MPG'S
DAILY RAPSHEET AND BLOTTER ON THE "GREAT GAME" --
10-22-08 to 10-28-08 -- links page
@ www.reficultnias.org
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Editor's note : From now on each weekly blog page will have
several items
culled from the past called "9/11 - From The History
File" : It's for those who didn't know, and also for those who
forgot....or are trying to forget.
Editor's note - War Update, War Alert, War Warning, Red War Warning
and War
Imminent
- refer to articles
regarding the upcoming war with Iran. In the order they appear as
shown above, they represent less serious to more serious possible
threats of war. - mpg
As of 08-08-08 a new category of war warning will be included, the
above warnings will have the prefix (WWIII) added to them to indicate
the
possible outbreak of greater hostilities. - mpg
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Tuesday October 28th 2008
Let
Us Speculate
Must Read - A
quote...."October 28, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- --There’s an
awful lot of speculation going on right now, from both the left and
right about where the latest crisis of capital is headed, chief amongst
them is the notion that this signals the end of the US Empire, that the
so-called uni-polar world is over, that a new multi-polar world, headed
by China, Russia, India and Brazil is emerging."
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>>>
They're Going to do "It" Again <<<
Pentagon
Advisors Warn Of Coming International Crisis
False Flag Warning - Gulf of
Tonkin Redux Warning -- A quote...."Under the heading "First 270
Days" appears the following list of Presidents with crisis events next
to their names:"
- Eisenhower - Iranian revolution
- Kennedy - Bay of Pigs
- Johnson - Gulf of Tonkin Incident
- Nixon - Escalation into Cambodia and Laos
- Carter - Korea troop reductions/ Singlaub relief
- Clinton - World Trade Center bombing
- Bush I - Panama Invasion
- Bush II - Downing of EP 3 and September 11th
"Given that the Iranian revolution and the Bay of Pigs were both
engineered by the CIA, and that the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the '93
WTC bombing and 9/11 have all been exposed as false flag events, one
wonders whether the coming crisis will constitute more of the same." --
See previously posted articles
shown below....
What
“incredibly tough” foreign policy actions is Obama preparing?
Must Read - False Flag Warning -
Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning -- A quote..."In remarks made over
the weekend in Seattle, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph
Biden warned that Barack Obama, if elected president, would be
compelled to take deeply unpopular actions in both domestic and foreign
policy within months of taking office." --
For more on why they're
doing this see....Effective
Fed Funds Rate 03-24-07 - mpg &
The
True Axis of Evil - 10-10-08 - mpg --
posted 10-25-08
Biden
“Predicted” 9/11 Attack On September 10, 2001
False Flag Warning - Gulf of
Tonkin Redux Warning -
(Number Two!) -- A quote...."Joe Biden the
seemingly clairvoyant senator from Delaware, and vice presidential
nominee was out making predictions, again. The last time Joe was using
his crystal ball was on September 10, 2001, one day prior to the 9/11
attacks." --
posted 10-23-08
Colin
Powell Warns Of Coming Crisis "We Don't Even Know About Right Now"
False Flag Warning -
Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning -- A
quote...."Colin Powell has made bizarre comments that echo the recent
declaration by Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden that there will be an
"international crisis" early into Barack Obama's presidency that will
test the new president by forcing him to make unpopular decisions." --
posted 10-22-08
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Analysts
Question Timing of Syria Raid
Special Note - Analysis -
Some quotes...."A cross-border raid into Syria by U.S. forces in Iraq
and subsequent stonewalling by U.S. officials unwilling to divulge
details have led to rampant speculation among U.S. analysts about the
origins and meaning of the attack." -- "....if the cross-border attack
was an attempt by hawks to lure Syria into a war, it appears to have
failed; Syria has engaged in a measured and strictly diplomatic
response. - "[T]he Syrians have not responded, and are not about to
respond, in any way that is violent or otherwise escalates tensions,"
said Cobban, a well respected commenter and veteran analyst, on her
Just World News blog. - "I've been studying the behavior of this
Ba'athist regime in Syria closely for 34 years now. They have steely
nerves. They are just about impossible to 'provoke,' at any point that
they judge a harsh response is not in their interest," she wrote."
The
strike that shattered US-Syria ties
A quote...."The unconfirmed details and unquestionable tragedy of the
raid have left once-promising US-Syria ties in tatters. Top officials
in Damascus have blasted the "cowboy" tactics of US forces, and Syrian
public opinion has become vociferously anti-American. -- The so-called
"massacre" won't lead to war between the US and Syria, but it marks an
important turning point in a turbulent and unpredictable relationship
that stretches back some 60 years."
Syria
protests US attack in UN letter
A quote...."In a letter to the UN, Syria has protested the US chopper
attack on a border village on Sunday that killed eight Syrian
civilians."
Iraq
denounces U.S. raid on Syria
A quote...."BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's government denounced on Tuesday
a U.S. air strike on a Syrian border village in an unexpected rebuke of
Washington. - "The Iraqi government rejects U.S. aircraft bombarding
posts inside Syria. The constitution does not allow Iraq to be used as
a staging ground to attack neighboring countries," spokesman Ali
al-Dabbagh said."
US Raids Ignore
International Law
A quote...."Washington - While US officials continue to avoid
discussing the weekend strikes that killed eight people in eastern
Syria, Middle East experts have condemned the attacks as a violation of
international law that threatens to further destabilize US-Syria
relations."
US-led
aggression in Syria triggers bigger sales of Russian arms
A quote...."The conflict in Iraq is no longer restricted with its
borders. The USA committed an act of aggression against Syria.
Spokespeople for the US administration justify their actions with the
notorious struggle against terrorism. Washington thus continues to
unite Islamic countries against the United States. Following the US-led
incursion, Syria decided to expand the list of weapons which the
country purchases from Russia." -- Also
posted at BLN
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Prices
soar in Mosul as troops mass for new offensive
A quote...."The government is massing troops in the restive Mosul in
preparation for a large-scale offensive to subdue the northern city.
Mosul is Iraq’s second largest city after Baghdad with nearly two
million inhabitants. Thousands of troops with heavy military gear have
already been deployed inside the city particularly its western side.
The troops have set up scores of checkpoints and cordoned off
neighborhoods in search of suspects. It
will be the third massive military offensive on the city in one year.
The previous two, in which large numbers of U.S. occupation troops took
part, failed to bring peace to the city. -- bold by website editor -- When will it ever stop? - mpg
Government
fails to halt anti-Christian campaign in Mosul
A quote...."The measures the government has taken so far have failed to
put an end to the exodus of Christians from the northern city of Mosul.
Thousands of Christian families have fled the city following threats
from unidentified groups. So far 14 Christians have been killed in the
city. Some Iraqi politicians and media have raised questions on the
timing and scale of the anti-Christian campaign in a city traditionally
known for its tolerance."
Iraqi
bishops reject annexing Christian areas by Kurds
A quote...."Iraqi bishops have urged their hard-pressed Christian
communities to reject moves to annex their areas to the Kurdish
autonomous regions. - The bishops made the statement following a
meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in which they expressed
their fears for the fate of Christian existence in Iraq particularly in
the northern city of Mosul and it suburbs."
World
Bank Cancels $300 Million Loan To Pakistan
A quote...."ISLAMABAD -(Dow Jones)- The World Bank has canceled a $300
million loan under an Economic Stabilization Project to Pakistan
because it overlapped with similar aid from other multilateral
agencies, a World Bank statement said Tuesday."
MIDEAST:
So Easy for Israelis to Shoot to Kill
A quote...."RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 28 (IPS) - Israeli soldiers shot
and killed three young Palestinians in the Ramallah district of the
central West Bank last week. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claimed
the Palestinians were about to throw Molotov cocktails at soldiers and
settlers in the Bet El settlement."
Latin
America’s ‘New Left’ In Crisis as the ‘Free Market’ Collapses
A quote...."The collapse of what some writers have referred to as Latin
America's 'pink tide' and other more exuberant publicists referred to
as the new 'revolutionary regimes' (and other more prudent analysts
called the 'post-neo-liberal' democracies) raises serious questions
about the emergence of a new dynamic heterodox model no longer
subordinated to the US." -- It's
quite simple....they didn't de-couple enough, fast enough. Better
luck next time. - mpg -- Also
posted at ICH
BBC finds
evidence of Georgian ‘war crimes’
A quote...."The British Broadcasting Corporation is reporting that it
has obtained evidence suggesting that Georgia may have committed war
crimes during its attack on South Ossetia in August. The BBC says it
gathered the evidence during the first unrestricted visit to South
Ossetia since the conflict."
Witnesses
Say Georgia Targeted Civilians in August War
Related Article - A quote...."Ever since the Georgian shelling of
Tskhinvali sparked its brief August war with Russia, both sides have
claimed loudly and consistently that the other has committed war
crimes. This has included over 3,000 complaints filed with the European
Court of Human Rights regarding action in South Ossetia. The complaints
have largely been shrugged off by the international community as
politically motivated however."
Czech
Election Results Leave US Radar Station’s Future Uncertain
A quote...."A major defeat in this weekend’s elections has left the
Czech Republic’s coalition government teetering and Prime Minister
Mirek Topolanek under growing pressure to resign and hold new national
elections, but it has also put the
unpopular US radar station in serious jeopardy." - bold by
website editor
China's
Wen leaves for Russia, Kazakhstan For Annual Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation Meeting
A quote...."Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao embarked on a five-day
tour of Russia and Kazakhstan on Monday which is expected to focus on
the global financial crisis and energy security."
Oil-Rich
Venezuela Meets Oil-Hungry China
A quote...."President Chávez has repeatedly asserted that he
envisions China as an important global oil consumer. Some of the
agreements reached by Caracas and Beijing will boost Venezuela's oil
exports to China. By expanding China's share of Venezuela's oil
consumption, the South American country could decrease its heavy
dependence on the U.S. market, which has been the largest consumer of
Venezuelan oil. According to the Venezuelan media, the two countries
will cooperate to build four tankers and at least two refineries."
Russia
and Cuba begin closer military cooperation
A quote...."Chief of the Battle Antimissile Defense Staff of the RF
Armed Forces General-Lieutenant Alexander Maslov visits Cuba October 27
through November 3. Maslov goes to Cuba together with the delegation of
Russia’s military, said Igor Konashenkov, the aide to the commander of
the RF Army."
Russia
to continue arms sales to Iran
A quote...."We will continue to sell arms and military equipment
exclusively to maintain the defense potential of our partners,"
Medvedev affirmed. Moscow has recently delivered 29 Russian-made Tor-M1
air defense missile systems under a $700 million contract signed in
late 2005 and trained Iranian Tor-M1 specialists, including radar
operators and crew commanders."
Iranian-Belarusian
Company to Enhance Activity in Jufeyr Oil Field
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Belarusian-Iranian Belpars Petroleum Company
Ltd (BPC) was handed control over the Fahlian oil layer in addition to
other layers of the Jufeyr (Jofeireh) field in Iran's oil-rich province
of Khuzestan near the Iraqi border."
Iran Opens Base
at Hormuz Strait for Gulf `Defense'
A quote...."Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) — Iran opened a naval base on the
Strait of Hormuz that's capable of keeping foreign forces out of the
Persian Gulf, the chief of the Iranian navy said. -- ``With this naval
base, a new line of defense was created in the Persian Gulf, Admiral
Habibollah Sayyari was cited today as saying by state-run Fars News.
``If necessary, we can prevent any enemy from entering the Persian
Gulf's strategic area."
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Marine
orders access to secret Gitmo prison camp
A quote...."After a mental health board found 9/11 accused Ramzi bin al
Shibh suffered a mental illness, a Marine judge agreed to let his two
U.S. defense lawyers see the secret cell where he is held."
Big
Problems for Prosecutors - The Empty Chair at Guantánamo -
posted at CounterPunch
A quote...."Now here’s a problem that anyone with half a brain could
have seen coming. On Monday the second trial by Military Commission at
Guantánamo -- in other words, the second US “war crimes” trial
since the Second World War, following the underwhelming trial of Salim
Hamdan this summer -- opened not with a bang, and not even with a
whimper, but with complete silence."
For more regarding these two
articles see....The
Convenient Silence of Guantanamo Bay - 05-31-08 - mpg
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ACLU:
White House Intervention In Ohio Voting Is "Partisan Politics At Its
Worst"
A quote...."The ACLU has written to Attorney General Michael Mukasey,
urging him not to have the Justice Department intervene in a
voting-rights dispute in Ohio."
CROCK THE
VOTE: Brad Friedman on the epic fail of 2008
Interview - The Smirking Chimp interviews Brad Friedman
-- A quote...."Brad Friedman is perhaps the most diligent and
unassailable election integrity advocate in America. His work at Bradblog.com is required reading
for anyone who gives a damn about maintaining democracy in America, and
he’s also the guy we call whenever we start freaking out about the
insanity of allowing hackable, untested voting machines to tabulate an
election between two morally bankrupt parties, or the bitter injustice
of trumped up voter fraud charges taking precedence in the media over
real, actual voter fraud."
How
to Stop and Prevent GOP Election Theft Forever
A quote...."Even prominent Republicans now concede that George W. Bush
presided over the destruction of America, the subversion of the
Constitution, defiance of the rule of law. Bush did this by way of two
stolen elections. This article reveals how they did it and proposes a
'fool proof' method by which elections can be made theft proof!"
