Clipmarks | BartendingBear's 'government' clips

Your Own Interview With Sarah!

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:45:31 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Each new question and/or answer is just one click away. Have fun kids, and make sure to click the "About This Site" link while you are there.

Clip Source: interviewpalin.com

Q: What is your foreign policy experience?

Alaska that we see the collapse that we're on, reform of this country, absolutely, I want you to not lose sight of the earth. That's not a part of, I guess, that culture. The way that I do not like the idea though of taxpayers being used to talk about, America being the beacon of light and hope for those who maybe came from a background of, you know, first, Fannie and Freddie, different because quasi-government agencies there where government had to step in there. I was not a part of, I guess, that culture. The way that I can help the ticket, if you really think that I can help this country, absolutely, I want you to not lose sight of the people.

BushCo Continues To Expand Govt. Secrecy

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:41:18 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: You don't need to know. Shut-up and PAY!

Clip Source: www.prwatch.org

A coalition of "consumer and good government groups, librarians, environmentalists, labor leaders, journalists, and others," OpenTheGovernment.org, has found that secrecy by the Bush administration continues to expand. The top twenty-five government departments in terms of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests all continued to carry serious backlogs. In 2007 there was a two percent increase in FOIA requests over 2006, as well as a decrease in the number of documents declassified. "These trends indicate that citizens will have to wait even longer to know what their government is doing," said Patrice McDermott, Director of OpenTheGovernment.org. Government secrecy is also expensive for taxpayers. "The report estimated the government spent almost $200 to maintain secrets for every dollar the government spent declassifying documents, a five percent increase over the 2006 ratio."

The current administration continues to refuse to be held accountable to the public.

I Want My Country Back

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 06:37:50 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: "I love America, and I can't stand quietly by while the land of peace and liberty is being destroyed.

I love the America of the Constitution and limited government - not the America of the Patriot Act and the Orwellian Department of Homeland Security.

I love the America that Washington and Jefferson said should be far removed from all the age-old quarrels of Europe and Asia, while trading benevolently with people all over the world - not the America that has troops in a hundred countries while our own government prohibits us from peaceful trading with dozens of countries."

Clip Source: www.populistamerica.com

Thoughts on the American empire

Is it an empire?

Whenever I say that America has become an empire, someone is sure to say I'm being ridiculous.

But what do you call a government that has tried (usually successfully) to force "regime changes" in Panama, Grenada, South Vietnam, Cuba, Guatemala, Chile, Rhodesia, South Africa, Iraq (in 1963), the Philippines, Serbia, Afghanistan (twice), Iran and several other countries that don't immediately come to mind?

What do you call a government whose leader says everyone must play by his rules or risk being attacked?

World government

America rules the world - by force.

And that's ironic. Because for as long as I can remember, conservatives have been railing against the threat of world government.

But now we actually have a form of world government - a government run by George Bush and enforced by the American military - and most conservatives are all for it.

If you ask

foreigners, they make it clear that it's America's bullying foreign policy they detest.

Commercial Pilot On TSA Terrorist List

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:44:27 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: He even gets to carry a gun in the plane cabin.

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

James Robinson is a retired Air National Guard brigadier general and a commercial pilot for a major airline who flies passenger planes around the country.

He has even been certified by the Transportation Security Administration to carry a weapon into the cockpit as part of the government's defense program should a terrorist try to commandeer a plane.

But there's one problem: James Robinson, the pilot, has difficulty even getting to his plane because his name is on the government's terrorist "watch list."

"Shocking's a good word; frustrating," Robinson -- the pilot -- said. "I'm carrying a weapon, flying a multimillion-dollar jet with passengers, but I'm still screened as, you know, on the terrorist watch list."

"There's going to come a point in time where everybody's on the list," Robinson said.

Tomb of the Unkown Soldier Needs Serious Repair

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:26:46 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: An optimally excellent donation to effect this repair sits idle (including free transport) while Army bureaucrats demand $170,000 bidding/purchase process.

Clip Source: www.denverpost.com

Retired Glenwood Springs car dealer John Haines' hope of donating a giant chunk of snow -white marble to the federal government to replace the cracked Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery is stalled again.

Haines' hoped-for donation

didn't even rate a mention in a 34-page Department of the Army report to Congress this week on replacement and repair options for the deteriorating tomb.

