Tuesday August 24th 2010

The American Morality Myth
Must Read - A quote...."Two stolen national elections, false-flag operations (and 3 Trillion dollars) to start two colonial corporate wars, policy of torture for false confessions, destruction and dissolution of constitutional privacy into a covert corporate surveillance industry, deliberate economic collapse through industry wide mortgage and insurance fraud, 24T to refinance the Globo-Econo-Criminals that crashed it in the first place, destruction of the illusion of finance, fairness, and justice, and any number of other staggering overt efforts have been exposed and acknowledged, yet people have ‘forgotten’ all of it and have been drawn back into their comfortable delusions about what this country is and what this country does." - also posted at ICH
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Turning Iraqi Cities into Slums - posted at ConsortiumNews
A quote...."Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life."

Spinning the US Failure in Iraq - posted at ConsortiumNews
A quote...."When I watched the last U.S. combat battalions leave Iraq on Wednesday night, I couldn’t help but recall the scene when the last Soviet troops departed Afghanistan on Feb. 15, 1989. In both cases, the two governments soft-pedaled the hard truth about the strategic defeats that the withdrawals represented."

Iraq receives new Mi-17 helicopters from Russia
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Defense Ministry said Tuesday it has received the third batch of Russian Mi-17 multi- purpose helicopters to support the Iraqi army."
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US troops fire shots to disperse Afghan protesters
A quote...."KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. troops fired warning shots to disperse a protest in eastern Afghanistan over the arrest of a religious leader suspected of a rocket attack, NATO said Tuesday."

NATO Supplies Disrupted by Pakistan Flooding - Did somebody say quagmire?? - mpg
A quote...."Supplying Afghanistan through Pakistan has been a problem all along, as the Khyber Pass between the two nations is a chokepoint and the site of almost constant attacks, with NATO transports being torched in and around Peshawar fairly regularly. -- But now they have a second problem as the massive flooding in Pakistan has shut down a number of highways and created traffic jams in most of the major cities."

5 more NATO tankers blown up at Torkham
Related Article - A quote...."LANDIKOTAL: Five NATO oil-supply tankers were blown up at the Torkham border on Tuesday. On the second consecutive day, in a parking lot at the Torkham border, five oil tankers carrying fuel to NATO forces in Afghanistan were blown up by a bomb fixed to one of them. The rest of the tankers caught fire and were burnt totally."

China donates 1000 tonnes rice for flood-hit people in Pakistan
A quote...."BEIJING (China): The China Asia International Finance Ltd, based in the Sichuan province of China and KASB Finance (Pakistan) have jointly donated 1000 tonnes of rice for the flood affecttes in Pakistan."
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Lebanese President Asks Iran for Military Aid -- Iran Seen as Replacement After US Pulls Aid
A quote...."Following the decision of US Rep. Howard Berman (D – CA) to freeze all military aid to Lebanon citing its “provocations against Israel,” Lebanese President Michel Suleiman today petitioned the Iranian government to be their replacement partner." -- For more on this issue see the prior post shown below....


Iran wants Turkey, Brazil in N-talks
A quote...."Iran deems effective the inclusion of Turkey and Brazil as two independent states in an upcoming meeting with the Vienna Group."

Kuwait seeks enhanced ties with Iran
A quote...."Kuwait's special envoy to Tehran has praised Iran's role in resolving regional developments and expressed his country's desire to enhance cooperation with Iran."
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Ingush militant leader killed
A quote...."MOSCOW, Aug 23 (KUNA) -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday evening its agents shot dead Ilez Gardanov, the rebel reader in Russia's southern mainly Muslim republic of Ingushetia. Acting on accurate intelligence information, the security services identified four militants riding a bus on their way to carry out a "terrorist operation," Russia's Vesti TV channel reported citing FSB sources."

Alleged arms dealer Bout not to be extradited to U.S. on Wed. — Thai radio
A quote...."Alleged Russian arms-dealer Viktor Bout will not be extradited from Thailand to the United States on Wednesday, Thai national radio reported with reference to the country's prime minister."

Israeli intelligence infiltrated throughout Lebanese government
A quote...."(WMR) has learned from its Lebanese intelligence sources that the Lebanese government is coming to realize that Israeli intelligence penetration of all political groups in the country is worse than originally believed. - Israel’s Mossad, once content on penetrating the Christian and Druze parties in the country, has now thoroughly infiltrated the top echelons of Sunni and Shi’a parties, as well. Recently, Lebanon charged retired General Fayez Karam, a senior member of retired General Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, which is allied with Hezbollah, with spying for Mossad."
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Review of Justin Vaïsse, Neoconservatism: The Biography of a Movement
Special Note - A quote...."The mainstream media acclaim Neoconservatism:  The Biography of a Movement  as the best book on neoconservatism—the definitive account—and portray its author, Justin Vaïsse, a French specialist on American foreign policy and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, as a veritable Alexis de Tocqueville for his masterly insights. The mainstream’s high praise of this book, however, would seem to be due in large part to its minimization of two taboo issues—neoconservatism’s Jewish nature and its focus on Israel.  Where the book breaks through what  was heretofore largely blacked-out in the mainstream media is its discussion of the major role played by the neoconservatives in bringing about the war on Iraq." - bold by website editor

U.S. Strategy: Control The World By Controlling The Internet - A Chinese Perspective
A quote...."In May 2009, Microsoft announced on its website that they would turn off the Windows Live Messenger service for Cuba, Syria, Iran, Sudan and North Korea, in accordance with US legislation. In January 2010, Google, the company which owns the largest Internet information resources, declared that in order to establish a more open Internet environment, they had to abandon the Chinese market. What is even more worrying is that Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairman of US Homeland Security Committee, recently presented to the US Senate a bill titled "Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset." -- To control the world by controlling the Internet has been a dominant strategy of the US."

Blackwater founder questioned in Abu Dhabi
A quote...."ABU DHABI // Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater private security firm, was questioned on Monday in Abu Dhabi, where he now lives, as part of a civil lawsuit by former employees of his company. -- Susan Burke, a lawyer representing two whistle-blowers, said Mr Prince had become a UAE resident on August 12."

Bancor: The Name Of The Global Currency That A Shocking IMF Report Is Proposing
A quote...."Sometimes there are things that are so shocking that you just do not want to report them unless they can be completely and totally documented.  Over the past few years, there have been many rumors about a coming global currency, but at times it has been difficult to pin down evidence that plans for such a currency are actually in the works.  Not anymore.  A paper entitled "Reserve Accumulation and International Monetary Stability" by the Strategy, Policy and Review Department of the IMF recommends that the world adopt a global currency called the "Bancor" and that a global central bank be established to administer that currency.  The report is dated April 13, 2010 and a full copy can be read here." - also posted at ECB
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Israel Defies the Turkel Panel
A quote...."Initially Israeli defense officials blamed the killings on Islamic extremists on board the ships, but later switched the blame on some technical glitches including a lack of preparation by IDF before the incident."

Israel uncooperative in UN flotilla probe
A quote...."Israel has refused to cooperate with the UN Human Rights Council in a probe into a deadly Israeli attack on an international Gaza-bound aid convoy, a UN official says."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

[Israeli] Military court convicts anti-wall leader
A quote...."BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- An Israeli military court on Tuesday found the leader of a West Bank protest movement guilty of incitement and organizing illegal demonstrations." - also posted at AlethoNews

Witnesses: Settlers raid house, burn crops
A quote...."TULKAREM (Ma'an) -- Settlers raided a house and torched five dunums of farmland in the northern West Bank Monday evening, witnesses said."

Criminalization of peaceful protest continues: more arrests at weekly demonstrations
A quote...."Bil’in: The weekly demonstration in the village of Bil’in this week saw protesters draw attention to the recently published photos of the abuse of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli army. A handful of the protesters blindfolded and handcuffed themselves to draw attention to the mistreatment of prisoners and marched at the front of the demonstration. Two arrests were made, including one of these protesters, a Norwegian student, who was grabbed while still blindfolded and dragged away." - also posted at Uruknet

Global boycott movement claims victories, arrests
Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it will make you FELL GOOD!  -mpg -- A quote...."This week, the Norwegian government announced that it has divested from two major Israeli companies involved in settlement construction and land theft in the occupied West Bank. Both companies, Africa Israel Investments and its subsidiary, Danya Cebus, are owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, and have been at the center of a widespread boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign since 2009." - also posted at AlethoNews -- For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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Keiser Report: Global Death Spiral [episode 71]
Must View MKVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - 26 min 37 sec - August 24, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday - Producer:  MaxKeiserTV -- A quote...."In the 71st episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, look at death spirals and vanity trades in the global financial markets. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Richard Buchanan about his attempts to form a Facebook union."

Guest Post: The True National Debt
Must Read - A quote...."When I read Paul Krugman and the other Keynesian boneheads saying that our debt is not a problem, they quote figures about our debt of $13.3 trillion versus our GDP of $14.6 trillion not being so bad. That is only 91% of GDP. They point to World War II when our national debt reached 120% of GDP. They say everything worked out after that."

St Louis Fed Explains Why The Fed Has Cornered Itself Between Deflation And (Hyper) Inflation
A quote...."A deposit is created when a bank makes a loan. Ordinarily, bank loans—and hence deposits—increase when the Fed adds reserves to the banking system. How ever, despite an increase in reserves of over $1 trillion, total commercial bank loans were some $200 billion lower in May 2010 than in September 2008. Banks added to their holdings of securities, which resulted in a modest increase in deposits and the money stock, but many banks were reluctant to make new loans." And herein lies the rub: if and when the economy ever picks up, and at this point that looks like an event that may well never happen, "Many economists worry that bank lending and monetary growth will eventually surge and, ultimately, cause higher inflation."

Another Historic Milestone Passed As Implied Correlation Hits New Record
Market Tech Note - A qutoe...."The 10 Year under 2.5%, Bunds, Gilts, JGBs all following suit to record risk-aversion levels, the EURCHF at record lows, the USDJPY at 15 year lows, and now this: the CBOE Implied Correlation index has just hit another historic plateau, touching on 85 earlier in the day, which means that all those who believe relative value can still be found are about to be carted off. Aside from the fact that the current level of JCJ would be the highest closing level in history, the intraday high of 84.50 is a very troubling indicator, which once again confirms that stocks continue to trade not on fundamentals, and probably not on technicals, but on ever increasing amount of leverage applied to some indication of beta. Essentially, market participants are likely levered to the gills like never before and betting it all on another daily Hail Mary." - bold by website editor

On the Edge with Max Keiser… and Gerald Celente
Must View MKVideo - GC&MK(1/3) - GC&MK(2/3) - GC&MK(3/3) - (MKYuTb - 10 min - August 21, 2010) - Source:  MaxKeiserTV -- A quote...."Gerald Celente joins Max Keiser On the Edge to discuss foreclosures, the second American Revolution, trends forecasting, and America’s interventionist foreign policy. On the government’s $8,000 tax credit for home buyers, Celente states...."


Home Sales Drop 27 Percent In July And Things Are Only Going To Get Worse For The U.S. Housing Industry
A quote...."On Tuesday the National Association of Realtors announced that existing home sales in the United States dropped a whopping 27.2% in the month of July."

Housing Holocaust: Existing Home Sales Plunge, Market Follows
A quote...."August 24, 2010 "Information Clearing House" --  Don't look now, but someone just pushed the housing market off a cliff. The National Association of Realtors announced on Tuesday that the sales of existing homes fell a staggering 27.2 percent to a seasonably adjusted rate of 3.83 million units. This is the lowest number of sales since 1995."

