by Bob Finch
The ziocons have been behind most of the critical political changes in American foreign policy since the early 1970s and yet, politically, they remained completely invisible for almost thirty years. For instance, the Jewish lobby in America and Israel, were responsible for pushing America and Britain into the first Gulf war. With the exception of Patrick Buchanan’s remarks about the zionist amen corner, no commentator discussed the ziocons’ role in triggering this war or the subsequent sanctions against Iraq. However, America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 has brought about a significant political change. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of commentators criticizing the Likudnik traitors at the heart of the Bush administration who initiated America’s invasion of Iraq.
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7.18.2008
Lawrence of Cyberia: Is Anti-Zionism Anti-Semitism?
I wrote the following as a comment on a post of the same name at My Left Wing. I'm reproducing it here because it is also a suitable response to readers who email from time to time with questions along the lines of "How can criticizing a Jewish state not be anti-semitic?"*:
I think this post misses the point entirely about why people can be anti-Zionist but not anti-semitic. And it misses the point because you start off from a strawman argument. Specifically this misrepresentation of why people might be opposed to Zionism:
Ray McGovern: Israel planning a Sept/Oct surprise?
You say you expected more rhetoric than reality from Senators Obama and McCain yesterday in their speeches on Iraq and Afghanistan? Well, that’s certainly what you got.
What I find nonetheless amazing is how they, and the pundits, have taken such little notice of the dramatic change in the political landscape occasioned by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s bombshell on July 7 — his insistence on a “timetable” for withdrawal of US troops before any accord is reached on their staying past the turn of the year.
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What I find nonetheless amazing is how they, and the pundits, have taken such little notice of the dramatic change in the political landscape occasioned by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s bombshell on July 7 — his insistence on a “timetable” for withdrawal of US troops before any accord is reached on their staying past the turn of the year.
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Gilad Atzmon: Caught between sobbing and war chants
Scathing commentary on the tough, tough Israelis. - Ed.
Monitoring the current Israeli collective pornographic lament in the Hebrew press, I found, to my amazement, a critical editorial written by Dr Mordechai Keidar, an Israeli rightwing academic.
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Monitoring the current Israeli collective pornographic lament in the Hebrew press, I found, to my amazement, a critical editorial written by Dr Mordechai Keidar, an Israeli rightwing academic.
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Americans being electrocuted in Iraq on 'almost a daily basis'
Among the seemingly innumerable scandal-worthy stories which have so marked the war in Iraq is one growing tragedy which has been largely ignored: shoddy electrical work by U.S. contractors at military bases leading to numerous electrical fires, troops receiving painful shocks, and even death by electrocution.
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Biological Warfare against US troops...Courtesy of Halliburton
via SOTT, Brasscheck TV
This is how George Bush and Dick Cheney support the troops. And you can thank Congress for it too while you're at it.
Simple biological warfare - poisoning the troops' water supply - is the most cost effective way of neutralizing the effectiveness of an armed force.
Stuart Taylor on Bush and Torture
This is unbelievable. He suggests we just let them all off the hook. Yes. That way we'll get to the bottom of everything. WTF would you expect from Newsweek? - Ed.
To get a full accounting of how U.S. interrogation methods were used, the president should give those accused of 'war crimes' a pass.
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To get a full accounting of how U.S. interrogation methods were used, the president should give those accused of 'war crimes' a pass.
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Anti-fascist calling: Simulating urban warfare
In Planet of Slums, socialist historian Mike Davis mapped the brutal urban realities shared by more than one billion of the earth's inhabitants, unmoored by neoliberal globalization from the "formal" world economy. From Baghdad to Karachi and from Lagos to Los Angeles and beyond, as ever-broader segments of the world's population are transformed into "a surplus humanity," the master class presents "no scenario" for ameliorating the immiseration it has itself designed through the "normal" functioning of a grotesque system of exploitation and injustice.
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ACLU calls for probe of Chertoff's use of terrorist watch list
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, when Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union calls on the committee to exercise vigorous oversight of the many DHS programs that endanger U.S. citizens’ privacy and civil liberties without increasing security. DHS’s unchecked detention and deportation powers have resulted in abusive interrogations of families with children at checkpoints, creation of militarized zones within the U.S. and widespread fear in immigrant communities facing natural disasters. Collectively, these practices illustrate how DHS has mismanaged its authority and wasted resources.
