Wednesday December 9th 2009

Change ... for the Worse - The [Nameless One] and Mr. Obama
Must Read - Spot-On!! -- The most extensive, no-holds-barred, bucket of ice-cold water in the face, realistic look at what's happened to America this website editor has read in a long time. - mpg -- A quote...."Well lookee here! An invite from my limey comrades to recap Barack Obama's first year in office. Well comrades, I can do this thing two ways. I can simply state that the great mocha hope turned out to be a Trojan horse for Wall Street and the Pentagon. Or I can lay in an all-night stock of tequila, limes and reefer and puke up the entire miserable tale like some 5,000 word tequila purged Congolese stomach worm. I have chosen to do the latter." -- also posted at Creative-i & ICH & Uruknet

Heroism Under Tyranny - Apathy Under Freedom
Must Read - Quote of the Day...."December 09,m 2009 "ICH" -- The following remarks are excerpted from a series of leaflets produced by a Christian based anti-war group at Manchester University:"


Normalising the Crime of the Century
Must Read - A quote...."The purpose of the Chilcot inquiry is to normalise an epic crime by providing enough of a theatre of guilt to satisfy the media so that the only issue that matters, that of prosecution, is never raised. When he appears in January, Blair will play this part to odious perfection, dutifully absorbing the hisses and boos. All “inquiries” into state crimes are neutered in this way. In 1996, Lord Justice Scott’s arms-to-Iraq report obfuscated the crimes his investigations and voluminous evidence had revealed." -- also posted at DProgram

Dennis Kucinich "I Have Seen The Slow & Steady Erosion Of The Constitution Of The United States!"
Must View Video - Alt - (C-SPAN YouTube - 5 min 37 sec - December 08, 2009) -- A quote...."The war in Afghanistan is a racket....." -- *Dennis Kucinich*

Will the Last “Progressive for Obama” Please Turn Out the Lights? - posted at BAR
Must Read - A quote...."The U.S. peace “movement,” much of which “comes and goes” as often as Boy George’s “Karma Chameleon,” has finally discovered that its presumed perch in Barack Obama’s tree was untenable, if not wholly imaginary. To be sure, “Progressives for Obama” and other assorted delusional groupings were always squatters in the Obama camp – but they were the only ones who didn’t know it. How embarrassing it would have been, back during the campaign, had the lost little lefties realized that Obama’s imperial soul mates were laughing at them from a disdainful distance, knowing full well the path their bought-and-paid-for president would soon be traveling. How would the Obama peacenik groupies have preserved their sense of self-worth – much less their arrogant smugness – had they realized the absolute contempt in which they were held by their hero’s funders and packagers – and no doubt by the Object of Adulation, himself? " -- also posted at AlethoNews & Creative-i

Liberals, I Do Despise
Must Read - From the History File - First Published in The Village Voice, Nov. 12, 1996  -- "Liberals" the more things change, the more they stay the same....here's a blast from the past that could have been written today. - mpg -- A quote...."Sometime early in Ronald Reagan's first term, I decided to forget everything I'd always disliked about liberals. I took pains to subordinate what put me off about them to the larger objective of unity against the rightwing onslaught, I decided to overlook their capacity for high-minded fervor for the emptiest and sappiest platitudes; their tendencies to make a fetish of procedure over substance and to look for technical fixes to political problems; their ability to screen out the mounting carnage in the cities they inhabit as they seek pleasant venues for ingesting good coffee and scones; their propensity for aestheticizing other people's oppression and calling that activism; their reflex to wring their hands and look constipated in the face of conflict; and, most of all, their spinelessness and undependability in crises. "

The Nobel Prize for Irony
Special Note - A quote...."When President Barack Obama was announced as the latest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in October, some expressed hope (or fear) that it would steer the president, who hasn’t really done anything remotely peace related yet, to step up to the plate and be an advocate for peace. -- When he accepts the prize tomorrow, it will have come just nine days after he announced a massive escalation of the Afghan War. The irony of this was not lost on anybody, even the decidedly hawkish president."

Ha'aretz says U.S. officials face 'pro-Israel' background check
A quote...."There is an amazing story in Ha'aretz today on the "pro-Israel" litmus test that determines who is permitted to serve in the United States government. Here's the sort of lede you're not likely to read in the New York Times or Washington Post: " - also posted at ICH -- Remembr folks, they all have the glyph imprinted on the back of their necks, they're the bought and paid for property of AIPAC.  They've sold themselves.  - mpg

Thousands of Afghan students protest against US forces
A quote...."The operation in the village of Armal on the outskirts of Mehtarlam triggered a violent protest. Hundreds of villagers on Tuesday brought the bodies to Mehtarlam and placed them in front of the Governor's House. One person was killed when ANA soldiers opened fire at the protesters." -- also posted at Uruknet

Pakistan: ‘Blackwater’ men nabbed, released - And exactly what were they doing? - mpg
Thug Alert - A quote...."LAHORE – Security agencies arrested four suspected members of notorious Blackwater agency while they were trying to force their entry into the Cantonment Area here on Tuesday evening, sources informed. However, they were released two hours later on the intervention of the US Consulate." -- also posted at WarInIraq & AlethoNews

Iran pinpoints five sites for new nuclear plants
A quote...."President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that Iran has finalized sites for five of the 10 new nuclear enrichment plants it seeks to build to expand its nuclear program."

Africom Ain't The Peace Corps - posted at BAR
Special Note - A quote...."The U.S. military’s AFRICOM forces pretend their mission on the continent is humanitarian. In reality, AFRICOM is the sharp edge of U.S. imperialism, a killing force eager to impose American dominance. The military command “locks Africa into a state of dependency and maintains favorable political and social conditions for U.S.-based corporations that exploit Africa’s natural resources.”  This is not a bug in the system.  It's a defining feature of it." -- also posted at Creative-i

Brazil's Senate Deciding on Venezuela into MERCOSUR
A quote...."Brasilia, Dec 9 (Prensa Latina) Legislators close to the government will try on Wednesday, for the fourth time in the past 30 days, to put to a vote at the Senate's floor the protocol for the entry of Venezuela in the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR)."

Argentina, Venezuela Reinforce Teamwork
A quote...."Buenos Aires, Dec 9 (Prensa Latina) The Presidents of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez, and Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, signed several agreements Wednesday in that capital, aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation."
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Keith Olbermann: Bush Administration Gets Away With Torture - Alt
Must View Video  -- More on Obama's cover-up of war crimes. - mpg -- For more on this issue see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables

Nuremberg Revisited: Obama Administration Files To Dismiss Case Against John Yoo
Related Article - A quote...."John Yoo is being defended in court this month by the Administration. Not the Bush Administration. The Obama Administration. As with the lawsuits over electronic surveillance and torture, the Obama administration wants the lawsuit against Yoo dismissed and is defending the right of Justice Department officials to help establish a torture program — an established war crime. I will be discussing this issue tonight on MSNBC Countdown."

US[-NRE] to punish anti-American TV in ME
Censorship Alert - A quote...."The US House of Representatives has adopted a bill asking the country's president to report agitation resulting to anti-American violence on media outlets. -- The measure was passed in a decisive 395-3 vote on Tuesday."

Why Journalist Gary Webb Died - posted at Consortium News
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."Five years ago, a tragedy occurred in American journalism: Investigative reporter Gary Webb – who had been ostracized by his own colleagues for forcing a spotlight back onto an ugly government scandal they wanted to ignore – was driven to ["]commit suicide["]. But the tragedy had a deeper meaning. -- Webb’s death on the night of Dec. 9, 2004, came as the U.S. press corps was at a nadir, having recently aided and abetted President George W. Bush in taking the country to war in Iraq under false pretenses. The press corps also had performed abysmally in Bush’s two presidential campaigns in 2000 and 2004, hesitant to take on the powerful Bush Family." -- ["] He supposedly shot himself twice in the head. Uh-huh, right. - mpg

DHS Lowers the Boom on the Bogeyman
Police State Alert - Great photo. - mpg -- A quote...."The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said today that the Bogeyman is the greatest threat to the security of America’s children." -- also posted at LewRockwell
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The Hypocrisy of Al-Demoqratia
Must Read - A quote...."So this is how democracy works? -- In 2004, France banned headscarves and school principals chased after young "defiant" Muslim girls who continued to cover their heads in school. Now, following a national referendum, Switzerland has banned the construction of minarets, because minarets also somehow symbolize oppression. Thanks to the dedicated action of the far-right Swiss People's Party, the Alpine skies will be free from the snaking menace, which would spread intolerance and taint the splendor of Swiss architecture. -- In between these two peculiar events, the targeting of Muslims in Western countries and the subjugation of entire Muslim nations all over the world has never ceased. Not for a day."

Chomsky says Israel, 'US military base'
A quote...."Renowned American sociopolitical analyst Noam Chomsky says Israel functions as Washington's main weapons storage base in the Middle East." -- also posted at DProgram

German ex-diplomats: Constant support of Israel must cease
A quote...."Former German ambassadors call for assertive stand against Israel’s settlement policy; say Israel cannot have peace, keep hold on territories." -- also posted at WarInIraq
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Ronnie Kasrils - The Case for BDS: Israel, the Palestinians and Apartheid - Alt/Vid#1  Alt/Vid#2 
Must View Video - Action Alert - (YuTb - 8m - 12/09/09) Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Because it will further the cause of justice. - mpg -- A quote...."The debate on sanctions against Israel is about to heat up again. This week and next, there is a major initiative in the launch of a trade union boycott movement (boycott, disinvestment and sanctions or BDS) with public meetings in London, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh. -- The meetings will be addressed by one of the leading Palestinian figures in the boycott campaign, Omar Barghouti, from the Palestinian Boycott National Committee (BNC). Key figures from South Africa with their own experience of the sanctions campaign against Apartheid will also speak at the meetings." - For more on how to Boycott Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

More investors abandoning Lev Leviev and Africa-Israel - Hip Hip Hooray!
Related Article - Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Because it's the only thing they understand. - mpg -- A quote...."Last month, the second-largest Dutch pension fund PFZW joined an already impressive group of investors that have divested from Africa-Israel. Africa-Israel is the target of an international boycott campaign by Palestine solidarity activists because of its involvement in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank." - For more on how to Boycott Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

Living by the Gate From Hell
Must Read - A quote...."Much is heard of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the story of the determined, long-term nonviolent resistance of many Palestinian villagers to the loss of their lands, striking as it may be, is seldom told.  Here’s my report from just one village on the West Bank." -- also posted at Aussies4Pal & AlethoNews & WarInIraq

Targeting Civilians in Gaza
A quote...."The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an "independent legal body dedicated to the protection of human rights, the promotion of the rule of law, and the upholding of democratic principles in the Occupied Territories." It issues frequent press releases, statistics, fact sheets, documents, and reports like its October 22, 2009 English version of "Targeted Civilians: A PCHR Report on the Israeli Offensive against the Gaza Strip (27 December 2008 - 18 January 2009)."

