Wednesday December 22nd 2010

Making the World Fear and Hate Jews a Dreadfully Wrong Policy
Must Read - A quote...."When the rabbi advising Prime Minister Netanyahu goes on television claiming “goyim,” all non-Jews, only are allowed to stay alive as beasts of burden, serving Jews who are ordained by g-d to “bask in luxury” from the work of others, it isn’t an accident.  He had a job.  That job was to make people hate Jews.  If people forget to hate Jews, Israel will have no purpose, it won’t need nuclear weapons or the continual wars it has convinced the United States to fight in its stead."
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More on the Wikileaks Cointelpro Fiasco....

WikiLeaks: A Very Short Coincidence Theory
Special Note - A quote...."It is surely just a coincidence that the law firm – Finers Stephens Innocent – which represents Julian Assange and set up the Julian Assange Defense Fund is also legal adviser to the Rothschild Waddesdon Trust; that the partially Rothschild-owned Economist gave Assange its 2008 Freedom of Expression Award; that Lord Rothschild is deputy chairman of BSkyB, whose warmongering chairman Rupert Murdoch and his propagandist father were lauded as fearless advocates of the truth by the WikiLeaks founder in an op-ed in the Murdoch-owned The Australian; that Benjamin Netanyahu, who often stays with Murdoch in London and has the award-winning pro-Israel media magnate on his “list of millionaires” (i.e. potential donors), was not only the sole world leader “undoubtedly delighted” by the leaks but was singled out by Assange as a believer in diplomatic transparency; and that the criminal state for which WikiLeaks provided an unexpected “diplomatic coup” was first promised to British Zionists in an enigmatic 1917 letter to an earlier Lord Rothschild."

Assange Confirms that Bank of America Is the Target of Bank Leak
Related Article - A quote...."There has been widespread speculation that WikiLeaks would target Bank of America. -- This has now been confirmed. -- Specifically, Agence Press France is reporting: Assange also confirmed that WikiLeaks was holding a vast amount of material about Bank of America which it intends to release early next year. Time will tell whether the Bank of America documents will be a bombshell, or just a bunch of sound and fury signifying nothing."

11 Ways Bank of America Practices Hurt Americans
Related Article - A quote...."Today's front page New York Times story about Bank of America illegally breaking into people's homes and taking their possessions is a painful reminder that many American families are spending the holiday season desperately trying to save their homes." - bold by website editor

Regarding the articles shown above....It appears Bank of America has been pre-selected as a target by some members of the "Jewish Community".  As to the whys, wherefores and reasons, they are still mysteries as of this date. Perhaps BofA didn't cooperate with some recent scheme hatched by the other TBFs, or perhaps BofA  irritated the AIPAC/Israeli consortium at some point in the past, or perhaps it's some sort of Bankster power-play.  Keep in mind this is just a tentative observation, (not an analysis, theory or even speculation) but it might be a good idea from now on for everyone to back-trace all future articles and "leaks" regarding BofA's (undoubted) perfidy to see who initiated them. - mpg

For more regarding the articles shown above see....No Subtlety Whatsoever - 12-01-10 - mpg
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Stealth Resolutions by Congress
A quote...."When Congress actually sits down and does something, hold on to your hat and wallet.  Last week the House passed "unanimously" what might be described as a stealth resolution in that the document was only made public a day before being voted on, allowing no time for genuine debate or review by legislators and voters.  When it was finally tabled, it received a voice vote, in which those present say aye or nay, with the speaker declaring whether the resolution passes or not.  Unlike a "record" vote, there is no easy way to determine who voted which way or, indeed, who was present when the vote was taken.  It is the ultimate democracy in action cop out, enabling congressmen to behave completely irresponsibly. -- The resolution in question was – surprise, surprise – on the Middle East, another expression of the will of Congress and the American people that Israel should be able to do anything it wants and the Palestinians should be grateful that they have not been completely exterminated. " - By the way folks, when you have secret votes in Congress on behalf of a foreign power by your supposed representatives, it not only demonstrates abject, craven, cowardice, it also could legitimately be construed as an act of treason. - mpg

Standing together against US government witch hunt  - posted at ElectronicIntifada
Special Note - A quote...."As The Electronic Intifada reported in November, international solidarity and anti-war activists are facing a new wave of repression in the United States. -- Since 24 September, two dozen activists in Minneapolis, Chicago and other cities across the country have been handed subpoenas by the FBI to appear before a grand jury."

Obama Prepares Executive Order For Indefinite Detention
A quote...."First president Obama becomes Bush in all but name with respect to his predecessor's economic policies, and now he follows by espousing Bush's interpretation of "civil rights" as well." - also posted at DProgram

President Obama’s Christmas Gift to AT&T (and Comcast and Verizon)
A quote...."One of President Barack Obama’s signature campaign promises was to protect the freedom of the Internet. He said, in November 2007, “I will take a back seat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality, because once providers start to privilege some applications or websites over others, then the smaller voices get squeezed out and we all lose.” - also posted at ICH

News Black-Out in DC: Pay No Attention to Those Veterans Chained to the White House Fence
A quote...."There was a black-out and a white-out Thursday and Friday as over a hundred US veterans opposed to US wars in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world, and their civilian supporters, chained and tied themselves to the White House fence during an early snowstorm to say enough is enough."

131 Arrested at Veteran-led Civil Resistance Against Wars Dec. 16
Videos & Photo Gallery - Related - Vets4Peace - ResistingEndlsWars - PhotoGallery -- A quote...."131 veterans and others were arrested December 16 in front of the White House."

My Files on the LBJ-CIA Assassination of JFK
A quote...."Lyndon Johnson made a dirty deal with CIA Republicans to murder John Kennedy in the 1963 Coup d’Etat. (People like Clint Murchison Sr., H.L. Hunt, Nelson Rockefeller, David Rockefeller, top Nelson Rockefeller aide Henry Kissinger, George Herbert Walker Bush and Gen. Edward Lansdale all are excellent candidates for elite sponsorship.) Lyndon Johnson and Allen Dulles may very well have been co-CEOs of the JFK assassination; with the CIA in charge of the killing of JFK, and Lyndon Johnson and (his close friend and neighbor of 19 years in Washington, DC) FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in charge of the cover up."

Tommy Douglas: Air secret RCMP files
A quote...."Few Canadians are more revered than Tommy Douglas, the former Saskatchewan premier, national NDP leader, Baptist minister, and father of medicare. When he died in 1986, he was a national icon. -- But his critique of capitalism made him a target for the RCMP security service during the Cold War era of “Reds under the beds.” It was a time when FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover compiled vast and damaging dossiers on U.S. presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy, Pierre Trudeau, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Sammy Davis Jr. and a host of others. -- The RCMP shadowed Douglas with Hoover-like zeal -- eavesdropping on private conversations, probing his links to the peace movement and analyzing his every remark."

More Evidence of Medical Experimentation at Guantánamo
A quote...."In an investigative report for Truthout, my colleagues Jason Leopold and the psychologist and blogger Jeffrey Kaye have followed up on an important story they published three weeks ago, “Controversial Drug Given to All Guantánamo Detainees Akin to ‘Pharmacologic Waterboarding’” (which I cross-posted here, with commentary). In that article, they revealed how, in the months following the opening of Guantánamo on January 11, 2002, every single prisoner was forced to “take a high dosage of a controversial antimalarial drug, mefloquine, an act that an Army public health physician called ‘pharmacologic waterboarding.’” - also posted at Uruknet
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NATO Kills Five Civilians in Attack on Afghan Home
A quote...."NATO officials confirmed today that they are investigating the latest killing of Afghan civilians by coalition troops, after forces opened fire on a house in Sangin District, Helmand Province, killing at least five." - also posted at Uruknet

25K [US-NRE] soldiers headed to Afghanistan in 2011
A quote...."Nearly 25,000 troops will board planes for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan starting soon after New Year's, the Defense Department has announced."

Don’t make Pakistan scapegoat for Afghan failure, Haqqani tells US
A quote...."WASHINGTON: The Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani, has said that the US and Nato countries should not make Pakistan a scapegoat for their collective failure in Afghanistan."

Iran arrests four "terrorists" in northwest
A quote...."TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- General and Revolution Prosecutor of Iran's northwestern city of Mahabad said the security police arrested four alleged "terrorists" in the city of Mahabad, the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. -- Samad Hazrati told IRNA on Wednesday that the arrested people intended to conduct bombing and terrorist operations in Mahabad in the religious mourning ceremonies of Moharram in the past days."

Cuba Sentences Terrorist to 30 Years
A quote...."cuba-havana-salvadoran-francisco-antonio-chavez-abarca-terrorism-sentences22 de diciembre de 2010, 09:23Havana, Dec 22 (Prensa Latina) The People's Provincial Court in Havana sentenced Salvadoran Francisco Antonio Chavez Abarca to 30 years in prison on terrorism charges, the Granma newspaper reports Wednesday."

Report: Lebanon PM halts backing of Hariri tribunal amid tensions with Hezbollah
A quote...."Saad Hariri says Lebanon will ask UN to stop investigation of international tribunal into 2005 assassination of his father 'for the interests of the country', according to Lebanese newspaper."

