Wednesday July 14th 2010

No posts. - mpg

Tuesday July 13th 2010

America’s DNA Profile Has Been All Over Afghanistan Since 1973
Must Read - A quote...."Most people are confused about the America they find themselves in, in the 21st century. They wonder where “their” America went. According to the popular mythology, the U.S. started the decade as the world’s lone hyper-power, beholden to none. It ends the first decade of the new millennium as a debt-hobbled-capitalist shell, beholden to a rising communist China and a host of oil-rich medieval Middle-East Sheikdoms.  Americans are frustrated and resentful, denying any responsibility for the ongoing Afghan fiasco while expressing anger and often disbelief that our leadership has refused to learn the lessons of Vietnam and taken us on yet another mindless ride into a hopeless quagmire."

America’s Longest War
A quote...."Goodbye fire-breathing Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and your Special Forces "Mafia," who were supposed to crush Afghan resistance to western occupation. -- McChrystal was fired after rude remarks he and his staff made about the White House were printed in the American magazine, Rolling Stone. President Barack Obama should have fired McChrystal when the loose-lipped general went public with demands that 40,000 more troops be sent to Afghanistan. -- McChrystal was the second US commander in a row in Afghanistan to be fired, an ominous sign that the war was going very badly. He will now likely enter the Republican ranks as a martyr and become a Fox TV critic of Barack Obama."

The Dark Legacy of Gen. McChrystal
A quote...."Gen. Stanley McChrystal might have left town through the back door with his four stars barely intact, his 35-year career in the Army humiliatingly cut short by a lack of judgment with a counterculture magazine. But in reality, he got off easy."

‘Til the Fat General Sings
A quote...."President Obama’s troop withdrawal deadlines continue to vanish like a blind dowager’s silverware."

The Beginning of the End? - The Dwindling of Afghanistan's Coalition of the Willing
A quote...."The British government’s decision to withdraw troops from Sangin in Helmand province marks a watershed in the relentless conflict in Afghanistan. The military mission has been very costly for the United Kingdom, with a third of the total casualties sustained in one district alone. More than a hundred lives of soldiers lost and many more wounded coming home is a sign of how difficult the mission has been. In a classic display of guerrilla tactics of asymmetrical warfare, the armed opposition has refused to fight a modern army equipped with high-tech weaponry on its enemy’s terms. Instead, the insurgents have fought on their terms, using rudimentary explosive devices and small weapons with devastating effect. Reaction of Afghans in Sangin will shock many in Britain." - also posted at Uruknet
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Official Lambasts West's Double-Standard Policy on Iran's N. Program
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West's illegitimate calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment. "

World powers mull Brazil, Turkey's presence in Iran talks
A quote...."VIENNA — World powers have not formally agreed that Brazil and Turkey can sit in on talks over a nuclear fuel supply deal with Iran, but neither have they explicitly ruled out such an arrangement, diplomats said Monday."

20 kilos of 20 pct enriched uranium ready: Iran
A quote...."TEHRAN — Iran said on Sunday it has produced around 20 kilogrammes of 20 percent enriched uranium, in defiance of the world powers who want Tehran to suspend the controversial nuclear work. -- "We have produced around 20 kilogrammes of 20 percent enriched uranium and we are working to produce the (fuel) plates," Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi told ISNA news agency."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Dollar Hegemony and the Rise of China
Special Note - A quote...."I write this letter to counteract some of the solutions that Western politicians are recommending for China to cope with its buildup of excess foreign-exchange reserves. Raising the renminbi’s exchange rate against the dollar will not cure the China-US payments imbalance. The dollar glut will continue, and so will the currency fluctuation among the dollar, euro and sterling, leaving no stable store of value. The cause of this instability is that each of these three currency areas has grown top-heavy with by debts in excess of the ability to pay.  --  What then should China should it do with its buildup of excess reserves, if not recycle its inflows into their bonds? Four possibilities have been suggested: (1) to revalue the renminbi, (2) to flood China’s economy with credit (as Japan did after the Plaza Accord of 1985), (3) to buy foreign resources and assets, and (4) to use excess dollars to buy back foreign investments in China, given US reluctance to permit Chinese investment in America’s own most promising economic sectors."

Argentina, China Sign 13 Cooperation Accords
A quote...."Argentine President Cristina Fernandez was received with the traditional ceremony in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People by Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, with whom she attended the signing of 13 cooperation agreements."

The Attack of the Real Black Helicopter Gang: The IMF Is Coming for Your Social Security
Special Note - A quote...."A few years back, there was a fear in some parts about black UN helicopters that were supposedly taking part in the planning of an invasion of the United States. While there was no foundation for this fear, there is basis for concern about the attack of another international organization, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)." - also posted at BLN
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Major Embarrassment for US as Long-Missing Iranian Scientist Turns Up at a DC Embassy
A qutoe...."Long missing Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has finally emerged publicly after over a year of speculation as to his whereabouts. Incredibly enough, and giving a big boost to those who claimed he was kidnapped by Western spy agencies, Amiri showed up at the door of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington DC (which houses the Iranian interest section) asking for help in returning to Iran."

CNN Host Calls Deadly Terror Bombings “Helpful” To NWO Agenda
A quote...."CNN host Rick Sanchez let slip a telling admission in response to the deadly bombings in Uganda during his show yesterday, the fact that such attacks are “helpful” for the military-industrial complex agenda to take over and occupy third world countries under AFRICOM, the United States African Command."

6 police officers charged in New Orleans Danziger Bridge shootings after Katrina
A quote...."Six New Orleans police officers were charged in connection with the deadly confrontation on the Danziger Bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans in turmoil, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday. -- In the indictment unsealed on Tuesday, the government accused four officers of shooting unarmed people on the bridge. The four and two supervisors were accused of trying to cover up the incident. Two people died and four were wounded in the shootings."

Police Brutality in America
A quote...."Across America, daily incidents occur, one of many the cold-blooded January 1, 2009 murder of Oscar Grant - unarmed, offering no resistance, thrust face-down on the ground, shot in the back, and killed, videotaped on at least four cameras for irrefutable proof. USA Today said five bystanders taped it."

Woman Reports Prowler, Gets Repeatedly Tased By Cops
Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."Two Georgia cops have lost their jobs after a video emerged of them macing and tasing a 57 year old woman who simply called to report a prowler outside her house. -- Janice Wells of Richland says she feared someone was lurking outside her home on April 26 so she called the police. -- What happened next was caught on the dashboard camera of the one of the police cars that arrived on the scene."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Neocons Are Getting Desperate:  They've Set-Up an 'Emergency Committee for Israel.'
A quote...."In a sign of desperation the neoconservatives have created their latest committee, the ‘Emergency Committee for Israel’, complete with its own website, which has been set up to counter growing anti-Zionist public opinion." - also posted at AlethoNews

Lawyers from 60 Countries to Sue Israel - Hip Hip Hooray!! - Sue the cowardly little piss-ants. - mpg
A quote...."JAKARTA, 12 JULY, 2010: Lawyers from 60 countries, including Indonesia, will gather in Istanbul, Turkey, from July 15-16, to prepare a legal suit against Israel for its attack on the Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla on May 31, Antara news agency reported."

SHHHH, LISTEN...CAN YOU HEAR IT???
Quote of the Day...."When due pressure is put upon a solid immovable object, it ultimately breaks into pieces. Israel is self destructing, it's inability to budge one millimetre is causing it to crack!! There are creaking cracks engulfing Israel. They are running around like the little Dutch boy trying to plug all the holes,throwing hasbara and propaganda at every charge, not having much success because every day another hole appears in the dam, bigger and more outrageous than the last hole. With all the money they have it's still not enough to plug the dam. The worm has turned, the tide is changing, the bloom is off the rose, reality has reached critical mass. Israel is exposed and under the world's microscope. The party is over folks:"
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

MK Haneen Zoubi: I joined the flotilla to show Israel is not a democracy
Flotilla News - A quote...."First she faced bullets on the Mavi Marmara. Then it was death threats and chants of "terrorist" and "traitor" in the Knesset. The campaign to have her immunity and citizenship taken, even public calls for her to be executed." - also posted at Aussies4Palestine

No 'Hope'? Israel blocking new aid ship to Gaza - (RTYuTb - 2m 8s - July 13, 2010) - Source: RussiaToday
Flotilla News RTVideo - Alt - A quote...."The organisers of a Libyan aid ship bound for Gaza say it's been confronted by an Israeli military vessel and ordered to change its course for Egypt. They also say the boat - called 'Hope' - is refusing to alter its destination and will continue to head to the Palestinian territory. The Israeli vessel is reportedly continuing to shadow the ship, after the country insisted it would not allow it to break the three-year Gaza blockade."

