Change? What change!?
Washington - US President Barack Obama vowed to intensify the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Washington - US President Barack Obama vowed to intensify the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan as he outlined a new strategy for a conflict that began more than seven years ago but has no end in sight.
Obama said he was ordering an additional 4,000 soldiers to Afghanistan to increase the effort to build up Afghan security forces on top of the 17,000 already enroute to the country this year.
'We have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future,' Obama said.
Obama's speech came days before he heads to Germany and France for a NATO summit, where he will present his new approach and is expected to ask allies to contribute more to the conflict in Afghanistan. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague on Tuesday.
Obama made it clear that al-Qaeda's leadership, including Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is hiding in Pakistan and plotting terrorist attacks on the United States and other countries, and called on the government in Islamabad to do more to deny al-Qaeda refuge.
'They have used this mountainous terrain as a safe haven to hide, to train terrorists, to communicate with followers, to plot attacks, and to send fighters to support the insurgency in Afghanistan,' Obama said.
'For the American people, this border region has become the most dangerous place in the world,' he said. 'But this is not simply an American problem; far from it. It is instead an international security challenge of the highest order.'
Obama launched a strategic review of the situation in Afghanistan shortly after taking office in January, and has pledged to shift US resources out of Iraq and into the conflict with the Taliban.
Click here: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1467282.php/Obama_aims_to_shut_down_al-Qaeda_in_Pakistan_Afghanistan__Roundup__ to read more.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Iraq - The Tragedy In Figures
Let the Numbers Speak
March 25, 2009Dear Friends,
I pride myself in being a scientist and a researcher. I built my academic career on theories and numbers. As a teacher, I teach my students that everything is based in science - everything has reason. For this reason, I am always frustrated with myself when I find I am overwhelmed with feelings on specific topics.
One such topic is the occupation of my country, Iraq. On this subject I find that I cannot always be dispassionate. I cannot be the researcher and observer and discuss it without feeling or emotion as I am sometimes expected to do. I find myself doing research on the damages caused by the war and occupation, and my head buzzes with anger, my eyes burn with tears of desperation at the state of my country.
Six years after the attack and the pain is as fresh and cutting as it was in March 2003. This year, I decided, I would view it as a scientist. I would not attack the subject with emotion. I would let the numbers speak for themselves. This year I will sit back and play the part of the analyst- the researcher- on this topic that is closest to my heart.
Six years into the occupation…
- 72 months of destruction
- $607 Billions spent on the war
- 2 Million Barrels of oil being sold per day
- 2 Million Displaced Iraqis inside of Iraq
- 3 Million Iraqis forced to leave the country
- 2615 professors, scientists, and doctors killed in cold blood
- 338 dead journalists
- $13 Billion misplaced by the current Iraqi government
- $400 Billion required to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure
- 3 hours average of electricity daily
- 24 car bombs per month
- 7 major mafias running the country
- 4260 Americans dead
- 10,000 cases of cholera per year
- 50 of my friends dead
- 22 of my relatives dead
- 15 abductions of close relatives and people I know and love
- At least 1.3 million Iraqis dead since 2003.
Six years into the occupation and somehow, the numbers are not looking better. Year after dismal year, the numbers of dead and displaced grow as we continue to reap the rewards of an American occupation on our country.
So the numbers speak for themselves. Six. Six months is what it took for most Iraqis to realize no good could come of this war and occupation. Six years is what it has taken the rest of the world. Six years, six million Iraqis displaced inside and outside of Iraq- well over a million Iraqis dead or dying inside of the country.
As a scientist, as a researcher- it is a disaster that will never be sufficiently documented with numbers or words. As a researcher, the numbers are so astounding that we go back and recalculate to make sure they are real. As an Iraqi, it is enraging. The numbers and statistics fill me with a rage and shame that make my heart throb and my blood boil. It’s a rage towards all who are silent and uncaring, and a shame at the little we all are doing.
Souad N. Al-Azzawi
Associate Professor,
Baghdad, Iraq
March26/2009
Dr. Souad Naji Al-Azzawi is a former Vice-President of Mamoun University of Scientific Affaires; former professor of environmental engineering at Baghdad Univ., recipient of the 2003 Nuclear-Free Future Award for her work on environmental contamination after the Gulf War in Iraq. She published 50 Papers in hazardous Waste management and Radiological Pollution from the use of Depleted Uranium Weapons in Iraq.
See also: Iraq Success -Surge Or Ethnic Cleansing?
Let the Numbers Speak
March 25, 2009Dear Friends,
I pride myself in being a scientist and a researcher. I built my academic career on theories and numbers. As a teacher, I teach my students that everything is based in science - everything has reason. For this reason, I am always frustrated with myself when I find I am overwhelmed with feelings on specific topics.
One such topic is the occupation of my country, Iraq. On this subject I find that I cannot always be dispassionate. I cannot be the researcher and observer and discuss it without feeling or emotion as I am sometimes expected to do. I find myself doing research on the damages caused by the war and occupation, and my head buzzes with anger, my eyes burn with tears of desperation at the state of my country.
Six years after the attack and the pain is as fresh and cutting as it was in March 2003. This year, I decided, I would view it as a scientist. I would not attack the subject with emotion. I would let the numbers speak for themselves. This year I will sit back and play the part of the analyst- the researcher- on this topic that is closest to my heart.
Six years into the occupation…
- 72 months of destruction
- $607 Billions spent on the war
- 2 Million Barrels of oil being sold per day
- 2 Million Displaced Iraqis inside of Iraq
- 3 Million Iraqis forced to leave the country
- 2615 professors, scientists, and doctors killed in cold blood
- 338 dead journalists
- $13 Billion misplaced by the current Iraqi government
- $400 Billion required to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure
- 3 hours average of electricity daily
- 24 car bombs per month
- 7 major mafias running the country
- 4260 Americans dead
- 10,000 cases of cholera per year
- 50 of my friends dead
- 22 of my relatives dead
- 15 abductions of close relatives and people I know and love
- At least 1.3 million Iraqis dead since 2003.
Six years into the occupation and somehow, the numbers are not looking better. Year after dismal year, the numbers of dead and displaced grow as we continue to reap the rewards of an American occupation on our country.
So the numbers speak for themselves. Six. Six months is what it took for most Iraqis to realize no good could come of this war and occupation. Six years is what it has taken the rest of the world. Six years, six million Iraqis displaced inside and outside of Iraq- well over a million Iraqis dead or dying inside of the country.
As a scientist, as a researcher- it is a disaster that will never be sufficiently documented with numbers or words. As a researcher, the numbers are so astounding that we go back and recalculate to make sure they are real. As an Iraqi, it is enraging. The numbers and statistics fill me with a rage and shame that make my heart throb and my blood boil. It’s a rage towards all who are silent and uncaring, and a shame at the little we all are doing.
Souad N. Al-Azzawi
Associate Professor,
Baghdad, Iraq
March26/2009
Dr. Souad Naji Al-Azzawi is a former Vice-President of Mamoun University of Scientific Affaires; former professor of environmental engineering at Baghdad Univ., recipient of the 2003 Nuclear-Free Future Award for her work on environmental contamination after the Gulf War in Iraq. She published 50 Papers in hazardous Waste management and Radiological Pollution from the use of Depleted Uranium Weapons in Iraq.
See also: Iraq Success -Surge Or Ethnic Cleansing?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Beyond Greed - How Bear Stearns F*cked us all
From: http://www.motionbox.com/videos/3098ddb11d1feacbbe
See also: http://deepcapture.com
CIA Proprietary Agencies
by Bradley Moscrip
Herewith a listing of what are called ‘proprietary agencies’ or, more to the point, front groups, for our official state torturers and rendition water boarders. This is not a complete listing by any means but all beginnings are difficult. Under international law, it is illegal to torture people but the Bush people had no interest in international law.
They have left us, thank God, but the rest of us have to carry the burden of their sins. A complete listing would be of great value for the rest of the world.
Our native rattlesnake warns trespassers by rattling a warning .This shows a form of reptile class but also shows the rest of us the way. .Another listing of public value might be the home addresses of the rip off bankers and other socio-economic bandits.
Click here: http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a2928.htm to see the list
by Bradley Moscrip
Herewith a listing of what are called ‘proprietary agencies’ or, more to the point, front groups, for our official state torturers and rendition water boarders. This is not a complete listing by any means but all beginnings are difficult. Under international law, it is illegal to torture people but the Bush people had no interest in international law.
They have left us, thank God, but the rest of us have to carry the burden of their sins. A complete listing would be of great value for the rest of the world.
Our native rattlesnake warns trespassers by rattling a warning .This shows a form of reptile class but also shows the rest of us the way. .Another listing of public value might be the home addresses of the rip off bankers and other socio-economic bandits.
Click here: http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a2928.htm to see the list
Giesbrecht Plight Proves Taliban are a Fraud
by Henry Makow Ph.D.
