The Next War Will Pay for Itself
Must Read - A quote..."You may think it a strange statement at first – but there is little to no doubt that the next war will pay for itself. It is just as true that the present unlawful, undeclared wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will pay for themselves. War pays! That’s one reason it’s so damned popular.  --  The question is not whether wars pay for themselves. The bills of war get paid – All of the bills plus Interest and Penalties. In fact, the initial cost is only part of the picture. You can bet those who make it their profession to make big money on big wars will continue to get paid very well. In fact, we have a surplus of "patriotic" contractors in our own country who would give their right arm [not literally of course] to get the next big juicy contract to build and rebuild and rebuild the same infrastructure in Iraq. They seem to salivate over such things. Business is slow at home in their native land."

America Loves Peace? Odd, Since We're Always at War
Must Read - A quote...."Americans love to think that we're a peaceful people and that we fight wars only when we must.  --  Unfortunately, you can count in nanoseconds how long those assertions hold up when exposed to such insidious commie dirty tricks as the application of logic or the examination of empirical history."

Eye-opener for West
A quote...."A Gallup survey of Muslims the world over has emphatically put paid to the notion that views Muslims, the religious community as a whole, as ‘radicals’, and Islam as the driving force of the current wave of violence and radicalism. The poll brings out that an overwhelming number of Muslims (as many as 93 percent) are, in fact, opposed to such elements and their acts of terrorism."  --  Psssst.....to all you peaceful Muslims out there, that's why the US keeps funding all those radical groups or keeps encouraging others to do so.  It's because you guys are just way too peaceful. But don't worry, with enough bombings, enough covert funding and more scenes from places like Abu Ghraib, we'll get you guys prepped and ready for the "new world order". - mpg

Strangulation in the dark: Palestine, Somalia, and the American corporate media
A quote...."Whenever the media fail to press and keep the powerful at check the inevitable consequence is prolonged oppression, lethal destruction, and radicalized insurgency. Aside from Baghdad, nowhere is such consequence more evident than in Gaza and Mogadishu."

Redacted FBI Timeline Contradicts Official 9/11 Fiction - more on that FBI Timeline - mpg
A quote...."Larisa's piece, "FBI documents contradict 9/11 Commission report", has brought the FBI document (and Paul's analysis of it) to my attention, and stirred up quite a bit of interest among other bloggers (hooray!), You should read the whole thing. Here's a teaser:"

US bombs Somalia...
A quote...."We are fighting them over "there," but where that "there" is, no one really knows. Al Qaeda's power is in Pakistan and Afghanistan, funded by the Saudi regime. But we are not "there" (in Pakistan) and we are not there (in Saudi Arabia), and we have long since let Afgahnistan slide into chaos, so we are technically not "there" either.  -- 
Apparently the "there" is Iraq and Somalia (and a covert war against Iran). So if we are not fighting Al Qaeda at their epicenter or at their second base of power or even their source of funding, then who the hell are we fighting (them) over "there" and why?"

Three-Stomp Blues: Vets Tell True Stories of the Terror War
A quote...."There are many things that the American people are forbidden to know by the immensely profitable organizations that control the dispensing of information in the United States. Some things will simply not be reported, others will be distorted or sugar-coated or shellacked with fabrications until they bear only the most tangential connection to the actual events being "reported."

The "liberal" position on the Surveillance State
A quote...."It's periodically worthwhile to take note of just how far to the Right our political establishment has shifted over the last couple of decades, and few issues reveal that shift as clearly as the debate over warrantless government spying. The absolute most "liberal" viewpoint that can be expressed is that the FISA court is a wonderful and important safeguard on civil liberties and that it strikes the perfect balance between freedom and security."
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China Speeds Pace Of Military Buildup
A quote...."China is speeding up its military buildup and developing high-technology forces for waging wars beyond Taiwan, according to the Pentagon's annual report on Chinese military power."

Now why would China do that?

Maybe it's because of that so-called hyper-power running around the world that's spent more on its military budget last year then the entire PLANET combined.  The one that's also written a document which promotes objectives such as  “convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests.” and "must maintain the mechanisms for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role.". And has ruthlessly carried out these objectives by attacking or threatening to attack dozens of countries who possess valuable natural resources resulting in the unnecessary deaths of over a million people in just the last five years."

Not to mention abrogating almost every international treaty it ever signed, along with its very own constitution.

Can't imagine why China's concerned about something like that.  - mpg
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Washington’s Role in Current Conflict Between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador
A quote...."Caracas, Venezuela - On Saturday March 1st Colombia’s Air Force carried out a military operation in Ecuador, violating the sovereignty of its western neighbor nation.  The bombing resulted in at least 17 deaths.  One of the people reported to be among the victims is Raúl Reyes, commander and spokesperson for the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). This attack is the continuation and escalation of an on-going war in Colombia that has persisted for 40 years due to US military funding and training of Armed Forces in Colombia."