Blockade! - Dockworkers, Worldwide, Respond to Israel's Flotilla Massacre and Gaza Siege
Action Update/Alert - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because we don't want Israel to eventually do to us what they're already doing to the Palestinians. They must be stopped NOW! - mpg -- A quote...."Three weeks after the massacre on the Freedom Flotilla, ILWU dockworkers in the San Francisco Bay area delayed an Israeli Zim Lines ship for 24 hours, the Swedish Dockworkers Union began a week-long blockade of Israeli ships and containers, dockers in the Port of Cochin, India, refused to handle Israeli cargo, and the Turkish dockworkers union Liman-Is announced their members would refuse to service any Israeli shipping. In South Africa, Durban dockers had already boycotted a Zim Lines ship in response to the invasion of Gaza last year. On the 5th Anniversary of the United Palestinian Call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions, Israel faces the prospect of targetted industrial action to implement boycotts. How did it happen, what does it mean, and how can the solidarity movement respond to the new opening?" - also posted at Uruknet - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

Palestinian Woman Killed, Five Residents Wounded, As Army Bombards Gaza
A quote...."Palestinian medical sources reported on Tuesday at night that a Palestinian woman was killed and five other residents were injured when the Israeli army fired artillery shells at a number of homes in Juhr Ad Deek, east of Gaza City." - also posted at Uruknet

IOF shoots a child in Gaza
A quote...."Gaza, July 14, (Pal Telegraph) A child was shot by Israeli occupation forces today near the Beit Hanoun crossing in northern Gaza Strip."

Israel Demolishes 3 Palestinian Homes in Issawiya, Jerusalem
Videos - Issawyia - (YouTube - 3 min 30 sec - July 13, 2010) - Source: aicvideo & IsraelDstrys - (AJYuTb - 2 min 13 sec - July 13, 2010) -- A quote...." - Israel continued its assault on Palestinians in East Jerusalem as it demolished three homes in Issawiya Tuesday morning (13/07). -- For more information, visit http://alternativenews.org"

Why doesn't Clinton care about my jailed husband?
A quote...."I used to tell my husband, Ameer Makhoul, "One day, they'll come for you." As chairman of the Public Committee for the Protection of Political Freedoms he'd begun to organize an awareness-raising campaign to push back against the security services' harassment of our community, the Palestinian citizens of Israel." - also posted at IMEU & PalestineChron

========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Tarpley: 'Obama, the Wall St. puppet'
Must View Video - (RTYuTb - 7 min 18 sec - July 13, 2010) - Source:  RTAmerica -- A quote...."The Obama administration could be nearing the finish line for financial reform legislation that has been a political football tossed back and forth between both parties. Will this bill change the way Washington and Wall Street work? Can it turn around the economic downturn."

10 Year Anniversary: Who Warned Us About Deregulating Banks?
Video - From the History File - November 12, 2009 - (YTYuTb - 6 min 31 sec - 11/12/09) - Contains a timely, prescient, warning from Senator Byron Dorgan. - mpg

Clinton’s Frontman, Barack Obama, Appoints Another Clintonista/Bankster CFR Globalist to Manage the “CHANGE” to a Neofeudal State -- A quote...."You thought you got “CHANGE”, you thought you wouldn’t elect a Clinton into the White House again… guess again.  The frontman for the Clinton dynasty just appointed yet another Clintonista to another KEY position in the White House.   These Clintonista neoliberal globalists are going to make you suffer…."

Keiser Report №59: Markets! Finance! Scandal!
Video - Alt - A quote...."On this edition of the Keiser Report, Max and co-host Stacy Herbert look at the latest scandals of IMF forecasts and commercial banks pawning their nations' gold reserves. In the second half of the show, Max talks to The Market Ticker's Karl Denninger about market manipulation and flash crashes."

How Brokers Became Bookies: The Insidious Transformation of Markets Into Casinos
A quote...."You all are the house, you're the bookie. [Your clients] are booking their bets with you. I don't know why we need to dress it up. It's a bet."  --  *Claire McCaskill*, US Senator, Senate Subcommittee investigating Goldman Sachs (Washington Post, April 27, 2010)

U.S. trade gap at highest level in 18 months
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. trade deficit in May widened to the highest level in 18 months, government data showed Tuesday, causing analysts to sharply lower their expectations for gross domestic product in the second quarter."

June Federal Budget Deficit Comes At ($68.4) Billion, $1 Trillion+ In Deficit Raked Up For First Nine Months
A quote...."June budget outlays came in at the largest ever for the month. Also 2010 Federal individual income tax collections are running 4.4% lower, or $31 billion below 2009 levels: the economic "recovery" sure isn't causing greater tax receipts. And from the report: "The federal government incurred a deficit of just over $1.0 trillion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2010, CBO estimates, $81 billion less than the roughly $1.1 trillion deficit incurred through June 2009."

Chinese rating agency strips Western nations of AAA status - And none too soon by the look of things. - mpg
A quote...."Dagong Global Credit Rating Co used its first foray into sovereign debt to paint a revolutionary picture of creditworthiness around the world, giving much greater weight to "wealth creating capacity" and foreign reserves than Fitch, Standard & Poor's, or Moody's. -- The US falls to AA, while Britain and France slither down to AA-. Belgium, Spain, Italy are ranked at A- along with Malaysia."

Guest Post: NFIB: No Improvement In The Domestic Economy
Charts - A quote...."When I was traveling a few month ago I gave a presentation called "As Good As It Gets" in which I outlined how I believed Q2 would mark the cycle high in the global economy as the inventory cycled peaked. I then showed a few charts relating to the National Federation of Independent Business survey, which outlining why I so was so concerned about the sustainability of the recovery in the US. Well the NFIB survey was out this morning so I thought I'd see if the outlook had changed? Unfortunately, the survey that covers 99% of all US firms and claims that its members have created 65% of all jobs since to 2000 still just looks [like] crap."

Baltic Dry Index Posts 33rd Consecutive Decline, Down 2.7% to 1,790
A quote...."The CSX earnings surge can be easily explained now that the rail company has cornered the China-US transportation corridor (what's that, it's an ocean? that's ok - the president will enact a law changing that). Because goods transit sure isn't using the dry bulk shipping sector, where the Baltic Dry has plumbed to a fresh 14 month low, continuing its longest drop in 9 years, down for a 33rd sequential day to 1,790 from 1,840. Don't look for any record numbers out of the China Customs agency or the US trade deficit in the next month."

Monday July 12th 2010

Obama's Collapse
Must Read - A quote...."The spectacle of an American sucking up to an Israeli Prime Minister is familiar but no less sickening every time it happens. Not since Eisenhower has an American president had the guts to stand up to Israel. With this single exception, all of them have fallen over in their haste to give Israel whatever it wants and to hold it responsible for nothing, not even the murder of its own citizens. The recent meeting between Barack Obama, effectively apologising because his middle name is Hussein, and Benyamin Netanyahu surely marks the lowest point in this sick relationship. Obama has now thrown in the towel. That is what the White House meeting represented. He talked of a peace process which does not exist and Israeli 'concessions' which have never been made. Obama wants the non-existent peace process to be resumed with a Palestinian government that is not the Palestinian government and a Palestinian president who is not the president." - also posted at AlethoNews

Malaysia Will Request UN General Assembly To Seek ICJ Opinion On Freedom Flotilla Attack
A quote...."KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia would request the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning Israel's attack on the Freedom Flotilla, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin."