David Rosenberg: Prepare For Another 4-5 Million Job Cuts
A quote...."The article in yesterday’s WSJ titled Specter of Layoffs Stalks Wall Street really resonated with us. As we said in yesterday’s note, the size of the securitized loan market has shrunk 60% in the past two years. Balance sheets, production, order books and staffing requirements are all rightsizing to this new semi- permanent landscape of reduced credit availability."

Recovery Summer Hits the Rocks
A quote...."Jobless claims are rising, manufacturing is slowing, housing sales have fallen off a cliff,  GDP is shrinking. The whole notion of declaring "mission accomplished" over the recession seems ridiculous, which is why "Recovery Summer" has turned into a public relations nightmare." -- The political lackeys and their spin-meisters who manage this country for the parasites honestly believe that all you have to do is produce mountains of spin and economic reality won't intrude upon the voters of this country.  To a certain extent that's true, but even the stupidest, bovine, cud-chewing, moron begins to figure out that he's not doing all that well when he's been fired, has no money, his wife has left him and he's living on the street.  Reality does eventually trump spin every single time. - mpg

Illinois Teachers' Retirement System Enters The Death Spiral: AIG Wannabe's Go-For-Broke Strategy Fails As Pension Fund Begins Liquidations - A quote...."Two few months ago we disclosed how the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) was doing all it can to become the next AIG. In addition to, or maybe precisely due to, its deplorable fundamental condition, which can be summarized as being 61% underfunded on its  $33.7 billion in assets, with a performance record of down $4.4 billion in 2009 and 5% in 2008...."

Japan's exports rise 23.5% in July
A quote...."TOKYO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's exports in July rose 23.5 percent from a year earlier but the pace of expansion slowed down for the fifth straight month, government data showed Wednesday."

Monday August 23rd 2010

Kovel: Zionism’s dreary burden on Jewishness
Must Read - A quote...."Tony Judt had barely left this world when the Jerusalem Post lashed out at him with a nasty editorial on August 8. Clearly, Judt has never been forgiven for writing in 2003 in the New York Review of Books that Israel lacked legitimacy because of its structural Jewishness and deserved to be replaced with a “a single, integrated, bi-national state.” Heresy is unforgivable; and to call for the downfall of the Jewish state is heretical, because the ostensibly secular state of Israel has to see itself as the guarantor of Jewish survival, spiritual and physical alike. Anytime a Jew with an audience, i.e., an intellectual, critically examines this relationship, the alarm bells go off. Another existential threat! So Tony Judt was a dangerous man when he was alive and will be so as long as the memory of his deed remains. -- I am happy to say that I am in his good company." - also posted at AlethoNews

Four Reasons Why Americans Should Oppose Zionism
A quote...."Israel has been subject to some bad publicity recently.  In 2008-09, it launched a brutal military campaign in the Gaza Strip that killed over 400 Palestinian children.  In May, 2010, bumbling Israeli commandos murdered nine nonviolence activists on the relief flotilla Mavi Marmara.  It only got worse for Israel when it was revealed that soldiers stole and sold personal items such as laptops from the ship.  Last week, former Israeli soldier Eden Abergil posted photos onto facebook showing her preening in front of blindfolded and despondent Palestinian prisoners, in some instances mocking those prisoners with sexual undertones.  The photos were part of an album entitled “IDF—the best time of my life.”" - also posted at AlethoNews

Israeli Mossad Spying in America
A quote...."Israeli government claims that it does not spy on the United States are intended for the media and popular consumption. The reality is that Israel’s intelligence agencies target the United States intensively, particularly in pursuit of military and dual-use civilian technology. Among nations considered to be friendly to Washington, Israel leads all others in its active espionage directed against American companies and the Defense Department. It also dominates two commercial sectors that enable it to extend its reach inside America’s domestic infrastructure: airline and telecommunications security. Israel is believed to have the ability to monitor nearly all phone records originating in the United States, while numerous Israeli air-travel security companies are known to act as the local Mossad stations."
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Israel Orders Massive Military Fuel Stocks Far in Excess of that Required for Normal Operation
War Alert - A quote...."Three weeks ago the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published a notice, as it is legally required to do, announcing that Israel has ordered massive quantities of various fuels suitable for military use, and in the case of the order for JP-8 jet fuel, suitable only for military use. -- The massive order is valued at some $2 billion and, as well as the 284 million gallons (1.075 billion litres) of JP-8 jet fuel, the order also includes 60 million gallons (227 million litres) of unleaded gasoline and 100 million gallons (378 million litres) of diesel fuel."

U.S. in "checkmate," says Fidel Castro
A quote...."HAVANA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said the United States is in a checkmate concerning the possibility of an imminent attack on Iran, local media reported Monday. -- "The Yankees are in a checkmate, no matter how intelligent they are," Castro said at a meeting with Cuban journalists Sunday, where he presented his argument about the threat of a nuclear war. -- Castro stressed the devastating consequences of a nuclear war for the world, saying that nobody will survive after such a war breaks out."

Bushehr: Iran's strike against sanctions
A quote...."The much-delayed nuclear power plant in the southern Iranian city of Bushehr was uploaded with nuclear fuel on Saturday, the first step toward the Russian-built plant going online next month. This realizes a long-sought objective of Iran that at times seemed imperiled by costly delays and efforts by the United States and Israel to convince Moscow to stop it opening until Iran had complied with United Nations sanctions resolutions."

'UAE congratulates Iran on N-fueling'
A quote...."Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan has congratulated Iran over the fueling of the country's first nuclear power plant."

Just Like Bushehr, Iranian Enrichment Is No Threat
A quote...."In recent days, a good deal of attention has been focused on Iran’s first nuclear power plant at Bushehr, still in its final stages of development.  We believe that there are some important lessons to be learned from the Bushehr experiences that could help move U.S. policy on the Iranian nuclear issue in a much more positive and productive direction—if the Obama Administration is sufficiently interested in successful nuclear diplomacy with Tehran that it is willing to take these lessons on board."

Iran petrochemical projects attract $5bn
A quote...."Ten foreign investors have poured 5.1 billion dollars into Iran's petrochemical industry, the head of the National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NIPC) says. -- "The NIPC has set up a firm in the United Kingdom to attract foreign investors and finance [petrochemical projects]," Abdolhossein Bayat said on Monday. -- “We have entered negotiations with foreign investors on three big projects with an estimated value of $2.2 billion,” Bayat told IRNA." - also posted at AlethoNews
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Hamid Karzai: U.S. Taxpayer-Funded Private Contractors Engaging In Terrorist, Mafia-Like Activity
A quote...."Afghanistan's embattled president Hamid Karzai said on Sunday that U.S. taxpayers were indirectly funding "mafia-like groups" and terrorist activities with the American government's support of private contractors inside his country. -- In a rare U.S. media appearance, Karzai continued to press for the removal of the vast majority of U.S. private contractors by the end of this year. He argued that their continued presence inside Afghanistan was "an obstruction and impediment" to the country's growth, a massive waste of money, and a catalyst for corruption among Afghan officials." - also posted at ICH

US to spend $1.3 billion on Afghanistan bases
A quote...."The Pentagon is embarking on a major base construction effort in Afghanistan even as Obama administration and military officials are making it clear that the US “surge” will last well past the July 11 deadline for beginning a drawdown of US troops."

5 foreign troops killed in Afghanistan, raising month's death toll to 47
A quote...."KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - NATO officials say attacks by insurgents have killed five foreign troops in Afghanistan, including two Americans, two French marines, and a Hungarian soldier."

Taliban 'moral equivalent of America's founding fathers'
Quote of the Day...."These gentleman are the moral equivalent of America's founding fathers" -- *Ronald Reagan*

U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq After the Last ["]Combat Troops["] Withdraw
A quote...."An American soldier was killed in Iraq on Sunday, three days after the last combat brigade left the country ahead of the month-end deadline for the formal end of combat operations. --  The death of the soldier in Basra brings to four the number of U.S. deaths in combat so far this month, making August even with April as the deadliest month in Iraq since last fall. --  The Pentagon has yet to release the name of the fallen soldier, or to confirm reports of an earlier death, that of a soldier from Kentucky last Thursday."

Report: Sadr and Allawi Close to Govt Deal
A quote...."The prospect of an alliance between the Iraqiya and Iraqi National Alliance (INA) blocs and the formation of a coalition government could be closer than anyone realized, as a top Iraqiya MP reported today that the Sadr bloc, currently in charge of the INA, has acquiesced and given their approval for Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi as the next prime minister."

Islamabad Not to Allow Terrorists to Launch Attack on Iran from Pakistani Soil
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Pakistani Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mostafa Mohammad Najjar underlined that his country will not allow terrorists to use Pakistan's soil as a launch-pad for attacking Iran."

India to order another 59 Russian Mi-17 helicopters
A quote...."The Indian Air Force will soon order an additional 59 Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopters on top of the 80 ordered earlier, the IAF chief said on Thursday. -- The first deliveries of the 80 Mi-17 helicopters, ordered in 2008, will begin later this year, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik said in an interview with India Strategic."

Russia may build Chinese pipeline before South Stream - paper
A quote...."Russian energy giant Gazprom may build a gas pipeline from Russia to China before it implements the South Stream project, planned for gas transportation across the Black Sea, a business daily said on Tuesday."

Sarkozy's popularity hits 'all-time low'
A quote...."This month Sarkozy attempted to boost his public image with a populist and racially-tinged law and order message. -- Sarkozy recently issued a statement in which he blamed immigration for country's crime and vowed to strip some foreign-born criminals of French nationality. -- Last week, French government announced plans to deport 700 Roma gypsies. -- Critics, however, say Sarkozy's tough language on Gypsies and immigrants seem to have backfired on him as it drew fire from the right, the left and even the Catholic Church. -- "The shot was too powerful, and apparently badly aimed," AFP quoted Jean-Luc Parodi, a political scientist, as saying. -- French opposition has accused Sarkozy's government of "state racism." -- "There is today a stain of shame on our flag," former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and one of Sarkozy's possible challenger in the 2012 presidential race wrote in an editorial in the newspaper Le Monde. -- Villepin also accused the president of having committed a "moral fault" and exposing France to "national indignity" by treating foreign-born citizens differently."

Piece by piece, China reconstructs treasures destroyed by British troops
A quote...."Almost 150 years after British and French troops looted and destroyed the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, Chinese archaeologists are painstakingly patching together treasured historical artefacts excavated from the ruins."

Canada’s Conservatives purge establishment critics
A quote...."The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is seeking to silence criticism of its right-wing policy agenda by purging high-level critics within Canada’s public service and allied agencies and institutions."

“The world is changing, the US is not” – Nicaraguan president – RT Top Stories
Must View RTVideo - Alt - RTAlt (RTVodPod - 12min 04sec - August 23, 2010) - Source:  RTPolitics - A quote...."Washington has an expansionary policy in which Latin America is simply a backyard for US military bases, believes Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega. -- In an exclusive interview with RT, he said it is time for Latin American countries to unite against what they call a policy of aggression."

