Iron Man and the Merchants of Death
A quote...."The phrase Merchants of Death takes center stage in the movie Iron Man, which is a spectacular expose of a subject that dominates the American economic landscape but about which Americans have very little knowledge. The phrase and the movie deal with the odd juxtaposition of capitalism and war as found in the weapons industry. Here we have innovations and efficiency of the type we associate with the private commercial sector but serving ends that are the very opposite of capitalism. The industry serves war, not peace, depends on coercion, not human volition, and profits from destruction, not creation."

War funding would break Dem promises
A quote...."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is about to lead her party into a major showdown over Iraq funding by violating two Democratic campaign pledges in one fell swoop. -- To the critics, whether anti-war activists or House Republicans, Pelosi has made her feelings clear: Get over it." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Democrats Prepare Sell-Out on Telecom Immunity: House Leaders to Give White House a Blank Check to Spy on Americans -- A quote...."As revelations of the Bush administration’s illegal surveillance programs continue to expose the criminal nature of the regime in Washington, new reports suggest that House Democrats are preparing to capitulate to the White House on warrantless wiretapping and amnesty for lawbreaking telecoms."

Executive or Imperial Branch?
A quote...."More memos recently have surfaced that were written early in the Bush administration by John C. Yoo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel -- the man who gave us the administration's horrifyingly narrow definition of torture."

NYT Again Excludes Critics From Iraq War Discussion
A quote...."The New York Times' May 4 Week in Review section featured a discussion of the state of the Iraq War with advocates of that war—-the same advocates who prompted a FAIR action alert on March 17. The following letter was sent to New York Times public editor Clark Hoyt, Op-Ed page editor David Shipley and Week in Review editor Sam Tanenhaus. Their contact information is listed below, as is FAIR's earlier alert."

As New York Times cites anonymous officials on Iran intelligence, Iraqi government fires back
A quote...."As anonymous American officials continue to leak information suggesting Iran's involvement in Iraq to the New York Times, even Iraq has begun fighting back. A top Iraqi official said Sunday there was no conclusive evidence that Shiite extremists have been directly supplied with some Iranian arms as alleged by the United States."

Mission Impossible
A quote...."Sunday’s New York Times had a  series of articles  marking the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished”  victory speech on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. The title of the collection, “How to See This Mission Accomplished,” seems fit more for a motivational-speaking seminar than a critical intervention in the discourse of war. It gestures to the inadequacies that riddle the mainstream media’s analysis of the war in Iraq." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Hezbollah Is in Iran, Michael Gordon Says American Officials Say
A quote...."There is a child's game all Americans know called Simon Says. Consecutive commands are shouted by a leader to a group with the legitimating prefix, "Simon Says." "Simon says raise your right hand; Simon says jump up and down; Simon says wave your arms; Simon says nod your head;--wave your arms!" If you wave your arms the second time, you are out. Monotony lulls the listener, and the aim of a clever leader is to jerk a mindless response from the listener who is attuned to the rhythm and not the prefix."  --  For more on this issue see....Fake Intell/Propaganda - Michael Gordon

Corruption Eats Into Food Rations
A quote...."FALLUJAH, May 2 (IPS) - Amidst unemployment and impoverishment, Iraqis now face a cutting down of their monthly food ration – much of it already eaten away by official corruption. Iraqis survived the sanctions after the first Gulf War (1990) with the support of rations through the Public Distribution System (PDS). [But they're not going to survive the US's "help"] The aid was set up in 1995 as part of the UN's Oil-for-Food programme." -- For more on this issue see....The Method - 05-07-07 - mpg

Assassins of Peace
War Update - A quote...."CNN reports that George W. Bush, with his disapproval rating shooting past 70 percent, is the most unpopular president in modern American history, or as long as they've been polling the question – less beloved than Richard Nixon in the weeks prior to his resignation, and, I'd guess, more despised than George III in 1776. Bush II is identified primarily in the public mind with the bane of his presidency, the Iraq war, and support for that, too, has reached a new low at 30 percent. Enthusiasm for our Iraqi misadventure hasn't cracked 35 percent in many months, in spite of all the malarkey about the "success" of the recent escalation. The domestic accompaniment of the "surge" in Iraq is the rising tide of sheer hatred directed at the War Party and all its works and minions."

Newspaper reports military mum on destination of 6-ship convoy
War Update - Some quotes...."On Sunday, 5,500 sailors and Marines left San Diego on a six-ship convoy, though no one would say where they were headed, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune." -- "Led by the amphibious assault ship Peleliu, the convoy comprises the amphibious ships Pearl Harbor and Dubuque, the cruiser Cape St. George and the destroyers Halsey and Benfold, the paper wrote."

USS Peleliu (LHA-5)
USS Dubuque (LPD-8)
USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52)
USS Cape St. George (CG-71)
USS Halsey (DDG-97)
USS Benfold (DDG-65)
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Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Tuesday round-up - 5 articles - [ Day 43 ]

Iraqi militia commanders harden stance toward U.S.
Video - A quote...."May 6, 2008 -- BAGHDAD -- It was sunset, and a pair of Iraqi soldiers were sitting in a roofless house by the Iranian border, awaiting orders. Suddenly, Abu Baqr recalls, his friend let out a gasp and fell silent, a sniper's bullet in his forehead. Abu Baqr couldn't help him, couldn't move for fear of being shot. He lay beside his friend's corpse until morning."

In Iraq, U.S. walks tightrope with Sadr
A quote...."May 7, 2008 -- BAGHDAD -- The U.S. military has tied itself into a verbal knot as it tries to avoid further inflaming tensions with Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr while confronting members of his Mahdi Army militia.

