Sunday October 14th 2007
The
"Great Game" Enters the Mediterranean: Gas, Oil, War, and Geo-Politics
[Part II of a series see
Part
I]
Must Read - Some
quotes...."
It is no mere chance that before the upcoming summit in Tehran that
three important post-Soviet organizations (the Commonwealth of
Independents States, the Central Security Treaty Organization, and the
Eurasian Economic Community) simultaneously held meetings in
Tajikistan. Nor is it mere coincidence that the SCO and CSTO have
signed cooperation agreements during these meetings in Tajikistan,
which has effectively made China a semi-formal member of the CSTO
alliance. It should be noted that all SCO members are also members of
CSTO, aside from China."
"Two blocs are starting to manifest themselves in similarity to the
geographic boundaries of George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and
Mackinder’s Islander versus Continental scheme; a
Eurasian-based bloc
and a naval-based,
oceanic bloc
based on the fringes of Eurasia as well as North America and
Australasia. The latter bloc is NATO and its network of regional
military alliances, while the former is the reactionary
counter-alliance formed by the Chinese-Russian-Iranian coalition as its
nucleus." - italics by website author
Take a guess at which "bloc" started this whole thing in the first
place, the MIOC
elites of this country initiated their plans for "global dominance"
more
then twenty years ago. The "Eurasians" are belatedly forming a
defensive
alliance to combat their efforts. Viewed against this context and
the sweeping
vastness of it all,
setting up and murdering three thousand Americans must have been
considered a bargain, just peanuts, or chump change by this nation's
MIOC
elites and those who continue to support their plans.
It was a price
they were all
perfectly willing to have us pay.
This is the true "clash of civilizations" and it's about time that we
as a
people put a stop this madness...before time runs out for all of us. –
mpg
For more on this see....
White
Man's Burden - 12-20-06 - mpg
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Spies,
Lies and FISA
Related article - A quote...."President Bush has been telling Americans
that any change would deny the government critical information, make it
easier for terrorists to infiltrate, expose state secrets, and make it
harder “to save American lives.” - There is no truth to any of those
claims. No matter how often Mr. Bush says otherwise, there is also no
disagreement from the Democrats about the need to provide adequate
tools to fight terrorists. The debate is over whether this should be
done constitutionally, or at the whim of the president."
Regretfully the New York Times has got it wrong again. If
Congress doesn't give Bush and his cronies unlimited dictatorial
powers, if they don't knuckle under to Bush's "prediction" of more
mayhem, if they don't do everything he says, if they appose in any way
the upcoming attack against Iran....there certainly will be another
attack on the US.
That's a guarantee. – mpg
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Groups
on Left, Right Ask Candidates to Reject Bush’s Wider Powers
Related article - A quote...."President Bush’s drive to expand
executive power over surveillance, detention, interrogation and the
meaning of new laws has drawn largely ineffectual protests from
Congress. But a group of liberals and a handful of prominent
conservatives are pressing would-be successors to renounce those powers
before they take office."
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Dead
Republic Blues: Bush Illegal Wiretapping Scheme Gets Darker and Dirtier
A quote...."The latest revelations in the Bush Administration's
long-unfolding, ever-growing illegal wiretapping scandal carry with
them a multiple string. For not only do they bear upon Bush's vast
system of lawless espionage aimed at the American people, but they also
underscore the perversion of the Justice Department into an armed
enforcer of partisan thuggery and confirm that that the unprecedented
authoritarian powers that Bush has seized have nothing to do with their
ostensible justification, the 9/11 attacks, but were part of a
pre-planned evisceration of the constitutional republic that began in
the first days of his ill-gotten presidency."
Bush
and the Phone Companies: Partners in Crime
Related article - A quote..."Phone companies have opened a new front in
their campaign against the free flow of information. This time they've
found a powerful ally in the White House. - AT&T and Verizon have
already shown their disdain for free speech and Net Neutrality, and
their eagerness to let government spies lurk on our phone calls. Now,
their lobbyists have teamed with President George Bush to strong arm
Congress into granting full immunity for a disturbing array of illegal
and unconstitutional acts."
The
Beltway Establishment's contempt for the rule of law
Related article - A quote...."The Washington Post's Editorial Page, in
the establishment-defending form of Fred Hiatt, today became but the
latest Beltway appendage to urge the enactment of a special law
providing amnesty to our nation's poor, put-upon, lawbreaking telecoms:"
Free
speech could lead to online disconnect
Related article - A quote...."If you're displeased with the way a
company treats you, you're free to air your feelings in public, right?
