Ex-CIA Officials Tied to Rendition Program and Faulty Iraq Intel Tapped to Head Obama’s Intelligence Transition Team -- Special Note - A quote...."John Brennan and Jami Miscik, both former intelligence officials under George Tenet, are leading Barack Obama’s review of intelligence agencies and helping make recommendations to the new administration. Brennan has supported warrantless wiretapping and extraordinary rendition, and Miscik was involved with the politicized intelligence alleging weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the war on Iraq. We speak with former CIA analyst Melvin Goodman and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights. [includes rush transcript]" -- ||  Real Video Stream  ||  Real Audio Stream  ||  MP3 Download  ||  More…  ||  

Kissinger backs [Calamity] Clinton for top US cabinet job
It's like being endorsed by Joseph Mengele, or Attila the Hun or Genghis Khan....Hillary must be so proud right now. - mpg -- Henry Kissinger, the former senior US [NRE] statesman, [mass-murderer] yesterday gave his firm backing to Hillary Clinton as the next US Secretary of State in the forthcoming DemocratsRepub administration."

Hillary Clinton to accept Obama's offer of secretary of state job
Special Note - Ugh!  Retch!  "Calamity Condi" gets to pass the torch she's used to incinerate so many innocents into "Calamity Clinton's" hands so the NRE's traditions of sparing absolutely no one may continue unabated. - mpg -- A quote...."Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama..."

2 DemocratsRepubs  to Submit Compromise on Lieberman
Special Note - A quote...."Connecticut Senator would be sanctioned for backing GOP ticket but could keep key committee post"  -- "Senators and aides said yesterday that Sens. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) and Ken Salazar (Colo.) will present a plan at a caucus meeting that would strip Lieberman of a low-profile subcommittee chairmanship, possibly one on global warming." -- OH MY GAWD!!  What a terrible thing to do to the poor guy, stripping him of his chairmanship on global warming....how cruel can they possibly be.  Lieberman should just retire now, it's all over for him, after all, if things keep going on the way they are....the Demos might even begin to use HARSH language against him. It simply doesn’t even bare thinking about. - mpg

DemocratsRepubs Cover Up Bush Era War Crimes
Special Note - A quote...."The Associated Press writes:


And when Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy was asked if Bush officials could face war crimes, he responded: 


also posted at GlobRsrch & WarInIraq
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Vigilante Man: Crime Without End, Amen
Special Note - A quote...."The Iraq War? Illegal. Who says so? The former top law lord of America's main ally in the invasion and occupation. What does it mean?  It means that the whole mass-murdering operation was, has been, and remains a damnable crime against humanity by any and all legal standards, even those of the invading countries themselves.  (To say nothing of the moral abomination involved). -- And from this, what follows? Nothing. No prosecutions. No justice for the victims, no punishment for the murder bosses -- some of whom are already slithering across the bloodsoaked corridors of the imperial courts to join the circles of power again. The rest are leisurely packing their bags for a cozy, coddled, easy retirement -- while their corporate cronies continue to feast on the blood money of the soon-to-be-augmented war machine. -- But who cares about all that! Wonder what kind of puppy the Obamas are gonna get? Wonder what they're gonna name it? And do ya think Obama really will get the NCAA to bring in a football playoff? Glorioski, ain't it a grand time to be alive?" -- For more on this issue see....They Won - 07-20-08 - mpg

Top judge: US and UK acted as 'vigilantes' in Iraq invasion
A quote...."

A Pact With The [Nameless One] - posted at ICH
A quote...."WASHINGTON - The big bang is not that Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's majority Shi'ite/Kurdish 37-member cabinet in Baghdad has approved the draft of a security pact with the George W Bush (and Barack Obama) administrations allowing the US military to stay in Iraq for three more years; it's that the 30-strong Sadrist bloc will move heaven and Earth - including massive nationwide protests - to bloc the pact in the Iraqi National Assembly." -- also posted at WarInIraq & AsiaTimes

Still Aspirational? US Doesn’t See 2011 Pact “Deadline” as Firm - posted at AntiWar
Special Note -- A quote...."As the Iraqi parliament debates the final draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States one of the key revisions which has quelled some (though not all) discontent with the deal was to remove a clause which explicitly left open the possibility of keeping US forces in the nation beyond 2011. The SOFA just covers the rules of US troops operating in Iraq from 2009-2011, and even without the clause nothing would prevent a future deal keeping the troops there past the scope of the SOFA, but somehow removing the clause made the date seem more firm."  --  "At least that’s the Iraqi perspective. White House press secretary Dana Perino is still describing the so-called firm timeline as “aspirational dates,” while Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen said a 2011 US pullout would be “conditions-based,” while conceding that “conditions could change in that period of time.”

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Dozen Juveniles at Guantanamo Bay
Full quote...."The number of juveniles held at Guantanamo Bay was revised upwards by US military officials. Twelve juvenile detainees have been held at the US camp on Cuba, up from eight reported in May to a United Nations committee on child rights, the Pentagon said. Pentagon spokesman Jeffrey Gordon, a Navy commander, said many of the juveniles did not know their own birth date and the US did not intentionally misrepresent the number of detainees under the age of 18. He said the UN has been informed of the correction. Rights groups said it was important for the US military knows the real age of those it detains because juveniles are entitled to special protection under international laws."