Bil’in leader Abdallah Abu Rahmah arrested during military night raid
A quote...."As part of a recent escalation of political arrests in Bil’in, Abdallah Abu Rahmah, a school teacher and coordinator of the Bil’in Popular Committee was arrested by Israeli soldiers "

Israeli forces arrest four prominent grassroots activists during Nablus night raid
A quote...."The Israeli military kidnapped nine Palestinians from the Nablus region in the early hours of Tuesday, 9 December 2009, including four leading civil society activists."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Honduran Elections a Parody of Democracy
Special Note - A quote...."The production Honduran Elections, staged at a small, rundown theater in Central America on November 29, left the audience unconvinced, and failed to resolve a confused and conflict-ridden plotline. -- Written and directed by the Honduran elite and the Honduran armed forces, with the help of the U.S. State Department, the play opens on the empty streets of Tegucigalpa in what is announced as the most participatory elections in the history of the nation. -- This is just the first of the inexplicable contradictions between the narrative and reality that run through the play." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Honduran president-elect Lobo wants coup amnesty
A quote...."SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - The president-elect of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, said Tuesday he wants political amnesty for all those involved in the coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya and isolated the country."

Honduran Resistance Front: "We are on our feet and in struggle and increasing our organizing efforts to defeat the oligarchy." -- A quote...."The Front is on our feet in struggle and has the backing of the majority of the Honduran people. We are currently raising our organizational efforts to defeat the oligarchy and install an inclusive and popular National Constitutional Assembly El Frente está en pie de lucha y cuenta con el respaldo mayoritario del pueblo hondureño. Actualmente estamos aumentando los esfuerzos organizativos para derrotar la oligarquía e instalar la Asamblea Nacional Constituyente incluyente y popular."
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Boiling Point: Hijacking the Planet for Power and Privilege
Must Read - For more on the "Climategate" fiasco go to InfoWars & Dprogram & AlethoNews -- A quote...."The mind boggles. Who ever would have thought, even in their darkest, most paranoid dreams, that the Copenhagen climate change talks would be hijacked by a handful of rich nations seeking to give themselves more power and riches while imposing new burdens and new injustices on the rest of the world? And that amongst this avaricious, duplicitous elite one would find the government of a man who now bears the Nobel laurel for his unstinting dedication to the welfare of all humanity?"

“This Text Is an Extremely Dangerous Document for Developing Countries”: G77 Chief Condemns Secret US-Danish Climate Deal -- Related Article - A quote...."The UN climate talks are in disarray here in Copenhagen after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN’s role in all future climate change negotiations. Moments before we went on the air, Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, the Sudanese chair of the group of 132 developing countries known as G77, condemned the leaked document. [includes rush transcript]" --  ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || 

Why Greece has the E.C.B. by the Shorthairs
Must Read - A quote...."December 09, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou has the European Commission over a barrel and doesn't even know it. Instead of dragging the EC over the coals--like he should --he's carrying on like a blubbering crybaby. "Steady on there, Georgie". Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson didn't go wobbly when he stormed up Capital Hill and demanded a $700 billion TARP bailout, did he? Well, then, at least learn from history. The EC is not going to let Greece default and trigger another Lehman Brothers-type meltdown. That won't happen. If G-Sax and JPM are Too Big To Fail (TBTF), then surely Greece is too. That means the Greek Finance Minister needs to summon his courage and hammer out the best deal possible for his country. Wishy-washy will get you nowhere. -- Markets started tumbling this week on news that Fitch Ratings cut Greece’s debt rating from A- to to BBB+ which means it will cost the government more to roll over its debt in the future. It also means that the ECB may not accept Greek government bonds as collateral when they return to the pre-crisis rules in 2011. The ratings flap has reawakened Dubai fears and the possibility of a sovereign default within the EU."

Volcker: Financial Innovation is Worthless, and Banks Should Be Limited to Traditional Depository Functions
Special Note - A quote...."The Telegraph notes...."


"Nassim Nicholas Taleb has repeatedly said that speculation should be limited to hedge funds, and that banks should solely engage in traditional depository functions, and - because of their power to create credit - be treated as public utilities." -- bold by website editor

Giant Banks Are Trying to Make Bailouts Permanent
Of course they are, they're greedy, piggy, little bastards, but the really sad part about the whole thing is....they have no choice anymore. - mpg -- A quote...."According to the following Democratic and Republican congress members, economists, financial experts and journalists, the "too big to fails" (with help from bank-friendly voices in Congress) are trying to make the bailouts permanent:"

MSM: Paterson – ‘New York Has Run Out Of Cash’ - The Banksters have plenty. - mpg
A quote...."Gov. David Paterson said Wednesday that New York has run out of cash and he’s directing budget officials to reduce state aid payments to schools, local governments and nonprofit service providers until things improve." -- Which will be in about ten to twenty years. - mpg
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Bayer Admits GMO Contamination is Out of Control
A quote...."EXTRACT: Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are irreversibly contaminated." -- also posted at RogueGov

Anyone for some Arctic roll? Mystery as spiral blue light display hovers above Norway
You've gotta check out these photos folks, either it's a hoax, the Russians are using something new, it was their failed missile test, or CERN better lower the power settings on their new cyclotron. - mpg -- A quote...."What's blue and white, squiggly and suddenly appears in the sky? -- If you know the answer, pop it on a postcard and send it to the people of Norway, where this mysterious light display baffled residents yesterday. -- Speculation was increasing today that the display was the result of an embarrassing failed test launch of a jinxed new Russian missile."

Tuesday December 8th 2009

US Senate Democrats block efforts to restore Medicare cuts to health plan
On Obama's Non-Health Care Plan - You ObamaTrolls happy yet? - mpg - A quote...."The Senate began debate last week on health care legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from federal programs, while boosting the profits of the health care industry. Democratic supporters of the bill defeated an attempt by Republicans to block major cutbacks in government payments to agencies that provide care to homebound Medicare beneficiaries." -- posted 12-07-09

Monday December 7th 2009

Guest Post: Dividends Are Still Trending Worse Than The Great Depression
Must View Charts - A quote...."With S&P 500 earnings reporting mostly (98%) complete for Q3 2009, it's time for an update to the charts from Dividends, Earnings, and Stock Price Trends have Tracked the Great Depression. -- The following chart compares the decline in twelve month trailing earnings and dividends since the stock market peaked in October 2007 to the same measures following the stock market peak in September 1929:"

79% of Americans Want an Audit of the Fed, Only 21% are in Favor of Confirming Bernanke, and Only 20% Think Geithner is Doing a Good Job -- Must Read - 79 percent of the American public is in favor of auditing the Fed, according to a new poll by Rassumussen. Because another 14% are not sure, that leaves only 7% opposed to an audit. And as Rassumussen, the support for auditing the Fed is nonpartisan and very widespread:"
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Liberals Are Useless
Must Read - A quote...."Liberals are a useless lot. They talk about peace and do nothing to challenge our permanent war economy. They claim to support the working class, and vote for candidates that glibly defend the North American Free Trade Agreement. They insist they believe in welfare, the right to organize, universal health care and a host of other socially progressive causes, and will not risk stepping out of the mainstream to fight for them. The only talent they seem to possess is the ability to write abject, cloying letters to Barack Obama—as if he reads them—asking the president to come back to his “true” self. This sterile moral posturing, which is not only useless but humiliating, has made America’s liberal class an object of public derision." -- also posted at AmericanEveryman

“Forward,” March
Must Read - A quote...."Left, right, left, right, left, right, left … who can tell the difference these days? The party in power — whichever party that may be — makes policy on the basis of precedent, not ideology. Old programs are preserved, perhaps “reformed.” The opposition party fights tooth and nail against new programs — then keeps and expands them when it comes out of opposition and into power. Government gets larger, never smaller, and as President Barack Obama’s speech at West Point last Tuesday demonstrates, politicians are at least as likely (if not more so) to double down on their predecessors’ bad ideas as on any stray good ones which might have accidentally worked their way into the program."

It's a return to the Star Chamber as Europe finally tramples Magna Carta into the dust
Must Read - A quote...."If you have a spare evening, read the Magna Carta. It is a restraining document. What leaps out from the pages of Langton’s text is the intent to protect subjects from overweening authority (in this case, Norman-French despotism), by restoring ancient freedoms. -- I have a copy dated MDCCLXVI (1766) left to me by my father, and to him by his father. The customary law is Saxon, Celtic, even Visigoth." -- also posted at RogueGov

• "All men in our Kingdom have and hold the aforesaid liberties and rights, well and in peace, freely and quietly, fully and wholly, for ever."
• "No free man shall be taken or imprisoned, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any way destroyed, unless by lawful judgment of his peers."
• "No constable or bailiff shall take another man’s corn or chattels without immediate payment, nor take any horses or any man’s timber for castles."
• "Any one may leave the Kingdom and return at will, unless in time of war, when he may be restrained for some short space for the common good".

Time to Declare War on Democratic Blackmailers - Ax Max
Must Read - A quote...."The fact that 20 to 25 percent of Americans support policies and politicians that are bat sh-t crazy is not as much a concern as the fact that 50 to 60 percent of Americans support politicians whose policies are for sale to the highest bidder, and exist independent of any underlying morality or consistent philosophy of government.  Arlen Specter calls himself a Democrat for God’s sake. And so does Ben Nelson.  And Blanche Lincoln.  These are not Democrats; they’re Republicans in Donkey suits.  And somewhat tasteful donkey suits at that. None of them would have strings of tea bags dangling from THEIR cowboy hats, you can bet the ranch on that.  They are much more dangerous than Rush Limbaugh could ever hope to be."

The Shame and Folly of Obama's Afghan War
Must Read - A quote...."There are so many things wrong with Obama’s “New and Improved” Afghanistan War that it’s hard to know where to begin, but I guess the place to start is with his premise." -- also posted at Uruknet & CommonDreams

The Left Fell into the Climate Morass
Special Note - A quote...."It might take a while to sink in, but the global warming cause is on the skids. Two issues are taking the whole project down: it is getting cooler not warmer (and hence the change of the rhetoric to a vague concern over "climate change"), and the email scandal of a few weeks back proved that this really is an opinion cartel with preset views not driven by science."
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Rewrite Iraq, but learn the lesson of history - Alt
Must Read - A quote..."Britain’s Iraq inquiry is destined to disappoint. Its chairman Sir John Chilcott declares no-one is on trial at his committee’s investigation of Britain’s role in the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Sad to say, the admonition misses the point. Tony Blair has already been tried, convicted and sentenced in the court of media opinion. -- Anything but official affirmation from the inquiry that a mendacious prime minister tricked the nation into an illegal invasion at the bidding of his war-crazed chum George W. Bush will be judged, alongside earlier independent reports into the war, as an Establishment “whitewash”."

A new report questions "suicides" at Guantanamo
Special Note - A quote...."On the night of June 10, 2006, three Guantanamo detainees were found dead in their individual cells.  Without any autopsy or investigation, U.S. military officials proclaimed "suicide by hanging" as the cause of each death, and immediately sought to exploit the episode as proof of the evil of the detainees.  Admiral Harry Harris, the camp's commander, said it showed "they have no regard for life" and that the suicides were "not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetric warfare aimed at us here at Guantanamo"; another official anonymously said that the suicides showed the victims were "committed jihadists [who] will do anything they can to advance their cause," while another sneered that "it was a good PR move to draw attention." -- also posted at AmericanEveryman & BLN -- For more on this issue see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables -- See also the related article and comment shown below....


