Tuesday May 20th 2008
Attack
Iran - Trash the Constitution
Must Read - A
quote...."20/05/08 "ICH" -- - I have not been able to find out
how
to reach you directly, so I drafted this letter in the hope it will be
brought to your attention. - First, thank you for honoring the oath we
commissioned officers take to protect and defend the Constitution of
the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. At the same
time, you have let it be known that you do not intend to speak, on or
off the record, about Iran."
Sweet home paranoia
[updated!]
Must read - A
quote...."Boy, I miss "America." Remember America? The good old U.S. of
A.? Whenever I see a Washington shill bloviating about der "Homeland"
these days, I always get the feeling I should grow a short moustache,
goose-step around the block and maybe invade Poland before "American
Idol" comes on."
I
Declared My Independence
Must Read - A quote...."
19/05/08 "ICH" -- -- On my birthday last year, I declared my
independence from a national leadership that, through its votes in
support of the war machine, is now complicit in war crimes, torture,
crimes against humanity, and crimes against the peace.I declared my
independence from every bomb dropped, every veteran maimed, and every
child killed. I noted that the Democratic leadership in Congress had
failed to restore this country to Constitutional rule by repealing the
Patriot Acts, the Secret Evidence Act, and the Military Commissions
Act. That it had aided and abetted illegal spying against the American
people. And that it took impeachment off the table."
What
Are We Waiting For?
Must Read - A
quote...."20/05/08 "ICH" -- - Long before the disastrous George W. Bush
administration, I had been waiting for profound, systemic changes in
our political system. Perversely, I saw the upside of Bush as
motivating more Americans to demand political change. And that
happened. But the national yearning for change was co-opted by
Ron Paul on the right and Barack Obama on the left while John Edwards
with the most authentic populist change message fizzled out early."
The
Old Titans All Collapsed. Is the U.S. Next?
A quote...."Back in August, during the panic over mortgages, Alan
Greenspan offered reassurance to an anxious public. The current
turmoil, the former Federal Reserve Board chairman said, strongly
resembled brief financial scares such as the Russian debt crisis of
1998 or the U.S. stock market crash of 1987. Not to worry." -- Also posted at ICH
Bush's
Middle East policy in tatters
Special Note - A
quote...."To quote well-known British author and Middle East scholar
Patrick Seale, "The Arab Gulf States in particular trade briskly with
Iran and are home to a large Iranian population. They do not want to
isolate Iran or undermine its economy, as the United States and Israel
would like them to do. It seems clear that greater understanding and
confidence between Saudi Arabia and Egypt on the one hand and Iran and
Syria on the other - free from US and Israeli interference - would do
much to ease Lebanon's path to peace and security."
US
agenda and Pakistan
A quote...."As citizens we may be highly satisfied to see the outcome
of the political process but it has indeed worked against the will of
the popular vote. Since majority of the political elites have traded
their loyalties against the short term advantages and pushed Pakistan
in the quagmire of world politics of Oil and control over strategic
location to extend the agenda of the sole superpower in order to
establish its writ over the world political affairs."
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Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Tuesday roundup
- 2 articles -
[Day 14]
Rival
Lebanese reach deal to end crisis
A quote...."DOHA (Reuters) - Rival Lebanese leaders reached a deal on
Wednesday to end 18 months of political conflict that had pushed their
country to the brink of a new civil war. - Delegates from the
U.S.-backed ruling coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition told
Reuters disputes over a parliamentary election law and a new cabinet
had been settled on the sixth day of Arab-mediated talks in Qatar."
Lebanese
groups clinch deal
A quote...."Lebanese rivals have managed to reach an agreement to
defuse the political turmoil in the country following five days of
talks in Doha. - According to the DPA, a president is slated to be
elected either on Thursday or Friday. - "A solution has been reached
and it will be announced at a press conference in Doha on Wednesday,"
said opposition MP Ali Hassan Khalil."
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Tuesday roundup -
[Day 14]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Tuesday round-up - 2 articles - [ Day 57
]
Thousands
Of Iraqi Troops Flood Into Sadr City
A quote...."BAGHDAD — Some 10,000 Iraqi troops fanned out in Baghdad's
Sadr City on Tuesday, taking positions on main roads, rooftops and near
hospitals in an attempt to establish government control in the Shiite
militia enclave for the first time since Saddam Hussein's ouster."
The Wa'ilis and
the Hakims
A quote...."Here is the latest set of charges in an ongoing war of
words between leaders of two of the main power centers in Basra, the
Shiite nationalist Fadhila party, headed locally by the Basra governor
Mohamed Musbih al-Wa'ili, and the Iran-oriented axis of Hakim and/or
Maliki. Naturally there is no way of assessing the actual content of
any of the following charges, or how much of it is merely personal, but
I think the story is interesting anyway, as an indication of the
bitterness of the continuing war of words (and interesting too for the
fact that AMSI republishes the accusations against the Hakim axis)."
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Tuesday round-up - [ Day 57
]
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========== ====
How
to rule the world after Bush
Special Note - A
quote...."Many business leaders have fond memories of the "free trade"
years of the Bill Clinton administration, when chief executive officer
salaries soared and the global influence of multinational corporations
surged. -- Rejecting neo-conservative unilateralism, they want to see a
renewed focus on American "soft power" and its instruments of economic
control, such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and
World Trade Organization (WTO) - the multilateral institutions that
formed what was known in international policy circles as "the
Washington Consensus". These corporate globalists are making a bid to
control the direction of economic policy under a new Democratic
administration. -- There is little question that the majority of people
on the planet - those who suffered under both the corporate
globalization of the Clinton years and the imperial globalization of
Bush - deserve something better." -- Also
posted at TomDispatch
Miliband
backs tribal talks to halt Taliban
A quote...."David
Miliband * will today argue there is "no military solution" to the
spread of extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas, and
back the pursuit of political reconciliation in both countries." -- *link added - mpg
Attacks
on Khyber trucking threaten US supply line
A quote...."KHYBER AGENCY, Pakistan - Thieves, feuding tribesmen and
Taliban militants are creating chaos along the main
Pakistan-Afghanistan highway, threatening a vital supply line for U.S.
and NATO forces."
Report
Details Interrogation Debate - link posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."WASHINGTON — F.B.I. agents complained repeatedly, beginning
in 2002, about the harsh interrogation tactics that military and C.I.A.
interrogators were using in questioning terrorism suspects, like making
them do dog tricks and parade in the nude in front of female soldiers,
but their complaints appear to have had little effect, according to an
exhaustive report released Tuesday by the Justice Department’s
inspector general."
ElBaradei:
Iran not after bomb
A quote...."The UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei has once
again highlighted the lack of evidence to prove Iran is after a nuclear
bomb. - Speaking at a session of the World Economic Forum on the Middle
East, ElBaradei reiterated the International Atomic Energy Agency has
no evidence that Iran is seeking to develop an atomic bomb."
Turkey
Urges Negotiated Solution to Iran's N[uke]. Issue
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on
Monday urged the western countries to solve the Iranian nuclear issue
by means of dialogue."
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AP
IMPACT: At least 100,000 said executed by US's Korean ally in 1950
summer of terror
A quote...."Grave by mass grave, South Korea is unearthing the
skeletons and buried truths of a cold-blooded slaughter from early in
the Korean War, when this nation's U.S.-backed regime killed untold
thousands of leftists and hapless peasants in a summer of terror in
1950." -- Also posted at GlobalResearch
Fear,
secrecy kept 1950 Korea mass killings hidden
A quote...."SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — One journalist's bid to report
mass murder in South Korea in 1950 was blocked by his British
publisher. Another correspondent was denounced as a possibly treasonous
fabricator when he did report it. In South Korea, down the generations,
fear silenced those who knew."
For more regarding the issues
in the articles shown above, see....Fake
Intel / Propaganda - Iraq's Death Toll
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40
Years Since RFK Assassination, Mounting Evidence of CIA Involvement
A quote...."Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated 40 years ago this month
at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sirhan B. Sirhan, a 24 year old
immigrant, is the alleged lone gunman and is presently serving a life
sentence."
Inverted
Totalitarianism: A New Way of Understanding How the U.S. Is Controlled
Book Review - Democracy
Incorporated * by Sheldon S. Wolin -- A quote...."It is not news
that the United States is in great trouble. The pre-emptive war it
launched against Iraq more than five years ago was and is a mistake of
monumental proportions -- one that most Americans still fail to
acknowledge. Instead they are arguing about whether we should push on
to "victory" when even our own generals tell us that a military victory
is today inconceivable. -- link by website editor
Spinning
The News - The FARC-EP Files, Venezuela And Interpol
A quote...."First some background. On March 1, the Colombian military
(with US Special Forces help) illegally attacked a FARC-EP rebel camp
inside Ecuador. US satellite telephone tracking located the site.
Washington signed off on the mission. Over 20 people were killed,
including 16 or more FARC-EP members while they slept. Key among them
was Paul Reyes, the FARC-EP's second-in-command, key peace negotiator
and public voice, and lead figure in the Chavez-led hostage
negotiations with Colombia."
US Navy
Aircraft Violates Venezuela's Airspace
Related article - A quote...."Caracas - A US Navy jet violated
Venezuelan airspace around
two small Caribbean islands over the weekend in what the South American
country said was a provocation coordinated with neighboring Colombia."
-- Looks like the US's brand
spanking new "Fourth
Fleet"
is in action already. - mpg
John Cusack:
Outsourced Warfare Represents a "Radical, Dangerous, Disgusting
Ideology"
Movie Review - A
quote...."The
film's humor rests on very real and demonstrably disastrous trends in
neoconservative foreign policy of recent years -- a lethal war of
choice and profit, the dismantling of states and plundering of their
resources, a profound cultural insensitivity, lack of accountability
and reckless disregard for easily-predicted consequences -- which are
then pushed to the absurd."
War, Inc. -
Trailer - (YouTube - 2 min 8 sec - Added: March 26, 2007)
Video - A quote...."This
is the trailer video from the new movie"War, Inc."
Google
under fire again for handing user info to police
A quote...."Google is under fire again today for cooperating with
Indian police trying to track down an Orkut user who had been rude
about a politician."
Sex
Tape Fever: A Sad Commentary on Something or Other
Now this is funny, and a true
reflection of our debased society. Also, check out the comments -
they're spot on.
- mpg -- A quote...."Here's a brief look at an interesting phenomenon.
A few weeks ago, despairing of the media's malign neglect of America's
third "regime change" operation – the brutal proxy war in Somalia – I
resorted to a not-so-subtle strategem."
The
NYT's latest Kristol embarrassment
A quote...."In the short time since he was named an Op-Ed columnist at
The New York Times, Bill Kristol has written a series of sloppy,
error-plagued and incomparably hackish columns. He has already had to
issue two factual corrections -- including one for the very first
column he wrote -- and even his former comrades in war cheerleading,
The New Republic Editors, said on Friday that Kristol's columns are
"[b]landly written, intellectually lazy, and -- worst of all --
hopelessly predictable," and asked: "does Bill Kristol have to be this
bad at it?"
McCain's
YouTube Problem Just Became a Nightmare - (YouTube - 3 min 15 sec -
Added: May 18, 2008)
Video - A quote...."From http://TheRealMcCain.com/ -
There's no question John McCain is getting a free ride from the
mainstream press. But with the power of YouTube and the blogosphere, we
can provide an accurate portrayal of the so-called Maverick. We can put
the brakes on his free ride!"
