Wednesday February 24th 2010

“I would have preferred to add oversight and judicial review improvements to any extension of expiring provisions in the USA Patriot Act,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “But I understand some Republican senators objected.”  MSNBC

Tuesday February 23rd 2010

The Unstated Script of the Wiesel Open Letter to President Obama
Must Read - A quote...."February 23, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Earlier this month, the Wiesel Foundation for Humanity published, as an advertisement, an open letter to the President of the United States and the leaders of France, Russia, Britain and Germany, a letter carried by the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune. The issue eliciting the need for such a public letter, essentially a letter written to the world, stood boldly as a heading: “How Long Can We Stand Idly By And Watch The Scandal In Iran Unfold?”

Is the United States a Failing State?
Must Read - A quote...."The US now has a debt of about $66 trillion, five times the GDP and double the national wealth.  The Obama budget debt to GDP ratio is projected at 100% for the next three years.  This debt is largely a result of the non-sustainable system of 700+ military bases world wide and an annual military budget bigger than all of the other countries of the world combined.  In Afghanistan, alone, it costs $759,000 a year to maintain each soldier. Yet in one year, while President Obama has preached a rhetoric of peace, he has expanded the military budget, theaters and fields of operation. Martin Luther King observed that “a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." -- also posted at ICH

'Death of American Capitalism:' The 10 final scenes
Must Read - A quote...."Optimism has always been the enduring spirit that made us a great nation, brought us back from overwhelming challenges and impossible odds -- WW II, the Civil War, the 1776 Revolution. Yes, that spirit still burns in our soul, says the poll. -- But we also know, as we said earlier in "The Death of the Soul of Capitalism," that over the long-term, through many centuries, historians give nations an average of about 200 years before they burn out. Why? Because the "blind optimism" that makes a nation great in the early years of its rise to power and glory becomes, paradoxically, its worst enemy in the end-days. -- Their arrogance traps them in a self-sabotaging cycle that weakens their resolve, makes them vulnerable to new, unpredictable challenges, ultimately destroying them from within. That happens over and over throughout history, even as their optimistic brains tell them they're still the greatest."
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US wouldn’t kill our own citizens, blame Iran, and start a war! Oh? FBI allowed ’93 WTC bombing
Special Note - You'll notice it's part of the ten year cycle.  The Neocons leaned hard on Clinton to start the "thirty year"  PNAC/AIPAC war, he wouldn't, so they selected Bush, he would, and than they arranged 9/11 to provide the excuse.  It's all very neat and tidy....except for the millions of dead and tens of trillions spent of course. But they did make a lot of money....for themselves. - mpg -- A quote...."We know that the US “leadership” and corporate media are lying for war with Iran with their two principle reasons:" - also posted at DProgram

Demolition Access to the WTC Towers: Part Four – Cleanup
Special Note - A quote...."Introduction by Don Paul  -- Part One – Tenants -- Part Two – Security -- Part Three – Convergence -- Who could have placed explosives in the World Trade Center (WTC) buildings? As a society we are faced with this question due to the growing amount of evidence that explosives were used to bring down all three buildings, and due to the enormous implications of that possibility. The evidence includes the unprecedented nature of what happened that day, the eyewitness testimonies of people present at the site, and the physical evidence demonstrated by photographs and videos." -- also posted at DProgram

Washington Times Covers Richard Gage, 9/11
Special Note - A quote...."A lingering technical question about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks still haunts some, and it has political implications: How did 200,000 tons of steel disintegrate and drop in 11 seconds? A thousand architects and engineers want to know, and are calling on Congress to order a new investigation into the destruction of the Twin Towers and Building 7 at the World Trade Center."

Bullet-Proof Case (Not Ivins ... The FBI Cover-Up)
Special Note - A quote...."In a new post, vaccine expert Dr. Meryl Nass shreds the FBI's case against Bruce Ivins:


"Indeed, both Lawrence Livermore National Labs and Sandia National Labs have already discredited the FBI's claims." -- For more on this issue see....US-False Flag Ops - Bruce Ivins
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Conspiracy to engage in aggressive and illegal war – Yoo, Bybee, and Disinformation
A quote...."Everything you’re reading about torture lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee getting off the hook is wrong. They are not torture lawyers, they are not off the hook, there never was any hook, they may not be lawyers for long, impeachment and indictment are on the agenda, and you have a role to play."

Destroying C.I.A. Tapes Wasn’t Opposed, Memos Say - And the 9/11 cover-up continues....mpg
A quote...."WASHINGTON — At a closed briefing in 2003, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee raised no objection to a C.I.A. plan to destroy videotapes of brutal interrogations, according to secret documents released Monday." - For more on this issue see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables

[US-NRE] Senate set to extend Patriot Act without new restrictions Welcome SLAVES, to the New Roman Empire
A quote...."The Senate is preparing to bring up and pass a short-term extension of some key provisions of the Patriot Act, setting aside changes to the law that were carefully negotiated by a Senate committee last fall." - bold by website editor

The Binyam Mohamed case and the threat of dictatorship
A quote...."Each day brings new revelations about the full extent of British involvement in the torture of those detained by the United States during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

MI5 facing five more torture investigations
A quote...."MI5 may face up to five new torture investigations that threaten to paralyse the Security Service."

Warsaw air control admits CIA rendition-flight link
A quote...."THE POLISH authorities have for the first time admitted their involvement in the CIA’s secret programme for the rendition of high-level terrorist suspects from Iraq and Afghanistan, it emerged today." - also posted at WarInIraq

Poland admits role in CIA rendition programme
Related Article - A quote...."Warsaw air control service confirms that at least six CIA flights landed at disused military air base in northern Poland in 2003."
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The flailing falsehoods of America's war criminals
A quote...."I didn't think it was possible, but former Bush officials -- desperately fighting what they know will be their legacy as war criminals -- have become even more dishonest propagandists out of office than they were in office.  At National Review, Bill Burck and Dana Perino so thoroughly mislead their readers about the DOJ report -- rejecting the findings of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) of ethical misconduct against John Yoo and Jay Bybee -- that it's hard to know where to begin." - also posted at ICH

The NYT on its "kill more civilians" Op-Ed writer
A quote...."Last week, I wrote about the mysterious Op-Ed writer, Lara M. Dadkhah, published by The New York Times, who urged that the U.S. be less restrained about slaughtering Afghan civilians with air attacks (when Dadkhar reads things like this from today -- "Airstrike kills dozens in Afghanistan . . . Ground forces at the scene found women and children among the casualties" -- she presumably thinks:  "yes, that's exactly what we need more of").  As I noted, beyond how deranged the argument was, virtually no information was disclosed about Dadkhah herself, who was allowed to tout her work for a "defense consulting company" without even specifying who it was.  The Hillman Foundation's Charles Kaiser asked NYT Op-Ed Page Editor David Shipley about this strange matter and received this reply...." - also posted at Uruknet

Many Thousand Gone
A quote...."The humanitarian march of civilization goes on, and on, and on, and on ..... "

US troops’ death toll in Afghanistan reaches 1,000
A quote...."KANDAHAR: The number of US troops killed in Afghanistan reached 1,000 on Tuesday, according to icasualties.org, an independent website which counts military casualties." - also posted at WarInIraq

[British] Military chiefs....Army must recruit more than 100,000 soldiers to continue Afghan fighting
Haaa, ha, haaa....it just NEVER ends. - mpg -- A quote...."Army chiefs insist that thousands more soldiers need to be recruited if Britain is to continue fighting in operations such as Afghanistan." -- For more on the two articles shown above see....The Bidding War - 10-14-09 - mpg
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U.S. plans for possible delay in Iraq withdrawal - Haaaaa, haaaaa.....it's just too funny.....mpg
A quote...."The U.S. military has prepared contingency plans to delay the planned withdrawal of all combat forces in Iraq, citing the prospects for political instability and increased violence as Iraqis hold national elections next month."

URGENT NEWS - Hunted
Special Note - An EXTENSIVE run-down on what's happening in Iraq in "preparation" for the up-coming "elections" - mpg -- A quote...."I said I will update this post on a regular basis to give you an overview and a foretaste of what is actually happening now in Iraq, in "preparation " for the "upcoming elections". -- And even if you are not interested, I shall jot down everything I know and I hear -- for the record. And I am doing so because this is my notebook registering your crimes, for the whole world to see and read. -- Let's start with the Dead shall we ? I have no time to write an essay, I will give just headlines. -- - 30 dead today in different parts of Iraq - Baghdad, Tikrit,  Kirkuk, Mosul, what follows is not included in the reported 30 dead."

Baathist purge in Iraq goes local
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Feb. 23, 2010 (UPI) -- The de-Baathification effort unsettling the political scene ahead of parliamentary elections in Iraq has made its way to the provincial level, officials said." - From UPI
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Karzai changes law to remove foreign observers from voting fraud watchdog
More ol'dat dare "freedom and democracy". - mpg -- A quote...."KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai has signed into law changes that remove foreign observers from the electoral watchdog charged with reviewing voting fraud, his office said yesterday." -- also posted at Uruknet

Anger spreads on Marjah's front line
A quote...."HELMAND - People in Marjah district in Helmand province, where a Western and Afghan military operation aims to oust the Taliban, say several civilians have been killed in addition to the 12 acknowledged by the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF. They also say the fighting has caused hunger because people cannot leave their homes to fetch food."

