Some words of sanity compared to McCain’s dribble.

If you can cope with nasty British Humor - watch & enjoy!

Israel has been making serious threats against Iran’s nuclear program in recent weeks. But one has to wonder: when Israel bombed Saddam’s power plant they didn’t make a huge public announcement - they just dropped the bombs.

Iran’s threat to cut of international oil supply with a naval blockade doesn’t strike me as very smart either. Why punish your customers when you yourself defied the international community.

When you think $140 for a barrel of oil was expensive - just wait … when these idiots start another war in the Middle East the price could easily double. Petrol and food prices will skyrocket and there will be even more starvation and food riots.

If this happens Iran and Israel can very proud of themselves.

Let’s hope the next winters will be warm and mild.

What Ms Sklar clearly describes in this interview has been happening all over the industrial and advances countries: the middle class is disappearing and a new form of class system has been forming since the 1980’s.

Thank you Mr Reagan and Ms Thatcher for establishing the greedy philosophy of "free markets", "trickle down economic" and "market democracy". It simply isn’t a social way to run a society and establish a "just" economy.

Social societies are a GOOD thing. Capitalism is good, but it needs oversights and corrections to work for the benefit of all and not just a few people.

Watch, learn and weep.

The more I learn about western Imperialism, the angrier I get. Here are some more bit about American involvement in Iran.

So it’s Obama vs McCain = young black Kennedy vs Grandpa Munster. But I am pretty sure the Democratic Party will find ways to fuck it up.

It’s not Miss Liberty who awaits you in the United States of America - it’s someone from Homeland Security waiting to take your prints and a nice snapshot of your terrorist face.

Welcome to America!

I am sure this guy "fighting" Chris Matthews isn’t really dumb - but it was really dumb not to say "I don’t know". I love this kind of media coverage …

The year is 1921 and Margaret Gorman from Washington D.C. is the first Miss America. Compared to today’s beauty standards she isn’t very sexy: she lacks full lips, hips and tits. I guess back then people only cared for inner beauty and a good character?!

I am sure she also wanted World Peace!

Where are the Burgers?

Pope Bene doesn’t seem to have the traveling bug like his Polish predecessor. But at least he made it to the US of A - and received a Presidential pickup at the airport. Something Bush has never done before.

One has to wonder how much political power is left with the Catholic Church? It certainly is much weaker in Europe, but seems to flourish in the Americas and Asia. Especially in the new capitalistic China people long for a “meaning” now that they are richer on one side and “feel” emptier in a harsher consumerist society. Weird.

I really hope Pope Bene will publicly kicks Bush’s ass for being a torturer and war criminal - and make some day a stand for Tibet.

Crystle Stewart ain’t your usual bimbo: she has a university degree, runs her own business and isn’t blonde.

But still the whole contest is fixated on finding the most beautiful and fertile cow in the country - bikini contest and all.

Keith Olbermann once again points out the truth: the US Goverment made huge efforts to legalize their perverse desires and allow torture again as a means of interrogation.

It is such a sad story.

Finally the boss of the American Federal Reserve confronts reality -and uses the dreaded ‘R’-Word.

How much more obvious does American decline to be to get Washington and the public to act?

The US Dollar is weaker then the Canadian Dollar.

The Euro has eclipsed the Dollar and stands good chances to become the dominant currency for reserves.

The US infrastructure is crumbling and underfunded.

The middle class is slowly disappearing, instead tent cities are appearing.

Even Wall Street and big banks are in serious trouble.

The Industrial-Military-Complex has worked in the past - but only because it employed massive amounts of people. Today’s streamlined and outsourced manufacturing no longer is a benefit to the American masses (only to the stockholders).

Who is to blame? A lazy US congress, a very bad President, the huge American deficit, the expensive war in Iraq and the total lack of good oversight of the financial markets and big business.

I wonder if most Americans will ever understand how long the Bush legacy, deficit and his idiotic war will burden their lives?

Mission Statement from 2003:

Start a War based on lies.

Alienate all your European Allies.

Piss of the whole Muslim world.

Save money on protective gear and Hummvees.

Totally ignore the Shia and Sunni conflict in the region.

Totally ignore the Kurdish and Turkish conflict.

Ignore security and rule of law in postwar Iraq.

Dissolve the Iraqi Police for more crime.

Dissolve the Iraqi Military for more crime.

Torture your prisoners and take snaps for everybody.

Ignore war crimes of your own troops.  

Forget to secure huge amount of weapons and ammo.

Drive up the price for oil.  

Ruin your own military.

Start a job boom for Blackwater and other mercenaries.

Make Halliburton even richer.

Funnel Billions of Dollars into dark holes.

Funnel Billions of Dollars to contractors who waste the money.

Encourage a culture or corruption in Iraq.

Blame everything on Iran and al-Quaida.

Promise to pay insurgents to fight for you - and then don’t pay.

Lay the foundation for another war in the region.

Did I miss anything?

My dear Americans: are you sure that your country’s infrastructure is oke? Seems like you should spend more money on improving your electricity grid. It has been known for some time that most parts of the grid are in a bad shape.

Change? Make power companies invest more in the grids they own instead of giving all the money to it’s stockholders. Electricity is way to essential to leave it in the greedy hands of corporations.

Even here in Germany some electricity grids are in bad shape, because they have been privatized and neglected by big ass companies.

