pray that there is a special corner of Hell that is so excruciatingly painful that it makes the rest of Hell look like the Elysian Fields and I hope that Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Powell, Wolfowitz, Perle, Hitler, Stalin, et al, spend eternity there. And since I'm dreaming or wishfully dreaming, the only other thing that would be sweeter would be that I was able to briefly visit these crustaceans and smile and spit in their faces!

Moreover, these reptiles are currently laughing their asses off at us because they via Bush's State of the Union address have once again spit in our faces. The bushwhacker and his creepy cockroach cronies are now seeking to pound the final nail in the coffin of what used to be known as public health and medical programs for all Americans. Bush wants to push health savings accounts' on us so like his scheme for Social Security accounts which will open up people's retirement safety net to the graft and corruption of his Wall Street wankers. Indeed, these pirates have the nerve to at the same time call for limiting the liability of medical corporations for such things as incompetence resulting in people's death and/or serious physical, emotional, or psychological harm. This hyena of hatred and hypocrisy then spits out another of his compassionate conservative' public relations ploys i.e. medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.' Translation---open season on everyone not rich and part of the controlling class! They are becoming as arrogant and bold as the French aristocracy right before the guillotine was invented and the French Revolution swept over France. Remember what happened to those superior' people. The more power the wealthy acquire, the sloppier they get and they begin to grossly underestimate the power of the people. Also bear in mind what Thomas Jefferson said i.e. every now and then the Tree of Liberty must have some blood spilled on it. (something like that?)

Next, the Minister of Mendacity tells us "to keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy." Wow! This cowardly coyote must actually believe his handlers and spin doctors' propaganda? Bush's hit team has the worst record on environmental protection of any presidency to date. They have opened up more of our forests to corrupt timber corporations who are wiping out the old growth, have cut down over 90% of the ancient and venerable Redwoods, plant tree farms for future destruction and claim they're replacing the trees they cut down, etc. etc. etc. Of course they don't tell us that it takes sometimes 10,000 years for a Redwood to grow to full maturity. They are opening up the Alaskan wilderness so we can have more oil spills like the Exxon Valdeez. They deny there's such a thing as Global Warming even though there is more than enough scientific data and research to support its existence. Bush calls his laissez-faire attitude towards air pollution the friendly skies' initiative. It just goes on and on and I can't seriously believe they can actually call themselves good stewards of our environment? What's especially pertinent is Bush's contradictory claim regarding environmentally responsible energy' when, Cheney went to the Supreme Court for protection against having to reveal who attended his top secret energy summit. This is being environmentally responsible?' If it's responsible' then why did they fight so fiercely to keep the meeting secret? Could it be that if revealed, the identities of those who participated might show that corporations like Halliburton, Bechtel, etc. were part of the plan to invade and occupy Iraq so they could position themselves to be the only corporations to profit so fantastically off the loss of American soldiers' lives, the slaughter of a people, and the gross violation of our right to know what our government is doing in our name and to profit a handful of corporations. By the way, I just found out that Bush's legislation is called "Clear Skies," not the Friendly Skies initiative. The bull-shitting bush leaguer also declared in his speech that he submitted "a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home, including safe, clean nuclear energy." My God! He is not only creating a generation of young Muslims who are dedicating themselves to our destruction, he also wants to turn a blind eye to all the nuclear power plants woeful lack of safety in terms of not only vulnerability to terrorist attacks but also to melt downs like we had at Three Mile Island and countless other nuclear facilities! Again, I have a good amount of experience working with radioactive materials and I'm horrified at the complete lack of concern regarding the general public's health and safety. The idea that there is or can be a safe, clean nuclear energy,' is a flagrant lie. Nuclear waste can't be stored safely and it has been leaking into places like the Columbia River for decades with devastating results. The evil ones are now storing it in Nevada primarily and the residents of Las Vegas have been exposed countless times and are living directly in harm's way and at great peril! I have an idea, why don't we make Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. all live next door to nuclear stockpiles of waste? If it's so safe' what are they afraid of? You can bet your last nickel that none on these lying & cowardly curs would never live next to such a site. The more of us that they kill off or cause to come down with cancer, the less they have to spend the taxpayer's dollars to feed, clothe, educate, or provide even a modicum of health care on.

Furthermore, this fabricating fundamentalist of free market' fascism declares that he has provided strong funding for renewable sources such as ethanol.' I recently learned while watching the television program The West Wing that ethanol actually costs more than it supposedly saves' on energy costs but because it enjoys such a powerful corporate lobby in Washington D.C., due to the massive agricultural corporations who have systematically wiped out the small farmers who used to make up the backbone of this country. I believe they also pointed out that ethanol contributes significantly to the already existent air pollution? The Ambassador of Arrogance then has the insolence to insult our intelligence even further to claim that he is attempting to make America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy.' Simply mind-blowing in his audacity, this maggot who calls himself moral, knows this is a complete sham or swindle because they invaded Iraq to control the second largest source of crude oil on the planet. It's important to not lose track of the minor fact that Bush's cabinet are almost entirely made up of former oil industry professionals who became rich in the petroleum industry. Shit, Condoleeza Rice even had an oil tanker named after her! We're suppose to swallow that now that they're in office they will turn their backs on their former bosses? Not until hell freezes over my friend.

In addition to this stroll down an amnesiac Alzheimer's fictitious fairy land we are led to believe Bush when he proclaims we must update institutions that were created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax codeand I will work together to give this Nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all.' Well coincidentally, I just bought a book today called . Pro growth is simply code for letting the corporate crime lords do whatever they want to their customers, to falsify their accounting records and hence their true worth on the stock market, pollute the environment with no consequences, etc. And if they wanted to truly make tax laws easy to understand,' they would've done so decades ago. No, they like the labyrinth of our tax code so they can continue to evade paying their share of the tax burden with such convenient loopholes as opening a post office box in the Cayman Islands and then claiming it as their corporate headquarters so they aren't taxed. If you believe Bush and the skunk, Cheney care one bit about fairness to all,' you are brain-dead. Fairness to all is really favoritism for the top 1% of the country's citizens. I heard perhaps 20 years ago someone suggest that all we had to do was create a federal tax form which consisted of 3 lines i.e. name, address, & how much money you made for the year. And then everyone pays a flat 10% of their income in taxes. No exceptions! Of course they will never simplify the tax code this much because then all the corporate Benedict Arnolds would be forced to pay their fair share for once.

