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

Iraq refuses to sign contracts with greedy global oil majors    "Iraq said on Monday it has failed to sign technical support agreements with global oil majors which were aimed at helping boost the war-torn country's oil production. Iraq is negotiating with Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Total, and a consortium of other smaller oil companies, Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said at press briefing. "We did not finalise any agreement with them because they refused to offer consultancy based on fees, as they wanted a share of the oil," he said." In a related story: U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals 

Operation Horse's Head: U.S. Raid Sends Message on Iraq "Agreement"    "The raid comes at what appears to be a delicate juncture in the on-going talks to establish a "status of forces agreement" for the American military presence in Iraq. Iraqi government officials have publicly balked at some of the most howlingly sinister, mustache-twirling proposals of the Bush Administration. But the openly stated goal of the Bush Faction -- even before they seized power in 2000 -- has always been to reduce Iraq to a client state with a permanent American military presence and a kicked-down "open door" for exploitation by Western corporate interests. This overarching goal of the entire American enterprise in Iraq has been abundantly clear from the very beginning. That's why the occupation has seemed so haphazard and chaotic: because the Bushists literally don't care how the deal gets done -- as long as they get what they want in the end. So this, ultimately, is why thousands of our men and women in uniform, coupled with well over one million Iraqis are dead: to claim Iraq as the US's "vassal state" in the region. Friday's operation was a strong indication that the Bushists might not be willing to let al-Maliki dally too much longer over an agreement. To avert once more to that seminal work: either al-Maliki's brains or his signature will be on that sheet of paper before the final credits roll." 

With economy crippled and nothing passed to fight it, Congress vacations    "With reports of gas prices climbing towards $7 a gallon and a continuing foreclosure crisis, Congress is doing what polls show most Americans expect it to. Congress has gone on holiday through July 4th, ABC News reported, taking a vacation without having agreed on energy legislation or a bill to rescue homeowners threatened with foreclosure. Some estimates say more than 8,000 homes go into foreclosure every day, according to the article. "What I find most puzzling about this time now is that there is no nervousness on the part of Democrats as an election approaches that Americans are going to hold them accountable for fiddling while the housing crisis continues to burn," said Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank."

Top Interrogators Declare Torture Ineffective in Intelligence Gathering    "Fifteen former interrogators and intelligence officials with more than 350 years collective field experience have declared that torture is an "unlawful, ineffective and counterproductive" way to gather intelligence, in a statement of principles released today."

U.S. escalating covert operations against Iran    "U.S. congressional leaders agreed late last year to President George W. Bush's funding request for a major escalation of covert operations against Iran aimed at destabilizing its leadership, according to a report in The New Yorker magazine published online on Sunday."

Iran ready to strike at Israel's nuclear heart    "Iran has moved ballistic missiles into launch positions, with Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant among the possible targets, defence sources said last week. The movement of Shahab-3B missiles, which have an estimated range of more than 1,250 miles, followed a large-scale exercise earlier this month in which the Israeli air force flew en masse over the Mediterranean in an apparent rehearsal for a threatened attack on Iran’s nuclear installations. Israel believes Iran’s nuclear programme is aimed at acquiring nuclear weapons. The sources said Iran was preparing to retaliate for any onslaught by firing missiles at Dimona, where Israel’s own nuclear weapons are believed to be made. President George Bush has approved the linking of Israel to a US infrared satellite detection system that could spot Shahab missile launches within seconds." 

Shadow of war looms as Israel flexes its muscle    "Israeli fighter jets flew 1,500 kms across the Mediterranean this month, in a dry run for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Tehran has threatened to treat such a raid as a declaration of war. As the Middle East braces itself for a stand-off of epic proportions, how close is the region to that nightmare scenario?"

UK: Parents banned from ferrying children to sports matches    "Hundreds of thousands of parents will be banned from ferrying children to sports matches next year unless they have had criminal records checks, under new rules."   How Orwellian.

Review of "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder" by Vincent Bugliosi    "In his new book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder (Vanguard Press, 2008), Vincent Bugliosi, the man who successfully prosecuted Charles Manson for murder, argues convincingly that President George W. Bush's conduct in taking the U.S. military to war against Iraq under false pretenses in March of 2003 qualifies him to be prosecuted for murder in any state in the nation. The victims in the case would be all the soldiers from that state that were killed in the war against Iraq. He lays out his case in a devastatingly logical and methodical manner, weaving together all the relevant facts to paint the definitive portrait of just how reckless and criminal was the behavior of President Bush in his push for war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Famous for his true crime books, such as the book about Charles Manson that launched his literary career, Helter Skelter, Bugliosi shows us that he is still in fine form ..."

China quake-fleeing teacher forces change in ethics    "A Chinese high school teacher who controversially fled a classroom before his students during last month's devastating earthquake has compelled China to amend laws governing teacher-student ethics. Fan Meizhong, a literature teacher at a private high school in quake-ravaged Dujiangyan in southwest Sichuan province, was branded "Running Fan" by local media and Internet users and later sacked after he defended his cowardice in a lengthy online essay. "At such a life-or-death moment, I would only consider sacrificing my life for my daughter. I would not do it for anyone else, even my mother," Fan wrote on a popular online portal. None of the children in his class died in the quake ..."  So, no harm, no foul, just bullshit.

Vidal: Bush ended US as a republic    "Gore Vidal, US novelist, historian and social critic says the Bush regime has killed all of the constitutional links that made the US a republic. On early Friday morning Iran time, in an exclusive interview with Press TV, Vidal said that President Bush has rid the country of the Bill of Rights, habeas corpus and the entire legacy of the Magna Carta in the name of war on terror."

Marc Faber: ‘Misleading’ Fed Should Let Banks Fail     2 videos   Related:6/26 CSPAN Ron Paul on Iran & Energy  Good!

Delta, TSA Employees Admit Smuggling Drugs At Atlanta Airport    "Two former TSA employees and a former Delta worker admitted Wednesday to smuggling drugs at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport."

911 crack fighter pilot    "A member of the inquiry team, a US Air Force officer who flew over 100 sorties during the Vietnam war, told the press conference: "Those birds (commercial airliners) either had a crack fighter pilot in the left seat, or they were being maneuvered by remote control."

Participants in the Cover-Up of 9/11: The Case of American and United Airlines    "In view of the huge losses incurred by these airlines in terms of human lives and assets, one would have expected them to help shed light on the criminal events. As will be shown below, the airlines have, on the contrary, refused to disclose crucial evidence to the families of the victims and to the public in general and continue to do so. One of the immediate worries of American Airlines on September 11, 2001, was how to mould information flow to the general public and prevent "rumors" and wrong "theories" to leak out."

