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CONSTITUTIONAL COUNTY ORDINANCE WEBSITE

Website advocating for involvement in your county regulation process and suggestions for county ordinances responding to federal expansion of jurisdiction and authority and global governance.


http://sites.google.com/site/constitutionalcountyordinance/

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US Capitol switchboard
800-828-0498 or 202-224-3121

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ORF is now monetized. This means you will see ads on the blog. By clicking on the ads, you help generate revenue for ORF. What is ORF going to do with revenue generated from this blog? We want to buy a blender. A really nice blender with multiple speeds. We also would like to buy a lava lamp. In addition to the items mentioned aforely, we would also like to buy a stuffed Jack-a-lope head. Nothing extravagant.

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam

The Oath of the President of the United States


US Constitution, Article II, Section 1


Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."


The case could be made that Obama has violated the oath of the office of the Presidency of the United States in not closing the borders at the threat of a global pandemic of the Mexican flu, the violations of the U.S. Constitution in the CIFTA, and his refusal to clarify the circumstances of his birth. Think about it.


Link to the White House by Clicking on Photo

Link to the White House by Clicking on Photo
WHEN OBAMA TALKS ABOUT GUN CONTROL HE REALLY MEANS GUN CONFISCATION

KALH COMMUNITY RADIO

KALH COMMUNITY RADIO
Click on KALH logo for website and to listen to live stream

MEXICAN WOLF RECOVERY - COLLATERAL DAMAGE IDENTIFICATION

WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR WOLF LOVERS & SMALL CHILDREN

Catron County Wolf Incident Investigator, Jess Carey, provide ORF with this document. This is what the ranchers in western New Mexico are living with.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12e740df9705f324&mt=application/pdf&url=https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui%3D2%26ik%3Db2e1154c85%26view%3Datt%26th%3D12e740df9705f324%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbQTV_dgqwDweaJO_z9FKGvH0SJ6pw&pli=1


CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION OF MILITARY OR ANY OTHER HOSTILE USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES (A TREATY SIGNED IN THE
UN).
http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/enmod/text/environ2.htm

NEW MEXICO WOLF RE-INTRODUCTION

Links to past ORF information on the Mexican Gray Wolf re-introduction program. Some of the links to newspaper articles no longer work.


http://oteroresidentsforum.blogspot.com/search/label/MEXICAN%20GRAY%20WOLF

WOLF CROSSING WEBSITE

http://wolfcrossing.org/








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ORF NEWS BLIMP

ORF NEWS BLIMP
They are watching. We're watching them watcing us watching you.

OTERO RESIDENTS FORUM COLLECTION OF PARODY CARTOONS

http://oteroresidentforumparodyblog.blogspot.com/

We've complied the best of the ORF cartoons all in one location.

Natural Climate Change - Real Science, Verifiable

Natural Climate Change - Real Science, Verifiable
Dr. Eric Karlstrom's excellent website on climate change, it's natural. The agenda is truth and the vindication of scientific method.

Title 17 U.S.C section 107

*NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Posts and Comments from Readers

Please include yourself in the discussion. Post a comment.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Hallelujah



"What a heroic day! The people rose up against a coalition of every evil group in America: the central bank, Wall Street plutocrats, politicians, banksters, think tanks (including the pseudo-libertarian sort), big media, big academia, and big business, and won. Today we got a taste of what things may look like when the regime is finally toppled, and its theft and killing stopped. The Austrian economists are vindicated again, as is Rothbard's political analysis, and our pizza party for Mises's birthday today look on an especially festive air. The bad guys may yet beat us, but how sweet to see the CNBC types running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Now let's get to work to defend the free market and sound money, and finger the Fed and all who support it as the culprits. Oh, and by the way, congratulations, Ron Paul". http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/023215.html Posted by Lew Rockwell at September 29, 2008 01:12 PM I could not have said this better, and agree !100%. We are in a most serious situation, and if not careful, and dilligent, could saddle ourselves with a debt that will over burden not only ourselves, but our children and grandchildren as well. we must take action to stop this now and keep it from happening again, which it surely will especially if we do allow a bail out now on out tax dollars .

1.) End the Bailouts - Congress must revoke the Federal Reserve’s authority to bail out failed businesses at your expense.

2.) Cut Taxes and Curb Regulation - If we really want to stimulate businesses and revive the market, we need to cut corporate and capital gains taxes, spurring investors to come back to the market and making it easier to attract new workers and clients. It is also time to end failed legislation like Sarbanes-Oxley, which has crippled capital markets, diminished our competitiveness, and greatly harmed small businesses.

3.) Reduce Spending - We must freeze all non-entitlement spending by the federal government at current levels and eliminate wasteful spending both domestically and in our trillion-dollar overseas budget. Our debt has to come down, and it won’t until we start living within our means.

4.) Reform the Monetary System - If we are to have long-term economic progress, we must end the system of printing money out of thin air. The current laws limiting the circulation of gold and silver-backed currency must be overturned. We can no longer base our money on the empty promises of bureaucrats that it is sound.

