December 2008

Gaza Attacks: Murder with Impunity
Posted: Wednesday, December 31, 2008

¤ So what have the Palestinians got to complain about?

¤ UN official says Israel responsible for breaking truce with Gaza
¤ Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignored
¤ Israel rejects Gaza truce call
¤ Gaza Attacks: Murder with Impunity

¤ Lights Out in Gaza, News Blackout in US
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have decried Israel's continued aerial bombing campaign as unlawful and denounced the killing of more than 300 Palestinians since 27 December, including scores of unarmed civilians not taking part in the hostilities. Israel's attacks on the densely populated Gaza Strip also elicited condemnation from numerous world politicians and sparked protests in global cities. Despite international outcry over escalating violence, the U.S. mainstream media continues to privilege a prepackaged narrative in which Israel's actions are never disproportionate, never counterproductive and certainly never gratuitous.

¤ A Letter to the US Media
Imagine if more than 63 thousand Americans were massacred in a couple of hour’s campaign of F-16 bombing. This number represents (the percentage) the number of Palestinians killed by Israel when it launched its massive air strikes in Gaza on Saturday. A friend of mine in Gaza tells me that hundreds are still buried under the rubble and the toll of deaths could easily reach thousands .Already there’s more than 1700 injured with many in serious conditions.
Imagine if all this carnage is being paid for by your tax money.

¤ Foreign journalists demand Gaza access

¤ May We No Longer Be Silent

¤ Gaza: It's Terrorism, it's Slaughter. Crime can be reported
¤ Israel's onslaught on Gaza is a crime that cannot succeed
¤ Rampage in Gaza for a Bump in the Polls
¤ Civilians Are Paying the Price in Gaza’
¤ Israel’s Warped Self-justification For Murder

¤ The Sacrificial Lamb to the Israeli-American-Arab Interests
"Israel’s brilliant media strategy is to prevent Western journalists from entering Gaza to document the dead and charred bodies lining the streets while allowing free access to the Arab media to further inflame the Arab Muslim world against American policies and interests, perhaps leading to terrorism against Americans and their institution, thereby justifying Israel’s “war of terror upon the innocent”. You see America, these Arabs and Muslims are hate filled terrorists indoctrinated by Islam’s teaching of killing Jews and Christians."

¤ America is Primarily at Fault for the Conflict in Gaza
¤ How Hypocrisy on 'Terrorism' Kills

¤ Gaza: Israel's Butchering Block
"Some Arab leaders are willing to offer Palestine and its residents as a sacrifice in the hope that Israeli expansion might be contained within the Palestinian borders and would not spill into their states. They fail to understand that Israeli terror had already reached many Arab countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, and the Israeli corruption had spread into Jordan, Egypt and some Gulf States. The Israeli colonial expansion is targeting every Arab state in the Middle Eastern region without any exception."

¤ Gaza: The Logic of Colonial Power
¤ Don’t fall for Israeli propaganda

¤ Israel and the U.S.: Partners in Permanent Aggression
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford
'There is only one other nation whose appetite for violence is comparable to the United States: Israel.’
Just before the U.S. elections, Senator Joe Biden shot off his mouth about the certainty that Barack Obama would be 'tested’ early in his presidency. 'Watch,’ said the blathering vice-presidential candidate. 'We’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.’ Biden didn’t predict where the test would come from.

¤ US Veto Blocks UN Anti-Israel Resolution
¤ China calls for immediate halt to Gaza attacks
¤ We Had to Do It

¤ The 2008 "WTF?" Awards
¤ Who Controls the Money?
¤ Holiday Sales Drop to Force Bankruptcies, Closings
¤ As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.
¤ Alternative Theory of 9/11?

Massive Israeli air raids on Gaza
Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2008

¤ U.S. Study: Murders among black youths on the rise
¤ Leaders lie, civilians die, and lessons of history are ignored
¤ A Hundred Eyes for an Eye
¤ Obama appears to line up behind the Bush administration

¤ Israel pounds Gaza for second day
Israel pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip from the air Sunday for a second day and prepared for a possible invasion after killing nearly 290 Palestinians in the opening rounds of a fierce offensive.
Israel said the campaign that began Saturday was a response to almost daily rocket and mortar fire that intensified after Hamas, the Islamist group in charge of the enclave that Israel quit in 2005, ended a six-month ceasefire a week ago.

