Saturday, August 29, 2009

Largest Ever Biological Attack Drill Planned on Major City in Israel (Starts January 1, 2010)!

I know that Isreal performs many drills for its citizens. On the first day of the year in January, 2010, Israel will conduct its largest ever biological attack drill with a simulation of an Israeli city being hit by terrorists with weaponized Ebola, anthrax, Q fever or smallpox.

The threat scenario will include a biological attack on a major Israeli city and will include the IDF Home Front Command, Magen David Adom, the Israel Police, the IDF Medical Corps, the IDF Spokesman's Office and the Fire and Rescue Service...

Diseases known to have been weaponized include Ebola, anthrax, Q fever and smallpox. The exercise will focus on some of these diseases. One possibility that will be considered during the drill will be to close down and quarantine the entire city in the event that the disease spreads.

Source: Jerusalem Post


Secret Military Vehicles Patrolling Back Roads Spotted by Law Enforcement Officer in Rural Maury County, Tennessee (Preparation for Martial Law?)

I scroll as many news sources as time allows, and I try to put the stories that I know the mainstream media will not touch especially the recent ones about Posse Comitatus. Earlier today on the Prison Planet forum, I read a message from a law enforcement officer in Columbia, Tennessee, Maury County, zip code 38401 where he says that unidentified military style vehicles are patrolling the rural backroads. You can read the specific information below after my questions.

If the mainstream media wants to validate the below story, here are the questions that need to be asked and answered.

1. On August 26, 2009, were there any official federal government operations (or international operations working with federal consent) involving patrols of rural streets in Maury County, Tennessee?

2. If yes to #1, what agencies were involved with the patrols?

3. Were any international agencies involved with the patrols?

4. Did these agencies inform the local sheriff of the patrols?

5. Did the sheriff approve the patrols?

6. What were the mission objectives for the patrol operation?

7. Are there any future patrols planned for Maury County, TN?

8. Did any action resulting from the patrols infringe Posse Comitatus?

OK....I didn't think anything of it the first time I saw them but this is getting a little crazy. The other night (08-26-2009) I'm on my regular patrol and I pull up to a stop sign at an intersection in the middle of frickin nowhere. I look to my left and see a vehicle approaching so I wait. I see a blinker so I decide to go and something catches my eye. This isn't your average vehicle coming towards me. It is a NATO 3-color camo HMMWV!!!! (Hummer) I paused for a second to see what the hell they were doing when I see another one trailing about a quarter mile back. This alone may be enough for most people to go off the deep end with a theory but I am cynical. After ten years working in law enforcement, I have seen a lot of shit that you can't take at face value. But.........Two nights ago and last night, I have seen the same two vehicles on different roads! I am not talking about well traveled roads either. These are the roads we only go down if we get a complaint because they are so far out in the boonies. These roads are very near my home! The third time I saw them, the lead vehicle almost stopped when he saw my vehicle so I think they are taking notes when they go out on these little expeditions. I have told my wife to look out for them and call me if she sees them.

This is odd for a number of reasons:


1. We are about 25 miles from the National Guard Armory in the middle of frickin nowhere like I said.


2. They are only riding at night to avoid high visibility. It is 2300 (11 PM) on a Wednesday night the first time and after 2200 the other two times.


3. I know the drill schedule for the local unit because we have to deal with their vehicle traffic every now and then and they have nothing going on.


4. They are not riding in the usual convoy style. They are keeping a distance of a quarter mile, half mile or better when I have seen them.We did this overseas to detect insurgents. We used to maintain radio contact and report differences in the route to each other. It was a way to bait people out.


There were also vehicle counters recently set up on the three main back roads that leads into town which I thought was odd since these roads never have anything done to them other than the occasional pothole being filled. I have posted before that FEMA camps aren't necessary in towns like these because you can choke off the main drag and set up checkpoints on the side roads once they condense into two or three roads effectively shutting down a town. We trained for this when I was in SF back in the nineties.


These guys are definitely up to something since they are only out at night to avoid being seen and are in very rural areas. I am going to pull them over the next time I see them but I need a good excuse to do it. It will be hard to explain why I am stopping military vehicles. I could always say that I wasn't sure they were military and since they didn't have any tags.......


I was wondering if anyone else has noticed anything like this lately. I'm not sure that they are military even. The vehicles definitely are but whoever is driving them may be foreign or private contractor. I know most of the National Guard soldiers here and I haven't heard anything to make me believe that's who's doing this. The unit here does have unspecified orders for October though which is a little frightening since it seems that a whole lot of other units do as well from what I have seen on youtube. I don't know at this point. I am just hunkering down and expecting the worst.

Protecting America Against Permanent Continental Shutdown From Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Conference 2009

This upcoming EMP conference from EMPACT America, Inc. is something straight out of The Matrix. Nevertheless, many politicians and military industrial complex members believe that EMPs pose a serious national security risk to the country and its interests. If you are interested in these types of topics, there is an upcoming conference September 8th-10th, 2009 at Niagara Falls, New York. I would not recommend going over the Falls in a barrel.

A National Conference,
September 8th-10th, 2009,
Niagara Falls, NY

-- Featuring former Speaker of the House
Newt Gingrich, Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, and other EMP experts from the military, industry, and academia --

A man-made Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is caused by a nuclear weapon detonated in the atmosphere. This threat is a realistic possibility in this day and age. In fact, two Congressional Commissions have recently warned that America could suffer catastrophic consequences from a nuclear EMP attack by terrorists or rogue states. Their reports also point out that the U.S. can be protected if we act quickly. A House Homeland Security subcommittee is currently meeting and considering legislation, but very little has been done so far. According to the Abstract of the original Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP Attack, U.S. Congress, 2004: “Several potential adversaries have or can acquire the capability to attack the United States with a high-altitude nuclear weapon-generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP). A determined adversary can achieve an EMP attack capability without having a high level of sophistication.”

An EMP attack can cripple our infrastructure causing all of our electronic equipment and infrastructure to fail. That means even basic modes of emergency response, like cars, planes, and other emergency vehicles, may not even start. Current emergency planning is primarily based upon short-term disasters, and is heavily dependent upon assistance from peripheral communities; unfortunately, an EMP could have long-lasting and wide-spread effects that are not adequately addressed by current planning. Moreover, availability of fundamental resources such as our food, water, and medical supplies would almost certainly break down.

Don’t think it can happen? Increasing nuclear terrorist threats like those of North Korea and Iran can disable the entire power grid in North America are a clear and present danger. Terrorists and rogue nations don’t even need accurate or long range ballistic missiles. An EMP attack can potentially be carried out by launching readily available Scud missiles from a barge off of our coasts.

