rapsheet-052010-links

US Media Censors US Support of Iran Fuel Swap --- http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/25-4
Censorship Exposed - A quote...."....if you get your information from major U.S. media, here's something that you almost certainly don't know: Brazil and Turkey say that before they reached the deal, they understood that they had the backing of the Obama Administration for their efforts. The available evidence suggests that Brazil and Turkey had good reason to believe that they had U.S. support, and that the Obama Administration has taken a 180 degree turn in its position in the last few weeks, and is now trying to cover its tracks, with the active collaboration of major U.S. media." - What!!! Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva actually believed what Obama and his pack of AIPAC butt-kissing lackeys told them (said with jaw dropping incredulity, eyes uplifted to the heavens, followed by an inane giggle, a snort, a snicker and finally unrestrained laughter fading off into the distance.....) - mpg
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Pentagon Seeks Private Contractor to Move Weapons Through Pakistan/Afghanistan
--- http://www.thenation.com/blog/pentagon-seeks-private-contractor-move-weapons-through-pakistanafghanistan
A quote...."The United States military is in the process of taking bids from private war contractors to secure and ship massive amounts of US military equipment through sensitive areas of Pakistan into Afghanistan where it will then be distributed to various US Forward Operating Bases and other facilities. According to the contract solicitation [PDF], "There will be an average of 5000" import shipments "transiting the Afghanistan and Pakistan ground lines of communication (GLOC) per month, along with 500 export shipments." - also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66353&hd=&size=1&l=e --- And we ALL know what the "export" shipments will be, don't we folks. - mpg
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Petraeus gave secret order allowing US covert ops in N. Africa, across Middle East
--- http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0525/petraeus-gave-secret-order-allowing-covert-ops-africa-middle-east/
A quote...."The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East signed a secret order last fall that set the stage for increased clandestine and covert operations against militants and other threats across the region, defense officials said Tuesday."
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China still opts for diplomacy on Iran --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127664&sectionid=351020104
A quote...."Amid US-led efforts to gain support for new UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Iran, China says diplomacy can still work to resolve Tehran's nuclear issue. -- "The discussions in the Security Council on the Iranian nuclear issue do not mean the end of diplomatic efforts," AFP quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu as telling reporters on Tuesday."
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Japan PM under fire over US base deal --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127728&sectionid=351020406
A quote...."Japan's beleaguered Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama faces fresh criticism after he made a decision to keep a controversial US airbase on the Japanese island of Okinawa." - also posted at AlethoNews
--- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/japan-pm-under-fire-over-us-base-deal/
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Russia to test new model of Kalashnikov assault rifle in 2011 - How can you improve perfection?? - mpg
--- http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100525/159151188.html
A quote...."State tests of the new model of Kalashnikov automatic rifles will be held in Russia next year, Izhmash Director General Vladimir Grodetsky said on Tuesday. -- The new model of the legendary assault rifle, the AK-200, is based on the AK-74M and differs in weight (3.8 kilograms/8.4 lbs vs. 3.3 kilograms/7.3 lbs) and the magazine capacity (30, 50, 60 rounds vs. 30)."
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Flagship of Black Sea fleet arrives in Far East for drills --- http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20100526/159159199.html
A quote...."Тhe flagship of the Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, arrived to Vladivostok on Wednesday to take part in large-scale military exercises in the Sea of Japan to involve warships of three Russian fleets."
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Russia seeks to assemble Italian armored vehicles --- http://en.rian.ru/world/20100525/159156277.html
A quote...."Russia plans to set up production of Italian armored vehicles, a Russian daily quoted Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov as saying on Tuesday. -- GZT.ru said Serdyukov spoke at the presentation of Iveco armor, including Light Multi-role Vehicles (LMV). -- A source at the KamAZ automaker confirmed talks were underway on LMV assembly under license at Naberezhnye Chelny, where the Russian plant is based."
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Russian Defense Ministry plans to order An-124, An-70 transport aircraft --- http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100526/159163128.html
A quote...."The Russian Defense Ministry intends to order An-124 and An-70 military transport aircraft under the new state arms procurement program for 2011-2020, Airborne Troops Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said on Wednesday."
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Morales Caught Between Gas Revenues and Indigenous Demands --- http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51563
A quote...."LA PAZ, May 24, 2010 (IPS) - The Bolivian government negotiated with native groups to head off major marches and roadblocks aimed at demanding protection of indigenous land rights and conservation of the environment in their territories." - also posted at UpsideDwnWrld
--- http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/2505-bolivia-morales-caught-between-gas-revenues-and-indigenous-demands
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Report Slams Obama Military Approach to Latin America --- http://laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=357466&CategoryId=10718
A quote...."WASHINGTON – A new report criticizes the military focus of the Barack Obama government in its relations with Latin America and his “insufficient attention” to human rights in the region." -- Sort'a hard to pay attention to human rights when you're supporting death squads, but Obama and Hillary are talanted....maybe they can multi-task? - mpg
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"The Unspoken Alliance": New Book Documents Arms, Nuclear and Diplomatic Ties Between Israel and Apartheid South Africa
--- http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/25/israel
A quote...."Israeli President Shimon Peres has denied reports he offered to sell nuclear weapons to apartheid South Africa when he was defense minister in the 1970s. On Sunday, the Guardian newspaper of London published top-secret South African documents revealing that a secret meeting between then-defense minister Shimon Peres and his South African counterpart, P.W. Botha, ended with an offer by Peres for the sale of warheads "in three sizes." The documents were first uncovered by senior editor at Foreign Affairs Sasha Polakow-Suransky, author of the new book The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa. [includes rush transcript]"
|| Real Video Stream || --- http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2010/may/video/dnB20100525a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=00:43:02
|| Real Audio Stream || --- http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2010/may/audio/dn20100525.ra&proto=rtsp&start=00:43:02
|| MP3 Download || --- http://traffic.libsyn.com/democracynow/dn2010-0525-1.mp3
|| More… || --- http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/25/stream
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Israel offered Nukes to Racist South Africa for Use on Black Neighbors
--- http://www.juancole.com/2010/05/israel-offered-nukes-to-racist-south-africa-for-use-on-black-neighbors.html
Special Note - A quote...."A suppressed historical episode has emerged into the light of day in such a way as to deeply embarrass Israel and the United States in their campaign against Iran’s peaceful nuclear enrichment program at Natanz near Isfahan."
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Who says Jews and racism don't go together? - http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/who-says-jews-and-racism-don-t-go-together-1.292073
Related Article - A quote...."The "sexy" story of the nuclear dealings between Israel and South Africa, as told in a new book by Sasha Polakow-Suransky ("The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship With Apartheid South Africa" ), diverted attention from the book's other revelations about the intimate relations between the Jewish state and the racist regime." - also posted at Creative-i
--- http://www.creative-i.info/2010/05/25/who-says-jews-and-racism-dont-go-together-by-akiva-eldar/
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Interview: ethnic cleansing inside the green line --- http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11284.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=
feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+electronicIntifada+%28Electronic+Intifada%29
A quote...."Al-Masadiya, al-Garin, Khirbat al-Watan, Bir al-Hamam, Khashem Zana, Sawin, al-Shahabi, Wadi al-Naam and al-Mashash are all Palestinian Bedouin villages facing destruction by bulldozers and cement mixers as Israel's transportation ministry plans to lengthen its Trans-Israel Highway southward into the Naqab (Negev) desert. This means that more than 3,000 Palestinian Bedouins could be displaced if an injunction filed by Israeli civil rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) doesn't succeed in the high court." - also posted at AlethoNews
--- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/interview-ethnic-cleansing-inside-the-green-line/
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israel's Strange Behavior on Flotilla to Gaza --- http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com/2010/05/israels-strange-behaviour-on-flotilla.html
Must Read - A quote...."Amazing the odd tactics Israel has attempted in the last two weeks with regards to the Flotilla coming to Gaza. First they threaten the ministers of the various countries, Turkey, UK, Ireland, Sweden, etc. Telling them to call back their dignitaries. Then they suddenly allow some trucks into Gaza with a little humanitarian aid, to which 4 days later they are using as propaganda, telling the world there is no need for the flotilla because Israel allowed "some" aid into Gaza. Next they get creative, and build their own little flotilla of racist bigot boats, that were decorated pleasure boats with insulting signs, then sailed them past the flotilla in protest. I must admit, that one made me laugh. All the while telling the world the flotilla will not be allowed into Gaza, no way, no how." - also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66344&hd=&size=1&l=e
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Freedom Flotilla carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza --- http://warincontext.org/2010/05/25/freedom-flotilla-carrying-10000-tonnes-of-aid-to-gaza/
Action Update - Contains Video - Alt --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcvVaz4Roik --- A quote...."We recommend the world send ships to the shores of Gaza, and we believe that Israel would not stop these vessels because the sea is open, and many human rights organizations have been successful in previous similar steps, and proved that breaking the siege on Gaza is possible.” -- *John Ging*, Head of United Nation’s Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip."
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More on the Gaza flotilla– and a call to demonstrate --- http://mondoweiss.net/2010/05/more-on-the-gaza-flotilla-and-a-call-to-demonstrate.html
Action Update - A quote...."Here is the latest news on the progress of the flotilla, with pictures of some of the boats, and a call to friends of Gaza to act now to try and mount political pressure to get the flotilla in. Israel has threatened to block the ships, or worse, and a demonstration has been called for Thursday night in New York to bring attention to the crisis in Gaza. Here's the protest news:"
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Turkey Rejects Israeli Deal on Gaza Sail --- http://www.almanar.com.lb/newsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=139020&language=en
Action Update - A quote...."25/05/2010 Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday that Israel tried to prevent naval conflict between its occupation forces and peace activists sailing to Gaza by propositioning a number of states to transfer humanitarian aid equipment through its territory instead, but Turkey objected." - also posted at AlethoNews --- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/turkey-rejects-israeli-deal-on-gaza-flotilla/
& WarInIraq --- http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/225604
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Long-separated family reunites in Gaza through tunnel --- http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11285.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=
feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+electronicIntifada+%28Electronic+Intifada%29
A quote...."Naima Akkawi, a 40-year-old Moroccan native, is finally back home in Gaza with her husband Mahmoud Jouda and her two young children, Riwan (5) and Rimas (3) after an enforced absence of 10 years."
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Al Walaja, Beit Jala protest illegal wall construction --- http://palsolidarity.org/2010/05/12497?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=
feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
A quote...."Al Walaja village, close to Bethlehem, faces the threat of being totally isolated from the surrounding countryside by an apartheid wall which is currently under construction. When it is finished the only access villagers will have to the outside world is through a tunnel which can be opened or closed at the whim of the Israeli authorities."
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Israel raids different areas in Gaza over night by air
--- http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/6152-israel-raids-different-areas-in-gaza-over-night-by-air
A quote...."Gaza, May 26, (Pal Telegraph) An Israeli warplane (f16) targeted Gaza’s former International Airport in Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip, without causing injuries."
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Israel to demolish 9 homes in Nablus village, PA official says --- http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=286988
A quote...."Nablus – Ma'an – Israel's Civil Administration handed down nine demolition warrants to home-owners in the Yatma village south of Nablus City on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official told Ma'an."
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Israel plows 15 donums in east of Bethlehem
--- http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/west-bank/6148-israel-plows-15-donums-in-east-of-bethlehem
A quote...."West Bank, May 25, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) – Israeli bulldozers plowed Palestinian lands in Nahlen village in the west of Bethlehem city."
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Why is Israel torturing the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Sa'ad?
--- http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/mess-report/mess-report-why-is-israel-torturing-the-palestinian-residents-of-sheikh-sa-ad-1.292136
Because they're the world's newest Mini-Nazis and it's FUN for them! - mpg -- A quote...."Residents of the isolated village of Sheikh Sa'ad are unable to leave the town in their cars, and are continually subjected to poor treatment by IDF border guards." - also posted at Uruknet
--- http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/mess-report/mess-report-why-is-israel-torturing-the-palestinian-residents-of-sheikh-sa-ad-1.292136
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Keiser Report: Goldman Sachs, Undeclared Enemy of the State - Gold Bounty Reward Offered!!
--- http://www.youtube.com/user/MaxKeiserTV#p/f/0/2-PihbVN6O4
Must View MKVideo - Alt --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-PihbVN6O4 --- (MKRTYuTb - 25 min 59 sec - May 25, 2010) - A quote...."This time Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, look at the scandals of naked short selling, supplementary liquidity providers and the conspiracy of banks. In the second half of the show, Max interviews Jim Rickards about naked short selling and overwhelming the specialist system, Wall Street banks undermining Greece and Goldman Sachs as an undeclared national enemy."
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America Passes $13 Trillion In Debt --- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/america-passes-13-trillion-debt
A quote...."Total US debt per today's Daily Treasury Statement was $12,989,095 million. Also today, the US Treasury auctioned off $42 billion in 2 Year debt. This means that as of this moment, assuming the new debt were to settle today, the US has $13,031,095 billion in debt: congratulation America - you have now passed lucky $13 trillion in total debt. But don't worry, we won't stay here for long. At the current rate of issuance, $14 trillion will be passed in 8 months, and $15 trillion in another 7. By the end of 2011, we estimate total US sovereign debt to be about $15.5 trillion."
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Private pay shrinks to historic lows as gov't payouts rise
--- http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/2010-05-24-income-shifts-from-private-sector_N.htm