¤ Iran leader orders Muslims to defend Palestinians

¤ Russia asks Israel to end Gaza attacks, let in aid
Russia urged Israel on Sunday to end military attacks that had killed nearly 300 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian supplies into the territory, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conveyed Moscow's position during a telephone conversation with Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni held at her initiative, the ministry said in a statement.
"Our side expressed Russia's position in favour of an immediate end to military actions in the Gaza Strip, which have already led to numerous victims among the Palestinians," the statement said.

¤ Gaza mosque hit in Israeli air strikes
¤ Massive Israeli air raids on Gaza
¤ Israel defends Gaza op to UN chief

¤ Massive Israeli air raids on Gaza
Israeli F-16 bombers have pounded key targets across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 225 people, local medics say.
Most of those killed were policemen in the Hamas militant movement, which controls Gaza, but women and children also died, the Gaza officials said.
About 700 others were wounded, as missiles struck security compounds and militant bases, the officials added.

¤ UN demands 'immediate' halt to attacks
¤ Israeli assault on Hamas kills more than 200
¤ Israel kills over 200 in Gaza air strikes
¤ REACTION - Israeli attacks on Gaza
¤ Pakistan redeploying troops to Indian border

U.S. falls deeper into recession
Posted: Friday, December 26, 2008

¤ Man in Santa suit kills 8 in California
¤ 'No apology' from Iraq shoe-thrower
¤ Why Did Cheney Confess On National Television? Video
¤ World Faces "Total" Financial Meltdown: Bank of Spain Chief

¤ Unemployed Americans Competing With Immigrant Labor for Unskilled Jobs
A year ago, a day-laborer center adjacent to a Home Depot here teemed with Latin American immigrants who showed up and found a sure day's work painting, gardening or hauling.
These days, more than immigrants are packing the Hollywood Community Job Center: Unemployed Americans are joining them. There's little work for anybody.

¤ U.S. jobless claims surge to 26-year high

¤ Greed has pushed political credibility and financial trust into freefall
'What an ideology is, is a conceptual framework with the way people deal with reality," Alan Greenspan told the Congressional House oversight and government reform committee on 23 October. "Everyone has one. You have to - to exist, you need an ideology. The question is whether it is accurate or not." As the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, from 1987 to 2006, Greenspan stood at the helm of US monetary policy during the time conditions for the current meltdown were being created.

¤ Oil prices near $35 on more dour economic news
¤ U.S. falls deeper into recession
¤ Will Canada see its first white Christmas since '71?
¤ Beijing's coldest December day in 57 years
¤ Bush's Mission Accomplished?

¤ They Lied About Iraq in 2003, and They're Still Lying Now
Triumphalists are getting off on Iraq again, intoning hallelujah songs as they did after staging the fall of Saddam's statue then again and again, sweet lullabies to send us into blissful sleep and wake to a new dawn. The composers and orchestrators - Blair, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Straw, Hoon and Rice - still believe history is on their side.
Bush visited his troops at Camp Victory in Iraq this month and said: "Iraq had a record of supporting terror, of developing and using weapons of mass destruction, was routinely firing at American military personnel, systematically violating UN resolutions ... Iraqis, once afraid to leave their homes are going back to school and shopping in malls ... American troops are returning home because of success." Only one shoe and one without a sharp stiletto was hurled at him by Muntadar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi who begged to differ.

¤ Iraq bomb kills woman and three children
¤ Torture, Slaughter and Lies
¤ All roads lead out of Afghanistan

¤ Afghanistan's President Karzai laments coalition use of 'thugs'
Afghan President Hamid Karzai sat down to talk with Chicago Tribune correspondent Kim Barker in Kabul last week. Karzai reacted to criticisms by Barack Obama made while still a candidate for the U.S. presidency, criticized in turn American-led military operations in his country and called for focusing the fight against terrorism more on neighboring Pakistan than Afghanistan. Excerpts from the interview follow.

