Wednesday August 4th 2010

Presidential Dictatorship: Not Thinking Things Through
Must Read - A quote...."While painting Obama as a singular threat to liberty and Bill Clinton as a degenerate who "lowered the culture" of an electorate that twice elected him, they insist that "George W. Bush stood up for America, albeit sometimes clumsily." -- Translated into Roman terms, the authors would have us believe that Clinton was the corrupt, self-absorbed adolescent Elagabalus, and Obama either the depraved Nero or the despotic Diocletian – but Bush the Younger, heck, he was Claudius, a relatively well-intentioned, albeit physically maladroit and verbally challenged, legitimate heir. -- In fact, Obama is not materially different from his predecessor in any significant way. Mssrs. Christian and Robbins depict Obama as a unique threat to our "Anglo-Saxon" tradition of liberty protected by law. But it was Bush – acting under the influence of his Sith Master, Dick Cheney – who disemboweled the habeas corpus guarantee, the foundation of common law protections of individual rights. Granted, Obama has embraced and enlarged on Bush's actions, but the damage was done before the "alien" occupied the Oval Office."

Senators' Confidential Worries About Democracy Itself
A quote...."Amid the constant fracas of daily political life, it is often hard to see the big picture of power in America (and, for that matter, the world.) In researching my book, Family of Secrets, I came to a fresh appreciation of this big picture, assembling a vast amount of new evidence of the extent to which the visible democratic process has historically been covertly shaped by powerful interests, and how this shaping has gone largely unnoticed and unremarked-upon, right to the present."

Scott Horton Interviews Karen Kwiatkowski - How the Neocons Lied Us Into Iraq
Audio Interview - A quote...."Karen Kwiatkowski, columnist at LewRockwell.com and retired USAF lieutenant colonel, discusses the neocon infiltration of the formerly decent Hudson Institute, her firsthand account  of how the Office of Special Plans lied us into the Iraq War, Col. David Hackworth’s pushback against OSP propaganda and why the Iraq War instigators are now directing their war cries toward Iran." --  ||  also in MP3 here. (20m:40s)  ||

The US isn't leaving Iraq, it's rebranding the occupation
More about the spin from the world's greatest spin michine - mpg -- A quote...."For most people in Britain and the US, Iraq is already history. Afghanistan has long since taken the lion's share of media attention, as the death toll of Nato troops rises inexorably. Controversy about Iraq is now almost entirely focused on the original decision to invade: what's happening there in 2010 barely registers. -- That will have been reinforced by Barack Obama's declaration this week that US combat troops are to be withdrawn from Iraq at the end of the month "as promised and on schedule". For much of the British and American press, this was the real thing: headlines hailed the "end" of the war and reported "US troops to leave Iraq"." - also posted at Uruknet

You Need to Know What's Really Going On": WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange on the Fight for the Truth
Quote of the Day...."In order to make any just decision you need to know and understand what abuses or plans for abuses are occurring."  --  *Julian Assange*

US Corporate Media Downplays Pentagon’s Special Commando Assassination Unit
A quote...."The New York Times, Washington Post, and most other newspapers in the US are censoring or under-reporting the WikiLeaks documents that show US Task Force 373 (TF 373) is an out-of-control assassination unit responsible for the deaths of many hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan." - also posted at ICH

Blair must be arrested
A quote...."Having helped destroy other nations far away, our former prime minister — “peace envoy” to the Middle East — is now free to profit from the useful contacts he made while working as a “servant of the people”." - also posted at Uruknet

Iran questions Obama's 'change'
Paragraph quoted from CLG...."[Oh. God. *Everyone* does.] 04 Aug 2010 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized his American counterpart Barack Obama for failing to realize his campaign trail promise of "change." "They (the Americans) announced that they had pulled out part of their forces from Iraq in recent days and claimed that their move was in line with their slogan of 'change,'" Fars News Agency quoted President Ahmadinejad as saying on Wednesday. "You said you would withdraw all your troops from Iraq, why is it that some of them are still in this country? Secondly, where are you relocating your forces from Iraq?" ...At a speech in the western Hamadan Province, Ahmadinejad went on to say, "Real change means that you take your forces... and leave our region."  [*Exactly.* I couldn't agree more. --LRP]"

Iran Possesses S-300 System: Report Says
A quote...."  Tehran, August 04, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency reported that Iran has four complete units of Russian made S-300 surface-to-air missiles as part of its defense system. -- According to the report Tehran receive two units from Belarus some years ago and two other units from an unspecified country. There has not been an official confirmation of this report by Iranian defense authorities so far. -- The S-300 system, which according to leading military analysts is far more superior to American Patriot system, is an anti-aircraft and anti-missile system capable of shooting down several targets at 150 km distance and could reach altitudes of more than 27 km." - bold by websit editor
  ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Road to War is Paved WIth Acts of Cowardice
08-04-10
mpg

US Lawmaker Calls for Sanctions on China, Russia
Special Note - GOOD!  You want to know why folks?  Because Russia and China had the PERFECT opportunity to stop this whole process a few months ago, and they blew it!  A process first perfected on Iraq, whereby increasing sanctions, by their very design and intention, INEVITABLY lead to war.  This time against Iran.

Both Brazil and Turkey went the extra mile to get Iran to agree to the US-NRE's own demands to have Iran ship its fuel out of the country for enrichment.  After having gotten Iran's agreement the US-NRE, as usual for this country, went back on its statements and its commitments and said the agreement wasn't good enough anymore.

This caused world wide opprobrium and had Russia and China been the least bit courageous, maintained their commitments to the NPT, and vetoed the latest UN resolution which placed additional sanctions on Iran, it would have stopped the US-NRE, a country which has now essentially become Israel's and AIPAC's colony, from proceeding any further.  It would have also stiffened the EU's spine regarding this issue, allowed them to say NO to the Israeli lobby, DESPITE their recent attack against the EU's economic and currency union by their pet Banksters in the US-NRE.

Instead, for whatever lying promises they received from the Obama administration, China and Russia let the resolution pass.  As a direct conquence they let BOTH Turkey and Brazil HANG OUT TO DRY AND TWIST SLOWLY IN THE WIND.  Now however, their collective act of cowardice has come back to bite them hard. It's what always happens when you do "business" with the parasites in the US-NRE.

What is it they say...."the coward dies a thousand deaths but the brave only die once"? - mpg
  ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Assassination of key U.S. ally adds to Pakistan's crises
WHAT!!  Blackwater didn't do this one?  Or was this guy getting to uppity and they did?  It's just so hard to tell these days. - mpg -- A quote...."A Taliban suicide bomber assassinated a top-ranking Pakistani security official and key U.S. ally Wednesday, adding to a string of crises here that have raised alarm in recent days over whether the government can cope."

Berlusconi survives censure motion
A quote...."ROME, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi passed a test in parliament on Wednesday, defeating an opposition censure motion against a minister implicated in a corruption scandal."
 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

ACLU Sues U.S. Government Over American Citizen's Hit List Designation
Paragraph quoted from CLG...."In July, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) formally labeled Awlaki a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist." 03 Aug 2010 The ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) are suing Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner over the government's decision to put radical Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki on a hit list and freeze his U.S. assets. Awlaki, a U.S. citizen now living in Yemen, is on a U.S. hit list, and has already survived at least one cruise missile strike. Last month Awlaki's father Nasser Al-Awlaki asked the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights to challenge the government's placement of his son on a list of US Citizens that can be assassinated by US forces and intelligence services for ties to terrorism."

"Mongrel”: Historically, and from Obama’s Mouth
A quote...."Barack Obama behaves as if he has no historical or cultural knowledge of “the nation over which he presides.” The president’s labeling of African Americans as “mongrels” reveals an astounding and fundamental disrespect for Black Americans as a distinct people. As an epithet, “mongrel” is an even “more powerfully shaped political charge than the ubiquitous ‘[expletive deleted]!’”

The Ultimate Betrayal: Police and Military Working Together to Oppress Americans
A quote...."The concepts of military service and public police service are worlds apart, for good reason. Today in America, we are currently witnessing the culmination of a decades-long trend that has introduced the language, weapons, and tactics of the overseas battlefield onto the streets of America."

Pro-Zionist Alex Jones Banishes Mike Rivero
A quote...."Jones and his handlers decide Michael Rivero  must go. Not only from the Jones radio sideshow but from the GCN network as well. AJ waves his 'magic' zionist flag and makes things disappear. "
 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Kalifornia and the NRE
08-04-10
mpg

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Overturned in California Trial
New Roman Empire Alert - Oh goody!!  As this nation descends deeper and deeper into the depths of its own self-inflicted great-recession, while it remains mired in two interminable, illegal, vicious, occupations, with many more on the horizon, and while it also completely dismantles its once vaunted constitution, now reduced to "just a God-damned piece of paper", it had one of its own courts overturn the will of the voters in the state of California that same sex marriage should not be allowed.  Sort of like what happened in the 2000 elections, no?

Isn't that just great? Now if the Catholic church ever decides to allow their priests to marry, they'll be able to get married to some of those children (not to mention each other) they've been constantly having sex with for the last couple of decades (as long as the kids are now over the age of eighteen of course).

Prisoners in Amerika's vast and ever growing gulag (the highest per capita incarceration rates in the world, at least this nation is number one at something!!) will now be able to request they be housed together as husband and "wife" (and take their demands to court no less).

JUST THINK of what this will do for all those lonely Congressional pages and their sweet hearts in Congress!!  Can you imagine all the Congressmen who'll now divorce their wives to marry their true love? Isn't it all so WONDERFUL!?!?

Picture this in your minds eye folks, two US Marines, in full glorious regalia, chests emblazoned with ribbons and medals, kissing each other at the alter while the church organist loudly sings "Macho, Macho, Man" in the background.  Maybe they can even have Karl Rove show up as best man and cut the cake for them (yech).

Heck, on their wedding night they'll even be able to watch all those lovely videos they brought back from their stints together in places like Abu Ghraib, Bagram and other scenic sights of homo-sadistic violence. After all, it'll be where they first met, became sweet hearts, got to practice on a few of their involuntary subjects and "discovered" each other. Oh my, how sweet it all is!! - (roll the eyes in disgust)

It's no longer "don't ask, don't tell" it's now "kiss, torture and tell". (wink, wink, snigger, snigger) - mpg

Welcome folks, to the New Un-Holy Roman Empire.

For more on this ENTIRE issue see....Let's Bring Back Polygamy - 08-21-04 - mpg
See also....Mommy Pelosi and Daddy Bush Obama
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Israeli police raze rebuilt Bedouin village
Gotta keep dem dare darkies homeless and hungry....mpg - A quote...."AL-ARAQIB, Israel (Ma'an) -- Hundreds of Israeli police stormed an unrecognized Bedouin village Wednesday, less than one week after it was razed to make way for Jewish National Fund forest, witnesses said." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

Hamas denounces IOA’s excavations on historical [Muslim] Jerusalem cemetery
A quote...."DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Hamas denounced on Wednesday the excavations carried out by the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on parts of the historical Ma’manullah cemetery in Jerusalem after plans to build a museum on the site."

