The Guerrilla Campaign

From Florida to California, enthusiasm grows as Sock Monkey is seen as the true agent of change. Tired of the same old failed politicians, many people work tirelessly to bring attention to his campaign. “I really appreciate the messages of encouragement I get from ordinary people around the country,” Sock Monkey said this morning, “It truly is heartening”. In other campaign news, a campaign spokesmonkey reported that it appears that Lumpy may have suffered some damage to his eyes in the dryer incident that occurred two days ago. “We have complete confidence in the medical staff at Grandma’s house,” he said, “and anticipate a complete restoration.” He added that people need not be overly concerned about this, and that Lumpy continues to be enthusiastic about the campaign. “There is no need to cancel any of his events”, the spokesmonkey added.

November 9, 2007 Michael Mukasey officially became attorney general Friday, taking the oath of office without fanfare from a Justice Department official. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/09/mukasey/index.html 12/19/07 MARK FILIP: Senator, speaking personally, I consider waterboarding to be repugnant as it’s been reported in any of its various iterations. […] That said, the Attorney General of the United States is presently reviewing that legal question. He determined that he wanted to have access to the classified information and memos about it. I don’t think I can or anyone who could be potentially considered to be his deputy could get out in front of him on that question while it’s under review. http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/19/filip-waterboarding/ It’s actually been 6 weeks since that sleaze mukasey became Attorney General of the United States. If he really wanted to know if waterboarding is torture, he’d know by now. It doesn’t take that long to read a couple of memos, and wa...

Surveillance Bill Delayed Until 2008 By PAMELA HESS Associated Press Writer 8:16 PM EST, December 17, 2007 newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-terrorist-surveillance,0,4524892.story WASHINGTON The Senate late Monday delayed its consideration of a vote on a new government eavesdropping bill until January... I've experienced some recent technology failures. And I've been busy working on a new Sock Monkey for President ad. Stay tuned. Sock Monkey for President

- by Stephen Lendman 11/26/07 November 27 at Annapolis kicks off the latest Israeli-Palestinian Middle East peace process round that may be an historic first. It's the first time in memory the legitimate government of one side is excluded, and that alone dooms it. Like previous rounds, it's more pretense than peace, and as Jonathan Steele puts it in his November 16 Guardian column "The Palestinian path to peace does not go via Annapolis....so what do....Palestinians do next....In their decades-long bid for justice, they have tried everything:" armed struggle to compromise, but nothing works and the reason is simple. Their sincerity isn't matched by Israel, the West, other Arab states and the US most of all with all the muscle in its hands to push or constrain Israelis to be serious and fair. That's the problem. How can one side negotiate in good faith without a willing partner. Nothing new will be introduced this time; the conference is for one day; no peace n...

David Rose in Colonie, New York Sunday November 18, 2007 The Observer, UK It is 50 years since Tony Ciarfello and his friends used the yard of a depleted uranium weapons factory as their playground in Colonie, a suburb of Albany in upstate New York state. 'There wasn't no fence at the back of the plant,' remembers Ciarfello. 'Inside was a big open ground and nobody would chase us away. We used to play baseball and hang by the stream running through it. We even used to fish in it - though we noticed the fish had big pink lumps on them.' Today there are lumps on Ciarfello's chest - strange, round tumours that protrude about an inch. 'No one seems to know what they are,' he says. 'I've also had a brain aneurysm caused by a suspected tumour. I'm constantly fatigued and for years I've had terrible pains, deep inside my leg bones. I fall over without warning and I've got a heart condition.' Ciarfello's illnesses have rendered him un...

- by Stephen Lendman 11/16/07 In the US, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks for the year's blessings and bounty. At least that's how it began. It's not, however, the current practice. Most people defile the day's spirit in how they spend it over a full four day holiday weekend - with overindulgent eating, parades, "can't miss" football from Thursday through Sunday, and, key for merchants, the "official" start of the Christmas holiday shopping season. It begins Thanksgiving Friday, is now an orgy of holiday consumerism, continues through Christmas eve, ebbs for a day, then builds again for a final celebratory new year's welcome with more overindulgent eating, drinking, partying, and binge-shopping for nonessentials. This holiday, like all others, is also replete with myths, and young minds are filled with them. They're taught the Pilgrims invited Native Indians to share their bounty in a show of br...

