Tuesday March 10th 2009 - links page

Obama’s New York Times interview: Military aggression and attacks on democratic rights to continue
  ---  http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/mar2009/obam-m10.shtml
Special Note - Obama™ Update -- A quote...."In an extensive interview conducted last Friday with the New York Times and published on Sunday, President Barack Obama outlined policies on national security and foreign affairs that underscore the essential continuity between his administration and that of his predecessor, George W. Bush." -- also posted at GlobRsrch  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12666
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Further U.S. withdrawal from Iraq unlikely this year: U.S. general  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12655
A quote...."Washington - Further withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq after the planned departure of 12,000 troops by September is unlikely this year, a U.S. general said on Monday, Xinhua News Agency informed. -- Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the second-in-command of U.S. forces in Iraq, told a Pentagon conference via live video-link from Iraq that the expected withdrawal of those troops is what the U.S. military is planning "for the foreseeable future."
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Obama administration backs immunity for author of Bush torture memos  ---  http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/mar2009/jyoo-m09.shtml
Obama™ Update -- A quote...."In legal arguments before a federal court in San Francisco Friday, the Obama administration stepped in to defend one of most notorious figures in the Bush administration, John Yoo, author of legal memoranda used to justify torture and indefinite detention without trial as part of the "war on terror."
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ACLU demands Obama administration release prisoner abuse photos
  ---  http://rawstory.com/news/2008/ACLU_demands_Obama_administration_release_prisoner_0310.html
Obama™ Update -- A quote...."The ACLU has sought the release of additional prisoner abuse photos since 2003, when it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the government. The Bush administration repeatedly stonewalled the request, refusing to disclose the images "by attempting to radically expand the exemptions allowed under the FOIA for withholding records," according to the ACLU."
also posted at Uruknet  ---  http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m52540&s1=h1
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UN to investigate CIA gulag archipelago  ---  http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=88160&sectionid=3510203
A quote...."Two UN special rapporteurs say that they plan to investigate secret detention centers used by the CIA in its counter-terrorism campaign."
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Scott Horton Interviews Jim Lobe  ---  http://antiwar.com/radio/2009/03/06/jim-lobe-4/
Audio Interview - A quote...."Jim Lobe, Washington Bureau Chief for Inter Press Service, discusses the balance of power between different foreign policy factions, the work record of Dennis Ross from Oslo Accord negotiator to WINEP associate, the centrality of uranium refining in U.S./Iran relations, the resurgence of the Arab League and the National Intelligence Council appointment saga of Chas Freeman."
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UN report condemns Britain over torture cases  ---  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/09/torture-guantanamo-rendition
A quote...."Britain is condemned today in a highly critical UN report for breaching basic human rights and "trying to conceal illegal acts" in the fight against terrorism."
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Official: Iran doesn't have fuel for nuke warhead  ---  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090310/ap_on_go_co/intelligence_threats
A quote...."WASHINGTON – A top U.S. intelligence official says Iran does not have any highly enriched uranium, the fuel used to power a nuclear warhead."
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China: The Next Big Enemy? The domestic politics of the new Sinophobia  ---  http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=14384
Photos - It's sort'a funny. - mpg -- A quote...."Those Chinese sailors who "harassed" a U.S. military vessel lingering perilously close to a Chinese base on Hainan Island, in the South China Sea, reportedly stripped down to their underwear when our sailors turned water hoses on them. Maybe the shower facilities on Chinese fishing vessels – it was fishing trawlers, not military gunboats, that met the Americans on China's doorstep – are insufficient, or maybe the Chinese were mooning us. I'm inclined to think the latter. In any case, Sunday's incident ratchets up tensions with China – which have been roiled in recent weeks, not only by a series of similar incidents, but also on account of issues broader than China's claims to virtually the whole of the South China Sea."
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South America Integrating Defense
  ---  http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7BC6E6A3C5-D001-47D7-9E35-F52C254FE9B7%7D%29&language=EN
Good idea!!  Regional blocks should be created, nations should band together against a certain rogue "hyper power" (which shall remain nameless) that's been going around the world attacking countries in an attempt to seize their natural resources and in the process devastating these countries while killing, injuring, and making homeless millions of their citizens. – mpg -- A quote...."Santiago, Chile, Mar 9 (Prensa Latina) Defense ministers from 12 Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) are to analyze cooperation issues here on Monday and Tuesday in the first South American Defense Council (SADC)." -- also posted at BLN  ---  http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-3582-0-9-9--.html
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Western military forces turning inward in anticipation of domestic unrest
  ---  http://oldthinkernews.com/Articles/oldthinker%20news/military_forces_worldwide_turnin.htm
A quote...."As the growing world-wide economic crisis deepens, military forces from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom are preparing to meet angry citizens on the street. The economic crisis - and the public outrage it is causing - is at the forefront of intelligence agencies and military forces in the western world." -- also posted at BLN  ---  http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-3581-0-22-22--.html
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Canadian Military Units To Undertake “Domestic Security”   ---  http://www.prisonplanet.com/canadian-military-units-to-undertake-domestic-security.html
Related Article - A quote...."The Canadian military is reorganizing its priorities to suit a “post 9/11-world,” by creating reservist units for each area of the country that would be tasked with providing “domestic security,” and involve roles such as the mass internment of citizens in the event of a terrorist attack."
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Bernanke To CFR: New Financial Authority Is Needed  ---  http://infowars.net/articles/march2009/100309Bernanke.htm
a.k.a The EHSA (Economic Homeland Security Administration) perhaps?  Headed by Bernanke of course?  Folks, this is getting ridiculous and it's getting totally out of hand! – mpg -- A quote...."Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has told an elite gathering that a new overarching financial authority should be created by the government and empowered with sweeping new regulatory responsibilities. -- Bernanke also coyly indicted to the renowned globalist group that he believes a new international order could be fomented out of the crisis."