Homeless man gets nearly 5 years for Bush threats    "A mentally ill homeless man will serve 57 months in federal prison for threats he made against President Bush. Timothy Wade Pinkston threatened to go to Washington and shoot Bush in August while he was committed to the psychiatric unit of St. Joseph's Hospital. According to an affidavit, he repeated the threat to Secret Service agents, saying he didn't like the president's foreign policy or his handling of the war in Iraq. Pinkston told a federal judge in Tampa on Wednesday that he is HIV-positive and bipolar and has a substance abuse problem. He said he'd been taking drugs and drinking when he made the threat and didn't know what he was saying. He was previously charged with threatening the president in 1991 and also sent threatening letters to the governor of Georgia."

U.S. Army General: Bush Guilty Of War Crimes    "The U.S. general who led the Army's investigation of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal says the Bush administration "has committed war crimes" as a result of what happened to detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay "when the Commander-in-Chief and those under him authorized a systematic regime of torture."  

Feingold & Dodd Fillbustering Wiretap Bill    "In a last-ditch attempt to fix a surveillance bill critics say would essentially legalize President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program, Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) have promised to filibuster the bill as long as it offers telecommunications companies retroactive immunity. “This is a deeply flawed bill, which does nothing more than offer retroactive immunity by another name. We strongly urge our colleagues to reject this so-called ‘compromise’ legislation and oppose any efforts to consider this bill in its current form. We will oppose efforts to end debate on this bill as long as it provides retroactive immunity for the telecommunications companies that may have participated in the President’s warrantless wiretapping program, and as long as it fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans,” the senators said in a joint statement Tuesday."

Congress taking WH to court over subpoena roadblock    "Lawyers for the White House and Congress are headed to court Monday in a dispute over whether top aides to President Bush must provide evidence in a House investigation. The Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee is demanding documents and testimony from the president’s chief of staff, Josh Bolten, and former lawyer, Harriet Miers, about the firing of federal prosecutors. The White House says Congress can’t do that because of the separation- of-powers doctrine.

Many Dutch Believe World Will End By 2012    "Thousands of people in the Netherlands say they expect the world to end in 2012, and many say they are taking precautions to prepare for the apocalypse. The Dutch-language de Volkskrant newspaper said it spoke to thousands of believers in the impending end of civilization, and while theories on the supposed catastrophe varied, most tied the 2012 date to the end of the Mayan calendar, Radio Netherlands reported Monday. Some who spoke to the newspaper were optimistic about the end of civilization. "You know, maybe it's really not that bad that the Netherlands will be destroyed," Petra Faile said. "I don't like it here anymore. Take immigration, for example. They keep letting people in. And then we have to build more houses, which makes the Netherlands even heavier. The country will sink even lower, which will make the flooding worse." 

US Albanian embassy involvement in 22-year-old's sham weapons deal    "The US Embassy in Albania approved an effort to conceal the illegal Chinese origin of ammunition provided to troops in Afghanistan under a Pentagon contract by a just-indicted 22-year-old Florida man, according to an investigation by the House Oversight Committee."

Germany mulls probe of Jewish group overseeing Holocaust restitution    ""The Claims Conference appears to be a business firm holding property worth millions of dollars, and not like an organization that is devoted to protecting the rights of others." Nations and banks around the world are being extorted to pay millions of dollars in compensation to victims of the Nazis, but the organization getting the goodies isn't actually sharing it with the few surviving victims that remain."

Army 'vacuum' missile hits 'Taliban'    "British forces in Afghanistan have used one of the world's most deadly and controversial missiles to fight the Taliban. Apache attack helicopters have fired the thermobaric weapons against fighters in buildings and caves, to create a pressure wave which sucks the air out of victims, shreds their internal organs and crushes their bodies. The weapons are so controversial that MoD weapons and legal experts spent 18 months debating whether British troops could use them without breaking international law. Eventually, they decided to get round the ethical problems by redefining the weapons."

The Voice of the White House for June 20th 2008    "I would say that at least 200 people working here in D.C. are fully aware, and have read the official and highly classified reports, that the oil people are grabbing everything they can here before the pliant and crooked Bush and Cheney have to leave. They want the ability to drill offshore when and where they please and now, with Bush's help, they are sewing up all the Iraqi oil production with the usual Bush-approved no bid leases. Everything here is now 'no bid.' If Halliburton needed 300 billions in U.S. taxpayer's money, Bush would demand it and the ass-kissing Congress would cheerfully give it to him, just like they have just given the crooked and conspiratorial U.S. telephone companies like AT&T and their parent company, SBC, a free pass on their connivance with Bush to snoop on all of us. In Washington , money not only talks, it screams. The high gas prices? The Arabs are to blame? Oh no, Bush and Cheney are directly responsible for this." 

Credit card companies make twice as much as retailers from gas sales    "Credit card companies make twice as much profit as do convenience stores for all products sold in the stores. That means that the credit card companies took in twice as much at stores than the store owners themselves. When the price of gas goes up, the fees increase. Retailers are paying about 10 cents per gallon in fees when someone pays by credit today and, on average, more people (almost two-thirds of customers) are paying by plastic." Related: Gas Stations May Stop Taking Credit Cards | Credit Card Fee Act of 2008  If passed, will provide relief to gas retailers and keep the convenience of credit card payments.

Eisenhower's Holocaust    "Your body will be picked up long after it is cold, and taken to a special tent where your clothing is stripped off. So that you will be quickly forgotten, and never again identified, your dog tag is snipped in half and your body along with those of your fellow soldiers are covered with chemicals for rapid decomposition and buried. You were not one of the exceptions, for more than one million seven hundred thousand German Prisoners of War died from a deliberate policy of extermination by starvation, exposure, and disease, under direct orders of General Dwight David Eisenhower." 

Government Is Sued Over Seizure of Liberty Dollars    "A dozen people around the country filed suit in U.S. District Court in Idaho this week demanding the return of all the copper, silver, gold, and platinum coins -- more than seven tons of metal in all -- that the FBI and Secret Service seized in November during raids of a mint in Idaho and a strip mall storefront in Indiana."

US asks to rewrite detainee evidence    "The Bush administration wants to rewrite the official evidence against Guantanamo Bay detainees, allowing it to shore up its cases before they come under scrutiny by civilian judges for the first time."

White House Refuses To Release Documents On Air-Quality Policy    "The Bush administration yesterday invoked executive privilege and refused to turn over key documents sought by a House investigative committee, escalating a fight over the White House role in U.S. policy on greenhouse-gas emissions and ozone air quality standards."

