Steve Bhaerman: Bringing Down the House of Lies

(This piece by Steve Bhaerman is posted at www.afterdowningstreet.org alongside articles by Gore Vidal and a flood of news items on impeachment. It's good to see that David Swanson is opening the door for this discussion. Thanks Joe, for sending it in. -r.)

Bringing Down the House of Lies

The Final "Leg" of the Journey

By Steve Bhaerman

...It's a bit of a mixed feeling to realize that millions and millions of people who didn't get this distinction two, four or six years ago now understand that the "political' issues we now face aren't about right and left, they're about right and wrong. On one hand, what took you so long? On the other, thank God and welcome aboard.

...Interestingly enough, Strauss's neocon disciples William Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle (along with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) helped found a think tank called the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) in the 1990s. A PNAC document, Rebuilding America's Defenses has been a guiding force for the Bush-Cheney White House. According to PNAC, the only way to assure America's safety in the 21st century is by being the only superpower on the block, what they referred to as Pax Americana. Of course, since the Iraq War many around the world are calling it a "Pox Americana."

Perhaps the most telling quote in the Rebuilding America's Defenses document refers to needing a "catastrophic and catalyzing event -- like a new Pearl Harbor" to mobilize the masses for this undertaking (pun intended). The neocons insist this was an innocuous quote taken out of context. However, when seen in the context of Leo Strauss's core beliefs, it's easy to make the connection and see the 9/11 attacks as the "catalyzing event" that launched the so-called "war on terror." In fact, author and theologian David Ray Griffin called his sober account debunking the official 9/11 story The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11. Whether or not the attacks were an "inside job," they were certainly used in classic Straussian fashion to create national unity and control through perpetual war.

Griffin, a well-respected mainstream theologian who has written and edited 30 books, contends that the official 9/11 story has been given the "halo of religious mythology." Like the infallibility of the Pope in the Church or the primacy of matter in scientific materialism, questioning the official 9/11 story is taboo. Consequently, most people fail to see the red flags that are literally in plain sight:

√ The official story was in place within 48 hours of the event, before any investigation was undertaken.

√ The official "remedy," the so-called Patriot Act (a 342-page document that many legislators signed without reading), appeared as if by magic and was ratified in an atmosphere of panic -- right on the heels of Democratic legislators receiving packets of deadly anthrax, a crime that has never been "solved."

√ No satisfactory explanation has ever been given as to how and why the world's most sophisticated air defense system "stood down" in the most deadly attacks ever on American soil. And no one was held accountable.

√ Transcripts of testimony released at the insistence of 9/11 families -- from firefighters, police and eyewitnesses -- mention over and over again a "series of explosions" and the towers coming down in their tracks, "just like a planned demolition."

√ When there finally was an investigation, only testimony supporting the official version of the story was allowed. Imagine, if you will, a court case where there was no conflicting evidence ... case closed.

Time to Face Our Own Not-Seeism
The fact that these blatant contradictions have never been officially addressed stands as stark testimony as to how well weapons of mass-distraction have been used to keep the official story in place. Yes, the mass media has been complicit in failing to present an alternative view, and in marginalizing anyone suggesting otherwise as a "conspiracy nut." But it goes far deeper than that. The persistent "invisible belief" in America's intrinsic goodness makes it incomprehensible that the government in the "land of the free" would perpetrate something that horrendous against its own citizens. Like the Germans who heard about the death camps and were told it was "American propaganda," most Americans won't question the official story because the horrendous implications are too awful to contemplate. But the "Not See" era is about to end.

I'm going to apologize in advance for using a distasteful metaphor that many of you will find repugnant. But since this is the image that keeps coming to mind, I'm going to have to risk it. Think back when you were in college. You were at a party and had a little too much to drink. You're feeling wobbly and a bit nauseous. You are on the teeter-totter of a decision -- to throw up or not to throw up. Throwing up. Ugh. You don't want to do it, it's disgusting. But then you realize, you have to do it. It is something the body is telling you to do, and you also know that when you've expelled the mess you will feel so much better.

That is where our body politic is today. We've literally had it up to here. But we've been reluctant to expel the toxins for all to see. Last year at this time, I had contracted to write a story on David Ray Griffin called Unquestioned Answers: A Non-Conspiracy Theorist Takes Aim at the Official 9/11 Story for a local mainstream publication. In the six weeks from the time the editor reluctantly okayed the story until the time I handed it in, she had undergone a change of mind. She told me, "I have come to believe the American government did indeed have something to do with the attacks, and the very thought of it makes me sick to my stomach."

Having to swallow what we've been asked to swallow over the past several years, purging might be the very best cure. So now the question is, what to do and how to do it?

There seem to be two approaches to the 9/11 issue. One involves jumping into the details of the mystery itself and trying to figure out specifically what happened. The problem here is what has already occurred -- squabbling about the details, one group of believers in one conspiracy theory accusing another of spreading disinformation.

The other approach is the one I took with the David Ray Griffin article I published last year. Focus on stepping outside the official story, removing its "halo" and asking if indeed, it is the likeliest story. Here's why. No amount of "evidence" will convince anybody unless they are open to the possibility of the premise. The breakthrough will occur when a critical mass of people begin to put it together for themselves.

What opened me to a premise I was -- like David Ray Griffin -- initially closed to was reading about the "false flag" operations done by NATO during the Cold War and those like Operation Northwoods that was proposed but not initiated here (you can read brief accounts about those in the above-linked article on David Ray Griffin). When I combined this information with the realization I'd already come to -- that Bush, Cheney, Rove & Company were capable of anything they could get away with -- I had bridged the gap...

Continued...
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/21366

I am...

Ecstatic that afterdownstreet.org is finally, FINALLY jumping on the bandwagon, or at least showing their readers the door to it.

Am I the only one who feels the 9/11 Truth Movement deserves an apology from organizations like this? For all of the ridicule we've received over the years from these very same organizations.


"So where is the oil going to come from?... The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."

