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

 Cyber Security Expert: Hackers Planning To Steal Election For McCain   ".....Spoonamore is a GOP member and a lifelong Republican, having worked on election campaigns with Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. He also has 20 years worth of experience in encrypted and networked communications systems for banks, TV, telecommunications, EMS, Military and other uses .... In an ten part You Tube interview, Spoonamore warns that hackers are planning to steal the election on behalf of the McCain camp and even predicts the margin of victory, that McCain will make a "shocking recovery" and win 51.2 percent of the vote with three electoral votes over Obama ..."  Related: Republican IT consultant subpoenaed in case alleging tampering with 2004 election

 168 Minions Crushed in Another Temple Stampede   ".....Thousands of pilgrims panicked by false rumors of a bomb stampeded at a Hindu temple in western India on Tuesday, killing at least 168 people in the crush to escape."  Yep. Back to nature spirit they go.

 McCain Aides Complain that Palin Is 'Clueless'   "Capitol Hill sources are telling me that senior McCain people are more than concerned about Palin. The campaign has held a mock debate and a mock press conference; both are being described as "disastrous." One senior McCain aide was quoted as saying, "What are we going to do?" The McCain people want to move this first debate to some later, undetermined date, possibly never. People on the inside are saying the Alaska Governor is "clueless."  The VP Debate is scheduled for Thursday, Oct 2. If it happens, it should be funny.  Related: Two videos ( A , B ) that suggest why McCain is hiding Palin. 

 Pro-McCain Group Dumping 28 Million Terror Scare DVDs in Swing States   "This week, 28 million copies of a right-wing, terror propaganda DVD are being mailed and bundled in newspaper deliveries to voters in swing states. The 60-minute DVDs, titled Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, are landing on doorsteps in a campaign coinciding with the 7th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Funding is coming from a New York-based group called the Clarion Fund, a shadowy outfit whose financial backers are unclear."  Related: Flashback (6/08) Lieberman Predicts Attack Will Come Early In Next Presidency   "We need a president who's ready to be Commander-in-Chief on day one. Senator McCain is - incidentally, Senator Clinton said that over and over again and she was right. She was ready to be president on day one. Why? Because our enemies will test the new president early. Remember that the truck bombing at the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration. John McCain is ready to take the reins on January 20, 2009. He doesn't need any training." (video included on page) | McCain Adviser: Another Attack on U.S. Would Be "Big Advantage" For McCain |  McCain's Terror Policy: Continued Belittling Of 'Law Enforcement,' More 9/11-Mongering | McCain's Take On Bin Laden, Habeas Corpus Is Delusional, Legal Scholar Says

 Syria's intelligence community again hit by major car bomb   "Syria has been rocked by the latest in a series of major car bombing targeting terrorist leaders and security officials. A truck filled with explosives was detonated near Syrian intelligence headquarters in Damascus. The bombing took place on Sept. 27 outside the parking lot of the Palestine branch of Syrian intelligence and near a Shi'ite shrine. ." [ 09/29/08 ]    Gee, if they really were intelligent, why are they still there after last time?

 IAEA 'puts Israeli nukes on agenda'  "The UN nuclear watchdog has unanimously agreed to put the issue of Israel's nuclear capabilities on the agenda of its annual meeting." [ 09/29/08 ]  

 Iran vows to continue nuclear work  "Iran says the newly-adopted and 'politically-motivated' UN Security Council resolution will not alter course of its nuclear program." [ 09/29/08 ] 

 Palin believes men, dinosaurs coexisted  "Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has suggested that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago, a report says." [ 09/29/08 ] 

 Consulate in Los Angeles raises Israeli flag    "Thousands cheered Sunday as the blue-and-white Star of David flag was raised for the first time in front of the Israeli Consulate on Wilshire Boulevard. The Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles opened in 1973 and has a staff of about 60. It is one of nine Israeli consulates across the country and is considered "more important than some of our embassies," said Shahar Azani, Israeli consul for public affairs in L.A."  [ 09/28/08 ]

 Pakistan facing financial crisis (since 'war on terror' bribes stopped)    "International efforts are under way to stop Pakistan from defaulting on its debts after its foreign reserves dropped to just $3bn. With about $1bn a month needed to provide its people with basic requirements there are fears that Pakistan could run out of money before the end of the year." [ 09/28/08 ]

 $15m found in student's luggage in Frankfurt    "Customs officials at Frankfurt airport found 8.7 million euro ($15.27 million) in cash stashed in the luggage of a student, reports said." [ 09/29/08 ]

 EU Officials: Investigate CIA Plane Used in Renditions Caught with 4 Tons of Cocaine    "The CIA Drug Plane Scandal grew exponentially last week when European Union officials broke an official 40-year-long silence on the previously-taboo subject of the CIA’s worldwide involvement in drug trafficking.  [ 09/10/08 ]  Watch Related Videos on the CIA and Drugs by Daniel Hopsicker

 China's landmark spacewalk mission ends   "The Shenzhou-7 space module carrying three taikonauts landed safely by parachute Sunday afternoon in China's northern grassland, after a landmark spacewalk mission that leads the country further in its space exploration." [ 09/28/08 ]  Related: Full text of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's speech at 2008 Summer Davos in Tianjin [ 09/27/08 ]

 NERA Releases White Paper on US Financial Bailout Reverse Auction Plan   "A new paper on reverse auctions, the cornerstone of the financial bailout plan currently being promoted by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and hotly debated on Capitol Hill, was published today by NERA Economic." [ 09/28/08 ]

 Suicides Increase, Motive Unknown, in 50% of Japanese Defense Forces   "Defense Ministry officials, alarmed by a spike in suicides among Self-Defense Forces personnel, say the motive in about half the cases cannot be explained. The suicide rate among SDF personnel is close to double that among civil servants in other ministries and agencies, government statistics show. According to the National Personnel Authority, the suicide rate among SDF members stood at 34.4 per 100,000 in fiscal 2007. That was nearly double the 17.7 suicides per 100,000 among regular national civil servants in fiscal 2005, the latest comparable figure. More than half of the suicides involved Ground SDF personnel. The GSDF is the largest of the three military branches with about 140,000 service members, followed by the Maritime SDF and the Air SDF. To the vexation of the Defense Ministry and SDF officials, in half of the cases the motive for suicide remains unknown. Between fiscal 1998 and 2007, 52 percent of the cases were classified as "other motives or motives unknown." [ 09/27/08 ] 

 Canada: offices of U.S. Defense Department agency ransacked and torched  "The U.S. State Department is investigating whether national security was threatened after someone broke into a secure American military procurement agency on Bank St. last week and ransacked offices before torching the place. Someone broke into the secure building -- only accessible after-hours with a swipe card -- and set five fires on the second and fourth floors. Locked cabinets and drawers were pried open, employees said. The entire second floor was home to a satellite office of the U.S. Defense Contract Management Agency, a wing of the Department of Defense that handles $90 billion in military contracts worldwide. The fourth floor houses the Canadian Co-operative Association, a non-governmental organization which represents the co-operatives and credit unions of Canada." [ 09/27/08 ]

