USA Interference in Mexican Elections

Greg Palast reports that apparently it is not only slime bucket political consultant Dick Morris who isinterfering in the Mexican preidential election (Morris was hire by PAN candidate Calerderon and began spreading the lie that PRD candidate Lopez Obrador is buddies with Venezuelan president Chavez).

Committee on the Present Danger

Well the same collection of self-important “neo-conservatives”, military industrial complex profiteers, and Likudniks, that have rendered the status of the USA to that of a global pariah, and consistently been proven wrong, while mendaciously presenting their war on Islam as an effort to spread freedom and democracy, are at it again.

The June 23 edition of the Asian Times online contains a rather lengthy, but really informative, report of the formation of the “Committee on the Present Danger III (CPD).” The previous such “Committees” were formed in the 1950s and 1970 to promote higher military spending to counter the hyped Soviet threat. The difference in the current “Present Danger” is that it is not external; but, rather, the sagging public support for their screwball ideas of world military domination to maintain markets for USA good and services. The article is well worth a read.

It’s too damned bad that the USA media doesn’t usually carry such analysis; but, generally speaking, the management of USA media goose steps in time to the CPD tune.

Here is the article’s denouement, which I hope is correct in its conclusion that the CPD III is spinning its wheels:

“The ‘present danger’ of growing domestic dissent alarms CPD members. All the more alarming to the neo-cons and the pro-Israel hardliners in the CPD has been the rising criticism that US policy in the Middle East, including the escalating tensions with Iran, has been driven by the US-based Israel lobby. ”In this political context of mounting criticism, the contemporary CPD faces more adverse conditions in imposing its agenda. The first CPD closed down in 1953 after the country was well on its way to having a bipartisan foreign policy in support of Cold War militarization, and the second CPD defined the policies that would then become the guidelines for the Reagan foreign-policy team. Although apparently enjoying access to deep funding pockets, the prospects of CPD III achieving similar success appear dim. ”Like its two predecessors, the current CPD aims to create widespread public and policy community support for higher military budgets and expanded troop deployment to meet the "present danger". By raising fears that the Soviet Union represented an imminent threat to national security, the previous CPDs succeeded in isolating and impugning the credibility of the political leaders and public intellectuals who favored constructive engagement with the Soviet Union rather than a Cold War of global militarization. In both cases, the CPDs discredited the less politicized, more objective "threat assessments" prepared by the CIA, the State Department and the Pentagon. ”The third CPD also aims to raise the level of fear among Americans by declaring that the United States is immersed in World War IV, but has not yet committed adequate resources to the global battle. But after five years of exaggerated threat assessments from the neo-conservatives and the Bush administration - many of which have already been publicly exposed, such as the weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein-Osama bin Laden ties that proved baseless in Iraq - the CPD faces a major challenge in winning acceptance for its call for the US government to expand its misdirected "war on terrorism" and its missionary crusade to spread "freedom and liberty". ”The new Committee on the Present Danger may be the first CPD that is unable to sell its alarmist version of the ‘present danger’".

What "Liberation" Means for Iraqis

The USA ambassador to Iraq enumerates all of the wonderful things "liberation" has brought to Iraq, and they aint pretty.

Children Should be Eating More Dirt

I have long believed and often remarked that eating dirt is good for children's immune system.

Here is a report of a study that found that the immune systems of rats and mice living in the wild are more robust than those of their lab bound cousins.

Jun 16, 10:56 PM (ET)

By SETH BORENSTEIN

"WASHINGTON (AP) - Gritty rats and mice living in sewers and farms seem to have healthier immune systems than their squeaky clean cousins that frolic in cushy antiseptic labs, two studies indicate. The lesson for humans: Clean living may make us sick.

"The studies give more weight to a 17-year-old theory that the sanitized Western world may be partly to blame for soaring rates of human allergy and asthma cases and some autoimmune diseases, such as Type I diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. The theory, called the hygiene hypothesis, figures that people's immune systems aren't being challenged by disease and dirt early in life, so the body's natural defenses overreact to small irritants such as pollen."

Juxtaposition - Haiti 1915, Iraq 2006

I am reading “The Banana Wars” , “A History of United States Military Intervention in Latin American from the Spanish-American War to the Invasion of Panama” by Ivan Musicant.

The book recounts an incident involving USA troops during the occupation of Haiti in the early 1900s that stands, it seems to me, in stark juxtaposition to the recent revelation of the murders of noncombatants by US troops in Haditha, Iraq.