Iraq: Stop the massacre in Sadr City…
A quote...." Wednesday, May  7th,  2008 @ 00:18 UTC -- In the weeks following the high profile attack on Basra by the Iraqi army and its high profile failure something of a low-level war has been going on across Iraq much behind the scenes of the mainstream media. Yet now the situation seems to be coming to a head. -- Al-Ghad issued a statement giving an urgent warning that an imminent massacre of the people of Sadr City is being planned:"

Iraqi civilians flee fighting in Baghdad militia stronghold
A quote...."Tue May 6, 4:34 PM ET -- BAGHDAD - A rocket slammed into Baghdad's city hall and another hit a downtown park Tuesday as more frightened civilians fled a Shiite militia stronghold where U.S.-led forces are locked in fierce street battles."

Policemen arrested as Iraq battles upsurge in violence
A quote...."Published Date:  07 May 2008 -- IRAQI soldiers yesterday detained dozens of policemen and closed down a hospital suspected of treating Shiite militiamen in a Baghdad stronghold of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army."

Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Tuesday round-up  - [ Day 43 ]
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Doubting the Evidence Against Iran
A quote...."American circles in Baghdad and Washington are probably not pleased with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's plan for a special panel to investigate allegations of Iranian interference in Iraq. Many U.S. officials are already convinced of the worst and, for years, U.S. officials have aired accusations against Iran, insisting that Tehran is stoking Iraq's violence by keeping up a flow of money, weapons and trained fighters into the country. The Iraqi government, however, remains unconvinced — with good reason." -- Also posted at ICH -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel/Propaganda - IED's & EFP's

Russia, China Criticize Britain Over Remarks On Iran
A quote...."5/6/2008 2:49:39 AM The British ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, John Duncan, came in for some sharp criticism from Russia and China for distorting reports about the decisions of G5 plus Germany on Iran's nuclear program. -- Chinese and Russian permanent representative at the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in Geneva said Monday that the statements by the British envoy do not reflect the views of China and Russia."

PJB: Is It Jaw-Jaw or War-War?
A quote...."Is war with Iran inevitable, even imminent? Or is peace at hand? - From the public diplomacy of the administration, either conclusion may be reached. Consider."

Former President Carter has Done it Again. What the Hell he thinks he is? HERTZ?
A quote...."Former President Carter has done it again. He dared to meet with Hamas leaders in Syria and talk about how to come to an end of violence and war. Who does he think he is? How could he advocate actually talking to the other side in a long-standing dispute? Never mind that Hamas was an overwhelming winner in the Palestinian elections (held early at our insistence)."

Palestinian Unit Battles Gunmen In Test for U.S.-Funded Program
A quote...."JERUSALEM, May 6 -- At least three people were wounded Tuesday as Palestinian security forces who were trained in a U.S.-funded program battled gunmen in a northern West Bank town long known for its lawlessness. -- The operation marked the first major test for a group of Presidential Guard officers who are at the forefront of a $28 million U.S. effort to bolster the Palestinian Authority's security capabilities through training and equipment."  -- For more on this issue see....US Sponsored Civil Wars - Palestine

Newly Unredacted Report Confirms Psychologists Supported Illegal Interrogations In Iraq and Afghanistan
A quote...."NEW YORK — The American Civil Liberties Union announced today the release of newly unredacted documents from the Defense Department's internal investigations into charges of detainee abuse. Uncensored documents from the Church Report, obtained as a result of the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, include new details exposing the role of psychologists in military interrogations. The documents also uncover new information about the failure of military medical personnel to report abuses at Abu Ghraib, the military's use of unlawful interrogation methods subsequent to a directive that was ostensibly meant to end such practices, and detainee deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Pentagon Secretly Goes To War With The Internet
A quote...."The Pentagon is to spend $30 Billion building a super secret "National Cyber Range" in order to prepare for all out cyber warfare by using it to conduct mock online battles with realistic info-warriors." -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel/Propaganda - Stop The Net

Kurtz: Media won’t cover Pentagon propaganda ‘because they are embarrassed.'
A quote...."In a washingtonpost.com online chat today, the Post’s media critic Howard Kurtz was asked why the television news media have largely failed to report on the Pentagon propaganda operation revealed recently by the New York Times. Kurtz said the media is too embarrassed to report the story:"

Investigate the Pentagon Pundit Program
A quote...."Like me, I know you'll be following the election returns today - but it's imperative that we not lose focus on some of the issues in play that may be obscured by the election - and I can tell you that if you're watching the returns on television news, there's one story you're almost guaranteed not to see tonight." -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel/Propaganda - NYT Article

Damascus in the Crosshairs - The Syrian Affair
A quote...."A “very odd affair” is how the Financial Times (FT) characterized the Bush Administration’s release of intelligence charging that the Syrian building bombed by the Israelis last Sept. 6 was a North Korean-designed nuclear reactor just weeks from being operational. - Indeed it was “odd,” and sorting through the motives behind the whole business is a little like trying to scope out the politics of Byzantium."

Roads blocked in Beirut anti-gov't protests
A quote...."Demonstrators have blocked roads in and around Beirut with burning tires, protesting against the govt's economic and social policies."

It's Not the First Time - U.S. is Promoting Secession in Bolivia
A quote...."Having avoided any meaningful coverage of Bolivia since the election of Evo Morales in December, 2005, the international media is now obliged to play catch up.  Yesterday, the Andean nation of 9.1 million held a crucial vote which could pave the way for secession of the resource-rich Santa Cruz region."

Bolivia nationalises four energy firms, takes control of telecom operator news
A quote...."May 2 - Bolivian president Evo Morales has announced the nationalisation of four global energy companies operating in the country even as the state took absolute control of the National Telecommunications Company (Entel), in a continuation of the country's nationalisation policy."

