thegente

You hit the nail on the head here Jim..."Once the masses realize how they were played"... Reminds me of the old Chinese proverb/curse: May you live in interesting times....

Great story Jim...makes one think! Yep, land, resources, and riches, LONG before religion was a factor.

Hi Dive, I think once they start the austerity in the US to keep the banks propped up, banks grabbing people's cash, heavier capitol controls, and when your ATM card stops working and the bank will only allow you to take $10 a day out, that may be when people will start to notice things are much worse than they thought. This has already been happening all over Europe, and the problem is that most Americans still believe that everything is OK, and that things that I mentioned above, "only happen over there, NEVER in America". The banks are connected globally, and WAY over-leveraged thanks to their derivatives scheme. Once one bank goes into default, THEY ALL will. That's why the IMF is trying so hard to keep Greece in debt slavery and austerity. Once SHTF and Greece defaults, it's game over for the global ponzi and the elites gooses will be the first to be cooked and they know it. But, like I said, it's hard to convince folks that either can't or won't face reality. We should start taking notes from the Dutch, the just burned up all the tax collectors vehicles: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-06-04/danes-are-revolting-tax-administration-set-fire http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-06-04/danes-are-revolting-tax-administration-set-fire Yes Jim, agreed. That is one of the reasons I believe they keep trying to pass internet control bills under the guise of "copyright protection" and "terrorism"...They just can't keep a lid on any of their shenanigans any longer, like Divemaster was saying earlier, and they are desperate. In my mind, they've already lost the battle they just don't know it yet. Human spirit will always overcome tyranny.

BINGO Jim!! The lack of the ability to connect dots, hypothesize, and think critically are a thing of the past for most Americans. Even when faced with hard facts, evidence and truth, most still have the herd mentality, start spouting government, MSM rhetoric and talking points, or just simply stick their heads back in the sand. More and more are slowly waking up though, I have had a number of friends who, within the last year or so, have finally seen through the phony two-party left/right facade, and are finally seeing who the real enemies are.. Let's hope more and more will before it's all a total loss. Always appreciate your comments Jim, have a good afternoon bud...

