What Your Government Has Done For You Today

[MountainDon]

This is actually a civics lesson.    If you really want to see what your government is doing, has done you, and is thinking of doing you don't need to watch C-SPAN or read/listen to what any of the media decides to tell you about. All the action, without the posturing and filibustering is published daily in the Federal Register. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.

The GPO, Government Printing office works overnight to make it freshly available Mon - Friday. The Federal Register is online at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html

You can search the 2007 Federal Register by date at  http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont07.html The info is arranged by departments so if there's some pet thing of yours it makes it easier to follow.  My personal interests relate mainly to public land access (National Forests, National Parks and the BLM managed public lands), especially in the states of NM, CO & UT

No, I don't read it all myself.    A couple groups I belong to send out weekly announcements of things of interest.

[Sassy]

Thanks for the reference, MtnDon    It even had a listing for the upcoming meeting "the International Conference on Harmonization" - under the FDA heading - which plans to place all natural supplements under CODEX & restrict our access to them without a prescription... (I just started a new thread)

[Sassy]

Here's a very short video with Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark speaking 3/2/2007  on future plans by our gov't

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=94w1lron0j

[Sassy]

Law of the Sea another "LOST" scheme of the globalists... read it & weep - if you like taxes, this ones for you - "international taxes" could be levied by this UN/globalist plan & good 'ole Cheney is pushing it big time!  

[MountainDon]

The United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, also called simply the Law of the Sea or LOS) refers to several United Nations events and one treaty. Originally it was designed to protect fisheries and to address the differing territorial boundaries, 3 mile, 12 mile, even 200 mile territorial  limits.

It would end the domination of the world by intimidation and force on the seas...

America does not have the right to patrol and police the waters of the entire world to ensure that they get what they want throughout the entire world.

Not necessarily so, if I've interpreted things correctly. Countries would still only have a 12 mile territorial limit. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea does include a 200 mile economic zone, allowing countries to determine how resources within that area are used. Territorial or sovereign rights of 200 miles seem an excess to me. By 1950 four South American countries had declared a 200 mile territorial limit to protect their fisheries; an economic zone of 200 miles would make more sense.

The open seas are the "open seas"; that goes for everyone.

Straits used for international navigation would remain open to all ships of all nations. Our merchant ships as well as our warships could roll through at will; same goes for ships of other nations. However there is a clause that would prohibit research or survey activities. I have a problem with that in a world that is far from peaceful and friendly. Something like that could even be interpreted to make the operation of a recording fathometer on a merchant ship illegal.

I couldn't find a lot of info on this; there are different interpretations, I don't know what's correct

Some links I found
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea
http://www.oceanlaw.org/
and the entire text
http://www.oceanlaw.net/texts/losc-a7.htm

In closing, I find many decisions, recommendations, etc. of the UN to be suspect as far as being good for the people of the USA. Especially when the governments of some of those voting countries are totalitarian regimes.

[MountainDon]

Don. I think you are being paranoid...

Maybe. Is as in "suspicious";  antonymn = trustful.  Yeah that's me. Watchful, careful.  

Capitalism is a vicious cruel system that empowers the rich ...

B****p!   Capitalism gave me the chance to work my way from being a lowly clerk in a retail photo store in early '70's, up thru every job in the place other than bookkeeper, to being able to buy the business from the founder's son who wanted to retire. All within 4 hardworking years. It gave me the opportunity to provide jobs for up to 15 employees at a time. Nobody ever quit because they weren't happy with me. They quit because they had an opportunity to improve their lot in life by going to work for another capitalist company. I also fired some who either didn't perform as well as their co-workers, were habitually late or absent and two who were thieves.

Capitalism gave me the chance to borrow money from a Capitalist Bank to improve and expand the business. That chance also included the chance that I might make an error and fall flat on my face. Capitalism gave me the opportunity to sell the business for a modest profit in the mid 80's.

Capitalism provided me with the ability to pursue my auto sport hobby for a number of years. Capitalism enabled me to save some money for retirement investments. Without Capitalism there would be no places to invest your savings for a decent return on your money.

I don't know of any economic system that is as user friendly or works better than Capitalism. Capitalism provides opportunity to enrich oneself and one's family. Capitalism has a reward for hard work. I do not consider myself rich either. Comfortable, maybe almost.

[MountainDon]

...the attitude that you can do what you want on the open seas needs to change

My position on that does NOT include the raping of the fisheries, or the plundering of resources. As stated before a 200 mile economic zone seems reasonable. No other nation should be able to fish, drill for oil/gas, mine minerals, etc. within that zone without express permission from that sovereign nation. Anything within that economic zone is that country's's to use and to protect from others.

