On this, the week of the 10th anniversary of 9/11/2001, after all the secret, unconstitutional programs and lies about Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction by the Bush-Cheney “Regime,” should anybody truly believe that terrorists alone accomplished 9/11? Look at the evidence…
None of the terrorist attacks against the United States, before or since 9/11, has had the same level of organization, sophistication, or casualties as 9/11. In addition, why has the Obama Administration not pressed charges of war crimes against the previous administration for their use of torture? Could exposing their war crimes expose other, more outrageous war crimes committed against the American people by that administration; namely, demolition assistance provided to the terrorists on 9/11 by the Bush Administration for bringing down the twin towers?
This indubitably would bring into question the war against Afghanistan as well as the Federal government’s commitment to protect the American people. In my opinion, it is unbelievable that two planes, made out of aluminum, brought down two of the most sturdily constructed buildings in New York City. When atrocities like 9/11 occur, believe not what your eyes tell you as evidence of the truth. Those truly guilty shall want to deceive people’s senses.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Withdraw U. S. troops from Afghanistan now
If President Obama does not want to put our forces in more danger by releasing photographs of "a few good men" abusing their authority over detainees held in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, tell me this -- why are we still over in Afghanistan? Was not that the whole point of sending armed forces to Afghanistan -- to take the fight to their soil instead of fighting it on ours?
In my opinion, we should get out of Afghanistan while we still can, lest we be quagmired there for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years. Afghanistan will be the next Vietnam if we do not get out of there soon and possibly the dissolution point of America.
Published in Buffalo News on May 31, 2009
In my opinion, we should get out of Afghanistan while we still can, lest we be quagmired there for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years. Afghanistan will be the next Vietnam if we do not get out of there soon and possibly the dissolution point of America.
Published in Buffalo News on May 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Are these the end times?
I began writing this essay five days after the first presidential debate of 2008. I am frightened for the welfare of the United States and the world. For the past month now, I have had visions that the end of the world is nigh. Ever since John McCain’s acceptance speech, visions of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse have ravaged my mind.
I am not a very religious person, believing more in science as means to an end, albeit the end may be not always pleasant. I have a very limited knowledge of the four horsemen. Until now, I have interpreted, as have many others, the prophecy of horsemen told by Saint John the Devine of Patmos as four individual plagues that are felled upon man by man’s own hubris through the misuse and abuse of science and technology. In John’s prophecy, the first man, who rides the white horse, allegedly represents false prophets. The second man, who rides the red horse, commonly portrays war. The third man riding the black horse symbolizes famine and pestilence, and finally the fourth man, riding the pale horse, supposedly portrays death.
This interpretation is nice, however we are led to believe these are four separate events, and they will happen sometime in the distant future. I disagree with this interpretation. I had a disturbing epiphany during the Republican National Convention that John of Patmos did not prophesy about four separate plagues, rather a point in time, right now, the 2008 United States’ presidential elections.
Read the book of Revelation in the Bible (6:1-8). Then, replace the image of a man on a white horse with that of a man with white hair – John McCain has white hair. Replace the image of the man on the red horse with that of a woman who likes the color red – Sarah Palin likes red. Replace the man on a black horse with a black man – Obama is black. Replace the man on the pale horse with a man with gray hair – George W. Bush has graying hair. What about the other characteristics of the four horsemen fit the people I have linked to the horsemen?
The Bible says that the first horseman will go forth conquering and to conquer… McCain says he shall fight in Iraq until we win. Is this not going forth to conquer? The Bible also says that this horseman has a crown given to him… Does this mean McCain will win the election? If this indeed is what it means, it follows that his election would bring about Armageddon. The Bible also says that the first horseman shall carry a bow. It says nothing about him carrying arrows though… This could mean that McCain will be a weapon waiting for someone to pull the trigger. Take into consideration the words shouted by audience members at McCain rallies about Obama, words like, “Terrorist,” “Kill him,” and “Bomb Obama.” That tells me that some radicals out there are just begging an excuse to assassinate Obama, hence McCain’s words shall be the bow, and a supporter of his will provide the arrow.
The Bible says that the second horseman will have power given to him to take peace from the earth… From the vice-presidential debates, it is very apparent that Palin wants to expand the powers of which the office claimed authority under the Bush/Cheney regime.
