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Monday April 30th 2007

Who Will Stop the U.S. Shadow Army in Iraq?
Must Read - A quote...."A decade ago, the company barely existed; and yet, its “diplomatic security” contracts since mid-2004, with the State Department alone, total more than $750 million. Today, Blackwater has become nothing short of the Bush administration’s well-paid Praetorian Guard. It protects the U.S. ambassador and other senior officials in Iraq as well as visiting Congressional delegations; it trains Afghan security forces and was deployed in the oil-rich Caspian Sea region, setting up a “command and control” center just miles from the Iranian border. The company was also hired to protect FEMA operations and facilities in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, where it raked in $240,000 a day from the American taxpayer, billing $950 a day per Blackwater contractor."

"Since September 11, 2001, the company has invested its lucrative government pay-outs in building an impressive private army. At present, it has forces deployed in nine countries and boasts a database of 21,000 additional troops at the ready, a fleet of more than 20 aircraft, including helicopter gun-ships, and the world’s largest private military facility — a 7,000 acre compound near the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina. It recently opened a new facility in Illinois (”Blackwater North”) and is fighting local opposition to a third planned domestic facility near San Diego (”Blackwater West”) by the Mexican border. It is also manufacturing an armored vehicle (nicknamed the “Grizzly”) and surveillance blimps."

A huge private mercenery army, Bush's new "Praetorian Guard".  Paid for by the American taxpayer but utterly unacountable to them.  Sure hope all you so-caled "conservatives" out there are happy. - mpg
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Why There Was No Exit Plan
Must read - A quote...."

"For all the talk about timetables and benchmarks, one might think that the United States will end the military occupation of Iraq within the lifetimes of the readers of this opinion editorial. Think again.  -  There is to be no withdrawal from Iraq, just as there has been no withdrawal from hundreds of places around the world that are outposts of the American empire. As UC San Diego professor emeritus Chalmers Johnson put it, “One of the reasons we had no exit plan from Iraq is that we didn’t intend to leave.”
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Shellfire and Damnation: The Never-Ending Shock and Awe Barrage of Baghdad
A quote...."The dwindling band of armchair cheerleaders for the war in Iraq often like to point to the end of World War II as a comparison point for rebuilding conquered lands. Of course, much of the time, the cheerleaders simply concoct fantasy scenarios and falsified histories in a pathetic attempt to steal the gravitas – and competence – of that momentous time for their own tawdy criminal adventure. For example, Condi Rice and ashcanned Pentagon honcho Don Rumsfeld have risibly compared the full-blown, years-long Iraqi insurgency , which has killed more than 3,300 U.S. troops, to the "Werewolf" organization of post-war guerrillas that the Nazis sketchily planned in the waning days of the war – and which was never activated, because it didn't really exist. Not a single American soldier was killed by "insurgents" or "dead-enders" in occupied Germany and Japan in the years following the war. "

Rice: Bush didn't Want War - [ NOT ! ]
Wherein Juan Cole contradicts Condi’s denial of the Bushist’s plan to attack Iraq prior to 9/11 with something that she is totally unfamiliar with......the facts. - mpg

How Pakistan settled an al-Qaeda score
A quote...."KARACHI - Internal squabbling between the Taliban and al-Qaeda and exploited by Pakistan forced many al-Qaeda leaders to move from the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan to Iraq in search of new headquarters from which to operate.  -  Senior al-Qaeda member Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, 46, was one of these men - and he paid dearly for the move after being fingered by Pakistan. On Friday, the Pentagon announced that Hadi had been arrested late last year and handed over to the US Central  -  Intelligence Agency. Describing Hadi as "one of al-Qaeda's highest-ranking and experienced senior operatives", the Pentagon said he had been sent to the US Defense Department-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

See also....Musharraf's Wedge 03-03-07 - mpg
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Preston Respect: George Galloway 24th April 2007 - YouTube video - (part 4)
A quote...."George Galloway speaks about the Navy, Number 10 and Iran..."

And also about Jessica Lynch.  I believe the Bush administration has finally achieved an unblemished record regarding one goal they had during their tenure in the White House. They have actually lied about every single thing they have ever spoken on in the last six years.  An outstanding record of achievement - mpg

See also....Jessica Lynch's Story is Turning 'Into a Monster' for the Bush Administration
See also....The Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch frauds
See also....'Little girl Rambo' decries US propaganda
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Blueprint for Dictatorship -  Recent legislation sets us up for tyranny
A quote...."America is headed for a military dictatorship – and recent legislation makes this all but inevitable. Last September, Congress passed the Defense Authorization Act, which empowered the president to declare martial law with very little provocation, namely in the aftermath of a "terrorist attack or incident." Having determined that "the execution of the laws" is hampered by the "incident," the president can unilaterally impose martial law – without the consent of Congress, which need only be informed of the event "as soon as practicable." The only condition attached instructs the president to report to Congress after 14 days, and every 14 days thereafter."

See also....  Thirty Acts to Restore Americans' Rights 11-10-06 - mpg
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Secret Order By Gonzales Delegated Extraordinary Powers To Aides
A quote...."Attorney General Alberto Gonzales signed a highly confidential order in March 2006 delegating to two of his top aides -- who have since resigned because of their central roles in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys -- extraordinary authority over the hiring and firing of most non-civil-service employees of the Justice Department. A copy of the order and other Justice Department records related to the conception and implementation of the order were provided to National Journal."

Dictatorship by any other name would still be the enemy of freedom. - mpg
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Frank Rich: 'NY Times' Will No Longer Participate in WHCA Dinner
A quote...."NEW YORK Tucked inside Frank Rich's Sunday column in the New York Times is indication that the newspaper will no longer play ball with the annual White House Correspondents Association dinners in Washington, which he calls "a crystallization of the press's failures in the post-9/11 era." He writes that the event "illustrates how easily a propaganda-driven White House can enlist the Washington news media in its shows...."

Too little, too late. - mpg
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Liberal Media Enlightens Us Again
A quote...."In June of 2004, then Ombudsman for the Washington Post, Michael Getler, tried to explain to the readers of the Post, the Bush administration, Congress, and anyone else who bothered to pay attention, that they – the writers and editors of the Post – had down played dissent, but could not be held responsible for being absolute sycophants for the illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq.[1]  "

This editor forgot that WAPO also delivered an insipid NYT styled mea culpa in 2004 regarding their dismal performance in the run-up to the Iraq war.  But as this article points out they're still spewing the administration's swill. - mpg
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Saudi Arabia Alarmed Over Increased Radicalism of Guantanamo
My goodness, you mean if you torture and humiliate someone for over five years they get ...like....resentful?  WOW ! what a thought!  That's almost just like the population of a country gets when you invade them and then bomb and occupy them for five years.  Think of that! Isn't that incredible?  The same identical stimulas used on people produces the same identical responses, who would of thunk it. - mpg

The Return of Tony Snow
A quote...."Tony Snow has performed his job as press secretary with all the dignity and intellectual honesty of any 'loyal Bushie'. That is to say, his function was less to inform the press and public and more to, as Mister Bush himself once said, "propel the propaganda." Having been a former member of FOX News Republican Propaganda Network, Tony Snow was well schooled in the art of deceptive and offensive propaganda. And, judging by the all too familiar Suzy Chapstick-like ultra-violet smile, Tony Snow thoroughly enjoyed his work of misleading the press and public.

Some might consider this commentary to be harsh or, perhaps, not fair. It might appear to be a bit like kicking a man when he is down. It is neither. It is simply part of today's political reality...a reality filled with cynicism, hyper-vigilance, venom, and distrust. Indeed, it is THE very reality that Mister Snow and the Republican Party have dedicated their lives to creating. Tony Snow, cancer or not, helped generate the sad and cynical world in which we now live and die.

And it's really too late for this guy.  Hey! Tony boy, say hi to Mr. Reficul for me when you see him. - mpg
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Rice Declares Herself Above the Law and the Corporate-Owned Media Shrugs
A quote...."This week Condi Rice declared herself above the law and the corporate-owned media barely shrugged. Congress authorized issuing Miss Rice a subpoena to testify regarding what she knew about the administration's use of forged documents claiming that Saddam was seeking nuclear material from Niger. Even though the CIA had informed the White House that the accusation was untrue, the Saddam-Niger claim was highlighted by President Bush in his pre-war State of the Union Address. The allegation that Saddam was seeking nuclear material from Niger was a central part of the Bush administration's case for war."

And the article below will tell you why Condi blew Congress off.  She doesn't want to squeal on Dick and his little shenanigans regarding how he MADE THE WHOLE THING UP. -  mpg
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Ex-CIA analyst: Forged 'yellowcake' memo 'leads right back to' Cheney
Related article - A quote..."A former CIA analyst claims that falsified documents which were meant to show that Iraq's Saddam Hussein regime had been trying to procure yellowcake uranium from Niger can be traced back to Vice President Dick Cheney.  -  Appearing on MSNBC's Tucker Carlson Show, Ray McGovern who served in the CIA for twenty-seven years, said, "the [forged] memo leads right back to the doorstep of the Vice President of the United States."

Well folks they didn't just "cherry pick" or "select" the "intell" they wanted, they went out and created it.  No doubt this comes as a surprise to very few people. - mpg
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'They sold out the world for an F-16 sale'
Related article - A quote...."Onetime CIA analyst alleges Cheney, Libby lied to Congress about Pakistani nukes  -  In the era of Ronald Reagan, intelligence officer Richard Barlow was an analyst for the CIA, monitoring Pakistan's nuclear program. In 1989, he moved over to the Pentagon, where he worked for then-Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. Barlow lost that job when he raised objections to his bosses about senior Pentagon officials allegedly lying to Congress concerning Pakistan’s emerging nuclear program."

