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Tuesday, March 14th, 2006
2:01 am	Crazy Farm Chapter 9 The Crazy Farm [[An Obvious Ripoff of Orwell]] Chapter 9 ~ The Crazy Farm~ Proles split hoof was a long time in healing. They had started the rebuilding of the Nuclear Power the day after the victory celebrations were ended Prole refused to take even a day off work, and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. In the evenings he would admit privately to Cloture that the hoof troubled him a great deal. Cloture treated the hoof with poultices of herbs which she prepared by chewing them, and both she and Kennyday urged Prole to work less hard. "A horse's lungs do not last for ever," she said to him. But Prole would not listen. He had, he said, only one real ambition left-to see the Nuclear Power plant well under way before he reached the age for retirement. At the beginning, when the laws of Crazy Farm were first formulated, the retiring age had been fixed for horses and Neo-Cons at Birth, for cows at death, for Rovers' , for media whore sheep and for hens and geese. Liberal old-age pensions had been agreed upon. As yet no Herdsman had actually retired on pension, but of late the subject had been discussed more and more. Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley, it was rumoured that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into a grazing-ground for superannuated Herdsmen. For a horse, it was said, the pension would be five pounds of corn a day and, in winter, fifteen pounds of hay, with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays. Prole's twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year. Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the Neo-Cons and the Rovers. A too rigid equality in rations, Wolfowizz explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Herdism. In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other Herds that they were not in reality short of food, whatever the appearances might be. For the time being, certainly, it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Wolfowizz always spoke of it as a "readjustment," never as a "reduction"), but in comparison with the days of Rottenchild, the improvement was enormous. Reading out the figures in a shrill, rapid voice, he proved to them in detail that they had more oats, more hay, more turnips than they had had in Rottenchilds day, that they worked shorter hours, that their drinking water was of better quality, that they lived longer, that a larger proportion of their young ones survived infancy, and that they had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas. The Herdsmen believed every word of it. Truth to tell, RottensChild and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories. They knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare, that they were often hungry and often cold, and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. They were glad to believe so. Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Wolfowizz did not fail to point out. There were Many more mouths to feed now. In the autumn the four repiglican sows had all littered about simultaneously, producing thirty-one young Neo-Con piglets between them. The young Neo-Cons were piebald, and as King George was the only boar on the farm, it was possible to guess at their parentage. It was announced that later, when bricks and timber had been purchased, a schoolroom would be built in the farmhouse garden. For the time being, the young Neo-Cons were given their instruction by King George himself in the farmhouse kitchen. They took their exercise in the garden, and were discouraged from playing with the other young Herdsmen. About this time, too, it was laid down as a rule that when a Neo-Con and any other Herd met on the path, the other Herdsman must stand aside: and also that all Neo-Cons, of whatever degree, were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays. The farm had had a fairly successful year, but was still short of money. There were the bricks, sand, and lime for the schoolroom to be purchased, and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the Nuclear Power. Then there were lamp oil and candles for the house, sugar for King George's own table (he forbade this to the other Neo-Cons, on the ground that it made them fat), and all the usual replacements such as tools, nails, string, coal, wire, scrap-iron, and dog biscuits. A stump of hay and part of the potato crop were sold off, and the contract for eggs was increased to six hundred a week, so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. Rations, reduced in December, were reduced again in February, and lanterns in the stalls were forbidden to save Oil. But the Neo-Cons seemed comfortable enough, and in fact were putting on weight if anything. One afternoon in late February a warm, rich, appetising scent, such as the Herds had never smelt before, wafted itself across the yard from the little brew-house, which had been disused in Jones's time, and which stood beyond the kitchen. Someone said it was the smell of cooking barley. The Herds sniffed the air hungrily and wondered whether a warm mash was being prepared for their supper. But no warm mash appeared, and on the following Sunday it was announced that from now onwards all barley would be reserved for the Neo-Cons. The field beyond the orchard had already been sown with barley. And the news soon leaked out that every Neo-Con was now receiving a ration of a pint of beer daily, with half a gallon for King George himself, which was always served to him in the Crown Derby soup tureen. But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. There were more songs, more speeches, more processions. King George had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration, the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Crazy Farm. At the appointed time the Herds would leave their work and march round the precincts of the farm in military formation, with the Neo-Cons leading, then the horses, then the cows, then the media whore sheep, and then the poultry. The Rovers' flanked the procession and at the head of all marched King George's black cockerel. Prole and Cloture always carried between them a green banner marked with the hoof and the horn and the caption, "Long live King George! " Afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in King George's honour, and a speech by Wolfowizz giving particulars of the latest increases in the production of foodstuffs, and on occasion a shot was fired from the gun. The media whore sheep were the greatest devotees of the Spontaneous Demonstration, and if anyone complained (as a few Herdsmen sometimes did, when no Neo-Cons or Rovers' were near) that they wasted time and meant a lot of standing about in the cold, the media whore sheep were sure to silence him with a tremendous bleating of "Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad!" But by and large the Herds enjoyed these celebrations. They found it comforting to be reminded that, after all, they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit. So that, what with the songs, the processions, Wolfowizz's lists of figures, the thunder of the gun, the crowing of the cockerel, and the fluttering of the flag, they were able to forget that their bellies were empty, at least part of the time. In April, Crazy Farm was proclaimed a RePuglic, and it became necessary to elect a President. There was only one candidate, King George, who was elected unanimously. On the same day it was given out that fresh documents had been discovered which revealed further details about Klinton's criminal complicity with Rottenchild. It now appeared that Klinton had not, as the Herdsmen had previously imagined, merely attempted to lose the Battle of the Bullcrap by means of a stratagem, but had been openly fighting on Rottenchilds side. In fact, it was he who had actually been the leader of the CEO whore man forces, and had charged into battle with the words "Long live CEO's!" on his lips. The wounds on Klinton's back, which a few of the Herdsmen still remembered to have seen, had actually been inflicted by King George's teeth. In the middle of the summer Lybby the raven suddenly reappeared on the farm, after an absence of several years. He was quite unchanged, still did no work, and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. He would perch on a stump, flap his black wings, and talk by the hour to anyone who would listen. "Up there, Herdsman," he would say solemnly, pointing to the sky with his large beak-"up there, just on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see-there it lies, Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor Herdsman shall rest for ever from our labours!" He even claimed to have been there on one of his higher flights, and to have seen the everlasting fields of clover and the linseed cake and lump sugar growing on the hedges. Many of the Herdsmen believed him. Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? A thing that was difficult to determine was the attitude of the Neo-Cons towards Lybby. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies, and yet they allowed him to remain on the farm, not working, with an allowance of a gill of beer a day. After his hoof had healed up, Prole worked harder than ever. Indeed, all the Herdsmen worked like slaves that year. Apart from the regular work of the farm, and the rebuilding of the Nuclear Power plant, there was the schoolhouse for the young boar Neo-Cons, which was started in March. Sometimes the long hours on insufficient food were hard to bear, but Prole never faltered. In nothing that he said or did was there any sign that his strength was not what it had been. It was only his appearance that was a little altered; his hide was less shiny than it had used to be, and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken. The others said, "Prole will pick up when the spring grass comes on"; but the spring came and Prole grew no fatter. Sometimes on the slope leading to the top of the quarry, when he braced his muscles against the weight of some vast boulder, it seemed that nothing kept him on his feet except the will to continue. At such times his lips were seen to form the words, "So I will work harder"; he had no voice left. Once again Cloture and Kennyday warned him to take care of his health, but Prole paid no attention. His twelfth birthday was approaching. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. Late one evening in the summer, a sudden rumour ran round the farm that something had happened to Prole. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the Nuclear Power plant. And sure enough, the rumour was true. A few minutes later two Neo-Coneons came racing in with the news: "Prole has fallen! He is lying on his side and can't get up!" About half the Herdsmen on the farm rushed out to the knoll where the Nuclear Power plant stood. There lay Prole, between the shafts of the cart, his neck stretched out, unable even to raise his head. His eyes were glazed, his sides matted with sweat. A thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth. Cloture dropped to her knees at his side. "Prole!" she cried, "how are you?" "It is my lung," said Prole in a weak voice. "It does not matter. I think you will be able to finish the Nuclear Power without me. There is a pretty good store of stone accumulated. I had only another month to go in any case. To tell you the truth, I had been looking forward to my retirement. And perhaps, as Kennyday is growing old too, they will let him retire at the same time and be a companion to me to the glue factory." "We must get help at once," said Cloture. "Run, somebody, and tell Wolfowizz what has happened." All the other Herds immediately raced back to the farmhouse to give Wolfowizz the news. Only Cloture remained who lay down at Prole's side, and, without speaking, kept the flies off him with his long tail. After about a quarter of an hour Wolfowizz appeared, full of sympathy and concern. He said that King George had learned with the very deepest distress of this misfortune to one of the most loyal workers on the farm, and was already making arrangements to send Prole to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon. The Herd felt a little uneasy at this. Except for That Slut Ann Colter and Klinton, no other Herd had ever left the farm, and they did not like to think of their sick Herde in the hands of CEO whore men. However, Wolfowizz easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Prole's case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm. And about half an hour later, when Prole had somewhat recovered, he was with difficulty got on to his feet, and Managed to limp back to his stall, where Cloture and Kennyday had prepared a good bed of straw for him. For the next two days Prole remained in his stall. The Neo-Cons had sent out a large bottle of pink medicine which they had found in the medicine chest in the bathroom, and Cloture administered it to Prole twice a day after meals. In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him, while Kennyday kept the flies off him. Prole professed not to be sorry for what had happened. If he made a good recovery, he might expect to live another three years, and he looked forward to the peaceful days that he would spend in the corner of the big pasture. It would be the first time that he had had leisure to study and improve his mind. He intended, he said, to devote the rest of his life to learning the remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet. However, Kennyday and Cloture could only be with Prole after working hours, and it was in the middle of the day when the van came to take him away. The Herd were all at work weeding turnips under the supervision of a Neo-Con, when they were astonished to see Kennyday come galloping from the direction of the farm buildings, braying at the top of his voice. It was the first time that they had ever seen Kennyday excited-indeed, it was the first time that anyone had ever seen him gallop. "Quick, quick!" he shouted. "Come at once! They're taking Prole away!" Without waiting for orders from the Neo-Con, the Herd broke off work and raced back to the farm buildings. Sure enough, there in the yard was a large closed van, drawn by two horses, with lettering on its side and a sly-looking whore man in a low-crowned bowler hat sitting on the driver's seat. And Prole's stall was empty. The Herd crowded round the van. "Good-bye, Prole!" they chorused, "good-bye!" "Fools! Fools!" shouted Kennyday, prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs. "Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?" That gave the Herdmen pause, and there was a hush. Muriel began to spell out the words. But Kennyday pushed her aside and in the midst of a deadly silence he read: " 'Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.' Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Prole to the knacker's! " A cry of horror burst from all the Herd. At this moment the CEO on the box whipped up his horses and the van moved out of the yard at a smart trot. All the Herds followed, crying out at the tops of their voices. Cloture forced her way to the front. The van began to gather speed. Cloture tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop, and achieved a canter. "Prole!" she cried. "Prole! Prole! Prole!" And just at this moment, as though he had heard the uproar outside, Prole's face, with the white stripe down his nose, appeared at the small window at the back of the van. "Prole!" cried Cloture in a terrible voice. "Prole! Get out! Get out quickly! They're taking you to your death!" All the Herds took up the cry of "Get out, Prole, get out!" But the van was already gathering speed and drawing away from them. It was uncertain whether Prole had understood what Cloture had said. But a moment later his face disappeared from the window and there was the sound of a tremendous drumming of hoofs inside the van. He was trying to kick his way out. The time had been when a few kicks from Prole's hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood. But alas! his strength had left him; and in a few moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away. In desperation the Herd began appealing to the two horses which drew the van to stop. "Herdsmen, Herdsmen!" they shouted. "Don't take your own brother to his death! " But the stupid brutes, too ignorant to realise what was happening, merely set back their ears and quickened their pace. Prole's face did not reappear at the window. Too late, someone thought of racing ahead and shutting the five-barred gate; but in another moment the van was through it and rapidly disappearing down the road. Prole was never seen again. Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon, in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have. Wolfowizz came to announce the news to the others. He had, he said, been present during Prole's last hours. "It was the most affecting sight I have ever seen!" said Wolfowizz, lifting his Cloven Hoof and wiping away a tear. "I was at his bedside at the very last. And at the end, almost too weak to speak, he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the Nuclear Power plant was finished. 'Forward, Herd!' he whispered. 'Forward in the name of the Rebellion. Long live Crazy Farm! Long Live King George! King George is always wrong.' Those were his very last words, Herdsmen." Here Wolfowizz's demeanour suddenly changed. He fell silent for a moment, and his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded. It had come to his knowledge, he said, that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Prole's removal. Some of the Herdsmen had noticed that the van which took Prole away was marked "Herd Slaughterer," and had actually jumped to the conclusion that Prole was being sent to the knacker's. It was almost unbelievable, said Wolfowizz, that any Herdsmen could be so stupid. Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, King George, better than that? But the explanation was really very simple. The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out. That was how the mistake had arisen. The Herdsmen were enormously relieved to hear this. And when Wolfowizz went on to give further graphic details of Prole's death-bed, the admirable care he had received, and the expensive medicines for which King George had paid without a thought as to the cost, their last doubts disappeared and the sorrow that they felt for their Herdsmans death was tempered by the thought that at least he had died happy. King George himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Prole's honour. It had not been possible, he said, to bring back their lamented Herd brothers remains for interment on the farm, but he had ordered a large wreath to be made from the laurels in the farmhouse garden and sent down to be placed on Prole's grave. And in a few days' time the Neo-Cons intended to hold a memorial banquet in Prole's honour. King George ended his speech with a reminder of Prole's two favourite maxims, "So I will work harder" and "Because King George is always wrong"-maxims, he said, which every Herd would do well to adopt as his own. On the day appointed for the banquet, a grocer's van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse. That night there was the sound of uproarious singing, which was followed by what sounded like crashing glass. (Comment on this)
1:57 am	Crazy Farm Chapter 10 The Crazy Farm [[An Obvious Ripoff of Orwell]] Chapter 10 ~ The Crazy Farm~ YEARS passed. The seasons came and went, the short Herd lives fled by. A time came when there was no one who remembered the old days before the Rebellion, except Cloture, Kennyday, Lybby the raven, and a number of the Neo-Cons. Muriel was dead; Kondie, jessie, and Rummy were dead. RottensChild too was dead-he had died dead drunk in an inebriates castle in another part country. Klinton was forgotten. Prole was forgotten, except by the few who had known him. Cloture was an old stout mare now, stiff in the joints and with a tendency to rheumy eyes. She was two years past the retiring age, but in fact no Herdsman had ever actually retired. The talk of setting aside a corner of the pasture for superannuated Herdsmen had long since been dropped. King George was now a mature boar of twenty-four stone. Wolfowizz was now so fat that he could with only with difficulty see out of his eyes. Only old Kennyday was much the same as ever, except for being a little greyer about the muzzle, and, since Prole's death, more morose and taciturn than ever. There were Many more creatures on the farm now, though the increase was not so great as had been expected in earlier years. Many Herdsmen had been born to whom the Rebellion was only a dim tradition, passed on by word of mouth, and others had been bought who had never heard mention of such a thing before their arrival. The farm possessed three horses now besides Cloture. They were fine upstanding beasts, willing workers and good Herdsmen, but very stupid. None of them proved able to learn the alphabet beyond the letter B. They accepted everything that they were told about the Rebellion and the principles of Herdism, especially from Cloture, for whom they had an almost filial respect; but it was doubtful whether they understood very much of it. The farm was more prosperous now, and better organised: it had even been enlarged by two fields which had been bought from Mr. Filthington. The Nuclear Power Plant had been successfully completed at last, and the farm possessed a threshing machine and a hay elevator of its own, and various new buildings had been added to it. Wimpie had bought himself a dogcart. The Nuclear Power Plant, however, had not after all been used for generating electrical power. It was used for Producing WMD, whatever that Was, and brought in a handsome money profit. The Herd were hard at work building yet another Nuclear Power plant; when that one was finished, so it was said, the dynamos would be installed. But the luxuries of which Klinton had once taught the Herd to dream, the stalls with electric light and hot and cold water, and the three-day week, were no longer talked about. King George had denounced such ideas as contrary to the spirit of Herdism. The truest happiness, he said, lay in working hard and living frugally. Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the Herdsmen themselves any richer-except, of course, for the Neo-Con Pigs and the Rover Mutts'. Perhaps this was partly because there were so Many Neo-Con and so Many Rovers. It was not that these creatures did not work, after their fashion. There was, as Wolfowizz was never tired of explaining, endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. Much of this work was of a kind that the other Herdsmen were too ignorant to understand. For example, Wolfowizz told them that the Neo-Con Piglets had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called "files," "reports," "minutes," and "memoranda." These were large sheets of paper which had to be closely covered with writing, and as soon as they were so covered, they were burnt in the furnace. This was of the highest importance for the welfare of the farm, Wolfowizz said. But still, neither Neo-Con pigs nor mongoloid Rover mutts produced any food by their own labour; and there were very Many of them, and their appetites were always good. As for the others, their life, so far as they knew, was as it had always been. They were generally hungry, they slept on straw, they drank from the pool, they laboured in the fields; in winter they were troubled by the cold, and in summer by the flies. Sometimes the older ones among them racked their dim memories and tried to determine whether in the early days of the Rebellion, when Rottenchilds expulsion was still recent, things had been better or worse than now. They could not remember. There was nothing with which they could compare their present lives: they had nothing to go upon except Wolfowizz's lists of figures, which invariably demonstrated that everything was getting better and better. The Herdsmen found the problem insoluble; in any case, they had little time for speculating on such things now. Only old Kennyday professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse-hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life. And yet the Herd never gave up hope. More, they never lost, even for an instant, their sense of honour and privilege in being members of Crazy Farm. They were still the only farm in the whole county-in all Empire!