Tuesday June 3rd 2008

Beam Me Up, Scotty!
Must Read - A quote...."The physical process of voting is a kinetic learning experience – and what we learn is that we have done something – that we have voiced our opinion. But one must recall the old dilemma, "If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" -- It takes two to produce sound – a vibration in a certain frequency range and something that is sensitive and ideally responsive to that particular vibration. Our government – whether viewed as the dictator in chief, his trusty congress, or the executive, legislative, or judicial bureaucracy – is simply not sensitive to our lever-pulling or touch screen-touching vibrations. The 2004 elections of antiwar candidates to Congress proved that once again, and we should have seen it coming."

US-Iraq Security Talks Hit Snag; Mosul Police HQ Bombed, 55 Killed or Wounded
A quote...."Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that both Sunni and Shiite Iraqis have united to reject the draft of a security agreement proposed by the United States. A high-level Iraqi source told the pan-Arab London daily that one point of dispute is that the US wants its troops to have complete freedom of movement in the country, whereas the Iraqis want it to be limited. The Americans are said to be seeking to retain the right to dominate Iraqi air space up to 29,000 feet, and to gain open access to the land, air and water of Iraq. The US wants to retain the right to arrest and detain any Iraqi whom the US believes represents a security threat. Washington desires the right to launch military operations to chase terrorists without seeking Iraqi government permission. The US wants immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts for American troops, contractors and corporations in Iraq."

Australia Bolts Iraq Over Bush's Lies
A quote...."Matilda is walzing home from Iraq, and the Australians are lucky but chastened.
Share this article -- Lucky for having lost not one soldier in combat of the 2,000 sent to join the “coalition of the willing” attack on Iraq in March 2003. -- Chastened because Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is now pulling no punches in decrying the subservience of his predecessor, John Howard, to Washington."

Canada's parliament votes to grant asylum to US war resisters
A quote...."Parliament on Tuesday voted to allow US resisters of the Iraq war who fled to Canada to stay in this country, thus avoiding military court-martial in the United States. -- The non-binding motion passed 137 to 110, with support from all three opposition parties, which hold a majority of seats in the House."

Gates wins no promises on Asia trip for help on Afghanistan
A quote...."Defense Secretary Robert Gates' Asia trip produced no public commitment from other nations to help the U.S. in the war on terror, especially in Afghanistan. -- With many countries under pressure at home to withdraw troops out of harm's way, Gates was forced to change strategies from a similar trip he took a year ago. This time his appeal was more subtle and delivered in private." -- Translation - "You don't'ahh do want we want, we break'a your face, we break'a your kids....you unnerrstanz?? -- mpg

New agreement lets US strike any country from inside Iraq
A quote...."Baghdad: A proposed Iraqi-American security agreement will include permanent American bases in the country, and the right for the United States to strike, from within Iraqi territory, any country it considers a threat to its national security, Gulf News has learned. "

US-Iraq security pact shapes up as major battle as Iraqi prime minister goes to Iran for talks
A quote...."BAGHDAD: A proposed U.S.-Iraq security agreement is shaping up as a major political battle between America and Iran, as the debate over the future of troops here intensifies ahead of the fall U.S. presidential election."

Collateral Damage
A quote...."Troops, when they battle insurgent forces, as in Iraq, or Gaza or Vietnam, are placed in "atrocity producing situations." Being surrounded by a hostile population makes simple acts, such as going to a store to buy a can of Coke, dangerous. The fear and stress push troops to view everyone around them as the enemy. The hostility is compounded when the enemy, as in Iraq, is elusive, shadowy and hard to find. The rage soldiers feel after a roadside bomb explodes, killing or maiming their comrades, is one that is easily directed, over time, to innocent civilians who are seen to support the insurgents." -- Also posted at LewRockwell

Who’s to pay for Iraq’s reconstruction, Iraqi or U.S. taxpayer?
A quote...."There have been calls in the U.S. Congress demanding Iraq to pay for the post-war reconstruction from its oil revenues rather than American taxpayers’ money. - Such calls were never made before. U.S. legislators started mulling them when expenditures on the twin wars of Iraq and Afghanistan skyrocketed to unreasonable levels. - Demands like these are not only unacceptable but are in a sense meant to punish Iraqis for the destruction and devastation U.S.-waged invasion and occupation of their country has caused." -- For more on this issue see....Making the Victim Pay

Khadr: Ever More Questionable
A quote...." During the six years that "enemy combatants" captured in Afghanistan have been detained on this American base in Cuba, not a single one has been tried. And on top of that, the most anticipated of these trials - that of young Canadian Omar Khadr - has just undergone another worrying rebound." -- For more on this issue see....The Convenient Silence of Guantanamo Bay - 05-31-08 - mpg

Soldiers Discuss Using "Drop Weapons" To Cover Up Killing Innocent Iraqi Civilians
Video - A quote...."Several soldiers who have returned from combat zones talk with the American News Project about what they say is the widespread practice of using "drop weapons" to cover up the killing of innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. We feature five veterans and current members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, plus retired Lieutenant Colonel Gary Solis, a Vietnam War veteran and legal scholar who taught "Law of War" at West Point. Watch the video from ANP below:"

A Moral Burden on U.S. Soldiers
A quote...."A fighter pilot would never cut the throat of an innocent woman or child. However, the same pilot drops bombs into enemy territory to kill enemy personnel, knowing he may also kill innocent civilians. The luxury of a large distance between the bullet or a bomb used to kill suspected enemies in Iraq is a luxury many of our soldiers do not have."

Palestinian farmer defies Israeli settlement policy - (YouTube - 3 min 4 sec - Added:  June 03, 2008)
Video - Since Annapolis, Israel has issued over 17,000 new tenders for housing units in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. -- The Palestinians say this is a policy that destroys any prospect of peace and renders establishing a viable Palestinian state impossible."

Israeli military announces plan to uproot 440 olive trees from Naalin village
A quote...."In a town that has become the forefront of the Palestinian non-violent resistance to the Israeli annexation Wall, the Palestinian residents of Naalin received notice today that the Israeli military plans to uproot hundreds of olive trees – the only source of revenue for most villagers."

Munich, 1938
A quote...."When President Bush, before the Knesset, used the word "appeasement" to label those who would negotiate with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he invoked the most powerful analogy in any debate over war and peace. -- No man wishes to be regarded as an "appeaser."

“The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington”
A quote...."As we continue to look at issues regarding the 2008 presidential race, we turn to political journalist and nationally syndicated columnist, David Sirota. His first book, Hostile Takeover, was a New York Times bestseller. His latest book, just published, is The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington. [includes rush transcript]"  ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  ||

The New (no-bid, cost-plus) Flying Tigers
Some quotes...."The Super-Tucano, while prop-driven and so looking a bit antiquated, is not an obsolete aircraft but rather a state-of-the-art COIN platform with similiar hi-tech sensors and cockpit to the F-16. It's specifically designed to operate in Third World locations with a minimum of logistical support - thus no jet engines - and can be heavily armed." -- "The armament system can handle a total of 1,500kg external loads in the form of weapons or reconnaissance pods. Internal FNH 0.5in machine guns are capable of 950 rounds a minute, while external options include a GIAT M20A1 gun capable of 650 rounds a minute or an HMP podded gun. Up to 10 115kg or five 250kg bombs can be carried, or four LM70/19 unguided rocket pods. Primary air-to-air armament is the Brazilian MAA-1 Piranha short-range infrared guided missile, but versions of the Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder and equivalents can also be carried."

Spying Telecoms Receive Billions in Government Contracts
A quote...."The telecoms who are being sued for their cooperation in the government's illegal warrantless surveillance program have received billions in government contracts. According to Washington Technology magazine, Verizon received $1.3 billion, Sprint $839 million and AT&T $505 million in federal prime contract revenue for fiscal 2007, for a total of $2.6 billion. While the companies have been government contractors for a long time, it still represents a significant increase in revenue." -- Also posted at BLN

Time Warner Cable tries metering Internet use
A quote...."You're used to paying extra if you use up your cell phone minutes, but will you be willing to pay extra if your home computer goes over its Internet allowance? -- Time Warner Cable Inc. customers -- and, later, others -- may have to, if the company's test of metered Internet access is successful."

