August 29, 2005

Countdown to Next Bush Terrorist Act
By Ted Lang © 2004

I have, in many previous efforts, attempted to sound the alarm that a Bush and Cheney-engineered nuclear terrorist act against the people of the United States is being planned and orchestrated for the purpose of inciting a blinding, collective rage amongst Americans. This anger will, once again, be misdirected by the administration towards Israel's next target: Iran. This Internet-exposed impending horror even has a quick reference: "false flag operation."

There are really only two ways to stop it: one a powerful way, and the other, not nearly as effective. The best way to stop the Bush-Cheney coming Apocalypse is impeachment. The second, a much weaker approach and not nearly as effective, is via the alternative media. AM writers need to continue to elaborate, report on, and predict our government's next terrorist act against US. And make no mistake – the AM has already made a difference. (Read the rest here)

Lawmakers Using Border Security As Political Ploy
By Diane M. Grassi

On August 12, 2005 Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico issued Executive Order 2005-040 declaring a ‘state of emergency’ in four New Mexico counties along its border with Mexico. It is intended to free up funds totalling $1.5 million for a variety of actions he felt necessary. Specifically, Hidalgo, Luna, Grant and Don?a Ana counties are in “an extreme state of disrepair” according to the governor. The state of emergency stems from the governor’s conclusion of “violence encountered by law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling and human smuggling, with an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants.” New Mexico’s border with Mexico covers over 180 miles.

Funding will be utilized for state and local law enforcement and paying for overtime, creating and providing for a field office for the New Mexico Office of Homeland Security and building a fence to protect a livestock yard near Columbus, NM, which covers a 54-mile stretch, a popular entry point for illegal aliens. The new barbed wire fence will replace a shorter barbed wire fence in disrepair. The new fence is being built primarily to prevent cattle from Mexico straying across the border. “We don’t want contagious diseases to contaminate our food supply and disrupt our agricultural economy,” said Richardson. (Read the rest here)

Pat Robertson Describes U.S. Foreign Policy
by Jacob G. Hornberger

Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has stirred up a firestorm with his call for “taking out” Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. What’s all the fuss about? All that Robertson has done is state publicly what has long been an important part of U.S. foreign policy — assassination of foreign rulers who behave independently of Washington.

John Perkins described how U.S. foreign policy works in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man: How the U.S. Uses Globalization to Cheat Poor Countries Out of Trillions. In order to place foreign rulers under Washington’s thumb, the first step is to ply them with foreign loans and foreign aid, oftentimes funneled through the IMF or World Bank. While such funds are sometimes billed as “money to help the poor,” the reality is that they are nothing more than bribes to line the pockets of grateful and dependent foreign officials in return for loyalty to Washington. (Read the rest here)

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The Mailbag for Monday

Libertarian Commentary on The News
By Nathan A. Barton © 2005

While it has been a quiet and peaceful weekend for me, around the world, exciting things happen (as always). So we should jump right into the news items, starting with several various looks at efforts to protect our entire nation and people from outside and internal attack.

Border Security and Homeland Defense

FEMA Says 10-3
The Free Lance-Star (VA)
Federal Emergency Management Agency wants to eliminate first responder code jargon. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is encouraging police and other emergency organizations nationwide to give up the numerical codes known as the "10-codes" that they use to communicate with each other and with dispatchers. Instead of saying 10-50 for an accident, FEMA wants law enforcement officers to simply say they're at an accident scene. The idea is to create a system under which all police and emergency personnel can understand each other, and reduce confusion in emergency situations that involve numerous jurisdictions. Fredericksburg, VA-area police and sheriff departments say they use plain English when possible, but say 10-codes help keep officers safe and sensitive information confidential. Fredericksburg police spokesperson Jim Shelhorse points out that many people use police scanners to monitor emergency communication. Spotsylvania County, VA, Sheriff Howard Smith commented that the vast majority of people who listen to scanners are law-abiding, but police worry about the criminal element who listens for the wrong reason; using the codes prevents some information from getting out. Shelhorse said FEMA is asking many local agencies to do away with codes by next September. "It's very difficult to take something that's ingrained and say, 'You've got to change this by next year,'" Shelhorse said.

Thanks to Tim for this one. For those who don't know, "10-3" is code for "Stop Transmitting." The traditional 10-code can be found at http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/10codepfd.htm. It is, of course, a pretty low-level form of communications; my fear would be that most police departments would replace this with a more bizarre method that would make radio traffic even more confusing. (Read the rest here)

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