Wednesday February 17th 2010

All Systems Go: No Dysfunction in Profitable Afghan Enterprise
Must Read - A quote...."A fresh dispatch from the imperial satrapy of Bactria brings word that the Pentagon has ended the eyeblink-brief "suspension" of one of its super-duper missile systems following the "unfortunate" slaughter of 12 civilians, including five children, in the opening hours of the all-out media blitz -- sorry, the "largest military operation of the Afghan war" -- now being inflicted on the city of Marja. - As you'll recall, after this initial child sacrifice to waft the pleasing smell of innocent blood to great Ares, that he might smile upon the bold Achaeans in their martial endeavor, mighty Agamemnon himself -- now robed in the flesh of General Stanley "Black Ops" McChrystal -- stepped forth before the cameras, and with great show of crocodilian regret, declared that the "errant" missile system would be withdrawn from battle forthwith, until such time as it could be determined why it killed all those civilians and, worst of all, gummed up the glowing press which the Pentagon had painstakingly cultivated during the run-up to the attack." -- also posted at Uruknet

Offensive in Marja Directed at US Public Opinion - Alt - (RNYuTb - 10 min 30 sec - February 17, 2010)
RN-Video - posted at ICH -- A quote...."Gareth Porter is a historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy analyst. He writes regularly for Inter Press Service on US policy towards Iraq and Iran. Author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam."

NATO Changes Story: House Full of Afghan Civilians Deliberately Hit
Related Article - A quote...."Usually when militaries change their official story about killing civilians it is designed to explain away innocent deaths as an accident. Today, however, NATO took the exact opposite approach with Sunday’s Marjah killings, revising their story to insist the killings were not an equipment error, but were part of a deliberate US targeting of a house full of civilians." -- also posted at Uruknet

Group: NATO Forces Blocking Movement of Wounded Afghan Civilians
A quote...."The US is coming under increasing criticism over the rise in civilian casualties during the assault on the Afghan city of Marjah, one of the largest military offensives of the eight-year war. At least nineteen civilians have been killed so far, including six children who died when a missile struck their house on the outskirts of the city. We speak with Matteo dell’Aira, medical coordinator of the Emergency Lashkar Gah hospital. [includes rush transcript]" --   ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || 
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Iraq Election Deteriorates as Leading Candidates are Banned
Special Note - A quote...."Seven hundred billion dollars and more than 4,200 American lives later, the government of Iraq is on the verge of conducting an election already being labeled illegitimate. Sunnis who once belonged to Saddam Hussein’s political party have been banned from running for parliament in March, according to two wings of the national government controlled by Shiites."

Is it The Iraq Inquiry or the Chilcot Conspiracy? - It was the "9/11 Commission deux". - mpg
A quote...."UK, February 18, 2010 (Pal Telegraph)- I am sure you have all been glued to your seats watching the masquerade unfold and realized that this wasn't going to be a "Shock and Awe" investigation but rather another waste of taxpayers money for a chosen panel to pontificate how they were going to con us all into believing this was truly British justice at work."
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Robert Fisk: Passport to the truth in Dubai remains secret - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."It's a propaganda war. Whoever killed the Hamas official in Dubai – let's speak frankly – it's part of an old, dirty war between the Israelis and the Palestinians in which they have been murdering their secret police antagonists for decades. Whose were the passports? Or should we say "passports". So here's a moment to reflect on realities. - Many Dubaians believe that the collapse of the emirate's economy last year was the revenge of Western banks – spurred on, of course, by the Americans [and Israelis] – to punish them for allowing Iranian shell companies to use Dubai as a sanctions-busting base during the cold-hot war between the US-Israeli alliance and Iran. Now the Americans (or the Israelis – you can take your pick) want to turn Dubai into the Beirut of the Gulf. That was actually a headline last week – in The Jerusalem Post, of course – which painted Dubai as dangerous as it was economically calamitous." -- Regarding this issue see the quote shown below.....

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US missile system ready against Iran - extracted to ICH
A quote...."Experts at the US Defence Department affirm that Iran poses a serious threat to the interests of the US and its allies in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. -- However, foreign analysts conclude that the deployment of the elements of the US missile defence system in the Gulf under pretence of protection from possible actions of the Iranian authorities looks like an aggressive and a provocative move, especially against a background of a possible pre-emptive attack on Iran." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Turkey reiterates Iran's right to nuclear technology
A quote...."Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin throws his weight behind Iran despite recent US threats of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic." - also posted at WarInIraq

Brazil Resists Push for Tougher Sanctions on Iran, Envoy Says - link posted at ICH
A quote...."Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Brazil has told the U.S. and France that it doesn’t support tougher United Nations sanctions on Iran and will continue, over the objections of the Obama administration, to seek more trade with the Islamic government."

'No technical problem behind S-300 delivery delay'
A quote...."The head of the Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey — the company which makes the S-300 system — has dismissed the reports that the delivery of the air defense system to Iran is delayed due to technical problems." - also posted at WarInIraq
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UK summons Israeli diplomat over fake passports
A quote...."Britain has summoned Israel's ambassador over the use of fake European documents by the members of a terrorist team involved in the assassination of a senior Hamas commander in Dubai last month." - also posted at WarInIraq

How did the assassins obtain British Passports?
A quote...."The involvement of six British passport holders in the killing of senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh, last month in Dubai was described in the Guardian today as "an extraordinary tale of modern-day espionage." The Brits in question have denied any part in the assassination and have proclaimed their innocence stating that their passports must have been forged, a line of argument that the British Foreign Office seems to be supporting. Prime Minister Gordon Brown today promised that a full investigation will be launched into the connection of the British passports with the murder. His intervention, viewed by some as belated, demonstrates the gravity of the situation and the serious diplomatic and international ramifications that may now stem from this one event." -- also posted at Uruknet

The Long Arm of Israel better be amputated
A quote...."We have learned in the last few days that the Dubai assassins were Mossad agents who stole identities of six UK citizens and faked at least five other European passports. Dubai Police yesterday presented footage of some of the 11 'Europeans’ suspected of killing Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh."

Western Media, Not Israeli Hasbara
Special Note - A quote...."With the dreadful threat of yet another Israeli war in the Middle East looming, Israeli propaganda machine is likely to go into full gear. -- In fact, trial balloons have already been sent out bearing supposedly unrehearsed comments by former Israeli Army general and current Minister Yossi Peled, suggesting that another war is on its way. More recently, Israel's ultra-right and unabashedly racist Foreign Minister Avigador Lieberman threatened to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad in case of a war. -- And so it begins. -- Historically, Israel has, with one understandable exception, determined the time and place of all of its wars with the Arabs. The only time Israeli forces were attacked in 1973 involved an Arab attempt to regain territories that were captured by Israel in 1967."

"UN should replace US[-NRE] in Haiti, says Brazil [Apparently, they're tired of the child trafficking, 20,000+ American troops, mercenaries, and corporaterrorists.] 17 Feb 2010 The Brazilian foreign minister says the UN mission in Haiti should be the only operator in the aftermath of the crisis in the quake-ravaged country, dismissing the long stay of the US forces in the Central American nation. "Once emergency work is finished, it's best that UN forces are the only ones remaining on the ground," said Celso Amorim, referring to the United Nations mission in Haiti, or MINUSTAH. "It would be a mistake to think that the United States are resolving the Haitian crisis," Amorim told Spain's El Pais newspaper, reported AFP on Wednesday. [Yeah, letting the US in to 'help' is like letting forty child molesters loose on a playground. --LRP] " -- Paragraph quoted from CLG
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Could Vancouver 2010 be the next 9/11? (UPDATED 7:00AM EST 2-17-10)
Update - A quote...."I believe for numerous reasons, that there is a real threat of false-flag style terrorism that has been planned for the “Vancouver 2010” Olympics and may be carried out. The reasons why this is believed are listed below with sources at the bottom. The games take place from February 12th 2010 until February 28th 2010. I feel the mention of it is justified in the interest of our national security and public safety, and believe we should be educated and keep an eye on potentially dangerous overlapping occurrences. "

Vancouver Olympics – Next False Flag Operation?
Quote of the Day...."The truth is there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al-Qaeda. And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But, there is propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity representing the ‘devil’ only in order to drive TV watchers to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the US….” -- *Robin Cook*, Former British Foreign Secretary

Vancouver Canada due for a terrorist attack? - forum site
A quote...."There are many suspicious things going on that lead us paranoid freaks to question whether there may be an intention to carry out a false flag attack at the Vancouver Olympics in February 2010. Prime Minister Harper has mysteriously prorogued Parliament until after the Olympics, without giving any valid reason. The company in charge of security at the Vancouver airport also happens to be Verint, the same company that was in charge of security for the London Underground at the time of the 7/7 attacks, after which all video cameras were said to not be functioning during the incident." -- *Drew J*

For more on this issue see....The Vancouver False Flag Red Warning & Red War Warning
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Yet Another Congressman Questions 9/11
Special Note - A quote...."Congressman Jason Chafetz just said that we need to be vigilant and continue to investigate 9/11. -- A nutjob, right? -- Maybe. -- But he joins quite a few other Congressmen:"

Sneak Peak: Revised Demolition Theory Hypothesis
Special Note - A quote...."I know you guys think I have been slacking, but there are things in the works over here.  Really.  I mean it.  You don’t believe me?  I know you don’t… so here’s a sneak peak at my Revised WTC Demolition Theory Hypothesis.  More careful study of the NCSTAR1 report (a troll suggested I do it) has turned up some interesting facts like...."

