Wednesday June 23rd 2010

A comment: Revisiting George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four in 2010
Must Read - A quote...."Since first appearing in the popular lexicon, the term “Orwellian” has conjured up a vision of the prototypical “totalitarian state”: a one-party dictatorship that swarmed with secret police, spied on its own people, quashed dissent, made arbitrary arrests, tortured prisoners, waged perpetual war, rewrote history for mere expedience, impoverished its own working population, and rooted its political discourse in doublethink—a thought system defined as “the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”  --  Many Americans would easily recognize this description of “Oceania,” the futuristic dystopia immortalized by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, one of the most influential English-language novels of the mid-twentieth century.  --  Whether many Americans recognize that this description applies to their own society as well is another matter. But since the theft of the 2000 election—a period marked by such events as the 9/11 attacks, the invasion of Iraq based on fictitious “WMD” (weapons of mass destruction), the torture scandals, and the 2008 financial crash—it’s a point that increasing numbers of Americans seem to be grasping." - also posted at DProgram

Trial Delayed in New Fake Terror Case
Special Note - A quote...."We are in the middle of another manufactured-terrorism case, this one in Newburgh, and it was going very smoothly until last week, when the presiding federal judge postponed the scheduled trial indefinitely, ordering the government to turn over more evidence that might be helpful to the defense. The defendants are four petty criminals, three black Americans and one Haitian, all of whom converted to Islam in prison and upon their release took to frequenting a mosque in Newburgh. -- They were recruited into a fake terrorist plot by the same wretch who a few years ago duped two Albany Muslims into an exchange of checks for cash that could be sold to a jury as money-laundering in support of terrorism. -- The FBI is still working him. I had thought such efforts to create terrorists in order to arrest them was an artifact of the Bush administration, which seemed unable to distinguish between real enemies and imaginary, but I was wrong. Here we are with a new, supposedly more enlightened, president and it's still going on." - also posted at AlethoNews & WarInIraq

‘Manchurian Candidate’ Shahzad confesses all
Special Note - A quote...."“The thing is here’s a guy who came here at age 18 on a student visa in 1998 (pre-War on Terror) and got a computer science degree from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, followed by an M.B.A, which got him a job with a financial company in nearby Stamford. Not exactly Osama bin Forgotten. By 2009, Shahzad became an American citizen like his wife. He bought their one family dream-house in April in the ‘picture book’ American suburb of Shelton, replete with picket fences, front porch colonials, kids scuttling to school buses and ‘golden retrievers’ posing on well-trimmed front yards. Shahzad’s smiling wife wore ‘traditional clothes.’ -- “Furthermore, his family background in Pashto, Pakistan, is elite. He speaks Pashto, a rare asset, and his father, Baharu ul-Haq, is a retired senior [Pakistan] air force officer...."

Neoliberal and “Israel Firster”, Joe Lieberman, Wants the US to be More Like China When it Comes to Silencing Dissent - Special Note - A quote...."The aim is pretty simple, once a war breaks out based on yet another false flag event, this administration would be able to turn off websites that delve into anything that could call the official narrative into question. Dick Cheney, eat your heart out. Imagine if Bush had tried to get away with something like this back in his day. The “progressives” would have had an embolism… yet now?  (crickets and tumble weeds) -- Just look at the result from the sinking of the Cheonan.  The people of South Korea began to question the official story almost immediately, information was shared at a rapid pace, evidence was uncovered that undermined the “official investigation” and the end the end result was a stunning loss for the ruling party on June 2nd, an investigation into the “official investigation”, and high-ranking military officers had to step down.  Not to mention the U.S./South Korean naval manuevers in the area off North Korea’s coast were canceled twice. The fact is, the U.S. led travesty of an international “investigation” failed to justify the State Department’s desire to inflict regime change in North Korea… and the internet was largely to thank for that." - For more on this issue see....US-False Flag Ops - The Sinking of the Cheonan - Updated!

5 Million Iraqis Killed, Maimed, Tortured, Displaced -- Think That Bothers War Boosters Like Christopher Hitchens? -- A quote...."The immensity of Iraqi civilian suffering is incomprehensible. How can war's cheerleaders claim to fight on behalf of the people whose lives they helped destroy?" - also posted at ICH

War Makes Us Poor
A quote...."Many people who aren’t comfortable with the U.S. invading other countries reassure themselves with the belief that at least war creates jobs for Americans. But is military conflict really good for the economy of the country that engages in it? Basic economics answers a resounding “no.” "
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Termination Notice: McChrystal Sideshow Masks Murderous Reality
A quote...."Some people seem to think that the question of which uniformed goober is in charge of the imperial bloodbath in Afghanistan is a vitally important issue, worthy of endless exegesis. It is not. It is a meaningless sideshow. What does matter, vitally, deeply, urgently, is the imperial bloodbath itself, and the fact that it will go on, and on, no matter what Barack Obama does or doesn't do about Stanley McChrystal."

Making It McChrystal Clear
Quote of the Day -- Related Article...."The war system’s response to Gen. McChrystal’s Rolling Stone interview is instructive. It is a reminder that every Memorial Day should begin by honoring the first victim of every war: truth. But as all wars are grounded in lies – the bloodier the war the more enormous the falsity of its foundation – truth becomes not only a casualty, but the enemy itself. -- Whether McChrystal’s assessment was correct is not the point: it is the threat to the war racket of having insiders purporting to address the reality of war that so disturbs the state. Men of the general’s stature are expected to have greater access to evidence supporting their opinions, thus enhancing their credibility. The public acceptance of war is the default position that perpetuates its insanity. "Truth" is the input that "does not compute" within the logic of the war system, and the state undertakes every precaution – such as censorship, labeling documents and other discomforting facts as "top secret" – to silence any doubts that might be raised as to the validity of the propagandized campaign on behalf of death and destruction."

Paul Craig Roberts - "Everyone in Washington is a prostitute" - (RTYuTb - 7 min 28 sec - June 22, 2010)
RTVideo - Related Video - A quote...."Controversial comments made in "Rolling Stone" magazine have landed General Stanley McChrystal in hot water. In the interview, McChrystal made what is being described as a derogatory comment, which may lead to his resignation. Paul Craig Roberts says that this shows how insecure people in the United States government are."

Obama and his allies in the  administration might be using  McChrystal as a scapegoat thus ready to blame him for all their failures in Afghanistan. - Related Article - A quote...."June 23, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Top US Army commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal has been summoned to the White House in order to explain his recent negative comments about Obama administration officials."

Switch to Petraeus Betrays Afghan Policy Crisis
A quote...."Despite President Barack Obama’s denial that his decision to fire Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal as commander in Afghanistan and replace him with Gen. David Petraeus signified any differences with McChrystal over war strategy, the decision obviously reflects a desire by Obama to find a way out of a deepening policy crisis in Afghanistan."
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Taliban attack US envoy's helicopter
A quote...."Despite increased security, gunmen greet US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, with gunfire and mortars, in Afghanistan. - Afghan officials said on Tuesday that militants had tried to target Holbrooke's helicopter, a V22 Osprey, when it tried to land."

'US vehicle runs over Iraqi family, 3 die'
A quote...."US troops have killed three Iraqi civilians and wounded three others in the northern city of Mosul after their vehicle ran over a family, a report says. - The incident occurred Tuesday evening on a highway northwest of the city. All the victims belong to a same family -- the father, mother and a daughter were killed -- Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported Wednesday."

IAF Landed at Saudi Base, US Troops near Iran Border
War Alert - A quote...."The Israeli Air Force recently unloaded military equipment at a Saudi Arabia base, a semi-official Iranian news agency claimed Wednesday, while a large American force has massed in Azerbaijan, which is on the northwest border of Iran. -- Both reports follow by less than a week the Pentagon’s confirmation that an unusually large American fleet sailed through the Suez Canal Saturday. Several reports stated that an Israeli ship joined the armada."

