Barak H. Bush

From RT:

Is there a difference between George W. Bush and Barack Obama? If there is no difference, why is this the case? What is it about American politics that changes politicians once they are in high office? And, in light of the Obama presidency, will history now look more kindly upon Bush Jr.? CrossTalking with Daniel Faraci, Austin Petersen and Kimberly Amadeo.




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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama on Syria vs. Bush on Iraq

From RT: Nobel Peace Prize recipient, President Obama, is calling for military action in Syria. This is the same former senator who voted against the war in Iraq. Now, Obama is pursuing military intervention in the sovereign country that borders Iraq. And his calls are so very similar to his predecessor, whom he heavily criticized and won the peace prize for. --------------------
That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama promotes "prolonged detention."

From YouTube

In this not-to-be-missed speech, Obama talks about his radical idea of "prolonged detention" and explains its purpose.

In the words of Rachel Maddow (commentator): "This was a beautiful speech from President Obama today, with patriotic, poetic, even moving language about the rule of law and the constitution... AND one of the most radical proposals for defying the constitution that we have ever heard made to the American people."

Oh, the irony.

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That's not "change we can believe in."

The Obama Family Goes on a Much-Needed Vacation…Again

From Activist Post:

The Obama family needs a vacation. After all, it’s been almost a month since they returned from the $100 million taxpayer-funded African safari. (Yep, that’s right – ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.)

Since then, the President has been busy trying to browbeat other countries into turning over Ed Snowden and spending a great deal of time involving himself in the case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. It’s hard work being the driving force behind an assault on privacy while also maintaining a position as the Race-Baiter-in-Chief.

The First Lady must also be exhausted. After all, she threw a joint party on the 4th of July for her daughter’s birthday and for Independence Day. The entertaining duties didn’t stop there, as she threw a “Kids' State Dinner” after she selected the winner of a healthy recipe contest that the kids had participating.

So, after that whirlwind…it’s off to the posh island retreat of Martha’s Vineyard. In the past the Obama’s stayed at Blue Heron Farm, where the rental of the house itself was $50,000 per week.

Read More.

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama's War on Whistleblowers

From: corebttreport.com:

One of the clearest and most remarkable signs that Obama was not what he claimed to be has always been the war on whistleblowers his administration has been waging since the moment he took office.

This war, unprecedented in scale or scope in the history of the United States, has been waged quietly for years, apparently out of sight of the fawning media and Obama-supporting Democrats.

Find out more about this war in this week's edition of the BoilingFrogsPost.com Eyeopener report.

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama and Bush, more alike than ever

Video from RT:

Published on Jul 2, 2013

President Obama and former President George W. Bush came together in Tanzania, Africa on Tuesday to lay a wreath commemorating the 1998 US Embassy bombings. They meet just as the massive surveillance operation that both oversaw over the last decade is being exposed by Edward Snowden's leaks. Despite railing against surveillance and war as a Senator and as a Presidential candidate, years later Barack Obama looks more like George W. Bush than he ever has before. So why is that? Political Commentator Sam Sacks explains. 

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Patriot Act sets up a totalitarian state

From RT:


He Told You So: William Binney Talks NSA Leaks



"One of the reasons they would want to do this is... that they wanted to be able to leverage anyone in the country."



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That's not "change we can believe in."

NSA Leaks: Obama Officials Caught Lying

Absolutely no surprises here:

From: RT

NSA Leaks: Obama Officials Caught Lying


It is no wonder that whistleblowers are lining up to take back Obama's "transparency" award.


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That's not "change we can believe in."

The Monsanto Presidency

From: Activist Post

US/Corporate America’s president, Barack Obama, has a wide resume. He holds Wall St. interests dear to his heart, as shown by his nomination of Penny Pritzker, the Hilton millionaire, for Commerce Secretary, Jack Lew of Citigroup for Secretary or the Treasury… Need we say more? Then there is the oil, coal and nuclear connected Ernie Moniz as Energy Secretary.

And then there is Monsanto.

According to this article, ”

“After his victory in the 2008 election, Obama filled key posts with Monsanto people, in federal agencies that wield tremendous force in food issues, the USDA and the FDA:

At the USDA, as the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto Danforth Center.

As deputy commissioner of the FDA, the new food-safety-issues czar, the infamous Michael Taylor, former vice-president for public policy for Monsanto. Taylor had been instrumental in getting approval for Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.

As commissioner of the USDA, Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack. Vilsack had set up a national group, the Governors’ Biotechnology Partnership, and had been given a Governor of the Year Award by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto.

