The White House Rodeo by Mike Davis ----I originally posted this on 11-11-04 - I think it's worth a re-read

Earlier this year, four gaunt horseman in black shrouds cantered down Pennsylvania Avenue. Since no one complained or even noticed, they grazed their hungry steeds on the White House lawn. They've been there ever since and threaten never to leave.
The interview:
"First Horseman, please state your name for our readers."

"My name is Oil and my price is $50 per barrel and higher yet to come."

"Fine, and your from . . . ?"

"Hubbert's Peak."

"Is that in Colorado?"

No response.

"Are you in Washington for business or pleasure?"

"Both actually. While wrecking the American economy, I'm also hoping to bring immense happiness to a handful of giant energy corporations."

"Well, that's a popular cause in this town, so please enjoy your stay. Now, Second Horseman, can I have your name for the record."

My name is Proliferation, son of Wot and destroyer of worlds."

"Wot?"

"The War on Terrorism. Only the strong and nuclear armed shall survive, so sayeth Bush."

"I see, your a traveling salesman. Visited any exotic locales lately?"

"Mainly Tehran and Pyongyang with some overnights in Karachi, Delhi and Brasilia. But I have a heavy travel schedule over the next year."

"Enjoy your frequent flyer points. And now, number three, if I can interrupt for a minute?"

"No problem. My name is Global Chaos. I was just sorting through some vacation photos. TAke a look."

"Thanks. Hmm, very National Geographic."

"Yes I love the great outdoors. This is a melting glacier in Alaska. Here's a flood in Bangladesh. Oh, one of my favorites, the epic drought in the American Southwest."

"Eh, what are those white objects?"

"You mean the bones?"

"Bones? Maybe I'd better move on and meet Horseman Four."

"I am the pale rider and my name is Plague."

"I bet your first name is Bubonic?"

"No, that's my cousin. I'm the avian influenza pandemic."

"I'm sorry, but have I heard of you?"

"The World Health Organization says I am an unprecedented threat to humanity. The world is utterly unprepared to deal with my arrival."

"Well, that's one helluva blurb."

"Yes, and my grandfather killed 100 million people in 1918-19."

"No kidding? Well, thanks for sharing. Now, I wonder if I can ask a few questions of the entire group. First, does your posse, band, whatever, have an agent or publicist?"

"Yes, Saint John."

"OK, and has he arranged your DC publicity? Have you had much election year media exposure? You know, O'Reilly, the Washington Post, Meet the Press, The Lehrer News Hour ?"

"Oh, no," laughed Chaos, "no one has interviewed us."

"Come on, four big guys in black on horses, here in front of the White House during an election season."

"No honest," Proliferation chipped in, "they don't want to acknowledge our presence."

"Well, how about the other side, the opposition party? Surely, they've looked to you for a juicy angle. I mean the horse doo-doo is all over the White House lawn, not to mention . . . Hey are you guys even citizens? Do you have passports?"

"I can assure you, Proliferation insisted, "none of that matters. No one wants to admit we're here."

"But why?"

Plague spoke. "Apocalypse denial. Your whole society is suffering from acute apocalypse denial."

"That's preposterous, we're afraid of all kinds of things these days. We tremble at the very thought of anthrax in the mail, plutonium on the subways, or botulism in our Big Macs.We have regular orange alerts . . ."

Plague interrupted. "No, that's the whole point. You're so terrified of the shadows your rulers project on the wall that you can't see us standing here, right outside your door."

"Hmm, so I guess you guys are the real deal?"

"Believe it."

"So what's your business plan?"

Chaos cleared his throat. "For generations, the wealthier 40 percent of your population has lived inside an extraordinary bubble of privilege."

"In addition to enormous security of wealth and status," Proliferation took over, "your affluent classes have been sheltered from the bittere winds of history."

"We're the bitter winds," added Plague.

"And we'll burst your bubble," Oil promised.

A pale horse neighed.

"Unfortunately my recorder has run out of tape. I'm afraid we'll have to end the interview with that."

"No problem," Oil smiled. "Y'all come back and visit. We're not going anywhere."

UK HAS 9 DEAD SWANS

The United Kingdom has reported 9 dead swans and claims they have been tested and didn't test positive for bird flu. But they are being advised, due to coming migration, to keep birds indoors or have them vaccinated . . . read more click link

THIS IDEA IS NUTS

Since 9/11 almost nothing has been done to protect our ports. Now someone has come up with a plan.

U.S. terms for approving an Arab company's takeover of operations at six major American ports are insufficient to guard against terrorist infiltration, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said yesterday.

Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y) said, "I'm aware of the conditions, and they relate entirely to how the company carrries out its procedures, but it doesn't go to who we hire, or to how they hire people." But the ever-diligent Chertoff sees it another way. To me it's like the fox guarding the hen house.

