Why Katrina Was NOT a Natural Disaster

Meryl Ann Butler | OEN | August 31, 2008

Katrina was NOT a natural disaster. Find surprising answers in the youtube video below, “The Katrina Myth: The truth about a thoroughly unnatural disaster.”

Find out why the biggest catastrophe to befall an American city in peace time was called the most expensive engineering failure in American history.

When New Orleans was founded, it was located 125 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and protected by wetlands, which had served as buffers against storms for hundreds of years or more. Find out what the Army Corps of Engineers did to destroy the effectiveness of this natural protection.

New Orleans is not the only American city at risk for flooding. And contrary to popular belief, large portions of the city are above sea level. Find out which of those dangerous conditions that precipitated the situation in New Orleans are present in other American cities, including: Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Louisville, Kansas City, Omaha, Portland, Omaha, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Washington DC., Savannah, Memphis, Honolulu, and Jacksonville.

Barack Obama – America’s 6th Black President?

Video: The Secret Of America’s Black Presidents

J. Nayer Hardin |OEN | August 30, 2008 at 12:53:39

Let’s see if America is ready for the truth. Here’s an item.

Senator Barack Obama is on track to become America’s sixth Black President according to Dr. Leroy Vaughn, MD, MBA, Historian and African Chief in his dynamic book BLACK PEOPLE AND THEIR PLACE IN WORLD HISTORY.

Dr. Vaughn is a history scholar whose forty plus years of passion for Black history delivers brilliant insight into the field. The book is a unique study and historical analysis of how Black people came to be integrated into the burning house that Dr. M. L. King spoke of shortly before his death to the great humanitarian, actor and entertainer Harry Belafonte.

From Dr. Vaughn’s book, pages 141-143, included with permission “” Five Black Presidents

“Joel A. Rogers and Dr. Auset Bakhufu have both written books documenting that at least five former presidents of the United States had Black people among their ancestors. If one considers the fact that European men far outnumbered European women during the founding of this country, and that the rape and impregnation of an African female slave was not considered a crime, it is even more surprising that these two authors could not document Black ancestors among an ever larger number of former presidents.

The president’s names include Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge.

An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Dear God,

The other night, the Rev. James Dobson’s ministry asked all believers to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance speech outdoors in Denver would have to be cancelled.

I see that You have answered Rev. Dobson’s prayers — except the storm You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the Republican National Convention.

Now, heavenly Father, we all know You have a great sense of humor and impeccable timing. To send a hurricane on the third anniversary of the Katrina disaster AND right at the beginning of the Republican Convention was, at first blush, a stroke of divine irony. I don’t blame You, I know You’re angry that the Republicans tried to blame YOU for Katrina by calling it an “Act of God” — when the truth was that the hurricane itself caused few casualties in New Orleans. Over a thousand people died because of the mistakes and neglect caused by humans, not You.

Some of us tried to help after Katrina hit, while Bush ate cake with McCain and twiddled his thumbs. I closed my office in New York and sent my entire staff down to New Orleans to help. I asked people on my website to contribute to the relief effort I organized — and I ended up sending over two million dollars in donations, food, water, and supplies (collected from thousands of fans) to New Orleans while Bush’s FEMA ice trucks were still driving around Maine three weeks later.

But this past Thursday night, the Washington Post reported that the Republicans had begun making plans to possibly postpone the convention. The AP had reported that there were no shelters set up in New Orleans for this storm, and that the levee repairs have not been adequate. In other words, as the great Ronald Reagan would say, “There you go again!”

So the last thing John McCain and the Republicans needed was to have a split-screen on TVs across America: one side with Bush and McCain partying in St. Paul, and on the other side of the screen, live footage of their Republican administration screwing up once again while New Orleans drowns.

So, yes, You have scared the Jesus, Mary and Joseph out of them, and more than a few million of your followers tip their hats to You.

I’ve Written a Book I’d Like You to Read …a note from Michael Moore

Friends,

This morning my new book officially goes on sale. It has a fancy title: “Mike’s Election Guide.” It’s cheap ($11.19 on Amazon). It’s got a cool quote on the back cover from Republican congressman Tom Davis: “The Republican brand is in the trash can … If we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf.”

And it’s got 200+ pages of facts and ideas that you won’t read anywhere else, like:

** Does John McCain think it’s right to drop bombs on civilians in (his words) “heavily populated” cities?

** The only reason Social Security is running out of money is because people who make over $102,000 a year pay NO social security tax on what they make over $102,000 (if they did, we’d have enough money in Social Security for the next 75 years!).

** Bring back the draft — but only draft the rich. If they have to serve, they won’t be so eager to start ridiculous wars.

