The War On Terror

By Paul Craig Roberts

The “war on terror” is about creating real terrorists. The US government desperately needs real terrorists in order to justify its expansion of its wars against Muslim countries and to keep the American people sufficiently fearful that they continue to accept the police state that provides “security from terrorists,” Continue

"I Wonder, Why Was I Victimized?"

By Justin Elliott

Pakistani victims of U.S. drone strikes speak out in a new report on increasing civilian casualties in the region. Continue

Israel's Right Needs Perpetual War

By Zeev Sternhell

Israel needs both an external and an internal enemy, a constant sense of emergency - because peace, whether with the Palestinians in the territories or the Palestinians in Israel, is liable to weaken it to the point of existential danger. Continue

Time To Stick It Again To The Arabs

By Gideon Levy

Netanyahu cloaks his hatred and condescension with cloying love of the nation, Katz with hollow love of the land. But love has nothing to do with it. Continue

At least 5 Pakistani soldiers killed in Taliban attack : At least five Pakistani soldiers were killed on Friday when suspected members of the Taliban attacked a military post in the northwest region of the country, near the Afghan border, officials said.

Three killed as NATO supplies attacked in Kalat, Khyber: Three people were killed in attacks on NATO containers in Takhta Bag Jamrud and Kalat. The driver of a NATO container was shot dead by unidentified men near Mangochar in Kalat district.

ANP lawmaker killed, eight injured in suicide blast: DPO: The suicide bomber struck the hujra of ANP MPA Dr Shamsher Ali Khan, killing him and injuring eight others at village Dheri of Tehsil Kabal in Swat district, DPO Qazi Farooq Khan said.

Report criticizes civilian casualties in Pakistan: "Despite the severity and consequences of these losses, civilian casualties receive too little attention from U.S., Pakistani, and donor-nation policymakers, as well as military officials," said the report

Clinton says let's starve the sick and hungry: Clinton Suggests Conditions on Pakistan Flood Relief : U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested European Union leaders should follow the U.S. and withhold further flood-relief funding from Pakistan until Islamabad shows it is doing more to fight corruption and collect tax revenue from its wealthiest citizens.

Musharraf's 'fish, duck and wine' lunch with Israeli MPs in London: Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is stated to have shared a lunch with a couple of members of Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, at a Chinese restaurant in Kensington area of central London a few days ago.

Another Pak Taliban terrorist reaches US to rectify Times Square bombing failure : Recent intelligence has indicated that the Pakistani Taliban, which orchestrated the failed Times Square bombing, may have successfully placed another operative inside the United States to launch a second attack in the 'Target Number One' country for terrorists, sources revealed.

6 Afghan civilians killed by roadside bomb: Ghulam Jalani Farahi, police chief of Zabul province, says the car was destroyed by the blast Friday near the provincial capital Kalat.

17 NATO occupation force troops killed in Afghanistan as attacks surge: Three NATO troops were killed Friday in Afghanistan in a surge of attacks that raised the death toll to 17 over the past three days for international troops in the country.

Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan: One US-led soldier has been killed and another sustained injuries in a mortar attack in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan. The Polish Defense Ministry announced that the attack took place on Thursday while the country's nationals with the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were patrolling a highway in the province, AP reported.

US Attack Kills Nine People In Pakistan: In the first attack, a US drone fired missiles at a car in Machikhel area of Mirali tehsil in North Waziristan, killing five militants, sources said.

Brigade's strategy: 'Strike and destroy': As sordid accounts of the platoon's activities continue to emerge, critics inside and outside the Army are questioning whether the brigade's get-tough strategy, which emphasized enemy kills over civilian relations, influenced the behavior of the accused.

Six killed in Iraq bomb attacks: In Jurf al-Nadaf, some 10 kilometres (6 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a bomb targeting the convoy of Iraqiya official Karim Mahud killed his bodyguard and three passers-by, and wounded four other civilians.

Israel invites bids for settlement units: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved building of the new units in Pisgat Zeev and Ramot late on Thursday, Israeli media reported on Friday.

U.S. 'disappointed' by approval of new settlement construction : "The Netanyahu government is determined to thwart any chance of resuming direct negotiations," said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, hours after media reported on the planned construction.

Abbas: We'll never sign deal demanding recognition of Israel as Jewish state: 'PA recognized Israel's existence in 1993, and now Israel needs to recognize the Palestinian state in line with the 1967 borders,' Abbas tells left-wing MKs in Ramallah.