For more on this issue see....Attempts to Control the Internet
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

U.S. Economy, Bottom of the Ninth and Way Behind:
A quote...."The whole thing is a charade. The banking system has about run its gamut. All the money has gravitated to the top players and Middle America is reaching the point of no longer having any money to be scammed out of. So, move along, nothing to see here, these people are being phased out in favor of the improved cheap foreign labor models."

Beware the Moral Hazard Trivializers
A quote...."Central banks function as lenders of last resort, that is, they lend money to financial firms and others who are unable to find creditors on the market. The salient point is that they can provide this service without any technical or economic limitations. Indeed, the money they lend does not cost them anything at all. Central banks do not have to borrow money; rather they make the money of the nation. Because paper notes ("greenbacks") and electronic accounts ("liquidities") are virtually costless to make, it follows that the amount central banks can lend is basically unlimited. This allows them not only to provide virtually unlimited credit to governments and similar institutions, but also to bail out market participants on the verge of bankruptcy. Thus they can prevent financial contagions and meltdowns."

U.S. commercial bankruptcies rise to record
A quote...."NEW YORK - U.S. commercial bankruptcies soared 46 percent in May from a year ago and many more are expected as the slowing economy chokes consumers and businesses, according to a bankruptcy management firm. --
There were some 5,233 commercial bankruptcy cases last month, up from 3,589 in the year-ago period, according to AACER, a database of U.S. bankruptcy statistics."

Monday June 2nd 2008

How Cheney Outfoxed His Foes on Iran and EFPs
A quote...."For many months, the propaganda line that explosively formed projectiles (EFPs) that could penetrate U.S. armoured vehicles were coming straight from Iran has been embraced publicly by the entire George W. Bush administration. But when that argument was proposed internally by military officials in January 2007, it was attacked by key administration officials as unsupported by the facts." -- Also posted at Global Research & ICH -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel/Propaganda - IED's & EFP's

Australian PM attacks decision to join war in Iraq
A quote...."CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Prime Minister Kevin Rudd accused his predecessor of abusing intelligence information to justify entering the Iraq war, saying Monday that the Australian people were misled."

Australia withdraws troops from Iraq
Related article - A quote...."NASSIRIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - About 500 Australian combat troops pulled out of their base in southern Iraq on Sunday, fulfilling an election promise by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to bring the soldiers home this year."

Australia ends combat service in Iraq
Video - Related video - A quote...."AP: P.M. Kevin Rudd fulfills campaign promise, saying troops in Iraq made Australia a terrorism target"

New Contracts Reflect Continued Presence in Iraq
A quote...."The depth of US involvement in Iraq and the difficulty the next president will face in pulling personnel out of the country are illustrated by a handful of new contract proposals made public in May. The contracts call for new spending, from supplying mentors to officials with Iraq's Defense and Interior ministries to establishing a U.S.-marshal-type system to protect Iraqi courts. Contractors would provide more than 100 linguists with secret clearances and deliver food to Iraqi detainees at a new, U.S.-run prison."

Iraq: Death Toll - 'Above Highest Estimates'
A quote...."BAQUBA, Jun 2 (IPS) - The real number of the dead is far higher than even the highest declared in death tolls, many Iraqis say." -- Also posted at IPS & Uruknet  -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda - Iraq's Death Toll

US/IRAQ:  "Enough Is Enough, It's Time to Get Out"
A quote...."SEATTLE, Jun 2 (IPS) - Dozens of veterans from the U.S. occupation of Iraq converged in this west coast city over the weekend to share stories of atrocities being committed daily in Iraq, in a continuation of the "Winter Soldier" hearings held in Silver Spring, Maryland in March."

Pinning the blame for 9/11
Special Note - A quote...."Less than a mile from the mournful place in Lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center came crashing to the ground, in a hushed federal courthouse, a small band of Philadelphia lawyers is prying loose secrets of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. -- It is here that the Cozen O'Connor law firm has filed an 812-page lawsuit on behalf of U.S. and global insurance companies alleging that Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed Islamist charities nurtured and financed al-Qaeda, the author of those deadly attacks."

Our nation's self-respect demands impeachment
A quote...."After his release, Sami al Haj arrived in Sudan and was immediately rushed to a hospital by ambulance, weakened by his 438-day hunger strike in Guantanamo. His message to our government: "Torture does not stop terrorism, torture is terrorism." - The U.S. government evidence against him says, "He was trained in the use of cameras by al Jazeera News." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

US accused of holding terror suspects on prison ships
A quote...."The United States is operating "floating prisons" to house those arrested in its war on terror, according to human rights lawyers, who claim there has been an attempt to conceal the numbers and whereabouts of detainees."

Karzai blames West for Afghan violence
A quote...."NEW DELHI, India - International forces in Afghanistan have mismanaged the fight against the Taliban, leading to a rise in violence, and now risk losing people's goodwill, President Hamid Karzai told an Indian news channel. -- Karzai has often criticised the Western conduct of the war in Afghanistan, saying civilian casualties must stop. -- In turn, the president, who wants to stand for re-election next year, is often criticised at home for being overly influenced by the United States and Britain."

Dogs of War: Back to Africa
A quote...."A study published in spring 2007 by the Industrial College of the Armed Forces noted that "Africa may do for the (private military) industry in the next 20 years what Iraq has done in the past four, provide a significant growth engine"

Civil groups to protest against US troops in Peru
A quote...."Lima, June 2 (Prensa Latina) Non-governmental organisations in Peru have called for a general strike to protest against the government's decision to allow US troops helping the civil administration to carry arms."

Putin Calls U.S. `Frightening Monster,' Urges French Solidarity
A quote...."May 31 (Bloomberg) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin compared the U.S. to a ``frightening monster'' and urged France to distance itself from its American ally."

New High In U.S. Prison Numbers
A quote...."More than one in 100 adults in the United States is in jail or prison, an all-time high that is costing state governments nearly $50 billion a year and the federal government $5 billion more, according to a report released yesterday. -- With more than 2.3 million people behind bars, the United States leads the world in both the number and percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving far-more-populous China a distant second, according to a study by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States."

SITE red-faced as Islamist 'Washington ruin' image turns out to be from Fallout 3 game
Some quotes...."SITE red-faced as Islamist 'Washington ruin' image turns out to be from Fallout 3 game Tom Chivers – Telegraph.co.uk May 30, 2008 The SITE Intelligence Group said that the image, showing a ruined Capitol Building in Washington, was created by extremists as part of discussions about the feasibility of nuclear strikes against the US and Britain. " -- "However, it has transpired that far from being a detailed simulation created by terrorist masterminds, the apocalyptic vision is in fact lifted from the computer game Fallout 3, by US game designers Bethesda Softworks."

Lebanon: The Domino That Would Not Fall
A quote...."To a large extent, whether by domino effect or otherwise, the desired outcome has been achieved. The oil-rich Gulf countries, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, the Palestinian Authority and the countries of the Magreb have all, to a greater or lesser degree, been “toppled.” There are a few exceptions, such as Syria and maybe Yemen. The coveted prize however, was always Lebanon. The United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia – through their proxies in the ruling March 14 Coalition – have long sought to bring it into the fold. -- But as the events of May demonstrated, it was a prize not to be had."

Hezbollah, Israel make first steps to larger prisoner swap (Roundup)
A quote...." Beirut - Lebanon's Hezbollah movement and Israel made 'initial steps' towards a larger prisoner swap that will include the two Israeli soldiers snatched by the militant Shiite group in July 2006, a source close to the negotiations told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in Beirut."

Palestinians Trapped at Crossroads
A quote...."Firing home-made primitive rockets at Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip, the mass sweeping through the Palestinian – Egyptian border crossing of Rafah in January and the series of ongoing peaceful demonstrations at Gaza’s crossing points with Israel are not an aggressive demonstration of self-confidence, but more a show of defensive despair and weakness against the tight Israeli military siege, as much as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ threats to resign are passive defensive reaction to the political siege imposed on him by the United States and Israel, who so far fail to deliver on their promises to bring about an agreement to create a Palestinian state by the end of 2008."