The market will have to adjust, and the nation will have to deal with the effects of what the government has brought upon us, but the answer is not to weaken the dollar, continue to sell our debt and national security to China and Saudi Arabia, and socialize what remains of the American free market.

The Senate will still be working on this issue, and they need to keep hearing from you. The House will almost certainly be voting on this again before the week is out, and now, with all the bad blood, all bets are off for what the next proposal will contain and how many arms will be twisted. Another vote could come as early as Thursday. k.b.



Sunday, September 28, 2008

Spaceport -Yet Another Glossy Mailout and Huge Signs in WalMart's Vicinity


As expensive pro Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax signs pop up on First and Maryland Streets we have yet another taxpayer funded mailer in favor of the Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax. This one features Mayor Brockett and Doug Moore. There is something very Orwellian about using our money to sell us something that will take away more of our money.
According to the Daily News Gov. Richardson will be at the Senior Center on Puerto Rico and Indian Wells regarding the Spaceport, Monday, September 29, 5:30-7:00 pm. Expect to see the full cast of supporters.

Click on the title for an Albuquerque Journal story addressing the Spaceport, the Railrunner and Sandia Science and Technology Park. Messrs. Brockett and Moore would do well to consider the advice of an economic consultant such as Kenneth M Brown. He and Greg LeRoy, author of the Great American Jobs Scam have done their due diligence.


I have been addressing front end bailouts or rescues - economic development. Now, here is a history lesson on politicians trying to help:


The Coming 'Lost Decade' in America?

By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud

September 26, 2008


Historically, when the government meddles in the markets, things don't turn out well...


The most recent example is Japan in the 1990s, and that ended with the "Lost Decade." Here's what happened:


Japan had a huge real estate bubble.


Banks overlent on a massive scale, making risky loans that were almost doomed from the start.


The stock market and the real estate market started to fall.


To save the economy, the Japanese Central Bank took extraordinary measures... lowering interest rates to unprecedented levels. But it wasn't enough.


Once the crisis was in full swing, the troubled banks hoarded cash instead of lending money. The economy gummed up. Asset prices went down. And people froze... They wouldn't invest in stocks or real estate.

Sound familiar?


The next steps sound familiar, too...


Instead of allowing bad banks to fail... instead of allowing the system to "clear"... the government pumped in cash to prop them up. The result was hundreds of banks and businesses existing in a sort of purgatory... neither private nor public... neither alive nor dead... They were known as "zombies."


The result? Japan's Lost Decade. Real estate prices plummeted. Japan's main stock index, the Nikkei, dropped from a peak near 40,000 to a low of about 7,500 in 2003.


Japan's government, of course, was trying to help.


Full story at Contrarian Investment News:

The Failure of Fannie and Freddie Is Only the Beginning

Title Click on to read this article in the Stanberry Digest.


"That's why I said at the outset that the failure of Fannie and Freddie is only the beginning. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Home Loan Banks, the FDIC, Social Security, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation all force the U.S. taxpayer to subsidize the government-led underpricing of risk." 

Friday, September 26, 2008

SOME MONDAY IN THE FUTURE

Monday morning, maybe not this Monday, but on a Monday in the future we may wake up and find our money is worthless.

We may wake up to:

* Runs on food supplies at supermarkets and grocery stores. The shelves will rapidly become empty.
*Attempted runs on banks. You won't get your money out of your bank.
*A federal marshal law created along the lines of 'The Federal Food Sharing Authority'. Federal or National Guard Troops will come to your house, under the authority of Homeland Security/FEMA, and while holding you at bay at gunpoint, ransack your home looking for stashes of food.
*Confiscation of all firearms.
*Gas rationing cards.
*Food rationing cards.
*Alcohol rationing cards.
*Confiscation of computers.
*Termination of all federal and state entitlement programs.
*Confiscation of all livestock and agriculture.
*Termination of communication networks; cell phones, the internet, broadcast & subscriber TV and radio.
*FEMA detention centers will be filled with Citizens. *Hordes of angry Citizens will turn on each other and occupy 'citadels of resistance'.
*Hospitals will be seized by federal or National Guard Troops.
*State to state travel will be restricted by checkpoints on State borders.
*The international borders will be closed to keep Americans in. Mexican and Canadian troops will be on the border to keep American refugees from flooding into their countries. Only the wealthy, who are probably already out of the country, will be allowed into foreign nations.

*The U.N. will administer the brokering of deals between state leaders and Citizens. Your state governor will become a federal agent appointed by the United Nations while the Presidency becomes a null and void position.
*Rumors of public executions or bloody revolts of angry Citizens in armed conflict with U.N. troops.
*Sectors created to divide the United States into areas under the control of foreign troops wearing blue helmets.
*Collateralized lands divided and claimed by foreign holders of America's debt.
*The death of the United States

OR We will accept a major recession, suffer the process of reorganizing government in the United States, throw the bums out, re-build our national manufacturing base, and start enforcing (sometimes with malice), the U.S. Constitution.

New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina may have been the training exercise for the future in America.

