AMY GOODMAN: A little-noticed story surfaced a couple of weeks ago in the Army Times newspaper about the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. “Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months,” reported Army Times staff writer Gina Cavallaro, “the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.” Disturbingly, she writes that “they may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control” as well. The force will be called the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive Consequence Management Response Force. Its acronym, CCMRF, is pronounced “sea-smurf.” These “sea-smurfs,” Cavallaro reports, have “spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle,” in a combat zone, and now will spend their 20-month “dwell time” — time troops are required to spend to “reset and regenerate after a deployment” — armed and ready to hit the U.S. streets....
FOR THE FULL STORY, CLICK HERE.
It gets worse:
NAOMI WOLF: On October 1, 2008, President Bush deployed a brigade — which means three to four thousand warriors — somewhere in America. We do not know where they are deployed though citizens have informally reported to me having seen military vehicles and troops in Georgia and Alabama. We do know that their official mandate according to the first report is “crowd control” as well as action in the event of a mass civilian catastrophe. Initial reports described their technology “module package” as involving Tasers and rubber bullets.... The First Brigade is Bush’s force: they are not answerable to Congress or to the Governors of states: they are answerable to the Commander in Chief. In an Alternet posting, I interviewed Air Force Colonel (retired) David Antoon who noted that the troops must obey the president, even if he asks them to arrest Congress or fire on civilians or attack media outlets. If they do not obey orders, he notes, they face five years in prison.... Antoon himself calls the deployment “ominous.” Troops on our streets makes us something less than a democracy: one definition of a police state is when a leader sends his own military units into civilian streets. Meanwhile the civilian policing of citizens is becoming more brutal. Hundreds of preemptive arrests took place in St Paul, dozens of journalists were arrested.... In St. Paul, funds were sent in advance to pay off the lawsuits against police forces that were guaranteed to arise from the planned abuse of citizens. This sort of thing is happening across the country. The tactic has established a closed circle that has turned citizens’ law enforcement agencies into contractors of a state that is directing acts of increasing severity against US citizens. Now a military brigade is being deployed....
FOR THE FULL STORY, CLICK HERE.
Click here to see an interview with Naomi Wolf conducted in early October 2008.
For the past five years or so I hve been hearing rumors that Halliburton has been building (and has now finished building) 800 prisons throughout the USA, not yet functioning, but just waiting for the right crisis. I have not found reliable evidence for the specific quantity, readiness, functionality, locations, or details, but you might be interested in taking a look at page 5 of this Halliburton press release dated 26 January 2006: KBR has been awarded a contract announced by the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component. The Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contingency contract is to support ICE facilities and has a maximum total value of $385 million over a five-year term. The contract provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the United States, or to support the rapid development of new programs.... Now, really, what are the chances of “an emergency influx of immigrants into the United States”? And what are the “new programs” that could come under “rapid development”?
FOR THE FULL PRESS RELEASE, CLICK HERE.
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Young filmmaker Massimo Ceccherini decided to play the lead rôle in a comedy about a good-for-nothing. This is not a great movie, but oh does it have some great moments. Lucio has a recurring nightmare in which he is on trial for masturbating more than is medically possible, and he chooses Tinto Brass as his defense lawyer. Good casting!
NOTE: Cristina Rinaldi, who had played Ivana in Fermo posta Tinto Brass, appears as one of the many porno stars who testify on Lucio’s behalf.
ANOTHER NOTE: Claudia Gerini is not a great actress—at least not in this rôle. Competent, maybe, but not great. But, once again, no one will complain. And I infer from her website that she’s a Laurel and Hardy fan; so she’s OK in my books!