Iraq Inquiry bombshell: Secret letter to reveal new Blair war lies
A quote...."An explosive secret letter that exposes how Tony Blair lied over the legality of the Iraq War can be revealed. - The Chilcot Inquiry into the war will interrogate the former Prime Minister over the devastating 'smoking gun' memo, which warned him in the starkest terms the war was illegal. -  The Mail on Sunday can disclose that Attorney General Lord Goldsmith wrote the letter to Mr Blair in July 2002 - a full eight months before the war - telling him that deposing Saddam Hussein was a blatant breach of international law." -- also posted at DProgram

Crude oil politics in occupied Iraq
A quote...."The theft of Iraq’s oil by the West has picked up speed. In typical colonial style, the great robbery is being facilitated by former officials of the Bush administration that had served in Iraq. These include Jay Garner, first head of the US occupation administration in Iraq following the invasion. He is advisor to the Canadian company Vast Exploration, which has a 37% stake in an oilfield in the Kurdish north. Peter Galbraith, US foreign policy advisor close to Vice President Joe Biden and Senator John Kerry, advised the Kurds about their rights when the Iraqi constitution was being drafted. He pushed through provisions that granted Kurds exclusive rights over oil and gas, of which he is now the principal beneficiary." -- also posted at Uruknet -- For more on this see the quote shown below....

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Ramping up Afghanistan war to control Caspian oil and gas transport routes  - posted at Online Journal
Must Read - A quote...."The 800-pound gorilla standing in the auditorium at West Point is still waiting for an answer to why Obama made his surge-speech for 30,000 more troops and $30 billion to pay for them. That gorilla wonders “why” Obama pitched so hard for the US to stay and surge through Afghanistan and Pakistan. The reasons given were that the Afghanistan Taliban and Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden were the people that attacked us on 9/11, which was an iteration of George W. Bush’s reasons for the War on Terror. They are as phony now as the day Bush promised to smoke out Bin Laden."

U.S. military contingent in Afghanistan
InfoGraphic - A quote...."The total number of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan since the start of military operations in 2001."

Taliban shadow officials offer concrete alternative
Special Note - A quote...."The first was appointed by President Hamid Karzai and is backed by thousands of U.S. troops. He governs this mountainous eastern Afghan province by day, cutting the ribbons on new development projects and, according to fellow officials with knowledge of his dealings, taking a generous personal cut of the province's foreign assistance budget. -- The second governor was chosen by Taliban leader Mohammad Omar and, hunted by American soldiers, sneaks in only at night. He issues edicts on "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" stationery, plots attacks against government forces and fires any lower-ranking Taliban official tainted by even the whiff of corruption. -- As the United States prepares to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan to bolster Karzai's beleaguered government, Taliban leaders are quietly pushing ahead with preparations for a moment they believe is inevitable: their return to power."

80 percent of French oppose more troops for Afghanistan
A quote...."BORDEAUX: More than 80 percent of French people are against Paris sending more troops to Afghanistan, according to an opinion poll carried out for a regional newspaper. -- The Ifop poll for the weekly Sud Ouest Dimanche showed 82 percent opposed to reinforcements for the some 3,300 French troops already in Afghanistan."

'Turkey is opposed to new sanctions on Iran'
A quote...."Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to support calls for new sanctions against Iran, saying they would be ineffective." -- also posted at AlethoNews

US sounds fresh warning to Iran again
War Alert - A quote..."While the Western powers have been pressuring Iran to accept a US-backed proposal over Iran's nuclear fuel supply, the White House says it is still open to nuclear negotiations with Tehran but the time is running out." -- also posted at DProgram

Iran student protests bring out tens of thousands
A quote...."TEHRAN, Iran – Tens of thousands of students, many shouting "Death to the Dictator!" and burning pictures of Iran's supreme leader, took to the streets on more than a dozen campuses Monday in the biggest anti-government protests in months."

Yemeni civilians showered with Saudi bombs
A quote...."Saudi forces have reportedly launched several air raids on civilian areas in northern Yemen after Houthi fighters inflicted heavy losses on them overnight." -- also posted at DProgram

Hezbollah weapons rights draw Israel ire
Oh My Gawd!!  The Labanese can actually defend themselves against Israeli agression!  How utterly awful. - mpg -- A quote...."Tel Aviv has warned that it will hold Beirut responsible for any Hezbollah attempt against Israel after Lebanon endorsed a bill allowing the movement to keep its arms. -- "The Lebanese government and Hezbollah are becoming entwined and they will bear responsibility for any attack against Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday." - bold by website editor --  Like this is a new policy!?!?  Have people gone totally stupid lately!?!?  Does anyone remember the last Israeli invasion of Lebanon where the Israelis attacked power plants, roads, bridges, apartment complexes, hospitals, and just about everything else in that poor country?  And then at the very end, during the last seventy two hours of their withdrawal, in a vicious display of cowardice, bad sportsmanship, craven disregard for international law and pure, malevolent, spite at getting their collective butts kicked, they carpeted the whole of South Lebanon with over three million cluster bomblets?  What a DISGUSTING people the Israelis are!!  - mpg

Russia and India seal nuclear cooperation deal
A quote...."MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sealed an agreement to boost cooperation in the civilian use of nuclear energy after talks in Moscow on Monday."

Su-30MKI (Flanker-H) multirole fighter
InfoGraphic - A quote...."An export version of [the] Su-30MK aircraft for the Indian Air Force."

Yushchenko says he will not be PM if he loses presidential election
A quote...."KIEV, December 8 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Monday that he would not agree to prime minister’s post if he loses the presidential election on January 17, 2010. "

Chavez: Venezuela acquires thousands of missiles
A quote...."CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez said Monday that Venezuela has received thousands of Russian-made missiles and rocket launchers as part of his government's military preparations for a possible armed conflict with neighboring Colombia."

Bolivia: Morales wins landslide re-election
A quote...."Bolivian President Evo Morales won re-election by a landslide Monday, receiving at least 62 percent of the vote compared to 23 percent for his nearest rival. The results of the balloting gave Morales a second five-year term, while his Movement Towards Socialism party, or MAS, gained a two-thirds majority in the upper house of the Bolivian congress and a substantial majority in the lower house."

Evo: Electoral Win for Bolivian People
Related Article - A quote...."La Paz, Dec 7 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales stressed on Monday the overwhelming victory in the Sunday general elections is neither for him nor his party, but for the people."
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White House wants suit against Yoo dismissed
You know, the guy that said torture was OK.  You ObamaTrolls  ever gonna admit you were wrong? - mpg -- A quote...."(12-07) 11:33 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- The Obama administration has asked an appeals court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing former Bush administration attorney John Yoo of authorizing the torture of a terrorism suspect, saying federal law does not allow damage claims against lawyers who advise the president on national security issues."

Yahoo Sells All Its Users Private Email Contents to U.S. Agencies for Small Price
Special Note - Police State Alert -  Hey!!  You see what YOUR privacy is worth people!  This is the free market and the fascist state in action together.  And yet people keep voting for those Demo/Repub bozos! - mpg -- A quote...."Yahoo isn’t happy that a detailed menu of the spying services it provides to “law enforcement” and spy agencies has leaked onto the web. -- After earlier reports this week that Yahoo had blocked an FOIA Freedom of Information release of its “law enforcement and intelligence price list”, someone helpfully provided a copy of the Yahoo company’s spying guide to the whistleblower web site Cryptome.org. [You gotta check it out people, Cryptome got a WHOLE bunch of "spying guides" from various ISPs and phone companies.- mpg] -- The 17-page guide, which Yahoo has tried to suppress via legal letters to the Cryptome.org site run by freedom of information champion John Young, describes Yahoo’s policies on keeping the data of Yahoo Email and Yahoo Groups users, as well as the surveillance and spying capabilities it can give to the U.S. government and its agencies." --  also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

The Spying Industrial Complex
Related Article - A quote...."Chris Soghoian, whose post on 8 million times the government has used GPS tracking on Sprint’s customers in the last year, has apparently flushed out the spying policies of many of the nation’s telecoms. Cryptome has them posted – though (as Mary points out) Yahoo has freaked out and initiated take-down proceedings."

Emails Show bin Laden was Bush Talking Point, not Target - Alt
Special Note - A quote...."“Missing” White House emails retrieved from Bush administration records indicate that top Bush Justice Department officials had little interest in the pursuit of Osama bin Laden or Mullah Mohammed Omar, head of the Taliban in Afghanistan."

Asia Digest Tells the Truth About 9/11 - Asia Digest's article is temporarily unavailable, for a cached copy click here
Special Note - A quote...."Half way around the world in a publication from Sri Lanka, November's edition of Asia Digest, the feature story is "9/11 — Has America been Told The Truth?" -- Asia Digest begins their feature with a brief introduction by Richard de Zoysa which sets the stage for the two following articles by Johnny Christy which include a thorough presentation of the mysteries and problems with the conventional story told." - also posted at DProgram -- For more on this issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

The Truth will set us free from global tyranny - Alt - (YouTube - 4 min 51 sec - October 08, 2009)
Video - Here's a nifty little tune. - mpg -- A quote...."An original song. Although primarily about 9/11 it does touch on some other issues such as the dumbing down of the public, the bombings of 3/11 and 7/7, the global warming/carbon tax scam, the central banking scam, fluoridated water, toxins in vaccines, the Kennedy assassination, the false left-right paradigm, the Rockefellers, the Saudi Corporation Ptech, swine flu, martial law, the police state and Internet 2."

Brussels gives CIA the power to search UK bank records
A quote...."THE CIA is to be given broad access to the bank records of millions of Britons under a European Union plan to fight terrorism. -- The Brussels agreement, which will come into force in two months’ time, requires the 27 EU member states to grant requests for banking information made by the United States under its terrorist finance tracking programme." -- also posted at RogueGov
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Walid Khalidi at the UN on Jerusalem Parts 1-5 6Dec09
Alt/Vid#1 - AltVid#2 - Alt/Vid#3 - Alt/Vid#4 - Alt/Vid#5 - (YuTb - 5-10m - each 12/01/09)
Must View Video  - The best, most articulate, most sweeping and most accurate round-up of the Israeli conflict, along with a history of Jerusalem, from the Muslims' perspective, this website editor has ever seen. – mpg

MIDEAST:  Europe Steps In to Pressure Israel
Special Note - A quote...."JERUSALEM, Dec 8 (IPS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Palestinian counterpart Salam Fayyad have both been scrambling earnestly to win the backing of European leaders in advance of what could be a major EU policy shift that aims at creating new impetus for Palestinian-Israeli peace prospects."

