The Great Wall of Segregation...
Must Read - A quote...."I always hear the Iraqi pro-war crowd interviewed on television from foreign capitals (they can only appear on television from the safety of foreign capitals because I defy anyone to be publicly pro-war in Iraq). They refuse to believe that their religiously inclined, sectarian political parties fueled this whole Sunni/Shia conflict. They refuse to acknowledge that this situation is a direct result of the war and occupation. They go on and on about Iraq's history and how Sunnis and Shia were always in conflict and I hate that. I hate that a handful of expats who haven't been to the country in decades pretend to know more about it than people actually living there."

"I remember Baghdad before the war- one could live anywhere. We didn't know what our neighbors were- we didn't care. No one asked about religion or sect. No one bothered with what was considered a trivial topic: are you Sunni or Shia? You only asked something like that if you were uncouth and backward. Our lives revolve around it now. Our existence depends on hiding it or highlighting it- depending on the group of masked men who stop you or raid your home in the middle of the night."
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Gerson's Crusade Against "Low-Hanging Fruit"
Must Read - A quote...."Neocon officials in the Defense Department call them "low-hanging fruit"--- as though countries were produce ripe for picking and eating. The term refers to nations targeted for regime change that might be achieved with minimal strain, at least when compared with the effort needed to topple the regime in Iran. Some neocons are beginning to concede that the effort might not be feasible at this time (not that they would be climbing the tree and plucking the fruit; they'd stand below advising on how it should be done). They're advocating instead that the Bush administration move soon against Syria."

National Intelligence Estimate lacks supporting evidence, possibly politicized, intelligence officials say
War Alert - A quote...."Current and former intelligence officials say the Bush Administration's National Intelligence Estimate regarding terrorist threats to the United States does not provide evidence to support its assertions and may have inflated the domestic threat posed by the Lebanese political and military group Hezbollah, perhaps because it receives financial support from Iran."  -  bold/italics by website author

Bush delivers rant on Iraq to military audience as poll numbers plummet
A quote...."With poll numbers indicating that support for both his administration and the Iraq war have fallen to record lows, President Bush Tuesday delivered a militarist rant before a uniformed audience in South Carolina, insisting that the fighting must continue in order to defeat Al Qaeda.  -  Speaking for less than half an hour before a dragooned audience of military personnel at the Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, Bush used the words “Al Qaeda” 93 times and made at least 23 separate references to Osama bin Laden, nearly 40 to “terror” or “terrorists” as well as eight mentions of September 11."

Poor little Shrubby, all that effort by his "Family" and their cronies to arrange 9/11 - and the political boost they got from the whole thing lasted just a few short measly years, not quite the New American "Century" they were looking for.  Goes to show, that although the American people's legendary short attention spans will usually help our elite's propaganda efforts, they will also occasionally hinder them.

Guess the Neocons and the elites will just have to do a better job the second time around....won't they? – mpg
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Disfavor for Bush Hits Rare Heights
Some quotes...."The latest Washington Post-ABC News survey shows that 65 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's job performance, matching his all-time low.  -  In polls conducted by The Post or Gallup going back to 1938, only twice has a president exceeded that level of public animosity -- Harry S. Truman, who hit 67 percent during the Korean War, and Richard M. Nixon, who hit 66 percent four days before resigning."  -  "Public disapproval of Bush is not only broad but deep; 52 percent of Americans "strongly" disapprove of his performance and 28 percent describe themselves as "angry."

Italian FM favors ending U.S. military mission in Afghanistan
A quote...."ROME, July 25 (RIA Novosti) - Italy's foreign minister said Wednesday the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan should be ended because of the unacceptably high number of civilian casualties."

Is the US Preparing To Attack Pakistan?
A quote...."The Bush Administration may be preparing to lash out at old ally Pakistan, which Washington now blames for its humiliating failures to crush al-Qaida, capture its elusive leaders, or defeat Taliban resistance forces in Afghanistan.  -  One is immediately reminded of the Vietnam War when the Pentagon, unable to defeat North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces, urged invasion of Cambodia."

U.S. Policy of Force Sure to 'Put Tribes on the Warpath' - posted at Watching America
A quote...."The government mustn't blindly obey American directives. Due to the way it has pursued its strategic aims in the region, Washington bears responsibility unleashing the genie of militancy"

U.S. bending rules on Colombia terror?
A quote...."WASHINGTON — For more than a decade, leftist guerrilla and right-wing paramilitary groups in Colombia have kidnapped or killed civilians, trade union leaders, police and soldiers by the hundreds and profited by shipping cocaine and heroin to the United States.  -  In that time, several American multinational corporations have been accused of essentially underwriting those criminal activities — in violation of U.S. law — by providing cash, vehicles and other financial assistance as insurance against attacks on their employees and facilities in the South American nation."

