Goodbye Barry - Welcome Home AMERICA!

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Monsanto Chemical: Buys Government, Scares Press, and Sells Out Public!

Where is the hue and cry from all the government agencies that "protect" us, or from the so-called independent press, that supposedly is "looking out" for us.  Monsanto (previously Monsanto Chemical) - the folks that brought us the unforgettable Agent Orange, among others - like the relatively innocuous Roundup weed killer.  However, what happens when you start manipulating the market to eliminate the competition?  How do they do that?

First you start by genetically modifying produce - like corn, soybeans, or wheat - to make them resistant to Roundup and similar products.  Next you back-engineer one of your other products - like fertilizer - to include Roundup in it.  Something like Monsanto's "Asgrow Roundup Ready" or "Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans."  From the Monsanto website: "This is a new proprietary seed treatment from Monsanto which will be commercialized in conjunction with the launch of Asgrow Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans."  Monsanto offers "Simple, flexible and dependable weed control you expect from the Roundup Ready system.", and "Powerful genetic trait combinations created through our advanced breeding process deliver higher yield potential than other brands."  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, what we're talking about is Frankenfood!  And it's not just soybeans ... Monsanto has genetically modified corn, wheat, and God only knows what else to resist Roundup.  Can you see where this is going?  Modify the seeds to resist a weed poison, then include the poison in either the pod or the fertilizer, to kill those pesky weeds.  So far, so good!

But, there's an unanswered question here too - How does the Roundup not get absorbed into the produce it's protecting from weeds?  It doesn't!  We are unknowingly and trustingly ingesting toxic materials with almost every item we are being sold as food!  Have you eaten a nice steak, or enjoyed a good hamburger recently?  If so, then you should familiarize yourself with the acronym BGH - Bovine Growth Hormone.  Have you wondered why your 10 year old daughter is sprouting breasts already?  There's your answer - BGH!  Monsanto's Bovine somatotropin (abbreviated bST and BST) is also called bovine growth hormone, or BGH.  BST can be produced synthetically, using recombinant DNA technology. The resulting product is called recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), or artificial growth hormone. It is administered to the cow by injection and used to increase milk production. Currently Monsanto is the only company that markets recombinant bovine somatotropin, under the trade name Posilac.  According to Monsanto, approximately one-third of dairy cattle in the U.S. are treated with Posilac; approximately 8,000 dairy producers use the product. It is now the top-selling dairy cattle pharmaceutical product in the U.S.  Use of the recombinant supplement has been controversial. While it is used in the United States (though not without reaction), it is banned in Canada, parts of the European Union, Australia and New Zealand.  Is there a reason for this ban?  Are they perhaps more concerned with the welfare of their citizens, than our government is for OUR personal well-being?

Monsanto's lawyers scared Fox television affiliate, WTVT/Fox-13 in Tampa, Florida so badly, the station manager fired two staff members who had done an investigative reporting piece after they refused to modify the story to appease Monsanto.

Monsanto is running roughshod over our citizenry in their (thus-far successful) attempt to bribe, intimidate, threaten and otherwise leverage those who would question the negative human health factors of Monsanto-produced  FrankenfoodsOur complacency as a nation will be our undoing.  I could be wrong ... but, I'm NOT!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Americans drop dead as police get Taser-happy

There's a lot of whining going on now over the use of Tasers by law enforcement agencies in this country. The largest and best known of the whiners is the ultra-left Amnesty International.
An Amnesty International report titled "USA: Less than lethal?" records 334 people have died after being stunned by Tasers in the U.S. between 2001 and August 2008, including 55 in California and 52 in Florida. What it does not say is how many times the Taser was brought into action. If it was only used 334 times then it is undoubtedly a deadly weapon. If it was used 33,400 times then the accidental death rate is 1%.

Regardless of the number of times Tasers were used to control a critical situation, it is far less deadly than a bullet penetrating flesh, bone and organs. Death is a relative certainty when a firearm is used. The purpose of a policeman's firearm is to cause disabling injyry or death, and is only used in the most dire of circumstances. A misplaced blow from an impact weapon, such as the police baton, can easily result in serious injury or death.

Of the defensive arsenal available to law enforcement agencies, the Taser - when properly applied - is the least likely to cause lasting or terminal injuries. Tasers incapacitate by sending high voltage through wires into the subject's body. Voltage is not a killer - amperage is the electrical unit that kills, and Tasers are low amperage units.

Somebody, somewhere, will probably die if you throw chocolate ice cream on them! It is unfortunate when a life is lost to a Taser strike, but stuff happens. How many lives have been saved because the police weren't forced to SHOOT the person? Think about that! Amnesty International should mind their own business. I could be wrong ........ but I'm not!

Friday, December 12, 2008

AND WHERE'S THE SURPRISE IN THIS?

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), is in hot water over attempting to sell President-elect Barack Hussein Obama's senate seat to the highest bidder. Is this really a surprise to anybody? Blagojevich is a product of the same corrupt political machine as Obama.