¤ Torture ambivalence masquerading as moral and intellectual superiority
¤ No evidence to convict 10,000 detainees– U.S. commander

¤ Pandora's Box
"Every time one of our bombs falls on a wedding party in Afghanistan, this incites more young men to join the ranks of the guerillas. We may eliminate one fighter but in the process we may be creating tens or hundreds more. This is an untenable process, eventually we will run out of soldiers, money and resources. But the most important point is that by acting unilaterally and displaying such disrespect for the innocent lives we are taking each and every day, we have opened the Pandora box of terrorism."

¤ Despite the optimism, Iraq is close to the edge
¤ Bailiffs get power to use force on debtors

¤ Israel threatens major offensive against Gaza
Israel threatened on Sunday to launch a major offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip as violence simmered around the impoverished territory days after the end of a truce with the Islamists. The two frontrunners in the race to become prime minister after a snap election in February both vowed to topple Hamas, which has run Gaza since violently seizing power there in June 2007.

¤ Egypt warns Israel against Gaza raid
¤ Caution: Settlers Ahead
¤ Botswana implicated in MDC militia training

¤ Madoff's Money Trail Leads to Washington
The forces of the universe sent us a corruption triple play the week of December 8th. Just in case there were any slumbering souls still doubting the multi headed monster we need to slay to avoid becoming Rome, those benevolent forces assaulted our senses with a politician, a lawyer, and a Wall Street icon in a three-day sweep of unimaginable crime. Unimaginable, at least, to those of us bereft of adequate imaginations to keep up with the criminals.

¤ Bush says sacrificed free-market principles to save economy
US President George W. Bush said in an interview Tuesday he was forced to sacrifice free market principles to save the economy from "collapse."
"I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system," Bush told CNN television, saying he had made the decision "to make sure the economy doesn't collapse."

¤ Seasonal Forgiveness Has a Limit. Bush and His Cronies Must Face a Reckoning
¤ Washington Post: The Problem is 'You', Not 'We'

¤ Five Bailout Lessons From Katrina
The U.S. has committed nearly three trillion dollars to the financial bailout so far. The Federal Reserve has made more than $2 trillion in emergency loans and another $700 million has been pledged through Congressional action. Much more money is coming.
Things better for your community? I didn’t think so.
Welcome to Katrina world. Despite pledges of a hundred billion dollars we are still in deep pain along the Gulf Coast. What happened?

¤ The Homicides You Didn't Hear About in Hurricane Katrina
What do you do when you notice that there seems to have been a killing spree? While the national and international media were working themselves and much of the public into a frenzy about imaginary hordes of murderers, rapists, snipers, marauders, and general rampagers among the stranded crowds of mostly poor, mostly black people in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, a group of white men went on a shooting spree across the river.

¤ Venezuela and Cuba, 1960-2008
¤ Iraqis Hope to Sue US Troops Under New Accord
¤ Hundreds of Brazil's Eco-Warriors at Risk of Assassination
¤ Obama Is A Hawk
¤ Guns, Butter, and Obama

Raúl Castro's First Official Visit to Venezuela as Cuban President
Posted: Wednesday, December 17, 2008

by Camila Piñeiro and Erik Sperling
December 15th 2008
Venezuelanalysis.com

On his first official visit as President of Cuba, Raúl Castro arrived in Caracas yesterday, a symbolic demonstration of the importance that the Cuban government places on its relations with Venezuela. Castro's visit serves to finalize the 9th meeting of the Cuba-Venezuela Joint Commission.

"I bring greetings for all Venezuelans from the Cuban people and the leader of the revolution, companion Fidel Castro," said the Cuban head of state upon his arrival to Simon Bolivar airport.

"Brother, welcome to your homeland," Chavez responded.

Organized in 24 working tables, Cubans and Venezuelans reviewed the progress of joint projects established for the last three years. The Commission approved 173 new projects to be completed in 2009 for a sum of $2 billion, an increase from the $1.4 billion agreed for 2008.

The two countries signed an Integral Cooperation Agreement in 2000 through which Venezuela provides Cuba with 100,000 barrels of oil daily in exchange for services provided by Cuban professionals. Since then, more than 30,000 Cuban doctors, 1,400 agricultural technicians, 6,000 athletic trainers have worked in Venezuela.

