“Super Power” is nothing more than a polite euphemism for a nuclear armed imperialistic bully that is growing progressively more paranoid with each passing day all the while deepening it’s delusional belief in it’s “exceptionalism” and devinely inspired destiny to be the savior of christian civilization. Domestically, on the other hand, America is morally incontinent and showing troubling signs of dementia as concerns it’s ability to meet it’s most basic daily self-care needs.

For once, and this frightening, I agree with GRYMie. Olberman was out of line in pointing out Bristol’s seemingly hypocritical behavior. If she is, as she claims, sincerely working to help other teens avoid teen pregnancy, then she is to be commended, but if she is only attempting to be absolved from her stigma that’s a different matter. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt; I have nothing against Bristol, after all kids don’t have the option of choosing their parents. They do have some choice when choosing they’re in-laws and Levi has admitted that he seriously screwed up in that respect.

I don’t give Levi much credibility either, the whole bunch seem to be dysfunctional in the extreme, so much for the latest episode of the Wasilla Valley P.T.A.

ITW,

Your hate-filled, bigoted, nimrod hero has shown his true colors once again. 

Keith Olbermann’s small-minded childish rant against Bristol Palin, naming her “Worst Person In The World” for speaking out for abstinence, is the worst sort of hate and divisiveness. 

While I don’t know much about Bristol Palin I love her smack-down of MSNBC’s resident bigot.

“Accusing me of hypocrisy is by now, an old canard. What Mr. Olbermann lacks in originality he makes up for with insincere incredulity. Mr. Olbermann fails to understand that in order to have credibility as a spokesperson, it sometimes takes a person who has made mistakes. Parents warn their children about the mistakes they made so they are not repeated. Former gang members travel to schools to educate teenagers about the risks of gang life. Recovered addicts lecture to others about the risks of alcohol and drug abuse. And yes, a teen mother talks about the benefits of preventing teen pregnancy. I have never claimed to be perfect. If that makes me the “worst person in the world” to Mr. Olbermann, then I must apologize for not being absolutely faultless like he undoubtedly must be. To Mr. Olbermann let me say this: you can attack me all you want. But you will not stop me from getting my message out about teen pregnancy prevention. And one day, if you ever have a daughter, you may change your mind about me.”

Olbermann is a sorry excuse for a human being.  Truly and Idiot!

When, ITW?  When will you see?

ITW - “The only danger I pose is that your lies and obfuscations are revealed and that nobody will fall for them.”

-

More crap?  Do you know nothing else?

On this, so-called, progressive Web space most will dismiss my facts and opinions.  That is a given.  But you know as well as I do that my facts are always tangible and almost always easily verifiable.  That angers you tremendously and leaves you rhetorically impotent.

-

I remain hopeful that you’ll one day be able to tamp down your hatred and petty bigotries.  What you do is needless and dangerous.

It´s hard out there for a super power, OR IS IT, It´s a
hard on for the superpowers. Nice to have proof of what
we thought already, proof is in the pudding right soupy
sales, The soldiers are High, the officers are drunk
and the state department is on Prozac with sleeping
pills, ONLY JOKING, IS HILORY´s mantra. Imagine your
boy or girl dieing for these GOONS, and making your
kids kill others, and you taxpayer pay them to kill
your kids. Julian has the courage, brains and humanity,
to do the RIGHT thing expose the lies, expose the
killings, SHOW IT ALL AND HEAL YOURSELF AMERICA.

Further, from Salon.com Greenwald on “The Moral Standards of Wikileaks critics.”  In the article, Matt Yglesias (12/1) has this to say:
  “I want again to really encourage everyone to read this great analysis by The Economist’s Democracy in America, which includes this:
“‘I suspect that there is no scheme of government oversight that will not eventually come under the indirect control of the generals, spies, and foreign-service officers it is meant to overse.Organisations such as WikiLeaks, which are philosophically opposed to state secrecy and which operate as much as is possible outside the global nation-state system, may be the best we can hope for in the way of promoting the climate of transparency and accountability necessary for authentically liberal democracy. Some folks ask, Who elected Julian Assange? The answer is nobody did, which is, ironically, why WikiLeaks is able to improve the quality of our democracy. Of course, those jealously protective of the privileges of unaccountable state power will tell us that people will die if we can read their email, but so what? Different people, maybe more people, will die if we can’t.’”