Propaganda and Iran's Election - posted at ConsortiumNews
Special Note - A quote...."Editor’s Note: The remarkably biased U.S. reporting on Iran’s election a year ago – portraying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory as “fraudulent” despite strong evidence to the contrary – has laid the groundwork for a new Middle East conflict, much as bogus reporting on Iraq’s WMD did in 2002-03. -- Washington’s conventional wisdom has now wrapped itself into the logical pretzel of backing a “democracy movement” whose goal is to overturn the democratic judgment of a foreign people, as Edward S. Herman and David Peterson report in this guest essay...." - For more on this issue see....It's The Votes That Count - 06-28-09 - mpg

'No excuses acceptable in S-300 case'
A quote...."Amid Russia's ambiguity over delivery of S-300 defense system to Iran, an Iranian lawmaker insists that the dispatch of the missiles is Russia's definite obligation." - also posted at WarInIraq

Iran is ready for planned U.S. sanctions targeting fuel imports, analysts say
A quote...."TEHRAN -- As Congress prepares to target Iran's vital fuel imports as part of its most far-reaching sanctions package yet, observers say the Tehran government has already done much to deflect the impact of the new U.S. measures."

Iran produces 17 kg of enriched uranium
A quote...."Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi says Tehran has produced over 17 kg (37.5 lb) of 20 percent-enriched uranium. -- "With regards to enrichment, Iran can enrich uranium to any percentage, and this is a legal right for the country," Salehi told ISNA on Wednesday."

MKO no longer on Germany threat list
A quote...."The German Interior Ministry has removed the name of the notorious Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) from its annual intelligence report."

Australian prime minister Rudd ousted in political coup
A quote...."In a series of extraordinary events over the past 24 hours, the Australian Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd has been ousted as prime minister through a campaign orchestrated by multi-national mining companies, the Murdoch media and other corporate and financial interests and implemented through a series of backroom manoeuvres by right-wing factional warlords and trade union bureaucrats."

Japan PM seeks to quell Okinawa anger over U.S. base
A quote...."TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologized to the residents of Okinawa on Wednesday for the concentration of U.S. military bases on the island, in an effort to soothe local anger that contributed to his predecessor's fall."

US Army to close almost all sites in two German cities
A quote...."Berlin - The US Army said Wednesday it would close almost all its sites in two German cities, Heidelberg and Mannheim, where it has maintained bases since 1945."
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Hail to the whistleblowers
A quote...."Whistleblowers like those at WikiLeaks make huge sacrifices and are a vital last resort to check the powers of government." - also posted at CommonDreams

Witness Against Torture Trial: Broken Promises, Broken Laws, Broken Lives
A quote...."When I talk about my work in nonviolent civil resistance, working for peace and social justice, I always tell people that we are never acquitted by a judge at a bench trial.  No matter what the facts are, judges will always find us guilty.   I tell people that only a jury of our peers will acquit us and we don't often have a jury trial.  I have had two jury trials in 29 arrests and have been acquitted in both of those trials.  However, I will not be able to say that anymore as 24 activists were acquitted during a bench trial with Judge Russell Canan in DC Superior Court on June 14, 2010.  You can definitely expect the unexpected when you go to court."

Elena Kagan: Willing accomplice in Siegelman’s political prosecution - posted at OnlineJournal
A quote...."Should Elena Kagan be approved as a justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States? -- As it turns out there’s a supremely simple method of testing her suitability. Once applied, citizens of any political persuasion will see that her nomination should be rejected outright. -- As Solicitor General of the United States, Kagan argued against an appeal to the Supreme Court by former Alabama Governor, Don Siegelman in November 2009. The Siegelman prosecution is viewed by many as one of the gravest injustices of the modern era, a purely political prosecution initiated by the Gonzales Justice Department. -- Forty four former state attorneys general were so concerned that they issued a public petition on Siegelman’s behalf in 2007."

Impeach Obama - posted at OnlineJournal
A quote...."Virtually all of my progressive friends have looked puzzled when I showed them how I’d cut the word “Bush” off an “Impeach Bush” bumper sticker, and stuck “Impeach” over the red-white-and blue sunrise logo on the “Obama ’08” sticker, still on the tailgate of my pickup, so that it reads “Impeach Obama. -- I didn’t actually vote for Barack Obama. Being a traitor to both my race and my gender, I voted for Cynthia McKinney, the African American Green Party candidate, who was also most closely aligned with my own political principles—the only truly satisfying way for me to spend time in the voting booth in recent years.” - bold by website editor - And the only way you truly don't WASTE YOUR VOTE! - mpg

Hung Out to Dry - posted at ConsortiumNews
From the History File - Originally published Summer 1997 -- A quote...."Journalist Georg Hodel, who died Sunday, described the betrayal of himself and Gary Webb in the contra-cocaine scandal."

U.S.-trained ex-soldiers aiding drug cartel
A quote...."The Gulf Cartel boasts a rare weapon in the high stakes war for drug-trafficking supremacy: U.S.-trained soldiers. - The Zetas, hired assassins for the Gulf Cartel, feature 31 ex-soldiers once part of an elite division of the Mexican army the Special Air Mobile Force Group. At least one-third of this battalions deserters was trained at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., according to documents from the Mexican secretary of defense."
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Israel Escalating Terror in Turkey?
A quote...."On the 31st of May early in the morning, almost simultaneous with the Mavi Marmara attack, a navy logistics base in Iskenderun (SE Turkey) was also attacked by the PKK. Unfortunately 7 soldiers were killed in the attack." - also posted at WarInIraq

More on Uri Brodsky
A quote...."More details on what Uri Brodsky was up to in Europe, including more evidence of the Mossad calling card, tradecraft incompetence (probably due to years of being politically protected against any repercussions - it is obvious that the Israeli government doesn't comprehend, or know what to do about, the new reality):"
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Out of Control Judges....

Giving peace advice to terrorist can be illegal
A quote...."The government can prosecute private citizens for giving advice to a foreign organization - on how to negotiate peace or take its case to the United Nations, for example - if the group is on the U.S. terrorist list, the Supreme Court ruled Monday."

U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Ban on Monsanto's Biotech Alfalfa
A quote...."WASHINGTON, DC, June 22, 2010 (ENS) - In the first Supreme Court ruling on genetically engineered crops, the high court Monday reversed a nationwide ban on the planting of Monsanto Inc.'s genetically modified alfalfa. The seeds are engineered to tolerate the company's Roundup Ready herbicide."

Judge who overturned drilling moratorium reported owning stock in drilling companies
A quote...."The federal judge who overturned Barack Obama's offshore drilling moratorium reported owning stock in numerous companies involved in the offshore oil industry  — including Transocean, which leased the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig to BP prior to its April 20 explosion in the Gulf of Mexico — according to 2008 financial disclosure reports."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Israel Vows To Tighten Gaza Blockade - U.S. Media Reports Blockade Eased - Black is white, down is up
A quote...."While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to tighten the blockade against Gaza, the castrated corporate media in the U.S. is reporting that Israeli restrictions are being eased."

Justice for Adeeb Abu Rahma: Peaceful protest is not a crime
A quote...."The conflict between the Israeli military and security and the popular non-violent Palestinian resistance is reaching a crisis – in large part a tribute to the worldwide credibility and admiration the resistance is steadily winning."

Israeli Court Begins Trial Against Palestinian Official For 'Illegally Praying' At al-Aqsa Mosque
A quote...."Court proceedings began Wednesday morning in Jerusalem for Hatem Abdel Qader, the Palestinian Chief of Jerusalem Affairs. He was charged with "violating a military order" preventing him from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem."

