Let me tell you. If George Bush told Ehud Olmert that the US was going to cut off funding to Israel, and discontinue re-stocking parts for military equipment if Olmert went after the Hezbollah kidnappers, we wouldn't be watching bombings in Lebanon today.
Now we know that NYC police have known about the liquid bomb terrorist plot for months. It is just too coincidental that Joe Lieberman loses on Tuesday, Tony Snow suggests that Democrats are getting weaker on terrorism on Wednesday, and there is a huge bust with massively intrusive new security measures and red alert status on Thursday. Now we know that Tony Snow knew the bust was coming down when he framed the Lieberman loss as a softening in the Democratic position on terrorism, as the full orchestra of the right wing echo chamber blasted.
Now, the question is, was the bust put in motion as an anti-terrorism move or an asymmetrical political warfare move-- capturing the mainstream media's attention and loyal stenographic coverage of the UK bust. On the left, on the progressive alternative media, there are plenty of people who are suggesting that this bust is very suspicious. In England, young Muslim men are shown on CNN wondering about the bona fides of this bust.
Things are falling apart for the Republicans. Iraq is a full blown disaster-- civil war, more deaths than when Saddam was in charge, exploding gasoline prices... Israel is a diplomatic disaster. It's clear that Bush has failed to deal with the middle east in a responsible way and that Condeleeza Rice and John Bolton are not at all up to the job... unless the job is amping up to a full blown middle east war that brings in Syria and Iran. Rice and Bolton are capable of making that happen-- no problem.
The Lieberman defeat is a clear, CLEAR message that the war and a relationship with Bush was deadly for Lieberman. The republican echo chamber tried for a day to put a positive spin on what is terrible news for the right wing... and it was so pathetic, so clearly unsuccessful....
they....
had to
Pull something else out of the magic hat.
It's nice to be in command of the most powerful, wealthy country on earth. You can make almost anything happen, or better, seem to happen.
So, voila, we have a big, hyper media event big, humungous terrorist bust. Now, these things don't just happen. They take international, intergovernmental agency cooperation, deep digging, months, or years of cooperative work. The Pakistani connection could mean that clues came from the computers of terrorists captured years ago. The fact that undercover agents were involved tells us that there was a lot of humint (human intelligence) invested in this-- something that is very rare when it comes to Islamist terrorists.
So, why take it public? Why divulge the names of 19 of the accused "terrorists?" This goes totally against all the rules of espionage and intelligence operations. It surely blew the covers of the undercover agents, probably among those 19 named "terrorists" in an effort to camouflage their identities.
Why? Because it's a a great media ploy, a great way to embellish the message that was blasted on Wednesday by the republican echo chamber, that Democrats are weak on terror. But there's a difference. The latest polls show that the public sees the DEMOCRATS as better on terror. So here is woofie the poodle Blair, Bush's anti-terrorism buddy busting a bunch of terrorists with soda and shampoo bottles and tooth paste tubes. And here in the US, a batch of Republican governors (CA, FL, MA) activate their national guard troops and send them into their airports carrying automatic weapons. Build that fear. Disrupt life as usual. Remind Americans that they are being protected by Republicans from Terrorists. Or is that the republicans are being protected by the terrorists, or the story about terrorists.
Let's not even get into the total failure of the media to discuss the possibility that they are being worked, used, manipulated, stenographically prostituted. They're part of the system.
Go ahead. Call me a wacko conspiracy theorist. But then explain how making an operation like this so visibly public makes sense in any way other than as a media ploy.
If you even entertain the possiblity that this cynical, chronically dishonest administration would use every trick in the dirty tricks book to influence voter opinion, then it's helpful to think ahead. What do they control that they can manipulate to produce news that they think will help them?
