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Friday March 30th 2007

Follow the Money - Bush, 9/11 and Deep Threat
Chronology: The Bushes And The Carlyle Group
Bush-Bin Laden connections
Profile: Carlyle Group
When War is Swell - Bush's Crusades and the Carlyle Group

Thursday March 29th 2007

Arab Leaders: Peace Making Could Not Be Unilateral, Divisible
Must Read - A quote...."Flanked by international and regional non-Arab dignitaries representing the UN, EU, OIC, NAM and the leaders of Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan as well as the foreign minister of Iran, the leaders of the 22-member League of Arab States on Wednesday re-launched in Riyadh their five-year old Arab Peace Initiative, determined to reactivate it with mechanisms and a follow-up diplomatic campaign that will again take it to the United Nations Security Council despite a U.S. veto, which aborted a similar move in the bud last year."

Kingdom Warns Against Iran Strike
A quote...."RIYADH, 30 March 2007 — Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal warned of the consequences a strike against Iran regarding its nuclear program would have on the Middle East region."

Gulf economies to 'drop the dollar'
A quote...."Gulf economies will move away from a dollar currency peg and shift foreign exchange reserves away from dollar to other currencies, including the Chinese yuan, the chief executive of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has said."

Are Iraqis creatures from a different creator?
A quote...."Did Iraqis come to be from a creator of their very own . . . a lesser god, perhaps?  -  Not just Iraqis, but Palestinians and Lebanese as well! One only needs to ask the two ladies who have handled America’s affairs of state: Madeleine (for Clinton) and Condoleezza (for Bush). Those half-million Iraqi children who died in the ’90s as a result of American-instigated United Nations’ sanctions was a price well worth paying, according to Ms. Albright; and the tragic losses that were being suffered by Lebanon last year in the July War were no reason to call a cease-fire, as that was a necessary price to pay for Bush’s effort to create a “new” Middle East, according to Ms. Rice."

Feinstein quits committee under war-profiteer cloud
A quote...."Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has abruptly walked away from her responsibilities with the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee after a report linked her votes to the financial well-being of her husband's companies, which received billions of dollars worth of military construction contracts she approved."

DemoRepub or RepubDemo....it doesn't make any difference, it's just two factions of the same party. - mpg
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U.S. Corporate Profits have Peaked, Economists Say. & US central bank sounds inflation warning
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. corporate profits fell in the fourth quarter of 2006, signaling the end of one of the greatest profit cycles in post-war era, economists say.  - Economic growth is slowing, hurting corporations' top line. Meanwhile, costs are rising, squeezing profit margins.  -  "Profits growth has turned decisively down, and the end is not yet in sight," wrote Gabriel Stein, an economist for Lombard Street Research.  -  "As the expansion matures and unit labor costs rise, profit margins will be under pressure," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist for RBS Greenwich Capital.

Despite what the article says, there's still a little more profit left that they havn't yet squeezed out of the US economy.  So instead of the ten year cycle we'll have the seven to eight year cycle.  Still it was a pretty good ride, - one "arranged" fortioutous "terrorist" attack (black flag op.), a couple more in Europe, 4,000-5,000 American dead when the occupation of Iraq finally ends (assuming the US doesn't attack Iran), one to two million dead Iraqis and a bunch of others for a good seven year economic pump priming and a chance to sieze the worlds oil and gas resources.

A pretty decent rate of return all things considered.

Too bad about all those "little people". - mpg
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US Income Gap Is Widening Significantly, Data Shows
A quote...."Income inequality grew significantly in 2005, with the top 1 percent of Americans - those with incomes that year of more than $348,000 - receiving their largest share of national income since 1928, analysis of newly released tax data shows.The top 10 percent, roughly those earning more than $100,000, also reached a level of income share not seen since before the Depression."

1928 - doesn't that year come right before 1929? - mpg
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The Secret: Creating a Culture of Cheerfulness as Rome Burns
A quote....“…the last thing the human race needs in the face of the perfect economic storm is an indulgent “I can have anything I want” perspective that ignores the empire’s evils and perpetuates the very mega-consumerism that is annihilating the planet.”

Programmed to Kill
A quote...."Having returned from Afghanistan in March of 2002, Sgt. 1st Class Rigoberto Nieves fatally shoots his wife then himself. Eighteen days later, on June 29, Master Sgt. William Wright, having returned the month before, strangles his wife to death. On July 9, Sgt. Cedric Griffin (who had yet to be deployed) stabs his wife to death. Ten days later, Sgt. 1st Class Brandon S. Floyd and his wife, Andrea, are found shot to death; another murder-suicide. All were stationed at Fort Bragg."

See also....Fruits from the Poisonous Tree - 12-08-06 - mpg
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Justice Guantánamo Style
A quote...."David Hicks, the Australian man that has been held in Guantánamo for five years, (the last year or so in solitary confinement) agreed to plead guilty yesterday. There are a few things you should know about his plea. First, and most importantly, Hicks is pleading guilty to a crime that did not exist on the books until September of 2006."

"All of the original charges (the serious ones) were dropped against Hicks because the military had no evidence against him. Mr. Hicks was confined at Guantánamo until a new law could be passed that he could then be charged with. Never mind the fact that our constitution prohibits ex post facto (retroactive) laws, I mean that is why we are holding him at Guantánamo right?"

Getting rid of ex post facto (i.e. retroactive) laws is now "Act" number thirty on what was previously "Twenty Nine Acts to Restore Americans' Rights"
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Senate Passes $123 billion More for Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
A quote...."While the headlines will read that the Senate voted to withdraw U.S. troops in Iraq, the peace movement recognizes that the Senate bill will extend the war not end it. The exit date in the bill is merely a goal for the removal of combat troops, and there are large loopholes that would allow a commander in chief to keep as many troops as s/he wants in Iraq. The bill provides $123 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – nearly $20 billion more requested by Bush."

House Democrats Signal Readiness to Talk on Iraq Bill
A quote...."As the Senate tries to move closer to a vote on its Iraq-Afghanistan funding bill, Democrats in the House of Representatives are signaling their readiness to talk with President Bush about the legislation. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, the president has threatened to veto any measure containing a timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq."

