Saturday October 6th 2007
The
Origins of Big Brother in the Military/Industrial Complex
Must Read - A
quote...."Behind Winston's back the voice from the telescreen was still
babbling away about pig-iron and the overfulfilment of the Ninth
Three-Year Plan. The telescreen received and transmitted
simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very
low whisper, would be picked up by it, moreover, so long as he remained
within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could
be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether
you were being watched at any given moment.
How often, or on what
system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was
guesswork. It was even
conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate
they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live
-- did live, from habit that became instinct -- in the assumption that
every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every
movement scrutinized." --*
George
Orwell* - 1984, Chapter I, Part I, - bold/italics
by website author.
Gee....you're not wondering
IF
the government is listening to your conversations or watching
you....but instead you now find yourself wondering
WHEN
they're doing so, isn't that just great? Doesn't this all sound
familiar? 1984 was a blockbuster when it was first printed and
for good
reason, the novel regrettably has turned out to be a horribly tragic,
prescient work, of future-fact.
Of course our country didn't immediately descend into the pit of
darkness in 1984; it took a little longer than that to deconstruct what
our forefathers had built. We as a people actually descended into
the pit
sixteen years later in 2000 when our rights to vote for “
our”
representatives were stolen from us, we trod downward even
further the following year when the population of this country
willingly allowed
themselves to be misled by a childishly concocted soap opera called
9/11, we reached rock bottom three years after that, exactly twenty
years
after 1984, during the 2004 elections when many Americans ratified
their newly enacted
slave status, broke their constitutional compact, placed themselves in
chains, renounced their citizenship, sacrificed all their rights, and
became Neo-Romans by willingly going to the polls to vote their nation,
their constitution and their own freedoms out of existence.
America is dead....long live the New Unholy Roman Empire - mpg
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Torture,
Secrecy, and the Bush Administration
Must Read - From the
History File - A quote...."The Lilburne case sums up the most
significant of what may be called the “Commonwealth reforms” of
criminal procedure—one of the few legacies of the revolution to survive
the restoration of the monarchy."
"Secrecy was what the Roundheads found most odious about the Stuart
monarchs' justice. Certainly unjust practices accompanied some of our
Puritan forefathers to this country; we can't forget the Salem witch
trials, for instance. But so too, did a healthy contempt for the abuses
practiced by the Stuart monarchs, starting with the notions of torture
and secret courts with secret evidence. The contempt was reciprocal of
course—they say that King Charles' lip would curl at the very mention
of the word “Massachusetts,” and seven of the ten members of the first
graduating class of Harvard—the class of 1642—returned to England to
enlist in the Model Army and fight against the King. The practice of
secret courts. The use of torture to secure confessions. The receipt of
secret evidence. The exclusion of the public from proceedings. The
offering of evidence in the form of summaries delivered to the judges,
without the defendant being able to confront the evidence or conduct a
cross-examination. These practices were the definition of tyrannical
injustice to the Puritan fathers and the Founding Fathers. We thought
them long-banished a hundred years and more before our own revolution.
And now suddenly here they are again. "
As you read this article and the rights described within its text, just
keep reminding yourself that many of your fellow citizens renounced
these
rights, treated them as if they were unimportant, of no consequence
whatsoever and effectively gave them up for what amounts to fairy tales
and a few pieces of silver. - mpg
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Another
Military Attorney Bites the Dust
Related article - A quote...."This time, it's the chief prosecutor for
the Guantanamo Bay
"war crimes" trials who has asked to be "reassigned" apparently over
disagreements with the manner in which those "trials" were to be
conducted:"
Who Will
Confront the Unprecedented and Unconstitutional Concentration of
Executive Power?
Related article - A quote...."Where are the Lawyers of America? -- The
rogue regime of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney-so widely condemned for
its unconstitutional, criminal Iraq war, its spying on Americans
illegally, its repeated illegal torture practices, its arrests and
imprisonment of thousands in this country without charges and its
pathological secrecy and corporate corruption-still has not felt the
heat of the 800,000 practicing lawyers and their many bar
organizations."
Federal
judge tells military to halt Watada court-martial
> NEWS ALERT <
Saturday, October 6, 2007 - Related article - A quote...."The fate of
1st Lt. Ehren
Watada, the first Army officer to face prison for refusing to deploy to
Iraq, might be decided by a civilian judge rather than a military jury.
-
In a rare, last-minute move, U.S.
District Court Judge Benjamin Settle on Friday put Watada's Tuesday
court-martial on hold. In the weeks ahead, Settle will decide
whether this second trial should proceed,
or be quashed as a violation of the
officer's constitutional rights that protect against double jeopardy,
or being tried twice for the same crime." - italics by website author
For more on this see....
1st
Lt. Ehren Watada
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PJB: Hillary a Shoo-in?
Not By a Long Shot
A quote...."With President Bush reaching new lows in national polls,
Christian conservatives threatening to bolt if Rudy is the nominee and
the Iraq war bleeding support in Middle America, Republicans are in a
funk about 2008. - And understandably and deservedly so. - The war, a
product of hubris, born of the smashing triumph in Afghanistan, and
ideology, a Wilsonian vision of democratizing the Middle East, has been
a disaster for the country and the party that plunged us into it. And
the Bush amnesty for illegal aliens ignited a rebellion that dealt the
establishment its worst thrashing in many moons."
Except for implying a similarity between Woodrow Wilson's attempt to
establish a democratic convention of governments to manage this
planet's affairs - and the malevolent, genocidal, psychotic, winner
take all, home invasion, gang banging, thugs-R-us, boyz in the hood,
Murder Inc.,
world
wide rampage, initiated by the Neocon's stage managed, blatantly
obvious, pathetically covered up, keystone cops "fortuitous" event
called 9/11....this article's really pretty good. – mpg
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Edwards
Slams Top Clinton Strategist's Ties to Blackwater
Related article - A quote...."In a scathing attack, Democratic
presidential candidate
John Edwards went after front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.,
Friday, calling her a "corporate Democrat," comparing top Clinton
campaign strategist Mark Penn to former Bush aide Karl Rove and
assailing Penn's ties to Blackwater USA, the embattled private firm of
military contractors accused by the Iraqi government of firing upon and
killing 11 unarmed Iraqi civilians last month."
Are
Presidents Entitled to Kill Foreigners?
A quote...."What is the common term for ordering soldiers to kill vast
numbers of innocent people? - A war crime. -
But not when it is done on the command of the U.S. president. -
Killing innocent foreigners seems to be a perk of the modern presidency
– akin to the band’s playing “Hail to the Chief” when he enters the
room."
Attack
on Iran: Morality Lost in the Garden of Deceits
A quote.... "10/06/07 "ICH" -- --- Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs
of war (Julius Caesar Act III, Scene I). The call for war against Iran
was issued by no other than Mr. Bernard Kouchner the foreign minister
of France, a country with the motto of Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity. France the home of Voltaire and Rousseau is now calling for
war against a country that has never threatened France or its
neighbours. France a nuclear power with illustrious colonial past is
urging others to be aware of the dangers that nuclear weapons pose."
Whatever
Happened to “Uncle Sam Wants You”?
A quote...."In the highly probable event that America launches an
aerial attack on Iran, the not-insubstantial Iranian army will move
rapidly into Iraq bent on the slaughter of American troops. College
Republicans and other young, “patriotic” pro-imperial supporters should
make this their Teddy Roosevelt moment and leave for basic training
now, that they might be ready to really support the troops — not with
yellow ribbons this time, but with risk to their own lives. - The rest
of young and hale America can best defend their homeland, their
families, and the U.S. Constitution, not by kicking in the doors of
brutalized Iraqis (and engendering a hatred of Uncle Sam that begs for
terrorist retaliation here at home), but by refusing to serve in
imperial war."
Inventing
the Enemy
Must Read - A
quote...."The mainstream media’s bitter campaign against Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his trip to New York City in late
September was a superb study in what Noam Chomsky calls “manufacturing
consent”–the all-but-unanimous media verdict on a given issue that
serves the interests of the U.S. ruling establishment."
