Blogcritics Author: Mike Green

LA Times Blinded From Light Shed By Hugo Chavez

Mike Green — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:35:59 EDT

Los Angeles Times editors lambasted Hugo Chavez, failing to realize he was right. They were wrong.
Los Angeles Times: the blind informing the blind. LA Times editors revealed a sad epitaph in their September 15 editorial targeting Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and Bolivia’s President Evo Morales. Indeed, the Times’ cynicism killed any serious analysis of what amounted to a charge of attempted murder levied against the...

Election 2008 Amnesia: War? What War?

Mike Green — Mon, 8 Sep 2008 02:06:44 EDT

The media has forgotten the defining issue of this generation, the war in Iraq. It's AWOL in the 2008 election.
With eight weeks left in the race for the White House, America’s attention is focused on the most popular issues: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s problems: pregnant unwed teen daughter, child with Down Syndrome left in the care of others, “Trooper-gate” scandal, allegations of abuse of power, charges of racist remarks and...

John McCain Commits Political Suicide ... Brilliantly

Mike Green — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:23:31 EDT

McCain sabotaged his campaign in a brilliant move to win his longterm war with Bush. The last laugh is his.
"Under no circumstances will I entertain such a proposal." — John McCain, when asked by Dan Rather if he would consider being George W. Bush's vice presidential running mate in 2000. And so the war between Bush and McCain began. For the past eight years we've seen Bush and McCain rear their ugly heads in battle over campaign...

Barack Obama Has Already Won

Mike Green — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:12:54 EDT

He has won the hearts and minds of millions, and bridged divides across generations, race, economic and political demographics.
History was made Aug. 28, 2008 in Denver. I've said it before and I'll say it again,Obama has already won.He has won the hearts and minds of millions. He has bridged divides across generations, racial and economic demographics and even political allegiances. He has raised more money from more people than any candidate in history. He has sparked...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Deception: The Dangerous Politics of the Left and Right

