tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343803992011-12-14T19:08:35.992-08:00Indigenous cultures are being discarded in the name of profit and economic growth. The world's wealth is concentrated in the hands of a very select few. Transnational corporations exercise more power than governments. The US gov't is creating a world of fear and terror through its policies around the world and disinformation is ubiquitous. We live in an era of neo-colonialism and we must fight to preserve what vestiges of culture and freedom remain in the face of miltary and economic oppression.rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-33558995323466738322007-09-26T07:48:00.000-07:002007-09-26T08:45:23.568-07:00

...is so pervasive in this country, I am starting to feel it's almost impossible to hold a serious conversation about the most important issues facing our nation and planet with an average American.For example, check out this forward I received:I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-64059509273787957372007-09-17T12:03:00.000-07:002007-09-17T12:08:57.394-07:00

This phrase, cut-and-run, has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. To those who would use this as an insult: It's not true: We (the congress) authorized a -war- to take out Saddam, done. Mission Accomplished. So why are we still there? We are now engaged in an -occupation- of a sovereign nation where a strong (close to 70%) majority of its people want us out NOW. And more than

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-8370374512762970772007-09-10T11:55:00.000-07:002007-09-10T12:00:31.504-07:00

Excerpts from bin Laden's most recent videoFunny how American news media will portray the message one way or another, but won't just release a full transcript, or at least, for brevity's sake, excerpts. Let us make up our own damn minds. Luckily there are some more reputable news organizations out there.Follow the link above and read for yourself.You even get diverse opinions from real people:"

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-13541841671526166122007-08-27T06:26:00.000-07:002007-08-29T12:44:06.337-07:00

Mr. Correa, the president of Ecuador, is taking historic strides to raise his people out of poverty. In the spirit of the Great Hero Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, he is taking on head-first the real causes of South & Central American poverty--enslavement to the IMF and World Bank.This article from the BBC explains how he, an American-trained economist, has paid off Ecuador's debt to the IMF, and is

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-62166670470470603212007-08-21T06:02:00.000-07:002007-08-21T07:10:33.254-07:00

You sit down at a seafood restaurant, wanting a fresh plate of scallops, and the waiter arrives. He says they are out of scallops but they have carrots and peas.. so.. what will it be?Carrots or Peas?Is that really a choice? In "The Matrix" they address this issue--that it is the illusion of choice that men are so smitten with and superficially impressed by, not real choice. Our strict

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-43177701643376218792007-07-05T12:13:00.001-07:002007-07-05T12:38:53.494-07:00

Well you might not already know, but the Federal Reserve, yes including the minters of our paper money, is a private corporation. It is held and operated by its member banks (think Citibank). Believe it or not, in 1918 our country sold its paper money printing and Federal Reserve Banking institutions to private industry.But they left the coins.. Why? Coins are more expensive. Paper money

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-20920946435432338472007-07-02T11:37:00.000-07:002007-07-02T11:55:57.851-07:00

Congratulations on a job well done.I just wanted to get that out. I've been surprised at the prevalence of negative remarks about him and his movie. While, of course there is much praise out there, from Slate, for example, it surprises me that the mainstream media does no sharply embrace Mr. Moore. Well, actually, it doesn't surprise me at all.There are some issues I am willing to debate--

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-73271214519428373612007-06-19T05:42:00.000-07:002007-06-19T05:56:06.474-07:00

This article is from MSN News (you know, it pops up after you log out of Hotmail).Wow, it takes an honest look at CEO salaries and makes a statement about the current inequality of wealth distribution in this country.He introduces "two New Yorkers": a woman working in a clothing shop to pay her way through college, and the CEO of Time Warner. One earns $8.50 an hour and can barely pay her bills

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-60046903303794808852007-06-14T05:55:00.000-07:002007-07-15T08:24:19.794-07:00

A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facilityIf you can read this article and not feel that our health care system is deeply and profoundly broken, then I don't know what else to say.Michael Moore's new film, Sicko, seems slated for release to theaters

