Ravynemyst Reviews - 20 May 2003Note from RavyneSince there are so many developing stories out there, I have decided to start a new format for reporting them. From now on, everything will be under Ravynemyst Reviews followed by the date. Occassionally, I will do a News Flash or a single commentary. I am also working on trying to get a new template design for my site some time in the near futute. I want to thank helderheid, pandionna, and everyone else who visits my site for your continued comments, your plugs to my site on your own websites, and for your amazing dedication to getting the truth out there for people to see. And now, on with the news! Fear of Orange Again?Once again we, in America, are in a HIGH state of alarm. We are to fear Orange again. I don't know about you, but for some reason I just cannot see orange as a threatening color. There is just something so sublime about Orange. Have you ever been alarmed when you've seen the color orange? Has it instilled panic or shock? I see orange as very non-threatening. But our government seems to think Orange is a serious color and so we have moved from a deep yellow to this sublime orange. Seriously though, with all of the bombings in Saudi Arabia and all of the talk about our boogie-man terror group, Al Qaeda, making another appearance, I guess it is only right that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge once again puts the fear of Orange into us. How many times can the Bush Administration "call wolf" before the people start ignoring the threats? Have we reached that comfort level yet? Are we as relaxed now as we were the morning of the WTC and Pentagon bombings when we were foolish enough to believe that a major terrorist attack could *never* touch us? Here is the report from CNN:
What this really means, ladies and gentlemen, is that we are ONE terrorist attack away from Martial Law. If that little orange ever becomes a giant RED, then FEMA, the Executive Orders of all Presidents, and the PATRIOT Act step in and Americans lose all of their Constitutional Rights. You can call me an alarmist all you want, but this is very serious and it has been planned for a long time. Your guns will be confiscated. You will be under a curfew. Dissent will not be tolerated. The military will fill your streets so fast you will not even realize it has happened. By allowing our Congress and President to get away with signing laws and making unconstitutional Executive Orders, We the People have handed over all of our freedom for whatever amount of security this Government has planned for us. The question we should all be asking ourselves is this: Is our government anymore prepared today to protect us than when they failed to protect us on the morning of September 11th? What Does the US Have Against Culture?It was bad enough when the US troops stood by and allowed the Iraqi Museums to get looted and ancient artifacts to be stolen and destroyed. Afterall, they didn't really have a hand in it. Did they? Some have said that the US troops actually encouraged the looting. That is neither here nor there. However, this time, some troops *have* had their hands in destruction of cultural artifacts in Iraq. A report yesterday entitled, US Troops 'Vandalize' Ancient City of Ur tells of US troops purposefully spray-painting graffiti in Ancient Ur and have stolen kiln-baked bricks made over a million years ago. Thankfully, someone in the military had the good sense to declare the Ancient city off limits to US Troops and will punish any troops who violate this mandate. However, the story isn't over. Just on the outskirts of this Ancient City of Ur is where the US has decided to build a huge military base. This all saddens me deeply. Ur is an important ancient cultural center. It is said to be the birthplace of Abraham, the center of Sumer civilization and where the first written poetry originated. So I ask you, what does the US have against this important ancient culture of Iraq, where it is said that all life sprang from and the first written texts of Gilgamesh were found? Bush's War At HomeI read an interesting commentary today by Charles Derber called The Other War. Gerber explains that not only has Bush waged wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and may have many more up his sleeve, but he has also waged a war here at home against the American people. Here is a quote from his commentary:
The whole piece is very interesting and I urge you to read it in its entirety. What stuck out most for me was this part:
And this:
But trust me, there are even more goodies in that commentary to fire up your ole blood stream. Summary of Bush's Broken PromisesDeficit Bush said his tax cut would not cause deficits, even in a bad economy. a.. Bush's FY 2003 budget posts $106 billion deficit, the first deficit since 1997. The budget will return to balance in 2005, at the earliest. Social Security Bush said Social Security Trust Fund would remain in a lockbox. a.. Bush breached the Social Security Trust Fund and is on schedule to spend $1.65 trillion of it over the next ten years. National Debt Bush promised to pay down a record amount of the national debt. a.. Bush not only failed to pay down the national debt, he has been forced to request a $750 billion increase in the debt limit. Education Reform As part of the bipartisan education reform, Bush promised to spend more money on education. a.. Bush budget cut funding from his own "No Child Left Behind" law and provided the smallest education funding increase in seven years. Pell Grants Bush promised to increase the maximum Pell Grant award, thereby increasing access to higher education. a.. Bush froze Pell Grant limit below his promised level. LIHEAP Bush promised to "fully fund" LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). a.. Bush's budget cut LIHEAP by $300 million. Medicare Bush pledged to provide Medicare prescription drug coverage for all seniors. a.. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that Bush's plan would cover only 6 percent of Medicare beneficiaries. Yucca Mountain Bush promised to listen to sound science and local officials before deciding to bury the nation's nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. a.. Bush designated Yucca Mountain the site before all the science is in, flouting local officials. Student Loans Bush promised to make higher education more accessible by helping students with high costs. a.. Bush proposed pulling $1.3 billion from a program that allows students to consolidate education loans at federally subsidized interest rates. For more information, check out this site: Caught on Film: The Bush Credibility Gap Thank you for taking the time to read these articles and commentaries and for looking at the links. Please feel free to draw your own conclusions and to leave comments. ~Ravyne~
~Did You Miss These?~ Just a Reminder - Tuesday, Nov. 04, 2003 Ravyne Is Moving - Friday, Oct. 17, 2003 The Mission - Sunday, Oct. 12, 2003 Siege Heil - Thursday, Oct. 09, 2003 Litany Of Lies - Wednesday, Oct. 08, 2003 |
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