September 2008

Stocks tumble as House votes on plan
Posted: Monday, September 29, 2008

¤ House and Global Investors Vote "No" on Paulson Bailout

¤ House nixes $700B bailout bill in stunning defeat
In a vote that shook the government, Wall Street and markets around the world, the House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, leaving both parties and the Bush administration struggling to pick up the pieces. The Dow Jones industrials plunged nearly 800 points, the most ever for a single day.

¤ Stocks tumble as House votes on plan
Fear swept across the financial markets Monday, sending the Dow Jones industrials down as much as 705 points, as traders feared the financial bailout package would not pass the House.
As the vote was shown on TV, stocks plunged and and investors fled to the safety of the credit markets, worrying that the financial system would keep sinking under the weight of failed mortgage debt.

¤ Brazil's Lula calls US bailout plan unfair to poor
¤ Chavez says crisis-hit U.S. needs new constitution
¤ Credit crunch banker leaps to his death in front of express train
¤ "Just Say No!" to the Robin Hood-in-Reverse Bailout
¤ The Financial Collapse and the Housing Market
¤ The Bailout and the Economy

¤ Why America Should Listen to Ahmadinejad

¤ Racism as Reflex
If hypocrisy were currency, conservatives would be able to single-handedly bail out the nation's free-falling financial system in less than a week, without the rest of us having to front so much as a penny.
So on the one hand, folks like this always tell others--especially the poor and people of color--to take "personal responsibility" for their lives, and not to blame outside factors (like racism, or the economic system) for their problems. But on the other hand, these same persons then demonstrate that their own ability to blame others for their personal setbacks, or the nation's problems, knows no rival.

¤ Venezuela wants to work with Russia on nuclear energy: Chavez
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he was interested in accepting Russia's offer of help in developing a civilian nuclear power program.
"We certainly are interested in developing nuclear energy, for peaceful ends of course -- for medical purposes and to generate electricity," he said.
"Brazil has various nuclear reactors, as does Argentina," he added. "We will have ours as well," he said upon his return from a tour in China and Russia.

Venezuela and China Expand Joint Oil and Investment Accords
Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2008

Venezuela and China signed accords Tuesday to increase the flow of Venezuelan oil to China, increase Chinese investments in Venezuelan telecommunications and agriculture, and double the size of a previously established joint investment fund.

"Our relationship with China has become highly strategic on the political, economic, scientific, and military fronts, a very intense relationship, and we came to continue strengthening it," said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez upon arriving in Beijing Tuesday, his fifth visit since being elected president nearly ten years ago.
Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com

China banks told to halt lending to US banks
Posted: Thursday, September 25, 2008

¤ Bailout deal breaks down; Bernanke back to Capitol
¤ FDIC May Need $150 Billion Bailout as More Banks Fail

¤ China banks told to halt lending to US banks-SCMP
Chinese regulators have told domestic banks to stop interbank lending to U.S. financial institutions to prevent possible losses during the financial crisis, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.
The Hong Kong newspaper cited unidentified industry sources as saying the instruction from the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) applied to interbank lending of all currencies to U.S. banks but not to banks from other countries.

¤ Critics See Bailout as Massive Blank Check

¤ Deal close on $700 billion financial bailout plan
¤ FBI investigating companies at heart of meltdown

¤ Bush should be tried for human rights violations - Mugabe
President Robert Mugabe has said United States President George Bush should be tried for human rights abuses before any talk of his trial is entertained.
Speaking to the Associated Press on the sidelines of the ongoing 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Mugabe said the world was mistaking him for George Bush as he was the one who had to be tried for human rights violations.

¤ Mugabe says Mbeki's resignation was devastating
¤ Half the Cabinet resigns in South Africa
¤ Mbeki to appeal Nicholson ruling
¤ Mbeki court appeal is important
¤ Mbeki appeal not far-fetched

Entreating the Beast
Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2008

¤ Oil spikes $25 a barrel on anxiety over US bailout
Oil prices spiked more than $25 a barrel Monday—the biggest one-day price jump ever—as anxiety over the government's $700 billion bailout plan battered the dollar and touched off frenzied buying of safe-haven investments including crude.
Light, sweet crude for October delivery jumped as much as $25.45 to $130 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange before falling back somewhat to trade at $123.77,up $19.22. The contract was set to expire at the end of the day, adding to the volatility; the October price began accelerating sharply in the last hour of regular trading.