Pakistan warns US over Operation Moshtarak
A quote...."Islamabad has criticized the US over the ongoing military offensive in neighboring Afghanistan, saying the anti-Taliban offensive could threaten the stability of Pakistan."
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Iran grounds plane with Rigi holding US-issued passport
A quote...."Iran's security officers grounded the plane carrying the ringleader of Jundullah terrorist group Abdolmalek Rigi in one of Iran's southern ports, informed sources say."

Iran expounds on Rigi's links with CIA, Mossad
A quote...."Iran's Intelligence Ministry says Abdolmalek Rigi, ringleader of the terrorist group Jundallah, was at a US base 24 hours before being captured by Iranian forces."

In a blow to the US, Iran captures head of US/Mossad terror group
Special Note - A quote...."Iranian authorities have arrested the leader of the Sunni Muslim militant group Jundullah, according to reports on state television. - The Arabic language channel al-Alam said Abdolmalek Rigi had been held in eastern Iran, but gave no more details. - He is said to be behind a series of deadly bombings and killings in Sistan-Baluchistan province. - Last October 42 people, including six Revolutionary Guard commanders, were killed in a suicide bombing in Zahedan."

Iran to reveal evidence of Jundallah ties with US
Related Article - A quote...."Iran says it has irrefutable evidence confirming that terrorist ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi had been aided and abetted by the US government before his arrest." -- For more on the two articles shown above see....US Support of Terror - MEK-PKK-Others

Iran, Armenia to construct oil pipleline, terminal
A quote...."Iran plans to construct an oil pipeline and terminal on its border with Armenia to increase exports of oil products to the country."

Malaysia to develop Iran's Resalat oilfield
A quote...."Iran has reached a deal with a Malaysian firm concerning a $1bn investment to develop Iran's Resalat oilfield in the Persian Gulf, an Iranian official says."
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More British passports found in hunt for Hamas assassins
A quote...."Eight forged British passports were used in the assassination of a top Hamas agent in Dubai, it was revealed yesterday, as pressure mounted on Israel to co-operate with European investigations into the identity thefts."

Arabs would back Lebanon if attacked by Israel: Mussa
A quote...."Arab League chief Amr Mussa said on Thursday that Arab countries would stand by Lebanon if it were attacked by Israel, adding that the situation between the two countries is tense."

'Lebanon army should seek help from Iran, Syria'
A quote...."A member of Lebanon's parliament has called on the country's military to expand its defensive capability through extensive cooperation with Iran and Syria."

ElBaradei ready to face Egypt’s Mubarak in elections
A quote...."CAIRO: Former UN atomic watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei has said he is prepared to run for president of Egypt even against veteran incumbent Hosni Mubarak, newspapers reported on Tuesday." - also posted at WarInIraq

Kremlin responds to US-NATO Threats: Russia Deploys Missiles on Western Frontier with European Union
A quote...."Russia went public with the plan to deploy the Iskander missiles at its western frontier – in the Kaliningrad region or on the territories of neighboring countries, but the process of probing into Washington's reaction is clearly taking too long. In politics, failure to appreciate the importance of acting quickly invariably creates problems, the above situation being a vivid example. The Iskanders are a remarkably potent weapon but it appears that Moscow risks playing the card as a minor element in the diplomatic game. One gets an impression that the threat to deploy the missiles in the Kaliningrad region has been aired too long for NATO on the whole or even Poland and the Czech Republic to take it seriously."

Destabilization in the North Caucasus: Georgian President Saakashvili "Ready for New War"?
A quote...."Georgia’s President Mikhail Saakashvili and his supporters are ready to start a new war and plunge the country into chaos again. A statement to that effect came from the leader of the opposition “Democratic Movement – United Georgia” Party, ex-Speaker of parliament Nino Burdjanadze."

Bolivarian Armed Forces reserve peasant militias make presence felt in Caracas … here to stay
A quote...."President Chavez said on Sunday that the peasant militia is part of the Bolivarian Armed Force (FANB) and therefore, a legitimate force, which will neither undermine the FANB or supplant it. - “The peasant militia incarnates today a transcendent principle: the defense of land and against an eventual aggressor.”

Latin American countries agreed to create new regional bloc without US and Canada
Special Note - ABOUT TIME!!!! - mpg -- A quote...."Leaders of 32 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean have agreed to create a new regional bloc including every country in the Americas except Canada and the United States. - The countries agreed to create the bloc at the Rio Group summit ending Tuesday in Mexico. - Mexican President Felipe Calderon said the new organization will defend democracy and human rights and foster cooperation among Latin American and Caribbean countries."
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Big Story-The Jewish Lobby in Britain - Alt(1of3) - Alt(2of3) - Alt(3of3)  - (PTVYuTb - 10m - February 21, 2010)
PTV-Video - A quote...."Press TV's journalist Amina Taylor, searches for the truth behind the headlines of the most important stories in the UK. This time it is the Jewish Lobby."

Standing up to the bullies
Related Article - A quote...."One such is Baroness Jenny Tonge, often insulted, smeared and bullied; and recently sacked for the second time by her party's leadership. -- In 2006, she was publicly rebuked after telling a fringe meeting at her party’s conference: "The pro-Israeli lobby has got its grips on the western world, its financial grips. I think they have probably got a certain grip on our party." It was so obviously true, but the Liberal Democrat leader at the time, Menzies Campbell, said he dissociated himself from her "offensive remarks" and "their clear anti-semitic connotations".

Rachel Corrie's family bring civil suit over human shield's death in Gaza
Related Article - A quote...."Parents want case to highlight events that led to American activist's death under Israeli army bulldozer."

Israeli Unaccountability and Denial: Suppressing the Practice of Torture
A quote...."The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PACTI) "believes that torture and ill-treatment of any kind and under all circumstances is incompatible with the moral values of democracy and the rule of law." Yet it’s systematically practiced by the Israeli Police, General Security Service (GSS), Israeli Prison Service (IPS), and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)."

Finkelstein Banned in Berlin: A Democracy that isn't a Democracy
Censorship Alert - A quote...."Dr. Norman Finkelstein wrote several books in the field Israel/Palestine/Holocaust and is one of the most sagacious analysts of our time. Similar to Professor Ilan Pappe, he formulates sharp criticism in respect to past and presence of the State of Israel, and both use very rational argumentations and are reliable researchers. Especially since the mass murders in Jenin and in Gaza, these two men and many other Jews (also in Germany) speak out, because they do not want to be counted among supporters of violence by a state that arrogates to itself the right to speak and act in the name of all Jews." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

Eitan Bronstein – Response to Nakba Law - So much for "freedom and democracy" - mpg
Censorship Alert - A quote...."The Nakba law is coming up again for consideration in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, in a more moderate version than before but with the same motivation:  to frighten everyone who wishes to commemorate the human and political tragedy that occurred in 1948, in which the Zionists expelled most of the Palestinian inhabitants of the country and the state of Israel destroyed most of the localities in which they lived.  Those proposing the law hope to mobilize Zionist patriotism by threatening to forbid commemorating Independence Day as a day of mourning." - also posted at AlethoNews
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Harvard Fellow calls for genocidal measure to curb Palestinian births
Special Note - A quote...."A fellow at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Martin Kramer, has called for "the West" to take measures to curb the births of Palestinians, a proposal that appears to meet the international legal definition of a call for genocide." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq & AmericanEveryman

Harvard center condemns, then defends, fellow's pro-genocide statements
Special Note - Related Article -- A quote...."Leaders of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University (WCFIA) have condemned and then defended statements by Martin Kramer, one of the center's fellows, which endorsed a cut off of UN food and other humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugee children besieged in the Gaza Strip as a means to reduce the Palestinian birthrate and thus the Palestinian population." -- bold/underline by website editor --  The Israelis gun down Palestinian farmers and fisherman every single day, plow up Palestinian orchards and farms, cut down their olive trees and vines, slaughter their live stock, blow up their wells and springs, bomb their granaries and storage facilities, won't let them import food and now this.  THIS!!!  is the truth folks.  THIS!!!  statement came from Harvard folks.....never EVER forget this day.  These are MONSTERS, they have revealed themselves FOR WHAT THEY TRULY ARE!! - mpg- For more on this issue see Israel's Scorched Earth - New weblist!

ABARBANEL: The Gaza Ghetto at 2010  February 23, 2010
A quote...."Growing up in Israel, one of the most striking things I learned about the Holocaust was that the Nazis were not just content to kill Jews. They wanted to rob them of their human dignity, to dehumanise them. This policy was particularly evident in the way the Nazis created and ran their infamous ghettos. One of the most well-known of those was the Warsaw ghetto." - also posted at Uruknet

AP photographer detained in Hebron
A quote...."Hebron – Ma'an – A photographer for The Associated Press was detained in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday morning."