Spoiling for a Fight?
Special Note - A quote...."Washington is a world class menace, waging imperial wars for global dominance called peace, stability and democracy. In the run-up to the 1950 Korean War, Truman used South Korea to goad Pyongyang into a conflict it didn't want. Nor does it now, but events may spiral out of control unless cooler heads prevail. -- Last March, the latest confrontation began when North Korea was falsely blamed for sinking a South Korean ship. At the time, evidence suggested a false flag, manufactured to blame Pyongyang." - also posted at Uruknet - Topix ||  How To Gin A War  || - See also Topix ||  US-False Flag Ops - Cheonan  ||

South Korea begins largest-ever drill [attempted provocation]
Related Article - Lee Myung-bak (president of Southe Korea) is getting really frustrated, poor little thing.  He might even attempt a false flag event soon if he can't get Kim Jong-il to respond to his provocations. - mpg -- A quote...."South Korea has launched its largest-ever military drill near the North Korean border, involving troops, tanks, helicopters and fighter jets."  Topix ||  False Flag Terror Coming to South Korea?  ||

India test-fires Prithvi-11 ballistic missile
A quote...."BHUBANESWAR: The Indian military claimed to have successfully tested two short-range nuclear-capable missiles from a facility in the east of the country Wednesday."

U.S. Ordered to Pay Group of Muslims
A quote...."WASHINGTON — A federal judge ordered the government on Tuesday to pay nearly $2.6 million in lawyers’ fees and damages to officials with a shuttered Islamic charity in Oregon who the judge said were wiretapped without a court order under the surveillance program approved by President George W. Bush after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."

Former Argentine dictator sentenced to life
Hey Bushy, hey Cheney, hey Obama....no matter how long it takes, justice will be served! - mpg -- A quote...."(CNN) -- Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla was convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a federal court Wednesday for human rights abuses during his rule."

Venezuela bars foreign funding for NGOs
A quote...."CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A congress dominated by President Hugo Chavez's allies passed a law barring foreign funding for nongovernment organizations and political parties, adding to a series of measures that critics say aim to stifle dissent."
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Turkey PM: Israel to blame for deadlock in Mideast peace talks
A quote...."In news conference with Syria PM, Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls on the international community to help break the impasse in Israel-Palestinian negotiations."

Why In The World Is Larry Korb Helping Jonathan Pollard?
A quote...."Most right-wing American Jews readily understand that leniency on a spy is a bridge too far; extremely few right-wing Israelis want to make it an issue in U.S.-Israeli relations. -- Then comes Larry Korb of the Center for American Progress, the premiere progressive think tank (which, full disclosure, very briefly employed me in 2008 to write the 1.0 version of this blog)...."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Palestinian FM says Spain to recognize Palestinian state - Hip Hip Hooray!!
A quote...."Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyadh Al-Maliki said Spain promised the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to recognize a Palestinian statehood next year, Ramallah-based Al-Ayyam daily reported Wednesday."

The Tragedy
Special Note - A quote...."There have been many words used to describe the situation in Israel between the Zionist colonialists and the indigenous Palestinians. It has been called a conflict. It has been called a quagmire. It has been called a struggle. But after the deaths of 1.5 million Palestinians, an estimated 50,000 Israelis, and 4.5 million Palestinians becoming refugees in their own land, there is only more word that possesses acceptable suitability. And that word is tragedy."

Israeli warplanes attack Gaza refuge - posted at ElectronicIntifada
A quote...."A heap of ruins and dust is all that remains of a dairy that Israeli warplanes destroyed yesterday in the central Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. The ruins of the dairy are adjacent to an amusement park in the Asdaa grounds which serves as a refuge to residents of the besieged Gaza Strip." - bold by website editor - also posted at AlethoNews - Topix ||  Israel's Scorched Earth  ||

Awake and bear witness!! Israel has destroyed this Palestinian school in the Occupied West Bank 3 times in recent years - A quote...."I hear the sound of boots stamping as the Zio-supremacists goose-step into the discussion: “Ethnic cleansing is necessary for Israel to survive as ‘a good in the world’. Everyone else dunnit so, in the 21st century, it’s OK for ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ to do it, too. O, Chosen People of the Collective!* Remember the Holocaust! And, as we steal, destroy and kill, let us say ‘Never again!’**”

Israeli troops kidnap Mazin Qumsiyeh and 7 villagers from Al-Walajah
A quote...."    Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian nonviolent activist and seven other villagers form Al-Walajah village were kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers, Wednesday afternoon."

Nablus: Israel gives villagers 24 hours to hit the road before leveling Tana
A quote...."NABLUS, (PIC)-- Israeli authorities have given the people of the east Nablus village of Tana 24 hours to evacuate their homes before demolishing them, and threatened to confiscate their livestock when the deadline falls, sources in Nablus said."

Yitzhar settlers [Jewish squatters] blamed for attack on farmers
A quote...."NABLUS (Ma’an) -- Officials from the northern West Bank village of Madama accused settlers [Jewish squatters] from the neighboring Israeli colony of Yitzhar of attacking a group of farmers ploughing lands near the settlement fence [of the squatters encampment] on Thursday morning."

U.N. Concerned About Home Demolitions In East Jerusalem
A quote...."    The U.N.'s Humanitarian Coordinator in Jerusalem, Maxwell Gaylard claimed on Wednesday that the ongoing house demolitions in East Jerusalem "raise serious concerns with regard to Israel’s obligations under international law.”
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The Scariest Thing About Bernanke
A quote...."Bernanke and the current monetary regime, though, are taking things further. They are determined to keep rates lower than any time in history, indefinitely. This will lead to pervasive malinvestment, bank bonuses, and price inflation. Meanwhile, retirees will continue to collect pitifully low income on their CDs. -- But don't worry; Wall Street bonuses are safe. Any bank that can't make money in this environment should have their damn head examined. Borrow money at 0%, buy higher-yielding assets. Dip into various gov't giveaways, let the bonuses flow, change accounting rules to conceal losses. Rinse, repeat. -- Financial sector profits are back up to 42% of all corporate profits in the United States – an absurdly high level. None of this should come as a surprise I guess, with Bernanke, William Dudley, and a few others at the helm of the Fed."

Existing Home Sales Come At 4.68 Million, Miss Estimates Of 4.75 Million, Home Inventory At 9.5 Months Supply
A quote...."Stocks are up which means another fundamental data indicator must have missed expectations (following the earlier GDP miss). Sure enough, the NAR just reported November existing home sales, which came at 4.68 million units, a slight improvement to the almost all time lowest number posted in October (4.43 million), a miss to expectations of 4.75 million, and 27.9% off the cyclical peak of 6.49 million from November 2009, when the first-time buyer tax credit expired, and was shockingly not extended. The data follows this morning atrocious MBA numbers which showed a plunge of 18.6% in mortgage applications, and 24.6% drop in refinancings."

Q3 GDP Final Revision Of 2.6%, Lower Than 2.8% Consensus, Inventories Climb Again As Personal Consumption Revision Plunges -- A quote...."Disappointing Goldman which had expected a far higher number, the third Q3 GDP revision came at 2.6%, 0.1% higher than the second, but lower than the 2.8% consensus. And, as we expected the inventory artificial growth push continues to accelerate, after there was a substantial drop in the far more important Personal Consumption component which misses not only consensus of 2.9%, but the second revision of 2.8%, coming at 2.4%. In other words, the PCE surge which drove stocks higher on the second GDP revision has now been eliminated post re-revision...."

Ernst & Young accused of hiding Lehman troubles
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) - Accounting firm Ernst & Young was sued by New York prosecutors over allegations it helped to hide Lehman Brothers' financial problems, in the first major government legal action stemming from the Wall Street company's 2008 downfall."

No End In Sight To Equity Outflows As Stock Boycott Persists Despite Largest Bond Outflow Since Lehman Failure -- Mrkt Tech Note - Charts - A quote...."For the second week in a row, those claiming that flows will any.minute.now. shift away from bonds and go to equities are proven dead wrong. ICI has just reported that in the week ended December 15, not only was there another massive outflow, the 33rd in a row, from domestic equity mutual funds to the tune of $2.4 billion, but taxable and municipal bonds saw a stunning $8.6 billion in outflows, including another record $4.9 billion in muni outflows. At this point absent another major pull back in bond prices, we anticipate that bond inflows will once again resume, even as stock outflows persist indefinitely. Year to date investors have pulled just under $100 billion in money from US-focused equity mutual funds, offset by just $16 billion in comparable inflows into equity strategies via ETFs as we described yesterday."

51 million, mostly lower-income, will do worse under new tax law
A quote...."The federal tax bill passed by Congress yesterday includes some extras for the middle class and lots of goodies for the wealthy. But individuals making less than $20,000 and households making less than $40,000 a year will actually get less tax relief in 2011 than they got in 2010 and 2009."
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Economic Crisis in Europe -- General....

Bloomberg Files Lawsuit Against European Central Bank
A quote...."Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, filed a lawsuit Wednesday that asks the European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg to overturn a decision by the European Central Bank not to disclose documents that show how Greece used derivatives to hide its fiscal deficit."

Greeks protest before 2011 austerity budget vote
A quote..."Thousands took to the streets of Athens on Wednesday to protest against the 2011 Greek budget which imposes yet more austerity on the debt-choked nation, but parliament was set to pass the bill later in the day anyway."