The incredible hypocrisy revealed is also one of the as-yet-unnamed embarrassments that make diplomacy as it is today “hard out there”—whatever that means.

For example, “Those Chinese Muslims, who have been cleared of any terrorist involvement, remain a sore point. U.S. officials fear the men could face political persecution if they are sent home to China.”  Fancy a U.S. hard-hearted enough to put guys through torture, then softening up and fearing that upon their release, they will “face political persecution” if they are sent home. So much for moral consciences.
  Needless to say, if single jeopardy had been avoided (renounced), then double jeopardy would not have popped into the equation.
  It should be remembered that until such double-think is revealed it can’t be prevented.  In a very real way, Julian Assange has not only exposed the rot at the top, but has handed us a lap-full of clean-up work to do.  That is—if we have the guts and the smarts to do it.

Go Right Young Man, December 1 at 3:26 am Link to this comment

What you do is needless and potentially very dangerous.
******************

The only danger I pose is that your lies and obfuscations are revealed and that nobody will fall for them.

For YOU that’s a very great danger as it removes your purpose for posting here: To create confusion via propaganda.

Like a cancer, the rot would start internally…..

Compare this article with the one Amy Goodman wrote on the same subject.

Amy:  Perspective of someone who is digging for truth.

Robinson:  Perspective of someone who is rolling in the dirt. 

Why again does Truthdig publish Mr. Robinson? 

The day he apologizes to Tiger Woods for pulling a train on him when Tiger was in the public Puritan pillory is the day I’ll start taking the esteemed Mr. Robinson seriously.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RenfairePillory.jpg)

ITW,

What you do is needless and potentially very dangerous.

Alan MacDonald, - “Maybe you should have read my post before engaging me in debate.’ ‘As I clearly posited, there are no nation state.  There is a ruling-elite global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE which hides behind the facade of the former nation-state called America.

-

I read your previous post in it’s entirety.  However, I stopped reading your last post after the first two paragraphs.  Repeating yourself doesn’t further your position.

-

As you clearly posited?  You think much of yourself.  So much so that you failed to fully understand that I completely disagree with your EMPIRE view of the globe.  A vision of the United States at the center of the universe.  In my reply I could not have been more clear.  I believe it to be a colossal waste of you’re time chasing phantoms.

-

At the risk of sounding immodest; my almost eight years in Iran, eight months in Jordan, three years in Israel and three years working/moving across Europe has taught me how erratic and dynamic the globe is.  The closest thing to top down organization that I have witnessed comes in the form of the “Top Five” members of the U. N. Security Counsel.  China, Russia, The U.S., Britain and France.  Often these members are diametrically opposed to each other e.g., businessman in China are at odds with businessmen in Britain, Taiwan, the U.S., Mexico and Turkey.  Add to that Russia and it’s far reaching spheres of market influence(s).  Add to that opposing militaries - Denying the very existence of these Nation States is not realistic.

I have learned that most nations are proud and fiercely independent while balancing themselves to live within the context of the umbrella of the Security Counsel.

Now repeating myself.  There is no “Them” pulling the levers.  The globe is chaotic and dynamic.  You are not at the center of the universe.

Good luck to you.

ROFLMAO!  Two of a kind, both totally devoid of reality, sluggin’ it out!

‘Go Right Young Man’ you responded to my post by saying, “There are several dozen Nation States that will see you only as the typical arrogant American believing the universe revolves around North American borders.”

Maybe you should have read my post before engaging me in debate.

As I clearly posited, there are no nation state.  There is a ruling-elite global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE which hides behind the facade of the former nation-state called America.

The old boarders of the faded nation-state called America is certainly the nominal headquarters/nerve center of this globally integrated ruling-elite EMPIRE—- though former nation-states like the UK, Israel,and others are likewise used as a facade by portions of that globally integrated ruling-elite for like purposes of disguise, political control, military resources, etc.

The real world is a globally integrated EMPIRE of the ruling-elites in many former nation-states, from which they coordinate financial looting and contrived militarist exploitations and faux threats to keep the citizens of those various former nation-states divided and confusedly fearful of other so-called countries, and leverage (as they see advantageous) the patriotic instincts of various manipulated populations.