IOF kidnaps 11 Palestinians in West Bank
A quote...."West Bank, February 24, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - Israeli occupation forces launched on a dawn raid today in different cities of the West Bank and detained 11 Palestinians."

PA official: 45 olive trees chopped down near Nablus
A quote...."Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli settlers cut down dozens of olive trees in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official said." - also posted at WarInIraq

CPT: Israeli settlers chase, intimidate Palestinian school children
A quote...."AT-TUWANI – On Monday morning, 22 February 2010, four Israeli settlers chased Palestinian school children who were walking home after school in At-Tuwani village.  For one hour they awaited the Israeli military escort assigned to ensure their safe passage to their home villages of Tuba and Maghaer Al-Abeed.  Because the Israeli military failed to arrive, the children were forced to take a circuitous path home taking over an hour. They finally arrived in Tuba and Mughaer Al-Abeed three hours after the end of the school day."

Israeli forces, warships fire on Gaza workers in north
A quote...."Gaza – Ma'an – Palestinians collecting small stones and concrete rubble in the As-Saifa area, part of the northern 'no-go zone' at the western tip of the Strip, were targeted by Israeli fire from a military patrol and warships on Wednesday morning, sources said." - also posted at Uruknet

Israeli "Heritage Sights"
A quote...."In the latest Israeli strategy to seize more control, power and land illegally, a Holy War has been invoked. Its is not with innocent intent that the Netanyahu regime has embarked on this current "Mission From God." In reality, where most of us actually dwell, religion is being used as just one more alibi for outright theft, more human rights violations, more false facts on the ground and has already instigated a backlash of "clashes" from Palestinians."

Bil’in village plants 200 trees next to apartheid wall: existence as resistance!
A quote...."At 9:30am residents of Bil’in village, Palestinian political representatives, and International activists gathered in Bil’in to plant olive trees and almond seeds for 20 farmers who own land besides Israel’s Apartheid Wall. Approximately 200 trees were planted as part of the ongoing popular resistance to the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements. Bil’in has organized weekly and sometimes daily actions against the wall for the past five years, gaining international attention for the struggle and becoming a symbol for nonviolent, creative, popular struggle around the West Bank of Palestine."
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More on Obama's "get sick and die plan" - mpg -- "Obama proposes $950 billion 'health' bill with no public option 22 Feb 2010 President Barack Obama made a last-ditch bid to revive his stalled U.S. healthcare overhaul insurance company bailout on Monday with a plan to make insurance coverage more affordable and to bolster government authority to regulate premium hikes. Republicans declared the effort dead on arrival. [Such efforts to 'regulate' insurance cartel rate hikes would be overturned by this High Whore Court in five pico-seconds, and constitutional 'scholar' Obama knows it. This proposal is like every other Obama initiative, steeped in soaring rhetoric but baked in a lie. As to the GOP declaring the bill dead on arrival: Obama -- the unpopular kid in high school who can't get a date -- is still *begging* to be let into the clique! Oh, please, please GOP - please like me! What a joke. At least Bush and Cheney (war criminals both) never wavered and didn't give a rat's rump what *anyone* thought about them! I CANNOT respect Obama, a cowardly sycophant, nor his defenders. [See: Barack Obama: Change We Can Deceive In --A critique from the Left By Lori Price 19 Aug 2009.]" - Paragraph quoted from CLG
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How Long Before You Wake Up, Politicos?
Special Note - A quote...."I'm going to write today about a very somber subject.  It will be, as it usually is here in one form or another, about math. - First, some background.  If you believe that we have "escaped" from the mess that gripped this nation in 2008 and 2009, or that said mess "suddenly appeared" and "nobody saw it coming", stop reading now and have your Thorazine dosage checked.  It's way off. - Assuming you accept the truth - that this mess was 20 year or more in the making, that it involved creating credit (that is, debt) which the debtor could never pay, and that it still exists because our government policy has been to extend, pretend and allow lies that should be considered accounting fraud and result in prison sentences, then you're on the right page to understand the rest of this missive.  Again, if not, go check your Thorazine dosage." -- also posted at DProgram

Secret AIG Document Shows Goldman Sachs Minted Most Toxic CDOs - No surprise. - mpg
A quote...."....Bloomberg Markets reports in its April issue. Representative Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, placed into the hearing record a five-page document itemizing the mortgage securities on which banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Societe Generale SA had bought $62.1 billion in credit-default swaps from AIG. -- These were the deals that pushed the insurer to the brink of insolvency — and were eventually paid in full at taxpayer expense. The New York Fed, which secretly engineered the bailout, prevented the full publication of the document for more than a year, even when AIG wanted it released." - From Bloomberg

Banks at risk of going bust tops 700
Chart -- A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- More than 700 banks, or nearly one out of every 11, are at risk of going under, according to a government report published Tuesday. -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said that the number of banks on its so-called "problem list" climbed to 702, its highest level since June 1993."

Troubled banking industry sharply reduced lending in 2009
Deflation Alert - Related Article - A quote...."Lending by the banking industry fell by $587 billion, or 7.5 percent, in 2009, the largest annual decline since the 1940s, as the number of troubled financial institutions rose sharply, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported Tuesday."

Greenspan: Worst Financial Crisis EVER, INCLUDING the Great Depression
Quote of the Day...."Greenspan just said that the current credit crunch is "by far the greatest financial crisis, globally, ever" -- including the 1930s Great Depression."

WTO: World trade hit by 12% drop in 2009
A quote...."Head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy says 2009 was the worst year for global business in the past 65 years."

The IMF Destroys Iceland and Latvia
A quote...."The International Monetary Fund operates primarily as a banker bailout machine. They cajole and tempt and confuse and threaten the leaders of governments worldwide to pay off the failed bets of the big bankers using the taxpayer funds of their countries. This has been going on a long time, at least since the early 1980s." - also posted at BLN

The Drive to Eliminate Social Security Accelerates
A quote...."February 23, 2010 "Information Clearing House" - -In Washington each new day brings a fresh call to “reform entitlement programs” — Social Security, Medicare, etc., (in Congress, the word “reform” now means to eliminate, or drastically reduce). Tackling Social Security has been on the to-do list of the corporate elite for years, and they’re not waiting any longer. After years of promoting this cause, conservative think tanks have now garnered solid support from the political establishment as a whole, which includes the Republican and Democratic parties."

Armageddon
A quote...."If you thought Wall Street’s debt crisis was traumatic, wait till you the see the consequences of Washington’s debt crisis! -- Never before in history has a world power like the U.S. been so utterly buried in debt! And never before has that debt been financed so massively by foreign investors!" -- " Washington’s debt crisis represents a unique, unparalleled, and unimaginable convergence of circumstances. Because no one can answer this simple question being asked by former GAO chief David Walker: -- Who will bail out America? -- Not you, not me, and not 300 million Americans! Not China, not Japan, nor all the powers on Earth put together! They’re simply not big enough. They don’t have the money." - also posted at ICH

Which is why the Bankster and the Parasitic Class papered over the crisis and bailed themselves out with over twenty four trillion dollars worth of guarantees, back-stops, loans and actual taxpayer funded gifts to themselves and than reinstituted the EXACT SAME SYSTEM of Wall Street fiat money creation (SIMs, CDSs, MBSs and other forms of derivative paper production) that got us into this mess in the first place so they could use these massive amounts (over one quadrillion so far) of fiat paper (toxic crap) to bail the entire system out.  Since no one else could.

It won't work of course and they know it.  Best guess from this website editor is they simply wanted to delay the crash for another two years as part of their ten year cycle.  Maybe they like round numbers?  Maybe they thought Obama was going to do a better job at convincing the world to join in the next newest and biggest  Ponzi scheme ever along with the coming war against Iran?  Maybe the crisis caught them by surprise and they just wanted to get out of their losing positions, and of course receive over $145 billion worth of bonuses and compensation?  Maybe all of the above? - mpg

Monday February 22nd 2010

No posts. - mpg

Sunday February 21st 2010

What Me Worry Amerika
02-21-10
mpg

Majority of Americans think Iran has The Bomb
A quote...."Washington (CNN) – Seven in 10 Americans believe that Iran currently has nuclear weapons, according to a new national poll." -- also posted at ICH

Well if that's true, with the Neo-Romans in this country being so smart and all, no one should have any problem if Iran should just go ahead and purchase another thirty or fifty nukes on the open market from China, Pakistan or Russia....right?

Heck they'd only be adding a few more to their already enormous existing stockpile of nukes. Even Obama wouldn't object since, just like Israel's hundreds of nukes, Iran "already has the bomb".  Unless of course this poll turns out to be another vivid example of how the people in this country are so incredibly stupid they could care less whatever propaganda crap spews forth from their uneducated, know-nothing, don't-give-a-sh-t, "what-me-worry", collective mouths, or worse, that people in this country are deliberately lying to justify another murderous war of conquest. 

