Tuesday July 14th 2009

Robert McNamara and Smedley Butler
Must Read - A quote...."There’s been a lot of ink spilled in the past week over how we ought to think about the late Robert McNamara. (And yes, real ink, not just virtual – even the remaining real newspapers were in on it.) Does the fact that he came to realize that the Vietnam War (“McNamara’s War” to some) was wrong even as he continued to pursue it as Lyndon Johnson’s Defense Secretary make him a better or a worse person? And what of his willingness to say it publicly – but only three decades later? There may be a more useful way to think about him, however. And it involves considering him not in conjunction with, say, Henry Kissinger, who followed a course similar to his but apparently without hesitation, but more in terms of General Smedley Butler, someone who did learn from his experience. -- Butler, of course, achieved far greater clarity than the ever-hedging McNamara did. Butler’s story is fairly well known: four years after a military career that included service in Cuba, China, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, Haiti, and France, he wrote a book called “War is a Racket.” He gave speeches in which he would say things like, “during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.” -- For more on Major General Smedley Darlington Butler's views, see....War is a Racket
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Put 2 and 2 Together:Cheney’s “Secret Program” was the CIA “Hit-Squad”, and 13 Doctors Swear Dr. Kelly’s Death Was Not a Suicide -- A quote...."It is being reported that Cheney’s recently revealed secret CIA program was indeed his “assassination squad”, but that they were to be targeting “top al Qaeda operatives” overseas. -- Well, they were going overseas (some of the time), but they weren’t going after al Qaeda. That much we should all know by now. Which just begs the questions: Who was Cheney planning to kill? and How many times was he successful? Inquiring minds want to know."

The Rush To Judgment - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."July 14, 2009 "Hullabaloo" ---  Pretty much every news outlet has confirmed that the secret CIA program held from Congress by Dick Cheney concerned targeted assassinations of Al Qaeda members abroad, basically the "executive assassination ring" discussed by Sy Hersh earlier this year."

CIA linked to Benazir Bhutto’s assassination?
Video - A quote...."He says that, while in office, Cheney ordered the agency to withhold information about the anti-terror program from Congress. -- According to investigative journalist and RT contributor Wayne Madsen, “This assassination team may have targeted politicians in other countries. One name mentioned was former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who may have been a victim of this program. The other name is Jonas Savimbi, the former Angolan UNITA leader, who may have outlived his usefulness as far as Mr Cheney is concerned.”

Death squads and US democracy
A quote...."The revelation that the CIA initiated a covert program, apparently involving assassinations, and kept it secret from the US Congress on the orders of Vice President Dick Cheney marks a deepening of the crisis in the American state apparatus and an indication of the degeneration of democratic processes within the US."

CIA faces hostile scrutiny as details of 'dark' programmes are revealed
A quote...."For a while everyone thought it would be enough to blame Dick Cheney. -- President Obama assured the CIA that no one in the agency would be held accountable for the years of torture, abductions and killings, along with the mass serveillance of Americans, conducted under dubious legal authorisations." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Is Obama Continuing the Bush/Cheney Assassination Program? - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."Congress is outraged that Cheney concealed a CIA program to assassinate al Qaeda leaders, but they should also be investigating why Obama is continuing—and expanding—U.S. assassinations." -- also posted at OhBummer & CommonDreams & Uruknet

The Lexicon of Detention - Obama's New Euphemism
A quote...."The Bush administration will no doubt be remembered for torture, Guantanamo, and Abu Ghraib, as well as for catchy euphemisms like "enhanced interrogation" and histrionic catch-phrases like "the Global War on Terror." -- The Obama administration has introduced a new lexicon that includes words like "fairness," "values," and "the Constitution." But there are worrying signs, as the new government's policies develop, that its change in vocabulary is more striking than its change in ideas." -- In other words Obama is corrupting, distorting and twisting the English language even more than the Bush administration did.  That’s quite an achievement. – mpg

Obama Extends Cheney's Secret Service Protection
A quote...."There appears no end in sight for when Dick Cheney, a rare former vice president with Secret Service protection, will lose his security detail. Whispers has learned that the political battler's Secret Service protection has been extended, though there were no details on the length. We don't know why President Obama OK'd the extension, which must be approved by the commander in chief because former veeps typically don't get any Secret Service security after leaving office. But indications are that the threats against Cheney, who's working on his biography at his homes in Virginia and Maryland, haven't lessened since his term expired."
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Mosul Police Accuse US of Violating Security Pact
A quote...."Sources from the Mosul police department are accusing the United States of violating the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Iraq this morning when US troops entered two police stations, one in western Mosul and another in eastern Mosul during a patrol." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Iraq Won’t Permit US Patrols in Baghdad
A quote...."When US troops left Iraq’s cities, they didn’t go far. They set up shop in bases all along the outskirts as part of an attempt to “encircle” the cities and return at a moment’s notice whenever the Iraqi military called. The only thing is, they’re not calling."

Iraq unions fight foreign oil players
A quote...."Unions are lobbying against Iraq's new oil contract with BP and China's CNPC, but the weakened labour movement may have a hard time thwarting deals desperately needed to revive a struggling oil sector. -- The Federation of Oil Unions of Iraq and the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq have condemned the Oil Ministry's decision to award a foreign consortium the contract to develop Rumaila, the country's largest producing oilfield."

Fort Drum sending 7,000 soldiers to Iraq
A quote...."Fort Drum - Two brigades from Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division will be deployed to Iraq in 2009 and 2010, the Department of Defense announced today." -- also posted at WarInIraq

US commander in Afghanistan lobbies for more troops
A quote...."Less than six months after Barack Obama ordered 21,000 additional American soldiers to Afghanistan, and barely two weeks into the first major offensive by the reinforcements, General Stanley McChrystal, the newly-appointed US commander, has launched a lobbying drive for a substantial further increase in troop numbers."

Iran Jews in Israel prefer Ahmadinejad - link posted at ICH
A quote...."Despite unrest and violence following last month's presidential elections in Iran, some Jewish Iranians living in Israel and abroad say life in the Islamic republic is better under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than it would be under challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi."

Iran hangs 'Sunni rebels'
A quote...."Iran has hanged 13 members of a Sunni Muslim armed group known as Jundallah, or Soldiers of God, after they were convicted of carrying out a number of bombings and other attacks in the south of the country."

Qatar Stresses Expansion of Ties with Iran
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Qatari Minister of State for Internal Affairs Abdallah bin Nasir bin Khalifa al-Thani underlined his country's resolve to expand ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Russia says no Iran sanctions for START deal: report - link posted at ICH
A quote...."MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will not agree to tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program in exchange for a new nuclear arms cuts deal with Washington, Interfax news agency quoted a foreign ministry source as saying Tuesday."

Russian military confirms test-launch of Sineva ballistic missile
Related Article - A quote...."MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has successfully test-launched a Sineva sea-based ballistic missile, a source in the Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday." -- also posted at WarInIraq

How US Missile Defense Plans Sabotaged Nuclear Disarmament Talks With Russia
Related Article - A quote...."Although Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged to work for a nuclear weapons free world this spring, they failed to take meaningful steps at their July summit to put the world on the proper path to nuclear abolition. Disappointingly, they only agreed to minor cuts in their respective weapons arsenals due to US unwillingness to cancel its plans to put missile and radar bases in Poland and the Czech Republic which Russia views as a threat to its security. Essentially we have come full circle to the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit at Reykjavik, when negotiations for the total abolition of nuclear weapons tragically collapsed because Reagan wouldn't give up U.S. plans for a Strategic Defense Initiative to dominate space."  -- also posted at Creative-i

Nabucco-South Stream race: bets accepted
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityayev) - Four EU states and Turkey signed an agreement on July 13 in Ankara paving the way for the Nabucco pipeline to transport gas to Europe bypassing Russia. -- The pipeline could become a serious rival to Russia's South Stream, which is designed to bring gas to south and central Europe. Bulgaria, which is involved in both projects, is planning to bargain for better terms under energy agreements with Russia."

Colombian militias confess to 21,000 murders
A quote...."We are up to 21,000 murders that have been confessed to," Luis Gonzalez, of the Colombian public prosecutor's office, told local radio on Monday, reported AFP. -- Gonzalez told Radio Caracol that the full extent of the "horrors" may be unknown "because there are still many murders to confess to." -- "We have documented around 246,000 cases that occurred in the regions that had the Autodefensa forces," he said."

Brazil confident of recovery and retaining primary surplus
A quote...."Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Tuesday that Brazil is not facing fiscal troubles and anti-cyclic policies are showing satisfactory results. His statement was supported by the latest release on retail sales, for May, which was higher than expected."
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WACLA Delivers Scientific Proof of TREASON to Members of Congress and Other D.C. Players
Special Note - A quote...."We put a cover letter on a package of facts and scientific analyses regarding the controlled demolition of the WTC complex on September 11, 2001. The letter is here as follows, as well as the links to the scientific papers." -- PDF Files

http://files.meetup.com/749288/NanoThermite%20paper.pdf
http://files.meetup.com/749288/NanoThermite%20paper.pdf
http://files.meetup.com/749288/WTCHighTemp.pdf
http://files.meetup.com/749288/WTCHighTemp.pdf
Plus: a brochure from -- http://www.ae911truth.org

Ex-FBI Agent: Why I Support a New 9/11 Investigation
Special Note - A quote...."After 9-11, with the knowledge I had of the bitter internal dispute inside the FBI that was being hushed up but had kept some of our better agents from possibly uncovering more of the 9-11 plot before it happened, I couldn’t forget two of the slides in that Law Enforcement ethics curriculum: “DO NOT: Puff, Shade, Tailor, Firm up, Stretch, Massage, or Tidy up statements of fact.” And “Misplaced Loyalties: As employees of the FBI, we must be aware that our highest loyalty is to the United States Constitution. We should never sacrifice the truth in order to obtain a desired result (e.g. conviction of a defendant) or to avoid personal or institutional embarrassment.” -- also posted at DProgram & 9/11Blogger & 9/11Truth

KIN EYE 9/11 PANEL
Full quote...." Some 9/11 families are pushing for a November referendum to create a city commission with subpoena powers to study the attacks, The Post has learned. -- Officials are taking the effort seriously, since the group, the New York City Coalition for Accountability Now, submitted 52,000 signatures and is paying the $75,000 cost of counting and verifying them." -- also posted at 9/11Blogger & 9/11Truth

Was Dr. David Kelly killed because he knew too much?
A quote...."According to the UK’s Sunday Express, British weapons inspector Dr. David Kelly was writing an expose which would include his work with anthrax. Dr. David Kelly was an expert in biological warfare agents, as well as a former United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq." -- also posted at PrisonPlanet

Cyber attacks may have come from Britain: SKorea
False Flag Event - A quote...."A Vietnamese computer security firm believes Britain was the likely origin of last week's cyber attacks that crippled major US and South Korean websites, Seoul officials said." -- For more on this issue see articles shown below....

Internet Attack Propaganda Increases as Cyber Bill Approaches
Web Censorship Warning  - Yeah, this website editor was wondering about the "coincidence" also. - mpg -- A quote...."A determined propaganda blitz is well underway as the government sets the stage for the passage of Cybersecurity Act of 2009, introduced in the Senate earlier this year. If passed, it will allow Obama to shut down the internet and private networks. The legislation also calls for the government to have the authority to demand security data from private networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access. In other words, the bill allows the government to impose authoritarian control over electronic communications." - also posted at DProgram - For more on this issue see....US - Atmpts 2 Cntrl Web -- posted 07-11-09 -- see also related article shown below....

Computers in U.S. Linked to Cyber Attack
Web Censorship Warning  - False Flag Warning - A quote...."Investigators say it's Still Too Early to Confirm North Korea Responsible for Attacks -- (AP)  Cyber attacks that caused a wave of Web site outages in the U.S. and South Korea used 86 IP addresses in 16 countries, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Friday, amid suspicions North Korea was behind the effort. -- The countries include South Korea, the United States, Japan and Guatemala, Chung Chin-sup, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters." - posted 07-11-09

Ambassador John Negroponte Joins Agility DGS Board
Revolving Door Update - A quote...."ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Former U.S. Ambassador John D. Negroponte has joined the board of directors of leading logistics provider Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS), the company announced today." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Why the Left Lost Single-Payer Health Care Reform - Because they voted for Obama!! - mpg
A quote...."President Obama gives great speeches but is unwilling to challenge prevailing ideas in a sustained fight for his own principles. He is temperamentally opposed to ideological struggle: just look at how dramatically he compromised on his economic bailout before the struggle began, imagining that such a compromise would gain him points with Republicans in Congress. But when they unanimously opposed his proposals anyway, he seemed not to have learned a lesson. Instead he continues to present ideas that are ideologically incoherent or contradictory to other parts of his program. He doesn't seem to realize that no matter how much he accommodates their interests (e.g., by protecting them from malpractice law suits), the physicians, insurance companies, and other health care profiteers will oppose any "public option" he supports, label it socialist, and use their media dollars to defeat it."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

The CIA's Ghosts of Tegucigalpa - posted at Consortium News
A quote...."Billy Joya, security adviser to Honduras’s post-coup-d’etat President Roberto Micheletti, offered the following explanation for the armed forces’ June 28 insurrection ousting democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya:"

Zelaya gives Micheletti deadline to step down as Honduras leader
A quote...."Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya gave his rival, Roberto Micheletti, one week to step down, saying he was prepared to risk bloodshed to recapture the presidency, which he lost on June 28."

Honduran President in Guatemala
A quote...."Guatemala, Jul 14 (Prensa Latina) Honduras Constitutional President Manuel Zelaya arrived Tuesday in Guatemala, where he was welcomed with all the ceremony befitting a Head of State."

The Hired Gun of Roberto Micheletti: History of the Torturer Joya Améndola
A quote...."The blood of those who lived through the dirty wars of the 80s in Central America will freeze on hearing the news that the special adviser to the de facto Honduran president is named Billy Joya Améndola. -- In order to understand the political culture of the coup junta over which Roberto Michalatti resides is necessary to review the CV of Joya Améndola."

Ousted Honduran president says Hondurans have right to "insurrection"
A quote...."Zelaya said Hondurans "have the right to insurrection" against the interim government. He said Honduran people have the right to demonstrate against the interim government. Both the U.S. and Costa Rican President urged rival sides for dialogue."
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More On The Iranian Election....

Alternative news?
Must Read - A quote...."The performance of both corporate and independent media reporting the Iranian election should provoke apprehension among news consumers. When conservative Fox, liberal PBS, and radical Pacifica all refer to the Iranian president as “hard line,” and uncritically assume a stolen election, news is not being reported. A party line is being toed." -- For more on this issue see....Iran, Just RELAX!! – Of Course It Was A US-NRE PSYOP! - 06-26-09 -
mpg & It's The Votes That Count - 06-28-09 - mpg

Charge of Electoral Fraud in Iran ‘Propagandistic’: Paul Craig Roberts
A quote...."The outcome of Iran’s June 12 presidential election, which secured incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s position for another 4-year term, stirred up widespread controversy around the world and drew numerous condemnations, from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the Muslim Canadian Congress."