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Why the
Stock Market Has Not Broken Out
Special Note - A
quote...."Stock market bears think: "Why does this market fail to fall?
What's holding it up?" Stock market bulls think: "Why does this market
fail to rise? What's holding it down?"
China
and Japan Quietly Forge Powerful Trading Alliance
Special Note - A
quote...."Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yauo
Fukuda met recently and signed some modest cooperation agreements. That
doesn't sound much to get excited about, until you consider how well
the Chinese and Japanese economies fit together."
Iran-Russia
Rail Link to Open in 2011
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- A railway linking Iran and Russia via
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan will open in December 2011, a top Turkmen
executive said on Monday."
What’s
next for the economy? Look at California
A quote...."(Reuters)— As it did when the housing bubble began to
burst, California is leading the way in the next leg: a consumer bust.
- Squeezed by rising unemployment, inflation in food and energy costs
and plunging house prices, Californians are cutting back on spending."
As
homes foreclose in U.S., squatters move in
A quote...."BROCKTON, Massachusetts (Reuters) - They enter through a
broken first-floor window each night to sleep on a moldy bed in the
abandoned four-family house at 827 Main Street, part of a new
generation of squatters emboldened by America's housing foreclosure
crisis."
Monday May 19th 2008
No posts - mpg
Sunday May 18th 2008
Refitting
the Presidency to the Constitution
A quote...."The 44th president will assume office with powers greatly
enlarged by his or her predecessor. Drawing on recent precedents, the
next president could launch preemptive wars with only minor
interference from Congress, ignore the ancient right of habeas corpus
and imprison political enemies, spy on American citizens without
serious legal restraint, use practically any federal agency for
political purposes, manipulate the press in ways inconceivable prior to
2000, corrupt the federal justice system for political gain, destroy
evidence in criminal cases, use the Justice Department to prosecute
members of the opposing party, offer lucrative no-bid government
contracts to friends, expand the creation of private security armies,
use torture, create secret prisons, assassinate inconvenient foreign
leaders, circumvent laws with signing statements, and a great deal
more."
CIA
death squads killing with “impunity” in Afghanistan
Special Note - A
quote...."A United Nations investigator released a preliminary report
last week citing widespread civilian deaths in Afghanistan, often at
the hands of unaccountable units led by the CIA or other foreign
intelligence agencies. -- The investigator is Philip Alston, a New York
University professor serving as the Special Rapporteur of the United
Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
execution. His report provides a partial glimpse into the illegal
actions of intelligence agencies, occupying forces, and Afghan police,
as they seek to repress opposition to the US-led occupation and
US-backed government."
Afghan
death squads 'acting on foreign orders'
Special Note - Related
article - A
quote...."Secret Afghan death squads are acting on the orders of
foreign spies and killing civilians inside Afghanistan with impunity, a
senior UN envoy has claimed. Professor Philip Alston, the UN special
rapporteur on illegal killings, said "foreign intelligence agencies"
had used illegal groups of heavily armed Afghans in raids against
suspected insurgents." -- For more
on the two articles shown above see....US
support Death Sqds
U.S.
Planning 40 Acre Prison in Afghanistan
Special Note - A
quote...."WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is moving forward with plans to
build a new, 40-acre detention complex on the main American military
base in Afghanistan, officials said, in a stark acknowledgment that the
United States is likely to continue to hold prisoners overseas for
years to come."
Conferees
seek cluster bomb ban
A quote...."GENEVA - Believe the advocates of a treaty banning cluster
munitions, and the international community is about to take a decisive
step toward curbing the use of a weapon that inflicts terrible
suffering, particularly on civilians. Believe the US government, and
the measure they propose threatens to undermine the NATO alliance that
has underpinned Western security since World War II." -- Also posted at CommonDreams
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Pakistan
army takes issue over U.S. missile attack
A quote...."ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistan army has taken issue
with coalition forces in Afghanistan over a missile attack launched by
a U.S. drone aircraft that killed 14 people, an army spokesman told
Reuters on Saturday. Two missiles hit a house on Wednesday in the
village of Damadola in Bajaur, a Pakistani tribal region where al
Qaeda, the Taliban and other Islamist militant groups are active, a
security official said."
Taliban
release Pakistan envoy after fighters freed
A quote..."ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Taliban militants freed a kidnapped
Pakistani ambassador on Saturday after the release of more than 40
Taliban fighters in recent days, a senior security official said. -
Pakistan's envoy to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, was abducted on
February 11 while travelling from the northwestern city of Peshawar to
the Afghan border, on his way back to Kabul."
[Pakistan]
Troops pullout from South Waziristan begins
A quote...."WANA: The withdrawal of the security forces has started
from areas of Spain Kai, Ghazai and Kot Kai in South Waziristan. --
Confirming the reports of the pullout of the security forces on Friday,
the political administration of South Waziristan said the security
forces were being deployed in areas of Jandola Qilla and other
locations."
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Progressive
Vision Failure: The Real Scandal of Bush’s Knesset Speech
A quote...."There has been much throwing about of brains in the
"progressosphere" about George W. Bush's shocking and unseemly
injection of – gasp! – partisanship into his address to the Israeli
Knesset the other day. Evidently this was the first time in
American history that a president has ever indulged in such
un-statesmanlike behavior while gadding about in foreign parts. And
what exactly did Bush do, what was this act of unprecedented moral and
political depravity? Brace yourself: he made a remark that could be
construed as an implied criticism of Barack Obama."
US
Military Lawyers Want September 11 Charges Dropped
A quote...."Miami - Charges against five Guantanamo prisoners accused
of plotting the September 11 attacks should be thrown out because they
were improperly influenced by a Pentagon legal adviser, U.S. military
lawyers said in documents filed on Friday. -- Also on Friday, a U.S.
military judge postponed the Guantanamo trial of Osama bin Laden's
driver, Salim Hamdan, until July 21, to allow time to assess his mental
competency."
Woman
speaks of husband's torture at CIA abduction trial in Italy
A quote...."MILAN: Clutching her Italian identity card in a gloved
hand, the cloaked wife of a fiery Muslim cleric Wednesday tearfully
recounted publicly for the first time how her husband was kidnapped on
a Milan street in 2003 and sent to Egypt to endure torture and repeated
imprisonment." -- More Neo-Roman
play time, provided courtesy of the Egyptians. Guess it was just
vicarious thrills this time around for our illustrious elites. -
mpg -- For more on this issue see....Fun
& Torture - It's a Pleasure.
Iran
busts CIA terror network
A quote...."TEHRAN - The Intelligence Ministry on Saturday released
details of the detection and dismantling of a terrorist network
affiliated to the United States. - In a coordinated operation on May 7,
Iranian intelligence agents arrested the terrorist network’s members,
who were identified in Fars, Khuzestan, Gilan, West Azerbaijan, and
Tehran provinces, the Intelligence Ministry announcement said. - The
group’s plans were devised in the U.S., according to the announcement,
which added that they had planned to carry out a number of acts such as
bombing scientific, educational, and religious centers, shooting
people, and making public places in various cities insecure." -- For more on this issue see....US
Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others
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Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Sunday roundup
- 2 articles -
[Day 12]
Lebanon
talks in Qatar progress, major hurdles remain
A quote...."Sun May 18, 2008 11:46am ET39 -- DOHA (Reuters) - Rival
Lebanese leaders made progress
towards ending their political crisis on Sunday but disagreements over
Hezbollah's weapons remained a major hurdle to a Qatari-mediated deal."
Tension
rises at Lebanon crisis talks
A quote...."05-18-2008 -- DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Tension mounted on
Sunday's second day
of talks between rival Lebanese leaders trying to end a feud that
pushed their country towards all-out sectarian war, as politicians
traded charges over the divisive issue of Hezbollah arms. -- The Qatari
hosts of the Arab-brokered talks on Saturday defused a clash over the
weaponry of the powerful Syria- and Iran-backed Shiite militia by
offering to come up with a proposal on the issue as the negotiators
focused on other matters."
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Sunday roundup
-
[Day 12]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Sunday round-up - 1 article - [ Day 55
]
Iraqi forces,
Shiite militants fight in Sadr City
A quote...."May 18, 2008 -- BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shiite militants and
U.S.-backed
Iraqi forces -- two sides that agreed to a cease-fire last week --
fought overnight in Sadr City, killing four people and wounding 38,
Interior Ministry and hospital officials said Sunday."
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Sunday round-up - [ Day 55
]
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========== ====
Iraqi
court rulings stop at US detention sites
A quote...."BAGHDAD (AP) - In the eyes of Iraqi justice, Yahya Ali
Humadi is a free man. - To the U.S. military, he's another of the
detainees in yellow jumpsuits held at the sprawling Camp Bucca in
southern Iraq. - Humadi—ordered released nine months ago after an Iraqi
judge dropped all charges—now spends his days in a legal limbo. It's
one that has confronted and confounded thousands of other Iraqis since
2003 who have been freed by their nation's courts but remained in U.S.
custody."
Mosul
A quote...."There isn't much English language coverage of what's
happening in Mosul, in marked contrast to the reams of stuff that was
available on Basrah or Sadr City - but after reading everything I could
find on Maliki's latest Napoleon-complex offensive, here's what I think
is going down."
Rita
Katz folds S.I.T.E. Institute and opens SITE Intelligence Group. Can
another Bin Laden tape be in the making?
Special Note - This One's Fun
- A quote...."From the now deceased web page: S.I.T.E. Institute --
After several years of public service, the SITE Institute, a non-
profit organization, has ceased its operations. Its assets have been
sold and the proceeds transferred to other non-profit organizations
consistent with the educational and charitable mission of the SITE
Institute. Some of the activities formerly conducted by the SITE
Institute will now be carried out by the SITE Intelligence Group, a
for-profit entity." -- Also posted at
InfoWars
Bush
An "Appeaser," Says Egyptian Press
A quote...."(CBS/AP) Egypt's state-owned press opened fire Saturday on
U.S. President George W. Bush as he arrived for talks with regional
leaders at the conclusion of a five-day Mideast tour. "
Bush
ends 5-day Middle East trip with few concrete gains
A quote...."Bush, however, heads home to Washington with few, if any,
concrete gains on his largely ceremonial tour, his second trip to the
Middle East in four months. He failed to win Saudi help with rising oil
prices and didn't make any breakthroughs on groundwork for a
Palestinian state. -- Indeed, Bush's chiding speech to the Arabs — only
days after lavishing praise on Israel — only hardened his image as a
pro-Israeli president who's commanding wars in two Muslim nations, and
possibly preparing for a third, with Iran."
Russia
eyes $4 bln arms contract with Saudis
A quote...."MOSCOW, May 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's state arms exporter
Rosoboronexport is preparing a $4 billion arms contract with Saudi
Arabia, the Gazeta daily reported on Tuesday. -- A preliminary
agreement on the purchase of Russian weaponry was reached in November
2007, during a meeting between then-president Vladimir Putin and Crown
Prince Sultan Ibn Abdel Aziz Al Saud in the Kremlin."
The
US have lost control: Latin America has 'created its own neighbourhood'
A quote...."The drums of war are once again beginning to sound, as US
imperialism steps up its propaganda attack on Venezuela's Bolivarian
revolution. - The new offensive has centred on the supposed documents
found on the laptops retrieved from the site of the illegal military
assault by Colombia that massacred over 20 people at a Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) campsite inside Ecuador in early March.