Al-Walaja village resists construction of the Apartheid Wall
Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."This morning in Al-Walaja local Palestinian residents supported by Israeli and international solidarity activists nonviolently resisted the construction of the Apartheid Wall by blocking the work of a bulldozer."

Mohammed Khatib of Bil’in’s Popular Committee prevented from going abroad despite an OK from court
A quote...."The Shin Bet prevented Mohammed Khatib of the Bil’in Popular Committee to cross the Allenby Bridge on his way to Spain today. Khatib was band despite having a permit to leave the country from the Military court."
  ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Will the US Repeat Japan's Mistakes? - Looming Changes at the Fed
Must Read - A quote...."The Fed is mulling over its options for dealing with an outbreak of deflation. For a long time, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke dismissed the idea that deflation could be a problem because, as he noted, "The Fed has a technology called the printing press which allows the Fed to produce as many dollars as it wished at no cost." That's true, but increasing the money supply has not worked as planned. Bernanke has stuffed the banks with $1.7 trillion in reserves, but lending is still in the tank, consumer credit is shrinking at 5% per annum, and M3 has slipped into negative territory (- 6%). True, there's plenty of money, but it's not circulating fast enough (velocity) through the economy to produce a robust recovery. That's why Bernanke is looking for new ideas." - also posted at Hamsayeh

Keiser Report №65: Markets! Finance! Scandal!
Must View RT&MKVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - August 03, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."This time Max Keiser and co-host Stacy Herbert look at the latest scandals of box office manipulation in China, $9 billion missing in Iraq and contango in commodities. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Internet sensation George Hemminger about his experience with financial collapse in America."

R E V O L T I N G ! !
Video - (YouTube - 3 min 40 sec - August 03, 2010) - Source:  crabbydogtrix - A quote...."How does small buisness feel about the prospects for the future? Never worse."

Marc Faber - Fed's Printing Press to Create Final Crisis (3-Aug-10)(NWO ECONOMICS series)
Video - (YouTube - 7 min 03 sec -  August 04, 2010) - Source:  TheYouArchive2010 - A quote...."This series has been uploaded following a request and information received that it was not easily available. If you are aware of a title on any subject which is not generally available, or can't be found on YouTube - Please contact us and we'll see if we can locate and then upload it."

Commercial real estate maturities will peak in 2012 – $350 billion in loans coming due....
A quote...."The commercial real estate disaster is sinking banks on a weekly basis.  Talk of a V-shape recovery is now largely a moot point since we are past the point of a quick and strong recovery.  The question now revolves around what we are going to face for the next few years.  Commercial real estate  really is a harbinger of what went wrong in the last decade.  Banks and builders hungry for massive profits overestimated the demand for Starbucks and Macys locations around the country.  After all, you actually need money to spend and many average Americans  are struggling just to pay their monthly bills.  The only way commercial real estate (CRE) was going to do well is if we had a booming population of young and wealthier professionals with more disposable income.  Yet that did not happen."

The Great Marginalization -- Buffett, Gates, Rockefeller and the Conscience of the Very, Very Rich
A quote...."Of all the farcical notions put forth during this time of high farce, casting America as “broke” places way up there on the list, as trillions of dollars are being stockpiled in the face of a national downsizing and its attendant growth in misery.  Here we sit, a captive national audience to the president’s seemingly daily farce, “We are all in this together”."

IMF: Trapping Countries into Debt - The Case of Hungary
A quote...."For decades, left critics of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have maintained that the IMF is merely a tool for enforcing the interests of financial elites, especially those in the US. Predictably, this view has been scornfully dismissed by those in power and their media lackeys who posture the institution as the benefactor of needy countries. The persistent history of the IMF’s extortionate funding, linked to austere cuts in social spending, is simply dismissed as pressing fiscal responsibility on countries lacking the spine to address their profligacy. Such are the myths that sustain faith in global capitalism."

Escaping the Sovereign Debt Trap: The Remarkable Model of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
A quote...."The current credit crisis is basically a capital crisis: at a time when banks are already short of the capital needed to back their loans, capital requirements are being raised.   Nearly a century ago, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia demonstrated that banks do not actually need capital to make loans – so long as their credit is backed by the government.  Denison Miller, the Bank’s first Governor, was fond of saying that the Bank did not need capital because “it is backed by the entire wealth and credit of the whole of Australia.”  With nothing but this national credit power, the Commonwealth Bank funded both massive infrastructure projects and the country’s participation in World War I."

Army operation against Greek truck drivers: A warning to European workers
A quote...."The conscription of striking Greek truck drivers and the deployment of the army as strikebreakers marks a new stage in the attacks on the Greek and European working class."

China Said to Test Banks for 60% Home-Price Drop
Now that's a SERIOUS stress test, 60%....wow!  Assuming they do it for real of course. - mpg -- A quote.... "China’s banking regulator told lenders last month to conduct a new round of stress tests to gauge the impact of residential property prices falling as much as 60 percent in the hardest-hit markets, a person with knowledge of the matter said."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Health Care Non-Solutions
More on Obama's No-Care Plan - A quote...."Ezra Klein  makes an important point about our nation’s health care problem: it’s not just a government deficit problem. The underlying problem is that health care costs are not only growing faster than prices (inflation), but also faster than GDP (economic growth), and as a result the amount of stuff we as a nation will be able to afford, other than health care, will start to go down at some point in the future. (Picture originally from Joseph Newhouse in Health Affairs.)"

Prop C passes overwhelmingly
More on Obama's No-Care Plan - A quote...."Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a federal mandate to purchase health insurance, rebuking President Barack Obama's administration and giving Republicans their first political victory in a national campaign to overturn the controversial health care law passed by Congress in March."

Tuesday August 3rd 2010

Former Israeli Officials in the U.S. Government
Must View Video - From the History File - January 10, 2010 - Alt - (YuTbA - 9 min 57 sec - 01/10/10)  A quote...."Who benefits from invading and occupying Iraq? Are Americans defending U.S. national security, or the security of our colonial outpost in the Arab World? This interview discusses the neoconservative Zionist cabal of the Bush administration who beat the drums for our illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Thanks to snowshoefilms for conducting the original interview and videography."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

9/11 - From The History File...Michael Chertoff - sourcewatch
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

White House rebuffs Iran call for talks
War Alert - The Israel/AIPAC lobby and their bought and paid for boot-licking lickspittles in the White House want to go to war, there's no doubt about it now. - mpg -- A quote...."The White House has rejected a call from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for face-to-face talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama. -- "We have always said that we'd be willing to sit down and discuss Iran's illicit nuclear program, if Iran is serious about doing that," AFP quoted White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs as saying on Tuesday."

Obama Warned Israel May Bomb Iran
War Alert - A quote - (from ZeroHedge)...."The Steering Group of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) which consists of Phil Giraldi, former CIA (20 years), Larry Johnson, former CIA; DoS, (24 years), W. Patrick Lang, Col., USA, Special Forces (ret.); Director of HUMINT Collection, Defense Intelligence Agency (30 years), Ray McGovern, US Army Intelligence Officer, CIA (30 years), Coleen Rowley, FBI (24 years), and Ann Wright, Col., US Army Reserve (ret.), (29 years); Foreign Service Officer, Department of State (16 years), have penned a memo to the president in an attempt to alert him "to the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month. This would likely lead to a wider war." Read on for the full memo by the activist group."

2nd 4 killed as Israeli and Lebanese armies exchange fire (Roundup)
War Alert - (War Provocation)-- A quote...."Tel Aviv/Beirut - Tensions boiled over along the flashpoint Israel-Lebanese border Tuesday, as both armies exchanged fire, causing fatalities on both sides, in the most serious clash since Israel and Hezbollah guerillas fought a bitter war in 2006."

Lebanese president: Stand up to Israel
War Alert - (War Provocation - Response) -- A quote...."Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has vowed to "stand up to Israel's violation of Resolution 1701, whatever the price" following the border flare-up between the Lebanese and Israeli armies Tuesday. --  Two Lebanese soldiers were killed and four were wounded after the IDF struck a post near the southern Lebanese border village of Adaisseh, witnesses and security sources said. An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles at a Lebanese army post near Adaisseh, destroying an armoured personnel carrier, a Lebanese security source said."

Assad: We'll support Lebanon in face of criminal Israeli aggression
War Alert - (War Provocation - Response) -- A quote...."Tuesday's deadly exchange of fire between Israel and the Lebanese army along Israel's northern border sparked outrage among Arab leaders. Syrian President Bashar Assad said hours after the confrontation that Syria will stand by Lebanon "in the face of Israel's criminal aggression."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Pakistan no obedient ally
Must Read - A quote...."Here’s the bottom line on Pakistan’s “duplicity.” -- After 9/11, the U.S. threatened to “bomb Pakistan back to the Stone Age” unless it turned against the Taliban, a religious, anti-Communist movement, and opened Pakistan to U.S. military forces and intelligence operations. -- This was told to me by a former head of ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service whose directors I have known since 1985. -- Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf says his nation was forced to reluctantly give in to intense U.S. pressure and abandon the Taliban, which served as Pakistan’s proxy army in Afghanistan battling the still active Afghan Communist Party — Tajik Northern Alliance, also backed by Russia and Iran. Intensifying efforts by India to extend its influence into Afghanistan deeply worry Pakistan. -- Pakistan was forced by the U.S. to act against its own vital strategic interests. Southern Afghanistan has long been Pakistan’s sphere of influence. -- This column revealed that in 2007, Pakistan and India concluded that the U.S. and its dragooned allies would be defeated and driven from Afghanistan. Both old foes began implementing a proxy war to control strategic Afghanistan. -- Pakistan was compelled to follow a dual-track policy: Accepting semi-occupation by the U.S. and $1 billion annually from Washington and paying lip service to the U.S.-led war, while keeping open links to Taliban and tribal militants. -- This was basic common sense. No one should have been surprised — particularly not Washington which has a long record of abandoning faithful allies." -- also posted at ICH

Betrayal - The Lies and Losses of War
Video - Alt - (YuTb- 9 min 2 sec - June 10, 2010) - Source:  SoldiersOfConscience -- A quote...."Journalist, author and Truthdig columnist Chris Hedges brought his years of experience in the world’s war-torn zones to bear on this challenging speech he gave in March for the Truth Commission on Conscience in War at New York City’s Riverside Church. In this clip, Hedges points out that Americans “are as capable of perpetuating evil as those who oppose us, and this existential crisis is one that turns those who have the courage to stand up and speak ... into outcasts, pariahs, prophets.” Can we get an amen? —KA"

Obama Drops 2009 Pledge to Withdraw Combat Troops from Iraq - Speaking of lies....
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Aug 3, 2010 (IPS) - Seventeen months after President Barack Obama pledged to withdraw all combat brigades from Iraq by Sep. 1, 2010, he quietly abandoned that pledge Monday, admitting implicitly that such combat brigades would remain until the end of 2011." - also posted at CommonDreams- All you ObamaTrolls out there happy yet? - Oh but wait, there's SO MUCH MORE TO COME!! - Tell'ya what, why don't you all go down to the polls this November....and vote for some more Demos or Repubs.  Heaven forbid you'all out there should actually vote for someone other than a Demo or Repub. - mpg

Taliban attack US main base in south Afghanistan
A quote...."KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – A Taliban suicide squad armed with bombs and rockets attacked the largest US military base in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sparking an hour-long gun battle, officials said."

