Friday, June 29, 2007

JON STEWART, STEPHEN COLBERT, LEWIS BLACK & JANET JACKSON'S NIPPLE & THE FANTASIES OF DICK CHENEY

Anyway here is some more bits about the strange case of Vice President Dick Cheney who has created a new powerful Fiefdom which operates totally outside the confines of the American Government & its Judiciary as he reshapes the powers of the government & the way in which United States is run according to the will & fantasies of Dick Cheney - As a Canadian it is worrisome that Bush & Cheney are Stephen Harper's heroes & that so many Canadians wish deep down that they were Americans & not part of our second-rate nation but give Harper enough time we may become indistinguishable from America -at the moment we do as they the Americans tell us to do - their beliefs & policies - no matter how wrong they are - become our beliefs & policies as we join them in fighting this New Christian Crusade & so it goes... & if the American President wishes to for instance NUKE IRAN Canadians will as the sheep they are Applaud & Cheer as we prove Western Civilization is superiour to all others or so this is what they keep telling us as we destroy one country after another in the name of the Elite the powerful the super rich or even the Royal Family of England all of whom have been blessed by a vengeful tyrannical GOD...( see rant by Rick Mercer below)

Keith Olbermann and Rahm Emanuel on Defunding Dick Cheney



Jon Stewart-Another Dick Nugget 06-27-07



Jon Stewart on the Liberal Biased Media & Janet Jackson's Nipple
John Cougar Mellencamp " Aint that america "

Make- announce- type-spellcheck- publish-Journalism in the New Age
To seriously question policies is to be a " disloyal citizen " in a time of Perpetual War & so it goes...
from
amyfriel's Channel at YouTube - great bit of editing great song for the clip-


and Lewis Black on the liberal biased media
conservopedia & Qutube



Rick Mercer rant about the Queen -funny but oh so true why do so many Canadians want to believe that the Queen is someone special that by a quirk of fate being born into a certain family she is therefore better than everybody else & has been chosen by GOD to lord it over us - no wonder Conservatives laugh when we speak about equality & justice since in their view these ideals have nothing to do with the reality of the world as created & maintained by GOD or as ruled over by the various elites ...



take care,
GORD.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Billion Dollar Cheney MUSIC VIDEO & MORE

Here's a fun video about the dictator for life Dick Cheney
or whatever he thinks he is -GORD.



And here is a bit from Keith Olbermann:

Dick Cheney is a Rogue Nation KEITH OLBERMANN



DICK CHENEY EXPOSED from the CBC's Fifth Estate :

CBC FIFTH ESTATE
This is a clip from the CBC/Fifth Estate documentary 'The Unauthorized Biography of Dick Cheney, Ascent to Power'



and for more see:

Cheney:Oh, How I Wish He'd Go Away!By Michael Winship t r u t h o u t Tuesday 26 June 2007

Maybe you remember this bit of childhood doggerel, written by the American educator Hughes Mearns:

"Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
Oh, how I wish he'd go away."


Cheney is the archetypal man who wasn't there (but is), not only because of his legendary secrecy but also his insistence that he can keep the lid closed on anything he wants because the office of the vice presidency is unique - not part of the executive or the legislative branches of government. It is both and/or one. Or the other. Neither fish but mostly foul, as it were.

In other words, l'etat, c'est Dick. Or, employing the infuriating reasoning style of so many parents, "Why? Because I said so!"

Last week, the House Oversight Committee demanded an explanation of this breathtaking show of arrogance and Alice in Wonderland logic; specifically, the office of the vice president's insistence that it's exempt from President Bush's Executive Order 12958, which requires government agencies, including offices within the executive branch, to report annually on how they handle classified information.

It was explained that because one of his duties is to serve as president of the United States Senate, Mr. Cheney is part of the legislative branch and not the executive. Except when he is. As when he claims "executive privilege" to be the reason he doesn't have to tell us who visits his office and why, or even the names of the people who work on his staff.

Cheney's office followed the classified info rules in 2001. They followed the rules in 2002. But suddenly, in 2003, the vice president decided he didn't have to anymore and hasn't since.


and :
Cheney Stance on Information Challenged The Associated Press Sunday 24 June 2007

Washington - Democratic senators on Sunday chided Vice President Dick Cheney for declaring his office exempt from sections of a presidential order involving matters of national security. Republicans, more cautiously, said the matter deserves review.

At issue is a requirement that executive branch offices provide data on how much material they classify and declassify. That information is to be provided to the Information Security Oversight Office at The National Archives.

The White House contends that Cheney is complying properly. They say the presidential order was not intended to treat the vice president's office as an executive branch "agency," and therefore Cheney's office is exempt from the reporting requirement.

"The vice president is saying he's above the law, and the fact of the matter is, legal scholars are going to say this is preposterous," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called Cheney's move "the height of arrogance." She said it might not be a bad idea - as some other Democrats have suggested - that money for Cheney's office be held up until he decides whether or not he's in the executive branch.

"I find this just amazing," she said.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., countered that conflicts between the White House and Congress over jurisdictional bounds are not unusual.

"Let the courts decide if there's something wrong here," he said.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was asked in January to resolve the legal dispute, but he has not yet ruled on the issue.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif, is investigating the matter.

"I don't think that the vice president, with all due respect to everyone, is saying that the law doesn't apply to him or that he's above the law," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. "I think there are some legal interpretations. We have to look at those."

