Wednesday November 11th 2009

Alan Sabrosky – War With Iran? America's Titanic Rushes The Iceberg
Must Read - A quote...."A very strange thing must have happened to Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), on his way to his recent talk at Washington's National Press Club. He oddly asserted that Iran was indeed an "existential threat" to Israel (nice of the Israelis to have provided that sound bite), that he was open to a US attack on Iran (which is no threat whatsoever to the US) to forestall that supposed danger to Israel, and that the attack "would also be incredibly destabilizing."  ---  In reality, only the anticipation of potentially catastrophic consequences is accurate. Regardless of what Arab governments do, the Arab street may explode. Iraq - whose population, police and armed forces are largely Shi'a, and which now has good ties with Shi'a Iran - could easily turn on the Americans in their midst, with gruesome consequences. Oil prices would skyrocket. And that is just for openers.  ---  As for "existential threats," Israel certainly knows something about them, because that is precisely what Israel itself poses to Palestinians. But the idea that an Iran which might someday acquire a handful of crude nuclear weapons would somehow threaten the existence of Israel with its massive nuclear arsenal and American-designed air force surpasses lunacy. The Israelis know this. What they want is for the US to remove their only surviving competitor in the region at America's own expense." - bold by website editor - also posted at OhBummer & WarInIraq - For more on this issue see....A Fist Full of Dollars - 10-02-09 - mpg

What is Israel's Role in the Destabilization of Pakistan?
Must Read - A quote...."When waging war "by way of deception," the motto of the Israeli Mossad, well-timed crises play a critical agenda-setting role by displacing facts with what a target population can be deceived to believe. Thus the force-multiplier effect when staged crises are reinforced with pre-staged intelligence. In combination, the two often prove persuasive." -- See also....It Will Happen Every Single Time - 01-01-08 - mpg

America, Israel’s Lackey
Special Note - Quote of the Day...."On November 10 Obama’s White House chief of staff, Rahm Israel Emanuel, surrendered for his boss at the annual conference of the United Jewish Communities. The ongoing Israeli settlements, he said, should not be a “distraction” to a peace agreement. -- Allegedly, the US is a superpower and Israel is a client state whose very existence depends entirely on US military and economic aid and diplomatic protection.  Yet, in the real world it works the other way.  Israel is the superpower and the US is its client state." -- Regarding Kucinich's speech see....Kucinich: "Almost As Serious As Committing War Crimes Is Covering Up War Crimes" - posted 11-04-09

UPDATED~SO CALLED "ARMS BOAT" MYSTERY
Special Note -- A quote...."This is really annoying, as Presstv had a live report on this morning and so far nothing online about this yet. This morning around 10AM Irish Time, they reported that Lloyds of London insured the so called "Arms Boat" that the Zionists said was filled with "weapons" destined for Hezbollah from Iran, via Syria. And a few things are emerging."

Master and Pupil: Sowing Tyranny in Iraq, Spreading Slaughter in Afghanistan
Press Censorship Alert - A quote...."Here's the kind of freedom and liberation you get in exchange for a million dead bodies: Iraqi court rules Guardian defamed Nouri al-Maliki.-- What exactly did the Guardian do to merit this judgment -- which, perhaps not incidentally, directs them to put more than $100,000 in Nouri al-Maliki's pocket? Something which, admittedly, is quite shocking in our day: reporting."

Afghan Red Crescent angry after NATO-led forces storm compound
A quote...."NEW DELHI (Reuters AlertNet) - The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) expressed anger on Tuesday at NATO-led troops who used explosives to storm a Red Crescent compound and temporarily detain two aid workers."

Taliban expands control of Nuristan
Contains Video - A quote...."Taliban fighters are expanding their control of Afghanistan's Nuristan province, an area they claim to have recaptured from US troops. -- A video obtained exclusively by Al Jazeera purports to show Taliban fighters in the Kamdesh district." -- also posted at Uruknet

How the US Funds the Taliban
A quote...."On October 29, 2001, while the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan was under assault, the regime's ambassador in Islamabad gave a chaotic press conference in front of several dozen reporters sitting on the grass. On the Taliban diplomat's right sat his interpreter, Ahmad Rateb Popal, a man with an imposing presence. Like the ambassador, Popal wore a black turban, and he had a huge bushy beard. He had a black patch over his right eye socket, a prosthetic left arm and a deformed right hand, the result of injuries from an explosives mishap during an old operation against the Soviets in Kabul."

Pivotal Kirkuk & Israeli Presence
Special Note - A quote...."This is a rushed translation of an important article on Kirkuk written by Wajdi Anwar Mardan. -- Title : Did you know that the Israeli command and operation center for target assassinations is based in Kirkuk and do the Iraqis know why the Israeli rush for property acquisitions in Kirkuk?" -- also posted at Uruknet

The West’s Threat to Iran and the IAEA
A quote...."Iran, November 12, 2009, (Pal Telegraph) - No matter which way you turn now days you continue to see the constant barrage of intimidation and big boy tactics from the well developed countries especially the G3.5 who held their notorious press conference in Pittsburgh when Obama, Brown and Sarkosy made very strong threats towards Iran... "

The 'myth' of a counter-revolution in Iran
Special Note - Analysis - A quote...."The crisis sparked by an allegedly rigged election has more than ever exposed the reformists as confused ideologues who for material, political and ideological reasons are unable to definitively break with the ruling establishment. While objectionable at so many levels, the main purpose of the show trials currently underway in Tehran is to expose the hypocrisy and deceit at the heart of the reform movement. -- But it is the street protesters who have hammered the last proverbial nail into the coffin of the reform movement. The deeply subversive slogans of the protesters - such as "freedom, Independence, Iranian Republic", which perverts the standard revolutionary slogan of "Freedom, Independence, Islamic Republic" - highlight a considerable gap between the aspirations of an embryonic grassroots movement and the reformists. -- The immediate effect of the reformists' political demise is the projection of disaffection and opposition feelings onto the streets. But a more profound effect is the collapse of factional politics in the Islamic Republic." -- also posted at Khilafah -- For more on this issue see....Iran, Just RELAX!! – Of Course It Was A US-NRE PSYOP! - 06-26-09 - mpg

Spokesman of Iranian consulate killed in Pakistan: police
A quote...."PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen shot dead the spokesman for the Iranian consulate in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Thursday, police and witnesses said."

Yemen seeks US help to quash Houthis
Ouuuuu goody!!  Another chance for the US-NRE to go "help" some more Muslims and occupy another country!!  Isn't that great? - mpg -- A quote...."The United States has signed a military agreement with Yemen to help the embattled Sana'a government with its armed offensive on Houthi fighters in the north. - The agreement was signed in Sana'a on Tuesday after two days of talks, the second round of such negotiations, state-run Saba news agency reported." -- also posted at OhBummer

Lebanon sentences 4 Israeli spies to death
Special Note - A quote...."A Lebanese Military court has sentenced to death four people on charges of spying for Israel and conspiring with the regime to wage a war on the country." -- These people were charged with helping to give Israel target information to hit key infrastructure, command and control facilities during Israel's invasion of Lebanon on July 12th, 2006.  An invasion which saw thirty four days of continuous and deliberate aerial bombardment of roads, bridges, power plants, water treatment facilities, apartment complexes, ports, airports and which finally culminated during the last seventy two hours of the campaign with the indiscriminate, unnecessary and vindictive shelling of the population centers of South Lebanon with over three million cluster bomblets.  Bomblets which are still killing Lebanese civilians to this very day – mpg

Influence of Egypt['s dictator] and [the] Saudi [Royal Family of] Arabia Fades
About time!! - mpg -- A quote...."RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Even before Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would not seek re-election as the Palestinian president, throwing the Palestinian Authority into chaos, America’s closest Arab allies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, had begun to despair over Washington’s Middle East missteps, government officials and political experts said." -- "Washington's missteps"??  Both these non-democratic governments were in on Washington's and Israel's plans of mayhem and murder from the get-go, they have no one else but themselves to blame for any  perceived set-backs regarding the PNAC protocols and their place in them. - mpg

Georgia mulls re-conquest of Abkhazia and S Ossetia
A quote...."Russia has worrisome facts saying Georgia hasn't already left the force agenda and still gathers force to lay military groundwork closer to the borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday citing Deputy Foreign Minister Grigori Karasin. The diplomat added the issue will be touched upon at the Geneva talks on November 11. He said that the Russian side will strive for adoption of the legally binding non-use of force document. "It's all hampered by the unwillingness of a number of participants, and in the first line, Georgians, to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as possible parties for this agreement", he said."

Air France gets Europe's first A380 superjumbo
Photo Gallery - A quote...."An Airbus A380 of Air France prepares to land at Orly airport outside Paris on Nov. 11, 2009. Air France on Friday became the first European airline to take delivery of the new Airbus A380 superjumbo passenger jet, which it says will make it great savings in tough economic times.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)" -- For more on this issue see....Boeing's Nightmareliner

Suspected Hemorrhagic Pneumonia Outbreak Hits Ukraine
A quote...."Western Ukraine was hit by a severe epidemic of unidentified influenza, tentatively diagnosed by doctors as viral pneumonia. The number of dead has climbed dramatically. Doctors advise Western Ukrainians to stay home and use preventive medicine."

From EFF's Secret Files: Anatomy of a Bogus Subpoena
Police State Alert - A quote...."Can the U.S. government secretly subpoena the IP address of every visitor to a political website? No, but that didn't stop it from trying. In a report released today, EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kevin Bankston tells the story of a bogus federal subpoena issued to independent news site Indymedia.us, and how the site fought back with EFF’s help. Declan McCullagh at CBSNews.com also has the story.

