A Red Cross report from 2006 details a little bit more about American torture policies of the Bush-Cheney era, including "suffocation by water," "prolonged stress standing," "beatings by use of a collar," and "confinement in a box."
[ ThinkProgess ]
Another UK governmental memo supports the earlier memos, which pretty much proved what was already known -- the Bush-Cheney administration was shoehorning the evidence to fit the desired conclusion in 2002 and 2003, to "prove" that Iraq was suddenly somehow
"Liberty is the possibility of doubting, of making a mistake ... of searching and experimenting ... of saying no to any authority -- literary, artistic, philosophical, religious, social, and even political."
Ignazio Silone
an imminent threat to American interest. Thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed for nothing but Bush and Cheney's lies, and the killing continues... but like previous revelations of Bush-Cheney's treasonous lies, these recent revelations won't make headlines in America's corporate-controlled media.
[ The Independent ]
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has again appeared on national television to acknowledge that the Bush-Cheney administration tortured prisoners. In response, the newscaster interviewing him didn't blink, and Cheney was once again not arrested and hauled off in irons.
[ Daily Kos ]
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is suing HSBC and Wells Fargo over the banks' apparent policy of steering blacks into deadly subprime loans. According to the NAACP's lawyer (and other reports we've read) "Black homebuyers have been 3½ times more likely to receive a subprime loan than white borrowers, and six times more likely to get a subprime rate when refinancing ... Blacks still were disproportionately steered into subprime loans when their credit scores, income and down payment were equal to those of white homebuyers."
[ Associated Press ]
American International Group (AIG) warned federal officials of "potentially catastrophic unforeseen consequences" if it was allowed its well-earned collapse, a dire prediction which got AIG another $30-billion in federal funds. Of course, AIG is still handing out hundreds of millions of dollars in executive bonuses. Are there any major players anywhere on Wall Street that aren't wasting enormous piles of money on self-gratification? Are there any executives who aren't clueless over the damage they're doing with this endless bad publicity? Is there anyone running a company in the finance industry who's competent at running a company in the finance industry?
[ Washington Post ]
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) collected next to no premiums from banks for a decade, from 1996 to 2006. It's an insurance policy, so not collecting premiums reflects stupidity beyond belief, and helps explain why FDIC now needs a colossal cash infusion to continue insuring deposits as bank failures proliferate.
[ Boston Globe ]
Corporations own the news
Virtually all American media is controlled by corporations and operated solely for profit, so there's no escaping the latest on Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, because that's 'news' that sells. But news that's more important or complex, more expensive or just more controversial, gets minimal coverage that's often shallow, inaccurate, or slanted to favor big business.
With Bernie Madoff now behind bars, some are wondering: Why is Allen Stanford, the man the US government accuses of basically being the nation's second-biggest financial scam artist, still free?
[ ABC News ]
Drugs -- marijuana, cocaine, heroin -- were decriminalized in Portugal in 2001, so how are things working out? "Evaluating the policy strictly from an empirical perspective, decriminalization has been an unquestionable success, leading to improvements in virtually every relevant category and enabling Portugal to manage drug-related problems (and drug usage rates) far better than most Western nations that continue to treat adult drug consumption as a criminal offense."
[ Salon ]
Meanwhile, drug prohibition is what's put drug lords in effective control of Mexico.
[ Rolling Stone ]
The "warning signs" for involvement in domestic terrorism include "political bumper stickers for third-party candidates, such as US Rep. Ron Paul, who ran for president last year; talk of conspiracy theories, such as the plan for a superhighway linking Canada to Mexico; and possession of subversive literature." This is the wisdom offered in a report from a Homeland Security-ish state agency called the Missouri Information Analysis Center, where, it goes without saying, everyone involved in preparing this report should look for more productive work in America's housekeeping or fast-food industries.
[ Associated Press ]
The Obama administration has banned "downer" cattle -- animals too weak or too diseased to stand up -- from the nation's food supply. In what may ultimately prove to be one of the previous administration's most deadly acts of cowardice and stupidity, George W Bush would never allow this, despite scientific evidence and simple common sense suggesting the danger.
[ Associated Press ]
Fools and liars, pundits and politicians
Conservatives dominate the media and discourse in America, so lies, outrageous statements, and general nuttiness from right-wingers are utterly ordinary in mainstream media. And there's no left-wing equivalent in mainstream media, because anyone who criticizes right-wingers even half as harshly -- even when it's warranted and true -- is "outside the mainstream", by definition.