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Charles Freeman fails the loyalty test  ---  http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/10/freeman/index.html
A quote...."Obviously, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt are rabid, hateful paranoids -- total bigots and anti-Semites -- for having suggested that there are powerful domestic political forces in the U.S. which enforce Israel-centric orthodoxies and make it politically impossible to question America's blind loyalty to Israel.  What irrational lunacy on their part...." -- also posted at AmericanEveryman
  ---  http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/charles-freeman-fails-the-loyalty-test/
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Chas Freeman Slams "Israel Lobby"  ---  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/10/chas-freeman-slams-israel_n_173740.html
Related Article - A quote...."Below is Chas Freeman's full statement following his decision not to serve as National Intelligence Council chairman."

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Freeman Withdrawal Marks Victory for Israel Lobby  ---  http://www.antiwar.com/ips/lubanlobe.php?articleid=14386
Related Article - A quote...."Amb. Chas Freeman withdrew from consideration for a top intelligence post in the Obama administration on Tuesday, following a vitriolic battle that pitted Republican lawmakers and pro-Israel hardliners opposed to his appointment against liberals and members of the intelligence and diplomatic communities who had come to his defense."-- also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22190.htm

For more on the three articles shown above see....Judeo-Christian C/C & US
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/judeochristianconflictcontrolwithinus-weblist-mpg-010409
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ICC prosecutor mulls 'Gaza war crimes' probe  ---  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2203098/posts
- Alt  ---  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3683267,00.html
A quote...."Luis Moreno-Ocampo tells Argentinean newspaper he is considering launching investigation into Israel's alleged use of white phosphorus shells in densely-populated areas during recent offensive "
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Interpol mulls Iran`s request for 25 Israeli officials over Gaza op  ---  http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070021.html
A quote...."Interpol says it is studying a request from Iran for 25 Israeli officials to be placed on its most-wanted list over Israel's offensive in Gaza. The international police agency says it took the unusual step of confirming the request publicly, as Iranian government officials have made their request public."
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Day 24: Breaking the Siege - The Beginning of the End (updated: The Angels are in Town)  ---  http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/191813
Special Note - A quote...."The Viva Palestina   ---  http://www.vivapalestina.org/  ---  convoy drove slowly along the Salah Eddine road leading to Gaza City taking in the atmosphere around them and savouring the moment of history they had just created. -- Along the way, thousands of Palestinians, the other heroes of this beautiful story of resistance, defiance and hope approached every vehicle kissing, touching, hugging the bravest of Britain. They handed their babies, their young children, to the convoy members so that they could be embraced, as if the angels were in town. Drenched in flowers, tears were flowing on both sides."
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British MP kisses Gaza ground  ---  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3683738,00.html
Some quotes...."Convoy of vehicles carrying food, medicine, and toys travels 12,000 km to enter Gaza through Rafah." -- "British MP George Galloway, who was among those entering Gaza, said the convoy was only the beginning of his battle, and reinforced his comment with a flamboyant kiss to the Gazan ground."
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The F Word: Anti-Palestinian Amendments Fail ---  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg995GePUKQ  ---  (Grit TV - 2 min 22 sec - March 10, 2009)
Video
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Destroyed farms in Gaza spark meat shortage  ---  http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m52532&s1=h1
A quote...."According to the UN Development Programme’s agricultural officer Jihad Al Khatib, 250,000 chickens were killed by Israel during the war. A 25-per cent shortage of food supplies in now expected."
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Situation at Gaza border crossings “intolerable,” UN chief says  ---  http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/191904
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS, Mar 11 (APP): A lasting ceasefire is urgently needed to keep Gaza crossings open, which will allow the Palestinian economy to recover, Secretary‑General Ban Ki‑moon said Tuesday. In a message to a UN seminar on assistance to the Palestinian people in Cairo, Ban called for a ‘proper and durable’ end of hostilities to ‘allow for a return of calm’ to the areal. “The situation at the crossings is intolerable,” he said, stressing the need for Israel, which controls them, to ease the closure."
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The Settler Question - What Israeli Peace Process?  ---  http://www.counterpunch.org/spinney03102009.html
A quote...."On March 2, 2009, the Israeli advocacy group Peace Now issued a report saying that the Israeli housing ministry plans to build 73,ooo housing units in the West Bank. Peace Now said 15,ooo of these units had already been approved, with another 58,000 awaiting approval. On March 7, 2009, the Guardian reported that a confidential report issued by the EU said Israel continues to annex property in East Jerusalem. It said Israeli housing authorities had submitted plans for 5,500 new housing units (3,000 of which have already been approved) since the Annapolis "peace" conference in November 2007."
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Palestinian Villages Become Israel’s Playground  ---  http://www.countercurrents.org/cook100309.htm
A quote...."Canada Park: As spring sets in early, Israelis have been pouring into one of the country’s most popular leisure spots. Visitors to Canada Park, a few kilometres north-west of Jerusalem, enjoy its spectacular panaromas, woodland paths, mountain-bike trails, caves and idyllic picnic areas. -- A series of signs describe the historical significance of the landscape, as well as that of a handful of ancient buildings, in terms of their Biblical, Roman, Hellenic and Ottoman pasts. Few, if any, visitors take notice of the stone blocks that litter sections of the park."
also posted at PalestineChronicle  ---  http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14903
& CounterPunch  ---  http://www.counterpunch.org/cook03102009.html
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US Recession Could Last Up to 36 Months: Roubini   ---  http://www.cnbc.com/id/29598949  ---  If the Fed succeeds!  If not, it'll be much worse. - mpg
Special Note - Video - A quote...."The man who predicted the current financial crisis said the US recession could drag on for years without drastic action." -- also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22187.htm
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The Federal Reserve is Bankrupt - How Did It Happen and What are the Ugly Consequences?
