Sunday August 26th 2007


To invoke Vietnam was a blunder too far for Bush - posted at Watching America
Must Read -A quote...."The Presidents's crass comparison between Iraq and war in south east Asia was the most ludicrous misreading of history"   --  "How do I dislike President George Bush? Let me count the ways. Most of them have to do with his contented assumption that 'faith' is, in and of itself, a virtue. This self-satisfied mentality helps explain almost everything, from the smug expression on his face to the way in which, as governor of Texas, he signed all those death warrants without losing a second's composure."

Come back Karl Rove, all is forgiven
A quote...."Without Bush's Brain in the White House, the wheels are starting to fall off. Just look at the president's last speech."  --  "There can have been few speeches more laughable than George Bush's latest. Referring to books he has surely never read, laden with specious historical parallels guaranteed to turn round and bite him in the bum, it is one long "speechwriter wanted at the White House" ad. - But bad speechwriting notwithstanding, didn't the president remember that Karl Rove's parting words were almost certainly "Don't mention Vietnam"? The parallels are obvious: a prolonged war started on false pretences in which untold thousands on both sides die and the US is eventually driven out anyway."
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Afghan forces strike Taliban inside Pakistan
A quote...."KABUL (AFP) - US-led and Afghan troops struck Taliban posts inside Pakistan, which denied giving permission, as new clashes left more than 30 rebels dead and there were claims Sunday of civilian casualties.  -  The US-led coalition said it received the go-ahead from Pakistan to strike across the border on Saturday, but this was rejected by the chief military spokesman in Islamabad." - bold/italics by website author

Well there we go....the US is now (unofficially) at war with Pakistan.  Golly gee! Bush must be so proud of himself. - mpg

For more on this see - Sudan (and everybody else) is a secret partner of U.S & U.S. launches artillery into Pakistan
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Casualties begin to unravel Afghan force
A quote...."WASHINGTON: The US is worried about weakening Italian and German military commitments in Afghanistan as casualties mount in the International Security and Assistance Force, including the "friendly fire" incident on Friday that killed three British soldiers. - Debate is raging in Italy and Germany, and to a lesser extent in The Netherlands and Denmark, on whether they should remain in the ISAF, which is already grappling with a shortage of troops in the face of one of the most intense military engagements in decades."

Troops withdraw from Basra base
A quote...."British forces have withdrawn from a base in Basra they shared with Iraqi police - the first step in a plan to move out all troops based in the city."

Iraq: British retreat descends into chaos as Shia militia occupy police centre
A quote...." Shia militia loyal to the firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have scuppered an attempt by British forces to hand over the Basra joint police command centre to Iraqi police. - Iraqi police reportedly left when the Shia fighters arrived and began emptying the facility. According to witnesses, they made off with generators, computers, furniture and even cars, saying it was war booty - and were still in the centre yesterday evening."

US fears of British pullout from Basra raise transatlantic tensions to new pitch
A quote..."Military circles in Washington and London are engaged in mutual recriminations over the proposed drawdown of Britain’s troop presence in Basra, with US top brass speaking of the UK’s “Saigon moment” and full withdrawal. The British Army has made clear its anger at such open criticism and the media has responded by accusing the US of scapegoating Britain for the inability of America’s own forces to defeat the Iraq insurgency."

Regarding the two articles shown above. -  Isn't it just terrible when you and another bunch of thugged gang bangers get all down together and try to bust-up a country that ain't yours, to take their oil, rake off some of that fine phat booty and bling, establish squatters rights and set you up a bunch of cribs.  So your home boys were chilling, planning to stay in da'hood a while and you'alls thinking it's gonna be'da bomb, but when things go all fugly on'ya all and all yoz'crews, and the whole shabang goes south, it all just gets down right nasty.  All'yo crews starts on dissing each other, getting all up in each other's grills.  Whats up wi'dat?

It's true what they say than....there really is no honor among thieves.- mpg
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Tensions rise after three British soldiers killed in US airstrike
A quote...."Three British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan in a "friendly fire" attack by American aircraft while involved in a clash with Taliban fighters."

No doubt it's all just another "accident", exactly like all those al Jazeera reporters who got bombed, missiled, shot, etc. etc. by US forces. - mpg
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Now that you're in the mood for it....here's some George Carlin -- *Warning*, lots if vulger language
George Carlin - The American Dream - (YouTube - 4 min 20 sec Added:  July 27, 2007)
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British Army facing worsening situation in Afghanistan
A quote...."A July 17 piece in the Telegraph reported that the rate at which British soldiers are being seriously injured or killed on the front line in Afghanistan is projected to exceed that suffered by British troops during World War II. But there are concerns that the official figures given by the Ministry of Defence do not accurately reflect the true injury rate in the way US figures do."

Awareness Is Two Steps Ahead, Paranoia Is Two Steps Behind
A quote...."When it comes to the suppression of dissent and the subversion of the U.S. Constitution, ignorance is not bliss.  - that’s why people who believe in the importance of the First Amendment and the democratic practice of dissent should take notice of the recent revelation that the Bush administration has been orchestrating a concerted, dissent-squelching operation using a playbook called the “Presidential Advance Manual.

Call for powers to end 'legal kidnapping' -  posted at Watching America
A quote...."WESTMINSTER should give the Scottish Parliament a say over rendition flights into Scottish airports carrying prisoners and interrogators, a leading human rights lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, said yesterday. - Speaking at the Edinburgh Book Festival before giving evidence to Kenny McAskill, the justice secretary, Mr Stafford-Smith said rendition was merely a euphemism for kidnapping."

For more on this see....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure.
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Bush's New Rules Allow The CIA To Violate Geneva Conventions
A quote...."WASHINGTON -- Top military lawyers have told senators that President Bush's new rules for CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists could allow abuses that violate the Geneva Conventions, according to Senate and military officials."

Like they care?!?  For more on Shrub's attitude about "quaint" treaties and laws like the Geneva Conventions and the United States Constitution, see.... Thirty Five Acts to Restore Americans' Rights 11-10-06 - mpg
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Bin Laden wanted US to invade Iraq, author says - posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."As coalition troops continue to die on Iraqi soil and the US Government's military spending on the war bleeds into billions of dollars, a new book says that not only could this have been avoided, but it was all predictable, as long as you had read the Al Qaeda manual."

It's sort of funny how the PNAC'ers (the people completely in charge of US security forces prior to 9/11) and Osama bin Laden BOTH wanted the US to be in Iraq.  It must be another one of those "fortuitous" circumstances. - mpg
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Iraqi PM hits back at US, French critics
A quote...."Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Sunday blasted US politicians who have called for him to be replaced and demanded that France apologise for allegedly also seeking to turf him out of office. - Maliki's outburst came after two US senators, Carl Levin and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, urged Iraqi lawmakers to choose someone else to lead Iraq's ruling coalition and seek faster national reconciliation."

ANTI-WAR RALLY: 'Ready for a change' - posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."KENNEBUNKPORT — A high-spirited but peaceful crowd of about 4,000 protesters marched through the streets of Kennebunkport on Saturday in the largest anti-war rally in town history. -  "I don't know what else to do but march," said Anne Chay, who was carrying a sign that read, "My son is still in Iraq." She walked with a Military Families Speak Out contingent."

Troops Cheer Call For Iraq Withdrawl
A quote...."Governor's Call For U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq Greeted With Standing Ovation At National Guard Conference"   --  "(AP) A call by Puerto Rico's governor for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq earned a standing ovation from a conference of more than 4,000 National Guardsmen." - bold/italics by website author

Top Republican urges Iraq pullout
A quote...."An influential Republican senator has called for the withdrawal of some 5,000 US troops from Iraq by the year's end. - Senator John Warner, former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the US needed to show that its commitment to Iraq was not open-ended."

GIs' morale dips as Iraq war drags on
A quote...."As military and political leaders prepare to deliver a progress report on the conflict to Congress next month, many soldiers are increasingly disdainful of the happy talk that they say commanders on the ground and White House officials are using in their discussions about the war. - And they're becoming vocal about their frustration over longer deployments and a taxing mission that keeps many living in dangerous and uncomfortably austere conditions. Some say two wars are being fought here: the one the enlisted men see, and the one that senior officers and politicians want the world to see."

Searing Documentary on War Complicity Indicts not Just US Politicos, but Major Media, too
A quote...."It might not be the most Hollywood-slick, user-friendly title, but it couldn’t be any more direct in conveying the movie’s message. The title? War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.Although Sean Penn narrates this documentary, his is not the central voice. Rather, it’s that of Norman Solomon, the outspoken U.S. journalist/author, on whose book of the same title the film is based."  --  for more on this see videos shown below - previously posted 07-19-07  -  mpg

War Made Easy - TRAILER - (YouTube - 2 min 30 sec -   June 11, 2007)
A quote...."War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn, the film exhumes remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war line of one administration after another."