MSM: Declassified FBI File Alleges an Israeli Intelligence Agent Worked at AIPAC
Psssssssst!  They're all Israeli intelligence agents. - mpg -- A quote...."An August 13, 1984 secret communication from the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) to the FBI director states, “WFO files disclose that AIPAC is a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group staffed by U.S. citizens. WFO files contain an unsubstantiated allegation that a  member of the Israeli Intelligence Service was a staff member of AIPAC."

Thank you, Italia, for convicting 23 US CIA agents
A quote...."PHILADELPHIA, Pa -- Thank you, Italia, for your conviction of 23 CIA agents exposing Perpetrators as Perpetrators. -- Once again, Italia demonstrates that the rule of law still exists in the world. The very same laws that are the legacy of all Western culture and society handed down from c.149BC Roman Empire SPQR “The Senate and the People of Rome.” -- Though the CIA agents convicted in absentia may not have to serve any prison time, the ruling could set a precedent that no government is above basic human rights and laws. -- The American government up to this conviction demonstrated that no law in existence applies to America’s imperial arrogant leadership." -- For more on this issue see....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure.

Anti-War Soldier Arrested: Protest Now
Action Alert - A quote...."Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, the soldier who faces desertion charges for refusing to return to Afghanistan, has been arrested and charged with five further offences for leading Stop the War's demonstration in London on 24 October and for expressing his opposition to the media in defiance of orders."

UK to hold DNA of innocent people ‘for 6 years’
A quote...."LONDON — The DNA of innocent people arrested then cleared without charge will be held by the government for no more than six years, the Home Office said on Wednesday."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

What Goldstone says about the US
A quote...."Opponents of the Goldstone report might well be hoping that after its lopsided condemnation in the US House of Representatives and successful relegation back to the UN's Human Rights Commission, the report will become little more than an historical footnote in a decades-long conflict."

UN official calls for punishing Israel
A quote...."The United Nations' top human rights official has called for taking punitive measures against Israel over committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. -- High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the Security Council on Wednesday that Israel was responsible for the killing of more than 1,000 civilians in Gaza and attacks on schools, mosques and UN facilities, Ynet reported."

[Israeli] Settlers 'stone' school children
A quote...."Twaneh School in Hebron has seen some improvements since former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair paid it a visit as UN Middle East envoy last year. -- The track leading from the school to the new main road joining Jerusalem to Israeli settlements on the south eastern slopes of Palestine is now paved. There are two new school rooms being built where pupils will be taught up to Grade 9, rather than having to leave after Grade 4. They now have a playground. -- But for the 32 children who live in Tuba and Magher Al Abeed, Palestinian villages encircled by three Israeli settlements, getting to school remains problematic." -- also posted at Uruknet & PalestineChron

IOF troops severely beat two children
A quote...."AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday severely beat up two Palestinian children in the Old City of Al-Khalil without any apparent justification, locals reported. -- They said that Hazem and Husam Sharbati were hospitalized following the savage assault."

Abbas’s militias kidnap five citizens and summon many others in W. Bank
A quote...."NABLUS, (PIC)-- Mahmoud Abbas’s militias during the last two days kidnapped five Palestinian citizens thought to be affiliated with Hamas and issued tens of summonses against others in Nablus, Al-Khalil and Bethlehem."
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Played, Betrayed, Health Care Delayed: House Passes Bailout For Private Insurance Companies.
Regarding the Health Care Rip-Off -- A quote...."Now we know what the Obama administration means by “health care reform”. They mean guranteeing the rights of insurance and drug companies to their profits. They mean making health insurance like car insurance, with everyone compelled by law to purchase it from a private vendor, except for the very poorest among us, who will be offered a “public option” so limited and expensive as to discredit the word “public” when used in assocation with health care at all."
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Mishkin's Bubblenomics and the Crash of '08
Special Note - A quote...."November 11, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- The Fed's monetary stimulus is driving the market higher. What started as a trickle has turned into a torrent buoying stocks and commodities on a river of liquidity. Oil has more than doubled in the last 8 months while stock indexes have gained 50 percent or more in the same period. Even the shunned homebuilders and battered financials have staged a comeback. Meanwhile, consumer credit continues to shrivel and the "real" rate of unemployment climbs inexorably towards 20 percent. Overpriced equities with bloated P/E ratios of (average) 19 continue to produce record profits for breathless speculators, while the productive economy languishes in a Depression. The Fed's zero-rate policy and easing programs have created another bubble, further widening the chasm between the investor class and the working rabble."

Of Bailouts and Swaps - The Crafting of a Loophole - posted at CounterPunch
Special Note - A quote...."Who’s winning?  Over lunch across town from Capitol Hill,  I recently asked that question of a very smart attorney endowed with deep experience in keeping Washington safe for Wall Street.  In answer, he pointed to this seven-line paragraph buried in a 26-page amendment to “HR 3795, Over-The-Counter Derivatives Markets Act of 2009,” passed in a voice vote by the House Agriculture Committee the night before. Following the vote, the committee had issued a press release hailing their vote for  “strengthening” regulation.  -- On the contrary, said my friend, “I guarantee you that not a single member, and almost certainly no one else, apart from the traders on Wall Street and the lobbyist who inserted it on their behalf,  understood the significance of this paragraph.  It means that nothing will change.”

Perfect Inverse Correlation Between the Dollar and the Dow
Must View Charts - A quote...."Karl Denninger - who is always worth reading - shares 2 stunning charts which show the inverse correlation between the dollar and the Dow:"

China Will Allow Yuan Gains to Slow Inflation, Riverfront Says
Related Article - Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- China may resume the crawling peg as early as next week -- China will allow for faster appreciation of the yuan against the dollar next year as it seeks to curb accelerating inflation, according to Riverfront Investment Group and RBC Capital Markets." -- From Bloomberg

Barrick shuts hedge book as world gold supply runs out
Related Article - A quote...."Global gold production is in terminal decline despite record prices and Herculean efforts by mining companies to discover fresh sources of ore in remote spots, according to the world's top producer Barrick Gold." - also posted at BLN - Obviously they ARE self-interested, so keep that in mind. - mpg

Ten US states face budget disaster
A quote...."Two reports made public Wednesday underscore the colossal dimensions of the social and financial crisis in the United States. One study warns that California and nine other US states face near-term budget crises that will force mass layoffs of public employees and cuts in schools and other services. The other forecasts that as many as one million jobs will be at risk when the full impact of the economic crisis hits state governments early next year."

S&P's Chief Economist Confirms the Importance of Age Demographics
Charts - A quote...."As I have previously noted, Japan's population is rapidly aging, and the U.S. age pyramid - while not as bad - is not nearly as young as that of Brazil or India's:"

Tuesday November 10th 2009

Monday November 9th 2009

Paid Lying - What Passes For Major Media Journalism
A quote...."Today's major media journalism is biased, irresponsible, sensationalist reporting that distorts, exaggerates or misstates the truth. It's misinformation or agitprop disinformation masquerading as fact to boost circulation, readership, viewers, or listeners, and on vital issues lie about or suppress uncomfortable truths to provide unqualified support for state and/or corporate interests - to the detriment of the greater good that's always sacrificed for profits and imperial aims." -- For more on this issue see....US Fake Intel / Propaganda

Swedish Member Of Parliament: Leading Politicians Support 9/11 Truth Movement
A quote...."A Swedish Member of Parliament has pledged support for a new investigation into the events of 9/11, adding that prominent political figures support the view that elements of the U.S. government were involved in staging the attacks." -- For more on this issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

At Supreme Court: Can prosecutors be sued for framing defendants?
A quote...."Washington - The US Supreme Court on Wednesday is set to consider an unusual question: Do Americans who have been framed by unscrupulous prosecutors for crimes they did not commit have a right to sue the prosecutors when the fraud is finally exposed? -- According to the Obama administration, the answer is no." - bold by website editor -- also posted at OhBummer

Rights Groups: Obama’s Terrorism Courts ‘Fatally Flawed’
A quote...."Human rights advocates and legal scholars are voicing sharp criticism of President Barack Obama’s revisions to the George W. Bush administration’s Military Commissions Act of 2006, characterizing them as unnecessary and saying the new law will lead to further delays and create a system of "second-class justice." -- One powerful advocacy group, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), called on the Obama administration to "abandon the fatally flawed military commissions system and, where evidence of terrorism crimes exists, try the Guantánamo detainees in federal courts." -- For more on why Obama won't try many of the defendants in federal court see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables

Galloway War Crimes Speech part1 - Vid#2 - Vid#3 - (YouTube - aprox 10m - November 03, 2009)
Must View Videos - A quote...."Speech by George Galloway MP at the War Crimes Conference & Exhibition that took place at the Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 28th October 2009."

Let's Criminalize War! -- Speech at War Crimes Conf & Exhibition - AltVid#1 - AltVid#2 - (YuTb 10m 11/03/09)
Videos - Special Note - A quote...."Speech by Cynthia McKinney from the USA at the War Crimes Conference & Exhibition that took place at the Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia on 28th October 2009."

Soldier 'too afraid to tell truth' on Baha Mousa
A quote...."A former British soldier has described for the first time how he saw two fellow servicemen beating and kicking a helpless Iraqi prisoner, shortly before he died. -- The death of Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist, has for years cast a shadow over the reputation of the British army, producing the first case in which a British soldier, Corporal Donald Payne, confessed to a war crime."

