http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=touch Tue, 21 May 2013 23:12:51 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=touch Tue, 21 May 2013 19:31:08 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=231_1369178478 aydeo Police detain Munib Farhat, A Muslim from Majd al-Krum (N.Israel) suspected of running abusive sect, allegedly subjugated 6 families to his will, forced parents to treat children violently. Woman who left the cult of Majd al-Krum says leader sexually assaulted members, smeared feces on kids. 'When I screamed he threatened to murder me,' she tells Ynet - "He attacked the women and children, kept women locked in the shower for hours and took our paychecks," said a woman who was a member of a violent cult allegedly led by 56-year-old Munib Farhat in the Galilee community of Majd al-Krum. Farhat was arrested on Tuesday by Northern District Police after a month-long investigation following a complaint by a 46 year-old member of the cult who managed to escape. He was remanded for eight days. Police suspect the leader had ordered his followers to act violently toward their children, in the name of "proper" education. The violent cult consisted of 11 adults and 25 children. The man is also accused of sexually assaulting several of the women in the group and abusing both the women and children. Among other things, the cult leader allegedly locked the children in the bathroom, smeared feces on their mouths and rationed their food. Farhat has denied the allegations. "Farhat told us he was a religious man and could solve any financial, social and family-related problem," the woman who filed the complaint told Ynet. "He also convinced us to turn over our paychecks at the end of each month and said if we wanted to purchase anything we should ask him (for money)." According to the woman, the cult leader opened a small store in his home "and he forced us to shop only there. Sometimes we would ask him for money to buy food for the house, and he would give us 50 shekels ($14) and tell us that was enough. He also never agreed to give the children any money. He stole our all of our funds." The complainant's brother said she told him the abuse, assault and sexual exploitation went on for years. The woman further told Ynet that "at first we believed (Farhat) and thought he wanted to help us, but everything changed over the past few years. He attacked women and children; forced them to clean the house and cultivate the land without any compensation. Any woman who objected was attacked and locked in the shower or stockroom for more than seven hours. "He brutally attacked me several times - stepped on my neck, hit me all over by body and locked me up in the stockroom with the mice. When I screamed he threatened to murder me. I did not seek medical care because I was afraid he would hurt me if he found out," she recalled. The woman said that as soon as she left the cult and complained against Farhat, he turned her family against her. "My husband and three children are no longer in touch with me and believe that the cult leader's way is the right one. I hope we will live together again - far away from this horrific story," the woman said. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4382672,00.html http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4382404,00.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=231_1369178478 aydeo Cult member: I was locked in storeroom with mice Abusive cult,Majd al-Krum,Sexual assault Tue, 21 May 2013 11:01:15 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a0a_1369148338 flashpointreport Source: http://facebook.com/syriareport Activists from the European Solidarity Front for Syria have called for people to take part en masse in a demonstration scheduled for the 15th of June in Rome, Italy. The message of demonstrators gathering in the Italian capital will be "Don't Touch Syria/Hands Off Syria". Since early 2013, the Solidarity Front has gained international coverage with its busy membership of hundreds of young activists. Posters, public demonstrations with Syrians expatriates and immigrants, open speeches, interviews and other events have put the ESFS on the map to date. The Solidarity Front's actions are transmitted by Syrian and Iranian state television stations often and soon, they will start begin action in Latin America too. ESFS activist Dimitris Tousiadis said: "We are the only pro-Syria movement in Europe. We are Syria's voice in the West. From that time, in every country and every city in Europe, from Norway to Cyprus, we had a series of actions, mobilization and rallies. Posters, public demonstrations with Syrians expatriates and immigrants, open speeches, interviews. People and groups from every corner of Europe, are mobilizing about what is going on in Syria and join our cause. Soon, ESFS will start appearing in Latin America too. We are also preparing an open rally in London." Enthusiasts are encouraged to email the ESFS regarding flights and accomodation: europeanfrontsyria@gmail.com Facebook Event : https://www.facebook.com/events/150469651790795/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a0a_1369148338 flashpointreport Organisation Underway for European Syria Rally european solidarity front for syria Tue, 21 May 2013 09:21:52 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bb6_1369140862 marypoppinsonheroin Ray Manzarek, a founding member of the 1960s rock group The Doors whose versatile and often haunting keyboards complemented Jim