Oppression Turns Homeward

Americans travelling abroad were assured of privacy as long as they weren't talking to al Qaeda. Bush lied, yet again, according to ABC News. The National Security Agency eavesdropped on hundreds of citizens in the Middle East. The NSA even spied on military officers.

Maryland State Police named nonviolent activists as terrorists. The Washington Post reported police added 53 citizens to terror watch lists in 2005 and 2006. They targeted opponents of the Iraq War and the death penalty.

On October 1, the Bush administration began domestic satellite surveillance. He has an Army combat brigade at his disposal. In an emergency, the President can control state National Guard units. The current financial crisis was described in significant national security terms to members of Congress.

The picture painted a several thousand point drop in stock markets, credit evaporating, and public unrest, requiring the implementation of martial law. The first two are well on their way. What about the third?

Financial Meltdown Qualifies as National Emergency

The White House produced a National Continuity Policy in May 2007. One of the key essential functions is "Protecting and stabilizing the Nation's economy and ensuring public confidence in its financial systems."

The meltdown has been years in the making, but mid September produced a crisis point. The big money boys quit trusting each other to make good on their deals. The ghost of credit past visited Wall Street, making them pay for their sins of Vegas style credit bets, leverage, and off balance sheet items. But, big money boys don't cotton to "pay day loan" rates to move their debt.

Wall Street cried out for Hank Paulson and the Treasury to make the ghost go away. The President's financial team called key members of Congress. They talked about markets falling thousands of points, credit freezing, and the need to institute martial law to maintain order. Therefore, the government needed to set aside $700 billion to buy bad financial instruments produced or held by Wall Street.

The Bush administration continues sampling the menu of financial interventions on our tab. With the announced purchase of corporate commercial paper, the total is $3 trillion. Yet, nothing is enough for Wall Street. Even the requested interest rate cut, which came in at .5%, didn't please the markets. Dow futures went from green to red in a matter of hours. It opened down 200 points.

The financial system remains at risk. What tools does the Bush administration have at its disposal? On October 1, two new domestic security tools began. One, an Army combat unit is now at the President's disposal. The 2,500 to 4,000 troops can't intimidate the whole country. But it can impact regional unrest, voters in critical areas, and our elected leaders in Congress.

The second tool is satellite surveillance. While legal restrictions exist as to its application, such details haven't stopped the Bush administration in the past.

America has a deeply infected financial system. The abscess spread to integrated global markets. This alone is reason for George W. Bush to institute NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/NSPD 51. Will he do so? If yes, will it be publicly or in secret? He has a domestic army with the best intelligence tools at their disposal.

It sounds like King George Bush, shortened to KGB. Stay tuned.

Judge Orders Chinese Uighurs Freed from Guantanamo

In 2004 Chinese Uighurs held in Guantanamo Bay were declared non-enemy combatants. They lingered as no other countries stepped up with open arms. Seven years after their detention, a U.S. District judge ordered them freed into America.

China wants them back, concerned about their links to Muslim separatist groups in the Communist country. Bush wants them elsewhere, far away from the U.S. media. An appeal is likely in order. Let's hope the Constitution stands...

No Plane, No Pain, No Palin

Dick Cheney may be in his special bunker, readying for an Iranian nuclear-ectomy. Recently he was seen slinking around the Capital, lobbying for an Iranian blockade. Given his lack of success, how might things escalate? Reuters reported:

The Pentagon denied on Tuesday an Iranian news report that a U.S. military aircraft had violated Iranian territory and had been forced to land in Iran, saying all American planes were accounted for.

"All aircraft in the region are accounted for and we have no reports of any aircraft landing in Iran," Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder told reporters.

"I haven't heard anything like that," said Pentagon Bryan Whitman.

The Iran news agency reported earlier that a U.S. warplane had violated Iranian territory and had been forced to land in Iran.

The plane wasn't U.S. military, but Republicans are desperate. The McCain-Palin ticket needs wars or whores. George W. and Dick Cheney would use the whore card if they had one. Thus, expect wars. It will fulfill McCain's campaign promise, "There will be more wars, my friend."

Rebranding Israel to Focus Away from Middle East Conflict

With crisis comes opportunity. Israel approached 9-11-2001 with that perspective. Haaretz reported "Foreign Min., PR firm rebrand Israel as land of achievements ":

The rebranding idea was first proposed by the Israeli consulate in New York following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks there. The idea was that with the war on Islamic terror having suddenly gone global, Israel had an opportunity to escape its image as the main source of conflict with the Islamic world.

The project involved extensive research on Israel's international image, which was initially conducted by American experts hired and paid by international Jewish donors. In late 2005, however, the Foreign Ministry decided to make the effort an official ministry program. Since then, it has conducted a few pilot projects, such as inviting international journalists to tour Israel's wine industry.

"Our research shows that Israel's brand is essentially the conflict," said Ido Aharoni, the ministry official in charge of the program. "Even those who recognize that Israel is in the right are not attracted to it, because they see it as a supplier of bad news. The conclusion is that it is more important for Israel to be attractive than to be right."

By the end of this year, Israel will have a new international image, if the Foreign Ministry's rebranding project is successful. The British firm Acanchi, which the ministry hired to craft the new image, is now in the final stages of preparing to launch the new brand.

Fiona Gilmore, Acanchi's founder and a leading expert in rebranding countries and cities, toured the country last week and met with a wide range of Israelis - public figures, businessmen, academics and activists in various causes. Her mission is to create a brand disconnected from the Arab-Israeli conflict that focuses instead on Israel's scientific and cultural achievements.

The contract with Acanchi, which has helped to rebrand locales ranging from Lebanon to Northern Ireland, was signed about six weeks ago.

Seven years after 9-11 Israel will be reborn from a marketing perspective. Otherwise, things are pretty much the same. They still have nuclear weapons. America still gives them billions a year in weapons and military support. And they just declared villages as enemy military bases, promising widespread destruction. That's an achievement worthy of preemptive reporting to the United Nations.

The Day Freedom Died 10-1-08

Two seemingly disparate articles point to the slippery slope of government intrusion and control over citizens. Stacked atop past abuses by the Bush administration and the moves seem particularly ominous. What happened on October 1, while citizens were consumed by the financial meltdown?

First, the U.S. military now has a combat unit assigned to domestic service. Those are fighting men and women, combat soldiers fresh from the battlefields of Iraq. They are not bridge builders, fence menders, gasoline truck drivers, health care workers, or pilots of medical evacuation planes.

Second, the government approved use of a satellite surveillance system for domestic security purposes. The program is restricted to emergency response and scientific studies, but can be expanded to homeland security and law enforcement surveillance. When did the Bush administration let something like the law curtail their activities? The cabal threatened martial law to get Congress to pony up a new $700 billion for Wall Street's bailout. At least Rep. Brad Sherman shared that threat on the floor of the House. Bye, bye, Miss American pie....

Fact Check Me

Sarah Palin noted, "betcha people talking about the accuracy of my assertions, means they aren't talking about our economy, now flushing down the tank. Nor are they discussing McCain's multiple personality comments on the Corporafornication bill, which he eventually voted for. Wink,wink!"