News and Developments
M5 Readers: Keep in Mind That Political News, By Nature, May Reflect Sequential Agenda
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January  2009 

 Threat of naval clash off Korean Peninsula rises  [01/31/09 ] "The potential for a naval clash off the Korean Peninsula grew Friday after North Korea scrapped a nonaggression pact with South Korea and declared as void a western sea border, warning in shrill language that the region has "reached the brink of war." 

 One Million Riot In France Over Economy [01/31/09 ]   "  See how bad things have become in France.

 Israeli soldiers recall Gaza attack orders [01/31/09 ]  "Fire on anything that moves in Zeitoun” – that was the order handed down to Israeli troops in the Givati Shaked battalion, who reduced the eastern Gaza City suburb to little more than rubble in a matter of days ..."

 True U.S. Unemployment Closer to 17% [01/31/09 ]   "John Williams, Founder of Shadow Government Statistics, calculates that the jobless rate is a full 10 percent higher than the government is reporting." [4:51] Shadow Government Statistics

 Airlines Report ‘Shocking’ Plunge In Traffic  [01/31/09 ] "The airline industry reported on 29 January an “unprecedented and shocking” plunge in global air cargo traffic. Air freight accounts for 35 per cent of the value of goods traded internationally and the International Air Transport Association said traffic volumes had fallen by 22.6 per cent year-on-year in December. Giovanni Bisignani, Iata director general, said, “there is no clearer description of the slowdown in world trade. Even in September 2001 (after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US), when much of the global fleet was grounded, the decline was only 13.9 per cent.” International passenger traffic fell in December by 4.6 per cent. Iata said the drop was less dramatic than in cargo, as volumes had been supported by year-end leisure travel that had been booked in advance. Airlines are still struggling to reduce capacity to match falling demand, however, and are flying with more empty seats. Capacity was reduced by 1.5 per cent year-on-year in December, resulting in airlines filling only 73.8 per cent of available seats, down from 76.2 per cent a year ago."

 Lawsuit Challenging Hillary Clinton Appointment on Behalf of State Department Foreign Service Officer  [01/31/09 ]  "Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against newly sworn-in Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on behalf of U.S. Foreign Service Officer and State Department employee David C. Rodearmel, (Rodearmel v. Clinton, et al., (D. District of Columbia)). The lawsuit maintains that Mrs. Clinton is constitutionally ineligible to serve as Secretary of State and that Mr. Rodearmel cannot be forced to serve under the former U.S. Senator, as it would violate the oath he took as a Foreign Service Officer in 1991 to "support and defend" and "bear true faith and allegiance" to the Constitution of the United States ... Under the "Emoluments" or "Ineligibility" clause of the U.S. Constitution, no member of Congress can be appointed to a civilian position within the U.S. government if the "emoluments" of the position, such as the salary or benefits paid to whoever occupies the office, increased during the term for which the Senator or Representative was elected. Specifically, article I, section 6 of the U.S. Constitution provides, "No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time." The text of the provision is an absolute prohibition and does not allow for any exceptions .... "

 U.S. Gross Domestic Product sees biggest drop in 27 years  [01/31/09 ]  "The economy shrank at its fastest pace in nearly 27 years in the fourth quarter, government data showed on Friday, sinking deeper into a recession that the White House said demanded urgent action."  Related Video: Economy suffers worst stretch in 25 years [2:44] "New numbers confirmed that the U.S. economy contracted for the second quarter in a row at the end of last year, sending strong signals that the current quarter could be as bad or worse. CNBC's Scott Cohn reports."  More:  And the economy gets worse [7:22] Keith Olbermann with Sen. Claire McCaskill's senate rant about CEO pay in the US, limiting it to $400k per year. Exxon Mobil: profit horders [2:21] Keith Olbermann 

 Wildcat strikes spread across Britain in protest at the use of foreign labour shipped into UK  [01/31/09 ] "The hollowness of Gordon Brown's pledge to create 'British jobs for British workers' was exposed tonight as wildcat strikes spread across Britain in protest at the use of foreign labour. Since the Prime Minister made his promise in September 2007, the number of migrants employed has risen sharply while the number of Britons has dropped. The Government's own statistics show that, in the 12 months after Mr Brown's speech, the number of foreign workers rose by 175,000 as the number of British in work fell by 46,000. The protest started at Britain's third-largest oil refinery at Killingholme, near Grimsby, which produces 200,000 barrels of crude oil a day. It rapidly spread as workers shared their fury and their fears for the future. The strikes, which threaten to disrupt energy supplies, are being led by workers angry that the French oil company Total is using an Italian firm which employs Italian and Portuguese workers to carry out maintenance at the plant. From dawn, thousands of angry workers stood on picket lines in freezing conditions in a wave of illegal strikes not seen for decades."  Related: Strikes spread across Britain as oil refinery protest escalates | Strikers are up against basic principle of EU law | Steel workers braced for jobs meltdown

 Stormy debate in Davos over Gaza   [01/31/09 ] "The Turkish prime minister has stormed out of a heated debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos over Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip. Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of the televised debate on Thursday, after the moderator refused to allow him to rebut the Israeli president's justification about the war that left about 1,300 Gazans dead. Before storming out, Erdogan told Shimon Peres, the Israeli president: "You are killing people." Peres told Erdogan during the heated panel discussion that he would have acted in the same manner if rockets had been falling on Istanbul ..."

 Peres says Israel kills for 'democracy'  [01/31/09 ]  Peres is insane, as are the rest of them. Democracy, or mob rule, always leads to tyranny.   Related: US: Israel must probe war crimes

 Blackwater says it could leave Iraq with 72 hours  [01/31/09 ]  "Blackwater Worldwide, which guards American diplomats in Iraq, said Thursday it would be prepared to leave that country within 72 hours after Iraqi officials denied the North Carolina-based company an operating license because of a deadly shooting spree in Baghdad. Blackwater has been operating in Iraq without a formal license since it arrived in the country. The State Department extended Blackwater's contract for a year last spring, despite widespread calls for it to be expelled because of the shootings ... Blackwater's work in Iraq, which includes a reputation for aggressive operations and excessive force it disputes as unfair and inaccurate, turned the company into a catchall brand name for private security contractors. Executives said last year that the unwanted attention had them shifting their focus away from private security. If banned from protecting diplomats in Iraq, Blackwater executives said Thursday the company remains on track to reach a goal of $1 billion in annual revenues in the next year or two. The State Department contract comprises about one-third of the company's overall revenues, though the work of providing actual boots-on-ground security is only part of the deal. The private security firm, which trained some 25,000 civilians, law enforcement and military personnel last year, continues to expand even as its future in Iraq becomes less promising. Blackwater has a fleet of 76 aircraft, and almost all of them are deployed in hot spots in places like Afghanistan and West Africa ..."  Related: Iraq to Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm [01/30/09 ] "The Iraqi government has informed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that it will not issue a new operating license to Blackwater Worldwide, the embassy's primary security company, which has come under scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force while protecting American diplomats, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday." 

 Germany's Jews cut ties with Vatican as British bishop row escalates  [01/31/09 ]  "Germany's Jewish community cut ties to the Vatican on Thursday as the decision to rehabilitate a British bishop who questioned the Nazi's use of gas chambers escalated into an international crisis. Pope Benedict XVI's decision to lift the excommunication of Richard Williamson, who insists that a maximum of 300,000 Jews were killed by Hitler's regime, has plunged relations between the Vatican and Jewish groups to a new low. Charlotte Knobloch, head of Germany's Central Council of Jews, said she was withdrawing from a scheduled dialogue with Catholic leaders, while both France and Britain criticised the Pope's actions ..."   Related: Jewish community rakes Pope over coals 

 Snow study shows California faces historic drought [01/31/09 ] "A new survey of California winter snows on Thursday showed the most populous state is facing one of the worst droughts in its history, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said. The state, which produces about half the United States' vegetables and fruit, is in its third year of drought and its main system supplying water to cities and farms may only be able to fulfill 15 percent of requests, scientists said. The snowpack on California's mountains is carrying only 61 percent of the water of normal years, according to the survey by the state Department of Water Resources. Last year the snowpack held 111 percent of the normal amount of water, but spring was the driest ever recorded. "California is headed toward one of the worst water crises in its history, underscoring the need to upgrade our water infrastructure by increasing water storage, improving conveyance, protecting the (Sacramento) Delta's ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation," Schwarzenegger said in a statement .."

ODD News Update: Goomba's Pizzeria Owner Pistol-Whips Complaining Customer [01/31/09 ]  "According to Flagler County authorities, Richard Phinney received more than a bad takeout order from Goomba's Pizzeria located in Plam Coast, Florida -- he also received a beating from Joseph Milano, who is also the restaurant’s owner. The altercation took place when Phinney went back to the pizzeria seeking a refund for an improperly prepared calzone. According to a police report, security footage revealed that Joseph Milano then struck Richard Phinney in the head with a pistol. After pistol-whipping his customer, Milano proceeded to jump over the counter to continue his assault, attacking both Phinney and his roommate. Milano was charged with aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon and has been released on bail." |Man Shot in the Theatre for Talking During Movie |Man Uses Dildo to Beat Woman then Kills Dog |Cop Pleads Guilty to Bludgeoning Man Shackled to Wheelchair | Man Deliberately Runs Over Fellow Partygoer After Being Asked Not to Smoke | Councilman Arrested for Urinating on Concertgoers |

 Michael Dell Slapped Down By Putin At Davos: "We Don't Need Help. We Are Not Invalids"  [01/30/09 ] "Fortune's Peter Gumbel reports that Michael Dell was slapped down by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after offering Dell's help expanding IT in Russia. "The trick is: we don't need any help," Putin shot back at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We are not invalids. We do not have limited capacity. People with limited capacities, abilities should be helped...developing countries should be helped." Gumbel writes that Putin's outburst is symptomatic of a Russian distaste towards offers to help from the west. "Russia has been allergic to offers of aid from the West ever since hundreds of overpaid consultants arrived in Moscow after the collapse of Communism, in 1991, and proceeded to hand out an array of advice that proved, at times, useless or dangerous," he wrote."

 Exxon Mobil sets record with record $45.2 billion profit for 2008  [01/30/09 ]   "The previous record for annual profit was $40.6 billion, which the world's largest publicly traded oil company set in 2007. The extraordinary full-year profit wasn't a surprise given crude's triple-digit price for much of 2008, peaking near an unheard of $150 a barrel in July. Since then, however, prices have fallen roughly 70 percent amid a deepening global economic crisis."   This means gasoline did not need to be the price it was for them to make a profit ... which means that 'excess' profit should be defined, disgorged from the company and returned to the Treasury.

 NY lawyer Marc S. Dreier indicted on conspiracy and fraud charges  [01/30/09 ]   "New York lawyer Marc S. Dreier was indicted Thursday on conspiracy and fraud charges for an alleged scheme to sell fictitious promissory notes to hedge funds and misappropriate client funds, costing investors and others more than $400 million. Mr. Dreier, the managing partner of Dreier LLP, has been charged with conspiracy, securities fraud and five counts of wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count of wire fraud and securities fraud if convicted..."

 Former U.S. Congressman Wester Cooley Charged With Bilking Investors in $10 million scam  [01/30/09 ] "Former U.S. Congressman Wester Cooley was charged with helping bilk investors out of more than $10 million in a scam, federal prosecutors said. Cooley, 76, of Palm Springs, California, is charged with taking more than $1.1 million in investor money in 2002, laundering the money to hide the fraud scheme and using the money for his own benefit, U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Brien said today in a statement. Cooley represented Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District in the 1990s."

 Iraq to Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm [01/30/09 ] "The Iraqi government has informed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that it will not issue a new operating license to Blackwater Worldwide, the embassy's primary security company, which has come under scrutiny for allegedly using excessive force while protecting American diplomats, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday." 

 Corporations use bailout money to organize against Employee Free Choice Act  [01/30/09 ] "CEO's who received billions of tax payer dollars to save their asses are using the money to organize a massive attempt to block the Employee Free Choice Act. Three days after receiving $25 billion in federal bailout funds, Bank of America Corp. hosted a conference call with conservative activists and business officials to organize opposition to the U.S. labor community's top legislative priority. Participants on the October 17 call -- including at least one representative from another bailout recipient, AIG -- were urged to persuade their clients to send "large contributions" to groups working against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), as well as to vulnerable Senate Republicans, who could help block passage of the bill. Bernie Marcus, the charismatic co-founder of Home Depot, led the call along with Rick Berman, an aggressive EFCA opponent and founder of the Center for Union Facts. Over the course of an hour, the two framed the legislation as an existential threat to American capitalism, or worse. "This is the demise of a civilization," said Marcus. "This is how a civilization disappears. I am sitting here as an elder statesman and I'm watching this happen and I don't believe it."

 Gov Blagojevich thrown out of office, barred forever from holding office in Illinois [01/30/09 ] Finally .... we can all let it go.

 Canada: Bank introduces fee for not loaning you money [01/29/09 ] "Eventually, we can get to a point of forced consumerism. To save money, you will have to spend it. At this point, we may as well change the name of our country to Oxymoronia. Can't wait to hear the national anthem ..."

UK: "Photographers being arrested to seize evidence" [01/29/09 ]  Related: "Solicitor Mike Schwartz of Bindman and Partners told conference attendees that police were circumventing the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) Special Procedure Material safeguards, designed to protect journalistic material such as photographs and notebooks." Related:  UK Terror Law To Make Photographing Police Illegal "New laws set to be passed in England and Canada would make it illegal to use bad language or take photographs of police officers, moving us further away from the idea of police as public servants and more towards the notion of cops assuming God-like status."

 American investment banking community conspicuous by its absence this year at Davos [01/29/09 ] "One regular Davos constituency conspicuous by its absence this year is the American investment banking community." Turning up en masse in Davos is one PR disaster they have wisely decided to avoid ... Even Davos, for years a lucrative playground of these one time "masters of the universe" has seemingly turned against Wall Street and the City." 

 Sanders Votes No on Geithner [01/29/09 ]  Video "...Explain what this is all about, why you’re against the bailout, where this money is going, how there can be accountability. SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: Well, gee, Amy, I really wish I could. The reason that I voted against the whole bailout, and certainly the main reason, is nobody does understand it. What we know is that then-Secretary of the Treasury Paulson came in after, by the way—and I want everybody to remember this—year after year after year, Bush was telling us, and Paulson was telling us, that the fundamentals of the economy are sound, the economy is doing great. And then one day Paulson calls up members of the Senate and the House. He says, “Oh, by the way, I made a little bit a mistake. If you don’t give me $700 billion in a few days, the international financial system collapses.” I mean, that—talk about irresponsibility, talk about incompetence. That’s one area. We obviously—the Congress didn’t just give him $700 billion, but I had serious doubts about the competence of the Bush administration to do the right thing. I did not trust that they would be transparent or accountable. They are also all part of the same banking culture. The conflicts of interest of Mr. Paulson, who’s the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, doling out money to Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and many of these other large financial institutions, it just did not taste right to me .... When we talk about how we—where we got to where we are today, it is absolutely appropriate to cast a lot of the blame on Alan Greenspan, certainly Phil Gramm. Certainly, the Bush administration has been horrendous, in terms of their deregulatory fever, their belief that if we just give these guys on Wall Street, whose whole life is based on greed, we take away all regulations so that somehow or another they’re going to do the right thing and create prosperity for all Americans. I think you’ve got to be pretty off the wall to believe that. But I have to say, it was not just Alan Greenspan and Phil Gramm and George Bush who hold that view. There were many people in the Clinton administration who held that view, as well. So I have had some concerns, and that’s why I voted against Geithner about the appointments that President Obama has made in that area..."  [Democracy Now video clip]    Very good UPDATE about what's going on.