The plight of a Canadian convert to Islam who ran a pro- Mujahideen website "Jihad Unspun" proves the Taliban are a fraud ultimately run by the CIA and MI-6. Beverly Giesbrecht, 52, was kidnapped by the Taliban last November while working on a documentary film in Northwest Pakistan. Apparently they are demanding $375,000 for her release. Look at this heartbreaking recent video in which Giesbrecht pleads for her life. She is obviously in terrible health and says she will be beheaded at the end of March."The time is now very short and my life is going to end," she concludes. In a previous video last month, she said: "I am very sick. I need a hospital right away. I'm missing teeth. I have pneumonia and I need this release to happen quickly." The politics behind this kidnapping are puzzling. Giesbrecht ran what was virtually a pro-Taliban website. Why would they treat a friend and fellow Muslim in this fashion? Why would they expect their common political adversary to ransom her? Are they so out of touch? The news stories make clear that the Taliban is holding her hostage. She repeats this twice in the video and in four months, the Taliban have not denied it.The Canadian government, which is fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, is being asked to ransom her. Naturally they are dragging their feet. In contrast, when a female Canadian CBC-TV reporter was kidnapped in Afghanistan recently, they arranged a prisoner exchange immediately. The Canadian government should take pity on Giesbrecht and negotiate her release. They should treat all Canadian citizens the same, not depending on their beliefs.The story illustrates that these Illuminati wars are fabricated to perpetuate war for war's sake. They have bankrolled both sides of every war in modern history. No one should put his or her life on the line. Giesbrecht converted to Islam in 2002 and took a Muslim name. She obviously bought the Taliban message. I wonder what she thinks of it now.As everyone knows, the Taliban were created by the CIA and probably still do their bidding. No one can carry on a war without substantial financial backing and you know who has all the money. The various Western intelligence agencies work for them.
From: http://www.henrymakow.com/geibrecht_plight_proves_taliba.html
by Henry Makow Ph.D.
The plight of a Canadian convert to Islam who ran a pro- Mujahideen website "Jihad Unspun" proves the Taliban are a fraud ultimately run by the CIA and MI-6. Beverly Giesbrecht, 52, was kidnapped by the Taliban last November while working on a documentary film in Northwest Pakistan. Apparently they are demanding $375,000 for her release. Look at this heartbreaking recent video in which Giesbrecht pleads for her life. She is obviously in terrible health and says she will be beheaded at the end of March."The time is now very short and my life is going to end," she concludes. In a previous video last month, she said: "I am very sick. I need a hospital right away. I'm missing teeth. I have pneumonia and I need this release to happen quickly." The politics behind this kidnapping are puzzling. Giesbrecht ran what was virtually a pro-Taliban website. Why would they treat a friend and fellow Muslim in this fashion? Why would they expect their common political adversary to ransom her? Are they so out of touch? The news stories make clear that the Taliban is holding her hostage. She repeats this twice in the video and in four months, the Taliban have not denied it.The Canadian government, which is fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, is being asked to ransom her. Naturally they are dragging their feet. In contrast, when a female Canadian CBC-TV reporter was kidnapped in Afghanistan recently, they arranged a prisoner exchange immediately. The Canadian government should take pity on Giesbrecht and negotiate her release. They should treat all Canadian citizens the same, not depending on their beliefs.The story illustrates that these Illuminati wars are fabricated to perpetuate war for war's sake. They have bankrolled both sides of every war in modern history. No one should put his or her life on the line. Giesbrecht converted to Islam in 2002 and took a Muslim name. She obviously bought the Taliban message. I wonder what she thinks of it now.As everyone knows, the Taliban were created by the CIA and probably still do their bidding. No one can carry on a war without substantial financial backing and you know who has all the money. The various Western intelligence agencies work for them.
From: http://www.henrymakow.com/geibrecht_plight_proves_taliba.html
Gordon Brown seeking to win over US bankers ROTHSCHILD's vision for global economy
From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5047550/Gordon-Brown-seeking-to-win-over-US-bankers-with-his-vision-for-global-economy.html
See also US/UK Recovery plans are a "Way to Hell" at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/5048291/EU-presidency-US-and-UK-economic-recovery-plans-are-a-way-to-hell.html
From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5047550/Gordon-Brown-seeking-to-win-over-US-bankers-with-his-vision-for-global-economy.html
See also US/UK Recovery plans are a "Way to Hell" at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/5048291/EU-presidency-US-and-UK-economic-recovery-plans-are-a-way-to-hell.html
Obama's Yes We Can = Thank You Satan (LOL)
See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9p5HgVhLeU&feature=related
See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9p5HgVhLeU&feature=related
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Welcome to Gitmo II
Obama doesn’t talk like Bush; he just acts like him
By Ted RallMarch 24, 2009 " State Journal-Register" -- NEW YORK — You can’t blame Dick Cheney for being annoyed at Barack Obama. Obama is closing Guantánamo. He’s ordering the CIA to interrogate prisoners according to the rules written in the Army Field Manual, which doesn’t allow torture. He’s even phasing out such classic Bushian phrases as “enemy combatant” and “war on terror.”But the dark prince of neoconservatism should relax. Obama’s inaugural address may have promised to “reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” but — in all the ways that matter — he’s keeping all of Bush’s outrageous policies in place. Sure, he talks a good game about “moving forward.” But nothing has really changed. From reading your e-mails to asserting the right to assassinate American citizens to bailing out companies whose executives pay themselves big bonuses, Obama’s changes are nothing but toothless rhetoric.Closing Gitmo, reported The New York Times, was merely “a move that seemed intended to symbolically separate the new administration from Bush detention policies. But in a much anticipated court filing, the Justice Department argued that the president has the authority to detain terrorism suspects there without criminal charges, much as the Bush administration had asserted. It provided a broad definition of those who can be held, which was not significantly different from the one used by the Bush administration.”What will happen to the 241 POWs still at Gitmo? They won’t be called “enemy combatants” anymore but most won’t be going home. “The filing signaled that, as long as Guantánamo remains open, the new administration will aggressively defend its ability to hold some detainees there,” wrote the Times. Where will they go after that?Welcome to Gitmo II — courtesy of Barack Obama.Countless victims have been tortured by U.S. military personnel at Bagram, the U.S. air base in Afghanistan where Bush imprisoned 600 people without charges. Some were murdered in the camp’s notorious “salt pit.”“Even children have not been spared,” says Amnesty International.Now Bagram is being expanded — nearly doubled in size — in order to accommodate 200-plus detainees from Gitmo, as well as future POWs from Obama’s expanded war against Afghanistan. As bad as Guantánamo was, conditions at Bagram are worse.Extraordinary renditions, the Times reports in a different article, will continue under Obama.“In little-noticed confirmation testimony recently,” says the paper, “Obama nominees endorsed continuing the CIA’s program of transferring prisoners to other countries without legal rights, and indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trials even if they were arrested far from a war zone.”During the 2008 campaign Obama’s critics accused him of saying nothing, albeit beautifully. Now that we’ve gotten to know him a bit, it’s time to refine that assessment: He’s just a weasel. An eloquent weasel. But a weasel who says the right things while doing the opposite.On March 9, Obama ordered federal agencies to suspend Bush’s infamous “signing statements,” sneaky documents issued after the signing of a bill that ordered government agencies not to enforce the very same bill he’d just approved in front of the cameras. Signing statements, says the American Bar Association, use one-man dictatorial rule to negate the people’s will as expressed by Congress and are thus “contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional separation of powers.”“Yet two days later — literally — Obama signed a $410 billion spending bill and appended to it a signing statement claiming that he had the constitutional authority to ignore several of its oversight provisions,” writes Glenn Greenwald of Slate.Greenwald regrets having to quote the vile Rich Lowry of the right-wing National Review magazine. So do I. But even the right is right sometimes:“Barack Obama has perfected a three-step maneuver that could never even be attempted by a politician lacking his rhetorical skill or cool cynicism. First: Denounce your presidential predecessor for a given policy, energizing your party’s base and capitalizing on his abiding unpopularity. Second: Pretend to have reversed that policy upon taking office with a symbolic act or high-profile statement. Third: Adopt a version of that same policy, knowing that it’s the only way to govern responsibly or believing that doing otherwise is too difficult.”This week’s example is Obama’s grandstanding over $165 million in bonuses paid to executives of AIG, which received billions in federal bailout money. He feigned outrage: “How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?” But his Treasury Department knew about the bonuses — which amount to roughly 55 cents per American — ages ago. He also knows there isn’t much the government can do legally to claw the money back.Unlike the word count limit of this column, Obama’s perfidy knows no limits. He’s already become more dangerous to democracy and basic human rights than George W. Bush. Unlike Bush, he has no political opposition. Cheney may nitpick, but most Republicans are happy to see Bush’s policies remain in place. Meanwhile, liberals remain loyal, silent and tacitly pro-torture.Ted Rall is a columnist for Universal Press Syndicate.
