Tuesday January 6th 2009

The Gaza Attack - 22 Articles - Tuesday - [ Day 11 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Silence is Complicity We’re All War Criminals Now
Must Read - A quote...."January 05, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse" -- In response to the current brutal assault on Gaza by Israel a well-known long distance service provider has sponsored a petition for their customers to sign urging a cease fire. On the face of it, this seems like a noble endeavor. The company in question caters to the progressive community and donates a portion of its fees to a wide array of progressive organizations. One could take issue with the fact that this company aligns itself with a notorious international banking cartel to provide credit card services to its customers. But what is interesting to note is how the language in the email which introduces the petition, whether intentionally or not, promotes the usual pro-Zionist narrative about the situation."

The Monstrosity of War
Must Read - A quote...."Agence France-Presse reports that the first person killed when the Israeli military began to enter Gaza on Saturday was a Palestinian child. -- On Sunday, a Palestinian woman and her four children were blown to pieces when Israeli warplanes bombed their home. They are among the 521 victims (at the time of this writing) of the ongoing air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip by a 9,000 strong force, which the Israeli government has launched on one of the most densely populated tracts of land in the world, home to 1.5 million Palestinians, half of them under 17 years of age."

“This is an all-out war against the civilian Palestinian population”
Must View Video - A quote...."January 06, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse" Dr. Mads Gilbert, Gaza, Dr . Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor in Gaza, tells Sky News that the number of civilians injured and killed in Gaza proves that Israel is deliberately attacking the population."

"By choice they made themselves immune"
Must Read - A quote...."Israel has killed and injured almost 4,000 men, women and children so far in its assault on Gaza; it has entombed whole families together in the ruins of their homes. As I write, news is breaking that Israeli bombs have killed at least 40 civilians huddling in a UN school which they mistakenly thought would be safer than the homes from which Israel's relentless barrage -- and its deliberately terrorizing "warning" leaflets and prerecorded phone calls -- had already driven them. (I still have one of the leaflets the Israelis dropped on besieged Beirut in 1982 and the language is exactly the same -- "flee, flee for your lives!"). Mosques, schools, houses, apartment buildings, have all been brought down on the heads of those inside."

'As I ran I saw three of my children. All dead
Must View Video - A quote...."The small dead bodies were laid next to one another on the tiled floor of the morgue corridor, the blood drained from their cheeks. One had a bandage still wrapped around his head, another lay with his mouth half-open in his oversized, bloodstained clothes." -- also posted at ICH

The American Puppet State
Must Read - A quote...."January 05, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse" -- - President George W. Bush was in his stand-up comedian role when he declared that he wanted to be remembered as a fighter for human rights. -- Seldom has a fighter for human rights amassed Bush’s death toll. According to Information Clearing House, Bush’s invasion and occupation of Iraq has resulted in 1,297,997 dead Iraqis. Millions more have been wounded, and millions are displaced. Bush’s legions have taken out weddings, funerals, kid’s soccer games, hospitals, and mosques. -- For more on this issue see....Judeo-Christian Conflict-Control Within the US

Obama’s Bay of Pigs
Must Read - A quote...."January 05, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse"  -- The volcano is erupting, and the lava pouring forth is a bold and deliberate challenge metaphorically slapping the face of President-Elect Barack Obama. The architect of Obama’s challenge is, of course, Lame Duck President George W. Bush."

CNN Reporter; Israel Broke the Cease Fire First
Must View Video - A quote...."January 6, 2009 -- This is a video that won’t last long on Youtube. It’s a reporter from CNN (he won’t last long either) trying valiantly to wrap his head around the fact that maybe they have been fed a bunch of bullshit once again (read… Iraq War Hype) and Israel provoked this attack by breaking the cease-fire first."

Paul: Israel had US OK for war on Gaza
A quote...."Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:43:41 GMT  -- Outspoken Republican congressman Ron Paul says Israel had received a green light from the United States to launch an offensive in Gaza." -- also posted at ICH

Israel's Historical Mistake
A quote...."Global Research, January 7, 2009 -- No matter how the current war plays out, it is certain that Israel has made a big historical mistake in entering Gaza. -- On Saturday night, one week after the start of Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli ground operation began. Israeli Forces began deploying combat units to surround Hamas' main power base, the declared goal of which is "not to chase after and destroy every last rocket launcher, but rather to break the Hamas' resistance." Israel believes that the ground incursion into Gaza will significantly damage Hamas' standing army and give its leadership a clear sense of the threat to their rule."

The Bloodbath In Gaza Separating the Truth from the Hype
A quote...."January 06, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse" -- In a rare moment of honesty, the New York Times divulged the real motive behind the bombardment and invasion of Gaza. In Ethan Bronner's article, "Israel Weighs Goal: Ending Hamas Rule, Rocket fire, or Both", Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon said, "We need to reach a situation in which we do not allow Hamas to govern. That is the most important thing. If the war ends in a draw, as expected, and Israel refrains from reoccupying Gaza, Hamas will gain diplomatic recognition...No matter what you call it, Hamas will obtain legitimacy.” -- For more on this issue see....US Sponsored Civil Wars - Palestine

Israel hits UN-run Gaza schools
A quote...."First Published 2009-01-06 -- Nearly 160 Palestinian children have been killed so far -- GAZA - Israeli tanks and troops surged into towns across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday striking three UN-run schools killed at least 45 people sparking urgent new ceasefire calls."

U.N. official says Gaza school was clearly marked
Related Article - A quote...."Tue Jan 6, 2009 5:39pm GMT -- UNITED NATIONS, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A U.N. official in Gaza said a school where dozens of Palestinians were killed by tank shells on Tuesday was clearly marked with a U.N. flag and its location had been reported to Israeli authorities."

UN demands probe into Israel's strikes on Gaza schools
Related Article -- A quote...."07.01.2009 [00:38 ] -- UN anger: A wounded Palestinian is carried away after the attack at the Jabaliya school (Reuters) -- Thirty people died and 55 were injured at a UN-run school at the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza when Israeli shells landed just outside the school, which was packed with locals taking shelter from the fighting. -- Witnesses said people who were cut down by shrapnel lay in pools of blood in the street. "

Israel shells houses, schools in 11th day of offensive
A quote...."2009-01-07 05:34:06 -- ·Israel pressed on with its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, in the 11th day of violence. ·An Israeli air and ground strike on a school run by UN killed 46 people and wounded 150 others."

Laughing at the Extermination of Gaza
A quote...."Submitted by atheo on Wed, 2009-01-07 08:55. -- These young Israelis in the photo are watching as the Israeli army carrries out its deadly bombardment of Gaza. They look like they're enjoying it and having fun. They're watching it, using binoculars; they're laughing, and are chatting about what they're seeing...No, it's not the New Year Eve's fireworks...It's a festive moment though -they're enjoying the extermination of the Palestinian people! [Freely translated from islamboutique.fr]"

Gaza Massacre - Slideshow
A quote...."Aprox 12-30-08 -- This is what Israel and CNN don't want you to see…"

Reports: Israel Targeting Medics and Ambulances
A quote...."January 6, 2009. -- Multiple sources are reporting that medics and ambulances have come under repeated attack in Gaza by Israeli forces. Aid workers are also reporting that even when Red Crescent ambulance teams contact the Red Cross and the Red Cross contacts the IDF to coordinate the ambulance mission, they are often prevented from reaching the injured."

Medics 'unable to reach Gaza wounded'
A quote...."January 06, 2009 09:25am -- PEOPLE wounded in fighting in the Gaza Strip are dying because ambulances cannot reach them, the International Committee of the Red Cross said today."

Egypt bars doctors from entering Gaza Strip
A quote...."Last update - 13:46 06/01/2009 -- RAFAH - Frustration is mounting at Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip, where many local and foreign doctors are stuck after Egyptian authorities denied them entry into the coastal area now under an Israeli ground invasion. " -- also posted at RougeGov

MIDEAST:  Obama Silence 'Ends Hopes From U.S.' -- Duh!!!!  Boy some people are stupid!! - mpg
A quote...."CAIRO, Jan 6 (IPS) - With the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip now in its second week -- and as the Palestinian death toll approaches 600 -- U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has continued to remain silent. Obama's reticence, say Egyptian commentators, indicates that he will be no more even-handed on the issue of Palestine than preceding U.S. administrations."

Venezuela expels Israeli envoy & Venezuela expels Israel envoy over Gaza attacks
Special Note -- Related Article - The ONLY head of state that has any guts!  Just remember however in the US-NRE/Israeli world....no good deed goes unpunished....ever. - mpg -- A quote...."Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:09:22 GMT  -- Venezuela has expelled the Israeli ambassador to the Latin American country in protest at the ongoing onslaught in the Gaza Strip. -- In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said that Caracas had expelled the Israeli envoy to protest the Israeli invasion of Gaza which had killed at least 500 Palestinians."

End - The Gaza Attack - 22 Articles - Tuesday - [ Day 11 ] ========== ========== ==========

No such thing as the United Nations
A quote...."Jan 7, 2009, 00:29 -- I never imagined I would one day agree with that bizarre neoconservative warmonger John Bolton, who was briefly the US ambassador to the United Nations. In 1994, Bolton was quoted as saying, “There’s no such thing as the United Nations. If the UN Secretariat Building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” I differ from Bolton only on one point. The entire expensive and useless organization founded in 1945 to prevent wars and pursue human rights should be demolished because it has failed to live up to its charter over and over again." -- And THIS is why justice MUST BE DONE.  Bush and the others who are responsible for all of this must be brought to trial and judgment rendered upon them. This is why Obama and all of his Neo-Liberal Trolls are wrong; if these crimes go unanswered we will all wind up like the Palestinians. - mpg

Cheney: Bush's actions legal if not impeached
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."If you don't get punished, you didn't do anything wrong, right? -- That's the message Vice President Dick Cheney gave in an interview with CBS' Bob Schieffer on Sunday, suggesting that a president's actions are legal if those actions didn't result in his impeachment." -- Thank You, Thank you, Thank you, Nancy "take impeachment off the table" Pelosi.  Thank you for agreeing with her Bombs Away O-Bomb-a.  Thank you all you Obamatrolls for your contribution in destroying what little remains of the United States of America....you must be so very proud of what you've accomplished. – mpg

CIA Preparing To Install Military Government In Greece?
A quote...."The increasingly violent riots in Greece could be the curtain raiser for a military coup d’etat and the installation of a new government more friendly to U.S. hegemony as a countermeasure to increasing Russian influence over the Balkan state. -- It wouldn’t be the first time the CIA has assisted in such a venture - they aided the 1967 installation of a U.S. friendly military junta known as the Regime of the Colonels ostensibly to prevent Greece from falling under Soviet control, a fascist cabal which was later overthrown in 1973."

Gates estimates 2009 war costs at $136 billion
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would cost almost $136 billion for the 2009 budget year that began Oct. 1 if they continue at their current pace. - Speaking for neither his current boss, President George W. Bush — nor his future one, President-elect Barack Obama — Gates told top lawmakers in a New Year's Eve letter that the Pentagon would need nearly $70 billion more to supplement the $66 billion approved last year." - bold by website editor

Russia halts gas supplies to European countries
A quote...."The move comes amid a deepening rift between Russia and Ukraine, which hosts a pipeline supplying gas from its bigger neighbour to countries across Europe. -- Bulgaria and Macedonia also reported that all supplies of Russian gas had been cut, while Romania's pipeline operator said that its supplies had been cut by 75 per cent." -- also posted at BLN -- However Russia says....

Ukraine has shut all gas pipelines to Europe – Gazprom
Related Article - A quote...."Gazprom says that Ukraine has shut all four pipelines which send gas to Europe, causing several countries to run out of fuel. But Ukraine claims that Russia stopped delivering all gas to Europe through its territory on Wednesday morning."

VIDEO: Police Execute Unarmed Man in Public; Shot in Back
Must View Video - SHOCKING !! - Military State Warning - Iraq tactics come to the US-NRE....SUMMARY EXECUTION!! -- A quote...."A BART police officer struggling to handcuff a 22-year-old man, stood up over the facedown Hayward resident and fired a single shot into his back while a handful of officers watched, a video taken by a train passenger apparently shows."

The GOP Planned to Violate Federal Law, Use US Military Against Civilians
Military State Warning - A quote...."According to a planning document obtained by the ACLU, the Republican National Convention had planned to violate federal law by using federal troops to suppress and/or infringe the rights of free speech and assembly during the recent Republican national convention. According to the ACLU, several named agencies are military based, a violation of federal laws prohibiting the use of the military in domestic intelligence gathering activities. It is also a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. [ACLU]"

Burris Lawyers Rightly Cite Marbury V Madison On Behalf of the Junior Senator from Illinois
A quote...."January 6, 2009 -- Just a quick note.  The criminality of the Gov.  Blagojevich case is getting worse.  Not Blago’s criminality, but that of Harry Reid doing the bidding of Rahm Emanuel and ultimately, Barack Obama."

