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Charlie Sheen's 20 Minutes With President Barack Obama	September 13, 2009, 11:06PM
by: summon_of_water_and_of_ice_terrinja
Hey Guys. I was just browsing around the internet and Youtube and I came across something that caught my eye. Mr. Charlie Sheen made a video about 9/11 that raised alot of questions with the United States population. I wont go in to the details but you can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyKR2-A0KPU I thought it was really interesting. He made some valid and interesting points about 9/11/2001. He wants to have a sit down chat with President Barack Obama. They finally said yes and gave him 20 minutes. This is the conversation between Mr. Sheen and President Barack Obama. Charlie Sheen – Good afternoon Mr. President, thank you so much for taking time out of your demanding schedule. President Barack Obama – My pleasure, the content of your request seemed like something I should carve out a few minutes for. CS – I should point out that I voted for you, as your promises of hope and change, transparency and accountability, as well as putting government back into the hands of the American people, struck an emotional chord in me that I hadn’t felt in quite some time, perhaps ever. PBO – And I appreciate that Charlie. Big fan of the show, by the way. CS – Sir, I can’t imagine when you might find the time to actually watch my show given the measure of what you inherited. PBO – I have it Tivo’d on Air Force One. Nice break from the traveling press corps. (He glances at his watch) not to be abrupt or to rush you, but you have 19 minutes left. CS – I’ll take that as an invitation to cut to the chase. PBO – I’m all ears. Or so I’ve been told. CS – Sir, in the very near future we will be experiencing our first 9/11 anniversary with you as Commander in Chief. PBO – Yes. A very solemn day for our Nation. A day of reflection and yet a day of historical consciousness as well. CS – Very much so sir, very much so indeed…. Now; In researching your position regarding the events of 9/11 and the subsequent investigation that followed, am I correct to understand that you fully support and endorse the findings of the commission report otherwise known as the ‘official story’? PBO – Do I have any reason not to? Given that most of us are presumably in touch with similar evidence. CS – I really wish that were the case, sir. Are you aware, Mr. President, of the recent stunning revelations that sixty percent of the 9/11 commissioners have publicly stated that the government agreed not to tell the truth about 9/11 and that the Pentagon was engaged in deliberate deception about their response to the attack? PBO – I am aware of certain “in fighting” during the course of their very thorough and tireless investigative process. CS – Mr. President, it’s hard to label this type of friction as “in fighting” or make the irresponsible leap to “thorough,” when the evidence I insist you examine regarding 6 of the 10 members are statements of fact. (At this point one of Obama’s senior aides approaches the President and whispers into his ear. Obama glances quickly at his watch and nods as the aide resumes his post at the doorway, directly behind me.) PBO – No disrespect Mr. Sheen, but I have to ask; what is it that you seem to be implying with the initial direction of this discussion? CS – I am not implying anything Mr. President. I am here to present the facts and see what you plan to do with them. PBO – Let me guess; your ‘facts,’ allegedly supporting these claims are in the folders you brought with you? CS – Good guess Mr. President. (I hand the first folder of documents to the President) CS – Again sir, these are not my opinions or assumptions, this is all a matter of public record, reported through mainstream media, painstakingly fact checked and verified. (the President glances into the folder I handed him) CS – You’ll notice sir on page one of the dossier dated August of ‘06 from the Washington Post, the statements of John Farmer, senior council to the 9/11 commission, his quote stating, “I was shocked how different the truth was from the way it was described.” PBO – (as he glances down at the report, almost inaudible) …. um hmm…. CS – He goes on to further state “The [NORAD Air Defense] tapes told a radically different story from what had been told to us and the public for two years….” (the President continues to view the documents) CS – On pages two and three, sir, are the statements, as well, from commission co-chairmen Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, commissioners Bob Kerrey, Timothy Roemer and John Lehman, as well as the statements of commissioner Max Cleland, an ex-Senator from Georgia , who resigned, stating: “It is a national scandal. This investigation is now compromised. One of these days we will have to get the full story because the 9/11 issue is so important to America. But this White House wants to cover it up.” He also described President Bush’s desire to delay the process as not to damage the ‘04 re-election bid. They suspected deception to the point where they considered referring the matter to the Justice Department for criminal investigation. Mr. President, this information alone is unequivocally grounds for a new investigation! PBO – Mistakes were clearly made but we as a people and as a country need to move forward. It is obviously in our best interest as a democratic society to focus our efforts and our resources on the future of this great nation and our ability to protect the American people and our allies from this type of terrorism in the coming years. CS – Sir, how can we focus on the future when THE COMMISSION ITSELF is on record stating that they still do not know the truth?? PBO – Even if what you state, might in some capacity, begin to approach an open discussion or balanced debate, I can’t speak for, or about the decisions certain commission members made during an extremely difficult period. Perhaps you should be interviewing them instead of me. Wait, don’t tell me; I was easier to track down than they were? CS – Not exactly sir, but let’s be honest. You’re the President of the United States, the leader of the free world, the buck stops with you. 9/11 has been the pretext for the systematic dismantling of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Your administration is reading from the same playbook that the Bush administration foisted on America through documented secrecy and deception. PBO – Mr. Sheen, I’m having a difficult time sitting here and listening to you draw distorted parallels between the Bush/Cheney regime and mine. CS – Mr. President the parallels are not distorted just because you say they are. Let’s stick to the facts. You promised to abolish the Patriot Act and then voted to re-authorize it. You pledged to end warrantless wire tapping against the American people and now energetically defend it. You decried the practice of rendition and now continue it. You promised over and over again on the campaign trail, that you would end the practice of indefinite detention and instead, you have expanded it to permanent detention of “detainees” without trial. This far exceeds the outrages of the former administration. Call me crazy Mr. President, but is this not your record? PBO – Mr. Sheen, my staff and I authorized this interview based on your request to discuss 9/11 and deliver some additional information you’re convinced I’d not previously reviewed. Call me crazy, But it appears as though you’ve blindly wandered off topic. CS – Sir, the examples I just illustrated are a direct result of 9/11. PBO – And I’m telling you that we must move forward, we must endure through these dangerous and politically challenging years ahead. CS – Mr. President, we cannot move forward with a bottomless warren of unanswered questions surrounding that day and its aftermath. PBO – I read the official report. Every word every page. Perhaps you should do the same. CS – I have sir, and so have thousands of family members of the victims, and guess what; they have the same questions I do and probably a lot more. I didn’t lose a loved one on that horrific day Mr. President and neither did you. But since then I, along with millions of other Americans lost something we held true and dear for most of our lives in this great country of ours; we lost our hope. PBO – And I’d like to believe that I am here to restore that hope. To restore confidence in your leaders, in the system that the voting public chose through a peaceful transfer of power. (An odd moment of silence between us. Precious time ticking away). CS – Mr. President, are you aware of the number of days it took to begin the investigation into JFK’s assassination? PBO – If memory serves I believe it was two weeks. CS – Close. Seventeen days to be exact. Are you aware sir, how long it took to begin the investigation into Pearl Harbor? PBO – I would say again about….two weeks. CS – Close again sir, eleven days to be exact. Are you aware Mr. President how long it took to begin the investigation into 9/11? PBO – I know it must have seemed like a very long time for all the grieving families. CS – It was a very long time Mr. President – four hundred and forty days. Roughly 14 months. Does it bother you Mr. President that it only took FIVE HOURS for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after the initial attack to recommend and endorse a full scale offensive against Iraq? PBO – I am not aware of any such purported claim. CS – I have the proof Mr. President, along with scores of documents and facts I’d like you to take a look at. Here. (I hand him another file – much thicker than the first) PBO – I see you came prepared Charlie. CS – No other way to show up Mr. President. When in doubt over prepare I always say. PBO – Now you sound like the First Lady. CS – That’s quite a compliment sir. PBO – As you wish. Please continue. CS – Sir, I’d like to direct your attention to the stack of documents in the folder I just handed you. The first in from the top is entitled “ Operation Northwoods“, a declassified Pentagon plan to stage terror attacks on US soil, to be blamed on Cuba as a pretext for war. PBO – And I’d like to direct your attention to the fact that the principle draftsman of this improbable blueprint was quickly denied a second term as Joint Chiefs chairman and sent packing to a European NATO garrison. Thank God his otherworldly ambitions never saw the light of day. CS – I wouldn’t be so certain about that Mr. President. PBO – I could easily say the same to you Charlie. (the President checks his watch) featured stories Twenty Minutes with the President soylent green featured stories Twenty Minutes with the President Charlie Sheen writing 20 Minutes with the President. Photo by Alex Jones. CS – The next document reads “Declassified staged provocations.” Now, Honestly Mr. President I wish I was making this stuff up. I’m certain you are familiar with the USS Maine Incident, the sinking of the Lusitania, which we all now know brought us into WW1, and of course the most famous, the Gulf of Tonkin incident. PBO – Of course I am familiar with these historical events and I’m aware that there’s a measure of controversy surrounding them. But to be quite frank with you, this is all ancient history. CS – Mr. President, it has been often said; “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” And I concede to you sir, these events are the past. PBO – A vastly different world young man, shouldering a radically disparate state of universal affairs. CS – No argument sir, I’m merely inviting you to acknowledge some credibility to the pattern or the theme. Case in point; the next document in your folder. It was published by the think-tank, Project For a New American Century and it’s entitled “ Rebuilding Americas Defenses“, and was written by Dick Cheney and Jeb Bush. To quote from the document sir – (the President interrupts) PBO – “Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.” CS – Touche, sir. Your thoughts on this statement Mr. President? PBO – I would call this a blatant case of misjudgment fueled by an unfortunate milieu of assumption. For some, the uninformed denial of coincidence. CS – Interesting angle sir. Nevertheless, Vice President Cheney didn’t stop there. In early 2008, Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh and MSNBC, both reported that Cheney had proposed to the Pentagon an outrageous plan to have the U.S. Navy create fake Iranian patrol boats, to be manned by Navy Seals, who would then stage an attack on US destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz. This event was to be blamed on Iran and used as a pretext for war. Does any of this information worry you Mr. President? Should we just ignore it, until these realities can be dismissed years from now by our children, as ancient history as well? PBO – Of course this information worries me, yet it’s not nearly as worrisome as you sitting here today suspiciously implying that 9/11 was somehow allowed to happen or even orchestrated from the inside. CS – Mr. President I am not suspiciously implying anything. I am merely exposing the documents and asking the questions that nobody in power will even look at or acknowledge. And as I stated earlier, I voted for you, I believed in your message of hope and change. Mr. President I have come to you specifically hoping for a change. A change in the perception that our government has not yet made itself open and accountable to the people. These are your words Mr. President not mine. The lives of thousands were brutally cut short and those left behind to suffer their infinite pain are with me today Mr. President. They are with me in spirit and flesh, and the message we carry will not be silenced anymore by media fueled mantras insisting how they are supposed to feel. Deciding for them, for 8 long years, what can be thought, what can be said, what can be asked. PBO – And I appreciate your passion, I appreciate your conviction. In spite of your concerns, in spite of what your data might or might not reveal, what you and the families must understand and accept is that we are doing everything we can to protect you. CS – Mr. President , I realize were very short on time, so please allow me to run down a list of bullet points that might illuminate some reasons why we don’t embrace the warm hug of Federal protection. PBO – We’ve come this far. Fire away. CS – Please keep in mind Mr. President everything I’m about to say is documented as fact and part of the public record. The information you are holding in your hands chronicles