Musings from Murph.

PEAK OIL AND MY ALUMINUM FOIL HAT.

I am addressing this to all of you that are being accused of extremists positions and holding tin foil had conspiracy theories. Oh yes, you are being alarmists, you know who you are and you know the effect you are having on people around you when you take to your soapbox and espouse all these nonsense ideas that are obviously un American and will not solve any hypothetical problems you may put forward anyway. Oh yeh, very un American to say the least, and very socially disruptive and just get the hell out of the way, I’m on my way to Wal Mart you commie sympathizer. Whoops, excuse me, I get carried away with paraphrasing the opposition I guess. Sorry.

Lately, along with several web sites that are dedicated to debunking the peak oil concepts, there has appeared on a personal contact level, increased resistance to the concept and its impact. After all, all the frenzy about oil going up to $100 per barrel hasn’t happened and please fill-up my hummer while you’re at it. I find it interesting that I have been running into more and more resistance in the generalized form that ‘technology and inventiveness will save the day’, or at least it well never be allowed to get as bad as some people are concerned that it will. The consequence of this disagreement about the concept is starting to throw all the doom and gloom projections into the tin foil hat extremists box and discounted as such. I have been poking into the debunking web sites periodically and it appears to me that the controversy is not about interpretation of data that anyone can look up, but is rather a disagreement of the validity of the data itself. The debate, primarily, does not seem to be any longer over whether oil is a finite resource, (except of course for the abiotic oil advocates) but rather how much longer we have enough of it to keep things running as they are now and with the increased demand of the developing countries. The disagreement over when peak oil happened, if it has at all, is pointed to as flawed data, and is used to support the concept that we are at minimum 15-50 years from any kind of peak, which the recent CEMA report tried to substantiate. To top it off, even if and when we reach a peak, it will level off and not decline. (WHAT? You mean it will last forever?) My god, talk about interesting ways to manipulate data and use of unverifiable suppositions. Like the 9-11 questions concerning the official account, I have some question concerning the non peak oil accounts. If those in charge of things worldwide are indeed not concerned with peak oil because we have so much of it left to exploit, why are we engaged in all these national wars over the stuff? If you believe that these conflicts have nothing to do with oil and we are killing people on a rather large scale in order to save them from repressive governments, I have a one-size-fits-all-foil-hat waiting for you too. That foil hat is starting to feel real comfortable on me.

I tend to think that most of this debate is distracting us from the more immediate and extreme problems we are facing. Not that either running out of oil or its becoming so expensive that we have to power down is not a serious problem, but we do have some more immediate things that do need to be addressed. I suspect that this distraction is deliberate. But of course my tin foil hat has been amplifying those voices in my head lately too.

So, for me anyway, any arguments that wants to radically extend the pool of below ground hydrocarbons is immediately suspect, either that or the world controllers are thinking within some very long term plans. Again, in either case, we are going to run out of the affordable stuff, and the way we live will, sooner or later, change rather dramatically

One of the justifications that is being used for nearly everything that is going on, to the point of ridiculousness, is the terrorist threat argument. Most of what we call ‘terrorist’ activities against the US are reactions to some big government’s policies, (namely the US Israel and England), not an aggressive unprovoked act. After all, what does a smaller and weaker society have to fight back with when a big powerful country leans on them? Any direct confrontation is immediate annihilation. (The Iraq military as an example) In any case, it sure looks to me that all of the policies, domestic and international, that have been enacted around terrorism qualify as false flag operations, and that is to conceal the national need for below ground hydrocarbons. And, I would sure be interested if anyone can find an official government definition of ‘terrorist’ or ‘terrorism’. I suspect that is also on purpose because no matter how you define it, the US does it. I’m going to keep the foil hat on for this issue I guess.

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So, let’s take a look at some of the more immediate problems I alluded to above. We have, in my opinion and with the information I have, a serious economic problem that is world wide, and that is fast approaching a truly catastrophic event. I have yet to see ANY economic projections that advocates everything is hunky dory that does not lean on the doctored figures indicating low inflation, low unemployment, and active and healthy stock and commodity markets. Outside of the inane statements by Bush and the Federal Reserve and the lay people on the street, the people actively engaged and involved with economics say we are in big trouble. So the sole reason given for why we shouldn’t be concerned about the economy and to take off our tin foil hats, is based on known and documented false data. Unemployment is up, not down; inflation is much more than the government released information (10% last I read); and the stock and commodity markets figures are known to be manipulated. What the true state of affairs in all three areas is, is up for grabs, but it sure isn’t what the government and its spokesman are saying. So I think I will keep my foil hat on for this issue too.