And then we witness Bush, the corporate cheerleader and whore pronounce that "America's immigration system is also outdated---unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists." First of all, the present administration and most of the previous administrations that preceded it don't really give a damn about the drug trade because they have turned a blind-eye to it time and time again. And in fact, the government via the military has been an active participant in the international drug trade several times e.g. the Golden Triangle which was the opium center of Asia during our Vietnam debacle, Reagan's team of terrorists smuggled cocaine from El Salvador and Nicaragua into the U.S. in order to finance the weapons they traded terrorists for American hostages, they ignored Noriega's drug dealing empire for years as well as the Taliban's poppy fields in Afghanistan, etc. etc. etc. As for Dubya's concern for the hardworking people who want only to provide for their families,' then why do they make these poor Mexican people pay outrageous amounts of money to be smuggled across our border by coyotes who often abandon these unfortunate souls in the backs of unventilated semi truck containers to suffocate? Naturally the perjurer who poses as a pious pilgrim for the poor doesn't mention all the corporations who are making record profits off the blood, sweat, & tears of these innocent souls who risk everything to get here only to be used as subhuman wage slaves. The argument that these illegal aliens' only take the jobs that Americans won't take is only half the truth. Most of the jobs the migrant workers take pay less than a person can live on here because our cost of living is much greater than Mexico's. Additionally, the Mexican poor are used to a bare subsistence level of existence and we have been brought up to expect a much more humane level or standard of living. The greedy globalists want nothing less than to reduce the entire world's workers to the pathetic state of the Mexican downtrodden. Why? Because this means ever more profits for the filthy fiends of finance and fraud. Note also that Bush and Company are against giving amnesty to these hardworkers.' Another shining example of that compassionate conservatism. In other words, you are free to be exploited, exposed to unsafe working conditions, and near starvation wages but as soon as you become no longer profitable for your employer, get your butt back to Mexico to die in the dirt!

Equally important, don't fall for his feigned concern about terrorists crossing our borders. Terrorists are very sophisticated and enter our country and others dressed in fine suits, well-educated, and under cover of various professional guises. It's not necessary for a terrorist to swim the Rio Grande, jump fences, or hide in the desert under the cover of night. The border guard is there to simply regulate the number of poor laborers in order to keep the wages paid to these noble souls down and hence more profitable to their feudal lords. As for the bald-faced lying bastard's claim to be worried about the needs of our economy and the values of our country,' I am yet again simply floored due to his pathological lying and complete inability to be honest or deal with the facts and reality of his corrupt agenda and co-conspirators? The bush-baby doesn't give one hoot about our economy because he has clearly signaled the corporate vultures that they have carte blanche to rape, pillage, & plunder the planet and everyone one it except of course his top 1% or the elite aristocrats of the amoral. Recall the Savings and Loan Scandal' and the recent tidal wave of corruption across the boardrooms of the top 500 corporations and don't fall for this pretense of patriotism. Bush is a partisan patriot of profit and persecutor of the poor and the pitiful. By the way, don't get me wrong regarding the undocumented workers' who are taking American jobs.' I don't blame them one bit. I would do the same if I were born in Mexico or in poverty. And don't forget all those good American corporations who open up their factories right across the Mexican border so they can avoid all the inconvenient laws such as workers right to organize, environmental standards, taxes, etc. They close down shop here and ruin their former loyal employees' lives so they can become obscenely rich and they cross back into America each night to sleep comfortably knowing that they're being protected by American workers' taxes in the form of our police and military personnel. How much more blatantly do they have to rub our noses in our own excrement before we do something about this travesty of justice for not only American workers but Mexican workers and workers the world over? As an illustration of the lie Bush is perpetrating, consider that the construction jobs that Mexicans perform here often pays a measly per hr. for what typical American construction workers earn at to per hr. Of course American construction workers aren't going to settle for such a paltry and insulting wage. What are the republican reptiles of rip-off going to suggest next, a 50 foot wall of concrete the entire length of our nation's borders? Fortress America could very well be not only designed to keep others out but to trap us within as well? One giant prison. Sound far-fetched? Well note that we already have more people locked up per capita than any other country and our prison/industrial complex is thriving. I mentioned my new book on our sinister system of taxation earlier so let me now give you a few, brief bits from it to help highlight yet another facet of the swindling of America's workers and citizens.

But before I get into my new book by David Cay Johnston, let me remind you of a few things. And by the way, I don't claim to have any special insights or skills as a researcher. My chief talent is my memory and this is precisely what the corrupt politicians and businessmen hope that people don't have. I simply connect the dots from the myriad bits and pieces of history I have read and/or lived through. For instance, recall that Bush-whacker senior was the director of the C.I.A. which should really stand for the Central Disinformation Agency. Our proud and patriotic secret agents who have trained the secret police for countless dictators in how to torture their dissenting citizens. And who have instigated and assisted in plots to overthrow democratically elected leaders the world over. Yeah, our Central Intelligence Agency who didn't even know the Soviet Union was imploding until it was a fait accompli. Also remember what Bush Sr. repeatedly told us when he was president i.e. "read my lips, no new taxes." Too bad we don't have an office manned by the handicapped or the mentally challenged because they can read lips and they in their simplicity and honesty can tell when politicians are lying. Our intelligence' agencies are a sad and dangerous joke. In short, they are treacherous thugs who believe that anything they do, no matter how immoral, is okay because it's done in the name of National Security.' Well it is exactly this kind of mindset and the multitude of nefarious crimes committed by the CIA and other agencies such as the NSA (National Security Agency---which makes the CIA look like the Mickey Mouse Club) which has engendered such bitter hatred and a thirst for revenge against America around the globe. So, bushwhacker junior learned from his dad how to dissemble, distort, & deny like a professional which is what politicians excel at. And just like dear old dad who swore he wouldn't raise taxes and then did, Bush-boy jr. has lied and deceived us into believing the ever-changing reasons for our invasion of Iraq. I will never understand how so many Americans can believe in this president who is nothing short of a habitual or pathological liar? I didn't need to be run over by a bulldozer before I came to the realization that he is our enemy and also the enemy of all humanity. What does it say about the anti-Christ in the Bible, that he will come disguised as our savior? Note Bush's frequent evangelical references in his public speeches? I believe to the marrow of my bones that we are once again being assaulted by the combined forces of the church and the state as has been done repeatedly throughout history. Of course, the real power behind the church and the state is the multi-national megalithic corporations who no longer have to abide by any country's sovereign laws. No, in this world where the Robber Barons have gained power never before imagined possible, economic blackmail is the order of the day and with the threat of astronomical fines levied for blocking the free trade' of corporations, countries regularly back down on issues of environmental pollution, monopolization, and unfair trade practices.