Since that couldn't possibly be true, since no one on the planet could possibly be such a feckless, drooling, moron, since no one in the entire Western world could possibly take such a cavalier attitude on such a serious issue as whether Iran actually possesses nukes or not and since no one in this entire country could be so horrendously, horribly, hideously, EVIL as to falsely accuse ANOTHER country, AGAIN, of possessing WMD's in order to illegally start ANOTHER unjustified war, AGAIN -- we must therefore conclude that these amazing Neo-Roman geniuses, these mighty, mental giants of mankind, have somehow figured out with their vast and hitherto previously hidden powers of perspicuity, that Iran has plenty of nukes and has had them for years.   In that case there should be no problem whatsoever if Iran should just go and get a few more.

You know...for variety. Isn't that right folks? No one out there could possibly object!! 

And if Iran should test any of their hundreds of previously well hidden nukes just to see if they work, this website editor doesn't expect to see a single banner headline about it, because of course, as everyone throughout the entire world now knows, Iran already "has the bomb". - mpg
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IAEA report: zero evidence of Iran nukes. US Orwellian corporate war media: Iran building nukes?
OH NO!  Iran already has them!  The proof is shown above. - mpg -- A quote...."The good news is corporate media war propaganda is so easy to reveal and crush. Today’s version of CIA Operation Mockingbird, the US Senate Church Committee disclosure of over 400 CIA operatives within US corporate media to propagandize for war policies, is escalating their paper-thin lies of omission and commission to manipulate America into war with Iran."

Will Iranian children be the next target of this pack of jackals?
Contains Video - A quote...."Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, goes down in infamy not only for admitting that 500,000 innocent children were starved by sanctions on Iraq but also for admitting the atrocity while licking her lips. -- Do you think about starving 500,000 children has a place in US policy? -- When did America decide it was OK to wage war against children?"

US Media Replays Iraq Fiasco on Iran
A quote...."Major U.S. news organizations, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, are engaged in a replay of the kind of slanted coverage that paved the way to war in Iraq, only this time regarding Iran." - bold by website editor -- For more on the New York Times see article shown below....

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Governor: NATO airstrike kills 27 Afghan civilians (1st Lead) - And the murdering continues...non-stop - mpg
A quote...." Kabul - A NATO airstrike hit three vehicles in southern Afghanistan, killing 27 civilians, including women and children, a provincial governor said Monday. -- The incident took place on Sunday in Dai Kundi province when three cars carrying the civilians were targeted from the air, Sultan Ali Uruzgani told German Press Agency dpa."

Food and water runs out for Marjah civilians
A quote...."As desperate residents of Marjah warned that food and water were running out yesterday, the Operation
Moshtarak endgame got under way with Nato and Afghan government forces attempting to force their way into one of the last remaining Taliban enclaves."

RiverGlass: CLG's Biggest Fan
Internet Tech Note & Warning - (Everybody's websites are all being constantly monitored) -- A quote...."Who is RiverGlass? And, why does this Nosey Parker gobble160+ MB of CLG bandwidth all day long? -- The busy little bandwidth bee that is the RiverGlass scanner."


"From the logs, here are a few examples of its seemingly insatiable appetite for all things CLG."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Bill & Kathleen Christison - The United States, Israel and Palestine: What Does Justice Require of US?
Video - Interview/Discussion - Alt - (YouTube - 57 min - 38 secd - February 20, 2010) -- A quote...."Talk by Kathy and Bill Christison, former CIA analysts and co-authors of the book "Palestine in Pieces: Graphic Perspectives on the Israeli Occupation" speaking on "The U.S.-Israeli Partnership and the Impact on Palestine" given February 19, 2010 at the conference "The United States, Israel and Palestine: What Does Justice Require of US?" at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, WA."

20 Ships to Head for Clash in Gaza
Special Note - Action Update - A quote...."(IsraelNN.com) The Turkish IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation announced that a fleet of 20 ships would be sent to break Israel’s embargo on Hamas-run Gaza two months from now. Five of the ships will be under the auspices of IHH; the support of charitable businessmen in Turkey is being sought for funding to purchase them."

Gaza Fishermen Fight to Keep a Way of Life Alive
A quote...."Once upon a time, this little strip of land (just 139 square miles, about twice the size of Washington, DC) was a potentially booming resort and fishing capital, with 25 miles of beautiful coastline and beaches and a Mediterranean seaport teeming with sardines and shrimp." -- also posted at Uruknet

Israeli shelling injures 5 in northern Gaza
A quote...."Gaza - Ma'an - Five Palestinians were injured and structural damage was sustained when Israeli forces opened fire at a target north of Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, on Sunday." -- also posted at Uruknet
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Wall Street oligarchs eyeing Social Security - posted at OnlineJournal
Special Note - A quote...."Hank Paulson, the Gold Sachs bankster/U.S. Treasury Secretary, who deregulated the financial system, caused a world crisis that wrecked the prospects of foreign banks and governments, caused millions of Americans to lose retirement savings, homes, and jobs, and left taxpayers burdened with multi-trillions of dollars of new U.S. debt, is still not in jail. He is writing in the New York Times urging that the mess he caused be fixed by taking away from working Americans the Social Security and Medicare for which they have paid in earmarked taxes all their working lives. -- Wall Street’s approach to the poor has always been to drive them deeper into the ground."

Casiino Time - posted at OnlineJournal
Special Note - A quote...."The word recession, meaning a temporary dip in economic activity, was coined in 1929 during the start of the Great Depression, so even then, we were kidding ourselves. Now, after months of babbling on about “green shoots,” the mainstream media, always fluffy and clueless when not outright dishonest, are starting to use “Great Recession,” but that’s still sugarcoating it. Why not the Great Recess, as in a fun pause in labor when we can all run out and play, or, better yet, let’s give a nod to Saddam Hussein and label it, properly, as the Mother of all Depressions."

Banks in Calif., Ill., Fla., Texas are shut down
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) -- Regulators shut four banks from California to Florida on Friday, boosting to 20 the number of U.S. bank failures this year following the 140 closures last year in the worst financial climate in decades. -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over La Jolla Bank, FSB, in La Jolla, Calif. The bank had 10 branches and about $3.6 billion in assets and $2.8 billion in deposits."

Citigroup Warns Customers It May Refuse To Allow Withdrawals
A quote...."The image of banks locking their doors to keep customers from making withdrawals during a bank run is what immediately came to mind when we heard that Citigroup was telling customers it has the right to prevent any withdrawals from checking accounts for seven days." -- also posted at BLN

Bad economies in states to worsen: governors
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The already gloomy conditions of states' economies are set to worsen, according to preliminary survey findings from the National Governors Association released on Saturday."

California City to Charge $300 to Call 911
Special Note - A quote...."Tracy residents will now have to pay every time they call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency.
 -- But there are a couple of options. Residents can pay a $48 voluntary fee for the year which allows them to call 9-1-1 as many times as necessary."  --  For now this policy is being implemented only for medical emergencies. But you can picture in your mind's eye just where this policy might go in the future.  Just think of what will happen when fire departments start practicing these sorts of  policies....as they actually did in the past and as they're starting to do right now.   --  Ring, ring.

Customer Rep: "This is the police emergency line, before you report anything please be advised we'll have to charge you a $300 dollar fee before we handle your call."
Female Caller : "Help, help, there's someone breaking into my apartment..."
Rep: "Do you have a charge card handy ma'am?"
Caller:  "WHAT!", sounds of splintering wood and shattering glass come through the phone.... 
Rep: "Do you have a charge card handy ma'am, we take Visa, American Express and Discover."
Caller: "What are you talking about....HELP....HELP ME!!" the sounds of smashing furniture grow louder....
Rep:  "Ma'am I can't take a report unless you have the ability to pay, so just calm down and find your credit card...."
Caller:  "You @#$%@#$@ b-tch,  HELP ME!!" sudden sounds of gun shots being fired.....
Rep: "There's no need for you to use such harsh language with me ma'am....ma'am are you there....are you there ma'am, I'll have to disconnect the call now..."  ---  Call disconnected. - mpg
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Britain at risk of worse deficit crisis than Greece
A quote...."Britain is at risk of a Govenment deficit crisis worse than that of Greece, sparking serious fears over the economic stability of the country." -- also posted at RogueGov

Saturday February 20th 2010

Obama’s preventive war and the end of Nuremberg
Must Read - A quote...."US President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech in Oslo last December was widely seen as a glorification of militarism, rather than a promotion of peace. In several analyses, the World Socialist Web Site reviewed the speech, in the context of the continuation and escalation by the Obama administration of the aggressive militarist foreign policy of the Bush regime." -- also posted at Uruknet

Teach Your Children Well: There Is No Law but Might and Murder
Must Read - A quote...."This is the lesson that the United States government -- the government of the historic progressive, Barack Obama -- taught the children of America today...."

• "Children, the law is nothing but a rag smeared with blood and shit.
• "It is only for suckers, rubes and losers.
• "Claw your way to the top -- by any means necessary -- and the law can never touch you.
• "This is the American way."

"Yes, as the Washington Post reports, the United States government announced today that there will be no penalties whatsoever for the lawyers who were ordered by their superiors, George Bush and Dick Cheney, to write memos "justifying" the tortures that Bush and Cheney wanted to unleash upon captives held indefinitely without charges, without evidence, without trial, without rights." -- also posted at Uruknet

Yoo Called Civilian Slaughter OK
A quote...."Former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo argued that President George W. Bush’s commander-in-chief powers were so sweeping that he could willfully order the massacre of civilians, yet Yoo’s culpability in Bush administration abuses was deemed “poor judgment,” not a violation of “professional standards.”