The 23,000 Missing Trusses of 9/11
Special Note - A quote...."***UPDATE*** Please check out the companion article, The 6,000.  --  According to the official explanation of the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11th, 2001… the initial plane crashes damaged the core structure of the towers enough so that when the resulting fires “weakened” the floor trusses, the result was that the remaining floors above the areas of the plane crash and fires crashed down on the undamaged parts of the buildings, and “pulverized” them in a gravity driven demolition of sorts."

Demolition Theory Hypothesis
Special Note - A quote...."The following is a quick outline of what I believe happened to cause the collapse of the World Trade Centers on Sept. 11, 2001.  It is an attempt to show that conventional demolition materials could have been, and probably were used in the demolition process. This is only PART of a larger work that I am putting together incorporating technical information of PETN (det cord), findings of Steven Jones (iron rich micro-spheres), dust particle contents reported by several sources, images showing the different colored clouds formed during the demolition of the towers, lateral ejections of large (complete) sections of exterior column assemblies,  missing floor systems (trusses and floor pans), and images of the steel and concrete dust at ground zero."

Some Straight Forward Questions For Steven Jones on the Subject of his Research
Special Note - A quote...."On May 25th of 2008 I wrote… An Open Letter to Steven E. Jones, Jeffrey Farrer, Gregory S. Jenkins, Frank Legge, James Gourley, Kevin Ryan, Daniel Farnsworth, and Crockett Grabbe On the Subject of Detonator Cord. -- The letter deals primarily with the possibility that detonator cord which consists of the high-explosive PETN, was used to pulverize the concrete floor systems in the Twin Towers and that the iron-rich spheres that Jones had discovered in the Ground Zero dust may in part be the missing trusses from those very floor systems."

9/11 Shock Opera… Act 4 – Building 7 and Flight 93: The Grand Finale that Wasn’t
Special Note - From the History File - May 25th 2009 -- A quote...."Take yourself back to that day when you watched or listened to the attack on America; the day that everything changed. Remember where you were, who you were with, and most importantly, how you felt. -- Think about the last few events of that day; how the news of the Pentagon being hit by something was followed almost immediately by the unexpected complete collapse of the South Tower (WTC 2). Remember how we had barely recovered from that shock, one that we were forced to watch in horror over and over again, when the unspeakable happened; the North Tower (WTC 1) fell in exactly the same way; at an eerie and almost supernatural speed as plumes of smoke and steel columns flung across city blocks."

For more on the six articles shown above see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central
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U.S. court dismisses suit over Guantanamo ["]suicides["]
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has dismissed a lawsuit by the families of two detainees who died at the controversial American prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a case seeking compensation from U.S. officials."

Ruling: No Court Can Hear Abuse and Wrongful Death Claims from Guantanamo
A quote...."February 17, 2010, New York – Yesterday evening, the district court in Washington, D.C. ruled against two men who died in Guantanamo in June 2006 and their families in a case seeking to hold federal officials and the United States responsible for the men’s torture, arbitrary detention and ultimate deaths at Guantánamo. "

The government doesn’t want 9/11 public trial - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4 min 52 sec - February 15, 2010)
RT-Video - A quote...."The US government does not want to have public 9/11 trials in a civilian court. Officials are doing their best to bring Khalid Sheik Mohammed to military tribunal. Manny Badillo had an uncle who was murdered by the 9/11 terrorist attack and now works for we are change. Badillo believes that the trial should be public because he says it is the only way to get the evidence out there for the public to see."

For more on the three articles shown above see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables
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Grounds for Hope and Despair - posted at ICH
A quote...."February 17, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- My February 16 column, “A Country of Serfs Ruled By Oligarchs,” received confirmation from high places on the very day it appeared. Popular Indiana Democratic U.S. Senator Evan Bayh announced that he was quitting the Senate. Yahoo News gave this account:"

America: Land of Unlimited Anger - Article also posted at ICH
Related Article - A quote...."America remains the land of unlimited opportunities. For the time being, however, it’s a land of unlimited rage and disarray about the balance of political power."

Congress bracing for anti-incumbent anger among voters
CNN Poll - Related Article - A quote...."A new CNN poll says that 63 percent of U.S. voters want the bunch in Congress out of office. Only 34 percent say they can stay. Fifty-six percent say most congressional Democrats do not deserve to be re-elected, about the same number who say most congressional Republicans don’t deserve re-election either." - bold by website editor

Recent CEO/CFO/Other Resignments (170+) – (Updated 6:00AM est Feb 17th) - posted at DProgram
BREAKING -  Database - A quote...."Resignations and retirements circa November/December 2009-January/February 2010."

Aldous Huxley: The Ultimate Revolution - Article also posted at ICH
Contains Audio - (44min:17sec): MP3 - Related Article - Another Good Quote...."There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution.”  -- *Aldous Huxley*

France leapfrogs past Australia in Big Brother stakes
Internet Censorship Alert - A quote...."France yesterday put in its bid for an unlikely prize, becoming the first western country to make even Australia look liberal when it comes to state powers of internet censorship. -- In the teeth of fierce opposition both inside and outside parliament, the National Assembly approved, by 312 votes to 214 against, a first reading of a bill on Internal Security - the quaintly titled "LOPPSI 2". - also posted at BLN & WarInIraq
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Behind the Wall - Activist and Author Suaad Genem: "I live in hope" - Alt/Vid(1of3) - Alt/Vid(2of3) - Alt/Vid(3of3)
Videos - A quote...."Suad Genem-george, Phd in international Human Rights"

Palestine | The Truth - Alt - (YouTube - February 17, 2010
Video -posted by Distinctify -- A quote...."Watch it, and find out the truth. Find out how since the idea of the State of Israel, Palestinians have suffered. Find out how Palestinians were, and are treated. Find out how Zionism is like Nazism for the Palestinians. FIND OUT NOW!"

Defamation Nation
Special Note - A quote...."Revelations in the Israeli media concerning Mahmoud Abbas and former aide Rafiq Husseini should surprise no-one. Slurs comes thick and fast against perceived enemies of Israel, from presidents to charities. To list the Palestinian victims of media assassination would take forever, so we chose some of the more surprising targets."

Jerusalem’s Battle of the Graves
A quote...."I carried a handful of ashes from my father’s cremates into the occupied Palestinian territories a few years ago, hoping to take them to his hometown, Nablus. At the border, the only available taxi was driven by an Israeli Moroccan Jew. Delighted I was an Arab, he immediately plunged into conversation and pointed out various landmarks along the way to Jerusalem." - also posted at Uruknet

Mamilla Cemetery: Victim of Israeli "tolerance" - Alt - (YuTb - 2 min 12 sec - February 15, 2010)
Video - posted by neverbeforecampaign -- A quote...."In the name of tolerance, and human dignity, the Israeli regime is intent on razing the oldest cemetery in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The goal is clear: erase anything to do with the past and the identity of Jerusalem that does not conform with the Zionist vision."  --  "The Campaign to Preserve Mamilla Jerusalem Cemetery was launched in February 2010: http://www.mamillacampaign.org/"

Israeli bulldozers raze private lands in Gaza
A quote...."Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli military vehicles breached the Gaza border Thursday morning, reaching 200 meters inside the central Gaza region near the Deir Al-Balah neighborhood."

Sheikh Jarrah woman arrested as far-right MK tours settler-occupied homes
A quote...."Sheikh Jarrah resident, 45 year old Fatima Diab was arrested by Israeli police on Saturday evening, February 13, following the provocative appearance of far-right Knesset member Micheal Bin Ari at the Al-Gawi home in solidarity with the extremist settlers occupying the house. Diab was released on a bail of 2000 shekels following an appearance in Jerusalem District Court on February 14."
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Behind Each Great Historical Phenomenon Lies A Financial Secret"
Must Read - A quote...."Leading economic historian Niall Ferguson writes:  Behind each great historical phenomenon there lies a financial secret, Ferguson provides some examples...."

The Richest 1% Have Captured America's Wealth -- What's It Going to Take to Get It Back? - Article also @ ICH
A quote...."The U.S. already had the highest inequality of wealth in the industrialized world prior to the financial crisis -- and it's gotten even worse."

Real, Uglier American Unemployment - posted at ICH
A quote...."February 17, 2010 "Information Clearing House" --- Can you trust national averages?  As bad as the jobless data you hear are, you have not been told the whole truth.  If you think the terrible impact of America ’s Great Recession is shown by an official unemployment rate of about 10 percent, think again."