 Gates: Cash Cows of War Running Dry [01/29/09 ] "One thing we have known for many months is that the spigot of defense funding opened by 9/11 is closing," he said. "With two major campaigns ongoing, the economic crisis and resulting budget pressures will force hard choices on this department."

 20 million Madoff documents have been unearthed in a Queens warehouse [01/29/09 ] "Key investigators now believe Ruth Madoff played a larger role than previously assumed in her husband’s Ponzi scheme, and that the fraud began far earlier than other reports have indicated. Plus, she reports, 20 million Madoff documents have been unearthed in a Queens warehouse."

 Iran rejects U.S. demand to halt atom work: Because its a power station [01/29/09 ] "Iran will not halt sensitive nuclear work as demanded by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, a close aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday." Note: The "nuclear work" Obama is talking about is a power station. and under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Barack Obama is required to comply with even ahead of US law, Iran has a legal right to build nuclear power stations and to manufacture the fuel rods for them. It is the US which is in violation of the treaty by demanding Iran surrender its legal rights.

 Controversial Bestseller Shakes the Foundation of the Israeli State [01/29/09 ] "What if the Palestinian Arabs who have lived for decades under the heel of the modern Israeli state are in fact descended from the very same "children of Israel" ... what if most modern Israelis aren't descended from the ancient Israelites at all, but are actually a mix of Europeans, North Africans and others who didn't "return" to the scrap of land we now call Israel and establish a new state following the attempt to exterminate them during World War II, but came in and forcefully displaced people whose ancestors had lived there for millennia?"  Note: "Also, genetics testing has demonstrated that the most direct descendants of the biblical Hebrews of ancient times are today's Palestinians. This is common sense. The Semites split into Arab and Jew with the split in Abraham's house between Hagar/Ishmael on one side and Sarah/Israel on the other. This occurred too recently (in evolutionary terms) for random mutation to significantly change either group, and both groups discouraged intermarriage with other peoples until just a century ago, so in theory both groups should still resemble each other in stature, build, and skin tone. Clearly, the Palestinians do look a great deal like their Arab brothers. The Ashkenazi, equally clearly, do not."

 Supreme Court affirms police right to stop-and-frisk searches [01/29/09 ] "The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously to overturn an Arizona Court of Appeals opinion limiting the power of police to conduct physical searches of citizens during routine encounters."

 CIA Station Chief in Algeria Rapes Two After Lacing Drinks [01/29/09 ] "The CIA's station chief at its sensitive post in Algeria is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly raping at least two Muslim women who claim he laced their drinks with a knock-out drug, U.S. law enforcement sources tell ABC News."

 Unemployment rose in every state in December 2008 [01/29/09 ] "Rising unemployment spared no state last month, and 2009 is shaping up as another miserable year for workers from coast to coast."

 Halliburton offers to pay $559M bribery settlement [01/29/09 ] "Halliburton, a defense contractor and oil-service company once headed by former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, said it is willing pay a $559 million settlement to end to a bribery investigation under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. If the settlement is approved by the U.S. government, Halliburton will pay $382 million to the Justice Department and $177 million in "disgorgement" to the Securities and Exchange Commission."

 Car Companies Take Bailout Money And Sue Government To Prevent Stricter Fuel-Efficiency Standards [01/28/09 ] Note: I thought the loans were contingent on the companies presenting paperwork on how they intended in achieving better standards.

 UN Crime Chief Says Drug Money Flowed Into Banks [01/28/09 ] "The United Nations’ crime and drug watchdog has indications that money made in illicit drug trade has been used to keep banks afloat in the global financial crisis, its head was quoted as saying on Sunday. Vienna-based UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said in an interview released by Austrian weekly Profil that drug money often became the only available capital when the crisis spiralled out of control last year. In many instances, drug money is currently the only liquid investment capital,” Costa was quoted as saying by Profil. “In the second half of 2008, liquidity was the banking system’s main problem and hence liquid capital became an important factor.” The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had found evidence that “interbank loans were funded by money that originated from drug trade and other illegal activities,” Costa was quoted as saying. There were “signs that some banks were rescued in that way.” Profil said Costa declined to identify countries or banks which may have received drug money and gave no indication how much cash might be involved. He only said Austria was not on top of his list, Profil said."

 UK Study: Masturbation can be good for the over-50s   [01/28/09 ] "In their 50s men who were most sexually active (more than 10 times a month for sexual intercourse and masturbation combined) enjoyed a small protective effect. The effect was greater when masturbation was assessed on its own ... Polyxeni Dimitripolou, who led the study published in the British Journal of Urology International, said: "It seems as if keeping up a certain level of sexual activity through the decades is better than having a high level early [in the 20s and 30s] and then nothing." "One theory is that during the early years the prostate gland is more susceptible to hormonal changes and is still developing. As men age and accumulate toxins from the diet or through their lungs , sexual activity may help release them. Studies have found toxins in the semen and the fluid produced in the prostate. As you age it is more important to flush them out." However, she admitted that there was no good explanation of why masturbation should have a greater impact on prostate cancer, either by increasing or reducing the risk, than sexual intercourse. "For our sample there was no association with intercourse – all the effect was coming from masturbation." Note: Excuse me. I'll be back in ten minutes. I may have a comment, and I may not, but I'll be feeling less toxic, and, I never got smallpox, so life must be good, right?

Odd News Update: Man's suicide attempt fails when his van gets stuck on a rock  [01/28/09 ]   "The 34-year-old guy's van careened 120 feet into Red Canyon onto a rock overhang. If it had missed the overhang by 10 feet, the van would have plummeted the entire 300 feet to the bottom of the canyon. The man has severe neck and back injuries." Related: 25 Year Old Dove into Riverbed and Broke Neck, Awarded $76 Million He'll Never Collect | LA Man Upset Over Job Kills Wife, 5 Kids, Self  [1:46] "A medical technician fatally shot his wife, five young children and himself Monday after claiming in a note to a TV station that he and his wife both had just been fired." Woman "technically dead" in snowbank is telling her story |Bipolar Florida man celebrates his 46th birthday and his 190th arrest  

 Danish woman manages to convince bank to exchange Kroner for Monopoly Money   [01/27/09 ]  "A woman in Denmark played a high stakes game last week when she successfully convinced a bank to exchange bills worth two thousand "kronor" in Swedish Monopoly money for a quantity of real Danish money ... But the 61-year-old may be left needing a "get out of jail" card after a second attempt to exchange the toy cash backfired. The fraud attempt began on Thursday, when the woman entered a branch of the Nordea bank in Svendborg and handed over two fake bills. When the teller failed to spot that the Swedish bills were far from authentic, the woman walked away from the counter with a cool 1,400 Danish kroner ($240), local newspaper Fyns Amts Avis reports. Branch manager Ulrik Feveile Nielsen told the newspaper that an inexperienced staff member had been manning the cash desk at the time. "As long as humans are involved, mistakes will happen," he said."   Note: Yeah, you have to watch out for those 'humans' 

 Government must release cabinet minutes on lead-up to Iraq war   [01/27/09 ]  "Cabinet minutes from 2003 at which ministers discussed the events leading up to the invasion of Iraq were today ordered to be released by the information tribunal. The decision follows a lengthy battle by campaigners who have argued that the public interest in learning what was said about the planned invasion outweighs the public interest in cabinet discussions being kept secret. Ministers have strongly opposed the request, arguing that the Freedom of Information Act was never intended to allow for the publication of information of this kind."

 Israel to face 'catastrophe' without Palestinian state, says Jimmy Carter   [01/27/09 ]  "Former President Jimmy Carter said Monday that Israel will face a "catastrophe" unless it revives the Mideast peace process and establishes an independent Palestinian state."  Note: Peace will come when Israel grants to Palestine only that which Israel demands for itself; a right to exist and a nation of their own. 60 years of misery and death have resulted from Israel's basic hypocrisy of demanding recognition while refusing to give it.

 BBC rejects pleas of 50 MPs and 11,000 viewers over broadcast  [01/27/09 ]  "The BBC will defy the pleas of charities, ministers and 11,000 members of the public today to become the only terrestrial broadcaster not to transmit an appeal to raise aid for Gaza."

 BBC documentary takes on Obama's plans for American health care system   [01/27/09 ]  "A January 19 episode of BBC One's Panorama, the world's longest running television documentary show, tackled the dismal state of health care in the United States, the lengths to which its estimated 45 million uninsured citizens will go to in pursuit of care, the pharmaceutical industry's rigged pricing against the American patient, and the insurance industry's efforts to deny care whenever possible. Due to licensing restrictions, the episode, "What Now, Mr. President?," is only officially available to view online from connections within the United Kingdom. However, it has also been uploaded to YouTube, where it appears in three parts: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3 "

 Schumer signals support for prosecution of Bush officials   [01/27/09 ]  "...New York Sen. Charles Schumer said Sunday that he could support prosecution for Bush officials who participated in torture or broke other laws. "If there are egregious cases, I don't think you can say, blanket, no prosecutions," Schumer told Fox's Chris Wallace Sunday morning. "If there are egregious cases, yes, you have to look at them. ..Schumer was far from aggressive, repeating President Obama's comment earlier this month that "we should be looking forward, not backward."  Note: A delusional stance which the Zionists play up the best. Schumer is a schmuck.

 Don’t get taken alive, Israeli soldiers told   [01/27/09 ]  "Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza this month were ordered to kill themselves rather than be captured, according to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot. Troops were also told to kill any Israeli soldier they saw being taken by Hamas."  Note: The "friendly fire" shootings now make sense!

 77,000 More Layoffs: Caterpillar, Sprint, Pfizer Slash Jobs as Sales Fall   [01/26/09 ]  "The recession is killing jobs at an alarming pace, with tens of thousands of new layoffs announced Monday by some of the biggest names in American business _ Pfizer, Caterpillar and Home Depot. More pink slips, pay freezes and other hits are expected to slam workers in the months ahead as companies desperately look for ways to survive. "We're just seeing the tip of the iceberg _ the big firms," said Rebecca Braeu, economist at John Hancock Financial Services. "There's certainly other firms beneath them that will lay off workers as quickly or even quicker." Looking ahead, economists predicted a net loss of at least 2 million jobs _ possibly more _ this year even if President Barack Obama's $825 billion package of increased government spending and tax cuts is enacted. Last year, the economy lost a net 2.6 million jobs, the most since 1945, though the labor force has grown significantly since then."   150,000 layoffs in January So Far

 Twenty-five people at the heart of the meltdown - and six more who saw it coming  [01/26/09 ]  "The worst economic turmoil since the Great Depression is not a natural phenomenon but a man-made disaster in which we all played a part. In the second part of a week-long series looking behind the slump, Guardian City editor Julia Finch picks out the individuals who have led us into the current crisis."   

 GOP Leaders, Including McCain, Reject Stimulus Plan  [01/26/09 ]  "Leading Republicans Sunday indicated that they would oppose passage of the stimulus package as it is currently written."   

 Widespread anger in Egypt at dictator Mubarak's regime  [01/26/09 ]  "Muhammad lights up a cigarette and quietly utters an oath directed at Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The 25-year-old expresses what many Egyptians think at present: "Mubarak is a swine who has worked together with Israel to turn Gaza into a prison and is responsible for the suffering of the Palestinians."

 Flood of foreclosures: It's worse than you think  [01/26/09 ]  "Banks are moving slowly to list repossessed homes for sale, which could mean that housing inventory is even more bloated than current statistics indicate."

 Clamour for BBC to show Gaza appeal intensifies  [01/26/09 ]  "More than 50 MPs will back an early day motion in the Commons today urging the BBC to reverse its decision. Douglas Alexander, the international development secretary, Ben Bradshaw, the health minister, and Hazel Blears, the communities secretary, all criticised the BBC. Shahid Malik, the justice minister, said he had not met anyone who supported the BBC's stance."  Related:  UK: Tony Benn to BBC "If you wont broadcast the Gaza appeal then I will myself"   [01/26/09 ]  [3:00] 

 ‘Soviet’ Britain swells amid the recession   [01/26/09 ]  "Parts of the United Kingdom have become so heavily dependent on government spending that the private sector is generating less than a third of the regional economy, a new analysis has found."

 UK: Fed up companies plan to launch their own bank   [01/26/09 ]  "City law firm Taylor Wessing is believed to be working on a plan to create a bank backed by six leading UK listed corporates disenchanted with the failing lending institutions in the Square Mile. The firms are thought to have sounded out Glenn Cooper, the banking veteran famed for floating Manchester United, to head the new bank. A City source said: "These guys are totally fed up with the problems with the inertia, so are looking to get together and create an institution that can lend to small and medium-sized firms. Given that most banks have horribly messy balance sheets, they figure it's easier to start from scratch." 

 Britain is facing return of three-day week   [01/26/09 ]  "The prospect of the three-day week returned to haunt Britain yesterday as it emerged that ministers are considering paying firms to cut hours in order to survive the recession." 

 BBC's TV detector vans to remain a state secret  [01/26/09 ]  "Although most detection is done by database the Beeb still claims to maintain a fleet of vans which can tell if a particular address contains a TV. If you buy or rent a TV or buy a PC tuner card in the UK your address is passed onto TV Licensing. The BBC maintains a database of 29 million residential and business addresses which it can check for up-to-date licences. If there is no response to letters an "enquiry officer" is sent to the address. If householders refuse them access - which is quite legal - then a detector van will be sent. Note: Just a reminder that the British subjects pay a license fee for BBC, which means it is a public trust. For BBC to carry out Israel's wishes regarding the Gaza fundraiser is a theft of service from the British people."

 Michigan: 93-year-old freezes to death inside home after utility firm limits power   [01/26/09 ]  "A 93-year-old man froze to death inside his home just days after the municipal power company restricted his use of electricity because of unpaid bills, officials said."

 Conyers, Cohen file H.R. 104, Seeks Commission to Investigate Bush Crimes  [01/25/09 ]  "Democratic Reps. Cohen and Conyers have filed a House Resolution to form an independent commission to investigate the many crimes of the Bush Junta. I don't know if it will go anywhere, but it would be politically risky for any Democrat to vote against it." 