EMPACT America is conducting a national conference bringing in the most knowledgeable minds in the world about EMP. Scheduled speakers include U.S. Congressional leaders, Department of Defense experts, and many other experts on EMP. In addition, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich will deliver an exclusive video address on EMP prepared specifically for this conference.

Our ongoing development and increasing reliance on electronics and technology makes us extremely vulnerable to EMP threats. We invite you to join us at the conference so that we can help you better understand the impact of EMP and how it affects you, and feature some proactive, hands-on ideas to protect our infrastructure from the devastating effects of EMP.

For a conference brochure, click this sentence.

Register For the Conference
(http://www.computersosinc.com/ems/event/2009emp)

Will Senator Rockefeller Give Obama Emergency Control of the Internet (SB 773)?

Senate Bill 773 was hyped up back in the spring and then the propaganda about its necessity died down after an initial hype. Congress will be back in session soon, so SB 773 is coming back to the forefront. This is another one of those really scary bills that seem to be coming up for vote on a weekly basis. This bill gives President Obama the right to shut down any computer network deemed a threat to cybersecurity. How likely is it that this power will be abused?

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to West Virginia Senator John Davidson “Jay” Rockefeller IV — the Democratic great-grandson of oil mogul John D. Rockefeller — have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.

Here is a response received by CNET from Jena Longo, deputy communications director for the Senate Commerce committee along with her email statement. Basically, she says that Obama has the power to do whatever he wants in connection with the cyberattack and that the Constitution protects any such action. However, she disagrees with any suggestion that this bill will lead to a government shutdown of the Internet, and any such suggestion is misleading and false. I guess only time will tell. Despite Ms. Lango's email, I still oppose SB 773:

The president of the United States has always had the constitutional authority, and duty, to protect the American people and direct the national response to any emergency that threatens the security and safety of the United States. The Rockefeller-Snowe Cybersecurity bill makes it clear that the president's authority includes securing our national cyber infrastructure from attack. The section of the bill that addresses this issue, applies specifically to the national response to a severe attack or natural disaster. This particular legislative language is based on longstanding statutory authorities for wartime use of communications networks. To be very clear, the Rockefeller-Snowe bill will not empower a "government shutdown or takeover of the Internet" and any suggestion otherwise is misleading and false. The purpose of this language is to clarify how the president directs the public-private response to a crisis, secure our economy and safeguard our financial networks, protect the American people, their privacy and civil liberties, and coordinate the government's response.

Source: CNET

University of Maryland Students Required to Have Health Insurance for First Time Ever!


***For the official press release from the University of Maryland, click Students Now Required to Have Health Insurance

***

(Media-Newswire.com) - COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Students starting classes for the first time at the University of Maryland this semester must have health insurance, thanks to a new policy designed to limit students' financial liability and keep them in school when faced with a health emergency.

All incoming freshmen and transfer students had to provide proof of insurance by July 31 or purchase coverage through the university's student health insurance plan to enroll for the fall semester that begins Monday. Maryland officials say they made the move to ensure students can afford health care and their education.

"There are occasions where students drop out because they have to go work to pay their medical bills," says Dr. Gail Lee, clinical director at the University Health Center. "People without health insurance tend to let problems get really serious before they see someone. Now, if patients are sick and they really need a specialist, we know that they can see one."

The university has offered optional insurance for at least a dozen years, but Maryland is among a growing number of post-secondary schools now mandating student coverage. A federal study estimated that 30 percent of colleges nationwide required health insurance in the 2007-2008 school year, while half offered their own coverage.

The American College Health Association urges universities to require insurance and offer "adequate and appropriate" plans that cover preventive health services, coverage for catastrophic illness or injury, prescription medications, and coverage for dependents of covered students.

Dr. James Turner, president of the association's board of directors, says college insurance plans have their roots in health coverage for student athletes and those who participated in other extracurricular activities. Today's plans help both students and schools minimize their risk.

"I hear of more and more schools requiring it," says Turner, executive director of student health at the University of Virginia. "Fundamentally, it comes down to risk management. We generally deal with a very healthy population. But more and more non-traditional-aged students are coming to our campuses, often with pre-existing medical conditions."

And in a down economy, more students may be coming to college without insurance through their parents, part-time jobs or other private sources. While Maryland's mandate coincides with the national debate over health insurance reform, Lee says the university has been working toward universal coverage for students for several years. Health Center officials compiled statistics on student health insurance needs and presented their case for a requirement to various campus governmental bodies and administrators before winning approval.

Incoming freshmen and their parents were notified of the new policy in multiple publications, at orientation session and by e-mail. Lee could not say how many students did not complete the necessary health insurance form by the deadline; anyone who did not was automatically enrolled in the university's plan at an annual cost of $1,168, which can be covered by financial aid for those qualify.

Lee says the coverage, provided by United HealthCare, is comparable to the best coverage offered to state employees and reasonably priced." Students who did not want to buy into Maryland's plan could buy individual plans on the open market before the deadline.

About 5.5 percent of American college students were uninsured in Fall 2008, which compared favorably to about 16 percent for adults nationwide. For college health officials, however, one student in crisis is one too many.

Turner recalled an international student at his university, which has required coverage since 1969, who stepped off of an airplane and into a hospital to be treated for a detached retina. He faced a bill of $17,000 before classes even started. Another couple covered by the University of Virginia's policy would have faced $300,000 in medical bills for their pre-mature twins had they not been insured.

"Students don't realize the risks of being uninsured or underinsured," Turner says.

Maryland's plan is also available as an option to upperclassmen. They can enroll at the start of each semester to supplement private coverage that may not cover doctors in the Washington, D.C., region or limits certain types of care. Lee says students whose families suddenly lose coverage or who become too old for their parents' policies may enroll at any time during the year, as long as it is within 30 days of the change.

"People need health insurance," she says. "Having an illness can be devastating financially. We don't want that to happen to our students."

For more on the new requirement and Maryland's student health insurance plan, visit the official University of Maryland page.

Source: Media-Newswire.com


Is H1N1 a Race Specific Bioweapon That Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld Called For in "Rebuilding America's Defenses?"

I am not saying that either Cheney or Rumsfeld created H1N1 for the purpose of killing off specific races. No, I am merely stating that the genetic technology is possible to engineer a virus to target a specific race. In case you missed it, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. stated the following in "Rebuilding America's Defenses:"

"Information systems will become an important focus of attack, particularly for U.S. enemies seeking to short-circuit sophisticated American forces. And advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool."