According to a statement by the Venezuelan Ministry of Energy and Oil, $3.6 billion worth of joint projects were undertaken between 2006 and 2008. Initially, most were on education, health, sports and agriculture.

Projects on telecommunications, tourism, transportation, energy and industry were added later, establishing 12 joint ventures on these sectors. Venezuela is assisting the expansion of a refinery and the creation of oil processing facilities in Cuba. Ethanol plants and other sugar processing facilities with Cuban technology have been set up in Venezuela.

The plan for next year includes the creation of a telecommunications technologies joint venture, as well as a holding in charge of establishing joint enterprises for the processing of oil and gas in Cuba, including the creation the joint oil company Cuvepetrol, with a mission of "developing the various companies that refine oil and natural gas in Cuba," and will aim to double capacity in two Cuban refineries.

The partnership has grown since it was first proposed as an alternative to the U.S.-promoted Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. Cooperation between Cuba and Venezuela is guided by the principles laid out in the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America (Alternativa Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América-ALBA). Since Cuba and Venezuela founded ALBA in 2004, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Honduras have joined.

Cuban President Castro was received in the Maiquetía international airport, near Caracas, by Hugo Chávez, as well as members of his cabinet and a military parade. "Your visit is an honor. With you we receive Fidel and the Cuban people, and the guerrillas of the Sierra Maestra and the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, an example for all our peoples," Chávez told Castro.

As he did during a previous visit to Venezuela 55 years ago, Raúl Castro first activity was to pay homage to Latin American independence hero Simón Bolívar at his tomb in Caracas.

Chavez also decorated Castro with the "Order of the Liberator" medal and presented him with a replica of Simon Bolivar's sword. Castro thanked Chavez for his solidarity in recent years, as well as his "care and respect for Fidel," who Chavez calls his ideological "father."

The trip highlights Cuba's close ties to Venezuela at a time when other nations also look to advance their relations with Havana. Brazilian officials have publicly expressed their intention to become Cuba's principal economic partner. Russia has expressed interest in greater military and economic collaboration. China has steadily expanded its trade and investment relations with Cuba.

After declarations made by the Obama campaign about the importance of improving relations with Cuba as a vehicle to repair U.S. standing in the region, Cuba looks to play an increasingly strategic role in the hemisphere.

The visit of the new Cuban President (since February 2008) to Venezuela serves to address doubts about the future of the two countries' relations when Fidel Castro is no longer the President of Cuba, and the price of oil—Venezuela's main source of revenue—in the international market has sharply declined. If the agreements of the Cuba-Venezuela Joint Commission are an indication, cooperation between both countries is indeed expanding.

Castro will continue his trip to Brazil to participate in the Latin America and Caribbean Integration and Development Summit, to take place in Salvador de Bahía on December 15 and 16. For the first time, representatives of all 33 Latin American countries will meet without the presence of the U.S. or European countries.

The Summit will be attended by executive secretaries of Latin America's most important regional institutions: Mercado Común del Sur (Mercosur), Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI), Comunidad Andina (CAN), Comunidad del Caribe (Caricom), Sistema de Integración Centroamericano (SICA), and Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Unasur).

According to Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, the goal of the meeting is to expand the recently created Unasur to all Latin American and Caribbean countries, and thus further regional integration. The most pressing point will be to decide on a mechanism for compensation among countries that are seeking greater independence from the U.S. dollar, in hopes of lessening their vulnerability to global economic crises.

For Cuba, the expansion of Unasur and its materialization as the main regional integration body is a very important event. Unasur has emerged as an alternative to the Organization of American States (OAS), controlled by the U.S., and from which Cuba was expulsed in 1962.

Raúl Castro's trip to Caracas recalled another highly symbolic trip nearly 50 years ago, when his brother Fidel also chose Venezuela as his first journey abroad after the triumph of the Revolution, on January 23, 1959. During that visit, Fidel Castro met with Wolfang Larrazabal, president of the governing Junta after the fall of the Jiménez dictatorship, and signed several agreements.

From the Plaza of Silence Fidel had said: "I wish the destiny of our peoples be only one destiny. For how long are we going to continue in lethargy, for how long are we going to continue divided, victims of powerful interests?"