War made Easy - (YouTube - 8 min to 10 min avg. length - added May 31, 2007)
Part 1  - Part 2  -  Part 3  - Part 4  -  Part 5  
Must View - A quote....."From Democracy Now! exerpts of the documentary War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Are Spinning Us to Death. The movie can be purchased at WarMadeEasyTheMovie.org. From the show: "Today, we are going to spend the hour looking at how presidents from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush sold wars to the American public."
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Financial bankruptcy, the US dollar and the real economy
Must Read - A quote...."Like all Ponzi schemes, such pyramidings of debts with no liquid assets behind them are bound to implode sooner or later. And that is what we are witnessing today, i.e. the implosion of unfunded credit derivatives-based Ponzi schemes. In 1998-2000, we got an idea of what could happen when portfolios are highly leveraged and laden with derivative financial products with the collapse of one large hedge fund, Long-Term Capital Management.

In other words for those who think this housing bubble is like all the others, it's not....simply because it doesn’t really involve houses, it involves "securities".  What the Fed did over the last seven years, with the full connivance of this nation’s banks and brokerage firms is turn what used to be physical assets into some bastardized form of derivatives unconnected to the underlying assets. – mpg
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Drop Foreseen in Median Price of U.S. Homes
Related article - A quote...."The median price of American homes is expected to fall this year for the first time since federal housing agencies began keeping statistics in 1950."

Curb the greedy global financiers
A quote...."While obeisant governments bail out dodgy plutocrats, it's ordinary people who foot the bill"  -  "One of the most inequitable and amoral acts in modern times is happening in front of our eyes and in Britain there is hardly a murmur of protest. The multi-billion dollar bail-out of global finance after one of the most reckless periods of lending and deal-making since the late 1920s is extraordinarily one-sided. - Little people's taxes are underwriting the mistakes of big people, who in the process have made riches beyond the dreams of avarice. Globalisation, it is now clear, is run in the interests of a global financial class which has Western governments in its thrall. This class does not give a fig for the interests of savers, clients or wider workforces."

Chavez offers billions in Latin America
A quote...."Laid-off Brazilian factory workers have their jobs back, Nicaraguan farmers are getting low-interest loans and Bolivian mayors can afford new health clinics, all thanks to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez." 

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Saturday August 25th 2007

Two Methods Which Lead to the Same End
08-25-07
mpg

Chavez, Latin cultural unity & the amassing proletariat - posted by PG
A quote...." 08/20/07 "ICH" -- -- To this day, rhetorical deployments of the Marxist agenda send shivers down the backs of the Western citizen. Somehow, extending the duration of the Cold War ending in 1991, the Red Scare continues to loom over the head of Western ideals. Of course, environmental dissipation, nuclear war, and terrorist activities have diminished the priority status of the Marxist threat. Yet Marxism is still regarded as the ultimate “anti-freedom,” positing it in direct opposition to the capitalist agenda. For many, the end of the Cold War proved that Marxism was both unreliable and illegitimate in the context of the times. However, the “era of globalization” that defines post Cold War society forces us to look at Marxism in a whole new light: one unified global civil society."

Editor’s note - Yes, yes, yes....everything Marx said about "Capitalism" is true; however, almost everything he said about its "solution" was false. -- Capitalism in it's naked form is utterly amoral, predatory, vicious and in the end if "allowed" to go through it's naturally inevitable and increasingly ferocious boom and bust cycle, will leave one tiny all powerful fascist elite owning everything....and everyone.

The truest form of Capitalism, "laissez-faire" Capitalism, always destroys "free markets" wherever and whenever it gets a firm hold on a society.  It destroys unions and smaller competitors and all who stand in its way with whatever legal or illegal means it can bring to bare. It rigs the system, it controls the game, it bribes the referee and cheats to gain as much unfair advantage as it possibly can.

As a self-reinforcing, self-rewarding mechanism it will eventually write its own rules and laws overriding all others for the benefit of the few elites and corporations concentrated at the top of society’s social-economic heap, and the elites so blessed will NEVER give up the power or the wealth they bribed, bought or stole their way into.  For most of the people trapped in the system's web it always becomes the slot machine that never pays off, the company store where you always go deeper into debt.

It strips everyone and everything of any morality, decency, or conscience and brings a society down to its lowest common denominator..."how much is it, or how much are you, worth to me" becomes the sole mantra of existence.  It starts wars...ALWAYS, every single time, without any exception, absolutely guaranteed, and in the case of the United States, it has done so with remarkable regularity almost every ten years.  It reduces people to flesh and bones and nothing else, when all is said and done, everyone, absolutely everyone, becomes a commodity; a worker unit, a killer unit, a sex unit, an organ donation unit. Capitalism recognizes only money as its God and man as being fundamentally evil...and as a system it celebrates both of these beliefs.

Capitalism promotes and glorifies sociopaths and psychopaths.  As Marx observed, capitalism...in a relentless economically unavoidable process caused by the boom and bust cycle of the economy, a cycle always exacerbated by the unchecked greed and corruption practiced by its own elites, will inevitably merge with, and become one with, the Leviathan state in a remarkable synthesis known as fascism.  It will do this while rapidly becoming totally unrestrained by any moral prohibitions, covenants, or the very laws upon which the society had originally been founded upon.  It will become the Beast.

In its last throes, at the very bitterest of bitter ends...it will eat itself and all those it traps within its system ...ALIVE.

"Communism" however is not a viable alternative solution, free markets really do work better than "command economies".(and please.... let no one delude themselves that a) the United States has a "free" market, or b) that Capitalism has anything to do with how a "free" market really operates)

Although national power, transportation (roads, dams, canals and railroads only),  risk systems (health and pension insurance only), and national resources (water, oil, gas....and possibly mining) lend themselves naturally to national control because they benefit all and need to be distributed amongst all, are in some cases not market driven (who wants to get sick?), whose costs and demand projections are long term and can be easily calculated, and in the end are the natural resources and heritage that belong to the people of the country. (it really is the Iraqis oil after all, not ours), it is still essential to realize that free markets in all other cases are a better determinate of supply and demand through price action.

Communism as expressed by some of its adherents is a system whose premise (which is wrong) argues that man is a "blank slate", that man can be socialized and molded to "fit" society’s “norms”, that naturally occurring drives, ambitions, the seven deadly sins, what have you, are not "inherent" in man's nature and are simply caused by the actions of an "unjust" society.  As such it will eventually recognize no higher authority than that of the Leviathan state and in the end, exactly as occurs with Capitalism, unrestrained by any moral prohibitions, covenants or laws, but unlike Capitalism, worshiping the state as its God, and racked by a sclerotic, bureaucratic economic command and control system, Communism inevitably disintegrates into a political and economic ruin.

Unchecked, unrestrained, Capitalism-Fascism eventually burns itself out, taking tens of millions of people with it.

Unchecked, unrestrained, Communism-Totalitarianism eventually wears itself out, taking tens of millions of people with it.

Both systems are fundamentally, unalterably, evil. - mpg
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Impending Economic Crisis: The Myth that Markets Get It Right and Operate Efficiently
Must Read - Related article - A quote...."In them, he [Minsky] constructed a "financial instability hypothesis" building on the work of Keynes' "General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money." He provided a framework for distinguishing between stabilizing and destabilizing free market debt structures he summarized as follows:

"Three distinct income-debt relations for economic units....labeled as hedge, speculative and Ponzi finance, can be identified."

-- "Hedge financing units are those which can fulfill all of their contractual payment obligations by their cash flows: the greater the weight of equity financing in the liability structure, the greater the likelihood that the unit is a hedge financing unit."

-- "Speculative finance units are units that can meet their payment commitments on 'income account' on their liabilities, even as they cannot repay the principle out of income cash flows. Such units need to 'roll over' their liabilities - issue new debt to meet commitments on maturing debt."

-- "For Ponzi units, the cash flows from operations are (insufficient)....either (to repay)....principle or interest on outstanding debts by their cash flows from operations. Such units can sell assets or borrow. Borrowing to pay interest....lowers the equity of a unit, even as it increases liabilities and the prior commitment of future incomes."
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More War on the Horizon
A quote...." Lies, unprovoked aggression, and delusional expectations--the same ingredients that produced the Iraq catastrophe--all over again. The entire Bush regime and both political parties are complicit, along with the media and US allies"

Allawi Pays $300k for Anti-Maliki US Campaign
A quote...."Documents obtained by IraqSlogger show Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki's chief Iraqi opponent, Ayad Allawi, is paying Washington lobbyists with close ties to the White House $300,000 to help with Allawi's efforts in the U.S. to promote himself and undermine Maliki.  -  The powerhouse Republican firm retained by Allawi is Barbour, Griffith, & Rogers (BGR), and its BGR International unit is headed by President's Bush's one-time White House point man on Iraq, Robert Blackwill, who will lead the lobbying efforts on Allawi's behalf."

Iraq's would-be champion
A quote..."The US has floundered its way through a prodigal list of favourites in its futile attempts to run Iraq, from Ahmad Chalabi, the silky weaver of neo-con dreams, to Nouri al-Maliki, a prime minister immobile in a web of sectarian nightmares. Moqtada al-Sadr, it is fair to say, was definitely not one of them. But is he the spider at the centre of the web as painted, in lurid but broad-brush strokes, by the Anglo-American occupation? Or is he the emerging pan-Iraqi champion, and Arab icon of resistance, painted surreally by his admirers?"