'Corporate Prisons': the GOP's Formula for More Crime, Declining Education, and Slave Labor
Special Note - A quote...."...by year's end 1999, there were 706,600 Texans in prison, jail, parole or probation on any given day. In a state with 14 million adults, this meant that 5% of adult Texans, or 1 out of every 20, are under some form of criminal justice supervision. The scale of what is happening in Texas is so huge, it is difficult to contrast the size of its criminal justice systems to the other states' systems it dwarfs:"
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Iraqi and American Critics of Security Pact Speak Up
A quote...."BAGHDAD — Iraqi and American critics of a security agreement governing American troops in Iraq voiced their objections on Monday, a day after the Iraqi cabinet approved the pact and sent it to Parliament for ratification. -- In Iraq, opposition has created an unlikely association between the followers of the anti-American Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, who rejected the agreement out of hand, and some Sunni politicians, including ones who support the deal but are trying to wrest concessions from the Iraqi government."

Operation Enduring Disaster - Breaking with Afghan Policy
A quote...."Washington's hawks will argue that, while bad, the military situation is, in fact, still salvageable. This may be technically accurate, but it would require the carpet-bombing of southern Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, the destruction of scores of villages and small towns, the killing of untold numbers of Pashtuns and the dispatch to the region of at least 200,000 more troops with all their attendant equipment, air, and logistical support. The political consequences of such a course are so dire that even Dick Cheney, the closest thing to Dr. Strangelove that Washington has yet produced, has been uncharacteristically cautious when it comes to suggesting a military solution to the conflict." -- also posted at CommonDreams

The Real Goal of Israel's Blockade - posted at CounterPunch
A quote...."The latest tightening of Israel's chokehold on Gaza – ending all supplies into the Strip for more than a week – has produced immediate and shocking consequences for Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants. -- The refusal to allow in fuel has forced the shutting down of Gaza's only power station, creating a blackout that pushed Palestinians bearing candles on to the streets in protest last week. A water and sanitation crisis are expected to follow." -- Also posted at AntiWar & CounterCurrents

Olmert orders plans drawn up for massive offensive against Gaza - link posted at ICH
A quote...."OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Interim Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert accused Hamas on Sunday of "shattering" the Gaza truce after two rockets hit Israel, which the Jewish state followed with an air strike that killed four Palestinian resistance fighters. However, Olmert, who made the comments at a weekly Israeli Cabinet meeting, did not mention the initial Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip on November 5 that killed seven Hamas members."

Official: Israel prevents 15 medicine-laden trucks into Gaza - link posted at ICH
A quote...."GAZA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Sunday prevented 15 trucks loaded with different kinds of medicines from passing through one of Gaza Strip crossings, a Palestinian health ministry official said."

IAEA chief confirms traces of uranium found at Syria site - link posted at ICH
Yeah, it's called Aerosolized US-NRE Depleted Uranium. Most of the Gulf is now covered with it. The stupid idiots should just check the prevailing wind patterns!- mpg -- A quote...."International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei confirmed for the first time on Monday that samples taken from a Syrian site bombed by Israel last year, suspected to have been a nuclear facility, contained traces of uranium."

U.S. Loses Ruling on Hatfill - link posted at AntiWar
A quote...."A federal judge ordered the Justice Department yesterday to release documents that explain why investigators suspected Steven J. Hatfill in the 2001 anthrax mailings. Hatfill has since been exonerated. -- U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered the Justice Department to make public affidavits and related records used to persuade judges to allow federal agents to search Hatfill's property. He also ruled that the government must disclose similar records involving Hatfill's girlfriend."

AP Decries Army Photoshopping - link posted at AntiWar
Special Note -- A quote...."Late Friday night, the Associated Press published an article discussing the digitally altered photos of Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody that had been issued to the media by the Defense Department. The article announced that the AP will no longer use Defense-issued photographs.....


Georgia's rearguard action in face of Amnesty report
A quote...."Fresh witness accounts have undermined Georgia's portrayal of its onslaught on the breakaway territory of South Ossetia as a purely defensive operation, and prompted authorities to launch a fightback to counter allegations that it is rewriting the history of its six-day war with Russia."

Estonian Spy Scandal Shakes NATO and EU
A quote...."For years an Estonian government official has apparently been collecting the most intimate secrets of NATO and the EU -- and passing them on to the Russians. The case is a disaster for Brussels."

Merchant of Death - Thai prison interview
Interview - Contains Videos -- A quote...."


This case is interesting because Viktor Bout (a character who was modeled after him was played by Nicholas Cage in the movie Lord of War) has done business with just about everyone, much of it with "agencies" in the US (NRE) and also supposedly with the Taliban and al-Qaeda (al-CIA-da).  Nobody wants him talking, if he’s not released somehow he may just suffer a “tragic accident”. - mpg -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror -- posted 11-05-08
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Pak accuses US of pushing it closer to bankruptcy - He who sups with the [Nameless One].....
A quote....Pakistan has accused the United States of pushing it closer to bankruptcy by witholding up to 1 billion dollar in aid in military contributions despite the country's efforts to fight terrorism."