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GM's pain hits retirees
Look how our corporations break their promises to older Americans. Nice. - Ed.
by Andrea K. Walker, Baltimore Sun
When Charles Miller went to work at General Motors' Broening Highway plant in 1954, he was attracted to the company by its reputation for good salaries and stellar benefits.
He stayed for 31 years. Since he retired from his job as a data processor in 1985, he has gotten health coverage from the automaker, which helped pay for his heart surgery last year.
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by Andrea K. Walker, Baltimore Sun
When Charles Miller went to work at General Motors' Broening Highway plant in 1954, he was attracted to the company by its reputation for good salaries and stellar benefits.
He stayed for 31 years. Since he retired from his job as a data processor in 1985, he has gotten health coverage from the automaker, which helped pay for his heart surgery last year.
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7.17.2008
Non-violent struggle means No Violence
This is a fighting website,
but the enemy we are fighting
is not one of flesh and blood, but of spirit – a spiritual enemy,
who is waging war against the spirit of all mankind.
It is not just Americans who are under extreme duress from the ceaseless assault,
crushing the spirit of all the people in the entire world
is the objective of this spiritual parasite.
We fight the lies of the enemies of humanity,
the men who would use the power of the “Big Lie”
to decimate the human spirit
and destroy our will to resist them.
Read more
'Because killing people is what we do'
by Joe Bageant
Hi Joe,
I want to share a chance encounter I had last weekend while visiting my brother in southern Ohio. My trips there invariably involve our stopping at various pubs in several surrounding communities. Late Saturday night we visited the pub whose owner my brother considers to be a good friend -- except for his politics. But the guy has a good heart. And he tells funny stories. And he is a good guitar player. He even supplied and “ran” the fireworks display at our parents’ 50th anniversary party a number of years ago. But this particular evening, I don'’t even remember how my brother and I “got started” with him regarding politics,– the military, the war, blah, blah.
Ron Paul: Something big is happening
Madam Speaker, I have, for the past 35 years, expressed my grave concern for the future of America . The course we have taken over the past century has threatened our liberties, security and prosperity. In spite of these long-held concerns, I have days--growing more frequent all the time--when I'm convinced the time is now upon us that some Big Events are about to occur. These fast-approaching events will not go unnoticed. They will affect all of us. They will not be limited to just some areas of our country. The world economy and political system will share in the chaos about to be unleashed.
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Little war criminals get punished, big ones don't
by Paul Craig Roberts
National Public Radio has been spending much news time on Darfur in Western Sudan where a great deal of human suffering and death are occurring. The military conflict has been brought on in part by climate change, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Drought is forcing nomads in search of water into areas occupied by other claimants. No doubt the conflict is tribal and racial as well. The entire catastrophe is overseen by a government with few resources other than bullets.
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National Public Radio has been spending much news time on Darfur in Western Sudan where a great deal of human suffering and death are occurring. The military conflict has been brought on in part by climate change, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Drought is forcing nomads in search of water into areas occupied by other claimants. No doubt the conflict is tribal and racial as well. The entire catastrophe is overseen by a government with few resources other than bullets.
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AT&T Whistleblower: Spy bill creates infrastructure for a police state
Mark Klein, the retired AT&T engineer who stepped forward with the technical documents at the heart of the anti-wiretapping case against AT&T, is furious at the Senate's vote on Wednesday night to hold a vote on a bill intended to put an end to that lawsuit and more than 30 others.
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Winter Patriot: Why are we celebrating?
Did you ever wonder why we've been drinking beer, dancing in the parking lots, watching fireworks, and chanting "USA! USA! USA!"? Well here's your answer, or at least part of it, from Dennis Kucinich:
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Will Israeli settlers' terrorism finally be prosecuted?
by Mustafa Qadri
Susia, a little known village in the West Bank, has made international headlines after an old Palestinian couple and their nephew were filmed being lynched by four youths.
The video was captured thanks to an advocacy project sponsored by the Israeli human rights organization B'tselem.