The New Politics of Political Aid in Venezuela
A quote...."Five years after U.S.-funded groups were associated with a failed coup against Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez, the U.S. government's political aid programs continue to meddle in Venezuelan domestic politics . A new focus of the "democracy builders" in Venezuela and around the world is support for nonviolent resistance by civil society organizations."

Britain is protecting the biggest heroin crop of all time
A quote...."Afghanistan was not militarily winnable by the British Empire at the height of its supremacy. It was not winnable by Darius or Alexander, by Shah, Tsar or Great Moghul. It could not be subdued by 240,000 Soviet troops. But what, precisely, are we trying to win?  -  In six years, the occupation has wrought one massive transformation in Afghanistan, a development so huge that it has increased Afghan GDP by 66 per cent and constitutes 40 per cent of the entire economy. That is a startling achievement, by any standards. Yet we are not trumpeting it. Why not?  -  The answer is this. The achievement is the highest harvests of opium the world has ever seen."

Political Prisoner: Loose Change Producer Korey Rowe Arrested
A quote...."Loose Change producer and Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Korey Rowe has been arrested and handed over to military officials without bail for allegedly "deserting the Army".

Military reviews placing special ops on U.S. soil
War Update - A quote...."WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The U.S. military command in charge of protecting the homeland asked the Pentagon earlier this year for a contingent of special operations officers to help with domestic anti-terrorism missions.  -  Military sources told The Examiner that U.S. Northern Command, established at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado in 2002, requested its own special operations command similar to ones assigned to overseas war-fighting commands, such as U.S. Central Command."

The US is now about to be occupied by its own military forces in the same fashion that these forces have occupied all the other countries throughout the world.....no doubt they'll soon start bombing US cities.

No?  You don't believe that?  You think that's going to far?  -  Just wait and see. - mpg
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The Globalization of Military Power: NATO Expansion
A quote...."NATO is determined to expand its membership circle and to expand its mandate. Ultimately NATO is slated to become a global military force. Moreover, part of the objectives of NATO as a global military alliance is to ensure the “energy security” of its member states. What this signifies is the militarization of the world’s arteries, strategic pipeline routes, maritime traffic corridors used by oil tankers, and international waters."

Russia to deploy S-400 air defense systems around Moscow Aug. 6
Some quotes...."MOSCOW, July 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will deploy the first air defense battalion equipped with new S-400 missile systems around Moscow on August 6, an Air Force spokesman said."  -  "A regular S-400 battalion comprises at least eight launchers and 32 missiles and a mobile command post, according to various sources.  -  S-400 has been designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), or twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2.5 times that of the S-300PMU-2."

China shying from shaky US mortgage market
A quote...."HONG KONG - While China is eager to invest a portion of its US$1.33 trillion foreign-exchange reserve overseas, it is unlikely to take a chance on buying additional US mortgage-backed securities (MBS) as they are now considered too risky, Chinese economists said."

One would have to guess the Chinese learned from the awful experience the Japanese had in the US real estate market just how dangerous it can really be.  - mpg
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AP Reveals New Document Demonstrates ‘Clear Case’ Of Gonzales Perjury On Spying Program
A quote...."The AP reports that a four-page memo sent by then-National Intelligence Director John Negroponte in May 2006 confirms that a March 2004 White House intelligence briefing for top congressional leaders was on “the Terrorist Surveillance Program.”

Mexico, Venezuela oil slumps could hit U.S. supply
A quote...."CARACAS/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Falling oil production in Venezuela and Mexico, Latin America's biggest suppliers of crude to the United States, could deepen U.S. reliance on shipments from the Middle East and Africa."

Free Fall From Tribune Tower: Profit Down 58% In 2Q
A quote...."CHICAGO In what is supposed to be one of its last quarterly reports before going private, Tribune Co. said Wednesday its profits plummeted 58% in the second quarter compared to last year's period."

Tomgram: Ira Chernus, Democratic Doublespeak on Iraq
Must Read - a quote...."So the Democratic front-runners must promise voters that they will end the war — with not too many ideologically laden ifs, ands, or buts — while they assure the foreign-policy establishment that they will never abandon the drive for hegemony in the Middle East (or anywhere else). In other words, the candidates have to be able to talk out of both sides of their mouths at the same time."

