- Who can forget our Commander-in-Chief landing on the
deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln last May 2-04 with his "Mission
Accomplished" message. With his crown jewels safely and prominently
strapped- his helmet under his arm, he swaggered forth joining his men.
Men, weary from battle, anxious after long months at sea to see their newborns,
their youngsters and wives. But not before President Bush got his perfect
PR piece. One must remember in the world of politics 'image' and symbolism
is everything?
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- Mr. Bush, in his speech, brought up scenes from WWII
(the good war). He spoke of storming the beaches and planting the flag
at Iwo Jima. One could almost imagine he was there. Nothing about Korea-Vietnam-or
Gulf War I. He spoke of the celebrating Iraqis and of modern weaponry
that could hit targets leaving civilians unscathed. Cheers went up again
and again. In poignant reverence he ended (well almost) with the statement
that "Every culture needs liberty-just as much as they need air-food-and
water".
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- I thought of this while watching the siege of Boston
on this morning's news. Cameras are mounted throughout Boston. Highways,
trains, and whole sections of town are blocked off. Steel barricades are
piled for the ready, as miles of razor wire and barbed wire are being
woven around buildings and under bridges. One needs dozens of badges affixed
to their persons to walk from block to block. The "free speech"
zone was the best. Here those citizens who wished to partake in history
and be a part of government would be fenced in behind double chain link
fence topped with razor wire. Let's hope nobody gets the novel idea of
hanging teabags on the freedom fence. One wonders if citizens will be issued
orange jumpsuits to make them feel more at home.
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- Thousands of troops of every description will be on hand
to make sure the celebration of red, white, and boo-of a pre-selected candidate
and all the brouhaha will go off without a hitch. Spokesmen for this massive
buildup referenced Seattle. In Nov-Dec 2000, thousands of people from
every walk of life gathered to protest the World Trade Organization. They
were objecting to the secret agreements going on behind closed doors of
world leaders and corporate honchos that would see to their jobs being
shipped to Third World Countries. They dared to protest the dismantling
of America.
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- Interestingly enough the media did not interview or
speak to the cause, of such diverse groups joining together. The TV media
did manage to capture the few renegade persons dressed in black with ski
masks who broke windows. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to discern
that if one wanted an excuse to break up such unified gatherings, and
have the perfect excuse for future police actions, you'd get yourself a
few hired thugs-put masks on them and let them go at it. I mean how would
it look beating up grandmas with flowered hats, kids with posters and puppets?
Just how ridiculous would it look to have Swat teams clubbing and gassing
demonstrators, dressed as turtles and butterflies? No-men with ski masks
would be the perfect excuse. And that's what Boston is readying itself
for. Like a politician once told me "everyone has a price".
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- And so Seattle set the tone for the militarization of
any and all future gatherings of citizens. Though not shown on any of the
major media (Michael Jackson had round the clock coverage), Miami in Nov
2003, saw police in full riot gear; including helmets, shields and clubs.
They fired plastic/wooden jaw shattering bullets and used concussion grenades
against senior citizens, union people, and students. Citizens had gathered
in Miami from all over the nation to protest the Free Trade Area of the
Americas summit. This was another event that saw more factories in America
closed, as officials-and multinational groups from 34 nations met to reduce
or eliminate trade barriers everywhere in the Western Hemisphere except
Cuba. Demonstrators were protesting the disappearance of thousands of American
jobs to other countries, the exploitation of cheap labor and the draining
of natural resources.
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- Lance Steizer, a Miami lawyer, said "When you have
that kind of police presence dressed up in storm-trooper garb and a mentality
of 'Let's close off the entire city because we had rowdies in another city,
it has a tendency to incite problems that might not otherwise exist."
Michael McLean, 20, of N.J, said he was walking into an amphitheater, when
he was tripped and was zapped with a stun gun. "They haven't told
me what I did", said McLean, who sat with plastic handcuffs around
his wrists. Most of the protestors were peaceful, carrying puppets, holding
signs and chanting, "This is what a police state looks like".
