Imploding America

What Would Jesus Not Do?

2009-04-20T15:27:00Z

This is a great video called "What Would Jesus NOT Do?" that I discovered via Reddit, but which was originally posted by Bad Psychics.

The animated short portrays God meeting with his holy council of angels to discuss what he should do once he incarnates as Jesus.

The angels, of course, have all kinds of humane suggestions, from teaching humans about basic hygiene, the origins of disease, and providing bountiful food, but God shoots them all down.

I may not be as cynical about religions as this short film, but the piece did make effective cultural criticism.

Hope you enjoy it.

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Defenders of the Constitution are now terrorists

2008-08-11T14:56:00Z

Very often, all you need to do is look at our own government's training materials to see what they are thinking.

Take this FBI training pamphlet which categorizes people who defend the Constitution as potential terrorists.

Also check out its definition of domestic terrorism: since when is exercising one's right of speech, protest and dissent terrorism? Since when is defending the Constitution terrorism?

We should all be very wary and very concerned.
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UK pumping up measles fear as vaccination decreases

2008-08-11T14:53:00Z

As vaccination rates continue to drop in the UK, the government has started a scare campaign about an impending measles epidemic.

Check out the link here: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7545151.stm

The articles says at least twice that vaccinations have been proven to be safe, but independent research does not agree. And people are beginning to question the "common sense" government line and beginning to take action.

What is the next step? Forcing innoculations?

Don't be surprised if the government doesn't try that if people don't become more compliant.

Personally, I love the fact that parents are taking a stand against vaccination.

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UK expects a 4C rise in temperatures???

2008-08-11T14:46:00Z

This is the kind of stuff that induces panic.

The Guardian is reporting that the UK's advisor to DEFRA is predicting global climate rises of 4 degrees Celsius

At first glance, that is alarming, but if you look closely at the article, there is no proof or evidence given for this conclusion.

The article simply goes on an on about how catastrophic global warming will affect the UK, but we've already seen this kind of alarmism in the Al Gore film.

What evidence is causing this scientific advisor to make sure dire predictions?

None that I can find, or at least none that the Guardian chooses to report.

Beware of global warming alarmists. Their agenda is very often political, not scientific.

Iran attack already approved??

2008-08-11T14:40:00Z

AmericanFreePress.net is reporting that Ron Paul, appearing on the Alex Jones radio program, claims that attack plans on Iraq have already been approved by Congress.

If this is true, then we need to take action now.

The American people are overwhelmingly against this war, and I base that assertion on talking to the people I know. I have yet to meet one person who thinks attacking Iran is a good idea, from any end of the political spectrum.

“The frightening thing is they say they are taking no options off the table, even nuclear first strike,” Paul said. Paul believes from talking with his contacts in and around Congress that a strike on Iran has already been green-lighted.

What we all must do is email our congressmen and senators TODAY.

To find out the addresses you need, go here: http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html

Analysis of United 93 phone call

2008-08-06T18:55:00Z

I recently watched this short but enormously disturbing video analyzing one of the phone calls coming from United 93.

Some of its points are thought provoking.

However, the short film makes too many swift judgments.

It also makes the claim that cell phones don't work on airplanes. That is flat out untrue. There are not allowed to be used, but that does not mean they do not work.

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Imminent i-9/11???

2008-08-06T18:47:00Z

Noted copyright lawyer and advocate of internet freedom Larry Lessig is on YouTube predicting that an internet version of 9/11 is likely to happen soon.

Such an event would give the government license to crack down on the freedom we all experience on the net in the name of "our safety".

Lessig also claims that he believes an internet Patriot Act is already written and ready to be hoisted on Congress as soon as this i-9/11 occurs.

There is also a full article on Prison Planet.

The internet is a thorn in the side of the new world order because it is one place where most of us are still very free.

We cannot let them take this vital voice of free people away.

Electronic Harrassment

2008-08-06T18:41:00Z

Roger Tolces appeared on Coast to Coast AM last night to discuss forms of electronic harrassment.

It appears the technology has advanced to the point that it can be keyed to an individual's DNA, and attackers can direct talking into a victim's brain 24/7 if they wish.

As proof, Tolces brought on one of his clients who has been the subject of an ongoing attack for quite some time. Her story is compelling as well as disturbing.

Tolces' website has more information on this emerging type of warfare and torture.

If you think this sounds farfetched, how about a related article in Business Week about headset technology that reads your thoughts and allows you to play videogames without your hands.

The link is here: www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_32/b4095000909813.htm?chan=technology_tech+maven+page+-+new_this+week's+column

Death education????

