Wednesday May 19th 2010

No posts. - mpg

Tuesday May 18th 2010

Knowledge, Truth and Human Action: America Hits the Wall
Must Read - Some quotes...."Americans have a problem with the truth. They seem to be unable to accept it, which is difficult to understand at a time in history when knowledge plays a larger and larger role in determining human action. Recognition of this problem is widespread. Beliefs and lies somehow always overwhelm truth, even when they are so contradictory that any effective action becomes impossible. A kind of national, psychological paralysis occurs. Nothing can be done because one belief contradicts another, and for some unknown reason, the facts don't matter. Even during those times when an overwhelming belief does compel action, Americans rush headlong into it neglecting the adage that headlong often means wrong." -- "This debasement of truth stems from two misguided beliefs that many Americans hold. They affect much of American society and define the American psyche. One belief is that the truth emerges from a debate between adversaries. The other is the belief that everyone has a right to his/her own opinion."

Proof Israel Did 9/11 - playlist
Videos - I&9/11(1/13) - I&9/11(2/13) - I&9/11(3/13) - I&9/11(4/13) - I&9/11(5/13) - I&9/11(6/13) - I&9/11(7/13) - I&9/11(8/13) - I&9/11(9/13) - I&9/11(10/13) - I&9/11(11/13) - I&9/11(12/13) - I&9/11(13/13)
 -- Source: exposedeceivers - (YouTube - 10min - April 18, 2010) --  A quote...."Evidence implicating Israel on video is accompanied by Dr. Alan Sabrosky on audio, from interviews by Kevin Barrett, Mark Glenn / Phil Tourney, Daryl Bradford Smith / Ognir, and discussion on the Mike Piper show. Dr. Sabrosky, PhD, a former director of studies of the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College, recently said, "...it is 100 percent certain that 9/11 was a Mossad operation. Period." -- The audio also features Ben Freedman exposing Zionist treachery and warmongering dating back to WWI, and demolition expert Danny Jowenko on the WTC7 controlled demolition. Two hours of video in this 13-part series can only include a tiny fraction of the mountains of evidence refuting the official "the Muslims did 9/11" nonsense conspiracy theory, and some of the conspiracy facts proving Israel's guilt." - For more on this issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

Creeping Terror: The New American Way of War
Must Read - A quote...."The American way of war is a marvelously ingenious thing. And thoroughly modern too. No more of that "don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" jazz; your modern "warfighter" (they aren't called "soldiers" anymore, you know)  prefers to view his targets through, say, a computer screen safely ensconced back in the Homeland or thousands of feet in the sky, or else through the unearthly greenish glow of night-vision scopes. And open combat? Forget it. The new American way is the sneak attack on civilian homes in the dead of night. You creep up, you break in, you cap a few ragheads, then you run away. What glory! What magnificent valor!"

Bill for Afghan War Could Run into the Trillions - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."WASHINGTON, May 17, 2010 (IPS) - The U.S. Senate is moving forward with a 59-billion-dollar spending bill, of which 33.5 billion dollars would be allocated for the war in Afghanistan. -- However, some experts here in Washington are raising concerns that the war may be unwinnable and that the money being spent on military operations in Afghanistan could be better spent."

US death toll in Afghanistan tops 1,000
A quote...."The massive suicide bombing that ripped through a NATO convoy in Kabul Tuesday claimed the lives of five more US soldiers, a Canadian officer and a dozen Afghan civilians. -- The attack demonstrated the failure of more than eight years of US-led occupation, not to mention that of the puppet government of President Hamid Karzai, to secure even the center of the Afghan capital. It also marked a grim milestone for American forces, bringing the total number killed in action in “Operation Enduring Freedom” to the 1,000 mark."

8 Americans killed in Kabul blast
Related Article - A quote...."Eight Americans are reportedly among those killed in a car bomb attack against the US-founded Counterinsurgency Academy in the Afghan capital Kabul. -- An Afghan army officer on the scene said 22 people, including eight Americans, were killed in the car bomb attack against a NATO convoy, according to a DPA report."

Itching to Fight Another Muslim Enemy - posted at ConsortiumNews
Special Note...."If you read the major American newspapers or watch the propaganda on cable TV, it’s pretty clear that the U.S. foreign policy Establishment is again spoiling for a fight, this time in Iran. -- Just as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was the designated target of American hate in 2002 and 2003, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is playing that role now. Back then, any event in Iraq was cast in the harshest possible light; today, the same is done with Iran." - also posted at ICH

A Bad Case
Presstitute Alert - (the NYT....again) -- Hilarious NYT headline:

    "Iranian offer on uranium could complicate sanctions talks"

The article has been rejigged and retitled: "U.S. Is Skeptical on Iranian Deal for Nuclear Fuel" -- Yes, the complete compliance by Iran with the ostensible purpose of the sanctions could 'complicate' things, especially if the sanctions talk had nothing to do with Iran's mythical nuclear program and everything to do with Jewish power in the Middle East and Washington. - bold by website editor

US Sanctions Announcement Irks Brazil, Turkey - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."After declaring the Turko-Brazilian diplomatic push with Iran the “last chance” to settle the Western dispute with Iran without sanctions, the US did an end-around of the diplomatic process today, announcing that they had made a deal to sanction Iran even though a deal had been successfully reached in the talks."

What comes next after the US rejection of the uranium swap deal
A quote...."So it is pretty clear now that the US has rejected its own uranium swap deal offer. That should come as no surprise to any reader of this blog in particular because I have long argued that this and other US positions were simply meant to drag-out the standoff rather than resolve it."

Mohammed elBaradei on the Iranian Nuclear Issue - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."May 17, 2010 "Race for Iran" As we follow the NPT Review Conference in New York and the enormous salience of the Iranian nuclear issue there, it is useful to consider some recent observations about the Iranian case by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s former Director General, Mohammed ElBaradei. Baradei was in the Boston area last week, where, among other things, he took part in an extended Q&A session with Graham Allison; the event was hosted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government."

EU, Latin American Leaders Call for New Tools of Global Governance
A quote...."The event brought together the heads of state and government of 60 countries in a conference dominated by the international economic crisis and the decision to move toward a strategic partnership that will help to combine efforts to encourage development and recovery."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

The Maps Tell The True Story
Maps & Photos - A quote...." The truth is that far from being the poor victim it likes to portray itself as, Israel is in fact the most aggressive and belligerent nation in the region, having invaded pretty much everyone it shares a border with. -- The following maps show what Israel has actually done."

Norman Finkelstein: Israel being exposed and feels threatened
RTVideo - Special Note - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4 min 38 sec - May 17, 2010) -- A quote...."Israel has refused to permit Noam Chomsky, the linguist and icon of the American left, to enter the occupied West Bank from Jordan. Some argue that Chomsky, an 81-year-old professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, could pose a risk to Israel. Norman Finkelstein says that Israel has been exposed to the world during the Gaza conflict and now feels threatened."

Israel charged with 14 cases of sexual assault and threats to children
A quote...."DCI - Palestine submits 14 cases of sexual assault and threats to the UN for investigation - On 18 May 2010, DCI-Palestine submitted 14 cases to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for investigation. The submission relates to the sexual assault, or threat of sexual assault, of Palestinian children at the hands of Israeli soldiers, interogators and police between January 2009 and April 2010. The ages of the children range from 13 to 16 years." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq
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The German Government Has Had Enough
Must Read - A quote...."That is...."
"It's about damn time."

Editor's Special Note:  Germany's not sticking it to the French or the ECB, what they're trying to do is prevent a deliberate attack against the debt markets in Europe by Bankster elements within the US-NRE who've been capitalized by the Federal Reserve to the tune of thirty trillion dollars worth of back-stops, guarantees and pay-outs.  Vast sums which they then turned around and leveraged at thirty to one, fifty to one, even a hundred to one.

Not to mention the fact the US-NRE under Bernanke, Paulson, Geithner and Summers have deliberately REFUSED to reign in the MASSIVE derivatives market which by some estimates exceeds one quadrillion dollars (one thousand trillion dollars) in notional value.

And let's also not forget how the US-NRE's Financial Accounting Standards Board "modified" rule 157 allowing everybody on Wall Street and in the banking sector to "mark to fantasy" the toxic assets currently on their books.

Lets face facts folks, the guy who can print or create tradable instruments when he so chooses, instruments that act upon a given market, will ALWAYS BEAT anybody else in that market who can't.  Period.  End of story.  It's not a debatable point.

NO ONE should be allowed to print currencies at will (dollars, yen, euros) to distort or overwhelm  a given market, nor should anyone be allowed to "manufacture" financial instruments (CDS's and other derivatives) at will to distort or overwhelm a given market.

This is an important point, Germany and the EU should NOT try to "defend" the Euro, all they have to do is defend the EU's debt market and the Euro will take care of itself. Bernanke was able to get all sorts of idiots out there to buy trillions of dollars in US-NRE debt, which if you take inflation into account, yielded NEGATIVE rates of returns.

Surely the EU can do better. - mpg

Germany to Ban Naked Short-Selling at Midnight
Related Article - A quote...."May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Germany will temporarily ban naked short selling and naked credit-default swaps of euro-area government bonds at midnight after politicians blamed the practice for exacerbating the European debt crisis."

The Point of Maximum Danger
A quote...."May 18, 2010 "Information Clearing House" - -- Debt woes in Greece have sent bond yields soaring and increased the prospect of sovereign default. A restructuring of Greek debt will deal a blow to lenders in Germany and France that are insufficiently capitalized to manage the losses.  Finance ministers, EU heads-of-state and the European Central Bank (ECB) have responded forcefully to try to avert another banking meltdown that could plunge the world back into recession. They have created a nearly-$1 trillion European Stabilization Fund (ESF) to calm markets and ward-off speculators. But the contagion has already spread beyond Greece to Spain, Portugal and Italy where leaders have started to aggressively cut public spending and initiate austerity programs. Belt-tightening in the Eurozone will decrease aggregate demand and threaten the fragile recovery. We are at a critical inflection point."

US Debt-To-GDP Of 159% In 2020? How US Debt Issuance Is Vastly Greater Than Deficit Spending
A quote...."Lately we have gotten notification from both the CBO and independent economists that America's fiscal lack of responsibility will saddle the country with trillions in future deficits, roughly around $10 trillion in 10 years. Yet this is only half the story. Contrary to expectations that every dollar in deficit spending is funded with a dollar of debt, historical data indicates that actual debt-funded spending vastly exceeds monthly deficits."

Carry Bloodbath Resumes With Full Blown Liquidations Imminent
A quote...."After earlier we saw the decimation of the European currency, it is now Asia's turn where an impressive bloodbath is now raging. The AUDUSD is in freefall, having moved a massive 300 pips from yesterday's high to today's low. At under 50 pips from 0.855, the AUDUSD will likely breach 0.85 at which point the destruction at carry desks will become an epidemic, and full liquidations will soon ensue, coupled with billion dollar margin calls, forcing global asset liquidations at bulge brackets. With the carry collapse pervasive, don't look to futures to stage any miraculous Fed-inspired ramps tonight: Germany may have well called the Fed's bluff."

Calpers In Dire Straits Following Huge Investment Losses, Asks For $600 Million In Funding From Bankrupt California  - A quote...."And now for the latest piece of news in a day that is just replete with green shoots. It appears Calpers has requested $600 million more in funding from the state government, completely disregarding that hours before Arnie was pressing legislators to cut the state's pension costs as he realizes that California with its $20 billion budget deficit is pretty much completely insolvent."

Study Shows Blacks Will NEVER Gain Wealth Parity With Whites Under the Current System
Now this is a totally unfair headline.  Blacks can "gain wealth parity with whites", after all, look at Obama.  All they have to do is learn how to sell themselves, specifically their souls. - mpg -- A quote...."The gap between Black and white household wealth quadrupled from 1984 to 2007, totally discrediting the conventional wisdom that the U.S. is slowly and fitfully moving towards racial equality, or some rough economic parity between the races. Like most American myths, it’s the direct opposite of the truth. When measured over decades, Blacks are being propelled economically downward relative to whites at quickening speed, according to a new study by Brandeis University."

