Tuesday May 15th 2007

Imperial Democracy: Buy One Get One Free (YouTube 53min 43sec) - posted at ICH
Must View -  A quote...."Lecture given by the charismatic, educated and poetic author Arundhati Roy about Empire, Iraq, War, Role of Money, USS Vincenz, Manufactured Consent, Disenfranchisement, Production Democracy, Affirmative Action, Patriot Act and Boardroom Bulletins"

This was posted Sept 12, 2006....she's absolutely outstanding - mpg

See also Arundhati Roy videos/lectures/articles
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Loser Liberalism Versus Power Populism
Must Read - A quote...."The Democrats like to portray themselves as the party of humble masses. This is in contrast to the Republicans, who President Bush once jokingly described as the party of the “haves and have mores.”  -  But there are two very distinct ways in which Democrats see themselves as helping out the middle class and poor. On the one hand, much of the Democratic Party leadership portrays the government as sort of a collective charity. These Democrats draw a picture that has the market determining societies’ winners and losers. But, because they are nice people, they think it’s appropriate to tax the winners to help out the losers. This distinguishes them from the Republicans, who want to tell the losers to get lost. This philosophy can be thought of as “loser liberalism,” since it holds that the government must tax back some of the winners’ money to help out those who did not do very well on their own."

Evil Empire - Is Imperial Liquidation Possible for America?
Must Read - "By Chalmers Johnson - 05/17/07 "ICH" -- -- In politics, as in medicine, a cure based on a false diagnosis is almost always worthless, often worsening the condition that is supposed to be healed. The United States, today, suffers from a plethora of public ills. Most of them can be traced to the militarism and imperialism that have led to the near-collapse of our Constitutional system of checks and balances. Unfortunately, none of the remedies proposed so far by American politicians or analysts addresses the root causes of the problem."

“The Ground Truth” - The Army You’ve Got
Must Read - A quote...."The great myth about the military—any military anywhere in the world—is that it’s an honorable gig. Not usually. Maybe the aim of the military, on rare occasions, is honorable: the defense of one’s land, the defense of a great, lived ideal (as opposed to a theoretical or utopian one, as in most of the 19 th and 20 th centuries’ revolutionary movements). In the 20th century, only World War II comes close to defensible necessity. And since? As far as the United States is concerned, not a single war rates, although Korea is a close second: it had the backing of the United Nations, compliments of a boycott by the Soviets. But Vietnam? Those rogue Central American interventions oiled by the likes of Ollie North? Beirut? Haiti? Panama? Gulf War I and the Iraq War? Not even close."

It is not only God that will be Blair's judge over Iraq
A quote...."Tony Blair's opposition to an immediate ceasefire in the Lebanon war last summer precipitated his downfall. Now that he has announced the date of his departure from Downing Street, his entire Middle East record needs to be placed under an uncompromising lens.  -  Blair came to office with no experience of, and virtually no interest in, foreign affairs, and ended by taking this country to war five times."

The Great Anglo-American Energy Miscalculation
A quote...."In far off countries, about which we know little, deals are being struck that will bring exasperation and ever increasing degrees of desperation to the "Anglo-American Military Industrial Complex's" aspirations of controlling the world energy markets.  -  There are hot wars, and there are cold wars, both are going on right now. The general public is largely oblivious to them both.  The hot wars are in Afghanistan and Iraq, these are waged for the very same reasons that the cold ones are currently being fought out.  The most obvious cold war currently is  the war against Iran, but a few degrees cooler than this is the war being carried out against Russia."

Breaking the Vow of Silence
A quote...."The underlying, unconscious psychological process that played out between my parents and the rabbi is very revealing, in that it is isomorphic (similar in structure) with what is playing out in our country today with people who are unquestioningly supporting the Bush regime and its criminal policies. Though the overwhelming majority of Americans now see through the current administration’s web of lies, there are still enough people who, like my parents blindly supporting the rabbi, either continue to unquestioningly support Bush in his madness, or recognizing the madness, remain silent. Each of these reactions allows the madness to enact itself unabated. The underlying psychological process that played out with the rabbi and his congregation was like a fractal that is presently reiterating itself en masse in our country, as well as in numerous permutations throughout the world. Contemplating what was being symbolically revealed in the process with the rabbi can help us understand how to better deal with the madness that is currently being acted out in the body politic of our nation and our world at large."