2008-08-05T13:30:00Z

Death education?

Has anyone every heard of this? Have your kids gone through this?

I have worked in education for many years at both the college and high school levels and have never heard of such a ridiculous and frightening curriculum.

Apparently, death education played a major part at Columbine High School.

If you don't believe me, just google DEATH EDUCATION.

The link that inspired this post is here: www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=16142
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In a town in Italy, it is now illegal to gather with more than 3 persons

2008-08-05T13:24:00Z

There is no Bill of Rights in Italy, but still, the right of the people to assemble is traditional and expected.

Therefore, this small town in Italy with no history of a crime problem has taken a surprising move.

[I}n the northern Italian city of Novara . . . if anyone is caught in a group of three or more they face a fine of 500 euro (£350).

Residents have called this fascistic and reminiscent of Mussolini.

The officials have dismissed this as ridiculous, but we expect their reaction to be that.

In truth, how is it different than a fascist regime? In truth, Mussolini's anti-gathering ordinance was 5 or more people.

This one states 3 or more. What if two couples go out for a later dinner together? This law now makes them criminals.

A police state does not happen in one fell swoop like in Hollywood movies. It moves in increments like this, folks.

If your town passes an ordinance like this, fight it.

The link is here: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/2494053/Italian-mayor-bans-gatherings-of-three-or-more-people-as-soldiers-hit-streets.html

How to deal with the police if you're stopped

2008-08-05T13:16:00Z

In the world we now live in, where police presence is growing (there are a million more cops than before 9/11), this video Busted is probably one of the most important videos you could watch, and 45 minutes well spent.

And don't let the fact that is is sponsored by the ACLU scare you away.

The purpose of this video is to remind people of their rights in encounters with police, rights people often unintentionally waive without even realizing what they are doing.

Being stopped by a cop is nerve racking, but the video gives a few very helpful hints.

First, stay calm and remember that the cop is NOT your friend.

Despite what we were told as kids, cops are not there to be our buddies or confidants or helpers. They are paid to find, arrest and convict lawbreakers.

Therefore,

1. Do not admit to any wrongdoing. Better off, ask why you were stopped. If an answer to a cop's question will incriminate you, stay silent. You have the right NOT to answer.

2. Stay polite and courteous at all times.

3. Do NOT under any circumstances consent to any searches, especially of your home. The video insists that a search warrant is almost always required to search the home. And even in the case of a car, if you do not consent and a cop searches anyway, it may be thrown out in court.

4. Try to dismiss yourself by asking, Am I free to go, officer? In fact, answer most of his questions with questions of your own. Just don't be a smartass.

5. Stay silent if you must. You have the right not to speak and you may ask to see your attorney first. This does NOT make you seem more guilty.

Pass this video along. It is crucially important.

Google says privacy is impossible and irrelevant

2008-08-02T15:15:00Z

A couple who sued Google for showing a picture of their house in Google maps got a surprise in court when Google had this to say:

Today’s satellite image technology means that even in today’s desert, complete privacy does not exist . . .

Plaintiffs live in the 21st century United States, where every step upon private property is not deemed by law to be an actionable trespass. Unless there is a clear expression such as a gate, fence, or ‘keep out’ sign indicating that the public is not permitted to enter, anyone may approach a home by a walkway, driveway, or any other route commonly used by visitors, without liability for trespass

Although correct in theory, I think Google is being disingenuous here.

Have we really arrived at a society where no lines can be drawn? Where people cannot opt out of having a picture of their house being shown?

I would love to see a sign that shows Google's satellites that the house is to be kept private and not shown. Where exactly would that be? On the roof?

I love Google, but they are beginning to worry me a bit.

The link is here: www.prisonplanet.com/google-says-privacy-doesnt-exist-get-used-to-everyone-knowing-everything-about-you.html

The role of PR in shaping public perception

2008-08-02T15:10:00Z

If you don't think your perceptions of the world are shaped by public relations, I think you are sadly mistaken.

The video The Century of the Self focuses on Alfred Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, and the father of modern PR.

In short, PR is simply propaganda renamed.

But we don't like the word propaganda. It reminds us too much of 1984 and communist regimes. Yet the film uses wonderful examples of how propaganda can shape public reactions, like how Bernays with one fell swoop turned public opinion about women smoking in public.

Essentially, Bernays turned our economy from one of necessity into one of desire. We changed from workers into consumers on his watch.

He called us "happiness machines".

The next time you are about to buy a new I-Phone or BMW, think about that.

The film is in 4 parts. I have linked you to part 1 only.