Turks accuse Israel of war crimes at int'l court: Turkish lawyers representing pro-Palestinian activists filed a complaint Thursday with the International Criminal Court accusing Israel of committing war crimes in May when its troops raided a boat trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

Demonizing Venezuela: Russia, Venezuela Reach Deal On Country's First Nuclear Power Plant: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reached a deal with Russia on Friday to build the South American country's first nuclear plant, as questions arose why a nation rich in oil and gas would feel the need to venture into atomic energy.

October 15, 2010

Israel Raid on Gaza Flotilla: US Failure to Condemn Despite UN Findings

By Marjorie Cohn

If Iran had attacked a humanitarian flotilla in international waters and killed 9 people, there would be certain retaliation from Washington. Until our government stands up to the powerful Israel lobby in the United States, the Palestinian people, and our own humanity, will continue to be held hostage. Continue

Israeli Policies are Manifestly Evil: Philip Giraldi

Interview by Kourosh Ziabari

Philip Giraldi joined me in an exclusive interview to discuss the latest developments of the Middle East, the prospect of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the possibility of a peaceful compromise between Iran and the United States and the impact of Israeli lobby on the long-term policies of the White House. Continue

Chile's Ghosts Are Not Being Rescued

By John Pilger

The rescue of 33 miners in Chile is an extraordinary drama filled with pathos and heroism. It is also a media windfall for the Chilean government, whose every beneficence is recorded by a forest of cameras. One cannot fail to be impressed. However, like all great media events, it is a façade. Continue

I Don't Like Hedging My Words
Piedad Córdoba and Her Fight for Peace

By Fidel Castro

I would think that quite a few Colombian military are embarrassed by the grotesque versions of the supposed battle where Commander Jorge Briceño Suárez died. In the first place, there was no battle at all. It was a gross and embarrassing murder. Continue

U.S. is Currency War's "Tomb Maker": China Economist

By Simon Rabinovitch

The United States fired the first shot in the currency war and the rest of the world must be on guard for its deliberate strategy to devalue the dollar, a Chinese economist said in an official newspaper on Thursday. Continue

Bernanke Ponders The "Nuclear Option"

By Mike Whitney

Ben Bernanke's speech on Friday in Boston could turn out to be a real barnburner. In fact, there's a good chance the Fed chairman will announce changes in policy that will stun Wall Street and send tremors through Capital Hill. Continue

Robo-signing Eviction Scandal Rattles Wall Street

By Jill Treanor and Julia Kollewe

Bank shares fall over concerns US watchdogs will decide thousands of Americans have been evicted unfairly by employees rubber-stamping repossession documents. Continue

Take Action: Demand To see Your Mortgage Note.

By Wheres The Note

Whether you are facing foreclosure, have an underwater mortgage, or are just a concerned homeowner, it’s important that you contact your bank and demand to see the original note on your mortgage. It only takes a few minutes using our free online tool. Continue

Why Is the White House Against Freezing Foreclosures in the Face of Rampant Fraud?

By Nomi Prins

The government owns or is backing trillions of dollars worth of assets predicated on the same or similar suspicious loans that defaulted during the 2008 crisis period, which they did nothing to stop (or force banks to restructure). Continue

Why Germany Has It So Good -- and Why America Is Going Down the Drain

By Terrence McNally

Germans have six weeks of federally mandated vacation, free university tuition, and nursing care. Why the US pales in comparison. Continue

Death and Profits: The Utility Protection Racket

By Michael Parenti

The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) permits PG&E to charge rates that are 30 percent higher than the national average. PG&E’s shareholders enjoy a guaranteed 11.35 percent yearly return on equity. That’s slightly higher than the 11 percent that swindler Bernard Madoff pretended to offer his investment victims. Continue

Covert Operations
The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.

By Jane Mayer

The Kochs have long depended on the public’s not knowing all the details about them. They have been content to operate what David Koch has called “the largest company that you’ve never heard of.” Continue

Rule of Law Alive and Well Abroad

By David Swanson

The United States finished last or close to it in almost every category among those nations in its region and among the larger group of nations considered to have a high income level. Continue

Bill O'Reilly: 'Pinheads and Patriots'

2 Minute Video

The View: Whoopi & Joy Behar Walk Off Stage During O'Reilly Interview. Continue

Eight NATO occupation force soldiers killed in Afghanistan: Eight NATO soldiers were killed in a spate of attacks in Afghanistan on Thursday, the alliance announced, bringing to 589 the total number of personnel killed so far this year.