The Justice Department is ending the use of "enemy combatant" as a catch-all Presidential designation for imprisoning people without due process. Made up by the Bush-Cheney administration and used to circumvent courts and habeas corpus, "enemy combatant" is an absolutely un-American term that deserves to be remembered with shame, alongside "internment camps" and "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?" Sadly, though, the Obama administration's declaration is accompanied by slightly more legal means to accomplish the same problematic ends. [ Cable News Network ]
The Obama administration, which claims to favor transparency in government, won't let we the people see the text or details of a new international treaty on copyright. But executives at Time Warner, Eli Lilly, Anheuser-Busch, and several other giant conglomerates are cleared to see it, and they've been sent a copy.
[ BoingBoing ]
The Obama administration is again seeking to block a court case that could bring to light more of the illegal acts of the Bush-Cheney administration. Obama's DoJ is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed over their kidnapping and torture, allegedly authorized by Donald Rumsfeld while he was Secretary of Defense.
[ Washington Independent ]
Vice President Biden has announced that Amtrak will receive $1.3-billion in increased funding. It's a fraction of a fraction of what Amtrak needs, but it's encouraging as a sign of sanity -- we absolutely must provide adequate funding for a travel infrastructure beyond highways and airports. As Biden explains, "Every passenger rail service system in the world relies on subsidies. We subsidize our highways and airports more than we subsidize Amtrak. So let's get something straight here. Amtrak has not been at the trough. Amtrak has been left out. Amtrak has been left out much too long."
[ ABC News ]
Here's a visual explanation of the 2009 budget deficit, split between what's Bush-Cheney's responsibility and the debt added by Obama's stimulus package. It is, of course, nothing at all like you'd expect, if you've been paying attention to mainstream media coverage.
[ The American Prospect ]
Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Virginia) has proposed a resolution to declare that "The Holy Bible is God's Word". Of course, it's not like we have any real problems to solve, but again we see what issues really matter to Republicans.
[ The Public Record ]
The New Mexico legislature has passed a bill ending the death penalty in that state, and replacing it with life in prison without parole. Governor Bill Richardson (D) says he hasn't decided whether he'll sign the bill into law.
[ Associated Press ]
It made me stop and think
" In one breath, GOP Jekylls say government medical plans will be inefficient, inferior to private insurance and thus hated by Americans. In another breath, Republican Hydes effectively admit that government programs would be so efficient, superior to private insurance and loved by Americans that they will attract most consumers and dominate a health care competition. "Of the two assertions, of course, the latter is closer to the truth -- and the GOP knows it."
[ David Sirota ]
There's apparently serious significance to this court case, overturning one of two convictions against a Navy sailor named Hassan Abu-Jihaad. The judge has decided that Abu-Jihaad didn't "provide material support" for terrorism, which undermines one of the Bush-Cheney administration's few accomplishments, but from the information in the article, I'm not convinced Abu-Jihaad is a bad guy, as opposed to just a guy with a Muslim-sounding name.
[ Associated Press ] The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Obama administration is considering taxing health care benefits, a notion of John McCain's that was ridiculed by Obama during last year's Presidential campaign. Reading the article, I found it less than convincing, and less than worrisome. I'd be surprised if Obama backed the proposal, but it doesn't seem grotesquely unfair or downright un-American or anything. If health coverage comes with your job, congratulations, but that's a very valuable benefit and it's a part of your income, and so long as income is taxed why shouldn't health care benefits be taxed?
[ New York Times ]
Regarding the New York Times' article (above) on possibly taxing health care benefits, White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee says, "I thought that was highly overstated. That is not in the president's budget." ABC News (which ain't exactly the New York Times) suggests that someone at the Office of Management and Budget said that this proposal remains on the table, along with all manner of other proposals, and the New York Times ran with it as news. So maybe, like most of what's deemed 'news', this is much ado about nothing?
[ ABC News ]
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is under house arrest, as the government of Pakistan nears complete chaos.
[ Informed Consent ]
Israeli troops have critically injured an American protester in the West Bank. Tristan Anderson, a Californian, was brained by a tear-gas canister that opened a hole in his head. Of course, protesters are routinely injured and/or killed by Israeli troops, but putting an American in the hospital is unusual and might get a little extra media attention. Today, by the way, is the sixth anniversary of Rachel Corrie's assassination. Reading the coverage of this, I had to roll my eyes at the reporter's "fair and balanced" summary of the situation in the article's last paragraph: "Israel has been building a barrier made of fencing and wall for about five years, an effort to stop terrorists from entering Israel; Palestinians and other opponents complain that it takes land away and makes daily life very difficult for Palestinian villagers." Western media is always reluctant to present truths that might make Big Money or Big Power uncomfortable, so it's reported that "Palestinians and other opponents complain" instead of as a simple, straightforward fact, that these horrendous walls take land away and make daily life very difficult for Palestinian villagers.