- by Stephen Lendman 11/1907 The Bush administration tried and failed three prior times to oust Hugo Chavez since its first aborted two-day coup attempt in April, 2002. Through FOIA requests, lawyer, activist and author Eva Golinger uncovered top secret CIA documents of US involvement that included an intricate financing scheme involving the quasi-governmental agency, National Endowment of Democracy (NED), and US Agency for International Development (USAID). The documents also showed the White House, State Department and National Security Agency had full knowledge of the scheme, had to have approved it, and there's little doubt of CIA involvement as it's always part of this kind of dirty business. What's worrying now is what went on then may be happening again in what looks like a prelude to a fourth made-in-Washington attempt to oust the Venezuelan leader that must be monitored closely as events develop…. full story

By Sheila Samples 11/17/07 "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We need to go far -- quickly." - Al Gore No entity in this once-proud nation is more corrupt than its shallow, hubris-infested media. Any pricks of conscience the media may have felt for covering up the treasonous seizure of the 2000 election were swept away in the swirl of terror following the attack on 9-11. The "big story" to confront George Bush when he returned from his month-long vacation in September 2001, his approval numbers tanking, was that Al Gore got more votes than any Democrat in US history -- nearly a half-million more than Bush. It was that five conservative Supreme Court judges stopped the vote count that would prove Gore won because, in their unsigned decision, they wrote such a democratic win would cause "public acceptance," which would "cast a cloud over Bush's legitimacy" and thus harm "democratic stability."...

- by Stephen Lendman 11/14/07 B'Tselem is the conservative Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories with a well-deserved reputation for accuracy. A group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists and Knesset members founded the organization in 1989 to "document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel" to convince government officials to respect human rights and comply with international law. Its work covers a wide range of human rights issues that include detentions and torture. In May, 2007, it prepared a detailed 100 page report titled "Absolute Prohibition: The Torture and Ill-treatment of Palestinian Detainees" that's now available in print for those who request it. This article summarizes its findings that represent a joint effort by B...

Sock Monkey 08 Position Paper 2 Health Insurance: 11/10/07 Me and Lumpy, oops, I mean, Lumpy and I, were having some beers and pretzels while watching the Ohio State game, and talking about health care. Of course, everybody cares about health. Who wouldn’t? It’s not a lot of fun to be around someone who’s got snot running out of their nose. Trust me, I know…. read more: http://tmars.iwarp.com/sockmonkey08/position-papers.html

- by Stephen Lendman 11/6/07 On September 20, Haaretz reported: "The security cabinet voted unanimously yesterday to increase sanctions against the Hamas-run Gaza Strip (and declare) the region a 'hostile entity.' " A further statement read: "We will reduce the amount of megawattage we provide to the Strip, and Hamas will have to decide whether to provide electricity to hospitals or weapons lathes." Israeli officials also decided to punish Gazans by restricting: -- fuel as well as electricity from Israel to Gaza; -- the passage of goods and people through border crossings that are already severely restricted; and -- visits to prisoners even further than how limited they are already. An increased monitoring of funds was also announced as well as stating border crossings would be closed for up to 48 hours in response to (crude small homemade) Qassam rocket fire, and that Israel would supply nothing further to Gaza residents "except for (whatever Israel c...

With a year to the elections, and support for his campaign coming in from all corners, Sock Monkey's campaign site has been upgraded. His first position paper has been posted, and a photo album has been added. Keep up with most of his activities at Sock Monkey 08 .