And speaking of unfair trade practices, let's now turn to Mr. Johnston's book on how our tax system really works. "I believe that taxes are at the core of our democracy. Americans pay heavy taxes. When you add to our taxes what we pay privately for health care and education our collective burden is heavier than that of many Europeans. Many live in fear of the IRS, a fear skillfully exploited by some politicians.If you have heard about companies using a Bermuda mailbox to escape American taxes or that the IRS audits the poor more than the rich or that Enron paid no taxes or that executives have amassed untaxed fortunes or that the retired chief executive of General Electric had a free corporate jet, then you have already had a taste of some of the more shocking stories I found.I was especially surprised to find that some of the biggest tax breaks for the rich are not even in the tax code and that the IRS was unaware of many tax fraud techniques.Many who pose as conservatives in Washington, or at least whom the news media label conservatives, reject the idea of taxation based on the ability to pay. Few have had more influence over the tax policies of recent years than Grover Norquist, who runs Americans for Tax Reform.

A good tax system flows from the economic order and greases the wheels of commerce. Taxes make it possible to do business through the enforcement of contracts, maintenance of the infrastructure, protection provided by the military and education of the populace. In places without a real tax system, such as Honduras or Afghanistan, there is no widespread wealth. All rich countries have high taxes because wealthy societies have high demands for public goods. As Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.' Today, though, many want their civilization at a deep discount. Some want a free ride. There are politicians who spout law and order, but vote to handcuff the tax police.Worse are politicians who support loopholes and describe tax law enforcement as a tax increase. Representative Tom Delay of Texas, the Republican majority leader, did just that in the summer of 2004.spending money the government does not have, and financing it with more borrowing, is also unfair to honest taxpayers.

will expose how the majority of Americans are being duped into supplementing the incomes of the rich and powerful.Democracy is about individuals pursuing their self-interest in the belief that our society can achieve a common goal. Those who wash their hands of politics, do not vote and do not stay informed cede to others the shaping of society. It is this apathy that has allowed certain individuals to remake tax rules to their benefit at the expense of the average American taxpayer. We must fight these manipulations if we are to, as the preamble to our Constitution says, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.' It is my hope that the truths revealed in this book will serve as a wake-up call to everyone who believes in the principles our country was founded on." (pgs. 1-5, David Cay Johnston)

Equally important my friend is the fact that we, the vast majority of Americans, are not only paying to subsidize the decadent and unethical rich of this country, but we are also paying the ultimate price in terms of sacrificing the lives of our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers, & father, sisters and brothers in wars designed and fabricated by the wealthy weasels of Wall Street and Washington D.C. Ironically, we call the owners of top managers of corporations the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and the presidency is also referred to as the Executive branch of government. And just as the executive branch of government has gained way too much power, the CEOs of corporate America and the world's other giant corporations from countries such as France, Germany, Britain, Japan, China, etc. have also garnered far too much power for any one individual to have. CEOs should more accurately be called CFOs i.e. Chief Fabricating Officer because this is their true function. They consistently lie, distort, manipulate, dis-inform, rob, rape, pillage, and plunder the earth and all its people. And this is why Bush's administration is the most secretive, scheming, and lying administration we've had since probably the days of the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal under President Taft I believe? As I have said before, Bush and his cockroach cabinet have a basically simple agenda i.e. to repeal and wipe-out every last vestige of the hard-won programs established to help the poor, the downtrodden, the physically fragile, the elderly, etc. And now they have set their sights on Social Security because it is like a juicy, ripe target for these gluttonous goblins feeding on the public like venomous vampires sucking the blood out of the body politic! Here are more of Dubya's lies and manipulations regarding Social Security:

"One of America's most important institutions---a symbol of the trust between generations---is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th Century, and we must honor its great purposes in this new century. The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security."

No, rather we must save Social Security from you and your perverted plunderers of the public trust. Bush and his cabal are the ones who are bankrupt, they are morally bankrupt. But there is a grain of truth in what Bush says although you have to read between the lines to discover it. This administration on its current path is bankrupting America and playing a very dangerous game which could result in our complete ruin economically and could lead to anarchy and the complete breakdown of law and order in America. A word of caution my friend, you and all of us had better start preparing for how to live off the land up in the mountains. I'm not trying to be an alarmist or a fear-monger but those who are caught completely off guard will be most likely amongst the first to fall victim to the predators. And the current predators of wealth and privilege posing as simple, country folk from Crawford, Texas will not cease their campaign to reduce us all to paupers until they are stopped and held accountable for all their crimes. This mendacious moral midget masquerading as a man i.e. George Bush has the temerity to speak of honoring' the great purposes' of our Social Security system while simultaneously striving to gut it financially for the benefit of his political campaign contributors i.e. corporate gangsters inc. Just as we honor our parents by showing them respect, we honor the Social Security program's ideal by not opening it up to the plunderers of the public treasury. Isn't it amazing how Bush and his gaggle of craven conspirators can always come up with the billions they need to wage wars against nations who dare to tell the corporations to go to hell but when it comes to public health, education, welfare, and now the fictitious future dissolution of the Social Security system, they are at a complete loss as to how we're going to save this program established so that our elderly wouldn't have to live in a constant state of anxiety regarding how they would live out the remaining days of their lives? Bush's disingenuousness is so glaringly apparent that I'm totally incredulous he has the gall to even utter his pack of lies? He speaks of the great moral success' of the Social Security system when anyone who takes even a cursory glance at the history of the conservatives or the business elite can see that the conservatives have fought tooth-and-nail to block every progressive bill or piece of legislation with the aim of providing for the least fortunate amongst us! FDR's New Deal,' and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society' programs are amongst the most despised liberal programs' of the rich and affluent. Almost all of the so-called successful' and filthy rich made their fortunes by lying, cheating, stealing, and etc. yet they lecture us that we should be honest, hardworking, and always pay our taxes? The vast majority of Americans have no clue as to just how depressingly deep in international debt Bush and his buddies have plunged us. If just two of our major creditors who have loaned us billions, if not trillions, were to call in the debts we owe them, I fear we could be plunged into a Great Depression.' I'm no fan of Bill Clinton's but at least when he left office, we had a budget surplus of something like 0 billion dollars. By the way, I say I'm not a fan of his for amongst a plethora of other reasons, his wife, Hillary, used to be a lawyer for Wallmart that titan of tyranny in the workplace that is now the largest retail corporation in America. And speaking of tyrannical corporations, I believe that I heard somewhere years ago that shortly after the Social Security system was established, the government loaned millions to the Ford Corp. Remember good old Henry Ford, the Jew-hating American success story who supported not only Hitler but also contributed significantly to the undermining of our public educational system. Ah yes, the free market' system! A free ride for the already wealthy and a prison for all the rest of us. A prison wherein we are held captive in the collective darkness laughingly known as the mainstream media and where we are reduced to degrading and subhuman living conditions' and where we are occasionally tossed a few bread crumbs which the pigs of profit and piracy have accidentally dropped from their cavernous gaping holes in the masks they hide their grotesqueness behind!