Editor's note : This is Middle Eastern politics we're talking about here, unlike American politics which is so completely and pathetically predictable (extend the American Empire and worship all those with money and power), Middle Eastern politics, especially Iraqi politics are a confusing blend of sectarianism, nationalism, tribalism, religion, family, interfering neighbors, and a plethora of gangs, guerrilla groups, death squads and other factions almost all of whom are being supported by the malevolent, murderous, utterly insane superpower currently occupying that country.

To put it bluntly, although Machiavelli would find himself completely at home in America, he'd be a naive waif who wouldn't last five minutes in the seething caldron that has now become Iraq.  If Moqtada al-Sadr can help stop the bloodshed in Iraq, peaceably bring it's fractious factions together, devise a plan to equitably share that nation's oil wealth, and help America and its murderous carpet baggers leave as expeditiously as possible....all well and good.

But alliances and intentions in that part of the world can change daily, and very few individuals, even if they have them to begin with, can maintain their peaceable goals and good intentions in the violent evil maelstrom currently whirling across that poor nation.

It took the United States and its wealthy elites twenty long arduous years to destroy and tear apart Iraq, it will be a long time before it can be put back together again. – mpg

For more on this see....The Method - 05-07-07 - mpg
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Taliban Push Poppy Production to a Record Again  - posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 25 — Afghanistan produced record levels of opium in 2007 for the second straight year, led by a staggering 45 percent increase in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand Province, according to a new United Nations survey to be released Monday."

Exporting Instability
A quote...."Under the guise of promoting a "security dialogue" in the Persian Gulf, the Bush Administration has proposed $63 billion in arms transfers to the Middle East over the next ten years. As is so often the case, team Bush seems to prefer to let the weapons do the talking, even when it claims to be engaging in diplomacy."

Montebello SPP Summit: Canada's Sovereignty in Jeopardy: the Militarization of North America - posted by PG
A quote...."Canadian jurisdiction over its Northern territories was redefined, following an April 2002 military agreement between Ottawa and Washington. This agreement allows for the deployment of US troops anywhere in Canada, as well as the stationing of US warships in Canada's territorial waters. "

The Empire And The Independent Island - posted by PG
A quote...."  08/20/07 "CNA"- - -The history of Cuba during the last 140 years is one of struggle to preserve national identity and independence, and the history of the evolution of the American empire, its constant craving to appropriate Cuba and of the horrendous methods that it uses today to hold on to world domination."

Recruiting For Iraq War Undercut in Puerto Rico - posted by PG
A quote...."SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The political activists, brown envelopes tucked under their arms, staked out the high school gates just after sunrise. When students emerged from the graffiti-scorched streets of the Rio Piedra neighborhood here and began streaming toward their school, the pro-independence advocates ripped open the envelopes and began handing the teens fliers emblazoned with the slogan: "Our youth should not go to war."

Steep Price Paid by Those Who Blew Whistle on Iraq Fraud
Must Read - Some quotes...."One after another, the men and women who have stepped forward to report corruption in the massive effort to rebuild Iraq have been vilified, fired and demoted.  -  Or worse.  -  For daring to report illegal arms sales, Navy veteran Donald Vance says he was imprisoned by the American military in a security compound outside Baghdad and subjected to harsh interrogation methods."  -  "“If you do it, [blow the whistle] you will be destroyed,” said William Weaver, professor of political science at the University of Texas-El Paso and senior advisor to the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition. - “Reconstruction is so rife with corruption. Sometimes people ask me, ‘Should I do this?’ And my answer is no. If they’re married, they’ll lose their family. They will lose their jobs. They will lose everything,” Weaver said."

This is what "your" government does.  No good deed goes unpunished, no bad deed goes unrewarded, by our illustrious elites....and all those who service them. - mpg
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Huge payout for men framed by FBI - posted by PG
A quote...."A federal judge in Boston has ordered the US government to pay out more than $100m (£50m) in the case of four wrongly convicted men." - "They and their now deceased friends Louis Greco and Henry Tameleo were accused and convicted of killing Deegan in a small alley during a robbery in Boston. - Mr Limone and Mr Salvati were then exonerated in 2001, after FBI memos dating back to the murder surfaced showing the men had been framed. - bold/italics by website author

This is EXACTLY how "your government" works.  Never ever forget that, never ever forget that this is the SAME FBI that knew about the "terrorists" training  at various flight schools throughout this country prior to 9/11, the same FBI who backed off of the Saudi Royals and bin Laden families (our nation's "friends") when told to do so by unknown higher officials,  flew these very same families out of the country days after 9/11 at the request of bin Laden himself and these higher officials, an incident which only came to light because Judicial Watch diligently took these guys to court, sued them for four years, and finally got the memos detailing their deeds.

Guess they forgot to use a shredder, or perhaps they didn't have something on the judge who presided over the case.

Guess they'll shop around next time.

Just think of how many other innocents are rotting away in this nation's jails because they were easy targets of our "law" enforcement authorities, while the filthy rich with their connections and wealth continue to literally get away with murder.  Think about how one day you might be our authorities next patsy...or the next victim of one of this nation's "friends".

Perhaps we should be proud of our nation though, after all this country truly does have the best judicial system and "law" enforcement that money and connections can buy.  – mpg
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Amerika, 2007
A quote...."Jonas Phillips is the third resident of Asheville, North Carolina to be arrested in recent weeks for displaying a pro-impeachment sign."

U.S. farmers use inmates to harvest fields
A quote...."PICACHO, Ariz., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Western U.S. farmers are increasingly using inmates to harvest their fields as states crack down on hiring undocumented workers.  -  Colorado started sending female inmates to harvest onions, corn and melons this summer, and Iowa is considering a similar program, The Christian Science Monitor reported."

This country is beggining to look more like the Roman Empire every day. - mpg
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He Got Out While the Getting Was Good - posted by PG
A quote...."Back in those heady days of late summer 2002, Andrew Card, then the president’s chief of staff, told The New York Times why the much-anticipated push for war in Iraq hadn’t yet arrived.”You don’t introduce new products in August,” he said, sounding like the mouthpiece for the Big Three automakers he once was. Sure enough, with an efficiency Detroit can only envy, the manufactured aluminum tubes and mushroom clouds rolled off the White House assembly line after Labor Day like clockwork."

Gobbel's Principles of Propaganda - posted by PG
Some timely tips from the man Karl Rove admired so much and modeled himself after. - mpg
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Posted to - Sage Observations - PG's quotes

"They tell us that we live in a great free republic; that our institutions are democratic; that we are a free and self-governing people. That is too much, even for a joke. ... Wars throughout history have been waged for conquest and plunder... And that is war in a nutshell. The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles."
 -- *Eugene Victor Debs*

"The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own"
  -- *Aldous Huxley* - English novelist and critic, 1894-1963
 
"Few of us can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. The thought that The State has lost its mind and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable. And so the evidence has to be internally denied."
 -- *Arthur Miller* playwright

"In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
 -- *Thomas Jefferson* - (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President

"In the end more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security. When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the freedom they wished for was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free."
 -- *Edward Gibbon* - (1737-1794) Source: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1909

"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no Constitution, no court, can even do much to help it."
 -- *Judge Learned Hand* (1872-1961), Judge, U. S. Court of Appeals

For the most recent quotes 08-25-07, goto....Sage Observations - PG's quotes - 08-25-07
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Brace yourself for the insolvency crunch
A quote...."Be very careful. Interest rates in Europe and Asia are that much higher now, with delayed effects starting to bite hard. Japan’s economy has stalled to 0.1pc growth in Q2; the euro-zone has slowed to 0.3pc; and China’s refusal to import (by currency manipulation) makes it a drain on world demand. Above all, the credit bubble that perpetuated the rally of the last eighteen months beyond its natural life has definitively burst."

What Credit Crunch? - posted at BuzzFlash
A quote...."On AOL.com this week, the Internet-based loan company LendingTree offered "Bad credit options" and a $425,000 loan for only $1,376 a month. And Countrywide Financial, the nation's largest mortgage lender, declared, "Bad Credit? Call Today. Refinance or Tap into Your Home's Equity" in an online ad from its Full Spectrum Lending Division."

Friday August 24th 2007

Why Has Congress Failed Americans?
Must Read - A quote...."The 2006 congressional elections show that switching power between the two major political parties is an act of utter futility.  We have a bipartisan failure of Congress to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities and serve the public.  In the end, Democrats may have a different style, but like Republicans are also corrupt, arrogant, and incompetent.  Things have gotten so bad institutionally and culturally that we cannot vote our way out of a dysfunctional and destructive Congress as long as the two-party duopoly maintains its grip on our political system."