The other shoe dropping. - mpg

See also....Stupidity Alert - 03-28-07 - mpg
See also....Results - Not polls Are What Count - 03-25-07 - mpg
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Protesters stage ‘occupation’ of Hart office building
A quote...."Peace organizations staged a nonviolent “occupation” of the Hart Senate office building Thursday, calling on Democrats to end the Iraq war.  -  Fellow protesters and Senate staffers looked on, leaning over railings above Hart’s ground-floor atrium, as demonstrators read personal information about U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. The demonstrators spoke from a circle of cardboard headstones, each displaying the photo of a U.S. soldier who had been killed."

The 9/11 Truth Domino Effect
A quote...."More and more going public everyday with vital information and valuable expertise - The leaking of the until now withheld WTC blueprints this week represents a growing trend of truth seeking individuals putting aside politics and coming forth in an attempt to set the record straight on the defining event of the 21st century."
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9/11 - From The History File...The Pakistan connection
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Uproar Over Texas Teen's Imprisonment
A quote...."A teenager has been jailed for more than a year for shoving a teacher's aide at her high school, a case that has sparked anger and heightened racial tensions in rural East Texas.  -  Shaquandra Cotton, who is black, claims the teacher's aide pushed her first and would not let her enter school before the morning bell in 2005. A jury convicted the 15-year-old girl in March 2006 on a felony count of shoving a public servant, who was not seriously injured.  -  The girl is in the Ron Jackson Correctional Complex in Brownwood, about 300 miles from her home in Paris. The facility is part of an embattled juvenile system that is the subject of state and federal investigations into allegations that staff members physically and sexually abused inmates. - bold/italics added by website author

Editor's note: an article about Shaqandra Cotton was posted March 21st 2007.  See below.  Of course there was no way to know just how much like Iraq this whole situation really was.  Perhaps the Iraqis shouldn't feel too bad about Abu Ghraib and all the other prisons....after all, we even do "it" to our own children. - mpg

To some in Paris, sinister past is back
Must Read - A quote...."In Texas, a white teenager burns down her family's home and receives probation. A black one shoves a hall monitor and gets 7 years in prison. The state NAACP calls it `a signal to black folks. -  The youth had no prior arrest record, and the hall monitor--a 58-year-old teacher's aide--was not seriously injured. But Shaquanda was tried in March 2006 in the town's juvenile court, convicted of "assault on a public servant" and sentenced by Lamar County Judge Chuck Superville to prison for up to 7 years, until she turns 21.'"

Justice "Texas style" - Pretty soon blacks in Texas are going to feel just like the Iraqis currently do in Iraq. Like it's not their country anymore.

This should be an instructive and salutary lesson for the world.  Wherever you are, if you're colored and there happens to be oil under the ground you're standing on, and a bunch of white people are in the area near you - you're in trouble. - mpg
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Attorney General Alberto Gonzales covered up a major pedophile scandal.
A quote....Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, already under pressure for firing several U.S. Attorneys not considered "loyal Bushies," now faces another scandal. Albert Moskowitz, the Chief of the Criminal Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, sent a letter dated September 27, 2005, to the Superintendent of the Texas Youth Commission's West Texas State School youth detention facility declining the prosecution of two of the Texas agency's employees -- Ray Brookins and John Hernandez -- for engaging in sexual molestation of 10 underage males incarcerated at the facility.

Waxman requests documents from Rove regarding alleged misconduct at GSA
A quote...."Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) today sent a letter to White House Adviser Karl Rove regarding allegations of misconduct at the General Services Administration (GSA)."

Condi's Free Ride
A quote...."They must serve up some pretty powerful Kool Aid in the press room down at Foggy Bottom, judging by U.S. media coverage of Condi Rice's latest "Look Busy" tour of the Middle East.  -  Secretary of State Rice's comings and goings have long been greeted with a jaded disdain by the Arab and Israeli media."

In the service of the Jewish state
A quote...."In the late 1940s, Walther (Walter) Rauff, an SS officer who was responsible for the murder of at least 100,000 people and was wanted by the Allies as a war criminal, was employed by the Israeli secret service. Instead of bringing him to justice it paid him for his services and helped him escape to South America. Documents of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that have been released over the past several years show that the Americans were aware that Rauff's case was not exceptional. "

The Israelis might have employed dozens, the US however employed thousands. - mpg
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Paranoid Poland
A quote....They call it the Law of "Lustration," which is to say - according to the dictionary - of "ritual purification." That does not lack - in this country, the history of which is pegged to Catholicism - a strong flavor of repentance and penitence. So, by virtue of that law, which was approved in October 2006 and came into effect this March 15, seven hundred thousand Poles will have to confess whether they collaborated with the Communists between 1945 and 1989. All senior officials, professors, lawyers, school directors and journalists born before August 1972 now have until May 15 to confess their 'sin.'"

Yuschenko threatens Ukraine parliament with dissolution By Stefan Korshak
A quote.... Kiev- President Viktor Yushchenko upped the ante Thursday in Ukraine's long-running political deadlock by threatening to dissolve the opposition-led parliament - a move that would plunge the former Soviet republic into a full-fledged constitutional crisis. "Parliament must finally become responsible for its actions," a grim-faced Yushchenko declared at a press conference in the eastern city of Luhansk. "If they do not ... my way is clear: I must defend the constitution."

The U.S. Terrorist Database
A quote....Ballooning from fewer than 100,000 files in 2003 to about 435,000, the growing database threatens to overwhelm the people who manage it."

Yep, this nations got'a keep track of all those Quakers, librarians, peace groups and other assorted pacifists because we know deep down inside they really want to attack countries and bomb them....don't we – mpg
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Wednesday March 28th 2007

How Americans are Seduced by War  - posted at ICH
Must View - A quote...."In his provocative new book, Andrew Bacevich warns of a dangerous dual obsession that has taken hold of Americans, conservatives and liberals alike."

Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire
Must View - A quote...."Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire examines how a radical fringe of the Republican Party used the trauma of the 9/11 terror attacks to advance a pre-existing agenda to radically transform American foreign policy while rolling back civil liberties and social programs at home."