and verifies each and every point. PBO – You have five minutes left. The floor is yours. Brief me. CS – Thank you Mr. President. Okay, first; On the FBI’s most wanted list Osama Bin Laden is not charged with the crimes of 911. When I called the FBI to ask them why this was the case, they replied: “There’s not enough evidence to link Bin Laden to the crime scene,” I later discovered he had never even been indicted by the D.O.J. CS – Number 2; FBI translator Sibel Edmonds, was dismissed and gagged by the D.O.J. after she revealed that the government had foreknowledge of plans to attack American cities using planes as bombs as early as April 2001. In July of ‘09, Mrs. Edmonds broke the Federal gag order and went public to reveal that Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and the Taliban were all working for and with the C.I.A. up until the day of 9/11. CS – Number 3; The following is a quote from Mayor Giuliani during an interview on 9/11 with Peter Jennings for ABC News. “I went down to the scene and we set up headquarters at 75 Barkley Street, which was right there with the Police Commissioner, the Fire Commissioner, the Head of Emergency Management, and we were operating out of there when we were told that the World Trade Center was going to collapse. And it did collapse before we could actually get out of the building, so we were trapped in the building for 10, 15 minutes, and finally found an exit and got out, walked north, and took a lot of people with us.” WHO TOLD HIM THIS??? To this day, the answer to this question remains unanswered, completely ignored and emphatically DENIED by Mayor Giuliani on several public occasions. CS – Number 4; In April 2004, USA Today reported, “In the two years before the Sept. 11 attacks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted exercises simulating what the White House says was unimaginable at the time: hijacked airliners used as weapons to crash into targets and cause mass casualties.” One of the targets was the World Trade Center. CS – Number 5; On September 12th 2007, CNN’s ‘Anderson Cooper 360′, reported that the mysterious “white plane” spotted and videotaped by multiple media outlets, flying in restricted airspace over the White House shortly before 10am on the morning of 9/11, was in fact the Air Force’s E-4B, a specially modified Boeing 747 with a communications pod behind the cockpit; otherwise known as “The Doomsday Plane”. Though fully aware of the event, the 9/11 Commission did not deem the appearance of the military plane to be of any interest and did not include it in the final 9/11 Commission report. CS – Number 6; Three F-16s assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, ten miles from Washington, DC, are conducting training exercises in North Carolina 207 miles away as the first plane crashes into the WTC. Even at significantly less than their top speed of 1500 mph, they could still have defended the skies over Washington well before 9am, more than 37 minutes before Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, however, they did not return until after 9:55am. Andrews AFB had no armed fighters on alert and ready to take off on the morning of 9/11. CS – Number 7; WTC Building 7. Watch the video of its collapse. CS – Number 8; Flight 93 is fourth plane to crash on 9/11 at 10:03am. V.P. Cheney only gives shoot down order at 10:10-10:20am and this is not communicated to NORAD until 28 minutes after Flight 93 has crashed. Fueling further suspicion on this front is the fact that three months before the attacks of 9/11, Dick Cheney usurped control of NORAD, and therefore he, and no one else on planet Earth, had the power to call for military sorties on the hijacked airliners on 9/11. He did not exercise that power. Three months after 9/11, he relinquished command of NORAD and returned it to military operation. * A d v e r t i s e m e n t * efoods CS – Number 9; Scores of main stream news outlets reported that the F.B.I. conducted an investigation of at least FIVE of the 9/11 hijackers being trained at U.S. military flight schools. Those investigations are now sealed and need to be declassified. CS – Number 10; In 2004, New York firefighters Mike Bellone and Nicholas DeMasi went public to say they had found the black boxes at the World Trade Center, but were told to keep their mouths shut by FBI agents. Nicholas DeMasi said that he escorted federal agents on an all-terrain vehicle in October 2001 and helped them locate the devices, a story backed up by rescue volunteer Mike Bellone. As the Philadelphia Daily News reported at the time, “Their story raises the question of whether there was a some type of cover-up at Ground Zero.” CS – Number 11 – Hundreds of eye witnesses including first responders, fire captains, news reporters, and police, all described multiple explosions in both towers before and during the collapse. CS – Number 12; An astounding video uncovered from the archives shows BBC News correspondent Jane Standley reporting on the collapse of WTC Building 7 over twenty minutes before it fell at 5:20pm on the afternoon of 9/11. Tapes from earlier BBC broadcasts show news anchors discussing the collapse of WTC 7 a full 26 minutes in advance. The BBC at first claimed that their tapes from 9/11 had been “lost” before admitting that they made the “error” of reporting the collapse of WTC 7 before it happened without adequately explaining how they could have obtained advance knowledge of the event. In addition, over an hour before the collapse of WTC 7, at 4:10pm, CNN’s Aaron Brown reported that the building “has either collapsed, or is collapsing.” CS – Number 13; Solicitor General Ted Olson’s claim that his wife Barbara Olsen called him twice from Flight 77, describing hijackers with box cutters, was a central plank of the official 9/11 story. However, the credibility of the story was completely undermined after Olsen kept changing his story about whether his wife used her cell phone or the airplane phone. The technology to enable cell phone calls from high-altitude airline flights was not created until 2004. American Airlines confirmed that Flight 77 was a Boeing 757 and that this plane did not have airplane phones on board. According to the FBI, Barbara Olsen attempted to call her husband only once and the call failed to connect, therefore Olsen must have been lying when he claimed he had spoken to his wife from Flight 77. CS – Number 14; The size of a Boeing 757 is approximately 125ft in width and yet images of the impact zone at the Pentagon supposedly caused by the crash merely show a hole no more than 16ft in diameter. The engines of the 757 would have punctured a hole bigger than this, never mind the whole plane. Images before the partial collapse of the impact zone show little real impact damage and a sparse debris field completely inconsistent with the crash of a large jetliner, especially when contrasted with other images showing airplane crashes into buildings. CS – Number 15; What is the meaning behind the following quote attributed to Dick Cheney which came to light during the 9/11 Commission hearings? The passage is taken from testimony given by then Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta. During the time that the airplane was coming in to the Pentagon, there was a young