The third horseman, says the Bible, shall carry a pair of balances in his hand. A voice from the vicinity of this horseman proclaims, “a measure of wheat for a penny, a measure of barley for a penny…” With the economic crisis that now is in its infancy, I can envision Obama saying this both as president if elected and as the senator from Illinois. In addition, the voice says, “…and see thou not hurt the oil and the wine.” How ironic that Obama consistently endeavors to fight for the environment by resisting the short term, knee jerk solution to the energy crisis via drilling for more oil. Obama knows the oil reserves the U.S. holds in the Anwar region of Alaska and off the continental shelf is a mere pittance to the amount used by the U.S. every year and would be exhausted in no-time. The clear solution to the energy crisis is some kind of alternate fuel. All the McCain campaign can offer is, “…drill baby, drill,” a simple solution to a complex problem. This approach often leads to problems that are more complex in the end. Also, the fact the voice came from around the third horsemen and not from himself indicates to me that the message this voice conveys is fleeting or comes from the dead, harkening back to my previous statement about an assassination attempt on Obama.
The fourth and final horseman rides the pale horse and his name is death, and hell follows him. President Bush indeed has set the precedent of an administration from which only hell can follow.
I pray that I am wrong about these four people being the prophecy of the four horsemen. If I am right though, I pray for all mankind.
I am not a very religious person, believing more in science as means to an end, albeit the end may be not always pleasant. I have a very limited knowledge of the four horsemen. Until now, I have interpreted, as have many others, the prophecy of horsemen told by Saint John the Devine of Patmos as four individual plagues that are felled upon man by man’s own hubris through the misuse and abuse of science and technology. In John’s prophecy, the first man, who rides the white horse, allegedly represents false prophets. The second man, who rides the red horse, commonly portrays war. The third man riding the black horse symbolizes famine and pestilence, and finally the fourth man, riding the pale horse, supposedly portrays death.
This interpretation is nice, however we are led to believe these are four separate events, and they will happen sometime in the distant future. I disagree with this interpretation. I had a disturbing epiphany during the Republican National Convention that John of Patmos did not prophesy about four separate plagues, rather a point in time, right now, the 2008 United States’ presidential elections.
Read the book of Revelation in the Bible (6:1-8). Then, replace the image of a man on a white horse with that of a man with white hair – John McCain has white hair. Replace the image of the man on the red horse with that of a woman who likes the color red – Sarah Palin likes red. Replace the man on a black horse with a black man – Obama is black. Replace the man on the pale horse with a man with gray hair – George W. Bush has graying hair. What about the other characteristics of the four horsemen fit the people I have linked to the horsemen?
The Bible says that the first horseman will go forth conquering and to conquer… McCain says he shall fight in Iraq until we win. Is this not going forth to conquer? The Bible also says that this horseman has a crown given to him… Does this mean McCain will win the election? If this indeed is what it means, it follows that his election would bring about Armageddon. The Bible also says that the first horseman shall carry a bow. It says nothing about him carrying arrows though… This could mean that McCain will be a weapon waiting for someone to pull the trigger. Take into consideration the words shouted by audience members at McCain rallies about Obama, words like, “Terrorist,” “Kill him,” and “Bomb Obama.” That tells me that some radicals out there are just begging an excuse to assassinate Obama, hence McCain’s words shall be the bow, and a supporter of his will provide the arrow.
The Bible says that the second horseman will have power given to him to take peace from the earth… From the vice-presidential debates, it is very apparent that Palin wants to expand the powers of which the office claimed authority under the Bush/Cheney regime.
The third horseman, says the Bible, shall carry a pair of balances in his hand. A voice from the vicinity of this horseman proclaims, “a measure of wheat for a penny, a measure of barley for a penny…” With the economic crisis that now is in its infancy, I can envision Obama saying this both as president if elected and as the senator from Illinois. In addition, the voice says, “…and see thou not hurt the oil and the wine.” How ironic that Obama consistently endeavors to fight for the environment by resisting the short term, knee jerk solution to the energy crisis via drilling for more oil. Obama knows the oil reserves the U.S. holds in the Anwar region of Alaska and off the continental shelf is a mere pittance to the amount used by the U.S. every year and would be exhausted in no-time. The clear solution to the energy crisis is some kind of alternate fuel. All the McCain campaign can offer is, “…drill baby, drill,” a simple solution to a complex problem. This approach often leads to problems that are more complex in the end. Also, the fact the voice came from around the third horsemen and not from himself indicates to me that the message this voice conveys is fleeting or comes from the dead, harkening back to my previous statement about an assassination attempt on Obama.
The fourth and final horseman rides the pale horse and his name is death, and hell follows him. President Bush indeed has set the precedent of an administration from which only hell can follow.
I pray that I am wrong about these four people being the prophecy of the four horsemen. If I am right though, I pray for all mankind.
End of American Empire
The first signs of the end of the American Empire are very evident as of 2008. I base my premise on the collapse of other empires, like the Roman Empire, as examples. Having a government with a governing style based upon the Roman style, I believe we all should be concerned.