 Introducing: The Voter Bomb!  "Official launch is set for Monday. The point of the site is to vote out every single incumbent of the entire House of Representatives! All 435 members are up for re-election, as well as 35 US Senators." [ 09/27/08 ]

 Credit crunch banker leaps to his death in front of express train  "Kirk Stephenson, who was married with an eight-year-old son, died in the path of a 100mph express train at Taplow railway station, Berkshire. Mr Stephenson is believed to have taken his own life after succumbing to mounting personal pressures as the world’s financial markets went into meltdown."  [ 09/27/08 ]

 McCain never showed up at Capitol Hill for final bailout negotiations   "After declaring he’d return to Washington to help with the bailout negotiations immediately after last night’s debate, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) never went to Capitol Hill today. In fact, McCain stayed largely holed up in his Arlington apartment, leaving only to go to his campaign headquarters just around the block, the New York Times reports."  [ 09/27/08 ]

 So, Who 'Won' The Stupid 'Debate'?  "Today I am changing my opinion slightly. I now think there were three losers and one winner. Before reading further ponder that possibility. See if you can figure out the one winner and three losers of the debate."  [ 09/27/08 ]

 US-Russian deal 'lets Iran’s nuclear bomb program off the hook'  (Mossad-Debka File) "Sept. 26, 2008 was the day the policy pursued by Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni and Shimon Peres, of reliance on the international community to stop Iran developing a nuclear bomb, sank without a trace. The international community declined to adopt fresh economic sanctions to 'rein in an increasingly defiant Tehran'. While Israeli spokesman still refer to a future threat which there is still time to stop, most world leaders appear reconciled to its presence."  [ 09/26/08 ]

Arab Slams Israel Over Settlement Policy At UN Meet    "Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal has slammed Israel's settlement expansion in the annual UN Security Council meeting."  Related:  UN debates Israeli settlements |  Arab League wants UNSC meeting on Israel  [ 09/27/08 ]

 PAKISTAN:  Pak army warns US to stay off its border   "Pakistani army has warned the US to stay out of its territory while hunting down militants along the volatile border with Afghanistan." Related: Zardari lashes out at US in UN speech  [ 09/26/08 ]

INDIA:  US House passes India nuclear deal    "The House of Representatives has passed a civilian nuclear pact with India that lifts a three-decade-old ban on civilian nuclear trade with India." 

 McBama...Of One Mind On The Murderous Police State   "After watching the debates last night it appears we have only one choice for President as relates to the Apartheid State of Israel. President McBama. Obama refers to a country whose intelligence services watched the 9/11 hijackers for a year before the attacks and said nothing as our stalwart Ally. The treasonous McCain family is of course AIPAC's eternal servant. McCain never met a country he didn't want to bomb, except Lebanon. But back then he was young and inexperienced."  Related:  McCain: AIPAC's #1 Congressional Butt Boy 

 Full text of Ahmadinejad's speech to the UN General Assembly   "The following is a copy of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's speech to the United Nations General Assembly early Wednesday morning, as translated by the Presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran News Service"  Related:  Ahmadinejad talks Holocaust on CNN  “They (Zionists) don't allow anyone to freely discuss the historical events that happened. They just say this is our account of history, this is what happened and everybody else must just accept it,” said Ahmadinejad."

 Debate Analysis: McCain Acted Like a Jerk   (26 Sept Debate) "Not once did McCain look Barack Obama in the eye. That's right — John McCain refused to even look at Obama, a man who is making an historic bid to become the next president of the United States. Say what you will about Obama, but I don't think anyone believes that he does not deserve eye contact once in 90 minutes. McCain was dismissive and derisive. He treated Obama with disdain and condescension. He was smug, arrogant, and patronizing. He simply refused to take Obama seriously. And he repeatedly smirked, giggled, snickered and mocked .... Giggling and smirking and not taking important people and issues seriously — remind you of anyone? McCain's behavior did not make him seem presidential. It made him seem like George W. Bush. Only older. Much older. And old enough to know better." 

 McCain sabotages bail out deal   "John McCain did nothing to help, he only hurt the process," the senior Democrat said at a joint news conference with Senate banking committee chairman Christopher Dodd. Barney Frank, the Democratic chair of the House of Representatives financial services committee, said: "I think this was a campaign ploy for Senator McCain. The meeting convened by Bush was a "photo op and political theater that had nothing to do with us getting to work," Dodd said. But backed by Richard Shelby, the top Republican on Dodd's Senate committee, McCain said "there never was a deal" given the hostility of many congressional Republicans to the government's planned intrusion into private enterprise. Democratic proposal to the bailout include leniency for struggling mortgage holders over their repayment terms, and would give taxpayers "equity" in a bailed out company, entitling them to a share of any profits generated. Democrats were also calling for limits on pay deals for executives whose companies get rescued under the government deal. And they said that any deal must include strict oversight by federal regulators. Related: REID: McCain was silent at the White House; Lacks Temperament to be president [Video]     "Sen. Harry Reid gives an inside account of the White House meeting on 9/25/08, reporting Sen. John McCain barely said a word, and that his participation "blew up" negotiations on Capitol Hill. Reid says McCain's behavior this week shows he doesn't have the temperament to be President."

 Lawyer: 'Serious Damage' to McCain if Palin Probe Report Out Before Election      "An attorney representing Alaska’s Legislative Council said John McCain’s presidential campaign fears a statewide ethics investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s vice presidential running mate, “would cause serious damage to the Republican ticket” if details of the probe were “publicly known before the national election.”  Related: Subpoenaed Palin aides could be found in contempt  "With state officials again defying legislative subpoenas in the investigation of whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power, the war between state lawmakers and Alaska's attorney general is escalating.The governor's chief of staff, Mike Nizich, and six other Palin aides didn't show up Friday to honor subpoenas ordering them to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee chairman, Anchorage Democratic Sen. Hollis French, said they could be found in contempt when the full Legislature convenes in January, a finding that carries potential jail time."  After the election, if there is one.

 Videos:  Rep. McDermott "Paulson can throw a pass to himself"   | Ron Paul Schools Bernanke on the Bailout Plan  | Rep Lloyd Doggett hammers Bernanke on Bailout |The Keating Five Scandal in 97 Seconds

 Election Theft for 2008 Already Underway      "The campaigns are in full gear, the candidates are picked, TV ads are running, and election corruption is taking hold. Around the country, particularly in swing states, there are stories of efforts to undercut voter registration especially by poor and African American voters. In addition, this summer has seen story after story of the potential corruption and likely dysfunction of electronic voting machines."  Related: Video  Rove Has Already Fixed the 2008 Election

 'The double standard is stunning: their profits are their profits, but their losses are our losses'  "The U.S. government has been turned into an engine that accelerates the wealth upwards into the hands of a few. The Wall Street bailout, the Iraq War, military spending, tax cuts to the rich, and a for-profit health care system are all about the acceleration of wealth upwards. And now, the American people are about to pay the price of the collapse of the $513 trillion Ponzi scheme of derivatives. Yes, that’s half a quadrillion dollars."