Mike Green — Thu, 2 Aug 2007 08:47:52 EDT

When Congress wanted to know who disclosed the identity of former CIA agent Valerie Plame, an aide to the vice president (I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby) obstructed the investigation and was convicted and sentenced. The president responded by commuting his sentence.Congress still wants to know who fired eight prosecuting attorneys. This time Congress wants a conversation with Bush advisors Karl Rove and J. Scott Jennings. Bush doesn’t want Rove to talk. He also didn’t want former White House counsel Harriet Miers to talk either — so she ignored a congressional subpoena. White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten also ignored a subpoena — and both Miers and Bolten may be cited for contempt. But, the Justice Department has already stated it will not prosecute either one. So, it is likely Rove and Jennings will follow the pattern set by Miers and Bolten in defying the authority of the legislative branch.Congress, the media and ordinary American citizens have petitioned the executive branch for access to hidden data relating to 9/11. The CIA and Pentagon still doesn’t want anyone to see what’s in its video and report data on 9/11. Senator Ron Wyden, and others who have inquired — including a host of media — have all been denied access.Senator Hillary Clinton wanted to know more about the Pentagon’s contingency plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The Undersecretary of Defense sent Hillary a letter on July 16, 2007 stating her request “reinforces enemy propaganda.” The next day (July 17, 2007) the president signed an Executive Order that gave authority to the Secretary of Defense (State and Treasury secretaries also) to “block property of certain persons who threaten stabilization efforts in Iraq.” This order specifically targets American citizens. Hillary made a public statement expressing her own discontent. The Secretary of Defense got involved in the public dispute and not much has been said since.Thus far, we have seen time and again where Congress and the executive branch have butted heads. And in each instance, the executive branch has won. There are many more confrontations than the ones above that could be cited as examples of the executive branch claiming extraordinary privileges while Congress complains and does nothing.But those examples merely show one side of the picture of a Republican leadership that does what it wants, when it wants and how it wants. The Democrats, on the other hand, seem to do little more than whine about what the leaders in the White House, and the GOP, are doing to undermine America.Even as a Republican — and a conservative one to boot — I can clearly see the legitimate points made by Democratic leaders. But, there is yet another point to be made. And you won’t hear it from the Democrats.Inherent in the power of Congress is the power to declare war … and to end it. No Democrat has sought to exercise that authority even as its party leadership bitterly complains about the manner in which the president and his administration have run roughshod over the U.S. Constitution and international laws as well.Inherent in the power of Congress is the ability to impeach and remove executive leaders who have misled the American people into an illegal, illicit, unjust and immoral war. The cost of the war in lives and money is incalculable. The number of lies and deliberate deception is, however, well documented. Additionally, Congress has the ability to seek its own independent investigation into whether the U.S. truly was attacked by rogue terrorists on 9/11 or if there was some complicit involvement by the executive branch. If it turns out to be as one former national security adviser testified before a senate committee earlier this year, the people could discover that our own government created the horrific scenes we witnessed that day. Numerous questions still remain and millions of citizens have constantly called for a real investigation. Congress — in particular the whining Democrats opposing the leadership in the White House — have ignored the cries of the people.Inherent in the power of Congress is the ability to impeach the vice president. Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced a bill to impeach the vice president — warning that if the president was impeached first, Dick Cheney would simply move up. But if Cheney is impeached, then Congress can impeach the president immediately thereafter, causing a monumental shift in leadership.It is not only a strategy that is good for America and our troops in the Middle East, but the Democratic Party as well. Still, it is going nowhere. It is as if the political enemies of the republican administration might also be serving as his ally against the American people.Kucinich’s bill, H. Res. 333, has 14 co-signers and is currently stuck in the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Civil Rights icon, John Conyers. Conyers, who claimed to be on the side of impeachment a year ago, is ironically the sole authority preventing the impeachment bill from heading to the floor of the House for a full vote. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, indicated on the same day the bill was introduced that it would never see the light of day.Two powerful Democrats decry the abuses of power of the White House, while simultaneously suppressing the opportunity for the people’s representatives to vote on impeaching the executive branch leadership they whine about.Congress could immediately call an end to the war in Iraq and demand the withdrawal of all troops from the Middle East. The president is merely the Commander-in-Chief, not the dictator. He doesn’t even have sole authority to declare war. That license is reserved for Congress. Yet, Congress refuses to exercise its power. It merely complains. Congress could refuse to fund the war. That would force the president to withdraw his troops. He could, of course, require them to remain where they are and place them in jeopardy without needed materiel reinforcements and supplies. But Congress could also remove the president and vice president and then remove the troops.Instead, Congress, which presumably represents the people, is comprised of quite a deceptive group of underlings serving the executive branch. While all eyes and polls are on the president, the prissy Pelosi and the cunning Clinton in Congress are standing on the sidelines cheering as the façade of political enmity with Bush maintains the attention of the American people. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans represent the will of the American people, which poll after poll indicates overwhelmingly that we want an immediate withdrawal from the Middle East, come what may. Additionally, we want a real, honest, thorough investigation of 9/11 by an independent authority with zero connections to the White House. Such an investigation ought to include the many legitimate scholars and experts (which include military, aviators, air traffic controllers, special ops, ex-CIA, etc) across the country who bring to the table a feast of evidence to be considered along with a veritable flood of questions that remain unanswered to this day.America is at a critical juncture. As we approach a presidential election year, we have seen the executive branch speed up its efforts to solidify a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have seen the sabers rattling, targeting both Iran and Pakistan. We have seen the augmentation and expansion of presidential authority and executive privilege. We have seen the new creations of authority, including the latest National Continuity Coordinator. We are now witnessing ongoing nationwide experiments, such as “Operation Noble Resolve,” that are supposed to ensure our safety in the case of a major terrorist attack.America has been warned of a potential “false flag” operation to be conducted on our soil by our government in order to garner support for an attack on Iran. That warning came from Zbigniew Brzezinski in a testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Feb. 1, 2007. Millions of Americans are convinced that 9/11 was just such an event, ushering in unprecedented support for unilateral executive authority to abuse our military. Today, we see the signs of two parties operating as two pockets of the same pair of political pants, walking all over the constitution and the will of the American people. We don’t have much time left. A staged “terrorist” attack on this nation just prior to the election would create an immediate condition of martial law. The National Continuity Coordinator’s “Plan” (due on Bush’s desk this month) would go into effect nationwide. Congress would be required to collaborate with the president under a definitive chain of command that filters down through the states to county and local government officials.Anyone who objects or is branded an obstructionist will be subjected to the enforcement of the executive order issued on July 17, 2007, in which all property of that person will be confiscated.The Continuity of Operations (COOP) will go into effect in order to ensure the Continuity of Government (COG). All the principles of the “Plan” created by the NCC will be overseen by the Office of Homeland Security.And if you think this scenario being described cannot happen, perhaps you may wish to turn the channel you are watching. I am merely fast-forwarding the tape. The event is already underway. Congressman Peter DeFazio, who sought to inquire more about National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD 51), which outlines the Continuity of Government, was rebuffed.DeFazio, a sitting member of the House Committee on Homeland Security was told his request for information on the subsets of NSPD 51 was denied. He followed up with a letter signed by fellow high-ranking congressional members, who asked for access or a reason why access was denied. I suspect they will receive the latter. To date, no response has been received from the White House regarding the request made by House Homeland Security Chairman Bernie Thompson, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Chris Carney and DeFazio himself.DeFazio, who has served in Congress more than 20 years, is now so baffled by the current circumstances in which he finds himself that he admitted on July 20, 2007 the following statement:“Maybe the people who think there’s a conspiracy out there are right.”Thanks Congressman Defazio for listening to the people. Perhaps now you will take further action with your colleagues to defuse the coming explosion of power in the executive branch? After all, Kucinich is going to need some help dragging Conyers and Pelosi off their dead derrieres and pulling their hands from covering their eyes and ears. Perhaps you may wish to get Senator Hillary Clinton to join your team? And I hear Congressman Ron Paul might be the only Republican option in all of Congress. It looks like the American people will have a chance if DeFazio is serious. We shall see. If he joins Kucinich and begins to make a public plea for more signers to H. Res. 333, it will force Conyers and Pelosi to open the doors of democracy and allow a vote.I don’t hold any hope for Hillary, however. She would be a powerful voice. But, as we have recently witnessed, she was slapped down by a Pentagon underling. And despite the power she wields and the presidential connections she has, she has sat down and shut up … just as she was told.So, it appears as though the American people may have to place desperate hope in a few honest individuals and pray they will forcefully impose the will of the people over the will of their colleagues. Otherwise, the alternative scenario is quite grim.

Mike Green is a Christian conservative, 12-year military veteran. He is a former talk radio host, public speaker, award-winning columnist and the Content Editor for a daily newspaper in Southern Oregon. Mike is also the author of two books: The WHOLE Truth About the U.S. War on Terror: Answers to Every Question You Never Knew to Ask and The Perfect Method for Finding the Perfect Man.