However, there is no reasonable cause for barring the vessels of any other nation from traversing those waters. A 12 mile territorial limit is ample for national security purposes.

as for fishing... Despite Canada ceasing a commercial fishery in many parts of their 200 mile boundary and all their efforts to conserve and protect endangered and depleted stocks..... They are losing ground as other countries come in and just take what they want....

Canada has a Navy and a Coast Guard. One of their Coast Guard's jobs is fisheries enforcement. One of the Canadian governments duties is to ensure their Coast Guard has the facilities and equipment necessary to protect their  fishery and other maritime resources. It's not the job of any other country, or the UN, or an arm of the UN, to protect Canada's or any other nation's waters unless there is some general and flagrant violation of territorial or economic sovereignty. But the first defense is the responsibility of the country itself.

Bad for US     www.cei.org/pdf/5352.pdf

[glenn kangiser]

Did you remember to feed the dog?

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=25780

[glenn-k]

Now - as has been my belief it would be for some time now, our Government is not a Republic  (or if you prefer "Democracy") but a Dictatorship - devoid of oversight by the US Congress and the Judiciary.  Note that this issue will not be thrown into your face until it is too late.  You will be allowed to believe it is for your protection and your own good.  Oh help me -- oh protect me, I'm so scared of the mean  terrorists  . At least I might be if I didn't know it was our Government.

The tater himself needs simply to create an emergency (remember 9/11?) then declare martial law at his own whim.  Read the story.  Will he leave in 2008?  Will they leave in 2008? :-?

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070627&articleId=6169

Our own military can now be used against us on our own soil.  I can hardly wait.  I want to paint happy faces on my ball and chain.

[glenn-k]

It had been changed to a hidden topic.  I un-hid it.

[Sassy]

I can get it now.... on the same subject, here is a link to a short video...  (approx 2 min)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6771406957775433390&hl=en

and another one on "executive privilege"

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7186330954089809078  (approx 2 min)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3622191825057371061  (5 min)

[glenn-k]

I edited it back to original - back to our regular programming.

[Sassy]

The Canadian

     America, your president is about to launch World War III

[John Raabe]

The erosion of the legal system (and more specifically - loss of faith in the fairness of the legal system) will be one of Bush's most lasting legacies.  

How long can a lame duck waddle?

[Amanda_931]

A couple of days ago somebody on Huffpost said that there was method in the madness of Bush's commuting Libby's sentence.

Especially with appeals still pending, Libby can still take the 5th amendment against incriminating himself.  This works for court cases and Congress.  In other words he couldn't be forced to testify in an impeachment trial.

[glenn kangiser]

It's my understanding that Libby has the goods on Bush and Cheney.  He would make a pretty bad enemy. :-/

[glenn-k]

Remember the Ice from Katrina and all the government insiders that were profiting off the sale and storage of it -- Dan Quayle's company for one.  Well -- I guess they have milked it for all they dare to-- now after $12,500,000.00 for storage it is time to melt the ice.

Your Tax debt dollars at work. :-/

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/15/national/main3058982.shtml

[Sassy]

Outsourcing Intelligence: Author R.J. Hillhouse on How Key National Security Projects Are Contracted to Private Firms
"Red alert: Our national security is being outsourced. The most intriguing secrets of the 'war on terror' have nothing to do with al-Qaeda and its fellow travelers. They're about the mammoth private spying industry that all but runs U.S. intelligence operations today... the private spy industry has succeeded where no foreign government has: It has penetrated the CIA and is running the show." Those are the opening lines to a recent article in the Washington Post by R.J Hillhouse, a blogger and novelist who closely tracks the privatization of the nation's intelligence agencies.

Author R.J. Hillhouse caused a stir in Washington last month when she revealed more than 50 percent of the National Clandestine Service has been outsourced to private firms. Now Hillhouse has exposed private companies are heavily involved in the nation's most important and most sensitive national security document – the President's Daily Brief. And there appears to be few safeguards from preventing corporations from inserting items favorable to itself or its clients into the President's Daily Brief in order to influence the country's national security agenda. [includes rush transcript] "Red alert: Our national security is being outsourced. The most intriguing secrets of the 'war on terror' have nothing to do with al-Qaeda and its fellow travelers. They're about the mammoth private spying industry that all but runs U.S. intelligence operations today... the private spy industry has succeeded where no foreign government has: It has penetrated the CIA and is running the show." Those are the opening lines to a recent article in the Washington Post by R.J Hillhouse, a blogger and novelist who closely tracks the privatization of the nation's intelligence agencies.