Kevin Zeese: Messy
Elections: Can We Trust The Results?
A quote...."For a country that considers itself the ‘greatest democracy
on Earth,’ the U.S. sure does run messy elections. -- This year about
one-third the public is voting early (something Marylanders will be
voting on in a referendum on Election Day), as a result we are seeing
election meltdowns in slow motion. Here is a sample of what is
occurring:"
Georgia
voters stand in line for 12 hours
A quote...."Patricia Lewis would not be deterred by an hours-long wait
that kept her at the Frank Bailey Senior Center in Riverdale, Georgia
deep into the night to cast her vote."
Court:
‘Flagged’ citizens may vote
A quote...."Georgians whose eligibility to vote has been questioned
must be allowed to cast a ballot in the Nov. 4 election, a panel of
federal judges ruled Monday. -- The court also ordered Secretary of
State Karen Handel to “make diligent and immediate efforts to notify,
in a uniform manner, every person whose voter registration presently
remains flagged."
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Charles Keating’s
Lawfirm Donates $50,000+ To McCain’s Campaign
Special Note - (This falls into the category of "AW MY
GAWD! What the heck was McCain thinking?) Guess the
good'ol boy firm of the Cheating
Keating Five
needed some of
that $700 billion dollar bail-out money. - mpg -- A
quote...."While many Americans are scrambling trying to line up
refinancing mortgage to stay in their homes, John McCain is busy taking
campaign donations from the law firm of convicted felon Charles
Keating, one of the masterminds of the Savings and Loan Scandal of the
1980’s that cost taxpayers $500 billion. Keating was convicted on over
70 felonies while running the Lincoln Savings and Loan. John
McCain played a major part in the scandal, and 20 years later, he still
doesn’t have the common sense to realize he did anything wrong and is
still benefiting financially from his relationship with Keating."
And
Everybody’s Shouting, 'Which Side Are You On?'
A quote...."Unless he is assassinated (possible), or the Republican
election chicanery that characterized the last two presidential
elections also subverts this one (certainly they shall try), or an
"October Surprise" more unnerving than the recent banking scare and
raid on the Treasury is arranged (a new war, a suddenly hotter old war,
a real or manufactured attack on "The Homeland" or "Our Brave Troops"
by "Terrorists", "Enemies Of America" or unspecified "Forces Of Evil"),
Mr. Barack Obama will be elected President of the United States on
Tuesday, the fourth of November."
Families
of the Victims Tortured by Chicago Detectives Rejoice at First Arrest
A quote...."It began as a dirty open secret and is now Chicago lore:
From the 1970s into the 1990s, African American men in the city of
Chicago were routinely arrested, taken into police custody, and
tortured, during interrogations lasting hours on end. An estimated 150
black men endured abuse that included savage beatings, suffocation with
bags and typewriter covers, and in many instances, electrical shocks
applied to their genitals. The goal was to secure confessions, and more
often than not, it worked, whether the suspect was guilty or not. -- At
the head of Chicago's police torture ring was Jon Burge, a decorated
Vietnam veteran who once made his name for himself as a young cop on
the beat on the South Side of Chicago." -- What will we call the next bout of murders
and beatings by sick wacko psychotic cops who happen to be Iraqi
war veterans this time around? Whoops, I did it all over
again?
The
thirty year itch? Just can't get enough? Vietnam deux?
- mpg
Bio
Lab in Galveston Raises Concerns
A quote...."29 Oct 2008 Much of the University of Texas medical school
on this island suffered flood damage during Hurricane Ike, except for
one gleaming new building, a national biological defense laboratory
that will soon house some of the most deadly diseases in the world. How
a laboratory where scientists plan to study spread viruses like
Ebola and Marburg ended up on a barrier island where hurricanes
regularly wreak havoc puzzles some environmentalists and community
leaders. "It’s crazy, in my mind," said Jim Blackburn, an environmental
lawyer in Houston. The project enjoyed the strong support of three
influential Texas Republicans: President [sic] Bush, a former Texas
governor; Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison; and the former House majority
leader, Tom DeLay, whose district includes part of Galveston County. --
Paragraph quoted from CLG
The
Assassinations of the 1960s as “Deep Events”
A quote...."For over two years now I have been speaking and writing
about what I call deep events. I mean by deep events the traumatic and
unexpected episodes that recur periodically in US history and alter it,
nearly always for the worse. These deep events can never be properly
analyzed or understood, because of an intelligence dimension which
results in a socially imposed veil of silence, both in the government
and in the Mainstream Media."
Microsoft
Patents Censorship Bot
A quote...."As the Times Online reports, the corporate behemoth
Microsoft is on the verge of unleashing a technology capable of
eliminating “green inkers” and conspiracy theorists. “Microsoft has
just been awarded a patent for technology designed to automatically
detect and remove ‘undesired words or phrases’ from all manner of
digital communications, ranging from YouTube broadcasts to internet
chat and songs,” writes Mark Harris."
The
Party's Over?
A quote...."The title for this piece was a very unfortunate statement
that Nancy Pelosi made after she handed the banksters on Wall Street
700 billion dollars of our money. This was a whopper of a crime that
bailed out fabulously wealthy people who took risks that made them rich
on the way up and now again on their ways down. I don't know about you
all, but I could have a heckuva party with 700 billion dollars! -- One
of the corporations that has now received around 100 billion dollars in
federal bailout funds is AIG. This firm has continued to party all over
the country: treating its associates to fabulous retreats at taxpayer's
expense. Not only is AIG still partying hardy, but according to the
Pelosi's recent financial statement, they own between 250-500 thousand
dollars in AIG stock. Can we all say, conflict of interest? -- *Cindy Sheehan*
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In
Trying to Stop the Inevitable Deleveraging Process, the Government is
Only Making It Worse
Special Note - A
quote...."The process of deleveraging cannot be stopped, but the
government is trying to stop it anyway. Instead of allowing an orderly
deleveraging process, the government is actually trying to prop up the
leverage. -- For example, instead of requiring banks to deleverage, the
government is reducing their cash reserve requirements so they can
increase their leverage to loan money they don't have through
fractional reserve banking."
Warnings
of deep recession as US layoffs spread coast-to-coast
A quote...."Dozens of mass layoffs have been announced by American
employers, both private and public, in recent days. The impact of the
downturn has begun to spread well beyond the imploding financial sector
and such depressed industries as automobiles, to the economy as a
whole."
PM
Putin suggests Russia, China ditch dollar in trade deals
A quote...."MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin proposed on Tuesday that Russia and China gradually
switch over to national currency payments in bilateral trade, expected
to total $50 billion in 2008." -- Also
posted at ICH
& GlobRsrch
& WarInIraq & BLN
The
Fed as lender of first and only resort
Special Note - A
quote...."The market is increasingly focused on how the Treasury and
the Fed will fund the ever-expanding array of facilities, and the huge
overhang of very short-term paper that needs to be rolled over into
longer-term securities in a market that already looks queasy about the
forthcoming flood of notes. -- Rather than multiplying the number of
acronymned facilities further, restoring confidence now rests on
solving two issues. -- First, the market needs to see buyers for all
this new Treasury paper that will have to be issued in the coming year.
-- The government is under pressure to line up support from overseas
central banks and other institutional investors to continue supporting
the market by absorbing a large share of the new issuance that will be
required."
Home
Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Fell From Year Ago (Update2)
Special Note - A
quote...."Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- House prices in 20 U.S. cities
declined at the fastest pace
on record as foreclosures climbed before the credit crisis
deepened this month." -- underline by website editor
IMF
Props Up Hungary and Ukraine as Crisis Continues
A quote...."The International Monetary Fund announced over the weekend
that it was providing both Ukraine and Hungary with emergency loans in
the face of the ongoing financial crisis. Markets around the world
continue to plunge on Monday."
Iceland
Central Bank Raises Key Interest Rate to 18% (Update3)
A quote...."Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Iceland's central bank unexpectedly
raised the benchmark interest rate to 18 percent, the highest in at
least seven years, after the island reached a loan agreement with the
International Monetary Fund." -- You
deal with the IMF, your people starve and your economy dies. It's
as simple as that. - mpg
Australian
dollar sinks towards US60c
Special Note - A
quote...."Traders continued to shun the Australian dollar during
another weak offshore session overnight as the popularity of high interest rate currencies
continued to fall amid fears of a global recession." --
bold by website editor. -- OK, the
higher your interest rate (poor Iceland) the MORE your currency falls,
whereas the LOWER your interest rate the more your currency
rises. Welcome to "BushWorld" were black is white, peace is war,
torture is good for you, debt doesn't matter and all the normal laws of
economic theory are thrown out the window. - mpg
Strong
dollar, weak dollar
A quote...."I got a question from a reader after my last article,
suggesting the US was pursuing a strong dollar policy to refinance its
economy, at huge risk to the rest of the world. The reader asked:
"Isn't it the case that the only country that doesn't care about
devaluation of its currency is the US? Doesn't the US actually want
devaluation in order to become competitive in the export markets? They
would essentially devalue their debt burden."
[British
Home] Repossessions soar by 70 per cent as joblessness rises
A quote...."The number of British homes repossessed by mortgage lenders
has leapt by more than 70 per cent over the past year, as growing
numbers of homeowners have been unable to meet payments on their loans."
Funds
lose £24bn as VW shares take off
A quote...."Hedge funds have lost as much as €30bn (£24bn) short
selling carmaker Volkswagen after the shares soared on the revelation
that rival Porsche had secured 74pc of the equity and planned to seize
control of its rival. -- The €30bn hit is thought to be one of
the heaviest losses on a single company's shares ever taken by hedge
funds, which have already been hit hard by the turmoil in the markets."
Monday October 27th 2008
Reality
overthrows ‘history’s actors’ - posted at OnlineJournal
Must Read - A
quote...."The New American Century lasted a decade. Financial crisis
and defeated objectives in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Georgia brought the
neoconservative project for American world hegemony crashing to a close
in the autumn of 2008. -- The American neoconservatives are the heirs
of Leon Trotsky. Their dream of American “Full Spectrum Dominance” --
US military and economic superiority over any possible combination of
states -- is matched in ambition only by the early 20th century
Trotskyite dream of a world Communist revolution." -- Also posted at ICH
October Surprise?
Don't be too surprised…
Must Read - A
quote...."Who would really be all that surprised by an October
surprise? After all, if history teaches us anything, it's that
incumbent presidents are inclined to use their power in this way. "
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Surging
Into Syria: American Incursion Opens New Front in Quagmire
Deliberate Provocation --
A quote...."Taking a page from the new bipartisan strategy now being
employed in Afghanistan -- waging cross-border military raids into
sovereign countries in order to protect a failing military occupation
in a neighboring country -- the United States has apparently launched
its first known incursion into Syria: the usual assault from on high
with the usual tally of children as "collateral damage." -- The BBC
reports that American forces launched a small ground-air attack on the
border village of Sukkiraya on Sunday, with military helicopters
disgorging a squad of troops who attacked a building and killed "a man,
his four children and a married couple."
US
Faces International Condemnation in Wake of Syria Strike
Deliberate Provocation --
A quote...."While the White House has declined comment and other US
officials defended the strike on a Syrian border town yesterday which
killed eight, international condemnation rained down on the strike from
a number of sources."
Syria
Condemns US Attack as “Serious Aggression”
Deliberate Provocation --
A quote...."An unnamed US military official has confirmed the attack on
the Syrian border town of al-Sukkariya earlier this evening, which
killed at least eight and wounded 14 others. He said the attack
targeted “elements of a robust foreign fighter logistics network” and
that the US had decided to take matters “into our own hands.” US
Marines Major General John Kelly had recently expressed discontent with
Syria’s slow progress on constructing a physical barrier at the border,
though as recently as Thursday he described security incidents in the
border province as so uncommon as to be “almost meaningless,” making
the timing of the attack puzzling."
US
Helicopters, Commandos Attack Syrian Border Town Killing Eight
Deliberate Provocation -
A quote...."In a report from local witnesses later confirmed by a
Syrian government spokesman, Two US helicopters landed in the Syrian
border town of Al-Sukkariya while others remained in the air and eight
American soldiers exited. The soldiers killed at least eight people in
the attack, and wounded 14 others before reboarding the helicopters and
returning to Iraqi territory."
Pakistan
PM Slams US After Latest Drone Strike Kills 20
Deliberate Provocation -
A quote...."Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani publicly
condemned the “intolerable” series of unilateral US drone strikes
launched in North and South Waziristan in the past two months at a
press conference today. He said the strike were an attack on Pakistan’s
national sovereignty and were weakening the nation’s anti-terror
efforts. He added that he had raised the issue at the latest
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit and they supported the Pakistani
position."
U.S.