As the new Agriculture Trade Representative, who would push GMOs for export, Islam Siddiqui, a former Monsanto lobbyist.

As the new counsel for the USDA, Ramona Romero, who had been corporate counsel for another biotech giant, DuPont.

As the new head of the USAID, Rajiv Shah, who had previously worked in key positions for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major funder of GMO agriculture research.”

According to the same article, two of Obama’s biggest backers – Bill Gates and George Soros – bought 1.4 million shares of Monsanto in 2010.

This issue is directly related to the recently passed “Monsanto Protection Act”, which shields Monsanto (and other GMO producers) from lawsuits based on health effects of their gmo products. (The act, itself, shows how confident they are in the safety of these products.)

Obama’s protection of the criminal Monsanto is also leading to increased world tensions. According to this article, there have been diplomatic clashes between the Obama administration and that of Russia’s Putin over exactly this issue. In particular, this concerns the collapse of the world’s honey bee population. It is widely thought that this collapse is at least partly due to the use of a type of pesticide called neonicotinoids. These pesticides are chemically similar to nicotine, and were first introduced because they were not shown to be harmful to mammals. However, their effect on insects, birds and fish is a different matter.

Every day adds credibility to the claim of Bruce Dixon of the Black Agenda Report that Obama is not the “lesser evil”, he is the “more effective evil.”

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama's Promise to Label GMO Foods 2007

From Protean View:

Obama's Promise to Label GMO Foods 2007



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6 years later, that's not "change we can believe in."

Wealth Inequality in America

From Politizane:



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That's not "change we can believe in."

Guantanamo Lawyer Speaks Out

Update:

RT has a similar story:




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Six years ago, Barak Obama repeatedly promised to close Guantanamo Bay. He reaffirmed that promise as soon as he got into office.

Today, Obama himself is the only reason Guantanamo Bay remains open, as this lawyer who works with Guantanamo detainees explains.

From We Are Change:




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That's not "change we can believe in."

Some of the hunger-striking detainees at Guantanamo Bay were cleared for release years ago.

A few excerpts from a great post at endthelie.com

By Madison Ruppert

Editor of End the Lie

Amnesty International demonstrates in front of theUS Embassy in London on January 11, 2007 for the closure of the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay (Image credit: casmaron/Flickr)

Some of the hunger striking detainees being force-fed at Guantanamo Bay were actually cleared for release years ago, according to a report.

Currently, government numbers indicate that 100 of detainees are participating in the hunger strike, and 20 are currently being given tube feedings.

While Guantanamo officials have refused to identify the hunger strikers, the Justice Department has notified attorneys if their clients have become malnourished to the point of requiring tube feedings.

The Miami Herald has learned of the identities of eight of the men through their attorneys, four of those are being held even though they were cleared for release.

These individuals are just a tiny slice of the 55 total men eligible for release that have been identified by the Justice Department separately in federal court filings.

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30 of those detainees, on average, were being “enteral fed,” according to House. Enteral feeding is when a tube is placed up the detainee’s nose, down the back of their throat and into their stomach. A nutritional supplement is then pumped into the detainee’s stomach.

This practice is regularly referred to as force-feeding, though Guantanamo officials refuse to identify it as such.

“I refuse to say ‘force-feeding,’” House said to AFP. “It refers to a cartoon where individuals are strapped, yelling, screaming, mouth open and food is dumped down the person’s throat and that is not the case.”

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“The World Medical Association and international officials have clearly identified that process as cruel, in human and degrading treatment,” Thomson said. “And given the level of brutality could extend to torture.”

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The New York Times even published an op-ed by a Guantanamo Bay detainee named Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel.

“I will never forget the first time they passed the feeding tube up my nose. I can’t describe how painful it is to be force-fed this way,” he wrote. “As it was thrust in, it made me feel like throwing up. I wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t. There was agony in my chest, throat and stomach. I had never experienced such pain before. I would not wish this cruel punishment upon anyone.”

Read more at EndTheLie.com


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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama proves: Obama = Bush + Evil

From: Adam Vs The Man

Adam Kokesh: "The real tragedy of Obama's presidency is that he didn't break the trend of every American president being that much more evil than the one before".



When you voted for Obama, is this what you were voting for?

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama reverses himself, to ensure government insider trading can continue.

From R.T.