Source: Venezuelanalysis.com

Thousands rally for release of reporter who attacked Bush
Posted: Tuesday, December 16, 2008

¤ Russian warships head for Cuba
Russia said on Monday it was sending a group of warships to Soviet-era ally Cuba in its latest defiant naval move around US waters, part of a drive to revive old Cold War ties with Latin America.
The warships will visit Havana on December 19-23, the navy said, continuing a tour that has already taken in US foes Venezuela and Nicaragua and seen the ships pass through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II.

¤ US anti-kidnapping expert kidnapped in Mexico
¤ Bush Excluded by Latin Summit as China, Russia Loom

¤ Thousands rally for release of reporter who attacked Bush
cross the Arab world, where a common proverb holds that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Muntadhar al-Zeidi was a pretty popular guy Monday.
The Iraqi TV journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush remained under arrest. Thousands of people in Baghdad and elsewhere around the country held street demonstrations, calling for his release. Another demonstration is planned for Tuesday in the capital.

¤ Arab world hails shoe attack as Bush's farewell gift
Iraq faced mounting calls on Monday to release the journalist who hurled his shoes at George W. Bush, an action branded shameful by the government but hailed by many in the Arab world as an ideal parting gift to the unpopular US president. Colleagues of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for independent Iraqi television station Al-Baghdadia, said he "detested America" and had been plotting such an attack for months against the man who ordered the invasion of his country.

¤ Google cranks up the Consensus Engine
Google this week admitted that its staff will pick and choose what appears in its search results. It's a historic statement - and nobody has yet grasped its significance. Not so very long ago, Google disclaimed responsibility for its search results by explaining that these were chosen by a computer algorithm. The disclaimer lives on at Google News, where we are assured that:
The selection and placement of stories on this page were determined automatically by a computer program.

¤ A man throwing a show at President George W. Bush Video

¤ In final visit to Iraq, Bush dodges a shoe
¤ TWO 'Size ten' shoes thrown at Bush, called "dog," during surprise Baghdad news conference...

South Africa rallies behind President Mugabe
Posted: Sunday, December 14, 2008

¤ $50 billion at stake after Wall St broker Bernard Madoff is arrested over ‘world’s biggest swindle’

¤ Madoff's alleged $50 billion fraud hits other investors
Investors scrambled to assess potential losses from an alleged $50 billion fraud by Bernard Madoff, a day after the arrest of the prominent Wall Street trader. Prosecutors and regulators accused the 70-year-old, who was chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market in the early 1990s, of masterminding a fraud of epic proportions through his investment advisory business, which managed at least one hedge fund.

¤ Rumsfeld Responsible for Torture, Report Says
¤ Pakistan says India must give evidence on Mumbai
¤ Tsvangirai now in a political cul-de-sac

¤ SAfrica dismisses call for Mugabe ouster
THE SOUTH African Government has issued a statement saying that they cannot pressure President Robert Mugabe to leave office as his position is provided for in a power–sharing arrangement signed by all parties in Zimbabwe. Responding to questions after a media briefing in Pretoria yesterday, South Africa’s Foreign Affairs Director-General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, said that South Africa’s stance on Zimbabwe was guided by the agreement signed on September 15 this year facilitated by former President Thabo Mbeki and mandated by Sadc and the African Union.

¤ South Africa rallies behind President Mugabe

Zimbabwe Watch

Zimbabwe: Africa says no to military intervention
Posted: Wednesday, December 10, 2008

¤ Ikulu rules out military action on Zimbabwe

¤ Zimbabwe: Africa says no to military intervention
AFRICAN countries have rejected calls by Western countries for military intervention in Zimbabwe with Tanzania, the current chair of the African Union, and Kenya leading the rejections. Kenya's position was particularly significant as it buttressed the view that Raila Odinga spews vitriol on Zimbabwe not in his capacity as Prime Minister of Kenya, but leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement.