This is despite clear evidence of Colombian government interference
with the laptops before handing them over, which many accept would rule
such evidence as illegitimate. - On May 16, the Venezuelan government
denounced as a "provocation" the incursion of 60 Colombian soldiers
into Venezuelan territory, intercepted 800 metres over the border. This
occurred at the same time as the US Navy has decided to reactivate,
after 58 years, its Fourth Fleet to patrol Latin American waters.
Bolivia
under siege - US-funded autonomy movements threaten to tear the country
apart.
A quote...."Bolivia is facing a new crisis, which many Latin Americans
believe is caused by the United States. On one hand is a proposed new
progressive constitution, which gives significant rights to the native
majority; on the other is an up swelling of separatist movements, which
the Bolivian government calls the Kosovo strategy — an American attempt
to destabilize a national government it cannot control."
Georgia:
Russia 'bolstering forces'
A quote...."Georgia has accused Russia of deploying heavy weapons and
extra troops in a separatist region of Georgia. -- Georgia's
interior ministry on Sunday released video footage believed to have
been taken by a spy plane that Tblisi claims shows Russian deployment
of artillery in Abkhazia."
John
Cusack's War: The Actor Battles to Un-embed Hollywood With His New
Film, "War, Inc."
By Jeremy Scahill -- t r u t h o u t | Film
Review -- Friday 16 May 2008
A quote...."John Cusack
began working on his new film, "War, Inc.,"
which premieres
in LA and New York May 23, about a year into the US occupation of Iraq.
From the moment US tanks rolled into Baghdad, Cusack was a voracious
consumer of news about the war. He took it deadly seriously, regularly
calling independent journalists and asking them questions as he sought
as much independent information as he could. Watching the insanity of
the erection of the Green Zone and the advent of the era of McWar,
complete with tens of thousands of "private contractors," Cusack set
out to use the medium of film to unveil the madness."
Saturday May 17th 2008
Democracy
in America Is a Series of Narrow Escapes, and We May Be Running Out of
Luck
Must Read - A
quote...."Democracy in America is a series of narrow escapes, and we
may be running out of luck. The reigning presumption about the American
experience, as the historian Lawrence Goodwyn has written, is grounded
in the idea of progress, the conviction that the present is “better”
than the past and the future will bring even more improvement. For all
of its shortcomings, we keep telling ourselves, “The system works.” -- Also posted at AlterNet & ICH
Want
Cheaper Gas and Oil? End the Damned Wars!
A quote...."Americans are in a panic over rising gas and heating oil
prices, and with reason. For months, the price of a barrel of crude oil
has been rising steadily, hitting a record $127 yesterday."
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Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Saturday roundup
- 2 articles -
[Day 11]
Robert
Fisk: So just where does the madness end?
A quote...."Saturday, 17 May 2008 -- I am not sure what was the worse
part of this week. Living in Lebanon? Or reading the outrageous words
of George Bush? Several times, I have asked myself this question: have
words lost their meaning?" -- Also
posted at CommonDreams
Hezbollah
Emerges in Forefront of Power in Lebanon
A quote...."At the entrance to Hamra, once the cosmopolitan heart of
the capital, a billboard reads 1,188, the number of days since former
prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri was assassinated in 2005, plunging the
country into a crisis that persists today. A mile or so away, another
marker stands frozen at one year since Hezbollah and its allies erected
a tent city, occupying Beirut's tony downtown. No one has updated it
for the past 168 days."
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Saturday roundup -
[Day 11]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Saturday round-up - 1 article - [ Day 54
]
Truce
Holds in Sadr City Amid Patrols by Iraqi Army
A quote...."Published: May 18, 2008 -- BAGHDAD — Iraqi Army troops have
encountered little resistance during operations near the fortified
front line in Baghdad’s Sadr City district, the American military
reported Saturday, signaling that a shaky truce with the cleric Moktada
al-Sadr’s Shiite militia was holding."
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Saturday round-up - [ Day 54
]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Iraq
Vet Who Wrote About His PTSD Kills Self, Brother
A quote...."NEW YORK The epidemic of suicides among veterans of the
Iraq war with PTSD continues. The latest that has surfaced involves a
decorated vet who wrote about his PTSD for the Marine Corps Gazette--
and this week killed himself and his brother after a long police chase
in Arizona."
Bush's Iran
diplomacy is a sham; admits US Defence Secretary
A quote...."(CASMII) In a moment of candour, Robert Gates, the US
Defence Secretary has admitted albeit implicitly that the Bush
administration's diplomacy towards Iran has long been a sham:"
Iran protests
after 3 diplomats wounded in Iraq
A quote...."Iran angrily blamed the United States on Friday after at
least three of its diplomats were wounded in a Baghdad shooting, saying
the Americans are encouraging attacks on Iranians in Iraq. - The United
States defended the actions of Iraqi security forces, but said
Americans were not involved in the incident and that the U.S. "condemns
any attack on guests or visitors of any country."
Iran:
Bombers planned pipeline attack
A quote...."Iran's Intelligence Ministry says pipelines in the
country's oil-rich south were on the list of bombing targets by
US-sponsored agents."
Neo-Con
General Calls For Terror Attacks In Iran
A quote...."Fresh off the revelation of Donald Rumsfeld's 2006 audio
tape admission that a method to reinvigorate the Neo-Con agenda would
be another terror attack, Neo-Cons like Ret. Gen. Thomas McInerney, who
was part of the Pentagon's "message force multipliers" propaganda
program, have been calling for the Bush administration to commit acts
of terror in Iran." -- Goes to show
how stupid this guy is, the US elites have already been supporting
terror attacks against Iran for at least the last five years - mpg For more on this issue see....US
Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others
Roméo
Dallaire compares Canada and the US to terrorist organizations
A quote...."Who is Roméo Dallaire? - If you are a believer in
such a thing as Canadian values than Roméo Dallaire represents
them. - “Lieutenant-General Roméo Alain Dallaire , is a French
Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general. Dallaire is
widely known for having served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the
ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and
1994, and for trying to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu
extremists against Tutsis and Hutu moderates.”
"We
Created Terror Among the Arabs": The Deir Yassin Massacre
A quote...."On April 9, 1948, members of the underground Jewish
terrorist group, the Irgun, or IZL, led by Menachem Begin, who was to
become the Israeli prime minister in 1977, entered the peaceful Arab
village of Deir Yassin, massacred 250 men, women, children and the
elderly, and stuffed many of the bodies down wells."
The
View from the Crusaders' Castle
A quote...."Thirty years ago, when the state of Israel had traveled
only half its present journey through time since 1948, I interviewed
General Matti Peled in New York. As an army general Peled had been a
notably tough administrator of the Occupied Territories, but in
retirement had become a dove, publicly urging his country to negotiate
seriously with the Palestinians, abandon the illegal settlements,
return to the ’67 borders and resolve all the other major issues
obstructing a proper peace."
Prominent
neoconservative site goes under.
A quote...."Eleven years ago, the neoconservative Project for a New
American Century (PNAC) set out its statement of principles advocating
the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, putting the country on the road to a
preventative invasion of Iraq. Signatories included future Iraq war
architects Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, and Elliott
Abrams, as well as neoconservatives like Bill Kristol and Robert
Kagan." -- For more on this issue
see....
PNAC - OAC
PNAC
- EL
PNAC
- AT
PNAC -
FPIF
PNAC
- SW
PNAC
- Primer-BW
PNAC
- Rouges Gallery
PNAC - Members
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Unanswered
9/11 Questions
A quote...."The collapse of New York's World Trade Centre on September
11, 2001 is arguably one of the most well documented events in human
history. Less well documented is the controversy over why the buildings
fell as they did. -- At the time of writing, 357 architectural and
engineering professionals have signed a petition which directly
challenges the National Institute of Standards & Training's
official finding that the destruction of these massive buildings was
caused solely by structural damage from the impact of jet airliners and
the resulting fires."
Rupert
Murdoch Firm Goes on Trial for Alleged Tech Sabotage
A quote...."Did a Rupert Murdoch company go too far and hire hackers to
sabotage rivals and gain the top spot in the global pay-TV war? -- This
is the question a jury will be facing in a spectacular five-year-old
civil lawsuit that is finally being tried this month in California but
which has, oddly, received little notice from U.S. media. -- The case
involves a colorful cast of characters that includes former
intelligence agents, Canadian TV pirates, Bulgarian and German hackers,
stolen e-mails and the mysterious suicide of a Berlin hacker who had
been courted by the Murdoch company not long before his death."
Gov't
Secrecy and the Mysterious Cyber Initative
The secrecy surrounding the Bush administration's updated National
Cyber Security Initiative -- designed to improve the government's
digital defenses and put forth an offensive information warfare
doctrine -- is endangering the deterrent value of the project and
appears to be aimed chiefly at supporting spying operations abroad, a
key U.S. Senate committee concludes in a new report." -- For more on this issue see....Attempts
to Control the Internet
Was
U.S. Private Security Firm Spying for Kazakh Government?
A quote...."That’s the question raised by this terrific
Wall Street Journal story. The firm is GlobalOptions,
an extremely well-connected company run by, among others, former FBI
and CIA officials. The Kazakh government apparently retained
GlobalOptions to monitor, and possibly seek to derail, a Justice
Department investigation into James Giffen, an American oilman who is
suspected of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to President
Nursultan Nazarbayev."
We covered up
Iraqi bomb attack which destroyed a £30million Hercules, admits
MoD
A quote...."...the aircraft was blasted by a string of at least five
bombs buried next to the runway, the Board of Inquiry report reveals. -
They exploded just before it touched down in darkness - destroying
aircraft systems, injuring passengers and setting fire to the wing
close to the fuel tanks. - Those on board had a lucky escape because
the pilots' night vision goggles were temporarily blinded by the
explosions and the burning aircraft veered off the runway at more than
100mph." -- Think about it....the
insurgents obviously knew they were the one's that destroyed the
aircraft, they set off the bombs as the plane was landing. So the
Brits covered it up simply to prevent their
own citizens from knowing about the incident. - mpg
Heavy fight
started in Mosul
A quote...."Just reported, a heavy fight erupted with explosion sounds
heard in Rifa’i Neighborhood - Mosul, later the fight spread into 17
July and al-Iktisadeen district [notice that until today Maliki's
forces arrested 1100 people without fight...and they claim they are
arresting al-Qaeda?]"
Venezuela
protests Colombian troop "incursion"
A quote...."CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela accused 60 Colombian troops
on Saturday of entering just inside its territory in what it said was a
provocation by a warmongering government seeking to destabilize the
region."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
`BRIC'
Nations Summit Seeks to Turn Economic Might Into Clout
Special Note - A
quote...." May 15 (Bloomberg) -- First came the booming economies. Then
came the rush of investors. Now the so-called BRIC nations -- Brazil,
Russia, India and China -- are talking about forming a political
alliance. -- The four largest emerging economies are sending their
foreign ministers to Yekaterinburg, Russia, to meet on May 16 for the
first time outside the venue of the United Nations. On the agenda are
such non-economic issues as weapons proliferation, counter-terrorism,
energy and climate change."
Iran
to Launch Satellite Early Summer
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran will soon launch several satellites
into space, head of Iran's aerospace organization said, adding that the
country will send its first satellite 'Omid (Hope)' into orbit in July."
