Tuesday November 4th 2008

American Election: An Illusion Of Democracy
Must Read - A quote...."Once again, as it has been happening every four years, the American people are suckered into surrendering their necks to a different yoke of slavery through the process of so-called “democratic election” of their president. Little they know that this president, and his administration, is but a tool used by the power elite – international financiers, military industrialists, energy companies and corporatocracy – to control resources, transfer wealth upwards, keep the populace in check, enslave them, suppress their dissent, and conscribe them into wars of greed against their human neighbors. This power elite, with its handful financial institutions, had dominated most of the natural resources of the world through its control of the money needed to acquire these resources. A natural resources monopoly system was, thus, created in the US, and many parts of the world, based solely on capital gain and profit rather than the well being of human life."
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AViDD "believer" Type-1 and Type-2 Syndromes
11-04-08
mpg

Michael Moore And The Great Barack Hope
A quote...."When Amy Goodman asked how Michael Moore could say that he was opposed to war and yet support a candidate who has announced his intentions to commit the same crimes against humanity as are being committed by the Bush cabal and which were committed by the Clinton regime, the rotund Republican-lite moviemaker said, "well, I don't know if I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. I'm hoping that he breaks his campaign promise, like all politicians do. I'm counting on him to be a good politician and do that". Michael Moore is hoping that O-BOMB-A is just a liar instead of a mass murderer. One can only imagine that, given his ponderous weight, the arteries to his brain must have become completely clogged."

Leaving aside the personal (and unnecessary) attacks against Mr. Moore, it does appear that Mr. Moore, along with a very large portion of the America people, are currently suffering from Audio Visual Disassociative Disorder (AViDD “believer” type-1 syndrome).  AViDD type-1 is the flip side of Audio Visual Delusional Disorder (AViDD “believer” type-2 syndrome) which is typically suffered by people who are mentally impaired and are always engaged in "faith based" interpretations of reality.  AViDD type-2 sufferers have a substantially reduced interest in understanding the facts or even the ability to comprehend them, nor do they have any ability to empathize with someone else's plight, they are unable to "walk in their shoes" so to speak.

With AViDD type-2 syndrome, a person believes what he's told or shown even if it's contrary to reality and all the information freely available that may contradict what he's just been told or shown.  AViDD type 2 sufferers are always coming up with new excuses for why their espoused "world views" or paradigms never seem to work out, sometimes changing the rational for their actions on almost a daily basis.

A person suffering from this syndrome will usually make statements like "the facts don't matter" or "we create our own reality"; they will usually lie constantly and exhibit bizarre forms of behavior such as attacking other people murdering millions of them all the while saying they're "helping" these other people, that they're killing them to "save" them.  In other words they "delude" themselves and remain fixated on their world views despite all the evidence that exists to the contrary that their world views do not accurately model reality.  That they are not predictive, the true rock-bottom test for any paradigm.

AViDD type-1 is a more pernicious and dangerous type of syndrome and is almost the mirror image opposite of AViDD type-2.   AViDD type-1 sufferers are usually more intelligent and have the ability to critically analyze reality and incorporate the observable "facts" in their over-arching paradigm or worldview. They're usually more empathic towards another person's plight and sympathetic to their needs.

However, unlike AViDD type 2 sufferers, a person with AViDD type-1 syndrome disregards what he's being told, even if in most cases it actually does conform with reality.  Instead of making excuses for their world views (because they're usually more accurate), AViDD type-1 sufferers will usually make excuses for the other persons actions.

They'll usually try to justify their trust in other people by coming up with outlandish reasons or justifications for their contradictory behaviors, they'll try not to be "judgmental", they’ll constantly make “allowances” and give that person more benefit of the doubt then they may actually deserve.  AViDD type-1 sufferers are commonly referred to as easy "marks" or “rubes”.  They “dissociate” what the person actually says, thinks or does from that person’s actions or the resultant consequences of that person’s actions.  They'll freely acknowledge the "facts” and all the harm that person might be doing but they will constantly justify them and state “the person is trying to do good" even though the results manifestly say otherwise. – mpg

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The End of International Law?
A quote...."A parallel new Bush doctrine is emerging, in the last days of the soon-to-be-ancien regime, and it needs to be strangled in its crib. Like the original Bush doctrine -- the one that Sarah Palin couldn't name, which called for preventive military action against emerging threats -- this one also casts international law aside by insisting that the United States has an inherent right to cross international borders in "hot pursuit" of anyone it doesn't like. - They're already applying it to Pakistan, and this week Syria was the target. Is Iran next?" -- Also posted at ICH

Silence on War Crimes
A quote...."Last week, Bill Kovach, former Washington Bureau Chief of the New York Times and the founding chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists, blasted the U.S. media for its failure to ask tough questions of both presidential candidates regarding their opinions of the Bush administration’s unprecedented adherence to the controversial “unitary executive theory” of government." -- Also posted at ICH

Scott Horton Interviews Justin Raimondo
Must Listen Audio Interview - A quote...."Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com, discusses the 2008 presidential election, how transitions in government tend toward continuity instead of radical change, the competing policy influences in an Obama administration where Dennis Ross and Anthony Zinni are possible National Security Advisor appointments, how the only difference in foreign intervention between Democratic and Republican administrations is rhetorical, how the neocon parasite feeding on the Republican party will soon leave its shriveled host behind and search for greener pastures, the continuing danger of war with Iran, realist/neocon policy toward Russia, why a vote for Nader is the best medicine in the current corporate-socialist economy, and why the Constitution and Libertarian parties may be one party too many.

Obama Win Will Not Change Rigged Economy
A quote...."In an incredulous display of ignorance symptomatic of the underlying causes of the financial crisis, CNBC anchors laughed their way through an interview with respected economist Peter Schiff yesterday as he attempted to explain how an Obama presidency would negatively impact the U.S. economy."

Review: The Three Trillion Dollar War
Book Review - A quote...."As Arianna Huffington writes, "the thing about $3,000,000,000,000 is that, at a certain point, it becomes hard to ignore." Pundits are saying we're already in a recession. The connection between the war and the economy is increasingly clear and starting to affect everyone, from those worrying about retirement to John McCain's Joe the Plumber. -- The Bush administration and the mainstream media seldom mention the economic costs of Iraq and Afghanistan. But Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University, a 2001 Nobel laureate, and Linda Bilmes of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government rectify this oversight in their new book, The Three Trillion Dollar War."

As voters go to polls to pick his successor, George W. Bush hits new low in approval rating
A quote...."As Americans are turning out to the polls in record numbers, Bush's approval rating, according to the latest CBS News tracking poll, has dipped to 20%, the lowest ever recorded for a president. His disapproval rating of 72% matches his all-time high, reached last month." -- bold by website editor

Farewell Bush. Now it is time to undo the damage
A quote...."A poll carried out in 21 countries last week gauged international opinion and concluded that more than 80 per cent believe [correctly] the US is most to blame for the current economic crisis. Positive perception and trust of the superpower in the twilight of the Bush presidency were also very low, among the majority of the 10,392 people surveyed in the independent poll commissioned by Porter Novelli."

The Ghoul's Glossary: the 2008 Election
A lot of fun. - mpg

Some Amusing Cartoons
A Clean Sweep Across the Land
US Presidential Elections
Obama and the US Elections

Iraq General Strike: YANKEE GO HOME!
A quote...."A Week-Long Strike Is Announced In The Industrial Sectors"

U.S. attack on Syria: illogical and ill-timed
A quote...."U.S. military incursion on a Syrian village late last month was illogical and ill-timed. The U.S. has a formidable force in Iraq with massive air power which theoretically can attack whenever and where it wishes. But the attack on Syria, regardless of whatever was mentioned with regard to the ‘value’ of its target has come at a difficult time first for Washington, second the Iraqi government and third Iraq’s neighbors. The U.S. now finds it extremely difficult to persuade Iraqis that the security agreement it wants to impose on Iraq is for the benefit of Iraq as a country and its regional interests. The attack gave Iraq’s neighbors, particularly Syria and Iran, the proof that the presence of U.S. troops on Iraq’s soil is a real source of worry and now they fear if the troops stay they will turn their land into a theater for their military operations."

Pakistani President Presses Halt to Drone Strikes in Petraeus Meeting
A quote...."US General David Petraeus met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and other top officials today in what was described by the general as a “very frank and very forthright” conversation, during which the Pakistani officials asked if the United States would be so kind as to stop launching unilateral drone strikes onto their territory."

Nader Talks Candidly About McCain and Israel’s Bombing of the U.S.S. Liberty
Video - A quote...."2008 Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader discusses John McCain and Israel's bombing in the U.S.S. Liberty. From The Forum Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio, October 30, 2008. Video by Karen Kilroy."

Israeli High Court Confirms Use of "Guilt by Association" and Policies of Racial Discrimination
A quote...."The Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) has again affirmed the government’s position and approved the gross violations of human rights generated by state policies, this time against Palestinians possessing Israeli citizenship. What is particularly cruel in the illustrative judgement to be analysed below is the judges’ utter disregard for the situation of a middle-aged woman who has not seen her husband, who lives in the Gaza Strip, for almost two years."

How Israel helps eavesdrop on US citizens
A quote...."After the 11 September 2001 attacks, the United States government launched a massive program to spy on millions of its own citizens. Through the top secret National Security Agency (NSA), it has pursued "access to billions of private hard-line, cell, and wireless telephone conversations; text, e-mail and instant Internet messages; Web-page histories, faxes, and computer hard drives." In his new book, The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America author James Bamford casts light on this effort, including a detailed account of how spying on American citizens has been outsourced to several companies closely linked to Israel's intelligence services." -- For more on this issue see....

Fox News aired this four part series
Israeli Spying - Part 1 of 4 - (YouTube - 9 min 20 sec - Added:  July 03, 2006)
Israeli Spying - Part 2 of 4 - (YouTube - 5 min 28 sec - Added:  July 03, 2006)
Israeli Spying - Part 3 of 4 - (YouTube - 4 min 14 sec - Added:  July 03, 2006)
Israeli Spying - Part 4 of 4 - (YouTube - 4 min 33 sec - Added:  July 03, 2006)
A quote...."In November, 2001, Fox News aired this four part series, which shows that Israeli intelligence has total control over the information networks in the USA. Also, they said 60 Israeli spies, with explosives training, were arrested in connection with the 9/11 attack."

Rights Group Concludes Georgian Cluster Bombs Killed at Least Three of Their Own Civilians
A quote...."Human Rights Watch has determined that Georgian cluster bombs used during the brief August war with Russia landed in at least nine Georgian towns, killing at least three civilians and littering the countryside with thousands of bomblets which could potentially kill and maim civilians for years to come." -- Also posted at Uruknet

Two More U.S. Military Units Assigned For Homeland Security
Police State Warning - A quote...."Northcom has announced that two more U.S. military units will be assigned for domestic homeland security missions, bringing the total number of combat ready service members operating inside the U.S. to around 4,700, as fears grow about the increasing militarization of law enforcement." -- bold by website editor

The Pentagon Is the President's Private Army
A quote...."The Pentagon, methinks, is out of control. We no longer have a military in service to the state, but a state in service to the military. Few notice (I suspect) because of two ingrained habits of mind."

Okay, People: The Irrefutable 911 Evidence of Government Complicity in the Crime
A quote...."To a certain extent this is food for trolls who simply can not believe what they will not believe, but it's compelling information from thoughtful people...and this is just the online information. There's printed information available in the form of books." -- See also....9/11 - WTC7 & 9/11 - NORAD & 9/11 - Commission

Czech government in crisis following election debacles
A quote...."Just a few weeks before the Czech Republic is due to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union Council, the conservative Civic Democratic Party (ODS) of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek is in a deep crisis following a succession of electoral defeats. A premature end of the conservative government is now increasingly likely. The ODS’s setback in regional elections held two weeks ago has now been followed by a severe reverse for the party in the latest Senate election." 

Georgian president sacks military chief: report
 A quote...."Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday sacked the country's military chief Zaza Gogava after a review of the August war with Russia, public television reported."

2008 VoteWatch - Tuesday Round-Up - 5 Articles [Day 2] ========== ========== ======== =====

Is the Election About to Be Stolen in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Elsewhere?
A quote...."Last Friday, a federal court judge in Cleveland, Ohio, ordered Michael Connell, an information-technology consultant to the McCain '08 campaign, to give a deposition in a court proceeding. Mr. Connell, whose firm, GovTech Solutions, built Ohio's 2004 election results computer network, was in a position to have knowledge about the alleged manipulation of electronic voting results in that presidential contest (a technique known as "flipping") in order to switch the winner in Ohio from Sen. John Kerry to President Bush. The deposition is scheduled to take place today, November 3, one day before the 2008 general election."

Here's What Vote Fraud Really Looks Like
A quotExtensive national media coverage of alleged voter registration fraud by ACORN has fanned fears of "voter fraud" by Democratic forces. Given this fact, it's more than a little remarkable that the media has not seen fit to present more balanced coverage. The media could easily do so by reporting, at the same level as ACORN, the far more serious, documented and provable story of election fraud by Young Political Majors, LLC (YPM)."

Hacking Democracy
From the History File - Video -  May 26, 2007 -- A quote...."In Case You Missed It -- Must Watch Video -- On Tuesday, 40 percent of voters will cast ballots on electronic touch-screens. If you're not worried already about the dangers of paperless voting, this HBO documentary will blow your mind." -- Paragraph quoted from ICH

ES&S Opti-Scans Found Miscounting by 4% (8% margin-swing)
A quote...."I do not have all the details, but this story needs immediate investigation before calling winners tomorrow in any state using ES&S M-100s to count its votes whenever the reported margin is closer than 8%. -- The paper ballot precinct-based optical scan voting system used in a large proportion of US jurisdictions is producing wildly inaccurate counts of ballots that are off by as much as 4% per precinct - thus altering the vote margin possibly by as much as 8% by shifting votes from one candidate to another."

URGENT CALL TO PA CITIZENS AND JUDGES OF ELECTIONS
A quote...."We in Pennsylvania will be voting on the highest number of paperless touchscreens in the country.  No way to prove the original intent of the voter, no way to do meaningful recounts.  This is what we must deal with for now  but there are steps within our control."

