The Future’s Not Ours -- and That’s Good News
Must Read - A quote...."Compare two assessments of the American future:  In the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in which 61% of Americans interviewed considered “things in the nation” to be “on the wrong track,” 66% did “not feel confident that life for our children’s generation will be better than it has been for us.” (Seven percent were “not sure,” and only 27% “felt confident.”)  But here was the polling question you’re least likely to see discussed in your local newspaper or by Washington-based pundits: “Do you think America is in a state of decline, or do you feel that this is not the case?” Sixty-five percent of respondents chose as their answer: “in a state of decline.” - also posted at WarIsACrime

The “Right Thing” in Iraq? - A Depressing Statistic - posted at ICH
Must Read -- A quote...."September 21, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- When the intelligence community was unable to establish Iraq-al-Qaeda links of any significance, Wolfowitz appointed neocons Abram Shulsky and Douglas Feith to set up an “Office of Special Plans” (OFP) in the Pentagon to circumvent the intelligence professionals and manufacture evidence for Iraq-al-Qaeda ties, and for weapons of mass destruction. Virtually all the assertions they came up with (drones capable of delivering WMDs, mobile chemical weapons labs, al-Qaeda flight training center, Niger uranium purchase [which one former intelligence official attributes to neocon Michael Ledeen], sponsorship of the Islamist terrorist al-Zarqawi, etc.) were subsequently discredited. They were manufactured lies allowing Bush (in September 2002) to declare, “You can’t distinguish between al-Qaeda and Saddam." -- For more on Leo Strauss's "noble lies" see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda - Leo Strauss

How Dangerous Is Iran Really?
Must View Video - Alt - (YuTb - September 21, 2010) -- Source:  DrRonPaul2012 -- A quote...."(MSNBC) – Glenn Greenwald and Dylan Ratigan Discuss Neocon Warmongering for Attack on Iran" -- For more on the false charge of Iranian IED's in Iraq see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda - IED's & EFP's - For more on the false charge that Ahmadinejad made the statement "wipe Israel off the map" (a.k.a. Iraq's WMD's deux, a.k.a the same identical [expletive] all over again) see the following translations and interpretations....Wiki,  'Wiped off the Map' – The Rumor of the Century,  The "Wipe Israel Off The Map" Hoax, George Galloway - Wiping Israel Off The Map? - video - (YuTb - 5min 17sec -  June 15, 2008) - Great Galloway video! -- For more on the Saudi Royal-Israeli-US-NRE "Axis of Evil" see....One Vile, Venom Tipped, Taloned Hand Washes the Other - (a.k.a. The Standard Model) - 07-28-10 - mpg

Challenging the Model of the North - Where is the World Economy Headed?
Must Read - A quote...."Today, financial maneuvering and debt leverage play the role that military conquest did in times past. Its aim is still to control land, basic infrastructure and the economic surplus – and also to gain control of national savings, commercial banking and central bank policy. This financial conquest is achieved peacefully and even voluntarily rather than militarily." - underline by website editor


"But the aim is the same: to make subject populations pay – as debtors and as dependent junior trade partners. Indebted “host economies” are in a similar position to that of defeated countries. Their economic surplus is transferred abroad financially, while locally, debtors lose sovereignty over their own financial, economic and tax policy. Public infrastructure is sold off to foreign buyers, on credit and therefore paying interest and fees that are expensed as tax-deductible and paid to foreigners."

The Emerging Global Fed
Must Read - A quote...."One of the most serious threats posed by a global central bank and world fiat currency is the fact that it would allow the emerging planetary regime to print its own money and finance its activities independently. That means wealth could be secretly siphoned away from all of humanity to pay for armies, tax collectors, courts, bureaucracies, law enforcement, wealth redistribution, propaganda, and much more. With no limits. But to advocates of such a system, that is one of its primary benefits." - bold by website editor - also posted at BLN

Prepare To Be Betrayed
A quote...."You might as well know right now, however, that the Tea Party, no matter how successful it is at the polls in November, will certainly betray the party of liberty. There are several reasons for this, but the fundamental one is intellectual. The Tea Party does not have a coherent view of liberty. Its activists tend to be good on specific economic issues like taxes, spending, stimulus, and health care. They worry about government intervention in these areas and can talk a good game." - For more on this issue see....The Tea Party - Another False Front
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We live in an extremely unbalanced world
Special Note - A quote...."Don’t you find it so disturbing when titles and awards are handed out to key figures around the world who have not earned their new found status? --  Barrack Obama as we all know received the Nobel Peace Prize soon after he took office and the whole word was asking why? --  It is a know fact that many people that are guilty of war crimes or who just happen to hold some very sensitive information are rewarded with a Knighthood to shut them up. --  The greatest insult to the ethical people that live on the planet was when Tony Blair received the Liberty Medal in recognition for his commitment to conflict resolution. President Bill Clinton, Chair of the National Constitution Center, awarded the prestigious medal to former Prime Minister Blair at a public ceremony on Monday, September 13, 2010 at the National Constitution Center (NCC) in Historic Philadelphia."

Condemned By Their Silence - posted at ICH
A quote...."September 21, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- - There are literally millions of people across the world who are now involved in the intriguing case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui and they fall in to several categories."

Conspiracy documentary on 9/11 attacks will soon be India’s first e-film
A quote...."(DNAIndia) – Over the past few years, budding filmmaker and self-proclaimed social activist, Xahid has been poring over 9/11 literature, news reports and TV clips in order to cull material for his documentary, 9/11 T-error: The Biggest Lie of the Century. Touted as India’s first e-film, the 75-minute documentary will only be released over the internet." - Source:  DNA India

Senator Graham promises terrorist attack
False Flag Alert - War Alert -- “There’s going to be an attack. That’s going to be the impetus. That’s going to be what it takes to get Congress and the administration talking; we have to get hit again,” the senator said, suggesting that passing a bill before that happens might be more reasonable than what would come afterward." - Paragraph quoted from BLN - underline by website editor

Newly Disclosed Documents Shed More Light on Early Taliban Offers, Pakistan Role - posted at ICH
A quote...."September 21, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- U.S.  government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and recently posted on the website of the George Washington University National Security Archive shed some additional light on talks with the Taliban prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, including with regard to the repeated Taliban offers to hand over Osama bin Laden, and the role of Pakistan before and after the attacks.[1]"

The Iraq Surge in the Neo-Con Imagination -- The Myth That Kills
A quote...."If you’re like me, you can barely make it through a David Brooks column. Should you arrive at the bitter end, your face is screwed up--like you were sucking lemons or whiffing a fetid odor--in a painful mix of disbelief, consternation, and sadness at the waste of prime op-ed real estate. Most days you quickly move on to whatever’s next, and your face slowly relaxes to normal." - also posted at Uruknet

"Conservatism" Has Turned Into "Crackpotism"
A quote...."I'm at a loss for words, so I need your help. -- Not so long ago, Republican officeholders in our country were conservatives, a political philosophy which literally encompasses the notion of conservation. Those Republicans wanted to conserve important things – like the public infrastructure, the rule of law, public education, and even our environment. During the last 30 years, though, voters in the GOP's primaries systematically culled these classic conservatives from office...."