An unholy alliance, of strange characters. -- Scott Horton Interviews Lawrence Wilkerson
Audio - Special Note - A quote....""I think there’s a very clear-cut case that Wurmser was not only working for Rumsfeld and Feith and the Pentagon, but he was also working for Israel. I think Feith was working for Israel too."  -- *Lawrence Wilkerson*  ---  " Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, discusses why Bush and Cheney must have known most Guantanamo prisoners were innocent, the US military’s inability to do battlefield vetting of Afghan war prisoners, Cheney’s reversal of the Blackstone formulation on the wrongful imprisonment of innocents, how Colin Powell and others were kept out of the loop about intelligence based on tortured confessions, how the intelligence failures on Iraq WMD were in part due to compensating for missing Saddam’s real program in 1990-91 and why Douglas Feith and Richard Perle are essentially representatives of Israel’s Likud party." - MP3 here. (28m:52s) - also posted at ICH

WMD claims were lies says former envoy
A quote...."Britain was taken to war in Iraq on the basis of “lies”, scaremongering and deliberate exaggeration, a former UK diplomat told the Iraq inquiry. -- Carne Ross claimed that Britain and the United States privately did not believe that Iraq's weapons programmes posed a “substantial threat” before launching the 2003 invasion."

Britain 'did not believe Iraq's weapons programme was a real threat'
A quote...."Britain and the US did not believe Iraq's weapons programmes posed a ''substantial threat'' before launching the 2003 invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein, the inquiry into the war has been told." - also posted at ICH

Scott Horton Interviews Philip Weiss
Must Listen Audio - A quote...." Philip Weiss, author of the blog MondoWeiss, discusses the role of the Israeli government and the neoconservative movement in lying the American people into war in Iraq, the woeful dishonesty of the American media on all issues related to the occupations of the West Bank and Gaza strip, the pathetic belly crawling of “a$%-kissing little chicken-sh*t” Gen. David Petraeus before the feet of his neocon masters as he accidentally revealed to an anti-neocon activist with a careless email forward, signs of progress in Americans’ view of Israel issues as well as those of the elites." - MP3 here. (29m:30s) - also posted at ICH

What Christians Don’t Know About Israel
A quote...."American Jews sympathetic to Israel dominate key positions in all areas of our government where decisions are made regarding the Middle East. This being the case, is there any hope of ever changing U.S. policy? President Bill Clinton as well as most members of Congress support Israel—and they know why. U.S. Jews sympathetic to Israel donate lavishly to their campaign coffers." - also posted at HamsayehNet

Foreign powers involved in terrorism in Pakistan: intelligence chief
A quote...."ISLAMABAD, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chief of Pakistan's top intelligence agency, Inter-service Intelligence (ISI), Ahmed Shuja Pasha, said Thursday that the western powers are involved in the terror activities in the country, according to a local TV Channel Samaa report."

Jeremy Scahill on Blackwater Owner Erik Prince's Rumored Move to UAE
DNVideo - From the History File - June 17, 2010 - (DNYuTb - 6 min 55 sec - 06/17/10) -- A quote...."Jeremy Scahill on Blackwater Owner Erik Prince's Rumored Move to UAE and Obama Admin's Expansion of Special Forces Operations Abroad - The Justice department has told a federal appeals court there was more than enough untainted evidence to justify a trial for the five Blackwater Worldwide guards involved in the 2007 Nissour Square massacre in Baghdad. In court papers seeking to reinstate criminal charges that were dismissed last year, the Justice department said the judge "unjustifiably drew the curtain on a meritorious prosecution." This legal development comes amidst a report that Erik Prince, the owner and founder of the the notorious private security firm, could be planing a move to the United Arab Emirates, a country that has no extradition treaty with the United States. We speak to independent journalist Jeremy Scahill."

New Documentary About Operation Gladio and False Flag Terrorism
Must View Video - Alt - (IndyVid - 47mins - 2009) -- Source: TheDossier -- A quote...."Check out this excellent recent documentary, which has just been posted on the Internet, about Nato’s secret armies that were set up across Western Europe after the Second World War. While these “stay-behind” armies were supposedly intended to help put together a resistance if the Soviet Union invaded their countries, they went on to commit terrorist attacks against their own populations, so as to influence domestic politics. - The documentary describes how, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Western intelligence agencies collaborated with right-wing extremist groups to commit false flag terrorist attacks, which would often be falsely blamed on left-wing groups. It features interviews with, among others, Daniele Ganser, author of NATO’s Secret Armies: Operation GLADIO and Terrorism in Western Europe.", [GoglBkSrch]

The Demand for Obedience, and Reverence for Authority (II): Being There
Must Read - A quote...."In terms of geography alone, Afghanistan is a critical gateway to almost all the countries that are of greatest concern to the United States government today. If you look again at the wider view, you'll see that Afghanistan is right smack in the middle of everything. -- This geographical fact about Afghanistan has placed that unfortunate region right smack in the middle of campaigns of conquest throughout history. Alexander the Great spent time in Afghanistan, as undoubtedly did other lesser-known leaders who predated him. If you come by land from Europe, Africa or the Middle East and you wish to get to the major part of the Asian land mass or the Indian subcontinent, chances are you'll go directly through Afghanistan. It's right in the damned middle." - also posted at Uruknet

Andrew Napolitano: Bush and Cheney Should Have Been Indicted for Torturing, for Spying and Arresting Without Warrants -- Must View Video - (VideoCafe - 11 min 43 sec - Jul 12, 2010 4:00 pm) -- Raph Nader interviews Judge Napolitano -- A quote.... "Well, this is something you don't see every day. Ralph Nader hosted this interview segment with Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano and discussed his book, Lies the Government Told You. I'm surprised the judge is going to be allowed on Fox after making the statements he did about Bush and Cheney during the interview."

Classified CIA Transcript Counters bin laden Terror Role
Special Note - A quote...."Two weeks ago, CIA Director Leon Panetta told the press the CIA had not been able to positively confirm any specific information on Osama bin Laden since “late 2000.”    Interviews with high ranking military and intelligence officials, some at the highest levels, have confirmed that all evidence lends toward Osama bin Laden’s death in December 2001.  Yet transcripts of translated audio and video tapes, albeit widely disputed, are continually released by a news agency tied to Israeli intelligence services. -- The transcripts of the last proven bin Laden interview, translated by the CIA, are compared to similar translations of a 2007 “broadcast” said to be by Osama bin Laden.  Both are excerpted for length but not content.  Striking differences between the two “bin Ladens” is obvious.  In 2007, in a lengthy admonition, no mention of Israel is made whatsoever, nor of Palestine.  In fact, the bin Laden of 2007 seems to be totally oblivious of Israel.  We will begin with the CIA document, one that directly disputes claims made by the media for years.  We thank the Central Intelligence Agency for making this document available." - For more on this issue see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda - al Qaeda Videos

Saving face in unwinnable war
Must Read - A quote...."Sinking in debt and no closer to victory, heads may roll as the U.S. and NATO wrap up their pointless Afghan adventure -- Afghanistan is America’s longest-running conflict. -- The escalating war now costs U.S. taxpayers $17 billion monthly. President Barack Obama’s Afghan "surge" of 30,000 more troops will cost another $30 billion. -- The Afghan and Iraq wars — at a cost of $1 trillion — are being waged on borrowed money when the U.S. is drowning in $13.1 trillion in debt. -- America has become addicted to debt and war. -- By 2011, Canadians will have spent an estimated $18.1 billion on Afghanistan, $1,500 per household." - also posted at Uruknet & CommonDreams

(Just a Reminder) John Pilger – Obama and Empire
Must View SWVideo - From the History File - July 31, 2009 -- Alt - (SWYuTb - 32 min 27 sec - July 31, 2009) - Source:  PHubb -- A quote...."Author, journalist, film maker John Pilger speaks at Socialism 2009 www.socialistworker.org; wwwhaymarketbooks.org Filmed by Paul Hubbard at the Womens Building in San Francisco 7-4-09." - For more regarding Edward Bernays see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda - Edward Bernays - Updated

No Government in Sight as Iraqi Parliament Session ‘Postponed’
A quote...."Tuesday’s planned session of the Iraqi Parliament has been “postponed” indefinitely, according to officials, as the ongoing coalition talks between various top officials has broken down."