¤ The $700 Billion Wall Street Bailout: One More Weapon of Mass Deception
¤ Europeans on left and right ridicule U.S. money meltdown
¤ China paper urges new currency order after "financial tsunami"
¤ Pakistani troops fire on intruding U.S. choppers
¤ Surprise spring snowfalls blanket KZN
¤ Thank you South Africa, says Mbeki
¤ Mbeki: No interference in NPA
¤ Why Mbeki was fired
¤ Gunman kills nine at Finnish college before shooting himself in head
¤ Finnish gunman who made Web videos kills 10, self

¤ Bail Out on This Bailout
Are we witnessing the death of the republic? Sound hysterical? Look at how Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson proposes to govern the $700 billion — some $2,000 for every man, woman and child in America — that he wants to bail out the banks.
He wants the power to buy "Troubled Assets from any Financial Institution . . . on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary," and his decisions "may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency," according to the text of the U.S. Treasury Department’s legislative proposal. In other words, give him the $700 billion to spend as he sees fit and shut up.

¤ Why was the Marriott Targeted?
The deadly blast in Islamabad was a revenge attack for what has been going on over the past few weeks in the badlands of the North-West Frontier. It highlighted the crisis confronting the new government in the wake of intensified US strikes in the tribal areas on the Afghan border.
Hellfire missiles, drones, special operation raids inside Pakistan and the resulting deaths of innocents have fuelled Pashtun nationalism. It is this spillage from the war in Afghanistan that is now destabilizing Pakistan.

¤ Because You'll Believe Anything: Unknown Terrorist Group Claims Responsibility For Marriot Bombing
¤ How the Financial Crisis Occurred
¤ The Bailout Will Kill the Dollar
¤ Living in Sarah Palin's America

¤ Can the Rescue Plan Fix the US Economy?
Given last week's dramatic events – the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the end of Merrill Lynch's independence, and an $85 billion US-government bailout of insurer AIG – most financial institutions are likely to become more sensitive to the state of their net worth.
For instance, all it takes for a financial institution that has a net worth of $30 billion and assets of $600 billion to go under is for the value of assets to fall by 5%. In the current financial climate, it can easily happen; hence, most financial institutions are not immune from the potential threat of going belly up.

¤ Entreating the Beast
¤ Ahmadinejad vows to resist Western nuclear 'bullying'

¤ Iran's leader says 'American empire' near collapse
Iran's president addressed the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday declaring that "the American empire" is nearing collapse and should end its military involvement in other countries.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said terrorism is spreading quickly in Afghanistan and that "the occupiers" are still in Iraq nearly six years after Saddam Hussein was ousted from power in Iraq.

¤ The Mugging of America
¤ Thank You, Ladies and Gentlemen
¤ $13 Billion in Iraq Aid Wasted Or Stolen, Ex-Investigator Says

Free market ideology is far from finished
Posted: Saturday, September 20, 2008

¤ Dozens dead in huge Pakistan suicide blast

¤ Explosion at Pakistan Marriott hotel kills 40

¤ Gonsalves ignores US call to break Iran ties
The St Vincent and the Grenadines government says it will continue to pursue closer ties with Iran despite objections from the United States.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said that the matter had been raised by US Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mary Ourisman, during a recent visit to Kingstown.
The American diplomat is reported to have told Gonsalves that Washington was not pleased with the move to pursue closer ties with Iran, given its nuclear programme and alleged state-sponsored terrorism.

¤ U.S. opposes St. Vincent-Iran ties

¤ 'Hillary's Women' Reject McCain's VP Choice

¤ The Anti-Empire Report: Obama-Biden, Russia-U.S.
Im sorry to say that I think that John McCain is going to be the next president of the United States. After the long night of Bush horror any Democrat should easily win, but the Dems are screwing it up and McCain has been running more-or-less even with Barack Obama in the polls. The Democrats should run on the slogan "If you liked Bush, you'll love McCain", but that would be too outspoken, too direct for the spineless Nancy Pelosi and her spineless party. Or, "If you liked Iraq, you'll love Iran." But the Democrat leadership is not on record as categorically opposing either conflict.

¤ Right wing violence is shaking Bolivia
Masked groups of young men smash their way into government offices, burning documents and destroying everything they can find.
In the city of Santa Cruz, Amelia Dimitri, a leader of the so-called civil protest movement, allows herself to be filmed beating an unarmed indigenous woman.
Local police and irregular forces ambush a group of peasants from El Porvenir in the province of Pando – killing at least eight and wounding four times that number.

¤ Expelled US Ambassador to Bolivia had been in charge of Kosovo Secession

¤ The Truth Suffers in Human Rights Watch Report on Venezuela
¤ Venezuela Expels HRW Director for 'Meddling Illegally'

¤ Russia ratchets up US tensions with arms sales to Iran and Venezuela

¤ Subverting Democracy Through Electoral Fraud
¤ NKorea threatens to restart reactor, blaming US

¤ China says West is inciting unrest in Xinjiang

¤ Zimbabwe: Land at Core of Western Anger
IN our Shona culture, just as in any other culture, suspicion is always aroused whenever an outsider mourns more than the bereaved.
Then vanasorojena (the elders) tend to question the relationship between the mourner and the deceased and all his/her family.
Well, since the power-sharing agreement was signed by Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC on Monday, the Anglo-Saxon Alliance led by the EU and the US have been wailing like a newly-wed widow who has just been robbed of the joys of wedded bliss.