AZ Gov. Napolitano Approves Prohibition on Real ID    "Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano signed a bill today that prohibits the implementation of the REAL ID in Arizona. SB2677 received a Final vote of approval in the House last week by an overwhelming margin of 51 to 1. Napolitano's signature was uncertain until today when she signed the bill into law. The bill prohibits implementation of the REAL ID Act of 2005, which was passed by Congress as part of a supplemental spending bill for tsunami relief and the War on Terror. The bill did not receive a hearing in either the House or the Senate, and the public was largely unaware of it until it had already been signed into law."   Related:  Oklahoma Declares Sovereignty

Hidden Provision in Senate Bill "Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd's 630-page Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill's managers without debate this week, would require the nation's payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government. This is a provision with astonishing reach, and it was slipped into the bill just this week. Not only does it affect nearly every credit card transaction in America, such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, but the bill specifically targets payment systems like eBay's PayPal, Amazon, and Google Checkout that are used by many small online businesses. The privacy implications for America's small businesses are breathtaking." The proposal applies to returns for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2010. Back-up withholding provisions apply to amounts paid after December 31, 2011. This proposal is estimated to raise $9.802 billion over ten years." 

Ron Paul Claims Pelosi Spiked Iran Bill    "Representative Ron Paul says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi removed a section from a bill passed by Congress which would have barred the U.S. from going to war with Iran without a congressional vote, claiming she did so at the behest of the leadership of Israel and AIPAC. "  Related: Ron Poll Does Not Accept Gov't 911 Investigation  Video news clip

Earnings forecast calls for gloom   "The U.S. stock markets have experienced a wearisome day-to-day decline, but in a few weeks investors will be able to escape the macroeconomic dungeon and focus on the upcoming second-quarter earnings. Results for the financial and consumer discretionary sectors are expected to be dismal, with profit declines of 52 and 15 per cent, respectively. Analysts expect the energy and technology sectors will generate profit growth of 22 and 16 per cent, respectively." Energy and tech companies who are also profiting from the wars. The Dow has lost almost 1000 points this last month alone. 

Ex-Bear Stearns Fund Managers Indicted for Fraud   "Former Bear Stearns Cos. hedge fund managers Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, arrested early this morning at their homes in New Jersey and Manhattan, were indicted for mail fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, the first prosecution in a U.S. crackdown on sub-prime fraud."

FBI estimates $1B in losses from mortgage fraud schemes nationwide   "More than 400 real estate industry players have been indicted since March -- including dozens over the last two days -- in a Justice Department crackdown on incidents of mortgage fraud nationwide that have contributed to the country's housing crisis."

Law School to Plan Bush War Crimes Prosecution  "A conference to plan the prosecution of President Bush and other high administration officials for war crimes will be held September 13-14 at the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover."

More Power for the Fed as the Central Bank Cooks the Books  "Flip through the footnotes to the Fed's latest annual report, and you'll come across an open secret. The Fed doesn't follow normal accounting rules, as promulgated by any of the major standard- setting boards. Rather, the Fed writes its own, in a document called the Financial Accounting Manual for Federal Reserve Banks. If you ever wanted to design an accounting regime to help a bank cook its books, the Fed's would be perfect. This doesn't exactly inspire faith in the U.S. financial system, at a time when a good example might help a lot."  Related:  Bush administration wants to give Federal Reserve more power

Critics Demand Resignation of U.N. Investigator Who Supports Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theories  "Critics are calling for the resignation of a U.N. investigator who supports Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and thinks the U.S. government may have planned the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Richard Falk, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, investigates alleged Israeli violations of human rights law for the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. Translation: Israel wants Falk out of the UN, both because he doesn't "buy" the official story on 9/11, and because he has been highly critical of Israeli treatment of Palestinians."

UN reports 27% rise in Colombian coca cultivation  "Colombia's crop of coca, whose leaves are the basis for cocaine, grew by 27 percent, "a surprise and a shock" to the United Nations, given major eradication efforts..."

$14 billion in deals precede U.S.-China trade talks  "The deals involve $8 billion in Chinese investments and purchases of aircraft engines, telecommunications equipment, semiconductors and electronic components, said Chen Deming, minister of commerce in China. He added that $6 billion in other deals involved American purchases and investments in China ... Among the American companies signing deals at the United States Chamber of Commerce were Chrysler, Cisco Systems, Ford Motor, General Motors, IBM, Motorola, Sun Microsystems, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments."

Energy Used by Al Gore’s Home in 1 Year  "In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month ... Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration."   Good going' Al! 

US cracks down on oil speculators   "The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission said the London-based electronic exchange would have to comply with US rules. The move comes as oil prices notch up record highs, amid fears that speculators are distorting the market. As a result, fuel costs have shot up hitting the global economy. Airlines have been hit badly, with near record losses.

Defender of jail abuse pleads amnesia   " ... A committee investigation found that, contrary to his earlier testimony, he had shown strong interest in potentially abusive questioning methods as early as July 2002. Later, ignoring the strong objections of the military, he sent a memo to the former defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, recommending the use of stress positions, nudity, dogs and light deprivation ... Taking his seat before the committee, he said: "I don't have a formal opening statement" before reading his formal opening statement, in which he defended those things he couldn't remember doing. He then allowed the amnesia to wash over him ... Over two hours, he managed 23 "don't recalls", 22 "don't remembers", 16 "don't knows" and other protestations of memory loss. An impressive performance, but let's see him do it wearing a hood, standing on a crate with wires attached to his arms."

Army's $100 Million Housing from Hell: Alaska's Taku Gardens   " For more then three years, the U.S. Army has hemorrhaged money into an Alaskan housing complex that will likely never be occupied, according to agency documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). After a damning internal investigation, the Army ordered a new review which excused any misconduct as a failure to communicate, conceding only that "this was not an organization optimally aligned for success." Under intense pressure to provide housing at booming Fort Wainwright, in 2005 base officials authorized building 128 units on a 54-acre site, called Taku Gardens but with only cursory environmental assessment. Unfortunately, that site was an old weapons and equipment dump, profoundly contaminated with munitions (some holding chemical agent), dioxin, PCBs, tons of drums and equipment (including an entire locomotive and a forklift). By the time construction was halted, 79 units had been built but will likely have to be torn down."

Zimbabwe: choose Mugabe or you face a bullet   "Chris McGreal reports from the centre of the country, where violence and intimidation are increasing ahead of the run-off elections."  Related: Five million face hunger in Zimbabwe, UN says Another example of sequentialized minion-laden tyranny.

Corporate Broadcasting And Hijacking of Digital TV   "On February 17, 2009 a massive, but so far little-noted corporate theft of the public airwaves will be consummated as US analog TV stations switch to digital TV (DTV) broadcasting. Digital broadcast technology enables three, four and sometimes more separate channels to be compressed into the space formerly occupied by a single old-fashioned analog TV channel. So when the transition from analog to digital TV occurs nationwide on February 17, 2009 each of the nation’s more than 1700 broadcast TV license holders will suddenly have two, three or more additional channels, a gift from the taxpayers worth an estimated $70 billion ..."