China offers financial backing to EU
A quote...."China is ready to help the European Union through its debt crisis, the communist state's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. -- "We are ready to support the EU to overcome the financial crisis and realize economic recovery," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. -- The EU would become "a major market" for China's foreign exchange investments, she added."

Tuesday December 21st 2010

No Justice.. No Peace!! – Dr Dahlia Wasfi
Must View Video - Alt - (YuTb - 3min 50sec - November 08, 2010) - Source:  vengencefrom -- A quote...."Thousands of Americans and over 1.5 Million Muslims have been murdered so far and Millions more have been injured and dying. Reality of the Phony wars in the name of Democracy, Freedom, terrorism." -- Related Videos -- from the history file....

Congressional Progressive Caucus: Dahlia Wasfi at Iraq Forum - (YuTb - 6m15s - Sept 22, 2006)
The War On Iraq: a continuation of the 60-year Israeli Nakba - (YuTb - 9min 39sec - May 16, 2008)
Rachel Corrie, American hero: Dahlia Wasfi, M.D. - (YuTb - 9min 07sec - May 06, 2008)

Media Roots Radio – Breaking Apart the Official 9/11 Coincidence Theory
Must Listen Audio - Alt - A quote...."(MediaRoots.org) – This is a special 2 hour 20 minute episode of Media Roots Radio about the events of 9/11. In this edition, Abby and Robbie Martin introduce how their political awakenings were prompted by 9/11, and break apart the official government and corporate media narrative of the 9/11 attacks by discussing the foreknowledge, government complicity, and gross inconsistencies regarding every aspect of the events. The show then delves into the aftermath: the psychological manipulation of the American psyche and the significance that this event continues to have in our nation and world." - Topix ||  Reficultnias's 9/11 Central  ||

Mike Krieger On Intensifying Police State Measures And Internet Demonization
A quote...."Two very important articles have come out in the last couple of days that you must take the time to read thoroughly.   The first is from the Washington Post and is entitled:  “Monitoring America.”  It is a lengthy article worth your time since it shows in no uncertain terms how the U.S. government has now officially started to turn war on terror technology and military weaponry on American citizens domestically.  Stuff that had formerly only been “used in Iraq or Afghanistan” is now being turned on Americans and this newspaper reports it in a matter of fact manner.  It also describes how anyone can just say that they think a fellow citizen is acting suspiciously and then all of a sudden the government’s “fusion centers” start snooping on you and a file remains “open” for five years.  For nothing more than someone saying they thought you were acting suspiciously.   Welcome to East Germany.  This is where tax dollars are going, that and to pay bankster bonuses."

Down Argentine Way
A quote...."I believe America will continue down the same road toward less liberty and more debt until we reach the end of the road. There is no political solution using our special elite interests controlled two party system. We will trash the dollar and keep building up our national debt until the world stops buying our Treasury obligations. -- In recent weeks, China, Brazil, Germany and France have warned the US to get its dollar and debt problems in order, to no avail. This will continue for quite a while, but just as our current foreign policies are opposed by most of the world, so our financial policies are now being questioned by world leaders and economists. One day the world will have had enough of our dollars and will tire of financing our debt. The dollar will cease to be the world's reserve currency."

False Flag Terror Coming to South Korea?
Special Note - A quote...."After failing to provoke North Korea into retaliating for South Korea’s highly provocative live-fire drills in the disputed waters in the Yellow Sea this past Sunday, South Korean officials have claimed that the North’s remarkable show of restraint was simply “political posturing”, and now they fully expect large-scale “terrorist” attacks on their own civilian population centers to be carried out by the North in stealth. -- In order to defend themselves from this possibility, South Korea is going to “strengthen” their intelligence services, like the CIA or the FBI. -- If that doesn’t scare the sh-t out of every single South Korean, I don’t know what would." - Topix ||  How To Gin A War  ||

Washington’s incendiary role in Asia
Related Article - A quote...."Washington’s encouragement of South Korea’s live-fire military exercise in disputed waters off the North Korean coast is emblematic of the increasingly incendiary role played by US imperialism in Asia."

Who chooses the new arms race?
A quote...."The last days of 2010 were marked by hot disputes in the US Senate on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty agreement (START) signed between Russia and the US. On this occasion the commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces Sergey Karakayev invited reporters to his headquarters in the Vlasikha village and made a number of principal statements."

Cutting Remarks: Iran may 'unfriend' UK over human rights blah
RTVideo -  Alt - (RTYuTb - 4min 40sec - December 20, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote..."An influential group of Iran's lawmakers have voted for Tehran to fully sever its ties with the UK. The move comes after the British ambassador to the Islamic Republic criticized its human rights record. RT talks to political commentator Kian Mokhtari who is in Tehran."

Will things improve with new Iraqi government?
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi parliament Tuesday approved Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his new government, more than nine months after an inconclusive parliamentary election."

Please Mr. President! Some Truth About Afghanistan
Special Note - A quote...."The government and media have colluded to paint the picture of a noble, heroic, flag-waving American enterprise in Afghanistan that is, alas, very far from reality. As the cynic Ambrose Bierce pointedly observed of patriots -- "the dupe of statesmen; the tool of conquerors."

Invading Pakistan? The Worst Idea Yet
A quote...."Two good reporters for the New York Times, Mark Maqzzetti and Dexter Filkins, write today that the United States is preparing for send troops across the border into Pakistan in pursuit of the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and any other bad guys they can find. If there’s a worse idea, I don't know what it is. But it’s at least consistent with Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign statements that he’d carry the war across the border to get Osama bin Laden, remarks that drew horrified opposition from Obama’s election rival, John McCain, the noted dove." - also posted at Uruknet

Pakistan: Alliance Over if US Troops Expand War Across Border
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."Pakistani military leaders are warning the United States to keep their troops on the Afghan side of the border, with officials cautioning that the long-standing anti-terror alliance between the two countries would be ended formally if the United States invades."

Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable missile
Related Article - A quote...."Islamabad - Pakistan on Tuesday successfully tested a medium-range ballistic missile that can deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons, the military said."

Russia to build nuclear station and LNG terminal in Morocco
A quote..."Russia wants to take part in construction of a nuclear power station and a liquefied natural gas terminal in Morocco, a statement released by the Russian Economic Development Ministry on its web site says." -  also posted at SCF

Russia, India to develop new generation reactors
A quote...."Russia and India have agreed to cooperate in developing new generation reactors for nuclear power plants, head of the Rosatom state-controlled nuclear corporation Sergei Kiriyenko said on Tuesday." - also posted at SCF

Russia, India sign design contract for T.50 multirole fighter
A quote...."NEW DELHI, December 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and India signed a contract on Tuesday to jointly develop a design for a new fifth-generation multirole fighter." - also posted at SCF

Belarus ratifies single economic space documents
A quote...."Belarus has ratified a package of 18 agreements on the formation of a single economic space in terms of the Customs Union of Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia." - also posted at SCF

Black Agenda Morning Report Monday, December 20, 2010 - Emira Woods on AFRICOM and US Imperialism
Video - Alt - (YuTb - December 20, 2010) - Source:  kaliakuno -- A quote..."Emira Woods speaking on AFRICOM and US imperialism on the African continent at the Southern Human Rights Organizers Conference (SHROC) VIII on Friday, December 10, 2010 in Birmingham, Alabama." - Topix ||  Africa - the Next Target - 02-28-08 - mpg  ||

Terrorist Chavez Abarca Confesses Links to Posada Carriles
A quote...."Terrorist Chavez-Abarca-Confesses-Links-Posada-Carriles-terrorist21 de diciembre de 2010, 17:05Havana, Dec 21 (Prensa Latina) Salvadoran Francisco Chavez Abarca confessed that he took direct orders from Cuban-born international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles to carry out bomb attacks on tourist resorts in Cuba and Cuban offices overseas. The attacks were aimed at creating a climate of instability and harming economic progress on the island."
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In Orwellian, upside down, Judeofascist-dominated neo-America, gays rule the military, and free speech and peace activism are criminal - A quote...."Fourteen anti-war activists in Chicago recently felt the cold fingers of government control on Sept. 24 when they were subpoenaed and their homes invaded and property seized by the FBI. These “peace and justice activists, mothers and grandmothers” are under grand jury investigation for allegedly giving “material support” to a foreign terrorist organization."

Tell that to the Liberty’s survivors, Mr. Lieberman
A quote...."The lesson of the cold-blooded attack on the Liberty was that there is nothing the Zionist state might not do, to its friends as well as its enemies, in order to get its own way." - also posted at RIA
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Brazil donates land for Palestinian embassy
A quote...."RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Palestinian ambassador to Brazil Ibrahim Az-Zein received the title to a piece of land Monday, where the Palestinian embassy in Brazil will stand following that country's recognition of a Palestinian state earlier in the month." - also posted at AlethoNews

In a new 100-page report PCHR details the collective punishment of the population of Gaza
A quote...."The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) releases today a new report on the “Illegal Closure of the Gaza Strip: Collective Punishment of the Civilian Population”."