Ahmadinejad to Officially Start Second Term in August
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to take the oath of office for his second term in early August, a senior MP said on Tuesday."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Squeeze Play: Israel Keeps Gaza on Near-Starvation Diet
Special Note - A quote...."What the Israelis are doing in Gaza is precisely what the Americans and British did for years in Iraq: not an open genocide, with machine-gun squads and extermination camps, but the deliberate degradation of a people, seeking to cripple not only their political, military and economic power, but also the physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development of future generations. Every expert in child development will tell you how vitally important proper nutrition -- not to mention a stable, secure environment -- is to the development of a child's body and personality. And Nazi experts of yore could have told us how the social, emotional and psychological functioning of adults can also be degraded and destroyed by prolonged captivity in harsh, humiliating conditions of constant fear and incessant hunger. The Nazis could tell us this because they practiced it against the Jews of Europe."

Few tears for crimes against Muslims - posted at Online Journal
A quote...."As if we needed any more proof that the international media deliberately avoid exposing anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian injustices, their suspect behaviour during recent days has sealed the case. -- Even as we were being force-fed minute details of Michael Jackson’s colourful life, along with endless speculation as to the true parentage of his children, a former US congresswomen and presidential candidate, Cynthia McKinney, was languishing in an Israeli jail."

Cynthia McKinney, the Israeli Navy, and $4 billion worth of natural gas off Gaza - Alt (YuTb - 39 sec - 07/12/09)
Contains Video - A quote...."Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney on the Israeli Navy's circuitous route to shore, with the Spirit of Humanity in tow, after her arrest with 21 other human rights activists while trying to deliver medical supplies, building materials and childrens' toys to Gaza:"

Viva Palestina - Navigating Egypt’s Obstacle Course - posted at ICH
A quote...."July 14, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- The Viva Palestina U.S. convoy has been facing barrier after barrier in recent days despite having initially hoped to cross into the Gaza Strip this morning. The Egyptian government, collaborator in Israel’s severe blockade for the past 2 years, has set up a course of administrative obstacles which will delay the group’s entry into Gaza."

"Israeli soldiers reveal the brutal truth of Gaza attack --Troops' testimonies disclose loose rules of engagement and use of civilians as human shields. Palestinian houses were systematically destroyed by 'insane artillery firepower' 15 Jul 2009 The picture that emerges from the testimonies, which have been seen by The Independent, is one of massive fire power to cover advances and rules of engagement that were calculated to ensure, in the words attributed to one battalion commander, that "not a hair will fall of a soldier of mine. I am not willing to allow a soldier of mine to risk himself by hesitating. If you are not sure, shoot". The first eye-witness accounts of the war by serving Israeli reservists and conscripts describes the Israeli use of Palestinian civilians as "human shields". They detail the killing of at least two civilians, the vandalism, looting and wholesale destruction of Palestinian houses, the use of deadly white phosphorus, bellicose religious advice from army rabbis and what another battalion commander described to his troops as "insane firepower with artillery and air force". -- Paragraph quoted from CLG -- article also posted at Uruknet

IDF soldier: We used Palestinians as human shields
A quote...."The Israel Defense Forces used Palestinians as human shields during Operation Cast Lead last January despite a 2005 High Court ruling outlawing the practice, a Golani brigade soldier says. He says he did not see Palestinians being used as human shields but was told by his commanders that this occurred."

The Palestinian Struggle for East Jerusalem: Families in Sheikh Jarrah Face Imminent Eviction, Imprisonment
A quote...."Residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem, composed of 28 Palestinian families, held a press conference yesterday (13 July 2009) appealing to the international community to help save  their homes of over fifty years.  Speakers included affected families, community leaders, International Solidarity Movement activists, Sheikhh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, and the Consul-General of Great Britain, Richard Makepeace. "

Israeli tanks invades northern Gaza and open fire at residents homes
A quote...."Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded on Tuesday midday farm lands located in the northern Gaza Strip. -- Witnesses said that the Israeli tanks rolled into farm lands in Bit Hanon town and opened fire at residents' homes then bulldozers destroyed farm lands."

[Israeli] Settlers set fire to Palestinian farmland in Saffa - July 13 2009
Video - A quote....""In the morning of July 13, 2009, settlers from the nearby Bat 'Ayin Settlement set fire to private Palestinian farm land in Saffa, Beit Ommar District. The fire was eventually put out after burning several acres of land. Settlers had destroyed 200 trees the month prior, and the farmers have been under threat of attacks along with inability to farm their land on a regular basis."

The Goldstone Commission on Gaza
A quote...."In Gaza, the idea of the Goldstone Commission was received with resignation. Too many international commissions had come and gone in Gaza without promise, so was there really any reason to get excited about this one? -- However, in the corridors of Israeli officialdom and the United States there was just enough edginess to hint that Goldstone was an influential enough figure to make the truth embarrassing. Indeed, if any legal figure had the prerequisite gravitas on Gaza, it had to be Justice Richard Goldstone."

BREAKING NEWS~Abbas Killed Yassir Arafat
A quote...."FATAH senior official Farouq Qaddoumi, the secretary general of the Fatah’s central committee says President Abbas helped to murder yassir Arafat. No matter how you look at this, FATAH is in trouble. Never mind about reconciliation with HAMAS, they have their own serious problems within, and have for some time. Perhaps if Abbas would stop working with Israel and the US as an agent against this own people, then he would have much more support and less internal problems:"
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The Economy Is Even Worse Than You Think
Must Read - A quote...."The recent unemployment numbers have undermined confidence that we might be nearing the bottom of the recession. What we can see on the surface is disconcerting enough, but the inside numbers are just as bad. -- The Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary estimate for job losses for June is 467,000, which means 7.2 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the recession. The cumulative job losses over the last six months have been greater than for any other half year period since World War II, including the military demobilization after the war. The job losses are also now equal to the net job gains over the previous nine years, making this the only recession since the Great Depression to wipe out all job growth from the previous expansion." -- also posted at DProgram & InfiniteUnknown

The trouble with money
Special Note -- A quote...."The current economic crisis is bringing monetary reform movements such as End The Fed, to the fore. These movements bring to light what is wrong with our current monetary system, i.e., it is the instrument by which people are held in debt slavery."

Six Syllables to a Savage Truth
Special Note -- Quote of the Day...."The fact that a mere six syllables could cause a multi-year, $65,000,000,000.00 fraud to implode is testament to the truth’s simplicity and power. The truth represents intellectual gravity, and sooner or later, all things fall into its arms, whether they want to or not. The truth does not need phalanxes of lobbyists, czars, public relations personnel, pundits, pontificators, propagandists, pollsters, or politicians to express itself. Rather, it represents magnetic north, toward which the human consciousness is naturally inclined. In the beginning of the revelation of a truth, only those with courage can see it; in the end, it is clear to everyone."

Federal budget deficit tops $1 trillion for first time, could reach $2 trillion by fall
A quote...."WASHINGTON  — WASHINGTON — The federal deficit has topped $1 trillion for the first time ever and could grow to nearly $2 trillion by this fall, intensifying fears about higher interest rates, inflation and the strength of the dollar."

Japan’s Opposition Party, Leading in the Polls: Japan Should Diversify Reserves Away From the US Dollar
A quote...."July 13 (Bloomberg) — Japan’s opposition party, leading in polls ahead of next month’s election, said the nation should consider shifting its $1 trillion of foreign reserves away from the dollar and buying International Monetary Fund bonds."

Venture capital funding takes a plunge
Chart - A quote...."Confronting the roughest recession in generations, the nation's venture capital industry raised only $1.7 billion in the second quarter of 2009 — a cliff-like plummet from the $4.6 billion raised during the previous quarter, according to an industry report released Monday.

Moody's downgrades status of California bonds
A quote...."SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told state employee unions Tuesday his administration would cut another 2,000 jobs to help close California's $26.3 billion budget deficit."

Why Gold's Price Rose in the Great Depression - Not because of the gold bug's arguments according to Gary North
Special Note - A quote...."I keep coming back to this theme because the non-Keynesian, hard-money deflationists keep pitching the same old deliberately deceptive statement: "Gold's price rose in the Great Depression." They tell their readers to buy gold. -- If there is price deflation, gold's price will fall, unless there is a war or a non-monetary crisis. -- These people never respond to my arguments. They pretend that I have not raised this issue. I have. Repeatedly."

Monday July 13th 2009

Crystal Ball Gazing: The Future Is Deflation
Must Read - Some quotes...."From the mid-1980s to 2007, the ratio of debt-to-GDP rocketed from 165% to to over 350%; more than doubling in that same period. The build-up of personal debt follows the exact same trend-line as the aggregate profits of the financial sector; they're opposite sides of the same coin. Financial institutions increase profitability by expanding credit and inflating asset bubbles, not by allocating capital to productive enterprises. Their business model is inherently flawed. Speculative bubblemaking is Wall Street's method of shifting wealth from workers to the investor class. It never fails. It's the reason why 42 states are now facing budget shortfalls, unemployment has risen to 9.5 percent, and $45 trillion has vanished from global equity markets. Financialization has created a global crisis, crushed consumer demand, increased systemic instability, and put the economy into a nosedive." -- "Household wealth has dipped $14 trillion since the crisis began. Wages are slowly retreating and unemployment is at 9.5% a 25 year high. Also, the percentage of home equity has fallen below 50% for the first time on record. And---since one-third of homes have no mortgages (100% ownership)--the remaining homes have only 12% equity. If prices continue to drop in 2010, the vast majority of homeowners will be underwater presaging a sharp rise in the number of foreclosures."

JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., & Ron Paul Speak Truth to Power
Must View Video -- This is essentially a political ad for Ron Paul, but it's outstanding - mpg -- From federaljackdotcom -- A quote...."EDIT: YouTube removed this video along with all my other videos, they also terminated my account without even letting me know.  This clip was getting much attention prior to this happening.  I have yet to receive an explanation but I’ve sent about 15 e-mails asking for one.  I have made numerous accounts and uploaded the clip again.  Please download this clip from: http://xs.2lhi.is/~oskar05/ronpaul.wmv and upload it to a new YouTube account."

The Mega-Lie Called the "War on Terror": A Masterpiece of Propaganda
Must Read - From the History File -- September 27, 2007 -- Quote of the Day...."If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the state can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie ... The truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the state."  -- *Joseph Goebbels*, minister of propaganda in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945"

“Obama has the right to lock any US citizen up forever without trial”
Must View Video - A quote...."Barack Obama’s indefinite detention claim, coupled with the enemy combatant right he inherited, enables him to lock up any US citizen forever without a trial, author and political consultant Naomi Wolf told RT." -- For more on this issue see....One Real Solution for Democracy - 11-04-06 - mpg & US - Torture & Sex Perv.

Is Military Service Honorable?
Must Read - A quote...."When the GIs left Asia in ’73, the commie peaceniks thought they had won. And they had, for ten minutes. The grip of the military on the country loosened briefly. -- Unfortunately the soldiers learned. Not how to win wars, which they do poorly if at all, but how to keep a war going. Winning a war isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The promotions and contracts stop. When you are paid to do something, it is in your interest not to finish doing it. -- The Pentagon’s first lesson learned was to avoid conscription, as the conscripted and their families will take to the streets. By using an army of volunteer suckers about whom nobody of importance cares, the military severs its wars from most of the country, which loses interest. The brass are then free to do as they choose. -- The second lesson learned was that while defeating the enemy is not necessary, and perhaps not desirable, controlling the press is everything. And they did it." --- "So forty or so years after all the love-ins, the marches, the righteous dope (all of which may seem silly, but in my view preferable to watching a Cambodian mother screaming over the opened bleeding guts of her child) the Pentagon is at it again. Once more the jets howl over remote primitive countries, countries that did nothing to the US and couldn’t have, and promotions flow, and contracts, and generals demand more troops and more money to stop communism. Excuse me, terrorism. Soon, the Chinese, a better threat, coming to a theater near you. With the passing of years, one demon fades into another. Switching enemies is much easier now, what with search-and-replace."

Obama orders probe of alleged mass grave
A quote...."(a stunning reversal of their official position from the Obama White House)  ***UPDATE*** – Oh, wait a minute… maybe not as “stunning” as I thought. -- Seems he may be “investigating” the Bush administration’s lack of investigations, rather than opening up a new investigation into the war-crime itself." -- Actually that would be a milestone in Obama's (just call him the "clean-up man") non-stop cover-up of everything the US-NRE, Neocons, or the Bush administration did during the last eight years - including 9/11.  But it ain't gonna happen.  The whole investigation will just be allowed to slowly fade away into insignificance. – mpg

Top Anti-Torture Lawyers Criticize AG Holder's Torture Probe, Saying It May Let 'Higher-Ups' Off
Ditto to the article shown above.   Trust this website editor, there will be no uncovering of "new" evidence, no grand jury summons, no testimony under oath by the higher-ups, no trials, no convictions and definitely no real punishments.  Just a lot of smoke and mirrors. Look folks, we've all seen this before, make some noise, get some positive press, than let it all fade away.- mpg -- A quote...."If—and this remains a big if—Holder does move to prosecute, it seems senior Bush officials have little to fear. Critics say it is the torture system and those who gave the orders who must be held accountable."

Cheney’s Secret “Unit Was So Secret That Even The Former CIA Director George Tenet Did Not Control Its Activities” -- Full quote...."We know that the new director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, was kept in the dark for months about the secret counterterrorism program. But Scotland's leading newspaper - the Scotsman - has a stunning new revelation...."

"The unit was so secret that even the former CIA director George Tenet did not control its activities, according to reports yesterday."

"So even the the then-current head of the CIA was out of the loop. Cheney staged a coup and took control of the reigns of government, cutting not only Congress - but also the appointed leaders of the CIA - out of the loop."
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UK opens Iraq detainee death probe
Video - A quote...."A public inquiry has begun in London into the death of an Iraqi detainee arrested by British troops in 2003. -- Baha Mousa, who was arrested by the soldiers in Basra and died 36 hours later, was found to have more than 90 injuries on his body, -- Nadim Baba reports from London."

UK: MoD may face hundreds of new torture claims
A quote...."A quote...."The Ministry of Defence faces the threat of hundreds of claims for alleged abuse and torture of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers. Lawyers say emerging evidence of abuses, including use of electric shocks, points to a systematic policy of sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation and beatings throughout the occupation of Basra, which must have been authorised by senior officers or politicians and known to hundreds of soldiers. Some 20 Iraqi civilians last week began a fresh round of legal cases claiming human rights abuses against the Ministry of Defence." -- also posted at WarInIraq

US ambassador escapes Iraq bomb attack
A quote...."A small roadside bomb narrowly missed a vehicle carrying the US ambassador to Iraq in the south of the country, the US embassy in Baghdad said on Monday. Skip related content -- The attack on the convoy carrying Christopher Hill and other US embassy personnel occurred in the largely peaceful Shiite province of Dhi Qar in southern Iraq on Sunday, but no passengers were hurt." -- also posted at YahooNews

Isolated US convoys in Afghanistan ambush targets
A quote...."KOSHTAY, Afghanistan (AFP) – Stranded for three days on a single stretch of road in southern Afghanistan, the US Marines wondered why they had not been ambushed by the Taliban — and then finally the attack came. -- Rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small-arms fire were directed at the convoy, which responded with shoulder-launched missiles, grenades and machinegun fire, an AFP reporter travelling with the Marines witnessed. -- The strike at the troops late Friday came from a mud-walled compound 150 metres from the dirt road on which the US vehicles were stuck by IEDs (improvised explosive devices) planted both in front and behind them." -- also posted at Yahoo

Exclusive: US Afghan forces 'bomb own base'
Video - A quote...."Al Jazeera has obtained exclusive footage that appears to show US forces bombing one of their own outposts. Three US soldiers are alleged to have died in the attack, which was called in after the post was overrun by Taliban fighters. The incident happened two months ago in Kunar province, and it is believed to be having repercussions on the way US-led forces operate."
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US hawks want terrorists to take down Iran govt.
This whole thing is sort of redundent, the US-NRE has been supporting these groups, or getting the Saudi Royals to support them, for the last thirty years. - mpg -- A quote...."Two hard-line US lawmakers have called for greater efforts to topple the Tehran government, going as far as to suggest support for anti-Iran terrorist groups.-- Democratic Representative and Chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Bob Filner called, on June 26, for greater support for what he called "resistance groups" in Iran, putting a special emphasis on the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), UPI reported."