The Resident: Insider Trading Continues with Stock Act Rollback



President Obama signed the STOCK Act with much press coverage, but a week before the most important provisions were to be enacted, he quietly gutted the Act - ultimately making it easier for members of the legislative and executive branches to participate in insider trading. The STOCK Act mandated that government workers would file their personal financial disclosure forms online, allowing for transparency, effectively making any insider trading easier to see. But Obama quietly signed legislation that now says government workers can continue to file offline, keeping their PFDs as secretive - and questionable - as ever. The Resident (aka Lori Harfenist) reports. Follow The Resident on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/TheResident


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That's not "change we can believe in."

Enron's Skilling May Be Released From Prison Over A Decade Early

From Zerohedge:

Former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling may be the latest beneficiary of the culture of pervasive permitted, even according to some - encouraged, crime. After being sentenced to prison for 24 years in the aftermath of Enron's spectacular 2001 bankruptcy, the former CEO may be released after serving well less than half of his term. As a result his prison term, which scheduled to end in 2028, may be cut by more than half as a result of a new agreement with the Department of Justice. It appears that AG Eric Holder is so busy not prosecuting Wall Street for being Too Big To Prosecute, he has decided it is far wiser to spend his time productively by commuting the sentences of convicted financial felons, because apparently there is nothing more important to do.

Read More at ZeroHedge...

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Pentagon requests $170 million to renovate GITMO

From R.T.

As part of his "Change-We-Can-Believe-In" campaign mantra, Obama promised to shut Guantanamo Bay down as his first point of business on entering the White House.

Yet the pentagon is now requesting $45 mil to upgrade the facility, suggesting it will remain open for many years to come.







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That's not "change we can believe in."

Quantitative Easing Explained

A few years old but I don't think I posted it and it is still as relevant today if not more so:


From YouTube:

Quantitative Easing Explained




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That's not "change we can believe in."

From YouTube.com:

As some of us might remember, Obama ran on a platform of transparency, however:

Obama Sets Record For Rejections Of Freedom Of Information Requests

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Demagogue

What is a demagogue?

At Wikipedia we find an insightful description for the term demagogue:

A demagogue (/ˈdɛməɡɒɡ/) or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who appeals to the emotions, prejudices, and ignorance of the less-educated people of a population in order to gain power. Demagogues usually oppose deliberation and advocate immediate, violent action to address a national crisis; they accuse moderate and thoughtful opponents of weakness. Demagogues have appeared in democracies since ancient Athens. They exploit a fundamental weakness in democracy: because ultimate power is held by the people, nothing stops the people from giving that power to someone who appeals to the lowest common denominator of a large segment of the population.


From Online Etymology, we learn the origins of the term "demagogue:"

demagogue (n.) 

1640s, from Greek demagogos "popular leader," also "leader of the mob," from demos "people" (see demotic) + agogos "leader," from agein "to lead" (see act (n.)). Often a term of disparagement since the time of its first use, in Athens, 5c. B.C.E. Form perhaps influenced by French demagogue (mid-14c.).

So is Obama a demagogue? Well, does he fit the descriptions above? Is he the leader of the mob? Absolutely! His speeches are riddled with rhetoric designed to stir the emotions of the masses, and who could argue that he is not "quick advocate immediate, violent action to address a national crisis?" I could go on but I want to keep the post brief.

And what of George W. Bush? Can we say he was the same of him? I dare say yes. In a democracy, we are ruled by demagogues. Wake up America.

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Wealth Inequality in America

From YouTube




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That's not "change we can believe in."

Didn't Obama run on a platform of ending wars?

From YouTube: --------------------
That's not "change we can believe in."

The Real Sequester Threat

From Reuters:

By Pedro da Costa

The real sequester threat: rising political risk in the United States

Despite the Obama administration’s cataclysmic warnings about the effects of $85 billion in looming spending cuts known as the “sequester,” chances are the lights will not go out when they kick in this weekend. Still, the economic impact could be significant. The cutbacks might shave a half percentage point or more from an economy that is forecast to grow around 2 percent this year — but which only mustered a 0.1 percent increase in annualized fourth quarter GDP. This, at a time when a similar austerity-driven approach has left much of Europe mired in recession.

Both the public and the markets seem to be taking Washington’s latest war of words in stride. After all, people are becoming inured to the regularly scheduled fiscal crises that have become a part of the capital’s landscape. But the sequester’s most frightening potential consequence is much broader than its near-term economic ripples. The real danger is that, with every new episode of political theater over the budget, America’s credibility as a serious, trustworthy nation is eroded. The concept of political risk, once reserved for banana republics in the developing world, is now very much alive in the United States. And that is one liberty a debtor nation cannot afford to take.

Link to article

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama's Speech-Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

From YouTube: --------------------
That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama's War On Life

From YouTube: --------------------
That's not "change we can believe in."