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-06-03/systemic-corruption-has-destroyed-america Systemic Corruption Has Destroyed America Submitted by George Washington on 06/03/2015 11:53 -0400 8.5% Alan Greenspan Bank of America Bank of America Bitcoin Commodity Futures Trading Commission Corruption Department of Justice FBI Federal Reserve Federal Reserve Bank General Electric Iraq Lehman Main Street Monsanto New Orleans Obama Administration Quantitative Easing Rating Agencies SPY TARP Tim Geithner Treasury Department Washington D.C. White House World Bank inShare It's been less than a month since we posted on this topic. But sadly, there are already many new entries. The Cop Is On the Take Government corruption has become rampant: Senior SEC employees spent up to 8 hours a day surfing porn sites instead of cracking down on financial crimes Nuclear Regulatory Commission workers watch porn instead of cracking down on unsafe conditions at nuclear plantsAn EPA employee who downloaded 7,000 porn files, then spent 2-6 hours each workday watching porn. He’s been doing it for years … but the EPA never fired him. Another EPA employee harassed 16 women co-workers … and then was promoted to a higher-paying job with more responsibility, where he harassed more women NSA spies pass around homemade sexual videos and pictures they’ve collected from spying on the American people NSA employees have also been caught using their mass surveillance powers to spy on love interests, such as girlfriends, obsessions or former wives … and to eavesdrop on American soldiers’ intimate conversations with their wives back home. And see this (“routinely shared salacious or tantalizing phone calls that had been intercepted” … “‘Hey, check this out … there’s good phone sex’”)An employee of the Transportation Security Administration admitted that TSA agents share – and laugh at – nude scans of passengers. Another TSA employee says that screeners make excuses so they can grope and fondle travelers that they’re attracted to (maybe that’s why the TSA failed to find mock explosives or banned weapons going through checkpoints in 95% of trials)Investigators from the Treasury’s Office of the Inspector General found that some of the regulator’s employees surfed erotic websites, hired prostitutes and accepted gifts from bank executives … instead of actually working to help the economy The Minerals Management Service – the regulator charged with overseeing BP and other oil companies to ensure that oil spills don’t occur – was riddled with “a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity”, which included “sex with industry contacts”Agents for the Drug Enforcement Agency had dozens of sex parties with prostitutes hired by the drug cartels they were supposed to stop (they also received money, gifts and weapons from drug cartel members)Drug Enforcement agents also RAN New Jersey’s sleaziest strip club – using illegal, undocumented girls – which included a prostitution ring Pentagon employees used government credit cards to pay for adult “escorts” (i.e. prostitutes) and to gamble Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Secret Service investigating Bitcoin money laundering extorted and stole over $1 million in Bitcoin The IRS gave promotions to employees who were themselves tax cheats The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has conspired with big banks to manipulate commodities prices for decades The government-sponsored rating agencies committed massive fraud (and see this)The Treasury department allowed banks to “cook their books” Regulators knew of and allowed the use of debt-hiding accounting tricks by the big banksThe SEC has been shredding Wall Street documents for decades to help the big banks cover up their fraud The Secretary of Treasury (Tim Geithner) was complicit in Lehman’s accounting fraud, (and see this)The former chief accountant for the SEC says that Bernanke and Paulson broke the law and should be prosecuted The government knew about mortgage fraud a long time ago. For example, the FBI warned of an “epidemic” of mortgage fraud in 2004. However, the FBI, DOJ and other government agencies then stood down and did nothing. See this and this. For example, the Federal Reserve turned its cheek and allowed massive fraud, and the SEC has repeatedly ignored accounting fraud (a whistleblower also “gift-wrapped and delivered” the Madoff scandal to the SEC, but they refused to take action). Indeed, Alan Greenspan took the position that fraud could never happen Paulson and Bernanke falsely stated that the big banks receiving Tarp money were healthy, when they were not. The Treasury Secretary also falsely told Congress that the bailouts would be used to dispose of toxic assets … but then used the money for something else entirelyA high-level Federal Reserve official says quantitative easing is “the greatest backdoor Wall Street bailout of all time” Bailout funds were not used to help Main Street or the little guy. Instead, the government threw money at “several billionaires and tens of multi-millionaires”, as well as hedge funds, giant corporations like McDonald’s and Harley-Davidson, and numerous foreign banks, including Gaddafi’s Libyan bank, the Arab Banking Corp. of Bahrain, and the Banks of Bavaria, Korea and Mexico The non-partisan Government Accountability Office calls the Fed corrupt and riddled with conflicts of interest. Nobel prize-winning economist Joe Stiglitz says the World Bank would view any country which had a banking structure like the Fed as being corrupt and untrustworthy. The former vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said said he worried that the failure of the government to provide more information about its rescue spending could signal corruption. “Nontransparency in government programs is always associated with corruption in other countries, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be here,” he saidArguably, both the Bush and Obama administrations broke the law by refusing to close insolvent banks Congress may have covered up illegal tax breaks for the big banksCongress recently told the courts that Congress can’t be investigated for insider trading Congress has exempted itself from the healthcare rules it insists everyone else followState lawmakers are routinely wined and dined by corporate lobbyists who literally TELL THEM what laws to passNorth Carolina passed a law LEGALIZING PROSTITUTES for state lawmakers. Police have been busted framing numerous innocent people Systemic corruption at the FBI lab led to the EXECUTION of innocent people Police raise money by handing out tickets … and they’re given quotas by their bosses. And see this Law enforcement also grabs massive amounts of people’s cash, cars and property … even when people aren’t CHARGED with – let alone convicted of – any crime Private prisons are huge profit-making centers for giant companies, and private prison corporations obtain quotas from the government, where the government guarantees a certain number of prisoners at any given timeThe government has gone to great lengths to cover up nuclear accidents, radiation dangers, and unsafe conditions at nuclear plantsThe government made sure that false claims were made about the amount of oil spilled by BP in the Gulf The government covered up the health risks to New Orleans residents associated with polluted water from hurricane Katrina, and FEMA covered up the cancer risk from the toxic trailers which it provided to refugees of the hurricane. The Centers for Disease Control – the lead agency tasked with addressing disease in America – covered up lead poisoning in children in the Washington, D.C. area (the Centers for Disease Control has also been outed as receiving industry funding)The government’s response to the outbreak of mad cow disease was simple: it STOPPED TESTING for mad cow, and PREVENTED cattle ranchers and meat processors from VOLUNTARILY testing their own cows (and see this and this)In response to new studies showing the substantial dangers of genetically modified foods, the government passed legislation more or less PUSHING IT onto our plates When one of the most respected radiologists in America – the former head of the radiology department at Yale University – attempted to blow the whistle on the fact that the FDA had approved a medical device manufactured by General Electric because it put out massive amounts of radiation, the FDA installed spyware to record his private emails and surfing activities (including installing cameras to snap pictures of his screen), and then used the information to smear him and other whistleblowersIn an effort to protect Bank of America from the threatened Wikileaks expose of wrongdoing – the Department of Justice told Bank of America to a hire a specific hardball-playing law firm to assemble a team to take down WikiLeaks (and see this)The Bush White House worked hard to smear CIA officers, bloggers and anyone else who criticized the Iraq warThe FBI smeared top scientists who pointed out the numerous holes in its anthrax case. Indeed, the head of the FBI’s investigation agrees that corruption was rampantSenior judges in Pennsylvania have pleaded guilty to falsely convicting and imprisoning hundreds of YOUTHS (they got kickbacks from the prisons). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to hear a case regarding the corrupt judges. A month later – only after the judges confessed to criminal wrongdoing – did the Supreme Court change its mind and take any interest The government has intentionally whipped up hysteria about terrorism for cynical political purposes. For example, former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge admitted that he was pressured to raise terror alerts to help the president win reelectionWarmongers in the U.S. government knowingly and intentionally lied us into a war of aggression in Iraq. The former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – the highest ranking military officer in the United States – said that the Iraq war was “based on a series of lies”. The same is true in Libya and other wars. Indeed, the U.S. has often launched or proposed launching wars based upon FALSE PREMISES When the American government got caught assassinating innocent civilians, it changed its definition of “enemy combatants” to include all young men – between the ages of say 15 and 35 – who happen to be in battle zones. When it got busted killing kids with drones, it changed the definition again to include kids as “enemy combatants” $8.5 TRILLION dollars in taxpayer money doled out by Congress to the Pentagon since 1996 has NEVER been accounted for. The military wastes and “loses” trillions of dollars. And Congress pushes expensive boondoggles that our generals say are unnecessary and unhelpful … because it’s pork for their districtThe government lied when it said it doesn’t conduct mass surveillance on Americans, and then lied again when it said that spying was aimed at protecting America against terrorists (Why do so many in Congress support NSA spying? Because NSA contractors give them money)The government also lied when it said America doesn’t torture (and see this), and then lied once again when it said torture was aimed at protecting America against terrorists The government protects criminal wrongdoing by prosecuting whistleblowers. The Obama administration has sentenced whistleblowers to dozens of times the jail time of all other presidents COMBINED). And the government has framed whistleblowers with false evidence The government treats journalists who report on government corruption as CRIMINALS OR TERRORISTS. And it goes to great lengths to smear them. For example, when USA Today reporters busted the Pentagon for illegally targeting Americans with propaganda, the Pentagon launched a SMEAR CAMPAIGN against the reportersThe intelligence services BLACKMAIL people in both government and the private sector with evidence of homosexuality, nude pictures and other information that people want to stop from going publicTerror attacks such as 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing and the Texas shooting all happened because of PERVASIVE CORRUPTION in our intelligence agencies The biggest companies own the D.C. politicians. Indeed, the head of the economics department at George Mason University has pointed out that it is unfair to call politicians “prostitutes”. They are in fact pimps … selling out the American people for a price. Government regulators have become so corrupted and “captured” by those they regulate that Americans know that the cop is on the take. Institutional corruption is killing people’s trust in our government and our institutions. Neither the Democratic or Republican parties represent the interests of the American people. Elections have become nothing but scripted beauty contests, with both parties ignoring the desires of their own bases. Indeed, America is no longer a democracy or republic … it’s officially an oligarchy. And the allowance of unlimited campaign spending allows the oligarchs to purchase politicians more directly than ever. No wonder polls show that the American people say that the system is thoroughly corrupt. Moreover, there are two systems of justice in America … one for the big banks and other fatcats … and one for everyone else. Indeed, Americans have less access to justice than Botswanans … and are more abused by police than Kazakhstanis. Big Corporations Are Also Thoroughly Corrupt But the private sector is no better … for example, the big banks have literally turned into criminal syndicates engaged in systemic fraud. Wall Street and giant corporations are literally manipulating every single market. And the big corporations are cutting corners to make an extra penny … wreaking havoc with their carelessness. For example: Fracking companies dumped 3 billion gallons of highly-toxic waste into California’s drinking water supply. Fracking is polluting water all over the country. A study published in the journal Ground Water predicts that the highly-toxic fluids used in fracking can migrate to aquifers within a few short years. In addition, it is now official that fracking can cause earthquakes. Yet fracking companies are using military psychological operations techniques to discredit opponents (and see this)U.S. military contractors have pocketed huge sums of money earmarked for humanitarian and reconstruction aid. And see this (whistleblowers alerted the government about the looting of Iraq reconstruction funds, but nothing was done) General Electric and other nuclear companies KNEW their designs were faulty and unsafe … but hid that fact for decadesMonsanto has claimed for decades that Roundup is safe, but the World Health Organization just said that it probably causes cancer. Monsanto forbids independent scientists from testing its GMO crops for safety, attacks the computers of people who oppose GMO foods and sue small farmers when Monsanto GMO crops drift onto their fields Big farmers are drenching their crops with Roundup right before harvest … to save a buckBig food companies work hand-in-glove with the government to dish up unhealthy food BP’s criminal negligence led to the giant Gulf oil spill There is systemic corruption among drug companies, scientific journals, university medical departments, and medical groups which set the criteria for diagnosis and treatment(Further examples here, here, here, here and here.) We’ve Forgotten the Lessons of History The real problem is that we need to learn a little history: We’ve known for thousands of years that – when criminals are not punished – crime spreadsWe’ve known for hundreds of years that the failure to punish financial fraud destroys economies, as it destroys all trust in the financial systemWe’ve known for centuries that powerful people – unless held to account – will get together and steal from everyone elseBeyond Partisan Politics Liberals and conservatives tend to blame our country’s problems on different factors … but they are all connected. The real problem is the malignant, symbiotic relationship between big corporations and big government. Average: 4.555555