Not necessarily if you receive high-speed Internet access from AT&T
Inc. or Verizon Communications Inc."
For more on the four articles shown above see....
The
Last Bastion of Freedom is Falling - 05-29-06 - mpg
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Weenie
Nation
Must Read - A
quote...."If the truth be told the result of all this on the American
public psyche is that they have become a bunch of weenies and have
allowed their inalienable rights as protectors and guardians of the
Republic to be twisted and corrupted by this tiny “1% of 1%” who now
see America as their own choice piece of real estate.
The American public have become preoccupied with the ingesting of junk
foods, reflex shopping and other trivialities having been so “dumbed
and numbed down” by a steady daily diet of censored drivel that passes
for public information.
All this works for the powers that be. In order for these super-rich
folks to continue to binge-feed at the government and corporate trough
the populace must never be restive. The corporate/state machine
requires that the populace remain in blissful oblivion and obedience.
And the sheer need for survival of the majority poor and unwashed
necessitates that there be a parallel mechanism to “keep the populace
in its place.” Does anyone wonder at the rapid growth (and wealth) of
the religious industry the takes up from where corporate America leaves
off?
Today, Christian consumerism is not in doubt with the rise of
multi-million dollar mega-churches that offer “rewards in heaven” while
it fleeces the poor hapless sods seeking solace and fulfillment and
reassurances that somebody really cares.
Of course, while all that crap is going on our vaunted leader, King
George II, continues to make cooing noises while he basks in near
blissful ignorance the natural end result of an infantile
self-gratification of addictive power while his handlers and enablers
rock him to sleep. As the poster boy for a created political Disneyland
Dear George is perfect.
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The
‘Good Germans’ Among Us
PG's Post - A quote...."“BUSH lies” doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s time
to confront the darker reality that we are lying to ourselves.
- Ten days ago The Times unearthed yet another round of secret
Department of Justice memos countenancing torture. President Bush gave
his standard response: “This government does not torture people.” Of
course, it all depends on what the meaning of “torture” is. The whole
point of these memos is to repeatedly recalibrate the definition so Mr.
Bush can keep pleading innocent."
Pointing
Out the Monsters among the Sheep
A quote...."They beat a 14-year-old child to death for a minor offense
and the law says they did no wrong. Emmett Till was 14 when he was
beaten to death in Mississippi back in 1955. He had supposedly whistled
at a white woman but that minor offense carried a death sentence.
Martin Lee Anderson had stolen his grandmother’s car and was sentenced
to boot camp where he was executed for his crime."
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British
Experience in Iraq Should Have Taught Us Something
Must Read - Some
quotes...."We are not defeated," a leading British commanding general
huffed last week on CNN. "We pulled out. We could have stayed a long
time." (And I've got a bridge over the Tigris that I'd like to sell
him.) - As a cynical onlooker from outside, one might make
a quite different observation, rich of course with the historical and
philosophical reflection that we Americans exemplify so well. One might
suggest that the Brits knew well how to retreat from Iraq because
they've had so much practice at it." -- "In the beginning,
what grandiose dreams! Churchill, always a rampant colonialist, would
create a "native Iraqi army that could work alongside the Royal Air
Force." The Brits would control "the people" through airpower alone.
They would rule Iraq through a hand-chosen king, King Feisal, son of
the noble Hussein of Mecca, a direct descendant of the Prophet
Muhammad, a capable man but in the end one who wore the British down by
harping inexplicably on his lack of "legitimacy" -- because of their
support! - At any rate, it all ended in bitterness and quagmire, with
Churchill complaining to his prime minister that they were spending
millions a year "for the privilege of living on an ungrateful
volcano." - Regarding this issue see article shown below - mpg
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 -
posted 08-26-07
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370,000
flee from fighting - [Republic of the Congo]
A quote...."KINSHASA Humanitarian workers have expressed alarm at
fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has displaced
hundreds of thousands of civilians in the east."
Don't worry the US's Africom will come to their "rescue"....and by the
time the US's Africom is done you'll be able to add another zero to the
figure shown above. - mpg
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Afghans
Close 2 Security Firms; More Likely
A quote...."KABUL, Oct. 11 -- Afghan authorities this week shut down
two private security companies and said more than 10 others -- some
suspected of murder and robbery -- would soon be closed, Afghan and
Western officials said Thursday."
US,
Iraq Negotiate Blackwater Explusion
A quote...."BAGHDAD (AP) - U.S. and Iraqi officials are negotiating
Baghdad's demand that security company Blackwater USA be expelled from
the country within six months, and American diplomats appear to be
working on how to fill the security gap if the company is phased out."