--Project for a New American Century, page 60 of "Rebuilding America's Defenses" (Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, etc.)

Let's check the latest news where it says that Blacks and Hispanics are four (4) times more likely to be sent to the hospital than Whites. However, the medical establishment does not feel there are any genetic differences.

The cause for the difference is probably not genetic, health officials said. More likely, it's because blacks and Hispanics suffer disproportionately from asthma, diabetes and other health problems that make people more vulnerable to the flu.

It's not clear if a racial or ethnic difference will hold up when more complete national data is available, one federal health official said. The findings are based on fairly small numbers of cases from the early days of the pandemic.


"We don't have anything definitive to say one group is more affected than another," said Dr. Daniel Jernigan of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Perhaps there are other health issues to explain the disproportionate number of cases, but please be aware that it is possible to engineer viruses to target specific races.

Source: Associated Press ; Civics News


Deadly H2N2 "Asian Flu" Sent to 5,000 U.S. Laboratories in 2004-2005

No matter how much you learn, there is always room to learn more. Case in point, I have been researching the H1N1 "swine flu" virus for the last 4-5 months since it first developed back in Mexico last spring. Throughout all that research, I never knew a thing about the H2N2 a/k/a "Asian Flu" which killed up to 4,000,000 people back in 1957.

Currently, there is no U.S. regulation over this H2N2 virus. In fact, the government does not even know how much virus is in the various "viral libraries" around the country. As a result of this lack of regulation, thousands of labs were "inadvertently" mailed samples of this deadly virus back in 2004-05. This mistake could have potentially caused thousands or even millions of deaths if it was not caught by Frank Plummer who directs the National Microbiology Laboratory of Canada in Winnipeg.

If you are looking for a potential killer virus ingredient for the H1N1 "swine flu" virus, the globalists may not need to use the cloned Spanish Flu virus. They could easily place the H2N2 virus in the vaccine and it would be quite difficult to trace the origin.

The H2N2 article is below. The article was archived, but I pulled it from the depths.

The Flu Snafu — The Story Behind Strain A (H2N2)

By Howard Markel | Monday, April 18, 2005


In a world haunted by the threat of bio-terrorism, a simple miscommunication can have very serious consequences. Dr. Howard Markel — author of "When Germs Travel" — goes behind the scenes of how a deadly strain of influenza was inadvertently distributed around the United States.


As luck would have it, I first read about the World Health Organization’s rush order to destroy vials of the influenza strain A (H2N2) — which had caused the 1957 “Asian flu” pandemic — around midnight on April 12th.


I was still exhausted from participating in my university’s 50th anniversary celebration of the first effective polio vaccine that very same day.


Still in the haze of symposia, panels and speeches articulating visions for the future of global public health, I was astounded to learn that the A (H2N2) strain, which killed between one and four million people in 1957, was inadvertently sent to nearly 5,000 laboratories in 18 countries — 99% of them in the United States.


Why on earth, you may wonder, would such dangerous stuff be sent around anyway? Why isn’t it kept under the tightest lock and seal?


The answer has a lot to do with quality control: To measure clinical microbiology laboratories’ ability to detect and identify various strains of influenza, they are periodically required to take tests whereby they work with — and identify — “unknowns”.


Less federal regulations


But as a rule, while there is a literal library of the many strains of influenza virus we have encountered, health departments have a policy of excluding those microorganisms that can harm people who use these test panels.


Public health departments and medical associations have monitored such procedures for decades. What is troubling, though, is that since the 1980s, more and more of the materials distributed are made by small, privately contracted bio-firms with increasingly less federal regulation or oversight.


A safe virus?


In this particular case, it is the venerable College of American Pathologists that directs the testing process. However, living in a world marked — and sometimes marred — by outsourcing, the project itself was contracted out to Meridian Bioscience, Inc., based in suburban Cincinnati.


Its principal task was to produce all of the testing kits for almost 5,000 laboratories. How this potential strain was included in the kits — it has not been included in the flu vaccine since 1968 and, hence, no one born after that year has any immunity to it — is unclear.


And the Meridian Bioscience people aren’t saying much. There were news reports indicating that they “felt the virus they had was a safe virus.”


But this may have been inspired by their consultation of a U.S. government manual that classified the A(H2N2) strain as a “biosafety Level 2" microbe — the second-lowest level of danger in a four-class rating.


Unanswered questions


Meridian apparently did not know about
recent discussions between the CDC and the National Institutes of Health to upgrade the strain to a Level 3 rating.

This raises a few critical questions, the first being: Don’t these guys talk to their outsource producers? And if they do, don’t these companies listen up?
And why did Meridian even have this dangerous viral strain in their library?

Disjointed public health network


Taking no chances, the international public health agencies responded quickly and appropriately. True, these steps were criticized by some experts on epidemics as "overkill" and "unnecessary."


But this criticism only underpins the dictum that it is a whole lot easier to dissect retrospectively the anatomy of an epidemic than it is to combat one in real time.


Since 9/11, the specter of bioterrorism looms over almost every infectious event, although every indication suggests there were no villains, just a lack of communication between different members of an increasingly disjointed public health network.


In the United States, there is no government regulation over the 1957 flu strain. In fact, federal officials at the CDC do not even know how many U.S. laboratories keep this deadly strain in their "viral libraries."


Not included


Beginning in 2002, the federal government established a program that monitors a list of some 300 dangerous biological toxins and agents that are tightly controlled in terms of experimental use, scientific study and distribution.


The list includes anthrax, the Ebola virus and smallpox, but — amazingly —
the 1957 flu strain has not been deemed to be included in this murderer's row of agents "that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety."

Who needs bioterrorists?


As Michael Osterholm, the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, wisely — albeit tartly — observed: “We can’t have this happen. Who needs terrorists — or Mother Nature — when through our own stupidity, we do things like this?”


Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this event is that it never should have happened in the first place. Late in the evening of April 12, 2005, Dr. Klaus Stohr, the influenza chief at the WHO, announced the recall — even though there is relatively low risk that a lab worker might accidentally contract the flu strain and infect others.


While we can applaud the WHO, the CDC and other public health agencies around the globe that are responding appropriately and rapidly, due credit should go to a microbiologist named Frank Plummer who directs the National Microbiology Laboratory of Canada in Winnipeg.


Due credit


He called the CDC in Atlanta on March 26, 2005, about a specimen his lab had received from a woman recuperating from a respiratory infection. “We found this out in the middle of the night on Good Friday. For several hours, we were very concerned.”


The woman tracked down proved to be a red herring. Thanks to a team of intrepid Canadian epidemiologists, the flu strain was traced to Meridian.