 Mystery weapons allegedly used in Gaza developed at military bases in Va., Fla.  [01/25/09 ]  "DIME munitions, which were developed by the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va. and tested at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, according to the Navy League of the United States. Though DIME bombs were developed in an effort to limit the destruction caused by the initial blast, it turns out they may also cause a kind of slow-motion destruction in the people they injure but do not kill outright: deadly tumors. The military's own scientists have shown that tungsten alloy presents a serious cancer risk for anyone exposed to it in the form of embedded shrapnel. In a 2005 study [pdf] published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, they report what happened when they implanted pellets of weapons-grade tungsten alloy in rats to simulate shrapnel wounds and then compared them to rats implanted with tantalum, an inert metal, and nickel, a known carcinogen ..."

 Mystery Prison Buses In Arizona Desert  [01/25/09 ]  "The new Wackenhut operation is shrouded in mystery. It has been running its fleet of empty prison buses night and day, apparently logging miles on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contract. Multiple buses can be seen driving all over town and even on remote desert back roads. Oddly, except for the driver and one escort guard seated in front, these buses are always empty." 

 CIA/Mossad Generated "Verify Yahoo Account" Scam/Phishing/Virus   [01/25/09 ]  "An expert traces the IP path and finds the source of this virus attack is Israel."

 Urgent call to expose “Friends of Israel” in Britain  [01/25/09 ]  "Israel’s stooges in Britain flex their muscles in government and the BBC."  Related: UK MP Baroness Tonge: "Israel stands accused of war crimes witnessed by the whole world"   

 2001 Army School Peacekeeping Report Says Mossad Can Target US Forces with False Flag Attacks  [01/24/09 ]  "A group of second-year students at the Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) produces a 68-page plan for sending peacekeepers to Israel in the event that the Israelis and Palestinians agree to a peace plan and the creation of a Palestinian state. Though the cover of the report indicates that the report has been written for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Chris Garver, a Fort Leavenworth spokesman, says that it was only an academic exercise. An article about the report appears in the Washington Times on September 10, 2001. The report refers to Israel’s armed forces as a “500-pound gorilla in Israel” that is “well armed and trained” and is “known to disregard international law to accomplish mission.” Of the Mossad, the report says: “Wildcard. Ruthless and cunning. Has capability to target US forces and make it look like a Palestinian/Arab act.” It describes Palestinian youths as “loose cannons; under no control, sometimes violent.” The SAMS officers write that US goals for the first 30 days of such a mission would be to “create conditions for development of Palestinian State and security of Israel”; ensure “equal distribution of contract value or equivalent aid” that would help legitimize the peacekeeping force and stimulate economic growth; “promote US investment in Palestine”; “encourage reconciliation between entities based on acceptance of new national identities”; and “build lasting relationship based on new legal borders and not religious-territorial claims.” [Washington Times, 9/10/2001] "

 The Problem With Obama: A “New Beginning" or ... Same Stuff, Different Color?  [01/24/09 ]  "... the problem with Obama is not Obama himself, a mostly unknown and inexperienced American politician. The problem with Obama is the very powerful group of key officers and aides that surround the new president, which one is led to believe were not freely chosen by Obama; rather, they seem to have been imposed upon Obama by the New World Order Power Structure that for many decades wields control over the United States, and without whose complacency, agreement and support Barack Obama would probably have never made it outside of the political borders of his home state of Illinois ..."

 Bush appointee, US ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, criticizes Obama for planning a quick military withdrawal from Iraq  [01/24/09 ]  "Crocker took a veiled swipe at US President Barack Obama's policy on Iraq on Friday, saying "a precipitous withdrawal" from Iraq could run severe risks. "[If] we were to decide suddenly we're done, they would certainly work to use space that opened up to do just that," said Crocker, adding that the military drawdown would give al-Qaeda the time and opportunity to "regenerate"."  Note: Crocker is a dangerous leftover nutcase from the Bush years. He is so full of bullshit he needs a shovel. That he hasn't been 'purged' says something.

 Obama ready to cut Karzai adrift  [01/24/09 ]  "Barack Obama's arrival in the White House and the wind of change sweeping through Washington could lead to the ousting from power of Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, The Independent has learned. International support for Mr Karzai, who was once the darling of the West, has waned spectacularly, amid worsening violence, endemic corruption and weak leadership."

 Hillary, Tzipi to stop Iran enrichment (in direct violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)d  [01/24/09 ]  "US secretary of state and Israel's foreign minister have reportedly reached an agreement to work together in dealing with Iran's nuclear program."

 Zionism; a Disease of the Mind  [01/23/09 ]  "To virtually incarcerate the Palestinian people inside degrading cages, destroying their livelihoods, confiscating their lands, stealing their water and uprooting their trees, and then to condemn their legitimate resistance as terrorism is a disease of the mind .... Zionism is a sickness, for it takes much more than just a twisted ideology to make people think like that. It requires a profound leap of immorality of a higher order to instill this mentality in your followers. Zionism is not merely a political movement, but in its essence represents a deeply disturbed view of the world, which is a reflection of a terrible disease of the mind ... To claim that having escaped the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, and Dachau is a justification for the murder, expulsion, and occupation of another guiltless people is a disease of the mind ..."

 Israel names justice minister to fight war crime charges  [01/23/09 ]  "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has put the justice minister in charge of defending Israel against charges of war crimes during its 22-day Gaza assault, a government source said Friday. Daniel Friedman will lead an inter-ministerial team to coordinate a legal defence for civilians and the military, the source said."

 Bush loyalists seethe over Obama's address  [01/23/09 ]  "It was the first time since Franklin D. Roosevelt took over from Herbert Hoover in 1933, that an incoming president used his Inaugural Address to so evidently repudiate his predecessor as he headed for the door ... Bush was not eager to lash back at his critics, but some of his loyalists were. In the hours since the Bush plane landed and the former president began his new life out of office, his defenders have begun pushing back. Two of his former top aides, Rove and Marc Thiessen, a White House speechwriter, have newspaper columns out Thursday implicitly rebutting Obama ... Thiessen, in The Washington Post, focused his argument on the fact that terrorists never struck American soil again after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, calling that Bush's singular legacy. "If Obama weakens any of the defenses Bush put in place and terrorists strike our country again, Americans will hold Obama responsible - and the Democratic Party could find itself unelectable for a generation," he wrote..."

 ACLU Asks Supreme Court To Outlaw Indefinite Detention Of U.S. Residents  [01/23/09 ]  "The Supreme Court should rule it illegal for the president to indefinitely hold U.S. residents in military detention, according to a brief filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union. In its brief filed in Al-Marri v. Spagone, the ACLU asks the Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision giving the president sweeping power to deprive individuals living in the United States of their most basic constitutional rights by designating them "enemy combatants." Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, the petitioner in the case, has been detained in solitary confinement at a Navy brig in South Carolina since June 2003... "

 Political Interference Seen in Bank Bailout Decisions  [01/23/09 ]  ""Bankers, regulators and politicians complain of a secretive and opaque process for deciding which banks get cash and which don't. The goal of aiding only banks healthy enough to lend -- laid out by the Treasury when the program began -- clearly seems to have shifted, but in a way that's hard to pin down and that the Treasury has declined to explain. Part of the problem is that some powerful politicians have used their leverage to try to direct federal millions toward banks in their home states. ... Several Ohio banks received funds after Ohio's congressional delegation complained bitterly about the treatment of Cleveland-based National City Corp., which regulators forced into a merger rather than provide with cash. And in Alabama, the state's top banking official says a windfall there -- five banks are slated to receive funds -- is testament to the influence of two powerful Alabama lawmakers who sit on key congressional committees."

 Jim Rogers: ‘UK has nothing to sell’  [01/22/09 ]  "Mr. Rogers says the two main pillars of support for sterling have been North Sea oil and the strength of the UK financial services sector, in particular, the City of London’s role. But Mr Rogers says just as North Sea oil is running out, so London’s standing as a major financial centre is set to suffer. If you do not have a product to sell, all the financial games in the world cannot prop up your economy."

 Florida Catholic priests 'stole millions from collection plate's  [01/22/09 ]  "An Irish Catholic priest has admitted to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his Florida parishioners to fund a lavish lifestyle of luxury homes and holidays."

 Israel Fails Again To Provoke Hezbollah And War Between The U.S. And Iran  [01/22/09 ]  "It is becoming apparent that the frenzied Israeli attack on the people of the Gaza Strip was designed specifically to inflame Hezbollah and provoke them into a war with Israel; a war that would quickly escalate to involve Iran and the US for the purpose of ultimately bringing about regime change in Iran. Furthermore, this was all supposed to happen before Bush left office when it was hoped that war with Iran would be unavoidable by the time Obama took office."

 Two NYPD officers accused of false cocaine arrests  [01/22/09 ]  "Two undercover New York police officers in Queens who prosecutors say had club goers falsely arrested on trumped-up charges of cocaine dealing pleaded not guilty yesterday to a litany of felony corruption charges."

 Irish Tycoon Found Dead, Suicide Suspected   [01/22/09 ]  "The circumstances surrounding Mr. Rocca's death aren't clear. It comes as Ireland has been grappling with a slowing economy and is struggling with the cost of a bank-bailout plan. The Irish government has moved to nationalize Anglo Irish Bank, the country's third-largest bank, a small-business lender exposed to the collapse of Ireland's construction-driven economy. The finance minister said Tuesday that the government plans to keep big lenders Allied Irish Banks PLC and Bank of Ireland PLC in private ownership."

 Improper Things: The Portraits of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney  [01/21/09 ]  "9,000 portraits of Dick Cheney and George Bush will be taken down from government buildings across the nation today. They will be destroyed rather than sold, as the government is fearful someone will do “improper things” to the portraits. After the excesses of the Bush/Cheney years, what in the world could such “improper things” be?"

 Obama Supporters in DC Want Bush Arrested [01/21/09 ]  ".... The New York Times' Scott Shane and Attorney General Mukasey agree with me that prosecution is now going to be hard to avoid. When even Nancy Pelosi has figured out where we're going, you know the winds of change are blowing strong. That's the dangerous thing about telling people that anything is possible: they'll end up insisting on what they really want. And they want lots of new laws, but they very dearly want us to start enforcing the old ones too."

 Should the US Pull the Plug on Israel  [01/21/09 ]  "The last time the US restrained Israel in its never-ending wars of aggression was when President Eisenhower pulled the plug on the Anglo-French-Israeli effort to grab the Suez Canal in 1956 ... Since then, we have not even chastised Israel when its actions hurt the United States."

 Wall Street Falls Amid Fears Of Spreading Banking Crisis  [01/21/09 ]  "The dawn of the Obama presidency could not shake the stock market from its dejection over the rapidly deteriorating state of the banking industry."

 No Confirmation Vote for Clinton  [01/21/09 ]  "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s smooth ride to confirmation as secretary of state hit a small bump on Tuesday as one of her Republican colleagues blocked a vote on Mrs. Clinton’s nomination, citing ethical questions arising from donors to her husband’s charitable foundation. Senator John Cornyn of Texas objected to including Mrs. Clinton’s name in a unanimous consent vote for several Cabinet nominees, scheduled for hours after the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid (ZOG), plans to hold a roll-call vote on Mrs. Clinton’s nomination on Wednesday, which she is expected to win easily.."

 Justice Roberts Flubs Obama Oath Of Office  [01/20/09 ]  "Chief Justice John Roberts swore in Barack Obama as president Tuesday in the first of what could be many important interactions for the two men of differing politics who rose quickly to power. The encounter was briefly awkward after Obama stepped on Roberts' opening lines from the 35-word constitutionally prescribed oath of office. The chief justice then wandered into a verbal detour of his own.

 Bush Booed At Inauguration [01/20/09 ] [0:32] "Former President Bush was welcomed to the inaugural podium with boos from the million-person plus crowd. The video below picks up some of the dissenting crowd. If you were watching the ceremony live, the boos were loud and clear throughout the mass of people." Note: It's the normal people that are doing the booing. Bush got what many feel he was due ... profound disapproval. The reporters ... they view it as 'bad form' because they're totally mired in delusional consensus social reality where these things are important .. sequentials and the sequentialized get to see a little simultaneous disapproval.

 Israel to keep tight grip on Gaza reconstruction   [01/20/09 ]  "Israel intends to exert control over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following its 22-day offensive, and is seeking guarantees that no U.N. projects will benefit Hamas, officials said on Monday." Note:  The mind set the Israelis adopt is absolutely sociopathic and irrational. Israel feels they can dictate the meaning of consensus reality to the rest of the planet ... we shall see.

 UK: Literacy ministry told to use plain English in reports   [01/20/09 ]  " ... MPs on the Commons select committee monitoring the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills – which is also responsible for courses in basic literacy for adults – have told its civil servants to use plain English. It accuses them of using "jargon-riddled phrases" and "euphemisms deflecting likely failure". It cites part of the annual report, which says the department has a "challenging growth strategy for 2010": that is, it is unlikely to meet targets."

 Travel advisory issued for top IDF officers   [01/20/09 ]  "Israeli Defense Force (IDF) officers intending to travel to Europe, whether for business or pleasure, have been advised to contact the Judge Advocate General's Office prior to leaving Israel; and some may be instructed not to leave the country. The advisory has been issued following Israel's concern that international arrest warrants may be issued against officers who were involved in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, on charges of war crimes. Jerusalem has reportedly received several reports suggesting international human rights groups are in the process of gathering evidence in the form of photos and testimonials, with the intent of filing suits both with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague and in local European courts. While the State is likely to be able to thwart such attempts in The Hague, having suits of this nature filed with local European courts quashed is more complex: Many of the European courts have taken it upon themselves to hear cases of alleged war crimes perpetrated in other countries, even if they themselves have no affinity to the case. Once a European court decides to hear such a case, it is within its right to issue bench warrants for the alleged criminals – in this case top politicians and military personnel – and that is a move the State might find difficult to undo. "As far as the international arena is concerned, Israel is entering what is probably its darkest era," a Jerusalem source told Yedioth Ahronoth. "The Palestinian and their friends will try to make Israel look like a leper, like China looked after the Tiananmen Square massacre (of 1989), or like Serbia did under (former President Slobodan) Milosevic. "They intend of mounting a legal front against IDF officers, ministers, Knesset members and Israeli diplomats. They will go after them with arrest warrants all over the world." According to political sources, the situation may take another turn for the worst after the foreign media will be allowed back into Gaza Strip, and the devastation in Gaza becomes more evident ...."

 South Korea Orders Alert After North Korean Threat  [01/20/09 ]  "The General Staff of the North Korean army made its announcement two days ago in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Sang Hee and other leaders met immediately after the declaration and discussed their nation’s readiness, the military in Seoul said. North Korea imposed border restrictions with South Korea at the start of last month, accusing the government in Seoul of taking confrontation “beyond the danger level.” North Korea has repeatedly called South Korean President Lee Myung Bak a “traitor” and a “sycophant to the U.S.” The regime has demanded South Korea stop civic organizations from launching balloons loaded with so-called propaganda leaflets criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war as their 1950-1953 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty. The two nations are separated by one of the world’s most heavily fortified borders, with 1.7 million soldiers facing off each day ... South Korea placed its military on alert after North Korea threatened “strong military retaliatory steps” over the government in Seoul’s confrontational policies. South Korea ordered its army, navy and air force to “strengthen their alert status,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement yesterday. “No particular movements by the North Korean military have been detected,” it added." 