Another of the really pressing problems is the changing weather cycles. What I am reading that is debunking the man made global warming idea may or may not be true. But that weather cycles are changing is for sure happening. This is causing all kinds of havoc world wide and this havoc is not being addressed with any policy. Instead, we are addressing the issue of whether it is man made or not. Now, it may indeed be true that sun activity causes periodic and severe weather changes. And, it may or may not be true that mans activities are making the problem worse. Because all we have is statistical data concerning this, we are not able to demonstrate with absolute certainty on causative affects. But we simply seem to be unwilling to address the FACT that it is happening, and we have no national agenda on the issue. We all know damned well that even if we could prove conclusively that man’s activities were the cause or a contributing factor, we have neither the political or social will at this time to do anything significant about it. Thank you, but I will retain the foil hat on this issue also.

Of immediate concern is the perpetuating of more war, for whatever ostensible reason. If we really aren’t preparing for more war, what in the hell are we doing sending so much heavy weight war machinery to the areas in question, primarily Iran? How interesting that Iran holds so much in oil reserves. Of course we are told that if Iran puts in nuclear reactors of any kind, they will immediately make weapons and then we can expect bombardment of American cities. We also sure don’t like the fact that Iran may,-MAY-, be helping the insurgents in Iraq against the American occupation. The gullibility of the American public concerning this is amazing. You mean to tell me that if Canada or Mexico or countries in Western Europe were being occupied that we wouldn’t help an insurrection? We have done the same all over the world. One of the more recent examples is Afghanistan against the Russians. Why would anyone think that Iran or any other Muslim country wouldn’t do the same for Iraq? We can spend all day talking about the probable outcomes of bombarding Iran. None of them are going to be good for me or you. There are going to be people that will benefit from another invasion, but the consequences will be worse than anything that has come about in Iraq for most of us. Of course if you have invested heavily in war industry stocks, you will benefit in the immediate future. So, do I think there is collusion and conspiracy involved in this war preparation? You Bet! And, oh yes, supporting the troops. You been listening to interviews with members of the military? Rather mixed response it appears, but weighted with the pro policy interviews. At the risk of offending some people I am going to assert that the reason our military is in Afghanistan and Iraq is to make money and keep power for the elites, , and not to preserve our rapidly disappearing freedoms and the Bill of Rights. (Which is asserted constantly and being blown up our collective asses) People, that means our military and its leaders are either in collusion with the elites on this issue or have been taken for chumps. I’ll keep the foil hat on this subject also.

Of major concern in any argument concerning domestic and national events and planning is the known FACT that our government lies all the time. Let’s go back a number of years when Clinton lied to us about CAFCA and NAFTA. He at least was honest enough to let us know that the outcomes would be dependent on how we dealt with the issue, but he never did lay out what the negative consequences could be, and that is exactly what has happened, a whole bunch of negative consequences for all but the very wealthy to begin with. Would the American public have been willing to go along with this if the government had laid it all out and not just the projected rosy consequences? Probably not. Of course, we might argue that the government would never get anything done if they laid out the negative consequences beforehand. People would not stand for that. So they lie to us to get us to go along with policies that benefit very few to the detriment of many. I remember back in the 70’s having the John Birch Society warning us in no uncertain terms about the Federal Reserve. Well, they were branded extremists, racists, conspiritists and tin foil hat people. I am not a lover of that group, but were they right, at least on this issue? Back in 1913, there were a lot of warnings about the Federal Reserve System and was finally pushed through by (hold on here) a Democrat, President Wilson. Makes you proud to be a liberal doesn’t it? My head is listing to the side by the weight of all the foil hats being piled on.

So, overall, I guess I’m going to keep the foil hats on for the time being. I find it to be an interesting set of company I keep. How about you?

A True Story that Just Hasn’t Happened Yet

Freeacre

The timing of this missive is just after I read the headline that the British report an attack by the U.S. on Iran could happen "any day now." I thought I should share my worst case scenario, just in case, with my son - and with you all, to get you thinking of your own worst case response. If it doesn't come down this way, great! We can work on creating a better world.

A middle-aged woman lies awake in the middle of the night. She glances across the sleeping body of her husband at the clock glowing in the dark. It says 3:30. She gets up and goes into the kitchen in her pajamas. She lives in a single-wide trailer in a rural area in Oregon.

She makes herself a cup of tea, and drinks it while she writes a letter to her son.