Raw Story: CIA said to step up operations in Iran as hawks seek to tie Iraq bombs to Tehran
A quote....""In an effort to build congressional and Pentagon support for military options against Iran, the Bush administration has shifted from its earlier strategy of building a case based on an alleged Iranian nuclear weapons program to one invoking improvised explosive devices (IEDs) purportedly manufactured in Iran that are killing US soldiers in Iraq."

For more on this see....Fake Intel - I.E.D'S & E.F.P'S
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From the Feed 'Em Sh!@ and Keep 'Em In the Dark Department: Pentagon Setting Up Iraq Propaganda Operation
A quote...."Shaping the Bush administration's message on the Iraq war has taken on new fervor, just as anticipation is building for the September progress report from top military advisers."

For more on this see....Fake Intel
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Official Air Force document outlines military assistance to insurgencies
A quote...."In the types of asymmetrical conflicts outlined in the Air Force Doctrine Document 2-3, US government organizations may need to "recruit, organize, train, and advise indigenous guerrilla or partisan forces." Counterinsurgency is not the military's only objective. - bold/italics by website author

One of these "indigenous guerrilla or partisan forces" "US government organizations" supported for almost twenty years, and for which they are still encouraging indirect support,  happens to be that promoter of Middle East "freedom and democracy" known to many of you as....al Qaeda - mpg
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Canadian Police Caught [Red Handed] Attempting To Stage Riots
Related article - Must Read - A quote...."Quebec provincial authorities have admitted that three rock-wielding mask-wearing "anarchists" were in fact police infiltrators used to gather information on protesters at this week's SPP summit, but authorities are still ludicrously denying the fact that the provocateurs were intent on causing a riot in order to justify a heavy-handed response."   --  See also the first article on this issue....shown below  - mpg

SPP Agent Provocateur Cops Caught Red Handed Attempting To Incite Violence
A quote...."Peaceful protestors at the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit in Montebello have captured sensational video of hired agent provocateurs attempting to incite rioting and turn the protest violent, only to encounter brave resistance from real protest leaders."  --  video link below - posted 08-22-07

Stop SPP Protest - Union Leader stops provocateurs - (YouTube - 5 min 23 sec - Added:  August 20, 2007)  -  A quote...."Peaceful protesters stop police provocateurs from starting a riot at the Stop the SPP protests in Montebello Quebec. CEP President Dave Coles confronts men with rocks and sticks." - posted 08-22-07
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The Glasgow Airport Attack, June 30th: Key problems with the Official Conspiracy Theory
A quote...."Necessity for genuine investigation, scepticism: No one doubts that under conditions of political provocation or war on Muslim lands, some Muslims are capable of misunderstanding their religion to the point where they plan to kill innocent civilians.  -  However the number of such plots and attacks is very much in doubt, as we should also be aware of the possibility of False-flag Terrorism. Therefore we should be able to approach every event with an open mind and not be bounced into the conclusions which the mainstream media are presenting, often just repeating to the public things they have been fed by MI5/MI6 etc."

More Enemies = Greater Profits
A quote...."What is the psychology of an administration that creates more enemies? Everybody marvels at how we've somehow created more terrorists out of the Iraqupation yet nobody realizes that may be the truest sign of success for BushCo. Wait, you say- I thought we were supposed to make the US safer and reduce the number of terrorists? Yet we now have a rising number of enemies and are currently firing more than 1 BILLION bullets a year at them. This is actually creating a shortage of ammunition for our own police departments at home. As with any situation, if you follow the money, you get the answers, and the answer is this: the Defense and Munitions industries are making a killing (pun intended) on this war."

Number of Iraqis Held by U.S. Is Swelling
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 — The number of detainees held by the American-led military coalition in Iraq has swelled by 50 percent under the troop increase ordered by President Bush, with the inmate population growing from 16,000 in February to 24,500 today, according to American military officers in Iraq."

i.e. "More Enemies = Greater Profits" - mpg
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Bipartisan Paradise: Liberals, Bush Unite in Ethnic Cleansing of Iraq
A quote...."It is now obvious that one impetus behind the "surge" was to accelerate the "ethnic cleansing" of Iraq. Given the manifest failure to establish a strong central government to serve as a client state, the conquerors now find it easier to deal with separate ethnic enclaves, which can police themselves, shake out their own internal conflicts (however bloodily) and thus establish some kind of solid leadership that can cut deals and guarantee investments. Most of the measures taken during the "surge" seem aimed precisely at ethnic cleansing: the increased support of the Iraqi government security forces -- which are largely Shiite militias -- has been matched with what some see as the lunatic policy of arming Sunni militias.

Bush, Vietnam, and the Bloodbath: Good for Business
A quote...."It is, sadly, wholly predictable the wind-up cathy-chatty doll, albeit broken and dysfunctional, George Bush, is able to repeat debunked lies and few take him to task."

What the Rise of Democratic Movements in Latin America Means for the Rest of the World
A quote...."As the people of Latin America build democracies from the bottom up, the symbols of power are changing. What used to be emblems of poverty and oppression - indigenous clothing and speech, the labels "campesino" and "landless worker" - are increasingly the symbols of new power. As people-powered movements drive the region toward social justice and equality, these symbols speak, not of elite authority limited to a few, but of power broadly shared."

Belarus asks Russia for S-400 SAM systems by 2010 - source
A quote...."MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Belarus wants Russia to supply them with the advanced S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) air defense system in 2010, a source in Russian military-industrial circles said Friday."

Health Care Investor Bought 33.4% of Lions Gate Shares 1 Week before the Release of Michael Moore's SICKO
Some quotes...." Mark H. Rachesky, M.D. purchased 33.4% (over 40 Million) shares of Lions Gate stock one week prior to the scheduled opening of Michael Moore's controversial film "Sicko" which happens to be distributed by Lions Gate and the Weinstein Co." -  "Lion’s Gate had planned a wide release of SICKO in over 1,600 theaters nationwide June 29, 2007 but one week prior to the release the number was reduced to a mere 400. This decision was made the same week Dr. Rachesky purchased Lions Gate stock. Could this be pure coincidence?"

Just remember you need to ALWAYS follow the money if you really want to know how things work in this country and why things happen the way they do.  Anybody who tells you it "ain't about the money" is either a fool, a liar, or most likely they're trying to get their hands on your money. - mpg
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Fed bends rules to help two big banks
A quote...."NEW YORK (Fortune) -- In a clear sign that the credit crunch is still affecting the nation's largest financial institutions, the Federal Reserve agreed this week to bend key banking regulations to help out Citigroup (Charts, Fortune 500) and Bank of America (Charts, Fortune 500), according to documents posted Friday on the Fed's web site."

Central bank impotence and market liquidity
A quote...."After months of adamant official denial of any potential threat of the subprime mortgage meltdown spreading to the global financial system, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) on Friday, August 17, a mere 10 days after declaring market fundamentals as strong and inflation as its main concern, took radical steps to try to halt financial market contagion worldwide that had become undeniable. The Wall Street Journal reports that the emergency measures were hastily taken to promote what the Fed publicly referred to as “the restoration of orderly conditions in financial markets.”  The telling words were “restoration of orderly conditions” in a market that had failed to function orderly. The Fed let the market know that it has shifted to panic mode."

See also....Why the US sub-prime mortgage bust will spread to the global finance system [posted 03-16-07]
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Wall Street ponders whether storm has passed
A quote...."Wall Street found its footing over the past week after the market's drubbing earlier this month, as investors pondered whether the storm over housing and a related credit squeeze was over."

Scientists puzzle over enormous void -- [i.e. the US Treasury ??? - mpg]
A quote...."Astronomers are scratching their heads over a puzzling non-discovery, an enormous hole in the universe measuring nearly a billion light-years across.  -  There really is nothing to the void, which is empty of both normal matter such as stars, galaxies, and gas, and the mysterious, unseen "dark matter" that astronomers detect by its gravitational pull"

Thursday August 23rd 2007


Notes from the Underground - The 2004 Election Still Matters
Must Read - A quote...."Earlier in the day, there were leaked reports revealing the results of the networks’ own exit polls conducted by a distinguished polling firm. The reports had the White House in a panic. Bush was sure to lose given the trends. According to the exits, he was losing his base, the rural segment of the population that had carried him to victory in 2000. Turnout in the Republican suburbs was not much greater than in the country as a whole, and new voters were going for Kerry 60% to 40%.  -  The final leaked poll was enough to bring broad smiles to the faces of Democratic leaders and committed campaign workers who had gathered in union halls and hotel ballrooms across the nation.  -  Then, as if by magic, the 11 pm Election Day vote tallies told a different story. These were accepted by the network reporters as an ex cathedra dictate from the American electorate. We were told that the pious Red prevailed once again over the decadent Blue, a replay of 2000 we were told. Bush was reelected."

Most probably, George Bush was never actually legally elected in 2000 or 2004 – the facts regarding this are incontrovertible and undeniable.

So let’s make this perfectly clear to everyone what this means according to the LAW.