Takes to Air to Hit Militants Inside Pakistan
Deliberate Provocation -
A quote...."WASHINGTON — The White House has backed away from using
American commandos for further ground raids into Pakistan after furious
complaints from its government, relying instead on an intensifying
campaign of airstrikes by the Central Intelligence Agency against
militants in the Pakistani mountains. -- According to American and
Pakistani officials, attacks by remotely piloted Predator aircraft have increased sharply in frequency and
scope in the past three months." - bold by website editor
U.S.
threatens to halt services to Iraq without troop accord
Deliberate Provocation - Editor's Note: The US government is currently paying over
eighty thousand "former" Iraqi insurgents, including some
"al-Qaeda members" ten dollars a day so they do NOT launch attacks
against US forces....or the Shi'a
dominated Iraqi government. Maybe al-Maliki should start paying them,
or would the US call him a terrorist at that point (because the
"former" insurgents wouldn't be "our
friends" at that point) and start bombing the Iraqi Government?? - mpg -- A quote...." BAGHDAD _ The
U.S. military has warned Iraq that it will shut down military
operations and other vital services throughout the country on Jan. 1 if
the Iraqi government doesn't agree to a new agreement on the status of
U.S. forces or a renewed United Nations mandate for the American
mission in Iraq. -- Many Iraqi politicians view the move as akin to
political blackmail, a top Iraqi official told McClatchy Sunday. -- also posted at ICH
& CommonDreams
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
We Have Met the Terrorists....And They Are Us
10-27-08
mpg
US
Invades Syria: Kills 8 Civilians - (YouTube - 2 min 12 sec -
Added: October 26, 2008)
Deliberate Provocation -- Must
View Video - A quote...."A US official has confirmed that
Special Forces carried out a raid inside Syrian territory on Sunday,
targeting fighters staging attacks in Iraq. -- Syria said the soldiers
attacked a house in a farming area near the town of Abu Kamal, about
8km inside the border with Iraq. -- Al Jazeera's Tom Ackerman reports."
False
Flag Warning -- Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning -- Deliberate Provocation
Warning
The US (NRE) under the
aegis of one political faction, and with the passive cooperation of
another,
deliberately set-up and murdered three thousand of its own citizens
and is now using this patently obvious false flag operation, in
accordance with the PNAC Protocols, to attack and invade countries at
will throughout the entire Middle East.
After having spent more than
twenty years planning these activities, while flooding the world's
economy with trillions of dollars of worthless securities to
maliciously fund their campaigns of world wide conquest, securities
that are now
collapsing under their own weight dragging the world economy down with
them, the US (NRE) is now attempting
a pathetic, last ditch effort,
to
deliberately ignite a regional war in order to justify using
further massive amounts of military force to
finally size complete control of the Middle East's oil reserves.
This desperate, despicable,
lawless, murderous and ultimately futile attempt to maintain a corrupt
and collapsing New
Roman Empire will plunge this world and its economy into the
abyss. If the world community does not immediately band together
and condemn these acts of monstrous aggression the US will be further
emboldened to
attack anyone and everyone, wherever and whenever it so chooses.
This will mean the end of
freedom everywhere; the world community must prevent this
tragedy. Everyone must demand an impartial, independent
investigation of 9/11. We must all demand the that true
perpetrators of 9/11 be brought to justice, that the US's constitution
be restored, that the US must abide by international laws and treaties,
and that the
US's aggressive wars of self aggrandizement be halted immediately.
May God have mercy on us all if
these plans of mayhem and murder should ever succeed. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Just
Numbers…
Full quote...."
8 dead in a Syrian village.
20 dead in a village in Pakistan from a US drone attack.
24 Afghan guards killed in US attack by mistake.
1 US soldier died today on foreign soil.
21 Iraqis killed today alone.
50,000 Iraqis protest US occupation of their home.
2,700 Amercians per day from July through Sept. lost their homes due to
foreclosure.
159,000 jobs lost in Sept. 2008.
Powerful
Iraqi party claims U.S. killed innocent man
A quote...."BAGHDAD — The most powerful Sunni Muslim party in Iraq
issued an angry statement Saturday accusing Americans of covering up
the killing of an innocent member of the party."
The
Pentagon's new Iraq propaganda
A quote...."Little noticed in Gates's widely acclaimed remarks,
however, was his statement: "Don't get me wrong, I'll be asking for yet
more money for defence next year." Part of the money Gates intends to
spend, as the Washington Post reported recently, is for a $300m,
three-year effort to "engage and inspire" Iraq's population to support
its government and US policies through a variety of programmes ranging
from media products to entertainment (an additional $15m a year would
be spent polling Iraqis). -- This is a huge amount by soft-power
standards. The state department expects to spend just $5.6m on public
diplomacy in Iraq in fiscal 2008. The defence department money is to be
distributed among four private contractors, including the Lincoln Group
which, per arrangements with the Pentagon, covertly paid Iraqi
newspapers to print articles composed by the US military but published
as straight news items." -- Also
posted at CommonDreams
'Sub
rosa SOFA brings darkness to Iraq'
A quote...."The controversial US-Iraq security agreement includes 'some
secret provisions', which would flagrantly violate Iraq's sovereignty.
- Secret provisions have been incorporated in the so-called Status of
Forces Agreement (SOFA), which would violate Iraq's sovereignty in a
more direct manner than the provisions disclosed by the Iraqi media,
the Saudi daily Okaz reported on Sunday, citing "informed political
sources"." -- Also posted at ICH
Rejection of Oil
Law and Move to Create Tribal Councils Add to Tensions With Kurds
A quote...."BAGHDAD — Tensions between Kurdistan and the central
government of Iraq continued to bubble Monday. A parliamentary
committee rejected a new draft of an oil law, and Kurdish politicians
denounced the government’s effort to create semi-tribal councils as a
counterweight to Kurdish political power in Kirkuk."
The
Collapse of Omar Khadr's Guantánamo Trial
A quote...."Hardly a day goes by without some extraordinary news from
the military commissions, the system of "terror trials" conceived in
the office of the vice president in November 2001, and their days now
seem to be as numbered as those of the Bush administration itself."
Former
generals support accused combatant's case
A quote...."COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former generals and U.S. Justice
Department officials filed briefs Thursday urging the U.S. Supreme
Court to review the Bush administration's authority to indefinitely
detain the only suspected enemy combatant held on U.S. soil."
'Salt
of This Sea' Trailer
Must View Trailer - A
quote...."Soraya, born in Brooklyn in a working class community of
Palestinian refugees, discovers that her grandfather's savings were
frozen in a bank account in Jaffa when he was exiled in 1948. Direct,
stubborn, and determined to reclaim what is hers, she fulfills her
life-long dream of "returning" to Palestine. Slowly she is taken apart
by the reality around her and is forced to confront her own anger. She
meets Emad, a young Palestinian whose ambition, contrary to hers, is to
leave forever. Tired of the constraints that dictate their lives, they
know in order to be free, they must take things into their own hands,
even if it's illegal."
Suheir
Hammad on "Salt of This Sea"
Video - A quote...."Suheir Hammad, poet and star of "Salt of This Sea"
Speaks on the movie, which premiers at the Toronto Palestine Film
Festival. She talks on the various worlds within Israel/Palestine and
on the experience of access, segregation, and privilege."
Chomsky,
Zinn, and Obama
Must Read - A quote...."
"You don't stick a knife in a
man's back nine inches, and then pull it out six inches, and say you're
making progress." -- *Malcolm X*
- Neocons and Neo-Romans do, all the
time....they call it "helping"
people. -- excellent quote. - mpg
“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the
homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of
totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?” -- *Gandhi*
October 27, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" --
Another Election Day approaches and I’m reminded of something the late
Pakistani dissident, Eqbal Ahmad said about Noam Chomsky in the
book, Confronting Empire (2000): “He (Chomsky) has never
wavered. He has never fallen into the trap of saying, ‘Clinton will do
better.’ Or ‘Nixon was bad but Carter at least had a human rights
presidency.’ There is a consistency of substance, of posture, of
outlook in his work.” -- For more on
this issue see....You
Have a Choice Democracy or Empire - 07-24-08 - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Georgia's
Saakashvili replaces reformist PM
A quote...."TBILISI, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili named a new prime minister on Monday, saying the former
Soviet state needed "new energy" to tackle fresh challenges after war
with Russia in August."
Russian
Arms Exports Taking Another Jump in 2008
A quote...."“Russian
Arms Exports Rose to $5.78B in 2004” began to chronicle that
comeback. In late 2005, “Russian
Defense Industry Exports Stabilizing at $6B/Year, But Structure May
Change” looked at some of the adjustments being made to Russia’s
export sales arrangements, even as its industry
was consolidated. In September 2008, “Russia’s
Military Spending Jumping – But Can Its Industry?”
looked at the challenges facing a sector that has lost most of its
engineers, and now faces strong civilian competition for talent." -- Also posted at BLN
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Blueprint
For Truth-Trailer
Must View Trailer - A
quote...."Trailer for the new 2008 Research Edition of Blueprint for
Truth. DVD available at http://www.ae911truth.org
-- For more on this issue see....9/11
- WTC7 & 9/11
& It's Fallout - Videos
War
or Peace? -- The World After the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election:
A quote...." October 27, 2008 "Information
Clearinghouse" World war or world peace is the blunt
choice that will face either Barack Obama or John McCain when one of
them is elected president of the United States on Tuesday, November 4,
2008. -- For a major eruption of violence to be averted, the new
president must deal positively with the reappearance of Russia on the
world stage, the emergence of China as an economic force, and the
aspirations of all the nations on earth for a decent and secure way of
life. -- Making matters much more dangerous are the ongoing financial
crisis, along with what appears to be the start of a worldwide economic
recession of as yet undetermined depth and duration."
Populism
Arising—but Will It Be the Killer Kind?
A quote...."The old assumptions and paradigms about capitalism and free
markets are dead. A new, virulent populism, still inchoate, is slowly
and painfully rising to take their place. This populism will determine
the future of the country. It is as likely to be right-wing as
left-wing." -- Also posted at
CommonDreams
Stevens
Convicted on All Counts
A quote...."Long-time Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) was convicted Monday
on all seven charges of providing false statements on financial
disclosure forms. The seven-term senator was charged with accepting
$250,000 worth of gifts — including extensive renovations on his home —
from a friendly oil executive. Stevens had argued that he was unaware
that he hadn’t paid for the gifts — an argument a federal jury soundly
rejected Monday."
TV
Anchor in Arkansas Dies of Beating Wounds
A quote...."LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A local television anchorwoman found
savagely beaten in her home last week died of her wounds on Saturday
night. - The death of the anchor, Anne Pressly, was announced by her
parents through St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Follow
the M3 money to hell
Must Read - A
quote...."Let me not keep you in the dark. As Wikipedia states, our
money supply has three large components. M1 is physical currency
circulating in the economy plus demand deposits (checking accounts).
This measure is used by economists to try and quantify the amount of
money in circulation. M1 is the most liquid measure of money supply
since it only contains cash and assets quickly usable for conversion to
currency. Hang in." -- Also posted at
InfoWars
Forecast:
2 Years of Deflation, Followed by Raging Inflation & Inflation,
Deflation or New Nation?
Must Read - A quote from
the first article...."I'm calling 1 1/2 to 2 years of deflation,
followed by raging inflation.
Richard Berner of Morgan Stanley, said: “A global recession is now
under way, and risks are still pointed to the downside for commodity
prices and earnings.”
Nouriel Roubini writes: "There is a glut and excess capacity of goods
while aggregate demand is falling soon enough we will start to worry
about deflation, debt deflation, liquidity traps . . . ."
And an oxford professor of economics and expert on U.S. inflation
thinks deflation is probably on the way.
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
The
world according to derivatives, part 4 of 7: History repeats as the
off-balance sheet money supply explodes, then contracts -- A
quote...."As current events make crystal clear, derivatives -- whose
main purpose is to hedge risk for specified parties -- not only
undermine a nation’s real economy but they also undermine global
financial stability. Why? Because they help create many times more
“substitute” money through the opaque international derivatives
markets, rather than the central banking system which is at least
governed by more transparent and definable rules." -- For more on this issue see....$1.3
Quadrillion and Counting - 09-18-08 - mpg
Where
Did the Wealth Go?
A quote...."How bad is this one? Very bad. Not very long ago, there was
a mountain of stock market wealth. That mountain has collapsed to
almost half its size in the U.S. In Japan, the already low Nikkei Index
has fallen to a 26-year low near 7,000. It once was 40,000. This is a
decline of 82.5%. If the Dow-Jones Industrial Average declines this
much, it will reach 2,450. No stock market has been spared. The Chinese
stock market in Shanghai is down to 1,700 from 6,000 in one year, a
drop of 72%. The collapses came in stages, with pauses before and after
each stage. It has been like a three-act play. It is becoming a
five-act play."
The
velocity of worthless money
A quote...."I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Federal Reserve
chairman Ben Bernanke refusing to discuss the size of a proposed fiscal
stimulus in the form of the government again sending out money to
taxpayers, which he had just recommended that the US Congress do! He
thinks it is a good idea to send out the money, and such a thing would
have a whopping huge impact on his whole economic theory encompassing
the standard economic theory of idiotic neo-Keynesian, econometric,
deficit-spending crapola and outright socialism."
Unapologetic
economic stupidity
A quote...."Mr Pento is careful to not to say he agrees with me or even
acknowledges my existence, but does say, "Keep in mind that this
historically low yield exists at the same time consumer price inflation
has increased by 5.4% over the last 12 months. Why are real yields
negative while debt levels are soaring and the monetary base is growing
at a 114% annual rate (you read that correctly - 114% annualized in
recent weeks)?" -- I think that Mr Pento is actually being too
conservative in relying on "official" government statistics of consumer
price inflation, and DeepCaster.com seems to say the same thing when
they interject that "Real US Consumer Price Inflation is running at
around 13% annually, Real US Unemployment at about 14.5% annually, and
Real US GDP is at a negative 2%, while real M3 (monetary creation) is
running at 14% annually according to the quite credible calculations of
shadowstats.com."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
How
low are P/E ratios? Commentary: Valuations are low only if you have
short memory
Technical Market Note - A
quote...."Any analysis of stock market valuation has to carefully
choose which definition of earnings to use when calculating P/E ratios.
