The Toll – 2/7/10 – U.S. Troops Are In Pakistan / Maliki Guides Iraq Towards Civil War
Feb 08 2010
Posted by dajorie in Afghanistan, Iraq |
by Dave McGill
Three of our soldiers were killed 100 miles inside Pakistan last week, according to the Department of Defense. All told, the Pentagon released the obituaries of 11 military personnel that lost their lives in the Afghanistan theater of operations, ranging in age from 19 to 39. Seven of the deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices.
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Why political action is not working and what to do about it
Feb 08 2010
Posted by BJS in Congress, Corporate Law |
by Chaz Valenza
Our government is not yet Fascist. To use this term is hyperbole and counter productive. Calling our current system of governance what it is — a Corporatocracy — is powerful because it is a label that precisely defines our current state of affairs. The term Corporatocracy is simple and descriptive: a form of government controlled by powerful corporations with a veneer of democracy.
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the contrarian: WANTED – Obama the Candidate
Feb 05 2010
Posted by dajorie in Congress, Economy, Health care |
by Dave McGill
With the Legislative Branch mired in money and the Judicial Branch wallowing in whimsey, the nation needs, more than ever, the presidential candidate we all remember as the one who championed “change.”
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by Dave McGill
Yesterday, January 29th, Americans woke up to the news that the California teachers’ pension fund, the nation’s second largest, was $43 billion short of meeting its future pension obligations; that a proposal to legalize marijuana and produce billions in tax revenues for the state would be on the California ballot in the fall; that Macy’s was joining the list of recent retailers announcing four-figure-or-more layoffs; and that President Obama’s renomination of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the principle manager of the economy during the orgy of greed leading up to the financial crisis, had been approved by the Senate.
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The Toll – 1/31/10 – Drones May Attack American Citizen
Jan 31 2010
Posted by dajorie in Uncategorized |
The one memo you don’t want your name on is the one the CIA prepares to begin the process that ends with a drone blowing your body to bits. A drone attack in Pakistan on Friday killed nine alleged militants and the L.A. Times reported today that CIA analysts are now compiling a case against a man who was born in New Mexico.
That man is Muslim cleric Anwar al Awlaki who is currently based in Yemen. He has been linked to both the Fort Hood massacre and the failed Christmas Day airline plot.
Most of the drone assaults are currently being targeted at individuals in the North Waziristan province of Pakistan. The recent suicide bombing of a CIA outpost near the North Waziristan border was thought to be in retaliation for these attacks.
The Jerusalem Post carried an AFP report tonight that more than 40 suspects were arrested today in Jordan regarding that incident which caused the deaths of eight CIA agents and the Jordanian handler of the double agent who triggered the explosion.
Pakistani television was reporting today that Taliban leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, had been killed in a drone attack. However, a Taliban spokesman contacted Reuters by phone tonight and asserted that the story was a “total lie.”
In other Middle East news, the Obama administration announced yesterday that it is installing antimissile systems in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. General Petraeus said the actions were the result of fear over Iranian intentions in the region.
Meanwhile, the military/industrial complex, which last week arranged significant arms deals with India and Pakistan, has now entered into a $6 billion sale of arms to Taiwan. As in the case of the previous deals, the sale includes F-16 fighter planes.
Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a number of retaliatory measures announced yesterday by China, including an unusual threat of sanctions on U.S. arms contractors. The Chinese leaders were described as being “infuriated.” This follows on the heels of Google’s accusation that China was behind a series of computer attacks and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s criticisms of China’s Internet censorship.
Last week, the Department of Defense released the obituaries of six military personnel killed in Afghanistan ranging in age from 19 to 28. Four additional deaths on Thursday and Friday brought the January toll to 29. Total U.S. deaths in Afghanistan now amount to 976, according to the website icasualties.org.
The DOD also released the obituary of one 24-year-old soldier killed in combat in Iraq. The above website reports that total U.S. deaths there now stand at 4,375.
Dave McGill
State-of-the-Union: Smoke and Mirrors
Jan 29 2010
Posted by dajorie in Congress, Domestic policy, Economy, Foreign policy, Health care |
by Dave McGill
Two of the president’s main objectives, mentioned during the pageant called the State-of-the-Union speech, were to reduce the deficits and to bring down unemployment. If he can do both at the same time he will truly be a miracle worker.
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Drifting Toward Catastrophe: A Seven-Headed Beast
Jan 28 2010
Posted by bweiner in Congress, Domestic policy, Economy, Foreign policy |
by Bernard Weiner – The Crisis Papers
Sometimes when I’m on a photo shoot, I change my camera focus to close-up, which puts me just inches, say, from the inside of a flower. I can spend much time in-tight like that, marveling at the complexities of a leaf, pistil, stamen, occasionally even a bumblebee inside stuffing its pollen sacs.
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the contrarian: State-of-the-Union Socks It To Main Street
Jan 27 2010
Posted by dajorie in Economy |
by Dave McGill
It’s a one-two-three series of punches, the third one coming tonight. Can it be happening? Main Street is being clobbered by a Democratic president.
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The Toll – 1/24/10 – U.S. Continues to Export War
Jan 24 2010
Posted by dajorie in Afghanistan, Iraq |
by Dave McGill
Some things don’t “change” and, last week, the military-industrial complex made that perfectly clear. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates visited the two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, and carried with him a trunk full of arms deals for both countries. The news was reminiscent of a study by the International Trade Centre in 2005 that found the U.S. accounted for 47% of the world’s total arms and ammunition exports, putting it in first place. Second place went to France with only 7%.
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the contrarian – Capitalism Wins Big With New Court Decision
Jan 22 2010
Posted by dajorie in supreme court |
by Dave McGill
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that corporations can spend unlimited funds to back election candidates. In so doing, the conservative majority of five judges equated corporations to people and the corporate financing of campaigns to free speech. In their zest for the Bill of Rights, however, they failed to mention the effect of their opinion on the increased disenfranchisement of the American voter.
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