British troops will have to stay in Afghanistan for another five years
A quote...."British troops will have to stay in Afghanistan for another five years, the head of the armed forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, warned yesterday." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Breaking: Obama sending 40,000 troops to Afghanistan
A quote...."CBS is reporting President Obama has decided to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The decision indicates one direction of the Obama administration's foreign policy - a large, long term force in Afghanistan."

Obama Pied Piper of Washington by ~Latuff2
Cartoon - Click on the image to enlarge. - mpg
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The Pentagon's Troubled Soldiers.....

Fort Hood suspect reached out to imam
A quote...."WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood massacre apparently acted alone and without outside direction in the attack, investigative officials said Monday night."

US army base plagued by suicides
A quote...."WASHINGTON - Suicides are a serious problem at the huge Texas military base in Fort Hood, Texas, where an Arab-American officer went on a spree on Thursday, records show."

US marine slain by fellow soldier at N Carolina base
A quote...."A US marine has been killed by a fellow soldier in Camp Lejeune, military investigators at the Marine base in North Carolina have found."

Soldier Found With Explosives Released From Jail
A quote...."NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An Army Special Forces soldier who admitted to police that he was stockpiling military-grade explosives outside his home near Fort Campbell was released from jail Thursday into the custody of his wife. -- He has yet to enter a plea, but his attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Sumter Camp, said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Ryan Richards insists he has not committed a crime."

Police in North Little Rock arrest former soldier in shooting death of fiancee
A quote...."NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A former soldier has been arrested in North Little Rock in the shooting death of his fiancee — who was a high school English teacher."
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Saudi [Royals] uses white phosphorous, expands war in Yemen
The Saudi Royals & the Israelis....like two peas in a pod. - mpg -- A quote...."Yemeni fighters have accused Saudi Arabia of expanding the scope of its cross-border attacks into civilian areas far from the conflict zone. -- Speaking to Iran's Arabic-language news channel al-Alam, Houthi fighters' spokesman Mohammad Abdessalam said on Monday that Saudi fighter jets are pounding villages kilometers inside Yemeni territory -- which are away from the conflict zone -- with the internationally banned white phosphorous bombs."

Saudi [Royal] authorities close two more Shia mosques
The Israelis attempt to close the al-Aqsa mosque & the Saudi Royals close several Shia mosques, as stated above, like two peas in a pod. - mpg -- A quote...."The number of Shia mosques closed in Saudi Arabia has reached nine after authorities sealed shut two more mosques in the Kingdom's Eastern Province. -- According to the Rasid News Network, security forces closed the only Ismaili mosque in Ras Tanura and have been preventing Shia citizens from performing daily prayers since last Friday."

Colour-Coded Revolutions and the Origins of World War III
Must Read - A quote...."Following US geo-strategy in what Brzezinski termed the “global Balkans,” the US government has worked closely with major NGOs to “promote democracy” and “freedom” in former Soviet republics, playing a role behind the scenes in fomenting what are termed “colour revolutions,” which install US and Western-friendly puppet leaders to advance the interests of the West, both economically and strategically."

Japanese protest against US base
A quote...."Thousands of people have protested on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa demanding the removal of a US military base there."

Japanese FM Rules Out Base Deal During Obama Visit
A quote...."Though the rising dispute over US military bases in Okinawa has been a hot subject for Japanese foreign policy, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada says that his government will not finalize any deals during President Obama’s visit later this week." -- The Japanese should just keep raising the rent.  Eventually one of two things will happen, either they'll become obscenely rich, or the US-NRE will leave.  It's possible that even both events will occur. - mpg

Ortega Decries Danger of US Bases in Colombia
A quote...."Managua, Nov 9 (Prensa Latina) President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega denounced on Monday the danger that the US military bases in Colombia represent for his country's sovereignty and all Latin America's"
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

West Bank rabbi: Jews can kill Gentiles who threaten Israel
A quote...."Just weeks after the arrest of alleged Jewish terrorist, Yaakov Teitel, a West Bank rabbi on Monday released a book giving Jews permission to kill Gentiles who threaten Israel. -- Rabbi Yitzhak Shapiro, who heads the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva in the Yitzhar settlement, wrote in his book "The King's Torah" that even babies and children can be killed if they pose a threat to the nation." - bold by website editor - also posted at AlethoNews - In the Palestinians' case of course, they threaten Israel simply by existing.  It reminds this website editor of that old Richard Pryor joke wherein he once asked a prisoner who was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole...."Why, exactly, did you go and kill all those poor people living in that house?”  The prisoner's reply....."Because they was there!!"

Israel Says “Arbeit Macht Frei” as they Set Up “Work Camps” for Palestinians… oh, I mean “illegal migrant workers”… Special Note - A quote...."From the leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz -- The government is considering establishing work camps in the south of the country, where illegal migrant workers will receive shelter, food and medical care, Army Radio reported Wednesday. In exchange, illegal migrants would perform manual labor outside the camps (for private corporations?), but would not earn a salary. -- They would stay at the camp until their asylum claims are decided, which could take months or years."

Palestinians tear down chunk of wall
A quote...."RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) – Palestinians tore down a chunk of Israel's West Bank separation barrier on Monday in a protest staged to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the day the Berlin Wall came down."

Berlin and Israel walls by ~Latuff2
Cartoon - Click on the image to enlarge - mpg

The Berlin Wall 20 Years Later by ~Latuff2
Cartoon - Click on the image to enlarge. - mpg
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya: Talks Are Off with Coup Government After Deal Collapses
A quote...."An American-mediated accord to end the four-month political crisis in the country appears to be in shambles just a week after it was signed. On Friday, ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who remains in the Brazilian embassy, declared the deal was over. Meanwhile, coup president Roberto Micheletti said he would install a national unity government without the participation of Zelaya. We speak to President Zelaya from the Brazilian embassy. [includes rush transcript]" -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || 
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Why Progressives Should Back a Filibuster of the Health Care Bill
Special Note - Regarding the Health Care Rip-Off -- A quote...."On Saturday, November 8 the Democrat Congress gave us a corporate driven healthcare bill which amounts to nothing more than a de facto bailout of the healthcare insurance companies. The carnival conducted by the Democrats, masquerading as a debate around healthcare, demonstrates conclusively how craven are Barack Obama and the Congressional Democrats. -- We have witnessed cynicism in other administrations but the Obama administration has as raised cynicism to a veritable science. Imagine promising the poor and desperate people of this country healthcare reform and passing legislation which will not only hurt the working class but strengthen the very forces which oppose real reform – the healthcare insurance companies! -- The darling of the Democrats, Alan Grayson, voted in lockstep with most of the other so-called progressive Democrats to destroy any possibility for meaningful healthcare reform for the next 40 years." -- also posted at OhBummer

Congress Pulls the Trigger
Regarding the Health Care Rip-Off -- A quote...."How many times in the movies have we seen henchmen and accomplices spring the bad guy from prison or do him some other favor only to see the bad guy turn around and shoot his naïve benefactor in the back? Last Saturday night, the people that we elected to Congress, did it again and this time we can’t blame the Republican Party. -- In the dead of Saturday night, the House passed their version of a health reform bill that, frankly, makes Max Baucus’ first health care proposal look like a bleeding heart liberal/socialist piece of legislation by conspicuous relief."
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Guest Post: If You Thought The Housing Meltdown Was Bad...
A quote...."This is how bad conduits are:  A 3% default rate last year jumped to 6% in 2009 and is expected to double again, to 12%, in 2010.  An entity that takes a 12% hit to its portfolio - and this includes countless banks, pension and annuity funds, international investors, and others - is in deep, deep trouble."

U.S. Joblessness May Reach 13 Percent, Rosenberg Says (Update3)
A quote...."Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. unemployment rate may rise to a post-World War II high of 13 percent in the aftermath of the recession, said David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc. in Toronto."

Report: 237 millionaires in Congress
Related Article - A quote...."Talk about bad timing. -- As Washington reels from the news of 10.2 percent unemployment, the Center for Responsive Politics is out with a new report describing the wealth of members of Congress. -- Among the highlights: Two-hundred-and-thirty-seven members of Congress are millionaires. That’s 44 percent of the body – compared to about 1 percent of Americans overall." -- also posted at BLN

Top bailed-out banks to pay $30 billion in bonuses
Related Article - A quote...."Three of the largest Wall Street firms -- which together received $45,000,000,000 in taxpayer bailouts -- are on track to hand out $29,700,000,000 in bonuses this year." - also posted at BLN & OhBummer -- For more on this issue see....Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

China Calls on U.S. to Control [the] Deficit - They are!  They're increasing it as fast as they can!! - mpg
A quote...."Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged the U.S. to limit the size of its deficit to ensure the stability of the dollar, Reuters reported. -- America should play a responsible role in contributing to a global recovery, Wen was quoted as saying yesterday at a briefing in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. It should keep the deficit at an appropriate size, the premier said." - From Bloomberg

The Cost Of The 60% Market Move; The Benefits Of Free Liquidity
A quote...."There is now no question that the sole, undisputed factor driving credit and equity markets is the dollar destructive collusion between the Fed and the major global central banks. As long as the Fed is dead set on inflation, and is willing to throw trillions of free liquidity at any problematic flare up, and is happy to keep interest rates at 0%, liquidity-addicted equities will likely push higher until such time that the incremental hopium "hit" does nothing, and markets overdose, ending up not just in the critical condition reminiscent of fall 2008, but outright death. Until then, expect to see your daily dose of market buoyancy from whatever algo is currently the dominant momentum platform gunning the market ever higher, even past all disconnect with traditional correlations such as FX, credit and commodities. If the Fed wills it, so it shall be. Alas, while the Bank of England was apparently an easy target, when it comes to massive financial fraud and malfeasance, the Fed is untouchable."