The Mumbia Attack - 1 Article - Tuesday - [ Day 40 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

No proof given, says Pakistan
Special Note - A quote...."ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Tuesday the information given to it by India on the Mumbai attacks did not constitute “proof” and, responding to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech in New Delhi, warned that allegations against the Pakistani state could end “all prospects of serious and objective investigations” into the incident."

End - The Mumbia Attack - 1 Article - Tuesday - [ Day 40 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

From Wall Street to Washington It's All One Big Lie
Must Read - A quote...."Airing live on C-SPAN, the first of the House Financial Services Committee hearings on the Bernard Madoff fraud on Monday, January 5, 2009 felt like the Congressional equivalent of a Ponzi scheme.  Big spans of empty Congressional seats commanded the camera’s lens at this historic hearing while empty-headed questions filled a torturous five hours with nothing to show for it at the end."

Somber Thoughts for the New Year Will There be a Recovery?
Special Note - A quote...."January 05, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse" -- Economists will scoff at the question in the title. But that’s because they are trying to fit the present into the past. -- In the past recoveries were routine, because recessions were temporary restraints resulting from the Federal Reserve putting the brakes on an overheating economy. By restraining the supply of money and credit, the Fed caused inventory buildup, layoffs, and a halt to price rises and union wage demands. With the economy cooled by unemployment, the Fed would take off the brakes. Interest rates would decline, money would flow, consumer demand would rise and workers would be called back to the factories."

Why Big Finance Is Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Special Note - A quote...."The country's financial markets have collapsed, as they tend to do when left without adult supervision, and they're taking our economy with them. With the large banks refusing to make loans after losing billions on worthless subprime derivatives, the government stepped in and agreed to October's financial bailout package."

Obama Predicts Years of Deficits Over $1 Trillion
Related Article - A quote...."Wednesday, January 7, 2009; A01 -- Slowing tax revenues and a historic bailout of the U.S. financial system will send the budget deficit soaring toward $1 trillion this year, President-elect Barack Obama said yesterday, and the red ink stands to get substantially deeper if Obama wins approval of a massive economic stimulus plan." -- also posted at RougeGov

Willem Buiter warns of massive dollar collapse
To EVERY country out there with dollar surpluses, don't dump them, just don't buy them anymore. Don't let them get their dollars really cheap if that's what they're planning, instead use them to trade amongst each other, invest in each other, buy commodities, whatever.  Why support the US-NRE?  Why throw good money after bad? Why deal with a bunch of larcenous thugs bent on murder and mayhem? - mpg -- A quote...."Americans must prepare themselves for a massive collapse in the dollar as investors around the world dump their US assets, a former Bank of England policymaker has warned. " -- also posted at ICH -- for more on this issue see article shown below....

Where's the Dollar Heading in 2009? - The question - Inflation (dollar crashes) - Deflation (dollar stabilizes) - mpg
Related Article -- A quote...."For two very different views on the subject, here is what billion-dollar fund manager Peter Schiff and investment advisor Mike "Mish" Shedlock say on what's in store for the dollar in 2009."

Alcoa lays off 15,000, US economy moves toward depression
A quote...."Less than one week into 2009, new economic data indicate the US will not quickly rebound from the crash of 2008. Economists now openly discuss the possibility of another Great Depression, portending the permanent impoverishment of broad sections of the population."

2008 slump wipes out 17 trillion dollars in stock value: S&P
Special Note - A quote...."The nightmarish stock market performance in 2008 erased some 17 trillion dollars in share value worldwide, a Standard & Poor's report said Tuesday. -- S&P's estimate is based the value of its Global Broad Market Indices, comprised of 46 major stock indexes around the world."

Factory shipments plunge record 5.3% -- [However] Capital-equipment orders show biggest gain in a year
Some quotes...."Orders for U.S. factory-made goods fell 4.6% in the month, twice as much as the expected 2.3% decline." -- "Orders for durable goods fell 1.5%, revised from the 1% drop reported two weeks ago. " -- "Factory orders have fallen four months in a row and were down 15.2% compared with the previous November. Orders fell a downwardly revised 6% in October." -- bold/underline by website editor

US pending home sales fall 4 percent
A quote...."US pending home sales fell in November to their lowest level on record amid rising unemployment and a deteriorating economy, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. -- The industry trade group said its forward-looking pending home sales index, based on contracts signed in November, fell 4.0 percent to 82.3 from a downwardly revised reading of 85.7 in October." - bold/underline by website editor

Florida's budget news gets worse
A quote...."TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers began a grim budget-cutting session Monday with more bad news: The state's deficit is likely $100-million bigger than expected, and Florida leads the nation in food stamp requests."

Monday January 5th 2009

The Gaza Attack - 12 Articles - Monday - [ Day 10 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Have Bush and the Neocons Ruined it for the Israelis?
Must Read - A quote...."Monday, January 05, 2009 -- The Israeli propaganda blitz around their attack on Gaza has been greeted with uncharacteristic skepticism by the American public and even by some of the mainstream US press. Even the Jewish American community is uneasy about this one, in a way perhaps unparalelled since the 1982 Israeli attack on Lebanon and siege of Beirut. Jews for Peace in Los Angeles are actively protesting the Gaza atrocities, and newspaper articles from around the US on local protests held this weekend often mention mixed Arab-American and Jewish-American rallies."

Civilian Toll Soars as Gaza Attacks Continue
A quote...."Posted January 5, 2009 -- 10 days into the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, the violence continues to escalate and there is still no end in sight. But as the violence moved into the most densely populated portions of the tiny strip, civilians are increasingly in the line of fire and increasingly the ones killed in the offensive."

Israel’s slaughter of innocent Palestinians is morally outrageous
A quote...."Jan 6, 2009, 00:28 -- Israel’s current assault on Gaza has sparked controversy in the mainstream press. But for all their differences, critics and supporters share a fundamental assumption: that Israel, as a Western industrial democracy, accepts the Enlightenment idea of the absolute value of individual human lives, and recognizes the inalienable rights that stem from it. Against this background, Israeli officials are seen as facing a tragic dilemma: how to confront threatening forces who do not share these values -- Islamic extremists -- without sacrificing their own moral standards."

Is Israeli Use of Depleted Uranium and White Phosphorous in Gaza a War Crime?
Full quote...."Monday, January 5, 2009 -- Israel is reportedly using both depleted uranium and white phosphorous in Gaza. -- I have previously argued that the use by Americans of depleted uranium and white phosphorous in Iraq are war crimes. -- Israel, like the U.S., signed the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, but not Protocol III of the Convention. The two countries are thus in identical positions with regard to international treaties. -- My analysis of U.S. war crimes in Iraq therefore applies equally well to Israel's acts in Gaza. Bottom line: Yes, Israel has committed war crimes."

Fallujah by the Sea: Aping America, Israel Unleashes Chemical Weapons in Gaza
A quote...."Mon Jan 05 2009 -- The Israeli military is reportedly using napalm-like white phosphorus shells in its all-out attack on Gaza, according to the conservative Times of London. The phosphorus in the smoke-emitting shells causes agonizing, unquenchable burns, sometimes searing flesh right down to the bone." -- For more on the two articles shown above see....Specialized Weapons Systems

Reports: Khalilzad Ordered to Keep UN From Stopping Gaza War
A quote...."Posted January 5, 2009 -- The French government is reportedly working with the Arab League on yet another draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, while also urging the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into the strip. According to America’s ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, they shouldn’t get their hopes up."

Americans Have Learned the Wrong Lesson from the Holocaust
A quote...."Monday, January 5, 2009 -- It is a common pattern among individuals and societies that the victim becomes the bully. -- Does an individual bully's background of being a victim justify his later violence? No, it doesn't. The same is true of peoples and nations."

[Press] Group: Israel deliberately attacked Palestinian journalists
A quote...."Published: Monday January 5, 2009 -- GENEVA (AFP) — Israel deliberately targeted Hamas-run media installations in its bombing campaign on Gaza and is practising media censorship, a journalist rights group said Monday."

Israel Arrests Iranian TV Journalist for Reporting Start of Gaza Invasion
A quote...."Posted January 5, 2009 -- Among the first to break the news Saturday that Israel had begun its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip was a journalist working for an Iranian television station. What did this reporter get for is troubles? Arrested, for one."

UPDATED: Media Commentary Muted as Israel Invades - 'NYT' Fails to Editorialize
A quote...."Published: January 05, 2009 12:20 AM ET updated Sunday and Monday -- NEW YORK (Commentary) Israel launched its much-anticipated invasion of Gaza on Saturday. For over a week, U.S. media had provided largely one-sided coverage of the conflict, with little editorializing or commentary arguing against broader Israeli actions." -- For more on this issue see....Judeo-Christian Conflict-Control Within the US

The struggle against Jerusalem’s quiet ethnic cleansing Palestinians Face Home Demolitions Spree By Israel
From the History File -- A quote...." 02/08/08 "ICH"  ---- In the first hours of dawn, Nader Elayan was woken by a call from a neighbour warning him to hurry to the house he had almost finished building. By the time he arrived, it was too late: a bulldozer was tearing down the walls. More than 100 Israeli security guards held back local residents."

Israel takes major hit on foreign relations
A quote...."Jan 6, 2009, 00:24 -- (WMR) -- Two countries that once enjoyed close diplomatic, military, and intelligence relations -- Israel and Turkey -- are on the outs over Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” attack on Gaza. -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently on a Middle East tour that has taken him to Syria, Jordan, and Egypt but not to Israel. Erdogan called Israel’s attack on Gaza a “crime against humanity” and “ruthless” during his visit to Damascus.

End - The Gaza Attack - 12 Articles - Monday - [ Day 10 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Every Empire Tries It
Must Read - A quote...."The good news is that history always repeats itself – so we can see what's coming down the pike. The bad news is that history always repeats itself – so we can see what's coming down the pike. -- Sigh."

Held Hostage For Six Years In Guantanamo Sami El Haj, Al Jazeera Journalist, Tells His Story
From the History File -- A quote...."02/08/08 "ICH" - -- - Standing straight and tall, an impressive and deeply introspective man, Sami El Haj walks with a limp and the help of a walking stick. Neither laughter nor smiles light up the refined face of this man, old before his time. A deep sadness pervades him. He was 32 years old when, in December 2001, his life, like that of tens of thousands of other Muslims, became a horrific nightmare."

Bush Must Be Stopped Before Starting War With Iran
A quote...."The Bush administration, in rhetoric that is eerily similar to that used to build the case for a war against Iraq, asserts that the Iranian Quds Force is arming anti-U.S. groups in Iraq and providing them with high-tech roadside bombs and sophisticated rockets. -- It dismisses the National Intelligence Estimate conclusion that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Kissinger Calls for a “New World Order” on CNN
A quote...."His task, will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period, when really a New World Order can be created.  It’s a great opportunity it isn’t … a crisis.  He (Obama) has appointed an extraordinarily capable group (of advisers and staff) in both foreign and economic fields.”  H. Kissinger"

More Groups Than Thought Monitored in Police Spying
Police State Alert - A quote...."The Maryland State Police surveillance of advocacy groups was far more extensive than previously acknowledged, with records showing that troopers monitored -- and labeled as terrorists -- activists devoted to such wide-ranging causes as promoting human rights and establishing bike lanes." -- also posted at BLN
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Automakers Fear a New Normal of Low Sales
A quote...."DETROIT — The historic collapse of the new-car market dragged on in December, raising questions of whether the auto industry will ever again have sales levels that it took for granted just a few years ago. -- The across-the-board decline of 35 percent, reported by auto companies on Monday, is certain to put more pressure on the fragile finances of several manufacturers, particularly General Motors and Chrysler."

Sunday January 4th 2009

The Gaza Attack - 16 Articles - Sunday - [ Day 9 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

George Galloway Stop Gaza Massacre protest lpart 08  - (YouTube - 3 min 37 sec - January 04, 2009)
Must View Video - A quote...."January 04, 2009 -- George Galloway's speech at Trafalgar Square London listened by 100s of thousands of supporters of truth and justice for Gaza."

Gaza 2008: Micro-Wars and Macro-Wars
Must Read - A quote...."Sunday, January 04, 2009 -- With regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict, we have entered the age of micro-wars. -- The first wars that Israel fought with its Arab neighbors were conventional struggles in which infantry, artillery, armor and air forces played central roles."

33 Israeli Civlians or 100 Billion Cubic Meters of LNG? What Do You Think the Gaza Invastion Is About?
Must Read - A quote...."January 4, 2009 -- Since 2006, there have been 33 Israelis killed in Israel by Palestinian aggression whereas during that same expanse of time,  there has been 1,485 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in the Occupied Territories (that doesn’t include Palestinians killed by “settlers” in the outposts or Israeli troops killed in the Occupied territories).  At this point during the current attacks on Gaza, there have been reported over 500 Palestinians dead, to a total of 4 Israelis.  You can do the math."

