Yesterday a friend sent me the link to the web site containing this video. The video shows an irrepressible Vincent Bugliosi speaking out about the crimes of George W. Bush. Since these alleged crimes were an important theme of this blog in its earliest days, I was wont to present this video here as the matter is still important today. We do, in fact, need to decide what kind of people we are and what kind of nation we will be. But first we must understand the nature of the crime. This video helps us do that.
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FACTS NOT FASCISM
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Interesting Article Reporting Claims of Mistakes by Philip Berg
With humor I declare that if I cannot do better at investigating and verifying various claims, I quit. Seriously speaking, I have no way of knowing just what the Washington Independent is all about, but certainly they write in a somewhat credible way. Their claim of veracity awaits confirmation.
To read an interesting article detailing the efforts to debunk those claiming Barack Obama was not born in the U.S., click on the title above. There are several things of note here. Of particular interest is the matter of Barack Obama's supposedly having received Indonesian citizenship. I also find the fear that this matter may become an on-going controversy to be important.
So, in the interest of completeness, I am happy to link to this article.
To read an interesting article detailing the efforts to debunk those claiming Barack Obama was not born in the U.S., click on the title above. There are several things of note here. Of particular interest is the matter of Barack Obama's supposedly having received Indonesian citizenship. I also find the fear that this matter may become an on-going controversy to be important.
So, in the interest of completeness, I am happy to link to this article.
Internet Web Site Wades Into Obama Birth Controversery -- Again
Disclaimer: As with all web logs, this one should be considered as benefiting from the speed of posting made possible by new technology, to wit, the Internet. With this particular posting particularly, I make no claim as to completeness. I have, however, tried to deal with facts. Furthermore, I am not new to this subject and have read quite a bit about the matter, both pro and con. As far as this post goes, I believe it to be both timely and accurate.
Since various lawsuits claiming fraud in the matter of Barack Obama's ascendancy to the Presidency are still alive, I wanted to post a link to the latest < Snopes.com > article on the subject. While there are many serious matters facing our country, moral and fiscal, this one seems to me to continue to merit at least passing attention and probably more.
First, I believe the Snopes article is worth reading. It makes several claims, including a statement by a physician and another health care worker who claims to remember the birth.
Let's examine a few items of this Snopes article one by one. But first, it is apparent to me that Snopes has not actually spent a great deal of time researching this matter. The breezy way they dismiss critics as being "self-proclaimed experts" who "immediately seized the opportunity to pronounce the certificate a forgery", shows disdain for the great amount of time put into examining the alleged forged certificate of live birth by several experts proclaimed to be so by others.
Then there is the matter of a Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the Hawaii State Department of Health who says he has seen the original "vital records." Unfortunately, these vital records have not been detailed by Snopes, nor has the press been allowed to examine them or send them to independent experts of their choosing. None of this makes Dr. Fukino out to be a liar, of course. It is simply to say it is the statement of one, albeit credentialed, person. The statement, itself, though, remains uncorroborated (at least in the Snopes article).
It is worth mentioning that Hawaii state law bars release of a certified birth certificate "to anyone who does not have a tangible interest in it." Surely, however, the American people do have a legitimate interest, whether "tangible" or not.
The article details the claim of a certain Barbara Nelson that she spoke with the obstetrician who she says delivered a baby named Barack Hussein Obama. This conversation is said to have occured on August 4, 1961. Now I do not know Ms. Nelson. I have no way of knowing whether or not her memories are accurate. However, in standard journalism practice, statements by one person normally need to be corroborated by other evidence before being declared true. There is no corroborating evidence presented in the Snopes article.
All this is not to pick on Snopes, which I have found to be quite good at evaluating various claims on the Internet. Here, however, I find a woeful lack of due diligence, owing mostly to a lack of time and effort in what is a complex matter.
On another point, that of Mr. Obama not wanting to risk an entire campaign on a matter which could be proven by a simple check of a state health record: This statement can be dealt with easily. First, we already know that Hawaii does not release vault birth certificates to just anyone, and to this day, has not done so in this case. (See above discussion.) Second, Mr. Obama would surely have known this. Still, he might have been hesitant -- unless -- unless some powerful people could promise the funds to create a large enough and credible enough media campaign, complete with public relations and legal operations to rebut any "ridiculous" claims. Then, the pre-candidate might be willing to risk such a course of action. Such things have clearly happened before all over the world, although we are not so used to it in the U.S. In my opinion, it is this credulousness which has aided and abetted the Bush thefts in 2000 and 2004, and -- just possibly -- in 2008 (although "hoax" would be a better term than "theft" in 2008).