There are several hypotheses as to exactly what felled the Roman Empire. Some of these theories include the following reasons. Some say the Roman Empire fell because they overextended their boundaries. Others say its fall was due to inbreeding and nepotism. Still others conclude the fall happened because of mania caused by lead poisoning on account of the lead used in their plumbing (the Latin word for lead, the metal, is plumbum, the root word of plumbing). Another premise is that sheer hedonism caused the fall. A final pretext is that once Julius Caesar declared himself emperor, Rome’s end began because Romans ceased being citizens becoming instead subjects of Caesar’s whims. All of these theories are, at least, somewhat plausible. What is more, perhaps the fall happened due to a combination of all of these reasons.
Try applying them to the United States of 2008. The U.S. is currently the aggressor in an apparently endless war with Iraq, trying to extend its influence in the Middle Eastern world. Hence, they have overextended their boundaries. Moreover, this war became reality during George W. Bush’s presidency, son of President George H. W. Bush. This is nepotism. The fact Hillary Clinton made it as far as she did in the Democratic primary in 2008 underscores my point. Just because her husband was a relatively good president does not mean she would make a good president in her own right. The third parallel I see between the Roman Empire and the U.S. is that Congress is about to invalidate the Fourth Amendment, protecting Americans’ right to privacy, by butchering the FISA Act and giving the president authority to eavesdrop on all Americans’ private conversations. With this unprecedented power, I predict the president will cherry-pick any information from those conversations that shall indict ordinary citizens of treason and sedition. The U.S. Border Patrol is already seizing private computers and memory devices without probable cause. Just as Caesar took away Romans’ rights to rule themselves when he became emperor, the executive branch is taking away Americans’ rights to rule themselves aided by a cowed Congress through passing this butchered FISA bill.
In conclusion, dissolution is the natural end of governments, but complacency by citizens causes dissolution.
Lee Hartlieb
Buffalo
There are several hypotheses as to exactly what felled the Roman Empire. Some of these theories include the following reasons. Some say the Roman Empire fell because they overextended their boundaries. Others say its fall was due to inbreeding and nepotism. Still others conclude the fall happened because of mania caused by lead poisoning on account of the lead used in their plumbing (the Latin word for lead, the metal, is plumbum, the root word of plumbing). Another premise is that sheer hedonism caused the fall. A final pretext is that once Julius Caesar declared himself emperor, Rome’s end began because Romans ceased being citizens becoming instead subjects of Caesar’s whims. All of these theories are, at least, somewhat plausible. What is more, perhaps the fall happened due to a combination of all of these reasons.
Try applying them to the United States of 2008. The U.S. is currently the aggressor in an apparently endless war with Iraq, trying to extend its influence in the Middle Eastern world. Hence, they have overextended their boundaries. Moreover, this war became reality during George W. Bush’s presidency, son of President George H. W. Bush. This is nepotism. The fact Hillary Clinton made it as far as she did in the Democratic primary in 2008 underscores my point. Just because her husband was a relatively good president does not mean she would make a good president in her own right. The third parallel I see between the Roman Empire and the U.S. is that Congress is about to invalidate the Fourth Amendment, protecting Americans’ right to privacy, by butchering the FISA Act and giving the president authority to eavesdrop on all Americans’ private conversations. With this unprecedented power, I predict the president will cherry-pick any information from those conversations that shall indict ordinary citizens of treason and sedition. The U.S. Border Patrol is already seizing private computers and memory devices without probable cause. Just as Caesar took away Romans’ rights to rule themselves when he became emperor, the executive branch is taking away Americans’ rights to rule themselves aided by a cowed Congress through passing this butchered FISA bill.
In conclusion, dissolution is the natural end of governments, but complacency by citizens causes dissolution.
Lee Hartlieb
Buffalo
Friday, September 7, 2007
Shame on Ken Burns and PBS
I wonder if anyone else saw the seventh and final installment of Ken Burns' documentary on New York City called, "The Center of the World," that left a bad, really bad taste in their mouths, for it was about the rise and fall (pun unintended) of the World Trade Center towers.
The presentation of the history behind the making of the Twin Towers was superb in its Burnsianesque style, up until it got to the 9/11 segment. Its portrayal of the towers' collapse seemed like I was watching a government propaganda piece because it had footage that I do not recall seeing in any of the hours of live feed caught on film that day.
In addition, the rubble appeared everywhere in the Ken Burns' documentary. As I recall, there was very little debris outside the towers' footprint with exception for the concrete and asbestos dust that littered the streets. I remember, as Dan Rather proclaimed on CBS as it was happening, it seemed more like a controlled demolition.
