Then Along Came a Hero: The Oliver North Myth

By Nomad

A lot of years have passed since Reagan's second term. Many people who lived during those times are apt to forget the scandal that became known as Iran-Contra. And many Americans are unaware the role that Oliver North played in it. 

Yet from time to time, you still see his aging face appearing on Fox News to give his opinions. For that reason, you should really understand the mindset of the man who, banking on the ignorance of the American public, claims to be a hero to his nation.

Furthering the Version

Reagan-myth worshipers would prefer to erase from the national conscious (and conscience) the embarrassing events of the final years of his second term, especially the entire Iran-Contra affair. It was, for a lot of people, a case of a Republican administration getting caught up in another humiliating scandal. 

In many ways, the Iran-Contra affair went far beyond anything seen in the Watergate hearings. The threat of another Communist Cuba had preoccupied the Reagan administration. Those fears were stoked by the openly declared mission of the Nicaraguan Marxist regime to spread revolution throughout the region. The Reagan administration's policy was to arm and train right-wing insurgent militias called the Contras.

However, Congress wanted no part in the president's directive. All direct funding of this illegal insurgency was officially prohibited through the Boland Amendment -the name given to three U.S. legislative amendments between 1982 and 1984, all aimed at limiting US government assistance to the Contras militants. 

A Look at the UK Tabloid Smear of Obama's Father

by Nomad

In true tabloid fashion, The Daily Mail in the UK attempts to discredit the president through his biological father- a man Obama met for only a few hours. Behind the tabloid story, there really is a much more interesting tale that deserves telling. 

Time to give credit where credit is due.
The UK tabloid, The Daily Mail, deserves a round of applause from the more bigoted hateful members of American society for its smear campaign against Obama. Not the President of the United States but his estranged long-deceased father. Barak Obama, Sr.
The Mail, amid all of its exposes on Simon Cowell’s sexual preferences and other celebrity non-stories, has taken it upon themselves to print several stories about the president’s father, namely, that he was, among other things, a “playboy” and “a serial womaniser." Here's a snippet from one of the articles:

A memo from a University of Hawaii foreign student adviser said that Obama senior had 'been running around with several girls since he first arrived here and last summer she cautioned him about his playboy ways. Subject replied that he would "try" to stay away from the girls.'

Hardly what one might call unusual behavior for a male university student. It has been suggested by at least one writer, that the actual message was more like a warning to stay away from the white girls. (If true, he didn't seem to obey that directive.)

The Shocking Truth about Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney and Crony Capitalism

by Nomad

Over the years Sarah Palin has carefully crafted an image of being a crusader against "crony capitalism." However, an in-depth look at some of her past deals suggests that Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney could just be king and queen of Cronyland. 

Up until the sudden silence in the wake of Joe McGinniss' "The Rogue, Sarah Palin had been recently making charges against the Obama Administration’s so-called “crony capitalism.” I doubt whether she could define exactly what she meant but cronyism is, according to our good friend Wikipedia, “ a partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications.”

Adding the tag “capitalism” it suggests the use of government intervention in the economy to benefit supporters and punish his opponents. It is the biased selectivity of rewards doled out by the government, either in terms of positions of power, awarding of contracts or financial benefits. This also includes limiting the competition through regulations on private businesses that are strictly enforced on opponents of the government, and not enforced on supporters of the government.

Palin’s apparent strategy is to take all of the negatives of the previous Republican administration and foist them upon the present one. Whoever dreamed it up- and surely it couldn’t have been Palin- has attempted to use the tried and true method developed by Karl Rove of attacking the opposition with your own crimes.

The Strange Rumor of Sarah Palin's Faked Pregnancy

by Nomad
I admit that when I first heard this rumor, I was deeply skeptical. But the more I looked into it, the stranger but more believable it became. Could Sarah Palin actually have faked her pregnancy? You can decide for yourself.

Incredible Rumors
Ever since the 2008 presidential campaign, there have been strange rumors flying around about Sarah Palin and the birth of her fifth child, Trig. 

The rumor, in its most basic form, is that Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy. She was never pregnant at all. She is not the mother of her baby as she claims. That  the whole story is a pack of lies from end to end.  
In the beginning, I have to confess to finding the whole thing preposterous. My first reaction was to laugh and dismiss the idea pretty quickly. Wouldn't somebody from the press have picked up on this? Isn't that their job, to smell out something fishy, investigate and report what they have found?  

But it seemed like nobody wanted to talk about it but there was certainly a lot of talk about Obama's birth certificate flying around. 

 Is it Possible?

Another thing I recall running through my head, was how could she even attempt to fake a pregnancy for the full term? I mean, Sarah was not a shut-in, but was governor of Alaska and surrounded by people. The funny part was the people she worked with had no idea she was pregnant until well into her pregnancy. Still, nothing seemed all that extraordinary. She kept her pregnancy a secret. That's not my business. 

Still, when you watch her on tape- she was after all a governor- , she wears heavy jackets and scarves and, while I have never been pregnant myself, I have it on good authority, that Sarah Palin sits and crosses her legs in a way that no woman in her seven-month could possibly do. 

Photos from her previous pregnancies show a robustly heavy woman with a baby bump as big as a beach ball. With Trig, there's nothing until the last month and even then, her face never changes. Her walk never changes. To many people, the only explanation is .. a pillow. 

Allegedly, (not proved) she went for a massage when she was pregnant. NOT a wise idea. She hadn't told anybody she was pregnant and the woman giving her a massage didn't see anything whatsoever to give her any indication she was going to have a baby. 

Apart from whatever evidence there was, I asked myself, why? Why would anybody go to all that trouble? Why not just adopt? Was there some reason that faking it all was preferable to going through all the paperwork of adoption? Well, it does take time. 

Corporate Goliath sues Hacker David: Sony v. George Hotz

by Nomad

On January 11, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) initiated a legal action against 21-year-old George Hotz, (alias geohot, million75 or simply mil), and others from an online hacker group called fail0verflow. It is already shaping up to be an interesting battle and a quite possibly a made-for-Hollywood script played out in real-life.

The Players

While Sony Corporation itself needs little introduction, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., a subsidiary, develops and markets video games consoles in the United States and Canada. The company was founded in 1994 and is based in Foster City, California.

Certainly, as corporate Goliaths go, SCEA can flex some intimidating legal muscles. In court- and everywhere else- it generally gets what it wants.

Playing the David in this story is George Hotz. For his part, Hotz has had his own share of achievements and fame.