The War on Presidential Tyranny

Mike Green — Sun, 8 Jul 2007 04:41:45 EDT

The president's recent commutation of the criminal sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has done more than produce a bit of political squabbling between the Democrats and Republicans. It has opened a window that peers out over a battlefield where a war has been waged between the three branches of government. The Libby decision "was clearly an effort to protect the White House," Senator Hillary Clinton said. "There isn't any doubt now, what we know is that Libby was carrying out the implicit or explicit wishes of the vice president, or maybe the president as well, in the further effort to stifle dissent." Hillary isn't the only one criticizing this administration for its brazen dismissal of the 30-month prison sentence given to Libby for his part in breaking a federal law by outing CIA agent Valerie Plame (Wilson). John Conyers (D-Mich), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has scheduled hearings to review Bush's decision to let Libby off the prison hook. Conyers also wants to look into the overall pardoning and commuting powers used by the current and past presidents, including Bill Clinton, who pardoned 140 folks on his way out the door of the White House.Unfortunately, Conyers' attempt to look into the Libby loopholes and past presidential egregious acts will amount to nothing. The simple reality is that presidents have long acted with independent power to direct covert and overt acts of aggression and expand the power of the executive branch incrementally regardless of the political party in power. Congress has enabled the executive in every case, despite the facade it paints for the American people.Hillary is right. There is no doubt Libby took the fall for the vice president and possibly the president as well. But the sacrifice of Libby's career saved the fear-based "war on terror" policies that Bush used to initiate a ground invasion of Iraq in 2003 -- policies that continue to push America along a destructive path toward a permanent occupation of Iraq. THE CASE FOR WARWe should never forget that today's "war on terror" is an outcropping of the events of 9/11. And lest we forget, those events still have the stench of an inside job hovering over them -- while Congress has yet to conduct any truly independent investigation over which the executive branch would have no control. 9/11 ushered in an urgency of operations for the Bush administration toward a second invasion in an ongoing war with Iraq. Given the information we have now, which shows "without a doubt" that this administration had preconceived plans for war with Iraq, how can Congress continue to ignore the forceful nature in which the executive branch is behaving toward the supposed balancing branches? Can we wake up and smell the depleted uranium? This is war! Libby was merely a lowly lieutenant acting accordingly in a major political cold war being fought here at home in front of the backdrop of a bloody real one overseas. Libby's order to "out" the wife of Ambassador Joe Wilson was given in retribution for the criticism Wilson offered during a crucial period of time when the case for an invasion of Iraq was being made by the Bush administration. The tenuous "nuclear WMDs" claim against Saddam (which Wilson exposed as bogus), was also made many years earlier by George H. Bush in an effort to galvanize support for the first U.S. ground invasion of Iraq in 1991. Since then, the Bush family, along with the Clintons, have continuously made the charge that Iraq had nuclear capability or was seeking such capability. Such a claim did not suddenly crop up in the mind of Dubya. It had long ago taken root -- planted by Dubya's dad and watered faithfully by Bill and Hillary.THE SECRET POWERSLost in the minutia of the battle to root out the mastermind behind the disclosure of a covert agent, is the fact that a U.S. foreign diplomat and a secret agent spouse is the perfect match pair for overseas operations. The past claims by other nations accusing the U.S. of using our embassies as bases for spy operations rings true, as this case is merely one of several that can be pointed to regarding the marriage of the State Department with secret powers within the executive branch. It is no secret that John Negroponte quit his newly ordained position atop all the spy organizations in order to assume the No. 2 spot behind Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And newly-installed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is a former CIA Director. And who could ever forget that Dubya's own dad headed the CIA in 1976, right about the time Saddam Hussein's dictatorial star was rising and the reign of the U.S. puppet dictator in Iran was coming to a close.There is no doubt this nation's foreign policies (and some would argue domestic as well) are manipulated, directed and progressed through a power structure financed and supported by, but yet unaccountable to, the American people. FOCUS ON FALSE FLAG9/11 was the catalyst used by the Bush administration to rapidly expand the powers of the executive branch. Still, it knew the shock and awe of such a catastrophic event would only buy a certain amount of time and influence. And it used that time wisely. The expansion of the executive powers included coercing Congress into creating legislation that would assist the president in an aggressive move toward dictatorial powers. The USA Patriot Act, along with the creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security, provided a gateway beyond the boundaries of the constitutional prison that once limited and regulated presidential authority.Today, Congress issues subpoenas that are routinely ignored. Congress calls for documents from the White House and CIA that will never be produced. Congress seeks testimony that will never be given. And Congress asks questions pertaining to the mysterious firing of eight federal prosecutors -- and those questions will never be addressed. Meanwhile, the judicial branch dismisses the lawsuit against the executive branch for illegal espionage -- filed by the ACLU -- because they weren't brought to court by the purported victims of the alleged crimes.CONGRESSIONAL CONUNDRUM"They've launched over 300 investigations, had over 350 requests for documents and interviews and they have had over 600 oversight hearings in just about 100 days," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel on July 5 in response to a probe launched by Congress into the firings of a handful of federal prosecutors, according to the Associated Press. Whether or not those numbers add up is irrelevant. The very notion that Congress can make many requests and launch many investigations and yet get nowhere discloses a most disturbing fact. America has been seized. We live under the incremental encroachment of an approaching dictatorship. We ought not compare what is happening in our nation with extreme dictatorships in foreign nations to create a false feeling of temporary comfort. Even Hitler and Stalin didn't start out the way they ended. We should look carefully at the intent of the constitutional powers provided to each branch of government and come to a realization that the only branch controlled by the people has been rendered moot by an out-of-control executive. Tyranny isn't at the door. It is in the house ... the White House.AMERICAN INCREDULITYAmericans constantly seek ways to console one another that this nation could never be taken over without a revolution. But indeed, the facts are clear. Over the past 50 years, the executive branch has grown in scope and power to such a degree that even our congressional representatives aren't completely aware of its enormous power, until they try to exercise the muted power of the legislative branch. Sixteen secret agencies currently operate under the umbrella of the Bush-created position of Director of National Intelligence...who answers only to the president. That's quite a remarkable change over the past half-century. As Commander-in-Chief, the president directs the agenda of the armed forces, which is information not shared with the American people. The funding for the CIA and other secret organizations comes from the taxpayers. But we have no right to know how much of our money is budgeted to fund the secret power structure. It is secret.FREEDOM OF THE PRESSUREDFreedom of the press is a joke in a nation where the leaders are beyond questioning. Those reporters seeking access to the White House, conferences, the Pentagon, briefings, war zones, etc., all must play the game of walking a tightrope. Questions are limited. Access is limited. Every second with a president or member of his cabinet is not to be wasted or risked by asking a question that is "off limits." The CIA and other secret elements within the executive branch, including those operating from the Pentagon, infuse American media routinely with disinformation, misinformation and distortions of truth. Propaganda is readily regurgitated by a press corps grateful to have something to fill its hungry news cycles. No reporter wants to lose an "inside source" by refusing to write about information from a credible source, even when it is obviously incomplete or perhaps even inaccurate information. In every war there is a war of propaganda. The American people have misplaced their trust in both a deceitful government and its complicit cohort, the national media.ABOVE ANY LAWSo Libby is now excused. Some will say he still paid his fine of a quarter-million dollars. For a rich man whose "friends" raised $5 million on his behalf, it is laughable to think that such a tiny amount of cash makes any difference at all. There seemingly is no justice in this lifetime for those living above the law. And the White House is, if not above the law, acting as though it is, without challenge from any daring leader in the peoples' House.TO THE VICTOR GOES THE SPOILSAmerica isn't a land of the free. It is a land filled with millions of folks who choose to freely remain ignorant of the conflict being played out before us all. That conflict has been ongoing for generations. Today, it manifests itself in the directness of a demanding leader who expects expansion of executive authority even if it defies the rule of law. The president refuses to comply with Congress' investigations, refuses to answer to the American people, ignores requests for information and disregards subpoenas for documents and testimonies alike.If Bush isn't a dictator, as some would argue, then perhaps he is as close to what a dictator would look like under a slowly dissolving representative republic. Bush's new "Plan" under a National Continuity Government is still flying under the radar of the national media. Many are looking forward to the date when the traditional transfer of power takes place. Meanwhile, the president is constructing a "Plan" through his National Continuity Coordinator -- appointed from the Department of Homeland Security -- due on the president's desk in August.While Americans pretend this is the greatest nation on earth, and Congress prepares legislation to bolster a deflated international tourism industry here at home, our president is preparing for the greatest takeover that anyone with eyes could see coming a mile away. But, we keep telling ourselves the drumbeat of an internal conflict is merely the heartbeat of our nation struggling to forge a new political path. All is well, we cautiously remind ourselves.BATTLE FOR INDEPENDENCESome believe Americans deserve the government we elect. But the truth is that Americans have long been deceived. This deception will continue until we wake up and address the reality that tyranny has overtaken our land, and begin the process of overhauling the leadership through the last vestiges of power left among the people -- our right to vote.