¤ Zimbabwe challenges France's human rights record

¤ Free market ideology is far from finished
Whatever the events of this week mean, nobody should believe the overblown claims that the market crisis signals the death of "free market" ideology. Free market ideology has always been a servant to the interests of capital, and its presence ebbs and flows depending on its usefulness to those interests.

¤ Pelosi orders wide Wall Street probe

¤ FTSE 100 surges most in history as banking shares race higher
The FTSE 100 surged the most in its history, joining a global rally, after governments around the world took decisive action in a bid to stop further banking collapses and a full-blown economic crisis.
In the UK, a ban by the Financial Services Authority on the short-selling of banking shares saw the index of blue-chip companies soar as traders scrambled to buy bank shares.

¤ Bush team, Congress negotiate $700B bailout

¤ Paulson plan could cost $1 trillion

¤ Stocks soar as investors bet on gov't rescue plan

¤ Fed rescues AIG with $85 billion loan for 80% stake

¤ Stocks tumble after government bailout of AIG
¤ AIG struggles to survive financial tsunami
¤ Lehman Files for Bankruptcy,
Merrill Sold, AIG Seeks Cash

¤ Bush Follows in Pinochet’s Footsteps
¤ Federal bank insurance fund dwindling

¤ Fed announces $180bln cash flood to fight crisis
The US Federal Reserve announced a 180-billion-dollar cash line to fight the racing fires of global financial crisis Thursday, as leading central banks said they would join in.
The Federal Reserve said it was expanding its temporary arrangements for banks to obtain dollars by 180 billion "to provide dollar funding for both term and overnight liquidity operations by other central banks."

¤ 'The World As We Know It Is Going Down'
¤ Euro stocks up, Asia's down as central banks act
¤ Bank of Japan injects 1.5 trillion yen

Venezuela Expels HRW Director for 'Meddling Illegally'
Posted: Saturday, September 20, 2008

By James Suggett
September 19th 2008
Venezuelanalysis.com

The Venezuelan government expelled two employees of the U.S-based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), Americas Director José Miguel Vivanco and Americas Deputy Director Daniel Wilkinson, after the two presented a report that praised Venezuela's 1999 Constitution but harshly criticized the "government's willful disregard for the institutional guarantees and fundamental rights that make democratic participation possible."

In a press release, the Venezuelan Foreign Relations Ministry said Vivanco and Wilkinson "have done violence to the constitution" and "assaulted the institutions" of Venezuela by "meddling illegally in the internal affairs of our country."

The ministry also said the HRW report is linked to the "unacceptable strategy of aggression" of the United States government. The ministry said the expulsion of Vivanco and Wilkinson was in the interest of "national sovereignty" and "the defense of the people against aggressions by international factors."

Constitutional lawyer and National Assembly Deputy Carlos Escarrá explained to the press, "The constitution of Venezuela expresses that a foreigner with a tourist visa cannot make commentaries against the President of the Republic."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro warned in a press conference that "any other foreigner... who attempts to come to Venezuela and use our democratic order, with the total freedom of expression, to assault our institutions in a rude manner... will receive the same reply."

HRW's report, titled "A Decade Under Chávez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities for Advancing Human Rights in Venezuela," says the two-day coup against President Hugo Chávez in April 2002 was the "most dramatic setback" to the human rights guarantees of the 1999 Constitution, but that the Chávez administration has since used the coup as a pretext to undercut those rights.

Specifically, the government has engaged in "discrimination on political grounds," "open disregard for the principle of separation of powers," and has "undercut journalists' freedom of expression, workers' freedom of association, and civil society's ability to promote human rights in Venezuela," according to the report, which bases its conclusions on interviews conducted over the past two years.

According to a press release from the U.S.-based Venezuelan Information Office (VIO), the HRW report portrays isolated incidents in Venezuela as though they were common occurrences, and "reads like the talking points of Venezuela's discredited opposition."

The VIO further pointed out that the "most fundamental" human rights to food, education, and health care have been expanded in Venezuela, and that this has been recognized by the United Nations Development Program.

The Venezuelan representative in the Inter-American Human Rights Court, Germán Saltrón, said the accusations of political discrimination in the report are contradicted by the fact that the people who participated in the coup against Chávez in April 2002 were granted amnesty.

The president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Cilia Flores, declared Thursday that "those who denounce that in Venezuela there is no freedom of expression do so excercising their freedom of expression." Flores further denounced the cases in which "foreigners in Venezuela abuse the freedom of expression by lying unabashedly."

National Assembly deputy Tulio Jiménez said the HRW report was carefully timed to influence Venezuela's upcoming regional and local elections, and to cover up the coup plot that was recently discovered. "[The report] seeks to make banal the plans to assassinate the president," said Jiménez.