Bush’s Anger is Unwise and Inappropriate
A quote...."Bush’s visit to the region, unwelcomed in the Arab street, just came to an end. We hope to God that it’s the last before his authority ends later this year. 2008 is the year that was featured in his dull address, all of which dealt with the Palestinian problem. Or rather, with the “Palestinian State,” that has apparently become reinstated and will exist side by side with Israel. It is as if he was paralyzing the Palestinians, or leading them into a wasteland, because his delusions are simply unachievable. "

Robert Fisk: Horrors we have no choice but to forget
A quote...."I have a clear memory of a terrible crime that was committed in southern Lebanon in 1978. Israeli soldiers, landing at night on the beach near Sarafand – the city of Sarepta in antiquity – were looking for "terrorists" and opened fire on a car load of female Palestinian refugees." -- Also posted at ICH

Bono wants United States of Africa: newspaper
A quote...."Pop star and activist Bono has called for the creation of a United States of Africa, saying that a pan-continental identity would serve as a catalyst for resolving its conflicts. -- The U2 frontman, who was in Japan to take part in a major development conference last week, said that a United States of Africa "would be the dream" in the long term."

Washington Planning to "Checkmate" Chavez
A quote...."So says Heinz Dieterich Steffan - German sociologist, economist, political analyst and Hugo Chavez consultant who claims he coined the phrase "21st century socialism" in the mid-1990s. He currently teaches at the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City and writes often on Latin American issues."

Washington cops getting semiautomatic rifles
A quote...."WASHINGTON -- Civil rights activists say the move to arm District of Columbia Police Department patrol officers with semiautomatic weapons is going overboard. -- Officers will be given AR-15 rifles this summer as a way to combat dangerous criminals on the streets, The Washington Post reported Saturday"

William E. Odom, 75; Military Adviser to 2 Administrations
A quote...."Among senior military people, he was probably the first to consider the war in Iraq a misbegotten adventure," Brzezinski said yesterday. "He believed that we're just stoking hostility to the United States in that region and developing an opposition that cannot be defeated by military means. He was very outspoken." -- Well before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Gen. Odom warned that military action in Iraq would be foolhardy and futile. He outlined his positions in The Washington Post's Outlook section Feb. 11, 2007, in the essay "Victory Is Not an Option." -- "The president's policy is based on illusions, not realities," he wrote. "There never has been any right way to invade and transform Iraq."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Iran Building 7 Refineries to Hike Capacity
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran is constructing seven refineries in an effort to boost its crude and gas refining capacity by more than 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd), a senior oil official said Saturday."

Japan continues climb out of lost decade
A quote...."Having contributed little to world growth for more than 10 years as it suffered a "lost decade" of stagnation and deflation, Japan, the world's second-largest economy, has quietly plugged itself into Asia's expansion and is hopeful it has "decoupled" from the US. And for a country that is totally dependent on imported oil, there is also remarkably little panic about the recent highs in world oil prices."

Time to End "Bernanke Panky?"
A quote...."Deplore as he must the current minor Internet buzz about abolishing the Federal Reserve Board or impeaching its leaders, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke must have a grudging historical sense that 75 years ago, such chastisement might have been appropriate."

Middle East Countries About To Abandon Sinking Dollar
A quote...."With the middle class in America on the ropes, and our nation's currency in trouble — largely because of the greatest credit expansion in the history of the world presided over by Mr. Greenspan himself — now Greenspan has encouraged the Gulf countries to drop the dollar. -- With the American dollar rapidly sinking in value as a result of inflation, several nations that have traditionally tied the value of their own currencies to the U.S. dollar will reportedly break free in the months ahead."

Sunday June 1st 2008

No posts. - mpg

Saturday May 31st 2008

Manufactured Reality: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Must Read - A quote...."In order to force a new reality upon any targeted populace, the masters of the universe follow a simple strategy – they immediately make things twice as bad as they intend to keep them, only to take one step back after a short while, so that the new manufactured reality will be easier to accept.  This strategy holds constant from the manipulation of oil prices to the military strategy to rule the world by force."

Pain and Conscience
Must Read - A quote...."30/05/08 "ICH" -- -- It is evident that a substantial majority of U.S. citizens are, in principle, opposed to the most destructive governmental policies stemming from the nation’s capital. These include, but are not limited to—the continuing war and occupation of Iraq, as well as the pervasive consumer fraud that preys upon the innocent and the unwary and causes them undue hardship. These charges are born out by the abysmal approval rating of Congress and the president. It is equally evident that the government, while pretending to be sympathetic to these views, continues to carry forth those same policies both at home and abroad. It does so without the consent of the people and, therefore, it has abrogated its responsibility to them."

After Bobby Kennedy
Must Read - A quote...."30/05/08 "ICH" -- - In this season of 1968 nostalgia, one anniversary illuminates today. It is the rise and fall of Robert Kennedy, who would have been elected president of the United States had he not been assassinated in June 1968. Having travelled with Kennedy up to the moment of his shooting at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on 5 June, I heard The Speech many times. He would "return government to the people" and bestow "dignity and justice" on the oppressed. "As Bernard Shaw once said," he would say, "'Most men look at things as they are and wonder why. I dream of things that never were and ask: Why not?'" That was the signal to run back to the bus. It was fun until a hail of bullets passed over our shoulders." -- Also posted at CommonDreams & NewStatesman
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

McClellan and the "Enablers"
A quote...."For all the press attention swirling around Scott McClellan's explosive tell-all, there's a brewing back story that's making Katie Couric and Charles Gibson squirm. And they're not alone. -- Few were surprised that McClellan's book exposed a Bush administration "political propaganda campaign" that mislead the American public about the war in Iraq. Some question the former press secretary's loyalty and timing, but no one -- with the obvious exception of the White House and its apologists -- questions the factual basis of his claim."

Media failures didn't stop when the war started
A quote...."When excerpts from former White House press secretary Scott McClellan's new book were made public this week, you might have expected McClellan's claim that President Bush cannot remember whether he has ever used cocaine to cause a stir. After all, Bush's alleged use of the drug was one of the few negative stories about him the media had any appetite for during the 2000 campaign."

McCain Reacts To McClellan: ‘Every Intelligence Agency In The World And Every Assessment’ Said Iraq Had WMD
A quote...."In his new book, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan charges that the Bush administration manipulated information in a “propaganda” campaign before the Iraq war, making the faulty claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD)." -- Also posted at InfoWars

McClellan and the Media 'Enablers' - posted at Consortiumnews
A quote...."No sooner had Bush’s ex-press secretary (now author) Scott McClellan accused President Bush and his other former collaborators of misleading our country into Iraq than the squeals of protest turned into a mighty roar. --  I’m not talking about the vitriol directed at him by former White House colleagues like Karl Rove and Ari Fleischer. I’m talking about McClellan’s other erstwhile war collaborators: the movers and shakers in corporate media."-- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda - Scott McClellan
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Iraqi clerics against US bases
Video - Must View - A quote...."The Bush administration will have a hard time extracting a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) from the government in Baghdad – indefinitely stationing US military troops in the country just as in Japan and South Korea. Muqtada al-Sadr wants any agreement to be submitted to a national referendum. Grand Ayatollah Sistani has recently been visited by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Najaf. And he practically ordered Maliki to call a national referendum. Now Ayatollah Kazim al-Haeri – the 5th grand Ayatollah of Iraq - has issued a fatwa against the agreement."

Thousands of Sadrists Protest Security Pact With US; Sistani Aide Demands Parliament Vote
Related article - Some quotes...."Al-Hayat says that those familiar with the current draft of the agreement says that it speaks of the establishment of 400 US military sites and bases through the country, of legal immunity for American troops and citizens, and an abrogation of any undertakings previously made, to share in the reconstruction of the country."  --  "(On both the Iraqi and American side, this agreement is being characterized as a mere understanding between two executives. It is not being categorized as a treaty and there is no plan to submit it either to the Iraqi parliament or to the US Congress. It seems that the Bush team hopes it will take on the force of law just by virtue of existing and having been signed by the two leaders.)"

US offers $3'000'000 brides to Iraqi MP for SOFA agreement
A quote...."Press TV reports: 'US bribing Iraqi MPs to sign deal' - The US has offered bribes to Iraqi MPs to lure them into endorsing a security deal that critics believe would make Iraq a US colony. - Sources in Iraq's parliament told Press TV on Thursday that Washington has offered three-million dollars in bribe to the lawmakers who sign the "framework accord."