Obama doesn’t talk like Bush; he just acts like him
By Ted RallMarch 24, 2009 " State Journal-Register" -- NEW YORK — You can’t blame Dick Cheney for being annoyed at Barack Obama. Obama is closing Guantánamo. He’s ordering the CIA to interrogate prisoners according to the rules written in the Army Field Manual, which doesn’t allow torture. He’s even phasing out such classic Bushian phrases as “enemy combatant” and “war on terror.”But the dark prince of neoconservatism should relax. Obama’s inaugural address may have promised to “reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” but — in all the ways that matter — he’s keeping all of Bush’s outrageous policies in place. Sure, he talks a good game about “moving forward.” But nothing has really changed. From reading your e-mails to asserting the right to assassinate American citizens to bailing out companies whose executives pay themselves big bonuses, Obama’s changes are nothing but toothless rhetoric.Closing Gitmo, reported The New York Times, was merely “a move that seemed intended to symbolically separate the new administration from Bush detention policies. But in a much anticipated court filing, the Justice Department argued that the president has the authority to detain terrorism suspects there without criminal charges, much as the Bush administration had asserted. It provided a broad definition of those who can be held, which was not significantly different from the one used by the Bush administration.”What will happen to the 241 POWs still at Gitmo? They won’t be called “enemy combatants” anymore but most won’t be going home. “The filing signaled that, as long as Guantánamo remains open, the new administration will aggressively defend its ability to hold some detainees there,” wrote the Times. Where will they go after that?Welcome to Gitmo II — courtesy of Barack Obama.Countless victims have been tortured by U.S. military personnel at Bagram, the U.S. air base in Afghanistan where Bush imprisoned 600 people without charges. Some were murdered in the camp’s notorious “salt pit.”“Even children have not been spared,” says Amnesty International.Now Bagram is being expanded — nearly doubled in size — in order to accommodate 200-plus detainees from Gitmo, as well as future POWs from Obama’s expanded war against Afghanistan. As bad as Guantánamo was, conditions at Bagram are worse.Extraordinary renditions, the Times reports in a different article, will continue under Obama.“In little-noticed confirmation testimony recently,” says the paper, “Obama nominees endorsed continuing the CIA’s program of transferring prisoners to other countries without legal rights, and indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trials even if they were arrested far from a war zone.”During the 2008 campaign Obama’s critics accused him of saying nothing, albeit beautifully. Now that we’ve gotten to know him a bit, it’s time to refine that assessment: He’s just a weasel. An eloquent weasel. But a weasel who says the right things while doing the opposite.On March 9, Obama ordered federal agencies to suspend Bush’s infamous “signing statements,” sneaky documents issued after the signing of a bill that ordered government agencies not to enforce the very same bill he’d just approved in front of the cameras. Signing statements, says the American Bar Association, use one-man dictatorial rule to negate the people’s will as expressed by Congress and are thus “contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional separation of powers.”“Yet two days later — literally — Obama signed a $410 billion spending bill and appended to it a signing statement claiming that he had the constitutional authority to ignore several of its oversight provisions,” writes Glenn Greenwald of Slate.Greenwald regrets having to quote the vile Rich Lowry of the right-wing National Review magazine. So do I. But even the right is right sometimes:“Barack Obama has perfected a three-step maneuver that could never even be attempted by a politician lacking his rhetorical skill or cool cynicism. First: Denounce your presidential predecessor for a given policy, energizing your party’s base and capitalizing on his abiding unpopularity. Second: Pretend to have reversed that policy upon taking office with a symbolic act or high-profile statement. Third: Adopt a version of that same policy, knowing that it’s the only way to govern responsibly or believing that doing otherwise is too difficult.”This week’s example is Obama’s grandstanding over $165 million in bonuses paid to executives of AIG, which received billions in federal bailout money. He feigned outrage: “How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?” But his Treasury Department knew about the bonuses — which amount to roughly 55 cents per American — ages ago. He also knows there isn’t much the government can do legally to claw the money back.Unlike the word count limit of this column, Obama’s perfidy knows no limits. He’s already become more dangerous to democracy and basic human rights than George W. Bush. Unlike Bush, he has no political opposition. Cheney may nitpick, but most Republicans are happy to see Bush’s policies remain in place. Meanwhile, liberals remain loyal, silent and tacitly pro-torture.Ted Rall is a columnist for Universal Press Syndicate.
Commander confirms Netanyahu war plans
Israel is preparing for all-out war on multiple fronts that include Iran, Syria and Lebanon, a senior military commander claims.
Israeli army Home Front Command Major General Yair Golan said Sunday that Tel Aviv is preparing for "all possible scenarios", indicating that one such scenario would be to fight a simultaneous war against Iran, Syria and Lebanon. The confirmation comes as US President Barack Obama seeks "new beginnings" with its arch-rival Iran. The US offer has been met with world praise but with fury in Tel Aviv. Israeli media outlets late on Sunday began propagating wild scenarios that Iran is using the Lebanese Hezbollah to recruit Palestinian fighters to carry out terror attacks on Israel. Citing anonymous sources, the reports began to surface after Tel Aviv countered an alleged bombing attempt outside a shopping mall in the northern city of Haifa. "We are treating the attempted attack in Haifa with great gravity. A huge disaster was prevented by a miracle," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a weekly cabinet meeting after the bomb was defused on Sunday. Israel has long accused Iran of arming Hezbollah and Palestinian groups via Syria, in an attempt to demonize the two Muslim countries. Tel Aviv also accuses Tehran of developing nuclear weaponry -- a charge denied by the UN nuclear watchdog. At a conference held in Tel Aviv, Golan also confirmed the likeliness of Israel staging another military confrontation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Although Israel does not consider rocket attacks from Gaza as a serious threat, there is the possibility of "dangerous" missile attacks by other countries, he said. He failed to elaborate how such missile attacks would relate to Gaza. His remarks came as reports claim that the soon-to-be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has plans for "a major military conflict in the coming months." The commander also revealed that Tel Aviv will install new warning systems across Israel in preparation for its war plans. The last Israeli-waged war on the Gaza Strip, which began on December 27, killed at least 1,350 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,450 others in the densely-populated sliver. The aggression was the last in a series of operations carried out by the Israeli forces against the natives of the land since occupying Palestine in 1948.
Israel is preparing for all-out war on multiple fronts that include Iran, Syria and Lebanon, a senior military commander claims.
Israeli army Home Front Command Major General Yair Golan said Sunday that Tel Aviv is preparing for "all possible scenarios", indicating that one such scenario would be to fight a simultaneous war against Iran, Syria and Lebanon. The confirmation comes as US President Barack Obama seeks "new beginnings" with its arch-rival Iran. The US offer has been met with world praise but with fury in Tel Aviv. Israeli media outlets late on Sunday began propagating wild scenarios that Iran is using the Lebanese Hezbollah to recruit Palestinian fighters to carry out terror attacks on Israel. Citing anonymous sources, the reports began to surface after Tel Aviv countered an alleged bombing attempt outside a shopping mall in the northern city of Haifa. "We are treating the attempted attack in Haifa with great gravity. A huge disaster was prevented by a miracle," Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a weekly cabinet meeting after the bomb was defused on Sunday. Israel has long accused Iran of arming Hezbollah and Palestinian groups via Syria, in an attempt to demonize the two Muslim countries. Tel Aviv also accuses Tehran of developing nuclear weaponry -- a charge denied by the UN nuclear watchdog. At a conference held in Tel Aviv, Golan also confirmed the likeliness of Israel staging another military confrontation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Although Israel does not consider rocket attacks from Gaza as a serious threat, there is the possibility of "dangerous" missile attacks by other countries, he said. He failed to elaborate how such missile attacks would relate to Gaza. His remarks came as reports claim that the soon-to-be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has plans for "a major military conflict in the coming months." The commander also revealed that Tel Aviv will install new warning systems across Israel in preparation for its war plans. The last Israeli-waged war on the Gaza Strip, which began on December 27, killed at least 1,350 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,450 others in the densely-populated sliver. The aggression was the last in a series of operations carried out by the Israeli forces against the natives of the land since occupying Palestine in 1948.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Mexico, Pakistan, and the So-Called “Failed State”
Washington's War on "Narco-Terrorism
Are Mexican drug cartels a threat to the United States? This is an easy conclusion to make after reading most mainstream U.S. newspapers. Hardly a day goes by without sensational stories about “broad daylight” gun battles, heart-wrenching interviews with weeping mothers, and praise for the Mexican army in its “war” against “narco-terrorists.”Interestingly, Mexico has lately been compared to Pakistan as a country “on the verge” of becoming a “failed state,” with the Mexican drug cartels accused of playing the same “destabilizing” role as the Taliban/terrorists in Pakistan. Calling such a comparison a stretch would be a gross understatement, of course.There is in fact a real connection between Mexico and Pakistan that’s worth discussing, though you’d never hear it mentioned in the mainstream media. Both countries have governments that are virtual pawns of the U.S. and, as such, are having a difficult time with their native populations as they attempt to please their real bosses — U.S. mega-corporations and rich investors. And these bosses can be demanding. For example, in Pakistan the U.S. dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF) is demanding that Pakistan privatize state-owned banks, railways, power plants, water, insurance, factories, etc. — so that U.S. corporations and investors can buy them at discount rates for private profit. In Mexico, the same U.S. groups are lustfully eyeing Mexico’s number one source of national revenue: the state oil company (PEMEX). Mexican companies and natural resources had already been gobbled-up by U.S. corporate vultures long before NAFTA came into effect, though this trade agreement intensified the trend, making it a good place to begin if one is to have any understanding of the current political situation in Mexico.
Click here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12709 to read more.
Washington's War on "Narco-Terrorism
Are Mexican drug cartels a threat to the United States? This is an easy conclusion to make after reading most mainstream U.S. newspapers. Hardly a day goes by without sensational stories about “broad daylight” gun battles, heart-wrenching interviews with weeping mothers, and praise for the Mexican army in its “war” against “narco-terrorists.”Interestingly, Mexico has lately been compared to Pakistan as a country “on the verge” of becoming a “failed state,” with the Mexican drug cartels accused of playing the same “destabilizing” role as the Taliban/terrorists in Pakistan. Calling such a comparison a stretch would be a gross understatement, of course.There is in fact a real connection between Mexico and Pakistan that’s worth discussing, though you’d never hear it mentioned in the mainstream media. Both countries have governments that are virtual pawns of the U.S. and, as such, are having a difficult time with their native populations as they attempt to please their real bosses — U.S. mega-corporations and rich investors. And these bosses can be demanding. For example, in Pakistan the U.S. dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF) is demanding that Pakistan privatize state-owned banks, railways, power plants, water, insurance, factories, etc. — so that U.S. corporations and investors can buy them at discount rates for private profit. In Mexico, the same U.S. groups are lustfully eyeing Mexico’s number one source of national revenue: the state oil company (PEMEX). Mexican companies and natural resources had already been gobbled-up by U.S. corporate vultures long before NAFTA came into effect, though this trade agreement intensified the trend, making it a good place to begin if one is to have any understanding of the current political situation in Mexico.