A quote...."Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.-- At the same time, government-provided benefits — from Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs — rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010. -- Those records reflect a long-term trend accelerated by the recession and the federal stimulus program to counteract the downturn. The result is a major shift in the source of personal income from private wages to government programs."
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Is the Recovery Already Fading? --- http://seekingalpha.com/article/206948-is-the-recovery-already-fading?source=hp_wc
A quote...."A month ago I showed you a bunch of charts which indicated that the US economy was slowing. The upshot of the charts was that the economy was going to stall in six to nine months and that stock prices would reflect this – and they have. -- Amongst the charts was the change in the ECRI Leading Economic Indicator. Here’s what Albert Edwards had to say about the data."
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The Greeks Get It --- http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_greeks_get_it_20100524/
Must Read - A quote...."Here’s to the Greeks. They know what to do when corporations pillage and loot their country. They know what to do when Goldman Sachs and international bankers collude with their power elite to falsify economic data and then make billions betting that the Greek economy will collapse. They know what to do when they are told their pensions, benefits and jobs have to be cut to pay corporate banks, which screwed them in the first place. Call a general strike. Riot. Shut down the city centers. Toss the bastards out. Do not be afraid of the language of class warfare—the rich versus the poor, the oligarchs versus the citizens, the capitalists versus the proletariat. The Greeks, unlike most of us, get it."
also posted at ICH --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25529.htm
& CommonDreams --- http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/24-4
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'Kill Them All, for God Will Know His Own' --- http://www.lewrockwell.com/grigg/grigg-w148.html
Must Read - A quote...."Kevin Weeks was a career criminal employed as a Mob hitman, but even he possessed sufficient good judgment and self-restraint to avoid risking the life of a seven-year-old girl. -- In Brutal, his aptly titled memoir of the years he spent working for Boston Mob boss – and protected FBI asset – James "Whitey" Bulger, Weeks describes how he was given an order to assassinate Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr, who relentlessly tormented Bulger in print. Weeks set up a sniper nest near Carr's home. He had the target set up for the kill, but didn't pull the trigger because Carr's daughter, "a little girl, like seven-years-old or so," was walking hand-in-hand with her father. -- "I couldn't take a chance of the bullet fragmenting and ricocheting or hitting her or just killing her father in front of her," recounts Weeks."
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The Constitution Applies to Terrorists --- http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/boyack3.1.1.html
Must Read - A quote...."But who is a terrorist? -- The picture that first comes to mind is the "insurgent" fighting against our military in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the other countries of the Middle East in which our military is increasingly becoming engaged. Some examples of such "terrorists" might be: the vengeful man whose innocent brother was killed by an unmanned drone over the border of Pakistan; the adrenaline-fueled teenager taking on the militarized Goliath occupying his hometown; the man in the wrong place at the wrong time, picked up by a bounty hunter and sold to the American government with a fictional story created about his involvement in terrorist activities; and the list could continue, portraying stories far different than the standard "radical jihadist" that dominates our media's narrative."
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The absence of debate over war --- http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/05/24/wars/index.html
A quote...."The Washington Post's Fred Hiatt ponders how little attention our various wars received during the primary campaigns that were just conducted: "You would hardly know, from following this year's election campaign or the extensive coverage of last week's primaries, that America is at war. . . . those wars, and the wisdom of committing to or withdrawing from them, have hardly been mentioned in the hard-fought campaigns of the spring." Hiatt is right in that observation, and it's worth examining the reasons for this."
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Senate Takes Up 'Emergency' War Bill Despite Obama Pledge to End Practice
--- http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/24/senate-takes-emergency-war-despite-obama-pledge-end-practice/
Oh Look! ANOTHER sixty billion "emergency" appropriation for MORE WAR! - mpg -- A quote...."A year after President Obama pledged to end the practice of funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with "emergency" spending bills, the Senate is taking up a $60 billion request that would do exactly that." - Well, another Obama "promise" (gee those ObamaTrolls are sooooooooo stupid) bites the dust. - mpg
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House Kills Plan to Close Guantánamo --- http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/05/24-6
Oh Look! Another Obama "promise" bites the dust, it's all too funny for words. - mpg -- A quote...."President Obama's hopes of closing Guantánamo, which were already gravely wounded by his inability to meet his self-imposed deadline of a year for the prison's closure, now appear to have been killed off by lawmakers in Congress."
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U.S. Pays Off Afghan Poppy Farmers --- http://norcaltruth.org/2010/05/23/u-s-pays-off-afghan-poppy-farmers/#more-5069
Oh Look! The US-NRE is "helping" Afghanistan increase the world's supply of heroin. (It just keeps getting better and better, don't it folks) - mpg -- A quote...."ABC report is describing a “new approach” to the poppy production in Afghanistan. -- “If we secure them getting a good harvest, now they’re going to get paid for their hard work. Then we can deal with trafficking afterwords” – U.S. Soldier in new ABC report. View More Here" ---
http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=dprogram.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnorcaltruth.org%2F2010%2F05%2F23%2
Fu-s-pays-off-afghan-poppy-farmers%2F%23more-5069&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fdprogram.net%2F
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U.S. Is Said to Expand Secret Military Acts in Mideast Region --- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/world/25military.html
Oh Look! Obama is massively expanding American Special Operations forces throughout the Middle East for, you guessed it, MORE WAR!. - mpg -- A quote...."While the Bush administration had approved some clandestine military activities far from designated war zones, the new order is intended to make such efforts more systematic and long term, officials said. Its goals are to build networks that could “penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy” Al Qaeda and other militant groups, as well as to “prepare the environment” for future attacks by American or local military forces, the document said. The order, however, does not appear to authorize offensive strikes in any specific countries." - Yet!
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The End of Habeas Corpus: This is “Justice” in Obama’s America
--- http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/home-mainmenu-289/6383-the-end-of-habeas-corpus-this-is-justice-in-obamas-america
Oh Look! Obama has helped to put the final nail into the coffin for "Habeas Corpus" (You ObamaTrolls out there had enough yet, or are you still full ol'dat dare "hope" & "change" crap?) - mpg -- A quote...."On Friday, May 21, 2010 the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Obama administration, holding that three prisoners who are being held by the U. S. at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot challenge their detention in U.S. courts. This is a victory for reaction, essentially denying prisoners of the U.S. war of terror held at Bagram the right to habeas corpus." - also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66311&hd=&size=1&l=e
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US Troops Finally Leave Iraq – Just Kidding --- http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2010/05/21/us-troops-finally-leave-iraq-just-kidding/
Oh Look! Another broken Obama promise. Sort'a endless ain't it folks? It's not really surprising of course if you knew anything about Obama to begin with. What IS surprising is why so many Demos STILL support him. People really are strange. - mpg -- A quote...."A war-weary nation breathes a sign of relief today as the last of America’s troops finally return home from Iraq, fulfilling President Obama’s campaign pledge to have them out within 16 months of taking office. -- April Fools. -- In all seriousness, everyone who has been following the story even a little knows that just two days after his inauguration, President Obama was already talking about the promise as “aspirational” and a month later the “16 month plan” was formally replaced with the so-called 19 month plan, which would involve having some American troops leave Iraq by August 2010, declaring combat over, and keeping 50,000 troops “indefinitely.”"
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The Sinking of the Cheonan: We Are Being Lied To
--- http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/the-sinking-of-the-cheonan-we-are-being-lied-to/
A quote...."There is no doubt about it, there is no longer any reason to hold back, I have looked at the “evidence” and have concluded that we are being lied to, again, by our “leaders” in the White House in order to fabricate a measure of moral justification for yet another “regime change” campaign or an all out war with North Korea."
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Americans outgunned by Taleban’s AK47s --- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7135496.ece
Weapons Tech Alert - What? They're discovering this now?? - mpg -- A quote...."The future of the standard issue infantry rifle used by American troops in Afghanistan is under review amid concerns that it is the wrong weapon for the job. -- With its light bullets the M4 rifle lacks sufficient velocity and killing power in long-range firefights, leaving US troops outgunned by the Taleban and their AK47 Kalashnikovs and the old Russian SVD sniper rifle."
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GCC hails Tehran Nuclear Declaration --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127566&sectionid=351020104
A quote...."The [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has hailed Tehran's nuclear declaration brokered by Brazil and Turkey as a positive step towards resolving Iran's nuclear issue." - also posted at AlethoNews --- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/gcc-hails-tehran-nuclear-declaration/
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Iran Urges West to Accept Enrichment Deal --- http://news.antiwar.com/2010/05/24/iran-urges-west-to-accept-enrichment-deal/
A quote...."The Iranian government today reiterated its support for a third party enrichment deal negotiated last week with the Turkish and Brazilian governments, and urged Western nations to support the move. -- The deal is materially the same one the Obama Administration endorsed just a few months ago and was demanding that Iran agree to as recently as last month, but the US has condemned the deal, demanding Iran submit the offer formally for consideration by the IAEA, which they did today."
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'US plotted coup in Bolivia in 2008' --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127306&sectionid=351020706
A quote...."Bolivian President Evo Morales has accused the administration of former US President George W. Bush of trying to topple his government in 2008."
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Honduras journalists under attack --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s93alb0h1gA --- (AJYuTb - 2 min 38 sec - May 24, 2010)
AJVideo - Oh Look! Hideous Hillary's --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/hideoushillary-mpg-080107 --- new Honduran death squads --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/archives/archfile-mnpg-110209-010210.html#HHNDS --- are hard at work. She must be soooooo excited and pleased, maybe she'll give them medals! - mpg -- Source: AlJazeeraEnglish --- http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish --- A quote...."At least eight journalists have been murdered in Honduras in less than three months. - The killings have raised concerns over the safety of reporters, especially those working on stories about human rights abuses. - From the capital Tegucigalpa, Kimberly Halkett reports."
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Ex-cop claims Uribe's brother led death squad --- http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/05/24/1493156_ex-cop-claims-uribes-brother-led.html
Oh Look! More of the US-NRE's "friends" and their relatives cheerfully murdering people with their very own death squads. It's become pretty obvious by now to any reasonable observer that the US-NRE just finds it IMPOSSIBLE to get involved with ANY Latin American country without creating, supplying or cooperating with a death squad. Sort of like a "don't leave home without it" type of policy.....a death squad that is. - mpg -- A quote...."BOGOTA, Colombia -- A retired police major said Monday that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's younger brother commanded a right-wing death squad in the early 1990s from the family's cattle ranch. He estimated the militia killed at least 50 people."
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Colombian activist shot dead --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127062&sectionid=351020703
Related Article - A quote...."Unidentified gunmen have shot dead a Colombian human rights activist in the northern Sucre department, says a group monitoring major crimes. - The group, known as Movice, said in a report on Wednesday that "masked gunmen" killed Rogelio Martinez, AFP reported."
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Cyrillic URLs get full launch in new Russian national domain --- http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100525/159144076.html --- Good for Russia! - mpg
A quote...."A host of Internet sites using Cyrillic web addresses in the .рф top-level domain will be accessible from Tuesday onward, Russia's Coordination Center for the National Internet Domain said."
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Canadian Government Pays Organization To Troll Political Chat Forums
--- http://www.prisonplanet.com/canadian-government-pays-organization-to-troll-political-chat-forums.html
Special Note - Harper's government caught red-handed. -- A quote...."The next time you struggle to comprehend how someone could spend their time trolling the Internet in order to defend and downplay whatever government cover-up or abuse is in the news this week, consider the fact that they may be on a government payroll. -- The Canadian government has been caught paying a media group to monitor online political discussion and respond to “misinformation,” in order words to spread state-sanctioned propaganda, in the latest scandal to hit the Harper administration. -- “Under the pilot program the Harper government paid a media company $75,000 to monitor and respond to online postings about the east coast seal hunt,” reports News1130." --- also posted at DProgram --- http://dprogram.net/2010/05/24/canadian-government-pays-organization-to-troll-political-chat-forums/ --- For more on this sort of behavior from our own government and how it deploys vast legions of corporate shills to plant propaganda, take a look at the top part of....US Fake Intel / Propaganda --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/fakeintell-weblist-mpg-090206
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Israeli Think Tank Calls for Sabotaging “Delegitimizers” of Israeli Government-- but Admits They Have a Point
--- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19293
Special Note - A quote...."While a report by a highly respected Israeli think tank has been widely condemned [1] for advocating that the Israeli government use its intelligence services to attack and sabotage non-violent human rights advocates, the report is worth detailed study because it is chock full of admissions of illegitimate features of the Israeli government it desperately seeks to protect."
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The Biggest Threat to Peace in Middle East --- http://www.jnoubiyeh.com/2010/05/biggest-threat-to-peace-in-middle-east.html
A quote...."A build up of heightened tension in the Middle East is escalating in the last few weeks. American and Israeli postures towards Lebanon, Syria, and Iran have become more threatening. Listening to speeches of political leaders one hears talks only about war not peace. Iranians and Israelis are continuously training hard for a possible showdown. Both sides are conducting extensive war games every month. This led Syrians to claim that Israel is preparing for a soon-to-come another war. The Jordanians also are warning that current stalemate of the peace process is an indication of a war breaking this summer. The Russian President and his army chief hinted, few months ago, that the US and Israel were planning for an attack on Iran."
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Mossad Conducts Interrogations in Iraqi Jails: Human Rights Group --- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19313
A quote...."I received calls from Jordanian prisoners at Iraqi jails and they informed us that Mossad is interrogating them and other Arab prisoners in jails in Iraq," Abdul Karim Shreideh, head of the prisoners and detention centers committee at AOHR, said in a press conference in the Jordanian capital of Amman Saturday."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