BINGO...We just need more to wake to that fact. All these supposed "enemies" of "freedom" are mostly conjured hobgoblins to keep the masses in derision and fear, and to impede critical thinking and action. Like you said Jim, the biggest threat to our freedom is the 500 or so puppets in DC acting on banks, corporate and special interests.

My wife and I grow all of our tomatoes, peppers, and garden herbs in the same earth my friend uses. Myself I'm not a pot smoker, but prefer a beer or a cocktail, and I will admit, booze has done WAY more damage to Americans and the world than pot EVER will.

I have a friend who grows it for medical purposes and uses only organic fertilizer, no chemicals whatsoever, just dirt and poop, and earthworm castings. So please, tell me now, how is it "laced"????

Often laced with drugs? Where do you come up with this crap? Yea maybe if you buy it off some corner thug...IT GROWS OUT OF THE EARTH. Did you bother to read ANY of the proceeding comments packed with links and information? And as far as Obama is concerned, he is just another corporate puppet as was Bush, Clinton and Bush's daddy were. The only Islamic threat is the one the govt created to frighten people like yourself in to backing another corporate war.

And it keeps gettin better: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-23/secret-pentagon-report-reveals-us-created-isis-tool-overthrow-syrias-president-assad Secret Pentagon Report Reveals US "Created" ISIS As A "Tool" To Overthrow Syria's President Assad Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/23/2015 20:06 -0400 China FBI France Iran Iraq Israel Joe Biden Judicial Watch Middle East national security Natural Gas None Obama Administration Saudi Arabia Turkey inShare21 From the first sudden, and quite dramatic, appearance of the fanatical Islamic group known as ISIS which was largely unheard of until a year ago, on the world's stage and which promptly replaced the worn out and tired al Qaeda as the world's terrorist bogeyman, we suggested that the "straight to beheading YouTube clip" purpose behind the Saudi Arabia-funded Islamic State was a simple one: use the Jihadists as the vehicle of choice to achieve a political goal: depose of Syria's president Assad, who for years has stood in the way of a critical Qatari natural gas pipeline, one which could dethrone Russia as Europe's dominant - and belligerent - source of energy, reaching an interim climax with the unsuccessful Mediterranean Sea military build up of 2013, which nearly resulted in quasi-world war. The narrative and the plotline were so transparent, even Russia saw right through them. Recall from September of last year: If the West bombs Islamic State militants in Syria without consulting Damascus, LiveLeak reports that the anti-ISIS alliance may use the occasion to launch airstrikes against President Bashar Assad’s forces, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Clearly comprehending that Obama's new strategy against ISIS in Syria is all about pushing the Qatar pipeline through (as was the impetus behind the 2013 intervention push), Russia is pushing back noting that the it is using ISIS as a pretext for bombing Syrian government forces and warning that "such a development would lead to a huge escalation of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa." But it's one thing to speculate; it's something entirely different to have hard proof. And while speculation was rife that just like the CIA-funded al Qaeda had been used as a facade by the US to achieve its own geopolitical and national interests over the past two decades, so ISIS was nothing more than al Qaeda 2.0, there was no actual evidence of just this. That may all have changed now when a declassified secret US government document obtained by the public interest law firm, Judicial Watch, shows that Western governments deliberately allied with al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups to topple Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad. According to investigative reporter Nafeez Ahmed in Medium, the "leaked document reveals that in coordination with the Gulf states and Turkey, the West intentionally sponsored violent Islamist groups to destabilize Assad, despite anticipating that doing so could lead to the emergence of an ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). According to the newly declassified US document, the Pentagon foresaw the likely rise of the ‘Islamic State’ as a direct consequence of the strategy, but described this outcome as a strategic opportunity to “isolate the Syrian regime.” And not just that: as we reported last week, now that ISIS is running around the middle east, cutting people's heads of in 1080p quality and Hollywood-quality (perhaps literally) video, the US has a credible justification to sell billions worth of modern, sophisticated weapons in the region in order to "modernize" and "replenish" the weapons of such US allies as Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iraq. But that the US military-industrial complex is a winner every time war breaks out anywhere in the world (usually with the assistance of the CIA) is clear to everyone by now. What wasn't clear is just how the US predetermined the current course of events in the middle east. Now, thanks to the following declassified report, we have a far better understanding of not only how current events in the middle east came to be, but what America's puppermaster role leading up to it all, was. From Nafeez Ahmed: Secret Pentagon report reveals West saw ISIS as strategic asset Anti-ISIS coalition knowingly sponsored violent extremists to ‘isolate’ Assad, rollback ‘Shia expansion', originally posted in Medium. Hypocrisy The revelations contradict the official line of Western government on their policies in Syria, and raise disturbing questions about secret Western support for violent extremists abroad, while using the burgeoning threat of terror to justify excessive mass surveillance and crackdowns on civil liberties at home. Among the batch of documents obtained by Judicial Watch through a federal lawsuit, released earlier this week, is a US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) document then classified as “secret,” dated 12th August 2012. The DIA provides military intelligence in support of planners, policymakers and operations for the US Department of Defense and intelligence community. So far, media reporting has focused on the evidence that the Obama administration knew of arms supplies from a Libyan terrorist stronghold to rebels in Syria. Some outlets have reported the US intelligence community’s internal prediction of the rise of ISIS. Yet none have accurately acknowledged the disturbing details exposing how the West knowingly fostered a sectarian, al-Qaeda-driven rebellion in Syria. Charles Shoebridge, a former British Army and Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism intelligence officer, said: “Given the political leanings of the organisation that obtained these documents, it’s unsurprising that the main emphasis given to them thus far has been an attempt to embarrass Hilary Clinton regarding what was known about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi in 2012. However, the documents also contain far less publicized revelations that raise vitally important questions of the West’s governments and media in their support of Syria’s rebellion.” The West’s IslamistsThe newly declassified DIA document from 2012 confirms that the main component of the anti-Assad rebel forces by this time comprised Islamist insurgents affiliated to groups that would lead to the emergence of ISIS. Despite this, these groups were to continue receiving support from Western militaries and their regional allies. Noting that “the Salafist [sic], the Muslim Brotherhood, and AQI [al-Qaeda in Iraq] are the major forces driving the insurgency in Syria,” the document states that “the West, Gulf countries, and Turkey support the opposition,” while Russia, China and Iran “support the [Assad] regime.” The 7-page DIA document states that al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the precursor to the ‘Islamic State in Iraq,’ (ISI) which became the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,’ “supported the Syrian opposition from the beginning, both ideologically and through the media.” The formerly secret Pentagon report notes that the “rise of the insurgency in Syria” has increasingly taken a “sectarian direction,” attracting diverse support from Sunni “religious and tribal powers” across the region. In a section titled ‘The Future Assumptions of the Crisis,’ the DIA report predicts that while Assad’s regime will survive, retaining control over Syrian territory, the crisis will continue to escalate “into proxy war.” The document also recommends the creation of “safe havens under international sheltering, similar to what transpired in Libya when Benghazi was chosen as the command centre for the temporary government.” In Libya, anti-Gaddafi rebels, most of whom were al-Qaeda affiliated militias, were protected by NATO ‘safe havens’ (aka ‘no fly zones’). ‘Supporting powers want’ ISIS entityIn a strikingly prescient prediction, the Pentagon document explicitly forecasts the probable declaration of “an Islamic State through its union with other terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria.” Nevertheless, “Western countries, the Gulf states and Turkey are supporting these efforts” by Syrian “opposition forces” fighting to “control the eastern areas (Hasaka and Der Zor), adjacent to Western Iraqi provinces (Mosul and Anbar)”: “… there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist Principality in eastern Syria (Hasaka and Der Zor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran).” The secret Pentagon document thus provides extraordinary confirmation that the US-led coalition currently fighting ISIS, had three years ago welcomed the emergence of an extremist “Salafist Principality” in the region as a way to undermine Assad, and block off the strategic expansion of Iran. Crucially, Iraq is labeled as an integral part of this “Shia expansion.” The