One can focus on operating earnings, as-reported earnings, and core
earnings, for example. And then one can focus on these earnings over
the trailing year, or as analysts are forecasting for the coming 12
months. -- To be comparable with Shiller's database, I focused on
as-reported earnings per share over the trailing 12 months. On this
basis, the current PE ratio for the S&P 500 index is 18.1.
Only 21% of the months since 1871 have had higher PE ratios than this,
it turns out."
Foreclosure
crisis vexes government - Not
really, they're just worried about the rich Banksters. - mpg
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) -- Each day from July through September,
more than 2,700 Americans lost their homes in foreclosure. -- That
number, up from 1,200 a day a year ago, is a sign that the mortgage
industry and government programs have done little to help troubled
homeowners."
California
Foreclosures Soar By 228%
Special Note - A
quote...."Home foreclosures in
California soared 228 percent in the past three months from a year ago,
a real estate tracking firm said Thursday. - A total of 79,511 homes
were lost in the quarter ending Sept. 30, compared to 24,209 in the
same period last year, MDA DataQuick said. - The third quarter saw the
largest number of foreclosures since the company started tracking the
figures in 1988." - bold by website editor
Broken
Securities Industry Still Has $20 Billion to Pay Bonuses
Special Note - A
quote...."Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Five straight quarters of losses and a
70 percent slide in its stock this year haven't stopped Merrill Lynch
& Co. from allocating about $6.7 billion to pay bonuses."
One
nation under debt
Video - A quote...."In
part two of our interview with Danny Schechter, Danny provides
up-to-date information about the housing crisis in the US. With 21
million families now finding their homes worth less than their
remaining mortgage payments, the banks are being forced to readjust the
loans in order to keep people in their homes. Danny also outlines some
of the grassroots work that is being done in order to stem the tide of
evictions."
Europe
on the brink of currency crisis meltdown
Financial Warning - A
quote...."The financial crisis spreading like wildfire across the
former Soviet bloc threatens to set off a second and more dangerous
banking crisis in Western Europe, tipping the whole Continent into a
fully-fledged economic slump."
More
banks turn to Treasury
Financial Warning - A
quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More U.S. banks lined up for
government cash on Monday and the Group of Seven expressed concern that
Japan's soaring yen currency posed a threat to financial and economic
stability as recession worries spread worldwide."
Central
Banks Slashing Rates As Investors Flee
A quote...."Central banks around the world are moving to further slash
interest rates as they seek to contain the damage from the bursting of
the biggest credit bubble in history. -- The Federal Reserve is poised
to cut its benchmark rate for the second time in two weeks at a pivotal
meeting in Washington on Wednesday, and the European Central Bank
yesterday suggested that it would do the same next week."
IMF
may need to "print money" as crisis spreads
A quote...."The International Monetary Fund may soon lack the money to
bail out an ever growing list of countries crumbling across Eastern
Europe, Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia, raising concerns that
it will have to tap taxpayers in Western countries for a capital
infusion or resort to the nuclear option of printing its own money."
Many
Aussies Unable To Withdraw Cash
Special Note - A
quote...."PRESSURE on the Federal Government over its bank deposit
guarantee has escalated after three big financial institutions hit with
a spate of withdrawals by customers last night froze their accounts. --
Tens of thousands of Australians, many of them retirees, are now unable
to get immediate access to their capital after AXA Asia Pacific,
Perpetual Investment Management and Australian Unity suspended
withdrawals from some funds."
Britain
may need 0% interest rate to avoid a depression, leading economist warns
A quote...."Interest rates may have to be slashed to zero as Britain
battles to avoid a full-blown depression, one of the country's leading
economists warns today. -- The extraordinary claim from Charles
Goodhart, a founding member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy
Committee, came as Gordon Brown signalled that he wants to see further,
aggressive cuts in the cost of borrowing."
Russian
Central Bank to prevent wild swings in ruble - Shuvalov
A quote...."MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Central Bank
will not allow sharp fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate, First
Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Saturday."
NEW
FAS-FAX OUT: Most Major Papers Continue Circ Decline
A quote...."NEW YORK For those holding out for some improvement in
print circulation, this morning brings disappointment. The Audit Bureau
of Circulations released the latest figures for the six- month period
ending September 2008 and the report shows major drops in circulation
at the big metros." -- Also posted at
RogueGov
Sunday October 26th 2008
No posts. - mpg
Saturday October 25th 2008
Waiting for
the Curtain to Rise
Must Read - A
quote...."So what happened to the Bush/Cheney pre-election attack on
Iran? It’s like everything else. You think you have months. You put it
on one side, in the “things to be done tomorrow” pile. Suddenly it’s a
matter of weeks, then days. Then the moment just slips away. The father
of one of my neighbors here in Petrolia had been a captain in the
Wehrmacht and fought at Stalingrad. He’s dead now but a few years ago
my brother Andrew once asked him, “Captain, what happened at
Stalingrad?” “Vell, Andrew, the Fuehrer wanted to avoid casualties. Und
then the equipment was running out. A tank here, a tank there. Und
then..then it was too late!” -- I guess Bush and Cheney are too busy
working on the pardons to have time for anything else like an attack on
Iran. . But don’t fret. Joe Biden hints that he and Obama are working
on it, though they may declare war on Russia first. Or Venezuela. So
much to do in those first 100 days. An empire in October will still be
an Empire next January. We’ll have continuity." -- For more on this issue see....The
Iran Game - All Over Again - 05-27-08 - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
When Will They Stop Pretending?
102508
mpg
Abu
Nidal, notorious Palestinian mercenary, 'was a US spy'
Must Read - A
quote...."October 25, 2008 "The Independent" -- Iraqi secret police
believed that the notorious Palestinian assassin Abu Nidal was working
for the Americans as well as Egypt and Kuwait when they interrogated
him in Baghdad only months before the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq.
Hitherto secret documents which are now in the hands of The Independent
– written by Saddam Hussein's brutal security services for Saddam's
eyes only – state that he had been "colluding" with the Americans and,
with the help of the Egyptians and Kuwaitis, was trying to find
evidence linking Saddam and al-Qa'ida." -- Also posted at ICH
Say it ain't so Nidal. Isn't it
embarrassing that both the so-called "left-wing" and "right-wing" in
this country refuse to acknowledge the Bush Family's twenty year
relationship with the Saudi Royals, or the CIA's connections to the
Mossad, Pakistan’s ISI and Saudi Intelligence, or refuse to talk about
how it was the bin-Laden family, with massive CIA and Saudi financial
support, that built the caves at Tora-bora, or to acknowledge who
really gave the order to fly over 180 members of the Saudi and
bin-Laden families out of the US just days after 9/11, or the
US's ongoing or prior support for the Taliban, al Qaeda, PKK, MEK,
Baluchistan separatists, Kurdistan separatists, Iranian separatists,
Jihaddists, Mujahedeen, Wahhabists, Salfists, the SCIRI death squads,
the Sunni guerilla groups, the Pakistan tribal groups or other assorted
"freedom fighters", "bad boys", "militias" and "friends" throughout the
Middle East.
But it's all "just an
accident" that these "terror" bombings and attacks are used to justify
policies that "somehow" wind up with the US controlling (or attempting
to control) the entire Middle East's oil supply while at the SAME TIME
(don't you just love coincidences) strengthening the geo-strategic
position of the US, Saudi Royals and the Israelis?
When are the Neo-Romans and the
so-called "Liberals" along with the mass-media in this country going to
grow up? This pretense is childish and boring. Why don't they
just acknowledge they either helped set-up 9/11 or helped to cover-up
who did? Why don’t they just say they're proud of what they've
done, that they made hundreds of billions of dollars during the last
eight years....and move on.
After all, it isn't like
anybody in this country is is going to do anything about it. -
mpg -- For more on this issue see....US
Support of Terror
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
What
“incredibly tough” foreign policy actions is Obama preparing?
Must Read - False Flag Warning -
Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning -- A quote..."In remarks made over
the weekend in Seattle, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph
Biden warned that Barack Obama, if elected president, would be
compelled to take deeply unpopular actions in both domestic and foreign
policy within months of taking office." -- For more on why they're
doing this see....Effective
Fed Funds Rate 03-24-07 - mpg &
The
True Axis of Evil - 10-10-08 - mpg -- See articles shown
below...
Biden
“Predicted” 9/11 Attack On September 10, 2001
False Flag Warning - Gulf of
Tonkin Redux Warning -
(Number Two!) -- A quote...."Joe Biden the
seemingly clairvoyant senator from Delaware, and vice presidential
nominee was out making predictions, again. The last time Joe was using
his crystal ball was on September 10, 2001, one day prior to the 9/11
attacks." --
posted 10-23-08
Colin
Powell Warns Of Coming Crisis "We Don't Even Know About Right Now"
False Flag Warning -
Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning -- A
quote...."Colin Powell has made bizarre comments that echo the recent
declaration by Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden that there will be an
"international crisis" early into Barack Obama's presidency that will
test the new president by forcing him to make unpopular decisions." --
posted 10-22-08
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
HORROR
is the only word to describe these last eight years and we must never
minimize or repress this truth.
A quote...."(1.) 9/11 is the capstone of Bush/Republican
treason. The evidence is now overwhelming that far from coming
from Bush/Republican ineptitude, it was the DIRECT RESULT of Bush
engineering (almost certainly with the help of, let's just say, certain
Middle Eastern friends).
To be point blank about 9/11 means answering two simple questions:
(a.) What political party MASSIVELY "benefited" from 9/11?
Duh - True! But the other party let
them. - mpg
(b.) What Middle Eastern country MASSIVELY "benefited" from
9/11? Duh. - True also, but
the mass-media doesn't talk about them. - mpg
Brigade
homeland tours start Oct. 1
Special Note - A
quote...."3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT trains for a new dwell-time mission.
Helping ‘people at home’ may become a permanent part of the active
Army." -- Isn't that just
great! The US Army, in direct violation of the Posse
Comitatus Act is now going to "help" America just like they "helped" Iraq....think about it folks!
-
mpg
Lou Dobbs:
Major Public Concerns Of Martial Law In The U.S. & Army Denies
- (YuTb - 8m 19s - 10/25/08)
Special Note - Video Compilation
- Related Videos - A quote...."This aired on Lou Dobbs Friday, Oct 24th
2008. There has been so much legislation passed since 9/11 to get
complete control over the U.S. Anyone can google the references in this
video and find the truth for themselves. We have been under Martial Law
incrementally since 9/11.
Rep.
Sherman Feels Heat For Reporting On Threat Of Martial Law
Special Note - A
quote...."Congressman Brad Sherman said on the floor of the House that
a few Congress members had been told there would be martial law in
America if they did not pass Paulson's Plunder. -- Sherman has not
retracted that statement. He has not suggested that the Congress
members who had told him that didn't really tell him that, or weren't
honest, or didn't take it seriously, or that it didn't influence their
votes. But he has put out a statement to the media, clearly at the
instruction of the leaders of his party, attempting to backpedal.
Here's his new statement which begins by quoting his floor comments:"
-- All those who tell the truth must
be punished, it's the New Roman Empire way. - mpg
Deal
on American presence in Iraq close to collapse
A quote...."Senior Iraqi politicians have warned that a crucial deal
between Baghdad and Washington governing the presence of American
troops in the country is doomed to failure after eight months of talks."
Iraqi
VP’s Party Severs US Ties Over Killing
A quote...."Hundreds of local residents took to the streets chanting
slogans against US forces while Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi’s Iraqi
Islamic Party announced that it was suspending all official contact
with US civilian and military personnel after a Friday morning raid by
Iraqi and Coalition forces in Fallujah."
How Can
I Miss You When You Won't Go Away? - Iraq and the Arrogance of
Washington
A quote...."I should be used to it by now, but I'm not. When I
read statements from US policymakers telling the world that Iraq is
still not capable of defending itself without US help, I am still
angered and amazed at the bold-faced arrogance. Most recently,
several US political leaders and generals have told the Iraqi and
American people that only they know when it is time for US troops to
leave Iraq. Furthermore, while Iraqis from virtually every
segment of that nation's political sphere demand changes in the
US-imposed agreement to keep US forces there, Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice vocalizes Washington's response: we decide what we want
to do in Iraq and we decide how long we will stay, so take it or leave
it. If you leave it, then we will find another way to stay, and
if we do, we will make your lives more miserable than we already have.
Guantanamo
tribunals overseer under investigation
A quote...."Reporting from Washington — A Pentagon official overseeing
the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals is the subject of two
investigations into his conduct, including one wide-ranging ethics
examination into whether he abused his power and improperly influenced
the prosecutions of enemy combatants." -- For more on this issue see....The
Convenient Silence of Guantanamo Bay - 05-31-08
Taliban say
NATO troops must leave to end Afghan war
A quote...."KABUL, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Taliban militants on Saturday
vowed to continue fighting in Afghanistan and ruled out peace talks
with President Hamid Karzai's Western-backed government as long as
foreign troops remained in the country."