Rare
march in Baghdad against new U.S. wall
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Oct 6 (Reuters) - More than a thousand Iraqis
marched in west Baghdad on Saturday in a rare public demonstration to
protest against a wall they say the U.S. military is planning to erect
around their neighbourhood."
Brass
in Pocket: A Chronicle of Blood Money Foretold - posted to the
Moscow Times, Oct. 4, 2002
From the History File - A quote...."Besides the oil industry, of
course. Their eager slobbering over Saddam's barrels of black gold --
second largest oil reserves in the world -- has reached such torrential
proportions in recent weeks that even the Dear Leader's cheerleaders in
mainstream American media have had to put down their pom-poms for a
second and take note of it. Usually in this vein: "An unexpected side
benefit to President Bush's campaign to liberate the Iraqi people could
be the opportunity it represents for some of America's largest
hydrocarbon enterprises to develop profitable new venues for their
useful goods and services," or some other such gumming of milky
pabulum. But in any case, that particular fat cat is now out of the bag
for all to see."
Afghans
demand of US-led forces to quit Afghanistan
A quote...."The News (Pakistan) - About 800 angry Afghans demanded
Saturday that US-led forces quit their area to end heavy fighting as an
Afghan official alleged foreign troops had shot dead two civilians in
error."
6
Years Later, US Expands Afghan Base
A quote...."BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) - Six years after the first U.S.
bombs began falling on Afghanistan's Taliban government and its
al-Qaida guests, America is planning for a long stay. - Originally
envisioned as a temporary home for invading U.S. forces, the sprawling
American base at Bagram, a former Soviet outpost in the shadow of the
towering Hindu Kush mountains, is growing in size by nearly a third."
My
Favorite ‘Anti-Semite’
More on Tutu being banned - A quote...."The utterly charming thing
about the Zionist Thought Police is their apparent inability to
restrain themselves, even from the very excesses that will prove to be
their own undoing. Having asked sane and rational people to believe
that Jimmy Carter is a Holocaust denier simply for pointing out
the obvious about the apartheid regime Israel maintains in the occupied
territories, the same crew now want us to believe that Archbishop
Desmond Tutu is an anti-Semite. No jokes! That was the reason cited for
Tutu being banned from speaking at St. Thomas University in
Minneapolis. “We had heard some things he said that some people judged
to be anti-Semitic and against Israeli policy,” explained university
official Doug Hennes."
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FBI offered me
$4m: Lockerbie bomb witness
Must Read - Some
quotes...."A WITNESS in the Lockerbie case has claimed he was offered
$4 million (£2 million) by American investigators to lie to the
trial judges. - Edwin Bollier, head of the Swiss company MEBO that was
said to have manufactured the timer used to detonate the Pan Am bomb,
claims he was offered the money by the FBI at its Washington HQ in
exchange for making a statement that supported the main line of inquiry
- that Libya was responsible for the bombing." -- "The
claim follows news that the Maltese shopkeeper Tony Gauci, whose
evidence led to Megrahi's conviction, was offered $2 million by the
CIA."
Lockerbie
evidence withheld from defence
Related article - A quote...."FRESH doubt has been cast over the
conviction of the Lockerbie bomber after it emerged a document
containing vital evidence about the bomb timer has never been shown to
the defence."
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The
scandal of Blackwater
A quote...."....the investigative process so far has hardly been
impartial. Just hours before Prince's testimony, CNN reported that the
state department's initial report on the shooting was drafted by a
Blackwater contractor, Darren Hanner. The next day came the news that
the FBI team assigned to look into the incident in Baghdad had a
contract with Blackwater itself to provide security for their
investigation."
Who owns you
Americans? - Warning : harsh langauge - (YouTube - 3 min 26 sec -
June 23, 2007)
Must View - A redone
video of George Carlin - A quote...."Nobody seems to notice... nobody
seems to care" -- Provided By: puppetgovcom - Music by
Sigor Ros - Please check out our other videos at:
www.puppetgov.com
Ex-CIA
Robert Baer Questions Use of Torture, Official 9/11 Story
A quote...."Robert Baer spent 20 years working for the CIA. He was a
field officer in the Middle East and has seen it all. He says torture
is useless - it leads to false confessions. And he doesn't believe the
official story about 9/11. If CIA agents are questioning 9/11, then
maybe you should be too. Do you even know the story of Building 7? What
about the military drills going on that day - can you name them? Don't
bother looking in the 9/11 Commission Report for this information. They
conveniently left out all the many suspicious details that point to
9/11 being an inside job."
Monday 8 October
2007: March to Parliament, in Defiance of the Ban
Update - A
quote...."Sessional Orders are passed at the beginning of every
Parliamentary session under an 1839 law to ensure free passage for MP’s
to arrive and depart from Parliament. Similar Orders apply to the House
of Lords."
Wow,
what a compassionate group of people
A quote...."So I went to the supermarket today, and tried to buy
one-third of a pound of ground beef from a butcher with a less than
solid grasp of fractions. He asked me if a third was more or less
than a half; he thought it was about the same as three-fourths. It is
to weep. - Speaking of ill-educated butchers, George Bush
gave an interview
to Al Arabiya yesterday. He was even less coherent than usual. His
average sentence sounded like this: “And they’re making progress that I
believe where the average Palestinian and average Israeli will begin to
see
what a vision looks like.”
- He explained to the interviewer that “One of the hardest things
for me is to meet with a mother.” Er, I think he meant mothers of
soldiers killed in one of his wars (he had met one such mother the day
before)." - italics by website author
George Bush has lots of "visions" himself, and we
ALL know why don't we folks? (wink,
wink) - mpg
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Tom
Friedman Puts on Dark Glasses and Discovers the Sun
A quote...."Given the hectic pace of life these days, I suppose it
should come as no surprise that we Americans are inexorably loosing our
ability to think for ourselves. Social critics have long sought a
definitive explanation for this phenomenon, but have so far failed to
come up with anything beyond a working hypothesis. The prevailing
arguments tend to fall into one of three basic categories. They are:
a.) Americans are too busy to make sense of the complex geopolitical
realities of the modern world;
b.) Americans are too stupid to make sense of the complex geopolitical
realities of the modern world; or
c.) Americans are too stupid to know they are too stupid to make sense
of the complex geopolitical realities of the modern world.
Friday October 5th 2007
The
latest revelations of lawbreaking, torture and extremism
Must Read - A
quote...."Much outrage has been provoked by the generally excellent New
York Times article this morning revealing the Bush administration's
recent violations of legal restrictions on the use of torture and other
"severe interrogation techniques." And, in one sense, the outrage is
both understandable and appropriate. Today's revelations involve the
now-familiar, defining attributes of this administration -- claims of
limitless presidential power, operating in total secrecy and with no
oversight, breaking of laws at will, serial misleading of the Congress
and the country and, most of all, the shattering of every previous
moral and legal constraint on our national behavior. - But in
another, more important, sense, this story reveals nothing new. As a
country, we've known undeniably for almost two years now that we have a
lawless government and a President who routinely orders our laws to be
violated. His top officials have been repeatedly caught lying outright
to Congress on the most critical questions we face. They have argued
out in the open that the "constitutional duty" to defend the country
means that nothing -- including our "laws" -- can limit what the
President does.
Spot on. - mpg
Senate
passes intelligence bill after Democrats back down on presidential
briefings, CIA jails
Related Article - A quote...."After a stalemate of over two years, the
Senate passed the 2008 Intelligence Authorization bill Wednesday, with
Democrats ceding a key provision regarding pre-war Iraq intelligence
that Republicans had decried - Sources close to the Senate Intelligence
Committee say one of the compromises Democrats made to ensure the
bill’s passage was to remove language demanding the White House turn
over all Presidential Daily Briefings on Iraq prior to the 2003
invasion. Democrats are said to have been hoping to establish whether
President Bush mischaracterized intelligence in the lead-up to the
conflict. - “The provision on the PDBs was dropped because Republicans
objected and were blocking consideration of the bill,” a Senate source
said Wednesday."
