Political News (Special Issue) Post 1 of 5

The S & G Political News
Issue 3—Special Issue: Monday, September 18, 2006
The War on Drugs, The North American Union, and Sept. 11

In this issue:
1: Welcome (John Spalding)
2: The U.S. War on Drugs- Fighting the Good Fight. Right? (John Spalding)
3: The North American Union—Canada, United States, and Mexico together by 2010? (John Spalding)
4: 9/11-2001 Mourn the Dead or Find the Answers? (John Spalding)
5: Stay Tuned
6: In conclusion (John Spalding)
7: Subscription Instructions
To retrieve an online copy: visit www.sgendeavors.com/political

1: Welcome (John Spalding)

Welcome to this special “conspiracy edition” of the S&G Political Newsletter. In our political newsletters, we try to provide information to our readers that is provocative. It is meant to grab your interest and allow you to ask questions. We are going to cover three conspiracies in this issue today: The Events of September 11th 2001; The North American Union; and The United States War On Drugs. All of these topics are hot with different conspiracies and open for exploration. We provide links to different articles with different views and offer just a small bit of our interpretation in each piece.
Be sure to visit our blog to leave your suggestion or read comments from others on the topics. If the above link does not work for you, please copy and paste the following into your browser: http://imakeadifference.blogspot.com

Political News (Special Issue) Post 2 of 5

2: The U.S. War on Drugs- Fighting the Good Fight. Right? (John Spalding)

Many Americans believe the “War on Drugs” is an abysmal failure. There is plenty of information available on the Internet and news media on this issue. The PBS website (www.pbs.org) had some great information they published in their “Frontline” series. They have several articles highlighting the role American drug users play in the drug trade, the efforts of the CIA, drug organizing and money laundering--the role of the American Business in making sure we don’t get illegal drug money back.

This issue has several sides. Some prisons are privately owned, and therein, they stand to benefit monetarily from having prisoners. The US government only cuts into a small percentage of drug crops when they go on missions. Businesses within the US have taken money that has been laundered from Columbian and Mexican drug dealers. Police seizure of items (cars, computers, phones) is a lucrative money making operation. There is an agency called LEAP- Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc) that seeks to have more sensible drug laws. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws www.norml.org--as well as others such as Marijuana Policy Project-http://www.mpp.org, The Drug Policy Alliance--http://www.drugpolicy.org, and Stop The Drug War--http://stopthedrugwar.org are all organizations that promote extensive change to the way our society does to confront individual drug use and seek sensible solutions.

Is the War on Drugs worth fighting? Why?

We have lost billions of dollars in this war. However, we employ a lot of people to run prisons, the police make a lot of money from taking possessions, our corporations sell millions of dollars in merchandise to the major countries that ship us our drugs, and we have thousands of employees and organizations around the country who get money to try and “prevent” a kid from using drugs. Over and over, news stories demonstrate that our prevention efforts don’t touch the surface of the problem, because drug use is a personal matter. It should not be an issue that is regulated by national government. One might further argue that it should be regulated by states, counties, and cities. Why is it the business of the National Government to regulate the medical or recreational use of drugs that are considered illegal?

Neil Peirce wrote an article for www.stateline.org that also appeared on AlterNet www.alternet.org/story/41037 entitled “An Exit Strategy for the War on Drugs” which outlines the plan written in part by the King County (Wash.) Bar Association. The Bar Association set 4 goals for its community wide coalition:

1. Reductions to crime and disorder- “to undercut the violent, illegal markets that spawn disease, crime, corruption, mayhem and death.”
2. Improving public health by stemming the spread of blood born diseases
3. Better protection of children from the harm of drugs
4. Wiser use of scarce public resources

Pierce observes that the association wants to look at better ways to treat and handle drug issues as opposed to “punitive approaches”. Some of the ideas mentioned in the article from the Bar Association were homegrown cultivation laws, respecting young people by providing them with honest information, and registering hardcore drug users in “controlled use settings and ongoing treatment”.

This argument depends solely on who is in power at the national level and what our organizations will do with regard to this war that is being lost on both sides. Companies that own prisons, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and local law enforcement have a great monetary stake in the “War on Drugs”. Organizations that can compete with this type of infrastructure will have to be connected and mobile. Political reform agencies teaming up with local citizen groups, legal associations, and other interested organizations would be logical partnerships to “re-focus” the war on drugs. It may also need to have a compelling campaign that can appeal to mainstream America.