US paying allies to fight war in Iraq
A quote...." Over 180,000 payments, mostly since the war started in 2003, were made by the defense department to contractors for everything from bottled water to vehicles to transportation services. -- In her testimony, Ugone also revealed that $135 million were given to forces from three countries UK, South Korea and Poland to facilitate their participation in the war. This is the first time that the US has officially admitted paying its allies in the so-called Coalition of the Willing that invaded Iraq in March 2003."  -- bold by webiste editor

Privatising war
A quote...."As quelling foreign populations becomes a staple of warfare, private mercenary forces are increasingly relied upon as a tool of foreign policy......" -- "There are now more than 50 private security firms currently operating in Iraq and their number is likely to increase, according to recent reports. Officially their function is to protect vital facilities (from government buildings to oil wells) and important persons (the US ambassador, for example). Some of these companies have special information gathering and analysis departments whose staff has access to state-of-the-art military and security technologies. Global Risks is one such company. Charged with protecting Baghdad International Airport, it has hired for this purpose 500 Nepalese and 500 Fijian soldiers who are apparently the cheapest of the 30 nationalities of mercenaries currently in Iraq."

Depleted Uranium has Destroyed the Genetic Future of Iraq
A quote....""More than ten times the amount of radiation released during atmospheric testing of nuclear bombs has been released from DU weaponry since 1991," said Leuren Moret, a U.S. nuclear scientist. "The genetic future of the Iraqi people, for the most part, is destroyed. The environment now is completely radioactive." -- Because DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, the Middle East will, for all practical purposes, be radioactive forever."  --  For more on this issue see....The Method - 05-07-07 - mpg

An Open Letter to Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak
A quote...."Where was the democratic nature of your state when your heroic soldiers killed my daughter before the eyes of her friends at the entrance to her school in Anata? Where were your democratic ideals when you closed the investigation file into Abir's murder for lack of sufficient evidence, this despite the fact that the crime is clear and was committed in front of more than ten witnesses? Was Abir really a threat to your soldiers, sir?" -- "I carry in my possession the weapons with which Abir threatened those soldiers. I have in my hand her school backpack, reinforced and armored, of course — the mechanical pencil she had, laden with dangerous lead cartridges, and her math book in which class she had a test the same day, which of course included detailed instructions on how to prepare chemical weapons. In addition to all this, she had a sharp ruler, which could for sure be used as a weapon to stab someone. Lastly, I found in her possession two pieces of chocolate that perhaps contained a bit of enriched uranium that would have certainly brought devastation upon your state, if she hadn't been tempted to take them in her hand for a taste seconds before she was shot."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The Convenient Silence of Guantanamo Bay
05-31-08
mpg

Guantanamo Bay judge relieved of duties after threatening to suspend proceedings if prosecutors continued to withhold evidence -- A quote...."The military judge in the Omar Khadr trial in Guantanamo Bay has been relieved of his duties, a move that Mr. Khadr's defence counsel implied is a result of the judge siding with the defence on a number of evidence-disclosure issues in the controversial military tribunal case.”

There are those currently serving in US military uniforms, who torture prisoners in the name of the American people, obtain coerced confessions, fake evidence, initially refuse to provide consul to their prisoners than later grudgingly do so, do not recognize Habeas Corpus, or the Geneva Conventions, or the right against self-incrimination, or a public trial.....and have as a final indignity to this country's honor withheld evidence from the presiding judge in the trial and when he demands that they present it in court to him, they, in an act of supreme, uncaring, willful, arrogance simply fire him.  Sounds like a cover-up to this editor. (Probably because it would show the US government’s and Bush's complicity with 9/11, or even the fact the defendants were innocent, but we'll never know now, will we?)

This is not a mockery of justice; this is a mockery of show trials.

A word to the wise for all those in the US military participating in these "interrogations" and "trials", if ANY of the evidence being withheld or altered indicates US government complicity with 9/11, or would support or imply in any way such a suspicion....all personnel who have cooperated in withholding or altering such evidence would automatically become an accessory after the fact in the murder of three thousand Americans.

More importantly, tainting such evidence, creating any evidence, suborning perjury or extracting false confessions from prisoners even if it DOES NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVE U.S. government or administration official’s complicity regarding 9/11...IN AND OF ITSELF could be legally construed as obstruction of justice and possibly make someone an accessory after the fact regarding 9/11 if it prevents the identification of the true perpetrators or the facts involved.

This is true whether or not one was committing these acts under the orders of higher officials.

It's especially true if these higher officials are implicated in any way with the events of 9/11.

It has become obvious that Guantanamo Bay was set up not just to avoid the law (all of them), but as Donald Rumsfeld is so fond of saying  "to control the flow of information". It is not a coincidence that these prisoners were kept isolated, or that their stories and facts were never verified by independent observers.  Nor is it a coincidence that Rumsfeld personally monitored interrogations live through a high-speed video link.  Nor that the "evidence" or so-called various "confessions" of these prisoners have been kept under wraps for five years now.  Too late to be useful in determining what really happened on 9/11.  To late to be crossed checked with each other and with the known facts.

The regime in Washington DC and those who followed their orders have managed to  prevent disclosure of what these prisoners really knew about 9/11 for five long years and somehow managed to muddy the waters to the point where we may never know who was really responsible for that fateful day.  They somehow managed to torture their prisoners till they'd confess to crimes they couldn't possibly have committed, tortured them till they wouldn't even be able to recognize their own mothers, tortured them till they would sign or say anything their torturers and their masters wanted them to say….absolutely anything, and they did so while some who might have had actual knowledge of what happened on 9/11 died while in their custody, conveniently silenced forever.

It's something to think about.  Everyone involved with Guantanamo Bay should keep in mind there is NO statue of limitations on treason, murder, conspiracy to commit murder or crimes against humanity.
- mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Comcast Is Hiring an Internet Snoop for the Feds
A quote...."Wanna tap e-mail, voice and Web traffic for the government? Well, here's your chance. Comcast, the country's second-largest Internet provider, is looking for an engineer to handle "reconnaissance" and "analysis" of "subscriber intelligence" for the company's "National Security Operations."
For more on this issue see....Attempts to Control the Internet
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Russia's GDP up 8.4% in April, 8.3% in January-April
A quote...."MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's GDP grew 8.4% year-on-year in April and 8.3% in the first fourth months of 2008, a deputy economics minister said on Tuesday."

Kohn Signals Wall Street May Get Permanent Access to Fed Loans
Special Note - A quote...."Federal Reserve Board Vice Chairman Donald Kohn raised the possibility of giving Wall Street securities firms permanent access to loans from the central bank, as long as regulators tighten oversight of the companies. -- Kohn also advocated continuing Fed auctions of funds to commercial banks and loans of Treasuries to Wall Street dealers even after markets stabilize. Such channels would stay open ``either on a standby basis or operating at a very low level,'' he said in a speech in New York yesterday.

One Nation Under Debt
Multiple Charts - A quote...."One of the first trends I noticed with the latest US expansion is the record amount of debt that was involved. Simply put -- this was a borrow and spend expansion like nobody's business. I'm not the only one who has noticed:"

See also....The cost of soaring public and private debt levels - posted 05-28-08
See also....U.S. Fed to auction more loans to banks in June - posted 05-28-08
See also....US and European debt markets flash new warning signals - posted 05-28-08

Friday May 30th 2008

McClellan: Bush ’secrectly declassified’ 2002 NIE on Iraq to selectively leak to reporters.
A quote...."During his “Today” show appearance this morning with host Meredith Viera, former press secretary Scott McClellan confirmed that President Bush himself had authorized the leak of the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq:" -- Also posted at ICH

Surprise, Surprise: Bush Lied - posted at Consortiumnews
A quote...."Some may view ex-White House press secretary Scott McClellan’s new book as vindication for those who took grief – accused of “derangement,” “treason” and a bunch of less-printable things – for calling George W. Bush a liar over the past eight years. -- But the more troubling point is that there has been little improvement in the Washington political/media structure that failed to call Bush out on his lies in a timely fashion."