Just some thoughts on the future to brighten up your day.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

the big bailout fiasco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6rQ0U01Yc The grand theft bailout now being rammed through Congress by Treasury Secretary Paulson, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, and other officials of the Bush regime with the help of accomplices Pelosi, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and other politicans is a monstrosity for the ages, combining every hideous feature of monetarism, elitism, oligarchism, and sheer incompetence. It is to all intents and purposes a national suicide note of the United States of America.Decisions by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency. For any person of good sense, there can be only one impulse at the present moment, and that is to stop this bailout,to block it,and to do everything legally possible to stop this insane design from going through. START BY CALLING YOUR REPRESENATIVES TODAY

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Now is the Time to Unite and Say with ONE Voice…

By Ron Paul

…NO to the bailout and NO to any congressman or senator who votes in favor of this disastrous piece of legislation that will redistribute hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars out of the hands of honest Americans and grant the federal government massive new powers to control and manipulate markets.

A Rasmussen Poll out today puts the support for the bailout at 7%! For any legislator to vote yes on this plan is to spit in the face of his constituents and reveal his utter contempt for the democratic process and the voice of the people. To do so would require them to utterly disavow the Constitution that they swore by oath to uphold.

It can be tolerated no more.

Contact your representatives and let them know that support of this plan constitutes a betrayal of the public trust and grounds for their removal from office. We will publicize the names of all those that vote yes so everyone will know who has been bought and paid for and no longer deserves to wear the mantle of “the people’s voice in Washington.”

Go here to get your representatives contact info. posted by k.b. from; http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog/?p=583

ACCEPTING DEBT: ORF OP-ED

The current debate on the Nov. 4th vote on the tax obligating Otero County residents to pay an additional tax for the New Mexico Spaceport district lacks the phrasing many of us dread. That phrase is 'accepting debt'.

Are you, the home owner, parent, taxpayer and working citizen willing to accept more debt. Not debt owned by the county or the New Mexico Spaceport; but debt that grows when your individual dollar is diminished one more time. How many taxes are you willing to pay while gas prices remain high and unstable, federal bailouts contribute to a fiat economy, foreign entities hold our national debt and employment within Otero County can't meet the needs of many of our residents. While proponents of the Spaceport 'promise' a wonderful economic opportunity for SOME, the reality is this tax is one more obstacle to YOU paying your bills, feeding your family, keeping your mortgage current, saving for the future and getting out of debt. No one is concerned about you or your families ability to accept debt by taxing your dollar.

Now is the time to figure in to your family budget the cost of health care, the cost of food, the cost of gas, the dream of providing a college education for your children and how far will your retirement dollar stretch. Will the proponents of the Spaceport vote in a tax to bail you out when you have to decide priorities in what bills you pay and which bills go unpaid? If your mortgage goes into foreclosure; will Bill Richardson and Sir Richard Branson provide a safety net for you? Who will be sitting at your table when you agonize while balancing your checkbook? We are all responsible for our financial obligations. Regardless how the Spaceport rhetoric is portrayed in 'spin and shine', are you willing to accept more debt by shrinking your dollar one more time?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Spaceport Puppetmasters Revealed in Alamogordo Times

A must read: People for Aerospace - Otero - Who Are They? Click title to read.

The listed phone number, 505-603-9405, is a Santa Fe number belonging to
Tara Geise. Don’t recognize her name? Tara is the Chief Financial Officer of the
Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) and former CFO of the Richardson
presidential campaign.

Mark Your Calendars to attend Republican Women of Otero County Meeting, noon, October 1, Golf Course. Guest Speaker, Michael Morris, publisher of Alamogordo Times. Open to the public, no host lunch.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

MARIO BURGOS BLOG: GOV GIVES $100 M TO HIS BUDDY, SIR RICHARD BRANSON

Title click to read this SCATHING....I SAY SCATHING...denouncement of Gov. Richardson and the Spaceport.  The writer makes a good argument for questioning the 'Guv's' priorities.

Spaceport Beef and Appetite Suppressor

Beef: Jeremy Horne, Phd: http://www.topix.net/forum/source/alamogordo-daily-news/TU4S73N11FTF59B04

Appetite Suppressor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx8PVffn6io&feature=related

Thursday, September 18, 2008

THE GHOST OF WERNER VON BRAUN DISCUSSES THE SPACEPORT VOTE

YOUTUBE VIDEO SAYS ITS RICHARD BRANSON'S SPACEPORT!

Title Click to view video on YOUTUBE.

NM Spaceport Presentation Elicits Many Questions

During the question and answer period after Steve Landeene's presentation to Otero County Republicans, Wednesday, September 17, most questions that required a definitive answer remained unanswered.

To the question "will the Spaceport Authority guarantee that ancillary businesses to the spaceport be located in Alamogordo or Otero County?" Mr. Landeene's hesitant answer was that there are no guarantees in life. So much for that concern.

Would the Spaceport Authority protect against the takeover by foreign concerns? Nope. In fact Spaceport Authority has already contracted with DMJM for architectural services. Sounds benign, right? Turns out that DMJM - Daniel, Mann, Johnson, & Mendenhall (architecture, engineering, and construction services firm) is a global firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Mr. Landeene said he did not know where their headquarters are - who believed that whopper?