The issue of drug use is a personal and family matter. It should be handled in a small setting by those affected or involved. It is not a national issue. Let’s give communities a chance to help its citizens by coming up with reasonable solutions to this human condition that is not going to go away.

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3: The North American Union—Canada, United States, and Mexico together by 2010? (John Spalding)


This topic is very interesting. For this section we found 3 rather solid articles that layout some of the discussion points behind this anomaly called the North American Union- a supposed joint venture to make Canada, Mexico and the United States an independent union. We found several articles, people and websites involved with covering the topic as well as several people who are smack dab in the middle of the “conspiracy”.

The first article is by Jerome Corsi. He posted this article in Human Events Online and it is entitled “North American Union to Replace USA?” Corsi calls the Bush administration to task on their adoption of items toward a path of cooperation and action. The article also mentions the formation of the SPP- Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America and their 2010 goal of creating
“…a North American community to enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity…Its boundaries will be defined by a common tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly, and safe.”
Finally, Mr. Corsi warns his audience that the administration will not secure the border because it has other things in mind, namely- a free commerce union with Canada and Mexico. He recommends that the Minuteman Project continue its workhttp://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14965.

The next article is a response to Mr. Corsi by John Hawkins. It is entitled “Killing the North American Union Conspiracy” found at Human Events Online. In this article, Mr. Hawkins tries to refute some of the “conspiracy” discussion. There is an organization called NASCO that is calling for “NAFTA- Superhighway”—a proposed freeway road link between the US, Mexico, and Canada. Mr. Hawkins quotes Tiffany Melvin, the Executive Director as saying “We have no secret meetings with the Bush Administration...We are a business organization trying to promote the NASCO corridor and the connecting highways in Mexico and Canada…” When discussing the SPP, Hawkins claims that the SPP “Blueprint” is not being used to set up a union. The outlines and work that may seem like a conspiracy is just US businesspeople working with Canada and Mexico to make a more prosperous corridor for the business communityhttp://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16103.

He concludes his article with these remarks:
“The reality is that since Mexico and Canada are our neighbors and our biggest trading partners, there are plenty of reasons for the government and private industry to try to streamline and improve our relationship with them on security, trade, and other issues.”

The final author we found offering insight on this “conspiracy” is Patrick Wood, the Editor of the August Review. His article is found at a website called News with Views found at: http://www.newswithviews.com/ under the title “Toward a North American Union- Part 1 of 3.” Mr. Wood credits modern day globalization with the efforts of the Trilateral Commission- a member organization that has elite membership from America, Japan, and Europe. Wood calls on the Trilateral Commission as having a clear goal to create a “New International Economic Order” that would get rid of the existing model. He had several thoughts on the Trilateral Commission, which we will list to provide a brief view on his stance:

• The Trilateral Commission dominates the executive branch of our government
• George H.W. Bush is a trilateral commission member appointed by Reagan
• Reagan also appointed key members of the commission to his staff
• George Bush continued as president and then was followed in office by another commission member—Bill Clinton
• Bill Clinton appointed 14 Trilateral Commission members to his administration
• George W. Bush is not a Trilateral member, but Dick and Lynne Cheney sure are

After spelling out his reasons for the trilateral commission, he explains a governmental loophole that railroads certain items through congress and senate, by using a Fast Track Authority. Wood outlines the parameters of the Fast Track process as one that limits for just some of the following reasons: trade measures proposed by the president have to be voted on in a certain timeframe, does not allow for amendments, and only 20 hours to debate the issue. This process does not leave any time for public debate on the issue and, as a result, it leaves these decisions exclusively in the hands of the executive and legislative branches of the government.