The Launch of the European Cargo Ship to Join the Fleet of "Freedom" Amid a Large Presence of the Media
--- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19315
Action Update - A quote...."Brussels -- The European cargo (Greek, Swedish) starts by Monday afternoon (24 / 5), to move from the port of Athens towards Cyprus to join the fleet of "freedom" going to the Gaza Strip, while another four ships from Athens and Crete will follow this by setting to sail, subsidiary of the "European campaign to End the Siege on Gaza "and the " Free Gaza” movement, will be also joining the fleet, which expected to be moving to Gaza on Thursday."
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Gaza Freedom Flotilla: Not Just another Middle East Crisis --- http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15985
Action Update - A quote...."The U.S. corporate media have provided little coverage on some important happenings in the Middle East during the past 18 months. You might ask what's the big deal -- bad stuff happens there all the time and it doesn't concern me. In this case, recent events have the potential to create an international crisis in the coming days. Before getting to the possible explosive situation, we first need some background information."
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Members of Swedish Parliament Demand Security for Ship to Gaza --- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19303
Action Update - Quote of the Day...."“One and a half million Palestinians are living in isolation on the Gaza Strip, in pure misery. There is a shortage of food, medicine and other necessities, such as building materials to repair homes, schools and other buildings which were destroyed by the bombings during the war around Christmas in 2008. In order to address the situation, Ship to Gaza is planning to take the sea route to Gaza, bringing medicine, desalination plants, cement, etc. in order to help the people in need. Ship to Gaza is a politically and religiously independent, non-profit organization that is working to promote increased respect for human rights and general international law. Israel’s government has now threatened to stop Ship to Gaza and to use force if necessary. Does the Foreign Minister intend to protect this humanitarian initiative?” -- *Helén Pettersson*, Social Democratic member of the Swedish Parliament
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The Simplicity of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict --- http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=15984
A quote...."There is a general perception that the reason the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has continued for so long is because it is extremely complex. Nothing could be further from the truth. Placed in historical context, understanding the root cause of the conflict is simple, and in doing so, the solution becomes apparent." - also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66310&hd=&size=1&l=e
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Genetic Mutations, Peculiar Injuries: More Evidence Emerges that Israel Used Gaza as Testing Ground for Experimental Weapons
--- http://www.indypendent.org/2010/05/24/genetic-mutations-peculiar-injuries-more-evidence-emerges-that
-israel-used-gaza-as-testing-ground-for-experimental-weapons/
A quote...."Pages upon pages have been written about the 2008-2009 Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip by human rights groups and fact-finding missions. The scale of the destruction --- http://www.indypendent.org/2010/01/28/gaza-one-year-later/ --- is well-known: some 1,400 Palestinians were killed by Israel, the vast majority of them civilians; over 15,000 homes were destroyed or so severely damaged that 100,000 Palestinians were rendered homeless; nearly half of health facilities in Gaza were destroyed or damaged. -- But allegations that Israel used new, experimental weapons --- http://electronicintifada.net
/v2/article10176.shtml --- in Gaza have not been adequately investigated."
also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66308&hd=&size=1&l=e
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Gaza security forces detain top Egyptian officer --- http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=286592
A quote...."Fathi Hammad told the Hamas-affiliated newspaper Palestine that the Egyptian officer was returned and called on Egyptian authorities to form a joint security committee for coordination with the Gaza government "instead of sending officers to secretly violate Palestinian security."
also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66307&hd=&size=1&l=e
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Zionist settlers damage Palestinian farms, IOF soldiers arrest 10 citizens --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66305&hd=&size=1&l=e
A quote...."BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- Zionist settlers backed by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and military bulldozers damaged Palestinian farmland over a mountain slope in Nahalin village, Bethlehem district, local sources reported."
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Central Bank Intervention Is Now Self-Defeating - Actually it appears to be working. - mpg
--- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/central-bank-intervention-now-self-defeating
Special Note - Market Alert - Chart - (click to enlarge) -- A quote...."While Erik Nielsen is free to provide Goldman clients with a comfortably tabulated and bullish list of last week's events from the UK countryside, a realistic appraisal of the key events over the past 168 hours really boils down to one thing - central bank intervention. Whether it is definitive SNB intervention in the Swiss franc or questionable ECB involvement in the euro, the only catalyst that prevented an all out rout of European currencies was outright and blatant market participation by sovereigns and their printers. Yet something interesting happened on the way to the stick save - decoupling."