DMJM will be awarding the contracts for construction and probably the management of the spaceport. Let's take a look at who DMJM contracts with and you decide if any contractor or business in Southern New Mexico has a snowball's chance of participating in NM Spaceport:

Here is the link to their Global Offices: http://www.dmjmhn.aecom.com/Office/38/47/index.jsp

Oh, don't forget that the parent company of DMJM is AECOM. Check out their home page: http://www.aecom.com/ Global doesn't even begin to describe it.
The Americas: http://www.aecom.com/Office/38/46/index.jsp
Over Twenty offices in China: http://www.aecom.com/Office/38/50/index.jsp Austrailia/Pacific Rim: http://www.aecom.com/Office/38/49/index.jsp
Europe: http://www.aecom.com/Office/38/48/index.jsp

Hello, Otero County, wake up. You are being sold a crock in too many ways to address in one post. You are in over your heads and what is so sad is you won't admit it:

AECOM (NYSE: ACM) is a global provider of professional technical and management
support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation,
facilities, environmental and energy.
With more than 41,000 employees
around
the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets that it
serves. AECOM
provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation,
and technical
excellence in delivering solutions that enhance and sustain
the world's built,
natural, and social environments.
AECOM serves
clients in more than 100
countries and had revenue of $4.7 billion during
the 12-month period ended June
30, 2008. More information on AECOM and its
services can be found at www.aecom.com.
These are the folks that are going to make the bucks. We have resources in Otero County, why not use them and clean up our own back yard and make this a place people will come to for the right reasons? Sometimes, the basics are all you have to do.

Republican meeting on spaceport

i come away from the meeting last night, thinking some practice Republican principles only when they are convenient. my Constiutional, conservative beliefs do not have that flexibility. i understand Democrats believe in funding projects that support private enterprise, and think of that as a primary difference between us and them. last night i felt i was at the wrong party meeting at times. when some one says " i'm for less taxes BUT"... you can be pretty sure you're going to hear about one more exception. this time it looks to make the private sector a lot of money at the states expense, with very little substantiated return to this county for its investment. k.b.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Keith Olberman tells it like it is about Bush and 911

from karan berry: this is a man who is not afraid to speak out. it is refreshing to hear someone in the the main stream media cut through the crap. http://waronyou.com/2008/09/olbermann-bush-administration-allowed-911-attacks-to-occur/

"I'M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY"

Title click to read this story: Val Kilmer considering run for NM governor?  

Monday, September 15, 2008

NM Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax

Straight from the horse's mouth, the Republican Platform 2008:

Republican Tax Policy: Protecting Hardworking Americans

The most important distinction between Republicans and today's leadership of the Democratic Party concerning taxes is just not that we believe that you should keep more of what you earn. That's true. But there is a more fundamental distinction. It concerns the purposes of taxation. We believe government should tax only to raise money for its essential functions. http://www.gop.com/2008Platform/Economy.htm#1

Some definitions of the word essential:

* absolutely necessary; vitally necessary; "essential tools and materials"; "funds essential to the completion of the project"; "an indispensable component"

* basic and fundamental; "the essential feature"

* all-important(a): of the greatest importance; "the all-important subject of disarmament"; "crucial information"; "in chess cool nerves are of the essence"

* being or relating to or containing the essence of a plant etc; "essential oil"

* substantive: defining rights and duties as opposed to giving the rules by which rights and duties are established; "substantive law"

* necessity: anything indispensable; "food and shelter are necessities of life"

Thank you to online dictionaries and the Republican Party Platform 2008. The ball is in your court registered Republicans. Some will be watching to see if you throw County Commissioner Clarissa McGinn and State Senator Dianna Duran under the bus. That would be shameful.

Janet T. White

Friday, September 12, 2008

I Going to Lose My Lunch

Did anyone else read our links under RADIO-TELEMETRY COLLARS USED TO TRACK WOLVES?

"Dispersing wolves may travel straight-line distances of more than 500 miles." Kinda makes a wolf recovery area meaningless, doesn't it? When the proposed area in New Mexico is marked on the north by I-40 and on the south by I-10 remember you must add 500 miles to the north and south. Maybe those folks in Albuquerque and Santa Fe will get their wish to have wolves in their backyards.

And,

"These special radio collars can also be equipped with dart holding a tranquilizer, which can be triggered from a distance. This allows researchers to easily recover an animal." Now the wolf recovery experts can cruise four lane highways and push a button to tranquilize a wolf.


I am going to the porcelain throne.

Interview with Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn was some one i admired and respected in the 70' for his view as to what was happening to our country's government, and what we should do about it. after reading this recent interview i still feel the same. kb

Q: Where is the United States heading in terms of world power and influence?

HZ: America has been heading - for some time, and is heading right now - toward less and less world power, less and less influence.



Obviously, since the war in Iraq, the rest of the world has fallen away from the United States, and if American foreign policy continues in the way it has been - that is aggressive and violent and uncaring about the feelings and thoughts of other people - then the influence of the United States is going to decline more and more.

This is an empire which is on the one hand the most powerful empire that ever existed; on the other hand an empire that is crumbling - an empire that has no future ... because the rest of the world is alienated and simply because this empire is top-heavy with military commitments, with bases around the world, with the exhaustion of its own resources at home.