Washington promotes Bolivia’s Balkanization
A quote...."The theft of Kosovo, as some political observers have begun to call the secession of this Serbian territory with the support and encouragement of the United States, constitutes, as was expected, a dangerous move by the empire to undermine the territorial integrity of other countries and weaken national unity."
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From Kosovo to Kurdistan - part 1 - Editor's note; it doesn't look like part two was completed yet.
Must View - Video - Commentary - A quote...."Pepe Escobar: It's about oil and US military bases (Part one)"

The Oil factor in Kosovo independence
Related article - A quote...."On February 17, Kosovo broke away from Serbia and declared its independence. Not surprisingly it was instantly recognized as a state by the U.S., Germany, Britain and France. With 4203 square miles area, Kosovo may be a tiny territory but in the great game of oil politics it holds great importance which is in inverse proportion to its size."

The Road To Kosovo
Related article - A quote...."t has been nearly a decade since the campaign in Kosovo and hardly anybody remembers it. Whoever is familiar with the words ‘ethnic cleansing,’ ‘humanitarian bombing,’ and Slobodan Milosovic may be more familiar with the war. Since then, the U.S. has become bogged down in another war in Iraq."

The Criminalization of the State: "Independent Kosovo", a Territory under US-NATO Military Rule
A quote...."While the European Union and the US, have acknowledged that they would be "opposed" to a " unilateral" declaration of independence of Kosovo, the secession of Kosovo from Serbia is already de facto. It is part of  a US-NATO military agenda. It is the culmination of the 1999 NATO led invasion. It responds to US-NATO strategic objectives. "

Russia opposes Kosovo independence, signs pipeline deal with Serbia
A quote...."Belgrade - Moscow remains firmly opposed to Kosovo's independence, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in Belgrade Monday. -- 'We are in a position that Serbia is an integral country with jurisdiction over its whole territory and we will remain on that principled position,' Medvedev said after meeting Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica."

Kosovo and UN resolution 1244 - part 1 & Kosovo and UN resolution 1244 - part 2
Video - Commentary - Related article - A quote....Stephen Zunes: Declaration of independence could lead to superpower recognition by retaliation"
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Turkey pulls out of Iraq
Video - Interview - Zaa Nkweta of Real News Network interviews Joost Hiltermann. - A quote...."Turkish offensive sets dangerous precedent"

Why I Called Fox News "Propaganda" While Live on Fox News
Video - A quote...."As most of you have seen, I ripped into Fox "News" while on a Fox "News" morning show this past Saturday. If you haven't seen it, the clip is to your right. I didn't say what I said in order to get attention. I figured that my statements would piss off a few hundred Fox viewers (or maybe help them question the "facts" they're getting from their sacred channel) and that I would show the clip to a few friends. As it turned out, within a day the clip had been viewed around 300,000 times on various sites, and I was getting interview requests from national radio shows. Apparently I struck a nerve."  --  It's pretty funny. - mpg
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The Federal Reserve's rescue has failed
Must Read - A quote...."The verdict is in. The Fed's emergency rate cuts in January have failed to halt the downward spiral towards a full-blown debt deflation. Much more drastic action will be needed."

Manufacturing sector contracting in February - ISM index drops to 48.3%, its weakest level in nearly five years
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. manufacturing sector marked its worst month in nearly five years in February, but economists and investors were relieved it wasn't worse."

January construction spending falls 1.7 percent
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. construction spending fell a sharper-than-expected 1.7 percent in January, led by a fall-off in private home building, government data on Monday showed in a report that marked a continued decline in the housing market."

Hawkish Fed voter warns on inflation - Philadelphia's Plosser sees inflation expectations creeping up
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- One of the stalwart members of the Federal Reserve's hawkish camp said the central bank can't ignore the high inflation numbers forever, suggesting his willingness to support further rate cuts has its limits."

States and Cities Start Rebelling on Bond Ratings
A quote...."Does Wall Street underrate Main Street?  --  A growing number of states and cities say yes. If they are right, billions of taxpayers’ dollars — money that could be used to build schools, pave roads and repair bridges — are being siphoned off in the financial markets, where the recent tumult has driven up borrowing costs for many communities."


Devils
A quote...."The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt."

    ~ *Marcus Tullius Cicero* (106–43 B.C.)
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See no evil
A quote...."The fact that the term "conspiracy theory" has no literal meaning is one of the many things that was firmly established by the events of 9/11. The official explanation of events of that day is unequivocably a theory of conspiracy. It's the ultimate conspiracy theory for the world's most spectacular crime, but it's not called a conspiracy theory. That term is reserved for any ideas that contradict the official story. This is a very important point. Conspiracy theories are not about conspiracies, they are about forbidden thought. The label "conspiracy theory" is a stop sign on the avenues of rational thought and inquiry. It says, "Stop here. Entrance forbidden."
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We won't let up, defiant Israel tells world as 100 die in Gaza
A quote...."Israel defied international condemnation yesterday and threatened to step up the Gaza offensive that has so far claimed 100 lives. - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his cabinet: "Let it be clear that Israel has no intention to stop the fighting for a single moment."

Anger explodes in West Bank over Israeli raids - 02 Mar 08 - (YouTube - 3 min 5 sec -  Added:  March 02, 2008)
Video - A quote...."The Palestinian president has suspended further talks with Israel, but there are increasing calls from the streets of Gaza that his Fatah party MUST talk with Hamas. - Nour Odeh now looks at the protest against Israel's use of force and growing demands for Palestinian unity."