man who would come in and say to the Vice President, “The plane is 50 miles out.” “The plane is 30 miles out.” And when it got down to “the plane is 10 miles out,” the young man also said to the Vice President, “Do the orders still stand?” And the Vice President turned and whipped his neck around and said, “Of course the orders still stand. Have you heard anything to the contrary?” As the plane was not shot down, in addition to the fact that armed fighter jets were nowhere near the plane and the Pentagon defensive system was not activated, are we to take it that the orders were to let the plane find its target? CS – Number 16; In May 2003, the Miami Herald reported how the Bush administration was refusing to release a 900-page congressional report on 9/11 because it wanted to “avoid enshrining embarrassing details in the report,” particularly regarding pre-9/11 warnings as well as the fact that the hijackers were trained at U.S. flight schools. CS – Number 17; Top Pentagon officials cancelled their scheduled flights for September 11th on September 10th. San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, following a security warning, cancelled a flight into New York that was scheduled for the morning of 9/11. CS – Number 18; The technology to enable cell phone calls from high-altitude airline flights was not created until 2004, and even by that point it was only in the trial phase. Calls from cell phones which formed an integral part of the official government version of events were technologically impossible at the time. CS – Number 19: On April 29, 2004, President Bush and V.P. Cheney would only meet with the commission under specific clandestine conditions. They insisted on testifying together and not under oath. They also demanded that their testimony be treated as a matter of “state secret.” To date, nothing they spoke of that day exists in the public domain. CS – And finally Mr. President – Number 20; A few days after the attack, several newspapers as well as the FBI reported that a paper passport had been found in the ruins of the WTC. In August 2004, CNN reported that 9/11 hijacker Ziad Jarrah’s visa was found in the remains of Flight 93 which went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At least a third of the WTC victim’s bodies were vaporized and many of the victims of the Pentagon incident were burned beyond recognition. And yet visas and paper passports which identify the perpetrators and back up the official version of events miraculously survive explosions and fires that we are told melted steel buildings. (The Senior aide appears again beside the President whispering in his ear. He then quickly moves off). PBO – Well Charlie I can’t say this hasn’t been interesting. As I said earlier you’ve showed up today focused and organized. Regardless how I feel about the material you’ve presented, I must commend your dedication and zeal. However, our time here is up. (the President rises from his chair , I do the same). CS – Mr. President! One more second! (The President starts towards the door – I follow him quickly step for step). CS – Mr. President, I implore you based on the evidence you now possess, to use your Executive Power. Prove to us all Sir, that you do, in fact, care. Create a truly comprehensive and open Congressional investigation of 9/11 and its aftermath. The families deserve the truth, the American people and the rest of the free world deserve the truth. Mr. President - (He pauses. We shake hands). CS – Make sure you’re on the right side of history. (The President breaks the handshake). PBO – I am on the right side of history. Thank you Charlie, my staff and I will be in touch. (I watch as he strides gracefully out of the room, the truth I provided him held firmly by his side; in the hand of providence.) the information I have provided can also be viewed here: http://www.infowars.com/twenty-minutes-with-the-president/ Thank you for your time everyone and have a nice night
topic: Current Events
[reply] [19 comments]

Poetry and Short Story Contests	September 11, 2009, 5:19PM
by: Sgath
Short Story Contest by Klarth Calling all writers! Do you toil endless hours crafting works of prose? Do you want to share your work with others in a constructive environment that fosters healthy discussion? Well, look no further, the Literature Forum is proud to welcome you into its ranks! And what's more, you have a chance to win a full year's supply of Andromeda premium Membership. Andromeda, you say? What's that? If you don't know, then I'd bet you'd like to, and if you do, I'd bet you want more. So check out our Short Story Contest, which is accepting entries until September 30th. As usual, all the relevant information can be found here. Good luck, and good reading! New Poetry Contest! After the success of the first contest and the amount of contestants that took part, I've decided to start another! Prizes include 30 days andromeda time for the winner and 10 days for the runner up. If you didn't get a chance to take part last time, or you didn't win, well now is your chance! Drop by the Poetry Forum and check it out. Recent Poetry Contest Winners 1st Place - Ozymandias We burn like paper cranes in the stale furnace of ennui head on fire with the kudzu cancer blues we enter in droves into the belly of the sea for lack of a better death to pursue call me sick call me unprepared call me a prophet in need of repair call me the architect lost in his plans call me a fool honey, call me the lamb just call me what I am we lock ourselves away in space-age melanoma boxes in mute scorn of the star that gifted us with vision and wealth we cry for release just like a monsoon in a matchbox then stagger to the grave for a handshake and a toast to our health take me to heaven man, take me to hell take me to the mountain where the angels fell take me to tomorrow so I won't be so blue take me away honey, take me in you we grovel before wise men and we grow drunk on their words though they ain't said nothing that the coyote ain't done we're marked for death before we've even begun smote by the moon and burning in the heat of the sun 2nd Place - Illmortal's "If I were you" If I were you Then I would gladly loan to me a dollar or two So I could eat And maybe get just one good night of sleep But I'm not And I'm stranded like a castaway in this town And you seem so unwilling to help a fellow when he's down If I were you That's what I'd do If I were you I wouldn't be out on these streets the whole night through Yeah I'd have a job And a pretty wife that I could come home to But I don't And I have twenty cents left to my name And you're the only one left here that I have to blame If I were you That's what I'd do Sir it's not my way to take from you the things I haven't earned I wish I could go back and heed the lessons I have learned But I can't So you'll gladly put your money in this sack Yes sir this thing is loaded And I have the hammer back If I were you That's what I'd do 3rd Place - Satchell's "Exercise in Beauty" There exists in this world a serene beauty that arrives without leaving. Awoken just as you are, spread as far as your eye lashes may reach. A singing in the woodwork- A chime in the wind- A flicker in the tongue- The magic of this world, twisted and fractured, curled and laced between the seams of life. Steam filtered between the gaps, between truth and fable. Back-light and full of luster, the clouds whispered, "Gunpowder muskrat." "Excuse me?" He said.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [5 comments]