[Colombian] NGO accuses Uribe of treason
A quote...."Colombian NGO La Corporacion Colectivo de Abogados Jose Alvear Restrepo claims  that former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's signing of a military pact with the U.S. was an act of treason, an abuse of power, and a breach of public duty. -- The NGO announced that they will present the accusations before a Congress commission, following the Colombian Constitutional Court's ruling on Tuesday that the pact Uribe signed in 2009 is unconstitutional until ratified by Congress." - bold by website editor - also posted at AlethoNews

Chavez is right, Uribe is not
A quote...."At the end of Alvaro Uribe's last presidential term, Colombia's judiciary was investigating allegations that the president ordered the wiretapping of members of the judiciary and the opposition, as well as investigating the alleged corruption of one of Uribe's own sons. Caught in these cases, which are ongoing and not new, Uribe succeeded in diverting the attention of Colombia towards Venezuelan President Chavez with his accusations, which are also ongoing and nothing new."
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Webster Tarpley: Wall Street In Flight Towards Iran War, Oil Price Spike To Prop Up $$ 1/2 & Part (2/2)
Must View AJVideo - WT&AJ(1/2) - WT&AJ(2/2) - (AJYuTb - 10min -  Aug. 23, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel -- A quote...."Alex talks with author and journalist Webster Tarpley about the impending war with Iran. Webster is the author of Obama: The Postmodern Coup, and Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized Biography, both now available at the Infowars Store. Tarpley is also the author of Surviving the Cataclysm: Your Guide Through the Greatest Financial Crisis in Human History, 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA and George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography." - For more on the issue of the US-NRE's Bankster attack on the Euro and EU, see....The First Salvos of the Currency Wars - 05-07-10 - mpg -- For more on the "Loose Nukes" incicent, see....Barkesdale / Minot / B-52 "Loose Nukes"

The “Ground Zero Mosque:” Why you should really be angry
Related Article -- A quote...."The anger and disbelief that most Americans feel may seem reasonable when they hear a mosque will be built next to “ground zero” in New York City. After all, this was the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks, supposedly perpetrated by “Muslim extremists” that saw three towers implode on themselves at the cost of nearly three thousand lives. The fact that the mosque, officially known as the Cordoba House, is being built as a “tribute” and will be opening on September 11, 2011 is so deliberately inciting and audacious, that more discerning Americans found it suspicious."

The Laureate and the Leaker: Swedish Warrant a Salvo in Team Obama's War on Wikileaks
Special Note - A quote...."Here it comes: with the bizarre "rape-no rape" charges against Julian Assange, the War Machine's assault against Wikileaks has now begun in earnest. -- These days, the powers-that-be don't go straight to the shiv in the back or the poison in the drink or the faked suicide or the tragic car accident on a dark road; no, today we are a bit more circumspect in taking down high-profile irritants of empire. The modern way is to begin the takedown with a smear campaign -- preferably some sort of ""moral turpitude" to sully their public image and discredit their entire cause."

Assange: "We Were Warned" About Dirty Tricks - Wikileaks says Australia warned of 'dirty tricks'
Related Article - A quote...."(Agence France-Presse) STOCKHOLM — Australian intelligence services had warned WikiLeaks of "dirty tricks" before Swedish authorities issued a short-lived arrest warrant for founder Julian Assange over a rape claim, he said Monday. -- "We were warned on the 11th (of August) by Australian intelligence that we should expect this sort of thing," Assange said in a telephone interview with broadcaster Al-Jazeera from a secret location in Sweden."

We Got One That Can See: Former Obamanoid Reveals Truth on Fox News
Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."It was a remarkable moment in the annals of corporate media television. During a Fox News segment on the staggering unemployment rate among the young, a former Obamanoid manages to sneak in the truth — there is no difference between Clinton, Bush and Obama, they are all puppets for elite bankers." - Editor's Note:  - The clip at the end of the video is from a really great film called - "They Live"

Everything Is A Lie: The Deliberate Intent To Deceive People Is At An All Time High
Special Note - A quote...."From pollution to politics, the era of deception and duplicity has reached new heights and hijacked almost every form of media in the world. In the last frontiers for truth such as the internet, disinformation operations are in full swing to discredit and destroy any semblance of authentic and factual information available to the public. -- How many more lies will people around the world accept as truth? Some say a global awakening is taking place, but at what cost? Will it take the destruction of most of the earth and its resources before people are enlightened?" - also posted at DProgram

The Billionaire's Party
Special Note - A quote...."David Koch is New York’s second-richest man, a celebrated patron of the arts, and the tea party’s wallet." - For more on this issue see....The Tea Party - Another False Front

"Arresting Impunity" – Bush's Crimes Against Humanity
GRVideo - Alt - (GRYuTb - 9min 58sec - August 20, 2010) - Source:  Globalization1492 -- A quote...."(GRTV) – “Arresting Impunity” is a documentary about the attempts of citizens in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to uphold the rule of law when faced with a culture of impunity. After the attempted citizen’s arrest by Splitting the Sky on George W. Bush in Calgary on March 17, 2009, Calgary became the focus of a citizens movement to hold Canadian law enforcement officials to account for their failure to arrest Bush when he visited Calgary, in his first visit without diplomatic immunity to a foreign country. Ramsey Clark, Cynthia McKinney, Anthony Hall and Splitting the Sky feature prominently in the film. Such figures sought to draw attention to the international organized crime which has arisen since the fraudulent events of 9/11."
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Israeli censorship
A quote...."Freedom of the press is a hallmark of a free and open democracy. It is inevitable that there will always be some restrictions on a free press; the most widely accepted being those pertaining to personal privacy and those relating to national security. However, in Israel today freedom of information is just one more area to come under attack by the Israeli establishment and the truth is another victim."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Gaza's industries suffer under siege
A quote...."GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - Just off Omar al-Mukhtar Street, Gaza City's main thoroughfare, in a narrow, sandy alleyway is a little second-hand clothing shop. In the dimly lit store, with only intermittent electricity for some hours a day at best, sits a single battered and aging sewing machine." - also posted at AlethoNews

After long struggle, village on the grid
A quote...."The West Bank village of al-Tuwani, after nine years of actively fighting and lobbying, has been connected to the Palestinian electrical grid. The al-Tuwani Village Council originally petitioned the Israeli District Coordinating Office (DCO), responsible for the coordination of civilian affairs in the occupied territories, for access to electricity in 2001. After facing nearly a decade of non-responses, delays, requests for additional paperwork, confiscations and demolitions, the village of al-Tuwani has successfully obtained electricity."

Demonstration against water theft in Baqa’a Valley, Hebron
A quote...."Today (23 August 2010) a demonstration was held in the Baqa’a Valley, east of Hebron, against the theft of water from the Palestinian population in the area. About 15 water trucks were parked along Road 60, the road that runs through the valley. The intention was to protest against the fact that the farmers don’t get access to the water reservoirs in Kyriat Arba, the illegal settlement outside Hebron city. The demonstration was also attended by local farmers, standing on the side of the road with the truck drivers. Israeli police and army came to the spot, but did not interfere during the hour-long demonstration." - For more on the three articles shown above see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Palestinian prisoners "tortured" during Ramadan
A quote...."The Israeli prison service "deliberately tortures" Palestinian prisoners during the fasting month of Ramadan, it has been claimed. Reports from "Free", the Centre for the Study of Prisoners and Human Rights, describe prisoners in transit being forced to break their fast while handcuffed so tightly that some were unable to move properly. The accusations have been made against the Alnhacon Unit responsible for transporting prisoners between prisons." - also posted at Uruknet

Complaints filed against army and police for sexual assault
A quote...."[23 August 2010] - On 15 August 2010, DCI-Palestine and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) submitted complaints against the Israeli army and police interrogators for the ill-treatment and sexual assault of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy." - also posted at Uruknet

Canadian Boat to Gaza to break siege, overcome "aid traps"
Action Update/Alert - A quote...."Canadian activists looking to assist in the breaking of the siege of Gaza plans to launch a Canadian Boat to Gaza this fall. However, this Canadian version of the Freedom Flotilla that seeks to break the siege has a twist. -- In partnership with the Free Gaza Movement (the group behind numerous boats to the Gaza Strip), the Canadian Boat to Gaza initiative, headed in part by Canadian activist Sandra Ruch, seeks to also take goods out of Gaza. In this way, the Canadian activists hope to assist Palestinians in Gaza by helping them, as declared in their mission statement, "assert their right to export, trade and provide for themselves rather than be at the mercy of international aid." It is often forgotten that the siege of Gaza, intensified after the Hamas elections victory in 2006, prohibits all exporting from the Strip. This is the other half of the siege, which helps to corrode the economic independence of the Palestinian people." - bold by website editor

[Norwegian] Government Fund Divests from Settlement Companies
Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because after sixty years, it's about time. - mpg -- A quote...."A quote...."Last year, Norwatch revealed that the Norwegian government pension fund had invested Africa Israel Investments and in its subsidiary Danya Cebus Ltd, which build settlement on occupied West Bank. Today, the Norwegian Ministry of Finance announced that the Pension Fund has divested from both firms, as well as a Malaysian forest company." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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Marc Faber And Peter Schiff Take On The Bond Bulls; The Rosenberg-Faber Gentlemen's Bet
A quote...."The debate over whether bonds are in a bubble is very much the topic du jour, and while some deflationists like David Rosenberg believe that not only is there no bubble, but the 10 year will soon slide inside of its all time tights at under 2.1%, others believe the 30 years bull run in Treasuries is the dumbest thing since the dot com bubble, and that if anyone is hoping to make money, it should be on the countertrend. Two such Treasury bears are Marc Faber and Peter Schiff, both of whom were on CNBC tonight, and both were dissecting what in their view is the fallacy of the long-UST trade."

Inflation, not deflation, Mr. Bernanke
A quote...."BEIJING (Caixin Online) -- In the wake of a barrage of bad economic data, the yield on two-year U.S. Treasury notes has tumbled to 0.5% and the 10-year note to 2.8%, almost reaching the levels after Lehman's collapse. Pundits in the U.S. and other Western countries are talking about deflation again."

Mark Pittman Smiles After Appeals Court Refuses To Review Fed Attempt To Stop Bailout Disclosure; Supreme Court Now On Deck -- A quote...."It appears that the Fed is heading for its biggest legal confrontation ever. After, as Bloomberg reports, the U.S. appeals court refused to reconsider a ruling that requires the Federal Reserve Board to disclose documents identifying financial firms that might have failed without the largest U.S. government bailout, the one last resort to preserve the secrecy interests of the Clearing House Association which is basically the formal name for all the banks that have received Fed handouts in some form or another over the years, is now the Supreme Court of the United States. And should the SCOTUS go ahead and vote alongside the administration (in this case the Fed), as it did in the Chrysler case, the fallout could well be dramatic as it once again becomes clear that the one entity truly in control of this once-great country is a group of middle aged men, which conducts all of its decision-making in strict secrecy, and whose every decision is predicated upon the perpetuation of the ever more failed Keynesian status quo."

Credit card interest rates are through the roof
A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Credit card interest rates soared in the second quarter to a nine-year spike, according to the market research company Synovate."

Why The Saudis Hold the Cards Right Now
A quote...."Current OPEC spare capacity would suggest a lower world oil price, but the distribution of this spare capacity could be one reason why oil prices are higher than many experts think it should be. -- Usually the more spare capacity (supply) in a market there is the lower the price – simple economics.  But the reality is that Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world with significant spare capacity to produce more oil in the world and influence prices. And they currently favour a $70-$80 barrel oil price." - Assuming what they say about their oil fields is true. - mpg

Sunday August 22nd 2010

Back to the Heart of Darkness in America's Unended War in Iraq
Special Note - A quote...."In a week when the American establishment has been ludicrously lauding "the end" of the most decidedly unended war in Iraq, a new book takes us back to the very heart of darkness in this still ongoing war crime, which is nowhere near its end. -- In the Guardian, novelist and Vietnam War veteran Edward Wilson reviews what he calls "the best book by far about the Iraq war": "Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent Into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death", [GoglBkSrch]* by Jim Frederick. The book tells the story of the horrific rape and multiple murder carried out one night by American soldiers in an Iraqi village in 2006. As Wilson puts it...." - *links added

What You Will Not Hear About Iraq
A quote...."Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic  of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life. What a havoc the United States has wreaked in Iraq." - also posted at ICH & Uruknet

Iraqi bishop says U.S. betrayed country, Christians suffer most
A quote...."Ambassador James Nicholson, who represented the Bush administration to the Vatican when the war in Iraq began seven years ago, has often told the story of hosting a delegation of Iraqi bishops in Rome shortly after the 2003 invasion. When Nicholson greeted the bishops at the steps of the ambassador’s residence, as he tells the story, they said to him, "Thank you for liberating our country."