establishment of such a “Salafist Principality” in eastern Syria, the DIA document asserts, is “exactly” what the “supporting powers to the [syrian] opposition want.” Earlier on, the document repeatedly describes those “supporting powers” as “the West, Gulf countries, and Turkey.” Further on, the document reveals that Pentagon analysts were acutely aware of the dire risks of this strategy, yet ploughed ahead anyway. The establishment of such a “Salafist Principality” in eastern Syria, it says, would create “the ideal atmosphere for AQI to return to its old pockets in Mosul and Ramadi.” Last summer, ISIS conquered Mosul in Iraq, and just this month has also taken control of Ramadi. Such a quasi-state entity will provide: “… a renewed momentum under the presumption of unifying the jihad among Sunni Iraq and Syria, and the rest of the Sunnis in the Arab world against what it considers one enemy. ISI could also declare an Islamic State through its union with other terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, which will create grave danger in regards to unifying Iraq and the protection of territory.” The 2012 DIA document is an Intelligence Information Report (IIR), not a “finally evaluated intelligence” assessment, but its contents are vetted before distribution. The report was circulated throughout the US intelligence community, including to the State Department, Central Command, the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, FBI, among other agencies. In response to my questions about the strategy, the British government simply denied the Pentagon report’s startling revelations of deliberate Western sponsorship of violent extremists in Syria. A British Foreign Office spokesperson said: “AQ and ISIL are proscribed terrorist organisations. The UK opposes all forms of terrorism. AQ, ISIL, and their affiliates pose a direct threat to the UK’s national security. We are part of a military and political coalition to defeat ISIL in Iraq and Syria, and are working with international partners to counter the threat from AQ and other terrorist groups in that region. In Syria we have always supported those moderate opposition groups who oppose the tyranny of Assad and the brutality of the extremists.” The DIA did not respond to request for comment. Strategic asset for regime-changeSecurity analyst Shoebridge, however, who has tracked Western support for Islamist terrorists in Syria since the beginning of the war, pointed out that the secret Pentagon intelligence report exposes fatal contradictions at the heart of official pronunciations: “Throughout the early years of the Syria crisis, the US and UK governments, and almost universally the West’s mainstream media, promoted Syria’s rebels as moderate, liberal, secular, democratic, and therefore deserving of the West’s support. Given that these documents wholly undermine this assessment, it’s significant that the West’s media has now, despite their immense significance, almost entirely ignored them.” According to Brad Hoff, a former US Marine who served during the early years of the Iraq War and as a 9/11 first responder at the Marine Corps Headquarters in Battalion Quantico from 2000 to 2004, the just released Pentagon report for the first time provides stunning affirmation that: “US intelligence predicted the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), but instead of clearly delineating the group as an enemy, the report envisions the terror group as a US strategic asset.” Hoff, who is managing editor of Levant Report — ?an online publication run by Texas-based educators who have direct experience of the Middle East?—?points out that the DIA document “matter-of-factly” states that the rise of such an extremist Salafist political entity in the region offers a “tool for regime change in Syria.” The DIA intelligence report shows, he said, that the rise of ISIS only became possible in the context of the Syrian insurgency?—?“there is no mention of US troop withdrawal from Iraq as a catalyst for Islamic State’s rise, which is the contention of innumerable politicians and pundits.” The report demonstrates that: “The establishment of a ‘Salafist Principality’ in Eastern Syria is ‘exactly’ what the external powers supporting the opposition want (identified as ‘the West, Gulf Countries, and Turkey’) in order to weaken the Assad government.” The rise of a Salafist quasi-state entity that might expand into Iraq, and fracture that country, was therefore clearly foreseen by US intelligence as likely?—?but nevertheless strategically useful?—?blowback from the West’s commitment to “isolating Syria.” ComplicityCritics of the US-led strategy in the region have repeatedly raised questions about the role of coalition allies in intentionally providing extensive support to Islamist terrorist groups in the drive to destabilize the Assad regime in Syria. The conventional wisdom is that the US government did not retain sufficient oversight on the funding to anti-Assad rebel groups, which was supposed to be monitored and vetted to ensure that only ‘moderate’ groups were supported. However, the newly declassified Pentagon report proves unambiguously that years before ISIS launched its concerted offensive against Iraq, the US intelligence community was fully aware that Islamist militants constituted the core of Syria’s sectarian insurgency. Despite that, the Pentagon continued to support the Islamist insurgency, even while anticipating the probability that doing so would establish an extremist Salafi stronghold in Syria and Iraq. As Shoebridge told me, “The documents show that not only did the US government at the latest by August 2012 know the true extremist nature and likely outcome of Syria’s rebellion”?—?namely, the emergence of ISIS?—?“but that this was considered an advantage for US foreign policy. This also suggests a decision to spend years in an effort to deliberately mislead the West’s public, via a compliant media, into believing that Syria’s rebellion was overwhelmingly ‘moderate.’” Annie Machon, a former MI5 intelligence officer who blew the whistle in the 1990s on MI6 funding of al-Qaeda to assassinate Libya’s former leader Colonel Gaddafi, similarly said of the revelations: “This is no surprise to me. Within individual countries there are always multiple intelligence agencies with competing agendas.” She explained that MI6’s Libya operation in 1996, which resulted in the deaths of innocent people, “happened at precisely the time when MI5 was setting up a new section to investigate al-Qaeda.” This strategy was repeated on a grand scale in the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, said Machon, where the CIA and MI6 were: “… supporting the very same Libyan groups, resulting in a failed state, mass murder, displacement and anarchy. So the idea that elements of the American military-security complex have enabled the development of ISIS after their failed attempt to get NATO to once again ‘intervene’ is part of an established pattern. And they remain indifferent to the sheer scale of human suffering that is unleashed as a result of such game-playing.” Divide and ruleSeveral US government officials have conceded that their closest allies in the anti-ISIS coalition were funding violent extremist Islamist groups that became integral to ISIS. US Vice President Joe Biden, for instance, admitted last year that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkey had funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamist rebels in Syria that metamorphosed into ISIS. But he did not admit what this internal Pentagon document demonstrates?—?that the entire covert strategy was sanctioned and supervised by the US, Britain, France, Israel and other Western powers. The strategy appears to fit a policy scenario identified by a recent US Army-commissioned RAND Corp report. The report, published four years before the DIA document, called for the US “to capitalise on the Shia-Sunni conflict by taking the side of the conservative Sunni regimes in a decisive fashion and working with them against all Shiite empowerment movements in the Muslim world.” The US would need to contain “Iranian power and influence” in the Gulf by “shoring up the traditional Sunni regimes in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan.” Simultaneously, the US must maintain “a strong strategic relationship with the Iraqi Shiite government” despite its Iran alliance. The RAND report confirmed that the “divide and rule” strategy was already being deployed “to create divisions in the jihadist camp. Today in Iraq such a strategy is being used at the tactical level.” The report observed that the US was forming “temporary alliances” with al-Qaeda affiliated “nationalist insurgent groups” that have fought the US for four years in the form of “weapons and cash.” Although these nationalists “have cooperated with al-Qaeda against US forces,” they are now being supported to exploit “the common threat that al-Qaeda now poses to both parties.” The 2012 DIA document, however, further shows that while sponsoring purportedly former al-Qaeda insurgents in Iraq to counter al-Qaeda, Western governments were simultaneously arming al-Qaeda insurgents in Syria. The revelation from an internal US intelligence document that the very US-led coalition supposedly fighting ‘Islamic State’ today, knowingly created ISIS in the first place, raises troubling questions about recent government efforts to justify the expansion of state anti-terror powers. In the wake of the rise of ISIS, intrusive new measures to combat extremism including mass surveillance, the Orwellian ‘prevent duty’ and even plans to enable government censorship of broadcasters, are being pursued on both sides of the Atlantic, much of which disproportionately targets activists, journalists and ethnic minorities, especially Muslims. Yet the new Pentagon report reveals that, contrary to Western government claims, the primary cause of the threat comes from their own deeply misguided policies of secretly sponsoring Islamist terrorism for dubious geopolitical purposes. Why pull your head out of the sand when it's so much more comfortable to go with the rest of the herd?