Attacks on China's foreign missions well-orchestrated
A quote...."BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Hurling stones, Molotov cocktails and burning Chinese national flags, supporters of the East Turkestan separatists started well-orchestrated and sometimes violent attacks on Chinese embassies and consulates in several countries soon after the riots occurred last Sunday in China's northwest city of Urumqi that killed 184 people."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Chavez urges Obama to withdraw 'gringo' troops from Honduras
A quote...."MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called on the United States to withdraw its "gringo" troops from its airbase in Honduras to protest the recent coup in the Central American state."

U.S. Press Falsely Claims Honduran Plurality for Coup
A quote...."Did a CID-Gallup poll last week indicate that a plurality of Hondurans support the military coup against democratically elected President Zelaya? Yes, according to the Washington Post [July 9], the Wall Street Journal [July 10], the Christian Science Monitor [July 11], and Reuters  [July 9], which all reported that the poll showed 41% in favor of the coup, with only 28% opposed."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Naomi Klein and the Boycott Movement
Must Read - Action Alert - A quote...."Naomi Klein's recently completed visit to Israel had a galvanizing effect on the "boycott from within" movement here, which has endorsed the Palestinian call for BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions].* Her public meetings, in Ramallah, East Jerusalem, Haifa, and Jaffa drew hundreds of people to hear her clear-eyed analysis of why it is time for a full boycott of Israel until the occupation ends, Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel have full and equal rights, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees is fully realized under international law." --  For more on how to boycott Israel, see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

Desperate Fanatics: The ADL Pounds The Table! - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."Fanatics, it has been observed, are those who redouble their efforts when they lose sight of their goal, or at least feel its attainment slipping from their grasp. This describes precisely the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), founded in 1913 principally to combat anti-Semitism and closely linked since its inception to the emerging Zionist movement, which increasingly has resorted to the defamation of Israel’s critics as part of its avowed mission to support “the Jewish State by advocating for Israel.”

Israeli settlers burn more Palestinian farms
A quote...."Israel's illegal settlers in the West Bank have set fire to more than 120 hectares of Palestinian land, the Ministry of Agriculture says." -- also posted at AtheoNews & WarInIraq

Britain revokes Israel arms permits
A quote...."Britain has revoked licences for the sale of military components to Israel after conducting an export review in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza, officials have said."
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Say 'Good-bye' to the Nice Health Care Reform, Kids -- No surprise, again.  You Obamatrolls getting tired yet?
A quote...." Of course I could be wrong. Congress could turn around and pass some cockamamie scheme to kick the issue of health care reform down the road, offering some kind of minimal insurance coverage to a few million more people, and cracking down on this or that particularly egregious health provider rip-off, and then staging a “mission accomplished” photo op. -- But real health care reform of the kind that Democratic candidates were promising during last year’s presidential campaign is dead, killed by the timidity of the promiser-in-chief, President Barack Obama (and by the massive corruption of the Democrats in Congress, who hav e accepted the tainted coin of the health care industry)."

Obama nominates former Goldman Sachs exec as ambassador to Germany
How about we all just call it the US-GS (United States of Goldman Sachs)? - mpg -- A quote...."US President Barack Obama plans to nominate Philip Murphy, a former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee, to be ambassador to Germany." -- also posted at WarInIraq & OhBummer

Sunday July 12th 2009

No posts. - mpg

Saturday July 11th 2009

America is now the world’s biggest debtor
Must Read - Actually it's always been that, it's just gotten a lot worse these last ten years. - mpg -- A quote.... "The latest Treasury auction of $19 billion of 10-year notes was at a yield of 3.365%. The bid to cover was 3.28 to 1, the highest ever. This was the third of four sales this week totaling $73 billion.  -- Consumer credit fell $3.23 billion in May, as credit fell 1.5% to $2.5196 trillion from $2.522 trillion in April. Four monthly declines matches June-December of 1991. Big loans fell $400 million, or 0.3%. Revolving credit fell $2.9 billion, or at a 3.7% rate.  --  We are now al most six months into the depression approaching a 1932 scenario. America is now the world’s biggest debtor. The US has had a fiat currency for 38 years and major trade deficits for more than 30 years. Is it any wonder we are in depression? Is it any wonder the dollar is under pressure even though our government supports it at every turn in the market?" -- also posted at DProgram

The Continued Fleecing Of America - And Its Citizens By The Financial Elites
Special Note - A quote...."....one has to wonder about the morality of numerous U.S. government and business leaders, especially the ones who routinely put their own limitless self-gain above the needs of others. What sorts of people are these? Just how did their families and society in general fail them in matters of conscience?" -- One also however has to wonder about people who keep voting for these greedy politicians, at some point you have only yourselves to blame for what happens.  Perhaps it's time to stop voting for DemoRepubs and vote for another alternative? - mpg
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Internet Attack Propaganda Increases as Cyber Bill Approaches
Web Censorship Warning  - Yeah, this website editor was wondering about the "coincidence" also. - mpg -- A quote...."A determined propaganda blitz is well underway as the government sets the stage for the passage of Cybersecurity Act of 2009, introduced in the Senate earlier this year. If passed, it will allow Obama to shut down the internet and private networks. The legislation also calls for the government to have the authority to demand security data from private networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access. In other words, the bill allows the government to impose authoritarian control over electronic communications." - also posted at DProgram - For more on this issue see....US - Atmpts 2 Cntrl Web -- see also related article shown below....

Computers in U.S. Linked to Cyber Attack
Web Censorship Warning  - False Flag Warning - A quote...."Investigators say it's Still Too Early to Confirm North Korea Responsible for Attacks -- (AP)  Cyber attacks that caused a wave of Web site outages in the U.S. and South Korea used 86 IP addresses in 16 countries, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Friday, amid suspicions North Korea was behind the effort. -- The countries include South Korea, the United States, Japan and Guatemala, Chung Chin-sup, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters."

Video: Special “Q Group” security wing inside US National Security Agency - Alt - (YuTb - 4m17s - 07/10/09)
Must View Video - 9/11 Truth Supression Alert - A quote...."(RussiaToday) – Investigative journalist Wayne Madsen claims the group has since grown into a disproportionate counter-intelligence force, mainly targeting journalists and prosecuting whistleblowing security officials."

9/11 Truth Traitor Exposed
Related Article - also from WMR -- A quote...."WMR has learned from well-placed sources that international hedge fund mogul and financier of "progressive" causes George Soros has been, for a number of years, infiltrating 9/11 "truth" organizations, groups advocating election reform, and so-called "independent journalism" enterprises in order to hijack agendas and, eventually, cause the groups to collapse from within or be absorbed into larger organizations servile to Soros and his agenda."
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"Cheney Ordered C.I.A. Concealment of Terror Program 12 Jul 2009 The Central Intelligence Agency withheld information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress for eight years on direct orders from former Vice President [sic] Dick Cheney, the agency’s director, Leon E. Panetta, has told the Senate and House intelligence committees, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Saturday. The report that Mr. Cheney was behind the decision to conceal the still-unidentified program [Cheney's 'executive assassination ring,' revealed by Seymour Hersh?] from Congress deepened the mystery surrounding it, suggesting that the Bush regime had put a high priority on the program and its secrecy." -- Paragraph posted at CLG

Ex-Senator Graham: Cheney, CIA Lied to Congress About Domestic Spying
A quote...."The history of the CIA is replete with examples of agency officials obscuring key details when telling members of Congress about controversial programs. In the 1980s, CIA Director William Casey was famous for mumbling over such points and gruffly reacting when asked to repeat himself."

The new Report on illegal spying is not a real investigation
A quote...."The Bush-era torture regime might have been that administration's most flamboyant act of criminality, but its illegal NSA warrantless eavesdropping program (and other still-unknown surveillance programs) has always been the clearest.  We had a law in place for 30 years that made it a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each offense to do exactly that which Bush got caught doing:  eavesdropping on the communications of American citizens without warrants from the FISA court.  The Inspectors General report (.pdf) on Bush's NSA activities released on Friday afternoon -- one that was mandated by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 in lieu of a real investigation -- highlights how rampant and blatant was the lawlessness that pervaded the Bush administration." -- also posted at Uruknet & OhBummer

Stuff That’s Missing From the Inspectors General Report on Warrantless Surveillance
A quote...."1.  Any ballpark estimate — any number at all, really — of how many Americans had their communications intercepted by the NSA through the “President’s Surveillance Program.” The fact that this is missing from an inspectors general report is a glaring oversight." -- and other items....

U.S. Wiretapping of Limited Value, Officials Report
A quote...."WASHINGTON — While the Bush administration had defended its program of wiretapping without warrants as a vital tool that saved lives, a new government review released Friday said the program’s effectiveness in fighting terrorism was unclear." -- That's governmentese for...."We looked as hard as we possibly could, but couldn't find a damn thing that would justify this program”.  In other words it was not only completely useless for it's stated purpose of helping to halt “terrorism”  (it's unstated purpose may have been to gather information to blackmail various officials, but that's another story) and a total waste of the taxpayers' money, it also violated several sections of the US constitution and everybody's civil rights. – mpg
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War Crimes and the White House: The Bush Administration’s Cover-Up of the Dasht-e-Leili Massacre
Video - A quote...."In November 2001, as many as 2,000 Taliban prisoners are believed to have been killed in container trucks by US-allied Afghan troops and buried in a mass grave in Dasht-e-Leili, Afghanistan. These Afghan troops were operating jointly with American forces, who were allegedly present at the scene of the crime. PHR investigators discovered the mass grave in 2002. -- Under the auspices of the UN, PHR’s International Forensic Program conducted an initial examination of part of the site, exhumed fifteen remains, and conducted autopsies on three individual remains, and found that the likely cause of death was consistent with suffocation." -- also posted at Uruknet

Obama admin: No grounds to probe Afghan war crimes - There you have it, "Cover-Up Obama" in action. - mpg
Related Article - A quote...."No legal rights [bullsh-t, it's called the Geneva Conventions. - mpg] to investigate Taliban deaths - or Bush admin. refusal to do so, [US-NRE] officials say" -- For more on this issue see....US - Murder & Mayhem

Pentagon Report Verified Detainee Torture -- Hey, no grounds to investigate this either....right Mr. Cover-Up??
Special Note - A quote...."The picture that emerges from 51 pages of recently declassified documents about detention at Guantanamo is one of persistent torture approved directly by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, combined with administrative incompetence on the ground at Guantanamo and a flagrant White House betrayal of military brass in charge of interrogations." -- also posted at Uruknet

Former Insider Shatters Credibility of Military Commissions
A quote...."On Wednesday, I reported how Retired Rear Admiral John D. Hutson, the former Judge Advocate General of the US Navy from 1997 to 2000, had delivered compelling testimony to a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on “legal issues regarding military commissions and the trial of detainees for violations of the law of war,” explaining why the only valid forum for trials of suspected terrorists at Guantánamo Bay is the US federal court system."

Tase Early, Tase Often - Column
A quote...."I have no idea why—” Snelling begins, but the officer shouts him down: “Get to the back of the vehicle, put your hands on the vehicle.” The driver obviously doesn’t understand why he’s being treated so roughly when he’s said nothing provocative. He hesitates, looks at the policeman in disbelief, and the policeman fires his weapon at him. Zero to TASER: 48 seconds from the time the officer stepped out of his patrol car." -- bold by website editor

Rupert Murdoch reporters in the UK illegally hacked thousands of peoples' data
A quote...."British journalists working for Murdoch papers have been on a crime spree, hiring private eyes to illegally hack into the voicemail and data of thousands of people, including " tax records, social security files, bank statements and itemised phone bills"; Murdoch has paid out over £1M so far to hush it up. The head of the Conservative party's communications is a former Murdoch exec who from the time that much of this crime was committed by his staffers." -- also posted at AtheoNews

WPost's 'Select Few' Dine on Health Bill - More on WaPo's whoring and presstituting around DC. @ CnsrtiumNews
A quote...."If you want to know what really matters in Washington, don't go to Capitol Hill for one of those hearings, or pay attention to those staged White House "town meetings." They're just for show. -- What really happens - the serious business of Washington - happens in the shadows, out of sight, off the record. Only occasionally - and usually only because someone high up stumbles -- do we get a glimpse of just how pervasive the corruption has become."

The significance of McClatchy's act of journalism -- Ahhh, but here's an example of a Newspaper that "done good".
A quote...."McClatchy's Nancy Youssef has an article today that is a consummate example of excellent journalism.  I don't want to excerpt any of it or even summarize what it reports because I really want to encourage everyone to click the link and read it in its entirety (it's not very long:  roughly 1,300 words).  Please read Youssef's article before reading the following points I think are worth making about it:"
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Washington is Playing a Deeper Game with China
A quote...."After the tragic events of July 5 in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, it would be useful to look more closely into the actual role of the US Government’s ”independent“ NGO, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). All indications are that the US Government, once more acting through its “private” Non-Governmental Organization, the NED, is massively intervening into the internal politics of China."

More Than $600 Billion And Counting: Iraq War Lies Revisited
A quote...."Editor's Note: As the war in Iraq surpassed its sixth year, a common refrain from politicians who supported the invasion is "don't dwell on the past, think about the future." It is an argument that distracts Americans from the important lessons that this history can teach."

Sadrists paralyze parliament, say no to UK
A quote...."Iraqi lawmakers loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr have suspended a parliament session that would have voted on a pact which would allow UK troops to stay in the country." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Revealed: Brown's secret plan to cut Afghanistan force by 1,500
A quote...."Ministers are secretly planning to cut the number of British troops in Afghanistan, at a time when defence chiefs are appealing for thousands more reinforcements to meet the deadly threat from the resurgent Taliban."

Arad admits Israel failed over Iran
A quote...."The Israeli prime minister's National Security Advisor has admitted that the regime has had no success in hindering Iran's peaceful nuclear progress." -- also posted at AtheoNews

To end nuclear standoff, Iran works on new proposals
A quote...."The top diplomat for the government in Tehran has touched on Iranian plans to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program." -- also posted at Uruknet

Kyrgyzstan grants permission for new Russian military base
A quote...."BISHKEK: Kyrgyzstan has granted permission for Russia to open a second military base in the Central Asian country, a source in the Kyrgyz government told AFP on Friday." -- also posted at WarInIraq

12 rebels to be hanged in south-eastern Iran
A quote...."Tehran - Twelve members of a rebel group are to be hanged by the end of next week, a local judiciary official said Saturday. The twelve are members of the Sunni rebel group Jundallah (Soldiers of God), including Abdol-Hamid Rigi, the brother of the group's leader Abdolmalik Rigi."  --  For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - MEK-PKK-Others

Russia in Pact With Georgia Regions
A quote...."MOSCOW, Sept 17--Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed broad cooperation pacts with two separatist regions of Georgia, prompting charges of "annexation" by Tbilisi and fierce condemnation from Washington."