Furthermore, in Bush's faade of feeling and compassion he rolls out the never disappointing tactic of whipping up the public's fear as George Orwell so brilliantly predicted. "If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs." Bush and the vicious fundamentalist Christians and free market fundamentalists of the corporate cockroach kingdom are in fact trying to turn back the hands of time to the Dark Ages. That infamous age in which the peasants only barely scratched-out an existence at the discretion of the nobility.' The church and the state were feudal lords whom the people had to pay outrageous taxes and/or the bulk of their crops and were left with barely enough food to feed their families. This is why the ruling elite don't want a truly well-educated public because they want to keep us in a dark ages of the mind as well as the spirit so we can be more easily duped and manipulated into doing their bidding. Naturally, the wealthy will not be forced to pay dramatically higher taxes---hell, they pay next to nothing already. And of course they will continue borrowing from other countries because after all, they are not the ones who are going to have to pay the loans back, it's always us, the worker drones who pay the lion's share of the bills owed. Lastly, they are going to make sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits and other government programs no matter what and you can take that to the bank. How? Oh, they're very resourceful and diabolically clever in their excuses for sticking-it to the rest of us at every opportunity they get.

The barracuda Bush then has the effrontery to say, "You and I share a responsibility. We must pass reforms that solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all. Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options. Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy retirees." Yeah, right, an open, candid review.' Open and candid as in Cheney's Energy Summit' that he fought so valiantly to keep secret and hidden from the public who pays all the bills including Cheney's salary. And no, we don't share responsibility with Bush because he and his heinous henchmen alone are responsible for their crimes against huma

By Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter Aug 15, 2008 10:00 AM PDT

Russia sent hundreds of tanks, thousands of combat solders and bombed Georgian air bases killing thousands after Georgia launched a major military offensive with the intent to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia.

Witnesses said that the Ossetian capital was devastated thousands of civilians were reported dead in the worst outbreak of hostilities since the province won defacto independence in a war against Georgia that ended in 1992.

"I saw bodies lying on the streets, around ruined buildings, in cars," said Lyudmila Ostayeva, 50, who had fled with her family to Dzhava, a village near the border with Russia. "It's impossible to count them now. There is hardly a single building left undamaged."

The fighting broke out as much of the world's attention was focused on the start of the Olympic Games and many leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Bush, were in Beijing where it is believed Putin informed Bush for the first time about the soon to be invasion. No warning from Bush to Putin was reported.

Russia has intercontinental ballistic missiles with war heads pointed at the United States and has the capability to strike every major city in America. Both Russia and China have larger standing armies and are building there war machines much faster then the U.S., which includes their navy and air force. The U.S. has few military options to respond to the aggression in Georgia by the Russians and can only fight back with diplomatic and economic retaliation, U.S. officials say

President Bush after the fact was only able to warn Russia that its push into Georgia could jeopardize relations with the U.S. and Europe, the administration signaled that any retribution would be aimed at the Russian economy and prestige.

The L.A. Times reports that Russia's pummeling of Georgian troops has left Washington with few palatable military options, according to what administration officials told the Times. This high level source requested anonymity when discussing internal policy decisions. He further acknowledged that military aid to Georgia was off the table and sanctions against Russia were impractical, they insisted the U.S. could take longer-term economic and diplomatic measures that would hit the Kremlin hard.

Even before the crisis in Georgia, tensions between Washington and Moscow have been rising over disputes such as the independence of Kosovo, NATO's expansion toward Russia's borders and U.S. plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. In another development that infuriated Moscow, the United States and Poland recently reached a deal to install a U.S. missile defense base on Polish territory. Actions by Bush misled the country into thinking the U.S. would come to its aid, according to columnist Rosa Brooks.

Ms. Brooks in her weekly column wrote the Georgians have now been punished enough, declared Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Or maybe not. At press time, Russian tanks were reportedly rolling through the Georgian city of Gori, in violation of a cease-fire agreement. So there could be more punishment in store for the Georgians, who were stupid enough to imagine that if they picked a fight with Russia over the disputed region of South Ossetia, Uncle Sam would come riding to their rescue.

Ms. Brooks went on to say President Bush shares the blame. Once he stopped swooning over the soulfulness of "Vladimir's" baby blues, Bush seemed intent on showing Putin and other Russian leaders that he no longer gave a damn. The Bush administration supported the "color revolutions" in Russia's backyard and denounced antidemocratic crackdowns in Russia -- while making excuses for "friendly" authoritarian regimes elsewhere. The administration also virtually shut down extensive multi-issue dialogues with Russia that had been maintained by previous administrations, hammering in the message that we didn't care much about good relations with Moscow.

The administration also aggressively pushed policies that couldn't have been better designed to enrage the Russians. At the April NATO summit in Romania, Bush urged a fast track to NATO membership for Georgia.
Meanwhile, the administration singled out Georgia for the "Our Best Buddy in the Caucasus" award. The U.S. has supported the development of gas and oil pipelines running through Georgia that will challenge Russia's regional economic hegemony, and provided the fledgling Georgian republic generous economic and military aid, including an overhaul of its forces. In return, Georgia sent 2,000 troops to Iraq, and the administration pretended to be deaf when Georgian politicians crowed that their newly improved military would be perfect for teaching those pesky South Ossetian separatists a lesson.