Richard Cheney - Chief Executive Of Halliburton

No you aren't. The

No you aren't. The movement deserves a big apology, for the simple fact that the government's story is full of holes and not satisfactory, and all these groups know it. They will admit that the administration is serially untruthful, they will admit that we don't have a full accounting of what happened on 9/11 (even the heads of the 9/11 commission admit that), they admit that the administration is responsible for conspiracy to defraud the American public and the world (the lies that led to the Iraq war), they'll admit that there are ideologues willing to do anything for imperial gain, they'll admit that the 9/11 attacks were fully exploited by the current regime, yet they treat people who dig into the unanswered questions about the most significant day in the 21st century as if we were trying to prove leprechauns run the world.

Because...

The ultimate truth is so terrifying for them. If the ultimate truth is revealed, and those responsible are held accountable, this country would experience a wave of patriotism the likes of which has never been seen before. Not even after the attacks themselves.

Personally, I'm not afraid of George W. Bush, or Dick Cheney.


"So where is the oil going to come from?... The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."

Richard Cheney - Chief Executive Of Halliburton

We deserve one, but...

Let's not ask or demand one. I'm someone who has had little success in exposing my friends and family to the truth. When I tried I was called 'brainwashed' and told I was in a 'cult' and blah blah blah.

I'm over it. And when 1, the only one, of my friends emailed me to apologize, and tell me she had joined our side, I went waaaaaaaaaaaay out of my way not to say or do anything that could be considered 'I told you so!'. She did apologize though.

My point here is, it's not easy admitting you are wrong about something so massive. Let's not make it more difficult for others to come to that conclusion, or to admit it publically.

I don't need an apology from anyone. I need friends and family and even strangers standing next to me through heaven or hell. I don't care what journey they had to take to get there, cause I need them there either way.

Let's welcome them with open arms. If their intentions are pure, then I hold no animosity towards them for having been fooled by the same forces that fooled me for 27 years.

Obviously we deserve an apology, but I don't need one, and I'm not asking for one.

All I have to say to them is, "Welcome. Stay strong. How can I help."

Suggestion

In order to deflect the argument that you or any other member of the truth movement is in it for the glory, I would suggest circulating and collecting signatures on a written pledge in which those signing would declare that they will not reveal when they bcame convinced that the official version of events was false. Once the world has woken up, it would be unfortunate if people wasted their energy going around bragging that they "figured it out" before anyone else. In addition, people afraid to sign other statements in favor of 911 Truth may be less reluctant to sign such a pledge as it by its very nature demands that all pledge-takers sign anonymously.

Very diplomatic

and here I was, dreaming of unfathomable riches from selling "I TOLD YOU SO!" merchandising :-(

;-)
______________

interns < internets

be happy

I say be happy that we're winning their support. Make friends. Remember that the realization is painful. Keep the focus of anger on the real enemy.

Very well written.....

I'm fowarding to my local msm. Is Rosie going to kick some butt today......?

That's...

The rumor.


"So where is the oil going to come from?... The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."

Richard Cheney - Chief Executive Of Halliburton

FINALLY !!!

Better late than never has never had more meaning.
Now, together, can we take these criminals DOWN?

It...

Would be nice.


"So where is the oil going to come from?... The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies."

Richard Cheney - Chief Executive Of Halliburton

yes we can, but at the same

yes we can, but at the same time we cannot forget the actions of those who stood in our way. its one thing to ignore the issue of 9/11 for so long but its another when you actively attack people who question the official story. Chomsky and Cockburn, we will not forget this. afterdowningstreet.org, its a start. i noticed the William Rodriquez mp3 they have on the side. did he do an interview with that site at some point?

You should listen to the mp3.

It is extremely short: just a blurb by Willie that hits the mark.

It indicates Willie is with afterdowingstreet, which is a good thing.

Great Article!

What jumped out from my LCD was "It can definitely go on indefinitely. Unless we AS A NATION allow the 9/11 story to break through the soundless barrier. When this leg gets chopped off, BUSH AND CHENEY WILL BE GONE."......... How sweet sounding that is!

Update on College shootings.

I just spotted this on AJ's web site. http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/va_tech_massacre_another_gov_black_o...

As I stated earlier it is obviously an inside job. These monsters are so easy to read when you learn the game.

Obviously?

The fact that the university president didn't send out a warning campus-wide after the initial shooting doesn't prove anything like it was "an inside job." Maybe they quite reasonably thought the initial shooting was the full extent of the crime? Who "supposes" that each homicide is the prelude to mass murder? And maybe the administrators were just negligent?

It's stuff like this that casts doubt on the other work Jones does. He had better have more evidence than the 2-hour delay, to prove the Virginia shootings were state-sponsored.

That Infowars article is a disgrace

Jones team lost a ton of credbility with that one. If they're smart, they'll take it down right away.
____________________________
On the 11th day, of every month.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q9nRs8cu5Y&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftruthaction...

Yes simuvac "Obviously!"

I worked for a school district for a long time. My wife was a teacher for over 30 years. Anytime there is even a hint of a shooting or any kind of gang related violence said school is shut down and the police are there immediately. The entire school district is notified of said incident by e-mail instantly. But that is not what disturbs me. This was a set-up. The alleged North Korean shooter didn't just go on a killing spree on a whim. There is way more to this than meets the eye. I will side with AJ any day.

"didn't just go on a killing spree on a whim"

So you and Jones say, but you haven't provided any evidence to support this (other than being very emphatic). I have an open mind, but I don't see a shred of evidence to support this idea. If there is "more than meets the eye" here, no one has demonstrated this.

What you seem to be suggesting is that the university president realized a homicide had taken place but didn't close the school so that the killer could return two hours later and slaughter an entire class. This was a "set up"? Or maybe you're suggesting the shooter is a patsy?

Please show me one piece of incontrovertible evidence to support this, before you start screaming in cyberspace. At the moment, this looks like a case of one lunatic killing on a whim. This happens. Humans can be vicious animals.