Israeli Ministers Mull Plans for Military Strike against Iran  "The Israeli government no longer believes that sanctions can prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. A broad consensus in favor of a military strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities -- without the Americans, if necessary -- is beginning to take shape." "Memo to the Knesset; if you feel you must strike Iran militarily as an existential threat, do so, but leave the US out of it.. There is one thing you need to consider before attacking, and that is the issue no one in global politics wants to address: what will Russia do to protect its geopolitical and financial interests in the region? You'd better know, in advance, precisely what Russia is prepared to do to help its neighbor; otherwise, the result may be catastrophic. "

US officials "hid" harshly interrogated Guantanamo prisoners from Red Cross  "It emerged at the hearing that US officials "hid" Guantanamo prisoners who had been harshly interrogated from the international committee of the Red Cross, the body empowered to monitor compliance with Geneva Convention rules on treatment of military prisoners."

Possible New 911 Type Event Plan Tied in With Agent Murder  "Roland "Tony" Carnaby, the one-time CIA station chief for the Southeast Region slain by Houston police on April 29, was an advocate of increasing "HUMINT" resources in and around the sprawling Houston port complex, from Houston to Galveston. Houston is the largest port in the United States for foreign tonnage. Carnaby had in his possession the morning of April 29 information that someone wanted and wanted badly enough to order the Houston police to treat the well-known former CIA clandestine agent and president of the local chapter of the Association for Intelligence Officers (AFIO) as a dangerous armed criminal. After an extensive investigation, WMR has learned that those who ordered the "hit" on Carnaby were part of a team, including smugglers tied to the Russian-Israeli mob, who were involved in terrorist planning activities in the greater Houston area. Carnaby and his intelligence and federal and county law enforcement associates were concerned about the potential for a "9/11-like" false flag attack on either Houston's port facility, airports, or all of them in and around the Memorial Day and Independence Day weekends." 

John McCain - The Most Flawed Presidential Candidate  "McCain's most horrendous loss occurred in 1967 on the USS Forrestal. Well, not horrendous for him. The starter motor switch on the A4E Skyhawk allowed fuel to pool in the engine. When the aircraft was "wet-started," an impressive flame would shoot from the tail. It was one of the ways young hot-shots got their jollies. Investigators and survivors took the position that McCain deliberately wet-started to harass the F4 pilot directly behind him. The cook off launched an M34 Zuni rocket that tore through the Skyhawk's fuel tank, released a thousand pound bomb, and ignited a fire that killed the pilot plus 167 men. Before the tally of dead and dying was complete, the son and grandson of admirals had been transferred to the USS Oriskany.."    The most flawed candidate since ... GW Bush.   Related: Full Metal McCain 

MI6 warns of terror attack on Dubai  ".The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has raised the level of threat faced by the United Arab Emirates from "general" to "high," warning travelers: "attacks could be indiscriminate and could happen at any time, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers such as residential compounds, military, oil, transport and aviation interests." "Conservative pundit Patrick J. Buchanan recently suggested that the neocons might be tempted to go to war with Iran in order to improve John McCain's chances of winning the presidency. As audacious as that seems, we want to go one step further. We believe that this administration is so zealous, so determined to hold onto power, that they may well stage a "false flag" attack, creating just the kind of "catastrophic emergency" to which NSPD-51 refers. With just a half year left in what many believe has been the worst presidency in American history the possibilities are many, and some of them are truly frightening."

UK Bank Leumi CEO arrested on allegations of massive fraud  "Friedmann, who served previously as the CEO of Bank Leumi's central branch in Tel Aviv, allegedly gave loans based on false statements, without guarantees and against the bank's regulations."

Israel embedding radioactive waste in products shipped to Egypt  "Egypt has sent back to Israel a delivery of 32 tonnes of tiles that was emitting high levels of radiation, a security official told AFP on Monday."  

Increasing Signs of GOP Desperation  "Given how low the Republicans have fallen in popularity in the past several years -- mainly because of the dire economy, the endemic corruption, the never-ending war in Iraq, the extremist snooping on ordinary Americans, a government that doesn't function well in emergencies, torture as state policy, etc. -- given all that, one would think that the GOP higher-ups would realize that John McCain is heading for an ignominious defeat unless some major policy shifts in the party move it back closer to the middle. But, no, almost as if they have an uncontrollable death-wish, the Republicans remain locked into a self-destructive separation from the popular will. Either that or they simply are incapable of thinking straight after eight years of sensory-deprivation in the dark CheneyBush spin chamber." 

Nearly Half of Wall St. Bank Profits Are Gone  "... Only a year ago, Wall Street reveled in an era of superlatives: record deals, record profit, record pay. But a mere 12 months later, nearly half of the profits that major banks reaped during that age of riches have vanished."

ABC To Spread Fear On Climate Change Myths  "In the corporate, CFR-controlled media’s ongoing campaign of outrageous fear-mongering and outright lies concerning so-called “manmade” climate change, ABC News will be airing a two-hour special in September called Earth 2100. The premise of this special will be the countdown to the year 2100, and what we must do avert our own demise according to the “experts.” The ABC article regarding this 2-hour special asks: “Are we living in the last century of our civilization? Is it possible that all of our technology, knowledge and wealth cannot save us from ourselves? Could our society actually be heading towards collapse?”    Yes, you bumbling fools, but not by virtue of what you think is going on.

Iran Withdraws $75B From European Banks  "Iran has withdrawn around $75 billion from Europe to prevent the assets from being blocked under threatened new sanctions over Tehran's disputed nuclear ambitions, an Iranian weekly said." Related: Britain To Freeze Iranian Bank Assets  Too late, they're gone.

Washington DC Puts Self Under Surveillance  "From a dimly lit room in a secure command center, 21 streaming video feeds from 4,775 surveillance cameras around the nation's capital are projected across three screens and monitored at all hours. Every few seconds, footage from a different location pops up -- a busy road, a picnic bench, the entrance to the new baseball stadium. Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is trying to set up one of the most comprehensive centrally controlled visual surveillance systems in the world. In the nerve center, which opened last month, the city's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency can monitor video from four city agencies -- covering streets, schools, housing projects, parks and roads -- for threats and other nefarious activities. For those who have accepted the city's fate as a prime terrorist target, this may be cause for relief. But to the many civil liberties groups headquartered in Washington, the move undermines privacy, encourages abuse and represents the first step toward a surveillance system like London's, where a person's every public move can be tracked on about 10,000 government-funded cameras that have been dubbed a "ring of steel." 