If George Bush wasn't legally elected during this nation's last two elections, if they were total shams, completely fraudulent and utterly rigged, if he obtained his office by what essentially amounts to a coup by this nation's MIOC elites - it must be considered that he is not now, nor has he ever been, President of the United States.  Therefore all orders, laws, decrees, directives, signing statements, dictats along with any and all legislation on which he penned his signature, or which were authored or authorized under his authority, are for all intents and purposes null and void....including almost every act enumerated in the Thirty Five Acts to Restore Americans' Rights.

If he was not legally elected, if he obtained his office by having his wealthy patrons falsify the vote on a mass scale, he does not now have, nor did he ever have, any legal authority to command or give orders to any member of the US Government, most importantly the orders he has already given are not legally binding upon those currently working for the executive branch of this government.

Similarly, none of these executive branch employees, specifically those in the military, CIA or Homeland Security, have any legal authority to command obedience, order compliance, or request cooperation from the civilian population of the United States regarding ANY and ALL laws, decrees or orders signed by, or issued by, George W. Bush.

Now or in the future.

That’s a fact. - mpg

For more on this see....Become a Roman - or Remain an American - 08-11-07 - mpg
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Human History equals Our Future
Must Read - A quote...."August 22, 2007 -- With all the “conspiracy” theories regarding the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill, that symbol is actually the perfect mascot for history’s aristocracy and elites.  The pyramid’s apex, divided from the base and hovering above it, with the all-seeing eye as its emblem - all knowing via databases and panoptical technologies - the “apex” believe they should rule over all life.  They perceive themselves as so superior to 99% of mankind that their needs, desires, and whims come above and beyond all living things on Earth."

Chatter about an "incident" on West Coast at all time high
War Warning - False Flag Alert - A quote...."Chatter picked up by WMR's sources in the nation's capital and in California point to unusual events that could be a prelude to a 9/11-like false flag "incident" during the Labor Day weekend, possibly one focused on the San Francisco Bay Area."

Home Front 'Surge'
War Warning - False Flag Alert - A quote...."In a disgusting display of mendacity not seen since the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, a pro-war advertising campaign spearheaded by former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer is buying $15 million worth of 30-second television spots that repeat the lies linking 9/11 to Iraq – and explicitly threatening another terrorist attack in the US if we "surrender." It's the first storm in a season of fear.

Special Note - Red War Warning - False Flag Alert - A quote...."In an irony of history, traders in the Chicago futures pits have been complaining to CNBC about the abolition, only a few weeks ago, of the 1934 New Deal era rule which had required short sellers to wait for an uptick in the stock they were targeting before they could complete their trade. The rule change had produced disruptions and uncertainty, the trader complained on CNBC. The New Deal rule, one of the final vestiges of the regulations introduced after the Great Crash of 1929, was one of the last factors saving today’s finance oligarchs from themselves. Once the uptick rule was gone, the death agony of the current system entered a new phase." - links added by website author. -  quote from Fed attempts to bail out [Wall Street] - part 2 - posted - 08-15-07

Washington continues propaganda barrage against Iran
War Warning - A quote...."As it prepares for a diplomatic offensive against Iran at the UN next month, the Bush administration is maintaining a steady barrage of threats and propaganda—in particular, over so-called Iranian “interference” in US-occupied Iraq and Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons programs."

Pro War Ads Falsely Link 9/11 To Iraq
War Warning - False Flag Alert - A quote...."A newly formed non-profit organisation made up of former Bush administration officials is to spend $15 million to run pro-war television and radio ads in more than 20 states which falsely link the 9/11 attacks to the war in Iraq in an effort to strong arm Congress into withdrawing support for a de-escalation."

The Carnage in Iraq – Past, Present, and Future
Must Read - A quote...."The headline of an August 22, 2007, article in the New York Times reads, "Citing Vietnam, Bush Warns of Carnage if U.S. Leaves Iraq." Readers with live brain cells must be stunned by such a warning. What, exactly, does President Bush imagine is happening every day in Iraq now? Does he envision scenes of social tranquility and cooperative harmony amid the peaceful palms of Mesopotamia? And what, one wonders, does he suppose was going on earlier in Vietnam, as the U.S. forces extended their unwelcome stay year after grisly year? At times, observing the president and listening to his speeches, one simply doesn't know what to make of him. Is he actually as detached from reality as he appears to be? And do his handlers really believe that at this late date, the American people will take seriously the rhetoric his speech writers persist in putting into his mouth?"

Iraq: The Vanishing Coalition
A quote...." President George Bush invoked the specter of Vietnam for the first time yesterday as 15 more American soldiers died and increasing evidence emerged that the coalition of the willing that invaded Iraq four years ago has begun to fracture irreparably.  -  As the US death toll moved to 3,722, Iraq’s Prime Minister engaged in an angry war of words with his critics in Washington. Meanwhile, a senior US general issued a dark warning that American troops may have to be sent to the south of the country to fill the vacuum left by a projected British withdrawal."

Usually the links on this site are to the original articles in situ, however an exception was made in this case - check out the comments at CommonDreams regarding this article. - mpg
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The Path Towards War With Iran
A quote...." 08/23/07 "ICH" -- - This month saw yet another escalation of the U.S. policy of isolating and pressuring Iran as the White House announced its intention to add Iran's Revolutionary Guard to the State Department's list of terrorist organizations. There is something to be learned from this about the nature of U.S. foreign policy if we care to examine the implications; and the ramifications of such a decision could be quite serious and potentially deadly, so it warrants a look."

"Regarding the article shown above and for any of the bull you might read later on in our nation's mass-faux-media, understand this - I.E.D.s & E.F.P.s can be made by anybody. A five year old could make them.  All you need is a plastic ring (like a PVC pipe) a screw on bottom, some squibs, some high explosives and concave copper sheet for the top....that's it - mpg - posted 07-09-07"

For the truth about I.E.D.s & E.F.P.s see........In Iraq, anyone can make a bomb
Iraq's Superbombs: Home Made?
The Imminent Spread of EFPs
The Smoking Gun?: Photographic Evidence
Insurgents adapting faster to U.S. defenses
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Robert Fisk: The Iraqis don't deserve us. So we betray them...
Must Read - A quote...."Always, we have betrayed them. We backed "Flossy" in Yemen. The French backed their local "harkis" in Algeria; then the FLN victory forced them to swallow their own French military medals before dispatching them into mass graves. In Vietnam, the Americans demanded democracy and, one by one - after praising the Vietnamese for voting under fire in so many cities, towns and villages - they destroyed the elected prime ministers because they were not abiding by American orders."

Tomgram: Juan Cole, The Republic Militant at War, Then and Now
A quote...."French Egypt and American Iraq can be considered bookends on the history of modern imperialism in the Middle East. The Bush administration's already failed version of the conquest of Iraq is, of course, on everyone's mind; while the French conquest of Egypt, now more than two centuries past, is all too little remembered, despite having been led by Napoleon Bonaparte, whose career has otherwise hardly languished in obscurity. There are many eerily familiar resonances between the two misadventures, not least among them that both began with supreme arrogance and ended as fiascoes. Above all, the leaders of both occupations employed the same basic political vocabulary and rhetorical flimflammery, invoking the spirit of liberty, security, and democracy while largely ignoring the substance of these concepts."

Record numbers face debt meltdown
Must Read - A quote...."The scale of Britain's personal debt mountain has come into sharp focus with new research showing a record number of households are facing serious debt repayment problems, and that Britons owe more money than the entire economy can generate in a year.  -  They coincided with a warning from mortgage lender Nationwide that house prices are set to fall sharply back into line with wage inflation next year, as the credit crunch pushes up interest rates for families around the UK."

See also....White Man's Burden - 12-20-06 - mpg
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Anti-American Sentiment Grows Worldwide
A quote...."European and world views of the United States and President George Bush have dramatically worsened since 2000; the trend has intensified since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. There has been a decline in perceptions of the United States throughout the European Union, including in such traditional U.S. allies as the United Kingdom and Poland, and in Muslim and Latin American countries, according to annual polls undertaken by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Pew Research Center and the BBC World Service."

U.S. missile shield is provocation: Austrian minister
A quote...."VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Defense Minister Norbert Darabos has called U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in eastern Europe a "provocation" reviving Cold War debates."

Rove did in the light what few do in the dark
A quote...."The measure of a man isn't just what he does when everyone is looking, although it's amazing what Rove did with the lights on - everything from accusing his critics of emboldening the enemy and harming the troops to unleashing rumors that Sen. John McCain's adopted daughter from Bangladesh was his black love child. -  What really reveals a man is what he does when he thinks he can't be caught. That's what got me to name-calling."

White House Declares Office Off-Limits
A quote...."The Bush administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act as part of its effort to fend off a civil lawsuit seeking the release of internal documents about a large number of e-mails missing from White House servers."

Army Instructors Jailed for Involvement in Colombian Drug Cartel
A quote...."After barely averting a cut in funding by a six vote margin in Congress and becoming a focus of widespread criticism for its lack of transparency, the SOA/WHINSEC is once again making headlines due to crimes committed by its graduates.  -  A recent criminal investigation into the Colombian Army’s Third Brigade, has prompted the arrest of thirteen high ranking officers accused of providing security and mobilizing troops for Diego Montoya (alias “Don Diego”), the leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel and one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted criminals."