An Alternative to IMF and World Bank Dominance - by Stephen Lendman 10/29/07 In July, 2004, the IMF and World Bank commemorated the 60th anniversary of their founding at Bretton Woods, NH to provide a financial framework of assistance for the postwar world after the expected defeat of Germany and Japan. With breathtaking hypocrisy, an October, 2004 Development Committee Communique stated: "As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Institutions....we recommit ourselves to supporting efforts by developing countries to pursue sustainable growth, sound macroeconomic policies, debt sustainability, open trade, job creation, poverty reduction and good governance." Phew. In fact, for 63 hellish years, both these institutions achieved mirror opposite results on everything the above comment states. From inception, their mission was to integrate developing nations into the Global North-dominated world economy and use debt repayment as the way to transfer wealth from poor...

watch the ad get the campaign poster Official Sock Monkey 08 campaign web site

- by Stephen Lendman 10/22/07 The September and October United Auto Workers (UAW) GM and Chrysler agreements are just the latest examples of union leadership surrender and betrayal. It's an ominous sign of labor's plight and clear indication of what's ahead - more for business, less for workers, and no relief in sight with union bosses out for themselves and more allied with business and imperial interests than their own rank and file. American civilization and labor historian Paul Buhle sees organized labor today in a state of collapse, and labor author Robert Fitch says "American workers are like owners of a family car whose wheels fell off long ago. Each family member (must rely) on their own two feet; they scarcely remember what it was like being able to ride together." Who can dispute it with union membership down from its post-war 1950s high of 34.7% to the lowest private sector level in over 100 years at 7.4% today. In addition, inflation-adjusted wages are...

by Richard L. Franklin 10/20/07 Consider the following: Nancy Pelosi has in fact admitted to having knowledge of the Bush-Cheney program of illegal warrantless eavesdropping initiated by Bush immediately after assuming office. She apparently learned of this soon after Bush initiated it. She therefore has quite possibly known about it since before 9/11. By not reporting criminal actions by Bush, Pelosi has made herself blatantly guilty of a serious crime. The crime I speak of is known as 'misprision of felony'. According to the prestigious 'Black's Law Dictionary', it is defined thusly: 'Misprision of felony: Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known to some judge or other person in civil or military authority under the United States, is guilty of the federal crime of misprision of felony.' 18 U.S.C.A. & 4. Pelosi has brazenly admitted to...

- by Stephen Lendman 10/18/07 Alfred Nobel was a wealthy nineteenth century Swedish-born chemist, engineer, inventor of dynamite, armaments manufacturer and war profiteer who remade his image late in life by establishing the awarding of prizes in his name that includes the one for peace. This most noted award was inspired by his one-time secretary and peace activist, Bertha von Suttner, who was nominated four times and became the first of only 12 women to be honored. Since it was established in 1901, the Peace Prize was awarded to 95 individuals and 20 organizations. Some recipients were worthy like Martin Luther King, Jane Addams and Albert Schweitzer but too many were not including this year's honoree. Al Gore joins a long list of past "ignoble" recipients like warrior presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and supporter of rogue regimes Jimmy Carter. He's also among the likes of genocidists Henry Kissinger and three former Israeli prime ministers - Menach...

By Sheila Samples 10/16/07 "You're A Whole Different Person When You're Scared" ~~Warren Zevon, Hunter S. Thompson My friend Bernie says since Democrats won the Congress, George Bush reminds him of a cartoon where this destructive Texas jackrabbit was careening headlong down a path, his eyes riveted on a rabbit hole in the distance. A tortoise, sunning himself at the side of the path, looked behind the rabbit where a baying pack of dogs, in hot pursuit, was gaining on him. The tortoise smiled. The poor bunny was in a race for his life. As he shot by, the tortoise called out lazily, "Think you'll make it?" The rabbit, looking neither to the right nor left, shot back desperately -- "I gotta make it..." Bernie says Bush is running scared. So scared he's "pantin' like a lizard..." Pantin' like a lizard? Hah. Having been raised in New Mexico with me, Bernie should know that Bush is panting because, well, that's what liza...