Reality Report #62 – Homeland Security Targets Activists
Video - Alt - (YuTb -  14min 47sec - September 21, 2010) - lonelantern -- A quote...."In this edition of the Reality Report, Gary Franchi blows the lid off the Pennsylvania DHS list targeting activists. He also sits down with Arizona State Senate Libertarian Candidate Andrea Garcia to talk about her race for the Senate seat. Obama gets schooled during his own Town Hall meeting on CNBC, and we have the video. Nina breaks down the headlines including who is funding the Ground Zero Mosque and how the U.S. is in bigger debt than the Government is letting on. She also plays the controversial video of the middle school students praying at a Mosque during a field trip and reports on a new tax concept being proposed in the UK. The viewers brand a new “Enemy of the State” and the mailbag is sifted."
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9 NATO troops killed in copter crash in Afghanistan - link posted at ICH
A quote...."KABUL, Afghanistan —  A NATO helicopter crashed Tuesday in southern Afghanistan, killing nine international troops in a region where forces are ramping up pressure on Taliban insurgents. It was the deadliest chopper crash for the coalition in four years. -- A "large number" of Americans were among those who died, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because not all relatives had been notified. He said it remained unclear whether troops of other nationalities were among the fatalities. -- The cause was not immediately clear. The Taliban claimed to have shot down the helicopter, but NATO said there were no reports of hostile fire."  --  Once sophisticated anti-air and long-range anti-armor missiles start appearing in the Middle East, the neo-colonial fantasies that some imperial powers have been dreaming of lately will quickly turn into highly expensive nightmares.  Especially if other countries, or perhaps some of the resistance movements, develope the ability to manufacture man-portable anti-air and anti-armor missiles themselves. - mpg

Helicopter crash makes 2010 the deadliest year for Afghanistan occupation troops
Related Article - A quote...."The death of nine American soldiers in a helicopter crash Tuesday in southern Afghanistan has made 2010 the deadliest year yet for the US-led occupation forces."

All 9 killed in Afghan crash are American-US official
Related Article - A quote...."21 Sep 2010 All nine of the NATO troops killed in a helicopter crash on Tuesday in southern Afghanistan were Americans, a U.S. defense official told Reuters. The NATO-led force had not previously disclosed the nationalities of the victims."

Evidence: ‘Serious Fraud’ in Afghan Election
A quote...."Though publicly officials are continuing to call Saturday’s election a massive success,  internal reports from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) emerged today pointing to strong evidence of “serious fraud” in the vote."

Afghan reporter arrested for talking to the Taliban
Press Censorship Alert - A quote...."The Associated Press reports  that Afghanistan reporter Rahmatullah Naikzad, a freelancer who contributes video to the AP and also works for Al Jazeera's Arab language service, was arrested by a NATO forces in the troubled province of Ghazni yesterday."

Experts See Iran Sanctions Accomplishing Little
A quote...."US officials are continuing to make much of the “success” of the sanctions against Iran, but according to a number of experts they are actually accomplishing very little and probably will not do so in the future."

Nationwide Parades Held in Iran to Mark Start of Defense Week
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Armed Forces staged military parades all throughout the country on Wednesday to mark the start of the Week of Sacred Defense, commemorating Iranian sacrifices during the 8 years of Iraqi imposed war on Iran in 1980s."

After False Promises, the Heat Is On
A quote...."More than seven years into the U.S. occupation, most Iraqis lack electricity, leading to demonstrations in towns and cities across the country. -- "The big problems began in 2003 with the occupation of Iraq," 61-year-old Hashim Mahdi told IPS in Baghdad. "The occupiers destroyed all the institutions and the country's infrastructure, including power plants. More than seven years later there is no improvement." -- Like other Iraqis, Mahdi agreed there had been infrastructure problems before the U.S. occupation, due to Iraq's war with Iran, and then the U.S. bombing campaigns throughout the 1990s that targeted power plants. But after those attacks, the former regime was able to get the electricity supply restored. -- The problems since 2003 have been far worse." --  Iraqis should just take the US-NRE and every official involved in the "supreme international crime of a war of agression" to court for trillions of dollars in reparations.  Ninety five percent of the world's nations and community would back them. - mpg

Iraq and Turkey embargo export of Kurdish oil
Special Note - A quote...."Iraqi Kurds will not be able to ship oil to the outside world without central government’s approval, according to a new deal the Oil Ministry has signed with Turkey. -  Under the agreement Turkey will not allow the flow of Kurdish oil via joint pipelines passing through its territory unless authorized by the Iraqi government."

Turkish president to urge Mideast nuclear-free zone at UN summit
A quote...."Turkish President Abdullah Gül said he will call for a Middle East totally free of nuclear weapons when he addresses the U.N. General Assembly later this week. -- "We would like to see our region free of nuclear weapons," Gül told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday. "The region should not be under such a threat." - One wonders what country he's talking about.  Hint to you readers out there, it's not Iran, and it's not even Pakistan. - mpg

Hundreds protest in Cairo against 'hereditary' president
A quote...."CAIRO - Hundreds of people gathered in central Cairo on Tuesday, amid tight security, to protest against the rumours that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal will succeed him." - Ahhhhhh, isn't nepotism such fun? Must be more "ol'dat dare free-dumb and da'mockery" the US-NRE has brought to the ENTIRE Middle East. - mpg

The Soviet Fleet's white elephant: The Dmitry Donskoy turns thirty
A quote...."On September 23 1980, a cutting edge Soviet nuclear ballistic missile submarine set out from the Severodvinsk shipyards. The lead vessel of the Soviet third generation Project 941 Akula class (NATO reporting name Typhoon) of ballistic missile submarines, better known to readers by its nickname, the Dmitry Donskoy, was unique in many ways. It was designed as the world's largest submarine, and its displacement of nearly 50,000 metric tons put it in the same class as battleships and aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever."

