Thursday February 15th 2007

9/11 Widows Keep on Asking the Tough Questions
Must Read - A quote...."February 12, 2007 -- When it comes to 9/11, America right now is divided between two camps, those who trust the official account of the attacks, and those who, well, have questions.  It’s occasionally the case that the first camp will publicly denounce the second camp as a bunch of nutcases, and when this happens, it’s usually the rowdier section of Camp Two, the Loose Change,  bullhorn-wielding, “death to the New World Order” crowd, that takes the most heat."

Noam Chomsky joins 9/11 “Jersey” widows in calling for release of 9/11 documents
Related article - A quote...."February 14, 2007 -- Noam Chomsky has signed a petition written by the 9/11 “Jersey” widows calling for the release of classified documents relating to the 9/11 attacks.  The Muckraker Report has contacted him by e-mail and verified that the individual listed on the petition is indeed Noam Chomsky.  Chomsky’s name is #6432:"
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Radio Station Cries 'Enough' -- Won't Quote From Certain News Stories Relying on Unnamed Officials
Must Read. - A quote...."NEW YORK After the latest widely-publicized stories in national newspapers about weapons from Iran allegedly killing Americans in Iraq -- based completely on unnamed sources -- at least one smaller news outlet has had enough of it.  -  The news director of the public radio [KSFR] station in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has directed his staff to "ignore national stories quoting unnamed sources." He also called on other news outlets to join this policy."

Breakdown At The Iraq Lie Factory
Related story - A quote...."It was, President Bush must have been thinking, a heck of a lot easier five years ago. Back in 2002, the president had a smoothly running lie factory humming along in the Pentagon, producing reams of fake intelligence about Iraq, led by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Doug Feith and his Office of Special Plans. Back then, he had a tightly knit cabal of neoconservatives, led by I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, based in Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, to carry out a coordinated effort to distribute the lies to the media. And he had a chorus of yes-men in the Republican-controlled Congress ready to echo the party line."

Co-Dependent Congress Must Wake Up: The President Needs a Straight-Jacket and a Padded Cell
Related story - A quote...."It’s time to simply admit the obvious: The president of the United States is crazy as a loon, and the Congress and the media are functioning as co-dependents as he runs the country off a cliff.  -  Bush says in his latest press conference that he is “certain” that Iran is providing “technically sophisticated” roadside bomb weapons to Iraqi insurgent forces to help them to kill Americans.  -  He probably is “certain.” But nobody else of consequence in the government is, and the evidence to support his claim is simply not there."
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The Fall of the Roaming Empire
Must read - A quote...."The American imperial behemoth finally lies panting at the sandaled feet of its nemesis, the ragtag resistance fighters, in the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan. Desperate attempts are on by the deniers to infuse new life into the flagging leviathan, but alas, it is dying as sure a death as that of its masters’ dream. Albeit hideously so, even its death is promising to be spectacular. For the event will scatter far and wide, bits and pieces of the myth of American supremacy and the delusion of an empire."

Bush orders more U.S. troops to Afghanistan
The DemoRepubs take control of Congress and the result?  We send more troops into Iraq and Afghanistan while those of you who cast your votes to end these wars get to watch your representitutes escalate them.  If it wasn't so tragic it would be funny.  -  mpg

Veterans Face Consecutive Budget Cuts
A quote...."Washington - The Bush administration plans to cut funding for veterans' health care two years from now - even as badly wounded troops returning from Iraq could overwhelm the system.  -  Bush is using the cuts, critics say, to help fulfill his pledge to balance the budget by 2012.  -  After an increase sought for next year, the Bush budget would turn current trends on their head. Even though the cost of providing medical care to veterans has been growing rapidly - by more than 10 percent in many years - White House budget documents assume consecutive cutbacks in 2009 and 2010 and a freeze thereafter."

Sure hope this doesn't surprise anyone.  - mpg
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Switzerland Approves Probe of CIA Flight
A quote...."GENEVA (AP) - Switzerland on Wednesday followed Italy and Germany in raising the threat of criminal prosecution of CIA operatives involved in anti-terrorism operations in Europe." - Oh, oh. There go all those secret bank accounts you guys were using to stash your retirement funds, oh well. - mpg

See also....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure.
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The Mecca Agreement: What Should We Expect?
Any and all possible dirty tricks by this administration and Israel’s to derail this reconciliation. - mpg

A quote...."The Makkah agreement, signed between rival Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah on February 8, under the auspices of the Saudi leadership, was welcomed by thousands of cheering Palestinians throughout the occupied territories, and seen as the closing of a chapter of a bloody and tumultuous period of their history."
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The Liberal Media Likes War
A quote..."The major national newspapers and most broadcast outlets failed even to report the testimony by former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 1 February 2007."

See also....Brzezinki's prepared testimony - text
See also....Criminals Control the Executive Branch
See also....A political bombshell from Zbigniew Brzezinski
See also....Letters on Zbigniew Brzezinki’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
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Commerce and War: Poles Apart
Unless of course you combine the two.  It used to be called the Military-Industrial-Complex, now of course under the tender tutelage and guidance of the Bush Neocon Cabal it's been made-over into the brand spanking new Military-Industrial-Oil-Complex .....MIOC for short.

It's true as the author states that war is the enemy of free trade or "commerce", but again it's also true that war works quite handily if "they" are sitting atop "your" oil even if the oil happens to be in "their" countries. - mpg
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Who is Muqtada al-Sadr?
A brief bio.of Muqtada al-Sadr.  Keep in mind while you read this article the fact that the US wishes to "get him" simply because he wants the US out, he wants to keep Iraq united, he has enormous popular support and he believes that the oil and the profits flowing from it belong to the Iraqi people (just which ones is presently unclear), this does not mean however that he's a nice guy.

On the other hand the Bush Neocons and prior US policies have in the last fifteen years through two wars, sanctions, a brutal occupation and with the deliberate encouragement of sectarian hatreds has killed roughly over two million Iraqis, displaced three million more from their homes and with maniacal, homicidal, unremitting malice, completely shattered Iraqi society. - mpg
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Saudi arms corruption case goes to Europe
A quote...." The Government could face an unlimited fine if found guilty of breaking EU laws, following its decision to drop a fraud investigation into BAE Systems' dealings with Saudi Arabia.  -  Tony Blair's administration has argued that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) inquiry into alleged corruption in arms deals with Saudi Arabia would damage national security."

The Ghawar Oil Field: How Much Is Left?
A quote...."02/15/07 "OhMyNews" -- -- Back in 2001, before the issue of energy scarcity ever entered my mind, I read a chilling online article called "Ghawar Is Dying" that bluntly speculated about the massive global upheavals modern industrial society would suffer if the largest oil field in Saudi Arabia were indeed running dry."

Zionism & the Israel-Palestine Conflict - A Brief Survey - PDF
Part One: A Brief Historical Survey of Zionism & the Israel-Palestine Conflict.

Russia may scrap U.S. arms control treaty: Interfax
A quote...."MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia warned the United States on Thursday it might pull out of a Cold War nuclear arms reduction treaty because of plans by Washington to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe."

Russia expects U.S. flexibility on Iran as on N.Korea - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expects the United States to show the same flexibility in resolving the problem of Iran's nuclear program as it did with North Korea, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying on Wednesday."

Study: Prison population on the rise
Some quotes...."WASHINGTON (AP) - Get-tough policies that lock up offenders for longer sentences are propelling a projected increase of nearly 200,000 in the nation's prison population in the next five years, according a private study released Wednesday.  -  The increase - projected by the Pew Charitable Trusts study to be three times faster than overall population growth in the U.S."  -  "....a 13 percent increase. The nation's population, by comparison, is projected to grow by 4.5 percent in that time."

An Email Exchange by Gary Corseri and Bob Griss
Amen. - mpg   
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Accusations that the American government spies on private citizen emails. Next time on NOW.
Program Note - Is the Government Reading Your Email?
NOW - Go to Original
PBS Airtime: Friday, February 16, 2007, at 8:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings at
( http://www.pbs.org/now/sched.html.)
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Scientists Find Lakes Under Antarctica
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) -- Beneath the snow, ice and bitter cold of Antarctica, scientists have discovered a network of lakes that fill and empty with rapidly flowing water."

Wednesday February 14th 2007

Bill Moyers': For America's Sake
Must See - A selection from Bill Moyers' address at the NYU Kimmel Center on December 12, 2006

Ulster on the Euphrates: The Anglo-American Dirty War in Iraq
Must Read - A quote...."    Imagine a city torn by sectarian strife. Competing death squads roam the streets; terrorists stage horrific attacks. Local authority is distrusted and weak; local populations protect the extremists in their midst, out of loyalty or fear. A bristling military occupation exacerbates tensions at every turn, while offering prime targets for bombs and snipers. And behind the scenes, in a shadow world of double-cross and double-bluff, covert units of the occupying power run agents on both sides of the civil war, countenancing - and sometimes directing - assassinations, terrorist strikes, torture sessions, and ethnic cleansing."

See also....US support Death Sqds &  False Flag Ops
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Information Warfare, Psy-ops and the Power of Myth
Must Read - A quote...."The bombing of the Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra is the cornerstone of Bush’s psychological operations (psy-ops) in Iraq. That’s why it is critical to have an independent investigation and discover who is really responsible. The bombing has been used as a "Pearl Harbor-type" event which has deflected responsibility for the 650,000 Iraqi casualties and more than 3 million refugees. These are the victims of American occupation not civil  war."

Scientific Poll: 84% Reject Official 9/11 Story
Must Read - A quote...."A monumental new scientific opinion poll has emerged which declares that only 16% of people in America now believe the official government explanation of the September 11th 2001 terror attacks."

US “diplomacy” on Iran: thuggery and threats of war
A quote...."Despite the continuing American military build up in the Persian Gulf, President Bush and his officials insist the US is not planning a military strike against Iran. In an interview with C-Span on Monday, Bush repeated what has become a mantra. He dismissed warnings of war as “people speculating” and declared that the US seeks to “solve the issue diplomatically”. Nevertheless, he reiterated that “the military is the last resort”.

The New York Times' pathetic plea for help: Stop us, before we start a war again
A quote...."As someone who's been in newspapers for more than a quarter-century, the hardest thing for me to explain to non-journalists is the so-called "Chinese wall" between news reporters and the editorial page. That's understandable -- most normal businesses don't have key departments under orders not to work together. But having said that, the New York Times has an editorial on the key issue of a possible war with Iran that takes this separation to a new and kind of ridiculous level"

CNN Propagates False Iran Claim That Even White House Rejects
Is CNN in danger of becoming another New York Times? - mpg

Is it "Meddling" to Open a Bank in Baghdad? Is it"Meddling" to Occupy Iraq?
A quote...."Today's media weasel word is "meddling." As in, the Bush Administration has accused Iran of "meddling" in Iraq."

Ex-aide says Rice misled Congress on Iran
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Controversy over a possible missed U.S. opportunity for rapprochement with Iran grew on Wednesday as former aide accused Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of misleading Congress on the issue."

More on Rice's "forgetfulness".
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The 2nd Most Expensive War in American History - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."The US government has just estimated that President George Bush’s occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and his so-called war on terror, will cost at least $690 billion by the end of next year. That’s more than the total cost to America of World War I, the Korean War, or Vietnam, and second only to the $2 trillion cost of World War II (in current dollars)."

Ohio's spreading stolen 2004 election scandal claims another victim - posted at the Online Journal
A quote...."With two felony convictions already in its wake, Ohio's spreading stolen 2004 election scandal has claimed another victim -- Michael Vu, the controversial executive director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections."

The “Oil Weapon” is Unleashed Against Iran - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."Gary Dorsch (Global Money Trends) submits: Crude oil has become a key weapon in the battle between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE, aligned with the United States, against the mullahs of Iran."

Surge toward the truth.
A quote....The Kucinich Plan to End the War in Iraq includes the following:

1. Congress must deny more funds for the war.
2. The President will have to call the troops home, close the bases, and end the occupation.
3. Initiate a parallel peace process which brings in international peace keepers.
4. Move in the international peace keeping and security force and move out U.S. troops. Peacekeepers will stay until
    the Iraqis are able to handle their own security.
5. Order U.S. contractors out of Iraq.
6. Fund an honest process of reconstruction.
7. Protect the economic position of the Iraqi people by stabilizing prices in Iraq, including those for food and energy.
8. Create a process which gives the Iraqi people control over their economic destiny without the structural adjustment
     policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
9. Give the Iraqi people full control over their oil assets, with no mandatory privatization.
10. Fund a process of reconciliation between the Shias, Sunnis and Kurds.
11. The U.S. must refrain from any covert operation in Iraq.
12. The U.S. must begin a process of truth and reconciliation between our nation and the people of Iraq.
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Why Is Britain Protecting 'Jihadists'?
A quote...."A group of men suspected to be "jihadists" with "links to Al Qaeda" have been rescued from captors in Somalia by the British Foreign Office and flown back to the UK by the RAF, thus saving them from a death penalty handed down by Somali authorities."

US's smoking gun on Iran misfires
A quote...."WASHINGTON - The first major effort by the administration of US President George W Bush to substantiate its case that the Iranian government has been providing weapons to Iraqi Shi'ites who oppose the occupation undermines the administration's political line by showing that it has been unable to find any real evidence of an Iranian government role. "

Playlist: MUST WATCH: Saddam: The Trial You'll Never See (excerpts)
What the US did to Iraq....and is still doing to Iraq.  - mpg

India, China and Russia hold talks & Giants meet to counter US power
Think of the possibilities, think of the influence on world affairs if these three countries got together to coordinate their policies.
 
