RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 17, 2007
Chavez Uses OPEC Summit To Blast U.S.
Venezuelan President Urges Group To Drop Dollar As Oil Pricing Standard And Warns Iran Attack Could Double Oil Prices
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OPEC Considers Dropping Dollar
OPEC oil ministers are considering a proposal from Iran and Venezuela to drop the dollar as the standard for pricing petroleum. Will the U.S. get burnt, or is it a bluff? Randall Pinkston reports.
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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, left, speaks with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, right, as they attend the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries opening ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2007. (AP/Hasan Sarbakhshian)
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The Venezuelan leader also appealed to fellow members of the Organization of Petroleum Countries to join his crusade for social justice, saying the group should be "at the vanguard in the fight against poverty."
After Chavez's speech, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, the conservative head of the world's largest oil exporter, appeared to rebuke the leftist president by insisting "OPEC has always acted moderately and wisely."
"Oil is an energy for development, it should not become a tool for conflict and emotions," said Abdullah, a strong U.S. ally.
The king also sought to head off Chavez's attempt to reshape OPEC in his socialist image, saying the organization "has not overlooked its responsibilities to developing countries and poverty alleviation." He highlighted that the OPEC Fund for International Development has made donations to over 120 developing countries.
The OPEC summit opened Saturday in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh with heads of states and delegates from 13 of the world's biggest oil-producing nations. It was the third OPEC summit since the organization was created in 1960.
But Chavez's comments overshadowed another controversial discussion, whether to drop the dollar as the standard for pricing petroleum, reports CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston.
In part, the move was political -- to embarrass the United States, but there are also basic economics involved. The value of the dollar against foreign currencies is dropping, which in turn is one of the reasons oil prices are rising.
Some OPEC members, including Saudi Arabia and Algeria opposed the idea, which was put forth by Venezuela and Iran, fearing the move could trigger a recession in the U.S. and damage America's ability to keep buying huge quantities of crude.
"We would like to see the dollar, you know, stabilized," said Algeria's minister of energy and mines, Chakib Khelil.
Some economists say this talk signals global concern about the strength of the U.S. economy and foreign investor confidence in the dollar, reports Pinkston.
"If foreigners decide we don't want to hold dollars anymore, and they start to sell dollars for other assets like euros, that means that our dollars buy a lot less in the world," said Benn Steil, director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Some analysts say OPEC's threat to ditch the dollar is a bluff, reports Pinkston. OPEC nations have billions of dollars in their reserves, and a sell off would hurt them, as well as the U.S., which buys more oil than any other nation in the world.
Chavez used his position as the summit's opening speaker to further his faceoff against the U.S. "We are witnessing constant threats against Iran," Chavez said. "If the United States attempts the madness of invading Iran or attacking Venezuela again, the price of oil is probably going to reach $200, not just $100," Chavez said.
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The Venezuelan president has accused Washington of backing a short-lived 2002 coup against him -- a claim U.S. officials strongly deny.If the United States attempts the madness of invading Iran or attacking Venezuela again, the price of oil is probably going to reach $200, not just $100.
Venezuelan President Hugo ChavezThe U.S. is at odds with Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington claims is cover for weapons development and Tehran insists is peaceful.
Chavez's calls to OPEC to increase its efforts to redistribute wealth to the world's poorest countries were equally strident, proposing the group "put itself at the forefront in the design of a new international economic structure."
Prior to the summit, the Venezuelan president had suggested OPEC sell oil to poor countries at much lower prices than those paid by wealthy nations. During Saturday's speech, he also suggested the group set up a bank to fund increased international development.
During his address to a hall full of heads of state, ministers and journalists, King Abdullah sought to redirect the focus back toward one of the summit's key agenda items, which was OPEC's efforts to mitigate the impact of the oil industry on the environment.
He announced that Saudi Arabia would donate US$300 million to a program for environmental research, and urged fellow member countries to do the same.
He also countered Chavez's views of OPEC with a more traditional representation, saying the group has had "two essential objectives" since its creation: "First to defend the interest of its members, and second to protect the international economy from sudden shake-ups in oil prices and supplies."
The run-up to the meeting was dominated by speculation over whether OPEC would raise production following recent oil price increases that have closed in on US$100.