To Russia with Realism  - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."03/28/07 "American Conservative" -- -- -As if the U.S. did not have enough on its plate, the latest strongly anti-American statements of President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials suggest the possibility of a new Cold War with Russia. And from the Russian point of view, these statements are only responding to a series of bitterly anti-Russian statements and actions by the Bush administration over the past year, including plans to bring Ukraine into NATO; the speech by Vice President Cheney in Vilnius last July attacking Russia; backing for Georgia in its conflict with Russian-backed breakaway republics; and the latest move to extend American anti-missile defenses to Eastern Europe."
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Saudi King Slams ‘Illegitimate Occupation’ of Iraq
A quote...."Saudi King Abdullah, whose country is a close US ally, on Wednesday slammed the “illegitimate foreign occupation” of Iraq in an opening speech to the annual Arab summit in Riyadh.  -  “In beloved Iraq, blood is being shed among brothers in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and ugly sectarianism threatens civil war,” Abdullah said.  -  He also said that Arab nations, which are planning to revive a five-year-old Middle East peace plan at the summit, would not allow any foreign force to decide the future of the region.

Gee....who could King Abdullah be talking about.....it must be the Chileans, or perhaps the Eskimos, maybe even those sneaky Koreans.....oh no, it has to be those dastardly people from Madagascar....right?

For those who aren't that familiar with the Saudis, they practice their politics with more low key subtlety and discretion than the Chinese, which is saying allot.  They are extremely reticent and reluctant to criticize anyone for anything - even the Israelis.

For King Abdullah to come out and say something like this means, 1) He's really, really ticked off at the Bush Neocons for this disaster and 2) He's also, really, really, scared about the situation getting completely out of control.

It looks like he's discovered what everyone else has about Bush - Bush is a walking contagion, a catastrophe that looks like a man, a plague upon us all, everything he touches he destroys or ruins. - mpg

Note : bold/italics by website author.
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Arab leaders to relaunch peace offer to Israel
A quote...."RIYADH (Reuters) - Arab leaders will formally relaunch a five-year-old initiative on Thursday to trade peace for land and end the Arab-Israeli conflict which is at the heart of the region's problems."

Gulf Arab investors target Asia as U.S. ties wane
A quote...."DUBAI (Reuters) - Gulf Arab investors are increasingly looking to Asia to invest windfall oil revenue, eager to ride the rise of China and India and diversify away from their traditional ties with the United States."

Now why won't all them rag headed, camel humping, terrorist loving, freedom hating, low lifes who are sitting on OUR oil and who will all eventually be sent to hell when we deservedly and righteously bomb them to smithereens so we can bring them that "freedom and democracy" they so richly deserve in our brand spanking new holy crusade called the New American Century..... not invest in our country?

Golly…what's wrong with them?  Why won't they do business with us? - mpg
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Prince Hassan: Neocons and Israel Plan “New 100 Years of War” in the Middle East
A quote...."Do a Google News search on “Prince Hassan Bin Tallal” or “Talal” and the results will point to the Daily Star of Lebanon and Today’s Zaman out of Turkey, but not one result over at the New York Times, ABC News, CNN, Fox, et al. Of course, this is hardly surprising, because you’re not supposed to know what Prince Hassan Bin Talal knows, in fact what millions of Arabs know."
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US Navy starts war games in Gulf
WAR UPDATE - A quote...."The US Navy has begun its most extensive manoeuvres in the Gulf region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but denies sabre-rattling aimed at Iran."

Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border
WAR UPDATE - A quote...."MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.  -  "The latest military intelligence data point to heightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched."
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2 Americans Killed in Iraq Rocket Attack
A quote...."BAGHDAD (AP) - Two Americans, a contractor and a soldier, were killed in a rocket attack on the heavy guarded Green Zone on Tuesday, according to statements from the U.S. Embassy and the military."

It's beginning to look like the green zone is becoming less green and more red......five years into the war.  For those who aren't paying attention it should be pointed out that this is not a good sign of things to come.- mpg
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CBS Poll 2/3s support withdrawl & Bush Tries Bullying Dems Over War-Funding Bill:
STUPIDITY ALERT - Folks, you're being scammed again.

This is a fake battle between two fake people.  THINK ABOUT IT, if Bush signs this bill and "loses", he'll get to continue the war for the next two years with the DemoRepubs blessing, along with Nancy's additional twenty billion dollars as a sweetener for his cooperation and additional help for the MIOC elites in this country.

Nancy will than claim a glorious victory, the DemoRepubs will grin like idiots and George Bush while giving his speech before the nation will say he did his best but, with his eyes shining from unshed tears, he'll regretfully state he had to pass the bill for the good of our brave boys fighting those evil terrorists over there....

And the Repubs, crying with joy because they managed to to heal this nation's divisions and agree on a "hard fought" compromise will join together with their fellow Demo brethren in a joyous celebration of bipartisanship.

And the war will go on and on and on.....

And the Military Industrial Oil Complex's profits will continue to increase while the American Empire continues to feed off the dead and dying of the Middle East. – mpg

See also....Results - Not polls Are What Count - 03-25-07 - mpg
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Impeachment, Like Spring, is in the Air
A quote...."The Democratic Party’s efforts to tamp down impeachment efforts are coming unraveled, courtesy of the ongoing criminality of the Bush administration."

Denver: 'Massive Protests' Planned for DNC
A quote...."The 2008 DNC in Denver is being promoted by activists as “Recreate ‘68,” referring to the 1968 DNC in Chicago, where Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies nominated Pigasus the pig as their presidential nominee, and riot police got a good fill of hippie-head-cracking. A diverse national collective is now organizing to bring large-scale uprising to Denver in 2008. As their website states:"

They Were Talking about Wilson’s Wife before Wilson’s Article Came Out
A quote...."What did happen in regard to Niger uranium—before Kristof’s piece—is that Seymour Hersh published a devastating New Yorker article, “Who Lied to Whom?" * in March, which reappeared on April 22 as "Iraq Post Mortem” in the British magazine Prospect. The article emphasized the blatantly forged Niger documents about “yellowcake.” (Judith Miller, for one, seems to have backed down on Iraq WMD immediately following the definitive debunking in Prospect.) Did the administration simply launch a pre-emptive strike against Wilson, fearing that his going public on the “mushroom cloud” would be the last straw? With its usual tin ear, did it fear that Joe Wilson and Seymour Hersh would join forces? Or did it go for a two-fer, moving to disrupt analysis in the WMD unit at the CIA where Mrs. Wilson worked?" - * link added by website author