Monday May 17th 2010

Obama's Slippery Slope. Ginning-Up the "Terror" Threat, Shredding the Constitution
Special Note - A quote...."When Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized American citizen and 30-year-old son of a retired senior Pakistani Air Force officer was arrested in the failed plot to detonate a car-bomb in Times Square May 1, U.S. counterterrorism officials and their stenographers in the corporate media proclaimed a "connection" between Shahzad and the far-right jihadi outfit, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)."  - also posted at GlobalRsrch & DProgram

The Monstrousness Is Now Our Life
Special Note - A quote...."Oh, my, we've murdered 40 more innocent civilians in Afghanistan/Pakistan/Iraq? [Remember Iraq?] Dear, dear me. Tragic." -- "We're still torturing people? Torture is now a fully accepted and recognized method of warfare for the United States government? Oh, my. That would seem to be, well, a mite troublesome." -- "We assassinate people, whenever the president says to? Really? Oh...well...you know, I don't think I've tried the salmon sandwiches yet. They look delicious." - also posted at Uruknet
In the Mouth of Madness; Welcome to Tampa, The Propaganda Capital of the World
A quote...."This is just a brief start to a larger article I am writing today which deals with certain revelations from a  new article published by the New York Times.  I am a 9/11 Truth Advocate and writer living in the PSYOP capital of the world."

Change you can believe in? Secrecy still veils Guantanamo hearings
Contains Video - Alt - Quote of the Day...."GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- The first full military commission hearings here since Barack Obama became president and pledged to deliver transparency were no more open than the court process had been under President George W. Bush, critics say." -- For more on this issue see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables

Audio: Couple Harassed on U.S.-Canada Border
Audio - Special Note - The people in uniform in this nation are simply thugs, just thugs.  Give them a banana, a tire, and something small and furry to beat up and they're happy. - mpg -- A quote...."Another reason for Americans not to do business in Canada and Canadians not to do business in the United States. - Maybe if enough people refuse to cross the border and the economy feels the impact in lost business government border thugs will rethink their policy of harassing citizens. - Note the claim by a border bureaucrat in the audio that three terrorists are caught every day crossing the border. That’s well over a thousand terrorists a year. - Indeed, they hate us for our freedom, including the freedom of people to be harassed as they attempt to shop at the mall."

Obama’s Flailing Wars -- A Study in BP-Style “Pragmatism” - Oh, the games people play. - mpg
Special Note - A quote...."On stage, it would be farce.  In Afghanistan and Pakistan, it’s bound to play out as tragedy. -- Less than two months ago, Barack Obama flew into Afghanistan for six hours -- essentially to read the riot act to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom his ambassador had only months before termed “not an adequate strategic partner.”  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen followed within a day to deliver his own “stern message.” - also posted at CommonDreams

Afghan prosecutor issues arrest warrant for US army officer over police killing - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."An Afghan prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant for an American special forces commander over allegations that a police chief was murdered by a US-trained militia."
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Iran Agrees To Uranium Swap - Iran's Declaration on Nuclear Swap Deal - posted at ICH
A quote...."May 17, 2010 "Press TV" -- Tehran has agreed to a draft proposal whereby Iran will ship its domestic low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 20 percent enriched uranium in return. -- After several hours of intense negotiations on Monday, the trilateral meeting between Iran, Brazil and Turkey ends with Tehran agreeing to send some 1,200 kilograms of its 3.5 percent enriched uranium over to Turkey in exchange for a total of 120 kilogram of 20 percent enriched uranium, Press TV reported. -- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki read the ten-point detailed deceleration on the nuclear swap deal at a press conference held in the Iranian capital Tehran."

Iran, Brazil, Turkey sign nuclear declaration
However this is the headline from AFP - "US says Iran nuclear deal will not halt new sanctions drive" - As a headline, it says it all!!  Of course Iran agreeing to the deal, ANY DEAL, won't halt the "new sanctions drive". The sanctions efforts have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Iran's "nuclear program" and everything to do with imposing regime change on Iran, even if these efforts  eventually culminate in a war.   The force behind these endless sanctions efforts as always, is the Israel/AIPAC consortium, along with their butt-kissing, war whores, in Congress and the White House.  All of it of course is a lie, all those stupid headlines and morning talk shows about Iran's nuclear program relentlessly spewed forth by this nation's mass-dis-infotainment media are complete crap, a gigantic pile of pig slop.  People who believe what they read and hear from these presstituting morons are simply filling their heads with Rupert Murdoch's & AIPAC/Israel's sewage.  A mind is a terrible thing to waste, it's also a terrible thing to use as a toilet. If people in this country don't wake-up and stop imbibing this garbage on a daily basis they'll soon find themselves out on the street, homeless and without a job wondering what the heck happened to them and where all their money went. - mpg

Iran’s Uranium Deal a Serious Blow to War Party  - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."In a move that will likely drive a stake into the heart of the near-term prospects for the US-backed “crippling sanctions” against Iran, Turkey and Brazil have managed to come up with a compromise deal that provides everything the Western nations claimed to have wanted from the third-party enrichment deal in the first place."

Russia hails Tehran nuclear declaration
A quote...."Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has welcomed the nuclear fuel declaration made by Iran, Turkey, and Brazil on Monday."
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Afghans Protest Deadly Nighttime Raid: "If the Americans Do This Again, We Are Ready to Shed Our Blood Fighting Them" -- A quote...."Mourners continued to gather on Saturday in the small farming village of Koshkaky, in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, where an early Friday morning raid by US and Afghan Special Forces left eight people dead. The military issued a statement saying that their forces came under attack, and in the firefight a Taliban subcommander and seven militants were killed. They reported that no civilians were harmed. But residents here tell a different story. Independent journalist Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films was at the scene and filed this report. [includes rush transcript]" --  ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || 

Pakistan gets latest IMF tranche
A quote...."KARACHI, Pakistan - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a US$1.13 billion loan to Pakistan at the weekend after the latest review of the country's economic performance under an $11.3 billion stand-by arrangement (SBA) to help the South Asian country meets its overseas debt obligations." -- Well isn't that nice?  Isn't that sooooooo sweet?  Aren't they just the most kindest people you ever heard of?
For more on this sort of issue see....It Will Happen Every Single Time - 01-01-08 - mpg & The International : Scene with Umberto Calvini - Transcript - 02-20-10 - mpg

Iraqi court dismisses de-Baathification cases - More ol'dat "freedumb and da'mockery" in Iraq. - mpg
A quote...."(Reuters) - An Iraqi appeals court on Monday rejected the disqualification of nine winning candidates from a March 7 election, [i.e. they actually won their respective elections, but because they're Sunni....they lost. And the court said that was ok. Get it?]  removing another hurdle to the certification of the ballot results more than two months after the vote. -- The decision effectively upholds a final vote tally that gave the Sunni-backed cross-sectarian alliance of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi a two-seat lead. His chances of forming a government are slim because of a tie-up between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's group and another Shi'ite-led coalition." - also posted at Uruknet

Iraq, China, Turkey ink oilfield deal
A quote...."Iraq's oil minister says that his country has signed a deal with China's CNOOC and Turkey's TPAO firms to develop a major southern oilfield complex. -- "Today is a very important day in the history of Iraqi oil production, with the development of very important fields in Maysan province," Hussein al-Shahristani was quoted as saying by AFP on Monday." - also posted at AlethoNews

Milestone Russia-Ukraine Summit: Towards a New Strategic Partnership?
A quote...."Ukraine's switching to GLONASS, the only alternative to the US-maintained GPS at the moment, is a noteworthy development. Work on GLONASS commenced in the Soviet era as a project to be implemented by tightly integrated Russian and Ukrainian enterprises, but its realization was delayed by the collapse of the USSR. Currently both Moscow and Kyiv regard Ukraine's reverting to GLONASS as a logical and long-awaited step."

Russian, Ukrainian President sign range of joint statements
Related Article - A quote...."KIEV, May 17 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich signed a range of bilateral documents Monday at the end of their talks in Kiev."

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan Introduce Common Customs Tariffs in 2010
A quote...."The presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed a package of deals on 27 November to create a customs union with common tariffs, paving the way for a single economic space, according to RIA Novosti."

Israel 'to blame' for Russia-Syria deal
A quote...."A report says Israeli political officials hold the Defense Ministry responsible for the 'unwelcome' military cooperation between Russia and Syria. - According to Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, Moscow plans to supply Syria with warplanes, combat helicopters, air defense systems and armored vehicles."

Obama, Clinton pressuring Medvedev on Khodorkovsky - posted at Online Journal
A quote...."(WMR) -- Informed U.S. government sources report that President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have personally interceded with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other Russian officials in urging the Russian government to release from prison Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former multi-billionaire tycoon serving a nine-year prison sentence for fraud."

17,000 Japanese circle U.S. Marine base in peaceful protest
A quote...."TOKYO -- Thousands of Japanese linked hands and encircled a Marine Corps base in Okinawa on Sunday to protest its presence on the island, putting more pressure on Tokyo to resolve an impasse over the base's future."

Arabs shut out of Israeli public sector
A quote...."Nazareth, Israel // The unemployed computer engineer Morad Lashin would like to work in Israel’s Electricity Company, a large state utility, but said his chances of being recruited are slim." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq & MEO & Uruknet

Reuters Busted for Indecent Exposure on Venezuela By Ramón Santiago
A quote...."Reuters pays another shill to tell another half-story about Venezuelan affairs. -- In their report, ‘ANALYSIS-Venezuela car industry gridlock as dollars run out,’ Reuters pays another shill to tell another half-story about Venezuelan affairs. In this ‘analysis’ they shamelessly expose their indecency as a major news broker in western media. I’m writing this critique for Axis of Logic to call Reuters on what they pass off as journalism and help clarify what is really happening in the auto industry in Venezuela."

The American Art of War -- Reviews of Boggs, Rogers, Atwood
Book Reviews - A quote...."Three new publications from the leading radical British press are the tip of a growing iceberg of passionate pleas for sanity in international affairs. Most of us prefer to stick our heads in the sand as the world goes to hell in a hand-basket, but there are works that can fascinate and uplift, perhaps even inspire us to do something before it is too late." - Books shown below.....

Carl Boggs, The Crimes of Empire: Rogue Superpower and World Domination - Not found/an Alt [GoglBkSrch] *
Paul Rogers, Losing Control: Global Security in the 21st century - [GoglBkSrch]*
Paul Atwood, War and Empire: The American Way of Life (Pluto Press 2010) - [GoglBkSrch]* - *links added
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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has passport confiscated
Press Censorship / Harassment Alert - A quote...." The Australian founder of the whistleblower website Wikileaks had his passport confiscated by police when he arrived in Melbourne last week. -- Julian Assange, who does not have an official home base and travels every six weeks, told the Australian current affairs program Dateline that immigration officials had said his passport was going to be cancelled because it was looking worn. -- However he then received a letter from the Australian Communication Minister Steven Conroy’s office stating that the recent disclosure on Wikileaks of a blacklist of websites the Australian government is preparing to ban had been referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP)."

I’m Surprised Israel Did Not Give Chomsky the 'Red Carpet' Welcome
A quote...."Yesterday a post appeared on this Blog dealing with Noam Chomsky being denied entry to Israel. In the report, Chomsky is referred to as a ‘Left wing American Jewish Intellectual’. -- In his own words, he admits that his barred entrance has nothing to do with positions he might hold about Israel. Take notice that he does not mention the FACT that Israel is in violation of International Law by determining who can or cannot enter the Palestinian Territories. This also indicates that the Occupied West Bank is under siege, not only the Gaza Strip." - also posted at Uruknet
Lawyer: Video proves murder of 7-year-old by Detroit police was ‘not an accident’
A quote...."(Yes, once again, our police, who are sworn to “serve and protect”, got a little carried away in Detroit.  One had a ”Fallujah flashback” or something and they tossed a flashbang grenade into a room where a 7-year-old girl was sleeping and then shot into that room from the outside the home…  killing the young 7-year-old girl who bled to death as our brave storm troopers walked around in her living room wearing masks, flac-jackets, and jackboots.  Then the cops lied about it. They tried to say it was somehow the grandmother’s fault, adding insult to injury… And yes, there is a video of it somewhere… a TV show was filming the assault on the home in Detroit so they could put it on cable and sell advertising spots to Colgate or Bank of America or Humana… )"

Detroit police kill seven-year-old child
Related Article - A quote...."Detroit police shot and killed a seven-year-old girl during an early morning raid of a home on the city’s east side Sunday morning. The child, Aiyana Stanley Jones, was struck in the head and neck area while sleeping on a couch at the home on Lillibridge Street."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

They've Become Monsters
05-17-10
mpg

Israel calls for expelling anyone marking Nakba from occupied Palestinian lands
Special Note - This is absolutely monsterous, the Israeli people (almost all of them) are stark raving mad psychos. - mpg -- A quote...."NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israeli minister of finance Yuval Steinitz called for withdrawing the nationality from everyone inciting against Israel and commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe). -- During the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Steinitz said it was intolerable and unforgivable to see Arabs and some Jews challenging the mere existence of Israel." - also posted at AlethoNews

You have to understand folks, this is how most Israelis, and many in the Jewish community who support them, actually think.  If a Palestinian commemorates his oppression, if a Palestinian remembers how he lost his lands, members of his family, his home and who did it to him....that, according to the Israelis, is a challenge to "their existence".