After 4 million jobs lost, White House declares stimulus a success
A quote...."Confronting growing discontent over his administration’s failure to provide serious relief to some 15 million jobless workers in the US, President Obama on Wednesday proclaimed the success of the stimulus package, enacted a year ago, and declared, “The American people are rebuilding a better future.”

Report: Hawaii hotels lost $741M last year
A quote...."HONOLULU – A new report says hotels in Hawaii lost $741 million last year, $1.1 billion since the tourism slump began in 2008. -- The report by the industry consulting firm Hospitality Advisors LLC says hotel occupancy throughout the state averaged 66.5 percent in 2009. That's down from 70.5 percent in 2008."

Credit Markets Flash Hottest Warning Signal Since Crisis
A quote...."European credit markets are flashing the most serious warnings signs in a year as the yields on risker bonds rise sharply and a string of companies cancel share flotations, raising fears that the recovery may falter in coming months."

The Onion: U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion
Satire - A quote...."WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy ceased to function this week after unexpected existential remarks by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke shocked Americans into realizing that money is, in fact, just a meaningless and intangible social construct. Calling it “basically no more than five rectangular strips of paper,” Fed chairman Ben Bernanke illustrates how much “$200″ is actually worth. -- What began as a routine report before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday ended with Bernanke passionately disavowing the entire concept of currency, and negating in an instant the very foundation of the world’s largest economy."

Tuesday February 16th 2010

"Shall New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation be instructed to pursue a new and independent investigation to address thoroughly all of the evidence and unanswered questions related to the events of September 11, 2001?"

The International: The TRUE Value of Conflict (and the nature of “Globalization”)
Must Read- Alt - A fictional account which gives one an idea of how "Globalization" really works. - mpg -- For a Transcipt of the removed video click here -- A quote...."Insider trading prior to 9/11,  Put Options, the promise of the privatization of Iraq’s central banking system… (one of the first things Paul Bremmer did in Iraq when he was brought in as Bush’s head of the newly formed Coalition Provisional Authority, was to establish a privatized central bank) -- In May of 2003, just days after Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” statement…"

“United Nations resolution 1483 transferred the authority to authorize expenditures from Iraq’s oil revenue from the United Nations to the Coalition Provisional Authority… The International Advisory and Monitoring Board consisted of senior financial experts from the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank..."

"… After the U.S. military came in and took over Iraq, the CPA quickly began issuing many binding orders privatizing Iraq’s economy and opening it up to foreign investment. This was welcomed by many multinational corporations who saw the war as an opportunity to make billions of dollars in profits.“  Wiki"

"But even MORE valuable than the control of the banking system 2nd biggest oil producing country in the world, was the debt that the “Endless War on Terror” would produce for the banks. For hidden within that debt, is control. -- Imagine: Endless war against an invisible enemy, anywhere in the world, producing limitless debt… and ultimately, complete control." - bold by website editor - posted 08-07-09

Monday February 15th 2010

Collateral Accumulation: Passing on the Abiding Wisdom of Empire
Must Read - A quote...."Another day, another mass slaughter of civilians in Afghanistan. This time the cull of "collateral damage" came not from the world-historical agon at Marja, where Anglo-American sahibs are leading a contingent of colonial troops in a heavily hyped, made-for-media operation that blew a household of civilians, including five children, to smithereens in its opening salvos. -- No, the new bloodbath occurred many miles away, in Kandahar, after a NATO patrol evidently saw some Afghan civilians going about their own business in their own country. Naturally, this shocking state of affairs was thought to pose a dire threat to the uninvited invaders who have been rampaging around the country for more than eight years -- so, naturally, an airstrike was called in. Five human beings going about their own business in their own country were then blown to bits, and two more were wounded."

Down With the Presidency
Must Read - A quote...."The modern institution of the presidency is the primary political evil Americans face, and the cause of nearly all our woes. It squanders the national wealth and starts unjust wars against foreign peoples that have never done us any harm. It wrecks our families, tramples on our rights, invades our communities, and spies on our bank accounts. It skews the culture toward decadence and trash. It tells lie after lie. Teachers used to tell school kids that anyone can be president. This is like saying anyone can go to Hell. It’s not an inspiration; it’s a threat.  --  The presidency – by which I mean the executive State – is the sum total of American tyranny. The other branches of government, including the presidentially appointed Supreme Court, are mere adjuncts. The presidency insists on complete devotion and humble submission to its dictates, even while it steals the products of our labor and drives us into economic ruin. It centralizes all power unto itself, and crowds out all competing centers of power in society, including the church, the family, business, charity, and the community. I’ll go further. The US presidency is the world’s leading evil. It is the chief mischief-maker in every part of the globe, the leading wrecker of nations, the usurer behind Third-World debt, the bailer-out of corrupt governments, the hand in many dictatorial gloves, the sponsor and sustainer of the New World Order, of wars, interstate and civil, of famine and disease"

As Defense Budget Soars, Security Firms Reap Huge Profits, Go Offshore to Avoid Taxes - Article @ ICH
Must Read - A quote...."The Obama administration is seeking to increase the obscenely bloated U.S. Defense Department budget to a whopping $708 billion for fiscal year 2011, 3.4% above 2010's record level, The Wall Street Journal reported." -- also posted at Uruknet

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and Justice in the Service of Empire - posted at ICH
A quote...."To anyone with even half a brain, but one which is not entirely uncongenial to reflection, it must have been rather obvious from day-one that in the light of public revelations of the egregious circumstances of Dr. Aafia's bizarre capture and the subsequent orchestration of her show trial (instead of simply assassinating the accused if she was such a diabolical threat to mankind), any “justice” administered to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui would only be comparable to the proclamation of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland: “off with her head”."

Moloch in Helmand: A Price Worth Paying for Imperial PR
Special Note - A quote....."The grand attack on Marja was scarcely out of the starting blocks before it claimed its first child sacrifices: five children blown to pieces in a rocket strike on "a compound crowded with Afghan civilians," the New York Times reports. -- Up to 12 civilians in total were killed in the strike, which occurred, we're told, when American artillery landed "a few hundred yards away" from another "mud-walled compound" from which U.S. Marines were reportedly taking fire. In keeping with the way of the modern warrior, the computer-guided rockets were launched from a base more than 10 miles away:  "Don't fire until the GPS tracker sends back remote data indicating the whites of their eyes are within 500 yards, boys!" -- also posted at Uruknet

More civilian deaths as US launches offensive in southern Afghanistan
Related Article - A quote...."In what is likely to be the first of many such atrocities, two US military rockets slammed into a house near Marjah, the target of the current offensive, killing 12 people. US military authorities admitted that the victims were innocent civilians sheltering in their own home, as they had been advised to do by US and NATO officials."

How Blackwater built morale: Strippers, prostitutes and murder
A quote...."Surely, the allegation from two former Blackwater employees that the company fraudulently billed the US government for travel expenses, prostitutes, and strippers elicits little more than a sigh. After all, we are aware of the company’s reputation, and we’ve seen the visuals -- videos of Team Mercenary drinking alcohol from each other’s butt cracks. -- Blackwater is now called Xe. One has to wonder if the shareholders believed a name change could produce a more attractive pig. -- And, yes, US taxpayers are picking up the bill for all the extracurricular activities." -- Ahhhhh yes, more tasty tales from the New Roman Empire.  And still all those little moronic, drooling, "300" watching, perverted, faux-Christian, Armageddon-Cult-freaks out there (you know, those" Rapture" war porners and child murderers) are perfectly happy to keep shelling out their hard earned dollars (and evrybody elese's) to support the Empire....in ALL of its so-called "glory". - mpg

Will Obama's Record War Budget Lead to a US Victory in Afghanistan? Don't Bet On it?
Special Note - A quote...."President Barack Obama has increased the Pentagon's perennially-bloated annual spending spree to its greatest magnitude since World War II $708 billion. Congress eventually will overwhelmingly approve Obama's war budget request for fiscal year 2011, which takes effect in October." -- also posted at Uruknet

Afghan Leaders Call Surge, "Imbecilic and Tragic" - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."Last year a number of contractors were thrown out of Afghanistan over the infamous “butT-crack” video showing nude imbeciles involved in an unsanitary ceremony.  Little did we know that these must have been the people who planned the American “Surge” meant to stabilize Afghanistan, supplied the intelligence for General McChrystal, may actually have written his report.  Top leaders of the Afghan people weighed in on our operation in Helmand province with American Marines and British troops.  They call it “imbecilic” and “tragic,” faulting nearly every aspect as uninformed, misinformed or simply wrong."

Iran says new nuclear proposals received
A quote...."Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said Monday that the body has received proposals from the United States, Russia and France on a nuclear fuel swap. -- "After Iran's decision to domestically produce 20 percent-enriched uranium, we received some proposals from Russia, America and France," Salehi told the Iranian Labor News Agency. "We are currently studying them along with other proposals from different countries."