Briton
among two killed in Kabul as security deteriorates
Some quotes..."Two men, one of them British, were shot dead in the
centre of Kabul yesterday amid rising tension caused by a series of
attacks including the assassination of a British charity worker. " --
"The Taliban denied any involvement, but that would not rule out
involvement by another antiwestern group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar,
who claimed responsibility for the deaths of 10 French soldiers killed
south of the capital in August." -- Special Note - By the way, take a
guess which guerrilla leader received the biggest portion of US aid
given to Afghanistan during the US's proxy war with the Soviet
Union....that's right folks, it
was Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar.
When is this country going to learn? When? Why is it that people in this country keep
pretending? - mpg
What
we really need! A response to anti-boycott arguments
A quote...."Pragmatically speaking, the BDS process has proved over the
past few years that it is among the most effective forms of civil,
nonviolent Palestinian resistance to Israeli colonial and apartheid
regime. The sheer breadth and depth of support this call has garnered
among major trade unions, academic associations, church groups, and
other grassroots organizations in South Africa, the United Kingdom,
Ireland, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and even the United States, among
others, attest to the efficacy and enormous potential of this campaign
in resisting Israeli injustice."
The
pauperization of Palestine
A quote...."The inglorious end of Ehud Olmert's term as Israeli Prime
Minister will likely result in a continuation of peace talks with the
Palestinian Authority under the new leader, Tzipi Livni. She will have
a difficult time. The illegal settlement movement supported by every
Israeli administration to date has burgeoned out of control and its
right-wing leaders are vehemently opposed to negotiating land for
peace. More than likely, we will see Livni use the same stalling
tactics that have up until now allowed land grabs from the Palestinians
for the Zionist dream of a greater Israel."
Israel refuses to
allow 120 health professionals into Gaza
A quote...."In a statement to the press, the medical professionals, who
hail from the U.S., Canada, Holland, Italy and the UK, stated that
Israel was engaging in “a deliberate attempt to stop professional
communication and exchange between the international medical community
and Gaza medical professionals.”
Lord Mandelson
under pressure to reveal details of meetings with Oleg Deripaska
A quote...."Lord Mandelson is under pressure to reveal details of
meetings with Oleg Deripaska Photo: Keystone Despite initially playing
down the closeness of their relationship, it has now emerged that the
former European Trade Commissioner has met Oleg Deripaska on at least
five separate occasions. -- He stayed on the billionaire's luxury yacht
in Corfu in August and was repeatedly seen at lunches, dinners and
other functions with Mr Deripaska."
The
Grand Merger!
A quote...."October 25, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse"Not every
wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime.” Michael
Mukasey, US Attorney General saying former justice Department staffers
won’t be criminally prosecuted for politicizing hiring practices."
Russia
Conducts Largest War Games Since Soviet Union's End
A quote...."AS THEY tracked Russian military manoeuvres last week, the
US government's Kremlin-watchers might have been forgiven for wondering
if they were seeing recycled newsreels. -- A huge exercise, Stability
2008, spread tens of thousands of troops, thousands of vehicles and
scores of combat aircraft across nearly all 11 time zones of Russian
territory in the largest war game since the collapse of the Soviet
Union."
Prosecutors
widen Chicago police torture probe - Oh, the games people play. - mpg
A quote...."CHICAGO (AP) — The investigation of decades-old claims that
Chicago police tortured suspects with beatings, electric shocks and
games of Russian roulette won't stop with last week's federal
indictment of a controversial homicide commander."
Amid
Claims of Police Abuse, Details of Injuries
More "Tales From the New Roman
Empire" -- The NRE is one
sick country. - mpg -- A quote...."As a 24-year-old man who has
accused the police of sodomizing him at a subway station in Brooklyn
spent another day in the hospital on Saturday, a law enforcement
official provided a fuller picture of the injuries the man sustained
during the altercation."
‘John
McCain Was Never Tortured in My Jail’, says Tran Trong Duyet
A quote...."On one bank of the Truc Bach lake a small electricity
sub-station is plastered with flyers touting a local plumber. Along the
road is an aerobics studio where youngsters lazily sip coffee and
browse the papers. Thirty yards out across the water - rancid and
bobbing with dead fish - is moored a handful of pedal boats shaped like
swans."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Media
and bailout failure
Video - A quote...."Danny
Schechter: The effects of the financial meltdown are spreading as the
bailout fails to work."
Hedge
Fund Manager: Goodbye and F---- You - More Lahde - A guy who tells it like it is....quite
refreshing. - mpg
A quote...."Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly
everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am
I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in
previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding.
Instead, I am writing to say goodbye."
Down
For The Count - "The whole system is contracting"
A quote...."October 25, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- -There are
signs that the credit crunch is easing. Interbank lending in dollars
has fallen for a ninth straight day. The various indicators of stress
in the market--Libor, the TED spread, and the Libor-OIS spread--are all
gradually returning to normal, but the damage to the broader economy
has been substantial. Major corporations have had to stretch their
credit lines just to get the money they need to cover routine operating
expenses and a lot of retailers have not been able to get funding for
their inventories for the holiday season, so they'll either have to
hire fewer workers or simply shut their doors for Christmas. Also,
corporate defaults have increased as businesses have been unable to
turn over their short-term debt. According to Fitch Ratings, the
"crisis will cut growth in credit this year by 50 percent as financial
firms reduce leverage, investors' appetite for risk declines, and the
worldwide economy slows." When credit is less available, there's less
business activity and the economy slows. Unemployment goes up and
quarterly earnings go down. It's a vicious circle that starts with
speculation and ends in panic. The financial system has to reestablish
its equilibrium by purging the excessive credit that developed through
low interest rates and lax lending standards. Financial institutions
everywhere are in the process of deleveraging which is putting downward
pressure on the main stock indexes and creating turmoil in the currency
markets. " -- Also posted at CounterPunch
Meet
the World's New Reserve Currency: - The Chinese Yuan
A quote...."October 25, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" --
Things are getting worse. On Friday morning, futures trading was halted
for the first time ever after futures plunged more than 5 percent. The
sell-off came after another 500-plus down day on the Dow followed by
steep declines in equities markets across Europe and Asia. Japan's
benchmark index, the Nikkei, slipped more than 9.5 percent after Toyota
and Samsung reported disappointing earnings. The news was equally bad
in Europe where shares were battered across the continent on fears of a
global recession. Since September, $16 trillion has been erased from
global stock market value. Losses in the US--where the financial
turmoil originated--have been much smaller than other, more vulnerable
markets. The Dow is down less than 40 percent from its peak of 14,000,
whereas Hong Kong, Poland and China have all tumbled more than 60
percent. Its a bloodbath."
A Ramble
'Round Old Birmingham
A quote...."This "missing chapter" is excerpted from an early draft of
Professor Selgin's new book, Good Money, the true and remarkable story
of private coinage and banking in Britain in the early years of the
Industrial Revolution (1775–1850). Making money was a business in
demand. The needs of business for small denominations were changing.
Merchants needed small-denomination coins in copper and silver. -- The
Royal Mint couldn't be bothered. It made coins to serve the elites, not
the new and burgeoning working class. Free enterprise stepped in with a
new industry that truly saved the day – before the Crown cruelly
stamped it out and ended one of the most beautiful experiences with
private money in world history."
The
not-so-invisible hand: How the plunge protection team killed the free
market
A quote...."Traders prepared for the worst, but remarkably, disaster
was averted. The U.S. market fell only 3.5%, just another
"ordinary" bearish day. Why the more modest drop in the
U.S., where the financial debacle originated and should have hit
hardest? Suspicious observers saw the covert hand of the Plunge
Protection Team (PPT), the group set up under President Reagan to
maintain market "stability" by manipulating markets behind the scenes. "
The
Standard of Living Bubble (And Why It’s About to Go Pop!)
A quote...."Our representatives in Washington, alongside the
easy-credit Federal Reserve and its Wise Leader, “Helicopter Ben,” have
essentially subsidized a rash of misguided investments and profligate
spending-sprees by consumers who’ve bought into the illusion of endless
prosperity. Everyone knows about the Housing Bubble. Well, get ready
for the even bigger Standard of Living Bubble, whose bursting is now
upon us."
So
When Will Banks Give Loans?
A quote...."Chase recently received $25 billion in federal funding.
What effect will that have on the business side and will it change our
strategic lending policy?”
Senator
Warns of Revolution
A quote...."Senators don't normally use the word "Revolution". - As a
central part of the government, Senators do not normally wish to stir
up any images of major challenges to power or of guillotines. - So it
is dramatic that Senator Dodd mentioned the "R" word with a New York
Times reporter:"
Even
the New York Times Calls Paulson a Liar
A quote...."First [Paulson’s Department of Treasury] says it has to
have $700 billion to buy back toxic mortgage-backed securities. Then,
as Mr. Paulson divulged to The Times this week, it turns out that even
before the bill passed the House, he told his staff to start drawing up
a plan for capital injections. Fearing Congress’s reaction, he didn’t
tell the Hill about his change of heart." -- *NYT*
Georgia's
Alpha Bank & Trust Seized as U.S. Closings Rise to 16 - About fifteen hundred more to go. -
mpg
A quote...."Alpha, with $354 million in assets, was shut by the Georgia
Department of Banking and Finance, and the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corp. sold the deposits to Stearns Bank N.A., of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Alpha's two offices north of Atlanta will open on Oct. 27 as branches
of Stearns Bank, the FDIC said yesterday." -- Also posted at BLN
Credit
Crisis Spreads Worldwide as Stocks Crumble
A quote...."The Bush/Cheney/McCain administration has now infected the
world with its greed and credit virus and despite the attempt at
international cooperation ~ the short list of countries facing
near-term collapses in credit markets is growing. Look for the Dow to
retreat much further ~ for the full extent of this crisis will not be
known until after election day."
$16.3
trillion in stock value lost since Sept. 1
A quote...."Pessimism about the global economy deepened yesterday as
fresh evidence of a worldwide slowdown showed up in feeble corporate
profit reports from Asia, sinking commodities prices, and a scramble by
emerging economies to prop up their sagging currencies and avert credit
defaults."
U.S.
has plundered world wealth with dollar: China paper
A quote...."BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has plundered global
wealth by exploiting the dollar's dominance, and the world urgently
needs other currencies to take its place, a leading Chinese state
newspaper said on Friday."
Europe,
Asia pledge major reform of global financial system
A quote...."BEIJING : European and Asian leaders pledged at a summit
here Friday to comprehensively and quickly reform the global financial
system, as they vowed united action in tackling the unprecedented
economic challenges. "
Ukraine
set for $16.5bn IMF loan
A quote...."The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to offer a $16.5bn
(£10.4bn) loan to Ukraine to help it "maintain confidence and
economic and financial stability".
Alan
Shrugged
A quote...."Washington Dispatch: In a historic moment, former Fed chair
Alan Greenspan acknowledged he had been wrong for years to assume that
government regulation was bad for markets. Whoops—there goes decades of
Ayn Rand down the drain."
Friday October 24th 2008
The
Rules Are Set in Stone For the Rabble
A quote...."October 22, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- I am
struggling lately with finding meaningful and rational events to
provide a basis for sanity. -- The world events that are currently
happening are surreal in themselves but what I really struggle with is
people's reaction to them. It appears like most everyone is hypnotized
to not see the predator terror birds currently in our living rooms.
It's business as usual as the birds wreak havoc and pick off choice
morsels [victims] with impunity."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
NPR:
Who Controls the Voting Machines?
A quote...."Today, National Public Radio released a
nine-part video
interview of William T. Biamonte, Democratic Commissioner of Elections
from Nassau County, New York on its Science Friday program.
Biamonte
details the problems with transitioning from machines that allowed for
complete control by election officials to those completely controlled
by private for-profit corporations with no accountability to the
public. He discusses the constitutionality of laws and court
rulings
that require the use of machines that cannot be certified as accurate
and reliable, and includes a cost analysis for taxpayers."
Florida's
GOP Lawmakers Blamed For Early-Voting Lines
A quote...."Saying early voting cost too much money with rules that
weren't uniform, Republican legislators led a charge three years ago to
set new statewide standards limiting the number of polling sites and
their hours of operation. - Those revamped rules trimmed early voting
from 12 hours per workday to eight.
GOP
Sees Chances of Stealing Election Slipping Away
Must Read - (
For the satire)
-- A quote...."WASHINGTON – (PTSD News) – As polls indicate that
Senator Barack Obama is slowly pulling away from rival John McCain,
Republican leaders are concerned they will not be able to steal the
election. "We project that we can overcome up to seven points of an
actual Obama lead with the strategy we have in place," said Winthrop
Downing of the Republican National Committee. -- Downing told the Post
Times Sun Dispatch that this strategy, named Operation American
Freedom, which was used successfully in 2000 in Florida and in 2004 in
Ohio, uses shock and awe to disorient the opponent. "While black box
tampering, challenging student, black and recently foreclosed voters,
generic voter intimidation and voter roll purges have proven successful
in the past," Downing said, "we may not be able to prevail if Obama
gets more than 54 percent of the vote."