Sunday November 8th 2009

Lies, War, and Empire - AltVid#1 - AltVid#2 - (YuTb - aprox #1/57min #2/30 min - June 25, 2007)
Must View Videos - Analysis - Paradigms - From the History File - June 17, 2007 - Outstanding lecture - mpg -- A quote...."Parenti speaks about lies, dissent, and how we arrive at the truth of our situation and still retain our sanity. He raises the question whether the Iraq war was not a failure but a success for some parts of the empire - and why. -- "Lies, War, and Empire" given May 12, 2007 at Antioch University in Seattle." - also posted at DProgram - For more on this type of issue see....Many Still Believe That Saddam Hussein Was Behind 9/11, and Now We Have Some Idea Why - posted 11-07-09

11/9 and 9/11: And we thought we were free
Must Read - A quote...."Seventy-one years ago today, on 11/9/38, the horrifying event that the Nazi party called Kristallnacht occurred. -- It could be said, that the events of 11/9/38 were the official start of Adolf Hitler’s overt and “endless war” against the Jews, but the methods used to justify that war were not an aberration. Rather, the Night of the Shattering Glass, which saw many synagogues destroyed, all the plate glass windows of a thousand Jewish businesses in Germany shattered and the first 26,000 Jewish men, of many millions more to come, sent off to concentration camps, was simply another example of an all-too-common historical reality that has been going on ever since the first tyrant orchestrated the first false flag operation, allowing him to “innocently” and patriotically declare the first “retaliatory” war. And then, by repeatedly using cunning propaganda techniques, that tyrant could plausibly deny responsibility for the coming violence because the enemy was, after all, the one who drew “first blood.” -- For more on this issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

Rising Military Expenditure: The Coming U.S. Budget Attack
Special Note - A quote...."The United States is moving backwards…fast. State budget cuts are decimating essential health and social services; public education is being destroyed; the social safety net is in tatters. To make matters worse, all of this is occurring when the loss of jobs stands at a twenty-six year high with no end in sight. -- But this is only phase one. The federal government intends to balance its books too, at the expense of society’s neediest. Instead of governors presiding over painful cuts, the President will be doing the gutting. And although his proposed budget isn’t due until February, the President’s spokespeople are priming the media to play a major propaganda role in what will be a colossal blow against working and poor people."

The Crazy October Surprise Debunking
Special Historical Note - A quote...."Patently absurd reasoning in someone’s argument can often tell you about the strength of the underlying facts. If an argument is deceptive on its face, you might suspect the supporting facts are pretty fragile, too."

Breaking The Australian Silence
A quote...."I am a seventh generation Australian. My great-great grandfather landed not far from here, on November 8th, 1821. He wore leg irons, each weighing four pounds. His name was Francis McCarty. He was an Irishman, convicted of the crime of insurrection and “uttering unlawful oaths”.  -- In October of the same year, an 18 year old girl called Mary Palmer stood in the dock at Middlesex Gaol and was sentenced to be transported to New South Wales for the term of her natural life. Her crime was stealing in order to live. Only the fact that she was pregnant saved her from the gallows. She was my great-great grandmother. She was sent from the ship to the Female Factory at Parramatta, a notorious prison where every third Monday, male convicts were brought for a “courting day” -- a rather desperate measure of social engineering. Mary and Francis met that way and were married on October 21st, 1823."
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Obama Fails to Reset Foreign Policy
A quote...."....the Obama administration is copying too many aspects of the Bush administration's cover-up of abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism, including blanket claims of national security to stop lawsuits; resisting orders to release photographs of torture and abuse, and threats to stop intelligence-sharing with Britain if a High Court panel declassified intelligence documents relating to torture allegations. -- There are numerous situations where the Obama administration has been halting in its efforts to arrange for genuine change in the international arena."

Obama Regime: Toss NSA Warrantless Wiretapping Lawsuit
A quote...."President Barack Obama instructed Justice Department attorneys to argue last week in San Francisco before Federal District Judge Vaughn Walker, that he must toss out the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Shubert v. Bush lawsuit challenging the secret state's driftnet surveillance of Americans' electronic communications."

Obama likely to send 34,000 new troops to Afghanistan
A quote...."After weeks of debate over how many, if any, more American troops should be sent to Afghanistan, administration and military officials say President Obama is leaning toward sending about 34-thousand soldiers."

Soldiers not surprised by Fort Hood massacre  - link posted at AntiWar
A quote...."FORT HOOD — When a lone gunman armed with two handguns fired into scores of soldiers last week at Fort Hood, killing 13 and wounding more than 30, the nation reacted in shock. -- Many veterans of the Iraq war, however, did not. -- “It’s sad to say, but basically it doesn’t surprise us. In a way, it was like it’s waiting to happen. I guess that’s the biggest thing,” Spc. Travis McRae said Saturday."

African-Americans slam Obama in White House protest
A quote...."Decrying Barack Obama as "white power in black face," hundreds of African-Americans marched on the White House Saturday to protest policies of the first black US president, and demand that he bring US troops home."

How to End Wars
A quote...."The peace movement was defunded and demobilized by the absurd belief that an election alone would make a difference, and now there is widespread desire to tell everyone that it didn't. Certainly, it didn't. We have a larger military budget, bases in more nations, and more troops and mercenaries on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq combined now than before the election. We need to understand that this was entirely predictable and predicted. Those who expected something from an election alone need to be clear that such [an] expectation was entirely - not just partially - misguided. Disappointment with a president needs to be replaced with acknowledgement of strategic error. The latter generates less despair and allows clearer thinking about strategy going forward." - bold by website editor
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IRAQ: Food insecurity on the rise, says official
A quote...."BAGHDAD, 8 November 2009 (IRIN) - More and more people in Iraq are being affected by food insecurity, a senior official has said."

Iraqi Parliament Passes Electoral Law; Obama hails move toward Indpendence; Kurdistan wins on Kirkuk
A quote...."Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that the Iraqi parliament approved the electoral law to govern the elections scheduled for early next year. The vote was 141 in favor out of what Al-Zaman said were 175 attending (the Iraqi parliament has 275 seats, so a simple majority is 138).  AFP estimated attending MPs at 195."

NATO Poised to Abandon Northern Helmand Province - posted at AntiWar
Why stop there?  If they just keep on going, they'll be back in Europe in no time at all....where they belong. - mpg -- A quote...."In the face of an ever-growing insurgency across Afghanistan, NATO is reportedly eying a new “tactical pullout” which would have its forces abandon the northern portion of the Helmand Province, including the key town of Musa Qala."

Friendly Fire
A quote...."Afghan leaders have long been notorious for concealing their true loyalties and changing sides. But the potential political consequences are very serious. The US and British strategy to build up the Afghan security forces to as many as 400,000 may prove impossible because the state is too weak and too poor and commands the loyalty of too few Afghans. -- The reputation of Afghans for always defeating their enemies is based in part on the speed with which they join the winner. The Taliban advances in the 1990s were notable less for military victories than local warlords defecting to them after receiving a large bribe. -- In the US war to overthrow the Taliban in 2001, the same process went into reverse as the CIA bought off the same warlords who then sent their men home without a fight." -- It really is their country, the US-NRE should just leave. - mpg

Pakistan rejects nuke takeover
A quote...."Islamabad - Pakistan on Sunday angrily rejected a media report that raised fears of a militant takeover of the Taliban-hit nation's nuclear weapons and suggested that the US had a hand in protecting the arsenal." -- also posted at Uruknet

Anti-Taliban Mayor, 14 Others Killed in Pakistan Suicide Attack - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."A suicide bomber attacked a livestock marketplace in the Peshawar suburb of Adezai, killing 15 people and wounding 42 others. Most of the casualties appear to have been civilians, shopping for food for the upcoming celebration of Eid al-Adha (Nov 27)."

Ahmadinejad meets Gul and Erdogan in Istanbul
A quote...."Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has held meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul."

Consensus reached on over 70% of Caspian Sea legal regime
A quote...."TEHRAN -- The Caspian Sea littoral states have agreed on 70 to 75 percent of the content of a convention on the legal status of the sea, according to the Iranian deputy foreign minister for European affairs."

Ahmadinejad proposes joint Islamic fund
A quote...."TEHRAN – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad put forward a proposal for the establishment of a joint foreign currency fund by the Organization of Islamic Countries’ (OIC) member states."

Iranian president to visit Venezuela to boost bilateral ties
A quote...."CARACAS, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Sunday that his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would pay an official visit to the country before the end of 2009 to boost bilateral ties."

Japanese protest against US military base
A quote...."Thousands of Japanese citizens have protested against the presence of a large US military base in the southern island of Okinawa ahead of President Barack Obama's visit on Friday." -- also posted at OhBummer

Germans press for removal of US nuclear weapons in Europe
A quote...."Pressure is growing within Nato for the removal of the remaining US nuclear weapons on European soil, and for a new doctrine for the alliance that would depend less on nuclear deterrence."

The fall of the Berlin Wall
A quote...."The contradiction between official enthusiasm and public discontent speaks volumes about the real significance of the events of November 1989. The efforts of the media to glorify them as the beginning of a new epoch of democracy, freedom and peace grow all the louder the more obvious it becomes that they were nothing of the kind. There are few events in recent history that have been as thoroughly mystified as the end of the GDR."