My dear young confused man, history does not run backwards to some 19th century version of multi-polar nation-states and wannabe Empires—- although don’t be too hard on yourself, as some dolt on TV propaganda this weekend said the same as you. 

No the forward projection of the arc of history for the 21st century greatly differs based on what the ruling-elites learned from the 19th and particularly 20th century, while wastefully fighting amongst nation-state based empires.  That’s as old as TVland reruns.

Now it IS a unified (or quickly unifying) single global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE, aligned against those 6 billion deceived working/middle-class people who still think they are Americans, British, Germans, Israelis, etc.

However, I do ascribe to your insistence that the “Multitude” of people do have to confront this global EMPIRE of the ruling-elite—- and that is precisely what I suggested and you need to understand.

Best,
Alan

Alan MacDonald, - “It’s not Superpower(s) plural, but Superpower singular.”

-

Here’s the thing.  China and Russia; for example, along with those in their respective near and near-afar regions, don’t entirely agree with you.  There are several dozen Nation States that will see you only as the typical arrogant American believing the universe revolves around North American borders. - Highly offensive to the majority of Six Billion people.

It’s not important that you agree with me.  It is important, however, that you fully understand that I represent the overwhelming majority.  You are the one on the outer-most fringe of the globe’s populations.

You may believe that all are hapless victims against the evil capitalist pigs, however, you would be looking only within the context of your own comfortable narrative.  In other words; the world, to most people, is a great deal larger, and much more complicated, than your simple MIC/corporatist conspiracy theories have lead you to believe.

There is no “Them” pulling the levers.  You’re wasting a life in chasing phantoms.

Good luck with that.  Keep right on writing and talking while others do the actual lifting and getting things done.

****************

In a nut shell, these leaks are more damaging, so
to speak, for those who wish for the american
public, or the dumbstream so gullibly willing to
take the mainstream media’s versions of reality,
to NOT know what they have been up to and
especially in the corporate hegemonic areas. It is
more like opening up the closed secret doors of
corporate america. Well, nigh time to air all that
dirty laundry, it just remains to be seen if there is
any law enforcement and justice system willing to
act on some of this that really needs the attention
it deserves by law and order in this country.
Unfortunately, law and justice in this country,
thanks to the scotus, is just another bought and
paid for branch of the corporate states of
america.

As ‘Go Right Young Man’ says, Eugene has finally seen the ‘right’ way, which has delighted the Right Young Man, and certainly the hard-right conservative corporatist plutocracy that seems to have helped Eugene ‘change’ what he sees, and probably ‘hope’ that seeing the ‘right’ things the way the ‘right’ wants him to will lead to the ‘right’ style of retirement income for Eugene.

But, Eugene, even your title ‘Tough Times for Superpowers” is wrong on two scores:

1. It’s not Superpower(s) plural, but Superpower singular.

2.  It’s not eve “Tough Times for Superpower”, but rather “Tough Times for EMPIRE” that the Wikileaks disclosures are causing——and will continue to increasing cause for this ruling-elite global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE that merely hides behind the facade of its TWO-Party ‘Vichy’ sham of democracy (with the aid of its equally ‘Vichy’ corporatist media whores, like the Post).

The issue is not one of \“State Secrets\” being disclosed to foreign governments, but the far bigger problem of \“EMPIRE secrets\” being clearly seen by Americans at home.

It seems to me that all the tremendous angst, consternation, and difficulty of the US in messaging, dealing and explaining what is coming out from Wikileaks really does not have anything to do concerns about the normal \“roughness’, candor, or embarrassment of explaining the supposed foreign ‘damage’ of how normal diplomacy works, but rather the shock of American citizens at home seeing how an EMPIRE conducts global policy.

If the leaked information contains what I strongly think that it will clearly reveal, the real danger that ‘our’ (sic) government is fearing is that of how average American citizens will react to seeing that their own supposed government is acting like an EMPIRE with the rest of the world——and that the American people will realize that they have been being lied to for decades, and that their government, far from acting like a normal democracy (or democratic republic) has been acting like an Empire and IS an Empire.

