More bullshit from President Bush

I was listening once more to the nonsense coming out of the Whitehouse. I just want to take everyone back to 1991. Remember this year? This year Dick Cheney and Colin Powell both repeated that we should never go to Baghdad because it would take a couple million troops and many years to complete. This was also when it took over 2 million Iraq troops to "handle" the countries problems. Fast-forward to today. We believe that because we are so great and have such an impressive army, we can do it with a little over one-hundred thousand troops. Sadam Hussein had millions of troops and they could use terror tactics! Bush believes we can do it with a minor presence! Let’s also look at this surge. We have increased our presence by 25-30 thousand troops. The administration doesn't like to comment on the fact that our allies have withdrawn approximately that many troops in the last 2 years. When you look at the over-all numbers, there is the same amount of "allied" troops in Iraq as there were 2 years ago. What does Bush think he can accomplish? Someday I hope we can realize that you can afford to lose a battle and still win the war. You can withdraw and regroup to fight another day. The BS coming out of the White House that if we withdraw and lose this battle, the war is over. Can you imagine if this country would have felt that way after Pearl Harbor--just surrender to the Japanese because they won one battle! by Kevin Rothe, Greeley CO For more truth go to www.kevinrothe.biz

Telephone companies spying on you and me

I am sure that everyone has heard that Verizon, BellSouth, and AT&T have given the NSA phone records of tens of millions of Americans. This consists of billions of telephone calls. Should we be shocked? No. This is what is going on in America and anyone who has picked up a newspaper in the last few years should not be shocked. Who is really to blame for this? Maybe we all are. We continue to be apathetic when our government breaks the rules of our society. We continue to do business with companies that spy on us. There is a much bigger problem than phone companies spying. We have been complacent while our government, not so quietly, becomes a tyrant.

We have a government that is trying to convince us that we need to be saved from ourselves. We have a government that is trying to scare us into such a frenzy that we welcome and even sometimes demand “Big Brother” type intrusions. The only problem with this attitude of “fight fire with fire” is that everyone gets burned in the end. Didn’t Hitler and Stalin and Mao and many countless others convince their citizens that we only spy on you for your own good? Didn’t these horrible men scare their citizens the same way our government is doing now?

I am reminded that in our past we have not always been a “good” nation. This nation was once allied with Stalin. This nation watched Hitler walk over Europe for years and only fought him once he declared war on us. This nation also has supported leaders from Napoleon to Saddam Hussein. Our government has been friends with tyrants and I only hope that this has not rubbed off on us too much.

For now our government is still controlled by the people. We should not quietly give up our rights. We should not quietly let our government become a tyrant as long as it promises us protection.

As someone wise said, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

CELL PHONE RECORDS

I heard something on National Public Radio about cell phone records and how easy it was to get them. I thought that it can’t be that easy or legal. I WAS WRONG!!!

I called T-mobile and asked them about privacy and my cell phone records. They read me the statement and I did find it on there website. The FCC and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) both concur that the actual record of phone calls is public information. Only your personal information like SS# and address are private. WOW!!!

I had to try this out. I went to Google and typed in “cell phone record” (with the parentheses) and I got thousands of related sites; But NPR is correct that there are only about 40 different sites that will sell cell phone records. I decided to try getting the records of someone that I don’t know there SS#, birthdates, or address. I tried one of my cousins in Kansas City. It only cost me $100 and their cell phone number (not even there name) and I received the last 180 days of their cell phone records. WOW!!! The site even sells, for additional cash, the records updated to show the names/address of all the calls instead of just the telephone numbers. WOW!!!

You want to check up on who your wife/husband is actually having lunch with? Want to find out who your kids are talking too? You want proof that your employee is going to the bar too much or is talking with a competitor? You think your friend is going to a Psychiatrist? You want proof that your boss is having an affair and you want a raise? It only costs $100 and few minutes online. What is astonishing to me is that it breaks no Federal or State laws. I was talking to a lawyer friend of mine and he told me that it is all true. I guess that police agencies use this about 50,000 times EVERY DAY!!