Morrison's gloomy baritone and helped set the mood for some of rock's most enduring songs, has died. He was 74. Manzarek died Monday in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family, said publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald. She said the musician's manager, Tom Vitorino, confirmed Manzarek died after being stricken with bile duct cancer. The Doors' original lineup, which also included drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robbie Krieger, was only together for a few years and they only made six studio albums. But the band has retained a large and obsessive following decades after Morrison's death, in 1971. The Doors have sold more than 100 million records and songs such as "Light My Fire" and "Riders On the Storm" are still "classic" rock favorites. For Doors admirers, the band symbolized the darker side of the Los Angeles lifestyle, what happened to the city after the sun went down and the Beach Boys fans headed home. Next to Morrison, Manzarek was the most distinctive-looking band member, his glasses and wavy blond hair making him resemble a young English professor more than a rock star, a contrast to Morrison's Dionysian glamour - his sensuous mouth and long, dark hair. Musically, Manzarek's spidery organ on "Light My Fire" is one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in rock history. But he seemed up to finding the right touch for a wide range of songs - the sleepy, lounge-style keyboards on "Riders On the Storm"; the liquid strains for "The Crystal Ship"; the barrelhouse romps on "Roadhouse Blues." The Doors always considered themselves "more" than a rock band and Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger often managed a flowing rapport that blended rock, blues and jazz behind Morrison's self-consciously poetic lyrics. "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words," Densmore said in a statement. "Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother." The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Their records have been reissued frequently and the band was the subject of a 1991 Oliver Stone movie, "The Doors," starring Val Kilmer as Morrison and Kyle MacLachlan as Manzarek, who complained that the film stereotyped Morrison as a hopeless drunk and also omitted calmer, more humorous times. The Doors' fame has hardly faded even though they're one of the few groups not to allow their music to be used for commercials, a source of great tension among surviving members. Manzarek and Krieger reportedly supported licensing the songs, and Densmore has resisted. The group also feuded when Krieger and Manzarek formed a new group, Doors of the 21st Century. Densmore objected, and Krieger and Manzarek performed under various names. Other Doors albums included "The Soft Parade," ''Waiting for the Sun" and their last record with Morrison, "L.A. Woman." Manzarek briefly tried to hold the band together on the albums "Other Voices" and "Full Circle," neither of which had critical or commercial success. He played in other bands over the years, working with X and Iggy Pop among others. He also wrote a memoir, "Light My Fire," and a novel, "The Poet In Exile," in which he imagines receiving messages from a Morrison-like artist who had supposedly died. Born and raised in Chicago, Manzarek studied piano as a child and briefly considered a career in basketball. After graduating from DePauw University, he headed west to study film at UCLA. A few months after graduation, he and Morrison met in 1965 on Venice Beach in California. As Manzarek would often recall, Morrison read him some lyrics - Let's swim to the moon/Let's climb through the tide/Penetrate the evening that the/City sleeps to hide" - that became the start of "Moonlight Drive." "I'd never heard lyrics to a rock song like that before," Manzarek told Billboard in 1967. "We talked a while before we decided to get a group together and make a million dollars." By 1966, they had been joined by Krieger and Densmore and were a sensation live, especially during the theatrical, Oedipal epic, "The End." They were the house band at the famed Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles before being signed by Elektra Records and releasing a self-titled album in 1967, one of the most talked-about debuts in rock history. "Well, to me, my God, for anybody who was there it means it was a fantastic time," Manzarek told The Republican in Massachusetts during an interview last year. "We thought we could actually change the world - to make it a more Christian, Islamic, Judaic Buddhist, Hindu, loving world. We thought we could. The children of the '50s post-war generation were actually in love with life and had opened the doors of perception. And we were in love with being alive and wanted to spread that love around the planet and make peace, love and harmony prevail upon earth, while getting stoned, dancing madly and having as much sex as you could possibly have." Manzarek is survived by his wife, Dorothy; his son Pablo and two brothers, Rick and James. Funeral arrangements are pending. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/05/20/founding-member-doors-dies-at-74-publicist-says/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bb6_1369140862 marypoppinsonheroin Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, dies at 74, Ray Manzarek, the doors, Sun, 19 May 2013 17:29:05 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b3e_1368997944 plokiju Occurred Friday May 17, 2013. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b3e_1368997944 plokiju X-47b <span class="highlight">Touch</span> and go landing on aircraft carrier X-47b, Touch, and, go, landing, on, aircraft, carrier Mon, 20 May 2013 19:30:10 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d11_1369092437 Detroit Iron By Abby D. Phillip ABC News This weekend, Virginia Republicans found their candidate for lieutenant governor in E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake, Va. pastor who has compared Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan and also suggested that black Americans are being enslaved by the Democratic Party. "It is time to end the slavish devotion to the Democrat Party," Jackson, who is African American, said in a 2012 YouTube video . "Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was. And the Democrat Party and their black civil rights allies are partners in this genocide." "The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain, so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions," he added. The statements have been catnip for Democrats eager to jump on the opportunity to label Jackson as "extreme" and link him to Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who is the Republican nominee for the closely watched gubernatorial race. "This choice highlights just how out-of-touch the Republican Party of Virginia has become," wrote Aneesh Chopra, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, in a prepared statement. "Jackson's extreme views are far to the right of Virginia voters. In fact, Jackson is far more extreme than Ken Cuccinelli - which is quite a feat." The emergence of Jackson's video isn't the result of opposition research. It was put on the Internet by Jackson's own campaign long before this weekend's Republican Party of Virginia Convention. In fact, the video has been around long enough that it was reported on in 2012 , when Jackson's race for a U.S. Senate seat received almost no notice. Then, Jackson, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Harvard Law School, lost 95 percent of the Republican vote in his bid for the Senate nomination and the video became a casualty of post-election amnesia. The video, and Jackson, have since re-emerged, mostly because being nominated as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor is far easier than winning a statewide primary. Because of the quirkiness of Virginia's electoral system, which allows lieutenant governors to be elected separately from governors, and the Virginia Republican nomination process, which produces a nominee who wins a majority of only 13,000 possible delegate votes, Jackson could end up asVirginia's lieutenant governor whether Cuccinelli wins or loses. Meanwhile, Jackson's comments leave little to the imagination, and there is no indication that his campaign is attempting to hide it. The evidence is strewn, and well-documented by liberal groups, all over the Internet. Jackson has compared Planned Parenthood's support for abortion to genocide, railed against homosexuality, suggested that gay activists harbor an anti-black agenda and said that the Democratic Party is anti-Israel. The question is whether efforts to link Jackson to Cuccinelli will be successful. Democrats point out that Cuccinelli - in notably vague terms - endorsed Jackson as a "powerful fighter and communicator for first principles." But asked for comment on Monday, Cuccinelli's camp did not immediately respond. The Republican Governors Association declined to comment on Jackson's controversial statements. "Ken Cuccinelli is running a focused campaign on job growth and pocketbook issues that are important to voters in the Commonwealth," said Jon Thompson, the RGA's spokesperson. "We are confident that come Election Day, voters will elect Cuccinelli as governor based on his ideas and his proven record of fighting for all Virginians." http://news.yahoo.com/gop-lieutenant-governor-candidate-va-compares-planned-parenthood-181216527--abc-news-politics.html http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d11_1369092437 Detroit Iron GOP Lieutenant Governor Candidate in Va. Compares Planned Parenthood to KKK E.W. Jackson, Planned Parenthood, Ku Klux Klan, Democratic Party Mon, 20 May 2013 14:02:16 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d6b_1369072795 MaKaElectric VR To - Solar Activity = Earthquakes And Tsunamis http://youtu.be/C0iG7s90zSk Same As Above From MyFoxBoston.com http://www.myfoxboston.com/video?autoStart=false&amp;topVideoCatNo=default&amp;clipId=8893387 GLP Thread On Story Above http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2238187/pg1 2 Dead As Tornadoes Hit 5 States http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/22293599/tornadoes-touch-down-in-oklahoma-kansas-iowa-1-dead 6.5 Mag Quake Hits Off Shore Aisen Chile http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/map_detail.php?id=453953 Live Earthquake Map http://gimquakesmap1.com/ ISWA Cygnet Streamer http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=2038-01-23+00%3A44%3A00&amp;window=-1&amp;cygnetId=261 WSA Solar Wind Prediction http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d6b_1369072795 MaKaElectric Solar And Earthquake Watch 05/20/2013 ~ 06/05/2013 Earthquakes, Tsunami, Tornado, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, Solar, Solar Flare, Solar Flares, M Flare, X Flare, Kill Shot, Ed Dames, Quake, Quakes, CME, Coronal Mass Ejection, Storm, Storms, Weather, Severe Weather, NOAA, NASA, NWS, 2012, Planet X, N Mon, 20 May 2013 01:33:51 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e35_1369027930 star53 At least four tornadoes touch down in Kansas; heavy rain and winds on its way. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e35_1369027930 star53 Monster Twisters Caught on Tape Monster Twisters, Caught on Tape, Sun, 19 May 2013 22:24:56 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=139_1369016017 k-doe Published on May 17, 2013 Three high definition cameras were mounted to my Beechcraft Bonanza when the engine quit on takeoff from Fairbanks Alaska on July 26th 2012, One was pointed forward, one to the right side, and one to the rear. All three cameras caught the crash as it happened in HD. Both people on board survived with only minor injuries, but the airplane didn't. The airplane was beautiful and well maintained with a brand new engine that suddenly quit about 200 feet above the ground. There was 22 seconds from the time of engine failure to impact. NTSB has not yet determined the cause of the crash and the engine has been successfully ran on a test stand. The engine quit without warning, no power surge, no hesitation, no advance sign of trouble at all. I had not previously had any signs of any issues with my airframe or engine. If you watch closely you'll notice that after the engine failure I initially began a slight left turn thinking the road would be a good place to land because of obstructions elsewhere. Within a second or so I saw power lines beside the road and turned right to avoid a pistol range and a derelict DC-6 that was straight ahead. From the last annual I knew the landing gear extension time was 12 seconds so I decided to leave it retracted since I didn't want to touch down with the gear in transition. I touched down as slowly as possible, just above a stall with the nose just slightly high. Any higher and the fuselage could have slapped down hard causing greater injuries to the spine and any lower the speed would have been higher and cause more frontal damage which could have shoved the yoke back into my chest more than it did. The full NTSB report is here: http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/bri... http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=139_1369016017 k-doe Airplane Crash at Fairbanks Shown from 3 Onboard Cameras N334DH . Airplane Crash ,Fairbanks ,Shown from 3 Onboard Cameras N334DH . Sat, 18 May 2013 11:37:21 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=91c_1368891242 SMELLYMONKEY Do you recognise men carrying unexploded tank shells they'd picked up from Dorset beauty spot? 9:51am Wednesday 15th May 2013 in News Do you recognise men carrying unexploded tank shells they'd picked up from Dorset beauty spot? Two men were pictured strolling through a Dorset beauty spot while each was shouldering a potentially lethal 120 millimetre tank shell. The unbelievable scene took place between Worbarrow Bay and Tyneham, where hundreds of local people and visitors were out enjoying Monday afternoon's fine spring weather. It was captured by a woman on her mobile phone's camera at around 2.30pm while she and her family were walking from the beach to the car park. The area is used by the Army for firing practice. "I thought they were carrying rugs, but as they walked past, I saw they were enormous shells. "I was with somebody who used to be in the Army and he said that because their ends were intact, they were unexploded," she said. "I was really scared. As they were walking past, my little girl was alongside them. They could have gone on the Sandbanks Ferry or on the motorway. I just think they're idiots." A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said it was impossible to tell from the photograph whether the shells were live or practice rounds. "The men should immediately contact the police who will arrange for bomb disposal experts to examine the shells. There is no guarantee theseitems are free from explosive and they could therefore be extremely dangerous. "The MOD takes the safety of the public extremely seriously and all pathways at Lulworth Ranges that are open to the public are cleared of military objects, including shells, before access is permitted. "The MOD urges members of the public using the ranges to keep to the designated pathways and be advised that it is extremely dangerous to touch any military material they may find." South Dorset MP and former soldier Richard Drax said: "Unexploded shells can be very unstable. If they are picked up or dropped, it can set them off." The MOD is appealing for the individuals in the photograph, or anybodywho knows their identity, to contact the Ministry of Defence Police Central Control Room on 01371 854500 quoting Incident Number 63 10-03-2013, as a matter of urgency. http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/10419941.Do_you_recognise_men_carrying_unexploded_tank_shells_they_d_picked_up_from_Dorset_beauty_spot_/?ref=mc http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=91c_1368891242 SMELLYMONKEY Men carrying unexploded tank shells they'd picked up from Dorset beauty spot SHELLS, DORSET, UXB Fri, 17 May 2013 21:35:48 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d4d_1368838849 Baron_Kaz These past couple of years, I hate certain "statements / comments" ... most of them are used by women, and all of these are from the "Twilight" movie series. I actually liked the first twilight movie, but then the series became "Twat-light". Bunch of twats running around and