Northern Europe greenlights Nord Stream
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityayev) - November 5 was a major milestone in Nord Stream AG history. Both Sweden and Finland authorized the construction of this seabed gas pipeline in their waters. - There are now no serious obstacles in meeting the deadline to bring the pipeline on line by 2011. The plans to diversify Russia's gas supplies to Europe are beginning to take shape. - The 1,200 kilometer long Nord Stream gas pipeline on the Baltic seabed will link the Russian town of Vyborg with the German town of Greifswald. The first trunkline, with a projected capacity of 27.5 billion cubic meters of gas annually, is due to be completed by late 2011"

Vietnam Forecasts 6.5% Growth in 2010
A quote...."Hanoi, Nov 8 (Prensa Latina) Vietnam National Assembly announced a 6.5 percent growth and reducing poverty under ten percent among its 2010 economic goals."

U.S. State Department: Israel is not a tolerant society
Obviously the headline shown above is a typo....it's probably some human rights group with a perverse sense of humor that decided to take the name "U.S. State Department".  It's the only possible explanation. - mpg -- A quote...."Israel dismally fails the requirements of a tolerant pluralistic society, according to a new report from the U.S. State Department. -- Despite boasting religious freedom and protection of all holy sites, Israel falls short in tolerance toward minorities, equal treatment of ethnic groups, openness toward various streams within society, and respect for holy and other sites. -- The comprehensive report, written by the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, says Israel discriminates against groups including Muslims, Jehova's Witnesses, Reform Jews, Christians, women and Bedouin."
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Hezbollah gears up for new war
War Alert - A quote...."Fighters rearm and reinforce positions in valleys amid fears that Israel is about to launch attack on Islamic group."

Chavez tells troops to ready for war with Colombia
War Alert - Related Article - A quote...."CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez on Sunday ordered Venezuela's military to prepare for a possible armed conflict with Colombia, saying his country's soldiers should be ready if the United States attempts to provoke a war between the South American neighbors."

Chavez: US provoking all-out war in S. America
Related Article - A quote...."President Hugo Chavez has threatened an all-out war in South America should the US want to provoke Colombia to launch an armed conflict in the region."

Killing of Venezuelan troops exacerbates Colombia-Venezuela tensions
Related Article - A quote...."Venezuelan officials claimed that a plot involving Bogotá and Washington is under way to destabilize Venezuela by igniting violence on the border with Colombia and in major towns in Venezuela."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Fatah considers reverting to popular warfare
War Alert - Special Note - Caution - The Palestinian people do not have the resources to engage in warfare with Israel....period!  That said, all peoples have the right to defend themselves, obviously the Palestinians could attack IOF soldiers when they attack Palestinian farmers or fisherman, or assassinate Israel's civilian leadership when they assassinate the Palestinian's leadership, however the Israelis are 1) Currently waiting for this.  2)  Are currently attempting a series of increasingly provocative actions in anticipation of this, and 3)  Will respond with overwhelming force against civilian population centers, especially the homes and offices of Hamas and Fatah along with all centers of civilian control (police, fire depts. schools, govmt. offices, hospitals etc.) as they did in their prior actions in Gaza and Lebanon. – mpg -- A quote...."Following Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' announcement that he would not run for another term, a senior Fatah official told Ynet that if serious progress was not made soon in peace talks, the organization would consider reverting to popular warfare."

Hamas rejects Mofaz call to talk as 'Zionist vulgarity'
War Alert - Caution - Hamas is being stupid, engaging in negotiations is just fine and is not "recognition" of anything, certainly not a "Jewish" state.  As Carl von Clausewitz said...."Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln", (War is merely a continuation of politics).  The converse of course is also true, negotiations, i.e. "politics", is merely a continuation of war.  If a nation state fails to negotiate, they deny themselves fifty percent of their capabilities to alter or improve their situation.  Being stubborn and stupid while over-estimating your capabilities is very romantic to some people; it will also get a lot of innocent people killed.  The Jews of Israel care only about their plans for territorial expansion, they have no problem murdering woman and children. The Palestinians are defending their homes and lands, that's a moral advantage, something which means absolutely nothing to the Israelis or most of the population of the US-NRE and it will not stop the weapons that the US-NRE gave to Isreal from raining down upon the Palestinians towns and villages. - mpg -- A quote...."The Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip said Sunday that they would never negotiate with the "Zionist enemy", hours after Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz presented a plan to hold talks with the group and establish a Palestinian state in 60 percent of the West Bank within one year." -- also posted at Uruknet

Top Israeli lawmaker wants talks with Hamas
Related Article - A quote...."Bethlehem - Ma'an - In the wake of President Mahmoud Abbas' planned retirement from politics, Israeli Knesset Member Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) on Sunday said his government should begin planning for a potential Hamas victory." -- also posted at Uruknet

Mofaz blames Netanyahu, offers new illusive peace plan
Related Article - A quote...."A prominent Israeli lawmaker describes Benjamin Netanyahu as a prime minister without an effective plan on the 'peace process.' -- Shaul Mofaz, deputy opposition leader in the Israeli Knesset and a former 'military commander, presented another controversial 'peace plan' on Sunday after consulting with President Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Ehud Barak." -- also posted at AlethoNews

ISRAEL'S SO CALLED "LEFT" PARTY HAS A PLAN
Special Note - The Mofaz Plan -- A quote...."Curious about this "plan to withdraw from Palestine?" So, do you want to see what "liberal" is in Israel? "Think Swiss Cheese" no, make that "A tiny wee slice of swiss cheese" see here:"

Israel: 60 years of Ethnic Cleansing and Mass Murder
Video - A quote...."Zionist massacres, 1948-2009. This is what Israel thinks of peace..." -- also posted at AlethoNews

Turkey PM: Israel war crimes worse than Sudan
A quote...."Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday accused Israel of committing greater crimes against Palestinians during its war in the Gaza Strip than those for which Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir had been indicted."

Six Questions for Desmond Travers on the Goldstone Report
Short Interview - A quote...."Desmond Travers was one of the four members of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, which produced the controversial Goldstone Report. Travers is a retired Colonel of the Army of the Irish Defence Forces. His last appointment was as Commandant of its Military College. He also served in command of troops with various UN and EU peace support missions. I recently spoke to Travers by phone about the report. This interview has been edited for length and clarity."

Anna Baltzer: Life in Occupied Palestine (3 Parts) - AltVid#1 - AltVid#2 - AltVid#3
Videos - A quote...."Essential Dissent: Anna Baltzer: Life in Occupied Palestine - Eyewitness Stories & Photos (1):" -- From EssentialDessent

Life in hell along the Gaza-Israel border
A quote...."Gaza – Ma’an – Residents of the Gaza Strip’s borders live in a state of fear, particularly those who own agricultural lands near the eastern borders and cannot access them from fear of being shot by Israeli forces present in the area." -- also posted at Uruknet

Israeli settlers attack Palestinian homes in Al-Khalil
A quote...."AL-KHALIL, (PIC)-- A group of savage Israeli settlers from Ramat Yishai settlement outpost attacked Sunday morning Palestinian homes in the city of Al-Khalil, south of the West Bank, and tried to take over a commercial building."

British activists blockade Carmel Agrexco
Action Update - A quote...."At about 6 o’clock this morning a group of London students and international activists, including members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), blocked the two gates leading to the depot. The activists seek to raise awareness of the UK’s continued role in the purchase of goods produced in Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank as well as Carmel Agrexco’s role in the sustenance of Israel’s illegal expansionist activities in Palestine." -- Why just Israeli goods, why not US-NRE goods too? -- For more on that issue see....An Individual Commitment - 11-03-09 - mpg -- For more on how to Boycott Divest & Sanction the state of Israel, see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website - mpg
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Honduran Political Accord Unravels  - Alt - (YouTube - 11 min 33 sec - November 05, 2009)
Real News Video - Special Note - A quote...."The supposed settlement of the Honduran political crisis has collapsed as the coup makers made clear that they have no intention of allowing ousted President Manuel Zelaya to resume his office in the weeks before a new election."

Honduras' attorney general escapes unharmed after gunmen open fire on his convoy
A quote...."TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Gunmen ambushed a convoy carrying Honduras' top prosecutor, but neither he nor his bodyguards were harmed, police said Sunday. -- Police spokesman Orlin Cerrato said Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubi was riding on a northern highway when assailants opened fire Saturday night. Cerrato said no one was hurt. One car was damaged."

Berta Cáceres: "We only have one option. It is to struggle. It is to continue the resistance. It is to march towards the re-founding of the country." -- A quote...."What follows is a transcription of a speech by indigenous leader Berta Cáceres of Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) and National Front of Resistance Against the Coup to a meeting of the resistance from Gracias, Lempira on 11/1/09 - With live call during the speech from President Manuel Zelaya."
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Saturday Night Special: "Historic" Vote Kills Health Care Reform for Another Generation
Must Read - Regarding the Health Care Rip-Off -- A quote...."Of course, the House bill, bad as it is, will be mangled beyond all recognition in that elitist abattoir known as the Senate, where no doubt even the few milder-than-milquetoast ameliorations that survived the corporate bludgeoning in the House will be cast aside. But for now, this is how, in the words of Barack Obama, our Democratic solons "answered the call of history": with a bill that places an onerous financial burden and threat of punishment on those least able to bear it, while stripping millions of the most vulnerable women in society from access to completely legal medical procedures easily available to the middle-class and the rich, and delivering to the corrupt, cruel and price-gouging insurance companies "50 million new consumers, many of them subsidized by the taxpayers," in the gushing words of Nancy Pelosi, who shepherded the bill through the House -- and who was responsible for stripping abortion coverage from poor women by greenlighting the single allowed amendment to the bill."