International campaign launched in support of parliamentarians threatened with eviction from Jerusalem
A quote...."Following the Israeli interior minister's decision to expel three Jerusalemite MPs from the city, the International Campaign for the Release of the Abducted Members of the Palestinian Parliament has sent out letters to every national parliament throughout the world, as well as international parliamentary institutions, calling upon them to take tangible steps to stop this expulsion from taking place."

B'tselem: Gaza, 95% of factories are closed, 93% of water is polluted
A quote...."Most of Gaza's factories have closed and its water is polluted as a result of Israel's siege policy, according to a new report being released today by the Israeli Human Rights group – B'tselem."

New Raid On Nabi Saleh
Photo Essey - A quote...."On Friday, 28-year old Khaled Tamimi was watching the Germany World Cup match in his Nabi Saleh home. Before Miroslav Klose had been controversially sent off, nine Israeli soldiers turned his balcony into a launch pad for firing tear gas at villagers who demonstrate each week against impending house demolitions. When the soldiers removed Khaled from the home, 15 women followed in hot pursuit. Kara Newhouse captured the drama."

Exclusive: Leaked documents show PA undermined Turkey's push for UN flotilla probe
Special Note - Flotilla News - A quote...."The Palestinian Authority attempted to neutralize a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution condemning Israel's deadly attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, leaked UN and Palestinian Authority documents obtained by The Electronic Intifada show. Israel's 31 May attack killed nine Turkish citizens, including a dual US-Turkish citizen, and injured dozens of others aboard the Mavi Marmara in international waters." - bold by websited editor

The Israeli Media’s Flotilla Fail
Flotilla News - A quote...."If the raid of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla was a disaster for the Israel Defense Forces, its aftermath demonstrated an equally bewildering performance by the Israeli media. The IDF Spokesman’s Office churned out one misleading claim after another, each one more implausible than the next, seeking to implant in the public’s mind a version of events that bore little relation to reality. To a degree, this was to be expected; but it was startling to see how some of Israel’s most respected reporters lined up to serve as military stenographers, barely challenging the IDF’s rapidly changing versions of events."

Lebanon to UN: Israel will suffer consequences if our ships are attacked
Flotilla News - A quote...."The Lebanese foreign ministry on Tuesday announced that Israel would suffer the consequences for any attack against Lebanese ships heading for Gaza." - also posted at WarInIraq

Wave Of Cultural Terrorism Rocks Israel
Action Update - Boycott, Divest and Sanction, because if Israel isn't stopped, we'll all be next. - mpgA quote...."Three western musical acts, The Pixies, The Klaxons, and Gorillaz, have canceled their appearances in Israel in light of Israel’s massacre and attack on the Freedom Flotilla last week. The cancellation prompted Israelis to decry the isolation as “cultural terrorism.” - So now what, if you don't go to Israel when requested or buy their products, you'll be attacked like those on the Gaza Flotilla?  Most Israelis are stark raving mad psychotic sociopaths. - mpg - For more on how to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the state of Israel see the upper-left-corner of the "Front Page" of this website.

SF Chronicle: Protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship
Action Update - A quote...."Hundreds of demonstrators, gathering at the Port of Oakland before dawn, prevented the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship. -- The demonstrators, demanding an end to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip, picketed at Berth 58, where a ship from Israel’s Zim shipping line is scheduled to dock later today. The day shift of longshoremen agreed not to cross the picket line."

Swedish dock blocks Israeli cargo
Action Update - A quote..."Swedish dockworkers have staged a blockade of Israeli ships and cargo to protest Tel Aviv's deadly attack on an international Gaza-bound aid convoy."

War crimes suit filed against Barak, Livni in Belgium
Action Update - A quote...."Bethlehem - Ma'an/Agencies - Two Belgian lawyers working on behalf of Palestinian filed suit against 14 Israeli leaders on allegations of war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead, news agencies reported." -- SUE THEM!!!  Go after their assets, go after them wherever they travel, hound them, pound them, never give them a days rest for the rest of their LIVES!! - mpg
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The Bank Lobby Gets Desperate on Derivatives
Special Note - A quote...."Astonishingly, as Wall Street reform enters its final hours a tired, generic corporate refrain against regulation is gaining traction. As bigwig bankers and their lobbyist brethren fight to defeat tough new rules on derivatives—the crazy casino that brought down AIG—all their sloganeers can come up with is the trite wail that serious rules will send this risky business overseas. It’d be funny if members of Congress weren’t taking it seriously." - also posted at BLN

Cartoon of the Day
Cartoon - A quote...."The period we live in is one of aggressive imperialism, anti-labour neo-liberal policies and of the international economic crisis of the capitalist system."

The Dollar versus the Yuan: China’s Renminbi Announcement: A Big Head Fake
A quote...."The Chinese central bank made a vague announcement about its currency policy on its website today, which the officialdom, on cue, treated as a major move (to wit: “China vows increased currency flexibility” at the Financial Times, “Chinese say they intend to free up their currency,” Washington Post).) -- As we describe below, this “announcement” is basically a non-statement to silence Westerners calling for a revaluation in the runup to the Toronto G-20 meeting later this month."

Existing Home Sales Tumble Unexpectedly in May
A quote...."Sales of previously owned homes fell unexpectedly in May as delays in processing mortgage applications hampered the closing of contracts benefiting from a popular homebuyer tax credit, an industry group said on Tuesday."

New Home Sales Plunge By Record 33%, Market Plunges To Welcome Double Dip
A quote...."New home join the existing home sales double dip brigade, and plunge by an unprecedented 32.7%, nearly double the expected -18.7, compared to a previous reading of 14.7%. The government succeeded in making a mockery of this data series with all its ridiculous stimuli, and now we are officially in a housing double dip absent another massive stimulus bill. The median sales price of new houses sold in May 2010 was $200,900, lowest since December 2003, and a 9.6% drop YoY. Full report here."

Germany-US Rift Gets Deeper, As Merkel Openly Mocks Obama's Keynesian Guidelines
A quote...."The transatlantic smackdown is getting vicious, as Angela Merkel makes a point to demonstrate her refusal to follow Obama's policies before a business audience in Berlin. As Bloomberg reports, "Chancellor Angela Merkel championed German export strength as “the right thing” for her country, spurning President Barack Obama’s call to boost private spending as both leaders  prepare for Group of 20 talks."

Divisions in G-20 open on summit eve
Related Article - A quote...."While statements from Washington and Berlin over the past few days have sought to downplay the conflict, lest the summit, in the words of one report, turns into a “shouting match,” the differences remain deeply entrenched. -- They first came to the surface at the G-20 finance ministers’ meeting on June 4-5, when, contrary to initial expectations, the final communiqué emphasised the need for government debt and deficit reduction rather than government stimulus measures to bolster economic growth. The change in tone reflected the impact of the “sovereign debt” crisis in Europe, which threatened to spark a financial crisis even more serious than that which followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers."

Tuesday June 22nd 2010

No posts. - mpg

Monday June 21st 2010

The Death State Brutalizes, Tortures and Murders Because It Can
Must Read - A quote...."What had been abhorrent and detestable under Bush becomes acceptable under Obama, at least to the extent that notable opposition has now absented itself altogether from the political scene. This was always the singular danger in Obama's candidacy, as a few of us had predicted. But almost no one heeded the warning. Americans simply and with immeasurable simple-mindedness adore the marketing. Throw an unending stream of shockingly empty, windy phrases at them, and they will collapse in paroxysms of self-induced ecstasy -- provided the person doing it is of a class they view with particular favor. They will be more than happy to supply the nonexistent content out of their own oversized vanity and preferred self-conception." - also posted at TheExcavator

The U.S. War Addiction: Funding Enemies to Maintain Trillion Dollar Racket - Article also posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."June 19, 2010 " "AlterNet" --  A few recent news items help expose the true drivers of current wars around the world. -- #1) Wherever there is a war, look for CIA/IMF/private military war profiteers covertly funding and supporting BOTH sides in order to keep the wars raging and the profits rolling in. As former CIA Station Chief John Stockwell explained: “Enemies are necessary for the wheels of the US military machine to turn.” -- Here’s an important glimpse of truth to seep through last week in the NY Times, via Raw Story...."