No Happy Ending in Honduras
A quote...."The Central American nation's woes continue to rage despite Secretary of State Clinton's insistence to the contrary." - also posted at CommonDreams - For more on this issue see....US support Death Sqds - Hideous Hillary's Happy Honduran Hit Squads
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Freedom Flotilla Survivors Lead New Convoy
Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."Two survivors from the Israeli assault on the Mavi Marmara are leading the Viva Palestina convoy to break the siege of Gaza. Nicci Enchmarch and Kevin Ovenden were both aboard the Mavi Marmara when it was attacked by Israeli military navy in the early hours of 31st May."

Settlers [Illegal Israeli Squatters] Steal Olive-Crops In Northern West Bank; Troops [Thugs] Open Fire At Gaza Farmers -- A quote...."Nablus\Gaza – PNN – a number of villagers from Burin, near Nablus in northern West Bank, were injured during clashes with Israeli settlers on Tuesday midday. -- ImageThe tension in Burin started when a group of armed Israeli settlers stormed villager’s lands and started to harvest olives owned by villagers . Witnesses said that Israeli police and soldiers arrived after the clashes lasted for one hour then forced villagers and settler[s] off the land."

Jerusalem: Israeli Authorities Demolish A Farm And Bulldoze Lands
A quote...."Maysa Abu Ghazaleh - Jerusalem \PNN – the Israeli Nature Development Authorities demolished on Tuesday a Palestinian owned farm and bulldozed farmlands in East Jerusalem."

Palestinian killed in Jerusalem clashes
A quote...."JERUSALEM - A Palestinian was shot dead by an Israeli guard in east Jerusalem on Wednesday during clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians, police and witnesses said."

BDS: Boycotting Apartheid
Boycott, Divest and Sanction the ENTIRE state of Israel!!  Because if people can't do something as easy and simple as a boycott, to prevent something as horrible and abhorrent as ethnic cleansing and possible genocide, when WILL they do something?? - mpg -- The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign moves ahead in Washington, California, British Columbia, Harvard and Brown Universities, and the Netherlands, notes Eric Walberg - 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.  - also posted at OnlineJournal
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Keiser Report №79: Currency Wars Break Out
Must View MKVideo - Alt - (MKRTYuTb - 26min 38sec - September 21, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday - Producer:  Max Keiser TV -- Quote of the Day...."Max's answer to Stacy's question of why he's been telling the world to buy gold...."Well, because the global banking system is in free-fall!  It's a catastrophe!  It hit "peak credit" in 2007, they tried to jam 750 trillion dollars worth of derivatives into a global economy that was only about fifty trillion in size.  It's like a fois gras farm where they stuff the goose or the duck with all the grain and the liver expands and the than goose DIES!!  In this case the global economy is DYING and the result is the golden egg, the golden egg, the golden goose egg, is popping out of the....cookoo!"

Is America Today In Worse Shape Than Japan During Its Lost Decade?
Special Note - A quote...."As I noted last year...."


"(I also noted that we're in worse shape than America was going into the Great Depression ... but that's another story). -- Now, BIS - the central banks' central bank - agrees that Americans are in worse shape than the Japanese. -- Specifically, a new BIS paper written by Shinobu Nakagawa (Director, Head of Investment and Market Research, International Department, Bank of Japan) and Yosuke Yasui (International Department, Bank of Japan) concludes that Japan was better able to weather the Lost Decade than the U.S. is able to weather our current economic woes, given three differences between the two cultures...."

The US Has No Chance of Option 1… So That Leaves Options 2 or 3
Special Note- Chart - A quote...."The big financial myth-buster of the week is that the alleged deleveraging of the US consumer has in fact been a giant myth. According to the Wall Street Journal, if you account for defaults, US consumers have only pared down their debts by an annual rate of 0.8% since mid-2008." -- For more on this issue see the article shown below....


Moody's Forecast for Housing and the Economy: Dim - link posted at ICH
A quote...."The analysts at Moody’s Investors Service are downbeat in their outlook for both the U.S. economy and the housing market. In the agency’s ResiLandscape  report issued last week, they warn that there’s a stronger chance the country will slide back into a recession, and they are forecasting a “longer and deeper housing correction.”

Golden State Home Sales Continue Downward Spiral  - link posted at ICH
A quote...."August home sales in California were down 2.7 percent from July and 14 percent from a year ago, MDA DataQuick recently reported."

State unemployment: Jobs picture gets worse in 27 states
A quote...."A total of 27 states reported higher unemployment rates in August, nearly double the 14 that saw increases in July, the Labor Department said in its monthly report on state unemployment Tuesday." - bold by website editor

Gold surges to record, US dollar drops
A quote...."Gold surged to a record, extending its rally, as the dollar's drop spurred demand from investors for wealth protection. Silver advanced to a 30-month peak and platinum to the highest level since May." - Source:  Pravda

How Brazil Can Defend Against Financialization
A quote...."The post-1945 mode of global integration has outlived its early promise. It has become exploitative rather than supportive of capital investment, public infrastructure and living standards."

The hate mongers among us -- Part 3: The use of pliable and reliable assets to advance a narrative
Must Read - A quote...."Many of America’s most prominent political leaders were induced to comment on “International Burn A Koran Day” -- a high profile provocation proposed by a Christian-Zionist preacher with a small congregation in a small town in Florida. -- When U.S. General David Petraeus spoke out against the proposal, the issue immediately gained an international profile, as did Pastor Terry Jones who quickly became an international celebrity. -- One need not dig deep to identify who may have advised General Petraeus to grant a global profile to a provocation consistent with Israeli goals for the region." -- Part 1 & Part 2

The Phantom of Terrorism and the Rise of the Police State
Must Read - A quote...."According to Maidhc Ó Cathail, Michael Chertoff, a Zionist faithful and the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division before and after 9/11, might have been behind the deportation for “immigration violations” of the 200 Israelis arrested for “suspicious activities.” Citing the DEA report, Ó Cathail writes: “These Israeli ‘art students’ had ‘recently served in the Israeli military, the majority in intelligence, electronic signal intercept, or explosive ordnance units’.”  ---  Quoting Antiwar.com editor and the author of The Terror Enigma: 9/11 and the Israeli Connection Justin Raimondo – “the probability that these are graduates of the Mossad School of Art … is certainly high” – Ó Cathail concludes that as Benjamin Netanyahu stated a day after the attacks of 9/11, “the deaths of almost 3,000 Americans was ‘very good’ for Israel.”  “The mass murder was very good for an emerging sector of the Israeli economy” – Israel’s “homeland security.”  ---  Naomi Klein, in her July 2, 2007 article “Laboratory for a Fortressed World,” connects the boom in some sectors of Israeli economy to the events of 9/11: “Within three years, large parts of Israel’s tech economy had been radically repurposed.  … Israel now sends $1.2 billion in ‘defence’ products to the United States – up dramatically from $270 million in 1999.  In 2006 Israel exported $3.4 billion in defence products – well over a billion more than it received in U.S. military aid.”