If  you gentle reader don't realize just how psychotic such a belief system is, think of it this way.  A criminal breaks into your home, rapes your daughter, murders your wife, squats in your house with the full intent to make it his own and deeply resents the fact you think what he did to you was a "bad thing".  In fact, the criminal tells you to your face that thinking such "bad thoughts"  threatens "his existence", therefore, he has the right to deport you or even kill you.

Admittedly this way of thinking isn't quite as bad as that demonstrated by the Neo-Romans in the US-NRE who truly believe when they occupy a country, murder it's residents and try to steal their natural resources that they're actually doing them a favor....but it's still completely, totally, psychotic.

It should be understood by everyone by now that Israel, and almost all Israelis, are a mortal threat to the entire international community, that they fully intend to keep starting more wars, that they fully intend to attack civilian populations whenever they get the hankering for more blood, and that they fully intend to use their nuclear weapons at the first opportunity.  What they did in Gaza is a vivid example of just how far they're willing to go. - mpg

Mother and her Two Children, Wounded When Settler Rammed Vehicle Into Them
A quote...."Palestinian medical sources in Bethlehem reported Saturday at night that a Jewish settler rammed his vehicle into a mother and her two girls in Al Jab’a village near Bethlehem, and fled the scene." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

Grapes withering on the vine
A quote...."Souad lives in the beautiful village of Safa, south west of Bethlehem, close by the path of the apartheid wall. From her house in the village it is only a short walk to her land – an entire, rolling hillside, the summit of which has been stolen by the Israeli colony/settlement of Bat Eyn. No fence separates her fields and terraces from the settlement: Bat Ayn is one of only two colonies without such a fence in the entire West Bank, designed to make it easier, without a defining border, to make future land grabs. -- The title deeds to Souad’s hillside have been in her family for over 100 years. Not that it does her any good – she cannot even graze her sheep without risking being fired upon by the settlers. She can only watch from a nearby hill while her peaches and grapes, soon ready for harvest, wither and rot on the vines and trees, or are stolen by settlers." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq - For more on this issue see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Israeli force storm into Al-Qarara, southern Gaza - Israel's trying to provoke a war, obviously....mpg
A quote...."GAZA, May 17 (KUNA) -- Israeli forces, supported by tanks and bulldozers, stormed into Al-Qarara town, southern Gaza, earlier on Monday. -- Three tanks and four bulldozers abruptly moved from Kissufim military base towards the lands adjacent to the boarder line with Al-Qararah, local Palestinian sources told KUNA. -- The tanks opened heavy fire towards Palestinian houses and farmlands in the town, while the bulldozers started to destroy farmlands, and the incursion was covered by reconnaissance aircraft flying at low altitude, they added. -- Palestinian towns on the boarders between Gaza and Israel witness incursions on a daily basis, while Palestinian human rights reports indicate that the sweeping of farmlands aims at expansion of the buffer area in the vicinity of Gaza Strip to bring it to one kilometer instead of just 300 meters."

Hamas: Press report aims at smearing our image
A quote...."DAMASCUS, DUBAI (PIC)-- Hamas categorically denied a press report published by a Saudi-financed paper on the alleged involvement of a senior Hamas official and his office director in offering information that led to the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai earlier this year."

Palestinians working to stop Israeli bid to divide West Bank and Gaza residents - link posted at ICH
A quote...."A mistaken report needs to be corrected. Two weeks ago I wrote about a young man who claimed he was expelled from the West Bank to Gaza. He was born in Gaza but had lived in the West Bank since he was 7, he said. The military spokesman's office informed me that it was not familiar with the case, but I've heard that line before - for example, in reference to Palestinians who were used as "human shields" during Operation Cast Lead. The fact that the army says it doesn't know about an incident doesn't mean such an incident hasn't taken place."

Israel Picks Fight With Ireland
Action Update - A quote...."Oh no they won't. Israel will soon see Ireland does not back down from your threats. Unfortunately for Israel, the Irish have had 800 years of threats and war, so Israel, you're no match for us, the Irish are coming, get used to it!"

BDS Success! Elvis Costello Cancels his shows in Apartheid Israel - A victory!!
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because the Israelis WILL stop, if the world community, unites together to stop them. - mpg -- A quote...."It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances scheduled in Israel on the 30th of June and the 1st of July. -- One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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Trader's Harrowing Tape of Market Plunge Reveals Big Name Sellers -- SEC Admits to Inadequate Tools to Conduct Investigation -- A CounterPunch Special Report - Special Note - A quote...."SEC Chair Mary Schapiro made a stunning admission during House subcommittee hearings last week seeking answers to the May 6 hit and run in the stock market which briefly trimmed 998 points off the Dow and caused massive losses to small investors who had placed stop loss orders on individual stocks. - According to Ms. Schapiro, the SEC has no consolidated audit trail that captures time and sales in a chronological order among the 40 or more electronic trading platforms and exchanges that constitute today’s deeply fragmented U.S. stock market."

The vicious circle of debt and depression -- it is a class war  - posted at Online Journal
Special Note - A quote...."Never before has so much debt been imposed on so many people by so few financial operatives -- operatives who work from Wall Street, the largest casino in history, and a handful of its junior counterparts around the world, especially Europe. -- External sovereign debt, as well as occasional default on such debt, is not unprecedented [1]. What is unique in the case of the current global sovereign debt is that it is largely private debt billed as public debt; that is, debt that was accumulated by financial speculators and, then, offloaded onto governments to be paid by taxpayers as national debt. Having thus bailed out the insolvent banksters, many governments have now become insolvent or nearly insolvent themselves, and are asking the public to skimp on their bread and butter in order to service the debt that is not their responsibility."

Deflation, For the Win
Special Note - A quote...."Given the massive printing of money by everyone from Ben Bernanke, the Europeans, and just about every region in the world, it would seem like an obvious assumption that massive inflation is about to hit. -- It probably will hit eventually. But for now, deflation is still winning out."

The Thirteen Housing Markets That Will Never Recover - link posted at ICH
A quote...."New RealtyTrac numbers show that in April there were well over 300,000 foreclosures and the figure in on track to be higher in 2010 than in 2009. Several research firms say that underwater mortgages have moved above 11 million . . . "

‘There’s No Money Left,’ U.K. Minister Learns (Update1)
A quote...." May 17 (Bloomberg) -- Arriving for work at the U.K. Treasury last week, the incoming chief secretary, David Laws, found a note from his predecessor, Liam Byrne, offering advice on the job. -- “Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left,” Laws cited it as saying. -- “Which was honest,” Laws, whose position is the No. 2 in the Treasury after the chancellor of the exchequer, told a press conference in London today. “But slightly less than I was expecting.”
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Criminal Negligence: Despite Knowing It Had a Damaged Blowout Preventer, BP STILL Cut Corners By Removing the Single Most Important Safety Measure -- Must Read  - Contains Video - Alt - (On the BP disaster, highly detailed, great research, makes what happened easy to understand) -- Several weeks before the Gulf oil explosion, a key piece of safety equipment - the blowout preventer - was damaged."

Genetically modified crops failing worldwide
A quote...."The Green Revolution -- a misleading name applied by PR firms to the onset of globalized, chemical-intensive, industrial agriculture that is anything but friendly to the environment -- is coming unraveled around the world, bringing devastation to farmers from the plains of China to the plains of America."

Haitian Farmers Commit to Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds
A quote...."A new earthquake" is what peasant farmer leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste of the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) called the news that Monsanto will be donating 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds, some of them treated with highly toxic pesticides. The MPP has committed to burning Monsanto’s seeds, and has called for a march to protest the corporation’s presence in Haiti on June 4, for World Environment Day." - Source: DailyKos

Sunday May 16th 2010

No posts. - mpg

Saturday May 15th 2010

The Financial Oligarchy Reigns: Democracy’s Death Spiral From Greece to the United States
Must Read - A quote...."The experiment known as democracy is devolving into fascism before our eyes; the “ iron law of oligarchy” is once again asserting itself. From the Founding Fathers on, we have known that you cannot have a concentration of vast wealth and Democracy at the same time - and we currently have the greatest concentration of wealth in the history of the United States. As former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, “We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”
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A Story for the Children: Making Friends with Evil
Must Read - A quote...."The mother tries to calm her two young children. They've been in their beds for almost an hour and are still very upset. At school earlier in the day, they heard another rumor about some teenagers who had gone missing in a town several miles away. -- "Now, now, we didn't even know them. And you can't believe everything you hear. You know the Council has forbidden talk about such things. You shouldn't listen when other children try to tell you such tales. Besides, even if something did happen to them -- and I'm sure it didn't -- they probably had done something very, very bad. That's why it's so important for you always to be good children." -- also posted at Uruknet

Robert Fisk: Silenced for speaking the truth about Guantanamo
Special Note - A quote...."I began my column last week with the words "We know all about Guantanamo". I was wrong. Courtesy of the Toronto press – until a few days ago, when half of them were censored out of the drumhead courts martial that pass for "justice" in this execrable place – I have been learning a lot more. - also posted at ICH

New target of rights erosions: U.S. citizens
Special Note - A quote...."A primary reason Bush and Cheney succeeded in their radical erosion of core liberties is because they focused their assault on non-citizens with foreign-sounding names, casting the appearance that none of what they were doing would ever affect the average American.  There were several exceptions to that tactic -- the due-process-free imprisonment of Americans Yaser Hamdi and Jose Padilla, the abuse of the "material witness" statute to detain American Muslims, the eavesdropping on Americans' communications without warrants -- but the vast bulk of the abuses were aimed at non-citizens.  That is now clearly changing. -- The most recent liberty-abridging, Terrorism-justified controversies have focused on diluting the legal rights of American citizens (in part because the rights of non-citizens are largely gone already and there are none left to attack)." - also posted at DProgram & Uruknet

Loss of American Citizenship and Assassinations
A quote...." Imagine you are sitting home on a quiet Sunday afternoon in conversation with your beloved spouse. Suddenly your husband slumps over, blood draining from his head as a sniper's bullet shatters your living room window. Your husband has just been assassinated by a government agent and it is later discovered -- after ten years of painful inquiries carried out under the threat of your own assassination -- that your husband was targeted as an enemy combatant and a terrorist. Just as easily, you and your entire family could have been killed in a home invasion in an attempt to cart off your husband for weeks of torture and lifetime detention or execution in an unknown Federal facility. Your investigation might also reveal that your loved one was targeted mistakenly by a bureaucrat or was a political enemy of officials in the government or their corporate allies. -- Thus could be the very near future for American citizens if President Obama, Senator Joe Lieberman and people like Mayor Rudy Giuliani get their way." - also posted at DProgram

Joe Lieberman’s Fascist agenda to strip Americans of their Constitutional Rights
A quote...."(Examiner) – Senator Joe Lieberman is sponsoring a Bill with Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown called the “Terrorist Expatriation Act” that would strip terrorist suspects on their citizenship. The bill applies to any American that supports a foreign terrorist organization or any organization that is deemed a supporter of terrorism by an ally of the United States. The bill gives the State Department the power to determine who is a terrorist and strip away their citizenship." - also posted at BLN

Proposal Would Delay Hearings in Terror Cases
A quote...."WASHINGTON — President Obama’s legal advisers are considering asking Congress to allow the government to detain terrorism suspects longer after their arrests before presenting them to a judge for an initial hearing, according to administration officials familiar with the discussions."