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Turning the tables on the Israeli firsters
by Michael Scheuer
Now that the dust has settled in the spat between journalist Joe Klein and the ideologues at Commentary, it is time to regret the ink spilled over the non-issue of "dual loyalties." The idea that there are U.S. citizens who have equal loyalties to the United States and Israel is passé. American Israel-firsters have long since dropped any pretense of loyalty to the United States and its genuine national interests.
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Now that the dust has settled in the spat between journalist Joe Klein and the ideologues at Commentary, it is time to regret the ink spilled over the non-issue of "dual loyalties." The idea that there are U.S. citizens who have equal loyalties to the United States and Israel is passé. American Israel-firsters have long since dropped any pretense of loyalty to the United States and its genuine national interests.
Read full story
The trouble with Naalin is the will to live
by les vis
Do you ever think about the point inside the point inside the point inside the point? What I mean is how connections that seem to be one issue can be gathered together to be the same issue but with an entirely different perspective? I guess I’m talking about intentional enigmas; convolutions, shell games, ironies, conundrums and more things than I can recall at the moment.
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Do you ever think about the point inside the point inside the point inside the point? What I mean is how connections that seem to be one issue can be gathered together to be the same issue but with an entirely different perspective? I guess I’m talking about intentional enigmas; convolutions, shell games, ironies, conundrums and more things than I can recall at the moment.
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We are at the edge of the abyss
by Karl Schwartz
- The Rense website has posted an article out of Russia that everyone needs to read, comprehend and heed.
- No sooner than this article was announced out of Russia and Iran than Bush calls a press conference and lifts the executive ban on offshore drilling. There is also a very good possibility that such an act by George W Bush was an "unofficial announcement of defeat". I think the US just lost the entire debate regarding the oil and gas out of the entire Caspian Basin region. If you do not know what that means, see the other article I have on Rense titled "The Pyrrhic Victory of The Great Decider".
7.16.2008
Elections, Capitalism, and Democracy
Because so many of the people on the political left fear that John McCain will become the next president, they have allowed themselves to see the very moderate democratic candidate, Barach Obama, as a desirable alternative to the decidedly ghoulish McCain, rather than supporting a genuine progressive like Dennis Kucinich, Cynthia McKinney, or Ralph Nader. They thus perceive Obama to be far more progressive than he really is. Such comparisons lead us down a dichotomous pathway that assures a continuous drift to the right.
Continue reading
Continue reading
s o s: 2 Billion to Die (within the next 12 months)
I was quite shocked at this man's understanding of Revelation and his careful analysis. Anyone who has studied Revelation, Daniel, and Matthew 24 knows it has to have a perfect fit...
A must see for anyone who follows the prophetic line of information and for atheists too.
Detente or hidden agendas? A sign of the times
by Gilad Atzmon
Back in 2003 I wrote, “If ‘world peace’ is our main concern, we must achieve a balance of power, we must let the oppressed people of this world have access to the most advanced weaponry…. Balance of power is the only key to peace.” Nowadays, when Israel and its supportive lobbies are doing everything within their powers to drag us all into a third world war, I find it necessary to say it again. The only way to spare the Middle East and the entire world from another devastating cycle of bloodshed is to let the Iranians have their nuclear toy. But it goes even further, seemingly, the only way to save the Jewish state from its merciless parade of belligerent omnipotence is to let Iran join the nuclear club ASAP. The only thing that may cool down the Zionist militant genocidal enthusiasm is an overwhelming Iranian might of deterrence.
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Back in 2003 I wrote, “If ‘world peace’ is our main concern, we must achieve a balance of power, we must let the oppressed people of this world have access to the most advanced weaponry…. Balance of power is the only key to peace.” Nowadays, when Israel and its supportive lobbies are doing everything within their powers to drag us all into a third world war, I find it necessary to say it again. The only way to spare the Middle East and the entire world from another devastating cycle of bloodshed is to let the Iranians have their nuclear toy. But it goes even further, seemingly, the only way to save the Jewish state from its merciless parade of belligerent omnipotence is to let Iran join the nuclear club ASAP. The only thing that may cool down the Zionist militant genocidal enthusiasm is an overwhelming Iranian might of deterrence.