 Robert Gates to serve as the designated successor during Inauguration Day   [01/20/09 ]  "Here’s something you don’t even want to think about. It comes by way of a statement from White House Press Secretary Dana Perino. “In order to ensure continuity of government, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been designated by the outgoing administration, with the concurrence of the incoming administration, to serve as the designated successor during Inauguration Day, Tuesday, January 20th.” The “designated successor” become president in case of an Inauguration Day disaster that takes the lives of everybody else in the succession plan. Where does that put Gates during the festivities? “Undisclosed location,” says Perino."

 Olbermann Calls for Prosecution of Bush, Invokes Nazis and Slavery   [01/20/09 ]  "On Monday’s Countdown show, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann delivered his latest "Special Comment," in which he called on President-elect Barack Obama to prosecute President Bush and administration members on a charge of torturing prisoners, and invoked extreme examples such as slavery leading to the Civil War, and the handling of Germany after World War I leading to the rise of Nazism and World War II, to illustrate that "this country has never succeeded in moving forward without first cleansing itself of its mistaken past," and that Obama must try to prosecute Bush for the sake of the country’s future. After quoting Bush’s recent words about the interrogation techniques he authorized against 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and statements by Obama expressing reluctance to pursue prosecutions against the Bush administration, Olbermann began invoking extreme examples from history ..."

 Orwell's 2009- United States Big Brother is Watching    [01/20/09 ]  "All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” George Orwell 

 Livni makes light of Gaza civilian casualty   [01/20/09 ]  "Israel's foreign minister has sought to justify the high number of casualties in Gaza by calling it a normal "product of circumstance"." 

 Israeli rabbis to Olmert: "It doesn’t matter even if you kill million Palestinians"   [01/20/09 ]  "Citing verses from the Book of Geneses, Jewish rabbi Mordachi Elyaho, who is the religious reference of the popular religious current in the Zionist entity sent outgoing Israeli premier Ehud Olmert a weekly leaflet containing articles allowing the Jews to carryout the idea of massive punishment against the enemies in accordance with the ethics of war in the Torah, the paper pointed out."   Note: However, the Talmud, which has higher precedence, forbids such acts, as well as the entire ethical morass embodying Zionism and the collection of Jews into a 'state'. This has been a historical battle within the dynamic.

 Dark days for retail   [01/20/09 ]  "Pain of '08 will flow into '09; malls, chains and warehouses are bracing. 25% retail businesses in the US will go bankrupt in 2009. Some experts say that the number of store closings in 2009 will be the most in 35 years, affecting every sector from apparel to electronics. In the past six months, chains including Circuit City, Value City Department Stores, Goody's Clothing and KB Toys have declared bankruptcy. On Friday, Circuit City became the latest to announce liquidation plans after it failed to find a buyer or arrange needed financing." 

 Israeli troops to leave Gaza before Obama inauguration   [01/19/09 ]  "Israeli officials today said their troops would leave the Gaza Strip before tomorrow's inauguration of Barack Obama as new US president. This is the first official indication that Israel plans a rapid withdrawal of its forces after announcing a unilateral ceasefire late on Saturday. The decision could be linked to Israel's desire to get off to a smooth start with the new US administration. Thousands of troops started coming out of Gaza on Saturday. Hamas declared a weeklong truce yesterday. Government spokesman Mark Regev would not confirm the timetable. He said only that if Gaza remains quiet, Israel's departure will be "almost immediate". Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas administration, claimed a "popular victory" against Israel. "The enemy has failed to achieve its goals," he declared. Hamas's truce decision, conditioned on Israel withdrawing within a week, was "wise and responsible," he said. According to the Palestinian Statistics Bureau, some 4,000 residential buildings were reduced to rubble during the conflict. Western diplomats have said it could cost at least £1 billion to repair the infrastructure damage in Gaza."

 Black Death 'kills al-Qaeda (CIA assets) operatives in Algeria'   [01/19/09 ]  "The disease, which struck Europe in the Middle Ages killing more than 25 million people, has swept through a training camp for insurgents in Algeria. The arrival of the plague was discovered when security forces found the body of a dead terrorist by a roadside, the Sun reports. The victim belonged to the large al-Qaeda network AQLIM (al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb). A security source told the paper: "This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease. "It spreads It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda." Black Death comes in various forms and was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history when it struck in the 1340s killing 75 million people across North Africa, Asia and Europe. Bubonic Plague is spread by bites from infected rat fleas. Symptoms include painful boils in the groin, neck and armpits. In Pneumonic Plague, airborn bacteria spread like flu. Without medication it can be deadly. The new epidemic began in the cave hideouts of AQLIM in Tizi Ouzou province, 150km east of the capital Algiers, the Sun reports. The group, led by wanted terror figure Abdelmalek Droudkal, was forced to turn its shelters in the Yakouren forest into mass graves and flee. The group now fears the highly-infectious disease could have spread to other al-Qaeda training camps or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, the paper said. A source said: "The emirs (leaders) fear surviving terrorists will surrender to escape a horrible death." AQLIM bombed the UN headquarters in Algiers in 2007, killing 41."    Note: Again, elements in a sequentialized hierarchy are always expendable to levels above. Why is it not a surprise that the CIA would stoop to biological warfare to take these people out.

 Israel kept out aid for Gaza  [01/19/09 ]  "Israel deliberately blocked the United Nations from building up vital food supplies in Gaza that feed a million people daily before the launch of its war against Hamas, according to a senior UN official in Jerusalem. In a scathing critique of Israeli actions leading up to the conflict, the UN's chief humanitarian co-ordinator in Israel, the former Australian diplomat Maxwell Gaylard, accused Israel of failing to honour its commitments to open its border with Gaza during several months of truce from June 19 last year. "The Israelis would not let us facilitate a regular and sufficient flow of supplies into the Strip," Mr Gaylard said."

Odd News Update: Man arrested after throwing cat at wife during a dispute  [01/19/09 ]   "Paul Wood, 25, is accused of throwing the family cat at his wife and punching a hole in the wall of the couple’s home at the Trolley Road Trailer Park. The cat, which has its claws, struck the woman in the back during the argument."  Related: McDonald's worker: I was a victim of psoriasis discrimination |Couple arrested after fighting over unwanted gift |Passengers take down jerk who threatened to open plane's door | Rare goat accidentally hangs itself in Canada zoo |60-year-old Pakistani businessman commits suicide by near self-decapitation with an electric chainsaw " The financial crisis has claimed another victim. A 60-year-old Pakistani businessman apparently committed suicide by near self-decapitation with an electric chainsaw because he was facing bankruptcy."   

 Obama rides history for date with destiny  [01/18/09 ]  "Barack Obama, who would become America's first black president in two days, rolled into Washington for his historic inauguration on a vintage train, retracing the last leg of his hero Abraham Lincoln's journey in 1861."  Note: Somehow the constant reference to Lincoln just falls out as two words: irony and assassination. I wonder if Obama has anyone working for him with a last name that fits in, somehow, like 'Kennedy', or .... say, here's something: Obama-Lincoln Parallel Examined By Presidential Scholars (VIDEO) of course, there had to be ... Read an article here.

 Obama Team Weighs Government Bank to Ease Crisis   [01/18/09 ]  "President-elect Obama is considering a plan by the US Federal Reserve, Treasury and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that would see the government establish a bank to absorb bad assets from struggling private banks .... One of the sources said options being considered by Obama's team included the creation of a single national "bad bank," individual institutions to specialize in different asset classes, "bad banks" within existing large private banks, or some combination of the three ..." Note:  Isn't this like scraping dog shit off your shoe onto your own porch? The shit's still there. Insane. It's also like taking the drawers out of a dresser to make the dresser lighter, but placing the drawers on top of the dresser. And, it's all about NOTHING, worthless stuff. They're all to the point of juggling 'concepts', now ... the world of nothing inside a game about nothing ...

 More than 60% of Americans say they are 'struggling'  [01/18/09 ]  "The number of Americans who say their lives are a struggle climbed steeply last year from less than half the population to nearly six in 10 people, a vast Gallup poll showed Friday. "In January of 2008, 49 percent of Americans were thriving, 47 percent struggling and four percent were suffering. In November and December, 38 percent were thriving, 58 percent struggling and four percent suffering," Gallup scientist Jim Harter commented on findings of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. "The 11-point swing in struggling Americans represents more than 22 million people," Harter said on Gallup's website. To compile the Index, Gallup surveyed at least 1,000 US adults each day last year, starting in January ... Respondents were asked to score six aspects of their lives, including how they rate their current lives and where they think they will be in five years -- the so-called life evaluation index. That saw a "major drop off" in November and December, as the US economy plunged deeper into crisis, Gallup said. The increase in percent struggling is a function both of how people feel about their present situation, and also how they view the next five years. The changes have been particularly felt among those working full-time, over age 35 with children. And the changes have affected people at most income levels."

 "Israel’s Leaders Are Not Simply War Criminals; They Are Fools"  [01/18/09 ]  "Sir Gerald Kaufman, House of Commons (British Parliament), January 15, 2009".   This is the TEXT of the video: UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza [5:39] 

 Bush-appointed U.S. attorneys refuse to leave Justice Dept.   [01/18/09 ]  "George W. Bush will leave the White House for good on Tuesday, but two controversial U.S. attorneys appointed by him have no intention of leaving the Justice Department. U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan of Pittsburgh, a member of the conservative Federalist Society who is close to former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, pledged last month to remain in her post. And U.S. Attorney Alice Martin of Birmingham, whose conduct has been the subject of repeated investigations by Congress and the Justice Department’s ethics office, several of which are still pending, will stay on in her post, The Daily Beast reported Friday. Political appointees to the Justice Department traditionally tender their resignation when a new president moves into the White House; Buchanan and Martin would apparently rather be fired. Their contrariness is particularly notable given a brand-new internal Justice Department report that includes unprecedented details regarding the department's politicized atmosphere. The report, issued Tuesday, found that a former top official in the department's Civil Rights Division regularly hired Republicans and Federalist Society members for nonpolitical posts, giving them high-profile assignments on civil rights cases, the New York Times reported ..."" 

 Zionist Control of US Policy  [01/18/09 ]  "A highly influential and extremely well bankrolled collection of groups directs energy simultaneously in a number of directions: Political, media, academic, inter-faith, and other areas, in order to create consent for Israel's policies and to sway politicians to support those policies. The rest of this article examines this process in greater detail, primarily through the words of academics who have studied it for years ...."

 Arthur Nadel, Money Manager, Missing In Florida   [01/18/09 ]  "A Florida money manager is missing and police have opened an investigation into the possible disappearance of "hundreds of millions" of dollars, authorities said on Friday." 

 Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Minister Livni served as a Paris based Mossad agent   [01/18/09 ]  "Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni served as a Paris agent for the Mossad overseas intelligence agency in the 1980s during a series of missions it ran to kill Palestinian terrorists across Europe, according to the Sunday Times. The report cites Livni's former colleagues as saying the Kadima frontrunner was on active duty in 1983, when senior Palestine Liberation Organization official Mamoun Meraish was shot dead by two Mossad agents in Athens. While Livni was not involved in the killing, her service in the Mossad remains secret, the report says. She had joined the agency after completing her service in the Israel Defense Forces with a rank of lieutenant and one year of law school." 

 Israeli Spokesman: "Hamas killed Palestinian children to make us look bad" [01/18/09 ] [1:35] "A representative from Livni's office is grilled by a British reporter."   Related: Evidence For the Upcoming Trial Against Foreign Subversion of American Government

 Israel declares 'unilateral Gaza ceasefire' effective 18 Jan  [01/17/09 ]  "National Security Cabinet votes in favor of unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, to take effect early Sunday; Olmert says Hamas hit hard, operation's objectives fully met. IDF troops to remain in Strip for time being ... In a statement following the vote, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel fully achieved the operation's objectives, adding that the IDF will end its military operations at 2 am Sunday. The prime minister noted that Hamas sustained hard blows during the operation, adding that the group is an offshoot of Iran. (No, actually, it is not) Cabinet members arrived at the Prime Minister's Office in Tel Aviv Saturday evening where they met with top security officials, including Army Chief Gabi Ashkenazi, IDF Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin, Shin Bet Director Yuval Diskin, and Mossad Chief Meir Dagan. PM Olmert led the call to examine a unilateral ceasefire. He was supported by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Livni believes that there is no reason not to end the fighting, as the current operation is merely one round in the conflict and more rounds are expected vis-à-vis radical Islamic terrorists. The foreign minister, who has led international agreements with the US and European countries aimed at ending Hamas arms smuggling, believes a truce would be good to Israel. On Friday, Livni told Ynet that should the fire be renewed, Israel will respond harshly ... "This is not a ceasefire with Hamas. These are understanding with elements in the international community which Hamas, as an illegitimate entity, has no place to be involved in." However, a Hamas representative said the group will continue to fight as long as Israeli soldiers remain in the Strip ... Turning his attention to IDF captive Gilad Shalit, Olmert said: "The Israeli government is working in many ways to bring Gilad Shalit home and, during the days of the operation, we did many things that brought us closer to this goal, upon which I will not elaborate." "Gilad is at the top of our list of priorities," the PM said."  Note: Wait a minute! It has already been reported that the Israeli's bombed the house in which Gilad Shalit was held, killing him ... so, what's going on? A warped sense of humor?

 Pro-Israel Rally Attended by Big-Time NY Dems Descends into Calls for 'Wiping Out' Palestinians  [01/17/09 ]  These people are all so fucking stupid ...  the only thing what will stop them is their own death. No rationality ... mentally ill, all of them. A good illustration of sequentialism, mental illness, mindless hypocrisy and more. Minions and their cheerleaders.  Related:  Israeli lies revealed by Tzipi Livni  "It's not a question of how many (people) die  [2:02] but the survival of Israel and the responsibility of the Israeli government to give a peaceful life to it's citizens".  Now, sane people would commit a person like Livni to a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane ... but, this is what passes for sanity in Israel. This is how the sequentials really love to operate.

 Journalists call Livni 'terrorist' during press conference on Gaza operation  [01/17/09 ]  Actually, she's taking after her parents, who were terrorists in their own right. "Some journalists went so far as to compare the Israeli government to that of dictator Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, due to Israel's decision to bar journalists from Gaza. One of the more tense moments came when one journalist began to quote at length a Human Rights report on the situation in Gaza, before asking Livni to comment on "the murder of innocent civilians in the Strip ... Livni's bodyguards were on high alert when at a certain stage one person, who did not introduce himself, began accusing Israel of murdering innocent civilians. The event's host asked the man to settle for one question, but the latter cried out, "You let her speak here and don't let as ask questions. Since when are terrorists accommodated here?" In spite of the 'unpleasant incident', the foreign minister kept cool and reiterated Israel's traditional stances. "  Related: UK Jewish MP: Israel acting like Nazis in Gaza  Livni's parents are mentioned.