The G-20 Washout - posted at ICH
Must Read - A quote...."November 17, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- As expected, the G-20 Economic Summit in Washington turned out to be a total bust. None of the problems which have pushed the global economy to the brink of disaster were resolved and none of the main players who gamed the system with their toxic securities were held accountable. Instead, the visiting dignitaries gorged themselves on stuffed quail and roast rack of lamb before settling on a toothless "Statement on Financial Markets" which accomplished absolutely nothing. The one noteworthy clause in the entire document is a two paragraph indictment of the United States as the perpetrator of the financial crisis. At least they got that right."

MERCOSUR to Discuss Financial Crisis Mitigation
De-Couple, it should be the mantra of every supra-national economic organization out there!! De-Couple immediately from the sucking, black, voracious, maelstrom of darkness and corruption that has become the US-NRE's crime-syndicate excuse for an economy. - mpg -- A quote...."Montevideo, Nov 16 (Prensa Latina) The Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) will hold a Meeting of Reflection on the global financial and economic crisis here on Monday, according to sources from MERCOSUR Permanent Committee." -- also posted at BLN
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America Taking the 2 Steps Which Lead to Bankruptcy
A quote...."Companies [& countries] go bankrupt when they:

    (1) Borrow more than they should; and
    (2) Have to pay their creditors more and more interest to loan them money.

Website Editor's Note: - a.k.a. "California Bankruptcy"  [def. -- a formally stable economic condition wherein an entity has assumed enormous amounts (called “living beyond one’s means”) of debt (i.e. principal) way beyond it’s ability to ever pay (usually the entity never had any such intention in the first place) but has now reached an unstable economic condition (commonly called “a crisis”) wherein the entity can't even pay the interest it owes.] - mpg

Financial Crisis Tab Already In The Trillions
A quote...."Given the speed at which the federal government is throwing money at the financial crisis, the average taxpayer, never mind member of Congress, might not be faulted for losing track. -- CNBC, however, has been paying very close attention and keeping a running tally of actual spending as well as the commitments involved. -- Try $4.28 trillion dollars. That's $4,284,500,000,000 and more than what was spent on WW II, if adjusted for inflation, based on our computations from a variety of estimates and sources*."

Freddie Mac May Need $50 Billion From Feds Next Year
A quote...."Government-controlled mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac hit up Hank Paulson for $14 billion last week after posting a huge quarterly loss. In a research report issued Monday, FBR Capital Markets analyst Paul Miller says that Treasury can expect additional requests next year:"

The no-think nation - The Crisis Has Hardly Begun
A quote...."What we are talking about here is a minimum budget deficit of $2 trillion.  The US has never had to finance a deficit of this magnitude.  Where is the money coming from? -- The US Treasury doesn't have any money, and neither do Americans, who have lost up to half of their savings and retirement funds and are up to their eyeballs in mortgage and consumer debt.  And unemployment is rising. -- There are only two sources of financing: foreign creditors and the printing press."

Inhofe: “No Way Of Knowing” Where Bailout Money Has Gone
A quote...."Senator Jim Inhofe has slammed the continued secrecy behind where the bailout money has gone, saying that Hank Paulson could have given it to his friends and that the “blank check” must be cancelled now."

Don't expect another Fed reduction
Special Note - Financial Alert - A quote...."PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (MarketWatch) -- The actual rate at which overnight funds are changing hands these days is only 1/4%, far below the Federal Reserve's intended rate of 1%." -- The Fed's almost going negative! - mpg

Australia: Retirement savings decimated as stock market plummets
A quote...."Hundreds of thousands of Australian retirees are beginning to feel the impact of the privatisation, over the past two decades, of their superannuation and life savings. According to a leading financial data supplier, a staggering $1 billion per day was wiped off the value of Australian superannuation assets during October’s stock market plunge and November is shaping up to be even worse." -- For more on this issue see....White Man's Burden - 12-20-06 - mpg
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High dynamic range (HDR) photography
For those interested in photography. - mpg


New package, old contents - posted at OnlineJournal
Must Read - A quote...."The conflict between Joe Six-Pack and Two-Buck Chuck was resolved after the longest, most expensive presidential campaign in history. Consumers of budget beer and cheap wine were set against one another by the owners of both the brewery and the winery. Imaginary divisions have once again been used to keep manual and mental workers from noticing that they are employed by the same people."

'Yes We Can' - Obama...'No We Can't' - Celente
A quote...."RHINEBECK, NY, 14 November 2008 - Barack Obama was elected President on a slogan "Yes We Can," and a promise of sweeping "change." But the slogan is an empty one and the promise has already been broken, asserts Gerald Celente, Trends Research Institute Director.  --   Obama's win was an unquestionable victory for racial justice; it proved the color barrier could be breached. However, under the new administration the promised "change" will be minimal. And, as usual, the citizenry will play no role in shaping government policy."

US Imperialism: a picture is worth a thousand words by ~ LeonKuhn
Great poster - mpg -- A quote...."Bush/Obama....'nuf said."