Iran
Khodro Expands Global Reach
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran Khodro Company, the country's largest
vehicle manufacturer, continues to expand its regional and global
reach. The automaker is opening a plant in Syria in April and readying
a new plant in Turkey for 2009."
Iran
to Start Gas Export to Switzerland in 2009
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian gas company official said
that Tehran will make investments in Europe's gas network."
Russian
space program bedeviled by problems
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political analyst Andrei Kislyakov) -
Sea Launch, the U.S.-Russian-Ukrainian-Norwegian consortium using a
mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on
specialized Zenit-3SL rockets, has announced that its planned May 21
launch will be postponed indefinitely. This minor setback highlights
major problems plaguing the Russian space program."
In
the United States, the Trains Remain Slow
A quote...."The train, in the country of grand spaces, trails. The only
high-speed line in the United States, the Acela Express, travels
between New York and Washington in 3 hours while it takes less than one
hour for the Eurostar to travel from Paris to London, a similar
distance."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Billions
of electronic-eating 'crazy rasberry ants' invade Texas
A quote...."It sounds like the plot of a farfetched science fiction
movie. Unfortunately for the residents of Texas, it is very much a
reality: billions of tiny reddish-brown ants have arrived onshore from
a cargo ship and are hell-bent on eating anything electronic. --
Computers, burglar alarm systems, gas and electricity meters, iPods,
telephone exchanges – all are considered food by the flea-sized ants,
for reasons that have left scientists baffled." -- We're in trouble. - mpg
Brazil’s
Real rises to nine-year high; up 19% in 12 months
A quote...."Brazil's Real rose to a nine-year high as the US dollar
slumped and investor demand for commodities and higher-yielding assets
increased. Last April 30 Standard & Poor’s upgraded Brazilian debt
sending the Real and the Sao Paulo Bovespa stock index to new records."
Friday May 16th 2008
Everybody
Knows. - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote....
Everybody knows that the dice
are loaded.
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed.
Everybody knows the war is over.
Everybody knows the good guys lost.
Everybody knows the fight was fixed.
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich.
That's how it goes. Everybody knows. -- *
Leonard Cohen* -
MP3
"16/05/08 "ICH" -- - The fate of millions was sealed the moment Dick
Cheney selected himself as The Destroyer whose charge to keep for the
next eight years would be -- as Capitol Hill Blue's Doug Thompson
so succinctly described George W. Bush -- a "criminally
insane, pill-popping dry drunk." I don't know about that. I've seen
some drunks in my time -- even dry ones -- and George Bush appears to
be more than a little moist."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Reuters
demands explanation from Israel for death of cameramen
A quote...."A month after journalist Fadel Shana was killed by an
Israel Defense Forces tank crew in the Gaza Strip, Reuters renewed its
demand on Thursday for a prompt explanation from the Israeli army of
why it fired on its cameraman. -- Shana, a 24-year-old Palestinian, was
killed on April 16 along with eight mostly teenage bystanders by darts
known as flechettes that burst out of a tank shell in mid-air. Shana
had been filming about 1.5 km (a mile) from two Israeli tanks." -- For more on this issue see....Killing
a Messenger
Iraqi
police beat news photographer
Related article - A quote...." BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An Iraqi
photographer working for
Reuters was hospitalized Friday after police beat him at the scene of a
bombing, officials told CNN. - The unnamed still photographer was in
stable condition after five Iraqi policemen struck him on the head with
AK-47 rifles, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Famed
War Reporter Calls Pentagon/Media 'Propaganda' Program Illegal
A quote...."A Pentagon spokesman, in response to the "media generals"
revelations said this week that Donald Rumsfeld had reached out to
critics as well, citing Joe Galloway one. Here Galloway responds."
More
Spin Uncovered
A quote...."Last month, in a major exposé, the New York
Times reported that the Pentagon had
created a domestic propaganda program
that made use of more than 75 "military
analysts" to disseminate favorable coverage of the Bush
administration's war efforts. The program included, for example, private
briefings
with former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top officials,
commercial airfare, and the distribution of favorable "talking points"
to analysts prior to media appearances. Virtually all of the major networks
were involved in the program, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox
News,
MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR. The retired military officials serving as media
analysts often had contracting
ties with the government but pushed the Pentagon line on air
without revealing the conflict of interest.
For more on the two articles
shown above see....Fake
Intel/Propaganda - NYT Article
Senate
Votes To Revive Ban On Media Cross-Ownership
A quote...."The Senate voted Thursday night to nullify a Federal
Communications Commission rule that allows media companies to own a
newspaper and a TV station in the same market. - The unusual
“resolution of disapproval,” sponsored by Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.)
and 24 other senators, was approved on a voice vote."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Friday roundup
- 5 articles -
[Day 10]
Saudis,
US grapple with Iran challenge
Special Note - A
quote...."May 17, 2008 -- A timeless and abstract passion, which could
gain
instantaneous contemporaneity and which has proven to be unfailingly
useful for statecraft, was invoked in Middle Eastern politics once
again this week. It is the ultimate weapon in Saudi Arabia's arsenal of
regional diplomacy. It is seductive in its appeal, yet almost
embarrassingly direct."
Did
Hezbollah Thwart a Bush/Olmert Attack on Beirut? - A Sudden Case of
Cold Feet
Special Note - A
quote...."May 16, 2008 -- This week Israel's Military Intelligence
Chief, Major General
Amos Yadlin complained to the Israeli daily Haaretz that 'Hezbollah
proved that it was the strongest power in Lebanon... stronger than the
Lebanese and it had wanted to take the government it could have done
it,' He said Hezbollah, continued to pose a 'significant' threat to
Israel as its rockets could reach a large part of Israeli territory."
-- Also posted at CounterPunch
Lebanon
talks open in Doha
A quote...."Updated on Friday, May 16, 2008 21:26 Mecca time, 18:26 GMT
-- Talks aimed at ending Lebanon's protracted political crisis have
opened in Qatar."
Lebanon
leaders to tackle core issues in Qatar
A quote...." DOHA, May 17 (Reuters) - Lebanon's rival leaders hold
talks in Qatar on Saturday to try to end a political conflict that has
pushed their country to the brink of a new civil war. - "The task ahead
of you is a great and difficult one," Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa al-Thani told government and opposition leaders at the opening
session on Friday night."
Lebanon
Sunnis bitter in Lebanon power shift toward Shiite Hezbollah
A quote...."Published: May 16, 2008 -- BEIRUT, Lebanon: For three
years, Sunni Muslims have dominated Lebanon's government. Now they are
bitter and fearful after Hezbollah's seizure of parts of Beirut in
street gunbattles — an ominous sign of how the country's latest
political crisis has sharply worsened sectarian tensions."
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Friday roundup -
[Day 10]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Friday round-up - 2 articles - [ Day 53
]
Sadrists
upbeat on Baghdad truce
A quote...."Fri May 16, 10:35 AM ET -- BAGHDAD (AFP) - The radical
movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr voiced optimism on Friday
that a truce with the Iraqi government will hold, but also called on
the faithful to drive out occupying US forces."
Al-Sadr’s
followers hopeful on Baghdad truce
A quote...."Saturday, May 17, 2008NAJAF: The Shia movement loyal to
rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr voiced optimism on Friday over the
implementation of a truce with the government, to end deadly clashes in
the Baghdad Shia district of Sadr City."
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Friday round-up - [ Day 53
]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
McCain
Unit Rolled out; Funeral Bombing Toll Rises to 25; Baghdad Governor's
Convoy Blown Up;
A Juan Cole, Informed
Comment round-up, posted
5/16/2008 06:26:00 am, some selected items....
Remember how Tom Friedman and
Bush administration spokesmen kept saying
that "the next six months" would be crucial for Iraq? They said it in
2003, 2004, 2005, etc., etc.
Atrios
finally called them on it, terming it
the "Friedman
unit". -- Now we have
the new, improved, "McCain unit"-- which is apparently that the
next
four years
will be crucial in Iraq. Indeed, McCain predicted "victory" by 2013,
four years after he hopes to take office as the new president. Of
course if victory does not come by 2013, then the next McCain unit
would kick in, with the years leading up to 2017 being "crucial" for
Iraq.
Al-Hayat
reports in Arabic that the Mosul power elite is increasingly disturbed
by the central government's military campaign in that city. They say
that they would be willing to keep on the sidelines if the al-Maliki
government just went after "al-Qaeda" (the Salafi Jihadis) in the city.
But they say that the al-Maliki forces have arrested dozens of
ex-members of the Baath Party, as well as former military officers.
They say that if this campaign against the Mosul elite continues, they
will be forced to act. The al-Maliki government had given them
undertakings that it would only target "al-Qaeda", but in fact it has
arrested over 900 persons, many of them ex-Baathists.
The US
is cutting off relations with Iraqi politician and notorious embezzler
and liar Ahmad Chalabi
for the fourth time. This time the issue is said to be his
deteriorating relations with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his
closeness to Brig. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, head of the Jerusalem (Quds)
Brigades of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Actually my suspicion is
that Chalabi is supporting the Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr and that
is the real reason for the tension with him. Sadr wants the US out on a
short timetable and opposes the passage of an oil law that the Bush
administration desperately wants.
It's all so hilarious one could
almost die laughing....many have, without the laughter of course.
- mpg
Chalabi's
Short-Lived Comeback
A quote...."Ahmad Chalabi is nothing if not indefatigable. The dapper
Iraqi multimillionaire who was instrumental in pressing the U.S. to
invade Iraq — and viewed by many in Washington as the presumptive
leader of a future Iraqi government — failed to win a seat in his
country's parliament in 2005, and came under suspicion in Washington of
passing secrets to Iran (although no charges were ever filed in this
respect). Still, he bounced back, and was tapped last November to run a
committee tasked with improving the delivery of basic services such as
water and electricity in Baghdad."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Pakistan
protests suspected US missile strike - link posted at ICH
A quote...."Pakistan's army lodged a formal protest Friday to "allied
forces" in neighboring Afghanistan over a suspected U.S. missile strike
this week that killed 14 people in a Pakistani border village."
Pakistan
Defies U.S. on Halting Afghanistan Raids - link posted at ICH
A quote...."PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani officials are making it
increasingly clear that they have no interest in stopping cross-border
attacks by militants into Afghanistan, prompting a new level of
frustration from Americans who see the infiltration as a crucial
strategic priority in the war in Afghanistan."
Outside
Agitators: Another Missile Attack Aimed at Peace Talks
A quote..."They cry peace, peace, but there is no peace -- not when
American missiles are around to derail any talks that might hamper the
profitable operations of the Washington war machine. - On Wednesday,
missiles from an American drone destroyed a house in the Pakistani
village of Damadola, killing at least 15 people, with women and
children reportedly among the dead. The ostensible target was a
gathering of Taliban fighters, who control the surrounding area in this
border region with Afghanistan."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
60
Years of Denial
Must Read - A
quote...."Don't ask for what you never had,' is the underlying message
made by supporters of Israel when they claim Palestine was never a
state to begin with. - The contention is, of course, easily refutable.