Scott McClellan Apologizes for Bashing Richard Clarke
A quote...."In an encounter last night in the lobby of a New York hotel, former White House press secretary Scott McClellan apologized for denouncing a former White House colleague, Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism adviser, after Clarke wrote a book highly critical of the Bush administration in 2004."

CNN/MSNBC reporter: Corporate executives forced pro-Bush, pro-war narrative
A quote...."Jessica Yellin -- currently a CNN correspondent who covered the White House for ABC News and MSNBC in 2002 and 2003 -- was on with Anderson Cooper last night discussing Scott McClellan's book, and made one of the most significant admissions heard on television in quite some time:"-- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda - Scott McClellan

Leo Strauss and the Neocon Lust for Terror
A quote...."Leo Strauss is the father of the NeoConservative movement, including many leaders of the current administration. Indeed, some of the main neocon players were students of Strauss at the University of Chicago, where he taught for many years. Strauss, born in Germany, was an admirer of Italian fascists, Nazi Philosophers and Machiavelli.--
Strauss believed that a stable political order required an external threat and that if an external threat did not exist, one should be manufactured." -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda - Leo Strauss

Can Truth Retain Its Independence?
Must Read - A quote...." 30/05/08 "ICH' -- - Justin Raimondo has a good column this morning on Antiwar.com. It is written as a fundraiser. But what it shows is that journalists (and whistle-blowers) who tell the truth in America are more likely to be pummeled than rewarded, whereas those who lie for powerful interest groups live high on the hog.

Marine says he was ordered to delete Iraq photos
A quote...."CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — A Marine who took pictures of Iraqi men, women and children killed by U.S. forces testified Thursday that he deleted the photos under an officer's orders and later lied repeatedly to investigators about what happened to the images."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Phase One, Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Friday round-up - 3 articles - [ Day 67 ]

Iraqis Protest Against US Military Deal
A quote...."Published on Friday, May 30, 2008 -- Thousands of supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq after Friday prayers to denounce a government deal with Washington on US troop levels. -- Followers of the anti-US cleric brandished placards outside mosques in their Sadr City Shiite stronghold in the capital as security forces stepped up their presence there.

Thousands of Iraqis rally against U.S. troop accord
A quote...."BAGHDAD, May 30 (Reuters) - Thousands of people heeded a call from anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to protest talks between Washington and Baghdad on keeping U.S. troops in Iraq beyond 2008, but turnout on Friday was lower than past marches."

A Juan Cole Round Up
A quote...."Friday, May 30, 2008 06:34:00 AM -- Tom Engelhardt points out that "the U.S. military has, in the last two months, fired at least 200 Hellfire missiles into the Iraqi capital, according to the Washington Post, most of them into Sadr City, the vast, heavily populated Shiite slum in east Baghdad. ("Just six" had been used in Baghdad in the previous three months.)" -- Well no one is more happy than I that US military casualties are way down in May. But apparently it is because US troops didn't have to fight in Sadr City so much, because we like bombed it back to the Stone Age, with all those civilians densely packed in there. And no wonder the Mahdi Army suddenly decided to let al-Maliki's troops in. 200 missiles is a lot of missiles to rain down on your extended family.

Editor's note : This ends any more postings of  "Phase One, Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq" at day 67.  To sum up the activity so far....it was stated when the attacks were first launched that "it would be a bloody couple of months", it appears that was true.  The results are as follows.  Well over a thousand civilians have been killed in Sadr City alone and many more were injured courtesy of the US air force, a truce was signed allowing the Mehdi army to possess only light weapons but they're required to give up their heavy weapons (if Malik can find them of course), also the "Iraqi Army" will be allowed to patrol Sadr City without being attacked, and finally that before any arrests are made of Mehdi party members, Maliki must first obtain warrants and follow normal judicial procedures. (hardly likely but it's at least on record that he agreed.)

The situation is still in flux, the elections which were scheduled to take place in October and in which al-Sadr was expected to increase his share of seats in parliament have been delayed (naturally) by one month.  Also al-Sadr is expected to continue mass protests up until the elections. If it looks like he's gaining political momentum you can expect more arranged attacks, assassinations and arrests by the US and Maliki against those who support al-Sadr and his party. - mpg

Phase One, Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Friday round-up - [ Day 67 ]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Guatemala jails five for massacre
A quote...."A court in Guatemala has sentenced five former paramilitaries each to 780 years in prison for the 1982 murder of 26 indigenous Mayan villagers. -- They received the maximum sentence of 30 years for each of the murders which took place during an infamous massacre of 177 women and children in Rio Negro."  - bold by website editor.

Pentagon fires Khadr judge
A quote...."NEW YORK -- The U.S. Pentagon abruptly replaced the military judge in the Omar Khadr case yesterday after he chastised the prosecution at a recent Guantanamo Bay hearing. -- The chief judge of the war crimes commission that is to try the Candian accused of terrorism announced the change in an e-mail to a senior official." -- This is a national disgrace and a complete sham.  Military personnel who participate in this travesty may be held personally liable later on, even ten or twenty years down the road.  Something they should seriously think about. - mpg

Lawyers want 9/11 trial dismissed (and related articles)
Related article - A quote...."SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Defense lawyers accused the government of rushing the Sept. 11 defendants to trial at Guantanamo to influence the U.S. presidential elections, and asked the military judge to dismiss the case in a court filing obtained Thursday by The Associated Press."

The bubble of all US bubbles
A quote...."Two great issues define this moment in America: war in Iraq and economic turbulence dominate debates, fears and campaigns. Optimistic pitches can be heard about the effectiveness of the "surge" in Iraq and policy responses to subprime-driven economic pain."

Pakistan coalition has agreed to expel Musharraf: Sharif
A quote...."LAHORE, Pakistan - Pakistan's ruling coalition has agreed to expel US-backed President Pervez Musharraf from power, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday."

Try Musharraf for treason: Sharif
A quote...."Former Pakistan prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has demanded that President Musharraf be tried on treason charges and not allowed any safe exit from the country."

US['s] terror drive stalled in political quagmire [resistance]
A quote...."A speech by former premier Nawaz Sharif on Youm-e-Takbeer (the 10th anniversary of Pakistan's testing of a nuclear device on May 28, 1998) illustrates how anti-Americanism has become a tool of politicians to mobilize the masses. He stated:

"I will not absolve [President Pervez] Musharraf from the accusations against him of devastating the country by selling it to foreign powers, carrying out the Lal Masjid massacre, incarcerating nuclear scientist Dr [Abdul Qadeer] Khan and superior court judges and handing over innocent Pakistanis to American agencies in return for dollars." -- *Nawaz Sharif on Youm-e-Takbeer*, former premier of Pakistan

For more on this issue see....It Will Happen Every Single Time
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Iranian guardsmen die after clash with PJAK
A quote...."Three Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen have died from wounds sustained during a clash near the Turkish border with members of a group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an Iranian news agency has said." -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others

Gazans wounded in border protest
A quote...."At least 15 Palestinians have been wounded after Israeli troops used gunfire to stop about 3,000 Hamas supporters from approaching one of the Gaza Strip's main border crossings with Israel, witnesses say."

The Next Fidel -- Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez bids to revive revolutionary Marxism.
Must Read - a.k.a. - The good, the bad and the ugly. - mpg - A quote...."Viewed from the shanty towns that peer down on it from the surrounding hillsides, Caracas looks like a caricature Latin American capital, with too much North American influence of the wrong kind and too little of the right kind. Here, spoiling a lovely steep valley, is the usual sad, globalized panorama of ugly, uninteresting concrete towers, one of them absurdly crowned with a huge Pepsi can. You might as well decorate the skyline with a gigantic banana."

Middle classes losing faith in 'rude' police who go for soft targets instead of the real criminals
A quote...." The middle classes have lost confidence in the police, a stark report has warned. -- They fear they have been alienated by a service which routinely targets ordinary people rather than serious criminals, simply to fill Government crime quotas. -- The attitude of some officers has also led to spiralling complaints about neglect of duty and rudeness." -- We're all little brown "towel heads" now. - mpg

Fort Detrick Scientists Themselves Think the Killer Anthrax Came from their Facility
A quote...."Even experts at the U.S. bioweapons facility at Fort Detrick think that the anthrax which was used in the 2001 attacks came from their facility:

    "In an e-mail obtained by FOX News, scientists at Fort Detrick openly discussed how the anthrax powder they were asked to analyze after the attacks was nearly identical to that made by one of their colleagues.