Click here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12709 to read more.
MUST SEE!!!
Germany becomes one of the first countries to admit Chemtrails Ops: http://www.blinkx.com/video/germany-becomes-one-of-the-first-countries-to-admit-chemtrails-ops/LqoxSfwk8GRBPBQZrDaNQQ
Germany becomes one of the first countries to admit Chemtrails Ops: http://www.blinkx.com/video/germany-becomes-one-of-the-first-countries-to-admit-chemtrails-ops/LqoxSfwk8GRBPBQZrDaNQQ
Bibi (Mr. Iran) See 'Major' War Soon
3-17-9
Amid lingering talks of war on Iran, Israel's prime minister-designate raises the alarm about a major military conflict in the coming months.
The soon-to-be prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that "a national emergency" such as Israel's involvement in a major war would help him in his frantic attempts to form a new ruling coalition.
Following the inconclusive February 20 elections, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, the hawkish leader of Likud, was tasked with piecing together a new Israeli government.
Netanyahu, who is known as "Mr. Iran" in Israeli circles, has so far failed to gain the trust and support of opposition parties of Kadima and Labor.
According to a report carried by Debka, which is believed to have close links to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, Bibi is planning to settle for a provisional administration before calling for another early election in six months.
"His main consideration is that Israel expects to be embroiled in a major military confrontation in the next few months with Iran, Hamas or Hezbollah -- or all three at once," read the Debka report.
Click here: http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=88605§ionid=351020104 to read more.
See also: Mullen Sketches Out'US Strike' On Iran at: http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=88715§ionid=351020104
3-17-9
Amid lingering talks of war on Iran, Israel's prime minister-designate raises the alarm about a major military conflict in the coming months.
The soon-to-be prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that "a national emergency" such as Israel's involvement in a major war would help him in his frantic attempts to form a new ruling coalition.
Following the inconclusive February 20 elections, Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, the hawkish leader of Likud, was tasked with piecing together a new Israeli government.
Netanyahu, who is known as "Mr. Iran" in Israeli circles, has so far failed to gain the trust and support of opposition parties of Kadima and Labor.
According to a report carried by Debka, which is believed to have close links to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, Bibi is planning to settle for a provisional administration before calling for another early election in six months.
"His main consideration is that Israel expects to be embroiled in a major military confrontation in the next few months with Iran, Hamas or Hezbollah -- or all three at once," read the Debka report.
Click here: http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=88605§ionid=351020104 to read more.
See also: Mullen Sketches Out'US Strike' On Iran at: http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=88715§ionid=351020104
You should get VERY MAD about this!!!
Citigroup CEO awarded $10.8 million
By Jonathan Stempel and Dan Wilchins
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc awarded Chief Executive Vikram Pandit $10.82 million of compensation in 2008, a year when the government propped up the bank with $45 billion of capital.
Citigroup also nominated four new independent directors to bolster the banking and financial expertise on its board, including Anthony Santomero, 62, a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Click here: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52F3MP20090316 to read more.
Citigroup CEO awarded $10.8 million
By Jonathan Stempel and Dan Wilchins
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc awarded Chief Executive Vikram Pandit $10.82 million of compensation in 2008, a year when the government propped up the bank with $45 billion of capital.
Citigroup also nominated four new independent directors to bolster the banking and financial expertise on its board, including Anthony Santomero, 62, a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
Click here: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52F3MP20090316 to read more.
AIG releases list of bailout beneficiaries
Despite denials, Goldman Sachs tops lists of beneficiaries from US taxpayer bailout of insurance giant AIG.
Bowing to building pressure from the media, the public and members of the US Congress, insurance giant AIG has begun to release some of the data about banks and other recipients of billions of US taxpayer money.
Apart from the disclosure itself, the big headline was that Goldman Sachs Group, which had last autumn denied having any "material" exposure to AIG, was the biggest beneficiary from the bailout of AIG receiving $12.9 bn in various payouts. Goldman repeatedly said last autumn that it had no material exposure to AIG.
The New York Times reported last autumn that the Goldman Sachs was AIG's largest trading partner and:
A collapse of the insurer threatened to leave a hole of as much as $20 billion in Goldman's side...
The story contradicted comments by Goldman CFO David Viniar's comments during a 16 September 2008 conference call when he said that Goldman's exposure to AIG was "immaterial". Hours after that call, the US government announced an $85bn bailout of insurance giant.
Responding to the New York Times' story, Goldman Sachs "strenuously and very publicly denied the gist of the allegation," writes Sam Jones of the FT's Alphaville blog.
The disclosure shows how $44bn was paid out to 20 firms, all of the banks in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe apart from Citadel Investment Group, a Chicago-based hedge fund that received $200 m. AIG also paid out $12.1bn to states under guaranteed investment agreements.
As Jones said in his post at the FT:
We wonder whether things might yet get uncomfortable for Goldman. After all, they're in rather an awkward position: on the one hand, according to their above PR line, they didn't need AIG's money at all (it was, to paraphrase, immaterial whether AIG went under or not). And yet, on the other hand Goldman is - gosh - the largest recipient, via AIG, of taxpayers' money.
You can read the entire release by AIG, and we've added the figures to our Data Store.
DATA: the AIG counterparties
See all our data atthe Datastore directory
From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/mar/16/aig-goldmansachs
Despite denials, Goldman Sachs tops lists of beneficiaries from US taxpayer bailout of insurance giant AIG.
Bowing to building pressure from the media, the public and members of the US Congress, insurance giant AIG has begun to release some of the data about banks and other recipients of billions of US taxpayer money.
Apart from the disclosure itself, the big headline was that Goldman Sachs Group, which had last autumn denied having any "material" exposure to AIG, was the biggest beneficiary from the bailout of AIG receiving $12.9 bn in various payouts. Goldman repeatedly said last autumn that it had no material exposure to AIG.
The New York Times reported last autumn that the Goldman Sachs was AIG's largest trading partner and:
A collapse of the insurer threatened to leave a hole of as much as $20 billion in Goldman's side...
The story contradicted comments by Goldman CFO David Viniar's comments during a 16 September 2008 conference call when he said that Goldman's exposure to AIG was "immaterial". Hours after that call, the US government announced an $85bn bailout of insurance giant.
Responding to the New York Times' story, Goldman Sachs "strenuously and very publicly denied the gist of the allegation," writes Sam Jones of the FT's Alphaville blog.
The disclosure shows how $44bn was paid out to 20 firms, all of the banks in the US, Canada, the UK and Europe apart from Citadel Investment Group, a Chicago-based hedge fund that received $200 m. AIG also paid out $12.1bn to states under guaranteed investment agreements.
As Jones said in his post at the FT:
We wonder whether things might yet get uncomfortable for Goldman. After all, they're in rather an awkward position: on the one hand, according to their above PR line, they didn't need AIG's money at all (it was, to paraphrase, immaterial whether AIG went under or not). And yet, on the other hand Goldman is - gosh - the largest recipient, via AIG, of taxpayers' money.
You can read the entire release by AIG, and we've added the figures to our Data Store.
DATA: the AIG counterparties
See all our data atthe Datastore directory
From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/mar/16/aig-goldmansachs
Israeli army ordered to devise Iran war
Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:58:29 GMT
Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi says he is tasked with drawing up contingency plans as Israel ups its war rhetoric against Iran over the country's nuclear program. As Israeli talks of war on Iran gain momentum, Israel's military Chief of Staff says the army must prepare for a military aggression. In a meeting with top US diplomats on Monday, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Israel could not live with a nuclear Iran and that an Israeli military strike was a "serious" option in retarding the country's progress. Ashkenazi -- whose request to meet with President Barack Obama and his American counterpart Admiral Mike Mullen was turned down -- made the remarks in a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her designated US envoy to the Persian Gulf, Dennis Ross. The Israeli general and the American hosts discussed the Iranian issue shortly after reports revealed that the Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu plans a "major military confrontation" in the next few months. Israel, believed by many to be the sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, says Iran and its nuclear program pose an "existential threat" to Tel Aviv. Under the claim, Israeli officials in the military and the government regularly threaten to launch aerial strikes against Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Tehran is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and, according to the UN nuclear watchdog, has not opted to violate the treaty. Iran says the only objective of its program is to make use of the civilian applications of the nuclear technology. The US, Israel and their European allies - Britain, France and Germany --, accuse the country of having military intentions in its pursuit. Ashkenazi added that any final decision on Iran would be made by the government. He, however, said that he had been tasked with drawing up contingency plans since a military operation was a 'concrete possibility'.
From: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=88898§ionid=351020104
See also: Israel handed new option in attacking Iran at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=88914§ionid=351020104
Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:58:29 GMT
Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi says he is tasked with drawing up contingency plans as Israel ups its war rhetoric against Iran over the country's nuclear program. As Israeli talks of war on Iran gain momentum, Israel's military Chief of Staff says the army must prepare for a military aggression. In a meeting with top US diplomats on Monday, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Israel could not live with a nuclear Iran and that an Israeli military strike was a "serious" option in retarding the country's progress. Ashkenazi -- whose request to meet with President Barack Obama and his American counterpart Admiral Mike Mullen was turned down -- made the remarks in a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her designated US envoy to the Persian Gulf, Dennis Ross. The Israeli general and the American hosts discussed the Iranian issue shortly after reports revealed that the Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu plans a "major military confrontation" in the next few months. Israel, believed by many to be the sole possessor of a nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, says Iran and its nuclear program pose an "existential threat" to Tel Aviv. Under the claim, Israeli officials in the military and the government regularly threaten to launch aerial strikes against Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Tehran is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and, according to the UN nuclear watchdog, has not opted to violate the treaty. Iran says the only objective of its program is to make use of the civilian applications of the nuclear technology. The US, Israel and their European allies - Britain, France and Germany --, accuse the country of having military intentions in its pursuit. Ashkenazi added that any final decision on Iran would be made by the government. He, however, said that he had been tasked with drawing up contingency plans since a military operation was a 'concrete possibility'.