Moscow Rejected US Request To Recognize A Jewish State
Special Note - A quote...."The Haaretz newspaper said on Friday that Moscow refused an American overture calling on the international quartet to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and give it the right to annex the major settlement outposts in the West Bank to its borders. -- The newspaper said that US secretary of state Hillary Clinton proposed during telephone calls a week ago with the quartet members to issue a joint statement in this regard." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Israel’s Bedouin denied right to elections - Law allows Jewish officials to rule local council indefinitely
"Freedom and democracy"....yeah, right. - mpg -- A quote...."Some 35,000 Bedouin residents of Israel’s southern Negev have been denied the right to hold their first local council election after the Israeli parliament passed a law at the last minute to cancel this month’s ballot. --  The new law gives the government the power to postpone elections to the regional council, known as Abu Basma, until the interior ministry deems the local Bedouin ready to run their own affairs." -- also posted at PalestineChronicle & CounterPunch

No public services, no democracy for Israel’s Bedouin minority
Related Article - A quote...."One would think in the middle of unprecedented criticism of Israel for apartheid practices and ethnic cleansing, it would hold back just a tiny little bit on new, additional measures of anti-democratic repression. You would be wrong."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

ISRAEL PICKS A NEW FIGHT
Special Note - A quote...."Well, well, Israel is picking a fight with Europe. Why? Because the EU will be voting on declaring East Jerusalem the capital of Palestine, which, it is. Ban Ki Moon of the United Nations says so:"


"And even the Americans are “asking” Israel to stop building illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. Asking nicely is all Obama can do, because they dare not piss off the Israeli Lobby by saying more. Still, even the Americans surely know that East Jerusalem is not up for grabs by Zionists and that Palestinians will never agree to such a deal."

The Interview Ha’aretz Doesn’t Want You To See
Interview - A quote...."Exclusive: One On One with the Leader of the Electronic Intifada -- Meet Ali Abunimah, the son of a Jordanian diplomat, a Palestinian activist, and the man who brings the hottest news of the struggle to thousands of people. His message: Forget two states, one will be tough enough to get it right. -- The Interview before you was commissioned by one of the the big newspapers. For a reason that has yet to be clarified, this paper decided not to publish the interview. It’s published here, because it’s the opinion of the editor that it’s important that this be read by the Israeli public."

All I want for Christmas is an end to apartheid – Top ten brands to boycott
Action Alert - Top ten brands to boycott - Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Because all they care about is their money. - mpg- A quote...."While there are many Israeli and multinational companies that benefit from apartheid, we put together this list to highlight ten specific companies to target. Many of these produce goods in such a way that directly harms Palestinians — exploiting labor, developing technology for military operations, or supplying equipment for illegal settlements. Many are also the targets of boycotts for other reasons, like harming the environment and labor violations." - also posted at Creative-i - For more on how to Boycott Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

Galloway urges Muslims to help lift Gaza blockade
Action Alert - A quote...."UK, December 7, 2009, (Pal Telegraph)-- A British lawmaker has called on Muslims and all freedom-seeking people across the world to make efforts to lift blockades on the Gaza Strip and help the oppressed Palestinians." -- From Press TV

At Leviev Store, Protesters Tell Business Leaders “No Business as Usual with Apartheid Israel”
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction - Because it must be done. - mpg -- A quote...."New York, NY, December 4, 2009 – 25 New York City human rights advocates caught the Israel Business Leaders Delegation to the United States by surprise this morning with a noisy protest outside their “breakfast reception amidst the Leviev jewelry collection” at the Leviev store on Madison Avenue. Groups worldwide have conducted a successful campaign for the boycott of Leviev’s companies due to their involvement in Israeli settlement construction in violation of international law, and human rights abuses in the diamond industry in Angola. -- For protest photos CLICK HERE" -- also posted at Uruknet - For more on how to Boycott Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website. - mpg

Bilin teenager: "They arrested my father to discourage the struggle"
A quote...."The end of November marked the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a time to see family and friends and for people to eat together. But for many Palestinians, the Eid was not so festive. Rajaa Abu Rahmah, aged 19, only has one wish this holiday -- to see her father freed from prison." -- also posted at Uruknet

Judeo-Nazi settlers rampage through West Bank, IOF looks on
A quote...."Nazi-minded Jewish settlers continued to rampage throughout the West Bank, terrorizing unprotected Palestinian citizens and vandalizing their property."

Refocus the debate on the dispossession
A quote...."Sixty years ago today the United Nations General Assembly voted into existence a temporary body known as UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. UNRWA's task was to deal with the humanitarian consequences of the dispossession of some three quarters of a million Palestine refugees forced by the 1948 Middle East War to abandon their homes and flee their ancestral lands. Just two decades later, the 1967 war generated another spasm of violence and forced displacement, culminating in the occupation of Palestinian territory. Today, anguished exile remains the lot of Palestinians and Palestine refugees. The occupation of Palestinian land persists, there is no Palestinian state and the human rights and fundamental freedoms to which Palestinians are entitled under international law do not exist."

Palestinian reflections on American political ideology
A quote...."The Palestinians have ‘realized,’ thanks to Hilary Clinton, that the US is biased towards Israel. According to the American Secretary of State, negotiations between “the two parties” should resume without preconditions. The Americans have even praised Netanyahu’s “unprecedented concessions!” Gone is the sweet talk of the American president Barak Obama; gone is the euphoria following his “ground breaking” speech in Cairo university. -- We are back to square one." -- Not really, the Palestinians have lost more land while another six months of precious time have been wasted and frittered away.  What people have to understand is that Hillary and Obama are AIPAC's bitches.  If you look at the backs of their necks, you'll see a little glyph imprinted there, a glyph that let's everyone know they're bought and paid for butt kissers of the APAIC lobby, and that's all they'll ever be.  When the Palestinians finally realize that, then, and only then, will they be able to formulate better policies to one day return to their homeland, till then, they're just wasting their time believing anything that comes out of that AIPAC owned cesspit known as Washington DC. – mpg

EU Must Adopt The Swedish Proposal
A qutoe...."MP Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, labelled Israel’s announcement of a complete 10 months- freeze in West Bank settlement construction " a farce, a theatrical performance, whose heroes are represented by Barak Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman"."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Honduran elections exposed- Alt - (YouTube - 12 min 14 sec - December 06, 2009)
Must View Video - A quote...."Honduran coup regime's claims about 60% turnout at free and fair elections is revealed as fraud. Also implicated in the video are the wide array of media outlets and governments that have unquestioningly accepted the electoral data of a regime that overthrew the last elected president."

Obama's Latin American Policy Looks Like Bush's
A quote...."After months of delay, Arturo Valenzuela was finally confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs last month. But for a job with such a long title, he may find it's short on clout these days. Ostensibly, Valenzuela is President Obama's new point man on Latin America; in reality, that job looks to be under the control of Republicans in Congress and conservatives inside Obama's own diplomatic corps. In fact, when it comes to U.S. policy in Latin America — as events this week in Honduras suggest — it's often hard to tell if George W. Bush isn't still President." - bold by website editor -- Gee whiz, and this is from TIME magazine!  When are the ObamaTrolls gonna wake-up and smell the coffee? - mpg

Latin American Parliament suspends Honduran congress
A quote...."PANAMA CITY, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The 25th Ordinary Assembly of the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) decided on Friday to suspend the Honduran Congress from it, for supporting the coup against ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya."
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US Senate Democrats block efforts to restore Medicare cuts to health plan
On Obama's Non-Health Care Plan - You ObamaTrolls happy yet? - mpg - A quote...."The Senate began debate last week on health care legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from federal programs, while boosting the profits of the health care industry. Democratic supporters of the bill defeated an attempt by Republicans to block major cutbacks in government payments to agencies that provide care to homebound Medicare beneficiaries."
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Euros become currency of drug cartels
There's been a lot of hype about the decline of the dollar, but when the drug cartels stop using it, that's not a good sign.  Maybe that's why the US-NRE took over Afghan's poppy fields?  To help maintain the dollar as a usuable currency? (this is written in jest, sort of) - mpg -- A quote...."International drug cartels have abandoned the US dollar for high denomination euros to launder millions in illegal profits, Europol has revealed. The gangs no longer use $100 bills because €500 notes – the largest denomination of euro – take up less room when transporting large amounts of cash across the world." -- also posted at DProgram

Sunday December 6th 2009

No posts. - mpg

Saturday December 5th 2009

Obama Steals Bush’s Speechwriters
Must Read - A quote...."If you closed your eyes during much of the President’s speech on Afghanistan Tuesday night and just listened to the words, you easily could have concluded that George W. Bush was still in the Oval Office. -- Or, at the very least, that Obama had stolen his speechwriters." -- also posted at ICH

Present at the Destruction
Must Read - A quote...."Everybody has a different role to play at a funeral, I guess. -- There's the sobby, hysterical, "He's not really dead, everything's just like it used to be!", kinda guy. Think of Reagan or Lil' Bush, desperately trying to resurrect the America of 1955. -- There's the chummy, cavalier, "Hey, no worries - I bet they'll be serving some great booze at the wake!", sorta dude. Think of Wild Bill Clinton, with his shades and sax, playing Arsenio. -- There's the little kid, more or less completely baffled by the whole life and death thing. Think every Republican voter in America. -- And then there's the undertaker. All he's worried about is making sure that the corpse gets removed from the building before it stinks up the joint so bad somebody shuts him down and he loses his job. Think of Barack Obama. -- I certainly was the other night, as he gave his Afghanistan speech."

Victory at Last! - Monty Python in Afghanistan
Must Read - Quote of the Day....You may not think so, but on Tuesday night from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in his first prime-time presidential address to the nation, Barack Obama surrendered.  It may not have looked like that: there were no surrender documents; he wasn’t on the deck of the USS Missouri; he never bowed his head.  Still, from today on, think of him not as the commander-in-chief, but as the commanded-in-chief." - also posted at Uruknet & ATimes -- That's not really true; after all, Obama gave almost twenty four TRILLION dollars in back-stops, guarantees and actual pay-outs to his Bankster friends on Wall Street, especially Goldman Sachs.  All the Military Industrial Complex is gonna get, if you add up the total amounts accurately, is about one trillion dollars a year.  Therefore from this website editor's perspective the Banksters beat the Military by a wide margin.  On the other hand the author appears to be correct in one respect, Obama seems to be kissing both their butts with equal vigor.  – mpg

Af-Pak War Racket: The Obama Illusion Comes Crashing Down
Must Read - A quote...."As Obama announced plans for escalating the war effort, it has become clear that the Obama Illusion has taken yet another horrifying turn. Before explaining how the Af-Pak surge is a direct attack on the US public, let’s peer through the illusion and look at the reality of the situation."

Little Known Facts About Afghanistan and Bin Laden
Must Read - A quote...."Evidence which has come out over the last couple of years makes it clear that top Bush administration officials knew that Saddam didn't have weapons of mass destruction and knew that Saddam had no connection with 9/11. It is now reasonably obvious that the Bush administration was looking for an excuse to oust Saddam, and - in the words of the Downing Street Memo - “the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy”. Indeed, former CIA director George Tenet said that the White House wanted to invade Iraq long before 9/11, and inserted "crap" in its justifications for invading Iraq. Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill - who sat on the National Security Council - also says that Bush planned the Iraq war before 9/11. And top British officials say that the U.S. discussed Iraq regime change long before 9/11 (one month after Bush took office)."