My goodness we can't have that - Quick....you guys in the Bush Cabal better hurry up and do something fast, according to PNAC doctrine you can't let this sort of thing happen, better stage some more of those "false flag" events to stop this little tea party, otherwise the 236 Gang is going to get real upset with you.

Maybe you and the Mossad could "arrange" an "event" for the meeting and blame it all on Iran....wouldn't that be a neat idea? - mpg
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Flashback:  Two Years Ago Today: Mossad Murders Former Lebanese PM in Carbon Copy of 1979 Assassination
A quote...."We can only conclude that there must be some kind of agreement between world nations that, even when it is patently obvious, one nation will never expose the activities of anothers' intelligence agency. What other reason can there be for the fact that Iran and Syria were the only two countries to even hint at Israel as being behind the murder of Rafik Hariri on Valentine's day 2005?"

US gets military base in Western Australia
They'll only be happy when every square inch of this planet is considered to be part of some US military base.

EU endorses damning report on CIA
A quote...."The European parliament has approved a damning report on secret CIA flights, condemning member states which colluded in the operations."

Cops, Control and Brutality
A quote...."In the early morning of Nov. 25, plainclothes New York City police officers fired 50 shots * at a car on the suspicion that the occupants of the car had a gun. The suspicion proved false. The car’s occupants were black. Two of them were wounded. A third, Sean Bell, was killed. He was to be married that day."  -  * bolded by website author

How about we all just call it "Iraqi pacification tactics" come home to America shall we? - mpg
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Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy (Paperback)
Book Review - BuzzFlash

Senators vote to let Bush fight his own war
A quote...."Washington DC – Congress today overwhelmingly voted to commit America’s Top Soldier to the Iraq war.  By a 100 to 5 vote, the Senate overwhelmingly voted today to send George W. Bush to Iraq to let him fight his own war.    As approved by the Senate, this new measure calls for sending George Bush deep into insurgent-controlled Baghdad where the most United States military casualties have occurred. The House of Representatives also is expected to approve the legislature. "

Tuesday February 13th 2007

When There’s No One Left to Blame
A quote...."Maybe you are sitting back in your national chair, rubbing your hands together in triumph, watching the Palestinians finally turn on each other, slowly becoming what you always claimed they were. Maybe you are repelled, secure in your sense of superiority.  -  But have you thought about what you are you going to do, if Palestinian leadership you despise finally disintegrates?  -  You have brought them to this pass, of course. You worked for decades to achieve exactly this. You bribed, terrorized, expelled, maimed or killed their leadership, banned or killed their visionaries and philosophers, fanned and funded Hamas against Fatah or Fatah against Hamas, trashed their democracy, stole their money, walled them in, put them on a “diet”, derided their claims, and lied about their history to the world and to yourself."

Congress Racing to Spend - $1 Trillion on Iraq - posted at AntiWar
 A quote...."Two weeks ago I discussed how Congress and the administration use our fiat money system to literally create some of the funds needed to prosecute our ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We've already spent more than $500 billion in Iraq, mostly through supplemental spending bills that are not part of the normal appropriations and budget process. But with costs soaring and no end to the war in sight, yet another supplemental spending bill must be passed soon – and both parties in Congress are only too willing to provide the money under the guise of supporting the troops."

Lt. Watada Mistrial Clear Victory  - posted at AntiWar
Aquote....FORT LEWIS, WA – In a complex and confusing turn of events, Army lead prosecutor Captain Scott Van Sweringen reluctantly requested, and was granted a mistrial in the case of First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada, the first military officer to publicly refuse to fight in Iraq."

Pakistan debunks US commander’s statement
A quote...."ISLAMABAD: In an angry rejoinder, Pakistan on Monday said that crossing the Pak-Afghan international border was too serious an issue to be determined by a junior commander of the US army."

"US army’s Colonel John W Nicholoson, Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, asserting a right to self-defence had stated on Sunday that the American forces in eastern Afghanistan have launched artillery rounds into Pakistan and his forces are not required to get approval from Pakistan."
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Rupert Murdoch is the Virus Devouring the Soul of Western Democracy
A quote...."Historically speaking the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have a lot in common. Yet, their shared history pales in comparison with their contemporary commonalities. And none of their more recent shared characteristics are more revealing than these:

1. Their leadership is the most committed to the continued war and occupation in Iraq.

2. All three country's leaders are highly unpopular with their respective electorate.

3. Despite the devastating political consequences, all three leaders in all three nations continue to ignore the will of the people they supposedly represent and fiercely defend and, at least in one instance, insist upon escalating the war in Iraq.
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America's Not Ready to Make Nice
A quote...."Introduced by folk-singing legend Joan Baez as "three brave women," the Dixie Chicks took the stage at the 49th annual Grammy Awards ceremony to sing their no-apologies for dissenting anthem: "Not Ready to Make Nice."

Bush Caught on Tape Lying about 2003 SOTU ‘16 Words’ - Media Yawns
A quote...."We now know that the president was lying when he said the 16 word statement [Nigar's yellow cake] was cleared by the CIA. According to Armitage, CIA Director George Tenet had the reference removed from a speech the president gave in Cincinnati in October 2002, and tried to have it removed from the 2003 SOTU in January — but Vice Pres. Cheney over-ruled him and had the false statement reinserted into the text of the State of the Union speech."

Media Caught up in the Spin Cycle
Some quotes...."This past weekend, the two most influential media organs in the U.S., The New York Times and The Washington Post, both published stories about Iranian weapons in Iraq."

And...."As the Times' progressive Paul Krugman wrote yesterday, "Why wasn't any official willing to take personal responsibility for the reliability of alleged evidence of Iranian mischief, as opposed to being an anonymous source? If the evidence is solid enough to bear close scrutiny, why were all cameras and recording devices, including cellphones, banned from yesterday's Baghdad briefing?"
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Baby Steps against Hedge Funds
A quote...."Germany wants increased international supervision of hedge funds and has placed the issue high on the agenda of this weekend's G7 meeting. The US is skeptical. Guess who will win."

Signs of the coming hedge-fund apocalypse
Related article - A quote...."Posted Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007, at 7:16 AM ET Because I'm writing a book about booms and busts in American history, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how real and rational economic trends cross over into bubble territory. For the Internet, residential real estate (now officially popped), and alternative energy, there were always telltale signs of bubbleness."
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A report from the media's front line & Frontline: News War
Maybe See - (formally must see) -  Program Note & Reviews - Hard hitting [as described] four part mini series with correspondent Lowell Bergman, perhaps best remembered by those of you who saw the Insider as the guy who convinced people to go on 60 Minutes to tell their stories. - See local program guide for schedule and information.

FRONTLINE: NEWS WAR - PBS
Frontline in association with the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and A Little Rain Prods. - Credits:
Producers: Raney Aronson, Arun Rath
Co-producer: Seth Bomse
Director: Raney Aronson
Writers: Raney Aronson, Seth Bomse, Lowell Bergman
Correspondent: Lowell Bergman - also Co-producer

Early review, Part I. -  I found myself agreeing with what another person said regarding the show, "it’s vanilla pudding".  Bland, boring, and nowhere near as hard hitting as one would expect considering Mr. Lowell Bergman's participation in the program.

As for Judy Miller's comment that she's perfectly happy with what she did....what can one say.  To be perfectly happy to have helped launch a war which (so far) has cost over a half trillion dollars, killed over a half million Iraqis and taken over three thousand Americans lives is a truly impressive example of positive thinking.

Here's a suggestion for the Times, why don't you hire her back, and instead of the half-baked slop you're currently using to whip up another war with Iran, you could have her write some really good pieces straight from the bowels of the Pentagon.

And if the articles are any good, you guys might even help launch a bigger war than the one you got going with Iraq.  Heck its worth a shot isn't it?  -  mpg
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Monday February 12th 2007

Tomgram: Schwartz on Surging into Catastrophe in Iraq
Must Read - America's divide and conquer strategy, neighborhood by neighborhood, house by house, and body by body.

U.S. occupation at Root of Violence in Iraq
Must Read - More on America's strategy of ethnic cleansing.

The Bombing of the Golden Dome Mosque; one year later
Related article - A quote...." 02/12/07 "ICH" - -- - According to the Muslim calendar, today--February 12--is the one year anniversary of the bombing of Samarra’s Golden Dome Mosque. The blast is frequently pointed to as the event which transformed the conflict from an armed struggle against foreign occupation into a civil war. This change in the narrative has had some real benefits for the Bush administration by diverting attention from the nonstop fighting between American troops and the Sunni-led resistance. "
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NYT Falls for Bogus Iran Weapons Charges  - Completely Implausible Numbers are Thrown Around -  Repeat of Judy Miller Scandal
Must Read - It appears the New York Times, despite their "mea culpa" regarding all the falsehoods they printed in support of the Bush administration's run-up to the Iraq invasion, are perfectly willing to do it all over again....no matter how many innocent people get killed this time.  -  mpg

Iran Attack: Once Again, the New York Times Serves as Propaganda Tool
Must Read - Related article - A quote...."Recall, back in May of 2004, a superficially contrite New York Times editorial staff admitting it published “questionable” information about claims of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, information that ultimately paved the way for the slaughter of 650,000 Iraqis."

"In an rather unconvincing and apparently obligatory mea culpa, the editors shifted blame for publishing this blatantly false and obvious propaganda, more accurately described as neocon spawned fairy tales, to convicted embezzler Ahmad Chalabi and “a circle of Iraqi informants,” refusing to admit they were used as a propaganda tool by the neocons, described merely as “hard-liners within the Bush administration,” not psychopathic warmongers."

Iran Charges: Lying White House and Credulous Media
Related article - A quote...."A word of caution on US "evidence" that Iran is providing armor-piercing weapons to Iraqis."

Propaganda Extravaganza
Related article - A quote...."So I have spent a good deal of this evening reading the accounts of the "highly" secretive, "ultra-classified"  and "on monumental background" Iran briefing that the White House orchestrated today,  just in time for Monday's breaking news. What is quite clear is that US corporate press has become an extension of the White House public relations department."
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Neocon Flubs Keep On Rolling: Iran Does Not Manufacture 81MM Mortar Shells
Related article - A quote...."Pentagon carelessness fabricating bogus “evidence” against Iran is really quite stupendous."

Update - 02-13-07 : Retraction - Iran does make 81mm morter shells.

Somebody's going to have to give this company a call and check this story out....mpg

Update - 02-15-07

Iran 81mm Mortar Story: Twists, Turns, and Eating Crow
Update on the AMmunition Industries Group

And the Iranian Mortar Story Keeps Growing
kurtnimmo @ Another Day in the Empire is still trying to find out if the web site he received is legit - or not. - mpg
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Top American General Disputes US Military Claim on Iran
Related article - A quote...."The top American military officer, General Peter Pace, declined Monday to endorse the conclusions of U.S. military officers in Baghdad, who told reporters on Sunday that the Iranian government is providing high-powered roadside bombs to insurgents in Iraq."
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The Risk Factor: Another Bush Faction Blow to Middle East Peace
A quote...."Not content with shooting down the 2003 concessions-loaded offer from Iran, the Bushists have also scuttled what would have been an historic security pact between Syria and Israel, as Gabriel Kolko notes in CounterPunch.

NOTE : That's three, count them - THREE - deals the Bush Neocon Cabal have deliberately busted.

1)  The potential deal with the Sunni insurgents. (by the way it was Neocon Bush buddy Ahmed Chalabi a.k.a. the human cockroach that helped nix that one.
2)   The potential deal with Syria and Isreal (by the way it was Olmert's long planned attack on Lebanon O.K'ed by Bush & Co. that ended those talks)
3)   The potential deal offered by Iran in 2003 which was completely rejected by the US. (by the way it was Cheney who stone-walled that deal)

The Bush Neocons want another war, or two, or three, and no one so far has tried to stop them. - mpg
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Chimps In A Zoo Cage
Must Read - A quote...."02/12/07 "ICH" -- -- If the Bush administration and the US mainstream media are united on any one issue, it's an absolute refusal to rock the political boat as they sail mercilessly through the seas of corporate profit on the good ship Terrorbush. For the most part, each group is an incurious lot -- undead creatures who neither care, nor dare, to glance over the side of the ship at the bloated, swirling bodies in the blood-red water below. From the beginning, their mission has been to perform so fantastically against a backdrop of such violent, explosive madness on so many fronts that we watch hypnotically but do not see -- listen intently but do not hear."

CIA was upset by Pentagon's pre-war views
A quote...."Analysts from the CIA and other agencies "disagreed with more than 50 percent" of 26 findings that the Pentagon team laid out in a controversial paper, according to testimony yesterday from Thomas F. Gimble, the acting inspector general of the Pentagon."

And this is why they were purged and the whole agency made into the fall guy. - mpg
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Ex-Agent Ties Firing to CIA Pressure on WMD
Related article - A quote...."A federal judge has ruled that a CIA agent identified only as "Doe," allegedly fired after he gathered prewar intelligence showing that Iraq was not developing weapons of mass destruction, can proceed with his lawsuit against the CIA. The judge has ordered both parties to submit discovery requests–evidence they want for their case–to be completed by March 15, according to the CIA agent's lawyer and a spokesman for the Justice Department, which is defending the CIA in court."