Obama speaks on Iran by ~Latuff2
World has now a new emperor by ~Latuff2
More cartoons. - mpg

More Center-Right Signals from Obama Camp
A quote..."In the latest display of an emergent center-right government coming at the nation, President-elect Barack Obama is seriously considering naming his campaign adviser Greg Craig as White House chief counsel. That name might not ring a bell, but Craig, in his previous capacity as an adviser to the Obama campaign, earlier this year did a song-and-dance routine about how the Illinois Senator had supported the revision in 2007 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act because it would otherwise "expire."

Officials: Obama Offered Clinton Secretary Of State
So instead of "Calamity Condi" we're now going to be treated to four years of "Calamity Clinton"?  It's like some sort of really, really, bad dream. - mpg -- A quote...."President-elect Barack Obama offered Sen. Hillary Clinton the position of Secretary of State during their meeting Thursday in Chicago, according to two senior Democratic officials. She requested time to consider the offer, the officials said." -- Any of you Oblivious-Obamomites disappointed yet?  If not, you can now truly diagnose yourselves as Advanced Audio-Visual Disassociative Disorder sufferers (AAViDD believer type-1) - mpg
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George W Bush could pardon spies involved in torture - Let the pardoning games begin. - mpg
A quote...."George W Bush is considering issuing pardons for US spies embroiled in allegations of torture just before he leaves the White House" -- For more on this issue see....Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure.

Whistleblower asked to reveal illegal FBI acts
A quote...."The FBI has engaged in unlawful acts while carrying out a Bush administration intelligence-gathering program that allows surveillance of U.S. citizens without warrants, says an a well-known FBI whistleblower who has been asked to air his allegations to the Justice Department. -- The accusations by Supervisory Special Agent Bassem Youssef, who oversees the FBI's role in the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless surveillance program, are the first to emerge publicly about the bureau's role in the program."
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Huh....
A quote...."Perhaps you remember the quote from 1984 at the end of Fahrenheit 911:


This is, of course, how countries often function; for instance, the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. But I used to believe this resulted from instinctual decisions—as opposed to conscious ones—by leaders. -- I'm coming to believe I was wrong about this."

Shiite Bloc Fails to Go to Meeting on Iraq-U.S. Pact
A quote...."BAGHDAD — Iraq’s political leaders held a high-level meeting on Saturday to gauge support for a security agreement that will determine the future role and presence of American forces in Iraq before crucial votes in the cabinet and Parliament."

Iraqis Believe Americans Bombing Them to Promote SOFA
Special Note - A quote...."This week I was at the scene of a bombing, reporting a news story
about three explosions in Adhamiya. They were horrible explosions, all at the same time in a very crowded Shia neighborhood. I remember the smell of the blood, the flies all around and the injured people, the broken glass and the destruction."

Al-Sadr, Sistani rip pact with U.S.
A quote...."Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr renewed threats to unleash his militia fighters to attack U.S. forces unless they leave Iraq immediately, and Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani vowed to intervene if he concludes the proposed agreement governing the presence of U.S. forces infringes on national sovereignty."

Lahoud: Priority is to defend Lebanon, not disarm Hizbullah
A quote...."BEIRUT: A successful national defense strategy is not about disarming Hizbullah, but about protecting Lebanon, Minister of State Nassib Lahoud said Friday at a conference on the future of Lebanon's national defense strategy. "We do not want Lebanon to be a battlefield for Israel or a comfort gift for a loser in the region," he said. "

Sabra, Shatila and Collective Amnesia
A quote...."In 1982, Folman was a 19-year-old IDF infantry soldier. Twenty four years later, in 2006, Folman is surprised to find out that he does not remember a thing from that war or the massacres in Sabra and Shatila. The film is a journey into Folman’s lost past. -- The documentary is set as a chain of animated interviews and conversations between Folman and his military associates, psychologists and Ron Ben Yishai, the legendary Israeli TV reporter who was among the first to report on the Sabra and Shatila Massacres. The setting aims at building a coherent personal past narrative out of the broken memories of others." -- Also posted at DissidentVoice

Hammas vs Fatah ~ Latuff2
Cartoon. - mpg -- For more on this issue see....US Sponsored Civil Wars - Palestine

No missiles in Europe until OSCE summit, urge EU, Russia
A quote...."Nice, France - Russia and the United States should both refrain from siting any new weapons systems in Europe before a major summit of European and North American powers in June or July 2009, the French and Russian presidents said on Friday."

POLITICS:  U.S. Task Force Found Few Iranian Arms in Iraq
Special Note - Some quotes...."WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (IPS) - Last April, top George W. Bush administration officials, desperate to exploit any possible crack in the close relationship between the Nouri al-Maliki government and Iran, launched a new round of charges that Iran had stepped up covert arms assistance to Shi'a militias." -- "But a U.S. military task force had been passing on data to the Multi-National Force Iraq (MNFI) command that told a very different story. The data collected by the task force in the previous six weeks showed that relatively few of the weapons found in Shi'a militia caches were manufactured in Iran."

Iran switches reserves to gold - report
A quote...."Reuters, Saturday November 15 2008 TEHRAN, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Iran has converted financial reserves into gold to avoid future problems, an adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in comments published on Saturday, after the price of oil fell more than 60 percent from a peak in July."