More than 1000 members of the United Steel Workers union marched peaceful
down Biscayne Boulevard, chanting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, FTAA has got
to go." Ken Thomas-Associated Press-Nov 20-03
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- Also unreported, were the remarks of Circuit Judge Richard
Margolius, who presided over the cases of several protestors? Judge Margolius
saw first hand what when on. He stated, "Pretty disgraceful what I
saw with my own eyes. And I have always supported the police during my
entire career." Margolius went on, "This was a real eye-opener,
a disgrace for the community. I saw no less than 20 felonies committed
by police officers.".Dec. 20-03 Associated Press-Miami
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- Watching the preparations for the Boston siege I couldn't
help thinking of how low we've sunk from the time of the Minutemen and
the ride of Paul Revere. These men (Minutemen) were a small hand-picked
elite force which was required to be highly mobile and able to assemble
quickly. Of approximately 400 militia from Concord's muster rolls, one
hundred would also serve as Minutemen. When a battle took place Minutemen
companies from several towns combined their units. An Officer from the
43rd Regiment of Foot was sent to the North Bridge in Concord, with a number
of light infantry. Minutemen from Concord, Acton, Littleton and other towns
combined forces. After a few volleys were fired, the British light infantry
retreated back to the Concord Common area. There was a running battle all
the way back to Boston. One wonders what the Minutemen would think of
today's riot clad troops beating down their own fellow citizens.
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- One would hope that the citizens of Boston have the decency
to cover the original window of the Old North Church, through which Robert
Newman left the Church after hanging the lanterns on April 18,1775. Today
(ha) it houses the Third Lantern lit by President Fort on April 18, 1975,
as a symbol of FREEDOM and renewed resolve for the next century of the
Nation's life. One wonders what the ghost of Paul Revere would say to
Boston's new warmonger on wheels. Cruising Boston to silence any errant
citizens will be the newest toy in Freedom's War. This is a $256,000 armored
personnel transport custom created by the Pittsfield military machine company.
Superintendent Robert E. O'Toole says, "It is an awesome and ominous-looking
vehicle. There's nothing like that new tank smell. Even with all her tires
flattened she'll still keep on rolling."
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- It weights 28 tons and outweighs a Hummer by some 50,000
lbs. Pedal to the metal she can do 85mph. There is a revolving rooftop
turret and weapon potholes on the sides. It can detect radiological and
explosive-gas threats-has a cup holder, CD player and a kicking sound system!
Yes folks this is the mind numbing madness of today's Ninja Warriors. All
of this for puppets, drums, grandma's in aprons, posters, and people from
Michigan singing "Always look for the union label".
-
- Perhaps as the boys cruise past the Old North Church
and down by the harbor they might want to play "The Sons of Liberty"
on their "kicking sound system in their (our) $256,000 warmonger!
"Hearts of oak are we still, for we're sons of those men/Who fear
not the ocean, brave roaring of cannon/To stop all oppression, again and
again etc." Meantime we have reports from the "other" war
front-Iraq. The Iraq War News-Sun National-Tom Bowman: "When soldiers
of the Army's 1st Infantry Division rolled into Iraq several weeks ago,
they lacked enough armored Humvees for everyone. So, like the soldiers
in other units, some of them had to stack sandbags behind the Humvees'
front seats-an all-but useless way to fend off the bullets and roadside
bombs that have KILLED scores of U.S. troops. These Humvees (unlike the
warmonger in Boston) are sheathed only in canvas or light sheet metal.
The boys crusing and playing their music on a "kicking" sound
system in a 28 TON fully armored personnel tank in Boston might want to
know that Senator Edward Kennedy stated on Meet the Press, "We've
lost 17 boys in Massachusetts, seven of them had been killed from Humvees
that didn't have armor." Amongst them was 20 year old John Hart,
who wrote to his parents telling of how unsafe he felt driving around Iraq
in a Humvee that lacked bulletproof shielding or metal doors. Now he's
dead. If he'd been assigned to the Boston siege he most probably would
still be alive.
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- It's the same thing with flak jackets. Parents have to
buy these for their loved ones in war. Miami riot police were fully protected
- and I daresay you'll see plenty of flak jackets in Boston and New York.
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- There's nothing too good in protecting our politicians
who all voted for war. Too bad they didn't see to some of this pricey-kicking
equipment, being sent to where there's something more threatening than
a puppet of Bush or Cheney. Too bad some of the billions spent thus far
haven't gone into protecting youngsters (average age 19) who are in a far
more dangerous place than Beacon Hill!
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- I would like to suggest that instead of thousands upon
thousands of working citizens being inconvenienced because of these gatherings-parties
and conventions; that they all be held out in Nevada's Area 51. There's
plenty of protection there already and no traffic-or warmonger tanks are
needed. Imagine today's Minutemen, in full riot gear-with stun guns and
tanks to protect against puppets-dancing students-and singing grandmas.
Can you believe it?
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