Russia to lay down 2nd Graney class nuclear sub in July
A quote...."MOSCOW, June 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will start construction of a second Project 885 Yasen (Graney) class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarine in July, a shipbuilding industry official said on Thursday."

Mercosur summit confirmed July 23/24; strong claim from Paraguay expected
A quote...."The Mercosur summit has been confirmed for next July 23/24 with at least ten presidents scheduled to participate in the event that will be hosted by Paraguay. During the summit Paraguay will hand the Mercosur rotating chair to Uruguay for the next six months."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Showdown in 'Tegucigolpe'
A quote...."One of the hemisphere's most critical struggles for democracy in 20 years is now unfolding in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa (nicknamed "Tegucigolpe" for its long history of military coup d'états, which are called golpes de estado, in Spanish). Despite censorship and repression, popular anger over the June 28 military overthrow of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya is growing. International condemnation has been near-unanimous, and the Organization of American States has suspended Honduras, the first time the hemisphere-wide body has taken so drastic an action since 1962." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Isolated Honduras hunkers down
A quote...."TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Politically isolated Honduras braced on Saturday for months of austerity under the weight of economic sanctions imposed after a June coup and ousted President Manuel Zelaya vowed actions to support his reinstatement."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israel insults, again
A quote...."Having forced another mercy ship to Gaza to turn back, Stuart Littlewood* asks if Israel can do anything to anyone without consequence " -- also posted at IrishForPalestine

Hamas nabs two Islamic Jihad men preparing to fire mortars at Israel
Special Note - A quote...."Two militants preparing to fire mortars into Israel were detained Saturday by interior security officials of the Islamic Hamas movement, reported a group to which the militants claim membership."

Viva Palestina Convoy update: The largest ever US humanitarian aid convoy is now gathering in Egypt headed for Gaza on Monday -- A quote...."The largest ever US humanitarian aid convoy is now gathering in Egypt to head across the border into Gaza on Monday, July 13. - Vehicles are coming from Alexandria, the medical supplies from Cairo and the advanced party of nearly 100 US citizens is heading for the staging post of Al Arish, just before the border with Gaza."

Israeli warships open fire at Palestinian fishermen in Gaza
A quote...."GAZA, July 11 (KUNA) -- Israeli warships opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats to the north of Gaza Strip but no fisherman was injured, Palestinian sources said. - The sources, asking not to be named, told KUNA the Israeli vessels fired machineguns' bullets at the direction of the Palestinian fishing boats in an area in the sea called Sudaniya."

Barghouthi: Our people insist on ending the longest occupation in modern history
A quote...."RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Dr. Mustafa Al-Barghouthi, the head of the Palestinian national initiative and a prominent Palestinian lawmaker, stressed Friday that the Palestinian people are determined to end the longest occupation in modern history and restore their freedom and independence." -- also posted at Uruknet
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The Great Credit Contraction Cometh
A quote...."....every yahoo economist in the year of our Lord 2009 takes news of rising savings rates like the death of Michael Jackson. If households don’t consume, they reason, how can a consumer economy grow? - The problem is that you can’t really grow an economy by borrowing and spending. - Recent history proves it. Despite the biggest splurge of borrowing and spending in history, the US consumer economy barely grew at all. - “In the five years to December 2007,” reports Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, “America’s credit market debt climbed by nearly 57%, to $18 trillion. However, in the same half-decade, nominal GDP was up by only $3.3 trillion.”

Hundreds of Thousands of Workers Will Lose Unemployment Benefits Soon
A quote...."Workers laid off early in the downturn are soon to be left without the basic sustenance of an unemployment check."

AIG bonuses: $235 million to go - It's not a joke folks....than again, maybe it is, but it's on you. - mpg
A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Bailed-out insurer AIG again found itself in the crosshairs of bonus rage on Friday over its plans to pay $2.4 million in executive bonuses next week. -- But the larger issue is how AIG will deal with its obligation to pay roughly $235 million still owed to employees of its crippled financial products division." -- For more on this issue see....Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

Friday July 10th 2009
Like Father Like Son: Obama Administration Seems to Have Forgotten Why We Are In Afghanistan, Just Like Bush Before Them -- Special Note -- A quote...."Yet another similarity between the Bush administration and Obama’s that gets far too little press, is brought up by James Cogan at the World Socialist Web Site: the fact that Obama, like Bush before him, really doesn’t seem to have any interest in capturing Bin Laden nor are they really going after Al Qaeda like they say they are."

The CIA's Rogue Operation
Everyone is playing the guessing game regarding the secret program which the CIA hid from Congress. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein is guessing that it is Cheney's executive assassination squad. Yesterday, I guessed it might have been continuity of government plans. -- But the Washington Post writes...."

"Several current and former administration officials called it an “on-again, off-again” attempt to create a new intelligence capability and said it was related to the collection of information on suspected terrorists that was instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks... “Current and former administration officials familiar with the program said it was not directly related to previously disclosed high-priority programs such as detainee interrogations or the warrantless surveillance of suspected terrorists on U.S. soil,” the Post reporters added. “It was a intelligence-collection activity run by the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, officials said."

"As the Post says, the program Panetta briefed Congress about was not "warrantless surveillance of suspected terrorists on U.S. soil". And see this. -- And it was long ago established that the government’s spying on Americans began before 9/11 (confirmed here and here). -- So it had to be some kind of program above and beyond those programs."

“CIA skeletons created huge stink over Capital Hill”
Video - A quote...."A covert CIA spying program that the U.S. Congress knew nothing about provoked mass debates, and people now doubt Congress can oversee intelligence issues, says U.S. journalist Tim Starks from Congressional Quarterly."

Lawmaker won’t deny secret CIA program was ‘Cheney assassination ring’
Special Note - A quote...."Early Friday morning, MSNBC followed up on a theory posted Thursday on the Huffington Post which alleged that a secret CIA program shut down in June by director Leon Panetta could have been related to a purported effort led by Vice President Dick Cheney to assassinate intelligence targets abroad." -- also posted at BLN

"It's Friday night . . . and CLG readers know exactly what that means! Yup, it's human rights/environmental 'bad news' dump time: Report: Bush program extended beyond wiretapping --The "President's Surveillance Program" 10 Jul 2009 The Bush regime authorized secret surveillance activities that still have not been made public , according to a new government report that questions the legal basis for the unprecedented anti-terrorism program. It's unclear how much valuable intelligence was yielded by the surveillance program started after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, according to the unclassified summary of reports by five inspectors general. The reports mandated by Congress last year were delivered to lawmakers Friday. President [sic] George W. Bush authorized other secret intelligence activities -- which have yet to become public -- even as he was launching the massive warrantless wiretapping program, the summary said. It describes the entire program as the "President's Surveillance Program." -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

"Report: Bush surveillance program was massive 10 Jul 2009 The Bush regime built an unprecedented surveillance operation to pull in mountains of information far beyond the warrantless wiretapping previously acknowledged, a team of federal inspectors general reported Friday, questioning the legal basis for the effort but shielding almost all details on grounds they're still too secret to reveal. The report, compiled by five inspectors general, refers to "unprecedented collection activities" by U.S. intelligence agencies under an executive order signed by President [sic] George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Just what those activities involved remains classified, but the IGs pointedly say that any continued use of the secret programs must be "carefully monitored." [Oh, so the secret programs are going to continue?!?]" -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

"Bush Personally Ordered Visit to Ashcroft's Hospital Bed By Spencer Ackerman 10 Jul 2009 One warrantless surveillance mystery solved. My friend Marcy Wheeler beat me to this: George W. Bush personally ordered White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and Chief of Staff Andy Card to visit an ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft in the hospital in March 2004 after Ashcroft’s deputy Jim Comey refused to certify the warrantless surveillance program." -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

"Secret Program Fuels CIA-Congress Dispute --Obama has rejected calls from Democrats to create 'truth commission' to investigate allegations of misconduct by Bush administration officials 10 Jul 2009 Four months after he was sworn in, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta learned of an intelligence program that had been hidden from Congress since 2001, a revelation that prompted him to immediately cancel the initiative and schedule a pair of closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill. The next day, June 24, Panetta informed the House and Senate intelligence committees of the program and the action he had taken, according to Democratic and Republican members of the panels. The program remains classified. Several current and former administration officials called it an "on-again, off-again" attempt to create a new intelligence capability and said it was related to the collection of information on suspected terrorists that was instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks." -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

Kevin R. Ryan: Demolition access to the WTC Towers
A quote...."On occasion, the public has been asked by George W. Bush to refrain from considering certain conspiracy theories. Bush has made such requests when people were looking into crimes in which he might be culpable. For example, when in 1994 Bush’s former company Harken Energy was linked to the fraudulent Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) through several investors, Bush’s spokeswoman, Karen Hughes, shut down the inquiry by telling the Associated Press -- “We have no response to silly conspiracy theories.” On another occasion, Bush said in a televised speech -- “Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September the 11th.” -- But paradoxically, we have also been asked to believe Bush’s own outrageous conspiracy theory about 9/11, one that has proven to be false in many ways." -- For more on this issue see....9/11 - WTC7 & 9/11 - WTC-1&2

FAA Records Regarding 9/11 Aircraft Unavailable For Release
From the History File - Dated 12/28/2007 -- A quote...."Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests of the Federal Aviation Administration, seeking various records regarding the four aircraft involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has been denied on the basis that such records are not available for release. -- Failure to release the requested information was not per any established FAA information request exemptions, normally cited by federal agencies that deny FOIA requests:"

Automated Precision Satellite Guidance Of 9/11 Type Aircraft Largely Possible Just Before Attacks
A quote...."

- United Airlines Boeing Aircraft, Along With UPS And NASA 757s And 767s Utilized During Pre-9/11 GPS Tests
- Raytheon/FAA Controlled GPS Satellite Navigation Array Activated 13 Months Before 9/11 Attacks
- October, 2001 Pilot Override System Envisioned Use Of Satellite Auto-Navigation Concept And Comm. Termination

"Because information collected after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 has raised questions about the alleged ability and motivation of the people accused of piloting Boeing 757 and 767 planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, speculation has since lingered regarding the covert use of technology to precisely self-navigate all 4 airliners into targets that day."
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9/11 - From The History File...Automated Precision Satellite Guidance Of 9/11 Possible Before Attacks - article list
Complete Remote Airliner Control Before 9-11
AF FOIA Rec. 4 Alleged Pre-9/11 Pilotless, Remotely Controlled Boeing Test Flight
Pre-9/11 Upgraded GPS Service Provided 243 Foot Wide ANC - article list
Additional Non-Pilot Control Capabilities of 9/11 Planes
9/11 Attacks Generated by GPS-Guided U.S. Made Autopilot Systems
Remote Controlled Boeings on 9/11? - database
Remote control system for telemanipulation and remote control configuration using it
Several 9/11 Passengers Have Poss Cnct to Pilotless Aircraft Prog' - timeline
Precursors to remote control attacks of 9/11?
Where Was NORAD on September 11?   (continued)
9/11 Incompetence, Blowback, Pearl Harbor or Reichstag Fire? - database
Northwest pilot from rural Glyndon alleges 9/11 cover-up
Did NORAD Send The "Suicide" Jets? -- Part 1 of 2: Inside Job
See also Part 2: The Dumb Blondes
A Dissenting Critique Of The 9/11 Commission Report
9/11: WHAT DID RUPERT MURDOCH KNOW? *PIC*

For more on this issue see....9/11 - NORAD - RC Sys - Prior 9/11 - Updated
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New Evidence that Bush Administration Impeded 3 Investigations into Alleged Massacre of Up to 2,000 Prisoners in Afghanistan -- Special Note - Human rights group that discovered the mass grave and sued for release of government documents is available for comment. -- Cambridge, MA — Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has issued a call for a criminal probe in the wake of a major New York Times story with new evidence that the Bush Administration impeded at least three federal investigations into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan in 2002. -- PHR is calling for the Department of Justice to investigate why the Bush Administration impeded an FBI criminal probe of the alleged Dasht-e-Leili massacre. -- For more on this issue see....US - Murder & Mayhem

Does a Senior Obama Official Have Unseemly Ties to Notorious Human Rights Abuser Chevron?
A quote...."It is well known that under the Bush administration oil corporations were basically given a spare set of keys to the White House. Dick Cheney and the Bush family had ties to big oil as deep as an offshore drilling operation. Among those in bed with big oil was Bush's National Security Adviser/Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In 1993, after Rice helped Chevron negotiate deals in former Soviet Republics, the company named a 129,000-ton supertanker after her: the SS Condoleezza Rice. Rice, who had long served as a director on Chevron's board when Bush took power in 2000, resigned from that position just six days before she was named to Bush's cabinet. The tanker, however, still bore her name for months while she worked in the White House. Only after a ruckus raised by human rights activists and others over Chevron's human rights abuses did Rice's office suggest that the company rename the tanker, which Chevron quietly did."

U.S. General Sees Afghan Army, Police Insufficient - Obama Strategy May Need More Funds, U.S. Troops
Hey!  All you Obamatrolls out there getting tired of this yet?  No? Oh well, guess we'll just have to have another four more years of bloodshed and death.  Nice going guys, really good job you did voting for that monster. - mpg -- A quote...."Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the newly arrived top commander in Afghanistan, has concluded that the Afghan security forces will have to be far larger than currently planned if President Obama's strategy for winning the war is to succeed, according to senior military officials. -- Such an expansion would require spending billions more than the $7.5 billion the administration has budgeted annually to build up the Afghan army and police over the next several years, and the likely deployment of thousands more U.S. troops as trainers and advisers, officials said." -- bold by website editor  --  Gee whiz, that phrase "troops as trainers and advisers" sounds so familiar, one wonders when and where its been heard before? - mpg

A war of colonial conquest in Afghanistan
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."The largest military operation since the Obama administration took office is now underway in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. Some 4,000 marines, along with hundreds of British troops, are attempting to impose control over an ethnic Pashtun population that has opposed the US-led occupation ever since the 2001 invasion overthrew the Taliban government and installed a puppet regime. -- At the same time, the Pakistani government, primarily because of financial and political coercion by Washington, has ordered its military into a brutal offensive against the Pashtun people of northwest Pakistan. Their crime is that they share a common history, language and culture with the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and provide support to the Taliban insurgency over the ill-defined border between the two countries. -- The human cost has already been staggering."

Barack McNamara Obama - Why Can't Obama See His Wars Are Unwinnable?
Special Note - A quote...."McNamara's change of heart came 58,000 American and 2,000,000 Vietnamese lives too late. If the dead could speak, surely they would ask: why couldn't you see then what you understand so clearly now? Why didn't you listen to the millions of experts, journalists and ordinary Americans who knew that death and defeat would be the only outcome? -- Though Errol Morris' film served as ipso facto indictment, its title was yet a kind of justification. There is no "fog of war." There is only hubris, stubbornness, and the psychological compartmentalization that allows a man to sign papers that will lead others to die before going home to play with his children. -- McNamara is dead. Barack Obama is his successor."