Wyden and Hutchison spoke on CNN's "Late Edition." Feinstein and Lott appeared on "Fox News Sunday."


or in various blogs ie
Craig Crawford's Trail Mix: Cheney's 'Non-Executive Privilege' Agenda
Jun. 26, 2007 |

More examples are surfacing of Vice President Dick Cheney’s assertion that he is not part of the executive or legislative branches of government.

Last week, a House committee revealed his longstanding claim of “non-executive privilege” to ignore a presidential order regulating classified national security archives. In a similar move, Cheney refused to include his office in the so-called “plum” book, a detailed listing of White House jobs and salaries produced every four years.

In the 2004 edition, the VP’s office is only mentioned in an appendix that explains the omission by asserting “the Vice Presidency is a unique office that is neither part of the executive branch, nor a part of the legislative branch.” Also, the Center for Public Integrity reported in 2005 that Cheney and his staff exempt themselves from travel disclosure rules followed by the rest of the administration.

Before Cheney writes his own Constitution for future holders of the office, Congress might want to step in and at least try to settle whether or not the vice president works for anybody at all.

(Contributing Editor Craig Crawford is a news analyst for NBC, MSNBC and CNBC)

or :
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/06/cheneying-chene.html The Daily Dish Andrew Sullivan Cheneying cheney june 23, 2007


Cheney is acting as if he is outside the constitution and above the law. He has been acting that way for quite a while now. When a public official abuses the public trust and refuses any oversight, it's time for the other branches of government to do what they can to rein him in. Especially when the man has revealed himself to be a blithering incompetent.

I don't think this is a trivial matter, because it seems to me that Cheney is currently an extremely dangerous man. He has nothing to lose in the next eighteen months. He cannot get any less popular. He thinks the 2004 election is the only legitimacy he needs. He doesn't believe the Congress should have any role in foreign policy. And he also believes that Iran must not develop nuclear power and that no one apart from him can stop them. The drum beat coming from his office about Iran's direct involvement in the Iraq war is obviously a preamble to claiming that the 2003 war authorization gives him and Bush the right to bomb Iran without going back to the Congress for approval. He's a man ready and willing to pull a Cambodia. If the Congress and the press don't start pushing back now, it may come sooner rather than later.


Take care,
GORD.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

LORD OF THE STARFIELDS BY BRUCE COCKBURN

One of my favourite Bruce Cockburn songs LORD OF THE STARFIELDS to which I have added some images of stars & gods etc. Hope you enjoy it .



take care,
GORD.

Monday, June 25, 2007

John Denver - The Strangest Dream - 1971

John Denver singing Ed McCurdy's anti-war song "The Strangest Dream "

Ed McCurdy (January 11, 1919 - March 23, 2000) was a folk singer, songwriter, and television actor. He is known for his widely-covered anti-war classic, "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," which has been recorded in seventy-six languages...

And here's a bit also from Wikpedia about John Denver:

John Denver (December 31, 1943October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was an American folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician who was one of the most popular artists of the 1970s. He recorded and released some 300 songs, about half of which he had composed, and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977. Denver's songs were suffused with a deep and abiding kinship with the natural world. Songs such as "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Leaving on a Jet Plane", "Calypso", "Annie's Song", "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", and "Rocky Mountain High" are popular worldwide. Denver has been referred to as "The Poet For the Planet", "Mother Nature's Son" (based on The Beatles song he covered) and "A Song's Best Friend".

And here is another beautiful & passionate song " CALYPSO " written by John Denver for the great work being done by Jacques Cousteau for helping us all to better understand the life within the sea...


Anyway here is a wonderfully bizarre & surreal film TIDELAND by Terry Gilliam which I really enjoyed & I would recommend which is a darker vision than that of say " The Bridge to Taribethia "but not nearly as brutal as Pan's Labyrinth which I also highly recommend...




















TIDELAND INRO BY TERRY GILLIAM



Trailer to TIDELAND




take care,
GORD.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

AMERICAN PSYCHO - THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS














Anyway I just wanted to share a couple of clips I found dealing with one of my favourite movies " AMERICAN PSYCHO ". The story takes place in the 1980's about an executive Patrick Bateman but it still rings true today as we watch the Bush Regime & their circle of friends & their antics or we watch as the media goes into a frenzy about pop icons like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton or the trial of Conrad Black - Conrad Black like George Bush, Cheney, Gonzales all see themselves as above the law or any ethical notion people may have - They see themselves as the chosen ones by God , Providence or some form of natural selection - but if they are the end result of " creationism " or " Evolution " then God help us or is it that we are somehow devolving as we approach the end of our species time on this sad little planet -

The film " American Psycho " is a nasty & scathing yet justified attack & critique of the values-system of what once were referred to as YUPPIES & their Neoconservative friends who judge people by their wealth, material possessions & conspicuous consumerism; their selfishness & narcissism ; their belief in dividing society into winners & losers & their belief that altruism is the height of foolishness & that one need only look after oneself & one's circle of friends but one only has friends who will benefit one in some way or other or one only belongs to organizations or religious groups or take part in certain activities whether it is going to the " right" bars & restaurants or being involved in the " right" sports which will help one up the ladder of success- if belonging to a particular group or political party or church will help with getting promoted or being hired or for getting into university or professional schools IE law , medicine , business administration , grad school or for networking purposes to meet those who might further one's goals ambitions or career then one joins such organizations even if one does not believe in their purpose or goals since their only ' real ' purpose is to further one's personal goals & ambitions & this becomes the measure of all things since all that matters is success money & power
- & notions of right & wrong of behaving in an ethical manner or being altruistic is just a lot of nonsense-