  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12648
Special Note - A quote...."But some things are known: Goldman's Lloyd Blankfein was the only CEO of a Wall Street firm who was present at the New York Fed meeting when the AIG bailout was discussed. So let us not kid each other: The $162 billion bailout of AIG is a nontransparent, opaque and shady bailout of the AIG counter-parties: Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch and other domestic and foreign financial institutions. -- "So for the Treasury to hide behind the "systemic risk" excuse to fork out another $30 billion to AIG is a polite way to say that without such a bailout (and another half-dozen government bailout programs such as TAF, TSLF, PDCF, TARP, TALF and a program that allowed $170 billion of additional debt borrowing by banks and other broker-dealers, with a full government guarantee), Goldman Sachs and every other broker-dealer and major U.S. bank would already be fully insolvent today."
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Three-Month Libor for Dollars Increases for 11th Day (Update2)
  ---  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aAj6OXMGhBSo&refer=home
Financial Alert - A quote...."March 10 (Bloomberg) -- The cost of borrowing in dollars for three months in London rose for an 11th day as banks sought cash to cover their commitments through the end of the first quarter."
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AIG has insured $1.6 trillion in derivatives  ---  http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/09/aig-has-insured-16-t.html
Financial Update - A quote...."And you thought AIG's $62 billion quarterly loss last month was bad -- turns out that the company has a further $1.6 trillion in outstanding derivatives exposure, according to this leaked memo that AIG sent to the US Treasury in order to beg for another $30 billion. Aig Systemic 090309   ---  http://www.scribd.com/doc/13112282/Aig-Systemic-090309  ---  (via The Dynamics of Cats)  ---  http://scienceblogs.com/catdynamics
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Statician says US joblessness near Depression highs  ---  http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0944970920090309
A quote...."NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. unemployment rate would be 19.1 percent, close to the level during the Great Depression, using the methodology that prevailed 80 years ago, according to Shadowstats.com."
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Morgan Stanley predicts economic collapse worse than depression  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12638
A quote...."Morgan Stanley’s UK equity strategist Graham Secker painted a bleak economic picture for the United Kingdom. In his morning forecast, Mr. Secker warned that UK profits could fall by 60% in the current downturn - a worse performance than the great depression of the 1930s."
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US Stocks Close Higher; DJIA Has Biggest Gain Since November
  ---  http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/US-Stocks-Close-Higher-DJIA/story.aspx?guid=%7B8737B313-30FF-42E1-B7B3-5447FC89A5F8%7D
A quote...."NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Stocks finally broke out of their doldrums Tuesday as hopes that banks were finding their feet took the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 375 points for its biggest gain since November." - bold by website editor -- For more on this issue see....What Ben Bernanke Said - 03-18-08 - mpg  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/whatbenbernankesaid-blog-mpg-031808
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US companies slash thousands more jobs in early March  ---  http://wsws.org/articles/2009/mar2009/jobs-m11.shtml
A quote...."The first ten days of March have seen no let-up in the destruction of jobs in the US. Large and small corporations, as well as state and local governments, school districts, public libraries and universities, are laying off workers in the most devastating slump since the Great Depression."
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Retirement Living in Elkhart, Indiana  ---  http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north694.html
A quote...."In early February, President Obama was looking for a place to symbolize the recession. He wanted to rally support for his proposed $800 billion bailout of the economy, a bailout that he admitted would send the Federal government's annual deficit to $1.7 trillion in fiscal 2010."
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Happy Days For Prophets Of Doom  ---  http://www.countercurrents.org/taylor100309.htm
A quote...."It's like Cinderella's fairy godmother, in reverse. -- According to the experts, Latvia, Romania, Hungary, the Ukraine, and 11 other countries may also go belly up, financially. -- Less than a year ago, many of these countries were praised for their economic miracles. They had emerged from Soviet repression. They had embraced democracy and free market ideology – often treated as synonymous – and they had been welcomed into the European Union."
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Monday March 9th 2009 - links page

Sunday March 8th 2009 - links page

Saturday March 7th 2009 - links page

The U.S. Financial System Is Effectively Insolvent
  ---  http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/04/global-recession-insolvent-opinions-columnists-roubini-economy.html?321
Must Read - Financial Warning - A quote...."By Nouriel Roubini - [a.k.a. Dr. Doom] -- There is, in fact, a rising risk of a global L-shaped depression that would be even worse than the current, painful U-shaped global recession. Here's why: -- First, note that most indicators suggest that the second derivative of economic activity is still sharply negative in Europe and Japan and close to negative in the U.S. and China. Some signals that the second derivative was turning positive for the U.S. and China turned out to be fake starts. For the U.S., the Empire State and Philly Fed indexes of manufacturing are still in free fall; initial claims for unemployment benefits are up to scary levels, suggesting accelerating job losses; and January's sales increase is a fluke--more of a rebound from a very depressed December, after aggressive post-holiday sales, than a sustainable recovery."
also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22168.htm
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Regression is not progress  ---  http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4400.shtml
Must Read - A quote...."Further problems are being created by the proposed solutions to an economic crisis more serious than the Great Depression. As in the 1930s, government employees of great wealth are attempting to bail out the failing system at public expense, thereby making things worse and avoiding what is for the good of humanity. -- Capitalism has achieved massive private profits for a minority only by generating staggering loss for a majority burdened with unpayable debt. Perpetuation of this system could lead to total disaster...."
also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22173.htm
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AIG: Billions Dished Out in the Dark  ---  http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090316/scheer
Must Read - A quote...."This is crazy! Forget the bleating of Rush Limbaugh; the problem is not with the quite reasonable and, if anything, underfunded stimulus package, which in any case will be debated long and hard in Congress. The problem is with what is not being debated: the far more expensive Wall Street bailout that is being pushed through--as in the case of the latest AIG rescue--in secret, hurried deal-making primarily by the unelected secretary of the treasury and the chairman of the Federal Reserve." -- also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22162.htm
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"Outlaw the Shadow Banking System!" - Guess Who Said It?  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12584
A quote...."It is clear something is definitely amiss within the ruling elites and President Obama has thrown the gauntlet to his adversaries. The skeptics may say that we should not read too much into this above quoted paragraph, as it could be mere spin to rally the troops in times of crisis. Time will tell. -- I take the view that it is inevitable that the members of the ruling elites would go for each other’s throats because those who were given the charge to ensure that the money-machine keeps running have screwed up big time. Someone must answer for the fiasco."