Sunnis protest Iraq's candidate ban
A quote...."Baghdad - Feb. 14 (UPI) -- A coalition of Sunni Arabs and secularists announced the suspension of campaigning to protest Iraq's ban of candidates with alleged ties to the Baath party. -- The Iraqi National Movement halted campaigning Saturday and hinted they would boycott next month's parliamentary elections if the ban was not reversed, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday."

Despite Netanyahu pressure, Russia defends Iran missile deal
A quote...."On the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow, senior Russian security officials were speaking out on defense-related issues that have provoked tensions between the two countries."

Russia to honour Iran missile contract: security official
A quote...."Russia plans to honour a deal to deliver an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Iran, a senior Russian official said on Sunday according to Interfax news agency." - also posted at WarInIraq

Russia commits to deliver S-300 system to Iran
War Alert - A quote...."The Kremlin's powerful Security Council says Moscow sees no reason to delay the sale of its S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Tehran."

Turkey arrests 86 over links to PKK
For the Neo-Roman stupids in this country....the PKK are the people the US-NRE supports. - mpg -- A quote...."As the 11th anniversary of the arrest of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan approaches, Turkey has arrested 86 people on charges of having links to the banned party."

Lebanon opens fire on IAF jets
Full quote...."Lebanon says its army has opened fire on four Israeli warplanes that flew into Lebanese airspace. The Lebanese army said in a statement that its units used anti-aircraft fire Sunday to force the Israeli warplanes out of Lebanese airspace. -- The army said the planes were in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, in central Lebanon. -- Israeli warplanes frequently fly over Lebanese airspace in what Israel says are reconnaissance missions. The overflights and violations of UN Security Council resolutions have been a constant source of tension between the two countries (...)"

Journalists Jailed for Comment on CIA Suicide Bombing
Press Censorship Alert - A quote...."The Jordanian security authorities arrested two journalists, Mowafaq Mahadin and  Sufian Al-Tal, for criticizing the cooperation of the Royal Jordanian Intelligence Services officer Captain Al-Sharif Ali bin Zaid with the illegal occupation of the United States in Afghanistan." -- also posted at Uruknet

Ukraine election authority declares Yanukovych president
A quote...."KIEV, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's Central Election Commission (CEC) declared Viktor Yanukovych winner of the presidential election on Sunday. -- CEC president Volodymyr Shapoval, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, said a final count of the votes showed Yanukovych defeated Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko by 3.48 percentage points in last Sunday's poll."

Latvia's Road to Serfdom - Article also posted at ICH
Special Note - A quote...."While most of the world’s press focuses on Greece (and also Spain, Ireland and Portugal) as the most troubled euro-areas, the much more severe, more devastating and downright deadly crisis in the post-Soviet economies scheduled to join the Eurozone somehow has escaped widespread notice.
No doubt that is because their experience is an indictment of the destructive horror of neoliberalism – and of Europe’s policy of treating these countries not as promised, not as helping them develop along Western European lines, but as areas to be colonized as export markets and bank markets, stripped of their economic surpluses, their skilled labor and indeed, working-age labor generally, their real estate and buildings, and whatever was inherited from the Soviet era." -- For more regarding this issue see....Currency Spheres - 10-29-09 - mpg & Empire Typology and Economic Stellar Evolution - 01-20-10 - mpg

Russia, Nicaragua to hold joint military exercise - Lavrov
A quote...."Russia and Nicaragua are preparing for joint military exercises, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday after a meeting with the Nicaraguan president in Managua. -- Lavrov, who arrived to the Nicaraguan capital on a one-day official visit on Sunday, said the two states are developing military and technical cooperation and "are preparing joint military drills." -- also posted at WarInIraq
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A second Texas Governor candidate also ‘not sure’ on 9/11. Should the Inquisition continue?
A quote...."There is now a second candidate for Governor in Texas who was “caught” in not immediately dismissing 9/11 truth when asked about the subject. Should Democratic candidate for Texas Governor Farouk Shami also be handed over to a sort of Inquisition for those who don’t accept 9/11 orthodoxy?" -- For more on this issue see....Acting Guilty - 12-01-09 - mpg

[US-NRE] Air Force cutting its fighter fleet
A quote...."By fall, 250 fighters will be in the boneyard and the 4,000 airmen who fly or fix them will have new jobs, according to an officer overseeing the aircraft drawdown."

Control freaks want web licences to end bloggers' anonymity – be very afraid - Article also posted at DProgram
A quote...."The American blogosphere is going increasingly “viral” about a proposal advanced at the recent meeting of the Davos Economic Forum by Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft, that an equivalent of a “driver’s licence” should be introduced for access to the web. This totalitarian call has been backed by articles and blogs in Time magazine and the New York Times." -- For more on this issue see....Attempts to Control the Internet

The new McCarthyism sweeping Israel
A quote...."To disagree with the state is to 'delegitimise' the state: that is the increasingly strident response of the country's political and military establishment to those who dare to criticise its conduct."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Weekly Protest Video Round-Up
Contains Videos - A quote...."Palestinian, Israeli and international activists joined demonstrations in villages up and down the West Bank yesterday. Creativity distinguished Bi’lin and Sheikh Jarrah protests, with activists playing blue creatures from James Cameron’s last film, Avatar. Here’s what happened."

De facto gov't: 4 fishermen detained by Israeli navy off Gaza coast
A quote...."Gaza – Ma'an – Israeli naval forces detained four Gazan fishermen off the Sudaniyya coast of northern Gaza, according to Nixar Ayyash, head f the Union of Fishermen in Gaza." -- also posted at Uruknet

Israel bombs Gaza's agricultural sector to the brink
A quote...."If we didn't get the wheat planted today, we would not have had crops this year," says Abu Saleh Abu Taima, eyeing the two Israeli military jeeps parked along the border fence east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Although his land is more than 300 meters away, technically outside of the Israeli-imposed "buffer zone," Abu Taima has reason to be wary. - "They shot at us yesterday. I was here with my wife and nephews."

Gaza Power Plant To Cease Functioning Due to Israel’s Siege
A quote...."The Energy Authority in the Gaza Strip reported Saturday that Gaza’s sole power plant will case functioning in a matter of hours due to the ongoing Israeli blockade, preventing basic supplies including fuel needed to run the generators, from entering Gaza." -- also posted at Uruknet

Congressman: US should break Gaza siege - He is now an AIPAC target. Everybody should send him money!!
A quote...."Gaza, February 15, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) The United States should break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver badly needed supplies by sea, a US congressman told Gaza students yesterday. -- Rep. Brian Baird, a Democrat from Washington state, also urged US President Barack Obama's Middle East ambassador to visit Gaza to get a firsthand look at the destruction caused by Israeli's military offensive last year.

STANDING UP FOR GAZA IN THE US CONGRESS - More on Congressman Brian Baird. - mpg
Contains Videos - Alt#1 - Alt#2 - A quote...."In December Al-Jazeera covered Congressman Baird’s and Keith Ellison’s efforts. Watch closely in this video. Congressman Brian Baird of Washington stood before the House of Representatives with a poster showing dead Palestinian children. He stated, “Those children deserve someone to ask, why they died” Yes they do....."

Bring Baroness Tonge back now
Action Alert - A quote...."Baroness Jenny Tonge, a member of the House of Lords in the UK, has been under attack for the past few years as she supports freedom and justice for Palestinians. Just this week, she was dismissed from her position as spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats' shadow health minster."

Sacked Tonge slams Israel's 'attitude' in Palestine
A quote...."Baroness Jenny Tonge, who was sacked from the British House of Lords over the weekend for alleged 'anti-Israeli comments,' has criticized “the Israeli attitude towards the Palestinians.” - also posted at Mathba & PalestineChron - For more on this issue see article shown below....


Valentine rhymes with Palestine, on a big day for BDS
Action Alert - Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Because in the END, we are ALL Palestinians to the Zionists. -  mpg -- A quote...."While Valentine’s Day weekend is usually a time to buy jewelry or beauty products for your spouse, Palestine solidarity activists in New York used the occasion as an impetus to further the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel." -- For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

Some Facts About Gaza That You Might Not Know - Alt
Videos - From the History File - Previously posted -- A quote...."It really is time that the story of what is being done to the oppressed people of Gaza gets as wide a coverage as possible, in these days of overt and blatant mainstream-media bias for zionist Israel."
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The Economic Elite Have Engineered an Extraordinary Coup.... - Article also posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."It has now become evident to a critical mass that the Republican and Democratic parties, along with all three branches of our government, have been bought off by a well-organized Economic Elite who are tactically destroying our way of life. The harsh truth is that 99 percent of the U.S. population no longer has political representation. The U.S. economy, government and tax system is now blatantly rigged against us."