¤ Botswana's Macho Politics on Zim
BOTSWANA'S call for the complete closure of borders with Zimbabwe by its neighbours to effect the downfall of President Robert Mugabe and his government amounts to a declaration of war through other means against its northern neighbour. It is a subtle call to arms and very dangerous. Such brazen advocacy for regime change could escalate tensions between the two neighbours and lead to open conflict. Mugabe's government though has to be commended for maintaining its cool in this regard.

¤ Namibia slams Botswana for 'war' on Zimbabwe
I
n a hard-hitting editorial, New Era, whose views are meant to reflect the thinking of the Namibian government, said that Botswana's call for complete closure of borders with Zimbabwe was 'foolhardy', adding that 'brazen advocacy for regime change could escalate tension between the two countries. The Namibia state owned daily said that Botswana's behaviour amounted to a' declaration of war through other means against its northern neighbour.'

¤ Zim not threat to international community

¤ Mr Brown, what is an international emergency?

"Gordon Brown declares Zimbabwe in state of international emergency," read a headline article in the United Kingdom's The Guardian newspaper dated December 6, 2008. Official Zimbabwe Government statistics and the World Health Organisation (WHO) say the epidemic has so far killed 575 people and left another 13,000 sick since an outbreak in August.

¤ Merchants of Death: Exposing Corporate-financed Holocaust in Africa

¤ www.ZimbabweWatch.com

¤ Black and white is not always a clear distinction
¤ Blagojevich scandal will test Obama
¤ Details Of Complaint Against Blagojevich
¤ Pakistan: We're ready for war with India
¤ Pakistan won't hand suspects to India
¤ Taking risks with bailout for U.S. automakers
¤ U.S. Could Take Stakes in Big 3
¤ 10 Years of Chávez's Presidency

¤ The UN Resolution That Time Forgo
¤ Something is Missing From Obama's Cabinet

¤ The Multi-Trillion Dollar Question
Having written several articles and letters debunking the “consumer-driven economy” myth, I recently swore off further attempts. I thought. Whenever another well-intentioned liberal describes our economic problems and solutions in terms “consumer demand,” I am drawn to trying once more to break through the economic brainwashing most of us have been subjected to since children.

¤ Capitalist Fools
¤ Police officer charged as Greece falls deeper into turmoil

A fifth day of clashes between youths and police, plus a general strike, plunged Greece deeper into turmoil Wednesday as two policemen were charged over the killing of a teenager that sparked the unrest. Despite a vow by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to restore order, demonstrators battled security forces outside the Greek parliament as the nationwide work stoppage halted flights in and out of Greece and closed banks, schools and some hospital services.

10 Years of Chávez's Presidency
Posted: Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Venezuelans Rally in Caracas to Celebrate 10 Years of Chávez's Presidency

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans flooded Caracas on Saturday, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of President Hugo Chavez's election.

In a nationally televised event, Chavez addressed his supporters from the presidential palace, reviewing the history of Venezuela's "Bolivarian Revolution," and rallying the crowd in support of a constitutional amendment that would allow his re-election in 2012.
Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com

Using Cholera for Regime Change in Zimbabwe
Posted: Tuesday, December 9, 2008

By Ayinde
December 09, 2007

The Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe is a direct consequence of the sanctions on Zimbabwe that denies the government resources with which to treat its water supply, health sector and other essential services. The aim of Western powers is to claim that this Cholera outbreak is threatening neighbouring countries, thus is an international crisis warranting international intervention. They aim to topple the government in Zimbabwe to install their puppet, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Western powers hope this regime change exercise would cause a reversal of the Mugabe government's land redistribution program, where land that was previously occupied by an estimated 3000 White farmers has been redistributed to 300,000 landless descendents of Black Africans whose land was stolen by White settlers. They also hope that the destruction of Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe sends a strong warning to other African governments of what to expect if they too were to reclaim land that was stolen by White settlers.

Read Zimbabwe Watch for more historical information behind the ongoing attempts to topple the ZANU-PF government. www.zimbabwewatch.com

Chapters in Imperial Hypocrisy
Posted: Monday, December 8, 2008

¤ Crude oil prices near $40 per barrel
¤ Campaign Promises on Ending the War in Iraq Now Muted by Reality

¤ Vote first; ask questions later
Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way. It was historic. I choked up a number of times, tears came to my eyes, even though I didn't vote for him. I voted for Ralph Nader for the fourth time in a row. During the past eight years when I've listened to news programs on the radio each day I've made sure to be within a few feet of the radio so I could quickly change the station when that preposterous man or one of his disciples came on; I'm not a masochist, I suffer fools very poorly, and I get bored easily. Sad to say, I'm already turning the radio off sometimes when Obama comes on.

