Pelosi Backpedals on CIA Criticism
Saturday, May 16, 2009 12:36 PM
“An unclassified chart released last month by the CIA describes a total of 40 briefings for lawmakers, including Pelosi, over a period of several years on enhanced interrogation techniques. The chart's indicate Pelosi was briefed as early as Sept. 4, 2002, when she was the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
Stung by criticism by members of her own party as well as the GOP, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has backpedaled on claims that the CIA lied to her about the agency's use of waterboarding on suspected terrorists.
Pelosi now says she was trying to criticize the Bush administration, rather than intelligence officials.” by Newsmax
Pelosi's statement came hours after CIA Director Len Panetta, a fellow Democrat, defended his agency and said "it is not our policy or pracice to mislead Congress,"
How in the world did this person ever get as far as Speaker of the House? Isn’t this person third in line of succession for the presidency?
There’s little doubt Pelosi’s thought was criticism of the Bush Administration, “the most corrupt administration in history”–right? As I remember it, Bush usually responded to these criticisms by saying, “freedom to say that is the great thing about our country....” Maybe that’s what Pelosi was expecting from her lofty position.
Surprise–surprise! Apparently the CIA didn’t buy into that.
KOINONIKOS
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
WELL HERE WE GO AGAIN–“THE MEDIA-ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX” PROBLEM
Sunday, May 10, 2009 11:49 AM
At the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, our president, President Barack Obama directed a snide comment toward Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who was at the benefit dinner.
Obama asked: "Michael, for the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I'm sorry,"
Not all that hostile in tone, but there was no doubt who the target was.
One Newsmax article quotes that “Comedian Wanda Sykes ripped into Limbaugh during her routine before an assemblage of politicians, celebrities and journalists.
"You've had your fair share of critics," she said of Limbaugh. "He just wants the country to fail. To me that's treason. He's not saying anything different than what Osama Bin Laden is saying. You might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight. ... Rush Limbaugh, I hope the country fails, I hope his kidneys fail, how about that? He needs a good waterboarding, that's what he needs."
That reminds me of a few comments made about that other president.
At the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, our president, President Barack Obama directed a snide comment toward Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, who was at the benefit dinner.
Obama asked: "Michael, for the last time, the Republican Party does not qualify for a bailout. Rush Limbaugh does not count as a troubled asset, I'm sorry,"
Not all that hostile in tone, but there was no doubt who the target was.
One Newsmax article quotes that “Comedian Wanda Sykes ripped into Limbaugh during her routine before an assemblage of politicians, celebrities and journalists.
"You've had your fair share of critics," she said of Limbaugh. "He just wants the country to fail. To me that's treason. He's not saying anything different than what Osama Bin Laden is saying. You might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight. ... Rush Limbaugh, I hope the country fails, I hope his kidneys fail, how about that? He needs a good waterboarding, that's what he needs."
That reminds me of a few comments made about that other president.
Friday, May 8, 2009
AMERICA IS NOT CHRISTIAN???
“Obama is pushing an anti-life and anti-family agenda, a Catholic archbishop says.”... “Dobson Slams Obama's Prayer-Day Absence.”
There seems to be a rather obvious direction this new president is going. But so what?
As America’s President Obama says, “America is not a Christian country....”
Some years ago, Dr. Charles Malik addressed the same topic in one of his book, "Christ and the Crisis." The "Cold War" was in full flower, and the good doctor told of his concerns.
"Surely every conceivable weapon should be employed in self-defense - military, political, diplomatic, economic, psychological. Now there are limits to self-defense, because mere self-defense could become self-defeating, and because, precisely in self-defense, one must at times pass to the offensive. What concerns us most here is the moral and spiritual weapon. And here too this dialectic of the defense and the offense is most apparent. Morally and spiritually... they make us feel guilty, and we supinely accept the terms of their debate. They talk in terms of capitalism," "imperialism," "colonialism," "monopolies," "profits, "exploitation," "means of production," - all purely economic, purely materialistic terms. And in answering them usually all we say is that the exploiting, capitalism of the nineteenth century no longer exists, imperialism has been liquidated, monopolies are now owned by the people, and as to profits, everybody now shares in them.
There is about this response a pathetic air of apology, a ring of feebleness, a sickly note of timidity....
This will not do. They should be answered, not apologetically, not on a materialistic basis, but in human, moral, and spiritual terms."
(Perhaps you are not acquainted with Dr. Malik. Charles Malik was a University Professor at The American University in Washington, D.C.. He received his B.A. from the American University of Beirut, and his M.A.and Ph.D. from Harvard. He was a Lebanese ambassador to the USA before his becoming president of the UN Security Council. Following that, he was elected as the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations.)
In a twist of fate that is bathed in irony, the American Christian Culture has one admiring source .
David Aikman--former Beijing Bureau Chief for Time Magazine, wrote in his book, "Jesus in Beijing,"some startling statements, made in a Beijing tourist's scene.
"We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system. But in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don't have any doubt about this."
We don't have any doubt about this!
As Jounalist Aikman mentioned, "This was not coming from some ultraconservative from a think tank in Orange County, California, or from Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. This was a scholar from one of China's premier academic research institutes, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing, in 2002.
CHRISTIANITY IS REALLY AMERICA’S STRENGTH AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN!
KOINONIKOS
There seems to be a rather obvious direction this new president is going. But so what?
As America’s President Obama says, “America is not a Christian country....”
Some years ago, Dr. Charles Malik addressed the same topic in one of his book, "Christ and the Crisis." The "Cold War" was in full flower, and the good doctor told of his concerns.
