Ground Zero

by Saul Bloodworth

Why is there still a big hole in Ground Zero? Because the people responsible for the rebuilding are lying not only to the public, but also to themselves.

Ground Zero belongs to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, i. e. the state governments, or. The towers have been leased to Larry Silverstein; and the center is, by and large, a commercial project. Hence Silverstein has the right as well as the obligation to rebuild twelve million square feet of office space in Downtown Manhattan.

After he signed the lease, Silverstein also signed a preliminary insurance agreement. Alas, he insured the actual worth of the twin towers, not the money needed to rebuild them new and sparkling. Since you can't rebuild two 30-year-old office towers that went through bankruptcy at least once for the kind of money they're worth, he dd never have enough money to begin with.

Even worse, twelve million square feet of office space are not needed in the live time or Silverstein, ever. But the Port, or rather, the Governor of New York, does not want to kick Silverstein out, because he pays them $120 million a year. Plus, if they did, he would sue them and they would be blamed for having driven away the only developer so far. The Port could ask Silverstein to change the whole project to something more residential/cultural/artsy/whatever but then he would ask them to relent on the lease.

On top of that, the City of New York made Silverstein add a whole bunch of additional staircases and elevators and extra walls, for safety reasons, thus reducing the sellable office space to, I‘m guessing here, 30 percent of the floor plate.

So, right now, Silverstein doesn't want to (or can) pay for a white elephant, and neither does the Port (even though, right now, the Port is actually financing the Freedom Fries Tower, the tower formerly supposed to have 1776 feet). However, if the project were to be changed to something more useful, everybody would make a lot less money, albeit only on paper, of course. On top of that, it's necessary to rebuild the World Trade Center to show the terrorists that they did not win. let alone the Real Estate Board of New York.

So, my guess is, they will simply do the World Trade Center all over: They will construct a gazillion square feet of office space and then go bankrupt. On the happy side, Silverstein could be dead. His office was hit during the attack, he only survived because he went to the doctor this morning.

Healthy and Healthier

by Saul Bloodworth

Debate over health care is raging, and droves of scared white people are up in arms.

So, here is my five cents: Obviously, there is a big, big resistance from the Republican base, i. e. from white people against the Obama health care plan and government health care in general. So, why not compromise and start with a nationalized health system only for black, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern and Native American people?

If whites want to follow eventually, that can be implemented in a second step some years down the road. No need to rush someone. And white people who want health care can always marry someone who has.

No need to thank me

Fake Is As Fake Does

by Saul Bloodworth

Here is an interesting story from The Guardian: The "Palestinian Terrorist" presented by Sacha Baron Cohen in his "Brüno"-movie is not a terrorist. In fact, he is not even a Muslim. He is a Christian, a Palestinian who works for a non-profit to improve the situation of his people. Well, who would have thunked Cohen would smear such a person?

Also, the whole "this-was-so-dangerous-and-now-I‘m-threatened"-situation seems to be a bit oversold, to put it mildly. The scene was filmed in a location completely under Israeli control. Now the guy is taking Cohen to court. Well, he should have enough money left from "Borat".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/31/bruno-israel-terrorist

The right to defend yourself against the government

by Saul Bloodworth

About the Gates-controversy: Here is one thing I don‘t understand. According to Republican (or generally conservative) beliefs, people should bear arms to keep intruders out of their homes, they should use them, and they should specifically be entitled to get the government out of their hair, especially an overbearing government.

So why is it a big deal or even a bad thing when a private citizen kicks a cop, i.e. the government, out of his house who is in there for no good reason? What do they want, Gates should have shown him a National identification card? They should be applauding him for standing up to an intruding government!

Birth of a Nation

by Saul Bloodworth

Let's assume, just for the sake of the argument, that Obama was born in Kenya, and is not an American citizen, despite his mother being a citizen. How, do the birthers think, did he become a citizen, obtain a social security number and a driver's license?

Because a) you can't take a foreign baby to the United States, just like that. If you are a citizen you can apply for citizenship for your children, parents, and siblings; that's how Mexican-Americans get their family here. This is quite some effort, you need to apply for a Green Card, that takes at least one year, the actual act of getting citizenship takes five years and involves a lot of red tape, no matter what Lou Dobbs says. You can stay here illegal, but you won't raise above the status of an apple picker.