American Public Opinion and the Special Relationship With Israel - posted at ICH
A quote...."September 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- There is no question that the United States has a relationship with Israel that has no parallel in modern history. Washington gives Israel consistent, almost unconditional diplomatic backing and more foreign aid than any other country. In other words, Israel gets this aid even when it does things that the United States opposes, like building settlements. Furthermore, Israel is rarely criticized by American officials and certainly not by anyone who aspires to high office. Recall what happened last year to Charles Freeman, who was forced to withdraw as head of the National Intelligence Council because he had criticized certain Israeli policies and questioned the merits of the special relationship."

Martin Peretz: editor of New Republic and agent of Israel
A quote...."Lawrence Davidson profiles Martin Peretz, the editor-in-chief of the New Republic. “Martin Peretz is a good example of that subset of Americans whose single-minded dedication to Israel makes them ... agents of a foreign power. Indeed, in his willingness to pronounce his affection in the most indiscrete way, Peretz can be seen as their spokesman.” - also posted at AlethoNews

The Zionist Strategy of Demonizing Islam
A quote...."On August 4, 2010,  Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine and chair of the Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives, published an article in Sabbah Report, entitled “Shame on ADL for Opposing Mosque 2Blocks from Ground Zero.” -- Rabbi Lerner’s position on the ADL’s (Anti-Defamation League) objection to building an Islamic Community Center in Manhattan, near Ground Zero is praiseworthy.  But his interpretation of ADL’s reasons for resisting such a project lacks insight.  ADL leader Abe Foxman’s statement: “In our judgment, building an Islamic Center in the shadow of the World Trade Center will cause some victims more pain – unnecessarily – and that is not right,” spells out the real reasons behind the decision.  That decision cunningly reinforces the notion that Muslim fundamentalists were behind the attacks of 9/11 – a position also perpetrated by the architects of those attacks." - also posted at AlethoNews
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Film: War by Deception
Must View Video -- One of the BEST summations of what really happened during the last ten years this website editor has ever seen!! -- WbD(1/11) - WbD(2/11) - WbD(3/11) - WbD(4/11) - WbD(5/11) - WbD(6/11) - WbD(7/11) - WbD(8/11) - WbD(9/11) - WbD(10/11) - WbD(11/11)  ||  (YuTb - 10m - September 18, 2010) - Source:  Rys2sense -- A quote...."Iraq, 911, PNAC, Anthrax, what the media won’t report." - For more on this entire issue see....One Vile, Venom Tipped, Taloned Hand Washes the Other - (a.k.a. The Standard Model) - 07-28-10 - mpg - For more on 9/11 see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central - For more on Saddam's Statue, see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda - Saddam's Statue - For more on the anthrax attack see....US False Flag Ops - Anthrax Attack

Sahar TV Interview -- Dr. Alan Sabrosky on 9/11 and Beyond
Video Interview - AS(1/3) - AS(2/3) - AS(3/3) -- A quote...."Dr. Alan Sabrosky in a recent interview on Sahar TV, marking the 9th  Anniversary of the tragedy, once again challenges the truth of the official US Government Truth Commission and reiterates and re-affirms his earlier positions, among others that  “….WT7 was absolutely a controlled demolition job…and if one of them was, then all three were”

Letter containing white powder sent to Turkish Embassy
Israeli False Flag Alert - A quote...."Firefighter teams specializing in handling dangerous substances dispatched to Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv to check suspicious letter. Last week, similar envelopes sent to three other embassies in city  20 Sep 2010 An envelope containing white powder was sent to the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv on Monday, prompting the arrival of rescue forces including firefighter teams specializing in dangerous substances to the site. A preliminary inquiry suggested that embassy staff opened mail bags at noon and found a "heavy" letter. An unidentified white powder was found inside the envelope."

Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline Still a Dream - Presidents and Bankers, But No Action on the Ground
Special Note - A quote...."KARA-TEPE, AFGHANISTAN - There is no pipeline. There probably won't be one. Yet the pipeline-that-will-never-exist is one of the main reasons that hundreds of thousands of Afghans and two thousand American soldiers are dead."

Twenty-First Century Energy Superpower - China, Energy, and Global Power
Must Read - Geo-Political Alert - A quote...."    If you want to know which way the global wind is blowing (or the sun shining or the coal burning), watch China.  That’s the news for our energy future and for the future of great-power politics on planet Earth.  Washington is already watching -- with anxiety. -- Rarely has a simple press interview said more about the global power shifts taking place in our world.  On July 20th, the chief economist of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, told the Wall Street Journal that China had overtaken the United States to become the world’s number one energy consumer.  One can read this development in many ways: as evidence of China’s continuing industrial prowess, of the lingering recession in the United States, of the growing popularity of automobiles in China, even of America’s superior energy efficiency as compared to that of China.  All of these observations are valid, but all miss the main point: by becoming the world’s leading energy consumer, China will also become an ever more dominant international actor and so set the pace in shaping our global future." - bold by website editor - also posted at CommonDreams

Photoshopped Evidence in JIG Final Report on the Sinking of the ROK Cheonan
Special Note - A quote...."Striking new evidence shows that the Joint Investigation Report on the Sinking of the ROK Cheonan, the 300+ page final report by the Joint Investigation Group, has been tampered with and in fact a key picture of the evidence was actually photoshopped by the Joint Investigation Group to fit a drawing of the CHT-O2D torpedo." -- For more on this issue see....US-False Flag Ops - The Cheonan

End the Silence on the Longest War in U.S. History
A quote...."Nine years ago, in the immediacy of the 9-11 disaster, many of us knew that our society would never be the same.  The next day, Muslim men were being rounded up and detained, without charges.  Immediately, U.S. troops were on the way to Afghanistan.  --  Within weeks, the USA PATRIOT Act was passed with lightening speed, paving the way for a juggernaut of war and repression."
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Debunking the Department of Justice's Hit Piece, Part 1
Special Note - A quote...."You were taught that the United States Constitution written by our Founding Fathers was the most important document regarding individual freedom ever written in the history of mankind, followed only by the Magna Carta. You believe that the Constitution set up a central government with limited powers, and that the powers not listed in the Constitution was left for the states and the people who make up the states.  You believe that the powers of the central government were limited and that the powers of the individual states were indefinite, to quote James Madison.  You believe that the first Ten Amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, gave to each citizen rights given to them by their Creator that no government led by man can take away.  --  That is why The Powers That Be hate you.  --  They hate our Constitution.  They hate our Bill of Rights.  They hate our freedoms, and they are doing everything they can to take these away from us." - also posted at DProgram

Shut Up! You’re Disturbing the Elite
Special Note - A quote...."Somewhere in America; a young man wearing an “End the Fed” T-shirt stands alone—across the street from a Federal Reserve Bank—shouting the prophetic words of Thomas Jefferson through an amplified bullhorn...."