Oh look, although it's Khan who is the father of Pakistan's nukes....Cheney's the godfather, isn't that so sweet? - mpg
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The memoirs of ex-CIA director Tenet—One war criminal rats on the others
A quote...."With the publication of his new memoir, At the Center of the Storm, released Monday, and in an appearance on the CBS television new program “60 Minutes” the night before, former CIA director George Tenet has become the latest former official to admit publicly that the Bush administration launched its war against Iraq based upon false pretenses and manipulated intelligence."

Why Were Iran's Peace offers of 2001-2003 Resurface Rejected?
A quote...." The proposal is reputed to address a variety of USA worries, such as WMD proliferation, Iraq, terrorism and more. The Bush administration refused to negotiate with Iran and sabotaged the progress made by American and Iranian Ambassadors.  -  Knowing of the proposal, one begs to see more and there was a great deal more to be seen because it was not simply a proposal but a suggested ongoing process for peace negotiation, all of which the Bush administration ignored and/or rejected. The appearance is that Iran doggedly pursued the idea of an accord, but top Bushites turned their faces away from it."

They rejected Iran's overtures because Iran is on a list of seven countries targeted for extermination. - mpg
See also....The Plan -- according to U.S. General Wesley Clark (Ret.) YouTube - 1.37 min
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Rep. Murtha Puts Bush Impeachment Front and Center
A quote...."Impeachment is moving inexorably into the mainstream.  -  On Saturday, August 28, people across the nation rallied to spell out the word "Impeach" with their bodies, from coast to coast. Most of their efforts went unreported in the nation’s complicit, propaganda-organ-like corporate media, but the effects of the effort were still felt."

Abboud and “Toxic Bob” Waiting for the New Oil Law to Pass - Bush Bailout Pal Drooling for Iraqi Oil
A quote...."While blood is flowing freely in Iraq’s streets, A. Robert Abboud, a man who helped bail George W. Bush out of his Harken Energy fiasco, is angling for a contract that will give his firm, Ivanhoe Energy Inc., access to a major oil field in north central Iraq.  -  Mr. Abboud, who runs his own investment company and who has been president of Occidental Petroleum (1980-84), chairman of the First National Bank of Chicago (1975-80) and chairman and CEO of First City Bancorporation of Texas (1988-91), is co-chairman at Ivanhoe Energy and appears to be acting as the firm’s diplomatic frontman in going after the Iraqi oil."

A Great New 50 Second E-Voting Video
A quote...."50 seconds well spent...Click play on the video at left. -  That terrific video is just out from CountAllVotes.com.  -  The FL House is currently in the throes of either adding poison pills to, or otherwise trying to fend off Gov. Charlie Crist's long-overdue and responsible plan to bring paper ballots to the beleaguered voters of the Sunshine State. His courageous plan would do away with all of the state's horrible, disenfranchising, touch-screen DRE voting machines in time for 2008, something which even Democrats in the U.S. House, so far, have been shamefully afraid to do.  -  Please go visit the site and take action --- whether you're from Florida or not, you can help their campaign...which will help us all."

Venezuela Pulling Out of IMF, World Bank
A quote...."CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez announced Monday he would formally pull Venezuela out of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, a largely symbolic move because the nation has already paid off its debts to the lending institutions."

Hip Hip Hooray for Venezuela.  May ALL other countries throughout the world be so blessed. - mpg
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Wolfie Shakes Down Global Loan Shark Outfit
Related article - A quote...."According to Steven C. Clemens, not only does the war criminal Paul Wolfowitz want “some acknowledgment” that the world-class loan sharking operation known as the World Bank shares “complicity in the messy circumstances surrounding his and Shaha Riza’s situation,” but it appears Wolfie will attempt to ride it out until June 1st, when he is “eligible for some large financial bonus—for performance and time on the job. One estimate puts this figure at about $400,000. Wolfowitz wants to make sure those funds are credited to his private bank account before saying farewell to an institution that has come to despise him.”

SUPER-IMPERIALISM: Shameful Legacy Of Liberal Democrats
Must Read - Related article - Book Review - A quote....Increasingly, Latin American countries, whom Hudson asserts have been intentionally managed and contained by the World Bank and IMF in order to prevent their autonomous departure from the economic control and management of the U.S., are doing exactly what he prescribes. Venezuela has taken the lead in rejecting World Bank and IMF carrot and stick economics, and more recently, Ecuador and Bolivia have joined Hugo Chavez in working to create Latin American self-sufficiency apart from the control of the U.S. Just this week, Ecuadorian President, Rafael Correa banned a World Bank official from the nation. Currently, Ecuador, Argentina, and Brazil are discussing the creation of a Southern Bank, operated by and for Latin Americans, as an alternative to the World Bank. "

The Death of the Chilean Way to Socialism and the Martyrdom of President Salvadore Allende
A quote...."Not a nut or bolt [will] be allowed to reach Chile under Allende", warned American Ambassador Edward Korry before the confirmation. The Chilean economy, so extraordinarily dependent upon the United States, was the country's soft underbelly, easy to pound. Over the next three years, new US government assistance programs for Chile plummeted almost to the vanishing point, similarly with loans from the US Export-Import Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, in which the United States held what amounted to a veto; and the World Bank made no new loans at all to Chile during 1971-73. US government financial assistance or guarantees to American private investment in Chile were cut back sharply and American businesses were given the word to tighten the economic noose."

This is what will happen to anyone who does business with an American Corporation, the contracts you sign with them aren't worth the pieces of paper they're written on, their word is not their bond, the men who run these institutions of organized crime are unrepentant, degenerate liars.  If you let your leaders do business with them or their loan shark bankers, you deserve what you get.  See also....We'll Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse 09-06-06 - mpg
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Fighting Fascism: The Americans - Women and Men - Who Fought In the Spanish Civil War
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3 || Watch 128k stream || Watch 256k stream || Read Transcript
A quote....""No man ever entered the earth more honorably than those who died in Spain." Those are the words of Ernest Hemingway. He was referring to the Americans who volunteered for the Spanish Civil War, the first major battle against fascism.  -  In July 1936, rightwing military officers led by General Franco attempted to overthrow the newly elected democratic government of Spain. Hitler and Mussolini quickly joined in support of Franco. The Spanish Civil War lasted until 1939. Half a million people are believed to have died on all sides"

Abraham Lincoln Brigade "Represents an Important Part of the American Soul" - Harry Belafonte Pays Tribute
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3  ||  Watch 128k stream  || Watch 256k stream || Read Transcript
A quote...."Hundreds gathered yesterday in New York to honor an exhibit at the museum of the City of New York called "Facing Fascism: New York and the Spanish Civil War." Across the street at the Museo Del Barrio, one of the speakers at the event was the musician, actor and activist, Harry Belafonte. We play an excerpt of his address. [includes rush transcript]"

Website author's technical note: play the downloaded copies, else you might experience interruptions.- mpg
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Poll-related violence in Philippines fostered by culture of impunity — Beltran
A quote...."MANILA — Anakpawis Representative and political detainee Crispin Beltran today said that the worsening election-related violence in the country is related to the seemingly endless spate of extra-judicial killings targeting political activists and human rights advocates.  -  He said that that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration deliberate failure to put and end to the killings of members and officials of the progressive party-lists and militant people’s organizations has created a culture of impunity which is now being taken full advantage of by hired guns of traditional politicians. He said that the government’s failure to solve the killings of activists serve to encourage hired killers to peddle their trade with less worry and fear that they will be apprehended and brought to justice."

Good investigative article on key H. Clinton advisor
Some quotes...."Anne Kornblut had a good piece of reporting in today's WaPo about a guy called Mark Penn, described as the "chief strategist" for Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.", "Penn gained his foreign policy expertise working on numerous campaigns overseas, especially in Israel. In 1981, he and business partner Doug Schoen helped reelect Menachem Begin, one of the most right-wing prime ministers in the country's history, and emerged with a new outlook on the Middle East. "We got a chance to experience firsthand the perils and possibilities that the state of Israel presents," Schoen said in an interview."

Regarding this see the article listed below posted 04-26-07 - and this was written without knowing about Penn. - mpg
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The Multiple Sex Scandals That Could Sink the Bush Administration and the GOP
A quote...."From Baghdad’s Camp Cropper, where a major US military detention center is located, to the White House, Pentagon, and offices along Washington DC’s “Gucci Gulf” K Street corridor, a series of major sex scandals threaten to bring yet another body blow on the Bush administration and the Republican Party."

The Horrors of Hutto: Inside Texas' For-Profit Immigrant Prison
A quote....""Help us and ask questions," read the note, secretly passed to a visitor from an immigrant child incarcerated in a Texas prison.  -  Based on their visits and interviews, the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children and the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service are calling for the immediate shutdown of the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas."

Seven dollar myths
A quote...."Without shying away from controversy, we do away with a number of myths of why the US dollar ought to move up or down."