Obama Lied: Taliban Did Not Refuse to Hand Over Bin Laden
Special Note - A quote...."Obama slipped past a real doozy Tuesday night when he said the Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden. It just ain't so. They tried three times to open negotiations for this, but Bush refused each time. He wanted to bomb people so bad it hurt." -- also posted at ICH

Blix says Iraqi blood on Bush, Blair hands
Special Note - A quote...."Former IAEA chief Hans Blix condemns former US president George W. Bush and former British Premier Tony Blair for waging war in Iraq. -- In an interview with the British newspaper, the Daily Mail, Blix censured former US and UK governments for having misled their nations by magnifying former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's alleged accumulation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)."

Pentagon's War Pitch Belied by Taliban-Qaeda Conflict
Special Note - A quote...."WASHINGTON, 5 Dec (IPS) - U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen argued in Senate Testimony Wednesday that the 30,000-troop increase is necessary to prevent the Taliban from giving new safe havens to al Qaeda terrorists. -- But that argument is flatly contradicted by the evidence of fundamental conflicts between the interests of the Taliban and those of al Qaeda that has emerged in recent years, according to counterterrorism and intelligence analysts specialising in Afghanistan." -- also posted at CommonDreams & AntiWar

… Then as farce.
Must Read - A quote...."LBJ was a tragic figure.  Barack Obama is a farcical one--and the joke's on you if you still don't realize that after his second mass escalation of the war in Afghanistan." -- also posted at CommonDreams

The Afghan Ambush
A quote...."As they used to say in the old war movies, we're in it now, up to our necks. More than ever, this is Obama's War. The mess he inherited from the previous administration is now his mess. And while many Republicans may don their helmets, rattle their empty rusty scabbards and shout that escalation is the only way to go, their temporary declarations of support are just that -- temporary. Pats on the back are simply their way of finding the proper place to stick the knife."

Say What? Peace Prize for a War President?
Action Alert - A quote...."By Cindy Sheehan - The undeserved nature of this “Peace Prize” was just brought into sharper clarity this past week when Obama announced that he would be sending tens of thousands of more troops to Afghanistan. There is no reason to send these troops and there is no reasonable expectation for “success,” which is as ill-defined under this administration as it was during the last administration."

Dear President Obama: You've Pretty Much Blown It
A quote...."I have written you several open letters. Each one seems to be more critical of your efforts thus far. Consequently, at least to me, the evidence of your continued poor performance is more magnified with each passing decision and action on your part. -- Where do I start?"
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Closing the 'Collapse Gap': the USSR was better prepared for collapse than the US
Must Read - Geo-political Analysis - A quote...."My talk tonight is about the lack of collapse-preparedness here in the United States. I will compare it with the situation in the Soviet Union, prior to its collapse. The rhetorical device I am going to use is the "Collapse Gap" – to go along with the Nuclear Gap, and the Space Gap, and various other superpower gaps that were fashionable during the Cold War." -- also posted at DProgram

The Great Game: U.S., NATO War In Afghanistan
Must Read - Geo-political Analysis - A quote...."Over the past ten years citizens of the United States and other Western nations, and unfortunately most of the world, have become accustomed to Washington and its military allies in Europe and those appointed as armed outposts on the periphery of the "Euro-Atlantic community" engaging in armed aggression around the world. -- Wars against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq and lower profile military operations and surrogate campaigns in nations as diverse as Colombia, Yemen, the Philippines, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Ossetia and elsewhere have become an unquestioned prerogative of the U.S. and its NATO partners. So much so that many have forgotten to consider how comparable actions have been or might be viewed if a non-Western nation attempted them." -- also posted at DProgram & BLN

Taliban dismiss Operation Cobra's Anger as unimportant; Gates: US has Lost Track of Usamah
A quote...."A US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the US continued a new operation, Cobra's Anger, in Helmand Province, announcing the capture of weapons caches. It is one of 22 offensives currently being pursued. But, no US or Afghan National Army troops have been killed in the Helmand operation and only 7 insurgents. Cobra's Anger sounds so far like a relatively minor affair, and one suspects that the Taliban or other guerrilla groups are just melting away before the advance, to fight another day. Another troubling aspect of it is that there are  1000 US Marines involved but only 150 Afghan soldiers. They are supposed to have 95,000, so they could only spare 150?"

US official confirms discussions on drone attacks in Balochistan
A quote...."WASHINGTON: There have been “discussions in Congress, and a lot of different places, to expand the area” of drone attacks, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism chairman said on Saturday. Adam Smith said he would not provide details, but a US government official said discussions were underway to expand those attacks into Balochistan."

Iraq MPs again fail to vote on new election law
A quote...."Baghdad, Dec 5 (AFP) Iraq's parliament met today to vote on a new electoral law for polls early next year but no quorum was reached and the session was postponed until tomorrow, speaker Iyad Samarrai said."

Philippines government imposes martial law to quell ‘rebellion’
A quote...."The Philippines on Saturday announced the imposition of martial law in a southern province to quell a rebellion by a powerful clan accused of being behind the massacre of 57 people."

Iran trade with LatAm tripled despite Israeli angst
A quote...."New data released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows Iran’s trade with Latin America tripled to $2.9 billion in 2008. -- The report gives Brazil as the largest trade partner of Iran in Latin America with a turn-around of about $1.3 billion last year, says the Latin Business Chronicle." -- From Press TV

MERCOSUR Summit to Talk Future Integration
A quote...."Montevideo, Dec 5 (Prensa Latina) The 29th Summit of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) will study two basic points of its agenda that include deepening integration for the future, informed Nelson Fernandez, Uruguayan deputy secretary of Foreign Affairs."

Evo Morales, Favorite to Win Elections
A quote...."La Paz, Dec 5 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales is the favorite candidate to win the December 6 general elections, out of a list of eight aspirants."
    
Putin delivers a presidential display
A quote...."He called for tough measures against terrorists. He accused the United States of holding up Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization. He claimed that his country had weathered the worst of the economic crisis."
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Dr Kelly WAS murdered and there has to be a new inquest, say six top doctors
Special Note - A quote...."Six doctors who believe government scientist David Kelly was murdered have launched a ground-breaking legal action to demand the inquest into his death is reopened. -- They are to publish a hard-hitting report which they claim proves the weapons expert did not commit suicide as the Hutton Report decided. -- They have also engaged lawyers to write to Attorney General Baroness Scotland and the coroner Nicholas Gardiner calling for a full re-examination of the circumstances of his death." -- also posted at DProgram & AlethoNews

Where is bin Laden? Secretary Gates Says No Intel in 'Years'
Special Note - He died in late 2001 or early 2002, everybody knows it, why do people keep pretending? - mpg -- A quote...."Defense Secretary Robert Gates told me that the U.S. has not had any good intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden in "years."  -- He also couldn’t confirm reports that a detainee in Pakistan had claimed that he had information on where bin Laden was earlier this year.  He made the startling admission during my interview with him for "This Week" airing Sunday."
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9/11 - From The History File...Osama bin Laden:  A dead nemesis perpetuated by the US government
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WTC Building 7 Demolition Videos - Alt - (YouTube - 2 min 31 sec - December 03, 2009)
Video - Some quotes...."The official story according to NIST is that one column failed due to the “thermal expansion’ of a few main trusses. Does this look like one column failing to you?  Where is the “raging inferno’ that caused the expansion?" -- Quote from the person who posted the video -- "Please note: This is an unfinished video, I mistakenly encoded it with no audio, and later subsequently deleted the entire project. There's nothing I can do to fix it, without starting over, I figure I should share this, or it ends up in my Recycle Bin and no one ever sees it. I have no use for it, but You The People might...."

What on Earth Happened to the WTC7 on 9/11? - Alt - (YouTube - 1 min 22 sec - November 03, 2008)
Video - From the History File - November 03, 2008 -- A quote...."Thank you to all who have spread this video and the message! We could not grow without YOU." - posted by RP4409

For more regarding the two videos shown above see....9/11-WTC7

Guantanamo writings cost ex-prosecutor his new job - And the cover-up continues. - mpg
A quote...."The former chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay has been dismissed from his current position as an assistant director at the Congressional Research Service for penning an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal and a letter to The Washington Post that offered strong opinions on the prosecution of detainees held at the military prison in Cuba." -- also posted at AlethoNews

Breaking Through a Wall of Police Protection for International Crime
A quote...."When Splitting the Sky broke through police lines in his attempt to conduct a citizen's arrest of former US President, George W. Bush, the Mohawk Freedom Fighter pierced a thick wall of tyranny. He broke through a tight phalanx of state protection for the perpetrators of War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, and Crimes Against the Peace." -- also posted at DProgram

Prefabricated Fascists: The FBI’s Assembly-Line Provocateurs
A quote...."It's difficult not to experience a faint pang of sympathy for Hal Turner, albeit an ephemeral one deeply buried beneath multiple layers of well-earned disgust. -- For at least five years, and probably more, Turner was a paid informant and provocateur in the employ of the world's largest sponsor of terrorism, the Federal Government. His assignment was to bait easily influenced people with incendiary rhetoric about race and other resentments, and reel in anyone who bit a little too lustily on the bait. The Bureau credits Turner with personally bringing more than 100 "extremists" to their attention, many of whom (the Bureau won't specify how many) were arrested."

Rose-Colored Glasses
A quote...."I’ve read my share of columns on police abuse and the police state. I’ve seen my share of videos on YouTube of police abusing people for the most mundane things like speeding, riding a bike on a sidewalk, riding a bike down the street, and, civil, non-violent protest. - But until just recently I hadn’t experienced it myself firsthand."

“The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther”
A quote...."Today marks the fortieth anniversary of the death of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. On December 4th, 1969, Chicago police raided Fred Hampton’s apartment and shot and killed him in his bed. He was just twenty-one years old. Black Panther leader Mark Clark was also killed in the raid. While authorities claimed the Panthers had opened fire on the police who were there to serve a search warrant for weapons, evidence later emerged that told a very different story: that the FBI, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and the Chicago police conspired to assassinate Fred Hampton. We speak with attorney Jeffrey Haas, author of The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther. [includes rush transcript]" -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  ||

Obama administration seeks to kill Gitmo lawsuit
A quote...."A 2008 Supreme Court ruling giving Guantanamo Bay prisoners the right to challenge their indefinite detention does not apply in the case of two detainees who committed suicide, the Obama administration says in newly filed court papers." -- So!  If you abuse your prisoners really badly, maybe even supply them with some rope, perhaps give them a little encouragement, and as a result they "commit suicide", you're off the hook....so to speak.  Nifty! – mpg  -- For more on this issue see....9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Report: 14000 Palestinian olive trees [destroyed by the Israelis] in 2009
Just think of Palestinian olive trees as the exact same equivalent to that of the Native American buffalo, and their deliberate destruction by the Jewish occupiers is being carried out for the exact same reason. - mpg -- A quote...."A Palestinian research centre, specialised in monitoring Israeli violations, revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities destroyed 14000 olive trees in the Palestinian territories during 2009. Such assaults included the uprooting of thousands of olive trees, for the sake of expanding the Israeli settlements, and the burning and cutting of thousands more by settlers." -- also posted at MEM

Rafah under attack
A quote...."GAZA, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and Israeli gunboats fired at Rafah homes and Palestinian fishing boats south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, local sources reported." -- also posted at Uruknet

Increased settler attacks on villages around Nablus followed by army invasions including the use of live ammunition
A quote...."Settler attacks have increased across the Nablus region this week, as residents of Yitzhar settlement target the villages of Burin and Asira al-Qabliya. Israeli Occupation Forces have aided and abetted settlers, terrorising the villages with the use of live ammunition, sound bombs and firing tear gas on Palestinian residents."