KBR gets military projects worth $197 million 24
Oct 2008 Engineering, construction and services company KBR Inc. said
late Thursday it received multiple project task orders from the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers totaling just over $197 million. KBR will
provide design, engineering, construction management and project
management services. Work is expected to begin immediately. [See: KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Contingency Support for Emergency Support Services 24 Jan 2006 (halliburton.com) The
contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing
temporary detention and processing
capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal
Operations (DRO) Program facilities... to support the rapid
development of new programs.] -- Paragraph
quoted from CLG
Police
fear riots if Barack Obama loses US election - Yeah, people get rather excited when their
votes are stolen.
Guess that's what the KBR
detention camps are for.
- mpg -- A quote...."US police fear riots could break out if John
McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, wins the election next
month. " -- Article posted at
BLN
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Maliki
Won’t Submit US Security Deal to Parliament
A quote...."With political and popular support drying up and the Iraqi
Council of Ministers unanimously demanding several amendments, the last
draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the US
seems all but dead as top Dawa party members say Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki will not submit the deal to parliament. The latest draft was
reportedly finished last week, and at the time was said to be the final
one."
Al-Maliki
Will Not Sign Security Agreement
A quote...."McClatchy reports that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has
reneged on the security agreement that his office negotiated with the
Bush administration, and now says he will not sign it and will not
submit it to parliament. Instead, it is likely that Iraq will go back
to the United Nations Security Council for a further mandate of six
months to a year for the multi-national forces."
French
Anti-Tank Missiles Abandoned in Taliban Clash
A quote...."A French unit was surrounded last weekend in Kapisa
Province Afghanistan and had to withdraw from the field, leaving behind
two anti-tank Milan missiles and a launcher. Journalists say no French
soldiers were hurt in the clash, but “all 14 Taliban insurgents were
killed.”
An
Indonesian example for the US
A quote...."Indonesia rose phoenix-like from 30 years of Suharto's
dictatorship and has resolved major social conflicts, showing that
democracy and Islam are not incongruous. As the United States
presidential election nears, Indonesia is too important to remain so
unknown to so many Americans."
Mass
kidnapping as wave of attacks hits southern Russia
A quote...."NAZRAN, Russia (AFP) – More than 10 people have been
kidnapped in Ingushetia province in southern Russia, a local official
said Friday, as guerrilla attacks by rebels in the region intensify."
Guantanamo
trial for Canadian delayed to January
A quote...."A Canadian charged with killing a U.S. soldier in
Afghanistan now faces trial in January after a military judge postponed
the proceeding. - The new date for Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr's
trial is Jan. 26. - This means the trial may never be heard at the U.S.
military base in Cuba because it comes six days after the next U.S.
president takes office. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have pledged
to close the prison."
First
wargames with China in India
A quote...."NEW DELHI: Despite the recent chill in bilateral relations
with Beijing after it tried to derail New Delhi's case for civil
nuclear commerce at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, India is all set to
host Chinese soldiers for the first time on its territory after the
bitter 1962 war." --
Also posted at
BLN
Russia
lines up new anti-missile system to counter U.S. missile shield plans
A quote...."MOSCOW, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Strategic Missile
Forces are being equipped with new anti-ballistic missile systems in
response to U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield in Europe, Interfax
reported Wednesday." --
Also posted
at BLN
We
Do Not Consent - Open Letter To The Media
A quote..."You are receiving this message because you are known to
American progressives as a truth-teller. In this presidential campaign,
despite the typical horse-race coverage, we also see the overall
corporate media narrative influenced by daily debunking efforts from
candidates' rapid response teams, the blogosphere, and the
reality-based coverage and reporting that you provide. We need to
take this to the next level. There are three very simple basic facts
about the way US federal elections are conducted now, and we think they
lead to an inescapable conclusion that must be addressed. See if you
agree:"
Judge
rules for officer who refused Iraq duty Federal court cites double
jeopardy in Watada case
A quote...."If the Army tries to court-martial 1st Lt. Ehren Watada a
second time, it cannot prosecute him for refusing to deploy to Iraq, a
federal judge ruled Tuesday. -- Seeking a conviction on that charge --
the most serious that Watada faced -- would constitute double jeopardy,
U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma decided."
Eastern
European economies face bankruptcy
A quote...."The economies of central and eastern Europe are being
rocked by the crisis of world capitalism, compounded by the corrupt and
pro-big business policies of their local elites. -- Defying many
economists and commentators, who had forecast that the region would be
well placed to deal with the credit crisis due to the lower relative
weight of finance capital within their national economies, much of
Eastern Europe stands on the verge of insolvency and deep and
protracted recession."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Pretenders
all of us
Must Read - (
For the satire)
-- A quote..."I am highly inspired by the testimony provided by Alan
Greenspan, former chairman of the Fed and formerly the most powerful
man in financial markets, to the US House Committee of Government
Oversight and Reform on Thursday. Headlines immediately captured the
essence of the prepared testimony, namely that "the" Alan, as we can
call him in the style of the times, had admitted some shock but hadn't
really fessed up to any major mistake on his own part."
AIG
Has Used Much of Its $123 Billion Bailout Loan -
link posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."The troubled insurance giant American International Group
already has consumed three-quarters of a federal $123 billion rescue
loan, a little more than a month after the government stepped in to
save the company from bankruptcy. -- AIG has borrowed $90.3 billion
from the Federal Reserve's credit line as of yesterday, the bulk of it
to pay off bad bets the company made in guaranteeing other firms' risky
mortgage investments. That's up from roughly $83 billion AIG had
borrowed a week ago, and the $68 billion level it reached a week before
that. The news comes as the company's new chief executive warned
Wednesday that the government's financial lifeline may not be enough to
keep AIG afloat."
Banks
Borrow Record Amount From Fed
A quote...."Banks borrowed in record amounts from the Federal Reserve's
emergency lending facility over the past week, while investment banks
drew loans at a slightly lower - but still brisk - pace, a fresh sign
of the credit stresses bedeviling the country. -- The Fed's report,
released Thursday, showed commercial banks averaged a record $105.8
billion in daily borrowing over the past week. That surpassed the old
record - a daily average of $99.7 billion - from the prior week. On
Wednesday alone, $107.5 billion was drawn, an all-time high."
Paulson
Mulls Buying Stakes In Regional Banks
A quote...."The U.S. Treasury is considering taking stakes in insurers
as well as regional banks in the next round of capital injections to
thaw a freeze-up of the financial system, a person briefed on the plan
said."
Thursday October 23rd 2008
It's
All Caught on Videotape Colin Powell, Not Qualified for Government
Service
Must Read - A
quote...."Barack
Obama would like to bring Colin Powell into his new administration. But
Americans consider Powell only marginally more credible than how the
rest of the world views him, and the rest of the world thinks he lies
like a rug. Powell either wholeheartedly backed the biggest crime thus
far this century, or he secretly opposed it but worked to make it
happen anyway. I'm not sure which is worse, but either disqualifies him
for future office." -- Also posted at
CounterPunch
U.S.
Economic Recovery? A Long Way to Go
Must Read - A
quote...."When will U.S. subprime crisis reach the end? When will the
U.S. economy step out of the crisis? It seems so far no one can give
precise answers. As "bystanders", including Norbert Walter, chief
economist at Deutsche Bank, along with a number of other German experts
and scholars believe that the U.S. economy may not be out of the shadow
of subprime crisis till at least the year 2010. As the real estate
credit will inevitably spread to other financial entities in the
economic field, the current U.S. economic crisis has not yet bottomed
out. I am afraid U.S. economic recovery will probably last 10 years or
even longer."
The
Crisis Will Divide the West
Must Read - A
quote...."We heard two totally different declarations on the future of
capitalism from Bush and Sarkozy. Bush kept repeating the neoliberal
mantra that only the free market is reasonable, and any intervention or
regulation might have a catastrophic impact on the free- market
rationality. These words did not sound very convincing coming from the
man who had just accepted the biggest intervention in the financial
sector in the history of capitalist government. Sarkozy, on the other
hand, clearly stated that once the crisis is over, capitalism should
not be revived by those who destroyed it. In the language of French
politics, it might refer to greedy and unimaginative global
speculators: banks and hedge funds. Sarkozy suggested that global
capitalism should be bridled through global regulations."
America
is self-destructing
& bringing the rest of the world down with it
Must Read - A
quote...."Often referred to as a sub-prime mortgage collapse, this
obfuscates the real reason. By associating tangible useless failed
mortgages, at least something ‘real’ can be blamed for the carnage. The
problem is, this is myth. The magnitude of this fiscal collapse
happened because it was all based on hot air. -- The banking industry
renamed insurance betting guarantees as ‘credit default swaps’ and
risky gambling wagers were called ‘derivatives’. Financial managers and
banking executives were selling the ultimate con to the entire world,
akin to the snake-oil salesmen from the 18th century but this time in
suits and ties. And by October 2009 it was a quadrillion-dollar (that’s
$1,000 trillion) industry that few could understand."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Remember,
remember the Fourth of November -- posted at Online
Journal
Must Read - A
quote...."Empires don’t elect presidents, they select emperors. The
Empire’s Establishment picked up an unknown politician and made of him
a star to save itself and control the masses with the American
Democracy Show. Casting a handsome, charming black man (yes! the
Establishment played the race card. Remember? Everything has to change
so that nothing changes) to cover the ugly face of a bloody, ruthless
Empire, the ruling class plans to rebuild the illusion of a respectable
civilization, the stars and stripes mythology, the American way. The
media -- owned by those who control the political process, the same
people who control the economy and our lives -- played marvelously the
game and another Hollywood movie is brainwashing the four corners of
the planet."
If
Only McCain's Charges Were True Why I'm Not Voting for Obama
Related Article - A quote...."To begin with, there are his stated
policies. He wants to keep at least 50,000 troops in Iraq to "fight
terrorism" indefinitely, and he wants to send those who are withdrawn
from Iraq to fight in Afghanistan. He agrees with John McCain that the
size and budget of the American military must be increased, he
stridently supports Israel's suppression of the Palestinian people, and
he has said "me too" to reasserting American military might in Latin
America, being especially hostile to Venezuelan president Hugo
Chávez. -- Obama would be the first to repudiate the idea that
he is any sort of anti-militarist or anti-imperialist--and we should
take him at his word."
The Song
Remains the Same -- Convergence and Avoidance in the Presidential
Campaign
Related Article - A quote...."The three so-called presidential
debates—really parallel interviews by reporters chosen by the Obama and
McCain campaigns—are over and they are remarkable for two
characteristics—convergence and avoidance."
Regarding the three articles
shown above, see....You
Have a Choice - Democracy or Empire - 07-24-08 - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Hell
of a Success: Iraq After the Surge
A quote...."The Iraq that has emerged from the American invasion and
occupation is now a thoroughly wrecked land, housing a largely
dysfunctional society. More than a million Iraqis may have died;
millions have fled their homes; many millions of others have been
scarred by war, insurgency and counterinsurgency operations, extreme
sectarian violence, and soaring levels of common criminality. Education
and medical systems have essentially collapsed and, even today, with
every kind of violence in decline, Iraq remains one of the most
dangerous societies on earth."
Details of
Iraq pact reveal US debacle
A quote...."WASHINGTON - The final draft of the United States-Iraq
Status of Forces agreement on the US military presence represents an
even more crushing defeat for the policy of the George W Bush
administration than previously thought, the final text reveals. -- The
final draft, dated October 13, not only imposes unambiguous deadlines
for withdrawal of US combat troops by 2011, but makes it extremely
unlikely that a US non-combat presence will be allowed to remain in
Iraq for training and support purposes beyond the 2011 deadline for
withdrawal of all US combat forces. -- Furthermore, Shi'ite opposition
to the pact as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty makes the prospects for
passage of even this agreement by the Iraqi parliament doubtful." -- Also posted at AsiaTimes
& CommonDreams
-- C'mon everybody, Bush will
simply attach some "signing statements" which will state that the US
(NRE) can stay in Iraq forever and kill as many Iraqis whenever, where
ever and however they want to. Bush even said the US's (NRE's)
constitution
was "just a God damn piece of paper". The US (NRE) has also lied to the
UN about Iraq and many other things, ignored the Geneva Conventions
(they were "quaint") refused to be
bound by the ICC, tore-up the ABM treaty and the list goes on and
on.
No agreement signed by this government will ever be honored...period. -
mpg
Dabbagh
Rejects Bush Pressure Tactics on Iraq; Al-Haeri Declares Security
Agreement Illicit; [and other issues]
A Juan Cole Round-Up -- A quote...."Iraqi government spokesman Ali
Dabbagh reacted sharply on Wednesday to comments of US Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen last Tuesday that Iraqis
did not have much time to pass the agreement and might not understand
the full consequences of failure to do so. Dabbagh said, "It is not
correct to force Iraqis into making a choice and it is not appropriate
to talk with the Iraqis in this way."
Tomgram:
Michael Schwartz, Iraq in Hell
A quote...."The Roman historian Tacitus famously put the following
lines in the mouth of a British chieftain opposed to imperial Rome:
"They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their
hunger… they are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition,
if poor… They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretenses,
and all of this they hail as the construction of empire. And when in
their wake nothing remains but a desert, they call that peace."
Sage
Observations - PG's quotes - posted 07-24-07
A quote....
The Second Treatise of Civil
Government 1690 :
"That the aggressor, who puts himself into the state of war with
another, and unjustly invades another man's right, can, by such an
unjust war, never come to have a right over the conquered, will be
easily agreed by all men, who will not think that robbers and pirates
have a right of empire over whomsoever they have force enough to
master, or that men are bound by promises which unlawful force extorts
from them."