The HRW report comes two months before Venezuela's regional and local elections, which both the Chávez administration and the opposition have said are crucial for defining the course of the country in the remaining five years of Chávez's presidency.

HRW has issued reports that are critical of the Chávez administration in the months leading up to crucial Venezuelan elections in the past, raising suspicion that the reports seek to sway Venezuelan voters against the president.

In June, July, and August 2004, two months prior to the referendum on Chávez's mandate in office, HRW published several reports that claimed that there is no independence of the branches of power in the Venezuelan government. In October 2007, two months prior to Venezuela's Constitutional Reform Referendum, HRW warned that if the reform is approved, the right to due process could be suspended in some situations by the president.

The most recent report and the expulsion of Vivanco and Wilkinson come during a time of relatively high tension between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments.

Last week, the Venezuelan government discovered a coup plot by retired Venezuelan military officers, and U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy was expelled. The U.S. responded by dismissing Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez and reiterating its accusations that the Venezuelan government facilitates drug trafficking and has links to terrorist groups.

Source: Venezuelanalysis.com

The Truth Suffers in Human Rights Watch Report on Venezuela
Posted: Saturday, September 20, 2008

September 19th 2008
by Venezuela Information Office

On September 18, 2008 Human Rights Watch released a report entitled "Venezuela: Rights Suffer Under Chávez." The report contains biases and inaccuracies, and wrongly purports that human rights guarantees are lacking or not properly enforced in Venezuela. In addition, while criticizing Venezuela's human rights in the political context, it fails to mention the many significant advancements made by the government on other essential human rights, such as access to education, healthcare, nutritious food, clean water, and housing.

MYTH: "Discrimination on political grounds has been a defining feature of the Chávez presidency."

FACT: Human Rights Watch deems the 2002 coup against the elected government "the most dramatic setback" for human rights in Venezuela in the last decade, but criticizes President Chavez's own public condemnations of the unconstitutional overthrow as examples of "political discrimination" against the opposition. On the contrary, President Chávez last year pardoned political opponents who backed a failed 2002 coup against his democratically elected government. "It's a matter of turning the page," Chávez said. "We want there to be a strong ideological and political debate -- but in peace."[i] In this spirit, the government has often welcomed input from the opposition, for example, inviting the leaders of student protests to address the National Assembly.

MYTH: The Chávez administration has an "open disregard for the principle of separation of powers - specifically an independent judiciary."

FACT: Human Rights Watch wrote in an earlier report that "When President Chávez became president in 1999, he inherited a judiciary that had been plagued for years by influence-peddling, political interference, and, above all, corruption...In terms of public credibility, the system was bankrupt." Under Chávez though, Human Rights Watch admitted that access to justice in Venezuela was improved by the expansion of the court system.[ii] Also, the World Bank found that "the [judicial] reform effort has made significant progress - the STJ [Supreme Court] is more modern and efficient."[iii] Testament to the strength of democratic institutions in Venezuela is the ability of the National Electoral Council to uphold decisions unfavorable to lawmakers, such as the "no" victory in the December 2007 referendum on constitutional reforms.

MYTH: "[Chávez] has significantly shifted the balance of the mass media in the government's favor... by stacking the deck against critical opposition outlets."

FACT: As was true at the time of the 2002 coup against Chávez, Venezuela's media is dominated by opposition voices. The "anti-government" media mentioned by Human Rights Watch still maintains the largest share of the nation's public airwaves, and their frequently extreme criticisms of the government have included calling for the overthrow of elected leaders (as in 2002). There are no major pro-government newspapers in Venezuela. The new government-funded television and radio outlets, such as TVes - Venezuela's first public broadcaster - and TeleSur - a regional network with support from multiple countries - have a much smaller reach than the private outlets. Furthermore, the government has never censored or "shut down" opposition media. The private channel RCTV faced a non-renewal of its broadcast license due to persistent legal violations including inciting political violence, but the station easily made the switch to cable.

MYTH: The Chávez government "has sought to remake the country's labor movement in ways that violate basic principles of freedom of association."

FACT: The Chavez government has actively promoted the formation of labor unions and bargaining by organized labor, but has not co-opted this sector. The National Workers' Union (UNT) was founded in April 2003 by workers supportive of government policies. In 2008, the government responded to an ongoing labor dispute between steel workers and the foreign-owned firm Sidor by intervening to negotiate a settlement, and when this was found to be impossible, the government reasserted state control over the Sidor plant in response to worker demands. The steel workers themselves were also allowed to purchase a share of the business themselves and thereby assert more control over the company.

MYTH: The Chávez government has pursued an "aggressively adversarial approach to local rights advocates and civil society organizations."