MI5 may face new torture inquiry
A quote...."As befits Britain’s most senior spy, Jonathan Evans is noted in Whitehall for being cool under fire. That quality will be tested this week when MI5’s director-general learns whether his service is about to be engulfed by one of the biggest crises in its 100-year history. -- For the past 10 weeks a senior lawyer in the office of Baroness Scotland, the attorney-general, has been studying the cases of five British men alleged to have been unlawfully detained and tortured in Pakistan with the complicity of MI5."

Obama Would Have Been Jailed Under Patriot Act
A quote...."If the Patriot Act had been in effect when the Free South Africa Movement was in full swing in the 1980s, hundreds of thousands of Americans would have been liable for imprisonment on charges of rendering “assistance” to “terrorists.” When it comes to civil and political liberties, the U.S. is a far less free place than it was, a generation ago."

Dutch troops to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of year after coalition falls
A quote...."Dutch troops will almost certainly be withdrawn from Afghanistan this year following the collapse of the coalition government in The Hague." - also posted at WarInIraq

Fall of Dutch government bodes ill for Afghanistan
A quote...."Associated Press Writer= AMSTERDAM (AP) — A furious dispute over the war in Afghanistan brought down the Dutch government Saturday, bitterly divided on whether its forces should stay or go as NATO deepens its engagement against the Taliban." -- also posted at SFGate

Allied Bid for Obama to Remove US European Nuclear Stockpile
A quote...."BRUSSELS - European NATO allies are to urge President Barack Obama to remove all remaining US nuclear weapons from European soil, as domestic pressure grows to rid its soil of outdated Cold War-era aerial bombs."

Obama Quietly Continues Bush’s Disdain for UN
A quote...."George W. Bush made no secret of his disregard for the United Nations, railing that "we really don’t need anybody’s permission" just prior to the invasion of Iraq. Bush followed that statement by ordering UN weapons inspectors out of Iraq a few days before the invasion, despite the fact that the head of the effort, Mohamed ElBaradei, would subsequently win a Nobel Peace Prize for the work Bush so unceremoniously ended. In his State of the Union speech in 2004, months after the invasion, Bush doubled down on the permission remark and seemed to specifically rebuke the Security Council when he said "America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country"." -- also posted at CommonDreams

British military insider: World War III is being staged; to initiate between Israel and Iran
War Alert - A quote...."US “leadership” and their corporate media minions are pushing juvenile-level propaganda for war with Iran; lies that anyone can verify with a few moments’ attention. If you haven’t already confirmed the Orwellian-level disinformation, stop and read the above two links now."

Iran’s Green movement in disarray
War Alert - A quote...."Iran’s bourgeois opposition Green movement has been thrown into disarray by its failure to make good on its threat to stage mass protests on February 11—the 31st anniversary of the overthrow of Shah Reza Phalavi’s US-sponsored dictatorship."

Iran's science progress fastest in world: Canadian report
War Alert - WHAT!!!  You mean those uppity rag-heads are, like, getting smart or sump'in?!?!  Let's bomb the HECK out of them!!  Everyone knows you can't let those little nigg....sorry....rag-heads get smart....it's not allowed! - mpg -- A quote...."A Canadian firm evaluating the global output of science and technology says scientific advancements in Iran have grown 11 times faster than any other country in the world. - Science-Metrix — a Montreal-based company dedicated to the quantitative and qualitative evaluation and measurement of science, technology and innovation — has released its most recent report on "geopolitical shifts in knowledge creation" since 1980, Newscientist reported on Thursday."

Iran aims for an energy break-out
War Alert - A quote...."While Western attention was focused on Saudi Arabia's possible provision of energy guarantees to China in return for a "yes" vote on Iran sanctions, Iran was working to leverage its natural gas reserves into economic alliances with China, India and Pakistan."

Russia stands by S-300 delivery to Iran
A quote...."The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister says his country has every intention of delivering the advanced S-300 air defense missile systems to the Islamic Republic." - also posted at WarInIraq

The slaughtering of Iraqi Christians continues
A quote...."AFP reports that Adnan al-Dahan has become the fifth Iraqi-Christian killed this week (at least one other has been wounded) and that the shopkeeper's corpse was found today in Mosul. AFP notes the other four victims: 20-year-old Wissam George (Wednesday), 21-year-old Zia Toma (killed Tuesday, Rasin Shmael was also wounded), 40-year-old Fatukhi Munir (Monday) and 43-year-old Rayan Salem Elias (Sunday). And they remind, "In late 2008, a systematic campaign of killings and targeted violence killed 40 Christians and saw more than 12,000 flee Mosul."

Two Israeli Spies Sentenced to Death in Lebanon
A quote...."A Lebanese court on Thursday sentenced two men to death on charges of espionage and involvement in the killing of senior members of Lebanese and Palestinian resistance groups. -- A military tribunal convicted the former member of Lebanon's security force Mahmoud Qassem Rafeh, 63, of "collaboration and espionage on behalf of the Israeli enemy." -- The retired police officer who was arrested in 2006 admitted last year to providing intelligence for Israeli spying agents over a 13-year period. -- He was also charged with involvement in a 2006 car bomb attack in the southern coastal town of Sidon which killed brothers Mahmoud and Nidal Mazjoub of the Islamic Jihad movement."

'Netanyahu authorized Dubai assassination'
A quote...."Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly authorized the assassination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh early January in Tel Aviv. -- According to a report published by Times Online Netanyahu held a meeting with Mossad chief Meir Dagan in early January inside the briefing room of the headquarters of the spy agency where "some members of a hit squad" were also present."

Israeli assassinations: passports to kill
A quote...."British passports are the property of the British government. When that government says and does nothing for six days after it was given evidence that Mossad agents stole the identity of six British citizens to assassinate a Hamas commander in Dubai, it starts to seem as if Israel was right to think it could get away with it. The Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, yesterday predicted the incident would have no effect on British relations."

Assad Urges Europe: Force Israel to Peace
A quote...."Syrian chief executive Bashar al-Assad during the Friday meeting further pointed out that peace requires true will, which he said Israel lacks. -- Assad and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon discussed regional issues, especially occupied Palestinian lands and the stalled peace process. The two officials also conferred about means for nudging relations between Damascus and Paris forward."

China buys some time in Pyongyang
A quote...."The United States and its allies fear China's reported plan to invest US$10 billion in North Korea's economy would fatally undermine the monetary incentives being offered to Pyongyang for it to relinquish its nuclear program. As the North looks to China to save it from collapse, Beijing is playing the North Korean card against the US as relations are strained over Taiwan and Tibet. - Donald Kirk (Feb 19, '10)"

Ukrainian PM withdraws appeal against presidential runoff results
A quote...."KIEV, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko said on Saturday that she has withdrawn an appeal against the Feb. 7 presidential runoff results from the Higher Administrative Court."

US Mission in Cuba Meets with Mercenaries
A quote...."Havana, Feb 20 (Prensa Latina) A US delegation that took part in migratory talks with the Cuban government met with mercenaries in this capital, something contrary to the spirit of cooperation and understanding shown by Cuban authorities. -- After the diplomatic exchange, the US representation called dozens of mercenaries to meet, and even took them to the residence of the head of the US Interest Section in Cuba, Granma daily reported Saturday referring to a note by the Cuban Foreign Ministry."
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A 9/11 Victim's Family Member Asks for Help - Alt - (YouTube - 10 min 25 sec - February 19, 2010)
Special Note - Video - A quote...."9/11 Victim's Family Member Josef Princiotta describes some of the reasons that the official story of the events of 9/11 cannot be accepted. For more information on Mr. Princiotta and his work, please visit his website: http://csi911.info/" -- For more on this sort of issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

University Of Colorado Must Reinstate Professor Whose Free Speech Rights Were Violated
Censorship Attempt Rebutted -- A quote...."NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Colorado, American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) today submitted a brief to a Colorado Court of Appeals arguing that the University of Colorado, a publicly funded university, should reinstate a tenured professor who was wrongly terminated from his job there for exercising his right to free speech." - For more on this issue see....Acting Guilty - 12-01-09 - mpg

James Traficant on Alex Jones Tv 1/5: AIPAC Runs America’s Foreign Policy! - And has for at least thirty years.
AJ-Videos - Alt/Vid(1of5) - Alt/Vid(2of5) - Alt/Vid(3of5) - Alt/Vid(4of5) - Alt/Vid(5of5) - (AJYuTb10m 021910)
A quote...."Alex welcomes courageous former Congressman James Traficant, who was railroaded and imprisoned for seven years after a tax battle with the IRS."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Weekly Protest Video Round-Up: Bil’in Special - Bil'inVid1 - Bil'inVid2 - AlmassaraVid
A quote...."Yesterday’s demonstrations were dominated by the fifth anniversary of the popular struggle in Bil’in. The occasion was marked in spectacular fashion and Israeli security once again displayed the brutality which makes these protests so necessary. Here’s what happened in the main locations."