Families of 9/11 victims in their own words

2008-08-02T15:05:00Z

If you've never seen this video, In Their Own Words: Untold Stories of the 9/11 Families is illuminating.

They focus on the lapses of the federal government on that day, not on the sinister conspiracy.

The film basically blames the federal government and the military as grossly negligent in their reaction to the attack on our country.

Their stories are powerful.
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Why do so many people buy into global warming?

2008-08-02T14:57:00Z

Allan Taylor's article on Helium comes about as close to my position as any pundit can.

Basically, he admits that we all care about clean air and water. We all support planting trees and recycling paper and plastic. We all want to decrease landfills and stop dumping in our rivers and lakes. We all want to stop clear cutting of the rain forests and to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. We all support more research and investment into solar and wind power.

This is a given, for me, for Taylor, and for more people I know.

But how does this conscientious environmentalism jumps irrationally to the religion that has become global warming, we cannot explain.

Taylor writes:

Climate change is not a new phenomenon. It has always been with us (for the last 4 billion years) and always will be with us. We are fortunate to live on this dynamic planet, the Earth. Human beings have only been around in any quantity for the last few thousand years! No amount of draconian Government policies involving “carbon trading schemes” or “carbon taxes” now proposed will make the slightest difference to climate change or global warming because these are a natural phenomenon, like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. In other words, don’t blame increases in atmospheric CO2 for natural events over which we puny human beings have no control, for Nature rules the world!

Can we stop global warming? Is it leading us to an over heated world and a global environmental catastrophe? Sorry NO, on both counts and witchcraft won’t work!

Global warming also, is not a new phenomenon, and together with global cooling is part of climate change. It has always happened. Scientific observations to date indicate that global warming at present is not happening (not in the last decade, and only 0.7 C in the last 100 years). It is not caused by man-made CO2 emissions or results from the observed increase in atmospheric CO2 levels, rather the opposite i.e., significant global warming, when it has occurred in the past, causes an “out-gassing” of the oceans and soils resulting in an increase in atmospheric CO2, with a time lag of some 500 to 800 years (1). So much for Al Gore’s unscientific and alarmist documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” which received a 2007 Academy Award and together with the IPCC resulted in the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. What a travesty of the original award system

All I ask people is that you do your research.

Do not accept the media's word for it.

Global warming makes little sense as a man made catastrophe.

File sharing bound to go underground

2008-07-31T17:15:00Z

Sci fi novelist and Boing-Boing founder Cory Doctorow has posted a great editorial on the Guardian's website about how file sharing will go deeper underground as a repsonse to the recent deal between ISP's and record companies in the UK.

That deal will involve reducing bandwidth on chronic file sharers.

Doctorow calls this the latest paragraph in the record industry's long, self-pitying suicide note, and it's left me wishing they'd just pull the trigger already and stop beating their chests and telling us all how unfair it all is.

I agree with him that this agreement, which has also been discussed in the US between the RIAA and big internet providers like Verizon and Comcast, will not stop file sharing.

As Doctorow points out: Kids are time-rich and cash-poor and have an infinite supply of ingenuity and impecuniousness to apply to the job of getting music for free. Last year, my freshman university students in Los Angeles regaled me with stories of "hard-drive parties" where everyone would gather with guitars, beers and whopping great hard drives that cost less than either the guitars or the beers. While the students jammed, sang and danced, they simply synchronised their drives using whatever laptops were lying around, transferring hundreds of gigabytes' worth of music while composing and recording songs of their own.

Amen.

The saddest part of all is that the record industry has made itself look so pathetic in its drive to prosecute mostly youngsters.

It's time to change your business model, RIAA, not victimize kids who are ahead of you on the technology curve.

Police behaving VERY badly

2008-07-31T16:11:00Z

The growing number of cases of police acting inappropriately, and even brutally, is growing. And thanks to YouTube, an increasing number of those bad cops are getting removed from duty or fired.

Keep up the good work people.

Tape any encounters with police you can. Post them to YouTube, and if you are questioned by officers, do NOT speak to them, under any circumstances.

Our first case involves a police officer intentionally body checking a cyclist off his bike during a Critical Mass cycling rally in New York City last week.

The kicker is the cyclist was then arrested for assault!

Thankfully, this YouTube video brought the truth to light, and the officer was removed from duty.

Our second story is much more brutal and shocking: police taser a 16 year old with a broken back as many as 19 times.

The kid, whose blood has been proven to be free of any alcohol or drugs, was walking home from work in Ozark, Arkansas.

