News and Developments
M5 Readers: Keep in Mind That Political News, By Nature, May Reflect Sequential Agenda
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July  2008 

To Provoke War, Cheney Considered Proposal To Dress Up Navy Seals As Iranians And Shoot At Them   "There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don't we build -- we in our shipyard -- build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up. The fact that Cheney's office is even talking about such ideas essentially proves that the Administration knows it does not have a genuine reason to go to war with Iran, otherwise they would focus on that, rather than faking something."

Bush: If  Democrats Move to Impeach   Video   'rumors circulating in Washington' with Ralph Nader.  If any one dare threatens to take the current autocratic executive out of office, George W. Bush has apparently made it clear that he may initiate a war with Iran, declare martial law, call off the 2008 elections.  I guess he'll be off to his villa in Paraguay, then, like all the other fascists before him .... others will flee to Israel ... like rats jumping off a sinking ship.

Bush Calls for New Highway Tolls, More Private Funding of Roads     "The Bush administration unveiled a plan to impose new tolls on freeways and encourage more private investment to finance road and mass-transit projects, a move aimed at stirring debate as lawmakers prepare for a major overhaul of transportation policy."  Related: Little progress made in bridge repairs across US 

World trade talks end in collapse     "Marathon talks in Geneva aimed at liberalising global trade have collapsed, the head of the World Trade Organisation has said. Pascal Lamy confirmed the failure, which officials have blamed on China, India and the US failing to agree on import rules. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the result was "heartbreaking"."  

Suicide Spreading As One Solution To Debt Crisis    "In a culture where 'credit rating is the key measure of self-worth', the increasing response to huge debts, undertaken by people not very swift in the first place, is "Just shoot me!" 

The World's Foremost Terrorist - The US Government    "Any country willing to spend 30 years lying, conniving and scheming - and blow over $3 trillion (reported) on nothing - is pretty damned stupid or desperate. In the case of American policy, I submit, both apply...and we can, with no effort, add in delusional."

Top Advisor to U.S. Military Confirms The War on Terror Is a Hoax: "There is No Battlefield Solution to Terrorism"    ""Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors, and our analysis suggests that there is no battlefield solution to terrorism."

Officials: US talks to Iran to legitimize attack    "Recent talks the United States held with Iran are aimed at creating legitimacy for a potential attack against Iranian nuclear facilities, defense officials speculated on Sunday as Defense Minister Ehud Barak headed to Washington for talks with senior administration officials."

UK torture coverup unravels    "Tony Blair fully integrated the UK into Bush's torture regime. That's made even clearer in a new parliamentary report just published in Britain. The Joint Committee on Human Rights has been investigating the torture and murder of Baha Musa in Iraq in 2003. Musa was beaten and suffocated. The Committeee found that top military officials misled it when they claimed that Bush-style "conditioning techniques" used by the British military had not been approved for interrogations in Iraq."

Suicide hot line got calls from 22,000 veterans     ""Hold, please!"

Medvedev's Bold Proposals    "Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of the current US Presidential campaign, aside from the studied avoidance of any serious proposals to address the worst economic depression since the 1930's, is the fact that both major party candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, have to date been stone silent on the most pressing issue of future war or peace, namely the steps taken by the Bush-Cheney Administration to encircle Russia with a new Iron Curtain of NATO member states, including strenuous efforts to push Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, and to establish an advanced nuclear missile defense system which, from a standpoint of military strategy, far from defense, puts the world on a hair-trigger to nuclear holocaust in the few years ahead."

Afghanistan: a disaster beyond imagination    "Afghanistan has become a disaster beyond imagination. The invasion by the US has not only condemned the population to daily death and destruction, but it has created conditions that perpetuated death and misery on daily basis. The US-NATO bombing in the south, southwestern, and eastern Afghanistan murder civilians in villages and towns while those that remain alive are forced to abandon their villages due to fear of death and loss of dignity. The internally displaced come to large cities with the hope to find something to eat. However, they come to large cities only to be homeless and face starvation."

Kucinich: If Congress Takes a Break Mid September, Bush Could Make a Move    Video  [Real News]  Related:  The story of the “Unimpeachment” hearing

CA Plan To Cut State Workers Wages Has No Legal Foundation    "A possible plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut the pay of more than 200,000 state employees to the federal minimum wage -- $6.55 per hour – has no legal foundation, according to the state’s non-partisan Legislative Counsel ..."