Sunday April 29th 2007

The Future of Stupidity
Must Read - A quote...."Exactly 500 years ago, Niccolo Machiavelli served the court of Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois and Romagna, son of Pope Alexander VI, and the military general of the papacy. Machiavelli was so impressed by Borgia’s crude pursuit of power that a decade and half later, he wrote a treatise, The Prince, as an offering to the Medici princes. Machiavelli was particularly impressed by Borgia’s assassination of rivals on the new year’s eve of 1503 in Sinigaglia. He advocated that princes should use crude use of force to acquire and retain power at any cost.  -  Machiavelli’s theory of the pursuit of power was based on false hypothesis. Cesare Borgia, his hero, was nothing but his father’s poodle. He was a spoilt arrogant kid who could only become the military general for no other reason than nepotism. His incompetence was proved after his father’s demise. As soon as his father died, he was arrested by Pope Julius II. And that was the end of Machiavelli’s powerful hero."

Enabling Bush's Wars of Aggression
Must Read - A quote...."Bill Moyers introduced his widely anticipated PBS special – entitled "Buying the War " – thusly;  -  "Four years ago this spring the Bush administration took leave of reality and plunged our country into a war so poorly planned it soon turned into a disaster.  -  "The story of how high officials misled the country has been told. But they couldn't have done it on their own; they needed a compliant press, to pass on their propaganda as news and cheer them on."

The West, Russia and China in Central Asia: What Kind of Game is Being Played in the Region?
Must Read - A quote...."This article was originally published in Journal of Central Asian and Caucasian Studies in No: 2 Volume: 1 pp:78-91  -  Over the last decade, international commentary on Central Asia often turned to the imagery of the Great Game. In its classic 19th century version, the Game was primarily a rivalry between the two major colonial powers – the British and Russian empires -- for control over Central Eurasia.[1] The present-day interpretations of the Great Game tend to expand the number of players -- bringing in such regional heavyweights as China, as well as the key outside power, the United States -- but retain the Game’s main characteristic feature – namely, the big powers jockeying for position in Central Asia.[2] The latest conceptualization sees the Game as being largely driven by the desire of Russia and China to squeeze the United States out of Central Asia and establish their exclusive control over the strategically located and energy-rich region.[3]"
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Murder Training: Colombian Death Squad Used Live Hostages
A quote...."El Tiempo, Bogota -- “Proof of courage”: that is how the how the paramilitaries would term the training they imparted to their recruits so that they learnt how to carve up people while they were still alive."

This website usually takes an analytical approach to what the US elites are doing to further their "great game" and therefore gentle reader you will rarely find articles like this posted here.  But this one is special.

Keep in mind while you read this that many of the officers who practiced these atrocities were trained in the School of the Americas.  A school which recently received funding approval from both the Democrats and the Republicans.  So remember while you read this article in horror at what has been done in your name.....that this is your tax dollars at work - you paid for this as a taxpayer - you let your "representatives" vote for this - which means dear citizen that you approved of this.

Something to think about. - mpg

See also....Teaching Torture
See also....Dismay Grows Over US Torture School
See also....Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation - Wikipedia
See also....School of the Americas - Source Watch
See also....School of the Americas Watch
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The Next Step: No Taxes For Torture  -  An Open Letter to Democrats
Related article - A quote...."To Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Howard Dean, Out of Iraq Caucus:  As the Democrats struggle to define their next step after the President’s veto, I would like to suggest an additional approach to those under discussion: end US taxpayer support for sectarian police state actions carried out by branches of the Iraqi government."

1984, HERE WE COME!
A quote...."I know that I am not in the minority in my frustration with the items that are chosen by the mainstream media as subjects for discussion. I can only think about the old adage of "straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel". The "third rail" of politics is no longer Socaial Security; it is now the honesty and integrity of the people who have our nation in their deadly talons and threaten to destroy it if the people do not rise up as one and depose them. Short of starting a fund to put a computer in every home in the country so that the truth is available to all, is there a way that we can educate the public short of a campain to destroy television as a medium? We know that most Americans get their news from television but how do we get our views aired on TV?"

Everyone should just quit watching, listening or reading this nation's commercial “mass media”.  If you do that you'll save yourselves some time better spent on other things, you'll save your own dignity by not being foolish enough to part with your hard earned cash for crap, and finally in the end you'll save your sanity. - mpg
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The Pivotal Ohio vote in 2004: Who did the counting?
A quote...."Election night 2004. Despite trashed registrations, voter intimidation, and selective machine shortages, it looks as though Kerry will still beat Bush in Ohio, and assume the presidency. There is only one thing left to do. The job of counting votes is 'redirected' from the computer designated by the Ohio Dept of State to a computer run by the RNC - the same computer on which White House emails are protected from Congress' eyes"

Let’s make this abundantly clear to everyone reading this blog.  The things currently squatting in the White House LOST both the 2000 and 2004 elections. This government is probably, for all practicable purposes…..illegal.  Think about that - all the laws passed destroying our constitution, all the appointments made destroying this nation’s government, all the decisions taken might very well be considered null and void if justice and right where ever to prevail in this land of darkness. - mpg
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Bush Sr. To Celebrate Rev. Sun Myung Moon—Again
A quote...."Washington Dispatch: Ex-president’s keynote speech at Washington Times bash this month is latest link between Bush and Unification Church founder."

Poor George Tenet; He Still Doesn't Get It
A quote....    "If you can't say something positive about someone, don't say anything." This was drummed into me by my Irish grandmother and, as most of her admonishments, it has stood me in good stead. On occasion, though, it been a real bother - as when I felt called to comment on George Tenet's apologia, "In the Center of the Storm," coming to a bookstore near you tomorrow."

Bush Has Destroyed Iraq and America
A quote...."Every American who voted Republican shares responsibility for the great evil America has brought to the Middle East.  -  The evil that America brought to Iraq transcends the tens or hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians who have been killed and maimed in the conflict. The evil goes beyond the destruction of ancient historical artifacts and the civilian infrastructure of a secular state and the decimation of the lives, careers, and families of millions of Iraqis.  - 
The violence and killing that Bush brought to Iraq has spread antagonism between Sunni and Shiite throughout the Middle East with potentially draconian consequences. Bush’s war has turned Muslim hearts and minds against America and made terrorism an acceptable means to resist American hegemony. With his mindless war, Bush has created more  terrorism than the world has ever seen."

Ethiopia finds itself trapped in Somalia
A quote...."ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Four months after Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi declared his own "war on terror" against an Islamic movement in Somalia, Ethiopia remains entangled in a situation that analysts and critics are comparing to the U.S. experience in Iraq.  -  Though Meles proclaimed his military mission accomplished in January, thousands of Ethiopian troops remain in the Somali capital, where they have used attack helicopters, tanks and other heavy weapons in a bloody campaign against insurgents that in recent weeks has killed more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians, and forced half of the city's population to flee."

Ahhhh….another fool that dealt with the Bush faction brings not only his own country to ruination, but one of his neighbors as well.  When will you people in the world ever learn?  Doing business with the Nameless One's Avatar, that thing in the White House, will simply lead to the complete destruction of all you have ever known. - mpg
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Tenet says Cheney had eye on Iraq long before 9/11
Related article - "WASHINGTON — White House and Pentagon officials, and particularly Vice President Dick Cheney, were determined to attack Iraq from the first days of the Bush administration, long before the Sept. 11 attacks, and repeatedly stretched available intelligence to build support for the war, according to a new book by former CIA director George Tenet."  -  bold/italics by website author

Pulling the Trigger on Iran
A quote...."The casus belli for “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, the invasion of Iraq, was a fraud. We know that now. Even though there was no threat whatever to the United States from Iraq, the decision was made by Richard Cheney in consultation with his junior associate, George W. Bush, to invade and occupy Iraq, a country which had been decimated by an economic embargo and whose army had been cut by two-thirds since 1991. Once the predatory decision had been made, it was necessary to fabricate a plausible justification for it, to “fix the intelligence around the policy”, to use the British phraseology. This required months of a carefully calibrated propaganda campaign to misinform the American public and pressure the U.S. Congress and Senate for the authorization to attack." - bold/italics by website author.

By the way just to show you how twisted those murderous little whackos in the administration are, for the first couple of weeks they were thinking of calling their program of mass murder "Operation Iraqi Liberation".  Yuk, yuk, yuk - bet you those grinning, drooling, frat boys got a big kick out of their sick little joke. – mpg
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Seeing the Bigger Picture in Iraq
A quote...."When embarking on a course of action, every prudent political actor should first define legitimate and acceptable success. Every move should begin by having a realistic objective. Decision-makers ought to consider whether success is achievable with the tools at hand. Next, planners need to evaluate whether the strategy is designed to realize the objective. If the plan involves military action, how would the army on the field adapt to changing conditions (the fog of war effect)? It is also important for civilian rulers and military strategists to be in tune with each other. More importantly, can society be persuaded to support military action? Similarly, are other countries supportive of military action; is there a chance to build a coalition? Coming full circle, policy-makers need to reflect on how they will bring military operations to an end."

Saudi King Declines to Receive Iraqi Leader
A quote...."In a serious rebuff to U.S. diplomacy, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has refused to receive Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on the eve of a critical regional summit on the future of the war-ravaged country, Iraqi and other Arab officials said yesterday."

Unpopularity of Karzai government threatens Afghanistan war effort, Holbrooke warns
A quote...."BRUSSELS, Belgium: NATO risks losing the war in Afghanistan because of a "tremendous deterioration" in the popularity of the government of U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke said Saturday."

Tehran rejects Solana statement on Iran-U.S. talks
A quote...."TEHRAN - Iran rejects the recent statement of European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who said on Friday he was sure Tehran was ready for direct talks with the U.S. over its disputed nuclear program, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said here on Sunday."

Iran has no intention to suspend nuclear enrichment - official
A quote...."TEHRAN, April 29 (RIA Novosti) - Iran does not intend to discuss the suspension of its nuclear enrichment activities, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Sunday."