OIL/GAS: Iraq and Shell sign gas deal   "Iraq has signed an agreement with Shell in a second major gas deal between the country and an international oil firm since US invasion."  Related: 'Nabucco comes true if Iran involved'  "Chief executive of Hungarian oil and gas says the Nabucco gas pipeline will be realized only if Iran joins the project as a supplier." 

SYRIA:  Bomb blast rocks Syrian capital Damascus  Video. "At least 17 people have been killed and at least 14 injured in a car bomb attack in the Syrian capital Damascus. The car bomb, which Syrian public television said contained about 200kg of explosives" A related story: Bomb Kills 17 in Syria Near Intelligence Office | Condoleeza Goes to Syria to discuss Mideast | US asks for full IAEA report on Syria |  Syria pushes the envelope in the North  

 SOMALIA:  Russians send warship to Somalia      "A Russian warship is heading toward Somalia after pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter carrying rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft guns and 30 Russian T-72 tanks. The frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless) was ordered to the region in response to "the rise in pirate attacks, including against Russian citizens," Igor Dygalo, a Russian navy spokesman told AFP. As he spoke a Russian media report said the hijackers were seeking to discuss a ransom payment for the ship."  Related: US destroyer watching hijacked ship off Somalia | Pirates want US$35m for Ukrainian Ship Loaded With Weapons

 Money and Votes Aligned in Congress's Last Debate Over Bank Regulation      "The last time Congress seriously debated how to regulate the financial industry, the result was legislation that allowed the nation's largest banks to get even larger and take risks that had been prohibited since the Great Depression. A look back at that debate, which was over the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act, reveals that campaign contributions may have influenced the votes of politicians who, a decade later, are now grappling with the implosion of the giant banks they helped to foster."

 Protesters Take Their Outrage to Wall Street     "Enraged by the prospect of $700 billion of their taxes going to reimburse Wall Street speculators for their dubious investments, about 500 protesters paraded through Lower Manhattan's financial district Thursday afternoon, their chants of "You broke it, you bought it" reverberating through the narrow office building canyons and off the flag-draped wall of the New York Stock Exchange."

 Paraguay's president says he turned down offer to meet Palin     "After enumerating the various heads of state he'd met with, the room went silent and then laughed a bit when he confided that he was approached about meeting with GOP Vice Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. President Lugo said he turned the meeting down."  Note: Don't forget that the Bush family bought a large piece of property in Paraguay to flee to ... just like previous fascists.

 Former Kissinger Policy Planner, CFR Member Calls For New Global Monetary Authority     "A Council on Foreign Relations member and former policy planner under prominent Bilderberger Henry Kissinger has penned a piece in the Financial Times of London calling for a “new global monetary authority” that would have the power to monitor all national financial authorities and all large global financial companies .... “Even if the US’s massive financial rescue operation succeeds, it should be followed by something even more far-reaching – the establishment of a Global Monetary Authority to oversee markets that have become borderless.” writes Jeffrey Garten, also a former managing director of Lehman Brothers ...."  Related:  Ron Paul: Congress Has Opted For 10-Year Plus Depression | Leading Economists All Slam Bailout | Prestigious Group of 192 Economists Slam Bailout  | Bush Does a 9/11 Replay in Asking for Unprecedented Powers and Budget | Congress Moves to Break Impasse on Bailout Plan | Bush: ‘Bail-out plan will be passed’ (UK)

 Bank Borrowing From Fed Already Exceeded Bailout Total in Last Week     "U.S. banks borrowed $188 billion per day on average in the latest week from the Federal Reserve, meaning that the Fed loaned out more money than the Treasury’s proposed bailout in just one week, still barely managing to keep the economy afloat."

 McCain Suffers From Premature Expectation:  Declares He's Won Sept 26 Debate With Obama Before It Happens        

 Paulson and Bush Administration Rejected More Oversight of Hedge Funds in Feb 2007     "Feb. 22 — The Bush administration said Thursday that there was no need for greater government oversight of the rapidly growing hedge fund industry and other private investment groups to protect the nation’s financial system. Instead, the administration, in an agreement it reached with the independent regulatory agencies, announced that investors, hedge fund companies and their lenders could adequately take care of themselves by adhering to a set of nonbinding principles. The decision came after months of study by a presidential working group of top officials and regulators. They looked at both the hedge fund industry, which has more than $1 trillion in assets, and the management of private equity firms, which take direct control and ownership of companies rather than relying on large numbers of outside stockholders. The group’s conclusions reflected both the strong antiregulatory ideology of the administration and the formidable influence of Wall Street and the increasingly wealthy hedge fund industry among both Democrats and Republicans in Washington. Three of the administration’s most senior economic policy makers — Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr., his top deputy, Robert K. Steel, and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten — are alumni of Goldman Sachs, which in the last decade has evolved into one of the most important players in the private equity market ."   So, they spent months doing a study back then, which said that everything was ok, that resulted in the system collapsing, prompting them to admit they have been doing another study for months to 'fix' something, but did nothing, and then they come to us with a crisis they created and knew was coming? 

 Ohio Congressman Died of Head, Neck Injuries In 'Fall Down Stairs'     "U.S. Rep. Paul Gillmor, who was found dead in his apartment in suburban Washington the first week of September, died of blunt head and neck trauma 'consistent with a fall down stairs', according to a medical examiner's report released Friday ... Aides found Gillmor's body Wednesday at his town house in Arlington, Va., after he failed to show up at the Capitol for morning meetings. "   Note: Paul Gillmor served on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.  Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

 White House meeting ends with no financial deal     "After a 24-hour buildup heightened by election drama, a meeting at the White House between US President George W Bush and the two rivals for his position - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain - ended Thursday with no agreement on an emergency financial bailout .... Senator Richard Shelby has condemned the proposal as "flawed from the beginning" and insisted that alternatives must be considered before Congress is stampeded into rubber stamping the president's plan. He waved a document in reporters' faces that he claimed contained the opinion of 44 economists from leading institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Chicago who say the Bush administration has overstated the threat of economic collapse if the bill is not adopted."    What 'deal' can happen between Bush and the two candidates? None ... It's not up to them.  They all ought to be hung for treason.  Related: Tentative agreement on bailout falls apart

 £4.7bn ID card scheme faces new stumbling block over fingerprinting    "Jacqui Smith today admitted that it will be impossible to include fingerprints of some people on the Government’s ID cards. The revelation will raise new doubts about the effectiveness of the scheme."

