Nation of Fools
The truth is out there; but no one is bringing it to our door step. You have to look hard. You have to want to know the facts. You have to care about social justice; and that requires effort; it requires living with a troubled conscience and trying to set things right. It requires that you inform yourself and make an effort to change things. The trouble is that most Americans don't want to know the truth because it would make them uncomfortable. So they turn their heads the other way and allow themselves to be distracted from their civic and patriotic duties.
Fascism flourishes where citizens are inactive and uninformed. Where there is apathy there is fascism.

Getting Agnostic About 9/11
What would constitute a "smoking gun" against the official 9/11 account?
There are many. By just ignoring them, the 9/11 commission implicitly admitted they couldn't answer them.
The towers coming down into a pile only a few stories high is a smoking gun. Many laws of physics had to be violated if the official story about the collapses is true.
[The collapses] had all the earmarks of a controlled demolition by explosives.
One of those is total collapse into a small pile of rubble.
The fact that Building 7 [a skyscraper near the towers] collapsed when it had not been hit by an airplane, and collapsed in seven or eight seconds, that's a smoking gun.
The fact that standard operating procedures were not followed that morning, and we've gotten three different stories now by the U.S. military as to why they did not intercept the planes, that's a smoking gun.
The Secret Service leaving the president and themselves wide open to being attacked by [not responding immediately], that's a smoking gun.
I can't say one is bigger than the other. You've got six or seven that are equally big.

Martial law declared around New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Martial law was declared in New Orleans midday Tuesday as the city continued flooding from at least two levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
'Desperate' situation in New Orleans
The Associated Press, WWL-TV's Jonathan Betz and WFAA-TV's Brad Watson in New Orleans contributed to this report.
Martial law was declared in New Orleans and surrounding areas, meaning military rule or authority is imposed.

This is a detailed examination of the impending crisis.
Bush-Cheney Heading For Nuclear Rendevous At Desert One
With the direct threat of military attack against Iran issued Aug. 13 by Bush, the world has entered a phase of new and acute danger of general war. Bush made the threat in an interview with Israeli television. "All options are on the table," said Bush, speaking from his estate in Crawford, Texas. Asked if that included the use of force, Bush replied: "As I say, all options are on the table. The use of force is the last option for any president and you know, we've used force in the recent past to secure our country." (Reuters, dateline Jerusalem, August 13, 2005) Bush's comments were ostensibly made in the context of the US campaign to shut down the Iranian nuclear program, but in reality came in the midst of feverish US-UK preparations for a new 9/11 of state-sponsored, false flag synthetic terrorism which is intended in the intentions of the terrorist controllers in London and Washington to set the stage for the attack on Iran, as well as for martial law austerity dictatorships throughout the English-speaking world, and beyond.
A possible scenario for what is in store over the next few weeks could well include a nuclear detonation under US military auspices on the coast of the Carolinas under the cover of the anti-terrorism exercise Sudden Response 05, but blamed on Hezbollah or some other alleged Iranian asset, followed by US atomic bombing of Iranian military bases, nuclear sites, and other strategic targets, using nuclear devices of various yields. US confrontation with Russia, China, and the other powers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization would not be far behind.
Given the collapse of US middle class support for Bush and his neocon war adventures..., it might be expected that the new 9/11 followed by the Iran or North Korean attacks might cause protests and chaos inside the US. For such an eventuality, the neocons... have the remedy: police-state, military dictatorship.

"I’m the President and I’ll do whatever I goddamned please."
White House aides scramble frantically behind the scenes to hide the dark mood of an increasingly angry leader who unleashes obscenity-filled outbursts at anyone who dares disagree with him.
White House insiders say Bush is growing increasingly bitter over mounting opposition to his war in Iraq. Polls show a vast majority of Americans now believe the war was a mistake and most doubt the President’s honesty.
“Who gives a flying fuck what the polls say,” he screamed at a recent strategy meeting. “I’m the President and I’ll do whatever I goddamned please. They don’t know shit.”
Bush, administration aides confide, frequently explodes into tirades over those who protest the war, calling them “motherfucking traitors.”

A Very Slight Change in the Script
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, August 23, 2005; 1:24 PM
"We have lost 1,864 members of our Armed Forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and 223 in Operation Enduring Freedom. Each of these men and women left grieving families and loved ones back home. Each of these heroes left a legacy that will allow generations of their fellow Americans to enjoy the blessings of liberty. And each of these Americans have brought the hope of freedom to millions who have not known it."
Bush's tone was matter-of-fact. He didn't spend a lot of time expressing his sympathy for the dead or their families. His speech included no new plans to stem the loss. In fact, Bush went on to invoke the dead soldiers as reason to stay the course in Iraq -- a policy that will inevitably create many more of them:
"We owe them something. We will finish the task that they gave their lives for. We will honor their sacrifice by staying on the offensive against the terrorists, and building strong allies in Afghanistan and Iraq that will help us win and fight -- fight and win the war on terror."
"We will accept nothing less than total victory over the terrorists and their hateful ideology," Bush said.