This is important I believe on an individual & societal level as we see with the Bush Regime & their gang in the United States of America who do not believe in the law or in ethical codes -for them the ends justify the means & the only true ethical standard is that of loyalty to one another that is to other members of their group for even when they have to take a fall as the scape-goat for the group they know that eventually they will be suitably rewarded for such actions IE getting a plumb of a job with some Neoconservative corporation like being made a CEO at Haliburton or whatever or get a well paid position on some Neoconservative " think Tank "- or get to go on the lucrative public lecture circuit with some lucrative book deals or to work as an over-paid under worked consultant for a corporation or for some government department -

I find it fascinating that the creator of this video chose the song " MAD WORLD " by Gary Jules of 'Tears For Fears ' which I associate with DONNY DARCO which is a film also about a misfit though Donny Darco is basically a good person whereas the American Psycho character Patrick Bateman played by Christian Bale is tragically flawed for his personality is built up by what he is told is acceptable behaviour by others like himself & by the media who are in awe of those who are powerful & wealthy & successful but it leaves him rather empty & sad as he tries to fill up the void which he can't since he is so cynical about human nature believing everyone is just like he is so he is unable to believe that some people are not purely selfish & ambitious- the characters in the film given their borrowed or artificial added on personalities are for the most part interchangeable - They & Patrick are more like automotons or robotic in nature as they have crushed any emotion which would make them seem human such as compassion & empathy which they see as weaknesses- in the film his secretary fulfills the role of a genuinely sincere individual who wishes no one harm but whom Patrick merely sees as a lesser being -

American Psycho clip to Mad World fromYoutube user tisphong
Patrick Bateman(Christian Bale) Mad World/GARY JULES



"Mad World"

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
[ www.azlyrics.com ]


take care,
GORD.

Friday, June 22, 2007

NICK CAVE " O'CHILDREN " VIDEO

Anyway here another song by Nick Cave " O'CHILDREN " from the album Abattoir Blues & The Lyre of Orpheus which is one of his most ambitious projects O'Children sounds & feels like an anthem for a generation - I've added images of children from various countries with images of war & the prophetic & disturbing paintings of the German expressionist George Grosz along with a couple by Rene Magritte & James Ensor etc. Hope you enjoy the music at least - I'm still a neophyte at making these little videos so just lower your expectations especially as we enter this New Dark Age as we begin to devolve -

The song is in a way an apology from my generation for not doing a better job of improving the world & failing the generations that will come after us who are justified in their criticisms of us...as Nick Cave puts it "Forgive us now for what we've done/ It started out as a bit of fun / Here, take these before we run away /The keys to the gulag " ...and so it goes





Lyrics of O'Children

"O Children"

Pass me that lovely little gun
My dear, my darting one
The cleaners are coming, one by one
You don't even want to let them start

They are knocking now upon your door
They measure the room, they know the score
They're mopping up the butcher's floor
Of your broken little hearts

O children

Forgive us now for what we've done
It started out as a bit of fun
Here, take these before we run away
The keys to the gulag

O children
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice
Children
Rejoice, rejoice

Here comes Frank and poor old Jim
They're gathering round with all my friends
We're older now, the light is dim
And you are only just beginning

O children

We have the answer to all your fears
It's short, it's simple, it's crystal dear
It's round about, it's somewhere here
Lost amongst our winnings

O children
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice
Children
Rejoice, rejoice

The cleaners have done their job on you
They're hip to it, man, they're in the groove
They've hosed you down, you're good as new
They're lining up to inspect you

O children

Poor old Jim's white as a ghost
He's found the answer that was lost
We're all weeping now, weeping because
There ain't nothing we can do to protect you

O children
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice
Children
Rejoice, rejoice

Hey little train! We are all jumping on
The train that goes to the Kingdom
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun
And the train ain't even left the station

Hey, little train! Wait for me!
I once was blind but now
I see Have you left a seat for me?
Is that such a stretch of the imagination?

Hey little train! Wait for me!
I was held in chains but now I'm free
I'm hanging in there, don't you see
In this process of elimination

Hey little train! We are all jumping on
The train that goes to the Kingdom
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun
It's beyond my wildest expectation

Hey little train! We are all jumping on
The train that goes to the Kingdom
We're happy, Ma, we're having fun
And the train ain't even left the station


[ www.azlyrics.com ]
From HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Child Soldiers

In over twenty countries around the world, children are direct participants in war. Denied a childhood and often subjected to horrific violence, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 children are serving as soldiers for both rebel groups and government forces in current armed conflicts. These young combatants participate in all aspects of contemporary warfare. They wield AK-47s and M-16s on the front lines of combat, serve as human mine detectors, participate in suicide missions, carry supplies, and act as spies, messengers or lookouts.

Physically vulnerable and easily intimidated, children typically make obedient soldiers. Many are abducted or recruited by force, and often compelled to follow orders under threat of death. Others join armed groups out of desperation. As society breaks down during conflict, leaving children no access to school, driving them from their homes, or separating them from family members, many children perceive armed groups as their best chance for survival. Others seek escape from poverty or join military forces to avenge family members who have been killed.