Read full story
Kicking sand in Russia's face
by Eric Margolis
Last week’s utterly useless and hugely expensive G8 summit in Japan was at least a welcome comic relief after all the bombast and threats flying back and forth between the US, Israel and Iran.
The world leaders dined on caviar as they earnestly discussed hunger and the global food crisis. They agreed to do something about global warming by 2058. That’s real courage and leadership.
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Last week’s utterly useless and hugely expensive G8 summit in Japan was at least a welcome comic relief after all the bombast and threats flying back and forth between the US, Israel and Iran.
The world leaders dined on caviar as they earnestly discussed hunger and the global food crisis. They agreed to do something about global warming by 2058. That’s real courage and leadership.
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Status report on the collapse of the economy
by Richard C. Cook
With the economic news of the week of July 14—the continuing crisis among mortgage lenders, the onset of bank failures, the announced downsizing of General Motors, the slide of the Dow-Jones below 11,000—we are seeing the ongoing collapse of the U.S. economy.
Even the super-rich are becoming nervous as cries for an emergency suspension of short selling ring out.
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The terrorist watch list reaches +1Million and growing
Are you an activist, an author, a journalist, a patriot, or maybe a scholar who speaks out his or her mind in the defense of democracy? If you are, then, the chance of having your boarding pass stamped with the ominous symbol of “SSSS” on your next flight from the United States is very high.
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Rick Steves: Understand Iran
A friend from the Washington State chapter of the United Nations Association called me six months ago and asked what I could do to help them build understanding between Iran and the US, and to defuse the tension that could be leading to war. I answered, “The only powerful thing I could do would be to produce a TV show on Iran.”
I remember when the bombs first fell on Baghdad, thinking I'd missed an opportunity to make a travel show that could humanize Baghdad and give “collateral damage” a face. I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to do this for Iran. My government would let me go. The Islamic Republic of Iran actually wanted the publicity. I threw together a proposal for a TV show — no politics, just travel. The working title: Iran: Its People and Culture, Yesterday and Today.
Decision Time
I promised my long time readers and my friends who knew me even before the Internet to issue warnings before World War III starts and the Next Great Depression begins. I am now saying it is nearly certain there will be a Hyperinflationary worldwide Great Depression in the first 6 months of 2009 that will be far worse than 1929-1939. World War III will also start next year at about the same time.
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Karen Selick looks on the bright side of hate speech
There’s been plenty of discussion lately about the harmful consequences of censorship — the extra publicity that hate speech gets when prosecuted, the chilling of legitimate debate and the dangers of slippery slopes.
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Patriotism: Wait one damn minute
By Fahim A. Knight-EL
This writer grew up in an era and attended public schools where between 8:15am and 8:30am every morning the principal of the various schools I attended would come on the public address (PA) system and recite “The Pledge of Allegiance” over the intercom and it was mandated that each student had to stand and place their right hand on their heart and turn towards the U.S. Flag which hung in every classroom and recite The Pledge of Allegiance.Read full story
7.15.2008
Money, Honey...and face tiime in your dreams
by les vis
For those of us still capable of independent thought, there is a question that arises in the mind. It is a perplexing question. Why is it that when people gain some measure of power, through money, influence or by association… why is it that so many of them choose to embrace corruption over principles and reputation? Why would so many potentially good people go bad and not care about the loss of their ideals and good name?
For those of us still capable of independent thought, there is a question that arises in the mind. It is a perplexing question. Why is it that when people gain some measure of power, through money, influence or by association… why is it that so many of them choose to embrace corruption over principles and reputation? Why would so many potentially good people go bad and not care about the loss of their ideals and good name?
We Are Winning
by Hari Heath
Against incredible odds, with very little that can be called an organization, WE—the people—are winning. There is still a long way to go, but the battle is ours. The enemies within humanity, the psychopaths in the shadows of power, are losing their quest for dominion over humanity and the world. They are starting to run scared.
If we look to the cycles of human history the challenge has always been for the common people to live decent and prosperous lives despite the psychopathic elite’s relentless obsession with institutionalizing various forms of slavery, subjugation, murder and dominance to live in idle luxury at the commoners’ expense.