Dear Bean,

There is going to come a time of total disaster in this country and eventually most of the other countries of the world as well. It has been developing for years, of course, but the powers that be have been hiding the knowledge of it. As it became apparent to the ruling class that our world would soon run out of recoverable oil, natural gas, uranium, and by 2035, even coal as well, they bought up the mainstream media and suppressed information about the depletion of resources. The American public has been distracted by relentless programming that has fostered consumer debt and shallow materialism with bogus “reality” shows and “news” that is insipid and inaccurate. The political pundits, the “experts,” and consultants are bought and paid for by corporatists who are determined to funnel every dime that they can get from the working class to those of privilege. In the last thirty years or so 90 percent of all the wealth in this country has been transferred to them.

Until now, it has been in their interests to keep us alive so that they can continue to harvest and milk us like a vast herd of obedient cows for our money and labor. We work at their jobs, buy their products, inhabit their buildings, purchase their drugs (legal and illegal) that prop up the stock market, frequent their hotels, spas, restaurants, hospitals; attend (and vote from) their mega-churches, invest in their schemes, and fight their wars. Taken as a whole, the foremost function we perform is to service the debt and financial institutions that the central banks have created. This is the matrix that the Wachowski brothers so aptly portrayed in their metaphorical movie trilogy.

But these are the end days, Bean. You’ve heard the Murph-man and I rail about Peak Oil for years. Now it has happened. The peak has been reached as of November of 2006. Now we are at a plateau level. Because the developing nations of China and India are increasing their use of oil by prodigious amounts, the plateau will quite quickly become a decline. We’ll be lucky if there is recoverable oil for ten years, natural gas for another fifteen years, uranium - twenty, maybe. Coal will be gone by 2035. Top soil, water, copper, silver, even silicone are depleting. That’s the “good” scenario. It does not take into account the venality of those in charge.

Just because the general public doesn’t know about this, don’t think that the global corporatists (fascists) don’t know. The United States got red-lined the minute that our domestic oil supply peaked in 1974. From then on, it’s been about shifting our manufacturing base to countries with cheaper labor or a closer proximity to oil in the ground. America was changed from a producing to a consuming society. Citizens became consumers. Workers who used to be iron workers, oil riggers, unionized trades people, scientists, and engineers have become valets, chefs, real estate agents, daycare workers, timeshare salesmen, "professional” snowboarders, and soldiers. We are now a service (read that “servant”) society. We have been marginalized and milked to the point that we are not longer useful. At some point, we become a liability, and we won’t be missed.

Three or four significant additional elements are now in play that could bring this on sooner rather than later: resource wars, climate change, and currency/housing collapse. We could have a military event (like the bombing of major oil fields or the closure of the straits of Hormuz, or a domestic terrorists event, real or contrived) that would stop the flow of oil and lead to WWW as all the major powers attempt to secure the last oil supplies. Countries would re-align for their own perceived self-preservation. The U.S. produces almost nothing, and yet uses 35% of the world’s natural resources, and forces the world to use American dollars for petroleum transactions. This is objectionable to the rest of the world. The countries that hold the majority of the U.S. debt are OPEC (the oil producing nation consortium) and China. To conserve the world’s supply of oil, China and OPEC will dump the treasury notes they currently own and collapse our currency. The stock market is a house of cards anyway, so it will go into free fall reminiscent of the Trade Towers collapse. Watch the real estate crash in the coming year as well. This is an exercise in transferring wealth, big time, by the central banks.

Another triggering event might be global warming. A couple of more hurricanes, levels 5 or 6, might devastate another city or two this summer and also take out what is left of our oil drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Once again, OPEC and China can see the writing on the wall as rising temperatures are creating more and more drought, severe storms, arable land is becoming scarce, water is at a premium. The U.S. is using much more than its share, and we are on the brink of bankruptcy. This is one more reason to pull the rug out from under the U.S. and switch to Euros for petro-dollars. We are the biggest energy and resource hogs the planet has ever known and the biggest bully on the block.

This leads us to “Demand Reduction” or “The Die-off.” The End Game. There are too many people on the earth to be sustainable. In my lifetime, we have gone from 2 to 6.3 billion people, and it is projected that I could live to see 9 billion. The food production has been so incredibly intensified by petroleum based fertilizers and pesticides and gasoline based machinery that it has produced this hellacious population increase. Once the oil runs out, the planet cannot begin to feed us all. Combined with the alarming dwindling arable land, water, fish in the ocean, top soil, wildlife, climate change, etc., it is estimated that 5 out of 6 born since 1960 will die of starvation, violence, or disease world-wide.

Of course, the elites figure (much like our Rapture-driven Christian brethren) that the few to be saved will be themselves. Once the God-favored, 144,000 begin to glow, and their clothes evaporate, and they float up into the Light, that still leaves oh, say, six billion still on the planet to fight for the leftovers. The newly outfitted Homeland Security Gestapo will stay busy for awhile rounding up scapegoats and dissidents while the privileged tip-toe past the masses and head for the hills of their private islands and fortified havens in Patagonia or whatever.