Turkish
government gives green light for military intervention in northern Iraq
A quote...."The Turkish government has given the army a green light to
cross the border and conduct a military action in Iraq. A crisis group
chaired by President Abdullah Gül gave permission October 9 for
the military to intervene against the separatist Kurdish Worker’s Party
(PKK) in neighboring northern Iraq."
Analysis:
Hunt, State talked on Iraq oil
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A representative from
Dallas-based Hunt Oil Corp. did talk with the U.S. State Department
prior to signing a controversial oil deal with Iraq’s Kurdistan
Regional Government, according to an internal department communication
obtained by United Press International."
For more on this see...
War
Resource 9/11 - Hunt Oil
Watada's
Double Jeopardy
A quote...."The double jeopardy clause of the US Constitution ensures
that no American can be tried twice for the same offense. But at a time
when our civil liberties are rapidly eroding, a drama is unfolding in
Washington State over whether that constitutional protection applies to
a US soldier."
For more on this see....
1st
Lt. Ehren Watada
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Go Build Your Neo-Roman Empire - Just Leave Us Out Of It
10-14-07
mpg
Former
US commander blames “partisan” politics and “agenda-driven” media for
Iraq debacle
A quote...."In an extraordinary speech delivered October 12, retired
Lt.
Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top US commander in Iraq from June 2003
to June 2004, gave vent to deeply anti-democratic sentiments emerging
within growing sections of the US officer corps."
Hey what the heck....it's a free country. If elements in the US
military want to become Neo-Romans and build themselves another version
of the Neo-Roman Empire, that's just fine and dandy with this website
author.
Just a few rules though --- 1) Your buddies who back you, the rich
MIOC, PNAC'ing elites of this country, don't get to stage anymore
"fortuitous"
events....
EVER
AGAIN! 2) You can't do it as a US soldier,
instead
you'll have to go join Blackwater, Haliburton, Kellog Brown & Root
or one of the other mercenary outfits. 3) You don't get to spend
one more dime of
the US taxpayer's money while doing so, however if you and your rich
buddies want to spend your own money, that's perfectly a-OK with this
author. Speaking of which 4) No one approves of you
or your
buddies prior or ongoing active support for groups such as the Taliban,
al
Qaeda,
PKK, MEK, Baluchistan separatists, Kurdistan separatists, Iranian
separatists, Jihaddists, Mujahedeen, Wahhabists, the SCIRI death
squads, the Sunni guerilla
groups or other assorted "freedom fighters", "bad boys", "militias" or
"friends", nor encouraging people like the Saudi Royals or Pakistan's
ISI to provide such support for you, therefore you and your rich
buddies are asked to cease and desist all such activities
immediately. 5) When your little plans of conquest and mayhem
start to fall apart and you get captured or imprisoned, don't bother
asking for any help because you won't get any....you'll be on your own.
PS: Oh...and one more thing, although your little scheme of using
the Federal Reserve to drop rates in an effort to pump the economy up
and thereby create massive trade, credit card, and mortgages deficits
while simultaneously emptying the US's treasury incurring
roughly ten to fifteen trillions dollars in total collective debt to
pay for
that fine party you guys had, appeared to be a good idea at the time,
it
seems that a lot of other people in this country have chosen to
disagree
with you and they
would really appreciate it if you and your rich buddies could pay it
all back.
You don't have to do it all at once; no doubt a
reasonable payment plan could be arranged for all of you guys.
PSS: Oh....and another thing....neither you, nor the MIOC elites, nor
any
member of Congress should even
think
about
touching
Social Security to pay for that little fling you guys had. So
bearing these caveats in mind, you and your buddies go out there and
have a great time building yourselves a fine and dandy, brand,
spanking,
gloriously,
shiny New
Roman Empire....just leave the rest of us, and our money, out of it -
OK?
Best of wishes and good luck to you all. – mpg
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Hollywood
in all-out assault on America's 'war on terror'
A quote...."A generation ago, Hollywood movies doubting the goodwill
and sincerity of the American government were invariably shot through
with a sense of paranoia – nervy, unsettling films such as The
Conversation, or All the President's Men. - Now, though, with the Iraq
war dragging on, the bad faith of the US government seems to be almost
a given in the movie business. A slew of new features, looking either
at Iraq or the "war on terror", or both, is about to hit the screens,
and almost all dwell on the
dark
side of the American experience." - italics by website author
Hmmmm.....let's diagnose this problem shall we. When every single
statement, prediction, "fact", forecast, or projection, over the last
seven years ever made by practically every single official in this
government turns out to be a complete and total bald-faced lie, people
tend to view "their" government
darkly.