Marc Faber on the Alex Jones show {Sunday Edition} - Alt - (AJYuTb - 20 min 04 sec - February 14, 2010)
Must Listen Audio Interview -- A quote...."more Marc Faber Interviews at http://www.MarcFaber.tk also the blog http://www.marcfaberchannel..."

Imagine the US Economy Is a Baseball Game
Must Read - A quote...."Imagine the US economy is a baseball game.  The score is 142 to 1 against your team. Your team is about to lose a game by the worst score of all time.  But your team stalls for time. The game isn't over.  There is still the hope your team can make the playoffs, they say. -- It's the eighth inning with a runner on second base with two out and the manager, Benny Bernanke, walks up whispers in the ear of the batter to keep swinging at pitches and fouling them off.  A pitcher named Slim Geithner keeps serving up the lop balls, and the batter has now fouled off 4,283 pitches in a row. The game is now into its third day." -- Well...as one story tells it, after jumping from the top of a hundred story building a man once said while passing each floor on the way down...."So far, so good!" - mpg

Goldman Sachs Shorted Greek Debt After It Arranged Those Shady Swaps
Special Note - A quote...."Goldman Sachs arranged swaps that effectively allowed Greece to borrow 1 billion Euros without adding to its official public debt. While it arranged the swaps, Goldman also sought to buy insurance on Greek debt and engage in other trades to protect itself against the risk of a default on those swaps. Eventually, Goldman sold the swaps to the national bank of Greece. -- Despite its role in creating swaps that may have allowed the Greek government to mask its growing debts, Goldman has no net exposure to a default on Greek debt, a person familiar with the matter says."

EU wants answers on Wall Street role in Greek debt
Related Article - A quote...."EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission has said it is seeking answers following allegations that Wall Street investment banks helped Greece hide the extent of its debt."

EU Should Go After Goldman, Since US Won't
Related Article - A quote...."(Newser)  – With the revelation that Goldman Sachs was peddling exotic instruments to help Greece hide its runaway debts as recently as November, something must be done, Simon Johnson writes. US authorities clearly aren't going to raise a finger—a few phone calls around Washington will ensure that the Fed looks the other way—so the European Commission must take up the issue. Remember, “a single rogue bank can bring down the world’s financial system.” His recommendations for the audit follow."

All You Ever Wanted To Know About The Current Sovereign CDS Market But Were Afraid To Ask: The CDS-Bond Basis, CDS Curve Flattening, Volatility Skews And More -- Multiple Charts & Graphs - A quote...."Now that sovereign CDS traders are about to reprise the role of Jason Bourne, and be hunted by international intelligence agencies just because under the not so wise advice of their prime brokers and preferred CDS salespeople, they dared to buy a minimum amount of $5 million in 5 year CDS of [Spain|Portugal|Greece], it is worthwhile to expose this sovereign CDS "thingy" once and for all. The following BofA research report 1will introduce not only the basics, but get into some of the more arcane concepts for those who feel that the need to roundhouse Spanish intelligence officers is about to reach boiling point (call it 30-bp spread induced synesthesia)."

Exposing The Story Behind Goldman's Record Profits - Part 2: The Role Of The Taxpayer
A quote...."Do Goldman employees deserve any compensation, much less the $16 billion paid out in salaries and bonuses in 2009 when one considers that the firm would not only have no money to pay, but would be defunct had the US taxpayer not stepped in and bailed them out?"

Real list of countries on verge of bankruptcy - Article also posted at DProgram
Contains Videos - A quote...."Let’s talk a bit about these supposedly broke governments that have been reaching insolvency, and in cases like Iceland in 2006 and Argentina in 2001, have declared bankruptcy. It seems to most, as it would to anyone not ideologically retarded, that for all the public “brokeness” going on, there is always enough money for a bailout for some big bosses. Indeed, there’s never a shortage of money (or credit; whatever you want to call it) when it comes to buying up some big boss’ bad debt, or fleecing the public purse to provide him (them) with a fat tax cut so they can “create jobs” (see: off shore, low wage)."

Sunday February 14th 2010

No posts. - mpg

Saturday February 13th 2010

What Do Empires Do? - [Imperialism]
Must Read - A quote...."....I define imperialism as follows: the process whereby the dominant investor interests in one country bring to bear their economic and military power upon another nation or region in order to expropriate its land, labor, natural resources, capital, and markets-in such a manner as to enrich the investor interests. In a word, empires do not just pursue "power for power's sake."  There are real and enormous material interests at stake, fortunes to be made many times over." -- also posted at Uruknet

The Last Station: Surging Into the Savage Past in Afghanistan
Special Note - A quote...."The current Nobel Peace laureate is continuing his noble and inspiring work of war this week in the latest PR blitz in Afghanistan: "Operation Moshtarak," the much-ballyhooed, extravagantly telegraphed "attack" on the city of Marja. Is it even worth discussing this monstrous sham? The perpetrators of the attack know full well that there will be no "battle." Even the American commanders cannot be so sealed in their arrogant ignorance that they do not know their insurgent opponents will do what every guerrilla army does when facing concentrations of conventional military force: disperse into the countryside, and into the urban populace, biding their time until the occupiers draw down their forces -- and in the meantime launching small ambushes with sniper fire and roadside bombs aimed at the sitting-duck cannon fodder placed in harm's way by their publicity-driven commanders." -- also posted at Uruknet

Military Resistance 8B7: "We're Here To Die" - 13 February 2010
Some quotes...."“Between Patrols, Soldiers Openly Speak Of Being Betrayed”

“It Doesn’t Matter If We Get Killed — We’re Here To Die”

“Our Lives Are Not Valuable Enough To Protect”

“About 95% Of The Locals Are Taliban Or Aid The Militants”

“People Here Are On The Side Of The Insurgency And Have No Trust In The Government”

Refuse to Pay Government Debt Incurred for Unlawful and Oppressive Purposes ... It Is the Personal Debt of Those Who Ordered It to Be Incurred -- Special Note - Action Alert - A quote...."There is an established legal principle that people should not have to repay their government's debt to the extent that it is incurred to launch aggressive wars or to oppress the people. -- These "odious debts" are considered to be the personal debts of the tyrants who incurred them, rather than the country's debt. -- Wikipedia gives a good overview of the principle:" -- also posted at Uruknet & GlobalRsrch

International Bankers Finance Both Sides in War
Special Note - Contains Videos - Alt - (GoglVid - 46min:24sec - 1 year ago) -- A quote...."It is ironic that the video below - "Banking with Hitler" - begins with a mechanism for the payment of reparations by Germany to the victors of the "War To End All Wars" - the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Somehow this international banking mechanism became the enabler for the next worldwide bloodbath - World War 2. I suspect the same is occuring today. -- Information gleaned from the diaries and records of Henry Morganthau, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt's secretary of the treasury, is elucidated in the video below. Described is the story of how both national and international banks created a system that financed the NAZIs."

Leading Austrian Economist: Some Conspiracy Theories Are True
Quote of the Day...."It is also important for the State to inculcate in its subjects an aversion to any "conspiracy theory of history"; for a search for "conspiracies" means a search for motives and an attribution of responsibility for historical misdeeds. If, however, any tyranny imposed by the State, or venality, or aggressive war, was caused not by the State rulers but by mysterious and arcane "social forces," or by the imperfect state of the world or, if in some way, everyone was responsible ("We Are All Murderers," proclaims one slogan), then there is no point to the people becoming indignant or rising up against such misdeeds. Furthermore, an attack on "conspiracy theories" means that the subjects will become more gullible in believing the "general welfare" reasons that are always put forth by the State for engaging in any of its despotic actions. A "conspiracy theory" can unsettle the system by causing the public to doubt the State's ideological propaganda." -- *Murray N. Rothbard*, Leading Professor of the Austrian school of economics.  Written in 1965. - bold by website editor - also posted at DProgram

Could Vancouver 2010 be the next 9/11? (UPDATED 1:30AM EST 2-13-10)
A quote...."Global tension is escalating at an alarming rate, and yes, this idea that there could be a false-flag attack during the Olympics is purely speculation based on factual current events and historical precedent, but I feel the mention of it is justified in the interest of our national security to keep an eye on potentially dangerous overlapping occurrences. The games will take place in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler from Feb. 12th until Feb. 28th. Below, I have compiled the following suspicious activity and coincidences by searching and analyzing the news from various media sources and by speaking with my own contacts." -- For more on this issue see....The Vancouver False Flag Red Warning & Red War Warning - (to be updated when needed) - 02-01-10 - mpg
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New blow to election credibility
A quote...."BAGHDAD // Any lingering hope that Iraq can hold a credible and peaceful election suffered a further blow yesterday when the leading secular nationalist bloc suspended its participation."