Report: U.S. Sponsoring Kurdish Guerilla Attacks Inside Iran
Interview - Amy Goodman interviews Reese Erlich an independent radio producer and journalist. He reports on Iran in the latest issue of Mother Jones and is author of the forthcoming book "The Iran Agenda: the Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis."
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O'Donnell Posts On Gulf of Tonkin
A quote...."The Gulf of Tonkin Incident began with an “imaginary” attack by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the Maddox, a U.S. destroyer, in the Gulf of Tonkin on 2 August 1964. Two days later, that vessel and another U.S. destroyer in the area both reported themselves under renewed attack, although North Vietnam subsequently insisted that it hadn’t attacked — and no attack is now believed to have occurred on the 4th of August."

9/11 Truth site Launches Entertainers Section
A quote...."March 28, 2007 – PatriotsQuestion911.com, a 9/11 Truth Movement website, today launched a new section featuring statements from more than 70 leading entertainment and media professionals that question the official account of 9/11."

Breaking my silence on 9/11 Truth
A quote...."Initially I preferred to keep silent about the 9/11 Truth Movement, to not be diverted from my issue. I've been associated with the China Support Network, being its founder, and in recent years, I give my speeches in that vein exclusively. That means, I have a cause and I don't need a spare cause, nor a soapbox, nor a reason to be known in the public discourse, where I've contributed since 1980. My 9/11 article is written, not oral; in any public appearance, I remain on the China issue. The article is volunteered and not sponsored; I simply think it fair to have the question, "What happened on 9/11?", and to have the indicated investigation that is genuine and impartial, rather than a whitewash. Read on, to where I suggest a role for Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly."

WTC Blueprints Leaked by Whistleblower
A quote...."A whistleblower that was on a team working for Silverstein Group in 2002 has made public an extensive set of detailed architectural drawings of the World Trade Center, that prove beyond any doubt that the official reports into the collapse of the towers misrepresented their construction."
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9/11 - From The History File...The 9/11 Reichstag Fire
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Spotlight on Enron's law firm
A quote...."But before Gonzales became a permanent fixture of Team W, he was a partner at the powerful Houston law firm Vinson & Elkins, and that's something congressional investigators are apparently taking a closer look at.  -  Sources tell me that investigators are following up on tips that Vinson & Elkins may have briefed former partners in advance on the findings of a top- secret probe into Enron's shady business dealings."

Unbelievable.... is there any cesspit of corruption these guys in the White House AREN'T connected with? - mpg
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The Cunningham Scandal: A White House Link?
a quote...."It could be that MZM in the summer of 2002 managed to snag a small White House contract in legitimate fashion, even as Wade was plotting a quick, bribery-greased rise to the top. But given that the Cunningham/MZM tale is one of sleaze and crime--I haven't even mentioned the prostitutes Cunningham received as bribes--Wade's first contract with the Bush administration deserves scrutiny. Republican legislators--no surprise--expressed no interest in this when they ran Congress. And, coincidentally or not, the US attorney in charge of the Cunningham case, Carol Lam, is one of the prosecutors who was fired by the Bush administration. But here comes Waxman, and the Case of MZM's First Contract is alive and open."

More sleaze, it just keeps oozing and oozing.
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Schumer Office: Subpoenas Ready for Rove, Miers
A quote....    "If they continue to do what they are doing and follow Trent Lott and just march lock, stock and barrel behind the White House, it will hurt them in Congress," said Mr. Schumer in an interview in his spacious Washington office, as C-SPAN played on mute in the room's corner. "If, on the other hand, they show independence, it won't."

That's Entertainment: GSA Administrator Doan dances the Aztec Two-Step before Congress
A quote...."Making the rounds of the blogosphere today is this video of GSA Administrator Lurita Doan being questioned under oath by Rep. Bruce Baley (D-Iowa)  -  Seems that Ms. Doan's office sponsored a lunch and learn "team-building" exercise which featured White House staffers explaining to General Services Administration personnel how to help the GOP take back Congress in 2008, which is, to quote Pat Tillman, "so f--king illegal."

Rise of a Very 'Loyal Bushie'
A quote...."If you want to know what the career path of a “loyal Bushie” looks like, let me introduce you to J. Timothy Griffin, a Karl Rove protégé who was slipped into the post of U.S. Attorney in Little Rock, Arkansas, and now is at the center of the controversy over whether the Bush administration has sought to politicize federal prosecutions."

Mexico Pays Heavy Price for Imported Corn
A quote...." Corn is at the heart of Mexico’s food crisis. Tortillas are crucial for calories and even protein in the traditional Mexican diet. Therefore, it was serious when the price of corn skyrocketed earlier this year, due in part to increased U.S. demand for ethanol. The price of tortillas shot up by between 40% and 100% in a single week. According to Víctor Quintana, a former lawmaker and leader of the Frente Democrático Campesino a peasant organization in the Mexican northern state of Chihuahua, the fallout will continue in the form of higher, prices of other basic foods like eggs, milk and meat."

How Runaway Inflation Has Slipped Under the Radar
A quote...." Remember back in the late 1970s when we had all those big long lines at the gas pumps? When gas went from 60 cents a gallon to $1.10 a gallon and we thought that was outrageous? "President Carter has caused runaway inflation," we were told. So we had an election and got stuck with Ronnie Reagan instead -- and suddenly "inflation" disappeared, never to return."

Russian trans-Balkan pipeline to skirt Turkey
A quote...."On March 15 in Athens, the heads of state of Russia, Greece and Bulgaria signed an agreement of cooperation in the construction and exploitation of an oil pipeline from Burgas, Bulgaria to Alexandroupolis in Greece. Connecting the Bulgarian port on the Black Sea with the Greek port on the Aegean, it will provide for a transport route for Russian oil to the Mediterranean that would bypass Turkey and the Bosporus Straits, which Turkey controls."