Free Prizes! A Cooking Contest and a Poetry Contest	August 30, 2009, 11:46PM
by: Sgath
Cooking Contest: As connected as we are, most people don't really get to experience foods outside of our own region. Sure, everyone has food network, but that's only one vision of what food is. I propose a contest. Show us a food near and dear to you. Redefine our idea of food. Challenge our preconceptions of what constitutes a sandwich. Now is your chance to rock someone's world. The winner will be chosen by popular vote, and will recieve 30 days of Andromeda time for their account, and their entry will be posted in the DS Cooking Show. The food section is running a contest ending Sunday, September 6th. Post a recipe and the method for making it Here. It can have pictures, or videos, or anything inbetween. All that i ask is that you take the opportunity to show me what you like, and how to make it. How you do that is up to you. Full rules and more can be found at the link above. Poetry Contest Do you dream of being a famous poet someday? Do you write tirelessly through the night attempting the convey a fleeting image of the beauty and ceaseless drama of life and our surroundings? The Dead Poets Society forum is having a poetry contest, so come and show off your skills as a poet! Prizes include 30 days of Andromeda time for your Darkstarlings account, and the runner up receives 10 days. Winners will have their poems featured on the forum as contest winners. To check out the details and to submit your poem, click here.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [7 comments]

Despite reports of liver failure I will contunue to use Alli	August 30, 2009, 5:34AM
by: my_little_pony
Do you use or know someone who uses Alli? Have you heard the reports of liver damage in connection to the drug? I use Alli. People won't leave me alone after it's been in the news that the FDA is currently researching the links to liver damage and the weight loss drug Orlistat (Alli). I understand when people are looking out for my health but since I learned about the connection with the liver damage I did a little research to see if I wanted to continue using Alli. "The FDA hasn't determined yet whether these liver problems are related to Orlistat since overweight individuals—who are most likely to use these drugs—tend to have a higher risk of developing liver failure because of a condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease." - US News Also, out of the 32 cases of liver damage reported in regards to Orlistat (spanning the past TEN YEARS, it averages out to three overweight or obese people a year who get liver damage and also happen to be some of the millions who use Alli) 30 of them occurred outside the US. Weird. "The agency is not putting a warning label on these drugs and hasn't advised doctors to change their prescribing practices. Still, the FDA is telling folks to see a doctor if they're experiencing signs of liver problems like jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes), brown urine, weakness, or abdominal pain." - US NEWS I love Alli and it works for me. It's not just the drug, it's the whole program. It really helps your focus on eating right and being active. I'm going to continue using it and recommend it to others.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [0 comments]

The enemy of us all.	June 14, 2009, 11:35PM
by: 666JonathanVonLangkabel666
The horrors of war are often not over once the fighting has stopped. The terrible ordeal has already been recorded and imprinted into the minds of those who had to live through such terrors and those who had to endure other aspects of the war.Psychological damage and trauma as well as physical trauma are a common aspect of the atrocities of war but what of when the wars and battles are over and the soldiers have gone home? What of the people who are native inhabitants of the war torn lands that are now left to be tilled and lived upon again, not by massive armies and war machines but by the houses of villagers and peaceful farmers.The lands left in barren black ravages a calling card of the destructive forces that stationed themselves into the grounds and defeated the life and lively hood of all in oppostion. Not only are their home lands in a state of disaray and temporary defeat but they're also littered with the remains of war engines left by their creators, abanoned but not defective. I'm speaking of landmines, an anti-personal device that I'm sure most of you are familar with due to service in your own countries military or through media forms and video games.But in case there are some who are not familar with the design of a land mine it is a small explosive device often encased within wood,metal, or plastic and is detonated by the pressure of a foot step or a passing vehicle.Landmines are partial submered into the soil of a land only exsposing the trigger that is set off by your foot step or similar means and are often never recovered by the military force that employs their use.Leaving them still active and still effective for years to come and landmines unlike soldiers or other manned war machines are indiscrminate as to whom they maim or kill.To a landmine a childs footstep is just as effective for death enducing results as that of a soldiers. Landmines are an epidemic, a cancer eating away at innocent people in lands across the globe. They're a horror of war that lives on long after screams and gun fire have left the battle field.They're a very simple and effective killing design that can be as cheap as $3 a single mine to manufacture, making them a popular weapon in the arsenal of almost all military forces. However their indiscriminate manner of killing makes them as much a threat to their own creators as to that of the opposing force and as such they're rarely recovered and dismantled by those who choose to use them. Making them a threat to peaceful communities and villages everywhere.Landmines are affecting 82 countries world wide and more are sure to follow if more isnt done to stop the use of these indiscriminate weapons of war that kill and maim innocent civilians long after wars are over. Landmines can last potenitally effective for decades, many landmines laid in WWII are still effective and still cause civilian casualties to a war effort that has been over for 64 years. In the course of one years time from 2002 to 2003 landmine casualties were reported in 65 of the 82 landmine devestated countries, 41 of these countries were not actively at war and had civilians, innocent children, women, and men who were casualties of a war that was long over.In fact it's estimated that 30-40% of all landmine victims are children under the age of 15, mines are responsible for killing and mutilating eight to ten thousand children every year. Landmines are so adept at killing they even begin to actively kill the enviroment they're placed in causing soil degradation,pollution of water with heavy metals, and effecting entire animal species through changing their habitat and altering their food chain.As of now only