Actually, it is this point that I am actually writing to you about.

This collapse could come relatively slowly as the whole country starts to look like Flint, Michigan. Or, it could happen very soon and all at once. Once it is full blown, what is the point for our owners, to drag it out longer and have less to scoop up later when the dust settles? I mean “soon” like next month soon. By the middle of March or so, our navel forces will be in place to attack Iran. Iran is not going to take a nuclear assault on the Cradle of Civilization lying down. They might just strike first. Anyway, however it shakes out, be ready to recognize the signs of time to bug out. Where you are is not sustainable. The town relies on tourism, and tourism will be dead in a weekend once gas goes to $7.00 per gallon and people are looking in the rear-view mirror hoping not to see a mushroom cloud. It will be Time to Get Your Hat (TGYH).

It takes at least two refills of gasoline to get here in a car from there, and that’s assuming that you can drive straight here. But, you may not be able to because there is a rumor that there are Oregon survivalists who are poised to blow up or otherwise block the traffic on the main highways leading into Oregon from California in the event of a mass exodus. Forget I-5, for instance. Try 395 from Nevada. The best idea, if the weather co-operates, might be to travel light on a motorcycle. Bring as much cash as you can (credit cards and ATM’s will not function long. Maybe days, or hours.) Bring a gas can and a hose for siphoning. Bring a small tent and camp gear. If you are running from authorities, ditch the cell phone. You can be tracked by it. Don’t call me on a cell phone. You may have to go cross country to avoid highway check stops. Bring your copy of my will and deed to the house so you can show good reason to be in Oregon. You may want to bring Newy and Whitney and Katie with you. They are welcome, as long as they are willing to defend the place once they get here.

This place, such as it is, has been created, after all, as a lifeboat for you and yours. It’s paid for. It has water. It has a greenhouse, woodstoves. The area has a railroad and a low density population. The climate is challenging and the soil quality sucks, but we’re working on it. It’s the best we could do. But, you do have a chance here.

Just get here, Bean. When the internet goes down, the ATM’s won’t work, the credit cards won’t scan, martial law will be declared, people will begin to be rounded up. It will be too late by then, probably. They’ll say it is for National Security, illegal immigrants, terrorists, domestic insurgents, etc. etc. They’ll use all the reasons we’ve been hearing and accepting and were complicit with over the years as our government victimized other nations while we watched “Survivor” or football or MTV or listened to iPods and played “Doom” and rode around like Mac Daddy in cars with built-in boom boxes.

The real reason will be Demand Reduction. With so little natural resources left to go around, the fewer people alive to use them, the better for those that plan to survive at the expense of everyone else. The Owners-of-It-All will want to keep some viable people around for labor and some for security forces and the rest will be scheduled for death. If you look up and see tick-tack-toe configured chem trails in the sky overhead, it may be too late, My Dear. People may begin to get sick with a pandemic or some killer mold or some unidentified widespread virus. I can hardly imagine that a government would actually take measures to exterminate whole populations. But, then I ask myself "What do I think our biological weapons are for?" In that event, probably there is no defense other than a strong immune system. Know that I have loved you throughout every breath you have taken from the day that you were born. You have given my life its meaning and purpose. Your life has been one filled with adventure and fun to balance the challenges. Better, by far, than most on this struggling planet.

Just get here, My Love. We may be able to create a new, smaller, better little corner of the world and call it “Cascadia.” We may get it right, yet. The future is not yet written. Just get here. Tune into your inner core and move when the time is right.

But, if you can’t, and if you hear that I have died, comfort yourself with the knowledge that when I died, I fell into the loving embrace of our Mother, the Earth. From there, I will wait for you. It will be okay. We will go back to being that sacred star stuff from which all life springs.

Aho

mom

The Forgotten Trial of Scooter Libby

Now that the Scooter Libby trial is over, I think it might be time to reflect upon what the impact of the proceedings have had and will have in the future, assuming that there is indeed a future for America. As most of you know, the Real Deal began as a venture covering the outing of a covert CIA operative, Valerie Plame. This was an event that I incorrectly thought would lead to the downfall of Booshco. I fully expected to cover that event, have a few people look at it and then have the Real Deal disappear forever. As we now know, that is not exactly how it worked out. So, let’s do it.

Libby trial over? What is wrong with you, Cyclone? The jury is just getting the case today and you say it’s over? Well, yes, I do say it is over. Later I will tell you what I believe will happen after the jury completes its deliberations. But first, let’s review what occurred during the trial, and perhaps more importantly, what did not occur.