Imprisoning Children for Life
Special Note - Some quotes...."The University of San Francisco School of Law Center for Law and Global Justice and the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic, in association with the Berkeley-based Human Rights Advocates, work for global abolition of juvenile life without parole (LWOP) sentencing, calling it inappropriate for children and illegal."  --  "....only two countries impose LWOP sentences - the United States and Israel, America having 99.9% of all cases; however, nine others permit them, but no known cases exist in - Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brunei, Cuba, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Sri Lanka; two other countries, South Africa and Tanzania, abandoned the practice"

Bipartisan Mercs?: Blackwater Hires Powerful Democratic Lobbyist
A quote...."According to federal lobbying records reviewed by The Nation, in the first quarter of 2010, Blackwater has spent more than $500,000 for the services of Stuart Eizenstat, a well-connected Democratic lobbyist who served in the Clinton and Carter Administrations. Eizenstat, who held various positions within the Clinton administration from 1993-2001, including US Ambassador to the European Union and Undersecretary of State, heads the international practice for the power-house law and lobbying firm Covington and Burling. "His work at Covington focuses on resolving international trade problems and business disputes with the US and foreign governments, and international business transactions and regulations on behalf of US companies and others around the world," according to Eizenstat's bio on the Covington web page." - also posted at Uruknet

How 9/11 was done
From the History File - Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - A quote...."Some of what will be said here will be speculation. Nothing will be 'proven' here as such. Amateur detectives like me do not have a forensic apparatus at their disposal like police departments do, I just have a brain, a limited amount of time and an internet connection. Like in a classic whodunnit the aim is to construct a story line that is not in contradiction with the known facts. This is like in real live crime solving: first collect relevant facts, construct a hypothesis and finally test and prove your hypothesis. This blog will be focusing on constructing a hypothesis and thus, as if it were, increase the appetite to get the damned thing solved. The work of Griffin is invaluable in that it is thorough and precise; Bollyn goes further and comes up with an integral story. Bollyn is currently writing a book 'solving 9/11' that will, by it's nature, be confined to letters printed on paper. This blog will be like an (unauthorized) appendix to his work by using the resources only the internet can offer."

7/7 Ripple Effect - (GoogleVid - 56 min 56 sec - 2 years ago)
Video - From the History File - 2 years ago - A quote...."Regarding the 7/7/2005 terrorist attacks in London, let us look at the facts, and what we were told, and compare them. Then, using Ockham’s Razor and common-sense, let us see what conclusions are to be drawn, so we can all understand what most likely really did happen that day."

Verint Spy System in Sydney Rail - CONFIRMED June 2009 - Part II - Part III - Part IV (unavailable)
Video - From the History File - June 05, 2009 - A quote...."Verint - COMVERSE - Amdocs Israeli based spy systems set up in many "Sensitive Government Networks" Including mass transit systems. Across the globe. Strategically placed "businesses" used as fronts for Mossad agents to enact false flag terror attacks." - Looks like Australia back in 2009 narrowly avoided a British style 7/7 event, As did Vancouver in 2010, see articles shown below. - mpg

Scandal hits London Underground security/technology company
From the History File - October 24, 2006 - A quote...."Verint Systems is the private company responsible for security of the London Underground system. As you can see here it is one of several companies owned by these people."

Mossad’s Verint running security: Possible False Flag at 2010 Olympics?
Contains Video - Alt - From the History File - January 11, 2010 - A quote...."[This makes me think about the recent story of the US journalist being detained at the border being asked a ton of questions about the Olympics, which she had nothing to do with. Also everyone should know by now that ANY company beginning with the first four letters "Veri" are CIA/MOSSAD operations including VeriSign (internet security) and VeriChip among others. -ed] -- Was this the reason for the prorogation (shutting down) of the Canadian parliament, which has no other rational or legal basis? - For more on the Vancouver issue see....The Vancouver Red False Flag Warning & Red War Warning (to be updated when needed) - 02-01-10

Dov Zakheim 9/11 Mastermind - (YouTube - 5 min 16 sec - August 18, 2009)
Video - From the History File - August 18, 2009 - Editor's Note: Regarding the 2.3 and the 1 trillion dollars cited in the video that went "missing" from the Pentagon, no one from the US-NRE's government claims these amounts were stolen, instead they claim the money went missing simply due to "bookkeeping errors" which the Pentagon couldn't "properly account" for. (It's what they said, don't blame this website editor) -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - Pentagon's Missing Trillions - Updated - Regarding remote control technology on aircraft see ....9/11-NORAD -- See also the new weblist shown below....
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9/11 - From The History File...Dov Zakheim 9/11 Mastermind - video - (YuTb - 5m 16s - August 18, 2009)
J Schlesinger, B Kerrey & Dov Zakheim & "Landmark...." - article list
Dov Zakheim
Zakheim Connections and Roles; Accounting Offices hit 9/11
Rabbi Dov Zakheim 9-11 Terrorist
Following Zakheim and Pentagon trillions to Israel and 9-11 - Alt - Alt
Israeli Security to Protect London's Underground - Alt
Article Pool for 911 Analysis and Web References archives - weblist
Google's Video Weblist - videos -  search list
'America's Outrageous War Economy!'
Oh, no - Pentagon loses $2.3 trillion - Alt

For more on this issue see...9/11 & 7/11 - The Israeli Connection  - NEW!!
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[Occupation Force] Death tolls set to spiral [in Afghanistan] as allied forces face 40 attacks every day
A quote...."British troops in Afghanistan are coming under the fiercest and most sustained assault since the start of the conflict nine years ago, with coalition forces subjected to more than 40 attacks each day in March: double the rate of a year ago. Attacks by the Taliban between September 2009 and March 2010 leapt by 83 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to a new report released this month by the US Government Accountability Office."

Obama, Karzai still at odds
A quote...."WASHINGTON - United States President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to portray a united front on the issue of a political settlement with the Taliban in their joint press conference on Wednesday. But their comments underlined the deep rift that divides Karzai and Obama over the issue. -- Karzai obtained Obama's approval for a peace jirga (council) scheduled for later this month - an event the Obama administration had earlier regarded with grave doubt because of Karzai's apparent invitation to the Taliban to participate. On the broader question of reconciliation, however, Obama was clearly warning Karzai not to pursue direct talks with the Taliban leadership, at least until well into 2011."

America's War on Pakistan - US Warns Pakistan of “Severe Consequences”
A quote...."The Obama administration has seized on the failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square on May 1 to insist that the Pakistani military step up its war on Islamic militants and extend its operations into North Waziristan. The US demand is being backed by thinly disguised warnings of economic reprisals and military intervention."

Iraq’s Sadrists say Maliki can remain as PM
A quote...."NAJAF - The political bloc of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday it had dropped its veto of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki keeping his job, eliminating a major hurdle to him staying in office. -- A spokesman for Sadr, who is in self-imposed exile in Iran, said Maliki had not yet agreed to conditions that 2,000 of his followers be released but that the movement was not fundamentally against him continuing as premier." - also posted at WarInIraq

Lib Dems abandon their policies
Nick Clegg betrayed his constituency even faster than Obama betrayed his, which is really saying something. - mpg -- A quote...."The UK's Liberal Democrats have abandoned their agenda in a bid to join in a coalition with the Conservatives, says a former British Member of Parliament. -- The Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and his Liberal Democrat Deputy Nick Clegg both echo the same sentiments about a "united" and "strong" coalition government. -- Yet, the former Respect MP from Britain told Press TV that what they remain to be united about are unfortunately the war in Afghanistan and the savage reduction in the public services and a system that makes working people pay for an economic crisis they have not created." - also posted at WarInIraq
    
Russia opens a new pipeline of diplomacy
Special Note - Geo-Political Analysis - A quote...."Russian diplomacy has been on a roll in recent months, the revival of ties with Ukraine being the most dramatic manifestation. But a string of successes, major and minor, sung and unsung, has been notched up below that high point - in Poland, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Norway and Syria. -- Even with regard to Russia's highly inflammable relations with Georgia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has opened a new front by trying to find people to talk to in Tbilisi, such as former parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze."

Spain Hopes Madrid Summit Sparks New Relationship with Latin America
A qutoe...."Spain hopes that the 6th EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit, which will bring together next week in Madrid more than 60 heads of state and government from both regions, will mark the beginning of a new era in that relationship that goes well beyond political debate and bilateral accords."

Fitch Says Venezuela's New Bolivar Restrictions Could Weigh on Creditworthiness
A quote...."NEW YORK -- Fitch Ratings today said that the recently passed amendment to the Law Against Illicit FX Transactions could further increase macroeconomic distortions present in the Venezuelan economy, adversely affect growth prospects, increase -- inflationary pressures, and possibly undermine the external position of the sovereign as a net external creditor, which in turn could weigh on the Bolivarian Republic's credit quality." - Chavez is nationalizing everything in sight and now he's trying to control the currency.  He probably can't actually crash the Venezuelan economy into the ground because of all the money Venezuela receives from its oil and gas exports.  But he's trying really hard.  What the heck is WRONG WITH HIM? - mpg
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

America: The Silence of a Nation
Must View Video - Alt - (YouTube - 7 min 4 sec - February 26, 2010) -- A quote...."Excerpts from a speech by: Chris Hedges. - The author spoke at the Revolution Books Town Hall Meeting at Ethical Culture Society on January 13, 2009 condemning Israel and USA complicity in Israel's murderous destruction and genocide of the innocent men, women and children of GAZA and the West Bank."  - For more on this issue see....Gaza Invasion of 12/27/08

Palestinians mark Nakba
Must View Video - Alt - (YouTube - 2 min 55 sec - May 15, 2010) -- A quote...."Palestinians across the world are marking on Saturday the 62nd anniversary of Nakba, which means catastrophe. - In 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced and many became refugees due to the formation of the state of Israel. - Mass gatherings commemorating the day of "catastrophe" in the West Bank and Gaza displayed a rare instance of unity between various political factions. - Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reports from Beit Jala, a town in the West Bank."

Deir Yassin: Israel's continued suppression of massacre documents
Contains Videos & Photos - A quote...."Israeli newspaper, Ha'aretz is currently petitioning Israel's High Court of Justice to release written and photographic evidence from the Israeli military archives about the Deir Yassin massacre." - also posted at Uruknet
The Palestinian Nakba
A quote...."Today Israel celebrated 62 years since its formation on 15 May 1948. For Palestinians, today marks the 62nd year since the Nakba – our national and personal catastrophe, involving the loss of our ancestral homeland and the dispersal of three-quarters of our people into exile." - also posted at Uruknet

Palestinians Commemorate Al Nakba [May 9 – May 15]
A quote...."May 15 marks the 62nd anniversary of the 1948 catastrophe, or Al Nakba, which marked the expulsion of over 800,000 Palestinians from their homes when the state of Israel was created. Marches and demonstrations took place throughout the West Bank and Gaza with the various factions agreeing to hold joint marches on the occasion and a siren went off at midday marking the disaster 62 years ago." - also posted at Uruknet

Report: IDF soldiers kill elderly Palestinian near Gaza border
A quote...."Palestinian emergency services and witnesses said Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed one Palestinian and wounded another near the border with Gaza, Israel Radio reported on Saturday."

Slain Ramallah Youth; Shot By A Settler, Left To Die
A quote...."Palestinian medical sources reported that Aysar al-Zaben, 16, who was killed on Friday, was shot by Israeli settlers in Wad Al Haramiyya area near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, apparently bled to death as a bullet struck him in the heart." - also posted at Uruknet

US funds Israel’s apartheid roads plan
A quote...."The construction of sections of a controversial segregated road network in the West Bank planned by Israel for Palestinians – leaving the main roads for exclusive use by Jewish settlers – is being financed by a US government aid agency, a map prepared by Palestinian researchers has revealed." - also posted at AlethoNews

Victory for Iraq Burin as demonstrators commemorate the Nakba
A quote...."Today fifty demonstrators from Iraq Burin, together with international activists, marched in commemoration of the Nakba’s 62nd anniversary, and to protest to the illegal Israeli occupation of the village’s lands. Israeli occupation forces enacted their policy of violent “crowd dispersal” techniques in an effort to thwart the protest, proving no match for the village’s spirit of resistance."