Troops face gunfights and minefields in offensive against Taliban in Afghanistan
A quote...."MARJA, AFGHANISTAN -- U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers encountered pockets of stiff resistance and extensive minefields as they sought to press into this Taliban sanctuary in southern Afghanistan on Saturday. -- Numerous gunfights with insurgents and painstaking efforts to clear roads of makeshift bombs slowed the advance of many coalition units and delayed them from reaching some key destinations in this farming area of 80,000 people. The operation was further complicated by the challenge of fording irrigation canals that ring the area and traversing a landscape covered in knee-deep mud." -- What was that about being knee-deep in MUD!!!  Did somebody say the word "quagmire"!?!? - mpg

Iran begins drilling for oil in Caspian Sea
A quote...."The Islamic Republic of Iran has started drilling its first exploratory well in the Caspian Sea to search for oil in the resource-rich body of water. -- “The Amir-Kabir semi-submersible drilling rig has started exploration drillings in the Caspian Sea. It will drill the country's first exploratory well at a depth of 1,550 meters under the seabed,” North Drilling Company Managing Director Hedayatollah Khademi told the Mehr News Agency on Saturday."
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"Obama Moves to Unravel Twenty Years of 'Law & Order' Episodes, Seeks Optional Miranda --By Lori Price, www.legitgov.org 13 Feb 2010 The Obusha Friday night bad news dump (under cover of the Olympic Games), is really, really bad and is way beyond Bush! In a single night, President Barack Obama re-invaded Afghanistan... and announced that the White House is 'reviewing a plan that would require the Justice Department and FBI to consult with the intelligence community before *deciding* whether to inform terrorism suspects arrested in the United States that they have the right to remain silent and to consult with an attorney.' Now, how are we going to watch 'Law & Order,' 'The Closer,' 'NCIS,' and all the other good crime dramas, after the constitutional law scholar unravels their plots by deciding *if* suspects should be read their rights? Soon, the only show we'll be able to watch will be '24...' The plots of '24' (like Fox News itself) revolve around torture for the sake of sexual gratification of Fox's audience." -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

Obama attorneys argue for warrantless cell phone tracking
A quote..."This is not change that privacy advocates can believe in. A US appeals court began weighing Friday whether police should be allowed to track citizens through their cellphones without first obtaining a warrant."

When Fascism Comes to America... - It's already here, but what the heck....mpg
A quote...."When Fascism Comes to America...it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." -- *Author Sinclair Lewis*, the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Case of Dr Aafia and the Need for Change
A quote...."Dr Aafia Siddiqui was convicted on February 3rd for the attempted murder of US officers during interrogation whilst being detained in Ghazni, Afghanistan and now faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison " -- also posted at AlethoNews

Manufactured Controversy Backfires As Vast Majority Back Medina, Attack Glenn Beck
A quote...."The attack dog corporate media, in cahoots with loathsome phony neo-con crybaby Glenn Beck, are once again attempting to manufacture reality by smearing Debra Medina for expressing a view shared by the vast majority of Americans in an effort to purge her from the Texas gubernatorial race."

With Glenn Beck leading the charge, mainstream media swarms on TX Gov. candidate Medina for not disavowing 9/11 Truthers -- Special Note - Truth Seeker Punished - Related Article - (She strayed from the fold) -- A quote...."Today, in a move that illustrates exactly why Glenn Beck has painstakingly tried to portray himself over the past year as some kind of man of the people while hosting a show on the infamous Fox News Channel that cheered the War in Iraq,  he turned an interview with Debra Medina, a candidate for the TX Governer seat, into a PR ambush on her and the 9/11 Truth movement." -- For more on this issue see....Acting Guilty - 12-01-09 - mpg & Judeo-Christian C/C & US - The Media

Tonge sacked for Israeli organ theft in Haiti comments
Special Note - Truth Seekers Punished - (She also strayed from the fold) -- A quote...."Baroness Jenny Tonge has been sacked as the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for health in Britain's House of Lords for urging an inquiry into charges that Israeli forces in Haiti harvested organs. -- Baroness Tonge told the Jewish Chronicle on Friday that there should be an inquiry into reports that Israeli forces harvested the organs of victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti." -- For more on this issue see....Israeli Organ Thefts
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israeli forces demolish wells, sheds near Hebron
A quote...."Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli bulldozers demolished five water wells and three small storerooms, confiscated electric generators and water pumps in Idhna, a town west of Hebron." -- also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

Almond Tree Planting Interrupted by IDF
A quote...."Saturday morning around 9am, Palestinian residents of the Jubbet adh Dhib Village, south east of Bethlehem, were planting almond trees on their limited land when settlers from the nearby illegal outpost of Noqedim called the IDF to stop them from doing so."

Palestinian houses, shops in Jerusalem to be demolished
A quote...."Jerusalem, February 14, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli authorities have handed eviction notices to several Palestinian shop owners in Jerusalem, in preparation for demolishing the buildings from which their businesses operate, while preparations are being made to pull down dozens of Palestinian houses in the city's Silwan neighborhood."

Palestinians make world news with ‘Avatar’ re-enactment for protest against Israel’s Apartheid Wall 
Action Update - Hey!  Whatever gets the "West's" attention....mpg - A quote...."Palestinians dress up as the Na’vi people from the film ‘Avatar’ for their weekly protest of  Israel’s Apartheid Wall in the village of Bil’in.  Besides dividing the Palestinians from their neighbours, the Wall has already taken much of their land and threatens the survival of their village.  Similar protests are being carried out by others along the illegal Wall’s 700+km route in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory."
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Fear Takes the Wheel
Must Read - (Good analysis) - A quote...."The natural consequence of an inflationary boom should be a deflationary bust. We've had the boom, but so far we have avoided the lion's share of the bust, or at least the deflationary part. If the government were pursuing a sounder monetary policy, one that allowed markets to function properly, the deflationary scenario would be playing out. While in the long run this is the correct approach, such a scenario would be very bearish for stocks, commodities and many foreign currencies. If on the other hand, the government fights the recession by putting the inflation pedal to the metal (which is the course they have chosen) investors should look to real assets and certain foreign currencies to protect their purchasing power. But for the most part, that is not happening. -- The foreign exchange markets seem to be the center point for this inflation/deflation tug-of-war. After all, if asset prices are falling, cash is king. Since the dollar is still the reserve currency, it is the king of cash, and benefits most from the global deflation scenario. When the dollar rises, treasuries go along for the ride, as investors need a "safe" place to park them. But when the U.S. government reveals yet another staggering deficit forecast, inflationary fears come right back. Hence, a market without a clear direction." - bold by website editor - -- For more on this issue see....On Inflation, Deflation & The Fed - 08-17-09 - mpg

Gerald Celente on ‘Grim’ Economic Report - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4 min 30 sec - February 13, 2010)
RT-Video -- A quote...."(RussiaToday) – The annual Economic Report of the President was released yesterday and it’s pretty gloomy – predicting slow employment growth this year and next. It basically says that the US economy will add an average of 95,000 jobs a month this year, but that’s not enough to make much of a dent in unemployment. The unemployment rate is projected to come down quite slowly after that, averaging 8.2 percent in 2012, when Obama will be up for reelection."

IMF Prepares For Action: Signs Agreements With Three Countries Increasing Borrowing Capacity By $7.2 Billion, Expands Total Access To Over $500 Billion -- Just keep saying to yourself folks, with a wide eyed stare, your fists tightly clinched, with a whimper in your voice while you suffer cold clamy sweats....."everythings fine, everythings going to be just fine". - mpg -- A quote...."As the IMF's bail out role will soon achieve much greater prominence, we present the full listing of countries pledging support to the IMF. The US comprises roughly 20% of total backstop capital. In other words for every dollar the IMF provides to Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Latvia, Ukraine, etc., American taxpayers will be on the hook for 20 cents [out of each dollar]." - bold by website editor -- also posted at BLN

Obama Signs Law Raising Public Debt Limit from $12.4 Trillion to $14.3 Trillion
Those Neo-Roman Empires just keep getting more and more expensive every single day....who would have thunk it? - mpg -- A quote...."Behind closed doors and with no cameras present, President Obama signed into law Friday afternoon the bill raising the public debt limit from $12.394 trillion to $14.294 trillion."

US banks facing $1.4tn crisis over commercial property loans
A quote...."America's fragile high street banks are bracing themselves for a fresh financial crunch as a wave of commercial property mortgages go sour on offices, shops and factories, causing losses of up to $300bn (£192bn) hitting nearly 3,000 small- and medium-sized financial institutions. -- A congressional oversight panel charged with scrutinising the Obama administration's bailout efforts has warned that $1.4tn of loans covering commercial premises will reach maturity between 2011 and 2014. After a plunge in property prices, nearly half of these loans are underwater, with borrowers owing more than their underlying property is worth." - also posted at BLN & RogueGov  -- Hey folks!!  You want to know what Bush II and Obama are...."Dumber and Dumberer".  Hope all those Neo-Romans out there have a nice time with their fancy shmancy New Roman Empire....especially all those drooling,  faux-Christian, Armageddon cultists. - mpg

No Way Out: 60% of Student-Loan Debt in Default or Deferment
A quote...."Unlike other kinds of debt, student loans can be particularly hard to wriggle out of. [That's right!  It's called life time indentured servitude. - mpg] Homeowners who can’t make their mortgage payments can hand over the keys to their house to their lender. Credit-card and even gambling debts can be discharged in bankruptcy. But ditching a student loan is virtually impossible, especially once a collection agency gets involved. Although lenders may trim payments, getting fees or principals waived seldom happens."