A CIA Lawyer's Smoking Gun
by Nat Hentoff
In October 2002, 10 Defense Department lawyers and officials met at Guantánamo to figure out which interrogation techniques would finally extract information from the hard-shelled terrorism suspects there. Also in attendance was a CIA counterterrorism lawyer, Jonathan Fredman, who revealed a way that exceptionally aggressive methods could be used that would not amount to the U.S. being charged with torture.
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In October 2002, 10 Defense Department lawyers and officials met at Guantánamo to figure out which interrogation techniques would finally extract information from the hard-shelled terrorism suspects there. Also in attendance was a CIA counterterrorism lawyer, Jonathan Fredman, who revealed a way that exceptionally aggressive methods could be used that would not amount to the U.S. being charged with torture.
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Amber Alert!
Another take on the meaning of GWB's and Israel's 'Amber Alert' status. - Ed.
by Justin Raimondo
In spite of reassurances from the Washington talking heads and policy wonks that the U.S. is not about to launch an attack on Iran, or countenance an Israeli strike, the Sunday Times has the real scoop:
by Justin Raimondo
In spite of reassurances from the Washington talking heads and policy wonks that the U.S. is not about to launch an attack on Iran, or countenance an Israeli strike, the Sunday Times has the real scoop:
"President George W. Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations with Tehran break down, according to a senior Pentagon official.
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Iran Shows its Cards
by Scott Ritter
There can no longer be any doubt about the consequences of any U.S. and/or Israeli military action against Iran. Armchair warriors, pundits and blustering politicians alike have been advocating a pre-emptive military strike against Iran for the purpose of neutralizing its nuclear-related infrastructure, as well as retarding Iran’s ability to train and equip “terrorist” forces on Iranian soil before dispatching them to Iraq or parts unknown. Some, including me, have warned of the folly of such action, and now Iran itself has demonstrated why an attack would be insane.
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There can no longer be any doubt about the consequences of any U.S. and/or Israeli military action against Iran. Armchair warriors, pundits and blustering politicians alike have been advocating a pre-emptive military strike against Iran for the purpose of neutralizing its nuclear-related infrastructure, as well as retarding Iran’s ability to train and equip “terrorist” forces on Iranian soil before dispatching them to Iraq or parts unknown. Some, including me, have warned of the folly of such action, and now Iran itself has demonstrated why an attack would be insane.
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Afghanistan opposes US use of country to stage Iran attack
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview Monday he opposes any U.S. use of his country as a staging point for an attack against neighboring Iran.
The Islamic republic has threatened to lash out against Israel and U.S. interests in the region if it comes under attack over its continued development of a suspected nuclear weapons program.
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The Islamic republic has threatened to lash out against Israel and U.S. interests in the region if it comes under attack over its continued development of a suspected nuclear weapons program.
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Man Arrested for 'Unlawful Photography'
Um....no such thing, officer.
Don't miss the 7/14 @ 2:51 comment. Outstanding. - Ed.
Don't miss the 7/14 @ 2:51 comment. Outstanding. - Ed.
By Darius Radzius
Reporter / WJHL
Published: July 11, 2008
Nearly everyone carries a cell phone and it’s hard to find one without that camera feature. It’s convenient when you want to take that impromptu photo, but a Tri-Cities area man ended up behind bars after snapping a shot of a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop.
The cell phone photographer says the arrest was intimidation, but the deputy says he feared for his life.
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Accountability Now and strange bedfellows: The strategy and rationale
by Glenn Greenwald
In the 2006 mid-term elections, Americans handed The Democratic Party a sweeping, staggering, and historic victory -- as the GOP was removed from power and Democrats given control over both the House and Senate. It marked only the third time in the last 60 years that there was a change in control of the Congress. The Democrats defeated six GOP Senators, and picked up 31 House seats. Six Governorships switched from the GOP to the Democrats. Not one single Democratic incumbent in Congress and not one Democratic Governor lost -- only the second time in U.S. history in which one of the major parties failed to defeat even a single Congressional incumbent from the other party.