A FUNNY NOTE: It was at about this time that a rock group called Porcupine Tree wrote a song called “Tinto Brass.” See: http://www.xs4all.nl/~bilbo/Milan.html http://ww.dprp.vuurwerk.nl/concrev/tree4.htm
A FUNNIER NOTE: In Israel a bunch of Porcupine Tree fans banded together to found a fan club called—what else?—Tinto Brass. Little do they know.... Don’t believe me? Here’s their web site: http://www2.domaindlx.com/tintobrass/
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| With Tinto Brass as your lawyer, how can you lose? | |
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| Witnesses for the prosecution | |
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| Star witness | |
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| Victory! | |
ADVERTISEMENT: http://www.cinestudio.it/_archivio_film98_99/lucignolo.htm http://www.cinestudio.it/_archiviovideo99_00/lucignolo.htm
MORE STUFF: http://www22.mondadori.com/panorama/archivio/19_03_1999/area_4/1440_1.html
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| The Region-2 PAL Italian DVD, with optional English subtitles. This will not play on most US equipment. |
| Un film scritto da (a film written by) | Giovanni Veronesi e Massimo Ceccherini |
| Direttore di produzione (production manager) | Remo Chiappa |
| Aiuto regista (assistant director) | Gaia Gorrini |
| Suono di presa diretta | Remo Ugolinelli |
| Scenografia (art direction) | Lorenzo d’Ambrosio |
| Costumi (costumes) | Aldo Buti |
| Fotografia (director of photography) | Mauro Marchetti (A.I.C.) |
| Montaggio (editing) | Mirco Garrone |
| Musica di (music by) | Demo Morselli |
| Produttore esecutivo (executive producer) | Alessandro Calosci |
| Supervisione alla produzione (supervisor) | Lierka Rusic |
| Una produzione (a production) | C.G.G. Fin.Ma.Vi. |
| Prodotto da (produced by) | Vittorio e Rita Cecchi Gori |
| Regia di (directed by) | Massimo Ceccherini |
| Ufficio stampa (publicity) | Angelo Perrone |
| Delegato alla produzione (production manager) | Stefano Cialoni |
| Ispettori di produzione (unit managers) | Milena Ricci, Ezio Orita, Carla Pettini |
| Segretario di produzione (production secretary) | Leonida Copertino |
| Il aiuto regia (assistant director) | Marco Limberti |
| Assistente alla regia (asst. to the director) | Federico Nuti |
| Segretaria di edizione (continuity) | Cinzia Malatesta |
| Operatori alla macchina (camera operators) | Roberto Luzi, Massimo Intoppa |
| Assistente operatore(assistant camera operator) | Fabio Massimo Sargenti |
| Operatore steadycam | Sebastiano de Pascalis |
| Aiuto operatore (assistant camera operator) | Giuseppe Falcone |
| Microfonista (boom operator) | Corrado Volpicelli |
| Amministrazione (accountants) | Erasmo Colucci, Patrizia Pierucci |
| Capi truccatore (chief make-up artists) | Luigi Ciminelli, Mauro Meniconi |
| Capo parrucchiere (chief hairdresser) | Jole Cecchini |
| Truccatore (make-up) | Francesco Nardi |
| Parrucchiere (hairdresser) | Orietta Quilla |
| Fotografo di scena (still photographer) | Marco Rossi |
| Arredatrice (set decorator) | Alessandra di Gennaro |
| Aiuto scenografo | Tiziana Privitera |
| Assistente costumista(assistant costume designer) | Stefania Angela Crosetti |
| Sarta (tailor) | Marisa Giorgi |
| Assistenti al montaggio (assistants to the editor) | Carla Merli, Carlo Balestrieri, Rosanna Palma |
| Attrezzista (prop master) | Riccardo Passanisi |
| Capo squadra elettricisti (gaffer) | Claudio Verdenelli |
| Elettricisti (best boys) | Claudio Frollano, Marco Massaccesi, Giovanni Tancredi, Claudio Terlizzi |
| Capo squadra macchinisti (key grip) | Sergio Fabbriani |
| Macchinisti (grips) | Massimiliano Anzellotti, Claudio Fabbriani, Fabrizio Tomaino, Stefano Ranaldi |
| Costumi (costumes) | G.P.11, Sorelle Ferroni eC. |
| Calzature (shoes) | Pompei 2000 Srl |
| Parrucchi (wigs) | Rocchetti & Rocchetti |