Freedom Rider: Health Care Deceit
Special Note - Regarding the Health Care Rip-Off -- A quote...."The health care fiasco has bared the cowardly underbelly of the Democratic Party, which is putty in the hands of President Obama and his co-conspirators in the insurance industry. The public option” has been stripped down to a tiny two percent of the people, while the private insurers get tens of millions of captive, subsidized consumers. The conclusion is inescapable: “Barack Obama and the majority of the Democrats never had any intention of bringing reform to health care.”

Why I Voted NO
Special Note - Regarding the Health Care Rip-Off -- A quote...."By Dennis Kucinich -- November 08, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- We have been led to believe that we must make our health care choices only within the current structure of a predatory, for-profit insurance system which makes money not providing health care. We cannot fault the insurance companies for being what they are. But we can fault legislation in which the government incentivizes the perpetuation, indeed the strengthening, of the for-profit health insurance industry, the very source of the problem. When health insurance companies deny care or raise premiums, co-pays and deductibles they are simply trying to make a profit. That is our system." -- also posted at AmericanEveryman & ThePeoplesVoice & CommonDreams
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On The Edge with Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert - AltVid#1 - AltVid#2 - (YuTb - aprx3-8m - Nov. 07, 2009)
Special Note - The Mad Max of finanace is back....with more on the Great Casino that has become this nation's economy. - mpg -- A quote...."In this episode of On The Edge Keiser talks about the coming collapse of the U.S. dollar and why Americans need to start investing in gold. He also explains why India’s recent decision to purchase of 200 tons of gold was a wise one."

Twilight Zone Economy
Special Note - A quote...."From 1959 to 1964, Rod Serling created and directed the ground-breaking series "The Twilight Zone" which will never be forgotten by anyone growing up in the 1950's with a black and white TV. The weekly episodes revealed with ironic, perplexing and totally unexpected results, what happened to otherwise normal people whose lives were forever changed once they were transcended into a parallel world where different rules applied. This altered world correlates in many ways to the US economy today as millions of people are realizing that nothing our government says seems to be real, and the rules we thought applied, don't any more."

"For God Sakes, strap on a pair and get to it"
Special Note - A quote...."November 08, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- This is bad. Double-digit unemployment. In October, unemployment soared to 10.2%. 16 million people are out of work. The average work week is down to 33 hours. Payrolls have contracted 22 months straight. The "real" jobless rate (underemployment) is now 17.5% and rising. These are Great Depression numbers. The country is in a Depression. So, why is there no talk of federal work programs? Why no WPA?"

"I've Always Been Convinced that the Exchange Stabilization Fund is Involved in Stock [and] Commodity Transactions by Manipulating Price"  -- I'm reading Ron Paul's book "End the Fed", which is chock full of good quotes. This one caught my eye:

I've always been convinced that the Exchange Stabilization Fund is involved in stock, commodity, and currency transactions by manipulating price.

As part of the ignored President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (Plunge Protection Team), the Treasury, along with the Fed, SEC, and CFTC, will continue to rescue the market any way possible. Unfortunately, it’s more like that its powers will be used to bail out friends at the expense of the rest of us.

For more on the Exchange Stabilization Fund, see this, this and this.  --  For more on the Plunge Protection Team, see this, this and this. --  And don't forget that the largest derivatives holders use their Counterparty Risk Management Policy Group (CRMPG) to literally collude - exchange secret information and formulate coordinated mutually beneficial actions - all with the government's blessings.

Fed Herding Investors to the Slaughter?
Market Tech Note - A quote...."The real question investors need to ask themselves is this: if we truly are in the middle of a Fed-induced liquidity rally where the fundamentals simply don’t matter, do you buy now or wait it out for the inevitable bust?”

Five more banks fail - 120 for the year
A quote...."Banks in California, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri were shuttered, costing the FDIC a total of $1.5 billion."

Freddie Mac posts $5 billion loss
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Freddie Mac, the second largest provider of U.S. residential mortgage funding, on Friday posted a loss of $5 billion in the third quarter and predicted it would need more government support amid a "prolonged deterioration" in housing." -- From Reuters

British government mounts world’s largest bank bailout
A quote...."Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has just announced the world’s biggest bailout for a single bank in a bid to rescue the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)."

RBS, Lloyds Get $51 Billion in Second Bank Bailout (Update6)
Related Article - A quote...."From the History File -- Nov. 3, 2009 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and Lloyds Banking Group Plc will receive 31.3 billion pounds ($51 billion) in a second bailout from the U.K. taxpayer as the two banks agreed to cap bonuses."

RBS Surpasses Citigroup as World’s Costliest Banking Bailout - For the momment - mpg
Related Article - A quote...."From the History File -- Nov. 3, 2009 (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government’s plan to inject a further 25.5 billion pounds ($42 billion) into Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc will make it the most expensive bank bailout in the world, surpassing Citigroup Inc."

RBS [Royal Bank of Scotland] unveils sharp loss despite state bailout
Related Article - A quote...."Royal Bank of Scotland posted a net loss of 1.8 billion pounds on Friday and said it expected a slow recovery, despite massive state support aimed at reversing the lender's ailing fortunes."

Saturday November 7th 2009

No posts. - mpg

Friday November 6th 2009

Can You Hear Us Now? - Article also posted at the Smirking Chimp
Must Read - A quote...."One year ago, the Democrats won commanding victories resulting in control of the presidency and lopsided majorities in the House and Senate. -- One year ago, the Republican brand was so weak that the party was on death watch, literally capable of sliding into the history books alongside the Whigs and the Federalists. -- One year ago the country was enthralled with the notion of a new president who seemed committed to solving a host of problems and, above all, offering change from a hated predecessor and his disastrously failed politics. -- But now, today, that promised change seems a lot more like chump change instead. -- Now, today, the Big Hope president has virtually nothing of import to show for nearly a year in office. -- Now, today, that president continues to follow the policies of his horrid predecessor on everything from civil liberties to civil rights to economics and foreign policy. -- And now, today, he and his comrades in Congress have squandered whatever goodwill they once had and face an angry public turning back to the right, desperately seeking solutions to their problems." -- also posted at CommonDreams

The Evil Empire
Must Read - A quote...."November 06, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- -The US government is now so totally under the thumbs of organized interest groups that  “our” government can no longer respond to the concerns of the American people who elect the president and the members of the House and Senate.  Voters will vent their frustrations over their impotence on the president, which implies a future of one-term presidents.  Soon our presidents will be as ineffective as Roman emperors in the final days of that empire." -- also posted at CounterPunch & AntiWar
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Many Still Believe That Saddam Hussein Was Behind 9/11, and Now We Have Some Idea Why
Must Read - A quote...." Sociologists at the University of North Carolina and Northwestern University examined an earlier case of deep commitment to the inaccurate: the belief, among many conservatives who voted for George W. Bush in 2004, that Saddam Hussein was at least partly responsible for the attacks on 9/11. -- Of 49 people included in the study who believed in such a connection, only one shed the certainty when presented with prevailing evidence that it wasn't true. -- The rest came up with an array of justifications for ignoring, discounting or simply disagreeing with contrary evidence — even when it came from President Bush himself." - bold by website editor - Yep, he really did say it, for more on that issue see....Republican Tourettes Syndrome  (RTS) -- 08-26-06 - mpg

TALIBAN = 9/11?? -- Afghanistan by Hypnosis - Article also posted at the Smirking Chimp
Must Read - A quote...."On September 11, 2001, my office building, the World Trade Center, was attacked by al Qaeda, a murder cult of Saudi Arabians, funded by Saudi Arabians. And so, in response to the Saudis' attack, America invaded ... Afghanistan. Like, HUH? -- And here we go again. New York Times headline last Friday: "Pakistani Army, In Its Campaign In Taliban Stronghold, Finds A Hint Of 9/11." -- Google it and you'll find the Times report repeated and amplified 5,785 times more. -- Taliban = 9/11. Taliban = 9/11. Taliban = 9/11. -- Your eyelids are getting heavy. Taliban = 9/11. Taliban = 9/11. -- It's the latest hit from the same crew that brought you Saddam = 9/11 and its twin chant, Saddam = WMD, Dick Cheney's chimerical tropes which the New York Times' Judith Miller happily channeled to the paper's front page. -- And they're at it again."

Our terrorists
Must Read - A quote...."Once upon a time, the CIA trained, financed and supported Osama bin Laden and his mujahidin networks in Afghanistan to repel the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. After the end of the Cold War, bin Laden turned against the West and we no longer had any use for him. His persistent terrorist attacks against us for more than a decade, culminating in 9/11, provoked our own response, in the form of the ‘War on Terror’. This is the official narrative. And it’s false. Not only did Western intelligence services continue to foster Islamist extremist and terrorist groups connected to al-Qaeda after the Cold War; they continued to do so even after 9/11." -- also posted at 9/11Blogger
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No more troops, Faulkner tells US
A quote...."Australia has made it clear to the US it is not in a position to increase troop or training commitments in Afghanistan if the Obama Administration decides to add to its troop levels in response to General Stanley McChrystal's report, the Defence Minister, John Faulkner, said in Washington." -- also posted at WarInIraq

UK: Public support for Afghan strategy plummets
A quote...."LONDON (AFP) – The public is rapidly losing confidence that the war in Afghanistan can be won, after the killing of five soldiers by a rogue Afghan policeman, a new poll showed Thursday. -- The YouGov poll found 57 percent of people thought British troops were not winning the conflict against Taliban insurgents, and "victory is not possible," an increase from 48 percent just two weeks ago."