[ International Herald Tribune ]
Apple is engineering "authentication chip" into its products, that will make iPods and presumably other products inoperable with "unauthorized" earplugs, chargers, etc. Sounds really scummy to me, but I intend to die without ever owning an iPod or iPhone.
[ Electronic Frontier Foundation ]
To encourage DVD sales, 20th Century Fox will begin offering fewer extras on rental DVDs, with "premium" materials available only if you buy the DVD. Seriously scummy, yes?
[ Cinema Blend ]
Gibson Guitar's lawsuit over Guitar Hero has been tossed as "frivolous".
[ CNet News ]
This is an extremely cogent examination of what's going on as newspapers melt away, and something new -- nobody's yet quite sure what -- evolves to become the cornerstone of new journalism. "When someone demands to know how we are going to replace newspapers, they are really demanding to be told that we are not living through a revolution. They are demanding to be told that old systems won't break before new systems are in place. They are demanding to be told that ancient social bargains aren't in peril, that core institutions will be spared, that new methods of spreading information will improve previous practice rather than upending it. They are demanding to be lied to. There are fewer and fewer people who can convincingly tell such a lie."
[ shirky.com ]
In a study of public opinion in 34 nations, the United States came in next to last (ahead of Turkey) in general public acceptance of the most basic facts of evolution. In the brief summary of the study's findings, there's no guess at the cause of America's general stupidity, but I have a strong suspicion -- correct me if you think I'm mistaken: First, unlike in most developed nations, America's stupidest and most ass-backward political and religious leaders are handed a huge public megaphone to mainstream media. And second, school textbooks in the US have been intentionally dumbed down to appeal to the cro magnon element that controls public education in many American cities and states.
[ National Geographic ]
Delivering to Jim Cramer a show-long lecture about the responsibilities of a financial news network, Jon Stewart positioned himself as the thinking man's Rick Santelli, as a guy who's also mad as hell, but at the people who deserve the ire.
[ Chicago Tribune ]
Peter B. Collins, who has been among the most intelligent and reasoned progressives on commercial radio, has announced that "after reflection, consideration and a few setbacks, we're going to wrap up the Peter B. Collins Show a week from today." And America gets a little bit dumber and less informed.
[ The Public Record ]
At the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, a snitch was assigned to share a cell with the murderer he had testified against. You'll never guess what happened. It's outrageous and terrifying when, as often happens in American prisons, inmates are denied health care, beaten or raped by guards or other inmates, but this isn't ordinary incompetence -- at first glance it raises suspicions that prison officials flat-out planned the murder of Paul Duran Jr. The Oklahoman has a reputation as an awful newspaper, but I'd nominate their reporter, Ann Kelley, for a special Anti-Pulitzer -- she doesn't even express any interest in the curious cell assignment until her article's last three paragraphs.
[ The Oklahoman ]
In Australia, a man has been convicted of child pornography charges, for downloading cartoon images of The Simpsons and Pokemon "naked and performing sex acts on each other". It's always refreshing to see that other nations can out-stupid America once in a while, but of course this man's prosecution is a real slap in the face to the real victims of real child pornography.
[ The Herald ]
Everything you ever wanted to know about affordable, sane, DIY funerals, versus the big-budget monstrosities that survivors in America are usually roped into.
[ Smithsonin ] The New York Times' billionaire columnist Thomas Friedman has been hit so hard by the economic collapse, he's reportedly no longer a billionaire.
[ Vanity Fair ]
1.) Guys like Dick Cheney -- international war criminals --
are running around crapping on President Obama. We ought to be seeing some of these guys arrested and sent to the Hague or Pelican Bay. Haul their asses off in chains! (Granted, a President may be reluctant to prosecute former "regimistas" for fear of being arrested when he leaves office based on the precedent ... especially if a "real" President is one day elected :-)
Excerpt: "President Obama campaigned against it all across the country" Cheney continued. "And now he is making some choices that in my mind will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack." ...
"The key to what we did was to collect intelligence against the enemy," Cheney replied. "That's what the enhanced interrogation program was all about. ... I've seen a report that was written based upon the intelligence that we collected then that itemizes the specific attacks that were stopped. ... There were a great many of them."