Friday February 12th 2010

Terrorism Is Terrorism: An American Contradiction in Terms
Must Read - A quote...."The major premises of my statements here are dependent on the belief (fact) that normal people do not cause and prosecute wars; governments do. One is not protecting this country or defending its freedoms (so-called) by allowing the government and the military industrial complex to send him to foreign lands to murder innocents; quite the contrary is the case. This is so especially considering that no country has attacked the United States since the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, and even that attack is cloaked in controversy. And no, the September 11th attack in 2001 was not an act of war, contrary to popular belief, nor did any country or their military attack the U.S. It was strictly a terrorist act by all accounts, and because of this it was a criminal act."

How the Taliban pressed bin Laden
Special Note - Keep in mind folks, bin Laden and al-CIA-duh are US-NRE proxies and have been for the last thirty years.  Their sole reason for being created was to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan and than create an "Arch of Instability" (the DoD's phrase) throughout Central Asia to justify the US-NRE's never ending occupation of the entire region. - mpg -- A quote...."WASHINGTON - Evidence now available from various sources, including recently declassified United States State Department documents, shows that the Taliban regime led by Mullah Mohammad Omar imposed strict isolation on Osama bin Laden after 1998 to prevent him from carrying out any plots against the United States. -- The evidence contradicts claims by top officials of the Barack Obama administration that Mullah Omar was complicit in bin Laden's involvement in the al-Qaeda plot to carry out the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001. It also bolsters the credibility of Taliban statements in recent months asserting that they have little interest in al-Qaeda's global jihadi aims." - also posted at FNF - For more on this issue see....The Kingdom of Leprosy - 10-07-08 - mpg & The True Axis of Evil - 10-10-08 - mpg & It Will Happen Every Single Time - 01-01-08 - mpg

Zionism: A Fairy Tale That’s Become a Terrifying Nightmare
A quote...."....prior to the obscenity of the Nazi holocaust, most Jews of the world were not at all interested in Zionism’s colonial enterprise and many were opposed to it. The most informed and thoughtful of those who did express their opposition believed that Zionism was morally wrong. They also feared that Zionism’s colonial enterprise would lead to unending conflict. But most of all they feared that Zionism, if it was allowed by the major powers to have its way, would one day provoke anti-Semitism. Which is precisely what is happening today. (Hence the title of my book, "Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews [GoglBkSrch] & [: The False Messiah] ") [GoglBkSrch].* -- In reality it is how the Zionists created their state - a Zionist not a Jewish state - that best defines what Zionism actually is. -- Israel was created, mainly, by Zionist terrorism and ethnic cleansing - a pre-planned process that saw three-quarters of the indigenous Arab inhabitants of Palestine dispossessed of their homes, their land and their rights. -- Zionism asserts that its state was given its birth certificate and thus legitimacy by the UN Partition Resolution of 29 November 1947. That is propaganda nonsense. The truth can be summarized as follows." - *links added

USA accidentally admits that Iran has no nuclear weapons program
Specail Note - And a good, impeccably logical, unarguable, observation. - mpg -- Some quotes...."President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that Iran had produced the first stock of 20 percent enriched uranium at the Natanz enrichment facility. -- But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs cast doubt on Ahmadinejad's announcement. -- "The Iranian nuclear program has undergone a series of problems throughout the year," Gibbs said. "We do not believe they have the capability to enrich to the degree to which they now say they are enriching." -- See comment shown below....


Not all Iranians hate their regime
A quote...."Describing the events in Iran yesterday, CNN correspondent Ivan Watson made a point of mentioning that free food and drink were handed out in Azadi Square to those celebrating the 31st anniversary of the revolution – as if the treats were part of a cunning ploy by the Ahmadinejad government." -- also posted at ICH & Dprogram

President Ahmadinejad Speech on Iran’s 31st Revolution Anniversary - (PTVYuTb - aprox 10m each - 02/11/10)
Alt/Vid(1of6) - Alt/Vid(2of6) - Alt/Vid(3of6) - Alt/Vid(4of6) - Alt/Vid(5of6) - Alt/Vid(6of6)
PTV-Video - A quote...."This is most of the speech given by President Ahmadinejad on the Iranian 31st Anniversary of the Revolution. It is worth hearing the entire speech to get an idea of Iranian progress, their fears of foreign interference in their country's politics and nuclear power ambitions, and calls for end of capitalism and controllism."

The Evil of Sanctions, Part 1
A quote...."When strong governments wish to impose their will on weaker regimes, they often resort to sanctions. The effects have included the death or debilitation of millions of innocent people. Two good examples are Cuba, on which draconian U.S. sanctions have been enforced since 1960, and Iraq, where brutal sanctions were enforced from 1990 to 2003." -- also posted at ICH

US forces kill 'eight bystanders' in Iraq - Murder Inc. - mpg
A quote...."US forces have shot eight Iraqi people, most of them 'innocent bystanders,' in a raid in a village southeast of Baghdad, Iraqi provincial officials say. -- Iraqi provincial council officials described the US raid as slaughter and demanded financial compensation for the relatives of the victims."

Afghan protesters condemn US-led civilian killings - More Murder Inc. - mpg
A quote...."Afghan protesters have taken to the streets to voice their anger at the foreign forces' brutal killing of civilians in their homes. - The protesters took to the streets of Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province on Friday — a day after US Special Forces killed two senior government officials and three women in the city."

US Poised to Commit War Crimes in Marjah - And even more Murder Inc. - mpg
Contains Video - A quote...."The United States and NATO are poised to launch a major assault in the Marjah District in southern Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians are in imminent peril. Will President Obama and Congress act to protect civilians in Marjah, in compliance with the obligations of the United States under the laws of war? -- Few civilians have managed to escape the Afghan town of Marjah ahead of a planned US/NATO assault, raising the risk of civilian casualties, McClatchy News reported." -- also posted at Uruknet
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Is US a Police State? - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4 min 09 sec - February 10, 2010)
Must View RT-Video - A quote...."The US now has a list of Americans that the country can now murder abroad if they are fraternizing with terror groups. Paul Craig Roberts says that all of this points to a sign that the United States has become a police state."

Ron Paul – This Tea Tastes Funny - Alt - (FXYuTb - 8 min 21 sec - February 11, 2010)
Must View Video - (How this got on Faux-News is a complete mystery. - mpg) - A quote...."(Fox) – Ron on Judge Napolitano’s Freedom Watch – February 10, 2010"

"Who's Gutting the Bill of Rights? Those Damned Jihadists!" - Alt#1 - Alt#2 - Alt#3 - (YouTube - various)
Videos - A quote...."They passed the 2001 "Patriot Act," that took many of our freedoms, turning us all into potential 'terrorists,' making us ALL guilty until proven guilty. -- And those other freedom haters, the Taliban, passed the "Authorization to Use Military Force" that gave the president the right to wage wars anywhere he or she pleased, gutting the Constitution that specifically placed that power with the Congress. -- Don't forget that they 'hate us for our freedoms,' which is why those 'al CIA duh' types in Congress gutted what was left of the Bill of Rights by passing the "Military Commissions Act" in the Fall of 2006, taking away our habeas corpus rights to be brought before a judge so we can make bail.... and they legalized torture. Sneaky bastards, they know where to hit us hard to take away our freedoms that we've been told they hate."

New Extension Likely for Key Patriot Act Provisions
Related Article - A quote...."The Senate may vote on a second temporary extension of several controversial counterterrorism authorities as part of the jobs bill unveiled Thursday. -- The draft bill carries language that would extend until Dec. 31 three expiring provisions of the antiterrorism law known as the Patriot Act." -- also posted at BLN

Indicting the Supreme Court
Quote of the Day...."Grumbling over the Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United continue to rumble like distant thunder. Will the decision go down in history as one more in the Court's long line of egregious opinions? Likely! Will it have much effect on the American political landscape? Likely not! Simply ask yourself, how much worse can it get? -- There is scant evidence that the Congressional attempts to limit corporate expenditures in electioneering have had any effect in reducing corporate influence in government. Expecting the Congress, most if not all of whose members reside deep in corporate pockets, to eliminate that influence can be likened to expecting the rhinovirus to eliminate the common cold. Corporate money is the diseased life-blood of American politics; it carries its cancerous spores to all extremities." -- posted at ICH

Where are the Populists?
Another Good Quote...."According to the tables which we have assembled, it is our estimate that four percent of the American people own eighty five percent of the wealth of America, and that over 70 percent of the people of America don't own enough to pay for the debts that they owe." -- "How many men ever went to a barbecue and would let one man take off the table what's intended for 9/10th of the people to eat? The only way to be able to feed the balance of the people is to make that man come back and bring back some of that grub that he ain't got no business with!"  -- *Huey P. Long*, Dec. 11, 1934

Fail~They Are All The Same
A quote...."J-STREET=FAIL -- Well, I wrote about these guys “J-Street” many months ago. I said back then that to even get “any change or movement” from an Israeli Lobby group in America was a SMALL start, considering how entrenched Israel is within US politics and foreign policy. J-Street claimed it was vying for Obama’s ear and that it wanted to see a new direction with regards to Israel’s actions in Palestine."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

A Request from Jewish Voice For Peace
Provocation Warning - Ethnic Cleansing Alert - A quote...."Midnight arrests. Defamation of human rights organizations. Expulsion of journalists. Human rights demonstrations broken up with violence. Censored films. Confiscated laptops. -- That’s just a fraction of the reality on the ground in Israel/Palestine that stands in contrast to the official story about ‘the only democracy in the Middle East.’ -- That’s the story we hear when AIPAC tries to justify the billions of dollars in military aid Israel receives. That’s the story many of us grew up with. -- But something is happening in Israel. The success of the Palestinian nonviolent resistance movement has led to a crackdown on Palestinians and those who support them that is unlike anything we’ve seen before."