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
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Could not agree more! Pure political, fear-mongering propaganda by the Bush cartel. According to one headline, Gatorade is the latest WMD! Anyone that cannot see through this pathetic ploy to garner support for the republicans in Novenmber is beyond ignorant. How many times will Bush claim, "The Sky is Falling" and people will still look up! My hunch and research suggests, not much more:
The Leiberman defeat was wonderful ..and a wee lesson for us across here who think we lead the progressive world..I have said it before... but I don't care..
WELCOME BACK TO THE FIGHT !!!! THIS TIME I KNOW OUR SIDE WILL WIN !!!!!!
by
Hamish (45 articles, 0 quicklinks, 68 diaries, 210 comments)
on Friday, August 11, 2006 at 3:29:53 PM
I contacted my local newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel when I returned from my first trip to Israel and Palestine.
I offered to speak to the public as a local resident who had found out things that were NOT being reported anywhere in the USA media.
They ignored me.
I contacted them after my second trip too.
Same story.
I even contacted them after my third and also contacted the top 100 USA newspapers, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and FOX for fun that I was streaming video that is
UNCENSORED by Israeli military
"30 Minutes with Vanunu"
the whistleblower of Israel's WMD program and now on trial for speaking to the media in 2004, after he was released from 18 yrs. in jail for telling the world Israel had gone nuclear.
I asked the elite how come they were not covering this historic trial for how can you claim Israel is a democracy when they deny citizens freedom of movement and speech.
They all ignored me.
The truth always comes out, but don't look to local papers or TV media to let it out.
"It's nice to be in command of the most powerful, wealthy country on earth. You can make almost anything happen, or better, seem to happen."
I agree yet Bush has the most powerful army in the world and after 3 years can't subdue a weak sister like Iraq. With Bush, Cheney, and Rummy running things, the United States couldn't invade and conquer Rhode Island.
It is like King Kong getting beaten by Barney Fife. So after blowing billions of dollars, with hundreds of thousands of dead civilians and soldiers, Bush tells us we are no safer than before?
"We have a saying in Texas. Fool me once, ah, ah, fool me twice ah ah, its your, my fault. In other words don't fool me."
Maybe Americans are figuring out who the real fool is.
by
skyreader7 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 181 comments)
on Friday, August 11, 2006 at 4:27:39 PM
The accomplishment is to put people in fear as to not question those in power and the media.
The benefactors continue to be leaders in power, multinational banks and corporations, and the military-industrial complex.
The purpose IMO looks like an attempt knock down detractors and people that question the Global War On Terror as a euphemism for the war on people's freedoms, liberties and the pursuit of happiness. Several laws have been pushed by both the US and UK to push freedom of the press and whistle blowers against the wall to the point of being tried by military tribunal.
An interesting point is that the terror plot was exploited with a delay in it's timing to benefit the Bush administration. The Wayne Madsen Report at http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/ Aug. 11, 2006 -- UPDATED has an additional point in that it may be the joint effort of both the political and media elements to keep people in fear, allowing those in power to continue their illegal acts, (jumping around and over laws by decrees), whatever those may be.
By all appearances, the war is for the control of energy in the middle east. War profits banks, corporations and the military-industrial complex as well as those in power. It not only continues to move money into the hand of an ever shrinking few, but adds to their power as well. Many in the halls of Congress, Parliament and other leadership positions rotate in the revolving door of the corporate and banking elite, think tanks creating policy, special interest lobbyists and the military industrial complex. Isn't Blair to take a position within the Carlyle Group? Many congressmen have become high paid lobbyists, board members or executives of military-industrial corporations (which could not exist without military contracts), or large banking or corporate interests that want access to regions they don't have such as Iraq, Iran or Venezuela.
by
Jim Reinhart (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 60 comments)
on Friday, August 11, 2006 at 5:57:19 PM
Bob,
I don't think it was that conspiratorial. After all, wouldn't it have made more sense for Bush/Rove & Co. to blow the bust a week before the Connecticut primary, when it would have helped Lieberman? I think the more interesting question is why they did nothing to pick up security at airlines for the prior week, when the plot could have come off.