The Ongoing Erasure of Palestine
A quote...."While many still entertain the idea of two sovereign states, Palestine and Israel, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, history, politics, and geography have made this solution unattainable for certain people -- whatever rhetorical changes in American foreign policy may emerge from the Obama Administration. In fact, if the handling of the Goldstone report by Obama and his UN ambassador Susan Rice is an example, then the difference between Bush and Obama on Palestine/Israel is perhaps imaginary." - also posted at Uruknet
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Press TV-On the edge with Max Keiser-05-14-2010(Part1) - (Part II) - (Part III)
MAX&PTVVideos - Special Note -  SK&MK(1/3) - SK&MK(2/3) - SK&MK(3/3) - (PTVYuTb - 10 min - May 15, 2010) -- A quote...."An exclusive interview with Dr. Steve Keen, Author of Debunking Economics" - Regarding the European situation. - mpg

THE POST-CRISIS OUTLOOK - Global sovereign debt crisis
Special Note - A quote...."The European states now deep in financial trouble got there by following the rules of neo-liberal games promoted by US market fundamentalists and supported by the easy money stance of the US Federal Reserve. The outcome in Europe is a move by more conservative states, notably Germany, for nationalistic insulation from free-spending neighbors." -- This is the seventh article in a series."
Part 1: The crisis of wealth destruction
Part 2: Banks in crisis: 1929 and 2007
Part 3: The Fed's no-exit strategy
Part 4: Fed's double-edged rescue
Part 5: Too big to save
Part 6: Public debt - prudence and folly

The Vicious Circle of Debt and Depression – It Is a Class War
A quote...."May 16, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Never before has so much debt been imposed on so many people by so few financial operatives—operatives who work from Wall Street, the largest casino in history, and a handful of its junior counterparts around the world, especially Europe." - For more on this issue see....Pumping From One Hold of the Ship to the Other - 04-21-10 - mpg

Obama Administration: Goldman Sachs from Top to Bottom
A quote...."Two articles on the FDL website detail the intimate and incestuous relationship between the Barry Obama administration and Goldman Sachs. FDL names names and provides expansive detail on the Goldie administration."

US faces one of biggest budget crunches in world – IMF
Charts & Tables - A quote...."Earlier this week, the Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, irked US authorities by pointing out that even the world’s economic superpower has a major fiscal problem -“even the United States, the world’s largest economy, has a very large fiscal deficit” were his words. They were rather vague, but by happy coincidence the International Monetary Fund has chosen to flesh out the issue today. Unfortunately this is a rather long post with a few chunky tables, but it is worth spending a bit of time with – the IMF analysis is fascinating."

US bankruptcies resume upward path in 1st quarter
A quote...."NEW YORK, May 14 (Reuters) - U.S. bankruptcy filings resumed their upward climb in the first quarter, nearly equaling their highest level since 2005, as high unemployment and a still-strained housing market squeezed consumers."

Bank Failures Exceed 2009's Pace
A quote...."WASHINGTON (TheStreet) - State regulators closed four community banks Friday, bringing the total number of failed banks for 2010 to 72. - Year-to-date bank failures were more than double the pace for the same period in 2009, when there were 33 bank closures."

"Thumbs Down" on the EU Bailout
A quote...."May 14, 2010 ""Information Clearing House" --- Barack Obama must have been very frightened, indeed. Otherwise he never would have inserted himself so forcefully into Greece's debt crisis. The truth is, there's much more at stake then people seem to realize. A Greek default would be a major blow to the banking system and the damage would not be limited just to Europe. It could easily spread to the United States and trigger another meltdown. That's why Obama spent most of his weekend on the phone, exhorting EU finance ministers to take swift action to put out the brushfire. Not surprisingly, the details were omitted in the US. media. Here's an excerpt from the UK Independent explaining what happened behind the scenes last weekend: "

Will The U.K. Be The Next European Nation To Experience A Massive Debt Crisis?
A quote...."Now that the Greek debt crisis has been "fixed" by a gigantic pile of more debt, many are wondering which European nation will be next to experience a massive debt crisis.  Increasingly, all eyes are turning to the U.K. and their public debt that is spiralling out of control.  The U.K. government's deficit is projected to be approximately 13 percent of GDP in 2010, which is even worse than Greece's 12.5 percent figure. "

[British] Bankers' earnings surge towards pre-crash levels
A quote...."Pay and bonuses in the City are surging back to their pre-crash levels despite widespread criticism of the Square Mile and the banking industry, which was rescued by the taxpayer 18 months ago."

Friday May 14th 2010

Thinking Rots the Mind!
Must Read - Some quotes...."
Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind .~  *Gen. William Westmoreland*
What luck for the rulers that men do not think. ~  *Adolf Hitler*

Gordon Duff: Times Square Bombing Part of CIA False Flag Against Pakistan
A quote...."Veterans Today realized some time ago that Pakistan would be the key to US security.  Toward that end, we formed a partnership with Opinion-Maker (www.opinion-maker.org), one of the most influential publications in that country and one that takes courageous stands in a country new to democracy.  Jeff Gates and I traveled to Pakistan this spring at the initiation of VT co-editor Raja Mujtaba.  While in Pakistan, we were briefed by the highest levels of the military and intelligence communities in what were frank and open exchanges.  These exchanges were open to a degree where considerable trust was shared and much of the information given could never be released.    Those agreements related to the lives and safety of American and Pakistani soldiers in the field and were based on relationships of honor and trust.  Those promises will be kept."

Report Emphasizes Dubious Iran-al-Qaeda Ties
War Propaganda Exposed - Editor's Note: al-Qaeda is a US-NRE/CIA, Saudi Royal sponsored and controlled, Mossad affiliated, asset.  Iran would never deal with them unless someone in Iran from the the so-called "Greens" did so on behalf of the CIA to implicate Iran.  IF (and it's a big if) Iran was going to support anybody clandestinely in Afghanistan to gain influence, it would first be the Northern Warlords (currently Karzai's and the US-NRE's favorite drug peddling allies) followed perhaps by some elements of the Taliban. But they'd be competing with Pakistan's ISI if they were to do that. - mpg -- A quote...."Sunni fundamentalist al-Qaeda has a long history of open hostility to the Shi’ite Iranian government, so much so that the notion of even an alliance of convenience has long been unfathomable. Al-Qaeda was, after all, Jundallah’s chief ally against Iran before the two groups’ falling out, when the US began supporting Jundallah."

Israeli American Microbiologist Linked to Deadly Fungus
Contains Video - Alt - A qutoe...."The strange case of Joseph Moshe has resurfaced. -- In August of 2009, Moshe was accused of making threats against the White House. He briefly made headlines during a stand-off with police in Los Angeles. During the confrontation, the Israeli scientist remarkably withstood five rounds of chemical agent tossed inside his car in the parking lot of the Federal Building in West Los Angeles." - also posted at DProgram

"U.S. Decision to Approve Killing of American Citizen Causes Unease [It should cause the second American Revolution.] 13 May 2010 The Obama administration’s decision to authorize the killing by the Central Intelligence Agency of a terrorism suspect who is an American citizen has set off a debate over the legal and political limits of drone missile strikes, a mainstay of the campaign against terrorism. The notion that the government can, in effect, execute one of its own citizens far from a combat zone, with no judicial process and based on secret intelligence, makes some legal authorities deeply uneasy." - Paragraph quoted from CLG

"It's the Obusha 'Friday Night Extra-constitutional Bad News Dump' -- so big, the dumping actually crossed into Saturday morning! Proposal Would Extend Pre-hearing Detention, Withhold Miranda Warnings in Terror Cases - 14 Mar 2010 President  - Obama’s legal advisers are considering asking Congress to allow the government to detain terrorism suspects longer after their arrests before presenting them to a judge for an initial hearing, according to administration officials familiar with the discussions. If approved, the idea to delay hearings would be attached to broader legislation to allow interrogators to withhold Miranda warnings from terrorism suspects for lengthy periods, as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. proposed last week. It is not clear how long of a delay the administration is considering seeking...  Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, assailed the Obama administration for considering such ideas. He noted that the administration of President [sic] George W. Bush, which was heavily criticized by civil-liberties groups, never proposed such modifications to criminal procedures." - Paragraph quoted from CLG - bold by website editor

FBI Puts in Bid for Mega Rifles
Weapons Tech Alert - Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."Take a look at the video below. It shows an Anzio 20mm Vulcan Rifle (actually a cannon) with a 49″ barrel and a suppressor. The monster has a 5000 yard maximum range and costs about $12,000. It looks like something designed for combat in a war zone." - bold by website editor
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Protesters say NATO raid killed civilians
A quote...."KABUL (AP) -- Hundreds of protesters brandished sticks, threw stones and burned an American flag Friday in eastern Afghanistan as they accused NATO forces of killing civilians in an overnight raid, but the alliance said eight insurgents were killed in the attack."

Afghans angry at 'civilian deaths'
A quote..."One person has been shot dead by police as hundreds of protesters took to the streets in eastern Afghanistan, accusing Nato-led forces of killing civilians during an overnight raid near the city of Jalalabad."

Pakistani MPs urge NATO oil halt
A quote...."A number of Pakistani lawmakers have introduced a motion that calls for a ban on oil supplies to US-led NATO forces stationed in neighboring Afghanistan." - also posted at WarInIraq

Erdogan to arrive in Tehran soon
A quote...."The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to arrive in Tehran on Sunday to hold a trilateral meeting with Iranian and Brazilian presidents." - also posted at WarInIraq

Contraditions on Iran's nuclear program continue
A quote...."So on one hand, ISIS claims that Technical setbacks cause Iran to falter in push to enrich uranium...and just a few weeks later, it is reported that Iran's advances in nuclear technology spark new concerns about weapons. - LOL! - What explains this contradiction?"

Nearly 300 insurers refuse to boycott Iran-linked companies
A quote...."SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Nearly 300 insurers have refused to agree to a moratorium on investments in companies that the California insurance commissioner says do business with Iran, the state agency said." - So much for AIPAC's stupid sanctions. - mpg

Russia Backs Brazil as Mediator in Iran Nuke Dispute
A quote...."MOSCOW – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won on Friday Russia’s unconditional support for his mediation in the Iranian nuclear dispute."

Russia to sell Syria warplanes, air defense systems
A quote...."(Reuters) - Russia has signed deals to sell Syria warplanes, anti-tank weapons and air defense systems, a senior Russian arms trader said on Friday, prompting an outcry from Syria's foe Israel." - also posted at Yahoo

Russia plans to open naval bases in Ukraine in response to NATO's eastward expansion
A quote...."Russia plans to open naval bases in Ukraine in response to NATO's eastward expansion, military sources have said. --  Ukraine may agree to the re-opening of a Soviet-era submarine base in the Crimea and the establishment of three naval bases on Black Sea coast, said theNezavisimaya Gazeta quoting Russian military sources. --  “The planned expansion of the Black Sea Fleet is Russia's response to the NATO expansion to the East,” said Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, former Black Sea Fleet Commander, referring to the establishment of NATO bases in Romania and Bulgaria, both Black Sea coastal states."

Okinawans angry as Japan PM flipflops on U.S. base
A quote...."OKINAWA, Japan (Reuters) – Kazufumi Ota admits he was skeptical when Japan's then-opposition Democratic Party leader promised last year to try to move a U.S. airbase off his home island of Okinawa, host to half the U.S. forces in the country."

Zionist Lobby Going After Galloway Again
A quote...."Heads up all you freedom loving Americans. The "American Jewish Committee" for "Global Jewish Advocacy" are trying to get America to become like Canada and censor free speech.

"link AJC expressed serious concern at the arrival in the United States of George Galloway. He is slated to speak at events hosted by American Muslims for Palestine and the Muslim Legal Fund of America in a number of locations, beginning in northern California on May 16."

"And here comes the typical diatribe of Islamophobic fear mongering nonsense...."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israel's red line: Shin Bet arrests boycott leader - Jonathan Cook
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, Because the Israelis have left the world no other choice. - mpg -- A quote...."The recent arrest of two respected public figures from Israel’s Palestinian Arab minority in night-time raids on their homes by the Shin Bet secret police - brought to light this week when a gag order was partially lifted - sent shock waves through the community." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq  - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

Legal Persecution - Israel's Disappeared
A quote...."At first it seemed bizarre. Israel slapped a blanket gag order to prevent media coverage of the May 6 arrest of Ameer Makhoul, a prominent Palestinian citizen of Israel who heads Ittijah, a coalition of 64 major civil society organizations. Yet in no time at all the news had shot round the world, and Facebook pages were up calling for his freedom and for a demonstration in Haifa to demand his release." - also posted at AlethoNews

Gaza youth learn music and challenge the occupation
A quote...."GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - "Why are you rushing? Isn't it nicer like this?" Mohammed Omer, oud (an oud is similar to a lute) teacher at the Gaza Music School, asks his student. Omer takes the oud and demonstrates, playing the song slowly, gracefully, with the ornamentations that are key to Arab music."

