LIQUOR OF THE MONTH/DRINK OF THE MONTH

My current liquor of choice:
Maker's Mark is one of my favorite bourbons and whisky's in general, it's great to drink straight on the rocks, in mixed drinks especially Old Fashioneds, and Whiskey Sours, its good to take shots of also.
My current favorite drink: Dirty Grey Goose Martini
This is one of the smoothest and tastiest drinks I've had, no wonder these killed Bogart.

Meet the Sheeple

Today a simple class discussion in my Sociology 202 erupted into a ridiculous display of mainstream media brainwashing, it showcased amazing levels of apathy that seems to have become something members of my generation thrive on. My teacher began a discussion with one of his attacks on US "capitalism", I again brought up the fact that the US is not a capitalist country and is in fact a mixed economy. He then finally admitted it was indeed a misnomer to call the US a capitalist country, but countered that there needs to be some regulation. I agreed with him but began to explain how the government has done little to regulate and in many cases encourages and enables corruption at all levels and sectors of the corporate world. I then began to get in an argument with my fellow students when I pointed out that Obama has continued many of the same policies Bush started including indefinite detention, warantless wiretapping, the Patriot Act, signing statements, as I continued to rattle off other examples I was cut off from all directions by a barrage of pro-Obama slogans, cheap talking points, and my teacher who kept insisting that we were now off topic (seeing as how its a sociology class and this is one of the few real discussions we have held I find this claim to be of little merit).

One girl first said, "Give him a chance hes only been in for 10 months, he needs more time."
I pointed out that in this 10 month period he has not only failed to follow key promises he claimed would be completed in this time frame he has also continued Bush administration policy in virtually every area.

Another student then pointed out to me that the Obama Administration is discontinuing raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. I acknowledged this small positive change but pointed out that the expansion of DHS powers and focus on anti government activity seemed to show that the only real changes Obama is committed to are from bad to worse.

As I began to explain signing statements, my teacher claimed that they where executive orders and I explained how unlike an executive order signing statements did not go through congress or have any oversight or approval by anyone. They where literally examples of the President circumventing and making law as he sees fit.

The Obama girl then told me there was nothing I could do so it was pointless to think the way I did, she explained
"YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO WAKE MOST PEOPLE UP, THERES NO POINT"

I then realized I had stepped into 1984, my teacher went on a tangent of how I was showing a very extreme view of government and kept repeating on how I should "give them a chance" and "have faith". I was now aware that we had temporarily suspended rational thought, the next five minutes the teacher tried to paint me out as some anti government extremist, he made a comment on how I should go to Ghana if I think the US is bad. When he pointed out that the US government couldnt be that bad because they didnt interfere with the opposition, I decided to go out swinging by cracking a joke about Bush sending anthrax to the senators against the Iraq War. He made some comment about me being a conspiracy theorist, lets just say that this wasnt one of my more coolheaded moments in a student-teacher discussion.

What have we become? Has it got to the point were personal attacks being leveled against people that ask questions and dissent from popular opinion is considered the norm? Where does it end? Thomas Jefferson once said "Dissent is the greatest form of Patriotism" in today's America a quote like that will lead to someone calling you a communist and going on a "love it or leave it" rant.

To close out, I enjoyed Jad's article a lot he made a bunch of good points its the one right below this.
Thanks for the article man.

Thanks- Alex B

Private Fucknuts and the Pyramid Elite

http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/02/21/full_metal.html

This article talks about Full Metal Jacket, and how Stanley Kubrick uses the movie to talk about the way the military crushes the individual identities of everyone in a unit and meshes them together into one Borg-like killing machine (fun fact- in the novel the book is based on, Sergeant Hartman's last words to Private Pyle are "I'm proud of you.").

I think we can look at the unit being trained in the movie as a picture of our country in miniature. Like we and our fellow citizens, the men of Private Joker's platoon must think a certain way, must act a certain way, must BELIEVE a certain way, and they must become like one man, perfectly trained and coordinated to dedicate their lives and deaths to the benefit of men they will never see or know. In their case that means distant generals, some far-off military staff sitting in air-conditioned offices munching Sun Chips and getting blown by their secretary while they get their balls shot off in hell. For us, though, those invisible scumbags are the international bankers and financiers who direct the most powerful institutions of US society- and global institutions like the IMF and often the UN.

Which brings me to my next point. Just like the platoon is socialized through different rituals that build military solidarity- like shaving the head, training and marching together, and finally beating the ass of the handy community scapegoat-Private Fatbody- the American public has been trained be a good little body politic for the benefit of the people who really matter, the people whose families all seem to have European coats-of-arms and give generously to all the right think tanks. it's less obvious- we don't have Sergeant Hartman, we have Ann Coulter (and Al Franken, for that matter). We don't march or sing misogynist and militarist songs together either; we just feast on a nonstop diet of propaganda, sometimes soothing, sometimes hotblooded, a society-wide lullaby pumped like a radio signal out of D.C. and Wall Street. An intoxicating drumbeat of FOOTBALL! WORLD SERIES! I-RACKY TERRORISTS! THE MEXICANS! AAAAY-RABS! and that perennial favorite 9/11! 9/11! 9/11! We don't have Stars and Stripes- that's primitive! we have the New York Times. A peace sign on our combat helmet? The amazing vanishing Pro-Obama antiwar movement. Why, we should be as lucky as that platoon! At least they're taught their chain of command. We act like we learned politics in Disneyland.