Solution....perhaps the government shouldn't lie? Ha ha
ha... ho ho ho...snicker, snicker (inane giggle receeding off into the
distance - fade to black) – mpg
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House
Speaker Pelosi lashes out at antiwar protesters
A quote...."House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful Democrat in
Washington, normally maintains a public display of sympathy towards the
mass opposition to the war in Iraq—an opposition which propelled the
Democrats into control of the House and Senate in the congressional
elections last November. - But in the course of a press interview
October 9, reported the following morning in the Christian Science
Monitor and the Washington Post, Pelosi gave vent to the resentment and
hostility that leading Democrats actually feel towards the antiwar
protest movement."
Saturday October 13th 2007
"Seven
countries in five years"
A quote...."While the Bush White House promotes the possibility of
armed conflict with Iran,
a tantalizing
passage in Wesley Clark's new memoir suggests that another war is part
of a long-planned Department of Defense strategy that anticipated
"regime change" by force in no fewer than seven Mideast states. Critics
of the war have often voiced suspicions of such imperial schemes, but
this is the first time that a high-ranking former military officer has
claimed to know that such plans existed."
Tantalizing....
tantalizing! Wada'ya
mean tantalizing?!? You mean like, vague, unclear, subtle or with
discretion! The Neocons, Texas Cabal, PNAC'ers and associated
other
JERKS have for the last
twenty years been screaming to the whole world at the top of their
lungs, while obscenely gloating over their "master plan", about how
they were going to re-make (read ransack) the
ENTIER Middle East.
No one, absolutely
NO ONE in
this nation's faux-news-mass-media-infotainment complex (this does not
include Salon - see dozens of articles posted on this website - or the
author of this article) gets to even
hint, gets to even suggest, that this entire fiasco, this
murderous world wide rampage, wasn't fully known of
and fully approved of by all
the power elites at the top of this society's social-economic heap. -
mpg
For more on this see....
The Plan --
according to U.S. General Wesley Clark (Ret.) - (YouTube - 1 min 37
sec - Added: March 17, 2007)
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Unable to Beat Muqtada
al-Sadr, the U.S. Tries to Divide his Movement
Must Read - PG's Post - A
quote...."While U.S. officials try to gin up a war with Iran by
accusing it of meddling in Iraq's affairs, their real problem is that
al Sadr's Mahdi army is determined to end the occupation and is simply
too big to be beaten by military force. - Although the U.S. military
command's frequent assertions that the primary threat to U.S. forces in
Iraq comes from Iranian meddling, its real problem is that Shiite
cleric Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi army is determined to end the occupation
and is simply too big and too well entrenched to be weakened by
military force."
Lawmakers
Raise Concerns Over Call for Investigation of C.I.A. Watchdog’s Work
PG's Post - A quote....WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 — The top Republican on the
Senate Intelligence Committee joined Democrats on Friday in expressing
strong concern about an unusual inquiry into the work of the Central
Intelligence Agency’s inspector general, John L. Helgerson, saying the
review could undermine Mr. Helgerson’s role as independent watchdog."
For more on this issue see...
Fun
& Torture - It's a Pleasure.
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1860,
1932, 2008
A quote...."As accurate was Phillips assessment, we must extend our
understanding of the current situation to understand that George W.
Bush is not an anomaly, but the reduction ad absurdum of an ill-advised
plan of shared government created by the Founders. We can identify with
their felt need to erect a governmental structure that had adequate
checks and balances, a laudable caution. In fact, through most of the
years of our Republic, the concept of a strong executive to balance the
legislative branch has been variously realized, ranging from
ineffective executives to a few genuinely outstanding ones. This list,
however, did not include until the inauguration of President Bush, an
individual so destructive of the health of our democratic system. This
perversion of the Founders’ principle of balance has proved to be toxic
as well to conditions in several countries that have come into contact
with American policies, notably and tragically, of course, in Iraq."
The
Mother of all Pretexts - [no this article is not about
9/11 - mpg]
A quote...."10/13/07 "ICH" -- - WHEN I hear mention of the "Clash of
Civilizations" I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. - To laugh,
because it is such a silly notion. - To cry, because it is liable to
cause untold disasters. - To cry even more, because our leaders are
exploiting this slogan as a pretext for sabotaging any possibility of
an Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation. It is just one more in a long
line of pretexts."