 US finds emboldened Russia holding the cards    "The U.S. has found an emboldened Russia wielding enormous leverage at a critical stage in disputes over the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, a once-promising partnership with Moscow in doubt. After a month of bitter exchanges over Russia's war with Georgia, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came face-to-face Wednesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and discovered Moscow's cooperation on Iran and North Korea may no longer be a sure thing." Note: The fact that Secretary Rice would find a hardening of Russia's positions on North Korea and Iran 'surprising' just boggles the mind. That she could possibly think, as a rational human being, that Russia would embrace the US views on these issues after the US raked Russia over the coals for their response to the colossally stupid Georgian invasion of South Ossetia, defies imagination. And of course, this article never mentions that Russia's invasion of Georgia was in response to Georgia's invasion of South Ossetia. Nope. The whole Bush Administration are a bunch of greedy, delusion power-hungry idiots who should be hung, along with 98% of the members of Congress, for treason. 

 FBI Investigates Lehman, AIG, Fannie, Freddie    "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has opened preliminary probes into the financial details and struggles of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group (AIG) Inc. All of the firms are at the center of recent financial turmoil. According to a Wall Street Journal article, FBI and regulators are currently under pressure to hold high-profile executives accountable for the crisis - particularly following the announcement of a taxpayer-funded bailout. The specific crimes that that FBI is expected to uncover may include fraud or other wrongdoings."

 China banks told to halt lending to US banks    "Chinese regulators have told domestic banks to stop inter-bank lending to U.S. financial institutions to prevent possible losses during the financial crisis, the South China Morning Post reported on Sept 25th. The Hong Kong newspaper cited unidentified industry sources as saying the instruction from the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) applied to inter-bank lending of all currencies to U.S. banks but not to banks from other countries."  Related: Europe and Japan turn cold shoulder to U.S. plea for bank bailouts | National Debt: An Analysis of the Presidents Who Are Responsible for the Borrowing  

 McCain and Obama to meet Bush 'for crisis talks on economy'   "Mr McCain has appeared to lose his footing over the past week in the face of the financial storms ripping through America, with polls suggesting yesterday that they have may have propelled Mr Obama into a commanding lead and blown away the Republican's long-standing advantage on which candidate is best able to handle an unexpected crisis ... Opponents last night suggested his proposal to skip the debate and suspend campaigning was the latest in a series of panic moves which included his pick of Sarah Palin as running mate, as well as a response to the financial crisis that has been marked by populist railing against Wall Street and some glaring inconsistencies ... Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer described it as "weird and odd," adding Senate colleagues had not heard "hide nor hair" from Mr McCain during any of the negotiations prior to this announcement. One of Mr Obama's aides said: "The only thing that has changed is John McCain's standing in the polls."  Related: Financial Crisis Upends Campaign  | John McCain Has a Bizarre History of Hiding Evidence About His Fellow POWs  

 'Russia's move to pull out of Iran talks spells end of sanctions'   "UN Ambassador Shalev surprised at Ahmadinejad's warm welcome by General Assembly; Moscow's cancellation endangers 4th round of sanctions." 

 CIA/MI6/MOSSAD’s October False Flag   [speculation on a possibility] "Earlier this summer, a McCain campaign official mused in an interview that an attack could benefit his candidate in the polls ... Expect a West/Zion false flag very soon. They hope to catapult McCain to the presidency with this false flag. They also want to build up a narrative that eventually leads to the US attacking Iran. They must do a false flag that implicates Iran. There has been some chatter already that 'the Iranians have some secret weapon' eg biological agents, and that there are 'Iranian sleeper cells' in America ready to release this agent on the American people should Iran be provoked ... It may not be a bio agent it may be a dirty bomb or it may be both things. If I were to guess, I would say it’s probably going to be both and you will see this go on in multiple cities in America, mainly residential places. Maybe six places will be attacked simultaneously ... The attack on Iran will occur in about 18 months. It will be after a series of provocations. America will be seen as reluctantly entering into a war with Iran. However too many of its citizens have been killed by the “Iranians” and they will rally the people in patriotic fervor and they will sign up in scores to avenge the killings of the Americans. And then America will go further into debt and martial control. America will go down not realizing who really killed it." Note: Even with a scenario like this, all I have to say is, "So what, if it did happen like that?" Ha! Dog and pony show over. Incarnation over. Real freedom, and the fools and slow-pokes move on to the next world, while we do what we wish to, and have a wonderful time exploring new things, so bring on whatever it is, and get it over with, already. This place is a real piece of work.  

 Congress balks at Treasury's plan for Wall Street   "At a Senate hearing on the proposed $700-billion bailout, Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke battle skepticism from both parties. A Republican calls the plan 'un-American.' In a sharp series of lectures, lawmakers scolded Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke for caring more about the fortunes of the nation's big financial institutions and less about the fates of homeowners whose mortgage woes sparked the current crisis ... Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) complained that the Treasury plan would "take Wall Street's pain and spread it to the American taxpayer." "This massive bailout is not a solution," said Bunning. "It is a financial socialism, and it's un-American." ... Lawmakers from both chambers said they didn't like the idea of rushing through a proposal with sweeping political and economic impacts in only a matter of days."  More (NYT)  " .... Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. received an angry and skeptical reception on Tuesday when he appeared before the Senate Banking Committee to ask Congress to promptly give him wide authority to rescue the nation’s financial system. But after hours of back-and-forth, the committee’s leaders said explicitly what had seemed clear all day: that they rejected the administration’s plan. “What they have sent us is not acceptable,” said the committee chairman, Senator Christopher J. Dodd, who  called the Treasury proposal “stunning and unprecedented in its scope and lack of detail.” Asserting that the plan would allow Mr. Paulson to act with “absolute impunity,” Senator Dodd said, “After reading this proposal, I can only conclude that it is not only our economy that is at risk, Mr. Secretary, but our Constitution, as well.”  Related: Ten Things About Bush's Trillion Dollar Fleecing Plan 

 UN: Leaders from around the world lash out at American bankers   Video NYT   Bush drone about 'terrorism' ignored.

 Paulson's former firm to be among largest beneficiaries of bailout   "Goldman Sachs Group -- formerly run by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and Morgan Stanley, stand to be among the biggest beneficiaries of a $700 billion US bailout ... Paulson has admirers: during his Goldman tenure the firm donated 680,000 acres of land in Chile, and he has personally given away $100 million of his fortune to charitable groups. According to estimates conducted by Open Secrets, Paulson is the richest cabinet member of the Bush Administration ...Paulson was the head of Goldman Sach's investment banking division from 1990 to 1994. He later became chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman, and left his post to join the Bush Administration."  Related: Paulson Debt Plan May Benefit Mostly Goldman, Morgan  Talk about a conflict of interest in this laughable parade of criminals. Pelosi, Kerry and more than 50 other members of Congress Have Direct Financial Stake in the Bailout  Altogether, 56 senators and representatives had stakes in AIG, Lehman, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns Cos. or IndyMac Bancorp Inc. -- some of the biggest casualties of the market bloodbath. White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto Admits Bailout Planned for Months But, they'd have to have shock and awe, first, and let the system collapse to induce 'their' 'solution'. | Treasury Morphs Into A Hedgefund |Shadow banking system is unraveling | Clients move assets worth $6b from Citi, UBS to Deutsche

 'Israel can't destroy Iran N-facilities'  "A retired senior US military commander has rejected the notion that Israel is capable of seriously damaging Iran's nuclear program." 