The "Great Game" continues, more on Russia's defensive playbook - mpg
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Google seeks world of instant translations
A quote...."MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - In Google Inc.'s vision of the future, people will be able to translate documents instantly into the world's main languages, with machine logic, not expert linguists, leading the way."

Global use of ADHD drugs nearly triples
A quote....WASHINGTON - The use of drugs to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, has more than tripled worldwide since 1993, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.  -  And spending on such drugs rose ninefold between 1993 and 2003, the team at the University of California, Berkeley reported.

Shut up kids or it's more meds for you.

It used to be Americans had the TV serve as the baby sitter for their kids, now the kids who had a TV as their baby sitter are going to use meds to baby sit for their kids.  That figures. - mpg
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George: The Intervention
Must View - It's pretty funny. - mpg

Tuesday March 27th 2007

Surviving at the pleasure of the president
Must Read - A quote....“If Americans were willing -- or capable -- of reading and thinking,” Bernie said, “they’d know that the war being waged throughout the world began here at home, and the US Constitution and Bill of Rights were its first victims.”

Regarding this article, every red blooded American should go do three things......

One : Get lots of guns, ammo and become a card carrying member of the N.R.A. -  Sign Up
Two : Become a card carrying member of the A.C.L.U. - Sign Up
Three : Vote for any party except the DemoRepub party.
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American Kangaroo Court Claims Its First Victim
A quote...."It is appropriate that a person from Australia, home of the kangaroo, should be the first one dragged before the kangaroo court at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. David Hicks, imprisoned there for more than five years, pleaded guilty Monday to providing material support for terrorism."

Pentagon Hires P.R. Firm to Put Spin on Soldier Healthcare Debacle
A quote...."In its latest move to stem media-fallout from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal, the Bush Administration has hired a private public relations firm to help it handle the controversy over substandard treatment of soldiers returning to the U.S. "

Hey...sort of like the entire US press corp.’s performance in the run-up to the Iraq war. - mpg
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Pentagon Cowers Behind Wordplay
A quote...."The military covered its ass on Monday, with a report on the investigation into the exploitation of Pat Tillman that stank of non-denial denials. After three years of lies and obfuscation, the Tillman family deserves better."

Another Casualty: Coverage of the Iraq War
A quote...."Iraq is the most dangerous place in the world for journalists. Along with names and dates, the Brussels Tribunal has listed the circumstances under which Iraqi media personnel have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. This extremely credible report cites 195 as dead. If non-Iraqi media representatives are included, the figure goes beyond 200. Both figures are well in excess of the media fatalities suffered in Vietnam or during World War II."

China shifts to euros for Iran oil
A quote...."BEIJING (Reuters) - China's state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, the biggest buyer of Iranian crude worldwide, began paying for its oil in euros late last year as Tehran moves to diversify its foreign reserves away from U.S. dollars."

Beware; USA & Allies Stoking Shia-Sunni Divide
Must Read - A quote...."The policy of divide and rule is as old as the Roman empire – a constant guide to the Christian West and implemented ruthlessly during its colonial onslaught on the rest of the world."

Arab League summit to open in Saudi Arabia
A quote...."CAIRO, March 28 (RIA Novosti) - Leaders of Arab League member-states will try to work out a consolidated position on key problems facing the Arab world at the 19th summit of the organization, which opens in Saudi Arabia Wednesday."

Moscow warns U.S. Iran policy may spark "clash of civilizations"
A quote...."MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow urges the United States to avoid escalating tensions around Iran over its nuclear program as it could lead to a "clash of civilizations," the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday."

Russian and Chinese Presidents Call for Peaceful Solutions in Iran and North Korea
A quote...."Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian leader Vladimir Putin called Monday for peaceful solutions to the crises over Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs, the Reuters news agency reports."

UAE territory off-limits for anti-Iran strike - president
WAR UPDATE -A quote...."ABU DHABI, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Khalifa bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, said Tuesday his country will not allow anyone to use its territory to conduct anti-Iranian operations."

Anger, resentment and discontent in Australian state election
A quote...."The WSWS interviewed voters at polling booths in three electorates for the New South Wales state election last Saturday March 24. The overwhelming sentiments in the working class areas of Heffron, Marrickville and Newcastle were hostility to both major parties—Liberal/National and Labor—along with deep-going concerns about the general state of the world, the eruption of war, environmental crises and deteriorating social services."

The War on Muslims
A quote...."Methinks we don’t – think, I mean, about anything outside our immediate visual horizon. Thinking is a poor way of understanding the world, which is too complex to be thought about effectively. That leaves hormones and unfortunate limbic wiring."

British backtrack on Iraq death toll
A quote...." British government officials have backed the methods used by scientists who concluded that more than 600,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion, the BBC reported yesterday.  -  The Government publicly rejected the findings, published in The Lancet in October. But the BBC said documents obtained under freedom of information legislation showed advisers concluded that the much-criticised study had used sound methods."

Bush of course dismissed the Lancet Study when it first came out stating it was "not a credible report" - Let's face it...

A) He didn't bother reading the report anyway, one of his handlers told him to make that statement.
B) Even if he'd tried to read it, he wouldn't have been able too, Bush had enough trouble trying to read "my pet goat".
C) Even if he'd been able to read the report, he wouldn't have given it a moments thought.
D) Even if he'd given it a moments thought, it would've been on how to lie about it anyway. - mpg
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Op-ed: Impeachment threat is real
A quote...."The impeachment threat is real, argues The Nation's John Nichols, as shown by talk show pundits who have begun to discuss it seriously."

Spanish Judge calls for architects of Iraq invasion to be tried for war crimes
A quote...."Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish judge who sought to prosecute Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet, has called for US President George W. Bush and his allies to be tried for war crimes over Iraq.  -  Writing in El Pais on the fourth anniversary of the invasion, Garzón stated, “Today, March 20, marks four years since the formal start of the war on Iraq. Instigated by the United States and Great Britain, and supported by Spain among other countries, one of the most sordid and unjustifiable episodes in recent human history began.  -  “Breaking every international law, and under the pretext of the war against terror, there has taken place since 2003 a devastating attack on the rule of law and against the very essence of the international community. In its path, institutions such as the United Nations were left in tatters, from which it has not yet recovered.”