Somehow, he "fell" off a 30 foot overpass. Lying there with a broken back, the kid was then tasered many times. The police are on record saying he was difficult to subdue.

And, of course, we all put up huge fights when we have broken our backs.

This case highlights my call for the restriction or prohibition of taser use in police officers. The supposedly "non-lethal" weapon is grossly misused and has become more an instrument of torture than a tool of crowd control.

Tasers should be taken away from police.

If police continue to act this way, they will lose any sympathy they have from the public. Most of my friends, all of whom are law abiding (except for some occassional speeding), have an open distrust and suspicion of cops.

That growing unease around law officers is not good for our society. And police are creating the problem themselves.

More on Codex

2008-07-31T16:07:00Z

The short film (28 minutes) We Become Silent is an excellent intro to Codex and why it will be so destructive if it is adopted.

The film is well made, to the point, and narrated by Judi Dench.

If we don't begin writing our congressmen now, telling them we do NOT want codex, our health freedom may be gone in as little as two years. ...

Codex will make vitamins and natural remedies illegal

2008-07-30T15:34:00Z

Codex Alimentarius is a WTO protocol that you may not be aware of, but it WILL affect your life come December of 2009.

It is an attempt by the WTO to "harmonize" (read "regulate" or "control") world standards on food and pharmaceutical products.

Essentially, it will eliminate food labeling (making organic farming useless and irreleveant), it will make all vitamin and mineral supplement dosages so low that they will be ineffectual, and it will treat all herbs and natural remedies as drugs.

Essentially, folks, the multivitamin you currently buy will be totally useless come next winter.

Buying echinecea for your cold will be illegal.

Organic produce and food, which I know many of you care about, will be impossible to distinguish from processed and GM food.

We need to be aware of this. We need to spread the word.

Ian Crane, a UK researcher, has a brilliant and illuminating presentation on Google Video about it.

It's on the long side, but it's worth watching, especially the last half.

Proof that environmentalism is part sham

2008-07-30T14:45:00Z

If you've never heard of the Club of Rome, perhaps you should google it.

It's a think tank on the order of the Bilderbergers or the Council on Foreign Relations.

If you are one of those people who claims these groups do not exist except in the mind of conspiracy theorists, perhaps you better grow up and do some research and thinking of your own.

Indisputably, all three of these organizations exist and exert their power in our world.

The Club of Rome is widely considered the parent of the modern environmental movement.

This is a quote from their book The First Global Revolution, published in 1991:

In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill . . . All these dangers are caused by human intervention . . . The real enemy, then, is humanity itself.

Environmentalism, then, is an instrument of control. The new world order is using your desire to save the earth as a means of controlling you.

In the name of being "green", they can control your behavior, prohibit your consumption, even tax you, and you will comply because, after all, we all want to "save the earth".

For a moment, dwell on how hubristic that notion of saving the earth is. Who are we to save a planet that has weathered 6 billion years. We are a civilization that has existed for less than 10,000. How arrogant is it to think that we are doing any kind of serious damage to Mother Earth.

Wake up, folks. Stop walking the party line. Think for yourselves.

Global warming is a farce.

Police checkpoint in suburban NJ

2008-07-30T14:13:00Z

This morning, Wednesday July 30, at about 9:30 am, I drove to Wawa and the gas station in my small suburban town outside of Philadelphia.

It's a typical summer day; hazy and humid, we all can tell it will be hot.

Town was quiet, but normal. One woman held the door for me as I exited Wawa. Neighbors waved to one another. This is not paradise, but it is a friendly, family-oriented town with little to no crime.

After livinig in Philadelphia for 9 years, I am still adjusting the to the notion that hardly anyone locks their cars while they are in stores.

So, it was a typical morning. As I pulled out of the gas station and headed toward home, I noticed a police cruisier in the middle of the road with its lights flashing. At first, I wondered if maybe an accident had occurred, but as I drove closer, I noticed the officer stood aside his car, waving the traffic by.

In advance of the car, there was a small reflective sign that read: MOTOR VEHICLE INSPECTION POINT.

That sign is the point of this story: motor vehicle inspection point? A police checkpoint ala East Germany or the USSR?

Here? In this quiet, sleepy bedroom town where I feel completely safe? In a town where the biggest crime problem is speeding above the 25 mph limit?

We are close to no government installations or military bases.

Downtown is mostly small shops and restaurants. Traffic on these roads is mostly local people, going about their business, on their way to work, running errands, etc.

What business does a police checkpoint have on our main street in midmorning on a sleepy summer Wednesday?