Ten children arrested in Hares
For playing Arab music....no, that's just a joke....for now. - mpg - A quote...."Between 1 and 6 a.m. Thursday morning, 10 boys under the ago of eighteen were arrested from their homes in the village of Hares, Salift region. The boys, entirely innocent, were taken to Huwarra detention center where they are now being held. A massive number of soldiers were involved in the raid. They arrived in the village in three large “Man’ trucks, three smaller trucks and several army jeeps."

Rachel Corrie boat sets sail to Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."Gaza – Ma'an – A vessel named after the American International Solidarity Movement activist that was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza set sail on Friday evening, forming part of an eight-boat convoy attempting to dock in Gaza by late May."

Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory ( 06-12 May 2010)
Week in and week out....mpg - also posted at Uruknet
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Finance 202: How We Became Debt Slaves -- (And Learned to Love It)
Must Read - Some quotes...."May 14, 2010 ""Information Clearing House" --- Who is in charge of these United States? - If you guess that it’s the people with the money, then you are correct. Not the elected representatives of the people. Not the men and women in uniform, not the factory workers, or farmers, or teachers, or bus drivers and pilots. Just the guys and gals with the moneybags." -- "It is useful to look at history to put the present situation in context. One hundred years ago, the entire financial sector was in the low single digits of GDP. Even by 1990 it was just over 20 percent. In just the last 20 years, the finance sector has grown by half! [a third of the total GDP] At the same time, many economists tell us, real earning and spending power has declined. Is there any doubt why? As the parasite monster grows, our household finances collapse. - How did we get to this situation? When did finance stop becoming a helper of the real economy, and start becoming a drain on our lifeblood? Even Hitler provided virtually interest-free home loans to new families, and a maximum loan term of 10 years, with payments not more than 1/8’th of the average worker’s wage. But we in this “free” society, have a lifelong debt burden and 50 year mortgages! In the middle ages, we called that serfdom. Or indentured labor." - bold by website editor

Senate Rejects Regular Audits of Federal Reserve
A quote...."The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to force the Federal Reserve to undergo an audit, for the first time, by Congress’ investigative arm. But the proposed legislation would only allow for a one-time examination by the Government Accountability Office that would focus on the Fed’s rescue of banks during the financial crisis of 2008." - bold by website editor - also posted at BLN

Dollar Jump Resembles ‘08 Crash
Market Tech Note - Chart - A quote...."On Wednesday, I wrote about the troubling signal given by the Volatility Index (VIX) as it surged  in a manner which resembled the 2008 crash.  Today we can add another market indicator to the “trouble” list – The US Dollar. -- I’ve mentioned the inverse relationship between the US Dollar and stocks several times. This relationship began in 2002 and continues today. The chart below shows that as the market bottomed in March 2009, the Dollar index hit a major top."

Mervyn King: "World's Worst Financial Crisis Ever"
Full quote...."Bank of England Governor Mervyn King says: "We are still halfway through the world's worst financial crisis ever."  He is in good company. The following experts have said that the economic crisis could be worse than the Great Depression...."
David Rosenberg: Gold is Rising Against ALL Currencies
Gold Bug Alert - Charts - A quote...."In an important post today, former chief Merrill Lynch economist David Rosenberg writes...."

"When we had the post-Lehman collapse, gold fell from $900 to $720 an ounce but it still managed to outperform other commodities and rise in many other currencies, outside the U.S. dollar. That post-Lehman collapse phase was a giant margin call where investors sold their winners, like precious metals, and on top that, there was insatiable appetite for dollars from the global banking system caught short of greenbacks.  --  What is happening today is truly fascinating. Gold has broken out to the upside even as the U.S. dollar has done likewise on the back of a renewed flight-to-safety bid. What this means, of course, is that gold has managed to hit new highs even as, (i) the U.S. dollar has risen, which means gold is breaking out against all major currencies; and, (ii) other industrial commodities, such as oil and copper, have slumped from their recent highs. So what this all means is that gold is no longer being considered as part of a resource complex that is outperforming the segment but is increasingly being viewed as a currency of its own."

"Here are some charts for perspective (courtesy of Galmarley)...."

Gold Commercial Short Positions Hit All Time High, As Gold Spike Protection Team Keeps Very Busy
Gold Bug Alert - Charts - A quote...."In addition to the EUR data in today's CFTC Commitment of Traders report, another data point that caught our eye is the record exposure in outright commercial shorts in gold: this week they hit an all time high of 450,950. It appears that last week the desire to suppress any gold breakouts was at historic highs, even as net commercial exposure hit a 2010 low of -282.6, just slightly higher than that seen in the second week of January. If even with this massive onslaught to keep gold low by the LBMA, the precious metal managed to nearly hit $1,250 today, what will happen to gold when the 450k commercial positions are forced to cover?"

CFTC Euro Net Short Contracts Surge By 10% Sequentially, Hit Absolute Record Of -113,890, Just Begging For Squeeze -- Chart - A quote...."The most recent CFTC Commitment of Traders report is out, and at least as pertains to the EURUSD, it is a doozy. After hitting record after record in net short exposure, the Euro net non-commercial contracts have surged by 10% week-over-week, and represent a fifth consecutive weekly bet on the decline of the Euro, to -113,890 contracts. This is an all time record, as virtually all speculators are betting against the Euro. On the other hand, a reversal here for whatever reason would incite the mother of all short squeezes and likely push the EUR to well over 1.60 on a catalytic event. The only question is whether such a catalytic event can even possibly be conceived. We'll leave that one to the black swan hunters among you." -- ABSOLUTELY!!  If Angela Merkel and a bunch of the other Euro leaders came out and said, "We're going to do what good'ol Ben Bernanke has done, allow, nay, actually encourage OUR Bankster friends to create unlimited amounts of derivatives to directly intervene anywhere in the markets, anytime on our behalf, whenever we think it's economically convenient....like for instance, when we want to completely slaughter a bunch of shorts." - mpg

Images of Alleged “New” Deutsche Marks Are Photoshopped
Breaking - May 14th, 2010 - Cryptogon.com --Haaaa, haaaa, haaaa, Wall Street's blood sucking leeches will stop at nothing. - mpg -- A quote...."Since yesterday, a rumor has been circulating that Germany is about to drop the euro and re-issue the Deutsche Mark. - Today, images purporting to show pallets of “new” Deutsche Marks are making the rounds. - These images have been Photoshopped. The dates on the bundles of currency have been digitally manipulated. -- The original source of the image is the Bundesbank website. This is the URL: http://www.bundesbank.de/50jahre/images/bildarchiv/dm_geldpakete.jpg  There are various sources for the Photoshopped images, none of which I am interested in promoting. (It just encourages them.)" - also posted at RogueGov

UK Economy May Be Allowed To Crash And Burn Like US Banking Giant
Some quotes...."Leading financial analysts and economists have warned that Britain may crash and burn following the European bailout of Greece, comparing the situation to that of Lehman Brothers following the rescue of Bear Stearns in 2008."  --  "My big fear is that after (Chancellor of the Exchequer) Alistair Darling refused to support the EU/IMF/ECB bailout of the euro zone bond market, the euro zone may stand by and do nothing when the UK gets into trouble,” he said. - Fry's warning is particularly pertinent following comments by senior French policymaker Jean-Pierre Jouyet, who today indicated that Britain will be punished for refusing to fully sign up to the trillion dollar bailout of the eurozone, despite pledging €60bn in taxpayer funds. - “The English are very certainly going to be targeted given the political difficulties they have. Help yourself and heaven will help you. If you don’t want to show solidarity to the eurozone, then let’s see what happens to the United Kingdom,” the head of the French markets regulator told Europe 1 radio."

Not to mention there's a price to be paid for being the willing butt-kissing lackey of the AIPAC/US-NRE Neo-Roman Consortium.  Their little PNAC plan of worldwide mayhem not only got millions of innocent people killed for no good reason, it was also exceedingly expensive for Britain. - mpg

California: "Absolutely terrible" budget cuts to be announced at 4 PM ET
A quote...."There will be a live webcast of Governor Schwarzenegger's comments here on the new budget that his office says includes "absolutely terrible cuts"."

Midwest Bank, other failures bring 2010 tally to 72
A quote...."SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The closure on Friday of Midwest Bank and Trust Co., which had over $5 billion in deposits and assets, helped bring the number of U.S. bank failures for the year to 72."

A Message from Argentina: Our Sympathies to the People of Greece!
A quote...."When Argentinians watch the news today and see the terrible things that are happening in Greece, we cannot but say, “Hey!! This is EXACTLY like Argentina in December 2001 and beginning of 2002…!”. Then too, Argentina underwent its worst systemic banking, public debt and monetary collapse which led to social turmoil, mad violence, rioting, and social war. The turmoil was so bad, that it forced then president Fernando de la Rúa’s government to resign, especially because of his notorious pro-banker cartel economy minister, Domingo Cavallo, generating a political vacuum that led to Argentina having 5 (five!!) presidents in that terrible last week of December 2001."

Sarkozy threatened to quit euro in showdown with Germany: report
A quote...."(MADRID) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to pull his country out of the euro currency group to force Germany to help Greece with its debt crisis, El Pais newspaper reported Friday, quoting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero." - also posted at BLN

Thursday May 13th 2010

Sympathy for the Oval: Seeking Shreds to Cover the Naked Truth of Power
Must Read - A quote...."The fact that the Obama Administration is operating a secret prison in Afghanistan in which captives rounded up on the usual little or no evidence are being tortured even as we speak -- and even as the president was making his funny-haha jokes about predator drones -- does not come as any surprise. The horror of this reality is by now so routine that it almost defies comment. Or as Arthur Silber puts it in a powerful new essay:

"The concept of "depravity" has been rendered close to meaningless. When so much of what happens every day, here and abroad, is so unfathomably depraved, what does it signify to state that another 40 murders of innocent human beings represent still one more monstrous act, or that the torture of another dozen or three dozen or a hundred innocent human beings is unforgivably evil, or that the rape of another 10 or 30 or 50 girls and women constitutes a crime so immense in its magnitude that it makes all commentary completely beside the point, and even itself obscene?"

Obama Scraps Iraq Withdrawal
If ANYONE is surprised by this it's a miracle you're still breathing. - mpg -- A quote...."So, we elected a president who promised a withdrawal from Iraq that he, or the generals who tell him what to do, is now further delaying. And, of course, the timetable he's now delaying was already a far cry from what he had promised as a candidate."

Obama Seeks $80 Billion for New Nukes - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."Not long after the administration finalized an arms reduction treaty with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, President Obama is now seeking $80 billion in funding for nuclear weapons."

An Updated List of Goldman Sachs Ties to the Obama Government Including Elena Kagan
A quote...."This essay shows the pervasive influence of Goldman Sachs and its units (like the Goldman-Robert Rubin-funded Hamilton Project embedded in the Brookings Institution) in the Obama government. These names are in addition to those compiled on an older such list and published here at FDL. In the future, I will combine the names here and those on the earlier article but I urge readers to look at the earlier list too (links below). Combined, this is the largest and most comprehensive list of such ties yet published."

Elena Kagan and the Supreme Court:  A Barnyard Smell in Chicago, Harvard and Washington
A quote...."May 13, 2010 "Information Clearing House" President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan for Justice of the United States Supreme Court on the basis of an academic publication record, which might give her a fighting chance for tenure at a first rate correspondence law school in the Texas Panhandle. -- A review of her published scholarship after almost two decades in and out of academia turns up four law review articles, two brief pieces and several book reviews and in memoriam. There is nothing even remotely resembling a major legal text or research publication."