END - 2008 VoteWatch - Tuesday Round-Up - 5 Articles [Day 2] ========== ========== ==========

Nearing Impact: A U.S. Debt Crash Course
Special Note - A quote...."Over the past decade or so, I have occasionally seen an article - or sometimes a chart - referencing the dollar amount of marginal or “extra” U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that is generated by adding each new dollar of government debt. In other words, with their unique brand of wisdom, the federal government tries to “buy growth with debt”. -- I admit, I haven’t thought much about this topic for a while because I hadn’t seen any good work presented on it until I spotted this article written on October 20th, 2008 by Karl Denninger."

Fitch predicts steepest GDP decline in leading countries
A quote...."In its latest Global Economic Outlook, Fitch Ratings predicts that the world’s major advanced economies - US, UK, Euro Zone and Japan - will experience in 2009 the steepest decline in GDP since World War II."

Goldman Sachs: Fund Loses $990m After 10 Months
A quote...."One of Goldman Sachs‘s flagship hedge funds, run by two of the Wall Street bank’s most talented traders, has lost close to $1bn since its launch in January in further evidence of the crisis facing the industry." -- bold by website editor

Ex-Im Bank chief who oversaw cartel loans now chief investment officer for bailout funds
A quote...."The Ex-Im Bank came onto my radar screen last year after a Dallas TV news reporter discovered they were giving loans to Mexican cartel subsidiaries which then defaulted. I haven't paid much attention to multinational banking institutions since I was an economics major in college, but when most of the agency's defaulted loans in one country went to drug-cartel affiliated figures, you don't need an accounting degree to know something's wrong. According to WFAA-TV:"

Over 1 Trillion Dollars Worth of Credit Default Swaps Against Governments
Special Note - Financial Alert - A quote...."The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation made some information public today about Credit Default Swaps. - There are $33 trillion in CDS still outstanding, even after the Lehman CDS were settled. - Approximately 1.5 trillion of that is CDS concerning "Sovereign / State Bodies", in other words, countries. Some of the countries against which CDS bets are being made, and the amounts of CDS bets, include:...."

Factory orders tumble again
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Overall factory orders dropped 2.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted $432 billion, according to a Commerce Department report. Economists expected a more modest 0.8 percent fall and the sharp drop in orders follows a 4.3 percent plunge in August orders, which was originally reported as a 4 percent decline."

U.S. automobile sales plummet to 1983 levels
A quote...."U.S. auto sales plunged near 25-year lows in October, led by a 45 per cent drop at General Motors Corp., with no sign the industry's year-long slump has hit bottom and doubts persisting that all the major automakers can survive."

Consumer bankruptcies soar in October
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Personal bankruptcy filings soared 40 percent in October and are expected to keep climbing as home values sink and individual debts balloon, the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) said on Tuesday."

France threatens to seize banks, German bail-outs escalate
A quote...."The French state has threatened to seize control of the country's banks and fire top staff unless they do their part to stabilise the economy by stepping up lending to companies in need."

Boeing delays first 787 Dreamliner flight - Again!! How about we all just call it Boeing's new "virtual plane"?- mpg
A quote...."Boeing said Tuesday it will delay the first flight of its 787 Dreamliner because of problems with the installation of fasteners on the passenger plane and a just-ended machinists strike." -- See also....Come Fly the Un-Friendly Skys
and the articles shown below....

Boeing 787's first flight delayed until October: report
A quote...."The Boeing Co. has delayed the first flight of its 787 Dreamliner to October from late September, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported online late Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.  -  Boeing had to push back the first flight because of the complexity of installing and integrating various systems on the 787, the Seattle, Washington state-based newspaper said." - posted 08-12-07 -- Gee this all sounds soooooo familiar, what was that company called....EADS or something? - mpg

Boeing announces delay in deliveries of 787 Dreamliner
A quote...."Boeing said Wednesday that continued challenges in completing the assembly of its first 787 "Dreamliner" jets would force it to delay initial deliveries of the plane by six months, to late 2008." - posted 10-10-07

Boeing again puts off 787, cites supply-chain issues
A quote...."NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Boeing Co. will delay the maiden flight of its 787 Dreamliner by another three months or so after the aircraft maker underestimated the time needed to obtain and install the plane's various systems." -- posted 01-16-08 -- After all the nasty things they said about the delays with EADS's Airbus A380....tsk, tsk, tsk. - mpg

Customer: Boeing 787 faces more delays
A quote...."Steven Udvar-Hazy, chairman of International Lease Finance Corp., a Los Angeles subsidiary of American International Group Inc. (nyse: AIG -  news  -  people ), told investors at a JP Morgan conference Tuesday that he expects the first 787 flight won't occur until the fall, and that the first delivery will be postponed to the end of the third quarter of 2009." -- posted 03-20-08 -- This is funny, Boeing mercilessly derided  EADS's Super Jumbo A-380 when it experienced roll-out delays and practically said they'd roll their's out first, they said this well over a year ago.....maybe we should all call Boeing’s new 787 the virtual plane.  Really environmentally friendly, totally noiseless, doesn’t need any fuel and it will never crash. - mpg

Monday November 3rd 2008

Failed States: America and Iraq, Rotted by War Crime
Must Read - A quote...."And so the great historical presidential campaign of 2008 is finally at an end. By every reasonable and legitimate measure, Barack Obama will be the winner. But of course "reasonable and legitimate measures" mean little when dealing with deliberately fomented chaos and chicanery of the American electoral process, the laughingstock of the rest of the world, whose people stand in slackjawed amazement as they watch and wait -- in dreadful impotence -- to see which hegemon will emerge from the stormcloud of filth, lies, ambition and money that howls around the campaign trail. -- It has been, as usual, a bizarre, even lunatic experience, completely untethered from reality, obsessed with trivia, gossip and spin, and emptied, again deliberately, of anything resembling substance. Vague hope is offered by one side, vague, wiggly fear by the other. "Change" is the universal mantra, but both sides have fully and unashamedly embraced all the fundamental tenets and practices of the current power structure: militarism, corporatism, authoritarianism."

No Currency Left to Buy the Big Lies
Must Read - A quote...."Neoconservatives will lie in the weeds and gather forces, the same players in a revolving door. They want back in and if history has proved anything, worshiping the markets is not enough. We must actually kill to feed them. A horrible cross-pollination of fundamentalism, dementia and market fever has turned America into a willing enabler of corporate cannibalism. Nothing else to call it when murder is seen as a legitimate extension of economic policy. Preemptive war is not only justified but openly referred to as a market opportunity. The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. As we look out at the wreckage -- world economies collapsing, nationalized banks and a complete loss of trust -- we can see the hypocrisy as all are revealed as true socialists on the way down, crying in their scotch and Ambien as they run to the state for cover." -- Also posted at ICH & CommonDreams

Commentary: They’ve squandered lives, fortunes and our sacred honor
Must Read - A quote...." Here’s to the American people, the electorate, for finally coming to their senses and voting for something different, for someone different and for a chance to fix the multitude of man-made disasters that confront us. By their votes, the Republican revolution and all it's wrought — an economic meltdown, two endless wars, class warfare that’s enriched the very rich and beggared everyone else and a treasury bulging only with IOU's — will be crushed. That revolution began to take root with the criminality of Richard Nixon's administration, with its paranoid enemies list. It gathered steam in the time of Ronald Reagan and with Newt Gingrich’s seizure of Congress. To be sure, there have been pauses, first during Jimmy Carter's four years and then during Bill Clinton’s eight, in the GOP's rush to recover — with interest — the presidential power that Nixon lost to a second-rate burglary and assorted other dirty tricks. - bold/underline by website editor -- Also posted at CommonDreams

"From Checks and Balances to Executive Despotism" by Bruce Fein - (Six Vids - aprox 10 min. each)
Must View Videos -  With a real nifty video auto-load feature. - mpg -- A quote...."On June 8, 2008, Bruce Fein delivered the following speech, "From Checks and Balances to Executive Despotism," to the second Future of Freedom Foundation conference, "Restoring the Republic," held in Reston, Virginia."

Only Nader Is Right on the Issues
Must Read - A quote...." There is little disagreement among liberals and progressives about the Nader and Obama campaign issues. Nader would win among us in a landslide if this was based on issues. Sen. Barack Obama’s vote to renew the Patriot Act, his votes to continue to fund the Iraq war, his backing of the FISA Reform Act, his craven courting of the Israeli lobby, his support of the death penalty, his refusal to champion universal, single-payer not-for-profit health care for all Americans, his call to increase troop levels and expand the war in Afghanistan, his failure to call for a reduction in the bloated and wasteful defense spending and his lobbying for the huge taxpayer swindle known as the bailout are repugnant to most of us on the left. Nader stands on the other side of all those issues. - So if the argument is not about issues what is it about? " -- See also the other choices -- top left hand column. - mpg
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An Open Letter to Barack Obama - Between Hope and Reality
A quote...."In your nearly two-year presidential campaign, the words "hope and change," "change and hope" have been your trademark declarations. Yet there is an asymmetry between those objectives and your political character that succumbs to contrary centers of power that want not "hope and change" but the continuation of the power-entrenched status quo. -- Far more than Senator McCain, you have received enormous, unprecedented contributions from corporate interests, Wall Street interests and, most interestingly, big corporate law firm attorneys. Never before has a Democratic nominee for President achieved this supremacy over his Republican counterpart. Why, apart from your unconditional vote for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, are these large corporate interests investing so much in Senator Obama?" -- *Ralph Nader* -- Also posted at CounterPunch

The Limits of Change - What to expect from the Obama administration on the foreign policy front
Related Article - A quote...."As I write this, we are 24 hours away from the end of this seemingly endless presidential campaign, and all the signs point to a victory – some would say an overwhelming victory – by Barack Obama. I won't make any predictions here, what with the Bradley Effect and other unknowns – including the possibility of a "hanging chad"-like situation – but, given the polls, it's incumbent on me to give my readers an indication of what to expect from an Obama administration in the foreign policy department, and this is undoubtedly reflected in the personnel he'll assemble on his foreign policy team."

How Much Do the Differences Between Obama and Bush Really Matter?
A quote...."Like a lot of people, I think it would be nice to have a president who can speak in complete sentences, has lived abroad, admits to having smoked pot, and is also African American. I recognize that these are just personal qualities that appeal to some, alarm or disgust others, and have at best symbolic bearing on the political substance of an Obama/Biden presidency. Like a lot of people, I can not even bear to look at or listen to Bush, with his sneering, sniggering, blue blooded swagger. But whether it's the egregious Bush/Cheney, the geriatric, belligerent, God-fearing McCain/ Pain, or the establishment-favorite Obama/Biden team in charge, I see that these people are largely figureheads at the prow of a lurching ship. Or to choose a more apt metaphor for this most expensive campaign in history, Obama/Biden are the label glued to a product called "America." [the New Roman Empire]

Top Obama Adviser Has Long Ties to Neocons
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."With the 2008 presidential campaign at its end, pundits have begun to discuss in earnest what expected winner Barack Obama's administration might look like. An important piece of evidence is Obama's campaign team, which largely escaped the harsh scrutiny that his opponent's lobbyist-laden team received." -- Also posted at WarInIraq & BLN

Trying to find something positive in the US elections to no avail
Contains Multiple Videos - A quote...."I have tried to find significant differences between the two presidential candidates in the United States, but the differences I have found are inconsequential relative to what is needed to bring about a real change, so the best I can do is  repost a previous article which outlines some of my main concerns."
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Nowhere man: a farewell to Dubya, all-time loser in presidential history
A quote...."Forgotten but not gone" was the way in which the supremo of Boston politics, Billy Bulger, liked to dismiss the human irritants he had crushed beneath his trim boot. The same could now be said for the hapless 43rd President of the United States as the daylight draws mercifully in on his reign of misfortune and calamity. How is he bearing up, one wonders, as the candidate from his own party treats him as the carrier of some sort of infectious political disease? How telling was it that the most impassioned moment in John McCain's performance in the final debate was when he declared: "I am not George Bush." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Foreclosed - The George W. Bush Story
A quote...."They may have been the most disastrous dreamers, the most reckless gamblers, and the most vigorous imperial hucksters and grifters in our history. Selling was their passion. And they were classic American salesmen -- if you're talking about underwater land in Florida, or the Brooklyn Bridge, or three-card monte, or bizarre visions of Iraqi unmanned aerial vehicles armed with chemical and biological weaponry let loose over the U.S., or Saddam Hussein's mushroom clouds rising over American cities, or a full-scale reordering of the Middle East to our taste, or simply eternal global dominance." -- Also posted at CommonDreams
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Senior Corporate Executives Warned to Leave N.Y. on 9/11: Source
Special Note - A quote...."Foreign Policy Journal has learned that senior executives of a major U.S. international corporation may have been warned to leave New York on September 11, 2001. -- According to an inside source, one of the senior executives of the corporation told him beforehand that “something big” was going to occur and so other corporate executives would be travelling out of New York." -- Also posted at InfoWars

On the Bus With Willie: ‘Hell yeah there’s a reason to investigate 9/11′
Contains Vidoes - A quote...."Authorities would destroy evidence and cover-up truth only if it were concealing the real crime"

Scientists Slam FBI Anthrax Probe
Special Note - A quote...."It was an open-and-shut case, the FBI said. -- But three months after agents pinned the post-9/11 anthrax mailings on Army scientist Bruce Ivins - who committed suicide as the FBI closed in on him - his former colleagues have approached a lawyer to sue the feds for fingering the wrong man, The Post has learned."

Mercenary Firm Offers to 'Detain Troublemakers' on Election Day (Updated)
Special Note - A quote...."CIA-linked private military contractor Evergreen Defense & Security Services offered to post sentries at Oregon election offices on Tuesday, "detaining troublemakers" and making sure voters "do not get out of control."

Bush administration denies funding for FBI probe of mortgage mess Many more agents needed, official says
A quote...."The Bush administration is rejecting FBI pleas for more agents to investigate crimes that helped trigger the global financial meltdown, bureau sources said this week."

Judge tells White House to release wiretapping docs
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration must give to a federal court documents related to government wiretapping of domestic communications without a warrant after the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a recent court order."

Annals of Crony Capitalism: Nuke Detection Machines Fail, Again
A quote...."You've got to hand it to the Bush administration. No matter how pitifully their "homeland security" projects perform, money talks. - Back in June, I reported on one such pet project under development by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP)."

2008 VoteWatch - Monday Round-Up - 8 Articles [Day 1] ========== ========== ========== ====

McCain Rep Admits No Instances of Voter Fraud [regarding ACORN's registration forms]
Special Note - A quote...."A devastating article on Sunday destroys the GOP's claims of "voter fraud" as a member of McCain's own (amusingly named) "Honest and Open Election Committee" has admitted that Republicans are unable to cite a single "documented instance of voting fraud that resulted from a phony registration form."