[Which is EXACTLY what Europe would want to do, distance themselves from the US-NRE's vortex of debt, defend their credit markets, punish those who participated in this coordinated attack (the TBTF US-NRE banks most likely), allow the Euro to drift lower in a controlled fashion and provide time for the piigs so they can get their fiscal houses in order (three to four years). Keep in mind they've only committed a trillion so far, whereas Bernie and his boys have committed about thirty trillion to his Bankster friends]

"As the chart below shows, once it became openly obvious that the SNB/ECB is intervening in the market, the traditionally very tight correlation between the euro and US stocks went up in a puff of ink cartridge smoke." - bold by website editor
also posted at BLN --- http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=8861
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Merkel's Savage Blitz through Euroland --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25527.htm
Special Note - Merkel is playing right into the Banksters hands and will destroy the European Union if she continues on her present course of action. - mpg -- A quote...."May 24, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Angela Merkel has let a minor brush-fire on the periphery turn into a raging inferno that's sweeping across the continent. Absent Berlin's fumbling diplomatic effort and its ferocious attachment to Hooverian economics, the Greek matter would have been over by now. Instead, the fire continues to burn while the German Chancellor pushes the eurozone closer and closer to the cliff. And what for; to prove that prodigal spending by the member states (Greece) mustn't go unpunished? Is that what this is all about? Is Merkel really willing to break up the EU just to prove her point and to accommodate her towering sense of self righteousness?"
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“The Market” is a Reactionary Mystification: Reply to the Attack on Economic Populism from Franco Debenedetti and other Italian Economists
--- http://tarpley.net/2010/05/23/reply-to-the-attack-on-economic-populism/
Special Note - A quote...."A group of Italian economists led by Franco Debenedetti of the famous financier clan and the banker Paolo Savona, obviously fearful that the Berlusconi-Tremonti government of Italy will join last Tuesday’s successful German ban on the type of toxic derivative known as the naked credit default swap, have sent an alarmed warning to the Corriere della Sera of Milan1. Debenedetti has contributed an article expressing similar sentiments to the Italian business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore in which he rails at the “Mrs. Merkel market” now in force in Germany2. These economists, obviously inspired by the doctrines of Friedrich von Hayek and the Austrian school, want Italy to remain faithful no matter what to the widely discredited ideas of laissez-faire economics, even as those doctrines are everywhere under attack for having caused the current world economic depression. For these neoliberal and monetarist thinkers, any attempt to ban derivatives or tax speculation must be condemned as “economic populism,” which for these writers is a term of opprobrium." - bold by website editor - Most people would call it common sense. - mpg
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Burden of Irish debt could yet eclipse that of Greece --- http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0522/1224270888132.html?via=mr
Special Note - A quote...."What will sink us, unfortunately but inevitably, are the huge costs of the September 2008 bank bailout, writes Morgan Kelly - IT IS no longer a question of whether Ireland will go bust, but when. Unlike Greece, our woes do not stem from government debt, but instead from the government’s open-ended guarantee to cover the losses of the banking system out of its citizens’ wallets."
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Obama’s Regulatory Brain --- http://robertreich.org/post/628324698/obamas-regulatory-brain
Special Note - A quote...."The most important thing to know about the 1,500 page financial reform bill passed by the Senate last week — now on he way to being reconciled with the House bill — is that it’s regulatory. It does nothing to change the structure of Wall Street. -- The bill omits two critical ideas for changing the structure of Wall Street’s biggest banks so they won’t cause more trouble in the future, and leaves a third idea in limbo. The White House doesn’t support any of them." -- Anytime you people out there want to bring back Glass-Steagall --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass%E2%80
%93Steagall_Act --- be this website editor's guest.....anytime.....still waiting.....anytime folks.....mpg
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Awful News From The Gulf: Explosions Collapse Seafloor At Deepwater Horizon Well Head --- http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/50368/
Breaking : Sunday May 23, 2010 8:31 pm -- A quote...."A series of explosions appears to have collapsed the seafloor and blown up the BOP at the well head. Oil and gas are billowing out of a depression in the seafloor where the BOP used to be at an exponentially greater rate than anything seen before."
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Is the Oil Spill Our Dust Bowl? --- http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/05/is-gulf-oil-spill-our-dust-bowl.html
A quote...."The dust bowl lengthened --- http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=syi&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&
q=%22dust+bowl%22+depression&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= --- the Great Depression. -- Many experts say ---
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/02/its-more-or-less-official-were-in.html --- that we're in another depression (which may even be worse --- than the 1930's). -- Is the Gulf oil disaster -which is destroying fisheries, shrimping and tourism in the Gulf - our dust bowl? You may assume that the dust bowl was a natural phenomenon. However, it was largely caused by poor farming practices which led to soil erosion. ---
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl#Causes
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The Citizen-Philosopher
Must Read - A quote...."Our quest for truth is an endless task, but we must distinguish that clearly from the quest for certainty. . . We want to find truth, but we never are sure whether we have really found it." -- *Karl Popper*, in May 1993, speaking to his former student and Professor Dimitris Dimitrakos on Greek television in Delphi, Greece.

Neoliberal Dream Legislation Submitted by Obama Regime – The Privatization of All Public Housing in America
Special Note - A quote...."A few months ago I cursed a hero of mine, Dennis Kucinich. He had shifted his position on the corrosive Obamacare bill and signed on to support it just at a time when it could have been defeated. In his pathetic excuse for and explanation he said he wanted to help support President Obama’s domestic agenda. Well here it is, Mr. Kucinich. Here is what you wanted to support."

American INGSOC: “New World Order” unword – replace with “New International Order”
Special Note - A quote...."In perhaps his most Orwellian speech to date, Barack Obama addressed the cadets at West Point yesterday. Though his language was stunningly dishonest to the point of a Cheneyesque caricature, the real horror lies just behind the context of what he is saying and goes straight back to the double-speak that defined his election campaign. -- Gone is the man who campaigned on ending the “mindset that keeps taking us to war” and in his place is a Disney theme-ride automation programmed to read a script that would have made George Orwell blush."

The Difference Between 'anti-Semitic' and Taking a Principled Stand
(One of several examples by the author) - A quote...."If you say: "I'm not shopping there, that place is owned by a filthy Jew," that is being anti-Semitic. But if you say: "I'm not shopping there, that place is owned by an immigrant Israeli Jew who sends most of his profits to Apartheid Israel to help Zionist land thieves steal more of Palestine," that is being brave and taking a principled stand."

Tea Party Candidates Are Owned By Israel? - Rand Paul and Israel
A quote...."I've obtained a document that the Rand Paul campaign is circulating to those interested in his views on Israel, and it's interesting to see how the positions he's taking as a Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky differ from those adopted by his father, Rep. Ron Paul, a harsh critic of U.S.-Israel ties." - also posted at ICH

Liberated from Libertarianism: Rand Paul Runs and Hides from... Rand Paul
A quote...."May 23, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Maybe we can finally have a serious discussion in this country about the lunacies of libertarianism. - I doubt it. This is, after all, America. I doubt we'd know an intelligent political discourse if it whacked us upside the haid. - But now we have Rand Paul, son of Ron, marching toward the United States Senate, with a mission to "take back our government". Oh boy. - I might be able to get a little bit excited about that if it really was his goal. The truth is that the American government exists almost entirely to serve the interests of the American plutocracy. If libertarians want to break that evil connection, well, then, definitely give me a shout. I'll be glad to pitch in. - But, of course, you pretty much never hear them talk about that part as they rant about the evils of government."

Vietnam: American Holocaust (Part 1) -- Vietnam: American Holocaust (Part 2)
Videos - Special Note - (RTYuTb - aprox. 20min+ - May 23, 2010) -- A quote...."Vietnam: American Holocaust exposes one of the worst cases of sustained mass slaughter in history, carefully planned and executed by US presidents of both parties. Dedicated generals and foot soldiers, knowingly or unknowingly, killed nearly five million people on an almost unimaginable scale, mostly using incendiary bombs. Martin Sheen, who played the leading role in Apocalypse Now almost 30 years ago, has generously lent his powerful voice to this actual history of the War in Vietnam."
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Syria defies Western pressure over Hezbollah
A quote...."DAMASCUS: Syria defied Western pressure on Sunday over its support for the militant group Hezbollah and said it will not act as a policeman for the Jewish state to prevent weapons from reaching the Lebanese Shia movement....."

“Did Israel ever stop arming itself, did it stop instigating violence or making military manoeuvres, why are arms forbidden to Arabs and allowed to Israel?” -- *Walid Moualem*, Syria's Foreign Minister said after meeting his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle.

UK defence secretary insults Afghans
A quote...."UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox has branded Afghanistan "a broken 13th-century country," sparking fury in a country where thousands of British troops are stationed."

UK plans rapid withdrawal from Afghanistan
Related Article?? (just a joke - mpg) - A quote...."British defense secretary: 'We are not a global policeman' -- Senior British officials, including new Foreign Secretary William Hague, arrived in Afghanistan Saturday with a warning that Britain wants to withdraw its troops as soon as possible."

Militants heavily damage Kandahar base
A quote...."New details have emerged about a rocket attack on a NATO base in southern Afghanistan amid growing assaults on the US-led military instillations in the country. "

'Russian Stealth' New Look: Video of PAK FA T-50 fighter jet 2nd test flight
Video - (RTYuTb - 2 min 22 sec - May 21, 2010) -- A quote...."The Sukhoi PAK FA is Russia's 5th Generation fighter jet. The T-50 performed its first flight January 29, 2010. Its second flight was on February 6, which is showed in the recently released video. The third one was on February 12. After the first test flight it was given a new look - the jet was painted in the standard clolors of the Russian Air Force."

Australia expels Israeli diplomat
A quote...."The federal government of Australia says it has ordered the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat over fraudulent use of Australian passports by Israel to assassinate a Hamas official." - also posted at WarInIraq

Revealed: how Israel offered to sell South Africa nuclear weapons
A quote...."Secret South African documents reveal that Israel offered to sell nuclear warheads to the apartheid regime, providing the first official documentary evidence of the state's possession of nuclear weapons. -- The "top secret" minutes of meetings between senior officials from the two countries in 1975 show that South Africa's defence minister, PW Botha, asked for the warheads and Shimon Peres, then Israel's defence minister and now its president, responded by offering them "in three sizes". The two men also signed a broad-ranging agreement governing military ties between the two countries that included a clause declaring that "the very existence of this agreement" was to remain secret. "

Pentagon’s Cyber Command Prepares War Against the American People
Contains Videos - NewCbyrCmnd - HL02/01/10 - CbyrPlan - NSAspyng -- A quote...."NSA Director Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April that he would work to protect the privacy rights of Americans online. It was an interesting comment from a man who heads up an organization responsible for a massive program of illegal dragnet surveillance of domestic communications and communications records of millions of ordinary Americans since at least 2001." - also posted at DProgram

Senators: Obama admin keeps Congress in dark on intel
Special Note - There's a lot of indications that the "Times Square Bomber" might be a false flag event....this is one of them. - mpg -- A quote...."The Obama administration has failed to keep congressional intelligence officials in the loop on the investigation into the botched Times Square bombing, as required by law, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate intelligence committee charged in a letter this week."

Coca-Cola’s murderous record of anti-union activity in Colombia exposed
A quote...."(NaturalNews) – Coca-Cola: to many, it is simply the all-American cola that everyone grew up drinking. Originally created in the late 1800s as a medicine, Coca-Cola eventually evolved into one of the world’s most popular soft drinks. Besides being a very unhealthy beverage, Coca-Cola has another dirty secret for which few people are aware; the Coca-Cola Company has been involved in a series of kidnappings involving union leaders and organizers at its Colombia bottling facilities. Many of those kidnapped have been severely tortured and even murdered by company thugs." - also posted at DProgram & BLN

[British] Police keep secret files on 1,900 protesters
A quote...."The police are keeping secret intelligence files and photographs of nearly 1,900 so-called domestic extremists, it can be revealed. -- Details of the intelligence and pictures gathered at marches and other demonstrations comes as the new Government questions whether civil liberties and the right to peaceful protest have been eroded by New Labour’s extension of police and anti-terrorist legislation."

French farmers bring rural reality to Champs Elysées
A quote...."As the busiest, most traffic-friendly road in the French capital, there is usually very little that is field-like about the Champs Elysées, or Elysian Fields. -- Today, however, the cars that usually speed through the famous avenue were brought to a halt and the cobblestones paved over with grass as la France profonde took over the most urban landscape in the country."

Satan is going on vacation and needs a replacement
Video - Alt - (YouTube - 2 min 21 sec - May 19, 2010) -- A little humor - A quote...."Satan is going on vacation and needs a replacement. Candidates for the job include Scott Silverman from Positive ID, Verichip , Raytheon , Monsanto and Goldman Sachs."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Flotilla Bound for Gaza
Photos - A quote...."link Three ships carrying Turkish activists have set off from Turkey to Gaza on Saturday, the biggest effort by international aid groups to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip. The biggest of the nine ships from Istanbul is heading to the south western city of Antalya where two other Turkish ships will be waiting to join the convoy. The seaport was overwhelmed by thousands of well-wishers, who had come to show their support for the people of Gaza."

Settlers Torch Farmlands In The Jordan valley
A quote...."A group of fundamentalist settlers torched on Saturday several farmlands in Wad Al Maleh in the northern plains of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

Zionist setters burn 150 olive trees in Al-Khalil
A quote...."AL-KHALIL -- Dozens of Zionist settlers raided the village of Sa'ir east of Al-Khalil district on Saturday and burned tens of fruitful olive trees, local sources reported."

Israeli troops demolish biggest UNRWA summer camp in Gaza
Some quotes...."GAZA, May 23 (KUNA) -- Israeli armed troops Sunday attacked one of the largest camps set up by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on the shores of Gaza Strip." -- "The destroyed camp was among camps that organize 'summer games' for Palestinian school children..."

Most of Gaza remains in ruins 16 months after Israeli assault - UNDP
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS, May 23 (KUNA) -- Sixteen months after Israeli "Operation Cast Lead" inflicted widespread damage in the Gaza Strip early last year, about three quarters of the damaged buildings and infrastructure have still not been repaired, according to a United Nations report released on Sunday."

Hebron protests against Old City closures
A quote...."Palestinian residents of Hebron gathered on Saturday, supported by a large group of Israeli activists, to protest against the continued restrictions on their freedom of movement within Hebron. This includes the total closure to Palestinians of Shuhada Street, a key thoroughfare on which all Palestinian shops and homes have been sealed shut."

Unending Nakbas
Photos - A quote...."(IPS) – This is the month for Palestinians to remember their Nakba, or "catastrophe", in which more than 700,000 women, men and children were pushed off their land and rendered homeless refugees by the Zionist attacks before, during and after the founding of Israel in 1948." - Source: IPS

Remember Palestine – Interview: Jo Rose – Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
Action Update - Video - Alt - (PTVYuTb 4 min 35 sec - May 16, 2010) - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because Israel has left the world community no other choice. - mpg -- A quote...."Palestinians day to day life in occupied territories." - 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.

Two Italian Supermarkets Suspend Sales of Settlement Products
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, BECAUSE IT'S WORKING! - mpg - A quote...."May 22, 2010 - Following lobbying efforts by the Italian Coalition Against Carmel-Agrexco, two major Italian supermarket chains, COOP and Nordiconad, announced the suspension of sales of products from Agrexco, the principal exporter of produce from Israel and the illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories." - 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.

Italy groups urge boycott of Israeli goods
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because Israel won't stop unless WE stop them. - mpg -- A quote...."Pro-Palestinian groups, left-wing Gush Shalom movement call on supermarkets in Italy to ban Israeli products from West Bank settlements and Golan Heights. To ensure full enforcement, they seek to take move one step further, boycotting all Israeli goods because 'you can't differentiate'" - 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.

Join the Global Intifada
Action Update - A quote...."Popular resistance to Israel’s apartheid is growing globally! In Palestine, non-violent resistance to land confiscation and settlement expansion is gathering momentum. -- Weekly non-violent demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza have tripled since January, and continue to increase in size and number. The tents are standing strong in Jerusalem’s threatened communities of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, and resistance to settler attacks and land grabs in the Jordan Valley is also building."
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A perfect storm for unemployment in June
Special Note - Charts - A quote...."While there is plenty of talk about the economic recovery, there is barely a whisper about what is just a few weeks ahead. It's not any one thing. It's a combination of three (and possibly four) different events that will deliver devastating body-blows to the economy. -- They are all being talked about, but no one that I've seen has put them all together. -- That's where I come in, the doom-and-gloomer, with the news that no one wants to think about, but you are better off knowing now rather than later."

Massive Currency and Debt Devaluations Lie Ahead
A quote...."The run-up in the stock market from March 2009 until last month was sharp and rewarding … for some. But there was one problem, it came with disproportional risk. You see, the stock market rose to an extent that it was pricing in perfection … a V-shaped recovery … a return to normal."

Fact vs. Fiction on Today’s Economy
A quote...."There is a lot of “noise” being tossed out by the politicos and their preferred pundits about how the U.S. economy is on the mend. Thus it is important to try and separate fact from fiction about where things really stand."

The Unbelievably Rampant Corruption On Wall Street
A quote...."In order for a financial system to be able to function properly, it is absolutely essential that the general population has faith in it. After all, who is going to want to invest in the stock market or entrust their money to big financial institutions if there is not at least the perception of honesty and fairness in the financial marketplace? For decades, the American people did have faith in Wall Street. But now that faith is being shattered by a string of recent revelations. It seems as though the rampant corruption on Wall Street is seeping up almost everywhere now. In fact, some of the things that have come out recently have been absolutely jaw-dropping. The truth is that the corruption on Wall Street is much deeper and much more systemic than most of us ever dared to imagine." - also posted at AlethoNews
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The End of Fiscal Sovereignty in Europe
Must Read - A quote...."MILAN – The late Milton Friedman said that a common currency – that is, a monetary union – cannot be sustained without a deep form of economic and political union. By this, he meant an open economy that ensures the free flow of goods, labor, and capital, together with a disciplined central fiscal authority and a strong central bank. The latter two are pillars of a strong currency. They work in tandem. But the other pieces are no less important."

Euro Momentarily Stabilized — German Ban on Naked Credit Default Swaps Is Working
Contains Video- Special Note - Alt - (RTYuTb - 5 min 4 sec - May 21, 2010 A quote...."Tuesday’s German ban on naked credit default swaps – a measure repeatedly demanded by this web site over recent months — has been in effect now for about three days, and it is working. The panic slide of the euro has been stopped for now, and the forces of depression and destruction have been re-directed against US stocks, commodities, and certain emerging markets. The goal of euro stability has been momentarily achieved. Sarkozy, who talked a good game of limiting speculation, has been exposed as a Euro-wimp, too weak to buck the Anglo-Saxons and go along with Berlin. The Germans had to act alone because of the obvious sabotage of the eurogarchs of the Brussels Commission, which is now promising to come up with their proposal by October (!). Given the ferocity of the hedge fund assault, many Europeans by October will have lost their shirts, and will be living under bridges dressed in barrels, if more measures are not taken this month." - For more on this issue see....The First Salvos of the Currency Wars - 05-07-10 - mpg

Euro credible but more regulation needed: Trichet
A quote...."BERLIN (AFP) – European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet insisted Saturday that the euro was a credible currency but said tighter regulation was needed of banks, markets and government policies."

Kagan helped shield Saudis from 9/11 lawsuits --- http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0511/kagan-helped-shield-saudis-911-lawsuits/
link posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
Must Read - (for the outrage) - Pretty soon we'll find out she's a life long AIPAC member and a former MOSSAD agent too, This has gotta stop people! - mpg -- A quote...."Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama's latest nominee to the Supreme Court, helped protect the Saudi royal family from lawsuits that sought to hold al Qaeda financiers responsible in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. -- The suits were filed by thousands of family members and others affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. In court papers, they provided evidence that members of the Saudi royal family had channeled millions to al Qaeda prior to the bombings, often in contravention of direct guidance from the United States." -- For more on this issue see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central
--- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/reficultniass911central-mpg-reficultnias-weblist-100409.html
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When it comes to war with Iran, says Perle, Netanyahu outranks American generals
--- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/when-it-comes-to-war-with-iran-says-perle-netanyahu-outranks-american-generals/
Must Read - (for the outrage) - A quote...."A former ambassador asked Perle what the United States could do if we became convinced that Israel was about to launch an attack on Iran. -- His answer is revealing: “I would hope that if we became persuaded that the Israelis were about to act, whatever we thought of the wisdom of that action, we would consider that the worst of all possible outcomes would be a failed Israeli action. And we would therefore do what we could to see that it didn’t fail. You can change policy very quickly. . . you did not want it to happen, but now it’s gonna happen and suddenly you recalibrate. At least I hope you recalibrate and in the event we might reconsider whether our opposition, carried forward, is helpful or harmful.” - By the way folks, MOST people in a sane world living in a sane country would consider this sort of comment treasonous. What is Perle --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Perle --- going to say next, "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––like [another] new Pearl Harbor"??? - (51).[13]" - mpg
--- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century#.22New_Pearl_Harbor.22
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Obama talks Iran sanctions, Israel with Jewish lawmakers --- http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1057606/1/.html
Obama should do one of two things! Either move to Israel, and run for the Israeli Knesset - or - register as a foreign agent of the Israeli government! Enough is ENOUGH ALREADY!! - mpg -- A quote.... "WASHINGTON : US President Barack Obama sought Tuesday to reassure Jewish lawmakers of his support for Israel, detailing plans to boost Israeli security and his administration's backing of sanctions on Iran."
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Israeli Ass Kissing on the Rise --- http://irish4palestine.blogspot.com/2010/05/israeli-ass-kissing-on-rise.html
A quote...."And the award for ISRAELI ass kissing goes to…………….AMERICA!! -- How on earth did I miss this spectacular, colossal, stupendous, gargantuan, magnificent, awe inspiring, all consuming, ass kissing: -- link --- http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=175654 --- US 'screwed up'

"The Obama administration has “screwed up the messaging” about its support for Israel over the past 14 months, and it will take “more than one month to make up for 14 months,” White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said"