[This is] leading to more and more discontent and home, so I think the American empire will go the way of other empires and I think it is on its way now.

Q: Is there any hope the US will change its approach to the rest of the world?

HZ: If there is any hope, the hope lies in the American people.

Zinn says the US needs a new
popular movement [AFP]
[It] lies in American people becoming resentful enough and indignant enough over what has happened to their country, over the loss of dignity in the world, over the starving of human resources in the United States, the starving of education and health, the takeover of the political mechanism by corporate power and the result this has on the everyday lives of the American people.

[There is also] the higher and higher food prices, the more and more insecurity, the sending of the young people to war.

I think all of this may very well build up into a movement of rebellion.

We have seen movements of rebellion in the past: The labour movement, the civil rights movement, the movement against the war in Vietnam.

I think we may well see, if the United States keeps heading in the same direction, a new popular movement. That is the only hope for the United States.

Q: How did the US get to this point?

HZ: Well, we got to this point because ... I suppose the American people have allowed it to get it to this point because there were enough Americans who were satisfied with their lives, just enough.

Of course, many Americans were not, that is why half of the population doesn't vote, they're alienated.

But there are just enough Americans who have been satisfied, you might say getting some of the "goodies" of the empire, just some of them, just enough people satisfied to support the system, so we got this way because of the ability of the system to maintain itself by satisfying just enough of the population to keep its legitimacy.

And I think that era is coming to an end.

Q: What should the world know about the United States?

HZ: What I find many people in the rest of the world don't know is that there is an opposition in the United States.

Zinn says "corruption" of the US
system enabled Bush to win office [EPA]
Very often, people in the rest of the world think that Bush is popular, they think 'oh, he was elected twice', they don't understand the corruption of the American political system which enabled Bush to win twice.

They don't understand the basic undemocratic nature of the American political system in which all power is concentrated within two parties which are not very far from one another and people cannot easily tell the difference.

So I think we are in a situation where we are going to need some very fundamental changes in American society if the American people are going to be finally satisfied with the kind of society we have.

Q: Do you think the US can recover from its current position?

HZ: Well, I am hoping for a recovery process. I mean, so far we haven't seen it.

You asked about what the people of the rest of the world don't know about the United States, and as I said, they don't know that there is an opposition.

"We have a long history in this country of violent expansion and I think not only do most people in other countries [not] know this, most Americans don't."

Howard Zinn

There always has been an opposition, but the opposition has always been either crushed or quieted, kept in the shadows, marginalised so their voices are not heard.

People in the rest of the world hear the voices of the American leaders.

They do not hear the voices of the people all over this country who do not like the American leaders who want different policies.

I think also, people in the rest of the world should know that what they see in Iraq now is really a continuation of a long, long term of American imperial expansion in the world.

I think ... a lot of people in the world think that this war in Iraq is an aberration, that before this the United States was a benign power.

It has never been a benign power, from the very first, from the American Revolution, from the taking-over of Indian land, from the Mexican war, the Spanish-American war.

It is embarrassing to say, but we have a long history in this country of violent expansion and I think not only do most people in other countries [not] know this, most Americans don't know this.

Q: Is there a way for this to improve?

HZ: Well you know, whatever hope there is lies in that large number of Americans who are decent, who don't want to go to war, who don't want to kill other people.

It is hard to see that hope because these Americans who feel that way have been shut out of the communications system, so their voices are not heard, they are not seen on the television screen, but they exist.

I have gone through, in my life, a number of social movements and I have seen how at the very beginning of these social movements or just before these social movements develop, there didn't seem to be any hope.

I lived in the [US] south for seven years, in the years of the civil rights movements, and it didn't seem that there was any hope, but there was hope under the surface.

And when people organised, and when people began to act, when people began to work together, people began to take risks, people began to oppose the establishment, people began to commit civil disobedience.

Well, then that hope became manifest ... it actually turned into change.

Q: Do you think there is a way out of this and for the future influence of the US on the world to be a positive one?

HZ: Well, you know for the United States to begin to be a positive influence in the world we are going to have to have a new political leadership that is sensitive to the needs of the American people, and those needs do not include war and aggression.

[It must also be] sensitive to the needs of people in other parts of the world, sensitive enough to know that American resources, instead of being devoted to war, should be devoted to helping people who are suffering.

You've got earthquakes and natural disasters all over the world, but the people in the United States have been in the same position as people in other countries.

The natural disasters here [also] brought little positive reaction - look at [Hurricane] Katrina.

The people in this country, the poor people especially and the people of colour especially, have been as much victims of American power as people in other countries.

Q: Can you give us an overall scope of everything we talked about – the power and influence of the United States?

"Ultimately power rests on the moral legitimacy of a system and the United States has been losing moral legitimacy."

Howard Zinn

HZ: The power and influence of the United States has declined rapidly since the war in Iraq because American power, as it has been exercised in the world historically, has been exposed more to the rest of the world in this situation and in other situations.

So the US influence is declining, its power is declining.

However strong a military machine it is, power does not ultimately depend on a military machine. So power is declining.