"No worries, it turns out. Fluency in doublespeak is a prime qualification for high political office. On Iraq, candidates Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson don’t meet that test. They tell anyone and everyone that they want “all” U.S. troops out of Iraq, but they register only 1-4% in the polls and are generally ignored in the media. The Democrats currently topping the polls, on the other hand, are proving themselves eminently qualified in doublespeak."

This is an EXTREMELY WELL WRITTEN realpolitik analysis of why the current front running DemoRepubs are lying out of both sides of their mouths, and why despite the fact there's almost two million dead Iraqis directly attributable to American foreign policy over the last fifteen years, all the Demo "front runners" intend to stay in Iraq FOREVER.

To everyone and anyone reading this blog, as long as the American people keep voting for these liars than they're going to keep being lied to, it's that simple.

So just stop voting for the liars. – mpg
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Pol/Econ: B-2s being fitted for Bunker Buster Bomb
Red War Warning #2  - A quote...."A little noticed July 19, 2007 press release from aerospace and defense conglomerate Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) reveals that the company is undertaking the task of refitting a number of the US Air Force's B-2 Stealth Bombers with new bomb racks able to hold and deliver the Boeing produced 30,000 pound (13,600 kg) Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker busting bomb."
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Chertoff Predicts Simultaneous LA/San Francisco Dirty Bombs
War Warning - A quote...."My contact reported to me today by email that Chertoff spoke about more "gut feelings" that he (Chertoff) has about a simultaneous Los Angeles / San Francisco dirty bomb attack that "our enemy is surely planning".

Interview with paul Craig Roberts - (Quick Time Audio) - posted by PG
Must Listen - Interview by Tom Hartman of Air America Radio regarding - Impeach Now; Or Face the End of Constitutional Democracy - Paul Craig Roberts view that "Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the US could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran."  Because, "Bush has put in place all the necessary measures for dictatorship in the form of "executive orders" that are triggered whenever Bush declares a national emergency. Recent statements by Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff, former Republican senator Rick Santorum and others suggest that Americans might expect a series of staged, or false flag, "terrorist" events in the near future."  --  article posted 07-16-07 - mpg

VIDEO: New WTC Collapse Video Analysis Highlights Unmistakable Implosions
A quote...."A new video analysis of the collapse of the World Trade Center's south tower provides unmistakable evidence of implosions that trace a diagonal path across the building and appear well below the collapse point."

Website author's note: the physical theories regarding 9/11 are not discussed on this site but articles about them will be posted - some examples below. - mpg
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9/11 - From The History File...9/11 Security Courtesy of Marvin Bush
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Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War
Must Read - A quote...." Many critics of the Iraq war are reluctant to suggest that President Bush went into it in anything but good faith. But James Madison, widely known as the father of the Constitution, might have been more skeptical. “In war, the honors and emoluments of office are to be multiplied; and it is the executive patronage under which they are to be enjoyed,” he warned. “It is in war, finally, that laurels are to be gathered; and it is the executive brow they are to encircle.”

The new imperialism
A quote...."The article last week [1] discussing the goings-on in mortgage portfolios that have caused significant losses for various holders of fixed-income securities, including pension funds and central banks, raised an obvious question, which is why so many central banks continue to hold large foreign-exchange reserves. The answer is often quite complicated, but in essence relates to three issues."

Mapping and the will to power
Some great maps on the new imperialism. Isn't it lovely to see how our elites intend to carve up the world to fashion their glorious and wonderful New Roman Empire- mpg
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The Bush-Cheney Oil War - Administration Plans to Steal Iraqi Oil For Mega-Rich Revealed for First Time - @ AFP Well not really....but it's a good summary - mpg  --  A quote...."Iraqi oil workers are waking up to the fact that a proposed hydrocarbon law the Bush administration wants the Iraqi Parliament to pass will effectively place the country’s massive oil reserves in the hands of big U.S. and British oil giants for decades."

This quote says it all....

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Trying To Destroy Hamas Is Bad Policy
A quote...."The Israeli and US policy of supporting the newly formed Palestinian government of the weak Mahmoud Abbas and his divided Fatah party while attempting to isolate and paralyze the democratically elected Hamas government, could prove to be as great a blunder as the debathification of Iraq. It may be recalled that after the US invasion, Paul Bremer empowered Shiite and Kurdish groups the Americans thought would be cooperative, while they dismantled the Sunni administrative and military infrastructures that were in place and capable of maintaining security and a functioning government. What resulted has been brutal civil strife that shows no signs of abating.
    