By Marcelo Colussi. Translated into English for Axis of Logic by Iris Buehler and revised by James Hollander, Tlaxcala Oct 12, 2007, 03:46 http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_25337.shtml How many women do you think got beaten up today by their partners? And how many men? How many women do you think had to be hospitalized today because of these beatings? And how many men have gone through the same thing? How many women do you think have had to “pay favors” today to male superiors in an organization? How many men have experienced this with female bosses or superiors? Worldwide, what image do you think is more commonly used today in billboard advertising, TV ads, photos, etc.: half naked women to promote some product, or male bodies? Who do you think are more often cheated on today by their respective partners: men or women? Of all deals that might have been done today –sales of houses, cars, properties, purchases of shares, sales orders in international business, etc.– who woul...

By Philip S Golub http://mondediplo.com/2007/10/05absolute Le Monde Diplomatique October 2007 The Bush administration is a case study in how a small elite representing minority interests can seize power and then use fear and nationalism in a political mobilisation to achieve authoritarian goals. When he came to power in 2000 Bush had no democratic legitimacy. He had lost the popular vote to Al Gore and had been given the presidency by a questionable Supreme Court decision to stop a vote recount in Florida. For many constitutional scholars, the Bush victory amounted to a “constitutional coup, an unlawful accession to power” (1). Although Al Gore conceded to Bush to avoid a constitutional crisis, the presidency was tainted by illegitimacy. Given the balance of forces – the Republicans lost control of the Senate in July 2001 – many analysts expected political paralysis, hence a modest presidency in domestic and international policy. The opposite happened. From the start the Bush White Hou...

Ah, Malkin continues her stalking... by Larisa Alexandrovna on October 09, 2007 http://www.atlargely.com/2007/10/ah-malkin-conti.html Some of you might recall that Michelle Malkin's (uber shiksa pretending to support Israel) stalking and harassment of a college chancellor Denice Denton drove the woman to commit suicide. After Malkin decided to take it upon herself to post all the private information of Denton, the chancellor began getting calls with death threats, and all sorts of Malkin-type freedom of expression. Malkin did not stop at Denton of course, she put up every piece of information about the private lives of students on campus. I can only imagine how she would have reacted if her children were subjected to the stalking and death threats that these people got. Ah, but why end there? Malkin and the Malkinites (my pet nickname for the fascist group thuggery of her followers) now have decided to go after a sick 12 year old child . […] Rush Smears 12-Yr Old: ‘They Filled Hi...

Marching Into Nightmare With General Petraeus Written by Chris Floyd Monday, 08 October 2007 From Reuters: Petraeus steps up accusations against Iran The U.S. military commander in Iraq stepped up accusations over the weekend that Iran was inciting violence there and said Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad was a member of the Revolutionary Guards Qods force. Washington accuses Iran's Revolutionary Guards' elite Qods force of supporting militias who have attacked U.S. troops.... General David Petraeus, speaking at a U.S. military base about 20 miles from the Iranian border on Saturday, said Iran was giving militia groups advanced weaponry and guidance. "They are responsible for providing the weapons, the training, the funding and in some cases the direction for operations that have indeed killed U.S. soldiers," Petraeus told a group of reporters when asked if the Iranian government was responsible for killing U.S. troops. Petraeus did not say how he knew Iran's...

News & Letters, October 2001 http://www.newsandletters.org/Issues/2001/Oct/rawa_10-01.htm From the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), on the terrorist attacks in the U.S.: On Sept. 11, 2001 the world was stunned with the horrific terrorist attacks on the United States. RAWA stands with the rest of the world in expressing our sorrow and condemnation for this barbaric act of violence and terror. RAWA had already warned that the United States should not support the most treacherous, most criminal, most anti-democracy and anti-women Islamic fundamentalist parties because after both the Jehadi and the Taliban have committed every possible type of heinous crimes against our people, they would feel no shame in committing such crimes against the American people whom they consider "infidel". In order to gain and maintain their power, these barbaric criminals are ready to turn easily to any criminal force. But unfortunately we must say that it was the gov...