Ultimately power rests on the moral legitimacy of a system and the United States has been losing moral legitimacy.

My hope is that the American people will rouse themselves and change this situation, for the benefit of themselves and for the benefit of the rest of the world. Al Jazerra 9/11/2008

What exactly is FEMA




EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President - Congress cannot review the action for six months.

A complete explanation is here: http://www.sonic.net/sentinel/gvcon6.html

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Ron Paul Statement to the National Press Club

The coverage of the presidential election is designed to be a grand distraction. This is not new, but this year, it’s more so than ever.Pretending that a true difference exists between the two major candidates is a charade of great proportion. Many who help to perpetuate this myth are frequently unaware of what they are doing and believe that significant differences actually do exist. Indeed, on small points there is the appearance of a difference. The real issues, however, are buried in a barrage of miscellaneous nonsense and endless pontifications by robotic pundits hired to perpetuate the myth of a campaign of substance.
The truth is that our two-party system offers no real choice. The real goal of the campaign is to distract people from considering the real issues.
Influential forces, the media, the government, the privileged corporations and moneyed interests see to it that both party’s candidates are acceptable, regardless of the outcome, since they will still be in charge. It’s been that way for a long time. George Wallace was not the first to recognize that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the two parties. There is, though, a difference between the two major candidates and the candidates on third-party tickets and those running as independents.
The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state. They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on Executive Powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private-property ownership.
Those candidates who represent actual change or disagreement with the status quo are held in check by the two major parties in power, making it very difficult to compete in the pretend democratic process. This is done by making it difficult for third-party candidates to get on the ballots, enter into the debates, raise money, avoid being marginalized, or get fair or actual coverage. A rare celebrity or a wealthy individual can, to a degree, overcome these difficulties.
The system we have today allows a President to be elected by as little as 32% of the American people, with half of those merely voting for the “lesser of two evils”. Therefore, as little as 16% actually vote for a president. No wonder when things go wrong, anger explodes. A recent poll shows that 60% of the American people are not happy with the two major candidates this year.
This system is driven by the conviction that only a major party candidate can win. Voters become convinced that any other vote is a “wasted” vote. It’s time for that conclusion to be challenged and to recognize that the only way not to waste one’s vote is to reject the two establishment candidates and join the majority, once called silent, and allow the voices of the people to be heard.
We cannot expect withdrawal of troops from Iraq or the Middle East with either of the two major candidates. Expect continued involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Georgia. Neither hints of a non-interventionist foreign policy. Do not expect to hear the rejection of the policy of supporting the American world empire. There will be no emphasis in protecting privacy and civil liberties and the constant surveillance of the American people. Do not expect any serious attempt to curtail the rapidly expanding national debt. And certainly, there will be no hint of addressing the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationship with big banks and international corporations and the politicians.
There is only one way that these issues can get the attention they deserve: the silent majority must become the vocal majority.
This message can be sent to our leaders by not participating in the Great Distraction—the quadrennial campaign and election of an American President without a choice. Just think of how much of an edge a Vice President has in this process, and he or she is picked by a single person—the party’s nominee. This was never intended by the Constitution.
Since a principled non-voter sends a message, we must count them and recognize the message they are sending as well. The non-voters need to hold their own “election” by starting a “League of Non-voters” and explain their principled reasons for opting out of this charade of the presidential elective process. They just might get a bigger membership than anyone would guess.
Write-in votes should not be discouraged, but the electoral officials must be held accountable and make sure the votes are counted. But one must not be naïve and believe that under today’s circumstances one has a chance of accomplishing much by a write-in campaign.
The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two-party system, which in reality is a one-party system with no possible chance for the changes to occur which are necessary to solve our economic and foreign policy problems. This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment principled candidates—Baldwin, Barr, McKinney, Nader, and possibly others. (listed alphabetically)
Yes, these individuals do have strong philosophic disagreements on various issues, but they all stand for challenging the status quo—those special interest who control our federal government. And because of this, on the big issues of war, civil liberties, deficits, and the Federal Reserve they have much in common. People will waste their vote in voting for the lesser of two evils. That can’t be stopped overnight, but for us to have an impact we must maximize the total votes of those rejecting the two major candidates.
For me, though, my advice—for what it’s worth—is to vote! Reject the two candidates who demand perpetuation of the status quo and pick one of the alternatives that you have the greatest affinity to, based on the other issues.
A huge vote for those running on principle will be a lot more valuable by sending a message that we’ve had enough and want real change than wasting one’s vote on a supposed lesser of two evils.The coverage of the presidential election is designed to be a grand distraction. This is not new, but this year, it’s more so than ever.
Pretending that a true difference exists between the two major candidates is a charade of great proportion. Many who help to perpetuate this myth are frequently unaware of what they are doing and believe that significant differences actually do exist. Indeed, on small points there is the appearance of a difference. The real issues, however, are buried in a barrage of miscellaneous nonsense and endless pontifications by robotic pundits hired to perpetuate the myth of a campaign of substance.
The truth is that our two-party system offers no real choice. The real goal of the campaign is to distract people from considering the real issues.
Influential forces, the media, the government, the privileged corporations and moneyed interests see to it that both party’s candidates are acceptable, regardless of the outcome, since they will still be in charge. It’s been that way for a long time. George Wallace was not the first to recognize that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the two parties. There is, though, a difference between the two major candidates and the candidates on third-party tickets and those running as independents.
The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state. They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on Executive Powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private-property ownership.
Those candidates who represent actual change or disagreement with the status quo are held in check by the two major parties in power, making it very difficult to compete in the pretend democratic process. This is done by making it difficult for third-party candidates to get on the ballots, enter into the debates, raise money, avoid being marginalized, or get fair or actual coverage. A rare celebrity or a wealthy individual can, to a degree, overcome these difficulties.
The system we have today allows a President to be elected by as little as 32% of the American people, with half of those merely voting for the “lesser of two evils”. Therefore, as little as 16% actually vote for a president. No wonder when things go wrong, anger explodes. A recent poll shows that 60% of the American people are not happy with the two major candidates this year.
This system is driven by the conviction that only a major party candidate can win. Voters become convinced that any other vote is a “wasted” vote. It’s time for that conclusion to be challenged and to recognize that the only way not to waste one’s vote is to reject the two establishment candidates and join the majority, once called silent, and allow the voices of the people to be heard.