CHANGE Update: Obama Kills Ten More Afghan Civilians and Hands Over Another Contract to Blackwater… and Then He Plays Golf -- A quote...."President is at it again; spreading his special brand of PEACE and HOPE to the Middle East. As the rest of our country is wondering just WTF we are still doing in Afghanistan and while our puppet president of that country tells Japan they have top priority to the lucrative mining rights (which according to the mineral mining law (written by us and the global bankers), he can’t really do), the “Greatest Man of Our Generation” is busy killing more civilians in Afghanistan when he isn’t working behind the scenes to dismantle the social safety net of America… that is, that’s what he’s doing when he isn’t playing golf."

22 Killed in Turkish, PKK Clashes; Planes Bomb Iraq (Update2)
Israel's turning up the heat. - mpg -- A quote...."June 19 (Bloomberg) -- Ten Turkish soldiers were killed in attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, according to Turkey’s armed forces. The military said 12 PKK members had been killed in subsequent clashes."

Turkish troops enter Iraq after Kurd rebel attacks
And turkey responds. - mpg -- A quote...."The ground incursion into Iraq -- only the second in more than two years -- came after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) "to the end" in response to what he called the "cowardly" assault by its fighters."

Israel's Planned Attack on Iran from Caucasus Base - The Turkish Air Corridor
And some Flotilla fall-out....mpg -- A quote...."A week ago, Israel leaked to the press that they had permission from Saudi Arabia to use their air space to attack Iran.  The Saudi’s quickly denied this.  The effort on Israel’s part was a ruse to cover their real plans, to attack from the Republic of Georgia, close to Iran’s northern border.  However, the breakdown in relations with Turkey after miscalculating the response to their Flotilla raid on a Turkish ship in international waters may have ended this operation."

The Green Movement is Not the Future of Iran
A quote...."Western analysts and policymakers need to rethink their basic calculations about the Islamic Republic’s domestic politics.  This rethinking should start with a recognition that the Green movement is not the future of Iranian politics; in fact, it’s not even the future of what at least used to be called the “reform movement”.  By sticking with the “conventional wisdom” about Iranian politics in the West—which has been proved wrong at virtually every turn in recent years—Western analysts and policymakers are missing two critically important trends...."

Pakistan ignores US on Iran gas deal
A quote...."Pakistan's Foreign Minister says his country needs energy, emphasizing that Islamabad will continue a gas pipeline deal with Iran despite sanctions on Tehran. -- Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters on Sunday that the present government has struck the gas pipeline deal with Iran in view of Pakistan's energy requirements." - also posted at WarInIraq & AlethoNews

India, Pakistan to hold talks on June 24
A quote...."The Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries will be holding a meeting this week as India says it is ready to bridge the differences with its neighbor."

Scandal of vulnerable Colombian citizens killed for €1,500 bonus - Article also posted at ICH
Just remember....the current Columbian government is one of the US-NRE's best "friends" south of the border.  They've allowed the US-NRE to build seven military bases in that country so it can threaten the rest of Latin America.  Your tax dollars at work folks. - mpg -- A quote...."People working for paramilitaries and criminals went to the poor barrios around Bogotá and lured youths, some disabled, others with criminal pasts, others with offers of work. Then they were sold to military units, who executed them and presented them as guerrillas killed in action. It was a perverse human traffic which led many of these people to death,” says Jorge Enrique Rojas of Codhes, a human rights group in Bogotá."

Greece may take steps to revive Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline plan
A quote...."ATHENS, June 22 (RIA Novosti) - Greek Deputy Energy Minister Yiannis Maniatis does not rule out that his country will take steps to push ahead the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project in the near future, the Athens News Agency has said."

Russia, Italy to begin building joint helicopter assembling facility
A quote...."The construction of a Russian-Italian joint helicopter assembling facility will begin on Tuesday in the town of Tomilino outside Moscow, manufacturer Russian Helicopters has said."

Brazil’s Petrobras to Invest $224 Billion Through 2014
A quote...."Petrobras, Brazil’s largest company and one of the world’s fastest-growing energy firms, said that the increase was due to the approval of new projects valued at $31.6 billion. The company is projecting that under the new investment plan production will rise from 2.5 million barrels per day of oil and natural gas equivalent last year to 3.9 million bpd in 2014 and 5.4 million bpd in 2020."

Top Catholic Priest Accused of Sexually Abusing His Own Sons
When is the Catholic Church going to reform? - mpg -- A quote...."A prominent Catholic priest, praised by Pope John Paul II  as "an efficacious guide to youth," Father Marcial Maciel, sexually abused not only young seminarians under his control but also abused his own children, according to a lawsuit filed today in Connecticut by a man who claims to be Maciel's son."

Who Says We Can't Criticize Israel?
Special Note - A quote...."Like a postage stamp that has been licked too often, a word can lose its power and authority if it is used indiscriminately. -- So it is with the word "terrorist" that is now routinely applied by governments all over the world to demonize and marginalize political opposition. And likewise with the word "anti-semitic" which is a label stuck on just about anyone who is not in total support of the state of Israel and its treatment of the Palestinians." - also posted at AlethoNews
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The Obama administration and its pundit-defenders
A quote...."Even in the context of America's wretched civil liberties abuses over the last decade, the case of Mohamed Hassan Odaini stands out.  He was 17 years old in 2001 when his father sent him from Yemen to study at a religious university in Raiwand, Pakistan, and when a campus house in which he was staying there was raided by Pakistani authorities in early 2002, he was turned over to the U.S. and shipped to Guantanamo, where he has remained without charges for the last eight years (he's now 26).  A federal court this month granted his habeas petition for release, finding that the evidence "overwhelmingly  supports Odaini's contention that he is unlawfully detained."  Worse, the court described the multiple times over the years -- beginning in 2002 and occurring as recently as 2009 -- when the U.S. Government itself concluded that Odaini was guilty of nothing, was mistakenly detained, and should be released (see here for the court's description of that history)." - also posted at AlethoNews

Pentagon-WikiLeaks conspiracy theory
Disinfo Alert - Cass Sunstein wrote (at page 22 of his paper, "Conspiracy Theories" - download here as a pdf - written with Adrian Vermeule concerning various dirty tricks tactics for government to undermine conspiracy theories):

"Government agents (and their allies) might enter chat rooms, online social networks, or even real-space groups and attempt to undermine percolating conspiracy theories by raising doubts about their factual premises, causal logic or implications for political action."

"Sunstein, one of the Jews brought to Harvard Law School in the Jewification process conducted by Supreme Court nominee Kagan (who, btw, equates the KKK and the NRA - the 'left' is spinning furiously, if completely unconvincingly, and it will be fun to watch the Republicans bite their tongues!), is the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. He thus can advise the White House on how to deal with those pesky conspiracy theories. Given that the Obama White House is much harder on leakers than even the Bush White House, it is obvious that truth is in the cross hairs."

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange breaks cover but will avoid America
Related Article - A quote...."The elusive founder of WikiLeaks, who is at the centre of a potential US national security sensation, has surfaced from almost a month in hiding to tell the Guardian he does not fear for his safety but is on permanent alert."