I read a few articles, and it seems one guy shot his wife, and I read he was on other drugs, one guy was high and fell off a balcony, and another shot and killed himself. What I take away from this is: with the 1st guy, I believe the other drugs were far more likely to affect him in an aggressive manor. The second fella who died, didn't die from the marijuana, he died from hitting the pavement. The last guy who killed himself, didn't die from the pot, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 1st and 3rd individuals clearly had psychological issues, in which the marijuana may or may not have played a part, and should have been seeking help, or at the very least talking to someone about it instead of self-medicating. The 2nd guy falling from the balcony could have done the same thing drunk on alcohol, or a sober as a judge, sometimes accident just happen. While all three are tragic, still, no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose.

Exactly. One is made from chemical like sulfuric acid and red phosphorus, and the other grows in your garden, just like mint, parsley, or basil. I rest my case. Thx Dog

Oh, I've known this for some years 64!! And they're willing to burn the planet to a cinder, rather than just live with the trillions they stole from mankind and live out their days in luxury. They just want to keep controlling and stealing the dirty, greedy, satanic bastards. Here's another good link that details the House of Rothschilds' banking history: http://www.iamthewitness.com/DarylBradfordSmith_Rothschild.htm

Oh, and we already tried Prohibition with alcohol in the 20's, and just look how well THAT worked out. It's what made the Mob an underworld superpower.... Making something illegal won't stop the end user/buyer, all it does is feed the government beast, and make billions for criminal cartels. Even if all of the drugs you mentioned were made legal, how many people including yourself are going to start banging lines of coke everyday, or slamming heroin into their arm? There might be a small spike, but I think most who aren't doing it now, ain't gonna start.