Of course Obama's mother could have smuggled him into the U.S., hidden in a suitcase at JFK (not very likely, also, why would she not have given birth in the U.S. in the first place?). But still, he would not become a citizen just by spending time here, much less obtain a legal SSN, which requires documentation of status. So, how and when did all that happen? Birthers, you prove it: Where is Obama's Green Card?


citizenship

Obama By Birth

by Saul Bloodworth

So, Lou Dobbs, let me explain it one more time. Every, every child born to an American citizen is a citizen by birth, i.e. automatically, regardless whether that child was born in Hawaii, Paris, Kenya, or on Mars.

Here is the deal: If anyone can bring me one, one single example of someone born to American parents abroad who actually had to APPLY for U.S.-citizenship later on, I will pay 1000 bucks. Remember, the condition is applying for citizenship, a process that starts with a HB1 visa or a green card, not asking for a passport to be shipped to some one who is already a citizen. In addition, you get a free copy of "The Cabal".

Battle Of The Divas

by Saul Bloodworth.

Can I come out of the bunker now? Is Brüno over? For weeks you could not step on the streets of New York because a cab carrying a Brüno-sign might run you over, on the net, the same way. I would really like to know what Universal spent to promote that movie. So far, it made $52 million at the box office (domestically). I have a hunch the ads were more than that. Jeff Zucker is probably not very happy right now.

Speaking about shameless advertising, is Huffington Post paid by the Brüno campaign to place all those cute stories about our selfless gay-rights fighter? Because that is the only explanation I can come up with. Even today there is yet another story by some Brit complaining that Americans just don't get Cohen's humor. Here is a piece of advice: If a lot of people don't get it, it's not funny.

Speaking of funny, here is something really hilarious: The headline of The New Yorker Brüno-review: Mein Camp. Here you go.

Brüno

by Saul Bloodworth

Brüno! I have not seen the movie but I strongly feel that I have. Since 1978 - at least that‘s how it feel - am I being bombarded with Brüno-ads, Brüno-reports, stories of Brüno licking Eminem, Brüno befriending Cher, Brüno marrying Angelina Jolie, Brüno talking to LaToya Jackson, Brüno getting screwed by Bernie Madoff (I might have made that one up) and Brüno dropping his pants in front of everybody except his own girlfriend (although I would really, really love to see a segment on Fox News where Bill O‘Reilly drops his pants in the presence of Isla Fisher, but that‘s just me).

I start to suspect that this is the future of journalism - the press getting paid by Hollywood to promote a movie, disguised as news. Then again, I‘m open minded to that as well. Listen, Brüno: I'm willing to post some exiting and made-up Brüno-news on whatever website you desire, if you buy one of my books per posting. You go first.

Voter Fraud

by Saul Bloodworth

The Iranian uprising on the streets against voter fraud - which surely has happened - is very impressive. These people are taking huge risks. However, it brings one thing to mind: The American reaction to voter fraud in Florida, 2000.

So, this is not only about hanging chads or recounts, even though these have been taken lying down. This is about the Republican party making an organized event to keep black people from voting, cleansing voting lists of presumed criminals or out-of-towners without proof, to count military ballots that came too late, and, last but not least, to have exile-Cuban thugs with baseball bats keeping volunteers from recounting.

Americans took all this without protesting in the streets, and the mainstream media even presented this as proof for a stable Democracy - the people of America taking voter fraud like doormats. If they only had the courage in 2000 the Iranians are showing today...

Palin‘ Around

by Saul Bloodworth

Who would have thunked that Sarah Palin would keep hogging the spotlight for so long? Well, to begin with, that joke Letterman made about her daughter was tasteless and not very funny - more funny than Leno but that‘s really not gold standard.

Now Sarah is threatening to shoot him in the face. Let‘s be clear. The root cause of Letterman being able to make this joke is a) she has trotted out her daughters for her election campaign, and b) she did not manage to teach her daughters to keep their legs together. So, maybe a little self criticism would be in order.

Second, it should be clear to every moron that Letterman was referring to Bristol, the knocked-up older one. Still not very tasteful. In effect, however, Palin is suggesting that she believes that Alex Rodriguez would rape a 14-year old.

How about this: Letterman has apologized already. Now Palin should apologize to Alex Rodrigues for suggesting that he is a pedophile. Then George Steinbrenner apologizes for having bought A-Rod in the first place. Last, NBC apologizes for Conan.

Afterwards, everybody is banned from watching baseball for a year.

Innocent Abroad

by Saul Bloodworth

Well, well, well, David Duke is arrested in Prague for Holocaust denial. Who would have thunked?