Israeli occupation troops kidnap 150 Palestinians in two days
Related Article - A quote...."GAZA – The PA ministry of prisoners and ex-prisoners affairs in Gaza said on Thursday that the Israeli occupation authorities kidnapped 150 Palestinian citizens over the past two days, most of them from Jerusalem city."

Israel wields iron fist against nonviolent resisters
Related Article - A quote...."Salem military court, located in the northern West Bank, is a ramshackle series of prefabricated buildings, marked by the ubiquitous barbed wire and cage-like fencing. We were there to attend the hearing of Palestinian political prisoner Wael al-Faqeeh in Israeli military court on 28 January. However, Israel's security measures made us feel as though we were entering prison ourselves. Family members of those facing court gathered in the final enclosure before entering the court, never far from the watching eyes of young Israeli soldiers, M-16 rifles slung casually over their shoulders. The minutes crept by as we waited, listlessly passing the hours in this human pen before the prisoner's name was called." -- also posted at Uruknet

Israeli Forces Raid Refugee Camp - Alt - (GR-YuTb - 1 min 16 sec - February 12, 2010)
GR-Video - Related Article - A quote...."Israeli forces have raided a Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, arresting at least 40 people. In a separate incident, Israeli military officials raided offices of Stop the Wall, a human-rights group that campaigns against the construction of the West Bank separation barrier."

Israel clampdowns on non-violent protest
Related Article - A quote...."The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human-rights lawyers warn has become a wide-ranging clampdown by Israel on non-violent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists."

Army Used to Deport Activists against the Wall
Related Article - A quote...."The Israeli courts ordered the release this week of two foreign women arrested by the army in the West Bank in what human-rights lawyers warn has become a wide-ranging clampdown by Israel on non-violent protest from international, Israeli and Palestinian activists."

Reclaiming Gaza’s Land
Must View Photo Gallery - A quote...."Local Initiative has been leading demonstrations in the Israeli-imposed “buffer zone” –[a 300 m stretch of land flanking Gaza's border with Israel from north to south, but in reality extending up to 2 km in some area. Israeli authorities say anyone within 300 m of the border fence risk being shot.]" -- also posted at Uruknet

Israeli shelling wounds two Gaza girls
A quote...."GAZA CITY: Two Palestinian girls were wounded on Thursday when an Israeli tank shell exploded near their home during an exchange of fire along the border of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics said."

Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in Hebron
A quote...."Hebron, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 41-year-old Palestinian resident of Hebron in the West Bank on Friday afternoon."

Twenty Palestinians wounded this week in Sha''fat camp - OCHA report
A quote...."West Bank, February 13, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Twenty Palestinians, including six journalists, were wounded this week, while dozens were arrested in the West Bank's Sha'fat refugee camp, said the Ramallah-based UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Palestinian territories in its weekly report on Saturday."

PACBI: All Israeli academic institutions complicit in apartheid
Action Alert -- Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Bacause if we don't stop the Zionists, they'll start WWIII - mpg. -- A quote...."In response to the recent decision by the Israeli government to upgrade the status of the so-called Ariel University Center of Samaria (AUCS) to a full university, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) reiterates its call for a boycott of AUCS and all other Israeli academic institutions due to their complicity in maintaining Israel's occupation, colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people." -- For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

US Store discontinues Ahava dead sea products after boycott call
Action Update - Hip Hip Hooray!! -- Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Bacause if we don't, many more innocent people will be imprisoned. - mpg  -- A quote...."The ‘Stolen Beauty’ campaign has declared a small victory, after Costco stores agreed to stop carrying Dead Sea Salt from the Ahava corporation." -- also posted at AlethoNews  -- For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Honduras: The making of a death squad “democracy” - Hey!  Just like here in the good'ol US-NRE. - mpg
A quote...."With the restoration of diplomatic relations and the resumption of aid and credits from the world’s major governments and financial institutions, Honduras is being welcomed back into the fold of “democratic” nations, even as the organizers of last year’s coup remain at their posts and death squad murders continue. -- The Obama administration is leading the way in affirming that an election held last November under state-of-siege rule and the inauguration of Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo as president late last month have washed away all the sins of the past. [Hey! Does lightening strike twice?  Just like Bombs Away's own election. - mpg ] For Washington, the June 28 military overthrow of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, along with the brutal repression that followed, is a dead letter." -- -- For more on this issue see....Hideous Hillary's New Death Squads
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Washington's Snowfall Yesterday Was Nothing Compared to Bernanke's On-Line Snow Job.
Special Note - Regarding the Fed's "unwind" (or NOT!!) - mpg -- A quote...."Yesterday, the House Committee on Financial Services had scheduled hearings. Bernanke had been invited. He was a no-show. Congress was shut down. So, he posted his testimony. It is here. -- Before he did, the Dow was down almost 100 points. It rose to close down by only 20. -- His testimony dealt with the FED's plans for unwinding, meaning to deal with the huge increase in its portfolio, or asset base, or balance sheet: the monetary base. Until 2008, this was called high-powered money. Not any more."

When In An Inhospitable World Filled With Sharp Barbs, It Might Be Best To Act Like A Hedgehog
Great photo. - mpg -- Full quote...."BIS tried to warn us. -- Rosenberg gave us a head's up. -- Ferguson and Faber sounded the alarm. -- Now SocGen's Edwards and Grice are ringing the bell. -- A lot of heavy-hitters are saying that this is not just a problem in Iceland, Dubai or Greece, but the start of sovereign defaults in fiat economies world-wide. -- When in inhospitable world filled with sharp barbs, it might be best to act like a hedgehog."

Obama waging economic warfare on several fronts, including Japan  - posted at the OnlineJournal
Special Note - The US-NRE is waging war, of one sort or another, against EVERYONE!! - mpg -- A quote...."(WMR) -- The Obama administration has expanded its economic warfare against other countries, first reported on January 18 by WMR in the case of an authorized financial campaign against Venezuela. The Obama administration, according to WMR’s Asian sources, is waging an economic warfare campaign, coupled with industrial sabotage, against Japan through a pre-planned operation directed against the Japanese automobile manufacturer, Toyota. -- WMR has learned that the Obama administration authorized the anti-Toyota campaign as a warning shot to Japan over its reformist government’s insistence that the U.S. pull its military troops out of Okinawa."

America, the land of inequality
A quote...."New studies reveal that the social divide between rich and poor in the US has grown much starker in the current economic crisis, and that even before it hit the country was the most unequal of the advanced economies, with great wealth and extreme poverty having become virtually hereditary conditions." -- Yes, but the most unusual thing about this Empire is the slaves revel in their poverty and enslavement....they actually like it!!! - mpg

White House projects long-term mass unemployment
A quote...."The White House Council of Economic Advisers released its Economic Report to the President on Thursday, outlining the administration’s economic projections and policies. The report shows that the White House is expecting mass unemployment to continue for years, with only minor decreases from the current rate of nearly 10 percent through 2012."

Foreclosure numbers may foretell delinquency surge
A quote...."The number of U.S. households facing foreclosure in January increased 15 percent from the same month last year, and a surge in cash-strapped homeowners who've fallen behind on mortgages could be on the way." - bold by website editor

Welcome to boarded-up Britain: One in eight shops now stand empty as recession hits high streets
A quote...."The number of empty shops blighting our high streets has trebled since the start of the credit crunch, it was revealed yesterday. -- A report shows 12.4 per cent of shops in town centres are empty, compared to 4 per cent in the summer of 2007."

German halt, Italian reverse hit euro zone recovery
A quote...."PARIS (Reuters) - Europe's post-recession recovery hit a roadblock on Friday as German economic growth unexpectedly halted and Italy went into reverse in the final quarter of 2009, knocking total euro zone GDP growth almost flat."

Thursday February 11th 2010