From: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=88898§ionid=351020104
See also: Israel handed new option in attacking Iran at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=88914§ionid=351020104
Friday, March 13, 2009
Cheney Assassination Squads
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh describes 'executive assassination ring'
By Eric Black Published Wed, Mar 11 2009 11:17 am
At a “Great Conversations” event (MP3) at the University of Minnesota last night, legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh may have made a little more news than he intended by talking about new alleged instances of domestic spying by the CIA, and about an ongoing covert military operation that he called an “executive assassination ring.”
Hersh spoke with great confidence about these findings from his current reporting, which he hasn’t written about yet.
In an email exchange afterward, Hersh said that his statements were “an honest response to a question” from the event’s moderator, U of M Political Scientist Larry Jacobs and “not something I wanted to dwell about in public.”
Hersh didn’t take back the statements, which he said arise from reporting he is doing for a book, but that it might be a year or two before he has what he needs on the topic to be “effective...that is, empirical, for even the most skeptical.”
The evening of great conversation, featuring Walter Mondale and Hersh, moderated by Jacobs and titled “America’s Constitutional Crisis,” looked to be a mostly historical review of events that have tested our Constitution, by a journalist and a high government official who had experience with many of the crises.
And it was mostly historical, and a great conversation, in which Hersh and Mondale talked about the patterns by which presidents seem to get intoxicated by executive power, frustrated by the limitations on that power from Congress and the public, drawn into improper covert actions that exceed their constitutional powers, in the belief that they can get results and will never be found out. Despite a few references to the Founding Fathers, the history was mostly recent, starting with the Vietnam War with much of it arising from the George W. Bush administration, which both men roundly denounced.
At the end of one answer by Hersh about how these things tend to happen, Jacobs asked: “And do they continue to happen to this day?”
Replied Hersh:
“Yuh. After 9/11, I haven’t written about this yet, but the Central Intelligence Agency was very deeply involved in domestic activities against people they thought to be enemies of the state. Without any legal authority for it. They haven’t been called on it yet. That does happen.
"Right now, today, there was a story in the New York Times that if you read it carefully mentioned something known as the Joint Special Operations Command -- JSOC it’s called. It is a special wing of our special operations community that is set up independently. They do not report to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to the Cheney office. They did not report to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff or to Mr. [Robert] Gates, the secretary of defense. They reported directly to him. ...
Click here: http://www.minnpost.com/ericblackblog/2009/03/11/7310/investigative_reporter_seymour_hersh_describes_executive_assassination_ring to read more.
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh describes 'executive assassination ring'
By Eric Black Published Wed, Mar 11 2009 11:17 am
At a “Great Conversations” event (MP3) at the University of Minnesota last night, legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersh may have made a little more news than he intended by talking about new alleged instances of domestic spying by the CIA, and about an ongoing covert military operation that he called an “executive assassination ring.”
Hersh spoke with great confidence about these findings from his current reporting, which he hasn’t written about yet.
In an email exchange afterward, Hersh said that his statements were “an honest response to a question” from the event’s moderator, U of M Political Scientist Larry Jacobs and “not something I wanted to dwell about in public.”
Hersh didn’t take back the statements, which he said arise from reporting he is doing for a book, but that it might be a year or two before he has what he needs on the topic to be “effective...that is, empirical, for even the most skeptical.”
The evening of great conversation, featuring Walter Mondale and Hersh, moderated by Jacobs and titled “America’s Constitutional Crisis,” looked to be a mostly historical review of events that have tested our Constitution, by a journalist and a high government official who had experience with many of the crises.
And it was mostly historical, and a great conversation, in which Hersh and Mondale talked about the patterns by which presidents seem to get intoxicated by executive power, frustrated by the limitations on that power from Congress and the public, drawn into improper covert actions that exceed their constitutional powers, in the belief that they can get results and will never be found out. Despite a few references to the Founding Fathers, the history was mostly recent, starting with the Vietnam War with much of it arising from the George W. Bush administration, which both men roundly denounced.
At the end of one answer by Hersh about how these things tend to happen, Jacobs asked: “And do they continue to happen to this day?”
Replied Hersh:
“Yuh. After 9/11, I haven’t written about this yet, but the Central Intelligence Agency was very deeply involved in domestic activities against people they thought to be enemies of the state. Without any legal authority for it. They haven’t been called on it yet. That does happen.
"Right now, today, there was a story in the New York Times that if you read it carefully mentioned something known as the Joint Special Operations Command -- JSOC it’s called. It is a special wing of our special operations community that is set up independently. They do not report to anybody, except in the Bush-Cheney days, they reported directly to the Cheney office. They did not report to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff or to Mr. [Robert] Gates, the secretary of defense. They reported directly to him. ...
Click here: http://www.minnpost.com/ericblackblog/2009/03/11/7310/investigative_reporter_seymour_hersh_describes_executive_assassination_ring to read more.
So Let's Attack Iran
By Eric S. Margolis
March 13, 2009 "HuffingtonPost" -- -Iran has haunted every U.S. administration since the days of President Jimmy Carter. While running for president, Barack Obama proposed opening talks with Tehran and trying to end the long Cold War between the United States and Iran.Obama's sensible idea was greeted with the deepest dismay by ardent supporters of Israel and Rambo Republicans who want to see the US go to war with Iran, a nation of 70 million, and destroy its nuclear infrastructure.Now, as the United States fights for its economic life, the Iran question and its alleged nuclear weapons program have again become an issue of major contention. Officials in the Obama administration and the media issued a blizzard of contradictory claims over Iran's alleged nuclear threat, leaving us wondering: who is really charge of U.S. foreign policy?This awkward question was underlined during a visit to Washington by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Britain is supposed to be America's most important ally and partner in their 'special relationship.'Brown's reception was dismal and Obama's obvious lack of interest in Britain's leader was quite embarrassing. The British media slammed America's cold reception as an 'insult,' and claimed that Brown had been treated like the leader of a 'minor African state.' White House aides excused the huge diplomatic faux pas by claiming President Obama was worn out from dealing with the financial and economic crisis. I'm sure he is worn out, but this still does not bode well for the conduct of US foreign policy.Much of the uproar over Iran's so-far non-existent nuclear weapons must be seen as part of efforts by neoconservatives to thwart President Obama's proposition to open Tehran and to keep up the pressure for an American attack on Iran
Click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-margolis/the-american-rome-is-burn_b_174074.html to read more.
By Eric S. Margolis
March 13, 2009 "HuffingtonPost" -- -Iran has haunted every U.S. administration since the days of President Jimmy Carter. While running for president, Barack Obama proposed opening talks with Tehran and trying to end the long Cold War between the United States and Iran.Obama's sensible idea was greeted with the deepest dismay by ardent supporters of Israel and Rambo Republicans who want to see the US go to war with Iran, a nation of 70 million, and destroy its nuclear infrastructure.Now, as the United States fights for its economic life, the Iran question and its alleged nuclear weapons program have again become an issue of major contention. Officials in the Obama administration and the media issued a blizzard of contradictory claims over Iran's alleged nuclear threat, leaving us wondering: who is really charge of U.S. foreign policy?This awkward question was underlined during a visit to Washington by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Britain is supposed to be America's most important ally and partner in their 'special relationship.'Brown's reception was dismal and Obama's obvious lack of interest in Britain's leader was quite embarrassing. The British media slammed America's cold reception as an 'insult,' and claimed that Brown had been treated like the leader of a 'minor African state.' White House aides excused the huge diplomatic faux pas by claiming President Obama was worn out from dealing with the financial and economic crisis. I'm sure he is worn out, but this still does not bode well for the conduct of US foreign policy.Much of the uproar over Iran's so-far non-existent nuclear weapons must be seen as part of efforts by neoconservatives to thwart President Obama's proposition to open Tehran and to keep up the pressure for an American attack on Iran
Click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-margolis/the-american-rome-is-burn_b_174074.html to read more.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Don't Riot - It's Just What They Want
By David Icke
3-9-9
As I travel around America it is clear that this country is on the brink of an economic catastrophe the like of which it has never seen. And, of course, it is not alone. A similar story can be told around the world.
The foreclosure figures are fantastic as families and others lose their homes through no fault of their own on a scale that, according to current projections, is destined to become a tidal wave.
The credit explosion was orchestrated through Illuminati agents and Satanists like Alan Greenspan, who represents the interests of the Illuminati's Bilderberg Group, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and other far more exclusive and sinister secret societies.
Greenspan was the long-time head of the privately-owned 'US central bank', the Federal Reserve. Once his policies had manipulated as much personal and commercial debt as possible the plug was pulled on the system to trigger what is designed to be global economic meltdown.
Greenspan, who led 'the Fed' under Reagan, Father Bush, Clinton and Boy Bush, operates at a deeper level within the Illuminati network than most of their public figures, and I was told by a former Satanist, an unofficial offspring of the Rothschild family, how he remembered Greenspan at sacrifice rituals he attended:
'I can recall the Rockefellers and the Bushes attending rituals, but never having the supremacy to lead them. I still regard them as lackeys and not real brokers of occult power. Except for Alan Greenspan, most of these fellows were camp followers in the occult, primarily for the economic power and prestige. Greenspan, I recall, was a person of tremendous spiritual, occult power and could make the Bushes and the younger Rockefellers cower with just a glance.'