Judge Refuses to Extend Voting Hours in Virginia
A quote...."03 Nov 2008 The Associated Press is reporting that a Judge has refused to order longer voting hours and reallocation of voting machines in Virginia. Last week the NAACP filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth and Governor Tim Kaine saying the state was not prepared for Tuesday's election. It said that there were not enough voting machines for areas that predominately served African-American voters. It also asked the governor to extend voting hours from 7pm to 10pm. The ruling from the judge today means that hours will remain the same and no additional machines will be added to five precincts named in the suit. -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

Voting Lines Stretch To Eight Hours
A quote...."Early voting has reached record numbers this year. Including absentee ballots, 27 million people have already voted. That's in spite of lines that stretch on for hours. -- "Six hours is ridiculous in terms of waiting in line," one Ohio voter told CNN. "I still haven't had an opportunity to vote," said a Florida reader after waiting in line for three hours. "It seems crazy."

Fulton, Clayton Election Boards Nix Longer Voting Hours
A quote...."ATLANTA -- Fulton and Clayton County elections officials decided against asking for federal permission to extend voting hours on Election Day. - The counties considered whether to ask for expanded hours because of the heavy turnout in early and advance voting."

FL GOP Promises No "Frivolous" Voter Challenges in Legal Truce with Dems - So they say. - mpg
A quote...."Specters of the 2000 election have risen in Florida, with Democrats and Republicans engaging in legal wrangling just days before Election Day."

Steal Back Your Vote
A quote...."A lot of advice we're getting from our progressive friends is to take photos of your ballot and silly stuff like that. Well, that's all about how to complain after they steal it. I have a better idea: Win, don't whine. -- #1: Gang Vote -- #2: Tell Them to Take Their Provisional Ballot and ... -- #3: Get to Work"

POLITICS-US:  Vote-Flipping Reported on E-Voting Machines
A quote...."CHARLESTON, West Virginia, Nov 3 (IPS) - Several U.S. citizens reported watching their votes flip on electronic voting machines in different states during the early voting period, highlighting the continued vulnerability of "e-voting" systems, which about 50 million U.S. citizens will use on Tuesday, despite problems since as early as 2004."

Poll Porn: The Final Numbers
Final Poll Numbers - Special Note - A quote...."Of course, these numbers won't mean sh-t if you people don't get out there and work your asses off between now and tomorrow night. -- Leave it all out there on the field (or the court, or the diamond, or the road - whatever sports metaphor works best for you)." -- These numbers, along with the exit polls, should be used as a check against election fraud.  If these numbers, especially the exit polls, differ substantially from the actual vote count, it would mean without any shadow of a doubt that election fraud took place. - mpg

END - 2008 VoteWatch - Monday Round-Up - 8 Articles [Day 1] ========== ========== ==========

Landslide UN vote in favour of Arms Trade Treaty
A quote...."Today 147 states at the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to move forward with work on an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The Control Arms campaign, which represents millions of campaigners around the world welcomed the vote but called for more urgency from states to advance the process quickly and ensure a strong Treaty with human rights and development at its heart." -- "Only Zimbabwe and the U.S. voted against treaty" - bold by website editor

U.S. Is Funding Iranian Nuclear Program
A quote...."The U.S. is literally funding Iranian nuclear capabilities. -- As CNN reports, the U.S. state department has given millions of dollars to two Russian institutes which, in turn, are directly helping to ramp up Iran's nuke capacity at Bushehr and other facilities." -- For more on this issue see....US - Nukes for Everyone

A strike against 'Iranophobia'
Special Note - A quote...."On the eve of the United States presidential elections, a landmark visit to Tehran by the head of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has been widely regarded in the Persian Gulf region as a major diplomatic overture toward Tehran by the US-backed oil sheikdoms. -- Nearly one year after President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's landmark attendance at the GCC summit in Doha in December 2007, where he proposed a "new chapter of cooperation" between Iran and the GCC states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - the latter have finally set aside their various misgivings and decided to take up Ahmadinejad's proposals on economic, political and security domains."

The United States of ... Canada
A quote...."People around the world, including those in the Middle East, may have paid little attention to Canada's parliamentary elections on 14 October. This should come as no surprise, as Canadians themselves seemed more interested in the developments of the presidential race for the White House south of the border. Besides, the Canadian election brought little change to the makeup of parliament. The Conservatives maintained their lead and formed a minority government while the Liberals lost more seats. -- But preserving the status quo and the virtual absence of foreign policy as a topic of public debate in the run up to the vote reinforces the transformation in Canada's geopolitical role in relation to the Middle East. And this must be of extra concern today." -- For more on this issue see....White Man's Burden - 12-20-06 - mpg
Robert Fisk’s World: Arabs have to rely on Britain and Israel for their history
Special Note - It’s a truism "that it's the victors who write history", but as this article poignantly reveals, it's also true that whatever that history may be, whatever the facts turn out to be, it's essential that all peoples record them and make them publicly available -- else no one will ever know the whole truth and as the article points out if you don't record your own "history", it may be written for your....even by your mortal enemy. - mpg -- A quote...."There is no Public Record Office in the Arab World, no National Archive -- In Damascus, a massive statue of the late President Hafez al-Assad sits on a mighty iron chair outside the 22,000sq m Assad Library, a giant book open in his right hand. -- Behind him lie the archives of his dictatorship. But not a single state paper is open to the people of Syria. There are no archives from the foreign ministry or the interior ministry or the defence ministry. There is no 30-year rule – for none is necessary. The rule is for ever. There is no Public Record Office in the Arab world, no scholars waiting outside the National Archives." -- Also posted at ICH

US carries out more airstrikes in Pakistan
A quote...."In open contempt of the repeated protests by the Pakistani government, the US military carried out another two air strikes on October 31 against houses inside Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Agencies (FATA), killing at least 27 people."

Pakistan warns Petraeus against missile strikes
A quote...."AP foreign, Monday November 3 2008 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan's defense minister warns the new head of U.S. Central Command that missile strikes on its territory only stir up more anti-U.S. feelings. -- American General David Petraeus is in Pakistan on his first international trip since taking over. -- The defense minister told Petraeus, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher and others in their entourage that the missile strikes from drones "create outrage and uproar among the people."

Report: Turkey Promises to Play Role in Stopping US Attacks Into Pakistan
Special Note - A quote...."Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Parvez Kayani is being rushed to Turkey this evening for a meeting with Turkish government officials hot on the heels of Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani’s talks with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting appears to be the first step toward Turkish involvement in pressing the United States to halt its air strikes against targets inside Pakistan." - bold by website editor

More treachery at Guantanamo
A quote...."For many of the prisoners at Guantanamo, the forthcoming US presidential election holds little promise of change. Although both Barack Obama and John McCain have pledged to close Guantanamo, the problem for at least 50 of the 261 prisoners still held at the prison is not that the US government is unwilling to release them, but that there is nowhere for them to go." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Taliban to US: There is nothing to talk about
A quote...."New York, Nov. 3: Refusing any peace talk with America, a top-ranking Taliban commander has said that his group has waged war against the US-led forces to create an Islamic state in Afghanistan and to bring Shariat law back to the country, a media report said on Monday." -- On the other hand.... mpg

Pakistani Taliban Denies al-Qaeda Ties, Calls for Peace
Related Article - A quote...."Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Maulvi Omar denied today that his organization has any ties with al-Qaeda, and reiterated his call for peace talks, saying the TTP was sincere about peace with the government, and any attempt to resolve the issues by force would prove fruitless."

Feature: Iraqis say "Whoever next U.S. president would be, we want peace"
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- As final hours are coming for the Americans to decide who will be the next president, Iraqis said no matter whom the next U.S. president would be, they want the United States to pull out its troops and they want peace." -- Also posted at WarInIraq

MP: Ayatollah's SOFA conditions not met
A quote...."An Iraqi lawmaker says none of the conditions set by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani for signing the US-Iraq security pact have been met."

US attack on Syria 'sign of despair'
A quote...."Iran's Manouchehr Mottaki says the recent US raid on Syria is an obvious manifestation of Washington's desperation rather than a show of might."

Iraq plans to cut Sunni fighters' salaries
A quote...."BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government plans to cut salaries for the estimated 100,000 members of the Awakening movement whose revolt against Al Qaeda in Iraq played a key role in bringing about the sharp fall in violence in Iraq. -- The move is certain to aggravate building tensions between the Sunni volunteer force and the Shiite-led government, which assumed responsibility for the Awakening movement from the U.S. military earlier this month." -- Keep in mind it was the US that started this program, it was the US, that until quite recently, was the one funding it, and as stated in the article the US will NOT be making up the short fall. This is not going to be good for anybody in Iraq. - mpg

No US bases in northern Iraq without Baghdad nod: Talabani
A quote...."BAGHDAD (AFP) – Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has said that American troops can set up bases in northern Iraq's Kurdish region only if the Shiite-led government in Baghdad gives its approval."

Media Silent On Evidence Of Israeli Targeting Of Youngsters
A quote...."MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media -- On the afternoon of Thursday 28 February, 2008, a group of Palestinian boys were playing football on some open ground near their homes in the Gaza Strip. At around 3.20pm, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at the boys, killing four of them instantly and seriously injuring another three. The four dead boys were Omar Hussein Dardouna, aged 14, Dardouna Deib Dardouna, aged 12, Mohammed Na’im Hammouda, aged 9, and Ali Munir Dardouna who was just 8."

Israeli industrial zones using West Bank as chemical dump
A quote...."Hebron / PNN / Radio Dream – The Israeli administration has buried more than 50 percent, or three million tons, of its nuclear and chemical waste in the occupied West Bank."

Who Is Rashid Khalidi?
A quote...."The Jews of Europe were jumping out of a burning building, and no one can blame them for doing so. But they landed on other people. They landed on the Palestinians, and for that the Jews have to right their wrong.” -- *Rashid Khalidi*

India: N[uke]. Deal with US No Hurdle for Importing Iranian Gas
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said in Tehran that India's nuclear deal with the United States will in no way adversely impact a project to import Iranian gas via Pakistan."

Venezuela Books 10.251B Barrels More in Oil Reserves
Yes, but Iraq's crude is so much "sweeter", especially when you've added so much blood to it. - mpg -- A quote...."Venezuela said Wednesday it was adding 10.251 billion barrels of crude to its national reserves as part of an ongoing review of its hydrocarbon reserves. -- With this increase, the oil-rich country's total reserves now amount to 152.561 billion, making Venezuela the country with the second largest crude reserves, the Venezuelan oil ministry said in a statement." -- Also posted at WarInIraq

Gazprom to start exploratory gas drilling in Venezuela
A quote...."MEXICO CITY, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian floating platform will start to drill deep test wells on November 7 to prospect natural gas fields in the Gulf of Venezuela, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday."

Czech opposition demands top court examine U.S. missile deal
A quote...."MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - The Czech opposition Social Democratic Party demanded on Monday that the Constitutional Court examine the legality of agreements signed with the United States on deploying an anti-missile radar in the country."

Fears of new war rise around separatist Abkhazia
A quote...."The crackle of gunfire at night makes sleep all but impossible along Georgia's border with separatist Abkhazia, feeding the fears of so many here that the war they hoped was over may be erupting anew."

Russia decries Georgian military buildup
South Osetia/Abkhazia War #II Warning - A quote...."MOSCOW, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Georgia has deployed troops along its border."

Medvedev to raise Caucasus crisis in state of nation address
A quote...."MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will speak about the situation in the Caucasus in his state of the nation address next Wednesday."
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Russians With Pumpkins Protest Many U.S. Plots
Special Note - A quote...."MOSCOW — Thousands of Russians from the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi gathered in front of the United States Embassy here on Sunday night carrying jack-o’-lanterns inked with the names of war victims and charging that the war in Georgia was part of an American plot to improve Senator John McCain’s electoral prospects."

Scared Ossetians flee Georgia
A quote...."Ethnic Ossetians are leaving Georgia in search of somewhere to live in South Ossetia. Refugees claim they're being forced out of their homes and villages in Georgia, where most of them have spent all their lives."

Moscow Removes Ingushetia President - Thank God. - mpg
A quote...."Spontaneous dancing broke out in the streets Thursday night in the tiny Russian republic of Ingushetia, which borders the troubled Chechnya region. The reason for the celebration was that Moscow had accepted the "voluntary resignation" of Ingush President Murat Zyazikov. No part of the Russian Caucasus today has a political situation hotter than Ingushetia's, and no leader in the volatile region has been less effective and more embattled than Zyazikov."

Russia, Libya sign civil nuclear deal as Kadhafi visits: Tripoli
A quote...."MOSCOW (AFP) — Libya and Russia signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal Saturday, Tripoli's foreign minister said, as Moamer Kadhafi visited Moscow for talks he said could help restore "geopolitical equilibrium"."

Russia negotiates a naval base in Libya
A quote...."The Kommersant, a Russian business daily, reported last Friday that Libya is willing to host a Russian naval base as a means of security against any possible U.S. attack. The newspaper also cited that the Libyan leader was planning to raise the naval base issue during talks with the Russian leadership during his visit  on October 31st to November 2nd."

Russian navy to hold war games in Indian Ocean
A quote...."MOSCOW: The Russian navy will hold war games in the Indian Ocean in a bid to boost its global presence, a navy spokesman said on Saturday, announcing Moscow’s latest move to flex its military muscle."
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Thank You US Tax Payers Says AIG with Hunting Party
A quote...."Like Enron, no one had ever heard of insurance monolith AIG until it was making headlines by ruining the economy. Like Enron, AIG used off balance sheet sleight of hand to goose counterparty profits and disguise a house of cards. But unlike Enron, AIG principals didn't go to jail. They got $122 billion of US tax payer money because they were "too big to fail." -- And it didn't hurt that if AIG went down, they would have taken Goldman Sachs with them....for more on that issue see....AIG, Goldman Sachs, Paulson And Buffet

Central Banking and Credit Quality
A quote...."There are many very serious economic negatives of a central bank that supporters of central banks ignore. Instead, they argue that the central bank is a good institution because it helps to remedy recessions. That argument is highly misleading. The central bank can and does stimulate economic activity at times, but in doing so, it creates booms, bubbles, inflation, mal-investment, and the subsequent depressions. It is as if a doctor gave amphetamines to a patient who wanted to stay awake for the next 72 hours. The patient goes hyperactive for a while before suddenly dropping dead. "

China, Russia, Belarus renounce the US Dollar?
Related Article - A quote...."Marinchenko is convinced of a beneficial impact. According to Marinchenko, once the ruble is recognized as a settlement unit, it will enjoy growing demand with Chinese companies and individuals. The Russian currency will consequently grow stronger and more influential globally. -- Russia will also become immune to many shocks from stock market meltdowns and won't have to fear future devaluation or revaluation of the ruble. It will happen because the role of the U.S. dollar, which has earned a reputation as an unstable and unreliable currency lately, will be much less important.