The Multiple Faces of War
Special Note - A quote...."Imperial war on the people:  The greed of the U.S. leaders would not let them pay any attention to the well-being of its people, and the visible consequences of this neglect were going to increase with each new administration, in particular with Ronald Reagan and onwards, under Republican and Democratic presidents alike. Conditions for the home population became increasingly filled with hardship to ultimately end up with the long-planned neocon policy which surfaced with George W. Bush: the people had no rights whatsoever and the only thing that mattered was complete power over the planet. This was the one and only goal and the people were to be the slaves to help bring this about. This ridiculously incompetent president was obviously chosen as the candidate for the Republican Party in order to let the mentally sick men and women behind the stage pull their strings unhampered by any realistic and humane obstacles."

Medvedev: Russia Still Prepared to Deploy Missiles to Counter US Shield
So much for his Holiness the Pope of Hope Obama, who was going to rid the world of nukes....for more on the idiotic MSM's and fake-Neolibs always inaccurate prognostications regarding our new Emperor, see quote shown below.... mpg

Remember all those thousands of articles posted everywhere in the last few weeks, especially on the infotainment-mass-media and also regrettably on many of the faux-Liberal blog sites, about how our fearless Emperor was going to rid the world of nuclear weapons. 

One small problem, as has been pointed out REPEATEDLY for the last sixty years, YOU CAN'T HAVE REDUCTIONS IN NUCLEAR MISSILES IF THERE IS NO ABM TREATY, which by-the-way, the US-NRE unilaterally tore-up. The reason you can't have reductions is it leaves one side, or both, vulnerable to a possible nuclear attack if either side is stupid enough to believe a first strike might take out sufficient nuclear weapons on the other side, to be able to stop the other side's subsequent counter attack by using a "missile shield" .

A little research of this well known and long established strategic calculation would have prevented the unnecessary production of all those stupid, useless, articles. It would be really nice if at some point this nation’s mass-media, along with its Obama worshiping faux-liberals, would just grow-up and stop wasting everybody's time.-- mpg -- posted 07-09-09
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Honduras: US-backed mediation legitimizes military coup - Of course it does, that was exactly the idea. - mpg
Special Note - A quote...."The talks convened in the Costa Rican capital San José on Thursday with the purported aim of resolving the political crisis unleashed by the June 28 coup in neighboring Honduras, are shaping up as a farce. The apparent object of this fraudulent exercise is to legitimize the military overthrow of the elected president of Honduras and realize the aims of Washington and the predominant sections of the right-wing Honduran oligarchy." -- bold by website editor

Latin America Asks: Are the Gorillas Back? -- After the Honduran Coup
Special Note - A quote...."Perched on a hillside in the Mexican outback, we would tune in to these "golpes de estado", as they are termed in Latin America, on our Zenith Transoceanic short wave.  First, a harried announcer would report rumors of troop movement and the imposition of a "toque de queda" (curfew.)  Hours of dead air (and probably dead announcers) would follow and then the martial music would strike up, endless tape loops of military marches and national anthems.  Within a few days, the stations would be back up as if nothing had happened.  Only the names of the generals who ruled the roost had changed. -- Guatemala was the Central American republic par excelencia for such "golpes."  Perhaps the most memorable was the overthrow of General Jacobo Arbenz by Alan Dulles's CIA in 1954 after Arbenz sought to expropriate and distribute unused United Fruit land.  Like Mel Zelaya, the general was shaken rudely awake by soldiers and booted out of the country in his underwear."

Amid protests Honduran talks end with no deal
A quote...."Thousands of supporters of Honduras' ousted president have held rallies, as crises talks in Costa Rica ended without a breakthrough. -- Around 4,000 people calling for the return of the deposed President Manuel Zelaya blocked the road leading north from the capital Tegucigalpa to Honduras' second city of San Pedro Sula for around two hours on Friday."

Honduras: Road Blocks Demand Coupists Out
A quote...."Tegucigalpa, Jul 10 (Prensa Latina) The National Front against the Coup in Honduras extended today the road blocks to vast regions in the country to demand the end of the de facto regime and the return to the institutional order. The blocks include the roads linking the capital with San Pedro Sula, second city in importance and the one leading north where the main industrial zone of the country is located."

Dictatorships Must End, Evo Morales
A quote...."La Paz, Jul 10 (Prensa Latina) Military dictatorships are no longer a solution for the problems of the continent, Bolivian President Evo Morales has stated."
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More On The Iranian Election....

Coverage of US Propaganda Against Iran
Special Note - Article Database -- "Dprogram.net’s complete coverage of the Iranian elections regarding U.s. involvement/propaganda – June 2009"

Tehran police chief: few arrests in [the most recent] protest
A quote...."Tehran's police chief said Friday that few arrests were made in opposition protests that erupted a day earlier in the Iranian capital in an opposition attempt to revive street demonstrations over the country's disputed election."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Thought-police is here
Propaganda Warning - A quote...."The Foreign Ministry unveiled a new plan this week: Paying talkbackers to post pro-Israel responses on websites worldwide. A total of NIS 600,000 (roughly $150,000) will be earmarked to the establishment of an “Internet warfare” squad." - also posted at CommonDreams & DProgram - For more on this issue see....Judeo-Christian C/C & US - The Internet & Israel

The victory of defeat
Must Read - A quote...."While Israel has been buying yet more time with Washington in bickering over a paltry settlement freeze, it has been forging ahead with the process of creating two Palestinian territories, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, that, despite supposedly emerging from occupation, are in reality sinking ever deeper into chronic dependency on Israeli goodwill. -- This is creating a culture of absolute Israeli control and absolute Palestinian dependency, enforced by proxy Palestinian rulers acting as mini-dictatorships."

German FM reiterates opposition to settlements
A quote...."Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Illegal Israeli settlements remain an obstacle to peace in the region, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier insisted on Friday."

UN calls Israel to demolish wall still up after five year-rule / PHOTO
A quote....""Apartheid wall" whose construction still is underway across the West Bank symbolizes another non-respect of international law by Israel."

Israeli forces arrest 6 solidarity activists in Beit Ommar
A quote...."On July 7, 2009 at approximately 5pm, an Israeli military official called the mayor of Beit Ommar/ Saffa, Nasri Sabarneh, and informed him that settlers had set fire to some trees in the Abu Jabber Soleiby land in Saffa, just under the illegal Bat ‘Ayn settlement. A group of internationals, including one who also holds Israeli ID, went down into the valley to investigate and document the destruction. When they arrived, a group of Israeli soldiers was already present."

Attacking solidarity in Saffa
Photostory - A quote...."Villagers of Saffa, a town located in the South West Bank, have been facing several measures of collective punishment since last April, after an unidentified man, thought to be a Palestinian, attacked a settler youth in the nearby settlement of Bat Ayn. Since then and for over months, the Palestinians residents have faced arbitrary sanctions such as random closures, as the land of Saffa has been declared ‘closed military zone’ by the Israeli soldiers, further preventing the farmers from accessing their main resource of income. Solidarity actions with the farmers have been taking place for weeks. But last weekend, the Israeli repression became harsher, further attacking international solidarity."

Zahhar: Egypt told us about Fatah reluctance to achieve reconciliation
A quote...."GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, stated Friday that Egyptian officials told his Movement that Fatah faction has no willingness at all to reach an agreement to end the inter-Palestinian division."
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The Left and Islam
Must Read - A quote...."Both Liberal and Left, in their apparent banal Western forms suggest that secularism is the answer for the world's ailments. Without a doubt, Western secularism may be a remedy for some Western social malaise. However, Western Liberal and Left ideologies, in most cases, fail to understand that secularism is in itself a natural outcome of Christian culture, i.e., a direct product of Christian tradition and openness towards an independent civic existence. In the West, the spiritual and the civil sphere are largely separated . It is this very division that enabled the rise of secularity and the discourse of rationality. It is this very division that also led to the birth of a secular ethical value system in the spirit of enlightenment and modernism. -- But this very division led also to the rise of some blunt forms of fundamental-secularism that matured into crude anti religious worldviews that are no different from bigotry. It is actually that very misleading fundamental secularism that brought the West to a total dismissal of a billion human beings out there just because they wear the wrong scarf or happen to believe in something we fail to grasp." -- see article shown below - mpg

Why Is a Leading Feminist Organization Lending Its Name to Support Escalation in Afghanistan?
Related Article - A quote...."Years ago, following the initial military success of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the temporary fall of the Taliban, the people of Afghanistan were promised that the occupying armies would rebuild the country and improve life for the Afghan people."

EXCLUSIVE: Career diplomats protest Obama appointments
A quote...."The White House, unaware of historic norms, had been on track to give more than the usual 30 percent of ambassadorial jobs to political appointees until objections from career diplomats forced it to reconsider, administration officials say. "

Afghan transit deal gives Russia right to inspect U.S. flights
A quote...."MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow will have the right to inspect U.S. military planes flying over its territory under a deal with Washington on transit to Afghanistan, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday."

Sukhoi Superjet 100 makes debut flight at Le Bourget
Photo Gallery - A quote...."Russia's new Superjet 100 passenger airliner made its first demonstration flight at Le Bourget 2009 air show in France."
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G8 leaders fail to reach agreement on global crisis -- China, France, Russia challenge supremacy of US dollar
A quote...."G8 leaders were also unable to come to any firm agreement on how to combat the financial crisis. Acknowledging the dangers posed by the crisis, the summit issued a statement on Wednesday that declared, “The situation remains uncertain and significant risks remain to economic and financial stability.” -- However, the G8 is deeply divided on how to respond to the crisis. The US and Britain advocate additional large-scale injections of capital to the banks and big business, while a number of European countries, led by Germany, oppose further stimulus measures, warning of the danger of ballooning government budget deficits and the threat of inflation."

US dollar’s Dominance Under Fire at G8 Summit
A quote...."At the gathering in Italy, which wraps up on Friday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy joined China and a band of mostly emerging powers in calling for an end to the dollar’s reign as the international currency of reference. -- “We cannot stick with just one single currency,” the French leader said at the summit in L’Aquila, central Italy."

China criticises dollar
A quote...."Dai Bingguo, who is standing in for the Chinese president Hu Jintao at the G8 meetings, raised questions over the dominant role of the dollar as the world's reserve currency."

Medvedev Unveils “World Currency” Coin At G8
A quote...."Russian President shows reporters example of “united future world currency”

A New Stimulus? Washington Never Learns
A quote...."In Washington, the rule is: If a little poison doesn’t cure the patient, give him more. --  This rule is being applied not only to health care, where massive doses of government intervention are being prescribed to treat the toxicity of past government intervention. It’s also being used in the attempt to end the recession."

The Obama Stimulus Failed: States Use Stimulus Money for Short-Term Needs, Audit Shows
Quote of the Day....

"In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. … This is the shabby secret of the welfare statists’ tirades against gold. Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the confiscation of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights. If one grasps this, one has no difficulty in understanding the statists’ antagonism toward the gold standard.” -- *Alan Greenspan*

UK factory prices fall at fastest rate since 2001
Deflation Alert - A quote...."The prices British manufacturers charge for their goods fell unexpectedly in June at the fastest rate in seven-and-a-half years, data from the Office for National Statistics showed yesterday."

Thursday July 9th 2009

Obama’s Rollback Strategy -- Honduras, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan (and the Boomerang Effect)
Must Read - A quote...."July 09, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- The recent events in Honduras and Iran, which pit democratically elected regimes against pro-US military and civilian actors intent on overthrowing them can best be understood as part of a larger White House strategy designed to rollback the gains achieved by opposition government and movements during the Bush years. -- In a manner reminiscent of Ronald Reagan’s New Cold War policies, Obama has vastly increased the military budget, increased the number of combat troops, targeted new regions for military intervention and backed military coups in regions traditionally controlled by the US . However Obama’s rollback strategy occurs in a very different international and domestic context. Unlike Reagan, Obama faces a prolonged and profound recession/depression, massive fiscal and trade deficits, a declining role in the world economy and loss of political dominance in Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia and elsewhere. While Reagan faced off against a decaying Soviet Communist regime, Obama confronts surging world-wide opposition from a variety of independent secular, clerical, nationalist, liberal democratic and socialist electoral regimes and social movements anchored in local struggles." -- also posted at GlobRsrch & AtheoNews

Mourn On The 4th of July
Must Read - A quote...."History without memory," declared Time magazine at the end of the 20th century, "confines Americans to a sort of eternal present. They are especially weak in remembering what they did to other people, as opposed to what they did for them." Ironically, it was Henry Luce, founder of Time, who in 1941 divined the "American century" as an American social, political and cultural "victory" over humanity and the right "to exert upon the world the full impact of our influence, for such purposes as we see fit and by such means as we see fit". -- also posted at CommonDreams

Tehran and Tegucigalpa: A tale of two capitals
Must Read - A quote...."In Tehran, demonstrations called by the defeated US-backed presidential candidate are given non-stop, wall-to-wall coverage by the American media. The charges of former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi of a stolen election and a “coup d’etat” are embraced uncritically and reported as fact by the New York Times, the Washington Post and other “authoritative” newspapers, without any independent investigation or substantiation. A media propaganda campaign ensues aimed at isolating and destabilizing the ruling faction in Iran headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." -- also posted at ICH

Beware William Tell's Second Arrow
Must Read - A quote...."Seven hundred years ago, when Switzerland was under the domination of the Hapsburgs, a dissolute colonial overlord named Hermann Gessler sought to humiliate the residents of Altdorf, the capital of the central Swiss canton of Uri. -- Gessler instructed his minions to erect a tall pole in the town square, at the top of which would be displayed his cap. Every Swiss man who entered the square would be required to pay fealty to Gessler, and the foreign imperial power he represented, by bowing before his cap. -- One local resident was a man who distinguished himself by both his virtuosity with a crossbow and his contemptuous hostility toward bullies."
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Ludicrous Diversion - 7/7 London Bombings Documentary - Video - (GoglVid - 27:53 - Sep 15, 2006)
Video - Special Note -  From the History File -- Sep 15, 2006 -- A quote...."On the 7th of July 2005 London was hit by a series of explosions. You probably think you know what happened that day. But you don’t. The police have, from the onset of their investigation, chosen to withold from the public almost every bit of evidence they claim to have and have provably lied about several aspects of the London Bombings. The mainstream news has wilfully spread false, unsubstantiated and unverifiable information, while choosing to completely ignore the numerous inconsistencies and discrepancies in the official story. The government has finally, after a year, presented us with their official ‘narrative’ concerning the event. Within hours it was shown to contain numerous errors, a fact since admitted by the Home Secretary John Reid. They have continuously rejected calls for a full, independent public inquiry. Tony Blair himself described such an inquiry as a ‘ludicrous diversion’. What don’t they want us to find out?"

Did nano-thermite take down the WTC?
Video - A quote...."Could the most audacious terrorist attack in history be a “sophisticated masterpiece of demolition”? -- That’s what chemistry professor Niels Harrit has been asking, following his investigation of the World Trade Centre rubble, which has revealed traces of explosives."

NSA Security running amok to plug leaks about 9/11
Special Note - A quote...."We have learned that the National Security “Q” Group, responsible for security, has grown to an immense security and counter-intelligence force, with an estimated one thousand government employees, contractors, and paid informants. NSA’s Security force is reportedly primarily tasked with plugging any leaks of classified or other information that points to U.S. government’s involvement with the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001."

What Did the CIA Lie to Congress About?
A quote...."CIA director Panetta admitted to Congress that the CIA misled Congress concerning "significant actions" from 2001 to the present. As Congress wrote to Panetta yesterday:  ---  "Recently you testified that you have determined that top CIA officials have concealed significant actions from all Members of Congress, and misled Members for a number of years from 2001 to this week," the Democratic lawmakers write. "This is similar to other deceptions of which we are aware from other recent periods."  ---  Here's the letter:....."