[Sassy]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,161962,00.html

U.S. Terror Attack — 'Ninety Days at Most'

"Counterterrorism expert Juval Aviv spoke with FOX Fan Central about what Americans can do to protect themselves in case of a terror attack.

Do you believe another terrorist attack is likely on American soil?

I predict, based primarily on information that is floating in Europe and the Middle East, that an event is imminent and around the corner here in the United States. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could happen in the next few months. Ninety days at the most.  

What advice do you have for individuals that have the misfortune of finding themselves in the middle of a terror attack?

Since mass transportation is the next attack, when you travel to work have with you, a bottle of water, a small towel and a flashlight. What happened in London is exactly a point to look at. Those people who were close to the bombs died, then others were injured or died from inhaling the toxic fumes or getting trampled. The reason you take a bottle of water and a towel is that if you wet the towel and put it over your face, you can protect yourself against the fumes and get yourself out of there."  (Continued @ Fox News link above)

Wonder how he knows so much...  :-/

[glenn-k]

What a concept, and in agreement with what I have been saying may happen for a couple of years.  Hope it doesn't.

Thursday, August 16, 2007
Group that advocated Bush become "President-for-Life" linked to Bush Administration itself

http://mparent7777-2.blogspot.com/2007/08/group-that-advocated-bush-become.html

[Sassy]

Look what our gov't is planning http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/training/gc_1179430526487.shtm

The TOPOFF 4 Full-Scale Exercise
A Rigorous Full-Scale Response to a Coordinated Attack

Taking place October 15-24, 2007, the TOPOFF 4 Full-Scale Exercise (T4 FSE) will feature thousands of Federal, State, territorial, and local officials. These officials will engage in various activities as part of a robust, full-scale simulated response to a multi-faceted threat. The exercise will address policy and strategic issues that mobilize prevention and response systems, require participants to make difficult decisions, carry out essential functions, and challenge their ability to maintain a common operating picture during an incident of national significance. As in a real-world response, agencies and organizations will deploy staff into the field and will face realistic incident-specific challenges, including the allocation of limited response resources and exercise actions needed to effectively manage conditions as they emerge. Planning and preparation for the exercise will also help strengthen working relationships between departments and agencies that are critical to successful prevention and response in real emergencies.  con't at above link

[glenn kangiser]

Fits right in with Chertoff's gut feeling -- how surprising.

[peter nap]

I've been trying to stay off here and concentrate on building......Johns last post was just too tempting though. Bush has just taken the gradual decline of the system and accelerated it.

I have read for years about the upcoming disaster in this country and how we will save the day (we meaning the informed and prepared citizens).

Look at our country.
.
Our legal system has taken a dump and the response by our representatives, is to pass a few more laws.

We DON"T produce anything anymore. For the most part, we are a country of managers and supervisors.

WE have so damn many people immigrating here we don't have enough room to grow enough food for ourselves anymore.

We pay taxes out the wazoo.

I can go on and on but the bottom line is that this country is going to melt down just like the Soviet Union. Instead of going out with a bang, we'll go down with a whimper.

I look at my kids and grand kids and realize what a rotten mess I'm leaving them.

[glenn kangiser]

Not only has big business moved nearly all good jobs out of country, they and their whore, the Federal government are bringing in the illegals -- starting this Thursday, by the truckload.  Mexican trucks will freely roam the US taking more of the jobs that the less educated could still do and make a decent living.  I wonder if the Teamsters will have to bring out the goons again? :-?  Who will benefit -- only big business and the corporate elite.

They tried the legal system joke and it didn't work as it is also in the hands of big business.

Tons of our manufacturing plants lie just across the border where near free labor increases the bottom line for the corporate execs so they can rip off all the profits.  The politicians are kept well oiled by corporate lobbyists.  Hecho en Mexico, eh.

Example of execs. stating that they would pay the government prostitutes if they are allowed to take jobs away from the middle class to increase profits for the elite.:

More than 40 percent of U.S. technology executives surveyed would be willing to pay higher taxes to compensate for jobs they send offshore

http://management.silicon.com/itdirector/0,39024673,39120467,00.htm

[Sassy]

'A 1998 document which WND has obtained shows the North American SuperCorridor Coalition, or NASCO, was originally named the North American Superhighway Coalition.

The document plays into an emerging debate in which a number of critics, including President Bush, want to deny that a NAFTA "Superhighway" exists.'

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57444