Former Bush Administration Official Heads Up Latest Astroturf Group Pushing For Attack on Iran
A quote...."No sooner did I write about  the growth industry in astroturf groups promoting a U.S. or Israeli military attack on Iran than a new one sprung up on CNN.  Surprisingly, the partisan connections behind this group are so thinly veiled that a two-minute examination of their domain name registration uncovered ties to the Republican Party and the George W. Bush administration."

Russia calls for renewing talks with Iran
A quote...."For the first time since conceding to the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, Russia says negotiations with Tehran should be renewed as soon as possible."

Pipeline Geopolitics: The Russia German Nord Stream Strategic Gas Pipeline
Special Note - A quote...."In the postwar history of the Federal  Republic, German Chancellors tend to disappear once they pursue political goals that deviate from the Washington  global agenda too much. In the case of Gerhard Schroeder, it involved two unforgiveable “sins.” The first was his open opposition to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. The second, far  more serious strategically, was his negotiations with Russia’s Putin to bring a major new natural gas pipeline directly from Russia, bypassing then-hostile Poland, to Germany. Today the first section of that Nord Stream gas pipeline has reached the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern coastal town of Lubmin  on the Baltic Sea, making Lubmin into a geopolitical pivot for Europe and Russia." - also posted at BLN

U.S. Tomahawk Missiles Deployed Near China Send Message
A quote...."If China's satellites and spies were working properly, there would have been a flood of unsettling intelligence flowing into the Beijing headquarters of the Chinese navy last week. A new class of U.S. superweapon had suddenly surfaced nearby. It was an Ohio-class submarine, which for decades carried only nuclear missiles targeted against the Soviet Union, and then Russia. But this one was different: for nearly three years, the U.S. Navy has been dispatching modified "boomers" to who knows where (they do travel underwater, after all). Four of the 18 ballistic-missile subs no longer carry nuclear-tipped Trident missiles. Instead, they hold up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles each, capable of hitting anything within 1,000 miles with non-nuclear warheads." - also posted at RogueGov

US-South Korea Military Exercise, An Act of Provocation directed against China
Related Article - A quote...."BEIJING -- Negotiation, rather than flexing military muscle, is the best way to resolve disputes between key global powers. -- A joint navy drill by the US and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the Yellow Sea has aggravated concern among East Asian nations, especially China, over regional peace and stability. -- The participation of the 97,000-ton US aircraft carrier George Washington in the exercise has attracted widespread media coverage and its involvement is a move that is hostile to China."

Anger in Costa Rica over deal to ‘invite’ 46 US[-NRE] warships
A quote...."Costa Ricans suspect 'ulterior motive' in permitting large numbers of US troops -- Opposition leaders in Costa Rica are up in arms over an agreement between the country and the United States that reportedly allows 46 US warships and 7,000 US Marines to enter the country...."

Japanese Island Set for Mass Rally Against US Bases
A quote...."YOMITAN, Japan  – Up to 100,000 demonstrators on the Japanese island of Okinawa are set to protest against a US airbase Sunday in a row that is dominating national politics and souring ties with Washington. -- The huge rally near Kadena Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Asia-Pacific region, is expected to include Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima and more than 30 town mayors."

Mark Weisbrot: Obama should take guidance from Latin leftists
A quote...."Imagine that Barack Obama, upon taking office in January 2009, had decided to deliver on his campaign promise “to end business-as-usual in Washington so we can bring about real change.” - also posted at CommonDreams

MOSSAD, CIA Involved in Massacre of Iraqi Scientists
A quote...."Based on new data gathered about the death of a famous Iraqi chemist, Mohammad Al-Azmirli, he was detained by US forces in the year 2003. He is one of the most well-known chemists, worldwide. -- This professor taught at Baghdad University, prior to his detention on April 26, 2003. The US forces seized all his books and his computer, and thereafter set his library on fire."

Israeli secret agents killed 310 Iraqi scientists
Mossad murdered 530 Iraqi scientists. The Plight of Iraqi Academics
Mossad hit squads murder Iraqi scientists, academics
Mossad mission: Murder Iraqi scholars
The Life And Mysterious Murder Of Margaret Hassan
‘Israeli agents killed 310 Iraqi scientists since 2003’

The Ten Commandments of The War on Terrorism
A quote...."And the Conspiracy Theorist-in-Chief, speaking with a forked tongue, said unto the nation of fools: "I am the President, your honorable servant, and I hereby declare that I am real, and what I speak is the God's honest truth"

American Idolatry Intensifies as Nation Sinks in to Depression
A quote...."The sight of American citizens gathering to protest basketball player LeBron James’ decision to join Miami Heat last week, after Ohio Governor Ted Strickland joined celebrities to serenade James in a bizarre appeal video entitled “We are LeBron,” was a shocking reminder of how millions of Americans are more concerned about sports teams than the fact that their country is collapsing around them, and how potent a threat such wanton delusion is to the survival of freedom and prosperity in the United States." - It's over, stick a fork in it, it's done. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

Despite Israeli blockade, innovation thrives in Gaza
A quote...."The relentless Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has squeezed many things, but it hasn't robbed people of their ability and desire to innovate and invent. -- At the Rashad al-Shawa cultural center in heart of Gaza City, dozens of local companies and individuals recently demonstrated hi-tech products and inventions at an exhibition sponsored by government and nongovernmental bodies."

Hebron ‘dance protest’ against Israeli soldiers and settlers
Video - Alt - A quote...."Over 100 Palestinians together with international solidarity activists gathered in Hebron this Saturday to protest against the closure of Shuhada street. As a response to the infamous Youtube video of soldiers dancing near the illegal settlement of Tel-Rumeida, some protesters staged a dance protest: three dancers took the role of soldiers and searched and “arrested” three Palestinians."

The Charade of Relaxing the Gaza Blockade
A quote...."The Israeli regime has now agreed to lift partially the blockade of Gaza: potato chips, mattresses, washing machines, honey – all of which were banned earlier can now enter Gaza. Predictably, the US and EU Governments have welcomed this Israeli step, without questioning the military significance of the earlier banning potato chips. Nor have these leaders of the “civilized world”, continuously teaching the virtues of human rights and democracy to their more “backward brethren” in the global south, questioned what is the military significance of banning Gaza exports and preventing exit of students to study in the West Bank? How do Gaza’s exports affect Israel’s security? How do preventing Gaza students from studying in the West Bank increase its security?" - also posted at Uruknet

Palestinian farmland seized in WB
A quote...."Palestinian officials say the Israeli army has issued orders preventing residents of four villages in the southern West Bank from entering their land."