Taliban senior leader, 2 others killed in S. Afghanistan: NATO: Afghan security forces backed by international coalition troops killed a Taliban senior leader along with two other militants in Afghanistan's southern Ghazni province, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) said in a press release Thursday.

Petraeus Launches Afghan Air Assault; Strikes Up 172 Percent: Last month, NATO attack planes dropped their bombs and fired their guns on 700 separate missions, according to U.S. Air Force statistics. That’s more than double the 257 attack sorties they flew in September 2009, and one of the highest single-month totals of the entire nine-year Afghan campaign.

Russia refuses route for NATO supplies: Russia has formally conveyed to NATO that it would not allow its soil to be used for transporting NATO military supplies to Afghanistan while it (Russia) can only allow transportation of the non-military consignments across the border.

Three militant commanders killed in NW Pakistan: Three militant commanders were killed in an alleged encounter with Pakistani security forces Thursday in the country's northwest, local media reported citing official sources.

Strong Anti-American Sentiment Persists In Pakistan: Zaidi says the U.S. cannot use aid to overcome negative perceptions of the U.S. generated by U.S. military actions such as drone strikes.

Six killed in Bagdad bomb attacks: Six people were killed on Thursday in separate bomb attacks in Iraq, one of which targeted an official from the secular Iraqiya bloc of former premier Iyad Allawi, an interior ministry official said.

Civilian killed, 2 cops wounded in Mosul: A civilian man was killed and two policemen wounded in two separate incidents in Mosul city on Thursday, according to a police source in Ninewa.

Lies, damned lies, and US statistics: 77,000 Iraqis killed over 5 years: A new US military tally puts the death toll of Iraqi civilians and security forces in the bloodiest years of the war thousands below Iraqi government figures.

Police chief killed during south Yemen protest: A top policeman was shot dead on Thursday and three other people including two soldiers were killed in separate incidents in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, security officials said.

Yemen: Provincial governor escapes militant attack: The governor of southern Yemen's southern Abyen province escaped unharmed from a suspect assault by Al-Qaeda militants, Al-Jazeera television reported.

Somali-American appointed as new Somalia premier: Abdullahi, a 48-year-old educator with a masters degree in political science, takes over from Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, who resigned in September after a long-running power struggle with the president.

Israeli army shoots teenage boy in Gaza: Israeli forces have shot a 16-year-old boy in the Gaza Strip amid a furor over Tel Aviv's carte blanche for the army to target stone throwing children in the occupied West Bank.

Families of Gaza flotilla victims accuse Israel of war crimes in The Hague: Turkish lawyers representing pro-Palestinian activists filed a complaint Thursday with the International Criminal Court in The Hague, accusing Israel of committing war crimes in May when its troops raided a boat trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza

US backs Palestinian demand to see borders: The US on Wednesday supported the PLO's request to see a map of Israel's borders, but said such demands must be made face-to-face, not through the media. - Israel is an unknown entity in terms of borders [so] how does it suggest to recognize it as a Jewish state? Israel and the US should first set out Israel's borders," he explained.

Lieberman willing to adopt American pledge of allegiance: Foreign minister addresses loyalty oath bill during visit to Berlin, stresses 'we didn't invent concept of pledging allegiance to state. Lieberman pointed to the American pledge of allegiance. He noted that the Yisrael Beiteinu party is "willing to adopt the American law word for word."

In Lebanon, Ahmadinejad foresees Israel's demise: "The whole world knows that the Zionists are going to disappear," he said to thunderous applause before a frenzied crowd in Hezbollah's bastion of Bint Jbeil, some four kilometres (two miles) from the Israeli border. "The occupying Zionists today have no choice but to accept reality and go back to their countries of origin," he added.

Ahmadinejad: Zionist enemy humiliated, defeated: "You are the victorious ones and your enemies - the enemies of humanity are on the verge of collapse."

U.S. lawmakers: Lebanon's embrace of Ahmadinejad may affect military aid: In August, two key Democrats, Representatives Nita Lowey and Howard Berman, announced they were holding up $100 million that had been approved for Lebanon's army but not yet spent.