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Wednesday August 22nd 2007

What Unites Iraqis: Blocking Western Petroleum Companies From Seizing Control of Their Oil
A quote...."If passed, the Bush administration's long-sought "hydrocarbons framework" law would give Big Oil access to Iraq's vast energy reserves on the most advantageous terms and with virtually no regulation. Meanwhile, a parallel law carving up the country's oil revenues threatens to set off a fresh wave of conflict in the shell- shocked country."

Tehran gets ready for potential US strikes
War Update - A quote...."KUWAIT: Despite US foreign policy's focus on the situation in Iraq and in anticipation of September's Congress hearing, high-ranking sources stated that the Iranian leadership is taking US threats to strike its nuclear sites very seriously."

Tehran seeks Azerbaijan ties to counter US
A quote...."Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, keen to counter growing US influence on his doorstep, urged closer ties with neighboring Azerbaijan during his first official visit here Tuesday. "We have very good relations on all levels and in all spheres. However, there is big potential we must use," Ahmadinejad said after meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev. "There should be no obstacles to the development of our relations."
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[#1] Amid calls from Clinton and Levin, US moves to oust Iraqi prime minister
A quote...."Open calls by Democratic Party leaders this week for the removal of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, combined with ongoing expressions of frustration by Bush administration officials, indicate that the Iraqi government’s days are numbered. Moves are underway in Washington and Baghdad to remove Maliki when the Iraqi parliament returns from a summer break on September 4"

[#2] At Iraq's front line, U.S. puts ex-foes on payroll
A quote...."JURF AS-SAKHR, Iraq (Reuters) - Under a tree by a battlefield road in Iraq's "Triangle of Death," Lieutenant- Colonel Robert Balcavage meets his new recruits. - The men are Iraqi Sunni Arabs who are about to join the U.S. military's payroll as a local militia. They want guns."

War Warning - Regarding the two articles shown - above it appears the Neo-Roman Neocons, with the full cooperation of the Neo-Liberals (Ms. Clinton et. al.) are about to FINALLY "flip" Iraq in preparation for their attack on Iran.  For more on this see....The Litvinenko Assassination & the Flipping of Iraq - 11-24-06 - mpg
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Suicide Bombings - A Favourite US Counter-Insurgency Tactic
A quote...."Since 9-11 reports of "suicide bombings" have increased exponentially in the news. We are led to believe by the experts that it is one of the favorite weapons of the insurgency against the occupation forces, since it is a cheap and simple way to create chaos. Hardly a day goes by without at least one bombing in Iraq or Afghanistan being immediately seized upon by the media as the work of Iraqi insurgents."

Since al Qaeda has been sponsored by the US, Pakistan and the Saudi Royals for over twenty years and are cheap and deniable false flag operatives par excellence, in the opinion of this author, actual US or British forces would only be used for selective assassinations, or "high value" high payoff targets like the al-Askari Mosque bombing. 

In other words US and British forces would only be used for attacks against targets which would generate the most amount of "cost effective" sectarian violence. – mpg
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SPP Agent Provocateur Cops Caught Red Handed Attempting To Incite Violence
A quote...."Peaceful protestors at the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit in Montebello have captured sensational video of hired agent provocateurs attempting to incite rioting and turn the protest violent, only to encounter brave resistance from real protest leaders."  --  video link below

Stop SPP Protest - Union Leader stops provocateurs - (YouTube - 5 min 23 sec - Added:  August 20, 2007)
A quote...."Peaceful protesters stop police provocateurs from starting a riot at the Stop the SPP protests in Montebello Quebec. CEP President Dave Coles confronts men with rocks and sticks."
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Petraeus' Credibility  -  Operation Kabuki?
A quote..."September approaches, and with it the supposed watershed in the Iraq war that General David Petraeus' report to Congress will represent. In reality, the report will make little difference in what the Democratically-controlled Congress does, because it has already decided what it will do, namely pretend to try to end the war while actually ensuring its continuation through the 2008 elections. That strategy seems to offer the best promise of electing more Democrats."

You, Too, Can and Should Be an "Intelligence Analyst"
A quote...."It is always irrelevant to major policy decisions, and such decisions are reached for different reasons altogether. This is true whether the intelligence is correct or not, and it is almost always wrong. On those very rare occasions when intelligence is accurate, it is likely to be disregarded in any case. It will certainly be disregarded if it runs counter to a course to which policymakers are already committed.  -  The intelligence does not matter. It is primarily used as propaganda, to provide alleged justification to a public that still remains disturbingly gullible and pliable -- and it is used after the fact, to justify decisions that have already been made."

In other words, US intelligence "failures" aren't failures at all, they have been, and will always be....part of the plan. - mpg
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In Wake of Bush Speech: Who Was Last U.S. Soldier to Die in Vietnam?
A quote...."NEW YORK In the wake of President Bush's speech today, renewing the debate over the lessons of Vietnam for the U.S. in Iraq today -- did we exit too soon or not quickly enough? -- it is useful to ask: Who was the last American soldier to die in Vietnam and when did it happen?  -  According to Arlington National Cemetery, and numerous other sources, he was Army Col. William B. Nolde, a 43-year-old father of five. He was killed Jan. 27, 1973, near An Loc – just 11 hours before the U.S. signed the Paris Peace Accords -- when an artillery shell exploded nearby."

Petitioners: Gov't seized Arab land and gave to Jews
A quote...."A Palestinian hotel company has petitioned the High Court of Justice, charging that the state illegally confiscated 40 dunams of land it allegedly owned in east Jerusalem and gave it to a private Jewish businessman to build a hotel."

Eminent domain (or in the case of Israel, their version of Lebensraum), imposed in order to confiscate land for private purposes is act number seventeen in the  Thirty Five Acts to Restore Americans' Rights 11-10-06 - mpg
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2005 Incomes, on Average, Still Below 2000 Peak
A quote...."Americans earned a smaller average income in 2005 than in 2000, the fifth consecutive year that they had to make ends meet with less money than at the peak of the last economic expansion, new government data shows."

When Courts Bow Down to Secrecy  -  A Subservient Federal Judiciary and the National Security State
A quote...."In case after case we see what little regard the federal judiciary has for truth, for honesty. Rather than invoke the "old fashioned" concept of the need for truth and honesty, the courts find reason after reason, in one field after another, for overriding these ancient human necessities. It makes no difference whether judges were, and were appointed by, Republicans or Democrats; the judges are all alike. Whether the field is national security, business crookedness, hide-the-truth privileges or anything else is no matter. Truth and honesty come in last. Indeed, often -- even usually -- they are not even mentioned. That is shocking, but is so."

Cheney Removes Himself -- Again -- From Executive Branch
A quote...."Less than two months after Dick Cheney reversed course on the claim under a congressional threat and much ridicule, the vice president is once again severing himself from the executive branch of government -- this time to defy a subpoena.

This is act number thirty two (#32) in the  Thirty Five Acts to Restore Americans' Rights 11-10-06 - mpg
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Seedlings of evil growing in Myanmar
A quote...."CHIANG MAI, Thailand - A military-driven Chinese hybrid rice-for-opium crop-substitution program in the northern part of Myanmar's Shan state has resulted in four consecutive years of poor harvests and driven many ethnic-minority farmers into heavy debt or out of rice farming altogether."

One can only speculate that the Chinese have learned from the best....what are they going to do next, foist suicide seeds on poor farmers in the rest of the world, or perhaps they’ll market soybeans which have been genetically modified to withstand being drenched by herbicides on unsuspecting third world countries, just like the US Agro-Business has done?

Pretty soon Chinese merchants will be known as "the ugly Chinese", and that's a reputation they really don't want to have. - mpg

Tuesday August 21st 2007


The Time of the Assassins: Bushists Stirring Iraq, Iran Into a Bloody Stew
War Warning - A quote...."This weekend, as an assassination campaign continued to kill off the leaders of Iran's closest ally in Iraq, American officials ratcheted up their casus belli accusations against Tehran, now claiming that forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) -- which the Bush Administration is preparing to designate as a "global terrorist group" -- are actually on Iraqi soil, directly helping insurgents to kill American troops. The conjunction of these events -- the assassinations and the accusations -- reveals both the deadly murk surrounding the occupation and the transparent falsehood of the Bush Administration's increasingly frantic push toward a new war."

Bush's New War Drums for Iran - posted at Consortium News
War Warning - A quote...."It is as though I’m back as an analyst at the CIA, trying to estimate the chances of an attack on Iran. The putative attacker, though, happens to be our own president."

Iraqis hold anti-occupation rally
A quote...."Tens of thousands of Iraqis held a massive demonstration against the American forces' savage raids on the peaceful parts of Baghdad Monday morning. - According to IRIB correspondent in Baghdad, the demonstrators began their protest in Baghdad's Sadr city from early morning by chanting anti-occupation slogans."