Alex Jones is sounding off like this because he seems to think every egregious domestic act of gun violence is driven by the government's desire to impose gun control (which is a laughable paranoia, given the money made by selling arms and the power of the NRA lobby).

Now is not the time for Jones to get sidetracked with this lunacy. It will only make his 9/11 work the object of more derision by the msm.

you have to remember, gun

you have to remember, gun control stuff was big when Alex Jones and others first really started making waves in the 90s. The Patriot Movement and all of that. So any situation that has the chance to be used by gun control proponents will be seen as a setup by all of the patriot movement guys.

It's unfortunate but understandable.

I think there is more than

I think there is more than meets the eye here too. It's absolutely disgusting that Bush showed up down there which makes me wonder if this could have been a manchurian candidate type. We have had forces in Korea for years. Who knows maybe the kid was brainwashed. It is also distinctly possible that it was just a spree killing. The one thing that sticks out to me however is that this guy supposedly left a suicide note. Spree killers typically don't do this, their suicide note IS their spree killing.

My heart goes out to my fellow hokies and I hope that people will wait for solid groundrules to be made for donations. I've already spoken with members of the Department of Development who claim they have no access to documents specifically laying out how donations will be used, if they even exist. I was solicited and I find it disturbing that they would do so with the completely open description of how the funds will be used. I smell treachery regarding this issue.

"... In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." (Galileo Galilei, 1564 - 1642)
OIL IS OBSOLETE - WAKE UP - YOU'VE BEEN LIED TO, AGAIN!
http://www.waterfuelcell.org/

The Cho Seung-Hui Video

The Cho Seung-Hui Video Show
If we are to believe the emerging timeline of events, Cho Seung-Hui killed a woman and her RA in a dorm, went back to his dorm and captured a QuickTime video rant, burned a DVD, trekked to the post office with two 9mm weapons in tow, mailed the DVD, along with photos and miscellaneous writings to NBC, and then marched over to Norris Hall and killed another thirty or so people execution-style.

Add to this a bevy of “experts” on television this evening declaring Cho Seung-Hui to be obviously paranoid schizophrenic. Excuse me, but paranoid schizophrenics, minus medication, have a difficult time stitching two coherent sentences together, let alone methodically engaging in homicide, managing to escape undetected, and then recording thoughts after the fact and conjuring up the wherewithal to send out a press release.

I’m not buying it.

But what I can buy, or at least entertain, is the possibility Cho Seung-Hui is, for lack of a better term, a Manchurian Candidate. Do a Google search on Project Bluebird, the very real CIA experiments in brainwashing and multiple personality engineering.

“BLUEBIRD was approved by the CIA director on April 20, 1950. In August 1951, the Project was renamed ARTICHOKE. BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE included a great deal of work on the creation of amnesia, hypnotic couriers, and the Manchurian Candidate,” writes Colin A. Ross, MD. “ARTICHOKE documents prove that hypnotic couriers functioned effectively in real-life simulations conducted by the CIA in the early 1950’s. The degree to which such individuals were used in actual operations is still classified…. BLUEBIRD and ARTICHOKE were administered in a compartmented fashion. The details of the programs were kept secret even form other personnel within the CIA…. The BLUEBIRD/ARTICHOKE materials establish conclusively that full Manchurian Candidates were created and tested successfully by physicians with TOP SECRET clearance from the CIA…. As well as being potential couriers and infiltration agents, the subjects could function in effect as hypnotically controlled cameras. They could enter a room or building, memorize materials quickly, leave the building, and then be amnesic for the entire episode. The memorized material could then be retrieved by a handler using a previously implanted code or signal, without the amnesia being disturbed. Hypnosis was not the mind control doctors’ only method for creation of controlled amnesia, however. Drugs, magnetic fields, sound waves, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, and many other methods were studied under BLUEBIRD and ARTHICHOKE.”

Before you write me off as another tinfoil hat nut case, consider this document, released from the CIA under an FOIA request. In part, the document states:

“Miss [redacted] was instructed (having expressed a fear of firearms) that she would use every method at her disposal to awaken Miss [redacted] (now in a deep hypnotic sleep). Failing this, she would pick up a pistol and fire it at Miss [redacted]. She was instructed that she would not hesitate to “kill” [redacted]. Miss [redacted] carried out these suggestions including firing the (unloaded) gun at [redacted] and then proceeded to fall into a deep sleep. After proper suggestions were made, both were awakened. Miss [redacted] expressed absolute denial that the foregoing sequence had happened.”

Of course, the existence of Project Bluebird and the search for Manchurian Candidate is hardly conclusive evidence Cho Seung-Hui was a programmed murder zombie. On the other hand, the picture painted by the corporate media, that Cho Seung-Hui was simply a mentally deranged and violent loner who stalked women and wrote disjointed plays does not make sense, especially considering his reported proficiency with handguns and the series of methodical tasks he accomplished soon after gunning down two people in cold blood.

Either way, the largest massacre in American history, carried out on the campus of a prestigious engineering school, will certainly jack up the fear ratio—to say nothing of launch yet another salvo at the Bill of Rights, two things certain to please our control freak rulers.

Cui bono?

http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=835

me personally? im not going to commit to this being an "inside job" but i would never rule it out like some people here do way too easily. asking who benefits is something that should be done whenever something like this happens, no matter how far fetched it seems.

Please don't rush with accusations...

Please keep in mind that even if it is in the interest of the Powers that Be that shootings and other such events take place, it is not necessary for these interested persons to orchestrate them. Statistical analysis of mental disorders and crime provides them with the statistical certainty that such events will take place with a certain frequency. Then they need only spin the news of the events to suit they purposes. They are aided in doing so by all poorly-founded arguments that they themselves were complicit in the events so that they might deflect any suspicion that they are happy to death that such events have taken place.

It is about time!!! Here's my comment at afterdowningst.com

The Tipping Point is Upon Us

In the days after the Iraq invasion, I remember seeing the image of Saddaam's statue being torn down. I cheered in my kitchen. My wife, a pacifist, was upset. I finally felt vindicated for 9/11. We live just outside the city and knowing people who were killed made that image all the more powerful and purposeful.