 McCain would preemptively strike Iran  "Republican candidate John McCain says he would order a preemptive strike on Iran if the country were to acquire a nuclear weapon."

 US spy plane shot down in Pakistan   "A pilotless US drone aircraft has been shot down in the northwestern Pakistan after local tribes fired at plane while crossing the border." 

 Ahmadinejad: Wars behind US meltdown  "Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the US military intervention abroad is partly to blame for the economic turmoil on Wall Street." 

 Goldman to Raise Capital, With $5 Billion From Buffett  "Warren Buffett’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, will receive preferred shares in Goldman Sachs as part of the bank’s effort to raise $7.5 billion in fresh capital."

$13 Billion in Iraq Aid Wasted Or Stolen, Ex-Investigator Says   "A former Iraqi official estimated yesterday that more than $13 billion meant for reconstruction projects in Iraq was wasted or stolen through elaborate fraud schemes..." Don't forget Blackwater antics, either.

10,000 Syrian troops mass on Lebanese border   "Thousands of Syrian troops have amassed along the Lebanese border in what Damascus says is an effort to combat smuggling, Lebanese military sources said on Monday, stoking speculation and concern in Lebanon. A source in the Lebanese Army confirmed that Syrian forces had deployed in the northern region of Abbudiya, but he told The Daily Star, "There is no need to worry."

  AIG and its prolific use of “offshore” scams   " Featuring the brilliant investigative journalist Lucy Komisar, this program highlights the use of “Offshore” entities to evade taxes, maximize corporate profits and finance a variety of criminal enterprises. Much of the first side of the program consists of analysis and discussion of insurance giant AIG and its prolific use of “offshore” scams. In addition to presenting AIG’s pioneering development of “captive” reinsurance companies to launder profits and evade taxes, the program highlights AIG’s use of Coral Reinsurance for a variety of illegal gambits ... "  Related: Cooking the Insurance Books | Joseph Stiglitz talks about offshore tax evasion Video |Corruption: Laundromat Royale | Confessions of a Citibanker | Citigroup: A Culture and History of Tax Evasion (PDF)

  Bush Administration will keep secret 'grim' Afghanistan report quiet until after election   "A secret US intelligence report which says the political and military situation in Afghanistan is "grim" will be withheld from the public until after the election, a new report says. Intelligence officials are finishing up the National Intelligence Estimate on Aghanistan, according to ABC's Brian Ross, "but there are 'no plans to declassify' any of it before the election," an official said. Keeping the intelligence report under wraps would likely help Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). McCain has focused on what he sees as the success of the Iraq "surge," in which the US added troops to lessen violence. Attention to problems in Afghanistan would put the spotlight on President Bush's failures, which might rub off on the Republican presidential nominee. "According to people who have been briefed, the NIE will paint a 'grim' picture of the situation in Afghanistan, seven years after the US invaded in an effort to dismantle the al Qaeda network and its Taliban protectors," Ross writes."

  US pushes Pakistan towards the brink   "Within Pakistan, some analysts argue that this is a carefully coordinated move to weaken the Pakistani state yet further by creating a crisis that extends way beyond the badlands on the frontier with Afghanistan ... Its ultimate aim, they claim, would be the extraction of the Pakistani military's nuclear fangs. If this were the case, it would imply that Washington was indeed determined to break up the Pakistani state, since the country would very simply not survive a disaster on that scale ... The key in Pakistan, as always, is the army. If the already heightened US raids inside the country continue to escalate, the much-vaunted unity of the military high command might come under real strain. At a meeting of corps commanders in Rawalpindi on September 12, Pakistani Chief of Staff General Ashfaq Kiani received unanimous support for his relatively mild public denunciation of the recent US strikes inside Pakistan in which he said the country's borders and sovereignty would be defended "at all cost"." Related: Robert Gates: Invade Pakistan!   

  Palin campaign operations chief was VP of IDT, telecom investigated for bribery   "Michael Glassner, in charge of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s campaign operations, was till April 18th a vice-president of IDT, the New Jersey-based telecom fined $1.3 million by the FCC in July for failing to file its Haiti contract ... Glassner, registered as a federal lobbyist, was a member of the McCain New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Finance Committee and a bundler for John McCain ... Glassner was named several months ago to head vice-presidential operations for the McCain campaign. He oversees Sarah Palin’s travel, schedule and communications."  Related:  Jim Courter, John McCain’s fundraiser, quits  "Courter’s resignation is the latest shake-up among aides and fund raisers to the two presumptive presidential candidates. James Johnson resigned last month from Senator Barack Obama’s campaign following disclosures that he had received a mortgage on favorable terms from Countrywide Financial. Samantha Power quit as a foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign in March after she was quoted as calling Senator Hillary Clinton “a monster.” Recently Phil Gramm had his role as an economic adviser to McCain reduced after he was quoted as playing down the economy’s woes, saying that a “nation of whiners” was at fault. Courter, a former New Jersey Republican congressman, was one of 20 McCain national finance co-chairmen." Treasonous Media giving McCain a 'free ride' by ignoring Keating involvement  Real reporting disappeared 30 years ago. Now, they are accomplices in deception ... the press, the whole administration and congress is its own RICO case!