"Many passersby snicker while others stop to stare.  A marked police cruiser pulls to the curb and demands that the young man leave the public sidewalk.  He reminds the officer of his first amendment right of free speech and peaceful assembly.  The officer reminds him that he couldn’t care less.  He pulls a Taser from his utility belt and fires two probes into the boy’s chest—sending him to the ground—where is subdued, and then loaded into the backseat of the cruiser before being hauled away. -- Among the gathering crowd, few gasp in disbelief but are afraid to say a word.  Others point and laugh while the rest join in a morbid cacophony of cheers and applause." - also posted at DProgram

IG: FBI Gave Inaccurate Statements Claiming Terror Link to Anti-war Rally - posted at ICH
A quote...."September 20, 2010 "AP" - -The  FBI gave inaccurate information to Congress and the public when it claimed a possible terrorism link to justify surveilling an anti-war rally in Pittsburgh, the Justice Department's inspector general said Monday in a report on the bureau's scrutiny of domestic activist groups. -- Inspector General Glenn Fine said the FBI had no reason to expect that anyone of interest in a terrorism investigation would be present at the 2002 event sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center, a nonviolent anti-war and anti-discrimination group." - For more on this issue see....The Nation's Privy Cleaners - 04-26-10 - mpg

Report: FBI tailed Iowa groups
A quote...."IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — New FBI documents show agents did extensive surveillance of Iowa City protest groups before the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. — including documenting the comings and goings of activists."

Homeland security releases new funds to Jewish non-profits
A quote...."The Department of Homeland Security released $19 million to secure non-profits, the vast majority Jewish. -- Of 271 institutions named in a list released this week by DHS, 254 are Jewish, including synagogues, schools, community centers and offices. -- The funds were released as part of a congressionally mandated program in place since 2005 that targets institutions that are vulnerable to attack." - bold/underline by website editor - Remember folks, members of the "Jewish Community"  comprise LESS THAN 3% of the US-NRE's entire population. - mpg
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The Progressive Dilemma - posted at OnlineJournal
Special Note - A quote...."A self-described representative democracy in which the only two political parties are both funded and controlled by elite corporate interests is a contradiction in terms. Control of the population through government propaganda and a monopoly corporate media have made the domination of the American working class and poor by the wealthy corporate elite consensual. The enormity of the crime against true democratic values is so complete that substantive reform of the present system is an impossibility. -- A dilemma is a situation in which one is forced to choose between equally distasteful options. That has always been our consignment as Americans when we venture to the polls (either vote for a wishy-washy Democrat or let the even worse Republican win). Every two year, we are told that the fate of our democracy rests on our decision. Well it doesn’t because we don’t have a democracy, representative or otherwise. We have a plutocracy (rule by the wealthy). Our two political parties answer out of necessity to the corporate world. No one represents the people and the monopoly corporate media will not allow for a discussion of democratic alternatives." - also posted at AlethoNews

"Poll After Poll Shows That Both National Parties Are Deeply Unpopular With An Electorate Looking For Something New And Different"  -- Special Note - A quote...."As I noted a year ago...."


Tea With Frankenstein: Please, No Masturbation - posted at ICH
Special Note - Satire - A quote...."The new batch of Republican monsters includes a candidate – now the official Republican nominee for the United States Senate from Delaware, mind you – who has staked out a tough position against – no, I’m not kidding here – masturbation. -- Christine O’Donnell once averred that “The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery. So you can't masturbate without lust.” -- And why the hell not? Surely the reason that our country has so rapidly fallen into decline is that god is punishing America because so many of us are jerking off all the time. -- You know who you are. -- Oh, and did you hear that she was once a witch? That she believes that scientists have bred mice-men with human brains? That she has no job? And that – despite running on a platform of cleaning up Washington’s fiscal disaster – she has a train wreck for a record of her personal finances? -- I’m not kidding. Remember way back when – like, you know, yesterday – when you would have accused me of bad comedy writing for making such things up? Guess what? None of these are. -- America, this is you, 2010. Kinda makes you pine for the good ol’ days of the thirteenth century, doesn’t it?" -- For more on the "Tea Party" see....How About a "Justice Party"? - 04-23-10 - mpg

Take a Second Look at Christine O’Donnell
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."WARNING:  I’m going to be cruel. -- Christine O’Donnell’s victory in the Delaware Republican primary may not be cause for celebration.  A Christine O’Donnell in Washington may just mean one more vote for endless war in the Middle East."

Who’s picking up the tab for the tea party?
A quote...."The tea party movement may have genuine grassroots. But just beneath the surface are professional fund-raisers, foundations, and political action committees – some of which have been around for years – pushing a conservative-libertarian agenda." - For more on this issue see....The Tea Party - Another False Front
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War Is Murder
Must Read -- A quote...."Well, it sure is murder for our boys in desert cammy. Five of our finest are now charged with running an unauthorized hit team, targeting random Afghan civilians for a little stress-relieving target practice. What’s the problem here? The CIA has been doing this for years with its own militarized groups. The DoD is doing this with its own special forces. Xe and other contractors do this with the holy blessing of both DoD and CIA. The President and the Congress have authorized this kind of thing, separately and together. Obama even asserted that he is comfortable and righteous in his role as decider-in-chief on which American citizens may live or die. -- I just don’t get the outrage. There should be none, given the public adoration of Petraeus and anyone else "serving his or her country" in uniform."  ---  "But today, we speak of murder. Coldblooded, just for fun, gangland-style, trophy-hunting, punch drunk, hilarious murder. -- And predictably – the Army cannot explain how the lack of a strategic or even clearly tactical mission in Afghanistan and Iraq has created a stagnant spreading cesspool where soldiering ethics are slowly churned and degraded until our own people don’t know up from down. The Army brass promotes Afghan "democracy" and "voting" and bemoans the fact that this bit of bad news (along with untold murder of Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqis, and Yemenis as ordered) somehow detracts from Washington’s Overall Successful Occupation.