To all you hundreds of CIA "good" guys fired for actually doing your jobs....sue the bastards.  Get yourselves some good lawyers and sue them for every penny they've got.  -  mpg
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Wolfowitz Emerges as Key Figure in Intel Manipulation
A quote...."Paul Wolfowitz, former under secretary of defense, has been identified in recently released grand jury transcripts as being involved in a White House smear campaign against Joseph Wilson, the former US ambassador who accused the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq War."

And his reward - he gets to head the World Bank.  Again to emphasize the obvious, in the wacky, up-side down, black is white, sick world of Washington D.C. no bad deed goes unrewarded and no good deed goes unpunished.. - mpg
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The Road Map to Despotism
A quote...."Editor’s note: Despite spending an estimated $80 million, * the government was unable to prove that Dr. Sami Al-Arian was a terrorist, yet he remains in prison and his sentence will likely be extended. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges warns that the abusive imprisonment of this nonviolent Palestinian dissenter does not bode well for the rest of us."  -  * italics added by website author

War On Terror, A Hidden Agenda Of The Superpower
A quote...."KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 (Bernama) --The US-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan to eradicate the Al-Qaeda, is actually a hidden agenda for the world superpower to maintain hegemony, the War Crime Conference was told here.  -  International Criminal Tribunal judge for Afghanistan, Professor Niloufer Bhagwat claimed that Al-Qaeda which was dubbed a terrorist group with an extensive terror network, was formed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States (US)."

GCC must avoid America’s recklessness
A quote...."In my article “New World Order through Constructive Chaos” GulfNews Aug. 29, 2006 I warned about the dangers of Bush’s policies as we get closer to the 2008 American presidential elections.  -  Recent actions including increased US forces in Iraq, deployment of more warships and Patriot missiles in our region, increased anti-Iran saber-rattling coupled with Rice’s regional tour, is all very alarming, especially when viewed together with the Congressional elections that Bush’s party lost. All these indicate that Bush is now overwhelmed, cornered, isolated, irrational and desperate."

Speech at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy  -  By Vladimir W Putin
Transcript -   02/10/2007  (The speech was held in Russian. English translation provided by Munich Conference on Security Policy)

Repeal the Military Commissions Act and Restore the Most American Human Right
A quote...."While there are many countries in the world where all power and all rights are reserved to the government, and then doled out to the people by constitutional, legislative, or executive decree, the first three words of our Constitution clearly state who in this country holds all the power and all the rights: "We the People."

"Our Constitution does not grant us rights, because "We" already hold all rights. Instead, it defines the boundaries of our government, and identifies what privileges "We the People" will grant to that government".

"When Gonzales suggested we have no habeas corpus rights because the Constitution doesn't grant them, his testimony betrayed a breathtaking ignorance of the history and meaning of the United States Constitution. And, because his thinking probably reflects that of his superior, George W. Bush, Gonzales' testimony demonstrates the urgency with which Congress must act to repeal the many laws, signing statements, and executive orders that have been issued by this administration."
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America! If You Will Not Impeach This Tyrant Who Will You Impeach?
A quote...."If you, my fellow Americans, will not demand the impeachment of the worst president in American history, a man who is a traitor to our Constitution, an instigator of unjust wars, a destroyer of worlds, a strutting global tyrant, and a threat to the very survival of human life on this planet, who will you impeach?"

"This George W. Bush, this wastrel, this smirking twister of truth, this volcano of lies, this heinous torturer, this killer of innocents, this Thief-of-Baghdad, this mass murderer, this open sewer of aggressive militarism, in short, this blot on the very name of America, must be compelled by Congress and the American People to answer for his alleged and apparent crimes."
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Are Bush & bin Laden joined at the hip?
Just a few of the suspicious Bush-bin Laden relationships, one also shouldn't forget the Kunduz airlift.

See also....Financial Ties 9/11
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Robert Parry Investigates, Like a Real Reporter Should
Interview with Robert Perry  - A quote...."

BuzzFlash: "You've worked for the Associated Press and as a mainstream journalist, before you began consortiumnews. Why did you feel the need to go to the Web and alternative journalism?"

Robert Parry: "I had been with the Associated Press for a number of years, and I spent a few years at Newsweek and worked at Public Broadcasting's "Frontline" program. By the mid-1990s, I just felt like the space for doing serious, investigative-style journalism had closed."
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The Politics Of TV Torture Shown On '24'; Shame On You For Your Lies, Joel Surnow
A quote....“This past November, U.S. Army Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan, the dean of the United States Military Academy at West Point, flew to Southern California to meet with the creative team behind ’24.” Finnegan…was accompanied by three of the most experienced military and F.B.I. interrogators in the country. [They] had come to voice their concern that the show’s central political premise—that the letter of American law must be sacrificed for the country’s security—was having a toxic effect. In their view, the show promoted unethical and illegal behavior and had adversely affected the training and performance of real American soldiers.”

U.S. asks Japan not to schedule Cheney-Kyuma meeting after remarks on Iraq war - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."TOKYO — The United States has asked Japan not to schedule a meeting between U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma during Cheney's visit to Japan from Feb 20, conveying strong displeasure with Kyuma's recent controversial remarks, sources close to the matter said Sunday."

And...."Kyuma angered Washington by saying Jan 24 that U.S. President George W Bush's decision to start the war on Iraq was "wrong."

Poor little Cheney, his feelings were hurt, he needs a group hug that's what he needs. Poor little cry baby. - mpg
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For the Cheneys, Going to War with Iran is a Family Affair
More on the Cheney Crime Syndicate.

Alberto Gonzalez's coup d'etat
A quote...."Feb. 9, 2007 | Under any circumstances, the Bush administration's sudden, explicitly political dismissal and replacement of United States attorneys in judicial districts across the country would be very troubling -- both as a violation of American law enforcement traditions and as a triumph of patronage over competence.  -  But as the story behind these strange decisions unfolds, a familiar theme is emerging. Again, the White House and the Justice Department have been exposed in a secretive attempt to expand executive power for partisan purposes. And again, their scheming is tainted with a nasty whiff of authoritarianism."
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>>> U.S. launches artillery into Pakistan <<<

U.S. launches artillery into Pakistan - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Asserting a right to self-defense, American forces in eastern Afghanistan have launched artillery rounds into Pakistan to strike Taliban fighters who attack remote U.S. outposts, the commander of U.S. forces in the region said Sunday."

Wow! Isn't this fantastic, the US currently has ongoing military operations in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, soon Iran and Syria and now we're even launching attacks against Pakistan....Oh way to go guys, a glorious prelude to America's "thirty years war", wonderful news for the Military-Industrial-Oil-Complex.  Everyone should get a bonus.  Maybe we can even provoke some of the hard line elements in Pakistan to use their nukes.  Wouldn't that be just grand?

Admittedly Pakistan is one of the few countries, along with Saudi Arabia, who actually supported the Taliban and al-Qaeda, (Iraq and Iran didn't but we don't care) and of course they supported them on our orders.  Now the US is hinting they'd like that support to be stopped.

It's sad really, the Pakis just don't understand how we in the U.S. want the “Great Game” to be played out.  Supporting “terrorist” groups for targeted operations is good for business because it provides endless reasons for the Bushists to impose domestic suppression at home and launch military adventures abroad.  Supporting indigenous "insurgents" fighting for their land is bad for business because it keeps US corporations from getting all that juicy oil.

When are the Pakies going to get it straight?  -  mpg
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Obama seeks to unite all Americans...
More on "Bombs-away O'Bomb-a"

See also....Barack Obama: The Mania and the Mirage.
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US Senator Barack Obama and the war in Iraq
Related article -  A quote...."Obama is an unapologetic advocate of the use of American militarism to advance US geo-strategic interests around the globe. In his recent book, The Audacity of Hope, he puts his stamp of approval on the Bush Doctrine of endless illegal preemptive wars and calls for boosting US military spending to confront the dangers to US geo-political interests posed by Iran, Russia, China and North Korea. For Obama, just as much as for Bush and Cheney, the US military must be made ready for combat around the world....."

Bush's "delusion":  a psychiatrist's perspective
A quote...."First and foremost, George W. Bush is a Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  What this means, mostly, is that he has rather desperate insecurities about himself, and compensates by constructing a grandiose self-image.   Most of his relationships are either mirroring relationships--people who flatter him and reinforce his grandiosity--or idealized self-objects--people that he himself thinks alot of, and hence feels flattered by his association.  Some likely perform both functions.  Hence his weakness for sycophants like Harriet Miers, and powerful personalities like Dick Cheney. "

3,500 schools now use finger print scanners in ‘Big Brother state by stealth’
A quote...."As many as 3,500 schools are taking fingerprints from pupils, often without their parents’ permission, a new poll revealed yesterday.  -  Soaring numbers require pupils to undergo biometric identity checks before they can register in the mornings, buy canteen meals and use the library."

Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W Bush (Hardcover)
Book review - A quote...."BuzzFlash Recommendation: If you read one book on the historic involvement of the U.S. and Britain in using Iraq as a petroleum pawn and staging point for Mideast military activity, this is the book to read."

Sunday February 11th 2007

US Citizens Sacrifice for Iraq War
Must Read - A quote....At least once a week for the past few years I've heard some version of the above quote and it implies that the average person has not been inconvenienced in any way by the war. Both the left and the right go to great lengths to perpetuate this illusion of no sacrifice while using the statement to fulfill whatever partisan goal they are currently chasing. Such vacuous statements leave me breathless mainly because they are so explosively ignorant that they suck all of the oxygen out of the air."

See also....Republic or Empire

See also....The Scourge of the Wealthy - Deflation / The Balm of the Wealthy - War 09-30-06
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Bush Military Budget Highest Since WWII
A quote...."What do all these figures mean? How can the average person make sense of these billions and billions and billions of dollars? Some comparisons may be helpful.  -  Proposed U.S. military spending for FY 2008 is larger than military spending by all of the other nations in the world combined. *  -  At $141.7 billion, this year's proposed spending on the Iraq war is larger than the military budgets of China and Russia combined. Total U.S. military spending for FY2008 is roughly ten times the military budget of the second largest military spending country in the world, China."  -   * italics added by website author

The United States' Global Military Crusade (1945- )
A quote...."America's "Road Map to Empire" was not formulated by the Bush administration as some critics are suggesting. In fact, there is little that is "new" about the "Project for a New American Century". It is just that the post-war rhetoric of human rights and social and economic development has diminished, to be replaced by the primary concern with global supremacy through military force. The imperial project was outlined in the immediate wake of the 2nd World War. It was part of the "Truman Doctrine" formulated in 1948 by George Kennan, Director of Policy and Planning at the U.S. State Department:"

George Kennan  -  "We have 50 percent of the world's wealth but only 6.3 percent of its population.... In this situation we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will allow us to maintain this position of disparity. We should cease to talk about the raising of living standards, human rights and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better."
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Reports of Intelligence Failures are Fallacious
A quote...."Americans should be getting weary of most of the "mainstream media" constantly claiming the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City and on the Pentagon in Viginia and the United States invasion of Iraq were the results of "intelligence failures." There were no "intelligence failures" concerning either. I repeat; there were no "intelligence failures".  -  Several agents in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had uncovered suspicious behavior by suspected Muslim radicals prior to 9/11 but their reports to supervisors were ignored. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) warned the White House six weeks before 9/11 that radical Muslims were planning to hijack aircraft in the US and use them as weapons. That warning was ignored."

To all Americans reading this blog, until 9/11 is thoroughly investigated, until the trunk of the tree that is 9/11 and all that arises from it is chopped down, it’s poisonous fruit, the PNAC, Neocon, and Bushists policies, their wars, their torture, will continue on into the foreseeable future, turning all your hopes and dreams into your worst nightmares.  It's your choice America – You choose.  -  mpg
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Binding legislation to restrict authority of the President to order nuclear strikes against non-nuclear-weapon states.
A quote...."February 1, 2007  -  United States Congress  -  Washington, DC  -  Dear Member of Congress:

As physicists, members of the profession that brought nuclear weapons into existence, we write to urge you to pass binding legislation to restrict the authority of the President to order nuclear strikes against non-nuclear-weapon states."
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Target Tehran: Washington sets stage for a new confrontation
A quote...."The United States is moving closer to war with Iran by accusing the "highest levels" of the Iranian government of supplying sophisticated roadside bombs that have killed 170 US troops and wounded 620.  -  The allegations against Iran are similar in tone and credibility to those made four years ago by the US government about Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the invasion of 2003."