FACT: The Chávez administration has encouraged local leaders to create community councils that let localities identify and address their own problems - from garbage collection to school construction. The concept comes from the belief that local groups know what is lacking and know what they want for their communities. Community councils democratize local government and give people the funding and capacity to make decisions for themselves. Also subject to local decision-making are many of the social missions that are designed to help reduce poverty in the most marginalized areas of the country. Health clinics, educational centers, subsidized food markets and other initiatives rely on local volunteers and are accountable to these communities.

CONCLUSION

The Human Rights Watch report "Venezuela: Rights Suffer Under Chávez," provides an incomplete and biased account of Venezuela's human rights record during the last decade.

It overstates the issue of political discrimination, accusing the Chávez government of targeting opponents, when in fact it has pardoned supporters of the coup and promoted open dialogue. The report is also wrong on the separation of powers and the media. The branches of government provide strong checks and balances, and institutions have improved since Chávez was first elected. No censorship of the media occurs, and the opposition still dominates the airwaves. In terms of civil society, labor organizations and community groups enjoy more support from this administration than ever before.

Venezuela has a strong record on human rights. Many of the important guarantees set out in the 1999 Constitution have indeed been enforced, particularly those relating to the fundamental needs of citizens, such as food, shelter, healthcare, access to education, employment, social security, and the right to participation in cultural life.

Human Rights Watch details none of the impressive progress made in these areas. For example, the UN Development Programme has found that Venezuela has already achieved some of the Millennium Development Goals, and is on track to complete the others by 2015. Notably, the country has seen a 54% drop in the number of households living in extreme poverty since 1998, and its overall poverty has fallen by 34%.[iv] Facts such as these provide a much more complete picture of the human rights situation in Venezuela.

[i] "Chávez pardons accused coup backers" Ian James, Associated Press, December 31, 2007.
www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-12-31-1482318110_x.htm

[ii] Human Rights Watch, "Rigging the Rule of Law: Judicial Independence Under Siege in Venezuela," June 2004, www.hrw.org/reports/2004/venezuela0604/

[iii] World Bank, Project Information Document, Report AB510, December 9, 2003, www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDS_I
Bank_Servlet?pcont=details&eid=000104615_20040226144554

[iv] Instituto Nacional de Estadística
www.ine.gob.ve/pobreza/LIgrafico2sem.asp

The Venezuela Information Office is dedicated to informing the American public about contemporary Venezuela, and receives its funding from the government of Venezuela. Further information is available from the FARA office of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.

The full Human Rights Watch report on Venezuela can befound here.

Reproduced from: www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/3812

Subverting Democracy Through Electoral Fraud
Posted: Wednesday, September 17, 2008

By Stephen Lendman
September 15, 2008

In America and elsewhere, electoral fraud isn't new nor should anyone be surprised it occurs. But as technology improves, so are better ways found to pre-arrange outcomes. It's easier than ever today so more time, effort, money and other resources are earmarked for it. The result:

– elections and their run-up are mere kabuki theater; the major media and PR industry play the lead role; everything is pre-scripted;

– secrecy and back room deals substitute for a free, fair and open process;

– candidates are pre-selected;

– big money owns them;

– key outcomes are predetermined;

– both major parties share fault;

– partisan politics serve the privileged;

– they get the best democracy money can buy;

– elections give them cover;

– independents are shut out;

– the media ignore them;

– issues are unaddressed; horse race journalism and trivia substitute;

– voter disenfranchisement is rife; many are peremptorily stricken from the rolls; others are intimidated not to vote or are detered by various illegal practices;

– a little known one is called "vote caging;" it's to suppress minority voters by delisting them if they fail to answer "do not forward" registered mail sent to homes they're not living at - because they're at school, in the military, or away for other reasons;

– 4.5 million or more Americans can't vote because of past criminal records, or they're currently part of the largest prison population in the world at 2.3 million; mostly black and Latino; and increasing by around 1000 a week;

– half of eligible voters opt out because their interests go unaddressed;

– elections are privatized; touchscreen electronic machines do our voting; 80% of all 2004 votes were cast and counted on corporate-owned, programmed, and operated ones with no receipts for verification and no vetting of their "trade secret" software; computer professionals knows these machines are notoriously easy to manipulate - to erase votes, make ones for one candidate show up for another, go dead and be inoperable, or control an entire computer network through one machine and be able to change, add or erase votes easily;

– Stephen Spoonamore is a self-described "life-long Republican" and one of the world's leading cyber crime experts; from a just released October 2006 interview, he explains how the "structures" of Diebold's machines are inherently flawed and what he considers "IT junk;" regarding the 2000 and 2004 elections, he says: "There is a very strong argument (that they were) electronically stolen, the hanging chads were just a distraction….I think (Diebold machines) are brilliantly designed….to steal elections;" so

– losers are declared winners, and not just for president; as a result, the electoral process assures people lose out, or put another way - operatively, democracy in America is pure fantasy.