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Who
Wants To Bomb Iran? Democrats, Not Republicans, Says Seymour Hersh
A quote...."When George Bush and Dick Cheney talk about their plans to
bomb Iran, they are told "You can't do it, because every Republican is
going to be defeated"--that's what a Republican former intelligence
official told legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. "But,"
the former official went on, "Cheney doesn't give a rat's ass about the
Republican worries, and neither does the President." - I
recently spoke with Hersh, whose new piece, "Target Iran," is featured
in The New Yorker this week. - When I asked Hersh who wants to
bomb Iran, he said, "Ironically there is a lot of pressure coming from
Democrats. Hillary Clinton, Obama, and Edwards have all said we cannot
have a nuclear-armed Iran. Clearly the pressure from Democrats is a
reflection of - we might as well say it - Israeli and Jewish input." He
added the obvious: "a lot of money comes to the Democratic campaigns"
from Jewish contributors."
Can
They Sink Any Lower? - The Democrats and Iran
Related article - A quote...."Voting to declare one of Iran's security
forces a "terrorist organization." Authorizing yet more funding for
Bush's war on Iraq. Declaring that U.S. troops might occupy Iraq until
at least January 2013. - Sounds like the posturing of one of the
whatshisnames running for the Republican presidential nomination. But
these are the policies and political positions of the Democratic
Congress and its leading presidential contenders."
"We
Don't Speak To Evil"
Related article - A quote...." Capitalizing on the reliable ignorance
of the American public and the indolent gullibility of its journalists,
the Bush Administration regularly conflates its numerous targets of
regime change, pretending they love each other to death and are united
only in their desire to slaughter innocent American children. There are
gaping chasms in this narrative, but they vanish into our national
memory hole."
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Posted at
Juan
Cole Friday, October 05, 2007
"WaPo
says that the Iraqi government has made a $100 mn. deal with China for
the purchase of light weaponry,
especially AK-47 assault rifles. Some observers are afraid that these
arms will actually end up in the hands of sectarian militiamen or
anti-government guerrillas, through graft or theft or because much of
the Iraqi police and army is made up of militiamen. The Iraqi
government maintains that the US arming of its police and army is not
going fast enough and that large numbers of policemen are essentially
unarmed for lack of equipment. (It is, however, alleged that large
numbers of policemen sold off their weapons and even ammunition in the
face of grinding poverty and salary arrears)."
"Stung,
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pledged to speed up US arms
deliveries to the Iraqis. My
guess is that this is a step toward Iraqi government independence of
the US military, and that the US military is deliberately going slow on
providing some kinds of equipment because it still does not trust the
Iraqis. - Also, President Jalal Talabani and PM Nuri al-Maliki
are desperately afraid of the new Sunni Arab tribal levies that the US
military is creating and the arming of which it is facilitating, and
the Chinese arms for Kurdish and Shiite troops may be an answer to the
US-sponsored "Awakening" groups."
--
Juan Cole
What this whole thing is about....is another major step toward civil
war, all aided and abetted by the US military. It appears the "
flipping
of Iraq" is possibly back on track. - mpg
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Opening
of US Embassy in Iraq Delayed
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) — The opening of a mammoth,
$600 million U.S.
Embassy in Baghdad, which had been planned for last month, has now been
delayed well into next year, U.S. officials said Thursday. The
Vatican-sized compound,
which will be the
world's
largest diplomatic mission, has been beset by construction and
logistical problems." - bold/italics by website author
Isn't it just great to have a bunch of morons spend our hard earned tax
dollars on their sick, twisted and bloody version of the New Roman
Empire? - mpg
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Iraqi
leaders turn against US-created 'militias'
Related article - A quote...."BAGHDAD (AFP) - The Iraqi government
lashed out on Thursday against a US military initiative that pits
civilians against al-Qaeda fighters, accusing it of creating new
militias in the war-weary nation. - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's
media adviser Yasin Majeed said the Shiite-led government was now
trying to bring armed groups set up by the US military under the
control of the Iraqi army."
Mike Gravel on PBS -
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer - (YouTube - 17min 35sec - 100307) -
posted at
ICH
Must View - A
quote...."Mike Gravel interviews on the October 2nd Edition of 'The
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.' He discusses his time in the US Senate,
NI4D, the FairTax, and much more!"
Eight
More Wrongly Imprisoned Men are Quietly Released - The Anonymous
Victims of Guantánamo
A quote...."Hot on the heels of the release of Mohammed al-Amin, a
Mauritanian student who was just a teenager when he was kidnapped for a
bounty payment on a street in Pakistan over five years ago, the
Pentagon has released another eight detainees -- six Afghans, a Libyan
and a Yemeni -- thinning "the worst of the worst" at Guantánamo
from 778 men to just 335. - Of the six Afghans released,
the identities of three are unknown. This is hardly surprising, as the
Department of Defense never reveals the names of those it releases, and
the media long ago abandoned turning up in Kabul to welcome back
another bunch of farmers, shopkeepers and Taliban conscripts from their
brutal and surreal sojourn in a small corner of Cuba that is forever
America."
So
Who's Afraid of the Israel Lobby?
A quote...."Virtually everyone: Republican, Democrat—Conservative,
Liberal. The fear factor is non-partisan, you might say, and
palpable. - The American Israel Public Affairs Committee brags that it
is the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol
Hill, and has demonstrated that time and again, and not only on Capitol
Hill."
Venezuela
Responds to US Secretary of Defense
A quote...."Caracas, October 4, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com)- Responding
to US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who said that Hugo Chavez is a
"threat to regional stability," Venezuelan Vice-President Jorge
Rodriguez affirmed that Hugo Chavez is indeed a "tremendous threat" to
the "empires of the world," and assured they would continue to be a
"greater threat" as time goes on."
A
Triumphant Advance in Ecuador - Popular Forces Sweep Constituent
Assembly Elections
A quote...."Today Ecuador is undergoing a triumphant advance. Of the
three anti-imperialist governments in South America that are now
pursuing a process of change, the regime in Ecuador has the broadest
support."
Iran-Syria
sign billion dollar gas deal
A quote...."TEHRAN (AFP) — Fellow US foes Iran and Syria have signed an
agreement for Tehran to export a billion dollars worth of gas every
year to its chief regional ally, Iranian state television reported on
Thursday. Iranian caretaker Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari
and Syrian counterpart Sufian Allaw signed the memorandum of
understanding in Tehran that will see Iran exporting three billion
cubic metres (105 billion cubic feet) of natural gas annually to Syria."
Report: Iran
worried over Syrian air defense failure in IAF strike
A quote..."Iran is concerned over the failure of Syria's air defense
systems to detect the Israel Air Force non-stealth aircraft that
reportedly carried out an attack inside Syria last month, the American
weekly Aviation Week reported on its Web site on Wednesday."
Sarkozy
and Bush: 'De Gaulle Must be Turning in His Grave' - posted at
Watching America
A quote...."Charles de Gaulle - who did all he could to give France a
certain freedom of action with respect with the United States, followed
thereafter by all of his successors up to Chirac - must be turning in
his grave."
Indian
economy 'to overtake UK'
A quote...."India could overtake Britain and have the world's fifth
largest economy within a decade as the country's growth accelerates, a
new report says. - If trends continue, India's economy may then surpass
the US and be second only to China's by mid-century, the report by
investment bank Goldman Sachs says."
Security
Alliances Led By Russia, China Pool Resources
A quote...." DUSHANBE, October 5, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A Russian-led
defense alliance of former Soviet states and a regional security body
headed by China have agreed to broaden cooperation. - The Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) signed the deal today on the sidelines of a summit
of the Commonwealth of Independent States in the Tajik capital,
Dushanbe."
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Putin
touches the pawn and wins: Putin to become Russian PM?
A quote..."Vladimir Putin has confounded all predictions by saying he
would head United Russia's federal list at the State Duma elections in
December, and might become prime minister in 2008."
In other words Putin is to remain head of Russia. Considering how
he's handled his duties so far and brought Russia back from the brink
of utter destitution, impoverishment and national humiliation, it's
great news for Russia...however it’s not such great news for democracy.