Robert Fisk: Keeping out the cameras and reporters simply doesn't work
A quote...."Monday, 5 January 2009 -- What is Israel afraid of? Using the old "enclosed military area" excuse to prevent coverage of its occupation of Palestinian land has been going on for years. But the last time Israel played this game – in Jenin in 2000 – it was a disaster. Prevented from seeing the truth with their own eyes, reporters quoted Palestinians who claimed there had been a massacre by Israeli soldiers – and Israel spent years denying it. In fact, there was a massacre, but not on the scale that it was originally reported."

The Invasion of Gaza: "Operation Cast Lead", Part of a Broader Israeli Military-Intelligence Agenda
A quote...."January 4, 2009 -- The aerial bombings and the ongoing ground invasion of Gaza by Israeli ground forces must be analysed in a historical context. Operation "Cast Lead" is a carefully planned undertaking, which is part of a broader military-intelligence agenda first formulated by the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001: " -- also posted at ICH
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Obama's AIPAC Speech Riles Palestinians - Well, he told us what he was going to do. - mpg
From the History File -- Posted: Thursday, June 05, 2008 5:16 PM -- A quote...."Sen. Barack Obama's speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Wednesday shocked many Palestinians, who had hoped he would be a sympathetic advocate for the Palestinian cause in the White House."

Why Obama Is Silent On Gaza?
A quote...."Published on 01-04-2009 -- If you look a few months back to when Obama was speaking at AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, you’ll find your reasons why he is silent on the current Gaza situation. As of right now, the Israeli government is invading and pillaging Gaza and not a word from Obama. His spokesman David Axelrod claims that he isn’t commenting because “..There is only one president at a time,” yet that didnt stop him with nearly every other issue such as the Mumbai attacks, and the Russia/Georgia conflict. Here is why:"

Barack Obama's silence on Gaza bombings is galling to Arabs
The Emperor plays while the "little people" pay.  Ain't it always the truth. - mpg -- A quote...."January 5, 2009 -- Arab commentators maintain, however, that Obama did comment on foreign affairs when he issued a statement condemning the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and that he has given several news conferences outlining his economic proposals. They suggest that his refusal to speak out on Gaza—where at least 460 Palestinians have died, compared with four Israeli deaths from the rockets—implies indifference to the plight of Palestinians or even complicity with Israel." -- also posted at Reficultnias

For more regarding the three articles shown above see....Judeo-Christian Conflict-Control Within the US
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Gaza hospital struggles to cope with casualties - 04 - (AJ - YouTube - 3 min 3 sec - January 04, 2009)
Video - A quote...."January 04, 2009 -- According to the United Nations, at least 507 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 2,400 injured since Israel began its offensive in Gaza. A quarter of those killed are civilians. Hospitals are at breaking point, families devastated, people are being forced from their homes."

Israel rains fire on Gaza with phosphorus shells
A quote...."December 5, 2008 -- Israel is believed to be using controversial white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip yesterday. The weapon, used by British and US forces in Iraq, can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen." -- For more on this issue see....Specialized Weapons Systems

West Bank protester shot dead by Israeli troops
A quote...."Sunday January 4, 2009 -- NABLUS, West Bank (AFP) — A Palestinian demonstrator was shot dead by Israeli troops in the northern West Bank on Sunday during a protest against the Gaza Strip offensive, medics and security officials said."

Depleted uranium found in Gaza victims
A quote...."Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:16:21 GMT  -- Medics tell Press TV they have found traces of depleted uranium in some Gaza residents wounded in Israel's ground offensive on the strip."

7 IOF tanks destroyed, one helicopter downed and 11 soldiers killed
A quote...."GAZA, (PIC)-- The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Sunday night that its fighters killed 11 IOF soldiers and wounded 48 others since the start of the land offensive 24 hours ago. -- The sources said that five soldiers were killed on Saturday night and six others were killed on Sunday, amongst them an officer with the rank of Colonel. -- The Israeli occupation admitted to only one soldier being killed and 30 others wounded."

Israel's Looming Catastrophe
A quote...."January 4, 2009 -- For the past three decades, Israel has charted a course that invites its own destruction by relying on two risky propositions: first, that it could extend its security perimeter beyond the reach of a devastating missile attack, and second, that it could permanently control the political debate inside its crucial ally, the United States."
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Emotions over Gaza spill into S. Florida streets
Action Update - A quote...."Posted on Sunday, 01.04.0 -- Taunts, jeers, vulgar gestures and curse words filled the air Sunday afternoon as supporters of both sides in the Gaza conflict waged dueling protests outside the Israeli consulate in downtown Miami."

Reportback From Vancouver Rally Against Israeli Assault on Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."Mon, 2009-01-05 06:25. -- Amidst a heavy snow storm and some of the coldest weather in Vancouver yet, approximately 800 residents of Vancouver gathered to express their outrage at the latest Israeli massacre in Gaza."

End - The Gaza Attack - 16 Articles - Sunday - [ Day 9 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

The New Iraqi Sovereignty - Just like the Palestinians have in Gaza
A quote...."There's got to be some irony in the U.S. transference of control to Iraqi security forces while the Israelis pound Gaza. Why? Because, despite the hoopla in the U.S. press and its Iraqi clones, the nature of the control being "given back" to the Iraqis seems quite similar to the control given back to the Gazans by the Israelis when they withdrew their forces in 2005. In other words, any control the Iraqi government and its security forces might now have can be removed at any time by U.S. forces. Indeed, the U.S. forces are not even withdrawing. They are merely turning the security details they performed for the past five years or so to Iraqi security forces whose existence depends on the presence of U.S. forces populating bases around Iraq." -- also posted at ZNet & MostlyWater

Obama Looking to Submit the Largest Tax Cut (for Big Businesses and the Wealthy) In History
A quote...."President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are crafting a plan to offer about $300 billion of tax cuts to individuals and businesses, a move aimed at attracting Republican support for an economic-stimulus package and prodding companies to create jobs."

FDNY Lieutenant Admitted Plan To ‘Take Down’ WTC 7
Special Note - A quote...."Newly uncovered video from 9/11 featuring an interview with FDNY lieutenant David Rastuccio on MSNBC confirms that there was a plan to deliberately demolish WTC Building 7, as was originally indicated in Larry Silverstein’s infamous statement on the PBS documentary, America Rebuilds." -- For more on this issue see....9/11 - WTC7

Portrait Emerges of Anthrax Suspect’s Troubled Life
Special Note -- A quote...."With the F.B.I. preparing to close the case, The New York Times has taken the deepest look so far at the investigation, speaking to dozens of Dr. Ivins’s colleagues and friends, reading hundreds of his e-mail messages, interviewing former bureau investigators and anthrax experts, reviewing court records, and obtaining, for the first time, police reports on his suicide in July, including a lengthy recorded interview with his wife. -- That examination found that unless new evidence were to surface, the enormous public investment in the case would appear to have yielded nothing more persuasive than a strong hunch, based on a pattern of damning circumstances, that Dr. Ivins was the perpetrator." -- For a fun look at this issue see....9/11 the Sequel - Return of the Jihadi - 08-23-08 - mpg

Saturday January 3rd 2009

The Gaza Attack - 26 Articles - Saturday - [ Day 8 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

The Butchering Of Gaza - Nazi Germany Revisited
Must Read - A quote...."Much has already been written about the eight-day-long running massacre of Palestinians that is taking place in Gaza. Indeed, what more can be said when it is clear that the Israeli government is intent on blithely ignoring all petitions, both the ambivalent and the unequivocal, to stop the indiscriminate murder. -- At least 450 dead so far (other reports put the figure closer to 500), many of them civilians, women, children, old and young, the rest policemen or Hamas officials. At least 2000 injured, many too seriously to survive or be treated in Gaza's severely blockaded hospitals. In short, in the last eight days the state of Israel has murdered approximately 500 innocent Palestinians and seriously injured 2000, and the representatives of the world's leading democracies sit virtually silent."

Israel needs its usual friends to help again - this time for real
Must Read - A quote...."....Israel needs help again. It needs reasonable people who share the faith of most of Israel's citizens to rescue them - and their Arab neighbors - from a degenerate political class that is leading all of us to disaster. Specifically, it is moderate Jewish Americans who can be the most helpful by taking back control of the so-called "Israel lobby" from the zealots who have made it the swamp of militaristic racism that it is. The lobby has enormous influence over US policy in the Middle East - and therefore over the calculations of Israeli political parties as they select their standard-bearers in national elections." -- also posted at ICH

Obama’s Silence is the Betrayal of Millions of People in Gaza and the West Bank
Must Read - (For the outrage) -- A quote...."January 4, 2009 -- With less than three weeks until the inauguration of Barack Obama, the president-elect has stayed silent on the deepening crisis in Gaza as Israel begins a ground invasion against Hamas."

MIDEAST:  Egypt Seen as Complicit in Gaza Assault
Must Read - A quote...."CAIRO, Dec 31 (IPS) -- As the Palestinian death toll pushes past 420, much of popular anger throughout the Arab world has been directed at Egypt - seen by many as complicit in the Israeli campaign. - Israel would not have hit Gaza like this without a green light from Egypt," Hamdi Hassan, MP for the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition movement, told IPS. "The Egyptian government allowed this assault on Gaza in hopes of finishing off Hamas." -- also posted at DailyStar

On collaboration and resistance of the oppressed
Must Read - A quote...."3 January 2009 -- In 1835, Thomas Macaulay, a British colonial officer in India, decreed that "We must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood and color, but English in taste, in opinions, words and intellect." European colonial powers often used political outsourcing through a network of native collaborators as a convenient way to subjugate the masses. These collaborators would tame the colonized on behalf of their masters who became sheltered in this way from popular uprisings. However, this process was not always predictable.

Rafah - Report from the ground - (RN Vid - 9 min 20 sec - January 1, 2009)
Real News Video - A quote...."January 1, 2009 -- Fida Qishta of Rafah, Gaza describes the past few days as Israeli bombing kills hundreds"

Gaza: Life under bombardment - (RN Vid - 7 min 13 sec - January 4, 2009)
Real News Video - A quote...."January 4, 2009 -- Guardian: Hatem al-Shurrab, aid worker for Gaza-based Islamic Relief org shares video diary of latest"

Top 5 Lies About Israel’s Assault on Gaza
A quote...."January 3, 2009 -- Five BIG lies. - mpg -- also posted at RougeGov & PalestinChron

The Jerusalem Post explains why Israel has gotten such ‘good’ media coverage
A quote...."[If any readers have wondered why the obscenity that is the state of Israel has gotten such ‘good’ coverage from the Western media, this article from the Jerusalem Post goes some way to explaining why. Ed]"

Gaza fighters kill 5 more Israelis
Full quote...."Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:49:54 GMT  -- Five more Israeli troops are killed in an ambush by Palestinian fighters after Israel launched a ground incursion into the Gaza strip. -- Palestinian resistance fighters killed the troops in Sunday clashes with Israeli military forces which invaded the impoverished coastal region last night after pounding it fro eight consecutive days, IRIB reported. -- The latest deaths took the number of Israeli soldiers killed and wounded after the ground invasion to 39. -- Meanwhile, Hamas forces have surrounded two Israeli special forces units in the strip. -- Israeli tanks retreated from Zeitoun district of Gaza as heavy fighting continues around Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia of the Gaza strip, Press TV's correspondent reports."

Hamas 'captures 2 Israeli soldiers'
A quote...."Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:17:49 GMT  -- Hamas says its fighters have captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes with invading Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip."

Johann Hari: The true story behind this war is not the one Israel is telling
A quote...."Monday, 29 December 2008  --  The world isn't just watching the Israeli government commit a crime in Gaza; we are watching it self-harm. This morning, and tomorrow morning, and every morning until this punishment beating ends, the young people of the Gaza Strip are going to be more filled with hate, and more determined to fight back, with stones or suicide vests or rockets. Israeli leaders have convinced themselves that the harder you beat the Palestinians, the softer they will become. But when this is over, the rage against Israelis will have hardened, and the same old compromises will still be waiting by the roadside of history, untended and unmade." -- also posted at ICH

462 Palestinians killed, 2300 wounded in 8 days of Israeli offensive on Gaza: official
A quote...."GAZA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 462 Palestinians were killed and more than 2300 others injured during the past eight days in the ongoing Israeli military offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, a senior Palestinian official said on Saturday. "

Israel Destroys American School in Gaza, Kills Guard

A quote...."The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports of Israel's heavy artillery bombardment of densely populated Gaza on Saturday that "The American School north of Gaza was directly hit and almost completely destroyed, with one school guard killed. In addition, at least three to five schools were damaged by Israeli shelling of nearby targets." I presume that  this is the school working to promote US good relations with Palestinians that now no longer exists.. Of course, the rest of the humanitarian situation is pretty bad, too--"Distribution of food assistance to the most vulnerable is erratic due to the security situation."
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>>>  Specialized Weapons Systems  <<<

White Phosphorous: Israel fires artillery shells into Gaza - AltUnconfirmed, it looks like it though. - mpg
A quote...."A shell fired by the Israeli military explodes in the northern Gaza Strip.Israel unleashed an artillery bombardment on Gaza today for the first time in its week-long offensive, prompting increased speculation that a ground invasion is about to begin." -- For more on this issue see....