Iran will attend Iraq security meeting
A quote...."BAGHDAD: The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran agreed Sunday to attend a regional conference about Iraq later this week, ending weeks of uncertainty about Tehran's participation.  - Ahmadinejad confirmed the plans during a telephone call with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, according to a statement issued by Maliki's office. Ahmadinejad's announcement followed a series of negotiations between the countries, including a visit last week by the Iraqi foreign minister to Tehran."

Russia may withdraw from agreement with NATO
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Vladimir Simonov) - President Vladimir Putin proposed that Russia should unilaterally suspend the implementation of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE).  -  It would be in the country's best interests "to announce a moratorium on Russia's implementation of the CFE Treaty until all NATO countries ratify it and start to strictly adhere to it, as Russia does today unilaterally," Putin said Thursday in his last annual state of the nation address to parliament."

Moscow gets the upper hand in the fight for Central Asian gas
A quote...."MOSCOW. (Igor Tomberg for RIA Novosti) - During his first visit to Moscow, the new president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, guaranteed President Vladimir Putin that his country's 2003-2028 contract with Gazprom would remain unchanged.  -  Russia has thus scored points in the contest to control Caspian gas. In any event, this is what one would assume from the Kremlin's optimistic press release about the talks. But Russia does not yet have an answer to the main question: by what routes will Turkmen gas be supplied?"

One Thousand Guns A Day - video 7min
Any red blooded NRA member is probably going to enjoy this. - mpg

Chavez offers allies half-price oil
A quote...."Venezuela's president has pledged to provide cheap oil to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, at a summit attended by regional leaders.  -  Hugo Chavez offered to sell oil to allies at a 50 per cent discount at a summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the People of the Americas in the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto on Saturday."

Peru Rejects US Military Base
A quote...."Lima, Apr 27 (Prensa Latina) Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde totally rejected any possibility that the government would accept a United States military base on Peruvian soil."

Hip Hip Hooray for the Peruvians.  For more on this see....Strangers In the Night 10-04-06 - mpg
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Rare Close-Up Footage Of WTC 7 Shows Limited Fires
A quote...."Released on You Tube yesterday, this is the first time we have seen close-up footage of WTC 7 before its collapse. Compare the fires to those that engulfed the Windsor Building in Madrid, a structure that burned for 28 hours without collapsing."
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9/11 - From The History File...Bush Opposes 9/11 Query Panel
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Violence Breaks Out as Estonian Authorities Remove Soviet-Era War Memorial
A quote...."Estonia’s parliament was behind barricades Saturday as violence rocked Tallinn for a second night after the removal of a Soviet war memorial, the AFP news arency reports.  -  Seventy-four people were injured, including nine police officers, as gangs made up mainly of young Russian-speakers ran riot in Tallinn, smashing the windows of the Art Academy, breaking into the National Theater, and robbing liquor stores."

Algae Bloom Kills Sea Birds, Other Sea Life In Record Numbers
A quote...."The staff at the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), which specializes in seabirds, and especially California brown pelicans, calls it DA; short for Domoic Acid.  -  This spring is different. It’s much worse, affecting more species of birds, pinepeds and possibly even whales. Beaches are littered with dead birds, seals, dolphins, otters, and in Santa Barbara a 29 foot sperm whale washed ashore. The reasons for the deaths are not entirely certain, however, many of the animals tested were positive for domoic acid poisoning."
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Saturday April 28th 2007

Kucinich on Cheney at SC Debates 04/26/07
Must View - A quote...."Kucinich talks about impeaching Cheney"

Actually Kucinich talks about the US constitution - he stood his ground and simply told the truth regarding the terrible things that have happened to this country over the last six years....as apposed to all the other so-called "Democrats" up there on the platform with him. - mpg
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America's moral menopause
Must Read - A quote...."For almost 200 years, the US has claimed the moral high ground in world affairs. As it prospered, it looked on a wretched global scene of war, poverty, dictatorship, conquest, exploitation, colonial rule and the denial of human rights. Imbued with a new sense of global power following allied victories in World War I and World War II, the US soon changed from the acclaimed position of moral guru to that of the scion of imperial power. When the US withdraws from Iraq in defeat it will leave the Middle East/Gulf region in a state of unparalleled chaos and instability, a political vacuum remaining that not even massive US military presence in the region could fill. It has unleashed forces it cannot control and is trying to contain them by maintaining a decrepit status quo. The short-lived American empire is inexorably entering its period of political and moral menopause. It would do the US, and the turbulent world it has created, well if it retreated from its failed ideology of neo-conservatism into an era of neo- isolationism."

Fascist America, in 10 easy steps
Must Read - It's been out there for a while, but if you haven't read it yet please do so, it's good. - mpg

Robert Fisk: We are now in the firing line, sadly
Must Read - A quote...."When did the sands run out for us journalists? When did the moment of immunity pass away? When we took to wearing flak jackets or donned military costumes in the 1990 Gulf War? In Bosnia? In the cancerous, repetitive use of "terrorism, terrorism, terrorism" in our news reports? In Iraq, as we stood in our gated hotels, behind our watchtowers and bodyguards? When we grew used to what Martin Bell calls the "two palm trees", the Monty Python-like shrubbery that stands as a back-lot to almost every BBC report from the roof of its Baghdad office?"

StopBlackwater.net
Are Blackwater mercenaries to be the new Brownshirts mentioned in "Fascist America, in 10 easy steps"? - mpg

Durbin kept silent on prewar knowledge
A quote...."The Senate's No. 2 Democrat says he knew that the American public was being misled into the Iraq war but remained silent - because he was sworn to secrecy as a member of the intelligence committee.  -  "The information we had in the intelligence committee was not the same information being given to the American people. I couldn't believe it," Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said Wednesday when talking on the Senate floor about the run-up to the Iraq war in 2002." - bold italics by website author

Lying as Art Form - The Rhetoric of Dick Cheney
A quote....""My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators." So said Vice-president Dick Cheney on March 16, 2003 as U.S. soldiers marched toward Baghdad at the start of America's Iraqi disaster. Nearly six months later, on Meet the Press, Mr. Cheney, not generally compared to Pollyanna, seemed to adopt her type of viewpoint:"

The "Stab in the Back" Trap
A quote...."The Democrats and the peace movement are walking into a trap. The Republicans are preparing with Rovian cunning to focus the mind of the public on the question: Who lost Iraq?  -  And they are already giving the answer: The Democrats and the peace movement.  -  Republicans are preparing to dominate future decades of American politics by blaming the failure of the Iraq war on those who 'sent a signal' that the U.S. would not 'stay the course' whatever the cost. President Bush and Vice-President Cheney have already begun to project such a 'stab in the back' myth. At a recent Republican luncheon, Vice-President Cheney told Senators that 'What's most troubling' about Senator Harry Reid's recent comment that the war is lost 'is his defeatism.'  -  It's a weak reed right now. But it will be much more serious when Americans are forced to face the chaos and humiliation that will come with recognition that America is not only failing but that it has failed."

Poll: New Harris Poll Has Bush at 28 Percent, Cheney Hits New Low Too
A quote...."President George W. Bush’s job performance is currently viewed positively by only 28 percent of U.S. adults, the lowest since he took office. Seven in ten adults view his job performance in a negative light, including almost half (48%) who say his job performance is poor. Since February, the President has dropped from one-third (32%) who viewed his job positively and 67 percent who gave him negative marks.  -  Vice President Dick Cheney is also at his lowest job approval – just one-quarter of adults view him in a positive light while over two-thirds (68%) view his job performance negatively. This is down from February, which was his previous low, when 29 percent saw his job performance positively and 67 percent saw it in a negative way."

Leave Iraq, Sadr tells "anti-Christ Bush"
A quote...."BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The powerful Iraqi cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr called President George W. Bush the "anti-Christ" on Saturday and urged him to heed calls by the opposition Democrats to withdraw from the chaos of Iraq."

Hugo Chavez said the very same thing, their statements aren't quite correct however because Bush isn't the Nameless One, instead he's just an empty vessel. - mpg
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U.N. aid chief laments poor access to as many as 400,000 uprooted Somalis
A quote....GENEVA: The United Nations' top humanitarian official said Thursday that fighting in Somalia has displaced up to 400,000 people and that international aid groups only have access to a fraction of them.  -  "Civilians are caught in the crossfire," said John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. "There's indiscriminate shelling. We've seen missiles hitting hospitals."

Repeating the 'Progress in Iraq' Lie ... Until it Becomes Mistaken for the Truth
A quote....Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes mistaken for the truth. More than an old axiom, it is how Republicans win elections and rule. Despite every U.S. and global intelligence report proving beyond a doubt that so-called 'foreign fighters' -- those Mister Bush and Cheney call 'al-Qaeda' fighters -- make up only 2-to-6 percent of all enemy combatants in Iraq, the administration and its supporters have repeated the 'al-Qaeda in Iraq' scam so often that the corporate-owned media has begun to report the line without clarification. Another Republican success story...another lie told enough that it has become mistaken for the 'truth'."

Blackened Beacon of Lost Liberty
A quote...."There are several factors that contribute to anti-American sentiment globally. Being the brightest beacon for freedom, an idea that is no longer factual, is not one of them.  The truth is that the Israel-Palestine crisis is the issue that arguably fuels much anti-American sentiment in the Middle East (of course the 2003 invasion of Iraq has not helped matters) and the world at large. The historical role the CIA has played in overthrowing, destabilizing, or subverting foreign governments, political organizations, and populist movements around the globe has also contributed heavily to anti-American attitudes. More factors could be discussed, but for now, these two issues will suffice to make the point."

