In The News: Thanks this morning to ChrisM, my MP3Angel, for supplying the news and commentary audio files. [After the News segment, Buddy Miller has a morality tale for us. Courtesy of the respective artists, America's corrupt politicians who make playing songs like this on the public airwaves a must, and KPIG radio Freedom California... Earth] Now it's Earth Day... Every Day. Or Else ... and it HAS been a hard day on the planet. » President Obama was in San Francisco yesterday and 'saluted' a couple of companies who are developing solar power resources. Then he went to FaceBook's headquarters for a virtual town hall meeting where questions were asked and virtual shoes were tossed, and then to a couple of fund raising events around the city. The president should have remained in that 'virtual world' where the drones are only seen in video games and people's lives and livelihoods aren't being destroyed war, toxic waste from America's outsourcing of it's most dirty industries and a failing US economy. At one of those 2012 election fundraisers he met some people who aren't particularly happy about the Pentagon's treatment of Private Bradley Manning. This morning President Obama met with 150 donors for his 2012 reelection campaign over breakfast at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, California... and it DID NOT go as expected:

This morning President Obama met with 150 donors for his 2012 reelection campaign over breakfast at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, California. However, the event turned interesting when nearly two dozen of his contributors pressed the president in song on the unjust confinement and tortuous treatment of alleged WikiLeaks whistle-blower US Army intelligence analyst PFC Bradley Manning. As the President spoke of the creative organizing that won him the 2008 election, over 10% of the attendees held up “Free Bradley Manning” signs and launched into a song entitled “Where’s our change?” ...Secret Services agents attempted to grab the signs," [In Full @ Bradley Manning Support Network]

» John McCain is in Benghazi Libya where he called the CIA-led rebels "Heroes". The use of DroneWars has been approved by our president (another "War President") and there have been air strikes in the city of Tripoli, a large city where civilians are protecting government facilities by surrounding them. Some say they're being forced to be there but it's unknown. More from Foreign Policy magazine where the headline as delivered in an email said:

Morning Brief: U.S. authorizes use of drones in Libya; McCain arrives in Benghazi -- presented by International Monetary Fund [You know it's true!] The Pentagon announced yesterday that the U.S. will begin deploying armed Predator drones against Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces in order to break the stalemate in Libya. The first drone mission had to be cut short due to bad weather. Defense Secretary Robert Gates described the addition of drones as a "modest contribution" and was adamant that it did not imply a deepening U.S. involvement in the conflict. Following up on their capture of a post on the Tunisian border yesterday, rebel forces claim to be advancing in the besieged city of Misrata as well. The rebels claimed to have killed and captured dozens of pro-Qaddafi fighters in recent days. In a surprise visit, U.S. Sen. Jon McCain, a strong proponent of U.S. involvement in Libya, arrived in Benghazi  in order to "get an on the ground assessment of the situation". McCain described the rebel forces as "my heroes." [More]

Meanwhile Simon Jenkins at the Guardian UK asks the question (What's the question you ask?): "To (mission) creep or not to (mission) creep, that is the question."

19 April 2011 These humanitarians come to Libya with missiles, and an agenda Rather than protecting Libyans Nato is prolonging the agony of civil war Simon Jenkins To creep or not to creep, that is the question. Britain's Libyan war is entering its most dangerous phase. The great lie has once again been rumbled, that air power can deliver any sort of victory. The humanitarian imperative is in full cry, swamping the media and blinding strategy with daily tales of horror from the front. The mission, confused from the start, is moving where such missions always move, towards ever deeper engagement. Why does no one see it? The prime minister, David Cameron, faces daily accusations of halfheartedness and desertion from his new comrades in arms, the Libyan rebels. In reply he complains of UN "restrictions" on his freedom to "take all necessary measures … to stop Gaddafi murdering people in Misrata". His minister for mission creep, Andrew Mitchell, has been in New York waving the shrouds of dead Libyans before the security council and demanding changes in the rules of engagement. The foreign secretary, William Hague, offers the rebels "non-lethal assistance", which appears to mean flak jackets and 10 training officers to offer "logistics and intelligence", but not to fight. This is war through the looking glass, glory sought from the blood of others. [Read more of Jenkin's harangue of the British government's warmongering policy in re Libya]

» There MUST BE SOMEONE to blame! The Department of Justice has been ordered to investigate the oil industry for fraud and price manipulation as the price of gas goes over $4.00 and it will most likely reach $5 by the 4th of July. Can't you just imagine it... OilCo executives in front of congress telling them quite bluntly:

"Honorable representatives of the US government. The Saudis have been begging the United States to develop more refinery capacity for years. Don't think WE'RE going to invest OUR MONEY in capital projects like that! The oil is running out and we ARE NOT INTERESTED in developing more infrastructure in these times of diminishing resources to process... It would be infrastructure that WILL NEVER be paid off and we could not rationalize that to our investors. Ladies and gentlemen, it's not OUR fault your society is addicted to oil. After all we're just the providers of the substance your society so liberally abuses. Develop YOUR OWN refineries if you want more. Thank you.

» Japan will spend $5 billion dollars relocating the people of Fukushima to a new area with new housing. No, not FEMA style toxic trailers, but newly constructed condominiums. » Senator John Ensign, a Nevada legislator, is somewhat off the legal hook as he publicly resigns his Senate seat today in a deal he made to prevent further prosecution... and it IS a sordid story involving Republican Family Values, Sex, Infidelity, Power, Nepotism, and Money... Travus has the whole story... Listen in. In OTHER News:

» We're #1 -- Ten Depressing Ways America Is Exceptional America is exceptional in the advantages we’ve had over other nations, not what we’ve done with those advantages. April 20, 2011 Recent research contradicts the fundamental tenet of American exceptionalism. A Brookings Institution report comparing economic mobility in the United States and other countries concludes, “…“Starting at the bottom of the earnings ladder is more of a handicap in the United States than it is in other countries.” For Republican presidential candidates the phrase American Exceptionalism has taken on almost talismanic qualities. Newt Gingrich’s new book is titled, A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters. “American the Exceptional” is the title of a chapter in Sarah Palin’s book America by Heart. And woe be to those who take issue with the phrase. 2008 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee declares, “To deny American exceptionalism is in essence to deny the heart and soul of this nation.” 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney insists, “The reorientation away from a celebration of American exceptionalism is misguided and bankrupt.” What is this American exceptionalism Republicans so venerate? [Find Out @ Alternet]

» Finally, Dimitry Orlov on the REAL value of "Money" in the event of an American economic collapse:

"A particularly annoying question I am often asked and have come to hate is: “How do I invest my money for it to survive financial, political and commercial collapse?” The short answer is: “Nohow. Money will not survive collapse; not yours, not anyone else's.” But that answer is not acceptable, because accepting it would require a profound loss of faith—faith in money, a profound Götterdämmerung for a civilization based on the worship of money... [Get your "Götterdämmerung" on @ ClubOrlov where Dmitry Orlov describes how "Financial Totalitarianism" works]

This is Razer Raygun saying 'Happy Motoring America...' Enjoy it while you can. (...and try not to let your government kill too many 'dusky natives' in the process OK?) -30-
Creative Commons Copyright Courtesy of Cabale News Service, KPIG Radio, and KVMR Radio. Listen to KVMR Recorded & transcribed by Razer Raygun @ Razed By Wolves Postings Auntie Imperial and Razer Raygun Have Done Lately Are [Here] The Consolidated Items Listing in RSS format [Here] Travus T. Hipp Fan Page @ Facebook (unaffiliated) In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, the news clippings, audio, and images used in this posting are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews