Today Vice President Dick Cheney has announced that the United States demands that Iran halt its uranium enrichment or else it will suffer "serious consequences".  It's really on the verge of being disturbing that the Vice President is the man in charge of foreign affairs. Rumors have went around that the Bush administration has been divided between a Condaleeza Rice \ Robert Gates faction and a Cheney faction, both seem to want the same goals but the Cheney faction is hellbent on war--probably due to more military-industrial ties.

Vice President Dick Cheney Sunday said the United States and its allies would not permit Iran to get nuclear weapons and warned of "serious consequences" if it continues to enrich uranium. "The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences," he said in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The United States and its allies "will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

I recall the words of John Adams: "Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war."

Is it me, or life just happens to force you to reconsider your decided decisions, thus undermining your role as decider? Is it not a pity that you, master of your domain, have to adapt to 180 degree turns of fate?

I don't believe in "luck" so to speak. I have the illusion of control. Slightly. I do believe in "chance"... random, or at least, seemingly random turns that life takes ARE indeed random. So seven people on 07/07/07 talked to you in a meeting at 7 pm? That's just a very nice coincidence. If you go about it enough, you can catch all sorts of coindecencies [sic]. Like how many of Delhi's cars have number plates with one or more leading zeroes out of the four digits. Yes, I used to calculate digit sums of cars' numbers and see if they were divisible by thirteen [ditto with bus ticket numbers], but that's not the point, is it?

The point, so to speak, is this. Life is so complex, that, by simply analysing it, we're changing the parameters... I think. I mean, umm... shouldn't you be OUTSIDE a system to analyse it properly, thus making sure that the mere presence of the observer doesn't introduce change into the system, thus undermining the entire exercise; but for that to happen, you'd have to be dead and simultaneously unattached to everything to be able to disassociate emotions, so that it can't cloud your thoughts; wow this is a long sentence, I'm doing this too often now.

Anyhow, here's the point.

After deciding, and then changing my decision because of bad news, and then changing my decision again because of new (previously unavailable) information, I have to change AGAIN because of new information.

Why? Because if I make the wrong one, it'll be a disaster. Like buying a Cyrix processor to use on a PPC board. Or talking to THF without reading a manual on air passenger safety and three quarters of an encyclopedia.

Umm... yes, I'm confused too. Can I get back to you on this one?

Discussions are off.

Newsweek via throwingstrones (emphasis mine):

NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell wondered whether Gonzales might have taken the president’s questions as a call to action. But Bush said he had no idea about the impact of his own discussions. “You’re going to have to ask Al that question,” he said. In other words, the president—who has the power to fire U.S. attorneys at will—doesn’t know if his words carry weight inside his own cabinet.

Ouch.

Cheney: lying, thieving oil whore and murderer of the U.S. Constitution.   Well put, Alec.

Bush: no, you're NOT the decider, you fuck.

bush, the control freak, the "decider", the war criminal, the braggart, is the dog who needs a kennel! Not the guys that will eventually be found guilty. Nope, the top dogs, rice, cheney, rumsfeld, and bush are the ones who need to be sentenced and imprisoned, not those who did the actual deeds, they were only following orders.

In an article from CommonDreams we see how the CIA is disparately trying not to deal with FOIA, Freedom of Information Act, by saying they are above the law since these are private conversations between members of the CIA and the White House or legal council. IF the rule of Law applies equally, they won't get away with it, however, don't hold your breath. Our history is littered with those who have "gotten away with it."

I'm sure bush figured when he got into the White House that he would have a free hand in things, that no one would dare question him or his administration, that the American Public had been cowed into dumb silence. Well guess what, we aren't so stupid and there are still a few good people out there trying to right things no matter what the government tries to do.

Money buys a lot, but how many laws can you continually break before someone, somewhere, with enough power and clout, stands up and says ENOUGH! Looks like a few someones are doing JUST that...

Published on Sunday, April 27, 2008 by Inter Press Service
Groups Wrangle With CIA Over ‘Ghost Prisoners’
by William Fisher

NEW YORK — The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has refused to release more than 7,000 documents related to its programs of secret detentions, renditions, and torture, and is asking a federal judge to dismiss a Freedom of Information lawsuit demanding disclosure.

The refusal came last week in the CIA’s response to a lawsuit brought by three human rights groups, Amnesty International USA (AIUSA), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the International Human Rights Clinic at New York University School of Law (NYU IHRC).

The CIA filed a motion with the court for a summary judgment to end the lawsuit and avoid turning over more than 7,000 documents related to its secret “ghost” detention and extraordinary rendition programs.

The CIA claimed that it did not have to release the documents because many consist of correspondence with the White House or top George W. Bush administration officials, or because they are between parties seeking legal advice on the programs, including guidance on the legality of certain interrogation procedures. The CIA confirmed that it requested — and received — legal advice from attorneys at the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel concerning these procedures.

OK, so I am a tad bit concerned about the legal system policing itself. Cases in point would be any case involving the IRS and the legal system where a lower court judge says that the Supreme Court Ruling has no baring in their court room or they don't want to hear that as evidence... Those are exceptionally BAD Judges and should be dismissed from office.

View CCR's ghost detention fact sheet HERE:factsheet_ghostdetention

The groups filed their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests last June with several U.S. government agencies, including the CIA. These requests sought information about individuals who are — or have been — held by the U.S. government or detained with U.S. involvement, and about whom there is no public record.

~snip~

“The CIA has employed illegal techniques such as torture, enforced disappearances, and extraordinary rendition,” said Meg Satterthwaite, director of the NYU IHRC. “It cannot use FOIA exemptions as a shield to hide its violations of U.S. and international law.”

In its legal filings, the CIA acknowledged that this program “will continue”. Some prisoners have been transferred to prisons in other countries for proxy detention where they face the risk of torture and where they continue to be held secretly, without charge or trial. Human rights reports indicate that the fate and whereabouts of at least 30 people believed to have been held in secret U.S. custody remain unknown.

In September 2006, President Bush publicly acknowledged the existence of CIA-operated secret prisons. At the same time, 14 detainees from these facilities were transferred to Guantánamo and several more have arrived since. The administration has admitted to using so-called “alternative interrogation procedures” on those held in the CIA program, including waterboarding. The international community and the United States, in other contexts, have unequivocally deemed these techniques torture.

If these guys have families, I'm sorry for those families. I'm not sorry for the guys. They willingly participated in something that is plainly illegal, no matter whose opinion they got, no matter what. The laws are the laws and they are clearly spelled out. Good luck in sliming your way out of this one guys. Oh, it may take a while, but your days are numbered. You can't make the whole world go away, no matter how much you want to.

      David Sirota wrote a piece for Truthdig today talking about (if I understand it correctly) class wars. He speaks about Barack Obama spending a lot of time as a youth in poor neighborhoods, getting the same education as Caesar Chavez, and then making a name for himself through grassroots organizing. However, now that it is time for a presidential run, now that it is time to start raising money from anyone he can, those roots are quickly forgotten. He is a man who can move crowds with his dynamic style of speech; and he does, but he chooses not to focus on something that could change the face of this country forever- a class uprising. There is no doubt that the people working two or three jobs to barely get by, watching their children get little to no education, and being ignored by the lawmakers, would love to vote for a candidate who encourages him or her to stand up to the powers that be. There is also no doubt that the “haves”, the one or two percent who actually control most of the money and power, would aim for the head of someone preaching for lower class rights. It’s the middle class that gets confused, the people who have just enough money to think that they are moving towards the upper echelons; the police officers, military women and men, teachers, and lower level politicians who would take the side of the rich and powerful in any kind of class war. Obama knows that if anyone can appeal to these people, he can. Yet he chooses not to because the political system we have is so fucked; in order for anyone to get in any kind of office above the local level, they pretty much are forced to take money from corporate donors. Once a couple checks are deposited into that candidate’s bank account, that candidate is owned. As long as this continues, things will not change for the better. As long as we have no one to point out to the middle class that the rich do not care about them, no one will ever rise up. There are people out there yelling for anyone who can hear, but not enough people will hear until we have campaign finance reform- whatever that means.

Evitez le Snake Eyes

Une des raisons qui fait que c'est très difficle de savoir ce que l'on veut, c'est que dès qu'on fait un choix, inévitablement on dit "non" aux alternatives à ce choix.
Par exemple, si vous ne savez pas si vous devez rester dans une relation. Vous hésitez entre rester avec votre partenaire ou le/la quitter. Si vous décidez de quitter définitivement cette personne, ça veut dire que vous dîtes "non" au futur avec celle-ci.
Autre exemple, vous hésitez à rester dans votre job. Si vous décidez finalement de rester, ça veut dire que vous dîtes "non" à un job différent, à une autre carrière.
En d'autres termes, faire un choix, c'est dire "oui" à une solution, et c'est dire "non" aux solutions alternatives !

Emotionnellement, cela peut-être très difficile. On n'arrive tout simplement pas à se séparer d'une situation, car on a peur de passer à côté de quelque chose. D'ailleurs ça l'est tellement que l'on décide souvent de rester flous sur nos objectifs. "On verra bien ce qu'il va arriver", ou alors : "il faut bien faire ce qu'on peut pour gagner sa vie". C'est normal d'avoir du mal à dire non. Cependant, on peut tout à fait s'entrainer à cela. Par exemple en disant "non" plus souvent, et en acceptant de passer à côté de certaines choses pour faire nos choix. De toute façons, si l'on a des objectifs flous, ou qui fluctuent continuellement, alors on aura une vie plutôt floue, avec des résultats très aléatoires, et au final, on risque de ne rien faire du tout. Mieux vaut plutôt faire une chose à la fois. Sinon on risque de finir en cas de Snake Eyes :

Le cas du Snake Eyes, c'est lorsque l'on met deux souris de chaque côté de la tête d'un serpent. Chaque oeil du serpent voit une souris. Il parait que dans ce cas, le serpent n'ose attaquer aucune des deux souris par peur de laisser s'échapper la seconde. Résultat, il ne bouge pas, et perd les deux souris !

Sautez dans l'inconnu

Et puis, il y a aussi la peur de ce qui va arriver lorsque l'on choisi quelque chose, parce qu'on ne peut pas lire dans l'avenir. En conséquence, lorsque l'on fait un choix, et que l'on dit "non" aux solutions alternatives, on se jette dans l'inconnu, et cela fait peur. Quand on décide de changer sa situation actuelle, même si l'on n'est que moyennement heureux avec celle-ci, cela implique que l'on s'avance en territoire inconnu...et que l'on ne sait pas exactement si l'on va réussir et être plus heureux de ce qu'il va nous arriver. Il faut savoir se séparer de sa situation actuelle, et parfois aussi de son entourage, et ce n'est pas facile, ça fait flipper.

Il y a quelques années, j'avais décidé de partir étudier un an à l'étranger, avec le programme erasmus. Je me souviens très bien de la sensation que j'avais eu lorsque j'étais dans l'avion, juste avant le décollage. J'étais assi à côté d'une personne qui ne parlait pas ma langue. J'avais avec moi seulement une valise, pour aller dans un pays que je n'avais jamais vu, où je n'avais aucun ami, aucun logement, aucune connaissance de la manière dont j'allais m'intégrer. Je me sentais perdu d'avance.
Au moment où les moteurs de l'avion se sont mis à démarrer, et qu'il n'y avait plus de retour en arrière possible, je me souviens très clairement avoir eu une espèce de vertige, comme si je sautais dans le vide. Je me suis dit à ce moment : "Mais qu'est-e que je suis en train de faire !? Je suis vraiment fou, qu'est-ce que je fais assis là dans cet avion à aller vers un endroit totalement inconnu !? " Sérieusement, à ce moment là, je flippais grave. J'avais la gorge sèche et le ventre noué, et je regrettais mon choix...Je quittais mon environnement bien connu où j'avais mes amis, ma famille et mes habitudes et je n'avais aucune idée de ce qui m'attendait dans ce nouveau pays.
Cependant, trois jours plus tard j'étais le plus heureux du monde. Finalement, tout s'était passé merveilleuseument bien, et je découvrais des choses qui à mon niveau me paraissaient incroyables !!

C'est un petit exemple personnel mais j'ai pu lire beaucoup de témoignages de personnes qui s'impliquaient à fond dans un choix, et qui osaient se jetter dans l'inconnu malgré la peur. En règle générale, ce qu'ils disent tous c'est que une fois que l'on décide à 100% de s'impliquer dans un choix, on n'est pas déçu du résultat. Dans tous les cas on est sûr d'apprendre beaucoup
plus que si l'on reste dans une situation qui ne nous convient pas vraiment.

Réalisez que vous êtes responsables

Ce que l'on ne réalise pas toujours, c'est que quoi qu'il arrive, on a la responsabilité de ses choix. Et si l'on ne choisi pas consciemment ce que l'on veut, d'autres le feront pour nous, naturellement. Si vous ne choississez pas ce que VOUS voulez, alors vos parents, votre conjoint, votre patron, vos amis, les films que vous regardez, les livres que vous lisez...bref, votre environnement choisira pour vous. En soi, cela n'est pas forcément mal, mais êtes vous bien sûr que c'est ce que VOUS voulez? Si ce n'est pas le cas, alors il ne faut pas blâmer les autres, car vous avez toujours la responsabilité de vos choix. Ce n'est pas toujours facile de se démarquer de son environnement, mais cela n'empêche pas que c'est une responsabilité qui vous incombe.

Personne ne vous influence. Si vous croyez que certaines personnes vous influencent, alors c’est ce que vous constaterez dans votre vie.
En réalité, vous êtes la seule personne qui décidez de votre état d’esprit et de vos actions. Réalisez que toutes les influences que vous croyez subir ne sont en fait que des réactions que VOUS avez en réponse aux intéractions avec les autres. En d'autres termes, si vous êtes influencés, c'est que vous vous laissez influencer, consciemment ou pas.
Même si quelqu'un vous menace avec une arme, vous avez toujours le choix de refuser ce que l'on vous demande de faire.
Cependant, vous jugerez probablement qu'il est sage d'obéir à la personne qui vous menace, seulement, c'est une décision que vous avez prise.

Le principe est le même avec les personnes qui nous sont chères. Ce ne sont pas elles qui nous influencent et nous empêchent de faire nos propres choix. Si nous subissons leur influence, c’est bien nous même qui choisissons de ne pas les offusquer, ou leur faire mal au coeur, et c’est bien nous qui choisissons de ne pas agir malgré notre envie d’agir. Laissons donc les autres être eux-mêmes et agissons comme on en a envie.
Souvent on se dit : “ah, si mon père n’était pas comme ci, alors j’oserai faire ce dont j’ai envie !” ou encore, “ah si ma copine pouvait être comme ça, je pourrais faire ceci ou cela”.
En réalité, aucun blocage ne vient d’eux, laissons les donc être comme ils sont. Tout blocage vient de nous, on a toujours le choix, quoi qu’il advienne. Si l'on n’est pas prêt à assumer les conséquences de nos actes, alors choisissons de ne pas agir pour le moment, mais ne rejettons pas la faute sur les autres. Laissons les autres être ce qu’ils sont et faisons donc ce dont on a envie.

Ne culpabilisez pas

Souvent, on n'ose pas faire ses choix parce que l'on culpabilise à cause de ses désirs. Si on culpabilise, on résiste donc à ce que l'on veut, et on n'ose pas s'avouer que cela fait partie de nos objectifs. D'expérience, j'ai remarqué qu'il ne faut pas culpabiliser, ça ne fait que freiner et étouffer votre aptitude à choisir par vous même.

Ensuite, parfois on peut culpabiliser parce que l'on n'a pas le courage de se démarquer et d'affirmer ses choix. Ce n'est pas grave, peu importe que l'on mette dix ans ou dix jours à atteindre son ojectif, pourvu que l'on soit en mouvement vers celui-ci. Mieux vaut se donner le temps et être patient avec soi-même que de culpabiliser parce que l'on n'arrive à rien.
Chacun son rythme, et chacun ses objectifs !

"Speculation is growing that President George W. Bush could launch military action before he leaves office in January 2009 even though Washington says it is committed to resolving the crisis over Iran's disputed atomic ambitions diplomatically."