One More For The Road
Cartoon - Bendib

Obama Signs Largest Military Budget since World War II
A quote...."PSA November 2, 2009 - 4:23pm -- Earlier this week, President Obama signed into law the $680 billion FY 2010 Defense Authorization Bill, the largest such budget since the end of World War II. If you missed that aspect of the story, you weren’t alone. Many news stories chose instead to focus on the hate crime provisions tacked onto the bill." - bold by website editor

Pentagon Expected to Request More War Funding
Special Note - And a few days later.....   Sort'a endless, aint it folks, but you gets what you vote for.  Next time, don't vote for a Demo or Repub, the money you'll save WILL be your own. - mpg -- A quote.... "WASHINGTON — Published: November 4, 2009 -- The nation’s top military officer said Wednesday that he expected the Pentagon to ask Congress in the next few months for emergency financing [$50 billion] to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though President Obama has pledged to end the Bush administration practice of paying for the conflicts with so-called supplemental funds that are outside the normal Defense Department budget. - The financing would be on top of the $130 billion that Congress authorized for the wars just last month." - bold by website editor
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Italy, the CIA and Rendition
A quote...."New York - The label "War on Terror" may be out of style as a description of American counterterrorism strategy, but Wednesday in Rome an Italian court served notice that some of its more controversial practices - including the abduction of alleged terrorists known as "extraordinary rendition" - would not be forgotten as quickly as some Americans might prefer." -- For more on this issue see....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure.

The Fort Carson Murder Spree
Special Note - (It's not just "muslims". - mpg) -- A quote...."Soldiers returning from Iraq have been charged in at least 11 murders at America's third-largest Army base. Did the military's own negligence contribute to the slayings? "

After Texas shooting spree, Florida comes next
It's catching, violence is highly contagious, the New Roman Empire with all of it's "mores", is spreading like the black death itself across the nation state that was once called America. - mpg -- A quote...."At least two people have been killed and six others wounded by a gunman who opened fire in a high-rise office building in Orlando, Florida."

Controversial private US security firm, Blackwater is reportedly hiring ex-Pakistan security officials at mind-boggling salaries. -- A quote...."Controversial private US security firm, Blackwater is reportedly hiring ex-Pakistan security officials at mind-boggling salaries." - also posted at BLN & RogueGov -- Hey wait.....aren't “ex-Pakistan security officials" (that's I.S.I. to those who get their info from faux-news) the exact same people the US-NRE hired to help support the Taliban, al-Qaeda and various other separatist groups when that sort of thing was in vogue? --  Well whad'da'yu'know, fancy that, guess it's time to have another one ol'dem dare  "fortuitous" events take place, ain't that right folks. – mpg

Iran’s Guards say Pakistan released Jundullah leader
A quote...."TEHRAN (Dawn) -- The deputy head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards charged on Friday that Pakistan arrested and then released the leader of Jundullah a few days before a suicide bombing claimed by the group." -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - Jundullah attack of 10/18/09

House Panel Defies Obama on PATRIOT Act -- Guess it'll be one'ol'dem'dare "lone wolfs". - mpg
Related Article -- A quote...."In an act of uncharacteristic defiance of President Obama, the House Judiciary Committee voted today 16-10 to remove the “lone wolf” section of the USA PATRIOT Act." -- also posted at OhBummer

Obama’s Prize tells world ‘War is Peace’
A quote...."Last month, Barack Obama became the third U.S. president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee lauded Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” -- also posted at Uruknet - That's PEACE spelled P-I-P-E-L-I-N-E, see article shown below. - mpg

Afghanistan, the graveyard of empires or just a graveyard with a pipeline running through it?
Must Read - A quote...."Come on folks, it’s just good sense, there is no way the Empire can actually win the war in Afghanistan. As I have stated before it’s not about  ‘winning’ but occupation. Afghanistan is basically a stepping stone on the way to some place else and leaving an oil pipeline behind with a friendly government in place to protect it. Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men etc…" - also posted at Uruknet -- For more on this issue see...War Resource 9/11
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US-NRE "Investments" Are Just Reparations
11-06-09
mpg

ExxonMobil-led consortium nets 'supergiant' Iraq oil field -- For now.....mpg
Let's make this as abundantly clear as possible.  The parasitic class in this country, of which ExxonMobil is a part, helped to set up and murder three thousand Americans so they could go steal Iraq's oil.  In which endeavor they helped to kill over one million Iraqis, displace up to five million more and caused hundreds of billions of dollars of damages during their illegal invasion and ongoing occupation of that country.

ExxonMobil and their shareholders should go right ahead and invest billions, hopefully tens of billions, but they should do so with the full knowledge that every single dollar they put into Iraq is NOT their's to keep, for two very important reasons.

One: Any investment would simply be reparations for the damage the US-NRE did to the Iraqi people on behalf of ExxonMobil's interests. 

And Two: No contract signed under the barrel of a gun is legally binding whatsoever.

Eventually, as the US-NRE's occupation of Iraq winds down to it's inevitable and painful close.  Any subsequent Iraqi government can, and should, consider any contracts signed with ExxonMobil to be null and void.  They will have the legal right to seize or nationalize any and all assets in Iraq claimed by ExxonMobil without compensation to that company or any of its shareholders and use them on behalf of the Iraqi people. - mpg
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TUNISIA: Online activists rally to free fellow blogger Fatma Riahi
Censorship Alert - Action Alert - A quote...."Lina Ben Mhenni was one of the last people to see Fatma Riahi the day she was arrested. The two women bloggers had been in touch online and by phone, but it wasn't until Ben Mhenni saw that Riahi's Facebook profile and blog had been shut down that they made urgent plans to meet for coffee on last Sunday. Riahi, a high school drama teacher in the small seaside city of Monastir, had been ordered to report to the Criminal Brigade in the capital, Tunis, where Ben Mhenni lives."

Fighting Continues Along Saudi-Yemeni Border
A quote...."Battles between the Saudi government and Yemeni rebels continued along the border again today, with locals reporting that the air strikes the Saudi Air Force launched yesterday were continuing through the day."

Yemeni rebels say holding Saudi soldiers
A quote...."RIYADH (Reuters) - Yemen's Shi'ite rebels said they had captured some Saudi soldiers on Friday, after Riyadh said it would press on with its offensive until it had cleared them from its territory."

[Iranian] Speaker Calls on Iraq to Expel MKO
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called for expulsion of members of the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from Iraq."

Iran voices support for Turkey's EU membership
A quote...."ANKARA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the European Union (EU) should ask Turkey to become one of its members, Turkish media reported Friday."

Georgian opposition marks anniversary of dispersed protests
Contains Video - A quote...."Georgian opposition leaders are set to hold a demonstration to mark the second anniversary of mass protests, which were dispersed by President Saakashvili and led to early elections."

Colombia “Hands Over Its Sovereignty” to U.S. with Military Accord, Says Chavez
A quote...."Mérida, November 4th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Colombia became a “colony” when it granted the U.S. permission to expand its military presence in Colombian territory in an accord signed on October 30th, the details of which became public on Tuesday."

Official US Air Force Document Reveals the True Intentions Behind the US-Colombia Military Agreement
Special Note - Quote of the Day - (in bold)...."An official document from the Department of the US Air Force reveals that the military base in Palanquero, Colombia will provide the Pentagon with “…an opportunity for conducting full spectrum operations throughout South America…” This information contradicts the explainations offered by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and the US State Department regarding the military agreement signed between the two nations this past October 30th. Both governments have publicly stated that the military agreement refers only to counternarcotics and counterterrorism operations within Colombian territory. President Uribe has reiterated numerous times that the military agreement with the US will not affect Colombia’s neighbors, despite constant concern in the region regarding the true objetives of the agreement. But the US Air Force document, dated May 2009, confirms that the concerns of South American nations have been right on target."

US granted access to all Colombian airports
War Alert - (To put pressure on Iran's ally Venezula) A quote...."A recent military agreement between Colombia and the US, which sparked outcry in Latin America, allows Washington access to civilian airports as well as military bases."
    
Israel up in arms over weapons seizure
War Alert - A quote...."DAMASCUS - Ambassadors and diplomats from 44 countries, along with military attaches from 27 nations, were taken to a base in central Israel on Thursday evening to see for themselves the weapons and ammunition seized from the ship Francop  in international waters off Cyprus on Wednesday."

Baradei says Inspectors found 'Nothing;' But Israeli Attack Plans not Tabled
War Alert - Contains Video - A quote...."Outgoing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Muhammad Elbaradei, said that UN inspectors this week discovered "nothing to be worried about" at a new nuclear enrichment facility that is being built in a mountain near Qom. He added, "The idea was to use it as a bunker under the mountain to protect things. It's a hole in a mountain."