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In the 2006 mid-term elections, Americans handed The Democratic Party a sweeping, staggering, and historic victory -- as the GOP was removed from power and Democrats given control over both the House and Senate. It marked only the third time in the last 60 years that there was a change in control of the Congress. The Democrats defeated six GOP Senators, and picked up 31 House seats. Six Governorships switched from the GOP to the Democrats. Not one single Democratic incumbent in Congress and not one Democratic Governor lost -- only the second time in U.S. history in which one of the major parties failed to defeat even a single Congressional incumbent from the other party.
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Murdering God: Of Shotguns, American Capitalism, and Moral Expediency
by Jason Miller
Experiencing decreasing levels of the comfort that ensures our loyalty to the criminal enterprise of American Capitalism, we “average” US Americans comprising the poor, working class, and rapidly shrinking middle class still revel in our relatively meaningless social freedoms (we can say “fuck you” to George Bush but can’t even get our “elected representatives” to impeach him for his Nuremberg class war crimes) as the economic manacles and shackles of wage slavery clamp ever tighter about our wrists and ankles.
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Experiencing decreasing levels of the comfort that ensures our loyalty to the criminal enterprise of American Capitalism, we “average” US Americans comprising the poor, working class, and rapidly shrinking middle class still revel in our relatively meaningless social freedoms (we can say “fuck you” to George Bush but can’t even get our “elected representatives” to impeach him for his Nuremberg class war crimes) as the economic manacles and shackles of wage slavery clamp ever tighter about our wrists and ankles.
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7.14.2008
Greenwald: The Al-Haramain ruling: The President broke the law for years
via SOTT
A Bush-41-appointed Federal District Judge yesterday became the third judge -- out of three who have ruled on the issue -- to reject the Bush administration's claim that Article II entitles the President to override or ignore the provisions of FISA. Yesterday's decision by Judge Vaughn Walker of the Northern District of California also guts the central claims for telecom immunity and gives the lie to the excuses coming from Congress as to why the new FISA bill is some sort of important "concession." More than anything else, this decision is but the most recent demonstration that, with this new FISA bill, our political establishment is doing what it now habitually does: namely, ensuring that the political and corporate elite who break our laws on purpose are immune from consequences.
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A Bush-41-appointed Federal District Judge yesterday became the third judge -- out of three who have ruled on the issue -- to reject the Bush administration's claim that Article II entitles the President to override or ignore the provisions of FISA. Yesterday's decision by Judge Vaughn Walker of the Northern District of California also guts the central claims for telecom immunity and gives the lie to the excuses coming from Congress as to why the new FISA bill is some sort of important "concession." More than anything else, this decision is but the most recent demonstration that, with this new FISA bill, our political establishment is doing what it now habitually does: namely, ensuring that the political and corporate elite who break our laws on purpose are immune from consequences.
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Marine's graphic interview describes killing of prisoners in Iraq
by Tony Perry, LA Times Staff Writer, via ICH
CAMP PENDLETON -- A graphic, vulgarity-laced interview in which a Marine described how he and two other Marines killed four unarmed prisoners in Iraq was played today during a preliminary hearing in the case.
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CAMP PENDLETON -- A graphic, vulgarity-laced interview in which a Marine described how he and two other Marines killed four unarmed prisoners in Iraq was played today during a preliminary hearing in the case.
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Pentagon "Calmatives": Biochemical substances as incapacitating weapons of war and social control
by Tom Burghardt, Global Research
Ours is a social system spinning wildly out of control. Wherever one glances, the political-economic-ecological crises engulfing late capitalism are insolvable in terms of structural reforms that might mitigate the system's approaching zero hour. Call it the proverbial band-aid over gangrene syndrome; a plethora of terminal "fixes" that fix nothing.
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Ours is a social system spinning wildly out of control. Wherever one glances, the political-economic-ecological crises engulfing late capitalism are insolvable in terms of structural reforms that might mitigate the system's approaching zero hour. Call it the proverbial band-aid over gangrene syndrome; a plethora of terminal "fixes" that fix nothing.