Is there a sudden suspected terrorist threat? I highly doubt it.

What it seems to be is intimidation. The cop waved me through and I nodded and smiled, but I hardly felt jovial.

If he had stopped me, what would be the grounds?

The 4th Amendment exists to prevent just such random searches. Police may not search without probably cause. What probably cause might I, or any other motorist, given him?

This is the new America, folks, one where our rights are being ignored and even trampled.

We must fight back, or we will truly live in a dictatorship sooner than we think.

Our town is not unsafe. We don't need police checkpoints to make us feel secure. Most of us live here because the place is already a haven from crime and violence.

We must not stand for such intrusions into our privacy.

It's not the American way.

UK's police state advancing quickly

2008-07-29T23:09:00Z

This would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago.

In the name of stopping terrorists, British police have begun randomly searching citizens in places like movie theaters and restaurants, and of course, on the street.

The news reports this as if it is nothing remarkable.

And the police insist the people appreciate it.

I doubt most people love it.

Here's the link:
http://www.infowars.com/?p=3604

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British kids urged to become "climate cops"

2008-07-29T13:51:00Z

As bad as our society is getting in terms of fulfilling Orwell's big brother nightmares, the UK is consistently worse and ahead of the curve.

This latest is shocking, especially since most adults will at first see it as harmless.

Advertisements are currently promoting British kids to become "climate cops". This involves spying on their parents and reporting such "crimes" as: using a tumble dryer, leaving a door open (how evil) and not using energy saving lightbulbs, the very same that have to be left on all the time in order to actually save any energy, are bigger and heavier than traditional incandescent bulbs, require up to ten times as much energy to manufacture, use banned toxic materials, including mercury vapour, and are expected to cost the consumer millions in replacement of household fittings.

If you see this as harmless, then you haven't been paying attention to what I have been writing about.

Using our own youth against us is one of the main tenets of 1984. It was also a strategy utilized by Hitler.

But saving the earth is far more honorable than German racial superiority, you might say.

That is only true if you believe the earth really requires saving.

Once again, faulty assumptions lead to faulty conclusions.

The influence of the Rockefellers

2008-07-29T13:37:00Z

I was surprised to find Gary Allen's book The Rockefeller File online and so accessible.

Although written in 1975, making some of its references outdated, it is a compelling read about the true power of one of America's most famous families.

Being long, I suggest you skim the book.

The chapter on charitable foundations is one of the most fascinating. It claims that families like the Rockefellers, the Fords (think Henry, not Gerald), and the Carnegies funnel their money into non-profit foundations not because of their charitable inclinations, but because it is an awesome tool to avoid taxes while keeping control of their money.

Such foundations can then fund programs that can thus increase the family's wealth. For instance, he used the Rockefeller Foundation's emphasis on medical health, stressing new drugs to cure problems. This would then stoke their profits in the drug companies in which they have stake.

Can anyone say the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?

It's worth a quick read.

Al Qaeda everywhere

2008-07-26T14:47:00Z

This excellent NY Times editorial from last summer points how the administration and media outlets alike have taken to blaming everything in Iraq on Al Qaeda.

He points out that this is often done uncritically and without attribution.

In reporter's terms, that is lazy and irresponsible.

Thus, an uncritical public can be mislead.

And has been.

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Why do we continue to buy human-caused global warming?

2008-07-26T14:27:00Z

I am amazed at the large number of very intelligent people I encounter who uncritically accept the notion that global warming is occurring and it is largely to blamed on human energy consumption.

Keep your evidence to yourself.

Let's start at the very basics.

The global warming argument has a number of underlying assumptions which cannot be proved to be true. In fact, it's quite easy to disprove them or at least call them into question.

Here are some of those faulty assumptions:

1. The hockey stick graph is based on accurate science.

2. Global warming is supported by near unanimous scientific consensus.

3. CO2 is bad for the planet.

4. Human beings are destructive to the planet.

5. Human CO2 use is the main source of greenhouse gas.

6. Warming like we are experiencing is unique and anomalous. It has never happened before.

7. Resources are severely limited.

8. There are too many people on the planet.

What is wrong with these assumptions?

Well, #5 is flat out untrue. Water vapor is the largest greenhouse gas, and the largest sources of CO2 emission are the ocean and volcanoes, not humans.

Second, #4, 7, and 8 are based on value judgments. There is some evidence to support these points of view, but there is equally as much to prove they are untrue.

Next, #3 is specious at best. Plants and trees need CO2 to live. How could it be totally bad for the planet?

#2 is also flat out untrue. Although global warming is the marjority opinion these days, it is hardly unanimous.