Militants Seize Another Baghdad Neighborhood, Raise ‘Islamic State’ Flag
A quote...."For the second time in less than a week, militants loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) umbrella group have seized control of a Baghdad neighborhood, this time Mansur, and have raised the flag of the ISI over the region."

Germany gave assassination list to secret US unit
A quote...."Buried in the 92,000 pages of documents released by the Web site Wikileaks is evidence that show the German government abetted a secret program to kill or capture Taliban leaders. The German government has already been helping the US generate a “hit list” through NATO, but this list went a step farther, bypassing transparency and judicial process. -- The once-secret list, titled the “Joint Prioritized Effects List,” was used by the Pentagon’s Task Force 373 to target, kill and capture Taliban leaders." - also posted at TrthIsCntgs

154,000 army vs 300 Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan justified?
Must View RTVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - 12 min 06 sec - August 03, 2010) - Also covered, Iran, Afghan's drug trade, the "Stans", North Korea, etc., etc. - mpg -- A quote...."The US is destabilizing Central Asia by means of drug trafficking, disintegrating Kyrgyzstan and putting pressure on Iran, shared Semyon Bagdasarov, member of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, in his interview to RT."

Russia denies S-300 missile system export
A quote...."Russia has denied providing S-300 missile system to Azerbaijan. -- Last year Russia became the world's second-largest arms exporter after the United States and one of Rosoboronexport's, Russia's governmental arms export agency's most popular items after aircraft and warships is the S-300 anti-aircraft system." - also posted at WarInIraq
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Liberal Media: Rest in Peace
Special Note - A quote...."Today it claims "Nobody owns the Nation....We are a wholly owned subsidiary of our own conscience." -- Yet, in disservice to its readers, its record since inception has been shameless. It was unapologetic about slavery, then didn't support minority, labor, or women's rights. It championed 19th century laissez fare, attacked the Grangers, Populists, trade unions and socialists. In 1999, it called the US/NATO Serbia/Kosovo aggression "humanitarian intervention." -- After 9/11, it backed the official explanation despite convincing evidence debunking it. Initially it supported the Iraq war, and until recently the Afghan one. More on that below. -- It also ignored the blatant 2000 fraud for George Bush, claimed "no evidence" showed the 2004 election was stolen, and in January 2006, ran an offensive full-page anti-Muslim ad titled, "Arabian Fables," claiming Palestinians are prone to violence and deception." - also posted at Uruknet

You Have No Choice, You Have Owners - George Carlin
Video - (contains harsh langauge) - (YuTb - 3 min 17 sec - October 07, 2008) -- A blast from the past - this has been previously posted. - mpg

World War 3 Is Starting And US Has Already Lost - Michael Rivero
Video - (YuTb - 9 min 07 sec - July 30, 2010) - A quote...."WWIII Starting And US Has Already Lost comentary by Michael Rivero - Michael Rivero - What Really Happened 07-29-10"

Download the Revolution - Now for a Jamaican beat. - mpg
Video - Alt - (YuTb - 4 min 42 sec - December 26, 2009) - A quote...."Rocky Dawuni's blazing single from new album "Hymns For The Rebel Soul" . This track is currently featured on the FIFA SOCCER 2010 video game. The track and the album are available on itunes and www.rockydawuni.com."

Julian Assange Responds to Increasing US Government Attacks on WikiLeaks
A quote...."It’s been ten days since the whistleblower website WikiLeaks published the massive archive of classified military records about the war in Afghanistan, but the fallout in Washington and beyond is far from over. Justice Department lawyers are reportedly exploring whether WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange could be charged with violating the Espionage Act of 1917 for publishing the classified Afghan war documents. Meanwhile, investigators in the Army’s criminal division have reportedly questioned two students in Boston about their ties to WikiLeaks and Private First Class Bradley Manning, a leading suspect in the leak. We speak with WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. [includes rush transcript]" -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || - also posted at Uruknet

Pentagon refuses Afghanistan embed request by Rolling Stone writer Michael Hastings
A quote...."The author of the Rolling Stone article that ended the military career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former top commander in Afghanistan, has been denied permission to join U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Tuesday."

Press TV under attack
Israeli Press Censorship - A quote...."To tell the truth about Israeli barbarism is a breach of impartiality. The Guardian and the Jewish Chronicle reported yesterday that Ofcom, the UK broadcasting standards body, has ruled that Iranian-backed Press TV’s coverage of the Gaza flotilla incident breached guidelines on impartiality. -- You ask yourself why?"
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

Case of 14-year-old used as a human shield submitted to the UN for investigation
A quote...."[Ramallah, 3 August 2010] - On 3 August 2010, DCI-Palestine submitted a case involving the use of a child as a human shield to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for further investigation." - also posted at AlethoNews & Uruknet

Israeli army raids villages in Negev, demolishes dozens of homes
A quote...."NEGEV, (PIC)-- A large force of Israeli police raided Tuesday several villages in Negev, south of Israel, amid a demolition operation targeting dozens of homes in the villages."

Army vandalism in Hebron: soldiers destroy family’s well in Wad Lerus
A quote...."Yesterday morning (2 August 2010) a group of Israeli soldiers, reportedly drunk, used two bulldozers to destroy a well that belonged to a family living in Wad Lerus, Hebron. -- Several ISM activists went out to talk to members of the Al Jaabel family in Wad Lerus, close to the Kyriat Arba settlement in Hebron, yesterday afternoon." - also posted at AlethoNews - For more on the two articles shown above see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Young Palestinians With Cameras - Shooting Back
A quote...."Every Friday, the slingshot-wielding boys, or shabab, of the West Bank village of Ni’lin protest at Israel’s separation wall, which has deprived the village of 750 acres of farmland. But among the shabab are other youngsters with a different weapon – video cameras. -- For the past three years, Btselem, the Israeli human rights NGO, has provided cameras and training to young Palestinians as part of its camera distribution project, to collect video evidence of abuses and misconduct by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Israeli settlers in the West Bank. There are 150 such cameras all over the West Bank and Gaza, and most of the footage captured – 1,500 hours so far – ends on the floor-to-ceiling archive shelves of the Jerusalem office of Yoav Gross, who directs the NGO’s video project."

The weekend in protests
A quote...."Dozens suffered from tear gas inhalation and stun grenades in Bil’in’s weekly demonstration, and two people were injured. On Friday 30 July the people of Bil’in were joined by several groups of internationals, including a group of rappers from Britain and the US. A large group of the demonstrators managed to approach the soldiers who had already entered the gate. Two people were detained for a while, following large amounts of tear gas, eventually forcing the protestors back towards the village. One Israeli protestor was hit by a tear gas canister in his leg, while a British citizen was dragged several meters by soldier, causing his back bruising and bleeding."

Shock Treatment, We're Back!!
A quote...."Ok, we know we've been very bad and neglected the blog lately. Truth is some were on vacation (It's that time in Ireland) and another had computer problems. But no worries, we're back to slam the evil rogue state, so without further adieu, we bring you more proof Israel needs a healthy does of prozac and a months stay in a mental health facility for some serious shock treatment administered by Nurse Ratched:

Jordan: Proof rockets came from Egypt
Note:  False Flag Detected - War Alert - (War Provocation) - A quote...."Jordan has evidence that rocket attacks that that killed a Jordanian and wounded three more on Monday originated in Egypt, a top Jordanian official said Tuesday. -- For its part, Egypt has strongly denied that any of the rockets that struck near Eilat, the Red Sea, and Jordan came from its soil. A Jordanian government official said Jordan had evidence that the rockets were fired from the Sinai, but would not elaborate on its precise nature."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Aftermath of the Global Housing Bubble Chokes the World Banking System
Must Read - Charts - A quote...."Sometimes the complexity of the world is a ruse, and seeing the overwhelming future of our fortunes is strangely simple. Our past and future credit crisis is but one case in point. Remember when fear and failure wrecked markets wising up to the fallout of debt given to anybody for anything, but especially for buying houses?"

Meredith Whitney Even More Bearish On Housing And Financials
Contains Video - A quote...."Meredith Whitney appeared on CNBC earlier and was about as bearish as ever, not only on financials, but on housing as well. In addition to saying that she expects the housing market to get worse in Q3 and Q4, the maven again reiterated the blatantly obvious, namely that all the recent earnings beats by financials have been an accounting sham driven by...."

Consumer Spending and Incomes in U.S. Stagnate
Deflation Alert - A quote...."Consumer spending, pending home sales and factory orders were all weaker than projected in June, showing the U.S. recovery lost momentum heading into the second half of the year as employment stagnates. -- Household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy, were unchanged from May, according to figures from the Commerce Department issued today in Washington. Contracts to buy existing houses unexpectedly dropped for a second month and factory bookings fell more than twice as much as economists estimated, other reports showed."

GMI Describes "The Future Recession In An Ongoing Depression" In This Must Read Report
Scribd - A quote...."Raoul Pal, who retired from managing money at the ripe age of 36, after co-managing GLG's Global Macro Fund, and the hedge fund sales business in equities and equity derivatives at Goldman among others, and has been publishing the attached Global Macro Report since, has just come out with the most condensed version of truth about our economic reality we have read in a long time."

Inventory Adjustment Takes Out 0.7% Of Friday's GDP, Real Q2 Number Is 1.7% Per JPM
A quote...."Friday's 2.4% GDP was enough of a stunner (and a plunger after the majorly upward revised Q1 GDP data), that it sent the market pretty much straight line higher ever since, now that QE is virtually guaranteed, as the Fed completes the circle and confirms that Einstein's definition of idiocy is nowhere more evident than in the Marriner Eccles building. So the fact that as JPM's Michael Feroli notes, the real Q2 GDP is actually 1.7% after revised data on non-durable goods, should have long sent stocks at least 1% higher for the day instead of the observed meandering in slightly red territory, has left the Zero Hedge staff scratching its head."

Whither the "Economic Agenda": Unemployment is Worse Than We Know, Recovery Challenge Harder Than We Think - A quote...."As we move into the dog days of summer, and a coming Congressional recess, the Obama Administration has shifted its focus back on to the economy and wants to convince one and all that an economic recovery is just around the corner."

22 Statistics About America’s Coming Pension Crisis That Will Make You Lose Sleep At Night
A quote...."As the first of the 80 million Baby Boomers have begun to retire, it has become increasingly apparent that the United States is facing a pension crisis of unprecedented magnitude.  State and local government pension plans are woefully underfunded, dozens of large corporate pension plans either have collapsed or are on the verge of collapsing, Social Security is a complete and total financial disaster [not quite yet, it still has a $2.5 trillion surplus - mpg] and about half of all Americans essentially have nothing saved up for retirement.  So yes, to say that we are facing a retirement crisis would be a tremendous understatement."