The most straightforward way to measure corruption is to check the number of convicted local officials. Between 1995 and 2004, 469 politicians from the federal district of Northern Illinois were found guilty of corruption. Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan received a sentence of six and a half years in prison, after being convicted on charges of racketeering, mail fraud, filing false tax returns, and lying to investigators. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that in the last three decades, at least 79 local elected officials have been convicted of a crime, including three governors, one mayor, and a whopping 27 aldermen from the Windy City.

Illinois political corruption of of a magnitude not seen since the days of New York City's Tammany Hall. For those of you unfamiliar with Tammany Hall, an offshoot of the Tammany Society, in 1830 Tammany Hall became the city affiliate of the Democratic Party, controlling most of the New York City elections afterward. From about 1830-1834 the Loco-Focos comprised a democratic, anti-monopoly faction that appealed to workingmen. Throughout the 1830s and 1840s the Society expanded its political control even further by earning the loyalty of the city's ever-expanding immigrant community, which functioned as a base of political capital. The Tammany Hall "ward boss" served as the local vote gatherer and provider of patronage. New York City used the designation "ward" for its smallest political units from 1686–1938. Tammany is forever linked with the rise of the Irish in American politics.

Beginning in late 1845, millions of Irish Catholics began arriving in New York. Equipped with a knowledge of English, very tight loyalties, a proclivity for politics, and what critics said was a propensity to use violence to control the polls, the Irish quickly dominated Tammany. In exchange for votes, they were provided with money and food.

By 1854, Tammany's lineage and support from immigrants had made it a powerful force in New York politics. Tammany controlled businesses, politics and sometimes law enforcement. Businesses would give gifts to their workers and, in exchange, tell the workers to vote for the politicians that were supported by Tammany (usually a straight Democratic ticket). In 1854, the Society elected its first New York City mayor. Tammany's "bosses" (called the "Grand Sachem") and their supporters enriched themselves by illegal means. The most infamous boss of all was William M. "Boss" Tweed, whose control over the Tammany Hall machine allowed him to win election to the New York State Senate. His political career ended when he was sent to prison along with his partner Francis I.A. Boole, after his ousting at the hands of a reform movement led by New York's Democratic governor Samuel J. Tilden in 1872. From 1872 onward, Tammany had an Irish "boss." They played an increasingly important role in state politics, supporting one candidate and feuding with another. The greatest success came in 1928 when a Tammany hero, New York Governor Al Smith, won the Democratic presidential nomination.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped Republican Fiorello La Guardia become mayor on a Fusion ticket, thus removing even more patronage from Tammany's control. La Guardia was elected in 1933 and re-elected in 1937 and 1941. He was the first anti-Tammany Mayor to be re-elected and his extended tenure weakened Tammany in a way that previous "reform" Mayors had not. Tammany depended for its power on government contracts, jobs, patronage, corruption, and ultimately the ability of its leaders to swing the popular vote. The last element weakened after 1940 with the decline of relief programs like WPA and CCC that Tammany used to gain and hold supporters.

Although lacking the public notoriety of Tammany Hall, the relatively low-key Illinois political machine is equally corrupt. How do such things happen in a supposedly free democratic republic? People are easily misinformed through the use of political "smoke and mirrors", and misdirected by political sleight of hand. Who is to blame? Those people who are impressed by empty words, awestruck by political theatrics, and foolish enough to believe what they see and hear in our equally corrupt print and broadcast media.

I could be wrong ........................ but, I'm NOT!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

OJ Gets His Day In Court - Wins Free Room And Board!

There is a word for the results of the recent Las Vegas trial of OJ Simpson - can you say KARMA? Although he was found "not guilty" of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in 1994, over 80% of Americans polled believe him guilty of the crimes. A "not guilty" verdict is not the same as him being found innocent - it simply means the state's case was not convincing enough for the jury to find him guilty. But, I believe that the real reason OJ walked out of that Los Angeles courtroom a free man was because:

1. The State of California, and specifically the County of Los Angeles, could see major race riots on the horizon if this black sports-hero/success story/actor/role model (a relative rarity at that time) was convicted. The black community would see such a conviction as another attempt by "Whitey" to "keep the black man down". How sad is that? It is sad from the standpoint that, regardless of the truth of the matter, such feelings among blacks could easily be justified - and understandable - based upon black history in our country.

2. The State of California's case was weak because the State wanted it to be weak based on the above. Administrative procedures and protocols were violated by both the LAPD and the District Attorney's Office. Significant evidence at the crime scene was either mishandled or ignored as irrelevant, as was evidence at the Brentwood home of OJ. Either of these conditions, when brought to the attention of Judge Lance Ito's court, would have created a crippling blow to the State's case. And, at the same time, justified a "not guilty" verdict for technical reasons. Then there was defense lawyer Johnny Cochran's side show of OJ trying to put a glove on over a glove. That's much like trying to slip a shoe over a shoe!

There's no doubt in my mind that OJ will not serve the minimum of his 16-to-life sentence. He'll be out of prison in 3-4 years, and justice still will not have been served upon him.

But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong .......... but, I'm not!