Strong dollar, stamina in doubt
A quote...."The US dollar as measured against six major world currencies has appreciated about 19% during the past three months through end-October. In particular, the US dollar index stands at 85, up from a recent low of 71.3. This trend reversal takes the dollar's valuation back to levels not seen since October 2006 and represents nearly a 38.2% retracement from its index peak of 120 in January 2002; by any measure a significant move and one largely unexpected by the financial markets both in terms of its timing, speed and magnitude. -- What has caused this abrupt appreciation of the dollar during the past quarter and what can we expect over the next 12-24 months? There are both fundamental and technical reasons that have been US-dollar supportive in the past several months."

The Shocks Continue : Currency Crisis and Emerging Market Collapses
A quote...."On both sides of the Atlantic there is incredulity at the gall of bankers. Goldman Sachs is reported to have set aside $7 billion for bonuses having received $6 billion from the federal government in bailout funds; while The Royal Bank of Scotland is scheduled to pay out a much more modest $2.9 billion equivalent. -- The age old argument that bonuses have to be paid to keep people from walking has of course been trotted out. In the current atmosphere, it might be said that bankers are lucky not to be walking the plank let alone getting a bonus. Indeed, in any just society many of them would be in jail already." - Amen to that. - mpg

So Goes the Nation?
Full quote...."There's an old saying: "As GM goes, so goes the nation". -- Well, GM is in big trouble. Its sales are down 45% since last year. It has been shut out of the bond market for the fifth month straight. Indeed, GM may go belly up. -- The "Baltic Dry Index" is widely believed to be a proxy for the health of the overall economy. The Baltic Dry is down 90% since May. -- They said Lehman - like the U.S. itself - was "too big to fail". Lehman failed. -- As GM, the Baltic Dry Index and Lehman go . . . so goes the nation?"

U.S. rejects GM's call for help in a merger - Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. - mpg
Related Article - A quote...."DETROIT: The Treasury Department has turned down a request by General Motors for up to $10 billion to help finance the automaker's possible merger with Chrysler, according to people close to the discussions."

Despite Taxpayer Bailout, Fed Says Banks Tighten Loan Standards Most on Record
A quote...."As you probably know, banks are spending taxpayer bailout money to pay executive bonuses, distribute dividends to shareholders, and - with the government's assistance - to buy out their competitors. -- You've probably also heard that the banks themselves admit they'll keep hoarding cash. -- Now, according to the Fed, even after being handed hundreds of billions in taxpayer loot, the banks have tightened loan standards the most on record."

Manufacturing activity at 26-year low
A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A key index of the nation's manufacturing activity fell to a 26-year low, sliding into recession territory, according to a purchasing managers group."

Manufacturing screeching to a halt -- Commentary: Plunging demand for U.S. exports kicks out last support
Related Article - A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- In the clearest evidence yet that the economy has fallen into a deep recession, U.S. manufacturing firms are offering their grimmest views on the economy since the early 1980s. -- Not only is domestic demand still weakening significantly, but export growth has ground to a halt, according to the highly regarded Institute for Supply Management index released Monday. See full story." -- bold by website editor. -- The dollar is screaming upward (who knows why at this point) and everybody we could export to currently has their economies contracting due to their own recessions, so much for "exporting" our way out of our own. - mpg

Brown's £17,000 tax raid on EVERY private pension... as value of cushy public sector schemes soars to £1trillion
A quote...."Gordon Brown's tax raid on pension funds has snatched £17,000 from every worker's retirement pot, research says today. Yet the value of public sector schemes - funded by taxpayers - has soared to an astonishing £1trillion. Opposition MPs, business chiefs and campaigners demanded an investigation into the growing 'pensions apartheid'." -- Also posted at BLN

Sunday November 2nd 2008

No Posts. - mpg

Saturday November 1st 2008

“…the realities of a New World Order.”: Joe Biden
Special Note - A quote...."(So you don’t think Obama and Biden are Globalists, huh? “…this is a new Democratic Party not the party of the 70s and 80s. This is a party that has adjusted to the realities of a new world order…I think there is going to be a collaborative effort to make the 21st century an American century.” -- *Joe Biden.*)" -- For more on this issue see....A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the New American Century - 10-31-08 - mpg

Barack Obama warned that terror attacks could soon test mettle
False Flag Warning - A quote...."Barack Obama has been warned by intelligence officials that terrorists will attack US targets or a friendly state such as Britain or Israel to test his mettle if elected." -- For more on this issue see....They're Going to do "It" Again

Robert Gates shows nuclear impatience
Special Note - A quote...."MOSCOW. (Nikita Petrov for RIA Novosti) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is all for a resumption of nuclear tests. In a key speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, he said the U.S. could not maintain deterrence, reduce arms or modernize them without tests." -- Trick or Treat!  There goes the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which will soon be going bye-bye under "Bombs Away O-bomb-a's" reign.  That didn't take very long did it folks?  He's not even elected yet and already everyone can see the signs of things to come. - mpg

"IRAQ: Market in ruins after bulldozers move in
The New Roman Empire, doing its "level" best, or as Thomas Friedman used to say...."it's a flat world" (and getting flatter all the time). - mpg -- A quote...."(Further expanding on the Israeli model of the Gazafication of Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi forces are now taking to using Caterpillar Bulldozers to level whatever pops-up in another person’s country that they don’t like. With unemployment somewhere around 40-50% in certain areas of Iraq, and the walls cutting off all trade and commerce that the US doesnt’ approve of and “tax”, people of Iraq have taken to setting up open air markets to buy and sell goods needed for everyday life. The working poor of Iraq depend on these markets just to get by. And so, of course, with the US military providing security, the Iraqi military is crushing these markets as quickly as they can. This is beyond fascism; it shows an underlying contempt, a hatred, for the people at large by the “elected” Iraqi government, as expressed in the following article."
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Those Poor Starving Little Muslims
11-01-08
mpg

Millions of Afghans Face Starvation
Some quotes...."With a combination of a summer drought, poor irrigation and rising global food prices, a famine is unveiling in Afghanistan with third of Afghans are suffering chronic food insecurity, a British think-tank warned on Friday, October 31. -- "While the eyes of the world have focused on violence which is increasingly terrorist in character, an estimated 8.4 million Afghans, perhaps a third of the nation, are now suffering from 'chronic and transitory food insecurity'," Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) analyst Paul Smyth said in a press briefing on its website." -- "British charity Oxfam warned earlier this year that around five million Afghans are facing food shortages. "

Isn't that nice, Oxfam is there to help "those poor starving little Muslims".  Here's a suggestion, why don't the Brits and the NRE stop bombing and killing everyone in sight?  How about that idea?

This whole thing is sort of like taking your SUV and repeatedly running over some poor pedestrian, again, and again, and again.  Than after exiting your vehicle and viewing the horrible carnage you've caused, you proceed to exclaim as loudly as you can to everyone who can hear you, "My goodness gracious how did this terrible tragedy happen".  You than pick up the poor pedestrian, stuff him into your trunk, take him to the local hospital - which you happen to own – very publicly pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for saving the "poor sod"....than you send him the bill for services rendered.

And when he can't pay up....you put him in jail.  This is what passes nowadays as help for the so-called third world.  It's not funny or amusing anymore, perhaps people in the "Anglo-American West" should just stop causing all the problems in the first place. - mpg
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British commander in Afghanistan quits - source
A quote...." LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - A commander of Britain's elite special forces in Afghanistan has resigned, a defence source said on Saturday, declining to give further details. - Major Sebastian Morley, a reservist commander with the Special Air Service (SAS), blamed a chronic lack of investment in equipment for the deaths of some of his soldiers, according to the Daily Telegraph newspaper."

These types of Generals should just get a grip on themselves and stop being so overly concerned for their expendable personnel, why are they always complaining about the easily replaceable and ridiculously inexpensive biological portions of their nation's weapons systems.  The grunts in the field are simply "war products" on loan to the US's MIOC elites per agreement so this General's betters in the British establishment can get a bigger cut of any future Iraqi oil contracts.  The General should just change his perspective, look at the "big picture" and get on board the gravy train like so many of his American contemporaries have. - mpg
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Thirty Years Too Late: The Implosion of John McCain and the Demise of the Regressive Right
Great satire. - mpg  -- A quote...."There are lots of good explanations for why John McCain is rapidly swirling down the toilet bowl into the sewer of political ignominy, but my all-time favorite was just published in the New York Times Magazine this week."

Coming Soon: Congress Is Back With 'Stimulus-2'
Here's some more satire. - mpg -- A quote...."Washington, taking a page out of Hollywood, looks set to release Stimulus 2, the sequel. -- And unhappy, tapped-out taxpayers—aka voters—may get a sneak preview of the second fiscal package as soon as next week if lawmakers return to Washington for a lame-duck session under the eye of a newly elected President. -- Critics and supporters alike, however, should hope that the next fiscal stimulus package is more of a commercial success than its predecessor, lest another big-budget flop be tacked on to the ever-growing federal debt."

Nightmares of Financial Misery
And more - mpg -- A quote...."10-31-2008 -- Almost a trillion dollars of new credit in 6 weeks! Gaaaahhhh! My hands now mysteriously clenched into Mogambo Fists Of Outrage (MFOO), I am forced to clutch a pencil between my teeth and try to laboriously calculate that if $1,803 billion in Federal Reserve credit is up $915 billion in 6 weeks, then the percentage change is, ummm, wait a minute, ummm, carry the one, ummmm, well, the percentage change is, ummm, well, who the hell cares what the damned stupid exact percentage is when you can just freaking LOOK at the problem to see that TFC has about doubled? Yow! A 100% gain! In 6 weeks!"

Dollar Bill On Floor Sends Wall Street Into Frenzy
And even more. - mpg -- A quote...."NEW YORK—Wall Street investors experienced a sudden surge in optimism Tuesday when, after six tumultuous weeks that saw record drops in the Dow Jones industrial average, a $1 bill was spotted on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. -- The dollar bill was discovered in the northwest corner of the trading floor at approximately 12:05 p.m., and its condition was reported as "crinkled, but real." Word of the tangible denomination of U.S. currency spread quickly across the NYSE, sending traders into a frenzied rush of shouting, arm-flailing, hooting, hollering, and, according to eyewitnesses, at least one dog pile."

Friday October 31st 2008

Making Excuses for Obama: or The Mythology of Good Intentions
Must Read - A quote...."Every time I write about Barack Obama I get a lot of letters, and the most typical goes something like this:"

Dear Justin,

I read your column regularly, and generally agree with what you have to say, but I think you've got Barack Obama all wrong. Yes, I know, he went before AIPAC and kowtowed; he pledged to do "anything – and I mean anything" to stop Iran's nuclear program. He acts "tough" and says he's going to invade Pakistan; he gets in Russia's face. But that's all a show: you see, he has to do this stuff or else he won't get elected. Once he's safely in office, he'll do the right thing.

Sincerely,
John Q. Reader

"This is an amalgam, but true to the spirit of the many pro-Obama missives I've received. They express a sentiment that is very widespread, so much so that it doesn't seem to matter, much, what Obama says he's going to do, because, in any case, his fans and supporters will simply insist on projecting their own hopes, desires, and views onto him."
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The Greatest Story Ever Told 2
A quote...."On the face of it Barack Obama's Grand Infomercial was all about America's future under the guidance of Barack Obama.  It didn't overtly compare this to an America with McCain/Palin at the helm, and it certainly made no reference or comparison to Ralph Nader.  Yet in a very real sense, this one and a half million dollar political ad epitomizes the old saw that says you can't judge a book by its cover.  For anyone who bothers to peal back the wrapping and brush aside the glitter, the truth is there for everyone to see." - Trick or treat America....you're gonna be tricked. - mpg

Obama begins to “lower expectations” for a Democratic White House
Just ten or twenty more shoes to go....than comes the boots, the hip-waders, NASA's space suits with boots attached, Paul Bunion’s boots, than the Jolly Green Giant's boots, Imelda Marcos's entire closet (all of them), etc. etc. etc.....mpg -- A quote...."Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has begun to back away from his promises of social change, even before balloting concludes on Election Day next Tuesday. The Democratic Party is favored to win the White House and increased majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate on November 4."
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"A Second 9/11": An Integral Part of US Military Doctrine
A quote...."For several years now, senior officials of the Bush administration including the President and the Vice President have intimated, in no certain terms, that there will be "a Second 9/11".