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CNBC Gives Financial Advice  ---  http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=220252&title=cnbc-gives-financial-advice
Must View Video - Jon Stewart takes on Rick Santelli, along with the ENTIRE financial industry. - mpg
For more on this issue see....Enforcing the Rules -- Too Little, Too Late - 02-27-09 - mpg
 ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/enforcingtherulestoolittletoolate-mpg-reficultnias-022709
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America loses 23,000 jobs every day and output suffers biggest slump in 25 years  http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article5860579.ece
A quote...."American businesses were forced to shed more than 23,000 jobs every day last month as recession tightened its grip on the economy, pushing the unemployment rate to a 25-year high." -- "Job losses in January were revised sharply [higher] to 655,000 from 598,000, while revised estimates for unemployment in December showed that 681,000 workers were laid off, the worst month on record since October 1949." - bold by website editor -- also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22170.htm
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Continuing Job Losses May Signal Broad Economic Shift
  ---  http://www.sott.net/articles/show/178272-Continuing-Job-Losses-May-Signal-Broad-Economic-Shift
A quote...."The acceleration has convinced some economists that, far from an ordinary downturn after which jobs will return, the contraction under way reflects a fundamental restructuring of the American economy. In crucial industries - particularly manufacturing, financial services and retail - many companies have opted to abandon whole areas of business."
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'Run on UK' sees foreign investors pull $1 trillion out of the City  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12599
Financial Alert -- A quote...."A silent $1 trillion "Run on Britain" by foreign investors was revealed yesterday in the latest statistical releases from the Bank of England. The external liabilities of banks operating in the UK – that is monies held in the UK on behalf of foreign investors – fell by $1 trillion (£700bn) between the spring and the end of 2008, representing a huge loss of funds and of confidence in the City of London."
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Merrill Lynch probes $400m trader loss  ---  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7b1077ac-0a57-11de-95ed-0000779fd2ac.html
A quote...."A Merrill Lynch currency trader has been suspended after racking up more than $400m in undisclosed losses in recent months, raising further questions about the financial health of the investment bank bought by Bank of America last September." -- What they call "petty cash" nowadays. - mpg
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FDIC warns US bank deposit insurance fund may tank  ---  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hSg4FLy01YtT6zntV7lQQxVlA2jA
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is warning banks that its deposit insurance fund could dry up this year amid rising bank failures although the deposits would remain fully backed by the government."
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This Is What A Financial Collapse Looks Like - Argentina's Economic Collapse  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22169.htm
Videos - A quote...."Documentary on the events that led to the economic collapse of Argentina in 2001 which wiped out the middle class and raised the level of poverty to 57.5%. Central to the collapse was the implementation of neo-liberal policies which enabled the swindle of billions of dollars by foreign banks and corporations."
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Our Hidden Insurgents  ---  http://mwcnews.net/content/view/29058/26/
A quote...."The fact that Moodys or Standard and Poors can dictate social policy for a government is not easy to digest. It's pretty ridiculous that Canadian politicians must listen to what Moodys might say about their governance and abide by the credit raters directives. -- It is similar to the IMF/World Banks power over developing countries where they demand privatization of vital necessities such as water."
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LaVena Johnson: Raped and Murdered on a Military Base in Iraq
  ---  http://www.opednews.com/articles/LaVena-Johnson-Raped-and-by-David-A-Love-090307-577.html
Special Note - (for the horror) - Items like this are rarely posted.  But this is a special case.  If the US Army is willing to cover-up something likeTHIS, something so obvious, something that was done to ONE OF THEIR OWN, does ANYONE out there actually believe, even for a second, that they have told the truth about ANY of the horrific things they've done to the people in the countries they're currently occupying? - mpg --  A quote...."Have you heard the story about LaVena Johnson? -- LaVena Johnson, a high school honor student, decided to enlist in the Army to pay for college. On July 19, 2005, after serving eight weeks in Iraq, she was killed, eight days short of her 20th birthday." --  For more on this sort of issue see....Sen. Whitehouse Prepares the Nation for Torture Horrors - contains video  ---  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/27/17407/9646/766/700982
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Why Did So Few Americans Give a Damn?  ---  http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090305_bush_justice_dept_documents_confirm_worst_fears/
A quote...."The documents currently being released by the Justice Department that demonstrate the Bush administration’s view of the president’s constitutional power in a “state of war” tell us things we suspected but didn’t want to know. -- The first seven of these official memorandums issued last week dealt with claimed presidential powers to unilaterally abrogate international treaties; suspend constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and press; and order warrant-less searches, wiretaps and seizures of documents and indefinite imprisonment inside the U.S. without trial or criminal charges. The memorandums claimed that Congress has no overriding authority in these matters." -- also posted at ICH  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22165.htm
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Taliban Truce and the Coming Storm in South Asia  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12594
A quote...."With growing instability and political turmoil inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, due in no small measure to American efforts on both sides of the "Afpak" divide to "stabilize" the region for multinational energy companies, this spring will see the rise of combat operations inside both countries. -- Pakistan is already feeling the heat generated by the imperialist Dracula and the jihadi Frankenstein."