Tent City, U.S.A.  "In the wake of the housing crash, "tent cities" have been springing up in several places in California. The story is not that new. However, it has not received much mainstream press. Therefore, many are unaware this is even happening. "

Blood on the streets as Bush enters via Brown's back passage  "At 6.45 celebs led a pre-arranged token march the fifty yards to the Whitehall barricade. Constables smirked, Stop the War having briefed them of their limited intent. Others turned out to have different ideas. As placards and sticks flew, a determined mass pushed at the centre. Police jumped to secure the barriers but to no avail. Soon they were in the air flying over the police line's heads. Cops responded with vicious baton blows. Fingers and heads bled, stabs were made to the stomachs, people fell to the floor but the crowd pushed on. A senior officer ran the line shouting "No Arrests, No Arrests, orders from the top". Stop the War stewards now pushed to the front to try and calm matters. Ill briefed cops, not realising they were on the same side walloped them with sticks. Anyone at any demonstration acting violently or proposing violence verbally, is probably some intelligence agent, working very hard to kookify the message of the protesters. It appears that this is what may have been at work in this demonstration."     

Waxman subpoenas FBI transcripts of Bush, Cheney interviews  "The committee on Monday issued subpoenas ordering the Justice Department to hand over the transcript. Of course, if the Bush administration treats this subpoena like they have virtually every other one issued by Congress, it could take months or even years of legal wrangling before the issue is resolved."

Vatican bans 'godless' Da Vinci Code sequel Angels & Demons from Rome churches  "The entire film is set in Rome, and Sony Pictures applied for permission to film two key scenes inside the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria. However, the scene will now be shot on a soundstage after the diocese of Rome closed its doors against the producers. Father Marco Fibbi, a spokesman, said: "Usually we read the script but in this case it wasn't necessary. Just the name Dan Brown was enough."

West to offer Iran help in building nuclear industry  "... Britain and the world's leading powers will offer today to help Iran build civil nuclear power stations if Tehran obeys the United Nations and stops enriching uranium ... A delegation of diplomats will arrive in Tehran for talks in an effort to reach agreement on the future of Iran's nuclear programme ... Crucially, America has endorsed the offer. Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief and the delegation's leader, will deliver a letter signed by Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, and the foreign ministers of Russia, China, Germany and France ... Iran turned down a similar "package of incentives" offered by the same countries in 2006. Today's proposals are substantially the same as those Tehran has already rejected, although the offer of support for a civil nuclear programme has been strengthened. The official said he was "not optimistic" about the chances of Iran accepting. By visiting Tehran, however, the delegation will "test the seriousness of the Iranian leadership at first hand"." 

Bush in Italy, protected by 10,000 police, bemoans Anti-US 'propaganda'  "... Commercial flights over the city have been diverted, 10,000 policemen have been mobilized, there are frogmen under bridges and snipers on roofs, and mobile phone signals are being disrupted whenever his motorcade moves ... Bush denounced "misinformation and propaganda" which he says are sullying his country's image abroad. On a visit to Italy, he told young entrepreneurs on an exchange programme that going to the US would show them it was compassionate and open."   The problem is, the world knows he is a delusional psychopath.

  Orbiting Gamma Ray Observatory Activities  "... "We are sweeping that field of view across the entire sky every three hours. Each region will be exposed for something like 30 minutes," Dr Ritz explains. "We're keeping watch over the entire sky all the time ... included in the observatory is a Gamma Burst Monitor (GBM), designed specifically to shed light on gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The GBM will detect about 200 of these fleeting events each year, providing real-time locations for follow-up by ground-based and other space-based telescopes. "  This is rather ironic, since just such a GRB can come at any time, and wipe out all life on Earth. A possible wild card. The joke is that it would be over by the time they even detected it, if it hit the Earth.

US foreclosure filings surge 48 percent in May  "The number of U.S. homeowners swept up in the housing crisis rose further last month, with foreclosure filings up nearly 50 percent compared with a year earlier, a foreclosure listing company said Friday."

John McCain’s Chilling Project for America  "John McCain has long been a major player in a radical militaristic group driven by an ideology of global expansionism and dominance attained through perpetual, pre-emptive, unilateral, multiple wars. The credo of this group is “the end justifies the means,” and the end of establishing the United States as the world’s sole superpower justifies, in its estimation, anything from military control over the information on the Internet to the use of genocidal biological weapons. Over its two terms, the George W. Bush administration has planted the seeds for this geopolitical master plan, and now appears to be counting on the McCain administration, if one comes to power, to nurture it." 

U.S. Ranks Dead Last Among 19 Nations in Preventive Medicine  Because they're making so much money from deliberately encouraged physical and psychological degeneration of the population. Sick = profit. Why prevent sickness?

Site in North Dakota discovered in 1951 Has 2x the Oil of Saudi Arabia  Videos

Modus operandi of a pre-9/11 Israeli "art student" revealed  "... One of the over 120 Israeli "art students" who cased federal office buildings and military bases during a year and a half before the 9/11 attacks has revealed details of her "assignment" in the United States to a WMR source ... The former art student, who is now assigned to work with a non-governmental organization (NGO) in South Africa on research on violent crime against South African whites by blacks, said she was first assigned to work at an Israeli-owned shopping mall kiosk in Orange County, California, in early 2001 to "brush up on her American English language skills." From California the young Israeli woman was transferred to Chicago and then to Houston, where she worked in an office close to the sprawling port facility. Her "cover" was as an accountant for an Israeli intelligence front company involved in the shipping business. It should be noted that former CIA Southeast Region Station Chief Roland V. Carnaby, shot to death on April 29 by two Houston police officers, was known to have been concerned about the lack of security at the port of Houston, was monitoring the activities of Israeli intelligence in the greater Houston area, and was known to have clashed with the Department of Homeland Security (now run by Chertoff, whose own mother was involved in the creation the Mossad) over its lack of interest in providing security for the Port of Houston. After her stint in Houston, the Israeli art student was transferred to New York City for a two-week "holiday." However, she and her group were ordered by their superiors to be "out of the city" on September 11, 2001. The Israeli woman was granted access to the United States on a student visa and she was identified as an "art student" in her visa application. It was later discovered that none of the Israeli "art students" were, in fact, art students. Those detained as a result of a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Marshal's Service, and other federal law enforcement agencies were simply deported to Israel without facing a trial for wrongly stating their purpose for coming to the United States. The Israeli "art student" also claimed that while working at mall kiosks in California she was "working on other things."

Central bank body warns of Great Depression  "... The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the organisation that fosters cooperation between central banks, has warned that the credit crisis could lead world economies into a crash on a scale not seen since the 1930s." 