| Arredamento (furnishings) | E. Rancati, G.R.P. di R. Postiglione |
| Teatri di posa (studios) | ________________Srl |
| Animali (animal wrangler) | Pasquale Martino |
| Macchine da presa e lenti Arriflex della | Panalight |
| Mezzi tecnici (technical equipment) della | Panalight |
| Lampade e gelatine (lights and filters) | R.E.C. |
| Pellicola (raw stock) | Kodak |
| Trasporti (transport) | Romana Trasporti e Romana Gruppi |
| Catering | Bachini e Bellini Ricevimenti (Firenze), La Buona Tavola (Firenze), Gemeaz Cusin (Roma) |
| Titoli e truke (titles and opticals) | Penta Studio |
| Magnetico | Marchegiani |
| Effetti sonori (sound effects) | Cinesound Sas |
| Montaggio digitale presa diretta(digital sound editing) | Sound On Line |
| Sonorizzazione (recording studio) | International Recording |
| Mixage (mixer) | Roberto Moroni |
| Svilupo e stampa (lab) | Cinecittà |
| Tecnico del colore (color technician) | Elide Camberini |
| Edizioni musicali (music publishers) | Cecchi Gori Music Srl |
| Organizzazione e coordinamento a cura della (by arrangement with) | EMI Music Publishing Italia Srl |
| Musiche arrangiate e composte da(music arranged and composed by) | Demo Morselli |
| ed eseguite dalla (and performed by) | Demo Big-Band Orchestra |
| Copista | Patrizio Carà |
| Le canzoni (songs) | “IL DRITTO DI CHICAGO”(Fred Buscaglione / Leo Chiosso)Melodi Casa Editrice Srlé cantata da Fred Buscaglione“MAMMA”(B. Cherubini / C.A. Bixio)Edizioni Bixio C.E.M.S.A.“LITTLE GREEN BAG”(H. Bouwens / J. Visser)EMI Music Publishing Italia Srlé cantata da George Baker“SPALLE AL MURO”(M.G. Nava)Edizioni BMG Ricordi / CalycanthusZeromania Music |
| Props management | Interno Set |
| Si ringrazia per la gentile collaborazione(for their kind assistance, we thank) | Monda Italia Spa (Divisione Marketing) lampade Artemide Spa - Pregnana Milanese (MI) Gianfranco Ballerini collezione Tropikos per Cappellini Spa C.I.T.T.I. di Maruizio e Marco Berti & C. Sas Comune di Firenze - Uff. Verde Pubblico Corriere dello Sport Daewoo Electronics Italia Spa Panini Spa - Modena Fondazione Museo del Calcio Master Spa - Livorno Edra Mazzei - Perignano (PI) Minottiitalia & C. - Cabiate (CO) Piquadro Spa - Riola (BO) Arradementi di Poltrona Frau - Tolentino Rima - Firenze Selva Style International Spa - Bolzano Tecno Spa - Milano |
| e inoltre (and also) | Comune di Firenze Comune di Scandicci e Comando della Polizia Municipale Azienda Sanitaria di Firenze Villa Basilewsky Circolo Canottieri Firenze Stadio Comunale “A. Franchi” Firenze ristorante Angiolino residence Palazzo Ricasoli Alpheus Roma |
| Dolby Digital in teatri selezionati |
| PERSONAGGI E INTERPRETI | |
| Lucio | Massimo Ceccherini |
| Fatima | Claudia Gerini |
| Pino | Alessandro Paci |
| Padre di Lucio | Flavio Bucci |
| Padre di Pino | Carlo Monni |
| ??? | Bruno Arena |
| ??? | Sergio Forconi |
| ??? | Cosetta Mercatelli |
| ??? | Andrea Muzzi |
| ??? | Marcellina Ruocco |
| ??? | Valeria Vix |
| ??? | Giancarlo Antognoni |
| ??? | Paolo Rossi |
| Avvocato | Tinto Brass |
| Infermiera | Alessia Dina Barela |
| Gabriella | Maria Baschera |
| Guardiano | Giovanni Cacioppo |
| Sig. Pelli | Renzo Cantini |
| Capo infermiere | Pasquale Cifù |
| Sig.ra Bocci | Alessandra Costanzo |
| Mano | Giuliano del Taglia |
| Fidanzata | Chiara Dini |
| Sig. Lupi | Ugo Dini |
| Il cameriere | Daniele Ferretti |
| Fidanzato | Massimo Gallicani |
| Contessa Serrati | Evelina Gori |
| Tarzanello | Giampaolo Gori |
| Giulianone | Giuliano Grande |
| Fatto | Alex Londosi |
| Sig.ra Franchi | Bruna Malegni |
| Conduttrice TV | Mila Martini |
| Colonna | Jari Mencaroni |
| Giudice | Gino Menicucci |
| Uomo furgoncino | Cristiano Militello |
| Tarzan | Alessio Perniciaro |
| Sig.ra Varalli | Donata Piacentini |
| Donna anziana | Giovanna Sammarco |
| Giornalaio | Bruno Santini |
| Infermiera sala parto | Sonya Saporita |
| Modella | Misha Sennfors |