Chavez set to sign deals in Russia: The Venezuelan president, has begun a tour of seven nations including Russia, Iran and Libya to discuss issues ranging from nuclear power and tanks to olive oil. The first stop in the 10-day tour is Moscow, where an agreement to develop nuclear energy, the purchase of Russian tanks and a bi-national bank are on the agenda.

WikiLeaks says funding has been blocked after government blacklisting: Founder Julian Assange hits out at decision by Moneybookers, which collects the whistleblowing website's donations

"War on terror" psychologist gets giant no-bid contract: The Army earlier this year steered a $31 million contract to a psychologist whose work formed the psychological underpinnings of the Bush administration's torture program.

Justice Department clears FBI in imam shooting: No federal crimes were broken when four FBI agents killed a Detroit mosque leader during a raid last year, according to a U.S. Justice Department report released Wednesday.

US To Let Insurers Raise Premiums For Sick Kids: President Barack Obama's administration said health insurance companies can charge higher premiums to cover children with serious medical problems if state law permits it, the New York Times reports Thursday.

Regence Blue Shield customers notified of skyrocketing rates: Kreidler says the letter makes it appear that healthcare reform is to blame, when in truth Regence has made a huge policy change that makes premiums for children much more expensive.

Dollar tanks, stocks drop as Bernanke speech looms: European and U.S. stock markets mostly fell Thursday as investors awaited a speech from the Federal Reserve chairman that is expected to give more clarity on what the central bank is planning to do to prop up the ailing U.S. economy.

Russia's Currency Reserves Exceed $500 Billion for First Time Since 2008: . It’s the first time the reserves have broken $500 billion since mid- October 2008, a month after the collapse of U.S. brokerage Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. triggered the global credit crisis.

US trade deficit widens sharply to $46.3 billion: The politically sensitive deficit with China climbed to an all-time high, a development that was certain to increase pressure on the Obama administration to take a tougher line on trade issues including China's tightly controlled currency.

U.S. Home Seizures Reach Record Amid Foreclosure Review: Lenders took over 102,134 properties last month, RealtyTrac Inc. said in a report today. That was the highest monthly tally since the company began tracking the data in 2005, surpassing the August record of 95,364.

Applications for jobless benefits rise to 462K: More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, the first rise in three weeks and evidence that companies are reluctant to hire in a slow economy.

Boomerang kids: 85% of college grads move home: Stubbornly high unemployment -- nearly 15% for those ages 20-24 -- has made finding a job nearly impossible. And without a job, there's nowhere for these young adults to go but back to their old bedrooms, curfews and chore charts. Meet the boomerangers.

October 14, 2010

Statement By Afghan Resistance
Baseless Claims and Futile Propaganda

By Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

The enemy has never contacted the leaders of the Islamic Emirate, let a lone holding any kind of talks with them. Nor any effort has been made by the enemy directly or indirectly to initiate contacts with the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Continue

Pakistan President Believed
'US Behind Taliban Attacks in Pak' to Gain Access to its Nukes

By ANI

Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy to Afghanistan, once brushed off Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's claim, that the US was 'arranging' the (suicide) attacks by Pakistani Taliban inside his country, as 'madness', and was of the view that both Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who believed in this US conspiracy theory, were 'dysfunctional' leaders. Continue

The Three-Decade US-Mujahideen Partnership Still Going Strong

By Sibel Edmonds

During the 80s our ‘real’ foreign policymakers couldn’t care less about adjectives such as extremists, terrorists, fanatics, anti-west…They were the beloved enemies of our enemies, and we’d do anything to support and use them. Continue

Leakers, Beware the Corporate Media

By Ray McGovern

The following is a Code-Orange Advisory to patriotic truth-tellers, sometimes called whistleblowers or leakers: It is anachronistically naïve to expect the New York Times or other organs of today’s Fawning Corporate Media (FCM) to publish classified material like the Pentagon Papers without their first clearing it with the government. Continue

PLO Chief: We Will Recognize Israel in Return for 1967 Borders

By Avi Issacharoff

Yasser Abed Rabbo says that in exchange for accepting Palestinian territorial claims, it will recognize Israel as 'whatever it wants.' Continue

Groundwork Laid for Media Narrative of Failed Peace Talks
It’s the Palestinians’ Fault

By Alex Kane'

Predictably, it will be, and already is, a narrative of Palestinian rejectionism versus Israeli generosity. Continue

How’s That “Liberal Agenda” Going For You?
Open Memo To: Nancy Pelosi

From Cindy Sheehan

You can’t say I didn’t warn you back in 2006 that if you and your party didn’t end the wars and hold BushCo accountable that your euphoria would be short-lived. Continue