Notional Value Of Derivatives Hits One Quadrillion  "... This means that no OTC derivative house can be allowed to go broke. This means that whatever funds are required to rescue failing international investment banks, banks and financial entities will be provided ... Keep this economic law in mind. Monetary inflation proceeds price inflation and is its primary cause in economic history from Rome to present ... Nothing can stop the juggernaut of price inflation heading towards every nation like a runaway freight train down a mountain ..."

Market sees biggest ever rise in oil prices  "... This news caused the dollar to fall and kick-started the oil price to a rally above $130 a barrel. After the UK market closed we learnt that a prominent member of the Israeli cabinet had warned that war with Iran was 'inevitable' causing oil to spike to $139, an $11 rise on the day, the single biggest rise in dollar terms, since records began ... Not only was the US staring at grim economic statistic but, as the biggest energy consumer in the world, it will have even bigger fuel bills to pay. The Dow Jones Index fell by almost 400 points, the largest fall for about 16 months ..."

Republicans block extra taxes on oil companies  "Senate Republicans blocked a proposal Tuesday to tax the windfall profits of the largest oil companies, despite pleas by Democratic leaders to use the measure to address America's anger over $4 a gallon gasoline."  Related: Gazprom Predicts Oil To Reach $250 per barrel by 2009

Ron Paul Plans Own Convention  "Ron Paul has booked an arena in Minneapolis for a "mini-convention" that could steal some of John McCain's thunder just days before he accepts the Republican nomination."

Pentagon OK's Brainwave Binoculars  "The Pentagon has approved $US6.7 million ($7m) to develop binoculars that would tap a user's brainwaves to home in on threats. Northrop Grumman Corporation said today it was leading an academic and industry consortium for the project, known as the Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System program, or CT2WS. The plan featured a custom helmet equipped with electrodes placed on the scalp to record neural responses to the presence or absence of potential threats, Northrop said. The brain's input would "train the system's algorithms, which will continue to be refined over time so that the warfighter is always presented with items of relevance to his mission", the company said. The contract was awarded by the Defence Advanced Projects Agency, or DARPA, a Pentagon arm that acts as a cradle of new technology for use by the US military. The goal is to detect enemy forces and vehicles over 1-10km while surveying a 120deg or greater field of view, according to documents on DARPA's website." Related: Gait Recognition Software Proposed For Surveillance At A Distance | Top Pentagon Scientists Fear Brain-Modified Foes   Sequential techno-paranoia at its finest, betraying a staggering spiritual immaturity. We're out of here!

BBC uncovers lost Iraq billions  "For the first time, the extent to which some private contractors have profited from the conflict and rebuilding has been researched by the BBC's Panorama using US and Iraqi government sources. A US gagging order is preventing discussion of the allegations." 

Iran pulls assets out of European banks   "Iran has withdrawn a huge sum of its foreign exchange reserves from European banks and has deposited some of it into Asian banks. "Based on a decision made by a government working group, Iran has switched to 'genuine' assets like gold and shares... We have decreased our foreign currency holdings in international banks," said Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs, Mohsen Talaei."  Related: US and EU issue new Iran warning to suspend enrichment

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev blames 'US selfishness for global financial crisis  "Addressing a grandiose conference designed to show off Russia's financial resurgence, the new president said that America's "economic egoism" and Western protectionism had triggered a global economic slowdown. "The aggressive financial policies of the biggest economy in the world have led not only to corporate losses; most people on the planet have become poorer," he told delegates at the St Petersburg Economic Forum."

Russian corruption skims billions  "Corrupt officials are creaming off about $120bn a year - equivalent to a third of the national budget, a Russian prosecutor says."

Israeli firms providing the most sensitive security in the US  "... While others experienced financial losses after 9/11, "Magal Security Systems, an Israeli company, saw its share price double that day. Best known for its 'smart' fences, the company was created in the 1960s in response to an Israel Defense Forces request for a method of securing the country's borders. Founded as a unit of Israel Aircraft Industries, it was spun off and now has a market cap of $70 million and 2001 revenues estimated at $40 million ..."

Russia says preparations for Iran nuclear reactor startup set for autumn  "Russian news agencies said Saturday that preparations for the startup of a nuclear power plant in Iran will begin this autumn. The agencies quoted Russian nuclear agency chief Sergei Kiriyenko as saying builders are in the final stages of work on the plant near the city of Bushehr. Iran has said the reactor would begin operating at half its capacity this summer. If the US and/or Israel bombs the facility while it is in operation, or even now, in light of the fact that the reactor has been fueled to some extent, they will create a nuclear catastrophe for the entire region."

Daniel Pipes: If Obama Wins, Bush Will Attack Iran in November  "Leading neocon Daniel Pipes (director of the Middle East Forum) said in an interview posted Wednesday at National Review Online, that if Barack Obama is elected, George Bush would attack Iran in the remaining ten weeks of his term." (Sooner if the polls show a McCain loss right from the start).

Obama Kowtowing to Israel Will Create Future Extremism, Say Arab Countries  "Arab leaders have reacted with anger and disbelief to an intensely pro-Israeli speech delivered by Barack Obama, the US Democratic presumptive presidential nominee. Obama told the influential annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Council (Aipac): "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided." His comments appalled Palestinians who see occupied East Jerusalem as part of a future Palestinian state. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, told Al Jazeera on Thursday: "This is the worst thing to happen to us since 1967 ... he has given ammunition to extremists across the region". "What really disppoints me is that someone like Barack Obama, who runs a campaign on the theme of change - when it comes to Aipac and what's needed to be said differently about the Palestinian state, he fails." 

Cheney Enrages Iraqis Over Security Deal  "Few Americans are familiar with the proposed treaty. If they were, they might be shocked at its provisions, ashamed about its naked sadism."

Gates fires Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff Over Sloppy Care of Nukes  "U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the Air Force's top two officials on Thursday after mistakes involving their most sensitive mission -- the safety and security of America's nuclear weapons. Gates said two incidents -- the shipment of nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan and the cross-country flight by an Air Force bomber wrongly armed with nuclear weapons -- exposed a systemic problem in the Air Force and an erosion of nuclear standards. U.S. officials said Gates requested the resignation of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, the top civilian and military leaders. Both submitted those resignations on Thursday."

Cheney and Air Force Generals Implicated in Nuke Theft  On August 24, 2007, three B-52s operating from Barksdale flew a training exercise called REX REDUX, officially billed as a commemoration of a 1938 B-17 flight directed at the Italian luxury liner SS Rex. The exercise, personally ordered by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley, was actually testing an Israeli-developed imaging and targeting pod called LITENING II on a U.S. Navy contracted merchant vessel, the USNS Bobo, in the Atlantic east of Bermuda and several targets of opportunity along the planes' flight paths through the southern United States. Four days later, on August 30, a Barksdale-based B-52 flew six nuclear warhead tipped AGM-129 advanced cruise missiles from Minot to Barksdale. The incident was later called a "mistake" by Air Force officials. However, three high-ranking Air Force officers leaked the incident to the Air Force Times" ... Seven airmen also died 'mysteriously' within 2 weeks of this 'accident' ..."