Calling it corrupted and needing repair barely explains things. We have a two-party duopoly. Democrats are interchangeable with Republicans. Differences between them are minor. Not a dime's worth to matter. Both sides support corporate interests, imperial designs, aggressive wars, and the divine right of capital to exploit workers, gain new markets, control the world's resources, and rule it without challenge. Unconsidered - beneficial social change and real electoral democracy with every US citizen 18 or older eligible to vote as the Twenty Sixth Amendment allows.

Constitutionally Flawed by Design

Ferdinand Lundberg separated myth from reality in his critically important book titled "Cracks in the Constitution." It masterfully deconstructs what he called "no masterpiece of political architecture," no "Rock of Ages," and "the great totempole of American society" that, in fact, is deeply flawed. Duplicitous "wheeler-dealer" politicians and their cronies (what today we call "a Wall Street crowd") created it for their own self-interest with no consideration whatever for the greater good. "We the people" were nowhere in sight even in the Bill of Rights that was enacted through compromise and solely to benefit wealthy property owners who wanted its protections.

From the beginning, privilege counted most in America, and it's codified in our most sacred document. It was designed (in Michael Parenti's words to) "resist the pressure of popular tides (and protect) a rising bourgeoisie's (freedom to) invest, speculate, trade, and accumulate wealth" the same way things work today. It was so the country could be run the way politician, jurist and first Chief Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said it should be - for and by "The people who own" it for their self-interest. And to appear nominally democratic "for the defense of the rich against the poor," according to Adam Smith.

Consider voting rights alone that are reviewed below in detail. The Constitution granted our most fundamental right - what Tom Paine called "the primary right by which all other rights are protected" - to privileged adult white male property owners only - around 15% of the population at the time. Native Americans were being exterminated. Blacks were commodities. Women were just childbearing and homemaking appendages of their husbands, and common ordinary folks were to have no say about how the country should be run.

Over time, constitutional and legislative changes as well as High Court rulings opened the process to everyone 18 or older and allowed states the right to enfranchise younger voters at their discretion. Yet today the system is deeply flawed. Large numbers of eligible voters opt out or are excluded, and a host of ways shut out poor minorities most likely to vote the "wrong" way if they're enfranchised - so they're not.

Even though the Constitution, Amendments, other laws and High Court rulings prohibit voting discrimination, violations, in fact, are common and abusive. In addition, no law ensures the universal right to vote under one uniform standard the way it is in most countries. States instead can set their own procedures and norms as long as they set don't conflict with federal laws, but this created a patchwork of 50 different systems no democracy should tolerate.

Proportional Representation v. Winner-Take-All

Most democracies have proportionally representative (PR) government unlike America's winner-take-all system. PR fairly represents all voters and all political parties or groups proportionally to their electoral strength. Thus if candidates from one party win 30% of the votes, they get 30% of legislative seats so that government represents all segments of society, not a privileged minority the way it works under winner-take-all. It awards 100% of power to a 50.1% majority. Effectively shuts out the other 49.9%, and ends up woefully undemocratic. Combined with a two party duopoly, the power of money, privatized electronic voting, purged unwanted voters, and various other schemes it becomes a process only despots would love and envy because they have no equivalently matching system.

The Electoral College

It's another systemic flaw, but the term isn't in the Constitution. And until the early 1800s, it wasn't in common usage to describe the way presidents and vice-presidents are elected. However, Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 states:

"Each state shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector."

Article II, Section 1, Clause 3 then explained the original way electors chose presidents and vice-presidents: "The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President….after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President." Today, of course, there's no separation between the two.

The Framers considered several options in choosing the current one, but clearly their own self-interest came first. One idea was for Congress to choose the president. Another was for state legislatures to do it, and a third was to let the people decide by popular vote. The Founders chose a fourth way - an indirect election by each state's-appointed Number of Electors. Nearly always they support voter wishes, but they're free to vote independently if they choose. In the nation's history, 157 electors did so and went against the will of the majority.

Critics cite many concerns about the Electoral College:

– it's fundamentally undemocratic in cases where popular vote totals exceed the Electoral College count; case in point - Bush v. Gore in 2000, but there were other examples earlier in 1888, 1876 and 1824 as explained below. In 1800 as well before the 12th Amendment required electors to cast two separate votes - one for president and the other for vice-president, but the idea today is to do it for members of the same party;

– also at issue is whether large or small states gain advantage from the current system; small ones do in having a proportionally large number of electors for their populations; however, large states, by their size, have more electoral votes and thus more influence; it takes lots of small states to equal one California, New York or Texas;

– if no candidate gets a majority of electoral votes, the House chooses the president, the Senate the vice-president, and the public is left out entirely;

– the Electoral College system reinforces a two-party duopoly and shuts out independent opposition; they get unequal exposure, and most voters won't support candidates who can't win; and

– 16 times since the Electoral College's founding (2000 being the most recent), winning presidential candidates won a minority of votes; under a winner-take-all no runoff system, there's no way to know if the public's favorite was elected, especially in close races; even worse, when half the electorate opts out, a majority win can be with as little as 25.1% of eligible voters.