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-44693959736907934972007-05-29T09:04:00.000-07:002007-05-29T12:43:47.308-07:00

http://dailykos.com/story/2007/5/28/12530/1525Read it.I think I'm there too. I've tried hard over the past couple years to expand my knowledge of world events, foreign policy, the implications of US actions, etc.. etc..It's not easy. It requires massive amounts of time, sifting through government documents, searching for independent media organizations, translating foreign news reports,

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-86159954786351218962007-05-18T08:18:00.000-07:002007-05-18T08:36:19.373-07:00

WHEN the prevalence of a medical condition leaps fivefold in eight years and it is not an infectious disease, something strange is going on. That is what has happened to childhood bipolar disorder in the US. The increase is not mirrored in other countries and there is no consensus among US doctors over the cause of the rise. Until a decade ago [bipolar disorder] was an exclusively adult disease

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-11544971314834242262007-04-19T10:47:00.000-07:002007-04-19T12:15:46.462-07:00

"As soon as he started reading, the whole class started laughing and pointing and saying, `Go back to China...'"This is what his classmates taunted him with when he spoke in Spanish class.In middle school, he was picked on, pushed around and mocked.And years later, he launched this bloody assault on those he saw as his enemies.How many acts of cruelty do we witness on a daily basis and shrug off

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-34841827097700084532007-04-06T11:38:00.000-07:002007-04-06T12:37:05.982-07:00

In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, groups of Iraqis, whose democratic rights the Prime Minister said the British forces were protecting, were seen celebrating the deaths. One man held aloft a British military helmet while a child waved a piece of charred metal that was said to come from the wreckage, to the approval of those around him. Others waved and smiled."Greeted as liberators" huh?

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-87624068193492896532007-04-04T10:38:00.000-07:002007-04-04T11:42:39.539-07:00

If you don't feel stupid today, Mr. Bush, I don't know what to say. On two fronts, events are flying in the face of the ideas that Bush and his cronies have shoved down our throats for years--that so-called "radical" Islamic nations cannot be negotiated with..cannot be reasoned with...hate "freedom"...and want nothing but chaos.Hm.. Ahmadinejad releases the 15 British sailors.Pelosi relays a

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-26243161017095145362007-03-28T08:19:00.000-07:002007-03-28T08:47:23.896-07:00

Things are bad. Very bad. If you are not frightened yet, you should be. Tom Hartman (on AM1260 in the DC area, Air America Radio) is one of my new favorite hosts, and he discussed an article that was released yesterday, and the discussion truly scared me. They were talking about an article released in the Russian press that was translated and posted by dailykos. I think it's one of these: http:

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-62508397410501564392007-03-21T08:19:00.000-07:002007-03-21T08:23:38.644-07:00

The truth is coming!!! !!! "House Subpoenas Karl Rove" !!! Last night Bush issued a statement threatening the House not to subpoena Rove or Harriet Miers.. He said that he would use executive priviledge to prevent them from testifying under oath...If you don't know why, this is a historic event.. After the past 6 years without any oversight, the congress is finally looking into the vast array of

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-9760965217903722862007-03-13T09:50:00.000-07:002007-03-13T12:34:02.343-07:00

Eight US attorneys were dismissed. It was initially claimed that their dismissal was for performance reasons. However, when people started digging (people including a Republican senator from Nevada, where one of the dismissals occured) the performace of these attoryneys was found to be excellent. The reasons changed, and all the while the White House denied any involvement in the matter or any

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-43304414183985172762007-03-08T12:14:00.000-08:002007-03-08T13:56:17.482-08:00

...AKA public opinion in the United States.In these dark days of corruption and authoritarianism, people like me who are aware of the atrophy of our democracy sometimes wonder how the rest of the country (the rest of the world now sees it) does not see it too; how the crimes against our democractic institutions can go unnoticed, unspoken, and unpunished.One of the reasons is misinformation. While