U.S. Government Anticipates Bin Laden Election Tape
A quote...."Seemingly desperate for Emmanuel Goldstein to remind Americans that they should still fear their own shadow, the corporate media is maniacally preempting the release of a Bin Laden tape before or after the election, despite there being no actual evidence that one is forthcoming." -- "If Bin Laden does pop up over he next few days, it will only be to John McCain’s benefit. Indeed, McCain’s own adviser Charlie Black let the cat out of the bag back in June when he said that a terror attack on American soil would be a “big advantage” to McCain’s election hopes." -- bold by website editor

Irony: Europeans trusted Bush and he spit in their soup
A quote...."Over here in Iran, I have gotten the chance to read more European papers and watch more European TV than I ever did back in the States -- and what I have discovered while reading up on the European POV is that Britain, Germany, France, etc. are currently in the midst of a terrible economic meltdown. -- While it makes me sad to see individual Europeans hurting so much, does that make me feel sorry for Europe as a whole? Not really. Why should I? European nations have chosen their fate willingly and have simply received the logical consequences of their folly -- they trusted George Bush and he spit in their soup." -- Editor's Note:  Obviously that's not totally fair, the French (at least until they elected Sarkozy) and in part the Germans, correctly and valiantly stood up to our Neo-Roman Elites' attempts to impose a murderous new world order and both them, especially the French, got pilloried for their efforts. - mpg

58. America's Slow-Motion Fascist Coup
Interview - A quote...."Lew Rockwell interviews Naomi Wolf - More from Naomi Wolf: She wrote Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. - Her numerous appearances are documented on YouTube."
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A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the New American Century"
10-31-08
mpg

Intelligence chief sees growing potential for conflict
A quote....""Strategic rivalries are most likely to revolve around trade, demographics, access to natural resources, investments and technological innovation," McConnell said in a transcript of a speech provided by his office. -- If current trends persist, by 2025, China will be en route to becoming the world's largest economy, a major military power and likely the world's largest importer of natural resources, McConnell said. -- India and Russia would be close behind with more wealth and power, he said. -- Economic and population growth will put increasing pressure on a number of strategic resources, such as energy, food and water." - bold by website editor

Round One:  The scenario described above is exactly what our elites' oh-so-clever PNAC plan (or as they like to call it, "this thing of ours") was designed to prevent. The idea was they'd go blow up three thousand of their own citizens with the essential and greatly appreciated support of the Saudi Royals (after all what are "friends" for), the US (NRE) elites would than promptly size the oil resources and geo-strategic positions they needed throughout the Middle East necessary to control the world's emerging economies, (a.k.a. "shock & awe", the "cake walk", etc.) all the while cheerfully funding their plans of mayhem and murder with the biggest ponzi scheme the world has ever seen this side of Albania.  After which our wonderful glorious elites would get to sit down, relax, drink a couple of beers, smoke a few cigarettes, shoot the breeze, and live happily ever after....or not, as the case may be.

Otherwise known as "a funny thing happened on the way to the New American Century".

Round Two:  Our elites get rid of the peons and second raters in Repub part of the DemoRepub party, especially "those religious nut-jobs" (who were quite useful for a time and quite easy to fool, after all, who else would gladly sacrifice their puny little lives to enrich there betters) all the while letting their more money-oriented, more well-connected brethren carry off some of their not-so-well-deserved swag, booty and bling. Pretend that they NEVER EVER hired that moron Bush, (you have to feel sorry for our elites, it really is hard to get good help these days), his mechanical talking aide Cheney, the Neocons, et. al. to carry out that "thing of theirs". --  Sweep the whole, sorry, ugly, God awful mess into the national dust bin with the usual help of their boot-licking presstituting mass-faux-media whores, assisted as always by the ever faithful Demo faction lead by such stalwarts as Nancy Pelosi and various fellow travelers, along with most of the American population who just happen to have the memory retention of gnat.  --  Hire a more intelligent facilitator to carry out the remaining portion of that "thing of theirs" and fearlessly proceed onward with whatever new PNAC incarnation (PNAC 2.0 with the 9/11 deux upgrade option perhaps?) they've had their lackeys feverishly developing these last couple of years.  All the while hoping the idiotic Repub dead-ender die-hard faction of the DemoRepub party doesn’t do something precipitously stupid."

Round Three:  Can't predict the results yet but rest assured all you interested folks out there, this website editor will be delighted to diligently bring you all the upcoming hideously gory details as they develop from the world's greatest ring side seat. So keep your hats on and hang on for the ride of your lives (notice it's your lives and not your illustrious wealthy elites' lives) as the world's never ending story of "your money and your life" plays out. - mpg - mpg
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Why hasn't anyone been arrested?
A quote...."Only about a month ago, most of us ordinary folks were shocked to learn that the greatest economic empire the World has ever known was basically rotten to it's core.  We're barely a month into the 2nd American Revolution.  Life as we knew it will never be the same."

The Next New Deal?
Reagan presided over a fifty-year metastasization of the New Deal. But compared to the present day, government spending in the early 1980s was downright stingy. Thirty years of easy money, corporate capitalism and military adventurism doesn’t wear well on a country. -- The so-called Reagan revolution is proof that wanting smaller government isn’t the same as getting it. By the end of his presidency, every bad thing – that is to say everything – about our federal government had increased radically. Sheldon Richman summarized the Reagan legacy in 1988, and it’s worth re-reading today. -- Only a brave American, a suicidal Constitutionalist, or a sadistic Bolshevik would wish to honestly contemplate the frightening summary of government growth that will be written at the end of 2008. But perhaps the withering away of the state is still possible."

Paul: US election not democratic
A quote...."Congressman Ron Paul has criticized the election system in the US, saying that the system is not very democratic for third parties. In an exclusive interview with MSNBC, the former Libertarian Party's nominee for president in 1988 also said that he had no other way except becoming a Republican candidate in 2008."

The Other Nominees
A quote...."Meet Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente, the presidential and vice presidential nominees for the Green Party of the United States. One would expect McKinney, former congresswoman representing the Fourth CD of Georgia, and Clemente, community organizer, journalist and political activist, to be propelled onto the national stage with the same vigor shown at least to the other third-party candidates.  After all, McKinney, who is African American, and Clemente, an Afro-Puerto Rican, are the first ever minority female ticket in U.S. history.  So why is it in a time of ‘firsts’ and an election termed the most ‘diverse and progressive’ have so few Americans even heard of McKinney, Clemente or their platform?" -- For more on this issue see....You Have a Choice Democracy or Empire - 07-24-08 - mpg

Justice Department Balks on Ohio Vote
A quote...."Despite pressure from Ohio Republicans and President George W. Bush, the Justice Department has declined to intervene in a voter dispute in Ohio that could have purged at least 200,000 voters from registration rolls."

Colorado's Secretary of State Goes Rogue
A quote...."Despite just reaching a settlement with voter rights groups on Wednesday, Colorado's Secretary of State Mike Coffman has continued to purge voters from the roll, causing a judge to issue a cease and desist order." -- Maybe Coffman thinks he's Bush, the great decider. - mpg

13 Election Protection Experts on How to Prevent E-Voting Problems
Special Note -- A quote...."We assembled a panel of leading election integrity (EI) experts and asked their advice on myriad aspects of the e-voting problem. Their recommendations are wide-ranging and should hopefully serve as a wake-up call, since candidates' political futures, not to mention the future of the U.S. and the entire planet, could be decided on error-prone and worse, easily tamperable electronic voting systems."

Documents reveal how Ohio routed 2004 voting data through company that hosted external Bush Administration email accounts. -- Special Note - A quote...."Newly obtained computer schematics provide further detail of how electronic voting data was routed during the 2004 election from Ohio’s Secretary of State’s office through a partisan Tennessee web hosting company."
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Maliki: Don’t call it a ‘security pact’; it’s ‘an agreement to withdraw’ U.S. troops.
A quote...."Today, the AP is reporting that according to a close aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi government “wants to eliminate any chance U.S. forces will stay” in Iraq “after 2011 under a proposed security pact.” But also yesterday, al-Maliki took issue with calling the agreement a “security pact”: "

Iraqis lash out at security agreement with U.S.
A quote...."The U.S. has little favor among Iraqis due to the pain and hardships its invasion of their country has caused. -- Consequently, almost all Iraqis interviewed by this newspaper were adamantly against the signing of the proposed security agreement with the U.S. The few who wanted the pact to pass, asked the government for substantial revisions that will give U.S. troops none of the privileges they now enjoy."

Iraq MP: 420 secret detention centres in Iraq
A quote...."GENEVA - An Iraqi parliamentarian on Thursday called on the United Nations to investigate what he said were over 400 secret detention centres in the country controlled by both the government and US-led foreign forces." -- bold by website editor

US's Syrian raid sets Iraq on fire
A quote...."DAMASCUS - The United States raid on Syria on October 27, which led to the killing of eight civilians, sent shockwaves throughout Iraq, mainly enraging the Sunni community, former Ba'athists and tribal leaders who are pro-Syrian."
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Memo from Islamabad - Out of Control
Special Note - A quote...."The United Nations Charter states, among other wise and widely forgotten strictures, that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” The meaning is clear, in that the signatories to the Charter agreed that territorial integrity was and is fundamental to sovereignty and national dignity. It is essential that a country be permitted to conduct its affairs without the fear of attack by powerful states having policies and intentions detrimental to humanitarian values and civilized conduct."

Strange Strike
A quote...."With one deadly strike, the Bush administration has offered a fitting epitaph to its "might makes right" policy towards Syria — and the rest of the Middle East." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Who Authorized the Syria Raid? (Updated)
A quote...."I've been trying to wrap my brain around the Syria raid earlier this week. But two articles are sticking in my craw. First, Eli Lake (late of the later New York Sun), reports in The New Republic that the attack into Syria was part of a blanket authorization of cross-border raids for both Iraq and Afghanistan, approved earlier this summer. So that brings us to the million dollar question: Who authorized the attack?"
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Twin US Drone Strikes Kill 32 in Waziristan
A quote...."Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani once again warned NATO that the unilateral air strikes into Pakistani territory were “counter-productive” today as the United States launched two drone strikes, in North and South Waziristan Agency, respectively, killing a total of 32 people." -- Just remember gentle reader, Pakistan is "our friend" and the US (NRE) is trying to "help" Paksitan.  Hopefully every single other country out there is watching this fiasco and begins to understand just what happens when you "do business" with the NRE's wealthy elites. - mpg

UK opposes US incursions into Pakistan: Straw
A quote...."ISLAMABAD: British Secretary of State for Justice Jack Straw on Friday opposed repeated United States incursions into Pakistan’s territory, and urged Washington to respect the sovereignty and integrity of its vital allies."

[Real] Friends can help Pakistan avoid IMF: Gilani
A quote...."Friends can help Pakistan avoid IMF: Gilani

    * PM says no possibility of default, denies IMF has asked for cut in defence budget
    * Govt to seek deferral of oil dues from Saudi Arabia

ISTANBUL: Ruling out possibility of facing bankruptcy, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he hopes Pakistan can avoid IMF assistance if it wins billions of dollars in aid from friendly governments to cope with a balance of payment crisis.
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McCain, Obama Advisers Get Secret Afghan Briefing
A quote...."The New York Times is reporting that the Bush Administration held a secret meeting two weeks ago to brief advisers from the campaigns of both Republican Presidential nominee John McCain and his Democratic Party counterpart Barack Obama on the ever-deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Though the details of the meeting were not classified, the participants agreed not to discuss to content of the briefings or the discussions publicly."

Robert Fisk: Scandal of six held in Guantanamo even after Bush plot claim is dropped
A quote...."In the dying days of the Bush administration, yet another presidential claim in the "war on terror" has been proved false by the withdrawal of the main charge against six Algerians held without trial for nearly seven years at Guantanamo prison camp." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Maguire: UN is responsible for every death resulting from the siege on Gaza
A quote...."GAZA, (PIC)-- Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, who arrived in Gaza on SS Dignity a couple of days ago, held the United Nations responsible for deaths resulting from the siege on Gaza which has been in place for almost two years."

Ecuador alleges 'clear' signs of CIA infiltration
A quote...."QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — An Ecuadorean presidential commission has concluded that U.S. intelligence services infiltrated the Andean nation's military and police and supported a cross-border incursion by Colombian troops that killed a top rebel commander. -- Following the attack on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia camp inside Ecuador on March 1, President Rafael Correa accused the CIA of infiltrating his nation's intelligence services and appointed a commission to investigate. -- The body alleged in its report, made public Thursday, that the CIA bought information from Ecuador's military and had prior knowledge of the raid, said Defense Minister Javier Ponce, who read highlights of the findings to reporters."

Venezuela Launches its First Satellite
A quote...."Mérida, October 29, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- Venezuela's Satellite Simon Bolivar, also known as Venesat-1, was launched Wednesday at 12:25 pm Venezuelan time, from Xichang, China. It will be used to improve telecommunications and facilitate social and education projects."

Over 360 Latin America Experts Call on Obama to Improve U.S.-Latin American Relations
A quote...."WASHINGTON - October 28 - Anticipating a democratic victory in the November 4 presidential elections, 368 academics specializing in Latin America recently sent a letter urging Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama to become a partner, rather than an adversary, concerning changes already under way in Latin America."

US, mute over world condemnation at Un [of the US's Cuba embargo]
A quote...."On Wednesday, rapturous applause filled the chamber of the UN General Assembly after the members voted against the US embargo imposed on Cuba. -- A total of 185 countries voted in favor of the anti-US resolution with a mere three UN member states (the United States, Israel and Palau) voting against the measure and two abstaining (Marshall Islands and Micronesia)."

Sergei Markedonov: Abkhazia as the Theatre of Georgia’s Terrorist Activities and Sabotage
A quote...."The renewed attempts to destabilise the situation in Abkhazia against the background of the unquiet life in South Ossetia and Georgia’s territory adjacent to it, need consideration and assessment of these new threats to the security of South Caucasian states recognised by Russia and to Russia itself as a guarantor of their statehood and the right of self-determination."

Czech politics takes a left turn
A quote...."MOSCOW. (Alexander Mitrofanov for RIA Novosti) - The political color of the Czech Republic has changed overnight."

Russia-China: oil for loans - i.e. Russia is turning east, the EU should stop siding with the NRE against Russia.
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityayev) - On October 28, when China's Premier Wen Jiabao was visiting Moscow, he signed an agreement calling for the construction of an oil pipeline to China as part of the prospective Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline."

Gaddafi in Russia to buy arms
A quote...."The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is in Moscow for the first time in 23 years. He’s holding talks with President Dmitry Medvedev on arms and energy. The Russian President says he expects the visit to be fruitful. Countries have been queuing up to sign lucrative deals with energy-rich Libya ever since the UN lifted sanctions against it."

Ukraine takes Russian channels off air
A quote...."Three Russian TV channels have been banned from broadcasting in Ukraine. The country's authorities ordered local cable operators to take them off air. More than half of Ukraine's population speaks Russian regularly and one third say it's their native tongue."
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Big Investors Betting on Deflation
Market Technical Note - Some quotes...."Mark Hulbert says that investors in U.S. treasury bonds are betting on deflation:" -- "There are good arguments for stagflation - instead of deflation. But if the big boys are betting on deflation with their own money, that's important information."

Desperate Measures
Charts - A quote...."The Fed’s action to either raise or lower rates has become a major focal point for the markets in recent years. It seems that the vast majority of the public believes that the Fed is actually controlling interest rates and as a result that they are controlling the credit and equity markets. For a week before the Fed meeting it seems that the entire global markets' focus was on “what the Fed is going to do.” Will they cut a quarter, will they cut a half or will they not cut at all? Then, after the meeting the talking heads and analysts sit around and try to analyze the meaning of their “Fed Speak.” This is a joke. I am about to show you the proof that the Fed follows the short-term credit market and that in reality they do not lead. The data simply does not support this widely held belief. I realize that this may come as a shock to you, but reality is what it is. The data speaks for itself."