Nablus Flaming by the Israeli Settlers
A quote...."West Bank, December 6, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - In Sunday dawn, Israeli Settlers burnt a Palestinian house, in Aynabous, south of Nablus. The cars were burned by the settlers, after they had burnt tons of harvests."

Martin barred from entering Gaza
A quote...."Foreign Minister Micheal Martin has been denied access to war-ravaged Gaza by the Israeli Government. -- Mr Martin had intended to visit the troubled territory later this month to assess the humanitarian situation, but his request was turned down by officials who he claims gave no adequate reason for their rejection." -- also posted at AlethoNews
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Writer's Union chronicle on 158th Day of Resistance: "The struggle continues"
Special Note - A quote...."This time they head to the “Francisco Morazán” central park, seeing as the Micheletti Thug Trolls took over the Resistance Plaza and the areas adjacent to it. In recent days there were four important events for the Marchers, first: An 70% abstention against the elections of Sunday November 29th, second: The development of a fantastic caravan made up of hundreds of vehicles that went throughout the streets of the capital, the third: A spontaneous gathering of hundreds of protesters in front of the Brazillian embassy, where President Mel is, to give him moral support and salutations, and the fourth: A massive assembly of Marchers in the STIBYS union headquarters, which looked like it was going to explode. These four events, the last three of which happened on Monday, have a common characteristic: they demonstrate to us that the Resistance is more alive than ever and fighting with more energy in the streets and everywhere else it is called to fight for the interests of the people whose rights have been violated. They tell us that the struggle is long-term, that they are organized and continue organizing themselves to take power peacefully. They express to us that the crimes committed against a defenseless people should be punished. That the military, soldiers, cops, vultures or whatever you want to call them should go back to their barricades to keep fattening."

Honduras revises down participation in disputed polls
A quote...."The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) posted figures of 49 percent participation after two thirds of votes were counted, down from 62 percent initially given on Sunday."

Elections in Honduras: Whitewashing a Path to a Past of Horrors
A quote...."I came to Honduras to participate as a human rights observer of the electoral climate in a delegation organized by the Quixote Center. Several delegations converged, connecting some 30 U.S. citizens with  dozens more from Canada, Europe and Latin America.  In the days prior to the elections we scattered to different cities, towns and villages, meeting with fishermen, farmers, maquila workers, labor leaders, teachers and lawyers, as well as those who were jailed for carrying spray paint, hospitalized for being shot in the head by the military, and detained for reporting on the repression. It was, most likely, a bit off the 5-star, air-conditioned path of most of the mainstream journalists who are filling your morning papers with the wonders of today’s elections."
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The Government's War on Main Street
Special Note - A quote...."....what is typically NOT SEEN is local hardware stores failing, or other businesses who fail to get listed on the government's gravy train list. What is NOT SEEN is those living on fixed incomes like social security whose standards of living are affected the harshest by inflation, the businesses that never started due to government interventions. What is NEVER SEEN is the employment these new businesses would be providing and, most especially, what is not seen is simply what would happen if the people were not plundered by government in the first place, either in the form of payroll taxes or the insidious hidden tax of inflation." -- also posted at DProgram

Bernanke Channels Willie Sutton In Assault On Social Security: 'That's Where The Money Is'
A quote...."Ben Bernanke has overseen the greatest expansion of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet in its history, pouring trillions of dollars into Wall Street firms at roughly zero interest rates. -- His generosity, however, has a limit. -- In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee today, where he's seeking re-appointment as the Fed's chairman, Bernanke called for cutbacks in Medicare and Social Security even as unemployment rises and the middle class is endangered. -- Citing legendary bank robber Willie Sutton, Bernanke said of the retirement and health care funds that are the legacy of the New Deal: "That's where the money is." -- For more on this issue see....Go Build Your Neo-Roman Empire - Just Leave Us Out Of It - 10-14-07 - mpg

[US-NRE] Bankruptcy Filings up 100 Percent from 2007
A quote...."The U.S. Courts released data last week closing out the 2009 fiscal year.  In the release we find that bankruptcy filings are up 100+ percent from 2007.  No other economic vehicle shows deeper signs of financial strain than bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy is the end of the road for many Americans."

Mexican migrants sent home 36 pct less in October
Deflation Alert - A quote...."MEXICO CITY -- Mexican migrants sent home 36 percent less money in October than a year earlier, marking the largest drop since records began being kept in 1996, Mexico's central bank said Tuesday." -- also posted at DProgram

Britain's Inflationary Debt Spiral as Bank of England Keeps Expanding Quantitative Easing
Must Read - Charts - A quote...."Over the coming years we will witness the systematic destruction of the British currency as witnessed through the inflation and commodity / asset price data as the Inflation Mega-trend starts to unfold following the asset price destruction induced Deflation of 2008 into early 2009."

Pay cut for two million Britons causes collapse in tax revenue
A quote...."The [British] Government is now facing the biggest peacetime deficit in history, and ministers will next week confirm they are likely to borrow close to £180 billion this year – the equivalent of the entire NHS and education budgets combined." - bold by website editor - DANG!!  Even just "helping" the US-NRE build its own empire for an eventual share in the spoils, booty and bling can get really expensive! - mpg

Defiant banks pay millions in bonuses - And yet! - mpg
A quote...."A fresh row over City bonuses is set to engulf ministers after it emerged last night that 200 executives at Lloyds, the partly state-owned bank, are set to receive one-off payments worth up to 80 per cent of their annual salaries." -- also posted at DProgram

Barclays bankers to be handed pay rises of more than 100% - And yet! - mpg
A quote...."Barclays is preparing to hand 150 per cent pay rises to staff at its 'casino' banking division. -- In a pre-Christmas give-away, some 20,000 workers at the Barclays Capital investment bank will see their salaries jump sharply, sources said."

Friday December 4th 2009

America's regression
Must Read - Quote of the Day...."The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of the Convention. . . . Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today. -- The core provisions of the Convention establish a regime for international cooperation in the criminal prosecution of torturers relying on so-called "universal jurisdiction." Each State Party is required either to prosecute torturers who are found in its territory or to extradite them to other countries for prosecution." -- *Ronald Reagan*, May 20, 1988, transmitting the Convention Against Torture to the Senate for ratification:" - bold by website editor -- also posted at ICH & CommonDreams

The Peace Prize War - Obama is George W. Bush with a higher IQ and a better vocabulary
Must Read - A quote...."The American information bubble prevents the populace from recognizing the world around it. Iran's leader, constantly demonized in the “bubble,” “is not a pariah everywhere on earth, no matter how much American press and politicians fume and fuss.” It becomes increasingly clear that the United States is fooling no one but its own citizens, who are victimized by their ignorance. “Military prowess seems to be the only power the United States has left. It apparently has no ability to help its own people.” -- also posted at GlobalRsrch & DProgram

War Cries From a Defeated Man
Must Read - A quote...."Ritual trumphalism about America’s righteous mission in the closing sentences of his speech did not dispel the distinct impression during  President Obama’s  33-minute address to cadets at West Point Tuesday night that we were listening to  a man defeated by the challenge of justifying the dispatch of 3o,000 more troops to Afghanistan.  Contrary to the hackneyed  references to his “soaring rhetoric”,  the speech was earth-bound and mechanically delivered."

Obama's Af-Pak is as Whack as Bush's Iraq
Must Read - A quote...."Barack Obama’s oratorical skills have turned on him, revealing, as George Bush’s low-grade delivery never could, the perfect incoherence of the current American imperial project in South Asia. Bush’s verbal eccentricities served to muddy his entire message, leaving the observer wondering what was more ridiculous, the speechmaker or the speech. There is no such confusion when Obama is on the mic. His flawless delivery of superbly structured sentences provides no distractions, requiring the brain to examine the content – the policy in question – on its actual merits. The conclusion comes quickly: the U.S. imperial enterprise in Afghanistan and Pakistan is doomed, as well as evil. -- The president’s speech to West Point cadets was a stream of non sequiturs so devoid of logic as to cast doubt on the sanity of the authors. “[T]hese additional American and international troops,” said the president, “will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011.” -- Obama claims that, the faster an additional 30,000 Americans pour into Afghanistan, the quicker will come the time when they will leave. More occupation means less occupation, you see? This breakneck intensification of the U.S. occupation is necessary, Obama explains, because “We have no interest in occupying your country.” -- also posted at ICH

The Audacity of Ethnic Cleansing - Obama's plan for Afghanistan
Must Read - A quote...."December 04, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- The Bush administration never had any intention of liberating Afghanistan or establishing democracy. The real aim was to remove the politically-intractable Taliban and replace them with a puppet regime run by a former-CIA asset. The rest of Afghanistan would be parceled-off to the warlords who assisted in the invasion and who had agreed to do much of the United States dirty-work on the ground. In the eight years of military occupation which followed, that basic strategy has never changed. The U.S. is just as committed now as it was at the war's inception to establish a beachhead in Central Asia to oversee the growth of China, to execute disruptive/covert operations against Russia, to control vital pipeline routes from the Caspian Basin, and to maintain a heavy military presence in the most critical geopolitical area in the world today."

30,000 President Obama Channels George W. Bush - Alt - (CC Daily Show Vid - 10 min 21 sec - Dec 2 2009)
Video - See the video above for Jon Stewart's slightly different interpratation of Obama's speech. - mpg

Oh Fa Chrissake...President Barack Obama Delivered The Best Speech George W. Bush Ever Gave In His Life
A Second Quote of the Day - (The title shown above) - On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama delivered the best speech George W. Bush ever gave in his life. Mr. Bush, if he was watching, would have recognized virtually every facet of Obama's speech, for it was the Bush administration that hammered out the template used by Mr. Obama to deliver the news that he is doubling down on the war in Afghanistan. -- Obama's eloquence was far superior to anything Mr. Bush could have ever hoped to achieve - for the first time in the 21st century, the United States has a president who can pronounce "nuclear" correctly - but at the end of the day, it was the same script all over again."

Obama’s War: The Reaction
A quote...."I’m actually pretty surprised to see that many liberals and progressives are not climbing on board Obama’s war wagon – notably Rachel Maddow, who made a stinging criticism of the escalation by comparing the rhetoric of the Bush administration and that of the New Obama, concluding that the latter had adopted and even extended the essence of the "Bush Doctrine," the morally indefensible idea that we have to strike at targets that might possibly pose a threat to U.S. national security some time in the indefinite future. Her subsequent interview with counterinsurgency guru John Nagl, however, was strictly softball – but, hey, whaddaya expect. This is MSNBC, after all."

Has Obama-Era Politics Debased the Meaning of Being 'Progressive'?
A quote...."The morning after President Obama's West Point speech justifying his commitment of more troops to the war effort in Afghanistan, "representatives of six major progressive organizations" held a press conference to back the President's policy. The effort was organized by Jim Arkedis of the Progressive Policy Institute and Rachel Kleinfeld of the Truman National Security Project."