    "Then he said he had to look at a lot of samples that the FBI had prepared ... to duplicate the letter material," the e-mail reads. "Then the bombshell. He said that the best duplication of the material was the stuff made by [name redacted]. He said that it was almost exactly the same … his knees got shaky and he sputtered, 'But I told the General we didn't make spore powder!'

"Indeed, 3 of the 4 suspects the FBI is investigating are employees of Fort Detrick, which is run by the Army. -- Also posted at 911Truth  -- For more on this issue see....False Flag Ops

Scientists Cast Doubt on Kennedy Bullet Analysis
A quote...."In a collision of 21st-century science and decades-old conspiracy theories, a research team that includes a former top FBI scientist is challenging the bullet analysis used by the government to conclude that Lee Harvey Oswald alone shot the two bullets that struck and killed President John F. Kennedy in 1963. -- The "evidence used to rule out a second assassin is fundamentally flawed," concludes a new article in the Annals of Applied Statistics written by former FBI lab metallurgist William A. Tobin and Texas A&M University researchers Cliff Spiegelman and William D. James."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Dow Chemical announces massive price increase
A quote...."Dow Chemical announced it would charge up to 20 percent more for its products on May 28, citing spiraling price increases for oil and other petrochemical inputs. This decision by Dow—a behemoth with $54 billion in 2007 sales spread throughout numerous consumer industries—is expected to substantially increase inflation, which is already increasing rapidly in the US and throughout the world, cutting into workers’ purchasing power." -- Watch for increases from a whole host of other companies very soon, this will allow inflation to really hit the economy in about six months....right after the elections.  It must be one of them there "coincidences" of course. - mpg

Inflation wipes out income gains in April - Spending is flat after adjusting for 0.2% increase in prices
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Inflation erased all the gains in disposable personal income in April, while U.S. consumer spending was flat after adjusting for higher prices, the Commerce Department estimated Friday."

Consumer sentiment lowest since 1980
A quote...."Index of consumer confidence at its weakest level in nearly 28 years as rising prices and a slumping economy have made Americans more cautious about spending."

Thursday May 29th 2008

A giant backward step on Iran
War Warning - A quote...."The report said Iran continued to stonewall investigators looking into documents alleging its government researched atomic weapons. -- But, didn't the same respected chief of the UN's atomic agency admit in his earlier report, in February, that his agency "has no credible information" regarding the so-called "alleged weaponization" studies? What magic was pulled on the IAEA to bestow sudden legitimacy on the admittedly "unreliable" and "dubious" information (other than the heat of US pressure)? Is this now the end of the IAEA's hitherto heroic standing up to the external pressures that threatened to compromise its integrity? -- Sadly, ElBaradei's latest report gives a strong impression that this may indeed be what is in store for the IAEA, which does not bode well either for the agency's own international prestige or for the future of its relationship with Iran - which has reacted angrily by calling the report a work of "deception" and deeply "flawed"." -- Yes, well......when the Neocons lean on the IAEA to fudge their report, that becomes a War Warning. - mpg 

Iranian Speaker Warns about Limited Cooperation with IAEA
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's new Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has warned that Tehran may restrict its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog."

Syria dismisses Israeli demand to ditch Iran
A quote...."DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday dismissed Israeli demands that Syria abandon an alliance with Iran as a requirement for a peace deal."-- For more on this issue see....The Iran Game - All Over Again - 05-27-08 - mpg

PJB: Bush Plays the Hitler Card
Missed this one - mpg -  A quote...."“A little learning is a dangerous thing,” wrote Alexander Pope. -- Daily, our 43rd president testifies to Pope’s point. -- Addressing the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel’s birth, Bush said those who say we should negotiate with Iran or Hamas are like the fools who said we should negotiate with Adolf Hitler."

Is Bush Becoming Irrelevant?
A quote...."Is Bush Becoming Irrelevant? -- After losing both houses of Congress in the 1994 election, Bill Clinton expostulated: The president of the United States is not irrelevant! -- On learning his trusted aide from Texas Scott McClellan has denounced as an "unnecessary war" the same Iraq war McClellan defended from the White House podium, George Bush must feel as Clinton did. -- The synchronized savagery of the attacks on McClellan as turncoat suggests he drew blood. For what he has done is offer confirmation to the president's war critics, from within the White House inner circle, that Bush's motive in going to war was not a clear and present danger of attack by Iraq with weapons of mass destruction, but to advance a Bush crusade to impose democracy on the Middle East."

George Bush Authorized the Leak of Valerie Wilson’s Identity...
A quote...."Scottie McC doesn't know it yet. But that's basically what he revealed this morning on the Today Show (h/t Rayne). -- During the interview, Scottie revealed the two things that really pissed him off with the Bush Administration. First, being set up to lie by Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. And second, learning that Bush had--himself--authorized the selective leaking of the NIE.

Burlington Debates Dropping Al Jazeera
A quote...."The municipally-owned telecommunications company launched two years ago by Vermont’s largest city – Burlington, also known as the “People’s Republic” – is struggling with a divisive dispute over whether to continue airing Al Jazeera English, the 24-hour news and public affairs channel headquartered in Qatar." -- Because they had complaints from a few viewers.  Also posted at CommonDreams -- It's called self-dumbing down, in the case of some idiots in this country....way, way, waaaayyyyyy down.  Also known as "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil"  For more on this issue see....Mrs. Middle America Conv. Num Two - mailing #11 - 041205 - mpg

CNN's Yellin: Network execs killed critical White House stories
Related article - A quote...."On Wednesday night, CNN's Jessica Yellin talked to Anderson Cooper about Scott McClellan's tell-all memoir and agreed with the former press secretary that White House reporters "dropped the ball" during the run-up to war. -- But Yellin went much further, revealing that news executives — presumably at ABC News, where she'd worked from July 2003 to August 2007 — actively pushed her not do hard-hitting pieces on the Bush administration. [UPDATE: Yellin now says it was MSNBC execs, not ABC]" -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda

Indianapolis To Become "Mock Battlefield"
Some quotes...."Indianapolis will become a "mock battlefield" for the next three weeks according to local press, as over two thousand marines will stage a huge urban warfare training exercise in and around the city. -- It is a well documented that the use of military for law enforcement  violates the Posse Comitatus Act. The increased spate of urban warfare drills has many fearing that this long standing law is slowly being eroded and everyday Americans becoming acclimatized to the idea of an active military in their towns and cities."

The False Logic of Hopelessness (Why the Elephant Should Stand Up to the Mouse)
A quote...."Polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that our country is going in the wrong direction. That the Iraq war was a mistake. And polls show that the majority of Americans questions the government's version of 9/11 and other basic tenets of the "war on terror"."

Former high-ranking Bush officials enjoy war profits
A quote...."Now working inside America's "shadow" spy industry, George Tenet, Richard Armitage, Cofer Black and others are cashing in big on Iraq and the war on terror. -- [Salon] Editor's note: This article is adapted from Tim Shorrock's book, "Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing," [GlgBks] published this month by Simon & Schuster and reprinted with permission." -- Also posted at BLN

Colonel Says Speaking Out Cost a Medal
A quote...."The former chief military prosecutor for terrorism trials at Guantanamo Bay thinks the Defense Department has punished him for testifying publicly that he faced political pressure to speed up the cases and to use evidence derived from torture. -- Air Force Col. Morris Davis said he was denied a medal for his two years of work building military commissions cases against terrorism suspects because he resigned and later spoke out about problems in the Pentagon's Office of Military Commissions. Davis testified earlier this month at pretrial hearings for a suspected terrorist that the top legal adviser for military commissions had tampered with the prosecution and was using politics to drive critical legal issues. -- Wow....some people in the US military still believe in honoring the oaths they swore to uphold, along with international treaties, Habeas Corpus, the United States Constitution, the Military Code of Conduct, the Nuremburg Principles, the Geneva Conventions, their own conscience, morality, humanity along with the ability to tell the difference between what's right and wrong.  Not to mention possessing a backbone. - mpg

Scott Horton Interviews Michael Schwartz
Audio Interview - A quote...."Michael Schwartz, Professor Sociology at Stony Brook University and author of the new book "War Without End: The Iraq War in Context", [AmznBks, GglBks] discusses his latest TomDispatch article, “River of Resistance,” the true scale of the destruction of Iraq, various studies of Iraqi casualties, direct responsibility of the U.S. military for the majority of the hundreds of thousands of violent Iraqi deaths since 2003......"