The Trial

I do not intend to re-hash what every witness testified to, but to paint a brief overall impression of what happened at the star studded trial. If you want to read exactly what happened, every word of the testimony of every witness is available on the “internets.” I would not suggest wasting your time; it is not terribly interesting. Patrick Fitzgerald presented his case in a thorough, professional manner. He brought many witnesses who spoke of learning from Libby that Plame was a CIA operative, all before the actual outing occurred. Perhaps most damaging was the testimony of Cathie Martin, a Libby/Cheney assistant who stated that she told Libby of Plames’ identity and employment status prior to it becoming public knowledge. Mrs. Martin also testified about the White House strategy of allowing “strategic leaks” under the direction of Vice President Cheney. Other White House employees were called, including one who said that Cheney had circles drawn around certain phrases from Wilson’s Op-Ed piece that appeared in the Washington Post and began this fiasco. He said that Cheney was clearly concerned and frequently talked to Libby about how to control the damage that was done by Wilson’s article. Fitzgerald called Tim Russert, from whom Libby claimed to have learned of Plame’s covert position. Russert testified that this wasn’t true, that actually he had never heard of her until he read it in the Robert Novak column where her identity was first publicly revealed. He called Ari Fleischer, who had requested and received immunity from prosecution in exchange for testimony. Fleischer said that he was “stunned and scared to death” once he learned of Plame’s status, and that he was concerned that he might be in legal jeopardy because, as the President’s press secretary, he had spoken about it many times from the White House podium. This was done during the routine course of his duties before he realized who Ms. Plame actually was. Judith Miller reluctantly testified that she learned of Plame’s identity from Libby. It is surprising that she was so reluctant with this information since she spent over 80 days in jail and lost her job and what little credibility she had trying to protect what Fitzgerald knew all along. But, someone has to play the role of the martyr, I guess.

Fitzgerald put his case on very convincingly, bringing in just the proper amount of witnesses to weave a web around Libby that he could not possibly escape from. Before he was finished, it became obvious that it would be more difficult to find out who had NOT leaked this information rather than who had. But, that is not what this case is about. It is about Libby’s propensity for not being truthful with the grand jury, and then attempting to cover it up with more lies. Now to the case presented by the defense.



They called very few witnesses. Robert Novak, the person who actually wrote the article revealing Plame’s identity, testified that he learned of her identity from Karl Rove and Richard Armitage, but “couldn’t remember” if he had heard it from Libby or not. Nothing he said was surprising, consider the fact that he has turned into nothing but a shill for the current administration and should not even be honored with the title “journalist.” They called Walter Pincus, an editor at the Washington Post, who said that he learned the information from Fleischer, something that Fleischer had already denied under oath. They also called Bob Woodward, who testified that his source was not Libby but instead Armitage. None of this was new information, but stuff that had been common knowledge for months. So, in simple terms, the defense did not really put up a defense. They did call one person, whose name escapes me at the moment, to say that Libby “has a terrible memory.” They did not call Libby to testify, which led to a tongue lashing from the judge who then refused to allow certain “memory impairment” evidence to be presented in front of the jury. The refusal to allow some of this evidence could come back to haunt the judge on appeal, but it did move the case along and besides, there will be no appeal. Fitzgerald had many rebuttal witnesses lined up and ready to go, all willing to testify to the fact that Libby actually is a brilliant man who rarely, if ever, forgets anything. Calling these people turned out not to be necessary because of the rulings of the judge, so Fitzgerald declined to call any rebuttal witnesses.

That’s pretty much the gist of the happenings at the trial, and it should be a slam dunk conviction for Fitzgerald. We will move on now.

Many months ago I told you that this “outing” of a covert CIA operative would land right at the door of the Vice President. I was wrong, I admit it. Well, partly wrong, anyway. The fact is that it didn’t actually LAND at his door, but it did pass through there on the way to another door. And this door, my friends, is the door of George W. Boosh.

The New Revelation

One new thing came out during all of this, though the jury did not hear it. In reality it shouldn’t matter as it has nothing to do with the charges against him. Libby’s I “knew and then forgot and then remembered I had forgotten or whatever the hell I’m trying to remember or not remember” defense isn’t going to work. The new thing is this. Robert Novak gave a draft of the article to someone who passed it along to Karl Rove three days prior to its publication. And if you believe that Karl Rove had this in his possession in advance and didn’t share it with Boosh, I’ve got some swamp land to sell you. Novak has claimed that, of course, he had no way to know that this third party would pass it on to Rove or anyone else inside the administration. Oh wait, I just found some more swamp land to sell.