WikiLeaks Preparing to Release Video of Alleged U.S. 'Massacre' in Afghanistan
The US-NRE's Censorship DEFIED! - Related Article -- A quote...."As the founder of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks remains underground in fear that the U.S. will detain him, the site is preparing to release a leaked video of a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan that is said to be more shocking than the Iraqi video that sent its controversial leader into hiding."

Pentagon Snubs Leaker's Lawyers
Related Article - The DoD won't allow Manning to properly defend himself.....typical. - mpg -- A quote...."WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange hired lawyers to represent the Army intel analyst accused of leaking State Dept. secrets. But the Pentagon sent them away. Philip Shenon reports on WikiLeaks concerns about Bradley Manning's treatment in custody—and the video of a U.S. massacre in Afghanistan, coming as soon as next week."

Infowars Exclusive by Rob Dew & Jason Douglas – Poles Training with Illinois Guard Troops
Video - IGT(1/2) - IGT(2/2) -- Source: TheAlexJonesChannel -- A quote...."Language no problem for Illinois Guard troops training with Poles"

Because it can never be repeated enough: 9/11 Experiments: Collapse vs. Demolition
Videos - Special Note - 9/11Expermnts(1/2) - 9/11Expermnts(2/2) - Source: physicsandreason - A quote...."Any theory that does not match experiment is wrong. It doesn't matter what the computer models predict, how much funding is behind it, what the experts say, or what everyone "thinks". Nothing can fool the laws of physics."

The Bin Laden trades, Insider Trading of 911 – Max Keiser
Video - Special Note - Alt - A quote...."Max Keiser talks to Stacy Herbert about insider trading of 911 aka the bin laden trades made by buzzy krongard – (recorded on June 19th 2010)" - Source:  DrRonPaul2012

Thank G-d for 9/11!
Special Note - A quote...."The sick and twisted visions of that sadistic bunch of bastards, the "Project for the New American Century" have become reality, with the USA now spending more, much more on weapons and waging preemptive wars throughout the world, but mostly the ME and SW Asia, to help satisfy Israel's needs for the future and to take out Israel's regional enemies, like Saddam and soon, Iran. (RABBI Dov Zakheim was one of the original 'devil's disciples' of PNAC, more on him later in the blog)"

For more on the three articles shown above see....Reficultnias's 9/11 Central

William A. (‘Bill’) Christison (1928-2010)
A quote...."William A. (“Bill”) Christison, a former senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency who became a supporter of the 9/11 Truth Movement, died June 13, 2010, due to a rapidly advancing neurological disease, which he had contracted three months earlier."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Getting Out of Palestine?
A quote...."When veteran journalist Helen Thomas was asked recently if she had any comments on Israel, she shot back, 'Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.' She apologized for the remark, but, as the campaign against her escalated, she chose to retire from her position as White House correspondent. -- Putting aside the edginess in her words, does Helen Thomas’s remark deserve serious consideration?" - also posted at AlethoNews

Tea Party: Rename NYC "Israel"
A quote...."Rob D. Rich, who leads the Tea Party for Freedom in Texas, said last week he believes New York City should be renamed Israel. New York's Bloomberg administration responded by saying that Texas could also be renamed Little Mexico. -- "New York City is Israel," said Rich, who heads the third-largest party in the US. "Changing its name to Israel will end the conflict in the Middle East and provide the Israelis with an alternate homeland." Rich added that Palestine deserved a special status in the US government because it was fighting for Al-Quds."

Regarding the two articls shown above:  Maybe Helen Thomas has started something?  Maybe the Tea-party ain't so bad after all?  Who would have thunk it? - mpg

Lebanon gives green light to Gaza-bound aid ship
Flotilla News - A quote...."BEIRUT - One of two aid boats planning to sail to Gaza from Lebanon has received the green light to depart for Cyprus on the first leg of a trip that aims to break Israel’s blockade, organisers said on Monday."  - also posted at WarInIraq

Brussels Tribunal Wants High-Seas Killers Charged
Flotilla News - A quote...."As global awareness of Israeli terrorism continues to grow following the May 31 Mavi Marmara assault, an especially vocal critic is the Belgian-based Brussels Tribunal. On June 6, this writer interviewed a member of its executive committee, Dr. Ian Douglas. His words reflect the gravity of our current situation."

Israeli tanks, bulldozers storm outskirts of Absan village
A quote...."GAZA, June 21 (KUNA) -- Israeli tanks and armored bulldozers stormed the outskirts of the Palestinian town of Absan, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, on Monday." - also posted at WarInIraq

The Saga Continues and We Are Winning - AWESOME:
Contains Video - ProtstPckt - Source:  TomVeeTVPckt2Stop - Source:  kurnutosvky - A quote...."LINK Victory as protesters and union block Israeli ship unloading at Oakland Port -- June 20, 2010 In a historic action and unprecedented action today, more 800 worker and community activists blocked the gates of the Oakland docks in the early morning hours, prompting longshore workers to refuse to cross the picketlines where they were scheduled to unload an Israeli ship.
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Keiser Report №51: Markets! Finance! Scandal!
Must View Video - Alt - (missed this one) - A quote...."On this edition of Keiser Report, Max and co-host Stacy Herbert look at the latest round of threats by bankers to take down the global economy; Citibank reassures investors that BP could survive multiple Deepwaters... at least, financially, but then there is that small matter of "US bloodlust"; and the revolution was not twittered. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Mike Ruppert about peak oil, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and his movie "Collapse"."

Washington: Theater of the Absurd - posted at ICH
A quote...."June 19, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- The festering corporate government in Washington, DC, is a theater of the absurd. Some of the acts of this tragedy follow...."

Nearly one million US workers cut off unemployment benefits
A quote...."With 12 Democrats joining a unanimous Republican bloc, the US Senate voted Wednesday to defeat a proposed extension of unemployment benefits for workers who have been jobless for nearly two years. The bill would have extended unemployment benefits for those out of work more than six months, until November 30."

Gold Reclaims Its Currency Status as the Global System Unravels
Gold Bug Alert - A quote...."The World Gold Council said on Friday that the central banks of Russia, the Philippines, Kazakhstan and Venezuela have been buying gold, and Saudi Arabia’s monetary authority has "restated" its reserves upwards from 143m to 323m tonnes. If there is any theme to the bullion rush, it is fear that the global currency system is unravelling. Or, put another way, gold itself is reclaiming its historic role as the ultimate safe haven and benchmark currency."

Crisis in Asia's Currency Markets: Indonesia Moves to Tame Speculative Capital Flows
Related Article - A quote...."Within three days of South Korea imposing currency controls, Indonesia (a member of G-20) unveiled several policy measures to regulate potentially destabilizing capital flows. The policy announcement by Indonesia is the latest initiative by emerging markets to tame speculative money which could pose a threat to their economies and financial systems."

Sunday June 20th 2010

No posts. - mpg

Saturday June 19th 2010

Sincerely Yours: Another Legal Triumph for the Obama-Yoo Administration
Must Read - A quote...."Obama bade his legal henchmen -- his own personal John Yoos, as it were -- to tell the Supreme Court that it should kill the Canadian citizen's case seeking compensation for his unlawful arrest by U.S. officials, who then rendered him not unto Caesar but to the untender mercies of Syria's torture cells. The Robed Ones agreed, dismissing, without comment, Arar's appeal of a lower court ruling that quashed his case -- a decision that Scott Horton rightly likened last year to the Dred Scott case, which upheld the legality of slavery, even in states which prohibited it. --  The Arar ruling upholds the "legality" of a new, universal form of slavery, i.e., the United States government can deprive anyone in the world of their freedom, and dispose of their bodies as it sees fit: torture, "indefinite detention," or even "targeted assassination." The fact that it is a man of partly African descent who is now outstripping the Southern slavers in this extension of servitude to the entire world is one of those poisonously bitter ironies with which history abounds."