But it's all gone disastrously wrong for our best buddies, and we're sitting on the sidelines, offering empty reassurances to the Georgians and empty threats to the Russians.

TheUSA andUSSR were the two superpowers during the cold war.

]]>

According to Wikipedia a is astate with a leading position in the international system and the ability toinfluence events and projectpower worldwide; it is traditionally considered to be one step higher than agreat power. Alice Lyman Miller (Professor of National Security Affairs at theNaval Postgraduate School), defines a superpower as "a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time.

After the Cold War, the most common belief held is that only the United States fulfills the criteria to be considered a superpower.Many believe that the USA has lost it's spurerpower status even before Russia attack on Georgia. Others doubt the existence of superpowers in the post Cold War era altogether, stating that today's complex global marketplace and the rising interdependency between the world's nations has made the concept of a superpower an idea of the past and that the world is now multipolar.

Salon reports that nineteen years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall effectively eliminated the Soviet Union as the world's other superpower. Less than a month ago, the United States similarly lost its claim to superpower status when a barrel of crude oil roared past 0 on the international market, gasoline prices crossed the .50 threshold at American pumps, and diesel fuel topped . As was true of the USSR following the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the USA will no doubt continue to stumble on like the superpower it once was; but as the nation's economy continues to be eviscerated to pay for its daily oil fix, it, too, will be seen by increasing numbers of savvy observers as an ex-superpower in the making. The fall of the Berlin Wall spelled the erasure of the Soviet Union's superpower status was obvious to international observers at the time.

According to the AP Russia's military chief of staff said that Moscow could use nuclear weapons in preventive strikes to protect itself and its allies, the latest aggressive remarks from increasingly assertive Russian authorities.

Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky's comment did not mark a policy shift, military analysts said. Amid disputes with the West over security issues, it may have been meant as a warning that Russia is prepared to use its nuclear might.

"We do not intend to attack anyone, but we consider it necessary for all our partners in the world community to clearly understand ... that to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia and its allies, military forces will be used, including preventively, including with the use of nuclear weapons," Baluyevsky said at a military conference in a remark broadcast on state-run cable channel Vesti-24.

The Russian Government released its new nuclear policy in a document entitled Concept of National Security. The document updates policy statements and indicates a heightened sense of conflict with NATO and the US on nuclear issues, and an increased reliance on nuclear weapons. It affirms a strengthened Russian policy for the use of nuclear weapons, not only in response to a nuclear attack, but also to a conventional attack.

Cooperation between the US and Russia, including the Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs to secure Russian nuclear weapons and fissile materials, have come under strain in the wake of NATO expansion, the NATO attacks on Serbia and the decision by the US to move ahead with National Missile Defense. Russia no longer maintains a 'no-first-use' policy, and is considering re-deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. The Russian Duma (Parliament) ratified START II on the basis that the ABM Treaty be maintained. Thus US plans to withdraw from the ABM are prompting Russia to maintain a number of START II missiles, and possibly even increase the numbers of warheads on some of them.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in his address to officers at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia that Russia was focused on strengthening its nuclear capabilities.

The two nuclear superpowers may be building up their nuclear capabilities. More armed conflicts are taking place in the world every year, which means the world needs more conventional arms, or better still, precision weapons with effects comparable to those of nuclear weapons.

As it draws attention to a Russian nuclear threat, the United States has accelerated its transition to conventional armed forces, lessening its dependence on its nuclear arsenal. Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, John C. Rood, said as much in late May.

According to Reuters, "Moscow has boosted military spending as part of an effort to make Russia more assertive on the world stage after the chaos of the post-Soviet period. It has also tried to reform its military to create a more professional, well-equipped and mobile army.

Sources:

L A Times

Salon

RIA Novosti

Reuters

CIA

AP

Wikipedia

Here are some facts about Russian women. 90% of Russian women who become mail-order brides to meet men overseas have four or more years of college education and are graduate students. In fact a much higher percentage of Russian women who become mail-order brides are better educated than American women. The reason for this confusion and this myth may be that Russian women are very polite and ladylike. This does not mean they are uneducated, submissive, or have low self-esteem.

Once again we will turn to facts to squash myths. INS studies have shown that the education level of men seeking a Russian mail-order bride is higher than the average in the United States of America and their financial security and income level is above average as well. So if a guy who is more educated and wealthier than most others is a loser... in fact the majority of men abroad seeking out a Russian lady for marriage are lawyers, doctors, real estate investors, and managers of large corporations. So in that respect the type of men who are seeking Russian girls for marriage and dating are indeed in the minority.

]]>

The main reason Russian girls choose to become mail-order brides is they are seeking mates that are worthy. Being intelligent and well educated themselves these Russian ladies want to meet a man who is also well educated and certainly not poor.

If you are unfamiliar with how the whole process of meeting a Russian lady for dating and marriage goes it is strongly recommended that you get your hands on a copy of meeting Russian women by Elena Petrova. She was a Russian mail-order bride herself who is now married to an American man and her guide will serve as a roadmap making the whole process of meeting a single Russian lady easier, faster, and safe.

As far as which Russian dating agency you should use there are tons of Russian agency scams on the Internet. The only one that I personally know of that is safe and legitimate use Anastasia Russian dating.

Related Russian Politics Articles

Biological nitrogen fixation

Schematic illustration of nitrogen cycle.

Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) happens while atmospheric nitrogen is transformed to ammonia by an enzyme mentioned to as nitrogenase.Formulation for BNF is:

N2 + six H+ + six e 2 NH3

procedure is coupled to hydrolysis of the sixteen equivalents of the ATP or is accompanied by co-formation of the one molecule of the H2.In free-dwelling diazotrophs, nitrogenase-generated ammonium is assimilated in glutamate via glutamine synthetase/glutamate synthase pathway.