Bush Believes Those Who Protest Iraq War Don't Want U.S. to Win 'War on Terror'
08/23/05
Tuesday morning, President Bush briefly spoke with a few reporters in Idaho. Here are excerpts from the transcript relating to Iraq:
BUSH: We've got somebody from Fox here, somebody told me?
Q Yes, Mr. President, thank you.
BUSH: There you are, kind of blending in.
Q Sorry about that.

Salt Lake City Mayor Calls for Protest
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson called for "the biggest demonstration this state has ever seen" to protest President Bush's appearance Monday before a national veterans convention. The mayor plans to join the protesters.
"Patriotism," the mayor said, "demands that people speak out when we see our government officials acting in such anti-democratic and deceitful ways to the people of our country."
He also said: "I don't understand people simply blindly going along with the sort of deceit and utter cruelty of this administration. It's not just we have the right to speak out, but we have the obligation to speak out when we see misconduct on the part of the government. The most patriotic thing we can do is stand up against the misuse of governmental power."

The Vacationer
By Sidney Blumenthal
Salon.com
Thursday 18 August 2005
Retired four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey declared: "The Army's wheels are going to come off in the next 24 months. We are now in a period of considerable strategic peril. It's because [Donald] Rumsfeld has dug in his heels and said, 'I cannot retreat from my position.'"

A Mercenary Society
Recent polls show that more than half the public believes the United States can't win the war and can't establish a stable democracy in Iraq, but surveys also indicate that many continue to believe that sending the troops was the right thing to do.
This suggests that a majority of the public can recognize that the United States has failed in the stated mission but cannot yet see that the stated mission was a lie. This was never a war about weapons of mass destruction or stopping terrorism (indeed, the war has created terrorism, on both sides), nor is it at heart about establishing democracy in Iraq. The U.S. invasion of Iraq is -- as all U.S. interventions in Middle East have been -- about extending and deepening U.S. dominance in the region with the world's most crucial energy resources.
Part of the barrier to a clear understanding of this is the belief that the United States, by definition, always acts benevolently in the world. But also standing in the way of an honest analysis is the reality that the brutal imperialist U.S. policies, while devised by elites, are being carried out by ordinary Americans. Can we in the United States come to terms with the fact that we are the "good Germans" of our era, routinely allowing pseudo-patriotic loyalties to override moral decision-making? Can we look at ourselves honestly in the mirror when so many of us are implicated in the imperialist system?

High-Ranking Military Officer Warns Of Major Terrorist Attack Looming
August 17, 2005
By Greg Szymanski
A high-ranking military officer has come forward saying "a real danger exists" for a large-scale terrorist attack in the coming weeks, adding Vice President Dick Cheney spends his entire day consumed with issues of terrorism and U.S. nuclear retaliation in the Middle East if an attack on American soil occurs.
Two more retired generals now warn the world is on the verge of nuclear war and terrorist attacks on the homeland are only weeks away.
And to verify plans for an Iranian nuclear assault are all too real, today retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely went public with some shocking statements about how close the world actually is to a nuclear conflict.
"It's similar to what we had during the Cold War," said Vallely. "We tell the radical Islamists, `If you launch one nuclear device against us anywhere, we will then irradiate Mecca and Medina because you know all Muslims have to go there at least once in their lifetime.

Why, oh why, did it come to this?
Some event of great proportions is about to transpire.
1) A Four-star military General is suddenly fired, being only three months from his planned retirement, and for a cause as dubious as “sexual misconduct” while already in divorce proceedings with his former spouse.
2) Near said General’s base, is planned a “Nuclear Terror Drill” where some bizzare scenario has been concocted to describe the smuggling and detonation of a Nuclear device on American soil.
3) Said General apparently has big issues with the current administration and it has been speculated that he may be part of a coup attempt against said administration.
4) Our dear leader has taken no heed of his approval ratings, put forth no initiatives, has turned a blind eye to the concerns of his constituents, is currently mired in scandal, and is beginning to be exposed as the liar that he is. Yet he takes a vacation (as he did in August of 2001) while a crumbling economy and infrastructure ensues and international tensions are at a level not seen since World War II.
5) The Pentagon draws up grandiose plans for an Iranian invasion utilizing Tactical Nuclear weapons and as well, draws up plans for armed conflict and the adoption of Martial Law on our very soil. On top of this, the Pentagon will suspend all leave for soldiers after Sept. 7th and already plans on “lightly lifting” this restriction some time in December with the condition that all troops stay “within 17km of base”. (not to mention the rebuilding of the nation’s Draft boards)

It sounds easy enough to piece together.