A Zionist state of mind, a dreamscape of ghosts: One Jew’s hard awakening
Must Read - A quote...."The Jewish side of myself understands the historical traumas that gave rise to the yearning for a tribal homeland. Atavistically, I suffer the Jewish state’s collective night terrors and reel in its daylight rationalizations for its brutalities. But the Native American in me knows the rage of those crushed by the heartless force of an invading people. -- Neither my father’s people’s bows and arrows nor the “threat” of metal rods, clutched by a few activists aboard the illegally seized Gaza-bound Peace Flotilla, nor Hamas’ small rockets will change the tragic trajectory wrought by a tribalist land grab. History reveals a conquered and caged people will starve, in both body and soul, as they watch their hopes wither to dust. But I will not condemn them for their struggle, and even their “provocations” -- dangerous and outrageous provocations . . . such as the desire not to live out their lives behind ghetto walls, and the actions they take accordingly. (Even though, a provocation will never soften the banal mind of a bully to end his reign of brutality.)"

Israel's World is Changing, Quietly
Must Read - A quote...."Night. Utter darkness. Heavy rain. Visibility close to nil. -- And suddenly – a flash of lightning. For a fraction of a second, the landscape is lit up.  For this split second, the terrain surrounding us can be seen. It is not the way it used to be. -- Our government’s action against the Gaza aid flotilla was such a lightning flash. -- Israelis normally live in darkness as far as seeing the world is concerned. But for that instant, the real landscape around us could be seen, and it looked frightening. Then the darkness settled down over us, Israel returned to its bubble, the world disappeared from view. -- This split second was enough to reveal a dismal scene. On almost all fronts, the situation of the State of Israel has worsened since the last flash of lightning."

Embargoes and Blockades used as a Method of Warfare
Special Note - A quote...."In 1990, in arguably some of the most chilling lines written in recent history, Gary Clyde Hufbauer, et al., wrote, regarding embargoes, in an advisory document for the George H.W. Bush Administration: ": ... We present our short list of 'do's and don'ts' for the architects of a sanctions policy designed to change the politics of the target country ... (3) Do pick on the weak and helpless ...(5) Do impose the maximum cost on your target ..." (1) On Hiroshima Day 1990, the most comprehensive embargo ever imposed by the UN., was imposed on Iraq. --  This silent, comprehensive weapon of mass destruction is increasingly used as a method of warfare, often under a supine United Nations, arm twisted by the US, or on behalf of the friends it has left."

Warring for Resources - posted at ICH
A quote...."June 18, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Reading this week's New York Times headline -- "U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan" -- many probably wondered how this information was being presented as "news" in 2010. After all, humanity has long been aware of the country's vast natural resources. -- As Mother Jones magazine's James Ridgeway said after recalling past public accounts of the ore deposits, "This ‘discovery' in fact is ancient history tracing back to the times of Marco Polo." -- The intrigue in The Times dispatch, then, is not Afghanistan's "huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals" that the paper quotes Pentagon officials gushing about -- it is the gushing itself. Indeed, the real question is: What would prompt the government to portray well-known geology as some sort of blockbuster revelation?" - bold by website editor
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Truth through a soda straw - Article also posted at ICH
Press/Web Censorship Alert - Quote of the Day...."The truth about American politics is this: disguised by the theatrics of squabbling Democrats and Republicans, Washington governs according to limits prescribed by a fixed and narrow consensus. The two main parties collaborate in preserving that consensus. Doing so requires declaring out-of-bounds anything even remotely resembling a fundamental critique of how power gets exercised or wealth distributed. --  *Andrew Bacevich*

Rowley, McGovern and Ellsberg -- Statement on Wikileaks - Article also posted at ICH
Press/Web Censorship Alert - A quote...."Today, Washington is trying to shut down what it clearly regards as the most effective and dangerous purveyor of embarrassing information -- Wikileaks, a self-styled global resource for whistleblowers. It is a safe bet that NSA, CIA, FBI and other agencies have been instructed to do all possible to make an example of Wikileaks leader, Australian-born Julian Assange, and his colleagues. Much is at stake -- for both Pentagon and freedom of the press."

The strange and consequential case of Bradley Manning, Adrian Lamo and WikiLeaks - Article also posted at ICH
Press/Web Censorship Alert - Contains Audio -- A quote...."On June 10, former New York Times reporter Philip Shenon, writing in The Daily Beast, gave voice to anonymous "American officials" to announce that "Pentagon investigators" were trying "to determine the whereabouts of the Australian-born founder of the secretive website Wikileaks [Julian Assange] for fear that he may be about to publish a huge cache of classified State Department cables that, if made public, could do serious damage to national security."  Some news outlets used that report to declare that there was a "Pentagon manhunt" underway for Assange -- as though he's some sort of dangerous fugitive."

With Rumored Manhunt for Wikileaks Founder and Arrest of Alleged Leaker of Video Showing Iraq Killings, Obama Admin Escalates Crackdown on Whistleblowers of Classified Information -- Press/Web Censorship Alert - A quote...."Pentagon investigators are reportedly still searching for Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, who helped release a classified US military video showing a US helicopter gunship indiscriminately firing on Iraqi civilians. The US military recently arrested Army Specialist Bradley Manning, who may have passed on the video to Wikileaks. Manning’s arrest and the hunt for Assange have put the spotlight on the Obama administration’s campaign against whistleblowers and leakers of classified information. We speak to Daniel Ellsberg, who’s leaking of the Pentagon Papers has made him perhaps the nation’s most famous whistleblower; Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a member of the Icelandic Parliament who has collaborated with Wikileaks and drafted a new Icelandic law protecting investigative journalists; and Glenn Greenwald, political and legal blogger for Salon.com. [includes rush transcript]" -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  || 

Lieberman Introduces Bill Targeting Internet Freedom
Web Censorship Alert - Related Article -- Watching what used to be known as the USofA get down on its knees on behalf of the Israeli/AIPAC lobby is just simply DISGUSTING! - mpg -- A quote...."Senator Joe Lieberman wants to give Obama and all future installed teleprompter readers in the Oval Office the power to shut down the internet. In order to hype the supposed national security threat posed by a decentralized internet, the independent Lieberman — meaning both establishment parties don’t want him — has spoken in near-apocalyptic terms." - also posted at DProgram

New Bill Gives Obama ‘Kill Switch’ To Shut Down The Internet
Web Censorship Alert - Related Article -- A quote...."The federal government would have “absolute power” to shut down the Internet under the terms of a new US Senate bill being pushed by Joe Lieberman, legislation which would hand President Obama a figurative “kill switch” to seize control of the world wide web in response to a Homeland Security directive."

Iceland rewrites law to create haven for investigative reporting - HIP HIP HOORAY!!
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."Iceland has passed a sweeping reform of its media laws that supporters say will make the country an international haven for investigative journalism. -- The new package of legislation was passed unanimously at 4am yesterday in one of the final sessions of the Icelandic parliament, the Althingi, before its summer break. -- Created with the involvement of the whistleblowing website Wikileaks, it increases protection for anonymous sources, creates new protections from so-called "libel tourism" and makes it much harder to censor stories before they are published." - bold by website editor - also posted at BLN

Former United States military analyst says US Might 'Assassinate' Wikileaks Founder
Contains Video - Yep that's right, we should all just go around blowing people away.  And this guy actually gets a pension, paid for by the American taxpayer, while he runs around talking this terrorist crap!!  What a human piece of garbage!! - mpg -- A quote...."Daniel Ellsberg, a former United States military analyst who released the Pentagon Papers in 1971, said he fears for the safety of Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks."
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“360 Rotational Fire” Against Iraqi Civilians After IED Attacks
This is known as "collective punishment" and it happens to be a war crime. - mpg -- A quote...."Ethan McCord, one of the soldiers seen in the now-famous Wikileaks video in which two American Apache helicopters fire upon a relaxed, unhurried gaggle of men in Baghdad, has stated in an interview with World Socialist Website that he witnessed numerous times the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians in Iraq after IED attacks. McCord is on of the soldiers seen helping two wounded children after the attack."