On a similar note, Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria had a great piece on the conservatives' foolishness and rush to attack Iran when it is really not a threat.

Here is the reality. Iran has an economy the size of Finland's and an annual defense budget of around $4.8 billion. It has not invaded a country since the late 18th century. The United States has a GDP that is 68 times larger and defense expenditures that are 110 times greater. Israel and every Arab country (except Syria and Iraq) are quietly or actively allied against Iran. And yet we are to believe that Tehran is about to overturn the international system and replace it with an Islamo-fascist order? What planet are we on?

I think Bush has reached a point where he won't listen to anyone. After all, he is the decider.

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."
Henry David Thoreau

PROLOGUE

DECIDER'S VOICE: Okay! Okay! Cut! Goddamnit! Where are all the extras? This scene requires bodies! Loads of them! Bring on the fucking children! Quite on the set! Cue the bombs! Mothers start screaming! Fathers get that look of anger and hate in your eyes! Children you just lie there! And roll camera and ACTION!"

CUT AND RUN (the play)Lights rise and we see what appears to be a war movie set. There are lights and cameras and debris and bombed out shells of homes and buildings; all the bells and whistles! There are many dead bodies of Iraqi children, women and men (extras) lying all over the stage in various positions. It is, quite literally, a bloodbath. Down center stage, near the edge, is a huge oversized director’s chair. It looks almost throne-like. On the back it reads “DECIDER”… Soon we hear a walkie-talkie ring out.

VOICE OF ASSISTANT:
Sir? There are no more extras. The few that were left marched off the set ten minutes ago. It’s over.DECIDER:
(Unseen but from the chair.) Over? Over! I’m the damn decider! I’ll tell you when it’s over you sniveling twit of an assistant! I’m the decider! And as decider I say this movie is not over! It has merely hit a lull! A bump in the road! All movies have delays and whining shitass extras! It ain’t over till the goddamned fat lady sings!

ASST:
The fat lady left yesterday, sir.

DECIDER:
Was she singing?

ASST:
No. She was screaming.

DECIDER:
Screaming?

ASST:
And crying and cursing and throwing things! She trampled over the sound man, the greensman, the gaffer, the grip, and the two remaining extras. They’re all dead, sir.

DECIDER:
Were the cameras rolling?

ASST: …Yes.

DECIDER:
Excellent!

ASST:
Excellent?

(DECIDER now hops down from his chair and surveys the set. He is dressed in full cowboy regalia all the way down to the boots!)

DECIDER:
Yes! Yes! I wasn’t selected bloody decider twice for nothing ya know!

ASST:
Of course not, sir.

DECIDER:
We can use it for the Cut and Run finale! It’ll also be good for the outtakes on the DVD! The people love that shit!

VOICE:
They do?

DECIDER:
Hell yes! They’ll rent it just for the outtakes alone! That, and the funny accents.

ASST:
It’s lunchtime, sir.

DECIDER:
Great! Pick me up my usual and be back here in half an hour. We’ve got a lot of filming and cutting and splicing and cadavers to position for the finale! Cut and Run's final scene! "The Fat Lady Screams"! I’m a genius!

ASST:
Soy milk, sir?

DECIDER:
Is there any other kind, shit for brains?

ASST:
No, sir. Not since the global Mad Cow epidemic.

DECIDER:
Just go!

ASST:
Yes, sir.

DECIDER:
Idiot… Always answering rhetorical questions.

(He walks about nudging bodies with his boot. After he discerns there are none living he calls out.)

DECIDER:
Hello?! Hello?!

(DECIDER’S voice echoes for several moments as he stands in his own cavern of emptiness. Soon he comes downstage and scans the faces of the audience for quite a long while.)

DECIDER:
This is not my fault! (Beat.) If you’ve been in the business as long as I have, my father before me and his father and his father’s father, you get to see this happen from time to time. It’s part of the territory. Come to think of it…I’m five for five. All five of my movies have had massive resistance! …It all began with my debut film of “One Flew over the Whitehouse”, then came “Neo-Con Air Part Two”. I tried the Cinema Verité style with this particular movie. What a load of crap that one turned out to be! I’m not very good at sequels… or the truth… But you go where the money is. At least I do. …But this one! This albatross is not my damned problem!