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-84081972159457050332007-02-21T07:52:00.000-08:002007-02-21T11:11:18.094-08:00

My last post was meant to set the stage for a discussion of Iran and the possible military confrontation the US may initiate. I summed up the Sunni and Shiite composition of Iraq, with brief mention of Iran. My conclusion was that there is currently a civil war in Iraq with the US supporting the government it installed (and the Iraqi people elected). Suddenly a Shiite government has taken hold

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-55986550507115658072007-02-21T07:03:00.000-08:002007-02-21T07:52:47.074-08:00

After four years of illegal and immoral war, I think there is a slight possibility that the American people are more aware of the lies and deceit being recycled to fuel fervor for another war with Iran.But many people, including so-called liberals and progressives, agree that Iran is a threat to the US and military action should be on the table. Throughout the war and occupation with Iraq I have

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1169844712888053342007-01-26T11:40:00.000-08:002007-02-18T21:59:00.063-08:00

Who could I be talking about? Well, I've already discussed how important information is to the proper function of a democracy. Obviously, media plays a central role in that process. But the analysis of the role that media plays in our lives is only one part of an array of elements that are producing what I call 'homogenized thought.'Clearchannel own thousands of radio and television stations

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1169047913125993692007-01-17T06:34:00.000-08:002007-01-26T10:44:43.610-08:00

Amidst the torrent of injustice we are faced with today, there remains small glints of hope in my heart. Abroad, my hope lies in men like Chavez, Fidel, Ortega, and Evo Morales; but at home I have always held a slight hope that our justice system will wake up to the attacks on our liberty and freedom, dust off our Constitution, and enforce justice upon those who have disgraced it.The previous

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1168633899687743792007-01-12T06:03:00.000-08:002007-01-12T12:31:39.896-08:00

When this right was included in the first amendment, why do you think it was considered important enough to be included with freedom of speech? Literally, is the freedom to physically gather that important? Sure it's important, but the real value that this right bestows upon the people of a democracy is the freedom to communicate and generate localized thoughts. Before television or radio, let

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1168460271713015112007-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:002007-01-17T00:22:01.710-08:00

While marching in a column of tens of thousands in a protest during Bush's second inaugural parade, sporadic chants would erupt from the people, but one moved me more than the others. The scene of thousands upon thousands of young and old, black and white, anarchist and socialist, democract and independent (probably not many Republicans though) choking the main roadways of downtown DC

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1168025695565480812007-01-05T06:29:00.000-08:002007-01-05T11:34:55.670-08:00

"If I can prove that this punishment is neither useful nor necessary, I will have furthered the cause of humanity." Cesare Beccaria, Dei delitti e delle pene (1764) After the video of Saddam's execution ended, and the YouTube window froze, I was left in one of those moments where I could not understand what I felt. I know the history, I know what he did--that he was a murderer, a tyrant,

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1166645826071185752006-12-20T08:01:00.000-08:002006-12-25T09:17:00.573-08:00

So, despite the ISG report, the Lancet study, and strong advice from the Joint Chiefs and top military commanders, Bush seems to be set on a 'short-term' surge in troop levels in Iraq. The formal announcement of this 'strategy' should be announced in January, but a recent interview with the Washington Post points strongly to this conclusion.You've got to ask: Is the most stubborn, stupid man on

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1166475353701216172006-12-18T06:29:00.000-08:002006-12-18T12:56:02.216-08:00

Sometimes it feels as if there's so much animosity in the world that even the most fundamental objects of compassion go overlooked. With all the talk about the war, imperialism, profit, zionism, and freedom the simple fact that men, women, and children are dying becomes incorporated into statistics and lost in abstraction. These statistics become weighted and aligned into arguments used to

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1165958692551060562006-12-12T11:27:00.000-08:002006-12-12T13:24:57.063-08:00