Infighting Hampering Baghdad Crackdown
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi commanders are urging the Americans to go after Sunni targets as the first focus of the military push to secure Baghdad, displaying a sectarian tilt that is delaying full implementation of the plan to drive gunmen from the streets, U.S. officers say.  -  American officers, interviewed at the sprawling Camp Victory base at the western edge of the capital, also acknowledge they are finding little in their initial searches of Baghdad neighborhoods suggesting either they received faulty intelligence or that the massive publicity that preceded the operation gave militants time to slip away."  -  italics added by website author

My goodness, those fiendishly, diabolically, clever insurgents....it's like they went to another city or something.  You mean they didn't wait around for a month or two to get killed?  Those evil geniuses, how dare they.  Next time the US does a sweep we'll just have to tell them to stay put, and while they're at it we should also ask them to paint big bright orange bulls eyes on their clothes....that'll fix them. - mpg
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Voters Seek Clarity on Clinton Iraq Vote
A quote...."MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - After nearly four years of war and more than 3,000 U.S. dead, New Hampshire voters are demanding more than nuance on Iraq from Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Like that's ever going to happen.  Remember she practically pandered to Rupert Murdoch of all people, this is the man who described Iraq's war casulties as "minute".  Hillary should just tell the truth : 1) She was perfectly happy to support the invasion of Iraq. 2) She'll be perfectly happy to go attack Iran. 3) She's a bought and paid for lackey of the MIOC elites.  -  mpg
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Grammy Goes to War: No Fewer than 12 Nominees Put Messages to Music
Program Alert - A quote...."Protest music has moved from the fringes of American society during the Vietnam era to high-profile recognition at today's annual Grammy Awards.  -  Political songs by such masters as Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young all got short shrift from music-industry professionals who voted on the Grammys in the '60s and '70s. But a larger, more sophisticated membership this year has nominated 12 acts for work commenting on the Iraq war, President Bush's policies, Hurricane Katrina and terrorism's global shadow.  -  Two of those acts, the Dixie Chicks and John Mayer, will perform during the live, three-hour show starting at 8 p.m. today on CBS. "  -  bold by website author

New York Times Reveals "Reporter" Michael Gordon Actually Voice-Activated Tape Recorder
Must Read - A quote...."NEW YORK—New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller today announced that the paper's longtime staff writer Michael Gordon is not an actual person, but rather a voice-activated tape recorder."

Catapulting the Propaganda at the New York Times
Must Read - Related article - More on the "tape recorder" - A quote...."It is interesting -- in a "watching the Hindenburg explode" sort of way -- to see the machinations behind the latest war-prop piece from Michael "Call Me Judy" Gordon in the New York Times. In "Deadliest Bomb in Iraq Is Made by Iran, U.S. Says," Gordon breathlessly retails the "broad agreement among American intelligence agencies" that "the most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq is an explosive-packed cylinder that United States intelligence asserts is being supplied by Iran."

'NYT' Reporter Who Got Iraqi WMDs Wrong Now Highlights Iran Claims
Related article - More on the "tape recorder" - A quote...."NEW YORK Saturday’s New York Times features an article, posted at the top of its Web site late Friday, that suggests very strongly that Iran is supplying the “deadliest weapon aimed at American troops” in Iraq. The author notes, “Any assertion of an Iranian contribution to attacks on Americans in Iraq is both politically and diplomatically volatile.”

"What is the source of this volatile information? Nothing less than “civilian and military officials from a broad range of government agencies.”"

"Sound pretty convincing? It may be worth noting that the author is Michael R. Gordon, the same Times reporter who, on his own, or with Judith Miller, wrote some of the key, and badly misleading or downright inaccurate, articles about Iraqi WMDs in the run-up to the 2003 invasion."

You just can't keep a bad paper down no matter how many times they get it wrong. - mpg
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Blaming the Iraqis: A new cover-up for American militarism
A quote...."A new ideological justification for more US violence in Iraq has been sounded in recent weeks from Bush administration officials, congressional Democrats and media pundits alike: all of them now maintain that the blame for the descent of Iraqi society into chaos and civil war should be placed, not on the American invaders, but on the Iraqi people themselves."

And...."It is true, of course, that the division within Islam between Sunni and Shiite goes back more than 1,000 years. But this division, however deep-rooted, never became the basis for mass sectarian violence under the Ottoman Empire, British colonial rule or Iraq’s 70 years of semi-independence. Sunnis and Shiites lived together in the same neighborhoods in Baghdad and other parts of the country and frequently intermarried. It was only under the impact of ever-increasing US pressure—war, followed by 12 years of economic blockade, followed by invasion and occupation—that Iraqi society disintegrated along the fault lines of religion, ethnic group and tribe."

See also....Bolton: US has no interest in united Iraq


See also....Constructive Instability & U.S. 2002 Pre-invasion Plan to Divide Iraq Into Three Separate States &


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The Bush Torture Memos
A quote...."President Bush is proposing to medievalize the American legal code by permitting the use of coerced confessions in judicial proceedings. This is one of the most stunning proposals in U.S. political life since Franklin Roosevelt banned private ownership of gold in 1933. It is vital for Americans to understand the thinking that led the government to this effort to legalize barbaric treatment."

Feinstein Caught in Conflict of Interest on Military Contracts
A quote...."Billions in military construction projects to husband’s firms were approved by Sen. Feinstein’s committee, Metro Newspapers investigation reveals"

Hopefully this doesn't surprise anybody. - mpg
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Putin: Washington's militarism has fostered global instability
A quote...."Munich, Germany -- Russian President Vladimir V. Putin harshly criticized U.S. foreign policy today, telling an international conference packed with senior American and European officials that Washington's militarism has fostered global instability and forced vulnerable nations to seek nuclear weapons."

See also Putin speech Munich, Germany ....Wrap: Russia's Putin talks U.S. missile defense, NATO, Iran in Munich
See also Putin speech Munich, Germany .... U.S. fuelling arms race: Putin
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Feith in the Situation Room: Three Lies
Great Jaun Cole piece on Feith's lies

See also...."Fixed" Intelligence from Feith's "Gestapo Office,"
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Five charged over US Iraq 'scam'
A quote...."A US court has charged three reserve army officers and two civilians with using millions of dollars of Iraq reconstruction money for personal gain."

Now when are you military peons going to get it?  You're supposed to die for your betters not try to ape them with your piddling little schemes of enrichment.  Just who do you think you are, Dick Cheney, Haliburton, Blackwater, or any of the other thousands of well connected lobbyists, lawyers, industrialists, or politicians in Washington DC?  If you don't have a billion dollars to play with or know somebody who does, you don't count.....got it? – mpg
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Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq War and Out a Spy (Paperback)
Book Review - A quote...."This was a betrayal of our national security of the highest order. Bush, Cheney, Libby, Rove -- and others -- burned a CIA specialist in WMDs -- and her network -- in order to save themselves and send a message to whistleblowers that anyone who challenged them would be ruined, no matter the cost to America's national security. (It may also be the case that Valerie Plame, as implied in one of our BuzzFlash interviews with Joe Wilson, knew too much about Iran's WMD capabilities and might have been a potential thorn into the current WH propaganda campaign for nuking Iran.)"

And...."As Wheeler trenchantly notes in her epilogue: 'For all its unique scope and striking characters, the CIA leak case is in many ways just the archetypal story of the failures of of insider D.C. culture, in which reporters have become so addicted to acess that they can no longer report responsibly on the workings of our nation's capital.'"
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Choice time: unravel Al-Qaeda or fight Iran?
A quote...."So just how firmly do the Bushists want to pursue the campaign to unravel Al-Qaeda? In today's WaPo, Dafna Linzer has a story, attributed largely to unnamed but concerned administration insiders, in which she gives disturbing new information about the extent to which they have subordinated this campaign to their current push to escalate tensions with Iran."

See also....Hersh: US, Israel support PKK's Iran wing
See also....Why Trade for a Bunch of  Embarrassing Has Beens.
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Laura Hasn't Been Seen Around Much Lately as a Bush Prop. This Tabloid May Know Why.
A quote - BuzzFlash...."Why do some BuzzFlash readers dismiss the Tabloids, when the last week of "mainstream news coverage" has gone from an astronut in a diaper out to do harm to her romantic rival to 24-hour a day coverage of some blonde with big boobs? I mean is there any difference between the CNN coverage of Nicole Smith and the tabloids covering Bush's marriage crashing down. And, by the way, will anyone please tell us why we haven't seen much of Laura lately, you know in all those phony PR hand-in-hand shots? Get real. Mainstream corporate media has become the tabloids."

A comment from one of  BuzzFlash's readers...."The Globe? The Examiner? What Other Tabloids?"

Check out one of the links cited....http://www.thebestlinks.com/Bush_political_family.html#Spencer_family_connections
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I Hope: A Dixie Chicks and SOTT Special Presentation - video
See also...."Not Ready to Make Nice"
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Friday February 9th 2007

Exxon Record Profits Also Shows Company Took Less Profit In Run Up To The Election;
Must Read - A quote...."Exxon, Shell and Marathon Oil Slashed Q4 Refining Margins To Temporarily Lower Pump Prices, Group Says  -  Santa Monica, CA -- Exxon set the record for the largest annual corporate profit of $39.5 billion last year even with a 4% decline in fourth-quarter profit resulting in part from an 18% drop in refining margins, according to the company's profit report today. Shell, the world's second largest oil company, set a company record earning $25.4 billion in 2006 but also announced a 23% decline in refining margins. Pump prices have increased dramatically in recent years following industrywide increases in refining margins."

This is how it really works.....forget the "war on terrorism", the "clash of civilizations", those silly "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and that ridiculous fairy tale regarding 9/11 "caused by the attack of those religious zealots".   - You've been fooled America, you're just a bunch of rubes, it's like taking candy away from a baby, separating you from your money and even your very lives is way too simple and easy.

Let's say it again - ONE MORE TIME - if you want to know how it really works in this country...just FOLLOW THE MONEY !!!  -  mpg
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Profit Surge
Must Read - Ditto - A quote....""Shares of the twenty U.S.-based defense companies with a market value of at least $1 billion are up 30 percent," CNN-Money noted, " compared to just a 2 percent gain in the S&P 500."   In a broadly challenging investment climate, CNN reported, "one sector has held up quite well. And it's helping to prove that one of the most overused clichés of professional sports is actually applicable to investing: You can't win without a good defense. Shares of the ten defense and aerospace companies in the S&P 500 are up an average of 5 percent this year while the broader market has sunk 4 percent, according to Thomson/Baseline. Boeing (Research), up 15 percent year to date, is the second best performing stock in the Dow this year. Meanwhile Goodrich (Research) and Rockwell Collins (Research) have both SURGED [emphasis added – P.S.] nearly 20 percent."  -  CNN-Money quoted a leading funds manager whose firm owns shares of leading military contractors Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and United Technologies.  "In spite of clear budgetary constraints," this manager explained, "there hasn't been any attempt to reign in defense spending."

Criminals Control the Executive Branch
Gentle reader, you are probably unaware of former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski’s damning indictment of the Bush Regime in his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on February 1, 2007, as the United States no longer has a media--only a government propaganda ministry."

Is bombing Iran Bush's call?
A quote...." 02/09/07 "WND" -- -- In aborting Iran's nuclear program, "all options are on the table."  -  Some version of this threat against Iran has lately been made by John McCain, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Mitt Romney.  -  Yet, if an attack on Iran is among "options ... on the table," who put it there? Who gave President Bush the authority to attack Iran? And when was it granted? And are all options also "on the table" if North Korea continues to test nuclear weapons?"

The Pentagon's not-so-little secret
A quote...."Feb. 8, 2007 | Deep within the bowels of the Pentagon, policy planners are conducting secret meetings to discuss what to do in the worst-case scenario in Iraq about a year from today if and when President Bush's escalation of more than 20,000 troops fails, a participant in those discussions told me. None of those who are taking part in these exercises, shielded from the public view and the immediate scrutiny of the White House, believes that the so-called surge will succeed. On the contrary, everyone thinks it will not only fail to achieve its aims but also accelerate instability by providing a glaring example of U.S. incapacity and incompetence."

Marine 'congratulated' men for murder of Iraqi civilian: witness
A quote...."CAMP PENDLETON - A US Marine squad leader congratulated soldiers "for getting away with murder" after an Iraqi civilian was bound and shot dead at point-blank range, a military court has heard."

Malaysia's Mahathir announces war crimes tribunal
A quote...."KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad announced Wednesday the creation of a war crimes tribunal that would focus on victims of abuse in Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. "

Will the Watada Mistrial Spark an End to the War?
Absolutely brilliant, Watada's conscience and his lawyer tied up the case into procedural knots because of the army's own hypocrisy.  Neither the court nor the army wanted to discuss the illegality of the war, but.... "prosecutors wanted the judge to find that Watada had agreed to pretrial stipulations that he had violated his duty when he refused to show up for movement to Iraq", "Watada maintained that his refusal to participate in an illegal war in Iraq was justified, indeed required, under the Army's own Uniform Code of Military Justice."

As a consequence of the pure, unalterable, irresistible logic of Watads's principled stance, the issue of the  illegality of the war was forced into the proceedings and openly discussed in the courtroom, violating the Judge's own prior rulings not to discuss the issue and therefore causing a mistrial. - mpg
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Report says Pentagon manipulated intel
A quote...."WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials undercut the intelligence community in the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq by insisting in briefings to the White House that there was a clear relationship between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, the Defense Department's inspector general said Friday."

Will War Criminal Feith Escape Justice?
Related article - A quote...."It’s like asking the Mafia to investigate its own drug-running and prostitution operations."

The Salvador Option in Beirut
A quote...."From mission statement to mission accomplished, the slam dunk cakewalks continue. But from Baghdad to Beirut, the forgery looks the same.  -  Unlike Iraq, there is no 'weapons of mass destruction threat' to facilitate toppling the Syrian regime. This time a United Nations Tribunal could provide the means, deploying Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's murder as the weapon. But like the US show trial to convict Saddam Hussein, the show trial to convict Syria for Hariri's murder, built by the United Nation's International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), has a history of problems."

Robert Fisk: Iraqi insurgents offer peace in return for US concessions
A quote...."For the first time, one of Iraq's principal insurgent groups has set out the terms of a ceasefire that would allow American and British forces to leave the country they invaded almost four years ago."