FDR Explains the Crisis - Why 2008 Feels Like 1932
A quote...."It is no coincidence that our problems today are a replay of those of 1932, albeit with a less rapid economic descent because of the safety nets like Social Security and bank deposit insurance put in place by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal programs of the 30s.  Each and every form of securities and bank fraud that led to the conditions of 1932 have been perpetrated again today.  The only differences are that this time the Wall Street leverage is larger and the fraud frequently began its life with a triple-A pedigree and a legal opinion from a top tier  law firm registered as a lobbyist with the U.S. government."

The End of Prosperity - The Worst Is Yet to Come
A quote...."From too much of a good thing. From the 1980s and 1990s excesses. From the longest ever US bull market. Heavily manipulated to keep it levitating. From August 1982 to January 2000. An illusory reprieve from October 2002 to October 2007. Fluctuations aside, all lost in the past 12 months. The wages of sin are now due, and payment is being painfully extracted. From all nations globally. Affecting ordinary people the most who had nothing to do with creating booms and busts. They got little on the upside but are paying dearly for the down."

History's biggest margin call
A quote...."The entire world was seemingly positioned for a particular financial backdrop and received an altogether different one. Some years ago I wrote something to the effect that "financial crisis is like Christmas". After all, during the Alan Greenspan era at the Federal Reserve, periods of heightened financial and/or economic pressures were almost cause for celebration within the leveraged speculating community. Aggressive rate cuts and "easy money" were the trumpeted solution to any problem, which equated to easy financial fortunes for the savvy market operators. Over time this culture of leveraging, speculation and financial shenanigans fanned out across the globe - throughout finance, commerce and government endeavors."

7.5 million homeowners 'underwater'
Special Note - Financial Warning -- A quote...."Nearly a fifth of U.S. borrowers owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth - and that number is growing." - bold/underline by website editor

America heads towards recession - US consumer spending logs its sharpest downturn since the recession of 1980
Well....now we all know why don't we. - mpg -- A quote...."A slump in consumer spending caused the US economy to shrink in the third quarter of the year at the fastest pace it has contracted since the recession of 2001. -- The first estimate of GDP for the three months ended 30 September provided long-awaited confirmation that the slowdown has turned into an outright contraction, after two years of gathering storm clouds that first appeared over the US housing market."

China And Russia Hint At Dropping US Dollar
Special Note - A quote...."Reports from the Russian media suggest that the country is on the verge of an agreement with China to renounce the US dollar and stop using it in international settlements. "The recent meeting between Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, created a financial sensation," reports RIA Novosti. - "Wen said that the two nations could withstand the global financial crisis if they joined forces; Putin urged him to go farther and stop using U.S. dollars in Russian-Chinese settlements." -- Editor's caution: This does not mean the dollar will go down, the reason being our elite's currently control over $1.3 quadrillion in derivatives, an amount of leverage that allows them to do pretty much whatever they want with the markets....for awhile anyway. - mpg

Euro fever sweeps through Scandinavia as currencies dive
Special Note - A quote...."The Danish and Swedish governments have begun preparing the ground for referendums on joining the euro, as part of a huge political reversal across Europe's northern fringes in favour of the single currency. Although voters have overwhelming rejected the euro in the past, both countries are now pointing to the recent damage inflicted on their national currencies as evidence that staying out has left them dangerously over-exposed to market vagaries."

Joint SCO efforts urged to beat financial woes
A quote...."ASTANA: Ensuring the security of China's economy would be the country's most important contribution toward global financial stability, Premier Wen Jiabao told prime ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Thursday. "It is necessary to have greater interaction between our financial and business communities," Wen said. "SCO members must work ... to enhance the coordination of monetary policies and improve financial controls to prevent and neutralize financial risks." Wen said China would consider issuing loans to members of the organization to ensure food security and support joint projects in the region."

Thursday October 30th 2008
   
Scott Horton Interviews Tom Engelhardt
Must Listen - Audio Interview - A quote...."Tom Engelhardt, editor of TomDispatch and of The World According to TomDispatch, chronicles the failures of the Bush Administration and their misguided faith in the dark side of force, the state of complete catastrophe inside Afghanistan and on its border with Pakistan, the precarious situation in Iraq, Bush’s failure to get Iran to stop enriching Uranium (his standard), how U.S. policy has benefited Hamas and Hezbollah, the worst crisis on earth: the U.S.-caused war in Somalia and the rise of much more radical forces there than those whose power the invasion was meant to thwart."

Expanding War, Contracting Meaning
A quote...."A week ago, I had a long conversation with a four-star U.S. military officer who, until his recent retirement, had played a central role in directing the global war on terror. I asked him: what exactly is the strategy that guides the Bush administration's conduct of this war? His dismaying, if not exactly surprising, answer: there is none." -- Also posted at AntiWar & CommonDreams

Is War Good For the Economy? In short: No
A quote...."The idea that warfare helps the economy is a prime example of Bizarro logic, which has pervaded our collective consciousness since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, ideological fallout from the explosion of national hysteria that followed. In Bizarro World, as we all know, the laws of nature and logic are inverted, so that up is down, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength. In the post-9/11 era, as I have often pointed out, we have finally arrived in a world where two plus two can and indeed often does equal five – if it suits the purposes of the War Party to deem it so."

Bomb Your Way Out of Debt and Recession!
A quote...."According to the Alex Jones radio show, Chinese media is discussing a Rand Report which calls for another, bigger, better war to stave off the impending recession. Apparently, the Chinese feel they may be targets. I have felt the same thing for a while. Here we are, totally dependent on China for our trinkets and other, more necessary commodities, not to mention that their loans keep us financially afloat, and we're trash talking them like a pro wrestler before a match. That makes absolutely no sense, unless the US plans to pay back the loans with cruise missiles - delivered by air." -- See article shown below....

RAND Lobbies Pentagon: Start War To Save U.S. Economy
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."According to reports out of top Chinese mainstream news outlets, the RAND Corporation recently presented a shocking proposal to the Pentagon in which it lobbied for a war to be started with a major foreign power in an attempt to stimulate the American economy and prevent a recession." -- For more regarding the three articles shown above see.... Effective Fed Funds Rate - 03-24-07 - mpg

Obama's 9/11 - only in January 2009
False Flag Warning - Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning - A quote...."It's true that Sen. Joe Biden "isn't very bright and he can't stop talking." But Biden's uncontrollable mouth may have alerted us to the Obama-Biden administration's post-election surprise - something so scary, Obama is "gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him...." Whatever's on Biden's agitated little mind, it must be big, real big. -  If Big Mouth Joe is already pleading for patience from the faithful, we are looking at Bush/Cheney the Sequel." -  Be afraid. Be very afraid. Apparently, Joe is scared out of his limited supply of wits." -- For more on this issue see....They're Going to do "It" Again

Obama the Stalker
A quote...."No presidential candidate has ever used massive amounts of money to so effectively stalk voters.  You cannot escape the Obama sales pitch wherever you are, whatever you watch, whatever you read.  His campaign will go down in American history as the most successful advertising and marketing effort to sell a product. -- While people on the left love to talk and b-tch about Republicans stealing elections, what should worry people is how a candidate can buy the presidency, because they have conned millions of people to donate money while at the same time using those smaller campaign contributions to block the truth that a huge fraction of all the money has come from the same corporate, business and wealthy fat cats that have always funded both Republicans and Democrats.  This ensures that Obama will never, ever take any action to remove the tyranny of the status quo two-party plutocracy."

After Waking Up to the Threat to Liberty, What Do You Do?
Action Alert - A quote...."In my conversation with Naomi Wolf, we agreed that millions of people were awakened from their slumber of the past horrific Bush years. Perhap's you're one of them. Now that you are awake, it's time to face the fact that the Declaration of Independence and the constitution literally make you RESPONSIBLE to do what it takes to make sure liberty and justice are not only protected and maintained but taken even further and better. That means that YOU have an obligation to DO something. Not just once, not just a note to the editor-- but systematically, commitedly, on a regular basis."
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Iraq stands firm against US threat
A quote...."WASHINGTON - The threat by the George W Bush administration last week to withdraw all economic and military support from the Iraqi government if it does not accept the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) has raised the stakes in the political-diplomatic struggle over the issue. "

Auditors: Private security in Iraq cost over $6B
A quote...."WASHINGTON: No one knows for sure, but auditors think the United States has paid well over $6 billion to private security companies who have been guarding diplomats, troops, Iraqi officials and reconstruction workers in Iraq."
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Trick or Treat or Syria
A quote...."The war party continues to retreat; its skirmishers trail behind the main body to burn bridges, set booby traps, and otherwise harass the advancing Obama phalanx. The Syrian shenanigan is the latest tactical move in the neoconservative right's fight-another-day strategy, both in the fact of it and in the way it has been covered in our polluted mainstream media."

Syrian riot police form ring around US Embassy
A quote...."Tens of thousands of Syrians turned out Thursday for a massive government-orchestrated protest against a deadly U.S. raid near the Iraqi border."
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Tackling US adventurism
A quote...."THE protest lodged with US Ambassador Anne Patterson, who was summoned to the Foreign Office on Wednesday, indicates that the government is serious about implementing a new policy in the light of a consensus resolution passed on October 27, which, among other things, clearly stated that US drone attacks on Pakistani territory would no longer be tolerated. Hopefully, the envoy, who was handed over a copy of the resolution, would understand that there is now an elected government in power, which is bound to act upon the advice of Parliament. The Foreign Secretary was indeed right in terming these attacks, including the recent one that killed over 20, a violation of our sovereignty aimed at undermining the government's efforts to wipe out the scourge of militancy from the country."

Pakistan Demands US Halt Air Strikes
A quote...."As promised earlier this week by Pakistani Senate leader Raza Rabbani, the Pakistani government has summoned US Ambassador Anne Patterson today to lodge a “strong protest” against the continued US drone strikes inside Pakistani territory. The government statement cautioned that the US strikes “undermine public support for the government’s counterterrorism policies.”

Pakistan seeking Iranian oil assistance - It's sort of funny that the Sudi Royals aren't helping out. - mpg
But the Iranians just might help the Pakistanis out.  The Saudi Royals better get on the ball or they won't have any friends left in the Middle East. - mpg -- A quote...."SLAMABAD: Pakistan will vigorously follow up its request to Iran for oil supply on deferred payment to tide over its current economic difficulties in case of a delay or non-availability of the Saudi oil facility, a senior official said on Thursday."

[Pakistani] Senators warn against IMF loan
If Pakistan takes the loan, they might as well just declare bankruptcy now and get it all over with. - mpg -- A quote...."ISLAMABAD: Not only the opposition but also some sympathisers of the PPP-led government in the Senate on Thursday opposed loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)."
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IMF & World Bank Have Done Damage To Poor - And everybody else, except for that "one percent" of course.
A quote...."When the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) required the government of Mali to privatise its cotton sector, President Amadou Toumani Toure travelled to Washington in 2005 to plead for the reversal of the policy to no avail."

At Least 68 Killed in Assam Bombings
A quote...."At least 11 and possibly as many as 18 bombs were detonated in rapid succession in and around Guwahati, in the Indian state of Assam, killing at least 68 people and wounding at least 470 others. The bombs were largely hidden on motorcycles in crowded markets."

Johann Hari: How we fuel Africa's bloodiest war
A quote...."The deadliest war since Adolf Hitler marched across Europe is starting again – and you are almost certainly carrying a blood-soaked chunk of the slaughter in your pocket. When we glance at the holocaust in Congo, with 5.4 million dead, the clichés of Africa reporting tumble out: this is a "tribal conflict" in "the Heart of Darkness". It isn't. The United Nations investigation found it was a war led by "armies of business" to seize the metals that make our 21st-century society zing and bling. The war in Congo is a war about you." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

How EU Turns 'Blind Eye' to Israel's Crimes - posted at Palestine Chronicle
A quote...."At last, someone has published an easy-to-read document that sets out very clearly how Israel consistently ignores the legal and human rights obligations that form the basic conditions to the various economic co-operation agreements it has with the EU. Israel clearly had no intention of complying and its repeated breaches should have resulted in suspension or expulsion long ago. Yet the regime continues to enjoy 'most favoured nation' status."

Palestinian Kristallnacht
A quote...."In a conflict that has produced more than its share of suffering and tragedy, the name of Kafr Qassem lives on in infamy more than half a century after Israeli police gunned down 47 Palestinian civilians, including women and children, in the village."
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Election Protection
A quote...."Election Day approaches, and with it a test of our election system’s integrity. Who will be allowed to vote; who will be barred? Who will get paper ballots; who will use electronic voting machines? Will polls be open long enough to accommodate what is expected to be a historic turnout?" -- Also posted at CommonDreams

The Unrepresentative American Election
A quote...."Surveys show that Democratic contender Barack Obama will likely be elected president. That’s not as certain as some polls indicate, however, because the electoral system in the U.S. wasn’t created to best represent the will of the people. It was created to create the most stable majorities..."

US elections - is the fox guarding the henhouse?
Must View Video - A quote...."States purged more than thirteen million voters from registration rolls in the last four years.....With less than a week left at the polls, issues of voter suppression have moved into the spotlight. What does this mean to the average voter and what obstacles may they face at the polls ? Professor of Law Spencer Overton believes that, "We need really to open up the process so that voting is easier, and so that we truly have a government of, by, and for the people." - bold/transcripted by website editor
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Italy helped "save" Gaddafi by warning of US air raid (Extra)
A quote...."Rome - Italy 'probably helped save' Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi's life when it warned Libya of a 1986 US air strike, Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel-Rahman Shalgam said Thursday. Shalgam's claim, made at a conference in Rome, referred to an April 15, 1986 operation in which the then US president, Ronald Reagan, ordered several attacks against Libya, the ANSA news agency reported."

Bolivia: Unprecedented Alliance Defeats Right-Wing Assault
A quote...."LA PAZ: After three months of intense class struggle, there can be no doubt that the U.S.-backed right-wing opposition to the government of President Evo Morales has suffered three important defeats. The right's offensive to topple Morales, which climaxed with the September 11-12 "civic coup" attempt, has been decisively rolled back by the combined action of the government and social movements."
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They Made a Killing: The Use of Knowledge of Covert Operations in the Stock Market
Special Note - A quote...."I had always assumed the entire business of the markets to be a massive criminal enterprise that allowed public participation simply because it made a few people extremely wealthy. But, I wondered, when do the fewest people make the most money in the shortest period of time? -- During gaps. -- A gap is a sudden, violent change in the price of a stock, future, bond, etc. Gaps are caused by some event that temporarily creates a state of disequilibrium in order flows. Gaps on stocks started to draw my attention because I just knew that insiders (and others) were pre-positioning themselves to profit from those moves."