Iran Wants Another Cut in OPEC Output
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran wants OPEC to decide to cut oil output by a further 1 to 1.5 million barrels per day at its scheduled meeting in Cairo on November 29, the Islamic Republic's OPEC governor said on Saturday."

Iran Emerging as Top Tourist Destination in Germany
A quote...."Travel agencies, tour operators, and travel wholesalers are booking Iran for droves of tourists in Germany.
"There has been an enormous increase in the number of German tourists traveling to Iran in 2008," the Managing Director of Dr. Tigges/Gebeco travel agency, Ury Steinway has told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper."

India Celebrates Landing On The Moon
A quote...."NEW DELHI – India rejoiced Saturday at joining an elite club by planting its flag on the moon as the country's space agency released the first pictures of the cratered surface taken by its maiden lunar mission."
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G-20 Wants Quick Action on Credit Default Swaps, But Bush Talks Them Into Toothless Regulation
Why oh why did they listen to that monkey! - mpg -- A quote..."Credit default swaps were one of the core agenda items at the G-20 meeting this weekend. Specifically, CDS are the focus of one of the four "Immediate Actions by March 31, 2009" to which the G-20 agreed:...."

My "Outrage List" Keeps Getting Longer And Longer
A quote...."I don't know about you. But I started keeping a mental "Outrage List" a while back. The idea: Chronicle all the ridiculous statistics, all the lies, all the questionable practices, and all the dubious "rescue packages" Wall Street and Washington keep shoveling onto the public's lap." - Well buddy, this might make you feel better, see below. - mpg

S-ck. On. This. - Schadenfreude has never been so, so sweet:
Must Read - (for the Schadenfreudeness of it all) -- A quote...."It would be easy to dismiss today’s rant (however spot-on it might be) by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman as yet another ideological tirade against the U.S. automobile industry. But based on the bad news coming out of shopping-mall owner General Growth Properties [GGP], it is no wonder Friedman is feeling crankier than usual. That’s because the author’s wife, Ann (née Bucksbaum), is an heir to the General Growth fortune. In the past year, the couple—who live in an 11,400-square-foot mansion in Bethesda, Maryland—have watched helplessly as General Growth stock has fallen 99 percent, from a high of $51 to a recent 35 cents a share. The assorted Bucksbaum family trusts, once worth a combined $3.6 billion, are now worth less than $25 million." -- Ouch!! Now that's gotta hurt. - mpg

How to Ground The Street
A quote...."President-elect Barack Obama will soon face the extraordinary task of saving capitalism from its own excesses, much as Franklin D. Roosevelt had to do 76 years ago. Up until this point in the crisis, policymakers have appropriately applied the rules of triage -- Band-Aids and tourniquets, then radical surgery -- to keep the global financial system alive. Capital infusions, bailouts, mega-mergers, government guarantees of unimaginable proportions -- all have been sought and supported by officials and corporate chief executives who had until now opposed any government participation in the marketplace. But put aside for the moment the ideological cartwheel we have seen and look at the big picture: The rules of modern capitalism have been re-written before our eyes."

The GOP: Architects of Another 'Great Depression'
Special Note -- A quote...."The GOP has dominated American economic policy since 1980 and with the exception of a brief period in Clinton's second term, the rich have gotten exceedingly richer and the poor, much, much poorer."

Uhhh, Not Contractually
Contains Videos- A quote...."And none of the committed ($350,000,000,000) was for the purchase of mortgage related assets or conditioned on the recipients of the TARP funds undertaking any mortgage related modifications, is that correct?” --  *Dennis Kucinich*

“uhhh, not contractually.” -- *Kashkari*

"Do you want to know what a truly progressive politician looks and sounds like? Not just someone spouting platitudes and mindless rhetoric to get your vote?...."

Thursday November 13th 2008

Obama and the Crisis of Expectation
Must Read - A quote...."With Obama elected President but not yet inaugurated, the question on everyone’s mind is, “what’s going to happen next?” Millions of people around the world are hoping that a Obama presidency will radically change the course of US politics, and with it, world politics. This is especially true for the huge numbers of mostly young volunteers working for Obama’s campaign, most of whom had never been involved in politics before." -- Also posted at ICH

The Democrats of 2002 and 2007 haven't gone anywhere
A quote...."Though it hasn't happened yet, it is appearing increasingly likely that Senate Democrats -- led by Barack Obama (who seems to be playing a much more active role in all of this than his spokesperson yesterday suggested) -- are going to choose Joe Lieberman to serve as their Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the next Congress.  If that happens, there will be one important silver lining:  it will remind many people, who have understandably forgotten due to the euphoria last week, exactly what most Beltway Democrats are, what their priorities and beliefs are, and to whose opinions and concerns they do and do not pay attention." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Et tu Obama: Who will your Appointees Serve—Israel or America?
A quote...."November 13, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- -Despite such warnings from our founding fathers against the corruptive influence of a minority “faction/special interest group”, our government has nevertheless surrendered, pandered, implemented, paid and died for the vital interests of a small foreign nation, Israel.   America has in effect “outsourced” its foreign policy and national interests to this foreign nation to the detriment of its own interests---political, economic, military, credibility, moral leadership, and friendly alliances around the world."

