Says Jeremy Scahill in a Democracy Now interview:

[The US Embassy in Iraq is] the largest embassy of any country in the history of civilization. I mean, it’s a city unto itself. And it necessitates, Hillary Clinton believes, between 6,000 and 7,000 private security operatives…

There are also—the State Department also has plans to remake some US bases into what they call “enduring presence posts,” EPPs. And so, you’ll have these outposts around the country that are essentially—what is essentially unfolding here is a downsized and rebranded occupation, Obama-style, that is going to necessitate a surge in private forces. The State Department is asking for MRAP vehicles, armored vehicles, for Black Hawk helicopters and for these paramilitary forces. So, yes, you can say that officially combat has ended, but in reality you’re continuing it through the back door by bringing in these paramilitary forces and classifying them as diplomatic security, which was Bush’s game from the very beginning.

See the full interview at Little Alex in Wonderland.

This is believable “Change” from the newest star of the ruling class.

The rally was very much about getting conservatives elected – speakers emphasized this, and signs had this electoral bent to them. Liberals, progressives, and “Marxists” were clearly the enemy. The Founders were idolized.

Signs that I observed were mostly about taxes, “socialism,” and government spending (mostly related to social programs). I saw one “No More Bailouts” sign. A number of signs referenced 2010 elections and “We the People” taking control of the government. I saw US flags, Gadsden flags, and one Three Percenter flag.

The only references to war and the military (a big portion of government spending) that I noticed were people wearing military veteran shirts and hats.

Campaign for Liberty folks had a table and literature, some of which I saw being distributed by a woman carrying a sign about how much money illegal immigrants cost NJ taxpayers. Instead of highlighting the costs of war and other security state programs ( “a non-interventionist foreign policy” was mentioned on one flyer but no details were there), they had literature that was generally Constitution-oriented, anti-Federal Reserve, and one flyer advocating Ron Paul’s bill to overturn Roe v. Wade. CL, at least this chapter, is looking for a niche as a conservative, not a libertarian organization, which is not surprising because that was Ron Paul’s position all along.

The event was not completely anti-immigrant – at least one of the speakers was a Russian immigrant with a noticeable accent. She gave a rosy picture of 1917 Russia – there was “an expanding middle class” – before the Communists took over.

A number of people were wearing National Rifle Association attire.

An overall Christian affiliation was presented. The opening speaker proudly declared he was a Creationist, and there were a number of handouts with a religious right perspective.

The crowd was not exclusively white, but was noticeably whiter than the general populace I observed in the streets surrounding the rally. I would guess that average age would be solidly middle age.

A 16 year old conservative speaker proudly stated that he refused to watch An Inconvenient Truth when his public school class showed it. He then proceeded to comment on the film that he refused to watch before blasting liberals for not listening to anything that counters their views. Unless I heard wrong, he said “God bless” governor Christie, which resulted in lots of applause.

I’ve got to get better at crowd counting – I’m guessing 50-100 people were there (see pics below).

One CBS news van was present.

Click to enlarge the scans and photos:

Related:
The Nineties Called. They Want Their Poser-lution Back

Tea Party Report

Submitted by anon on Wed, 2010-01-20 07:07

A network of street medics, action medics, and other skilled individuals with politics of mutual aid has developed to help send organized teams of volunteers to Haiti to help earthquake survivors. This network is building off experiences gained working at the Common Ground Clinic in New Orleans and as street medics and campaign medics from the West Coast to Appalachia to the Northeast Anarchist Network, with varying levels of medical and herbal knowledge & clinical experience.

We are:

* Providing direct medical aid, medical and social advocacy;
* Documenting the developing situation on the ground and providing an alternative media source; and
* Establishing a grassroots structure that allows the effective distribution of aid.

Donations will immediately go towards:

* Provision of emergency medical supplies and gear;
* Travel costs for medics and team to reach devastated areas of Haiti; and
* Supporting grassroots relief efforts on the ground.

The first team of five landed yesterday, just in time to live through a 6.0 level earthquake this morning. They are safe and sound, treating patients, and beginning to establish a new field hospital.

Breaking news and reports form the field:
http://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/reports.shtml

Our network, and a link to donate:
http://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/

Who to e-mail if you want to help:
mutual-aid-disaster-relief-in-haiti@googlegroups.com

Hellz yeah!

Olympic Games advertisements on Winnipeg bus shelters were recently subverted to read “RIOT 2010.” The saboteurs also glued on a person holding a brick and a short list of things to revolt against. Much could be said about this use of art and the merits or dangers of encouraging riots. But for now I’d like to examine a claim made in the saboteurs’ statement, which can be viewed with pictures of the action at flickr.com/photos/weweremadeforthis.

Their objections to the Olympics include the charge that “By presenting the games as a festival of international peace and friendship, the IOC [International Olympic Committee] allows the nations of the world to deny any internal conflict, pretending to represent their people as anything but discontented.” [read the rest.]

My longer feature article this month will discuss a soft transition to a stateless society, something that is difficult to squeeze into a news commentary.

On Sunday, January 3, thousands of airline travelers were delayed after an unknown person walked the wrong way through an exit at Newark Liberty International Airport. Continental Airlines, the largest user of the affected terminal, was still behind schedule on Monday morning. Though it is relieving when a security scare results in no innocent casualties, this incident shows the vulnerability of the rigid institutions that are supposed to provide security. The possibility that a freed market can provide security better than a state ought to be examined…(Read the rest: Newark Airport Disruption and the Failure of State Security)

Writing for C4SS involves a different style and focus than I’m used to. C4SS commentary is about writing newspaper-friendly editorials that take a current news item and examine how it provides evidence in favor of market anarchism. But I think I’ll ease into it.

H/T Freedom Book Club

Speaking of beneficial drugs, Keene, NH activists have staged a series of marijuana smoke-ins at the town central square. Will your town be next?