That’s the real threat that has all of the politicians from both ‘Vichy’ parties, and their professional bureaucratic and technocratic underlings, and more importantly the ruling-elite of this previously well hidden global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE posing as the nation called America nervous as bankers in church——that the people will now see them as phonies, shills, pimps, and treasonous slugs for an Empire whose disguise is now coming off.

Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine

PS. So, Eugene has certainly taken a dive in the ‘right’ tank!

As ‘Go Right Young Man’ says, Eugene has finally seen the ‘right’ way, which has delighted the Right Young Man, and certainly the hard-right conservative corporatist plutocracy that seems to have helped Eugene ‘change’ what he sees, and probably ‘hope’ that seeing the ‘right’ things the way the ‘right’ wants him to will lead to the ‘right’ style of retirement income for Eugene.

But, Eugene, even your title ‘Tough Times for Superpowers” is wrong on two scores:

1. It’s not Superpower(s) plural, but Superpower singular.

2.  It’s not eve “Tough Times for Superpower”, but rather “Tough Times for EMPIRE” that the Wikileaks disclosures are causing——and will continue to increasing cause for this ruling-elite global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE that merely hides behind the facade of its TWO-Party ‘Vichy’ sham of democracy (with the aid of its equally ‘Vichy’ corporatist media whores, like the Post).

The issue is not one of \“State Secrets\” being disclosed to foreign governments, but the far bigger problem of \“EMPIRE secrets\” being clearly seen by Americans at home.

It seems to me that all the tremendous angst, consternation, and difficulty of the US in messaging, dealing and explaining what is coming out from Wikileaks really does not have anything to do concerns about the normal \“roughness’, candor, or embarrassment of explaining the supposed foreign ‘damage’ of how normal diplomacy works, but rather the shock of American citizens at home seeing how an EMPIRE conducts global policy.

If the leaked information contains what I strongly think that it will clearly reveal, the real danger that ‘our’ (sic) government is fearing is that of how average American citizens will react to seeing that their own supposed government is acting like an EMPIRE with the rest of the world——and that the American people will realize that they have been being lied to for decades, and that their government, far from acting like a normal democracy (or democratic republic) has been acting like an Empire and IS an Empire.

That’s the real threat that has all of the politicians from both ‘Vichy’ parties, and their professional bureaucratic and technocratic underlings, and more importantly the ruling-elite of this previously well hidden global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE posing as the nation called America nervous as bankers in church——that the people will now see them as phonies, shills, pimps, and treasonous slugs for an Empire whose disguise is now coming off.

Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine

—With understatement, the cable describes “one of our major challenges in Afghanistan: how to fight corruption and connect the people to their government, when the key government officials are themselves corrupt.”—

Ah yes, now if only we could get a hold of that one here at home.  Those dirty corrupt Afghanis!

“what we’ve see thus far shows that post-Cold War rumors of American global hegemony are vastly overstated.’ - Eugene Robinson

-

FINALLY Eugene.  Finally you see a much larger, much more complicated, world before you.  This recent revelation of yours must have come to you as suddenly as a smack in the face.

Welcome to the real and larger world Mr. Robinson.  The world of individual and independent nation states.  Not unlike every grouping of human beings on the planet.

Now you’ll have to revise everything you’ve ever said and written about the relationships the U.S. has around the globe.  There is no ONE nation or group pulling the levers or dictating the behaviors of Six Billion people.

The spin seems to be to paint much of this as just gossip. Of course, it isn’t, not when Hillary’s been ordering spying, stealing credit card numbers, and attempting to obtain biometrics on UN officials.
Can’t wait to read the spin early next year when the next leak comes out on a major U.S. bank. I imagine their damage control will be: “Don’t worry your pretty heads about all those numbers. It’s just too complicated!”

Leave it to Eugene Robinson to dismiss this document dump while it’s hardly one day old.. and in the first few lines of his commentary!

Funny that the administration (and by extension the Pentagon) he apologizes for are calling for the heads of those who leaked all this worthless locker room gossip.

Lucky for us all, some people are looking at the information and connecting the dots..

Example: http://harpers.org/archive/2010/11/hbc-90007831

These could be exciting times.

Adios!

Okay, a real dumb question.

Where is Julian right now?

Don’t know?

Ah.

So, HIS secrets are okay, but other people’s secrets aren’t.

This guy’s okay because he’s our oligarch. Got it.