"Inshallah"
Must Read - A quote...."08/20/07 "Camp Casey Peace Institute" -- - -The above quote from Mark Twain is how things have always been throughout the ages and throughout our American experience. These sentiments allowed an entire native population to be virtually wiped out and for black Africans to be enslaved for generations. Who cares if 600,000 Filipinos were wiped out during the Spanish-American War to "liberate" them from Spain, but to really have a coaling station for our Navy, or hundreds of thousands of Japanese slaughtered by the evil h-bomb when those people weren't even white, Christian Americans? Now this slimy rationale is allowing for the decimation of the Iraqi people and we have killed a million during this war to plant permanent bases there as we have permanent military facilities in Japan and the Philippines to this day."

 Iraq Progress Report: A Time to Assess and Reflect
A quote...." After four and a half years of failure in a war longer in duration than WW I or II, and likely to exceed the latter one in inflation-adjusted cost before it ends, it's hard believing Congress would swallow any assessment ignoring reality. But you can bet it will on both sides of the aisle even though the generalissimo says success depends on a long-term US presence likely to be at least "9 or 10 years." In plain English, that means permanent occupation and turning a blind eye to defeat until the pain gets so great we give it up and leave. "

Anti-war volume is about to increase - Protest may rival those of Vietnam era
Protest Note : A quote...."The cacophony about Iraq is about to take on a shrillness and volume not heard in Washington, or beyond, since the nation was rent in two by the Vietnam War. - The anti-war forces, who take credit for the decline in public and political support for continuing the fight in Iraq, are readying a series of rallies, vigils and other events in a run-up to what they promise will be a massive march from the White House to the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 15.

Former Chief of NIST's Fire Science Division Calls for Independent Review of World Trade Center Investigation
Some quotes...."James Quintiere, Ph.D., former Chief of the Fire Science Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has called for an independent review of NIST’s investigation into the collapses of the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11."  -  "Dr. Quintiere also expressed his frustration at NIST’s failure to provide a report on the third skyscraper that collapsed on 9/11, World Trade Center Building 7. “And that building was not hit by anything,” noted Dr. Quintiere. “It’s more important to take a look at that. Maybe there was damage by the debris falling down that played a significant role. But other than that you had fires burning a long time without fire department intervention. And firefighters were in that building. I have yet to see any kind of story about what they saw. What was burning? Were photographs taken? Nothing!” - bold/italics by website author
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9/11 - From The History File...No Chance of Truth in WTC-7 Investigation
WTC-7: The Improbable Collapse
The Bitter Debate Over September 11th
World Trade Center Building 7 demands tenacious public scrutiny
Alex Jones - Fires in WTC 7 - (YouTube - 3 min 49 sec - September 28, 2006)
New NEWS - BBC Video - WTC 7 - (YouTube - 3 min 59 sec - 03-01-07)
BBC WTC 7 - (YouTube - 3 min 58 sec - March 01, 2007)
WTC-7 Any Questions - (YouTube - 1 min 6 sec - December 04, 20060
Huge Amounts Of Smoke Came From WTC 5 & 6 NOT WTC 7
WTC 7 - Pull It By Larry Silverstein - (YouTube - 24 sec - August 28, 2006)
Another Smoking Gun? Now CNN Jumps the Gun
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9/11 Blame Game: CIA Falls on Its Sword Again
A quote...."If 3,000 people had not died on September 11, 2001, a report released by the CIA’s inspector general would be laughable. “A CIA report released Tuesday blames the top leadership of the agency for major lapses in fighting al-Qaida and outlines how intelligence officials missed numerous opportunities to thwart two hijackers prior to the Sept. 11 attacks,” reports NBC. “The 19-page executive summary, written by the CIA’s inspector general, finds extensive fault with the actions of former director George Tenet and other CIA leaders.”

MIDEAST:  Bush Could Have Given Fatah That Kiss of Death
A quote...."CAIRO, Aug 21 (IPS) - Ever since the takeover of Gaza two months ago by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, Washington and its allies have steadfastly supported the rival Fatah movement headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. But public support for Fatah, which has come to be seen by many as a stooge of Washington and Tel Aviv, has dropped off markedly."

Starving Gaza
A quote...."The tactic is clear: Israel and the United States will strangle Gaza by cutting off all money and goods, including fuel and most food, to reduce one of the most densely populated places on the planet to an impoverished ghetto. Hunger and anarchy, they hope, will motivate Gazans to turn on Hamas, and the anarchy will perhaps be used to justify a reoccupation by the Israeli military and see the return of the quisling President Mahmoud Abbas, who was ousted after he led an abortive coup to overthrow the democratically elected Hamas government. He is now in the West Bank."

POLITICS-INDIA:  Nuke Deal With US Draws Domestic Opposition
A quote...."NEW DELHI, Aug 13 (IPS) - The "breakthrough" United States-India nuclear cooperation agreement finalised three weeks ago in Washington has run into serious all-round opposition in India and put Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a piquant situation"

Russia's GDP up 8% in Jul., 7.9% since start of year - Gref -1
A quote...."NOVO-OGARYOVO (near Moscow), August 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's gross domestic product grew 8% in July and 7.9% in January-July 2007, economics minister German Gref said Tuesday."

Sukhoi to exhibit SuperJet-100 for the first time on Sept. 26
A quote...."ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow Region), August 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russian plane maker Sukhoi will hold the first public demonstration of its SuperJet-100 passenger plane on September 26, a source in the Russian aircraft manufacturing industry said Wednesday."

Putin exports Russian missiles to Syria
Some Quotes...."President Vladimir Putin is stirring yet more memories of the Cold War as Russia begins delivery of around 50 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria."  -  "The Pantsyr-S1E anti-aircraft missiles are part of a £450 million contract signed earlier this year between Syria and the Russian state arms firm, Rosoboronexport."

From LeMonde: The Organizations behind the Anonymous Modifications of Wikipedia
A quote...."The examples are legion. The American magazine Wired notes the disappearance, on November 17, 2005, of several paragraphs criticizing the reliability of Diebold voting machines and the bonds between its leader and George W. Bush. According to WikiScanner, this suppression emanates from IP addresses used by Diebold. The chain of Wal-Mart supermarkets replaced a sentence on its wages: the original text said they were lower than those of other major distributors; the new one qualified them as twice as high as the minimum wage.  -  Modifications were carried out on IP addresses of the CIA, but they are rather marginal according to Wired. Rather than to judge for itself, the site solicited its visitors to "Vote On the Most Shameful Wikipedia Spin Jobs," those which appear to them most scandalous. The list includes: "

Pelosi's Impeachment Stand is Killing the Democratic Party
A quote...."It's not just the Constitution that's suffering because of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's nutty and unprincipled "impeachment-off-the-table" position blocking any effort to impeach President Bush or Vice President Cheney for their many crimes and abuses of power.  -  Her position on impeachment is killing the Democratic Party too, by driving away not just progressived members of the party, but independents who voted for Democrats last November expecting some action in defense of the Constitution."

For more on this see....Mommy Pelosi and Daddy Bush - 11-18-06 - mpg
And....The Flipping of Iraq - Interruptus - 12-14-06 - mpg
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Don Strasser: Americans Demand Impeachment
A quote...."Is there sufficient cause to impeach President George Bush, besides hating his guts? Oh my, yes — and impeachment should not be a partisan issue.  -  Every member of Congress has sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. They should honor that oath or have to answer to the American voters. Democracy and constitution government are at stake."

When the big guns fail, call in China
A quote...."The open market operations were the almost US$400 billion of reserves injected into the world's money markets by the US Fed and other central banks since August 8; I described the mechanics of these procedures in my August 14 article cited above. The results of these procedures can probably be best described as very expensive failures. With billions of dollars of liquidity evaporating daily in the markets, interest rates had been rising in the specific money markets that the Fed and the other central banks had influence over; in the US, the Federal Funds rate, targeted at 5.25%, topped 6%. The interventions settled things down - a bit - the Federal Funds rate returned to its target range, but other indicators of the health of the private short-term money markets remain in very tenuous shape." - bold/italics by website author

Readings for the Crisis
A quote...."On Friday the Federal Reserve lowered its discount rate 50 basis points to 5.75 percent. As the article linked above illustrates, the Fed decision showcases the corner into which the government has painted itself. If the Fed did "nothing" (i.e. continued to pump in counterfeit money to keep interest rates on target) then Wall Street could have suffered even further setbacks...."

For more on these two articles see....Effective Fed Funds Rate 03-24-07 - mpg
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U.S. home foreclosures jump sharply in July, up 9 per cent from June
A quote...."LOS ANGELES (AP) - The number of foreclosure filings reported in the U.S. last month jumped 93 per cent from July 2006 and rose nine per cent from June, the latest sign that homeowners are having trouble making payments and finding buyers during the national housing downturn."