Kurds discuss 'permanent ceasefire'
A quote...."An umbrella organization for Kurdish parties and actors has gathered its assembly of 101 delegations in Turkey's eastern city of Diyarbakir to discuss to discuss a permanent ceasefire."

US-led raid kills 6 Afghan civilians
A quote...."A NATO raid in Afghanistan's northern Konduz province has left six civilians dead and 11 more injured, a Press TV correspondent reports."

Karzai Orders US Security Firms Out of Afghanistan
A quote...."Security firms are running a parallel security structure to the Afghan government, that they are looting and stealing from the Afghan people, and some of them turn into terrorist groups at nighttime: Hamid Karzai."

Iran to supply Lebanon with anti-missile system: report
A quote...."BEIRUT, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran would supply Lebanon with a missile defense system, Lebanese news site Now Lebanon reported Saturday, citing an anonymous Lebanese diplomatic source. -- Iran is expected to make the offer to Lebanon during Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to Beirut shortly after the holy month of Ramadan. Iran would also offer to supply some other weapons during his visit, said the report."

Ahmadinejad unveils bomber drone
A quote...."State television said the drone was built to "carry and fire four stealth cruise missiles... and, depending on the mission, it can carry two bombs of 250 pounds (115 kilos) each or a precision missile of 500 pounds (230 kilos)."

Bahrain: We won't let US attack Iran from our territory
Full Quote...."Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said Saturday that his country will not allow the United States to use its military base to attack Iran. --  Al-Khalifa made the statements in an interview with the al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper. He noted Bahrain's military agreements with the Washington administration were defense-based. (Roee Nahmias)"

Political Killings in Colombia
A quote...."Colombia, America's closest South American ally, is a corrupted narco-state, a repressive death squad faux democracy, threatening regional neighbors, and reigning terror against trade unionists, human rights workers, campesinos, pro-democracy organizations, independent journalists, and legitimate resistance groups like the FARC-EP. Established in 1964, James Petras calls it the "longest standing, largest peasant-based guerrilla movement in the world," persisting valiantly for decades." - also posted at WarIsACrime

Australian election delivers first hung parliament in 70 years
A quote...."Saturday’s Australian federal election has produced a hung parliament, the first since 1940, triggering an enormous crisis for the Australian ruling elite and presaging heightened political and social instability. -- Such was the extent of popular disaffection with the entire electoral process that neither the Labor Party nor the Liberal-National coalition was able to win a majority. Instead, the next government will be determined by a series of backroom manoeuvres and horse-trading by the leaders of both major parties with a handful of independent parliamentarians."
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The Long Road to The Hague – Prosecuting Blair Part 1 & Part 2
A quote...."There are few legal justifications for waging war. Where individual states are concerned, every state has the right to self defence (Article 51, UN Charter), but one must prove an attack on one’s territory has taken place (a breach of the state’s sovereignty) or that an attack is genuinely imminent. The only other legal military action is that properly authorised by the Security Council, whether for peace-keeping, intervention or to enforce international law. -- People want to see Blair tried for war crimes, crimes against humanity and the supreme crime, the crime of aggression. But another crime was committed when we invaded Iraq and, more importantly, which has now been confirmed by papers released since the invasion and by evidence from the Iraq Inquiry. The crime that Blair committed knowingly, deliberately and because, in his own words "I believe I was right" is regime change."
    
‘Proxy Detention’ of American Citizen
A quote...."This suit seeks to shed light on the U.S. government’s practice of contracting with foreign governments to detain, interrogate, and often torture individuals it suspects – rightly or wrongly – of having connections to terrorism, because the U.S. cannot lawfully engage in these tactics itself,” said Jennie Pasquarella, an ACLU/SC staff attorney. “The American public deserves to know about our government’s practice of using other foreign governments –that are known to torture detainees – as our proxy to detain and interrogate people outside the rule of law."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Obama administration carries on the peace talks “tradition”
A quote...."If you’re wondering how seriously to take the latest peace process gambit, this, from the Los Angeles Times, sums up the spirit of the latest move...."


"Pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey, the  National Christmas Lighting Ceremony, and sponsoring peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians — these are among the varied and wonderful traditions followed by American presidents and Barack Obama is no exception."

Fragments of Gaza Life
A quote...."Jamila is worth ten men, affirm her friends. She is 55. Her husband died 15 years ago. Afterwards she sent her only two sons to study abroad. They got married and remained there."

Strangling Gaza
A quote...."The United Nations and the World Food Programme released on Friday a study of Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip. A condemnation of Israel’s conduct, it describes a burgeoning catastrophe mutating dangerously and mercilessly."

PA official: [Israeli] Settlers set fire to village land
A quote...."NABLUS (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers set 20 dunums of farmland on fire south of Nablus on Sunday, a Palestinian Authority official said. -- Settlement affairs officer Ghassan Doughlas said dozens of residents of the illegal Ihya outpost torched the area of Sahel Khalet Abu Shreka, near Jalud village."

Medic: Gaza fisherman shot by Israeli forces
A quote...."GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A fisherman was shot by Israeli naval forces off the northern Gaza shore on Saturday, moderately injuring the man who was taken in to hospital." - also posted at Uruknet

Hebron: Israeli Military and Policemen Shut Three [Another] Palestinian Shops
A quote...."Every Saturday for the last several months, Youth Against the Settlements has led a nonviolent action – “Open Shuhada Street” – at the entrance to the Old City of Hebron. On Tuesday, 10 August 2010 the Israeli military and police forcibly welded shut three stores that stand directly behind the area of the weekly Saturday action and across from the gate of an Israeli military base." - also posted at AlethoNews

IOA municipality demands confiscation of more Walaja village land
A quote...."OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) controlled municipality of Jerusalem has asked the Israeli high court to allow annexation of more lands of Walaja village in occupied Jerusalem."

Canadian court dismisses Bil'in claim
A quote...."RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Quebec Court of Appeal dismissed a case brought by Bil’in against Canadian companies involved in illegal settlement construction on the West Bank village’s land, legal rights group Al-Haq reported. -- The claim was based on Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits an occupying power from "transfer[ing] parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." - also posted at AlethoNews
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Greg Palast Confronts WTO Director-General
GRVideo - Alt - From the History File - November 30, 2009 - (GRYuTb -  9 min 9 sec - 11/30/09) - Source:  GregPalastOffice -- A quote...."Investigative journalist Greg Palast travels to Geneva to ask some hard questions about the WTO's latest attempts to win a losing game."

On the Way Down - The Erosion of America's Middle Class
A quote...."While America's super-rich congratulate themselves on donating billions to charity, the rest of the country is worse off than ever. Long-term unemployment is rising and millions of Americans are struggling to survive. The gap between rich and poor is wider than ever and the middle class is disappearing." - also posted at ICH

Job Losses and Foreclosures: Harder Times Are Getting Harder
A quote...."We know we live in hard times that are on the verge of getting harder with 500,000 new claims for unemployment last week, a recent record. -- The stock market may be over for now as fear and panic drives small investors out. Big corporations hoard stashes of cash rather then hire workers. The D-Word (depression) is back in play. -- Foreclosures are up, and the Administration’s programs to stop them are down, well below their stated goals, only helping 1/6th of those promised assistance."

At £4.8 Trillion In Total Debt Including Unfunded Liabilities, UK Debt Is Six Times More Than The Official Number
A quote...."Everyone knows that the total US debt is over $120 trillion when accounting for such underfunded liabilities as Medicare and Social Security. Well, it appears that the bankrupt US welfare state is not alone. According to the UK's Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the country's national debt is £4.8 trillion once state and public sector pension liabilities are included, or £78,000 for every person in the UK. This number translates to about 330% of UK's GDP. Which of course is nothing compared to the total US adjusted debt-to-GDP number which when accounting for all off balance sheet items is roughly 10x the US GDP of $13.6 trillion, a number which is Rosenberg and Bridgewater are correct, may decline quite soon. "

Pay day loans in Britain increase by 400 percent
A quote...."A report by the Consumer Focus watchdog group states that the number of people using costly “pay day loans” has quadrupled in the last four years in Britain. These short-term loans, which are supposedly intended to last until the next pay cheque, often “roll over” to the following months and accumulate enormous charges."

Saturday August 21st 2010

No posts. - mpg

Friday August 20th 2010

Israel can’t win a war against itself - But we can always hope. - mpg
Must Read - A quote...."If the sign of a healthy, living organism is its ability to develop and mature in harmony with its surroundings, then Israel must be declared dead, or at least terminally moribund. -- Its politicians, generals and armies of hasbarats regurgitate the same tired boilerplate to justify Israel’s strangulation of Palestine, and are still obsessed with sabotaging discussion of the Holocaust® and the dispossession of Palestinians in 1947–1948 that led to the creation of the zionist entity. -- In 1997, I wrote a column called “Israel can’t hide from its history forever,” and in the intervening 13 years Israel has shown no signs of moral or political growth, much less the ability to outrun its past. In fact, it is plumbing ever-greater depths of depravity to prevent the world from discussing why Israel continues to deprive Palestinians of the basic necessities of life, humiliate them, murder their children, and steal their land." - also posted at AlethoNews

Whistleblower of "Kapo Queen", American Censorship in High Gear
Must Read - A quote...."A “Kapo” was a Jew who served the Nazis, sometimes as administrators, but more often as thuggish camp police, even more brutal than the Nazi’s themselves.  Though over a million living in Israel claim to be “holocaust survivors,” in reality only a few thousand survived the camps, many of them “Kapos.”  To help understand the absurdity of these ”survivor” claims, we can examine another group from that era, American war veterans.   Of the 16 million Americans serving in uniform that survived World War II, there are nearly the same number of survivors as the holocaust though the total Jewish population of countries controlled by Nazi Germany, prior to the holocaust according to the Jewish Virtual Library was only 5, 811, 900.  With so many Nobel Prize winners, mathematics is no longer Israel’s strong suit.  Neither is truth."

[Zionism] A Terrible Disease of the Mind: Part II - Part I
Must Read - A quote...."My family and I long to return to the Gardens of Cordoba (Qurtuba). We agonise with every breath to re-inhabit the castles of Seville (Ishbeelyah). In our veins, there runs an eternal longing to walk again in the footsteps of our forefathers in Zaragoza (Saraqusta). We yearn to once again cultivate the orchards of Valladolid (Balad Al Waleed). We shall strive, by military means if necessary, to see the blessed day when we can tread along the rose-scented pathways of the splendid palace of Al Hambra (Al Hamra’a) in Granada (Ghirnata). Every stone and every particle of sand in that Iberian holy land belongs to me and to my people, exclusively. No Spaniard terrorist has the right to obstruct the will of God and deny my family the legal title to the land of our ancestors. It is God who had given us Andaluc’a (Al Andalus), and it is God who promised us that we, the exiles, shall ingather there once again."