US Navy resurrects Fourth Fleet to police Latin America
Special Note - A quote...."Washington announced at the end of last month that it is resurrecting the long-ago moth-balled Fourth Fleet to reassert US power in the Caribbean and Latin America. Created at the time of World War II to combat German submarines attacking merchant shipping convoys in the South Atlantic, the Fourth Fleet was seen as no longer necessary after the Second World War and was disbanded in 1950."

Georgia says "very close" to war with Russia
A quote...."BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia's deployment of extra troops in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia has brought the prospect of war "very close", a minister of ex-Soviet Georgia said on Tuesday."

Power struggle as Medvedev takes office
A quote...."The eight-year presidency of Vladimir Putin will come to an end today according to a carefully scripted scenario as his successor Dmitry Medvedev is sworn into office. Mr Putin is almost certain to be named as Prime Minister tomorrow, and many analysts expect him to continue calling the shots."

Russia enacts law on foreign investment in strategic industries
A quote...."MOSCOW, May 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's law on foreign investment in strategic industries, clarifying the rules of investing in Russia, came into effect on Wednesday. -- The bill was passed by the State Duma, the country's lower house of parliament, on April 2, and approved by the upper house two weeks later. It was signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 29."

Britain: Labour’s electoral meltdown continues to worsen
A quote...."The meltdown suffered by the Brown government in last week’s local elections, coupled with Ken Livingstone’s defeat by Boris Johnson in the contest for London Mayor, is a major staging post in the ongoing collapse of New Labour. -- The party’s share of the vote fell to a 40-year low of just 24 percent, compared with 44 percent for the Conservatives and 25 percent for the Liberal Democrats. But its eclipse by the Tories is only part of the picture. Turnout was just 35 percent, confirming the widespread alienation from all the major parties."

Hope fades over EU role for Blair - Hip Hip Hooray !! - mpg
A quote...."Tony Blair received an unwelcome 55th birthday present from France yesterday. President Nicolas Sarkozy has abandoned his efforts to push the former prime minister's claim to be the first permanent president of the European Union Council from next year." -- It was like watching an impending car crash, you didn't want to look but you just couldn't avert your eyes and at the very last minute, Europe avoided going into the ditch. - mpg

Can you spot the corrupt officials in this story?
A quote...."Sorry folks, I have been on deadline. Now, some very strange news today that I have no idea what to make of and since it is by way of Foxified WSJ, it really provides me with little ability to even speculate as to why this happened:"
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Bernanke's Nightmare Chart
Special Note - A quote..."In this report, I introduce you to an amazing chart. It is getting zero attention from the mainstream financial media. The information it conveys is at the heart of Bernanke's looming problem. I have decided to post a link to this chart on a permanent basis in the "Free Materials" section of my website."

Europe Producer-Price Inflation Accelerates in March
A quote...."May 6 (Bloomberg) -- European producer-price inflation accelerated more than economists forecast in March, intensifying pressure on the European Central Bank to keep interest rates on hold."

UBS axes jobs after plunging £5.5bn in the red
A quote...."UBS is to cut 7 per cent of its workforce, or 5,500 jobs, as it struggles to deal with the impact of the global credit crunch. - The Swiss banking giant said this morning that conditions in financial markets “remain difficult” as it unveiled an SwFr11.55 billion (£5.55 billion) first quarter loss, compared with a net profit of just over SwFr3 billion (£1.44 billion) in the first quarter of 2007. - UBS also confirmed that it is to sell $20 billion worth of sub-prime debt to the fund manager Blackrock."

Bankruptcies on the Rise
A quote...."More businesses filed for bankruptcy in April, 2008, than in any month since new bankruptcy laws took effect in 2005, according to a company that tracks federal court filings."


For more on this issue see....Fake Intel/Propaganda - The 935 False Statements


10 ways to blow your tax rebate
Must Read - A quote...."Here's the bad news: Your little recession-deflecting tax rebate? No rebate at all. Not even close. -- It's more like this: You've been continuously mugged and beaten and robbed blind for the past seven years straight, and as you lay there on the cold, hard economic ground, bleeding and gasping and wondering what the hell happened to your vacation time and your health care plan and your mortgage payment, your attackers scoff and leer and toss a couple of bloodstained nickels on your pulverized face and mutter, here sucker, have some bus fare, and then they cackle and stomp away with all your loot and dignity and hope, back to the White House from whence they came."

United States goes Fallujah on Sadr City: Legal Case for Military Resistance
Must Read - Must View Video - A quote...."On Saturday, 3 May 2008, United States rockets damaged a hospital in Sadr City. “An AFP reporter at the scene said the district's main Al-Sadr hospital was badly damaged and a fleet of ambulances was destroyed.” - The US military insists that they “destroyed a ‘criminal element command and control centre’ by munitions from a ‘rocket system’,” but hospital staff and residence refute these claims.

Iraq: U.S. has no claim to oil boom - 'America has hardly even begun to repay its debt to Iraq,' Baghdad official says
A quote...."BAGHDAD — As Congress gears up to debate the Bush administration's latest request for an additional $108 billion in war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, Iraqis are fuming at suggestions being floated by lawmakers that Baghdad should start paying a share of the war's costs by providing cheap fuel to the U.S. military." -- For more on this issue see....Making the Victim Pay

Bush details $70 billion war funding request for 2009
A quote...."Congressional analysts say Bush's request would bring the total spending since Sept. 11, 2001, to fight terrorism and conduct the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to $875 billion."