"Should a robber break into my house, and, with a dagger at my throat,
make me seal deeds to convey my estate to him, would this give him any
title? Just such a title by his sword has an unjust conqueror who
forces me into submission. The injury and the crime is equal, whether
committed by the wearer of a crown or some petty villain."
"The title of the offender and the number of his followers make no
difference in the offense, unless it be to aggravate it. The only
difference is, great robbers punish little ones to keep them in their
obedience; but the great ones are rewarded with laurels and triumphs,
because they are too big for the weak hands of justice in this world,
and have the power in their own possession which should punish
offenders."
-- *John Locke* -
1632-1704 -
Iran
to UN: Drop Iraq from Chapter VII
Some quotes...."Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for
the exclusion of occupied Iraq from Chapter VII of the UN Charter." --
"Chapter VII of the UN Charter categorizes Iraq as an outlawed country,
placing constraints on its political, military and economic activities
due to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by former Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein."
Hot
air and improbable peace
A quote...."KARACHI - The recent Saudi Arabia initiative to instigate a
peace process with the Taliban-led resistance in Afghanistan was doomed
to failure as the main actors - the Taliban - were not included,
leading them to summarily dismiss any notion of talks. -- Indeed,
Afghan President Hamid Karzai concluded that the only result was to
give the Taliban an unprecedented moral boost, beside tacit legitimacy.
And the Taliban have said they want to wind the clock back to when they
were in power before the United States-led invasion of Afghanistan in
late 2001, and may even be prepared for the first time to continue
fighting throughout the winter."
Stuck
in the Afghanistan Trap
A quote...."Europe is in for a hard time in the Hindu Kush – especially
if Barack Obama is elected President. - One rule that all militaries
try to observe is the one that says whoever goes to war must be
prepared for worst-case scenarios. In Iraq and Afghanistan, that rule
was apparently ignored."
More
recriminations over US/NATO quagmire in Afghanistan
A quote...."An increasing number of politicians, diplomats, military
commanders and media commentators are describing the US-led occupation
of Afghanistan as a failure and warning that American and NATO forces
face defeat at the hands of a strengthening resistance movement led by
the Islamist Taliban movement."
Bipartisanship
and Threats of War Toward Iran
War Alert - A
quote...."Two former Senators -- conservative Democrat Chuck Robb and
conservative Republican Dan Coats (that's what "bipartisan" means) --
have a jointly authored Op-Ed in The Washington Post today decreeing
what the U.S. must do towards Iran. The essence: Iran must
be prevented, using any means necessary, from not only obtaining
nuclear weapons, but also denied even "the ability to quickly assemble
a nuclear weapon," which means "the complete cessation of enrichment
activities inside Iran," even for civilian purposes. " -- Also posted at CommonDreams
Biden
“Predicted” 9/11 Attack On September 10, 2001
False Flag Warning - Gulf of
Tonkin Redux Warning - (Number Two!) -- A quote...."Joe Biden the
seemingly clairvoyant senator from Delaware, and vice presidential
nominee was out making predictions, again. The last time Joe was using
his crystal ball was on September 10, 2001, one day prior to the 9/11
attacks." -- See article shown
below...
Colin
Powell Warns Of Coming Crisis "We Don't Even Know About Right Now"
False Flag Warning -
Gulf of Tonkin Redux Warning -- A
quote...."Colin Powell has made bizarre comments that echo the recent
declaration by Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden that there will be an
"international crisis" early into Barack Obama's presidency that will
test the new president by forcing him to make unpopular decisions." --
posted 10-22-08
For more on the two articles
shown above see....Effective
Fed Funds Rate 03-24-07 - mpg
Top
international military officials meet in Adirondacks
A quote....A quote...."SARANAC LAKE - Powerful generals and admirals
from some of the most powerful nations on Earth are reportedly meeting
somewhere in the local area this weekend after flying into the
Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear on Friday." -- Also posted at WarInIraq
Mystery
surrounds CIA chief Lebanon trip
A quote...."CIA Director Michael Hayden sparks controversy by holding
covert meetings with top Lebanese officials in a secret visit to the
country."
Terrorism
laws can be abused to stifle dissent: UN rights expert
A quote...."Britain's use of anti-terror laws to freeze the assets of
failing Icelandic banks shows how such legislation can be abused for
purposes other than originally intended, according to a UN independent
expert."
Evidence
that the GOP Plans to Steal the Election
A quote...."Police departments across the country are 'beefing up their
ranks' in anticipation of violence, civil unrest or peaceful protests
on election day. Police merely 'gearing up' for unrest is one thing.
But a combat brigade has been withdrawn from Iraq for the stated
objective of dealing with 'civil unrest'. That's something else! It's
against the law."
Protect
This Election
A quote...."Not so long ago, when Karl Rove was still dreaming of a
permanent Republican majority based on his "50 percent plus one" model
for fighting and winning elections, 2008 was shaping up as possibly the
dirtiest election season yet."
The
children of Gaza: Weaned on fear and trauma
A quote...."The summer of 2007 was a start of a mayhem for the poor
Bedouin family of Sahar. Sahar Owaidat, 6, remains in state of shock or
perhaps is exhibiting symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder ever
since Israeli soldiers stormed her home and brutally beat her father
and siblings while she and the rest of the family members helplessly
observed. -- In all cultures, the father of the family represents
safety and security to the family. The Israeli soldiers routinely rob
Palestinian fathers of their role."
ECONOMY:
World Bank Assails Israeli Chokehold on West Bank
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (IPS) - The West Bank's economy
continues to gasp for air despite increased international aid mainly
because Israel keeps the Palestinian territory in a stranglehold, says
the World Bank."
ASEAN
to create USD 80b fund
A quote...."ASEAN Plus Three” agree in Beijing to speed up multilateral
cooperation to create USD 80b fund to avert regional financial
crisis. Leaders of South Korea, China, Japan and the 10 members
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the end of the
informal breakfast meeting urged coordination in policy making and
strengthening regional cooperation to avert global financial crisis,
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's spokesman said in a statement."
Five
years on, the EU and Cuba formally restore ties
A quote...."The European Union and Cuba have formally restored ties
five years after the EU imposed diplomatic sanctions on the island
following mass arrests of dissidents."
COLOMBIA:
Uribe Agrees to Talks with Indigenous Protesters
A quote...."BOGOTA, Oct 23 (IPS) - "The police did fire" on indigenous
protesters, said Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who yielded
to pressure to meet next Sunday with the leaders of a two-week-long
demonstration by native groups."
Chinese
money for global economy: Take it or leave it
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Alexei Yefimov) - China is
a true "island of stability" amid the raging financial crisis. Given
its huge international reserves, assessed at $1.9 trillion, it can
maintain its own stability, but it can also help developed countries
overcome the crisis."
Azerbaijan
diverts EU oil, gas to Russia and Iran after Georgian crisis
A quote...."Azerbaijan is planning to divert its oil and natural gas
export routes to Europe with increasing shipments to Russia and Iran, a
move possible to raise concerns in the West. -- In early August when
clashes erupted between Georgia and Russia, Azerbaijan has responded by
reducing its reliance on trans-Caucasus oil pipelines, increasing
shipments to Russia and starting to sell crude to Iran."
Soyuz
capsule safely lands in Kazakhstan
A quote...."MISSION CONTROL CENTER (Moscow Region), October 24 (RIA
Novosti) - A Soyuz-TMA-12 space capsule carrying two Russian cosmonauts
and an American space tourist landed in north-central Kazakhstan at
9.37 a.m. (03:37 GMT) on Friday."
Superjet-100
passes test with flying colours
A quote...."Preliminary tests have been passed by a new generation of a
Russian passenger plane, the Sukhoi Superjet-100. The aviation project,
costing around $US 1.4 billion, is to help overhaul Russia's ageing
passenger aircraft fleet."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Any Pay
Cuts on Wall Street Yet?
A quote..."Congress assured us that there would be no more big
paychecks for incompetent Wall Street bankers when they passed their
bailout bill. They told us that the tough pay provisions would put an
end to the multi-million dollar payouts to these folks. - Last week,
Secretary Paulson mailed $150 billion in checks to the big banks. From
that point forward, the CEOs and all the other top executives of these
banks are now our dependents. They are living off the tax dollars of
school teachers in Iowa, truck drivers in Montana, and even Joe the
Plumber. - It is difficult to understand why we should be taxing people
who make $40,000 a year to boost the paychecks of bankers who make more
than $1 million a year and in many cases more than $10 million a year."
We
Are Giving Them Our Real Money to Make Up for Losses of Pseudo Money
that Never Really Existed
A quote...."In response to an essay about the government bailouts, I
received the following comment:"
US
government throws oil on fire
A quote...."The US government, by continuing to misdiagnose the credit
crisis, perhaps even purposely, has become part of the problem thanks
to flawed responses backed by the people's money. On top of a trickle
down of prosperity during the boom phase of the bubble in which wealth
stayed mostly at the top, there will be a pouring down of the hot oil
of loss on taxpayers."
Bush Treasury
Dept. Redacts More Bailout Contracts - posted at the SmirkingChimp
What are the Bush Boys hiding?
What the American taxpayers
don't know really can hurt
them. - mpg
Special Note - A
quote...."I was on CNBC this morning discussing the Wall Street
bailout, and specifically, the Bush Treasury Department's decision to
redact key parts of private contracts that would tell the public how
much taxpayer cash various law firms, accounting companies and stock
management houses are going to receive as part of this boondoggle. The
lack of transparency is stunning, even if it is exactly what many
bailout opponents predicted. You can watch the clip here, and you can
see the redacted documents here and here (and a big hat's off to
Bailoutsleuth.com for all its great work)."
Job
Losses Accelerate, Signaling Deeper Distress
A quote...."In September, there were more mass layoffs -- instances in
which employers slashed 50 or more jobs at one time -- than in any
month since September 2001, the Labor Department said yesterday. And
nearly half a million Americans have filed new claims for unemployment
benefits in each of the past four weeks, the highest rate of such
claims since just after the terrorist attacks seven years ago." -- Website
editor's note: Job losses are a lagging indicator, but the
fact they haven't even really begun yet is not a good sign of things to
come. - mpg
Job
losses accelerating, and the worst is ahead - link posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."WASHINGTON – Unemployment claims, already well into
recession territory, are rising even faster than expected, leading
economists to warn Thursday that the worst is yet to come."
Greenspan
says 'credit tsunami' to wipe out spending, jobs - link posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AFP) — Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan
Greenspan said Thursday the United States is swept by a
"once-in-a-century credit tsunami" that will hit consumer spending and
jobs."
The
Architects of Derivatives and Sub-Primes: Greenspan and Cox Confess
A quote...."Former Fed chair Alan Greenspan and SEC head Christopher
Cox confessed their mistakes to Congress."
Carry
trade derivatives turn toxic for Japan markets
Special Note - Financial Alert -- A quote...."TOKYO (Reuters) - When
the credit conflagration morphed into a full-fledged panic in financial
markets this month, the major stock market that plunged the most was
Japan's -- one of the countries least affected by the crisis." -- The
derivative unwind is just beginning. - mpg
Investors
Flee as Hedge Fund Woes Deepen -- link
posted at Online
Journal
A quote...."The gilded age of hedge funds is losing its luster. The
funds, pools of fast money that defined the era of Wall Street
hyper-wealth, are in the throes of an unprecedented shakeout. Even some
industry stars are falling back to earth."
Dollar
roars back as global debts are called in
Must Read - Special Note
- A
quote....."For six years the world has been borrowing dollars to bet on
property, oil, metals, emerging markets, and every bubble in every
corner of the globe. This has been the dollar "carry trade",
conducted on a huge scale with high leverage. Now the process has
reversed abruptly as debt deflation - or "deleveraging" - engulfs world
markets. The dollars must be repaid. -- Hence a wild scramble for
Greenbacks which has shaken the global currency system and shattered
assumptions [including this website
editor's] about the way the world works. The unwinding drama
reached a crescendo yesterday as the euro fell to $1.28, down from
$1.61 in July. The slide in the Brazilian real, the South African rand,
the Indian rupee, and the Korean won, among others, has been
stunning." -- One: this
essentially means that the more money the Fed prints and the more it
cuts interest rates,
the higher the dollar will go -- this is a contradiction that cannot be
sustained for very long. – Two: this current unwinding is a result of
a massive, and very costly,
dollar de-investment worldwide, something
that cannot help but hurt the dollar in the future. -- And three:
while the dollar keeps going up it means an end to any US
hopes for an export led
recovery in the forseeable future. - mpg -- For more on this issue see....The
Dollar's Spike - 10-06-08 - mpg
Yen
soars above 13-year high on risk aversion - Another "carry-trade" currency where
trades are unwinding. - mpg
Special Note - Related
Article -- A quote...."SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Mounting worries
over emerging markets and massive losses in global equity markets
lifted the dollar but also fueled another sharp rise by the Japanese
yen Friday, sending the currency to its strongest level against the
greenback in over 13 years."
Gold
May Do Well During the Later Stages of Deflation - Maybe. - mpg
A quote...."Most people agree that gold does well during periods of
inflation. -- But what about during periods of deflation? -- Leading
economist Dr. Marc Faber wrote in October 2007 that gold will do well
even in a deflation:"
Perception
Management and the Economic Spider's Web - posted at SOTT
A quote....