United States used weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - sourcewatch
White phosphorus (weapon) - wikipedia
US admits use of white phosphorus in Iraq - wikipedia
Fallujah The Hidden Message - video - (YouTube - 27 min 7 sec - November 08, 2005)
Israel Using White Phosphorus On Lebanese Civilians - video - (YouTube - 5 min 54 sec - July 26, 2006)
White phosphorus: weapon on the edge
Israel used chemical weapons in Lebanon and Gaza
Google Piks - WARNING - extreamly graphic!

For other specialized weapons systems being used see reference below....

The Reality In Gaza - (YouTube - 4 min 33 sec - December 31, 2008)
Must View Video - A quote...."Posted January 02, 2009 -- This is an aid worker from norway he is also a doctor explaining the reality in gaza and what is happening to the Palestinians. - "Among the killed 21% Are women and children which means every 5th person is a women or a child that has died. Among the 2000 injured 40% are women and children" -- Note: the doctor being interviewed believes that the DIME weapon (Dense Inert Metal Explosive) may have been used all over Gaza; it causes cancer and does terrible damage to human tissue. -- Your tax dollars at work folks....enjoy. - mpg -- posted 01-02-09

Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) - GlobSec
DIME Experiment Used in the Israeli July - Aug. 2006 Operation " Summer Rain" on the Gaza Palestinians
Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) -ISRAEL used experimental weapons in Gaza.
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Top Question on Obama's Website Asks Him If He Will Prosecute War Criminals
Related Article -- Haaaa Ha Haaaa!!  Since he's already one himself, this website editor hardly thinks so. What a bunch of comedians ADS can be, although they're truly trying to be serious.....that's what makes the whole thing soooooo funny!! - mpg -- A quote...."Fri, 2009-01-02 01:18. -- President Elect Obama's website at Change.gov currently shows this as the most popular question people are asking:"

A Gaza Account: Life in the Line of Fire
A quote...."02:00 01/04/2009 -- This carnage goes on, as does another humanitarian crisis brought about by the Israeli siege of Gaza: a lack of medicines, bread, flour, gas, electricity, fuel and almost everything else. The Israeli siege has literally turned Gaza into a massive prison. All our borders are sealed, so there is no way out."

Israel bars ICRC entering Gaza
A quote...."January 3, 2009 -- For a second day running, Israeli authorities have barred a Red Cross medical team from entering Gaza to help treat residents injured in bombings."

Gaza telecommunication systems offline
A quote...."Date: 04 / 01 / 2009 Time: 00:58 -- Bethlehem – Ma'an – Palestinian communications networks are barely functioning in the Gaza Strip due to cables damaged by several Israeli airstrikes on network infrastructure on Saturday. -- Palestinian mobile provider Jawwal’s phone may stop working “at any minute” as shelling severely damaged the provider’s telecommunications network in Gaza."

Israeli Troops Invade Gaza Strip
A quote...."Posted January 3, 2009 -- Thousands of Israeli troops poured across the border into the Gaza Strip today, escalating a war that began a week ago today when Israeli plane began a series of air strikes that killed over 450 Gazans and wounded thousands of others."

Israel's air force shells orphanage in Ar-Ramal; one killed
A quote...."Jan 3, 2009 -- Gaza - Ma'an - Israeli air forces struck an orphanage in the Ar-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza city on Saturday night, Ma'an's reporter in Gaza said."
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UN: Stop Israeli 'monstrosity' in Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:41:25 GMT  -- UN General Assembly chief Miguel d'Escoto has criticized the Security Council for its inability to curb Israel's "monstrosity" in Gaza."

Gaza protesters gather near Obama's home
Action Update - A quote...."January 3, 2009 at  7:32 PM | Joining a growing number of demonstrations worldwide, protesters marched today in President-elect Barack Obama's South Side neighborhood to voice their opposition to Israel's strikes against Gaza. Nearly three dozen demonstrators walked in front of police barricades a few blocks from Obama's Kenwood  home, waving a Palestinian flag and chanting anti-war slogans that chastised the United States for manufacturing the bombs and warplanes used by Israel."

Protests Against Israel's Gaza Bombardment Spread
Action Update - A quote...."01/03/09 -- Massive protests are erupting across capitals in the Middle East and around the world in condemnation of Israel's deadly bombardment of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip."

France condemns Israel land offensive in Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."Sat Jan 3, 2009 9:22pm GMT -- PARIS (Reuters) - France condemned Israel's move to send ground forces into the Gaza Strip on Saturday as well as continued Hamas rocket attacks and urged both Israel and the Palestinian group to accept cease-fire proposals."

More Action Updates...................................
Gaza Prompts St. Pete Rally - St Petersburg FL. USA
Protesters decry Gaza Strip bombing - Lawrence KS. USA
Gaza Protests ITN video - London UK
Thousands rally in support of Gaza - West Bank, Indonesia and Australia
International Gaza Protests VideoSurf - multiple videos - VarLoc
Thousands protest in Europe at Gaza offensive - Europe
Egyptians protest for Gaza - "Mubarak! You bring us shame!"  LT - video - Egypt
Hundreds Protest Closed Egypt-Gaza Border - Egypt
Muslims around the world protest Gaza assault - VarLoc

End - The Gaza Attack - 26 Articles - Saturday - [ Day 8 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Everything You Need to Know about Iran But the Mass Media, the Republicans and Hillary Clinton Wouldn't Tell You
A quote...."Just a month ago, while Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President George W. Bush met in Washington for the last time as heads of state and continued their relentless bellicose rhetoric toward Iran, I and three activists from the United States were in Iran as citizen diplomats talking with Iranians on their views of a new American presidential administration and their hopes for their country."

Iraqi Station Rebuts U.S. Account of Employee's Shooting
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Jan. 3 -- The employer of an Iraqi television producer shot and wounded by U.S. troops on New Year's Day disputed the military's assertion Saturday that she had acted suspiciously and had failed to heed warnings before the troops opened fire. -- Hadil Imad, who works for the satellite station Beladi TV, was shot on a bridge in central Baghdad as she approached a group of U.S. troops working with Iraqi police. She suffered serious injuries and underwent surgery, her employer said."

US-installed Iraqi ex-PM says Bush "utter failure"
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Former U.S.-installed Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has denounced the policies of President George W. Bush as an "utter failure" that gave rise to the sectarian venom that ravaged his country."

America's other glorious war
Must Read - A quote...."Stability", it should be noted, is a code word used regularly by the United States since at least the 1950s to mean that the regime in power is willing and able to behave the way Washington would like it to behave. It is remarkable, and scary, to read the US military writing about how it goes around the world bringing "stability" to (often ungrateful) people. This past October the Army published a manual called "Stability Operations".[3] It discusses numerous American interventions all over the world since the 1890s, one example after another of bringing "stability" to benighted peoples. One can picture the young American service members reading it, or having it fed to them in lectures, full of pride to be a member of such an altruistic fighting force.

Growing Taliban Use of Marksmen Worries US Military
Special Note - War Tactics Alert -- A quote...."Kandahar, Afghanistan - Taliban fighters increasingly are deploying precision marksmen to fire on U.S. troops at greater distances throughout opium-producing southern Afghanistan, according to the top two commanders for the southern region."

Russia - Ukraine Gas Dispute: Follow The Money
A quote...."The reality is that the Soviet gas industry was born in Ukraine in the 1930s, and the infrastructure was built from there and Ukraine is still a central part of the gas pipeline network even as the focus of activity moved to Western Siberia. Splitting the Soviet Union along Republic borders made for an often unworkable allocation of physical assets, and nowhere was this more true than for gas. The consequence is that vital assets for Gazprom are located in Ukraine and thus no longer under its direct control."

Why Bush Was Good for Foreign Policy (Satirists)
Satire - This one is funny - mpg -- A quote...."George W. Bush. But it's long past time that someone looked at the up side of Bush. Here are 10 good reasons we're going to miss him, in no particular order."
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Barack Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel talks about his draft plan
Police State Alert -- A quote...."Barak Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel discusses his book The Plan in which he outlines a mandatory civil service requirement for all Americans from ages 18 to 25.  -- “You look at WWII that was a draft. This is not a draft it is universal service.” says Emanuel about his mandatory 3 month civil service training program. -- Barack Obama spoke about the national security force he would like to see created while campaigning in the 2008 presidential election season." -- also posted at RougeGov

PJB: Blago Raises the Stakes
A quote...."On the eve of the New Year, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, charged with conspiring to sell the Senate seat of Barack Obama, put the ball back squarely in the court of a Democratic Party that had disowned him. -- Blago named Roland Burris, former attorney general of Illinois and first African-American ever to win statewide office, to fill the vacated seat. National Democrats and their media auxiliaries went berserk." -- They did indeed and it was a glorious thing to see.....You-Go Bla-go!  You-Go Bla-go!. - mpg
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US asks Arab nations for $300 Billion to fund auto bailout
Special Note - A quote...."The Gulf’s vast investment funds are run by professionals who know that stocks go down as well as up. But they have lost heavily because of their forays into Western markets, particularly with their investments in banks, which are hit by the credit crisis. -- Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, UBS and Barclays have all raised billions of dollars from the Middle East. The funds are now nursing heavy losses, such as those purchased by the Kuwait Investment Authority which invested in Citigroup whose shares have fallen by three quarters this year." -- For more on this issue see....The Green Light 01-16-08 - mpg

U.S. Debt Expected To Soar This Year -- $2 Trillion Increase May Test Federal Ability to Borrow
A quote...."With President-elect Barack Obama and congressional Democrats considering a massive spending package aimed at pulling the nation out of recession, the national debt is projected to jump by as much as $2 trillion this year, an unprecedented increase that could test the world's appetite for financing U.S. government spending."

U.S. governors seek $1 trillion federal assistance
A quote...."PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession."

Steel Industry, in Slump, Looks to Federal Stimulus - [$1 Trillion]
A quote...."The industry itself is turning to government for orders that, until the September collapse, had come from manufacturers and builders. Its executives are waiting anxiously for details of President-elect Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, and adding their voices to pleas for a huge public investment program — up to $1 trillion over two years — intended to lift demand for steel to build highways, bridges, electric power grids, schools, hospitals, water treatment plants and rapid transit."

Friday January 2nd 2009

The Gaza Attack - 25 Articles - Friday - [ Day 7 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

The Reality In Gaza - (YouTube - 4 min 33 sec - December 31, 2008)
Must View Video - A quote...."Posted January 02, 2009 -- This is an aid worker from norway he is also a doctor explaining the reality in gaza and what is happening to the Palestinians. - "Among the killed 21% Are women and children which means every 5th person is a women or a child that has died. Among the 2000 injured 40% are women and children" -- Note: the doctor being interviewed believes that the DIME weapon (Dense Inert Metal Explosive) may have been used all over Gaza; it causes cancer and does terrible damage to human tissue. -- Your tax dollars at work folks....enjoy. - mpg

William Bowles: Do we live on the same planet?
Must Read - A quote...."02-Jan-09 -- Apparently not, well not if you listen/watch the BBC or read the corporate press, not that creating a world that doesn’t actually exist is anything new, it’s just that the actions of Fascist Israel has stretched our credulity to its limits, thus the media have been forced to stretch their lies to the limit. -- You have to ask yourselves how the hell do they get away with it? -- The answer is simple: it’s racism, pure and simple. Palestinians are less than human, thus eliminating them is as easy as eliminating vermin, and the actions of Fascist Israel are backed up with their words; Palestinians are “vermin”, “cockroaches”, “Palestine is finished” and so it goes. -- If anybody harboured any illusions about the settler state of Israel, surely now those illusions must shattered as surely as the shattered bodies of Palestinian children are."

Friday London protest (02.01.2009) - (YouTube - 3 min 16 sec - January 02, 2009)
Must View Video - A quote...."January 02, 2009 -- NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION AND RALLY LONDON Assemble 12:30pm Along Embankment, by Embankment tube station."

We must adjust our distorted image of Hamas
Must Read - A quote...."December 31, 2008 -- Last week I was in Gaza. While I was there I met a group of 20 or so police officers who were undergoing a course in conflict management. They were eager to know whether foreigners felt safer since Hamas had taken over the Government? Indeed we did, we told them. Without doubt the past 18 months had seen a comparative calm on the streets of Gaza; no gunmen on the streets, no more kidnappings. They smiled with great pride and waved us goodbye. -- Less than a week later all of these men were dead, killed by an Israeli rocket at a graduation ceremony. Were they “dangerous Hamas militant gunmen”? No, they were unarmed police officers, public servants killed not in a “militant training camp” but in the same police station in the middle of Gaza City that had been used by the British, the Israelis and Fatah during their periods of rule there." -- Also posted at ICH

Israel's Dogs of War
Must Read - A quote...."Israel's dogs of war have been baying for blood for some time now. They have sniffed their prey with ravenous lust as if they have been the ones starved of food instead of the Palestinians whom they have primed for slaughter. Now the pack is encircling Gaza, teeth bared and snarling, while others do their dirty work from the skies. To them, the blood of women and children smells the same as that of the menfolk who fight to defend them."

