The First Republican

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Monday February 18, 2008 · 4:25 AM PST

2008/02/18 · 04:25

Contrary to popular opinion, George W. Bush isn't the first 'unitary executive' by any means. Several presidents have found the Constitution an inconvenient impediment and sought expanded power, always with the best of intentions.

You know where that road leads.

To understand something of the Republican party, we need a little of the backstory. One can draw a symbolic line from Alexander Hamilton, to Henry Clay and his 'American System', briefly through William Henry Harrison (who died a month after taking office) and to the collapse of the Whig party in 1856.

Come with me to 1860 ...

US2oz

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Saturday September 22, 2007 · 11:00 PM PDT

2007/09/22 · 23:00

I wrote a comment in DJ13Francis diary and decided it was worth turning into a diary of my own. :-)

The comment I replied to, There are still birds, a nice riff off the original diary, included the phrase that became my title. Let us begin.

Those aren't birds, friend ...

They look like neocon vultures to me.

It is not fear to take pessimistic measures for an uncertain scenario of economy. I've been trying to get this message through to my daughter-in-law in Montreal.

My advice certainly includes have a well-stocked pantry, if not more. But the transition period could well be brief, yet very problematic. Thus, I told Patty: Hide $100 from yourself and everyone else, forget about it. Otherwise, you wake up one morning, the banks are shut, ATMs won't work, your pockets are empty, the pantry bare, little gas in the car. Et cetera.

Her reply re money was, never have any extra. But today, on IRC chat, she was talking about an Ebay auction, a ring she thought was 'nice'.

Please turn the page

US2oz

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Sunday August 12, 2007 · 6:03 AM PDT

2007/08/12 · 06:03

About last October I started taking note of suspicious clues surrounding the American housing bubble. None of these that I saw were in the mainstream media. Rather, it was like working a jigsaw puzzle: looking at miscellaneous comments in alternative sources, finding "this piece with goes with that", and so on.

Now, after reading countless hundreds of articles on the housing bubble, and comparing it to the leadup to the Great Depression, which my parents and I lived through, I still find the MSM lacking.

Here's why:

US2oz

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Sunday July 29, 2007 · 6:16 AM PDT

2007/07/29 · 06:16

Four men wrongfully convicted of murder, false testimony from a hit man informant for the Feebs, the real killer protected, the 1965 convictions overturned now, and the largest penalty ever ruled.

Sounds like a blockbuster thriller. Great piece of fiction from some major writer -- only it's a true story that just unfolded.

Read on ...

US2oz

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Tuesday July 24, 2007 · 6:58 PM PDT

2007/07/24 · 18:58

This might also be an answer to "why they hate us" and it's pretty grim.

What I have posted here are comments by Dr Maryam, an Irak children's doctor on a liveblog recently on Firedoglake. It was quite lengthy and hard to follow after the fact. I extracted Dr Maryam's statements and in some cases, included the question asked to keep things in context. Otherwise, each paragraph is a separate entry.

Continue on ...

US2oz

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Wednesday July 18, 2007 · 2:27 AM PDT

2007/07/18 · 02:27

Recently, my neighbour, the Frenchman, mentioned the movie "Seven Days in May". The plot of the thriller dealt with a military coup d'etat in America. And that reminded me of "Dr. Strangelove", a black comedy about sociopaths such as we've come to know in recent years.

Musing on such matters in the warp and weft of current events, I plucked several loose threads:

US2oz

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Thursday July 12, 2007 · 4:14 PM PDT

2007/07/12 · 16:14

Say what?!

Friends, it's another game of Connect the Dots. If you've noticed your food prices have climbed over 3% recently, you may have wondered why. The price of gas was obvious, all things considered. But goodness, what does anthropocentric Global Warming (aGW from here on) have to do with it? And the War on Drugs (WoD)?

Follow this yellow brick road.

US2oz

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Monday July 02, 2007 · 6:26 PM PDT

2007/07/02 · 18:26

Part Two: 2005

Marion Campbell Elkhorne
17 November 1946 – 29 August 2005
In memoriam

Imagine having an emergency operation ten days before Christmas. Then you learn it was five hours on the table during which you had a heart attack. They tell you, "We didn't think you'd make it!"

But Marion did, too stubborn to give up.

And a CT scan was the next step, just checking. Oh. "There are secondaries in the liver. Many spots. Inoperable." The liver can regenerate but not if it's been Swiss cheesed. Next step is to consult the oncologist.

See ya on the flip side ... warning! this is a very long diary ...

US2oz

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Sunday June 17, 2007 · 4:21 PM PDT

2007/06/17 · 16:21

OK, this is my first diary. Now, as an American living in Australia, I know both similarities and differences in comparitive medical systems. From a personal perspective, it hardly matters.

The History of a Cancer Patient
from the first mistake to the final outcome

Marion Campbell Elkhorne
17 November 1946 – 29 August 2005
In memoriam

This story needs to be told. I've tried twice before to begin it; maybe this time, after 18 months, it will get finished. If language and quiet rage upset you, turn away now. If you continue, do not expect objectivity. By the time you finish, I think you will see it is not possible.

RSS

The First Republican

Of rampant survivalist-laden fear

Sub-primal Scream

The Just Us Department

A Voice from Irak

7 Days in May Be

Gas and Food Prices, Climate Change, and the War on Drugs

History of a Cancer Patient - Concluded

History of a Cancer Patient