Ex-Rice Aide: Memory Lapse on Iran "Really Quite Curious"
A quote...."I just got off the phone with Flynt Leverett, a former CIA Mideast analyst and National Security Council staffer during President Bush's first term. Leverett says he finds it "really quite curious" that Secretary Rice is pleading a memory lapse on an Iranian offer shortly after the Iraq war to, among other things, recognize Israel."

See also....Robert Scheer: Rice More Sordid Than Foley


Maybe Rice has Alzheimer’s, perhaps she should consider resigning for "health reasons"....Oh no, not her's, she should resign for this Nation's health.  While she remains as Secretary of State we're all in danger from her forgetfulness.

Who knows she might forget about the next security briefing and another “fortuitous event" might occur just in time to propel this Nation to war against Iran. We wouldn’t want that to happen now would we?  - mpg
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U.S. Caves In on North Korea
A quote...."02/08/07 "ICHBlog" -- -- There’s been plenty of saber rattling and bold talk about forcing North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but after a 6 year standoff, Bush has decided to give in to Kim Jung Il’s demands. The western media is characterizing the new developments as a “breakthrough”, but, in fact, Bush has retreated on every issue of consequence. It is as close to a total foreign policy failure as one can possibly imagine. Nothing has been achieved. The bottom line is this; Kim refused to budge from his original position, while Bush completely capitulated on his. "

See also....Iran, North Korea & Oil
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Nancy Pelosi Wants Bedroom on Jet
Ahhh.....the perks of working for the New Roman Empire / Military-Industrial-Oil-Complex. - mpg

When Striking Teachers Face Death
A quote...."If you thought the 2005 teachers strike in British Columbian was a tough fight, consider the risks run by teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico who walked out in May 2006 to demand better conditions for themselves and their students."

How the Fed lost control of money supply
A quote...."The world is awash in money. This money has flown into all asset classes, from stocks to bonds, from real estate to commodities. In a world priced for perfection, should we enjoy the boom or prepare for a bust? Let us listen to Wall Street's adage and "follow the money".

U.S. mortgage lenders rattle markets
A quote...."TORONTO AND WASHINGTON  — After years of smooth sailing, the banking industry ran into stiff headwinds Thursday when the two biggest U.S. mortgage lenders to high-risk home buyers warned that costs from delinquent loans were swelling faster than they had expected."

Real News Loses to Fluff Again
A quote...."Anybody want to bet against me that, over the next few days, the U.S. media will be more consumed with the sudden death of DDD-list blond bombshell Anna Nicole Smith than with Tuesday's report by a U.S. congressional committee that an estimated $12 billion (U.S.) – 360 tons of shrink-wrapped C-notes – were flown to Iraq between May 2003 and June 2004?"

January was the hottest month on record
A quote...."January's global average temperature was the highest on record, setting a record high for two months in a row."

The brain scan that can read people's intentions
A quote...."A team of world-leading neuroscientists has developed a powerful technique that allows them to look deep inside a person's brain and read their intentions before they act."

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "thought crime"... doesn't it?  -  mpg
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If Bush and Cheney were cartoon chipmunks 2/9
OK, OK, the Mel Brooks rip-off and the nuns was a bit much....but it's pretty funny.  -  mpg
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Thursday February 8th 2007

No posts - mpg

Wednesday February 7th 2007

The 'Surge'
Must Read - This is what America is, this is what America does....no.  You think not?  You think America is bringing "freedom and democracy" to Iraq?  Just remember Rummy saying "stuff happens" with a sarcastic smirk on his face while Iraq’s cultural heritages and museums were being looted.  Just remember that video of an Iraqi man tearfully bemoaning the fact that American forces were only guarding the Oil ministry while Baghdad was burning.

This is not an accident. This "constructive instability" is how a nation is torn asunder to be remade in the conquerors image.  It is not a coincidence that the same things are happening in Lebanon and Palestine.  It will not be a coincidence when the same thing happens to Iran.

Remember  the Native Americans, remember the slaughter of the  buffalo, remember the complete destruction of their way of life, the disparagement of their religion, the reservations, the forced schooling where they were taught to forget themselves, remember the punishment meted out to them when they tried to speak their native tongue.  This is how all colonial powers act, it is their modus operendi, it is what they do. It is how they break a people and steal their country.

To all the peoples in the world, this is what will happen to you if you let American corporations into your country.  It will ALWAYS HAPPEN each and every time; sooner or later, one way or another….it will happen to you if you do business with them. - mpg
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An Open Letter to America's Soldiers from the Ranks  -  The Looming Shadow of Nuremberg
Must Read - A quote...."Crimes Listed by the Nuremberg Standard of 1947: a war of aggression, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for its accomplishment; murder or ill-treatment of civilian populations in occupied territory; murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war; plunder of public or private property; wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity; crimes against humanity such as murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war."
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U.S. Doesn't Sign Ban on Disappearances
A quote...."PARIS — Nearly 60 countries signed a treaty on Tuesday that bans governments from holding people in secret detention, but the United States and some of its key European allies were not among them.  -  The signing capped a quarter-century of efforts by families of people who have vanished at the hands of governments."

"State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined comment except to say that the United States helped draft the treaty, but that the final text "did not meet our expectations."

Why not?  Is it because the treaty wouldn't allow unrestricted renditions, torture, and extrajudicial killings with a complete and total blanket amnesty for American personal who participate in such activities?   See also....Strangers In the Night 10-04-06
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Italy Indicts American Soldier for Shooting of Italian in Iraq
A quote...."An Italian judge has indicted an American soldier for the shooting of an Italian intelligence agent in Baghdad in 2005. The soldier will be tried for voluntary murder. He is expected to be tried in absentia. Sabina Castelfranco reports for VOA from Rome."

Mahathir fires war crimes volley at Bush
A quote...."KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former premier and outspoken critic of the West Mahathir Mohamed yesterday slammed US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as war criminals and murderers. Mahathir said the two were bigger murderers than former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain, adding that the war in Iraq - led by Bush and Blair - had caused worse terror than Al Qaeda’s  bombers.

CIA-sponsored kidnappings and torture undermine anti-terror efforts
A quote...."Imagine agents of a foreign government — say, Russia or China — deciding that certain Americans might be plotting against their country. Imagine those agents seizing the Americans while they're on vacation abroad. Imagine those agents then secretly transporting the Americans for interrogation to a third country notorious for its use of torture in interrogations, where they are — no surprise — tortured.  -  Finally, imagine the outrage that would sweep America at the discovery of such conduct and the anger we would feel toward the governments responsible for the seizure and torture of our fellow Americans."

Bombs over Baghdad - The Pentagon's Secret Air War in Iraq
A quote...."A secret air war is being waged in Iraq -- often in and around that country's population centers -- about which we can find out little. The U.S. military keeps information on the munitions expended in its air efforts under tight wraps, refusing to offer details on the scale of use and so minimizing the importance of air power in Iraq. But expert opinion holds that the forms of aerial assault being employed in that country, though hardly covered in our media, may account for most of the U.S. and coalition-attributed Iraqi civilian deaths there since the 2003 invasion."

Despite criticism, his book is work of a true patriot
A quote...."At the age of 82, Jimmy Carter entered the lion's den. With the publication of his latest book, "Palestine: Peace not Apartheid," he did what a patriot would do: rally Americans to vigorous debate of a critical issue that affects our future. He deserves a hero's praise. Instead, he has been attacked and defamed."

Josh Wolf Becomes Longest Jailed Journalist in U.S. History
A quote...."Josh will not roll over, government still fails to get the point.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/—Josh Wolf, named northern California’s 2006 journalist of the year by Society of Professional Journalists, broke the record for the longest amount of time a reporter has spent in jail protecting his sources. Journalist and professional organizations are denouncing his continued imprisonment.
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Arthur Sulzberger, on life in the Internet age
A quote...."He's looking at how best to manage the transition from print to Internet. "

Here’s a suggestion, why doesn’t the Times manage the transition from government propaganda and promoting wars to connecting the dots and revealing the truth, you know investigative journalism, the expose, the stuff they used to do?

One wonders if anyone working for the paper ever thought there might be a direct correlation between the steady four year decline in their readership, and the steady four year diet of swill they print from Bush and Co.  It's just an observation. - mpg
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Jonah Goldberg's Gambling Debt: Will Tribune Company Pay It?
A quote...."There are many shades of rightwing punditry in our country. Among the shadiest is Jonah Goldberg.

With arrogance seemingly matched only by his ignorance, Goldberg was just being Goldberg when he offered this wager two years ago:

    -"--- Let's make a bet. I predict that Iraq won't have a civil war, that it will have a viable constitution, and that a majority of Iraqis and Americans will, in two years time, agree that the war was worth it. I'll bet $1,000 (which I can hardly spare right now).----"
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Army made video warning about dangers of depleted uranium but never showed it to troops
A quote...."A special investigation on the effects of depleted uranium reveals the Army made a tape warning of the effects of depleted uranium which was never shown to troops despite the fact the Pentagon knew the agent to be potentially deadly, CNN reports Tuesday."

The Green-Zoning of America
A quote...."    One of the best of the many recent books about the Iraq debacle is Rajiv Chandrasekaran's "Imperial Life in the Emerald City." The book tells a tale of hopes squandered in the name of politicization and privatization: key jobs in Baghdad's Green Zone were assigned on the basis of loyalty rather than know-how, while key functions were outsourced to private contractors.  -    Two recent reports in The New York Times serve as a reminder that the Bush administration has brought the same corruption of governance to the home front. Call it the Green-Zoning of America."

Tuesday February 6th 2007

Fourth Anniversary of Powell's Lies
A quote...."Editor’s Note: On Feb. 5, 2003, Colin Powell – then considered one of the most trustworthy leaders in the United States – went before the United Nations and made the case for a preemptive invasion of Iraq, a presentation that we now know was replete with false claims and exaggerated evidence."

And so, the man many were whispering might become the first black President of the United States, irredeemably destroyed his credibility and has quietly disappeared into political limbo.  To be replaced by what is perceived to be the next up and coming black Presidential candidate...."Bombs away O'Bomb-a"

Ain't America grand? - mpg
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The Bush administration’s campaign of lies and misinformation against Iran
A quote...."US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, was due to present a “dossier” to the media on January 31 aimed at proving US contentions about Iranian activities in Iraq. The briefing in Baghdad, however, was cancelled without explanation—for a second time, with no future date given. * While various excuses were given, the real reason for putting the dossier “on hold” was the lack of evidence and concern about the public reaction in the US."

Every single word, every single phrase, every single sentence uttered by all the people in this administration for the last five years has proved to be a deliberate lie, not a mistake, not an obfuscation, not a distortion, not some spinning, shaping or framing of the facts, but in almost every single instance a complete and total fabrication.

And so it's become embarrassingly obvious, so totally ridiculous, that even the sycophantic presstitutes that make up what remains of the bastardized and shriveled "forth estate" of this country can't stomach it.  Oh the presstitutes don't mind making people furiously angry at them for spreading these out right lies, they don't mind if millions of people die from their repetition, no what really bothers them is when people start to laugh at their "infotainment" when what they print instead of sending people into a fearful state of hysteria, sends them instead into rollicking fits of hilarity.

This of course is an intolerable state of affairs and no doubt the elites of this country will have to "arrange" something to rectify this situation.  Something to be dutifully reported but not investigated by their “paid pets of the press”.  Something to "prove" the elites were right all along, not the release of another one of those annual "Osama bin Long Gone"  tapes or another repeat of the Miami Morons either, no, this will have to be something much more dramatic. - mpg

* Italics added by web site author
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Frenzy in France Over "Iranian Threat"
A quote....""The danger isn't as much Ahmadinejad's deciding to launch an attack but Israel's living under a dark cloud of fear from a leader committed to its destruction... Most Israelis would prefer not to live here; most Jews would prefer not to come here with families, and Israelis who live can live abroad will... I am afraid Ahmadinejad will be able to kill the Zionist dream without pushing a button."

"This is truly an amazing statement that deserves careful attention. The Israeli official is suggesting that a war should be launched against a country, not because of what it may do, but because the fear of what it may do risks "killing the Zionist dream". This suggests that the fear of another holocaust, which has been the main argument for Zionism for half a century, is turning around to destroy Zionism itself."

To all you Israelis out there.....have you guys ever heard of  "a self fulfilling prophecy"?
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Ersatz Apocalypto: Slaughter and Spin in the Battle for Najaf
A quote...."I. Rashomon in Babylon  -  It has been cast as a ferocious battle against a mighty opponent: a fanatical "apocalyptic cult" storming the holy city of Najaf with hundreds of warriors led by a self-proclaimed Islamic Messiah, their frenzy quelled only at the last moment by a massive intervention of American firepower. But as with so much else in the blood-soaked annals of the Bush Administration's disastrous Babylonian Conquest, it appears this neat story masks a far grimmer, grubbier truth: a mass slaughter of civilians, caught in the toxic fog of hair-trigger tension, sectarian hatred and violent political ambition unleashed by the U.S. invasion."
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The Great Dollar Crash of ‘07
A quote...."The massive equity bubbles which arose from artificially low interest rates and the deliberate destruction of the dollar by reckless increases in the money supply have shifted trillions of dollars from working class Americans to the predatory aristocrats at the top of the economic food chain.  The gulf between rich and poor has grown so wide that it now poses a direct threat to our increasingly fragile democracy."