Finally, #1 and 6 are the center of scientific controversy that has not yet been settled.

Don't take my word for this. Do your own research.

My point here is that an argument with faulty assumptions is a weak argument at best.

So why are we still falling for the global warming world view so uncritically?

Law Professor lectures on why you should never talk to a police officer

2008-07-26T14:17:00Z

This 27 minute video praises the 5th amendment, and stresses why no citizen should ever talk to a police officer.

I am a big fan of the right to remain silent.

Prof Duane persuasively argues that speaking to the police:

--will never help your case

--will not clear your name

--will not stop you from being arrested

--will always be used AGAINST you, but never for you

Alan Dershowitz has recently written a new book about how we should rethink the 5th Amendment.

I strenuously disagree.

Was David Icke right?

2008-07-26T14:09:00Z

Was David Icke right?

The answer is, for the most part, YES.

If you don't know Icke, he is an investigative journalist who has written at least a dozen books since the early 1990's exploring, with impressive documentation, the conspiracy that undermines our world.

People will often dismiss him due to some of his more outrageous claims, but the BBC series David Icke -- Was He Right? is alarming because of how accurate his predictions have been.

The series is in 5 parts and available on YouTube.

A shorter, succinct version is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sbs4vRXycE

Try to remain open minded. Lots of people might tell you this guy is crazy. Make up your own mind.

Personally, I have read at least 4 of Icke's books. He does make some outrageous claims, but when it comes to the Big Brother state and its impending reality, he's right on the mark. Eerily so.

Big Brother posters in London Underground

2008-07-26T14:02:00Z

Do we need to spy on each other in order to remain safe?

That's the question Steve Watson ends his article on Prison Planet with.

The article has pictures of some startling posters currently hanging in the London Underground.

Secure beneath the watchful eyes

Watching over you 24/7

I think I'm being watched

The posters seem more creepy than reassuring. Britain, after all, is the most highly surveilled population in the world.

However, I have seen similar signs on the train system here in the Philadelphia area. In multiple places I have seen posters urging people to report anything that seems suspicious and that we must work together to keep one another safe.

So I echo Watson's words: why do we need to spy on one another to stay safe and free? If anything, spying makes us less free.

And ironically, if my every move is being watched, I feel a hell of a lot LESS secure.

How about you?

Aspartame linked to epileptic siezures

2008-07-20T21:36:00Z

If you are someone who drinks diet soda or who loves any product that is "sugar free", you might want to reconsider.

According to OpEdNews, aspartame is now added to a number of anti-seizure medications used to treat epilepsy.

The results of the study indicate that the aspartame is causing more, not less, seizures.

Why are we ingesting this stuff??

For more on aspartame, check out SweetPoison.com.

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Nashville police using a sedative to get control of suspects

2008-07-20T21:15:00Z

If you think my talk of an encroaching police state is too extreme, this story might change your mind.

Tasers are temporarily banned in Tennessee; I'm a huge fan of that measure. I think tasers definitely need to be reevaluated as "non-lethal" weapons.

However, Nashville police have another trick up their sleeve:

The city's policy to use the method, which calls for the injection of a drug into a person, came as a "total surprise" to people most would expect to know all about it.

For almost two years, Metro police have had the option of calling for a needle loaded with a strong sedative to control the most unruly people they encounter on the street.

You read right: injecting a sedative into people's bodies against their will.

Talk about invasion of privacy.

Talk about violating the 4th amendment.

I call for a stop to this immediately.

Arrrested for unlawfully photographing a cop!!!!!

2008-07-20T21:11:00Z

This story is so ridiculous it's hard to believe it is true, but a man has been arrested for photographing a cop at a traffic stop.

He was arrested for "unlawful photography".

My research reveals no such law or crime.

Anybody ever hear of such a statute?

The behavior of the police is becoming more alarming to the American people. Most folks that I know are much much more wary of police officers than they were 10 years ago.

Still, we do have the right to photograph them.

In fact, I encourage everyone to photograph police if you are stopped.

Take their picture. Record their speech. But say nothing yourself.

Textbooks can be downloaded free on Bit Torrent

2008-07-20T20:58:00Z

Have you seen the price of textbooks lately?

A standard science or history text can run a student well over 100 or even 200 dollars.

Therefore, the Boston Globe's article about students who download textbooks on Bit Torrent comes as no shocker.

Yes, it is illegal, but I think the issue also calls into light why textbooks are so outrageously priced? A hardcover nonfiction NY Times bestseller can usually be had from anywhere between 20 and 40 dollars. Why are textbooks 3 and 4 times that??