- by Stephen Lendman 10/4/07 http://tmars.iwarp.com/theMagazine/archive/07/lendeman071004.html An era ended November 16, 2006 when economist Milton Friedman died. A torrent of eulogies followed. The Wall Street Journal mourned his loss with the same tribute he credulously used when Ronald Reagan died saying "few people in human history have contributed more to the achievement of human freedom." […] Rarely had so much praise been given anyone so undeserving in light of the human wreckage his legacy left strewn everywhere. […] He was a vocal opponent of trade unions, claimed they were "of little importance (historically in advancing) worker (rights and gains) in the United States," and ignored clear evidence to the contrary… […] For Friedman, we're on our own, "free to choose," but unequally matched against corporate giants and the privileged with their advantages. The rest of us are unequally endowed and governed by the principle, "To each accordin...

A Q and A Addressing the origins of the Who's-Your-Daddy Nation by Phil Rockstroh October 02, 2007 "We must become the change we want to see." -- Mahatma Gandhi "In any case, I hate all Iranians." --Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary to Defense Secretary, Robert Gates How many times do we, the people of the US, have to go around on this queasy-making merry-go-round of propaganda and militarism before we shout -- enough! -- then shutdown the whole cut-rate carnival and run the scheming carnies who operate it out of town? It is imperative the nation's citizens begin to apprehend the patterns present in this ceaseless cycle of official deceit and collective pathology. This republic, or any other, cannot survive, inhabited by a populace with such a slow learning curve. Over the last three decades, the authoritarian right has risen to create the nation they have been longing for since their humbling by the Watergate scandal. After being subdued and humilia...

- by Stephen Lendman 10/1/07 [...] ...the man who engineered the largest ever stock market bubble and bust in history through incompetence, timidity, dereliction of duty, and subservience to the capital interests he represented at the expense of the greater good and a sustained sound economy he didn't worry about nor did Wall Street. For firms on the Street and big banks, he could do no wrong and was above reproach for letting them cash in big and then get plenty of advance warning when to exit. Most ordinary investors weren't so fortunate. They're not insiders and were caught flat-footed by advice from market pundit fraudsters and the most influential one of all in the Fed Chairman. Just weeks before the market peak in January, 2000, he claimed "the American economy was experiencing a once-in-a-century acceleration of innovation, which propelled forward productivity, output, corporate profits and stock prices at a pace not seen in generations, if ever." It was hy...

Blackwater Eyes Domestic Contracts in US by Dina Temple-Raston Morning Edition, September 28, 2007 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14707922 […] It is that lack of oversight and accountability that has Walker and others concerned about Blackwater's intention to take their private security operation domestic. The company has met with leaders in several states to offer their security services in the event of a natural disaster. In California, they have suggested earthquake relief. In New York, they offered help in case of terrorist attack. Their thinking is simple. The Iraq war won't last forever, so if the company wants to stick around, it needs an alternate business plan. Work here at home is one solution. "From a capitalist point of view it is brilliant," said Walker. "You want to diversify your market to diversify your downside risk. But do you really want someone diversifying this service? This is hired gun service. And you are going to div...

Neocons seek to justify action against Teheran By Tim Shipman Last Updated: 12:17am BST 30/09/2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/30/wiran230.xml Shifting Targets The Administration’s plan for Iran. by Seymour M. Hersh October 8, 2007 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/10/08/071008fa_fact_hersh US weighs possible strikes on Iran's military: report 9/30/07 http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_mideast_afp/usiraniraqmilitary_070930194253 WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US administration has shifted strategy and is drawing up plans for possible air strikes against Iran's Revolutionary Guard instead of the country's nuclear sites, the New Yorker magazine reported on Sunday . President George W. Bush has requested the Joint Chiefs of Staff revise plans for a possible attack on Iran, with the focus on "surgical" raids against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps which Washington accuses of targeting US forces in Iraq, the magazine wrote. Pre...