In Prague, Protest Against a U.S. Missile Defense Deal - Hunger strikers pressure the gov. to say 'no' to Washington
A quote...."BERLIN—Petitions, mass protests, and widespread public opposition so far have failed to kill plans for a U.S. missile defense shield in eastern Europe. So it is safe to say that Jan Tamas faces some long odds with his hunger strike."

Latin America cooperates against USA
A quote...."The countries of Latin America decided to form a union similar to EU – without the US participation in it. It seems that the US leadership, not just in the world, but particularly in the west, is about to be over. -- South America has formed a new political union – the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR. Brazil was the host of a meeting, where the heads of 12 South American states -Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, signed a treaty that covers the territory of 10, 3 square miles with the population of 337 million people and gross domestic product of more than 1, 23 billion dollars."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

The cost of soaring public and private debt levels
Chart - Special Note - A quote...."It looks like a barbell, with peak debt of 299% in 1933 falling to below 150% from the 1950-1980s, spiking again to a recent 353%. We've checked the numbers -- updating them to 2007 -- and he's right." -- Check out the comments. - mpg

U.S. Fed to auction more loans to banks in June
Special Note - A quote...."WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve announced Thursday that the amount of money it will auction to commercial banks in June will be raised to 225 billion dollars from 150 billion in May as part of its ongoing effort to ease credit crisis. --    The Fed said it will conduct three auctions through its Term Auction Facility (TAF) next months, with each one offering 75 billion dollars in short-term cash loans. Banks can bid for a slice of the available funds. -- The new round of auctions will be conducted on June 2, June 16 and June 30."  -- bold by website editor. -- Obviously as one of the commentators pointed out in the first article shown above "the Fed is allowing the banks to roll over their funds"....and when the Fed raises interest rates forcing further homeowners into foreclosure, what will happen to all that bogus paper they're holding?  What then? - mpg

US and European debt markets flash new warning signals
Special Note - A quote...."The debt markets in the US and Europe have begun to flash warning signals yet again, raising fears that the global credit crisis could be entering another turbulent phase. -- The cost of insuring against default on the bonds of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and other big banks and brokerages has surged over the last two weeks, threatening to reach the stress levels seen before the Bear Stearns debacle. Spreads on inter-bank Libor and Euribor rates in Europe are back near record levels."

French May consumer confidence indicator falls to -41 from -38 in April
A quote...."PARIS (Thomson Financial) - A composite indicator of French consumer confidence fell to -41 in May from -38 in April, according to a monthly survey carried out by statistics office Insee."

British consumer mood bleakest since 1990-GFK
A quote...." LONDON, May 30 (Reuters) - British consumer confidence fell in May to its weakest since 1990, a survey showed on Friday which bodes ill for both the retail outlook and the sagging political fortunes of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. -- The GfK NOP consumer confidence barometer fell 5 points to -29 as people's mood soured over the state of the economy and their own personal finances."

First-quarter GDP revised up to 0.9%, as expected - Final domestic sales decline for first time since 1991
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. economy grew at a sluggish pace in the first quarter, held back by the biggest slump in housing in 26 years and the first decline in final domestic sales in 17 years, the Commerce Department reported Thursday."

Wednesday May 28th 2008

ABC, FBI Punk'd by Terror 'Fan Video' (Updated)
A quote...." On Tuesday, ABC News posted a story headlined "Al-Qaeda Tape to Call for Use of WMDs." Which would be awfully scary -- if it were true. -- "Operatives" from the terrorist group, the network warned, "will post a new video on the Internet in the next 24 hours, calling for what one source said is 'jihadists to use biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to attack the West.'  The report then quotes FBI spokesman Richard Kolko, who says that "there have been several reports that al Qaeda will release a new message calling for the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against civilians." -- Or maybe not.  The video was actually released on Monday Sunday.  And while it is called ''Nuclear Jihad, The Ultimate Terror," it is not from Al-Qaeda -- or any other major terrorist group.  Rather, it is "a jihadi supporter video compilation," notes Ben Venzke with IntelCenter -- a flick "made by fans or supporters who may not have ever had any contact with a real terrorist."

This is what happens when the FBI gets confused by the CIA's propaganda, or the Pentagon's, or all the other outfits the US is currently paying to provide massive quantities of B.S. for world wide public consumption.  This particular item may not be US inspired, but it wouldn't surprise this website editor if it was.  The plan appears to be that the US will provide loads of tax payer dollars to pay people to produce this crap, then the US  will provide even more money to pay people to figure out what's crap and what isn't.  Perhaps we should all just think of it as a permanent form of Federal job security. - mpg

For more on this entire issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda

Website editor's special note.  Yesterday this editor saw literally dozens of articles screaming about this issue from major news sources all across the web, several claiming that bin Laden was in the video.  Since he's probably been dead for the last four years this website editor did not post any of the articles.  This appears to have been a good editorial decision.
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Network news anchors praise the job they did in the run-up to the war
A quote...."I was going to add this as an update to my prior post on Scott McClellan's extraordinary description of the media as "deferential, complicit enablers" of Bush administration "propaganda," but it should really stand on its own. Here is an absolutely amazing link to a video where the three network news anchors appeared jointly on The Today Show this morning and were forced by McClellan's book to address whether the media failed in its duties in the run-up to the war -- the first time, to my knowledge, that this topic has ever been broached by network news journalists (h/t Kitt). The fact that television news has blacked-out the whole issue until now is, by itself, rather amazing." -- Lying flat on their backs, spreading their legs, bending over....the usual.  They don't call them in-bed-ed presstitutes for nothing. - mpg

Ex-Press Aide Writes That Bush Misled U.S. on Iraq
A quote...."Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan writes in a new memoir that the Iraq war was sold to the American people with a sophisticated "political propaganda campaign" led by President Bush and aimed at "manipulating sources of public opinion" and "downplaying the major reason for going to war."

Ex-Bush spokesman: White House fed war propaganda to a “complicit” media
A quote...."In a stunning blow to what very little remains of the Bush administration’s political credibility, the president’s former press secretary Scott McClellan has published a book indicting the White House for launching an “unnecessary” war in Iraq based on false “propaganda.”

Telecom Companies in Cahoots with Illegal Bush Administration Surveillance Programs
A quote...."The hot-button issue of retroactive immunity for telecom companies in cahoots with illegal Bush administration surveillance programs is close to reaching its inevitable dénouement. -- But what's gotten little media play throughout the endless months of "debate" are the huge piles of cash that have changed hands to influence congressional Democrats and Republicans." -- For more on this issue see....Attempts to Control the Internet
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Phase One, Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Wednesday round-up - 3 articles - [ Day 65 ]

Al-Sadr getting ready to lead Iraq? - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."Wednesday, May 28, 2008 -- When the revered head of Iraq's largest Shiite opposition group was assassinated in 1999, the mantle of leadership passed to an unexpected heir: Muqtada al-Sadr, then a 25-year-old video-game aficionado who oversaw the movement's security forces."

Sadr City truce strains as militia leaders grumble - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."May 28, 2008 15:49 ESTAn angry Shiite militia commander complained Wednesday that "we were duped" into accepting a cease-fire in Sadr City — remarks that point to a potentially damaging rift within the movement of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr."

Five die in clash Baghdad's Sadr City
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Published: May 28 at 7:09 AM (UPI) -- Fighting between U.S. troops and militant forces in Baghdad's Sadr City killed five people and wounded eight, Iraq's Interior Ministry said Wednesday."