IOF troops damage more land in Gaza, Zionist settler runs over old Palestinian
A quote...."KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) escorted two military bulldozers 300 metes into eastern Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday amidst indiscriminate shooting." - also posted at AlethoNews

Israeli colonization means life of poverty for W. Bank children
A quote...."Israel's policies of land confiscation, expanding settlement colonies, and discriminatory building permit restrictions are forcing more Palestinians -- especially children -- into a desperate economic and humanitarian crisis in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by Save the Children UK (STCUK)"

Charges Dropped Against Soldier Who Shot Man, Child In East Jerusalem
A quote...."The Israeli prosecution decided to drop all charges against a settler-soldier who shot and wounded a Palestinian man and a child in Wadi Hilwa area, in Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem, and claimed that there is insufficient evidence against the soldier who used weapon against unarmed civilians." - also posted at Uruknet

Launch of new report by PCATI and Adalah: "Exposed: The Treatment of Palestinian Detainees During Operation Cast Lead"  -- A quote...."The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, released, today, a special report "Exposed" which discusses violations of detainee rights during "Cast Lead".  The report relies on a significant number of testimonies given to PCATI and Adalah attorneys, most of the civilian detainees who were arrested by the Israeli army and interrogated in Israel.  The testimonies provide give rise to a series claim that the Israeli Army systematically and deliberately violated their basic rights while disregarding domestic and international law." - also posted at Uruknet

Witch-hunt Begins in Israeli Schools and Colleges
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's got them SCARED! - mpg -- A quote...."Hundreds of Israeli college professors have signed a petition accusing the education minister of endangering academic freedoms after he threatened to “punish” any lecturer or institution that supports a boycott of Israel." - also posted at AlethoNews - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

Berlin Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's the BEST hope for positive change - Quote of the Day...."We believe – in accordance with the United Nations and other institutions of the International community – that an unlawful occupation and repression of the Palestinian people in Palestine-Israel is taking place. In line with this assessment, our conviction is that it is the legitimate right of an international civil society to use boycott as non-violent means of resistance. The goal of boycotting is to bring an end to the violation of human rights through a boycott of the Israeli state apparatus as well as Israeli and international joint ventures in economy, culture and academia. As BAB our main focus is to emphasize the institutionalized cultural and academic joint undertakings between Germany and Israel."  --  *Berlin Campaign for the Academic Boycott of Israel* - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Financial Con Of The Decade Explained So Simply Even A Congressman Will Get It
Must Read - A quote...."Sometimes, when chasing the bouncing ball of fraud and corruption on a daily basis, it is easy to lose sight of the forest for the millions of trees (all of which have a 150% LTV fourth-lien on them, underwritten by Goldman Sachs, which is short the shrubbery tranche). Luckily, Charles Hugh Smith, of oftwominds.com has taken the time to put it all into such simple and compelling terms, even corrupt North Carolina congressmen will not have the chance to plead stupidity after reading this." - also posted at BLN

[UK] Public sector debt 'around £2 trillion'
A quote...."A study by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has revealed that there could be a further £1.13 trillion of liabilities above the current estimate that puts public sector net debt at £932bn." - bold by website editor

Crisis Awaits World’s Banks as Trillions Come Due
A quote...."FRANKFURT — The sovereign debt crisis would seem to create worry enough for European banks, but there is another gathering threat that has not garnered as much notice: the trillions of dollars in short-term borrowing that institutions around the world must repay or roll over in the next two years."

Sprott On Wither Green Shoots
Market Comment -- A quote...."With the summer now upon us, the "Sell in May and Go Away" adage has proven itself true once again. The major market indexes are all turning downward, and while they haven’t dropped enough yet to warrant panic, we certainly want to be positioned properly if this trend continues into the fall. The market tea leaves are no longer sending mixed signals either – most of the new data is decidedly bearish. So what happened to all the ‘green shoots’? What happened to the strong recovery the market rally was promising? -- Economic data released over the past two weeks have decimated any remaining belief in a lasting economic recovery. Slowdowns are appearing in the US, Europe, Japan and even China. Auto sales, housing starts, employment, consumer confidence, factory orders, consumer purchase intentions - just about every aspect of the economy that can be measured, is showing decided weakness." - One of the commentators said....


Banksters are Coming for Your Retirement Next
A quote...."First, the banksters hoodwinked an angry public into bailing out their collateralized-debt obligations and derivative Ponzi scheme to the tune of what may turn out to be over $600 Trillion dollars.  Derivatives are nothing more than bets on other bets, on other bets, that are all completely worthless. So, we can assume that the taxpayer will be victimized for at least that amount for derivatives alone.  That’s about $2 million dollars for every man, woman, and child in America, or $100,000 for every person in the world."

Obama’s Health Care Bill Is Enough to Make You Sick
More on the Obama's no-care bill - A quote...."A close reading of the new health care legislation, which will conveniently take effect in 2014 after the next presidential election, is deeply depressing. The legislation not only mocks the lofty promises made by President Barack Obama, exposing most as lies, but sadly reconfirms that our nation is hostage to unchecked corporate greed and abuse. The simple truth, that single-payer nonprofit health care for all Americans would dramatically reduce costs and save lives, that the for-profit health care system is the problem and must be destroyed, is censored out of the public debate by a media that relies on these corporations as major advertisers and sponsors, as well as a morally bankrupt Democratic Party that is as bought off by corporations as the Republicans." - also posted at AmericanEveryman

Yankee Utopians in a Chinese Century
A quote...."For those who can yet recall the backyard blast furnaces of Mao’s China in the 1950s and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution to re-instill peasant values in the 1970s, the news was jarring. -- In 2011, said the Financial Times, China will surpass the United States as first manufacturing power, a title America has held since surpassing Great Britain around 1890."

Sunday July 11th 2010

No posts - mpg

Saturday July 10th 2010

Timebends: Parsing Progressive Perspectives on Power’s Abuses
Special Note - Censorship Alert - A quote...."Imagine how great the "progressive" furor would be if the Bush Administration had suddenly denied a visa to an award-winning Colombian journalist because of his reportage on human rights abuses by his American-backed government. -- Would we not have heard, rightly, how this draconian action exemplified the administration's tyrannical nature, its use of raw, arbitrary power to throttle any voices trying to shed light on the very murky corners of the Drug War and Terror War operations in Colombia that are armed and funded with billions of dollars from American taxpayers? -- Would this not have been added to a long train of similar abuses of power – arbitrary confinement and indefinite detention; concentration camps; shielding torturers;  escalating pointless wars and killing countless civilians; running secret armies, assassins and covert operations throughout the world, etc. – and served up as a damning indictment of a lawless regime?" - also posted at Uruknet & TheWorldCan'tWait

Requiem for the Antiwar Movement
Special Note - WHAT!  There's an anti-war movement in this country?  This website editor had absolutely no idea! - mpg -- A quote...."By Cindy Sheehan -- This article and these observations are going to piss some people off—but oh well. You will be angry with me, even though I am not the one who is ordering more war, paying for more war, torturing people and imprisoning them without due process, destroying the economy and the environment, blah, blah, blah. I have developed an incredibly thick skin and if I rankle, it’s because I think time is running out to halt the disastrous trajectory this planet (via the US Military Corporate Complex) is on. I promise that I am not writing this because I am holding protests and no one is coming—these thoughts have been percolating in me for months now. (Note: Remember that old saying: “What if they gave a war and nobody came?” Well, here in DC I am living the opposite: “What if they gave an antiwar protest and nobody came?”)"

Cointelpro, Provacateurs,Disinfo Agents
Video - Alt - (YuTb - 11 min - September 30, 2009) --  A quote...."The average American would be so shocked to find out there's something called COINTELPRO, the FBI's covert action programs against American citizens.  now this Senate report tells what the FBI was doing against the American citizens, literally....here's their statement. "COINTELPRO begin in 1956 in part because of the frustration with the Supreme Court rulings limiting the government's power to proceed overtly against dissident groups. It ended in 1971 with the threat of public exposure.  The bureau conducted....their terms...."A sophisticated vigilante operation aimed squarely at preventing the exercise of first amendment rights of [free] speech and association"  -- *Joyce Eiley*

Noam Chomsky opposes Palestinian-led movement to boycott Israel
Special Note - A quote...."In a July 8th interview with new CNI President Alison Weir, Dr. Chomsky at first denied that he opposed the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, calling this an "internet rumor." -- However, when Weir said she had heard him say that he opposed boycott during a lecture at the University of California Berkeley several years ago, Chomsky admitted that he had opposed boycotting Israel then and said that he still did so now."