It's Official - Conspiracy Theories about CIA Are True

Mike Green — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:58:45 EDT

The Washington Post has published an article announcing that the CIA plans to declassify decades of “dirty laundry” being referred to as “the family jewels.”This announcement comes on the heels of numerous books, articles, and blogs that for many years have pointed to nefarious dealings by our government both inside and outside the country. Such conspiracies — conducted at the highest echelon of American leadership — have served to undermine the trust of the American people and endanger our republic from within.Well, it’s official. With the public admission by the CIA, conspiracy theories about its corruption and the tyranny of the executive branch have finally been proven to be true. It is time for those who have long lambasted the scrutinizers of our government to quietly reflect on how wrong they were in placing complete trust in a lying leadership and to consider how much cover they provided for the “official” stories promoted by the government. Apparently, it is quite possible to carry out elaborate and enormous schemes utilizing thousands of personnel and still keep it secret. The CIA and other secret powers within our government have apparently been doing it for decades!Vindication“Conspiracy theorists” can now rejoice and mourn at the same time. The news finally disclosed by the CIA isn’t anything to smile about. Such a declarative statement to the American people ought to conjure the question, “What can we do about it?” The answer, unfortunately, is nothing.Despite the revelation that the CIA has been involved in “a quarter-century of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying, kidnapping and infiltration of leftist groups from the 1950s to the 1970s,” the debate will inevitably shift to the necessity of such illegal, immoral and unconscionable activities. There’s little doubt that the many thousands of loyalists to the CIA and other secret elements within the executive branch believed that keeping secrets from the American public was the pinnacle of their patriotic duty. And there is little doubt that today there is much more information has yet to be revealed.Unconscionable ActsOverthrowing the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953, considering an overthrow of the government of Italy during the same time frame, plotting the assassinations of various leaders in countries around the globe (remember Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez’ complaints, both past and present?), are all part and parcel of the machinations of an American tyrannical power that has no accountability. It does what it wants and operates how it pleases, despite the laws of man or God.The likelihood is that the revelation by the CIA will take on a conciliatory tone — appealing to those who believe that America is superior to all other nations — and whatever actions that were used in the past aren’t being used today, but were necessary during a time of imminent danger to the American people.Power GrabThe reality is that the CIA was born in the aftermath of WWII, and has expanded in scope and authority ever since. It has never been accountable to any authority outside of the executive branch, and has continuously taken the fall for the failure of leaders to recall anything when questioned about clandestine activities. Nevertheless, it has absorbed all criticism simply due to the fact that it cannot be de-funded, disbanded, controlled, or held accountable by the people of this republic. In short, it is its own power, conducting business in secret, establishing its own missions and goals, and operating under its own guidelines.At the same time, we have Americans touting the value of freedom they unknowingly lost long ago. The freedom to complain to deaf ears isn’t of much value. The freedom to live under powers that cannot be controlled is nice as long as you aren’t the target of those powers. Unfortunately, the American people cannot even claim that.Clandestine CompanySecret decisions and activities have been conducted in this country upon unwitting subjects since the secret elements within our government were empowered to exist. The Federal Reserve, which isn’t a government entity at all, controls the banking industry. Few Americans understand its history and how it works. Presidential orders and declarations of States of Emergency have served to empower entities within the executive branch to operate outside of legal mandates and in secrecy under the cover of “national security.” Consider just a few of the known conspiracies by our government: The CDC conducted tests on unwitting black subjects for decades until such experiments were exposed in the '70s. The Pioneer Project was a pet of FDR, which used pilots in the Air Force in a eugenics experiment. Wars in Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and elsewhere were all products of secret decisions and actions taken by unaccountable powers operating under the guise of national security within the executive branch of the American government.Expanded Power, Limited LibertyToday, the executive branch has expanded yet again. The CIA being just one of those 16 powers that operate outside the view of the legislative and judicial branches and have no accountability to the American people or the media. The newly installed Department of Homeland Security — spawned from the events of 9/11 — is being used to conduct the next phase of operations by the executive branch, publicly known as the National Continuity Government. The “plan” for this new phase of clandestine operation within the country is due on the president’s desk in August. The declaration of such intent is on the website of the White House, thoroughly ignored by much of the national media.Bed PartnersThe most mournful of all epiphanies is the understanding of how intertwined the government is with media. The interrelationship goes further than who is sleeping with whom or who is married to whom. The national media, both in front of and behind the lens and the pen, is neck-deep in quicksand with the government. Consider that the leader of the executive branch is the President, and he, above all, would be in a position of knowledge about the information now being disclosed by the CIA. And consider the fact that under Bill Clinton the White House spokesman was George Stephanopoulos. Then consider the fact that ABC news, for many years, has featured the same spokesman as its anchor for a political program featuring its best celebrity journalists.On the flip side of the coin, revered journalist Tony Snow jumps from FOX News into the arms of George W. Bush and becomes his patsy, singing the songs written by the White House in the same choir to which Stephanopoulos once belonged. The conflict of interest doesn’t stop with just these two examples. 9/11: The Role of U.S. GovernmentSuch duplicity provides the backdrop behind the media that completely ignored the glaring contradictions proffered by the government in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Considering that the “war on terror” has become the rallying cry of the government since 2001, the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq (again) were conducted based upon 9/11 fears, the USA Patriot Act, the Dept. of Homeland Security and the various kidnappings, secret prisons, indefinite unlawful detainments, torture, and murders conducted by secret elements within our government all find their rationale rooted in 9/11. All this has required investigation by the national media and independent appointees by Congress.But no such investigation was ever made or called for by our mainstream media. Furthermore, the so-called Congress failed as well to conduct its own inquiry and public probe into the executive branch’s numerous contradictions and outright lies regarding 9/11. In the end, both Congress and the national media were relieved to set the onus upon four widows from New Jersey who relentlessly pursued the White House, convincing it into reluctantly convening what was purported to be an “independent” investigation by the 9/11 Commission. The fact that this commission was headed by appointees of the White House and that the executive branch leaders refused to testify in public or under oath (and only to the appointees) apparently raised no eyebrows either in Congress or mainstream media. It seems obvious that the 9/11 Commission was no more “independent” than Tony Snow and George Stephanopoulos have integrity as journalists.Failed MediaIt is no wonder the media refuses to do its job in regard to the single most important event to occur in our lifetime. It is complicit. It was the media that immediately reported Osama bin Laden was responsible for 9/11, regurgitating spoon-fed unsubstantiated propaganda from secret elements within the government. Within 33 minutes of the hits on the twin towers, TV news was blaring it was Osama. The next day we read Osama’s name in the headlines both above and below the fold on the front pages of newspapers across the country. Today, millions question the government’s version of what happened that day. And despite the fact that the media has no evidence of plane wreckage or bodies recovered in a Pennsylvania field, where a presumed crash took place, it has failed in any follow-up. Despite the fact that the president has made contradictory statements in public regarding what he knew and when he knew it, the press has given him a pass. Despite the fact that the government claims the plane that hit the Pentagon disintegrated after plowing through several layers of reinforced concrete without losing wings or tail (creating a missile-sized hole in each layer), the media has not investigated. The media was nowhere to be found when the evidence concerning three towers falling into their own footprints was being carted off. And the media ignored streams of molten steel in the basement even though it was there for several weeks. These anomalies and many more make up part of the foundation of distrust of this administration and the government in general. Yet, the mainstream national media, with its constitutional mandate, has also failed the public.National Dilemma Since the CIA is coming forward to admit past lies and clandestine activities, the American people perhaps will now take a whole new look at our government. Perhaps now we will no longer cast aspersions upon those who pull back the curtain of deceit and reveal the truth behind a plethora of propaganda. Perhaps we will, as a nation, realize that Congress is also complicit and has failed to act on behalf of the American people.Perhaps all of this is possible.But realistically, the CIA’s contriteness will be viewed as past actions that could not, and would not occur today. The same power that reveals it could not be trusted in the past, will be thoroughly trusted today. The positions will have new names and there will be new rhetoric to assuage the conscience of America. And life will go on as it did in the past — with ever-evolving expanding secret powers in the executive branch, the duplicity and complicity of Congress and the media, while Americans boast about living in a land of freedom.