And from AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL on Child Soldiers

" I would like to give you a message. Please do your best to tell the world what is happening to us, the children. So that other children don't have to pass through this violence." Quote from ..".A 15-year-old girl who escaped from the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda "

With new weapons that are lightweight and easy to fire, children are more easily armed, with less training than ever before. Worldwide, more than half a million children under-18 have been recruited into government armed forces, paramilitaries, civil militia and a wide variety of non-state armed groups in more than 85 countries. At any one time, more than 300,000 of these children are actively fighting as soldiers with government armed forces or armed political groups.

Often recruited or abducted to join armies, many of these children - some younger than 10 years old - have witnessed or taken part in acts of unbelievable violence, often against their own families or communities. Such children are exposed to the worst dangers and the most horrible suffering, both psychological and physical. What is more, they are easily manipulated and encouraged to commit grievous acts, which they are often unable to comprehend. Many girl soldiers are expected to provide sexual services as well as to fight.


Take care,
GORD.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

NEOCON REVOLUTION HOW TO COMMIT FRAUD - HOW NOT TO HIRE AN AMERICAN

Here is an example of what Corporate Lawyers do best which is to find " loop-holes " in the law & ways to get around the laws when they are seen as mere nuisances or hurdles which corporations need to get over or around . These laws & pieces of legislation are often written in such a way to allow for some " loop-holes" & making the language at times rather vague...
& one wonders how different are these attorneys from those who work for the US attorney General Alberto Gonzales )who is a quisling of the Bush Neocon regime ) who also have a cynical view of the law & of the legislative process & other inconveniences like elected officials or the judiciary & the US Supreme Court
or the opinions of the public at large ... these attorneys believe their loyalty is to the Bush Regime & the Neoconservative Republican agenda & not to the US Constitution or Bill Of Rights or other bits of " liberal Nonsense "...so is the reason for hiring immigrants one of altruism to help these immigrants to become legal or is it just to be able to pay lower wages & provide fewer employee benefits ...

June 19, 2007
From: ZaZona at YouTube
Christine Romans reports on a video that appeared on YouTube of an immigration seminar. Topics included a tutorial for employers who want to import foreign workers by using H-1B, H-2B, and green cards. The video clips were put on youtube by a law firm called Cohen & Grigsby who held an immigration seminar on May 15, 2007 in Pittsburgh. Some of the subjects covered included instructions to employers how to avoid hiring qualified and interested American workers. Dobbs got it right when he said that this is a blatant attempt to screw American workers.




And here's more:

June 16, 2007
From: programmersguild at YouTube
Immigration attorneys from Cohen & Grigsby explains how they assist employers in running classified ads with the goal of NOT finding any qualified applicants, and the steps they go through to disqualify even the most qualified Americans in order to secure green cards for H-1b workers. See what Bush and Congress really mean by a "shortage of skilled U.S. workers." Microsoft, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, and thousands of other companies are running fake ads in Sunday newspapers across the country each week




also check out more on this story at Daily Koss

How To Not Hire An American
by Bob Oak Mon Jun 18, 2007

" Our goal is clearly NOT TO FIND a qualified and interested U.S. worker."

It's on video, believe it or not, and even presented as a selling point to peddle their services by Cohen & Grigsby Law Firm. That's right, this group of attorneys put an entire seminar on how to screw over the American worker on YouTube. Imagine that, a seminar from lawyers on how to make sure one doesn't have to hire an American worker!


More later on how US government services & departments are being contracted out or out-sourced making government bureaucracies into private concerns with little oversight while hiding the true cost of running these departments & their effectiveness...

Here is an article by William Fisher at TruthOut about abuses of regulations within the State Department to punish those within the department who do not follow the Republican & Neoconservative party line or those suspected of being " whisle Blowers ". The thing is that they are using a process which is legal on the face of it but they are interpreting the language of the regulations in ways that allow them a great deal of leeway- in the hands of a competent lawyers language can be manipulated to serve one's own purposes or agenda-

The point about "whistle blowers " is that someone working in a government department who knows of unlawful or questionable goings-on which affects the department's policies & effectivenes which impact the public surely should be reported as the employees loyalty is first & foremost to the citizenry & the nation & not to the government of the day or the President & his cronies-of course to the Neoconservatives loyalty to President Bush & his appointees & to the Republican Party come first - we see the same sort of behaviour on the part of PM Tony Blair & PM Stephen Harper for them also loyalty is everything- " Loose lips sink ships " as it were ...

Group: Agency Wrongfully Suspended Security Clearances
Monday 18 June 2007

As the US struggles to fill critical posts in its diplomatic missions overseas - including its massive new embassy in Baghdad - the State Department is suspending the security clearances of dozens of experienced Foreign Service Officers based on flimsy allegations or bogus accusations.

This charge is being made by an organization known as Concerned Foreign Service Officers (CFSO), which claims that security clearances often remain suspended for years, thus preventing the employee from doing the work for which he or she has been trained. CFSO is calling for an overhaul of the department's diplomatic security management and practices.

One State Department official, David Firestein, says the practices of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security have turned it into "the State Department's own version of Guantanamo."

CFSO says that once a security clearance is suspended, it often takes years to complete an investigation, and most suspensions ultimately lead to revocation. "For a Foreign Service Officer, losing a security clearance is tantamount to losing a job. Diplomats with suspended clearances are given desk jobs in Washington that require little or none of their expertise and experience. Experienced officers in whom the agency has invested large amounts of training are sidelined and unavailable for use by the agency."