U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman called on OPEC to increase production earlier this week, but cartel officials have said they will hold off any decision until the group meets next month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Both Chavez and Abdullah potrayed the current price of oil as fair, saying it was close to the levels in the seventies and eighties when adjusted for inflation.
Also, OPEC officials have cast doubt on the effect any output hike would have on oil prices, saying the recent rise has been driven by the falling dollar and financial speculation by investment funds,rather than any supply shortage.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 722 CommentsInvasion of Iran would indeed push oil to $200 a barrel, all the more reason Bush will decide to do it.
1 question? do you dirve? If so do you car pool?
You really want to change the vote go to FOX where you might do some good.
I challenge you to present your candidate''s competing ideas, or does your candidate even have any ideas? You probably don''t even know where your candidate stands on the most important issues facing our country. That''s understandable, because your sold-out candidate probably doesn''t want you to know. Sadly, modern elections have become little more than beauty contests rather than contests of ideas, which is what they should be. To those of you who don''t like my posts, and refer to them as "spam": If you are turned-off by free speech and the communication of political ideas during a presidential election season, I''m totally glad you are. You''re probably the same sort of fascist pig who trys to define waterboarding as an "enhanced interrogation technique," rather than the inhumane sort of torture that it most surely is. You can define my political free speech as "spam," and you can define torture as an "inhanced interrogation technique," but that does not make it so. Finally, rather than flip-flopping as the winds of the moment blow, or not fully disclosing where he stands on the issues, as your favorite candidate probably does, Ron Paul makes his positions very clear, and he never deviates from those positions, ever. His 800 published articles, five books and 20 year congressional voting record is proof of that fact. This is one of the many reasons so many people like myself support him. He, unlike your candidate, is a man of real substance and real integrity.
Does Chavez have any idea of the poverty rates in the Arab nations let alone his own? It is well past time for the world to manufacture alternatives to using oil.
Would smile and say somthing but PeaceProphet...gets all the space again.
bush replies:...." mommieeeeeee! that bad man called me a donkey "
so much for texas manhood.
they still love bush in texas.
bush...favorite son and former governor of texas.
i''m proud to be an american.
ha,ha,ha.
go ron paul.
go me
go individual liberties, the rule of law, and fiscal equilibrium!
don''t look back!
neobrian
Nothing.
But CBS refuses to stop his spammers, who are akin to Hitler''s Brown Shirts.
They don''t care about law, much less rules, civility, or the truth.
But after so much strife and so many world wars caused by the likes of the supporters of Bush, Ron Paul, et al, the free no longer need protection from such incredulous lies.
We simply need laugh at them, and of course imprison their perpetrators whenever they try to fulfill their fantasies of conquest.
ST
"And so I ask, how many atrocities must we commit before we are evil? How many rights must we lose before we are no longer free?"
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Sadly, even though Clinton voted for the war in Iraq, and a host of Laws aimed at removing civil liberties; and our country''s sovereignty, Democrats are so blinded by her cult of personality that I predict they will overwhelmingly vote to put her crime family back into office. While I''ve made some progress in educating Liberals as to the phony staged consensus of the left-right paradigm, the fact remains that a majority of Democrats still see the White House as some kind of political Super Bowl, where the success of their "team" is the be all and end all - to the expense of America as a whole. The Punch and Judy show theater that was the "troop surge" debate in the Senate characterizes Hillary''s role in hoodwinking Americans perfectly. The debate is framed as not whether the U.S. should get out of the Middle-East altogether, but the relative minutia of whether to feed thousands of more troops into the meat grinder or not. A Clinton presidency will mean more war, more dead Americans, and a further desecration of the tattered shreds of what''s left of our Constitution. Clinton is the ultimate global elitist and represents the Democrats supposed base: the poor and downtrodden, about as much as Lindsay Lohan represents grace and dignity. I''m sure she informed the likes of David Rockefeller and Queen Beatrix as to her presidential aspirations during her last visit to attend the Bilderberger conference. Vote for a REAL AMERICAN. Vote for Ron Paul.
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Perhaps the media (and so-called journalists) do not
recall all the saber rattling that a certain Panamanian Leader and bull he once said and what the results were to him and his country..I sleep well at night...although I for one would not if I were told to "SHUT UP!" by the President of Spain.