Haines' donation creates problems for the federal government because it is free and has not gone through a pricey bidding and specification process.

This week's report — the latest in a string of tomb reports done since Arlington officials decided the marble needed replacing 18 years ago — estimates the cost of replacing the tomb's marble at $2.2 million — $80,000 of that for seeking bids, $90,000 for buying and transporting the marble and the remainder for sculpting.

Haines' marble isn't just any marble.

cut from the same Yule Quarry where the original

was mined nearly 80 years ago

five-year search

Tags: stupid

Freedom In The View Of Justice William O. Douglas

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:24:37 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Damn straight, I'd say.

Clip Source: www.neatorama.com

William O. "Wild Bill" Douglas (1898 - 1980) was the longest-serving justice in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's what he has to say about free speech, freedom, and the government:

"The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedom."

"It was against a background poignant with memories of evil procedures that our Constitution was drawn."

"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we must be most aware of change in the air - however slight - lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."

"An arrest is not justified by what the subsequent search discloses."

"Those who won our independence believed ... liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty."

"What a man thinks is of no concern to government."

"Words uttered under coercion are proof of loyalty to nothing but self-interest."

NYC Initiative May Force New 9/11 Inquiry

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:32:51 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Power to the people. The truth will out.

Clip Source: www.petersnewyork.com

NEW YORK CITY BALLOT INITIATIVE COULD BRING 9-11 UNDER RENEWED SCRUTINY

Can they awaken a sleeping American public? That's what a handful of critics who question the government's version of the events of September 11, 2001 are banking on. In fact, they believe they have already achieved a measure of success, and are looking to translate that into votes, not for politicians, but for the formation of a commission that will investigate 9-11 more thoroughly.

The 9-11 ballot initiative is a grass-roots movement supported by a sizable number of groups and individuals that have serious questions about the federal government's official 9-11 Commission report of four years ago. If successful, it will give New York City voters a chance to establish a new commission that will look into the events of that day in what many hope will be a more satisfactory, less politicized, manner than previous investigations.

Creating A Government By The People

Sat, 03 May 2008 13:11:36 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: The National Initiative For Democracy

Clip Source: www.ni4d.us

[Video]

“The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.”

-- George Washington, 1787

The National Initiative for Democracy is a proposed law developed by The Democracy Foundation, over the past decade, along with a plan to get it enacted by the people (not by the government) creating, for the first time, a government "by you, the people."

The National Initiative includes a constitutional amendment and a federal statute that equips the people with the central power of government, lawmaking. As lawmakers, the people in every government jurisdiction of the United States become a new Check in our system of Checks and Balances designed to control the abuses of government. Representative government remains unaltered except for the partnership established between the people and their elected legislators.

Where Do Your US Tax Dollars Go?

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:08:59 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Enter your own federal tax amount paid and see a personal break-out.

Clip Source: taxprof.typepad.com

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Clip Source: iframe.nationalpriorities.org

Enter the amount of federal income tax you paid during 2007 and see how the government spent the money. Note: Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Of the $25,000 you paid in taxes: $10,500goes to Past and Current Military $5,500goes to Health $2,500goes to Interest on Non-Military Debt $2,250goes to Anti-Poverty Programs $1,000goes to Education, Training & Social Services$1,000goes to Government & Law Enforcement$750goes to Housing & Community Development$750goes to Environment, Energy & Science$500goes to Agriculture, Commerce and Transportation$250goes to International Relations

Waiting For A Cyber Pearl Harbor?

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:27:52 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: It won't be a catastrophe; rather it's a continual leakage of information going on each day.

Clip Source: www.foreignpolicy.com

Chinese hackers are growing increasingly bold in probing critical U.S. defense networks. But former U.S. counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke tells FP that if the United States waits for a dramatic, 9/11-style attack on its critical infrastructure to act, it will be missing the real threat.

Richard A. Clarke: I think the Chinese government has been behind many, many attacks—penetrations. “Attacks” sounds like they’re destroying something. They’re penetrations; they’re unauthorized penetrations. And what they are trying to do is espionage.

FP: What’s the worst-case scenario from a cyberpenetration of the U.S. government’s computer network? Are we talking about things like remotely attacking nuclear power plants and things on that scale?