US Soldier Alleges '360' Fire in Iraq
Related Article - A quote...."If even a small fraction of what former Bravo Company 2-16 soldier Ethan McCord is saying is true, that orders were given at a battalion level in Iraq for "360 rotational fire" against civilians in order to "kill every motherfucker in the street," upon being hit by an IED, then Congress must investigate." - HAH! like that'll ever happen! - mpg

US-led forces kill 5 Afghan civilians
A quote...."A US-led airstrike has killed at least five people in Afghanistan amid growing discontent over the civilian casualties in the war-torn country. According to Afghan officials, the attack took place on Friday night in the southeastern province of Khost, a Press TV correspondent reported."

"Nuclear Diplomacy": Brazil and Iran. Our Motives and the Bullying Trio
Special Note - A quote...."Despite what the experts of barefoot diplomacy [1] never stop repeating, there is nothing even remotely anti-American in the Brazilian position on Iran: our motives, unlike those of the bullying trio (USA, France, United Kingdom), are clear, transparent and openly stated several times. -- We support the peaceful development of nuclear energy. We do not believe there is any evidence that Iran has a secret nuclear-weapons program. Defending Iran, we are defending our own right to master the full nuclear-fuel cycle, we are defending our right to develop our own enrichment technology, we are defending our right to build our own reactors that will move the nuclear submarines that will defend our sovereignty. No more,  no less. We want for Iran just what we want for ourselves."

Iran responds to UNSC resolution
Transcript - A quote...."Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has issued a declaration in response to a recent UN Security Council resolution against the country. - The following is the full text of the declaration:"

Jundullah Leader Abdulmalik Rigi Executed
A quote...."Tehran, June 20, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Early this morning, the Jundullah leader Abdulmalik Rigi was executed at Tehran's Evin prison for crimes committed in southern parts of Iran."

Iran's new revolutionary politics
Special Note - A quote...."Brazil's decision, along with fellow non-permanent United Nations Security Council member Turkey, to vote against the latest United States-led efforts to impose harsher sanctions against Iran on June 9 aimed at stymieing the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, reflects a sea-change in global geopolitics characterized by a decline in US power and the return of multi-polarity."

12 American Warships, Including One Aircraft Carrier, And One Israeli Corvette, Cross Suez Canal On Way To Red Sea And Beyond - War Alert - A quote...."Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi reports that 12 American warships, among which one aircraft carrier, as well as one Israeli corvette, and possibly a submarine, have crossed the Suez Canal on their way to the Red Sea. Concurrently, thousands of Egyptian soldiers were deployed along the canal to protect the ships. The passage disrupted traffic into the manmade canal for the "longest time in years." The immediate destination of the fleet is unknown. According to Global Security, two other carriers are already deployed in the region, with the CVN-73 Washington in the western Pacific as of May 26, and the CVN-69 Eisenhower supporting operation Enduring Freedom as of May 22. It is unclear at first read what the third carrier group may be, but if this news, which was also confirmed by the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz, is correct, then the Debka report about a surge in aircraft activity in the Persian Gulf is well on its way to being confirmed. There has been no update on the three Israeli nuclear-armed subs that are believed to be operating off the coast of Iran currently."

Armada of U.S. and Israeli Warships Head for Iran
War Alert - Related Article - A quote...."More than twelve U.S. and Israeli warships, including an aircraft carrier, passed through the Suez Canal on Friday and are headed for the Red Sea. “According to eyewitnesses, the U.S. battleships were the largest to have crossed the Canal in many years,” reported the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi on Saturday."

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)
USS George Washington (CVN-73)

Kyrgyzstan: Eurasian geopolitics 101
A quote...."For the moment, the Pentagon is breathing a sigh of relief. Vital US fuel supply flights from its Manas base to Afghanistan resumed last week even as Kyrgyzstan slid into chaos. At least 171 and possibly as many as 500 have died in rioting in southern Kyrgyzstan this week, almost all ethnic Uzbeks, with thousands injured. More than 80,000 fled to neighbouring Uzbekistan, forcing it to close its borders as it cannot cope with more. On Monday, China began evacuating the majority of its 1000 nationals. - also posted at GlobalRsrch & TurkshWkly & Creative-i

From Gaza to Ireland and Back
A quote...."link - After 38 years, the martyrs of Bloody Sunday have been vindicated in an investigation that has spanned more than a decade. The Bloody Sunday Inquiry released its ten volume report on 15 June 2010, exonerating the 13 massacred and scores of others injured during a march organized by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association in Derry on 30 January 1972. The report laid blame where it rightfully belonged: with those British soldiers who committed the atrocity. When shall the martyrs of Palestine be vindicated and the blame rightly placed on the door of Apartheid Israel?"

Erdogan: We Will Not Remain Silent after Flotilla Raid
A quote...."Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said Friday that his country would continue to deal with Israel's deadly attack on Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla convoy and would never stay passive towards what happened." - also posted at WarInIraq
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Another MOSSA/CIA False-Flag, Coming SOON to a City Near You?
False Flag Alert - Special Note - A quote...."Combine this, "Alert Issued for 17 Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.S. Air Force Base," with this: "Radical Muslim group holds second recruitment drive in Chicago," add in the usual maniacal, stark raving mad pronouncements from Apartheid Israel and we're either due for another MOSSAD 9/11 special or it's just more psyops, designed to further turn Americans into very useful sheep, using fear to let the Zionist run WH and Congress to continue on with their "Wars for Wall Street and Israel' and to kill and use terror to turn as many Muslims as possible into landless refugees and rotting corpses. -- The 'radical' Muslim group, Hizb ut-Tahrir America, only lists three members, and one of those is dead and another, 86 years old."

NYC judge rules Guantanamo detainee must face strip searches to protect security interests
Welcome to the New Roman Empire - A quote...."NEW YORK  — A Guantanamo Bay detainee awaiting trial in a federal civilian court cannot evade strip searches that require him to expose his private areas because security would be compromised, a judge has ruled."

Our Future In Chains: The For-Profit Debtors' Prison System
A quote...."....debtors' prisons seem to be making a comeback in America.  A recent article in the Star Tribune in Minnesota titled, "In jail for being in debt," exposes the growing number of citizens going to jail at the behest of banks and a welcoming judicial system." - also posted at DProgram

Pentagon [under Obama] revives Rumsfeld-era domestic spying unit
A quote...."FICOR replaces a program called Talon, which the DIA created in 2002 under then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as part of the counterterrorism efforts following the 9/11 attacks. It was disbanded in 2007 after it emerged that Talon had retained information on anti-war protesters, including Quakers, even after it was determined they posed no threat to national security." - also posted at WarInIraq

Obama's crackdown on whistleblowers targets press freedom?
RTVideo - Press Censorship Alert - (RTYuTb - 3 min 26 sec - June 07, 2010) -- A quote...."In the past few weeks the U.S. has witnessed an aggressive crack down on whistleblowers. For many the Obama administration's tough investigative stance on unauthorized press leaks goes against the president's own election promises to bring back openness and transparency. Moreover, some journalists now accuse the Obama government of actually attacking press freedom."