Boycott roundup: activists mark holidays with boycott carols and victories
Contains Video - Alt - Boycott, Divest and Sanction the ENTIRE state of Israel!  Because no state should EVER be allowed to be this arrogantly murderous AGAIN!! - mpg -- A quote...."Over the past two weeks, Palestine solidarity activists across the US launched holiday-themed actions encouraging shoppers not to buy Israeli-made products. Others demonstrated against an Israeli lobby group in California and the Jewish National Fund in New York." - 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.
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Keiser Report: JP Morgue (E105)
MKVideo - Alt - (MKRTYuTb - 26min 50sec - December 21, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday - Producer:  Max Keiser TV -- A quote...."(RussiaToday) – This time Max and Stacy talk about the rise of financial activism and about Janet Tavakoli’s presentation and repairing the damage of fraud as a business model. In the second half Max talks to Nicole Foss about the unpopped bubble in Canada."

One Scenario for Early 2011: Reality Intrudes
Quote of the Day....."At some magical point, they hope that "growth" that isn't just government spending and credit creation will arise to replace their command-economy interventions. How the over-indebted and bankrupt will spark a new round of "growth" is left to magic: "animal spirits" and so on--the equivalent of putting on a funny hat and waving a dead chicken while chanting, "We are the Fed! Away, tides!"

Waiting for a New Economic Theory
A quote...."It is too early to see if the recent economic crisis—which started in the financial sector of the economy and spread to the productive side—will produce any novel theories. What we have seen so far is different economists reciting some old theories and advocating corresponding remedies.  This is exemplified by three groups of economists, ranging from the most ardent supporters of laissez faire to those who see no future for capitalism." - also posted at AlethoNews

The great bank heist of 2010 - Commentary: Wall Street wins, Main Street pays — again
A quote...."BOSTON (MarketWatch) — This was the year America finally took on the power and greed of the Wall Street banks. -- And the banks won. -- They dodged the bullet of real reform, probably for all time. They bounced back to post huge profits, helped by legal theft from the middle class. They completed their takeover of both political parties — and bought themselves a new Congress even more pliable than the old one. -- Middle-class America is flattened, devastated and broke. The bankers that caused it all have escaped punishment. They’re raking in huge profits. Oh, and the tax cuts just got extended for high earners, too!"

Fed Treasury Holdings: $1,000,341,000,000
A quote...."It's time for the Fed "one trillion" hats- as of 2:00 pm Eastern, the Fed's Treasury holdings have surpassed $1 trillion. Add to this the well over $1 trillion in MBS and agency debt held by the Fed...."

Stopgap spending measure clears Congress
A quote...."WASHINGTON – Congress cleared a stopgap funding bill Tuesday to keep the federal government open into March, a temporary truce until Republicans and President Barack Obama rejoin the battle over the budget next year."

Crash 2011: Are Dozens Of State And Local Governments About To Default On Their Debt
A quote...."In the United States, it is not just the federal government that has a horrific debt problem.  Today, state and local governments across America are collectively deeper in debt than they ever have been before.  In fact, state and local government debt is now sitting at an all-time high of 22 percent of U.S. GDP.  Once upon a time, municipal bonds (used to fund such things as roads, sewer systems and government buildings) were viewed as incredibly safe investments."

Will The Housing Market Continue To Decline?
A quote...."This article originally appeared in The Daily Capitalist. -- The quick answer to the headline of this article seems to be yes. The volume of housing that is in mortgage trouble is rising as prices drop in vulnerable markets around the country. There isn't a sufficient floor of buyers in those markets to stop further declines and foreclosure sales that appear to be on the horizon."

Bank of Japan Pledges to Buy Assets, Provide Liquidity as Rates Unchanged
A quote...."The Bank of Japan said it will “steadily” provide liquidity to support demand and Governor Masaaki Shirakawa warned about the risks a climb in bond yields posed to the nation’s expansion.

[UK] Interest rates 'will have to rise sixfold in two years'
A quote...."The Confederation of British Industry predicts that higher than anticipated rises in the cost of living will push the Bank of England (BoE) to begin increasing interest rates in the spring."

Monday December 20th 2010

Sunday December 19th 2010

No posts. - mpg

Saturday December 18th 2010

"Shadow Lending" and the Financial Crisis
Must Read - A quote...."What the tax package proves conclusively is that the President, the House and the Senate have absolutely no intention of getting their fiscal house in order. We will address the lurid details later. There is no change in the policies of borrowing continuously in order to sustain current consumption and to keep the economy from collapsing. As far as we are concerned the hold up in the package was to load it up with pork and stimulus. Some call it bells and whistles – we call it irresponsible. The Fed and all the players are buying time and 70% of the public knows that and they are going along with it. Very few want to face the music. -- The Fed, via the “President’s Working Group on Financial markets” is targeting asset prices, if possible, and the equities market."

“How Can so Many People be so Incredibly Blind?”
Must Read - A quote...." You ask yourself, just how twisted, indifferent and malevolent can some people get before the universe begins to construct an international gallows franchise everywhere there needs to be one. Each day we see unknown wannabees and the usual suspects, vying and competing to see which of them can be registered and remembered as one of the greatest assholes of our time. They’re looking for immortality in all the wrong places, while imagining its location is a suite at The Plaza, followed by a cameo appearance as an ornate urn in the remake of “The Loved One”."
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More on the Wikileaks Cointelpro Fiasco....

Wikileaks - Whose Agenda?
Must Read - A quote...."Those tracking the agenda now advancing behind the WikiLeaks façade should check for the undisclosed bias among editors at the four newspapers chosen to select what was leaked. And when it was leaked. -- The pro-Israeli bias of The New York Times needs no citations. In London, WikiLeaks releases are overseen by Deputy Editor Ian Katz at The Guardian. What about Le Monde in Paris and Der Spiegel in Berlin?" - also posted at MyCatBird'sSeat

How Wikileaks Is Effecting American-Israeli Relations
Must Read - A quote...."The first and most important question to ask when approaching events on the geopolitical spectrum is to first ask the question, who is to benefit? In the case of the most recent Wikileaks dump that occurred at the end of November, the most obvious party with something to gain from the files and cables exposed is Israel. American and Israel relations have been quite close ever since the end of the second world war."- also posted at AlethoNews

A Brief Example of How the Wikileaks Propaganda Works
Must Read - A quote...."On Oct. 24, 2010, Tom Burghardt wrote an article for Global Research, an anti-globalization website, titled “The WikiLeaks Release: U.S. Complicity and Cover-Up of Iraq Torture Exposed“.  In this article, Tom clearly states that Wikileaks’ Iraq War Logs shows the criminality of U.S. forces in Iraq. In reality what these “leaks” actually amount to is a criminal’s efforts to plead out to a lesser charge. -- We know U.S. forces tortured Iraqi detainees. But that isn’t the case, according to Wikileaks… and now, according to Tom Burghardt."

The Ugly Truth Podcast Dec 18, 2010
Must Listen Audio - A quote...."Mark Dankof joins the program to discuss the latest wikileaks controversy and the likelihood that indeed it was at least partially an Israeli intel operation aimed at harming the United States' ability to operate diplomatically."

Rap News 6 – Wikileaks’ Cablegate: the truth is out there
Must View Video - Julian Assange is a total AIPAC/Israeli Consortium shill, that said, this is one outstanding video. - mpg -  Alt - (YuTb - 6min 23sec - December 17, 2010) - Source:  thejuicemedia -- A quote...."Juice Media Rap News, with Robert Foster. Episode 6 of the Investigative Rap Journalism has dropped: December 2010 and Cablegate has burst open. With a steady trickle of Diplomatic communiques leaking out every single day, the Book of Revelations is expanding dramatically. In all the hubbub, the global community is forced to ask questions of its leaders. At the same time, perhaps a stronger focal point for international attention is the Wikileaks leader, the elusive Julian Assange, whose impact on the global scene is testing the limits of freedom of the press. How will governmental representatives from North America, Europe and the Middle East react to having their dirty laundry leaked? Is it all just an insidious Blue Beam Psi-Ops plot hypnotically seeded by MK Ultra, the Rhodes Scholars and the TriLateral Commission? Will the world ever be the same again? Join your affable host Robert Foster, as he executes a rhyme inquisition on some of the key players in the Wiki-saga. It's diplomatic Rhym-aggedon..."