Noam Chomsky is simply disgracing himself and showing his true colors.  The one PEACEFUL means of applying pressure on Israel and he chooses to appose it.  A note to Noam Chomsky, there are just five million Jews living in Israel, with another five million living in the US-NRE.  There are about seven billion people on this planet that are apposed to Israel's and the US-NRE's  genocidal policies of apartheid and ethnic cleansing in the Palestinian territories.  The people of the world are NOT ASKING Israel and the US-NRE to discontinue these policies....they ARE DEMANDING that they do so!  There is absolutely NO REASON why anyone should be using these countries currencies, or buying any products or services from them....ever. - mpg  - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq -- For more on this issue see....An Individual Commitment - 11-03-09 - mpg - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

Turkey warns Israel of 'sanctions'
A quote...."Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says his country reserves the right to apply unilateral sanctions on Israel over the Gaza-bound aid Flotilla killings." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

WTC 7 – Sound Evidence for Explosions
Video - Alt - (YuTb - 9min 57 sec - July 05, 2010) - Source:  DavidChandler911 -- A quote...."(911Speakout) – There is ample evidence, from both witnesses and recordings, of explosions associated with the destruction of World Trade Center Building 7 (WTC 7). NIST sidestepped investigating explosions and explosives by setting up an artificially high threshold of interest. They swept aside any testimony or recordings of explosions that would not register 130-140 dB one kilometer away. They established this criterion using RDX (one of the loudest explosives) in a scenario that produced a far higher sound level than other possible uses of explosives to bring down the building. Then they turned around and used sound level as the sole criterion for deciding whether the use of explosives was a credible hypothesis. By this maneuver, they sidestepped investigating the testimony of explosives or possible evidence of explosive residues. This is just one more instance of fraudulent behavior on the part of the NIST investigation of the World Trade Center disaster." - For more on this issue see....9/11-WTC7 - See also....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

Psychology group backs CIA detainee abuse claim
A quote...." COLUMBUS, Ohio — Psychologists in the United States have been warned by their professional group not to take part in torturing detainees in U.S. custody. - Now the American Psychological Association has taken the unprecedented step of supporting an attempt to strip the license of a psychologist accused of overseeing the torture of a CIA detainee. - The APA has told a Texas licensing board in a letter mailed July 1 that the allegations against Dr. James Mitchell represent "patently unethical" actions inconsistent with the organization's ethics guidelines."

117 Iraqis Killed in Two Days of Attacks on Pilgrims - Nearly 500 Wounded as Bombings Tear Through Baghdad
This is the Saudi Royal and US-NRE supported al-Qaeda at work folks, this is what they do, THIS IS ALL THEY DO! - mpg -- A quote...."The hopes that the rising violence seen throughout 2010 was starting to subside after a comparatively calm June seem to be subsiding tonight, after two days of attacks on Shi’ite pilgrims in the capital city have left 117 Iraqis killed and nearly 500 wounded."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

9/11 - From The History File...Lost at Tora Bora - Alt

========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

NATO kills 6 Afghan civilians
A quote...."NATO says six civilians were accidentally killed and several others were wounded by coalition forces Thursday in eastern Afghanistan -- just one day after six Afghan soldiers died in a botched NATO airstrike." - also posted at WarInIraq

Afghans protest US killing of civilians
A quote...."Angry Afghans have taken to the streets of Mazar-e-Sharif to protest against the rising number of civilian casualties at the hands of US-led troops."

6 US Troops Killed in Afghanistan; Mazar Demonstration says ‘Yankee Go Home’
Contains Video - A quote...."Guerrillas killed 5 US Troops in Afghanistan on Saturday, along with a dozen civilians. Another American soldier died in an accidental explosion. Two were killed in the south of the country, a stronghold of the Old Taliban of Mullah Omar. Three were killed in the east, by small arms fire or roadside bombs, in an area where the Haqqani network is active, though Taliban have made inroads there in the past year. So far in July, 23 US troops have died in Afghanistan."

Journalists threatened during reporting
Press Intimidation Alert - A quote...."JALALABAD (PAN): Journalists in the eastern provinces say they are being threatened while carrying out their jobs and have accused officials of withholding information. -- Up to 50 journalists from the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar and Laghman, as well as representatives from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) took part in a meeting on Monday in Jalalabad city." - also posted at Uruknet

British Sangin pull-out evidences deepening crisis of US Afghan intervention
A quote...."Defence Secretary Liam Fox announced July 7 that British troops in the Sangin area of Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province are to be replaced by US forces. The redeployment is no less politically significant than the British pull-out from Basra in 2007 during the occupation of Iraq. It was made necessary because the army has not been able to stabilise the area." - also posted at Uruknet

Pakistan to welcome NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan’
A quote...."ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, as a neighbouring country, will welcome the NATO forces’ decision to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan because it has suffered a lot due to the ongoing conflict in the neighbouring country, the Foreign Office (FO) spokesman said on Thursday. -- During the weekly briefing at the Foreign Office, Abdul Basit said, “It is for the US and other coalition troops to decide as to when they will leave Afghanistan.” - Blackwater's response shown below....

Pak blast death toll reaches to 104
A quote...."The death toll of Friday's twin bombings in Pakistan's Mohmand agency has reached 104, making it the deadliest attack this year in the country. -- A local official told Press TV that over 100 injured have been admitted to different hospitals and most are in critical condition." - For more on this issue see....It Will Happen Every Single Time
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

India Spurns US Self-Inflicted Sanctions on Iran
A quote...."July 10, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - India rebuffs US self-imposed sanctions against Iran saying such extra-territorial measures do not correspond with international norms, directly undermine India’s national interests and harm the country’s energy security."

Iran to U.S.: No talks until you clarify stance on Israel nukes
A quote...."Iran's chief nuclear negotiator suggested in a letter to the European Union's foreign affairs chief this week that talks could be held as soon as September on issues including Tehran's atomic program."

[US-NRE] Cluster Bombs: “Bomblets” that Keep on Killing
A quote...."Yemen. Where the US is NOT even “illegally” and “pre-emptively” at war! 55 people, including 35 women and children were killed during a US attack on an alleged al Qaeda hideout on December 17th Amnesty International revealed."

South Korea should rethink joint drill
A quote...."The South Korean media has disclosed that the postponed naval exercise with the United States may be canceled or at least scaled down. - Although not officially confirmed, this indicates a possible change in Seoul's initial decision to confront Pyongyang - a show of force in the Yellow Sea will not only fail to warn the North over the sinking of a warship, but upset the balance in the entire region of Northeast Asia."

UN Security Council issues presidential statement on sinking of Korean ship
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday adopted a presidential statement on the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in March. -- The statement, adopted by consensus, said that the Security Council "deplores the loss of life and injuries and expresses its deep sympathy and condolences to the victims and their families and to the people and government of the ROK (Republic of Korea)." -- Website editor's note:  The two articles shown above, taken together, should be viewed as a definitive sign that North Korea did NOT sink the Cheonan. - mpg -- For more on this issue see....US-False Flag Ops - The Cheonan

America's Role in Central Africa: AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command, Rwanda, the Congo
A quote...."On July 6, 2010, I spoke with Shanaaz Ebrahim, on Voice of the Cape Drive Time, about Rwanda, eastern Congo, and AFRICOM, the U.S. Africa Command. --  I gave particular attention to why I, as an American, feel compelled to study and speak out about this, and to U.S. military industries' dependence on the mineral wealth of southeastern D.R. Congo and northern Zambia to manufacture for war. The world's largest and most densely concentrated cobalt reserves are in the Katanga Copper Belt running from Southeastern D.R. Congo into Zambia." - For more on this issue see....Africa - the Next Target - 02-28-08 - mpg

Coast Guard dispatching ships and personnel to Costa Rica to threaten Nicaragua
Some quotes...."(WMR) -- After conducting its successful coup d’etat in Honduras against President Manuel Zelaya, the imperialistic Barack Obama administration is now bent on ousting Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega by massing a huge U.S. Coast Guard and Marine Corps presence in neighboring Costa Rica, a base of operations for Reagan administration-backed CIA operations in the 1980s in support of the Nicaraguan contras."  --  "At a time when the Coast Guard vessels could be used to assist in the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, they will be used in an operation widely believed to be targeting the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, which incurred the ire of Israel and its Zionist ally in San Jose, Costa Rica, Vice President Lieberman, [What! Another one?] by severing relations with the Tel Aviv regime over the Israeli attack on the Gaza aid flotilla." - bold by website editor - also posted at WarInIraq