Contaminated strains


Apparently, a lab technician who was analyzing the woman’s viral sample in Winnipeg contaminated the woman’s specimen with the 1957 strain while working on both strains.


A dragnet ensued and on the morning of April 13, 2005, the CDC chief, Dr.Julie Gerberding, held a press conference explaining the situation.


The situation was quickly and well contained and — fortunately for all — the public health network held up. Once again, we were lucky — an essential element in microbe hunting.


Quite simply, influenza is enjoying a renaissance of attention and, more importantly, funding — even though we really need a lot more cash to keep flu and other emerging or re-emerging infections at bay.


We also need stringent and international regulations of how vaccines are developed, how scientists gain access to dangerous microbes, and a variety of other technical and quality measures that are being continuously eroded in a world that increasingly becomes smaller.


War against germs


As any responsible public health expert will tell you, the battle never ends — the war against deadly germs always continues, so don’t forget about us by tomorrow. We need more resources and more money to protect the nation’s health every day — not just the headline-days.


When it comes to the control of vaccines, especially in the United States, we have divested public health agency oversight for piecemeal production.


Too complacent?


This is why we had a shortage of flu vaccine in the winter of 2004/05, as a result of one of two companies who produce our supply having quality control issues. This is why we have occasional scares over test kits and clinical laboratory snafus on a regular basis.


We live in an era of epidemics — not just the epidemics of overindulgence and wealth, such as obesity, tobacco and substance abuse — but the good, old-fashioned kind of epidemics caused by germs that travel and spread from person to person, wreaking havoc.


Purely social and quite egalitarian, they go wherever we do and respect neither borders nor boundaries.


And yet, history repeats itself time and again, with the profound amnesia we exhibit that accompanies the close of every epidemic scare — until the next time, that is, some deadly germs gain another foothold in the endless battle between them and human beings.


It matters all the time


What we need to do is transform the fear and hoopla of occasional media events, be it the reported shortage of a vaccine, or the potential mistakes in the handling of microbes, or worse threats to the global health by developing a global, comprehensive public health strategy for the 21st century.

Source: The Globalist

Personal Recollections of the 1957 H2N2 "Asian Flu" Pandemic

Please read the below recollection of the 1957 H2N2 "Asian Flu" outbreak. This is the pandemic that time seems to have missed. In fact, the H2N2 was quite deadly, killing over 2 million people in 1957. You can read more about the H2N2 "Asian Flu" by clicking this sentence.

****

By: JT Coyote
Infowars
August 28, 2009

The students in the farming community I grew up in were having a grade school “fair” in the fall of 1957. It was the beginning of fourth grade for me. We were setting up props for the weekend festivities, when parents and students would all attend. We were busy converting the 4 room school into a frontier town. It was all part of the run up to the Colorado statehood Centennial celebration and we chose an Old West theme. 1957 was the first year of school polio and smallpox shots, which we had all received a couple of weeks earlier. I remember that I wasn’t feeling well that day, but I didn’t want to miss the fun, yet by mid afternoon — let’s just say, I had to go home early that Friday.

featured stories   Personal recollections of the 1957 H2N2 flu pandemic

hitler



Citizens line up for their vaccinations in the 1950s.


By Saturday morning I was running an incredible fever. I was in a constant state of vomiting and dry heaves, I couldn’t keep anything down, and for the longest time my only conscious moments were filled with fever, vomiting, and delirium. Within hours of one another, one by one, my brothers and sisters came down with the bug, though I have little conscious recollection of those first three days.


By Sunday my parents had also succumb. The only one who was still standing was my maternal grandmother, who while in her late teens, had survived the 1918 Spanish flu. Lucky for us she knew what to do and in her immunity, she nursed us all through the critical first few days of ordeal and the week of recovery. I also thank providence for the other two families that worked on the dairy farm. They had no grade school age children and were able to maintain the milking chores and other things necessary to keep the farm running. Yet within a week or two, one after another they all came down with flu as well. I know of people who were killed by this virus. There were some members of the Victory Grange, and the Tower Baptist Church, that we never saw again.

There must be a reason why the authorities are not talking about this strain of flu — primary obfuscation perhaps, by the weak red herring H1N1, that’s my gut feeling. I say this because when the story first broke in 2004/2005, about the 3000 or so H2N2 (1957) flu test kits that were “accidentally” mailed all over the world, it suddenly disappeared from the media. I repeat the word accidentally with a “don’t you believe it” advisory, (”nudge, nudge,- wink, wink, – know what I mean, known what I mean.”)

To quote the reference source: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_A_virus_subtype_H2N2>

“From October 2004 to February 2005, approximately 3,700 test kits of the 1957 H2N2 virus were accidentally spread around the world from the College of American Pathologists (CAP) <http://www.cap.org/apps/cap.portal>. CAP assists laboratories in accuracy by providing unidentified samples of viruses; private contractor Meridian Bioscience in Cincinnati, U.S., chose the 1957 strand instead of one of the less deadly avian influenza virus subtypes. “CAP spokesman Dr. Jared Schwartz said Meridian knew what the virus was but believed it was safe. In selecting it, the company had determined that the virus was classified as a biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) agent, which meant it could legally be used in the kits. [...] Before the problem came to light, the CDC had made a recommendation that the H2N2 virus be reclassified as a BSL-3 agent, Gerberding said. She promised to speed up the reclassification. The CDC determines the classifications in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. In BSL-3 labs, agents are handled with equipment designed to prevent any airborne contamination and resulting respiratory exposure.”[10] <http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/…april1305labs.html> The 1957 H2N2 virus is considered deadly and the U.S. government called for the vials containing the strain to be destroyed.”

So just how many of these vials were actually destroyed? Do we know how many were opened and cultured? Well, the one thing we do know for sure is that they contained the BSL-3, deadly, live H2N2 virus. No need to dig up dead, obese, Inuit Eskimo women from which to extricate and resurrect the virus, all they had to do was ship out the existing 50 year old, culture test kits and allow the eugenics clinics to do what they do best… namely, culture, replicate, and distribute, the known killer, H2N2 (1957) avian flu virus.

I’ve had what they call the flu since then, a couple of days of achiness in the military in ‘68, and then again when I took the “mandatory” Air Force swine flu shot in 1972/73 and got sick from that. But again, just achy joints and muscles, a little nausea, and a fever for a few days, but nowhere near the 1957 flu. After 1973, I haven’t had the flu at all really, not even the most subtle symptoms. I seldom even have a cold beyond the sniffles, and achy joints, mostly now in my later years.