USA troops occupied Haiti in a humanitarian effort to end rule by a mob of mercenaries whom constantly hired themselves out to seize power for whomever would pay them. Within weeks or months after seizing power for one patron, another aspirant would hire the thugs to seize power for him. Meanwhile the civilian populations was starving and the mercenary gangs ran wild throughout the country looting, murdering and extorting. Finally President Wilson had had enough and sent troops. The military commander made it absolutely clear to the marines and Navy “blue jackets” that the Haitians were not to be mistreated and that US troops were there to establish order, feed the population, help in developing the economy, and end the cycle of continuous “revolution”.

There was an incident where one of the US troops accidentally drowned while swimming in a creek. As US troops assembled at the creek to recover the body a group of Haitians gathered to observe. Amongst the Haitians, armed with a rifle and a machete, was a exceptionally large fellow well know amongst the locals as a ruthless, violent bully who had earlier been embarrassed by one of the US marine officers at the creek directing recovery of the marine body. The bully raised is rifle to shoot the US officer but when his gun did not fire he swung his machete at the nearest US marine, almost completely severing his head. Upon seeing their comrade brutally murdered the marines began moving into the crowd of Haitians to exact revenge.

A marine sergeant on scene immediately ordered his troops to halt and to remain silent. The sergeant sent for reinforcements and ordered his troops to surround the fallen marine and to remain silent. The sergeant had prevailed upon his troops to remain professional soldiers and to avoid harming civilians. Later the fellow who had murdered the marine was apprehended, jailed and tried.

In Haditha, you will recall, a soldier was killed by a roadside bomb and his comrades moved into a nearby house and exacted revenge by murdering 11 men, women, and children.

It seems to me the sergeant in Haiti in the early 1900s is a true American hero and that if US troops were used for such humanitrian missions such as was the case in Haiti the majority of the people of the world wouldn't hate us.

Tony Snow and Dan Bartlett Go To War

This AP photo of White House press secretary Tony Snow, at left, and White House "counselor" Dan Bartlett riding in a helicopter in Baghdad looks to me like a shot from one of those teen slap stick movies. You know, like the "Revenge of the Nerds". Snow looks like he just wet his pants.

Now that Faux News propagandist Snow is press secretary the White House press corps is getting a literal snow job.

Volunteer Papaya

At left is a Papaya that sprouted next to the back yard wall.

I fertilized, mulched, began watering it and now it is blossoming. The blossoms, as near as I am able to determine, are hermaphroditic which are the type that most reliably produce fruit.







At left is a close up of the blossoms. The fruit will hopefully form at each blossom.

I also have four Papayas growing that I planted from seed.

The Papayas that grow here are quite different from those grown in Hawaii, being larger with red/orange skin and orange flesh.

Mexico Wins First World Cup Match

This afternoon, after watching Mexico beat Iran 3 – 1 in its first World Cup match, I walked down the Paseo Montejo to Chedraui to buy some of the organic sheep manure compost I use to fertilize the garden.

In celebration of the Mexican victory, lots of vehicles driving down the Paseo were honking their horns, all in the same honk, honk – honk, honk, honk cadence, and displaying Mexican flags. Many of the pedestrians responded with cheers.

I don’t understand soccer but did find the Mexico/Iran match exciting and got a kick out of the celebrating on the Paseo.

Later: I know soccer is no big thing in the USA and the USA/Czech Republic match tomorrow, at 9:00 AM PDT, will not see people standing in front of TVs in shop windows or having their radios turned up in their work places; but the Czech Republic team is apparently rated 2nd in the world and the USA team 5th. It could be a good match.

What I Did This Week

This week I have learned how to buy a vehicle, to withdraw funds from my bank account, secure vehicle insurance and how to obtain a Yucatan driver’s license. As it turns out, it was all pretty easy.

Monday morning I walked the approximately 2 kilometers to the Ford dealer on Paseo Montejo and stepped into the open air reception/display area. I was warmly greeted by a young women seated at a desk who promptly contacted one of the sales folks. In short order a fellow named Freddy arrived and escorted me to his office where he explained the standard equipment and options available for the Ford Courier pickup I had indicated I wanted to purchase.

I had already compared small Ford, Chevrolet, VW, Puegot, and Renault trucks through the various manufacturers’ web sites. I had settled on the Ford as it had a greater cargo capacity, larger bed, a 3 year warranty, and was the least expensive. I had also decided to have the truck equipped with a fiberglass camper shell.

After informing Freddy exactly what I wanted he tabulated the total price, including the license and plates. I indicated that I would return the next day with the funds and he indicated he would begin preparing the transaction paperwork.