-owned and operated by Herdsmen. Not one of them, not even the youngest, not even the newcomers who had been brought from farms ten or twenty miles away, ever ceased to marvel at that. And when they heard the gun booming and saw the green flag fluttering at the masthead, their hearts swelled with imperishable pride, and the talk turned always towards the old heroic days, the expulsion of Rottenchild, the writing of the Seven Commandments, the great battles in which the inhuman CEO whore men invaders had been defeated. None of the old dreams had been abandoned. The Repignic of the Herd which Major Con had foretold, when the green fields of Empire should be untrodden by inhuman being feet, was still believed in. Some day it was coming: it might not be soon, it might not be with in the lifetime of any Herdsman now living, but still it was coming. Even the tune of Beasts of Empire was perhaps hummed secretly here and there: at any rate, it was a fact that every Herd on the farm knew it, though no one would have dared to sing it aloud. It might be that their lives were hard and that not all of their hopes had been fulfilled; but they were conscious that they were not as other Herds. If they went hungry, it was not from feeding tyrannical Inhuman CEO beings; if they worked hard, at least they worked for themselves. No creature among them went upon two legs. No creature called any other creature "Master." All Herdsmen were equal. One day in early summer Wolfowizz ordered the media whore sheep to follow him, and led them out to a piece of waste ground at the other end of the farm, which had become overgrown with birch saplings. The media whore sheep spent the whole day there browsing at the leaves under Wolfowizz's supervision. In the evening he returned to the farmhouse himself, but, as it was warm weather, told the media whore sheep to stay where they were. It ended by their remaining there for a whole week, during which time the rest of the Herd saw nothing of them. Wolfowizz was with them for the greater part of every day. He was, he said, teaching them to sing a new song, for which privacy was needed. It was just after the media whore sheep had returned, on a pleasant evening when the Herd had finished work and were making their way back to the farm buildings, that the terrified neighing of a horse sounded from the yard. Startled, the Herds stopped in their tracks. It was Cloture's voice. She neighed again, and all the Herds broke into a gallop and rushed into the yard. Then they saw what Cloture had seen. It was a Neo-Con pig walking on his hind legs. Yes, it was Wolfowizz. A little awkwardly, as though not quite used to supporting his considerable bulk in that position, but with perfect balance, he was strolling across the yard. And a moment later, out from the door of the farmhouse came a long file of Neo-Cons, all walking on their hind legs. Some did it better than others, one or two were even a trifle unsteady and looked as though they would have liked the support of a stick, but every one of them made his way right round the yard successfully. And finally there was a tremendous baying of Rover and a shrill crowing from the black cockerel, and out came King George himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his Rover mutts gambolling round him. He carried a whip in his Cloven Hoof. There was a deadly silence. Amazed, terrified, huddling together, the Herds watched the long line of Neo-Cons march slowly round the yard. It was as though the world had turned upside-down. Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when, in spite of everything-in spite of their terror of the Rovers', and of the habit, developed through long years, of never complaining, never criticising, no matter what happened-they might have uttered some word of protest. But just at that moment, as though at a signal, all the media whore sheep burst out into a tremendous bleating of- "Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good, two legs better!" It went on for five minutes without stopping. And by the time the media whore sheep had quieted down, the chance to utter any protest had passed, for the Neo-Cons had marched back into the farmhouse. Kennyday felt a nose nuzzling at his shoulder. He looked round. It was Cloture. Her old eyes looked dimmer than ever. Without saying anything, she tugged gently at his Mane and led him round to the end of the big barn, where the Seven ComMandments were written. For a minute or two they stood gazing at the tatted wall with its white lettering. "My sight is failing," she said finally. "Even when I was young I could not have read what was written there. But it appears to me that that wall looks different. Are the Seven ComMandments the same as they used to be, Kennyday?" For once Kennyday consented to break his rule, and he read out to her what was written on the wall. There was nothing there now except a single ComMandment. It ran: ALL HERD MEMBERS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME HERD MEMBERS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS After that it did not seem strange when next day the Neo-Cons who were supervising the work of the farm all carried whips in their trotters. It did not seem strange to learn that the Neo-Cons had bought themselves a wireless set, were arranging to install a telephone, and had taken out subscriptions to William Krystolite, Dearth Perle, and the Weakly Standard. It did not seem strange when King George was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pretzel in his mouth-no, not even when the Neo-Cons took Lord Rottenchilds clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on, King George himself appearing in a cowboy hat, shitkicker boots, and leather Chaps, while his favourite Hogette (Gannetta) mistress appeared in the watered silk dress which Queen Rottenchild (Pikkles) had been used to seen to wear on Sundays while praising King George religiously. A week later, in the afternoon, a number of dogcarts drove up to the farm. A deputation of neighbouring CEO whore men had been invited to make a tour of inspection. They were shown all over the farm, and expressed great admiration for everything they saw, especially the Nuclear Power Plant. The Herd was weeding the turnip field. They worked diligently hardly raising their faces from the ground, and not knowing whether to be more frightened of the Neo-Cons or of the CEO whore men visitors. That evening loud laughter and bursts of singing came from the farmhouse. And suddenly, at the sound of the mingled voices, the Herds were stricken with curiosity. What could be happening in there, now that for the first time the Herd and the CEO whore men beings were meeting on terms of equality? With one accord they began to creep as quietly as possible into the farmhouse garden. At the gate they paused, half frightened to go on but Cloture led the way in. They tiptoed up to the house, and such Herdsmen as were tall enough peered in at the dining-room window. There, round the long table, sat half a dozen CEO-whore men and half a dozen of the more eminent Neo-Cons, King George himself occupying the seat of honour at the head of the table. The Neo-Cons appeared completely at ease in their chairs The company had been enjoying a game of cards but had broken off for the moment, evidently in order to drink a toast. A large jug was circulating, and the mugs were being refilled with beer. No one noticed the wondering faces of the Herd that gazed in at the window. Mr. Filthington, of Fauxwood, had stood up, his mug in his hand. In a moment, he said, he would ask the present company to drink a toast. But before doing so, there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say. It was a source of great satisfaction to him, he said-and, he was sure, to all others present-to feel that a long period of mistrust and misunderstanding had now come to an end. There had been a time-not that he, or any of the present company, had shared such sentiments-but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Crazy Farm had been regarded, he would not say with hostility, but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving, by their CEO whore men neighbours. Unfortunate incidents had occurred, mistaken ideas had been current. It had been felt that the existence of a farm owned and operated by Neo-Cons was somehow abnormal and was liable to have an unsettling effect in the neighbourhood. Too Many farmers had assumed, without due enquiry, that on such a farm a spirit of licence and indiscipline would prevail. They had been nervous about the effects upon their own Herds, or even upon their CEO whore men employees. But all such doubts were now dispelled. Today he and his friends had visited Crazy Farm and inspected every inch of it with their own eyes, and what did they find? Not only the most up-to-date methods, but a discipline and an orderliness which should be an example to all farmers everywhere. He believed that he was right in saying that the lower Herdsmen on Crazy Farm did more work and received less food than any Herdsman in the county. Indeed, he and his fellow-visitors today had observed Many features which they intended to introduce on their own farms immediately. He would end his remarks, he said, by emphasising once again the friendly feelings that subsisted, and ought to subsist, between Crazy Farm and its neighbours. Between Neo-Cons & CEO whores there was not, and there need not be, any clash of interests whatever. Their struggles and their difficulties were one. Was not the labour problem the same everywhere? Here it became apparent that Mr. Filthington was about to spring some carefully prepared witticism on the company, but for a moment he was too overcome by amusement to be able to utter it. After much choking, during which his various chins turned purple, he Managed to get it out: "As you have your lower Herd to contend with," he said, "we have our lower class!" This bon mot set the table in a roar; and Mr. Filthington once again congratulated the Neo-Cons on the low rations, the long working hours, and the general absence of pampering which he had observed on Crazy Farm. And now, he said finally, he would ask the company to rise to their feet and make certain that their glasses were full. "Gentlemen," concluded Mr. Filthington, "gentlemen, I give you a toast: To the prosperity of Crazy Farm!" There was enthusiastic cheering and stamping of feet. King George was so gratified that he left his place and came round the table to clink his mug against Mr. Filthington's before emptying it. When the cheering had died down, King George, who had remained on his feet, intimated that he too had a few words to say. Like all of King George's speeches, it was short and awkward. He too, he said, was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. For a long time there had been rumours-circulated, he had reason to think, by some malignant enemy-that there was something subversive and even revolutionary in the outlook of himself and his colleagues. They had been credited with attempting to stir up revolution among the Herdsmen on neighbouring farms. Nothing could be further from the truth! Their sole wish, now and in the past, was to live at peace and in normal business relations with their neighbours. This farm which he had the honour to control, he added, was a co-operative enterprise. The title-deeds, which were in his own possession, were owned by the Neo-Con Pigs jointly. He did not believe, he said, that any of the old suspicions still lingered, but certain changes had been made recently in the routine of the farm which should have the effect of promoting confidence stiff further. Hitherto the Herds on the farm had had a rather foolish custom of addressing one another as "Herd." This was to be suppressed. There had also been a very strange custom, whose origin was unknown, of marching every Sunday morning past a boar's skull which was nailed to a post in the garden. This, too, would be suppressed, and the skull had already been buried. His visitors might have observed, too, the green flag which flew from the masthead. If so, they would perhaps have noted that the white hoof and horn with which it had previously been marked had now been removed. It was a plain colored flag, green, and stood for kapitalism they said. He had only one criticism, he said, to make of Mr. Filthington's excellent and neighbourly speech. Mr. Filthington had referred throughout to "Crazy Farm." He could not of course know-for he, King George, was only now for the first time announcing it-that the name "Crazy Farm" had been abolished. Henceforward the farm was to be known as "The Whoremore Farm"-which, he believed, was its correct and original name. "Aristocrats," concluded King George, "I will give you the same toast as before, but in a different form. Fill your glasses to the brim Kleptocrats, here is my toast: To the prosperity of The Whoremore Farm! " There was the same hearty cheering as before, and the mugs were emptied to the dregs. But as the Herds outside gazed at the scene, it seemed to them that some strange thing was happening. What was it that had altered in the faces of the Neo-Cons? Cloture's old dim eyes flitted from one face to another. Some of them had five chins, some had four, some had three. But what was it that seemed to be melting and changing? Then, the applause having come to an end, the company took up their cards and continued the game that had been interrupted, and the Herd crept silently away. But they had not gone twenty yards when they stopped short. An uproar of voices was coming from the farmhouse. They rushed back and looked through the window again. Yes, a violent quarrel was in progress. There were shoutings, bangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that King George and Mr. Filthington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously. Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the Neo-Cons. The creatures outside looked from Neo-Con to CEO, and from Whore Man to Neo-Con, and from Repignican to CEO again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. It Sounded like a violent quarrel and ended at about eleven o'clock with a tremendous crash of glass. No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day, and the word went round that from somewhere or other the Neo-Cons had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky. The Crazy Farm [[An Obvious Ripoff of Orwell]] Chapter End ~ The Crazy Farm~ (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 12th, 2006
5:50 pm	It is easy to see where such cowardice [Neo-Con Chicken Hawks] leads. If the British [American] public had been given a truthful account of the Spanish war [Iraq War] they would have had an opportunity of learning what Fascism [Neo-Conism] is and how it can be combated. As it is, the News Chronicle [MSM] version of Fascism [Neo-Conism] as a kind of homicidal mania peculiar to Colonel Blimps [Commander in Chief Chimp] bombinating in the economic void has been established more firmly than ever. And thus we are one step nearer to the great war 'against Fascism' [Islamsim] (cf. 1914, 'against militarism') which will allow Fascism, British [American Variety] variety, to be slipped over our necks during the first week. --George Orwell George Orwell (1903-1950) was born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903 in Motihari, Bengal, India. His father, Richard Walmesley Blair was a civil servant for the British government. Published in 'New English Weekly' July 29th and September 2nd 1937 http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/ Free online Orwell book 1984 and Animal Farm at Link (Comment on this)
4:22 pm	Guess Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings Of the golden future time. Soon or late the day is coming, Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown, And the fruitful fields of England Shall be trod by beasts alone. Rings shall vanish from our noses, And the harness from our back, Bit and spur shall rust forever, Cruel whips no more shall crack. Riches more than mind can picture, Wheat and barley, oats and hay, Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels Shall be ours upon that day. Bright will shine the fields of England, Purer shall its waters be, Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes On the day that sets us free. For that day we all must labour, Though we die before it break; Cows and horses, geese and turkeys, All must toil for freedom's sake. Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken well and spread my tidings Of the golden future time. (Comment on this)
3:59 pm	Electoral Movement One Man One Vote http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3403&IssueNum=144 Wall know there’s been something less than straightforward about the past couple of presidential elections, but here, perhaps, is the most alarming thing of all. In 2000, George W. Bush and Al Gore focused their campaigns on about 18 states they deemed to be remotely competitive. California, being solid Democratic turf, was not one of them. In the end, the race boiled down to four key states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida – with Gore snagging the first two, Bush snagging Ohio and … well, we all know what happened in Florida. In 2004, the number of states seriously contested by Bush and John Kerry had gone down to about 13. California, once again, was not one of them. This time, the race boiled down to just three key states – Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio. In 2008, the presidential race is likely to be more restricted still. Pennsylvania is currently shifting from marginally Democrat to comfortably Democrat – as Rick Santorum knows all too well. Ohio, beset by monstrous Republican Party scandals, is trending Democrat, too. Most of the other states are hardening their partisan allegiances rather than softening them. Which means the whole contest could come down, once again, to the swampy, alligator-infested electoral turf of Florida. What this means, in practical terms, is that while all voters in this country are invited to participate in the crowning ritual of their electoral democracy, most of their votes are meaningless, and growing more meaningless all the time. In 2004, only a quarter of the electorate lived in states where the candidates bothered campaigning at all; fewer still were in the big battlegrounds. And in 2008 those numbers are set to dwindle further. The fault for all this, of course, lies principally with the Electoral College, the system of indirect presidential election that was born out of messy compromise at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and has been a thorn in the side of American democracy ever since. On five occasions, most recently in 2000, the college’s arcana have allowed the loser of the national popular vote to enter the White House, and on all but one of them it has prompted some sort of constitutional crisis. In nine or 10 other elections, including 2004, there have been extraordinarily close calls. Beyond that, there is the clear problem of de facto voter disenfranchisement in all but a handful of battleground states. California has the largest population of any state, and the largest number of Electoral College votes, but its voters were reduced to little more than spectator status in 2000 and 2004. While the Bush and Kerry campaigns made a total of 61 trips to Florida in the last month of the 2004 campaign, they barely gave California voters a thought, and traveled here only to raise money they could then spend elsewhere. The obvious solution to this blatant unfairness would be the abolition of the Electoral College and its replacement with a direct, nationwide presidential vote. It’s hard to overstate the advantages of such a change. Candidates would be forced to campaign everywhere, and address the big issues, not just the parochial concerns of a few swing constituencies. (No more pandering to Miami’s Cuban exiles, for example.) Voters everywhere would be valued equally, giving them far greater incentive to turn out. (California Republicans, or Texas Democrats, or blacks in the white Republican-dominated Deep South would suddenly have a reason to vote in far higher numbers.) Crises like the post-electoral struggle in Florida in 2000 would be a thing of the past. Click Link for full Article (Comment on this)
11:11 am	Sen. FRIST gets Slammed for IGNORANCE of DATA MINING TECHNOLOGY It was Ugly. And it's gonna get Uglier, Frist has stepped into A world that he should bever have strayed,,Tech World of IT pros, programmers, Hacks, Physics, Scientists, All kinds of serious people who will tell you FRIST is full of Shit. Anyway he get's FLAYED here from a think progress blog; The URI to TrackBack this entry is: http://thinkprogress.org/ 2006/ 03/ 12/ frist-attacks-censure/ trackback/ 1. Since when is holding the pResident accountable a help to our enemies. His first job is to protect the Constitution. He violated his oath. The list of his impeachable offenses is as long as your arm. To just be censured is a joke, really, but Feingold is right at this time to hold off on talk of Impeachment until after the elections. Each and every Republican, and the DINOs that enable them should be ashamed. Goper’s Lament (Hard To BE A Republican) Comment by Subway Serenade — March 12, 2006 @ 11:42 am 2. George W. Bush taking the oath of office of the President of the United States, who swore to defend the constitution from all enemies foriegn and domestic, Russ just wants the president to keep his word and defend us from George W Bush……..oh, I see a problem here…….. Comment by Clif — March 12, 2006 @ 11:46 am 3. Just like Hannity. “Blah blah, you’re undermining the President, blah blah blah, you’re hurting the troops, blah blah blah” - are people really that stupid? Comment by JP — March 12, 2006 @ 11:49 am 4. “the signal that it sends that there is in any way a lack of support”? someone better tell 63% of the country to change their minds. Comment by pgw — March 12, 2006 @ 11:49 am 5. I think it’s a crazy political move. . .because here we are, the Republican Party, the leadership in the Congress, supporting the President . . .and all the families listening to us. So who’s surprised that the only way Frist can interpret this is politically. His mouth probably can’t even form the word integrity even if he could think it. Comment by DonS — March 12, 2006 @ 11:54 am 6. Oh crap, Frist just opened my eyes again, how dumb was I to think that Bush was breaking the law and causing more harm to America than the terrorists they use to push their agenda. Wewwww, thanks Frist! Now, run along and go fuck yourself. Comment by Silly Little American Boy — March 12, 2006 @ 11:55 am 7. FRIST: “We’re at war… the boogey men… the terrorists… they want to tear down western civilization… hoard water and food supplies… the Killer Tomatoes are coming… giant ants.. our Commander in Cheef needs more butt cheeks to pipe or everything is LOST! Everything!!! I hope The Smurfs or the Ninja turtles were NOT listening, oh the horror, i hope they don’t have basic TV…” Frist says that Russ only mentioned protecting the American people once… well if we’re counting words here, Frist DID NOT mention the Constitution once (atleast in the video and transcript)! Comment by Chico Towner — March 12, 2006 @ 11:56 am 8. Frist is correct, its easier to keep the secrets, lies, and spins perculating rather than hold the president accountable. After all, its party and politics before public responsibility with these jokers. Russ Fiengold is our only hope for a progressive government, he fights alone many times because his democratic colleagues have no spine or stomach for in your face truth and honesty. Hopefully, a group will form to return democracy to our country from these tyrants who have a chock hold on our liberty. Comment by David B — March 12, 2006 @ 11:57 am 9. the leadership in the Congress, supporting the President of the United States as Commander in Chief, who is out there fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban and Osama bin Laden As Bush Sat around crawford clearing brush, playing golf, and playing video golf, not to mention the countless hours spent running around for photo ops, and mission accomplished banners, Bush who has signed Iraq war authority, and responsiblity away to his Underlings thru executive orders? Bush the man whom hired bremer them whom lost 8.8 billion isn Irar? That is fighting Al qaeda? The man Bush whom said He doesn’t care where Osama is? How so Mr Frist is this fighting al qaeda? How so by you blathering useless spin Mr Frist are YOU fighting Al Qaeda? How so Mr Frist does the DOD apologizing for spying on Innocent people excuse Mr Bush? How so Mr Frist is lying about WMD a Nobel Lie Mr Frist? How so CAN I MR Frist go to the Internet and