Was The CIA Hiding Cheney's "Executive Assassination Ring"?
A quote...."The revelation from seven Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee that they were misled about a critical CIA program has sparked a debate that touches on the most sensitive areas of national security policy. What program, exactly, was being kept secret?"

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard Demands Accountability on Torture - Alt - (YouTube - 5 min 13 sec - July 09, 2009)
Must View Video - A quote...."On Thursday, June 25, 2009, a spirited rally was held in John Marshall Park, in Washington, D.C. Its purpose: To demand that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appoint a “Special Prosecutor for Torture,” who will hold accountable to the supremacy of the Law, certain members of the Bush-Cheney Gang, including ex-President George W. Bush, Jr. and his Vice-President, Dick Cheney." -- For more on this issue see....9/11 - Iraq - Torture Fables

Keep the Change: Obama Backs Bush's Political Prisoner Operation
Special Note - No surprise again, do the Obamatrolls even care, did they ever?? - mpg -- A quote...."We all know about the vaunted -- not to mention shameless -- "continuity" between the Bush and Obama administrations in foreign policy and "national security," with Bush's generals, and even Bush's Pentagon honcho, still running -- and expanding -- the Terror War under Barack Obama's orders, while he also wages legal war in the courts to uphold Bush's authoritarian perversions of the Constitution, and defend the war criminals in Bush's gulag -- some of whom Obama has elevated to even greater heights of power. -- But surely there is some real "change" going on elsewhere in government, isn't there? How about at the throughly rotted Justice Department, where Bush cronies turned federal law into a partisan weapon, even jailing opposition political figures on trumped-up charges, like the worst kind of third-rate, tinpot tyranny? Surely Obama and his highly progressive Attorney General, Eric Holder, are going to clean out the fetid swamp of lawlessness at Justice, aren't they? -- Er, no."

Blitzkrieg
A quote...."The last two weeks in June marked an unprecedented attack, by the government, upon the entire social infrastructure of this society. This was only the latest in a long series of criminal actions meant to finally tip the nation into chaos. -- While this effort has been seriously moving toward this end since the day that Cheney-Bush took the office of the presidency in the Coup of December 12, 2000; the intensification under Obamageddon has expanded on everything done under the Dictatorship of Cheney-Bush, to the point where the Constitution should end and the Fascist Regime can come into full and unopposed power."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Compromising Democracy in Honduras
Special Note - A quote...."Can a solution to the crisis in Honduras — itself the result of a military coup — be “mediated,” where on one side sit coup leaders and on the other a democratically elected but ousted President? Does any “middle ground” exist? Of course not. If President Zelaya unconditionally returns to finish his term in office, democracy will be restored; anything short of that will have democracy “compromised” into its opposite."

Honduras first lady leads fight for Zelaya return
A quote...."TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - Honduras' first lady has emerged as the public face of the movement to restore President Manuel Zelaya to power, a role she took against her husband's wishes and despite her continuing fears for her safety."

Honduras Front Peaceful, Relentless
A quote...."Tegucigalpa, Jul 9 (Prensa Latina) Honduran popular organizations mark Thursday their 12th consecutive day of peaceful resistance to the military coup, with the aim of maintaining their democratic struggles."

Zelaya's supporters block highway in Honduras
A quote...."TEGUCIGALPA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of supporters of Honduras's ousted President Manuel Zelaya on Thursday blocked a key highway in the south of the capital Tegucigalpa."

Venezuela Halts Oil Exports to Honduras
A quote...."The embattled nation of Honduras appeared to be in for more trouble after Venezuela announced that it is halting oil exports to Honduras. -- Rafael Ramirez, Venezuela’s oil minister, confirmed Wednesday that his country was stopping all exports of oil to Honduras in the aftermath of the domestic turmoil in the latter country. Ramirez also said that the shipments of oil which Venezuela had sold to Honduras at preferential rates would not resume until the ousted president of Honduras had been re-instated."

Venezuela: US Must Clarify its Position on Honduras
A quote....""There must be a categorical pronouncement and concrete actions by Obama in rejection of this coup d'etat," Rodríguez Chacín insisted, because it is "clear this coup is being supported by the military establishment of the United States." -- Rodríguez Chacín argued that the coup must be understood in the context of increasing global political confrontation and as something that represents an attempt to destroy the progressive advances in Latin America signified by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) "
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More On The Iranian Election....

An Open Letter to the Anti-War Movement: How Should We React to the Events in Iran? by Phil Wilayto
Must Read - A quote...."What’s happening in Iran today is a developing conflict between two forces that each represent millions of people.  There are good people on both sides and the issues are complicated.  So before U.S. progressives decide to weigh in, supporting one side and condemning the other, let’s take a little closer look."

US politician urges Iran 'sabotage'
A quote...."The former speaker of the US House of Representatives has said that the US should "sabotage" Iran's oil and gas infrastructure as part of its efforts to bring down the government."

A leaner, meaner Iranian regime
Special Note - A quote...."The election outcome - and the resultant riots and the violence used to suppress the rioters - have produced an unequivocal victory for the ideological Islamic right. For the first time in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, one faction is completely dominant and the other factions are in complete disarray. This is uncharted territory and a great deal of planning, positioning and manipulation are needed to steer the right course, especially in the next four years. -- While the ascendancy of the Islamic right will doubtless enhance the cohesion and maneuverability of the Islamic Republic, it remains to be seen whether this cohesion has been purchased at an unacceptably high price, in terms of dissent and long-term prospects for political stability." -- bold by website editor
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

While You Were Sleeping Reality Changed
Must Read - A quote...."What version of reality do people cling to? Welcome to "Bizarro World" Israeli Style. I'm sure I speak for many like myself who have become more and more outraged over the sheer and utter audacity of the Rogue State of Israel. If normal thinking people just step back for a moment and look at the uber massive array of, what's the word I'm looking for......Oh yeah, control, which Israel manages to exert throughout the world, it is staggering. -- Why is it that a tiny patch of stolen desert, where a state has been "created" that never existed before, made for only "one" group of people, of "one" religion only and actually founded on that premise, which is a racist premise in and of itself, but that fact is ignored. This "created place" is then allowed to use some terrible thing that once happened to its inhabitants long ago, to act with impunity against all others, under the ever special, ever repeated, always counted on rally cry to the masses of "Never Again."

Destroying Gaza
A quote...."The recent meeting between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu generated speculation over the future relationship between America and Israel, and a potentially changed US policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Analysts on the right and left are commenting on a new, tougher American policy characterized by strengthened US demands on Israel. However, beneath the diplomatic choreography lies an agonizing reality that received only brief comment from Obama and silence from Netanyahu: the ongoing devastation of the people of Gaza."

Israel's illegal wall traps Palestinians - 09 Jul 09
Contains Video -- A quote....""The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on Israel to comply with an international court ruling and dismantle its separation barrier through occupied Palestinian land. -- Five years ago, the International Court of Justice ruled that the barrier was illegal and should be taken down, but Israel continues to ignore international demands. -- Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports on Palestinians trapped by the wall."

Aide: Netanyahu told German FM West Bank cannot be 'Judenrein`
Somebody should inform Netanyahu that it's not Israel's land, that they're squatters on someone else's land according to every single treaty Israel has signed so far. Of course it's always been true that the Israelis treat the Palestinians just like the US-NRE treats Native Americans, no treaty, oath, bond, sworn statement made or signed by them will ever be honored, or could ever be trusted....but still, this is pretty ridiculous. - mpg -- A quote...."Judea and Samaria cannot be Judenrein," the confidant quoted the prime minister as telling Frank-Walter Steinmeier earlier this week. -- Asked how Germany's top diplomat responded to hearing the term used by the Nazis to refer to areas "cleansed of Jews", the confidant said, "What could he do? He basically just nodded." -- Yeah, we'll all just call it "Palestinrein" -- mpg

Group of industrialized nations demands immediate opening of Gaza crossings
A quote...."ROME, (PIC)-- A statement issued by leaders of the USA, Russia, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan at the end of the first day of the 35th summit of the group of eight industrialized nations held Wednesday in the Italian city of L'Aquila demanded an immediate opening of Gaza crossings."

EU retracts criticism of Israeli settlements - Spineless cowards one and all. - mpg
A quote...."The European Commission on Thursday backtracked on its unusually harsh criticism of Israeli settlements, declaring that a statement released earlier this week did not reflect the commission's position."

Zionist strong-arm tactics condemned in France - Viva La France, at least the French people still have a spine.
A quote...."Crowds in Paris protesting an attack on a French bookstore have called on officials to dismantle the allegedly responsible Jewish militant group."

Brutalizing Palestinian children
Special Note -- A quote...."The rights of Palestinian children are routinely violated by Israel's Security Forces, according to a new report that says beatings and torture are common. In addition, hundreds of Palestinian minors are prosecuted by Israel each year without a proper trial and are denied family visits."

Palestinian children protest Gaza blockade
A quote...."GAZA CITY: Hundreds of Palestinian children participated in a rally in the Gaza Strip to protest the blockade imposed by Israel on the territory since 2007." -- also posted at WarInIraq

McKinney tells Press TV of Gaza voyage
A quote...."Back from a harrowing journey to the Palestinian territories, former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney sits down with Press TV to expound on why she made her voyage."

Egyptian Officials Arrive in West Bank Ahead of Unity Talks
A quote...."Egypt has sent high-ranking security officials to the West Bank to prepare for what Cairo hopes to be the last session of inter-Palestinian reconciliation talks, sources said on Thursday."
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The Echoes of War
A quote...."Question:  The question I wanted to ask him was this: "Mr. McNamara, how is it that after nearly destroying the Ford Motor Corporation, then destroying Viet Nam and almost destroying the United States, and then going on to be the president of the World Bank, where you made great strides towards destroying the world economy, how is it possible that today you can be held in high regard and stand up in front of this audience without being pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables?" -- Answer:  He served our nation's elites ably and well, he made lots of money for them.  That's all that counts. - mpg

This Is Not Science Fiction
A quote...."As the media continues to shine its spotlight on the death of celebrity Michael Jackson this week, so many other profound losses go unreported - like those Afghan and Pakistani civilians killed by unmanned U.S. drones operated via remote control in the Nevada desert. Since 2006, we are told drone attacks have killed 14 Al Qaeda leaders and around 700 civilians, a 50:1 ratio of innocent victims to targeted enemies."

Escalation Scam: Troops in Afghanistan
Special Note - A quote....""Escalation" is a word for a methodical process of acclimating people at home to the idea of more military intervention abroad -- nothing too sudden, just a step-by-step process of turning even more war into media wallpaper -- nothing too abrupt or jarring, while thousands more soldiers and billions more dollars funnel into what Martin Luther King Jr. called a "demonic suction tube," complete with massive violence, mayhem, terror and killing on a grander scale than ever." -- also posted at CounterPunch

Active duty Army suicide rate on record-setting pace
A quote...."Suicides in the US Army are on the rise with 88 suspected cases in the first six months of the year, compared to 67 in the same period in 2008, according to Pentagon figures issued. -- The latest figures confirmed warnings from top US military officers that the number of suicides among active-duty soldiers this year was on track to surpass a record level set in 2008."

Afghan Children Left to Die After US Bombings - Alt Clip #3 - (YouTube - 1 min 29 sec - June 09, 2009)
Video - A quote...."Exclusive footage from the recent US airstrikes in Afghanistan provides a sobering look at the dire situation on the ground. The footage will be incorporated in part four of Brave New Foundation’s documentary, “Rethink Afghanistan.”

Colonizing Iraq - The Obama Doctrine?
Must Read - A quote...." Fireworks went off; some Iraqis gathered to dance and cheer; the first military parade since Saddam Hussein's day took place (in the fortified Green Zone, the country's ordinary streets still being too dangerous for such things); the U.S. handed back many small bases and outposts; and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proclaimed a national holiday -- "sovereignty day," he called it. -- All of this fit with a script promisingly laid out by President Barack Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign. More recently, in his much praised speech to the students of Egypt's Cairo University, he promised that the U.S. would keep no bases in Iraq, and would indeed withdraw its military forces from the country by the end of 2011. -- Unfortunately, not just for the Iraqis, but for the American public, it's what's happening in "the dark" -- beyond the glare of lights and TV cameras -- that counts" -- also posted at Uruknet

Iraqi Insurgents Turn To Small But Deadly Weapon
Weapons Tech Note - A quote...."as the military has been innovating, the insurgency has, too. -- Recently, insurgents have been using a portable, powerful weapon called the RKG-3, says U.S. Army intelligence officer Maj. Chuck Assadourian. -- "Basically, it's a grenade that's thrown, and it's got an armor-penetrating [element]," he says." -- also posted at WarInIraq

US[-NRE finally] frees 5 Iranian diplomats held since 2007 in Iraq
A quote...."Press TV - Iran's ambassador to Baghdad says five Iranian diplomats who were kidnapped by US forces have been handed over to the government of Nouri al-Maliki. -- "US occupying forces have handed over the five Iranian diplomats to the Iraqi Prime Minister [Nouri al-Maliki]," the ambassador told Fars news agency on Thursday."

If proven, alleged Israeli spying in Lebanon a 'serious violation': UN
Not really, after all everybody spies on everybody, especially in Lebanon. -- What's interesting about this case is that many of the people arrested are accused of acquiring targeting information for Israel in the run-up to, and during, Israel's most recent and savage bombing campaign against South Lebanon.  A bombing campaign which DELIBERATELY targeted South Lebanon’s entire infrastructure: roads, bridges, power plants, schools, apartment blocks and innocent civilians, killing and maiming hundreds of them.  And that is something that if proved these people will be shot for, and by ANY countries' standards, justifiably so. – mpg -- A quote...."UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – If allegations that Israeli spy networks are operating in Lebanon were confirmed in court, they would represent a serious violation of Lebanese sovereignty and undermine relevant UN resolutions, a top UN official said Wednesday."

US military damaged ancient Babylon site
A quote...."PARIS: Researchers working for the United Nations cultural agency say the US military in Iraq inflicted considerable damage on one of the world's most important archaeological sites at Babylon. -- UNESCO has vowed to make Babylon a World Heritage site to prevent similar vandalism in future wars. -- Its ruins, 90 kilometres south of Baghdad, are considered one of the world's Seven Wonders, and are more than 4000 years old. Soon after the US-led invasion in 2003, the site became military "Camp Alpha"."

UN: Rape, sexual violence growing in Afghanistan
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS – Afghan women are increasingly the victims of violence, including rapes and acid-throwing attacks at the hands of anti-government elements and local chieftains, according to new U.N. report." -- For more on this issue see....Welcome to the New Un-Holy Roman Empire - 07-08-09 - mpg

T. Boone Pickens New Plan: America Is Entitled To Iraqi Oil As Compensation For Fallen Soldiers (Poll Question)
File this under unbelievable. -- Think of it this way folks, a brutal, vicious, gang of thugs falsely accuses you for an act they themselves committed against one of their own members, they than create a series of obvious lies painting you as the threat to the neighborhood, they than break into your home and in the process they kill, maim and even torture members of your own family while destroying half the structure as they attempt to loot you of your belongings. Then they demand that you pay them for the privilege because some of your relatives tried to defend themselves.  This is SICK!  The Neo-Romans in this country are PSYCHOS!!  This is how they really THINK!!!  Everyone out there in the rest of the world better understand that tens of millions of Neo-Romans here in the New Roman Empire actually believe that when they kill, maim and murder you....that they’re "helping" you.  They truly believe it, that's just how deranged they really are.  The best advice of this website editor is stay away, stay far away; if you see one of these people coming toward you, get away as quickly as you can. – mpg -- also posted at WarInIraq

Iran Eager to Develop Ties with China
A quote...."Tehran, May 30, 2009: President of the Center for Strategic Research of the State Expediency Council Dr. Hassan Rouhani says China is a very important country in Asia and the world. He says Iran and China have enjoyed very good relations for long years and called for further development of these ties."