Salvadorian hit-man extradited to Cuba to answer hotel bombing charges
A quote...."VHeadline News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue reports:  Venezuela has extradited Salvadorian hit-man, Francisco Chavez Abarca to Cuba where he is wanted for allegedly placing bombs in hotels to destabilize the tourism industry in 1997. -- According to Venezuelan government reports and confirmed by Telesur, Chavez Abarca has been singing like a canary, confessing he had been hired to set up destabilizing activities in the run-up to the legislative elections in September." - also posted at AlethoNews

Final score 10-4: US, Russia in spy swap 'of the century'
RTVideo - Alt - (YuTb - 7 min 03 sec - July 09, 2010) - Source: RussiaToday -- A quote...."Ten people are being deported from the U.S. after they pleaded guilty to failing to register as foreign agents. It comes as a part of a swap deal between Moscow and Washington involving Russian and Western spies."

Australia’s political coup leaders and their big business connections
A quote...."The leaders of the political coup that last month removed Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and installed his former deputy, Julia Gillard, were not just “faceless numbers men”, as sections of the media have insisted. Nor can the role of Rudd’s dispatchers—including Bill Shorten, Mark Arbib, David Feeney, Paul Howes and Gary Gray—be explained by the fact that, in the main, they are representatives of Labor’s so-called right-wing Centre Unity faction. Rather, the critical point is the direct connection of these Labor “heavies” to big business, especially the mining industry. Their personal histories reveal a seamless movement between the Labor machine, including the unions, and the boardrooms of Australia’s largest companies."

Turn the other cheek
Special Note - A quote...."Here's that old Philip Kurian piece I liked so much (impossible to find using Google; easy to find using Bing!).* Kurian was lynched for writing it, and not because there was anything untrue in it. The peculiar absence of grace in the Jews, the quickness to take offense at the merest hint of a perceived slight, and the need to seek the most complete revenge possible - and later, of course, the dancing on the grave to the tunes of klezmer music - is all over this ridiculous Octavia Nasr firing (which follows the Helen Thomas firing). Utter absence of grace looks even worse with increasing power. -- It is interesting that grace, or at least the appearance of grace, is one of the leading values of the WASPs the Jews beat out to take over America. People with power who choose never to pass up a chance to prove their power and vindictiveness, who revel in winning every tiny battle while wrecking their opponents, are remembered, but not fondly. Enjoy that power while you can!" - *link added

Deteriorating Conditions for Israeli Arab Citizens
A quote...."July 10, (Pal Telegraph – By Stephen Lendman) In April 2010, the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel published a report titled, "One Year for Israel's New Government and the Arab Minority in Israel," assessing the climate for Israeli Arabs - citizens comprising 20% of the population but none of the rights and protections afforded Jews."

BP Oil Gusher News....

A Key Piece in the Oil Leak Story: Two Sections of Drill Pipe Lodged in the Blowout Preventer
A quote...."On June 30th, I noted that the Department of Energy had found that there were two section of drilling pipe lodge in the blowout preventer. -- Yesterday, the Times-Picayune gave an update on this story, which includes competing interpretations about where the second section came from and what that means for the relief wells" - also posted at ZeroHedge

New BP Data Show 20% of Gulf Spill Responders Exposed to Chemical That Sickened Valdez Workers
A quote...."In an under-the-radar release of new test results for its Gulf of Mexico oil spill workers, BP PLC is reporting potentially hazardous exposures to a now-discontinued dispersant chemical — a substance blamed for contributing to chronic health problems after the Exxon Valdez cleanup — among more than 20 percent of offshore responders."

More Evidence Of BP Corexit Chemical Rain Blowing Into Fort Worth Texas
A quote...."This video was taken on July 3rd, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas, just after the first few days of rain we received here from Hurricane Alex. I just planted a lemon tree, a lime tree and a blueberry tree, so I’ve been working in the yard a bit and keeping an eye on things."

BP Oil Gusher - DProgram - 07/10/10
A DProgram round-up of the days oil gusher news. - mpg

Toxicologists: Corexit “Ruptures Red Blood Cells, Causes Internal Bleeding”, "Allows Crude Oil To Penetrate “Into The Cells” and “Every Organ System"  -- A quote...."As I have previously noted, Corexit is toxic, is less effective than other dispersants, and is actually worsening the damage caused by the oil spill. -- Now, two toxicologists are saying that Corexit is much more harmful to human health and marine life than we've been told."

BP Oil Gusher - DProgram - 07/09/10
A DProgram round-up of the days oil gusher news. - mpg

The Military Occupation of The Gulf Coast States has Begun!
AJVideo - AJ&WM(1/2) - AJ&WM(2/2) - (AJYuTb - 10min - July 07, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel -- A quote...."Alex also talks with Washington, D.C.-based investigative journalist, author, columnist, and U.S. Navy veteran Wayne Madsen."

Government Trying to Sweep Size of Oil Spill Under the Rug, Just As It Has Tried to Sweep the Economic Crisis, 9/11 and All Other Crises Under the Rug -- A quote...."As I previously pointed out, the Gulf oil spill is very similar to 9/11, because - in both cases - the responders helping with rescue and clean up were getting sick ... but were told they don't need any safety gear. And see this. -- In addition, the government is keeping scientists away from "ground zero" of the oil spill and - for that reason - scientists cannot accurately measure the size of the oil spill." - also posted at ZeroHedge

Schlumberger’s secret “smoking oil rig” documents
A quote...."(WMR) -- Oil drilling industry inside sources have reported to WMR that “smoking gun” documents, including what are known as “mud logs” are being kept at the Tulsa, Oklahoma headquarters of Schlumberger Oilfield Services."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

UN agency says apartheid wall is illegal
A quote...."A United Nations agency says Israel's apartheid wall is illegal because it makes it difficult for Palestinians living in the West Bank to get proper healthcare." - also posted at WarInIraq

Libyan aid ship set for Gaza voyage
Flotilla News - A quote...."A Libyan-sponsored aid ship is preparing to sail to the blockaded Gaza Strip with tonnes of humanitarian goods, despite warnings from Israel that it reserved "the right under international law to prevent this ship" from reaching its destination." - also posted at Uruknet

California dockworkers reject meeting with Israeli consul
Action Update/Alert - - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's the only PEACEFUL way of applying pressure on Israel that has the slightest chance of success. - mpg -- A quote...."Two weeks after the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in the San Francisco Bay Area joined with activists at the Port of Oakland to block the unloading of an Israeli Zim Lines cargo ship, the union reaffirmed its support of Palestinian rights despite pressure from the Israeli consulate and the Zionist-Israeli organization Stand With Us." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

Boycott, divestment and sanctions in Australia, five years on
Action Update/Alert - - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's the ONLY language the Israelis understand....money. - mpg -- A quote...."It is five years since Palestinian civil society first made the call for a global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against the apartheid state of Israel. At the time, introducing such action in Australia seemed impossible when the public barely knew anything about the Palestinian struggle for justice and freedom. Education had to be a priority if there was to be any overturning of the long-accepted and indulged Zionist narrative." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

IOF injures 2 children in Bait Omar demo
A quote...."Hebron, July 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – IOF soldiers attacked today Bait Omar demonstration and fired gas and sound bombs which injured two children. Besides they detained an activist and beat a journalist."