US
demands air passengers ask its permission to fly
A quote...."10/13/07 "The Register" -- - Under new rules proposed
by the Transport Security Administration (TSA) (pdf), all airline
passengers would need advance permission before flying into, through,
or over the United States regardless of citizenship or the airline's
national origin."
For more on this see....
Thirty
Five Acts to
Restore Americans' Rights 11-10-06 - mpg
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U.S.
military seeks alternatives to Turkey
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Restricted access to Turkey
would affect 70 percent of the cargo and fuel supplies being shipped by
the United States to Iraq, a report said Saturday."
Namibia
deports two Americans for recruiting for Iraq
A quote...."WINDHOEK, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Namibia has ordered two
Americans to leave the country for trying to recruit Namibians to work
as security guards in Iraq and Afghanistan, the information minister
said."
No doubt trying to obtain more of the New Roman Empire's cannon
fodder....whoops, s'cuse me....more meat...dang, did it again, more
sheep....oh...what the heck...more
cannon-fodder-meat-sheep
from the local high school?
No doubt indeed. A warning to all the other countries out
there, keep a close eye on your children. - mpg
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New
Evidence That Blackwater Guards Took No Fire
A quote..."BAGHDAD, Oct. 12 — Fresh accounts of the Blackwater shooting
last month, given by three rooftop witnesses and by American soldiers
who arrived shortly after the gunfire ended, cast new doubt Friday on
statements by Blackwater guards that they were responding to armed
insurgents when Iraqi investigators say 17 Iraqis were killed at a
Baghdad intersection."
Argentina
'dirty war' priest jailed
A quote...."The first Roman Catholic priest charged for crimes
committed under Argentina's past military government
has been sentenced to
life in prison." - bold/italics by website author.
To the elites of this country, take a close look at this guy's
photo. If it takes ten years or thirty, one day you'll look just
like him. - mpg
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Here
Come da Judgment Day
PG's Post - A quote...."Homeland Security dropped the ball. Like a
thief in the night, Judgment Day came as unexpectedly as prophesied,
taking even the White House with its praying president by surprise. -
Around the world, potentates were dragged from their palaces and
dictators corralled from underground bunkers by winged creatures with
multiple faces and burning auras. - Media barons and billionaires
couldn’t hide from the final trumpet blast that ripped the once-routine
march of history to shreds. Wealth provided no defense on that dread
day as consciences caught fire and burned like exposed nerve endings."
COLOMBIA:
Defying Threats, Thousands Take to the Streets
PG's Post - quotes...."BOGOTA, Oct 12 (IPS) - Arbitrary arrests,
menacing warnings from the army and harsh crackdowns on protesters did
not daunt the tens of thousands of Colombians who took to the streets
over the last three days to protest against the rightwing government of
Álvaro Uribe."
Many
Americans Don't Realize Iraq War Is Illegal
A quote...."Mistakenly, many Americans still believe President Bush's
war on Iraq is justified because Congress supported it and funds it. -
Yet, as international legal authority Francis Boyle of the University
of Illinois points out, President Bush got congressional backing by
lying that Hussein had W.M.D. and that Hussein was connected to 9/11. -
That's fraud, probably the bloodiest, costliest lie in White House
history. - Also, to start a war, a country needs UN Security
Council approval, which Bush failed to get. Otherwise, a nation can
fight only in self-defense when attacked. - By attacking
Iraq, Bush violated the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, the
Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact of 1928, the UN Charter, the Tokyo War Crimes
Tribunals, and the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment and Principles, Boyle
said."
Dick
Cheney & Vigilant Shield: Will a Missing Nuke from the B-52
Incident be used in a Simulated Terrorist Attack?
False Flag Alert - A
quote...."From October 15 to 19, 2007, a set of military and civil
exercises will be held in Oregon, Arizona and Guam. The exercises,
TOPOFF 4 and Vigilant Shield 08, are designed to test official
responses to the detonation of radiological dispersal devices on U.S.
territory. The exercises will be overseen by Vice President Dick Cheney
who will travel specifically to Portland to coordinate all Federal
departments and agencies responses to the simulated attacks. This has
led to a number of civilian groups expressing alarm that TOPOFF and
Vigilant Shield might be used as a cover for False Flag operations that
replicate what occurred during the 911 attacks ."
For more on this see....
False
Flag Ops - Barksdale / B-52 Loose Nukes Incident
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Pentagon
pay-to-stay program tops $100 million
A quote..." WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has paid more than $100 million
in bonuses to veteran Green Berets and Navy SEALs, reversing the flow
of top commandos to the corporate world, where security companies such
as Blackwater USA are offering big salaries. - The retention effort,
started nearly three years ago and overseen by U.S. Special Operations
Command in Tampa, Fla., has helped preserve a small but elite group of
enlisted troops with vast experience fighting the unconventional wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to Defense Department statistics.