To summarize, this Snopes article, which represents statements of those elsewhere claiming that critics of Mr. Obama's proof of citizenship are all washed up, has itself not delivered the goods -- at least not as of yet.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp
Since various lawsuits claiming fraud in the matter of Barack Obama's ascendancy to the Presidency are still alive, I wanted to post a link to the latest < Snopes.com > article on the subject. While there are many serious matters facing our country, moral and fiscal, this one seems to me to continue to merit at least passing attention and probably more.
First, I believe the Snopes article is worth reading. It makes several claims, including a statement by a physician and another health care worker who claims to remember the birth.
Let's examine a few items of this Snopes article one by one. But first, it is apparent to me that Snopes has not actually spent a great deal of time researching this matter. The breezy way they dismiss critics as being "self-proclaimed experts" who "immediately seized the opportunity to pronounce the certificate a forgery", shows disdain for the great amount of time put into examining the alleged forged certificate of live birth by several experts proclaimed to be so by others.
Then there is the matter of a Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the Hawaii State Department of Health who says he has seen the original "vital records." Unfortunately, these vital records have not been detailed by Snopes, nor has the press been allowed to examine them or send them to independent experts of their choosing. None of this makes Dr. Fukino out to be a liar, of course. It is simply to say it is the statement of one, albeit credentialed, person. The statement, itself, though, remains uncorroborated (at least in the Snopes article).
It is worth mentioning that Hawaii state law bars release of a certified birth certificate "to anyone who does not have a tangible interest in it." Surely, however, the American people do have a legitimate interest, whether "tangible" or not.
The article details the claim of a certain Barbara Nelson that she spoke with the obstetrician who she says delivered a baby named Barack Hussein Obama. This conversation is said to have occured on August 4, 1961. Now I do not know Ms. Nelson. I have no way of knowing whether or not her memories are accurate. However, in standard journalism practice, statements by one person normally need to be corroborated by other evidence before being declared true. There is no corroborating evidence presented in the Snopes article.
All this is not to pick on Snopes, which I have found to be quite good at evaluating various claims on the Internet. Here, however, I find a woeful lack of due diligence, owing mostly to a lack of time and effort in what is a complex matter.
On another point, that of Mr. Obama not wanting to risk an entire campaign on a matter which could be proven by a simple check of a state health record: This statement can be dealt with easily. First, we already know that Hawaii does not release vault birth certificates to just anyone, and to this day, has not done so in this case. (See above discussion.) Second, Mr. Obama would surely have known this. Still, he might have been hesitant -- unless -- unless some powerful people could promise the funds to create a large enough and credible enough media campaign, complete with public relations and legal operations to rebut any "ridiculous" claims. Then, the pre-candidate might be willing to risk such a course of action. Such things have clearly happened before all over the world, although we are not so used to it in the U.S. In my opinion, it is this credulousness which has aided and abetted the Bush thefts in 2000 and 2004, and -- just possibly -- in 2008 (although "hoax" would be a better term than "theft" in 2008).
To summarize, this Snopes article, which represents statements of those elsewhere claiming that critics of Mr. Obama's proof of citizenship are all washed up, has itself not delivered the goods -- at least not as of yet.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp
Monday, October 19, 2009
What Is a Dollar?
Recently, I have been asking friends and even strangers to take a one question quiz. I pull a bill out of my wallet and ask: "What is this?" The reply is always said as a question: "A one dollar bill?" or "A twenty dollar bill?". I then go on to point out the words "Federal Reserve Note." "That's what it is," I tell them -- a federal reserve note." I go on to explain my understanding of what the Federal Reserve is and is not. People are invariably amazed at what I have to say, especially when they realize that the mysterious phrase is right on the bill.