Israel's ongoing settlement expansion - (YouTube - 2 min 11 sec -  Added:  January 09, 2008)
Video - A quote...."One of the major stumbling blocks to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians is Israel's ongoing expansion of settlements on Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank."

MIDEAST:  Israel Kills Some More Children
A quote...."GAZA CITY, Mar 1 (IPS) - Tamer was nine, and no child soldier. He did not live in the area from where home-made rockets are launched into Israeli territory. The day he was killed, he was at least two kilometres from the place Israeli troops had entered Gaza, and met with return fire by Palestinian resistance.  --  His tragedy was that the family home was near Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, close to the area the Israelis have set up as their Kussfim base."

Iran leader calls on Muslims to hit Israel 'in face' over Gaza op
A quote...."Iran's supreme leader on Sunday called on Muslims to rise up and their leaders to hit Israel "in the face with their nations' anger" over the Israel Defense Forces' offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 100 Palestinians in less than a week. - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also blamed Iran's other arch foe, the United States, for the violence in Gaza."

What is it about so many Arab leaders including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that they're always using this over-cooked, over-heated, over-blown rhetoric?  Sure it's fun to say and it pleases their base, but everyone should be very, very, careful about this situation.  And this editor is NOT talking about Gaza and all the very deliberate, and very public, miseries Israel is inflicting on the  poor people who live there.  Given Israel's penchant for "arranging things" as part of a bigger plan to further their interests, what everybody should really be asking themselves right now is WHY did Olmert choose to pick this particular fight, at this particular time. -- Everyone in the Middle East should watch out for "false flag" events, look to their borders, look to their skies, and carefully monitor the disposition of US, and Israeli forces.  They've already helped kill millions of people throughout the Middle East and they've repeatedly and publicly stated they intend to kill many more. – mpg
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Helen Thomas: Time To Get Out Of Our Blood Debt In Iraq - posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."Will the next president be the second coming of Jimmy Carter? Given Thursday's economic headlines, full of dire warnings about the return of 1970s-style stagflation, you might think so.  --  Bush wants to leave to the next president the burden of ending the debacle he started five years ago when he ordered the invasion of Iraq under false pretenses, against a people who had done us no harm.  --  Bush cannot explain his reasons for the war without compounding his folly. To this moment, Bush has not given a logical explanation for his disastrous militarism."

IRAQ:  'Not Our Country To Return To'
A quote...."DAMASCUS, Mar 3 (IPS) - More Iraqis continue to flee their country than the numbers returning, despite official claims to the contrary.  --  Thousands fleeing say security is as bad as ever, and that to return would be to accept death.  --  "Return to Iraq?" asks 35-year-old Ahmed Alwan, an Iraqi engineer now working at a restaurant in Damascus. "There is no Iraq to return to, my friend. Iraq only exists in our dreams and memories."  --  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported September last year that there are between 1.2 and 1.4 million Iraqi refugees in Syria alone.  --  Most, like Alwan, do not intend to return."  --  underline by website editor.

Oh, this is the perfect story to highlight the complete hypocrisy of our elites' glorious adventures in Iraq.

One) Remember all those thousands of stories trumpeted across this land describing how Iraqis were returning to there homes....they were all complete fabrications by our illustrious mass-media.  In other words, they lied to us again.

Two)  Syria has taken in 1.4 MILLION Iraqi refugees, the US under our elites magnanimous generosity is trying (and failing) to admit twelve thousand this year, the best year ever if they can do it....WOW, this editor is at a loss for words, rendered speechless by this nation’s consideration for all those poor helpless Iraqis.

This country bombs Iraq for five long years, kills more than a million Iraqis, displaces five million more, and has been constantly threatening to bomb Syria, the very country now sheltering the 1.4 million Iraqis whom we were kind enough to drive out of there homes in the first place.  My aren’t WE a generous nation?  Awe inspiring isn't it? - mpg
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Visit by Iran's president shows depth of Iraq's divisions
A quote...."When asked if Iran and Iraq trusted one another, Ahmadinejad took another swipe at the Americans. -
"If you look to the two peoples, Iranian and Iraqi, we can see they have a joint history, culture and geography," he said. "If they don't trust each other in spite of all these characteristics in common can they trust countries which are 12,000 kilometers away from Iraq and Iran?"

Ahmadinejad welcomed heartily in Iraq
A quote...."BAGHDAD — It's a damning indication of how poorly things have gone for the United States during its five-year misadventure in Iraq that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can drive in broad daylight though this war-ravaged city and spend the night at the presidential palace, but George W. Bush can't."  --  But this editor would really like to see Bush try....please....pretty please. - mpg

U.S. Embrace of Musharraf Irks Pakistanis
A quote...."In Pakistan, each American statement has been dissected in the media and widely perceived as overt American interference - The Bush administration’s continued backing of President Pervez Musharraf, despite the overwhelming rejection of his party by voters this month, is fueling a new level of frustration in Pakistan with the United States."

'US, India and Afghanistan Sponsoring Terrorism in Pakistan'
A quote...."ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - The United States Sunday expressed concern over caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz's allegations that the US and other countries were involved in the lawless situation in Pakistan. The American Embassy in Islamabad, in a statement, said the US Ambassador NW Patterson talked to the Minister of Interior Hamid Nawaz on telephone to communicate concern over his statement."