Following the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th
Century, colonial powers plotted to divide the spoils. When Britain and
France signed the secretive Sykes-Picot agreement in 1916, which
divided the spheres of influence in west Asia, there were hardly any
'nation-states' in the region which would fit contemporary definitions
of the term." -- Also posted at
GlobalResearch
"What a
Way to Mark Independence Day" - Paramilitary Police Attack Al-Nakba
March
A quote...."It has been a week of adulation from world leaders,
ostentatious displays of military prowess, and street parties. Heads of
state have rubbed shoulders with celebrities to pay homage to the
Jewish state on its 60th birthday, while a million Israelis reportedly
headed off to the country’s forests to enjoy the national pastime: a
barbecue."
U.S.
Planning Big New Prison in Afghanistan
A quote...."WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is moving forward with plans to
build a new, 40-acre detention complex on the main American military
base in Afghanistan, officials said, in a stark acknowledgment that the
United States is likely to continue to hold prisoners overseas for
years to come."
Bringing
Iraq war to Congress
Video - A
quote...."Congress votes down war funding bill; Veterans Against the
War testify"
US
soldier refuses to serve in 'illegal Iraq war'
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AFP) — Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young
American US military recruiters love. - "I was from a poor, white
family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old
told AFP. - "I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning
me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added."
France:
One million strike in defence of education and social services
A quote...."Over one million public sector workers went on strike, and
300,000 demonstrated in the streets in all major cities and towns in
France on Thursday. The strikers were protesting government plans to
eliminate 11,200 teaching positions and cut some 30,000 public service
jobs."
Rumsfeld
On Tape: Terror Attack Could Restore Neo-Con Agenda
A quote...."Shocking excerpts of confidential recordings recently
released under the Freedom of Information Act feature former Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld talking with top military analysts about how
a flagging Neo-Con political agenda could be successfully restored with
the aid of another terrorist attack on America."
Pentagon
scales back AFRICOM ambitions
A quote...."....the Pentagon has had to scale back its ambitious vision
to adapt Africa's political terrain, military officials acknowledge,
adding they remain committed to the original idea of a military command
to promote peace in the
region. [i.e. war, death,
murder and mayhem] -- For now, officials have ruled out basing
the headquarters anywhere in Africa [that's
because after Iraq, nobody wants
them!!] and may in fact locate it on the East Coast, [why so they can help the elites stage
another 9/11??] a senior defense official says. They have also
backed away from selling the new command as a full "interagency"
organization that spans military and nonmilitary entities. [What!?! They haven't taken over all
government functions yet??]" - underline by website editor
Is CSM stupid? Are they
brain dead? It's like watching some sick psycho-horror-slasher
movie where some bubble-headed, ditz-brained, bleach-blond says to
herself while tilting her head from side to side smiling inanely "I
don't know, I think I'll let the guy in even if he's covered from head
to toe in bloody gore, carrying three severed heads in one hand, and a
machete in the
other....after all, he said he was trying to "help" those poor people
but I guess something must have just gone terribly wrong. (Sigh...) It
must have been their fault though; after all he's so cute. (giggle,
giggle)" -
mpg
For more on this issue see....Africa
- the Next Target - 02-28-08 - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ===
All
the President's Nazis (real and imagined): An Open Letter to Bush
A quote...."Your speech on the Knesset floor today was not only a
disgrace; it was nothing short of treachery. Worse still, your
exploitation of the Holocaust in a country carved out of the wounds of
that very crime, in order to strike a low blow at American citizens
whose politics differs from your own is unforgivable and unpardonable.
Let me remind you, Mr. Bush, of your words today:" -- Also posted at InfoWars
& OpEdNews
And....Day After
"Appeasement" Remark, Ghost of Prescott Bush Hovers Over WH (satire)
Related article - same author - A quote...."One day after President
Bush likened
presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama to those who appeased
Adolph Hitler, the ghost of the president's grandfather, Prescott Bush
- in an SS uniform, muttering German and gesticulating angrily - has
been hovering high above the White House since dawn."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Danger:
Tough Talk & Wishful Thinking
A quote...."If the American people should have learned one lesson from
the past seven years, it is that the careless mix of tough talk and
wishful thinking gets good people killed – and pushes even powerful
nations to the brink of bankruptcy."
Bush's
appeasement malarkey
A quote...."WHEN HE hinted to the Israeli Knesset this week that Barack
Obama was an appeaser for being willing to talk to Iran, President Bush
broke an unwritten rule against partisan politicking on foreign shores.
He also displayed confusion about his own policies — and about the
cause of his calamitous foreign policy failures."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Oil
climbs to record above $127 a barrel
A quote...."Light, sweet crude for June delivery rose as much as $3.31
to $127.43 a barrel in electronic trading Friday on the New York
Mercantile Exchange by afternoon in Europe. That tops the previous high
of $126.98 a barrel set Tuesday."
Thursday May 15th 2008
Olbermann
To Bush: "This War Is Not About You...Shut The Hell Up!"
Must View Video - A
quote...."Tonight, Keith Olbermann unleashed what may well have been
his angriest, most blistering Special Comment yet, aimed squarely at
his favorite target: President Bush. Olbermann was responding to Bush's
claim that he had given up golf in honor of the Iraq war — and his
assertion that a Democratic president withdrawing from Iraq would
"eventually lead to another attack on the United States" — a statement
Olbermann called "ludicrous, infuriating, holier-than-thou and most
importantly bone-headedly wrong." Olbermann continued in that vein for
a full 12 minutes (or 2,000 words), frequently raising his voice and
spitting out his words in disgust." -- Keith Olbermann at his most ferocious
best. He's practically scary in his contempt, disgust and fury at
Bush. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
The
Penta-Pundits
Must Read - A quote...."
Well, why shouldn’t the Pentagon put its four-stars on the tube to
ladle out patriotic talking points to the American public like mess
hall stew? -- There’s a straightforward quasi-honesty to
government-managed news, which only has a weird feel because the
Penta-pundits had to pose as impartial analysts and play along with the
image the networks wanted to project: seriousness, independence, etc.
How demeaning that their meetings with the Secretary of Defense had to
be secret — an embarrassment awaiting ultimate exposure by the New York
Times." -- Also posted at CommonDreams
-- For more on this issue see....Fake
Intel/Propaganda - NYT Article
POLITICS:
Bogus Claim, al-Maliki Stall U.S. Plan on Iran Arms
Special Note - A
quote...."WASHINGTON, May 14 (IPS) - Early this month, the George W.
Bush administration's plan to create a new crescendo of accusations
against Iran for allegedly smuggling arms to Shiite militias in Iraq
encountered not just one but two setbacks." -- Also posted at AntiWar , CommonDreams
& AsiaTimes
-- For more on this issue see....Fake
Intel / Propaganda - IED's & EFP's
Finding
Obama Guilty of Insufficient Devotion to Israel - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."
14/05/08 "Salon" -- -The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg conducted what
he's calling an "interview" with Barack Obama regarding Israel,
but it sounded much more like an inquisition. Goldberg repeatedly
demanded that Obama swear his devotion to Israel and affirm prevailing
orthodoxies ("I'm curious to hear you talk about the Zionist idea. Do
you believe that it has justice on its side?"; "Go to the kishke
question, the gut question: the idea that if Jews know that you love
them, then you can say whatever you want about Israel, but if we don't
know you –- Jim Baker, Zbigniew Brzezinski –- then everything is
suspect. There seems to be in some quarters, in Florida and other
places, a sense that you don’t feel Jewish worry the way a senator from
New York would feel it"; "Do you think that Israel is a drag on
America's reputation overseas?"; "If you become President, will you
denounce settlements publicly?"). Afterwards, Goldberg pronounced
himself satisfied: "Obama expressed -- in twelve different ways -- his
support for Israel to me." -- Article
posted at ICH
American
As Reluctant Warrior - From The Long Term View - posted at ICH
A quote...." 15/05/08 "ICH" -- - Most Americans see their nation as
essentially peace-loving, a reluctant warrior that fights only when
fanatical enemies force it to. But measured by its actions rather than
its self-image, the United States is a warrior nation more than any
other major modern power is."
Lies
of Aggression
A quote...."On May 15, the White House Moron, in a war-planning visit
to Israel, justified the naked aggression he and Olmert are planning
against Iran as the only alternative to "the false comfort of
appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Thursday roundup
- 5 articles -
[Day 9]
Coups
and counter-coups
Must Read - A
quote...."Back from the brink, fragile Lebanon can breathe again,
thanks to the timely intervention of the Arab League which, no matter
how divided and polarized, managed to pull off a big one by convincing
the Lebanese government to rescind its controversial decisions that had
triggered the latest crisis. This was the removal of the head of Beirut
Airport and an assault on a nerve center of the Hezbollah-led
resistance, its communication network." -- For more on this issue see....
What
is really happening in Lebanon?
Video - Special Note -- A
quote...."Wednesday May 14th, 2008 -- Clashes between supporters of the
US-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition have shaken
Lebanon. --
Editor's Note - This is
not a power struggle per se, to quote the article - "Fouad Siniora,
decided to shut down
the communication and surveillance network at Beirut Airport."
Obviously he was doing this in preparation for an Israeli attack
against Lebanon, which would have been the prelude for an attack
against Syria and Iran. He miscalculated.... badly. - mpg
--
posted 05-14-08
Lebanon's
Sunni bloc built militia, officials say
Must Read - Special Note
- A quote...."BEIRUT -- For a year, the main Lebanese political faction
backed by the United States built a Sunni Muslim militia here under the
guise of private security companies, Lebanese security experts and
officials said." --
Editor's Note - Again to repeat, the
whole thing was a set-up from the get-go. The US and Fouad
Siniora got together to "arrange" a more easy attack against Lebanon by
Israel.
A big mistake.
- mpg --
posted 05-14-08
Qatar
to mediate deal for new Lebanese president
A quote...."Last Updated: Thursday, May 15, 2008 | 2:47 PM ET --
Lebanon's pro-Western government and the Hezbollah-led opposition have
agreed to discuss electing the country's army chief as its next
president, following some of the worst sectarian strife since a 15-year
civil war ended nearly two decades ago."
Israel
says Hezbollah could have seized power in Lebanon
A quote...."World, 5/15/2008 6:31 PM -- JERUSALEM - Hezbollah proved
last week that it is the strongest force in Lebanon and could have
seized power if it had wanted to, Israel's military intelligence chief
said in remarks published on Thursday. - "Hezbollah did not intend to
take control... If it had wanted to, it could have done it," Major
General Amos Yadlin said in an interview with the Haaretz newspaper."
Lebanon
opposition [Hezbollah] lifts blockade on airport
A quote ...."05-15-08 -- BEIRUT (AFP) — Militants loyal to Lebanon's
Hezbollah-led opposition on Thursday began removing roadblocks on the
highway leading to Beirut's international airport, paving the way for
commercial flights to resume, an AFP correspondent said."
Beirut
int'l airport resumes flights
A quote...."Thu, 15 May 2008 21:36:58 -- A Middle East Airlines
plane is to arrive at Beirut's international airport, marking
resumption of commercial flights suspended for a week."
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Thursday roundup -
[Day 9]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Thursday round-up - 3 articles - [ Day 52
]
War
Over Wall Persists in Sadr City Despite Truce
Special Note - A
quote...."Published: May 15, 2008 -- BAGHDAD — An Iraqi soldier was
watching over the concrete wall on Monday when a .50-caliber round
ripped into his head. - Soon after the attack was reported on the
tactical radio, two American military advisers were on their way to the
scene, laser range finder in hand, to call in a Hellfire missile strike
on a sniper position on the far side of a desolate no man’s land. -
This is the war over the wall. It is a daily battle of attrition waged
over the large concrete barrier that the Americans have been building
across Sadr City in the hope of establishing a safe zone in the
southern tier of the Shiite enclave."