I resent all the inflated profits that are being made on the backs of all of us. We need to take some of that money back and use it to fund research into alternative energy sources. I can assure you the oil companies are not doing that on their own. They are an obstacle to achieving energy independence for this country.
I challenge you to present your candidate''s competing ideas, or does your candidate even have any ideas? You probably don''t even know where your candidate stands on the most important issues facing our country. That''s understandable, because your sold-out candidate probably doesn''t want you to know. Sadly, modern elections have become little more than beauty contests rather than contests of ideas, which is what they should be. To those of you who don''t like my posts, and refer to them as "spam": If you are turned-off by free speech and the communication of political ideas during a presidential election season, I''m totally glad you are. You''re probably the same sort of fascist pig who trys to define waterboarding as an "enhanced interrogation technique," rather than the inhumane sort of torture that it most surely is. You can define my political free speech as "spam," and you can define torture as an "inhanced interrogation technique," but that does not make it so. Finally, rather than flip-flopping as the winds of the moment blow, or not fully disclosing where he stands on the issues, as your favorite candidate probably does, Ron Paul makes his positions very clear, and he never deviates from those positions, ever. His 800 published articles, five books and 20 year congressional voting record is proof of that fact. This is one of the many reasons so many people like myself support him. He, unlike your candidate, is a man of real substance and real integrity.
Ron Paul is the only Presidential candidate who does not support secret offshore prisons like the one in Guantanamo, wherein our government tortures prisoners, who have no right to redress of grievance, or to Writ of Habeus Corpus. Ron Paul promises he will close these "illegal prisons" down. He wouldn''t necessarily just release the prisoners either. He said he would simply bring them to detainment facilities on U.S. soil where they would be entitled to an attorney, and to their day in Court--"American Justice." Significant others agree with Paul. "Essentially, we have shaken the belief that the world had in America''s justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open and creating things like a Military Commission," former U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell recently said.
On Veteran''s Day, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul today addressed a crowd of over 5,000 enthusiastic veterans and supporters in Philadelphia. The Veteran''s Day weekend rally took place at Independence Mall. Thousands of veterans and their friends and families heard country music superstar Rockie Lynne open the event for the Texas congressman. John Holland, the founder of a leading advocacy organization for troops, veterans, and POW/MIAs, delivered an enthusiastic endorsement of Congressman Paul, before the congressman addressed the crowd. The rally coincided with the launch of the Veterans for Paul Coalition, which is composed of hundreds of war veterans. "Dr. Paul''s support among veterans is extremely high," said Paul campaign spokesman Joe Seehusen. "These great patriots who have fought for our country know that only Dr. Paul''s foreign policy of peace and secure borders can guarantee true national security, and they want him fighting for our country''s freedom." Congressman Paul was himself a Captain in the Air Force who served as a flight surgeon during the "totally unnecessary and illegal" Vietnam war. He receives more campaign contributions from former and active military and military affiliates than any of the other 2008 presidential candidates.
All of the other presidential candidates want to continue our illegal police action in Iraq indefinitely, and they do not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Conversely, Ron Paul voted against our (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies--the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. The war in Iraq has cost more than 3,500 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We need a leader in the White House who will ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal aliens who are invading us from the South. No war should ever be fought without a Declaration of War voted upon by the Congress, as required by The Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised.
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul''s new book, "A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship," broke into the best-seller''s list. On November 2, Congressman Paul''s collection of speeches on foreign policy from his 10-term career in the House of Representatives hovered at number 93 on the amazon.com top 100-selling books list, and continued to maintain its number one spot in the non-fiction government and economic policy genres. The book is a 30-year compilation of the Texas congressman and rising GOP presidential contender''s speeches from the congressional floor, and assorted foreign policy writings on constitutional republicanism and non-interventionism. "Dr. Paul''s message of freedom, prosperity and peace is a best-seller," said Paul campaign spokesman Jesse Benton. "The numbers don''t lie. Americans want a constitutional, humble foreign policy, which only Ron Paul can deliver in 2008."