Could it be the publishing industry is milking a captive audience?

We live in an age of morphing copyright. A growing handful of novels can now be downloaded in PDF for free from the author's website. Cory Doctorow's Little Brother is but one example.

Do I condemn these students? Partly yes, but at the same time do I shame the publishers that are milking one of the poorer segments of our population? Hell yes.

I admire on teacher in the article who says he has largely abandoned texts for individual articles which he posts on his course site. That may be the future of academic texts.

Woman loses kids due to political beliefs

2008-07-18T16:34:00Z

In one of the most outrageous stories of the year, a Canadian woman had her children taken away by the government because she allowed her daughter to go to school with a swastika drawn on her arm.

I am not a Nazi sympathizer, but what the hell is going on here? The story goes on to say there is no evidence of abuse or neglect.

The woman simply had her children snatched by the government due to her beliefs.

Those beliefs may be unpopular and even unattractive, but are we willing to go down this path?

I, for one, am outraged, and terrified.

Carbon Ta

2008-07-18T16:19:00Z

You're going to be hearing a lot about the carbon tax, a tax that proposes to tax you and the rest of the world's citizens on how much energy you consume.

It's being pushed by environmentalists as a way of "saving the earth". For instance, here is Al Gore on Larry King's show last summer.

The problem with carbon taxes is it assumes that CO2 is toxic. It is not.

In fact, plants and trees thrive on CO2. They can't live without it.

Also, did you know that the oceans and volcanoes emit far more CO2 than humans do? Far, far more.

If you examine the evidence with any degree of intelligence and discernment, the case for human caused global warming begins to crumble.

The Earth is warming, but we have very little to do with it. In fact, most of the warming seems to be due to the sun, as the entire solar system is warming up. Would you blame warming on Jupiter on SUVs?

There are many sources that debunk the carbon tax.

Here is just one

Agenda 21 is in effect and most of us have no idea

2008-07-18T16:09:00Z

The United Nations approved something called Agenda 21 back when Bush Sr. was in the White House.

It proposes a "supranational" world, i.e. a world without countries.

Many of its plans have to do with relocation of population in the name of saving the earth.

If you never heard of the notion that the evironmental movement was actually an instrument of control, perhaps you better start investigating.

Start with Agenda 21 and also the Club of Rome.
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Do you know about Tesla?

2008-07-10T15:12:00Z

I went to a fairly elite prep school, but when I was younger, the name Tesla only had resonance for me from the OMD song "Tesla Girls".

Why Nicola Tesla's name has been largely edited from science curricula is largely a mystery.

This short video can fill you in on the basics.

Tesla was a genius who gave us alternating current, but also many other inventions, including the notion of free energy and the death ray.

His notes were completely collected by Hoover's FBI when he died, and many of his papers are still classified.

Why?

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Global warming delusion

2008-07-10T14:59:00Z

Andrew Bolt's piece for the Australian Herald Sun talks about a never before seen phenomenon: global warming delusion.

A 17 year old boy has become crippled with fear that his drinking of water was destroying the ecosphere.

But beyond that, Bolt criticizes Australian officials who think Australia could make a difference when India and China show no signs of slowing their omissions.

He writes:

Well, no. What makes the Indian report so interesting is that unlike our Ross Garnaut, who just accepted the word of those scientists wailing we faced doom, the Indian experts went to the trouble to check what the climate was actually doing and why.

Their conclusion? They couldn't actually find anything bad in India that was caused by man-made warming: "No firm link between the documented (climate) changes described below and warming due to anthropogenic climate change has yet been established.

Greeners keep ignoring this kind of evidence. I, however, remain skeptical that global warming is something caused by humans.

Increased CO2 might be good for plants

2008-07-10T14:45:00Z

A new German study suggests that higher CO2 levels might benefit plants, especially in terms of yield.

Although the quality of such increased crops has yet to be evaluated, I am sure most greeners won't want this information to get out.

It is yet another piece of evidence that questions their orthodoxy.

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1% of Earth's deserts can yield enough solar power than all the fossil fuel we currently use

2008-07-09T15:37:00Z

I have always believed the sun was our true path to energy independence. It gives off limitless and free energy. Despite the costs involved, our interests would be well served by investigating more.

Enter this solar power facts sheet.

The most eye-opening fact on this page is this: Utilizing only 1% of the earth's deserts to produce clean solar electric
energy would provide more electricity than is currently being produced on
the entire planet by fossil fuels. ...

EU becoming policestate?