Brazilian rancher found guilty in killing of American nun
A quote...."BELEM, Brazil: A judge in an Amazon state sentenced a rancher to 30 years in prison for ordering the killing of American nun and rain forest defender Dorothy Stang, a case that could open the door to justice in the largely lawless region.  -  Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, 36, was convicted Tuesday of masterminding the shooting of 73-year-old Stang on Feb. 12, 2005 deep in the rain forest she had been defending for decades."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Washington’s New Imperial Strategy In Venezuela
A quote...."First used in Serbia in 2000, Washington has now perfected a new imperial strategy to maintain its supremacy around the globe. Whereas military invasions and installing dictatorships have traditionally been the way to control foreign populations and keep them out of the way of business, the U.S. government has now developed a new strategy that is not so messy or brutal, and much sleeker; so sleek, in fact, that it’s almost invisible."

Think Guatemala 1954, for Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela
Related article - A quote...." 05/15/07 "ICH" --- - In 1954, United Fruit, in concert with the CIA, successfully orchestrated the overthrow of Guatemala’s democratically-elected government of Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, charging that the Central American nation had fallen under communist influence. The demise of Arbenz took time to accomplish, with the fatal draught being a casual concoction of miscommunication, corporate arrogance, misinformation, outright deception, a naïve reform-minded government and arrogance on the part of the Eisenhower administration. Arbenz was neither a communist, nor was his government profoundly sympathetic to extreme leftist ideas as charged at the time by U.S. government officials and media outlets. Upon his election in 1951, Arbenz took office in a country in which 70% of the arable land was controlled by 2.2% of the population – only 12% of which was being cultivated at the time of his overthrow in 1954. Like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, he wanted to reform what was palpably neither a good nor just society. "
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Rattling the Cage: Bush and his good intentions
A quote...."If a war breaks out between Israel and Syria and a Winograd-style committee is appointed afterward to investigate it, one of the questions guaranteed to come up is this: Why did Prime Minister Ehud Olmert turn down Syrian President Bashar Assad's repeated, high-profile offers to talk peace?  -  The answer can already be written: Because that's what US President George W. Bush wanted Olmert to do. The prime minister hasn't even tried to hide this. "We must not respond to the Syrian initiative while President Bush, Israel's most important ally, opposes all negotiations with Syria," he has said."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Mounting crisis in Yankee imperialism’s ‘back yard’
A quote...."The week-long trip to Latin America by US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte signals a turn by the Bush administration to addressing the mounting challenges facing American imperialism in a region where its dominance was once unchallenged."

Negroponte Arrives: Beware of the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Related article - A quote...."Being in the public eye is nothing like pulling strings behind the scenes. For that reason, one can assume that despite his vast and bloodthirsty experience – which includes spying, dirty wars, surreptitious dealings and repression - John Negroponte  will not have an easy mission today in Ecuador, his second stop on a tour of Latin America that began yesterday in Colombia."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

See No Evil: Somalia Sinks Into the Pit as the World Looks Away
A quote...."How bad is the situation in Somalia, the third target of George W. Bush's "Terror War" take-downs? It's "worse than Darfur," says the UN's humanitarian chief, John Holmes.  -  Holmes, a former top British diplomat, told the Telegraph that "In terms of the numbers of people displaced, and our access to them, Somalia is a worse crisis than Darfur or Chad or anywhere else this year."

Iraq: Residents vow to destroy U.S.-constructed sectarian walls
A quote...."The residents of Adhamiya have vowed to destroy the walls U.S. troops are constructing to separate Baghdad neighborhoods on sectarian grounds.  -  “We shall destroy the walls the notorious occupation is constructing and keep our city an integral part of Iraq,” a statement by a newly formed resistance group said.  -  The statement emailed to the newspaper, said the wall separating Adhamiya from the rest of Baghdad “must be brought down” and this will be “achieved through the power and muscles of all the residents of Baghdad.”

Iraqis to Bush - Tear down this wall Mr. Bush....if you don't, we will! - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Dobson Hallucinates Iranian “Existential Threat”
A quote...."I’m experiencing that old déjà vu feeling again. Iraq has nukes or biologicals. Saddam is Hitler. Saddam and al-Qaeda will unleash a fury against the United States. Kindergarten children and old ladies will suffer and die. We have to do something. We have to mass murder a whole lot of people. Turn the place into a glass parking lot.  -  It’s not just Iran this time, though. “If we can lose ten we can lose a hundred,” warned Dobson, “especially if North Korea and Russia and China pile on.” Of course, this is imbecilic, as China, Russia and especially North Korea are not about to nuke anybody, but as we know this sort of inanity works like a charm, as a few million Iraqis can attest."