Democracy is Coming...to the USA

By Tim Gatto

When are the workers in this country going to realize that the Democrats and the Republicans are running the same game? Continue

Why Printing Money Makes Sense

By Dean Baker

Right now, even a counterfeiter issuing dud dollars would be better for the economy than our deficit-fixated policymakers. Continue

Chilean Miners Rescue: This is a Rare Moment of Global Joy:

By Michael White

Alas, the world is more often united in grief or horror by modern mass media than it is by joy or a quiet smile of satisfaction on the way to work. So today provides a rare sense of shared enjoyment. The 33 Chilean miners we feared were lost are being saved after all. Continue

Six occupation troops killed, including four in Afghan blast: Nato: In a bloody day for Nato troops in Afghanistan, insurgents killed six service members Wednesday, including four who died in a single bomb blast in the volatile south of the country.

Afghan resistance commander among 4 killed in raid: An insurgent commander from the Haqqani network and three other militants were killed in a firefight with NATO and Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan, the alliance said today.

War casualties soar in south Afghanistan-Red Cross: Security is deteriorating in Afghanistan, creating more war casualties and making it harder for aid agencies to reach people in need of food, water and health care, the Red Cross said

Karzai bid to placate angry Afghans: Afghan president meets villagers in Laghman province after civilians were killed in Nato raid last month.

US navy Seal faces disciplinary action over grenade death: Startling details of the daring rescue mission that ended in the death of the British aid worker Linda Norgrove can be revealed today, as a joint US-UK investigation into the incident gets under way.

Afghan firms "pay off Taliban with foreign cash": Cash from the U.S. military and international donors destined for construction and welfare projects in restive parts of Afghanistan is ending up in the hands of insurgents, a contractor and village elders said.

US Kills 9 People in Pakistan: : According to local media reports and sources in North Waziristan, the U.S. drones fired six missiles at a residential area in the village of Lataka in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan which borders Afghanistan.

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Pakistan: Taliban border haven in U.S. sights: Some officials urge military action on Pakistani soil to curb the flow of fighters and bomb-making materials into southern Afghanistan.

Obama's Shadowy Drone War: Taking Out the "Terrorists" by Remote Control: Under former US President George W. Bush, the CIA used dubious methods, including the kidnapping and torture of suspects. President Barack Obama promised to clean things up, but instead he has turned to joystick warfare. These days, the CIA does its killing with the press of a button, with high-tech drone aircraft.

Canada seeks new bases in Pakistan: source: The Canadian military is being evicted from its logistical base in Dubai following a dispute with the United Arab Emirates over landing rights for UAE airlines.

Shiite imam killed and 28 wounded in Iraq attacks: A Shiite imam was killed and 28 people wounded on Wednesday, among them seven Iranian pilgrims and nine policemen, in targeted attacks across Iraq, security sources and the interior ministry said.

Rapturous welcome for Ahmadinejad in Lebanon: Iran’s President Ahmadinejad has received a tumultuous welcome at the start of his visit to Lebanon which has highlighted western fears about Tehran’s influence in the region.

Reports of Iranian and Aljazeera TV of Ahmadinejad trip to Lebanon : Video

Nasrallah to Ahmadinejad: 'You are strong support for opposition': Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah welcomed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a recorded speech during a Hezbollah general assembly held in honor of the Iranian leader's visit to Lebanon.

Ahmadinejad concludes first day of visit with fiery speech : He stressed that the only solution to solve the Palestinian issue is 'for the invaders (Israelis) of the occupied land is to leave, and give the Palestinians their rights and return all the refugees to their original land,' Ahamdinejad said. He also called on United States to withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq.

'Ahmadinejad visit proves Lebanon has joined axis of extreme nations': Top Israeli official says Iranian President visits Lebanon like a 'commander inspecting his troops.'

Israeli MP Calls for murder of Ahmadinejad : Israeli Knesset member Aryeh Eldad voiced his support for the assassination of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to Lebanon, reported the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth Wednesday.

Charlie Rose Interviews President Jimmy Carter: "I’ve had very serious confrontations with Netanyahu, who accused me of betraying Israel’s rights when I negotiated the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt"

Helen Thomas Cries, Denies Anti-Semitism, Calls President Obama 'Reprehensible' (AUDIO): "I hit the third rail. You cannot criticize Israel in this country and survive," Thomas told Ohio station WMRN-AM in a sometimes emotional 35-minute interview that aired Tuesday. It was recorded a week earlier by WMRN reporter Scott Spears at Thomas' Washington, D.C., condominium.