Website Editor's Note: Regarding Alex Jones appearance in the video, he was one of the first people who publicly stated that patsy, dupe, shill or bona-fide leaker, Julian Assange will have to be defended for the good of us all. - mpg

For more regarding the article shown above see....No Subtlety Whatsoever - 12-01-10 - mpg
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Manning Within His Rights To Give Secrets To Wikileaks [and Assange to publish them]
Legal Argument - A quote...."As the U.S. is now an international aggressor, do Americans still owe it allegiance? If a citizen releases information about crimes the U.S. commits, can he or she be legally punished? These questions arise in connection with the arrests of Australian Julian Assange and PFC Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst believed to be the source of the secret government cables published by Assange's WikiLeaks Web site." - also posted at Uruknet

Getting to Assange through Manning
Legal Argument - A quote...."In The New York Times this morning, Charlie Savage describes the latest thinking from the DOJ about how to criminally prosecute WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.  Federal investigators are "are looking for evidence of any collusion" between WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning -- "trying to find out whether Mr. Assange encouraged or even helped" the Army Private leak the documents -- and then "charge him as a conspirator in the leak, not just as a passive recipient of the documents who then published them."  To achieve this, it is particularly important to "persuade Private Manning to testify against Mr. Assange."  I want to make two points about this." - also posted at CounterCurrents

WikiLeaks cleared of breaking Australian law
A quote...."The Australian Federal Police today said an investigation which began November 30 had detected no offences. -- This finding is an embarrassment to Prime Minister Julia Gillard who initially said the leaking of confidential cables to Washington from the US Embassy in Canberra was illegal."
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Jesse Ventura: Gov. Ventura Probes Pentagon Attack, Unreleased 9/11 Video and Missing Trillions
AJVideo - JV&AJ(1/3) - JV&AJ(2/3) - JV&AJ(3/3) - (AJYuTb - 15min - December 17, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel -- A quote...."Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory will continue to dole out groundbreaking information tonight on TruTV at 10 PM EST / 9 PM CST with the "9/11 Pentagon" Episode, yet another in a line of subjects that have, until this point, been too controversial to cover at all on television. Tonight's episode features the unknowns about the dozens of suppressed video angles, the lack of physical or photographic evidence that a plane hit the building and the impossibility of an unskilled pilot circling around his target or hitting at ground-level without even scorching the earth beneath him." - Topix ||  9/11-NORAD  ||

Pentagon
Multiple Videos - An EddieLeaks round-up regarding videos and audio of the events that occurred at the Pentagon on 9/11.  All kicked off by Jesse Ventura's new "What Happened at the Pentagon on 9/11" TV show. - mpg

Jessie Ventura Misrepresents the Truth Movement Again: This Time with Dwain Deets and the “Fly Over” Theory
Analysis - Of the Jesse Ventura TV show shown above - A quote..."Where do I start with this one? -- In Dec. of 2009, Jessie Ventura did one of his “Conspiracy Theory” shows on the 9/11 Truth movement. I reviewed his work in an article called “A Truth Advocate Reviews Jesse Ventura’s “Conspiracy Theory – 9/11″ ” In that review I concluded that Ventura or his editors presented the weakest possible presentation of the mounds of evidence collected over the years by Truth researchers."

Website Editor's Note:  The simplest and therefore the most likely explanation for how 9/11 was carried out is that four real airliners filled with real passengers were slated to be "remoted" into four real targets, WTC1, WTC2, WTC7 and the Pentagon and because flight 93 had a passenger revolt, it was either shot down or remoted into the ground before it could reach its designated target -- WTC7. (Hence WTC7's embarrassing and rather obvious demolition) The conspirators could have set-up and carried out the remoting of the planes with just five or ten guys and it would have taken care of all the evidence.  No live passengers, no planes, no remote control equipment, no live "hijackers" (patsies), no black boxes (except supposedly the one "found" at the Pentagon)....all nice, neat and tidy.  Nothing to dispose or get rid of. - mpg

9/11 Joe Lieberman – WTC 7 Did Not Occur …. I Do Not Support A New Investigation
Video - Alt - (YuTb - 2min 23sec - December 17, 2010) - Source:  IranContraScumDid911 -- A quote...."Joe Lieberman claims that there is no evidence the collapse of Building 7 occurred and that he would not support a new investigation of 9/11." - Topix ||  9/11-WTC7  ||

Israeli Control of America:  A Veterans Today Reader Comments
From the History File - August 24, 2010 - (Previously posted) -- A quote...."“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor – he speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and wears their face and their garment, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation – he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city – he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared.” - also posted at 9/11NewsCentral

Jewish Writers Claim Powerful Zionists Drove USA Into Mid-East War For Sake of Israel!
A quote...."When Congressman James Moran (D-VA) told an audience that leaders of American Jewish groups were pushing America into a war with Iraq, he was denounced as an “anti-Semite” and pressured to resign. -- When Syndicated columnist and former Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan accused Jewish neo-conservatives and the US-Israeli lobby of pushing America into a war against Israel’s enemies, he was also widely denounced as an “anti-Semite.” -- But what are we to make of the many outspoken Jewish writers, Jewish intellectuals and Jewish activists who have been warning us about the exact same thing? Should we dismiss these Jews as “anti-Semites” or “self-hating Jews”? Following are some very revealing quotes from just a few of these Jewish writers and journalists."
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The mystery of missile defence
A quote...."Wednesday’s failed long-range test was important because it involved an attempt to intercept a dummy warhead, rather than the usual testing scheme of just maneuvering the missile to a particular point in space, said Ian Anthony, the research coordinator for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a think-tank in Sweden." - bold by website editor - also posted at AlethoNews - You're kidding, that's what they've been doing all this time?  "With seven of 15 attempted missile intercepts to date ending in failure" and that's what they've been spending a hundred BILLION dollars on for the past thirty years? "Maneuvering [a] missile to a particular point in space"?  This country is out of it's cotton picking freaking mind! - mpg

Ex-Blackwater International sold
A quote...."NEW YORK — Private US security firm Xe, formerly known as Blackwater International, has been bought by a group of investors, they announced on Friday. -- New York-based USTC Holdings said it will acquire Xe and its core operating subsidiaries, but did not disclose the price or terms of the agreement in a statement. -- USTC Holdings is an investor consortium led by private equity firms Forte Capital Advisors and Manhattan Partners."
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Senate Passes "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal, the Policy Banning Gays from Openly Serving in the Military
Special Note - Well, folks, this nation can't balance its budget, house its homeless, employ its jobless, stop torturing people, stop its endless wars and occupations, bring back Hebeas Corpus, restore its constitution, but it can let homosexuality be openly embraced and practiced by its military personnel.  Way to go America!!  Welcome....to the New Roman Empire folks. - mpg -- A quote...."Moments ago, by a 65-31 vote, the Senate acted to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the policy banning gays from openly serving in the military. The same six GOP senators who broke with their party during the cloture vote earlier today also voted for repeal: Sens. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Scott Brown, Lisa Murkowski, George Voinovich, and Mark Kirk. Two more Republicans — John Ensign and Richard Burr — joined with Democrats in final passage." - For more on this type of issue see....Kalifornia and the NRE - 08-04-10 - mpg & Mommy Pelosi and Daddy Bush Obama - 11-18-06 - mpg
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America's War on Islam: New Republican [& Democratic] Offensive Planned
A quote...."Dozens of previous articles addressed America's war on Islam, discussing victims of America's war on terror for political advantage, not for threatening national security or public safety. -- Repeatedly post-9/11, bogus threats were invented to imprison innocent men and women for their faith, ethnicity, activism, prominence or charity. Clearly, it's the wrong time to be Muslim in America, Washington's target of choice to hype fear and enlist public support for imperial lawlessness, no matter the cost in reckless spending and loss of personal freedoms. Increasingly, everyone is now vulnerable for speaking out, voicing dissent, and supporting equity and justify for unpopular victims."

The United States Of War Criminals
A quote...."More than half (53.3%) of US tax dollars go to a criminal enterprise known as the US Department of Defense (sic), a.k.a. the worst polluter on the planet. We hear about tax cuts this and budget that and all kinds of other bullshit from the US government and the corporations that own it…but the reality remains: Roughly one million tax dollars per minute are spent to fund the largest military machine (read: global terrorist operation) the world has ever known."

Ban on U.S. trials for Guantanamo prisoners passes House again
A quote...."Ban on U.S. trials for Guantanamo prisoners passes House again [link here] 17 Dec 2010 The stripped-down defense authorization bill that passed the House this afternoon contains language that would effectively ban civilian trials for war-onof-terror prisoners at Guantanamo and place new limits on transfers from Guantanamo to other countries. The ban, which prohibits transfers to the U.S. for any reason, would be in place through the end of the fiscal year next September. The bill passed 341-48."
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Losing Afghan Hearts and Minds - posted at ConsortiumNews
A quote...."The Obama administration's claim of "progress" in its Afghan war strategy is based on the military seizure of three rural districts outside Kandahar City in October. But those tactical gains have come at the price of further exacerbating the basic U.S. strategic weakness in Afghanistan – the antagonism toward the foreign presence shared throughout the Pashtun south."

US Afghan war review is propaganda: Taliban
A quote...."KABUL: The Taliban said on Friday a US Afghan war review was propaganda designed to create “baseless hope”, as Afghans, analysts and aid groups warned that US strategy failed to tackle critical problems."

Patrick Cockburn: History is repeating itself in Afghanistan
A quote...."During the mid-1960s, America's goal during a crucial stage in the Vietnam war was to defeat the enemy militarily. But it had no realistic political strategy to underpin the goal, and it was this which ultimately led to failure. -- America's strategy in Afghanistan is now suffering from a similar weakness. Barack Obama made the edgy claim this week that the US army is stabilising the military situation, but neither he nor his national security advisers show any signs of understanding the speed at which,politically, the US is losing ground."

NATO-led coalition casualties in Afghanistan hit 700 in 2010
A quote...."A NATO-led coalition soldier was killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, bringing the foreign troop death toll to 700 and making 2010 the deadliest year for international troops fighting Taliban militants in the country."
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‘Unprecedented’ Drone Assault: 58 Strikes in 102 Days
A quote...."It may take years, but some researcher will travel to Pakistan’s tribal areas and produce a definitive study on what it’s been like to live amidst an aerial bombardment from American pilotless aircraft. When that account inevitably comes out, it’s likely to find that 2010 — and especially the final quarter of 2010 — marked a turning point in how civilians coped with a drone war that turned relentless."