five countries formerly infected with landmines have been declared safe and mine free. A small victory when portrayed against the number of countries that are still suffering casualties and injuries to innocent men,women, and children against landmines, but yet it is a victory and a triumph none the less. Landmines, though they may not be the most powerful or devestating weapon of war when compared to nuclear weapons they are one of the only weapons of war that is actively killing innocent victims in over 80 countries uncaring of their age, political party, or allegiances.While the outlook is pretty grim with the death toll still steadily building in these countries their future is the only thing we have the capablility of changing.Only we can prevent the further devastation caused by these horrific mines by means of raising the awareness of their role in causing casualties in the form of innocent children,women, and men. And only we can help aid the process of finding and eliminating abandoned and forgotten minefields that often lie hidden and unknown in areas frequented by those who live in mine affected countries. Thanks to the international mine ban treaty many mines have already been destroyed. The treaty which was started in 1997 has been signed and ratified by 156 differnt countries and of those 156 countries 82 have completely destroyed their stockpile of landmines with the other 74 countries are in the process of destroying their stockpile of landmines.Only 39 countries have yet to sign it and destroy their stockpiles of landmines. Interestingly China,Russia, and The United States who happen to have the three largest landmine stockpiles in the world have yet to sign the mine ban treaty and help to rid the world of a weapon of war that isnt just a weapon against enemy soldiers but a weapon of murder against innocent civilians, mostly children. If you'd like to do more to help erradicate this world of abandoned mine fields that are still actively mutliating and killing innocent people everyday around the world I reccomend you look into this orginzation that has already done so much to help clear the path to a safer world. http://www.landmines.org
topic: Current Events
[reply] [68 comments]

"My Daddy Ate My Eyes"	May 27, 2009, 1:37AM
by: thenakedpunk
On 28 April, a horrific event occurred that rocked the town of Bakersfield, CA. Police were called to a home for a disagreement between a man and his wife; less than an hour and a half later, however, they were called back by a neighbor who reported that she had found a naked little boy cowering behind a dresser. The child's face was swollen, and his eyes were shut. There were bite marks all over his face and hands. When he came to fifteen minutes later, that is when the truth was revealed: he was missing his left eye, and his right eye was mutilated. Angelo Mendoza Sr., 34, allegedly bit out his child's left eye; wheelchair bound from being stabbed in the back in 2004, Mendoza was found in a nearby backyard of a vacant home, mutilating his legs with a hatchet. In the initial report from the police, he claimed the "Mexican Mafia" had done this to him, and it appeared he was trying to attempt to chain himself to a lamp pole. The police realized he was under the influence of the drug, PCP, which has become ever-more popular in Bakersfield due to its cheap price. The child's mother, who only gave her first name as Desirae, had left after the argument between her and her husband, leaving behind her son who was "afraid of his father;" she did not think the child was in danger, since Mendoza had never hurt the child before. When the child was taken to a hospital near his home, he told a neighbor, "My daddy bit my hands and face. My daddy ate my eyes!" The case was put under a gag order, in which no one involved is allowed to make comments on the investigation. Mendoza missed his court appearance due to being in the hospital from his self-inflicted wounds; the nurses said he was doing fine in healing. Mendoza is being charged with mayhem, torture, and child cruelty. He could get life in prison, but there is a possibility he could get out on parole.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [80 comments]

The State of Things to Come... (and it don't look pretty!)	April 13, 2009, 2:12AM
by: Murph
I just finished watching an indie documentary on the Radical Christian Right entitled 'Jesus Camp'. Not only was the entire piece hard to watch, it was more or less appalling. This segment of American society accounts for twenty five percent of the population, roughly EIGHTY FIVE MILLION people... quite a scary number... especially when the Evangelical community has some of the highest positions of power in the land, or did (aka George Walker Bush). The film covers a week long "bible" camp in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, headed by the overly obnoxious Becky Fischer and her "ministry," Kids in Ministry International. These kids are being brainwashed, by Fischer and their own parents into believing that the only way to save this planet is to be able and willing to lay down your life for Jesus... a thought which is not only irrational, but completely ludacris. It kinda sounds like radical Islam now dosn't it? Recently in the news, the government has gotten involved with the whole craziness involving Mormons in Texas and what not, the Mormons, although not the sanest bunch, are not a threat, just kinda odd. I am quite concerned why these overly zealous Pentacostal and Evangelical loonies are not being investigated. I understand fully the concept of religious freedoms, but where does it stop? These kids are going to grow up, and once they do, "God" help us all. These kids will be the guys George Carlin talked about, holed up in Montana with unholy amounts of ammunition talking to God on a two-way radio. This whole concept of using children as a weapon against the unholy hordes of Satan and what not is quite discomforting. The last time a minority group had this much... influence over people, and had these charismatic of leaders, well to be blunt, SIX MILLION JEWS, GAYS, GYPSYS, CATHOLICS, ETC. were murdered by the Third Reich. That's right guys, the Nazis tried this one, and had taken over most of Europe. They had it right down to the brainwashing of innocent children, the Hitlerjungen... or Hitler Youth, who were brainwashed into laying down their lives in suicide attacks for the Fuehrer and Fatherland. The only difference is this time the Fuehrer has been replaced with Jesus. I hope this concerns you all as much as it does me, and that you will all take action to stop these people before nutjobs in Montana with guns and God decide that America, nay the world in general is impure and need to start cleansing it for Jesus. It's quite a scary thought.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [1 comment]

The Unaffected	October 27, 2008, 6:43PM
by: k1llurid0l