KBR first-quarter profit up, shares climb
A quote...."HOUSTON (Reuters) - KBR Inc (KBR.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the engineering and construction company, said on Friday its first-quarter net profit more than tripled, helped by an arbitration award, income from energy projects and its work for the U.S. government in Iraq." - bold by website editor -- To all the men and women in the armed forces of the United States.  Keep up the good work, them Texas Boyz are just loving it. - mpg

Exxon Mobil Profits Soar: Grow 17 Percent
A quote...."HOUSTON — Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said Thursday that record crude prices helped its first-quarter profit climb 17 percent to $10.9 billion the second-biggest U.S. quarterly corporate profit ever." -- bold by website editor - Hats off to the Military Industrial Oil Complex (MIOC)....way to go! - mpg

Fabricated 'Bioterrorism' Case Collapses
A quote...."After a four-year legal battle, a US federal judge has dismissed all charges against an avant-garde artist who public officials condemned as a bio-terrorist in a case critics are calling "a persecution, not a prosecution."


Bush's GOP Legacy: A Third World America
Must Read - A quote...."As the US faces a very real prospect of utter collapse where millions may be may be made jobless and homeless, the GOP drags out a tired old lie that goes like this: 'Be happy! Recession is goooood for you!' If that were true, millions would be trying to move to a third world country instead of trying to get out of one. Don't worry about it; the third world is coming to you! Millions have yet to recover from Ronald Reagan's 'recession' of some two years following an improvident tax cut which benefited only the nation's privileged elite. What Reagan failed to achieve was left to Bush Jr to polish off."
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The Iranian Chessboard - Five Ways to Think about Iran under the Gun
Must Read - A quote...."More than two years ago, Seymour Hersh disclosed in the New Yorker how George W. Bush was considering strategic nuclear strikes against Iran. Ever since, a campaign to demonize that country has proceeded in a relentless, Terminator-like way, applying the same techniques and semantic contortions that were so familiar in the period before the Bush administration launched its invasion of Iraq." -- Also posted at AntiWar , Asia Times & ICH
 
Iran moving into the big league
Related article - A quote...."Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's three-nation tour of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India and the welter of agreements and understandings reached between Tehran and these governments serve notice beyond the mere issue of energy security and Iran's expanding role in the sub-continent's energy market; rather, these developments signify a new stage in Iran's foreign policy that is best described as "pan-regionalism"."

American Culture and the Demise of Empire - Cultural Decay and Motivating Empire. The Grand Chessboard Part 2 & Part 1 -- Must Read - A quote...."A genuinely populist democracy has never before attained international supremacy. The pursuit of power and especially the economic costs and human sacrifice that the exercise of such power often requires are not generally congenial to democratic instincts. Democratization is inimical to imperial mobilization."  -- *Zbigniew Brzezinski* -- bold by article's author

Democrats Okay Funds for Covert Ops - Secret Bush "Finding" Widens War on Iran
A quote...."Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, "unprecedented in its scope." - Bush’s secret directive covers actions across a huge geographic area – from Lebanon to Afghanistan – but is also far more sweeping in the type of actions permitted under its guidelines – up to and including the assassination of targeted officials.  This widened scope clears the way, for example, for full support for the military arm of Mujahedin-e Khalq, the cultish Iranian opposition group, despite its enduring position on the State Department's list of terrorist groups. -- Also posted at ICH

For more on the article shown above see....US Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others
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Cage Match: Criminal Complicity on the Campaign Trail
A quote...."It is clear -- clear beyond all doubt or dispute -- that our public officials do not believe in democracy and law. They don't want to preserve the constitutional republic. They have no sense of morality or the slightest commitment to justice. If they did, they would already be taking action, standing up, leading the nation out of this blood-drenched cesspit. -- Barack Obama -- whom we are told is performing a transcendent miracle by "changing the very nature of politics" -- doesn't believe in law, or justice, or the republic; he won't fight for them, he won't stand up for them. Neither will Hillary Clinton. Neither will John McCain. Like all of our "leaders," they will talk of such things; they will extol law and justice and the Constitution in the loftiest terms. But when it's time to lay it on the line, to put their professed beliefs into action -- they fold. They shift. They dissemble. When they are confronted with overwhelming evidence of high crimes by the president and his henchmen, they "take impeachment off the table."

ARREST BUSH - Bush Confesses to Waterboarding. Call D.C. Cops!
A quote...."NEW YORK--"Why are we talking about this in the White House?" John Ashcroft nervously asked his fellow members of the National Security Council's Principals Committee. (The Principals were Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General Ashcroft.) - "History will not judge this kindly," Ashcroft predicted. - "This" is torture. Against innocent people. Conducted by CIA agents and American soldiers and marines. Sanctioned by legal opinions issued by Ashcroft's Justice Department. Directly ordered by George W. Bush. -- Also posted at CommonDreams

List of Suicides by whistle blowers or those that knew things
It's a small list, they're are many others that could be added to it. - mpg
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Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Friday round-up - 8 articles - [ Day 39 ]  

The Insurgent as Counterinsurgent
Must Read - A quote...."While Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki likely launched the attack to weaken Sadr's rival Shiite party ahead of this fall's provincial elections, his move left Sadr in a commanding position: this week, parliamentarians from Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish blocs joined with Sadr's Shiite followers in a peaceful protest against Maliki's Sadr City crackdown."

Mahdi Army continues to challenge U.S. occupation
Must Read - A quote...."The Mahdi Army has since played a contradictory role. It has been in a quasi-alliance with the U.S. government and has participated in the ruling government coalition. Moreover, it has taken part in the killings of Sunnis, in line with the U.S. strategy of dividing the population. -- At the same time, with grassroots support from the urban poor Shia population, Sadr and his army have expressed their opposition to the occupation in various forms, including demonstrations."