Obama's deadly silence
Must Read - A quote...."While feigning restraint, Obama has telegraphed where he really stands; senior adviser David Axelrod told CBS on 28 December that Obama understood Israel's urge to "respond" to attacks on its citizens. Axelrod claimed that "this situation has become even more complicated in the last couple of days and weeks as Hamas began its shelling [and] Israel responded." -- The truce Hamas had meticulously upheld was shattered when Israel attacked Gaza, killing six Palestinians, as The Guardian reported on 5 November. A blatant disregard for the facts, it seems, will not leave the White House with George W. Bush on 20 January."

Israel is America’s hands
Must Read - A quote...."Jan 1, 2009, 01:20 -- It is the responsibility of the alternative press to enlighten the American people about who is behind all of these interminable little “pissant” wars that drive us towards a global conflagration. -- All these little wars begin with “terrorist” attacks, which we then rush to defend against. All these vicious terror attacks can be traced back to American, British and Israeli intelligence agencies. Repeated revelations being made in foreign media about CIA/Mossad connections with terror kingpins like Dawood Ibrahim, Sheikh Omar, Ayman al Zawahiri (Kosovo Liberation Army), Turkish “deep state” elements, etc., and terrorist attacks carried-out in places like Yemen, Syria and Kosovo are providing hard proof of our charges of American/Israeli state terrorism."

How Israel is Multiplying Hamas by a Thousand -- Molten Lead in Gaza
Must Read - A quote...."Those who decided to close the crossings – under whatever pretext – knew that there is no real cease-fire under these conditions. -- That is the main thing. Then there came the small provocations which were designed to get Hamas to react. After several months, in which hardly any Qassam rockets were launched, an army unit was sent into the Strip “in order to destroy a tunnel that came close to the border fence”. From a purely military point of view, it would have made more sense to lay an ambush on our side of the fence. But the aim was to find a pretext for the termination of the cease-fire, in a way that made it plausible to put the blame on the Palestinians. And indeed, after several such small actions, in which Hamas fighters were killed, Hamas retaliated with a massive launch of rockets, and – lo and behold – the cease-fire was at an end. Everybody blamed Hamas."

America's [& Israel's] Hidden Role in Hamas's Rise to Power
Must Read - A quote...."The United States bears much of the blame for the ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip and nearby parts of Israel. Indeed, were it not for misguided Israeli and American policies, Hamas would not be in control of the territory in the first place. -- Israel initially encouraged the rise of the Palestinian Islamist movement as a counter to the Palestine Liberation Organization, the secular coalition composed of Fatah and various leftist and other nationalist movements. Beginning in the early 1980s, with generous funding from the U.S.-backed family dictatorship in Saudi Arabia, the antecedents of Hamas began to emerge through the establishment of schools, health care clinics, social service organizations and other entities that stressed an ultraconservative interpretation of Islam, which up to that point had not been very common among the Palestinian population." -- And of course to help Hamas fall from power see also....US Sponsored Civil Wars - Palestine

Are All Americans Guilty? Whatever Happened to Western Morality?
Must Read - A quote...."January 2 - 4, 2009 -- On the last day of the old year in CounterPunch, two Israelis, Jeff Halper who heads the Israeli peace movement ICAHD and Neve Gordon who is chairman of the department of politics and government at Ben-Gurion University, asked, “Where’s the Academic Outrage Over the Bombing of a University in Gaza? -- Not one of the nearly 450 presidents of American colleges and universities who prominently denounced an effort by British academics to boycott Israeli universities in September 2007 have raised their voice in opposition to Israel’s bombardment of the Islamic University of Gaza earlier this week,” report Halper and Gordon. They note that Columbia University president Lee C. Bollinger, who has in the past ignorantly insulted Islamic representatives, “has been silent.” -- It is the goyim moralists who are silent, not the Jews. It is the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, not the goyim media, that provides reports of Israel’s abuse of Palestinians. Gideon Levy’s “The Neighborhood Bully Strikes Again” was published in Haaretz (29 December), not in the goyim press. Levy’s words--“Once again, Israel’s violent responses, even if there is justification for them, exceed all proportion and cross every red line of humaneness, morality, international law and wisdom”--are not words that can appear in American print or TV media. Such words, printed in Israeli newspapers, never reach the goyim.”

A Word on Hatred From the Angry Arab
Special Note - A quote...."Fri 02 Jan '09....One sees many angry comments directed at "The Jews" for what is happening in Gaza. But The Jews are not bombing anyone in Gaza; the Israeli government is. That does not make every Jew in the world somehow complicit in these war crimes. Or should every American be placed in the dock at The Hague with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and all the other perpetrators of the even larger and more savage war crime carried out in Iraq [not to mention the torture regime and other evils]? To rail against The Jews en masse for the actions of some Jews is as pig-ignorant as, say, condemning every person with black skin for the crimes of one ghetto gang, or every Muslim for the act of a single extremist group, or indeed, condemning every white person for the crimes of the Gangster-in-Chief, George Bush."

The Lie That Justifies Mass Murder: "Hamas Hit Us First"
A quote...."Jan 01, 2008 -- The White House’s press release is exactly the same as the Zionist Israel position, blaming the victims. It is imperative that we know why. Here is the official Israeli line, directly from Washington:" -- also posted at WarInIraq

US blocks cease-fire, gives Israel carte blanche to continue killing in Gaza
A quote...."3 January 2009 -- As the Israeli devastation of Gaza enters its second week and signs point to an imminent ground invasion of the densely populated and impoverished Palestinian territory, the US government is working to block diplomatic initiatives for a cease-fire in order to give Israel a free hand to intensify its assault on the defenseless population."

Cartoon
From mahjoob.com. - mpg

War on Gaza - Timeline
Timeline -- Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:10:43 GMT  -- A quote...."The following is a timeline of events leading to the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip that began on December 27 with Israel's aerial bombardment of Hamas-linked compounds in the coastal sliver:"

Live from Gaza -- Day 7 of the Israeli Blitzkrieg
Daily Round-Up of the Action -- A quote...."Gaza Strip,2, January, 2oo9-  For the 7th day in consequence, Israeli military machine pursue the suffocating air raids and shelling through the Gaza Strip. Today’s bombings claimed lives of more Palestinian civilians while no militants recorded to be killed. Seven Palestinians killed today mostly children in the heavy ongoing raids."

U.S Media Has Done A Terrible Job Covering Hamas - Israel
Video - A quote...."January 2, 2009 -- Watch more at http://www.theyoungturks.com"

Letter to President George W. Bush on the Gaza Crisis
A quote...."by Ralph Nader -- January 3, 2009 -- Congressman Barney Frank said recently that Barack Obama's declaration that "there is only one president at a time" over-estimated the number. He was referring to the economic crisis. But where are you on the Gaza crisis where the civilian population of Gaza, its civil servants and public facilities are being massacred and destroyed respectively by U.S built F-16s and U.S. built helicopter gunships." -- also posted at CounterCurrents

Moderates Must Give up Moderation : Jordanian Press on Gaza
Special Note - A quote...."Saturday, January 03, 2009 -- The USG Open Source Center paraphrases articles in the Jordanian press on the Israeli attack on Gaza. Jordan is one of only two Arab states to have a formal peace treaty with Israel, and its intellectuals clearly want the government to abrogate it. Worse, they have been driven by the images of dead children dug out of mosques in Gaza to advocate Jordanian violence against Israel."

The Politics of An Israeli Extermination Campaign:
A quote...."January 02, 2009 "Information Clearinghouse" -- Because of the unconditional support of the entire political class in the US, from the White House to Congress, including both Parties, incoming and outgoing elected officials and all the principle print and electronic mass media, the Israeli Government feels no compunction in publicly proclaiming a detailed and graphic account of its policy of mass extermination of the population of Gaza."

In Gaza, targeting a nation
A quote...."2 January 2009 -- At al-Shifa hospital, Gaza's largest, an unidentified injured man is laying at the hospital's intensive care unit. He was hit by shrapnel from an Israeli missile that struck a target at the Samer crossroad in the Omar al-Mukhtar street in Gaza City at noon yesterday." -- also posted at CounterCurrents

Israeli army hits mosque, 20 targets
A quote...."Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:00:02 GMT  -- Israeli air force jets and gunboats have resumed bombardment of the Gaza Strip hitting 20 new targets, including a mosque in nearly twelve hours." -- also posted at RougeGov

Civilians Take Brunt of 7th Day of Attacks On Gaza
A quote...."January 02, 2009 -- (Reuters) – The civilian death toll climbed in Israel's air offensive against the Gaza Strip on Friday and Palestinian Islamists vowed revenge for the killing of a senior Hamas leader and his family. -- There was no sign of a ceasefire on the seventh day of the conflict, in which at least 425 Palestinians have been killed and 2,000 wounded. Four Israeli civilians have been killed by Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza, which strike southern cities at random."

Israel's righteous fury and its victims in Gaza
A quote...."January 2, 2009 -- But the lies and distorted representations are not the worst part of it. It is the direct attack on the last vestiges of humanity and dignity of the Palestinian people that is most enraging. The Palestinians in Israel have shown their solidarity with the people of Gaza and are now branded as a fifth column in the Jewish state; their right to remain in their homeland cast as doubtful given their lack of support for the Israeli aggression. Those among them who agree -- wrongly, in my opinion -- to appear in the local media are interrogated, and not interviewed, as if they were inmates in the Shin Bet's prison."
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Europeans condemn Israel in Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:50:48 GMT  -- Some 1,500 people have turned out for the third demonstration in Stockholm since the Israeli bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip." -- also posted at WarInIraq

End - The Gaza Attack - 25 Articles - Friday - [ Day 7 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Is Israeli Policy Crazy?
Must Read - A quote...."The "Israeli model" has long been held up by hawks in the United States as the gold standard for dealing with adversarial nation-states, guerrillas, and terrorists. The storyline goes that Israel is a small country surrounded by aggressive enemies that use unfair measures (including terrorism) to try to wipe it off the face of the map. Therefore, the thinking in Israel is that to survive, the Israelis must use disproportionate tactics to show how tough they are to instill fear in their vicious enemies. This paradigm, practiced by Israel since its inception in 1948, has been tactically sound and strategically disastrous."

Pashtuns Aren't Iraqis: Taliban's Message to General Petraeus
A quote...."Gen.David Petraeus, the Commander of the US Central Command, who previously headed the US forces in Iraq, was credited with bringing down the level of violence in Iraq and weakening the capability of Al Qaeda in Iraq by creating a divide between the secular Baathist Arabs of Saddam Hussein’s army and local administration and the Wahabi Arabs of Al Qaeda by strengthening various local militias with names such as the Awakening Councils, which had come into existence even before he took over in Iraq."

Obama Moves to Counter China in Space With Pentagon-NASA Link - Are you Obamatrolls happy yet? - mpg
A quote...."President-elect Barack Obama will probably tear down long-standing barriers between the U.S.’s civilian and military space programs to speed up a mission to the moon amid the prospect of a new space race with China." -- Oh sure!  Mission to the moon, no doubt it will be just like Bush's mission to Mars, the mission that went nowhere.  Of course by the time everybody realizes that fact NASA will become just another appendage to the Pentagon.  Anybody notice how the Pentagon has been taking over EVERYTHING lately? - mpg

War Vet, 50, Stunned By New Deployment - And the hits keep on coming. - mpg
A quote...."MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years and recently received his AARP card was stunned when he received notice he will be deployed to Iraq." - bold by website editor -- Hope all you potential new enlistees keep this sort of thing in mind when you put your signature on the dotted line....hmmmmm? - mpg

[Canadian] Troops lured by drug trade, report warns
And US troops too.  They'll all be coming back here, with their connections intact, with a chance to make millions in a depressed economy, knowing all about high powered weapons and in it for the buck only. Get the picture folks. And you thought the crack epidemic was bad. Hah. - mpg -- A quote...."OTTAWA–There's a "high probability" some Canadian troops serving in Afghanistan – one of the world's biggest sources of illegal drugs – will get involved in the drug trade, a military police report warns."

One Giant Rez
Must Read - A quote...."Shortly before the U.S. Army slaughtered hundreds of starving, desperate Sioux who had been herded to the frozen shore of Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, the Census Bureau announced the disappearance of a contiguous frontier line for the first time in American history. -- Manifest Destiny had run out of room, and the American Empire – a term used unblushingly in triumphalist literature of the period – now girded the entire North American continent, and its rulers were free to confer the blessings of civilization on untutored masses beyond our shores."

Pakistan reopens NATO supply route
A quote...."JAMRUD: The Pakistan government on Friday resumed the transport of supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan three days after authorities suspended operations to clear the area of Taliban carrying out attacks on the supply trucks." -- also posted at WarInIraq
    
Gen Kayani asks US to stop drone attacks Stresses intelligence sharing and cooperation
A quote...."Kabul—Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has asked US to stop drone attacks in tribal areas of the country terming them counterproductive in war against menace of terrorism and extremism."