China aims to spend $200bn of reserves
Related story - A quote...."SHANGHAI - The Chinese government is taking action to implement a new policy of diversifying the disposal of the country's over US$1 trillion foreign exchange reserves which was initiated by the Central Conference on Financial Affairs three weeks ago.  -  The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is planning to issue yuan-denominated bonds to raise funds that will be used to "buy out" as much as $200 billion from the country's foreign reserve pool."

There is this Spanish TV game show where the contestants pass this balloon to each other, attached to which is a lit fuse, they have to answer questions correctly before they can pass it on to the next contestant.  As the fuse gets shorter and shorter the contestants get more and more excited until the balloon finally pops into a shower of paper confetti in the hands of the loser holding it.

It appears China wants to buy real assets with their accumulated dollars before they too "pop" into a shower of worthless confetti.  Pity the poor suckers still holding onto them when they finally go pop. - mpg

Rep. grills ex-US leader in Iraq: Where did 363 tons of cash go?
Related story - It's like being in a bar, when the booze starts tasting like water you should know you've had enough.  When you start measuring money by the ton, it's time to start slowing down the printing presses.
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Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve [SPR] -- Iran's WMD
Oil games ala Bush & Co.  To be fair he's probably filling up the strategic petroleum reserve in anticipation of his upcoming attack on Iran.

It's all a brilliant example of MIOC elite multitasking, they get to  1) make money from filling up the SPR.  2) As the article points out by filling the reserve they'll also make more money by causing oil prices to spike up.  3) They'll make even more money from their government contracts for the War Machine and the upcoming war with Iran and other countries.  4) Once Iran and Iraq are conquered they'll own a significant portion of the world's petroleum resources and can set any price they want - making still more money for themselves.

And all they have to spend for this magnificent largess we the ever gullible American people have bestowed upon them is  1) America's reputation.  2) America's system of government, laws and constitution.  3) Vast quantities of the US's treasury.  4) Vast portions of the American Military.  5) Other countries populations, cultures and infrastructures.....along with all their hopes and dreams.

None of which costs them anything!  Makes them pretty smart huh?

Ask yourself one question....what does that make you? - mpg

US Iraqi Holocaust And One Million Excess Deaths
Related article - A quote...."It is nearly the Fourth Anniversary of the illegal Anglo-American-Australian-Coalition invasion of Iraq. What has been the economic and human cost of Bush’s Iraq War?"
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DoD Establishing U.S. Africa Command
A quote...." “The president has decided to stand-up a new unified, combatant command, Africa Command, to oversee security cooperation, building partnership capability, defense support to non-military missions, and, if directed, military operations on the African continent,” Gates said in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee."

Long live the New Roman Empire - Ave caesar! Morituri te salutant!  - "Hail Caesar! Those who are about to die salute you!
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Abolish It!
A quote....

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it…"

"Declaration of Independence  -  Adopted by Congress, July 4, 1776"

"We have the right. We have the duty. Thomas Jefferson said so."

"Last fall politicians witnessed the desire of the people and Congress was “altered.” Now we, the American people, are seeing the will of the Congress. The human catastrophe that is Iraq has been reduced by our representatives to linguistic quibbles, fanny positioning for the next election, empty and empty-headed resolutions, and a stunning disregard for the desires of the majority of Americans. And they had the time and gall to blame the generals for the execution of the war. Congress had to wait for Rumsfeld to get euthanized before gumption set in. Then, instead of impeaching Bush, they skewered the military, the people who must always say, Thank you sir/madam! Serving proudly!"
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Interesting Gun Camara Video showing a Friendly Fire Strike Against the Brits
A quote....The footage, shot by Americans, has been at the centre of a diplomatic row between the British and US defence departments after a coroner last week demanded that it should be shown at the inquest of Lance-Corporal of Horse Matty Hull, 25, from Windsor, Berkshire. He died in the incident near Basra, southern Iraq, on March 28, 2003. Four members of his troop, the Household Cavalry Regiment, were injured in the attack on the armoured column."

There is no legitimate reason why the US & British forces are fighting in the Middle East, none at all.
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Monday February 5th 2007

From Afghanistan to Iraq: Connecting the Dots with Oil
Must Read - Excellent sumation regarding many aspects of the "Great Game" - A quote....The oil wars are abject failures. The Project for a New American Century wanted, in a fantasy of retrograde imperialism, to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

President George Bush launched an overt act of military aggression to do so, at a cost of more than 3,000 American lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and half a trillion dollars. In the process he has exacerbated the threats from international terrorism, ravaged the Iraqi culture, ruined their economy and their public services, sent thousands of Iraqis fleeing their country as refugees, created a maelstrom of sectarian violence, dangerously destabilized the Middle East, demolished the global prestige of the United States, and defamed the American people.
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9/11: The Case Isn't Closed
Must Read - A quote...."No matter what you believe about who was responsible for 9/11, and how it went down, we're all amazed at how much political capital the events of that day produced for this administration: A bipartisan consensus on torture; an era of permanent war; detentions without trial; "no fly" lists for activists; the Bill of Rights gone with the wind, and a cowed professional media willing to self-censor and suppress pertinent information. The 9/11 "America Attacked" story has distracted us from the natural outrage we should feel over illegal wiretaps, stolen elections, hundreds of billions of dollars missing at the Pentagon, war profiteering, Enron and Cheney's secret energy policy."
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Two Pearl Destroyers Head for Persian Gulf
War Update - A quote...."Destroyers Hamilton and Russell left today on this short notice deployment. Many of the sailors have only been back for a few months and they were not expecting to ship out so soon. Family members say that makes this even harder to deal with."

Bush to propose record US war budget
Some quotes...."The Bush administration will seek congressional approval of more than $700 billion in military spending this year....",  "There is also the likelihood of another supplemental appropriation next year, which could send the total over $800 billion."

Whistling Past Armageddon: Why Impeachment Is A Fine Idea
A quote...."Why is it that politicians and pundits continue to behave as though they can exert any influence upon George Bush and Dick Cheney? The pair have explicitly stated on any number of occasions that they are not only unwilling to take advice from anyone other than themselves, but that they regard ignoring Congressional strictures, let alone mere advice, as a positive duty and Constitutional prerogative. Anyone who genuinely hopes to influence the White House has exactly one option: replace the current occupants of it."
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Munich to US: "Don't Send Your CIA Thugs out into Europe's Streets"
Title says it all.

Bush and Cheney's dirty secrets
Related article - A quote...."It was Vice President Dick Cheney who talked about the "dark side" we have to turn on. When he spoke those words, he was articulating a policy that amounted to "go out and get them." His remarks were evidence of the underlying approach of the administration, which was basically to turn the military and the agency loose and let them pay for the consequences of any unfortunate -- or illegal -- occurrences."

In Europe, pushback against US 'war on terror'
Related article - A quote...."Most of the French opinion, many of the German people, a large share of the Labor constituency in the UK, the Spanish, and now Italy, don't just oppose the policy, but the basis of US policy," says Georges Le Guelte, of the Institute for International and Strategic Relations in Paris. "You can't have renditions and Guantánamo and talk human rights at the same time. That is more clear to many of us."
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The Alberto Gonzales Appointments:
A quote...."So, basically, what happened here is that (1) the 120 day 'interim' rule was eliminated, and (2) the matter was taken completely out of the hands of the district court. Not only that, but the effect here is that any 'interim' US Attorney can by appointed and can theoretically serve until the end of the appointing President' s term. Additionally, the Attorney General now has the power to appoint an 'interim' US Attorney who can serve, in the immediate case, until the end of 2008."

"What this does, in effect, is allow the Attorney General to appoint anyone so long as the appointee was not previously submitted and refused by the Senate. Once again, the powers of the Legislative Branch are being stripped from the process and shifted to the Executive Branch. Further, this is currently being questioned as potentially unconstitutional in that it is delegating the authority to make such appointments from the President (under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution) to the Attorney General."
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New Fort Detrick BioDefense Laboratory May Reflect a Bush Germ War Effort
A quote...."Although no foreign power has threatened a bioterror attack against America, since 9/11 the Bush administration has allocated a stunning $43-billion to "defend" against one. Critics are now saying, however, Bush's newest "biodefense" initiative is both offensive and illegal."

Anyone out there seen Stephen King's "The Stand"  That's $43 BILLION for all sorts of new nasties, if any of them get out we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.  By the way how many new community clinics do think they could've built with $43 billion dollars? - mpg
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U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling
A quote...."The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, by far the largest group affected."

That's not convicted or incarcerated, nor is it being arrested, they can get your DNA profile for just "detaining" you (whatever that means). - mpg
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Journalist killings, jailing of internet journalists up worldwide
A quote...."Washington- Fifty-five journalists were killed worldwide in 2006, an increase over the previous year, and more than one in three of all jailed journalists worked in internet-based media, a report released Monday said. In its annual Attacks on the Press report, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that Iraq was the "deadliest place" for journalists with 32 killings, followed by Afghanistan and the Philippines, with three deaths each."

Disease fears amid Jakarta floods
A quote..."More than a third of a million people are thought to have fled their homes amid Jakarta's worst floods in years, caused by days of torrential rains."

Sunday February 4th 2007

Won't Get Fooled Again?  -  NYT, networks offer scant skepticism on Iran claims
a quote...." The most important lesson about the Iraq War for reporters was perhaps the simplest one: Don't assume the White House is telling the truth. It's a lesson that many reporters seem to be forgetting now that U.S. officials are escalating their claims about Iran's role in Iraq."

Analysis: Bush's Iran Stance Echoes Iraq
A quote...."February 04,2007 | WASHINGTON -- President Bush's tough new stance on Iran and his military buildup in the Persian Gulf recall some of the drumbeats that preceded the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003."

“If Cheney Needs Someone To Trick Iran Into Starting A War, Fallon Is The Perfect Guy To Do It.”
A quote...."Cheney’s Deep Involvement  -  As happened in 2002 during the run-up to the Iraq war, Vice Pres. Cheney is deeply involved in both the intelligence and operational planning as well as in making sure that the Defense and State departments are on side – or at least kept on the sidelines.  -  “Cheney has made at least four secret trips to Langley (where the CIA is located) to discuss Iran,” in the past six weeks insists an intelligence source. “And it’s a straight replay of 2002. When he is presented with facts that contradict his view, he dismisses them and openly criticizes the analysts who tell him what he doesn’t want to hear."

US ex-generals reject Iran strike
A quote...."Three former high-ranking American military officers have warned against any military attack on Iran.  -  They said such action would have "disastrous consequences" for security in the Middle East and also for coalition forces in Iraq."

Are they part of AIPAC, do they own any Oil or Defense related companies, did they actually say it would hurt this country's Military-Industrial-Oil-Complex (MIOC) profits?  If the answer to these questions is no, then what they're saying is irrelevant to the people in charge of implementing this Nation's policies.  The generals have to understand that they are part of a system in which they are essentially cannon fodder, placed here on this earth so they can service this country's wealthy elites.

This is not an opinion nor should it be considered a harsh judgment of the system....it's simply the truth.  Statements or constructs are true based on their factual content as measured against reality, their ability to “connect the dots” (i.e. provide a plausible paradigm), and most importantly their ability to predict outcomes, something sadly missing in every single article and program produced by this country's mass-media for the last six years.

For example the generals’ statements were no doubt "true" but not predictive of policy because the generals’ statements were made in an effort to prevent further casualties to their men and because they worry that the US’s defense establishment may break down completely under the stresses and strains of continuous warfare.  But these concerns are not those of the DemoRepub party and those who sponsor them.

Similarly the statement that they are "cannon fodder" is also "true", but more importantly it accurately reflects their true relationship to the goals of policy implementers like the DemoRepubs and policy deciders like the MIOC elites and is therefore a more reliable predictor of policy direction. The concerns of the MIOC elites are how much money they will make from the coming conflict with Iran, and will the conflict create a sufficient amount of inflationary pressure to allow the US to inflate it's way out of the enormous debts created during the RepubDemos management of the first part of the US economy's “destructive cycle".

The massive losses in lives and property are simply not a consideration for the MIOC elites or their bought and paid for representatives in the DemoRepub party so long as the lives and property destroyed do not belong to the elites and so long as the system they control continues to remain stable.

These are predictable and predicted outcomes which have already occurred

Under this theory 1) when the economy begins to sag, 2) when oil profits begin to fall, 3) the DemoRepubs would do nothing (despite what the "liberal" pundocracy said) to impede another war, this one with Iran, 4) which would be preceded by the same false propaganda that was used against Iraq, 5) fully parroted by the mass-media in this country.

All these outcomes as predicted by theory (almost two years ago on this blog, much earlier on thousands of others) have already occurred with the one exception (so far) of another  “fortuitous event” similar to 9/11 needed to motivate the US’s population to go to war - again.

Conclusion : The general's concerns will be completely ignored, i.e. they and their men are "cannon fodder" or to put it more bluntly - as with any other "public asset".....they're fully expendable from the point of view of the MIOC elites.
 -  mpg
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Iraq plans summit with Iran and Syria
A quote...."The regional security talks might include the Arab League and the U.N., but not the U.S.  -  BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government Thursday invited Iran and Syria to Baghdad for talks next month on regional security, amid growing tension and accusations by the Bush administration of foreign meddling * in Iraqi affairs"  - * italics added by website author

So why won't they include the US?  OK. So the US helped deliberately instigate much of the sectarian violence during its formative phase and many US pundits have openly proposed breaking Iraq into three separate states and of course let’s not forget the Nouri al-Maliki memo and all the veiled threats to get "rid" of him.