ABDALLAH ABU RAHMAH (from Bil’in) writes from his Israeli prison cell 19Feb10  February 21, 2010
A quote...."It has been two months now since I was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken from my home.  Today news has reached Ofer Military Prison that the apartheid wall on Bil’in’s land will finally be moved and construction has begun on the new route. This will return half of the land that was stolen from our village. For those of us inOfer , imprisoned for our protest against the wall, this victory makes the suffering of being here easier to bear. After actively resisting the theft of our land by the Israeli apartheid wall and settlements every week for five years now, we long to be standing along side our brothers and sisters to mark this victory and the fifth anniversary of our struggle. " -- also posted at Uruknet 

Silwan Demands Justice in Anticipation of Home Demolitions
A quote...."A vigil began close to 12:30PM at the protest tent in the neighborhood of Silwan, East Jerusalem. More than one hundred Silwan community members gathered to listen to speeches and commenced mid-day prayer in unison. Following the collective prayer the community members marched through the streets of Silwan."

Tracking Rising Terrorist Acts By Settlers Against Palestinians
A quote...."Lets not mince words here. When the settlers attack Palestinians they are commiting acts of terrorism, not mere "violence" or "activity" unless we form a consensus whereby the word "settler" is a synonym for "terrorist", which it actually is, we must not accept the simple description of their actions as mere violence. It shouldn't surprise anybody that terrorist attacks by these settlers are on an increase. We basically know this. I'm posting this to point out that the words used to describe this behavior need to change in order to accurately reflect the truth that Palestinians are victims of terrorism, state sanctioned, state sponsored, aided by the military and on proud display for all to see."
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Central Banks Are On the Defensive
A quote...."All over the Western world, central banks are under pressure from their governments to inflate. Governments are not satisfied with short-term interest rates at historic lows, such as a federal funds rate of 0% to 0.25% in the United States. Politicians want rapid economic growth, and they are convinced that this is possible after a major recession only with more fiat money. In short, they have accurately understood the message of their college-level textbooks. This is what textbooks have been saying for over 50 years. This is the new, improved Keynesianism. Keynes focused on the need for large government deficits and increased government spending, not monetary inflation. The new Keynesianism wants large government deficits and lots of fiat money. -- These twin pillars of neo-Keynesian policy are not working anywhere in the West. They are working for now in China, which has become the world's bubble economy, but not in the popped-bubble economies of the West." - bold by website editor -- For more on why it might be working in China see....Empire Typology and Economic Stellar Evolution - 01-20-10 - mpg

US bank lending falls at fastest rate in history
War Alert - Deflation Warning - A quote...."Bank lending in the US has contracted so far this year at the fastest rate in recorded history, raising concerns that the Federal Reserve may have jumped the gun by withdrawing emergency stimulus." -- They haven't "withdrawn" any of their stimulas yet.....what are these guys, stupid? - Besides bumping the Fed discount rate upwards twenty five basis points, all the Fed has done so far is THINK about stopping some of their support programs (much less actually "un-winding" or "with-drawing" them) in the next couple of months.  A recent example (yesterday) of one of their massive support programs shown below....    [As for why the article shown above is classified as a "war alert", see....Standard Disclaimer]


Head Of Greek Debt Office Replaced By Former Goldman Investment Banker
Is this SICK or what?!?! - mpg -  A quote...."And so the tragicomic becomes surreal. Yesterday's news about the departure of the head of the debt management agency, Spyros Papanicolaou, was somewhat of a yawner, until we realized that his replacement would be none other than Petros Christodoulou, who until today was head of Private Banking and Group Treasury at the National Bank of Greece (reporting directly to the CEO of the NBG Tamvakakis), as can be seen on the org chart below. Yet was is oddest, is that Mr. Christodoulou worked not only as head of derivatives at JP Morgan but also held comparable posts at Credit Suisse, and... wait for it, Goldman Sachs... Uh, say what? "

Friday February 19th 2010

Dropping Like Flies - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."February 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" --They seem to be dropping like flies, as the old saying goes. Now, New Jersey Senator Lautenberg has been diagnosed with Cancer. Earlier in the week, Senator Bayh said Sayonara to the Senate and, a week ago, Jack Murtha of Pennslvania died somewhat mysteriously on the operating table with the Navy now investigating. -- In a sense, this growing body count is a metaphor for a larger die-off—a death of democracy itself with the Supreme Court giving corporations the status of persons while the political system has been paralyzed by self-serving partisanship in a poisonous cloud of ideological extremism calling itself conservatism (while conserving nothing!)"

The Placeman Cometh: New IAEA Chief Stokes Iran War Fever for the Bush-Obama Regime    
Must Read - A quote...."In an astounding development, the brand-new director of the International Atomic Energy Agency -- who was narrowly elected to the post a few months ago with the strong, one might say insistent, backing of the United States -- has just issued his very first report on Iran's nuclear program. And guess what the new, American-backed director said? Go on, you'll never guess. -- Give up? Well, hold on to your hats -- the American-backed director, Yukiya Amano, has "broken with the more cautious style of his predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei" -- you know, the man who was right about Iraq's lack of a nuclear weapons program -- to suggest (sans proof, of course) that there might be "possible military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear program, which just happens to be the most internationally inspected and regulated nuclear power program in history."

Britain's Explanation is Riddled with Inconsistencies. It's Time to Come Clean - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."February 18, 2010 "Information Clearing House" - -Collusion. That's what it's all about. The United Arab Emirates suspect – only suspect, mark you – that Europe's "security collaboration" with Israel has crossed a line into illegality, where British passports (and those of other other EU nations) can now be used to send Israeli agents into the Gulf to kill Israel's enemies. At 3.49pm yesterday afternoon (Beirut time, 1.49pm in London), my Lebanese phone rang. It was a source – impeccable, I know him, he spoke with the authority I know he has in Abu Dhabi – to say that "the British passports are real. They are hologram pictures with the biometric stamp. They are not forged or fake. The names were really there. If you can fake a hologram or biometric stamp, what does this mean?" -- The voice – I know the man and his origins well – wants to talk. "There are 18 people involved in the killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Besides the 11 already named, there are two Palestinians who are being interrogated and five others, including a woman. She was part of the team that staked out the hotel lobby." Two hours later, an SMS arrives on my Beirut phone from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is the same source."

FBI investigation [cover-up] of 2001 anthrax attacks concluded; U.S. releases details
A quote...."The Justice Department officially ended its eight-year investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks Friday with the release of hundreds of pages of documents that starkly portray the mental unraveling of the deceased Army scientist accused of committing the worst act of bioterrorism in U.S. history." -- For more on this issue see....US-False Flag Ops - Bruce Ivins

Nine Months Before Operation Northwoods, Government Leaders Suggested False Flag Terror in the Dominican Republic -- A quote...."Everyone knows about Operation Northwoods, where the American Joint Chiefs of Staff signed off on a plan to blow up AMERICAN airplanes (using an elaborate plan involving the switching of airplanes), and also to commit terrorist acts on American soil, and then to blame it on the Cubans in order to justify an invasion of Cuba. See the following ABC news report; the official documents; and watch this interview with the former Washington Investigative Producer for ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings."

Governments From Around the World ADMIT That They Carry Out False Flag Terror - Article also @ ICH
UPDATE - Special Note - A quote...."Preface: Please skip to the end of this essay (entitled "Why Should I Care?") if you want to see why this issue is important to the economy, civil rights, and the political causes which are most important to you."

How Many 9/11 Masterminds Can YOU Name? - How many 'masterminds' can 9/11 have?
A quote...."Some would name Bin Laden, because that's what we've been taught to think and say, like a parrot imitating his master. But that answer would be wrong. - Others would point a finger of blame at Khalid Sheikh Mohammed AKA KSM, who has allegedly admitted to that bogus charge, but waterboard someone over 180 times and torture their kids and anyone would admit to anything. But KSM isn't the 9/11 mastermind. - Still others would offer up Imad Mugniyeh, who was given the 9/11 'mastermind' label back in December 2001, by none other than Ziocon Kenneth Timmerman."