This, then, is the man who was controlling the United States economy from 1987 to 2006 and who, as planned, oversaw the insane economic policies that led to the current global collapse. Go to another level of understanding and you can see that Greenspan and other Illuminati place-men throughout the world knew exactly what they were doing and what the outcome was planned to be.
Zionist Greenspan got out just before the true scale and consequences of his manipulation came to light. It has been left to others, including his Zionist successor at the 'Fed', Ben Shalom Bernanke, to offer the 'solutions' to the problems that Greenspan and his like created. All of these 'solution' people are controlled by the same force that was, and is, behind Greenspan. This is why Obama has named blatant insiders to his 'economic team' who were fundamentally culpable in the very collapse they have been appointed to 'address'.
Click here: http://www.rense.com/general85/riot.htm to read more.
By David Icke
3-9-9
As I travel around America it is clear that this country is on the brink of an economic catastrophe the like of which it has never seen. And, of course, it is not alone. A similar story can be told around the world.
The foreclosure figures are fantastic as families and others lose their homes through no fault of their own on a scale that, according to current projections, is destined to become a tidal wave.
The credit explosion was orchestrated through Illuminati agents and Satanists like Alan Greenspan, who represents the interests of the Illuminati's Bilderberg Group, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission and other far more exclusive and sinister secret societies.
Greenspan was the long-time head of the privately-owned 'US central bank', the Federal Reserve. Once his policies had manipulated as much personal and commercial debt as possible the plug was pulled on the system to trigger what is designed to be global economic meltdown.
Greenspan, who led 'the Fed' under Reagan, Father Bush, Clinton and Boy Bush, operates at a deeper level within the Illuminati network than most of their public figures, and I was told by a former Satanist, an unofficial offspring of the Rothschild family, how he remembered Greenspan at sacrifice rituals he attended:
'I can recall the Rockefellers and the Bushes attending rituals, but never having the supremacy to lead them. I still regard them as lackeys and not real brokers of occult power. Except for Alan Greenspan, most of these fellows were camp followers in the occult, primarily for the economic power and prestige. Greenspan, I recall, was a person of tremendous spiritual, occult power and could make the Bushes and the younger Rockefellers cower with just a glance.'
This, then, is the man who was controlling the United States economy from 1987 to 2006 and who, as planned, oversaw the insane economic policies that led to the current global collapse. Go to another level of understanding and you can see that Greenspan and other Illuminati place-men throughout the world knew exactly what they were doing and what the outcome was planned to be.
Zionist Greenspan got out just before the true scale and consequences of his manipulation came to light. It has been left to others, including his Zionist successor at the 'Fed', Ben Shalom Bernanke, to offer the 'solutions' to the problems that Greenspan and his like created. All of these 'solution' people are controlled by the same force that was, and is, behind Greenspan. This is why Obama has named blatant insiders to his 'economic team' who were fundamentally culpable in the very collapse they have been appointed to 'address'.
Click here: http://www.rense.com/general85/riot.htm to read more.
Biden Urges NATO Allies to Help Tackle Problems in Afghanistan
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Biden has asked NATO allies for more help to step up the fight against the Taliban
US Vice President Joe Biden urged NATO allies to help tackle worsening security conditions in Afghanistan and step up international efforts against the Taliban.
US Vice President Joe Biden told NATO that the situation in Afghanistan was a threat to the West as a whole.
"The deteriorating situation in the region poses a security threat not just to the United States but to every single nation round this table," Biden told representatives of the 26-nation military alliance during a visit to Brussels on Tuesday, March 10.
"It was from the very same mountains that the attacks of 9/11 were planned," he said, adding that NATO should seek "pragmatic solutions" to its war in Afghanistan.
Biden said options included direct talks with moderate factions of the Taliban, most of whom are only involved in the insurgency for the money.
"We are not now winning the war, but the war is far from lost," Biden told a news conference after three hours of talks.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government had long supported dialogue with those members of the Taliban, who are not connected with "terrorists."
Click here: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0%2C%2C4084230%2C00.html to read more
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Biden has asked NATO allies for more help to step up the fight against the Taliban
US Vice President Joe Biden urged NATO allies to help tackle worsening security conditions in Afghanistan and step up international efforts against the Taliban.
US Vice President Joe Biden told NATO that the situation in Afghanistan was a threat to the West as a whole.
"The deteriorating situation in the region poses a security threat not just to the United States but to every single nation round this table," Biden told representatives of the 26-nation military alliance during a visit to Brussels on Tuesday, March 10.
"It was from the very same mountains that the attacks of 9/11 were planned," he said, adding that NATO should seek "pragmatic solutions" to its war in Afghanistan.
Biden said options included direct talks with moderate factions of the Taliban, most of whom are only involved in the insurgency for the money.
"We are not now winning the war, but the war is far from lost," Biden told a news conference after three hours of talks.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government had long supported dialogue with those members of the Taliban, who are not connected with "terrorists."
Click here: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0%2C%2C4084230%2C00.html to read more
Dmitry Orlov: Social Collapse Best Practices
Click here: http://fora.tv/2009/02/13/Dmitry_Orlov_Social_Collapse_Best_Practices#chapter_01 to see entire video.
Click here: http://fora.tv/2009/02/13/Dmitry_Orlov_Social_Collapse_Best_Practices#chapter_01 to see entire video.
Here We Go Again With the Iranian Nuclear Scare
By Eric S. Margolis
March 09, 2009 "Khaleej Times" -- - While the United States was fighting for its economic life, Obama administration officials and the media issued a blizzard of contradictory claims over Iran’s alleged nuclear threat, leaving one wondering who is really charge of US foreign policy?
By Eric S. Margolis
March 09, 2009 "Khaleej Times" -- - While the United States was fighting for its economic life, Obama administration officials and the media issued a blizzard of contradictory claims over Iran’s alleged nuclear threat, leaving one wondering who is really charge of US foreign policy?
Much of the uproar over Iran’s so-far non-existent nuclear weapons must be seen as part of efforts by the Israeli lobby to block President Barack Obama’s proposed opening to Teheran, and to keep pressing the US to attack Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Israel’s supporters and most Israeli military experts insist Iran has secret weapons programmes. Israel knows about covert nuclear programs, having run one of the world’s largest and most productive.
The hawkish Hillary Clinton’s naming of veteran Israel supporter Dennis Ross as her special adviser on Iran and the Gulf suggest she is more interested in building future domestic political support than securing balanced advice.
Meanwhile, confusion over Iran grew sharply. New CIA director, Leon Panetta, said ‘there is no question, they (Iran) are seeking that (nuclear weapons) capability.’
Pentagon chief Adm. Mike Mullen claimed Iran had ‘enough fissile material to build a bomb.’ Fox News claimed Iran already had 50 nuclear weapons. While the American Rome burns, here we go again with renewed hysteria over MWMD’s - Muslim Weapons of Mass Destruction. Wars drums are again beating over Iran.
Israel’s supporters and most Israeli military experts insist Iran has secret weapons programmes. Israel knows about covert nuclear programs, having run one of the world’s largest and most productive.
The hawkish Hillary Clinton’s naming of veteran Israel supporter Dennis Ross as her special adviser on Iran and the Gulf suggest she is more interested in building future domestic political support than securing balanced advice.
Meanwhile, confusion over Iran grew sharply. New CIA director, Leon Panetta, said ‘there is no question, they (Iran) are seeking that (nuclear weapons) capability.’
Pentagon chief Adm. Mike Mullen claimed Iran had ‘enough fissile material to build a bomb.’ Fox News claimed Iran already had 50 nuclear weapons. While the American Rome burns, here we go again with renewed hysteria over MWMD’s - Muslim Weapons of Mass Destruction. Wars drums are again beating over Iran.
The U.S. Financial System Is Effectively Insolvent
Nouriel Roubini, 03.05.09, 12:01 AM EST
There is a grave risk of a global L-shaped depression.
For those who argue that the rate of growth of economic activity is turning positive--that economies are contracting but at a slower rate than in the fourth quarter of 2008--the latest data don't confirm this relative optimism. In 2008's fourth quarter, gross domestic product fell by about 6% in the U.S., 6% in the euro zone, 8% in Germany, 12% in Japan, 16% in Singapore and 20% in South Korea. So things are even more awful in Europe and Asia than in the U.S.
There is, in fact, a rising risk of a global L-shaped depression that would be even worse than the current, painful U-shaped global recession. Here's why:
First, note that most indicators suggest that the second derivative of economic activity is still sharply negative in Europe and Japan and close to negative in the U.S. and China. Some signals that the second derivative was turning positive for the U.S. and China turned out to be fake starts. For the U.S., the Empire State and Philly Fed indexes of manufacturing are still in free fall; initial claims for unemployment benefits are up to scary levels, suggesting accelerating job losses; and January's sales increase is a fluke--more of a rebound from a very depressed December, after aggressive post-holiday sales, than a sustainable recovery.
For China, the growth of credit is only driven by firms borrowing cheap to invest in higher-returning deposits, not to invest, and steel prices in China have resumed their sharp fall. The more scary data are those for trade flows in Asia, with exports falling by about 40% to 50% in Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Even correcting for the effect of the Chinese New Year, exports and imports are sharply down in China, with imports falling (-40%) more than exports. This is a scary signal, as Chinese imports are mostly raw materials and intermediate inputs. So while Chinese exports have fallen so far less than in the rest of Asia, they may fall much more sharply in the months ahead, as signaled by the free fall in imports.