¤ Obama and Miracles that Never Happen
If 10 times more people claimed to have attended Woodstock than were actually there, I suspect 10 times more people claim to have wept at Obama's election victory than actually did. Weeping on the night of November 4 – or claiming you did – has now become a fashion. I, too, wept, though not because Obama won, but because the number of times I heard the words "Obama is the embodiment of hope" was too much to bear.

¤ Obama spells end of blank cheques for Israel
¤ FBI was told to blame Anthrax scare on Al Qaeda by White House officials
¤ Pakistan targets suspected Mumbai attackers
¤ Arrest Provides More Evidence India, Israel, and the U.S. Behind Mumbai Attacks
¤ Indian police arrest 2 men in Mumbai investigation
¤ Indian terror suspects linked to Mumbai plot
¤ NATO scuttles US plan to encircle Russia
¤ Is Obama Backing Off a Crucial Pledge to Labor?

¤ Chapters in Imperial Hypocrisy
The US government does not have a monopoly on hypocrisy, but no other government can match the hypocrisy of the US government. It is now well documented and known all over the world that the US government tortured detainees at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and that the US government has had people kidnaped and “renditioned,” that is, transported to third world countries, such as Egypt, to be tortured.

¤ Shambles in Afghanistan
¤ Muslim Revolution
¤ U.S. Collective Dictatorship Enlarges

¤ Company Crashes Set to Hit Record Next Year
Record numbers of companies will go bankrupt next year with 200,000 insolvencies in Europe alone and "an explosion" of failed businesses in the US, according to the world's largest credit insurer. The US will see 62,000 companies go bust next year, compared with 42,000 this year and 28,000 last year, says a report by Euler Hermes, part of German insurer Allianz. The absolute numbers, however, pale in comparison with the figures from western Europe, where the larger number of small companies mean insolvencies are expected to rise by a third from 149,000 last year to

¤ Unemployed and Hungry in the US 6 Minute Video Report
¤ US war creates lawlessness in Pakistan
¤ Military jet crash in San Diego kills 2 on ground

Don't expect change
Posted: Friday, December 5, 2008

Interview: Mickey Z
by Ian Sinclair

"TAKE up yoga, lefties, because you're gonna need an awful lot of flexibility to perform the contortions necessary to explain and justify President Obama's actions over the next four years."

This was Mickey Z's candid response to the US Presidential election result and the likelihood of far-reaching change in the future.

Not surprisingly, he didn't vote for Obama. "His ascendancy is an excellent illustration of how the system handles dissent," he tells me. "A black face, a soothing voice and a vague message of change - all designed to keep the rabble pacified without changing anything at all."
Full Article : morningstaronline.co.uk

Mumbai Attacks: Piecing Together the Story
Posted: Thursday, December 4, 2008

¤ Somalia: Another CIA-Backed Coup Blows Up
Up until a month ago, no one in the Bush administration showed the least bit of interest in the incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia. Now that's all changed and there's talk of sending in the Navy to patrol the waters off the Horn of Africa and clean up the pirates hideouts. Why the sudden about-face? Could it have something to do with the fact that the Ethiopian army is planning to withdrawal all of its troops from Mogadishu by the end of the year, thus, ending the failed two year US-backed occupation of Somalia?

¤ Mumbai Terror: Evidence being deliberately ignored!
¤ Pakistani TV: 'Hindu Zionists' and Mossad Behind Mumbai Massacre
¤ Please Don't Go Down the Bush- Cheney Road
¤ What is the rationale of Mumbai terrorist attack?
¤ Mumbai Attacks: Piecing Together the Story
¤ How Many Americans Died Because of Bush’s Torture Program?