 Private money that helped knit together global economy, abruptly dried up in 2008 [01/16/09 ] " ... The reversal of private capital flows signals an abrupt end to a nearly two-decades-long era of financial globalization, says economist Brad Setser of the Council on Foreign Relations. Private flows into and out of the U.S. for purchases of stocks, corporate bonds and federal agency bonds have dropped from around 18% of economic output to near zero "in a remarkably short period of time," Setser says. The past two quarters also have seen an about-face in cross-border bank flows as institutional investors found lenders unwilling to extend credit. In the first quarter of 2008, foreigners deposited more than $79 billion with U.S. banks. That flow reversed in the second quarter, as foreigners withdrew a staggering $256 billion, and the outflow continued in the third quarter with an additional $147 billion. Likewise, banks in the U.S. brought home more than $151 billion in the quarter, as overseas institutions repaid loans. Institutional investors, including banks, across the board are pulling their capital back home," says economist Eswar Prasad of the Brookings Institution. One bright spot: Foreign central banks continue to spend heavily on U.S. government securities, allowing the U.S. to finance the gap between what it produces (nothing much) and consumes (less and less).

 Israeli's Deliberately Release Attack Dogs to Eat Bodies of Children, While Parents Kept Back By Bullets [01/16/09 ]   

 Israeli Officials Can’t Seem to Get Stories Straight on UN Attack  [01/16/09 ] "The attack also set the aid warehouse on site ablaze, destroying tons of emergency food and fuel aid intended for the 1.5 million people living in the densely populated war zone making it potentially more injurious to the civilian population than many bloodier attacks. But was the attack just another random hit by an Israeli military responsible for a myriad of attacks on targets that had nothing to do with their overall mission, or a deliberate strike? As with its attack last week on the United Nations girls’ school, the Israeli government is having a little trouble getting its story straight."

  Gazans flee burning hospital  [01/16/09 ] " ... The racist, sociopathic, psychotic, belligerent, violent, habitual liar of a state created from stolen land by means of terrorism continues to show no respect whatsoever for human life (that is, other than their own pathetic asses) and goes on defying every norm and precept of international law while displaying no sense of morality whatsoever."

 White House Suddenly Finds 14 Million Missing E-Mails, DOJ Lawyer Says [01/16/09 ] " ... Six days before the Bush administration's term ends, a Justice Department attorney told a federal judge Wednesday that the White House found 14 million "missing" e-mails that for nearly two years were the subject of several lawsuits and congressional inquiries and widespread speculation that the documents were destroyed. Helen Hong, an attorney in the Justice Department's civil division, said the White House spent $10 million to locate the e-mails. She said the e-mails would be transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration, along with 300 million of other documents in accordance with the Presidential Records Act, immediately after President George W. Bush leaves office next Tuesday."
 Leading Israeli Scholar Avi Shlaim: Israel Committing “State Terror” in Gaza Attack, Preventing Peace [01/16/09 ] "The assault on Gaza is entering its nineteenth day, with no end in sight. Israel continues its intense bombardment of the territory as Israeli troops edge closer to the heart of Gaza City. Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 4,400 injured, many of them women and children. Thirteen Israelis have died over the same period, ten of them soldiers. We speak with Oxford professor Avi Shlaim. He served in the Israeli army in the mid-1960s and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on the Israeli-Arab conflict."

 EU Commission on Nuclear Matters Considers 'DIME" Weapons Israelis Used on Gaza As Nuclear Weapons [01/16/09 ] "Israel is coming under increasing criticism for its possible use of banned and experimental munitions. Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of illegally firing white phosphorous, which causes horrific burns if it comes in contact with the skin, over crowded refugee camps in Gaza. Medics and human rights groups are also reporting that they are seeing injuries distinctive of another controversial weapon, Dense Inert Metal Explosive, known as DIME, that was designed by the US Air Force in 2006. In addition to white phosphorous, medics and human rights groups are reporting they are seeing injuries distinctive of another controversial weapon. The munition, called DIME, for dense inert metal explosive, was designed to create a powerful blast over a small area. It was developed by the US Air Force in 2006. Those struck by the weapon who survive suffer severe mutilations and internal injuries. The weapon causes the tissue to be torn from the flesh. Unlike traditional munitions, there is said to be no shrapnel. Instead, particles of metals can be found in the bodies of those affected. Those residues have been found on victims in Gaza. Those struck by the weapon who survive suffer severe mutilations and internal injuries. We go to the Gaza border to speak with Marc Garlasco of Human Rights Watch and to Norway to speak with Dr. Mads Gilbert, who just returned from the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. He says Gaza is “truly a scene from Dante’s Inferno.” 

 'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years [01/16/09 ] " ... The current economic strategy is right out of "Atlas Shrugged": The more incompetent you are in business, the more handouts the politicians will bestow on you. That's the justification for the $2 trillion of subsidies doled out already to keep afloat distressed insurance companies, banks, Wall Street investment houses, and auto companies -- while standing next in line for their share of the booty are real-estate developers, the steel industry, chemical companies, airlines, ethanol producers, construction firms and even catfish farmers. With each successive bailout to "calm the markets," another trillion of national wealth is subsequently lost. Yet, as "Atlas" grimly foretold, we now treat the incompetent who wreck their companies as victims, while those resourceful business owners who manage to make a profit are portrayed as recipients of illegitimate "windfalls...."

 Bank of America Is Insolvent [01/16/09 ] "...Bank of America has all kinds of problems with its acquisitions,” said Gary Townsend, president of Hill-Townsend Capital LLC in Chevy Chase, Maryland. “They’ve been so acquisitive, they find themselves with very little in tangible equity.” Gary Townsend nails it with his statement. "Bank of America is Insolvent". Congress, the Fed, and the Treasury are proposing that insolvent and overburdened taxpayers should bailout insolvent banks. The idea, of course, cannot possibly work, but the bureaucrats would rather believe in the Keynesian Free Lunch theory, than common sense."  Related: Bank of America will be "Broken Up"

 David Miliband: Bush's War on Terror was misleading and mistaken  [01/15/09 ] "David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, bid an acrimonious adieu to George W Bush today, branding the outgoing President's War on Terror a "misleading and mistaken" doctrine that had united extremists against the West. Speaking in Mumbai, Mr Miliband said that the idea of a War on Terror gave a false notion "of a unified, transnational enemy, embodied in the figure of Osama Bin Laden and the organisation of 'al-Qaeda'".

 UN headquarters in Gaza hit by Israeli 'white phosphorus' shells  [01/15/09 ] "The main UN compound in Gaza was in flames today after being struck by Israeli artillery fire, and a spokesman said that the building had been hit by shells containing the incendiary agent white phosphorus. The attack on the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) came as Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, arrived in Israel on a peace mission and plunged Israel's relations with the world body to a new low."

 Israel Threatens to Shoot Unarmed Civilians aboard Mercy Ship  [01/15/09 ] "At roughly 3am UST (1am GMT), in international waters 100 miles off the coast of Gaza, at least five Israeli gunboats surrounded the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY and began recklessly cutting in front of the slow-moving civilian craft. The Israeli warships radioed the SPIRIT, demanding that the ship turn around or they would open fire and "shoot." When asked if the Israeli navy was acknowledging that they intended to commit a war crime by deliberately firing on unarmed civilians, the warships replied that they were prepared to use "any means" to stop the ship. An earlier attempt by Free Gaza to deliver doctors and medical supplies ended on 30 December when Israeli gunboats deliberately and repeatedly rammed the DIGNITY, almost sinking that ship. Rather than endanger the lives of its passengers, the SPIRIT is now returning to Cyprus. Note: The Nazis allowed Red Cross aid packages to be delivered to occupied territories and even prisoners of war during WW2."

 War of Choice: How Israel Manufactured the Gaza Escalation  [01/15/09 ] "Israel's military and political leadership took many aggressive steps during the ceasefire that escalated a crisis with Hamas, and possibly even provoked Hamas to create a pretext for the assault. This wasn't a war of "no choice," but rather a very avoidable war in which Israeli actions played the major role in instigating."

 Israel Creating Pretext to Attack Lebanon  [01/15/09 ] "Israel has warned Lebanon it will retaliate with aerial bombardment against southern Lebanon next time the Jewish state is attacked by rockets from Lebanon. News reports on Thursday said Israel's threat was relayed to Lebanon via international sides upon the firing of three Katyushas early Wednesday into northern Israel."

 Food-deficit countries sourcing supplies through diplomatic rather than commercial channels, preventing price spikes  [01/15/09 ] "The Philippines, the world’s largest importer of rice, is on track to secure most of its needs for this year through a large and secretive government-to-government deal with Vietnam, bypassing the international market, traders said on Wednesday. The south-east Asian country has already bought 500,000 tonnes of the grain from Vietnam’s state exporter, and is in talks with Hanoi to acquire a further 1m-1.5m tonnes, traders said. Both governments would not confirm the contracts. The deal, which would meet the bulk of Manila’s rice needs this year of about 2m tonnes, signals a move among food-deficit countries to source supplies through diplomatic rather than commercial channels, in order to prevent price spikes. Manila’s rush last year to secure rice through large commercial tenders was seen as one reason behind the jump in rice prices to an all-time high of $1,100 a tonne for Thai medium-quality rice, the world’s benchmark, up from $350 (€266, £241) in 2007. The move is also a response to some exporting countries restricting their commercial overseas sales. India, the world’s third largest rice exporter, has yet to restart its commercial sales as it tries to keep its domestic market well supplied, but it is selling on a government-to-government basis.."

 FDA Scientists Describe Corruption to Obama Transition Team  [01/15/09 ] "A group of federal scientists has sent a letter to President-elect Obama's transition team describing serious managerial misconduct within a division of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

 Where the Money Is: A Financial Transactions Tax  [01/15/09 ] "The economist Dean Baker is a strong advocate of a financial transactions tax. This would impose a small fee — ranging up to, say, 0.25 percent — on the sale or transfer of stocks, bonds and other financial assets, including the seemingly endless variety of exotic financial instruments that have been in the news so much lately. According to Mr. Baker, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, the fees would raise a ton of money, perhaps $100 billion or more annually — money that the government sorely needs. But there’s another intriguing element to the proposal. While the fees would be a trivial expense for what the general public tends to think of as ordinary traders — people investing in stocks, bonds or other assets for some reasonable period of time — they would amount to a much heavier lift for speculators, the folks who bring a manic quality to the markets, who treat it like a casino. “It raises money in a way that comes primarily at the expense of speculation,” said Mr. Baker. “The fees would be a considerable expense for someone who is buying futures, or a stock, or any asset at 2 o’clock and then selling it at 3. The more you trade, the more you pay. “For the typical person holding stock, who is planning to hold it for a long period of time, paying the quarter of one percent on a trade is just not that big a deal.” The fees, though small, could amount to a big deal for speculators because in addition to the volume of their trades they often make their money on very small margins. Someone who buys an asset and then sells it an hour later at a one percent appreciation might feel quite pleased. He or she would be less pleased at having to pay a quarter- percent fee to purchase the asset in the first place and then another quarter percent to sell it. This, according to Mr. Baker, is part of the beauty of the transfer tax; it tends to curb at least some speculation. “It’s a very progressive tax,” he said, “that discourages nonproductive activity.”

 Israel's free ride ends  [01/15/09 ] "As Israel pulverizes Gaza, questions and doubts about Israeli policy are becoming more prominent in the American media ..."

Naomi Klein: Israel: Boycott, Divest, Sanction [01/14/09 ] "It's time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa ..."

 Draconian Right Wing Israeli Party Leader Proposes De Facto 'Nuking' of Gaza Strip  [01/14/09 ] "Operation Cast Lead must continue until Hamas "loses the will to fight," Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman said on Tuesday. "We must continue to fight Hamas just like the United States did with the Japanese in World War II," Lieberman added. "Then, too, the occupation of the country was unnecessary." Note: Israel Beiteinu is the fifth, and soon to be the fourth largest political party in Israel.

 Australia: Government Suppresses Study On Contamination of Meat to Prevent Holiday sales slump  [01/14/09 ] "Raw meat being sold in Australia is laden with potentially harmful bacteria, some of which have morphed into antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" that are difficult to treat when passed on to humans, according to a federal government survey. But while authorities insist the bacteria levels are normal, and superbugs less prevalent than in other countries, the survey results were still suppressed for more than a month because the food industry did not want its holiday sales jeopardised."

 Ukraine Refuses To Send Russian Gas To Europe  [01/14/09 ] "Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, today accused Ukraine of holding Europe hostage by refusing to pass on gas, as supplies remained shut off in a week-long crisis that has seen factories closed and thousands of people without winter heating ... Naftogaz says it is not passing on supplies to Europe due to unacceptable conditions set by Gazprom."  Related: Ruble Devalued to Six-Year Low as Gas Dispute Deters Investors 

 Olmert Openly Boasts of Control of Rice Vote in UN  [01/14/09 ] "In an unusually public rebuke, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel said Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been forced to abstain from a United Nations resolution on Gaza that she helped draft, after Mr. Olmert placed a phone call to President Bush." 

 U.S: Arms shipment from Greece 'meant' for "U.S. Stockpile in Israel", but 'not Israel', delayed "due to Gaza conflict"   [01/14/09 ]  And how big is this 'U.S. Stockpile", that couldn't possibly exist without some agreement for it's use BY Israel ... which makes it essentially "Israel's Stockpile" from which they can draw and do anything they wish. So it's just semantics. See Background articles below.

 Split in Israel cabinet reported as ‘war crimes’ concerns grow  [01/14/09 ] "... Mark Regev, who 'speaks for' Olmert, claimed Israel was "advancing towards the endgame", but refused to say when that would be. The reported split comes as the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, due to visit the region on Wednesday, pleaded with both sides in the conflict to agree to an immediate ceasefire to stop the bloodshed in Gaza. The death toll among Palestinians is said to have reached 920 - of whom approximately 370 are women and children - while the Israeli toll remains at 13. Other UN officials, as well as human rights groups, are putting on pressure for an international war crimes investigation into Israel's "massive violations of human rights". They accuse Israel of "reckless and indiscriminate" shelling of residential areas, including the illegal use of phosphorus shells, as reported here yesterday..."

 Kyrgyzstan threatens to shut key US airbase   [01/13/09 ] "The main US airbase supplying troops in Afghanistan could be closed down by the government of Kyrgyzstan in return for billions of dollars of Russian investment." 

 Israel rains bombs on 'own soldier'  [01/13/09 ] "The planes of the Zionist enemy bombed the house and destroyed it completely, thus putting an end to the life of its soldier," the statement continues. "They preferred this horrific death for their soldier to him being imprisoned by the Mujahideen of al-Qassam," adds the statement. Prior to Israel's ground offensive inside the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Hamas had warned that sending Israeli troops into the area would prompt operations for more Shalit-like captures. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured two years ago in a cross-border operation by Palestinian fighters. "  The soldier that they used as a reason for aggression.  On the other hand, he's finally dead. Let that be the end of it.  

 Top 11 compounds in US drinking water  [01/13/09 ] "...A comprehensive survey of the drinking water for more than 28 million Americans has detected the widespread but low-level presence of pharmaceuticals and hormonally active chemicals ..." Note the "mood stabilizing" and tranquilizing drugs in the list.