OSCE to leave Georgia
A quote...."The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe is pulling its mission out of Georgia, after its mandate expired on Thursday."

Ukraine steals European gas
- Gee, exactly like they did last time. - mpg
A quote...."Ukraine has started siphoning off Russian gas bound for European customers, according to Russia's energy giant Gazprom. This follows the cutoff of gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1, after the two countries’ gas companies failed to agree on a price for 2009."
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The Mumbia Attack - 2 Articles - Friday - [ Day 36 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Pakistan says no confession in Mumbai probe
A quote...."January 2, 2009 -- ISLAMABAD (AFP) – Pakistan denied reports Thursday that a militant arrested last month had confessed to involvement in the Mumbai attacks, saying no conclusions could be made until investigations are complete."

Full cooperation if India shows flexibility: president
A quote...."Saturday, January 03, 2009 -- ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has no aggressive designs and will extend complete cooperation to India in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks if New Delhi showed flexibility, President Asif Ali Zardari told US Ambassador Anne W Patterson in a meeting on Friday."

End - The Mumbia Attack - 2 Articles - Friday - [ Day 36 ] ========== ========== ==========

Will the New GCC Single Currency Include Gold?
Dollar Alert - A quote...."Gulf Cooperation Council leaders yesterday concluded their 29th annual summit meeting in Muscat, Oman with a final approval for the creation of a single currency for the six-nation economic bloc, still targeted for 2010. -- Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the GCC and boasts substantial gold reserves. But whether gold will be included in the currency basket has not yet been decided." -- also posted at RougeGov

Cautionary Tales: Central Bank Liquidity Injections Made Crises Worse in Latin America
Special Note - A quote...."Although the Fed has resorted to increasingly unconventional approaches for combatting our financial crisis, one it has used that is widely endorsed is the generous provision of liquidity. -- Luis I. Jácome H. in a VoxEU post, contends that the liberal use of central bank liquidity to stanch crises actually increased instability. One issue that will resonate with many readers is that the monetary authorities found it difficult to mop up the liquidity they had created. Rapid growth in money supply stoked serious inflation."

The Economist: U.S. In Depression, Not Recession
Special Note - A quote...."Renowned financial publication The Economist reports that, based on the characteristics of the current financial crisis, the U.S. is in a depression, not a recession. The admission marks the first time that a major international financial news outlet has acknowledged that the scale of the economic mess is unlike anything seen in recent decades. Under the headline, Diagnosing depression, the article asks, “What is the difference between a recession and a depression?” A depression is characterized by “falling asset prices, a credit crunch and deflation,” according to the article, all factors that we see unfolding in the current crisis."

Yes, Greenspan Did It
A quote...."With no one denying the obvious fact that America is in a deep slump anymore, the discussion has instead shifted to why it happened. The Austrians (including me) who predicted these problems based on Greenspan’s low interest rate policy know of course that the main cause was that low interest rate policy, with his numerous bailouts of failed financial institutions also creating a moral hazard that encouraged risky behavior."

U.S. manufacturing drops to 28-year low - No manufacturing industries report growth in December
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. manufacturing activity dropped to a 28-year low in December, the Institute for Supply Management reported Friday, as manufacturing contracted for the fifth straight month."

US and global manufacturing collapsing
Chart - A quote...."Manufacturing in the US is collapsing, with a key index falling to its lowest level in 20 years on Friday. Other figures released yesterday show a downturn in production throughout the world."

Thursday January 1st 2009

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Germany - You Are Free of Your Shame Now
01-01-09
mpg

An Open Letter to the German People

You are free!  You are free of your guilt in regards to the “Jewish people”, you are released from your bonds, you are no longer bound by accusation to them, you no longer have to hang your heads with shame, if you had any guilt, its heavy weight has now been lifted from your collective shoulders by the actions of the Jewish state of Israel.

You once carried out pogroms against the Jews, you belittled them, you made them into sub-humans, you made them carry separate identification to mark them as a Jews, you herded them into ghettos, you starved them, you expropriated their property, their land and their homes, you shot them, you brutalized them, you carried out collective punishment against them, you laughed and danced as their children died, you bombed them, you tortured them, you destroyed and mocked their culture, and you took away all their rights to be a free people.

You have done all these things to them exactly as they have done to the Palestinian people except for one heinous act.  The Jews of Israel have not created the death camps….not yet.  But let us be clear about this, they have not done so because of their conscience, or due to any moral restraint on their part, or out of the goodness of their hearts, but because it is the one act the "Western World" would not, and could not tolerate.  But be absolutely assured of this fact….if the Jews of Israel could get away with constructing death camps for the Palestinians, they would do so without the slightest twinge of guilt, a moments hesitation or the least bit of remorse.

Given the size of their respective peoples, qualitatively what the Jews of Israel have done to the Palestinian people is no different then the acts the German peopled carried out against the Jews.  In fact it’s actually worse, the Palestinians were a much larger component and owned much more land than the Jews of Germany or Europe ever did in respect to those countries overall populations. In other words, given the respective size of their populations, the Jews of Israel have taken more land and property from the Palestinians then the German people ever took from the Jews.

Some would argue that there is a difference between Jews and the state of Israel, one would counter argue there is not now, nor has there ever been, any distinction made between Germans and the country of Germany by anybody, ever. 

By the Israelis’ own choice to distinguish between Jews and non-Jews, to make one status a mark of citizenship with all of the rights attendant upon that designation, the other into a stateless person subject to degradation, humiliation, poverty, torture and death, all the while doing so with the full acquiescence and knowledge of all Jewish people throughout the world, THEY have chosen to make being a Jew and an Israeli one and the same.  They of course have no option in the matter, for if they did not do so the state of Israel would quickly no longer be Jewish and would rapidly cease to exist.

If Jews who have so far not offered support for the state of Israel wish to absolve themselves of their collective guilt for what is being done in their name, and in that of their religion, all they need do is renounce that state and all it's pretensions to be exclusively Jewish.  It is a simple choice.  You either support the abominations being done or you don't, it's time for many of them to choose.

Many Jewish people however, in what can only be described as a deliberate act of deception, continue to support the state of Israel with their money and votes, a state which distinguishes between Jew and non-Jews within its border with dire consequences for all those who are non-Jews, all the while claiming the convenient fiction that as Jews they are not responsible for the acts of the very state they offer their support to.

This is an absurd farce, an immoral charade of mental gymnastics worthy of a circus trapeze artist; it is a convenient, viciously mendacious act of pure sophistry, plain and simple.  It is the Jewish peoples attempt to cowardly distance themselves from the barbarous acts being carried out in their collective names, with their collective monies, enabled by their collective votes, empowered by their collective voice, promoted by their collective religion, encouraged by their collective will, enforced by their collective state, yet they insist they bare no collective responsibility.  That is a shameful lie.

And it is also a collective lie.  A lie that WILL not stand, nor WILL it be permitted to stand.  The Jewish people in this country and throughout the entire world will be forced to bare their collective guilt, just as the German people have been forced to do so for oh these many years. Both peoples are responsible for what their two states have done.

So to the German people, you are now free of your guilt in respect to the Jewish people.  This is now an established FACT, an act which has been DONE, and, CANNOT NOW BE UNDONE.

By their collective actions the Jewish people in Israel and all those throughout the world have shattered the chains of your collective guilt that weighed you down and tied you to their policies of mayhem and murder, that which bound you in shame to them for so long has been SUNDERED FOREVER.  Its broken pieces now lie scattered across the political landscape, lost and NEVER to be re-forged again.  It is over for you as it is for them, their cliam on you can never be used or discussed again, your guilt has now become their guilt. Your shame is now at an end....their shame is just beginning.

You can now hold your head high and look any Jew directly in the eye and state as clearly and calmly as you can to them. “There is no difference between us, what our forefathers have done in the past to your people, you have done, and are continuing to do to the Palestinian people, we are brothers now in our collective guilt but you can no longer judge us for the very acts you are now committing and for which we are not. You can no longer shame us for that which you have now done.  We may owe you our remorse….but we no longer owe you our shame or accept your accusation against us ever again.”

You are free now....forever. - mpg
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The Gaza Attack - 28 Articles - Thursday - [ Day 6 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Dahlia Wasfi about the agenda in the Middle East - (YouTube - 9 min 57 sec - November 05, 2008)
Must View Video - A quote...."Wasfi was a speaker at the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) 'Winter Soldier' eyewitness testimony, March 2008, in Maryland. Snowshoefilms had some questions for the young physician and caught up with her in Chicago a few months later."

B’Tselem questions Israeli account of attack - 1 Jan 09 - (YouTube - 2 min 37 sec - January 01, 2009)
Must View Video -- A quote...."January 01, 2009 -- The Israeli military says it bombed a lorry which Hamas fighters were loading with rockets on Monday. -- But an Israeli human rights group says civilians were killed as they tried to protect their goods. -- Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid talks to a Palestinian who says the vehicle was his and that it was being loaded with gas canisters by his family."

Gaza Protest New Zealand - (YouTube - 8 min 46 sec - January 01, 2009)
Must View Video - Protest in New Zealand

Israeli Troops Prepare to Invade Gaza as American “Progressives” Dance the Night Away
Must Read - A quote...."January 1, 2009 -- While Americans are distracted by the New Years Eve celebrations and football games, Israel is going to launch a massive military invasion against a starved and defenseless nation.  Israel is moving into the next stage of  ethnic cleansing while you let yourselves be distracted by flashing lights in the sky."

2009 is Starting Off with a Shameful and Criminal Bang
Must Read - A quote...."January 1, 2009 at 11:29:41 -- The deafening silence from American government officials and from the US media regarding the criminal Israeli assault against civilians in Israel’s ghetto of Gaza, where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are trapped every bit as brutally as were the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto, is beyond unconscionable."

Israel announces 84 hour closure of West Bank starting midnight Thursday
A quote...."January 2, 2009 -- Bethlehem - Ma’an - The West Bank will be closed for 84 hours and Israeli police are on "high alert" as Israel moves into its seventh day of Operation Cast Lead."

‘Israeli attacks, holocaust of Gazans
A quote...."Thursday, January 1, 2009 -- Turkey and Syria have described the Israeli campaign against Gazans as a ‘holocaust’, calling for an immediate end to the ‘massacre’. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday to discuss ways to stop the “massacre committed by Israel” on Gaza Palestinians."

Palestinian official: Israeli offensive so far leaves 400 dead, 2,000 wounded
A quote...."2009-01-01 18:06:33 -- The Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continued on Thursday for the sixth day in a row."

Gaza and the rise of the Fourth Reich
A quote...."Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:59:01 GMT  -- One would think that a people who have historically been on the receiving end of heartless treatment would have chosen to shun such techniques rather than to embrace them. - Ironically, Israel has become the Fourth Reich, dealing with basic human rights and dignity in a brutal and arrogant manner, much as their unexpected mentors taught. - The Nazis would be proud and yet horrified that the evil torch of their methods is being carried onward by some of the very people they sought to repress."

Gaza cries for united Arab action
Some quotes...."Jan 1, 2009, 01:22 -- Sometimes I feel ashamed to be a member of the human race. And never more so than now when an impoverished, starving population whose only weapons are stones and homemade rockets are being mercilessly pulverised by the fourth most powerful nation on earth. We pride ourselves as having evolved beyond the bestial level of survival of the fittest. But have we really?" -- "More than 300 Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip have been killed and up to 1,000 wounded yet all the so-called leader of the free world, the US, can say is to request Israel to avoid civilian deaths. When Gaza is known to be one of the most heavily populated areas of the planet and more than half its population are under 18 such a comment is nothing more than lip service. This callous stance is a replay of that taken by Washington in 2006 when it patted Israel on the back as it slaughtered over 1,200 Lebanese innocents with “Made in America” weaponry."

Israel accused of downplaying food crisis
A quote...."Last Updated: 5:51PM GMT 01 Jan 2009 -- The director of the World Food Programme operation said she was "furious'' when she learned Israel was claiming warehouses were full of supplies. Christine van Nieuwenhuyse said WPF stocks in Gaza showed a 30 per cent shortfall of dry goods such as flour and a much greater shortfall of 'ready-to-eat' goods which are in dire need in Gaza because of the acute shortage of power and gas for cooking."

Unfair and Unbalanced: The US Response to the Gaza Crisis
A quote...."January 1, 2009 -- Moral relativism, political double talk, and a military juggernaut blind to its violence against an occupied people highlight the most recent, tragic conflagration in Israel and Palestine. In justifying Israel's most brutal and bloody salvo against Gaza in decades – which has so far killed nearly 400 Palestinians and wounded more than 1800 – Israel's UN ambassador stated that Israel was "rightfully defending itself from continued Hamas rocket attacks within her borders." Furthermore, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert forewarned that the offensive "is liable to continue for some time" and Defense Minister Ehud Barak declared it as an "all-out war against Hamas and its branches."