In new memoir, Condoleezza Rice cites personal relationship with the Netanyahus: "One of our neighbors was an Israeli family," writes Rice. "Benzion Netanyahu, a professor of Hebraic studies, taught in the Department of Religion"

Egypt imposes SMS restrictions: Opposition says new measure on mobile text messages will curtail their ability to mobilise voters for November poll.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers: Video: A whistleblower's daring act of conscience leads to the end of the Vietnam War.

French strike enters second day: Transport workers continue action as unions pressure government to scrap plans that would raise the age of retirement.

More than 100,000 British firms are facing financial distress: The so-called "zombie" companies that have survived the recession thanks to the support of state-owned creditor banks, such as Lloyds or RBS, or private equity firms that do not wish to book a loss, may find less support from now on.

Debt market strips U.S. of triple-A rating: The United States has lost its gold-plated triple-A rating -- in the eyes of credit traders, at least.

Across the U.S., Long Recovery Looks Like Recession: “I say to myself ‘This can’t be happening to us: We saved, we worked hard and we’re under tremendous stress,’ ”

JPMorgan Posts $4.4B Profit, Expands Foreclosure Review to 41 States: JPMorgan Chase kicked off the third-quarter earnings season Wednesday, and the company says profits are up 23 percent from a year ago. JPMorgan brought in $4.4 billion in net income during the quarter, beating analysts' expectations.

Evicted Family Reclaims Foreclosed Home With Attorney!: Video

Every State To Participate In Massive Investigation Into Possibly 'Deceptive' Foreclosure Practices: Regulators from all 50 states are launching a coordinated investigation into possibly "deceptive" and "unfair" foreclosure practices that may have illegally evicted families from their homes.

Bailout Watchdog Investigating Alleged Foreclosure Fraud: A government watchdog is investigating government-owned GMAC Mortgage after a company employee admitted to approving thousands of foreclosures without reading the paperwork.

How 2 civilian sleuths brought foreclosure problems to light: More than a year before lenders, law firms and document companies began owning up to widespread paperwork problems with their foreclosure filings, Lisa Epstein and Michael Redman already knew that something was wrong — very wrong.

The Credit CARD Act Is No Match for Wall Street's Ingenuity: I don't know why I'm surprised that the banks have figured out a way to recover what the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act -- or Credit C.A.R.D. Act -- took away, but I am a little.

October 13, 2010

Coup Threat Reported as Iraq Government Deadlock Drags On

By Bill Van Auken

With the deadlock in forming a new Iraqi government now entering its eighth month—a world’s record—the Obama administration is intervening ever more openly and impatiently in pressuring rival political factions to cobble together a national unity coalition that would comprise all of the major parties. Continue

They Hate Us For Our Occupations

By Glenn Greenwald

Isn't Muslim culture just so bizarre, primitive, and inscrutable?  As strange as it is, they actually seem to dislike it when foreign militaries bomb, invade and occupy their countries. Continue

Netanyahu Asking Palestinians To Cede Right Of Return

By Akiva Eldar

When he demands that Abbas recognize Israel as a state of the Jewish people, he is offering assisted political suicide to the the Palestinian leader. Continue

US Backs Netanyahu: Israel is Jewish State

By Yitzhak Benhorin

The US State Department said Tuesday it supports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Continue

Israel's Other "Peace" Plan - Arm-Twisting Obama

By Jonathan Cook

Netanyahu's real aim, the Israeli media reported last week, is to persuade the White House to reaffirm a promise made in a 2004 letter from Mr Obama's predecessor, George W Bush, that Israel will not be required to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders in a peace deal. Continue

Tantrums and Sheeshas
Who will care when Israel self-destructs?