Brazil opens embassy in North Korea
A quote...."Brazil has announced that it has opened its new embassy in North Korea, after weeks of delay due to the Asian state's recent nuclear test." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Protesters march, strike against Peru's Garcia
A quote...."LIMA, July 8 (Reuters) - Thousands of Peruvians marched and piled boulders on highways across Peru on Wednesday to protest the pro-business policies of President Alan Garcia, a day after he bowed to pressure to reshuffle his Cabinet."

Analysts See Little Substance in Russia ‘Reset’
A quote...."With the president’s trip to Moscow finished, Russian analysts are praising what they called a “symbolic detente,” but it seems that apart from marginal rhetorical changes, the long-promised “reset” of relations with Russia has little substance behind it."

Russia: US missile plan threatens nuke cut bids
Special Note - A quote...."Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stressed that the US missile shield plans would contradict efforts for global reduction of nuclear weapons. -- "If our partners decide to create an American missile defense system with global reach, this will undoubtedly cast serious doubt on the prospects for further strategic offensive arms reductions," news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying during a Tuesday interview with Vesti-24 television."

Remember all those thousands of articles posted everywhere in the last few weeks, especially on the infotainment-mass-media and also regrettably on many of the faux-Liberal blog sites, about how our fearless Emperor was going to rid the world of nuclear weapons. 

One small problem, as has been pointed out REPEATEDLY for the last sixty years, YOU CAN'T HAVE REDUCTIONS IN NUCLEAR MISSILES IF THERE IS NO ABM TREATY, which by-the-way, the US-NRE unilaterally tore-up. The reason you can't have reductions is it leaves one side, or both, vulnerable to a possible nuclear attack if either side is stupid enough to believe a first strike might take out sufficient nuclear weapons on the other side, to be able to stop the other side's subsequent counter attack by using a "missile shield" .

A little research of this well known and long established strategic calculation would have prevented the unnecessary production of all those, stupid, useless articles. It would be really nice if at some point this nation’s mass-media, along with its Obama worshiping faux-liberals, would just grow-up and stop wasting everybody's time.-- mpg
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Real ID: A Real Warning on the Danger of Government
A quote...."The REAL ID Act may be on the verge of receiving its final coffin nails. Unfortunately, the Obama administration is pushing a replacement bill that poses many of the same threats as REAL ID. The history of REAL ID should inspire friends of freedom to once again vigorously oppose any and every federal grab for their personal information."

G8 leaders have 5-course meal before hunger talks
A quote...."World leaders have enjoyed a five-course meal on the eve of a G8 summit on tackling world food shortages, a menu released by a summit source showed."

CIA-MOSSAD at work: US, German intel: Al Qaeda plots multiple attacks on US-, Israel-bound airliners
False Flag Alert - A quote...."Al Qaeda planners, say the Western sources, know it is extremely hard to break through the massive security cordons protecting summit leaders. They are therefore planning to hijack passenger planes of airlines belonging to the targeted states and blow them up in mid-air."
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Special Note -- "Breaking -- AIG Is Preparing to Pay New Round of Bonuses --The payments coming due next week include $2.4 million in bonuses for about 40 high-ranking corporate officers at AIG. 09 Jul 2009 American International Group is preparing to pay millions of dollars more in bonuses to several dozen top corporate executives after an earlier round of payments four months ago set off a national furor. The company has been pressing the federal government to bless the payments in hopes of shielding itself from renewed public outrage. The request puts the administration's new compensation czar on the spot by seeking his opinion about bonuses that were promised long before he took his post." -- Paragraph posted at CLG -- Haaaaaa Haaaaaa Ha!!!  All you Obamatrolls are so truly STUPID! - mpg -- For more on this issue see....Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

Ron Paul On Fed Audit: We Will Not Be Stopped
A quote...."Congressman Ron Paul has vowed that he will not be stopped in his effort to audit the Federal Reserve, as he slammed Senate authorities for blocking the bill earlier this week."

New Unemployment Claims Fall: Hold Off on the Bubbly 13 comments
Chart - Good and bad news. - mpg -- A quote...."Initial claims for unemployment dropped by a much bigger than expected 52,000 in the last week to 565,000, the lowest level so far this year. This brought the four-week average down by 10,000 to 606,000. -- Without a doubt this is good news, but before we break out the bubbly, remember that this was a holiday-shortened week. I would wait at least another week to see if this looks real."

Weak retail sales in June raise worries
A quote...."NEW YORK – After yet another weak month, retailers are preparing to fight for their share of crucial back-to-school shopping. But they may have to keep discounting to keep consumers coming in, given escalating job uncertainty."

Recession-hit Estonia sinks further into deflation: data
A quote...."Recession-hit Estonia sank further into deflation in June, as prices fell 0.9 percent compared with a year earlier after having dropped by 0.3 percent in May, official data showed on Tuesday."

Japan's wholesale prices mark record drop in June
A quote...."LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japan's domestic corporate goods price index, the nation's benchmark measure of wholesale prices, fell a record 6.6% in June from the year-ago period, the Bank of Japan said Friday."

China Fails to Attract Enough Buyers in Bill Sales (Update2)
Oddly enough because they're attempting to choke off what they believe are signs of incipient inflation. Go figure? - mpg -- A quote...."The auction’s failure reflects concern that Premier Wen Jiabao’s 4 trillion yuan stimulus package will cause bubbles in stock and housing markets, forcing the central bank to tighten monetary policy. The People’s Bank of China this week pushed up money-market rates and drained cash from banks, the biggest investors in the nation’s $2.2 trillion debt market."

How Industry Giants are Undermining the Organic Movement - The Organic Monopoly and the Myth of "Natural" Foods
A quote...."After four decades of hard work, the organic community has built up a $25 billion “certified organic” food, farming, and green products sector. This consumer-driven movement, under steady attack by the biotech and Big Food lobby, with little or no help from government, has managed to create a healthy and sustainable alternative to America’s disastrous, chemical and energy-intensive system of industrial agriculture."

Wednesday July 8th 2009

Welcome to the New Un-Holy Roman Empire
07-08-09
mpg

So This Is What Victory Looks Like?
A quote...."Iraqi soldiers, primarily Shiite troops loyal to the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister al-Maliki, are everywhere. They man checkpoints and mini-garrisons throughout the city and constantly patrol streets and neighborhoods which function less as communities and more like tiny feudal fiefdoms. Militias, like street gangs in Western ghettos, lurk inside every walled-off zone, sometimes working with the Iraqi military, sometimes working against it. To attempt to move from zone to zone today is an exercise in futility and frustration, as well as a flagrant temptation of fate. Sunni and Shiite, Arabs and Kurds, Christians and Muslims—all used to be able to mingle freely in the streets of Baghdad. Today these diverse elements are segregated from one another, their daily existence dictated by a kill-or-be-killed mentality that manifests itself in violence and a growing diaspora of Iraqi refugees no longer able to sustain life in a city they once called home."

Let's make this as crystal-clear as possible.  This was always the US-NRE's intent, it is their method, it is how this nation operates.

When a good portion of the US-NRE's population brought black people over here to use as slaves, they took every conceivable opportunity to degrade them, keep them uneducated, powerless, terrified and servile.  And they enjoyed it.

When a good portion of the US-NRE's population conquered the Native Americans, they took every opportunity to portray them in the worst possible light, play them off against each other, provoke them, and savagely retaliate and murder them when they tried to defend their lands, their homes, their lives and their families. And they enjoyed it.

When the US-NRE's elites, along with AIPAC, the Neocons, the Saudi Royals and Israel developed their thirty year scheme to fund the most violent, most regressive, vicious, xenophobic, Wahabbist, Salafist, Jihadist, terrorist groups ever seen in the Middle East while simultaneously staging various pathetic false flag events that fooled no one....this is exactly what they intended to happen. It is their "long war", their massive ongoing effort to destabilize and prevent the formation of any new "nation states" or "nationalistic movements" in the Middle East and destroy all those that already exist, in their ceaseless attempts to insure "full spectrum dominance" over the entire region.

The US-NRE's elites and the bulk of its population enjoyed fracturing and "flattening” Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.  The millions of dead, injured, crippled, homeless and hopeless is exactly the sort of outcome they wanted to achieve.  And if they get their druthers, they'll enjoy it even more when they fracture and "flatten" Iran. 

And let's be clear about this, they truly enjoyed all of it, the whole sorry spectacle of the Roman Circus, especially all the tortures and sexual perversions.  It is their nature to do these things, it is inherent in who they are and they will never change.

They have forsaken their Christianity, their humanity and their immortal souls -- forever.  They have freely chosen to become Neo-Roman Beasts.  To embrace the darkness, to decend into the abyss, never to see the light of day again.

To all those throughout the rest of the world this website editor welcomes you to the New Un-Holy Roman Empire. – mpg
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Totalitarian Democracy in the New World Order
Must View - Video Interview - A quote...."William Engdahl on his book Full Spectrum Dominance:"

New 7/7 Bombing Photo Contradicts Official Story
Special Note - A quote...."A new photo released on the fourth anniversary of the 7/7 attacks in London appears to contradict the government’s official story that Muslims with backpack bombs were responsible for the Tube and bus bombings which killed 52 people. -- The image seemingly dovetails with a survivor’s eyewitness statement that the bombs on the Tube trains were placed underneath the carriage and that suicide bombers were nowhere to be seen. -- Debunkers have attempted to dismiss this vital hole in the official story by claiming that questions about eyewitnesses stating bombs were placed under the train have been explained. London Guardian journalist Mark Honigsbaum interviewed witnesses who stated that “tiles, the covers on the floor of the train, suddenly flew up, raised up,” when the bombs were detonated. Honigsbaum later said that the quotes were taken out of context when they were cited as evidence that the bombs were planted under the trains – and debunkers duly seized on this in an attempt to dismiss the entire issue."

No One Could Have Planted Bombs in the World Trade Center Without Being Detected, Could They?
Special Note - A uqote...."As Raw Story notes:

"A Government Accountability Office investigator smuggled live bomb components into a federal building in just 27 seconds, then assembled a bomb in a restroom and ventured throughout the building without being detected, a leaked tape revealed Wednesday. -- In addition, congressional investigators were able to penetrate every single federal building they probed without any difficulty — 10 in all."

"And see this. -- Indeed, as I wrote in 2005, there is substantial additional evidence that bombs could have been planted in the World Trade Center without anyone knowing:" -- For more on this issue see....9/11 - WTC-1&2 & 9/11 - WTC7

Special Note - A quote...."Panetta Says CIA Officials Have Misled Congress Since 2001 08 Jul 2009 Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon E. Panetta has told lawmakers that CIA officials misled Congress "for a number of years" since 2001 [i.e., the start of the Bush regime], according to a letter released Wednesday from six Democratic lawmakers. The lawmakers say the CIA also withheld information aboutunspecified "significant actions." [i.e., 9/11] The letter didn't identify when Mr. Panetta made the statements or to what they referred. "This is similar to other deceptions of which we are aware from other recent periods," the letter continued.[Oops! Murdoch's Wall Street Urinal already dropped 'Since 2001' from their headline, lol.] " -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

White House opposes increased CIA oversight; House intel chairman says CIA lied to Congress
Related Article - A quote...."In another sign of an increasingly secretive White House, the Obama administration has threatened to veto an intelligence-services spending bill because it would increase the number of Congresspeople who would have to be informed of the activities of agencies such as the CIA."

The Obama justice system
Special Note - A quote...."Spencer Ackerman yesterday attended a Senate hearing at which the DOD's General Counsel, Jeh Johnson, testified.  As Ackerman highlighted, Johnson actually said that even for those detainees to whom the Obama administration deigns to give a real trial in a real court, the President has the power to continue to imprison them indefinitely even if they are acquitted at their trial.  About this assertion of "presidential post-acquittal detention power" -- an Orwellian term (and a Kafka-esque concept) that should send shivers down the spine of anyone who cares at all about the most basic liberties -- Ackerman wrote, with some understatement, that it "moved the Obama administration into new territory from a civil liberties perspective."  Law professor Jonathan Turley was more blunt:  "The Obama Administration continues its retention and expansion of abusive Bush policies — now clearly Obama policies on indefinite detention." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Guantanamo Open After January 2010?
Another promise betrayed.  When are the Obamatrolls ever going to learn? - mpg -- A quote...."I mentioned this in my 11:37 post this morning, and I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten more attention, so here goes again. Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson suggested to the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the difficulties inherent in bringing legal charges against (or deciding on preventive detention for) about 220 detainees at Guantanamo Bay means that some continued detention past President Obama’s January 2010 deadline for closing the detention facility was likely, “whether at Guantanamo or somewhere else.” That sounded like the first concession from a senior administration official that Guantanamo Bay wouldn’t definitely be shuttered by the deadline."

RIGHTS:  Afghan Prisoners at U.S. Airbase in Legal Limbo
A quote...."NEW YORK, Jul 8 (IPS) - Following a loss in federal court, the organisation representing detainees held by the U.S. without charge at Bagram prison in Afghanistan called on the Barack Obama administration to "reverse the flawed policies of the previous Bush White House" and end the indefinite detention without trial of Afghan civilians held in U.S. custody."

Obama Slides Further Down Bush’s Hill on Indefinite Detention
Not really, he's actually in the cesspit right now and sinking fast, along with all of his faux-liberal Obamatroll supporters.  You would think his supporters would smell the stench since they're in the muck right up to their collective necks, but it appears they'd rather drawn in the stuff than admit their error in voting for Obama. -- A quote...."The Obama Administration is looking more and more like the Bush Administration every day when it comes to the policy of holding prisoners indefinitely, without trial, or even after a trial and an acquittal. -- Obama himself is already on record favoring indefinite detention of some prisoners." -- also posted at CommonDreams
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No Cap on Troops for Afghanistan - i.e. more troops needed.  It just simply never ends, does it folks? - mpg
A quote...."America's military chief has flagged the possibility of sending more US troops to Afghanistan on top of 68,000 approved by the Obama Administration, warning that Americans should brace for more US casualties." -- also posted at AftrDwngSt & CommonDreams

Nick Clegg: We're throwing lives away in Afghanistan
A quote...."The cross party consensus on the British military mission in Afghanistan has been broken by Nick Clegg with a warning that young lives are being "thrown away" by politicians"
 
Troop surge sign of 'failure': Afghan election candidate
A quote...."KABUL — The increasing number of foreign troops battling in Afghanistan represents failure, not success, according to the leading election contender to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. -- Dr. Abdullah Abdullah — the country's former foreign affairs minister and the person polling closest to Karzai in the run-up to the Aug. 20 national election — said Wednesday that more war can't solve his country's problems. -- "Eight years down the line, we need more troops? This is a failure," the 48-year-old independent candidate said in English. "A national government fails and you think that you can bring more troops and you can substitute that for failure?"