As the war became more chaotic, a friend of mine started to question things - the Iraq occupation, the motives, and the use of 9/11 as a pretext. I thought he was nuts. He encouraged me to do my own research. Little by little, websites and blogs offered alternate theories. I wanted to disbelieve, but the more I tried to support the official stroy, the more I found scientifically supported refutations to each of my own challenges. I tentatively concluded that the whole truth was incomplete, but still believed our government was innocent.

Finally, I read David Ray Griffin's "The New Pearl Harbor." This book is meticulously documented and connects the dots that were never synthesized by the 9/11 Commission. Some parts I had to reread simply because acceptance of LIHOP(let-it-happen-on-purpose)was enough to make me sick as well. I lost sleep for several days. But for the real facts to fit, acceptance of this theory was necessary. Other facts suggested that they made it happen on purpose. This is still struggled with.

Two years later, I have recovered from the "hangover" and have woken up as a sober follower and blogger for 9/11 Truth. I have been ridiculed and threatened, but still remain strong in my belief and resolve that the official 9/11 story not only left crucial information out, but blatantly protected certain individuals from blame. I also believe that people on the inside had to have been complicit given the overwhelming number of facts that have gone unnoticed. Only a real investigation would bring those outstanding criminals to justice.

Think about it. 3000 dead and not one person in our government has been charged with criminal neglect, fired, or even demoted. This is hard to believe when we live in a society where a fast food chain takes the brunt in millions when litigated over spilled coffee from a wayward driver.

Malcolm Caldwell's bestselling book, "The Tipping Point," which covers how social trends take root deserves mention here. With respect to 9/11 Truth, some of us have acted as mavens (experts on the matter) and some of have been connectors (bridging mavens to other people).

I consider myself to be more of a connector for 9/11 Truth. I have done quite a bit of homework, but I only seek to get others to pose questions and to think critically. But you must be open to the possibility. David Ray Griffin's book unabashedly rips apart the farse that was the 9/11 Commission report. The truth hurts, but it is liberating. To check out Griffin's book, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/New-Pearl-Harbor-Disturbing-Administration/dp/1566...

If you are still unconvinced that the 9/11 Truth movement is reaching its own "tipping point" then check out some of the well-known members of our government and armed forces who have gone on record in questioning the official story:
http://patriotsquestion911.com/

If you have doubt about what happened on 9/11, know that you are not alone. If you sense there is something deliberately left out by the powers that be, then act. Ask questions. Don't be ashamed. To do so is both a moral imperative and a true act of patriotism.

Peace,
Rob in NY

New Pearl Harbor

I agree with both you and the author about the impact of the David Ray Griffen approach. It was the New Pearl Harbor that changed my mind about the events of 9/11. And the strength of Griffen's approach is that he does not delve much in the technical details, but rather on the clear motivations and blatant inconsistencies of the defenders of the official myth.

That's what it takes for the average person who has been harboring suspicions to take a baby step in the right direction.

I used to be LIHOP, too

As for your 'struggling with' the made it happen on purpose view of 9/11 (i.e., inside job!) , you might want to consider something else from Griffin, from a lecture I heard him give on the collapses at the WTC and the official account's 'outrageous theory' of how they happened. After building the argument, piece by piece, to show that explosive demolition is 'the only reasonable theory available' in accounting for the collapses at the WTC, he adds:

'Foreign terrorists could not have gotten access to the building to place the explosives--and they probably would not have had the courtesy to make sure the buildings came straight down.'

Black Ops

First, we don't have to prove anything because this is a blog, not a court of law.

I believe OJ killed his wife but the prosecution was unable to prove it.

There are different standards for burden of proof between what you believe and express in conversation and what you can prove in a court of law.

The VT shootings was a black op, that is my belief.

Looks like dog shit
Smells like dog shit
Tastes like dog shit

Good thing we not step in it

"Cheech and Chong"

http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/va_tech_massacre_another_gov_black_o...

-------------------------------------------------
Truth Culture
http://www.truthcult.com

People speaking truth to power
Audio clips and links

"Black Op"?

Pathetic, ridiculous, and highly discrediting.

That view evokes in me the same reaction I get towards the no plane beamers.

Gag
____________________________
On the 11th day, of every month.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q9nRs8cu5Y&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftruthaction...

So obvious you would have to be stupid

not to see it.

Or in denial.

Again, just my opinion. I can't prove it. If Alex is wrong, he'll admit it.

But this thing stinks to high heaven.

http://www.truthcult.com

So you believe EVERYTHING that Alex Jones

says?

On New Years Even of 1999, he was talking about the end of the world, of Putin as an actual demon about to nuke the US, nuclear reactors shutting down all across the country, fuel shortages, Russian subs mobilizing, 100,000 people dying in Chechnia, imminent chaos, the works, and NONE OF IT WAS TRUE.

He jumped the gun on this one too, and made a fool of himself.
____________________________
On the 11th day, of every month.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q9nRs8cu5Y&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftruthaction...

No, my beliefs are based on my own analysis

Alex is often wrong but that's because he's out on the bleeding edge of things.

But like him, I recognize patterns. The VT shootings followed other operations like this and was done very clumsily.

By the way, this is 9/11 Blogger where we believe the goverment wasted two of the largest skyscrapers in the world as part of a domestic shock and awe demonstration.

This is minor league compared to that.

And . . . if my friends tell me to jump off a roof, I wouldn't do that . . . my second grade teacher taught me that.

Peace!

http://www.truthcult.com

Not because...

Not because "we believe the goverment wasted two of the largest skyscrapers in the world as part of a domestic shock and awe demonstration", then we believe everything is an inside job. Can you enlighten us with facts that, based on your own analysis, make you believe VT shooting is a black ops. I don't see any in the infowars article. Thanks.

Analysis?

Would you care to share any of this "analysis"? You have to admit that all you have done here is assert what you believe to be true, and then accuse others that don't share your belief of being in denial or stupid.