You would think that this latest scare, would bring the national media to mention the pandemic of 1957. After all, according to the WHO, (World Health Organization), it killed 2 million+ people world wide that year. Other credible sources say 4 million died. The official stats for the number of deaths in the United States during that pandemic is 70,000. I wonder if the folks who died that I knew, and folks in other out of the way rural areas in the country, and the world for that matter — were they counted in those statistics? Sources other than the WHO say that the number is more likely between 100,000 and 140,000 American deaths by flu in ‘57-’58…

This past Friday night there was a flyover above my home at about 8:30 in the evening. It happened again at just before midnight on Saturday, and then a third fly by — and I will never forget the exact time of this one, it was 2:09 AM Monday morning August 24th. The airplane was a twin-engine turbo prop that rumbled the house rafters as it went over. The valley where I live is about 9000 feet in elevation, about a mile wide and is rimed on opposite sides by 12,000 to 13,000 foot peaks. I could hear the aircraft feather its propellers on approach as it dropped down in a crop duster like swoop. It breezed across the valley in only a few seconds, then it powered back up into a climbing turn and disappeared over the reservoir. I should alert you to the fact that large twin engine aircraft flying at low altitude over our little valley in the wee hours of the morning, is as rare as snow storms in Pensacola Florida, yet it happened three times, in as many nights.

The reason I won’t forget the last flyover is this — in hopes of catching a glimpse of the noisy bird, I scurried out the front door onto the porch. I was immediately hit with a smell and taste that I can never forget. A sensation I have not experienced since the first time I tasted it. It was the taste and smell of that deathly ill three days I lived through, back in 1957.

I for one will not be surprised at all when they announce that what is taking people’s lives this time, will not be the H1N1 at all, but a variant of the H2N2 virus! — Still — why doesn’t the press even mention the 1957/58 H2N2 flu pandemic… seems curious, don’t you think?

“What we meant, in going for those redcoats was this –we had always governed ourselves, and always meant to…they, didn’t mean we should.” – An old New England militia captain, after the battles of Lexington and Concord April 19, 1775

Source: Infowars

Friday, August 28, 2009

Transformers: The Quintesson Journal (1986) (Analysis of Selling Arms To Both Sides of a Military Conflict From a Cartoon Perspective)







If you ever want to see a cartoon version of our country's military industrial complex, then please watch this 1986 episode of the Transformers called "The Quintesson Journal." The Quintessons are galactic arms dealers (they also created the Transformers) who play two worlds against each other in order to sell weapons and increase profits. These worlds are clueless that their deaths and destruction have only helped to fatten the pockets of the five-faced frauds known as the Quintessons.

In the real world, many nation-States play smaller weaker States against each other in order to sell arms and weapons to each side in the conflict. No matter who wins the war, the arms dealer will always win. There is also money to be made by these arms dealers to rebuild the devastated war zones.

The synopsis of the episode from the Transformer Wiki is below:

On Cybertron, the Autobots are hosting a peace conference for two neighboring planets, Xetaxxis and Lanarq, which have been at war for centuries and will wipe each other out within a generation, as explained by Melkorr. Spike Witwicky asks the leaders of the two delegations to shake hands. They take the opportunity to grapple with each other. Rodimus Prime remarks that it's going well so far.

Elsewhere, Predaking detects a strange signal of Quintesson origin. He contacts Cyclonus, who intends to meet him at the coordinates. However, Perceptor has also detected the signal, and he sends Sky Lynx, who is carrying Blaster and Outback, to investigate. The foliage is too thick for Sky Lynx to land, so Blaster and Outback head out on foot. Blaster ejects Steeljaw and Ramhorn to help in the search. Meanwhile, Predaking separates into the Predacons to cover more ground. The Autobots are suddenly attacked by vines, but are able to free themselves and find the source of the signal, a strange golden cylinder. Just then, a tree nearly falls on the device, and Outback blasts it, causing the device to activate. The Autobots learn that the cylinder is a Quintesson journal, a record of their commercial activities on various planets. The Predacons then arrive and attack. Sky Lynx arrives to rescue the Autobots, and the Predacons unite. The Autobots are able to board Sky Lynx and escape, only to be attacked by Cyclonus and the Sweeps. Suddenly, an energy field grabs Sky Lynx through an unseen warp gate, which closes.

On the other side of the warp gate, a Quintesson ship captures Sky Lynx, disabling his ability to transform. The Quintessons reclaim the journal and take Outback, Blaster, and the cassettes prisoner. Outback is able to trick a Sharkticon into opening the cell for some energon, and Blaster then...uh, blasts the Sharkticon. Outback grabs the journal, and the Autobots escape aboard Sky Lynx, only to discover that Galvatron, Cyclonus, the Sweeps, and Predaking have located them. The Decepticons manage to steal the journal and flee. At the peace conference, the two delegations leave, intending to purchase doomsday weapons from their suppliers...the Quintessons.

On an unnamed planet, the Decepticons begin to examine the journal. Upon discovering it is economic in nature, Galvatron is angry—well, angrier than usual. However, the Autobots have tracked the Decepticons down, and they learn that the war between Xettaxis and Lanarq is among the journal's archives. Knowing that this could end the war, the Autobots attempt to steal the journal back, only for the Quintessons to steal it back again. On Cybertron, the delegations begin fighting each other. Rodimus is so frustrated that the Autobot leader fires his weapon and orders the two delegations to sit down. Furious, the Xettaxin and Lanarqen leaders request the Quintessons to bring their omega bombs. The Quintessons decide that they will deliver both bombs once they have been paid. However, the Autobots manage to break into their ship and steal back the journal.

Arriving on Cybertron, Blaster and Outback show the recordings to the delegations, who are horrified to discover that their worlds have suffered to finance the Quintessons. Having been found out, the Quintessons contact the peace conference, announcing that they will deliver the omega bombs—right into Xettaxis and Lanarq. This is a big mistake on the Quintessons' part, for they're passing right by Cybertron at that moment. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus jump aboard Sky Lynx and follow the Quintessons, destroying their ship before the bombs can be launched. On Cybertron, a peace is negotiated between Xettaxis and Lanarq. However, Rodimus notes that the only real winners of the conflict were the Quintessons.

Source: Transformers Wiki

FDIC Friday Night Feast (Failed Bank List as of August 28, 2009)

Despite the "positive" news from the FDIC earlier in the week that the insurance fund isstrong and that deposits are secure, three (3) more banks failed on Friday, August 28, 2009.

Mainstreet Bank in Forest Lake, Minnesota, Bradford Bank in Baltimore, Maryland and Affinity Bank in Ventura, California were all closed by the FDIC today. Mainstreet Bank will cost $95 million against the FDIC insurance fund. Bradford Bank will cost $97 million against the FDIC insurance fund. Affinity Bank will cost $254 million against the FDIC insurance fund.