Incentivizing Murder: Plan Colombia and the Bitter Fruits of Empire
Special Note - A quote...."Colombia’s government, the Bush administration’s top ally in Latin America, has been buffeted by the disappearance of ...dozens of young, impoverished men and women whose cases have come to light in recent weeks. Some were vagrants, others street vendors and manual laborers. But their fates were often the same: being catalogued as insurgents or criminal gang members and killed by the armed forces. -- Prosecutors and human rights researchers are investigating hundreds of such deaths and disappearances, contending that Colombia’s security forces are increasingly murdering civilians and making it look as if they were killed in combat, often by planting weapons by the bodies or dressing the corpses in guerrilla fatigues. -- With soldiers under intense pressure in recent years to register combat kills to earn promotions and benefits like time off and extra pay, reports of civilian killings are climbing, prosecutors and researchers say, pointing to a grisly facet of Colombia’s long internal war against leftist insurgencies. - bold/underline by website editor -- Wow!  Capitalism at it's finest, it's what one would call "making a real killing".  Something all you folks out there can look forward to once the US's NorthCom gets good and cranked up. - mpg

Ex-Italian President: Provocateur Riots Then “Beat The Sh-t Out Of Protesters”
Special Note - A quote...."Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga has offered a solution to the Italian government in dealing with widespread demonstrations by students and teachers over a cut in state funding of education - use agent provocateurs to start riots and then have the police “beat the sh-t out of the protesters”. -- Cossiga, former Italian President, Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, and one of the founders of the Operation GLADIO covert intelligence unit, encouraged Silvio Berlusconi and current Minister of the Interior Robert Maroni to “do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior,” namely infiltrate what so far have been relatively peaceful demonstrations, radicalize them, start riots, then engender public support for a heavy-handed police response."

Smith orders inquiry into MI5 and CIA torture claims
A quote...."acqui Smith, the home secretary, has asked the attorney general to investigate possible "criminal wrongdoing" by the MI5 and the CIA over its treatment of a British resident held in Guantanamo Bay, it was revealed tonight."

CIA officers could face trial in Britain over torture allegations
Special Note - A quote...."Senior CIA officers could be put on trial in Britain after it emerged last night that the Attorney General is to investigate allegations that a British resident held in Guantanamo Bay was brutally tortured, after being arrested and questioned by American forces following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in 2001." -- For more on this issue see....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure. - mpg

Questioning ‘Dirty Bomb’ Plot, Judge Orders U.S. to Yield Papers on Detainee
A quote...."WASHINGTON — Saying he questioned the government’s claim that a Guantánamo Bay detainee had planned a radioactive-bomb attack in the United States, a federal district judge ordered the Justice Department on Thursday to give the detainee’s lawyers documents on his treatment."

US military judge rejects effort to redo Guantanamo convict's sentence
A quote...."GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) - The U.S. military judge who presided over the first war-crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay has rejected a prosecution request to reassemble jurors in order to reconsider sentencing for Osama bin Laden's driver."

After six years, Australian jury clears Jack Thomas of all terrorism charges
A quote...."In what amounts to a further discrediting of the "war on terrorism," Melbourne worker Jack Thomas was acquitted last week by a Victorian Supreme Court jury of the only remaining terrorist charge against him. Nearly six years after he was first detained in Pakistan, he was declared not guilty on a charge of receiving cash and an air ticket from Al Qaeda, and convicted on a charge of falsifying his passport. Thomas had admitted removing from his passport a visa granted by the Taliban, in a desperate attempt to return home to Australia."

Shell announces huge rise in profits
A quote...."Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell today joined the profits bonanza from record prices with a 71 per cent jump in third-quarter earnings."

Exxon Mobil: Biggest profit in history
A quote...."The largest U.S. oil company surges past analysts' estimates with a posted net income of $14.83 billion and sets a national record for quarterly profit." - bold/underline by website editor

To the men and women in the US Armed Forces, thank you, thank you, thank you. Our wonderful wealthy elites couldn't have done it without your endless sacrifice and support.  Keep up the good work. - mpg
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"It's Hard to Live on Just a Half Million a Year" Wall Street Bonus Madness - posted at CounterPunch
A quote...."You created an economy that is so unstable that the bankruptcy of a few big firms would mean worldwide catastrophe. - Your policies lost the world $10 trillion on stock markets in the last month alone. - You've started a worldwide recession/depression that will go on for years. - So for a punishment we're giving you $20 billion in bonuses."  -- Haa, haa, haaaaa....it really, truly is, totally hilarious. - mpg

Goldman Sachs ready to hand out £7bn salary and bonus package... after its £6bn bail-out
A quote...."Goldman Sachs is on course to pay its top City bankers multimillion-pound bonuses - despite asking the U.S. government for an emergency bail-out. - The struggling Wall Street bank has set aside £7billion for salaries and 2008 year-end bonuses, it emerged yesterday. - Each of the firm's 443 partners is on course to pocket an average Christmas bonus of more than £3million." - For more on this issue see....AIG, Goldman Sachs, Paulson And Buffet

See also....
This Is How The Bail Out Will Screw You - video - (YuTb - 5m 7s - 10-22-08) - posted 10-21-08
Wall Street banks in $70 billion staff payout - posted 10-17-08
[British] Bankers' £16 billion bonus bonanza - posted 10-17-08
For insensitivity, Wachovia refuses to be outdone - posted 10-09-08
First Bailout Results Known -- has received $8 MILLION from Wachovia Bank. - posted 10-09-08
AIG, Castigated for Resort Event, Plans Another One - posted 10-09-08
Lehman sought millions for execs while seeking aid - posted 10-06-08
AIG subsidiary parties in style in OC, two weeks after bailout - posted 10-03-08
WaMu CEO could get $13.65 million for 18 days work - posted 10-02-08
Fury at $2.5bn Lehman bonus - posted 09-21-08
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How US politicians and bankers built a financial debt house of cards, whose collapse threatens to destroy the world economy -- Special Note - A quote...."Why does the world economy seem to be caught every 60 some years in a financial and banking turmoil that threatens to collapse the real economy? The answer has to be sought in human greed and political corruption that seem to collaborate in pushing to the extreme all types of speculative and parasitic practices."

Workers, Unite! Demand that you be paid in Gold Bullion!
A quote...."Put 'supply side' nonsense to the test! Demand that you be paid in gold bullion. If right wing ideology and theories were correct, your bosses shouldn't have a problem with it. They will not accede to your demands because they know that right wing economics is pure bullshit!"

Killer touch for market capitalism
A quote...."The US government has predictably failed to jump-start credit and capital markets, refusing to recognize that assets will stay illiquid until price adjustments bring about market transactions. Government monetization of illiquid assets will only prolong their illiquid life span. This approach risks the total destruction of market capitalism."

Rohini Hensman: Marxism and the Economic Crisis
A quote...."A Theory of Crisis -- The credit system was relatively undeveloped in Marx’s time, and he would not have been familiar with hedge funds, mortgage-backed securities, collateralised debt obligations (CDOs), credit default swaps (CDSs), and all the other derivatives that are now part of the global financial system. However, he was familiar with generalised crises, and tried to explain financial turmoil in terms of what is now referred to as ‘the real economy’: i.e., a crisis in the accumulation of capital. In his view, such crises were inevitable in capitalism, because it is a system of production not for human need but for profit."

Banks Borrow $112B From Fed
A quote...."With sources of credit still largely frozen, banks borrowed a record amount from the Federal Reserve in the past week, according to Fed data released Thursday." - bold by website editor

Deflation vs. inflation - Commentary: Deflation is more likely than many assume
Special Note - A quote...."It's important to ask this question, because something is most definitely bothering the gold market. Between Oct. 8 and Oct. 23 alone, for example, bullion dropped by some $225 per ounce. It dropped $15.50 per ounce on Thursday as well." -- On the other hand....  - mpg

Wheat Soars Most in 20 Years on Federal Reserve's Rate Decrease
A quote...."Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Wheat rose the most in at least 20 years on speculation the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank would cut interest rates, increasing liquidity and freeing up capital that will allow buyers to purchase U.S. supplies."

GDP falls 0.3% in third quarter on dive in spending
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. economy contracted at a 0.3% annualized rate in the third quarter, as consumer spending declined at the fastest rate in 28 years, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday."

LA Times Will Cut 10% of Its News Staff Because of 'Economic Downturn,' Says Editor
A quote...."The Los Angeles Times plans to cut 75 jobs, or 10 percent of its news staff, a response to the world financial crisis that is exacerbating already painful advertising declines at U.S. newspapers. The cuts are comparable in scale to some that the Times made on the business side of its operations last week, Editor Russ Stanton told employees in an email message that the Times posted on its website Monday, Reuters reports."

Nasa defends rocket to Moon that could shake astronauts to death
A quote...."Ares is meant to be the rocket that will launch a new era of lunar exploration. Instead it is in danger of crashing into its own launch tower or of shaking its astronauts to death." -- Hey! Whatever happened to that bigger, better, totally reusable super-shuttle that NASA was planning to build.  Oh that's right; we used up all the money for building it killing people in other countries so we could go steal their oil.  Ain't we smart, instead of having bases all over the moon, maglev ore packets being boosted to earth orbit for our dozens of earth orbiting manufacturing plants and a multi-trillion dollar, peaceful, high-tech, space industry, not to mention a national health care system, viable alternative energy sources, a good sound infrastructure and educational system....we'd rather give all our money to a tiny decadent, sick, twisted financial elite and kill millions of strangers.  Guess a country and it's people have to have their priorities in order. - mpg

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road; A liberal's perspective
Here's some fun. - mpg

Wednesday October 29th 2008

My assessment of American politics today
Must Read - A quote...."October 28, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse - -- On one side of our struggle is normal American imperialist conservatism represented not by McCain, but by Obama. These are the forces of the old constitutional business republic which the USA has been for some two hundred years. (We euphemistically call this elite business republic a "democracy" which of course it is not. A democracy is a republic where the free members of society exercise the authority of government. This is not the USA in which government has always represented business, capital, the owning or ruling class, never the vast majority of people in society, the people.) -- On the other side of this political contest are forces that can be described with justice in many different terms: the extreme right, corporatist, Wall St. thieves and black mailers, thugs, international pirates, the military-industrial complex, militarists, the prison-industrial complex, totalitarians, liars, or fascists."

The Elections and the Responsibility of the Intellectual to Speak Truth to Power
Must Read - A quote...."The presidential elections in the US, once again, provide an acid test of the integrity and consequential conduct of US intellectuals. If it is the duty and responsibility of the public intellectual to speak truth to power, the recent statements of most of our well-known and prestigious public pundits have failed miserably. Instead of highlighting, exposing and denouncing the reactionary foreign and domestic policies of Democratic Party candidate Senator Barack Obama, they have chosen to support him, 'critically, offering as excuses that even 'limited differences’ can result in positive outcomes,and that 'Obama is the lesser evil’ and 'creates an opportunity for a possibility of change.’  --  What makes these arguments untenable is the fact that Obama’s public pronouncements, his top policy advisers, and the likely policymakers in his government have openly defined a most bellicose foreign policy and a profoundly reactionary domestic economic policy totally in line with Paulson-Bush-Wall Street. On the major issues of war, peace, the economic crisis and the savaging of the US wage and salaried class, Obama promises to extend and deepen the policies which the majority of Americans reject and repudiate."

What Do They Have to Do to Lose Your Vote? -The Trail of Broken Promises
Must Read - A quote...."Watching the Democrats in the final weeks of the presidential election has been a lesson in revisionist history. While they lament the terrible crimes perpetrated against the American people by George Bush and vow to keep fighting for our rights, they conveniently gloss over the fact that they have no standing to make such claims. Indeed, the Democrats, including Senator Barack Obama, have actually voted with President Bush’s agenda, making them complicit in his acts, not valiant opponents defending our liberties."
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Scott Horton Interviews Jim Bovard
Audio Interview - A quote...."Jim Bovard, author of many great books, most recently Attention Deficit Democracy, discusses America’s abandonment of law and rising police state, many people’s need to identify with a savior, the benefits of the Ron Paul candidacy, the story behind the Republicans failure to remove Bill Clinton from power in 1998, the continuing failure of the corporate media and the hope for a more humble foreign policy with Obama."

CIA Can Hide Torture Allegations, Court Rules
A quote...."The CIA can hide statements from imprisoned suspected terrorists that the agency tortured them in its set of secret prisons, a federal judge ruled Wednesday." -- Guess we'll all never  find out who was really behind 9/11....thanks to Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the Washington D.C. Circuit Court.  - mpg

Cleaning Up After Bush
Special Note - A quote...."Throw your mind back to September 10, 2001. The price of gas: $1.40 per gallon. The national debt: $5 trillion dollars, sizeable but only about half of what it is today. America had over 3 million more manufacturing jobs. The trade deficit too was around half today's. A budget surplus. The US population: 282 million, about 20 million less than now. And the unkindest cut of all: you were seven years younger. -- Good and serene as that time looks in retrospect, things were even better than mere numbers may indicate. Consider this...."

Bush Missing Iraq WMD has Been Found in Iraq and One Million U.S. Soldiers are its Victims
A quote...."No Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) that Bush told us were in Iraq were found. Today, to the tragedy of over one million U.S. soldiers and countless innocent Iraqi civilians, there is a Weapon of Mass Destruction in Iraq. That weapon is the deadly radioactive Depleted Uranium (DU) that is used by the U.S. military."