What Obama’s Afghan war plan will cost you
A quote...."A pretty penny. President Obama said Tuesday night it would cost $30 billion this fiscal year — or about $1 million per soldier — to send 30,000 additional troops there. That’s a low estimate, budget experts say, but let’s run with it for the moment. An extra $30 billion in Afghanistan means that in 2010 alone, US military spending in Afghanistan will equal nearly half of total spending on the war since 2001, according to Travis Sharp, military policy analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington. The troop increase will cost $2.5 billion per month, $82 million per day, $3.4 million per hour, $57,000 per minute, and $951 per second." -- also posted at WarInIraq
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CNN, AP use 9/11 families to foment support for occupation of Afghanistan
A quote...."Of course, propaganda that justifies the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq is not new. But with President Obama's recent decision to send 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan, more propaganda is being issued to generate support for the occupation. Obama's speech placed Bushian emphasis on the "we didn't start this" meme, returning 9/11 to the propaganda foreground."

Zelikow's 'What Do I Do Now?' Memo Found
Special Note - A quote...."We have found the famous "What Do I Do Now?" memo drafted by 9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow on March 2, 2003. The memo advised staffers newly hired by the commission what they should do after starting work. The memo was found by Erik at the National Archives and uploaded to the 9/11 Document Archive at Scribd. Philip Shenon's The Commission highlighted the memo and one controversial section in particular..... " -- For more on this issue see....9/11-Commission

Polls Show People Are Concerned About The Truth Of 9/11 - Alt - (YouTube - 3 min 06 sec - Dec 02, 2009)
Video - A quote...."Do yourself a favor, and take the time to read as much as you can." - posted by Gold9472

Resumed military panels face new challenges
A quote...."GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA -- Military commissions at Guantanamo Bay, which President Obama suspended amid much fanfare immediately after taking office, quietly resumed this week with new signs of the legal complexities of the cases and the challenges for prosecutors."
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5 Reasons that Corporate Media Coverage is Pro-War
Censorship Alert - Charts - A quote...."There are five reasons that the mainstream media is worthless."

Comcast to buy control of NBC Universal in $30-billion transaction
Censorship Alert - Related Article - A quote...."In a momentous shift in the balance of power of the entertainment industry, cable television giant Comcast Corp. on Thursday made it official by announcing that it was buying control of NBC Universal from General Electric Co."

Seven Jewish Americans Control Most US Media
Censorship Alert - A quote...."Today, seven Jewish Americans run the vast majority of US television networks, the printed press, the Hollywood movie industry, the book publishing industry, and the recording industry. Most of these industries are bundled into huge media conglomerates run by the following seven individuals:" -- For more on this sort of issue see....Judeo-Christian C/C & US

Criticizing Israel May Be Deemed As Crime
Censorship Alert - So, do you all see what’s happening here? The “old” Anti-Semitism, you remember it don’t you? I like to call it the “real” Anti-Semitism, it existed, and today it still exists to some extent, just like Anti-Catholic, Anti-Muslim, Anti-Black, Anti-Irish, Anti-Hispanic, etc, etc, etc still exist in racially and ethnically motivated haters. However, the Zionists, who took over Judaism and “changed” it to a neocon rightwing violent nationalist movement akin to Al-Qaeda, are now attempting to include criticism of both the State of Israel and Zionism as the “new” Anti-Semitism.” And they are quietly trying to get the laws changed to reflect this.

[British] Police U-turn on photographers and anti-terror laws
Censorship Alert - A quote...."[British] Police forces across the country have been warned to stop using anti-terror laws to question and search innocent photographers after The Independent forced senior officers to admit that the controversial legislation is being widely misused."
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Rachel Maddow With Jeremy Scahill: Inside the Contractor's Studio - Alt - (MSNBC Vid - 7m24s - 12/04/09)
Video - More on Eric Prince, Blackwater and Pakistan. - mpg

Sources: Blackwater's Running A Secret War in Pakistan
Contains Video - From the History File - Tuesday Nov 24, 2009 -- A quote...."There was a definite method to BushCo's madness: Namely, hire subcontractors to evade the laws that prevent the DoD and the CIA from taking part in torture and assassination. "

C.I.A. Authorized to Expand Use of Drones in Pakistan
A quote...."WASHINGTON — Two weeks ago in Pakistan, Central Intelligence Agency sharpshooters killed eight people suspected of being militants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and wounded two others in a compound that was said to be used for terrorist training."

Blackwater Founder Tells of Extensive Government-Contracted Assassinations
A quote...."In an article published in Vanity Fair, Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater, spoke about the extent of his involvement with the CIA, which ranged from putting together, funding and executing operations to bring personnel into "denied areas" to targeting specific people for assassination who were deemed enemies by the US government."

Pakistani army leaders killed in al-Qaeda mosque attack
A quote...."Five serving officers, including a major general, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels and a major, died in the assault by suicide bombers and gunmen on a mosque near the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi. -- A retired major and three serving ordinary soldiers were also among the dead as well as 17 children, including 11 sons of officers." -- For more on this issue see....It Will Happen Every Single Time - 01-01-08 - mpg

[Pakistan's] Interior secretary issued notice in Blackwater plea
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."Seeking search of US embassy, he said the day Blackwater had stepped into Pakistan, terror acts and suicide attacks had been scaled up. The counsel also alleged that in the US embassy illegal arms and ammunition were being stored, which were being used for “sabotage acts” in the country." - bold by website editor -- For more on this issue see....CLG's AfPak database

Bin Laden not in Pakistan, says prime minister - At least not alive. - mpg
A quote...."The Pakistani prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, today claimed that Osama bin Laden was not in Pakistan – just days after Gordon Brown criticised the Islamabad government for not doing enough to capture the al-Qaida leader."
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Nato cool over more Afghan troops
A quote...."Most European countries appear reluctant to send more soldiers to a war that often looks unwinnable and in support of an Afghan government tainted by corruption and election fraud." -- also posted at WarInIraq

United States of America, Chief Kingpin in the Afghanistan Heroin Trade?
A quote...."I spoke to one of Razik's current commanders, who was initially extremely reluctant and agreed to meet only on the basis of absolute anonymity—Razik would kill him if he knew he was talking, he said. Still, he came forward because he felt that the corruption had swelled to monstrous proportions, and he was anguished about the worsening security situation that was costing the lives of more and more of his men." -- also posted at Uruknet

The Campaign Cash Behind the Afghanistan Escalation
A quote...."...a recent Gallup poll found that 60% of Democrats want the president to begin reducing troop levels in Afghanistan. -- But while the president may be showing disloyalty to his political base, he's remaining faithful to the defense industry interests that so generously funded his campaign." -- also posted at CommonDreams & AftrDwngSt

US prepares Fallujah-style offensive in Afghanistan
A quote...."About 1,000 Marines attacked an area in southern Afghanistan controlled by insurgents on Friday, in the US-led occupation’s first major offensive since President Obama announced that he would send 30,000 more soldiers to the war."

Marines Launch Massive Assault Against Helmand Ghost Town
A quote...."Around 300 US Marines began the first stages of an attack on the Afghan ghost town of Nawzad, and 700 more are expected to be introduced to the offensive soon in a move that officials say is a prelude to the surge."
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Iran 'Bought Masses of N.Korean Arms' - Iran is arming up for the coming attack. - mpg
A quote...."Iran has imported piles of North Korean-made conventional weapons, the Washington Post reported Thursday, even though both countries are under UN sanctions over their nuclear programs. Weapons also went to two Palestinian militant organizations, the Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Islamist Hamas, the paper said." -- also posted at BLN

Iran to Limit IAEA Cooperation to Bare Minimum Legal Requirements
A quote...."Last week’s US-backed resolution in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a blanket condemnation of Iran’s entire nuclear program and demands that it halt all construction of an enrichment facility it legally reported in September has backfired."
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Iraq: Over 900 prisoners face execution by New Year - The US-NRE's "freedom & democracy" marches onward
A quote...."The 900-plus prisoners have exhausted all their appeals and their death sentences are said to have been ratified by the Presidential Council, meaning that they could be executed at any time.  Amnesty supporters are contacting Iraqi embassies around the world, including that in London, in a bid to stop the executions."

Iraq Counterterror Leader Slain in Tikrit
A quote...."The death of Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Subhi al-Fahal, one of the top anti-terror chiefs in central Iraq, is being celebrated by insurgents across Iraq, and crowed about on Iraqi al-Qaeda affiliated web sites."
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Fighters repel Saudi incursion into Yemen: Houthis
A quote...."Houthi fighters are staging strong resistance against unrelenting Saudi airstrikes in northern Yemen, saying they have quashed a Saudi ground incursion into the territory."

HRW urges civilian protection in Yemen, Houthi crisis
A quote...."Human Rights Watch is calling on those fighting against Yemeni Houthis to take all necessary measures to spare civilian lives and ensure they receive humanitarian assistance."
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The economy during the Morales administration
A quote...."Bolivia’s economic growth in the last four years has been higher than at any time in the last 30 years, averaging 4.9 percent annually since the current administration took office in 2006. Projected GDP growth for 2009 is the highest in the hemisphere. It is worth noting that Bolivia’s growth for 2009 follows its peak growth rate in 2008. By Mark Weisbrot et al.  (04/12/09)  -- Document in PDF"

Destabilizing Plan in Venezuela Border Denounced
A quote...."Caracas, Dec 4 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan deputies denounced Friday the intention of political destabilization in the border with Colombia due to riots registered this week in the state of Tachira, termed an essay for greater actions in the country."

Putin pledges ruthless fight against Caucasus militants
A quote...."Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged radical measures to end a surge of militant violence in the North Caucasus, but said a new war is not expected in the region." -- also posted at BLN

Germany Almost Has World War One Reparations Paid Off
A quote...."Germany is just 10 short months away from finally paying off one of the most onerous post-war reparations debts in human history, its massive war debt from the Treaty of Versailles."
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From The Archives: Israeli Scholar Disputes Founding Myth
A quote...."Consortium News Editor’s Note: In April, we published an article by Middle East expert Morgan Strong about the controversial findings of Israeli historian Shlomo Sand, calling the Roman Diaspora of the Jewish people a myth that has been misused to justify the current displacement of Palestinians by European Jews, whom Sand argues have no geneological connection to the Holy Land. -- Since then, Sand's book, renamed "The Invention of the Jewish People", [GoglBkSrch]* has been published in English, and the author has recently appeared on international news programs to respond to questions about his findings. Clips from one such interview are included below, along with Strong's article:" - *links added

Israel seeks to prohibit call to prayer in Al Aqsa mosque because it disturbs settlers
A quote...."The Israeli Knesset is discussing a bill to ban the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem from raising the dawn call to prayer in order not to disturb the settlers in the holy city. Israeli media reported on Thursday that the draft law now under scrutiny by parliament will affect other densely populated cities." -- also posted Uruknet

"More Organ Theft" & "Ukraine Isn't the Gaza Strip"
A quote...."And another country refuses to let Israel control it. Ukraine tells Israeli Organisation attempting censorship "Ukraine isn't the Gaza Strip." Additionally, Ukraine is accusing Israel of harvesting organs from 25,000 missing Ukrainian children taken to Israel. This on the heels of the same types of accusations from Sweden's Donald Boström report on the same thing only the victims were Palestinians. Then of course we had the New Jersey Rabbis in America, selling Kidneys on the black market . Anyone notice a theme here? - As expected, screams of Anti-Semitism, which are totally not true, because these are actually accusations of crimes, which, is NOT Anti-Semitic. Perhaps the international community should call for an International investigation into these claims of organ harvesting and Israel should cooperate, if, it has nothing to hide:"

For the moment, this website editor is going to consider the story above as completely unverified and very close to something that should be classified as an urban legend.  Obviously it will have to be investigated by the Ukrainian and Russian authorities.  This website editor has no doubt that these authorities will find no basis for the claims made in this particular article.