Zionist Lobby Paid Off U.S. Journalists To Sell Israeli Foreign Policy
Contains Video - Alt - (RTVid previously posted) - A quote...."(PaulWatson) – Newly declassified documents highlighting how the Israeli lobby routinely paid off journalists in the U.S. corporate media to write pro-Zionist propaganda in support of Israeli aggression against Palestine and Iran during the 60’s have taken on new significance after the Atlantic Monthly, which is named in the documents as being complicit in the bribing scandal, recently published a cover story hyping the necessity and inevitability of an Israeli attack on Iran."

'Israeli lobby central, Jewish groups push US to attack Iran'
RTVideo - (RTYuTb - 2 min 07 sec - August 20, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote..."Secret files declassified in America have revealed covert public relations and lobbying activities by Israel. The National Archive made the documents public following a Senate investigation. Alison Weir of the Council for National Interest in the U.S. - a pressure group on Middle East policy - believes Israeli influence is corrupting the American media, which no longer represents the views of the country's people..."
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Why The Wars Can't Be Won - posted at ICH
A quote...."August 21, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Edmund  Burke's statement, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it" is frequently cited, but in truth, even history's obvious lessons are unrecognized by many who know history very well. -- There was a time when every school child could recite the Gettysburg Address from memory, especially its famous peroration: “we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth." But that resolution has largely gone unfulfilled. So exactly what did the Civil War accomplish?"

Orwell in charge? Kucinich compares Iraq ‘exit’ to Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’
A quote....""Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today challenged the notion that removing ‘combat brigades’ but leaving 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq constitutes an end to combat operations, let alone an end to the war," a press release sent to RAW STORY on Thursday stated."

Robert Fisk: US troops say goodbye to Iraq
A quote...."....we should not be taken in by the tomfoolery on the Kuwaiti border in the last few hours, the departure of the last "combat" troops from Iraq two weeks ahead of schedule. Nor by the infantile cries of "We won" from teenage soldiers, some of whom must have been 12-years-old when George W Bush sent his army off on this catastrophic Iraqi adventure. They are leaving behind 50,000 men and women – a third of the entire US occupation force – who will be attacked and who will still have to fight against the insurgency." - also posted at CommonDreams

'Iran committed to nuclear disarmament'
A quote...."The Iranian foreign minister says the Islamic Republic is committed to making the Middle East a nuclear weapons-free zone and supports international efforts for total nuclear disarmament." - And the Iranians really mean it folks, because it would remove Israel's advantage, which is exactly why it will never happen.  How can it be made clear to everyone reading this blog about this issue....if the US-NRE's "friends", like Israel, are allowed to totally flout the NPT and build hundreds of nuclear weapons without sanction, while countries who actually FOLLOW the NPT regime and DON'T acquire nuclear weapons get constantly threatened with nuclear annihilation -- by countries like Israel....than the NPT is dead -- totally, irrevocably, irretrievably, utterly, and completely -- dead.  Iran will probably follow it...nobody else will however.  Not after witnessing how Israel and the US-NRE have treated Iran.  - mpg

[Iran's] Bushehr [nuclear] plant to be launched on Sat.
A quote...."Iran's first nuclear power plant, which is located in the southern port city of Bushehr, is scheduled to be loaded with nuclear fuel on Saturday. -- Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Ali Akbar Salehi and Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency Director Sergei Kiriyenko will be attending the inaugural ceremony of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. -- Nuclear fuel will be transferred to the Bushehr reactor under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). -- The startup of the plant will mark an important step in Iran's efforts to produce nuclear electricity, and it is expected that Iranians will be using nuclear-generated electricity two or three months after the launch."

Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Officially Inaugurated
A quote...."Bushehr, August 21, 2010 (Hamsayeh.net) - Iran and Russia today inaugurate the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in the southern port-city of Bushehr on the shores of the Persian Gulf."

AEOI Head Reiterates Iran's Resolve to Continue [regular, i.e. 3-4%] Enrichment Activities
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi rejected the White House call on Terhran to suspend enrichment after the supply of Russian fuel to the Bushehr power plant, stressing Iran's resolve to continue uranium enrichment activities."

Iran Reiterates Offers to Stop 20 Percent Enrichment
A quote...."In comments published today in a Japanese newspaper, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated his government’s repeated offers to abandon the 20 percent enrichment of uranium, provided that alternative supplies for their medical research reactor were found."

Volume of Iran’s trade exchange with Iraq worth $7 billion
A quote...."Trade exchange between Iran and Iraq is mushrooming and is expected to be worth $7 billion this year. -- Despite the record figure, Iran says the volume of exchange is below expectations. -- “The trade exchange between the countries is below the required level when compared with other states,” said Iran’s Economy and Finance Affairs Minister Shamsudeen Husseini. -- The growth in volume of trade is noticeable in Iraqi supermarkets, shops and stores which brim with Iranian goods, particularly in central and southern parts of Iraq."

Iran Test-Fires New Surface-to-Surface Missile
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Friday that the country has test-fired its latest surface-to-surface missile which enjoys unique features."

Gunmen torch NATO trucks in Pakistan
A quote...."Militants have attacked two trucks carrying supplies to NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, burning them in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province." - also posted at WarInIraq

Pakistan to Ask IMF for Relief
Haaaaaaa, haaaaaaa, haaaaaaa.  One would guess the Pakies haven't read their Naomi Klein. - mpg -- A quote...."Islamabad, Aug. 20 (Prensa Latina) Weighed down by the worst flooding in its history, Pakistan will ask the International Monetary Fund to review payment terms for a US$10 billion loan granted in 2008, according to local press reports on Friday." - bold by  website editor. -- If the US-NRE's  war, or their and the Saudi Royal's deliberate creation of an arch of instability doesn't get Pakistan, a thousand year flood sure will.  For more on this sort of issue see....The International : Scene with Umberto Calvini - Transcript - 02-20-10 - mpg

Russia, Armenia sign military cooperation pact through 2044
A quote...."Yerevan/Moscow - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met Friday in Yerivan with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan and assured Armenia of Moscow's military protection for Armenia."

Israeli jets fly low over Lebanon
In English that means illegaly violating Lebanon's air space and sovereignty.  Pesky little matters Israel doesn't really give a sh-t about. - mpg -- A quote...."Israeli warplanes have once again violated Lebanon's airspace, conducting several illegal overflights in breach of the country's sovereignty."

U.N. Treads Cautiously in Probe of Border Firefight
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS, Aug 20, 2010 (IPS) - Three weeks after a fatal exchange of fire between Israel and Lebanon along the U.N.-demarcated Blue Line, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has yet to make recommendations on easing tension at the border."

Brazil court upholds $3m 'slave labour' fine on firm
A quote...."A Brazilian court has upheld a fine of nearly $3m (£1.93m) on a company accused of keeping people as slave labourers on its ranches for years."

Does Washington Want Normal Diplomatic Relations With Venezuela?
A quote...."While President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and the new president of Colombia, Manuel Santos, met in Santa Marta, Colombia last Tuesday and agreed to normalise relations after a fierce diplomatic fight, there are no indications that such détente is on the cards for Venezuela and the United States. Washington, it now appears, may not even want to maintain ambassadorial relations. This could be a significant turn toward the worse for the United States' already rocky relationship with its third largest oil supplier."

Threats Against Journalists: "You're Vulnerable, and It's Hard to Accept"
A quote...."MEXICO CITY, Aug 20, 2010 (IPS) - "The threats change your whole life," said Jade Ramírez, a journalist who has been living for months with that burden, which also hangs over a growing group of her colleagues in Mexico."

Anti-base mayor enters Okinawa governor race
A quote...."The race for Okinawa governor is about to heat up between a left-leaning anti-U.S. base candidate and the incumbent, a moderate business leader."
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Flashback to 1953 : "Operation Ajax": Joint CIA/MI6 Military Coup in Iran
Special Note - A quote...."To understand the nature of American and British “democracy promotion” in Iran, it is important to examine their historical practices regarding “democracy” in Iran. Specifically, the events of 1953 present a very important picture, in which the United States orchestrated its first foreign coup, with guidance and direction from the British, who had extensive oil interests in Iran. The first democratically elected government of Mohommad Mossadeq in 1951 announced the nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later to be re-named British Petroleum), which had an exclusive monopoly on Iranian oil. This naturally angered the British, who, in 1952, convinced the CIA to help in a plot to overthrow Iran’s government."

Wayne Madsen Bombshell – Barack Obama Conclusively Outed as CIA Creation – Alex Jones Tv
Video - WM&AJ(1/3) - WM&AJ(2/3) - WM&AJ(3/3) - (AJYuTb - 10m - August 20, 2010) - Source:  DProgramTV - Producer:  InfoWars -- Here's Wayne's three part series.....


Homeless Man Jailed for Stealing Food Freed After 13 Years
Land of the free, home of the brave....yeah right.  Giving some guy 25 years to life because he tried to "force" his way into a soup kitchen?!? Wa'did he do, use harsh language, glare menacingly at someone, pull an Oliver Twist and ask for "more soup"? Yeah, that must'av been it...."please sir, more soup....please".- mpg -- A quote...."....a California man has been freed from prison after serving thirteen years following his arrest for trying to forcibly enter a church soup kitchen because he was hungry. Gregory Taylor had been sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison under the state’s controversial three-strikes law. At the time of his last arrest, he was homeless and suffering from drug addiction. Taylor’s release came in part due to efforts by students working on the Three Strikes Project at the Criminal Defense Clinic at Stanford Law School. Taylor says he plans to work for a food pantry run by his brother." - bold by website editor

Military funding could be slashed by $1 trillion – Paul Craig Roberts  - HAH! Like that's EVER gonna happen!
RTVideo - Alt - (RTYuTB - 7min 10sec -  August 20, 2010) - Source:  DProgramTV - Producer:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."(RussiaToday) – Congressmen Ron Paul and Barney Frank are sending a letter to US President Barack Obama with a proposal to cut the military budget by a trillion dollars. As the economy and the budget deficit continues to worsen, it seems that this is a very logical place to start cutting out funds. Paul Craig Roberts says that while passing this initiative would be great, he is skeptical that it will pass because Congress would lose too much campaign money."

Attorney General refuses to open David Kelly files: Papers hold key to fresh inquest.
And another cover-up continues....mpg -- A quote...."Attorney General Dominic Grieve is refusing to open secret files which hold the key to David Kelly’s death, it has emerged. - The decision on whether to order an inquest hinges on a bundle of documents which are locked in a Whitehall safe for up to 70 years. - They include the post-mortem examination report and other sensitive medical notes."
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Netanyahu fishing for new friends in the Mediterranean
A quote...."Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu took to the seas in search of a new ally in the Mediterranean this week; his anchor's final resting place was Greece. In his first official visit to Greece since becoming leader in 2009, Netanyahu embarked on a two-day visit to meet with his Greek counterpart, George Papandreou, to discuss ways in which they can coordinate and form strategic and military links between the two countries. Given the choice of anchorage, is this another calculated move by Israel to undermine its former best friend in the region, Turkey, even further?" - also posted at Uruknet

Israeli Academic Freedom at Risk
A quote...."Born in Haifa, the son of German-Jewish immigrants who fled during the Nazi period, noted historian Ilan Pappe left Israel in summer 2007, telling London Guardian writer Chris Arnot he began "feeling for a while like public enemy No. 1" for his anti-Zionist views and supporting a boycott against Israeli universities, saying: -- "I supported (it) because I believe that without pressure, Israel will not end the occupation....I believe that things would change only if Israel receives a strong message that as long as the occupation continues it would not be a legitimate member of the international community, and that until then its academics, doctors and authors would not be welcome. A similar boycott was imposed on South Africa. It took 21 years, but it eventually led to the end of Apartheid." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israel refuses to lift ban on family unification
A quote...."Jerusalem-born Firas al-Maraghi has been holding a hunger strike outside the Israeli embassy in Berlin, Germany, since 26 July, protesting a decision by the Israeli government to prevent his newborn daughter from being registered as a Jerusalem resident. Al-Maraghi, who is married to a German citizen, temporarily moved to Berlin to accompany his wife as she completed her doctoral thesis, and was informed by the Israeli embassy that the couple's daughter, Zeinab, would not be granted the identification and residency papers needed to live in their home when the family moved back to Jerusalem." - also posted at AlethoNews

Successful outcome in Swedish peace activist’s legal appeal against Israeli sentence....
A quote...."On Thursday 12 August 2010 Swedish peace activist Marcus Regnander’s legal battle with the Police Department of Hebron ended successfully. His appeal against a sentence which banned him from the West Bank for six months, after being convicted – despite the absence of any evidence – of assaulting a soldier, was filed at the District Court in Jerusalem."