The headline reads...."US, India and Afghanistan Sponsoring Terrorism in Pakistan" --  Well....YEAH !!!, so are the ISI and the Saudis.  When you have a bunch of US special forces, black operations specialists, counter insurgency experts, death squad advisors, along with thirty years worth of US support for various groups in Pakistan such as the Baluchistan separatists, Pakistani tribal groups, Taliban, al Qaeda, Iranian separatists, Jihaddists, Mujahedeen, Wahhabists "guerilla groups", "freedom fighters", "bad boys", "militias", "friends", WHAT HAVE YOU! - it does tend to get a bit confusing as to who is doing what to whom.

Instead of complaining about it, and to help avoid all this unnecessary confusion in the future, perhaps Pakistan’s officials should simply consider not letting the "world's lone hyper-power" “help”  (that dreaded word) their country anymore.  --  It's just a suggestion and after all it does look like Pakistan has had all the “help” they can stand.  --  Anymore and this could turn into a real tragedy....like Iraq for instance. - mpg  -  See also....It Will Happen Every Single Time
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Patriot missiles: Iraq Veterans Against the War
A quote...."Some of them will be okay. They will live with the secrets. They can dissociate from what happened in combat because it was part of the job. It was what they signed up for. They will keep the secrets out of duty – the silence is part of a code, and they honour that code above all else."

Ricin Man Identified-- Home, Warehouse to be Searched
A quote...."According to a Homeland Security internal document obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the man in a coma whose room contained ricin is Roger Von Bergendorff, of Riverton Utah."

Obama Gets a Super Escort; - Fears of Another Dallas
A quote...."It is unprecedented that a presidential candidate has been taken on this early as a responsibility by the government’s security apparatus."

Chavez orders troops to Colombian border
A quote...."CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered tanks and thousands of troops on Sunday to the border with Colombia, accusing it of pushing South America to the brink of war by killing a top rebel leader on Ecuadorean soil."

Ertugrul Ozkok: Is the reason the U.S. pressure?
A quote...."When I look at the calls made to Hurriyet and online comments, I get to this point: An important part of the Turkish people thinks that withdrawal was caused by “US pressure”. They are not wrong to think that way."

Germany: What lies behind the attempts to ostracise the Left Party?
A quote...."A sharp controversy has developed regarding how Germany’s established parties should deal with the Left Party, which won sufficient votes last week to enter the Hamburg state legislature. With its new presence in the Hamburg legislature, the Left Party now has representation in 10 of Germany’s 16 state parliaments."

Warren Buffett defends sovereign funds
A quote...."Warren Buffett has criticised the protectionist stance taken by some US politicians to state-run investment funds from Asia and the Middle East.  --  These investors have taken stakes in Western banks and other businesses recently and concern has arisen that their motives are not just commercial. -- But the billionaire investor said they were attracted to the US by the weak dollar - not for "some nefarious plot".
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Russia cuts Ukraine gas, Europe not affected: Gazprom
A quote...."Russia on Monday cut gas supplies to Ukraine by 25 percent after talks in a pricing dispute failed, but supplies to Europe will not be affected, Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said."

Buffett will not back $800 bln in muni bonds: CNBC
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett on Monday told CNBC he is no longer offering to guarantee $800 million of municipal bonds backed by MBIA Inc (MBI.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Ambac Financial Group Inc (ABK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and FGIC Corp, three large bond insurers."

What bad banking news means to you
A quote...."Regulators are bracing for 100-200 bank failures over the next 12-24 months," says Jaret Seiberg, an analyst with the financial services firm, the Stanford Group."


The March to War: USS Cole gives the war jitters to Lebanon - Three US Warships arrive off Lebanese coast
War Warning - A quote...."A U.S. decision to dispatch three warships, including the USS Cole, to the coast of Lebanon to "show support for regional stability" is causing jitters within the country that such an overt show of foreign military strength is likely to exacerbate its political crisis."

See also....USS Cole (DDG-67) & DDG 67 Cole "Determined Warrior"
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Saudis urged to leave Lebanon
Red War Warning - Editor's note: This is the first Red War Warning in aprox. six months - A quote...."The Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut has called on its nationals to leave Lebanon a day after a US warship was positioned off the country's coast.  --  The embassy on Saturday sent SMS messages to Saudis living in Lebanon urging them to leave the country as soon as possible, Al Jazeera's correspondent said."
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EXCLUSIVE–The Three Trillion Dollar War: Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard Economist Linda Bilmes on the True Cost of the US Invasion and Occupation of Iraq  --  Interview - A quote...."One week after President Bush rejected charges the war in Iraq has hurt the US economy, a new book puts a conservative estimate of the war’s cost at $3 trillion so far. In their first national broadcast interview upon their book’s publication, Nobel laureate and former chief World Bank economist, Joseph Stiglitz, and co-author Linda Bilmes of Harvard University say the Bush administration has repeatedly low-balled the cost of the war—and even kept a second set of records hidden from the American public. [includes rush transcript]"  --  ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More...  || -- Underline by website editor.