Israel defies peacemakers and prepares for invasion
A quote...."Thursday, 1 January 2009 -- Israel has defied a formidable international consensus in favour of a ceasefire in Gaza by opting to continue its unprecedentedly fierce air attacks on Hamas targets and stepping up preparations for a possible ground offensive. As the security cabinet rejected an EU-backed French proposal for a 48-hour humanitarian halt to the bombing, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: “We did not begin the Gaza operation in order to finish it with rocket fire continuing like it did before. Israel has restrained [itself] for years and given plenty of chances for a calm.”

Israel Pursues Diplomacy to Gain More Time for Attacks
A quote...."Posted January 1, 2009 -- Israel ratcheted up diplomatic activities across the world today, as its attacks on the Gaza Strip continue to net a growing death toll of both militants and civilians. As its ground forces prepare for an invasion of the strip, the diplomats hope to win international acquiescence for continuing the attacks far into the future."

Sometimes a Patriot… Sometimes a Legend… But Always There is Defiance
A quote...."January 1, 2009 -- Israel’s military took out an 8-story apartment building last night, in order to kill one man. 12 others died, including 2 of his wives and 4 of his children.  Other civilian casualties from the attack are unclear at this time. What is clear, is that this Hamas leader, Nizar Rayan, was a popular figure among Palestinians. His crime?  “…Rayan was known for openly defying Israel.“  MSNBC"

Gazans fight cold and hunger as supplies run dry
A quote...."January 1, 2009 -- Their windows smashed in the dead of winter by bomb blasts, Jihad Hamed, his wife and seven children huddle together every night in one bedroom of their freezing house, trying to keep warm and as far away as possible from the next explosion, wherever it might come from." -- also posted at ICH

Israeli army tells foreign journos to blog off
A quote...."Russian war correspondent Sergey Grankin has reported from Iraq, Kosovo and West Bank, but right now he can’t get into Gaza - and it’s not because he’s afraid to go there. - Since Monday journalists have been unable to film tanks on the Gaza-Israel border, as the area has been declared a closed military zone."

US military aid underpins Gaza offensive - 31 Dec 08 - (YouTube - 1 min 24 sec - December 30, 2008)
Video - A quote...."December 30, 2008 -- Israel receives billions of dollars in military aid from the US each year, much of it spent on American weaponry which US law says must only be used in self-defence. But experts say there is little chance of cuts in aid to Israel despite its military operation in Gaza. Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports."

Gaza: A personal account - (AolVideo - 7 min 10 sec - December 30, 2008)
Video - A quote...."Gaza: A personal account -- Palestinian journalist Laila El-Haddad updates the situation in Gaza after talking to her relatives who live there."

Witnessing the devastation in Gaza as Israel kills at least 225 Palestinian people - (YuTb - 3m13s - December 27, 2008)
Video - A quote...."27th December 2008 - International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers witness the devastation caused as over 200 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air-strikes

More Videos ----------------------------------------------
The Truth From American Militia
Hundreds killed or wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza
Witness describes Gaza attacks
Israel launches air strikes on Gaza

The truth about those Hamas rockets
A quote...."Jan 1, 2009, 01:24 -- Five years ago, the Bush administration lied about weapons of mass destruction to dupe us into supporting an illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq. -- A few days ago, Israel trotted out only an infinitesimally more credible excuse -- the Hamas rockets case -- as justification for its own murderous shock and awe in Gaza, a long-planned campaign perniciously aimed at ousting a “regime” that came to power via popular, democratic vote." -- also posted at ICH & WarInIraq

Israel Attacks US
Satire - A quote...."January 01, 2009  "Information Clearinghouse"' -- The government of Israel today launched a massive air assault on suspected terrorist targets along major coastal cities in the United States of America. In an operation termed “Friendly Enemy,” hundreds of Israeli F-16 fighter jets streaked across the Atlantic in precise formation and fired surgical air strikes at alleged terrorist strongholds in densely populated Muslim communities all along the northeast corridor of the United States. The American-made Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets then continued south, inflicting massive destruction in densely populated Muslim communities along many southeastern US states as well."

Hospital in Gaza City Engulfed by Suffering
A quote...."JERUSALEM, Dec. 30 -- Rawiya Ayad lay in a bed on the ground floor of Gaza City's Shifa Hospital on Tuesday, connected to a respirator. A bandage covered her head, and dried blood scarred her face. Shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike was embedded in her brain, poisoning her blood. She was in a coma."

Hamas accuses senior Palestinian aides of spying for Israelis
A quote...."Thursday, 1 January 2009 -- Hamas has accused senior aides of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, of spying for Israel, underscoring an intensification of Palestinian infighting even in the face of Israel's bombardments in the Gaza Strip. -- The charges are part of a wider Hamas media campaign depicting Fatah leaders as colluding with the Israeli military onslaught that has taken the lives of 390 Palestinians in Gaza. This includes allegations that the former Fatah strongman in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, whose forces were defeated by Hamas in its June 2007 takeover of the Strip, met Israeli intelligence officials several weeks ago to discuss Israeli plans for a strike in Gaza."
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More Gaza Support Actions and Contacts
Action Alert - Actions you can take....mpg

Russia to send humanitarian supplies to Gaza Strip soon – Lavrov
Action Update - A quote...."MOSCOW, December 31 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke in favour of rallying the Palestinian forces, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after a telephone conversation between the Russian foreign minister and head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic movement Hamas Khaled Mashaal on Wednesday. The sides discussed in detail a sharply deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip after Israel had launched a large-scale military operation."

Iran to set up hospital near Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:19:50 GMT  -- Iran is to set up a field hospital near the Gaza Strip in Egypt as the death toll from Israeli raids stands at 420, Iran's Red Crescent Society says."

End - The Gaza Attack - 28 Articles - Thursday - [ Day 6 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Military Keynesianism to the Rescue?
Must Read - A quote...."Writing in the Wall Street Journal on December 24, 2008, Martin Feldstein gives us an article entitled "Defense Spending Would Be Great Stimulus." The title tells you everything you need to know: military Keynesianism is the medicine being prescribed by a leading figure of the politico-economic Establishment – a Harvard professor, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, former president of the American Economic Association, president emeritus of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. That a man so drenched in professional honors and attainments would be peddling such long-discredited claptrap speaks volumes about the state of mainstream economics. When you think it can't sink any lower, it does." -- For more on this entire issue see....Effective Fed Funds Rate & Total Nonfarm Payrolls - 03-24-07 - mpg

NATO seeks deal with Russia for flights to Afghanistan
Why? So more tens of thousands of Afghans can be killed?  For what purpose? - mpg -- A quote.... "BRUSSELS: NATO is seeking to seal an agreement with Moscow to allow the military alliance to fly equipment over Russian airspace to Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday."

War chronicles
Timeline - A quot...."A round up of the beginning of 2008 conflict in South Ossetia by the hour."

Editor Parry on LBJ's 'Treason' Tapes
A quote...."December 28, 2008 -- The Lyndon Johnson library recently released audiotapes from 1968, revealing President Johnson complaining about Richard Nixon’s campaign trying to block Vietnam peace talks and thus help Nixon win the presidential election over Hubert Humphrey."

Bolivian president defends expulsion of U.S. ambassador
A quote...."LA PAZ, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales said Tuesday that the September expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg was "a success and not a mistake because it "thwarted " an opposition coup plot."
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Muni Sales Dry Up as States Face $42 Billion Deficit (Update1)
Financial Update - A quote...."Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- The worst year for municipal bond investors since 1999 may further reduce demand for tax-exempt debt just as state governments face the biggest budget deficits in at least a quarter-century. "

'Financial 9/11' struck over $6.9 trillion from US economy during 2008
A quote...."2008 is over, and we have survived it. Though for some of us, just barely. -- 2008 saw the greatest financial losses in generations, as $6.9 trillion poured from investors' coffers in the worst series of cascading disasters since the Great Depression." -- also posted at RougeGov

U.S. Treasury Opens Door To Aid Broad Array Of Firms
A quote...."The U.S. Treasury threw the door open to taxpayer financing for a widening array of companies and industries by drafting broad guidelines on aid to the auto industry."

Living with Hamilton's Curse
Book Review - A quote...."After you read the dedication of Hamilton's Curse, [Gogl Srch] you know that the book is going to be good: "Dedicated to the memory of Professor Murray N. Rothbard, a brilliant scholar and tireless defender of the free society." DiLorenzo proves to be an outstanding practitioner of a Rothbardian brand of history, a fact that should come as no surprise to readers of his earlier books, The Real Lincoln, Lincoln Unmasked, and How Capitalism Saved America."

Wednesday December 31st 2008

The Gaza Attack - 25 Articles - Wednesday - [ Day 5 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

The Holocaust
Must Read -- A quote...."By Dahlia Wasfi  -- December 31, 2008 "Qassam rockets fired from Gaza as retaliation for Israeli F-16 airstrikes are the equivalent of the Molotov cocktails used by the resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.  Like the small arms of the Polish Jews, they are no match for the sophisticated weaponry of the invading army.  This is why the death toll is so high for the people on the ground in Gaza, and minimal for Israelis.  The mainstream media is depicting this as an “all-out war,” as it depicts the illegal occupation of Iraq.  But in both cases, you have a starving, essentially unarmed people being assaulted with F-15s/F-16s, cruise missiles, depleted uranium, cluster bombs, tanks, and artillery.  This is not war; this is mass murder; this is genocide.  And it is American military, financial, and political support that makes this bloodletting possible."

If Hamas Did Not Exist
Must Read - A quote...."Let us get one thing perfectly straight. If the wholesale mutilation and degradation of the Gaza Strip is going to continue; if Israel’s will is at one with that of the United States; if the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and all the international legal agencies and organizations spread across the globe are going to continue to sit by like hollow mannequins doing nothing but making repeated “calls” for a “ceasefire” on “both sides”; if the cowardly, obsequious and supine Arab States are going to stand by watching their brethren get slaughtered by the hour while the world’s bullying Superpower eyes them threateningly from Washington lest they say something a little to their disliking; then let us at least tell the truth why this hell on earth is taking place."
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My Brilliant Career - Rampage in Gaza for a Bump in the Polls
Must Read - A quote...."December 31, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- -Barak Obama has passed his first test with flying colors. He's made himself disappear so Israel can continue its killing spree in Gaza. The last time a president shrunk this small was when Ariel Sharon took his wrecking-ball through Jenin during the second intifada. Bush slipped down a mouse hole so Israel's "Man of Peace" could finish his dirty work unopposed. Now Obama has taken refuge in that same dark hideaway. What a relief it must be for his critics at AIPAC and the far-right think tanks to know that the next Commander in Chief will be every bit as compliant as the last. That's "continuity they can believe in"."

Obama’s Shameful Silence on Gaza Proves He Is Not Changing Anything; Now Deal With It
Must Read - A quote...."December 31, 2008 -- Barak Obama has declined to speak out about the horrendous attacks Israel is currently conducting against the Palestinian people of Gaza. And the rest of the world has condemned his complict silence while his “progressive” supporters wait and hope for “Change™“.  He has sited the laughable excuse that we only have “one president at a time” and it would be inappropriate for him to use his influence while President Bush is in office. That’s just fascinating, because to date, he has chimed in on EVERY SINGLE MAJOR ISSUE and most of his comments result in action being taken, one way or the other. Also to date, he has been ABSOLUTELY WRONG EVERY TIME HE OPENED HIS MOUTH."

For more on the two articles shown above see....No Leadership From Obama. - Oh Contraire! - 12-28-08 - mpg
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Targeting Islamic University - Where's the Academic Outrage Over the Bombing of a University in Gaza?
Special Note - A quote...."Not one of the nearly 450 presidents of American colleges and universities who prominently denounced an effort by British academics to boycott Israeli universities in September 2007 have raised their voice in opposition to Israel’s bombardment of the Islamic University of Gaza earlier this week. Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University, who organized the petition, has been silent, as have his co-signatories from Princeton, Northwestern, and Cornell Universities, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Most others who signed similar petitions, like the 11,000 professors from nearly 1,000 universities around the world, have also refrained from expressing their outrage at Israel’s attack on the leading university in Gaza. The artfully named Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, which organized the latter appeal, has said nothing about the assault."

Nowhere to run for those trapped in Gaza - 30 Dec 08 - (YouTube - 3 min 11 sec - December 30, 2008)
Video - A quote...."December 30, 2008 -- Palestinian families are wondering whether they will become the next target after four days of Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip. -- As Sherine Tadros reports, there are few places to hide, and civilian casualties continue to rise."

Israel Bombs Gaza's Prison - (YouTube - 1 min 15 sec - December 29, 2008)
Video - A quote...."We bring you the scenes from inside Gaza's jail minutes after it was hit by Israeli missiles."