That lucky, lucky, LUCKY... 'Lucky' Larry!
A quote...."Silverstein told one of the callers, that the way his insurance policies were written the two planes crashing into the two towers had been two different ‘occurrences,’ not part of the same event. That would give him more than $7 billion to rebuild, instead of the $3.55 billion that his insurance policy said was the maximum for one ‘occurrence.’" - For more on this issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

Are the bombers Al-Qaeda, the CIA or Israel?
Special Note - A quote...."Christopher King argues that it is likely that the American CIA – or Israel acting on its behalf – is responsible for recent atrocities in Iraq, in order to extend and consolidate the occupation, just as it is probable that the Times Square bomber was, wittingly or otherwise, acting for the CIA or Israel, to justify the US military intervention in South Asia." - also posted at WarInIraq

Spanish prosecutors want 13 CIA agents arrested
A quote...."Spanish prosecutors are asking a judge to issue arrest warrants for 13 CIA agents who they believe were involved in the spy agency’s 2004 “extraordinary rendition” of a German citizen, according to Spain's El Pais newspaper." - For more on this issue see....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure

Editorial: The next 2,000-page bill
A quote...."The bill sets up two new supersnooping federal agencies to collect data on ordinary Americans:  The bill sets up two new supersnooping federal agencies to collect data on ordinary Americans: The Office of Financial Research. This supposedly would predict risk in the system by collecting massive amounts of new financial data, such as patterns of credit card use.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It would collect data, especially on consumer transactions."

Is the US Media Leading America into Another War?
War Presstitution Alert - A quote...."In the past, war reporters bravely followed soldiers into the jaws of war. Today, it looks like the soldiers are embedded in the media instead, simply going along for the story. -- This article asks a simple question that unfortunately has no simple answer: “Where should media publications draw the line when it comes to using ‘anonymous sources’ to substantiate their news reports, especially ones that risk skewing public opinion in favor of yet another disastrous war?” - For more on this issue see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda

Delusions and illusions of press freedom  - The Israel lobby’s control of Western media
Pro-Israeli Presstitution Alert  - A quote...."... the Israeli lobby in the US includes seven major propaganda 'think tanks' which crank out thousands of position papers, editorials and op-ed pieces appearing on a daily basis in dozens of national and local newspapers..." -- *James Petras* - For more on this issue see....Judeo-Christian C/C & US - Media

Lost on the Fearless Plain
Special Note - A quote...."The system has just begun its crash, and already we are seeing an armed infantilized nation wail, hurl blame and do horrific things, the worst of which we do to one another (excluding sending predator drones after Middle Eastern school kids). Surveillance, witch hunts, destruction of civil liberties, and the government inching toward star chamber trials for those who do not display correct traits. Citizens embracing totalitarianism as stability in the face of the ultimate instability -- the death of the planet. -- The political regime or philosophy does not exist which can turn this scenario around. Slow it down, maybe, but put things in reverse, nope. Not when six billion mouths are munching at one end of the last noodle, and at the other end a fraction of a billion well armed technological people want the entire noodle...." - Source: Joe Bageant

Terminally Dumb People
A quote...."May 13, 2010 "Information Clearing House"  Terminally-dumb people have always been with us of, course.  It can’t be that we’ve suddenly gone stupid. -- If you shake your head and roll your eyes at the nonsense coming out of the Teaparty followers of Sarah “Africa is a country” Palin and other intellectual giants like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh … If you have thoughts of moving abroad after the latest silly lies and fantasies like “Obama the Marxist” and “Obama the antichrist” …  If you share Noam Chomsky’s feeling: “I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime” … keep in mind that the right wing has long been at least as stupid and as mean-spirited.  Consider some of the behavior of the same types for half a century during the Cold War with its beloved — albeit imaginary — “International Communist Conspiracy”. " - For more on this issue see....The Tea Party - Another False Front
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1998 – Congressional Testimony About the Caspian Sea Basin, Pipelines, and Securing U.S. Interests In Afghanistan - Special Note - For the Historical Record - A quote...."To begin, you may ask why is the United States active in the region? The United States has energy security, strategic, and commercial interests in promoting Caspian region energy development. We have an interest in strengthening global energy security through diversification, and the development of these new sources of supply. Caspian export routes would diversify rather than concentrate world energy supplies, while avoiding over-reliance on the Persian Gulf.  --  We have strategic interests in supporting the independence, sovereignty, and prosperity of the Newly Independent States of the Caspian Basin. We want to assist the development of these States into democratic, sovereign members of the world community of nations, enjoying unfettered access to world markets without pressure or undue influence from regional powers." -- *Robert W. Gee* - (Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, Dept. of Energy)

Bound to Fail - The Inevitable Collapse of McChrystal's Afghan War Plan
Special Note - A quote...."In the 11 May issue of CounterPunch, apparently based on White House and Pentagon sources, Gareth Porter, one of the most able journalists covering the Afghan debacle, reported that General McChrystal’s war plan is in the early stages of unravelling. To appreciate why this was entirely predictable, consider please, the following:

Turkish Air Defense System Deployed to “Defend Syria, Iran against Israel Raids”
A quote...."High-ranking sources in the Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed displeasure with Turkey over deploying anti-aircraft batteries along the Syrian border in the Iskenderun district. -- The Turkish daily Hurriyet meanwhile, quoted a military source as saying that “this move aims at repelling a US or Israeli attack against Iran or Syria.”  - also posted at WarInIraq

Turkey PM eyes better Greece ties
A quote...."Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, is set to travel to Greece for talks in an effort to improve historically tense relations between the two countries." - also posted at WarInIraq

Russia warns U.S. against unilateral Iran sanctions
A quote...."MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the United States and other Western nations on Thursday against imposing unilateral sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Interfax news agency reported." -- also posted at YahooNews

Russian rebuffs U.S. warning on Iran missile sale - [the S-300]
A quote...."ANKARA (Reuters) - Russia Wednesday rebuffed a warning from the United States over a plan to sell surface-to-air missiles to Iran, saying Moscow needed no advice from Washington on its weapons sales." - Source: Reuters

Ahmadinejad advises US to leave region
A quote...."Amid concerns about the continuing presence of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Iranian president advises the White House to withdraw its troops from the region. - Addressing a large crowd in Iran's southwestern city of Yasuj on Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the era of occupation and plundering other nation's national resources is over."

US companies trying to kill Iran bill
A quote...."Major US firms are warning Congress against passing legislation to impose new sanctions against Iran, saying such sanctions will further damage the US economy." - also posted at AlethoNews

Iran should turn the tables on Israel - posted at Online Journal
A quote...."With the help of friendly nations, Iran is playing a smart game. In an effort to take the heat off its nuclear programme, Tehran has agreed in principle to accept a uranium exchange scheme proposed by its allies Turkey and Brazil. Under the scheme, Iran would swap its low-level enriched uranium stockpile for nuclear fuel rods that can be used only for civilian nuclear use."

U.S. intelligence turns up surveillance ears on Turkey and Brazil - posted at Online Journal
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."(WMR) -- WMR has learned from U.S. and Middle East intelligence sources that the Obama administration has authorized an increase in signals intelligence (SIGINT) gathering directed against Turkey and Brazil. Both nations are acting as intermediaries with Iran to hammer out a deal to swap uranium for Iran's low-enriched uranium used for its nuclear power generating needs for nuclear fuel from abroad." - There goes Obama again, kissing AIPAC/Israeli butt.  Why the heck doesn't he just move to Israel, or at least properly register as a foreign agent of Israel? - mpg

Yemen's Sorrowful Options: 'Revolt, Migrate or Die'
A quote...."When the Soviets concluded their pull out from Afghanistan in February 1989, the United States government abruptly lost interest in the country. A devastated economic infrastructure, entrenched poverty, deep-rooted factionalism and lack of international aid caused the country to descend into complete chaos. Internal violence also worsened, but it was no longer an American concern. All that mattered was that the Cold War rival had been defeated. Mission accomplished." - also posted at OnlineJournal

Russian, Brazilian leaders to discuss energy and aviation projects
A quote...."The Russia and Brazil presidents will meet in Moscow on Friday to discuss joint projects in the energy and aviation industry, as well as the use of national currencies in reciprocal payments, a Kremlin source said."

UPDATE: Clashes in Kyrgyzstan, interim government holds emergency meeting
A quote...."The Kyrgyz interim government is holding an emergency meeting following clashes in the country's southern city of Jalal-Abad, an interim government spokesman said on Friday."

Russia opens a new pipeline of diplomacy
Analysis - A quote...."Russian diplomacy has been on a roll in recent months, the revival of ties with Ukraine being the most dramatic manifestation. But a string of successes, major and minor, sung and unsung, has been notched up below that high point - in Poland, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Norway and Syria. -- Even with regard to Russia's highly inflammable relations with Georgia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has opened a new front by trying to find people to talk to in Tbilisi, such as former parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze."

Moscow attack 'organisers' killed
A quote...."Security services have killed three people involved in the suicide attacks on the Moscow metro earlier this year after they refused to surrender, Russia's security chief has said."

Repsol Hails Oil Accord with Venezuela
A quote...."The CEO of Spanish oil company Repsol, Antonio Brufau, touted the importance of a contract signed with Venezuela to develop crude reserves in the Carabobo area of the vast Orinoco Belt."
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Israeli Whistleblower Vanunu Condemned to New Jail Sentence
A quote...."The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Mordechai Vanunu, found guilty of divulging State nuclear secrets to the British press, will serve a three-month jail sentence handed to him by Jerusalem District Court and not community service, as he requested."

Rahm Emanuel's father specialized in bus bombings in Palestine - posted at Online Journal
A quote...."(WMR) -- A well-placed British source informed WMR that Rahm Emanuel's father, Benjamin Emanuel, specialized in the terrorist bombings of buses carrying British troops and policemen during the British Mandate in Palestine. -- British MI-6 files contain information on the elder Emanuel's participation in the terrorist activities of Irgun Zvai Leumi, a Jewish terrorist organization that targeted British forces, UN officials, and Palestinian Arabs in the lead up to Israeli independence in 1948."

The Birth of Israel A Tale of Lies, Deceit, and Terrorism
A quote...."(Based on classified documents from the Jewish Agency and its affiliated organizations seized by the British Mandate Police, materials that confirm that the Zionist controlled Jewish community intended to remove the Arab inhabitants of Palestine from their land and make the whole of Mandate Palestine a Jewish State, an intent that continues to the present day as the new book, "The Plight of the Palestinians: a Long History of Destruction" [GoglBkSrch]* , available at Macmillan.com, demonstrates.)" - *links added

The Danger of Israel's Nuke Hypocrisy
A quote...." This extraordinary double standard – demanding transparency from Iran, which doesn’t have the bomb and disavows wanting one, and protecting the secrets of Israel, which is believed to have one of the most sophisticated nuclear stockpiles on earth – has forced the Obama administration and many U.S. news organizations into logical and moral contortions. - The hypocrisy also is counterproductive, undermining whatever moral standing the United States might have in trying to strengthen safeguards that are considered important to prevent the nightmare scenario of some terrorist organization getting its hands on nuclear materials." - So!!!  Let's get serious here folks, if the NPT dies a slow death because of Obama's bone headed policy (in this website editor's opinion it's already dead anyway), and as a result some "terrorist" organization (most likely they'd be a state sponsored entity designed to create a false flag, but that's another story) gets their hands on a nuclear device and uses it to kill millions of "Americans", does anyone actually think Israel would give a sh-t about some dirty goyum?? -- Really?? -- Com'on folks!!!  If it's a choice between Israel's embarrassment and ten million dead "Americans" than that's no choice at all....they're just not going to be embarrassed. End of story. Go buy some really good sun-block people. Hope to see you in the shade. Hasta la vista babies. - mpg

Another $205 Million for Israel
Photo Gallery - A quote...."Barack Obama wants congress to pay $205 million dollars over and above the $3 billion a year we give to Israel,  to help Israel defend themselves from this…"
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

New ‘HRW’ report affirms Goldstone’s claim: Israel wantonly destroyed Gaza’s civilian infrastructure
Special Note - A quote...."One of the many damning allegations in the report states that as the Israeli military began withdrawing from Gaza on January 15, 2009, “there appeared to be a practice of systematically demolishing a large number of structures, including houses, water installations, such as tanks on the roofs of houses, and of agricultural land.” - also posted at AlethoNews

Turkey, Russia see Hamas role in peace process
A quote...."ANKARA: Turkey and Russia said on Wednesday the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas should not be excluded from the Middle East peace process after this week’s launch of indirect talks between the Palestinians and Israel." - also posted at WarInIraq

Israel imposing occupation tactics on its Palestinian citizens
A quote...."Last Thursday, in the early hours of the morning, a Palestinian community leader's home was raided by Israeli security forces. In front of his family, the wanted man was hauled off to detention without access to a lawyer, while his home and offices were ransacked and property confiscated."

