Notice that the media pays this no more attnetion than they did when McCain recently said on television that he aspires to be dictator?

Uh, DW, I failed to mention this before, but my vehicle is a true 4-wheel drive, with plenty enough power to get us into the backwoods, should that be necessary. Or at least close enough to walk to where Minstrel has the horses. Plenty of room for 5 plus provisions.

I'll keep the tank full.

"You don't get everything you want. A dictatorship would be a lot easier." – Governing Magazine/George W. Bush (1998), describing what it's like to be governor of Texas.

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." – CNN/George W. Bush (2000)

"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." – Business Week/George W. Bush (2001)

"If I were dictator, which I always aspire to be, I would write it a little bit differently." – Des Moines Register/John Sydney McCain III (2008), speaking about the bailout bill

While I generally hate to get sucked into conspiracy thinking, I admit, a lot of recent rumor and innuendo makes me feel skittish. Among the nerve tinglers: the brigade brought conveniently home now, the way Palin and McCain both attack with terminology that utterly invites barely subliminal racism in certain listeners, and reports that at least one listened cried out "Kill him!" about Obama. What if the GOP has decided that they cannot really win an election?
If they can set murder in motion; and who says they didn't get their hopes up with a recent spate of odd lunatics (who read the likes of Coulter and Limbaugh) going off with gunfire at hated liberals---they win because the opponent is DEAD. If such a strategy is even in the back of their heads as they shoot off their mouths, well....they will need more than a mere brigade when America erupts. If Obama is murdered either before the election, anger is going to be something very literal to behold. If they thought it was a mess after the Rodney King incident, they have no idea what kind of tea party they could be invoking this time.

Good Afternoon Dark Wraith:

come to the rez. we have plenty of caves. we like grouchy white guys like you.

The Dark Wraith will now and for the next several days engage in random bursts of laughter for no reason apparent to others in his vicinity.

Speaking of Tea Parties...

Take about 30 minutes to watch her.

She might be right, but somehow she sounds like Al Gore advising kids to civil disobedience at new coal plants.

Hear a Mockingbird, anyone?

Ann Coulter has caught on to our game:

Dear Fellow Conservative,

Do you know which special interest has given more money to the Obama and Clinton campaigns than any other?

If you guessed "trial lawyers" -- well, okay, that's too easy. But can you guess which special interest came in second?

Labor unions? Nope. The Green Lobby? Nope. AARP? Wrong, again. NEA? Nyet.

Give up? Okay, here's the answer: Wall Street.

That's right. According to CNNMoney.com, Wall Street securities and investment firms have given over $35 million to Democratic candidates this election cycle. And the amount they've given to the Clinton and Obama campaigns is nearly five times the amount they've given to McCain.

If you've been wondering why the financial industry has been in meltdown -- and taking your 401(k) or investment portfolio down with it -- now you know.

Let's face it: The former frat boys who populate Wall Street today understand economics about as well as the pinko professors whose courses they snored through.

That's why betting their entire industry on "subprime" loans to people with no jobs and no collateral made sense to them -- and why betting the entire U.S. economy on the likes of Hillary and Obama makes sense to them now.

These jokers don't even know what's in their own self-interest, much less yours. Trusting them with your money is like trusting Bill Clinton to babysit your underage niece.

But I know someone you can trust to manage your investments -- or rather, to help you do it yourself, without paying a nickel in commissions to some Wall Street frat boy.

His name is Dr. Mark Skousen -- that's "Dr." as in "Ph.D. in Economics and Monetary History," something you don't get by playing Beer Pong with your frat buddies. For the past 28 years, subscribers to his investment newsletter, Forecasts & Strategies, have profited enormously from his uncanny ability to predict When my career went south to shitterville.

Trog, that ugly witch can burn in hell, for all I care:

* The Anti-Lobbyist, Advised by Lobbyists

* McCain Campaign Staffed By Telecom Immunity Lobbyists:

* McCainSource.com has compiled a list of lobbyists on the McCain campaign ("McCain Has Had At Least 133 Lobbyists Running His Campaign & Raising Money For Him")

* For documentation and citations for the information provided in the graph, see links...

* ...provided on this page: "The McCain-Lobbyist Connection Citations"

For more:
* Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.

Well, isn't that just special?

Annie's hawking some investment guru's tripe.

It's like I've always pointed out: anyone who's good enough to accurately predict stock movements and wealthy enough to make money off his predications wouldn't be selling newsletters.