** Despite what you’ve heard, we actually pay more “taxes” than France or any European country — and get none of the benefits they receive.

** Why we must arrest Misters Bush and Cheney as they slip out of the White House this coming January 20th for the crimes they have committed.

Kucinich tells DNC: ‘Wake up America!

David Edwards and Nick Juliano | Raw Story | Tuesday August 26, 2008

DENVER — He might not have had the marquee billing of a Mark Warner or a Hillary Clinton, but Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) nonetheless whipped his party faithful into a frenzy Tuesday evening.

The Ohio lawmaker and liberal stalwart who earlier sought the Democratic presidential nomination delivered a passionate address calling on those in the audience here in Denver and watching at home to “wake up” and prevent another four years of Republican rule.

“Wake up America,” Kucinich declared from the podium of the Democratic National Convention. “In 2001 the oil companies, the war contractors and the neocon-artists seized the economy and added $4 trillion of unproductive spending to the national debt. … Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid for with borrowed money.”

Though he never mentioned GOP nominee John McCain by name, Kucinich’s address was in line with Democrats’ strategy to take a harsher tone of attack against the Arizona Republican and his party.

“We cannot afford another Republican administration,” Kucinich said. “Wake up, America; the insurance companies took over health care. Wake up, America; the pharmaceutical companies took over drug pricing. Wake up, America; the speculators took over Wall Street. … Wake up, America; we went into Iraq for oil.”

Kucinich, a favorite of the party’s liberal base who has led a push to impeach President Bush, enumerated some of the administration’s most egregious abuses but said they would not dampen Democrats’ spirits. As his speech crescendoed to its peak, the audience rose in boisterous applause.

“This administration can tap our phones — but they can’ t tamper our creative spirit,” he said. “They can open our mail, but the can’ t open economic opportunities. They can track our every move, but they lost track of the economy while the cost of food, gasoline, and electricity skyrockets. Now, they have skillfully played our post 9/11 fears, and they’ve allowed the few to profit at the expense of the many.”

This video is from C-SPAN, broadcast August 26, 2008.

Fox News reporter greeted in Denver with, ‘F*ck Fox News’

David Edwards | Raw Story | August 25, 2008

Fox News anchor Griff Jenkins received a expletive-laced reply Sunday when he stuck his microphone into a crowd of protesters gathered for the Democratic National Committee in Denver.

The video was first caught by Politico.

Fox’s Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmead talked with Griff Jenkins who angered protesters at the Democratic National Convention.

Kilmead was trying to interview former University of Colorado Ward Churchill who caused a stir after 9/11 by referring to some of the victims who died at the World Trade Center as “little Eichmanns.”

“Did you see the headline, Brian, that has Griff Jenkins missing and presumed dead?” Carlson joked to her co-host.

Jenkins reassured his colleagues: “I’m here. I’m alive. Don’t be concerned. It’s a satire site, but it got sporty out there.”

The website Unconfirmed Sources mocked the confrontation with an article entitled “Fox News Correspondent Griff Jenkins missing presumed dead after Bloody Denver Riot.”

Jenkins complained about all the cursing by the protesters, and characterized the confrontation as a “melee,” even though no blows appear to have been thrown.

Jenkins said he told the protesters that they should be more supportive of the press. “You should support the Fox guy. I even had Cindy Sheehan say I’ll defend you. He has a right to be here.”

Kilmead was shocked Sheehan would defend a Fox reporter, but Carlson pointed out that noted anti-war activist is running for political office now, so she needs every reporter she can find.”

This video is from Fox’s Fox & Friends, broadcast August 25, 2008.

Criminals dumping weak US dollar for euro

OTTAWA (AFP) – The weakened US dollar has fallen out of favor with organized crime groups to pay for drug shipments or to settle scores, a Canadian government report said Friday.

And if the greenback continues its slide in 2008, as expected, more and more criminals are likely to exchange euros for illicit goods, said Criminal Intelligence Service Canada in its annual report.

“The US dollar weakened significantly against other major currencies in 2007 and according to some economists, is expected to depreciate further in 2008,” said the report.

“As a consequence, other currencies — particularly the euro — are poised to weaken the US dollar’s dominance as the currency of choice for international remittances and payments,” it said.

“This trend could also drive an increase in observed instances of bulk-cash transfers denominated in currencies other than Canadian and US dollars,” the report added.

Organized criminal groups, topping 900 in Canada, are primarily focused on the illicit drug trade, but have also expanded into credit card fraud, organ trafficking, identity theft and even illegal logging of Canada’s vast forests, said the report.