Weak. Very weak.

Extraordinary assertions require extraordinary (or at least ordinary or at least some) evidence.

Do you have ANY information that would tend to support your belief?

Show "I don't believe this" by DHS

what part dont you agree

what part dont you agree with? that the "government" did it? or that the towers came down because of explosives?

Here is the Complete Article with Live Links

FYI Steve Bhaerman is AKA Swami Beyondanonda who writes a hilarious column of common sense spirituality.
The man is brilliant.

Notes From the Trail... Bringing Down the House of Lies
You are receiving this email from Wake Up Laughing Productions because you purchased a product/service or subscribed on our website. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, add info@wakeuplaughing.com to your address book today. If you haven't done so already, click to confirm your interest in receiving email campaigns from us.

You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.
Notes Banner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bringing Down the House of Lies
The Final "Leg" of the Journey
April 16, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

by Steve Bhaerman

Apologies in advance for sending such a long piece. There's research and details that I felt work better as part of the text than a hyperlink.

It's a bit of a mixed feeling to realize that millions and millions of people who didn't get this distinction two, four or six years ago now understand that the "political' issues we now face aren't about right and left, they're about right and wrong. On one hand, what took you so long? On the other, thank God and welcome aboard.

Although the media has downplayed it -- it doesn't fit with the general stupidization program of creating a lot of heat but very little light -- more and more actual conservatives and even members of the religious right are coming to see the Bush-Cheney regime as a rogue administration and a thin cover for criminal enterprise. Such right wing stalwarts as former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr and Richard Viguerie (one of the architects of the far right wing) have formed an organization to protect our civil liberties from our own government. Chuck Baldwin, an associate of Jerry Falwell, has become an open advocate of impeachment and writes a very articulate column. These folks are far bolder than the Democrats in this regard, and they will play a key role when impeachment happens -- and it will.

Now some of you reading this who have a deeper spiritual understanding of love, forgiveness and the ways in which we do indeed create our own reality might be wondering "Gee, this whole impeachment thing seems pretty 'anti'. Shouldn't we be focusing on what we want instead of what we don't want?"

Indeed, the point can be made that the failure of the Democrats in 2004 -- aside from the minor issue of voting fraud in Ohio and Florida -- had to do with John Kerry's approach of "Vote for me, I'm not as bad as George Bush," and failure to articulate any compelling positive vision. However, the real issue goes much deeper.

Ending The American Hostage Crisis

It has nothing to do with loving or hating George Bush, whose policies have educated and awakened more Americans than all of the "progressive" leaders combined. It does have to do with what we need to recognize as the American Hostage Crisis. The American people -- and particularly our soldiers in Iraq -- are being held hostage by a ruthless criminal cadre (this is not hyperbolic invective; the definition of "criminal" is "one who commits crimes"). The people up until now have been blackmailed into supporting a war of choice with the cynical cry, "Support our troops." As if our troops sent themselves over there and now we have to rescue them.

The people of America are now at a crossroads that will determine whether the world continues hurtling down the highway to hell, or whether we change course in the direction of our true human potential, what Swami calls "humanifest destiny." I say the world because if the United States honors the intentions of our founders and accepts the evolutionary role of genuine self-governance, the entire world will cheer -- and breathe a sigh of relief. Under the guise of true moral authority, we will be able to isolate the sociopathogens in the world and deal with them as criminals instead of what we're doing now -- killing the people the criminal elements are holding hostage, and creating new converts for the criminals.

There is something positive to be built, but it cannot be built on a foundation of lies. That is why the so-called "surge" or any other policy to "stay the course" in Iraq will not succeed. The entire structure -- why we're there, what's been happening since we got there, what our future intentions are -- all lies. Those troops we are "supporting" are being sent in as surrogate targets for George Bush and the American empire, an empire that isn't even ours but belongs to a slew of multinational corporations that could care less whether America lives or dies. That's what American soldiers are discovering, sadly, that their most ardent "supporters" at home have been unwilling to face. Until now.

America's next step -- and only step -- that can take us forward is to bring the Bush-Cheney regime to justice. This isn't about vengeance, it isn't about punishment. It's about truth. That element that has been so lacking in our political environment that it has caused a spiritual, psychological and political heartsickness in the heartland. This basic lack of integrity -- that even those who overtly believe the lies still feel deep down in their guts -- is why we have the Don Imuses and the Ann Coulters. Those are the people who keep us occupied with weapons of mass-distraction, who help us aim our rage at the wrong targets.

Their brand of free speech is what Caroline Casey calls a "toxic mimic" of the real thing. The freedom of speech and freedom of press the American revolutionaries risked life and fortune for wasn't so our "commonest" of commentators could sling invectives like "faggots" and "nappy-headed ho's" but to empower citizens by letting them know what's going on. In this regard, the record of our so-called "free press" is dismal, if not traitorous. Try initiating a real conversation about the unanswered questions and unquestioned answers regarding 9/11. There you will find a stone wall of silence, or loud screaming to drown out the truth. While up until now, very few have wanted to "go there," more and more people are awakening to the tragic truth that "there" has already come "here."

Cutting the Legs Out From Under Their Story

Just over two years ago, after what many of us realized was a stolen election (with Barbara Boxer the lone Senator to stand and raise the issue), I wrote a piece about the wall of lies. In the midst of the frustration and despair that many of us felt, I predicted the wall of lies would crumble. It wasn't a difficult prediction to make. In these times when the veil is being lifted everywhere, the "irony curtain" is no exception.

I wrote that the illegitimate "legitimacy" of the Bush-Cheney regime rested on a three-legged stool. The first leg was the belief they were fairly elected in 2000 and 2004. The second was the Iraq War and the reluctance of people to "change horse's asses in the middle of an extreme." The third was 9/11, and the official account of what happened that day.