Now whether or not this had any impact on the dimwit or his actions is up for argument. But, this does prove that Boosh did have knowledge of the leaking of a covert CIA operatives name before it was published, and that he could have stopped it from happening had he so chosen. And maybe worse than that, he knew exactly where it came from before he spewed his “if I find out that someone in my administration leaked this information they’ll be gone” BS. What does any of this have to do with the Libby trial, you might ask? The answer is absolutely nothing. It does show, however, that our Commander in Chief is a lying scumbag. Like we didn’t know that already. It is too bad that the Mainstream Media is paying little attention to any of this, or if they are, they certainly aren't sharing it with the American people. Someday soon, however, they will be forced to examine this stuff yet again.

What Does Any of This Mean?

Patrick Fitzgerald, when announcing the indictment of Libby, said that what Libby had done was the equivalent of “throwing sand in the face of the umpire” and then asking him to make a call at the plate. He could not pursue the investigation of the leak because Libby obstructed him from doing so by lying to the FBI and to the Grand Jury. As it turns out, this is a perfect analogy and a perfect strategy for Booshco. I can no longer claim that they have screwed up everything they have touched because they are now in position to do the unthinkable, and they planned it flawlessly. They will also pull it off.

Scooter Libby will be convicted of the charges he faces, maybe as early as today. It should take longer to elect a foreman for the jury than it will to get a unanimous guilty vote. Justice, however, will not be served, and I would bet my house on it. Boosh will Pardon Libby before he spends one minute in jail. This is why they did not put on a defense, they knew going in that a Pardon would occur if Libby protected his boss, the Vampire Cheney. If anyone actually believed the pre-trial nonsense that Cheney would testify, well I’ve talked enough about swamp land. First, they would have needed to have night court since being in the sun would undoubtedly cause Cheney to dissolve. Second, Cheney under oath? Get real; it ain’t gonna happen, now or ever. To realize why I am so certain of this, one must go back a ways and look at what happened during Watergate, and look at one of the key players in that debacle.

I’ll begin by stating this. Scooter Libby is no G. Gordon Liddy. If you recall, during the Watergate crimes, the prosecutors jailed the entire lot of co-conspirators and waited for them to break and turn on Nixon. One by one they did so. But not Liddy. This masochistic psychopath went so far as to hold his hand in the flame of a cigarette lighter the entire time he talked to investigators, and as they smelled his scorched skin, he asked again and again if they really thought that sitting in a jail cell would make him turn on his boss, Richard M. Nixon. I guess he proved his point, and he spent upwards of eight years in jail as a result of his faithfulness. To this day he has never spoken in a negative light about Nixon. Scooter Libby does not strike me as that type of person. He doesn’t appear to have the fortitude to sacrifice himself for anyone. In essence, he is a wimp, and would turn on a dime if given the proper incentive. If we look further, we can now begin to see, through him and Booshco, what is really wrong with this country today.

I was in favor of the Pardon of Richard Nixon, though not necessarily for the reasons that Gerald Ford gave for doing so. My thoughts were and still are, with a guy like Nixon, it was a power thing. Jailing him would have done nothing further to damage him than stripping him of power and forcing him to essentially live in isolation for the rest of his life did. For most President’s, power means everything. And for most, the loss of power is proper punishment for whatever crime they participate in. (the current leader is NOT among that group, however) That being said, there is a big difference between the Pardon of Nixon and the upcoming Pardon that will be given to Libby.

You see, Nixon himself was the cancer and had to be removed. He was, and we survived. In the current case, Libby is merely the cancerous lesion and removing him will have no deterring effect on the cancer that is spreading throughout Washington and across America. To stop this spread, you must remove the inside source of the cancer, not just scrape off the top layer. Libby is merely the top layer and is easily expendable, so long as you can keep him quiet. The real cancer lies in Rove, the Vamp and Boosh. Unfortunately, they have won, unless this man and his entire staff are impeached and removed from office. It took that to remove Nixon, a herd of Republicans walking into his office and telling him that it was over. It will take that and maybe more to remove Booshco.

The Ending

Boosh will Pardon Libby, claiming that the real purpose of the special investigation was to find out if anyone broke the law by outing a covert CIA operative. He will say that while he has the utmost respect for Patrick Fitzgerald, he knows Scooter Libby “the man” and knows that he wouldn’t deliberately lie to the FBI, a Grand Jury, or anyone else. Then he will say that since no charges were brought against anyone for the “outing itself,” that Scooter boy should not have to go to jail because of his unfortunate forgetfulness. He’ll say that the pressure of the war was first and foremost on Scooter’s mind, and that all should understand how it would be in such a situation. He’ll say that the whole Wilson affair was minor in comparison to his “war on terror” and that they gave it little thought. The press will dig in, the documents prove otherwise, everyone will be pissed off for a while, but it will eventually be shoved aside. Cheney will remain in his bunker directing the next insane war to cover up the current dirty and failed war; it will be business as usual.