But still, aren't we trying to help bring them "freedom and democracy".....such ingratitude, it must be another one of those inexplicable "go figure" moments.

P.S. -  regarding the term "meddling" if that's what the Iraqis call over 600,000 dead, two million refugees, the complete destruction of the country's infrastructures, four years (so far) of unrelenting warfare, and lets not forget the new oil laws being crammed down their throats.....one would be reluctant to see what they would call "intervention" – mpg
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Bio Weapons Spurned by Hitler Were Tested on Adventists: TV
A quote...." The U.S. program, headquartered at Fort Detrick, Maryland, also used human subjects, though many were volunteers.  -  Most were Seventh-Day Adventists, who as conscientious objectors refused to bear arms. About 2,200 of them agreed to inhale various non-lethal agents that made them, as one expert says, ``pig sick.'' The idea behind the experiment, the show says, was that a sick soldier in the field creates a much greater strain on an army than a dead one.  -  The government also bombarded several U.S. cities with simulants -- non-infectious bacteria -- to assess how biological agents spread. Targets in that super-secret program included San Francisco, St. Louis and Minneapolis."

To Americans everywhere, this is what your government does....by the way they never did track down who was behind those anthrax attacks did they? - mpg
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Quarantine U.S.A.
Fortuitous Event Alert - A quote...."02/04/07 "ICHBlog" --- -- On Friday there was an article in the New York Times (“In a Daylong Drill, an Agency Tries to Prepare for a Real Outbreak of Avian Flu”, Donald McNeil Jr.) that gave the details of the drills that are being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) in case a full-blown pandemic breaks out in the United States. The exercises were supervised by CDC chief, Dr. Julie Gerberding, the agency’s director. A number of disastrous scenarios were simulated to test the judgment of the supervisors and the strengths of the system."

See also....Homeland Security Contracts for Vast New Detention Camps
See also....Who Owns the Rights on Tamiflu: Rumsfeld To Profit From Bird Flu Hoax
See also....Rumsfeld and Scoundrel Time with the Pharmaceuticals
Related resource....The Military Vaccine Resource Directory
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States Revolt Against ID Law
A quote...."The Real ID Act of 2005 requires all states to meet a national standard for identification cards and participate in a shared database, but some have objected, citing privacy and budget concerns. Maine has led the charge of about a dozen states that may pass laws objecting to and opting out of the federal mandate."

What !  You so-called "conservatives" out there didn't know about our country's new "national ID card"?  Lucky for all of us the "states" are objecting to it....we'll see how long that lasts after the next "incident". -  mpg
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Rejecting Tapeworm Economics and Its War On Families
Ahhh....more grist for you money worshipping so-called  "conservatives" out there.  A quote...."A frightening story came across the radio waves this week and was later reported by MSNBC:"

"Texas governor orders STD vaccine for all girls." Governor Rick Perry had just signed an order making Texas the first of what is likely to be many states to require that school girls be vaccinated against Human Papiloma Virus (HPV), implementing what at first blush appears to be sensible and humane legislation attempting to prevent the spread of the deadly STD. Perry, who usually votes with the conservative Christians who oppose this order, parted company with them, and little research is required in order to understand why given Perry's cozy relationship with Merck, the vaccine's manufacturer. Not only is one of Merck's principal lobbyists Perry's former chief of staff, but his current chief of staff's mother-in-law, state legislator, Dianne White Delisi, is the state director of Women In Government. Add to that a $6,000 political contribution from Merck for Perry's re-election campaign and Merck's generous donations to Women In Government plus a top official from Merck sitting on the Women In Government business council, and all the dots begin to connect."

Oh Yeah.....mpg
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A Poisonous Move For Kids By CDC
From the history file - Related story - A quote...."Why will CDC inject millions of minority kids with poison proven to kill brain tissue and cause learning disorders when child-safe vaccines are available?"

Because we need them to be really stupid for our army? - mpg
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WaPo: Prosecutor Purge Politically Driven
A quote...."The Washington Post reports on the administration's purge of federal prosecutors this morning and finds that the call for the move came, shockingly, from outside the Justice Department:"

Mainstream media criticizes Wikipedia because it decentralizes their information monopoly
A quote...."The mainstream media loves to bash Wikipedia, that enormous online encyclopedia created through the collaborative efforts of volunteer writers and researchers. It covers tens of thousands of topics, and is consistently an excellent source of information on everything ranging from world history to new terminology in the technology industry. I use Wikipedia frequently."

Can't let any of those facts out there get in the way of a perfectly good story now can we?
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Defense Official Resigns Over Remarks
One small really obnoxious fish gone, a lot of big ones to go.

And Then There Were Thirty...
This one's pretty funny. 

Saturday February 3rd 2007

Moyers: The Secret Government ... The Constitution in Crisis - Google video 1hr 26min
Must View - This documentary gives a fascinating overview of what has actually happened in the last 50 years regarding the CIA and the Cold War (including Iran, Guatamala, Cuba, Vietnam and Chile). The foundation for the massive push towards greater secrecy in government going on today. Posted by Robert Carrillo Cohen producer "HACKING DEMOCRACY."

See also.... the updated version of the song from From Jackson Browne  Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 "Lives In The Balance" (Exclusive Video)
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The Edge of the Abyss
A quote...." “But this is crazy, I hear you saying. The U.S. can't afford another war! The troops are stretched too thin, the country can't pay for another front in this blitzkrieg.  -  “Well, the answer is that like Hitler, Bush must continue to roll the dice. He is so far out on a limb now that he must go for it all or he loses everything. He and the big corporations, who are driving this empire, have got to make their move now, or it all comes crashing down around them. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If the U.S. controls all the Middle East oil then they control China, India, Europe and the rest of the world. Insanity you say? Of course it is.” [Bruce Gagnon’s complete letter * is at http://space4peace.blogspot.com]  -  * link added by website author

CIA operatives suspected of kidnapping left paper trail
A quote...."BERLIN — If not for the pit stops on a Mediterranean resort island, where they relaxed in four-star hotels and went to the spa for a massage, the CIA operatives who now face arrest on kidnapping charges in Germany would have remained safely in the shadows, according to German prosecutors."

See also....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure
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Saddam Hussein’s Last Words: "To the Hell that is Iraq!?"
A quote...."As the United States gears up for the next stage of the Middle East war, the drive to divide the populations of the region now encompasses a broad area extending from Lebanon and Palestine to the Persian Gulf.  -  The life of Saddam Hussein was used by the United States as firewood to further fuel discord and division in Iraq and the Middle East before the next phase of its military roadmap, which is directed against Iran and Syria."

CCR and Other Groups Issue Open Letter Warning of Illegality of Any Offensive Military Action by US against Iran
A quote..."WASHINGTON - January 31 - Today European, international, and U.S. legal and human rights groups issued an open letter warning of the illegality of any offensive military action by the United States against Iran. Signatories include the Center for Constitutional Rights (U.S.), Droite Solidarite (France), European Association of Lawyers for Human Rights and Democracy, Italian Association of Democratic Lawyers, Haldane Society (United Kingdom), International Association of Democratic Lawyers, National Lawyers Guild (U.S.), and Progress Lawyers Network (Belgium). The text of the letter is below."
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Federal Prosecutors Widen Pursuit Of Death Penalty as States Ease Off
A quote...."Congress in 1986 began expanding federal jurisdiction to crimes that traditionally had been prosecuted by states -- imposing mandatory minimum sentences in crack cocaine cases, for example -- and two years later expanded federal reach into capital cases. Still, it took 14 years before federal prosecutors under then-Attorney General John Ashcroft managed to obtain capital convictions in jurisdictions that didn't have the death penalty at the local level."

"In many cases, the Justice Department has asserted jurisdiction even though local prosecutors were prepared to handle the cases. In Puerto Rico, for example, federal prosecutors have unsuccessfully sought death sentences for four defendants since 2003 although Puerto Rico's constitution explicitly states that "The death penalty shall not exist."

Just remember folks, the "Decider & Co" get to choose who's a "terrorist", get to use coerced (by torture) testimony against those they've chosen, with no right to trial, habeas corpus, or to view the government's "secret evidence" against them, and after they're done stripping their "detainees" of all their rights, they'll get to execute them too.

To all those reading this blog, do these policies make you feel more secure?

See also....Patriot, loyalist or worse yet in assault of liberty
See also....New Pentagon detainee manual could lead to executions based on 'hearsay evidence'
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Still No Habeas Rights for You
Related article - A quote...."Despite assurances from the major U.S. news media that American citizens retain their habeas corpus rights to a fair trial – even if non-citizens don’t – Justice Department lawyers have reasserted their claim that George W. Bush has the power to lock up anyone he chooses as an “enemy combatant” and effectively throw away the key."

“A citizen, no less than an alien, can be an enemy combatant,” administration lawyer David B. Salmons told a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, on Feb. 1, adding that on such issues, the courts cannot interfere with the President’s wartime judgments."
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Bush 'promised Russia no Iran war'
A quote...."Upon return from Washington Russian FM Sergey Lavrov briefed on the basic topics discussed during the meeting with President George Bush. “The Bush administration assured me that the U.S. is not planning a war against Iran,” the Russian Foreign Minister said, reports the BBC Russian branch."

If the Russians are stupid enough to believe the man "of a thousand lies" they deserve what they get.  To repeat oneself ad nauseam....no statement, no agreement, no promise, no guarantee, no assurance, no word, no contract ever signed by, or stated by, that thing in the White House has ever proved true or binding upon "it".

"It" is incapable of knowing right from wrong, "it"  is akin to a machine and simply performs "it's" functions according to the scripts "it's" been given. "It" is simply a container of evil and cannot be considered to have any human attributes at all, "it" has no free will nor has "it" ever demonstrated a desire to have such freedom.   The only certainty regarding "it's" behavior is that "it" will continue to serve "it's" master with a limitless capacity for mendacity

See also....Bush on the Constitution: "Just a goddamned piece of paper"
See also....signing statements
See also....The Empty Vessel 09-20-06
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Carbon dioxide rate is at highest level for 650,000 years
A quote...."Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at their highest levels for at least 650,000 years and this rise began with the birth of the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)."

It appears that Bush & Co. really don't care if the whole world becomes a very hot place, a place where Mr. Reficul himself would feel extremely comfortable....know what I mean?

See also....The Hellish Vision of Life on a Hotter Planet
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Methane Bubbling up from Deep on the Ocean Floor
A quote...."February 2-4, 2007 -- WMR previously reported that LNG and oil tankers were reporting that their methane sensors were being tripped by methane bubbling up from deep on the ocean floor -- a sign that rising ocean temperatures are resulting in methane hydrate being turned from ice into gaseous form, a deadly addition to the greenhouse gases already in the earth's atmosphere"
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“Who stole my orange?”
A quote....“Who stole my orange” is the plangent cry of Mike Wong, my computer technician as he bangs a hand on my desk. I don’t take it personally because I know he’s making a point. “Only two year ago I could buy four oranges for a dollar,” he says. “Today, one orange for one dollar. Who stole my orange? Where did it go?” “Down the rabbit hole,” I answer, “with pension plans.”
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China Blithely Flaunts Wealth, Defies UN In Darfur
A quote...."President Hu Jintao made his first visit to the Sudan Friday. Some had hoped that President Hu and China might speak out against what the U.S. has called the "genocide" in Darfur."

The Chinese are well known to dislike and avoid “public lectures", however they should tread carefully, they don't want to develop a reputation like the US.  Hopefully they'll learn the lesson that America has NEVER EVER learned that if you prop up unpopular régimes, you're stuck trying to support them when they collapse and you and your business investments will suffer the resultant blowback.

Think about it this way, would you invest in a well maintained structure that met all the building codes and had happy satisfied tenants or would you sink your money into a dilapidated death trap considered a fire hazard by all the neighbors, whose tenants are deeply unhappy and would be perfectly willing to burn the place down themselves.
 - mpg
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Friday February 2nd 2007

A political bombshell from Zbigniew Brzezinski
Must Read - A quote...."Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser in the Carter administration, delivered a scathing critique of the war in Iraq and warned that the Bush administration’s policy was leading inevitably to a war with Iran, with incalculable consequences for US imperialism in the Middle East and internationally."

See also a related article....Why is the US press silent on Brzezinski’s warnings of war against Iran?

Mark Weisbrot and Robert Naiman: Ghost of Judith Miller:
Related article - A quote...."NYT Drinks the Kool-Aid on Claims Iran is Behind Attacks on U.S. Soldiers in Iraq  -  If there's something you were thinking of apologizing for, but you were holding back on the grounds that apologizing might be taken as an implicit commitment not to make the same mistake in the future, I can now reassure you."

