Key witness to RFK assassination says Sirhan Sirhan didn’t act alone
A key witness to the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy has retracted her official statements in the case and now claims that convicted assassin Sirhan Sirhan did not act alone.
Nina Rhodes-Hughes, 78, tells CNN that the FBI “twisted” her original statements to authorities. In recent court filings led by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, state prosecutors argue that even if there were a second gunman on the scene, Sirhan is still guilty of murder.
“What has to come out is that there was another shooter to my right,” Rhodes told CNN. “The truth has got to be told. No more cover-ups.”
Rhodes’ original FBI statement says she only heard 8 gunshots at the time and makes no mention of a second shooter. However, Rhodes, who was just feet away from Kennedy says she never claimed to have only heard 8 shots.
“I never said eight shots. I never, never said it. There were more than eight shots,” she told CNN. “There were at least 12, maybe 14. And I know there were because I heard the rhythm in my head.”
Last November, Sirhan’s attorneys announced they were filing a challenge to the verdict, alleging a conspiracy by authorities in the case. They are asking that Sirhan be released from prison. His attorneys argue that Sirhan was the victim of a malicious form of “hypo programming” that falsely caused him to believe he was RFK’s assassin.
“For me it’s hopeful and sad that it’s only coming out now instead of before — but at least now instead of never,” Rhodes told CNN.
Rhodes was never called as a witness in Sirhan’s trial but claims she gave an interview shortly after the shooting during which she claimed to have heard at least a dozen shots.
Key witness to RFK assassination: There was more than one shooter
TSA: The dangerous stranger
In this article the girl had just seen a movie about ”stranger danger” before she got molested at the airport by TSA thugs. So now I have a cool title (or headline) and just need to write the article. When I was a kid, we had the dangerous stranger, but no TSA. It hadn’t been institutionalized yet.
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/TSA-defends-pat-down-of-4-year-old-at-Kan-airport-3510587.php
I also enjoyed the fact that TSA has agents helping to boost the drug supply in America. Thanks guys!
TSA screeners charged in LA drug trafficking probe
And in a story becoming increasingly typical in Texas (accolades to Texas for that), The TSA has gotten itself exposed for the power perverts they are by grabbing a legislator’s “junk.” I guess he had to call it junk; he couldn’t say, “He grabbed my dick.”
I would have though, which is why I quit flying. I know I would get into trouble with TSA eventually because, aside from all the funny tricks you could pull, it’s just normal reactions to what they’re doing that would get me arrested. So I just quit dealing with them.
Let’s give the good folks at TSA a break!
The TSA has had a rough couple of days. First, they took a lot of criticism for their feeling up of a four-year-old, then they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
C’mon, folks. Let’s give these TSA workers a break. They’re just doing their job.
Dear American public, you are mentally ill
by George Sand
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” The image below of MLK and his famous quote have been circulating the internet for some time now. Perhaps MLK did not mean to make such a broad, unqualified statement, but I find this statement to be patently incorrect. Taking this sentiment literally and to its logical conclusion would necessarily mean that regardless of my wishes, I have a moral obligation to jaywalk every chance I get, use every illegal drug possible, drink on the beach, buy alcohol for people under 21, gamble, carry a gun without a permit, among other such absurdities. Since resisting illegal arrest is prohibited by law in almost all 50 states, if I were ever wrongly arrested, according to Martin Luther King, I would be morally bound to resist my unlawful arrest, and likely get shot and killed in the process.
A call to action: a dysfunctional government needs active citizenry
Written by Peter J. Denney
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once wrote in a private letter written during his presidency, “Presidents are not elected, they are selected.” This moment of candor in Roosevelt’s own correspondence not only illuminates the politics behind the presidency, but the economics as well. Today, the economics manifest as campaign contributions that now pay for television air-time, as well as the radio and newspaper “promotion” of candidates for political office.
Furthermore, it has become apparent that this economic promotion, i.e. funding of political leaders, permeates the legislative branch as well. This was never made more obvious than when the Supreme Court reversed a decision it had made some 20 years earlier, and by a 5-4 margin “legalized” unlimited campaign contributions. Today the result is that never before have our state representatives, as well as our president, become so “indebted” to large campaign contributors, i.e. corporations and special interests. In fact, ever since the passing of the 17th Amendment, our state representatives have effectively been insulated from immediate recall, which has occurred in the course of our nation’s history when their actions in Washington clearly did not represent their constituents.