Sorry Kids, but in today’s America, the good guys seldom win.

Cyclone

Does Anything Ever Really Change?

I have been gone for a while, mainly because I haven’t had much to say. Actually, I’ve had a lot to say but haven’t really known how to say it. I haven’t known how to say it because this world has gone totally nuts, and I’m not sure what more can be said but that. Anyway, here I am again.

This post is going to be a little different. I am going to begin with many quotes, from sources that will not be named, yet anyway. These quotes will have a central theme, are paraphrased when necessary, and are in no real particular order. Then we will talk about it, and I’ll explain where some of them came from. Many I will not be able to tie to a specific person, simply because I don’t know who some of these people are. Many are from the “man on the street.” But, where possible, I will eventually give credit where credit is due.

The Quotes

“We don’t care what the American people say, what Congress says, or what other oversight organizations say.”

(On democratizing the world) “We’re going to do it and we don’t care who gets killed in the process.”

“This is not how the Constitution was set up, not what the Founding Fathers intended. When you start by breaking foreign laws and overthrowing foreign governments, sovereign or not, you then find yourself breaking laws at home.”

“Sometimes you must be willing to go above and beyond the written law.”

“Some people are obviously willing to put the Constitution at risk because they believed there was a ‘higher order thing.’”

“We have liberty and the only way to keep it is to have strong leaders.”

“If we continue to rob ourselves to feed this security monster we are going to continue to degrade American life.”

“After all, we are only talking about upholding the Constitution.”

“A government in shadows, a secret government, will only occur if the people let it happen.”

“Abuse of power is simply a breach of faith.”

“We’ll never know the truth. I think it’s been happening all along only this time they got caught.”

“This has been a wholesale policy of lies, total fiction and deception.”

“To maintain military and moral prestige, we must be tough on terrorists.”

“America will never make concessions to terrorists.”

“What we have done does nothing but undercut our allies and the American people.”

“The Constitution states that the President shall take care that laws are faithfully executed.”

“The President has the right to act unilaterally. This is government speak for acting without Congressional consent or knowledge.”

“I see nothing wrong with creating forces to overthrow legal foreign governments, including democratic ones.”

“The President uses this as a way to keep war going despite Congress, public opinion, and the law.”

“To get around the law, you need a group of companies willing to set up private funding and a group of advisors to take control of policy.”

“…….a shadowy government with its own air force, its own navy, its own fundraising, with its own ideas of national interest free from checks and balances and most importantly, free from the law itself.”

“Its leaders are a creation of the US government, they are not first rate people but liars, motivated by power and greed. This war is a business to many of them.”

“This secret government has utter contempt for Congress, makes profits by shaking down foreign governments. It’s done in the dark of night because it can’t stand the light of day. There is no watchman at the door, no accountant to check the books, no judge to check the law. Secrecy is the freedom zealot’s dream of, a government without a constitution; the rules it follows are the rules it makes up.”

“This is an off the shelf, stand alone entity necessary to protect the United States.”

“These people are willing to put the Constitution at risk because they believe in a higher order; the ends are justified by the means. It’s the most Marxist, totalitarian doctrine I’ve ever heard of. When you hide things from the American people with no accountability, you’ve accomplished what Madison and others struggled with while putting the Constitution together, which was to prevent runaway power. They did not intend for power to be concentrated in one hand where one person runs off and makes a decision against the will of the American people.”

“We cannot abide with having terrorists run free in North America.”

“The terrorists know exactly what we are doing; the only people fooled are the American people.”

“How can people judge what they do not know or were lied to when they were told?”

“Politicians used to be bureaucrats. Now they are thrown in with slick used car salesmen and lawyers. Now everyone only talks about them as liars.”

“We don’t realize how close we are to surrendering popular control of government to the national security state. We’ve never come closer to bestowing absolute authority on the President,……”

“The men who wrote the Constitution tried to make it difficult for us to go to war because human life was at stake and national standing was involved. War should be soberly decided, publicly debated, and mutually determined by the peoples’ representatives. It is the people who must fight, pay and die once the choice is made. The Constitution wants to protect them from dying for the wrong reasons and from killing for the wrong reasons.”

And finally,

“We’ve turned war powers over to those we never know who or what they are really doing, what it costs, or who is paying for it. We are sure that this global war carried on with less and less accountability to our democratic institutions has become a way of life. Now we are pressed with a question never before faced: Can we have a permanent warfare state and democracy too?”