Sadr fighters lay
down their weapons
A quote...."BAGHDAD, May 15 (UPI) -- Forces loyal to Shiite cleric
Moqtada Sadr laid down their weapons Thursday as reports emerged from
Iraq of relative calm in the Baghdad district of Sadr City."
Renewed
Fighting in Iraq's Sadr City Kills at Least 7
A quote...."15 May 2008 -- Clashes in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad's Sadr
City district have left at least seven people dead, despite a deal
aimed at ending the bloodshed. - Iraqi officials said Thursday the
fighting between Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militants loyal to
radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr broke out overnight and in the early
morning."
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Thursday round-up - [ Day 52
]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
ACLU
obtains new Defense Department docs on prison deaths in Iraq.
A quote...."Through a Freedom of Information Act request, the ACLU “has
obtained previously withheld documents” from the Defense Department
that “shed light on the deaths of detainees in Iraq.” One of the
documents is a list of “at least four prisoner deaths” that were
investigated by the Navy, including one detainee at Abu Ghraib who died
after “his head was beaten with a stove”:"
U.S. Has Detained
2,500 Juveniles as Enemy Combatants
A quote...."Although 2,400 of the juveniles were captured in Iraq after
the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, only 500 are still held in
detention facilities in that country. The administration's report,
which was made public yesterday by the American Civil Liberties Union,
says that most of the detained Iraqi youths were "engaging in
anti-coalition activity."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Reagan,
strike group preparing to deploy
War Update - A
quote...."SAN DIEGO — More than 7,000 sailors will leave home next week
when the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group deploys from San Diego for
a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf regions.
- The seven-ship naval force, led by Rear Adm. James Wisecup, commander
of Carrier Strike Group 7 in San Diego, will leave next Monday, Navy
officials announced. -- See also....Reagan
Strike Group - seven ships
USS
Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) - Aircraft
Carrier
USS
Chancellorsville (CG-62) - Cruiser
USS
Gridley (DDG-101) - Destroyer
USS
Decatur (DDG-73) - Destroyer
USS
Howard (DDG-83) - Destroyer
USS
Thach (FFG-43) - Frigate
USNS
Rainier (T-AOE-7) - fast combat
support ship
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Mass
Resignations: Pakistani Cabinet Split Over Rule Of Law
A quote...."Perlez describes Chaudhry as a "country judge from
Baluchistan" whose independence threatens the policies of George W.
Bush and terror war "ally", Pervez Musharraf. The problem -- although
Perlez does not and never will say so -- is that Bush and Musharraf are
committed to the destruction of the rule of law, and Chaudhry, the
maverick country lawyer from Baluchistan, is committed to upholding it."
Anger
after US missile strike in Pakistan
A quote...."DAMADOLA, Pakistan - Angry residents of a Pakistani village
on the Afghan border stopped government officials on Thursday from
approaching the ruins of a house struck by missiles suspected to have
been fired by a U.S. drone."
Pakistan
"thins out" troops in Waziristan for pact
A quote...."PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan has begun shifting
troops from parts of the South Waziristan region and swapped prisoners
with the militants in an effort to make peace with an al Qaeda-linked
commander, officials said on Wednesday."
Palestinians
commemorate al-Nakba--the catastrophe
Video A quote...."Sporadic clashes between Israeli soldiers and
Palestinians, marked the Palestinian day of remembrance known as
al-Nakba or the catastrophe. A day of celebration in Israel, al-Nakba,
for the Palestinians marks the expulsion of about 700,000 Palestinians
from their homes."
As
Palestinians Mark 60th Anniversary of Their Dispossession, a
Conversation with Palestinian Writer and Doctor Ghada Karmi -- A
quote...."Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the
state of Israel, what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe, that
resulted in the expulsion and dispossession of over 750,000
Palestinians from their cities and villages. Ghada Karmi is a
well-known Palestinian writer and medical doctor from Jerusalem who
lives in Britain. She has written several books about Palestinian
history and her own experience as a refugee, including In Search of
Fatima: A Palestinian Story and, most recently, Married to Another Man:
Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine. [includes rush transcript]" -- || Real Video Stream || Real Audio Stream || MP3 Download || More…
||
Total
Hopeful about Finalizing Gas Deal with Iran
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Oil giant Total admitted it may be difficult
to reach a deal with Iran over its investment in the South Pars gas
field due to the United States' ongoing political pressure on the
French company, but meantime said that it remains hopeful of agreeing
on a deal in the longer-term."
Swiss FM Defends Iran Visit
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey
said her visit to Iran in March was a model of diplomacy and business
working hand in hand. - She told a conference in Lucerne on Wednesday
that the agreement ensured a long-term Swiss presence in an important
region. - The gas deal which was signed in Calmy-Rey's presence between
the National Iranian Gas Export Company and the Swiss EGL power
company, brought furious responses from several quarters - most notably
Israel, Zionist organizations and Tel Aviv's natural ally, the United
States. " -- For more on this issue
see....The
US is After Europe Too! - 03-23-08 - mpg
Mexico's Battle over
Oil
A quote...."On April 8, President Felipe Calderon dropped a political
bomb on the Mexican political scene. The Senate received an executive
initiative that would fundamentally change the structure and operations
of the oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Key operations of the
state-owned enterprise would pass into private hands." -- The
US's MIOC elites are going to do to the Mexican Oil Industry what they
did to the Iraqi Oil Industry....poor Mexico, it used to be an
independent country once upon a time. - mpg
Venezuela
Signs Energy Pacts with Portugal, Ecuador, and China for Orinoco Oil
A quote...."Mérida, May 15, 2008 (venezuelanalyiss.com)-- Over
the past week, the Venezuelan government and its state oil company
PDVSA signed agreements with Portugal, Ecuador, and China to jointly
produce, refine, and market petroleum from Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil
Belt. Planned projects will cost tens of billions of dollars and span
over the next decade. Venezuela and Portugal also signed agreements to,
in the words of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, “exchange
petroleum for spaghetti,” and explore potential liquid gas and wind
power projects in Venezuela."
Russia
to build more bypass hydrocarbons routes
A quote...."MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Oleg Mityayev) -
On May 14, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered the construction of
the second stage of the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS-2), an offshoot of
the Druzhba pipeline built in Soviet times to pump oil to Europe
through Belarus and terminals in the Baltic countries."
Russian
Superjet 100 ready for test flights - manufacturer
A quote...."KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, May 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's new
Superjet 100 medium-haul passenger airliner will make its first test
flight in late May, the head of the Sukhoi aircraft-manufacturing
holding said on Friday."
A Few Good Soldiers
A quote...."Legal commentators have argued for years about whether
there might ever be legitimate trials for the so-called "enemy
combatants" we're holding at Guantanamo Bay. Some say no. Others, like
our friend Ben Wittes, argue that the evidence is inconclusive. They
want to see what the Guantanamo military commissions produce before
pronouncing them a failure."
Free
At Last — Army Intelligence Analyst Buswell, 'The 9/11 NCO,' Speaks Out
A quote...."AUSTIN, Texas — On Aug. 2, 2006, Sergeant First Class
Donald Buswell had his life forever changed by an e-mail. - During his
21 years in the Army, SFC Buswell served in both Iraq conflicts,
Bosnia, Rwanda, and Korea. In 2004, Buswell sustained numerous shrapnel
injuries from a rocket attack, after attempting to save two Iraqis who
were left burning from explosions on a dirt road adjacent Saddam’s
palace."
U.S.
House Blocks $163 Billion for Conflict in Iraq (Update3)
A quote...."May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Anti-war Democrats and Republicans
who objected to Democratic tactics in the U.S. House defeated a measure
to provide $163 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
until next summer."
The
Death of the D.C. Madam - A Washington Witch Hanging
A quote....
Ding dong, the DC Madam is dead
Hung from the rafters of her mother’s shed.
Hide under yer covers, Ye Dicks and Ye Johns!
Ye Senators and Prosecutors, Ye Media Cons!
There’s blood on yer hands, though you pretend to be clean,
Ye’ll always be haunted by the Ghost of Deborah Jeane...
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Fed's
Direct Loans to Banks Climb to Record Level
A quote...."The Federal Reserve's direct loans of cash to commercial
banks climbed to the highest level on record in the past week as
money-losing lenders increasingly turn to the central bank for funds. -
Funds provided through the so-called discount window for banks rose by
$2.8 billion to a daily average of $14.4 billion in the week to May 14,
the central bank said today in Washington. Separately, the Fed's loans
to Wall Street bond dealers rose by $75 million to $16.6 billion."
Manufacturing
in New York Unexpectedly Shrank in May (Update1)
A quote...."May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Manufacturing in New York shrank in
May for the third time in four months, as a drop in orders caused
businesses to pull back."
Manufacturing
in Philadelphia Region Shrank in May (Update1)
A quote...."May 15 (Bloomberg) -- Manufacturing in the Philadelphia
region shrank in May for a sixth month in a row as orders continued to
drop."
Home
builders see no improvement in May
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. home builders see no signs
of improvement in the housing market after a disappointing start to the
spring selling season, the National Association of Home Builders
reported Thursday."
Industrial
output sinks 0.7% in April - Factory output sees biggest drop since
Hurricane Katrina
A quote..."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Industrial output of the
nation's factories, mines and utilities dropped 0.7% in April in a
broad-based decline led by falling production of motor vehicles, the
Federal Reserve reported Thursday."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Plane
lands on top of another
A quote...."A light aircraft accidentally landed on top of another
preparing to take off today. - No-one was injured in the accident at
Roanoke airport near Dallas, Texas, although both planes were badly
damaged. -- You know what it looks
like to this editor....a simple case of plane love. - mpg
Wednesday May 14th 2008
'Untimely
deaths' that benefited R. M. Scaife, the CIA, and the Bush Crime Family
Must Read - A
quote...."In a twisted, right wing brain like that of Richard Mellon
Scaife, murder may be justified by endless ideological
rationalizations. Not only lives are lost but truth itself. It is a
sick mentality that sacrifices the voice of reason for lies and
bullsh-t. Short-term, short-sighted victories are pyrrhic and the very
fabric of society is corrupted."
In
a
Casino Mentality, The Economy Goes From Bubble to Bubble
A quote...."The American economy seems to be going from bubble to
bubble: in 2000, it was the tech bubble; in 2005, it was the housing
bubble; and now, it is the oil and commodities bubble. In fact, the
entire world of investment is now a giant casino where speculators are
in charge and where governments look the other way."
From
The Credit Crunch To The Spectre Of Global Crisis
A quote...."That was the Lex Column of the Financial Times as we went
to press. It displays the bewilderment afflicting those who are
supposed to be providing some direction to the system as they alternate
between sheer panic, fake optimism, and simply hoping things will turn
out all right." -- Also posted at
ICH
Rules
for Radicals: How to Begin Taking Back Our Government
Must Read - Action Alert
- A quote...." RULE 12: Pick
the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it." -- Cut off the
support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people
and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is
cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule
works.)" -- This is rule number
twelve, there should be a rule number
thirteen....go after
the money. (This is the corollary to the investigative rule called
"follow the money".) - mpg
13-a)
Every person throughout the world who was injured or harmed in any way
by the renditions, torture and mass murder caused by the PNAC'ing MIOC
elite's "long war" or any of the false flag events they sponsored,
should sue the institutions, corporations and most importantly the
individuals involved.