See also....The Plan -- according to U.S. General Wesley Clark (Ret.) YouTube - 1.37 min
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

At least 16 killed in Hamas-Fatah fighting
A quote...."GAZA (Reuters) - At least 16 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday -- eight in one incident -- in the deadliest fighting between Hamas and Fatah since the rivals formed a unity government to end bloodshed threatening to spill into civil war."

Pakistani cities virtually shut down by strike
A quote...."KARACHI (Reuters) - A Pakistani opposition strike virtually shut down Karachi and other major cities on Monday after nearly 40 people were killed and about 150 wounded in Pakistan's worst political street violence in two decades."

Province shut down by Pakistan strikes
Related article - A quote...."KARACHI, Pakistan -- Storefronts were shuttered and the streets of Pakistan's commercial hub emptied of cars on Monday as residents angry over a weekend of deadly political violence honored a general strike called amid growing discontent over President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's ouster of the chief justice."

Renewed Violence Limits Oil Production in Nigerian Region
A quote...."The violence that has gripped Nigeria’s main oil region for the last year is again on the rise after weeks of an uneasy truce.  -  Tensions have flared up in the Niger Delta, the site of much of the country’s oil production, after deeply flawed presidential elections last month. Dozens of foreign oil workers have since been kidnapped, at least three pipelines blown up, several supply vessels attacked and oil production curtailed."

AIPAC to pay Weissman's legal fees
A quote...."AIPAC reached a deal with lawyers for its former Iran analyst, Keith Weissman, to pay for his defense against Espionage Act charges.  -  "AIPAC is fully paying for Keith Weissman's defense through appeal if necessary," a source close to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee told JTA on Saturday. Sources close to the defense confirmed the deal. Spokesmen for Arent Fox, the law firm representing Weissman, could not be reached over the weekend for comment."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Angry Wolfowitz in four-letter tirade
A quote...."An angry and bitter Paul Wolfowitz poured abuse and threatened retaliations on senior World Bank staff if his orders for pay rises and promotions for his partner were revealed, according to new details published last night."

West's Monopoly on IMF and World Bank Leadership Must End
Related article - A quote...."In a world where Asia has become the planet's principal creditor, this trans-Atlantic monopoly isn't only obsolete, it's harmful. It leads the world to believe that despite all opposition, Westerners want to remain 'Masters of the World.'

Europeans step up pressure on Wolfowitz
Related article - A quote...."European governments are preparing to take a hard line against Paul Wolfowitz remaining as head of the World Bank, pushing ahead with a possible vote of no confidence and brushing off US proposals to delay judging the embattled president over his ethical violations."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

9/11 Truth Activist Gets Death Threats
A quote...."A prominent 9/11 truth activist and a reporter for Alex Jones' radio show has received threatening phone calls and death threats after exposing the fact that WTC leaseholder Larry Silverstein got a warning on the morning of 9/11 not to come to work."

Alex Jones Covers Further 'Video Loss' by BBC on 9/11
A quote...."Recently discovered footage of early reporting of the collapse of WTC Building 7 by the BBC, as well as CNN and BBC24-- while WTC7 was still standing in the background of the shot (a.k.a. Solomon Bros. Building-- a 47-story skyscraper within the WTC complex) seems to indicate direct scripting of Mainstream Media."

Update: Silverstein Family Were All "Running Late" On 9/11
Related article - A quote...."Following our article yesterday in which we revealed New York 9/11 truth activist Luke Rudkowski's claims that Silverstein's security had personally told him that Silverstein and his daughter got a warning on the morning of 9/11 not to come to work that day, we have been inundated with emails asking us to highlight the fact that there were in fact three Silversteins working in the towers who were all "running late" on that day."

See also....Claim: Silverstein Warned Not To Come To Work On 9/11
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

9/11 - From The History File...U.S. Clamps Secrecy on Warnings Before 9/11
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Secret IDF anthrax experiment participants develop illnesses
A quote...."Israeli investigative program "Uvda" (fact) reported Tuesday that dozens of soldiers belonging to elite Israel Defense Forces units have been suffering from various illnesses over the last few years after participating in a secret IDF experiment meant to aid in the development of an anthrax vaccine."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Rove fingered five of the US Attorneys slated for dismissal
A quote...."The Washington Post continues to break news on the US Attorney firing scandal, which has largely vanished from the rest of the US media.  -  According to the Post story, slotted on page A4, nearly half of the US attorneys slated for removal were targets of Republican complaints that they were lax in prosecuting voter fraud, "including efforts by presidential adviser Karl Rove to encourage more prosecutions of election- law violations, according to new documents and interviews."