Don't be Private Pyle! But don't be Joker either. Don't let the machine crush you, but don't become part of it either. Resist! Remember, your voice is your greatest weapon, and the only liberated territory you need is between your ears! As my honored colleague said in an earlier post, for Christ's sake don't go into debt, and GET INVOLVED. There's usually many more people who believe in something than will actually work for and educate their neighbors about it, but we can't afford the normal ratio. Anyone who understands these issues has taken the red pill and should act accordingly! LIIIIIIVE FROM THE OLD REPUBLIC, IT'S THOMAS PAINE! IT'S THOMAS JEFFERSON! IT'S GEORGE WASHINGTON AND NO FOREIGN ENTANGLENTS! IT'S THE CONSTITUTION! IT'S THE SECOND AMENDMENT AND THE AMERICAN FUCKING REVOLUTION, AND SORRY IF THAT'S JUST A HALLMARK CARD FOR YOU LIBERAL-CANDYASSES AND CONSERVATIVE NEOFASCISTS. The answer to 1984 is 1776, and with that, I take my leave.

What to do

A person asked a question in the thread about DHS shutting down the internet asking what we can do to
stop this stuff from going on. I will try to list as best as I can successful ways to combat the New World Order:

Spread the information- These people only exist due to our cooperation, by educating people on the
reality of the government today and all the threats it poses to citizens, their rights, and the rule of law in this
country, we are working towards ending the 2 party dictatorship that rules over American politics.

DONT VOTE FOR A REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT UNLESS THEY HAVE A GOOD RECORD OF STANDING UP
FOR THE CONSTITUTION AND RIGHTS OF AMERICANS. Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul are fighting the good fight
but we need more people like them in Congress.

Don't go into debt- The bankers that control the economy rely and make money on debt. Don't get a credit card unless
you can afford it, dont buy anything unless you need it or can afford it, avoiding debt is key to taking power away
from the banking elite.

Don't support the military industrial complex- Don't buy products, do business, endorse, or work for defense contractors
and companies that rely on the military industrial complex. Avoid Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and all other groups.

Don't work for the system unless you are working to change it from the inside- If you are going to work in government
keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear or see something unethical, dont take part in it and expose it to the public. The government are public servants, anytime they betray our trust or use our money illegally or unethically they should be held
accountable just like everyone else is when they break the law.

Get involved- Start a blog, talk to senators, congressmen, write editorials for newspapers, support alternative media, avoid
the mainstream media at all costs, donate to REAL charities, do volunteer work, help the people that need help most, DONT SUPPORT GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS, you are only adding to the machine. If you want to help the poor or working class, take the initiative and do it yourself, don't expect the corrupt government to provide any real support or relief.

Thanks- Alex B

Ron Paul on Russia Today

INTERVIEW HERE

FBI "Terror Watch List" has 400,000 names

ARTICLE LINKED HERE

1,600 are suggested daily for FBI's list
Number of names on terrorist watch list at 400,000, agency says

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Newly released FBI data offer evidence of the broad scope and complexity of the nation's terrorist watch list, documenting a daily flood of names nominated for inclusion to the controversial list.

During a 12-month period ended in March this year, for example, the U.S. intelligence community suggested on a daily basis that 1,600 people qualified for the list because they presented a "reasonable suspicion," according to data provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee by the FBI in September and made public last week.

FBI officials cautioned that each nomination "does not necessarily represent a new individual, but may instead involve an alias or name variant for a previously watchlisted person."

The ever-churning list is said to contain more than 400,000 unique names and over 1 million entries. The committee was told that over that same period, officials asked each day that 600 names be removed and 4,800 records be modified. Fewer than 5 percent of the people on the list are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Nine percent of those on the terrorism list, the FBI said, are also on the government's "no fly" list.

This information, and more about the FBI's wide-ranging effort against terrorists, came in answers from FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to Senate Judiciary Committee members' questions. The answers were first made public last week in Steven Aftergood's Secrecy News.

Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), who has shown concern over some of the FBI's relatively new investigative techniques assessing possible terrorist, criminal or foreign intelligence activities, drew new information from the agency. Before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the FBI needed initial information that a person or group was engaged in wrongdoing before it could open a preliminary investigation.

Under current practice, no such information is needed. That led Feingold to ask how many "assessments" had been initiated and how many had led to investigations since new guidelines were put into effect in December 2008. The FBI said the answer was "sensitive" and would be provided only in classified form.

Feingold was given brief descriptions of the types of assessments that can be undertaken: The inquiries can be opened by individual agents "proactively," meaning on his or her own or in response to a lead about a threat. Other assessments are undertaken to identify or gather information about potential targets or terrorists, to gather information to aid intelligence gathering and related to matters of foreign intelligence interest.