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Israel's nuclear weapons capabilities: Secret Report Reveals Weapons-grade Uranium Diversions from the U.S. to Israel
--- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19225
A quote...."The 2010 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is underway at UN Headquarters in New York. A working paper calls for a nuclear-free Middle East. It would require member states of the NPT to “disclose in their national reports on the implementation of the resolution on the Middle East all information available to them on the nature and scope of Israeli nuclear facilities and activities, including information pertaining to previous nuclear transfers to Israel.” On May 6, 2010, the Government Accountability Office (formerly known as the General Accounting Office) released the previously secret 1978 report “Nuclear Diversion in the U.S.? 13 Years of Contradiction and Confusion” [.pdf]. It fills in important historic gaps about weapons-grade uranium diversions from the U.S. to Israel."
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Supplanting the United States Constitution: War, National Emergency and the "Continuity of Governement"
--- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19238
Police State Warning - A quote...."In July 1987, during the Iran-Contra Hearings grilling of Oliver North, the American public got a glimpse of “highly sensitive” emergency planning North had been involved in. Ostensibly these were emergency plans to suspend the American constitution in the event of a nuclear attack (a legitimate concern). But press accounts alleged that the planning was for a more generalized suspension of the constitution."
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MSM: Obama starts deploying interrogation teams --- http://dprogram.net/2010/05/20/obama-starts-deploying-interrogation-teams/
Formally known as the Gestapo --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestapo
Police State Warning - A quote...."(Reuters) – The Obama administration has started using special law enforcement and intelligence teams to interrogate suspected militants in the United States and abroad, including the Pakistani-American arrested in the Times Square bombing plot, a top official said on Tuesday."
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CIA domestic ops go far beyond Shahzad probe
--- http://blog.washingtonpost.com/spy-talk/2010/05/cia_domestic_ops_go_far_beyond.html?hpid=news-col-blog
Article --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25500.htm
also posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
Police State Warning - A quote...."People upset about the CIA’s involvement in domestic interrogations might be surprised to learn that the spy agency’s most explosive growth in recent years has been right here in the USA -- not in the back alleys of Karachi or in the mountains of Afghanistan."
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Dr. Cass Sunstein wants to turn off your light! --- http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_5903.shtml
posted at Online Journal --- http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_4869.shtml
Police State Warning - A quote...."Paul Joseph Watson, a writer at Prison Planet whom I greatly respect, reminded us Monday that Obama Czar Wants Mandatory Government Propaganda On Political Websites. The czar is also a Harvard professor currently dishing up the pabulum for Obama’s White House that “conspiracy theories” should be banned from the Internet. So much for Harvard, Czar-Dr. Cass Sunstein and intellectual freedom. -- What’s more, Sunstein wants to “legally force” Americans “to do what’s best for our society” and water down their free speech (granted by the US Constitution), by mandating websites with pop-up links to opposing government propaganda be “forcibly included on political blogs.” Could we have such pop-ups when the President is speaking, Henry Kissinger, Bibi Netanyahu, AIPAC, Larry Silverstein, NIST, Fox News, Lloyd Blankfein?"
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Fear Comes of Age --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25487.htm
posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
Special Note - A quote...."May 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- If Barack Obama isn't the epitome of this mentality, then Elena Kagan surely is. Nobody can figure out what she stands for, because she has been so careful never to stand for anything. Obama's really the same, although as a former candidate for the US Senate and the presidency, he's been obliged to make a few more vague noises about political positions than Kagan has or will in her confirmation process. In both cases, though, you can look long and hard - and ultimately in vain - for much of anything that resembles a political conviction. In the end, though, what both of these folks are really about is right there in front of you. They're about themselves. They are bloodless careerists. "
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A Loser White House, Guilty by Association --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25494.htm
posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
Special Note - A quote...."May 20, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- -- Long before Year One ended, progressives understood President Obama’s focus was routine wheeling and dealing, not regrowing the New Deal. Between victory and governance, Obama “reform” switched from promises to make government serve people to insure government serves business. The result is mounting guilt by association as Obama got himself entrenched only months into power, a speed record for a reform guy, now the establishment president defending every party incumbent. Does this White House think that's the reason it won? "
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Claim: ‘Lying children will grow up to be successful citizens’ --- http://info-wars.org/2010/05/17/claim-lying-children-will-grow-up-to-be-successful-citizens/
Special Note - Haaaaaaaa, haaaaaaaaa, haaaaaaa!!! Com'on folks, you ALWAYS knew in your heart of hearts this was true! The guy that moves up the corporate ladder with the greatest of ease, the guy that gets the girl every time, the golden contract, the perpetual get out of jail free card, the one who hob nobs with the rich and famous. Who the HECK do you think you've been voting for all these years, the best of the best of course....in lying. - mpg -- A quote...."The earlier a child starts telling convincing lies the more likely they are to be a success in later life, new research suggests. -- esearchers have found that the ability to tell fibs at the age of two is a sign of a fast developing brain and means they are more likely to have successful lives. -- They found that the more plausible the lie, the more quick witted they will be in later years and the better their abiliy to think on their feet. -- It also means that they have developed “executive function” – the ability to invent a convincing lie by keeping the truth at the back of their mind."
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US Begins Massive Military Build Up Around Iran, Sending Up To 4 New Carrier Groups In Region
--- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/us-begins-massive-military-build-around-iran-sending-4-new-carrier-groups-region
War Warning - Editor's Note: This is the first "war warning" in a very long time. Normally this article would be classified as a "war alert" but given economic conditions and the proximate end to the "ten year cycle" --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/fedfundschart-photopg-cached-
032407 --- (see also....Standard Disclaimer --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/disclaimer-blog-mpg-070207 --- & Some Tentative Laws) --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/sometentativelaws-blog-mpg-072008 --- this particular article has been classified as a war warning. -- A quote...."As if uncontrollable economic contagion was not enough for the administration, Obama is now willing to add geopolitical risk to the current extremely precarious economic and financial situation. Over at Debkafile we read that the president has decided to "boost US military strength in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf regions in the short term with an extra air and naval strike forces and 6,000 Marine and sea combatants." With just one aircraft carrier in proximity to Iran, the Nobel peace prize winner has decided to send a clear message that peace will no longer be tolerated, and has decided to increase the US aircraft carrier presence in the region by a 400-500% CAGR. " -- This entire situation will be monitored closely by this website editor and when suitable, subsequent articles may be classified as "red war warnings" (which have only happened once or twice) or even "war imminent (which has never happened, so far) - mpg
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Iran, The Post-American World and the Security Council's Looming Ldgitmacy Crisis
--- http://www.raceforiran.com/iran-the-post-american-world-and-the-security-council%E2%80%99s-looming-legitimacy-crisis
A quote...."The unfolding drama of the Brazil-Turkey nuclear deal and the Obama Administration’s reactive push to move a draft sanctions resolution in the United Nations Security Council will have profound effects on the character of international relations for years to come. At least two such effects warrant particular attention."
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Iran sanctions 'holding up nuclear treaty negotiations'
--- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/iran-sanctions-holding-up-nuclear-treaty-negotiations-1977572.html
Article --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25491.htm
also posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
A quote...."Efforts to achieve agreement among 189 nations on reinforcing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) face collapse because of the fall-out from a new UN sanctions resolution against Iran and an impasse on creating a nuclear weapons-free zone for the Middle East, participants warned."
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Giving the Finger to Iran -- Humiliating Turkey and Brazil --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25480.htm
posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
A quote...."May 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Well, that didn’t take long. -- In my previous note (yesterday) I wondered if we were smart enough to declare victory and take yes as an answer from Tehran. Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced that a new package of sanctions against Iran had been approved by the major powers and would be sent to the UN Security Council later in the day."
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Brazil slams US approach towards Iran
--- http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=5138&updaterx=2010-05-21+01%3A47%3A35
Video - A quote...."Al Jazeera: Lula has criticized the United States for its hardline approach to Iran's nuclear programmes."
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The Iran nuclear deal and the new premier league of global powers --- http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/19/iran-nuclear-brazil-turkey-us
Article --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25481.htm
also posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
A quote...."The furious row between the Obama administration and the leaders of Brazil and Turkey over how best to handle Iran's nuclear ambitions, following this week's controversial "uranium swap" deal in Tehran, reflects a more fundamental and widening disagreement over how the world should be run in the 21st century."
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'No chance for new Iran sanctions' --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127034&sectionid=351020104
A quote...."We don't take the developments in New York seriously because countries that support the resolution are in a minority," Mottaki stated, referring to a draft UN Security Council resolution that was introduced by the United States on Tuesday with the aim of putting more pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program."
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Lula warns UN over new Iran sanctions --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127025&sectionid=351020104
A quote...."It depends on the UN Security Council to sit down with a willingness to negotiate, because if it feels it does not want to negotiate, everything will be put back," he told a business conference in Madrid on Wednesday."
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China renews call for diplomacy on Iran --- http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127037&sectionid=351020104
A quote...."China says a draft UN Security Council resolution against Iran does not mean the end of diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program." - also posted at WarInIraq --- http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/225170
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Moscow furious, says US not pushing drug war in Afghanistan
--- http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0519/Moscow-furious-says-US-not-pushing-drug-war-in-Afghanistan/%28page%29/2