Militant Brazilian Opposition to Bush-Lula Ethanol Accords
A quote...."São Paulo - During Bush's visit to Brazil thousands of poor, rural members of the international Via Campesina social movement and the Brazilian Movement of the Landless Rural Workers (MST) orchestrated massive, non-violent occupations of multinational agribusiness corporations throughout the country. Nine hundred women occupied the Cevasa ethanol distillery in São Paulo. According to the press statement released by Via Campesina, the protest was against "the proposal by the United States government to benefit large ethanol companies in Brazil, which is not in the interest of the majority of the Brazilian population."

Only Bush could think of something worse than conquering and occupying a country for its oil....occupying a country for its land, to establish sugar cane "energy" plantations.  No doubt to be harvested by slave workers while their padron masters sit out on the verandas of their haciendas, drinking pina coladas with their rich gringo investors. - mpg
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Congressional Democrats are a Pathetic Embarrassment
A quote...."What a pathetic joke this nominally Democratic Congress has proven to be.  -  Despite polls showing that 6 in 10 Americans want the U.S. out of Iraq asap, the best that this crew can come up with is a call--not binding, or course--for the president to pull out the troops by next spring or even summer. That would be over a year from now, and more than four years (!) into this criminal and incredibly stupid war."

Broken Promises And Barefaced Lies- Democrats Strike Again
A quote...."We have observed the same song and dance so many times before it's hard to believe more didn't see it coming. The Democrats once again let down their constituents and all the other voters who ushered them in to power last November -- believing, in utter stupidity, that they would somehow halt the madness of the Iraq war by challenging the Bush administration and their Republican allies in Congress."

See also....How It "Works" In DC - 03-09-07 - mpg
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George W. Bush, Just a Caricature of Himself!
A quote...."Thank God for the scandal over federal prosecutors, because it's eclipsing the Scooter Libby fiasco, which has obscured revelations over the deplorable state of Walter Reed Medical Center ..."

Pentagon conducting research into adverse effects of anthrax vaccine while maintaining it is safe
A quote...."The Pentagon  resumed its controversial mandatory anthrax vaccinations program for selected troops last week despite the fact that its own doctors are quietly conducting research into adverse effects of the vaccine, a RAW STORY investigation has found."

Just remember they're not GIs, they're actually GEs....Government Experiments. - mpg
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Did Dick Cheney Lie About His 9/11 Whereabouts?
A quote....At least 2 noteworthy individuals contradict Dick Cheney's alleged arrival time in the White House emergency bunker on 9/11/2001. And at ... all » least one of these witnesses implies that Cheney may have issued a 'stand down' order to 9/11 military responders while in this bunker."
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9/11 - From The History File...Gas, Oil and Afghanistan
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HBO's "Hacking Democracy" released on DVD -- a must see film
A quote...."The controversial HBO documentary ‘Hacking Democracy’ DVD, including extra footage never seen before, will be released today, March 27."

Monday March 26th 2007

Operation Bite: April 6 sneak attack by US forces against Iran planned, Russian military sources warn
WAR UPDATE - A quote....WASHINGTON DC, -- The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 am on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly “Argumenty Nedeli.” Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account."

"The attack is slated to last for 12 hours, according to Uglanov, from 4 am until 4 pm local time. Friday is the sabbath in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories."
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Seized sailors 'held in Tehran'
A quote...."The 15 Royal Navy personnel who were seized on Friday are being held at an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps base in Tehran, the BBC has been told."

The Independent and Harretz probably have it right -  this is a retaliatory seizure in response to the American’s capture of five Iranian officials in Arbil this past January.

The Brits won't see their guys until the Americans release the prisoners their holding, possibly not even then.  There’s also some missing Iranian Officers that have "disappeared" lately and until they’re returned the Iranians may remain very uncooperative regarding the entire situation. -  mpg
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Casualties of Conscience
Must Read - A quote...."As criticism of the Iraq war grows at home, some US soldiers abroad are rejecting Bush's mission. On military bases across Germany, many are now seeking a way out through desertion or early discharge."

America's hidden war dead
A quote...."More than 770 civilians working for U.S. firms have lost their lives supporting the military in Iraq, and some families are now speaking out"

Utah's LDS no longer firmly back Iraq war
A quote...."Support drops after Hinckley talks of 'terrible cost of war' in general, high-profile Mormons speak out"

Demobilizing America

“We’ve Done Our Part”
Must Read - A quote...."Dominant United States political culture suppresses minimally honest discussion of the strategic imperial oil considerations that drive U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.  That reactionary and nationally narcissistic nationalistic culture also requires officially relevant political actors to spout childish rhetoric about the U.S. “intervening” in that region to “promote democracy.”

See also....Killers in the Classroom
See also....Remember the Native Americans - 02-07-07 - mpg
See also....Beastly Behavior - 01-24-07 - mpg
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The rape of Iraq's oil
A quote...."The recent cabinet agreement in Baghdad on the new draft oil law was hailed as a landmark deal bringing together the warring factions in the allocation of the country's oil wealth. What was concealed was that this is being forced through by relentless pressure from the US and will sow the seeds of intense future conflict, with serious knock-on impacts on the world economy."

Iraqi deaths survey 'was robust'
A quote...."The British government was advised against publicly criticising a report estimating that 655,000 Iraqis had died due to the war, the BBC has learnt.  -  Iraqi Health Ministry figures put the toll at less than 10% of the total in the survey, published in the Lancet.  -  But the Ministry of Defence's chief scientific adviser said the survey's methods were "close to best practice" and the study design was "robust".  -  Another expert agreed the method was "tried and tested".

The story is still not being reported by our illustrious "main stream" press....it just demonstrates they really are the best presstitutes money can buy.  -  mpg
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Kissinger's extradition to Uruguay sought over Operation Condor
A quote...."An attorney for a victim of Uruguay's 1973-1985 dictatorship has asked his government to request the extradition of former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger over his alleged role in the notorious Operation Condor."