Bush Approval a Low for Two-Term Leaders
But solid backing from his base supporters has kept Bush from sinking to the depths reached by former presidents Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Bush's father. Truman decided not to run for re-election. Nixon resigned. Carter and the first President Bush were defeated in re-election campaigns.

Law Abiding Ohio Resident And Korean War Veteran Has Authorities Illegally Swarm On His Property Just Hours After He Called President Bush A Liar On A Local AM Radio Station
Don Stout looked up into the Midwestern sky one afternoon two weeks ago and saw a strange helicopter flying over his five-acre piece of land in rural Albany, Ohio.
Before he knew what happened, the 77-year-old long-time resident, law-abiding citizen and Korean War veteran had eight law enforcement officials swarm on his property...
Never before having a run-in with the law, Stout said the heavy-handed group of law enforcement thugs "came and went without saying a word".
"It scared the hell out of me as eight or ten men swarmed my place. I was weeding my garden and the next thing you know, they were on my property... and left without saying a word. It was ridiculous, but the sheriff, the deputy sheriff and the game warden all raided my place for no reason and I am still looking for an explanation."
"I think they just like terrorizing people..."
Stout said he has been calling in regularly voicing his anti-Bush opinions, saying people in rural Ohio are finally starting to wake up to lies, deceit and treachery imposed on the American people by what he calls a "lying dog of a President".
"I think he and the rest of his buddies are corrupt, down right crazy and Bush should be impeached plain and simple for lying to the people about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
"I think we have lost this country and many people feel it’s too late and feel helpless about doing anything about it," said Stout. "I am pretty outspoken about a lot of things and it wouldn’t surprise me if another terrorist hits us harder than 9/11, putting the country under a state of emergency and martial law while at the same time taking the heat off Bush."
"This reminds me of Nazi Germany."
"The Founding Fathers would have never stood for what is going on and would have thrown Bush and his buddies out on their ears. I think the people of Ohio are starting to wake up..."

Exercise to focus on nuclear terror scenario
US Northern Command
FORT MONROE, Va. Here’s the scenario…A seafaring vessel transporting a 10-kiloton nuclear warhead makes its way into a port off the coast of Charleston, S.C. Terrorists aboard the ship attempt to smuggle the warhead off the ship to detonate it.
Sudden Response 05 will take place this August on Fort Monroe...
(...the four-star commander of the Army's Training and Doctrine Command at the Fort Monroe base where the nuclear terror drill is to occur, Kevin P. Byrnes was just relieved of his command amidst allegations of sexual misconduct.)
Nuclear Terror Drill to Go Live?
"It's coming no doubt about it. Sorry I can't be more positive, but this is what I have heard with my own ears from three independent military member sources in different parts of the country."
"A friend came by today. His relative is fairly high-level in regional counter-terrorism. My friend says his relative told him they are preparing for the strong possibility that there will be 7 U.S. cities attacked with small, backpack-held nuclear devices by 'al-Qaida types.' It sounds like the propaganda -- the cover stories for PNAC or whomever these bad guys are -- has begun."
The sheer number of warnings and events, subtle hints and overt threats is now too much to ignore.
Deep Background
August 1, 2005 Issue
Copyright © 2005 The American Conservative
The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons.
As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing—that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack—but no one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.

Tick...Tick...Tick...The hammer is about to fall.
Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes was relieved for personal conduct reasons...
Concerning Byrnes, he is one of only 11 four-star generals in the Army previously in charge of all Army training programs and the development of combat guidelines for soldiers. His position at TRADOC gave him command of 33 training schools on 16 Army installations, one of the most prestigious and sought after positions in the entire Army.
Sources close to the military who remain anonymous said Byrnes was part of U.S. military faction discontented with the Bush administration war policies in Iraq and the potential for a nuclear disaster in Iran.
Rumors inside the military say that a growing faction of discontented high-ranking officers are attempting internally to try and stop the Bush administration’s imminent plans for war with Iran in an effort to avert global war.
Even though speculation abounds about an attempted coup relating to the Byrnes firing, no one would question the strange rumblings of war against Iran and warnings of terrorist threats on the homeland that are beginning to circulate from administration officials and media talking heads almost on a daily basis.
Further, ominous reports are even coming from the Washington Post this week that the Pentagon has developed its first ever war plans for operations within the United States, plans justifying and making necessary preparations for martial law in case of a homeland terrorist attack.

World Turning Its Back on Brand America
The US is increasingly viewed as a "culture-free zone" inhabited by arrogant and unfriendly people, according to study of 25 countries' brand reputations.
That the world takes a dim view of the US people will surprise most Americans themselves: the study's American respondents consistently placed the US at the top of all six categories polled.