CFSO charges that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) within the State Department is "increasingly misusing a poorly managed and poorly regulated security clearance process to circumvent personnel regulations, to bypass equal employment opportunity and other civil-rights laws, to avoid due process in the established discipline and suitability processes and to punish dissenters and whistleblowers within the agency."

It claims that security clearance investigations are increasingly being carried out by inexperienced personnel, thus greatly extending the period during which a diplomat with a suspended clearance is unable to do any meaningful work.

The organization adds that these "acts of diplomatic security malfeasance and incompetence threaten the national security of the United States by reducing the reliability and integrity of State Department security operations...."


And here is a related American story dealing with the separation of
Church & State & issues of racial or sexual discrimination or other forms of discrimination from Americans United Congress Should Block Backdoor Move To Endorse Discrimination By Colleges, Says Americans United Wednesday, June 20, 2007

AU's Lynn Says Education Measure Could Be Used To Support Educational Institutions That Push Discriminatory Policy

The U.S. Senate should halt a backdoor effort to endorse discrimination by religious universities, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

In a June 20 letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Americans United and other civil liberties groups called for changes to the Higher Education Amendments of 2007.

Currently the measure includes language that could allow the U.S. Department of Education to force the nation’s accrediting agencies to grant accreditation to universities with histories of religiously based discrimination, such as Bob Jones University. The measure states that educational accrediting groups must “consistently appl[y] and enforce standards that respect the stated mission of the institution of higher education, including religious missions.”

Some religious colleges are aggressively lobbying Congress to force accrediting agencies to override their nondiscrimination policies and to accredit colleges claiming a religious reason to discriminate against students and staff.

“I am appalled that the Senate would consider giving a green light to discrimination in our nation’s colleges and universities,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “The Senate should ensure that our nation’s accrediting agencies will not be strong-armed into approving religiously based discrimination against students and staff.”

The Americans United letter notes that “the nation has a long and shameful history of colleges and universities that have discriminated against faculty and students,” citing Bob Jones University as an example. The university, founded in 1927, pushed policies barring admission of African-Americans and prohibited students from interracial dating. The university’s founder also attacked the Catholic Church as a “satanic cult” and claimed that gay alumni could not return to campus.

“If the bill passes,” the letter states, “without removing the accreditation provision at issue, the historical role of accreditation associations in ending discrimination in education will be thrown into jeopardy.

“We expect that colleges and universities that would like to discriminate will pressure the Department of Education to stop accrediting bodies from refusing to accredit universities that engage in discrimination,” the letter continues. “We urge the Committee to amend the Higher Education Amendments to provide explicit protection for accrediting associations to enforce their own nondiscrimination provisions, as well as require compliance with federal, state, and local nondiscrimination laws.”
And even more disturbing is the fact that the Bush Regime is outsorcing government jobs & even departments & so policies & such are at the mercy of private interest who may be more interested in making a good profit than in providing a service to the public to which the public is entitled & becomes just another boon-doggle for the Neocons their friends & for the Republicans-one can imagine a government funded orphange for instance where to cut down cost facilities are not kept up to par or that that the food for the children is rationed out in a miserly fashion ala Oliver Twist" Please could I have some more " ah well we are moving backwards into the Golden Era of the Victorian Age when people knew their place & didn't try to go beyond their " station " when there were workhouses & the treadmill laws & debtors prisons... an age which the Neoconservatives dream about re-creating bit by bit ... and so it goes


THE BUSHITES HAVE OUTSOURCED OUR GOVERNMENT TO THEIR PALS
By Jim Hightower, Hightower Lowdown
The sprawling $43 billion homeland security department is
known for being in charge of America's color-coded
terrorist-threat alarm system, a sham that obscures HSD's
real mission: to serve as a giant federal cookie jar for
corporate America.

And as he points out :
Government by corporation

A monumental shift has quietly and quickly been taking place in the way the public's business is done -- and We the People have not even been informed about it, much less been asked to discuss and okay it. Corporations are taking over our government. No longer is it just a matter of big business's lobbyists and campaign donations perverting public policy. Now, politically connected corporations are also seizing day-to-day governmental operations for their own profit.
Since the Carter years, Washington has drifted toward more and more outsourcing of public functions to private contractors, but Bush Incorporated has turned that gradual increase into a fullblown, jet-powered rush to privatization. The shadowy and highly lucrative world of government contracting has boomed under George W, rising 86% since he's been in office and now totaling nearly $400 billion a year. Get this: There are now more people doing federal jobs under corporate contracts than there are people employed directly by the government. In other words, in today's government, corporate servants outnumber civil servants.

The lesson the Neocons have learned is that there are more ways than one to get rid of various departments or social programs or to effectively change policies & programs so that they better fit with the Neoconservative agenda & while your at it make some big bucks for yourself & your friends- otherwise one has to wait for changes in legislation or new & favourable rulings from the Supreme Court or changes or amendments to the constitution & that's all just a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo or Hooey so they change things by using a whole host of legal & not so legal tricks- as for them being legal or not or immoral or unethical is not relevant since the Bush Regime is made up of " True Believers " who would claim they are doing what is just or fair & necessary & best for the elite which they represent ... & you thought Nixon was a bad guy ...




take care ,
GORD.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

PERPETUAL WAR - " ABATTOIR BLUES"

This is a little video /slide-show I made with images of the Post 9/11 world which includes images of war, torture ,protests & Neocon propaganda etc.