The Financial Tsunami has not reached its Climax  "While attention has been focussed on the relatively tiny US "sub-prime" home mortgage default crisis as the center of the current financial and credit crisis impacting the Anglo-Saxon banking world, a far larger problem is now coming into focus. Sub-prime or high-risk Collateralized Mortgage Obligations, CMOs as they are called, are only the tip of a colossal iceberg of dodgy credits which are beginning to go sour. The next crisis is already beginning in the $62 TRILLION market for Credit Default Swaps. You never heard of them? It's time to take a look, then."

Ex-Obama Fund-Raiser Is Convicted of Fraud  "Antoin Rezko, a once-powerful fund-raiser who helped propel the career of Senator Barack Obama, was found guilty on Wednesday by a federal jury of 16 counts, including fraud, money laundering and bribery in an influence-peddling scheme that touched the highest levels of the administration of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois.Mr. Rezko, 52, was acquitted on eight other charges, including attempted extortion. After the verdict, he surrendered to the authorities. Sentencing is Sept. 3 ... Prosecutors said Mr. Rezko used his political power to benefit himself and his friends at the expense of the people of Illinois. He agreed to a plan to steer teachers’ pension investments to firms that would provide kickbacks, and he pushed a health board to approve a new hospital so he could get a cut from a contractor’s bribe, they said. Taken together, prosecutors said, Mr. Rezko stood to gain at least $3.9 million. Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the United States attorney in Chicago, said he was gratified by the verdict, calling the jury system “the best antidote to the poison of corruption and dishonest government.”

Bush CIA Torture Rendition Program Has over 30,000 in Custody, 3500 killed "It is not generally knows to the public but the U.S government now has over 30,000 (31,082 as of May 19, 2008 ) people in secret custody, all over the world. An official U.S. program of torture and 'rendition' has been going on since before 9/11 and has never stopped. A number, estimated to be approximately 3,500, have been killed during these interrogations or have died as the result of them. At the present time, the government, acting under specific Presidential orders, has a virtual fleet of prison ships scattered all across the globe and masked by a curtain of strict secrecy. The U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency are all heavily involved in this program. A total of 22 U.S. Navy ships ( including ten ships leased by the U.S. Navy) house prisoners who are kept chained up in the vessels very much like the conditions of the black slavers in the days when slavery was legal in the United States ... The ongoing torture is conducted, in the main, by serving CIA personnel ... All CIA operators are routinely issued completely false American passports by the Department of State's Passport division ... the FBI, which had originally been a party to these abductions and tortures, strongly objected to the methodology of the CIA and a number of agents flatly refused to participate any further in a deliberate program of what one FBI agent said was 'the same as those practiced by Josef Stalin's' dread secret police. As a result of this revolt, the FBI are no longer involved in this program but agents with first hand knowledge of it have been warned not to discuss the subject with anyone ... Names of ships used for this program are known, the USS Bataan, USS Peleiu, USS Ashland and a whole fleet of Navy ACS units. Areas of detention include, but are not limited to, Somalia, the Persian Gulf, Diego Garcia, (where the British intelligence and counter intelligence now use American ships for their own kidnapped suspects) the Gulf of Aden and several areas off the south coast of Cuba, in the area of Guantánamo Bay ... The legal justification for this mass torture and murder program? The office of the U.S. Attorney General has ruled that anti-torture prohibitions (deliberate murder is not a subject here) only apply within the United States and are not operational outside its geographical boundaries."  

U.S. suspends move of embassy to Jerusalem  (a deliberately provocative move, suspended) "As the American Israel Public Affairs Committee met in Washington, U.S. President George Bush Wednesday suspended plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The White House released a memo to the secretary of state ordering a six-month suspension in preparations for moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv. The order also coincided with a visit to the Oval Office by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert."  Yes, another brilliant idea from the US Government of Israel.

Israeli Parliament advances a bill to make Jerusalem capital of Israel   The bill was submitted by the right wing Israeli National Religious party to amend the Basic law which considers Jerusalem as capital of Israel. The bill passed in the ruling coalition with a majority of 58 to 12.  A move guaranteed to cause chaos. However: 

UN Resolution 250: " . . . 'calls' on Israel to refrain from holding military parade in Jerusalem". 
UN Resolution 251: " . . . 'deeply deplores' Israeli military parade in Jerusalem in defiance of Resolution 250". 
UN Resolution 252: " . . . 'declares invalid' Israel's acts to unify Jerusalem as Jewish capital". 
UN Resolution 267: " . . . 'censures' Israel for administrative acts to change the status of Jerusalem". 
UN Resolution 271: " . . . 'condemns' Israel's failure to obey UN resolutions on Jerusalem". 
UN Resolution 298: " . . . 'deplores' Israel's changing of the status of Jerusalem". 
UN Resolution 476: " . . . 'reiterates' that Israel's claim to Jerusalem are 'null and void'". 
UN Resolution 478: " . . . 'censures (Israel) in the strongest terms' for its claim to Jerusalem in its 'Basic Law'". 

Former Israeli Finance Minister Hirchson indicted for fraud   "The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against former Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson on Wednesday on multiple charges of theft, aggravated fraud, breach of trust, fraudulently obtaining funds, money laundering and falsifying corporate documents." 

Ex-Bush health chief's firm wins Sept. 11 work "Thompson's private company has won an $11 million contract to treat some of those same workers -- the latest twist in a fitful government effort to determine how many people were made ill by the toxic debris -- and to care for them."

Head Of AIPAC Boasted About His Control Of Politicians In 1992 "In 1992, Harry Katz phoned the President of AIPAC, David Steiner, to offer contributions. Steiner proceeded to make several claims, including negotiating with then-candidate Bill Clinton over who would be Secretary of State, and had already "cut a deal" with Baker for more aid to Israel. Unknown to Steiner, Katz taped the phone call and gave the recording to the media, worried that AIPAC's influence had grown to dangerous levels. Following the release of transcripts of the phone conversation, David Steiner was forced to resign the Presidency of AIPAC. The following is a transcript of the Oct. 22, 1992 conversation with President David Steiner of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) recorded without his knowledge by New York businessman Haim (Harry) Katz. Its existence was first revealed to the Washington Times and its release triggered Steiner's resignation."

UK: Police using surveillance on journalists  British journalists are getting harassed for the same reason their US counterparts do; because the governments of these countries are, in large part, pathologically allergic to the truth.

Forced labor fuels development, U.S. report finds "Slave labor in developing countries such as Brazil, China and India is fueling part of their huge economic growth, according to a State Department report released Wednesday."