We cannot expect withdrawal of troops from Iraq or the Middle East with either of the two major candidates. Expect continued involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Georgia. Neither hints of a non-interventionist foreign policy. Do not expect to hear the rejection of the policy of supporting the American world empire. There will be no emphasis in protecting privacy and civil liberties and the constant surveillance of the American people. Do not expect any serious attempt to curtail the rapidly expanding national debt. And certainly, there will be no hint of addressing the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationship with big banks and international corporations and the politicians.
There is only one way that these issues can get the attention they deserve: the silent majority must become the vocal majority.
This message can be sent to our leaders by not participating in the Great Distraction—the quadrennial campaign and election of an American President without a choice. Just think of how much of an edge a Vice President has in this process, and he or she is picked by a single person—the party’s nominee. This was never intended by the Constitution.
Since a principled non-voter sends a message, we must count them and recognize the message they are sending as well. The non-voters need to hold their own “election” by starting a “League of Non-voters” and explain their principled reasons for opting out of this charade of the presidential elective process. They just might get a bigger membership than anyone would guess.
Write-in votes should not be discouraged, but the electoral officials must be held accountable and make sure the votes are counted. But one must not be naïve and believe that under today’s circumstances one has a chance of accomplishing much by a write-in campaign.
The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two-party system, which in reality is a one-party system with no possible chance for the changes to occur which are necessary to solve our economic and foreign policy problems. This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment principled candidates—Baldwin, Barr, McKinney, Nader, and possibly others. (listed alphabetically)
Yes, these individuals do have strong philosophic disagreements on various issues, but they all stand for challenging the status quo—those special interest who control our federal government. And because of this, on the big issues of war, civil liberties, deficits, and the Federal Reserve they have much in common. People will waste their vote in voting for the lesser of two evils. That can’t be stopped overnight, but for us to have an impact we must maximize the total votes of those rejecting the two major candidates.
For me, though, my advice—for what it’s worth—is to vote! Reject the two candidates who demand perpetuation of the status quo and pick one of the alternatives that you have the greatest affinity to, based on the other issues.
A huge vote for those running on principle will be a lot more valuable by sending a message that we’ve had enough and want real change than wasting one’s vote on a supposed lesser of two evils. The coverage of the presidential election is designed to be a grand distraction. This is not new, but this year, it’s more so than ever.
Pretending that a true difference exists between the two major candidates is a charade of great proportion. Many who help to perpetuate this myth are frequently unaware of what they are doing and believe that significant differences actually do exist. Indeed, on small points there is the appearance of a difference. The real issues, however, are buried in a barrage of miscellaneous nonsense and endless pontifications by robotic pundits hired to perpetuate the myth of a campaign of substance.
The truth is that our two-party system offers no real choice. The real goal of the campaign is to distract people from considering the real issues.
Influential forces, the media, the government, the privileged corporations and moneyed interests see to it that both party’s candidates are acceptable, regardless of the outcome, since they will still be in charge. It’s been that way for a long time. George Wallace was not the first to recognize that there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the two parties. There is, though, a difference between the two major candidates and the candidates on third-party tickets and those running as independents.
The two parties and their candidates have no real disagreements on foreign policy, monetary policy, privacy issues, or the welfare state. They both are willing to abuse the Rule of Law and ignore constitutional restraint on Executive Powers. Neither major party champions free markets and private-property ownership.
Those candidates who represent actual change or disagreement with the status quo are held in check by the two major parties in power, making it very difficult to compete in the pretend democratic process. This is done by making it difficult for third-party candidates to get on the ballots, enter into the debates, raise money, avoid being marginalized, or get fair or actual coverage. A rare celebrity or a wealthy individual can, to a degree, overcome these difficulties.
The system we have today allows a President to be elected by as little as 32% of the American people, with half of those merely voting for the “lesser of two evils”. Therefore, as little as 16% actually vote for a president. No wonder when things go wrong, anger explodes. A recent poll shows that 60% of the American people are not happy with the two major candidates this year.
This system is driven by the conviction that only a major party candidate can win. Voters become convinced that any other vote is a “wasted” vote. It’s time for that conclusion to be challenged and to recognize that the only way not to waste one’s vote is to reject the two establishment candidates and join the majority, once called silent, and allow the voices of the people to be heard.
We cannot expect withdrawal of troops from Iraq or the Middle East with either of the two major candidates. Expect continued involvement in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Georgia. Neither hints of a non-interventionist foreign policy. Do not expect to hear the rejection of the policy of supporting the American world empire. There will be no emphasis in protecting privacy and civil liberties and the constant surveillance of the American people. Do not expect any serious attempt to curtail the rapidly expanding national debt. And certainly, there will be no hint of addressing the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationship with big banks and international corporations and the politicians.
There is only one way that these issues can get the attention they deserve: the silent majority must become the vocal majority.
This message can be sent to our leaders by not participating in the Great Distraction—the quadrennial campaign and election of an American President without a choice. Just think of how much of an edge a Vice President has in this process, and he or she is picked by a single person—the party’s nominee. This was never intended by the Constitution.
Since a principled non-voter sends a message, we must count them and recognize the message they are sending as well. The non-voters need to hold their own “election” by starting a “League of Non-voters” and explain their principled reasons for opting out of this charade of the presidential elective process. They just might get a bigger membership than anyone would guess.
Write-in votes should not be discouraged, but the electoral officials must be held accountable and make sure the votes are counted. But one must not be naïve and believe that under today’s circumstances one has a chance of accomplishing much by a write-in campaign.
The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two-party system, which in reality is a one-party system with no possible chance for the changes to occur which are necessary to solve our economic and foreign policy problems. This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment principled candidates—Baldwin, Barr, McKinney, Nader, and possibly others. (listed alphabetically)
Yes, these individuals do have strong philosophic disagreements on various issues, but they all stand for challenging the status quo—those special interest who control our federal government. And because of this, on the big issues of war, civil liberties, deficits, and the Federal Reserve they have much in common. People will waste their vote in voting for the lesser of two evils. That can’t be stopped overnight, but for us to have an impact we must maximize the total votes of those rejecting the two major candidates.
For me, though, my advice—for what it’s worth—is to vote! Reject the two candidates who demand perpetuation of the status quo and pick one of the alternatives that you have the greatest affinity to, based on the other issues.
A huge vote for those running on principle will be a lot more valuable by sending a message that we’ve had enough and want real change than wasting one’s vote on a supposed lesser of two evils.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