Or should one say a "well managed, smoothly functioning system of true
democracy"
It appears Putin has decided that authoritarianism under his
demonstrably better leadership is a heck of a lot better than the
catastrophic Yeltsin years of non-stop
klepto-crony-oligarchic-capitalism (a.k.a. Neo-Liberalism) which was
imposed on Russia by the US's elites as their version of "
shock
therapy" ** (remember
shock
and awe**) to "
help"
(a word
that from now on when used by
anyone
from the US shall cause feelings
of fear and loathing in those who hear it) Russia in an obvious and
blatant attempt to break that country apart in an effort to steal it's
natural resources.
And he has already been proven to be correct in that judgment.
But he's just one man
who so far has
made some brilliant decisions with a great deal of help from his loyal
followers (mostly former KGB). He, himself however, is not "
a system" which
can spread risk, promote stability during political transitions and
encourage the inclusion of dissenting voices even if he "
as a single individual" diligently
does so while he remains in office.
In other words there are grave risks - either way - in going down this
road and one should therefore always remember two very time worn, but
true, cautions. Power corrupts (always) and absolute power
corrupts absolutely....and the road to hell is paved with good
intentions. – mpg
** For more on this issue of
"Shock"
- see....Naomi Kline's
The Shock Doctrine - (YouTube -
6min 46sec - September 07, 2007) -- A quote...."Directed by
Jonas Cuarón,. Alfonso Cuarón,
director of "Children of Men", and Naomi Klein, author of "No Logo",
present a short film from Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of
Disaster Capitalism." -
posted
09-10-07
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========== ====
More Naomi....
Naomi Klein - The Shock Doctrine - (YouTube - avg. 5-7 min - September
04, 2007)
---
Part
I -
Part
II -
Part
III -
Part
IV -
Part
V -
Part
VI
Lecture - A
quote...."Naomi Klein talks about her new book, The Shock Doctrine: The
Rise of Disaster Capitalism."
And even more Naomi....
Naomi
Klein: From Think Tanks to Battle Tanks, "The Quest to Impose a Single
World Market Has Casualties Now in the Millions" - A
quote....'Is Another World Possible?' That was the theme of this year's
annual meeting of the American Sociological Association that was held
in New York City this past weekend. "We did not lose the battles of
ideas. We were not outsmarted and we were not out-argued,” journalist
and author Naomi Klein said. “We lost because we were crushed.
Sometimes we were crushed by army tanks, and sometimes we were crushed
by think tanks. And by think tanks I mean the people who are paid to
think by the makers of tanks." Klein is author of the forthcoming book,
"The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism." [includes rush
transcript]"
Listen to
Segment
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The Road to
9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America (Hardcover)
A BuzzFlash
Book Review - A
quote...."This is a brilliant book, impeccably documented, that sees
the executive branch of the American goverment through a prism of
skepticism and alarm, bolstered by heavily footnoted sources. - Dale
raises vital unanswered questions about the emergence of the secret
state within a state in the United States, while avoiding the pitfall
of descending into adamant conspiracy theories."
A Brief
History of Neoliberalism (Paperback)
A BuzzFlash
Book Review - A
quote...."Here's the bad news - most Americans don't know what
"neoliberalism" is. - But the good news is that David Harvey has
written the most brilliant, concise, and clear history of neoliberalism
I've ever found"
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
[British]
Police ban antiwar march
A quote...."The Metropolitan Police have banned a demonstration by the
Stop the War Coalition in central London. Police spokesmen have
indicated that this is in response to pressure from the Labour
government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown."
8th October: Tony
Benn to ignore ban on Iraq demonstration & march to UK Parliament
Related article - A quote...."Tony Benn, Brian Eno, Mark Thomas, Walter
Wolfgang, George Galloway and Ben Griffin (ex SAS trooper) will head
the march to Parliament in defiance of the ban. Make sure you are there
to demand troops out and in defence of our civil liberties. It is vital
that we defy the ban. Don’t miss this demo."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Were Friends of
the Fed Tipped Off?
Must Read - A
quote...."According to an October 3rd article on Bloomberg, a phone
call from none other than Robert Rubin (a.k.a. "Mr. Bailout") to Ben
Bernanke in early August set in motion a series of public and private
sector conversations that culminated in the surprise discount rate cut
on August 17th:"
Blackwater’s
bullets over Baghdad
A quote...."Blackwater USA has sprayed more bullets over Baghdad than
any government contract killers, er, cowboys. Nearly 200 shootings in
Iraq since 2005, mostly from moving vehicles, no stops for body counts,
let alone helping the wounded. This according to a new report from
Congress. In fact, Blackwater is almost an insurgency unto itself.
Whatcha think?"
Turd Blossom's
Farewell - The Last Memo of Karl Rove
A quote...."By the time you read this, I’ll be gone. You know me, never
wanted the limelight, no big farewell party, just slip out the back
door with a suitcase full of stock options, sweetheart deals, and fond
memories. - We’ve had some great times and you’ve all been part of it.
It seems like yesterday we were stealing the election down in Florida.
That Kathy Harris was quite the babe; sorry to see her go down in
’06…was that a poor choice of words? We should all thank Osama
for giving W a second chance, he was screwing things up pretty good
before that, but like I always said, give me a pile of crap and I’ll
grow a flower; we have our own Texas Rose in the White House to prove
it."
Plain
and Simple: Nothing But Ouster Will Stop Bush-Cheney Torture Regime
A quote...."They lie about it because they want to torture people.
That's the first thing you must understand: They want to do it. They
enjoy the thought of it. They want to hear the details, they want to
hear about the pain, about the broken spirits and the ruined minds.
They literally, physically – perhaps even sexually – enjoy the idea of
people getting beaten, tormented and waterboarded at their command.
There's no question about this.
Bush tortured
animals when he was a child, and now he tortures human beings with
the same kind of furtive, sniggering, naughty glee. And when someone
catches him at it, he lies about it, just like a brattish child. And
now the whole administration of the United States government operates
on the degraded moral level of this profoundly stunted and twisted
little wretch."
How
Rumsfeld Micromanaged Torture - "Make Sure This Happens!!"
A quote...."When Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld boasted, as he
did frequently, of his unrelenting focus on the war on terror, his
audience would have been startled, maybe even shocked, to discover the
activities that Rumsfeld found it necessary to supervise in minute
detail. Close command and control of far away events from the Pentagon
were not limited to the targeting of bombs and missiles. Thanks to
breakthroughs in communications, the interrogation and torture of
prisoners could be monitored on a real time basis also."
Is that what they call it...."
close
command and control"? For
years there have been a lot of jokes on the web to the effect that
maybe those sickos in the White House really enjoyed this stuff, that
they enjoyed watching those videos from Gitmo, Abu Ghraib and the other
"black sites" throughout the world. They're not jokes anymore and
it's not funny anymore. One would hope all you "Neo-Romans" in
this country who voted for these perverts are ashamed of
yourselves. - mpg -
posted
05-01-07
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Cholera
spreads from Iraq to Iran--WHO expert
A quote...."GENEVA, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Cholera has jumped the border
from Iraq to Iran, highlighting the need for neighbouring countries to
boost their defences against the deadly disease, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday."
UK-US
Iraqi Holocaust And Iraqi Genocide - 3.9 Million Deaths
A quote..."Authoritative estimates of violent and non-violent Iraqi
excess deaths now show that the post-invasion excess deaths in Occupied
Iraq total 2.0 million (see:
http://open.newmatilda.com/crosswire/
), the 1990-1990 Gulf War violent deaths totalled 0.2 million (see:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_Iraqis_died_in_the_Gulf_War
), and the 1990-2003 Sanctions War was associated with 1.7 million
excess deaths. The total 1990-2007 excess deaths in Iraq now (September
2007) total 3.9 MILLION (see:
http://mwcnews.net/content/view/17066/42/
)."
Regarding the two articles shown above....
When you deal with America's elites, when you let them into your homes
or your countries, you invite death itself across your doorstep.