Settler Torch Olive Orchard In Silwan
A quote...."A group of fundamentalist Israeli settlers torched, Wednesday night, an 11-Dunam olive orchard in al-Rababa valley, in Silwan, south of the Old City of Jerusalem." - For more on this issue see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Israeli Soldiers Continue To Use Children As Human Shields
A quote...."Child organisation DCI-Palestine has documented two new cases of children used as human shields by Israeli soldiers during military operations."

Palestinian Youth Shot Dead East of Ramallah - The world's newest "nigger". - mpg
A quote...."According to initial information, alZaben was shot by a settler when tending in his lands between 4:30 and 6:00 pm. At the time, a group of youth from the village scuffled with a settler near the adjacent Route 60. According to the testimonies of some of these youth, they were throwing stones towards Route 60, near a roadblock preventing Palestinian access to the road. At some point, a settler stopped his car and exited it, beginning to shoot live ammunition towards them, which caused them to run away back to the village. Escaping the shots, they were not aware that alZaben, who wasn’t with them and did not participate in the stone throwing, was hit."

IOF soldiers detain 12 Palestinians, blackmail students
A quote...."RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained 12 Palestinians in a number of West Bank areas at a late hour on Wednesday and before dawn Thursday, Hebrew press reported."

Jewish settlers attack Palestinian villagers in Ramallah
A quote...."RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Hundreds of armed Israeli settlers, without prior warning, raided the villages of East Farm and Sinjil, east of Ramallah city, which caused fierce clashes at noon Tuesday." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

Hamas accuses Egypt of torturing prisoners
A quote...."GAZA CITY - Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose relations with Cairo are growing increasingly tense, on Tuesday accused Egypt of torturing Palestinian prisoners. - “They are subjected to horrible methods of torture, electrocuted, hung by their limbs for long periods, beaten,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the Islamist movement." - also posted at WarInIraq

Irish activists urge divestment at CRH annual meeting
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, Because if we don't, the Israelis will keep on murdering people. - mpg -- A quote...."Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) activists are pressuring the Ireland-based international building materials group CRH to divest from its Israeli subsidiary Mashav. Last week, IPSC members attended the annual CRH general shareholders meeting as activist shareholders. Their aim was to discuss the involvement of CRH subsidiary Mashav in illegal construction activities in the occupied West Bank. The four IPSC shareholders dominated the hour-long question and answer session and received support from actual CRH shareholders for the company to divest from Israel." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

BDS action against Israeli pharmaceutical company at COSMOFARMA expo
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, Because people must stand together and actually DO something in the face of such atrocities. - mpg -- A quote...."On Saturday, May 8 a protest organized by the “Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network”(comprised of numerous associations and committees who stand with the Palestinian struggle for freedom) was held at the entrance to Rome’s exhibition center during COSMOFARMA, a pharmaceuticals expo attended by thousands of health professionals. The Rome Palestinian Solidarity Network, which endorses the international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) on the Israeli economy, aimed at raising awareness of the BDS campaign, calling on physicians, pharmacists and health workers not to purchase or prescribe products from the Israeli pharmaceutical company TEVA." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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Insights From An Ex-Wall Street CEO On Market Manipulation
Market Tech Note - A quote...."I am Ex CEO of mid sized Wall Street Firm. Known for equity research; reasonably good trading; acceptable Investment Banking. Now retired Equity Block Trader early in career. May have traded more 1,000,000 share blocks than anyone over 10 year period. -- Executed 1st program trade that I am aware of.  Manually handled blocks of stock vs options on the XMI for expiration October of 1983. -- Oversaw global equity trading, for top 5 firm.  Was senior trader and oversaw hedge book during 87 crash.  Still have time and sales from that day for all trades on NYSE. -- Can read the tape as well as most. -- I cannot come up with any explanation for market activity for last 15 months other than treasury intervention.   Probability of other explanation is nonexistent."

Finance 101: Blame the Poor - (While Taking Their Money)
A quote...."May 12, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Did you know that the poor (and mostly black) people in the US caused the global financial crisis that threw the world economy into its worst slump since the Great Depression of the 1930’s? - I didn’t know that either, until I heard this news from the US media and popular broadcasters like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh."

U.S. home prices drop by $25 billion
A quote...."A report by San Francisco’s Trulia Inc. says home prices around the United States were cut by 10 percent in April. In total, some $25 billion has been slashed from the list prices of for-sale homes."

US home repossessions set record in April, foreclosures plateau at “very high level”
A quote...."Banks in the US repossessed 92,400 homes in April, a record number and 45 percent higher than in April 2009. At the present rate, with more than 350,000 houses taken over by lenders in the first four months of 2010, more than 1 million American homes will be repossessed this year. In 2009, 918,000 repossessions took place, a 6.5 increase over the previous year. Behind these dry figures lie social dislocation and misery for millions."

Wall Street: Land of the Million Dollar Babies
A quote...."Wall Street is know around the world as the land of the million dollar babies since is chock full of people who have gotten incredibly rich as a result of handouts from the government. These handouts come in all forms, but most in the size extra large. The basic story is always the same; the banks and financial firms take gambles that provide big payoffs for their shareholders and "top performers" and pass along big risks to the taxpayers."

The U.S. Government Is About To Get Hit With 'The Perfect Storm' Of Debt
Multiple Charts - A quote...."Hearing President Obama’s economic peptalks, you might be under the impression that the U.S. needs to keep spending for just a little while longer to stimulate the economy – but then will swear off big deficits."

The Bailout of Big American Banks Has Cost Trillions More Than We've Been Told
A quote...."Granted, the $700 billion dollar TARP bailout was a massive bait-and-switch. The government said it was doing it to soak up toxic assets, and then switched to saying it was needed to free up lending. It didn't do that either. Indeed, the Fed doesn't want the banks to lend."

You Are Being Lied To By The Entire Financial System
A quote...."Almost every US Corporation will do and say anything  to keep us spending money, regardless of what they know about the fragility of our entire financial system.  Bankster’s are now using world governments as patsies to commit the largest heist in world history.  Stealing a trillion dollars from US citizens proved to be too difficult, as they had to receive congressional approval to bail themselves out.  Their recent scam involves using the world’s central banks to bypass democracy & funnel money to offshore entities without oversight.   Just think; the IMF, partially funded by the US Treasury; can operate freely & independently as they steal US currency for their cronies without being held accountable to the US taxpayer."

Part 1: "Why The Depression Is Ongoing"
Multiple Charts - A quote...."There are classic signs indeed that the recession in the U.S. ended last summer — output, sales, etc. But the depression is ongoing and the reason we say that is because real personal income, excluding handouts from the government, has barely budged. In fact, real organic personal income is nearly $500 billion lower now than it was at the peak 16 months ago and this has never occurred before coming out of any technical recession. It is a depression, as the chart below attests — that is the trendline for real household incomes, until the government comes in to top them off with handouts, subsidies and extended jobless benefits. The share of U.S. personal income being derived from Uncle Sam’s generosity has risen above 18% for the first time ever."

Part 2: "Gold Is Increasingly Being Viewed As A Currency Of Its Own"
Charts - Gold Bug Alert - A quote...."From David Rosenberg, and verbatim agreement with what Zero Hedge has been discussing for almost one year. Also, even with gold down, note the price action in PHYS."

US media demands Greek-style austerity for American workers
A quote...."In recent days, the US media—led by the standard bearer of American liberalism, the New York Times—has insisted that workers in the US, like their brethren in Greece, have been living the good life for far too long and must accept a drastic and permanent reduction in their living standards."

Capitalism Without Capital
A quote...."May 12, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Volatility is back and stocks have started zigzagging wildly again. This time it's Greece in the hotseat, but tomorrow it could be someone else. The real problem is there's too much leverage in the system,  so crises keep popping up one after another.  For a long time,  leverage wasn't an issue, because there was enough liquidity to keep things bobbing-along smoothly.  But that changed when Lehman Bros. collapsed and non-bank funding began to shut down. When the so-called "shadow banking" system crashed, liquidity dried up and the markets went into a nosedive."

First Gold, Now Europe Running Out Of Silver
Gold Bug Alert - A quote...."Earlier we noted that the Austrian mint was on its way to depleting its gold reserves following "panicked buying" from Europeans, who now openly fear the demise of their currency. Now, courtesy of Slim Beleggen, we understand that the situation in the silver market is just as bad and has also spilled over to Germany: the contagion is no longer one of sovereign debt, but of precious metal physical inventory. The primarily silver focused (but holding gold as well) Kronwitter precious metal online retailer is not only not accepting any orders, but has entirely taken down its website."

Keiser Report № 42: Markets! Finance! Scandal!
MK&RTVideo - Alt - (MK&RTYuTb - 25 min 57 sec - May 13, 2010) -- A quote...."This time Max Keiser and co-host Stacy Herbert look at the scandals of perfect trading days; PIIGS flying only to fall to earth five minutes later when markets realize the Euro-Tarp financiers are themselves bankrupt debt pigs; and Max Keiser explains high frequency terrorism in the Manchurian candidate markets. In the second half of the show, Max interviews post-neoclassical economic philosopher Damon Vrabel about the European bailout, the financial empire and the IMF, and how the right kind of republic can provide some solutions."

Why The UK Is The Next European Country To Experience A Massive Debt Crisis
A qutoe...."Now that the Greek debt crisis has been "fixed" by a gigantic pile of more debt, many are wondering which European nation will be next to experience a massive debt crisis."

"Drop Dead Economics": The Financial Crisis in Greece and the European Union
A quote...."Bank lobbyists know that the financial game is over. They are playing for the short run. The financial sector’s aim is to take as much bailout money as it can and run, with large enough annual bonuses to lord it over the rest of society after the Clean Slate finally arrives. Less public spending on social programs will leave more bailout money to pay the banks for their exponentially rising bad debts that cannot possibly be paid in the end. It is inevitable that loans and bonds will default in the usual convulsion of bankruptcy."

Merkel warns against euro plunge
Editor's Financial Caution - Merkel should be very careful, the GOAL is to allow the Euro nations who are in trouble to obtain inexpensive financing.  There is absolutely NO REASON, IF Bernanke can supply upwards of 30 trillion worth of backstops, guarantees and pay-outs to his Banksters friends AT ZERO PERCENT interest, enabling them to be "profitable" (what a joke) and allowing them to ruthlessly attack the European Union, THAT the European Union can't also supply credit to weak Euro countries at zero percent enabling them to get their fiscal house in order and defend themselves. To try to "prop-up" the Euro would be a trap, what Europe wants to do is defend their economy and attack the Banksters, that is what will support the Euro in the medium to long term.  In the short term perhaps the Euro should be allowed to drift lower if necessary. - also posted at WarInIraq -- Editor's Note:  Perhaps the term "currency wars" should be defined, it is definitely NOT to see who has the highest currency value relative to others, instead the "war" is to get your currency used by other countries.  The US-NRE's parasites believe they can do this through force of arms and by attacking other country's currencies and their economies.  - mpg -- For more on this issue see....The First Salvos of the Currency Wars - 05-07-10 - mpg

Drastic social cutbacks unveiled throughout Europe
A quote...."In the wake of the $1 trillion euro bailout agreement reached at the beginning of this week, governments throughout Europe have unveiled austerity measures that include sweeping attacks on jobs, wages and basic social rights. -- It has now become abundantly clear that the nearly $1 trillion package cobbled together by European finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund was not merely aimed at staving off the bankruptcy of Greece and other European Union member states gripped by sovereign debt crises. -- It was designed to effect a massive transfer of social wealth from the masses of the population to the international banks and investment firms."

Greeks in the Streets Are Right, EU Economists Have It Wrong
A quote...."The agreement by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to provide up to $960 billion of support to the Continent's weaker economies, as well as to financial markets, has appeared to calm investors worldwide, for the moment. -- But this does not resolve the underlying problem, even in the short run."

Gerald Celente: Banks Robbing the People
RTVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4 min 30 sec - May 12, 2010) -- A quote...."The turmoil that has stricken Greece has spread to Romania and Ireland. This crisis may be spreading worldwide as the debt crisis continues, there have been reports that it may spread to Japan, one of the biggest economies in the world. Gerald Celente says that this is the greatest bank robbery in history and it is the banks that are doing the stealing."

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051310-051910 - links page
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