 Clinton 'rules out talks' with Hamas  [01/13/09 ]  I liked her better in South Park with a grenade inside. If Hillary is not willing to talk to the elected government of other countries, then what do they need a Secretary of State for?  Related: Clinton promises new Iran 'approach'  "US Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton says the incoming Obama administration will try a "new approach" toward Iran."   Note: Is that before or after Israel attacks Iran?

 Israel ready to stage a raid against Iran's nuclear facilities  [01/13/09 ] Based on trumped up fallacies and lunacy.

 Obama Issues First Veto Threat   [01/13/09 ] "...President-elect Barack Obama made his first veto threat Tuesday in a closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats. Obama told his former colleagues that if Congress passes a resolution blocking release of the second half of the financial bailout funds he will veto it, said Sen. Joseph Lieberman after leaving the caucus meeting ... If Congress releases the funds without a new oversight bill, it will rely on a gentleman's agreement of sort between congressional Democrats and Obama. The framework for such an agreement was debated in a House Financial Services Committee hearing Tuesday. "This is a 'trust but verify' bill," said committee chairman Barny Frank (D-Mass.). McCaskill, though, said she thinks Obama may get enough votes out of the Senate to approve the funds, obviating a veto. "We didn't take a caucus vote, but he needs fifty votes out of the caucus. I'd be shocked if he didn't get it," she said."  

 Whitehouse: If Obama doesn’t investigate Bush’s crimes, I will   [01/13/09 ] "...President-elect Obama this week said his team was in the middle of “evaluating” Bush administration policies to see whether a criminal investigation would be worthwhile. NPR reports that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) says that he understands Obama’s reluctance to pursue investigations but that he may take matters into his own hands: “I think that there’s a lot that remains to look at, and I appreciate that President Obama doesn’t want to make it his purpose as a new president, with America in real distress in many directions, to go back and look at all this, but I think we in Congress have an independent responsibility, and I fully intend to discharge that responsibility,” Whitehouse said. In a 487-page report out today (PDF) recapping Bush’s “imperial presidency,” House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) recommends that “the incoming Administration finally begin an independent criminal review of activities of the outgoing Administration. ..."

 US veterans sue CIA for drug and mind control experiments [01/13/09 ] "...The experiments have been the subject of congressional hearings, and in 2003 the US department of veterans affairs released a pamphlet that said nearly 7,000 soldiers had been involved and more than 250 chemicals used on them, including hallucinogens such as LSD and PCP as well as biological and chemical agents. Lasting from 1950 to 1975, the experiments took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. According to the lawsuit, some of the volunteers were even implanted with electrical devices in an effort to control their behaviour ..."

 44 to reverse 43's executive orders   [01/13/09 ] "... President-elect Barack Obama is expected to move swiftly to reverse executive orders regarding torture of terror suspects, the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and other controversial security policies, sources close to his transition said, in dramatic gestures aimed at reversing President Bush’s accumulation of executive power. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) said he’s been informed that President Obama will support his proposed legislation to make public some opinions from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which issued some of the Bush Administration's most sweeping claims of executive power. Obama also has promised to limit President Bush's practice of using "signing statements" to amend legislation. "Every day we get indications that they're serious about reversing the abuses of the Constitution," Feingold, a harsh Bush critic, told Politico. Feingold said he thinks Obama is likely to issue executive orders rapidly reversing Bush policies, and others have indicate that those will likely cover the interrogation and detention of terror suspects, and keeping the records of past presidents secret. "I don't know in what order or how fast" Obama’s executive orders could come, he said. "It'll be important that a couple of them be done immediately, and I think they will be, to show there's a strong break from the current policy."

 Burned toast and rusty trickles under freeway overpasses: Catholics Ordered to Keep Quiet over "Virgin Visions" [01/13/09 ] "Catholics who claim they have seen the Virgin Mary will be forced to remain silent about the apparitions until a team of psychologists, theologians, priests and exorcists have fully investigated their claims under new Vatican guidelines aimed at stamping out false claims of miracles."   Stupid, ignorant people are not good advertising for the church ... at least with this phenomenon.

 Report on TARP spending raises new questions [01/13/09 ] "The Treasury Department's latest financial report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program includes no specifics on how much the agency is paying each of the outside contractors it hired to provide financial or legal advice. Nor does it explain why the total amount of money the agency is projected to spend on outside services this month far exceeds the publicly announced dollar value of its agreements with those contractors. The report could provide a clue about how much the Treasury Department is paying Bank of New York Mellon Corp., the master custodian for all of the assets that will flow through the $700 billion TARP fund. The Treasury Department has never put a value on that deal, or disclosed the compensation structure. A spokesperson for the agency did not respond to BailoutSleuth's request for an explanation of the projected spending."

 Job losses accelerating to levels not seen since World War II   [01/13/09 ] "(AP) By the hundreds of thousands now, Americans are getting the awful news: You've lost your job. And there's almost no place to land. A staggering 2.6 million jobs disappeared in 2008, the most since World War II, and the pain is only getting worse, with 11.1 million people out of work and searching. A half-million jobs evaporated in December alone, while unemployment hit a 16-year high of 7.2 percent and seemed to be headed for 10 percent or even higher by year's end. "There is no indication that the job situation would stabilize anytime soon," said Sung Won Sohn, economist at the Martin Smith School of Business at California State University. "This could turn out to be one of the worst economic setbacks since the Great Depression," he said. The average work week in December fell to 33.3 hours, the lowest in records dating to 1964 and a sign of more job reductions in the months ahead since businesses tend to cut hours before eliminating positions entirely. Currently: The unemployment rate is 7.2 percent, highest in 16 years. About 11.1 million people are unemployed. What's next: Economists predict 1.5 million to 2 million or more jobs will vanish in 2009."

 US told not to vote for Gaza resolution   [01/13/09 ] "Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he had told the US president not to vote in favor of the recent United Nations resolution on Gaza. "I told him (George W. Bush) the United States could not vote in favor. It cannot vote in favor of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favor," said Olmert on Monday. ." 

 Progressive Alternative to Hawkish Mideast Policies Emerges   [01/13/09 ] "A new wave of progressive Jewish activists are challenging the dominance of AIPAC and other hawkish groups on Gaza, Israeli settlers and even Iran." 

 Saudi Arabia slams Israel's 'racist extermination' war   [01/13/09 ] "In a statement after its weekly meeting under the chairmanship of King Abdullah, the cabinet said the 17-day-old offensive "was stripping Israeli leaders of their humanity." Leaders of the Jewish state were "placing their policies among those of racist extermination," it said in the statement released by the official SPA news agency. Israel and Hamas, Gaza's ruling Islamist movement, have both ignored UN Resolution 1860, which demands an "immediate, durable" ceasefire leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces from the embattled territory ..."

 UK: "Bill for keeping control of anti-Israel mobs" hits £1 million   [01/13/09 ] "Excuse me, but "Mobs?" Israel has admitted HAMAS kept the cease fire; and that Israel broke it, then unleashed a total starvation blockade on Gaza followed by flaming death from the sky aimed at schools, hospitals, ambulances, and children, and you dare call the people opposed to such barbarity a "mob?"

 UK: Reform plan raises fears of Bank secrecy   [01/12/09 ] "The Bank of England will be able to print extra money without having legally to declare it under new plans which will heighten fears that the Government will secretly pump extra cash into the economy." 

 Why Did the UK Need to Sell 50% Of National Gold Reserves before and after 9/11?   [01/12/09 ] "The sale of more than half of the country's gold reserves between 1999 and 2002 has proved to be deeply controversial. Critics say that signaling such a large sale of bullion to gold traders helped to drive the precious metal to a 20-year low. In 17 auctions, Mr. Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer sanctioned the sale of 395 tonnes of gold ..."

 Report: Israeli troops fired at from Syria   [01/12/09 ] " ... Israeli troops along the northern border with Syria have come under fire from the Syrian side of the border, military sources claim. "A person opened fire at a group of soldiers and civilians repairing the fence along the border with Syria," a senior Israeli military official told AFP Sunday. "

 Bush, 30 Officials, To Be Named In Complaint On Torture To Go To Obama Administration  [01/12/09 ] " ... President Bush and his aides repeatedly ignored warnings that their torture plans were illegal from high State Department officials as well as the nation’s top uniformed legal officers, the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, a new published report states."

 Israeli PM spokesman Mark Regev fails to bamboozle UK Reporter in regard to Israeli actions Video [3:13]

 14 Percent of U.S. Adults Can't Read  [01/11/09 ] "Statistics released by the U.S. Education Department this week show that some 32 million U.S. adults lack basic prose literacy skill. That means they can't read a newspaper or the instruction on a bottle of pills." 

 Israeli admits Gaza Operation may be seen as "Purification" ... Video  [01/11/09 ] "An Israel camera crew accompanies an IDF team. [1:16] An Israeli soldier says, "I don't know why we're here ... purification, maybe. It's dirty here. I don't know why a good Hebrew boy should be so far from home." This video is from a few years back, and shows what the Palestinians have to live with every single day of their lives. There was an embargo on this video, but Channel 2 in Israel broke the embargo and put it on the air ... there are a lot of Israeli's who are not pleased. Related: Overview of bizarre poison gas attack on Palestinians in 2001

 Israel's Wall in the West Bank  [01/11/09 ] Maps and Photos regarding the other concentration camp in Israel - the West Bank

 Brace for more Bernard Madoff-style corruption scandals  [01/11/09 ] " ... Investigators and Washington officials say that they’re almost certainly going to face one unexpected problem in 2009: More Bernard Madoff-style corruption scandals. The main red flag in Madoff’s case was that he never reported a down quarter. With the natural ups and downs of market trading, investigators say it’s nearly impossible to have continuous success. Are there other firms out there with unblemished quarterly records? Yes. According to research done for Politico by Morningstar Inc., there are 1,684 hedge funds that have disclosed their results for the past 20 consecutive quarters. Of those, Morningstar found that 34 have never reported a down quarter in the past five years. And of those 34, at least seven funds, or their parent firms, are in some way connected to the Madoff scandal as investors in Madoff’s operation. That leaves 27 firms that have a five-year track record of gains and no known connection to Madoff.  That’s suspicious on its face.   Morningstar found that of 1,227 funds of funds that have reported 20 consecutive quarters of results, only four have failed to report a single down quarter in that time frame. And none of the four seems to be publicly connected to the Madoff scandal."

 The Geography of Israel's Propaganda: It All Depends Where You Live  [01/11/09 ] "... It took Fintan O'Toole, The Irish Times's resident philosopher-in-chief, to speak the unspeakable. "When does the mandate of victimhood expire?" he asked. "At what point does the Nazi genocide of Europe's Jews cease to excuse the state of Israel from the demands of international law and of common humanity? ...."  

 Israel follows the path of Nazi Germany  [01/11/09 ] "... A striking similarity between Israel’s strategy in Palestine and Nazi long-term policy of extermination and annexation in Poland during the Second World War is clearly demonstrated by the Nuremberg Tribunal Charges and the Nuremberg Tribunal Judgment against Hans Frank, the Nazi Governor-General of the non-annexed occupied Poland in 1939 - 1945. It is absolutely shocking to read the documents and to see how many objectives and tactics in these two occupation theatres can be assessed as parallel .... The fact that similar circumstances often cause similar effects is rather obvious. Once put in motion, the logic of events takes on a life of its own. Just like Nazi Germany in Poland, Israel is heading toward failure in Palestine. As the victims of holocaust 'deal’ with their trauma by becoming perpetrators , history repeats itself with amazing accuracy. An unprecedented wave of public awareness and political will to stop Israeli war crimes is spreading around the world. Since 1948, and especially since 1967, Israel is consistently breaking international law and committing numerous crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity ..." Related: Congressman Dennis Kucinich calls for inquiry into illegal use of US weapons by Israel |  U.S. Weaponry Facilitates Killings in Gaza

 Pentagon Paid $998,798 to Ship Two 19-Cent Washers   [01/11/09 ] "... A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to an Army base in Texas, U.S. officials said. The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show. The owners of C&D Distributors in Lexington, South Carolina — twin sisters — exploited a flaw in an automated Defense Department purchasing system: bills for shipping to combat areas or U.S. bases that were labeled “priority” were usually paid automatically, said Cynthia Stroot, a Pentagon investigator ..."

 Gaza: History Matters- Why Hamas is Not the Issue  [01/11/09 ] "... History matters. Israel conquered and occupied Gaza (along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem) in 1967. Hamas was an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brothers. In Gaza, it provided a network of social welfare institutions supporting the poor. During the first Palestinian Intifada (literally "shaking off" the occupation), a Hamas resistance military wing was formed. Israel and the US favored and met with Islamic Hamas leadership as a counterforce to the secular Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Fatah faction then dominant in the Intifada. As Hamas later strengthened, Israel reversed the process. History matters. Palestinians have consistently resisted Israeli dominance over their lives. Gazan resistance has been especially problematic for Israel. In the 1970s, before Hamas, Ariel Sharon was charged with "pacifying" Gaza. Sharon imposed a brutal policy of repression, blowing up houses, bulldozing large tracts of refugee camps, imposing severe collective punishment and imprisoning hundreds of young Palestinians. Domination and colonialism are contrary to the United Nations Charter. The legitimacy of struggle for self-determination by peoples under colonial and foreign domination was reaffirmed in U.N. General Assembly resolution 2787 (December 6, 1971). As others before them, Palestinians have and do exercise the legal and moral right to resist. History matters. In 2005, Israel withdrew its illegal colonial settlers from Gaza. Israeli scholars Uri Davis, Ilan Pappe and Tamar Yaron noted in a Counterpunch article at the time that the primary motive of the evacuation of the settlers was to remove them from harm’s way in anticipation of an intensified future mass attack on Gaza ..."

 Hamas rejects the peace plan manipulated by U.S. and European Union to save Israel  [01/10/09 ] "Ten of the Palestinian resistance groups based in Damascus, including Hamas, rejected the plan by France and Egypt (blessed by the U.S.) for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where the dead on Thursday stood at 763 in a resurgence of ground fighting that began to force Israel to reveal with a "dropper" their systematically concealed figures of Israeli casualties since the start of ground operations. In a statement, the Palestinian organizations say "they do not see in the Egyptian initiative a valid basis for any acceptable solution" and that the initiative only seeks "to help Israel to achieve the results that they have not been able to achieve so far", and reject the proposed project which includes items considered risky for the Palestinian resistance and its future. Egypt and France, with the express support of Washington, has submitted a plan for a "solution" to the crisis in Gaza which formally looks for a "truce" between Israel and the Palestinian organizations for a limited period and the opening of border posts in addition to holding an urgent meeting between the two parties and the relaunchment of the intepalestinian dialogue. Since the Israeli extermination operation "Cast Lead" started last December 27, at least 763 Palestinians have died and 3,200 have been wounded in Gaza, said the head of emergency services in the Strip, Moawiya Hasanein. According to the official, the counting of dead could rise in the coming hours, as 375 of the wounded are in critical condition and the Israeli army continued its bombardment by land, sea and air, which have turned the Strip into a Dantesque spectacle of demolished buildings, lack of water, light, food and medicines for the wounded."