Bank Name

City

State

CERT #

Closing Date

Updated Date

Affinity Bank Ventura CA 27197 August 28, 2009 August 28, 2009
Mainstreet Bank Forest Lake MN 1909 August 28, 2009 August 28, 2009
Bradford Bank Baltimore MD 28312 August 28, 2009 August 28, 2009


Source: FDIC

Watermelon Could Be a Source of Ethanol Fuel (2.5 Millions Gallons From Waste Melons)


I love watermelons, but there is indeed a lot of waste involved with this wonderful fruit. Many of the melons never even make it to the market, because they does not look pretty enough to display in the grocery's produce section. Instead, they look ugly, so the farmer leaves them for the crows. Scientists estimate that up to 2.5 million gallons of ethanol fuel may be made from the 360,000 tons of watermelon left behind to rot by farmers each year.

Some local growers wondered whether the waste melons could be turned into ethanol, the clean-burning fuel derived from plant sugars. In a series of new experiments published yesterday in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels, Fish and a team of researchers showed that they can.

What's more, watermelon juice may turn out to be the perfect way to optimize industrial-scale production of ethanol from corn, molasses and sugar cane.

Source: MSNBC

Image Source: What About Watermelon?

Economist Hummel Says Default of U.S. Treasuries is Likely!

The economic forecast for this country continues to look bad. Jeffrey Rogers Hummel says that a default on U.S. treasuries is likely. Between the FDIC's health, China dumping dollars and this information, will we ever see some positive economic news?

Many predict that, instead, the government will inflate its way out of this future bind, using Federal Reserve monetary expansion to fill the shortfall between outlays and receipts. But I believe, in contrast, that it is far more likely that the United States will be driven to an outright default on Treasury securities, openly reneging on the interest due on its formal debt and probably repudiating part of the principal.

Source: Library of Economics and Liberty

Corbett: Interview with Anti-Illuminati From Prison Planet (Enterprise Architecture & PTech's Global Information Grid Exposed)

Anti-Illuminati ("AI") has been posting information for as long as I have followed the Prison Planet Forums. He was the first person who revealed the Air Force's unmanned flight program (2009-2047), and that caused the Air Force to issue a press release three (3) days later. Therefore, AI's information has proven to be trustworthy in the past.

AI recently sat down with The Corbett Report to give a detailed interview about the global information grid and how control of this grid allows its users to stage false flag "terrorist" attacks. You can download the MP3 interview by clicking anywhere on this sentence.

In this interview, Prison Planet Forum member Anti-Illuminati joins us to discuss the information control grid and the PTech-like enterprise architecture behind it.

A.I.'s written documentation may be viewed at the Prison Planet Forums.

Past Remixx World! blog articles on PTech and enterprise architecture software.

Source: The Corbett Report ; Prison Planet Forums ; Anti-Illuminati

Thursday, August 27, 2009

China to Ban Rare Earth Metal Exports of Terbium, Dysprosium, Yttrium, Thulium, and Lutetium (Global Mineral War?)

From the movie "Total Recall"

Richter: Mr Cohagen. You wanted to see me, sir.

Cohagen: Richter. Do you know why I´m such a happy person?

Richter: No sir.

Cohagen: Because I've got the best job in the solar system. As long as turbinium keeps flowing, I can do whatever I want. Anything. In fact, the only thing I ever worry about is, that one day, if the rebels win…it all might end.

As far as I can tell, turbinium is a fictional element, but the importance of the above quote is not lost on the below story.

China is acting like Mr. Cohagen, but instead of the turbinium flowing, China is turning off its flow of the rare earth metals that it exports to the rest of the world -- namely the metals Terbium, Dysprosium, Yttrium, Thulium, and Lutetium.

A draft report by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has called for a total ban on foreign shipments of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium. Other metals such as neodymium, europium, cerium, and lanthanum will be restricted to a combined export quota of 35,000 tonnes a year, far below global needs.

China mines over 95pc of the world’s rare earth minerals, mostly in Inner Mongolia. The move to hoard reserves is the clearest sign to date that the global struggle for diminishing resources is shifting into a new phase. Countries may find it hard to obtain key materials at any price.

This will definitely spark a resource war, because many of the rare metals are used in hi-tech electronic devices that fuel our technological age.

Source: London Telegraph

H1N1 "Swine Flu" Resource Center (Information List on the Vaccine & Possible Side Effects) (Updated!)

**NOTE: Google might throw a pro flu shot advertisement on this page above without my knowledge. Take any flu shot at your own risk and only after doing the proper research on its ingredients.

**

I have written a lot of posts about the H1N1 "swine flu" vaccine starting back in April. There are numerous articles that explain the whole evolution of the virus. However, I do realize that it may be confusing to find all the articles on here. Therefore, here are links to the relevant articles that show this is a very dangerous vaccine.

For full Remixx World list of H1N1 articles, click this sentence.

Here is a link to the official FDA package inserts for the four (4) approved H1N1 "swine flu" vaccines.

The vaccine contains:

1. Cancer cells from animals

2. Thimerosal (Mercury)

The trial vaccine contains:

3. Squalene/Adjuvants

Here are some more articles:

4. Experimental Bird Flu Vaccine Kills 21 in Poland

5. Baxter Sends Live Bird Flu Virus in Experimental Vaccine

6. An increase in Guillain-Barre Syndrome

7. H1N1 "swine flu" ingredients

8. New York funeral directors told that 85,000 may die from H1N1 "swine flu"

9. Vaccination laws

10. Will vaccines and aspirin spread the H1N1 "swine flu" virus like they did in the 1918 Spanish Flu?

11. NORTHCOM ready to aid FEMA in case of a H1N1 "swine flu" outbreak

12. List of US666 & EU666 Vaccine Biodefense Stockpile Products

13. An Injured H1N1 "Swine Flu" Vaccine Test Subject Speaks Out on Side Effects as Researchers Deny Link

14. FDA Approves Four (4) H1N1 "Swine Flu" Vaccines for Public Inoculation

15. H1N1 "Swine Flu" Panvax Training Presentation Received by Health Care Workers in Australia (Contains Vaccine Ingredient List)!