Read all about the MATRIX data mining program and then you get on TV and act is if Mr. Feingold has exposed some sort of SECRET? How so Mr Frist can I find documents of President Ford whom Started, with Wolfowitz and Rummy whom Started a Nuclear program for IRAN? How so can I fins all these things Mr FRIST, How so can YOU say and Pretend that these SIGINT programs are secret? I know that Menwith Hill Started in about 1956 Mr Frist. How so is that Information useful to IRAN? How so Mr Frist, How SO? Comment by mr ho — March 12, 2006 @ 11:59 am 10. Best line: our Commander in Chief, who is leading us with a bold vision in a way that we know is making our homeland safer. Speaking as a layperson and based on my observations from a distance and after observing some grainy video, I’d have to say that Sen. Frist has lost all sense of reality and might pose a danger to himself and others. Comment by idlecrank — March 12, 2006 @ 12:00 pm 11. Commander in Chief, who is out there fighting al Qaeda and the Taliban and Osama bin Laden and the people who have sworn, have sworn to destroy Western civilization and all the families listening to us. I picture junior in a cape. “Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…” His retort is as laughable as it is sad. Comment by WiscoDuk — March 12, 2006 @ 12:02 pm 12. What you had better “hope” deep inside, that dark greedy heart, Mr Frist, is that the American people don’t figure out what LIARS you Are, and what Misleading Incorrect and Unfactual Statements that you are Intentionally Spewing thru your media mouthpieces. Shut the Feck up Mr Frist yer a ‘Gawtdamm’ (as duhbya says) Liar Comment by mr ho — March 12, 2006 @ 12:03 pm 13. Support for that fool in the White House will be the very least of the GOP’s concerns as they scramble to put a pretty face on the disasters their “leadership” hath wrought the past 5 years. GOP = war, death, debt, scandal, indifference, distraction, incompetence. The Bush legacy is one of unprecendented tragedy. Comment by Above the Clouds — March 12, 2006 @ 12:05 pm 14. The MATRIX data-mining Aka Multi-State Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Order Code RL31798 Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview Updated January 27, 2006 Jeffrey W. Seifert Specialist in Information Science and Technology Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview Summary Data mining has become one of the key features of many homeland security initiatives. Often used as a means for detecting fraud, assessing risk, and product retailing, data mining involves the use of data analysis tools to discover previously unknown, valid patterns and relationships in large data sets. In the context of homeland security, data mining can be a potential means to identify terrorist activities, such as money transfers and communications, and to identify and track individual terrorists themselves, such as through travel and immigration records. While data mining represents a significant advance in the type of analytical tools currently available, there are limitations to its capability. One limitation is that although data mining can help reveal patterns and relationships, it does not tell the user the value or significance of these patterns. These types of determinations must be made by the user. A second limitation is that while data mining can identify connections between behaviors and/or variables, it does not necessarily identify a causal relationship. Successful data mining still requires skilled technical and analytical specialists who can structure the analysis and interpret the output. Data mining is becoming increasingly common in both the private and public sectors. Industries such as banking, insurance, medicine, and retailing commonly use Comment by mr ho — March 12, 2006 @ 12:06 pm 15. To the New GOP Bush is the country. If you weaken him you weaken the country. Comment by Mike S — March 12, 2006 @ 12:08 pm 16. From above CRS report I find this MR FRIST; Successful data mining still requires skilled technical and analytical specialists who can structure the analysis and interpret the output. So you MR FRIST are telling me that this is a SECRET? And that GEORGE BUSH and DICK CHENEY AND KARL ROVE are all skilled technical and analytical specialists who can structure the analysis and interpret the output Gee And I thought you were Just Lying Politicians,,, Nabg on a Sec, Hmmmm.. YOU ARE. Comment by mr ho — March 12, 2006 @ 12:09 pm 17. Politicians WorldWide should burst into flames Liar Liars Pants on Fires Comment by mr ho — March 12, 2006 @ 12:11 pm I'm gonna Read today..So, Don't expect no mo' Tahhday. Saper Aude (Comment on this)
2:15 am	Devil In The Details The Devil in the Details From Previous Post Pertaining to Bush Spying A third issue is mission creep, or the use of data for purposes other than for which the data were originally collected. A fourth issue is privacy. Questions that may be considered include the degree to which government agencies should use and mix commercial data with government data, whether data sources are being used for purposes other than those for which they were originally designed, (Comment on this)
1:53 am	The MATRIX data-mining Aka Multi-State Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Order Code RL31798 Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview Updated January 27, 2006 Jeffrey W. Seifert Specialist in Information Science and Technology Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview Summary Data mining has become one of the key features of many homeland security initiatives. Often used as a means for detecting fraud, assessing risk, and product retailing, data mining involves the use of data analysis tools to discover previously unknown, valid patterns and relationships in large data sets. In the context of homeland security, data mining can be a potential means to identify terrorist activities, such as money transfers and communications, and to identify and track individual terrorists themselves, such as through travel and immigration records. While data mining represents a significant advance in the type of analytical tools currently available, there are limitations to its capability. One limitation is that although data mining can help reveal patterns and relationships, it does not tell the user the value or significance of these patterns. These types of determinations must be made by the user. A second limitation is that while data mining can identify connections between behaviors and/or variables, it does not necessarily identify a causal relationship. Successful data mining still requires skilled technical and analytical specialists who can structure the analysis and interpret the output. Data mining is becoming increasingly common in both the private and public sectors. Industries such as banking, insurance, medicine, and retailing commonly use data mining to reduce costs, enhance research, and increase sales. In the public sector, data mining applications initially were used as a means to detect fraud and waste, but have grown to also be used for purposes such as measuring and improving program performance. However, some of the homeland security data mining applications represent a significant expansion in the quantity and scope of data to be analyzed. Some efforts that have attracted a higher level of congressional interest include the Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA) project (now-discontinued) and the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II (CAPPS II) project (nowcanceled and replaced by Secure Flight). Other initiatives that have been the subject of recent congressional interest include the Multi-State Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX), the Able Danger program and data collection and analysis projects being conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA). As with other aspects of data mining, while technological capabilities are important, there are other implementation and oversight issues that can influence the success of a project’s outcome. One issue is data quality, which refers to the accuracy and completeness of the data being analyzed. A second issue is the interoperability of the data mining software and databases being used by different agencies. A third issue is mission creep, or the use of data for purposes other than for which the data were originally collected. A fourth issue is privacy. Questions that may be considered include the degree to which government agencies should use and mix commercial data with government data, whether data sources are being used for purposes other than those for which they were originally designed, and possible application of the Privacy Act to these initiatives. It is anticipated that congressional oversight of data mining projects will grow as data mining efforts continue to evolve. This report will be updated as events warrant. Aint that just great? Multi-State Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX)[x^B THE MATRIX (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 11th, 2006
9:23 pm	Mark Twain on Propaganda The loud little handful [AIPAC,PNAC,AEI, BUSHco] will shout for war. The pulpit [WORLD DID] will warily and cautiously protest at first…. The great mass of the nation [WORLD] will rub its sleepy eyes, and will try to make out why there should be a war, and they will say earnestly and indignantly: “It is unjust and dishonorable and there is no need for war.” Then the few [AIPAC,PNAC,AEI, BUSHco] will shout even louder…. Before long you will see a curious thing: anti-war speakers [WORLD&'LIBRULS'] will be stoned from the platform, and free speech [Free Seech Zones] will be strangled by hordes of furious men [POLICE] who still agree with the speakers but dare not admit it… Next, the statesmen CORP SENATE MSM] will invent cheap lies…and each man will be glad of these lies and will study them because they soothe his conscience; and thus he will bye and bye convince himself that the war is just and he will thank God for a better sleep he enjoys by his self-deception[CORP MSM BUSH PROPAGANDA]” Mark Twain — observing how wars that are at first seen as unnecessary by the mass of the people become converted into “just” wars (Comment on this)
6:50 pm	Israel Tested Mini-Nuke Artillery Shells in 1979 In 1977, the Soviet Union warned the U.S. that satellite photos indicated South Africa was planning a nuclear test in the Kalahari Desert but the Apartheid regime backed down under pressure. On September 22, 1979, a U.S. satellite detected an atmospheric test of a small thermonuclear bomb in the Indian Ocean off South Africa but, because of Israel's apparent involvement, the report was quickly "whitewashed" by a carefully selected scientific panel kept in the dark about important details. Later it was learned through Israeli sources that there were actually three carefully guarded tests of miniaturized Israeli nuclear artillery shells. The Israeli/South African collaboration did not end with the bomb testing, but continued until the fall of Apartheid, especially with the developing and testing of medium range missiles and advanced artillery. In addition to uranium and test facilities, South Africa provided Israel with large amounts of investment capital, while Israel provided a major trade outlet to enable the Apartheid state avoid international economic sanctions.(9) Although the French and South Africans were primarily responsible for the Israeli nuclear program, the U.S. shares and deserves a large part of the blame. Mark Gaffney wrote (the Israeli nuclear program) "was possible only because (emphasis in original) of calculated deception on the part of Israel, and willing complicity on the part of the U.S.."(10) Now would the Media and the People stop all the Fear Factor Bullshit? Really its getting OLD, 30 Years OLD, and frankly no ones really scared, except for the Media Pundits and the Dollar Saving War Monger Machine of Bush. A World of Absolute Raving Mad Barbaric Lunatics of Nuclear Proportions (Comment on this)