What’s happening every day is that all of our information is being stolen.

we pay billions of dollars for research and development

and all that information gets stolen for one one-thousandth of the cost that it took to develop it.

Dick Cheney's Error

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:15:10 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Mickey Edwards, House member '77-'93, comments on the posture Cheney takes as to the role of the US citizenry in deciding to go to war.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Cheney told Raddatz that American war policy should not be affected by the views of the people. But that is precisely whose views should matter: It is the people who should decide whether the nation shall go to war. That is not a radical, or liberal, or unpatriotic idea. It is the very heart of America's constitutional system.

In Europe, before America's founding, there were rulers and their subjects. The Founders decided that in the United States there would be not subjects but citizens. Rulers tell their subjects what to do, but citizens tell their government what to do.

If Dick Cheney believes, as he obviously does, that the war in Iraq is vital to American interests, it is his job, and that of President Bush, to make the case with sufficient proof to win the necessary public support.

When the vice president dismisses public opposition to war with a simple "So?" he violates the single most important element in the American system of government: Here, the people rule.

The World's Biggest Construction Projects

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:02:51 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: And you thought redoing your bathroom was a pain.

Clip Source: www.foreignpolicy.com

South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China

Who’s building it: the Chinese government

Budget: $62 billion (445 billion yuan)

Estimated completion date: 2050

CityCenter, Las Vegas, Nevada

Who’s building it: MGM Mirage

Budget: $8.4 billion

Estimated completion date: 2009

Panama Canal Expansion

Who’s building it: the Panamanian government

Budget: $5.2 billion

Estimated completion date: 2014

Crystal Island, Moscow

Who’s building it: Shalva Chigirinsky, oil and real estate mogul

Budget: $4 billion (98 billion rubles)

Estimated completion date: 2014

Terminal 3, Beijing Capital International Airport

Who’s building it: the Chinese government

Budget: $3.65 billion (27 billion yuan)

Estimated completion date: Feb. 29, 2008

Treasury Dept. Censors European Owned Cuban Websites

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:37:40 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: And we wonder why people hate the US.

Clip Source: www.theregister.co.uk

Steven Marshall, the owner of T&M and affiliated websites such as www.cuba-hemingway.com, www.cuba-oldhavana.com, and www.cubanculture.com, is a British travel agent with an interest in Cuban culture who sells tours to Cuba to European tourists. Unfortunately for Mr. Marshall, the American government has little sympathy for those who don't share its hardline views of the Caribbean nation. Imagine his surprise when he woke up one day and rubbed his eyes clear - unbeknown to him, his company had been blacklisted by the American government, and his hosting company Enom had shut down all his websites.

Marshall is a British citizen living in Spain. He sells tours to tourists in Europe

His servers were located in the Caribbean.

His only proven ties to the United States were domain registrations through ICANN-approved registrar Enom and his use of the .com top level domain, whose registry is, for all intents and purposes, owned by Verisign, an American company

Quotes from sociologist Lewis Mumford

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:07:41 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear

Clip Source: www.brainyquote.com

A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.

Life is the only art that we are required to practice without preparation, and without being allowed the preliminary trials, the failures and botches, that are essential for training.

Restore human legs as a means of travel. Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no special parking facilities.

The way people in democracies think of the government as something different from themselves is a real handicap. And, of course, sometimes the government confirms their opinion.

Today, the degradation of the inner life is symbolized by the fact that the only place sacred from interruption is the private toilet.

Traditionalists are pessimists about the future and optimists about the past.

War is the supreme drama of a completely mechanized society.

Bottled Water "Immoral"

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:41:34 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: Sometimes it is handy, but overall... not smart at all.

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Drinking bottled water should be made as unfashionable as smoking, according to a government adviser.

"We have to make people think that it's unfashionable just as we have with smoking. We need a similar campaign to convince people that this is wrong," said Tim Lang, the Government's naural resources commissioner.

Phil Woolas, the environment minister, added that the amount of money spent on mineral water "borders on being morally unacceptable".

Their comments come as new research shows that drinking a bottle of water has the same impact on the environment as driving a car for a kilometre. Conservation groups and water providers have started a campaign against the £2 billion industry.

A BBC Panorama documentary, "Bottled Water: Who Needs It?", to be broadcast tomorrow says that in terms of production, a litre bottle of Evian or Volvic generates up to 600 times more CO2 than a litre of tap water.