16. Has H1N1 "Swine Flu" Combined with H5N1 "Bird Flu" to Create a Super Flu Pandemic?

17. Is North Carolina Preparing for an H5N1 Avian Bird Flu Outbreak? (Pandemic Advertising)

18. Lungs of People Killed by H1N1 "Swine Flu" are Very Similar to Lungs of People Who Die From H5N1 "Bird Flu"


Swiss Oldest Bank Stops Doing Business in U.S. (Advises Clients to Pull Out of American Securities)

This is not a good sign! When the oldest Swiss bank pulls out of the United States banking system, it shows that our system is failing and may not be able to be fixed without a return to Constitutional money.

Swiss private bank Wegelin announced on Tuesday that it is to stop doing business in the United States.

The St Gallen-based bank, Switzerland's oldest, said the decision had been taken in response to stricter measures introduced in the US against tax dodgers and planned changes to estate tax, which would make some non-US citizens liable to tax if they inherited US securities.

Source: Swissinfo.ch

California to Receive 8 Million Doses of H1N1 "Swine Flu" Vaccine


The head of the state’s infectious disease program said Thursday that California expects to receive 2 million doses of the new vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus no later than mid-October and a total of 8 million doses before the end of the year.

The first people targeted to receive vaccinations will be hospital and other healthcare workers, pregnant mothers, children under 4 and young adults with chronic health conditions, said Gil Chavez, director of the state Public Health Department’s Center for Infectious Diseases.


Source: Ventura County Star

Steve Ditko - "In Principle: The Unchecked Premise" (Explains Why a Government Stimulus Does Not Work!)

Please review the entire comic strip by Spider-Man creator Steve Ditko below and see how relevant it is today with the government bailing out every industry under the sun. No matter what nominal tax you are required to pay today, it becomes a hulk tomorrow that never ends.

Here is Ditko’s “In Principle: The Unchecked Premise” © 2009 Robin Snyder:


Source: Big Hollywood

Federal Reserve Official: U.S. Unemployment Rate Really at 16%

I knew that those 9.4% and other less 10% total unemployment rates were a big phat lie! There is no way that few people are unemployed in this country. Those numbers fail to include persons who are no longer looking for work, but are nevertheless unemployed. These people are the ones who are so sick of rejection when looking for work that they have given simply given up on finding gainful employment. When you include those people, the real unemployment number is closer to 16% of the population.

The real US unemployment rate is 16 percent if persons who have dropped out of the labor pool and those working less than they would like are counted, a Federal Reserve official said Wednesday.

"If one considers the people who would like a job but have stopped looking -- so-called discouraged workers -- and those who are working fewer hours than they want, the unemployment rate would move from the official 9.4 percent to 16 percent, said Atlanta Fed chief Dennis Lockhart.

Source: Breitbart

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Vast Oil Reserves Discovered in Uganda (What Will AFRICOM Do?)

My only real knowledge about Uganda is what I learned from the WWF (now the WWE) with its wrestler Kamala. Unfortunately, the WWF got is all wrong, because Kamala was actually from Mississippi instead of Africa. Nevertheless, Africa is currently becoming one of the U.S. military's biggest arenas with the new AFRICOM military command. I imagine that the U.S. has a definite interest in this new oil discovery along with Russia, China and many others.

I also did not realize that there were oil reserves in Uganda. Apparently, neither did the local fishermen and people. However, Uganda may soon be awash with petrodollars from the oil discovery and these dollars may transform the economy.

"We never knew we were sitting on oil here," said James Ocham, a 27-year-old fisherman outside the Classic Inn Lodge and Bar as he gazed towards an oilrig erected alongside a nearby lagoon. "In time we are all going to benefit – there will be jobs, even for the unemployed.

The discovery of vast oil reserves in Uganda has caused excitement across the country, and more than a touch of anxiety too. Energy companies have recently found more than 700m barrels of commercially viable oil in the pristine Albertine Graben region, representing the first major petroleum strike in east Africa. Tullow Oil, the FTSE 100 company leading the exploration, believes the exploitable deposits could exceed 1.5bn barrels, reserves comparable to Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Chad.

Let's hope that Uganda does not become like Nigeria where the petrodollars are shipped out to offshore interests and corrupt leaders hoard the rest, destroy the environment and leave people poor.

Source: The Guardian

Venezuela Breaking Off Diplomatic Relations With Colombia (South America War?)


Earlier this summer, we had Obama's first coup down in Honduras. A couple of weeks back Hugo Chavez said that war was coming to the South America continent. Today, we have Chavez again fanning the war flames with his statement that Venezuela will soon be ending its diplomatic relations with neighboring Colombia due to at Colombia allowing U.S. military access to seven of its army bases to tackle drug trafficking and leftist guerrillas.

His threat to cut ties with Colombia came one day before a regional summit in Argentina where South American leaders will discuss the US-Colombian security agreement.

Isn't the ending of diplomatic relations between nation states usually a sign of imminent war? Will South America soon be at war?

The picture above is out of control. Could you ever trust a guy like that?

Source: London Telegraph ; The Final Call

FDIC to Hold Its Quarterly Briefing on Thursday, August 27, 2009



***UPDATE (August 27, 2009). You can read Bloomberg's summary of the FDIC 2nd Quarterly Report and Briefing by clicking this sentence. According to the FDIC, there is $10.4 billion in the FDIC insurance fund as of June 30, 2009. The above interview is from Fox Business with Alexis Glick and Sheila Bair.

You can view the full FDIC video 2nd Quarterly Banking profile presentation by clicking this sentence.

***

Here is the press release that I received from directly from the FDIC regarding tomorrow's briefing at 10:00am EDT/7:00 am PDT:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 26, 2009

FDIC TO RELEASE SECOND QUARTER BANK EARNINGS

Latest on Deposit Insurance Fund and Troubled Bank List to be Updated

Contact: Andrew Gray, FDIC Office of Public Affairs, (202) 898-7192

WHAT: Sheila C. Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, will hold a press briefing to announce the bank and thrift industry earnings for the second quarter of 2009. This will include the latest information on troubled banks and the Deposit Insurance Fund.

WHERE: The briefing will take place in the FDIC’s Board room located at 550 17th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. The briefing is open to members of the media. Those wishing to attend should arrive at the FDIC to check in with security by 9:45 a.m.

FOR LIVE COVERAGE: Please contact Greg Hernandez, (202) 898-6984 or cell (202) 340-4922

WHEN: Thursday, August 27, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EDT

BACKGROUND: Chairman Bair will open the briefing with a discussion of industry earnings and current policy issues facing the industry, followed by a brief Q&A.

FDIC Chief Economist Richard Brown, Associate Director for Financial Risk Management Diane Ellis, Senior Banking Analyst Ross Waldrop and Associate Director for Large Bank Supervision John Corston then will provide a more in-depth briefing on the details of the report.