Former Deputy AG on Wiretaps: "White House Tried to Coerce Ashcroft"
A quote...."    The White House operated a domestic surveillance program for several weeks three years ago, overriding objections by senior Justice Department officials who had informed top Bush administration officials that the spy program was illegal, a former deputy attorney general testified Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Domestic spying program was `without legal basis,' ex-official says
A quote...."WASHINGTON - The Bush administration ran its warrantless eavesdropping program without the Justice Department's approval for up to three weeks in 2004, nearly triggering a mass resignation of the nation's top law enforcement officials, the former No. 2 official disclosed Tuesday.  -  In testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey said that those he believed were prepared to quit included then-Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller."

White House Censors Civil Liberties Report
A quote...."We are fighting the war on terror, so, not only are civil liberties any longer relevant but neither is any report on civil liberties being violated relevant. After all, if you do not know that you have no rights, you won't complain all that much, see? From ACLU:"

Thirty Three Arrested Protesting War as Part of 'Mother of a March'
A quote...."After rallying in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House more than 250 anti-war advocates marched through Washington, DC to Capitol Hill. When they reached the Cannon House Office Building they formed two circles blocking the street to all traffic."

SAIC takes over work at Defense Supply Center
A quote...." Inventory management and supply services currently provided to the Defense Supply Center by the Defense Logistics Agency are being privatized.  -  Science Applications International Corp. won the five-year, $6.2 billion contract to provide Defense Supply Center with chemicals, petroleum, oils and lubricants."

Also known as spook central, the US's plumbers,  or the retirement home of the CIA.  Heck just look at its name....it's CIA'S spelled backwards.  See also.....SAIC Corp Watch search list .  By the way guess who was a SAIC board member....Robert Gates of course. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Why the United Auto Workers supports Cerberus’ take-over of Chrysler
A quote...."The United Auto Workers’ backing for the sale of Chrysler to the Wall Street private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management has far-reaching and dire implications not only for Chrysler workers, but for all US auto workers.  -  Behind the union’s embrace of a firm notorious for realizing huge profits by slashing jobs and wages and selling off corporate assets are moves to offload the US auto makers’ retiree health care liabilities to a new UAW-controlled company. The union officials are looking to go into the health care business and enrich themselves by directly imposing massive cuts in benefits on their own members."

After Scandal the of Chrysler, Heads Should Roll at Daimler
Related article - A quote...."The American dream of Daimler is at an end. At last, the decision on the future of its problemed-daughter Chrysler has been made. Because for far too long, Daimler - under the management of Dieter Zetsche - has allowed rumors to bubble as to who the new owners of the American car builder were going be. That a "grasshopper" like the U.S. Cerberus Corporation won the bid is a scandal. Indeed, the emergency at Daimler must be great for a corporation like Cerberus to have been given responsibility for Chrysler, rather that a company from within the industry, such as Canadian firm and auto parts manufacturer Magna, who had also expressed great interest."

Russian Breakthrough Reported In Radio Telescopes And Electromagnetic Weapons
A quote...."MOSCOW. (Yury Zaitsev for RIA Novosti) - A group of Russian scientists from Tomsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow have developed a series of unique compact generators capable of producing high-energy pulses of hundreds and even thousands of megawatts.  -  This compares with the capacity of a major Soviet hydropower station on the Dnieper or an energy unit at a modern nuclear power plant. The new generators are sources of electromagnetic radiation rather than electricity. Their main feature is a capacity to produce enormous power in a matter of nanoseconds. The impulses can be generated with a very high frequency."

Memorial Day Alternative
Good list of Anti-war films. - mpg

The Collision Between The Milky Way and Andromeda
A quote...."Abstract: We use a N-body/hydrodynamic simulation to forecast the future encounter between the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies, given current observational constraints on their relative distance, velocity, and mass. Allowing for a comparable amount of diffuse mass to fill the volume of the Local Group, we find that the two galaxies are likely to collide in a few billion years "

The Saturday Cartoons
A funny cartoon. - mpg

========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== =====

Agency planned exercise on Sept. 11 built around a plane crashing into a building
9/11 "black box" cover-up at Ground Zero?
US aviation received 52 al-Qaeda warnings before 9/11
Key 9-11 Facts & Assumptions Challenged By Prof. David Ray Griffin