Yes, one could argue that making Holocaust denial illegal violates free speech. And also, that it's inconsequential because it's not illegal to deny other genocides (in fact, as far as American Indians are concerned you could actually get the impression that it's illegal to say a genocide took place). But this is not the point here.

The point is that it's illegal in the Czech Republic, so this is it. We don't allow visitors from Europe to smoke Marijuana or drink beer in parks, either.

Here is the funny and interesting part: What will the usual Euro-hating, liberal-bashing, gun-tooting, bible-thumping suspects be doing (and I'm talking about, of course, Rush, Billo the Clown, Billy Kristol and Glenn "The Fish" Beck)? Will they demand that the U.S. sends tanks to Prague to free their brethen? Or will they keep quiet since they have both feet in their mouth already?

It's really a pity France did no arrest him. That would even be more fun.

The Phantom Menace

by Saul Bloodworth

A lot of people are calling for the boycott of The New York Post, because of that racist cartoon suggesting a black president is a monkey that should be killed.

While they have a point, it does not really make sense. The New York Post, which belongs to Rupert Murdoch, is loosing money anyway. They are giving it away for free in the streets of New York most of the time.

Murdoch, however, owns a lot of other media, so maybe we can boycott Murdoch in general. Murdoch owns — in the United States alone — The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, Direct TV, TV Guide, National Geographic, Fox, Fox News and the 20th Century Fox. The latter is a major movie studio, it owns Star Wars. Right now, it distributes Bride Wars, Taken, and Australia. On TV, it runs the Simpsons.

I have the gut feeling that the people who are calling for a boycott of The Post don't read it anyway. Well, boycotting is not rhetoric to make you feel good, it does involve sacrifice. So how about this: Lets boycott the Simpsons until Murdoch apologizes to Obama! Yes, we can.

Waltzing Matilda

by Saul Bloodworth

Here are my two cents about the Obama/New York Post/Dead Chimp controversy: The man responsible for it is Col Allen, the editor in chief of the Post.

So, who is Col Allen? He is an Australian, he used to work at the Daily News in Sydney wher he earned himself the nickname "Col Pot" (for those of you who are younger, that is a reference to Pol Pot, who shares the honor of being the butcher of Cambodia with Henry Kissinger)

Americans have a long history of slavery, Civil War, lynchings, Jim-Crow-laws, Civil Rights movement, end of separation, debate and amends. Australians, not that much. Australians pretty much exterminated the Aborigines, save of some ten thousand survivors, and they don't really care about it. In fact, they are completely untouched by this part of their history (don't let the movie Australia fool you — Hugh Jackman is not real). The chance of an Aborigine becoming Prime Minister of Australia is about as slim as Jar Jar Binks'.

So, Murdoch, an Australian, imports Allen, an Australian, to promote racism in the U.S. of A. The good news is, however, there are obviously not enough home-grown racists any more in America. In any case, that will be an interesting four years.

Hussein

by Saul Bloodworth

Lets talk about the name Barack Hussein Obama. People - well, some people - are making a big deal about the name Hussein. As in: How can someone named like the former biggest enemy of the United States become President? Rightwingers sneer at it, Liberals see it as proof that Americans are not prejudiced. Both is nonsense.

Hussein is simply a very common name in the Arab world. It means "handsome". Its English version is "Alan", which also means handsome.

Speaking of evils names, the first name of Goebbels, Hitler's Propaganda minister, who was arguable more evil than Hitler himself, was Joseph. There are quite a few Josephs, or Joes around in the U.S. — Joe Lieberman, Joe Biden, Joe the Plumber —; (the Arab version is Yusuf) and I don't recall anybody making a big deal out of that.

Also Stalin's first name was Joseph (ok, bad example), and there was, of course Joseph Kennedy. And Mussolini's first name was Benito. I'm fairly sure that an American President who is called Ben would not cause much of an outcry. The first names of the commander of the Nazi Airforce were Heinrich and Wilhelm, so his full name was, really, Henry Bill Goering. Suck on that, O'Reilly!

So it's really not about Obama sharing his name with a deceased dictator, it's about hating a foreign-sounding name. There is a name for that: Xenophobia.

So, dear Liberals, the next time you get bugged by some Know-nothing about the name Hussein, just remind them that Joe the Plumber is named after Joseph Goebbels. And quite rightfully so.