Pakistan in the grip of a big squeeze
A quote...."KARACHI - The US-led "war on terror" is poised to take a dramatic turn with its flames spreading across the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan, where General Pervez Musharraf is in a battle to hold on to his presidency as well as his position as chief of army staff. "

Al-Sadr builds secret power base
A quote...."AFTER months of lying low, the anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has re-emerged with a shrewd two-tiered strategy that reaches out to Iraqis on the street and distances him from the increasingly unpopular government."

Syria to Employ Hezbollah Strategy
A quote...."Back in October, 2005, the Mossad’s favorite propaganda source, DEBKAfile, fretted over the sale of advanced Russian Iskander SS-26 missiles to Syria. According to DEBKAfile, Putin reneged on a deal not to sell the hardware to Syria, a lamentable situation for the Israelis as NATO and the United States “have nothing in their missile arsenal to match its unique attributes,” in other words, Israel is helpless to stop the Iskander if Syria decided to use it. So impressive is the missile “that in 2004, the Americans sought to include it in various treaties signed with Russia for precluding the manufacture and sale of certain weapons. Moscow balked. A Western missile expert says: ‘Even a small quantity of these missiles is capable of radically changing the balance of strength in local conflicts.’ It is a strategic weapon for countries with a small area like Syria.”

Neocons Press Pakistan Endgame
A quote...."As should be expected, the neocons don’t give a whit about Pakistan’s dictator, Pervez Musharraf, who has served more or less as an obedient vassal for his back-stabbing boss and his clash of civilization minions. If indeed there “are no options off the table,” i.e., the Pentagon attacks FATA, there is a good chance Musharraf will be toast.   - “A strong action in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan by beleaguered Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf could lead to a spilt in the army, a media report said on Saturday,” reports the Times of India. “Detailing a multitude of troubles that Musharraf faces at home, Time magazine quoting a former head of the powerful intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence said many foreign observers believe that his days are numbered as leader of Pakistan…. in an interview … Hamid Gul, former head of ISI, has warned that if Musharraf does take both gloves off in tribal areas, it would just increase the likelihood of a split in army.”

The Article by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov "Containing Russia:  - Back to the Future?" -- Must Read - A quote...."Influential political forces on both sides of the Atlantic appear intent on starting a debate about whether or not to "contain" Russia. The mere posing of the question suggests that for some almost nothing has changed since the Cold War."

This article by Sergey Lavrov gives insight into Russia's current official position regarding the "Great Game".
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We're Running Out of Troops, Warns Army Chief
A quote...."The head of the army has warned that Britain is almost running out of troops to defend the country or fight in military operations abroad.  -  The warning by General Sir Richard Dannatt, chief of the general staff, to fellow defence chiefs comes at a time when the army is asking for a big increase in reservists to be deployed in Afghanistan, reflecting a crisis in Britain's armed forces.  -  In a secret memorandum he says: "We now have almost no capability to react to the unexpected." Reinforcements for emergencies or for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan were "now almost non-existent"."

Tsk, tsk, tsk, empires can be sooooooo expensive. - mpg
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Halliburton Income More Than Doubles
A quote...."Halliburton Co. said Monday second-quarter net income more than doubled to $1.5 billion, lifted largely by a $933 million gain from the separation of its former subsidiary, KBR Inc.  -  The result for the April-June period, which amounted to $1.62 per share, compared with income of $591 million, or 55 cents a share, in the year-ago period."

To ALL the men and woman in the United States armed forces, the wealthy elites of this great nation wish to thank you for your sacrifice.  Your lives and limbs have contributed significantly to our corporate bottom line.

Keep up the good work. - mpg
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Impeach George Bush To Stop War Lies, Deaths
A quote...."People, particularly these politicians, these frightened beggars in suits, seem petrified about impeachment. It could wreck the country. Ridiculous. I’ve been around this business twice and we’re all still here and no politician was even injured. Richard Nixon lied during a war and helped get some 58,500 Americans killed and many escaped by hanging onto helicopter skids. Nixon left peacefully. Mike Mansfield of Montana, the Democratic Senate majority leader, said on television that the Senate impeachment trial of Nixon would be televised and there would be no immunity. That meant Nixon would have to face the country under oath and if he lied he would go to prison. He knew he was finished as he heard this. Mansfield said no more. He got up and left. Barbara Walters, on the “Today” show, said, “He doesn’t say very much, does he?”

Remembering the Downing Street Minutes
A quote...."The most repeated excuse by U.S. media outlets for not covering the Downing Street Minutes and related documents is that they tell us nothing new, that they're old news. This conflicts, of course, with the second most common excuse, which is that they are false. If they're false, they can't be news at all, much less old news.  -  So, the question arises, when was this new news? At what point did it become old news to report that Bush had decided by the summer of 2002 to go to war and to use false justifications related to weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism?"