Actually Bush is sort'a right. (Perhaps from his prior experience?)  Like any true addict, Bush seems to have recognized some of the symptoms America is now exhibiting.  It's called Credit Withdrawal Syndrome or (CWS)  - CWS is what happens when a nation becomes addicted to the gratifying "fix" it receives from constant injections of easy money, especially from starting wars, but for some reason it can no longer continue to get its "fix" or the injections are no longer effective.

Once a nation injects itself with a war boost of easy money, (causing the well known "war rally" affect in the stock market and other capital assets) and continues to maintain its injections, its economy will usually experience some sort of stimulus.  According to the study shown below, this stimulative effect will usually last about five to six years.

To use a biological analogy, this same sort of effect would also occur if a person took crystal meth, you would get a powerful rush of energy and with additional doses you might even be able to keep yourself awake for three or four days straight.

And just as taking crystal meth burns up the body's metabolism without producing any muscle mass or giving any sustenance, so also injections of easy money for war will burn up an economy and a treasury, (not to mention a whole lot'of people) without producing any long lasting benefits.  After five or six years an economy that continually injects itself with easy money, just like a person who continually takes crystal meth, is going to reach a plateau and then begin a long, slow, inevitable, painful decline.

And as with a person taking crystal meth, any further doses of stimulants to the economy are going to be less effective or even counter productive. - mpg

For more on this issue see the report....The Economic Impact of the Iraq War and Higher Military Spending - PDF - in HTML - To quote...."After an initial demand stimulus, the effect of increased military spending turns negative around the sixth year."  -- See also....Effective Fed Funds Rate - 03-24-07 - mpg
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Iraq War "Caused Slowdown in the US"
Related article - A quote...."The Iraq war has cost the US 50-60 times more than the Bush administration predicted and was a central cause of the sub-prime banking crisis threatening the world economy, according to Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz."

US Workers Union to Shut Down West Coast Ports May 1 Demanding End to War in Iraq, Afghanistan
Action Alert - A quote...."In a major step for the U.S. labor movement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. This is the first time in decades that an American union has decided to undertake industrial action against a U.S. war."

Occupation Strangles [Iraqi] Farmers - That's the idea. - mpg
A quote...."BAQUBA - New plant diseases, attacks by occupation forces and escalating fuel prices are strangling farmers in Diyala province. -- Prior to the US-led invasion of March 2003, farmers in Baquba, the capital city of Diyala province 40 km northeast of Baghdad, struggled with plant diseases they believed were caused by bombs dropped during the US-led war against Iraq in 1991."  --  And that's why they're all going to start growing opium. - mpg

Librarians and archivists demand US return of stolen Iraqi documents
A quote...."The removal of millions of pages of Interior Ministry documents from Iraq by the American military has prompted calls from organizations and individuals in the library and archives community for their return to the Iraqi people.  --  These documents, many of which detail the crimes of the regime of Saddam Hussein and his predecessors, are now in the United States in the hands of the military and intelligence agencies. Others are being held by a private foundation in the US headed by pro-occupation Iraqis." -- How much you wanna'bet that there's ALL SORTS of incriminating evidence in those docs regarding our elites' relationships to Saddam, and all the money, weapons (including WMD's) and intel the US supplied him. If the Iraqis ever get those docs back, they're going to be missing tens of thousands of pages. - mpg
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9/11 - Six Years in the Making
A quote...."It was to be the most spectacular terrorist act of all time. Thousands would die, and it would cripple the airline industry. I'm not talking about 9/11. I'm talking about the Bojinka plot that was uncovered in early 1995. I'm talking about it because I know for a fact the FBI doesn't want it known. I know this because of the just recently released declassified FBI documents that are now available at http://intelfiles.egoplex.com/index.html"

High-Ranking Intelligence Officer Updates His Conclusions About 9/11
A quote...."You may have already heard that 20-year Marine Corps infantry and intelligence officer, the second-ranking civilian in U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence, and former CIA clandestine services case officer (Robert Steele) stated that "9/11 was at a minimum allowed to happen as a pretext for war", and it was probably an inside job (see Amazon Customer Review dated October 7, 2006)."
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UK report: Iran sanctions ineffective
A quote...."British lawmakers say sanctions and military strikes against Iran are not likely to encourage Tehran to suspend enriching uranium."

Shame on the Arabs, shame on the Muslims, shame on humanity
A quote...."As Israel is fulfilling its threat to inflict a "greater holocaust" (greater than the German Holocaust) on the Palestinian people, the vast bulk of Arabs and Muslims, as well as the rest of the world, are looking on passively as the Judeo-Nazi state is having a free season on the helpless Palestinians."

It's Time To Demilitarize US Policy in Africa
A quote...."Of the nine countries where armed conflicts are now in progress, US-supplied arms and training are a factor in every one."  --  See also....Africa - the Next Target - 02-28-08 - mpg

Majority of Ukrainians oppose entering NATO
A quote...."If Ukraine joins NATO, all decisions will be made in Brussels, Viktor Yanukovich, leader of the Party of Regions, has said in an interview with the Vesti-24 TV channel. He is taking part in the work of the EU-Ukraine interparliamentary cooperation committee under the European Parliament. Responding to the question about the actions of the Ukrainian leaders for preparing Ukraine for joining NATO, he stressed that “the authorities permit themselves to ignore the opinion of half of the country’s population.” According to his information, some two thirds of the Ukrainian population do not support the idea of joining NATO."

