The Social Poets: Funny 1917 CIA Spy Technology Docs Released: Invisible Writing: "From Denny: Anyone who regularly reads this blog knows I grew up in the CIA. Yes, it was one weird childhood living with such paranoid uptight and often humorless people. Whenever the CIA releases ancient documents molding down in their deep dark spy basement it always gives me a grin.
When I was a kid we spent a lot of time figuring out codes since Dad had been a code breaker in WWII - among other things. One of our other childhood past times was to figure out intriguing ways to pass messages and, yes, write in invisible ink. Even Dad joined in the fun. My mother just shook her head and thought we were all a bunch of looney tunes. Knowing Dad he was probably using his baby geniuses to do his research on the cheap. Who said you can't take your work home with you?
Anyway, it is with great pleasure I present to you Rachel Maddow's cheeky report about Dear Ol' Dad's creepy CIA. This week, The New CIA under Director Leon Panetta, and a lot less creepy, odious and just plain obnoxious, released some 1917 technology for public viewing, er, laughter."
The Social Poets: Jockeying For Power: Tea Party Says Replace Boehner Over 2011 Budget Deal: "The snake pit fought ferociously today delivering an intense political high stakes drama. Never mind there are 25 million people out of work and in dire need of jobs in America. Apparently, that is not a drama they find interesting enough to tackle when they can be jockeying for personal political power and recognition.
Congress and the White House were all about playing the game of 'Screw You!' as much as possible, creating serious bad blood in each party. The snakes are fighting the snakes in their own parties: Republicans vs. Republicans and Democrats vs. Democrats."
The Social Poets: Japan: Plutonium Reactor Careening Out of Control, 18 Political Cartoons: "The whole world watches, waits, and holds its breath dreading nightmarish nuclear disaster. We are transfixed upon every tiny bit of streaming news coverage to the point of emotional saturation. And the news does not get any better. Even the Japanese government called the situation today 'very grave.'"
The Social Poets: Japan: Nuclear Update, Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Political Cartoons: "The Japanese keep changing and downplaying the radiation level numbers. At one point last night one Japanese official said the radiation levels at the troubled nuclear plant had reached 1,000 times the healthy levels. He was later forced to back off on that number, claiming it was a mistake in translation. No, it wasn't. Read that as a diplomatic way for a bureaucrat to get out the truth, knowing he would have to walk it back but at least the information would get out to the public."
The Social Poets: Japan: Lying About Nuke Plant Meltdowns, Evacuate Americans: "Watching CNN interview Japan's ambassador to the U.S., Ichiro Fujisaki, one thing is clear: the official word from the Japanese government to all their diplomats is to lie and hard sell the official party line. Right now, in the middle of all this devastation, they are lying to President Obama and other world governments."
The Social Poets: Wisconsin Poll: Gov. Walker Gets Thumbs Down From Voters: "Talk about bad. Gov. Walker does not fare well in the very Republican-leaning Rasmussen polling. So, you know that polling is really about five to seven points worse than these guys want to tell you since they spin it in favor of Republicans."
The Social Poets: America Is NOT Broke Wisconsin Speech: Activist Michael Moore: "Moore spoke at a rally against Gov. Walker's decision to deny collective bargaining rights to the teachers he has decided to fire. First the public workers lose their rights, then the rest of us across the country watch our wages drop like a rock to ten cents an hour like in a third world country."
From Denny: Today in the port city of Zawiya, Libya, fierce fighting between rebel forces and Gadhafi (Kadafi, Qadaffi) loyalists killed scores while Gadhafi was embattled on many fronts throughout the country. Gadhafi threw tanks, bombs and militia at the rebels in Zawiya where at least 40 people died early this morning.
Zawiya is west of the capitol city of Tripoli where Gadhafi is headquartered, his stronghold, considered the rebel forces' prize to capture. Currently, Zawiya is littered with bodies of the brave not properly trained or equipped to sustain such an assault. And yet the rebels still hold much of the town which Gadhafi considers too close for comfort.