Enzymes accountable for nitrogenase motion are quite vulnerable to destruction by oxygen.(In truth, lots bacterium cease manufacturing of enzyme in display of the oxygen).Lots nitrogen-solving organisms exist solely in anaerobic situations, breathing to draw down oxygen stages, or binding oxygen with a protein like Leghemoglobin.

crops that contribute to nitrogen fixation contain legume household Fabaceae with taxa like clover, alfalfa, soybeans, lupines or peanuts.They contain symbiotic bacterium mentioned to as Rhizobia within nodules in their root systems, manufacturing nitrogen compounds that help plant to develop or compete with other crops.While plant dies, fastened nitrogen is launched, making it out there to other crops or this helps to fertilize soil great majority of the legumes have this connection, yet some genera (e.G., Styphnolobium) don't.In lots conventional or biological farming practices, fields are rotated via varying kinds of the crops, that usually contains one consisting primarily or completely of the clover or buckwheat (household Polygonaceae), that have been usually mentioned to as "green manure."

Non-leguminous nitrogen-solving crops

A sectioned Alder tree root nodule.

A whole Alder tree root nodule.

though by far majority of the nitrogen-solving crops are in legume household Fabaceae, there're some non-leguminous crops that might additionally repair nitrogen.These crops, mentioned to as "actinorhizal crops", consist of the twenty 2 genera of the woody shrubs or bushes scattered in eight plant households.Capacity to repair nitrogen isn't universally show in these households.For instance, of the 122 genera in Rosaceae, solely 4 genera are able of the solving nitrogen.

household: Genera

Betulaceae (Birch): Alnus (Alder)

Cannabaceae: Trema

Casuarinaceae (she-oaks):

Allocasuarina

Casuarina

Gymnostoma

......

Coriariaceae: Coriaria

Datiscaceae: Datisca

Elaeagnaceae (oleaster):

Elaeagnus (silverberry)

Hippophae (sea-buckthorn)

Shepherdia (buffaloberries)

......

Myricaceae:

Morella arborea

Myrica

Comptonia

......

Rhamnaceae (buckthorn):

Ceanothus

Colletia

Discaria

Kentrothamnus

Retanilla

Trevoa

......

Rosaceae (rose):

Cercocarpus (mountain mahogany)

Chamaebatia (mountain distress)

Purshia (bitterbrush or cliff-rose)

Dryas

there're additionally some nitrogen-solving symbiotic associations that contain cyanobacteria (like Nostoc).These contain some lichens like Lobaria or Peltigera:

Mosquito fern (Azolla species)

]]>

Cycads

Gunnera

Microorganisms that repair nitrogen

Diazotrophs

Cyanobacteria

Azotobacteraceae

Rhizobia

Frankia

Nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria inhabit virtually all illuminated environments upon Earth or play key roles in carbon or nitrogen cycle of biosphere.Generally, cyanobacteria are able to using a diversity of the inorganic or biological resources of the mixed nitrogen, ammonium, nitrite, like nitrate, urea or some amino acids.Some cyanobacterial lines are additionally able of the diazotrophic increasing.Genome sequencing has supplied a big quantity of the data upon genetic foundation of the nitrogen metabolism or its control in varied cyanobacteria.Comparative genomics, collectively with helpful studies, has led to a very important advance in this area over previous years.2-oxoglutarate has became out to be central signalling molecule reflecting carbon/nitrogen stability of the cyanobacteria.Central gamers of the nitrogen control are international transcriptional element NtcA, that controls expression of the lots genes included in nitrogen metabolism, and PII signalling protein, that nice-tunes mobile actions in reaction to changing C/N situations.These 2 proteins are sensors of mobile 2-oxoglutarate degree or have been conserved in all cyanobacteria.In distinction, adaptation to nitrogen hunger includs heterogeneous responses in varied lines.Nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria in coral reefs might repair twice quantity of the nitrogen than upon land around 1.8kg of the nitrogen is fastened each hectare each day.

Chemical nitrogen fixation

Main article: Haber procedure

Nitrogen might additionally be artificially fastened.For using in fertilizers, explosives, or in other merchandise.Most regular method is Haber procedure.Artificial fertilizer manufacturing is currently biggest supply of the human-made fastened nitrogen in Earth's ecosystem.

Haber procedure needs high pressures (around 2 hundred atm) or high temperatures (at least 4 hundred C), regimen situations for industrial catalysis.This ultra effective procedure using green fuel as a hydrogen supply or air as a nitrogen supply.

studies upon catalytic nitrogen-fixation

Main article: Dinitrogen complicated

a lot studies has been carried out upon discovery of the catalysts for nitrogen fixation, usually with target of the decreasing power needed for this conversion.Such studies has hence far failed to even method potency or ease of Haber procedure, nevertheless.Lots compounds react with atmospheric nitrogen beneath ambient situations.For instance, lithium steel converts to lithium nitride beneath an environment of the nitrogen.Remedy of ensuing nitride provides ammonia.

1st dinitrogen complicated was reported in 1965 relied upon ammonia coordinated to ruthenium ([Ru(NH3)five(N2)]2+), studies in chemical fixation targeted upon transition steel complexes.Since then a big number of the transition steel compounds that contain dinitrogen as a ligand have been discovered.Dinitrogen ligand might be bound either to a unmarried steel or bridge 2 (or more) metals.Coordination chemistry of the dinitrogen is complicated or currently beneath intense investigation.This studies might contribute to new paths of the using dinitrogen in synthesis or upon an industrial scale.

1st instance of the homolytic cleavage of the dinitrogen beneath delicate situations was revealed in 1995.2 equivalents of a molybdenum complicated reacted with one equal of the dinitrogen, making a triple bonded MoN complicated.Since then, this triple bounded complicated has been utilized to make nitriles.1st catalytic systems changing nitrogen to ammonia at area temperature or strain was discovered in 2003 or is relied upon other molybdenum compound, a proton supply or a robust decreasing agent.Unfortunately, this catalytic reduction solely fixates some nitrogen molecules.