Daily Life in Hebron - Struggle for Water Under Settler Harassment
Video - Alt - (YouTube - 7 min 54 sec - August 19, 2010) - Source:   TaayushHebron -- A quote...."In South Mt. Hebron, At recent weeks, We have encountered again and again provocations of the settlers' takeover of the water wells in the area, attempts to prevent Palestinians to access them. However, counter to the decisions of the civil administration which state that it is the Palestinians right. The water cisterns are the only local water source available to the Palestinians and their herds, as the Palestinian villages are not connected to running water. Preventing their use requires purchase and transport of water tankers that cost dearly. Our presence enables the Palestinian residents to return to their land and water cisterns, from which they are expelled time after time by the settlers and the army, which is also violation of the law."

Ilan Pappe on "The Nakba of Palestine"
Must View Video - Alt - (YouTube - 28 min 30 sec - August 19, 2010) - Source:   AlternateFocus -- A quote...."Historian Ilan Pappe of Exeter University discusses the people and ideology behind the crimes of the war of 1948, which he describes as the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. This speech was given at the Al-Awda Convention in 2008."

India To Gaza Peace Convoy Announced
Action Update - A quote...."The Asian Palestine solidarity process is well underway. We are undertaking & coordinating a convoy from India to Palestine, which will traverse the Asian nations, thus building & uniting the resistance for our common struggles against Imperialism & Zionism."

Wellness Warehouse must remove Israeli Ahava products now or face protest
Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because a boycott is better than the alternative. - mpg -- A quote...."On the 16th of August 2010, Open Shuhada Street sent the following letter to Wellness Warehouse; a retailer of wellness products and services which stocks Ahava products. - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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The Purpose Behind Engineered Economic Collapse
Must Read - A quote...."In light of this entrenched way of perceiving things, especially in the U.S., it is difficult enough to convince some people that the economy is in fact not providing the security they desire, but is actually destroying their future completely. To explain to them that this is deliberate, that the economy is designed to self-destruct, that is another prospect altogether. -- Many people hit a proverbial wall on this issue because they simply cannot fathom that certain groups of men (globalists and central bankers) view money and economy in completely different terms than they do. The average American lives within a tiny box when it comes to the mechanics and motivations of finance. They think that their monetary desires and drives are exactly the same as a globalist’s. But, what they don’t realize is that the box they think in was BUILT by globalists. This is why the actions of big banks and the decisions of our mostly corporate establishment run government seem so insane in the face of common sense. We try to rationalize their behavior as “idiocy”, but the reality is that their goals are highly deliberate and so far outside what we have been taught to expect that some of us lack a point of reference. If you cannot see the endgame, you will not understand the steps taken to reach it until it is too late." - also posted at BLN -- Website editor's clarification (of the title shown above).  In this website editor's opinion "economic collapses" aren't so much engineered -- since they're inevitable in a fractional reserve system based on ever increasing debt per/capita -- as they are "timed", or at least, timed as well as the parasites who run the system can time them.  For more on this issue see....the Ten Year Cycle & Some Tentative Laws - 07-20-08 - mpg

Guest Post: The Weekly Peak - The Uncertainty Of The Micro Versus The Macro
Must Read - Scribd - A quote...."At the heart of this investor uncertainty, or even confusion, is the battle between the micro-economic data and the macro-economic data. By micro-data, I mean corporate profits. Considering that 82% of U.S. companies beat expectations in the most recent earnings season, it’s understandable that investors could believe the economy is on the mend. This view is reinforced by the fact that many of those same companies raised earnings and, in some cases, revenue guidance for the remainder of 2010. The macro-data, on the other hand, is not so positive. In fact, it’s downright dismal when we look at the bleak state of the employment situation, the housing market, and bank lending not to mention shrinking GDP. While investors collectively seem not to know what to make of this spar, I offer one analogy and one explanation as to why the macro-data will dominate and destroy the micro-data. - Peak Theories Research "

How Much Debt Does the S&P 500 Have?
A quote...."About 25 years ago I worked for a few months with a team of deep thinkers who were trying to convert Capital Leases into Operating Leases for tax and accounting purposes. The objective was to get the most optimal treatment; (1) tax deductible amortization of the asset and (2) keep it off the balance sheet so as to hide the true debt level and therefore improve balance sheet ratios. There were strict rules that were supposed to avoid this. But is was a goldmine idea if it could be done. This was early derivative days. Make something look different than what it actually was. I thought it was a dumb idea, so I quit and went to sell junk bonds at Drexel. Turns out the folks involved figured it out and made a bundle selling it. I am still glad I was not involved. -- Now, a quarter century later, the regulators are catching up to this. It is possible that changes will be made. If they do, it will have very significant implications. The Economist has an article that sums things up pretty well. Here is the link, some sections of the report...."

So much for [the Fed's] ~ exit strategy - ZIRP & many more versions of QE forever and ever....mpg
A quote...."Not many weeks ago the focus was on the Fed's "exit strategy". Apparently, policymakers now recognize that there is no way out. It was supposed to have been a case of the Federal Reserve having used its balance sheet as an extraordinary policy tool in response to the 2008 credit seizure, with the Fed dedicated to unwinding this unprecedented stimulus as the system stabilized. - Today, not only is the Fed unwilling to normalize its securities holdings, it has signaled to the markets that it is able and willing to expand its balance sheet on an as-needed basis. At least that's the way the markets will see things: the Fed is there ready to act quickly and forcefully as a reliable system backstop. No more worries about "exit" issues; and as the debt markets turn increasingly overheated, it's sure comforting the markets know the Fed is there to ensure marketplace liquidity. This is a very big deal."

Regulators shut down big Chicago bank, 7 others
A quote...." WASHINGTON — Regulators on Friday shut down a big community bank based in Chicago that has been known for its social activism but racked by financial troubles in recent months. A consortium funded by several of the biggest U.S. financial firms is buying its assets and pledging to operate the new bank by the same principles. -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over ShoreBank, with $2.16 billion in assets and $1.54 billion in deposits. Urban Partnership Bank, the newly chartered financial institution, agreed to assume ShoreBank's deposits and nearly all its assets. -- The FDIC also seized seven other banks Friday, bringing to 118 the number of U.S. bank failures this year amid the recession and mounting loan defaults."  - bold by website editor - What happened to Shore Bank is probably an example of what happened to many other banks that played by all the rules, followed the law, made conservative loans, probabbly received very little -- if any -- of that thirty trillion dollar Bankster bail-out package, but they got taken down anyway, by one of the most corrupt financial systems on the planet.  You see, they weren't Goldman Sachs, they weren't one of the "to big to fails", they weren't buddy-buddy with Bernanke, Geithner, Summers or Paulson....and so they got wacked.  And so will many, many, others to come. - mpg

ECRI Declines To -10.0 From Unrevised -9.8% (Yet Prior Is Conveniently Revised To -10.2%)
Chart - A quote...."The ECRI's micro dead cat bounce is over... or is it? The ECRI Leading Indicator came in at 120.8 W/W, lower from a previous number of 122.4, revised from 122.0. In practical terms, this means that the annualized change is now back to a double dip predictive -10. Which is a deterioration from last week's actual -9.8. Well, not really - the prior number was just revised to -10.2, meaning all those early chants of ECRI improvement were premature (just as we had expected, as this is merely becoming one more in the endless series of downwardly revised series to mitigate the negative data impact). Either way, the weekly chart speaks volumes."

Cuts in Social Security
Special Note - Hey folks, have you ever seen that cartoon wherein this poor, knackered, over-worked, broken-down donkey, has a pole tied to his harness, a pole which has a rope tied at its end and at the end of that rope there's a juicy carrot dangeling right in front of his nose.  No matter how hard the poor donkey trys to pull his overladen cart to get a bite of that juicy, sweet smelling carrot, he just can't quite seem to reach it....and he never will.  Just to let all you folks out there know, if you didn't already....YOU ARE THAT DONKEY!!  -- If you're tired of the New Roman Empire folks, if you're tired of all of its lies, death, destruction and looting, if you're tired of supporting AIPAC/Israel with your tax dollars along with your sons and daughters lives, if you're FINALLY tired of all of its endless wars....please stop voting for Demos or Repubs, because it's only going to get worse if you do. Much, much, worse. - mpg  -- A quote...."A White House-created commission is considering proposals to raise the retirement age and take other steps to shore up the finances of Social Security, prompting key players to prepare for a major battle over the program’s future." - bold by website editor - For more on this issue see....Go Build Your Neo-Roman Empire - Just Leave Us Out Of It - 10-14-07 - mpg

Record Number Of Americans Using Retirement Funds As Source Of Immediate Cash
A quote...."If our readers have been wondering where, in addition to the decision to never make mortgage payments again, do Americans get the money to buy a 2nd iPad (for that real 3D-effect of iTunes porn), preorder the iPhone 12.499, and bid up Amazon stock at 999x P/E, here is your answer: according to a new study by Fidelity, a record number of workers tapped their retirement funds and made hardship withdrawals from their accounts in the second quarter." - Oh that's just GREAT! - American retirees won't have Social Security OR their pensions for their old age.  Wonderful! - mpg

Unexpected [?!?!?]
Video - (YouTube - 4 min 42 sec -  August 19, 2010) -- Source:  WideAwakeNews

Frozen in the Headlights - The Economy is in Big Trouble - posted at ICH
A quote...."August 21, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- The personal savings rate has risen to 6.4%. When households save, consumer spending declines and GDP shrinks. The reduction in economic activity can have serious knock-on effects. It can lead to more layoffs as investment sputters as aggregate demand flags. If the downturn persists,  asset prices and wages fall leading to tighter credit, deflation and a deepening slump. The good news is that the problem can be fixed. The government merely needs to increase the deficits to satisfy the net savings desires of the private sector.  In other words, the government needs to fill the hole created by the lack of personal consumption. That's all it takes to keep people employed, reduce the output gap, and avoid much of the pain from economic contraction. When the economy returns to trend, government revenues increase and the budget deficits shrink. This isn't theory; it's the way the system works."   

The Banksters Strike Again - Chase Bank and Obama's "Make Home Affordable" Scam - posted at ICH
Some quotes...."I was one of millions of Americans who lost their job that month."  ---  "The bills, of course, kept coming. Including my home mortgage. Unlike many people, I was conservative. When I bought, in 2004, I put down more than 50 percent of the purchase price. Refusing an adjustable-rate mortgage, I took out a vanilla 30-year fixed-rate mortgage from Chase Home Finance LLC. -- My monthly nut, a combined payment of $2200 for the loan plus local property tax, didn't seem so bad in '04. But property taxes went up. Now I'm shelling out over $2700--on half the income. I'm still making my payments on time, but only by borrowing from a home equity line of credit. -- I'm not in foreclosure. But it's easy to see how, if this keeps up, I will be. The credit line isn't limitless. The more I borrow, the higher my payments on that. My cash flow is a disaster. -- So I asked Chase for help."