6:39 pm	The Plumbatt Affair...The Yellowcake Letter Redone? From the previous post we see that the Plumbatt Affair [1968] speaks of 200 tons of Yellowcake from Germany. Now this is speculation but don't you find similiarities familiar? more info; Possessing advanced nuclear technology and top nuclear scientists, Israel was confronted early with a major problem-how to obtain the necessary uranium. Israel's own uranium source was the phosphate deposits in the Negev, totally inadequate to meet the need of a rapidly expanding program. The short-term answer was to mount commando raids in France and Britain to successfully hijack uranium shipments, and in the 1968 "Plumbatt Affair," to collaborate with West Germany in diverting 200 tons of yellow cake (uranium oxide). These clandestine acquisitions of uranium for Dimona were subsequently covered up by the countries involved. There was also an allegation that a U.5. corporation, Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC), diverted hundreds of pounds of enriched uranium to Israel from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.4 Despite an FBI and CIA investigation, and congressional hearings, no one was ever prosecuted, although most other investigators believed the diversion had occurred. In the late 1960s, Israel solved the uranium problem by developing close ties with South Africa in a quid pro quo arrangement whereby Israel supplied the technology and expertise for the "Apartheid Bomb," while South Africa provided the uranium. So this sheeaht has been going on since 1973, 30 years now. (Comment on this)
6:25 pm	More Absolute Nuclear Madness This is getting absolutely crazy. Sell and Give countries Nuclear Technology and Material, then Lie and Hide it, Then years and decades later use that to start a War. Not to Mention here that Israel won't sign the NPT, something that the Media will not divulge on their Nightly "Terror" News Shows. Onward to those blue blooded british buffoons; Britain gave Israel plutonium, files show Richard Norton-Taylor Friday March 10, 2006 The Guardian Britain secretly supplied Israel with plutonium during the 1960s despite a warning from military intelligence that it could help the Israelis to develop a nuclear bomb, it was disclosed last night. The deal, made during Harold Wilson's Labour government, is revealed in classified documents released under the Freedom of Information Act and obtained by BBC2's Newsnight programme. The documents also show how Britain made hundreds of shipments to Israel of material which could have helped in its nuclear weapons programme, including compounds of uranium, lithium, beryllium and tritium, as well as heavy water. Article continues Israel asked Britain in 1966 to supply 10mg of plutonium. Israel would have required almost 5kg of plutonium to build an atomic bomb, but British defence intelligence officials warned that 10mg had "significant military value" and could enable the Jewish state to carry out important experimental work to speed up its nuclear weapons programme. Documents show that the decision to sell plutonium to Israel in 1966 was blocked by officials in both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office, who said: "It is HMG's policy not to do anything which would assist Israel in the production of nuclear weapons." But the deal was forced through by a Jewish civil servant, Michael Michaels, in Tony Benn's Ministry of Technology, which was responsible for trade in nuclear material, according to Newsnight. Peter Kelly, who was British defence intelligence's expert on the Israeli nuclear weapons programme, knew Mr Michaels. He told Newsnight he believed Mr Michaels knew that Israel was trying to build an atomic bomb, but that he had dual loyalties to Britain and Israel. Mr Benn told the programme that civil servants in his department kept the deals secret from him and his predecessor, Frank Cousins. He had always suspected that civil servants were doing deals behind his back, but he never thought they would sell plutonium to Israel. He told Newsnight: "I'm not only surprised, I'm shocked. It never occurred to me they would authorise something so totally against the policy of the government. "Michaels lied to me, I learned by bitter experience that the nuclear industry lied to me again and again." He thought Wilson may not have known that Britain was helping Israel to get the bomb. Last year Newsnight showed that in the late 1950s Harold Macmillan's Conservative government provided Israel with 20 tonnes of heavy water to start up its Dimona reactor. Newsnight said it learned that Jack Straw had admitted to the Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, that Britain knew the heavy water was destined for Israel, and that in 1961, Macmillan even made a failed attempt to get it back. Nixon knew that Israel had nukes some time ago and even Helped Israel to Acquire them in 1971! In 1971, the Nixon administration approved the sale to Israel of hundreds of krytons, a type of high speed switch necessary to the development of sophisticated nuclear bombs. And in 1979 President Carter provided Tel Aviv ultra-high resolution photos from the KH11 spy satellite, which were used two years later to bomb the Iraqi Osirak reactor. Throughout the Nixon and Carter administrations, and accelerating dramatically under Reagan, U.S. advanced technology transfers to Israel continued and continue to the present. In the first months of 2001, efforts to secure peace in the Middle East were hit by two dangerous developments. Right-winger Ariel Sharon was elected to power in Israel, the world's neglected nuclear nation. And President George W. Bush's first foreign policy adventure saw Iraq bombed by U.S. and British forces, in what was justified as a "defensive" act. Since the Gulf War in 1991, much attention has been Lavished on an alleged threat from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction while the major culprit in the region, Israel, has been largely ignored. With between 200 and 500 thermonuclear weapons and a sophisticated delivery system, Israel, population 6 million, recently supplanted Britain as the world's 5th Largest nuclear power. It may now rival France and China in the size and sophistication of its nuclear arsenal. Possessing chemical and biological weapons, an extremely sophisticated nuclear arsenal, and an aggressive strategy for their actual use, Israel provides the major regional impetus for the development of weapons of mass destruction, and represents an acute threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. The hypocrisy inherent in the condemnation of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the obsessive focus on "rogue states" such as North Korea, while totally ignoring Israel's provocative arsenal, is breathtaking. The existence of the Israeli nuclear program is a serious impediment to meaningful nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The time is long overdue for citizens concerned about sanctions against Iraq, peace with justice in the Middle East, and nuclear disarmament, to confront directly the issue of Israeli weapons of mass destruction. THE ISRAELI BOMB The Israeli nuclear program began in the Late 1940s. It was established at the Department of Isotope Research at the Weissman Institute of Science under the direction of Ernst David Bergmann, "the father of the Israeli bomb," who in 1952 established the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission. From the very beginning the U.S. was heavily involved in developing Israel's nuclear capability, training Israeli nuclear scientists and providing nuclear-related technology, including a small "research" reactor in 1955 under the "Atoms for Peace" program. It was France, however, that provided the bulk of nuclear assistance to Israel, culminating in construction of Dimona, a heavy water-moderated, natural uranium reactor and plutonium reprocessing operation situated near Bersheeba in the Negev desert. Israel had been active in the French nuclear weapons program from its inception, and provided critical technical expertise. Dimona became operational in 1964 and plutonium reprocessing began shortly thereafter. Despite Israeli claims that Dimona was "a manganese plant, or a textile factory," the extreme security measures employed belied the bogus claims. In 1976, Israel shot down one of its own Mirage fighters, and in 1973 shot down a Libyan civilian airliner that approached too close to Dimona, killing 104.' There is substantial credible speculation that Israel may have exploded at Least one, and perhaps several, nuclear devices in the mid-1960s in the Negev near the Israeli-Egyptian border, and that it participated actively in French nuclear tests in Algeria. By the time of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israel possessed an arsenal of perhaps several dozen deliverable atomic bombs and it went on full nuclear alert. Possessing advanced nuclear technology and top nuclear scientists, Israel was confronted early with a major problem-how to obtain the necessary uranium. Israel's own uranium source was the phosphate deposits in the Negev, totally inadequate to meet the need of a rapidly expanding program. The short-term answer was to mount commando raids in France and Britain to successfully hijack uranium shipments, and in the 19673 "Plumbatt Affair," to collaborate with West Germany in diverting 200 tons of yellow cake (uranium oxide). These clandestine acquisitions of uranium for Dimona were subsequently covered up by the countries involved. WoW. So you can see all this stuff is fairly OLD News and further shows the CRISIS Crying of Bush is just that. The Boy Crying Wolf. Israel Nuke Nation (Comment on this)
6:13 pm	Senator Stevens Alaskan Bridge to Hell? In addition to the experimental weather modification programs listed by NOAA, there are both private and ongoing government sponsored atmospheric testing and heating programs underway in Alaska and across the United States. Alaska Senator Stevens recently received $50 million in funding for Alaska’s atmospheric heating program. I am getting a feeling that its not weather modification but sunlight reduction.(melting of glaciers speeding rapidly etc) I will come back to this in a few days or so as its related to the precession of the Earths weakening magnetic field as it drifts from one star to another. The magnetic field is what protects us from the Sun. Without it we would be crispy critters. (Comment on this)
5:21 pm	Weather Mod by Rep. Mark Udall Colorado 109th Congress H.R. 2995: Weather Modification Research and Technology Transfer Authorization Act of 2005 Introduced: Jun 20, 2005 Sponsor: Rep. Mark Udall [D-CO] Status: Introduced (By Rep. Mark Udall [D-CO]) 109TH CONGRESS H. R. 2995 1ST SESSION To establish the Weather Modification Operations and Research Board, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 20, 2005 Mr. UDALL of Colorado introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science A BILL To establish the Weather Modification Operations and Research Board, and for other purposes. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 4 This Act may be cited as the ``Weather Modification 5 Research and Technology Transfer Authorization Act of 6 2005''. 7 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 8 It is the purpose of this Act to develop and implement 9 a comprehensive and coordinated national weather modi- 10 fication policy and a national cooperative Federal and 2 1 State program of weather modification research and devel- 2 opment. 3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 4 In this Act: 5 (1) BOARD.--The term ``Board'' means the 6 Weather Modification Advisory and Research Board. 7 (2) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.--The term ``Execu- 8 tive Director'' means the Executive Director of the 9 Weather Modification Advisory and Research Board. 10 (3) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.--The term 11 ``research and development'' means theoretical anal- 12 ysis, exploration, experimentation, and the extension 13 of investigative findings and theories of scientific or 14 technical nature into practical application for experi- 15 mental and demonstration purposes, including the 16 experimental production and testing of models, de- 17 vices, equipment, materials, and processes. 18 (4) WEATHER MODIFICATION.--The term 19 ``weather modification'' means changing or control- 20 ling, or attempting to change or control, by artificial 21 methods the natural development of atmospheric 22 cloud forms or precipitation forms which occur in 23 the troposphere. HR 2995 IH 3 1 SEC. 4. WEATHER MODIFICATION ADVISORY AND RE- 2 SEARCH BOARD ESTABLISHED. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.--There is established in the De- 4 partment of Commerce the Weather Modification Advisory 5 and Research Board. 6 (b) MEMBERSHIP.-- 7 (1) IN GENERAL.--The Board shall consist of 8 11 members appointed by the Secretary of Com- 9 merce, of whom-- 10 (A) at least 1 shall be a representative of 11 the American Meteorological Society; 12 (B) at least 1 shall be a representative of 13 the American Society of Civil Engineers; 14 (C) at least 1 shall be a representative of 15 the National Academy of Sciences; 16 (D) at least 1 shall be a representative of 17 the National Center for Atmospheric Research 18 of the National Science Foundation; 19 (E) at least 2 shall be representatives of 20 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- 21 istration of the Department of Commerce; 22 (F) at least 1 shall be a representative of 23 institutions of higher education or research in- 24 stitutes; and HR 2995 IH 4 1 (G) at least 1 shall be a representative of 2 a State that is currently supporting operational 3 weather modification projects. 4 (2) TENURE.--A member of the Board serves 5 at the pleasure of the Secretary of Commerce. 6 (3) VACANCIES.--Any vacancy on the Board 7 shall be filled in the same manner as the original ap- 8 pointment. 9 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEES.--The Board may estab- 10 lish advisory committees to advise the Board and to make 11 recommendations to the Board concerning legislation, poli- 12 cies, administration, research, and other matters. 13 (c) INITIAL MEETING.--Not later than 30 days after 14 the date on which all members of the Board have been 15 appointed, the Board shall hold its first meeting. 16 (d) MEETINGS.--The Board shall meet at the call of 17 the Chair. 18 (e) QUORUM.--A majority of the members of the 19 Board shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of 20 members may hold hearings. 21 (f) CHAIR VICE CHAIR.--The Board shall select AND 22 a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. 23 SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE BOARD. 24 (a) PROMOTION RESEARCH DEVELOP- OF AND 25 MENT.--In order to assist in expanding the theoretical HR 2995 IH 5 1 and practical knowledge of weather modification, the 2 Board shall promote and fund research and development, 3 studies, and investigations with respect to-- 4 (1) improved forecast and decisionmaking tech- 5 nologies for weather modification operations, includ- 6 ing tailored computer workstations and software and 7 new observation systems with remote sensors; and 8 (2) assessments and evaluations of the efficacy 9 of weather modification, both purposeful (including 10 cloud-seeding operations) and inadvertent (including 11 downwind effects and anthropogenic effects). 12 (b) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.--Unless the use of the 13 money is restricted or subject to any limitations provided 14 by law, the Board shall use amounts in the Weather Modi- 15 fication Research and Development Fund-- 16 (1) to pay its expenses in the administration of 17 this Act; and 18 (2) to provide for research and development 19 with respect to weather modifications by grants to, 20 or contracts or cooperative arrangements with, pub- 21 lic or private agencies. 22 (c) REPORT.--The Board shall submit to the Sec- 23 retary of Commerce biennially a report on its findings and 24 research results. HR 2995 IH 6 1 SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE BOARD. 2 (a) STUDIES, INVESTIGATIONS, HEARINGS.-- AND 3 The Board may make any studies or investigations, obtain 4 any information, and hold any hearings necessary or prop- 5 er to administer or enforce this Act or any rules or orders 6 issued under this Act. 7 (b) PERSONNEL.--The Board may employ, as pro- 8 vided for in appropriations Acts, an Executive Director 9 and other support staff necessary to perform duties and 10 functions under this Act. 11 (c) COOPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.--The 12 Board may cooperate with public or private agencies to 13 promote the purposes of this Act. 14 (d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.--The Board may 15 enter into cooperative agreements with the head of any 16 department or agency of the United States, an appropriate 17 official of any State or political subdivision of a State, or 18 an appropriate official of any private or public agency or 19 organization for conducting weather modification activities 20 or cloud-seeding operations. 21 (e) CONDUCT CONTRACTS RESEARCH AND FOR AND 22 DEVELOPMENT.--The Executive Director, with the ap- 23 proval of the Board, may conduct and may contract for 24 research and development activities relating to the purpose 25 described in section 2. HR 2995 IH 7 1 SEC. 7. COOPERATION WITH THE WEATHER MODIFICATION 2 OPERATIONS AND RESEARCH BOARD. 3 The heads of the departments and agencies of the 4 United States and the heads of any other public or private 5 agencies and institutions that receive research funds from 6 the United States shall, to the extent possible, give full 7 support and cooperation to the Board and to initiate inde- 8 pendent research and development programs that address 9 weather modifications. 10 SEC. 8. FUNDING. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.--There is established within the 12 Treasury of the United States the Weather Modification 13 Research and Development Fund, which shall consist of 14 amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (b) or re- 15 ceived by the Board under subsection (c). 16 (b) AUTHORIZATION APPROPRIATIONS.--There OF 17 are authorized to be appropriated to the Board for the 18 purposes of carrying out this Act $10,000,000 for each 19 of fiscal years 2006 through 2015. Any sums appropriated 20 under this subsection shall remain available, without fiscal 21 year limitation, until expended. 22 (c) GIFTS.--The Board may accept, use, and dispose 23 of gifts or donations of services or property. HR 2995 IH Copyright © 2006, but you're welcome to reuse/copy anything on this site. GovTrack isn't affiliated with the U.S. Government or any other group. For more information, see About GovTrack. Email comments@govtrack.us with questions or comments only about the operation of this website, not political issues. To contact your congressperson or senator, find his or her website (Comment on this)
5:07 pm	Conspiracy Theorists Avenged? [Venus Project] I haven't not Posted much, Nothing I think rather, on Chemtrails and Weather Experimentation Modification. Some of, Well alot of the Public has been concerned with these cloud seeding type experiments. Project Cloverleaf was one such name or names. Anyway heres a Bill about H.A.A.R.P and the CLoud seeding and Weather modification Programs. The Military has presented papers on controlling the Weather by 2025. EnnyHoo Google for Chemtrails and HAARP, dont get all "conspiracy minded" cause theirs alot of crazy crap written on these physics. Just connect the small dots with this; Experimental weather modification bill - fast tracking - for passage in US Senate and House of Representatives by Rosalind Peterson March 11, 2006 Venus Project U.S. Senate Bill 517 and U.S. House Bill 2995, a bill that would allow experimental weather modification by artificial methods and implement a national weather modification policy, does not include agriculture or public oversight, is on the “fast track” to be passed early in 2006. This bill is designed to implement experimental weather modification. The appointed Board of Directors established by this bill does not include any agricultural, water, EPA, or public representatives, and has no provisions for Congressional, State, County, or public oversight of their actions or expenditures. Weather Modification may adversely impact agricultural crops and water supplies. If the weather is changed in one state, region or county it may have severe consequences in another region, state or county. And who is going to decide the type of weather modification experimentation and who it will benefit or adversely impact? This experimental weather modification bill will impact residents across the United States not just in California. Many current and ongoing weather modification programs (47 listed by NOAA in 2005), including the one in Wyoming that is designed to increase the snowpack, may be diverting rainwater away from Oklahoma and Texas, two states that are currently fighting fires caused by a lack of rainfall. We have no idea what the unintended consequences of the Wyoming action or other experimental weather modification programs might be now or in the future. In addition to the experimental weather modification programs listed by NOAA, there are both private and ongoing government sponsored atmospheric testing and heating programs underway in Alaska and across the United States. Alaska Senator Stevens recently received $50 million in funding for Alaska’s atmospheric heating program. All of these unregulated, private, government, and public weather modification programs, may also have unintended synergistic effects. Senate Bill 517 does not address these issues but intends to implement more experimental weather modification programs without a national debate or public oversight. Artificial weather modification can impact all of us by reducing water supplies, changing agricultural crop production cycles, reducing crop production, and water availability. Since most experimental weather modification programs use chemicals released into the atmosphere the public could be subjected increasingly toxic or unknown substances that could adversely impact agricultural crops and trees. Trimethyl Aluminum (TMA) and barium are just two of the toxic chemicals used in recent atmospheric heating and testing programs according to NASA. The Alaska H.A.A.R.P. atmospheric heating program may have the capability of changing the Jet Stream which could also change our weather. They Have admitted finally to using the TMA and Barium now the Chemtrail folks at Eschaton are going to have a Field Day. Sorry I'm not into the conspiracy these chemicals however is sprayed onto public areas is illegal and causes Respiratory Problems in people. --mr ho (Comment on this)
5:02 pm	The Troop Poll Shows Likely Propaganda "Blow Back" The new Zogby poll gauging the opinions of American troops in Iraq has drawn attention mostly because it finds that 72 percent believe the United States should withdraw in a year or less and only 23 percent favor George W. Bush’s plan to “stay the course.” But the poll also illustrates the power of propaganda. Shockingly, 85 percent of the troops questioned believe they are fighting in Iraq “to retaliate for Saddam’s role in the 9-11 attacks” – one of the key Iraq War myths built by Bush’s frequent juxtaposition of references to Osama bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein. This subliminal message has stuck with the vast majority of U.S. troops even though Bush eventually acknowledged publicly that there is no evidence linking Saddam to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. In other words, more than eight in 10 of the U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq think they are there avenging the 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11, even though the U.S. government lacks evidence of the connection. The poll also found that 77 percent think that a major reason for the war was “to stop Saddam from protecting al-Qaeda in Iraq” – another myth nurtured by the Bush administration even though Hussein’s secular government was a bitter enemy of al-Qaeda’s Islamic fundamentalists. Traitorous Troops? Despite this confusion over the reasons for the war, the poll exploded another myth promoted by the administration and its media allies – that Americans are unpatriotic if they criticize Bush’s policies, because to do so would damage troop morale. It turns out the troops want the war brought to a quick end because they have concluded it’s unwinnable based on their own experiences, not from the carping of home-side naysayers, often denounced as “traitors” by Bush’s supporters. It seems somehow that 72 percent of the U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq have become “traitors,” too. But what’s going on? How can the Bush administration and its supporters get away with spreading so much confusion about the reasons for invading Iraq? How can they justify demonizing so many Americans who disagree with the war policy? The answer seems to be that the relentless application of propaganda was always part of the administration’s strategy for herding the American public in the direction favored by Bush and his neoconservative advisers. Remember Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s Office of Strategic Influence, the secretive project designed to manipulate international opinion but which was expected to “blow back” some of its propaganda onto the American people. Some where in this mess I talked about this a bit back...anyway this bolsters the blowback argument. Propaganda Blow Back (Comment on this)