With economic activity contracting in 2009's first quarter at the same rate as in 2008's fourth quarter, a nasty U-shaped recession could turn into a more severe L-shaped near-depression (or stag-deflation). The scale and speed of synchronized global economic contraction is really unprecedented (at least since the Great Depression), with a free fall of GDP, income, consumption, industrial production, employment, exports, imports, residential investment and, more ominously, capital expenditures around the world. And now many emerging-market economies are on the verge of a fully fledged financial crisis, starting with emerging Europe.
Click here: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/04/global-recession-insolvent-opinions-columnists-roubini-economy.html?321 to read more.
Nouriel Roubini, 03.05.09, 12:01 AM EST
There is a grave risk of a global L-shaped depression.
For those who argue that the rate of growth of economic activity is turning positive--that economies are contracting but at a slower rate than in the fourth quarter of 2008--the latest data don't confirm this relative optimism. In 2008's fourth quarter, gross domestic product fell by about 6% in the U.S., 6% in the euro zone, 8% in Germany, 12% in Japan, 16% in Singapore and 20% in South Korea. So things are even more awful in Europe and Asia than in the U.S.
There is, in fact, a rising risk of a global L-shaped depression that would be even worse than the current, painful U-shaped global recession. Here's why:
First, note that most indicators suggest that the second derivative of economic activity is still sharply negative in Europe and Japan and close to negative in the U.S. and China. Some signals that the second derivative was turning positive for the U.S. and China turned out to be fake starts. For the U.S., the Empire State and Philly Fed indexes of manufacturing are still in free fall; initial claims for unemployment benefits are up to scary levels, suggesting accelerating job losses; and January's sales increase is a fluke--more of a rebound from a very depressed December, after aggressive post-holiday sales, than a sustainable recovery.
For China, the growth of credit is only driven by firms borrowing cheap to invest in higher-returning deposits, not to invest, and steel prices in China have resumed their sharp fall. The more scary data are those for trade flows in Asia, with exports falling by about 40% to 50% in Japan, Taiwan and Korea.
Even correcting for the effect of the Chinese New Year, exports and imports are sharply down in China, with imports falling (-40%) more than exports. This is a scary signal, as Chinese imports are mostly raw materials and intermediate inputs. So while Chinese exports have fallen so far less than in the rest of Asia, they may fall much more sharply in the months ahead, as signaled by the free fall in imports.
With economic activity contracting in 2009's first quarter at the same rate as in 2008's fourth quarter, a nasty U-shaped recession could turn into a more severe L-shaped near-depression (or stag-deflation). The scale and speed of synchronized global economic contraction is really unprecedented (at least since the Great Depression), with a free fall of GDP, income, consumption, industrial production, employment, exports, imports, residential investment and, more ominously, capital expenditures around the world. And now many emerging-market economies are on the verge of a fully fledged financial crisis, starting with emerging Europe.
Click here: http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/04/global-recession-insolvent-opinions-columnists-roubini-economy.html?321 to read more.
Iran in the Crosshairs
By Gareth Porter and Ray McGovern
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen was sent to tell the Israelis that the United States would not support such an attack, and after the fiasco in Georgia, the Russians too sent stern warnings to Tel Aviv.
But now the specter of an Israeli strike has reappeared. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s incoming prime minister, is far more committed to an attack on Iran than his predecessors.
Remember when Joe Biden told supporters of Barack Obama last October that Obama would be tested in his first six months in office?
There is good reason to believe he was referring to the likelihood that Netanyahu would become prime minister after the February 2009 Israeli election, and that he would waste little time finding a pretext to attack Iran.
Netanyahu has been laying the groundwork for such an attack for years, constantly repeating that Tehran is “preparing another Holocaust” a la Germany in the Thirties.
He keeps hammering home the “existential” threat that would be posed to Israel (with its 200-300 nuclear weapons) if Iran had just one.
Click here: http://consortiumnews.com/2009/030409a.html to read more.
By Gareth Porter and Ray McGovern
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen was sent to tell the Israelis that the United States would not support such an attack, and after the fiasco in Georgia, the Russians too sent stern warnings to Tel Aviv.
But now the specter of an Israeli strike has reappeared. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s incoming prime minister, is far more committed to an attack on Iran than his predecessors.
Remember when Joe Biden told supporters of Barack Obama last October that Obama would be tested in his first six months in office?
There is good reason to believe he was referring to the likelihood that Netanyahu would become prime minister after the February 2009 Israeli election, and that he would waste little time finding a pretext to attack Iran.
Netanyahu has been laying the groundwork for such an attack for years, constantly repeating that Tehran is “preparing another Holocaust” a la Germany in the Thirties.
He keeps hammering home the “existential” threat that would be posed to Israel (with its 200-300 nuclear weapons) if Iran had just one.
Click here: http://consortiumnews.com/2009/030409a.html to read more.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Is A Major War A Possibility In 2009? The Historical Antecedents
by Dr. Frederic F. Clairmont
In these lectures I shall venture to answer some of the queries made regarding the prospects of a major war . The notes to these lectures were scribbled over time in the corner of the living room.
There are two large standing lamps that illuminate the copy book that I am using to scribble these lines. The thin light black pen is gliding effortlessly over the paper. It is one of my inseparable companions. It is Made in China as well as the copy book with squared paper.
One of my Associates raised the question the other night: is there any manufactured products that American capitalism can produce that China cannot produce better and in greater quantities and considerably cheaper?
This is not fanciful speculation. It therefore follows whether American capitalism in its current state of indebtedness, mass impoverishment and financial disintegration will be able to compete internationally. Or put it another way: how and by what means will it pay for its imports, for what it consumes? Will it be able – on present evidence it is not – to shave and ultimately to eliminate its trade deficit by exporting more than it imports? Further, can the dollar be an acceptable medium of payment and exchange given the battering to which it has been unrelentingly subjected for many years? The observation by Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Greenback is worth less than used toilet paper is ungracious, but it is shared by many leading spirits in the world of finance capitalism.
In subsequent lectures we shall explore the ramifications of these issues. Suffice it to say that it is a matter of life and death that takes us into the deepest reaches of the conflictual contradictions within world capitalism and the imperialist lethal that I have will give you more than an idea of what is meant when we say that China has become the industrial hub of our planet; as well as an idea of what we mean when we speak of financial imbalances. Of that more later.
Click here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CLA20090227&articleId=12471 to read more.
by Dr. Frederic F. Clairmont
In these lectures I shall venture to answer some of the queries made regarding the prospects of a major war . The notes to these lectures were scribbled over time in the corner of the living room.
There are two large standing lamps that illuminate the copy book that I am using to scribble these lines. The thin light black pen is gliding effortlessly over the paper. It is one of my inseparable companions. It is Made in China as well as the copy book with squared paper.
One of my Associates raised the question the other night: is there any manufactured products that American capitalism can produce that China cannot produce better and in greater quantities and considerably cheaper?
This is not fanciful speculation. It therefore follows whether American capitalism in its current state of indebtedness, mass impoverishment and financial disintegration will be able to compete internationally. Or put it another way: how and by what means will it pay for its imports, for what it consumes? Will it be able – on present evidence it is not – to shave and ultimately to eliminate its trade deficit by exporting more than it imports? Further, can the dollar be an acceptable medium of payment and exchange given the battering to which it has been unrelentingly subjected for many years? The observation by Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Greenback is worth less than used toilet paper is ungracious, but it is shared by many leading spirits in the world of finance capitalism.
In subsequent lectures we shall explore the ramifications of these issues. Suffice it to say that it is a matter of life and death that takes us into the deepest reaches of the conflictual contradictions within world capitalism and the imperialist lethal that I have will give you more than an idea of what is meant when we say that China has become the industrial hub of our planet; as well as an idea of what we mean when we speak of financial imbalances. Of that more later.
Click here: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CLA20090227&articleId=12471 to read more.
What's Dead (Short Answer: All Of It)
Thursday, March 5. 2009
Posted by Karl Denninger in Editorial at 09:57
Just so you have a short list of what's at stake if Washington DC doesn't change policy here and now (which means before the collapse in equities comes, which could start as soon as today, if the indicators I watch have any validity at all. For what its worth, those indicators are painting a picture of the Apocalypse that I simply can't believe, and they're showing it as an imminent event - like perhaps today imminent.)
All pension funds, private and public, are done. If you are receiving one, you won't be. If you think you will in the future, you won't be. PBGC will fail as well. Pension funds will be forced to start eating their "seed corn" within the next 12 months and once that begins there is no way to recover.
All annuities will be defaulted to the state insurance protection (if any) on them. The state insurance funds will be bankrupted and unable to be replenished. Essentially, all annuities are toast. Expect zero, be ecstatic if you do better. All insurance companies with material exposure to these obligations will go bankrupt, without exception. Some of these firms are dangerously close to this happening right here and now; the rest will die within the next 6-12 months. If you have other insured interests with these firms, be prepared to pay a LOT more with a new company that can't earn anything off investments, and if you have a claim in process at the time it happens, it won't get paid. The probability of you getting "boned" on any transaction with an insurance company is extremely high - I rate this risk in excess of 90%.
The FDIC will be unable to cover bank failure obligations. They will attempt to do more of what they're doing now (raising insurance rates and doing special assessments) but will fail; the current path has no chance of success. Congress will backstop them (because they must lest shotguns come out) with disastrous results. In short, FDIC backstops will take precedence even over Social Security and Medicare.
Government debt costs will ramp. This warning has already been issued and is being ignored by President Obama. When (not if) it happens debt-based Federal Funding will disappear. This leads to....