Grapes of Wrath Return
A quote...."Here is the problem with the Federal Reserve bailout of banks, rather than providing support to homeowners, citizens or the economy as a whole:  -  Check out the New York Times Aug. 20 story about how those who had their homes foreclosed on by banks often get huge tax bills from the IRS, while the banks buy the home back, at times for $1.  -  Understand that contrary to much of the snide, condescending coverage in some of the media, many who are foreclosed upon had good-paying jobs that were cut back, laid off, or outsourced, and others had good-paying jobs but suffered major health problems, with ripoff costs imposed by an unjust healthcare system."

Europe, Asia and U.S. Inject More Cash
A quote...."FRANKFURT, Germany - Central banks in Europe, Asia and the U.S. injected more cash into the markets Tuesday as commercial banks clamored for money.  -  The European Central Bank placed 275 billion euros ($370.6 billion) in its normal weekly refinancing as it furthered emergency moves taken over the last two weeks. That followed a decision by the Bank of Japan Tuesday to lend another 800 billion yen ($7.01 billion), which followed a trillion-yen injection ($8.71 billion) the day before."

Wall Street sputters as Fed injects more cash
A quote...."Reflecting ongoing credit concerns, the Federal Reserve added another 3.75 billion dollars to money markets in overnight repurchase agreements, bringing its total to 101.25 billion since August 9."

China hikes interest rates for the fourth time this year

A quote...."China raised interest rates on Tuesday for the fourth time this year in an attempt to control the country’s economic expansion as stock prices hit another record high and inflation in July was the highest in a decade."

Gulf state to suspend 25 percent of oil production
A quote...."ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates plans to reduce crude oil production by up to 25 percent within weeks.  -  The reports of a UAE oil slowdown — not yet confirmed by the government — have driven up the price of Abu Dhabi crude to its highest levels in eight months"

Islands emerge as Arctic ice shrinks to record low
A quote...."NY ALESUND, Norway (Reuters) - Previously unknown islands are appearing as Arctic summer sea ice shrinks to record lows, raising questions about whether global warming is outpacing U.N. projections, experts said."


Monday August 20th 2007

America's Use Of Radiological Weapons Calls For An International Tribunal
Must Read - A quote...."In 1991, the US military introduced a new weapon that the people of the world­­­with hindsight­­­will probably come to view as symbolic of America's failed leadership after the Cold War. The introduced weapon was a new kind of munition: shells and bullets made from depleted uranium (DU). It turned out to be extremely effective in the first Gulf War against the forces of Saddam Hussein. Unfortunately, the DU weapons also proved nearly as dangerous to our own troops and to Iraqi civilians."

Great technical explanation of exactly how DU munitions work, and their insidious and long lasting dangers. – mpg

See also....Study suggests cancer risk from depleted uranium
See also....Depleted Uranium Dust - Public Health Disaster For The People Of Iraq and Afghanistan
See also....WHO ‘suppressed’ scientific study into depleted uranium cancer fears in Iraq
See also....There Are No Words ... Depleted Uranium Radiation in Iraq Equals 250,000 Nagasaki Bombs
See also....Depleted Uranium Metal of Dishonor
See also....Weapon of Mass Deception - What the Pentagon doesn’t want us to know about depleted uranium.
See also....Update on Depleted Uranium and Gulf War Syndrome
See also....Depleted Uranium: All the questions about DU and Gulf War syndrome are not yet answered
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The war on Iraq threatens the US Economy as mass murder ceases to be profitable
Must Read - A quote...."Seen yesterday on a swiss newspaper the folllowing headline: "American Dream, Global Nightmare". It is fast becoming an American "cauchemar" as well. Albert Einstein wrote that the purpose of socialism is to overcome and advance beyond a "predatory phase of human development". In Bush we have reverted to it. Bone headed GOP "trickle down economics" and imperial oil theft abroad threatens an economic train wreck, indeed, democracy itself."

Tomgram: Dilip Hiro, America on the Downward Slope
Must Read - A quote...."Pick up the paper any day and you'll find tiny straws in the wind (or headlines inside the fold) reflecting the seeping away of American power."

Stumbling Toward Another War
A quote...."Introducing Miss Calculatsia, that fashionable foreigner, the new star in Israeli discourse.  -  To a Hebrew ear, she sounds like a young beauty, like "Miss Israel." But Miss-Calculatsia, the Hebrew version of "miscalculation," is neither young nor beautiful, nor even female: just another pretentious foreign word taking the place of a perfectly good Hebrew one."
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Dick Cheney Iraq 'quagmire' video hits the web
A quote...."Mr Cheney's office denied the interview had caused him any embarrassment. "It was from 1994 and after 9/11 we were dealing with different circumstances," said a spokesman.  -bold/italics by website author

Cheney in 1994 on Iraq - (YouTube - 1 min 23 sec - August 15, 2007)
posted by PG - A quote....

Interviewer - "Do you think the US or UN forces should have moved into Baghdad"?

Cheney - "No...because if we'd gone into Baghdad we would have been all alone, there wouldn't have been anybody else with us.  It would have been a US occupation of Iraq.  None of the Arab forces that were willing to fight with us in Kuwait were willing to invade Iraq."

Hence that ever so fortuitous and ever so endlessly cited event called 9/11, and the creation in it's aftermath of a "coalition of the (non Arab) willing".  Isn't it nice to have "a catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor" to drum up all that international....cover? – mpg - posted 08-18-07
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>>>>     What do you think? - (YouTube - 4 min 35 sec - Added:  August 17, 2007)     <<<<

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Iran wants IAEA to highlight atomic cooperation
A quote...."TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran expects the U.N. nuclear watchdog to highlight Tehran's cooperation in its next report on Iran's atomic program, which could determine whether it faces more U.N. sanctions, an Iranian official said on Monday."

'Cover-up' over casualties in Afghanistan
A quote...."The Government was accused of hiding the true casualty rate of troops in Afghanistan yesterday as it emerged that nearly one in two soldiers fighting on the front line had been wounded."
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Muqtada al-Sadr: The British are retreating from Basra
A quote...."The British Army has been defeated in Iraq and left with no option but to retreat from the country, claims radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Violent resistance and a rising death toll among UK troops has forced a withdrawal, he said in an interview with The Independent."

UPDATE - 08-22-07 An Independent hoax

On Monday, the Independent published an exclusive interview with Muqtada al-Sadr.

The Independent’s article is really enlightening. “The young nationalist cleric heads Iraq's largest Arab grassroots political movement” the Independent tells us among other interesting things.

Too bad that interview seems to be an hoax.

The independent Iraqi news agency Aswat al-Iraq reported:
Sheikh Ahmed al-Shibani, the official spokesman for al-Sadr's office in Najaf, denied that Sadr had given an interview to the British newspaper The Independent on Monday.
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West Bank 'could soon fall to Hamas'
Some quotes...."The lawlessness that led the moderate Fatah faction to lose control of Gaza is repeating itself in the West Bank, a senior Palestinian official has claimed."  -  "Taysir Nasrallah, an electoral officer, also cautioned the international community not to rely on the weak leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian national authority. - "Mr Abbas's leadership is not strong enough to stand up to the armed factions here in the West Bank,'' Mr Nasrallah said in his home town of Nablus."

Hezbollah defiant a year after war
Some quotes...."....its leader Hassan Nasrallah promised Israel was in for a "big surprise" if it attacked again"  -  "Given his past record for doing what he says, and following Hezbollah's success in resisting the might of Israel's US-backed forces in last year's fighting - forging its reputation as perhaps the most effective guerrilla army in the world - few would argue that.  -  The Israelis are certainly taking notice. "Nasrallah has never lied," said Israeli cabinet minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. "He is cocky, he is arrogant, but at least from our experience with him, to my regret, what he has said, he has done."

Hezbollah aids baby sea turtles
A quote...."BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 19 Hezbollah has put half of a beach in southern Lebanon under its protection to safeguard endangered nesting turtles, it was reported Sunday.

Bolivian ex President to be Extradited
A quote...."La Paz, Aug 19 (Prensa Latina) Bolivia's Supreme Court of Justice paved the way to extradite from the US and sue ex President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, charged with genocide and corruption."

Bush Administration Has Been Using Illegal Wiretapping and Spying Activity for Political Purposes. Doubt It?
A quote...."In an under covered trial in a California courtroom, a Constitutional drama of major significance is unfolding.  -  It is a federal lawsuit filed by Americans who claim that the Bush Administration, with the cooperation of AT&T, illegally spied on them. The Bush Administration has taken the Orwellian position that the trial must not be allowed to proceed because it would require the White House to reveal if they indeed have illegally monitored the plaintiffs – and that, the Bush Politburo argues, would violate "state secrets."

New ad from ACLU - posted at BuzzFlash
Some DemoRepubs without their disguises. - mpg

The Killer Strain: Anthrax and a Government Exposed (Hardcover)
BuzzFlash book review - A quote....""The Killer Strain: Anthrax and a Government Exposed" is by Washington Post reporter Marilyn Thompson, based on her research covering the story for the newspaper. It's an important reminder of the type of terrorist activity that the Bush Administration chooses to let retreat in history without further mention."

For more on this see....False Flag Ops

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082007-082607 - links page