13-b) That no one
should ever do business with any of those involved with these crimes of
murder and mayhem EVER.
This would not be a boycott, this would be a permanent, life long ban
on the individuals and institutions that have killed and harmed so
many across this planet, they should all be shunned..... forever.
13-c) Everyone involved
with
the trillions of dollars spent on these rapacious plans of murder and
conquest should be forced to pay it all back. Suggestions:
A ten year retroactive tax on any capital gains made from the oil or
defense industries. Personally requiring by an article-V constitutional
convention and amendment, that Congressmen
and Senators pay back into the Social Security Trust fund any amounts
they overspent during their tenures, else it would be deducted from
their flesh (i.e. as in the Merchant of Venice). Retroactively
taking
the cap off the Social Security Tax for, five, seven, or ten
years....whatever
is necessary to pay back what was withdrawn. Eliminating the
funding
for VA, education or pension benefits for those in the military till
these amounts are returned. (Although that may seem a bit harsh, keep
in mind the Republicans have consistently every single year tried to
reduce VA benefits
without a peep from those in the military, besides it's been five
years already, it's time to finally pull the plug on this whole
"Racket".)
13-d) It must be
emphasized to
all peoples throughout the world that these policies are essential for
everyone's own safety and survival, i.e. doing "business" with
"American" (a.k.a. Neo-Roman) MIOC institutions and individuals will
simply corrupt you and eventually get you, your family and everyone you
know killed.....always, every single time, guaranteed.
13-e)
It should also be made
clear to everyone that letting any of the individuals or institutions
get away with the enormous fortunes they made facilitating and
anticipating 9/11 would be extremely bad for business....it will
only encourage them in their greedy anticipation to contemplate further
endeavors of this sort....from now on. - mpg
The
'Long War' fallacy
Must Read - A
quote...."Donald Rumsfeld is today a discredited and widely reviled
figure. Robert Gates, Rumsfeld's successor as Defense secretary, is
generally admired for manifesting qualities that Rumsfeld lacked -- a
willingness to listen not least among them. Yet on one crucial point,
the two see eye to eye: Both believe that the United States has no
alternative but to wage a global war likely to last decades." -- To the LA Times....a sincere and hearty
welcome to the reality based community. - mpg
From New
Rome to Sadr City
A quote...."Remember when the globe's imperial policeman, its New Rome,
was going to wield its unsurpassed military power by moving from
country to country, using lightning strikes and shock-and-awe tactics?
We're talking about the now-unimaginably distant past of 2002-2003."
Anglo-American
Ascendancy Lost in Unnecessary Wars
A quote...." 13/05/08 "ICH" -- - -In a new book that will infuriate the
fake conservatives who inhabit the Republican Party, Patrick J.
Buchanan documents how British self-righteousness, delusion, and hubris
destroyed both the British Empire and Western ascendancy in two
unnecessary wars launched by a small cabal of morons that ruled Britain"
Bugliosi:
George W. Bush Should be Tried for Mass Murder
Must Read - A
quote...."It has been my position for years that George W. Bush should
be prosecuted for various capital crimes, not the least of which are
the deaths following from his wars of naked aggression in Afghanistan
and Iraq. [See: US Codes, Title 18, Section 2441] I have urged that a
Federal Grand jury bring indictments against George W. Bush, Dick
Cheney, Condo Rice, Don Rumsfeld and numerous other co-conspirators,
accomplices and accessories-after-the fact."
Senate
Moves Forward on Orwellian "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown
Terrorism Prevention Act"
A quote...."Under cover of studying "violent radicalization," both
bills would broaden the already-fluid definition of "terrorism" to
encompass political activity and protest by dissident groups,
effectively criminalizing civil disobedience and non-violent direct
action by developing policies for "prevention, disruption and
mitigation."
America’s march
towards fascism: and some helpful hints on how to protect yourself from
the United States government
A quote...."The American Heritage Dictionary defines Fascism as
“a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a
dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the
opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of
belligerent nationalism and racism.” - Yep....that about sums it up. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Independent
Witnesses to War Perish at the Hands of the U.S. Military in Iraq
A quote...."This morning, Democracy Now! dedicated their entire show to
a revealing interview of a former Sergeant of U.S. intelligence,
Adrienne Kinne. While working for the military, one of Kinne's duties
was to eavesdrop on satellite telephone communications. In a startling
interview, Kinne revealed that, "we were listening to journalists who
were staying in the Palestine Hotel ... [and] were given a list of
potential targets in Baghdad, and the Palestine Hotel was listed as a
potential target." Kinne also revealed that humanitarian organizations
and journalists were amongst those whose conversations were monitored
by the U.S. military."
DEMOCRACY
NOW! EXCLUSIVE: Fmr. Military Intelligence Officer Reveals US Listed
Palestine Hotel in Baghdad as Target Prior to Killing of Two
Journalists in 2003 -- A quote...."Last month marked the fifth
anniversary of the US military shelling of the Palestine Hotel in
Baghdad. The attack killed two journalists: Reuters cameraman Taras
Protsyuk and Jose Couso, a cameraman for the Spanish television network
Telecinco. The Pentagon has called the killings accidental, but in this
broadcast exclusive Army Sgt. Adrienne Kinne (Ret.) reveals she saw
secret US military documents that listed the hotel as a possible
target. Kinne also discloses that she was personally ordered to
eavesdrop on Americans working for news organizations and NGOs in Iraq.
[includes rush transcript]" -- || Real Video Stream || Real Audio Stream || MP3 Download || More…
||
For more on the two articles
shown above see....US
- Killing the Messenger
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Italian
Trial of C.I.A. Operatives Begins With Torture Testimony
A quote...."MILAN — A long-delayed trial of C.I.A. operatives and
former top Italian intelligence officials moved forward here on
Wednesday, as a judge ruled that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi could
be called to testify about the abduction of a radical Muslim cleric
here in 2003."
Italian
PM may be drawn into CIA abduction case
A quote...."MILAN (Reuters) - An Italian judge could decide on
Wednesday to make Silvio Berlusconi the first head of a government to
testify in criminal proceedings over secret CIA transfers of terrorism
suspects. Judge Oscar Magi is expected to announce his decision on
whether to call Berlusconi and other politicians when he resumes a
trial at 0800 GMT against 26 Americans and seven Italians accused of
carrying out a transfer or "rendition" in 2003."
For more on the two articles
shown above see....Fun
& Torture - It's a Pleasure.
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== =====
Wayne
Madsen Interrogated, Harrassed At Airport After DC Madam Controversy
A quote...."In Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff's world of
an "Israelized" America, the terms SPOT (Screening Passengers by
Observation Technique) and BDO (Behavior Detection Officer) are the new
acronyms of Stasi-like control of the American citizenry by a
government that treats anyone as a suspicious person in the same manner
that Israel mistreats its own Arab citizens and Palestinians."
The
U.S. Quietly Slashes the Reward Posted for the Leader of Al Qaeda in
Iraq
A quote...."The U.S. government has quietly withdrawn a $5 million
reward it was offering for the killing or capture of Abu Ayyub
al-Masri, named by Pentagon officials as the leader of Al Qaeda in
Iraq. -- Al-Masri had been one of America's most wanted figures in Iraq
ever since his identity was revealed in 2006. But U.S. News has learned
that the bounty for him was reduced and that he was unceremoniously
dropped in late February from the State Department's Rewards for
Justice Program, which offers cash payments for information that leads
to the capture or killing of wanted terrorists." -- For more on this issue see....
Al
Qaeda in Iraq leader not captured - U.S.
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head
of al Qaeda in Iraq, has not been captured, a senior U.S. military
official told CNN on Friday. Iraqi authorities said Thursday that
al-Masri had been captured in Mosul." --
Look what Cheney's newest pet canine
(Maliki) went and did....he caught Abu Ayyub al-Masri (Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi’s successor), forcing Cheney and pals to quietly release him
and come up with a cover story saying he was never caught in the first
place. Think that statement's a bit implausible gentle reader,
well it's said half in jest, but only half. See....US
Support of Terror - al-Zarqawi -
posted
05-09-08 - mpg
U.S.-trained
forces reportedly helping Mexican cartels
A quote...."WASHINGTON — As many as 200 U.S.-trained Mexican security
personnel have defected to drug cartels to carry out killings on both
sides of the border and as far north as Dallas, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble,
told Congress on Wednesday. -- The renegade members of Mexico's elite
counter-narcotics teams trained at Fort Benning, Ga., have switched
sides, contributing to a wave of violence that has claimed some 6,000
victims over the past 30 months, including prominent law enforcement
leaders, the Houston-area Republican told the House Foreign Affairs
Committee." -- It just never ends.
- mpg
"20th
hijacker" blows up torture argument
A quote...."The CIA admitted last year that it destroyed videotapes of
al-Qaida suspects being interrogated at a secret "black site" in
Thailand. No proof has so far emerged that tapes of interrogations at
Guantánamo were destroyed, but Sands' report suggests the US may
have also buried politically sensitive proof relating to abuse by
interrogators at the prison camp." -- Ahhhhh, the Neo-Romans at play. To
all those so-called "Christians" out there who voted for the Bush
regime - you supported this, you agreed to this, and despite all of
your
plaintive denials you knew this was happening. - mpg
Who
Are the Gitmo Defendants?
A quote...."Today, the U.S. dropped charges against the so-called '20th
hijacker'. - That got me wondering, who are the remaining Guantanamo
defendants? - It turns out that they are not "Al Qaeda terrorists", but
a bunch of kids, a car pool driver, and others who may have been
involved in a civil war within their own country, but not a war against
the United States."
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Bush:
An 'accessory before the fact' of Mass Murder
Must Read - A
quote...."It's
bad enough that those courageous enough to oppose Bush's rise to
dictatorship are attacked and impugned by the right wing! That is to be
expected. But the propagation of fallacies and nonsense by those who
should know better is intolerable."
Rumsfeld
On 2006 Election: "The Correction For That...Is An Attack"
A quote...."An ongoing exploration of the documents related to the
Pentagon's "message force multipliers" program has unearthed a clip of
former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggesting that America,
having voted the Democrats back into Congressional power, could benefit
from suffering another terrorist attack, and doing so in the presence
of the very same military analysts who went on to provide commentary
and analysis of the Iraq War."
Rumsfeld's
Mind: If 9/11 Worked, Why Not Try it Again
Related article - A quote...."Call me a conspiracy theorist. But when
Donald Rumsfeld spoke, in late 2006, to the pentagon propagandists the
NY Times recently exposed, he, in opining the loss of both houses of
congress to the Democrats, suggested that “the US could benefit from
another terrorist attack,” Jason Linkin of the Huffington post reports."
9/11:
Press Release - For Immediate Release - Air America Radio: What
Happened At The Pentagon?
A quote...."05/13/08 - We hope you'll join us regarding the issues
surrounding the Pentagon Attack this Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 9pm
Eastern on Air America Radio with your host Richard Greene, Co-Produced
by Rob Balsamo, Co-Founder, Pilots For 9/11 Truth. The show will be
broadcast nationwide and streaming on the internet at http://airamerica.com/clout"
9/11
Contradictions - David Ray Griffin with VC Citizens for Impeachment
Patriot -
(Gogl Vid 59min 04/22/08)
Must View - Interview - Special Note
- A quote...."Interview with Dr. David Ray Griffin, theologian and
author, and Cindy Piester with Citizens for Impeachment, Ventura
County. Filmed in Ventura, CA on March 28, 2008."