The word “constituents” itself has little meaning to senators and congresspersons who now pay little if any regard to the constitution itself. We can thank lobbyists as well for that. It’s amazing how far a little “quid pro quo” or an envelope filled with “fifties” can go towards the dismantling of “separation of powers” nowadays. The result, if not due to the aforementioned, is due to greed, ignorance or laziness. For whatever reason, many have willfully turned a blind eye to the work the constitution demands they perform. The congress has willingly signed off on the bulk of their duty, the most important of which used to be their responsibility to preside over appropriations and to regulate our nation’s currency. Long before lobbying (legalized bribery) began…I wonder who was paid how much to help pass the Federal Reserve Act?
The average citizen, also ignorant and lazy regarding the role they serve in preserving a Republic under rule of law, only know that the will of the vast majority, not just a narrow majority, is now being ignored in Washington. But, unlike their representatives, a vast majority of U.S. citizens find themselves painted into an “economic corner” that leaves little time for active participation in government.
The game being played here is like the old “slight of hand.” Political “footballs” like abortion, gun-control, illegal-immigration, etc., get tossed around and then are highlighted by the media. This is all designed to give us an illusion that there are two sides to the battle. We are supposed to decide which side, the Republicans or the Democrats, deserve our vote every 2-4 years. But when one looks objectively at policy over the course of the last few administrations, as well as majorities in the house and senates during those administrations, the truth becomes obvious that there is a continuation of only one policy wherever it is deemed most important.
Consider this…what percentage of Americans do you think want peace? What percentage of Americans want a total withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan? The latest polls average near 70%. Would you call that “overwhelming majority” worth political debating? How about a balanced budget? Would you say that only a “narrow majority” of Americans favor cutting military spending, as opposed to cutting social security? In 2010, after two years under Obama, our military budget was 750 billion dollars. Adjusted for inflation, this is the highest in over two generations, ever since the “cold war” began immediately following WWII. This staggering figure does not include expenditures for things like Homeland Security, military aid to other countries, V/A care and NASA projects that are military in nature.
Now nearly 4 years since we elected a president whose campaign slogan was “Change We Can Believe In” consider the things that are “unchanged” when compared to the George W. Bush administration. These figures reflect Obama’s first two years in office.
1) Reported by the Census Bureau on September 16th, 2010, poverty in America rose to 43.6 million in 2009, an increase of 3.8 million.
2) On March 31, 2009, Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Federal government and the Federal Reserve have spent, lent or committed 12.8 TRILLION to the “bailouts.” Paid for by future taxation, this represents the largest transfer of wealth in human history.
3) On March 16th, 2010, the Huffington Post reports that the Obama Administration has dramatically increased government secrecy “blocking more freedom of information requests in 2009 than Bush in 2008.”
4) On March 1st, 2010, the Christian Science Monitor reports that Obama “extends the Patriot Act without making any reforms” totally the opposite of his campaign rhetoric.
5) On June 11th, 2010, the N.Y. Times reports that the Obama Administration has already cracked down on government whistleblowers more than any previous president.
6) On March 16th, 2010, the N.Y. Times reports that Obama has cut a secret deal with insurance and pharmaceutical companies to kill the watered down “public option” while simultaneously campaigning on its behalf. Today we are witnessing legislation that would have fines levied against those who can’t afford health insurance to begin with.
7) On June 10th, 2010, the Huffington Post reports that Obama uses a “signing statement” (again, something he said he would NOT do while campaigning) to ignore labor and environmental standards for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and World Bank.
8) On May 13th, 2010, the N.Y. Times reports that the Obama Administration has given BP (British Petroleum) and other oil companies permits exempting them from environmental protection laws.
9) Appoints Eric Holder as Attorney General. Holder had previously served as a lawyer for Chiquita Brands International when it was charged with funding death squads in Columbia. (Source: “Counter-Punch”/November 19th, 2008) Today we are witnessing an effort to “squelch” the story of illegal arms smuggling by the ATF under his direction.
10) Appoints former Monsanto Lobbyist Michael Taylor as America’s “Food Safety Czar.” Named by Jeffrey Smith (author, “Seeds of Deception”) “the most evil corporation in the world” Monsanto “provides seeds for 90% of the world’s genetically modified crops.” (Source: Huffington Post/July 23, 2009) The U.S. remains totally exempt from labeling laws, thanks to heavy lobbying by Monsanto.
So, what’s the point here? It’s simply this: In matters that truly affect “We the People” the policy has always been one, and only one…namely to provide rent to the rent-seekers while “repaying” those who helped them (the politicians) get there, first and foremost.
As this election draws nearer, “We the People” have to wake up. This does NOT mean voting for (or against) any individual in particular, or any party in general. It means it’s time to become active in citizenry once again, as we were when we formed this great nation. We need to become active in our own government…and we have all seen the result of believing that this means merely getting out to vote every 2-4 years.