(Long pause.)

DECIDER:
Where was I? Oh. Yes. After “Neo-Con Air” I directed “The Last of the Neocons”. Raised quite a stink with that one. Sure did. The premise was stupid anyway and it had the additional benefit of being quite implausible. I should have known better, but you go where the money is right? Let’s see, after that behemoth flop I directed a film called “Kill Bill - The Aftermath”. Another damned flop. Not because it was far-fetched, or had a weak plot, or even the fact that it was a sequel. No. It was real enough, but it was my first go at Dark Comedy. My audience wasn’t quite ready for such full bore irony. Neither was I. …Then came the film that was supposed to be my masterpiece. The one that should have sent my marketability through the damned roof! “Mid-Term”. Oh! “Mid-Term”! It was Oscar time, baby! I was going to be king of the world! King of the world I tell ya! King of the goddamned world! Oh! Mid-Term! The glory! The suspense! The spectacular drama of a group of people who won the most decisive election battle in U.S. history! God! What unmitigated drama! Utter suspence and elation! …But, again, my audience, many of them captured, weren’t ready for such high concept realism. A dramatization of the battle that turned out to be the turning point for the entire world isn’t exactly going to keep them in their seats, unless you’re Mel fucking Gibson…

(He roams about the stage again nudging bodies.)

ASST:
This film. This one is my last go, folks. My decider finale. Seriously. I’m done after this one. Hollywood can make a person forget what’s important in life, ya know? Forget who we are. Ruthless bastards! So, I’m going fishing with daddy… or duck hunting with Dick. (Beat.) On second thought…

(Suddenly the walkie-talkie blares.)

ASST:
Sir?

DECIDER:
(Startled.) Holy mother of God!

ASST:
Sir?

DECIDER:
What!? What for Christ sake you goddamned sniveling toad!

ASST:
I quit! Get a different assistant you washed up no-good abusive prick! I called the authorities, too! I told them all about all the dead bodies and that you don’t care! You don’t care as long as you’re making money! Well I’m not that kind of person! I have a conscience! I’ve taken the cashbox, too! You not only don’t have any actors or crew, but now there’s no money! It’s all gone and so is every living soul! They’re all gone! They all blame you for ruining this film! You did it! You barked orders and treated people like dirt! You’re the worst decider of all time! And that’s an extremely long list of asshats!

DECIDER:
You’ll never work in this town again! You walk off this set and you’re history! You hear me? History! H.I.S.T.E.R.Y! Got that?

ASST:
Jesus! You're a stupid bastard!

(A loud feedback is heard as the ASSISTANT has obviously thrown the walkie-talkie. It comes skidding to a stop at DECIDER’S feet. He stands motionless for a good while not moving. Soon he turns and faces the audience. Smiling weakly, he comes downstage.)

DECIDER:
Fishing with daddy.

(DECIDER looks front watching the audience intently. The extras begin to move. They slowly begin to rise like zombies.)

DECIDER:
I am the decider. I’ve decided to go fishing. I’ve already been paid! And they call me the idiot! Ha! I’m rich beyond my audiences imagination so what the hell do I care! Right? You are all going to regret my absence, but you know what? Screw you! Yeah! You heard me! Screw you! My genius is lost on the world! My talents are out of your reach! I know how to get things done in this town! I’m a genius and I’m rich rich rich! I’m the decider and as the decider I get to decide and I’ve decided to go fishing! So screw you! (Turning.) And screw this movie! Agggghhhhhh! What the-

(The zombies are upon him. The women, men and children zombies now begin to devour him.)

DECIDER:
Cut! Cut! No! Bad choice of words! ...Help! Help!

(His emptiness echoes for a good moment as lights fade.)

The End.

Copyright © 2006 mrp / thepoetryman

(Cinéma vérité is a style of filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques that originated in documentary filmmaking, with the storytelling elements typical of a scripted film. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics. The name is French and means, roughly, "cinema of truth".)