Overall, more than 1,200 of the military's most specialized personnel
near or already eligible for retirement have opted for payments of up
to $150,000 in return for staying in uniform several more years."
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Sage
Observations - PG's quotes - posted 07-24-07
Some sage observations. For the most recent batch click on -
Sage
Observations 10-13-07
"Right now, Washington is teaching the world a very ugly and dangerous
lesson: if you want to defend yourself from us, you had better mimic
North Korea and pose a credible military threat. Otherwise we will
demolish you."
-- *Noam Chomsky*, Interventions
"Throughout history, even the harshest and most shameful measures are
regularly accompanied by professions of noble intent - and rhetoric
about bestowing freedom and independence."
-- *
Noam Chomsky*,
Interventions
"We believe no more in Bonaparte's fighting merely for the liberties of
the seas, than in Great Britain's fighting for the liberties of
mankind. The object is the same, to draw to themselves the power, the
wealth and the resources of other nations."
-- *
Thomas Jefferson*
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and
causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of war,
corporations have been enthroned, and an era of corruption in high
places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to
prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until
all the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the republic is
destroyed. I feel, at this moment, more anxiety for the safety of my
country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my
suspicions may prove groundless."
-- *
U.S. President Abraham
Lincoln* - in a letter to Col. William F. Elkins on
November 21, 1864
Friday October 12th 2007
Nancy
Pelosi and the
Arrogance of Power - Leadership Void
A quote....
"They are advocates. We are leaders." --
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in regards to "Anti-war activists."
"People of America, this is truly the problem with what was once a
Representative Republic and now is a country run by "elected" officials
who believe that they, individually and collectively, are above any
accountability and are not answerable to their constituents. Our public
servants erroneously believe that they are the leaders!" --
Cindy Sheehan
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War
Without End, Amen: The
Sanguinary Vision of Robert Gates
A quote...."There are actually some quarters where Pentagon honcho
Robert Gates is considered a moderate of some kind, one of the few
sensible, responsible figures in the Bush Administration able to
restrain – or at least moderate – the raging-bull belligerence of Dick
Cheney and his crew. This has always been a curious reputation for a
man who has spent most of his career hip-deep in militarist
skullduggery, as Robert Parry, among others, has amply demonstrated.
(Here and here, for example.) But in such desperate and degraded times
as these, it's only natural to clutch at the slightest straw of hope
that someone, somewhere, will stand between us and the worst excesses
of our masters, as we noted here earlier. "
Prime
minister says Turkey is ready to pay the price of any military campaign
in Iraq
A quote...."If such an option is chosen, whatever its price, it will be
paid," Erdogan told reporters in response to a question about the
international repercussions of such a decision, which would strain ties
with the United States and Iraq. "There could be pros and cons of such
a decision, but what is important is our country's interests." -
Erdogan also had harsh words for the United States, which opposes a
Turkish incursion into northern Iraq -- one of the country's few
relatively stable areas. - "
Did they
seek
permission from anyone when they came from a distance of 10,000
kilometers and hit Iraq?" he said. "We do not need anyone else's
advice." - italics by website author.
By the way,
check
out IHT's
version of AP's story, you'll note a "
few" paragraphs
are missing. (like about half the article, talk about a hatchet job).
PS: For everybody's info....both articles have been
cached. - mpg
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U.S.
threatens Turkey over energy support to Iran
A quote...."WASHINGTON — The United States has suggested that Turkey
could come under sanctions for its energy cooperation with Iran. - The
State Department has criticized Turkey for its agreement for natural
gas cooperation with Teheran. A senior official pointed out that
Congress was working on legislation that would sanction Ankara or
others that help develop Iran's energy sector, Middle East Newsline
reported. - "The U.S. government's policy is that countries
should not be stimulating their companies to be involved in oil and gas
investment in Iran," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. -
Burns said the Bush administration has stressed to U.S. allies that
sanctions on Iran would be strengthened. Over the last two months,
Turkey has agreed to develop three southern Iranian gas fields and
establish three gas-operated energy plants." -- This is the
complete article- mpg
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Qwest
CEO's 'classified defense' raises question on NSA surveillance
A quote...."A former CEO who stood up to the Bush administration's
demands that he assist in the warrantless surveillance of Americans
suggests in court documents that the National Security Agency withdrew
a lucrative contract in retaliation for his refusal. -
Documents released as part of
Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio's insider trading trail also
seem to indicate that the NSA was
discussing the secretive, possibly illegal, surveillance of Americans several months before the 9/11
attacks President Bush used to justify the program. - italics/bold/inderline
by website author
It just keeps getting better and better all the time. It's
hilarious, it really is. - mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
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9/11 - From The History File...The
USA PATRIOT Act Was Planned Before 9/11
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
========== ====
Joe
Klein's defense of warrantless eavesdropping and telecom amnesty
Related Article - A quote...."There is a lot of debate about what
accounts for the decrepit state of our political press, but often
overlooked is the sheer sloth and ignorance of journalists, who repeat
what they are told without having any idea what they are talking about.