Joe the Bummer

by Saul Bloodworth

So, Joe the Plumber is going to Israel to be a war reporter. A real war reporter talking to real people in the street. Well, at least to people he likes (probably white people). The story must be true because you can't make this up. I'm not sure he has a passport, though, so it might take a while, like, another ten weeks, but that should be worth it. I personally would rather see Mike Delfino go, but you can't choose your plumber.

Anyway, is that bad? Not really. As for missing credentials, Judith Miller had pretty good credentials, she was in Barnard College and Princeton. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of having shipped Joe the Plumber off to Israel. Sure, its a little unfair towards the Israelis, but after all we're paying for the whole caboos.

And coming to think of it, why stop with Joe the Plumber? I would love to see Bill Kristol report from some ramshackle hut while Kassan rockets are being fired at him 24/7. Or Ann Coulter. Or Rush Limbaugh. In fact, they should be made share the same hut, and bathroom (I'm thinking Pixie) for the duration of their assignment, i. e. until peace has come to the Holy Land.

I'm sure there is a place for Tom Friedman as well in that hut, or Michelle Malkin or Bill O'Reilly. Maybe they can sleep in shifts. Or Henry Paulson, or Bernie Madoff - I can go on and on, but you get the idea. What happened to Mike Savage, by the way, is he still around? Rupert Murdoch? Rick Santorum?

On the downside, it would probably hasten the apocalypse because not even the Antichrist could bear watching them for too long. Anyway, lets look forward to honest news from the Middle East. Or, at least, some really sweaty newspeople.

Narratives

by Saul Bloodworth

I can't quite follow the outrage about the fake Holocaust memoir written by Herman Rosenblat (or his ghostwriter). So yes, he fabricated the part of the story that got him the book deal in the first place, the heartwarming story about his future wife throwing apples over the fence at Buchenwald.

So, everybody who is familiar with Buchenwald must know right away that this was made up. Buchenwald was not a place were children would get apples (let alone in the winter of 1944/1945). It was a very brutal camp for political prisoners, mainly Communists, Social Democrats and Union leaders, but also priests, Jehova's Witnesses, homosexuals and POWs, mainly from Tchechoslovakia, Poland, France and the Soviet Union, and also Gipsys. More than 50.000 died of hunger, cold, typhus, forced labor, or they were shot when they try to escape.

Among the prisoners were Leon Blum, the former French chancellor, also Ernst Heilmann, the head of the Democratic party in the Prussian government, who was killed, as well as Ernst Thälmann, the head of the Communist Party of Germany. He was killed as well.

Only a few of the inmates were Jewish, except for 1945, when Jews were brought there from Auschwitz. And I doubt there were a lot of children.

http://www.buchenwald.de/index_cten.html

So, why am I not outraged? Because, in the end, Rosenblat was a victim of an attitude created by the publishing industry as well as Hollywood: Confuse fact and fiction! Pretty much most stories sold to you as "based on a true story" are fake, for the simple reason that real life does not make good stories in terms of Hollywood storytelling, i.e. the suspense and the happy ending and the good/bad-guys formula. Oddly enough, the same publishers that want fiction to be true force non-fiction writers to include narrative elements.

Of course he could have sold that story as fiction, but in this case, the publisher would not have bought it. The problem is the publishing industry, not the Rosenblats. So, lets try to untangle fiction and non-fiction and just label everything correctly. It would be a great step towards reclaiming the truth.

For Whom The Shoe Shills

By Saul Bloodworth

By coincidence, the Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie started the same week than the Iraqi journalist Muntader al-Zaidi threw his shoes, trying to hit George W. Bush. A plot to kill Hitler is not exactly the same thing than showing contempt for the Commander in Chief. After the plot to kill Hitler failed, about 5000 people were executed. Al-Zaidi is still alive. But he is in jail, he was reportedly tortured and nobody knows what will happen to him. His only defense is the Arab Street, at this point.

The chattering classes can't get enough of it. The video is on every channel. Readers of HuffPo are calling on Americans to send their old shoes to the White House. You can replay the shoe insult, or utter an opinion about it where ever you feel like it.

So, here is the point: For eight years, not one single American has mustered enough courage to throw a shoe, or an egg, or a tomato at Bush. So, I'm not saying I would have dared if I had the chance. Probably not. I'm not pretending I'm a hero.

However, isn't this week an opportunity to shut up for a while, stop chattering, and give it some thought if you would have dared to rise your hand against a real dictator? Or, at least, against someone who does, after all, allow Americans due process (just not foreigners)? Just a little bit more modesty right now would be nice. There will be more than enough time next year to show off easy Anti-Fascism.