And I would dearly love to have Annie take a portfolio control theory and applications course from me. If she made it through even the first quiz, she'd have some serious hair on her chest.

Not that she doesn't, anyway; but that's why God made depilatory creams for "ladies" built otherwise.

The Dark Wraith is less than diplomatic when it comes to anti-intellectual pundits with too much pent-up testosterone.

I understand that the RWAF "media whore" ("Satan's Barbie") is also known as "Man Coldsore", but I'll try to keep my own language a little less harsh, doncha know?

"Yoobetcha."

*wink*

I'd apologize for stinking up the place with Ann's blather, but hell, you knew I was a scorpion when you put me on your back...hehehe.

Yeah, she's been shilling this shit for a while now, and I found this one too delicious to keep to myself. Trying to sell this claptrap to people who are supposedly smart enough to have gathered up some resources to invest money in the stock market, but dumb enough to forget that the Republicans were raking in all the Wall St. funding when they were the 'wunderkind'.

It only filthy lucre when it's lib money.

No prob, for me, Trog. I've just purchased stock in eye bleach.

Indeed, Moody Blue.

Around this joint, we show respect.

She of the Absent Camel Toe is welcome here anytime she's in town. We'll even invite her into the VIP Lounge, where she can hang out with Peter of Lone Tree and trog.

Did I just write "hang out"?!

I should probably issue a press release attacking the media for taking my statement out of context.

The Dark Wraith heads back to the VIP Lounge to make sure things don't get out of hand.
[Did I just write "out of hand"?!]

Aww, Wraith. Don't be so hard on 'her'. *snicker*

Her adam's apple bouncing in that special way, I couldn't help but think, "damn, I wish her and Pete would get a room or sumpin; That's fuckin' disgusting", the way she had him bent over the arm of the couch; The dust flying off the cushions everywhere except where Pete's tears of shame had moistened it.

Note to self: Buy stock in brain bleach.

Moody Blue, I can't read anymore about McCain's lobbyist love, since Obama can't say shit about it, for obvious reasons.

Note to self: Buy stock in brain bleach.

His name is Dr. Mark Skousen -- that's "Dr." as in "Ph.D., and I'm sure he can steer you into some righteous brain leach stock.

What?

I need to stop buying milk for the latte bar from China.

Well, I so understand, trog. Really. And I also understand that corporations are restricted and limited as to how much they can donate to campaigns, so I'm wondering if much of the donating came from individuals working for those companies... you know, the regular little working class (pee-on) workers, hoping to save their jobs?

Fact Check: Did Obama get second-most money from Freddie and Fannie?

VERDICT: Misleading. No donations actually came from the companies.

Hah, Wraith! Coffee, black. Cigarette?

I thought maybe the Dark Wraith might enjoy this 3 minute October 7th video from David Letterman on McCain's Campaign [train] wreckage and Palin.

"...I'm wondering if much of the donating came from individuals working for those companies..."

Then all we gots to do is seek out those individuals and interro...oh. Yeah.

FBI: Body of missing NYC mobster found in NY field

I somehow think after reading this even brain bleach isn't going to help.

There's also this Sept 28th statement on video,

from Rep. Michael Burgess (R - TX):

"Mr. Speaker, I understand we are under martial law, as declared by the speaker last night."

"Members of Congress were told they could face martial law if they didn't pass the bailout bill. This will not be the last time."

Good evening Dark Wraith,

Oh yeah? who told them? Tony Soprano?

Is this for real? If true, I find it very strange that Sherman would publicly reveal this. Or maybe not... Sherman is a Democrat. Could it be possible that author/speaker Naomi Wolf (as is the other book seller named Naomi) all seem to be profiting nicely off of martial law fear mongering prior to the election? What a great way to mobilize the base against Team McPain. Just a 'theory.'

Good morning, 2truthy.

So, what is your theory, exactly? That Naomis Wolf and Klein( I take it that's who you're referring to.) put Sherman up to stating on the floor, in front of witnesses, that martial law was threatened by the president, or that they personally called the cavalry to come in and suppress rioting, so that they could sell books?

I've not read Ms. Klein's book, but I have heard some pooh-poohing of her supposed alarmist treatment of facts. That still leaves the items mentioned in DW's post untouched by them, other than their reporting it.

Good afternoon, 2Truthy.