All of the drugs mentioned above are refined to a lethal purity with chemicals. Marijuana is a plant that grows wild that has many health benefits....BIG DIFFERENCE. A media fear campaign, uniformed decision making, along with the fact that tobacco, pharmaceutical and alcohol companies have been lobbying against it for the last century, those are the reasons it has been declared illegal. Alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs kill far more people than illicit drugs like heroin and coke. Alcohol more is a FAR more dangerous drug than marijuana. How many stoners do you know that smoke a few joints and then go home and beat their wives, or kill people in car wrecks? And I've never heard of someone OD'ing on MJ. Maybe they ate too much Taco Bell or Ice Cream and fell asleep on the couch, but that's about the worst of it.... Please do some more research on the subject, I think you will be surprised by what you read. Hope this helps!! A few examples: Benefits of Cannabis: http://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-medical-marijuana-2014-4?op=1 http://www.naturalnews.com/033757_cannabis_oil_cancer_cure.html Pharmaceutical drugs kill more Americans than Heroin and Coke: http://www.businessinsider.com/painkillers-kill-more-americans-than-heroin-and-cocaine-2012-9

Oh I agree...Can you you say Central Bank of Syria, Central Bank of Iran? They just don't want their ponzi scheme to collapse....thx Jim

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-21/isis-controlling-more-half-syria-us-alliances-prepares-pounce With ISIS Controlling "More Than Half Of Syria", The US Prepares To Pounce 05/21/2015 14:53 -0400 inShare2 Just hours after ISIS scored a significant victory in Iraq when it captured the town of Ramadi over the weekend, the first Iraqi town that had been actively defended by the US as opposed to just Iraqi troops, overnight ISIS also captured the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, which the mainstream media promptly concludes was proof that the Islamic State's momentum was growing. Around a third of the 200,000 people living in Palmyra may have fled in the past few days during fighting between government forces and Islamic State militants, the U.N. human rights office said on Thursday. The capture of Palmyra according to the known UK propaganda outlet and distributor of fabricated "chemical attack" tapes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is really just one guy, Abdul Rahman of Coventry, means that ISIS "now controls more than half of Syrian territory." That's not all: according to Reuters, "extending its reach in the region, fighters loyal to the Sunni Muslim group have also consolidated their grip on the Libyan city of Sirte, hometown of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. "ISIL has reportedly been carrying out door-to-door searches in the city, looking for people affiliated with the government. At least 14 civilians are reported to have been executed by ISIL in Palmyra this week," Shamdasani said in emailed comments. Not really, no. But the facts are irrelevant when one needs soundbites. So what is really going on? Simple: all these latest developments and the unexpected and successful ISIS "offensive" is merely another attempt to justify a US land incursion into Iraq (and of course Syria), this time "appealing" to the populace not using fake chemical attack YouTube clips as "evidence", but with a noble crusade to save an ancient cultural artifact. Alas the battle is only just beginning because as Reuters also noted, "the twin successes pile pressure not just on Damascus and Baghdad, but also throw doubt on U.S. strategy to rely almost exclusively on air strikes to defeat Islamic State." The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO describes the site as a historical crossroads between the Roman Empire, India, China and ancient Persia and a testament to the world's diverse heritage. "We may have different beliefs... different views, but we have to protect such incredible vestiges of human history," UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova told Reuters Television. The Observatory's founder Rami Abdulrahman said Islamic State fighters had entered the historical sites by early on Thursday but there were no immediate reports of destruction. "This is the fall of a civilization," Syria's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters. "Human, civilized society has lost the battle against barbarism." Bloomberg adds: Enter a casual strawman: After weeks of fighting, Ramadi’s fall on Sunday delivered the jihadist group control over a strategic highway linking Iraq and Syria, and a haul of weapons abandoned by Iraqi forces. Three days later, the al-Qaeda breakaway group overran Syrian government troops to seize Palmyra, home to the ruins of a 2,000-year-old city that was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world. With the first anniversary of the declaration of its caliphate a month away, the victories put the militants on the front foot at a time when their leaders are seeking to dispel any sense of weakness after recent defeats. In Syria, it now controls half of the country’s territory and most of its oil and gas fields, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based group that monitors the conflict. “The fact Islamic State is still on the offensive is important, and the timing is important,” said Charlie Winter, a researcher at the counter-radicalization group Quilliam Foundation in London. Pushed into retreat, “it loses power and all the things that drive people to join it.” And like that the stage is again set for the following scenario: unwilling to lose any more territory, and face, the Nobel peace-prize winning US president will sit down with his security council in the next few days and decide that, as much as he hates to do it, he will dispatch [X],000 US troops to support the Iraq government in their losing fight with the resurgent ISIS. Troops which will promptly enter Syria and then make sure Assad is quietly eliminated. The group’s supporters are already touting its latest feats, Winter said, posing the question on social media: “Last year it was Mosul, this year it’s Ramadi, and where will it be next year?” Which brings us to a different point: see on the map above how ISIS in Syria is clustered by the border of NATO-member Turkey? There's a reason for that. As Reuters also reports in an exclusive piece, Turkey's state intelligence agency helped deliver arms to parts of Syria under Islamist rebel control during late 2013 and early 2014, according to a prosecutor and court testimony from gendarmerie officers seen by Reuters. As Reuters observes, the witness testimony contradicts Turkey's denials that it sent arms to Syrian rebels and, by extension, contributed to the rise of Islamic State, now a major concern for the NATO member. In other words, a NATO member and a nation very close to the US, has been instrument in the rise of ISIS. Worse, unlike running speculation that ISIS was created by the CIA and funded by the Saudis, there is now documented evidence that ISIS is indeed a "western" creation. More from Reuters: Syria and some of Turkey's Western allies say Turkey, in its haste to see President Bashar al-Assad toppled, let fighters and arms over the border, some of whom went on to join the Islamic State militant group which has carved a self-declared caliphate out of parts of Syria and Iraq. Ankara has denied arming Syria's rebels or assisting hardline Islamists. Diplomats and Turkish officials say it has in recent months imposed tighter controls on its borders. Testimony from gendarmerie officers in court documents reviewed by Reuters allege that rocket parts, ammunition and semi-finished mortar shells were carried in trucks accompanied by state intelligence agency (MIT) officials more than a year ago to parts of Syria under Islamist control. Which in turn explains the news from two weeks ago that "Turkey, Saudis Form Alliance To Topple Syria's Assad As US Starts Training Syrian Rebels." And just to make sure Obama's upcoming offensive against Assad, pardon ISIS' al-Baghdadi is successful, Reuters finally reports that contrary to previous reports, not 1000, but 2000 anti-tank weapons are being sent to Iraq. Wait, ISIS has tanks? Well no, that would be Syria, but when fabricating a narrative suicide bombers are as durable as tanks. Also from Reuters: The Pentagon said on Thursday the United States would deliver 2,000 AT-4 anti-tank rockets to Iraq as early as next week, 1,000 more than announced on Wednesday, to help Baghdad combat suicide car bombings by Islamic State. Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the delivery would help Iraq defend against approaching suicide bombers driving vehicles packed with explosives, attacks used by Islamic State militants last weekend to help them seize Ramadi from Iraqi forces. "This is a good counter to that (type of bombing)," Warren said. Warren said the anti-tank weapons would allow the Iraqi forces to destroy approaching suicide car bombers at a distance. Relying on small arms requires disabling the engine or killing the driver, which can be difficult, he said. It's an even better counter when staging an offensive operation, aka an invasion, against the Syrian army and not just from one side but two sides: the east, via Iraq, and north, via Turkey, with the occasional bombing run by Saudi Arabia (with Jordan just waiting to enter from the South and "liberate" Damascus). So gun to our head, this is what happens next: a couple of the good ole' "chemical attack" false flag YouTube clips once again emerge just around the time Obama announces it is time to send a tactical, contained group of troops in Syria to retake the "cultural heritage" that is Palmyra, at which point the war against ISIS morphs into what it has been from day one: the western attempt to crush and topple the Assad government, and to hand over control of Syria to Turkey and Iraq, just so the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar can control what happens behind the scenes, by which we mean finally allow that long overdue Qatari gas pipeline to traverse the nation and sideline Russian gas deliveries to Europe. (Why does already wealthy beyond compare Qatar need to kill thousands of innocent people just so it can sell its natgas to Europe? Just so its former Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani can buy many more $179 million Picasso paintings, and many more NYC and London apartments). We expect this scenario to start unfolding within the month as the US economy desperately needs an official war to avoid sliding into a recession.