The elites of this nation are a plague upon the world, wherever they go
they bring violence, destruction and disease in their wake, they have
always brought doom to all those they have had commerce
with....you are a
fool if you deal with them and you will have only yourselves to blame
for what happens to you and your children if you should do so. – mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Dollar's
double blow from Vietnam and Qatar
Some quotes...."The Saigon Times said this morning that the State Bank
of Vietnam was abandoning the attempt to hold down the Vietnamese
currency through heavy purchases of dollars. The policy is causing the
economy to overheat, driving up inflation to 8.8pc." --
"Separately, the gas-rich Gulf state of Qatar announced that it had cut
the dollar holdings of its $50bn sovereign wealth fund from 99pc to
40pc, switching into investments in China, Japan, and emerging Asia."
Iraq
Insurgents Unite To Fight U.S.
Some quotes...." 10/04/07 "CBS/AP" -- -- Nearly two dozen previously
unknown Iraqi insurgent groups announced a new coalition to fight
foreign occupation but it also set conditions for talks with the U.S.
in a statement on a Web site affiliated with the country's deposed
Baath party." -- "
An
Islamic Web site linked to extremist groups such as al Qaeda also
carried the announcement, but ridiculed al-Douri and the new group."
- bold/italics by website author.
Of course al Qaeda doesn't want Iraqis to unite! From carefully timed
videos right before US elections or congressional votes to restrict
freedoms in the US, to Osama rising phoenix like from has own ashes
whenever the nation needs to be reminded of how they need Bush, to
calling the Shea in Iraq apostates while urging their extermination
setting off a never ending saga of sectarian strife in that poor
country - to that
fateful day called 9/11....al Qaeda
has
always been there
for the PNAC'ing Neocons when they needed them.
And that's something to think about.- mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Red,
white and mercenary in Iraq
A quote...."On June 27, 2004, the day before the United States was to
grant sovereignty to a new Iraqi government and disband the Coalition
Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. proconsul, issued a
stunning new order. One of the final acts of the CPA, Order 17 declared
that foreign contractors within Iraq, including private military firms,
would not be subject to any Iraqi laws -- "all International
Consultants shall be immune from Iraqi legal process," it read.
"Congratulations to the new Iraq!" Bremer said moments before flying
out. His memoir, "My Year in Iraq," neglects to mention Order 17."
Ivan Eland at FFF Conference 2007 - posted at the
FofFF - (YouTube -
avg lngth 10min - August 05, 2007)
Part
I -
Part
II -
Part III
-
Part
IV -
Part
V -
Part
VI -
Part
VII
A quote...."Ivan Eland's presentation to The Future of Freedom
Foundation's annual conference in Reston, Virginia."
Adam
Smith and the village's amusement at war
A quote...."The ordinary expense of the greater part of modern
governments in time of peace being equal or nearly equal to their
ordinary revenue, when war comes they are both unwilling and unable to
increase their revenue in proportion to the increase of their expense.
They are unwilling for fear of offending the people, who, by so great
and so sudden an increase of taxes, would soon be disgusted with the
war; and they are unable from not well knowing what taxes would be
sufficient to produce the revenue wanted."
"
The facility of
borrowing delivers them from the embarrassment which this fear and
inability would otherwise occasion. By means of borrowing they
are enabled, with a very moderate increase of taxes, to raise, from
year to year, money sufficient for carrying on the war, and by the
practice of perpetually funding they are enabled, with the smallest
possible increase of taxes, to raise annually the largest possible sum
of money." - bold/italics by website author
--
Adam Smith in
his 1776 An Inquiry into the Nature And Causes of the Wealth of Nations
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Meet
the New Shills on Iran, Same as the old Shills on Iraq
A quote...."THE invasion and occupation of Iraq was the invention of a
banished ruling class who had enriched themselves by marketing the
influence of their positions in government; who had nursed their broken
ambitions in exile and had instinctively constructed their sympathetic
webs of wealth to obstruct the remedies of the reformers and hatch the
next generation of world capitalists who would inherit the patronage of
the next conservative presidency."
Iraq
PM says 'unfit' Blackwater must go
A quote..."BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on
Wednesday that Blackwater should leave the country because of the
mountain of evidence against the under-fire US security firm."
Almost
Two-Thirds of Australians Oppose Involvement in Iraq War
And the elites in Australia could care less, just like the elites here
could care less about the "little people's" opinions. For more on this
issue see....
White
Man's Burden - 12-20-06 - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
>>> 1st Lt. Ehren Watada <<<
Second
Trial Illegal, Watada Argues
A quote...."Lawyers turn to federal judges in Seattle to stop new
court-martial. - Lawyers for Fort Lewis 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, who in
June 2006 went public with his refusal to serve in Iraq and said the
war is illegal, asked the U.S. District Court in Seattle on Wednesday
to halt his court-martial, which is only days away. - Watada's second
court-martial is slated to begin Tuesday. His first court-martial
earlier this year ended in a mistrial before a jury could deliberate."
Will
the Watada Mistrial Spark an End to the War?
Absolutely brilliant, Watada's conscience and his lawyer tied up the
case into procedural knots because of the army's own hypocrisy.
Neither the court nor the army wanted to discuss the illegality of the
war, but.... "prosecutors wanted the judge to find that Watada had
agreed to pretrial stipulations that he had violated his duty when he
refused to show up for movement to Iraq", "Watada maintained that his
refusal to participate in an illegal war in Iraq was justified, indeed
required, under the Army's own Uniform Code of Military Justice."
As a consequence of the pure, unalterable, irresistible logic of
Watads's principled stance, the issue of the illegality of the
war was forced into the proceedings and openly discussed in the
courtroom, violating the Judge's own prior rulings not to discuss the
issue and therefore causing a mistrial. - mpg -
posted 02-09-07
Army's
Iraq War Objector [First Lt. Ehren Watada] Charged Again *
It doesn't matter if the retrial violates double jeopardy, it doesn't
matter if they have to shop for judges, put pressure on the ones they
find, blackmail them if necessary. It doesn't matter how many
lies the military has to tell, it doesn't matter how many laws they
have to break "to get him". This government, especially the thugs
that now run it, can not afford to have one of the "cannon fodder"
openly defy them, it violates all their rules.
They will stoop to any level, try every trick, and tell any lie to make
an example of Watada.
You can be absolutely sure First Lt. Ehren Watada knew this when he
made his decision and took his stand. - mpg -
posted 02-24-07 -- * link lost
detected/changed 10-04-07
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
British
Prime Minister Brown prepares for snap general election: A sign of
mounting crisis
A quote...."Gordon Brown’s impromptu visit to UK forces in Iraq makes
his calling a snap general election for November almost certain."
Nuclear
Agreement With US Rips India Apart
A quote...."Presented by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as one of
the biggest successes of his term, the cooperation agreement on
civilian nuclear matters signed at the end of July with the United
States could paradoxically cost his government its life."
Two Knights and a Dragon -
The Power of the Israel Lobby
A quote...."THE TWO professors take the bull by the horns. They deal
with a subject which is absolutely taboo in the United States, a
subject nobody in his right mind would even mention: the enormous
influence of the pro-Israel lobby on American foreign policy. - In a
remorselessly systematical way, the book analyzes the Lobby, takes it
apart, describes its modus operandi, discloses its financial sources
and lays bare its relations with the White House, the two houses of
Congress, the leaders of the two major parties and leading media
people."
Russia
flexes new muscle in Europe
A quote...."Belgrade, Serbia - From the Baltics to the Balkans,
Russia's resurgence is beginning to tie Europe in knots; creating
tensions among nations and fears of ethnic instability and border
disputes, and divisions between the US and its continental partners."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Kucinich
9-11 Hearings Delayed
Must Read - A
quote...."In June, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) promised that his
congressional committee would hold new 9-11 hearings "sometime in
September." These hearings were to focus on specific narrow aspects of
9-11 which, incredibly, have never been properly looked into, such as
the unprecedented short-selling of airline stocks just prior to
September 11, 2001. - These hearings have now been postponed until
further notice."