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Pakistan militants shoot down drone: officials  ---  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090307/wl_afp/pakistanafghanistanunrest
They claim to have shot it down with ground fire.  However If popular, civilian supported tribal or insurgent groups in the Middle East ever acquire effective anti-aircraft and/or anti-armor missiles, the US-NRE along with NATO will immediately cease and desist all Neo-Colonization operations in that entire region and de-camp forthwith. - mpg -- A quote...."MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) – Taliban militants on Saturday shot down a suspected drone aircraft in a Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said. - Residents and a local police official said two drones were flying low over a village in the South Waziristan tribal district when one of them was hit by militant fire."
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Iran deploys 10,000 soldiers on Pak-Iran border
  ---  http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/world/iran-deploys-10000-soldiers--za
A quote...."GAWADAR: Iran deployed Ten-Thousand reserve commandoes carrying sophisticated weapons and armed vehicles along the 300km Pak- Iran border to patrol the borders adjacent to Jeweni round the clock." -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/ussupportofterror-weblist-mpg-090306#MEK-PKK-OTHERS
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China, Russia should strengthen cooperation - Chinese FM  ---  http://en.rian.ru/world/20090307/120469526.html
A quote...."BEIJING, March 7 (RIA Novosti) - China and Russia should strengthen cooperation to ensure stability and multi-polarity in the world, the Chinese foreign minister said Saturday." -- also posted at WarInIraq  ---  http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/191631
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Russian renews threats despite 'reset'  ---  http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=87872&sectionid=351020602
A quote...."Russia has again warned the US against posing risks to its 'strategic interests' by deploying anti-missile elements in Eastern Europe."
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Sukhoi SuperJet 100 ready for delivery this year
  ---  http://www.russiatoday.com/Business/2009-03-04/Sukhoi_SuperJet_100_ready_for_delivery_this_year.html
A quote...."The first Sukhoi SuperJet 100 regional airliner will be delivered to Russia’s Aeroflot by December 2009, with the company already having orders for 98 of the aircraft."
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Africom's Covert War in Sudan...   ---  http://mwcnews.net/content/view/29037/26/
A quote...."I recently received a phone call from an Australian man who identified himself as an investigator for the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, Netherlands. The investigator and his colleague had read my story, “Merchant’s of Death: Exposing Corporate Financed Holocaust in Africa,” and they wanted my cooperation to provide more detailed evidence about the warlords behind the massacres at Bogoro, Congo, described briefly in my story."
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Hell Hath No Fury Like an Imperialist Scorned  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22161.htm
Must Read - A quote...."March 05, 2009 "Information Clearing House" --- Hugo Chávez's greatest sin is that he has shown disrespect for the American Empire. Or as they would say in America's inner cities — He's dissed the Man. Such behavior of course cannot go unpunished lest it give other national leaders the wrong idea. Over the years, the United States has gotten along just fine with brutal dictators, mass murderers, torturers, and leaders who did nothing to relieve the poverty of their population — Augusto Pinochet, Pol Pot, the Greek Junta, Ferdinand Marcos, Suharto, Duvalier, Mobutu, the Brazil Junta, Somoza, Saddam Hussein, South African apartheid leaders, Portuguese fascists, etc., etc., terrible guys all, all seriously supported by Washington at one time or another; for none made it a regular habit, if ever, to diss the Man."
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Revealed: [British] police databank on thousands of protesters
  ---  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/mar/06/police-surveillance-protesters-journalists-climate-kingsnorth
Video - A quote...."Police are targeting thousands of political campaigners in surveillance operations and storing their details on a database for at least seven years, an investigation by the Guardian can reveal.-- Photographs, names and video ­footage of people attending protests are ­routinely obtained by surveillance units and stored on an "intelligence system". "
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Bush detainee policy loses key legal basis after Supreme Court decision -- http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bush_detainee_policy_loses_legal_basis_0307.html
Obama™ Update -- A quote...."While opponents of former President Bush may find some cause to rejoice at the news, the Obama administration's "moot" argument effectively prevented the court from directly taking up the constitutional issue of Bush's detention policies. Salon writer Glenn Greenwald called the [Obama] administration's course of action "a virtual repeat of what the U.S. Government did in the Jose Padilla case." - bold by website editor
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Obama Seeks Dismissal of Case Against John Yoo, Author of 'Torture Memo'  ---  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/40523
Related Article -- Obama™ Update -- A quote...."In a California federal court, President Obama's Justice Department is defending former Bush official John Yoo, author of the so-called "torture memo." -- Yoo is being sued by Jose Padilla, currently serving 17 years in prison for conspiring to provide support to Islamist extremists. Padilla's lawyers say that Yoo's memos on interrogation policies led to his detention and torture."
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Remembering the anthrax attack  ---  http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/04/anthrax/index.html
A quote...."One of the best and smartest members in the U.S. Congress, Rep. Rush Holt, has rejected the "look to the future - not the past" Orwellian mantra, at least when it comes to the highly consequential though still unresolved anthrax attack:" -- For more on this issue see....

Congressman Holt Introduces Anthrax Comm. Legislation - Modeled After 9/11 Commission - posted 03-04-09
  ---  http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2009/03/congressman-holt-introduces-anthrax.html
Anthrax investigation still yielding findings - posted 02-25-09
  ---  http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090225/full/news.2009.120.html
Sandia National Laboratories Test Exonerates Ivins - posted 02-25-09
  ---  http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2009/02/sandia-national-laboratories-test.html
9/11 the Sequel - Return of the Jihadi™ -- 08-23-08  - mpg.