At this writing, one leg is completely gone and another is severely splintered. More than two thirds of Americans now see the Iraq War as an unmitigated disaster, and a large portion of our armed forces are demoralized and angry. It is now being termed "an unpopular war," a phrase that begs the question, "And when exactly was the last 'popular war'?" Wait a minute ... I think I have it. The last popular war was the Battle of the Groups at the Brooklyn Fox Theater ... Dion and the Belmonts vs. the Drifters. I think it was 1960.

As for the legitimacy of the "elections", that issue broke through the soundless barrier a year ago when RFK, Jr. published his article in Rolling Stone. Timing is everything, and the timing of that article coincided with a general "upwising." Having seen mounting evidence of lying, cheating and stealing on the part of Rove and company, a critical mass of Americans (or at least Democrats) were able to accept the inconvenient likelihood that the Republicans cheated to win the election too. This awakened awareness and the voter mobilization that followed helped the Democrats win control of both Houses of Congress, despite any shenanigans. As lame as you may think the Democrats are, this was the first important step of restoring the balance of power and the rule of law. I contend it could not have happened without the widespread awareness that the Republicans were getting set to steal elections again.

So here we are. The "leg" called the Iraq War is gone. The "leg" called "these people were elected legitimately" is badly compromised. And yet, like the mad monk Rasputin, Bush and Cheney are still standing behind their stone wall. Subpoenas notwithstanding, they've entrenched and have no intention of giving in one iota. Because as soon as they do, the avalanche of revelations will cause their downfall. How long can this holding pattern go on? It can definitely go on indefinitely. Unless we as a nation allow the 9/11 story to break through the soundless barrier. When this leg gets chopped off, Bush and Cheney will be gone.

More importantly, the truth will be revealed so that we can collectively "face the music" and set a new course. Never has any nation been in this position. Nazi Germany was forced to face their heart of darkness only by military defeat. Soviet Russia collapsed under the weight of its own unworkability. But now, for the "land of the free" to finally earn that name and claim our true inheritance, we must face what is perhaps the most profound betrayal in our 200 year history.

A Straussian Waltz Down a Slippery Slope

Although we would like to believe that the principles that guided America's founding fathers are still in operation, the sad truth is that the principles of truth, justice and transparency have been overridden by a new operating system called "neo-conservatism" which is neither "neo" nor conservative. The "neocon" is actually a very old con called "the end justifies the means." And that brings us to Leo Strauss, the man considered the "founding father" of neoconservatism.

Leo Strauss, who was born in Germany and who taught at the University of Chicago from 1949-69, brought Machiavelli into the machine age. He unabashedly believed in manipulation and deception, all of which he deemed necessary to rule the unruly masses. According to Shadia Drury, author of Leo Strauss and the American Right, Strauss believed that "those who are fit to rule are those who realize there is no morality and there is only one natural right -- the right of the superior to rule over the inferior."

Strauss was a strong believer in religion -- as a way of imposing "moral law" on the populace, who would otherwise be out of control. He would have agreed with Marx that religion was the "opiate of the masses," only he had no qualms about being a drug dealer. The rulers, of course, didn't have to live by the rules of religion. Says Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for Reason magazine: "Neoconservatives are pro-religion even though they themselves may not be believers."

In the tradition of Thomas Hobbes, Strauss believed humans are inherently evil and need strong external control -- and an external enemy. As he once wrote, "Because mankind is intrinsically wicked, he has to be governed. Such governance can only be established, however, when men are united -- and they can only be united against other people."

According to Drury, Strauss believed that "if no external threat exists, one has to be manufactured." Interestingly enough, Strauss's neocon disciples William Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle (along with Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld) helped found a think tank called the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) in the 1990s. A PNAC document, Rebuilding America's Defenses has been a guiding force for the Bush-Cheney White House. According to PNAC, the only way to assure America's safety in the 21st century is by being the only superpower on the block, what they referred to as Pax Americana. Of course, since the Iraq War many around the world are calling it a "Pox Americana."

Perhaps the most telling quote in the Rebuilding America's Defenses document refers to needing a "catastrophic and catalyzing event -- like a new Pearl Harbor" to mobilize the masses for this undertaking (pun intended). The neocons insist this was an innocuous quote taken out of context. However, when seen in the context of Leo Strauss's core beliefs, it's easy to make the connection and see the 9/11 attacks as the "catalyzing event" that launched the so-called "war on terror." In fact, author and theologian David Ray Griffin called his sober account debunking the official 9/11 story The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11. Whether or not the attacks were an "inside job," they were certainly used in classic Straussian fashion to create national unity and control through perpetual war.

Griffin, a well-respected mainstream theologian who has written and edited 30 books, contends that the official 9/11 story has been given the "halo of religious mythology." Like the infallibility of the Pope in the Church or the primacy of matter in scientific materialism, questioning the official 9/11 story is taboo. Consequently, most people fail to see the red flags that are literally in plain sight:

√ The official story was in place within 48 hours of the event, before any investigation was undertaken.

√ The official "remedy," the so-called Patriot Act (a 342-page document that many legislators signed without reading), appeared as if by magic and was ratified in an atmosphere of panic -- right on the heels of Democratic legislators receiving packets of deadly anthrax, a crime that has never been "solved."

√ No satisfactory explanation has ever been given as to how and why the world's most sophisticated air defense system "stood down" in the most deadly attacks ever on American soil. And no one was held accountable.

√ Transcripts of testimony released at the insistence of 9/11 families -- from firefighters, police and eyewitnesses -- mention over and over again a "series of explosions" and the towers coming down in their tracks, "just like a planned demolition."

√ When there finally was an investigation, only testimony supporting the official version of the story was allowed. Imagine, if you will, a court case where there was no conflicting evidence ... case closed.

Time to Face Our Own Not-Seeism

The fact that these blatant contradictions have never been officially addressed stands as stark testimony as to how well weapons of mass-distraction have been used to keep the official story in place. Yes, the mass media has been complicit in failing to present an alternative view, and in marginalizing anyone suggesting otherwise as a "conspiracy nut." But it goes far deeper than that. The persistent "invisible belief" in America's intrinsic goodness makes it incomprehensible that the government in the "land of the free" would perpetrate something that horrendous against its own citizens. Like the Germans who heard about the death camps and were told it was "American propaganda," most Americans won't question the official story because the horrendous implications are too awful to contemplate. But the "Not See" era is about to end.