Resistance in the Armed Forces
A quote...."Scott Horton Interviews Dahr Jamail - Dahr Jamail, author of the article “Refusing to Comply: The Tactics of Resistance in an All-Volunteer Military,” discusses the increasing disillusionment among soldiers for Iraq and Afghanistan war justifications, the tactics of evading dangerous and pointless “IED lottery” patrols, Pentagon estimates of 25-40 thousand AWOL soldiers since 2003 and how the U.S. economic downturn is preventing a large organized war resistance from taking hold within the military." --  ||  MP3 here. (27:56)  ||
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Iraq: Don't use our airspace to bomb Iran
A quote...."Iraq warned of using its airspace, namely by Israel, to strike neighboring countries, including carrying out airstrikes on vital targets in Iran, an Iraqi official newspaper reported on Wednesday." -- also posted at AtheoNews

New Charges Added to Blackwater Lawsuit
A quote...."New charges filed against private security contractor Blackwater accuse the company of murder, destruction of audio and videotaped evidence, distribution of controlled substances, tax evasion, child prostitution, and weapons smuggling. -- The new charges were filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by several of the Iraqi civilians who were injured or who lost family members when Blackwater personnel opened fire in Nisoor Square in Baghdad in September 2007."

U.S. Jewish groups want "tougher action" against Iran
i.e. they need to see more blood spilled.  It appears a million dead Iraqis just wasn't enough to satiate their hunger for blood and therefore theyre gonna require another bloodletting. - mpg -- A quote...."The aftermath of Iran’s election presents the United States, Israel and pro-Israel advocates here with a dilemma worthy of a medical melodrama: Advocates for radical surgery, notwithstanding the dangers it poses, have the upper hand and the scalpel is ready—and then the patient shows signs of healing naturally."

Syria: No peace talks until Israel halts settlement activity
Special Note - A quote...."Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Tuesday that Israel must halt activity in West Bank settlements before Damascus considers renewing peace negotiations. -- Assad told visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier there is no real partner in Israel to make peace, repeating remarks he made last week."

Not another rash war!
A quote...."Despite US President Barack Obama’s undertakings to hold unconditional talks with the Iranian leadership, the cool breeze between Washington and Tehran has turned icy. This is not only tragic but dangerous."

Why China's Xinjiang spiraled out of control
Special Note - An actual ANALYSIS by MSNBC, they didn't include Michael Jackson in it, they didn't talk about Britney Spears, they didn't even mention American Idol!  Totally shocking!  It was probably just a mistake and they'll never do it again, but it's not bad for a once in a decade event!! - mpg -- A quote...."The Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), a territory in western China, accounts for one-sixth of China's land and is home to about 20 million people from thirteen major ethnic groups. The largest of these groups is the Uighurs [PRON: WEE-gurs], a predominantly Muslim community with ties to Central Asia. Some Uighurs call China's presence in Xinjiang a form of imperialism, and they stepped up calls for independence —sometimes violently— in the 1990s through separatist groups like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. The Chinese government has reacted by promoting the migration of China's ethnic majority, the Han, to Xinjiang. Beijing has also strengthened economic ties with the area and tried to cut off potential sources of separatist support from neighboring states that are linguistically and ethnically linked with the Uighurs."

U.S. Allies on the Ropes in Somalia
A quote...."Islamist forces in Somalia are demanding the surrender of the U.S.-backed regime that has been squeezed into a small pocket of the capital city, Mogadishu. The ultimatum, made on Sunday, demands the so-called government lay down its arms within five days. The mini-state refused, apparently counting on the arrival of reinforcements Burundi, in Central Africa. Another U.S. ally, Rwanda, guards Mogadishu airport under the job description of African Union peacekeepers." -- also posted at AtheoNews

China replacing U.S. as top trade partner in Latin America
Hence the Honduran coup, the US-NRE's gotta keep them darkies in line. - mpg -- A quote...." RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — All but invisible in Latin America a decade ago, China now is building cars in Uruguay, donating a soccer stadium to Costa Rica and lending $10 billion to Brazil's biggest oil company. -- It's supplanted the United States to become the biggest trading partner with Brazil, South America's biggest economy."

Revealed – the secret torture evidence MI5 tried to suppress
A quote...."The true depth of British involvement in the torture of terrorism suspects overseas and the manner in which that complicity is concealed behind a cloak of courtroom secrecy was laid bare last night when David Davis MP detailed the way in which one counter-terrorism operation led directly to a man suffering brutal mistreatment."

PERU:  Three Days of Anti-Government Protests
A quote...."LIMA, Jul 8 (IPS) - Wednesday was the second day of a three-day strike declared by trade unions and social movements in Peru to protest the economic policies of President Alan García."

Colombian Church openly against third period for President Uribe
Hey that's Bush's.....ummmmm, 'scuse me.....Obama's best buddy.  Maybe Obama will attack the Catholic Church now? - mpg -- A quote...."The Colombian Catholic Church said that two consecutive mandates for President Alvaro Uribe “have been and are too much”, and recommended the leader takes a well earned rest and clear all uncertainties about his possible re-election again in 2010."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

US leaves Honduras to its fate - No surprise here. - mpg
A quote...."Washington is unwilling to take the side of democracy in Honduras by opposing the coup leaders it helped to train."

The Honduras Coup -- Is Obama Innocent? - No he's not. - mpg
A quote...."July 08, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- Is President Obama innocent of the events occurring in Honduras, specifically the coup launched by the Honduran military resulting in the abduction and forced deportation of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya? Obama has denounced the coup and demanded that the rules of democracy be honored. Still, several troubling questions remain."

HRW: Honduran soldiers fired into unarmed crowd
A quote...."Honduran soldiers fired into an unarmed crowd during a protest at the country’s principal airport on Sunday, and that was likely the cause of the death of a teenage boy, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday."

Honduras: What's Black and White and Gets the Red Out?
Special Note - A quote...."CubaDebate has an illuminating find regarding the coverage of the crisis in Honduras by the pro-coup newspaper, La Prensa. -- The now-iconic photograph of the late 19-year-old Isis Obed Murillo, being carried by his friends to seek medical help moments after his shooting by gunmen during Sunday’s demonstrations in Tegucigalpa, was also published by the Honduran daily… Except that La Prensa chose to airbrush the young man’s blood out of the photo." -- also posted at Uruknet."
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More On The Iranian Election....

CIA Attempting to Foment Civil War in Iran -Dr. Matthew Raphael Johnson
Must Read - Missed this one -- A quote...."June 26, 2009 -- After two decades of attacks on Iran, the US government holds that the recent Iranian elections were illegitimate. How is this surprising. The CIA has been involved in attempting to manipulate the Iranian government since they sponsored the Shah’s coup against Mossadegh in 1953. But today, a Mossad connected opponent of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Hossein Mousavi, is struggling to be installed as President by Israel and the United States. -- In this recent election, the current president, Ahmadinejad, won just over 63% of the vote. In a predictable fashion, the opposition claims fraud. But this is an old tactic: the US backed parties have tried it in Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Serbia and many other places. It is a common tactic. But why should the current president have won the election? It seems if his rule has been just and economically prosperous, then how could he not be reelected? The very fact that Iran has elections is enough to upset the America/Israeli propaganda against the Persian people. But what are the facts?"

'Iran to publish detailed report on elections'
A quote...."Iran is to publish a report on its latest presidential election to clarify in full detail how the complaints about the election results were dealt with. -- The Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei told Fars news agency that the "detailed report" will be published for the first time in the coming days."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israel Kept Palestinian Detainees in Ditches Without Food and Water
A quote...."As the United Nations wrapped up the testimony gathering portion of its investigation into the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip, an Israeli human rights group today described the “disgraceful” treatment of some of the detainees held during the war."

Europe takes note as Israel denies physicians entry into Strip
A quote...."Bethlehem - Ma’an - Israeli forces at Erez crossing were censured by French and British doctors Wednesday, after refusing a delegation of European physicians entry into the Strip where they were slated to perform dozens of teaching surgeries in Gaza hospitals."

Israel forces Palestinian citizen to demolish his home in O. Jerusalem
A quote...."OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Palestinian sources in the occupied city of Jerusalem reported that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) coerced a Palestinian citizen on Wednesday into demolishing part of his home located in Beit Hanina neighborhood at the pretext of unlicensed construction."

Israeli forces raid Bil’in, arrest one resident and one solidarity activist
A quote...."On July 7th at 3:30, soldiers disrupted the tranquility of Bi’lin by forcing their way into several houses. Israeli soldiers came with a list of 10 names for arrest . When Palestinian, international, and Israeli activists arrived at the scene they were subjected to violence and intimidation by the Israeli forces."

McKinney Kidnapping Ignored By Media
A quote...."Had it not been for twitter, I doubt that I would even have been aware that Cynthia McKinney was held hostage in Israel after attempting to deliver aid and supplies to the Palestinians.  There has been a resounding silence on this issue as CNN, MSNBC and other mainstream media sources rush to give us the latest news on the death of Michael Jackson."

Barack Obama or Cynthia McKinney -- Who Represents Black America Toward Palestine, Israel and the Middle East?
A quote...."It's almost an unfair question.  Barack Obama's many apologists have explained their lips off telling us how he could not run and cannot govern as president of Black Americans, or the president of Americans neck-deep in consumer debt, or the president of Americans who want an everybody in-nobody out health care system.  To get elected and to govern, they wisely assure us, Barack Obama has chosen to be and must be the "president of everybody," if by everybody you mean private health insurers, Wall Street banksters, Pentagon contractors and greedy chambers of commerce everywhere.  The president is a grown man, and he gets to make those choices."

Once the Two-state Solution is Declared Dead
A quote...."President Obama said his administration was committed to pursuing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East, but there is doubt as to whether he will be willing to pressure Israel to end the 40-year occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem which is a requirement for a durable peace. While continues to state in his speeches to Arab and Muslim audience that he believes the security of Israel is “paramount”, he ignores the security needs of the Palestinians. He praised the Arab peace initiative; but his focus was only on Arab states normalization with Israel and nothing about ending the occupation." -- also posted at Uruknet

Palestine: I Resist (Never Before Campaign) - Alt - (YouTube - 3 min 2 sec - July 07, 2009)
Video - A quote....."The history of liberty is a history of resistance." -- *Woodrow Wilson*

Isreali Version of Anatomy of a Murder -- Cast of Thousands
Video -- From the History File - A Blast From the Past - posted Feb. 4 2009 - mpg
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The Long Road to Ruin
Must Read - A quote...."US consumers fall behind on loans at record pace,” says a Reuters headline. Delinquencies are going up on a wide range of household debt. Debtors have never had such a hard time keeping up with payments. Credit card delinquencies, for example, are running at 6.6%. -- Well…duh. -- And no wonder “banks get stingy on credit,” as reported in the USA Today. “Despite massive government efforts to bolster the credit market, banks are pulling back severely on card lending,” begins the front-page article. -- Once again, we see the feds’ plans failing. They give trillions to the bankers; the bankers cut back on consumer credit. And why shouldn’t they? They can see what the rest of us see – the consumer can’t keep up with the debt he’s got already."

VP Biden: 'We Misread the Economy' and Other Lies
Must Read - A quote...." The “and everyone else” part is the big, well-rehearsed lie. There were plenty of people who predicted a severe recession well in advance of Obama’s bad predictions. Representative Ron Paul predicted the housing bubble would result in a crash, writing in 2002 that “like all artificially-created bubbles, the boom in housing prices cannot last forever.… Perhaps the Federal Reserve can stave off the day of reckoning by purchasing GSE debt and pumping liquidity into the housing market, but this cannot hold off the inevitable drop in the housing market forever. In fact, postponing the necessary but painful market corrections will only deepen the inevitable fall. The more people invested in the market, the greater the effects across the economy when the bubble bursts.” --Peter Schiff, the economic adviser for Rep. Paul’s presidential campaign, predicted the crash and the severity of the crash years in advance in a series of television interviews that today are compiled into a series of “Peter Schiff was right” videos on YouTube that have garnered millions of views. (Perhaps Biden is unfamiliar with YouTube?) Legendary investor Jim Rogers predicted in January 2008: “We are probably going to have one of the worst recessions we've had since the Second World War. It's not a good scene.”

We are in the midst of the great baby-boomers economic stagnation of 2007-2017
Quotes of the Day....
“ . . . a serious depression seems improbable; [we expect] recovery of business next spring, with further improvement in the fall.” -- *Harvard Economic Society (HES)*, November 10, 1929

“While the crash only took place six months ago, I am convinced we have now passed through the worst -- and with continued unity of effort we shall rapidly recover. There has been no significant bank or industrial failure. That danger, too, is safely behind us.” -- *President Herbert Hoover*, May 1, 1930

"Many observers think that “prosperity is around the corner” and that this recession, like others since World War II, will end as soon as the stock market, as a leading indicator, recovers and people start spending again. This is a myopic view of the current economic big picture."

While Talking About Keynesian Stimulus, Feds Are Really Just Giving Money to the Big Boys
A quote...."Keynesians like Paul Krugman say that fiscal stimulus will get us out of this economic crash. -- Austrian economists say that the Keynesians are wrong, and that they erroneously think that stimulus spending is a "free lunch"." -- also posted at OhBummer

Unemployment, Not the Stock Market, Distinguishes a Recession From a Depression
A quote...."The crash of 1929 proved to be only the prelude to further heavy losses in 1930-1932. After the initial crash from 381 to 199, a huge rally emerged. Prices rose all the way back to 294 for a 48 percent bear market rally. Hence initial losses were roughly cut in half! -- Unfortunately, investors didn’t recognize this rally as a selling opportunity. Instead, they listened to the bullish advice of Wall Street pundits and the government’s declarations that the worst was over and prosperity was right around the corner."

UPDATE 2-U.S. consumers fall behind on loans at record pace
A quote...."NEW YORK, July 7 (Reuters) - Soaring U.S. unemployment and a shrinking economy drove delinquencies on credit card debt and home equity loans to all-time highs in the first quarter as a record number of cash-strapped consumers fell behind on their bills."

FBI - U.S. mortgage fraud 'rampant'
A quote...."Reuters -- U.S. mortgage fraud reports jumped 36 percent last year as desperate homeowners and industry professionals tried to maintain their standard of living from the boom years, the FBI said on Tuesday." -- also posted at Reuters

Economist: FDIC gearing up for bank closures
A quote...."The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is gearing up to handle a large number of bank failures expected as a result of bad mortgages, both in residential and commercial real estate, an economist said Tuesday. -- “They know they’re going to take down a large number of banks and they can’t do it until they’re staffed up,” said Mark Dotzour, chief economist and director of research for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University."

Apartment Vacancy at 22-Year High in U.S., Says Reis (Update1)
Financial Warning - This is TOTALLY unexpected, defies logic, and is therefore, not a good thing. - mpg -- A quote...." July 8 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. apartment vacancies rose to their highest in 22 years in the second quarter as job losses cut tenant demand and more units came to market.-- Vacancies climbed to 7.5 percent from 6.1 percent a year earlier, New York-based real estate research firm Reis Inc. said today."

Shipping Glashes Early Warning Signals Again
A quote...."Port statistics are revealing. They were a leading indicator before the production collapse in the Japan, Europe, and the US over the winter, and they may be telling us something again. -- Amrita Sen at Barclays Capital says the number of Baltic Dry ships waiting to berth – mostly in China and Australia – has begun to fall after peaking at 154 in mid-June."

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