Iran attack would be terrible mistake: Musharraf
A quote...."SARAJEVO: President Pervez Musharraf said a possible US attack on Iran would be a “terrible mistake”, in an interview published here on Friday.  -  “It will be a terrible mistake if President George Bush orders an attack against Iran,” Musharraf told Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz ahead of his visit to Bosnia. “I’m concerned about the possibility that a US attack on Iran (would cause) turbulence in the region,” he said, warning it would spark “radicalism”."

What Iran Wants, and What It's Likely to Get
A quote...."It seems that the world is continuing to occupy itself with unraveling Iran's riddles. Do the centrifuges work or not? Will there be an atomic bomb or not? Will the Americans strike or not? But Iran doesn't joke and doesn't spend it's time carelessly. Regardless of whether it has already succeeded to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, the Iranians are fully determined to create a closed nuclear fuel cycle and continue their nuclear development."

Sitting Out the Obama Dance in Iowa City
Must Read - A quote...."I recently witnessed a disturbing event.  I was among the ten thousand predominantly white Iowans who listened to Barack Obama speak at the scenic “Pentacrest,” on the University of Iowa campus. "

This is not a puff piece or an editorial; it's an extensively researched account of Obama's actual voting record and it will certainly be used by many people as a reference in the future.  If you want to know what Obama's actual positions are on war, Iraq and the US's elites quest for the New Imperium, you should read this article.- mpg

Wolfowitz Case Should End U.S. Right to Appoint World Bank President
A quote...."Even if Wolfowitz resigns in the end, nothing will have been accomplished if President George W. Bush is permitted to select his successor.  -  For far too long, the world has accepted that the United States alone would occupy the office of World Bank president. In this regard, the scandal now engulfing Paul Wolfowitz could finally bring about much needed change."

Royal Accuses Rival of Apology to Bush on Iraq; Sarkozy Denies It
A quote...."PARIS, April 26 — Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate in the French presidential election on May 6, accused Nicolas Sarkozy, her conservative opponent, on Wednesday of having “apologized” to President Bush for France’s decision not to back the United States militarily in Iraq.  -  Mr. Sarkozy’s campaign team called her words “lies.”  -  “I am not for a Europe that aligns with the U.S.,” Ms. Royal said on France 2 television. “I have never been, and will never, go apologize to President Bush for the position of France on the issue of refusing to send our troops to Iraq.”

Yep....Bush has gone to the dog pound and found himself another "poodle", this one is going to be French. Poor Britain, poor France, they used to be independent countries once upon a time. - mpg
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The inside story on Bush, Blair and that special relationship
Related article - A quote...."Tony Blair has felt unable to pick up his US Congressional Gold Medal of Honour for four years partly because the ceremony would reinforce the prejudices of those convinced he was “some sort of poodle”, says Sir David Manning, Britain’s Ambassador in Washington." - bold/italics by website author.

See also....Bush and Blair's Endless Love - QT video
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French centrist candidate Francois Bayrou
A quote...."April 27-29, 2007 -- When defeated French centrist candidate Francois Bayrou said he considered French right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy to be a French version of Italian dictatorial media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, he hit the nail on the head. As we reported yesterday, the Regional Daily Press Syndicate (SPQR) turned down a request to host a debate between Bayrou and Socialist candidate Segolene Royal but then Canal Plus television network, in coordination with France Inter Radio and i-Tele agreed to host the broadcast the May 2 debate between Bayrou and Royal."
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An imminent British vote on Blairism
A quote...."Britons go to the polls May 3 to vote in local elections that will have a sizeable impact on the way that Tony Blair's ten-year premiership ends. Blair, who has been Prime Minister since May 2, 1997, has promised he will step down from the post before this year's Labour Party Conference, due in September. I've spent several weeks in the UK since early March-- and was back there again early this week. In much of the country, people just seem eager for him to go, and quickly. But he has hung on and hung on.  -  His decision to join President Bush in invading Iraq in 2003-- and the slavish support he has given to Bush ever since then-- are the main cause of this disaffection.  -  Now, Labour looks set to do very poorly in next week's local elections, and that performance is expected to bring Blair's Labour colleagues to the point where finally they tell him that-- for the sake of the party-- it is time for him to go."

Four students arrested for heckling FBI director
A quote...."Police arrested four Harvard University students last night for heckling FBI Director Robert Mueller prior to his speech on the "Balance of National Security and Civil Liberties," witnesses said.  -  Harvard spokesman Joe Wrinn confirmed that four Harvard students were arrested outside the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He could not verify their identities or the circumstances under which they were apprehended.  -  Harvard senior Austin Guest, who was outside the event when he saw the police take away the students, said officers handcuffed the protesters after escorting them out of the building.  -  "[Officers] told me if I talked to [the students], I would be arrested," he said.  -  Police and forum staff declined to comment on the incident."

Subpoena Them All.
A quote...."April 26, 2007 -- “Today the Department of Justice is experiencing a crisis of leadership perhaps unrivaled during its 137-year history,” said the Vermont Democrat. “There's a growing scandal swirling around the dismissal” of prosecutors, he added.  -  This quote by Senator Patrick Leahy set the stage as the grilling of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales began. I was not shocked, but I was ashamed.  His testimony confirms the tragic irrational incompetent hubris and dangerous rationale of the Bush Administration."

Internal Carlyle Group Memo: Market Good For 12-24 Months
A quote...." Now hear this! What we are about to tell you comes from deep within the bowels of the Illuminati. This information runs parallel with what we have been forecasting in our issues of the IF.  -  In February, via an internal memo, the Carlyle Group said they see another 12 to 24-months or more of “excess liquidity,” which will drive further profits and growth and that the current liquidity environment cannot go on forever; and, that the longer it lasts the more money our investors will make; but also that the longer it lasts, the worse it will be when it ends”

Website author's note - this is NOT to be taken as a market recommendation, just an observation.  Keep in mind the US economy is roughly 13 to 15 trillion dollars in GDP per year while the world's derivatives market is now anywhere between 300 to 500 trillion dollars in notational value, possibly even more. Most of it controlled by the centralized financial institutions and elites that currently run our government.  With such vast leverage they could mask, manipulate, or resist market forces for years.

However it does appear they are running out of maneuvering room at the end of this abbreviated ten year cycle of military Keynesianism, with the resultant increased strains on the US's financial system.  As such, a sudden "shift" or "adjustment" could occur at any time as this shortened "ten year cycle" winds down to its inevitable close. - mpg

See also....Effective Fed Funds Rate 03-24-07 - mpg
See also....GDP slows to 1.3% growth in first quarter - Inflation rages at fastest pace in 16 years, data show
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Home vacancy rate rises to record 2.8% - 2.2 million unoccupied homes were for sale at end of quarter
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The vacancy rate for owner-occupied homes rose to a record 2.8% in the first quarter from 2.7% in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department reported Friday.  -  A year ago, the vacancy rate for homes typically occupied by their owner was 2.1%, a record at the time. The median asking price was $185,200.  -  The vacancy rate for rental homes rose to 10.1% from 9.8%, the highest in two years. The median asking rental price was $659 a month.  -  Of 127.3 million housing units in the United States, 17.6 million were vacant at the end of the quarter, including 2.2 million vacant units that were for sale, 4 million for rent and 4.2 million seasonal homes. The number of vacant homes for sale has increased by 599,000 in the past year, up 38%".
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The dollar’s decline tracks US fall from grace
A quote...."NEW YORK - The United States may have no military equals, but the challenges to its financial power have become impossible to ignore.  -  A stark reminder came yesterday when the weakening dollar slumped to a record low against its main rival, the euro, after the US economy recorded its fourth consecutive quarter of below-trend growth.  -  The strength of the dollar is more than just a matter of bragging rights. Experts say the consequences of its long-term decline could have deep significance-for average Americans and for the country's position as an unrivaled global power."

Frankenfoods on the Dinner Table
A quote...."Ready to eat cloned beef? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on the verge of approving food from cloned animals to be sold in grocery stores. These products would not have to carry an identifying label."

Jon Stewart on "Bush's Progress"
Must View - It's hilarious - mpg
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Friday April 27th 2007

Algeria, the Model
Must Read - Fifty years ago, another Western power fought “Islamofascism”—then walked away.  --  When contemplating Iraq, Americans look into a murky crystal ball. History naturally presents itself as a tool to clarify the choices and possibilities that lie before us. But what history? Before the invasion, neoconservatives soaked the capital in the rhetoric of Winston Churchill and the “lessons” of the 1930s. Later, after Saddam was found to have no weapons of mass destruction, they sought to rebrand the Iraq War as a part of the long struggle against totalitarian “Islamofascism” and thus a successor to the Cold War. For many Americans, the natural comparison is the Vietnam War, which ended with evacuation choppers on the Saigon embassy’s roof and several more years of bloodshed in Indochina."
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Bill Moyers - BUYING THE WAR: - video also posted at ICH
Must View - A quote....How did the mainstream press get it so wrong? How did the evidence disputing the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the link between Saddam Hussein to 9-11 continue to go largely unreported?"

to everyone out there - if you want more programs like this,  let PBS know every time you give them money that you're doing it to encourage them to put more shows like this on the air.  -  mpg
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Harvest of Shame II
Related article - A quote....I have never really believed the old saying from the 1960s that the "medium is the message." But there can be no doubt that some media is better than others for driving home certain points  -   What I am referring to is the influence good television documentaries can have in general and the overwhelming power, in particular, of the Bill Moyers’ piece called "Buying the War" that aired on PBS last Wednesday night. This is a long overdue look at the way the main street media bought with virtually no reservations the "case" for war that was sold through them to the American people by the Bush administration beginning soon after September 11, 2001."