September
11, 2001: unusual volumes on the options [right] before the attack
This is a Google translation of a French article...it's a little rough
but
readable. - mpg - A quote..."Stepping of the data between volumes and
the outputs, the two authors conclude that “the probability that there
were offences of initiates is strong for American Airlines, United
Airlines, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Citigroup and JP Morgan. It
is not a legal proof but the showing result of statistical methods of
the signs of irregularities”.
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
9/11 - From The History File...Insider
Trading - Pre-9/11 Put Options on Companies Indicates Foreknowledge
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Media
Reveal Disturbing New Twists in Death of Soldier in Afghanistan
Some quotes...."NEW YORK Newspapers in Massachusetts have been doggedly
digging into the case (covered by E&P on Monday) of a Quincy woman
who died in Afghanistan under mysterious circumstances last
week." -- "
A new twist emerged today in a Boston Globe article: Her family says
she had told them to push for an investigation if anything ever
happened to her. She was in a finance unit and may have found some
improprieties, according to a story in the Patriot-Ledger, which also
disclosed that her family had notified the military about her concerns
about her safety three weeks ago."
"Capitalism
and Freedom" Unmasked
A quote...." Rarely had so much praise been given anyone so undeserving
in light of the human wreckage his legacy left strewn everywhere. He
believed government's sole function is "to protect our freedom both
from (outside) enemies....and from our fellow-citizens." It's to
"preserve law and order (as well as) enforce private contracts,
(safeguard private property and) foster competitive markets."
Everything else in public hands is socialism that for free-wheeling
market fundamentalists like Friedman is blasphemy. He said markets work
best unfettered of rules, regulations, onerous taxes, trade barriers,
"entrenched interests" and human interference, and the best government
is practically none at all as anything it can do private business does
better. Democracy and a government of, by and for the people? Forget
it."
The
Alarming Parallels Between 1929 and 2007
Must Read - A
quote...."Although the particulars are different, my reading of
financial history suggests that the abuses and risks are all too
similar and enduring. When you strip them down to their essence, they
are variations on a few hardy perennials -- excessive leveraging,
misrepresentation, insider conflicts of interest, non-transparency, and
the triumph of engineered euphoria over evidence. - The most basic and
alarming parallel is the creation of asset bubbles, in which the
purveyors of securities use very high leverage; the securities are sold
to the public or to specialized funds with underlying collateral of
uncertain value; and financial middlemen extract exorbitant returns at
the expense of the real economy....".
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
In Praise of
Barbarians: Essays Against Empire (Paperback)
A BuzzFlash
- Book Review - A
quote...."Wear flame retardant gloves when you read "In Praise of
Barbarians: Essays Against Empire," because Mike Davis writes
commentary that burns into each page. Provocative is an
understatement for Davis's lacerating and incendiary social and
political analysis. You're likely to agree with 80% of it and violently
disagree with the other 20%. This is a prolific author, a leftist
intellectual gadfly (he's a professor of history, by the way), who
takes no prisoners in his outraged pursuit of a just world."
Record
22C temperatures in Arctic heatwave
A quote...."Parts of the Arctic have experienced an unprecedented
heatwave this summer, with one research station in the Canadian High
Arctic recording temperatures above 20C, about 15C higher than the
long-term average. The high temperatures were accompanied by a dramatic
melting of Arctic sea ice in September to the lowest levels ever
recorded...."
New
Heart Device Allows Cheney To Experience Love
A quote...."WASHINGTON, DC—Recovering from minor heart surgery Sunday,
Vice President Dick Cheney stunned both the medical and political
establishments when he mysteriously began to experience love for the
first time in his life, sources reported Tuesday."
Wednesday October 3rd 2007
Loaded
Language and Loaded Guns - The Meaning of Opposites
Must Read - A quote...."
10/03/07 "ICH" -- - -One can no longer understand US governmental
policy on the basis of conventional language or traditional wisdom.
Language itself and its long-established meanings were long ago twisted
and distorted in order to deceive the people. Now war is peace and
terror and occupation is liberation. In order to make sense of what is
happening, it is important to understand everything within the context
of a specific economic philosophy, and the distorted capitalist system
that spawned it."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Blackwater
contractor wrote government report on incident
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The State Department's initial
report of last month's incident in which Blackwater guards were accused
of killing Iraqi civilians
was written by a
Blackwater contractor working in the embassy security detail,
according to government and industry sources." - bold/italics by
website author.
Just incredible....isn't it? - mpg
The
Bush administration's ties to Blackwater
A quote...."Blamed in the deaths of Iraqi civilians, the private
security firm
has
long ties to the White House and prominent Republicans, including Ken
Starr." - bold/italics by website author
Well, maybe it's not so incredible after all. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
America
in Iraq: The 10-Year Plan
A quote...."It all seemed to be standard diplo-speak, designed to set
up a provision calling for lower numbers of U.S. forces. But a close
parsing of the statement shows that Abawi and the government of Iraq
are seeking to replace the existing United Nations–sponsored pact
permitting U.S.-led forces in Iraq, establishing in its place a
long-term, bilateral security agreement directly between Iraq and the
United States. And while the proposed details have yet to emerge,
similar U.S. agreements with other nations in the region — including
Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar —
have all involved a 10-year "protection" period, at minimum.
- The exact parameters of the deals for each country are
classified. But generally the agreements function like 10-year
protection contracts saying that the United States will guarantee the
security of a signatory country. In return, the United States is
allowed to base troops, dock ships and store military hardware in those
countries in furtherance of its efforts to project force in the Middle
East. "
You don't 'ah dooz all youz bizzness wi'us....sump'um
really AWFUL could
like...er..umm....happan to you an youz whole country and all youz
people...you un'nerstan? - mpg
For more on this see....Confessions of an Economic Hit
Man
Part
I,
Part
II,
Part
III - (Google Video 15min-30min)
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
'You
can't armor your way out of this problem'
A quote...."Of the 81,000 IED attacks in Iraq over the past 4 1/2
years, few proved more devastating to morale than that "huge fire" in
Haditha. At a time when coalition casualties per IED steadily declined,
even as the number of bombs steadily increased, the abrupt obliteration
of an entire squad -- made up mostly of reservists from Ohio --
revealed that the billions of dollars being spent on heavier armor and
other "defeat the device" initiatives had clear limits."
PJB: Paging Sen. Biden
A quote...."Many in Congress deeply regret having voted President Bush
a blank check for war in October 2002. And they are frustrated at their
inability to compel him to begin bringing the troops home. - Why, then,
is Congress pushing for a new confrontation, with Iran, which could
involve us in a war with a nation four times the size of Iraq?"
Because they're degenerate, money loving, sick, twisted, morally
deficient, soulless, war mongering, boot licking, MIOC supporting,
AIPAC worshiping,
PANC'ing, Neocon closet clones....that's why. - mpg
For more on the subject of IED's and EFP's discussed in the two
articles shown above see...
Fake
Intel - IED's & EFP's
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Retiring
military chief declares: American people can’t vote to end Iraq war
Must Read - A
quote...."In a statement remarkable for its blunt rejection of
democracy, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General
Peter Pace, said Monday that
opponents of the war in
Iraq could not
bring it to an end by voting. - Pace made his comments before an
audience that included President George W. Bush, Defense Secretary
Robert Gates and hundreds of high-ranking Pentagon civilian and
military officials, as he swore in his successor as the president’s top
military adviser, Admiral Michael Mullen.
None of those present
made any objection to Pace’s statement." - bold/italics by
website author
To
EVERY American (as apposed to the
Neo-Romans) reading this blog....are you getting chills running up and
down your spine yet? - mpg
==========
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====
Making
Iraq into Vietnam
A quote...."At least the Germans, Japanese and Italians had the excuse
that their countries went to war under absolute dictators. We can’t say
that. If the U.S. expands the fighting by attacking Iran,
it will be because both Bush and the
Democratic-controlled Congress wanted to."