Northcom, Africom and Other Threats
Special Note - A quote...."The U.S. military constantly expands in size, budget and mission. Two new U.S. military "commands" have recently been activated or augmented, with ominous implications for global peace and domestic civil liberties. Africom now casts a shadow over the last continent for which the U.S. had no designated "command" structure, and Northcom, with responsibilities over the domestic U.S., is a nightmare for those who fear repressive "martial law" in America." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Guantanamo court judge: Threatening family was torture
A quote...."GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- In a first, a military judge ruled on Tuesday that a Guantanamo detainee's confession was extracted through torture, and excluded it from the trial of a young Afghan detainee at the war court. -- Afghan police threatened the family of teenager Mohammed Jawad while he was undergoing interrogation at a Kabul police station, said Army Col. Stephen Henley, the judge, in a three-page ruling." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

US Cutoff Threat Unlikely to Save Iraq Troop Pact
A quote...."The threat by the George W. Bush administration last week to withdraw all economic and military support from the Iraqi government if it does not accept the US-Iraq status of forces agreement has raised the stakes in the political-diplomatic struggle over the issue. -- However, most Iraqi politicians are now so averse to any formal legitimization of the US military presence – and particularly of extraterritorial legal rights over US troops in the country – that even that threat is unlikely to save the pact."

U.S. unlikely to accept revised Iraq security pact
A quote...."BAGHDAD — The Iraqi cabinet agreed Tuesday to amend a draft agreement governing the status of U.S. forces in Iraq, but introducing new provisions that the U.S. military is unlikely to accept."

Millions of Iraqis at Risk From Contaminated Water, Says Red Cross
A quote...."Country continues to face one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. - Improved security has failed to prevent Iraq becoming the scene of one of the world's most critical humanitarian disasters with water supplies and sewage systems putting millions at risk of disease, the Red Cross said today." -- For more on this issue see....Child Abuse

Fury sweeps Syria after US raid
Must Read - A quote...."Souad Khousaim lay very still on her hospital bed and in a quiet voice wracked with pain told me she was one of the innocent victims of Sunday's raid by US special forces. -- "I went outside to get my son and the Americans shot me," she says. "They were very close, five metres away. I was screaming, terrified." -- Her husband was among the seven Syrian men who died, but hospital officials have not told her this yet."

Syrian Demands Apology, Compensation for US Attack
A quote...."Tensions continue to rise in the wake of Sunday’s US strike inside Syria, who today demanded a formal apology from the US and compensation. Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad also called for a “pledge not to repeat” the attack, which he described as “cowardly.” They have also warned that they may stop cooperating with the US and Iraqi governments on border security if there are any future attacks."

Europe criticizes U.S. air raid in Syria
A quote...."PARIS, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The European Union has criticized the U.S. military raid targeting suspected terrorists in Syria. -- France, the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, criticized the U.S. helicopter attack on a Syrian village near the border with Iraq, which, according to Damascus, left at least eight people dead."

US displays disdain with attack in Syria
A quote...."The United States has a perverse way of winning friends and influencing people in the Middle East as the weekend raid into Syria from Iraq that killed eight civilians demonstrated. - There is no doubt that the border between the two countries is porous but even if the US did receive intelligence reports that a leading Al Qaeda agent was operating in a village 10 miles inside Syrian territory a unilateral attack was not a justifiable response. - The incident occurred while Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-Muallem was holding talks with British counterpart David Miliband in London and to the UK government’s embarrassment a joint press conference to herald the improving ties between the two countries was cancelled."

'We're not going to win this war' [occupation]
A quote...."The most recent United Nation situation map for Afghanistan issued September 3 paints a grim picture: there are large swaths of the country where things are getting worse. This includes the entire area surrounding Kandahar on the Pakistan border in the south, as well as areas on the Pakistan-Tajikistan border in the northeast and other areas on the Turkmenistan border to the northwest."

Did the Secretary of Defense Threaten Russia and China? - It's only going to get worse. - mpg
Related Article - A quote...."Washington - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that the United States would hold "fully accountable" any country or group that helped terrorists to acquire or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons." - bold by website editor. -- For more on this issue see....US - Nukes for Everyone -- Oh how quickly they forget, here's a message to Gates....what are you going to do, arrest Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld? -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror

US defense secretary expands pre-emptive war doctrine to include nuclear strikes
Related Article - A quote...."In a remarkable speech on nuclear policy delivered October 28 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), US Defense Secretary Robert Gates painted a dire portrait of international affairs and argued that Washington should expand the doctrine of pre-emptive war formulated by the Bush administration to include possible nuclear strikes. -- bold by website editor -- For more on this issue see....The Nuclear Rights Association - (N.R.A.) - Every Little Country Should Have One (Or How I Learned to Love the Bomb and Kiss the N.P.T. Goodbye) - 08-17-08 - mpg

Just The Tip Won't Do: Expose The Whole Iceberg
Special False Flag Note - A quote...."No longer can the Sangh Parivar and BJP ever disown its role in terrorism. A former firebrand ABVP leader and so-called 'sadhvi', Pragya Singh Thakur, has been arrested for her role in the Malegaon blasts of September 2006 as well as in the more recent Modasa blasts. Even more ominously, two ex-Army officers are implicated in the blasts, and it has come to light that an institution called the 'Bhonsala Military Academy' in Nagpur has been imparting arms training to the Bajrang Dal."

Israel Bars Visit to Father's Grave
A quote...."Salwa Salam Qupty clutches a fading sepia photograph of a young Palestinian man wearing a traditional white headscarf. It is the sole memento that survives of her father, killed by a Jewish militia during the 1948 war that established Israel. - "He was killed 60 years ago as he was traveling to work," she said, struggling to hold back the tears. "My mother was four months pregnant with me at the time. This photograph is the closest I've ever got to him."

Venezuelan satellite launched from China
A quote...."EL SOMBRERO, Venezuela (AP) — Chinese and Venezuelan scientists hovered over radar screens, a Russian combat jet flew overhead and satellite dishes tilted toward the skies as Venezuela tracked the launch of its first satellite on Wednesday."

Massive UN vote in support of lifting US embargo on Cuba
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly for the 17th year in a row in favor of lifting the 46-year-old US trade embargo on communist-ruled Cuba, as Havana hoped for better ties with a new US administration."

War photos show horror of Ossetian conflict
A quote...."A photo exhibition of the five-day war between Georgia and South Ossetia is opening in Moscow. The images were shot by the Ria Novosti news agency, whose correspondents and photographers were at work within hours of the conflict breaking out."

Australia To Enforce Mandatory Chinese-Style Internet Censorship
A quote...."The Australian government is set to impose Chinese-style Internet censorship by enforcing a universal national filter that will block websites deemed “controversial,” as part of a wider agenda to regulate the Internet according to free speech advocates."
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The City by the Bay - Sophistry and "Liberal" Hot Air or Principals - It's Time to Choose
10-29-08
mpg

Peace Activist Cindy Sheehan Seeks to Unseat Nancy Pelosi for Betraying the Constitution
Special Note - Action Alert - A quote....

Imagine what would happen if the nations of the world spent as much on development as on building machines of war. Imagine a world where every human being would live in freedom and dignity. Imagine a world in which we would shed the same tears when a child dies in Darfur or Vancouver. Imagine a world where we would settle our differences through diplomacy and dialogue and not through bombs or bullets. Imagine if the only nuclear weapons remaining were the relics in our museums. Imagine the legacy we could leave to our children. Imagine that such a world is within our grasp.  -- *Mohamed ElBaradei* (2005), Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency

"Garnering national attention, peace activist Cindy Sheehan is now running for office against incumbent Democrat Nancy Pelosi in California's 8th Congressional district. Cindy promised the House Speaker that if impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush did not start when Pelosi took control of the House last year, she would run against her in the next election. " -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Now Imagine if you would, casting your vote to place a person into political office who actually kept her promise, a person who actually stood by her word?

And instead of imagining it you'll actually, really, finally get the chance to do it in a voting booth. A chance to show your righteous anger at the current incumbent who's betrayed every promise she ever made, who's betrayed her sworn duty to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States of America. Who cravenly stood by doing nothing for the last two horrible years while tens of thousands of people were killed all over the world, a person who passively acquiesced while this nation’s laws and institutions were trampled into the gutter.

To take part in a public repudiation of a woman who has done so much harm to this country.  To be allowed to show your disgust and disdain for a woman who actually supported many of these heinous and treasonous acts against this nation.

Imagine that? -- Finally a chance has been given to the people of San Francisco to finally vote their conscience and demonstrate to the entire world their true intentions.  To show that all their speechifying and publicly demonstrated sympathies are not just so much sophistry and "liberal" hot air.

It's time for the people who live in the "City by the Bay" to choose.  - mpg
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Have American Elections Really Been Stolen? Part 1 in the "Democracy" in America Series – The Proof
A quote...."Well, let’s see. With trillions of dollars up for grabs, someone might want to seize power, but they’d get caught, right? With the "news" media and the Dept. of "Justice" concentrating on voter fraud, there’s really just no way that anyone could get away with stealing an election, is there? -- Well, you would think so, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, you’d be wrong."

Stopping GOP Voter Suppression and Election Theft
A quote...."The threat of GOP voter suppression is as great as ever this election year, and perhaps even greater as Republicans grow desperate to head off what appears likely to be a crushing defeat on Nov. 4. While Republicans hurl baseless accusations of voter fraud at Democrats and progressives who seek to build turnout, the fact remains that it is the GOP which has repeatedly sought to suppress voting in order to win elections."

Report: DOJ Lawyer Meets With ACLU On NM Voter Intimidation
A quote...."Earlier this evening, a Justice Department spokesman told TPMmuckraker that the department was looking into claims of voter intimidation in New Mexico, stemming from reports last week by us and other outlets that a lawyer tied to the state GOP had hired a private investigator to question Hispanics about their right to vote."
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Credit-Default Swaps on US Treasuries Have Risen Nearly 40 Percent Since Bailout Law Signed; Now About the Same as on Mexican and Thai Government Debt Special Note - A quote...."Bloomberg writes the following bombshell:"

"Credit-default swaps on [U.S.] Treasuries have risen nearly 40 percent since TARP was signed into law Oct. 3, and are now about the same as Mexican and Thai government debt before the credit markets began to seize up in June 2007."

The “dirty little secret” of the US bank bailout
A quote...."In an unusually frank article published in Saturday's New York Times, the newspaper's economic columnist, Joe Nocera, reveals what he calls "the dirty little secret of the banking industry"--namely, that "it has no intention of using the [government bailout] money to make new loans." -- As Nocera explains, the plan announced October 13 by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to hand over $250 billion in taxpayer money to the biggest banks, in exchange for non-voting stock, was never really intended to get them to resume lending to businesses and consumers--the ostensible purpose of the bailout. Its essential aim was to engineer a rapid consolidation of the American banking system by subsidizing a wave of takeovers of smaller financial firms by the most powerful banks." -- Also posted at ICH

Uses for $700 Billion Bailout Money Ever Shifting
A quote...."Washington - First, the $700 billion rescue for the economy was about buying devalued mortgage-backed securities from tottering banks to unclog frozen credit markets."

A Question for A.I.G.: Where Did the Cash Go?
A quote...."The American International Group is rapidly running through $123 billion in emergency lending provided by the Federal Reserve, raising questions about how a company claiming to be solvent in September could have developed such a big hole by October. Some analysts say at least part of the shortfall must have been there all along, hidden by irregular accounting." -- For more on this issue see also....AIG, Goldman Sachs, Paulson And Buffet

The World Tires of Dollar Hegemony
Special Note - A quote...."What explains the paradox of the dollar's sharp rise in value against other currencies (except the Japanese yen) despite disproportionate US exposure to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? The answer does not lie in improved fundamentals for the US economy or better prospects for the dollar to retain its reserve currency role. The rise in the dollar's exchange value is due to two factors. One factor is the traditional flight to the reserve currency that results from panic.  People are simply doing what they have always done.  Pam Martens predicted correctly that panic demand for US Treasury bills would boost the US dollar. The other factor is the unwinding of the carry trade." -- "The dollar's rise is temporary, and its prospects are bleak.  The US trade deficit will lessen due to less consumer spending during recession, but it will remain the largest in the world and one that the US cannot close by exporting more.  The way the US trade deficit is financed is by foreigners acquiring more dollar assets, with which their portfolios are already heavily weighted."

Fed cuts key interest rate half-point to 1 percent
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve has slashed a key interest rate by half a percentage point as it seeks to revive an economy hit by a long list of maladies stemming from the most severe financial crisis in decades. -- The central bank on Wednesday reduced its target for the federal funds rate, the interest banks charge on overnight loans, to 1 percent, a low last seen in 2003-2004. The funds rate has not been lower since 1958, when Dwight Eisenhower was president."

Fed swap lines with Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore
Special Note - A quote...."The US Federal Reserve agreed on Wednesday to provide 30 billion US dollars each to the central banks of Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore, expanding its effort to unfreeze money markets to emerging nations for the first time." - bold/underline by website editor

GM sales down 11.4 percent globally, lags Toyota
A quote...."General Motors said Wednesday its worldwide sales fell 11.4 percent in the third quarter from a year ago to 2.115 million vehicles, leaving the US automaker behind Toyota as the industry leader."

Durable goods orders unexpectedly rise on aircraft demand
A quote...."Excluding transportation, durable good orders declined 1.1% in September. Further, durable goods have now declined 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. However, durable goods orders have increased in four the past five months. - Economist David H. Wang told BloggingStocks Wednesday the durable goods report offered additional evidence of slowing economic activity, but it could have been worse. - "I expected to see an even bigger drop in manufactured goods demand, but do not misunderstand, outside of airplane demand, this is a weak report," Wang said. "With tighter credit for businesses and for consumers with auto purchases and other goods, we're going to continue to see further deterioration in durable good orders in the fall, before a recovery starts early next year." -- No, not really.  Maybe a year and a half from now. - mpg

Will IMF money save Ukraine - No. Their economic "shock therapy" will only make everything worse. - mpg
A quote...."In recent weeks the International Monetary Fund has provided financial assistance to Iceland, Hungary and others, including a $US 16.5 billion loan to Ukraine on condition it undertakes economic reform. Now that the country’s parliament voted for the needed legislation the question is how the aid will be spent."

China may save the world from crisis and minimize USA’s financial supremacy
A quote...."The Chinese economy is doing very well against the background of the global financial crisis, the chairman of the Chinese Central Bank, Zhou Xiaochuan said during a press conference yesterday. The financial system of the nation is stable, whereas the economy of the country continues to cope with the financial crisis well. The absence of the liquidity crisis in the country is a peculiar feature of the situation in the banking sphere of China, which differs the nation’s economy from those of the USA, the EU and the majority of other countries." -- Also posted at BLN

Average [British] house price has fallen £30,000 in a year
A quote...."Houses have lost 14.6 per cent of their value during the year to the end of October following 12 months in a row of plunging prices, the Nationwide Building Society said today. " - bold by website editor


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