The Dollar Continues To Fall Like A Knife, As Euro Breaks Well Above $1.32
Europe SHOULD NOT ALLOW the Euro to rise any further.  They've done a bang-up job defending the Euro but they should be concentrating on defending their credit markets.  It DOES THEM NO GOOD to begin an austerity program, AND be forced to pay high interest rates on their paper AND be unable to export anything.  This policy is STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!  It will quickly lead to an economically devastated Europe. - mpg

Wall Street's Collapse, 3 Years Later
A quote...."We live in the United States of Amnesia and selective memory. As we debate the breaking news, we easily forget the sequence of events that broke the banks and left us broke."

Monday August 2nd 2010

GOP Blank Check for War?
Must Read - A quote...."High among the blunders of history was the “blank cheque” Kaiser Wilhelm gave Vienna, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, to deal with the Serbs as they saw fit. - Five weeks later, Vienna cashed the check and declared war, after Belgrade refused to submit to all 10 demands of an ultimatum. Russia mobilized; Germany and France followed. And war came, the bloodiest in all of European history with 9 million soldiers in their graves. - Since June 1914, a “blank check” given by one nation to another for war has been regarded as strategic folly."

That Reckless Protection Racket of Military Socialism and Fascism
Must Read - A quote...."In previous articles, I have referred to military socialism while others have referred to the military industrial complex, and some of these descriptions need to be clarified for a better understanding of the dysfunctional nature of the U.S. government’s national security monopoly, and an alternative must be presented."

The Trouble With Unconstitutional Wars
Special Note - A quote...."by Rep. Ron Paul -- Our foreign policy was in the spotlight last week, which is exactly where it should be. Almost two years ago many voters elected someone they thought would lead us to a more peaceful, rational co-existence with other countries. However, while attention has been focused on the administration’s disastrous economic policies, its equally disastrous foreign policies have exacerbated our problems overseas. Especially in times of economic crisis, we cannot afford to ignore costly foreign policy mistakes. That’s why it is important that U.S. foreign policy receive some much needed attention in the media, as it did last week with the leaked documents scandal."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Siddiqui: Afghanistan: It’s even worse than you thought
A quote...."August 01, 2010 "Toronto Star" -- The buckets-full of leaked documents on the war in Afghanistan have elicited three responses, all misguided." - also posted at ICH

• The first is that the classified papers tell us nothing we did not already know, namely that the NATO mission has long been a mess. This assertion devalues their real value — giving the war an official stamp of failure, which can no longer be dismissed as merely the opinion of naysayers or the weak-kneed.
• The second is that the papers are old, covering a period ending in December 2009. The Obama administration has emphasized this, to imply that things have improved since. In fact, they are much worse, as we shall see.
• The third is to overplay Pakistan’s con game: taking arms and money from the U.S. to take on the Taliban but, in fact, nurturing them as its proxy. This North American narrative has been highlighted by The New York Times. But the British paper The Guardian concluded, rightly, that the documents do not conclusively prove one way or the other what Pakistan is up to. We can be sure that it is up to what everyone else is up to: looking out for its own long-term interests, especially given that it has suffered the spillover of two wars (Soviet: 1980-88 and NATO: 2001 to date).

Afghanistan shows signs of cracking
Special Note - A quote...."In fighting to “win” in Helmand or Kandahar provinces, we are fighting against the Pashtun people. This, in Galbraith’s view, is hopeless, and he is probably right. The same goes for regions bordering Pakistan, such as Paktia and Nangahar. -- The north and Kabul comprise a variety of ethnic groups, including Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks. These groups formed the Northern Alliance, which toppled the Taliban, and they are friendlier toward the United States and fiercely opposed to the Taliban’s repressive rule. Galbraith suggested the United States could defend these peoples and their region against the Pashtuns of the south. He was in effect calling for partition of Afghanistan." -- For more on this issue see....MAP OF THE NEW MIDDLE EAST - (Its always been their plan)

WikiLeaks and British lies in Ireland
A quote...."In June I stood in the Guildhall Square in Derry and watched as the relatives of the 14 innocent victims of the British Parachute Regiment expressed their delight at the Saville report's conclusion that the 14 were innocent victims. After Bloody Sunday, the British system and, to its shame, much of the British media, accused those who had been shot of being "gunmen" and "bombers". Lies were told and a cover-up concocted and the British establishment closed ranks to defend the actions of its army. That lie persisted for decades." - also posted at Uruknet

Blood on whose hands in Afghanistan?
A quote...."Accusations from Obama administration officials and the media that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his sources have “blood on their hands” for revealing information on US military operations and informants in Afghanistan are contemptible slanders. Responsibility for blood spilled in Afghanistan lies with the US government, which launched the war."

WikiGate
A quote...."The reports reveal the ugly underbelly of a war merchandised to the public as a noble mission to liberate oppressed women and clean up a nest of terrorists. They have embarrassed and outraged the hell out of Washington and its NATO allies. Comparisons to the famed Pentagon Papers of the Vietnam War era that undermined public support for that misbegotten conflict are inevitable."

Obama Redefines Troops to ‘End’ Iraq Combat Mission
A quote...."To great fanfare,  President Barack Obama has pledged to put an end to America’s “combat mission” in Iraq by the beginning of September “as promised and on schedule.” There may be no small measure of incredulity for those who remember his campaign promise to have all the troops out by May, but it seems the 50,000 figure, announced shortly after he took office, will be met, give or take a few thousand. -- This will mark the formal end to America’s combat mission  in Iraq, but the combat won’t actually end, nor will the troops stop engaging in it. Rather, the administration has decided to redefine the 50,000 combat troops that will still be in Iraq, still engaging in combat, as a “transitional” force." - bold by website editor - Will sombody PLEASE turn off the spin machine!!! - mpg

From Freedom Fighter to Terrorist
A quote...."The Washington Post yesterday profiled  a Pakistani man named Hamid Gul, who served as head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from 1987 to 1989. The article pointed out that Gul is viewed by U.S. officials as a terrorist, one who has been helping the Taliban oust U.S. forces from Afghanistan. - What makes the story interesting, however, is that it wasn’t always that way. Gul used to be a freedom fighter and a close friend and ally of the U.S. government. - What happened?" - also posted at ICH - The usual, he either wouldn't sell his country down the river, toe the latest New Roman Empire Imperial line, or both. - mpg

A Police State You'd Better Believe In
A quote...."When our nation is waging "war on" so many things (drugs, crime, poverty, terrorism), it's hard to know where to enlist and when to defect. Or put another way, when should a patriot oppose his government? One answer, which we may hope is obvious, is when his government is waging war on liberty. The trick, of course, is to recognize it as such, since the government will always claim to be defending liberty when waging war against it." - also posted at ICH

Iran gas exports to Bahrain still on
A quote...."Iran's gas exports to Bahrain will not be affected by the recent UN sanctions against Tehran, says the Iranian ambassador to Bahrain. -- "The booming trade between Iran and Bahrain is not affected by the UN sanctions," Mehr news Agency quoted Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying on Monday."

Ahmadinejad Wants Face-to-Face Debate with Obama - He ain't gonna get it. - mpg
A quote...."Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday he was ready for face-to-face talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama on "global issues." -- "We are hopefully coming for the UN assembly," Ahmadinejad said in an address to expatriate Iranians which was broadcast live on state television. "We are ready to sit down with Mr Obama face-to-face and put the global issues on the table, man-to-man, freely, and in front of the media and see whose solutions are better. We think this is a better approach." - Source:  al-Manar

IAEA Chief: Iran Fuel Swap Talks Could Start Soon - West Expressing Openness to Iran Talks
A quote...."According to IAEA chief Amano Yukiya, additional talks regarding a potential third party enrichment deal with Iran could begin soon. He cited a recently willingness among Western nations to proceed with the talks."

USA funded Osama Bin Laden in 1989 to destabalise Pakistan
Video - (German sub-titles) - Alt - (YuTb -  1min 31sec - July 31, 2010 ) - Source:  91177info - A quote...."What a find this is! Pakistan’s President clearly says George Bush funded CIA Operative Osama Bin Laden to destabilise Pakistan. Originally uploaded in January 2010." - Note: President Zardari said that his wife "rang up senior Bush and asked of him "are you destabilizing my government" because he [Bush] gave the then opposition ten million dollars to overthrow....uhh...ummm....the first...uhhh...women elected in an Islamic country...so, we knew that he was your operator" - mpg

Honduran Junta Murdering Journalists
A quote...."This article follows an earlier one titled Death Squad Terror in Honduras:  --  Orchestrated by Washington, it discussed the June 28, 2009 coup, Honduran soldiers arresting President Manuel Zelaya at gunpoint, exiling him to Costa Rica, obstructing his return, committing widespread killings and human rights abuses, conducting a sham November 2009 election under martial law, installing Porfirio (Pepe) Lobo Sosa president on January 27, 2010, the Obama administration's man in Honduras, succeeding interim leader, Roberto Micheletti, using death squad terror to solidify coup d'etat rule, what most Hondurans oppose and want ended." - also posted at Uruknet

Syria says no compromise with Israel on occupied lands
A quote...."DAMASCUS: Syria will not negotiate with Israel over letting the Jewish state keep occupied territory, President Bashar al-Assad said, days after Israel’s prime minister expressed interest in resuming talks with Damascus. In a statement on Syrian army day published in official media on Sunday, Assad repeated his assessment that the possibility of another Middle East war was rising in the absence of what he called Israel’s willingness to make peace. “If anyone thinks that Syria might negotiate over its occupied land then they are mistaken,” Assad said. “The liberation of the Golan is a deeply ingrained right." - also posted at WarInIraq
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Mortal Peril of ["]Christian["] Zionism in America - Psssssst, they're NOT Christians! - mpg
A quote...."Zionism, and even worse yet, “Christian Zionism” [a.k.a. that faux-Christian, Zionist supporting (or even worshiping) “Armageddon” cult], are inseparable from the horrific fate of America, and by extension from the world in general. As has been said, “There is no light between (them)”. -- And it is the blood and treasure of Israel’s Golem, the US and a few allied countries, which will be sacrificed in an utterly insane global Holy War on behalf of Jewish nationalism." - For more on this issue see....One Vile, Venom Tipped, Taloned Hand Washes the Other - (a.k.a. The Standard Model) - 07-28-10 - mpg

US boosts Israeli missile funding
A quote...."WASHINGTON – US House appropriators have pushed funding for Israeli missile defense programs to its highest level ever, with $422.7 million now slated for 2011."