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/911thesequel-returnofthejahadi-mpg-blog-082308
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Ex-UN prosecutor: Bush may be next up for International Criminal Court - http://rawstory.com/news/2008/ExUN_prosecutor_Bush_may_be_next_0307.html
A quote...."An ex-UN prosecutor has said that following the issuance of an arrest warrant for the president of Sudan, former US President George W. Bush could -- and should -- be next on the International Criminal Court's list."
also posted at AfterDowningStreet  ---  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/40525
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9/11 - From The History File...What Caused the Core of WTC 1 to Fail? - photos
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Resisting the Real Rejectionists  ---  http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14891
Special Note - A quote...."17:34 03/06/2009 -- Recent developments in the aftermath of Israel's attack on Gaza have once again called into question basic definitions of words and categories used to describe and/or hide events, conditions, demands, and agendas. The preponderance of political players ought not to disguise that there is one very lopsided dominating side. Major states (and their quislings) purportedly represent the weight and gravitas of an international “consensus” regarding a “peaceful resolution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the picture is different at the level of those who resist oppression and aspire to liberation, be they actively fighting or simply persisting -- by their very presence (sumoud) -- and maintaining their aspirations for liberation. From their perspective, that oppressive weight of international leaders’ “help”/diktats is illusory, unfair, and unacceptable."
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Israeli forces shoot four with live ammunition at Ni’lin demonstration  ---  http://palsolidarity.org/2009/03/5225
A quote...."Posted on: March 7, 2009 -- On the 6th March Israeli forces attacked the weekly protest against the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the village of Ni’lin, shooting four protesters with live ammunition. Three other people were injured after being hit by tear-gas canisters."
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Army shells agricultural structure in Gaza  ---  http://www.imemc.org/article/59190
A quote...."Sunday March 08, 2009 02:47 -- The agency said that an F-16 Israeli fighter-jet fired two missiles at the structure located in farmlands in Yaffa Street, located in Al Tuffah neighborhood north east of Gaza City. Damage to the structure and some surrounding homes and properties was reported. Rescue teams and fire-fighters rushed to the shelled area.  No injuries were reported in the shelling until the time of this report."
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Gaza man witnesses soldiers executing his father  ---  http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m52444&s1=h1
A quote...."They fired at him… then a number of soldiers approached his wounded body and fired again to make sure he was dead".
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The Difference Between Lieberman, Livni and Netanyahu  ---  http://pulsemedia.org/2009/03/07/the-difference-between-lieberman-livni-and-netanyahu/
Cartoon
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[Help] by Osama  ---  http://palestinethinktank.com/2009/03/06/cartoon-of-the-day-77/
Cartoon
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Galloway arrives in Egypt to join Gaza aid convoy  ---  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090307/twl-galloway-arrives-in-egypt-to-join-ga-3cd7efd.html
A quote...."Controversial British MP George Galloway arrived in Cairo on Saturday to join a convoy that had set out from London last month carrying relief for war-torn Gaza, an airport official said." -- also posted at WarInIraq  ---  http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/191657
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Alice Walker holds US liable for Gaza war  ---  http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=87877&sectionid=351020202
A quote...."Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:22:34 GMT  -- Award-winning author Alice Walker says US administrations should be held accountable for Israeli aggression against the people of Gaza."
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Pots of urine, feces on the walls - how IDF troops vandalized Gaza homes  ---  http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1068989.html
A quote...."Last update - 20:04 06/03/2009 -- GAZA - We had already visited this house, belonging to the Abu Eida family. It is the only one of the family's nine large houses that remained standing at the eastern edge of the city of Jabalya following Operation Cast Lead. The demolition of the family's houses and its four cement factories spells the loss of 40 years of hard work."
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Friday March 6th 2009 - links page

Top U.N. Official Accuses U.S. of Inhuman Atrocities in Iraq, Afghanistan  ---  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22157.htm
A quote...."March 05, 2009 "Fox News" -- - A top U.N. official accused the United States of committing inhuman "atrocities" in Iraq and Afghanistan during a speech Wednesday to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. -- "The aggressions against Iraq and Afghanistan and their occupations constitute atrocities that must be condemned and repudiated by all who believe in the rule of law in international relations," said U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann."
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South Ossetia says Georgia building new firing positions near border  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12577
A quote...."Georgia's armed forces are building fortified structures near the border with South Ossetia, as well as new firing positions, the South Ossetian president said on Friday. -- "As of now, there are 35 Georgian armed checkpoints in the zone of European observers' responsibility. Overall, there are about 2,500 armed people on the Georgian side in the conflict zone," Eduard Kokoity said." -- See also....'Israel still arming Georgia'
  --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=87535&sectionid=351020606  ---  posted 03-05-09
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Call to 'Resist and Deter' Nuclear Iran Gains Key Support  ---  http://www.antiwar.com/lobe/?articleid=14364
Obama™ Update -- A quote...."A new report on how the United States should "resist and deter" Iran's alleged ambitions to acquire a nuclear-weapons capability by a think tank closely tied to the so-called "Israel Lobby" has been endorsed by two key officials who are expected to exercise major influence on Iran policy in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama." -- Good ol'Bombs Away O-Bomb-a is still following the PNAC/AIPAC schedule. - mpg -- For more on this issue see the article shown below and....Fake Intel / Propaganda
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/fakeintell-weblist-mpg-090206
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Neocons Wage War on a 'Realist'  ---  http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/030609.html
A quote...." In a normal world, people in Washington might welcome the hiring of a “realist” to oversee the production of U.S. intelligence analyses, with the hope that even if the truth doesn’t set you free, it at least might be the foundation for sound policies. - -But that is not the world in which the United States finds itself. In today’s Washington, the city’s preeminent newspaper publishes a neoconservative attack on President Barack Obama’s choice to oversee intelligence analyses because the person is a “realist.”
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[US-NRE] will not follow UK on Hezbollah  ---  http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=87755&sectionid=3510203
Obama™ Update -- Can anyone say "a certified lackey of AIPAC"? - mpg -- A quote...."Obama's administration 'is not ready' to join Britain in contacting the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, says the US State Department."
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Protest tent against home demolition in Jerusalem  ---  http://www.imemc.org/article/59177
A quote...."Saturday March 07, 2009 09:12 -- Palestinian residents of Al Sahl area, in Mout Olive – Al Tour area in East Jerusalem installed a protest tent on the rubble of a home that was demolished by Israel two weeks ago."