U.S. media have lost the will to dig deep
A quote...."IN AN E-MAIL uncovered and released by the House Judiciary Committee last month, Tim Griffin, once Karl Rove's right-hand man, gloated that "no [U.S.] national press picked up" a BBC Television story reporting that the Rove team had developed an elaborate scheme to challenge the votes of thousands of African Americans in the 2004 election.  -  Griffin wasn't exactly right. The Los Angeles Times did run a follow-up article a few days later in which it reported the findings. But he was essentially right. Most of the major U.S. newspapers and the vast majority of television news programs ignored the story even though it came at a critical moment just weeks before the election."
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A failure in generalship
A quote...."04/27/07 "Armed Forces Journal" -- -For the second time in a generation, the United States faces the prospect of defeat at the hands of an insurgency. In April 1975, the U.S. fled the Republic of Vietnam, abandoning our allies to their fate at the hands of North Vietnamese communists. In 2007, Iraq's grave and deteriorating condition offers diminishing hope for an American victory and portends risk of an even wider and more destructive regional war.

A good tactical analysis regarding the impending failure of the US's occupation of Iraq.  The author describes how many of the same errors made in Iraq were made during the Vietnam War. He describes some of the tactical solutions applied in Vietnam that might have helped prevent the coming debacle in Iraq.

He did not describe the one strategic error which if it had been avoided, would have prevented this whole catastrophe from occurring in the first place; the criminal, immoral and illegal decision to invade Iraq.  But of course, that falls under a completely different heading, a failure in leadership, which was not under the author's purview.. - mpg
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We've Been Surging For Years: More troops in Iraq than reported
A quote...."The total comes to 300,000 to 360,000, more than twice the "official" figure.  -  The U.S. uses a number of deceptions, definitional illusions and euphemisms, including counting only "combat forces" and "military personnel," to drastically undercount the number of U.S. forces involved in Iraq, which are at least twice the number as those quoted in the media."

Serving British soldier exposes horror of war in 'crazy' Basra
A quote...." A British soldier has broken ranks within days of returning from Iraq to speak publicly of the horror of his tour of duty there, painting a picture of troops under siege, "sitting ducks" to an increasingly sophisticated insurgency.  -  "Basra is lost, they are in control now. It's a full-scale riot and the Government are just trying to save face," said Private Paul Barton."
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Petraeus: Iraq Needs Enormous Commitment
A quote...."The U.S. military commander in Iraq says the war effort may well get harder before it gets easier and American casualties are likely to continue to climb.  -  Speaking as the Senate was passing legislation to start bringing home U.S. forces in October, Gen. David Petraeus said the war will require "an enormous commitment" by the United States. -  And he said that while some sectarian killings have dropped by two-thirds in recent months, the overall level of violence in Iraq has remained largely the same."  -  bold/italics by website author.

Dollar Declines to All-Time Low Against Euro as Economy Slows
Related article- A quote...."April 27 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar dropped to an all-time low against the euro after the U.S. government reported the economy grew at its slowest pace in four years."

GDP slows to 1.3% growth in first quarter - Inflation rages at fastest pace in 16 years, data show
Related article - A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Hit by rising energy prices and a weak housing market, the U.S. economy slowed to real annualized growth of 1.3% in the first quarter, the weakest rate of expansion seen in four years, the Commerce Department estimated Friday."

China economy surges 11 percent
Related article - A quote...."BEIJING -- China's sizzling economy surged 11.1 percent in the first quarter, causing the country's Cabinet to declare Thursday it will take steps to keep the economy from overheating."

Three U.S. home builders report losses
Related article - A quote...."CHICAGO: Pulte Homes, Beazer Homes USA and Ryland Group have reported quarterly losses as the deteriorating U.S. housing market forced them to write down the value of property and abandon land purchases.

And they said Americans weren't making any sacrifices for the Iraq War, believe me folks, you’ll be making sacrifices, lots and lots of sacrifices. - mpg
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Dealing With the Devil
A quote...."One hundred billion dollars. People often ask why we are in Iraq and why the war cannot be ended. One hundred billion dollars. With that kind of money flowing into the pockets of defense contractors and everyone connected to them, "the war" will continue indefinitely. For as long as the money flows, "the war" will continue."

Massacre in Mogadishu—war crime made in the USA
A quote...."The brutal military siege against the Somali capital of Mogadishu constitutes a war crime for which the US government bears the principal responsibility.  -  While the mass media in the US itself has largely averted its eyes from the carnage, Ethiopian military units, backed and advised by Washington, have unleashed an intense bombardment of Mogadishu’s crowded and impoverished urban neighborhoods, killing and wounding thousands and turning hundreds of thousands more into homeless refugees."

Inside Africa's Guantánamo
A quote...."The only way the US can prop up its client regime in Somalia is through lawlessness and slaughter  - This is the most lawless war of our generation. All wars of aggression lack legitimacy, but no conflict in recent memory has witnessed such mounting layers of illegality as the current one in Somalia. Violations of the UN charter and of international humanitarian law are regrettably commonplace in our age, and they abound in the carnage that the world is allowing to unfold in Mogadishu, but this war has in addition explicitly violated two UN security council resolutions. To complete the picture, one of these resolutions contravenes the charter itself."

Gore Vidal on Campaign ’08 and America’s Future
Interview - A quote...."Robert Scheer sits down with Gore Vidal to hear his take on the upcoming presidential campaign, religion and the future of the American empire in this first installment from Truthdig’s series of interviews with the iconic author and historian."

No One Should Be Above the Law
A quote...."George Bush has shredded, violated or absented America from its obligations under international law.  He has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, backed out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, tried to kill the International Criminal Court, walked out on negotiations on chemical and biological weapons and defied the Geneva Convention and human rights law in the treatment of detainees.  Most egregiously, he launched an illegal war in Iraq based on fabricated evidence we now know had been discredited even before it was made public."

Pelosi, Biden and Cluster Bombs - Failing to Hold Israel Accountable for War Crimes in Lebanon
A quote...."In late January the State Department delivered a potentially explosive report to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The classified report asserts that Israel may have violated the Arms Export Control Act with its use of American-made cluster munitions this past summer in Lebanon.  -  Multiple contacts to both offices indicate neither Biden nor Pelosi has any intention of pursuing the matter. In contrast, a congressional investigation 25 years ago helped persuade President Ronald Reagan to suspend cluster munitions to Israel for six years. This Congress, however, will not call Israel to account for its actions."

AIPAC strikes again. - mpg
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Wolfowitz Loses Ground in Fight for World Bank Post
A quote..."WASHINGTON, April 26 — Paul D. Wolfowitz’s struggle to hold on to his job as World Bank president suffered a major setback on Thursday when more than 40 members of the organization’s anticorruption team, formed to promote transparent government and closely identified with Mr. Wolfowitz, declared that the controversy over his conduct was undermining their work."

Deputy Secretary of State resigns after admitting escort link
A quote....:'Condi loves him,' friend tells Washington Post  -  WASHINGTON -- Deputy Secretary of State Randall Tobias submitted his resignation Friday after confirming to ABC News that he had been a customer of a Washington escort service, multiple media outlets reported Friday."

Justice Department official resigns over Abramoff investigation
a quote...."A senior Justice Department official has resigned in connection with the investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a McClatchy report."
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Ecuador 'expels World Bank envoy'
A quote...."Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has ordered the expulsion of the World Bank's representative in the country, sources say.  -  "We have received a letter in which our country manager is expelled," an unnamed bank official told Reuters."

Hip Hip Hooray for Ecuador!! - mpg

Ecuador MPs seek Colombia asylum - posted at GNN
A quote...."At least 11 Ecuadorian MPs have sought political asylum in Colombia after a state prosecutor issued warrants for their arrests for treason.  -  More are expected to follow, according to one of the MPs, Gloria Gallardo.  - 
Some 24 MPs have been accused of rising against the government, out of a total of 50 MPs who were fired last month and reinstated on Monday."

Hip Hip Hooray for Ecuador!!  - Maybe.  Remember moderation is the key to political and economic success.  Also remember unchecked, unrestrained revolutions tend to eat their own.- mpg
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Top cleric warns Iran on economy, disunity
A quote...."A top cleric and ex-presidential challenger has issued an unusual public warning over the state of Iran's economy and political disunity which he said are threatening the tenets of the Islamic revolution.  -  Ali Akbar Nateq Nuri, an advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed concern that money supply growth and factional political bickering in the Islamic republic are spiralling out of control."

Hezbollah taunts Israel with picture of captive soldiers
A quote...."Mounted on a huge black placard draped in a Hezbollah flag, the photograph showed Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in profile facing each other.  -  Between them was the legend in English and Arabic -- "For the sake of our detainees", a reference to Hezbollah's demands to exchange them for prisoners held by Israel."

Attacks Spark Fears of Taliban Defeating NATO
A quote...."April 25, 2007 ·  In Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgency is spreading, even reaching some provinces in the north that had never been its strongholds. Last week, Taliban fighters attacked a district only 45 miles from the capital, Kabul. Afghans increasingly fear that NATO and Afghan forces will lose the war."

Ashdown helps prepare Iraq strategy rethink for Brown
A quote...."Proposals for a fundamental post-Blairite rethink of government policy towards Iraq are being prepared involving Lord Ashdown, the former UN high representative to Bosnia, and Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former British envoy to Baghdad."