  Why Would “Terrorists” Want To Decapitate Anti-US Leadership In Pakistan?     "Why would “Al-Qaeda,” a group that is supposedly the prime target of the U.S. initiated war on terror, commit a terrorist attack against a country that has recently changed its government and all but renounced its role as a U.S. ally in the war on terror? .... had the leadership of Pakistan not cancelled their plans to dine at the Marriott Hotel at the last minute, the entire command structure of the whole country would have been decapitated. 'Pakistan's top leaders were to dine at the Marriott hotel (The hotel’s lobby in recent years served as a meeting place for the CIA and Pakistanis who would not risk being seen at the American Embassy) that was devastated by a truck bombing over the weekend, but changed the venue at the last minute ... 'At the eleventh hour, the president and prime minister decided that the venue would be the prime minister's house. It saved the entire leadership.' Indeed, it seemed the 'terrorists' did know that their prime objective was to completely wipe out the most influential players in a government that has seemingly vowed to break away from the years of Pervez Musharraf-mandated lapdog subservience to U.S. imperial whims." Related:  What Was Mysterious Activity Going on in the Marriott Hotel Islamabad by United States Marines? " ... the fire on the fifth and fourth floor of the hotel broke out because those flours were housing the mysterious steel boxes under the heavy guard of United States marines and no one including the Pakistani security forces and the security men of the hotel were allowed to go near them. These boxes were shifted inside the hotel when the Admiral Mike Mullen met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and others in Islamabad ..."  Another Terrorist Attack in Pakistan by U.S and India |'Shadowy' unknown ('CIA' connected) group claims Islamabad bombing ".... A Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television correspondent in the Pakistani capital said he received a text message on his mobile phone showing a telephone number, which he called and then heard a recording in which the group calling itself "Fedayeen of Islam" admitting launching Saturday's attack. The speaker on the recording spoke in English "with a south Asian accent," he said."  More on these 'boxes': " ... Witnessed by many, including a PPP MNA and his friends, a US embassy truckload of steel boxes was unloaded and shifted inside the Marriott Hotel on the same night when Admiral Mike Mullen met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and others in Islamabad. Both the In-gate and the Out-gate of the hotel were closed while almost a dozen well-built US Marines in their usual fatigues were unloading the steel boxes from the truck. No one, including the hotel security men, was either allowed to go near the truck or touch the steel boxes, which were being shifted inside the hotel but without passing through the scanners. Upon inquiry, one of the three PPP friends who was waiting for the main gates of the hotel to open to get his car in, was informed that the suspicious boxes were shifted to the fourth and fifth floors of the hotel. Mumtaz Alam was furious both at the US Marines and the hotel security not only for the delay caused to them but also for the security lapse he was witnessing ..." So, is it possible these boxes contained explosives planted by US Marines to take out the Pakistani government (in concert with) the truck bomb 'outside' the Marriott compound? Of course. And, it also constitutes an 'act of war' against Pakistan by the U.S.

  Pakistan rejects U.S. 'help' in probe of hotel blast  (USA Today)   " ... We do not need help. We are competent. We reject it," Interior Ministry adviser Rehman Malik told reporters Sunday after the U.S. offered FBI help in pursuing the terrorists behind the attack .... Law Minister Farooq Naik called the attack Pakistan's '9/11'  ... "  Duh. The US was ultimately behind the attack in the first place, and the Paks need no help with those who which to manipulate the situation further. Related: 'Spies' 'Warn' That 'Al Qaeda' Aims for October Surprise  'Al Qaeda' ' may' launch more overseas operations to influence the presidential elections in November. Yeah, right. In politics, if it happens, it's planned by those in charge. The U.S. administration is the biggest terrorist threat to the planet. The CIA and their 'Al Qaeda" goon collective will attack at will.

China eyeing closer military exchanges with Pakistan  "Senior Chinese military official Guo Boxiong pledged on Monday to further strengthen military exchanges between China and Pakistan ..." 

  10 Russian warships deployed in Syria      " .... Ten Russian warships have been deployed at the Syrian port of Tartus based on an accord reached by the two sides after the August south Caucases conflict."

  India deploys WMD Nuclear Weapons Capable Fighter Jets in Indian Occupied Kashmir  " .... In the wake of weeks of widespread anti-Indian demonstrations in occupied Kashmir, which even New Delhi’s spin doctors have been unable to blame on Pakistan, India has deployed its top Russian-made fighter jets in the beleaguered valley, ostensibly for “better border management,” but analysts said the move was aimed at Pakistan after relations between the nuclear-armed rivals soured in recent months. True to form, India blamed Pakistan for the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul in July this year, though there was not a shred of evidence to support India’s allegation. And now, some Indian officials in New Delhi are trying to lay the blame for the recent bomb blasts in the capital at Pakistan’s door – again, without any evidence to this effect. But, then, this is the same India that once even blamed Pakistan’s ISI for a train accident in the eastern Indian state of Assam! What possible interest could the ISI have in causing a train accident in Assam, is anybody’s guess."

  U.S. Economic Crash and Foreign Policy Crash United Slaves of America      " .... First, it was the foreign policy crash of 2001. Yes, that much-milked by Bush 9/11 which instead of serving as wake up call to review and remedy America’s deplorable policies towards the peoples of the Middle East, only provided the Bush administration with a presumed casus belli as well as a raison-d’ètre for both the neocon empire-building and the economic sacking of the nation by an unscrupulous elite. Now, we all know the cost and results of replacing a “call to reason” with a “call to arms.” And now, as if a foreign policy crash hadn’t been enough seven years ago, and as if trying to mend relations with much of the world weren’t a formidable task, here comes the nuclear detonation that precedes America’s economic crash, what may turn out to be the mother of all crashes, but one still to reach ground zero. O, we’ll survive the impact here in America, but other than the elite, and a small affluentocracy, the rest of us, probably 85 to 90 percent of the population, will de facto help redefine this nation as the United Slaves of America .... "

  Loan Titans Paid McCain Adviser Nearly $2 Million     " .... Senator John McCain’s campaign manager was paid more than $30,000 a month for five years as president of an advocacy group set up by the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations, current and former officials say...."  Related: Palin Will Meet With Kissinger and Foreign Leaders 

 (Update 2) McCain Covered Up His Collaboration with the North Vietnamese While a POW    "Allegations resurface that McCain made propaganda statements and tried to keep Viet Cong records about him classified." That's because it's true, and it's also true that McCain, son of an admiral ,was directly responsible for the conflagration on the Forestall that killed over 130 people. The guy is such a dipshit, disingenuous, unstable, downright dangerous individual, it's too bad he wasn't killed in the disaster he started. It's too bad he didn't die in the prison camp. His whole schtick is a 'sympathy-patriotic' darkside platform based entirely as a deception. Every time I see him struggle to raise a hand or walk around, because of his 'war injuries', somehow, I know he's getting what he deserves. Pain. He is such a fuck-up in everything he does. Related: Reporters never ask McCain about sealing POW documents  | McCain Equates Embryos and Fetuses in Stem Cell Statement | McCain’s ‘team of mavericks’ run by ‘old Bush hands.’

  Judge orders Cheney to preserve records    "A federal judge on Saturday ordered Dick Cheney to preserve a wide range of the records from his time as vice president. The decision by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly is a setback for the Bush administration in its effort to promote a narrow definition of materials that must be safeguarded under by the Presidential Records Act .... A private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is suing Cheney and the Executive Office of the President in an effort to ensure that no presidential records are destroyed or handled in a way that makes them unavailable to the public .... The lawsuit stems from Cheney's position that his office is not part of the executive branch of government. This summer, Cheney chief of staff David Addington told Congress the vice president belongs to neither the executive nor legislative branch of government, but rather is attached by the Constitution to Congress. The vice president presides over the Senate. In 2003, Cheney asserted that the office of the vice president is not an entity within the executive branch."