Chertoff defended the security review of Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates, the company given permissionto take over the port operations. Chertoff said the government typically builds in "certain conditions or requirements that the company has to agree to make sure we address the national security concerns. But Chertoff declined to discuss specifics, saying that information is classified.

I guess we should just trust them. read more . . . .

OOOOHHH NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

 

CAN'T YOU JUST GET DIZZY

SPINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN 

SENATOR ROBERT BYRD'S SPEECH 2-15-06 . . . a must read

Senator Byrd delivered a scathing indictment of the President's secret wiretapping operation --

Mr. President. in June 2004, 10 peace activists outside of Halliburton, Inc., in Houston gathered to protest the company's war profiteering. They wore paper hats and were handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, calling attention to Halliburton's reported overcharging on a food contract for America's troops in Iraq.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched

"The culture of secrecy which has deepened since the attacks on 9/11has presented this nation with an awful dilemma. In order to protect this open society are we to believe that measures must be taken that in insidious and unconstitutional ways close it down? I believe that the answer must be an emphatic "NO"!
click on the link to read entire speech

GO F ___ YOURSELF!!

it's my country. leave me the f--- alone!!! It's been 4 days since Cheney shot his friend in the face with a shotgun and he has not made any public statement concerning the incident. The way this thing started out it sounded like the guy got hit from a distance and was sprayed with a few pellets. Well, there are around 150 to 250 pellets still in his body and one of those is in his heart. The police were turned away on the evening that the shooting took place and told to come back the next day. So, isn't that impeding the investigation. Was there drinking? We'll never know.

After everyone took this to be a 'flesh wound' and joked about it it's beginning to look worse. As of this writing the guy is still in intensive care. And I also think he was shot from a closer distance than we were led to believe. I mean, at a distance there would actually be a spray of pellets which would account for a few pellets, but up to 200 pellets in this guy would seem to mean he was shot from fairly close range. This basically comes across as another coverup.

This is just another example of this administration acting as monarchy not a democracy. When do we make these guys understand that this is a democracy?

HAPPY SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY

whew spreadin' love is hard work!!!! 

JUST A WEIRD STORY THAT CAUGHT MY EYE

the year . . . 1928 -- to better read the text click here . . . . http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/magazine/chi-0602120389feb12,1,2237351.story

WHY WE FIGHT

a new movie opening 2/17/06. looks like a must see.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-0602120048feb12,1,3385843.story

JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG

 

CLIMATE 'WARMEST FOR MILLENIUM'

in the late 20th century the northern hemisphere experienced its most widespread wamth for 1200 years, according to the journal Science.

http://www.kaj18.com/Global/story.asp?S=4485542

MORE BUSHISM

"I expect the conversation we're about to have will stay in the room."

click here for more

http://www.kaj18.com/Global/story.asp?S=4485542

CHENEY'S GOIN' DOWN

Apparently Scooter testified in court that it was Dick Cheney and Stephen Hadley that gave him authorization to disclose classified information to journalists to defend pre-war intelligence . . . .

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/020906J.shtml

http://nationaljournal.com/about/njweekly/stories/2006/0209nj1.htm

LOST WORLD STUNS SCIENTISTS

Jakarta, Indonesia -- Scientists describing a lost world -- apparently never visited by humans -- said Tuesday they also saw large mammals that have been hunted to near-extinction elsewwhere and discovered dozens of exotic new species of frogs, butterflies and palms.
"We've only scratched the surface ," said Bruce Beehler, a co-leader of the monthlong trip to the Foja Mountains, and area with 2 million acres of pristine tropical forest.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/INDONESIA_LOST_WORLD?SITE=WWL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

TAKEN TO TASK

White House press secretary Scott McClellan gets verbally pushed by White House correspondent Helen Thomas over taps . . . . click to watch video.

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/HelenThomas-Scotty-Nixon.mov

NOT UNDER OATH???

just like the oil executives attorney general gonzalez won't be put under oath and like oil execs he's got the door open to lie . . . .
click on link for full story

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Republican_senators_refuse_to_put_Attorney_0206.html

THINKING FOR OURSELVES IS DRIVING HIM MAD

but we'll be better for it 

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush Sr. fought for unwarranted wire taps 30 years ago under President Gerald Ford. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060204/ap_on_go_pr_wh/ford_era_spying_1

Pat Robertson still calling for Hugo Chavez assassination . . . . read story and watch video.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200602030003


Secret memo reveals Blair-Bush deal before Iraq war . . . . http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,,1700881,00.html


Corporations are planning to stifle the free flow of information . . . . http://www.netfreedomnow.org/