Kill an Arab, any Arab, is longstanding and unquestioned policy
A quote...."A barely-noticed incident gives occasion for reflection into the grossly skewed nature of the I/P conflict. -- A rocket launched from Gaza reached the city of Ashkelon, causing some property damage but no injuries. Israel responded by launching airstrikes at various targets in Gaza, killing one Hamas official named Issa al-Batran. Hamas was not suspected of launching the Ashkelon rocket, but the IDF explained its retaliation against Batran: "The IDF holds the Hamas terror organization solely responsible for the occurrences in the Strip and for maintaining calm there." - also posted at AlethoNews

Israeli rabbi preaches slaughter of non-Jews
Well....given the article shown above, shall we call Israelis equal opportunity murderers? - mpg
A quote...."A rabbi from one of the most violent settlements in the West Bank was questioned on suspicion of incitement last week as Israeli police stepped up their investigation into a book in which he sanctions the killing of non-Jews, including children and babies." - also posted at AlethoNews & CounterPunch
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

South Africa's lessons for Gaza
A quote...."The Palestinian national movement has overlooked this question: does the Gaza Strip resemble the racist Bantustans of apartheid South Africa? During the apartheid era, South Africa's black population was kept in isolation and without political and civil rights. Is Gaza similar? The answer is yes and no."  - also posted at Uruknet

UN to Set Up an Independent Panel to Investigate the Flotilla Attack
Flotilla News - A quote...."What the General Secretary forgot to mention was that the Israeli attack on six-ship flotilla isn’t just about Turkey and Israel relationship, but rather between Israel and the international community."

ILA uproots hundreds of olive trees
A quote...."NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Hundreds of olive trees belonging to Palestinians in the Zulfa and Mosheirefa regions in 1948-occupied Rouha area were uprooted by staff from the so-called “Israeli land administration” (ILA), accompanied by police and military forces."

Israeli settlers escalate attacks on civilians' property
A quote...."On Friday, 30 July, a group of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian fields in the town of Burin in the West Bank. They set the fields on fire and assaulted a number of citizens who attempted to defend their land. Hundreds of dunums (one dunum equals 1,000 square meters) of land near the Hawara military checkpoint were also set ablaze, destroying hundreds of olive trees." - also posted at Uruknet - For more on the two articles shown above see....Israel's Scorched Earth

IDF official says Hamas did not fire rocket that "justified" Israeli air strikes across Gaza
A quote...."A military official told Ynet he did not believe Hamas had fired the Grad rocket that exploded in Ashkelon Friday morning, though it remains unclear who was responsible. -- "Hamas still wants to maintain the status quo in the Strip," he said. "It continues to grow stronger, but is deterred by the IDF and doesn't want to face a conflict.""
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Charting The Unprecedented Decline In U.S. Manufacturing, And Other Economic Tidbits From Morgan Stanley
Contains Chart & Video - A quote...."The attached slide deck from Morgan Stanley provides a convenient 5 minute summary of the current state of the global financial and economic picture."

Anyone want to trade? Hello? Anyone?
A quote...."Though trading historically does slow during the month, the lack of activity is striking in an earnings month, according to a report issued Monday by analyst Richard Repetto at Sandler O'Neill & Partners. -- "Summer seasonality would suggest things get worse before they get better," Repetto concluded. -- The listless trading volume underscores what we've been hearing from the big Wall Street brokerages. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. reported flat to lower trading revenue, disappointing analysts and confirming that investors were staying on the sidelines. -- Those left behind were evacuating. Since the start of May, investors have pulled $40.7 billion from domestic equity funds. That's 12 consecutive weeks of outflows, according to Investment Company Institute."

Factory sector slows again in July
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Activity among the nation's manufacturing firms in July slowed to the worst level since December, according to a closely followed survey of top executives released Monday."

Foreclosure Inventory May Pull Down Prices To Bottom In 2011
A quote...."Due to a massive inventory overhang, the US housing market should hit bottom in 2011, with prices lower than the 2009 trough and recovery times varying by locality. Experts estimate it will take several years for the market to absorb this shadow inventory, of up to seven million homes, and representing nearly a half trillion dollars in loans. See the following article from HousingWire for more on this."

Housing: Still Flooded
A quote...."One of the central reasons for the recession -- and for the anemic recovery from it so far -- has been the issue of the popping housing bubble. Housing is, for most homeowners, a highly leveraged investment. Even the old conservative rule of a 20% down payment is a far more leveraged position than is allowed when buying stocks, where at least 50% down is required. During the housing bubble, almost no one was putting 20% down anymore, and down payments of under 5% were common."

Sunday August 1st 2010

Do Disclosures of Atrocities Change Anything?
Nope!!  Not with the dumbed-down, cud-chewing, goy-cattle that live in this country. - mpg -- A quote...."The hope of the brave soldier who sent 92,000 secret U.S.  documents to Wikileaks was that their disclosure  would prompt public revulsion and increasing political pressure on Obama to seek with all speed a diplomatic conclusion to this war.  The documents he sent Wikileaks included  overwhelming documentary evidence."

WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange talks to RT
RTVideo - Related Video - Alt - (RTYuTb - 12 min 28 sec - August 01, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."RT spoke in London to Julian Assange, the founder and editor-in-chief of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.org, responsible for the leakage of the documents on Afghan war, the biggest in US military history."

Key WikiLeaks Figure Detained, Phones Seized by US Customs
Related Article - A quote...."A top volunteer with WikiLeaks, Jacob Appelbaum, was detained by US customs officials in New York today, following his return to the nation from a trip to the Netherlands. During the three hour detention, officials rummaged through his belongings, photocopied all of his receipts, searched his laptop computer, and seized his cellular telephones."

US Military Lies About July Iraq Death Toll
A quote...."After spending most of last week paging over evidence of the US military lying about the scope of the civilian death toll if Afghanistan, it seems that it is Iraq’s turn, with the US military publicly lying, claiming that only 161 civilians were killed in Iraq in July."

270 Afghan civilians killed in July
A quote...."Two hundred seventy civilians were killed in different security incidents in July across the country but unfortunately it shows 29 percent increase in comparison with the previous month," Bashari told a weekly press briefing here." - also posted at Uruknet

Afghans protest alleged NATO civilian deaths
A quote...."KABUL — Afghans held a rally in the capital Kabul on Sunday to protest the alleged NATO killing of 52 civilians in the volatile south, but the coalition said it had still found no evidence of the deaths." - Source:  AFP-Goggle

Holland Withdraws Troops from Afghanistan
A quote...."The Dutch Withdraw troops by next Sunday despite repeated American and NATO requests to prolong their stay for another year in Afghanistan."

Iraq Shi'ite bloc rejects incumbent Maliki as PM
A quote...."(Reuters) - One of Iraq's main Shi'ite political blocs has rejected Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's claim to a second term and halted coalition talks until his party nominates a new candidate, politicians said. -- Maliki's party said it was standing by the premier. -- The decision by the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) to break off negotiations was a major setback in forming a new government as U.S. troops are planning to cut back military operations in Iraq more than seven years after ousting Saddam Hussein."

Cameron: Road to Hague
A quote...."In his anti-Pakistan offensive from Delhi, Cameron has publicly endorsed UK (and US’) anti-Pakistan foreign policy. He said that we (UK and US) cannot tolerate Pakistan look both ways and is able to promote and export terror whether to India, Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world. Cameron said Pakistan could no longer look both ways by tolerating terrorism while demanding respect as democracy (Cameron remarks, The Guardian July 28). In Today program, Cameron said that he chooses his words carefully and thereby rejected Downing Street’s statement that PM was not accusing Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism. He also ignored Pakistan’s foreign office rebuttal." - also posted at AlethoNews
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Shock wave and bubble: the untruth about the Cheonan
Special Note - From the History File - July 18th 2010 - More mass-faux-infotainment-media crap bites the dust....again. - mpg -- A quote...."Only a small coterie in the USA and South Korea know for sure what really happened to the South Korean warship. But, unreported in the Western media, the 'proof' that the Cheonan was sunk by North Korea has been thoroughly discredited." - also posted at GlobalRsrch - For more on this issue see....US-False Flag Ops - The Cheonan

Obama Wants To Spy On Internet Users
Must View YTVideo - (YTYuTb -  4 min 56 sec - July 30, 2010) - Source:  TheYougTurks - More regarding Obama's "wire-tap anybody policy". - mpg

The “Summer Camp Of Destruction:” Israeli High Schoolers Assist The Razing Of A Bedouin Town
A quote...."AL-ARAKIB, ISRAEL — On July 26, Israeli police demolished 45 buildings in the unrecognized Bedouin village of al-Arakib, razing the entire village to the ground  to make way for a Jewish National Fund forest. The destruction was part of a larger project to force the Bedouin community of the Negev away from their ancestral lands and into seven Indian reservation-style communities the Israeli government has constructed for them. The land will then be open for Jewish settlers, including young couples in the army and those who may someday be evacuated from the West Bank after a peace treaty is signed." - also posted at MyCatBirdSeat
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

Latest Testimonies By Activists On Board Rachel Corrie MV
Flotilla News - A quote...."I was then put into a small cell measuring maybe five feet by seven feet with a small basin and a open toilet. All these were squeezed into that small space: Renowned International Lawyer and Scholar, Mathias Chang."

Stolen Land, Stolen Trees, Stolen Livelihoods
A quote...."Imagine your livelihood is farming. You grow a variety of products that have sustained you and your family for generations. Then, imagine that the Army decides to erect a long fence that blocks you from accessing your farm. They say you will be able to get a permit to enter your own land, but when you apply, you are denied. The only person they will give the permit to is your elderly father, who cannot possible tend the land as needed and support the family. Already poor, your future is grim." - also posted at Uruknet - For more on this issue see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Israeli strike injures 39 in Gaza
A quote...."An Israeli strike on the impoverished Gaza Strip has injured 39 people, all of them civilians, witnesses say. -- Israeli warplane attacked the Deir-al-Balah refugee camp, located in the center of the Gaza City, which is heavily populated, a Press TV correspondent reported."

Occupied Palestine: Home Demolitions, Dispossessions and Residency Rights Revoked
A quote...."July 31, (Pal Telegraph – By Stephen Lendman) Daily, Israeli oppression continues - demolishing homes, dispossessing occupants, and revoking residency rights, three of its many crimes under international law, Israel spurning it with impunity."

Thousands of Irish Shoppers Demand that Dunnes Stores Stop Stocking Israeli Products
Action Alert - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's YOUR money being used to commit murder and theft. - mpg -- Contains Video - Alt -- A quote...."Today, Thursday 29th July 2010, at 1pm, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) delivered a petition to Dunnes Stores signed by over 6,000 shoppers across Ireland. The petition demands that Dunnes Stores stop stocking Israeli products, until Israel respects Palestinian rights and international law. Present at the handing-in were Brendan Archbold, the trade union official at the centre of the 1980s Dunnes strike when workers refused to handle South African goods, Freda Hughes IPSC National Chairperson, Aengus O'Snodaigh TD of Sinn Fein along with supporters of the campaign and members of both the Palestinian and South African communities in Ireland." -- 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.

Australian churches urge boycott of Israeli goods
Action Alert - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's what Jesus Christ would want. - mpg -- A quote...."AUSTRALIA (ICEJ News) – The National Council of Churches Australia (NCCA), the nation’s largest ecumenical body, met last week for its 7th Triennial Forum, which resulted in a statement asking Australians to consider boycotting goods produced by Israeli settlements in the West Bank in solidarity with Palestinian Christians." -- 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.

Aqraba plants olive trees to ward off settlers
A quote...."Residents of the village of Aqraba, near Nablus, planted forty young olive trees on their land on Thursday (29 July 2010) to send a message to settlers who have been plowing the area in an attempted land-grab."