Slide-show I made set to the song " Abattoir Blues" by Nick Cave...gord



And here is a more " light-hearted " bit of video or slide-show I made which features works of art by Vincent Van Gogh set to the song " Bring On The Dancing Horses " by the rather strange & surreal Echo & the Bunnymen so enjoy :




take care,
GORD.

Monday, June 18, 2007

VIETNAM TO IRAQ SUCH A SMALL STEP FOR HUMANKIND

NAPALM DROPPED BY AMERICAN PLANES IN VIETNAM























B 52 BOMBERS AT 10,000 feet dropping bombs on Charlie














US HELICOPTERS IN VIETNAM
" TIME TO DROP THE BIG ONE " BUSH DREAMS












TAKE CARE,
GORD . MUSIC IN POST BELOW
Posted by Picasa

AMERICAN PLANES DELIVERING THE MAIL -O SUPERMAN BY LAURIE ANDERSON

Anyway as the war in Iraq , Afghanistan & Palestine worsen reminding one more & more of Vietnam as that war escalated & spread to Cambodia which the Americans carpet bombed back to the stone age & Vietnam became like Iraq a ' free-fire zone ' & then started in on Laos ah well then it all was turned into a series of films & tv shows to keep us entertained but yet no wiser as we swallow another pack of lies next stop Iran ...and so it goes... yes the American Planes are still flying delivering their packages of death ...

LAURIE ANDERSON PERFORMING - O SUPERMAN-



And for the a lighter piece of music to start your day & your week here's Laurie Anderson 's ' Sharky's Day ' :



Take care,
GORD.

Friday, June 15, 2007

ERIC BOGLE SONG WRITER FOLK SINGER

Posted by Picasa


Eric Bogle explains parts of the song ' And The Band Played 'Waltzing Matilda ':

From the liner notes to a 1977 live Eric Bogle album:
"A "Matilda" was the name given to the pack of an Australian Bushman or Swagman. To "Waltz Matilda" was to carry your pack around the bush. 50.000 soldiers of Australia died at Gallipoli in a stupid and pointless campaign, which was a lot for a small country like Australia. About the only thing they achieved was a belated recognition that Australia was "growing up", she was becoming a nation in her own right.... Every April, a march is held on ANZAC DAY to commemorate the Gallipoli landings during the first World War, and the dead of the other wars. Australia takes it so seriously that the pubs are closed, the only day in the year this happens. Like all memorial parades it is both moving and yet somewhat pointless and pathetic. This song was written after observing one such parade."


Take Care ,
GORD.

ERIC BOGLE'S ANTI-WAR SONG ' NO MAN'S LAND ' AKA 'GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE '

Anyway here is another great anti-war song by Eric Bogle which sums up the madness & carnage of WWI...

GREEN FIELDS OF FRANCE ( originally titled NO MAN's LAND ) performed by Dropkick Murphys
also written by Eric Bogle 1976 which he wrote he says " after a short and very sobering tour round one of the vast military cemeteries in Northern France. There were a lot of Willie McBrides buried there... & he says it is " A song about the waste and futility of war. Pure and simple." He now maintains a website for those interested which includes the lyrics of this song & others he has written...
Eric Bogle Website.www.ericbogle.net/




ZOMBIE by Cranberries From: penkon at YouTube



Lyrics for ZOMBIE

Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, dou, dou, dou, dou, dou...

Another mother's breakin',
Heart is taking over.
When the vi'lence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a...

Take care,
GORD.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

GUARDING THE EMPIRE- COLLAGE

 
Posted by Picasa

GUANTANAMO WHERE THE AMERICAN DREAM GOES TO DIE

 
Posted by Picasa


(photo from Rolling Stone Magazine )

HUMANITY's INSATIABLE LOVE OF WAR & TRIUMPHAL PARADES " AND THE BAND PLAYED ' WALTZING MATILDA '

Anyway as the war in Iraq continues & becomes more lethal by the day while Bush & CO. prepare to attack Iran & now threaten other countries including Russia we see how our species has such a love of war & triumphal processions while turning a blind eye to the misery caused by war...
So Here are two versions of a great anti-war song which depicts the horror & madness of war " And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda " performed by The Pogues
from Youtube user smileynoir http://www.atheturk.com
"In memoriam of those, anzacs, turks, french who lost their lives in Gallipoli."



And From: rainydog at YouTube
AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MY MATILDA:: " This song is a Vietnam-era anti war song written by a Scottish-Australian singer songwriter named Eric Bogle. He wrote it in 1971, using the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 as a metaphor for the Vietnam war. To make this video I started with WW I and WW II and passed through Korea and Vietnam and on to the entrance into Iraq...sung by Priscilla Herdman "




Lyrics to ' And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda '

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again

Now those that were left, well we tried to survive
In a mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
But around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit
And when I woke up in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where my legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then turned all their faces away

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong
Who'll come-a-waltzing Matilda with me?
copyright © Eric Bogle

Take care,
GORD.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Nick Cave - There She Goes, My Beautiful World (Live)

Anyway so I'm not in the mood for anything too deep or serious so here's some music to pass the time ...

Awesome live performance of his song from the album Abattoir Blues /Lyre of Orpheus- just wanted to share this...gord



And here's NICK CAVE performing his song " NATURE BOY " from Abattoir Blues from Mexicat at YouTube- Hope you Enjoy it like I do ...