It’s late October, and apparently there’s an election right around the corner. I admit I haven’t been paying much attention. Personally, I don’t see anything of substance that either inspires my allegiance or incurs my wrath. What I do see, however, is the same old left wing/right wing paradigm that feels more like a re-run of The West Wing than a real political discourse, and I am not alone: Republican vs. Democrat, Tax & Spend Liberalism vs. Fiscal Conservatism and so on and so forth - ad nauseam. The basic political landscape hasn’t changed since the implementation of The New Deal, and I wouldn’t hold my breath for any future modifications. With that said, let’s take a look at the candidates. John McCain is about as fresh and invigorating as a Vera Lynn retrospective, without any of Ms. Lynn’s potential for nostalgic appeal. Also, his eroded reputation as a “Maverick” was never convincing to me in the least. You can’t be a senator as long as he has and be anything other than a Washington insider. Moreover, his choice of a running mate is absolutely mystifying. Palin has made a habit of saying things she has to explain or otherwise qualify soon thereafter. She is a clumsy, unseasoned political novice who transforms an uphill battle into Mission Impossible. It’s almost like he’s trying to lose. By contrast, Barrack Obama is tailor-made for the current social climate. After eight years of blatant lying, fear-mongering, curtailing of civil liberties, and a complete lack of consideration for the actual concerns of the people, the eloquence expressed within his confident public persona and youthful mannerisms make it easy for an angry, cynical, and demoralized electorate to digest his bullshit. Obama affords an opportunity for the one thing America needs at this point in her history – a suspension of disbelief. These things considered it doesn’t matter who wins. Politicians are like pro-wrestlers – they’re only adversaries when the cameras are rolling. At the end of the day, when the curtain falls, they’re all actors sharing the stage and the spotlight. In short, they’re co-workers who see past their occasional personal conflicts and ego-clashes to further the common good – which is, or course, their own advancement. This brings us to the other half of the equation – the American people. I haven’t watched a single debate; I didn’t watch a single episode of Hardball w/Chris Matthews or Meet the Press (R.I.P. Mr. Russert). I don’t need to know what the issues are, because I know what the issue always is – money. The truth is, people only think about the war in Iraq when compelled to give an opinion on it, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan is our generation’s forgotten conflict. Unless you are a veteran, or have a friend or loved one serving in the military in either of these godforsaken regions, you seldom if ever think about it – despite all your guilt-ridden protests to the contrary. This is the reason why McCain’s “War-Hero” aesthetic should have been re-examined and largely cashiered in lieu of a more immediate, relevant and marketable election-year image. Here’s the bottom line: We live in a completely transactional culture where everything has a finite value and intangibles are relegated to something akin to a childish ideal - a country divided along an innumerable set of sociological, economic, racial, religious and philosophical lines that simply categorizing us as “Haves and Have-nots” is insufficient and obsolete. A national body consisting of self-centered, myopic, media-saturated pseudo-humans who speak of compassion, honor, loyalty and family-values and live in a completely contradictory fashion. Have you ever noticed how politicians reference us not by our national identity, but the services we provide? We are consumers, constituents, voters or taxpayers – never citizens. When is the last time you heard a politician refer to us as citizens? We have absolutely no right to complain about this, because through their exploitation, deception and misdirection they are not betraying us – they are reflecting us. I know what some of you people are thinking, so let me save you the wasted effort. I (and people like me) are not “Disaffected”, so do not label us as such because it is dismissive and condescending. We are UNAFFECTED, and there’s a big difference.
topic: Current Events
[reply] [46 comments]

Big Foot Real or fake? An In Depth Analysis	August 20, 2008, 4:15PM
by: Crazydude13666
Sightings of Bigfoot, also called Sasquatch, were first reported in parts of the United States and Canada in the early 1800s. Since then there have been hundreds of reports of a large, hairy hominid or ape, with the distinguishing characteristic of a 16"-20" footprint. Similar stories from around the world about giant and elusive ape-like humans include the Yeren of China, the Yeti of the Himalaya mountains, the Yowie of Australia and the Mapinguari of South America... In 2008 two men, Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer, held a press conference to claim they had found a Bigfoot body in the forests of Georgia. I studied Anthropology in High School (the study of humans, evolution and habits, traits and customs) may I weigh in? First the bible had many references to Big Foot and the Indians had over 100 words in there language referring to big foot. So there is a good chance big foot was real just died off by now! Number 2 most sightings are close to a cave so maybe they are more of a cave dweller... They would have the upper hand down there if they know the caves... And we may never find there bodies. After some research I have also found out that the area in which the Georgia Big Foot was found had caves near by and did in fact have had many sighting over a period of 20 years. Why haven't we found any remains? Very few remains of ancient wood apes have ever been found in Asia, where they were much more abundant. Millions of gigantos (a branch of the wood ape line) lived and died in Asia over the ages. All the remaining physical evidence we have of them could fit into a few shoe boxes. Fossils of any land animal are very rare. Remains do not become fossilized very often, but unless that happens, all the remains will, in time, become completely reabsorbed into the ecosystem. There would be remains of animals everywhere if remains were not naturally recycled, including bones and teeth. Fossils or preserved bones of wood apes may exist in the Americas, but they will be exceedingly rare, because these animals are rare to begin with, and only a tiny fraction of that population will die in locations and soils that will preserve bones somehow. Odds are slim at best that any bones (which are normally fragmentary) will be found, collected and identified unless a focused effort is made to look for them. Until efforts are made in many places, over a long period of time, no one should be scratching their head wondering why "we" don't have any physical remains. Also if they did find Big Foot what DNA do they have to compare it to? Even Humans and Gorillas only have 2 common genetic similarities... So of course you would start by checking those two. Big Foot could possibly share a few basic mammal traits of the opossum. Unless we rerun the DNA and take a more in depth look we may never find the answers we seek. With time an Autopsy will be done with the specimen in Georgia and I feel we will have a better understanding of this creature we know so little about. Like most findings the information is in the eye of the beholder. So whether you believe or disbelief next time you find yourself in the woods you might want to keep an eye out for the one they call Big Foot!