Nearly 50 Percent Leave Obama Mortgage-Aid Program
Related Article - A quote...."WASHINGTON — Nearly half of the homeowners who enrolled in the Obama administration's flagship mortgage-relief program have fallen out." - More like they were pushed out. - mpg

Connecticut may have just a week's worth of cash - link posted at ICH
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Connecticut this autumn probably would have just a little more cash than it needs to pay a week's expenses unless it issues $520 million of debt, according to the state treasurer. - Treasurer Denise Nappier, in a letter to the Connecticut Bond Commission, outlined her response to concerns that were raised about the state's finances by a legislator."

Rush Limbaugh backs 50 percent pay cut for auto workers
A quote...."Right-wing radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh devoted his Tuesday commentary to the struggle of workers at the Indianapolis General Motors stamping plant against demands for a 50 percent wage cut. He expressed understanding for the actions of GM and the United Auto Workers union (UAW) in seeking to push through the wage cuts, and scorn for the workers who are resisting."

Health Insurance Companies Are Dramatically Increasing Premiums Due To The New Health Care Law And There Is Not Much We Can Do About It - More on ObamaCareNot -- A quote...."Wasn't the new health care reform law supposed to make health care more affordable for everyone?  Well, imagine my surprise when I opened up a letter from my health insurance company recently and found out that my health insurance premiums were going up by nearly 50 percent.  I am in perfect health and I have never had a single health insurance claim with this company.  Unfortunately, after doing a little research, I discovered that I am far from alone.  All over the United States, people are being hit with double-digit percentage increases in their health insurance premiums even as the health insurance predators continue to rake in record profits.  At a time when millions of American families are barely making it from month to month, the last thing they need is to be figuratively kicked in the groin by the health insurance companies.  But that is exactly what is happening. " - One really hopes this doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. - mpg - For more on this issue see....Double Indemnity - 12-21-09 - mpg

MSM: Study links pesticides to attention problems
A quote...."(Reuters) – Children whose mothers were exposed to certain types of pesticides while pregnant were more likely to have attention problems as they grew up, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday." - Source:  YahooNews

Thursday August 19th 2010

Declassified: Massive Israeli Manipulation of US Media Exposed - posted at ICH
Must View RTVideo - (For the Outrage!) - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4min 49sec - August 19, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."Files declassified in America have revealed covert public relations and lobbying activities of Israel in the U.S. The National Archive made the documents public following a Senate investigation. They suggest Israel has been trying to shape media coverage of issues it regards as important. You can download the files from the web-site of the Institute for Research on Middle Eastern policy. And we can cross to Washington now and talk to Grant F. Smith who is a director at that Institute."

The Israel Lobby Swims The Atlantic
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."Jeffrey Goldberg’s current cover story in The Atlantic, “The Point of No Return,” achieved massive distribution across a broad spectrum of old and new media in the United States. Some observers – including Glenn Greenwald in “How Propagandists Function” – noted how well the methodology and message of Goldberg’s piece serves the Israeli government’s efforts to push U.S. military action against Iran. Gareth Porter views it as part of an overarching strategy to keep the U.S. from restoring productive relations with Iran. A huge trove of newly declassified documents subpoenaed during a Senate investigation reveals how Israel’s lobby pitched, promoted, and paid to have content placed in America’s top news magazines with overseas funding. The Atlantic (and others) received hefty rewards for trumpeting Israel’s most vital – but damaging – PR initiatives across America."

"Can You Identify This MOSSAD Agent?"
A quote...."This CSpan page has a video  of these Zionist clowns giving a pep talk for Apartheid Israel's latest project; Having the USA bomb Iran for Israel. Since there was no embed link, I could not post the video, you'll have to go to the site and see if for yourself. -- They start out by having someone named 'Reza Khalili' talk about his time as a CIA double agent inside Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Except he doesn't give much detail, just ominious warnings and veiled threats about what will happen to the USA if we don't do something about those 'Mad Mullahs.' -- But you can't identify Reza, as he has on dark sunglasses, a baseball cap and a face mask. -- Another guest on this bit of BS was Michael Ledeen, he of the Niger yellowcake lies. Another Zionist hasbara psyops that told lies and more lies leading up to the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq."

Propaganda - posted at ICH
A quote...."The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda." -- For more on this issue see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda - Edward Bernays
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Iraq war was illegal, repeats Clegg
Special Note - A quote...."Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today restated his view that the Iraq War was illegal, saying: "I don't think the legality of that invasion has been proven." -- Mr Clegg stressed it was his personal opinion and said the Government did not have a view on the legality of the war. -- Apart from questions over the legality of the conflict, Mr Clegg said the wisdom of the 2003 invasion "certainly hasn't been proven at all". -- Mr Clegg voiced his strong opposition to the war last month as he stood in at the Commons despatch box for David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions. -- His position was later disowned by Number 10, which stressed that the Liberal Democrat leader was articulating his "individual" view. -- But today, as Mr Clegg was once more "holding the fort" for the holidaying Prime Minister, he repeated his views on the war." - bold/underline by website editor

Last of the Combat Troops Leaving Iraq? -- Only in your Dreams - posted at ICH
A quote...."August 20, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Watching  MSNBC’s coverage of ‘the last combat troops leaving Iraq’ for 3 hours reminded of a few brutal realities that still plague this country and this planet. The first being just how far this country remains from any semblance of reality. It’s the kind of delusional denial that truly can only be believed when witnessed from within. As Keith Olbermann was describing the cinematic quality of the “Strykers driving into your living room,” I could really think of only one thing – The aftermath of a 7.5 year all out United States operation to decimate a people and their society."

Don’t Call It Combat: US Troops Still Fighting Iraq War in Everything But Name
A quote...."It was business as usual in Iraq today for 56,000 US troops, despite the canned “victory” celebration yesterday  the troops, though by and large redefined as something, anything, other than “combat troops” were still out and about, doing the exact same things they were doing when they were still engaging in combat."

U.S. Soldiers Shooting Random Vehicles in Iraq
A quote...."Once again, as many soldiers who have turned against the occupation have stated, these are not isolated nor even unexpected events.  This is the nature of a brutal military occupation in which the enemy is the entire populace and the goal is control of resources or to maintain geopolitical fragmentation of a state."
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US Attack on Taliban Prison Leaves 18 Dead
A quote...."At least 13 Taliban militants and 5 hostages were killed following a US-led attack on a Taliban prison in Helmand Province, Afghan officials say - In operations conducted by the US-led coalition forces in the south-western Helmand province, at least 13 Taliban militants and five hostages were killed and 27 prisoners were freed, local officials reported on Wednesday."

[Afghan] Sniper in Afghan Town Puts Marines on Edge
A quote...."SANGIN, Afghanistan—Somewhere in this dusty town, concealed among the cornfields, irrigation canals and mud-walled compounds, is a man the Marines particularly want to kill. -- They don't know what he looks like. But they know he is a very good shot with a long rifle, and, every day he remains alive, he is drawing Marine blood."

Kabul defiant on private security firms despite fears
A quote...."KABUL— The Afghan government is standing firm on its plan to disband all private security firms despite widespread concerns that the four-month deadline is too tight and could ultimately be self-defeating. -- President Hamid Karzai’s decree, issued on Tuesday, ordered the 52 private security contractors operating in the country, both Afghan and international, to cease operations by January 1, 2011." - bold by website editor
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Israel Will Attack Iran: Will Israel Attack Iran?!
Special Note - A quote...."Those who mastermind the U.S.-directed psychological operation against Iran have obliviously forgotten that we're now accustomed to seeing the uninteresting, exhausting charade of "will attack Iran"; you put the subject for it, either the United States or Israel. -- Over the past five years, Iran has been recurrently under the threat of an imminent war which the mainstream media have overwhelmingly talked of; a war against Tehran to overthrow the Islamic Republic and bring to power a "democratic" regime which the "international community" favors." -- also posted at Hamsayeh

'More countries snub Iran gas curb'
A quote...."More countries are defying the unilateral US sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program by exporting gasoline to the Islamic Republic, a report says. -- Iran has imported around one million tons of gasoline from seven countries over the past two months despite US restrictions on Iran's energy sector according to a recent Fars news agency report."

The transformation of Latin America is a global advance - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."August 20, 2010 "The Guardian" --Nearly two centuries after it won nominal independence and Washington declared it a backyard, Latin America is standing up. The tide of progressive change that has swept the continent for the past decade has brought to power a string of social democratic and radical socialist governments that have attacked social and racial privilege, rejected neoliberal orthodoxy and challenged imperial domination of the region."

U.S. Military Intervention in Africa: The New Blueprint for Global Domination
A quote...."The United States’ intervention in Africa is driven by America’s desire to secure valuable natural resources and political influence that will ensure the longevity of America’s capitalist system, military industrial complex, and global economic superiority – achieved through the financial and physical control of raw material exports. While America’s prosperity may be waning due to a number of current factors, policy makers are bent on trying to preserve America’s global domination and will pursue policy objectives regardless of the downturn in the economy at large. " -- For more on this issue see....Africa - the Next Target - 02-28-08 - mpg
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Google Plans To Kill Web In Internet Takeover Agenda
A quote...."The net-neutrality ending deal with Verizon is just the beginning of Google’s plans to kill the open and free Internet as part of their takeover agenda to completely control the world wide web and force independent media websites, radio and TV shows out of existence for good. -- Google’s agreement with Verizon to speed certain Internet content to users opens the door to the complete sterilization of the world wide web as a force for political change. Under Google’s takeover plan, the Internet will closely resemble cable TV, independent voices will be silenced and the entire Internet will be bought up by transnational media giants."

The Internet Belongs To Us -- Tell The FCC - To Stop The Dangerous Google/Verizon Deal
Related Article - A quote...."On August 19, the Federal Communications Commission will be in Minneapolis for a public hearing on the future of the Internet. The big question now looming over this hearing is whether the fate of the Internet has already been decided behind closed doors before the FCC has even heard what the public has to say." - Source:  CenterForMediaJustice

Google-Verizon deal undermines push for an open Internet
Related Article - A quote...."In its joint proposal with Verizon issued Monday August 9, Google has made a significant change in corporate policy in the direction of forestalling any government requirement to maintain “net neutrality,” the open and equal access to the Internet by all web sites and content providers. In particular, the two companies have agreed to seek an exemption from “net neutrality” for providers of wireless Internet services, where Verizon and Google have linked up in a deal to promote Google’s Android platform."
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How Could Illegal Immigration Make America Any Worse Than It Already Is?
Must Read - A quote...."We live under a government that is bankrupting itself and ourselves fighting two wars that have no point whatsoever. Thousands of American boys, the seed corn of this nation, are being slaughtered by sheepherders and poppy farmers thousands of miles away, and we are being bankrupted in order to pay for it, for no reason whatsoever. The ruling class and its foreign puppet masters have already drawn up plans for an even more lunatic and pointless war thousands of miles away. If the American borders were thrown wide open, and millions upon millions of impoverished illiterates from the third world flooded into America, how could America’s foreign policy get any worse? What could illegal immigrants do to us that would be worse than sending hundreds of thousands of American men on a futile mission to fight poppy farmers, and die in the deserts and mountains of Asia? "

Beware of Mosque-Building Muslims
Special Note - A quote...."Some ideas are so dingy you assume people must be kidding. When lunatics like lawyer, author and Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy bleat that a secret cabal of atheistic "liberals" like the president and his loyal army of Muslim terrorists are working together to realize their common goal – the imposition of "Sharia Law" on the American people, well what else can you assume?"