Excerpt: In responding, Cheney chose to ignore the employment figures and focus solely on the budget deficits. "There's something that's more important than the specific numbers you're talking about," he told King. "Eight months after we arrived we had 9/11. We had three thousand Americans killed one morning. ... We immediately had to go into wartime mode. ... We had major problems with respect to things like Katrina. ... All of these things required us to spend money."
"Stuff happens," Cheney summarized," and an administration has to be able to respond to that -- and we did."
In addition to ignoring the plight of the poor and unemployed, Cheney also brushed aside most of the other priorities of the Obama administration, charging that "they've taken liberties, if you will, with the arguments" in describing health care reform and action on climate change as essential to long-term economic prosperity.
According to Cheney, the Obama administration is merely "using the current set of economic difficulties to try to justify a massive expansion in the government and much more authority for the government over the private sector."
Cheney's own prescription for resolving the current economic crisis would begin, not surprisingly, with tax cuts for the wealthy. "Given the importance to the country ... of getting the economy back on track, it seems to me an administration does have an obligation to set priorities," he stated. "One of the tools that's most important to doing that is tax policy, and cutting taxes, especially for those who invest and create wealth and create jobs."
2.) AIG is paying millions of dollars in bonuses to employees? Since AIG is 80% owned by the US government and these people are objectively "enemies of the state", why can't the president transfer these people to the CIA's "early retirement" program? Have them "terminated with prejudice"? Or "detained" until the economic war is over...Can't they all just be arrested until someone finds something to charge them with?
And ... AIG sent tens of billions of payments in derivatives losses to US banks which already received Federal bailout money? Here's the kicker which isn't getting airtime: this is probably not the end of the bailouts for AIG, OR other companies with massive derivatives exposure ...
AIG pays $450 million in bonuses after bailout
Excerpt: Troubled insurer American International Group Inc., now 80% owned by US taxpayers, spent the weekend deflecting mounting criticism of how government funds have been funneled to various banks and used to pay employee bonuses at the business unit that almost sank the company.
After calls for more transparency, AIG disclosed Sunday that roughly two-thirds of the $173.3 billion in federal aid it received has been paid out to trading partners such as banks and municipalities in the US and abroad.
Billie Cavanaugh
#3/17/2009:
Yes to Pelican Bay. Twenty-three hour lockdown. Put them so deep they'll have to get their daylight through a pipe.
Deacon
#LINKLINK
According to Teilhand de Chardin, we are all spiritual beings living material lives. The
Wall of the next dimension is coming up fast (or the edge of the world for you
Flatlanders...) and the guys who tried to be Masters of the Universe will hit even harder,
being as how they are so burdened with gold and material gains.
All I know is that I do not want to be a lump of solid matter when everyone else goes into
another dimension of existence --
"Make a tiny shift in your awareness and the world you see can change -- in less than a second the solid physical world can become a shimmering, resonating world of energy. You realize that everything is vibrating! When you pay closer attention, you notice you can feel slow, sluggish vibrations and fast, harmonious vibrations. Then you realize there is information encoded in the vibrations you sense. And -- yes! -- this could be quite useful.
The truth is, we make this shift to the energy world thousands of times a day without realizing it-to obtain information about what decisions to make and how to act. Imagine how smooth and easy life might become if we could make that shift into a conscious, intentional skill and be able to translate "vibrational information" immediately into trusted guidance?"
Nobody is going to fix anything in this world in four short years unless they are working on a higher level or dimension. And what they will fix first is themselves if they can ...
Siskiyousis
#
His best post ever? Cringely reveals a killer geek way to get rich:
Apparently Wolfram's baby is just a slightly smarter Google. And that only in particular well-trod statistical areas. So maybe it'll be like a World Almanac that can answer questions (that'd still be better than Google for some things).
Excerpt: The bankers have gotten two members of Congress to introduce a bill to establish a new body that could suspend accounting rules for financial institutions.
They say the problem, in short, is not that the banks acted irresponsibly in creating financial instruments that blew up, or in making loans that could never be repaid. It is that someone is forcing them to fess up. If only the banks could pretend the assets were valuable, then the system would be safe.
HOLY CRAP! Surely to God Congress and Obama won't be stupid enough to throw all banking rules and regulations out the window! If they do, I suspect that soon we'll consider the last few months to have been 'the good old days'.
This one is easy to fix: exile from current international free
trade action any
country that doesn't seem to be doing its share to fix the world economy.
Until you do that, lots of nations will try to get a free ride and enjoy the
benefits of whoever else stimulates first and most.
Excerpt: "It was without a doubt the most cowardly thing I've ever seen with my eyes," he said of
being hit from behind.