The Quarterly Banking Profile (QBP) provides comprehensive data on bank and thrift earnings, balance sheet results and performance ratios. This data has been released quarterly by the FDIC since 1986.

The briefing also will be available via a Web cast to view the Quarterly Banking Profile presentation. To log onto the Web cast, use the following link: http://www.vodium.com/goto/fdic/quarterlybankingprofile.asp

On the Internet:

Quarterly Banking Profile

http://www2.fdic.gov/qbp/index.asp

FDIC-Insured Institutions Earned $7.6 Billion in the First Quarter of 2009
Loan-Loss Provisions Continue to Depress Net Income (May 27, 2009)

http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2009/pr09077.html

Deposit Insurance

http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/

# # #

Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933 to restore public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 8,246 banks and savings associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to which they are exposed. The FDIC receives no federal tax dollars – insured financial institutions fund its operations.

Greg Hernandez

FDIC, Office of Public Affairs

Washington, D.C.

Office: (202) 898-6984

Cell: (202) 340-4922

www.fdic.gov

****

Reuters is also reporting on this briefing.

On Thursday [August 27, 2009], the FDIC holds its quarterly briefing that provides critical information about its outlook for bank failures and the state of the deposit insurance fund.

FYI, I listed to the FDIC's open session board meeting earlier today and didn't really learn anything worthwhile.

Source: Reuters

U.S. Military Expansion Into Africa (AFRICOM) - Just Like Professor Griff Said



You can hear Professor Griff (from the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy) talking about the U.S. imperialism into Africa at the 8:51 mark above.

The U.S. now has a military command in Africa, leaving Australia and Antarctica as the only continents without a U.S. military command. There are numerous untapped resources in Africa and there is a race to control these resources. AFRICOM ensures that the U.S. has a dog in this race -- a very big and powerful dog.

Army Command Expands Role in Promoting Stability, Security in Africa

By John Ohab

Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2009 – The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force officially has assumed its new role as the Army component for U.S. Africa Command, an effort to build and strengthen relationships with African army organizations and national and international partners.


Army Maj. Gen. William "Burke" Garrett III, the commander of SETAF, U.S. Army Africa, spoke with online journalists and bloggers yesterday about SETAF’s expanded role in promoting security and stability in Africa.


“Our transformation symbolizes America's enduring commitment to Africa,” Garrett said during a Defense Department bloggers roundtable. “As U.S. Army Africa, we are America’s premier Army team dedicated to achieving positive change on the continent.”


For more than 50 years, SETAF has deployed throughout Europe, Southwest Asia and Africa, providing command and control for contingency operations, crisis response, disaster relief and humanitarian missions. Since the 1990s, SETAF has worked with African nations to conduct military training and provide humanitarian relief in countries such as Liberia, Rwanda, Uganda, Congo and the former Zaire.


In the coming years, SETAF, operating as U.S. Army Africa, will continue to grow and build capacity to meet the requirements needed to coordinate all U.S. Army activities in Africa.


“Instead of simply responding to crises, we will seek out opportunities to strengthen the capacity of African land forces and their institutions, so they can prevent conflicts and contribute to peace,” Garrett said.


Garrett said he will spend 50 percent of his time stationed in Africa along with about 600 Army personnel engaged across the continent. U.S. Army Africa will use all aspects of the Army, including the Guard and Reserve, which offer important “niche capabilities” such as civil-affairs coordination and well-drilling units.


Because of the enormous cultural diversity across African nations, U.S. Army Africa has teamed with U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command to provide soldiers with the requisite skills and cultural awareness to work effectively with African partners.


Garrett described U.S. Army Africa as a 21st-century organization focused on small units, effective cooperation programs and sustained security engagement.


“[U.S. Army Africa] is not an episodic, flash in the pan, noncombative evacuation operation,” Garrett said. “It's sustained day-to-day engagement with our African partners. That’s never been done in Africa.”


Currently, U.S. Army Africa leads a number of efforts focused on military education in Rwanda, Liberia, Ethiopia and Ghana. The National Guard heads the State Partnership Program, which links U.S. states with African nations to promote regional stability and civil-military relationships. In the future, U.S. Army Africa seeks to build lasting relationships with nongovernmental organizations and businesses operating in Africa.


U.S. Army Africa’s mission to provide a sustained security engagement marks a departure from the United States’ traditional approach to promoting peace and stability in Africa. Garrett considers this to be “America's acknowledgement that Africa is rising in strategic importance.”


“We share a bond of humanity with their people,” he said. “And, from our point of view, by investing in that common humanity, we can advance our common security.”

For a good analysis of AFRICOM, check out the Media Matters article entitled, "U.S. intensifies its military involvement in Africa through Africa Command (AFRICOM)."

Source: Media Matters ; U.S. Department of Defense

No Genetically Modified Beets in Boulder, CO (Decision Delayed by Commission)

I wrote about these GMO beets in an earlier post "Colorado Organic Farmers Organize Protest Hearings Against Monsanto Products & GMO Use in Boulder!" and wanted to update the story.

A decision on the GMO use has been delayed by the Commissioner for the time being until the matter can be further researched. This is a victory for the organic farmers and I know they will keep fighting to ensure that no GMO use is allowed.

The Boulder County Board of Commissioners wrapped up a seven-hour-long meeting Tuesday night by agreeing to delay a decision about whether genetically modified sugar beets can be grown on open space land.

“I don't think today is the right day to make a final decision about genetically modified beets,” said Commissioner Ben Pearlman. “They need to be part of a comprehensive look at what we want out of agriculture on our county's open space land.”

Source: Daily Camera

State Rep. Suggests Martial Law for Springfield, Massachusetts

Problem, reaction, solution in Springfield, Massachusetts. The government creates the problem by allowing drugs and illegal criminal enterprises to occur in a specified urban zone. The zone becomes violent and deadly. As a result, the residents demand results from the lawmakers and the lawmakers react to the violence. The solution is the imposition of total martial law and control contrary to the Constitution.

[Rep. Benjamin] Swan said more may be needed, and suggested police be allowed to operate under what he called "a short period of martial law." The move, over a period of 30 to 60 days, would give police the power to sweep all the illegal guns in the city.

This is not the first time where martial law and/or military resources are being considered for domestic law enforcement issues:

1. Jefferson County, Alabama is now considering using the National Guard for law enforcement.

2. The town of Schenectady, New York proposed deploying the National Guard.

3. The NAACP calls for martial law and troops on the street in Pennsylvania.

4. California Highway Patrol conducts checkpoints in connection with U.S. Marines.

5. National Guard checkpoints in Tennessee.


Source: Masslive.com