By Yvonne Ridley in Syria

The most culpable today is (Mr. Looks-like-a-one-term) President Obama. Who remembers his famous Cairo speech in the summer of 2009, where he virtually assured us that there would be “no new settlements”; that rings very hollow now, and haven’t the Israelis punished him for saying it? Continue

US Colonel Alleges 9/11 Coverup

Must Watch - By Fox News

Judge Napolitano's Ground-breaking interview with Lt. Col, Anthony Shaffer and Former CIA Intelligence officer, Michael Scheuer. -- Shaffer's book, "Operation Dark Heart" was essentially "censored" by the Pentagon in order that some classified details could be "redacted". Continue

Slashing the Dollar - The Future is Ugly

By Mike Whitney

We have to understand what the Fed is doing and the effect it's having on global finances. Continue

Why the U.S. has Launched a New Financial World War
And How the the Rest of the World Will Fight Back

By Michael Hudson

Who needs an army when you can obtain the usual objective (monetary wealth and asset appropriation) simply by financial means? All that is required is for central banks to accept dollar credit of depreciating international value in payment for local assets. Victory promises to go to whatever economy’s banking system can create the most credit, using an army of computer keyboards to appropriate the world’s resources. Continue

Collapsing Empire Watch

By Glenn Greenwal

It's easy to say and easy to document, but quite difficult to really internalize, that the United States is in the process of imperial collapse.  Every now and then, however, one encounters certain facts which compellingly and viscerally highlight how real that is. Continue

Lessons of the Obama Debacle

By Walden Bello

The key problem is the failure of progressives to translate their vision and values into a program that is convincing and connects with the people trapped in the terrible existential conditions created by the global financial crisis. Continue

Washington at Work--for the Wealthy
Uncle Sam is concentrating America's wealth, not sharing it.

By Sam Pizzigati

We don't need to start redistributing our nation's wealth. We're already redistributing. We just need to reverse the flow. Continue

Incarceration's Impact on Society is Shameful

By Bob Ray Sanders

"One in 9 African-American children (11.4 percent), 1 in 28 Hispanic children (3.5 percent) and 1 in 57 white children (1.8 percent) have an incarcerated parent," according to Collateral Costs. Continue

10 Afghan civilians killed in attacks: Officials say six civilians have been killed in a rocket attack and four others by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

One killed in Taliban attack on Afghan Nato helicopter: At least one person was killed and eight wounded when a rocket-propelled-grenade was fired at a Nato helicopter in Afghanistan, Nato officials say.

Afghans say Nato ‘as bad as the Taliban’ : The vast majority described international forces as equally brutal toward civilians, and equally, if not more responsible for civilian casualties, detention abuses and other concerns.

Afghan leaders seek goodwill gestures from U.S.: Releasing Taliban figures detained at Guantanamo Bay and scratching scores of others off the U.N. sanctions list would jump-start peace talks aimed at ending the 9-year-old war, members of Afghanistan's new peace council said Tuesday.

More Taliban could be removed from UN blacklist: US: The United States indicated Tuesday that it was open to the removal of more Taliban militants from a UN sanctions list in order to facilitate peace talks in Afghanistan.

NATO helicopters breach Pakistani airspace again: NATO helicopters violated Pakistan's airspace Tuesday morning near Chaman border area in the southwest Balochistan province, local media reported citing official sources.

Deaths in Yemen bomb attacks: Twin bombings in port city of Aden leave two dead as Al Qaeda military chief declares creation of new 'army'.

Depleted Mogadishu hospitals struggle to treat Somali war wounded: Children of Mogadishu are suffering from the Somali capital's recent increased violence, accounting for one-fifth of all weapons-related casualtie

The coming wars in Somalia and Yemen: U.S. forces are allegedly waging secret wars in both these impoverished, tribal lands that command strategic shipping lanes. These are reportedly being waged largely from a former French Foreign Legion camp in Djibouti, which lies between the two states.

Iraq: Soldier killed by bomb blast in Baghdad: “A roadside bomb went off Tuesday (Oct. 12) targeting the personal car of an army soldier in al-Jameaa neighborhood, western Baghdad, killing him on the spot,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Civilian killed while hunting down traffickers on Syrian borders: “The civilian was killed when border guards were tracking down traffickers in al-Rabiaa district, northwest of Mosul,”

Chinese warplanes refueled in Iran en route to Turkey: Iran indirectly supported a secret military drill between the Turkish and Chinese air forces that took place in September, sparking concerns in the United States, daily Hürriyet reported Monday

Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran Israel To Iran: Time’s Up: Israeli Finance minister calls for naval blockade within two to six months.

Stranger than fiction: Sarah Palin says if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it could lead to Armageddon or World War III: Sarah Palin doesn't see Iran having a nuclear weapon as a mere national security problem, she believes it could lead to an ultimate world battle between good and evil.