I'm going to apologize in advance for using a distasteful metaphor that many of you will find repugnant. But since this is the image that keeps coming to mind, I'm going to have to risk it. Think back when you were in college. You were at a party and had a little too much to drink. You're feeling wobbly and a bit nauseous. You are on the teeter-totter of a decision -- to throw up or not to throw up. Throwing up. Ugh. You don't want to do it, it's disgusting. But then you realize, you have to do it. It is something the body is telling you to do, and you also know that when you've expelled the mess you will feel so much better.

That is where our body politic is today. We've literally had it up to here. But we've been reluctant to expel the toxins for all to see. Last year at this time, I had contracted to write a story on David Ray Griffin called Unquestioned Answers: A Non-Conspiracy Theorist Takes Aim at the Official 9/11 Story for a local mainstream publication. In the six weeks from the time the editor reluctantly okayed the story until the time I handed it in, she had undergone a change of mind. She told me, "I have come to believe the American government did indeed have something to do with the attacks, and the very thought of it makes me sick to my stomach."

Having to swallow what we've been asked to swallow over the past several years, purging might be the very best cure. So now the question is, what to do and how to do it?

There seem to be two approaches to the 9/11 issue. One involves jumping into the details of the mystery itself and trying to figure out specifically what happened. The problem here is what has already occurred -- squabbling about the details, one group of believers in one conspiracy theory accusing another of spreading disinformation.

The other approach is the one I took with the David Ray Griffin article I published last year. Focus on stepping outside the official story, removing its "halo" and asking if indeed, it is the likeliest story. Here's why. No amount of "evidence" will convince anybody unless they are open to the possibility of the premise. The breakthrough will occur when a critical mass of people begin to put it together for themselves.

What opened me to a premise I was -- like David Ray Griffin -- initially closed to was reading about the "false flag" operations done by NATO during the Cold War and those like Operation Northwoods that was proposed but not initiated here (you can read brief accounts about those in the above-linked article on David Ray Griffin). When I combined this information with the realization I'd already come to -- that Bush, Cheney, Rove & Company were capable of anything they could get away with -- I had bridged the gap.

Time to Cut Off the Tale That's Been Wagging the Dog

What we face right now is perhaps the greatest opportunity for freedom yet experienced in America. It is an invitation to become "political adults" and step outside the puppet show called electoral politics and take a look at the inner workings behind the "irony curtain." It is here -- and only here -- that transformational change can take place. It's as big a step as our Founding Fathers made "eleven score and eleven" years ago by declaring themselves sovereign and government a servant.

We do this by educating ourselves and taking heart that so many people are awakening a new field of understanding now. There are many sites but here is a good one to start with because it offers a surprising list of well-known people in all areas of endeavor who question the official tale that has been wagging the dog for the past five years. Another excellent educational site is Mark Robinowitz's Oil Empire site because he offers some very sharp distinctions for sniffing out the truth when there are many different stories.

Finally, we must address this undressing of the cloak of secrecy with healing intent. In other words, we must be able not just to picture but to "feel" what it will feel like to no longer have to fear our own government. We must allow ourselves to see those inside the military, government and intelligence services who have not been "ethically-cleansed" coming forward with the missing pieces of the true story. We must begin now to create a "container" for truth, reconciliation and healing.

Every indication is that there are individuals at all levels of government and influence who are waiting only for a critical mass of Americans to be able to "hold" the true story. Once there is a "listening" for the truth, the truth will out. We encourage the truth through our own courage, and by speaking about politics outside the box as matter-of-factly as the media speaks about politics inside the box.

The simple secret to bringing down the wall of lies is this. When enough people see through the wall, it will cease to exist.

May "Good" bless us all.

Subscribe to Notes From the Trail

Notes From the Trail -- while distributed freely to all who want to read it -- depends on your donations. For a $25 donation, we will gratefully send you an autographed copy of Swami Beyondananda's book, Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction. If Swami becomes famous, you'll have a famous autograph. Otherwise, you'll have a rare book. You can't lose.

Seriously, if you feel informed and inspired by this online newsletter, put your money where your mouse is. Subscribe online by clicking here and scrolling down to the end. Or send your check for $25 to:

Wake Up Laughing
400 W. Third St., Suite D-144
Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Swami's Quick Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swami's Ompage Swami Products Page Read Swami's 2007 State of the Universe Address

Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: info@wakeuplaughing.com
web: http://www.wakeuplaughing.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forward email

info@wakeuplaughing.com
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Email Marketing by

Wake Up Laughing Productions | 400 West Third Street | Suite D-144 | Santa Rosa | CA | 95401

www.northtexansfor911truth.com

Odd behavior of University President

Evidence is my stock-in-trade (I'm a lawyer), but I get that "something's not right" feeling regarding this tragedy.

If I were the president of VT I would not have been running around giving interviews with all the news stations (they have Public Information Officers whose job it is to do this) - I would have been creating counselling forums for my students - talking to my students - having private meetings with the families of the victims - i.e. taking care of my university "family."

And if I were interviewed, I don't know how I would keep myself from breaking down and crying at the horror of it all - I'd failed to protect the children placed in my protection.

Instead, for this president, this is just "business" and "fame." There is no show of any emotion at all. There is even a little smirk playing around his lips that he is working to keep in check.

We never get a good explanation of why they thought the shooter had gone "out of state." There are a lot of places to hide on a 2600 acre campus. There were repeated reports that the shooter was not a student - but he was.

Another Manchurian candidate?

And, once again, the timing is impeccable: just the day before Alberto Gonzales is expected to get grilled by the Senate Committee? Remember all those fortuitous Yellow and Orange Terror Alerts? They always coincided with bad news for the Republicans. This tragedy was very effective in pulling the teeth of mainstream news which was coming down hard on all the inconsistencies by Gonzales on the US Attorney firings and the missing emails and the honing in on Rove and/or Bus as the lynchpin(s).