Read full story
Let the Lawsuits Begin: Banks Brace for a Storm of Litigation
Very interesting. - Ed.
by Ellen Brown, Global Research
In an article in The San Francisco Chronicle in December 2007, attorney Sean Olender suggested that the real reason for the subprime bailout schemes being proposed by the U.S. Treasury Department was not to keep strapped borrowers in their homes so much as to stave off a spate of lawsuits against the banks. The plan then on the table was an interest rate freeze on a limited number of subprime loans. Olender wrote:
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by Ellen Brown, Global Research
In an article in The San Francisco Chronicle in December 2007, attorney Sean Olender suggested that the real reason for the subprime bailout schemes being proposed by the U.S. Treasury Department was not to keep strapped borrowers in their homes so much as to stave off a spate of lawsuits against the banks. The plan then on the table was an interest rate freeze on a limited number of subprime loans. Olender wrote:
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Call to Action July 19-21: No War With Iran
Responding to the renewed threats of a U.S./Israeli attack on Iran before President Bush leaves office, United for Peace and Justice calls for coordinated Days of Action across the United States on July 19-21. Now is the time to speak out against any U.S./Israeli military attack on Iran.
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The Bipartisan Surveillance State
by Anthony Gregory, San Diego Union-Tribune
The Democratic Congress passed and Bush signed the "FISA Amendments Act of 2008," legalizing the president's longstanding illegal wiretapping program. The law allows broad warrantless surveillance of Americans in the United States, so long as the call or e-mail is thought to be international. Eavesdropping on domestic communications is legal for a week before court papers even have to be filed. The telecom companies that cooperated with Bush are immune from civil lawsuits. Most important, the administration's illegal conduct has been retroactively approved and future administrations have wider powers than ever to spy on Americans.
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The Democratic Congress passed and Bush signed the "FISA Amendments Act of 2008," legalizing the president's longstanding illegal wiretapping program. The law allows broad warrantless surveillance of Americans in the United States, so long as the call or e-mail is thought to be international. Eavesdropping on domestic communications is legal for a week before court papers even have to be filed. The telecom companies that cooperated with Bush are immune from civil lawsuits. Most important, the administration's illegal conduct has been retroactively approved and future administrations have wider powers than ever to spy on Americans.
Read full story
Beware Bush's preemptive strike on torture
by James Ross, Salon
July 10, 2008 | New revelations of the U.S. government's systematic use of torture in the "global war on terror," including communist Chinese "brainwashing" methods from the 1950s, have brought renewed calls from lawmakers and human rights advocates for the prosecution of senior Bush administration officials. While the legal and political obstacles to such prosecutions are steep, those implicated will not want to leave the enjoyment of their retirement years to the mercy of the federal judiciary.
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July 10, 2008 | New revelations of the U.S. government's systematic use of torture in the "global war on terror," including communist Chinese "brainwashing" methods from the 1950s, have brought renewed calls from lawmakers and human rights advocates for the prosecution of senior Bush administration officials. While the legal and political obstacles to such prosecutions are steep, those implicated will not want to leave the enjoyment of their retirement years to the mercy of the federal judiciary.
Read full story
Putting a name to Gaza's injured
Bedridden but painfully conscious, nearly paralyzed with no feeling from the waist down, 16-year-old Abdul Rahman (nicknamed Abed) is one of the hundreds who were injured by intense Israeli shelling and firing on Gaza between 27 February - 3 March 2008, during an operation dubbed "Hot Winter" by Israel. According to a World Health Organization report, during this period the Israeli army killed at least 116 Palestinians, nearly half of them civilians and more than a quarter children, including a six-month-old and a 20-day-old baby, and injured 350. Later counts put the number killed as high as 150, with more than 55 killed in one day alone. Over half of the week's fatalities and injuries occurred in and around Jabaliya, the refugee camp where Abed was born and has called home all of his life.
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Game Over: 36 surefire signs that your empire is crumbling
by David Michael Green
So. You've built yourself an empire, eh?
Well, bully for you!
What's next, you ask? Well, now you've got to do what everybody does when they have an empire, of course. You've got to worry about it falling apart, mate!
But how to tell for sure? Let me see if I can be helpful. Here are some rules of thumb to keep in mind, thirty-six sure-fire indicators that your empire is falling apart:
You know your empire's crumbling when the folks who are gearing up their empire to replace yours start blowing up satellites in space. And then they don't bother to return your phone calls when you ring up to ask why.
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