US drones slaughter 54 in Pakistan
A quote...."A series of CIA drone missile attacks Friday killed at least 54 people in Pakistan’s Khyber tribal region near the Afghanistan border. -- The attacks came just one day after Washington issued its formal review of US strategy one year after President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 more US troops into the Afghanistan war. In presenting its findings, Obama warned Thursday that “progress has not come fast enough” in terms of the Pakistani government attacking “safe havens” for Taliban insurgents in the border area."
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CIA accused of role in Iran suicide bombing
A quote...."TEHRAN (AFP) – Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar charged on Friday the CIA was involved in the suicide bombing in southeast Iran as the death toll rose to 36."

Pakistan Vows to Cooperate with Iran in Probes into Chabahar Bombing
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Iran's Southeastern port city of Chabahar that killed at least 37 people, and announced his country's preparedness to cooperate with Tehran in identifying and arresting the criminals involved in the bombing."

Iran in talks with 7 firms to sell LNG
A quote...."The managing director of Iran's LNG Company, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), says Tehran is in talks with seven foreign firms to sell Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)."

Iran nuclear talks ‘very good’: Ahmadinejad
A quote...."TEHERAN — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that the Geneva talks between the six world powers and Iran on its nuclear programme were 'very good’ as he called for cooperation between the two sides."
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Politics in Iraq Casts Doubt on a U.S. Presence After 2011
A quote...."BAGHDAD — The protracted political turmoil that saw the resurgence of a fiercely anti-American political bloc here is casting new doubt on establishing any enduring American military role in Iraq after the last of nearly 50,000 troops are scheduled to withdraw in the next 12 months, military and administration officials say."

Israel can't defeat Hezbollah - Israeli expert
A quote...."JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel cannot defeat Hezbollah in a direct engagement and the Lebanese guerrilla group would inflict heavy damage on the Israeli home front if war broke out, a former Israeli national security adviser said Thursday."

Belarus: Between Russia and the EU
A quote...."President Alexander Lukashenko has ruled over Belarus’ ailing command economy with an iron fist since 1994, relying on Russian energy subsidies while deftly sidestepping pressure to integrate with its old Soviet master and surrender sway to Moscow."

Russia shows Iskander missile systems to NATO
A quote...."Tactical missile Iskander was adopted by the Western Military District (ZVO), announced the commander of ZVO Arkady Bahin. He did not specify exactly how many complexes were received in the armament, but noted that "re-staging and adaptation of new equipment is under way."

Launch of Soyuz TMA-20, Expedition 26 to the International Space Station - 15 December 2010
Photo Gallery - A quote....."Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan - Expedition 26 crew members, Soyuz Commander Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA Flight Engineer Cady Coleman and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli - NASA Photos."

Russia calls for UN meeting on Koreas
A quote...."Russia has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the growing tensions between North and South Koreas."

Chinese, Russian FMs call for restraint on Korean Peninsula
A quote...."ISLAMABAD, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday night called for restraint from all parties concerned to avoid escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula."

China-India row over Kashmir escalates, raising fears of military tensions
US-NRE Provocations Alert - First it was the Uighurs, than Korea, than the Japan spat, than Korea again, now it's Kashmir, next it will be Vietnam.  The US-NRE's parasites are as obvious as they are childish.  Why don't they just grow-up? - mpg -- A quote...."India has refused to reaffirm its support for Beijing’s sovereignty over Tibet and Taiwan in a growing diplomatic row over Kashmir which experts fear could fuel military tensions between Asia’s largest powers."

Crucial US base at risk as anti-American party joins Kyrgyz government
A quote...."A party that has promised to close an airbase crucial for the US effort in Afghanistan is poised to join the power-sharing coalition in Kyrgyzstan on Friday."

[Columbia's] Uribe Ordered Illegal Wiretaps, Former Colombian Spy Says
A quote...."BOGOTA – A former senior official of Colombia’s DAS security service who is currently jailed over an illegal wiretapping scandal said the main intended recipient of transcripts of the intercepted communication was ex-President Alvaro Uribe."

Ecuador Scores Legal Victory over U.S. Oil Film
A quote...."The law in question required companies to pay the state 50 percent of their windfall profits stemming from high oil prices on international markets. Under current President Rafael Correa, that rate was later raised to 99 percent and then subsequently lowered again to 70 percent."

Bolivia to Buy Satellite from Chinese Firm
A quote...."LA PAZ – The Bolivian government and China Great Wall Industry Corporation moved a step closer to finalizing a deal for Bolivia’s first communications satellite with the signing on Monday of a purchase agreement."

International Experts to Seek source of Cholera in Haiti
Dugway Proving Grounds?  Fort Detrick?  Hillary Clinton's underwear? - mpg -- A quote...."United Nations, Dec 18 (Prensa Latina) The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, confirmed that an international group of experts will soon form a team to investigate the source of the cholera epidemic in Haiti."

Report examines Israel's displacement of indigenous Syrians in Golan Heights
A quote...."The report gives an overview of the Israeli occupation of the Golan and the displacement of most of the indigenous Syrian population. Its primary focus is on the experience of a people who have lived through war and occupation. The report also examines the experience of those who were forced out of the Golan in the 1967 war to become internally displaced persons within Syria. Read more " -- Source:  ADC
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

‘Israel must freeze settlement activity’
A quote...."The UN chief has once again urged Israel to adhere to what he referred to as its commitment to freeze all settlement activity, including in East al-Quds (Jerusalem). -- There are many challenges ahead in the Middle East, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday in his end-of-year “state of the world” news conference in New York, Haaretz reported."

Nabi Saleh Weekly Demo - IOF Shoots Young Man in the Head with a Teargas Projectile
A quote...."Friday, at the weekly demonstration held in the village of An Nabi Saleh, a young Palestinian was shot by a tear gas canister in the back of his head. Falling down, he was further injured on the front of his head. -- The military continued to shoot tear gas into the area, without regard for the people coming to help the young unconscious man. It took over 45 minutes before an ambulance arrived, as the army stopped it and prevented them from entering the village. By the time the ambulance arrived, the injured man had regained consciousness. Leaving the village, the ambulance was stopped twice more. The man is now being treated at the hospital in Ramallah."

Military Violence in the Hebron Hills
A quote...."The Israeli military demolished three water cisterns and two wells in the Khashem Ad Daraj - Hathaleen region on December 14. The military have given no reason for the destruction." - Source:  PalestineMonitor

Ongoing Harassment by Israeli Army against South Hebron Hills Palestinian Communities
A quote...." On Monday 14th December 2010, the Israeli army demolished three water cisterns and two old wells in the bedouin villages of Khashem Ad Daraj - Hathaleen, South Hebron Hills."

Israeli army raids Yata, Bethlehem and erects military checkpoints
A quote...."West Bank, December 18, (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided Saturday Yata town in south of Hebron and erected military checkpoint in one of its entrances."

Israeli settlers uproot trees in Nablus
A quote...."Nablus, December 18, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli settlers uprooted at Friday night tens of trees belonging to Palestinians in Tal village, in south of Nablus."

Farmer:  Settlers [Illegal Jewish Squatters] burned my sheep alive
A quote...."NABLUS (Ma’an) -- A farmer said he watched a group of settlers in the northern West Bank gather his sheep and set them on fire Saturday afternoon."
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GEAB N°50 is available! Global systemic crisis: Second half of 2011 - European context and US catalyst - Explosion of the Western public debt bubble  - A quote...."The second half of 2011 will mark the point in time when all the world’s financial operators will finally understand that the West will not repay in full a significant portion of the loans advanced over the last two decades. For LEAP/E2020 it is, in effect, around October 2011, due to the plunge of a large number of US cities and states into an inextricable financial situation following the end of the federal funding of their deficits, whilst Europe will face a very significant debt refinancing requirement." - also posted at GlobalRsrch

System Was Insolvent In 2008 (And Still Is)
A quote...."Again, The Fed's program of lending requires you post collateral to secure your borrowing.  TAF had a schedule of "haircuts" off their valuation.  Those haircuts were ridiculously small, as I opined at the time, as it was my view that the alleged collateral was in fact trash. -- Well, we have now discovered that in fact the collateral was trash, and The Fed simply valued it at a tiny fraction (like $1 for every $10 claimed!) and then haircut it according to their table. -- This leaves us with the original question unanswered: Since the collateral was trash and it was not written off in earnings reports, and this collateral was in fact both what left the system insolvent and is radically beyond the "recapitalization" that the banking system received, one still has to ask where is that collateral now, at what value is it being carried, and how is it being valued for that mark?"

Payrolls Drop in 28 U.S. States, Joblessness Rises in 21 in Labor Setback
A quote...."Payrolls decreased in 28 U.S. states and the unemployment rate climbed in 21, showing most parts of the world’s largest economy took part in the November labor- market setback."