Neocons Lash Out at White House for Diplomatic Overtures to Iran    "The Bush administration's recent diplomatic overtures toward Iran have unleashed a torrent of criticism from neoconservatives and have fueled concerns in Israel that Washington is shelving the option of using military force against Tehran's nuclear facilities."   Look deeper ... other things are happening. In some related stories, Iran is deliberately making 'provocative' statements (keep in mind the photo below, which has been shown before). Related stories: Iran's Rafsanjani rejects deadline for nuclear response | Ahmadinejad: Iran has 6,000 uranium centrifuges 

  

Rove Threatened GOP IT Guru If He Does Not 'Take the Fall' for Election Fraud in Ohio, Says Attorney    "Karl Rove has threatened a GOP high-tech guru and his wife, if he does not "'take the fall' for election fraud in Ohio," according to a letter sent this morning to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, by Ohio election attorney Cliff Arnebeck." Related: Second Arrest Attempt On Karl Rove In Iowa Leads To 4 Arrests  7/25/08

Tased Until Dead: The Epidemic of Taser Crazy Cops    "Taser use has become an outrage, a threat to the rule of law, an overt violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, to say nothing of felony violations of US Codes, and state laws against murder. The epidemic of taser abuse is characteristic of fascist police states run riot when those sworn to uphold the law become nothing more than thugs and/or murderers."  Related: Mich. police taser Durango newlyweds during wedding reception | Hospital tasers 66-year-old over joke

UK: Painter fined for smoking in his own van    "A painter and decorator has been fined £30 for smoking in his own van because it was deemed to be a workplace."

NJ Assemblyman Neil Cohen, Child porn crusader, arrested for ... child porn    "Among the more than 100 laws Cohen has sponsored is one that created a 24-hour hotline for members of the public to report computer crimes, including child pornography. He also co-sponsored a law that retroactively removed immunity from churches, schools and other charities that negligently hire employees who sexually abuse children. Cohen is being investigated for alleged possession of child pornography, according to two of his Democratic colleagues who said they brought the matter to the attention of law enforcement." Very often, politically and otherwise, those who are vehemently against something others are doing, are only so as a matter of psychological "undoing", because they are into it themselves. Related:  Neil Cohen resigns 7/28

Fannie and Freddie Own A Record $6.9 Billion Foreclosed Homes    "Fannie Mae acquired twice as many homes through foreclosure in the first quarter as it sold, regulatory filings show. ... Late payments on the company's home loans, a harbinger of foreclosures, almost doubled in the past year." And here is the problem; if they start flooding those foreclosed homes into the market it will drive down property values, which means more homeowners will be stuck in negative equity, which will trigger another round of foreclosures.  Note: A huge percentage of the debt issued by Freddie and Fannie - about $1.5 trillion worth - is held by foreign central banks. Paulson is proposing to bail out the Chinese and Japanese governments with US tax money. The US Government keeps foreign investment inside the US with a promise that no matter what bone-headed choices the country-club MBAs running our corporations make, the US taxpayer will be forced to cover the losses. Henry Paulson is about to be given an $800 billion dollar blank check in the form of an increased Federal Debt Ceiling which he can spend on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in any way he chooses, including buying all these crappy loans and sticking the US taxpayer with the bailout bill.  

FDIC Faces Mortgage Mess After Running Failed Bank   "It turns out that the U.S. government itself was one of the lenders giving out high-interest, subprime mortgages, some of them predatory, according to government documents filed in federal court."

Super Losses, Super Layoffs, Super Bailouts   "So far this week we saw Wachovia get socked for an $8.86 billion loss with a layoff announcement of 10,750 employees, while Washington Mutual got hammered for a $3.3 billion loss and increased its beleaguered loan-loss reserves by $3.74 billion to $8.46 billion as it announced expense cuts and asset sales. This is nothing. This is just the beginning. This is just window dressing to protect incumbents. Together with the science fiction and fantasy we got last week from the banking sector, these latest financial statements from the banking sector should receive a Nebula Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Gene Roddenberry could not have dreamt up financial statements that were more phantasmagoric."

U.S. lawmakers strike deal on housing rescue package   "A major rescue package for the U.S. housing market is scheduled to come to a vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, after lawmakers agreed on the final language late on Tuesday." Note: This article couches the bill as "rescue" and tris to spin this as a positive, and no doubt for the mortage lending industry it is, but all this bill really does is raise the government debt ceiling to new heights, allows the government to borrow that extra money and hand it to Fannie May and Freddie Mac. Guess who gets to pay it all back.