A quote...."Moscow's new drug czar, Viktor Ivanov, claims Russia is being flooded with cheap heroin and charges that the US and its NATO allies in Afghanistan are reluctant to pursue a drug war that could drive poppy farmers into the arms of the Taliban."
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Maldives hosts Afghan peace talks --- http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/05/201052061913580616.html
A quote...."Senior Taliban figures have arrived in the Maldives to take part in unofficial talks aimed at resolving the continuing crisis in Afghanistan. -- Organisers say that the meeting, which is due to be held on Thursday evening, will include key stakeholders from the three decades of conflict in Afghanistan. -- Forty-five delegates, including representives from the Taliban, the Afghan government and major political parties, are expected to attend the talks, which come as the Afghan security situation continues to deteriorate."
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UNASUR: An Emerging Geopolitical Force --- http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/cepr-blog/unasur-emerging-geopolitical-force/
A quote...."Earlier this month, as the US loudly complained about Venezuela’s decision to purchase arms from Russia, South America’s ministers of defense came together in Guayaquil, Ecuador and put the finishing touches on an agreement to develop common mechanisms of transparency in defense policy and spending. The agreement, which also calls for the creation of a multilateral Center for Strategic Defense Studies, is the most recent example of the growing effectiveness of the Union of South American Nations (Spanish acronym UNASUR) as a forum for addressing the most urgent and sensitive issues on the regional agenda. Though the group remains unknown to most of the US public - and is rarely referred to by US policy makers - it has, in the space of a few years, emerged as one of the Western Hemisphere’s leading multilateral bodies and, in the process, is rapidly undermining the regional clout of the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS)." -- also posted at UpsideDwnWrld --- http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/2502--unasur-an-emerging-geopolitical-force-
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638 Ways to Kill Castro --- http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/638-ways-to-kill-castro/
A quote...."This film was shown on the BBC channel 4 some 3 and a half years ago. It details all the various CIA/Big Business backed assassination attempts on Fidel Castro’s life from exploding soft-balls to sea-shell bombs and even “beard killing foot powder”."
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Honduras: Bad faith down in The Gulch --- http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/57
A quote...."....If Afghanistan is the “graveyard of empires,” maybe Honduras is the gulch where they just get mired in muck. -- This seems to be the case with the would-be progressive Obama administration vis-à-vis the June 28, 2009 coup that blatantly overthrew elected President Manuel Zelaya and was immediately followed by a violent campaign of repression against progressive elements in the dirt-poor Central American nation."
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Hiding the Truth: White House Allowed BP to Keep Video of Gushing Pipe from Public for Three Weeks
--- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19195
Contains Video - A quote...."The White House allowed BP to hide its video feed of a gushing oil pipe in the Gulf of Mexico from the public for three weeks, all the while that same video played live in the White House Situation Room, ABC reports."
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Gulf oil spill leak now pegged at 95,000 barrels a day --- http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/05/19/94467/engineer-oil-spill-videos-show.html
Contains Video - Related Article - A quote...."WASHINGTON — The latest video footage of the leaking Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico show that oil is escaping at the rate of 95,000 barrels — 4 million gallons — a day, nearly 20 times greater than the 5,000 barrel a day estimate BP and government scientists have been citing for nearly three weeks, an engineering professor told a congressional hearing Wednesday."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Special Place in Hell / Rebranding Israel as a state headed for fascism
--- http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/special-place-in-hell/special-place-in-hell-rebranding-israel-as-a-state-headed-for-fascism-1.290977
Article --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25501.htm
also posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
Must Read - A quote...."May 20, 2010 "Haaretz" -- SHEIKH JARRAH, East Jerusalem - No one knows fascism better than Israelis. They are schooled, drilled in the history, the mechanics, the horrendous potential of fascist regimes. Israelis know fascism when they see it. In others. -- They might well have expected when fascism began taking root here, it would arise at a time of a national leadership of galvanizing charisma and sweeping, powerfully orchestrated modes of action. -- But that would have been much too obvious to deny. And it would take denial, inertia, selective memory, a sense that things – bad as they are - can go on like this indefinitely, for fascism to be able gain its foothold in a country founded in its very blood trail."
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IDF planning re-entry, mass detention camps in Gaza? --- http://justworldnews.org/archives/003990.html
Must Read - Ethnic Cleansing Alert - The final liquidation of the Gaza Ghetto is being planned by the Israelis. Every person in the Jewish community who supports Zionism is responsible for what is about to happen in Gaza. The blood will be on their hands. - mpg - A quote...."the IDF and Military Police forces are training for the possibility that the IDF would stage an offensive on the entire Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and other Palestinian cities, and would be compelled to govern them for an extended period." - also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66185&hd=&size=1&l=e
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Oyoun Qarra Massacre, 20 May 1990 --- http://avoicefrompalestine.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/oyoun-qarra-massacre-20-may%C2%A01990/
Related Article - A quote...."In the early hours of Sunday, May 20th, 1990, a group of 100 Palestinian labourers from the Gaza Strip were waiting at the Oyoun Qarra (Rishon Lezion) bus stop to be transported to their working place. An Israeli occupation soldier, Ami Popper, from nearby Rishon Lezion Zionist colony approached the workers and asked them for their IDs. After making sure all the workers were Palestinians, Popper lined them up, asked them to kneel down in 3 lines and using his M16 sub-machine gun he opened fire killing 7 on the spot and injuring others."
also posted at Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66183&hd=&size=1&l=e
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Official: Israeli forces destroy pipelines in Hebron village --- http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=285435
A quote...."Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli army bulldozers reportedly destroyed several water pipes as they attempted to block the main road from the Adh-Dhahiriya village to Hebron on Wednesday, effectively cutting off the village's water supply, an official said."
also posted at AlethoNews --- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/official-israeli-forces-destroy-pipelines-in-hebron-village/
& WarInIraq --- http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/225161
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Israel Obstructs Entry Of Medicine, Medical Equipment To Gaza --- http://www.imemc.org/article/58722
A qutoe...."Despite Israeli guarantees to the International Community, the Israeli Authorities are still obstructing the entry of medicine and medical equipment to the besieged Gaza Strip. The last time medicine was allowed into Gaza was mid October 2009." - also posted at AlethoNews
--- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/israel-obstructs-entry-of-medicine-medical-equipment-to-gaza/
& WarInIraq --- http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/225210
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Israeli Soldiers Kidnap Several Children In Jerusalem just before graduation --- http://imemc.org/article/58727
A quote...."Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday, at dawn several Palestinian children, aged 16-18, in al-Suwwana area, near the walls of occupied East Jerusalem." - also posted at IPTMH --- http://www.israel-palestinenews.org/2010/05/israeli-soldiers-kidnap-several.html
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Organized Trauma: Increased systematic child arrests in Palestine --- http://palsolidarity.org/2010/05/12459?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=
feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29
A quote...."Akram Sharawneh, a 15 year old boy from Hebron, was released on Sunday the 25th of April this year after being randomly arrested by Israeli soldiers and spending more than two months in an Israeli juvenile prison (not all the period in juvenal prison). He is one of the many minors from Hebron who has been arrested and held captive in Israeli detention since the beginning of this year."
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Boycott volunteers say army searching for them --- http://usacbi.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/boycott-volunteers-say-army-searching-for-them/
A quote...."Bethlehem – Ma’an – Volunteers with the Palestinian Authority’s House to House settlement goods boycott campaign said Israeli forces entered the Husan village, west of Bethlehem, searching for them."
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Persecution of Palestinian citizens recalls South Africa apartheid repression --- http://imeu.net/news/article0019068.shtml?utm_source=
feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+imeu%2Fcommentary+%28IMEU%3A+News+%26+Analysis+%3A+Analysis%29
A quote...."Two weeks after Israel imposed a travel ban on him, Ameer Makhoul, a well-respected Palestinian leader holding Israeli citizenship, was kidnapped from his home on 6 May in the middle of the night. The persecution of Makhoul brings back memories of the South Africa apartheid regime: he has been held incommunicado and was not allowed access to his lawyer for two weeks; a court order prohibited publication of any information on the case against Makhoul for 90 days; and the so-called evidence justifying the "security charges" against Makhoul remains secret. During the South Africa anti-apartheid movement, similar tactics were used against those advocating for freedom and equal rights, who were accused of terrorism and having links with the Soviet Union."
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Israel blocks mail between Gaza, West Bank --- http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=285679
A quote...."Gaza – Ma'an – Israel has halted the flow of government sector mail between Gaza and the West Bank, causing a delay in the receipt of official documents, officials said on Thursday."
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International orgs call on Israel to immediately release rights defenders --- http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11274.shtml?utm_source=
feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifada+%28Electronic+Intifada%29
A quote...."On 6 May 2010, at 03:10am, 16 members of the Israeli General Security Services (GSS) and the Israeli police force raided the family home of Mr. Ameer Makhoul. During the raid Mr. Ameer Makhoul was detained; until Monday night 17 May 2010 he was held in incommunicado detention and denied fundamental due process rights, including access to his lawyer."
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Al–Walaja village is gradually disappearing --- http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1410
A quote...."Al–Walaja village, north of Bethlehem, is gradually disappearing. -- In 1967, approximately half of it was annexed by Israel and absorbed into the Jerusalem municipality."
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Belgian-French bank cornered over Israeli settlement financing --- http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11276.shtml?utm_source=
feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifada+%28Electronic+Intifada%29
A quote...."BRUSSELS (IPS) - New evidence has been uncovered to show that Dexia, a major Belgian-French bank, is still financing Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) despite official assurances that such loans have ceased."
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Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (13 – 19 May 2010)
--- http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6685:weekly-report-on-israeli-human-rights-violations-in-the-
occupied-palestinian-territory-13--19-may-2010&catid=84:weekly-2009&Itemid=183
Week in, week out. - mpg - also posted Uruknet --- http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m66167&hd=&size=1&l=e