"No less venerable an institution than the New York Times has shown the path. You can apologize, be contrite, tear your hair, rend your garments, and then do the same damn thing again."
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Game Over: Thirty-Six Sure-Fire Signs That Your Empire Is Crumbling
Must Read - A quote....So. You’ve built yourself an empire, eh?  -  Well, bully for you!  -  What’s next, you ask? Well, now you’ve got to do what everybody does when they have an empire, of course. You’ve got to worry about it falling apart, mate!  -  But how to tell for sure? Let me see if I can be helpful. Here are some rules of thumb to keep in mind, thirty-six sure-fire indicators that your empire is falling apart:"

Bush Is Hiding the Ball on Iran
A quote...."Though the documentary record is now clear that Bush set his sights on war in Iraq a year or so before the actual invasion, the President is still believed when he insists now that he wants a diplomatic solution with Iran."
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The USS Ronald Reagan deployed in the Persian Gulf
War Update - A quote...."ABU DHABI — The U.S. Navy has deployed its latest aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.. The U.S. Fifth Fleet said the USS Ronald Reagan [CVN 76] * has been deployed for maritime security operations in the Gulf region. The nuclear-powered surface vessel headed a carrier group that contains a guided missile cruiser, two destroyers and support ships.  -  The strike group consists of the USS Reagan; USS Lake Champlain missile cruiser, USS McCampbell and USS Decatur destroyers; USS Rainer fast combat support ship; and Explosives Ordnance Disposal Unit 11 Det 15."   * link added by website author

See also....USS 'Stennis' deployed to the Gulf &  USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Arrives in Persian Gulf

See also....John C. Stennis Strike Group WESTPAC 07 Deployment & USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74)
See also....Dwight D. Eisenhower Strike Group MED 07 Deployment & USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)
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A Massacre and a New Civil War
A quote...."When the embattled Nuri al-Maliki government in Baghdad gloats in unison with the Pentagon and US President George W Bush about such a masterful display by the Iraqi army, supported by the lethal firepower of US tanks and F-16s, something is terribly off the mark. Especially as the "Iraqi army" in question is composed in its majority by the Badr Organization, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq's (SCIRI's) paramilitary wing, which is peppered with death squads. "

Nuri al-Maliki had a choice - be deposed by the US government as Ngo Dinh Diem was or kill hundreds of thousands of his fellow country men over the next two years.... he's obviously chosen the second option. - mpg
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Iraq War Opponents Follow the Money
A quote...." Senior Congressional Democrats are brushing off questions about cutting off funding for the Iraq war, and indicate they will do little to forcefully stop President George W. Bush from sending 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq.  -  On Wednesday, after returning from a trip to Iraq, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sidestepped questions over whether she would try to scuttle Bush's plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, calling it "the one last chance" that the U.S. war in Iraq will "succeed"."

And if the 'War Opponents' were able to really follow the money they would know how Nancy Pelosi defines "success". - mpg

Senate Agrees to Disagree with Surge. Nothing Going On Here. Now Please Move Along.
Related article - A quote...."In short, this eminently forgettable resolution does not even amount to a wrist slap. No doubt neocons are rolling over on their sides, laughing out loud."
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Bush Administration Seeks $245B for Wars
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration will ask for another $100 billion for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year and seek $145 billion for 2008, a senior administration official said Friday."

Did you ever see those science fiction movies where we have lunar colonies....well we could have had them by now, but oooohhhh nnnooooo all you little Bush Butt Heads out there had to go start  your various wars, and now you're even going to start another one with Iran.  You must be so proud of yourselves. - mpg
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A Failed Cover-Up
A quote...."Why was the White House so nervous in the summer of 2003 about the CIA's reporting on alleged Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Niger to build a nuclear bomb? That's the big question that runs through the many little details that have emerged in the perjury trial of Vice President Cheney's former top aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby."

"The trial record suggests a simple answer: The White House was worried that the CIA would reveal that it had been pressured in 2002 and early 2003 to support administration claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and that in the Niger case, the CIA had tried hard to resist this pressure. The machinations of Cheney, Libby and others were an attempt to weave an alternative narrative that blamed the CIA."
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Slovaks pull soldiers from Iraq,PM says war wrong
A quote...."BRATISLAVA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Slovakia has pulled its troops out of Iraq, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday, branding the war there "unjust and wrong".

A New Definition Of Terror
A quote...."If dolphins, music and cartoon characters on bridges are now being interpreted by the average American as evidence of "terrorism", then the plans of the Bush government to radically reprogram the American mind with thoughts of an omnipresent yet wholly fictitious threat of "Islamic terrorism" have been much more successful and have progressed much further than even we suspected."

Half of this country is insane, and wants the sane half to lose their minds and join them.
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Google: Disabling the Politically Incorrect
A quote...."As Raw Story tells us, Google has finally addressed link bombs, attempts to influence the ranking of a given page in results returned by the Google search engine. Specifically, and apparently embarrassing for the corporation, entering “miserable failure” in the search engine returned George Bush. Vladimir Putin returned “enemy of the people,” a description not too far off the mark."   See also....uruknet

Putin Warms to Idea of a Gas OPEC
A quote..."A confident President Vladimir Putin flexed the country's energy muscles Thursday, saying Russia would consider the "interesting" idea of a gas OPEC and arrange for more oil shipments to bypass transit countries.  -  "A gas OPEC is an interesting idea. We will think about it," Putin said at a 3 1/2-hour annual news conference in the Kremlin, his longest to date.  -  Putin was replying to a question from a BBC reporter about whether the subject of a gas equivalent of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries would come up during his visit next week to Qatar, which holds the world's third-largest gas reserves.

Russia may emerge as top oil producer soon-first deputy PM
A quote....""Russia has every chance of becoming the No. 1 oil producer, leaving Saudi Arabia behind," Dmitry Medvedev told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland."

China Casts a Long Shadow Over Africa
A quote...."China has found a way to spend in excess of its $1 trillion generated from U.S.-China bilateral trade. It has converted this cash into African aid dollars .According to the People's Daily, China brings $5 billion in preferential loans credits and another $5 billion in China-Africa "development funds," which is essentially export credits for Chinese companies to invest in the markets of their poorer trading partners."

Oh look, instead of bombing the Africans, China's giving them billions of dollars, and for some strange inexplicable reason the Africans prefer the Chinese approach....go figure!
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Our Founding War Profiteers
War seems to be a time when the truly vile amongst us get to enrich themselves with ill-gotten gains, even in 1776.

Die, TV!
A quote...."TV is unique in the EEG activity it summons in the human brain, and unique as well in that it drastically reduces the metabolic rate of the human organism. When you sleep, you use more energy than when you watch TV. When you stare at a painting or read a book or knit or fart in bed, you use more energy. EEG activity during television-watching is marked by alpha waves, those dreamy, spacey waves that also exist between sleeping and waking--a passive state in which sustained intense critical thought is pretty much impossible. Alpha waves are also associated with coma."

See also....They Live
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The Dumbing Down Of America - Courtroom Testimony
Some of you might find these conversations pretty amusing.

Thursday February 1st 2007

The War on Iran
Must Read. - A quote...."The war has already begun and it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons and threats against Israel and everything to do with who rules America."

The Crime of the Century
A quote...."President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq is the greatest crime of the 21st century.  -  Armed with a powerful moral case against Bush, whose lies are responsible for a war that has caused thousands of U.S. casualties and killed vast numbers of Iraqi civilians, Democratic leaders are damning Bush's war because it did not succeed!"

Iraq War! Part Deux
A fascinating video from Keith Olbermann demonstrating how the Bush Cabal is either so stupid or so arrogant or both that they are perfectly willing to use the exact same phrases and lies they spewed out in their run up to the war with Iraq.

And our faux-news, war-pimping, presstituting, sycophantic, ditto-headed, mass-media lapped it all up - again.  They have no sense of moral decency, no sense of shame, no sense of pride, not even a good work ethic.  They really are disgusting and they're going to get a lot of people killed all over again. - mpg
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Whitewashing the Massacre in Najaf
A quote...."01/31/07 "ICHBlog" -- - So far, there are 2 things that we can say with certainty about the massacre of 250 Iraqis outside Najaf on Monday. First, we know that there is no solid evidence to support the official version of events. And, second, we know that every media outlet in the United States slavishly provided the government’s version to their readers without fact-checking or providing eyewitness testimony."
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Breaking: Double the Troops in "Surge" (Updated)
Guess what....they're thinking of sending in another 20,000 troops.  Sure hope none of you are surprised by this, sure hope none of you thought your votes would matter, or that the DemoRepubs would actually do anything to stop this.

Because if you did, after almost six years of continuous lying by every person at the top of the heap in this society you're pretty foolish.  What was it Bush once said....'fool you once shame on me, fool you a thousand times, you're even stupider than me'. - mpg
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Two Senior Iraqi Generals Eyed in Brazen Attack on U.S. Soldiers
It appears the Iranians didn't do it.  The lies being spun by the Bushists are coming out so fast they can't keep up with them.  How many of you out there want to bet that in the "Iranian Report" would've be this tearful description of how those dastardly Iranians killed our troops and that's why they yanked it. (Along with the fact the report is complete hogwash) - see article below. - mpg

U.S. delays report on Iranian role in Iraq
A quote...."The Bush administration has postponed plans to offer public details of its charges of Iranian meddling inside Iraq amid internal divisions over the strength of the evidence, U.S. officials said."
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This is like Hitler's Suicide Order from the Bunker
A quote...."Iran is the second largest oil producing country in the world, and it borders the entire eastern shore of the Persian Gulf, through which a third of the world's oil passes every year. If it was attacked, all of Iran's oil, and most of the oil produced by Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, would be taken out of circulation indefinitely. Oil prices would soar way past $100/barrel, and maybe past $200 a barrel, causing a U.S. and a global depression."

So....that's sort of the point isn't it?  Think of just how much money the MIOC elites are going to make from this war.  They're going to make a killing. - mpg

Exxon Mobil has a record year  -  Highest yearly profit ever, but quarterly income slips 4%.
A quote...."HOUSTON (MarketWatch) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. turned in its biggest profit ever on Thursday, with momentum from last year's record oil prices powering the world's No. 1 publicly-traded oil company through a weaker fourth quarter to a staggering $39.5 billion profit for 2006." - Here's what they're probably thinking at big oil - mpg

"To all our service men and woman,  Exxon Mobil thanks you."

"P.S. And could you please attack Iran and jack up the oil prices some more, our profits are starting to slip.  Thanks again."

See also....Bush's Petro-Cartel Almost Has Iraq's Oil

You see.....? - mpg
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Video Of Torture Master John Yoo Being Asked To Justify "Crushing Children's Testicles" Comments
A quote....

        Cassel: If the president deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s         child, there is no law that can stop him?

        Yoo: No treaty.

        Cassel: Also no law by Congress — that is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo…

        Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

All you so-called "Christians" who supported that thing in the White House, who actually voted for it, must be right proud of yourselves by now....I know Mr. Reficul is. - mpg
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An Open Letter to Congresswoman Pelosi: Please Reconsider Your Pledge to Take Impeachment "off the Table"
From the history file 10-30-06 - with a prescient forecast.  A quote....""Justice," for the crime of invading Iraq, already has been splendidly stipulated by the renowned conservative military historian, Martin van Creveld: "For misleading the American people, and launching the most foolish war since Emperor Augustus in 9 B.C. sent his legions into Germany and lost them, Bush deserves to be impeached and, once removed from office, put on trial along with the rest of the president's men. If convicted, they'll have plenty of time to mull over their sins."

But, in order to thwart justice, the Bush administration's "Plan A," is to win at least one house of Congress in November and, thus, stymie and delay investigations and impeachment proceedings. If "Plan A" fails, "Plan B" is to invade Iran.

Thus, the percentages offered by Middle East expert, William R. Polk, seem correct -- "at least a 10% chance of an American attack on Iran before the November 7 Congressional elections and about a 90% chance before the administration's end on 2008" [History News Network, 10/16/06] -- even if scaring Americans in order to ward off impeachment doesn't figure among his reasons.

And, thus, Congresswoman Pelosi, by taking impeachment off the table, you will have given the Bush administration an adequate substitute for "Plan A" while effectively removing any penalty for pursuing "Plan B."

And another....The Privilege of Unaccountable Elitism: The Real Insult to Our Troops
A quote...."In this topsy-turvy "Bizarro" United States under the regime of Bush and Cheney, nothing is as it seems. Thanks to the American genius for advertising, the lazy and obsequious stenographers in the mainstream news media and the abysmally poor education of so many Americans, a cowardly Vietnam era draft-dodging alcoholic son of privilege became "born again" President of the United States and, in the name of "moral clarity," sent other parents' children - but not his own -- to kill and be killed in support of the most egregiously illegal and immoral war ever to besmirch America's world reputation."
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Grandmothers for Peace Get Federal Prison Instead
Title says it all.

Colombia : The Paras & The Oil Cartel - posted at WW4 Report
A quote...."State Terror and the Struggle for Ecopetrol  -  After seven hours of debate on Dec. 12, Colombia's Congress voted 60-29 to authorize the sale of a 20% stake in the Colombian state oil company. Ecopetrol. Under the terms, shares in Ecopetrol will be sold on Colombia's stock market to finance the company's expansion. The sale is set to be carried out in the third quarter of 2007. (La Republica, Dec. 13)"

Muslims are now getting the same treatment Jews had a century ago
A quote...."Today's anti-Muslim racism uncannily echoes earlier anti-semitism - both minorities abused as an alien security threat ."

‘We voted for peace’ Marchers tell Congress to end Iraq war
A quote...."WASHINGTON — More than 1,000 antiwar lobbyists from 48 states visited hundreds of lawmakers’ offices on Monday, Jan. 29, to urge them to pass a Senate resolution opposing the Iraq war and to use the “power of the purse strings” to terminate the deadly four-year conflict."

BBC Speculates Blair in Middle of "Watergate-style cover-up"
A quote...." It is extraordinary enough that the prime minister has been interviewed for a second time by police in the cash-for-honours investigation.  -  It is just as extraordinary that the 45-minute conversation was kept secret for the best part of a week - particularly as there have been persistent claims that someone is leaking details of this probe."