San Diego sues Bank of America to block foreclosures   "San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre said on Wednesday he filed a lawsuit against Bank of America Corp (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and its Countrywide unit to prevent the mortgage lenders from foreclosing on homes in his city, which he aims to make a "foreclosure sanctuary."  Related: Mass. woman commits suicide as home foreclosed  A 53-year-old wife and mother fatally shot herself soon after faxing a letter to her mortgage company saying that by the time they foreclosed on her house that day, she would be dead.

Thousands with criminal records work unlicensed as loan originators   "Gary Kafka, former body builder with a long rap sheet and violent past, wrote millions of dollars in mortgages in South Florida without ever applying for a state license. Fresh out of prison after serving time for bank fraud, he never went through a criminal background check before selling loans. He never took a competency exam. He never had to ... More than half the mortgage professionals registered in Florida -- 120,563 -- entered the industry this decade without being licensed by the state, The Miami Herald found ... Known as loan originators, they perform the same job as mortgage brokers but aren't bound by the same rules ..."

Zimbabwe: Hundreds of Western businesses to be seized   "Zimbabwe is auditing hundreds of Western business interests as possible targets for takeover, the government said Sunday, in a reported backlash against foreign pressure on President Robert Mugabe."   

UK: Drivers who fail to pay fines have cars held hostage   "Motorists who fail to pay three parking tickets face having their cars clamped or even towed away under new laws due to take effect in two months. Council-employed traffic wardens will gain the power to take immediate action if they notice a car with three unpaid parking fines, even if the vehicle is parked legally at the time. The owner will only be able to reclaim the car once the fines have been paid. Local authorities in London – where fine-dodging has become a severe problem – will be the first to receive the new powers, with councils across the country expected to seek similar rights in due course. Motorists who fail to pay fines for minor traffic offences will face similar action." 

UK: Brits dumpster-diving for food   "James Hall is amazed at all the goodies on offer as he joins anti-consumerist activists in 'dumpster diving'."  with video

UK: Jobless will have to pick up litter to earn benefit   "All 2.7million recipients will undergo fresh tests by independent doctors rather than their local GP to determine whether they can work. The proposals include: Making the work-shy pick up litter, Forcing drug addicts to admit their condition and accept treatment in return for benefits and force them to repay the welfare handouts if they lie, Jobless addicts who try to dodge the rules by hiding their habit will instead be deemed welfare cheats obtaining state handouts by deception, Pressing people claiming disability benefits to take a job if they are capable of working, Lone parents with children aged seven or more will be expected to seek work, and hardcore heroin and crack cocaine users could be jailed if they refuse to get treatment while receiving unemployment benefit." Related: Hundreds of thousands face job loss in UK  "Britain's economy is tipping headlong into a recession that could last more than a year and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, warns Professor David Blanchflower, a member of the Bank of England's interest rate committee .."   That's a lot of litter pickup! 

The global economy at point of maximum danger   "... China, India, East Europe and emerging Asia have all stolen growth from the future by condoning credit excess. To varying degrees, they are now being forced to pay back their own "inter-temporal overdrafts" ... If we are lucky, America will start to stabilise before Asia goes down. Should our leaders mismanage affairs, almost every part of the global system will go down together. Then we are in trouble ..."

Nuclear arms debate leaves Indian government on verge of collapse   "The Indian government and the much-vaunted nuclear deal it negotiated with George Bush in 2006 were last night on the brink of collapse after a bruising debate on a vote of confidence in parliament."   Too bad there isn't a similar process in the US.

McCain Aide Scheunemann Linked To Bush Library 'Cash For Access' Scandal   "In a further link, Randy Scheunemann, chief foreign policy and national security adviser to John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, was listed in the WSE brochure as part of its executive team. Scheunemann and Associates, his lobbying firm, is reported as having represented the Caspian Alliance in 2005. At the undercover meeting last week, Payne said Scheunemann had been "working with me on my payroll for five of the last eight years". When confronted over the link to KMG, Payne declined to comment."

Bank of China may hold huge US debt   "Bank of China Ltd may own about $20 billion of debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, representing two-thirds of total holdings among the six largest Chinese banks, according to CLSA Ltd."

'Goebbels' reference rocks WTO talks, US angry at Brazil   "Some pre-negotiation jabbing turned into a potentially damaging diplomatic incident Saturday when Brazil's foreign minister said rich countries' deception in trade talks reminded him of tactics used by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels."