Feingold pointed to a November 2008 Justice Department inspector general audit showing that in 2006, approximately 219,000 tips from the public led to the FBI's determination that there were 2,800 counterterrorism threats and suspicious incidents that year. "Regardless of the reporting source, FBI policy requires that each threat or suspicious incident should receive some level of review and assessment to determine the potential nexus to terrorism," the audit said.

In a different vein, the FBI was asked why it is losing new recruits as special agents and support personnel at a time when terrorist investigations are increasing. The FBI responded that failed polygraph tests rather than other factors, such as the length of time for getting security clearances, are the main reason recruits are ending their efforts to join the bureau. In the past year, polygraphs were the cause of roughly 40 percent of special-agent applicants dropping out, the records showed.

The Death of Reason

By Alex B

Yesterday I was called by a political organization that said they would like to educate me about the "facts" in the upcoming Virginia governor's race. I decided to have a little fun and played along, I was informed that the group calling represents a "Civilian Accountability Organization" that they claimed served as some sort of watchdog during political campaigns. They wanted to tell me about Bob McDonnell the Republican candidate for Virginia. I listened as this caller went on about McDonnell's sexism and other issues which are of legitimate concern. He asked if I was planning on voting, I replied that I found both of the candidates disagreeable. I asked him if he knew about Creigh Deeds opinion that the Supreme Court decision to ban execution of juveniles was wrong, Deeds claimed that Virginia had the right to execute juveniles regardless of what the Supreme Court said. This same "progressive" has made the claim numerous times, that if elected governor he would ban all semi-automatic rifles. The caller said "Wow I didnt know that" I told him he needed to do more research if he planned on holding politicians accountable, thanked him for the call, and hung up the phone.

The so called "progressive" has become a very disturbing and dangerous trend in politics today. The "progressive" will tell you that they are anti-war, but any military undertaking done by a Democrat in office will be excused as either justified or overlooked by these so called liberals and their peaceful ideals. When one points out that it was under the Clinton administration that the sanctioning of Iraq was devised which killed over 500,000 Iraqi children, the progressive will quickly point out that George W. Bush started the Iraq War and is the person to blame for all our current problems.

This is the fundamental flaw of the so called liberal. While I agree with them wholeheartedly on the fact that Bush was perhaps the worst president of all time, and uniquely corrupt, evil, and crypto-fascistic in his politics, I have found that the so called liberal has a fuzzy memory when it comes to the rampant corruption of Democrat Lyndon B Johnson, a war-mongering mad dog who condemned thousands of young Americans and tens of thousands of Vietnamese children to death.

The so called "conservative" is just as hypocritical. They will claim to be fiscal conservatives yet whenever a Republican gets elected into office spending goes through the roof. They claim to be for low taxes, but taxes continue to remain a burden for working American families. They will claim to be for small government, yet have no problems with the insane expansion of executive powers that went on during the Reagan and Bush administrations. They will make straw man arguments and excuses for Constitutional violations like the Patriot Act and come up with ridiculous movie scenarios to justify the use of torture. They will throw around terms like "anti-american" and call you a "liberal" if you are against the war or point out corruption in the American government. The so called "conservative" is a farce. They ignore the Republican parties embracement of illegal immigration and open borders policies, they look over the Neo-Conservative interventionist policies that go completely against what real conservatives like Thomas Jefferson believed.

We are experiencing a death of reason in this country today. Recently in my Sociology 202 class, my teacher made the claim that isolationist's where individuals who despised other cultures and sought to segregate themselves from the outside world. I pointed out that he seemed to have confused the term with ethnocentrism, isolationists I said, are individuals who don't believe our country has any business or reason to go meddle with the affairs of other nations. I have noticed on numerous occasions, people will make false statements about isolationists, capitalism, and have a general misunderstanding of what a real liberal or conservative is. A real liberal-progressive is not someone that seeks to create a nanny-state, but instead seeks to prevent corruption in the corporate and banking industries, they are truly anti-war and follow isolationist policies. A true conservative seeks to ensure personal liberties, keep government expansion and spending to a minimal, they are not out to place heavy taxes on the wages of working Americans.

Ignorance and apathy are the norm, the TV watching sports culture has infested the minds of many Americans. In casual conversation at school I have noticed that there is a good 40% chance that football, basketball, or baseball will be mentioned depending on the time of year. The average American household has TV on for at least 7 hours in a 24 hour period. 1 out of 4 Americans do not even read a single book in a year. I am not trying to be self righteous and say you shouldn't watch TV or football. I watch Curb Your Enthusiasm religiously, and my friend Kerim follows soccer. But we both recognize that TV, movies, and sports while entertaining, can become distractions if they become the central focus of peoples free time. All I ask is that people keep their eyes and ears open, turn on the filter of reason when watching mainstream media and movies. We are being inundated with ideas other than our own constantly, make sure these ideas are validated in reality not what the mainstream media defines and decides to be reality.

Thank You- Alex B, November 1, 2009