WMR: Obama Aware of Emanuel-Mossad Links
Special Note - A quote...."The Oct 10, 2008 Wayne Madsen Report states that President-Elect Obama has been informed of Rahm Emanuel's FBI Counter-Intelligence profile, any links to Mossad and his links to Israeli attempts to sabotage two Clinton Administration initiatives dealing with 1) Morocco and the Western Sahara independence front POLISARIO and 2) attempts to ease tensions between the White House and both the PLO and Iraq while in the White House."

Restoring the Constitution
A quote...."Nearly two years ago Senator Obama, contrary to what he knows and believes, vigorously came out against the House commencing impeachment proceedings. It would be too divisive, he said. As one of one hundred Senators who might have had to try the President and Vice President in the Senate were the House to impeach. He should have kept impartial and remained silent on the subject."
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Vladimir Putin 'wanted to hang Georgian President Saakashvili by the balls'
Special Note - A quote...."With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia’s Government. According to Mr Levitte, the Russian seemed unconcerned by international reaction. “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” Mr Putin declared.  --  Mr Sarkozy thought he had misheard. “Hang him?” — he asked. “Why not?” Mr Putin replied. “The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein.”  --  Mr Sarkozy, using the familiar tu, tried to reason with him: “Yes but do you want to end up like [President] Bush?” Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: “Ah — you have scored a point there.”

Ukraine ‘censored’ arms sales documentary
A quote...."A Russian film-maker claims the Ukrainian authorities prevented him from screening a documentary revealing the extent of Ukraine's arms sales to Georgia. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko has already admitted her country’s behaviour during the war in South Ossetia was suspicious."

Mary Dejevsky: Why did the West ignore the truth about the war in Georgia?
A quote...."Thank goodness, they might be thinking at the US State Department and the British Foreign Office, for the financial crisis. Were it not for the ever-blacker news about the Western world's economy, another scandal would be vying for the headlines – and one where the blame would be easier to apportion. It concerns our two countries' relations with Russia and the truth about this summer's Georgia-Russia war." - also posted at ICH -- For more on this issue see....American Selective Attention Deficit Disorder (ASADD) - 08-16-08 - mpg

Belarus To Seeks To Deploy Russian Missiles
A quote...."MINSK, Belarus -- President Alexander Lukashenko is in talks with Moscow about placing in Belarus advanced Iskander missiles that could hit targets deep inside Europe. -- President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, left, who met Oct. 26 near Moscow with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, says that Belarus would like to deploy missiles even if it doesn't reach an agreement with Moscow."

Medvedev: No missile deployment if Obama drops anti-missile shield
A quote...." Paris - Russia will not deploy missiles in its European enclave of Kaliningrad if US president-elect Barack Obama cancels the planned American anti-missile defence system, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview published Thursday in the French daily Le Figaro. -- 'We are prepared to drop our decision to deploy missiles at Kaliningrad if the new American administration decides to abandon its anti-missile system,' Medvedev said."

Italy criticises US over E.Europe missiles plan
A quote...."Senior Italian politicians have called on Russia and the U.S. to end a row over planned missile deployments. Italy's Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, has appealed to Washington to shelve proposals for an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, PM Silvio Berlusconi has likened the proposed missile shield to the recognition of Kosovo: an act of "provocation against Russia."

Russia Expands Its Military Presence In Central Asia
A quote...."The secretary-general of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolai Bordyuzha, recently announced the planned formation of an international force in Central Asia that "should be prepared to repel any threat." -- On November 9, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev submitted an agreement on the expected 5,000-strong force to the State Duma for approval, Bordyuzha said that the force is to be formed immediately upon the agreement's ratification by all participating states." -- also posted at BLN

Putin says Russia may scrap Nord Stream pipeline
A quote...."MOSCOW, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Russia may scrap its Baltic Sea gas pipeline project, Nord Stream, and build gas liquefaction plants instead if Europe keeps delaying the pipeline, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. -- "Europe must decide whether it needs this pipeline or not," Putin told Finland's Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, at a meeting in Moscow."
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Blackwater likely to be fined millions in Iraq weapons case
A quote...."WASHINGTON — The State Department is preparing to slap a multi-million dollar fine on private military contractor Blackwater USA for shipping hundreds of automatic weapons to Iraq without the necessary permits. Some of the weapons are believed to have ended up on the country's black market, department officials told McClatchy, but no criminal charges have been filed in the case." -- For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - Guns for Everyone