Gaza MASSACRE & Hosni Mubarak's role on Gaza & Arab League and Gaza
Must View Cartoons - From  Latuff2 -- Note: Click on the cartoons to make them larger. - mpg

Gaza death toll rises to 399; 1925 injured
A quote...."Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:10:50 GMT  -- The Israeli blitz against the Gaza Strip has left two more people killed, bringing the Palestinian death toll to 399 since Saturday."

Party to Murder
A quote...."Posted on Dec 29, 2008 -- Can anyone who is following the Israeli air attacks on Gaza—the buildings blown to rubble, the children killed on their way to school, the long rows of mutilated corpses, the wailing mothers and wives, the crowds of terrified Palestinians not knowing where to flee, the hospitals so overburdened and out of supplies they cannot treat the wounded, and our studied, callous indifference to this widespread human suffering—wonder why we are hated?"

Gaza Father Buries 5 Little Girls..Jews Celebrate!
A quote...."December 29, 2008 -- How hard it is to look at the TV. I'm a school teacher, but when I watched CNN's "Putting Gaza in Context" yesterday I hurled expletives that wouldn't be tolerated in a bar. While the fresh-faced engaging young man put Gaza "in context" for us, he failed to mention that 44.7% of Gaza's population is fourteen years of age or under (thanks, Annie, for that fact from the CIA factbook). Instead he told us that Israel was engaged in a war with Hamas militants. Yeah, tell that to the father who carried his dead seven year old son in a cardboard box. And tell us why this monstous faux country bombed a defenseless refugee population at high noon, when school was getting out."

Israel Uses a Few Humanitarian-Aid Trucks to Justify More Dead Palestinian Children
A quote...."December 31, 2008 -- They are not even trying to make their bullshit make sense anymore. Their talking points about the Gaza shelling have reached a level of abject stupidity that is absolutely stunning, to say the least. And yet, they are accepted and repeated on websites and in news casts, all across this country. All this, while several Arab states have officially called off all new year celebrations in honor of those innocent civilians lost in Gaza."

UN: At Least a Quarter of Slain Gazans are Civilians
A quote...."Posted December 31, 2008 -- Speaking earlier today on the growing death toll in the Gaza Strip, United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokesman Christopher Gunness said that “a minimum of 25 percent of all those killed are civilians,” adding that “it may well be far higher.”

Hamas Gaining Sympathy as Onslaught Continues
A quote...."With the massive Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip continuing unabated, and with Israeli political and military leaders threatening to “decimate” Hamas, Palestinian intellectuals as well as ordinary people expect Hamas’s popularity to rise dramatically when the present Israeli campaign is over." -- also posted at Uruknet

Robert Fisk: The rotten state of Egypt is too powerless and corrupt to act
A quote...."Thursday, 1 January 2009 -- There was a day when we worried about the "Arab masses" – the millions of "ordinary" Arabs on the streets of Cairo, Kuwait, Amman, Beirut – and their reaction to the constant bloodbaths in the Middle East. Could Anwar Sadat restrain the anger of his people? And now – after three decades of Hosni Mubarak – can Mubarak (or "La Vache Qui Rit", as he is still called in Cairo) restrain the anger of his people? The answer, of course, is that Egyptians and Kuwaitis and Jordanians will be allowed to shout in the streets of their capitals – but then they will be shut down, with the help of the tens of thousands of secret policemen and government militiamen who serve the princes and kings and elderly rulers of the Arab world." -- also posted at Uruknet

Donald Macintyre: Lessons of Lebanon return to haunt Israel
A quote...."Thursday, 1 January 2009 -- Although their proposals differ in detail, two of Israel's best-known writers, Amos Oz and David Grossman, have joined the calls for a ceasefire after several days of Israel's offensive. -- But Mr Grossman's article in Haaretz, which draws inescapable parallels with the 2006 Lebanon war, is especially poignant for a reason which he is far too dignified to mention. Had the war not been fruitlessly prolonged, his own tank-commander son, who was killed during its last days, would probably still be alive."

The Paradox of Peace
Must Read - A quote...."December 30, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" -- Israel thrives on war.  Peace is a threat to Zionism.  It demands compromise.   Twice this year, the leaders of Hamas indicated their readiness to accept a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders.  Khaled Meshaal, Hamas leader, informed former president Jimmy Carter of this decision in April 2008.   In May 2008, it was revealed that Yves Aubin de La Messuziere, a retired senior French diplomat had held discussions with Ismael Haniyeh and Mahmoud Zahar, two prominent Hamas leaders who confirmed Hamas’ readiness to accept a Palestinian State within the 1967 border, reflecting an unofficial acceptance of Israel.   But this truce is contrary to the Zionism ideals.  "The settlement of the Land of Israel is the essence of Zionism.  Without settlement, we will not fulfill Zionism.  It's that simple." —Yitzhak Shamir (Maariv, 02/21/1997).   It became necessary to punish those who sought peace – and wage war. "

Epiphany
Action Alert - A quote...."Congress will be greeted on day 1 this year by a march of war dead on Capitol Hill. -- The word epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning to manifest or to show. In Christian tradition the Feast of Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th, marking the day when the three wise men from three foreign lands visited the baby Jesus, the last of the 12 days of Christmas. Epiphany is also used to mean a sudden realization, comprehension, or inspiration.

Media Banned From Gaza as Humanitarian Crisis Escalates
A quote...."RAMALLAH, Dec 31, 2008 (IPS) - Israel is again preventing journalists from entering Gaza to report first-hand on the escalating crisis there as its military operation, codenamed Operation Cast Lead, enters its fifth day."
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Hamas Fires Long-Range Chinese Rockets at Israel (Updated)
Combat Analysis - A quote...."Hamas fired 60 rockets at Israel today -- another bombardment in an aerial assault that's totaled 6,300 rockets and mortars since Israeli forces left the Gaza Strip in August, 2005. But today's weapons were different. These weren't short-range, home-made Qassam rockets that make up the bulk of Hamas' arsenal. Nor were they the longer-flying 122 mm Grad rockets, designed by the Soviets and made in Iran. Some of today's rockets flew an alarming 22 miles, hitting an empty school house in Beersheva, the unofficial capital of the Negev Desert region. And they were made in China."

Has Israel Learned From the Hezbollah War?
Combat Analysis - A quote...."Everyone is comparing the fight in Gaza with Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah. But I just chatted with an informed observer, who sees some key differences."
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Protesters Worldwide Keep up Pressure Over Gaza
Action Update - A quote...."December 31, 2008 -- PARIS - Protesters denouncing Israel's deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip returned to the streets in demonstrations around the world to keep up the pressure for an end to the violence.

Breaking New-Protesters in Minnesota Take Over Offices of Senator Klobuchar
Action Update - A quote...."December 31, 2008 at 00:17:46 -- After a successful rally and press conference denouncing Israel's attacks on the people of Gaza, protesters demanded to meet with Sen. Klobuchar and called for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. Over 40 protesters are now occupying a conference room in her office, and after an hour, she has agreed to meet with them. "

Cynthia McKinney Slams Israeli Navy & Brings Up USS Liberty Incident On CNN - (YuTb  3m22s  12/30/08)
Must View Video - Action Update - A quote...."mckinney tried to bring medical supplies to gaza. the boat was in international waters as it got rammed by an israeli patrol boat. "i would like to ask my former colleagues in the united states congress, to stop sending weapons of mass destruction around the world.."

More Action Updates
Gaza Protests across the United States Demand an End to Israel's Aggression
Gaza protests interrupt Obama's paradise
Protest in Dearborn, Michigan denounces Israeli attack on Gaza
Australia: Thousands rally against Israeli Gaza attacks
Hundreds in Mich., NYC, LOS protest Gaza attack
Gaza protests continue in London
Gaza protests planned for weekend across UK

End - The Gaza Attack - 25 Articles - Wednesday - [ Day 5 ] ========== ========== ==========

Record 151 US Troops Killed in Afghanistan in 2008
A quote...."As 2008 draws to a close, the rising Taliban force in Afghanistan is taken a backseat to more immediate concerns in the region and elsewhere. But the crisis in Afghanistan remains, indeed 2008 was the deadliest year of the seven year long war."

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,221
A quote...."As of Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008, at least 4,221 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. -- The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,400 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers."

Islamists on verge of seizing Somalia capital
A quote...."The president of Somalia's official government resigned yesterday, causing yet more political turmoil, as radical Islamists prepared to seize the capital, Mogadishu. - Abdullahi Yusuf, a 74-year-old former warlord, admitted that his Western-backed transitional government had failed to unite the country during his four-year tenure."

German spy chief threatens Wikileaks - My, those spys get awfully touchy when you reveal their false flag efforts.
Special Note - A quote...."The head of the BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst), Germany's equivalent to the CIA, has threatened Wikileaks with "immediate criminal prosecution" if it does not remove all "files or reports related to the BND". The spy chief claims to have already engaged the BND's legal machinery. Last month an international scandal broke out after three BND secret agents were arrested and deported from Kosovo after photographing a recently bombed building in Pristina. The agents were accused of being behind the attack and their note books and electronic files seized by the notoriously corrupt Kosovo government." - bold by website editor

Russia to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine – Gazprom
A quote...."All gas supplies to Ukraine are due to be cut off on January 1 at 10:00am Moscow time because of unpaid debt, according to Aleksey Miller, CEO of Russian energy giant Gazprom. Meanwhile, Ukraine is calling for much lower gas prices."
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Rising bank heists worry NY cops
Oh Really??  You know all those hundreds of thousands of mercenaries and US-NRE soldiers sent to Iraq, trained in the use of explosives, high powered weaponry, combat tactics, and taught to show no mercy even to civilians.  Well they're all coming back here to no jobs and no prospects.  Think about it. - mpg

Report: Military may have to quell domestic violence from economic collapse
A quote...."Deepening economic strife in the US could lead to civil unrest and violence that would require military intervention, warns a new report from the US Army War College.

Would They Be Planning to Use Troops Against Americans If They WEREN'T Stealing Our Money?
Related Article - A quote...."Political science professor at the University of Texas at El Paso Charles Boehmer points out that "The military was not called out during the Great Depression...." -- So why is the military planning on how to crush civil protest in regards to the current economic crisis (see this, this, this, this, this and this)?"

Regarding the three articles shown above.  They remind this website editor of the phrase...."you can always hire one half of the poor to kill the other half." - mpg

The Mumbia Attack - 1 Article - Wednesday - [ Day 34 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

FBI: Mumbai's culprit has no Pak links
Must Read - Possible False Flag Indication - A quote...."An FBI team investigating the Mumbai attacks' case has said that the alleged main culprit, Ajmal Kasab, has no links with Pakistan. - The five-member team headed by the agency's South Asian Department Director, William Robert, visited the remote town of Faridkot, the place India claims Kasab is a resident of. - However, the team members said that there was no connection between Kasab and the town, a Press TV correspondent reported. - "No evidence could be collected from the area which could confirm the claim of Ajmal Kasab's being Pakistani", the FBI investigators said on Wednesday." -- This website editor has said a lot of very harsh things regarding the FBI's past efforts to carry out effective investigations, especially when the interests of the rich and powerful are involved, it appears however this time around they're trying to conduct an honest investigation....we'll have to wait and see just how far they're willing to go. But hat's off to them for this little tidbit, and good luck.- mpg

The Mumbia Attack - 1 Article - Wednesday - [ Day 34 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

The Worker-Capitalist Con - Wall Street's Collapse and the Ownership Society
Must Read - A quote...."On February 24, 2005, I clicked on the evening news to see President Bush finishing his European tour in Slovakia, surrounded by children waving little American flags.  It had the feel of a Macy’s holiday window designed by Karl Rove.  I recalled a recent news item about Slovakia.  Just two months prior to the President’s visit, Slovakia initiated a plan to divert nine per cent of worker’s wages into private investment accounts laden with corporate stocks and bonds as an alternative to a government run social security program."

Stock Market Forecast and Strategy for 2009
Must Read - Market Tech. Note -- A quote...."The most important thing you need to do to make money in the stock market is simple - align yourself with the primary trend of the market. That means recognizing what the current trend of the market is, knowing when it changes, and then making the proper adjustments when it does change. -- It sounds easy, but if 2008 taught us anything it is that very few people do this. Not only did the public get crushed in a bear market they didn't foresee, but so did thousands of mutual fund and hedge fund managers. Most brokers and investment advisor sat like a deer in headlights as the market went lower too. The professionals turned out to be no better than the amateurs, and in some cases they turned out to be total crooks."

Holiday Sales Drop to Force Bankruptcies, Closings (Update4)
A quote...." Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. retailers face a wave of store closings, bankruptcies and takeovers starting next month as holiday sales are shaping up to be the worst in 40 years. - Retailers may close 73,000 stores in the first half of 2009, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. Talbots Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp. are among chains shuttering.

Paraguay GDP grows 5.8% in 2008; record per capita income
A quote...."The Paraguayan GDP expanded 5.8% in 2008 with a good performance in almost all sectors and a record per capita income, according to preliminary figures from the Central Bank released this week."

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123108-010609 - links page

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