Water, Sewers, Electricity, Streets, Rail, Telephones and Internet access - all these components of modern life have been sold in many countries to private companies. And all the promises of cheaper pricesses, better service and constant innovation haven’t been fulfilled. But these companies ALL made huge profits.

Public necessities should stay in public hands. 

All American presidential candidates always reinforce that national mantra of a strong defense and military against all these evildoers out there. The US spends more on defense and espionage than the rest of the world COMBINED.

But there is little or no reflection that the most expensive security and military apparatus has totally failed to destroy Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Al-Quaeda. Instead America has helped with it’s bad policies and military failures to drive young Muslims in droves to suicide squads and terrorist groups all over the world.

So if Americans really want change - change your military doctrine, reduce the amounts of “security, intelligence agencies - and bases all over the world. If you do that you could CHANGE the current miserable state of your education, social systems and crappy state of your infrastructure.

Change would mean getting rid of that insecure bunker mentality - and accepting that no super weapon can stop hate. Friendship and diplomacy can make friends and sympathy - and this will protect you much better in the long run.

Osama is only dangerous, because people support his cause or are willing to look the other way.

This is one odd picture: the Russians have resumed their long-range bomber flights - which they stopped in the 1990’s because the country and their military was broke. Here you see a Tupolew Tu-95 followed by a hypermodern American F-22 Raptor. The first TU-95 flew 1953 (!!!) and the F-22 have just entered the service (2005).

Ten years in military technology is a long time, twenty years are a generation - but fifty years …

But don’t be fooled: the first mighty B-52 bombers entered American service 1955 - and they upgraded models are still killing people today. To anyone without modern missiles or AA guns such an ‘old’ machine is still deadly.

After Super Tuesday John McCain seems to be the winner and candidate for the American Republicans to run for President. Although Mike Huckabee is currently #2 I don’t think he will be the running mate as Vice President.

Joe Lieberman has been very happy to ’schmooze’ with the GOP since his recent reelection in 2006 and he is a big buddy of McCain. Plus on many issues he is more hawkish than many Republicans. As an Independent and former Democrat he sure would cover a wide spectrum of votes and interests

I think this can only be countered by a Hillary-Obama-Ticket. But who will take the second seat?

I am a big fan of Louis - his Weird Weekends documentaries are insightful and have an odd, but very honest touch.

So let’s enjoy his adventures and encounters in the wrestling world. Highly recommended! More to come … 

I am all for making Afghanistan a better place and fighting the Taliban. I also agree that Germany and so many other NATO members have to do more.

But let’s not forget: the NATO mandate was to support the rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan and provide some policing. It was expected that the Americans would continue their war on the Taliban.

But what happened? America went to Iraq and allowed the Taliban to remerged. They also ignored warnings from Afghans and the international community that the US sock puppet Hamid Karzai does not have the backing and power to push serious development in Afghanistan ahead. Instead corruption, drugs and local warlords succeeded. The Taliban are back and more and more locals support them instead of ‘their’ government.

Also the international rebuilding efforts were uncoordinated and wasteful. Not the kind of results you want to have to convince the locals that western democracy is better and improves the lives of the poor Afghan people.

The US loves to shift the blame to NATO for it’s own failures. While the rest of NATO is going through a tough realization of their shared failure. Loosing Afghanistan is not an option they say - but most countries lack the political will and commitment to make it work.

Very sad.

Image: Ralph Alswang

I liked Edwards - but how can he prevail against the possibly first woman or black president?

Hopefully his message to fight poverty won’t be forgotten and ignored after the elections.

It’s now the last year of his regency - the Age of the Ape is coming to an end. Aren’t we all happy?!

But how will clean up all the poo left behind? Will anyone be brave enough to maybe impeach the Ape just before the end? I think this Ape is mostly surrounded by chickens …

Adam Curtis / documentary / ca 44 minutes

From Wikipedia:

Focusing on the men of the Cold War on whom Dr Strangelove was based. These were people who believed that the world could be controlled by the scientific manipulation of fear - mathematical geniuses employed by the Rand Corporation. In the end, their visions were the stuff of science fiction fantasy.

Curtis most recent documentary ‘The Trap’ also comes back to these think tanks featured in this documentary.

More? Pandora’s Box Series

Once again the people of PBS / Frontline have produced a breath taking documentary: the medicated child (you can watch the whole thing online). America seems not only obsessed with it’s War on Drug - to protect children - but is also totally paranoid kids behaving differently. Compared to any other industrial countries huge amount of small kids and teenagers are heavily medicated.

Plus the pharma industry and doctors have invented many new illnesses and syndromes. It’s a HUGE business and scared / dumb parents willing to force extremely dangerous drugs down their children’s throats.

The documentary has just one serious flaw (maybe because of the time limits) - it really didn’t try to answer why so many kids are diagnosed with these serious psychiatric disorders compared to other countries AND if this is really true: why are American kids so much more ‘damaged’ than for example Swedish or Canadian ones?

I don’t envy these kids - and the is a whole new Prozac generation coming to the world stage. This is really a ‘Brave New World‘ coming true …

BBC Essay: In search of a ‘humane’ execution

What do countries like the USA, China and Iran in common? They still believe in executing hardcore criminals - including youngsters

It is hard to believe that in our modern world people still get killed by their Governments. I am deeply against the death penalty - and it’s a good thing that the EU has abolished it.

The BBC has an interesting article (link above) that gives an insight into the search of Michael Portillo for an humane way of killing (no unnecessary pain, etc).