ISRAELI LOBBY TO BE INVESTIGATED
Program Note - A quote...."Dispatches the premiere investigative program in Britain is to investigate the Jewish Lobby!! Americans and others will not know about this investigative program, as it is televised Britain. However, keep reading, because they are investigating the Jewish Lobby and it's influence within Britain and British Politics, Wooo Hooo! This episode airs on Monday the 16th at 8Pm British Time, and I won't be missing it I can tell you and I plan on reporting here after it airs. Taken from the Channel 4 Dispatches* page (more after this):" - *link added
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Gaza students organize for justice
Action Update - A quote...."In order to find sustainable alternatives to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict a new group calling itself the Justice Makers has been formed across the law departments in Palestinian universities. Two of the founders, Mohammed Eliwa and Yousef al-Nouri, are both fourth-year law students from al-Azhar University in Gaza. "The Justice Makers is about finding new ways within the international justice system to forward our case," al-Nouri explained. "We have had enough of this conflict and we study law because it is the only way of regaining our rights," stated Eliwa." -- also posted at Uruknet

Palestinians take down parts of WB wall
Action Update - A quote...."Palestinian youths have tipped over a part of Israel's separation wall in the occupied West Bank during a demonstration which marked the fall of the Berlin Wall. -- Some 300 Palestinians and left-wing activists attended the demonstration in the village of Naalin, Ynet reported on Friday. -- They held banners reading "No matter how tall, all walls fall."  - also posted at AlethoNews -- Hey, it should have been, "The taller walls are, they harder they fall" - mpg

Organise now for a week of supermarket boycott actions
Action Alert - A quote...."t is time to step up the supermarket boycott campaign which calls for consumers to reject Israeli goods for as long as Palestinian rights are denied by the apartheid regime. We must specially oppose the stocking of produce from the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which is stolen land. The excellent motion passed by the TUC Congress gives added impetus. The settlements are illegal under international law and goods originating there should not be on sale in the UK.  The label ‘West Bank’ is grossly misleading; some shoppers think they are buying Palestinian produce." -- Why a week??  Don't buy Israeli or US-NRE goods....ever! For more on that issue see....An Individual Commitment - 11-03-09 - mpg -- For more on how to Boycott Divest & Sanction the state of Israel, see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website - mpg

Israeli tank fire hits house in Gaza Strip
A quote...."Israeli tanks have shelled a house in the east of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, leaving at least two people wounded. -- The attack, which came on late Friday, caused panic among Palestinian families living in the vicinity, a Press TV correspondent reported." -- also posted at AlethoNews

UN sanctions Goldstone report on Gaza war
A quote...."The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly in favor of a report, which accuses Israel of war crimes as well as crimes against humanity during the weeks-long onslaught on the Gaza Strip."

Report: US activist defending Palestinian home from settlers jailed
A quote...."Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Michigan resident 21-year-old Ahlam Mohsen was arrested and now awaits deportation for allegedly attacking a police officer while she was a guest in the Al-Kurd home, as it was taken over by Israeli settlers last week, the International Solidarity Movement reported Friday."

Fatah fails to mobilize rallies in support of Abbas
A quote...."WEST BANK, (PIC)-- Fatah has failed to mobilize mass rallies in support of its leader Mahmoud Abbas to urge him to change his mind about not running for president of the PA. -- A number of rallies took place after the Friday prayers in a number of West Bank cities but the numbers of participants in those rallies were dismal despite the fact that Fatah tried to utilise the numbers of people who attend Friday prayers at various mosques to swell those numbers."

Israeli settlements could cause one-state solution
Contains Video - A quote...."aeb Erekat, chief of the Palestine Liberation Organization Steering Committee, said Wednesday that Palestine Authority president Mahmoud Abbas should be frank with the Palestinian people and admit to them that there is no possibility of a two-state solution given continued Israeli colonization of the West Bank." -- also posted at CommonDreams
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

As Honduran Deal Failed, Split Behind Crisis Grew
A quote...."MEXICO CITY — The collapse of an agreement that only a week ago was celebrated in Honduras as bringing the end to a four-month political standoff has only intensified the divisions that have long characterized the crisis: The two sides hew to contradictory interpretations of the agreement, the United States and the rest of the hemisphere are at odds over how to move forward, and the president who was ousted in a coup is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy while his unelected successor seems stronger than ever."

National Resistance Against the Coup d’Etat Announces Boycott of November 29 Honduras Elections
A quote...."TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS, NOVEMBER 6, 2009: Hundreds of people have congregated daily outside the Honduran National Congress to pressure its members (known as ‘Diputados,’ or Deputies) to finally reinstate President Manuel Zelaya. The new wave of hope came after the US State Department’s visit that many interpret as a tactic to guarantee the November 29 elections. While US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proclaimed a “breakthrough in negotiations in Honduras,” things on the ground still seemed to be at a stalemate as of Thursday afternoon, November 5, the date that, according to the accord signed last week, should have brought – but didn’t bring – the end of the coup regime."

Honduras leadership in limbo as accord dissolves
A quote...."They can't both be right. Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya says a deal that could have returned him to power is defunct. Roberto Micheletti, who took power after a coup, says the same deal has been successfully accomplished."
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U.S. jobless rate surges to 10.2 percent
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. jobless rate unexpectedly jumped to 10.2 percent last month, a 26-1/2-year high, adding to pressure on the Obama administration to do more to tackle unemployment even as signs of recovery mount."

Wall Street bonuses to rise by 40 percent
Related Article - A quote...."The authors of the biggest financial catastrophe in world history—executives and traders at US investment and commercial banks—will see their year-end bonuses rise by an average of 40 percent compared to last year, according to a report issued Wednesday by Johnson Associates, a Wall Street-based compensation consulting firm." -- For more on this issue see....Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

The Great Foreclosure Robbery Of The 21st Century
A quote...."The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that there have now been 1,000,000 foreclosures filed so far in 2009 and the group expects the foreclosure number to double before the end of the year. -- U.S. Home Vacancies Hit 18.7 Million on Bank Seizures (Update2) [1] "

The billionaire bailout society
Must View Video - A quote...."The new financial instruments invented about 30 years ago helped the America’s wealthiest to suck up the extra wealth created by deregulated finance system, explains Les Leopold, author of “The Looting of America” [GoglBkSrch]." - *links added -- also posted at BLN

It's Time To Fire Tim Geithner
Must Read - A quote...."A year ago it was revealed to the American people that our banking system is a legalized Ponzi scheme in which bank and insurance  CEOs pay themselves billions of dollars in personal compensation to lend and insure assets with money they don't have to customers who can't pay back the loans. -- In those dark days between the fall of Lehman Brothers and before the presidential election, we were often carried through that time by the small glimmer of hope that at least we would soon have a new leader who would hopefully fix this mess and punish those responsible. -- Yet in the past 9 months, not only has the administration failed to fix anything, they have actually made things much worse for anyone who isn't a Wall Street banker. Therefore, we are past the point where anyone in power still gets the benefit of the doubt -- the process of taking back our country for all citizens must begin now." -- also posted at OhBummer

Is the Economy Recovering? The Curious Case of 1920 vs. 1929
Special Note - A quote...."In order to understand the present state of the U.S. economy you have to understand that there are two things happening at once. For the most part they are in conflict with each other, in that one track can negatively impact the other."

“The Chief Executive [of Giant Dark Pool Said] the Amount of Money Devoted to High-frequency Trading Could ‘QUINTUPLE Between this Year and Next’" -- In a must-read essay, Senator Ted Kaufman reveals that - despite all of the talk coming out of Washington - high-frequency trading is set to explode:"

The Disastrous Performance Of Private Equity: Of The Top 10 LBOs, 6 Are In Distress, 4 Have Defaulted
Special Note - Highly satirical - mpg -- A quote...."One sometimes wonders why the idiots in Washington have still not bailed out the private equity industry. After all, for the low, low price of about $100 billion (which is about how much keeping Fannie on life support will cost US taxpayers in the first quarter of 2010 alone), Congress can ensure that thousands of PE associates, VPs and MDs can once again frequent Hustler Club, order dozens of bottles of Cristal at Lotus, and eat sushi straight off geisha bodies at Bar Masa. In other words, a return to those oh so difficult days of 2007. Furthermore, looking at the track record of PE, especially as characterized by its 10 largest deals in history, one can make the mistake that KKR, Apollo, Bain, Carlyle and Providence are all employing exclusively government workers: therefore the government would in essence be bailing out itself."

Consumer debt drops for record 8th straight month
Deflation Alert - A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Outstanding consumer debt fell at a 7.2% annual rate in September, the eighth consecutive decline, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. Consumer credit fell by $14.8 billion to $2.46 trillion in September, down 4.7% compared with a year ago. Outstanding credit can fall if consumers pay off balances, or if lenders write off bad loans. The decline in September was led by another huge drop in revolving debt, such as credit cards, which fell $9.9 billion to $889 billion, or a 13.3% annual rate. Nonrevolving debt -- such as auto loans, student loans and other personal loans -- fell $4.9 billion to $1.57 trillion, or a 3.7% annual rate."

Reserve Bank of India’s Gold Purchase From the IMF
A quote...."This transaction has a significant meaning that goes well beyond the dollar amounts involved, which are not that large. It means that a major central bank has actually disposed of dollar assets and prefers gold instead. It means that it regarded its dollar holdings as excessive. There are more central banks in the same position. They may do the same. China had been suggested again and again as the potential buyer of the 403 tonnes of gold to be offered by the IMF. India’s purchase was a surprise."

Investor Psychology: Fear Turns People Into Sheep
A quote...."Investors are basically rational, right? -- In fact, as many studies have demonstrated, the answer is no. --
But instead of wading through all of the investment psychology research, let's look at research into people's basic reasoning abilities. Bear with me for a minute. A study in an area unrelated to investing sheds light on people's basic thinking processes."