The pending British version of the US's ISG report.....i.e. more of the same, but with a nicer cover - mpg
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Four oil firms cede control to Venezuela's Chávez
A quote...."Four major oil companies Wednesday agreed to cede control of Venezuela's last remaining privately run oil projects to President Hugo Chávez's government, but ConocoPhillips resisted, prompting warnings its fields could be taken over outright.  -  The companies pump and process heavy oil in the Orinoco River basin. Chávez decreed last month that their fields be nationalized May 1."
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DOJ Stalls Anthrax Investigation [UPDATED]
A quote...."Democratic Representative Rush Holt (NJ-12) has been stonewalled in his efforts to get answers from the DOJ and the FBI about the status of investigations into the 2001 anthrax attacks on the federal government. The anthrax letters originated from his district.  -  On December 11, 2006, Holt and a bipartisan group of Congressmen requested that Attorney General Gonzales “direct the FBI to provide Congress with a comprehensive briefing on the status of the five year-old anthrax investigation.” The DOJ refused."

Your government in action.  Everyone knows who didn't do it....it wasn't Saddam and it wasn't al Qaeda.

Think about it - mpg

See also.......THE 9/11 ANTHRAX FRAME-UP
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U.S. Proxy Linked to Liquid Explosive Plot
A quote...."A Pakistani-based militant group recently identified in the media as a recipient of covert U.S. support has been linked to the alleged plot to bomb multiple trans-Atlantic flights last summer. -  According to U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources that recently spoke to ABC News, the group, known as Jundullah, “has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005.”1"

Just remember folks....it's all simply a coincidence. - mpg
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9/11 - From The History File...New Details on F.B.I. Aid for Saudis after 9/11
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Former CIA Chief Says Cheney, Others Pushed For Iraq War
A quote...."April 27, 2007 -- The former director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) says Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials pushed the country to invade Iraq without "serious debate" about whether Saddam Hussein was an imminent threat."

Judge Indicts 3 U.S. Soldiers in Death of Spanish Journalist in Iraq
A quote...."MADRID, Spain A judge indicted three U.S. soldiers Friday in the 2003 death of a Spanish journalist who was killed when their tank opened fire at a hotel in Baghdad.  -  Sgt. Shawn Gibson, Capt. Philip Wolford and Lt. Col. Philip DeCamp were charged with homicide in the death of Jose Couso and ''a crime against the international community.'' This is defined under Spanish law as an indiscriminate or excessive attack against civilians during war."

See also....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure. 02-03-07 - mpg
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A French e-voting "catastrophe"
A quote...."One of the more controversial of America's exports has managed to unite factions from across France's political spectrum, with the major parties in France's hotly contested presidential election uniting to inform AFP that a "catastrophe" has taken place. No, I'm not talking about the opening of a new McDonald's. The catastrophe in question is an electronic voting catastrophe of the kind that occurred in a number of counties in America during this past November's mid-term elections."

2002, 2004 and 2006 deja'vu all over again.  How many of you 'wanna bet that somehow the "right wing" candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, the US Neocon's fellow traveler and a man who is a much better fit for the term the "US's poodle" than Blair, gets more votes from these machines than the "left wing" candidate Segolene Royal.
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Neocon Sarko Poised to Win French Elections
A quote...."Big choice for the French, as the 2007 election plays out with Nicolas Sarkozy on top, followed closely by Ségolène Royal. Sarkozy, billed as a “law and order” candidate, is considered the bête noire of the so-called Left, in France actually a gaggle of ineffectual and lukewarm socialists. Sarko, as he is both affectionately and derisively nicknamed, called for ethnically cleansing the banlieue of La Courneuve in June 2005 “with a Kärcher,” a well-known brand of pressure cleaning equipment, a rather remarkable comment, as he is Minister of the Interior. It is this attitude and his “circulaire Sarkozy” mandating a crack down on Muslim immigrants, that has won the favor of the neocons on the other side of the pond in America. It helps, as well, that Sarko supports the invasion and occupation of Iraq."

Royal moves into the camp of Bayrou
A quote...."Ségolène Royal, the presidential candidate of the French Socialist Party, has reacted to the April 22 election by throwing herself into the arms of François Bayrou, the candidate of the right-wing bourgeois UDF. Bayrou took third place in the first round of the presidential election with 18.6 percent of the vote, trailing Royal (25.9 percent) and the Gaullist Nicolas Sarkozy (31.2 percent)."
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Thursday April 26th 2007

Jose Padilla and the Zucchini Prosecution - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...." 04/26/07 "ICH" -- - - The case against Jose Padilla would be funny if a man’s life hadn’t been ruined in the process---but it has. The Bush administration has leapt from one absurd accusation to the next completely undisturbed by the glaring inconsistencies of their case. The prosecution’s objective is the same now as it was 5 years ago when the Chicago gang-banger was first arrested at O’ Hare Airport as an alleged “dirty bomber”, that is, keep Padilla behind bars for the rest of his life. "

Rice rebuffs congress on Iraq war subpoena
A quote...."US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signalled Thursday that she would not comply with a subpoena to appear before Congress to testify about discredited assertions on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction."

Rice is simply going to ignore a Congressional subpoena.  So much for the constitution, so much for checks and balances.  It was nice having them while they lasted.  - mpg

Regarding the two articles shown above see also....Thirty Acts to Restore Americans' Rights 11-10-06 - mpg
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Knee-deep blood in the land of make-believe
A quote...."It’s astonishing that members of Congress are either unaware George W. Bush and Dick Cheney lied the nation into war with Iraq, or they are aware of the fact and don’t care. A Congress grounded in reality would have unequivocally acknowledged the administration’s lies long ago and taken appropriate action -- almost certainly impeachment."

VIDEO: Impeach 07: Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney
A quote...."IMPEACH NOW - BRING THE BUSH REGIME TO A HALT - We gather today as Americans who cherish our Constitution. --- "Patriotism is standing for Truth. Patriotism is standing for the Constitution." (Rep. Dennis Kucinich)  ---   "The Republic is in Danger... Impeachment is Whole and Living Instrument of US Constitution. ---  When those leaders in high office violate the Constitution, the right of impeachment should prevail.

A Media Role in Selling the War? No Question.
Program Note - Must View -  Check local listings - A quote...."Perhaps the truth shall eventually set you free, but first it might make you very, very depressed. Tonight's edition of "Bill Moyers Journal" on PBS is one of the most gripping and important pieces of broadcast journalism so far this year, but it's as disheartening as it is compelling.  -  It's always depressing to learn that you've been had, but incalculably more so when the deception has resulted in thousands of Americans dying in the Iraq war effort."

Not to mention of course, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. - mpg
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Reality Check: Genuine Journalism Exposes Somali Horrors
A quote...."Yesterday we examined the egregious distortions and outright lies that Jeffrey Gettleman of the New York Times employed in whitewashing (pun fully intended) the Bush Administration's proxy war in Somalia: The Lies of the Times: NYT Pushes Bush Line on Somalia. Today, however, we are pleased to offer an antidote to Gettleman's servile perversion of reality -- a piece of honest-to-God journalism by Martin Fletcher of The Times of London."
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Thousands flee as shelling by Ethiopian tanks kills hundreds of civilians in Somali capital
A quote...."The Somali capital Mogadishu suffered some of the heaviest bombardment in nine days of fighting today, as Ethiopian tanks supporting the interim government shelled new areas of the city despite a claim by the Somali prime minister to have routed Islamist insurgents."

Clinton: US might have to confront Iran
War Update - A quote...."Democratic presidential candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that it might be necessary for America to confront Iran militarily, addressing that possibility more directly than any of the other presidential candidates who spoke this week to the National Jewish Democratic Council."

To Ms. Clinton.....if you're going to do everything AIPAC wants, why don't you convert to Judaism, move to Israel and run for the Knesset as a member of the Likud party.  Given your unrelenting support for their objectives it would simply be more appropriate for you to run for office over there, than over here.

You could even probably get elected as Prime Minister, think of that.– mpg
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Nafeez Ahmed -"Ties With Terror: The Continuity of Western-Al-Qaeda Relations in the Post-Cold War Period" Must Read - A quote...."An accurate understanding of the history of US relations with the Afghan mujahideen who went on to join al-Qaeda’s international terrorist network is crucial to understanding the anatomy of international terrorism today.  -  I will attempt here to condense this history in order to capture some of its most striking and significant features. In doing so, I hope to demonstrate as fact a hypothesis that flies entirely in the face of the official narrative – that US relations with the mujahideen did not end with the Cold War, but on the contrary have continued to this day in the post-Cold War era; and that this subtle, hidden relationship contributes directly to the systematic undermining of national security, through the cultivation of the sources of international terrorism. Most importantly, I will show that this conclusion is based on reliable, credible sources from the public record. And further, I must emphasize, I will not delve into any form of theoretical speculation, but will concentrate solely on alerting you to verifiable information that can be subject to further investigation.