Some people say, "a Republican? I''d never vote for a Republican." Let me remind you folks that Abraham Lincoln, who freed the slaves, and who won the war to preserve our Union, WAS himself a Republican. Would you have voted for Stephen Douglas, who was ardently pro slavery, against Lincoln simply because he was a Democrat? Of course you wouldn''t. Or would you? I would hope that it''s the person you will be voting for, and the ideas he or she represents, and NOT the party.
Don''t tell anyone but I think she is hiding her brand new shoes. Now, go find auntie Emm.
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Texas congressman Ron Paul won the South Sound Ronald Reagan Republican Club (SSRRRC) 2008 presidential primary straw poll with 38 percent of the vote at their October 26 meeting in Pierce County, Washington. This is his third SSRRRC win; Dr. Paul won their August and September polls with 28 and 48 percent respectively. Fred Thompson placed second in all three polls. This latest one of many straw poll successes nationwide for the GOP presidential candidate and leading war opponent. "Dr. Paul enjoys great grassroots support in Washington and across the nation," said Paul spokesman Jesse Benton. "His numerous straw poll victories show that Americans embrace his message of freedom, peace, and prosperity, and are ready to put a real Republican in the White House." Dr. Paul''s September 14 rally in Seattle, Washington drew over 1,300 supporters.
Well to some weird cultist, he''s gawd. I think you can find gawd''s picture around here somewhere.
PeaceProphet
A right wing neocon who makes Bush and his henchmen look like Girl Scouts, but only because Ron Paul doesn''''t even pretend to care about the rule of law, or humanity. Bush and Ron are on the same page other than their disagreement about the profitability of the Iraq war.
Ron Paul would do away with all protections for the middle class and poor, while simultaneously elevating the rich to a permanent ruling class.
Under Ron Paul, even the mega rich would be subjugated by the ultra rich.
Ron Paul would do away with public roads, education, and justice, and that''''s just the short list.
Sheesh.
ST
"Never forsake humanity for inhumanity, despite all disguise."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
Ron Paul''s campaign has become a clearinghouse for voters like me who feel unrepresented by the Fascisct (globalist Republicans) and their Socialist comrades in crime (globalist Democrats). They''re actually one and the same. It''s all a phony, poorly staged left-right paradigm. Most people, though, are too distracted, dumbed-down, or outright brainwashed by mainstream media, which endlessly regurgitates scientifically-crafted streams of information aimed at keeping their eyes closed to the realities of the world around them, that they fail to recognize this. Those currently in power, and those being groomed to take [major] political power, are preselected by a "global elite," and whomever is eventually elected, will ultimately, serve their agenda, and not ours. People on the right and those on the left have many differences, maybe irreconcilable ones. But we have a lot of common beliefs too, and our numbers and anger are of a considerable magnitude. No matter what happens in 2008, I personally believe Ron Paul will influence the national conversation about how much power our government should have over our lives; how much liberty we should give up for security; and whether we should continue moving along our current path towards one world government. These are issues that, frankly, no one else is talking about as seriously and sincerely as Ron Paul. What''s for sure is that his growing army of supporters like me will cast a vote to be reckoned with in 2008.
The Bilderberg Group is a secretive gathering of global power brokers, which includes Hillary Clinton, and a virtual who''s who of other folks whose names you will recognize (Search Wikipedia: "Bilderberg Attendees"), has inspired layers of ridicule. In recent times, the deeds laid at the group''s doorstep have included the creation of the EU, the Iraq war, and the group''s current efforts to create a North American Union, which will erase U.S. borders and sovereignty. Their agenda: economic and political domination; one world government; and world population reduction. After it was leaked that a speech by John Edwards at their meeting in Italy, was one reason for his selection as John Kerry''s vice-presidential running mate in 2000, people began to ask, "Are the Bilderbergers now shaping the worldwide political scene?" Over 130 of the world''s most powerful monarchs, politicians and business leaders attend the annual, invitation-only gatherings in order to to discuss and orchestrate public policy worldwide. The hotels involved are closed-off to other guests and reporters. Guards are placed around the perimeter, and attendees promise to keep quiet about what they hear and say. "They do not have to sign anything, but they understand that they do not talk," said Maja Banck-Polderman, the group''s Secretary. Tony Gosling, a British reporter who has followed the group says, "I think that a forum where so many rich and powerful people meet should be open to public scrutiny."