The
Bootlickers' Breakfast: Bush Honors Thugs Who Dishonor War Survivors
A quote...."Want to know how an incredibly unpopular radical faction
whose leader claims autocratic sway over a population that despises him
plans to stay in power? By brute force, what else? Right now, they're
employing brownshirt-style "private" thug bands to intimidate – and
beat up – critics of the regime's criminal war. Soon – after some
"security incident" or another, real or concocted – we will see
military troops (and those contract militias, of course) on the street,
taking over from the thugs."
PM
Erdoğan: US tank found in PKK camp
A quote...."We have found arms of US origin on PKK terrorists we have
caught, and heavy artillery such as tanks and canons, again from the
US, were found in camps that were raided. The US has also confirmed
this," said Mr. Erdoğan."
Why
Turkey has various reasons to be skeptical about the U.S.A.?
A quote...."According to information given by Hersh based on a
government consultant close to US Defence Ministry, the US and Israel
provide logistic support and implicit training to PEJAK (PKK in Iran)
which conducts activities in Iran connected with the PKK which is based
on northern Iraq. The roots of this claim revealed from Hersh’s close
source of information in Pentagon relies on US’ using of various legal
and illegal actors in the framework of destabilization programme of
Iran. Hersh openly shares his views that US and Israel’s applying
various methods prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons and their
being in co operation with the PEJAK by enabling the terrorist
organization to carry out illegal activities. Besides, it is expressed
that the list including US targets in Iran was given to the PEJAK
terrorist organization which is provided by Israel with “training and
equipment”.
For more on the two articles shown above see...
The
US's New Map of the Middle East
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Archbishop Tutu
barred by U. of St Thomas because of criticism of Israel
A quote...."Rumors have been circulating for some time that Archbishop
Desmond Tutu was banned by the University of St Thomas in Minnesota
because of statements he made that some consider anti-Semitic. Now it’s
official: winning the Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t protect you from
charges of anti-Semitism if you criticize Israeli human rights
practices. Neither, apparently, does being one of the most compelling
voices for social justice in the world today, or even getting an
honorary degree from and giving the commencement address at Brandeis."
Iran
slashes oil transactions in dollars
War Warning - A
quote...."TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran has slashed the use of the dollar in
payment for its oil exports to 15 percent, an official said on Tuesday,
amid growing pressure from arch-foe the United States on its financial
system."
Iran's
Foreign Minister Says US Threats Not Helpful to Resolving Nuclear Issue
A quote...."Following a week of intense international pressure on Iran
to comply with U.N. resolutions demanding it suspend uranium
enrichment, Tehran's top diplomat says his country is cooperating with
the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency and wants a peaceful solution to the
crisis. VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from U.N. headquarters."
Report:
Russia sent Syria experts to upgrade air defense
War Warning - A
quote...."The Times of London reported Tuesday that Russia has sent
technicians
to upgrade Syria's air defense system after Israeli electronic warfare
systems allowed IAF warplanes to attack a target in Syria last month."
We
won't follow US into Iran says Downer
Some quotes...."Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has ruled out
Australian involvement in any United States-led military action in
Iran." -- "Mr Downer says he does not believe America is planning to
invade Iran, but if the US did pursue that path, Australia would not
follow."
Mr. Downer will either -
a) Retract his
statement in a few days or -
b) Be seeking
new employment elsewhere. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Using Oil
Diplomacy to Sever Venezuela’s Dependence
A quote...."In June, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez made his
sixth diplomatic trip to Iran. Discussions were held there, as well as
in Russia and Belarus, further boosting international cooperation in
developing Venezuela's immense Orinoco Oil Belt. Iran's participation
in the Venezuelan oil industry dates back to September 2006, when
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad presided over the initial perforation of
a well in Ayacucho 7, one of 27 blocks in the Orinoco Belt, which some
believe may be the world's largest oil deposit.
The country's state oil
company, Petropars, is now exploring the Orinoco, together with
counterparts from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, as well as from
India, China, and Vietnam. - bold/italics by website author
Isn't it just terrible when those uppity little colored people get
together to develop what they believe is "
their" natural
resources? It's perfectly disgusting if you think about it; just
who the heck do those
lowly peasants think they are? After witnessing what the US's
elites did to Iraq, you would've thought they would've gotten the
message by now.
It goes to show some people just don’t learn. - mpg
==========
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========== ====
Ukraine
to pay $1.3 bln gas debt to Russia by Nov.1-Gazprom
A quote...."MOSCOW, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - Gazprom's CEO and
Ukraine's fuel and energy minister agreed on Wednesday that Ukraine
would repay its $1.3 billion gas debt by November 1, the Russian energy
giant said."
TOPOFF
4: Largest Terror Exercise in U.S. History
False Flag Alert - A
quote...."WASHINGTON - The nation is preparing for its biggest
terrorism exercise ever next week when three fictional "dirty bombs" go
off and cripple transportation arteries in two major U.S. cities and
Guam, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press."
FBI
Refuses To Confirm Identities Of 4 Aircraft Used During 9/11 Attacks
A quote...."A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation for documentation confirming the recovery and
positive identification of debris from the commercial aircraft
allegedly used in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (N334AA,
N612UA, N644AA, N591UA), has been denied."
Report
Supported by 7/7 Victims Calls for Major Security Reforms
A quote...."Backs case for independent public inquiry into London
bombings and govt anti-terror strategies"
U.S.
delays domestic satellite spying program
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government has delayed the
start of a program that would use spy-satellite images for domestic
purposes including counterterrorism efforts, a congressman critical of
the effort said on Monday."
Another
coke jet mystery
A quote...."According to McClatchy reporters Jay Root and Kevin G.
Hall, the coke belonged to the notorious -- and, in some quarters,
celebrated -- drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who has a Robin
Hood-eque reputation of helping the poor. The flight was delivering
drugs from Colombia to El Chapo's headquarters in Mexico. -
A number of oddities commend this incident to our respectful attention,
not least among them the plane's history: The European press has
reported that this same Gulfstream II, tail number N987SA, took part in
the CIA's controversial "rendition" program, which transported
prisoners to torture-friendly lands."
For more on this see....
Drugs
and the Mass-Media
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
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Weak dollar
prompts record foreign buyouts of U.S. companies
Some quotes...."BOSTON: European, Asian and Canadian companies are
taking advantage of the weaker dollar to buy their U.S. counterparts at
a record pace, increasing investment in the United States but also
raising fears about a potential loss of jobs and autonomy."
This is the key quote...."Nationally, the value of purchases of
companies by non-U.S. buyers so far this year totaled $257.4 billion -
more than in any full
year since 2000, the height of the technology boom, according to
Thomson Financial, a research firm in New York." - bold/italics by
website author.
It's not a good sign when foreigners are investing heavily into US
markets, they tend to get in at the top. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Richard
Clarke Former Security Czar Calls For Closed Internet
A quote...."Richard Clarke, the man who served President Bush as a
special adviser for cyber security, has a five-point plan for saving
the internet."
For more on this see....
The
Last Bastion of Freedom is Falling - 05-30-06 - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
PARAGUAY:
Hunger Follows Worst Fires in History
A quote...."ASUNCION, Oct 3 (IPS) - Food shortages and hunger in the
northern Paraguayan provinces of Concepción and San Pedro have
followed the worst fires in this country’s history, which destroyed
over one million hectares of crops and forestland and left nearly
50,000 people homeless and eight dead."
Tuesday October 2nd 2007
Use
Economic Sanctions Against Our Own Government
Must Read - A
quote...."There are ways that we can take the money out of their hands.
One way is to get the politicians that vote for funding this war out of
the government. That includes Democrats as well as Republicans. We need
to send an unmistakable message to Congress that we will no longer
condone funding the war of aggression against another nation. We can
also refuse to buy products that are advertised on the mainstream media
that supports the government “spin” on this war."
Shun them, do not do business with them, have no commerce with them, do
not converse with them, do not shelter them,
NEVER, EVER, invite
them into your homes....for they are evil murderers and cannot change.
- mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
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Bush
Meets With Man 3 Days After He Beats Up Gold Star Father
A quote...."On September 18, 2007, three days after members of the
pro-war Gathering of Eagles were involved in the verbal, then physical,
attacks on Gold Star Father and war opponent Carlos Arredondo (and to a
much lesser extent myself) at the march in DC, the pResident, Laura,
Condi, Karen Hughes, and Darth Cheney hosted groups they deem
supporting the troops at a breakfast on the south lawn of the
Whitehouse."