 U.S. seeks ship to move arms to Israel  [01/10/09 ] "The U.S. is seeking to hire a merchant ship to deliver hundreds of tons of arms to Israel from Greece later this month, tender documents seen by Reuters show. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) said the ship was to carry 325 standard 20-foot containers of what is listed as "ammunition" on two separate journeys from the Greek port of Astakos to the Israeli port of Ashdod in mid-to-late January. A "hazardous material" designation on the manifest mentions explosive substances and detonators, but no other details were given. "Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot," one broker said, on condition of anonymity."  Related: U.S. Seeks Ship to Move Unusually Large Amount of Weapons to Israel  "Shipping brokers in London who have specialised in moving arms for the British and U.S. military in the past said such ship charters to Israel were rare. Israel is one of America’s closest allies and both nations regularly sell arms to each other. A senior military analyst in London who declined to be named said that, because of the timing, the shipments could be “irregular” and linked to the Gaza offensive. The ship hired by the MSC in December was for a much larger cargo of arms, tender documents showed. That stipulated a ship to be chartered for 42 days capable of carrying 989 standard 20-foot containers from Sunny Point, North Carolina to Ashdod. The tender document said the vessel had to be capable of “carrying 5.8 million pounds (2.6 million kg) of net explosive weight”, which specialist brokers said was a very large quantity. The ship was requested early last month to load on December 15. In September, the U.S. Congress aproved the sale of 1,000 bunker-buster missiles to Israel. The GPS-guided GBU-39 is said to be one of the most accurate bombs in the world. The Jerusalem Post, citing defence officials, reported last week that a first shipment of the missiles had arrived in early December and they were used in pentetrating Hamas’s underground rocket launcher sites."

 India's Enron: $1Billion Fraud Scandal Roils India's Tech Industry  [01/10/09 ] "Indian police arrested the chief financial officer of embattled outsourcing giant Satyam Computer Services Ltd. on Saturday, the third executive to be charged in a massive fraud scandal that threatens to roil India's flourishing tech industry. The arrest of Vadlamani Srinivas came as authorities tried to contain the $1 billion fraud scandal by dissolving the company's board, including the interim head, and announcing plans to name 10 new replacements. The scandal broke Wednesday when Satyam's founder and former chairman, B. Ramalinga Raju, confessed to filling the company's balance sheets with "fictitious" assets and "nonexistent" cash in an extraordinary letter to the company's board. The company _ which is now fighting for its life _ could no longer conceal the $1 billion hole after a deal intended to save the struggling company was abandoned, Raju said in the letter. He resigned from Satyam _ Sanskrit for "truth" _ that day, along with his brother, former managing director B. Rama Raju. The siblings have been arrested and were charged Saturday with criminal conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust and falsifying documents, said senior police official V.S.K. Kumudi. They face up to life in prison, he said."

 Richard Piccoli, 82-Year-Old Businessman, Charged With Running $17M Ponzi Scheme  [01/10/09 ] "An 82-year-old businessman was charged Thursday with running a Ponzi scheme that took in at least $17 million from a clientele gleaned largely through ads in Catholic newspapers. Richard Piccoli of suburban Buffalo declined to comment after appearing in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with mail fraud. He was ordered to return Tuesday for arraignment. He could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, meanwhile, moved to freeze the assets of Piccoli and his 33-year-old company, Gen-See Capital Corp ..."

 5 Somali Pirates Drown With Their Share Of $3 Million Ransom  [01/10/09 ] "Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a reported $3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, a pirate and port town resident said Saturday."    Well, that was a short scenario and a bit of cosmic irony, wasn't it?

 The "Internet 911 Ploy"  to Restrict Information  [01/10/09 ] "Former Counter Terrorism Czar Richard Clarke told a leading expert on internet free speech, Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig, that there was going to be an "i-9/11", in other words, an electronic terrorist act, and an "i-Patriot Act" to crack down on freedoms on the Internet under the guise of protecting against such threats. The Patriot Act is huge and I remember someone asking a Justice Department official how did they write such a large statute so quickly, and of course the answer was that it has been sitting in the drawers of the Justice Department for the last 20 years waiting for the event where they would pull it out. Of course, the Patriot Act is filled with all sorts of insanity about changing the way civil rights are protected, or not protected in this instance. So I was having dinner with Richard Clarke and I asked him if there is an equivalent, is there an i-Patriot Act just sitting waiting for some substantial event as an excuse to radically change the way the internet works. He said “of course there is”. [Video 19:21]  We may have just had our i-911. Specifically, the government is claiming that hackers defaced army and Nato websites, writing things like: "Stop attacks u israel and usa ! you cursed nations ! one day muslims will clean the world from you ! " This sounds a lot like the notes which were sent with the killer anthrax. If we did just have our i-911, watch out for military spokesmen, politicians and talking heads pushing for an i-Patriot Act . . . as a way to crush free speech on the web."

 Live in New York? NYPD Wants to Jam Your Cell Phone  [01/10/09 ] "The New York Police Department wants to be able to shut down cell phones, in case of a terrorist attack." Since the only terror is state terror ... it would be counterproductive for everyone.

 No Charge: In Civil-Contempt Cases, Jail Time Can Stretch On for Years [01/10/09 ] "One can spend a long time in jail in the U.S. without ever being charged with a crime. It happened to H. Beatty Chadwick, a former Philadelphia-area lawyer, who has been behind bars for nearly 14 years without being charged. Businessman Manuel Osete spent nearly three years in an Arizona jail without ever receiving a criminal charge. And investment manager Martin Armstrong faced a similar situation when he was held for more than six years in a Manhattan jail. All three men were jailed for civil contempt, a murky legal concept. Some scholars say it is too often abused by judges, to the detriment of those charged and their due-process rights. "These results of too many civil-contempt confinements are flatly outrageous and often unconstitutional," says Jayne Ressler, a professor at Brooklyn Law School."

 Israel Tells Gazans: Prepare For Escalation Of Military Offensive  [01/10/09 ] 

 UN Call for investigation into shelling of Civilian shelter at Zeitoun    [01/09/09 ] Video [2:50] "Allegra Pacheco from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has called for an investigation into an incident in Zeitoun, Gaza City. Witnesses have told the UN that about 30 Palestinians died earlier this week as Israeli forces shelled a house in Gaza City into which Israeli soldiers had previously moved more than 100 people, half of them children. Watch an listen as the UK reporter (playing his part as a stooge of Israel)tries to put words into  the mouth of the person being interviewed, and tries to prod information from her as to who provided her with the info. UN human rights chief accuses Israel of war crimes

 Israel hits Gaza after UN truce resolution   [01/09/09 ] "Fresh Israeli attacks kill at least 9 Palestinians despite the UN Security Council's resolution calling for an immediate end to the Gaza conflict." Related: AIPAC praises U.S. Senate support of Israel  Note: The Israelis are taking Harry Reid's resolution as unconditional unequivocal support for anything they do ... meanwhile, the IDF draws hatred and disgust from most of the planet ... the 'state' of Israel becomes it's own 'glow in the night' self-fulfilling prophecy ... 

 Illinois Gov. Blagojevich is impeached   [01/09/09 ] "The Illinois House voted overwhelmingly Friday to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, an unprecedented action that sets up a Senate trial on whether he should be thrown out for allegedly trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat."

 Gaza City: Israel Attacks International Media Building   [01/08/09 ] "A high-story building housing international media outlets in Gaza City has been targeted by the Israeli military. Seven rounds were fired from an apache helicopter into the building in which international media which houses international media outlets such as Reuters. Canadian Human Rights Activist Eva Bartlett was inside the building as it was attacked; "It felt like the building was about to collapse. The attack felt like it would not end. Israel has denied the international media access to Gaza, now they are targeting those who are attempting to tell the world what is happening here. Israel does not want the world to see it's crimes." Eva Bartlett - International Solidarity Movement"   Related: Ultra-Orthodox Jews protest Israel's Gaza offensive

 UN: no Hamas fighters at school bombed by Israel   [01/08/09 ] "Israel – alone – bears responsibility of killing Palestinian civilians trying to take shelter in UN school." 

 State unemployment claim systems overwhelmed   [01/08/09 ] "Electronic unemployment filing systems have crashed in at least three states in recent days amid an unprecedented crush of thousands of newly jobless Americans seeking benefits, and other states were adjusting their systems to avoid being next."

 UK: Replacement of Normal Light Bulbs By Harmful Bulbs, Mandatory   [01/08/09 ] "Ministers claim the switch from normal bulbs to fluorescent bulbs will reduce carbon dioxide by around five million tons each year (Fallacious reasoning) But experts have questioned whether or not the new bulbs, far from being environmentally friendly, are actually harmful. The low-energy fluorescent bulbs can trigger skin rashes, migraines and epilepsy. There is also concern because the fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, which makes them dangerous to get rid of."

 Empty offices are on the rise: commercial real estate is the next ticking time bomb for banks   [01/08/09 ] "Vacancy rates in office buildings exceed 10 percent in virtually every major city in the country and are rising rapidly, a sign of economic distress that could lead to yet another wave of problems for troubled lenders. With job cuts rampant and businesses retrenching, more empty space is expected from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles in the coming year. Rental income would then decline, and property values would slide further. The Urban Land Institute predicts 2009 will be the worst year for the commercial real estate market "since the wrenching 1991-1992 industry depression."  Related: U.S. Shopping Mall Vacancies Reach 10-Year High as Stores Fail  |  Factory Orders in the U.S. Tumble More Than Forecast "Orders placed with U.S. factories in November fell twice as much as forecast, signaling businesses are cutting back on investments as the recession deepens."

 Real-Estate Executive Found Dead in Apparent Suicide   [01/08/09 ] "Real-estate executive Steven L. Good was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday in his Jaguar in a forest preserve outside Chicago, said the Kane County Sheriff's Department. Mr. Good, 52 years old, was chief executive of Sheldon Good & Co., one of the nation's largest real-estate auction firms. His father founded the company in 1965. In a prepared statement Monday, Sheldon Good President Alan Kravets called it "a testimony to Steve's leadership that Sheldon Good & Co. remains well positioned for the future [and] poised for significant growth." Note: Then, why would he suicide? He may have been murdered.

 Israeli IDF Shooting Each Other: Four of six IDF soldiers killed in Gaza were victims of friendly fire  [01/08/09 ]  "Four Israel Defense Forces soldiers, who were killed in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Monday, appear to have been killed by friendly fire, according to initial military investigations."  Related:  Israeli Zionists Guilty Of Deliberately Having Israelis Killed And Maimed To Provide Excuse To Attack Gaza  [01/07/09 ]  "Strong circumstantial evidence is slowly emerging into the mainstream media that confirms that, far from Hamas provoking Israel, it has been Israel that has been deliberately provoking Hamas into rocketing and mortaring southern Israel specifically in order to provide a casus belli for Israel to attack the Gaza. In doing so, this makes Israel guilty of using its own people as ‘victims’ for political purposes."

 Israel's conditions for ceasefire announced   [01/07/09 ] "The German chancellor and the former British prime minister have declared Israel's conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza to the Turkish prime minister. Tony Blair and Angela Merkel informed Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the Israeli preconditions in separate telephone conversations, Turkey's Yenisafak newspaper reported on Tuesday. Merkel and Blair said that Israel wants an international mechanism to prevent the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip and wants Turkey to play a role in the initiative. Turkey's prime minister declared that he will inform Hamas about the preconditions. Erdogan also said Turkey is willing to take part in such a mechanism. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Asad on Tuesday told CNN that Hamas is ready to agree to peace if the Israeli army will stop military operations and withdraw from Gaza. “They are ready (to make a deal)," al-Assad said. "They were ready, they are ready. Today, the factors have changed so the requirement will change at the same time,” he added." Note: Now that they've killed pretty much everyone ... a 'ceasefire' will be allowed. Related: Egypt announces Gaza ceasefire plan 

 German mogul suicides over financial meltdown   [01/07/09 ] "German billionaire Adolf Merckle threw himself in front of a train after his business empire, which included interests ranging from VW cars to pharmaceuticals to cement, ran into trouble in the global financial crisis, his family said Tuesday. The 74-year-old's body was found Monday night on railway tracks at Blaubeuren in southwestern Germany, prosecutors in nearby Ulm said in a statement. They described the death as a "railway accident" and said there was no evidence that anyone else was to blame." Note: Merckle may have had a fear of clowns ... but death by clown was too ironic, and Merckle no doubt had no sense of humor.

 Canada: Conservative Party votes "overwhelmingly" to repeal hate speech law  [01/07/09 ] "According to reports from the Conservative Party's convention in Winnipeg, Resolution P-203 -- repealing section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, the "hate speech" provision -- passed "overwhelmingly". The vote was in a policy plenary session."

 Israel hits UN school, nears major Gaza towns  [01/07/09 ] "Israeli forces edged closer to Gaza's major population centers on Tuesday and attacked new sites, including a U.N. school, taking more civilian lives after ignoring mounting international calls for an immediate cease-fire."  Related:  UN demands probe into Israel's strikes on Gaza schools | 60,000 Jordanians march for Gaza

 Bank Of England Policymaker 'Predicts' 'Unprecedented Dollar Collapse'  [01/07/09 ] "A former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has predicted a massive collapse of the dollar within the next two to five years, warning that 'a government increase in spending under President elect Obama could be disastrous'. Note: Banks control the planet. They can easily 'predict' that which they control in the first place.  Related: A Once Great Power Engaging In Fantasy To Disguise From Itself That It Is A Failed State 

 US Propaganda: CIA 'Swears" Proxy Revenge Over Gaza As Attempt At False Flag Rationale  [01/07/09 ] "Osama bin Laden's 'top deputy in al Qaeda' has 'released a new tape' in which he 'threatens the United States' and 'vows revenge' for the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza." Note: Al Qaeda are all CIA assets, not a worldwide group of terrorists. The CIA is a worldwide group of terrorists. Bin Laden (another CIA asset) has also been dead for several years. Ayman al-Zawahiri is a CIA asset. After eight years, they still expect everyone to believe this bullshit line ... perhaps 40% of the country is dead from the neck up, and does 'believe' whatever they're told.

 Keith Olbermann calls Cheney a "fatuous, condescending lunatic"  [01/06/09 ]  Video [1:04] "Olbermann's rebuttal to Cheney's statement that "the administration kept us safe from further attacks after 9/11".

 New video shows BART officer shooting Hayward man in the back  [01/06/09 ] "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 attorney for the family of Oscar Grant III, fatally shot by an unidentified BART officer early New Year's Day, said Sunday he plans to file a $25 million lawsuit against the department and asked prosecutors to consider filing murder charges against the officer."

 Web Author Warns Internet Is 'Dying'  [01/05/09 ]  "A renowned Russian author has warned that the internet in its current form may not exist within as little as six years time."    It only needed to exist for a specific period of time ... 