References

^ a b c d e Postgate, J (1998).Nitrogen Fixation, third Edition.Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK.&

160;

^ http://helios.Bto.Ed.Ac.Uk/bto/microbes/nitrogen.Htm

^ Smil, V (2000).Cycles of the Life.Scientific American Library.&

160;

^ Herrero A or Flores E (editor).(2008).Cyanobacteria: Molecular Biology, Genomics or Evolution (1st ed.Ed.).Caister Academic Press.ISBN 978-1-904455-fifteen-eight.Http://www.Horizonpress.Com/cyan.&

160;

^ http://www.Epa.Gov/watertrain/nitroabstr.Html US Enivronmental safety Agency: Human Alteration of international Nitrogen Cycle: Causes or Consequences by Peter M.Vitousek, John Aber, Chair, Robert W.Howarth, Gene E.Likens, Pamela A.Matson, David W.Schindler, William H.Schlesinger, or G.David Tilman

^ Chem.Commun.1965, pp.621622

^ C.E.Laplaza or C.C.Cummins, or Cummins, Sceats, pp 861

^ Curley, 268, 1995, Science, J.Amer.Chemical Soc., 128, 2006, pp 14036

^ Synthesis or Reactions of the Molybdenum Triamidoamine Complexes Containing Hexaisopropylterphenyl Substituents Dmitry V.Yandulov, Richard R.Schrock, Arnold L.Rheingold, Christopher Ceccarelli, or William M.Davis Inorg.Chem.; 2003; forty 2(3) pp 796813; (Article) doi:10.1021/ic020505l

^ Catalytic reduction of the Dinitrogen to Ammonia at a unmarried Molybdenum center Dmitry V.Yandulov or Richard R.Schrock Science 4 July 2003: Vol.301.No.5629, pp.7678 doi:10.1126/science.1085326

^ catalyst is relied upon molybdenum(V) chloride or tris(2-aminoethyl)amine replaced with 3 quite cumbersome hexa-isopropylterphenyl (HIPT) teams.Nitrogen adds finish-upon to molybdenum atom or cumbersome HIPT substituents forestall formation of steady or nonreactive Mo-N=N-Mo dimer, or nitrogen is lowered in an remoted pocket.Proton donor is a pyridinium cation that is accompanied by a tetraborate counter ion.Decreasing agent is decamethylchromocene.All ammonia shaped is collected as HCl salt by trapping distillate with a HCl solving method

^ Note additionally that though dinitrogen complicated is shown in brackets this species might be remoted or characterised.Here brackets don't point out that intermediate isn't noticed.

See additionally

Denitrification

George Washington Carver

Nitrification

Nitrogen cycle

Nitrogen deficiency

Nitrogenase

Birkelandyde procedure

External links

Nitrogen Fixation

NITROGEN FIXATION

Categories: Nitrogen metabolism | Metabolism | Plant physiology | Soil biology | Microbiology

Related Dmitry Articles

More balloons - and a prelude to the fireworks that were soon to follow came with the response of PA negotiator Saeb Erekat who told AFP:

]]>

This had been a poor start to what had promised to be the race of the century especially after a senior Israeli official said the PA had been given preliminary maps of the proposed borders. Someone in the PA had dropped the baton and no one there obviously wanted to be held responsible.

The mooted plan was rejected by the PA within hours of it being leaked in the media - setting a new world record for the fastest rejection by the PA of any Israeli proposal made over the last 15 years.

Saeb Erekat led the cheerleaders chorus telling AFP:

Yet another new world record had now been set for the length of time the Arabs had consistently and unreservedly maintained this same identical demand since 1967.

Nabil Abu Rudainah - another Abbas spokesman - was equally as vociferous telling WAFA news that the Olmert proposal showed a lack of seriousness and was a waste of time.

The city in which the handshaking, flag raising and closing ceremony was to ultimately take place - Jerusalem - was not even dealt with in Mr Olmerts proposal since the publication of any details dealing with its disposition was deemed to be too thorny an issue to appear in the official program.

Both Mr Olmert and Mr Abbas appear to be like two losers rowing against each other in a repechage heat which neither is going to win. Like the Australian eight they are rudderless and drifting down the rowing course to nowhere.

Mr Abbas - already on his high horse before the Olmert proposal - has failed miserably to clear the first hurdle faced by him in responding to the Olmert initiative.

The coaches and support teams sitting on the sidelines - including President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, President Sarkozy, Prime Minister Putin, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Quartet Representative Tony Blair - must be tearing out their hair at the outright rejection of the Olmert plan by the PA.

However their frustration should be tempered by the realisation that the entire negotiating process that followed President Bushs enunciation of his Roadmap 6 years ago was also nothing but smoke and mirrors. These negotiations were always destined to failure from the date of their inception for the very reasons articulated in Mr Erekats above mantra that has been standard Arab fare for the last 40 years.

Any suggestion that there could be some give and take in the division of the West Bank and Gaza between Israel and the PA has again been exposed as pure folly and sheer nonsense.

Mr Erekats perennial message was further rammed home by another advisor to Mr Abbas - Nabil Abu Rudainah - who told Arab News:

Attempts by the international community will no doubt be made to change the PAs game plan but they will prove to be a complete waste of time.

The closing ceremony for the Roadmap had been performed once again and no amount of doublespeak could disguise this incontrovertible fact.

The Olympic Games motto -One World, One Dream - seems to have run a distant last in the West Bank and Gaza. The time for playing games is over. It is now time to get serious about what is to happen there.

The opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing was initially rated a spectacular success. However it now turns out that lots of smoke and mirrors were used to introduce an air of present reality where none really existed.

Dazed teenagers in shell suits flail their limbs in chaotic dance moves, shaven-headed nationalists give Nazi salutes, and riot police throw protesters of all ages into the back of waiting police trucks. Laid over the footage is an upbeat guitar track, and the catchy refrain: "Our madhouse is voting for Putin; Putin's definitely our candidate."
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Science magazine reporter Kean views the periodic table as one of the great achievements of humankind, "an anthropological marvel," full of stories about our connection with the physical world.Grab A Copy Click here Funny, even chilling tales are associated with each element, and Kean relates many. The title refers to gallium (Ga, 31), which melts at 84??F, prompting a practical joke among "chemical cognoscenti": shape gallium into spoons, "serve them with tea, and watch as your guests recoil when their Earl Grey ?eats? their utensils." Along with Dmitri Mendeleyev, the father of the periodic table, Kean is in his element as he presents a parade of entertaining anecdotes about scientists (mad and otherwise) while covering such topics as thallium (Tl, 81) poisoning, the invention of the silicon (Si, 14) transistor, and how the ruthenium (Ru, 44) fountain pen point made million for the Parker company. With a constant flow of fun facts bubbling to the surface, Kean writes with wit, flair, and authority in a debut that will delight even general readers. 10 b&w illus. Grab A Copy Click here

Like big-game hunters, scientists who stalked an undiscovered element courted peril: Marie Curie and Enrico Fermi both died from exposure to dangerous elements in the course of their experiments. But besides them and Dmitri Mendeleev, the deviser of the periodic table, which looms over science classrooms everywhere, few discoverers of the elements occupy the consciousness of even avid science readers. Kean rectifies that in this amble from element 1, hydrogen, to element 112, copernicium. Attaching stories to a human-interest angle, Kean ensures that with his elaboration of the fixation a chemist, physicist, industrialist, or artist had for a particular element comes clarity about why the element behaves as it does. The soft sell about proton numbers and electron shells thus closes the deal for Kean's anecdotes about elements of war, elements of health, and elements of wealth, plus the title's practical joke of a spoon (made from gallium). Whether explaining why Silicon Valley is not Germanium Valley or reveling in naming-rights battles over a new element, Kean holds interest throughout his entertaining debut.