Sadly, even though Clinton voted for the war in Iraq, and a host of Laws aimed at removing civil liberties; and our country''s sovereignty, Democrats are so blinded by her cult of personality that I predict they will overwhelmingly vote to put her crime family back into office. While I''ve made some progress in educating Liberals as to the phony staged consensus of the left-right paradigm, the fact remains that a majority of Democrats still see the White House as some kind of political Super Bowl, where the success of their "team" is the be all and end all - to the expense of America as a whole. The Punch and Judy show theater that was the "troop surge" debate in the Senate characterizes Hillary''s role in hoodwinking Americans perfectly. The debate is framed as not whether the U.S. should get out of the Middle-East altogether, but the relative minutia of whether to feed thousands of more troops into the meat grinder or not. A Clinton presidency will mean more war, more dead Americans, and a further desecration of the tattered shreds of what''s left of our Constitution. Clinton is the ultimate global elitist and represents the Democrats supposed base: the poor and downtrodden, about as much as Lindsay Lohan represents grace and dignity. I''m sure she informed the likes of David Rockefeller and Queen Beatrix as to her presidential aspirations during her last visit to attend the Bilderberger conference. Vote for a REAL AMERICAN. Vote for Ron Paul.
Several pro-peace veterans were arrested when they protested their exclusion from a Veterans Day event in Boston. The local chapter of a group called Veterans for Peace estimated 15 of its members and supporters were arrested Sunday at the event sponsored by the American Legion. Boston Police said several arrests were made, but did not have an exact number. "We''re opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq; we''re opposed to the planned invasion of Iran," said group member Winston Warfield, a Vietnam War veteran." Warfield said the American Legion rejected their request to have a speaker at the event, which took place outside City Hall. A call to the American Legion office in Boston was not immediately returned Monday. "From our point of view, it''s a public affair," Warfield said.
While CBS was busy pretending all other news didn''t exist during the California wildfires, our Constitution was burning on the floors of Congress. On Oct 23, the House overwhelmingly passed HR 1955, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act. This Bill is one of the most blatant attacks against our right to freedom of speech ever devised by Congress. The Bill actually defines different types of thought as "homegrown terrorism," and unlike previous anti-terror legislation, it specifically targets U.S. citizens. The Bill uses extremely vague language to define "terrorist propoganda" as any speech which promotes an agenda that the government considers an "extremist belief system." Since the bill doesn''t specifically define what an "extremist belief system" is, it will be entirely up to the interpretation of government officials. Isn''t that comforting? Considering how much the government has done to desecrate our Constitution lately, they would surely have to define this post as promoting an "extremist belief" system, since it promotes the restoration of civil liberties--something not en vogue these days. As disturbing as this Bill is, so to is the additional requirement that there be a seperate, "public version." In other words, the Bill we see is different from what Congress is seeing. Why''s that necessary? Whatever the reason, I predict this Bill will become Law soon while CBS focuses the country''s attention elsewhere
The John Warner Defense Authorization Act, which was supported by Clinton, Obama and McCain, permits militarized police round-ups and detention of protesters ("potential terrorists") and other "undesirables" for detention in facilities which are already contracted for and under construction by Kellog, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton. This Law, which was sold to an "emergency managed" and willfully gullible public in the wake of the 9/11 attacks as a necessary measure needed by our President in order to fight his "global war on terrorism," permits the indefinite detention of American citizens who resists the foreign and domestic agenda of our President. The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International reported recently that global engineering and technical services powerhouse, Kellog, Brown & Root announced during January 2006 that its Government and Infrastructure division had been awarded a (no bid) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract to build these detainment camps with a maximum total value of $385 million over a five year term, and that this contract called for the company to build "temporary detention and processing capabilities" to augment existing U.S. government Detention and Removal Operations and to support "the rapid development of new programs." New Programs? Could it possibly get any worse? Why would the president be so concerned about Americans protesting? Aren''t we all happy campers?