Tuesday morning I walked to my bank, withdrew the funds from my bank account, something I had not done before, and walked back to the Ford dealer with three large wads of $500 peso bills in my day pack. True to his word Freddy had all the paperwork ready, I stood by while the cashier counted and recounted the money, and Freddy instructed me to return next Monday to pick up the truck. During my two visits to the Ford dealer I had spent less time than spent at the bank withdrawing the funds.

Upon returning to my apartment I sent an email message to my two personal HSBC bankers indicating that I need to arrange insurance. One of the bankers offered to come to my apartment the next day to make arrangements, but I opted to meet them at their office Wednesday at 5:30. Within an hour of my arrival on Wednesday I had secured insurance providing the same coverage as that offered by Ford but at just over half the cost. During the process the fellow writing the policy indicated that for the insurance to be valid I must secure a Yucatan driver’s license and instructed me where I must go to do so.

Thursday morning I caught a bus at the end of the block and road up town. As it turned out the driver’s license office wasn’t where I had been told it was, but in short order a police officer had instructed me on where I needed to go and where to catch a bus to go there. So I bussed on over to the office, waited in line for about 10 minutes, and was informed by a very pleasant licensing officer of what document copies I must provide, a couple of which I needed to obtain from my landlord. On my way back home I stopped at my landlord’s office and picked up the document copies I needed from him.

This morning I again bussed to the driver’s license office, waited in line for another ten minutes, one of the licensing officers examined the document copies, entered the necessary information into the computer system, and directed me down the counter where my vision was checked and my blood type determined and recorded. I then moved on to the exam which consisted of 10 questions, eight of which must be answered correctly. The exam is administered at a computer terminal in both Spanish and English. I passed the computer exam and an examiner asked me to take him to my car for the driving portion of the test. When I informed him that I did not yet have a car, he responded that it was no problem and to return when I did.

The licensing office is quite an efficient operation. Upon entering the office one is directed to a line where one waits for an available agent. The stations one must visit are numbered, with large signs, from 1 to 7 and everyone I dealt with was very pleasant, in fact I would say they were jovial. During my two visits I spent less than a total of one hour. Monday, after picking up my truck, I will return for my driving test and hopefully leave with a license.

I can honestly report that in obtaining my FM 3 visa from the immigration office, opening a bank account and setting up investments through the bank, buying a pickup, securing insurance, and obtaining a driver’s license, everyone I’ve dealt with has been pleasant and efficient.

My approach is to happily wait my turn, break the ice by asking for forgiveness at my often inadequate Spanish, and to comport myself with the recognition that I am the ignorant one here. It seems to work.

Further Indications of the Decline of the USA Empire

“How low will the dollar go?”

“Hospitals prepare for growing ranks of obese”

The Pope Must Be Senile

The Pope visited Auschwitz and the following is what he is reported to have said.

"’In a place like this, words fail. In the end, there can only be a dread silence, a silence which is a heartfelt cry to God -- Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?

"’Where was God in those days? Why was he silent? How could he permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil?’"

“Humans could not "’peer into God's mysterious plan" to understand evil, only "cry out humbly yet insistently to God -- Rouse yourself! Do not forget mankind, your creature!’"

And here I thought the Pope had a direct line to God. For the Pope to blame God for not informing the world of the exterminations of European Jews is bizarre and despicable. It would have been much more appropriate for the Pope to apologize for the Catholic church’s complicity in the holocaust. Even if God did not inform the Catholic church of the holocaust there were very many good Catholics who did, and the church did nothing.

Proud to be an American

I am posting a very gruesome picture which is but one of the photos that every citizen of the USA should see. Then every decent (and there are indeed very many who are not) USA citizen should demand that the perpetrators, along Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and the rest of those who lied the country into an illegal war and tried to cover up the atrocities, be tried for war crimes. (I of course understand that justice will never be visited upon Bush et al, at least through traditional means, and they will no doubt enjoy a comfortable retirement.)

What could possibly motivate a USA military personnel, and human being, to bind children as young as seven months, shoot them in the head, then burn the building in which the atrocity was committed in attempt to hide the evidence?

I believe the answer is that there are a significant number of bigoted USA troops who think of Iraqis as rag headed Muslims and who believe they are doing their Christian duty in killing Muslims.

There are now reports of four such atrocities committed by USA a troops. No wonder the Muslim world hates us.

The photo above was copied from the Raw Story web site.

Argentinean President Puts Military on Notice

Argentinean President Nestor Kirchner puts the Argentinean military on notice, telling it "I want to make it clear that as president, I am not afraid; I am not afraid of you" and "We want the army of San Martín, Belgrano and Mosconi and not that of those who murdered their own brothers and sisters, such as Videla, Galtieri, Bignone and Viola", generals of the country’s last military junta which unleashed a reign of terror on their own population.