flying with super powers, with 30+ year California blondes cheering for them with panties soaked to the bone. One particular line I hated was when "Bella" calls her mom, and mom says "I literally repel technology now." First time I heard my friendly over weight California blonde friend say it, I gave her a look (Some thing like this : o.0 ) and moved on. But when several people started repeating that.... Anyway, need to focus away from ranting at Twat... errrr Twilight and Chubby Blondes. Being a MSEE and working with technology all my life, I abhor people who don't take the time to understand basics. Its not complicated, and saying "Math is tough!" is NEVER cool! If a 10 year old can do it, then so can you. So when the time came for my parents to try the new gifts I sent them, I was a bit apprehensive, but overall a little confident that Dad could figure it out. A bit of a background : Dad holds a MSEE too, and worked as a Navy officer then a Senior Director for a Defense company. The guy has the Macguyver touch towards fixing everything. Yes, it was never polished and finely done, but he knew how to use every tool, fix everything. Right from shoes to refrigerators to complicated Nuclear submarines. Ergo, the "high expectations". So it starts off with them getting the gifts, which include computing, home entertainment, communication, and cooking products - all electronic. All purchased in the US, consequently 110V rated. I purchased them a AC to AC transformer and wrote down the operation on paper and made an instructional video (look up my channel) on how to use it. So first night the gifts come in, Dad is missing the only component : a plug adapter : which converts an American Male plug to an Indian Male, so it can fit the Indian female wall socket. I calmly explain that ONLY the laptop's power cord can be directly fitted to the wall socket, since it is rated from 100v to 250V and all the rest need to be plugged to a power strip which is sourced from the AC to AC transformer. I know Dad. If you cross the thought process of a mule with a heavy load climbing a steep slope and a 100 lb German Shepherd being taken to a bath and mix in the emotions of 50,000 sheep being taught the alphabet at MIT's space research laboratory, you will get to around 1/100th part of the obstinacy that my dad was inherently born with. And that obstinacy has exponentially grown over time. It is now to the extent, that if he visits a hospital, all women in labor need to have C-Sections since his mere presence affects the babies and makes them obstinate enough to not come out on their own. Dad got the power adapter, which they call "China plug" in India, and then did not call me. He wanted to prove to Mom he could do it all by himself, and he started his engineering efforts brilliantly. Literally. He plugged in a D-Link wireless router (Priced at $55) directly to the wall, and made sparks to fly, as the 240V power fried the innards mercilessly. He was proceeding to test certain theories on the Cordless home phone system with multiple hand sets, when unluckily I called. What could have been an interesting series of pops, crackles and a nice smell of ozone in the air was cut short, since I demanded he cease and desist. Of course his comment was I had sent garbage, which was already damaged on arrival. And he proceeded to prove his theory by throwing an expensive piece of electronic equipment to the wall. As per my Dad, violence always serves as a statement of truth. It was nary a week I had welts on my back where he had severely thrashed me, since I was playing cricket in the apartment grounds, instead of studying for my 4th grade exams. But thats a different story. Mom was a nervous wreck, and there was a happy yelling match in progression when I interrupted. Now the funniest thing was: since we were on video chat on skype, and they were sharing one head set, it escaped their angry minds that if I am saying some thing, then it is being heard by only the person with the head set on his/hear ears. So naturally every time either assumed that the other MUST have heard what I said and proceeded to rant loudly at the other when the other goofed and did not follow the instructions given by me. They made things a bit more interesting by putting things down and then promptly forgetting where they had put it. And with the tempers flaring, they rapidly forget the statements I had said, or jumbled them up. This went on through three 45 minute skype calls, and I kid you not, even as a healthy young man, I had chest pains after every call! Finally on the 4th call, I asked mom to put everything aside and write down what ever I said. I went through some basic electrical engineering, explaining DC and AC electricity, transformers, switches, etc. In so far, 3 pieces of rather expensive electronic items have been destroyed. And I shudder to think what will happen next when we finish the first step of connecting the damn pre configured IBM Laptop to the internet and move to the home phone system or the entertainment system. Bottom line : Don't give your parents technology, give them cash! http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d4d_1368838849 Baron_Kaz Parents &amp; technology Parents Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:24 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=577_1368817621 Big_Bang 2011 was a banner year in stupidity, craziness, and fright from the Republican Party. With seven candidates vying to be more conservative than each other, the