Last night, Time's Joe Klein tried to explain why he supports the
"Protect America Act" enacted by Congress in August that, in essence,
allowed the administration to eavesdrop on all international telephone
calls of Americans without warrants. This is what he said:"
Ex-Commander
Blasts Iraq 'Nightmare'
A quote...."Yet, while lambasting the Iraq War strategy, Sanchez
declined to call Bush’s decision to invade in March 2003 a mistake and
argued that the United States
has no
alternative now but to continue fighting in Iraq even if there is
little prospect for success." - italics by website author
A note to the wise, if you're going to make mistakes,
at least try not to make the
exact, same, identical ones that you (as an institution) made in
Vietnam....you look
really stupid when you do the same dumb thing all over again. - mpg
========== ========== ==========
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CNBC
On Why They Pulled Debate Poll
A quote...."Some of you Ron Paul fans take issue with my decision to
take the poll down. Fine.
When a well-organized
and committed "few" can throw the results of a system meant to reflect
the sentiments of "the many," I get a little worried. I'd take
it down again." -- Sincerely, Allen Wastler Managing
Editor,
CNBC.com -- bold/italics by website author
Is Mr. Wastler talking about the five conglomerates (including his own
company) that control ninety percent of this nation's mass media
market....or is he talking about the RNC, the Neocons and Karl Rove and
how they kept the people of this nation from casting their votes during
the last several elections?
It's all so confusing, just exactly who is he talking about? – mpg
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
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Watchdog
of C.I.A. Is Subject of C.I.A. Inquiry
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 — The director of the Central
Intelligence Agency, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, has
ordered an unusual
internal inquiry into the work of the agency’s inspector general,
whose
aggressive investigations of the C.I.A.’s detention and interrogation
programs and other matters have created resentment among agency
operatives." - italics by website author
So nobody's supposed to watch the watchers heh? Typical Bush
crony mentality, "what we do is
legal"
they say, but try to find out if that's true, and it all becomes
hush-hush, super top secret, covered by the US's new "states secret
act" or Bush's infamous claim - used on almost everything so far - of
"executive privilege."
You can always spot a cheap hoodlum in the federal bureaucracy by his
thuggish and
juvenile
attempts at intimidation. - mpg
For more on this issue see...
Fun
& Torture - It's a Pleasure.
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ==========
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ACLU:
Government forcibly gives deportees psychotropic drugs
A quote...."LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a
motion to stop immigration authorities forcibly drugging deportees as
they are put on commercial flights back to their home countries. - The
motion, filed Tuesday in federal court, comes after an immigration
official testified in the Senate last month that 50 immigrants over a
seven-month period were forced to take psychotropic drugs. Many of them
had no psychiatric diagnosis."
Iraqis
Sue Blackwater for Baghdad Killings
A quote...."Even before its operatives opened fire on a crowded Baghdad
street in mid-September, allegedly killing seventeen Iraqi civilians
and wounding twenty-four others, Blackwater faced two wrongful death
lawsuits in the United States stemming from its activities in Iraq and
Afghanistan, a federal investigation into arms smuggling accusations
and a mounting Congressional inquiry. Now the stakes have gotten even
higher for the politically connected mercenary firm. - The
families of three Iraqis killed in the Nisour Square shootings have
filed a major lawsuit in a US federal court in Washington, DC, against
Erik Prince's firm, charging that Blackwater's actions amounted to
"extra-judicial killing" and "war crimes."
Call
for release of AP photographer Bilal Hussein, held by US army for 18
months
A quote...."Nothing has changed in the situation of Associated Press
photographer Bilal Hussein, an Iraqi national, since his arrest 18
months ago, Reporters Without Borders said today. He is still held at
Camp Cropper, near Baghdad airport, and he is still waiting to be
brought before a judge. The US authorities, who claim he represents “a
security threat,” have never said when this might happen."