Ah... what the hell so here is another truly great performance by Nick Cave...maybe this one will make you a fan or not -it comes on like gangbusters given to such great lines like " an army of tanks bursting from your chest "...NICK CAVE - SUPERNATURALLY
From: StrawberryHills at YouTube




"Once I was your heart's desire
Now I am the ape hunkered by the fire "
Nick Cave from SUPERNATURALLY


Take care,
GORD.

Monday, June 11, 2007

IRAQI TROOPS SENT TO END OIL WORKERS STRIKE & NEW IRAQI OIL LAW A GIFT TO AMERICAN OIL COMPANIES

Here's a little music by Stevie Wonder posted March 14, 2007 by YouTube user HopeAllen : " Six years: a perspective of the George W. Bush administration and their legacy of faith-based policies and compassionate conservatism "

Heaven Help Us All



Anyway Bush & co. have argued that they are bringing democracy & democratic principles to Iraq but it seems that the invasion of Iraq has more to do with giving access to Iraqi Oil to a number of International & American owned oil companies as the New Iraqi Oil Law now gives 75% of the oil to non-Iraqi companies.

So according to this American model of nationalism & Internationalization countries must allow foreign interests to be allowed full access to a nations natural resources . No country has the right therefore to nationalize various industries even if this would be to the benefit of the people of that nation. In most democratic nations there is assumed to be a right to collective bargaining on the part of workers as in the recent Supreme court case here in Canada whereby 'The Right to Collective Bargaining was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada & that the Federal government nor the provincial governments can take actions which interfere or undermine this right-
See: Also see globeandmail.com Collective bargaining is a right, top court rules


Yet in Iraq on June 6, (2007) troops have been sent to end an oil workers on stike & so according to the Bush doctrine of democracy the right to collective bargaining & the right to strike are not important democratic rights - this is not surprising since the neoconservatives are anti-union & believe in what they refer to as the " Right To Work "- meaning the right to work for lower & lower wages & fewer & fewer benefits for the average worker whether in Iraq or America while CEOs now earn many more times over what they did ten years ago - ie. a salary increase from one million a year in 1997 to eight million a year in 2007-



And here's a snipit of Bush joking with The Wealthy Elite " the haves & the have mores " who are being made richer by his policies eincluding the Occupation of Iraq :



Anyway Avi Lewis is hosting a new show on CBC " ON THE MAP " which may actually include some hard-hitting in depth news reporting & interviews we'll have to keep an eye on this as it develops -


Avi Lewis interviews John Bolton about the Iraq Oil Law
May 28, 2007From: OnTheMapwithAviLewis
Clip from new global current affairs show on CBC Newsworld. Award-winning filmmaker and journalist-activist Avi Lewis asks John Bolton if the proposed law is fueling sectarianism, and if US pressure equals Big Oil interest. The full interview can be seen at www.cbc.ca/onthemap



Also seeCBCs On The Map :
Aired on June 4, 2007
The Iraq Oil Law is a little known document at the heart of the war.


Critics of the Iraq oil law say it will deprive Iraqis of billions in oil revenues and worsen tensions between regions, ethnic groups, and religions. Critics also point to a long paper trail of US involvement in the drafting of the law.


Blogger Raed Jarrar is one of those critics. In February 2007, Jarrar obtained a copy of the law from a source inside the Green Zone in Baghdad - before the Iraqi Parliament had even seen it. The draft law, says Jarrar, was in part written by American consulting firm Bearing Point, a company that got a $240 million contract from the US government to draw up plans for Iraq’s reconstruction.



Iraq Workers Form Unions Despite Violence, Obstacles
Added: December 08, 2006 From: AFLCIONow
Abdullah Muhsin, the international representative of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW).

( this now sounds like naive optimism as Iraqi troops were sent to end oil workers' strike in Iraq as of June 6, 2007 GORD. )



It seems he spoke too soon & does not know that the Bush Regime is anti-union & anti-democratic since their definition of democracy is tied to the notion of Free Trade & allowing Multinationals & American owned companies the freedom to do whatever they want to do.

So workers of the world be warned it is ok now to send in troops to stop any workers' strike since any interference in production is to be characterized as an act of sedition & treason since we are now in a perpetual state of war as the following article points out:


Analysis: Oil Strikers Met by Iraqi Troops
By Ben Lando
United Press International

Thursday 07 June 2007

Washington - On the third day of an oil strike in southern Iraq, the Iraqi military surrounded oil workers and the prime minister issued arrest warrants for the union leaders, sparking an outcry from supporters and international unions.

"This will not stop us because we are defending people's rights," said Hassan Jumaa Awad, president of IFOU. As of Wednesday morning, when United Press International spoke to Awad via mobile phone in Basra at the site of one of the strikes, no arrests had been made, "but regardless, the arrest warrant is still active." He said that the "Iraqi Security Forces," who were present at the strike scenes, told him of the warrants and said that they would be making any arrests.


The arrest warrant accuses the union leaders of "sabotaging the economy," according to a statement from British-based organization Naftana, and said that Maliki warned that his "iron fist" would be used against those who stopped the flow of oil.


IFOU called a strike early last month but put it on hold twice after overtures from the government. Awad said that at a May 16 meeting, Maliki agreed to set up a committee to address the unions' demands.


The demands include union entry to negotiations over the oil law that they fear will allow foreign oil companies too much access to Iraq's oil, as well as a variety of improved working conditions.


"Apparently they promise but they never do anything," Awad said, confirming reports that the Iraqi oil ministry would send a delegation to Basra.