Misery Under Siege - Is Sadr City Becoming the Next Gaza?
A quote...."They have now completely surrounded Sadr City. The media is talking about Gaza, while we now have a second ‘Rafah Crossing’ in Sadr City. The hospitals are jammed with dead bodies...the occupation forces completely ban and open fire at any convoy trying to deliver humanitarian aid. People here suffer from shortage of food supplies. The occupation forces have burnt the city’s market.” -- *Dr. Maha al-Dori*, Sadrist MP

Iraq's Shiite clerics trade barbs over US-backed government crackdown on militias
A quote...."BAGHDAD (AP) - Prominent Shiite clerics traded barbs during Friday prayers, with one vowing the government will clear the capital's Sadr City slum of militias as an aide to Muqtada al-Sadr demanded the prime minister spearheading the crackdown be prosecuted for crimes against his people. U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces face intensified urban warfare with Shiite."

Iraqi MPs call Maliki 'depraved'
A quote...."Iraqi deputies have denounced the government, using a quotation from the Koran to describe Prime Minister Nouri Maliki as "depraved"."

Iraq PM criticised by Sadr City crowds
A quote...."BAGHDAD (AFP) — Crowds of Shiite Muslims launched a tirade against Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during Friday prayers in Baghdad's Sadr City and urged him to end a stalemate with their leader Moqtada al-Sadr."

Hundreds killed by US strikes in Sadr City
Must View - Video - A quote...."Pepe Escobar: New strategy to fight resistance--Wall-in a section of the city and bomb it." -- For more regarding this issue see....Paltry result of Iraqi [Nouri al-Maliki's and Cheney's] offensive quiets U.S. withdrawal talk - A Satirical Edit - posted 04-02-08

Sadr snubs Iraq peace overtures
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) - Hardline Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Thursday refused to hold talks with Iraqi lawmakers who had gone to Iran in a bid to end the clashes between his fighters and troops, an aide told AFP."

Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Friday round-up - [ Day 39 ]
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Those who look the other way are accomplices to Israel's crimes in Gaza
A quote...."The latest slaughter in the Gaza Strip is generating the predictable claims and counter-claims about responsibility for the loss of innocent lives. The Palestinians say a mother, her four children and another youth were killed by Israeli tank fire, while the Israelis insist that explosives belonging to militants were accidentally set off. As is generally the case, though, whatever the immediate cause on this specific occasion, these and the thousands of civilian deaths that have preceded them are the result of the impunity with which the Israeli government is habitually allowed to run roughshod over Arabs." -- Also posted at uruknet

What's McCain Thinking When He Says Boot Russia From G-8?
A quote...."Washington - John McCain dropped a little-noticed bombshell into his March foreign-policy address: Boot Russia from the G-8, the elite club of leading industrial democracies whose leaders try to coordinate economic policies. -  One major problem: He can't do it because the other G-8 nations won't let him. - But the fact that he's proposing to try, risking a return to Cold War tensions with the world's second-largest nuclear power after 20 years of prickly partnership, raises questions about McCain's judgment. It also underscores that many of his top foreign-policy advisers are of the same neo-conservative school that promoted the war in Iraq, argue for a tougher stance toward Iran and are skeptical of negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program."

Iran, Bahrain Seeking to Boost Mutual Investment
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian and Bahraini businessmen are slated to discuss investment opportunities in their fifth joint meeting in Manama on Saturday, despite heavy pressures by the US on the Arab state to end financial ties with Tehran."

Iran: Gas-OPEC Formation at Hand
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Ministers from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) are expected to discuss an official charter during a June meeting in Russia."

Call to defend human rights activists in Colombia
A quote...."A group of independent United Nations experts have called for urgent measures to protect those defending human rights in Colombia, following a recent surge in violence that includes killings, harassment and intimidation of civil society activists, trade union leaders and lawyers representing victims."

RIGHTS:  Impunity Reigns in Journalist Murders
A quote...."NEW YORK, May 2 (IPS) - Over the last 15 years, at least 500 journalists were killed directly because of their work. But in less than 15 percent of cases have the perpetrators been brought to justice, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)."

Who attacked Karzai?
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Pyotr Goncharov) - Who stands behind an attempt on the life of Afghan President Hamid Karzai on April 27? - There are many versions of the answer to this question, as it always happens in such cases. It would be naive to think that the Taliban could carry out this assassination attempt on its own."

Sarkozy's difficult anniversary
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Fedyashin) - "Kings are not born: they are made by artificial hallucination." George Bernard Shaw's famously caustic comment on royalty succinctly describes French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Almost a year ago, France was under his spell, and elected him president on May 6 of the past year. But by this spring the spell had gone." -- Not only is he the stupidest politician the French people have ever elected to office, not only did he cheerfully and willingly become Bush's "pet poodle" (yech!) but he's also the strangest looking politician on the planet, what's up with the hair?  He gives Kim Jung-Il a run for his money. - mpg

The Bush Family's Bad Latin Real Estate Investment
Some quotes...."Back in late 2006, it was widely reported in the Latin American media that President Bush, or perhaps his old man, had bought a 100,000-acre farm in a remote area of Paraguay." -- "Given that President Bush, once he leaves office on January 20, 2009, will no longer have the diplomatic immunity conferred upon heads of state, or the Constitutional protection against indictment by domestic prosecutors, it makes sense that he would be looking for a safe haven from the long arm of the law."

Postal Carrier Accused of Warning Customer About 'Mail Cover' Surveillance
A quote...."Here's a good reason to remember your postal carrier at Christmas time. Apparently, he or she can tell you if the government is secretly monitoring your mail. - Federal prosecutors in Detroit say letter carrier Darlene Cry illegally tipped off a postal customer that he was the subject of a "mail cover" -- a form of warrantless surveillance in which the envelope information on every card and letter received is secretly recorded by the Post Office, then passed to federal law enforcement or intelligence officials."