The "obscenity" of comparing Americans to "killers and terrorists" - Article also posted at ICH
Special Note - A quote...."In a Twitter exchange I had with him, Bouie argued that the number of innocent civilians killed is not the only factor determining one's immorality.  That's true, but it's certainly one factor:  a very important one.  But move beyond numbers.  As I documented in my original argument, The Nuremberg Trials established the proposition that "aggressive war" -- which is what the attack on Iraq unquestionably was -- is the supreme crime ("The central crime in this pattern of crimes, the kingpin which holds them all together, is the plot for aggressive wars"), and a central purpose of the Tribunal was to deter future "aggression by any other nations, including those which sit here now in judgment."  And Sullivan himself has repeatedly compared America's torture regime to the Gestapo system and others used by history's most monstrous regimes both in terms of tactics and justifying rationale ("The question Americans have to ask themselves is why they hold the former president and vice-president to lower moral and ethical standards than the United States once held the Gestapo").  Given all of that, what's the basis for the claim that it's wildly inappropriate to compare Americans responsible for such crimes to "killers and terrorists"?"

US-led strike kills 70 in Afghanistan
A quote...."A US airstrike has reportedly left 70 people dead in southeastern Afghanistan as the war-ravaged country votes to elect a new parliament."

U.S. 'death squad' mutilated Afghan civilians for sport: report -  Troops accused of keeping skull, bones as trophies
A quote...."KABUL - Five U.S. soldiers who formed a "death squad" go on trial this month for the murder and dismemberment of Afghan villagers. -- A U.S. military investigation reported the group randomly targeted civilians for sport. In one incident, a soldier is alleged to have thrown a grenade to feign an ambush as a pretext to shoot dead an innocent villager." - also posted at Uruknet

Fraud, violence and mass abstention: Election debacle in Afghanistan
More "ol'dat dare free-dumb and da'mockery" New Roman Empire style.....mpg - A quote...."Saturday’s parliamentary election in Afghanistan was a predictable debacle, characterized by widespread fraud and violence, and largely boycotted by the Afghan population. Officials of the US-dominated government of President Hamid Karzai said 3.6 million people cast ballots, far below the 6 million ballots claimed for last year’s presidential election, which was rigged to ensure Karzai’s reelection."

U.S. Air War Soars in ‘Post-Combat’ Iraq - And the killing goes on, and on, and on....
A quote...."Combat operations are officially over in Iraq. But don’t tell the U.S. Air Force, which is still flying tens of thousands of missions over Iraq."
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Iran on Verge of Potential US-led War: Top IRGC Commander
Quote of the Day...."Deputy Commander of the IRGC, Major General Gholamali Rashid, said a US-led warmongering against Iran should not be taken lightly since ‘daily beating of war drums’ have in the past led to aggression against other countries in our region including on Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza. ‘Under current threatening conditions when the US and Israel are daily beating on their war drums, it would not be an exaggeration to say that we are on the verge of a potential war in the [near] future.’ Iran’s Press TV reported Gen. Rashid as saying."

Iran to Equip Armed Forces with New High-Precision Missiles
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi announced on Sunday that the country's Armed Forces will soon be equipped with the third generation of high-precision Fateh missiles."

Iran calls for intl. pressure on Israel
A quote...."Establishing a world free of nuclear weapons is one of the Islamic Republic of Iran's priorities," Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna on Monday. -- "Achieving this objective entails pursuing the three pillars of the NPT, disarmament, non-proliferation and the realization of the undeniable right to use peaceful nuclear energy," IRNA quoted Salehi as saying."

Iran urges IAEA to redeem reputation
Related Article - A quote...."In a live Press TV interview, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi strongly criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for adopting an "unprecedented" approach, exclusively in monitoring Iran's nuclear program. -- "Over 5,000 man-days of inspections have been made on Iran's nuclear installation. This is unprecedented in the history of the IAEA," said Salehi after attending the 54th General Conference of the IAEA."
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Syrian-Iraqi relations start to thaw
A quote...."DAMASCUS - For the first time since millions of Iraqi refugees began pouring into Syria after the war of 2003, the Iraqi government has developed a sudden interest in their livelihoods. Last week, it announced that in coordination with the Syrian Red Crescent and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Baghdad would distribute US$2.9 million to approximately 14,000 refugee families residing in Syria."

Sweden faces hung parliament
A quote...."Sweden faces a hung parliament as a far-right party has secured seats for the first time, denying the ruling coalition an outright majority."

Polish court frees Chechen separatist leader wanted by Russia
So much for the so-called war on terror.  What a joke it all is. - mpg -- A quote...."Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev walked out of a Polish court on Friday evening several hours after he was arrested at Russia's request. -- Polish prosecutors asked the Warsaw District Court to extend Zakayev's arrest for 40 days but their petition was rejected." - also posted at WarInIraq

Poland's bid to reroute Nord Stream pipeline to fail - CEO
A quote...."There is no chance that Poland's demand to participants in the Nord Stream project to change the route of the pipeline will be met, the CEO of the Nord Stream AG consortium said in an interview with Russian business daily Kommersant."

Uzbek president wants international investigation into Kyrgyz violence
A quote...."Uzbek President Islam Karimov called on Monday for an international investigation into the violent clashes between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the south of Kyrgyzstan in June, an Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman said."

Chavez wants a break from U.S. meddling. Can you blame him? - also posted at ICH
A quote...."September 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- - Most  people know that Iran, Russia and Venezuela all have vast oil reserves. And, they also know that Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are on Washington's "enemies list".  So, why is it so hard for them to connect the dots?  Can't they see that the media only demonizes the leaders that stand in the way of the corporate agenda?  If Iran's biggest export was pistachios (rather than oil), no one in America would have ever heard of Ahmadinejad. Instead, every time poor guy makes the slightest miscue, his face is splashed across the front pages of US newspapers."
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Israeli Officials Vow Arms Sales to Russia’s Enemies
The ONLY THING that gets the Israelis' attention is if you allow a tribe, people or nation to defend themselves against Israel's barbarity and constant war mongering. - mpg -- A quote...."Israel’s ability to actually follow through with revenge arms sales seems unclear, however, as Russia doesn’t really have a lot of enemies with which it is liable to go to war with at any given time. The only obvious candidate would be Georgia, but both Israel and the US had been arming Georgia for years,  and it doesn’t seem like it is even theoretically possible for the two to arm the tiny nation enough that it poses a threat to Russia itself." - also posted at WarInIraq