¤ Russian warship to cross Panama Canal

¤ Nicaragua: Venezuela has offered to replace U.S. aid

Down we go again: Fourth-worst drop ever for Dow
Posted: Monday, December 1, 2008

¤ Mumbai Massacre Carried Out By Brits
¤ PM Singh blames neighbours as battle rages
¤ Militants who attacked Mumbai came from Pakistan: army official
¤ Indian troops raid hotels to free hostages
¤ India claims Mumbai gunman tied to Pakistani group

¤ India ends Mumbai rampage after 60 hours, 195 dead
It took just 10 young men armed with rifles and grenades to terrorize this city of 18 million and turn its postcard-perfect icons into battlefields until security forces ended one of the deadliest attacks in India's history early Saturday. After the final siege at the luxury Taj Mahal hotel, adoring crowds surrounded six buses carrying weary, unshaven commandos dressed in black fatigues, shaking their hands and giving them flowers. One of the commandos said he had been awake for nearly 60 hours since the assault began Wednesday. Another sat sipping a bottle of water and holding a pink rose.

¤ Mumbai attacks raise more questions with few answers
"Security is of mutual interest to both India and Pakistan. Cooperation between the two nations will be requisite in enacting balanced policies that will eventually lead to goodwill between the many faith-based communities who call that region their home. Outside of America, the Indian sub-continent is one the most religiously diverse regions in the world. In an increasingly globalized world, where some the biggest challenges require common solutions; such diversity can be a source of strength. But to achieve this, leaders of all faith groups will have to work hard to promote inter-faith understanding and politicians will have to eschew the divisive politics of religion baiting."

¤ The Mumbai cauldron: Who pressed the repeat button of history?

¤ Down we go again: Fourth-worst drop ever for Dow
The stock market suffered one of its worst days since the financial meltdown Monday, slicing 680 points off the Dow Jones industrial average as Wall Street snapped out of its daydream of a rally and once again faced the harsh reality of a recession. Not only did stocks end their five-day winning streak, they erased more than half the gains. The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index, one of the broadest market gauges, lost nearly 9 percent.

¤ Obama’s First Problem is US War Crimes
A small and largely unnoticed spat among the transition planners for the president-elect, Barack Obama, broke out last week. It was the first genuinely passionate debate among the Obamaites and it centres on a terribly difficult and terribly important decision that will be among the first that Obama has to make. How does he deal with the legacy of criminal actions of his predecessor’s administration when it comes to detention, interrogation, abuse and torture of terror suspects? That has long hovered in the back of the minds of those of us who supported Obama, in large part because he alone had the moral authority to draw a line underneath the criminality of the George Bush-Dick Cheney years and restore credibility and hon-our to America’s antiterror policies.

¤ Mumbai gunmen besiege hotels, kill 119 in 2 days
¤ Somali pirates hijack ship, British guards escape

¤ Toxic scandal in Somalia gave birth to new piracy
When the Asian tsunami of Christmas 2005 washed ashore on the east coast of Africa, it uncovered a great scandal. Tonnes of radioactive waste and toxic chemicals drifted onto the beaches after the giant wave dislodged them from the sea bed off Somalia. Tens of thousands of Somalis fell ill after coming into contact with this cocktail. They complained to the United Nations (UN), which began an investigation. "There are reports from villagers of a wide range of medical problems such as mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders and breathing difficulties," the UN noted.

¤ Russia to complete Iran nuclear plant in 2009
¤ Russia to help Venezuela develop nuclear energy

¤ Madam Secretary Clinton and the Middle East
¤ Barack Obama nominates Hillary Clinton for secretary of state

¤ From Baghdad to Mumbai
¤ The Chinese are Coming, the Chinese are Coming!
¤ The Ongoing Disgrace of NBC News and Brian Williams

¤ So Much for Letting the Free Market Rule
Hear that humming sound? That's the printing presses at the United States Treasury running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, churning out an ocean of green paper to bail out the billionaire bankers, brokers and assorted brigands who are responsible for the economic disaster that's befallen us. They're busy running off $3.7 trillion in bailout money for those who don't deserve it. It's a Happy Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas to the very pirates whose greed got us, and them, in all the trouble. Isn't capitalism grand?

¤ The ongoing disgrace of NBC News and Brian Williams

¤ Blix: US 'politically incorrect' on Iran

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