US abandoning key feature of its strategy on Iraq
A quote...."THE US military in Iraq is abandoning – deliberately and with little public notice – a centerpiece of the widely acclaimed strategy it adopted nearly two years ago to turn the tide against the insurgency. It is moving American troops farther from the people they are trying to protect." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Schoolgirls sprayed with acid in Afghanistan
A quote...."Attackers have sprayed acid in the faces of up to 15 schoolgirls in Afghanistan. The teenagers were walking to their all-girls high school in the southern city of Kandahar when they were attacked by two men on a motorbike. The men used a toy gun to spray acid in the girls' faces. Some of the victims were wearing Islamic burqas, which gave them some protection, but several received serious acid burns. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Local officials believe it may be an attempt to stop local girls from attending school. NATO-led forces in Afghanistan have condemned the act as cowardly." -- Just how brave do you have to be....to throw acid on some girls while they're going to school.  Probably these guys were furiously jealous because they can't even read or write. Just a bunch of ignorant, thuggish, stupid, psychotic, moronic, insurgent wannabes that wouldn't know which end of a gun to hold and were such a bunch of dumb-asses they were told to get lost when they tried to join up...so they go attack some girls, from behind, and than they run away. - mpg

Europe should speak to Hamas now
A quote...."There is no doubt that Hamas, the main Palestinian Islamic movement, is becoming more rational, more pragmatic and more moderate, at least in comparison to its formative years. This is why it is imperative that member-States of the European Union (EU) either collectively or individually should initiate a meaningful dialogue with Hamas as soon as possible. Needless to say, such a dialogue would be expedient to all parties involved as well as to the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East."

Switzerland says Israel breaking international law
A quote...."GENEVA – Switzerland accused Israel on Thursday of wantonly destroying Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem and near Ramallah in violation of the Geneva Conventions' rules on military occupation. -- The Swiss Foreign Ministry demanded that Israel immediately halt the demolitions, which Israel has said are aimed at removing illegally constructed shacks."

Israel Tightens the Chokehold on Village Entrepreneurs The Withering Palestinian Economy
A quote...."The sun is sinking fast behind the trees of an olive grove on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Nilin. After a day of confrontations between the Israeli army and the Palestinian villagers over Israel’s building of its separation wall on Nilin’s land, the soldiers appear finally to have gone."

The Making of an Insurgent
A quote...."November 13, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- We all complain about politics, but have you ever wondered what makes a person pick up a gun and start violently resisting the government? -- Some of the factors that make fertile ground are already well-known: an elite intent on keeping and expanding its privileges, a State that refuses to incorporate or entertain alternative ideas, an economy where downward mobility has become the new rule. But those factors have existed in many countries without sparking violent resistance. Why, I wondered, did people in one country organize and fight, while others suffered on in silence?"

EGYPT:  Ruling Party Delivers More Disappointment
A quote...."CAIRO, Nov 13 (IPS) - The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of President Hosni Mubarak promised a "new style of thinking" at its fifth annual party congress last week, but critics in the opposition say they saw little of it."

World will struggle to meet oil demand: leaked report - Alt
Special Note - A quote...."Output from the world’s oilfields is declining faster than previously thought, the first authoritative public study of the biggest fields shows. Without extra investment to raise production, the natural annual rate of output decline is 9.1 per cent, the International Energy Agency says in its annual report, the World Energy Outlook, a draft of which has been obtained by the Financial Times." -- For more on this issue see....Oil Producing Countries Past Peak - Chart

Salameh issues call for Arab monetary union
Special Note - Could have done it thirty years ago, they could have established their own Arab, or better yet, Middle Eastern EU with its own currency, but no.  Instead they had to let the Saudi Royals team up with Israel and the NRE, let them recycle all those petro-dollars while supporting every stupid jerk-ass whacked-out psychotic religious CIA/Mossad/ISI nut-job out there. What a waste of time and lives. - mpg -- A quote...."BEIRUT: Banque du Liban Governor Riad Salameh on Thursday recommended a single currency for the Arab countries and further expansion of the banks in the region to counter the negative effects of the global credit crunch. "Our banks will face challenges in the future in view of the financial crisis around the world. Among these challenges are quality competition that should induce us to expand the Arab banking sector and create a single currency so that the growth and commercial trade in the region will not be pegged to other currencies," Salameh told participants in a conference called Investments for Stability."
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Former DC appeals court judge suggests Bush detention policies amount to war crimes.
A quote...."According to a new Human Rights Center/Center for Constitutional Rights report, former prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay and released without charge went home with “psychological and emotional problems” and found themselves “stigmatized and shunned” and viewed either as terrorists or U.S. spies. In a forward to the report, former DC appeals court judge Patricia Wald compared the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody to the treatment Bosnian Muslims received at the hands of their Serbian captors:"

Senate Dems To White House: Preserve Records (Especially You, Cheney)
A quote...."Democrats from the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees last week sent a letter to the White House demanding that it preserve all records produced by the Bush administration. The letter expressed particular concern that the office of Vice President Cheney would not comply with the law." -- And Cheney's just going to ignore them, as he has these last eight years. - mpg

What Is NorthCom Up To?
False Flag Update - Police State Alert -- A quote...."This week and into next, NorthCom and NORAD are conducting a joint exercise called “Vigilant Shield ’09.” The focus will be on “homeland defense and civil support,” a NorthCom press release states." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Recruiters Losing The Battle At Home
A quote...."First, President Bush says he wants to increase the Army and Marines by 92,000. John McCain promised 100,000. Then Barack Obama gets on board with his proposal to add 65,000 soldiers to the Army, and 27,000 Marines. “Bolstering these forces is about more than meeting quotas. We must recruit the very best and invest in their capacity to succeed,” he said in his 2007 Foreign Affairs treatise."