The document "What Is a Dollar?" by Edwin Vieira is the most instructive and readable document on the subject I have yet seen. Here you will find a most interesting history of the dollar. And you will begin to see the rooking of the American people which has occurred. The article is not extremely lengthy. It explains terms as it goes along. I highly recommend it to you.
http://home.hiwaay.net/~becraft/WhatIsDollar.pdf
The document "What Is a Dollar?" by Edwin Vieira is the most instructive and readable document on the subject I have yet seen. Here you will find a most interesting history of the dollar. And you will begin to see the rooking of the American people which has occurred. The article is not extremely lengthy. It explains terms as it goes along. I highly recommend it to you.
http://home.hiwaay.net/~becraft/WhatIsDollar.pdf
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Article on the Dollar Is Essential
The article linked here is critical for understanding the America of now. While detailed in its exposition, the article proves to be most interesting. I plan to have more to say about all this soon. For now, I highly recommend this document.
http://home.hiwaay.net/~becraft/WhatIsDollar.pdf
http://home.hiwaay.net/~becraft/WhatIsDollar.pdf
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Capitalism: A Fright Story
Last evening I had the privilege of watching Capitalism: A Love Story courtesy of my friend, a theater manager. There is more to say about this film than I have time here. But first I can certainly recommend this film to anyone. While there are criticisms which can be made here and there, the main message of the film is so important and so compelling as to counterbalance any flaws.
I was surprised by how serious the film was, although I shouldn't have been given the subject matter. There was the famous Michael Moore humor in evidence, but there were long stretches of non-uplifting depictions of people in trouble.
Yet, is not this exactly what we need to counter propaganda resurgent in this country? There is a message that the crisis is over, the stock market is "rebounding" and so forth. We have heard all this blather before. Remember, it was just at the time we were told the economy was "sound" and "robust" that the most serious crimes of speculation and exploitation were occurring.
To summarize, the new Moore film is engaging, engrossing, and ultimately -- yes! -- inspiring. You will be glad you went.
I was surprised by how serious the film was, although I shouldn't have been given the subject matter. There was the famous Michael Moore humor in evidence, but there were long stretches of non-uplifting depictions of people in trouble.
Yet, is not this exactly what we need to counter propaganda resurgent in this country? There is a message that the crisis is over, the stock market is "rebounding" and so forth. We have heard all this blather before. Remember, it was just at the time we were told the economy was "sound" and "robust" that the most serious crimes of speculation and exploitation were occurring.
To summarize, the new Moore film is engaging, engrossing, and ultimately -- yes! -- inspiring. You will be glad you went.
Friday, October 02, 2009
The Battle for Pittsburgh and the World
I am posting a link to this article, primarily because this important perspective has been essentially lacking from the corporate media. How many Americans know of the militarization of one of our own cities? How many people know that weapons, machines, and tactics prepared for terrorists were used, instead, on protesters?
As one person has commented, breaking the windows of an innocent shop-keeper hardly advances the cause of economic justice. So I cannot condone that kind of violence.
But we must understand it if we are to make sense of our world today. If people feel no hope, if they see their prospects for advancement dimming, if the savior who was promised to bring "change we can believe in" seems to be faltering, if all options for a redress of grievances seem to have been exhausted, it should not be surprising that a few reckless individuals will begin to take matters into their own hands.
In order to provide for a just and safe world, we must safeguard the permanence of the Declaration of Indepedence and the great vision of the rights of man contained within its glorious text. These rights include economic rights, now so seriously under attack. This blog is devoted to maintaining and even extending this vision, justly famous in modern times. That the so-called G-20 fail to inspire anyone is unremarkable except for the hoopla drummed up to support this unofficial body. And the fact that a virtual army must be assembled to protect its meeting, is a sign of the unpopularity of this group.
http://www.truthout.org/092809R?n
As one person has commented, breaking the windows of an innocent shop-keeper hardly advances the cause of economic justice. So I cannot condone that kind of violence.
But we must understand it if we are to make sense of our world today. If people feel no hope, if they see their prospects for advancement dimming, if the savior who was promised to bring "change we can believe in" seems to be faltering, if all options for a redress of grievances seem to have been exhausted, it should not be surprising that a few reckless individuals will begin to take matters into their own hands.
In order to provide for a just and safe world, we must safeguard the permanence of the Declaration of Indepedence and the great vision of the rights of man contained within its glorious text. These rights include economic rights, now so seriously under attack. This blog is devoted to maintaining and even extending this vision, justly famous in modern times. That the so-called G-20 fail to inspire anyone is unremarkable except for the hoopla drummed up to support this unofficial body. And the fact that a virtual army must be assembled to protect its meeting, is a sign of the unpopularity of this group.
http://www.truthout.org/092809R?n
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