topic: Current Events
[reply] [3 comments]

	May 7, 2008, 12:58PM
by: Syn
What I don't get is all of these people concerned with the RIGHTS of Illegal Immigrants in this country. Awhile ago there were protests from Hispanics (a lot of which were illegal) about immigration policy. If these people WERE working (legally or illegally) they didn't go into work so they could protest Immigration Policy. And you KNOW that if some American Citizens decided to not show up for work because they wanted to protest a cause...they would get fired. What I don't get is that these people are CRIMINALS. They broke the law and came into this country illegally. They have NO rights here because they are not United States Citizens. They should not get ANY benefits at all. I have no problem at all with anyone of a different race. But if you want to be in this country so badly then go through the proper channels and come here legally like EVERYONE ELSE HAD TO. Some of my ancestors emigrated here from Ireland a long time ago and had to do it legally. And plenty of other people's ancestors immigrated here legally and learned the English Language. WE SHOULD NOT have to incorporate Spanish into anything we do in our day to day lives either. We are being expected to learn Spanish and have our kids learn Spanish. We have automated phone lines with Spanish options, signs going up in both Spanish and English...etc. If you want to come here, do it legally, and learn the language spoken here. We do not come to Mexico or any other country for example and expect them to speak and put signs in English. To me this is all just part of the coming North American Union. This is why our border policy is a joke in the first place. Lawmakers don't care whether or not people come across our borders, because soon enough we will have an open borders policy with Canada and Mexico (which is already in the works). This is all being laid out starting with NAFTA...then evolving into the SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership). The SPP was first launched in 2005 by the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States at a summit in Waco. The SPP was not created by a treaty between the nations involved, nor was Congress involved in any way. Instead, the SPP is an alliance of foreign consortiums and officials from several governments. One principal player is a Spanish construction company, which plans to build a super highway through the United States and operate it as a toll road. But don’t be fooled: the superhighway proposal is not the result of free market demand, but rather an extension of government-managed trade schemes like NAFTA that benefit politically-connected interests. This has taken shape largely without approval from Congress, out of sight, and with no vote from United States Citizens. The United States Government is already illegally seizing privately owned land in Texas to build the TTC (Trans-Texas Corridor) which is part of the NAFTA Super Highway. This superhighway would connect Mexico, the United States, and Canada, cutting a wide swath through the middle of Texas and up through Kansas City. Offshoots would connect the main artery to the west coast, Florida, and northeast. Proponents envision a ten-lane colossus the width of several football fields, with freight and rail lines, fiber-optic cable lines, and oil and natural gas pipelines running alongside. The Kansas-City smart port will be a major hub/distribution center as well. Then cheaply made products from other countries can be brought into port in Mexico and carried at a higher volume and more quickly into the United States and Canada. So China, Corporate C.E.O.'s, and Government Officials that are deeply vested with Corporations can make much more money. The real issue is national sovereignty. Once again, decisions that affect millions of Americans are not being made by those Americans themselves, or even by their elected representatives in Congress. Instead, a handful of elites use their government connections to bypass national legislatures and ignore our Constitution-- which expressly grants Congress the sole authority to regulate international trade. The ultimate goal is not simply a superhighway, but an integrated North American Union--complete with a currency, a cross-national bureaucracy, and virtually borderless travel within the Union. Like the European Union, a North American Union would represent another step toward the abolition of national sovereignty altogether. Any movement toward a North American Union diminishes the ability of average Americans to influence the laws under which they must live. The SPP agreement, including the plan for a major transnational superhighway through Texas, is moving forward without congressional oversight-- and that is an outrage. The administration needs a strong message from Congress that the American people will not tolerate backroom deals that threaten our sovereignty. For far too long, we the American people have put up with big government. The time is way past due for us to speak up and let our voices be heard. We are sick and tired of a government that has its hands in every little detail of our lives. The founding fathers would be disgusted if they saw what we put up with by our government today. And don’t get me wrong, I love America, I love my country! I am very much a patriot! I believe it is the DUTY of every American Citizen to speak out against the government if they do not agree with things that are being done. The Constitution was written to restrain the government, never to restrain the people! America needs to follow the Constitution! This is not a document that is to be ignored, pushed aside, or buried under tons of bureaucracy like has been done for so many years now! Do some research people and see that the processes I’ve discussed are actually happening! Don't just say "oh that’s hogwash" and not look into it. These things are happening and the groundwork was laid awhile ago. Do your RESEARCH! http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
topic: Current Events
[reply] [5 comments]

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