One small point however, and everyone should understand the full meaning of this sentence quite clearly....this story had better not be true.  Let's repeat that one more time so everyone understands what is meant....

It - had - better - not - be - true. - mpg

For more on this sort of issue see....Israeli Organ Thefts
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

A Day In Palestine
A quote...."I wake up t the news that 15 Palestinian youths were kidnapped overnight by the Israeli military. In the past few weeks Israel seems to be filling up its jails to replace those they will release as part of a prisoner exchange with Hamas (which is holding one Israeli occupation soldier). I drive my wife to her class at the University and go run some errands."

Report finds new Israeli war doctrine targets civilians
A quote...."The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) released today [2 December 2009] a new report which exposes the shifts in Israel's combat doctrine as evidenced in the prosecution of operation "Cast Lead" and from numerous public oral and written statements made by high ranking military officers and senior Israeli government officials."

IOF troops arrest a Palestinian youth, assault elderly farmer
A quote...."TULKAREM, (PIC)-- IOF troops, at dawn Friday, raided the Nur-Shams refugee camp to the east of the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem and arrested an 18-year-old Palestinian boy. -- Local sources reported that IOF troops raided the home of freed Palestinian captive Mahmoud Asas at 3:00 am, ransacked it and then arrested his brother Ahmad Asas."

Shock follows footage of settler running over Palestinian
A quote...."An amateur video shocked Palestinians on Tuesday, catching what appeared to be an Israeli settler repeatedly running over a wounded Palestinian at a gas station in Hebron last week. -- The Palestinian, an unidentified man shot several times following an alleged knife attack at the station, appeared to be staggering when a silver Mercedes ran him down, stopped, reversed, and ran him over again."
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More on the US-NRE's Honduran Coup....

Honduran Political Forces Prepare Strategy
A quote...."Tegucigalpa, Dec 4 (Prensa Latina) The National Front against the Coup d'Etat in Honduras stated that it will carry out an assembly this weekend to analyze strategy in its struggle for restoring democracy."
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Trickle-up Economics - Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice shame on me
Must Read - A quote...."December 04, 2009 "Information Clearing House" -- Goldman Sachs senior executives are arming themselves with New York gun permits, according to Alice Schroeder on Bloomberg.com.  The banksters “are now equipped to defend themselves if there is a populist uprising against the bank.” -- One can understand why the banksters are worried. The company, now known as Gold Sacks, has a large responsibility for the financial crisis and the fraudulent “securities” that wrecked the world economy and Americans’ pensions. A former Gold Sachs CEO had control of the US Treasury during the Bush regime from which he diverted $750 billion to bail out the banks, thus supplying them with free capital. Gold Sachs made $27,000 million during the first three quarters of 2009 and is paying out massive bonuses, leaving the busted taxpayers with the debt and interest charges." - also posted at DProgram & CounterPunch - For more on this issue see....Good Economic News - 12-04-09 - mpg

Fed Balance Sheet Declines By $15 Billion After Improbable Reduction In MBS, Excess Reserves, Monetary Base Hit Record -- Special Note - Charts -- A quote...."The Federal Reserve's balance sheet declined by $15 billion to $2,183 billion from the prior week, after the Fed presumably offloaded $2.7 billion in MBS: this is the first time since QE started that MBS holdings have declined. If anyone can tell us just who the idiots are who bought MBS from the Fed (and at what price), and who the even greater idiots are who are supposed to believe this, please send us an email."

More Lies From Bernanke
A quote...."These days catching the Fed chairman telling the truth as opposed to a b(a)ld faced lie is in itself a six sigma event. Sadly this post will continue with hugging the median. Some observations on the most recent fabrications by the chief money printer himself, which go to show just how willing Bernanke is willing to bend reality and/or his perception of it as the occasion suits."
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Good Economic News
12-04-09
mpg

Job market shows big improvement - [only 11,000 jobs lost vs a projected 100,000-125,000]
Special Note - Non-Deflation Alert - Really good news - A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The long-suffering U.S. jobs market improved significantly in November, as employers trimmed the fewest jobs of any month since the start of the recession, and the unemployment rate posted the biggest one-month decline in more than three years."

Editor's Special Note:  The stock market of course did nothing on what should have been considered fantastically good news (by the way, this could be a sign that it's topping out, a phase which can last two to three months) while the bond market tanked on inflation expectations.

On the other hand gold also plunged which is not what it should do according to "conventional wisdom", but as has been pointed out by authors posted on this website, gold has acted more like a standard commodity for many decades than as a "hedge against inflation" or as "a store of real or intrinsic value", and as such it can experience booms and busts just like any other commodity irrespective of inflation or deflation.  Also it should be noted that the dollar went up today because of this good news and as a currency hedge, which is why many people bought gold recently, gold could very well do the opposite of what the dollar does.

The fact the stock market did not go up and bonds tanked probably means people are anticipating the end of Fed easing.  (As interest rates go up bond prices drop).  However, the Fed has stated it will soon discontinue its enumerable support programs of roughly twenty four trillion dollars worth of paper production (despite what many people say they WILL NOT be able to "unwind" them) while it is also concealing several massive undeclared holes in its multiple balance sheets, which they may very soon be forced to disclose, (Ron Paul's bill). As such it's hardly likely they'll raise interest rates anytime soon.

That being the case, this website editor still maintains there is a substantial twenty percent chance of another depression era deflationary down leg in the economy IF the Fed and the parasitic class do not succeed with their program of "paper production", (Whereas three months ago it was 30%).

If however they’re able to succeed with their program there will simply be an eighty percent chance of a larger, more destructive variant, of the early seventies to early eighties stagflation. (Whereas three months ago it was 70%).

Except for the US-NRE's own gigantic and growing credit/debt bubble, which has contributed substantially to the rise in the stock market, the commodities market appears to be the only financial arena that might develop into a long term bubble in the foreseeable future, and only because of all those other industrial economies out there who are busily purchasing as many commodities as they can.

Other than that, there is absolutely ZERO CHANCE of the Fed building another bubble of any sort, anytime soon, and of course the Fed and the parasitic class have absolutely no intention of creating a stable currency or a well regulated industrial economy in this country ever again.

It's simply not in their interest to do so. – mpg

For more on this issue see....The Virtual Economy - 05-01-09 - mpg
See also....Price Deflation, Black-Scholes & The Fed - 12-01-09 - mpg
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Dollar Up, Gold Down ...
Special Note - A quote...."I have previously predicted that the dollar would rally at some point in the short-term, and that the dollar's rise would be correlated with a correction in gold. -- Today, the dollar index rose from around 74.7 to 75.934:"

Has The Gold Bubble Burst? Either Way, Geithner Is Now Scroomed
Chart - A quote...."A 4% move in 4 hours. At least with the gold bubble out of the way, stocks are fully apprised of what to anticipate. Somewhere Tim Geithner is congratulating himself for a strong dollar job well done. Of course, this does little to resolve the several trillion of worthless crap on bank balance sheets whose "value" just went in the non-FDIC preferred direction."

Stocks log slight gains, but dollar hits commodities
Related Article - A quote...."NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Stocks eked out a small gain Friday in a session that saw gold plunge and the dollar leap as much better-than-expected jobs data prompted a breakdown in key risk relationships across financials markets."

Eliot Spitzer: Geithner, Bernanke “Complicit” in Financial Crisis and Should Go
A quote...."In an extended interview, we speak with former New York governor Eliot Spitzer about the financial crisis and how it was handled by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Bernanke and Geithner “actually built and participated in creating the structure that now has collapsed,” Spitzer says and calls on them to be replaced. Spitzer also talks about the scandal that erupted last year that forced him to resign as governor. “I have no doubt that there were many people who were opposed to me, very powerful forces, who were happy to see me go,” Spitzer says. “Whether they participated, I’ll let others figure that out. I resigned because of what I did.” [includes rush transcript] -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || 

AmTrust, three Georgia banks closed by regulators
A quote...."SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Cleveland-based AmTrust Bank, with 66 branches and roughly $8 billion in deposits, was closed by regulators Friday, as the ongoing credit crunch continued to claim victims."

Bank failure tally reaches 130
A quote...."Regulators shutter Cleveland-based AmTrust Bank, and five other banks. Closures will cost the FDIC $2.384 billion."

Judge ends Enron shareholder lawsuit against banks
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exactly eight years after Enron Corp filed for bankruptcy protection, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by investors against banks they accused of helping the energy company commit fraud." -- So....the banks get off.....again.  For more on this sort of issue see....The Green Light 01-16-08 - mpg

Currency Warfare - Review of Financial Markets
Special Note - A quote...."We are predicting a very damaging year in 2010 for both stocks and bonds. One of the big questions is the implementation of Basel II and III and the FASB. If their stricter accounting practices are enforced the corporate world is in for a heap of trouble. Financial firms are in particular danger. In this past 3rd quarter non-financial corporate profits fell 12%. The result was that $97 billion of $123 billion in profits came from the financial sector. This is not a balanced performance. It is very disturbing because most of corporate profits come from cost cutting – that is firing employees." -- also posted at DProgram -- For more on this issue see....Currency Spheres - 10-29-09 - mpg

European Banks Growing Bigger ‘Sowing the Seeds’ of Next Crisis
Related Article - A quote...."Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- European banks are emerging from the credit crisis bigger than before, posing more risk to their national economies." -- also posted at BLN

Economic crisis to consolidate the Russian financial sector
Related Article - A quote...."The Russian stock market saw a slump in prices in late October despite encouraging macroeconomic news. Securities took a plunge from the crest reached during the crisis second wave, which swept a large number of insolvent companies into the hands of big banks. Elena Titova, president and chairman of the executive board at OOO Morgan Stanley Bank (Russia), shares her views with RN" -- also posted at BLN

UK banks' exposure at Dubai World is $5 bn
A quote...."UK banks have a total of $5 billion exposure at Dubai World, making them the largest foreign creditor group of the troubled Dubai corporation. -- A week after the news came out regarding Dubai's financial turmoil, it is now clear that many UK banking institutions have an exposure of about $5 bn at Dubai World, with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) having the most, the Financial Times reported."

UAE investor concern over repayment - Alt - (AJ YouTube - 3 min 24 sec - December 04, 2009)
Video - A quote...."Investors are becoming increasingly worried over how Dubai is ever going to pay its enormous debts. -- Amid rising fury among bondholders at losing lots of money, the cost of insuring the debt against restructuring or default rose on the London stock market on Friday. -- And banking analysts say the trust of investors has been unforgiveably shattered. -- Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports."

Thursday Decembr 3rd 2009