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Israel Annexing East Jerusalem, Says EU  ---  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/40503
A quote...."Sat, 2009-03-07 04:26. -- A confidential EU report accuses the Israeli government of using settlement expansion, house demolitions, discriminatory housing policies and the West Bank barrier as a way of "actively pursuing the illegal annexation" of East Jerusalem."
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Palestinians Need Help, Not Charity  ---  http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14893
NO! NO! NO! Palestinians certainly don't need any more Neo-Roman, US-NRE, AIPAC/Israeli, styled "help", they've received WAY to much already.  What they need is their land back and to be left ALONE! - mpg -- A quote...."17:54 03/06/2009  -- This is a strange world. All those who stood around and stared while Israel pounded Gaza for three weeks [a.k.a. "help"] have now come together apparently to rebuild it. From UN chief Ban ki-Moon to the so-called Middle East Quartet’s so-called envoy Tony Blair to new US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, all the global movers and shakers turned up for the international donors’ conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this week." -- For more on all the "help" the US-NRE, Israel, and the Saudi Royals have given Palestine see....US Sponsored Civil Wars - Palestine
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/ussponsoredcivilwars-weblist-mpg-101107#PALESTINE
& Gaza Invasion of 12/27/08  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/thegazainvasion-mpg-weblist-122708
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Gaza homes destruction 'wanton'  ---  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7926413.stm
A quote...."last updated at 10:55 GMT, Friday, 6 March 2009 -- Human rights investigators say Israeli forces engaged in "wanton destruction" of Palestinian homes during the recent conflict in Gaza."
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Audio slideshow: Homeless in Gaza  ---  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7926780.stm
Slide Show - A quote...."Publication date 6 March 2009. -- Raed al-Atamna's family's six houses were destroyed in the recent Gaza conflict, as well as the cars he uses to earn his living as a taxi driver."
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Rising Beyond Bullets  ---  http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14892
A quote...."17:44 03/06/2009 -- There is a limit to the sea, and there is a limit to the land. To a Palestinian's life in Gaza, there is a limit that is not determined by natural death or an unfortunate accident. The harvest seasons forcibly altered, and the fishing boats from their routes blocked. Tanks and bulldozers have plucked the roots of citrus fruits and olive trees kilometers away from the northern and eastern borders of the strip, pushing the borderlines further in, and forcing the inhabitants around these areas out of their homes and into other areas within."
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The United States of Israel  ---  http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/5105the-united-states-of-israel/
A quote...."It seems that one doesn’t have to wait four years to find out that Hillary Clinton is just a fraud, very much like her predecessor in the job, Condoleezza Rice."
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Tangled Up in Karl: The Hidden Connections Behind the Rove-Obama Deal
  ---  http://chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1716-tangled-up-in-karl-the-hidden-connections-behind-the-rove-obama-deal.html
Special Note - Obama™ Update -- A quote...."There has been a flutter of congratulatory noise in some quarters about the recent "compromise" brokered by the White House regarding Karl Rove's criminal refusal to heed Congressional subpoenas requiring his testimony on the Bush Administration's transformation of the Justice Department into a goon squad targeting -- and imprisoning -- political opponents. -- Whereas mere mortals can go to prison for ignoring a Congressional summons, Rove has been allowed to roam free, appearing on national television, writing for national publications, and carrying on his life's work of polluting and degrading the nation's political culture. This unelected, porcine bullsh-t-slinger is apparently so powerful that the new President [That's Obama for those who are still in denial] of the United States felt compelled to step in and negotiate the very gentle terms under which said porcine polluter would deign to appear before Congress." -- also posted at CounterPunch  ---  http://www.counterpunch.org/floyd03062009.html
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Siegelman ruling and update... - Obama is now part of the cover-up in the Siegelman case. - mpg
  ---  http://www.atlargely.com/2009/03/siegelman-ruling-and-update.html
Related Article - Obama™ Update -- A quote...."Before you read the bad news - and it is bad news - remember that none of the evidence that was uncovered after the Siegelman trial was allowed to be part of this appeal. So what we know of Karl Rove's alleged involvement and his friendship with Billy Canary and Canary's wife - the US Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, Leura Canary - was not allowed as part of this appeal. And the Rove-Canary angle is just one example in a case surrounded by serious problems and questions."
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9/11: Explaining the Project for a New American Century  --  http://candidblogger.blogspot.com/2009/03/911-explaining-project-for-new-american.html
Must View Video - One of the best all-around videos of the thirty year PNAC plan this website editor has ever seen - mpg  -- A quote...."Under the leadership of Paul Wolfowitz, the plans were laid for the attack on New York and Washington D.C., the psychological attack on the American people, and the diversion of billions of dollars from the American people to the defense industry, under the capable leadership of Halliburton (Cheney), Bechtel, etc. The group was called the Project for a New American Century. PNAC's ideology can be found in a White Paper produced in September of 2000 entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century." In it, PNAC outlines what is required of America to create the global empire they envision.