Earlier Examples of Electoral Fraud

Much analysis went into showing how the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were stolen. More on them below, but first some earlier examples.

One was the 1824 election known as the "Corrupt Bargain." Four major candidates were involved - all from the same Democratic-Republican party, today's Democrats:

– Secretary of the Treasury William Crawford - President James Monroe's favorite;

– Speaker of the House Henry Clay;

– Andrew Jackson - a former general and Tennessee senator later elected the nation's seventh president in 1828; and

– John Quincy Adams - son of John Adams, the nation's second president.

When votes of the 24 states were tallied, no winner emerged. Jackson led with 42%. Adams trailed with 32%, and Clay and Crawford had 13% each. In the electoral count, Jackson had 99, 32 short of a majority. Adams trailed with 84, Crawford 41 and Clay 37. Under the 12th Amendment, it fell to the House to choose a winner from the top three, so in the run-up to the March inauguration day, lobbying and back room bargaining were furious. In the process, Clay won over western states for Adams even though they voted solidly for Jackson. He even got his own Kentucky home state's votes where Adams was entirely shut out.

On February 9, 1825, the House met to vote, and after a month of hard-bargaining, Adams took 13 states or the exact minimum he needed to win. Jackson got 7 and Crawford 4. The House galleries were outraged and with good reason. Deal-makers won out, not voters, and three days later Adams rewarded Clay by nominating him for Secretary of State. Jackson supporters were furious, and Clay was dogged for the rest of his life with charges of having struck a "corrupt bargain."

The 1876 election was even worse because of its fallout. Democrat Samuel Tilden got today's equivalent of two million more votes than Republican Rutherford B. Hayes. But in all presidential elections, electoral college votes are decisive. With 20 disputed votes uncounted, Tilden led 184 to 165 so a House committee got to decide. It secretly struck a deal, called the "bargain of 1877," to abandon Reconstruction and sell out freed blacks:

– Democrats controlled the House;

– they agreed not to obstruct Hayes' election even though he lost;

– Hayes, in turn, agreed to recognize Democrat control of the disputed southern states;

– railroad interests got federal aid; and

– former slaves were to be guaranteed their rights, but southern Democrats reneged; the era of Jim Crow, segregation, lynchings, and disenfranchisement began and didn't end until the 1960s civil rights legislation - but not entirely, and today Voting Rights Act provisions no longer protect.

Another example was Lyndon Johnson's 1948 senatorial primary win - the most blatant example of electoral theft in US history according to some observers. Historian Robert Caro is one of them. He documented it in the second of his planned four-volume study of our 36th President. He noted that ballot fraud was common in parts of Texas at the time, then went into great detail to show how Johnson miraculously overcame a 20,000 vote deficit to pull out an 87 vote victory. In Caro's words: it wasn't "the only election….ever stolen, but there was never such brazen thievery." The Texas Democrat Party's executive committee upheld the win by a 29 to 28 vote, and Johnson went on to defeat his Republican rival in the general election.

But there was more. The primary result was so disputed that a Federal District Court ordered Johnson's name off the ballot pending an investigation. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, however, voided the order on a petition from Johnson's chief lawyer, Abe Fortas. In 1965 as President, Johnson rewarded Fortas by appointing him to the High Court where he served for four years, then resigned under pressure for having accepted a secret $20,000 a year retainer from a Wall Street financier in return for unspecified advice. No mention was made of how he helped launch Johnson's senatorial career that made him Majority Leader, Vice-President and then President.

Another example involved partisan gerrymandering, not outright fraud, but in the end little different. The process is a form of redistricting that goes back to Elbridge Gerry (one of the Founding Fathers) who as Massachusetts governor in 1812 signed a bill into law that redistricted the state to benefit his Democratic-Republican party, today's Democrats.

States may redistrict legislative district boundaries to reflect decennial census population changes. But individual ones have latitude under their own standards provided they comply with federal requirements. In addition, municipal governments elected on a district basis, as opposed to at large, go through the same process. Criteria may allow for compact, contiguous districts, keeping political units and communities within a single one, and not drawing boundaries for partisan advantage or incumbent protection. All too often, however, one-party dominated legislatures abuse the process, and in 2003 it happened notoriously in Texas under Tom DeLay's leadership.

As Republican Majority Leader, he engineered a virtual coup d'etat against Democrats in his home state - one of the most outlandish examples of gerrymandering ever. It gave Republicans more control. They elected additional members to Congress, and thus got a greater majority in Washington.