Phase One, Cheney's and Maliki's new war in Iraq - Wednesday round-up - [ Day 65 ]
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Pentagon to shift funds to pay for Iraq war
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon plans to shift $9.7 billion of its overall budget to pay for war operations but warned on Wednesday it will run out of money if the U.S. Congress does not approve more funding by mid-July." -- bold by website editor -- Didn't Congress just approve $165 billion?? - mpg

Iraq's main Sunni bloc suspends government talks
A quote...."BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's main Sunni Arab political bloc said on Wednesday it had suspended talks to rejoin the Shi'ite-led government after a disagreement with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki over a cabinet post."

Russian think-tank rattles US
A quote...."The first Russian think-tank based in the United States has yet to officially open its doors. But it's already generating a lot of controversy. -- Critics say the Russian Institute for Democracy and Cooperation (RIDC) is little more than a new propaganda tool for the Kremlin as it sharpens its attacks on the West. But the head of the institute's New York branch says he and his colleagues intend to study US democracy - not criticize it. -- Andranik Migranyan bristles at the suggestion that the new think-tank is seen as Kremlin tool meant to respond in kind to the harsh critiques often heard from Western non-governmental organizations like Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders."

POLITICS:  Cluster Bomb Ban Passed Over U.S. Objections
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (IPS) - After more than a year of contentious negotiations, diplomats from 109 countries meeting in Dublin agreed Wednesday on a treaty that would outlaw the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions, which have killed and injured thousands of civilians over the last four decades."

Homegrown Valve Technology Saves Billions for Iran's Oil Industry
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Local experts in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province succeeded in renovating and repairing the oil pressure control valves of the oil wells for the first time in the country."

Envoy: Details of Pipeline Project Hammered out by Iran, Pakistan
A quote...." TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Ambassador to Pakistan Maashallah Shakeri said that Tehran and Islamabad are through with the details of an agreement over a $7.4-bln pipeline which is due to take Iran's rich gas reserves to the energy hungry India via Pakistan, adding that the two sides are now prepared to launch implementation of the project."

South America Considers Common Currency
A quote...."South America is thinking of creating a common currency and a central bank along the lines of those in the European Union’s eurozone, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said yesterday. -- The idea is a logical next step following the signing last Friday of a treaty creating a Union of South American States that aims to promote joint regional customs and defense policies, Lula said during his weekly radio broadcast."

Israel’s Self-Destruction as a Jewish State
A quote...."The laws of physics say that actions produce equivalent counteractions, and in international relations these may not be what’s expected. -- American policy in the Middle East under George Bush and Condoleezza Rice has sought to polarize the region’s forces in the belief that it benefits by promoting a clear confrontation between those, as President George W. Bush said in 2001, “who are with us and those who are against us.” Washington reckons that it wins because it is, in conventional terms, the more powerful."

Tutu Shocked by Palestinian Suffering
A quote...."GAZA CITY — Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu stressed on Wednesday, May 28, that the UN fact-finding team has been "devastated" by stories from the survivors of a 2006 Israeli bombing that killed 19 civilians in Gaza."

Israeli defense chief says Olmert must step down - posted at AntiWar
A quote...."Israel's powerful defense minister on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to step down amid a burgeoning corruption scandal and threatened to bring down the government if the Israeli leader does not comply."

U.S. Businessman Testifies He Gave Olmert $150,000 Over 13 Years
Related article - A quote...."JERUSALEM — A Long Island businessman at the heart of a corruption case involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told an Israeli court on Tuesday that he gave about $150,000, mostly in cash stuffed into envelopes, to Mr. Olmert over the course of 13 years."

American Democracy - Brings Only Destruction
A quote...."U.S. President George W. Bush played the strings of democracy in the Middle East during his speech at the Davos Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh. This is despite the fact that American democracy has only created havoc and destruction wherever it has existed as it is not a democracy of justice or of freedom. President Bush's speech did not focus on the Palestinian-Israeli situation or of the ways in which to achieve a peace agreement between the two sides before the end of his mandate." -- To all the peoples in all the other countries out there in the world, just remember, American "democracy" as it now stands is not a democracy at all....it's the American Neo-Roman Empire. - mpg

German expert warns against potential US operations in Venezuela
Special Note - A quote...."The possibility of a US military incursion into Venezuela "is nearby," according to German political expert Heinz Dieterich. -- "Washington is not prepared to lose Latin America in the competition with India, China and Europe," said Dieterich on Tuesday night during a debate in Montevideo, DPA quoted."

Time to do something about oil
A quote...."The oil price rise of more than US$50 per barrel since the US Federal Reserve started cutting interest rates in September is beginning to get serious. Since the rise of oil import prices alone removes $170 billion from the US economy, more than 1% of gross domestic product, it is both inflationary and highly recession-producing, especially since it has been accompanied by similar rises in other commodity prices. Its full effects have not been seen yet but they're coming - don't worry! At some point we are probably going to have to do something about it. The question is: what? " 

It's a good article as long as you ignore the author's semi-serious "let's go invade a country to steal their oil option."   Since it's now pretty obvious to everyone throughout the world that the Bush Neocon faction in coordination with the Saudi Royals arranged 9/11 to provide a pretext so the US could go after "seven countries", including the Saudi Royals' enemies Iraq, Syria and Iran, and considering this plan of action in Iraq has already killed over a million people, the equivalent of twelve million in the US, it will also hopefully become obvious that such a casual attitude toward wonton theft, murder and mayhem will rapidly lead to a severe and highly counter-productive breakdown in moral prohibitions and societal structures here in this country, as well as the rest of the world....a rapid and severe breakdown. -- mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

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."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

9/11 - From The History File...The Pentagon Renovations Completed on 9/11/2001
Pentagon/Renovation
THE PENTAGON
Location of Pentagon Strike
The Pentagon Attack: - What the Physical Evidence Shows
The Pentagon Attack: The True Flight Path Proves A Military Deception
The 9/11 Evidence that May Hang George W. Bush
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Poisonous Plutocracy Pushes Economic Inequality
A quote...."  28/05/08 "ICH" -- - The biggest political issue receiving no attention by the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates is the powerful plutocracy that has captured the government to produce rising economic inequality. -- Both major parties have enabled, promoted and supported this Upper Class plutocracy.  Myriad federal policies make the rich super-rich and the powerful dominant in both good and bad economic times.  Meanwhile, despite elections, the middle class sinks into one big Lower Class as the plutocracy ensures that national prosperity is unshared."

John Bolton escapes citizen's arrest at Hay Festival
A quote...."Security guards blocked the path of columnist and activist George Monbiot, who tried to make the arrest as Mr Bolton left the stage. -- The former ambassador - a key advisor to President George W Bush who argued strongly in favour of invading Iraq - had been giving a talk on international relations to more than 600 people at the literary festival." -- Also posted at CommonDreams

Powell speech draws anti-war protesters
A quote...."It was perhaps the most important motivational speech of the 21st century, but four protesters outside Memorial Coliseum said he never should have made it."

Bill Moyers Journal | Casualty of War
by: Bill Moyers Journal
t r u t h o u t - program note
Airtime: Friday, May 30, 2008, at 9:00 PM (EDT) on PBS
(check local listings at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/about/airdates.html)
A quote...."Bill Moyers interviews former talk show host Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro in this rebroadcast about the true cost of war and the documentary, "Body of War," depicting the moving story of one veteran dealing with the aftermath of war. With extensive excerpts from the film, the filmmakers talk about Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, who was shot and paralyzed less than a week into his tour of duty. Three years in the making, "Body of War" tells the poignant tale of the young man's journey from joining the service after 9/11 to fight in Afghanistan, to living with devastating wounds after being deployed to Iraq instead."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

Argentine inflation in four months reaches 10.5%
A quote...."Although Argentine official inflation statistics are considered non reliable and there’s no national consumers price index, some provinces, --outside the realm of the President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration--, have kept local statistics branches operational and their numbers are considered a valid reference."

Russian international reserves up $7.3 bln in week
Full Quote...."MOSCOW, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves increased by $7.3 billion, to $548.1 billion, in the week of May 16 - May 23, the Central Bank of Russia said Thursday."

[US] Durable Goods Orders Fall Less than Expected in April
A quote...."New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods slipped 0.5 percent in April as demand for civilian aircraft plunged, but a key barometer of business investment spending posted a surprisingly sharp gain, a government report showed on Wednesday."

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

052808-060308 - links page

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