[US] Regulators close banks in Ga., Fla., Ark., Minn.
A quote...."Regulators on Friday shuttered three small banks in Georgia and one each in Florida, Arkansas and Minnesota, raising to 157 the number of U.S. banks brought down this year by the struggling economy and soured loans." - Source:  AP@yahoo

Jim Corr: Top-down engineered financial crash designed to take over Europe
Must View RTVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - 7min 14sec - December 18, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."There are fresh demonstrations in Madrid against severe budget cuts as the country tries to reduce its massive debt. Spain has been tipped as the next Eurozone economy at risk of needing a bailout, but some say it could be too big to save. RT talks to Jim Corr, a political activist and musician from the Irish band the Corrs." - Topix ||  A Quadruple Whammy - 12-16-10 - mpg  ||  The First Salvos of the Currency Wars - 05-07-10 - mpg  || - Related Item:  ||  The Money Masters - Part (1of2)  ||  The Money Masters - Part (2of2)  ||

Developing Asia leads global recovery in 2010
A quote...."MANILA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Developing Asian economies posted solid growth in 2010 as sound fundamentals and supportive monetary and fiscal policies that helped the region to survive the global financial crisis continued to sustain its growth."

Friday December 17th 2010

Bloody Trophies
Special Note - A quote...."We have an unprecedented capacity to absorb scandals. Wikileaks or no, Americans wake up each day to a new set of outrages, yet nothing changes. With hundreds of channels at our fingertip and a billion songs sloshing in our skulls, no crime against country, man or earth can linger long enough in any brain cell to matter. All synapses are currently busy with bullsh-t, yet again, thank you. -- There have always been enough incriminating evidences to fill several Pentagons and CIA headquarters. It takes no dick or hacker to know that the U.S. government is duplicitous and sadistic. It lies and kills compulsively."

Hitler's Shadow Reaches toward Today - posted at ConsortiumNews
Special Note - A quote...."The U.S. government protected Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie in the years after World War II and later unleashed the infamous Butcher of Lyon on South America by aiding his escape from French war-crimes prosecutors, according to a new report issued by the National Archives."
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More on the Wikileaks Cointelpro Fiasco....

Even More Proof That Wikileaks Is A Complete Fraud: Wikileaks' Assange's Lawyer Has Connections To The Criminal Rothschilds! -- A quote...."Wikileaks is a complete fraud, and totally disinformation garbage.  People need to wake up to this truth and to make sure that others are also aware of this fraud.  Right now, Governments are meeting to discuss curtailing the freedom of information provided via the Internet due to the false "leaks" that have been coming forward from the criminal disinformation group, Wikileaks, and its Israeli Mossad Agent and Leader, Julian Assange."

For more regarding the article shown above see....No Subtlety Whatsoever - 12-01-10 - mpg
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Iraq Vets KNOW 9/11 Was an Inside job
A quote...."The two biggest obstacles to people recognising the obvious…..that 9/11 was an ‘inside job’…..are:

1) the immediate realisation that if this ‘outrageous’ allegation is true then everybody we have spent our lives (probably) respecting, the BBC, the rest of the media, major politicians, the Christian Churches and many more besides are signed up to this lie……

…….this is just too shocking an idea for many to contemplate seriously.

2) the ‘what does this mean for me’ factor. Most people, even if they understand that the whole story is a lie, are not prepared to stand against the crowd and put themselves at risk."

ABLE DANGER Whistleblower Sues Pentagon and CIA
A quote...."An Army Reserve colonel is suing the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies, claiming that they violated his free speech rights by blocking the distribution of his book over concerns it threatened national security."

They finally got one right…  Amen!! However, we'll have to wait till the case gets to the Supremes to be sure.
A quote...."Earlier this week, the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals (one step below the Supreme Court) made an important ruling that should please anyone who longs for freedom. -- In US vs. Warshak, the court ruled that government agents must obtain a warrant in order to compel Internet service providers to turn over customer email accounts." - also posted at DProgram

TSA News 12-17-10
Another daily DProgram round-up on the TSA's groping, gibbering, goons.

Los Alamos Scientist: TSA Scanners Shred Human DNA
A quote...."While the application of scientific knowledge creates technology, sometimes the technology is later redefined by science. Such is the case with terahertz (THz) radiation, the energy waves that drive the technology of the TSA: back scatter airport scanners."

Dennis Kucinich Voted for the Obama/Bush Tax Cuts that will Increase Taxes for 1/3 of the American People and Ultimately Serve as the Pretext for Another Bush Plan, the Privatization of Social Security - Unbelievable, he betrayed the American people AGAIN!! - mpg -- A quote...."Dennis Kucinich voted for the Bush tax cuts that are already being cited by the next speaker of the House as justification to privatize Social Security. Alan Grayson voted against it. - Remember what Dennis said when he came out for the Obama care insurance bailout bill? “I did it to support the president’s agenda“. This was just 3 days after he went on television and honestly told the people of this country that the health-care bill was “worse than doing nothing” because ultimately it would hurt working Americans." -- Dennis the betrayer....Topix ||  When the Time Comes to Actually Make a Difference, They Capitulate - 03-17-10 - mpg  ||

What Really Happened with Michael Rivero – December 17th, 2010
MRVideo - Alt - (JustInTV - 2hrs - November 19th, 2010) - Source:  MichaelRiveroTV - Michael Rivero rips  apart the TSA, the AIPAC/Israeli Consortium, the US-NRE, and other purveyors of mendacity, mayhem and murder. - mpg

10 Trends for 2011
Special Note - A quote...."After the tumultuous years of the Great Recession, a battered people may wish that 2011 will bring a return to kinder, gentler times. But that is not what we are predicting. Instead, the fruits of government and institutional action – and inaction – on many fronts will ripen in unplanned-for fashions. -- Trends we have previously identified, and that have been brewing for some time, will reach maturity in 2011, impacting just about everyone in the world."

CIA chief in Pakistan leaves after drone trial blows his cover
A quote...."The CIA has pulled its station chief from Islamabad, one of America's most important spy posts, after his cover was blown in a legal action brought by victims of US drone strikes in the tribal belt. -- The officer, named in Pakistan as Jonathan Banks, left the country yesterday, after a tribesman publicly accused him of being responsible for the death of his brother and son in a CIA drone strike in December 2009. Karim Khan, a journalist from North Waziristan, called for Banks to be charged with murder and executed."

French court convicts 13 Pinochet-era officials
Hey Bushy, hey Cheney, hey Obama....here's something to think about, happy holidays. - mpg -- A quote...."PARIS (AP) — Thirteen officials who served under Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet were convicted in a French court on Friday of kidnapping and torturing four French nationals. Two were sentenced to life in prison."
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Obama signs over $858 billion in tax-cuts for wealthy
A quote...."18 Dec 2010 GOP-pwned Barack Obama signed over nearly one trillion dollars to his corpora-terrorist paymasters and GOP overlords. Oh, btw: Shell Oil got a big tax break in this bill, as well. While signing the treasonous Bill, Obusha talked about the need to reduce spending. That would be a reference to his Cat Food Commssion, co-chaired by misogynist dirt-bag Alan Simpson. These immoral cretins are chomping at the bit to GUT Social Security so Wall Street can continue to make a killing. Seriously, it is time -- long past time -- for American Revolution #2."

[Obama's] House Overwhelmingly Approves New $725 Billion Military Spending Bill
A quote...."The US House of Representatives today overwhelmingly approved the $725 billion military appropriations bill for 2011, by far the largest single military spending bill in the history of mankind."

Obama claims sympathy for Iranian victims without mentioning that the U.S. funded their killers
A quote...."You may be able to overlook the notion that the current administration’s continuation of Bush’s propaganda war against Iran and its hypothetical nuclear weapons is somehow considered diplomatic engagement.  However, in his call for accountability, Obusha failed to mention the United States’  support of Jundullah as recently as 2007, funneling money to the group through Iranian exiles in an attempt to cause chaos and destabilize the country, according to a report by ABC News in April of that year:"- Topix ||  US Support of Terror - MEK-PKK-Others  ||

Obama’s Claims of Afghan Progress Convince No One
A quote...."The content of President Obama’s Thursday speech surprised no one, after all officials had been promising an upbeat report with claims of great progress for several days before the speech was ever given. But the decidedly non-credible claims appear not to have convinced anyone."
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Afghans: Victimized by Conflict, Occupation, Extreme Deprivation and Genocide
A quote...."In his book "Freedom Next Time," John Pilger used CIA Vietnam terminology calling Afghanistan "the grand illusion of the American cause," describing long-suffering Afghans victimized by conflict, violence, occupation, extreme deprivation and genocide."

'Israel preparing for war with Lebanon'
War Update - A quote...."Israeli army has completed the most extensive training in recent years in preparation for a possible war with Lebanon, says an Israeli commander."

Lebanon to get French anti-tank missiles
A quote...."French Premier Francois Fillon informed in a letter on Wednesday to his Lebanese counterpart Saad Hariri confirming a deal to supply Lebanon's army with 100 anti-tank missiles, to be used by Lebanon's Gazelle helicopters, AFP quoted a French official as saying."

End of an Epoch or a Fresh Start?
A quote...."Russian president Dmmitry Medvedev will visit Delhi on December 21-22. Russia and India share a decades-long record of strategic partnership, and – considering that the relations between the two countries will largely shape the configuration of the emerging post-unipolar world order - the two heavyweights' contacts are drawing attention worldwide."

Will S-500 system be good against Minotaur IV?
A quote...."On December 16, Russian military experts gathered for a round table discussion organized by RIA Novosti news agency. The experts came to conclusion that one of the major tasks for the future missile defense system would be the struggle against hypersonic weapons of potential enemies."