“The illicit drug market remains the largest criminal market in terms of extent, scope, and the degree of involvement by the majority of organized crime groups,” many of them operating across international borders, it said.

Marijuana remains one of the most trafficked illicit drugs in Canada, and crops harvested here supply much of Canada and the United States.

Methamphetamine production in Canada, meanwhile, has risen to meet expanding international demand with several “super labs” set up for foreign distribution of late.

As well, Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium are now the primary source of ecstasy to the world, said the report.

Canadian forests, representing one tenth of the world’s forested area, are vulnerable to illegal harvesting “due to their relative abundance, isolation, and the large number of logging access roads,” it explained.

Joe Biden’s War on Terror

Andy Worthington | AlterNet | Posted August 24, 2008.

Biden doesn’t have clean hands when it comes to Iraq, but he’s been a leader in re-establishing the rule-of-law in Bush’s terror war.

In the end, then, it came down to this: Barack Obama needed a vice-presidential candidate with well-established Washington credentials, foreign policy experience and an ability to connect with blue-collar workers.

And while Joe Biden — a 65-year old working class Irish Catholic, the Senator for Delaware since 1972, and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — has a far from unblemished foreign policy record (most notoriously in his support for the invasion of Iraq, but also, arguably, in his strenuous support for armed intervention in Kosovo, which, like that of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, paved the way for justifying war on a basis other then that of self-defense), he has since recanted his position on the Iraq war, and has, for many years, also been unafraid to tackle other excesses of the Bush administration’s post-9/11 policies; in particular, through his persistent calls for the closure of the “War on Terror” prison at Guantánamo Bay.

Although he initially supported the invasion of Iraq (after trying, and failing, to persuade President Bush to first exhaust all diplomatic efforts), Sen. Biden has since become on of the war’s toughest critics in the Senate. He warned of the costs of a long occupation before the war even began, and in 2006 he proposed, with Leslie Gelb, the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, a five-point plan for the future of Iraq, which called for a federalized system of three regional governments (Kurd, Sunni and Shiite) plus a centralized government for the management of “truly common interests” like oil and border defense.

Web of Debt

EXPLODING THE MYTHS ABOUT MONEY

Our money system is not what we have been led to believe. The creation of money has been “privatized,” or taken over by a private money cartel. Except for coins, all of our money is now created as loans advanced by private banking institutions — including the private Federal Reserve. Banks create the principal but not the interest to service their loans. To find the interest, new loans must continually be taken out, expanding the money supply, inflating prices — and robbing you of the value of your money.

Not only is virtually the entire money supply created privately by banks, but a mere handful of very big banks is responsible for a massive investment scheme known as “derivatives,” which now tallies in at hundreds of trillions of dollars. The banking system has been contrived so that these big banks always get bailed out by the taxpayers from their risky ventures, but the scheme has reached its mathematical limits. There isn’t enough money in the entire global economy to bail out the banks from a massive derivatives default today. When the investors realize that the “insurance” against catastrophe that they have purchased in the form of derivatives is worthless, they are liable to jump ship and bring the whole shaky edifice crashing down.

Web of Debt unravels the deceptions in our money scheme and presents a crystal clear picture of the financial abyss towards which we are heading. Then it explores a workable alternative, one that was tested in colonial America and is grounded in the best of American economic thought, including the writings of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. If you care about financial security, your own or the nation’s, you should read this book.

Chapter 1

Chapter 22

Chapter 37

Foreword

Introduction

Table of Contents

Biden: Americans Sit At Their Kitchen Tables Worrying About Bills… McCain Has To “Figure Out Which Of The 7 Kitchen Tables To Sit At”

Think Progress- By Faiz at 4:07 pm

In a speech accepting his role as Barack Obama’s running mate this afternoon in Springfield, IL, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) argued the American Dream has slipped away under eight years of Bush administration policies. He added that while Americans sit at their kitchen tables worrying about bills, McCain has to “figure out which of the 7 kitchen tables to sit at”:

I don’t have to tell you that. You see it in your shrinking wages. … We cannot afford to keep giving tax cuts after tax cuts to big corporations and wealthiest Americans, while middle class families are falling behind. […]

Ladies and gentlemen, your kitchen table is like mine. You sit there every night after you put the kids to bed and you talk, you talk about what you need. You talk about how much you’re worried about being able to pay the bills. Well ladies and gentlemen, that’s not a worry that John McCain has to worry about. It’s a pretty hard experience — he’ll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.

Watch it:

Biden also referenced this quote from McCain in 2005: “On the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I’ve been totally in agreement and support of President Bush.” “You can’t change American when you supported Bush’s policies 95 percent of the time,” Biden said.