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9/11 - From The History File...FBI
Says Barbara Olsen Did Not Call Ted Olsen. Bush Solicitor General LIED
!!
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Air
Force Aims for 'Full Control' of 'Any and All' Computers
A quote...."The Air Force wants a suite of hacker tools, to give it
"access" to -- and "full control" of -- any kind of computer there
is. And once the info warriors are in, the Air Force wants them
to keep tabs on their "adversaries' information infrastructure
completely undetected."
New
Legislation and Debate on Net Neutrality
A quote...."Last week, lawmakers proposed legislation on network
neutrality that would open up the possibility for antitrust lawsuits
against companies that violate the bill's regulations. The bill has
fueled the ongoing debate about the implications of network
regulation." -- For more regarding this issue see....Fake
Intel / Propaganda - Qttempts to Stop the Net
Military
analysts named in Times exposé appeared or were quoted more than
4,500 times on broadcast nets, cables, NPR -- A quote...."Summary:
A New York Times article detailed the connection between numerous media
military analysts and the Pentagon and defense industries, reporting
that "the Bush administration has used its control over access and
information in an effort to transform" media military analysts "into a
kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism
coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks." A Media Matters
review found that since January 1, 2002, the analysts named in the
Times article -- many identified as having ties to the defense industry
-- collectively appeared or were quoted as experts more than 4,500
times on ABC, ABC News Now, CBS, CBS Radio Network, NBC, CNN, CNN
Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, and NPR. -- For more on this issue see....Fake
Intel/Propaganda - NYT Article
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Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Wednesday roundup
- 6 articles -
[Day 8]
Bush
quick onto Lebanon blame-game
A quote...."May 15, 2008 -- President George W Bush, on tour in the
Middle East, has pledged continued United States support for the
Lebanese government following its clashes with the Shi'ite Hezbollah
militia. Bush makes no secret of his belief that Iran is behind the
recent troubles. Others, though, point a finger at Washington." -- For more on this issue see....The
CONversation - 09-04-06 - mpg
What
is really happening in Lebanon?
Video - Special Note -- A
quote...."Wednesday May 14th, 2008 -- Clashes between supporters of the
US-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition have shaken
Lebanon. Six days of deadly sectarian bloodshed is the worst violence
in the country since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990. The Real
News Network analyst Pepe Escobar examines what is happening in
Lebanon." -- Editor's Note - This is
not a power struggle per se, to quote the article - "Fouad Siniora,
decided to shut down
the communication and surveillance network at Beirut Airport."
Obviously he was doing this in preparation for an Israeli attack
against Lebanon, which would have been the prelude for an attack
against Syria and Iran. He miscalculated.... badly. - mpg
Lebanon's
Sunni bloc built militia, officials say
Must Read - Special Note
- A quote...."BEIRUT -- For a year, the main Lebanese political faction
backed by the United States built a Sunni Muslim militia here under the
guise of private security companies, Lebanese security experts and
officials said. - The fighters, aligned with Saad Hariri's Future
movement, were trained and armed to counter the heavily armed Shiite
Muslim militant group Hezbollah and protect their turf in a potential
military confrontation." -- Editor's Note - Again to repeat, the
whole thing was a set-up from the get-go. The US and Fouad
Siniora got together to "arrange" a more easy attack against Lebanon by
Israel. A big mistake.
- mpg
Falling
Cedars: Fomenting War in Lebanon -- and Beyond
A quote...."Tuesday, 13 May 2008 -- What's going on in Lebanon? Nothing
you haven't seen before -- in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Palestine and
other places where "the United States is basically instigating and
funding civil wars." - So says Professor As’ad AbuKhalil -- better
known perhaps as the "Angry Arab," for his indispensable website of the
same name. AbuKhalil was born and raised in Lebanon and has an intimate
knowledge of troubled land's warring factions there -- and their
external backers."
Lebanon
set to cancel anti-Hezbollah measures
A quote...."Wed May 14, 2008 1:35pm EDT -- BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's
cabinet is likely to cancel measures on Wednesday that angered the
Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement and triggered the worst internal
conflict since the country's civil war, political sources said."
Militias
renew Lebanon violence with attack on village
A quote...."Beirut | May 13, 2008 -- The use of rockets, which hit
targets almost 8km from their launch points near Beirut international
airport, sharply escalated the crisis enveloping Lebanon and placed
sectarian militias on renewed nationwide alert. -- Eleven Druze were
killed and several dozen wounded during the seven-hour barrage, which
was brought to a halt by the arrival of the Lebanese Army - again cast
into the role of conciliator between sectarian factions." -- "Sunday's
violence, the worst internal strife in Lebanon for 18 years, came amid
reports that several opposition-aligned guerillas had been mutilated as
payback for their involvement in earlier attacks. Two men from the
pro-Syrian Hezb al-Kulmi faction had one hand and one foot chopped off,
allegedly by opposition-aligned factions. The men were recovering in
hospital."
Hezbollah was playing it smart
up until today. Then
they got stupid. It doesn't matter how much
one is provoked, if a group of men mutilate your comrades you must NOT attack civilians seven miles
away from you....instead you quietly conduct an investigation, find out
the identity of the people who actually did the deed, especially those
who gave the orders, than do what you have to do against those who are
responsible.
You don't take it out on those who weren't involved; you don't fall
into the trap of being deliberately provoked; you don't play into the
hands of the Israelis or America's Neo-Romans. Attacking innocent
bystanders inevitably leads to escalation, vengeance attacks and
eventually civil war. It's also immoral, wrong and most
importantly it does a disservice to "justice" and to whatever cause
you're fighting for. - mpg
Phase Two,
Siniora's the US's and Israel's new war in Lebanon - Wednesday roundup -
[Day 8]
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Phase One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Wednesday round-up - 3 articles - [ Day 51
]
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic
A quote...."05-11-2008 -- Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that there is a
disagreement
between the United Iraqi Alliance (Shiite coalition) and the Sadr
Movement over the exact content of the ceasefire proclamation. The UIA
says that Sadr made an undertaking to dissolve the Mahdi Army, while
his supporters say he pledged no such thing. Sadrist spokesman Salah
al-Ubaidi said that individual militiamen were free to surrender their
arms to the central government, but that the movement would not impose
a duty to do so on its members." -- *Juan Cole*
`Angry'
Iran sharpens tone with Baghdad's leaders
A quote..."05-14-08 -- BAGHDAD (AP) — When a group of Iraqi envoys
headed to Iran recently, they were fully prepared for some tense
moments. But they also hoped to come away with something to show for
it: pledges of cooperation on weakening Shiite militias in Iraq."
Sadr
City Conditions Worsen
A quote...."(ICR No. 258, 14-May-08) - Living conditions in Sadr City,
already one of Baghdad’s most impoverished slums, have deteriorated
sharply following weeks of fighting between Shia militiamen and United
States-backed Iraqi troops that has killed hundreds, according to Iraqi
lawmakers."
Phase
One, Cheney's
and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Wednesday round-up - [ Day 51
]
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Al-Zaman
reports in Arabic
A quote...."Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that the population of Mosul
feels betrayed because Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had given them an
undertaking that he was only after foreign jihadis and would not arrest
local Mosulis. In fact he has had 150 officers arrested." -- *Juan Cole*
Turkey
combines dialogue with bullets
A quote...."In a significant change of policy, Turkey recently
initiated high-level official dialogue with the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) of Iraq. A columnist for the Turkish mass circulation
daily Zaman commented that such an official dialogue "was not an
ordinary step. It was a turning point in the approach to the Kurdish
issue and broke a taboo."
The
oily truth about America’s foreign policy
A quote...."The importance of oil to American foreign policy is both
obvious and curiously difficult to acknowledge in public. In the run-up
to the Iraq war it was left to the left to make the argument that this
was a “war for oil”. Establishment people -- those in the know --
rolled their eyes at this “conspiracy theory”. -- For more on this issue see....War
Resource 9/11
UK stance toward
Iran 'gross hypocrisy'
A quote...."The Church of Scotland blasts the UK government's
'hypocrisy' on Iran's nuclear program while it renews its Trident
weapons system. -- "The renewal of the Trident weapons system (by the
UK government) is identified … as being a breach of the Nuclear Non
Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as well as an act of 'gross hypocrisy',"
said the Church and Society Council in a plea to the Church of
Scotland's General Assembly."
The
other side of Israel's birth
A quote...."This spring we are obsessed with anniversaries: the fifth
year since the invasion of Iraq, the 40th since the Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr.'s assassination and, of course, the 60th anniversary of
Israeli independence. Each such marker shapes our understanding of
history, framing how a story is to be told and how it is to be
remembered. I am struck by one conspicuous anniversary that is not
making many headlines." -- Also
posted at CommonDreams
Uribe
is Playing With Fire If He Installs an American Base on The Border:
Chavez
A quote...."The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, warned this
Wednesday that his colleague from Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, would be
“playing with fire” if he cedes that the United States military base
that is in Ecuador be transferred to the border of his country."
Jerry
Mitchell, - Ghost Hunter
Special Note - A
quote...."He has nothing to do with hunting primes. Jerry Mitchell
doesn’t talk a lot, display an intractable smile and doesn’t brag about
anything. Seated at his desk in the editing room of the Clarion Ledger,
the major daily newspaper for Mississippi, located in Jackson, he says
he is simply “an ordinary guy, an easy person to live with, and who
listens to his interviewees for as long as it takes.” A rule
established in his dogma for many years, and which led this journalist
with a falsely debonair physique to become an unbeatable opponent of
the former members of the racist and criminal organization called the
Ku Klux Klan" -- What this country
needs many more of....men and women like Jerry Mitchell. - mpg
In
'Spies for Hire,' U.S. Security Gets Outsourced
Book Review - A
quote...."Fresh Air from WHYY It's become a $50 billion a year
industry: Corporations like Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and
IBM are being paid to do things the CIA, the National Security Agency
and the Pentagon usually do, including analysis, covert operations,
electronic surveillance and reconnaissance. -- Investigative journalist
Tim Shorrock details the outsourcing of U.S. intelligence in his new
book, Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing."
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World
Bank `Destroyed Basic Grains' in Honduras (Update2)
A quote...."May 14 (Bloomberg) -- Fidencio Alvarez abandoned his bean
and corn farm in southern Honduras because of the rising cost of seeds,
fuel and food. After months of one meal a day, he hiked with his wife
and six children to find work in the city." -- Any country or a people, who lets their
leaders do "business" with the IMF or World
Banksters....deserves what they get. - mpg
Bank
of England likely to delay rate cuts: economists - Central bank sees
inflation soaring above 2% target
A quote...."LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Despite prospects for a significant
economic slowdown, the Bank of England is unlikely to rush into further
rate cuts after projecting inflation to surge and remain well above
target through the rest of the year, economists said Wednesday."
US
foreclosure filings surge 65 percent in April
A quote...."More U.S. homeowners fell behind on mortgage payments last
month, driving the number of homes facing foreclosure up 65 percent
versus the same month last year and contributing to a deepening slide
in home values, a research company said Tuesday."
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051408-052008
- links page
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