Witness: US Agent Aimed at Mexican
A quote...."An eyewitness to the June 7 shooting death of a 14-year-old Mexican youth said a U.S. Border Patrol agent took aim at the boy for several seconds after the boy emerged from behind a pillar of a bridge on the Juarez side of the border near El Paso, Texas."
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Jeremy Scahill on Blackwater Owner Erik Prince’s Rumored Move to UAE and Obama Admin’s Expansion of Special Forces Operations Abroad -- A quote...."The Justice Department has told a federal appeals court there was more than enough untainted evidence to justify a trial for the five Blackwater Worldwide guards involved in the 2007 Nisoor Square massacre in Baghdad. In court papers seeking to reinstate criminal charges that were dismissed last year, the Justice Department said the judge "unjustifiably drew the curtain on a meritorious prosecution." This legal development comes amidst a report that Erik Prince, the owner and founder of the notorious private security firm, could be planning a move to the United Arab Emirates, a country that has no extradition treaty with the United States. We speak to independent journalist Jeremy Scahill. [includes rush transcript]" -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  ||

Blackwater Firm Gets $120M U.S. Gov't Contract
A quote...."CBS News has learned in an exclusive report that the State Department has awarded a part of what was formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide a contract worth more than $120 million for providing security services in Afghanistan." - Source:  CBSNews
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Egypt allows Iranian humanitarian ships to sail to Gaza
Flotilla News - A quote...."Egypt  has permitted Iranian humanitarian ships to enter the Gaza Strip through the Suez Canal, the Turkish Haberturk website reported."

Top Ten Myths about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
A quote...."Myth #1 – Jews and Arabs have always been in conflict in the region. -- Although Arabs were a majority in Palestine prior to the creation of the state of Israel, there had always been a Jewish population, as well. For the most part, Jewish Palestinians got along with their Arab neighbors. This began to change with the onset of the Zionist movement, because the Zionists rejected the right of the Palestinians to self-determination and wanted Palestine for their own, to create a “Jewish State” in a region where Arabs were the majority and owned most of the land....."

Canceled West Bank vote affirms Fatah decline
A quote....."The Palestinian party expected to help deliver a Mideast peace deal is in such disarray these days, it's afraid to compete in an election even with its main rival out of the picture. -- Next month's municipal balloting in the West Bank should have handed an easy victory to the Western-backed Fatah movement since its bitter competitor, the Islamic militant Hamas, decided to sit out the race. However, with strong signs that independents were poised to win in key towns, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah's leader, called off the election at the last minute." - also posted at YahooNews

International organizations renew condemnation of Gaza siege
A quote...."On Monday, 14 June, Muhammad Juma Abu Wardeh, a 17-year-old Palestinian laborer, was shot and wounded by Israeli snipers along the "buffer zone" in eastern Gaza as he collected materials for a cement plant in Jabaliya, north of Gaza City. Israel's ongoing blockade against the Gaza Strip has prevented access to raw construction materials, such as cement and industrial aggregates, forcing workers to risk their lives to trawl open agricultural areas for resources."

4.8 million Palestinian refugees worldwide
A quote...."Bethlehem - Ma'an - The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) released a report on the status of Palestinian refugees around the world, in honor of the International Day of Refugees, marked on 20 June."

The Red Cross and Israeli MPs prevented from knowing location of secret prison
A quote...."It now seems clear that the Red Cross and, indeed, members of Israel's parliament, are being stopped by Israeli intelligence services from finding out the location of what has been called a "secret prison". The MP for the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality, Dr. Dov Hanin, has filed an enquiry to the Israeli Internal Security Minister, Yitzhak Aheronovic, regarding an unidentified prisoner at Ayalon Prison, Department 15. The prisoner, whose details were referred to on the Ynet website, and then quickly removed, has been held in total isolation and prevented from having visits or giving any information about himself to the officers who guard him. Nobody claims any knowledge of the reasons for the said prisoner to be in this situation."

Masked Attack
Photos - Special Note - All they need is pointy hats and some white sheets. - mpg -- A quote...."On Saturday morning, 30 to 35 masked Israeli settlers stormed the village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills. Armed with metal clubs, slingshots, knives, and stones, the attackers targeted the house closest to the edge of the woods. International observers stationed in the village arrived in time to witness and document the final phases of the assault. Michael Carpenter investigated for Palestine Monitor."

Israeli violence continues in Gaza ‘buffer zone’: wheat harvest prevented; three injured by shelling
A quote...."Five female farm-workers returned to the Gaza ‘buffer zone’ early Saturday morning, with the intention of continuing the wheat harvest near Khoza’a village, Khan Yunis. The harvesters were forced to abandon their work after just thirty minutes as snipers attacked the unarmed workers with a barrage of live ammunition." - For more on this issue see....Israel's Scorched Earth

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (10-16 June 2010)
Week in, week out, it never stops....mpg
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Keiser Report: Economic Warfare 101
Must View Video - Alt - A quote...."On this edition of the Keiser Report, Max and co-host Stacy Herbert look at the latest scandals of filling black holes of debt with austerity plans and imperial plans. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Cedric de Serigny of the School of Economic Warfare in Paris about rating agencies and financial terrorism."

ECRI Index Continues To Plunge, Drops By 2.2 To -5.7, And Just 4.3 Away From "Guaranteed" Double Dip Territory - Special Note - A quote...."The ECRI weekly leading index is continuing its accelerating dive, and is now well into negative territory, hitting -5.7 for the past week: a 2.2 decline from the prior week. Here is why, as David Rosenberg, this is a critical indicator, and why we may have just 4.3 more points to go before the critical -10 threshold: "It is one thing to slip to or fractionally below the zero line, but a -3.5% reading has only sent off two head-fakes in the past, while accurately foreshadowing seven recessions — with a three month lag. Keep your eye on the -10 threshold, for at that level, the economy has gone into recession … only 100% of the time (42 years of data)." At this rate of decline -10 will be taken out in the first week of July."

Philly Fed factory activity index plummets in June
A quote...."(Reuters) - Factory activity growth plummeted in the Mid-Atlantic region in June, a survey showed on Thursday, adding to worries that the short and tepid U.S. economic recovery is now fizzling."

Watch Small Business for Employment Forecasts
A quote...."Today’s 472,000 jobless claims print once again emphasizes how poor the employment outlook has been. What the macroeconomists all have missed is the creative-destruction character of the US economy: jobs are permanently lost and big companies and replaced by startups — except this time, there are no startups."

Housing starts drop to five-month low in May
A quote...."(Reuters) - Housing starts fell more than expected in May to their lowest level in five months...."

Jobless claims rise 12,000 to 472,000
A quote...."First-time applications for state unemployment benefits rose by 12,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 472,000...."

Consumer price index 'inflation report' shows deflation. No Fed rate hike until 2012?
Deflation Alert - A quote...."The overall level of US consumer prices fell in May for the second month in a row, a sign that the economic recovery remains weak."

Bank failure is 83rd in '10; pace more than double last year's
A quote...."WASHINGTON  — Regulators on Friday shut down a Nevada bank, raising to 83 the number of U.S. bank failures this year. - The 83 closures so far this year is more than double the pace set in all of 2009, which was itself a brisk year for shutdowns."

Where is the Oil Spill?
Must Read - Charts, Graphs, Maps -- A quote...."It's the largest environmental disaster in U.S. - and possibly world - history. - But do you know exactly where it is? Could you point to a map and show where the oil rig sank? - Do you know what the topography of the surrounding area is? Hint: If you think it's flat seafloor - as implied by BPs drawings - you'd be wrong (the spill site is actually located within a giant canyon system, rather than on flat ground).

Thursday June 17th 2010 - to - Friday June 18th 2010

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Just to let you folks know, this website editor will be otherwise occupied from......
 
Saturday June 12th 2010 -- to -- Saturday June 19th 2010.

Of course if anything REALLY outrageous happens, like another Israeli/AIPAC inspired false flag event, or a large up-tempo increase in preperations for their long planed attack on Iran, this website editor will endevor to post more.

In the meantime enjoy all the wonderful websites listed on this site. - mpg

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061710-062310 - links page

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