[US-NRE] Missile Interceptor Fails to Take Down Target
A quote...."This was the second successive failed test this year of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system -- the United States' only protection from a long-range ballistic missile attack. A test at the end of January also ended without missile interception due to problems with the radar equipment. The missile defense system has had mixed success in testing, with seven of 15 attempted missile intercepts to date ending in failure, as judged by the Missile Defense Agency." - bold by website editor

China launches seventh orbiter for indigenous global satellite navigation system
A quote...."XICHANG, Sichuan, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China successfully launched an orbiter into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province at 4:20 a.m. Beijing Time Saturday. -- It was the seventh orbiter that China has launched for its independent satellite navigation and positioning network, also known as Beidou, or Compass system."

India, China sign $16 billion [in] deals
A quote...."NEW DELHI: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pressed on with a charm offensive in India on Thursday, vowing ‘friendship and cooperation’ a day after striking business deals with his hosts worth more than $16 billion."

Bad weather delays South Korean artillery drills near border with North
War Provocation Deferred - A quote...."Bad weather is likely to delay South Korea's artillery drills planned to take place on the island in the Yellow Sea that was attacked by North Korea last month, the Yonhap news agency said on Saturday."

Russia summons US, S Korea envoys
A quote...."Russia has reportedly summoned the South Korean and US envoys over a live-fire drill planned by Seoul amid mounting tensions with North Korea."

The West destroys Africa's largest country
A quote...."Africa is about to lose its largest country. We are talking about Sudan that is getting ready for the separation of its southern part. On December 8, 2010, Southern Sudan  completed the registration of voters for the self-determination referendum. Plebiscite is scheduled for January 9, 2011."

Australia rejects Israeli ordered Media censorship - Hip Hip Hooray!!
A quote...."In issuing its findings of fact and conclusions of law ACMA found that Al Manar did not violate Australian law, and was free to broadcast in the country." - Up yours AIPAC/Israel!! - mpg
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Bolivia recognizes Palestine as a state - Hip Hip Hooray!!
A quote...."Following in the footsteps of over 130 countries, Bolivian President Evo Morales has officially recognized Palestine as a state based on the 1967 borders."

Israeli navy kills Gaza teenager
A quote...."According to eyewitnesses, after Israeli forces pursued and opened fire on fishing boats off the coast of Rafah on Friday, one of the boats overturned and 15-year-old Zyad el-Bardawil drowned, AFP reported."

Family takes stock after mass Lod demolition
A quote...."LOD, Israel (Ma'an) -- The 67 members of the extended Abu Eid family assessed the remains of their six concrete homes on Wednesday, two days after police in Lod demolished them amidst sheets of rain and blustery winds." - also posted at AlethoNews

Israel attacks S African lawmakers
A quote...."A group of South African lawmakers, who visited the West Bank city of Ramallah last week, said on Friday that Israeli forces fired tear gas and stun grenades at them after they attended an anti-settlement demonstration in a Palestinian village near Bethlehem, Ynet reported."

Derail Israel's Unlawful A1 Train Project– End International Complicity
Boycott, Divest and Sanction the ENTIRE state of Israel!  Because...."All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - quote attributed to *Edmund Burke* - mpg -- A quote...Derail Israel's Unlawful A1 Train Project– End International ComplicityOccupied Palestinian Territory, 16 December 2010 - Israel's A1 high-speed train project designed to connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv violates international humanitarian law and human rights law. The A1 rail project forms a component of Israel's ongoing plans to cement its regime of occupation, colonial rule and apartheid over the Palestinian people, particularly in the occupied West Bank." - 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. - also posted at AlethoNews
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The [redacted]'s Christmas Letter
Special Note - Ah-ha!  This guy got his hands on the Nameless One's Christmas letter....way better than that Wikileaks stuff. - mpg -- A quote...."As you know, this time of year usually finds me quite despondent, as the Prince of Peace's influence waxes most atrociously around his birthday. But this year I am in fine spirits, nay, let me even declare myself absolutely giddy, for the destruction of the United States of America draws ever nearer. -- Though my minions have long sown festering seeds of hate and disharmony in that now-benighted land, only recently have my favored weapons of destruction--leverage, debt, half-truths and endless, preening justifications for greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, anger and gluttony--have been unleashed to worm their way into the stricken heart of that Republic. -- My most treasured hopes of destitution and conflict in the U.S.A. are nearing fruition."

Extreme Inequality Helped Cause Both the Great Depression and the Current Economic Crisis
Special Note - Charts - A quote...."It is clear that when banks become too big, it harms the economy. Economist Steve Keen says that "a sustainable level of bank profits appears to be about 1% of GDP", and higher bank profits lead to a Ponzi economy and a depression."

Special Report: Is America the sick man of the globe?
A quote...."After World War Two, unskilled blue-collar jobs in manufacturing -- typified and in many ways defined by the auto sector -- became America's easy path to the middle class. As U.S. manufacturing declined, starting in the 1980s Congress and successive administrations focused instead on the financial sector and relied on debt -- its own and that of the U.S. consumer -- to foster economic growth." - Paper pushers, "hey man....I gots some groovy REITS, CDO's and a few SIMS here.....wanna get really high?"  Oh yeah.....mpg

CHART SHOCK - The Real National Debt Is $202 Trillion
Chart - Contains Video - Alt - A quote...."Based on the CBO’s data, I calculate a fiscal gap of $202 trillion, which is more than 15 times the official debt. This gargantuan discrepancy between our “official” debt and our actual net indebtedness isn’t surprising. It reflects what economists call the labeling problem. Congress has been very careful over the years to label most of its liabilities “unofficial” to keep them off the books and far in the future."

The red queen race of debt – US public debt set to pass US annual GDP. The 100 percent GDP to public debt threshold is quickly approaching. -- Chart - A quote...."People may not even realize that during the Great Depression, US Federal debt as a percent of GDP did not even reach 40 percent.  Part of this was because the size of government was much smaller in military, public services, and entitlements.  The only time in history that the US as a whole spent more than it produced was during World War II. That is the only time but we are now quickly approaching the 100 percent range of federal debt to GDP as a percentage."

Must See: Nordea's Chart Of The Week - Collapsing US Import Demand
Chart - A quote...."Every massive inventory accumulation.... has an equal and opposite effect on GDP. To all those who snickered at the earlier chart of the BDIY, we recommend you read the following brief blurb from Nordea, whose implications may put everything you have heard about a surge in GDP in Q4 and Q1 (primarily from the Goldman bull brigade) in a just slightly different light."

Baltic Dry Dips Below 2,000
Chart - A quote...."Does anybody else notice the very close correlation between the Baltic Dry and the stock market/myths of economic recovery? Neither do we. Oddly enough, the BDIY did predict the late August S&P surge by about a month. And incidentally, we are back to early August levels all over again. Just as incidentally, the market was about 15% lower back then. Then again, our advice is to pay no attention to this index which tracks nothing relevant, and has no bearing on the world economy (and certainly not markets) whatsoever. And ignore the data on the Bberg chart: the value of the BDIY as of this morning is 1,999."

Disintegrated Wall of Worry -- Commentary: Bullishness now at disturbingly high levels
Chart - A quote...."The Wall of Worry that existed as recently as earlier this month has now largely disintegrated — and given way to the veritable Slope of Hope on which market declines typically thrive."

Funding fight could shut down government
Now wouldn't that be a tragedy....(roll the eyes....rub your hands with glee and grin like a maniac) - mpg -- A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — A possible government shutdown is looming at midnight Saturday as Republicans and Democrats ratchet up a standoff over federal spending."

Federal Government Cuts Off Recession Relief Money To States
A quote...."Despite soaring unemployment and the 19 million Americans currently living in "deep poverty," federal funds for the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) program have entirely dried up for the first time since 1996, leaving states with an average of 15 percent less federal funding for the coming year to help an ever-increasing number of needy families."
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Economic Crisis in Europe -- General....

Merkel Prevents Eurozone Meltdown But Can Europe Be Returned to Growth
Must Read - Some quotes...."Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel backed by other European leaders managed to stop economic devastation for millions of people across the eurozone on Thursday by blocking the introduction of eurobonds and the expansion of the 750 billion euro bank bailout fund at a Brussels summit on Thursday."  ---  "eurobonds and a bigger bailout fund demanded by the financial elite would have resulted in an overall increase in the debt burden on the eurozone. The eurozone’s economies are deeply mired in a debt crisis, created by the requirement to pay interest on astronomical quantities of fractional-reserve, property-related, paper banking debt that has been equated with souvereign debt by parliaments, who are forcing tax payers to pick up the bill. - To fund the interest payments on this gigantic property debt, governments are instituting fiscal austerity measures, and, in essence,  “expropriating” the taxes and assets of countries on behalf of banks, bondholders and hedgefunds and their private investors." - Topix ||  A Quadruple Whammy - 12-16-10 - mpg  ||

France: Not Victorious, But Not Defeated
A quote...."It is now possible to begin to draw a tentative balance sheet of the vast movement against the reform (or more exactly, counter-reform) of the pension system in France over the last few months. We need to look at the depth and breadth of the movement, the forms that it took and the positions adopted by its various components. And finally at what might be the repercussions and consequences." - also posted at GlobalRsrch

EU sets up permanent debt crisis fund
A quote...."As Europe's economy tumbles, European Union leaders agree to set up a permanent mechanism in 2013 to bailout any debt-ridden members of the 16-member euro zone."
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Thursday December 16th 2010