Irish 'No' vote architect plans Europe-wide 'referendum' on Lisbon Treaty    "The man who delivered an historic "No" vote in Ireland against the EU's Lisbon Treaty has revealed far-reaching plans to give voters throughout Europe a peoples' referendum on the handover of power to Brussels." 

Status Report on the Collapse of the U.S. Economy   "With the economic news of the week of July 14—the continuing crisis among mortgage lenders, the onset of bank failures, the announced downsizing of General Motors, the slide of the Dow-Jones below 11,000—we are seeing the ongoing collapse of the U.S. economy Even the super-rich are becoming nervous as cries for an emergency suspension of short selling ring out. What is really taking place, however, is that the producing economy of working men and women is being crushed by the overall debt burden on households, businesses, and governments that could reach $70 trillion by 2010. The financial system, including mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is bankrupt, as the debts it is based on cannot be repaid..."

Israel cooks up transparently phony terrorist attack against Bush   "In order to set the stage for further attacks against Muslims, most notably Iran, Israel has cooked up a transparently phony terrorist attack against Bush. “Israel accused six Arabs on Friday of trying to set up an al Qaeda cell in Israel and said one of them had proposed attacking helicopters used during a visit by President George W. Bush,” reports Reuters ... Now we are expected to believe al-Qaeda, a documented CIA intelligence and false flag terror contrivance, managed to set-up an operation in Jerusalem ... “Israel’s Shin Bet counter-intelligence agency said one of the suspects had used his mobile phone to film helicopters at a sports stadium in Jerusalem that was used as a landing site for Bush’s delegation,” Reuters continues. “The suspect then posted queries on Web sites frequented by al Qaeda operatives, asking for guidance on how to shoot down the helicopters, the agency said in a statement.” ... It should be noted that several alleged al-Qaeda websites have been hosted in Texas and Maryland, the latter in curious proximity to the CIA’s headquarters in Virginia (see this write-up on suspicious al-Qaeda websites that track back to the United States) ... Considering the above, it is hardly improbable that Israeli intelligence would attempt to assassinate Bush — or at least make the claim it had uncovered a nefarious plot to assassinate him — and thus push into the red its ongoing plan to further embroil the United States in Israel’s long-standing political objectives, namely its plan to not only further isolate the Palestinians, but attack its Arab and Muslim neighbors and reduce their countries to smoldering ruins, using the destruction of Iraq as a template ... It is no secret Israel wants Iran decimated in similar fashion, an objective it prefers the United States accomplish. Accusing the usual suspect — the well-documented fraud going by the name al-Qaeda – as an excuse to push this agenda likely makes sense to Israeli intelligence, but for those of us paying attention it is simply yet another signal that the Israelis and their American neocon collaborators will stop at nothing to kill Muslims and further their contrived “clash of civilizations” agenda."  Related: Suspicious 'al-Qaeda' websites that track back to the United States | Israel's Sacred Terrorism | Israeli agents posing as 'operatives of al-Qaeda' recruited Palestinians in the Gaza Strip

N.H. will accept free oil from Chavez after all   "Two years ago, New Hampshire refused to accept heating oil from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the pro-Castro U.S. critic who once called President Bush "the devil." But with fuel prices rising, well, free oil is free oil. With the state's blessing, New Hampshire residents will be receiving some of the fuel this winter."  Here's my question. If NH has no refineries, what are they going to do with 'free oil' when it will cost to have it refined somewhere? It costs about $1 per barrel to produce oil. Most of the end cost is due to refining and middle men. So, where does the meaningful aspect of 'free' come in?

GOP whistleblower names Karl Rove in Ohio's 04 election theft   "This entire system is being programmed in secret by programmers who have no oversight by anybody," the expert charged, as Arnebeck detailed allegations of complicity by a number of powerful GOP operatives and companies who had unique access both to the election results as reported in 2004, as well as to U.S. House and Senate computer networks even today."

Crime rates in UK expected to soar as economic difficulties deepen   "The credit crunch threatens to bring to an end the longest recorded period of falling crime in living memory in England and Wales, Home Office criminologists said yesterday ... As the latest British Crime Survey (BCS) data was published yesterday, showing a 10% fall in crime levels - equal to a million fewer offences - over the past year, government officials predicted the economic slowdown would lead to "upward pressure" on levels of property crime, such as burglary and car break-ins ... They said many desirable consumer items, such as mobile phones and MP3 players, were inexpensive enough to be affordable but a shift in real-wage rates could put them out of reach."   Keep in mind that what goes on in the UK very often manifests here, 12-18 months or so later.