Iowa Presidential Debate Organizers Snub Ron Paul

Mike Green — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:14:39 EDT

Few examples of the behind-the-scenes power exerting its authority over the people are more impactful than the deliberate stranglehold on the free speech of candidates running for office. Today, Ron Paul finds himself in the chokehold of a couple of Iowa organizations that have refused to allow his message to be heard on the same stage as other Republican candidates. Ironically, one of the groups claims to be Christian.As a former campaign manager for a popular candidate running for the California State Assembly in a wealthy district of San Diego County a few years back, I witnessed first-hand the backroom dirty dealing that goes on in the political parties. In my particular experience, the candidate was the front-runner but was eschewed by the Republican Party (the district was historically Republican and so was my candidate) simply and solely on the basis of the fact that he was black. After weeks of phone calls, meetings and quiet inferences that the Republican Party of San Diego County would support him if he bowed out of the district for which he was running and moved to a southern district near the Mexico border and ran for Congress against a Democrat who was firmly planted there, my candidate accepted the fact that he would not be endorsed by the county Republican Party (although he held office within that same group). It was a conditional offer made by the party to provide support as a sacrifical lamb in a congressional battle if he gracefully exited the race in his home district. He declined. Not once, but several times.Eventually, a high-ranking member of the Republican National Committee flew down to see us. The "us" was just my candidate and myself. The three of us were in an office conference room in Northern San Diego County when the proposition was made plain. My candidate declined the "offer." In the following weeks the field of candidates for the primaries in our district tripled. When it came time to vote, there were 12 candidates flooding the field in the Republican primary, including a couple of very wealthy latecomers. In the end, we finished 4th.I left politics after that.It was quite apparent to me during my short involvement in the behind-the-scenes organization of campaigns for issues and candidates that what the public sees is often contrived, manipulated and sometimes cutthroat. I remember when another well respected Republican candidate, Ambassador Alan Keyes, was taken away from a debate (to which he was initially invited) in handcuffs because he refused to acquiesce to the power that informed him he could not participate.Today, the organizers in Iowa are preparing for a debate between Republican presidential candidates. This time the odd man out is Ron Paul of Texas. His campaign is quite dismayed at the display of hostile suppression by the folks in Iowa who purport to be Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Christian Alliance. Such strongarm tactics to prevent Paul from addressing issues the other candidates prefer to ignore is not in keeping with the spirit of our constitutional rights to freedom of speech and the democratic process of electing leaders.The gatekeepers that guard access to the public will do no great service to that public by dismissing a relevant voice in the presidential debate in order to kowtow to the candidates that have ganged up against Paul. While there is no outward proof that the other candidates intend to bow out or have exercised some other clout necessary to close the gate on Paul, the result is clear. Paul has not been invited to a debate his campaign clearly desires to attend.There is really no mystery here. Since the debate where Paul and Rudy Guiliani briefly broached the topic of 9/11, Paul has been cast in the shadows while the rest of the field has steered clear of the issue of 9/11 and Paul's specific comments. Nevertheless, the American people are interested in the subject even as the national media joins in the effort to suppress the issue from reaching mass audiences during primetime debate coverage.Unfortunately, much of the American people are quite ignorant, intolerant and impatient, as many in political circles rightly describe the general population. Even a cursory look into the campaigns of numerous candidates reveal methodologies designed to persuade the dumbest among us. Marketing efforts seek to utilize jokes, references to pop culture and an overall appeal to the "Sopranos" fans of America. That isn't to say everyone watching the Sopranos has the IQ equal to their shoe size. But the overall process of politicking and campaigning employs methods that insult the intelligence of many as candidates clamor to pander to the popular culture of the day.Analyze the totality of the methods of marketing to the masses and you will learn little about the candidates regarding the most important issues facing this nation. They all just want to be liked, or receive the ultimate compliment of being perceived as "cool."The media is complicit in providing preferred candidates with a pass, choosing to focus on issues that segue into great sound bites by the candidates, rather than do the job of journalists and dig deep to expose the true positions of those seeking to lead this nation.How is it possible that the future Commander-in-Chief is not grilled relentlessly (as are those appointed by him subject to the approval of Congress) about his or her position on Iraq today, yesterday and as far back as they were holding office? This nation has been at war in Iraq since 1991. The rationale for sending more ground troops in 2003 was the case made by a Commander-in-Chief with the approval of Congress in the aftermath of 9/11. How is it possible that the media is not centered like a laser on the issue of 9/11 and grilling each candidate about his or her evolving positions regarding 9/11 and Iraq? Why is there no focus on the controversies surrounding this administration's reaction to 9/11 and the conspicuously missing Congress members who failed to call for an independent investigation of a scene of mass murder?There is no greater issue facing this nation than our involvement in the "war on terror" that came as a result of 9/11.Ron Paul has the courage and integrity to address the issue. He is today alienated by much of the media and his colleagues running concurrent campaigns for the same office. It is no secret that other candidates are unwilling to appear on the same stage as Paul. After all, they are the lying leaders who desire not to have their lies exposed through a thorough scrutiny or debate. No such risk exists in dealing directly with a compliant and complicit media. And no such risk exists when standing on a stage with other puppets. But Paul is no puppet. And the refusal to invite him to present his point of view to the people of Iowa displays a haughty disrespect for Iowans in general, and those supporters of Paul specifically.Still, such dictatorial tactics are not the exception in American politics. They are the rule. American politics is filled with propaganda, lies and deception to the degree that the argument that claims every vote counts stands on shaky ground.Paul's plight is but one tiny example among many that point to a radically changed nation that bears little resemblance to the one designed by the framers of the constitution -- whose deliberate restrictions upon an otherwise tyrannical government have been thwarted by the very people to whom they trusted all power. That's you and me, and the rest of the American people.