Thanks for the info for Roth's, appreciate it....

Perfectly said Roth's...MSM is just the propaganda wing of the elite to keep the fear porn running 24/7 so the sheeple will stay divided, rely on govt, and consume. What ever happened with the so-called Ebola epidemic a few months ago? NOTHING. Another manufactured hobgoblin to scare everyone into submission and buy crap they don't need. Anyone notice the pattern here? Just a perpetual fear-factory trying to scare us all into giving up more freedoms for "security". Good grief....their phony narrative is getting so stale. All they care about is keeping control over others, and their rigged financial system. While everyone was arguing over Hillarious's latest bullcrap, the were trying to slip the TPP through....whenever you see a red/blue crisis on the news, or another Obama scandal, you be sure it's merely to distract us from something far more heinous that they're up to.

Great pick Umber...hung out with Ian Hunter a few times in Hollywood..great times.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-14/senate-passes-obamas-tpp-fast-track-trade-proposal Senate Passes Obama's TPP Fast-Track Trade Proposal Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/14/2015 15:11 -0400 Charles Schumer John McCain Ohio President Obama Ukraine inShare Two days ago there was some rejoicing and much surprise when the "Warren-faction" of Senate liberals turned against Obama, and failed to vote for a fast-track approval of the TPP. That surprise lasted for about 48 hours when moments ago, in a 65-33 vote, the Senate finally advanced a measure allowing Obama to expedite approval of trade agreements, a bill with bipartisan support in that chamber which however according to Bloomberg may run into strong opposition from House Democrats. The vote followed separate votes sought by Democrats to pass proposals curbing currency manipulation and boosting imports from sub-Saharan Africa. The Senate plans to consider amendments to the fast-track trade proposal next week. As previously reported, a rebellion Tuesday among Senate Democrats seeking the currency provision previews what may be fiercer battle ahead between Democrats and House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican. “There’s a broad feeling we have to do something against China” on currency manipulation, New York Senator Charles Schumer, the chamber’s third-ranking Democrat, told reporters before the vote on advancing the trade bill. He called the currency measure “a shot across China’s bow that we’re not going to just sit there and do nothing.” Bloomberg reports that the fast-track bill would allow Obama to submit trade agreements to Congress for an up-or-down vote without amendments. He hopes to complete a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership and send it for fast-track approval. On Tuesday, Democrats blocked Republicans from advancing the fast-track bill without also voting on the currency measure. Many Democrats remain stung by the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, which is blamed by labor unions for a decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs. The trade bill, H.R. 1314, would give Obama and the next president fast-track powers for six years. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Thursday the agreement to separate the two measures from the broader trade bill was a sensible plan. “I’d like to thank the president too,” McConnell said. “No, you’re not hearing things. President Obama has done his country a service by taking on his base and pushing back on some of the more ridiculous rhetoric we’ve heard. And in other news, just as the TPP fast-track news hit, perpetual warmonger and neocon John McCain announced that as part of a $613.2 billion Defense Authorization Bill, approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee, the US just added funds for 12 more F/A-18 fighter jets. More importantly the Bill authorizes sending arms to Ukraine. More details from Bloomberg: Bill has $523b in base funding, $90.2b in war funds, Reed says. Reed says he voted against bill on “off-budget gimmick” in which Republicans transferred extra funds from base budget to overseas contingency operations to avoid budget controls. Amendment to eliminate war funding account rejected, cmte Chairman John McCain says. Bill would preserve A-10 close-air combat plane; authorizes arms to Ukraine, McCain says. Cmte approves more for F-35, F-18 fighters, McCain says; bill authorizes adding 6 F-35B fighters. Bill requires approval of Guantanamo closing plan, he says. Presidential veto of bill would be “very serious step”: McCain. In other words, since the Fed can't print trade, either the world will trade with the US voluntarily... or it will be forced to do so. And if that fails, there is always the Ukraine war escalation option