China building the prototype for a high-tech police state   "With the help of U.S. defense contractors, China is building the prototype for a high-tech police state. It is ready for export."   

John McCain: Lost in Space  Part 2  Video  "McCain is already well known for his simple inability to tell the truth." In one interview, McCain is asked, 'at what point do you stop doing what you want and start doing what the majority of the American people want?" McCain replied, "I don't agree with what the majority of the American people want."  Pricks live forever.

Obama Calls For National Civilian Stasi   "Presidential frontrunner Barack Obama has called for a "civilian national security force" as powerful as the U.S. military, comments that were ignored by the vast majority of the corporate media but compared by one journalist to the Nazi Hitler Youth."

Ron Paul: "Some Big Events Are About To Occur"   "Texas Congressman Ron Paul has warned the House that he is "convinced the time is now upon us that some Big Events are about to occur." that will cause liberty to go "into deep hibernation"."

ACLU Calls For Probe Of Chertoff   "The American Civil Liberties Union wants Congress to investigate the Department of Homeland Security's creation of "militarized zones" within the US in its overuse of a terrorist watch list and other programs that endanger privacy and civil liberties ... “The Department of Homeland Security has far too many ill-conceived programs that fail to account for privacy, due process and other principles that assure fairness to the innocent,” Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office said in a news release. “It is time for Congress to recognize the Bush administration’s security apparatus is an emperor without any clothes ..."

Saudis offer Moscow billions to break with Tehran   "Saudi Arabia has offered to buy Russian arms worth 2.4 billion dollars (1.5 billion euros) if Moscow stops supporting Iran, a Russian newspaper reported Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources. If true, this could be the US-backed "carrot" to keep Moscow from intervening militarily if there is an Israeli/US-led attack against Iran."

Oil Brings Americans Closer to OPEC Debtor Dependence   "Holdings of Treasuries by oil producers and institutions such as U.K. banks that are proxies for Middle East nations rose 44 percent this year to $510.8 billion through April, four times faster than the rest of the world, according to the Treasury Department's most recent data. At the current pace, they'll surpass Japan, which holds $592.2 billion, as the largest owner this month."

SEC opens probe to prevent spread of false info    "The Securities and Exchange Commission said Sunday it is immediately opening a probe to prevent the spread of false information used to manipulate securities prices."

Ford Sues IRS for $445m of Interest on Overpayment of Taxes   "Ford Motor Co. is suing the federal government, saying the Internal Revenue Service owes it nearly half a billion dollars in interest for overpayments on corporate taxes."

Russian customs bid to break the Bank of New York   "On July 3, the very eve of America's annual celebration of Independence Day, a Moscow courtroom sizzled with acrid testimonials to the effect that the oldest bank in the US is internationally accountable on charges of money laundering and, if convicted, will have to pony up $22.5bn to the Russian Customs Service, said sum representing just over a third of the bank's capital ... The outfit in question is the indubitably venerable Bank of New York, founded in 1784 by investors including Alexander Hamilton, first US Secretary of the Treasury, Aaron Burr (who later killed Hamilton in a duel) and the Bank of England. At least part of the start-up capital was money filched from a public works scheme to clean up Manhattan's drinking water ..." 

Nouri al-Maliki ready to oust US from Iraq green zone   "The green zone of Baghdad, a highly fortified slice of American suburbia on the banks of the Tigris river, may soon be handed over to Iraqi control if the increasingly assertive government of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, gets its way ..."

Bush Homeland Security Aide Caught On Tape Offering High-Level Access For Donations To Bush Library   "The Sunday Times reports Stephen Payne, a Bush pioneer and a political appointee to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, was caught on tape offering access to key members of the Bush administration inner circle in exchange for "six-figure donations to the private library being set up to commemorate Bush's presidency."

A Hint of New Life to a McCain Birth Issue    "In the most detailed examination yet of Senator John McCain's eligibility to be president, a law professor at the University of Arizona has concluded that neither Mr. McCain's birth in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone nor the fact that his parents were American citizens is enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that the president must be a "natural-born citizen."

Airport scans for illegal downloads on iPods, mobile phones and laptops   "IPods, mobile phones and laptops could be examined by airport customs officials for illegal downloads under strict new counterfeiting measures being considered by G8 governments this week, it is claimed."