There is one thing many people who find themselves in a comfortable lifestyle fail to understand: Inside every person there lies a thief, a criminal, a murderer, and yes, a terrorist. Many of the rich look down on the poor as if they wish to wallow in poverty and misery--as if it is by their own choice that they live on welfare or foodstamps. But when the day comes that the rich find their

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1165855230188569992006-12-11T07:25:00.000-08:002006-12-11T08:40:30.203-08:00

Yesterday was International Human Rights Day, and guess who died? That's right, Augusto Pinochet, the tyrant of Chile, one of the most infamous and evil dictators in the past century.His crimes are well documented and include mass murder, systematic torture, illegal detention, and countless 'disappearances.' Amidst today's claims from our president that the US seeks to promote 'democracy' around

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1165593376957164242006-12-08T07:13:00.000-08:002007-02-17T02:38:47.436-08:00

I'd like to address some of the comments that have appeared.I really appreciate the comments, I know I posted to some blogs that are not very relevant, and I hope that didn't cause anyone any trouble--I just posted to blogs I enjoyed reading hoping to get a wide range of people to talk to and share ideas with from all around the world..To person who posted the comment:"Referencing Iraq's oil

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1165503985231922292006-12-07T06:18:00.000-08:002006-12-07T07:06:25.323-08:00

So the report is out, and it seems to be fitting the bill most felt it would. It was propsed as a bipartisan, realistic assesment of the current state of affairs in Iraq along with a set of pragmatic recommendations for future role of the US' occupation. The news has covered most of the major issues, but has failed to cover a radical and dangerous idea propsed in the report that ties in with my

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1165353154684936632006-12-05T12:42:00.000-08:002006-12-07T06:17:38.923-08:00

So my first post in the new style will be a happy one. So much of the real news out there is depressing. Just yesterday I was driving home from work and heard a story on NPR (WETA 90.9 DC area). It was about the mental health of US soldiers returning from Iraq. One soldier casually described how he would have violent nightmares after an incident where he was sitting next to a buddy in Iraq, and

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1165336804241181772006-12-05T08:30:00.000-08:002006-12-05T12:42:36.353-08:00

I spend a lot of time gathering information. Mainly I'm interested in international policies, disputes, economics, and in general how people who suffer oppression and poverty are maintained in that state by those in power, what they can do to fight it, and how I could help.I'm especially interested in the Middle East and South America because of the rich and dynamic history of the regions, and

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1161269311109468882006-10-19T07:47:00.000-07:002006-10-19T10:55:37.160-07:00

In my last post I identified the practice of extraordinary rendition, about which Bush and his administration have repeatedly lied and obscured the truth. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice have said that "we do not engage in torture" when that clearly is not the case. Lies.Here is another blatant lie, reflecting another carefully constructed scheme to mislead the public in order to

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1161204993689511992006-10-18T13:33:00.000-07:002006-10-18T13:56:33.710-07:00

Yesterday, Oct. 17th was truly a sad day for the United States and its Constitution. As if the Patriot Act hadn't done enough to strip us of our Constitutional rights, thie act has gone even further.Decried by attorneys as a blow to our constitution, and denounced by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), this act makes a mockery of our claim to be a democratic nation and one that respects

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1161203068485221462006-10-18T06:33:00.000-07:002006-10-26T08:01:27.256-07:00

Recently President Bush has been quoted as saying that the US does not engage in torture. And that should be a true statement; as a country that is currently engaged in multiple conflicts around the world under the pretense of democratizing despotic regimes, what other hallmark of a democratic state could be as basic.But the truth is far from it. In fact, in their attempts to avoid direct

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34380399.post-1158479427312253882006-09-16T23:25:00.000-07:002006-10-18T06:33:31.926-07:00

Who deserves what?This discussion is aimed at those who are generally offended by my support for "communism." I will try and keep this brief by isolating the core issues in question and focusing my defense on real-world cases that exemplify my motivations for supporting such controversial positions.First, to clarify the debate. There are really two issues that need to be discussed:Wealth

rebelBodhinoreply@blogger.com1