"I believe that banking
institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of
their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and
corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the
people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the
continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken
from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly
belongs." -- *Thomas Jefferson*,
3rd president of the US (1743-1826), Letter to the Secretary of the
Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802)
Foreclosure
filings spike 71%
A quote...."All told 765,558 foreclosure filings were made on U.S.
properties in the third quarter of this year - up 3% from the second
quarter and 71% from the same period last year."
Britain:
Millions threatened with negative home equity and repossession
A quote...."A report by Standard & Poor's revealed that 335,000
households in Britain now find themselves in negative equity, meaning
that the value of their homes has fallen below the cost of their
mortgage. This is an increase of 250,000 in only four months, and the
report makes clear that this may only be the beginning. By 2010, it
predicts that as many as 2 million households could be threatened with
falling into negative equity."
A
50 billion USD package to support Brazilian currency
A quote...."Brazil's central bank said Wednesday it would pump the
equivalent of 50 billion US dollars into currency markets to stem a
two-month tumble in the Real that is threatening companies and stoked
inflation."
Russian
default risk tops Iceland as crisis deepens
Special Note -- Some
quotes...."Russian companies must roll over $47bn of foreign loans over
the next two months, and a further $150bn or so next year, a task that
has become close to impossible as investors flee Eastern Europe.
President Dmitry Medvedev said yesterday that disaster could still be
kept at bay. "We can avoid a banking, forex or debt crisis and get
through today's difficulties. Russia has not yet got in this difficult
situation. It must avoid this," he said." -- "Hans Redeker, currency
chief at BNP Paribas, said markets no longer believe Russia is strong
enough to guarantee the estimated $530bn of foreign debts accumulated
by its companies during the break-neck expansion of the oil boom. "The
surge in Russian CDS spreads is paralysing the whole system. The
government can offer very little help to the banks at this point
because its own sovereign debt is in question," he said. - This crisis
is starting to look like the Black Wednesady in 1992. Unless we see an
extension of central bank swaps in dollars and euros to Eastern Europe
within days to stop this uncontrolled process of deleveraging, this
could get out of control and do serious damage to Western Europe. We
could see the euro fall to parity against the dollar by next year," he
said."
Wednesday October 22nd 2008
The
545 People Responsible For All Of U.S. Woes
Must Read - A
quote...."(Date of publication unknown)-- -- - Politicians are
the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign
against them. -- Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and
the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever
wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high
taxes, we have inflation and high taxes? -- You and I don't propose a
federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the
Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of
Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress
does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't
control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does."
Is
the Sun Setting on US Empire?
Special Note - A
quote...."Bacevich begins with a brief historical recap of the US's
rise and expansion across the continent. He resists the urge to see
current policy as the betrayal of a mythical golden age in US history,
in which Washington's motives were benign and its aspirations humble,
instead detailing the interest-driven process by which the US
expropriated its natives and rose to the status of world power. At the
same time, however, this often-ruthless expansionism correlated with
increasing abundance and the extension of democratic freedoms among US
citizens. -- A critical part of Bacevich's argument is that this
correlation between expansion, abundance and freedom is no longer
operative. Against those who would take the US's expansionist past as a
vindication of its present ambitions – Robert Kagan's "Dangerous
Nation" seems to be an implicit target – he claims that the correlation
broke down in the Vietnam era; now expansionism "squanders American
wealth and power, while putting freedom at risk."
Pray
For Me, Father
Full Quote...."
Pray for me, Father, mine is the
sin of cowardice
For I do not set myself on fire at the White House gate
To protest murder. I am a glutton for God's blue sky.
Pray for me, Father, for my tax dollars set a banquet for Death
With napalm and daisy cutters and snakelike missiles
That blow apart other men and their wives and children
While I walk secure along the shore of the tranquil sea.
Pray for me, Father, and I will pray for you
I will pray for a church that does not decry an Inquisition
Where men are broken and driven mad in the dungeons
Of Bagram, Kabul, Gitmo and Abu Ghraib
A church of priests that recall Golgotha
As if Jesus and Jesus and Jesus by the thousands
Are not being crucified now by the Masters of War
Are not shuffling home on artificial legs
Are not staring sightless from wheelchairs
In VA hospitals into God's blue sky.
Pray for me, Father, and I will pray for you......© Sherwood Ross
Masters of
War - (YouTube - 7 min 44 sec - Added: June 28, 2006)
Video - A quote...."An
anti-war video with background music from Pearl Jam ."
Prosecutors:
Ex-soldier accused of killing Iraqi family, raping teen was 'chatterbox'
A quote...."LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ A former Army soldier accused of
raping and killing an Iraqi teen and slaying her family was a
"chatterbox" after his arrest, voluntarily making nearly two dozen
statements while in custody, prosecutors said in court documents filed
Wednesday."
Iraq
says will not be bullied into signing US security pact
A quote...."BAGHDAD: Iraq warned on Wednesday it would not be bullied
into signing a security pact with the United States, despite US leaders
warning of potentially dire consequences if it failed to approve the
deal. "
Iraqi
Govt Slams US Statement on Security Pact
A quote...."Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabagh issued a statement
today harshly criticizing Admiral Michael Mullen’s recent warnings
regarding Iraqi officials’ criticisms of the terms of the latest draft
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Al-Dabagh warned that the statements
were “unwelcome” and an “inappropriate way to address Iraqis.”
Can
Iraq End the Colonial Era?
A quote...."We need to find out if the colonial period has ended or
not. If an agreement is worked out that allows American troops,
subcontractors and modern mercenaries to remain above the law of the
land in Iraq, we will all suffer for years to come, says Rami G.
Khouri."
In
Sadr City, a Repressed but Growing Rage
A quote..."BAGHDAD -- Outside the tan, high-walled house, Shiite
militiamen stood guard. Inside, men sat on a red carpet, their backs
against a wall adorned with images of Shiite saints, their anger rising
with each sentence. Hashim Naseer, a tribal leader, remembered how
Iraqi soldiers arrested his brother early this month at a nearby park
along with other Shiite fighters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi
Army."
If
Americans Had Only Known About U.S. Atrocities
A quote...."America’s wars of aggression against Viet Nam and Iraq
might not have been waged if there had not been widespread suppression
of the true story of the atrocities American troops committed in the
Philippines at the end of the 19th Century."
Guantánamo's
bleak farce
Special Note -- A
quote...."While the world remains transfixed by the economy and the US
election, today's
events
at the US government's flagship "war on Terror" prison at
Guantánamo
indicate that the role of the military commissions – the novel system
of terror trials created in the wake of the 9/11 attacks – are
unravelling at a furious pace, and that what remains of the
government's tattered credibility is collapsing alongside them. -- What
may be the endgame for the commissions began on September 24, when Lt
Col Darrel Vandeveld, a key prosecutor, resigned
unexpectedly, citing intractable problems regarding the deliberate
suppression of evidence vital to the prisoners' defence.
U.S.
Pressed to Turn Over Detainee Papers British Court Blasts Inaction,
Says Documents Are Vital to Guantanamo Case -- Special Note - A quote...."The
British High Court yesterday condemned the U.S. government's failure to
turn over intelligence documents that could support the claims of a
British resident held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who has argued that
statements he made confessing to terrorism resulted from torture and
are, therefore, worthless. -- In a judgment, the British jurists hinted
that unless the 42 documents are handed over quickly to the defense
counsel as part of a habeas corpus proceeding in U.S. District Court,
the London court might take that step itself, despite the threat of
damage to ties between the two countries."
For more on the two articles
shown above see....The
Convenient Silence of Guantanamo Bay - 05-31-08 - mpg
Bush
Decides to Keep Guantánamo Open
A quote...."WASHINGTON — Despite his stated desire to close the
American prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, President Bush has
decided not to do so, and never considered proposals drafted in the
State Department and the Pentagon that outlined options for
transferring the detainees elsewhere, according to senior
administration officials."
UN
rights official expects next US president to close Gauntanamo
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – A UN rights official on Wednesday
said he expected the next US administration to shut down its detention
facility for suspected terrorists in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
The End
of American Exceptionalism? - Empire and White Supremacy
A quote...."What happens to a nation once its most privileged symbols
have been thoroughly discredited? Where does a country turn to
begin again? - After eight years of the Bush-Cheney regime, the United
States confronts these questions in light of a deep and profound crisis
of legitimacy. The current crisis is intimately shaped by the demands
of 21st century American imperialism and is reflected in the (un)spoken
language of white supremacy."
Pakistani
lawmakers push dialogue with militants
A quote...."Pakistan's parliament is calling for an urgent review of
the government's national security strategy and pushing for dialogue
with militants as a means of reducing violence."
Hamas:
We foiled an attack by Fatah
A quote...."The Hamas military wing reported on Tuesday that its men
had successfully foiled an attack targeting senior Hamas commander in
Khan Yunis, Amjad Abu Naja." -- For
more on this issue see....US
Sponsored Civil Wars - Palestine
ANALYSIS-Saudi [Royals] uneasy over rehabilitation
of Syria's Assad
A quote...."RIYADH, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia thinks Syria has
not delivered enough to deserve Western diplomatic overtures and fears
international rapprochement would do little to cut Damascus' links with
Iran, diplomats and analysts say." -- For
more
on this issue see....The
Kingdom of Leprosy - 10-07-08 - mpg & Al
Qaeda - Always There for the US Elites - 03-09-08 - mpg
Bolivia's
president celebrates constitution win
A quote...."President Evo Morales said he can "go to the cemetery
happy" Tuesday after Congress approved holding a referendum on his new
constitution empowering Bolivia's long-oppressed Indian majority."
Georgian
opposition promises new wave of protests
A quote...."TBILISI, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Georgia's opposition says it
plans to use the November anniversary of a police crackdown on its
supporters to pile pressure on President Mikheil Saakashvili in the
wake of this summer's war with Russia."
Russia’s
Resentment of the West Began With a Broken Promise
A quote...."It did not take the clash between Russia and Georgia to
reveal that relations between Russia and the West have taken a bad
turn. They have been deteriorating since the mid-1990s, when the
decision was taken to expand NATO to include the former Warsaw Pact
states. At the time of that decision, George F. Kennan, the most
eminent American diplomat of his time, said this could be the most
disastrous mistake made in American foreign policy in decades. He erred
only in underestimating the comparative scale of the blunders that
would follow, in the George W. Bush administration."
Russia
modernizes missiles in response to US plans
A quote...."Russia's efforts to upgrade its missile arsenals will help
counter the planned U.S. missile defense sites in Europe, a top general
said Wednesday. -- Russia's Strategic Missile Force chief, Col.-Gen.
Nikolai Solovtsov, said the military will commission a new type of
intercontinental ballistic missile and modify the existing missiles."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Wall
Street's 'Disaster Capitalism for Dummies' 14 reasons Main Street loses
big while Wall Street sabotages democracy
Must Read - A quote...."ARROYO
GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Yes, we're dummies.
You. Me. All 300 million of us. Clueless. We should be ashamed. We're
obsessed about the slogans and rituals of "democracy," distracted by
the campaign, polls, debates, rhetoric, half-truths and outright lies.
McCain? Obama? Sorry to pop your bubble folks, but it no longer matters
who's president." -- Article posted at ICH
The Great
Unmasking
A quote...."The lords of finance live in a universe in which they are
rewarded for being both insatiable and delusional. With maximizing
profits as their single imperative they toil daily at the task of
turning every human relationship and every form of matter -- animal,
vegetable or mineral -- into a monetized asset. The only limits on how
many ways that monetized asset can be reconfigured and repackaged; the
only limits on how many times it can be resold; the only limits on how
many ways profit can be wrung out of it are the limits of the
imagination. We're human; our imagination is without limits. We've
figured out how to buy, sell and lease the air space above buildings
and the wind blowing across the plains. And here you thought "inherit
the wind" was just a metaphor. But at least the air is a substance you
can feel and hear and, on a crisp fall day, smell. Our boys are way beyond that, having long
since abandoned the molecular to trade in the entirely immaterial."
-- bold by website editor
"[To the possessor of money
capital] “the process of
production appears merely as an unavoidable intermediate link, as a
necessary evil for the sake of money-making. All nations with a
capitalist mode of production are therefore seized periodically by a
feverish attempt to make money without the intervention of the process
of production.”— *Karl Marx*,
Capital, Volume II, “The Circuit of Money Capital”
OECD
report ranks US third worst in inequality and poverty
A quote...."A report issued yesterday by the Paris-based Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed the United
States has the third worst level of income inequality and poverty among
the group’s 30 member states. Only Mexico and Turkey ranked higher in
those categories. OECD states in western Europe, along with Japan,
South Korea, Canada and Australia, all recorded better figures than the
US, as did central and eastern European states, including Poland and
Hungary."
Wachovia
has $23.9 billion loss on writeoff, mortgages
A quote...."NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wachovia Corp reported a third-quarter
loss of $23.9 billion on Wednesday, a record quarterly deficit for a
banking company in the global credit crisis, underscoring the
challenges Wells Fargo & Co faces when it acquires the big lender."
Australia's
CPI rise at 13-year high in third quarter
A quote..."HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Australia's inflation rate surged
to a 13-year high in the three-months ending in September, although
economists downplayed the data, saying it failed to capture the recent
market turmoil and a paradigm shift towards a stalling economy as a
bigger worry."