Canadian ISPs Plan Net Censorship   "The plans made by the large telecom businesses would change the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and must pay to see each individual site beyond a certain point. Subscription browsing would be limited, extra fees would be applied to access out-of-network sites. Many sites would be blocked altogether."

FISA 'compromise' completes transformation of US into full police state   "The update of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, called the "FISA compromise," or more appropriately, the "spy bill," largely completes the triumph of the Bush/Cheney administration and a bipartisan criminal consensus. By convenient design, the FISA revision derails pending lawsuits filed against the Bush administration's corporate spying partners (AT&T, Sprint Nextel, and Verizon), silences (the largely empty-to-begin-with) congressional investigations into the Bush administration's illegal domestic spying program. In fact, the debate over the spy bill is a red herring, clouding the larger central (purposely unaddressed) issue: the "war on terrorism" lie itself."

Senate Passes Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies   ACLU announces legal challenge to follow president’s signature.

Waxman threatens AG with contempt unless he gets FBI's Cheney transcripts   "Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) says his committee will vote next week to hold Attorney General Michael Mukasey in contempt if the Bush appointee continues to refuse to hand over transcripts of an FBI interview with Dick Cheney ..."

US and Czech Republic sign defense agreement    "The United States and leaders of the Czech Republic agreed Tuesday to place a radar system in this former Soviet satellite that would warn of long-range missiles coming to Europe from the Middle East ... Russia is bitterly opposed ... The proposed U.S. missile defense system calls for a tracking radar in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland. Moscow has threatened to aim its own missiles at any eventual base in Poland or the Czech Republic ... Fielding the system will take years and the winner of this fall's U.S. presidential election will have to decide whether to go ahead with the project. Republican John McCain is a supporter; Democrat Barack Obama has been more circumspect."

US planned nerve gas tests on Australian soldiers   "The US military planned to test deadly nerve gas on Australian soldiers in far north Queensland during the Cold War, declassified documents reveal. The Defence and Prime Minister's office files show that the US was strongly pushing then prime minister Harold Holt's government in the 1960s to allow tests of two of the deadliest chemical weapons ever developed -- VX and GB, better known as Sarin nerve gas. The revelation airs this morning on the Nine Network's Sunday program. It says the top secret plan involved allowing 200 mainly Australian combat troops to be aerially bombed and sprayed with the chemical weapons. It's understood the Iron Range rainforest near Lockhart River in far north Queensland was the likely location for the tests. Peter Bailey, a former senior official with Mr Holt, tells the program the request caused consternation in Canberra, and as far as he knows the tests never went ahead. But he says planning was very advanced in the US, which wanted the operation to be kept secret because the weapons were illegal under international law."

Bush Wishes For 'Freedom From Tyranny'   "President Bush has posted a message on a "wishing tree" at the G8 summit in Japan and, true to the aims of his second term in office, his main desire is for a world free from tyranny. Hung in the branches of a black bamboo in Toyako on the northern island of Hokkaido, the Tanabata message is handwritten on a simple paper hanging with an embroidered border. Mr Bush writes: "I wish for a world free from tyranny: the tyranny of hunger, disease; and free from tyrannical governments. "I wish for a world in which the universal desire for liberty is realized."   This is like Hitler wanting health care for those he persecuted.  It's another illustration of how disconnected Bush is from reality, especially his own, how much of a fool he is, and that he thinks he is getting away with his disingenuous blather, and that he actually believes he's not what he is, one of the worst tyrants (with Cheney and the rest of the mob) this planet has ever known.

Russian Oligarch admits paying out billions on political favours   "Roman Abramovich has admitted agreeing to pay billions of dollars for political favours and protection fees to get his hands on the former Soviet Union's mineral wealth. The puzzle of how the penniless street trader rose to amass an £11.4 billion fortune is explained for the first time in his own words in court papers seen by The Times. Mr Abramovich paid older oligarchs so that he could obtain a big share of Russia's oil and aluminium assets and to escape unscathed from the deadly post-communist carve-up. He famously emerged triumphant after the “aluminium wars”, in which more than 100 people believed to have been killed in gangland feuds over control of the lucrative smelters. He avoided the fate of a rival oligarch who annoyed the Kremlin and ended up being transported to jail in Siberia for ten years. Mr Abramovich, 41, has been forced to tell his story because he is being sued for $4 billion by his mentor Boris Berezovsky, 62, a refugee in Britain, at the London Commercial Court. The exile claims that Mr Abramovich became an enforcer-type figure for Vladimir Putin, passing on alleged threats of confiscation - and the jailing of a friend - to pressure him into selling shares in former state assets cheaply. Mr Abramovich has retorted with a 53-page defence that accuses Mr Berezovsky and a Georgian oligarch of demanding huge sums for helping him to rise from obscurity ..."