Pat Tillman’s mother still not sure she’s being told the truth
Video - A quote...."The mother of Pat Tillman is speaking out about her son’s death in her first television interview, to be broadcast this Sunday on 60 Minutes." -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda - Pat Tillman

Bush Signs Bill To Take All Newborns' DNA
A quote...."President Bush last week signed into law a bill which will see the federal government begin to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. within six months, a move critics have described as the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database." -- See also the movie Gattaca
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Fed expands auction, accepts wider collateral
Special Note - A quote...."NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The Federal Reserve, along with other central banks, said Friday that it was increasing the funding it is providing to banks and announced that, for the first time, it was willing to accept bonds backed by auto loans and credit cards." - underline by website editor.

Fed moves helps boost credit card firms
Special Note - A quote...."NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. financial stocks posted strong gains Friday, moving higher as the Federal Reserve expanded a program to ease liquidity in troubled debt markets and as employment data showed fewer jobs than expected were lost during April." - underline by website editor.

Fed Joins with European Banks to Battle Credit Crisis
Special Note - A quote...."WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve announced Friday that it will expand a series of efforts to deal with the global credit crisis, in coordination with European central banks. -- The Fed said it was boosting the amount of emergency reserves it supplies to U.S. banks to $150 billion in May, from the $100 billion it supplied in April. The Fed took this action and several other moves to boost credit in coordination with the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank." - underline by website editor

For more on the three articles shown above see....What Ben Bernanke Said - 03-18-08
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US mortgages rot deep rooted in German banks
A quote...."The European Union on Wednesday approved a German bailout of WestLB, a regional bank that lost billions from US mortgages gone badly. Germany can now put up 5 billion Euros to help the bank ride out its exposure to the subprime banking crisis." -- For more on this issue see....Debt Doesn't Matter When the Rubes Pay 02-29-08 - mpg

Why The Yanks Aren’t Buying Huge Cars Anymore
A quote...."Chrysler, Ford and G.M. are registering sales losses in the domestic market – Pickups, SUVs, luxury cars – aren’t selling well. The trend also affects German manufacturers. But producers of small, economical cars have gotten a whiff of opportunity. -- The Big Three are reporting a drop in sales of around 14 percent for April 2008. Americans are letting dealers keep their gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs . ."

U.S. Factory Orders Rose More Than Forecast in March (Update1)
A quote...."May 2 (Bloomberg) -- Orders to U.S. factories rose more than forecast in March, indicating rising demand from overseas may be helping American manufacturers weather a decline in sales at home."

Job Cuts In April Less Severe Than Feared
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economy lost jobs for the fourth month in a row in April but at a slower pace than earlier in the year, easing fears that the economy was at a growing risk of slipping into a deep recession."

U.S. job losses moderate in April - Nonfarm payrolls down 20,000; unemployment rate falls to 5.0%
Some quotes...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Job losses decelerated in April, suggesting that the nation's economic downturn may be short and shallow rather than long and severe." -- "Factory payrolls fell by 46,000, with the weakness concentrated in the production of durable goods."


The collapse of the United States is accelerating: Oil in Euros vs. US dollars - posted at BuzzFlash
Special Note - A quote...."In the last eight years implementing the plans for the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) designed "to promote American global leadership" has backfired." To accomplish PNAC’s goals, all threats needed to be eliminated. From the onset, the United Sates earmarked two countries as mortal enemies: Venezuela and Iran. With Venezuela, it is well documented that the CIA attempted to overthrow the democratically elected government of Chavez. And with Iran, the United States continues to use it as a scapegoat for its failures in Iraq. These cold war tactics however are proving to be US’s undoing.
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What an attack on Iran really means: Iran finalizes dumping of US dollar, while US develops new options for attacking Iran -- Special Note - A quote...."On Wednesday 30 April 2008 Iran announced that they had “totally removed U.S. dollars in the country's oil transactions.” For those following the recent developments in the Middle East, this will not come as a surprise. However it should raise your anxiety to levels felt just before the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.

Feeding Moloch: Last Barriers to War on Iran Come Down
War Warning - A quote...."Anyone who thinks the Bush Administration does not intend to attack Iran either has rocks in the head or their head in the sand. The warmongers have raised their cacophonous howling of threat and accusation against Iran to entirely new levels. Every day now, some major Administration figure makes fiery charges that Iran is directly, deliberately killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq: a clear casus belli, if it were true, which it almost certainly is not."

May Day! May Day!
A quote...."Will he? Won't he? Yes? No? Oh, my, that Dick Cheney's such a tease. For over two years little fuzzy rumors of Dick's hot desire to kill hundreds of thousands more Muslims - this time in Iran - have been crawling all over the place. CBS says this. NBC says that. Consortiumnews.com and tvnewslies.org and informationclearinghouse.com and rawstory.com and other legitimate (as opposed to Main Stream Media) online news sources try to sort through the lies and smokescreens and feints of this corrupt Bush Crime Family in order to warn us, if necessary, that Dick's going to do it again: He's going to order yet another invasion of yet another country."

Iran Opens War Avoidance Flank
A quote...."As threats of military action against Iran continue to issue from various spokesmen of the war party in the U.S., the Islamic Republic has launched an ambitious initiative aimed at preventing war, based on a comprehensive package of economic, political and security measures on a vast regional plane. The package includes proposals to settle remaining questions related to Iran's nuclear energy program, but is not limited to that."

CIA 'preparing public for Iran war' - posted at CLG
War Warning - A quote...."The CIA accuses Iran of 'facilitating the killing' of US troops in Iraq in what is seen as another attempt to prepare the public for war."