Hamas rejects negotiations with Israel
Hamas is being stupid, talking implies nothing.  Look at the US-NRE, every word out of every single politicians mouth during the last ten years turned out to be an utter fabrication.  No treaty was ever adhered to by the US-NRE if the parasites running this government thought it was to their advantage not to do so.  Think of the ABM, think of the NPT, the Geneva Conventions, it's OWN constitution for Gawd's sake, think of what they did to the Native Americans.  They've NEVER HONORED ANYTHING!  The Israelis are no different, just as they've broken every promise they've ever made, just as they've violated every agreement they've ever signed, so they will do so in the future.  SO WHAT!  Not talking makes Hamas look stupid, intransigent and down right childish. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Debt is devouring Sovereign Nations. In the US, the Deficit is being Funded and Monetized by the Fed
A quote...."While we wait, watch and listen, the Fed decides when the banks will be given the word to start lending to get the domestic economy back to neutral. Action is needed quickly because the world economy is quickly deteriorating, and the recovery is simply not happening, as the administration admits to a fiscal deficit of $1.4 trillion. That would be down from a deficit of $1.9 trillion in 2009. Our long-term estimate has been $1.6 to $2 trillion. Over the past 18 months and after joint expenditures by government and the Fed of $2.3 trillion, all the administration has to show for their efforts are five quarters of stimulus growth of about 3-1/2%, which is now ending."

U.S. bank failures total 108 after 5 shut on Friday
A quote...."(Reuters) - U.S. bank failures reached 108 so far in 2010 on Friday as regulators seized five small banks in the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast, none publicly traded."

Record Commercial Real Estate Deterioration In June As CMBS Investors Pray For 50% Recoveries
Economic-Alert - A quote...."In continuing with the trivial approach of actually caring bout fundamentals instead of merely generous (and endless) Fed liquidity, we peruse the most recent RealPoint June 2010 CMBS Delinquency report. The result: total delinquent unpaid balance for CMBS increased by $3.1 billion to $60.5 billion, 111% higher than the $28.6 billion from a year ago, after deteriorations in 30, 90+ Day, Foreclosure and REO inventory. This represents a record 7.7% of total outstanding CMBS exposure. Even worse, total Special Servicing exposure by unpaid balance has taken another major leg for the worse, jumping to $88.6 billion, or 11.3%, up 0.7% from the month before. And even as cumulative losses show no sign of abating, average loss severity on CMBS continues being sky high:"

With Just Five Months To Go, Stocks Are 90% Short Of Meeting Goldman's Full Year Equity Inflow Target
Market Tech Note - A quote...."In his earlier presentation, David Kostin (way back on page 28), candidly admits that anyone who follows rule #1 in finance, which is "Always Follow the Money" can easily skip through the first 27 pages of his presentation and realize that there is simply no way that the market can meet the permabullish strategist's expectation for equity inflows for the full year 2010. While way back in December, Kostin speculated that stocks are so undervalued they would see $600 billion in net equity inflows, with seven months down, there have been only $57 billion on inflows Year To Date, of which retail flows are actually negative $16 billion." - bold/underline by website editor

Greek military mobilised to break truck drivers strike
A quote...."The decision by the social democratic PASOK government to use the military to break a nationwide strike by truck drivers is a stark indication of the polarisation of class relations in Greece and throughout Europe." - For more on this issue see the two articles....Greek truck drivers defy government - posted 07-30-10 & Greek Gov Resorts To Wartime Emrgcy Act: Threatens Eco-Paralyzing Strikers With Prison... - posted 07-29-10

Saturday July 31st 2010

No posts. - mpg

Friday July 30th 2010

Trends to Barbarism and Prospects for Socialism
A quote...."July 30, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Western societies and states are moving inexorably toward conditions resembling barbarism; structural changes are reversing decades of social welfare and subjecting labor, natural resources and the wealth of nations to raw exploitation, pillage and plunder, driving living standards downward and provoking unprecedented levels of discontent. - We will proceed by outlining the economic political and military processes driving this process of decay and decomposition and follow with an account of the mass popular responses to their own deteriorating conditions."

Is the United States a Dictatorship? - Not quite yet, (thanks to the web) almost there though. - mpg
A quote...."Unfortunately for some decades now the past Presidents and key members of the US Government have been on one continuous war footing. They have embarked on an extremely aggressive foreign policy and taken over the role of policing the world in place of the United Nations. It is clearly evident that as far as the United States is concern you had better “Do as I say or else.” -- This aggressiveness is so advanced it is no longer possible to negotiate with them on a fair and balanced playing field. This policy is not only confined to the US but also extends over in the UK, France, Germany and Israel which has basically made each of their leaders and respective governments very unpopular with the people." - also posted at DProgram

The Ruling Elite Called
A quote...."I just got off the horn with the Ruling Elite. We had an emergency conference call and to tell you the truth, they ain’t happy. You little people are not responding the way you are supposed to. A significant portion of you are not getting more optimistic because they tell you to. Instead of just reading the headline on Bloomberg that durable goods orders skyrocketed in June, you actually read the details that said durable goods orders plunged. It is getting difficult for the ruling elite to keep the masses sedated and dumbed down.  --  These damn bloggers, with their facts and critical thinking, are throwing a wrench into the gears. Obama and his crack team are working round the clock to lock down the internet, but it will take time. Not that they are totally dissatisfied.  --  They’ve been able to renovate their penthouses and purchase new mansions in the Hamptons with the billions in bonuses you supplied through TARP. The $1.2 trillion supplied by your children and grandchildren to buy up toxic mortgages off their balance sheets was a godsend. They will never call you suckers, to your face."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Birgitta Jónsdóttir – Wikileaks Docs Expose Obama’s Lies on Winning The War in Afghanistan
Must View AJVideo - BJ&AJ(1/3) - BJ&AJ(2/3) - BJ&AJ(3/3) - (AJYuTb - 10m - July 29, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel  -- A quote...."Alex welcomes back to the show Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a member of the Icelandic parliament and poet, writer, artist, editor, publisher, activist and internet pioneer. She is an active volunteer for Wikileaks."

Damage Control - Downplaying - WikiLeaks Revelations
Related Article - Or spinning them for your own ends. - mpg -- A quote...."When truths are too disturbing to conceal, downplay them, change the subject, and blame others, not responsible Washington officials and key allies, culpable politicians and media misinformation masters suppressing and misreporting the facts, their well-oiled spin machine counterattacking WikiLeaks - revelations too sensitive to explain, a potential game-changer otherwise, so pundits and reporters duck them."

Thank God for the Whistle-Blowers
A quote...."What WikiLeaks did was brilliant journalism, and the bleating critics from the president on down are revealing just how low a regard they have for the truth. As with Richard Nixon’s rage against the publication of the Pentagon Papers, our leaders are troubled not by the prospect of these revelations endangering troops but rather endangering their own political careers. It is our president who unnecessarily sacrifices the lives of our soldiers and not those in the press who let the public in on the folly of the mission itself."

WikiLeaks: Who's Hiding What and Why
Related Article - A quote...."Two ways exist of looking at WikiLeaks, the site that publicizes secret military documents and videos. The first is held self-interestedly by the Pentagon and by Fox News, the voice of an angry lower-middle class without too much education. These believe that Wikileakers are traitors, haters of America, who give aid and comfort to the enemy and endanger the lives of Our Boys."

U.S. worried more secret documents may be released
Related Article - A quote...."(Reuters) - U.S. officials are worried about what other secret documents the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks may possess and have tried to contact the group without success to avoid their release, the State Department said on Friday." - Source:  Reuters
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Ray McGovern – Israel to Start War with Iran Maybe in August 2010 – Alex Jones Tv
AJVideo - War Alert - RM&AJ(1/2) - RM&AJ(2/2) - (AJYuTb - 10m - July 30, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel  -- A quote...."Alex welcomes back to the show Ray McGovern, a retired CIA officer turned political activist. McGovern presented morning intelligence briefings at the White House for a number of presidents."

Paul Craig Roberts – We Are Almost Past The Point of No Return! – Alex Jones Tv
AJVideo - PCR&AJ(1/2) - PCR&AJ(2/2) - (AJYuTb - 10m - July 30, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel  -- A quote...."Alex talks with economist Paul Craig Roberts about his article, The Year America Dissolved. Roberts served as an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration and is a former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Scripps Howard News Service. His articles appear widely across the alternative media. Dr. Roberts’ latest book is How the Economy Was Lost: The War of the Worlds."

The Year America Dissolved
Related Article - Paul Craig Roberts essay, mentioned in the video shown above. - mpg -- A quote...."July 27, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- It was 2017. Clans were governing America. -- The first clans organized around local police forces. The conservatives’ war on crime during the late 20th century and the Bush/Obama war on terror during the first decade of the 21st century had resulted in the police becoming militarized and unaccountable."

From Braveheart To Big Fan
A quote...."“I see a whole army of my countrymen, here, in defiance of tyranny. What will you do without freedom? Will you fight?” -- *William Wallace*, from the motion picture “Braveheart”   ---   "Talk like that could get you branded a right-wing extremist these days. -- We are now taught that feelings of hatred and anger are things that should be criminalized, and if you raise your voice anywhere outside of a sports stadium, you could very well be forced to take some anger management classes.  Do it within earshot of a police officer and you just might get yourself a beat down, a tasering— or even worse—you just might get shot." - also posted at DProgram
  ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Out of Afghanistan
Must Read - A quote...."by Ralph Nader -- America’s overseas wars have different outcomes when they have no constitutional authority, no war tax, no draft, no regular on the ground press coverage, no Congressional oversight, no spending accountability and, importantly, no affirmative consent of the governed who are, apart from the military families, hardly noticing. -- This is an asymmetrical, multi-matrix war. It is a war defined by complex intrigue, shifting alliances, mutating motivations, chronic bribery, remotely-generated civilian deaths, insuperable barriers of language and ethnic and subtribal conflicts. It is fought by warlords, militias, criminal gangs, and special forces discretionary death squads. Millions of civilians are impoverished, terrified and live with violent disruptions. There is no central government to speak of. The White House uses illusions of strategies and tactics to bid for time. In Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of invaders, hope springs infernal."

Burden of war in Afghanistan shifts even more to the U.S.
A quote...."With North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies distancing themselves from the notion of an open-ended stay in Afghanistan, the American aspect of the war comes increasingly to the fore. -- In the United States, the rapidly rising combat toll in Afghanistan is feeding congressional doubts about the war's aims. But such qualms are rarely heard in the ranks, particularly in units that have arrived in the last six months as part of the buildup."

Rioting in Kabul after US embassy car kills four civilians
A quote...."The Afghan capital is on high alert after rioting sparked by the death of four civilians when a US embassy vehicle crashed into their car. There are fears of a repeat of the city-wide riots that struck Kabul in 2006."

US chopper down in Afghanistan
A quote...."A US helicopter has crashed in northeastern Afghanistan as the death toll of foreign forces in the volatile country continues to set new records. -- The US Air Force chopper went down in the Afghan province of Kunar on Saturday, a Press TV correspondent reported." - also posted at WarInIraq -- For more on this issue see quote shown below....