  Confessions of a sub-prime mortgage baron   "The former loan company boss now sees himself as little better than a mid-rank drug dealer ... Dishonesty became endemic in loan applications. By the end, Bitner reckons that 70% of submissions to the company from brokers were deceptive. Properties, supposedly objectively appraised, were spectacularly overvalued. He estimates that half of loans were on homes over-egged by up to 10%, a quarter had prices exaggerated by 11% to 20% and the rest were "so overvalued they defied all logic" ..."  

$700 Billion Is Sought for Wall Street in Vast Bailout  "The Bush administration on Saturday formally proposed a vast bailout of financial institutions in the United States, requesting unfettered authority for the Treasury Department to buy up to $700 billion in distressed mortgage-related assets from the private firms. The proposal, not quite three pages long, was stunning for its stark simplicity. It would raise the national debt ceiling to $11.3 trillion. And it would place no restrictions on the administration other than requiring semiannual reports to Congress, granting the Treasury secretary unprecedented power to buy and resell mortgage debt .... A $700 billion expenditure on distressed mortgage-related assets would roughly be what the country has spent so far in direct costs on the Iraq war and more than the Pentagon’s total yearly budget appropriation. Divided across the population, it would amount to more than $2,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States .... Whatever is spent will add to a budget deficit already projected at more than $500 billion next year. And it comes on top of the $85 billion government rescue of the insurance giant American International Group and a plan to spend up to $200 billion to shore up the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac .... “This is a good foundation of a plan that can stabilize markets quickly,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement. “But it includes no visible protection for taxpayers or homeowners .... There are estimates that firms are carrying $1 trillion or more in bad mortgage-related assets ... The ultimate price tag of the bailout is virtually impossible to know, in part because of the possibility that taxpayers could profit from the effort, especially if the market stabilizes and real estate prices rise."  So, that's $985 Billion, so far ... $1 Trillion. Wait! Doesn't the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation have $23 Trillion in assets? What's up with that? Oops. 

  These are the times that try to trick us into self-defeat    " .... The best thing one can do to help prevent panic is to TURN OFF THE TV. With the constant drumbeat of putrid propaganda out of your head it will be much easier to clarify your mind. For those willing to make the effort, there are sources of information -- short wave radio, portions of the internet, and some books -- but in these times it is more important to know what your neighbors think than what the news anchor says he thinks (with a gun to his head or a bribe in his pocket) ...."   

  Why Israel Is Preventing Ahmadinejhad from Speaking At The UN   "The fact is , there was the very good likelihood Ahmadinejhad was going to discuss Israel’s attack on the USS Liberty on the floor of the UN General Assembly or (per our request) even that he would yield 3 minutes of his time to give USS Liberty survivor Phil Tourney an opportunity to tell the world what Israel did to him and his shipmates 41 years ago."

  US schools pay classroom informants  "Under an incentive scheme at Scripps Ranch, a large San Diego high school, students can call a special "tip line" - to report suspicious activity on campus. Callers whose tips lead to arrests or charges can earn themselves rewards of up to $1,000." 

  Financial Bailout: America's Own Kleptocracy "Nobody expected industrial capitalism to end up like this. Nobody even saw it evolving in this direction. I'm afraid this failing is not unusual among futurists: The natural tendency is to think about how economies can best grow and evolve, not how it can be untracked. But an unforeseen road always seems to appear, and there goes society goes off on a tangent."  

  Foreclosures Increasing Numbers Of Homeless and Tent Cities Around Nation "More cities around the country are finding themselves with tent cities housing otherwise homeless people, and homeless advocates say the foreclosure crisis is partly to blame .... the growing problem of encampments isn't confined to Florida and California, homeless advocates say tent cities have appeared or expanded in Portland, and Seattle, Oregon, Reno, Nevada, Athens, Georgia, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Columbus, Ohio among other places .... According to a report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, nearly 61 percent of local and state homeless coalitions say their communities have experienced a rise in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007 ..."

  Powers Can’t Agree on New Sanctions Against Iran "Though the State Department said of today’s Washington DC meeting between six of the world’s major powers that they were all committed to “exploring possible further measures” to punish Iran in the wake of this week’s IAEA report, they have been, as expected, unable to agree on the content or timing of a future UN Security Council resolution."  Watch for the UN to - again - become "irrelevant" on the issue of Iran. The question is, what will Russia do in response to any kind of US/Israeli-led strike against Iran?

  Insane McCain Praised Banking Deregulation Earlier in  Sept 2008 "In a magazine article published earlier this month, John McCain not only claimed credit for the banking deregulation, but he hailed it as a model for what should be done with health care ..." Related: McCain on banking and health   'McCain, who now poses as the scourge of Wall Street, praised financial deregulation and promising that 'if we marketize health care, it will perform as well as the financial industry'.   He should have died in the Forrestal conflagration which he caused. Jewish Republicans That Helped Pave the Way to John McCain’s Nomination  Mark Broxmeyer (The Israel Hawk) , Joe Lieberman (The Democratic Apostate), Marshall Wittmann (Maverick Wordsmith) , Fred Zeidman (Ex-Bush Backer), Eric Cantor (The Rising Star).   McCain is such a bumbling, reckless, irresponsible fool ... all pretense for sanity has gone.

  Bankrupt AIG Underwrote McCain's 'Reform Institute' "John McCain is making a big show of criticizing the government "bailout" of insurance giant AIG. But it turns out that AIG, which received $85 billion in US tax dollars earlier this week, is one of the largest donors to McCain's pet think tank, the comically named "Reform Institute," which he co-founded in 2001 "in direct response to the millions of Americans who, during the 2000 presidential campaign, expressed profound disillusionment with corrupt fundraising activities."     See other McCain related items this month, below.

  Rice Acknowledges Georgian Attack "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has acknowledged that Georgia attacked South Ossetia, speaking on Russian-American relations at the German Marshall Fund in Washington. The speech was much awaited, even though its content was known in advance. Rice harshly criticized Russian domestic and foreign policy, saying that the country was becoming “increasingly authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad.” She characterized Russia as “on a one-way path to self-imposed isolation and international irrelevance.” ... This speech is marked by a softening of her rhetoric in regard to Russia."    It did not matter to Rice that the US has, since 2001, been "increasingly authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad". She's oblivious and in denial, supporting the US position of 'do as we say, not what we do'. 