Border 'Scarecrows' Lampoon Immigration Hardliners
First the spoof of the New York Times, now this, people are getting pretty creative out there. Good stinging satire....it's the only way to go. - mpg -- A quote..."Anonymous activists in Tucson, Arizona have been placing life-sized cutouts of Maricopa County’s notorious immigration hardliners on the streets of this close-to-the-border town. Here's one of these scarecrow scenes, featuring America’s self-described “toughest sheriff” Joe Arpaio. "Tucson police say they are investigating" the guerrilla art protest, according to AZfamily.com."

Australian Web Filter To Block 10K Web Sites
A quote...."AUSTRALIA'S mandatory net filter is being primed to block 10,000 websites as part of a blacklist of unspecified "unwanted content". -- Some 1300 websites have already been identified by the Australian Communications and Media Authority."
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The Worst Is Not Behind Us - From one of the guys who predicted it all, Nouriel Roubini. - mpg
Must Read - Financial Warning - A quote...."It is useful, at this juncture, to stand back and survey the economic landscape-both as it is now, and as it has been in recent months. So here is a summary of many of the points that I have made for the last few months on the outlook for the US and global economy, as well as for financial markets:" -- Also posted at ICH

A Credit Crisis or a Collapsing Ponzi Scheme? - The Two Trillion Dollar Black Hole
Special Note - A quote...."Purge your mind for a moment about everything you've heard and read in the last decade about investing on Wall Street and think about the following business model:...." -- also posted at ICH & BLN

Canadian financial crisis is just as severe as that of the United States: Canadian and US Bank Bailouts are Equivalent
A quote...." Let’s do some simple mathematics  to put things into perspective. -- The United States has a population of 303,824,640 and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the $700 billion bailout of the US financial system, means that approximately $2,304 per capita will be donated to banking institutions, or should I say, be given to private banks so that they can maintain their stranglehold on citizens of the United States."

With Its Failed Policies, Government Triggers "A Return of Systematic Risk to Credit Markets
A quote...."It is not really a return of systematic risk. Rather - by refusing to take the bull by the horns to reign in credit derivatives and other toxic instruments - the government has ensured that the systematic risk was never solved. Instead of letting insolvent financial institutions which made wildly stupid and greedy bets fail - which is the necessary medicine - the Fed is propping up corrupt losers and encouraging them to be more corrupt and make worse investments in the future. Instead of letting the deleveraging fires burn out on their own with the minimum amount of damage possible, the government is trying to reverse the process, which will just fan the flames and make it more dangerous."

October budget deficit hits record of $237.2B - And this is just the start of the red ink....just you wait and see. mpg
Special Note - A quote...."The federal government began the new budget year with a record deficit of $237.2 billion, reflecting the billions of dollars the government has started to pay out to rescue the financial system. -- The Treasury Department said Thursday that the deficit for the first month in the new budget year was the highest monthly imbalance on record. It was far bigger than analysts expected, over four times larger than the October 2007 deficit of $56.8 billion, and more than half the total for all of last year."

Sarkozy Pushes for Abandonment of Dollar as World Reserve Currency
A quote...."French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday ahead of the G20 meeting of world leaders:


Who Got Bailout Money So Far?
A quote...."November 13, 2008  ---  The Treasury Department's $700 billion bailout plan, also known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), is one of the main U.S. tools to address the financial crisis."

85,000 homes lost in October
A quote...."As government and industry scramble to reverse the tide of foreclosures, filings jumped 25% in October." -- bold by website editor

U.S. Jobless Claims Reach Seven-Year High of 516,000 (Update1)
A quote...."Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- First-time claims for U.S. unemployment insurance rose last week to the highest level since September 2001, when the economy was last in a recession, as weakening demand led companies to fire more workers."

Insurers pull Cover form GM and Ford Suppliers
Special Note - Full quote...."Troubled US carmakers GM and Ford have been given a potentially devastating vote of no confidence by three big European credit insurers, which have removed cover from their suppliers. The withdrawal of credit insurance – which covered suppliers against the risk of the automakers failing – has previously hastened the demise of a string of European companies. Euler Hermes, Atradius or Coface, which control more than 80% of the world’s credit insurance market, are refusing to write policies for suppliers trading with GM or Ford on credit. GM and Ford are two of the biggest groups ever to be blacklisted. The cut-off of cover will primarily affect the companies’ large operations in Europe, where the insurers do the bulk of their business. US suppliers largely operate without insurance. The move leaves three possible scenarios: GM and Ford can start paying upfront for goods; they can hope their suppliers will trade uninsured; or they could be unable to buy the parts they need for car production."

Pound sinks to record low against the euro
A quote...."The reasons for sterling's weakness are not difficult to see. To some extent, it is simply an adjustment to the way the pound has been overvalued for years: its fair value is about $1.50, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. -- What's more, the UK is evidently headed for recession and the Bank of England is predicted to cut interest rates to historically low levels, maybe even below 1 per cent over the course of next year – the lowest level since the Bank was granted its charter in 1694." -- bold by website editor - Wow! Now that's making history. - mpg