Iraq death toll in July highest in more than two years
Looks like the Saudi / CIA / al-Qaeda nexus has been very busy. - mpg -- A quote...."BAGHDAD (AFP) – July was the deadliest month in Iraq since May 2008 with a total of 535 people killed across the country as a result of violence, according to government figures released on Saturday."

Israel Threatens Lebanon - The Existential Threat Facing Lebanon Today
A quote...."Beirut will be abuzz with diplomatic activity this weekend as Saudi Arabia ’s King Abdullah makes his first official visit to Lebanon since assuming the throne. Reports are that President Bashar Assad of Syria will accompany him as the two aim to diffuse mounting tension over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ’s (STL) anticipated indictment of “rogue” Hezbollah elements allegedly involved in the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri."

Israel violates Lebanon's airspace
A quote...."The Lebanese army has announced that Israeli reconnaissance aircraft have violated Lebanon's airspace for the third time in a week."

'West has yet to respond to Iran letter' - (i.e. the US-NRE) That's because the Jewish Lobby wants their war.
A quote...."Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says Iran has yet to receive an official response from the Vienna group regarding nuclear fuel swap negotiations."

China denounces EU's Iran sanctions
A quote...."China has voiced its disapproval of the new unilateral sanctions imposed by the EU against Iran over its nuclear program, urging a negotiated solution through diplomacy. -- "China does not approve of the European Union's unilateral sanctions on Iran," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a Friday statement posted on the ministry's website, Reuters reported." - Source:  PressTV

Iran May Get Gasoline From Russia State Companies Next Month, Chamber Says
A quote...."Three Russian state-controlled oil companies, including OAO Rosneft and OAO Gazprom Neft, may begin delivering gasoline to Iran in a month, said the head of the Iran Commission of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce & Industry."

Lurching Toward War? - Iran Under Siege
A quote...."The European Union is imposing more severe sanctions on Iran, while U.S. leaders debate whether they should officially support an Israeli military attack.  The cavalier nature of “debates” concerning Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons development assume that it is the right of the U.S. and its allies to do whatever they want to Iran, whenever they want, however they want.  This is a recipe not only for criminal aggression, but devastation and imperial terror on a massive scale." - also posted at AlethoNews

Bolstering the military capabilities of America's Middle East allies against Iran: $30 Billion Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia -- A quote...."Large scale weapons sales to America's allies are in the pipeline. The $30 billion sale to Saudi Arabia must be viewed in the broader context. Large scale weapons sales to a number of US allies have recently been announced including Israel, India, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Georgia. This military build-up is directed against Iran as well as Russia and China."

Egypt must drop charges against three activists
A quote...."Amnesty International has urged the Egyptian authorities to drop all charges against two leading human rights activists and a well-known blogger whose trial is expected to conclude in Cairo on Saturday."

Berlusconi ousts ally, says govt stable
A quote...."ROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi says his government will survive a breakup with a long-time political ally. -- But he was meeting with another key partner in his government just to make sure."

North Korea, China Sign Agreement for Economic, Technological Cooperation
A quote...."North Korea signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement with China today, a week after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced further trade sanctions to halt the regime’s nuclear-weapons program."

China Says its Ready to Counter Threats Looming Near its Borders
A quote...."July 30, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - A top Chinese Military commander speaking on CCTV program on Thursday, said China is paying close attention to changing situation in South China Sea at the time of a joint US-South Korea military drill near its maritime limits."

China's 3rd-generation fighter planes take live-ammunition training
Photo Gallery - A quote...."China's third-generation fighter planes of the Chengdu Military Zone take part in a training with live ammunition over southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region July 6, 2010. (Xinhua/Liu Yinghua)"

Another terrorist bombing plot foiled in Russia's Dagestan republic
Looks like Israel and the US-NRE's Mikheil Saakashvili have been very active. - mpg -- A quote...."MOSCOW, July 31 (Xinhua) -- A second major terrorism attempt in a week was foiled when police defused an improvised explosive device in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the Interior Ministry said Saturday." - also posted at WarInIraq

Abkhazia protests over seizure of Ukrainian dry cargo ship by Georgia
A quote...."SUKHUM, July 30 (Itar-Tass) – Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry has issued a protest over the seizure by Georgian naval forces of a krainian dry cargo ship that called into Abkhazian territorial waters previously. -- “Georgia continues the policy of Abkhazia’s economic isolation by seizing commercial ships that head for or traverse the territorial waters of the Republic of Abkhazia,” the note said. -- “Such actions on the part of Georgia contravene the international law of the sea and humanitarian law and are rightfully considered to be acts of aggression,” the ministry said."

Report Suggests "Correlation" between U.S. Aid  [i.e. "Training"] and Army Killings
A quote...."BOGOTÁ, Jul 30, 2010 (IPS) - "There are alarming links between increased reports of extrajudicial executions of civilians by the Colombian army and units that receive U.S. military financing," John Lindsay-Poland, lead author of a two-year study on the question, told IPS." - also posted at ICH

CIA killed Chile army chief'
A quote...."Santiago - The former head of Chile's secret police has denied involvement in the murder of the country's ex-commander in chief of the army, claiming the Central Intelligence Agency ordered the assassination."

Farc slams Colombian government
Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."The leader of Colombia's largest rebel group has been seen in a new video, criticising the Latin American country's president-elect."

Conference Ends with No Progress on Colombia-Venezuela Dispute
A quote...."A meeting of foreign ministers of the 12-member Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, ended with no progress toward resolving the diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Colombia."
  ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Amusing Ourselves to Death
Cartoon - Huxley is only partly right, we're not "just amusing ourselves to death", we're amusing ourselves while people are put to death.  In other words we've got the worst of BOTH Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" AND George Orwell's "1984". - mpg

Documents show CIA prisoners held in Poland?
A quote...."Evidence given to the Helsinki Foundation by border guards in Poland reveal, for the first time, official documentation of people, presumed to be terrorist suspects, disembarking from planes in Poland leased by the CIA. -- The revelations add to previous reports alleging that a secret CIA prison existed in northern Poland where al-Qaida suspects were held. The documents reportedly show that from December 202 to July 2003, 20 people were held for various lengths of time in a facility near the Szymany airfield in the northeast of Poland."

Obama Bravely Takes on a Tortured Child Soldier -- Torturing the Rule of Law at Obama's Gitmo
A quote...."President Obama may lack the nerve to stare down Liz Cheney or Bibi Netanyahu, but no one can deny that our commander in chief has the guts to take on a child soldier. Come October, a military commission in Guantánamo will try Omar Khadr, a Canadian national captured outside Kabul in 2002, when he was just 15 years old. This will be only the third Gitmo trial and the Obama administration’s first, and there won’t be anything kinder and gentler about it." - also posted at IPMsngHdlns - For more on this issue see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables

House rejects bill to aid sick 9/11 responders
30 TRILLION dollars for the Banksters, NOTHING  for the first responders....typical.  It's probably just the government's way of getting rid of people who actually witnessed what really happened on 9/11.- mpg -- A quote...."A bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid [keep in mind folks, there are many hedge fund managers who received more than half that amount in one year alone] to people sickened by World Trade Center dust fell short in the House on Thursday, raising the possibility that the bulk of compensation for the ill will come from a legal settlement hammered out in the federal courts." - bold by website editor - For more on this issue see....Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

One of the Fastest-Growing Businesses on the Internet: Spying on Internet Users
Special Web Tech Note - A quote...."The piece provides an interactive graphic to explain what you can do to counter this advertiser surveillance stuff, but nowhere does the word AdBlockPlus appear. Woops. *chuckle* This will block most ads from loading in the first place. (Yes, AdBlockPlus blocks ads on Cryptogon.) -- I like Ghostery because it’s easy to use, but NoScript is much more powerful/cumbersome. --  I mainly use this stuff to conserve bandwidth. Getting into a lather about this, in terms of privacy, is somewhat silly because none of this does anything to protect you from the surveillance that’s occurring on the wire by ISPs and governments. Go ahead and block this stuff if it makes you feel better, or helps you conserve bandwidth, but don’t kid yourself into thinking that you are hiding anything from your ISP or your government, where the genuinely terrifying surveillance occurs, by using these methods. You would have to take much more extreme measures to actually maintain your privacy online if the enemy is a government, or a corporation that is colluding with a government."

FBI Admits Investigating Howard Zinn for Criticizing Bureau
A quote...."FBI files show bureau may have tried to get Zinn fired from Boston University for his political opinions "

Obama's treachery from Afghanistan to Shirley Sherrod - also posted at OnlineJournal
A quote...."The worsening economic and political plight of everyday Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people in this nation grows ever more perilous by the day. The hypocrisy, obfuscation, lies and cowardice of Barack Obama and his Democratic Party foxes have, in just under two years, done more to facilitate the impending onslaught by the extreme right-wing Republican Party wolves than the so-called ‘Tea Partiers’ ever could. Sadly, this should come as no surprise. -- As Barack Obama parties in the White House, and utters constant and hollow rhetoric for corporate-stream media consumption and dissemination, the people of this nation and planet increasingly suffer the egregious hardships of war, unemployment, home foreclosures, no universal health care, ecological disaster, corporate domination, and intensified political repression [his brazen extension of the ‘Patriot Act’ and ‘Rendition’]."

Is Obama a Marxist? No, He Works for the Bankers
A quote...."In an article gaining a lot of traction across the blogosphere, Wayne Allyn Root, who considers himself a Libertarian Republican, says Obama is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure in order to turn the U.S. into a socialist/Marxist state. -- Obamacare, cap-and-trade, legalizing 12 million illegal aliens, increased taxation, and endless bailouts and stimulus boondoggles, Root argues, are schemes designed to overwhelm the system and pave the way for a Marxist takeover of America. -- It cannot be denied these schemes will destroy America. It also cannot be denied they are intentional. -- However, it has nothing to do with Marxism." - also posted at DProgram

Schwarzenegger, Murdoch Give Keynote Speeches At The Bohemian Grove
A quote...."California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is to make a keynote address this evening before the Annual Bohemian Club secret gathering - a lifetime achievement for a man who has long been groomed for power by the globalist elite."

Phoenix Rising ... and the Struggle Continues
A quote...."I've written a lot about Arizona since the national controversy over SB 1070 took hold, and in particular during recent weeks as the struggle over the bill's implications and ultimate fate began to reach a fever pitch. This focus is not accidental by any means: I've lived in Arizona for fifteen years, and I care deeply about the causes of social justice reflected in the debate over immigration. And what I've seen here during this time, and especially over the past few days, indicates to me that we are on the cusp of something truly extraordinary. As the creeping fascism of immigrant-bashing becomes starkly evident, people are starting to move from protest to solidarity, and from fear to determination."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Robert Fisk: Israel has crept into the EU without anyone noticing
A quote...."The death of five Israeli servicemen in a helicopter crash in Romania this week raised scarcely a headline. -- There was a Nato-Israeli exercise in progress. Well, that's OK then. Now imagine the death of five Hamas fighters in a helicopter crash in Romania this week. We'd still be investigating this extraordinary phenomenon.