And while I'm at it, the Unites States is still occupying Iraq. So, if Al-Zaidi gets killed in jail, that will be an American responsibility. The Obama magic will not gloss over it.

Bride of Chucky

by Saul Bloodworth

Now to something completely different: What can be done about Proposition 8? What outrages me most, by the way, is that a church based in Utah can influence legislation in California. This is not how direct Democracy was supposed to work. If a Korean-based church would pour money into an anti-gay campaign, would we put up with it? Surely not.

Anyway, the damage is done, now lets think about revenge. I've given that some thought, the first idea I had was: Introduce a Proposition that outlaws the Mormon Church in California. Ok, that's probably not doable, constitution-wise. So, here is another idea: What about a Proposition that does away with their tax advantages, on the basis that the Mormons are behaving like a political group and not like a religious affiliation?

A better idea, but still, legally difficult. Then I came up with a real idea: Lets call for a Proposition that bans Mormons - and everybody else of course, for that matter — from marrying child brides younger than 14, especially for men who are already married. This is a clear-cut non-discriminating goal everybody can agree on.

Yes, I know what you are about to say: Marrying child brides is already illegal in California, and elsewhere, and the Mormons have officially banned it. So what? This is about Public Relations. Lets have a campaign, fueled by gay money, to make sure that everybody knows we are against that evil practice of marrying child brides which surely still exists among Mormons, because why else would we run a campaign against it?

For legal reasons, it would probably make sense to throw something in that constitutes new legislation, such as: Law enforcement should be obliged to check on people who are suspect of marrying child brides for religious reasons, i. e. Mormons, like, once a year. That should do it.

If the Mormons want to have an ugly public fight about sex, they can have it

Last Man to Die

by Saul Bloodworth

Well, here is an interesting story: An American soldier, André Shepherd, who was supposed to be deployed to Iraq has deserted, he is asking for political asylum in Germany. He told at a press conference: “I’ve done enough research to come to the conclusion that what is happening in Iraq is not the equivalent of World War II but outright massacre. We are not the freedom fighters we think we are.”

Shepherd went AWOl already one and a half years ago. He has lived underground with German friends since, but now he came out of the woodworks.

So, now we will see an interesting conflict unfolding: Legally, Shepherd is entitled to political asylum, since Germany regards the Iraq war as an illegal act of aggression (as do most countrys). He also has the backing of the German press. Politically, however, this puts the Merkel government in a bad spot, since everyone has hoped that the relationship with the U.S. government would improve, now that Obama is elected.

Furthermore, there is a fierce debate in Germany going on about the treatment of Wehrmacht deserters during World War II, 23.000 of which have been executed (sorry, no English information available). As of now, some of them have been rehabilitated, but not all of them. There is talk about putting up a memorial in Berlin. To extradite an American soldier in this climate would be political suicide for everyone involved.

So, lets see what happens. It goes without saying that the American press is not covering any of this.

There they go again..

by Saul Bloodworth

I just read that there is a legal challenge to Obama's citizenship and I can't believe this nonsense is still going on. To be President, you have to be born an American citizen, not born within the borders of the USA. So says the Constitution. If one of your parents is an American, you're an American, end of story.

Otherwise, Obama (and the same goes for McCain) would not only be not an American, he would be an illegal immigrant. You don't become an American by simply spending time in the country. If you are not natural born, you need to apply for a Green Card and eventually for citizenship.

So, there is some red tape involved. Citizenship does not rub off. Since neither Obama nor McCain ever applied for a Green Card (unless I am deeply mistaken) and never took advantage of an amnesty (which involves, I believe, also applying for a Green Card) they are both either Americans or illegal foreigners. There is no third way.

And, coming to think of it, I have never heard of a child of an American born during a vacation overseas that needed to apply for a Green Card. That would be quite difficult, by the way. Imagine, you're on vacation in Paris and your give birth in a French hospital. If that child were not an American but French, you could not even take it back home because you can't take a French citizen out of the country without consent.

To be clear: The Amendment in the Constitution that declares someone an American if he/she is born here does not work the other way round, the same way it does not become dark if you cover your eyes with your hands. And it was not introduced to make immigration easier (at this time, every white person who made it to the shore was granted citizenship or sent back). It was introduced to give citizenship to black people born in the U.S. (albeit not to Native Americans born in Territories).

So, knock it off!