Sage Observations - PG's quotes
Some good quotes - posted by PG 07-24-07

Children as young as five to be fingerprinted in [British] schools
A quote...." Schools are to get the Government's permission to fingerprint all pupils.  -  Ministers will issue guidance telling them they have the right to install fingerprint scanners and collect biometric data from children as young as five."

Alarm at US right to highly personal data
A quote...."Highly sensitive information about the religious beliefs, political opinions and even the sex life of Britons travelling to the United States is to be made available to US authorities when the European Commission agrees to a new system of checking passengers." - posted by PG

Bush's Approval Rating Plunges To a measly 25 Percent
A quote...."Virtually three-fourths of the country, 71%, disaprove of the way President Bush is handling his job as president and a mere 25% approve of his unbearable job performance. Adding to Bush's ineptitude, 73% of Americans do not agree with how he has handled the economy, just 23% (Bush's base) actually approve of his fiscal implementation. "

FOX News: The Neoconservative Movement's Sturmabteilung
A quote...."America's corporate-owned media continue in their refusal to accept and admit the threat that the Neoconservative movement poses to American democracy. Most people assumed the Republican Party and the Neoconservative movement was one-and-the-same, but they weren't. Shortly after September 11, 2001 the Republican Party fell victim to the Necon's version of the "Night of the Long Knives." The Bush administration, under the guiding hand of Karl Rove and through the primary process, in hopes of creating what they believed would be "a permanent Republican majority," purged the GOP of any and all so-called moderate opposition and replaced them with Neoconservative and theocratic ideologues."

Tribune Sale at Issue as Newspaper Woes Mount
A quote...."Zell so far has put up only $50 million in cash, and his ability to walk away appears restricted to certain scenarios which, according to those following the deal closely, don't yet exist. But double-digit drops in revenue and cash flow at the Los Angeles Times as well as deteriorating results at other newspapers have heightened speculation about the potential for the transaction to collapse before the planned closing late this year."

Oh this is ridiculous, let's all hope this deal collapses because as the article quotes - "the employee stock ownership plan that will own most of the company could face a debt burden even more onerous than the one envisioned in April."  Out of all the large newspapers out there, most of them being faux-infotainment lickspittles of the wealthy elites, the LA Times has done some decent reporting recently and it would be a shame to see them get hoodwinked by a bunch of Wall Street crooks.

Why would the employees want to assume billions of dollars in unnecessary debt so the Wall Street boys can rake off huge profits just to arrange this deal, only to have them turn around later and liquidate the paper and sell chunks of it to someone like Rupert Murdoch because there's no possibility of paying off these huge debts?

It wouldn't surprise this author to find out they've already made the arrangements to liquidate the paper six months or a year from now when this whole deal goes sour.- mpg
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Political Clashes Shake Venezuela’s Strained Oil Industry
Some quotes...."Our sovereignty is at risk if we allow Petróleos de Venezuela to remain in this situation,” Luís Tascón, a pro-Chávez lawmaker, said in a telephone interview. “We cannot allow this company to remain an indecipherable black box.” Mr. Tascón has summoned Mr. Ramírez to the National Assembly to respond to accusations of corruption against senior executives."

"In comments that jolted global energy markets last week, Mr. Ramírez, the energy minister, acknowledged that Petróleos de Venezuela had hired 40 percent fewer drilling rigs than its target for this year, in part because of new rules requiring contractors to donate 10 percent of the value of their contracts to social welfare projects." - italics by website author

Chavez has caught a really bad case of the stupid’s - You're supposed to have open and well disclosed rules of just how much the Government's take will be, open and competitive bidding on the oil contracts among several different competing companies, than you're supposed to put the royalties you collect in the state coffers and let your legislature determine which program gets allocated what of the take in an open and democratic forum.

"Indecipherable black boxes"!?!  Having oil companies give "10 percent of the value of their contracts to social welfare projects"!?!  What projects? Whose projects, some cousin of an oil company's president?  Have the people in Venezuela lost their "collective" (pun intended) minds.  Who's advising Chavez, some CIA analyst?

Those guys in Venezuela are going down the wrong road and they're ALL going to lose ALLOT of money. - mpg
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"Perhaps after witnessing how the U.S. discards those who at one time or another have ‘cooperated’ with us; Bashar Assad with our ‘renditions’ program, Saddam Hussein playing our patsy in his invasion of Kuwait and as our proxy in his war with Iran, Manual Noriega with the Contra drugs program, Masharraf concluded he’d be better off on his own?  Possessing exquisite political instincts perhaps he’s concluded Bush & Co are on their way out?"