Tax receipts are cratering and will continue to. I expect total tax receipts to fall to under $1 trillion within the next 12 months. Combined with the impossibility of continued debt issue (rollover will only remain possible at the short duration Treasury has committed to over the last ten years if they cease new issue) a 66% cut in the Federal Budget will become necessary. This will require a complete repudiation of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, a 50% cut in the military budget and a 50% across-the-board cut in all other federal programs. That will likely get close.
Tax-deferred accounts will be seized to fund rollovers of Treasury debt at essentially zero coupon (interest). If you have a 401k, or what's left of it, or an IRA, consider it locked up in Treasuries; it's not yours any more. Count on this happening - it is essentially a certainty.
Any firm with debt outstanding is currently presumed dead as the street presumption is that they have lied in some way. Expect at least 20% of the S&P 500 to fail within 12 months as a consequence of the complete and total lockup of all credit markets which The Fed will be unable to unlock or backstop. This will in turn lead to....
The unemployed will have 5-10 million in direct layoffs added within the next 12 months. Collateral damage (suppliers, customers, etc) will add at least another 5-10 million workers to that, perhaps double that many. U-3 (official unemployment rate) will go beyond 15%, U-6 (broad form) will reach 30%.
Civil unrest will break out before the end of the year. The Military and Guard will be called up to try to stop it. They won't be able to. Big cities are at risk of becoming a free-fire death zone. If you live in one, figure out how you can get out and live somewhere else if you detect signs that yours is starting to go "feral"; witness New Orleans after Katrina for how fast, and how bad, it can get.
The good news is that this process will clear The Bezzle out of the system.
The bad news is that you won't have a job, pension, annuity, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and, quite possibly, your life.
It really is that bleak folks, and it all goes back to Washington DC being unwilling to lock up the crooks, putting the market in the role it has always played - that of truth-finder, no matter how destructive that process is.
Only immediate action from Washington DC, taking the market's place, can stop this, and as I get ready to hit "send" I see the market rolling over again, now down more than 3% and flashing "crash imminent" warnings. You may be reading this too late for it to matter.
In 3 minutes, what's coming.....
Thursday, March 5. 2009
Posted by Karl Denninger in Editorial at 09:57
Just so you have a short list of what's at stake if Washington DC doesn't change policy here and now (which means before the collapse in equities comes, which could start as soon as today, if the indicators I watch have any validity at all. For what its worth, those indicators are painting a picture of the Apocalypse that I simply can't believe, and they're showing it as an imminent event - like perhaps today imminent.)
All pension funds, private and public, are done. If you are receiving one, you won't be. If you think you will in the future, you won't be. PBGC will fail as well. Pension funds will be forced to start eating their "seed corn" within the next 12 months and once that begins there is no way to recover.
All annuities will be defaulted to the state insurance protection (if any) on them. The state insurance funds will be bankrupted and unable to be replenished. Essentially, all annuities are toast. Expect zero, be ecstatic if you do better. All insurance companies with material exposure to these obligations will go bankrupt, without exception. Some of these firms are dangerously close to this happening right here and now; the rest will die within the next 6-12 months. If you have other insured interests with these firms, be prepared to pay a LOT more with a new company that can't earn anything off investments, and if you have a claim in process at the time it happens, it won't get paid. The probability of you getting "boned" on any transaction with an insurance company is extremely high - I rate this risk in excess of 90%.
The FDIC will be unable to cover bank failure obligations. They will attempt to do more of what they're doing now (raising insurance rates and doing special assessments) but will fail; the current path has no chance of success. Congress will backstop them (because they must lest shotguns come out) with disastrous results. In short, FDIC backstops will take precedence even over Social Security and Medicare.
Government debt costs will ramp. This warning has already been issued and is being ignored by President Obama. When (not if) it happens debt-based Federal Funding will disappear. This leads to....
Tax receipts are cratering and will continue to. I expect total tax receipts to fall to under $1 trillion within the next 12 months. Combined with the impossibility of continued debt issue (rollover will only remain possible at the short duration Treasury has committed to over the last ten years if they cease new issue) a 66% cut in the Federal Budget will become necessary. This will require a complete repudiation of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, a 50% cut in the military budget and a 50% across-the-board cut in all other federal programs. That will likely get close.
Tax-deferred accounts will be seized to fund rollovers of Treasury debt at essentially zero coupon (interest). If you have a 401k, or what's left of it, or an IRA, consider it locked up in Treasuries; it's not yours any more. Count on this happening - it is essentially a certainty.
Any firm with debt outstanding is currently presumed dead as the street presumption is that they have lied in some way. Expect at least 20% of the S&P 500 to fail within 12 months as a consequence of the complete and total lockup of all credit markets which The Fed will be unable to unlock or backstop. This will in turn lead to....
The unemployed will have 5-10 million in direct layoffs added within the next 12 months. Collateral damage (suppliers, customers, etc) will add at least another 5-10 million workers to that, perhaps double that many. U-3 (official unemployment rate) will go beyond 15%, U-6 (broad form) will reach 30%.
Civil unrest will break out before the end of the year. The Military and Guard will be called up to try to stop it. They won't be able to. Big cities are at risk of becoming a free-fire death zone. If you live in one, figure out how you can get out and live somewhere else if you detect signs that yours is starting to go "feral"; witness New Orleans after Katrina for how fast, and how bad, it can get.
The good news is that this process will clear The Bezzle out of the system.
The bad news is that you won't have a job, pension, annuity, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and, quite possibly, your life.
It really is that bleak folks, and it all goes back to Washington DC being unwilling to lock up the crooks, putting the market in the role it has always played - that of truth-finder, no matter how destructive that process is.
Only immediate action from Washington DC, taking the market's place, can stop this, and as I get ready to hit "send" I see the market rolling over again, now down more than 3% and flashing "crash imminent" warnings. You may be reading this too late for it to matter.
In 3 minutes, what's coming.....
The Greatest Depression Under Way
Gerald Celente3-3-9
KINGSTON, NY, 2, March 2009 - "The Greatest Depression" that The Trends Research Institute forecast, well before Wall Street or Washington would acknowledge recession, is upon us.
The global financial markets are collapsing.
All the pundit's cautious predictions and business media's hopeful expectations at the New Year for an economic turn around and imminent market bottom were dead wrong. There will be no turn around in the second quarter of 2009 or 2010 or 2011 America and much of the world has entered "The Greatest Depression."
The global financial system, built on endless supplies of cheap money, rampant speculation, fraud, greed, and delusion is terminally ill and will not be coaxed into remission by stimulus packages nor restored to health by government buyouts and bailouts.
Today, the MSCI World Index of stocks in 23 developed nations fell 4.9 percent to 713.75, the lowest closing level since March 2003, and its Emerging Markets Index slid 5 percent. The Dow followed, plunging 300 points, closing below 7,000 for the first time since 1997.
There is no stock market bottom in sight. The only figure that can be forecast with confidence is that the Dow won't reach zero!
As the crisis worsens, governments will take draconian measures to prevent total economic collapse and public panic. We have cautioned the likelihood of such measures before. But the rapidity and severity of the economic unraveling now demands immediate attention.
Expect massive bank failures, runs on banks, and bank holidays. Even if deposits are FDIC insured, quick access to money is by no means assured. At minimum, have reserves on hand for emergencies.
Trendpost: When the ship is sinking there are very few options: Life boats, life rafts, life preservers and for the late to act, possibly a few pieces of floating debris to cling to.
We are trend forecasters, not certified financial advisors legally empowered to provide such advice. Although gold prices declined today some $15 to $925 per ounce, we forecast that gold will be one of the few life saving investments that will continue to increase in value, reaching $2,000 per ounce and beyond.
The Trends Research Institute
lmartin@trendsresearch.com
http://www.trendsresearch.com
845.331.3500 Ext. 1
Gerald Celente3-3-9
KINGSTON, NY, 2, March 2009 - "The Greatest Depression" that The Trends Research Institute forecast, well before Wall Street or Washington would acknowledge recession, is upon us.
The global financial markets are collapsing.
All the pundit's cautious predictions and business media's hopeful expectations at the New Year for an economic turn around and imminent market bottom were dead wrong. There will be no turn around in the second quarter of 2009 or 2010 or 2011 America and much of the world has entered "The Greatest Depression."
The global financial system, built on endless supplies of cheap money, rampant speculation, fraud, greed, and delusion is terminally ill and will not be coaxed into remission by stimulus packages nor restored to health by government buyouts and bailouts.
Today, the MSCI World Index of stocks in 23 developed nations fell 4.9 percent to 713.75, the lowest closing level since March 2003, and its Emerging Markets Index slid 5 percent. The Dow followed, plunging 300 points, closing below 7,000 for the first time since 1997.
There is no stock market bottom in sight. The only figure that can be forecast with confidence is that the Dow won't reach zero!
As the crisis worsens, governments will take draconian measures to prevent total economic collapse and public panic. We have cautioned the likelihood of such measures before. But the rapidity and severity of the economic unraveling now demands immediate attention.
Expect massive bank failures, runs on banks, and bank holidays. Even if deposits are FDIC insured, quick access to money is by no means assured. At minimum, have reserves on hand for emergencies.
Trendpost: When the ship is sinking there are very few options: Life boats, life rafts, life preservers and for the late to act, possibly a few pieces of floating debris to cling to.
We are trend forecasters, not certified financial advisors legally empowered to provide such advice. Although gold prices declined today some $15 to $925 per ounce, we forecast that gold will be one of the few life saving investments that will continue to increase in value, reaching $2,000 per ounce and beyond.
The Trends Research Institute
lmartin@trendsresearch.com
http://www.trendsresearch.com
845.331.3500 Ext. 1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