For everyone currently in the Bush administration - this ones for you.  Have a happy life.- mpg

See also....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure - 02-03-07 - mpg
See also....Strangers In the Night - 10-04-06 - mpg
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Iran-Britain conflict shows the dangers of our ongoing presence in Iraq
A quote...."03/25/07 "Salon" -- -- The ongoing presence of 150,000 troops in the middle of Iraq, under the direction of this administration, entails grave risk of escalation beyond Iraq, whether deliberately or unintentionally -- a fact that is almost completely ignored in our "debate" over whether to withdraw troops. The seizure this week of 15 British sailors by Iran illustrates how grave those risks are."
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9/11 - From The History File...Did Big Oil participate in planning the invasion of Iraq?
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Will the US Destroy Iran Again?
A quote...."March 25, 2007 -- On January 20, 2006, Larry Franklin was sentenced to almost 13 years in prison for passing classified information to Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman of AIPAC, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. Rosen and Weissman are currently under indictment for accepting classified information from Franklin[1]. Unbeknownst to all parties, the FBI was secretly spying on the meetings between Franklin, Rosen and Weissman. What most Americans are unaware of is that Larry Franklin worked at the Pentagon in the Office of Special Plans, which was set up by Donald Rumsfeld. Larry Franklin worked directly under Douglas Feith. 1 year removed from the sentencing of Franklin, Americans were able to tune in to CSPAN and watch the shameless speeches made by prominent US officials to AIPAC concerning Israeli security and the strategic alliance between the US and Israel."

Committee Directs RNC to Preserve White House Emails
A quote...."Citing evidence that senior White House officials are using RNC and other political email accounts to avoid leaving a record of official communications, Chairman Waxman directs the Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney ’04 Campaign to preserve the emails of White House officials and to meet with Committee staff to explain how the accounts are managed and what steps are being taken to protect the emails from destruction and tampering."

Evidence Suggests U.S. Attorney Firings May Have Been Part of White House Scheme to Help Game 2008 Election
A quote...."Details continue to drip out from the U.S. Attorney Purge scandal which seem to suggest that electoral politics --- and perhaps the 2008 election in particular --- may well have been at the heart of the White House/Dept. of Justice scheme to strategically place partisan operatives where they might be most useful prior to the next Presidential Election."

Fired U.S. Attorneys led the Nation in Convictions. No Wonder the Bush Administration was Worried!
Related Article - A quote...."Every day, the explanations for the firings of the eight U.S. attorneys are becoming less about competence and more about corruption. Some new statistics show that the prosecutors were in fact leading the nation in output:"

Gonzales Aide to Invoke Fifth Amendment
Related article - A quote...."Monica Goodling, a senior Justice Department official involved in the firings of federal prosecutors, will refuse to answer questions at upcoming Senate hearings, citing Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, her lawyer said Monday."

New-home sales fall to seven-year low
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Sales of new homes unexpectedly dropped in February to the lowest level seen in nearly seven years, while inventories of unsold homes rose to a 16-year high, suggesting that the nation's housing market was softening heading into the vital spring buying season."

Now scientists create a sheep that's 15% human
A quote...."Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs.  -  The sheep have 15 per cent human cells and 85 per cent animal cells - and their evolution brings the prospect of animal organs being transplanted into humans one step closer"

Anyone scared by this....anyone at all? - mpg
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Sunday March 25th 2007

The Plan -- according to U.S. General Wesley Clark (Ret.) YouTube - 1.37 min
Must See Video - A quote...." "We're going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan & Iran.."  For a transcript of the entire program....click here

The Frat Boys and Their Holocaust - Is it One Million Now?
Must Read - A quote...."While the Bush Administration reports the overall death toll of Iraqis since the invasion in the few tens of thousands (after all, when you’re spending half a trillion dollars to kill people, you need to show some success on paper), the Iraqi government (sic) has recently admitted that the figure is more like 150,000. This apparent concession is perhaps to avoid being cynically laughed out of the Middle East by all its inhabitants, who know things are much, much worse. Last year Lancet reported, using well-approved statistical measurements, that the median figure is more like 655,000, perhaps higher, perhaps lower. Well, now Dr. Gideon Polya, a Melbourne scientist and writer who has published some 130 works in four decades, has stated in a February 7, 2007 Countercurrents article (see: http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-polya070207.htm ) that the true figure exceeds one million war-related deaths! To quote from this article:
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Russia’s foreign minister: Unipolar World "Not Happening"
Some quotes...."Echoing President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has gone on record saying that a “unipolar world is just not happening” and that this is a hard fact the US should learn to live with."

And...."Elaborating further on Russia’s unhappiness with the whole situation, Sergei Lavrov said that without Washington’s hardheaded approach, problems like Iran’s nuclear dossier and the situation in Iraq would have been solved a long time ago. As to the Iranians’ refusal to comply with international demands, much of the problem, including the Korean peninsula, stem from Washington’ refusal to mend fences with Tehran on the basis of internationally recognized principles. Lavrov believes Washington should display similar flexibility when dealing with Tehran."
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Look Out, It's a Paper Tiger!
A quote...."People, I say it unflinchingly, and with the utmost confidence that many share my viewpoint now and many more tomorrow, that this House bill was unprincipled, and that the Democratic leadership, headed by "Nancy Impeachment is off the table Pelosi" failed again to pass anything with real fangs, passing instead a premeditated paper tiger which was guaranteed to come out stillborn. For those of us who know what a real tiger looks like, the result was far from surprising. There are certain characteristics unique to the species which only a few, mostly isolated members of the Democratic Party's top echelon posses, so the travesty in the "carrying out the people's will" was a foregone conclusion."

Terrorized by 'War on Terror'  -  How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America
A quote...."The "war on terror" has created a culture of fear in America. The Bush administration's elevation of these three words into a national mantra since the horrific events of 9/11 has had a pernicious impact on American democracy, on America's psyche and on U.S. standing in the world. Using this phrase has actually undermined our ability to effectively confront the real challenges we face from fanatics who may use terrorism against us."

See also....Brzezinki's prepared testimony - text
See also....Criminals Control the Executive Branch
See also....A political bombshell from Zbigniew Brzezinski
See also....Letters on Zbigniew Brzezinki’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
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NYC City Police Spied Broadly Before GOP Convention & The President’s Prison
Two good stories by the NYT, my goodness are they developing a trend for themselves?