"One person from the ministry of oil accompanied by an Iraqi military figure came to negotiate the demands. Instead it was all about threats. It was all about trying to shut us up, to marginalize our actions," Awad said. "The actions we are taking now are continuing with the strike until our demands are taken in concentration."


The strike by the Iraq Pipelines Union in Basra started Monday, instigated by a decision by the Iraq Pipelines Company to stop regular bonuses to workers. It is part of a larger picture, however, of 17 different demands laid out - beginning last month - to the Iraq oil ministry and Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki by the Iraq Federation of Oil Unions.




Bush to take Iraq Oil
February 22, 2007,From: ColbyDog
Bush's real agenda revealed in proposed law to privatize oil for US corporations
Amy Goodman ON " DEMOCRACY NOW " interviews Antonia Juhasz & Blogger Raed Jarrar


Video of Antonia Juhasz speaking about new law regarding Iraq's oil 75 % of Iraqi oil to be handed over to non-Iraqi companies




And here is more on Iraqi Oil Law which was written & approved by American officials & various CEOs of a number of American controlled oil companies but of course the war in Iraq is not about oil as Mr. Bolton would say...

Iraqi Oil Privatized & troops sent to end strike of oil workers
Antonia Juhasz interviewed by Amy Goodman june 6, 2007
(audio only )




Take care,
GORD.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

TEAPACK CONTROVERSIAL SONG ' Push The Button ' TONGUE IN CHEEK OR ANTI--IRAN SONG

Anyway there is a bit of controversy over the song ' Push the Button ' by Israeli group Teapack which was entered into the Eurovision song contest. Some believe the song is too political & is aimed at the president of Iran who some believe will, if he can , Nuke Israel & the song ends in a way which seems to suggest Israel should Nuke Iran first. I think the song is a bit more ambiguous than this & is a reflection of the anxiety of many Israeli's about how volatile the situation is in the Middle East . The leaders referred to in the song it could be argued could just as well be the leaders of Israel or George Bush & his gang ; just as much as it could be referring to Iran which may in the future develop Nuclear Weapons or it could be referring to other countries who do have nuclear weapons like India or China or Russia or France or Great Britain etc.

The song is a sort of mix of Klesmer & rap & hip hop & to me sounds a lot like " They Might Be Giants ' & so deals with a serious subject in a humorous fashion but as they say judge for yourself. Otherwise I like the song it is funky & a bit twisted as it were ... & the performance is quirky & over the top - it is also interesting since it is in Hebrew/ Yiddish , English & French which might possible make it unique.




Here is the English translation of lyrics from
BOSSITE.COM

Teapacks - Push the button (english translation)

The world is full of terror
If someone makes an error
He's gonna blow us up to biddy biddy kingdom come
There are some crazy rulers
They hide and try to fool us
With demonic, technologic willingness to harm

They're gonna push the button, push the button
Push the bu... push the bu... push the button
Push the button, push the button
Push the bu... push the bu... push the button

There's a lot of suffering
In the streets there's too much violence
And we stand a good chance of staying alive, even unscathed
Tactical advancement of a fanatical regime
A tragic situation that brings tears to my eyes

And I don't wanna die
I wanna see the flowers bloom
Don't wanna go kaput kaboom
And I don't wanna cry
I wanna have a lot of fun just sitting in the sun
But nevertheless

He's gonna push the button, push the button
Push the bu... push the bu... push the button
Push the button, push the button
Push the bu... push the bu... push the button

Messages are exploding on me
Missiles are flying are also landing on me
Cops and robbers are running all over me
And they're jumping me, getting on my case
Alas, alas, answer me, my God, hi
This nightmare is too long
When I'm barely alive and everyone is aiming at me
Maybe it's too late to sing that I gave her my life

Police, rescue team
It made it to the Kdam, a song with no peace
Red is not just a colour, it's more like blood
Again I'm stopping the breathing in my heart
So I won't drop dead
First it's a war, now it's resuscitation

Boom boom, that's what is happening now
In between a rocket and a machete, a viewer and a reporter
Underhanded opportunism and a kidnapee, rain and a heatwave
An escalation in the levels is setting up camp

Nothing, nothing, that's what everyone is doing
Hardliners become more extreme and officers more serious
The naive become more moderate, waiting for the data
And reply (that everyone is helpless)

A world full of demons where we are nothing but pawns
And champions with gambling chips decide the outcome
Sluggish management, a ship filled with water
And everyone is drinking to good health, and drowning

Maybe it's too sharp
We should sing palm tree songs, desert songs with no flags
I'm still alive, alive, alive
And if it keeps on being scary, only then will I say:

I'm gonna push the button, push the button
Push the bu... push the bu... push the button
Push the button, push the button
Push the bu... push the bu... push the button


And check out :
March 04, 2007 post by Jeff Barak
Storm in a Teapack at The Jewish Chronicle Blog

Are we on the verge of yet another Israeli boycott? The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest said last week that they might ban this year's Israel entry, "Push the button", because of an inappropriate political message.

The song contest organizers are worried that the... lyrics refer to Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Lead singer Kobi Oz denied the song was political telling the Ynet website: I know our song is not political. What caught the eye were the words 'crazy leaders' - they decided to interpret them as though they referred to Ahmadinejad. I'm convinced that others will refer to our leaders... Our way of dealing with terror is to laugh in its face. I think the Europeans should adopt this method as well."


And here is an interview with the group:

Eurovision 2007: Israel speak out over lack of co-operation



take care,
GORD.