Wood recalls two uses of the Fast Track process in the Clinton Administration: NAFTA and GATT Uruguay. The Fast Track Process has been in place since 1974. The only other uses of the process were for GATT Tokyo, the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and the U.S.- Canada Free Trade Agreement. There have been other free trade agreements that go through the normal legislative process, but Wood believes that these items were “Fast Tracked” because these agreements would never have been passed if they were open for rigorous debate within the United States Congress and Senate. He states that the Fast Track process had a specific task: “to “fast track” the creation of the “New International Economic Order” envisioned by the Trilateral Commission in 1973!” He also suggests that “Because international treaties supercede national law, Fast Track has allowed an enormous restructuring of U.S. law without resorting to a Constitutional Convention.” The Fast Track process does seem to give a lot of power to the executive branch of our government. The reaches of this process are frightening and it seems those who know the process are good at maneuvering the political system.

Wood details several items in his article including opposition to NAFTA (Ross Perot shows up in this section), the Spin Machine of Trilateral Commission Members and their promotion of NAFTA, the Role of The SPP (also mentioned by the other two authors), and the introduction of Robert Pastor—claimed architect of The North American Union. Overall the review of some of these events was thorough, yet incomplete. Mr. Wood and his publication The August Review have adopted a “Follow the money, follow the power” mentality that they use to structure their reviews. Complete article is found at this link: http://www.newswithviews.com/Wood/patrick18.htm.

To us it seems that there are several interested organizations that like the business prospects of a North American Union. Some groups want there to be a Union, while others, do not. We also see that the Trilateral Commission has membership that is scattered throughout our national government and business organizations. Trilateral Commission reports are used to influence laws at the national level of our country, and as the articles reveal, instead of taking the debate to the people, it is easier to “fast track” certain trade legislation.

We believe that there have been changes to our laws that were not debated by the majority of people in this country, and we had virtually no say in any of these events. There may not be a specific conspiracy to create a North American Union, but there is plenty of evidence that shows the Trilateral Commission is a powerful organization, there is an organization devoted to creating some sort of “prosperous business venture with Mexico, United States and Canada (SPP), and that the Fast Track process for legislation is a quick effective way to get some laws passed without public knowledge/ debate. We think that there are already efforts underway to establish a North American Union, but it is not a conspiracy, they are quite out in the open about the process and could change the face of the United States without even asking the majority of American citizens.

Political News (Special Issue) Post 4 of 5

4: 9/11-2001 Mourn the Dead or Find the Answers? (John Spalding)

To us, this issue is the hottest “conspiracy out there”. Was it an act of terrorism or was it an inside job? Were the buildings demolished by plane or by planted explosives? Where is the plane debris outside the pentagon? Why does our National Media lack the ability to ask tough questions?

To begin, if we are going to take on this issue as a conspiracy, we need to make sure to mention that we have no idea who was involved in planning the events that occurred on this tragic day. We mourn for those who lost family members, praise the people who helped save lives, and look at the actual reasons for hatred of America. We never assume that our news media gets it right and always look to add other people’s perspective into the room.

And for the above reasons, we simply want to highlight several websites and post their material in brief snippets. You can visit any of these sites for further information.

Another 9/11 Cover Up in the Making?”, Rory ', http://www.alternet.org/story/40693.

In this article, O’Connor details the fallout between National Geographic and Author Peter Lance about the cover up of the Able Danger Program. The discovery was that some federal officers new Ali Mohamed had very close ties to Osama bin Laden, and FBI agents let him plan terrorism initiatives. In the article Mr. Lance was quoted as saying, “They [FBI] let him plan the bombings of the embassies in Africa right under their noses.” In the article, Patrick Fitzgerald is mentioned as the key person responsible for the cover up of the Able Danger program, and National Geographic is not including that information in its coverage of the topic because, as Lance puts it, “The Feds have gotten to them…National Geographic has abandoned the truth and acquiesced to pressure from the government”.

The next article is from Nancy Jo Sales for Vanity Fair.com entitled “Click Here for Conspiracy”
http://www.vanityfair.com/commentary/content/articles/060717roco02

This article outlines the documentary “Loose Change” and its domination of the “viral video” segment of our Nation. The movie was made by three young adults from upstate New York and details their case for not believing the story of 9/11 that has been given to America through the media. The article outlines some of the highlights of the movie such as, asking where the remnants of the plane that hit the pentagon are, why Bryant Gumble reported that there was a second explosion in the 1st tower, why does the pentagon look like a missile hit it instead of a plane, and why the 9/11 commission reports that there is no one to blame. It highlights a zogby poll that shows the younger generation believes some of those in power knew ahead of time and did nothing to stop the attacks. For all intents and purposes, the people who made the movie contend that they were going to make a fictional piece, but the information was so clear that there was a cover up it actually became a documentary. You can read the full article listed above or you can watch the movie at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7866929448192753501&hl=en