Website authors note - this was posted on 04-19-07 in the 911 history file but it's such a good essay it had to be posted as a must read.  -  mpg
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Longer Version Of Kerry WTC Clip
John Kerry on WTC7 --- 2.50 min from the end regarding "the wall" "that was in danger" and that "that they did it in a controlled fashion". - mpg

Reports confirm Canada’s complicity in Afghan state torture
A quote....“If this report is accurate, Canadians have engaged in war crimes, not only individually but also as a matter of policy”—law professor Michael Byers"

The Puppet Who Cleared the Way for Iraq's Destruction
A quote...."As defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, was driven from public life thanks to the catastrophe of Iraq, and for the moment at least lurks in obscurity. Wolfowitz, his deputy until 2005, contributed in almost equal measure to the debacle, yet managed to slide from the Pentagon into the presidency of a leading international institution with every chance to redeem himself. Blame for torture at Abu Ghraib and Guant·namo, bungling over troop levels, chaos in Iraq's reconstruction, and the general meltdown in Pentagon management has all too often been laid at Rumsfeld's door alone. However, Wolfowitz was an energetic enabler of these outrages and many other notorious initiatives."

Putin slams foreign 'interference' in Russia
A quote...."President Vladimir Putin launched a stinging attack Thursday against foreign interference in Russia and threatened to withdraw from a key defence treaty in response to a planned US anti-missile system in central Europe.  -  "There are some who are using democratic ideology to interfere in our internal affairs.... The flow of money from abroad used for direct interference in our affairs is growing," Putin told members from both houses of parliament gathered in the Kremlin."

Regarding this issue see also....Russian "Paranoia"
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Wednesday April 25th 2007

US policy takes a step closer to the abyss
Some  quotes...."Personal escalation against Sunni leaders has become a pretty clear sign of an approaching crisis." - "Obviously there is a conflict between the expressed US-Maliki program of national reconciliation, and this apparent escalation, both personal and military, against Sunni leaders and groups. Some will attribute this to vacillating US policy. Others posit a distinction between two factions of the Bush right wing, one favoring a return to Sunni control of Iraq (and finding the Allawi-coup theory, for instance, plausible), and the other favoring a Shiite-led eradication of the Sunni establishment once and for all (a position represented by the loony tunes people at the AEI and elsewhere who say that from this perspective, things are going really well, because not only the armed Sunni resistance, but the political Sunni groups as well, are falling apart). "

Walls of Apartheid: Ghettoizing Baghdad
A quote...."The world has seen America's little President declaring 'Mission accomplished' staged on a warship, geared up in a dinky flying suit (which did some strange things to his lower organs) 'milestones', the 'surge' and now the ghettoization of Baghdad. As the Nazis in Warsaw, the US in Vietnam, the Israelis in Palestine. America also plans a wall between itself and Mexico and Iraq and Saudi Arabia, reportedly to be built by the Israeli company, Zeef Belinsky, who have pioneered the new Berlin Wall between Israel and Palestine. Falluja of course was the first US experiment at 'gating' and having 'gated' this ancient city, they slaughtered the encircled with impunity. The Baghdad plan is reportedly the newest brainchild of former CIA darling Ahmed Chalabi (www.uruknet.info?p=32367) the man who also told the US administration that the invaders would be greeted with sweets and flowers."

Ahmed Chalabi again!!  The guy won't rest until Iraq is completely destroyed and he has his hands permanently wrapped around all the oil wells in the country. - mpg
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Democrats' Timetable Allows U.S. War in Sunni Region to Go On
A quote...."The language on a timetable for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq voted out of the House-Senate conference committee this week contains large loopholes that would apparently allow U.S. troops to continue carrying out military operations in Iraq's Sunni heartland indefinitely."

Four million Iraqis forced to flee their homes: UNHCR
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS: Nearly 4 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes in a mass exodus sparked by bloodshed, want and insecurity according to the UNHCR.  - Approximately 2 million Iraqis are now in neighbouring countries and the estimated 1.9 million Iraqis have remained displaced inside their own country, “many of them in increasingly desperate conditions,” according to UNHCR."

Mogadishu war enters second week, no let-up in sight
A quote...."MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Shelling and machine-gun fire shook the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday for an eighth day and residents fled a government offensive to crush Islamist insurgents and clan militia."

The Lies of the Times: NYT Pushes Bush Line on Somalia
A quote...."The New York Times has finally deigned to bestow prominent notice on the Bush Administration's third on-going "regime change" operation, its blood-soaked proxy war in Somalia. But it should come as no surprise that today's front page piece by Jeffrey Gettleman (People Who Feed Off Anarchy in Somalia Are Quick to Fuel It) is riddled with the same kind of slavish spin, artful omissions and outright lies that the paper produced in those glorious Judy Miller days of yore before the invasion of Iraq. One can only hope that Gettleman submits an invoice to the White House, to get his rightful due for this remarkable piece of government propaganda. For the story is permeated with the Bushist ethos: blame the victims, bury the truth, and smear all those who oppose the Leader's will."

What is wrong with the New York Times?  If they're going to support every facet of the PNAC plan, if they think it's so wonderful, one would think they'd at least have enough courage to tell their readers about the plan and what it entails for this nation. - mpg

See also....The Plan -- according to U.S. General Wesley Clark (Ret.) YouTube - 1.37 min
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British Antiterrorism Chief Warns of More Severe Qaeda Attacks
War Alert * - A quote...."LONDON, April 25 — In a somber and wide-ranging assessment of the threat facing Britain, its top counterterrorism police officer, Peter Clarke, said Tuesday night that Al Qaeda had survived “a prolonged multinational assault” and that its supporters had established “an inexorable trend towards more ambitious and more destructive attack planning.”

It appears the NYT is now fully involved with, and fully supports the MIOC's PNAC plans.

See also....MI5: Iran and Al Qaeda Planning an attack on “a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki”
See also....Hersh Off the Rails 03-05-07 - mpg

Given the information contained in the three articles shown above, it appears there's a moderate chance of a false flag operation being carried out in the next two to four months. - mpg

* Editor's note - War Update, War Alert and War Warning 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
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9/11 - From The History File...Congress Mulls the 9-11 Phoenix Memo
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Rosie Tells ABC To Screw Its 9/11 Censorship
A quote...."Offers of more money, new contract turned down by hero O'Donnell as she refuses to shut up about 9/11 ABC is reporting that it has been unable to come to a contractual agreement with Rosie O'Donnell. As a result, her hosting duties on The View will come to an end mid-June."

Pat Tillman and the “Elaborate Lies” of Psychopathic Rulers
A quote...."Lies. For the Bush neocons, they are second nature, as predictable as the sun coming up in the morning. Bush and crew lied about the events of September 11, 2001, about “al-Qaeda” in Afghanistan, about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction.  -  Pat Tillman, the football star who walked away from an NFL career to fight a manufactured enemy in Afghanistan, where he was shot dead by his own troops, was shamelessly exploited by the Pentagon, and became part of yet another lie."

Global axis of oil and gas
A quote...."Russia, officially listed as holder of 27% of the world's proven natural-gas reserves, but soon to be upgraded to 35%, and Iran hold more than 51% of the world's reserves. When Algeria, Qatar and Indonesia, the world's leaders in the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and the rest of the 16-member group comprising the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) are added in, then the grouping accounts for more than three-fourths of the world's reserves and at least 60% of world production."

Alleged Hit Man Worked at US Embassy
Some quotes...." BOGOTA, Colombia — A retired army colonel accused of conspiring to assassinate President Alvaro Uribe's most vocal critic worked for the U.S. Embassy two years ago.  -  Former Col. Julian Villate _ now employed by Alabama-based coal producer Drummond Co. Inc. _ was accused by Sen. Gustavo Petro Tuesday of trying to hire hit men in January to kill him.

And...."Villate also was accused before his embassy job _ when he was still in the military, in mid-2004 _ of spying on leaders of Cali's public employees union in what the union described as an assassination plot. That scandal was widely publicized at the time, and remains under criminal investigation."

My goodness....what a surprise.  One has to wonder what agency he worked for at the US embassy?  Anyone care to guess? – mpg
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Argentina cancels junta pardons
A quote...."A court in Argentina has cancelled pardons for human rights violations granted to two former military leaders, Jorge Videla and Eduardo Massera.  -  The court said the pardons granted in 1990 by former Argentine President Carlos Menem were unconstitutional."

Ethiopia hunts for Chinese oil workers
A quote...."Addis Ababa: Ethiopian troops searched yesterday for seven Chinese and Ethiopian workers kidnapped in a rebel attack on an oilfield that killed 74 people in a remote and barren southeastern region.  -  The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), ethnic Somalis fighting for independence since 1984, claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn raid on the Chinese-run field that was one of the worst attacks to date on Beijing's growing interests in Africa."

Major powers hint at compromise with Iran on enrichment .....[NOT]
A quote...."BRUSSELS (AP) - The United States denied Tuesday that it is considering proposals that would allow Iran to partially retain its uranium enrichment program. "We're not considering any proposals that would allow the Iranians to retain any enrichment-related activities," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "We would hope the Iranians would take us up on the offer for negotiations, but the conditions for entering those negotiations are the same."

Iran expects new ideas from EU at talks
A quote...."Ankara: Iran said it expected the EU to float new ideas at talks yesterday to try and end a standoff over Tehran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment that the West fears could be used for nuclear weapons."

500 Terror Attacks in EU in 2006 - But Only 1 by Islamists
A quote...."There were almost 500 acts of terrorism across the European Union in 2006 -- but only one, the foiled suitcase bomb plot in Germany, was related to Islamist terror, a new EU report reveals."

U.S., Venezuelan officials clash over alleged terrorist Luis Posada
A quote...." WASHINGTON - Venezuela's ambassador to the Organization of American States on Wednesday accused Washington of protecting alleged terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, drawing a sharp reply from the lead U.S. diplomat at the session.  -  Nelson Pineda, Venezuela's envoy to the OAS, said Posada is believed to have "planned or carried out" terrorist acts in 20