How Israel's Lobby Challenges Rule of Law in America - @ ICH - AltVid(1of3)  - AltVid(2of3) - AltVid(3of3)
PTVVideo - (PTVYuTb - aprox. 10 min each - February 09, 2010) -- A quote...."Iranian satellite television channel PressTV broadcast a 25 minute interview with IRmep  director Grant F. Smith about the Israel lobby's history of challenges to rule of law and governance in the United States. "Autograph" with Susan Modaress reviews key findings from the book "Spy Trade"

Zionism and Nazism: is there a difference that makes a difference?
Special Note - A quote...."When we look at Zionism in terms of what it actually is rather than some devious, self-serving Zionist definition we find “nationalism, traditionalism and the importance of the ethnostate”. We also find the essential elements of fascism in general, the arrogance of group ego and the assertion of an a priori privilege that trumps any such fripperies as civil rights, human rights, international law or even common human decency. Coercion and force majeure are the means and virtual enslavement or extermination of the “others” (the goyim – gentiles) are the ends. Characteristically, we also find the common element of a sense of infinite entitlement based on perceived prior victimhood." -- also posted at Uruknet

Now it’s time to rid government of Israel’s stooges
Special Note - Quote of the Day...."Given that Zionism is a murderous, racist, expansionist ideology, it is natural to stress that people who are affiliated with Israel and Zionism must be removed immediately from any political, government, military or security posts. -- “As much as Britain would refrain from delegating decisions regarding its security to Arab, Chinese or Russian nationalists, it should similarly treat Jewish nationalists with at least as much caution.” -- *Gilad Atzmon*
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It's Not Your Religion, It's Whether You Support the New Roman Empire
02-19-10
mpg

Terrorism: the most meaningless and manipulated word - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."Terrorism is simultaneously the single most meaningless and most manipulated word in the American political lexicon.  The term now has virtually nothing to do with the act itself and everything to do with the identity of the actor, especially his or her religious identity.  It has really come to mean:  "a Muslim who fights against or even expresses hostility towards the United States, Israel and their allies."  That's why all of this confusion and doubt arose yesterday over whether a person who perpetrated a classic act of Terrorism should, in fact, be called a Terrorist:  he's not a Muslim and isn't acting on behalf of standard Muslim grievances against the U.S. or Israel, and thus does not fit the "definition."  One might concede that perhaps there's some technical sense in which term might apply to Stack, but as Fox News emphasized:  it's not "terrorism in the larger sense that most of us are used to . . . terrorism in that capital T way."  We all know who commits terrorism in "that capital T way," and it's not people named Joseph Stack." -

Pretty good Glen except he's wrong when he says..."The term [terrorism] now has virtually nothing to do with the act itself [true] and everything to do with the identity of the actor, especially his or her religious identity". [false]

Actually the US-NRE isn't particularly concerned with a person's religion or their identity, although they do use the generic term "Muslim" as a convenient whipping boy. What the US-NRE and Israel are concerned with is whether you support the New Roman Empire or not.

The US-NRE, Israel and the Saudi Royals (the Trinity of Absolute Evil) have for the last thirty years as part of their PNAC/AIPAC Protocols supported almost every single Wahabbist, Salafist, Jihadist group out there (a.k.a. al-CIA-duh and many others) in the Middle East as part of their plans for Neo-Colonial conquest of that entire region  And YET the US-NRE and Israel have NEVER singled out Wahabbism as part of the problem, or the Saudi Royals constant support for these radical groups and their associated Madarasaas.

In fact for the last ten years members of the US-NRE's Junta, with considerable help from certain fellow travelers in the presstitute corp., Faux-News is one particular outfit that comes to mind, have done absolutely everything they can to cover-up or ignore any traces of prior or on-going active support for these groups by the Saudi Royals or elements within the US-NRE.

And yet the presstitutes and the US-NRE's Junta, constantly, every single day, during the last ten years have blamed governments, tribes and groups that have never received any funds from the Saudi Royals or the CIA’s tremendous programs of largess.  In other words, peoples in the region who have never been affiliated with al-CIA-duh.

The Iraqi resistance is an example, a resistance that was composed mostly of former Bathist party members, Iraqi army elements, many Sunni tribes who have never been affiliated with al Qaeda and who vehemently apposed its brand of Wahabbism along with various Shia groups and militias.  In fact the US-NRE for several years paid over one hundred thousand resistance fighters, mainly from the Sunni tribal belt in Iraq, not to attack US-NRE forces.

The US-NRE, Saudi Royals and the Israelis however have constantly invoked the "specter" of "terrorism" for THEIR perceived enemies (read economic and geo-political competitors) in the region.

The Shias for example , who by the way are despised by the Saudi Royal and US-NRE supported al-CIA-duh and are considered by them to be apostates. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Huthis in Yemen and almost everybody in Iran.

All of Syria, much of which is Sunni but like Iraq under Saddam, has a government that considers al-CIA-duh to be its mortal enemy.

Hamas in Palestine, which has had nothing to do with the conservative Saudi Royal supported Wahabbist sects or al-CIA-duh and has fought them when they tried to establish a foothold in the Gaza strip

Finally all the Pashtuns of the Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Taliban who represent them, they became involved with Wahabbist elements only to the extent of Saudi Royal and CIA support of al-CIA-duh programs in that region.  To give just one example....


The deliberate conflation by elements within this nation of the Israeli/AIPAC -- Neocon/PNAC -- Saudi-Royal/Whabbist sponsored thirty year program of terrorism and agent-provocateur creation in the Middle East -- with the rights of the peoples in that region to legitimately resist colonial occupation by Israel and the US-NRE -- is not just a matter of being disingenuous....

Considering there is overwhelming evidence that elements within this government were directly involved with what occurred on 9/11, that these policies have been used to deliberately impoverish this nation's treasury  along with most of its peoples' wealth, that "terrorism" is being used as an excuse to eviscerate this nation's constitution and that such policies have subordinated this nation's entire foreign and military policy to that of another national state, such "conflation" or any attempt to deliberately obfuscate what really happened to this nation during the last ten years could be considered by some to be a matter of collaboration with those who set all of these plans of mayhem and murder into motion. - mpg
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Only 21% Say U.S. Government Has Consent of the Governed ... Those with the Lowest Incomes are the Most Skeptical" -- A quote...."A new Rasmussen poll finds:  The founding document of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, states that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Today, however, just 21% of voters nationwide believe that the federal government enjoys the consent of the governed."

Allied bid for Obama to remove US European nuclear stockpile
A quote...."BRUSSELS — European NATO allies are to urge President Barack Obama to remove all remaining US nuclear weapons from European soil, as domestic pressure grows to rid its soil of outdated Cold War-era aerial bombs. -- Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Norway will call "in the coming weeks" for more than 200 American warheads, mostly stocked in Italy and Turkey, to be taken back, a spokesman for Prime Minister Yves Leterme told AFP."

"Same sh*t, different day: Iraq Mission Being Renamed Operation New Dawn The U.S. military 'mission' in Iraq will soon be getting a new name. As of Sept. 1, Operation Iraqi Freedom becomes Operation New Dawn.[The original name was Operation Iraqi Liberation, but the f*ckwads behind the insanity (as dumb as post turtles) were informed by their handlers that the acronym spelled their actual objective, so they changed it. --LRP]" -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

Kurdish militia tighten grip on non-Kurdish districts in Iraq’s Mosul
A quote...."A senior official in the Province of Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital has denounced the presence of Kurdish armed militias in several provincial districts and towns."

Secular party withdraws from Iraq's elections
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi secular party led by Sunni prominent politician dropped out of the country's March elections, protesting the ban of hundreds of candidates, a statement by the group said Saturday."

Dutch cabinet collapses in dispute over Afghanistan
A quote...."The Dutch government has collapsed over disagreements within the governing coalition on extending troop deployments in Afghanistan." -- also posted at AlethoNews

Pakistan will not hand over Taliban suspects to US: Malik
A quote...."ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not turn over the Afghan Taliban’s second-in-command and two other terrorists captured this month to the US, but may deport them to Afghanistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Friday."

Iran launches advanced Jamaran destroyer
A quote...."Iran's Navy on Friday took the delivery of the first indigenously designed and developed guided missile destroyer Jamaran in the presence of the leader of the Islamic Revelation Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei."

IAEA confirms 20% uranium enrichment in Iran
A quote...."The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran has produced its first batch of 20 percent enriched uranium at the Natanz enrichment plant."

No common Iran stance between Russia, US
A quote...."Russia has rejected claims by US officials that Moscow and Washington have a common policy toward Iran concerning its nuclear program. -- "Well, I can't say [that Russia and the US are] adversaries, and I can't say [they are] friends," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented in an interview with radio Echo Moscow on Friday" -- also posted at WarInIraq

Bahrain to import gas from Iran, Russia involved
A quote...."The issue of Iran's gas exports to Bahrain through cooperation with Russia has been raised during a tripartite meeting, Iranian official says."

Syria is Reasserting its Regional Authority
A quote...."After lying low for almost five years, Syria is now standing tall, as is evident in its expanding relationships in the region and elsewhere. Even the Obama administration is now doing its best to win over Syria's capable President  Bashar Al Assad, who has just completed his first decade in office."

Russia renews threat to base missiles in Kaliningrad
A quote...."AFP - Russia could base missiles in its western exclave Kaliningrad if new threats emerge, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Friday, amid growing controversy over a new US missile shield plan."

Okinawa officials against idea of U.S. base relocation within island
A quote...."TOKYO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima told Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano Saturday that relocating the U.S. Marine Corps' Futemma Air Station within his Prefecture would pose problems for the southernmost prefecture."
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Growing row over Dubai killing - extracted to ICH
Contains Video - A quote...."Dubai's police chief says he is almost certain Israel was involved in last month's assassination of a senior Hamas official. -- Dahi Khalfan Tamim says, if proven, an arrest warrant should be issued for the man in-charge of Mossad, the Israeli spy agency. -- Robert Fisk is the Middle East correspondent for the British newspaper The Independent. -- He says if Israel is behind the assassination, then Tel Aviv could find itself in a diplomatic crisis with some of its European allies."