If you know someone with a cell phone please tell them or forward this message. Maybe if enough people say something, someday the government might do something about this. OH, AND FOR ALL YOU WORKING FOLKS, DON’T PUT YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER ON YOUR RESUME!!!! by Kevin Rothe, Greeley CO

Charities

Since Hurican Katrina, Americans need to be more vigilant about what charities we give our money. It is sad that in our society there are those who would steal from those willing to give to the poor and also steal from those who need it the most. However, this does not mean we should stop giving altogether. There are ways to protect yourself and the dollars you give. There are two web sites that are well recommended for this. I am listing them here so that people have one more resource when giving. It should be as easy to give as possible.

The first site you can search for charities that have/have not completed their questionnaires and given legal documents to back it up. They tend to give a thumbs up or down.

http://www.charitywatch.org/

The second site gives a more in-depth look at each charity. It will ask if you want to me a registered member (free) but you do not need to do so for a synopsis of the information they have. Just enter the name in the “search” box and it will give a breakdown of expenses, revenue, administration costs, etc. It will also rate the charity 1-5 stars. This is probably the best site. Note: it will also break down charities to locals if it applies. An example is Habitat for Humanity. It breaks them down to 37 different in-depth regional analyses.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Carbon Dioxide levels

"Current levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are higher now than at any time in the past 650,000 years. "

According to the BBC, methane levels are 130% higher than any other time in 2/3 of a million years. Also, the rate of increase is 200 times faster than any increase over the same time period. I find this fascinating. I have always been a sceptic when it comes to the theory of the planet warming due to green-house gases. I do wonder how these high levels affect millions of people with breathing problems. Can the high levels of methane and carbon dioxide increase cancer risks?

I have always wondered why they say that the warmer the planet gets, the less vegetaion there will be on it. In the past, millions of years ago when the temperature was significantly higher, there were no deserts and no polar ice caps. I also wonder if the higher levels of carbon dioxide would enable plants to grow faster. Carbon dioxide is a fertilizer and in true green-houses it does improve plant growth.

Just a thought. by Kevin Rothe, Greeley CO

Government Spying

Our government is spying on Americans - unapologetically, unnecessarily and with no regard for the Constitution.

I am a firm believer that our government should and does have the responsibility to protect its citizens from terrorism. I believe that our government should use all means necessary to stop any attack like "9/11" from happening again. BUT, if we allow our government to become like the nations we are protected from, what is the point. I don't believe that it is o.k. to cheat to catch a cheater; I don't believe that it is o.k. to lie to catch a liar. Our government was based on the ideals of freedom and many many rights for all of its citizens. Once we embark on this journey of government intrusion, we will never go back. I have found in my experience as well as history teaches us, once freedom is lost it is very hard to get back.

I am not sure I know the answers to stop terrorism. I want to feel safe while living in the United States of America. I do not, however, want to fear my government like I fear other governments. I am more scared of US terrorism than terrorism committed by others. US terrorism will not be stopped, will not be held accountable, and I have no other choice but to live in a dictatorship gone wild.

I believe that all Americans should search deep inside their hearts and ask if the threat of terrorism is great enough to replace our free democracy with a Bush dictatorship. by Kevin Rothe, Greeley CO

Bush says it's o.k. to spy on Americans

I can't say that I was shocked to find out that President Bush has o.k. 30 times the NSA spying on Americans in the United States. Finding out that they have been spying on American emails, American telephone conversations was a shock to me. If you email or talk to someone outside the United States, the NSA is watching you! I email and phone, as well as receive mail/packages from foreigners (particulary Eastern Europe). I have nothing to hide but I am now more angry than ever at a nation that would support a president becoming King. The nation I knew as a child was free and democratic; the nation I know today is a dictatorship with a lunatic as king, fighting to bring democracy to any other nation but his own. by Kevin Rothe, Greeley CO

Government Spying

I was not really shocked when I found out today on NBC news that the military and Homeland Security are creating lists of people and organizations that protest against the war. The list them as "threats" to national security. Some of these organizations were through churches. I guess the only way that President Bush can possibly convince the American poeple that the war is justifiable and going good is to threaten anyone from protesting the war. Remember Vietnam? Kent State University was the site where people were shot for protesting the war. I guess they will have to shot and kill me, because I will never believe that this President had our best interest in mind. God be with us as long as that s.o.b. is in charge. by Kevin Rothe