Russia
refuses to back down on U.S. missile shield, CFE -1
A quote...."MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia refuses to change
its position on U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Europe
and demands on an arms reduction treaty, a senior Defense Ministry
official said on Friday."
Putin to
support Iran Six policy on Tehran - FM Lavrov
A quote...."MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President
Vladimir Putin will back the shared position of the six international
mediators on Iran's nuclear program during his visit to Tehran next
week, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said."
Soyuz
spaceship docks with ISS
A quote...."KOROLYOV (Moscow region), October 12 (Itar-Tass) -- The
Soyuz manned spaceship carrying an international crew of three
automatically docked with the International Space Station (ISS) at 6:50
p.m. Moscow time on Friday, spokesman for the Russian mission control
center Valery Lyndin told Itar-Tass."
In
heat and cold: Why Kalashnikov rifle is so popular in the world.
INFOgraphics
A quote...."The Kalashnikov assault rifle is the world's most
widespread and accessible weapon. It is a standard weapon in the armies
of 50 countries. The rifle is simple to manufacture and cheap - in some
countries it can be obtained at less than the price of an ordinary hen"
Venezuela
Raises Proven Oil Reserves to 100 Billion Barrels
A quote...."Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela, the fourth-biggest
supplier of crude oil to the United States, said its proven oil
reserves have risen to 100 billion barrels."
Gazprom interested in Russia-Armenia-Iran oil refinery
A quote...." Gazprom said it is still positive about joint project
between Russia, Iran, and Armenia to construct an oil refinery in
Armenia. - Gazprom Neft — the oil arm of Russian energy company Gazprom
— is reportedly considering an investment of $1.7 billion to build the
joint oil refinery, which would process oil pumped from Tabriz in
northern Iran, “The Messenger” reported."
Seven
companies tender for Magallanes oil blocks
A quote...."Seven corporations from United States, Canada, New Zealand,
Egypt and Russia presented tenders for the oil and gas exploration
blocks in Magallanes Region, extreme south of Chile."
Hopefully the Chilean people will be smarter this time around and
they'll remember
what happened thirty years ago when they allowed US interests to
control their country's destiny. A lot of them died as a result.
They should think about those years long and hard before again agreeing
to deal with any US corporations. - mpg
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China
strikes huge gas deposit in northwest region
A quote...."China's largest oil and gas company PetroChina has
discovered a major gas field in the nation's northwest Xinjiang region,
state media reported this week. The field, known as Dabei III, boasts
an estimated reserve of up to 130 billion cubic meters reports the
China Daily newspaper."
Forty
new aircrafts, and four A380, for Aerolineas Argentinas
A quote...."Grupo Marsans the largest tourism and transport group in
Spain announced this week it has ordered 73 Airbus aircraft, including
four new A380 “Superjumbo”, for its Air Comet and Aerolineas Argentinas
fleets. - Privately owned Marsans said the deal is worth 7.5 billion US
dollars at list prices, making it one of the biggest in Spanish
aviation history. The Spanish group becomes the second new European
customer for the world's biggest passenger plane since 2001, and is the
first from Spain. The four aircraft, which can carry up to 853
passengers, will be split equally between Air Comet and Aerolineas
Argentinas."
Old
times were not good times
A quote...."Globalization is by no means new. The exportation of jobs
-- that is the loss of local employment that the beloved corporate word
“globalization” implies -- is as old as imperialism. The Egyptians,
Persians, Greeks and Romans of the ancient world, as well as the Aztecs
in the New World, solved the problem of labor costs with the use of
slaves, slaves both at home and in their colonies. In more recent times
the euphemism of “globalization” is applied to the outsourcing of labor
to places where it costs the very least, from the USA to Mexico, as
from West Europe to East Europe and Asia."
Income
inequality worst since 1920s, according to IRS data
Some quotes...."Americans in the bottom 50 percent of wage earners saw
their share of income shrink to 12.8 percent in 2005, down from 13.4
percent." - "The Journal notes that many Americans fear the
economy is entering a recession, and the
IRS data show income for the median earner
fell 2 percent between 2000 and 2005 to $30,881. Earnings for
the top 1 percent grew to $364,657 -- a 3 percent uptick."
- "Scholarly research suggests that top earners did not have such
a large share of total income since the 1920s, the Journal
reported." - italics by website author.
That means during the recent "boom" of this economy,
before everyone maxed out their
credit cards,
before the
housing market started to tank,
before
the end of this ten year cycle (still one to eighteen more months to
go)....most people had a
decline in
income. What the heck is going to happen when this country has
its usual recession (besides war with Iran)? - mpg