4:29 pm	The RealPolitik As anyone familiar with the City of London and Wall Street will know, transparency is the enemy of private profit Just ask Dick Cheney one of the big boy "privatized profiteer" and his dept of energy secrets. Here's another thing the Energy Dept. is considered part of the Intelligence Community. Read on my brethren understanding is right around the corner he Tehran Oil Bourse: What the Iran 'nuclear issue' is really about by Chris Cook March 10, 2006 www.energybulletin.net. Email this article to a friend Print this article It is said that there is the reason they give; and then there is the real reason. Nowhere is this more true, perhaps, than in Iran. My experience with Iran began four and a half years ago in June 2001 when, through my Iranian business partner, I wrote to the then governor of the Iranian central bank, Dr Mohsen Nourbakhsh. This letter was written on the basis of my experience as a former director of the International Petroleum Exchange and in the aftermath of allegations I made in relation to market manipulation on the IPE the previous year, which were dismissed by a commissioner appointed by the exchange. I still regret that I used the description "systematic" rather than "systemic" of this alleged manipulation, but that is another story. In this letter I pointed out that the structure of global oil markets massively favors intermediary traders and particularly investment banks, and that both consumers and producers such as Iran are adversely affected by this. I recommended that Iran consider as a matter of urgency the creation of a Middle Eastern energy exchange, and particularly a new Persian Gulf benchmark oil price. It is therefore with wry amusement that I have seen a myth being widely propagated on the Internet that the genesis of this "Iran bourse" project is a wish to subvert the US dollar by denominating oil pricing in euros. As anyone familiar with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will know, the denomination of oil sales in currencies other than the dollar is not a new subject, and as anyone familiar with economics will tell you, the denomination of oil sales is merely a transactional issue: what matters is in what assets (or, in the case of the United States, liabilities ) these proceeds are then invested. After a couple of years of apparent inaction, my colleague and I were invited to put together a consortium to tender for a project to create such an exchange and, after a presentation at the central bank in Tehran in May 2004, we were successful, as reported in The Guardian at the time. We subsequently learned that the delay had been due to initial opposition from the Saudis and this opposition was withdrawn after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent US-led invasion of Iraq. A major feasibility study was carried out in the summer of 2004 - for which we still have not been paid by the Iranian Oil Ministry - and after this, the process became bogged down in turf battles between the Oil Ministry and the Ministry for the Economy. We met president Mohammad Khatami in December 2004 to resolve this problem and then spent considerable time with his close advisers, from whom we received powerful backing. Progress was made, to the extent that an exchange entity was incorporated and premises purchased on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf. In the second quarter of 2005 the real opposition from within the Oil Ministry - from factions opposed to shedding any light on the sales regime - was becoming apparent. However, as the battle was about to be joined, Khatami's period in office came to an end and the presidential election in August intervened. Neither we, nor anyone we knew, expected the result of the election, still less the events after it. Three times over a period of three months an oil minister was nominated by the new president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, from among his trusted colleagues and three times they were turned down by the majlis (Iranian parliament), until finally an experienced insider was appointed in early December. Only now are further levels of appointments being made by the new minister. Ahmadinejad is on record as saying that he favors transparency in the Iranian oil market. As anyone familiar with the City of London and Wall Street will know, transparency is the enemy of private profit, and it is this factor that was behind the delays in developing the bourse project. However, we remain hopeful that the strategy we recommended, which is based upon (a) gradual and organic introduction of pricing built upon the neutral function of transaction registration and (b) a simple (and Islamically sound) partnership-based "clearing union" synthesis of bilateral trading and a multilateral guarantee, will in due course be taken forward. One of the most interesting aspects of the process was that during our brief spell of contacts with decision-makers, some insight into current Iranian policy was possible - in particular, the nuclear question. In our conversations we were left in no doubt that it suits both the US and Iran for the issue to be seen to be that of the Iranian "threat" from nuclear weapons. In fact the issue is a proxy for Iraq: try looking in the media prior to the events in Fallujah, Iraq, for anything more than desultory mention of this "issue". But once factions in Iran funded Muqtada al-Sadr to the tune of $50 million and the US body count started to rise, then the issue began to attain its current level of importance. Now that pro-Iranian Shi'ite elements are taking a primary role in the emerging government in Iraq, we see the nuclear temperature rising further. The realpolitik is of course that those in power in the US and Iran have the reason they give - and the real reason - for what they do: and for the US, the real reason is and has been for many years energy security above any other consideration. Chris Cook is a former director of the International Petroleum Exchange. He is now a strategic market consultant, entrepreneur and commentator. The Real Deal (Comment on this)
4:20 pm	Oil Bourse Birth The Origins of the Oil Bourse The idea of creating a new trading platform in Iran to trade oil and to create a new oil benchmark crude apparently originated with the former Director of the London International Petroleum Exchange, Chris Cook. In a January 21 article in the Asia Times, Cook explained the background. Describing a letter he had written in 2001 to the Governor of the Iranian Central Bank, Dr Mohsen Nourbakhsh, Cook explained what he advised then: ‘In this letter I pointed out that the structure of global oil markets massively favors intermediary traders and particularly investment banks, and that both consumers and producers such as Iran are adversely affected by this. I recommended that Iran consider as a matter of urgency the creation of a Middle Eastern energy exchange, and particularly a new Persian Gulf benchmark oil price. ’It is therefore with wry amusement that I have seen a myth being widely propagated on the Internet that the genesis of this "Iran bourse" project is a wish to subvert the US dollar by denominating oil pricing in euros. ’As anyone familiar with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will know, the denomination of oil sales in currencies other than the dollar is not a new subject, and as anyone familiar with economics will tell you, the denomination of oil sales is merely a transactional issue: what matters is in what assets (or, in the case of the United States, liabilities ) these proceeds are then invested.’ A full challenge to the domination of the dollar as world central bank reserve currency entails a de facto declaration of war on the ‘full spectrum dominance’ of the United States today. The mighty members of the European Central Bank Council well know this. The heads of state of every EU country know that. The Chinese leadership as well as Japanese and Indian know that. So does Vladimir Putin. Bourse Birth (Comment on this)
10:41 am	Will the real conservatives please stand up? Ira Eisenberg Friday, March 10, 2006 Like many of you, I have watched with growing alarm the ominous starboard tack of our ship of state under the command of President Bush. But when the debate over presidential power erupted following revelations that this administration has been secretly spying on Americans in violation of the Constitution and federal law, a troubling question occurred to me. Where have all the conservatives gone? I'm old enough to remember when real conservatives valued freedom over security, and stood for strictly limited government, fiscal discipline, the sanctity of constitutional checks and balances and the rule of law over obeisance to power. I also have vivid, if not entirely fond, memories of that archetypal American conservative, Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, the GOP candidate for president in 1964, whose declaration that "extremism in defense of liberty is no vice" helped clinch an historic landslide victory for his opponent, Democrat Lyndon Baines Johnson. Goldwater's conservative principles put him in opposition to most of the New Deal-era economic and social reforms that most Americans support. Yet those same convictions also prompted Goldwater to defend gay rights, support Roe vs. Wade, oppose the religious right, demand President Richard M. Nixon's resignation for abusing his constitutional authority and denounce the Vietnam War as "the biggest damn fool mistake we ever made." Hey Dipshit. Let me give you a Clue. The Goldwater 'Conservatives' that has nothing to do with Conservation of nature, is a Hypocritical Bullshit Scheme. After 6 years+ of Bush and Rove and these real 'conservatives' haven't figured that crap out yet? Look at Iran-Contra of Bush Sr. Now compare that to Abramoff and AIPAC. BCCI to RIGGS, The LOST intelligence, the 'out of the loop' excuses, pardons and coverups. Fools re-elected the SAME group of Crazies ('Crazies' -Colon Powell Refer to "Neo-Cons") Repeat after me slowly, R E P U B L I C A N S are H Y P O C R I T E S. Probably they can be considered professional Hypocrites. I just call them Politicians (Comment on this)
10:33 am	Just a Big Russian Corporate Jet Castro buys new presidential jet External view of President Castro's new presidential plane The luxury plane was exported to Havana from Russia [And Damn cheap compared to American, British Jets. I would hate to try to get spare parts though as this has always been the downfall of the Russian Aircraft Industry for Global Sales. As an aside as a Technician, down time kills a Jets profitability, for that Reason the Russiians may consider using common Avionics products and Engines. Hell a Turbine today is like a 4 cylinder engine nothing really that new. CFM, Pratt Whitney specialize in these areas and have GLOBAL parts programs in place Ennyhoo..] Cuba is buying one of Russia's most up-to-date airliners, carefully crafted for President Fidel Castro's personal comfort. The purchase is part of an initial Cuban order for two brand new Ilyushin planes worth $110 million (£63 million) which Russian officials say is a shot in the arm for their struggling airline industry. To head off criticism that a new presidential jet is an expensive luxury in austere times, Cuba says one of its new planes is being used to ferry workers to and from Venezuela. To finance the deal, Cuba has paid 15% of the total sum up front, the rest coming from a 10-year loan from Russian banks. I hope that Mr Castro Spends an equal amount on the people of his country that helped him purchase that Jet. (Comment on this)