Our Saint of Buckley: Derided, Defiled and Condemned
A quote...."In the land of nightmare and fantasy that passes for the United States today, a nation which is unquestionably the highest note in the song sung by the many universes, facts and history have been banished altogether. In other circumstances, I might have waited until next week before adding a few words to the breathless, interminable hymns of praise offered to the memory of Our Saint of Buckley, but lately of this vale of tears and now pretentiously and piously preaching to the angels, as he yachts among the stars."

Building Our Own Media
A quote...."We will never succeed without media, and we will never succeed at media by criticism and legislation alone. We must build our own. -- One small way in which I'm working on that is by hosting a weekly radio show online at http://www.thepeoplespeakradio.net"

Man in Critical Condition in Ricin Case - posted at BuzzFlash
False Flag Alert? - Special Note - This case should be followed closely by everyone. - mpg - A quote...."LAS VEGAS — A man who stayed in a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin was discovered on Thursday has been hospitalized in critical condition since Feb. 14 with symptoms consistent with exposure to the deadly toxin, Las Vegas police said Friday."

Was a Colonel's Death in Iraq Something More Sinister Than Suicide?
Shot behind the ear, his bodyguard was on vacation, he was investigating corruption by contractors, etc, etc. - mpg

White House blocks inquiry into construction of $736m embassy in Iraq
A quote...."The Bush administration is blocking an inquiry into the delay-plagued construction of the $736m US embassy in Baghdad, a senior Democrat in Congress said today."

Karl Rove's attack dogs continue...
A quote...."Now for the latest.  It is as though every major and minor publication in Alabama is running to declare itself a propaganda outlet for the Alabama GOP.  So far, only the Tuscaloosa News is showing itself to be actual journalism.  --  The latest propaganda piece comes by way of the The Press Register, and their editorial attacking 60 Minutes and defending corruption by way of disinformation and dishonesty.  Below are some examples from this latest hit piece, as well as my comments for your reading pleasure."
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Iran shifts oil sales away from dollar
War Warning - Some quotes...."Deputy head of the National Iranian Oil Company for international affairs says Iran has completely dropped dollar in its oil sales."  --  "In an interview with The Financial Times, Hojjatollah Ghanimifard said that over the past three months, Iran has received 75 percent of the proceeds from its oil sales in euros and the remaining 25 percent in the Japanese currency, yen."

Credit card market a potential disaster-in-waiting.
Video - A quote...."A new report issued recently by the Center for American Progress warned that, “as borrowing in the mortgage market slows, credit card borrowing is accelerating — a dangerous trend because borrowers still face weak income growth. That means the credit card market could eventually run into the same problems that now afflict the sub-prime mortgage market. ”  --  They mention in the video that one of the states with the biggest credit card problems is California.  A note to the wise about California, in this state when people declare bankruptcy it's not because they can't pay off the debt they owe....it's because they can't even pay the interest on the debt they owe.  Just call it the California (financial) life style. - mpg


Disabuse Your Illusion: Weighing Obama in the Balance of Reality
Must Read - A quote...."Hope, said Emily Dickinson, is the thing with feathers, a tough little bird that sounds sweetest in the midst of a storm. It's a commonplace by now, but no less true, that Barack Obama's winged words of hope have borne him up to the high place where he stands now, on the threshold of the White House. And these words shine all the more brightly against the torrent of filth that the Bush Regime has rained down upon the American people for years. Thus it's no surprise that millions of people have been inspired by Obama – including a million who have put their money where their hope is, in the most remarkable grass-roots funding campaign in U.S. political history."

Ben Griffin: Former SAS, Banned Speech to Anti-War Rally
Must View - Video - Ben Griffin speaks to World Against War rally before being gagged by UK Government - A quote...."As of 1940 hrs 29/02/08 I have been placed under an injunction preventing me from speaking publicly and publishing material gained as a result of my service in UKSF (SAS).  --  I will be continuing to collect evidence and opinion on British Involvement in extraordinary rendition, torture, secret detentions, extra judicial detention, use of evidence gained through torture, breaches of the Geneva Conventions, breaches of International Law and failure to abide by our obligations as per UN Convention Against Torture. I am carrying on regardless "  --*Ben Griffin*, Former UK Special forces trooper.

Spain to extradite torturer suspect to Argentina
A quote...."Madrid - The Spanish government Friday authorized the extradition of former Argentine naval officer Ricardo Miguel Cavallo to his country to be tried for human rights abuses, Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega announced. Cavallo has been in prison in Spain since being extradited in 2003 by Mexico, where he was detained in 2000 after having been recognized by former prisoners of Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship."  --  Hey!!! - Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld....here's an article you guys might want to think about.  Pleasant dreams. - mpg

The Commander-in-Chef Cooks Up a Storm
A quote...."In the week that oil prices once again crested above $100 a barrel and more Americans than at any time since the Great Depression owed more on their homes than the homes were worth; in the year that the subprime market crashed, global markets shuddered, the previously unnoticed credit-default swap market threatened to go into the tank, stagflation returned, unemployment rose, the "R" word (for recession) hit the headlines (while the "D" word lurked), within weeks of the fifth anniversary of his invasion of Iraq, the President of the United States officially discovered the war economy."