2008-07-09T15:23:00Z

Steve McGiffen's excellent excellent editorial on Spectrezine questions the new "security" regulations for all EU nations regarding air travel.

He writes: Of course, none of us wants to be blown to bits, but there is no evidence that this approach of treating everyone as a suspect and depriving people of their most basic rights results in anything but the gathering of mountains of data beyond anyone's capacity to monitor.

That's what this new world order is all about: treating us all like criminals in the name of security from some unprovable threat.

He continues: The real purpose of such measures has little to do with the control of terrorism. It is, rather, to make people feel that their every move is being watched, that dangerous people are lurking around every corner, that our neighbours - especially our Muslim neighbours, it has to be said, or anyone about whom there is anything unusual whatsoever - are not to be trusted

Terrorists do exist, of course, but it is no more prevalent than it was before 9/11.

Intelligent people all over the world must realize that this amorphous threat is being used as a means of getting us to relinquish our liberty.

The first method of fighting back is giving up fear. Stop being afraid of something that, honestly, does not happen very often.

And then, vote out those representatives who continue to endorse such garbage legislation.

You will need to wear a taser bracelet to fly on a plane?

2008-07-09T15:10:00Z

This video for the EMD safety bracelet is so shocking because it is real.

This company makes it sound perfectly plausible to submit to wearing a taser bracelet in order to board a flight.

The underlying message is we are all terrorists, despite the fact that hijackings have not gone up in number since 9/11.

This is less about your safety and more about control of the population.

That cannot be more clear.

A Washington Times blog reports on this as well.

I, for one, would rather drive than to submit to such a thing to board a flight.

How about you?
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Alex Jones' new film TRUTH RISING available

2008-07-09T15:07:00Z

Alex Jones has released his new film The 911 Chronicles: Truth Rising.

The full film is available on Google Video at this link: video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2879542449760583744&q=truth%20rising&hl=en

Or you can visit Alex's sites: Prison Planet or Infowars.

The film takes a cinema verite style to the exploding truth movement.

A full review will follow later.
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A reminder on this 4th of July..

2008-07-04T14:04:00Z

...of just how radical the Founding Fathers were.

If you haven't read this lately, maybe you should. By the current President's standards, Jefferson and his compatriots would be "enemy combatants".

How far we have fallen:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world

Fear of terrorism waning?

2008-07-03T15:29:00Z

A new CNN poll suggests American's fear of an imminent terrorist attack has fallen to its lowest level since 9/11.

Our government will most likely claim this is the result of complacency.

Others are more likely to point out that terrorism is a very rare phenomenon and should not be expected around every corner and at every moment. ...

Even more police behaving badly...

2008-07-03T15:26:00Z

This story comes from Tennessee and comes with a video.

The police officer chokes the suspect until he passes out.

The crime? Marijuana possession.

The result? Charges are dismissed by a judge due to the police officer's behavior. ...

More police behaving badly ...

2008-07-03T15:00:00Z

This example comes from the UK.

A man walks outside his house as police approach and is badly beaten, only to discover the police have assaulted the wrong man.

Ooops.

The man they were pursuing had fled a stolen car joyride.

Even so, do people who steal cars deserve such savage treatment? I thought they were arrested, brought to court, and either fined or jailed.

What is going on with law enforcement? ...

Viacom will soon know what you watch on YouTube

2008-07-03T14:56:00Z

As part of its lawsuit of copyright infringement against YouTube, Viacom has won the right to see a complete log of user activity.

This will include not only usernames, but also ISP addresses.

Viacom claims it wants to prove that pirated stuff--from network TV and major films--are bigger draws than user generated content.

But doesn't handing them over this information constitute a major breach of user privacy?

I think so.

Once again, the big media companies are playing hardball to preserve a business model based on copyright that is crumbling, dying, shifting, morphing before their eyes. ...

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-03T14:49:00Z

How is this for a new Declaration?

It is entitled A Declaration of Independence from the Government of the United States

It was posted on OpEdNews and was written by an anonymous American woman now living in South Africa.

It's worth a read. I don't agree with all of her articles, as she tends to have a very environmentalist bent, and there are some she left out that should have been included.

But overall, this is thoughtful stuff. If our government's legitimacy is dependent on consent of the governed, what would happen if large numbers of us stopped giving consent?

The current government would call that treason. But if you read the first few paras of the real Declaration, the Founding Fathers would very strenuously disagree.

Intriguing facts about Dems vs Repubs

2008-07-01T13:45:00Z

I don't know this blog or its veracity, but I find his 3 facts intriguing. ...