In Ken Burns' documentary, there were huge chunks of building falling yet, in the 9/11 Commission report, demolition crews testified to finding no beams longer than 30 feet. Moreover, in the documentary, I saw several sections of wall still standing yet, in the real footage; I only see one small piece of wall standing.
Did you doctor your documentary Mr. Burns at the government’s behest, due to the publicity around Steven Jones', PhD. of physics at BYU, counter hypothesis about how the towers fell? Is Dr. Jones' hypothesis that much more credible than the government's "jet fuel getting hot enough to melt steel" explanation that the government needed to alter the film footage, fabricating scenes to back up its own hypothesis, so as to discredit Dr. Jones and to not lose American support for Bush and Cheney's untenable war on terror?
Wouldn’t you agree Mr. Burns that it is time we stopped swaddling “’baby’ Bush” in the flag of 9/11 every time they, the government, tips us off to another possible terror threat? Instead of fighting terrorism over there and cloaking the tragedy and mystery of 9/11 with myth, patriotic rhetoric, euphemisms and terrorism, we should unmask the ugly, honest truth behind 9/11 here for that is where it all started. I challenge you to make a documentary on that!
The presentation of the history behind the making of the Twin Towers was superb in its Burnsianesque style, up until it got to the 9/11 segment. Its portrayal of the towers' collapse seemed like I was watching a government propaganda piece because it had footage that I do not recall seeing in any of the hours of live feed caught on film that day.
In addition, the rubble appeared everywhere in the Ken Burns' documentary. As I recall, there was very little debris outside the towers' footprint with exception for the concrete and asbestos dust that littered the streets. I remember, as Dan Rather proclaimed on CBS as it was happening, it seemed more like a controlled demolition.
In Ken Burns' documentary, there were huge chunks of building falling yet, in the 9/11 Commission report, demolition crews testified to finding no beams longer than 30 feet. Moreover, in the documentary, I saw several sections of wall still standing yet, in the real footage; I only see one small piece of wall standing.
Did you doctor your documentary Mr. Burns at the government’s behest, due to the publicity around Steven Jones', PhD. of physics at BYU, counter hypothesis about how the towers fell? Is Dr. Jones' hypothesis that much more credible than the government's "jet fuel getting hot enough to melt steel" explanation that the government needed to alter the film footage, fabricating scenes to back up its own hypothesis, so as to discredit Dr. Jones and to not lose American support for Bush and Cheney's untenable war on terror?
Wouldn’t you agree Mr. Burns that it is time we stopped swaddling “’baby’ Bush” in the flag of 9/11 every time they, the government, tips us off to another possible terror threat? Instead of fighting terrorism over there and cloaking the tragedy and mystery of 9/11 with myth, patriotic rhetoric, euphemisms and terrorism, we should unmask the ugly, honest truth behind 9/11 here for that is where it all started. I challenge you to make a documentary on that!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Let Us Get Out Of Iraq, Now!
George W. Bush says there is no easy way out of Iraq, presumably meaning the only, preferable, way out is the hard way. Rubbish! What the president really means is there is no way out of Iraq, period! The situation he has the United States in is a classic “Catch-22” dilemma in which we are damned if we pull out and damned if we stay in Iraq.
The hard way out of Iraq is just as intolerable as the easy way out. There will be more death, bloodshed and destruction if we stay in Iraq. The president warns Iraq will become another terrorist haven and the ‘war’ we began will turn into a regional conflict if we pull out now – does he not see that it is turning into just that with us in Iraq?
Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese war philosopher, wrote in his 13 book treatise called The Art Of War over 2500 years ago, that to wage a prolonged war is a most assured way to lose a war. Prolonged warfare drains a nation of war making resources, like soldiers, money, and the people’s patience for the war to end. Is that not what is happening to our country now?
For these reasons, it is foolhardy to continue this war. I firmly believe it is time for the United States to pull out of Iraq.
The hard way out of Iraq is just as intolerable as the easy way out. There will be more death, bloodshed and destruction if we stay in Iraq. The president warns Iraq will become another terrorist haven and the ‘war’ we began will turn into a regional conflict if we pull out now – does he not see that it is turning into just that with us in Iraq?
Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese war philosopher, wrote in his 13 book treatise called The Art Of War over 2500 years ago, that to wage a prolonged war is a most assured way to lose a war. Prolonged warfare drains a nation of war making resources, like soldiers, money, and the people’s patience for the war to end. Is that not what is happening to our country now?
For these reasons, it is foolhardy to continue this war. I firmly believe it is time for the United States to pull out of Iraq.
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