Russia: We will provide Syria with advanced missiles, despite Israel, U.S. protests
A quote...."Russia plans to go ahead with its sale of advance anti-ship rockets, state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Russian Defense Minster Anatoly Serdyukov as saying on Friday, despite recent attempts by U.S. and Israeli officials to thwart the planned deal. -- The P-800 Yakhont supersonic cruise missile. -- The deal involves the sale of advanced P-800 Yakhont supersonic cruise missiles to the Syrian military, weaponry which Israel considers as capable of posing significant danger to its navy vessels in the Mediterranean Sea." -- Source:  Haaretz

Netherlands bars Israeli mayors of West Bank settlements from taking part in Dutch study trip
A quote...."JERUSALEM — An Israeli mayors group said Sunday that the Dutch government refused to let heads of West Bank settlements take part in a delegation of mayors in the Netherlands. -- The Dutch Foreign Ministry said the government was not involved, and the decision to bar the settler mayors seemed to have been made solely by a group called the Association of Dutch Cities. Nonetheless, the barring of the settler mayors is part of a widening circle of protests against Israel over its settlement policy."

Israel’s foreign minister demands Arabs be stripped of citizenship
A quote...."TEL AVIV // Israel’s foreign minister demanded yesterday that some of Israel’s Arab citizens be stripped of their citizenship and transferred to a future Palestinian state. -- In comments that infuriated Arab Israeli legislators, Avigdor Lieberman, the head of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, said the country’s borders should be redrawn to exclude any Israeli Arab who does not recognise Israel as a Jewish state. Israel’s Arab minority makes up about one-fifth of the country’s population." - also posted at Uruknet

Israel Floats Idea of Swapping Settlement Freeze for US Spy - Obama Approached 'Discreetly and Unofficially'
OH MY GOSH!!  There are Israeli spies in the US-NRE, who would av'thunk it, aren't we allies together, don't they wuv us??  THIS, by the way folks, is getting completely ridiculous!  - mpg -- A quote...."The massive unpopularity of the prospective partial settlement freeze is severely straining Israel’s right-far-right coalition government. If there is one thing the far right factions like its settlements in the occupied territories. But they’re also big fans of spying.  --  Which is the genesis of the latest cockamamie scheme by the Netanyahu government to make the peace talks in the West Bank about everything but the occupation of the West Bank. According to Israel’s state-run Army Radio, the Netanyahu government is “discreetly and unofficially” approaching the Obama Administration about the trade: spy for freeze."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Some Killing More 'Moral' Than Other - Article also posted at ICH
Special Note - A quote...."RAMALLAH, Sep 18, 2010 (IPS) - Controversy is building up over a 91-year-old man, his 17-year-old grandson and a 20-year-old neighbour, all farmers, who were killed by Israeli shelling and gunfire as they tried to tend their land 700 metres from northern Gaza's border with Israel."

IOF Extra-Judicially Execute Palestinian Activist in Nour al-Shams Refugee Camp East of Toulkarem
Special Note - A quote...."On Friday dawn, 17 September 2010, the Israeli Occupation forces (IOF) committed a new extrajudicial execution crime in Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm. This crime claimed the life of Eyad Asa'ad Ahmed Abu Shilabaya, 38, an activist of Hamas movement. The Israeli military spokesman claimed that soldiers opened fire at Abu Shilabaya as they realizes that he "was posing a threat to their lives." He stated that Abu Shilabaya who is "wanted" continued to walk towards the soldiers while putting his hands behind his back although the soldiers asked him to stop. According to the military spokesman's claims, the soldiers were afraid and opened fire accordingly. After checking the body of Abu Shilabaya, it was found out that he did not have any weapons. Investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) revealed that the crime was committed in a bedroom with a single door. Blood was just in front of the bed, only approximately one meter far from the door. Such findings refutes the Israeli military spokesman's claims." - also posted at IP-MsngHdlns

Who does Mahmoud Abbas represent?
Special Note - A quote...."Mark Perry  reports on the latest incident in the West Bank which indicates that the Palestinian acting president, Mahmoud Abbas, can now only impose his authority by force." - also posted at AlethoNews

Hamas' Mesh'al lays out new policy direction
Special Note - A quote...."Since 1996, Khaled Mesh'al has been the Chairman of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Political Bureau. After the assassination of Hamas leader Abdul 'Aziz Rantisi in 2004 by Israeli forces, Mesh'al became the movement's overall leader. He lives in exile in Damascus, from where he oversees the movement's activities both within Palestine and outside."

Hamas: We agreed in the past to state within '67 borders
Special Note - A quote...."Hamas  sent messages to the US government in the past stating that the movement does not oppose the formation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, Israel Radio reported on Monday, quoting the group's Gaza leadership. -- According to the report, Hamas's Gaza leadership also requested to begin a dialogue with the United States." - For more on this sort of issue see....Talking Implies Nothing!! - 08-25-10 - mpg

Weekly protests continue across Palestine
A quote...."On Friday, 17 September 2010, the people of Bil’in were joined by Israelis and Internationals to protest against the theft of land and the imprisonment by Abdullah and Adeeb Abu Rahma, Ibrahim Burnat and other political prisoners from Bil’in. The demonstration went on for one and a half hours and was met with large amounts of tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. After initially firing tear gas from the military base and road, soldiers came through the gate and chased the protesters back towards the village."

IDF still using banned weapon against civilian protestors
A quote...."The Israel Defense Forces continues using the Ruger 10/22 rifle to disperse protests even though it has been prohibited by the military advocate general, a hearing at a military court revealed last week. A brigade’s former operations officer told the court he wasn’t even aware of the prohibition."

IOF troops detain 5 demonstrators including journalist
A quote...."AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) quelled on Saturday the Beit Ummar, Al-Khalil district, weekly march protesting the confiscation of the village land to build the "separation wall"."

Settlers uproot 100 grape trees east of Hebron
A quote...."HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Several Israeli settlers uprooted approximately 100 grape trees in the Al-Buera village in the southern West Bank district of Hebron on Monday, owners of the grape plantation said."

PA official: [Israeli] Settlers [land theives] harvest [steal] Palestinian olives
A quote...."NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Israeli settlers began harvesting Palestinian olives on Monday in the northern West Bank district of Qalqiliya and Nablus, a Palestinian Authority official said."