MONSANTO LOSSES IN COURT: DISEASE FREE CATTLE

Title click to read this article from FIND LAW.

US APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS REVERSAL OF USDA APPROVAL OF MONSANTO GE ALFALFA

From the UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS:

1. Victory on Alfalfa Case.In an opinion issued September 2, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the reversal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) approval of Roundup Ready herbicide-tolerant, genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. In a landmark decision, the Appeals Court agreed with the lower court that the USDA had not adequately considered either the economic impact on organic and conventional alfalfa farmers from inevitable contamination of their crops by GE alfalfa or the environmental harm from herbicide-resistant weeds. The case was brought by the Center for Food Safety. Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

So Where is Mike Espiritu, Executive Director of OCEDC? Don't the NM Spaceport Honchos Trust Him to Do His Job?



Last time I looked the Las Cruces Sun had over 70 articles on NM Spaceport. Here we have had a handful and none, that I can locate, quoting Executive Director of OCEDC, Mike Espiritu. Over a year and a half ago Mr. Espiritu was doing his job of selling NM Spaceport to the Otero County Commission. Now, nada, zip, zero.

Also, for Tom Gregory, where is the report Jim Harris was going to proffer on improving OCEDC? Oh, maybe they have locked Mr. Espiritu in a safe room until he comes up with a plan. Mr. Espiritu is still listed as Executive Director (he replaced Ed Carr of Sunbaked fame) and there on pictures of him with the other members of OCEDC on their website - click title to access.

Also, it is not until you click the link to New Mexico Ecnomic Development - http://ww1.edd.state.nm.us/ - that you will see any mention of New Mexico Spaceport, of course that takes you to Steve Landeene and crew at their site.

For a project touting great benefit to Otero County you would think that the local director would be beating the drums for NM Spaceport.

Friday, September 5, 2008

POLAR BEARS MAY BE EATING ENDANGERED SPECIES

Federal government will review ice seals

by Dan Joling
The Associated Press
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Federal authorities will review three more Arctic marine mammals for possible listing as threatened species.

The National Marine Fisheries Service will conduct a full status review of ringed, bearded and spotted seals. All depend on sea ice for survival.

The Interior Department in May placed polar bears on the list of threatened species because of the dramatic loss of bear habitat, sea ice.

Ringed seals are the main prey of polar bears.

Shaye Wolf of the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the petition to list the ice seals, said loss of sea ice and early sea-ice breakup threaten the seals' ability to successfully rear their young.
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