A Palestinian child was killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank and an elderly man was killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.
3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank.
IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests.
IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in border areas of the Gaza Strip.
IOF conducted 8 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
IOF arrested 27 civilians, including a child, a journalist and 10 international human rights defenders, in the West Bank.
12 of the detainees were arrested during the dispersion of peaceful protests.
IOF closed the office of municipal inspectors in Hebron.
IOF have continued arbitrary measures against members of popular committees against the annexation wall and settlement activities.
Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
IOF have continued to take measures aimed at creating a Jewish demographic majority in Jerusalem.
IOF dismantled a tent set up by a Palestinian family who was evicted from their home in Jerusalem.

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Keiser Report with Jim Rogers: Banks! Bailout! Scandal! --- http://www.youtube.com/user/MaxKeiserTV#p/f/1/XWHCMaPb-J8
Must View MKRTVideo - Alt --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWHCMaPb-J8 --- (MKRTYuTb - 24 min 57 sec - May 18, 2010) -- A quote...."This time, Max Keiser and co-host Stacy Herbert look at the scandals of real time fraud as quoted on the ticker tape; the more 'perfect quarters' and even more 'missing records' as the US government hands out tens of billions to TARP banks. In the second half of the show, Max interviews legendary investor Jim Rogers about the euro, naked short selling, and gold."
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Senate Passes Faux Financial "Reform" Bill --- http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/05/senate-passes-faux-financial-reform.html
Special Note - A quote...."The Senate passed a financial "reform" bill today by a 59-39 vote which won't fix any of the core problems in the financial system, and won't prevent the next financial crisis. -- The bill doesn't include the Volcker Rule (it wasn't even debated), doesn't break up or even substantially rein in the too big to fails, and doesn't force transparency in the derivatives market."
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The Keynesian Race to Bankruptcy --- http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north844.html
Special Note - A quote...."Confidence in the euro is falling because it is becoming clear that the region's commercial bankers have made the same sorts of bad decisions that American commercial bankers made after 2000. They loaned money to debtors in Eastern Europe who will not be able to repay. These loans were collateralized by real estate, which rose. Real estate prices in Eastern Europe are now falling. The bubble has popped."
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The Bankster-Gangster Crowd..Murdering People for over 2,000 Years
--- http://careandwashingofthebrain.blogspot.com/2010/05/bankster-gangster-crowdmurdering-people.html
A quote...."International bankers saw that interest-free scrip would keep America free of their influence, so by 1781 banker-backed Alexander Hamilton succeeded in starting the Bank of America. After a few years of "bank money", the prosperity of "Colonial Scrip" was gone. Benjamin Franklin said, "Conditions were so reversed that the era of prosperity had ended and a depression set in to such an extent that the streets of the Colonies were filled with the unemployed!" Bank money was like our FED money. It had debt and interest attached."
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Goldman Sachs Hands Clients Losses in Seven of Nine ‘Top Trades’ --- http://blacklistednews.com/?news_id=8794
A quote...."Goldman Sachs Group Inc. racked up trading profits for itself every day last quarter. Clients who followed the firm’s investment advice fared far worse. -- Seven of the investment bank’s nine “recommended top trades for 2010” have been money losers for investors who adopted the New York-based firm’s advice, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from a Goldman Sachs research note sent yesterday. Clients who used the tips lost 14 percent buying the Polish zloty versus the Japanese yen, 9.4 percent buying Chinese stocks in Hong Kong and 9.8 percent trading the British pound against the New Zealand dollar." - Source: Bloomberg --- http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aF5tV7uvY0FU&pos=4 --- And probably Goldman took the opposite sides of these trades....keep in mind folks, Goldman also recently recommended to their clients that they go long the Euro, and they were also the ones to help hide Greece's --- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251280/Goldman-Sachs-new-storm-secret-deal-mask-Greek-debts.html --- debts --- http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/02/27/scrutiny-of-goldmans-role-in-greek-debt-crisis-intensifies-in-us/ --- back in 2001. ---
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/02/09/how-greece-hid-its-borrowing-in-the-swaps-market/ --- Everybody get the picture? - mpg
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Ratigan And Sanders "We're An Oligarchy And It's Getting Worse"
--- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/ratigan-and-sanders-were-oligarchy-and-its-getting-worse
A quote...."Dylan Ratigan and Berney Sanders do a great summary of the various parallel amendment attempts to put some teeth into Dodd's joke of a bill. Ironically, as misguided as it is in most regards, at least Merkel's "reform" showed the kind of conviction that Dodd and his mostly incompetent colleagues will never be able to muster, as they scramble all over each other to collect the scraps that Wall Street has promised them so long as Goldman can generate annual revenues of $60 billion and above. And since our politicians would make the Amsterdam Red Light district blush, you can bet the end results of the Senatorial corruption will be unprecedented, resulting in a bill that achieves the opposite of what it is intended to do: i.e., make banks even stronger and gives the Fed even more power."
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Some headlines today - 05/20/10 from Zero Hedge
Bloodbath --- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/bloodbath
Developing Story: RBS In Stamford Has Gone Dark --- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/developing-story-rbs-stamford-has-gone-dark
Bill Gross: "Hedge Funds Liquidating To Preserve Capital" --- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/bill-gross-hedge-funds-liquidating-preserve-capital
Is TD Ameritrade Down? --- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/td-ameritrade-down
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FDIC Still As Bankrupt As Ever, DIF-to-Deposit Ratio At -0.38% --- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/fdic-still-bankrupt-ever-dif-deposit-ratio-038
A quote...."The FDIC's quarterly banking profile has been released. Inbetween all the fluff we find that the deposit "insurance" agency has exactly negative $20.7 billion to satisfy any upcoming bank runs and liquidations. Thank god for that ongoing Treasury lifeline. Atatched is a chart of the Deposit Insurance Fund-to-Deposit ratio. Negative is, well, bad."
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FDIC: 'Problem' [US] Banks at 775 --- http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-8813-0-13-13--.html
A quote...."WASHINGTON—A total of 775 banks, or one-tenth of all U.S. banks, were on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s list of "problem" institutions in the first quarter, as bad loans in the commercial real-estate market weighed on bank balance sheets." - Source: WSJ
--- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704513104575256680430484878.html?mod=rss_whats_news_us_business&utm_source=feedburner&
utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Fxml%2Frss%2F3_7014+%28WSJ.com%3A+US+Business%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
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[US] Mortgage Delinquencies, Foreclosures Break Records --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25486.htm
posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
A quote...."More than 10 percent of homeowners had missed at least one mortgage payment in the January-March period, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. That's a record high and up from 9.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year and 9.1 percent a year earlier. -- A big jump in the number of borrowers who have missed three months of mortgage payments drove the increase."
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CRE Double Dip: Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Index Drops 0.5% In May
--- http://www.zerohedge.com/article/cre-double-dip-moodysreal-commercial-property-index-drops-05-may
A quote...."The Moody’s/REAL All Property Type Aggregate Index measured a 0.5% price decline in March, marking a second month of falling values after a slight rebound reported earlier this year. The index now stands at 111.16, down 24.9% from a year ago and 40.5% from two years ago. Prices peaked in October 2007, and at their lowest point thus far in the downturn (October 2009) they had fallen 43.7%. As of the end of March, commercial property prices are down 42.1% from the peak."
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Jobless claims rise by largest amount in 3 months --- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100520/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy;_ylt=AgAVKHANXdb8uqz
ODpbFhl.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNlOHFrYWg0BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNTIwL3VzX2Vjb25vbXkEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVs
YXIEY3BvcwM3BHBvcwM0BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDam9ibGVzc2NsYWlt
A quote...."WASHINGTON – The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The surge is evidence of how volatile the job market remains, even as the economy grows."
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[US] Leading indicators slip 0.1 percent in April
--- http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gD1AWhgThB8nnXM4MB_k9UX2RUiwD9FQLBHO5
A quote...."NEW YORK — A private research group's gauge of future U.S. economic activity unexpectedly slipped in April, the first decline in more than a year and a sign that growth could slow this summer, weighing on hiring."
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US: Core CPI at lowest level in 44 years --- http://www.fxstreet.com/fundamental/analysis-reports/kbc-news-picks/2010-05-20.html
Deflation Alert - Even with their lying figures, as long as they're lying consistently, the trend is heading down. - mpg -- A quote...."In April, CPI inflation surprised on the downside of expectations falling by 0.1% M/M, while an increase by 0.1% M/M was expected. On a yearly basis, CPI dropped from 2.3% Y/Y to 2.2% Y/Y, while a slight rise was expected. The details show a significant drop in prices of energy (-1.4% M/M), but also transportation (-0.5% M/M), apparel (-0.7% M/M) and housing (-0.1% M/M) dropped. Food prices rose by 0.2% M/M in April. Core CPI, which excludes the volatile food & energy prices, stayed flat on a monthly basis. On a yearly basis, core CPI dropped from 1.1% Y/Y to 0.9% Y/Y, the lowest level since January 1966."
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Facing record loss of revenue, US states gutting essential services --- http://wsws.org/articles/2010/may2010/pers-m21.shtml
A quote...."The governors of California, New York and dozens of other US states have submitted drastic budget-cutting proposals for fiscal year 2011, which begins on July 1, 2010. Reeling from the economic recession, high rates of unemployment and the sharpest decline in tax revenue on record, states are eliminating essential services that will have a devastating effect on children, senior citizens and working people."
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Grotesque Global Financial System: Greece. Economic Theft on an Unprecedented Scale
--- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19243
Must Read - A quote...."As Britain's political class pretends that its arranged marriage of Tweedledee to Tweedledum is democracy, the inspiration for the rest of us is Greece. It is hardly surprising that Greece is presented not as a beacon, but as a "junk country" getting its comeuppance for its "bloated public sector" and "culture of cutting corners" (Observer). The heresy of Greece is that the uprising of its ordinary people provides an authentic hope unlike that lavished upon the warlord in the White House. -- The crisis that has led to Greece's "rescue" by European banks and the International Monetary Fund is the product of a grotesque financial system that itself is in crisis. Greece is a microcosm of a modern class war rarely reported as such, but waged with all the urgency of panic among the imperial rich."
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An Interview With Joseph Stiglitz — Regulation and the Euro Zone
--- http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/an-interview-with-joseph-stiglitz-regulation-and-the-euro-zone/
A quote...."Nobel Prize winner and Professor for Economy at Columbia University, Joseph Stiglitz, just returned from a book tour in Europe where he introduced his widely acclaimed analysis of the Financial Crisis, called Free Fall. In an interview he explains the future of the Euro Zone, how it was possible to create a moral vacuum on Wall Street, why US citizens do not take their anger to the streets and how the US should follow Greece and start regulating now."
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The Greek People are the Victims of an Extortion Racket --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25488.htm
posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
A quote...."May 19, 2010 "Le Monde" -- May 14, 2010 -- What is happening in Greece concerns all of us. The people are paying for a crisis and a debt that are not their own. Today it is the Greeks, tomorrow it will be others, for the same causes will produce the same effects if we allow it."
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The Heresy Of The Greeks Offers Hope --- http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25482.htm
posted at ICH --- http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/cachedfiles/ichsfundingpage-cached-reficultnias-111908
A quote...."May 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- As Britain’s political class pretends that its arranged marriage of Tweedledee to Tweedledum is democracy, the inspiration for the rest of us is Greece. It is hardly surprising that Greece is presented not as a beacon but as a “junk country” getting its comeuppance for its “bloated public sector” and “culture of cutting corners” (the Observer). The heresy of Greece is that the uprising of its ordinary people provides an authentic hope unlike that lavished upon the warlord in the White House."
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General strike paralyses Greece --- http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/05/20105206473368731.html
A quote...."Ferry services, railway stations and other public services are closed in Greece as part of a 24-hour general strike against the government's austerity measures."
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What the Europe Debt Bomb Looks Like --- http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=19239
InfoGraphic
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Japan moves to test "space yacht" and solve Venus's "biggest mystery" --- http://en.rian.ru/science/20100521/159097190.html
A quote...."A Japanese H-2A rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on Friday carrying the country's first Venus probe and an experimental solar sail, the country's space agency said. -- The liftoff was initially scheduled early Tuesday, but was postponed until 1:58 Moscow time Friday [21:58 GMT Tuesday] due to poor weather conditions. -- Akatsuki (Dawn), the rocket's main payload, will approach Venus in six months and will move around the planet in an ellicliptical orbit for two years to study the Earth's "sister planet" from the distance of 80-300 km. It has a mass of 500 lbs and a life expectancy of 4.5 years."
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Scientists discover 50-km asteroid crater off Australian coast --- http://en.rian.ru/science/20100520/159095418.html
A quote...."Round the same time as the Mount Ashmore impact, a 100-kilometer-wide asteroid impact structure formed in Siberia, and another measuring 85 km in diameter in Chesapeake Bay, off Virginia, in the United States," Glikson said. "Likewise a large field of tektites, molten rock fragments splashed by impact, fell over northeast America. This defined a major impact cluster across the planet." - Every one to two hundred million years or so the earth's solar system passes through the thicker parts of one of the galaxy's spiral arms and the earth gets completely hammered. - mpg