Israel Denies Gazans Access to Their Own Land and Waters
A quote...."Throughout 43 years of occupation, Israel has waged war on Palestinians' human rights and civil liberties, a new UN report providing more evidence that keeps mounting exponentially, adding clarity about an out-of-control rogue state operating lawlessly." - also posted at Uruknet - For more on the three articles shown above see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Israeli probe acquits policeman who killed handcuffed Palestinian in Tel Aviv
A quote...."OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- An Israeli police investigation unit has acquitted an Israeli policeman who killed a Palestinian after conducting an investigation it claims proves the shooting was not deliberate, an informed Israeli source said." -- also posted at Uruknet

'Largest flotilla yet' en-route to Gaza
A quote...."Ships from Britain, Morocco, Qatar to rendezvous in Syria, sail toward el-Arish Port in northern Sinai Peninsula; activists plan to enter Gaza through Rafah Crossing, deliver humanitarian aid."
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BIS' Report On The Irreconcilable Differences Between The US And Japanese Household
Charts - (click to enlarge) - You gotta love the "distribution of net worth by income quintile" pie chart folks, which by the way is from 2004, everything since than has gotten much, MUCH, worse.  If you don't realize you're a serf-peon-peasant -- soon to be slave -- when you look at that chart, than you're probably part of the "one percent" slave-holding class and don't really give a sh-t. - mpg -- A quote...."The compare and contrast between Japan and the rest of the developed world is a topic that will only get more and more attention as increasingly more pundits debate America's plunge into a deflationary spiral (sorry, with $2.1 trillion in shadow debt evaporating YTD, it is inevitable. It is the economy's reaction to the Fed's response, i.e., the nuclear option, at that point that is the topic of most contention - whether it will rekindle hyperinflation or have no impact on the deflationary collapse into a Keynesian black hole). The latest to chime in, interestingly, is the all important Bank of International Settlements."

CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN - Competitive monetization
A quote...."It is worth noting that the backdrop going into the Greek crisis was one of rampant speculation. Global risk markets were at the time a full year into a historic rally. Importantly, the leveraged speculators were at the time pressing bets on the "global reflation trade". The world was positioned for a weak dollar and inflating prices for most currencies, commodities and securities markets. Complacency was running high, with the view that global policymakers were firmly in control and that economic recovery was assured. -- The rapidly escalating European debt crisis, sinking euro (spiking dollar) and dislocation in the credit default swap market back in late-April caught the speculating crowd positioned poorly for the abrupt reversal in global markets. While there's no way of knowing how the leveraged players are positioned these days, one would assume that the crowd has been dispersed and the amount of risk and leverage meaningfully reduced."

Fractional Reserve Banking
A quote...."Banking is a particularly arcane part of the economic system; one of the problems is that the word "bank" covers many different activities, with very different implications. During the Renaissance era, the Medicis in Italy and the Fuggers in Germany, were "bankers"; their banking, however, was not only private but also began at least as a legitimate, non-inflationary, and highly productive activity. Essentially, these were "merchant-bankers," who started as prominent merchants. In the course of their trade, the merchants began to extend credit to their customers, and in the case of these great banking families, the credit or "banking" part of their operations eventually overshadowed their mercantile activities. These firms lent money out of their own profits and savings, and earned interest from the loans. Hence, they were channels for the productive investment of their own savings."

Fear of Basel III
A quote...."The Global Too Big To Fail Banks are so precarious that literally anything can trigger a collapse in the coming months. Every central banker and regulator involved in Basel III should be lined up against the wall and be shot! -- I have read recent commentaries on Basel III posted to various renowned websites and financial publication, but they missed (or deliberately misled) the underlying message of the proposals, the implementation of which will be delayed till 2017 and some till 2019. -- Basel III is pure spin and its timing was to assuage the deep-seated fears that there are no solutions in sight to save the fiat money system and fractional reserve banking." - Source:  Future Fast Forward

OECD lowers US growth forecast
A quote...."The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has revised down its forecast for US economic growth this year to 2.6 percent from 3.2 percent."  Make it sub 1.5% for the whole year with Q4 being in negative territory. - mpg

U.S. homebuilders' confidence stuck at 18-month low
A quote...."Homebuilders' confidence in the housing market stayed this month at the lowest level in 18 months, and more worry that the traffic of potential buyers is falling. -- The National Association of Home Builders said Monday that its monthly index of builders' sentiment was unchanged in September at 13. The index has now been at the lowest level since March 2009 for two straight months."

Nevada unemployment rises to all-time high 14.4 percent
A quote...."Neither a boost in private-sector hiring nor a shrinking labor force could rescue Nevada from yet another unemployment record in August."

Even the Little Guy Now Realizes that the Stock Market is Gamed, And Many Are Pulling Out Entirely
As I noted in January:  Joseph Stiglitz says that Wall Street is hyping up the economy to sell more stock. -- Has it worked? -- Well, the stock market certainly has rocketed up from its March lows. -- But many investors are still avoiding equities. -- As Vincent Deluard - a strategist for TrimTabs Investment Research (25% of the top 50 hedge funds in the world use research for market timing) - says..."


"In other words, the stock market rally is due almost entirely to hedgies, pension funds, banks and other institutional investors, and not every day investors." -- also posted at BLN

Recession over? Who cares?
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The great recession is one for the history books, according to the academics whose job it is to peer back into the past. -- According to the private National Bureau of Economic Research, the recession ended in June 2009. That’s the month the U.S. economy began to expand again after 18 months of decline. It was the longest recession since the 43-month recession that began in 1929 and ended in 1933. Read our full story on the NBER’s statement on the recession." - bold by web site editor -- That's RIGHT folks, the last time a "recession" like this happened,  economists called it as being over in 1933....almost smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression. - mpg
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No posts. - mpg

9/11 widows react to Rice's testimony - vid - Alt - (MSNBCTV 1m28s 4/8/2004)
Public Officials Warned - article list
Willie Brown got low-key early warning about air travel
Mayor Willie Brown Contradicts Earlier Statements About 9/11 No Fly Warning
Condoleeza Rice Warned Willie Brown Not To Fly On 9-11 - artcl - resc list
Mayor Willie Brown Confronted by Philly 9/11 Truth about Pre-9/11 Warning
contains video - Alt - (BlipTv - 10min 32sec - 02/25/2008)
Condoleeza Rice Warned Willie Brown Not To Fly On 911
Newsweek: Pentagon Generals Cancel Travel Plans One Day Before 9/11/01
Context of 'September 10, 2001: US Generals Warned Not to Fly on . - timeline
Ashcroft Flying High - Cabinet Members Normally Fly Commercial Airlines

For more on this issue see....9/11 - Early Warnings - Precautions -- New Weblist!!

"Claims of "national security" are ... used to keep basic financial information - such as who got bailout money - secret. That might not bode for particularly warm and friendly treatment for someone persistently demanding the release of such information."

Thursday September 16th 2010