 Economists: Unemployment Above 11 Percent Ahead  [01/05/09 ] The worst financial crisis in more than a half century is going to get even worse, putting further pressure on U.S. home prices and driving the unemployment rate above 11 percent, according to two prominent academic economists."  Note: I think it's already past that ... check the shadow economy website.

 US forces directly involved in the slaughter of the Gazans by blocking any possible escape  [01/05/09 ]  "US troops are helping Egypt prevent "arms smuggling" from tunnels in the Rafah border-crossing, as Israel continues its attacks on Gaza. NBC anchorwoman and chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell said Sunday that US military officers from the Corps of Engineers had been stationed on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing in order to prevent "arms smuggling from illegal tunnels" by Palestinian fighters. “ And there are US Army Corps of Engineer personnel on the ground right now on the Egypt side looking at the tunnels to see how Egypt could be reassured that there won't be continued smuggling through on that," she said on Meet the Press. The US and Israel say the tunnels are used for smuggling arms into the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes have bombing the Rafah border to destroy the tunnels ..."

 Fallujah by the Sea: Aping America, Israel Unleashes Chemical Weapons in Gaza  [01/05/09 ]  "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. These savage tools of terror are "legal" when used as smokescreens to mask military operations, although their use as an offensive weapon is war crime. This is a rather ludicrous distinction when the shells are fired into heavily populated civilian areas, exploding and spraying phosphorus in all directions. Anyone who orders their use on cities and refugee camps knows with iron certainty that civilians will be burned, maimed and killed by this chemical weapon. That is to say, they know they will be murdering and mutilating innocent people in the most gruesome manner -- and they give the order anyway."

 Israeli forces in Gaza Intentionally Target Medical Services   [01/05/09 ]  Just when you think Israel cannot go any lower.

 Israel bars International Red Cross from entering Gaza [01/05/09 ]  "For a second day running, Israeli authorities have barred a Red Cross medical team from entering Gaza (concentration camp) to help treat residents injured in bombings."

 Homeland Security Strips Blago Of Clearance He Never Needed or Used   [01/04/09 ]  "The move withdraws the governor's access to classified information, although Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said other individuals within state and local government have access and the head of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency has usually been the main contact in emergencies. Blagojevich did not normally receive briefings on homeland security matters."

 Rangel Sought $10 Million Contribution From AIG and Then Approved Subpart F Exception Benefiting AIG   [01/03/09 ]  "Embattled House Ways & Means Chair Charles Rangel sought a $10 million donation from AIG for a school of public service that City College of New York was building in his honor and later changed his position and approved the subpart F active financing exception (worth millions annually to AIG) that was later enacted as part of the $700 billion bailout bill."

 Utah State Keeps Fuel System Inventor Locked Up in Mental Hospital on Bogus Charge [01/03/09 ] Multiple articles. Ongoing.

 "The Few, The Proud, The Fucked Up": Marine attacks pregnant wife with hammer  [01/03/09 ]  "A woman who grew up in Whitehall remained hospitalized on Friday after her husband -- a decorated United States Marine -- allegedly attacked and beat her with a hammer. According to North Carolina authorities, Cpl. Jonathan Gould tried to kill his pregnant wife, Erin Prince-Gould, during the early morning hours of Dec. 20. Deputies said that Gould, 24, struck his wife over the head with a hammer and called 911 to report that an intruder had attacked his wife. Gould allegedly stabbed himself three times with a paring knife as part of an attempt to fabricate his story, deputies said. Investigators said that Gould later admitted to attacking his wife. He has been charged with attempted murder in the case and remains in custody after a judge set bond earlier this week at $1 million."

 (JINSA) Blames Iran for Hamas Glorified Bottle Rockets  [01/03/09 ]  "JINSA’s board of advisers includes Michael Ledeen, Richard Perle, John Bolton, Douglas Feith, and Dick Cheney — the people who brought us the Iraq invasion and occupation. JINSA operatives are ensconced in the Pentagon, the Naval Academy, the Military Academy at West Point, and the Air Force Academy. The 501(c)(3) organization, "Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs" describes itself as “the most influential group on the issue of U.S.-Israel military relations,” that is to say, it is influential in pushing an agenda that has thus far resulted in the murder of a million and a half Iraqis ... JINSA operatives work from within the military-industrial complex. According to The Nation writer Jason Vest (The Men From JINSA and CSP), Leon Edney, David Jeremiah, and Charles May, all retired U.S. military officers, have been consultants to Northrop Grumman, which has built Israeli ships and planes. JINSA advisers May, Paul Cerjan, and Carlisle Trost have also worked for Lockheed Martin, which has sold F-16s, flight simulators, and rocket systems to Israel. Trost has served as a member of the board of General Dynamics, whose subsidiary Gulfstream has a $206 million contract with the Pentagon .... As The Forward reported on December 19, the in-coming Obama administration is receptive to JINSA demands. “In their first meeting with Jewish leaders Thursday, the Obama transition team proved that change is indeed on its way. For the first time in years, a full spectrum of Jewish groups sat around one table for a lengthy, detailed and civilized discussion about the future,” Nathan Guttman wrote. Representatives included the “hawkish ZOA and JINSA.” ZOA, short for the Zionist Organization of America, is specifically tasked with attacking critics of Israel nominated for important government positions and regularly ships off activists to Israel for leadership training programs ..."

 Seven-strong consortium to buy IndyMac for $14bn   [01/03/09 ]  "A seven-member group of investors has agreed to buy the remnants of failed lender IndyMac, a symbol of the US housing boom and bust, for $13.9bn (£9.5bn), federal regulators said last night ... The investors have formed a partnership, called 'IMB Management Holdings', which includes Dell computer firm founder Michael Dell's investment firm, MSD Capital, is said to plan to inject $1.3bn into the California-based bank ... Other investors in the partnership include five private equity firms or hedge funds: J.C. Flowers & Co; Stone Point Capital; Paulson & Co; a fund controlled by billionaire George Soros's Fund Management; and Silar Advisors' fund ...

 US asks Arab nations for $300 Billion to fund auto bailout   [01/03/09 ]  "The US has had to go cap in hand to the Middle East asking for $300 Billion to fund the bail out for the auto industry. The US economy has long been shored up by the Gulf States and China. This time it is Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar who are being asked to foot the bill to save the US economy. It is not difficult to understand how mired the US is in Middle East politics and borrowed policy agendas, given the staggering dependency it has for both Arab oil and their money to keep it afloat. There is also a somewhat ironic twist that the US, funded as it is by the Arab nations, is so close a partner to Israel. The US again this week used its veto power to prevent a UN resolution calling for a end to the Gaza attacks. It must anger many Arab nations that the US, who some call ‘The Great Satan’, is saved from total economic meltdown, again, by members of its own brethren. The report comes from Saudi Arabia’s Arab News: “According to reports published in Al-Seyassah, a Kuwaiti newspaper, and some other Gulf newspapers, the United States has asked four Gulf states for financial aid close to $300 billion to face the fallout of the financial crisis and help prevent its economy from sliding into a painful recession ..." Note: of course, the U.S. wouldn't have needed to do this if they didn't support the rogue 'state' of Israel. Related: Once Booming Dubai Goes Bust  

 Rabbi:  Zionists and the State of Israel Are Abominations, Against Hebrew Law  [01/03/09 ] Video [4:18] Amazing that this was on Fox News .. notice the audio problems that crop up. Related video: Zionism is "Illegitimate Political Movement [2:33]  

 Israel's "righteous fury" and its victims in Gaza   [01/03/09 ] " ... The self-righteousness is a powerful act of self-denial and justification. It explains why the Israeli Jewish society would not be moved by words of wisdom, logical persuasion or diplomatic dialogue. And if one does not want to endorse violence as the means of opposing it, there is only one way forward: challenging head-on this righteousness as an evil ideology meant to cover human atrocities. Another name for this ideology is Zionism and an international rebuke for Zionism, not just for particular Israeli policies, is the only way of countering this self-righteousness. We have to try and explain not only to the world, but also to the Israelis themselves, that Zionism is an ideology that endorses ethnic cleansing, occupation and now massive massacres ..." Related: Israel is Not a Victim  

 Ukraine 'steals' 'European gas'   [01/03/09 ]  "Ukraine has started siphoning off Russian gas bound for European customers. This follows the cutoff of gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1, after the two countries’ gas giants failed to agree on a price for 2009. “The Ukrainian side has openly admitted to stealing transit gas destined for Europe. Naftogaz officials are avoiding negotiations with Gazprom. However, they have promised to pay $US 1.5 billion by January 11, but there will still be an outstanding debt of $US 614 million. Therefore, we plan to increase the transit level of gas through Belarus,” said Sergey Kupriyanov, spokesman for Russian energy company Gazprom. Ukraine, however, has denied it is siphoning off gas from transit pipes. Also, according to Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko, Russia has asked the EU parliament to hold a special meeting to discuss the issue of Russian gas transits via Ukraine."

 Chicago’s Mob Boss Daley to hold “gun conference”   [01/03/09 ]  "Mayor Richard Daley said today that Chicago will host a “gun conference” next month to look for ways to beef up gun laws and get guns off the streets."  Note: Look at this as 'research' toward doing the same thing nationally, later on, after a number of 'false flag" ops rotating around 'gun crimes' done by intel flunkies.

 Livni: 'No humanitarian crisis in Gaza'   [01/02/09 ]  ""There is no humanitarian crisis in the Strip, and therefore there is no need for a humanitarian truce". Note: This is how disconnected the Israeli's are ... and to have a 'female' in charge ... well, it can't be more idealized and reptilian in nature. Related: Palestinians Are Animals, IDF Soldier Says (Video, 28 sec).  A 'nation' like 'Israel' has only one justifiable fate: vaporization, within the sequential perspective. UN warns of crisis | Israel and the ignored UN Resolutions video [3:23]

 Israel’s warped self-justification for murder   [01/01/09 ]  "Paul J. Balles exposes Israel’s warped definition of self-defence, which it uses as a cover for its murder of innocent Palestinians, including women and children, and its destruction of universities, mosques and other civilian infrastructure in the occupied Gaza Strip."  Related: Israel's Constant Crisis: It's a survival mechanism "The Defenders of the Israeli government and its policies often complain that Israel just wants to be treated as a "normal country," like any other. They cavil that the Jewish state is treated like an outsider, a pariah, and held up to standards that don't apply anywhere else. The big problem for these complainants, however, is that Israel is not a normal country, and never has been." Israel's War Crimes 

 Cable Repairs Set Back by Second Undersea Break   [01/01/09 ]  "Efforts to restore normal communications between Europe and Asia have suffered a setback after an important undersea cable broke for a second time, this time at a much greater depth. Engineers from France Télécom had just finished repairing the Sea Me We 4 cable on Dec. 25 when the same cable broke again in a different place, this time 388 kilometers (241 miles) off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt ..."

 Journal of a Plague Year: Faith in Markets Cracks Under $30 Trillion Loss    [01/01/09 ]  "It has been a year of record misery: the largest bankruptcy, bank failure and Ponzi scheme in U.S. history; $720 billion in write-downs and losses by financial institutions; $30.1 trillion in market valuation wiped out....."

 U.S. To Open Central Asia Supply Route In Preparation For Afghan Surge   [01/01/09 ]  "The United States and NATO are planning to open and expand supply lines through Central Asia to deliver fuel, food and other goods to a military mission in Afghanistan that is expected to grow by tens of thousands of troops in the months ahead, according to American and alliance diplomats and military officials ..."

Odd News Update: Man caught having sex with table gets 6 months [01/01/09 ]   "Police say a man was arrested after admitting to, and being caught on DVD having sex with his picnic table repeatedly ..."  This person had way too much time on his hands -- which could be used for other purposes, thus sparing him from the oddball news.  Related: Annoying movie-goer, 70, told to stay out of mall for five years | Man who left corpses in van apologizes on a billboard | Intruder resides in family's attic for a few days, wears their clothes | Homeless man tries to steal fire truck to drive home for holidays | Man wakes up to find a guy peeing on leg, trouble ensues |  Man keeps finding money on the floor of Home Depot | Minn. man accused of breaking into his own home after sending parents out for dinner

 Tesco: 'Wal-Mart's Worst Nightmare'   [01/01/09 ]  "As Tesco takes on the U.S. market, American companies like Wal-Mart are taking notice—and adopting some of the British mega-retailer's strategies ..."

 Justice after Bush: Prosecuting an outlaw administration   [01/01/09 ]  "This administration did more than commit crimes. It waged war against the law itself. It transformed the Justice Department into a vehicle for voter suppression, and it also summarily dismissed the U.S. attorneys who attempted to investigate its wrongdoing. It issued wartime contracts to substandard vendors with inside connections, and it also defunded efforts to police their performance. It spied on church groups and political protesters, and it also introduced a sweeping surveillance program that was so clearly illegal that virtually the entire senior echelon of the Justice Department threatened to (but did not in fact) tender their resignations over it. It waged an illegal and disastrous war, and it did so by falsely representing to Congress and to the American public nearly every piece of intelligence it had on Iraq..."

 Cheney on FOX: President 'Doesn't Have to Check with Anybody' to Launch Nukes   [01/01/09 ]  ""He doesn't have to check with anybody. He doesn't have to call the Congress. He doesn't have to check with the courts. He has that authority because of the nature of the world we live in." Cheney's religious belief in the unfettered power of the executive is not news. Nor is the "red button" for that matter. But this casual aside that the president can and should be able to launch nuclear holocaust at a moment's notice because we live in a dangerous world is chilling. No wonder Biden (like many before him) has called him the most dangerous Vice President in history."  Interview Transcript | Video of Revealing Interview [5:15]

 Gazprom: Russia to cut gas supplies to Ukraine   [01/01/09 ]  "Russia's state gas monopoly Gazprom said it will cut off all gas supplies to Ukraine on Thursday morning after the two sides failed to reach a deal...."  This is the second winter they've done this. Related: Russia to cut gas supplies to Ukraine threatening Europe's supply

 Blagojevich Pick to replace Obama in Senate Knowingly Sought Death Penalty for Innocent Man For Political Reasons   [01/01/09 ]  "While state attorney general in 1992, Burris aggressively sought the death penalty for Rolando Cruz, for a crime he did not commit in 1983 .. by 1992, another man had confessed to the crime, and Burris’ own deputy attorney general was pleading with Burris to drop the case, then on appeal before the Illinois Supreme Court. Burris refused. He was running for governor ... "Anybody who understood this case wouldn’t have voted for Burris," Rob Warden, executive director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, told ProPublica. Indeed, Burris lost that race, and two other attempts to become governor ... Burris’ role in the Cruz case was "indefensible and in defiance of common sense and common decency," Warden said. "There was obvious evidence that [Cruz] was innocent." ... In late 1995, Cruz finally walked free after serving 11 years on death row for a crime he did not commit ... A grand jury later indicted four sheriff's deputies and three former county prosecutors for their roles in the Cruz case. They were eventually acquitted. Burris was never accused of any wrongdoing or misconduct. Dugan is scheduled to stand trial for the crime next year, 26 years after it was committed..."