It means investigating WHO is supporting WHO by way of large campaign contributions. It means learning more about what those supporters represent; whether they are corporations or wealthy persons who have their own, personal special interest. Their “choices” will most likely serve their interests long before these candidates consider their “constituents.”
In the meantime, our state representatives will continue to do things like delineating their authority to “international administrative law courts,” introducing legislation that makes a mockery of our Bill of Rights, while failing to see the devastating effects trade agreements like NAFTA and GATT have had on the average American. They will continue to be willfully blinded to the consequences of their past actions but will see “green” clear as day. They will continue to be deaf to the voices of their constituents, but, just like a person who is both deaf and blind, can live with holding out their hand in hope that it gets filled with something. But the worst may be yet to come; for if “We the People” fail to recognize not only the deterioration of our sworn representatives’ performance, but in our own as citizens as well, the America we have known and loved will become unrecognizable in the not-so-distant future.
H.R. 347: Criminalizes Protest?
H.R. 347: “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011″
https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/how-big-deal-hr-347-criminalizing-protest-bill
Earth hour? WTF? Oxymoron of the decade.
What an insult, and yet it’s brilliant. Earth Hour. Earth HOUR. It insinuates that if we somehow sacrifice one hour to ‘the earth’, a year mind you, we’re doing something good. It’s sort of like… oh I don’t know… perhaps going to church or confession. You can fuck things up as much as you like as long as you observe EARTH HOUR once a year. My thinking is that this is horribly wasteful. Why not an EARTH MINUTE? An EARTH SECOND would be even more efficient, but it would be hard to coordinate.
George had it right.
Launching the U.S. Terror War: the CIA, 9/11, Afghanistan, and Central Asia
UC-Davis Student Describes Pepper Spray Attack on Occupy Campus Protesters
(2 minutes, 35 seconds into video)
Remains of 274 U.S. Military Troops Dumped At Landfill By Dover AFB Mortuary 2004-2008
- I’ll bet children of rich people don’t end up in landfills.
Investigators have discovered that the remains of at least 274 U.S. military personnel that died in battle were dumped into a landfill by the Dover AFB Mortuary between 2004 and 2008.
After three whistle blowers, James Parsons, Mary Ellen Spera and William Zwicharowski, sounded the alarm, they were fired but have since regained their jobs after an investigation by the inspector general found their allegations were true and that they are protected under the law.
Another 1,762 pieces of remains were also dumped at the same landfill and no DNA testing was done to them, and investigators are now trying to figure out how many more service-members were thrown away.
President Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law
WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law today. The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement only applies to how his administration would use the authorities granted by the NDAA, and would not affect how the law is interpreted by subsequent administrations. The White House had threatened to veto an earlier version of the NDAA, but reversed course shortly before Congress voted on the final bill.
Man arrested with explosives at airport was Army expert
Nothing to see here folks, just a man with a bomb. It’s unclear why Yahoo put the headline in the past tense. The guy still is an explosives expert trained by the Army even if he just got fired.
Trey Scott Atwater
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – A man arrested on New Years Eve at a Texas airport with explosives is an Army-trained demolitions expert and member of the elite Green Berets who served in Afghanistan and is stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, military officials said on Monday.
It continues until this absurdity:
“Officials declined to speculate on the reason Atwater had the explosives, which city officials said were in “military grade explosives wrapping” in his bag.”
“At no time was there any danger to the people at Midland International Airport or the people of Midland Texas,” Mark Morgan, Special Agent in Charge of the El Paso office of the FBI said in a statement.
NOTE: This was one of the rare times in four years that Yahoo actually named a source.
Gang attacks homeowner, media solicits donations for fallen gang members, public laments gang member death
by George Sand
Some people out there, even our regular readers, get squeamish when we liken police to gang members. I’ll stand by that analogy, which I elaborated upon in another article -
Mostly, this comparison is based on the fact that police, like gangs claim ultimate dominion over a particular territory. They stake out these particular territories, and demand “protection money” for reasons mostly out of the control of local residents. If their demands are not met, they resort to violence.
They swear an oath of loyalty to each other, and will cover up for each other’s gruesome crimes at the expense of good sense and morality. Officers have purposely failed to take reports, covered up evidence, and even turned a blind eye to sexual battery and torture by their fellow gang-members (see here). Those who do not abide by the code of loyalty are ostracized or otherwise punished (see examples here and here). They even have a gang color – blue.
USDA buys 7 million pounds of ‘pink slime’ for school lunches
Pink slime is a mixture of leftover trimmings, sinew, and other beef parts culled from a cow or other creature. This is what people refer to as “chicken nuggets.”