"Surely every conceivable weapon should be employed in self-defense - military, political, diplomatic, economic, psychological. Now there are limits to self-defense, because mere self-defense could become self-defeating, and because, precisely in self-defense, one must at times pass to the offensive. What concerns us most here is the moral and spiritual weapon. And here too this dialectic of the defense and the offense is most apparent. Morally and spiritually... they make us feel guilty, and we supinely accept the terms of their debate. They talk in terms of capitalism," "imperialism," "colonialism," "monopolies," "profits, "exploitation," "means of production," - all purely economic, purely materialistic terms. And in answering them usually all we say is that the exploiting, capitalism of the nineteenth century no longer exists, imperialism has been liquidated, monopolies are now owned by the people, and as to profits, everybody now shares in them.
There is about this response a pathetic air of apology, a ring of feebleness, a sickly note of timidity....
This will not do. They should be answered, not apologetically, not on a materialistic basis, but in human, moral, and spiritual terms."
(Perhaps you are not acquainted with Dr. Malik. Charles Malik was a University Professor at The American University in Washington, D.C.. He received his B.A. from the American University of Beirut, and his M.A.and Ph.D. from Harvard. He was a Lebanese ambassador to the USA before his becoming president of the UN Security Council. Following that, he was elected as the president of the General Assembly of the United Nations.)
In a twist of fate that is bathed in irony, the American Christian Culture has one admiring source .
David Aikman--former Beijing Bureau Chief for Time Magazine, wrote in his book, "Jesus in Beijing,"some startling statements, made in a Beijing tourist's scene.
"We studied everything we could from the historical, political, economic, and cultural perspective. At first, we thought it was because you had more powerful guns than we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system. But in the past twenty years, we have realized that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics. We don't have any doubt about this."
We don't have any doubt about this!
As Jounalist Aikman mentioned, "This was not coming from some ultraconservative from a think tank in Orange County, California, or from Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. This was a scholar from one of China's premier academic research institutes, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing, in 2002.
CHRISTIANITY IS REALLY AMERICA’S STRENGTH AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN!
KOINONIKOS
Monday, May 4, 2009
BLASPHEMY
“Enough is enough. It is about time the laws were repealed”, said Mr. Mall, pointing to the widespread abuse of the blasphemy laws.
He urged the international community to pressure Pakistan into repealing blasphemy laws.
In a special report by Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan of ASSIST News Service
In HARRAPA, SAHIWAL, PAKISTAN (ANS)
“A Muslim mob of 500 attacked a Christian village of Punjab province on May 1 at 11:00 am Pakistan time to avenge the alleged blasphemy....that they claim was committed by some five Christian men a few days ago.
Police arrested Christian men, including Ashfaq Gill, Naseer Masih, Harris Masih, Israr Wilson and Imran Masih on April 28 and April 29 after they were accused of tearing up pages of the Quran.
“An outraged Muslim mob invaded Christian village no. 90 near Sahiwal city to “kill” Christians,” the Voice of People UK’s Country Coordinator in Pakistan, Aneel Ashiq Chaudhry, told ANS by phone on May 1.
The Christian village is thought to be over 100 years old and most of the Christians still own lands despite the fact that some of them have sold their lands to Muslims.
Following an attack of Muslim mob in 1997 on Shantinagar, a predominantly Christian village in east-central Pakistan, Muslim extremists razed 800 homes and desecrated 13 churches in and around the town.
Possible loss of lives and damage to properties of Christians was averted due to intervention of the Police and Rangers, who dispersed the mob that included Islamists armed wi th weapons and clubs.
Police and Rangers are still patrolling the area to avert any possible eventuality during night.”
The same day Sunday, May 03, 2009, in a story by Sami Abraham of WASHINGTON:
“President Obama’s special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke is saying that Pakistan’s civilian government was fully capable of governing and resolving the issues being confronted by the country.”
Well maybe–but watch those blasphemy laws.
KOINONIKOS
He urged the international community to pressure Pakistan into repealing blasphemy laws.
In a special report by Dan Wooding and Sheraz Khurram Khan of ASSIST News Service
In HARRAPA, SAHIWAL, PAKISTAN (ANS)
“A Muslim mob of 500 attacked a Christian village of Punjab province on May 1 at 11:00 am Pakistan time to avenge the alleged blasphemy....that they claim was committed by some five Christian men a few days ago.
Police arrested Christian men, including Ashfaq Gill, Naseer Masih, Harris Masih, Israr Wilson and Imran Masih on April 28 and April 29 after they were accused of tearing up pages of the Quran.
“An outraged Muslim mob invaded Christian village no. 90 near Sahiwal city to “kill” Christians,” the Voice of People UK’s Country Coordinator in Pakistan, Aneel Ashiq Chaudhry, told ANS by phone on May 1.
The Christian village is thought to be over 100 years old and most of the Christians still own lands despite the fact that some of them have sold their lands to Muslims.
Following an attack of Muslim mob in 1997 on Shantinagar, a predominantly Christian village in east-central Pakistan, Muslim extremists razed 800 homes and desecrated 13 churches in and around the town.
Possible loss of lives and damage to properties of Christians was averted due to intervention of the Police and Rangers, who dispersed the mob that included Islamists armed wi th weapons and clubs.
Police and Rangers are still patrolling the area to avert any possible eventuality during night.”
The same day Sunday, May 03, 2009, in a story by Sami Abraham of WASHINGTON:
“President Obama’s special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke is saying that Pakistan’s civilian government was fully capable of governing and resolving the issues being confronted by the country.”
Well maybe–but watch those blasphemy laws.
KOINONIKOS
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from My Side of The Mountain
From My Side of The Mountain