All About Trusting Bush and Other Leading Liars

Mike Green — Sat, 9 Jun 2007 10:48:16 EDT

In the latest round of calls for truth and transparency, a defiant U.S. government resists accusations that charge secret elements within the executive branch with violating human rights around the world. George W. Bush defends his decision to empower and authorize the CIA (and other secret organizations under his authority) to run amok throughout the world, exerting its will as it sees fit. The ugly truth has outraged the citizens of this country and many others. We now know our government has been involved in making and executing secret decisions that run counter to the morals and values of most Americans. Bush's response to the outrage is merely to state that the secret prisons where the CIA "detained" its suspects illegally, immorally and without due process of any law, much less the laws of the United States (that do not apply in every region and quarter of the globe), have been emptied of whatever captives were once being held.Okay, so the lying president who authorized the license to kidnap, torture and kill in secret now says that the still undisclosed number of prisons used by still secret factions of our government are supposedly empty. And who can determine he’s telling the truth? Furthermore, don’t the decisions made by Bush to send secret cells into other nations to conduct activities of a terrorist nature constitute state-sponsored terrorism?Not one member of Congress—where the representatives of the American people establish the laws governing our nation—has a clue about the actual number and location of the CIA's secret prisons. The CIA doesn't answer to Congress, the president does. But Congress hasn't determined this issue is big enough to meet the standard necessary to call for an independent investigation of the executive branch and its leaders. In fact, it appears that treason, treachery and sacrificing the lives of Americans and innocent peoples in Iraq and Afghanistan, based on decisions made by this president, don’t amount to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" in the minds of most members of Congress."Whoa, partner! Are you calling for an impeachment of the President based upon the actions of the CIA?" some will reluctantly wonder. Before one gallops headlong into the arena of charging the President (and Vice President) with treason and treachery against the American people, please consider the facts as they are currently known. The President has used the events of 9/11 to launch an unprecedented assault upon the freedoms of Americans, and citizens of other nations, specifically expanding the authority of covert operations and instituting new elements within his chain of command that have massively expanded the power and scope of the executive branch of government. The resounding truth is that 9/11 is not accepted by the American people as a foregone conclusion of "terrorist" attacks. Even a former National Security Advisor testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February that the U.S. government is not only capable, but quite readily willing to sacrifice American lives in a false flag operation that could galvanize support for a war against Iran. This very notion is the crux and foundation of suspicions by millions of Americans regarding the secrets and unexplained phenomena surrounding the events of 9/11. Was it an inside job to garner support for rampant military force that seeks to advance a clandestine agenda that focuses on the oil resources in Iraq and Iran?Not everyone will accept that our democratically elected, freedom-touting government willingly murders innocent peoples, despite historical evidence that proves otherwise. The unfortunate outcropping of such short-sighted thinking is that the U.S. government certainly would never do to its own citizens what it has done to those of other nations. But those who think so gullibly ignore the facts that cannot be hidden.Consider the establishment, under this administration alone, of an expanding secret government that operates in plain sight: Establishment of the Department of Homeland Security with its secret budget and evolving missions without accountability to the people, the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI) who oversees 16 secret agencies and answers only to the president, the new Secretary of Defense (former CIA head), the move of former covert ops leader John Negroponte (DNI) into the No. 2 spot in the U.S. State Department, and most recently the institution of a National Continuity Coordinator and the formulation of a secretive "Plan" the president intends to sign in August.Add to all of that the fact that the president's father is a former leader of the CIA. Consider his influence of U.S. foreign policy as Vice President under Reagan for eight years, his four-year presidency. Consider the continuation of his military invasion of Iraq throughout the Clinton administration (eight years) and an escalation of U.S. military control of Iraq into an outright occupation and government control through the auspices of the current Bush administration. By the end of the term of this administration, the U.S. involvement in the Middle East will have gone unchanged and unhampered for 28 years under the leaders of just two families that have remained at the pinnacle of U.S. policy-making the entire span. Consider the notion that Hillary Clinton may very well be crowned the next U.S. leader and if her reign continues for 8 years the total span of leadership at the highest levels of U.S. government for just two families will equal 36.All of the current administration's covert and overt military decisions and unprecedented expansions of the power of the executive were created in response to the U.S. "war on terror," which is a direct outcropping of, and directly related to 9/11. Also add to the secret elements that have no accountability to the people, the current and continuing overt operations of the U.S. military in direct defiance of the will of the people. The will of the American people, presumably represented by Congress, isn't represented at all. The "thousands of mistakes," admittedly made by this president in exerting its will militarily despite the outcry of the American people, have resulted in literally hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocent people, as well as the destruction of vital resources that have impacted