(Update 2) SEC bans short-selling of 799 financial stocks "The move by the Securities and Exchange Commission will temporarily ban what is called short selling of 799 financial stocks. The rule took effect immediately Friday and extends through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Oct. 2. Short selling involves borrowing a company's shares, selling them, and pocketing the difference when the stock falls. It is a legitimate method of trading — it can make markets more efficient and bring in more capital — but the government argues that it has widened the scope of the recent financial crisis and contributed to the collapsing values of investment and commercial bank stocks in particular. The SEC also eased restrictions on the ability of companies to buy back their own shares, also through Oct. 2, a move aimed at helping restore liquidity to the distressed and volatile market. Related: What the SEC’s Ban on Shorting Really Means | Cuomo Plans Short-Selling Probe  "New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has started a "wide-ranging investigation into short selling in the financial market" related to companies under pressure over the past week, such as Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., American International Group, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc ... Mr. Cuomo said that in the past few days his office has received complaints about false rumors spread by short sellers. "Short selling is not illegal, but when combined with the spread of wrong information, that is illegal," he said ... The SEC is also investigating rumor mongering and has sent subpoenas to more than 50 hedge funds." No legal definition for "hedge fund" under U.S. securities laws and regulations | U.S. Plans Sweeping Financial Cleanup | Amex, GE and others may seek to be on short-seller ban list

Wall Street Shake-up Connects to Washington Through Contributions, Personal Investments  "Wall Street's grim news has plenty of people worried about their pocketbooks. Lawmakers are among them, not only concerned with how to boost the economy but with their own personal finances tied to companies that are struggling. The richest members of Congress seem to be the most invested in the companies at the center of the Wall Street shake-up."  Related: Credit Crisis Out of Control- US Government Admission "No One Knows What to Do"   

McCain Attacks Wall Street Greed—While 83 Wall Street Lobbyists Work for His Campaign  "Several of McCain's most senior campaign aides have lobbied for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And the Democratic National Committee, using publicly available records, has identified 177 lobbyists working for the McCain campaign as either aides, policy advisers, or fundraisers. Of those 177 lobbyists, according to a Mother Jones review of Senate and House records, at least 83 have in recent years lobbied for the financial industry McCain now attacks. These are high-paid influence-peddlers who have been working the corridors of the nation's capital to win favors and special treatment for investment banks, securities firms, hedge funds, accounting outfits, and insurance companies. Their clients have included AIG, the newest symbol of corporate excess; Lehman Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy on Monday sending the stock market into a tailspin; Merrill Lynch, which was bought out by Bank of America this week; and Washington Mutual, the banking giant that could be the next to fall. Among these 83 lobbyists are McCain's chief political adviser, Charlie Black (JP Morgan, Washington Mutual Bank, Freddie Mac, Mortgage Bankers Association of America); McCain's national finance co-chairman, Wayne Berman (AIG, Blackstone, Credit Suisse, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac); the campaign's congressional liaison, John Green (Carlyle Group, Citigroup, Icahn Associates, Fannie Mae); McCain's veep vetter, Arthur Culvahouse (Fannie Mae); and McCain's transition planning chief, William Timmons Sr. (Citigroup, Freddie Mac, Vanguard Group) ..."   Related:  Palin Blames Wall Street Woes on Lobbyists 

(Update 2) AIG Advances on Speculation Investors May Try to Derail Federal Takeover    "American International Group Inc. rose 43 percent in New York trading on speculation shareholders may try to derail a government takeover by helping to repay a federal loan to the company. Sovereign wealth funds are among investors that might help pay the debt of New York-based AIG, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unidentified person. AIG avoided collapse by agreeing Sept. 16 to turn over 80 percent of the company to the government in exchange for a two- year loan of as much as $85 billion. The insurer, crippled by losses tied to the U.S. housing market, borrowed $28 billion as of Sept. 17, the Federal Reserve said yesterday. Former Chief Executive Officer Maurice "Hank'' Greenberg may try to end government involvement in the company "as prompt as possible,'' his attorney David Boies said in an interview this week. Greenberg, who saw the value of the AIG stake he controls plunge by more than $5 billion this month, has said the takeover might have been avoided if AIG got a bridge loan, tapped private investors and sold assets. "How can it be the right move if shareholders lose 80 percent of their equity?'' he said in a Sept. 17 interview. Greenberg, the CEO for almost four decades until 2005, controlled about 11 percent of the shares through personal holdings and investment firms he runs before the takeover agreement, the largest stake." Related:  AIG Holders Push To Pay Off Loan   "Major shareholders are pursuing an effort to try to help pay off the federal government's loan to AIG in time to avoid having Washington take an 80% stake in the company."

Greenberg could pay fine of up to $100 million on Fraud Charges  "... Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, the former CEO of American International Group Inc (AIG), could face a fine of up to $100 million to settle three-year-old civil fraud charges brought by New York's attorney general, according to business news channel CNBC on Friday... Greenberg left AIG in 2005 after allegations of financial misconduct were made against him and the company by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. AIG paid $1.64 billion two years ago to settle the charges."  

The Biggest Loser: Maurice 'Hank' Greenberg  "... Everyone who owned shares in AIG took a hit Wednesday, following the announcement that the iconic insurance company was the latest casualty of the financial crisis -- but no one lost nearly as much as the firm's former CEO, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg. In his 27 years as CEO of AIG, Greenberg was credited with vastly expanding the company, turning it into the world's largest insurance firm. Forced to relinquish the reins in 2005 amid a fraud investigation by then-New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, Greenberg went on to run two companies that remained highly invested in the American International Group (AIG) ...  Greenberg, who privately or through the companies he runs still owns a private jet, an office on Park Avenue and homes in New York City and Brewster, N.Y., likely lost 95 percent of his total assets, or somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion, analysts say. "  As of Sept 19th, some of AIG's stockholders are trying to arrange alternative arrangements that will not have to result in the US government getting 80% of the company. What's up with that? (CNBC news)  Couldn't happen to a worse guy.

Treasury Department will begin selling bonds for the Federal Reserve" (9/17/08) The Treasury Department will begin selling bonds for the Federal Reserve in an effort to help the central bank deal with unprecedented borrowing needs resulting from the current credit crisis."  Keep in mind the the Fed is a private corporation. Chart of who "owns" the Federal Reserve   

Related: Stocks Fall as Bank Gloom Deepens |SEC Issues New Short-Sale Rules | IMF Head: Worst Of Financial Crisis May Lie Ahead  What is happening right now: Nobel Prize Winning Economist: Crisis As Bad As Great Depression Or Worse  "Two time Nobel-prize winner and former chief economist of the World Bank, Joseph Stiglitz has warned that the current financial crisis will continue for at least another eighteen months and in many ways represents a worse situation than the one faced by Americans during the great depression of the 1930s."

  Alex Jones "The Final Countdown" Interviews With Joseph Stiglitz about what is happening right now, on the Alex Jones show (YouTube, Part 1, Part 2) Next 18 months bad!. Stiglitz, back in 2001, caused controversy when he exposed rampant corruption within the World Bank and the IMF, and blew the whistle on their nefarious methods of inducing countries to fall under their debt before stripping them of sovereignty and hollowing out their economies, including how the IMF and US Treasury fixed the Russian elections at that time.  The next 18 months ... essentially the rest of Endgame.

Related Alex Jones Videos: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 with Joseph E. Stiglitz (author, "The $3 Trillion War - The True Cost of The Iraq War") . Currently available Joseph Stiglitz related videos on YouTube. Also, see this lecture by Stiglitz.  

In an unprecedented, premature move, McCain picks super lobbyist to head transition team