atmosphere was perfect for insanity. Throughout the year, each candidate made comments that proved just how out of touch, ignorant, and dangerous the right wing has truly become. It's hard to choose which quotes to list but here are just 25, brought to you by Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich. "They can get married. They can marry a man if they're a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they're a man." ~Michele Bachmann, on whether or not homosexuals can get married. "The more toppings a man has on his pizza, I believe the more manly he is. A manly man don't want it piled high with vegetables! He would call that a sissy pizza." ~Herman Cain, on manliness. Too bad House Republicans declared pizza a vegetable, and therefore declared Cain, a sissy. "Our nation needs to stop doing for people what they can and should do for themselves. Self reliance means, if anyone will not work, neither should he eat." ~Michele Bachmann, saying the unemployed should starve. "Our Founding Fathers never meant for Washington, D.C. to be the fount of all wisdom. As a matter of fact they were very much afraid if that because they'd just had this experience with this far-away government that had centralized thought process and planning and what have you, and then it was actually the reason that we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown if you will." ~Rick Perry, incorrectly stating that the American Revolution occurred during the 1500s. It actually occurred in the 1770s and ended in 1781. "One of the things I will talk about, that no president has talked about before, is I think the dangers of contraception in this country. It's not okay. It's a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be. is supposed to be within marriage. It's supposed to be for purposes that are yes, conjugal...but also procreative. That's the perfect way that a sexual union should happen...This is special and it needs to be seen as special." ~Rick Santorum, opposing contraception and frighteningly suggesting that he would love to make pre-marital sex illegal. "There's no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate." ~Newt Gingrich, blaming his many affairs on his patriotism. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=577_1368817621 Big_Bang What kind of presidential candidate can we expect from Republicans in 2016? republican, GOP, politics, Sarah Palin, democrats, liberals Fri, 17 May 2013 04:38:15 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f81_1368779635 omniradar The Left vs. the Liberal Media Media Lens debunks the BBC's humanitarian interventionists By Neil Clark May 16, 2013 "Information Clearing House " -" The American Conservative "- It all started in July 2001 when two men, concerned about bias in the corporate news media in the UK, began to send out "media alerts" to a small number of family and friends. Twelve years on and Media Lens-the brainchild of writer David Edwards, a former manager in sales and marketing, and David Cromwell, a physicist by background-has established itself as the UK's media watchdog. There's no doubting the impact they have made. "Without their meticulous and humane analysis, the full gravity of the debacles of Iraq and Afghanistan might have been consigned to bad journalism's first draft of bad history," is the verdict of veteran reporter and filmmaker John Pilger. It's been an eventful twelve years. In addition to the "debacles" of Iraq and Afghanistan, we've had the (ongoing) menacing of Iran on account of an unproven nuclear-weapons program and Israeli military assaults on Lebanon in 2006 and on Gaza in 2008 and again in 2012. Add in the global financial crash of 2008, and there's been plenty to keep the two Davids occupied. David Cromwell's new book, Why Are We The Good Guys? , discusses these events and the work that he and Edwards have done to counter the "elite-friendly value assumptions and judgements" that characterize their coverage in Britain. Although he is clearly a man of the left-his working-class childhood was an "interesting mix of Catholic and Communist" influences-Cromwell's not one to be deceived by labels, an important skill to possess in an age when wars are sold as "humanitarian interventions" to gain support from liberals. Media Lens has been outspoken, when the need arises, in its critique of so-called liberal-left media. Many on the British center-left give the BBC a free pass because they have swallowed the line that the organization is somehow "left-wing." Yet Cromwell and Edwards have shown that when it comes to propagandizing for illegal wars and peddling establishment views, the BBC has at least as bad a record as commercial news networks. When I caught up with David to talk to him about his new book, the BBC was in the middle of what has been described by some as the biggest crisis in its 90-year history: the resignation of its Director-General and other bigwigs after the fallout from a "Newsnight" program on child abuse. But while heads rolled over the state-owned broadcaster getting allegations wrong on just one program, Cromwell points out that the BBC was never held accountable for the role it played in the lead up to the Iraq War. "There was no such pressure for senior BBC staff to go over the broadcaster's systemic failure to challenge US-UK propaganda over Iraq's non-existent WMD. This media failure paved the way towards war in Iraq and the subsequent brutal and bloody occupation. Instead of responsible public-service journalism, BBC