Buried deep inside Military Commisions Act, which was FULLY SUPPORTED by Senators Clinton, Obama and McCain, is a provision which pre-pardons President Bush and all the members of his administration for any crimes which they may have committed all the way back to September 11, 2001. Why that far back? That kind of makes you wonder. Huh? I can''t help but recall what Nixon said during an interview following the Watergate scandal when he said, "If the President does it, by definition, it''s not illegal." History never repeats itself, folks. It only rhymes. At least Nixon had enough class to wait for another President to pardon him for his crimes against our country. Bush apparently doesn''t want to take that chance. He has to consider the risk that Ron Paul will become our next President.
My fellow Americans need to open their eyes to the fact that our Republic, along with The Constitution upon which it was founded, is being flushed-down the toilet by our nations'' bought and paid for politicians and media. While the Oligarchs warn and incite fear in the sheeple about the prospect of terrorism, they at the same time leave our borders wide open, and then conduct illegal wars overseas that do nothing but incite the terrorism which their Orwellian Laws like the Patriot Act and the John Warner Defense Authorization Act pretend to protect us from. Wake up America! It''s not about protecting you from terrorism, or Global Warming, or any of that other fear-mongering garbage the sold-out, mainstream media feeds you 24/7. It''s about feeding the bankers and the military industrial complex, and facilitating the global elite''s ability to ratchet-down control over the American people, placing us into a total control grid where they can surveille, track and control everywhere we go and everything we do. It''s the groundwork for tyranny. It''s the New World Order plan of Bush, Clinton, Edwards, McCain, Giuliani, et.al., being executed quite beautifully. You''re a frog in a pot: In order to cook a frog, you don''t throw him into a pot of boiling water. If you do, he''ll resist and jump-out. What you do instead is, you turn the heat-up REAL SLOW, and by the time the water is boiling, he won''t be able to jump out anymore, because it''s too late--he''s already doomed.
With the full support of Senators Clinton, Obama and McCain, President Bush recently signed into Law the John Warner Defense Authorization Act, which, according to Senator Leahy (VT), will actually "encourage the President to declare Martial Law." It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a Laws which limits the President''s ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act, helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic Law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush has now undone all of those prohibitions. The John Warner Defense Authorization Act, which was signed by the President in an unpublicized ceremony, allows the President to declare a "public emergency," suspend Congress; The Constitution; and to take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of your Governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder." President Bush seized this unprecedented power on the very same day that he signed the equally odious Military Commissions Act. The two Laws compliment one another. One allows for torture and detention abroad of those who dissent and are stripped of their citizenship, while the other seeks to enforce acquiescence at home by allowing the President to order the military onto our streets in a domestic Law enforcement role, which is already being done. Vote for Liberty. Vote for Ron Paul.
The Clinton campaign has admitted to planting questions at a college speaking engagement in Iowa. They have confirmed that a campaign staffer approached a student to ask Senator Clinton a question about global warming during a campaign stop in Newton, Iowa, on Nov. 6. The story was first reported by Patrick Caldwell, a junior at Grinnell College and the features editor of The Scarlet and Black college newspaper. He reported that student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff was approached by the Clinton campaign to ask certain question about global warming and about the need for a global Carbon Tax. Gallo-Chasanoff also said that she "noted that staffers prompted Clinton to call on her and another student who had been approached before the event. Some of the questions asked were confusing and clearly off-message." Clinton Campaign spokesperson Mo Elleithee told ABC News that "on this occasion, a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Sen. Clinton''s global warming plan at a forum. This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again." The staffer still remains with the Clinton campaign, but they would not reveal the person''s name. The Clinton campaign refused to comment on whether this was the only time they have planted questions among audience members about the issue of global warming.
When I consider the claim that we should give-up our civil liberties in order to protect ourselves from terrorism, or that we should pay a global Carbon Tax administered and enforced by the U.N. (one world government), because mankind is somehow to blame for global warming, two quotes come to mind:
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."
- Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propagandist
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and those who would exploit our fear for power and their own personal, selfish, cynical gain."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
EARTH IS HEATING UP lately, but so are other planets in our solar system. It''s scientific fact. The sun''s increased activity links all of these warming events. Fluctuations in solar activity effect the climate on Earth and other planets, and always will. No reputable scientist could deny that increased Sun activity causes an uptick in Earth''s temperatures. Man''s impact on the planet is exaggerated. All 6 billion people on Earth could fit into an area no bigger than New England.
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