Pentagon Expands Propaganda Reach With Foreign "News" Websites
Must Read - A quote...."The Pentagon is expanding "Information Operations" on the Internet with purposefully set up foreign news websites that are designed to look like independent media sources but in reality are nothing more than direct military propaganda." -- For more on the two articles shown above see....Fake Intel / Propaganda
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Unqualified
A quote...."  01/05/08 "ICH " -- - Barack Obama has finally done it.  Obama now claims that statements by Reverend Wright “rightly offend all Americans and should be denounced.” - Well Reverend Wright’s comments don’t offend me.  I would have found them refreshing had his answers and demeanor been less defensive during the question and answer period at the National Press Club.  What I do find disappointing though is Obama’s inability to deal with the issues raised.  He’s afraid that telling the truth will lose him the election.  Maybe it would.  But now we all can see, that for him, winning the election is more important than telling the truth."

Our Long National Nightmare: Thoughts about Now and 1974
A quote...."Back in 1974, Gerald Ford famously began a speech, "Our long national nightmare is over. -  Boy, he had no idea what "long" could be. Try seven and a half years (compared to Watergate's less than two)."

Dockworkers take May Day off, idling all West Coast ports
A quote...."Thousands of dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports took the day off Thursday, effectively shutting down operations at the busy complexes in what the union called a protest of the war in Iraq but employers worried might be a prelude to labor unrest." -- Also posted at CommonDreams
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The Last Roundup
US Coup Alert. - A quote...."For decades the federal government has been developing a highly classified plan that would override the Constitution in the event of a terrorist attack. Is it also compiling a secret enemies list of citizens who could face detention under martial law?"

Citing Risks, Study Suggests Ways To Ease National Security Handoff
US Coup Alert - Related article - A quote...."The United States is "lurching toward a period of uncertainty and increased risk" in this election year and during the upcoming presidential transition, according to a new Congressional Research Service study that suggests counterterrorism responses that Congress, the Bush administration and its potential successors could take."

High-Level Officials Warn of Fake Terror
US Coup Alert - Related article - A quote...."A variety of current and former high-level officials have recently warned that the Bush administration is attempting to instill a dictatorship in America, and will itself carry out a fake terrorist attack in order to obtain one."

Telecoms and the Bush administration talked about how to keep their surveillance program under wraps.
A quote...."The Bush administration is refusing to disclose internal e-mails, letters and notes showing contacts with major telecommunications companies over how to persuade Congress to back a controversial surveillance bill, according to recently disclosed court documents."

Break-ins plague targets of US Attorneys
A quote...."MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – In two states where US attorneys are already under fire for serious allegations of political prosecutions, seven people associated with three federal cases have experienced 10 suspicious incidents including break-ins and arson."
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CorpWatch’s Pratap Chatterjee and Ex-Titan Translator Marwan Mawiri on Corporate Cronyism and Intelligence Outsourcing in Iraq -- A quote...."CorpWatch Managing Editor Pratap Chatterjee has just returned from Iraq, where he was embedded with the US military and investigating the outsourcing of both military logistics and intelligence gathering. A new CorpWatch report offers a scathing assessment of intelligence contractors L-3 and Titan. We also speak to Marwan Mawiri, who worked in Iraq as a translator with Titan in 2003 and 2004. [includes rush transcript]"
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Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Thursday round-up - 4 articles - [ Day 38 ]  

Sadrists: The delegation is “too Iranian”
A quote...."Now get this surprise, you probably read the NYT report "Iraq Team to Discuss Militias With Iran", which in reality they went to negotiate with Muqtada al-Sadr, what happened right now is that the Sadrists condemned this delegation saying it is "too Iranian", Sadrists spokesman al-Obeidi told al-Jevar that al-Amiri and al-Adeeb are agents of Iran, al-Adeeb holds an Iranian nationality."

Iraqi Militants Kill Ministry Spokesman's Nephew, Hang Body From Pole in Baghdad
A quote...."BAGHDAD — Militants killed the nephew of the Interior Ministry spokesman and hung his body from an electric pole in Baghdad, the prime minister said Wednesday. - The attack Tuesday was in apparent retaliation for the spokesman's role in a government crackdown against Shiite militias."

Reading The Pictures: American Bombing Of Sadr City: Like Qana, But Without The Attention?
A quote...."Now that the U.S. -- desperate to protect the Green Zone, and avoid a Saigon-style evacuation -- is actively bombing Sadr City, what is the difference between what the Americans are doing , and what the Israelis did in Qana during the '06 Lebanon war?"

CNN graphic video: Aftermath of US rockets in Sadr City
Video - A quote...."Dozens of fighters ambushed a U.S. patrol in Baghdad’s main Shiite militia stronghold Tuesday, firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun bursts as the American push into Sadr City increasingly faces pockets of close urban combat. - U.S. forces struck back with 200-pound guided rockets that devastated at least three buildings in the densely packed district that serves as the Baghdad base for the powerful Mahdi Army militia."

Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Thursday round-up - [ Day 38 ]
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Good for Carter
A quote...."Things are going from bad to worse in the Holy Land while the international community does what it does best: twiddling its thumbs. - Israel’s blockade of Gaza brings UN aid to a standstill and ensures no ambulances can run. The UN says it is having to suspend deliveries of food and essential commodities to 860,000 of Gaza’s 1.4 million population due to fuel shortages."

Video: Gazans struggle to survive under Israeli blockade - 1 May 08
Video - A quote...."Israel's lockdown on Gaza has virtually stopped the flow of vital supplies, the economy is in tatters and even black market goods are becoming hard to find. - Fuel supplies are in danger of drying up completely forcing Palestinians to resort to desperate measures."

An Offer Hezbollah Cannot Refuse?  -- Part I -- Part II -- Part III
Must Read - A quote from Part II....""These fools do not learn from their past mistakes. When they withdrew from Lebanon, they continued to occupy the Shebaa Farms and kept our brothers in custody. Had they released them when they left Lebanon, there would not now be a ‘prisoner issue’ between Lebanon and the enemy. They opened the door for us." – Hassan Nasrallah, January 2004, during a welcome home ceremony for Lebanese and Arab detainees as a result of a Hezbollah-Israel swap."