The Silence of The Bedouins
A quote...."The road to al-Hadidiya village in the northeastern West Bank district of Tubas is dotted with boulders etched with a warning in Hebrew, Arabic and English: “Danger - Open Fire Area”.

Israeli religious and government leaders condemn arrest of rabbi who authored book permitting killing of non-Jews
A quote...."Dozens of rabbis, National Religious figures sign condemnation of Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira's arrest over book. Rabbi Aviner tells Ynet: I am opposed to book, but religious laws governing killing non-Jews outlined in it are legitimate, must be dealt with halachically' - Source:  YNet - also posted at WarInIraq

Ethnic specific weapons: The real story behind the murder of Dr David Kelly
From the History File -- Various Dates -- A quote...."We posted a story on SOTT.net that David Kelly was involved with ultra secret work at Israel's Institute for Biological Research. -- A report on November 15, 1998 by the Sunday Times suggests that this Institute "is working on a biological weapon that would harm Arabs but not Jews".
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

More On The Palestinian Situation....

Norman Finkelstein at the 8th Annual Convention of Al-Awda
Must View AFVideo - NF(1/2) - NF(2/2) - (AFYuTb - 10m -  July 30, 2010) - Source:  AlternateFocus -- A quote...."AlternateFocus | July 30, 2010 -- Norman Finkelstein speaks about the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. He discusses the Goldstone report, attacks on hospitals, mosques. He also talks about Amnesty International's report on the invasion. He discusses comments about the war from Israeli leaders like Tzipi Livni and Shimon Peres. This speech was given at Al-Awda's 2010 Convention." - For more on this issue see....Gaza Invasion of 12/27/08  -- Regarding Hamas's use of rockets, see quote shown below....


The rich tapestry of Israeli apartheid
Special Note - A quote...."The recent announcement that Palestinian communities in Israel will be provided with a bus service for the first time since Israel’s founding – that is, in 62 years – surprised observers who had not realised second-class citizenship also extends to being deprived of a bus line." - also posted at AlethoNews

We shall be as dreamers
A quote...."The Palestinians' starting position is better than ours: They have fulfilled most of their obligations under the road map peace plan, while we have not removed even one of the illegal outposts we were supposed to dismantle."

End Gaza blockade, UNHRC tells Israel
A quote...."The United Nations Human Rights Committee has told Israel to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip and to take action about its human rights violations."

IOF troops deliver demolition notice against mosque, declare village closed
A quote...."TOBAS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) served demolition notices against a mosque and four houses in Yerza village, Tobas district, on Friday, the municipal council chairman Mokhles Masa'eed said. -- He told Safa news agency that the notices included the demolition of four houses in addition to the newly built mosque in the village, noting that it was built over an area of 100 square meters." - also posted at AlethoNews

Israeli Media Allow Army To Whitewash Another Murder
A quote...."Another Palestinian life was ended by Israeli gunfire last week. Again it was dismissed by military spokesmen as a case of mistaken identity, again it was presented in the Israeli press as a successful security operation. Written and photographed by Aaron Dearborn."

Israel bombs central Gaza City: seventeen injured
A quote...."At around 11:30pm last night (Friday 30 July 2010), ‘The Arafat Compound’ Police College in central Gaza City was bombed by Israeli F-16s, in the area of ‘Al Montada’ injuring seventeen people, three of them seriously. Three children were also among the injured."

West Bank businesses suffer from Israel trade restrictions
AJZVideo - (AJYuTb - 3m4s - July 25, 2010) - Source:  AlJazeeraEnglish -- A quote...."Businesses in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory, have long suffered from many costly trade restrictions imposed by Israel under the country's occupation. -- Taybeh, the only brewery of beer in the West Bank, and Pharmacare, a pharmaceutical company there that supplies medicine across Europe, are two companies with many grievances about Israel's restrictions. -- They say that high taxes and duties and long inspections of goods significantly hinder their ambitions to export and expand. -- Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Ramallah in the West Bank." - For more on this issue see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Activists work to stop tax-exempt donations to Israeli settlements
Action Alert - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's YOUR money being used for EVIL purposes. - mpg -- A quote...."As Israel's illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank continues to be a strain on US-Israel relations, an unflattering light is being shone on US private donations towards the development of the settlements that are increasingly encroaching on Palestinian land." -- 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.

Prominent Palestinians Tell Abbas:  Don't Deny Our Rights. - Too late for that!!! - mpg
A quote...."The Obama administration is exerting intense pressure on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to move “sooner than later” to direct talks with Israel. The European Union is also pressing Abbas to do the same thing. Both the US and EU are considered chief bankrollers of the PA, which nearly completely depends on foreign aid for its financial and political survival." - also posted at WarInIraq

Source: 20 Hamas leaders detained, funds seized
A quote...."Nablus - Ma’an - Palestinian Authority security forces detained at least 20 Hamas leaders in Nablus over the past two days, a security source told Ma'an Saturday."  -bold by website editor
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Bill Black: Who Regulates the Regulators? - Alt - (RNYuTb - 10m - July 26, 2010) - Source:  TheRealNews
RNVideo - A quote...."Bill Black: Administration and Congress not willing to break up big banks or control exec. compensation." -- See related RNVideo - Bill Black: New Finance Bill Will Not Prevent Another Crisis - Alt - (RNYuTb - 10m -  July 22, 2010)

Ten Things That Would Turn Rosie Bullish, And A Realistic Read On Today's GDP Data
Must Read - A quote...."The economy underperformed expectations in the second quarter with the initial estimate of real GDP growth coming in at a 2.4% annual rate. The revisions to the back-data also showed the Great Recession to be even greater than initially thought with the economic loss now totaling 4.1% from 3.7% previously. And the revisions also reveal a policy- and inventory-induced recovery that is now losing steam at a faster rate than was thought before, especially with respect to consumer spending – the 2.4% GDP pace is down from 3.7% in the first quarter and 5% in the fourth quarter of last year."

ECRI Leading Indicator Plunges Deeper Into Double Dip Territory As Stocks Turn Green
Chart - Related Article - A quote...."The ECRI Leading Indicator has just moved further into certain recession territory, hitting -10.7 for the most recent week (the previous revised number is -10.5). The market goes green on the news, as the Liberty 33 traders have done their job for the day and are off to the Hamptons. And what is so odd about the market reaction one may ask - bad news are as always priced in, as the apocalypse is nothing that a little money printing can't fix, while minimal upside surprises (soon to be revised far lower) are sufficient to move the market higher by over 100 points intraday. Hopefully the HFT operators unionize and go on strike soon in demanding greater pay, and get the Greek trucker treatment as a result, because this market is not even a joke anymore."

8 More Reasons Why a Double Dip Is Coming
Related Article - A quote...."As earnings season continues and one company after another beats expectations, the economic numbers are continuing to come in below estimates. The data and indicators are increasingly painting a picture of an economy that is falling apart. Here are a few of the reasons why another recession is imminent...."

Bond Yields Plunge, Confidence Wanes, and the Financial Crisis Continues
Related Article - A quote...." On Tuesday, the 30-year fixed-rate for mortgages plunged to an all-time low of 4.56%. Rates are falling because investors are moving into risk-free liquid assets, like Treasuries. That's pushing down the yield on the 10-year note which is linked to mortgage rates. It's a sign of panic, which is the result of the Fed's failure to restore investor confidence. The flight-to-safety continues a full two years after Lehman Bros blew up. -- Housing demand has fallen off a cliff in spite of the historic low rates. Purchases of new and existing homes are roughly 25% of what they were at their peak in 2006. It's a catastrophe. Case/Schiller reported on Monday that June new homes sales were the "worst on record", but the media twisted the story to create the impression that sales were booming."

Recession in U.S. Was Even Worse Than Estimated, Revisions Show - We never came out of it!!! - mpg
Related Article - A quote...."The worst U.S. recession since the 1930s was even deeper than previously estimated, reflecting bigger slumps in consumer spending and housing, according to revised figures. - The world’s largest economy shrank 4.1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2009, compared with the 3.7 percent drop previously on the books, the Commerce Department said today in Washington."

That Big Sucking Sound in the Economy Is the Threat of Serious Deflation
Related Article - A quote...."Members of the Fed have started warning that full-blown monetary deflation may be coming. That, not the deficit, could really put the US economy in ruin." - Well, the two combined don't really help either. - mpg -- One commentator said....


14.7 Million (19%) Of US Mortgages Have $770 Billion In Underwater Equity, $2.4 Trillion In Total Debt Impaired
Special Note - A quote...."An excel spreadsheet released from a recent briefing by Mark Zandi and Robert Shiller is making the rounds within the blogosphere. It provides a useful compilation of the underwater equity statistics in the country. In a nutshell here are the observations...."

Look What Surprises They Snuck Into The Financial Reform Bill
A quote...."Even just a decade ago, major pieces of legislation in the U.S. Congress would be just a few dozen pages long.  But today, it seems like every time Congress passes an important bill it ends up being over a thousand pages long.  In fact, the final version of the new financial reform law was over 2,300 pages." - bold/underline by website editor

Mainstream Economists: "Mission Accomplished"
Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."Numerous current stories show how disconnected mainstream policy-makers are from reality. -- For example, Ryan Grim points out that there is an "unbelievable disconnect" between the American people (who are people are against the Afghanistan war) and Congress and the political elite (gung-ho to escalate this never-ending war):"

Crowding Out Our Future Wealth
Special Note - A quote...."The standard justification for the Federal government's trillion-dollar-plus deficits for the next decade is this: "Without this stimulus, the economy will fall into another Great Depression." This is the Keynesian Party Line, all over the West. It is promoted by almost everyone. Even normally free market economists have gotten on board. --  Standing at the side of the deficit road, unwilling to climb on board the bandwagon, are Austrian School economists. Hardly anyone pays any attention to them. This has been true for approximately a century, when Ludwig von Mises published The Theory of Money and Credit (1912).  --  When you are surrounded by the media, which are all pitching the Keynesian version of economic causation, you would be wise to think through what is being said. To do this, start at the beginning. "There are no free lunches."

China's PMI of manufacturing sector continues to fall in July
Deflation Alert - A quote...."BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector stood at 51.2 percent in July, down 0.9 percentage points from the previous month, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing(CFLP) said here Sunday."

Japan unemployment rises further
Deflation Alert - A quote...."The unemployment rate in Japan has increased to its highest level since November last year while production of cars and electronics fell in June, showing weakness in the world's second largest economy."

Greek truck drivers defy government
A quote...."Greek truck drivers decided on Friday to continue their five-day national strike, following a series of punitive measures by the social democratic government of Prime Minister George Papandreou aiming to break their action." - See also related article....Greek Government Resorts To Wartime Emergency Act: Threatens Economy-Paralyzing Strikers With Prison Time - posted 07-29-10

China Becomes Second Biggest World Economy
A quote...."China has overtaken Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy, the fruit of three decades of rapid growth that has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. -- Depending on how fast its exchange rate rises, China is on course to overtake the United States and vault into the No.1 spot sometime around 2025, according to projections by the World Bank, Goldman Sachs and others."

Thursday July 29th 2010