Killtown’s “200+ 9/11 Smoking Guns”—Found In the Mainstream Media; found at http://killtown.911review.org/911smokingguns.html

This website outlines its stance on the “conspiracy” of 9/11 by categorizing actual media clips, magazine and news articles, interviews, and videos from the mainstream media into several categories to make its claim. The Outline they use is as follows:

Planned Before/Future Ideas; Preparation-one video in this segment has a youtube © video of a rescuer actually saying he was called to New York the night before the attacks; Prior Knowledge; Decoying, Stand Down-in this section there is explanation of NORAD operation “Northern Vigilance” –deployed fighter jets to Alaska on September 9th; The WTC attack—this section has a link to a Philadelphia Daily News article that claims some ground zero workers found 3 of the 4 black boxes even though official reports claim none were found; The Pentagon Attack—FBI confiscated films from surveillance cameras, gas stations and hotels documented by CNN and National Geographic; Describing a Missile; Describing Aircraft very different that a Boeing 757; Witnessed Little/No plane debris at crash site, Smelled Explosives, heard multiple explosions; Pennsylvania Crash—in this section there is a link that shows Donald Rumsfeld in 2004 saying that Flight 93 was shot down; Ignored Warnings/ Allowing it to Happen; The Cover Up; Motives—Mention of Trilateral Commission Member Zbigniew Brzezinski and his book about US global domination of resources if society perceives a National Threat, and CFR (Council on Foreign Relations member Gary Hart says this is a chance for Bush to carry out a New World Order; Military Budget Increases; Afghanistan Opium Pipeline; Iraq, Oil;
Culprits—in this section we have a lot of information about PNAC-Project for a New American Century- Outlined in 1998 by Rumsfeld, Cheny and Wolfowitz and the detail of the bin Laden family allowed to leave the US before the civilian public flights resumed; Patsies and Operatives, Framing; and Fundamentalist Muslims gone wild.

The Last resource we are going to introduce in this article is the website 911Truth.org and its outline of The Top 40—Reasons to Doubt The Official Story of September 11th 2001.an Outline of Simple Talking Points found at http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20041221155307646

This article outlines some major questions and presents its information quite differently than Killtown’s version listed above. In this article the story of the questions behind the actual 9/11 story are
The Day Itself—1.) AWOL Chain of Command, 2.) Air Defense Failures, 3.) Pentagon Strike, 4.) Wargames 5.) Flight 93
Fore Knowledge & The Alleged Highjackers- This section discusses the Able Danger argument as mentioned in the first article we mentioned.
The 9/11 Cover UP 2001-2006-this section talks about the crime scene disposal, a record of official lies, and the connection to Pakistan.
Geopolitics, Timing and Possible Motives—Did you know the Patriot Act was written before September 11th and waiting for the right “circumstance” to be unveiled to the public?
History; Related Movements and Parallel Issues

We are abundantly aware that all of the sources presented in this article are primarily “pro-conspiracy.” Our position is that these people have something to say, and therein, their ideas deserve to be heard. There is a plethora of individuals and organizations who adopt the media’s portrayal of the events surrounding that atrocious day on September 11, 2001. By providing an avenue of distribution for their ideas, we aim to provide our readers with sources that are alternative ways to view our complex world. We hope that you find some useful information from these resources and, and always, encourage any feedback on our discussion points.

Political News (Special Issue) Post 5 of 5

5: Stay Tuned
Look for the October 3rd release of the S & G Political News, where we will provide a wealth of information on the upcoming elections and candidates. Please click here to request information to appear in that release.

6: In conclusion (John Spalding)
Thank you for taking the time to scrutinize the sources and information provided in our special “Conspiracy Issue”. We hope that you visit our blog www.imakeadifference.blogspot.com to discuss your ideas on the topic or simply provide us with your feedback. Let’s discuss how we can all work together to make a difference!

7: Subscription Instructions

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