Gadhafi claims portions of the city under his control. The local hospital is overwhelmed and Gadhafi has been firing upon the ambulances as they try to help the wounded or remove the dead from the streets.
Rebel forces are made up of teachers, fishermen, former military, all with a passion to take control of their country. It's an uphill battle which they are willing to give their lives to accomplish. Fighting could go on for months unless the military is willing to quit supporting Gadhafi and his sons.
The situation grows more desperate in Libya as Gadhafi thugs occupy the mosques, preventing the people from speaking their minds. Gadhafi's militia is also going door to door to ferret out anyone they think is against the government. Already, people are being arrested just for suspicion. Relatives do not know where their loved ones are taken or if they still live after being taken away in the middle of the night in this ruthless police state.
Meanwhile, America and the rest of the international community deliberates as to the best course of action to remove him from power should the rebels not be strong enough to finish the job. A no-fly zone is finally considered but will it be one as defensive to fire upon Libyan jets? Will it just be NATO jets in the area to fly nearby as a warning to Gadhafi not to bomb civilians?
The United Nations is moving to gather humanitarian aid should this be a sustained civil war. While the U.N. suspended Libya from the Security Council, word is the U.N. placed Iran on the Women's Rights Council. Does the news get any more weird when International Women's Day is just around the corner on 8 March 2011?
Please remember the women in these war torn countries of the Middle East as their governments are in transition. In time of economic chaos and civil war it is always the women who are most at risk.
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From Denny: Finally, President Obama announces sanctions on Libya again. This Libyan dictator spent decades in sanctions limbo only to get thrown back into sanctions prison yet again. This guy should have been overthrown a long time ago.
Obama says he is freezing Libyan nationals' financial assets and there are economic sanctions to be put in place as well. He has not said what the specifics are to be exactly, as yet undetermined pending review of what will work best. Read that as he and his staff don't know and will be running around asking all the so-called experts what to do.
So far Obama has phoned key allies like UK Prime Minister Cameron, Prime Minister of Turkey, skirt-chasing Italy's Berlusconi and the United Nations Secretary General. Obama does not want to institute a no-fly zone but does not say why. The American embassy in Libya has been shuttered and closed down. Well, yeah, the country is in the process of becoming a failed state quickly.
One thing Obama did get right was to "hold his powder" as my Grand Dad used to say. Obama refused to satisfy the critics who demanded he come out and start screaming at and denouncing Gadhafi when the protests began. Well, there was the little matter of many hundreds of embassy and oil industry personnel still present in this chaotic country and we had to get them out safely. Today, a plane took off from the capitol city of Tripoli with Americans glad to leave that nightmare. Others arrived after 60 hours trapped on a ferry. But at least they are out now.
Currently, there is civil war going on in the country with Gadhafi murdering the once peaceful protesters. Law and order has gone out the window since Gadhafi began killing people. Now, protesters have taken up arms and have started taking over whole cities. This protest makes the Egypt Revolution look like Disneyland sweet.
Of course, everyone around the world keep stressing about how much the price of oil will go up. For one thing, what a sham. If world leaders are so weak as to allow Big Business to up the price of oil to $10 to $15 a gallon just in America then they will implode all the world economies. How stupid can you get? Here in America we sit on federal oil reserves stored in Louisiana. Oil prices are determined years ago to what they are to be today so why all of a sudden go up but for one reason: excessive profit?
America does not get all its oil from this area of the Middle East, a small percentage. As it is, America is sitting on the largest oil deposit in the world of light sweet crude, the easiest to process: the Gulf of Mexico. The same Gulf of Mexico, that BP polluted with their inept management of the oil rigs, people and the oil deposit. There is enough oil there to last America for well over a century.
The problem is that America allows Wall Street to control our resources to the point Americans don't get but a small benefit from our own oil reserves. Well, it's about time that this President get off his lazy ass and started taking care of the average American person instead of Big Business and Wall Street cheats.
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