Keeping us safe...
Dave
by
Dave Lindorff (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 6 comments)
on Friday, August 11, 2006 at 6:13:28 PM
But I'm not sure it would have worked. It could have boomeranged. But after he lost, it's a tighter fit with a media rollout plan. I just wonder what's next... like I speculated... bio- scare, nuke scare, another N. Korean missile? BTW, I heard from a friend who was in the far east at the time, that local news reported that the last missile flew for 7 minutes, not 30 seconds, and it was aimed at the US. I'm guessing the N. Koreans shut it off, that they shot it off just to show Bush what they could do. I don't believe it was a dud.
by
Rob Kall (808 articles, 3922 quicklinks, 332 diaries, 1703 comments)
on Friday, August 11, 2006 at 9:10:16 PM
Rob
"Terrorist Bust Or Rovian Political Asymmetric Warfare?"
so what do we have to fight with? How do we fight?
We have no media to write the truth to. No paper, no cable, no reg. TV news.
All we have are political versions of Entertainment Tonight !
People like Woodward who used to be for justice, and honesty in politics is now with the enemy... they pay better.
We now know that a President can be appointed, and can be an arrogant little twit.
We now know that the Supreme Court ain't so "supreme" anymore.
That just a few war mongering ideologue madmen can start wars for their own personal wealth and power.
Than people can be herded like cattle when it comes to FEAR OR GOD.
Yes we have our online news people and blogs and activists.... God bless you all !!! But is it enough and is it in time? We can stand in the streets with signs... I want to know is anybody really listening? I know at some point this nation will fall. Like Britain, Spain, etc. we'll still be around, but more like a third world nation when it comes to "the people" trying to make a living, or for women.
Look the people in power today, do not depend on America, or Americans for their wealth. They used to, but now they have global citizens, cultures they can destroy and manipulate. We were for them a necessary evil. The don't need us anymore so they don't have to support the country, just live off it. There used to be enough honorable people in powerful positions that kept these bums in check. But no more.
If the big guys running the news, elected officials, major religious leaders can be manipulated by FEAR, then what chance to we have?
So what do we do? Nostradamus was right, he said there would be an Anti-Christ who knew he'd come from Texas. And that he would have a brother from Saudi Arabia. The Georgie and Osama show.
I used to think George was the idiot the stooge and Cheney, Rove, Wolfowitz ran the show well they do they are the two-bit crooks, they know they are they don't care... but when you have someone who is a lying little bastard and uses God to manipulate and do your evil... that is far worse than your run of the mill Mafia type.
Look what Osama does with religion.... no normal person could commit atrocities
unless the message is powerful enough and involves God, so you find people with no hope, those who refuse to take personal responsibility in life and viola, George and Osama two odious men who use it well.
Do you want to stop war as one of their money making schemes then put the children of all politicians and corporate heads in uniform and drop them in the middle of Lebanon or Iraq. I guarantee war would end in one day.
Here is an ode to George:
Georgie porgy puddin' 'n pie *ucked my country and made it die.
by
Bam M. (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 26 comments)
on Saturday, August 12, 2006 at 9:23:08 AM
I am supposed to fly next week. I usually do not check in lugage as I am a frugal traveler, so I am supposed to check in a small bag with toiletries. Of course terrorists wouldn't think of putting liquids with subtle detonators in the luggage hold, right ?
The whole thing is so laughable.
by
florence chapgier (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments)
on Saturday, August 12, 2006 at 11:24:16 AM
It truly is a laughable, except for all the misery caused.
What we do is vote these jerks out and apply the law as neccesary. They may require much more, as they'd rather tear this country apart then give up their power.
But they can't long resist the other super power. The People of Earth.
by
Jim Prues (15 articles, 33 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 73 comments)
on Saturday, August 12, 2006 at 7:13:00 PM
15 comments
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