'I'm going to prison for calling torture US govt policy' - ex-CIA officer Kiriakou

From RT:

While the Obama Administration relentlessly persues it's own "War on Whistleblowers," a former C.I.A official is heading to jail because he spoke out against torture.

In the interview with RT, John Kiriakou states correctly... "The Obama Administration is largely an extension of the Bush Administration"



Related Post: The Obama Administration's disturbing treatment of whistleblowers.

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama ignores the press

From RT: From the man who ran on a platform of transparency... --------------------
That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama supporters actually hate Obama's policies

This video by Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change shows how Obama's supporters don't have any idea of what he has been doing.

America’s Lackluster December Jobs Report

Excerpts from: Daily Censored

by Stephen Lendman

December Jobs Report headlines belied its weakness. Economist John Williams reengineers economic data based on reliable decades earlier modeling.

Based on how unemployment was calculated in the 1980s, Williams reported actual unemployment at 23%. It’s a “new (post WW II) high,” he said.

America is in recession. Media scoundrels don’t explain. Nor do talking head economists. They put a brave face on lackluster data.

Read More...

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Dependence on Food Stamps... a Ticking Time Bomb

From: Activist Post

by Sean Kerrigan

"An average of one out of every 6.5 Americans is now dependent on the government for food assistance, an absolutely stunning statistic." 

In 1971, five percent of the population or roughly one in 20 used the program. Since 2007 it has grown by almost as much as all previous years combined. And the situation is worsening. Recent government reports confirmed there have been roughly 1 million new enrollees in just the last two months! Think about it. A million people. This does not include possible increases related to Hurricane Sandy which won’t be released until later this month.

Examine this chart courtesy of the financial blog Zero Hedge. As you can see, Food Stamp usage has been relatively stable for most of 2012, but suddenly increased in September and October of this year. This cannot be explained away with unusual seasonal disruptions, which we suspect is why it wasn’t mentioned by any mainstream media outlet in television or print.

What would happen in the event of a financial collapse?

When you have 47.7 million people reliant Food Stamps in the world’s largest and most important economy - roughly 15 percent of its population - you have a serious problem, and yet our political leaders have proposed no solutions except to wait and hope the economy recovers. In the meantime, the debt is getting larger, global instability is increasing, as is the likelihood of financial disaster.

Consider what would happen in the event of a sudden financial crisis. A bank holiday would be almost certain. Credit cards and debit cards would be useless. EBT, again run by JP Morgan, would also cease to function. Left with what little cash Americans had on hand, some would be able to rough it for a while. However, America’s most vulnerable, those dependent on government assistance, would find themselves unable to afford food. Within a very short period of time, food riots would erupt around the country. If the crisis escalated, the level of violence could be greater than any living person has ever seen. In some areas, martial law would not only be justified, but desirable.

Read more...

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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama Signs NDAA Bill Allowing Indefinite Detention; Obama Orders Assassinations with No Oversight

From TheRealNews.com

Obama Signs NDAA Bill Allowing Indefinite Detention; Obama Orders Assassinations with No Oversight

Michael Ratner: Obama continues model of Presidential fiat, Congressional fiat, no due process, no trials, and indefinite detention.



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That's not "change we can believe in."

Obama maintains the surveillance state initiated by Bush

If G.W. Bush had have pushed government surveillance of the citizens this far, there would have been outrage. Where is the outrage now? --------------------
That's not "change we can believe in."

The "War On Terror" - by design - can never end, Glenn Greenwald

The "War On Terror" - by design - can never end.

As the Pentagon's former top lawyer urges that the war be finite, the US moves in the opposite direction.

Friday 4 January 2013, by Glenn Greenwald in The Guardian

Exerpt...

The polices adopted by the Obama administration just over the last couple of years leave no doubt that they are accelerating, not winding down, the war apparatus that has been relentlessly strengthened over the last decade. In the name of the War on Terror, the current president has diluted decades-old Miranda warnings; codified a new scheme of indefinite detention on US soil; plotted to relocate Guantanamo to Illinois; increased secrecy, repression and release-restrictions at the camp; minted a new theory of presidential assassination powers even for US citizens; renewed the Bush/Cheney warrantless eavesdropping framework for another five years, as well as the Patriot Act, without a single reform; and just signed into law all new restrictions on the release of indefinitely held detainees.

Does that sound to you like a government anticipating the end of the War on Terror any time soon? Or does it sound like one working feverishly to make their terrorism-justified powers of detention, surveillance, killing and secrecy permanent?

Read More

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That's not "change we can believe in."