 This video describes the plan: The Planning of 9/11 - The New Pearl Harbor." -- For more on this issue see....  ||  9/11 - NORAD  ||  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/911norad-weblist-mpg-091308
||  9/11 - WTC7  ||  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/911-wtc7-weblist-mpg-082308
||  9/11 - Commission  ||  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/911commission-weblist-mpg-091306
||  Flights 9/11  ||  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/flights911-weblist-mpg-081906
||  9/11 - Punish or Reward  ||  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/911punishorreward-weblist-mpg-021409
||  9/11 - WTC-1&2  ||  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/911WTC1&2-weblist-mpg-030709
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Truth Commission” proposal on Bush crimes reveals precarious state of US democracy  ---  http://wsws.org/articles/2009/mar2009/trut-m07.shtml
Special Note - Obama™ Update -- A quote...."The controversy generated by Senator Patrick Leahy's effort to organize a "truth commission" to probe the illegal activities carried out by the Bush administration underscores the fragility of social relations in the US and the real threat of police-state dictatorship. The Vermont Democrat, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, presided over a hearing March 4 in Washington at which a number of witnesses discussed the pros and cons of the truth commission proposal. The Obama administration has signaled its hostility to the idea. At a February 9 press conference the new president commented, "Generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards." - bold by website editor --  Obama needs a lesson in history, so this website editor will repeat what's being said by tens of thousands of people every single day and MILLIONS of web bloggers.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - But considering his actions during the first forty days of his administration, that appears to be exactly his intention. - mpg
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What Obama Must Do To Have Any Hope of Fixing the Economy  - Resign?? - mpg
  ---  http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2009/03/paul-krugman-hints-that-geithner.html
A quote...."Geithner will never be willing to face the facts. Bernanke will never change his discredited Milton Friedmanite perspective. Similarly, Larry Summers, the head of Obama's council of economic advisors - the most powerful economic advisor on Obama's team - will never change his ways. -- They are too wedded to an overly-leveraged, highly-securitized, derivatives-based, bubble-blown financial system. They are too entrenched in outdated economic theories."
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Bank of England Ignites Quantitative Inflation - They hope. The jury is still out on if it will happen. - mpg
  ---  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12575
A quote...."The government and Bank of England talking heads call it a powerful tool to kick start the british economy. However this is in effect the LAST RESORT, something that has not been undertaken during the 300+ years of the Bank of England because it is akin to detonating a nuclear bomb without worrying about the fallout. As mentioned earlier the £75 billion will eventually result in an increase in the amount of credit in the economy of some £750 billion."
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UK to take majority stake in Lloyds  ---  http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=87766&sectionid=3510213  ---  It never ends. - mpg
A quote...."The British government has reportedly struck a deal that will increase its stake in Lloyds Banking Group to around 60 percent. Under the agreement, which is expected to be confirmed on Saturday, the government will insure some 260 billion pounds ($366 billion) of toxic assets, the BBC has reported." - bold by website editor
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AIG “Was Going to Bring Down Europe”: Lawmaker - It already has. - mpg
  ---  http://www.prisonplanet.com/aig-was-going-to-bring-down-europe-lawmaker.html
A quote...."One of the reasons we had to rescue AIG was the fact that it was going to bring down Europe,” Pennsylvania Rep. Paul Kanjorski told reporters after his subcommittee held a hearing on systemic risk." -- Than the question would be, why are the Europeans letting their banks buy all that crap US-NRE paper and allowing their banking system to be destroyed? -- For more on this issue see....Debt Doesn't Matter When the Rubes Pay 02-29-08 - mpg  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/debtdoesntmatter-blog-mpg-022908
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Commentary: There's been a change in newsletters' long-term rankings - And the winner is.....Cash!! - mpg
  ---  http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/A-new-leader-investment-newsletter/story.aspx?
  ---  guid=%7BC8688D66%2D1FBA%2D4524%2D960F%2D010FF99F832D%7D
Must Read - (For the sheer surprise) - Market Tech Note -- A quote...."February's results are now in, and there has been a shift at the top of the rankings. In first place for risk-adjusted performance is now Growth Stock Outlook, edited by Charles Allmon." -- "Allmon has been almost completely out of stocks for more than 20 years. It was in late 1986, in fact, that he became convinced that stocks were becoming overpriced, a belief that in turn led him to sell almost all of the stocks in his newsletter model portfolio and put the proceeds in cash." -- "One virtue of our continued tracking is that it provides an ongoing scoreboard for the notion that slow and steady really can win the race. The Dow was below 2,000 when Allmon built up his high cash position. Given the strength of the ensuing bull market, his overabundance of caution would seemingly have buried him in a hole so deep he could never emerge." -- Which means anybody who put almost all their capital into cash a few years after 1986, is even more ahead, now that's truly funny, and to be quite honest....shocking. - mpg
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U.S. jobless rate hits 25-year high  ---  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-jobless-rate-hits-25year-rb-14570753.html
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. unemployment rate rose to a 25-year high of 8.1 percent in February as employers, buckling under the strain of a severe recession, axed 651,000 jobs, government data showed on Friday."
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Georgia bank closed in 17th failure of 2009
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Georgia-bank-closed-17th-failure/story.aspx?guid=%7B495C75DF-52C3-4D15-BEFF-456095B1798C%7D
A quote...."SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Commerce, Freedom Bank of Georgia is the 17th failure of this year and 42nd of the recession."
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Europe is Failing  ---  http://www.opednews.com/articles/Europe-is-Failing-by-James-Brett-090306-381.html
A quote...."Europe, as you already know or suspect, is not like the United States. First of all, it is not united, even though there is a common currency to which you can get your country to subscribe, if it wants. Second, half of Europe is about 20 years old—the eastern half—having emerged from captive servitude to the USSR less than a generation ago. Young means inexperienced and poorly capitalized. So, what happened was that western European banks lent money to eastern European borrowers, and they borrowed like twenty-year-olds. Now that the eastern countries are running out of credit to spend on lifestyle and keep up with westerners, now that these immature economies are on the rocks, so are the western European banks."
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Thursday March 5th 2009 - links page

There's an old apocryphal fable that's told as an example of chutzpa or hubris or sheer arrogance, a fable about a person who after murdering both his parents, promptly throws himself on the mercy of the court due to the fact he's now made himself an orphan.  Greenberg takes this fable one step further....the person's now going to sue his parents' estates because his parents are no longer able to take care of him or offer any further financial support.  Only in a place like Wall Street would you see a case like this being brought to trial. - mpg

Wednesday March 4th 2009 - links page