G-8 leaders face ominous economic woes this year   "The outlook has darkened dramatically since last year's summit in Germany, when the leaders declared the global economy was in "good condition" and oil cost $70 a barrel — which seemed high at the time. Since then, the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis has erupted, roiling markets and battering financial firms. Oil has doubled to above $140 and food prices have jumped, hurting the poor in particular and raising the threat of political instability. "Things have changed for the worse across the board," said Robert Hormats, vice chairman at Goldman Sachs (International) Corp. in New York."

Fortis Prediction of US Bank Meltdown a Net Hoax: The Making of an Urban Legend  "This article documents how an urban legend got started the weekend of June 28-29, 2008, how and why urban legends spread virally, and what you can do to spot them and stop them." 

Arson Surges for Foreclosed Homes Lost to Subprime   "The biggest surge of mortgage defaults in seven decades coincides with an increase in blazes in foreclosed properties led by states with the most repossessed homes, according to fire safety officials in Nevada, Massachusetts and Ohio." 

NSA Spying Judge Defends Rule of Law, Congress Set to Strip His Power  "Just days before the Senate will convene to give a final blessing to President Bush's secret, warrantless wiretapping program, a federal court judge ruled that his legal justification for the surveillance has no legal merit. He's the same judge Congress is trying to save the nation's telecoms, such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, from having to face in court. Late Wednesday, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker issued a ruling (.pdf) in a case against the government alleging illegal spying, finding that in 1978 Congress had clearly set out the rules for wiretapping inside the United States and that Bush's claims to have inherent authority outside of those rules did not pass Constitutional muster."

Hackers crack cash machine PIN codes to steal millions  "Citibank machines in 7-Eleven convenience stores across America were the target of the biggest and most effective remote PIN code theft scam in US banking history between last autumn and this spring when at least $2 million (£1 million) was stolen."

Over 900 whistle-blower fraud cases in limbo at DOJ  "A Washington Post story Tuesday reported that there are over 900 whistle-blower cases in limbo at the Department of Justice that allege government contractors and drug companies have defrauded taxpayers out of billions of dollars. There have been 300-400 new cases brought each year since 2001 but the branch of the Justice department assigned to investigate them has only been able to get through approximately 100 per year."

US employers shed 62,000 jobs in June  "US employers shed 62,000 nonfarm jobs in June signaling that the world's largest economy is struggling to maintain momentum, a Labor Department report showed Friday. The number of job losses was slightly worse than most economists had expected."

Homeless people die after bird flu vaccine trial in Poland  "The medical staff, from the northern town of Grudziadz, are being investigated over medical trials on as many as 350 homeless and poor people last year, which prosecutors say involved an untried vaccine to the highly-contagious virus. Authorities claim that the alleged victims received £1-2 to be tested with what they thought was a conventional flu vaccine but, according to investigators, was actually an anti bird-flu drug. Investigators are also probing the possibility that the medical staff may have also have deceived the pharmaceutical companies that commissioned the trials. The suspects said that the all those involved knew that the trial involved an anti-H5N1 drug and willingly participated. The news of the investigation will come as another blow to the reputation of Poland's beleaguered and poverty-stricken national health service. In 2002, a number of ambulance medics were found guilty of killing their patients for commissions from funeral companies."

Angry Consumers Flood Federal Reserve Board with Complaints  "Apparently the Federal Reserve has been inundated with over 8,200 consumer complaints against various banking and lending institutions for credit card abuse and predatory lending. The Fed’s inbox has been full since it invited personal comments regarding a proposed new rule to end “Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices.” Sarah Byrnes said, Campaign Manager of Americans for Fairness in Lending (AFFIL) ..."

Mortgage ruling could shock U.S. banking industry  "A lawsuit filed by a Wisconsin couple against their mortgage lender could have major implications for banks should a U.S. appeals court agree that borrowers can cancel their loans en masse when their lenders violate a federal lending disclosure law. The Truth in Lending Act, a 1968 federal law designed to protect consumers against lending fraud by requiring clear disclosure of loan terms and costs, lets consumers seek rescission, or termination, of a loan and the return of all interest and fees when a lender is found in violation."