China and the arms race in space "Outside scrutiny of China has, understandably, been muted in the weeks following the Sichuan earthquake. But a new battle of strength between Asia's emerging superpower and the US is fast emerging - in the skies. In comments reported this week, Chinese military bigwigs have warned that an arms race in space is "unstoppable"."

US 'terror Drills' June 4-19 in Indianapolis planned with 2200 Marines "The Indianapolis mayor is not the kind of man to turn away the Marine Corps. While he has only been mayor for eight months, Gregory A. Ballard was a Marine officer for 23 years, retiring in 2001 at the rank of lieutenant colonel. His election in November rates as one of Indiana's most shocking upsets ever. That makes him a bright star on the otherwise bleak horizon of the Republican Party, and a crucial go-to guy for the Bush League at crunch time." It is a matter of fact that bands of marines put together for this purpose have been turned away elsewhere:  Toledo Ohio Mayor to Marines: Leave Downtown  Main link above has links to a lot of other information on this topic.

Bush 'Pep Talk' to His War Cabinet on Iraq: 'We Are Going to Wipe Them out!' "Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's memoirs contain a transcript from a bloodthirsty and over the top private speech by Bush."    Actually, a very good read! 

Bush Administration Orders Stop to New Regulations "The Bush administration has told federal agencies that they have until June 1 to propose any new regulations, a move intended to avoid the rush of rules issued by previous administrations on their way out the door. The White House has also declared that it will generally not allow agencies to issue any final regulations after Nov. 1, nearly three months before President Bush relinquishes power..."

Alaska Becomes 9th State to Reject Real ID "Alaska Governor Sarah Palin returned a bill to the legislature that would prevent the state from funding implementation of the federal Real ID Act. By neither signing nor vetoing the bill 20 days after overwhelming passage in the legislature, Governor Palin allowed the bill to become law, effective August of this year. Real ID is a federal mandate imposing a national ID card on all Americans through their state drivers' licenses. "Alaska has joined a growing nationwide movement against Real ID, and by allowing this legislation to become law, Governor Palin has made Alaska the 9th state to pass a law prohibiting compliance," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program. "The act was hastily passed by Congress without receiving the proper assessment of cost and implementation and is now being forced on the states by administration officials who will not be around in 2017, when final implementation is projected to occur. As the Department of Homeland Security continues its practice of kicking the can down the road, states are continuing to stand up for their residents' privacy and reject Real ID. The Real ID Act of 2005 mandates that all states have compliant identification cards consistent with federal regulations, as well as requiring that all Americans' private information be held in a giant federal database – the cost and security of which is unknown. The states' response to the passage of Real ID has been steady. To date, 19 states have passed either resolutions or statutes against the program, including nine that have opted out completely." 

British government lied about 2007 Persian Gulf naval incident "Secret Ministry of Defence documents released to the Times newspaper reveal that the British government lied about the circumstances surrounding the capture of 15 sailors and marines from HMS Cornwall in the Persian Gulf by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRG) in March 2007."

Oil price profiteering to be curbed at ICE Futures Europe and Nymex "Two of the world's largest energy exchanges have forced traders to deposit significantly more money when investing to curb volatility in energy markets and drive out speculators."  There are only three people necessary for a transaction. The person making the product. The person moving the product from the person who makes it to the person who uses it, and the person who uses it, Everything else, all the extra middlemen who worm their way into the path that products follow from manufacture to use, are superfluous make-work positions that add cost without adding benefit.

Words That Mean Something Else: Irregardless, Peruse, Pristine, Nonplussed, Enormity, Bemused, Plethora, Deceptively, & Ironic.  

Consumers Use Rebate Checks for Bills and Gas "The federal government is showering households with tax rebates to spur spending and invigorate a troubled economy. But many Americans are so consumed with debt and the soaring price of gasoline that they are opting to save the money or use it to pay bills, according to surveys, sales data and interviews with people from Florida to California."

151 Congressmen Derive Financial Profit From War  "According to the latest reports, 151 members of Congress invested close to a quarter-billion in companies that received defense contracts of at least $5 million in 2006. These companies got more than $275.6 billion from the government in 2006, or $755 million per day, according to FedSpending.org, a website of the watchdog group OMBWatch. Congressmen gave themselves a loophole so they only have to report their assets in broad ranges. Thus, they can be off as much as 160 percent. (Try giving the IRS an estimate like that.) In 2004, the first full year after the present Iraq war began, Republican and Democratic lawmakers-both hawks and doves-invested between $74.9 million and $161.3 million in companies under contract with the DoD. In 2006 Democrats had at least $3.7 million invested in the defense sector alone, compared to the Republicans’ "only" $577,500. As the war raged on, so did the billions of profits-and personal investments by Congress members in war contractors, which increased 5 percent from 2004 to 2006 ..." 

Beta Testing “Carbon Consciousness” in Britain  "It is the logic of Agenda 21, “smart growth,” and “sustainable development,” that is to say no development, in fact a rollback of modern society to the Stone Age."

The False Logic of Hopelessness "Why aren’t people doing anything to fix things? It is largely because people are hopeless . . . they don’t think there is anything they can do to turn things around and improve our situation. Also, many people believe that they should just "lay low" until things get better, and that the only thing that standing up will accomplish is getting whacked in the head."

US terror drive stalled in political quagmire "With rumors swirling in Pakistan that President Pervez Musharraf is about to step down, and the two leading parties in the ruling coalition at odds, the country's efforts in the United States-led "war on terror" have all but ceased. Across the border in Afghanistan, Taliban-related developments have also taken a turn away from US designs." 

Drug dealers make religious statue out of six pounds of cocaine  "A drug dealer named The Spider is wondering why his "Jesus Christ" still hasn't appeared in Dallas. Thanks to an unusual bust by federal agents in Laredo, they're not going to connect. Drug traffickers mixed as much as six pounds of the illicit white powder into a paste and used it to make a regal statue of the Christian savior, complete with painted-on flowing hair and a gold cape. Smugglers were likely hoping the statue, which could be worth as much as $30,000 on the streets, would be dismissed by border guards as just another of the hundreds of plaster representations hawked to borderland tourists. The plot quietly began to unfold last week when the woman who was a passenger in a car driving into the United States said a man told her he had too many things to carry, and would pay her $80 if she'd drop the statue at the Laredo bus station, according to a court document filed Wednesday. After being arrested, the man, 61-year-old Bernardino Garcia-Cordova, admitted the statue was his property, authorities said. Garcia-Cordova, who now faces cocaine importation and possession charges, told investigators a man he knows only by a Spanish nickname, La Araña, or The Spider, told him to take it to Dallas. (No doubt, because there are a lot of oil barons and corporate executives that need it)