Excuse me Pogo: "We have seen the enemy [domestic terrorists] and he is us [elements of our government]."

This discussion is about the VT shootings

is all very interesting and informative. It shows me that we are all very passionate about our beliefs. Weather we think the VT incident was an inside job or simply a random act of violence is really not the point. The way I see it, this is what being a "real" 9/11 truther is all about. Aren't we really fighting for freedom of thought? The freedom to express our individuality? The freedom to speak our minds? Isn't this what the people behind 9/11 seek to destroy. Isn't this what we are really fighting for? None of us will ever agree on everything. This is what makes us all unique expressions of this thing we call God. I wouldn't have it any other way.

my superficial take on VT

  • Security inaction for over two hours
  • The Feds immediately take over the investigation
  • Any and all details are channeled through the Feds to the media
  • The timing is convenient to distract from Gonzalez
  • The time is always right for pushing gun control
  • The alleged perp had gun receipts with him to implicate legal gun sales

Now how hard would it be to MK-Ultra someone into craziness, let him loose on campus, and sit by until the carnage is deemed sufficient, then frame one of the victims? Really, how hard would it be? Imagine you controlled the investigation and information dissemination! The biggest obstacle here are morals, and we all know how much they are valued in contemporary "politics", don't we?

I think asking for clear cut inside job evidence at this stage is effectively opposing healthy hypothesizing, considering the circumstances -- the initial 9/11 skeptics didn't have evidence, either.
______________

interns < internets

infowars link

http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/va_tech_massacre_another_gov_black_o...

I agree!

Again, this is a conversation, not a court of law. Everytime I get into a back and forth with somebody with links that back up what I think, it just turns into a food fight.

I get it, some people don't agree with me. Welcome to America.

Neo's eyes hurt because as Morpheus told him, "you've never used them before."

PNAC in part ...but don't forget "A Clean Break"

The article starts out mentioning Richard Perle and PNAC - but seems to forget to mention Perle's even more important manifesto related to what the 911 aftermath facilitated:
"A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm"
...which called for the removal of Saddam and the conquest on Iran - a more detailed and specific Master Plan, than even PNAC describes:

"Moving to a Traditional Balance of Power Strategy"
"Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan, by weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq — an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right — as a means of foiling Syria’s regional ambitions."[1]...

"Securing the Northern Border"
"Syria challenges Israel on Lebanese soil. An effective approach, and one with which American can sympathize, would be if Israel seized the strategic initiative along its northern borders by engaging Hizballah, Syria, and Iran, as the principal agents of aggression in Lebanon"[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clean_Break:_A_New_Strategy_for_Securing_...

Please read the whole thing, and ask yourself "why" does Richard Perle seem to dictate US Foreign Policy in the Middle East?

Also - please note that a co-author of "A Clean Break" was Douglas Feith - that would be the same Douglas Feith who created all the false Iraq intel inside the secret Office of Special Plans to sidestep all the US intelligence agencies.....yes the same Douglas Feith who lied the Nation into into war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Feith

911 was created to facilitate the manifestos of A Clean Break and PNAC. When you start to see that some of the same people are behind both - you need to ask yourself .....What is the mother of all Cui Bono's here?

Another odd "coincidence" is the roll Dov Zakheim played in 911. Google "Dov Zakheim + 911 + SPC" and your head will spin.

Zakheim - read his personal Bio - and then ask yourself if it is a "coincidence" that the Pentagon "lost track" of up to 3.2 TRILLION dollars under his watch as Pentagon Comptroller...
that the wing of the pentagon that was hit on 911 housed the auditing dept that should have investigated this massive fraud....
that Zakheim's SPC company built technology that flies planes by remote control......
AND that Zakhiem's TRIDATA corp investigated the earlier WTC bombing - that gave them all the info on the structural and security systems of the WTC.

Quite the busy beaver....that Dov Zakheim....who has now slithered away back into private practice.

Why do I get banned from so called "progressive" websites when I post this info?

Please Google and Check it out for yourself....but do it quickly and SAVE them, because everytime I post a link to the other related webpages, they often seem to disappear.

"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797

Check out the original along with the participants..

A Clean Break:
A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
http://www.iasps.org/strat1.htm

It was, I'm convinced, the pre-cursor, from the Israeli perspective, to the PNAC.
____________________________
On the 11th day, of every month.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q9nRs8cu5Y&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftruthaction...

Precursor - yes - I agree

And if that is the case, could PNAC have been a reformatted version, intended for consumption by/inspiration for the US Military Industrial Complex and Cheney's secret energy cabal?
Peak Oil has been used as a "justification" for US imperialism. But wouldn't the trillions these wars will eventually cost, have been better spent securing alternative energy independence for the US and truly securing America's future?
Who benefits the most by having Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Syria dismembered and neutralized - all under the pretext of saving "US" from the Arabs that supposedly attacked us on 911?
Since the Arab nations have all the Oil - shouldn't we have been best buds with them all these years?

For those who still insist we were attacked on 911 by angry Arabs....why hasn't anyone asked why they would have been so angry at US in the first place?
The 911 Commission didn't appear interested as this short clip illustrates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bm2GPoFfg

"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke, 1729 - 1797

to Flip Mode Squad

In this vein, allow me to suggest the following:

In order to deflect the argument that you or any other member of the truth movement is in it for the glory, I would suggest circulating and collecting signatures on a written pledge in which those signing would declare that they will not reveal when they bcame convinced that the official version of events was false. Once the world has woken up, it would be unfortunate if people wasted their energy going around bragging that they "figured it out" before anyone else. In addition, people afraid to sign other statements in favor of 911 Truth may be less reluctant to sign such a pledge as it by its very nature demands that all pledge-takers sign anonymously.

Here's what makes me doubt the VT story

http://www.truthcult.com/crap_broadcasting/

Again, this is not a court of law, this is the court of public opinion and I am sharing mine.

I welcome yours in return.