Not to be churlish.....oh what the heck - let's be churlish.  These articles along with two other stories the Times has covered recently, the SWIFT monitoring of international bank transactions and the FISA violations of  everyone’s voice and e-mail traffic not only affected the peons a.k.a. "the little people" but also the wealthy elites of this nation

Therefore that might explain why the Times choose to cover these particular stories as apposed to all the other criminal activity going on in our country.  Because rest assured, the "wealthy elites" definitely don't like people listening in to their phone conversations, monitoring their bank transactions or establishing dictatorial precedents like Gitmo, which could potentially be used to violate "their precious" civil rights at some point in the future.
 
Regrettably the Times still seems to have this complete inability to "follow the money" and the corrosive effects money is having on the pitiful remnants of this nation's democratic institutions along with the destructive effects the hubris and degenerate attitudes of this society's wealthy elites are having on the social contract.

Not to mention of course being utterly unable to "connect the dots" regarding 9/11.

Only the future will tell if the New York Times still has the ability to regain its long lost institutional fortitude for standing up to power. - mpg
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Sweden Joins in Support for Palestinians
A quote...."RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Sweden joined several other European countries in a show of support for the new Hamas-Fatah coalition, dispatching its foreign minister for talks Saturday with his Palestinian counterpart despite Israel's call for a diplomatic boycott."

Poor, poor AIPAC....no one is paying attention to them anymore, except here in America. - mpg

See also....EU Paves Way for New Contacts with Palestinians
See also....Oslo and Rome welcome Haniyya's new government
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Disapproval on Iraq [Occupation] Hits Record
A quote...."Feb. 26, 2007 — A record number of Americans disapprove of the war in Iraq, and a clear majority now favors the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces, even if civil order has not been restored there — potentially a tipping point in public attitudes on the war."

So....?  Let's be crystal clear about this shall we, the DemoRepub party still needs three to four more years to wind down this ten year cycle of economic creative destruction before they launch their next war.  If the economy starts tanking sooner than expected however, they'll just launch their war with Iran a little earlier than planned.   It's all so pathetically predictable.

The opinions of the men and woman who are currently serving in our nation's armed forces have never changed where our government told them to go and who they were told to kill - not ever.  And that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Also none of the opinions expressed by the American public have ever changed this country's policies regarding the avaricious desires of the Military-Industrial-Oil-Complex, except perhaps in one particularly important case.  And that event - called Vietnam - was so traumatic to our illustrious wealthy elites and the neocon monsters they now conspire with that they embarked on a thirty year Straussian campaign to permanently change our frail and deeply flawed "democratic" republic into their sick, perverted and twisted version of the New Roman Empire.

A plan that involved the murder of almost three thousand Americans along with millions of people in the Middle East.

A plan that involved the desecration of all that this nation has ever publicly professed it stood for.

Everyone should understand that we're all simply cattle to these wealthy elites and their neocon brethren. We're all just food to them.  Would you ask your steak what it wants?  Would you ask your baked potato how it feels? The question one has to ask is why ABC has even bothered to ask the food for an opinion when it doesn't effect any of the outcomes?

One would have to guess it's perhaps a sentimental homage to the last vestiges and archaic traditions of democracy that used to exist in this country.

Perhaps the necons and their rich masters are even getting a little nervous about the answers? - mpg

See also....Effective Fed Funds Rate
See also....It's Only the 1% That Counts 03-06-07 - mpg
See also....Predictable Outcomes - 02-04-07 - mpg
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Navy Lacks Plan to Defend Against `Sizzler' Missile (Update1)
A quote...."March 23 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Navy, after nearly six years of warnings from Pentagon testers, still lacks a plan for defending aircraft carriers against a supersonic Russian-built missile, according to current and former officials and Defense Department documents."

Than again perhaps the US won't attack Iran.  It appears both China and Russia are finding the US's current  "adventures" a little tiring, not to mention dangerous for everyone concerned. - mpg
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India to push for $7bn Iran gas pipeline project
A quote...."NEW DELHI: India is committed to a multi-billion dollar pipeline that will transport gas from energy-rich Iran through Pakistan despite reported objections from United States, Oil Minister Murli Deora said yesterday."I don't see any problem (on the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline)," Deora was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.  -  "No country can debar India from this project. * We are committed to this," Deora said during a visit to Mumbai.

Gosh.....who could Deora be talking about when he says "no country"?  Hummm, just can't figure that one out. - mpg

* italics/bold by website author.
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Subverting Iran - Washington's Covert War inside Iran
A quote...."Much attention has been given to the Bush Administration’s preparations for possible war against Iran as well as its drive to impose sanctions. Meanwhile, a less noticed policy has been unfolding, one that may in time prove to have grave consequences for the region. There is a covert war underway in Iran, still in its infancy, but with disturbing signs of impending escalation. In the shadowy world of guerrilla operations, the full extent of involvement by the Bush Administration has yet to be revealed, but enough is known to paint a disturbing picture."

Protests shatter image of Musharraf's invincibility
A quote...."ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — Even as he oversaw a show of military might Friday to commemorate a milestone in Pakistani history, President Pervez Musharraf is facing the most serious domestic crisis of his tenure as leader of the nation and the army, one that experts say has weakened him heading into elections this year  -  An outcry over Musharraf's suspension of Pakistan's top judge has brought protesters into the streets, prompted calls for the president to step down and refocused attention on the iron grip of the military establishment.  -  The demonstrations have tapped into a wellspring of public anger over the fact that, nearly eight years after Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup, the rule of law and the role of democratic institutions here remain tenuous at best."

Conrad Black is on trial in a nation that loathes its elites
A quote...."Black is the world's leading advocate of the "Anglosphere", a movement calling for the creation of a bloc of English-speaking countries. Adherents claim that the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand must join together against the Muslim world and anyone else who poses a threat. For Black, the US is not just the obvious leader of the Anglosphere but the economic and military model that all Anglo countries should emulate, as opposed to the soft European Union."

See also....White Man's Burden - 12-20-06  - mpg
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9/11 - From The History File...The Wargames of September 11th (beta)
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