SPECIAL REPORT: The Story of Obama All in the Company – Part III - Part II - Part I
Special Note - A quote...."WMR previously reported on the CIA links of President Obama’s mother, father, step-father, grandmother to the CIA. Not much is known about Obama’s grandfather, Stanley Armour Dunham, who Obama mistakenly referred to as “his father” in two speeches, one recently to the Disabled American Veterans."

Study to test gas effects at subway stops
False Flag Alert - A quote...."Researchers working for the US Department of Homeland Security will release odorless, nontoxic gases in more than 20 MBTA subway stations for a week, beginning tomorrow, to study the possible effects if airborne contaminants were to be released there, officials said. Electronic devices will track the innocuous agents, according to federal officials, and subway travel will not be affected. Results of the study will be used by designers working on new chemical agent detection systems, the officials said." - also posted at BLN

US says it is not illegal for schools to spy on students at home
A quote...."IT LOOKS LIKE PROSECUTORS are not going to get involved in the bizarre case of the school which switched on laptops to spy on students while they were in their own bedrooms. -- US Attorney Zane David Memeger told USA Today, investigators had found no evidence of criminal intent by Lower Merion School District employees who activated tracking software that took thousands of webcam and screenshot images on school-provided laptops."
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American Professor Charges Israel with Genocide -- Publisher Censors Title!
AIPAC/Israeli Censorship Alert - A quote...."William A. Cook, professor of English at the University of La Verne in southern California, has charged the state of Israel with genocide -- but his publisher won't let him use the G word in the title of his new book! -- Discussing the brand-new "The Plight of the Palestinians: A Long History of Destruction", [GoglBkSrch], [GoglPrcSrch]* on the Kevin Barrett show yesterday, Dr. Cook said that the publishers, Palgrave-McMillan, told him: "'We can't use the original title As the World Watches: Genocide in Palestine.'" Dr. Cook added that the book's contents, which provide ample proof that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians, were not censored." - *Gogl links added

Israel-Ukraine human organ trafficking - PressTV 100819
PTVVideo - Alt - (PTVYuTb - 2 min 43 sec - August 19, 2010) - Source: NewsUpload2010 - Produced: PressTVVids - For more on this issue see....Israeli Organ Thefts - Trafficking
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Hamas Must Re-brand
Must Read - A quote...."In the five years since I became interested in the conflict in Palestine, only two things of positive note have happened in the Occupied Territories. -- The Palestinians held full and fair elections in 2006 to establish themselves as a democracy… and much good it did them. -- And in Gaza these amazing people have resolutely survived a vicious land and sea blockade imposed by Israel and aided and abetted by the western powers as soon as those elections put Hamas into government. They have resisted almost daily air strikes and armed intrusions for four years and courageously withstood the cowardly Israeli blitzkrieg of 20 months ago. -- And during all that time they have endured unending barbarity and betrayal, which would have brought a lesser nation to its knees. They have come through." - also posted at MyCatBird'sSeat

Fighting expulsion and Western hypocrisy in Jerusalem
A quote...."Earlier this summer, Israel arrested Muhammad Abu Tir, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and Hamas. Israel also ordered two other PLC members, Muhammad Totah and Ahmad Attoun and the Palestinian Authority's (PA) former minister of Jerusalem affairs Khaled Abu Arafeh to leave their home town of Jerusalem."

Uprooted Villagers Hold Fast During Ramadan
A quote...."JERUSALEM (IPS) - On the eve of the start of Ramadan last week, Israeli police demolished the Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev desert. It was the third time within two weeks that the village had been razed. -- Unfazed, the Bedouin villagers immediately began rebuilding. -- "We have already put back up some twenty of our huts, and we're putting up more every day -- despite the fast," village leader Sheikh Sayyah Abu Drim told IPS when reached by telephone a week after the last police action. -- "We have nowhere else to go," said the Sheikh. More than forty families live in al-Araqib."  - also posted at ElectIntifada & Uruknet

UN report: IDF barring Gazans’ access to farms, fishing zones
A quote...."Humanitarian affairs office: Israel restricts entry to 17% of Gaza lands, 85% of beachfront zone, enforces restrictions with live fire. - Over the last ten years, the Israel Defense Forces have increasingly restricted Palestinian access to farmland on the Gazan side of the Israeli-Gaza border as well as to fishing zones along the Gaza beach, a United Nations report (link opens as pdf) revealed Thursday." - Just to let all you readers know...."collective punishment" is a WAR CRIME!! - For more on the issues shown above see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Witnesses: Armed [Israeli] settler threatens farmers
A quote...."NABLUS (Ma'an) -- An armed settler accompanied by settlement security guards prevented Palestinian farmers and peace activists from irrigating their land near Nablus on Thursday morning, witnesses said." - also posted at AlethoNews - For more on this issue see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Early morning [Israeli] settler attack on Palestinian family in Hebron area
A quote...."Atta Jabr is a farmer who lives with his family on a hill, near Road 60. They live in the Bakav Valley, around Hebron. They live close to Harsina settlement and an illegal outpost. At around 5:00am on Wednesday morning, 18 August 2010, Atta and his family were awoken by the sound of a shofar – a horn used in Jewish religious rituals."

When Settlers Attack....today (and everyday) in the West Bank
A quote...."I've spent the past few weeks trying to understand the phenomenon of settler violence in the West Bank. Where does it happen, how does it happen, who is most vulnerable and how can this most effectively be countered. It is easy to say that settler violence is a result of Israeli occupation and it's illegal settlements. That's because it is. But settler violence against Palestinian civilians is a daily event in the occupied West Bank and it deserves more acute attention." - also posted at Uruknet

Dark days in Al Buwayra: a week of [Israeli] settler attacks
A quote...."Al Buwayra is a small village located on the outskirts of Hebron, with about 560 inhabitants. Most people are farmers, growing grapes and vegetables to support themselves. The situation in the village is critical, and villagers are repeatedly being attacked by settlers from the illegal Kyriat Arba and Harzina settlements which surround the village as well as several illegal outposts." - also posted at AlethoNews

The behavior and actions of the Israeli female soldier posing with Palestinian prisoners reflects the prejudice, racism and hatred of the Israeli army -- A quote...."Dr. Barghouthi stated that this incident is a result of the hatred and racism that Israeli policy instills and is represented by the thousands of crimes that the Israeli Occupying Forces commit daily against the Palestinian people whether it be at the 600 military checkpoints that are scattered throughout the Palestinian Territory, the constant raids and arrests of Palestinian citizens, the brutality against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and the truth of the Israeli policies that are yet to be unraveled."

Israeli court favores Israeli settlers over Jerusalemites
A quote...."Jerusalem, August 18, (Pal Telegraph) The Israeli Court rejected A request filed by a family from East Jerusalem to order a precautionary evacuation of Israeli settlers out of their house which was occupied by Israeli settlers in Jerusalem, they lived in their house for more than forty years." - also posted at AlethoNews

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (12 -18 August 2010)
Week in, week out, every single day, 24/7. How would you feel? - mpg -- also posted at Uruknet

• A Palestinian resistance activist was killed by IOF in the southern Gaza Strip.
• IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
• An Israeli human rights defender was injured.  
• IOF arrested two Palestinian civilians, and 5 international human rights defenders.
• IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in the Gaza Strip’s border areas.
• A Palestinian worker was wounded in the northern Gaza Strip.
• IOF expanded the buffer zone in the northern Gaza Strip.
• Israeli warplanes bombarded civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip.
• IOF conducted 21 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 3 limited ones into the Gaza Strip.  
• IOF arrested 14 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, in the West Bank.
• Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
• Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank arrested a Palestinian woman.
• Israel has continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.
• Guards of Israeli settlements attacked Palestinian civilians in Jerusalem.
• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
• IOF decided to establish 23 buildings in 8 settlements in the West Bank to be used as classrooms.
• IOF decided to establish a new secular settlement to the east of Nablus.
• Israeli settlers uprooted 150 olive trees in Nablus.

West Bank boycott campaign impacting settlement economy
Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because it's one of the few, effective ways, an individual can help to defeat mass-evil. - mpg -- A quote...."Grassroots Palestinian boycott campaigns across the occupied West Bank to take Israeli settlement products off the shelves of local stores have made an impact on the Israeli settlement economy, to the unease of the Israeli government, noted the Israeli daily Haaretz this week ("Palestinians 'adamant about continuing boycott on settlement goods'," 8 August 2010)." - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.
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Keiser Report №70: Markets! Finance! Scandal!
Must View MKVideo - Alt - (MKRTYuTB - 26 min 45 sec -  August 19, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday - Producer:  Max Keiser TV -- A quote...."This time Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, look at post anti-Americanism and crouching assets, hidden wealth in China. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Jon Thorisson in Iceland about his campaign against Magma Energy and about the resistance of the Icelandic people to IMF measures." -- Quote of the Day - (from the video, shown below)....


What We Can Learn: An Excerpt from Were You Born on the Wrong Continent?
A quote...."Americans may believe the United States is set up for the middle class, and Europe is set up for the bourgeois. Or let’s put it this way: America is a great place to buy kitty litter at Wal-Mart and relatively cheap gas. But it is not designed for me, a professional without a lot of money. That’s who Europe is for: people like me."

Deceptive Economic Statistics: While Economists Lied the US Economy Died...
A quote...."On August 17, Bloomberg reported a US government release that industrial production rose twice as much as forecast, climbing 1 percent. Bloomberg interpreted this to mean that “increased business investment is propelling the gains in manufacturing, which accounts for 11 percent of the world’s largest economy.” -- The stock market rose. -- Let’s look at this through the lens of statistician John Williams of shadowstats.com.

Hello, We Lost Track of $25 Billion?
Oh look folks, they've already started to steal from the Social Security Trust fund, not just "borrow" from it anymore. - mpg -- A quote...."I have been keeping an eye on the monthly numbers for the Social Security Trust Fund for some time. The 2010 revenue numbers have been terrible. They are running 3% below last year’s very crummy results. I was anticipating that the 2010 top line would look like 2009. Unemployment has been steady at just below 10% for a long time. There was no logical explanation for the continued drop in YoY payroll tax receipts. So I was confused."

[US] Jobless Claims Hit Half A Million
A quote...."The number of people applying for unemployment benefits  last week hit the half million mark, a major surprise and a major disappointment to those who thought the economy was turning around."

August Philly Fed Index Unexpectedly Plummets, Worst Read Since July 2009
A quote...."Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index unexpectedly contracted in August to its lowest level in more than a year. The index dropped to a negative (-7.7) in August from positive (+5.1) in July. All of the subindexes that make up the general business activity indicator showed contraction except for prices paid, adding to concerns about the sustainability of a recovery."

California Threatens To Pay Workers With IOUs As Deficit Soars
A quote...."California state contractors and others could find their paychecks replaced by IOUs this September, as legislative disputes over the state's $19 billion deficit threaten to stall the passage of a budget."

Tensions Rise in Greece as Austerity Measures Backfire - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."The austerity measures that were supposed to fix Greece's problems are dragging down the country's economy. Stores are closing, tax revenues are falling and unemployment has hit an unbelievable 70 percent in some places. Frustrated workers are threatening to strike back."