Fugitive Hedge Fund Manager Surrenders  "The fugitive hedge fund swindler Samuel Israel III surrendered to law enforcement officials on Wednesday, ending a manhunt that began shortly after he faked his suicide on the day that he was to report to prison."

UN envoy rips US violations in Iraq, Guantanamo, Afghanistan  "After a two-week fact-finding tour of US prison and detention facilities, a UN human rights investigator has blasted the administration of President George W. Bush for a rash of shortcomings in the country's flawed justice system and continued violations of the rule of law."

URGENT WARNING: H5N1 DNA in Flu Vaccine  "Flu Mist a popular over the counter live flu vaccine has been found to contain two H5N1 DNA markers, these markers seem to have been sewn into the flu mist vaccine to ensure that H5N1 or another strain of Avian Flu goes pandemic. This is going to cause major problems before long, it is imperative that people are warned about flu mist."

Barclays warns of a financial storm as Federal Reserve's credibility crumbles  "Barclays Capital has advised clients to batten down the hatches for a worldwide financial storm, warning that the US Federal Reserve has allowed the inflation genie out of the bottle and let its credibility fall "below zero". "We're in a nasty environment," said Tim Bond, the bank's chief equity strategist. "There is an inflation shock underway. This is going to be very negative for financial assets." 

AIPAC-Controlled US House Iran War Resolution May Be Passed in July  "Introduced less than a month ago, Resolution 362, also known as the Iran War Resolution, could be passed by the House as early as next week. The bill is the chief legislative priority of AIPAC. On its Web site, AIPAC endorses the resolutions as a way to ”Stop Iran’s Nuclear Program” and tells readers to lobby Congress to pass the bill. In the Senate, a sister resolution, Resolution 580, has gained co-sponsors with similar speed. The Senate measure was introduced by Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh on June 2. It has since gained 19 co-sponsors. The bill’s key section “demands that the president initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.”

North Korea Smackdown: How the "Dear Leader" Blackmailed Bush    "Indeed, North Korea is second the biggest policy failure of the Bush presidency. (Iraq is still the first, by far) Bush has staked his legacy on his ability to "keep the world's most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the world's most worst dictators", but his mule-headedness and incompetence have only made matters worse and pushed the world closer to nuclear Armageddon. Now that Kim has nukes at his disposal, South Korea and Japan will be forced to escalate to maintain military parity. Bush's botched diplomatic efforts signal the beginning of another nuclear arms race. At the very least, it is the end of the NPT."  

Fed-Up FL Families Turn To Barbed Wire, Shotguns To Police Neighborhood    "Families in a crime-ridden Central Florida neighborhood are arming themselves with shotguns and talking about adding electric barbed wire to stop thieves targeting their homes."

Hillary Clinton 'agrees' to 'promote' Obama for 'president' for 10 million dollar payoff   "Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday asked his finance team to help Hillary Rodham Clinton pay off a debt of at least $10 million from her failed presidential campaign, setting the stage for joint appearances by the two former rivals later in the week." She has a date with destiny. Ha! 

Cuba Offers Vaccine Against Lung Cancer    "Cimavas EGF, based on two proteins, triggers an immune response from the victim's body and has absolutely no side effects, as most anti-cancer therapy does. The vaccine only attacks cancer cells. The vaccine is meant to serve as a compliment to rather than a replacement for conventional methods such as chemotherapy and radiation. The vaccine also improves patients' breathing and decreases their pain."  "Unfortunately, courtesy of the US prohibition against Americans traveling to Cuba, sick Americans who might benefit from having access to this vaccine won't be able to, unless they have the money to travel to South America for treatment."

Ex-Agent Says CIA Ignored Iran Facts    "A former CIA operative who says he tried to warn the agency about faulty intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs now contends that CIA officials also ignored evidence that Iran had suspended work on a nuclear bomb."

The Coming Attack on Iran: A Perfect Storm of Madness    "In short, from the neo-con hawk perspective, now is the perfect time to launch a "pre-emptive" air-attack on Iran. This is the case even though CheneyBush cannot produce any conclusive evidence that Iran is working on military uses of nuclear energy; that may be in their long-range plan but, by and large, the U.S. is basing its antagonism on speculation and future fears. In short, there does not appear to be any kind of imminent Iranian threat to the U.S. or to other countries in the region. (Absent an imminent threat, an attack on a sovereign nation is regarded as illegal under international law, perhaps even a war crime.)"