News provides a reliable conduit for government propaganda, most notably the state's supposedly benign intentions in foreign wars and international relations. That is the daily news diet we are all spoon-fed." No such presumption of good faith applies when journalists discuss the actions of countries that don't toe the Washington line. "It is, of course, fine for journalists in the West to point to the crimes of official enemies and to mock them for their transparent propaganda efforts. Thus, the BBC's Emily Maitlis was able to introduce the flagship television program 'Newsnight' with a touch of sardonic wit: 'Hello, good evening. The Russians are calling it a "peace enforcement operation." It's the kind of Newspeak that would make George Orwell proud.' "Maitlis was referring to the invasion of Russian forces into the Georgian province of South Ossetia in August 2008. By contrast, imagine a BBC presenter referring skeptically to the government's claim of a 'peace enforcement operation' for the West's invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq, or Libya and describing such language as 'the kind of newspeak that would make George Orwell proud.' It just would not happen." I ask Cromwell how he would respond to those who say that Media Lens should devote all its energies on attacking neocon "uber -hawks rather than criticizing the liberal media, which might agree with the group's standpoints, say, 70 percent of the time. "Media Lens has indeed spent more time analyzing the liberal media than right-wing outlets. Why? Because the liberal media is often regarded as the outlets where the most progressive and the most challenging views can be seen and heard. If you like, it's one end of the acceptable spectrum of news and views. But if even here there are severe limits on permissible challenges to state-corporate power, what does that say about society generally? It's like a litmus test for dissent." Cromwell believes that the role of the media in promoting the doctrine of "liberal interventionism" has been absolutely crucial. "If the public was better informed, and not so often misled by those in power, there would likely be a stronger rein on the governing elite. But it's not happening. A major reason for this is that the corporate media acts as an echo chamber and amplifier of government propaganda. Even when challenged, senior journalists say that their role is to report what those in power say and do-even what they 'think.' "For example, when the BBC's Nick Robinson was the ITN political editor, he wrote of the war in Iraq: In the run-up to the conflict, I and many of my colleagues, were bombarded with complaints that we were acting as mouthpieces for Mr Blair. Why, the complainants demanded to know, did we report without question his warning that Saddam was a threat? Hadn't we read what Scott Ritter had said or Hans Blix? I always replied in the same way. It was my job to report what those in power were doing or thinking... . That is all someone in my sort of job can do. "Robinson performs the same compliant role today as political editor for the BBC," Cromwell says. In the '90s we saw an informal alliance formed between neoconservatives and progressives united behind their support for "liberal intervention." I ask Cromwell if he thinks that a similar alliance can be formed between the antiwar left and the antiwar right. "I'd be wary of an overt alliance with anyone, right-wing or otherwise, who espouses other views that I might find distasteful. But certainly traditional conservatives should be-and often are-vehemently opposed to what goes by the benign-sounding term 'neo-liberalism,' which I unpack in the book." One of the most riveting chapters in Cromwell's book is called "Beyond Indifference," in which he talks about his philosophical influences. He concludes-rather like Aldous Huxley-that if we do want to "free ourselves" and live better lives, it all starts with undertaking "small acts of kindness for others." And in contrast, he writes, Violence feeds on violence, as wise people have known for thousands of years. For example, if brutal state repression is met by violence from some elements of society, it provides an excuse for state forces to ramp up fire-power and crush dissent with even more brutal and widespread violence. The current state of Permanent War can only be ended by people coming together peacefully to overcome state power. Cromwell certainly thinks that in challenging elite state propaganda we're in a better position now than we were when Media Lens began in 2001. "One positive thing I've noticed is that more people are challenging the media, at least judging by the messages posted on our board and Facebook page, the emails we get and the tweets we receive. Often, even before we've worked up a media alert, we've been beaten to it by our readers-although, to be fair to ourselves, we do typically wait a few days or longer to see how an event is being played out in the media. Ideally, I would hope that in five years' time there would be less need for Media Lens to be on the internet 'haranguing' and 'vilifying' journalists, as skeptics and opponents sometimes say! And surely by ten years from now I can be happily retired and pottering about in a garden shed. Preferably my own and not some random neighbor's." Neil Clark is a UK-based journalist, blogger, and writer. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f81_1368779635 omniradar The Left vs. the Liberal Media Corporate Media Manipulation Exposed !