Q and
A For The People Of A Forsaken Republic
Must Read - A
quote...."10/02/07 "ICH"--- - How many times do we, the people of the
US, have to go around on this queasy-making merry-go-round of
propaganda and militarism before we shout -- enough! -- then shutdown
the whole cut-rate carnival and run the scheming carnies who operate it
out of town? It is imperative the nation's citizens begin to apprehend
the patterns present in this ceaseless cycle of official deceit and
collective pathology. This republic, or any other, cannot survive,
inhabited by a populace with such a slow learning curve."
Charles
Ferguson's Compelling Documentary Shows Why There's 'No End in Sight'
in Iraq
Interview - BuzzFlash
interviews writer/director/producer of "
No End in Sight"
(YuTb 2mn 21sc) Charles Ferguson - A quote...."This war and the
principal decisions about this war and the
occupation were made by a startlingly small number of people ... I
don't think there's ever been a situation in which such vital decisions
were made over a quite considerable time, a couple of years, by such a
small number of people, with so little debate inside the government, so
little consultation, and so little outside review."
Blackwater
Portrayed As Out of Control
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) - Blackwater USA is an out-of-control
outfit indifferent to Iraqi civilian casualties, according to a
critical report released Monday by a key congressional committee.
British
PM says 1,000 troops home from Iraq by Christmas
A quote...."Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in Baghdad
on Tuesday that 1,000 British troops could be home from Iraq by
Christmas and Iraqi forces could take control of Basra within two
months."
Hersh:
Pretext And Targets May Change, But War With Iran Is Still On
Some quotes...."The road to war with Iran runs through Iraq. As Seymour
Hersh reports in the New Yorker, the Bush administration is turning
more and more to the idea that the attempt to pacify Iraq has failed
because of interference by Iran, and hoping this notion will serve as
sufficient pretext for a strike against Iran." -- "
Meanwhile, not having to be re-un-elected
again makes Bush and Cheney even more irresponsible than they were when
they were first un-elected, and makes them even more reckless
than the political capital they claimed they had after they were
re-unelected. It would be a perfect setup for a double-impeachment if
the Democrats wanted any part of it. Alas, they do not." -
italics by website author - Good quote. - mpg
Leading
Americans Ask U.S. Military to Refuse to Attack Iran
A quote...."Country music legend Willie Nelson, literary icon Gore
Vidal, Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan, Pentagon Papers whistleblower
Daniel Ellsberg, retired U.S. Army Colonel Ann Wright, former
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de
la Vega, author and radio host Thom Hartmann, Rabbi Michael Lerner,
Rabbi Steven Jacobs, and dozens of other prominent Americans have
signed a letter asking the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all U.S. military
personnel to refuse orders to launch an aggressive war on Iran."
The
southern axis of evil
A quote...."Ahmadinejad and Chavez have already met six times, in both
Iran and Venezuela. Their economic and energy deals - on oil
refineries, petrochemicals, the auto industry - amount to $17 billion,
and counting. Iranian diplomats were ecstatic. Chavez' tacit support
for the "peaceful use of nuclear energy" is considered "very important"
- a counterpunch to the heavy pressure of the US and the European
Union. The overwhelming majority of Latin American governments -
including President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil, who has very
good relations with the Bush administration - regard Iran's nuclear
program as a totally legitimate path to generate electricity. "
President
claims 'win' in Ecuador
A quote...."The Ecuadorean president has claimed victory for his ruling
coalition in elections to a new assembly which will rewrite the
country's constitution. - "The projections are clear: the victory of
the citizens is unquestionable," Rafael Correa said on Monday,
predicting that his government would win 80 of the 130 seats in the
Constituent Assembly."
Belgium
threatened with break-up
A quote...."Nearly four months after the general election, Belgium is
still without a new government. King Albert has called for a second
time on Flemish Christian Democrat leader Yves Leterme to try and form
a government, two months after his first attempt stalled. There are
indications that the deep-seated political divisions are developing
towards a crisis that threatens the country’s very existence. Polls
suggest that two thirds of people in the Dutch-speaking north of the
country expect Belgium to break up."
Russia
to cut gas if Ukraine does not pay debts: Gazprom
A quote...."Russian gas monopoly Gazprom warned Tuesday it would cut
gas supplies to Ukraine, which transports 80 percent of Russian gas
supplies to western Europe, if Kiev did not pay over a billion dollars
in debt this month."
Back
From the Hack, and Once More Into the Breach
A quote...."As all the world knows – oh, all right, as a handful of
people in the world knows – over the weekend we were savagely hacked,
yet again, by the enemies of truth and enlightenment. (That is the
current term of art for political hackers, isn't it?) This was in fact
the worst hack yet, a most expert and sophisticated operation that
penetrated some very heavy security and wreaked enormous damage,
essentially wiping out the entire site. It was the precise equivalent
of firebombing a newspaper or printing press whose works displeased
some powerful entity or individual."
Sean
Penn Hails Hugo Chavez, Hits Fox News
A quote...."NEW YORK Sean Penn, appearing with David Letterman on CBS
on Monday night, defended his recent visit with Venezuelan leader Huge
Chavez, and said there is indeed freedom of expression for the media in
that country. "
AT&T Will
Suspend Accounts of those who talk badly of it
Must Read - A
quote...."Telecommunications company AT&T updated its terms of
service for its DSL customers recently with an interesting addition:
the company will now
suspend the accounts of those who talk badly of it. The new line
reads that service may be suspended if a customer's comments "tends to
damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates
and subsidiaries." - bold/italics by website author
For more on this issue see....
The
Last Bastion of Freedom is Falling - 05-30-06 - mpg
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Forensic
expert: Impossible for handcuffed woman to strangle self in airport
Some quotes...."Dubious of the initial police report, CBS asks a
forensic expert to explain if a woman who died in an airport holding
cell could have strangled herself while handcuffed." --
"“According to investigators, it appeared as though Ms. Gotbaum...
had possibly tried to manipulate the
handcuffs from behind her to the front, got tangled up in the process,
and they ended up around her neck area,” Hill said." - italics
by website author
Almost as good as "she fell out of the window" or "was shot trying to
escape". - mpg
See also....
Gotbaum
kin's plea before dying: I'm not a terrorist!
See also....
The
Killing of Carol Ann Gotbaum?
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
When the
Music Stops
A quote...." The investment world assumes that central banks can always
paper over and liquidity crisis in the financial markets, and will. But
what if the problem is not liquidity in general but insolvency in a
capital market? It is not that there is not sufficient fiat money in
general. The problem is that in a highly leveraged market there are no
buyers at yesterday's prices, when yesterday's prices were the basis of
the existence of a flow of new funds into this market."
Exactly
How the Good Guys Finally Won
A quote...."The leaders of today's Congress have made clear through
numerous lobby visits that unless we can produce polls that show
congressional elections in November 2008 hang on the question of
impeachment, nobody's going to be impeached. Bush and Cheney can
continue to ignore subpoenas, spy illegally, kidnap, torture, murder,
and rewrite laws. They can launch another illegal war. They can rig the
elections. They could barbeque babies on the White House lawn. It
doesn't matter. They will not be impeached."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
The
diminutive Lion of the Left
A quote...."Ohio congressman's sunny certitude wins admirers for
uncompromising stances -- but few believe he can win"
And if that's the way you're gonna think when you walk into the polls
to vote....you
"the voter" deserves
EXACTLY
the politicians you're gonna get. - mpg
America’s
Mayor Goes to America
Someone like this for instance. - mpg
I
hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs
Or (shudder), someone like Commandant Debra (winner of the iron cross)
Cagan. One of the more masculine ah-hem
(pause)....females....ummm
(pause)....this web site author has ever seen. Don't forget to
check out the fashionable red leather storm trooper ensemble.
It's not the New Roman Empire....it's the New Weimer Republic. - mpg