As a foreword and aside, I have taken more than one opportunity to call Naomi Klein out as the blitheringly ignorant person on economic matters that she is. That she is a darling of the Leftist media (what there is of it) and the Leftist intelligentsia (what there is of it that's not an oxymoron) indicates just how far from any basis in reality some Leftists are who call the neo-cons detached from reality, which they are.

I wanted to clarify that before getting to the main point of addressing your comment, which I shall now do.

I have independent confirmations that a general martial law was, indeed, threatened directly to several obstinate members of the House of Representatives. As Moody Blue notes, several have gone public.

With respect to the claim that martial law was imposed by Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives, the video on the congressman's challenge is clear: he demanded to know if Pelosi had imposed martial law, and he got no negative answer. Under House rules, he would have to have been specifically told, "No" is it had not been the case.

Now for the next round. Claims are being made by Wayne Madsen and others that a so-called "C&R" document is circulating on Capitol Hill.

In and of itself, such a document would be rather unremarkable: literally hundreds of thousands of pages of paper documents and their electronic equivalents are making the rounds every week in Washington D.C.: everything from breathless position papers to even more breathless communiques, notices, coupons, two-for-one sales, and important speakers here and there roll like unrelenting waves over the nexus of money and power that is the capitol of our nation.

Some informational bits, pieces, papers, and e-mails are fresh, some are recycled garbage; some are timely and important, some are banal and pedantic. Most aren't worth the trees that died or the electrons that fizzled in their production.

This C&R document, again, is nothing but one drop in an ocean of urgent and not-so-urgent information. Believe it or not, its place in the scheme of things will ultimately be determined by forces somewhat similar to those that determine what talentless singer will rise to fame while hundreds of brilliant musicians spend their entire lives being ignored.

Right now, it's anyone's guess. That having been said, though, both McCain and Obama have seen it. Both of them are damnable for not repudiating its sick nonsense.

The Dark Wraith wonders what, exactly, it's going to take to wake the American people up to the fact that there is no savior, this time.

Just curious; DW, did you expect things to go south so quickly? It was telling that so many econ. pundits couldn't/wouldn't predict that the financial system would become so deeply FUBAR'd, instead merely saying that trouble lay ahead. So, seeing how your crystal ball wasn't in need of cleaning; The shitstorm was all too clear, are you surprised at anything that has occurred in the past coupla weeks?

Good afternoon, trog.

I shall answer your question in an article I'll be publishing within the next hour or so.

The Dark Wraith sees a hugely important subject he can address.

Good evening Dark Wraith,

To answer your question, no, I am not questioning that either of the arguably sensationalistic Naomi’s would directly put Sherman up to declare that martial law was threatened by the president in order to sell books -- they shouldn’t have to do that, as politicians and author/journalists inhabit the same influential zeitgeist. Especially around here.

Although there is no “active proof” or plan from the Bush Administration to impose martial law, I don’t wish to suggest that this is not a possibility as I don’t put anything past this kidney stone of a Bush Administration that we all are anxious to pass.

As you clarify, thus far this is only an allegation but if true, a very “troubling” one, indeed. I put nothing past the media’s manipulation of politically charged, bipartisan exploits in the race up to the presidential election.

As an aside (and just for the record): the artice referenced in the intro to the post here by Dark Wraith was written by Naomi WOLF, not by Naomi KLEIN. (Neither of which am I a "fan" of, and rarely bother to even read.)

AND, there are two videos linked, one (in the main post) from a House Democrat and one (in comments) from a House Republican, both of whom made the "under martial law" statement.

- - - - -

Statement by Robert Greenstein (July 28, 2006)
Executive Director, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

Use of the martial law procedure will enable the Leadership to seek to round up the votes needed to pass the bills before a full picture is available of what the bills actually do.

What is “Martial Law”?

The House leadership is using a parliamentary gambit to evade a longstanding House rule that is supposed to ensure that this kind of obfuscation does not occur. That House rule (Rule XIII(6)(a)) provides that a resolution (called a rule) reported by the Rules Committee cannot be considered by the House on the same legislative day that the rule is reported (except by a two-thirds vote of the House). This is supposed to ensure that Members of the House and the public have at least one day to examine and analyze what is in legislation before they have to debate and vote on it.

[snip]

This extraordinary procedure is known as a “martial law” rule because it suspends the normal procedures and safeguards and allows the House Leadership to operate in a more authoritarian fashion. It enables the Leadership to seek to ram a bill or conference report through before the Members have the opportunity to fully understand what they are voting on.