Ben Legume
What do I think? I don't know much about what happened, and the article doesn't tell much. It's written from the ordinary, pro-cop perspective, and from the first to the 32nd paragraphs, a reader is led to believe that Constable Butcher was simply "attacked from behind" as he was passing by. Only way down toward the end do we discover that he was somehow involved in the brawl or in bringing the brawl under control. But my complaint is for the reporter, not the cop. I have no knowledge that Constable Butcher was acting inappropriately, and we wish him a continued and full recovery.
Helen & Harry Highwater
It was all over the news here -- probably on YouTube as well -- there was some sort of brawl involving the cops and someone got tasered -- then this guy runs up and gave one of the cops a leaping head-butt and then they're both on the ground -- very impressive effort IMO.
I liked the age-old claim by police that they were hit from behind yet saw the whole thing...
Ben Legume
How did I miss that? "It was without a doubt the most cowardly thing I've ever seen with my eyes," he said of
being hit from behind. Dang me, that is funny...
Helen & Harry Highwater
He also claims to have no memory of the whole day -- which probably didn't help his
credibility in court!
We believe in liberty and justice for all, so of course, we oppose many US government policies. This doesn't mean we're anti-American, redneck scum, pinko commies, militia members, or terrorist-sympathizers. It means we believe in freedom, as more than merely a cliché.
We believe you have the right to live your own life as you choose, and others have the equal right to live their lives as they choose. It's not complicated.
We believe freedom leads to peace, progress, and prosperity, while its opposite -- oppression -- leads to war, terrorism, poverty, and misery.
We believe it's preposterously stupid to hate people because of their appearance, their race or nationality, their religion or lack of religion, how they have sex with other consenting adults, etc. There are far more apropos reasons to hate most people.
We believe in questioning ourselves, our assumptions, each other -- and we especially believe in questioning authority (the more authority, the more questions). We believe obedience is a fine quality in dogs and young children, but not in adults.
Like America's right-wingers, we believe in
individual responsibility,
hard work to get ahead,
and stern punishment for serious crimes.
We believe big government should not be blindly trusted.
But unlike most right-wing leaders, we mean it.
Like America's left-wingers, we believe in
equal treatment under law,
war as a last (not first) resort,
and sensible stewardship of natural resources.
We believe big business should not be blindly trusted.
But unlike most left-wing leaders, we mean it.
Like libertarians, we believe it's wrong and reprehensible to arrest people for what they think, believe, look like, wear, eat, smoke, drink, inhale, inject, or otherwise do to themselves.
But unlike many libertarians, we're not obsessed with the gold standard, we don't believe incorporation is humanity's highest achievement, and we don't believe everything in life comes down to dollars and cents. We've read and enjoyed Ayn Rand's novels, but we understand that they're works of fiction.
We're skeptical, and we're sick of so-called 'journalists' who aren't skeptical at all.
A reader asks, what are our solutions?
We propose no solutions except common sense, which is never common. We like the principles of democracy, and the ideals broadly described as 'American'. The US Constitution is a fine and workable framework for solutions, when it's actually read and thoughtfully understood by intelligent statesmen and women. So, no manifestos from us. We don't dream that big, and if there's one thing the world doesn't need it's yet another manifesto.
Our suggestion is: think.
A fact-based instead of faith-based approach leads to solutions for most of the recurring issues of our time, from abortion to global climate change, pollution to universal health care, careful but real regulation of industry and economy, hunger, war, terror, human rights for humans not for corporations, science not religious doctrine in public schools, equal protection and prosecution under law, etc. Approach problems without glorifying stupidity, without demonizing intelligence, and answers usually come into focus.
These pages are published by Harry and Helen Highwater, happily married low-income nom de plumes and rabble-rousers from Madison, Wisconsin (with a few friends scattered around the world helping out).
We try to spotlight news that hasn't gotten enough (or appropriate) attention in American media, along with our opinions and yours.
We bang our keyboards against the wall, because it doesn't hurt as much as banging our heads.
Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several states as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution. viz: Articles in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress and Ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution. The First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The Second Amendment
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
The Third Amendment
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
The Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
The Fifth Amendment
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
The Sixth Amendment
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
The Seventh Amendment
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
The Eighth Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
The Ninth Amendment
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
The Tenth Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
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"A mind-blowing mix of fact and fantasy, hard science and well-grounded speculation, with
concrete how-to info to top it all off -- resulting in some of the best and strangest stuff
on Earth..."
Of course not. Nobody will know the answers until there's an open and honest investigation.
But anyone courageous enough to think can see that the pertinent questions for any serious "investigation" were never asked, let alone answered, by the official investigators.