Only took the puppets a day to roll over like good little doggies: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougschoen/2015/05/14/senate-democrats-get-out-of-president-obamas-way-on-tpp/ May 14, 2015 @ 5:09 AM Senate Democrats Get Out Of President Obama's Way On TPP Doug Schoen Contributor I'm a political strategist, pollster, author and commentator. Full bio Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Followon Forbes Follow on Twitter Follow on Facebook RSS Feed Website Profile Recommended Reading What a difference a day makes. Just 24 hours after Senate Democrats blocked President Obama’s bid for fast track authority on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) accord that will bring together 12 nations, Senate leaders have agreed on a deal that’s set to advance the agreement. This new agreement gives Democrats the opportunity to vote on two main issues that they saw as impeding their ability to support TPP. These include provisions to ensure that there’s a vote on worker protections as well as a customs enforcement bill that utilizes language specific to currency manipulation, a major concern for Senate Democrats. Both the Republican and Democrat leadership in the Senate – who worked closely together on this – were pleased with the results. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the additional votes would “not imperil” the fast track bill. “We have to take some of these votes separately or we kill the underlying legislation. It’s reasonable. And I look forward to our colleagues from across the aisle joining with us.” BEAVERTOWN, OR – MAY 8: President Barack Obama speaks to Nike Employees and other Oregonians at Nike Headquarters May 8, 2015 in Beaverton, Oregon. Obama spoke about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pacts which include the U.S. in a trade agreement with 11 other nations. (Photo by Natalie Behring/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid added, “I think we’ve come up with something that’s fair.” The separate votes are set to occur today and are expected to pass. That said, the bill’s fate in the House is not nearly as sure. It follows that there may still be a long road ahead before President Obama gets the fast track authority he’s seeking. As I argued in an earlier piece, the passage of TPP is essential for the American economy. It will give us a much-needed boost. It will solidify an export market in growing economies, bring us closer together with Asia Pacific nations and also create American jobs. The agreement will also go a long way to restoring American preeminence in the global order – this is certainly our best shot at staying at the forefront of global trade and commerce. It is for all these reasons that I don’t understand the objections of many Senate Democrats and sincerely hope that with the new provisions it will see an easy passage. Unfortunately, I imagine this won’t be the case. Those who object to the trade deal are largely unbendable characters and will continue to ask for changes to the legislation and amendments. But there’s also something larger going on here. This episode serves to illustrate the mounting tension between the moderate and left wings of the Democratic Party, a tension that will certainly be on display in the upcoming presidential election. Presumptive democratic nominee Hillarious Clinton has already had to face serious challenges from the progressive wing of the party, not only in the form of Senator Bernie Sanders who is running against her, but tough questions from Senator Elizabeth Warren and other progressive figures. Clinton must work to convince the Democratic faithful to nominate her and at the same time she will be find herself stuck between the two poles of a party that is increasingly divided on a number of issues, trade perhaps most of all. Internal pressure from progressive Democrats will surely be to reject the trade bill without the labor and currency protections. But until she completely embraces a centrist identity and stands by the trade deal she helped craft, she risks alienating Democrats of all stripes instead of merely the most left wing among them. She has two choices: either follow President Obama’s lead and make the Democratic case for free trade, or look like a hypocrite—and a pandering one at that—and face a much greater challenge on election day.

Only took the puppets a day to roll over like good little doggies: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougschoen/2015/05/14/senate-democrats-get-out-of-president-obamas-way-on-tpp/ May 14, 2015 @ 5:09 AM Senate Democrats Get Out Of President Obama's Way On TPP Doug Schoen Contributor I'm a political strategist, pollster, author and commentator. Full bio Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Followon Forbes Follow on Twitter Follow on Facebook RSS Feed Website Profile Recommended Reading What a difference a day makes. Just 24 hours after Senate Democrats blocked President Obama’s bid for fast track authority on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) accord that will bring together 12 nations, Senate leaders have agreed on a deal that’s set to advance the agreement. This new agreement gives Democrats the opportunity to vote on two main issues that they saw as impeding their ability to support TPP. These include provisions to ensure that there’s a vote on worker protections as well as a customs enforcement bill that utilizes language specific to currency manipulation, a major concern for Senate Democrats. Both the Republican and Democrat leadership in the Senate – who worked closely together on this – were pleased with the results. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the additional votes would “not imperil” the fast track bill. “We have to take some of these votes separately or we kill the underlying legislation. It’s reasonable. And I look forward to our colleagues from across the aisle joining with us.” BEAVERTOWN, OR – MAY 8: President Barack Obama speaks to Nike Employees and other Oregonians at Nike Headquarters May 8, 2015 in Beaverton, Oregon. Obama spoke about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pacts which include the U.S. in a trade agreement with 11 other nations. (Photo by Natalie Behring/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid added, “I think we’ve come up with something that’s fair.” The separate votes are set to occur today and are expected to pass. That said, the bill’s fate in the House is not nearly as sure. It follows that there may still be a long road ahead before President Obama gets the fast track authority he’s seeking. As I argued in an earlier piece, the passage of TPP is essential for the American economy. It will give us a much-needed boost. It will solidify an export market in growing economies, bring us closer together with Asia Pacific nations and also create American jobs. The agreement will also go a long way to restoring American preeminence in the global order – this is certainly our best shot at staying at the forefront of global trade and commerce. It is for all these reasons that I don’t understand the objections of many Senate Democrats and sincerely hope that with the new provisions it will see an easy passage. Unfortunately, I imagine this won’t be the case. Those who object to the trade deal are largely unbendable characters and will continue to ask for changes to the legislation and amendments. But there’s also something larger going on here. This episode serves to illustrate the mounting tension between the moderate and left wings of the Democratic Party, a tension that will certainly be on display in the upcoming presidential election. Presumptive democratic nominee Hillarious Clinton has already had to face serious challenges from the progressive wing of the party, not only in the form of Senator Bernie Sanders who is running against her, but tough questions from Senator Elizabeth Warren and other progressive figures. Clinton must work to convince the Democratic faithful to nominate her and at the same time she will be find herself stuck between the two poles of a party that is increasingly divided on a number of issues, trade perhaps most of all. Internal pressure from progressive Democrats will surely be to reject the trade bill without the labor and currency protections. But until she completely embraces a centrist identity and stands by the trade deal she helped craft, she risks alienating Democrats of all stripes instead of merely the most left wing among them. She has two choices: either follow President Obama’s lead and make the Democratic case for free trade, or look like a hypocrite—and a pandering one at that—and face a much greater challenge on election day.

Your very welcome Whats!! We do not have a "free market" we have Corporate Fascism and Crony Capitalism, that is rigged from top to bottom for the elites and their puppets to gain wealth. They are what is and has been destroying a powerhouse economy for the last century. Nothing more than parasites living off the sweat of others, bankers and politicians produce NOTHING.

Very well said TXP! It burns me up as well...people are so conditioned to accept what the so-called authorities tell them is "the law" they simply don't know HOW to think any other way anymore. When I try to engage some people on certain subject, I usually get the glazed over "deer in the headlights" look, or outright hostility/anger, with them spewing things like "you're un-American or "If you don't like America, move to Russia" memes. I thought America was supposed to be ABOUT dissent and individual rights over the so-called "collective"? Really amazing how many have been absolutely brainwashed by a steady diet of propaganda and media distractions.