Fact Check on McCain and Political Progress in Iraq
A quote...."John McCain has been running mainly against Barack Obama in recent days, and has been running on the successes he says that the Iraqi government has racked up."

Iran in the Crosshairs
A quote...."Washington watched as 2007 came to a violent and inglorious end. U.S. wars raged in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S.-backed Israeli occupation suffocated Palestinians, U.S.-allied governments in Pakistan and Kenya faced national explosions over false democratization and stolen elections, and U.S. corporate-driven poverty and resource wars ravaged Africa. Powerful forces in the United States had already begun to critically reassess what they saw as the diminishing value of the Bush administration’s reckless global interventionism."
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Debt Doesn't Matter When the Rubes Pay
02-29-08
mpg

Mouth-to-mouth will fail beached economies
A quote...."In the last few weeks, for instance, several Swiss, Japanese, and Korean banks have owned up to billions of dollars in subprime-related losses. Finance was, from the beginning, the cutting edge of the globalization process, and it was always an illusion to think that the subprime crisis could be confined to US financial institutions, as some analysts had thought." - underline by website editor.

As has been pointed out in many previous articles posted on this website, America has funded its war splurge by flooding the world with cheap money, leading to massive world wide inflation.  But our elites have also financed their wars of aggression by selling trillions of dollars in worthless paper debt to foreign banks across the globe.

All the peoples in the effected countries around the world who adamantly DID NOT support America’s wars in the Middle East or our country's attempt to create a Neo-Roman Empire, now have their life savings imperiled and there very economies put at risk .  There they were, doing what they were supposed to be doing, working hard, saving for their families, contributing to their nation's growth, building their communities, remaining peaceful law-abiding citizens of the world and a bunch of stupid, moronic, bankers in their OWN countries not only put their hard earned savings in danger. They did so to support a murderous and bloody campaign of world wide conquest by the elites in the United States.

The peoples across the world whose life savings might be lost or dramatically reduced because of the American elite's newest Ponzi scheme, involuntarily PAID for the photos at Abu Ghraib prison, paid for over a million Iraqi dead and over five million displaced from their homes, paid for the CIA's world wide gulag of prisons, paid for renditions and torture and horrible deaths for millions of innocents with the dollars many of them literally slaved away for in dingy, dark and dirty sweat shops across the globe.

They did so while folks in this country got to enjoy the feeling of pride one gets from "full spectrum dominance" over the rest of the international community, while we strutted about the planet claiming we were the world's sole remaining hyper-power, while people in this country gleefully engaged in a "shop till you drop mentality" for seven long years on America's new found world wide credit card, all the while many Americans sneered at the rest of the world and laughed at all those peons out there working their lives away for cheap pieces of toilet paper known as the American dollar, for worthless securities called CDO's, CMO's, SIM's and other completely valueless synthetic debt instruments.

"What a bunch of suckers -- what a bunch of rubes" they'd snicker to each other down there on Wall Street, Main Street and in the hallowed halls of Congress as they contemplated their ill gotten gains.  It's all just one big laugh-a-thon joke on everybody including all those "little people" in this country.

Cheney was right...."debt [really] doesn't matter", not when you have a bunch of gullible fools to pay the bills for you and your rich friends.

The people in the effected countries should round-up those involved in this scam, give them a fair, honest and lawful trial....and then hang every one of them. - mpg
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U.S. sends warship off Lebanon coast
War Warning - A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Signaling impatience with Syria, the United States has sent its USS Cole warship off the coast of Lebanon in a show of support amid Beirut's political crisis, U.S. officials said on Thursday."  --  Possible prelude to a combined Israeli / US assault on Iran / Lebanon.  Includes possible arranged "false flag" pretext to start the war (think 'remember the Maine to hell with Spain') or preparation for a planned assassination of Ahmedinejad, see article below. - mpg

Iranian Pres. Ahmedinejad's visit to Iraq may upstage U.S.
A quote...."BAGHDAD — President Bush's leading nemesis in the Middle East, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, begins a two-day state visit to Iraq on Sunday, attempting to highlight Iran's role as the region's major power and upstage Bush and the U.S. military presence."

POLITICS: Iran Nuke Laptop Data Came from Terror Group
A quote...."But those documents have long been regarded with great suspicion by U.S. and foreign analysts. German officials have identified the source of the laptop documents in November 2004 as the Mujahideen e Khalq (MEK), which along with its political arm, the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), is listed by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organisation."  --  For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others

Israeli deputy minister threatens Gaza with 'Shoah' - [Holocaust]
A quote...."Israel's deputy defense Minister, Matan Vilnai, yesterday threatened a new 'Shoah' (Holocaust) in Gaza, if Hamas and the other militant Palestinian forces there continue to send rockets against southern Israel. - This, in the midst of yet another round of escalation and counter-escalation that has occurred over recent days, causing the death of one Israeli civilian and of some twenty Palestinians in Gaza, including civilians and four (or perhaps more) children."  -- First Israel creates the equivalent of the Warsaw Ghetto right on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea (the Gaza strip), than they starve, beat and casually shoot the inhabitants, now they threaten them with extermination. -- Well after all, they did have the best teachers. -- One wonders if the Israelis will use cattle cars to transport the Palestinians?  They'll probably have to get the Zyklon-B and the crematoriums from somewhere else however because it's doubtful they manufacture those sorts of items in Israel....but than again, one can't be absolutely sure about that, the Israelis have always been good at preparing things in advance. -  mpg
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Robert Fisk: The gardens of the devil, still sowing death
A quote...."The first time I saw one, my first instinct was to pick it up. It shone in the sunlight, bright green, something new and fresh amid the dry grass of the south Lebanon hills. The little cluster bomblet seemed to have been made to hold in the hand. No wonder the little children died."