Grab A Copy Click here

Russia President Dmitry Medvedev and Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dance in a new years cartoon broadcast on Channel One Russian TV. The accordion-playing Medvedev started the skit with a neat jump and shout of "hopa!" to which Putin replied: "Well done!" "Now your turn," said Medvedev. The cartoon Putin gamely hit the tambourine against his backside. "Great!" said Medvedev, admiringly. Using rhyming couplets and the elaborate wordplays beloved of Russians, the sketch gently poked fun at the situation created by the sharing of power by Medvedev and his Kremlin predecessor and mentor Putin. "I, for the second time, congratulate the people on the New Year," declaimed Medvedev, who took over from Putin in May 2008 after a meteoric ascendancy. "I know. But someone here has congratulated them nine times," pointed out the cartoon Putin. "Yes, I remember," conceded Medvedev.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

In 1560, Anastasia died mysteriously, and the bad half of Ivan's reign began. He was convinced the Tsarina had been poisoned. His mind seeded to shatter, and he sank into a life of dissipation and paranoia. Anyone whom he even remotely suspected of plotting against him was executed, and in 1570 he ordered thousands of citizens of Novgorod to be killed when civil unrest disturbed that city.

To protect himself against "traitors", Ivan established a personal security force, the oprichnina the first of Russia's infamous secret police forces. Dressed in black and riding coal-black horses, his band of men, eventually 6.000 strong, rode the countryside to find and destroy anyone suspected of disloyalty to Ivan. Whole towns were wiped out and even a cousin of the Tsar was murdered, together with his family. Then, in another fateful move late in his reign, Ivan took to exiling his political opponents to newly conquered lands in Siberia.

Banishment to Siberia may have been better than the punishment dealt out in Moscow, where Ivan's supposed enemies were likely to be tortured sadistically. Ivan personally took part. When he was particularly angry, said an observer, he foamed at the mouth like a horse. During one violent episode, he struck and killed his eldest son, whom he professed to love. This deed pushed Ivan over the brink. He became obsessed with knowing when he himself would die, and in 1584 he sent for 60 witches from Lapland, who obliged him by specifying a date. His death would come, they said, on March 18 of that same year. On March 17, Ivan suffered a seizure and within minutes was "stark dead", as Sir Jerome Horsey, the English Ambassador to Ivan's court, put it.

Ivan's death began a generation of chaos, called the Time of Troubles, that was marked by dynastic struggles, social upheaval and foreign intrusion. Ivan's weak, incompetent son Fyodor inherited the throne, but power was held by Fyodor's brother-in-low, Boris Godunov (subject of the opera of that name), who is said to have reinforced his position by killing Fyodor's heir Dmitri. Boris was eventually crowned Tsar, but there followed one of the most bizarre episodes in all history: two different pretenders claimed in succession to be the murdered Dmitri, supposedly still alive.

The two falls Dmitris were both sponsored by Poland, which had long contested the ownership of Russia's western lands, and which during the Time of Troubles repeatedly invaded the country and even occupied Moscow. Alarmed by the threat of a polish takeover, the General Assembly sough a Tsar who could rally the country's factions and preserve Russian independence. In 1613, the crown was offered to Mikhail Romanov, a prince whose family connection to Ivan's Anastasia gave him great respectability. Mikhail fought off the Poles, stabilized the government and established a dynasty that was to last three centuries, until the 1917 Revolution.

Epic chain of tacos: www.youtube.com Dmitry Starodubtsev' pole breaks while pole vaulting at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Deagu
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Russian dating sites are the best place to find Russian women dating for marriage. This modern world connects many Russian singles together. Russian brides come to America or other Western countries by getting married with Russian men or American guys. Online dating services generated thousands of relationships and weddings a year. There are a variety of dating services that singles can join. Free dating agencies provide a way to meet single people without paying any fee. So, the best place to seek Russian women for dating and marriage is from Russian dating websites. There are thousands of online Russian singles and Russian personals who registered at these sites and they are looking for a companion.

Russian women are unique that you cannot find in any other Western girls. The dreaming eyes from these girls looking at you, you may die for them. Looking for Russian dates at these Russian online dating sites is simple and convenient. All you need to do is to create a nice personal ad with a detailed description about yourself. The next step is to search for a member you like and contact her. The last step is to meet face to face with that member. Can you believe that you can find a beautiful single Russian woman without paying a dime. That is right. Free Russian dating websites charge members nothing for using the service.

There are many Russian online dating sites have been emerged on the internet in recent years and attract thousands of singles locally and worldwide. Moscow women date Russian men online is just too easy. Moscow women register their profiles to search for men at these Moscow singles services, so do Russian men. Moscow dating sites do not cater to the singles in Russia countries but America as well. However, most of Moscow singles from these dating services are Asians or Asian-Americans. Moscow American singles seek their Moscow dates through these online Moscow date services. Russian singles services are getting more and more popular in the last few years. Your computer is a tool in searching for your Russian dater. Just a few clicks, you will see thousands of beautiful Russian singles online at Russian dating websites. You can browse for the singles in your specific area.

Are you ready to find Russian brides? Seeking your Russian dream mate at these Russian dating web sites and start a virtual dating. If you want to get an Russian date from an Russian dating site, you need to search for at least few Russian singles and contact them all. Using polite statements in your messages to send to others works out very well. Do not use any sexual or erotic word in your messages, or you do not receive any reply. So, looking for Russian single girls and women for marriage at Russian dating services is simple and it is totally free. You should take an action now by joining these totally free Russian dating agencies to find all Russian mail order brides online today.

Find More Russian Politics Articles