Did Britain know about Mossad hit? Israeli agent claims MI6 was tipped off
A quote...."MI6 was tipped off that Israeli agents were going to carry out an 'overseas operation' using fake British passports, it was claimed last night. -- A member of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, said the Foreign Office was also told hours before a Hamas terrorist chief was assassinated in Dubai. -- The tip-off did not say who the target would be or even where the hit squad would be in action. -- But the claim from a credible source that the Government had some prior knowledge of the abuse of UK passports will strengthen calls for ministers to come clean about what they knew and when."

West turns diplomatic screw – but Israel refuses to crack  - extracted to ICH
A quote...."We know nothing', say ambassadors called for talks over how assassins who killed Hamas leader were holding foreign passports."

Interpol puts 11 on most-wanted list
A quote...."Interpol has put 11 people on its most-wanted list over the slaying of senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. -- The international police agency says it has issued red notices, its highest-level alert, to its member countries worldwide for "11 internationally wanted individuals who have been charged by UAE-Dubai authorities with coordinating and committing the murder."
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"Obusha Friday night(US)bad news dump:Inquiry clears US lawyers who approved torture at Guantánamo Bay -- Justice department finds John Yoo and Jay Bybee guilty of poor judgment but not professional misconduct 20 February 2010 01.06 GMT An inquiry by the US justice department last night reprimanded two senior Bush era lawyers who approved the use of torture at Guantánamo Bay. The department found the two lawyers, John Yoo and Jay Bybee, guilty of poor judgment but not professional misconduct. The lawyers wrote controversial memorandums dating from 2002 after the 9/11 attacks that provided legal cover for the CIA to use torture and other harsh interrogation techniques. [This means, when sociopath Sarah Palin - or some other freak show - is 'elected' in 2012 (because Obama will have completely destroyed the Democratic party) her regime can (and will) use torture with impunity. --LRP]" -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

Israeli media first to report Haitian organ theft rumor
A quote...."There is considerable speculation following the removal of Lady Jenny Tonge on 14 February from her position as health critic for the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK's House of Lords following her statement calling for an inquiry into claims that the Israeli military stole organs during its relief work in Haiti last month. " -- For more on this sort of issue see....Israeli Organ Thefts
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Its Mighty White of Them
A quote...."This is going to be used in their PR defense some day, "See? We let in bottled water......sometimes....when its not a security threat." Israel will allow bottled water into Gaza, but not until March. The rest of the humanitarian abuses continue to be the total responsibility of Israel and its policies."

Over a Thousand Demonstrators Marked Five Years of Struggle in Bil’in by Dismantling the Wall
A qyuote...."One week following the victory forcing Israel to begin rerouting the path of the Wall, and under the shadow of an unprecedented wave of repression against the popular struggle, over a thousand protesters took part in a demonstration at the west Bank village of Bil’in, marking five years of struggle there. At the height of the demonstration dozens of protesters stormed the Barrier, toppled some 40 meters of it and crossed to village’s lands. Protesters also managed to take over a military post adjacent to the path of the Wall for a short time."

Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, February 10 – 17, 2010
Week in and week out without any let-up EVER.  What would you do gentle reader if you had to endure sixty years of this? - mpg

• IOF killed two Palestinians, including a civilian who was killed in cold blood in Hebron.
• Five civilians were wounded in the Gaza Strip, including 4 children.
• IOF fired bullets and projectiles from the ground, air and sea at civilians and civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.
• IOF conducted 14 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
• IOF arrested 44 Palestinian civilians, including 21 children, in the West Bank.
• IOF arrested 10 civilians in the Gaza Strip, 8 of whom were released.
• Israeli naval troops have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip.
• IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
• IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested one Palestinian civilian.
• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
• IOF destroyed a stockyard in "Wadi al-Hussain" area in the southeast of Hebron.
• 6 agricultural wells and 5 rooms were demolished in Ethna village near Hebron.
• IOF issued demolition orders against 3 shops in Bab al-'Amoud area in Jerusalem.

IOF troops wound foreign activists while quelling peaceful anti wall marches
A quote...."RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) used rubber bullets and gas canisters to disperse peaceful demonstrations the Palestinian villages of Bilin, Ma'sara and Beit Ummar in the West Bank against the separation wall, wounding a number of foreigners in the process."

Israeli troops wound 6 Palestinians
A quote...."Israeli troops have wounded at least four Palestinians in the southern Gaza strip and two others in the West Bank, Palestinian medics say. - According to the medics, the Palestinians were injured after soldiers opened fire on several Palestinian farmers in Khan Yunis." - bold by website editor

Jerusalem families come out against museum built on ancestors' graves
A quote...."Members of prominent Palestinian families from Jerusalem came out last week in protest against plans by the Simon Wiesenthal Center to build a Museum of Tolerance on top of part of the ancient Mamilla Cemetery where their ancestors are buried." -- also posted at Uruknet

TRUTH ABOUT EGYPT, VIVA PALESTINA & GAZA FREEDOM MARCH
Photos - A quote...."Before you get the shock of your life, first, check out these photos of the March to Rafah, the hunger strike, and the convoy to Gaza:
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Wall Street's Bailout Hustle
Must Read - A quote...."Goldman Sachs and other big banks aren't just pocketing the trillions we gave them to rescue the economy - they're re-creating the conditions for another crash."

Social Security Will Fall To Obama Before The Taliban Do - posted at ICH
Must Read -- A quote...."February 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Hank Paulson, the Gold Sacks bankster/US Treasury Secretary, who deregulated the financial system, caused a world crisis that wrecked the prospects of foreign banks and governments, caused millions of Americans to lose retirement savings, homes, and jobs, and left taxpayers burdened with multi-trillions of dollars of new US debt, is still not in jail. He is writing in the New York Times urging that the mess he caused be fixed by taking away from working Americans the Social Security and Medicare for which they have paid in earmarked taxes all their working lives." -- also posted at AlethoNews

Obama appoints panel to slash social programs
Related Article - A quote...."President Barack Obama’s establishment by executive order of a bipartisan commission on deficits on Thursday is the latest step in his administration’s attack on health care and retirement programs upon which millions of Americans depend."

US states slash Medicaid
Related Article - A quote...."US states are imposing major cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program for low income Americans jointly funded with the federal government. The cuts are being enacted in response to huge budget deficits in states throughout the country and a sharp increase in enrollment fuelled by the unemployment crisis."

U.S. state pension funds have $1 trillion shortfall
Related Article - A quote...."U.S. states face a total shortfall of at least $1 trillion in their funds for employees' pensions and retirement benefits, and their financial problems are quickly mounting, according to a report released by the Pew Center on the States on Thursday."

Drowning in Debt: What the Nation’s Budget Woes Mean for You
Related Article - A quote...."Three pages of ABC neWz about the snowballing debt crisis and not one word about the WarBama regime’s absurd military spending increases and adventures."

• Pentagon Black Budget Sees Year Over Year Record Funding; Tops $56 Billion
• Obama Budget Seeks More Money for Nuclear Weapons
• Cost of Keeping One U.S. Soldier in Afghanistan Per Year: One Million Dollars

[Note: I just got sick of linking. A person could spend all day and night referencing stories like this.] -- But according to the article below, Americans are going to see tax increases that, “Aren’t even imaginable.”

Fed Begins Tightening Process: Discount Rate Raised To 0.75% From 0.5%, Futures Plunge, Dollar Surges, Curve Pancakes - (This is the Fed's reply to foreigners quiting the US-NRE's bond market, a movement which was led by China.  They'll have to raise interest rates A LOT higher to get the foreign buyers interested again. - mpg) -- A quote...."Will the Steepener/Carry Trade/Long Stock bandwagon please proceed calmly in single file through the exit of the burning theater. Fed hikes discount rate by 25 bps - Hoenig, Plosser are finally heard. Futures plunge, dollar surges, 2s10s pancake."

William Black On Why "Recurrent Crises Will Get Bigger And More Disastrous" And Why All Talk Of Change By The Administration Is Just Posturing -- Contains Video - A quote...."The ever insightful William Black sits down with PBS' Paul Solman to note that most of the too big to fail banks are currently insolvent, that mortgage fraud is pervasive and lender complicit, and that unlike in previous systemic crashes, not only person has been indicted for the trillions in mortgage fraud perpetrated. "At this stage we have zero convictions, we have zero indictments." But the most damning indictment from Black: that Congress managed to extort FASB to change their rules just so that the big banks would continue to appear healthy and solvent, even as unworthy execs made tens of billions in bonuses."

Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Update: Week Of February 18 - New Records In Total Assets And Excess Reserves - Chart -- A quote...."The Federal Reserve's balance just hit another record high, at $2.29 trillion, jumping by a whopping $54 billion sequentially (the biggest weekly increase since mid-November)."

DXY: 81+
Charts - A quote...."The dollar funded carry trade is now over."

Jobless claims rise unexpectedly
A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance climbed unexpectedly last week. -- There were 473,000 initial jobless claims filed in the week ended Feb. 13, up 31,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised 442,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday."

Thursday February 18th 2010