Disgrace for Democracy, Israel is detaining right now 40% of the Palestinian MPs who represent the people
A quote...."Disgrace for Democracy: 51 Palestinian MPs and Ministers are Detained in Israeli prisons along with 11.870 Palestinian citizens - A serious crime and new political slap in the face for democracy is committed by the Zionist system against representatives of the Palestinian people by the abduction of the Palestinian ministers and MPs."

Afghanistan breaks opium mark
A quote...."Narcotics production and poppy cultivation in Afghanistan hit an historic high in 2007 for the second straight year, a report says."  --  Take special note folks, this is the ONLY Bush "business success story" so far ever recorded.   Starting with almost no opium production (the Taliban had nearly eliminated it),  Afghanistan under Bush's thoughtful stewardship has now reached levels of production where it supplies most of the world, but the story doesn’t stop there folks, it gets even better!!  Iraq has recently joined Afghanistan in opium production too!  Isn't that fantastic news?  Way to go Bush!!!  We all knew you could succeed at something (besides killing lots of people) - mpg

POLITICS-US:  Vets Break Silence on War Crimes
A quote...."SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 28 (IPS) - U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are planning to descend on Washington from Mar. 13-16 to testify about war crimes they committed or personally witnessed in those countries."

POLITICS-US:  Embattled Veterans Official Resigns Post
A quote...."SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 29 (IPS) - Another high-ranking George W. Bush administration official has resigned. The Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits Daniel Cooper quit Thursday amid mounting criticism over a backlog of disability claims for injured veterans that runs six months long and an appearance he made in a fundraising video for an evangelical Christian organisation where he said Bible study was more important than doing his job."

The Global Water Crisis And The Coming Battle For The Right To Water
A quote...."The three water crises – dwindling freshwater supplies, inequitable access to water and the corporate control of water – pose the greatest threat of our time to the planet and to our survival. Together with impending climate change from fossil fuel emissions, the water crises impose some life-or-death decisions on us all. Unless we collectively change our behavior, we are heading toward a world of deepening conflict and potential wars over the dwindling supplies of freshwater – between nations, between rich and poor, between the public and the private interest, between rural and urban populations, and between the competing needs of the natural world and industrialized humans."

Top 10 Dystopian Future Films Telling Us to Act Now!
A quote...."There is an entire genre of film out there that examines the darker side of humanity and what the future looks like if that darker side continues to thrive. It seems to me that these films offer us a great opportunity to turn a negative into a positive and thus I present you with the Top 10 Dystopian Future Films Telling Us to Act Now!"

Head of Dubai World threatens to take his money out of Europe
A quote...."The boss of Dubai World, the powerful sovereign wealth fund, has issued a thinly veiled warning to critics of the $2.5trn (£1.25trn) sector, threatening to take his money elsewhere if the European Union tried to regulate his activities."

Russia's Sukhoi holds public presentation of SuperJet-100 - Sukhoi Topic
A quote...."KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi officially presented to the public on Wednesday its first SuperJet-100 regional aircraft."

Junk sales mirror '91 recession and bankruptcies
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bankruptcy lawyers: Sharpen your pencils. This could be a frenzied year in U.S. bankruptcy courts, according to signals flashing from the global junk bond market.  --  High-yield debt sales have sputtered so far in 2008 and are off to their weakest start in 17 years thanks to an anemic U.S. economy, a worldwide credit crunch and a pronounced absence of investor appetite for risky assets."  --  Yep, the (abbreviated) "Ten Year Cycle" is beginning to bite, along with a collapsing housing market, a collapsing synthetic debt market, roaring inflation, the deindustrialization of the United States, an oil shock and MASSIVE uncontrolled consumer, trade and federal deficits.  Sounds like it's time to start another war to this editor, heck, who cares about  inflation or the debt levels - let's all go start killing some more of them there Aaaaa-rabs, or is it Persians this time?  Ahhh....what's the difference anyway, lets just start bombing somebody. - mpg

Consumer spending flat in January - Inflation eats away almost all income gains
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. real consumer spending was unchanged in January for the third time in the past four months as the economic slump deepened. - Inflation jumped in January, eating away almost all the increase in personal incomes, the Commerce Department reported Friday."

Is Inflation Leading to Panic?
A quote...."Inflation is leading to market distortions, serious signs of which are showing up in grain markets."

Euro zone inflation marks an all time annual high in January
A quote...."Hikes in fuel and heating oil prices pushed the Euro zone 12 months rate of inflation to an all-time high in January, but a sharper than expected drop in core inflation added weight to the view that it will fall back closer to the European Central Bank's 2% target ceiling later this year."