Hamas backs Egypt's ceasefire plan
Video - A quote...."Thursday May 1st, 2008 - Smaller Palestinian militant groups coming on board, but Israel balks at offer - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday that an Egyptian-backed ceasefire plan could bring calm to strife-torn Gaza. As signs mounted that smaller militant groups such as Islamic Jihad were coming into line behind Hamas and the Egyptian-backed truce plan.

Al-Jazeera cameraman freed from Guantanamo after 6 years
A quote...."KHARTOUM, Sudan - An Al-Jazeera cameraman was released from U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay and returned home to Sudan early Friday after six years of imprisonment that drew worldwide protests."

Taliban retake control of region
A quote...."ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 1 (UPI) -- The Taliban reportedly has regained control of Pakistan's Darra Adamkhel region and resumed its activities despite the presence of security forces."

Is re-colonising the decaying parts of Africa the solution to its woes?
A quote...."As Africa’s budding democracies like Kenya emerge from ethnic violence, cynics are entertaining the idea of a new scramble for Africa which would entail re-colonisation and loss of sovereignty." -- For more on this issue see....Africa - the Next Target - 02-28-08 - mpg

US judge freezes 16 billion in Argentine sovereign bonds
A quote...."A United States judge granted on Wednesday a request by bondholders suing Argentina to extend a freeze on as much as 16 billion US dollars in sovereign bonds issued by the country and which now held by the Depository Trust Co. in New York." -- This is what happens when you do "business" with US banksters. - mpg

Venezuelan ex-general sentenced in 2003 bombings
A quote...."A dissident former general has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for bombing attacks on Spanish and Colombian diplomatic missions in Venezuela's capital. -- The state-run Bolivarian News Agency reported Wednesday that former National Guard Gen. Felipe Rodriguez was convicted of conspiracy and aggravated burning of property for the 2003 attacks."
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The Price-Wage Squeeze - The Fed Sinks the Dollar
A quote...."Against the recommendations of most economists and even the Financial Times of London, the Federal Reserve Board yesterday cut its discount rate by yet another quarter-point, to just 2%. Ostensibly, the intention is to try and spur economic “recovery” – as if a cut in the interest rates would do this. At first glance this seems to reflect the Fed’s ideology that manipulating the interest alone can expand or contract the economy – as if it is like a balloon, with its structure is pre-printed on it, to be inflated or deflated at will to control the level of activity."

Japanese banks see 14.4 bln dlrs in subprime losses: report
A quote...."Japanese financial institutions together lost more than 1.5 trillion yen (14.4 billion dollars) in the year to March because of the US subprime mortgage crisis, a report said Friday." -- For more on this issue see....Debt Doesn't Matter When the Rubes Pay 02-29-08 - mpg

Bernanke takes one more gamble
A quote...."It was in 1978 that Kenny Rogers, the Dylan Thomas of America's trailer parks, sang the song "The Gambler", with wisdom equally applicable to any poker player looking at his cards or any financial market trader looking at his monitor."

Mobius Sees Fed Rates at 1%, Dollar Is `Bombed Out' (Update1)
Special Note - A quote...."Even with continuing U.S. interest rate cuts, the dollar's slide against other currencies may slow and its ``devaluation'' may end, said Mobius. - ``I think probably everybody has discounted it by now,'' said Mobius. ``So the dollar may stabilize at this level or it may go a little lower.''

Gulf States May End Dollar Pegs, Kuwait Minister Says (Update4)
A quote...." May 1 (Bloomberg) -- Gulf states are considering dropping their pegs to the dollar after the U.S. currency's decline stoked inflation across the region, Kuwaiti Finance Minister Mustafa al- Shimali said. -- ``Yes, there are some'' Gulf Cooperation Council states considering dropping their pegs to the dollar, which has fallen 13 percent against the euro in the last 12 months, al-Shimali said in an interview in Kuwait late yesterday without naming the countries. ``Some countries will do what we are doing.''

U.S. initial jobless claims surge 35,000 to 380,000
A quote...."The level of average initial claims is consistent with a weak labor market, wrote John Ryding, chief U.S. economist for Bear Stearns. Economists say claims readings running consistently higher than 350,000 signal significant weakening in the labor market. Claims have been hovering near that level, albeit sometimes falling below it, for a few months now, exacerbating jitters about recession in the U.S. economy."

Layoffs Rise 68 Percent in April
A quote...."NEW YORK (May 1) - U.S. companies' planned layoffs jumped 68 percent in April from the prior month to the highest since September 2006, pointing to further deterioration in the labor market, a report showed on Thursday. --
Planned job cuts in U.S. companies totaled 90,015 last month, up from 53,579 in March and up 27 percent from a year earlier, employment consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. reported.

U.S. Economy: Manufacturing Shrinks for a Third Month (Update2)
A quote...."May 1 (Bloomberg) -- Manufacturing in the U.S. shrank for a third month and rising prices eroded consumers' buying power as the six-year economic expansion ground to a halt."

Construction outlays fall 1.1% in March - Residential spending plunges 4.6%, biggest drop in 26 years
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Outlays for construction projects dropped 1.1% in March, led by the biggest drop in residential construction spending in 26 years, the Commerce Department reported Thursday."

Income gains eroded by inflation in March
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Higher prices took away all the income gains U.S. households received in March, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday."

For more regarding the articles shown above see....What Ben Bernanke Said - 03-18-08 & Effective Fed Funds Rate 03-24-07 & Standard Disclaimer and the Ten Year Cycle