millions in Iraq and Afghanistan. And given the heightened civil war for which the U.S. government has been charged as catalyzing, the American people are being compared to the naive population of Germany leading up to, and during World War II. The facts: Today, we know that the rationale for President Bush's decision to send troops into Iraq in 2003 was bogus. The rationale is today considered a "mistake." We know the former President George H. Bush, sent American troops (more than 500,000) into Iraq in 1991 proclaiming the notion that Saddam threatened world peace and must be stopped from possessing nuclear weapons, and the U.S. would defend Saudi Arabia. All of Bush's assertions were false.We know the U.S. has maintained a military presence in Iraq, controlling more than 2/3 of its skies, and bombing that nation continually since 1991 when the U.S. initiated an invasion and attacks that have never ended. We know the same rhetoric has been used by the presidents (Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, and Bush 43) since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter declared the Persian Gulf would be controlled and defended by force from the U.S. military. That rhetoric has been reiterated by leaders since Carter and ramped up to the definition of anything that threatens "U.S. vital economic interests" anywhere will be met with brute force. We know that since the 1953 overthrow of Iran's democratically elected government by covert CIA ops (led by Kermit Roosevelt), the U.S. has determined that the oil in the Persian Gulf (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia specifically) is considered "U.S. vital interests."We know that the events of 9/11 produced contradictory explanations and statements by the White House and Pentagon, in addition to suspicious accounts made by the FAA and NORAD, along with the fact that none of the recovered plane pieces and assorted associated wreckage has been made available to independent investigators outside of government control.We know the scenes of the 9/11 events (Pentagon, WTC Towers, and the field in Pennsylvania) were all cleansed without investigative processes employed even though these were the scenes of mass murders. We know that President Bush and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld have both made contradictory public statements about the events of 9/11, contradicting not only each other but themselves as well. We know the president and Congress have stonewalled and defied all efforts to independently investigate 9/11. We know the president reluctantly allowed a manipulated and fixed inquiry into 9/11, nearly two years after the fact, through the facade of an investigative authority under the 9/11 Commission. We know the president and vice president have never testified under oath regarding the questions posed by the Family Steering Committee, and suspiciously demanded the leaders sit together and speak only to two individuals who were appointed by the White House to lead the 9/11 Commission. We know, to date, that the executive branch refuses to answer the questions that remain unasked by the rigged 9/11 Commission. We know that 9/11 was the catalyst for the "war on terror" that has been used to conduct illegal and immoral secret operations both inside and outside the United States.We know that Iraq's claim regarding nuclear weapons was true, and the U.S. claim was false.We know that the U.S. is building permanent U.S. bases in Iraq despite the overwhelming opposition by the American people to remaining there.We know the U.S. has employed secret strategies that include kidnapping, torture, murder, manipulation of the media, illegally spying upon American citizens, false charges, unlawful detainments, indefinite imprisonment without charge or due process of law, failure to provide legal representation, and a host of other facts that continue to be discovered as individuals outside of the government's executive chain of command maintain rigorous investigations of the lies posed by the president and his underlings.We know the image of the U.S. around the world has deteriorated into one that paints us as one of the most dangerous nations threatening global peace.The list goes on. But the radical opposition to criticism of this administration ignores virtually everything Bush and Co. do, even to the point of ignoring those admissions made by this administration that run counter to the beliefs of even the most ardent Bush supporter. It is a sad state of affairs when tyranny visits America and no one recognizes this stranger. It is made even worse when we embrace him and identify with him as the standard-bearer of what America is and should be. This is not a nation of freedom-loving patriots who defend the cause of freedom everywhere, as the propagandists would proclaim. Instead, this is a nation of hypocritical leaders who have overthrown several democratic governments based upon the secret decisions of presidents utilizing secret elements within our government that have no accountability to the people. These secret powers, within the executive branch alone, retain immunity from prosecution even when illegal acts they've committed are eventually discovered. Thus, the power of the judicial branch has no authoritative "balance," and the power of Congress is rendered moot when members of both houses act as operatives of the executive branch, rather than representatives of the people. The lives destroyed by executive decisions, and by both covert and overt forces, cannot be recovered. The generations of people whose nations have endured the irrational destructive forces fueled by American hypocrisy naturally breed contempt for the assault upon their families and those who committed such immoral acts.The American people, mostly blind to the machinations of a lying, deceptive government, do suspect the leaders. We know they lie. We know they are untrustworthy. And the saddest part of it all is that even while knowing these facts, when the President proclaims a nation, or even a person, is an enemy of the United States, we, the people, look at that person with far more suspicion than those leaders making the accusation—even though we know for a fact that our leaders are liars. How then, did America evolve from a nation that once proclaimed, "In God we trust," to a country filled with mostly apathetic, ignorant citizens who trust in the liars we know we cannot trust?