As I was doing this, I realized that I have four more hand written pages of quotes to use, but they are all along the same lines so I will stop now. Actually, I think I will use one more, from a war veteran.

“I think the country has finally learned very graphically that we must be sure if we are going to send our young people off to die like this it had better really be in the interest of every person in the United States before we make that sacrifice. We ask a lot of questions now that we didn’t use to ask, we want to know why, just what we are really involving ourselves in when we go to do that.”

What Exactly Is Your Point, Cyclone?

The above quotes came from various characters. They include; the “man or woman on the street,” war veterans, the despicable Oliver North, several Senators and Congressmen including John Kerry, law professors, one journalist, Bill Moyers, who produced the film that the majority of this information came from, practicing attorneys and various legal scholars. Kudos to you, Mr. Moyers, this is your work. And fabulous work it is. It has blown me away.

I find this a pretty accurate look at what can happen to a country that does what we have done, that being to give unfettered power to wage war to one man based on lies, deception, and by allowing him to use fear as a weapon against the American people.

But, that is not what is most interesting about this, to me at least. You see, this film was produced in the mid 1980’s, as a direct response to the Iran/Contra scandal. It was sent to me by a regular reader of the Real Deal, and for which I am forever grateful. The film includes other time frames as well, from WWII, which incidentally was the last war actually declared by Congress, up through the Viet Nam war. Its main focus and impetus though, was the Iran/Contra affair. That is what they were saying THEN. If that is the case, what should we be saying NOW?

These days everything comes full circle, but one thing seems to be consistent. That is that lies eventually catch up with administrations, with the Republicans lies generally resulting in wars. A thing that surprised me was that the fear of us being involved in “perpetual war” was there well over 20 years ago, and was actually recognized and pointed out at the time. Unfortunately, I had forgotten more about Iran/Contra than I remembered. I was “busy” during that period of my life, being a degenerate living on the beach. I remember watching the hearings, hating the arrogant, repulsive Oliver North and Ronald Reagan, but few of the specifics. Perhaps some of you recall this period better than I do, or have already seen this film. If so, this probably won’t have the same meaning or impact as it has had on me.

Another thing that strikes me is something that I hadn’t really noticed before, perhaps because of my age. It appears that the American people have essentially had their heads in the sand for a heckuva lot longer than I imagined. I found most interesting that the last quote I posted came from a Viet Nam veteran. Stating that he thought we had, as a people, finally began asking the hard questions before sending people to war.

Have we? Though that may have been the case in the immediate aftermath of that conflict, it didn’t take long for business as usual to become the rule of the day at the time. It looks like the same routine to me today, a fear based somber tale by a dimwit President telling us how we are in grave danger. The only real difference is that now it is a “war on terror” when then it was a “war on communism.” And, of course, it is all full of lies with the “ends justifying the means” being the operative words, as John Kerry mentioned above.

Now, I feel the need to get philosophical for a moment. (I'm getting soft in my old age)I think that more than anything this exercise has taught me one thing, and that is this. There are some of us who have a passion, a need, a calling if you will to be the watchmen for others. It is our job to see outside the box, to point out what might be coming down the road to those who won’t, or can’t, look for themselves. It is something that we MUST do, we simply can’t help ourselves. We have to know, and we have to tell. I consider the majority of us to be a part of that "watchmen" group, not just those of us who write here. But, to expect any positive results to come from our actions or to have a great revelation or any action occur among the masses is nothing more than a pipe dream. It just ain’t gonna happen. That is humbling, and at the same time relieving.

It is also not all bad, as we have somehow found each other. We have a growing group who really do give a damn what happens to this place called America, and this place called Mother Earth. Unlike Boosh, we are not alone on an island, we are instead communicating daily with many people of like mind. We are tossing out ideas for the good of others, though in the end they will likely only result in good for ourselves. But good nonetheless. So maybe our focus should be mainly on those already at our own council fire, and those that we will welcome to this place in the near future. Maybe it always has been this way and I just didn’t realize it. Others will come, one at a time or ten, but it matters not. They will be welcomed with warmth, common sense, and if they seek it, a kind community genuinely asking for their input and ideas.

My reality has changed and I have grown some over the last month or so, for the better I think. Before what we all know will happen does happen, we should perhaps think about finding a place to hole up together and protect one another from what will likely be a hellish period for those who manage to survive the crash or war, whichever arrives first. I remember thinking from a self induced Oklahoma haze back in the 60’s that I wanted to see what it would be like to live in a commune. It may be nearing time to make that dream a reality.

Cyclone