Israelis and internationals demonstrate outside Barakat’s house in west Jerusalem
Action Update - A quote...."Dozens of international and Israeli solidarity activists protested in solidarity with Silwan in front of the west Jerusalem house of Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat. Demonstrators stated that they were opposing his racist policy in Silwan, which follows an agenda of promoting illegal settlements."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Friday July 9th 2010

Presenting The Wall Of Worry: The 50 Ugliest Facts About The US eCONomy
Must Read - A quote...."As we close on another week replete with ugly economic data and the usual bizarro counterintuitive market, here is a summary of the 50 most underreported facts about the state of the US economy, courtesy of the Coto report. After reading these it almost makes sense that the market has become completely desensitized to the sad reality now pervasive in this country. Readers are encouraged to add their own observations to this list. Surely if the list is doubled, the market will go up to 72,000 instead of just 36,000."

Irony: Our Huge Military Is What Made Us an Empire ... But Our Huge Military is What Is Bankrupting Us, Thus DESTROYING Our Status as an Empire -- Special Note - Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."As I've previously pointed out, America's military-industrial complex is ruining our economy. -- And U.S. military and intelligence leaders say that the economic crisis is the biggest national security threat to the United States. See this, this and this.  -- As RT points out, it is ironic that America's huge military spending is what made us an empire ... but our huge military is what is bankrupting us ... thus destroying our status as an empire:" - also posted at ZeroHedge

Runaway Recession How Did Happen, How Bad Will It Get?
Special Note -- A quote...."In effect, nothing has been done to solve the underlying problem which is that working families have become chronic under consumers."

The Worst of Times, the Best of Times
Special Note - A quote...."It’s the worst of times. America is plunging back into Depression. Only one out of every two Americans of working age has a job. Forty years ago that would have been okay. Dad went to the factory. Mom stayed at home to mind the kids. These days, just to keep the show on the road, mom and pop both work and the kids get daycare. -- Start looking for work now and on average it will take till next April for you to find something. Across the last two months, more than a million Americans simply gave up seeking employment, even as benefits are running out. Ironically, if you quit looking for work you count as officially "discouraged", and don't figure in the official unemployment stats, which is the only reason that number hasn't shot up to record highs."

Another Week, Another Drop In The ECRI Index, Another Bizarro Reason To Chase Stocks Higher
Econo-Warning - Chart - A quote...."The ECRI Leading Indicators just can't stop falling. From a revised annualized -7.6% drop last week, this week the index dropped to a fresh low of -8.3%. Should be sufficient for another major leg higher in stocks. Of course, the funniest thing is listening to the index creators describe how while the index was a perfect leading indicator on the way up, it is completely useless on the way down. With an attitude like that, one would almost think Columbia is part of the Ivy League, and status quo perpetuation is a prerequisite for not losing tenure. But yes, according to the index the probability of a recession is now about 90%; compare this number to that spewed forth by Goldman's Recession Prediction Eight Ball, which has the risk of a double dip at just about precisely 1.6%. "

Look Out Below: The Baltic Dry Index Is in Freefall
Chart - A quote...."Remember a few weeks ago, when the Baltic Dry Index was on the ropes? -- Well, it's off the ropes - and in complete freefall. Support has NOT held for the BDI, a favorite leading indicator of many investors. And one, might I add, that has performed quite well since the equity markets topped in 2007 (in '09, the BDI turned up 3 months before stocks). -- The short term prediction appears to be PAIN, as shipping rates plummet. Apparently not as much to ship as the global economy heads for a wicked "double dip"..."

U.S. marks 3rd-largest, single-day debt increase
A quote...."The nation's debt leapt $166 billion in a single day last week, the third-largest increase in U.S. history, and it comes at a time when Congress is balking over higher spending and debt has become a key policy battleground."

Guest Post: Is The Fed Funding The Treasury Through The Banks?
Charts - A quote...."Recently I decided to take another look at the Fed's balance sheet, and while I am none too surprised, I must report that the Fed has printed approximately $200B from April 7th 2010 to June 30th 2010. What is interesting is *how* they went about doing it."

Regulators Shut Down Four Banks
A quote...."(RTTNews) - On Friday, regulators closed four banks in the U.S. bringing the total number of bank  failures to 90 so far this year. The failed banks are Bay National Bank, Baltimore, Maryland, Ideal Federal Savings Bank, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Bank, Port Chester, New York and Home National Bank, Blackwell, Oklahoma."

The Truth About Markets USA 07.03.2010 - (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3) - (Part 4)
Audio - Special Note - YuTb1 - YuTb2 - YuTb3 - YuTb4 -- A quote...."Rigged market capitalists and banking oligarchs are at war with the people. With the collusion of the politicians and the central bank they own, bankers have created a gulag casino state designed to annihilate competition and prosperity. Financial war reporter, Max Keiser, a former Wall Street banker and options trader, knows how the markets are rigged to explode at the push of one deliberately fat finger. With co-host, Stacy Herbert, the Truth about Markets team warns you of market manipulation, fraud and scandal before it destroys your wealth and opportunity."

Wealthy Reap Rewards While Those Who Work Lose
A quote...."BOSTON, Jul 9, 2010 (IPS) - Times are tough for workers in the U.S. where a recession has a stranglehold on much of the economy, but life is perfectly rosy for those at the top." - also posted at CommonDreams

Forgotten Casualties of the Recession - Child Poverty in the Age of Neoliberalism
A quote...."Consistently ignored in reporting on the economic crisis is the dramatic toll it’s taking on America’s children.  The prevalence of poverty has expanded dramatically in light of growing unemployment, accompanied by state attacks on social welfare spending that benefits the disadvantaged.  Child poverty grew nationally to a total of 22 percent of all children in 2010, an all time high for the last two decades, and an increase in five percent over the last four years.  Half of the poor are now classified as in “extreme poverty” – described as living in families earning below 50 percent of the poverty line.  The percent of children who are food insecure also increased to 18 percent in 2010.  This growth translates into an additional 750,000 children nationwide who are malnourished."

Is the IMF about Ready to Muscle U.S. Taxpayers?
A quote...."I smell a rat. -- The IMF has long been a bought, and paid for, muscle arm of the U.S. government and the banking elite. -- The play goes like this. Banks loan money to third world countries that have no chance in hell of paying the money back. The IMF comes in with "austerity" programs that include heavy new tax burdens on the working class. The revenue from the new taxes will, of course, go to payoff the banking elite. It's a sick game, but the elite seem to get their jollies by pulling this scam in country after country. -- It appears the elite appear to want to up the ante. It appears they are getting set to turn the guns inward and go after the hard earned money of Americans." - also posted at BLN

Economic Hitmen Come for Their 'Pound of Flesh' in New Jersey
A quote...."It was reported today that New Jersey's Governor Christie is proposing privatization of many public services. This is the precise playbook of "Economic Hitmen" aka Banks.  First, they loan ridiculous amounts of money to the public sector, knowing full well these loans can never be repaid and when state bankruptcy looms, the public infrastructure is auctioned to pirates of industry for pennies on the dollar." - also posted at BLN

The European right is capitalising on a crisis
A quote...."Eurozone governments and European authorities are using the economy to justify pushing through rightwing policy changes." - also posted at CommonDreams

China's forex reserves reaches 2.45 trillion USD
A quote...."BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign exchange reserves reached 2.4543 trillion U.S. dollars by the end of June, up 15.1 percent year on year, the People's Bank of China, the central bank announced on Sunday."

In record, 54 Chinese firms hit Global 500
A quote...."BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhaunet) -- A record 54 Chinese companies are listed on the Fortune Global 500 this year, and three of them nudged into the top 10, a sign of China's growing economic power. -- China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, also known as Sinopec, State Grid Corp of China and China National Petroleum Corp earned spots in the top 10."

History's Ten Greatest Economic Blunders
A quote...."Take cover when you hear a political leader talking about economic affairs. You can bet a bad decision is incoming. Luckily for the leaders, their meddling usually has a slow, erosive effect on the economy. Every so often, however, the great ones manage to land a real whopper that takes them down along with their whole country. Here are ten examples from history."

#5:  The size and length of the next war is inversely related to the economic recovery time of the prior war.

#6:  The ability to wage war through currency inflation is directly related to the number and size of economies willing to accept the aggressor nation's currency/debt.