Hatred of Christians Leaves LA Times Nowhere to Turn in '08

Mike Green — Tue, 5 Jun 2007 04:43:42 EDT

After a recent Los Angeles Times editorial used the platform of the evolutionists versus creationists debate to leap into an excoriating criticism of three Republican candidates who professed faith in Christianity, the top three Democrat candidates on June 4 stood in the public limelight and offered their testimonies to YAHWEH — The Almighty who the LA Times' editors apparently believe is merely a figment of the imagination of more than a billion people around the world. Presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton testified during a forum on June 4 — hosted by Sojourners/Call to Renewal — it was her faith in God (YAHWEH) that got her through her marital troubles. Prayers sustained her, she recalled. John Edwards admitted he was a sinner and sinned daily — and prayers also sustained him through his son's death in 1996 and his wife's battle with cancer. Still, despite his "deep and abiding love for Lord, Jesus Christ," Edwards believes the United States ought not be considered a Christian nation.Barack Obama preferred to view the issues pertaining to war in terms of just and unjust rather than a perspective of good versus evil, which he believes would otherwise lend itself to a less critical view of the actions of our own nation.But with all three of the Democrats candidates having an abiding belief and faith in an invisible God, and all three of the top Republican candidates joining them in that belief, it appears that the LA Times — which had its say about such silly notions of electing leaders who profess profound preference for policies rooted in revelations from the bible — is devoid of a single legitimate religion-free candidate to endorse.Surely, the position of the LA Times editorial board — as expressed less than two weeks ago regarding three candidates who are professing Christians — also applies equally to Clinton, Edwards and Obama, each of whom declared their faith in Jesus of Nazareth to the nation today. The Times' editors criticized only the Republican candidates as unfit for leadership of this nation by stating, "Three men seeking to lead the last superpower on Earth reject the scientific consensus on cosmology, thermonuclear dynamics, geology and biology, believing instead that Bamm-Bamm and Dino played together."With all of the presidential candidates declaring a love for Jesus Christ and dependency upon faith in God and daily prayers for strength and guidance, in whom will the LA Times editors place their trust? Surely the coined phrase placed upon the nation's currency is meaningless to such evolved intellects in Los Angeles. So how then can any editor at the LA Times worth his paycheck find solace in an endorsement of any candidate that bends his knee to an invisible God?And let's not pretend that any of these candidates subscribe to both the notion of creation as well as the science of evolution. The two are not compatible. One will be accepted whole and the other challenged in whole or part, but Christianity — and the words and deeds of Jesus Himself — contains far too many contradictions to the theory of evolution for any Christian to walk that line for too long without falling onto one side or the other. It is indeed a conundrum for the LA Times editors. After all, the notion that one could potentially believe in God and have faith in Jesus yet also embrace evolution science wholeheartedly is a fence that has never been walked successfully.Consider the notion that Jesus claimed He was with God before the world began and that God granted Him dominion over all created things. The idea that everything was "created" sort of puts a crimp in the scientific theory of evolution, which begins with an obscure origin that some believe was a bang billions of years ago. But that's just the beginning of the obstacles between evolution faith and Christian faith. Jesus claimed that mankind is doomed to a sentence of death of both body and soul for disobeying God, yet through His sacrifice of innocent sinless blood on behalf of our sins, we have an opportunity to be saved from the wrath of God ... if we accept Him as Savior and Lord of our lives. That surely sounds like a load of nonsense to an evolutionist, who is willing to wager his life (and soul) that Christians are a bit wacky with the whole lake of fire stuff.Then there is the notion of evil, as personified by Satan, the devil, demons and those who oppose God. Where does all of that fit into evolution? And did angels ever roam the earth and have their way with daughters of men? Did Jesus raise the dead, walk on water and instantly heal leprosy and other diseases? How are such things possible, if evolutionists are right and man evolved over millions of years, adjusting according to survival of the fittest?And what about Moses? Are the Jews also unfit for leadership in America because they fervently believe that Moses had a personal audience with God and acted as His go-between with Pharoah? How does the evolutionist explain the parting of the Red Sea or even the Great Flood in Noahs' day? Did the prophet Jonah really spend three days and nights in the belly of a great fish?Evolution seeks to explain how things came into being but falls woefully short, while tossing sharp criticism at those who place their faith in biblical revelations. It seeks to set itself apart due to particular processes through which it divines information, rather than mere faith in ancient texts.Unfortunately, evolutionists too often fail to examine their own beliefs with the same critical eye cast upon Christians, Jews, Muslims and others. While they look down their noses upon the faithful, they forget that they also have placed a lot of faith in processes that are fallible. The generation of evolutionists today do not believe the same things as the ones before it. And as science evolves, to discover what it thought it knew yesterday was wrong, a new generation will place its faith in a newly evolved process claiming it is the best that can be done. Such reason is understandable, but the limits of man's knowledge does not create fact or truth. It merely creates "belief." Thus, the LA Times editors are as trusting in the texts of evolution science books as Christians are in the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments.The difference is that Christians need not change their perspectives and beliefs with the shifting sands of time or the gale force winds that blow away old science textbooks with every passing generation. It would be intellectually honest for evolutionists to admit that they, too, have faith in things unseen and theories unproven. The religious willingly admit that underneath all the reasoning and rationale that underscores our thinking, there is a foundation of faith that is the core of our being and the center of our lives. It guides us, nurtures us and fuels us. It answers questions of life, love, relationships, good and evil that cannot otherwise be rationally explained by any field of science. Our faith in God provides us a guidepost that leads us through life, teaching us to do good, treating others as we would have them treat us, forgiving transgressions easily, and thinking of others above ourselves.Science would do well to learn from Jesus rather than crucify His followers. After all, if Jesus is truly King of Kings and Lord of Lords — and really did conquer death and plans to return in glory — those who proclaim that anyone who believes in such silliness isn't fit to lead a democratic society of diverse peoples may someday wish they were part of a society of believers who worship a Monarch. Evolution science cannot respond adequately to all of the claims made by Jesus, nor explain the numerous acts by God chronicled in the bible. After all, evolution would deny that donkeys can talk, the wind and sea respond to the commands of one man, and that both angels and demons exist and interact among men. Thus, if the theory of evolution is taught as an accepted fact, then Christianity, Judaism and other world religions must be denied as true.At the end of the day, evolution theory and Christianity are not completely compatible. That is not to say that parts of each cannot be accepted across the lines of belief, but neither side can accept the other in totality. And in a nation comprised of a majority Christian population, the leaders of our nation who desire the votes of faithful Christians will either pretend to be such themselves or they actually are. In either case, they will likely attract the ire of the editors at the LA Times. Of course, if the LA Times' criticism of Christian creationists is correct, and Jesus Christ is wrong, Judgment Day is nothing to fear and the biggest problem they will have is deciding which wacky Christian to support for president in '08.