The essential rules are to redistrict every decade, but DeLay took advantage of Texas law that contains no prohibition against doing it mid-decade. Democrats challenged his action. Took it to the Supreme Court, and on June 28, 2006 the High Court upheld most of what he designed. It rejected Democrat's contention that the Texas plan was unconstitutional because the legislature redistricted three years after the 2000 census solely to advantage Republicans when they had a voting majority to do it.

Ahead of the Court ruling, Columbia Law School Professor Samuel Issacharoff referred to "a sense of embarrassment about what happened in American politics. The rules of decorum have fallen apart. Voters no longer choose members of the House; the people who draw the lines do," and when they rig the process democracy becomes fantasy.

That characterized the South post-Reconstruction when Jim Crow laws stripped blacks of their voting rights and gave regional Democrats decades of one-party rule. Then recall the 1960 presidential election that Kennedy won over Nixon in spite of charges of fraud and vote buying. The race was close with Kennedy getting 113,000 more votes than Nixon, and his 303 - 219 electoral vote margin masked the fact that key states like Texas, Illinois and others could have gone either way.

As mayor, Richard J. Daley controlled Chicago politics, and it was widely believed that he turned an election eve Nixon lead into a Kennedy win by holding back a large number of precinct results that coincidentally reported later at the same time for Kennedy. After his inauguration, the DOJ conducted an "inconclusive" investigation. As Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy was in charge at the time.

A Brief History of US Voting Rights

– the 1787 Constitution and 1791 Bill of Rights gave only adult white male property owners (around 15% of the population) the franchise in most states; excluded were men with no property, women, slaves, some free black men, Native Americans, apprentices, laborers, felons and persons considered incompetent for whatever reasons;

– in 1810, the last religious prerequisite was eliminated;

– in 1850, property ownership and tax requirements no longer applied;

– in 1855, Connecticut adopted the first literacy test for voting; Massachusetts followed in 1857; Mississippi and other southern states did as well;

– in 1870, the 15th Amendment gave freed slaves and adult males of all races the right to vote;

– in 1889, Florida adopted a poll tax; 10 other southern states followed;

– in 1913, the 17th Amendment allowed voters to elect senators; previously, state legislatures did it;

– in Guinn v. United (1915), the Supreme Court ruled that grandfather clause exemptions to literacy tests violated the 15th Amendment and were unconstitutional;

– in 1920, the 19th Amendment gave women the franchise;

– in 1924, the Indian Citizenship Act granted all Native Americans citizenship, including the right to vote in federal elections;

– in Smith v. Allwright (1944), the Supreme Court ruled that all white primaries were unconstitutional;

– in 1957, the first voting rights bill since Reconstruction passed - the Civil Rights Act of 1957; because of Democrat opposition, it was largely ineffective;

– in Gormillion v. Lightfoot (1960), the Supreme Court ruled that a gerrymandered Alabama district unconstitutionally disenfranchised blacks;

– in 1961, the 23rd Amendment let District of Columbia voters participate in presidential elections; it didn't grant statehood or allow representation in Congress;

– in 1964, the 24th Amendment banned poll taxes in federal elections;

– in 1965, the Voting Rights Act protected minority voter rights and banned literacy test requirements;

– in Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), the Supreme Court banned poll taxes in all elections; the same year, it upheld the Voting Rights Act in South Carolina v. Katzenbach;

– in 1970, the Voting Rights Act renewal banned literacy requirements for five years; at the time, 18 states still had them; in Oregon v. Mitchell, the Court upheld the ban, made permanent in 1975;

– in 1971, the 26th Amendment standardized the minimum voting age at 18 but let states enfranchise younger voters;

– in Dunn v. Blumstein (1972), the Supreme Court ruled that lengthy residence requirements of over 30 - 50 days prior to state and local elections were unconstitutional;

– in 1995, federal "motor voter laws" let prospective voters register when they obtain or renew a driver's license; and

– in 2003, the Federal Voting Standards and Procedures Act required states to streamline registration, voting, and other election procedures.

Bush v. Gore in Election 2000

On December 12, the Supreme Court hijacked Election 2000 by deciding for George Bush after three days earlier halting the Florida recount on the spurious grounds that it violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause. It was the first time ever in US history that the High Court reversed a popular vote (5 - 4) to install its own preferred candidate - and the public has paid dearly ever since.

The High Court settled an election that was deeply flawed and rigged to elect George Bush. The Supreme Court then affirmed it by cutting off debate - most visibly in Florida. For its part, the media cheerled the process and wholeheartedly approved. They, too, got their man in Washington and rallied around him ever since. More on that below.

Election 2000 was rife with fraud, but its outcome hinged on how Florida went. Investigative journalist Greg Palast (and others) uncovered gross irregularities. He documented them in running reports, and published a full account in his 2002 book "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy." He got hold of two CD-ROM disks "right out of the computer offices of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris" with an evidentiary database of electoral fraud.

In the run-up to November 2000, Harris, "in coordination with Governor Jeb Bush," ordered 57,700 mostly poor African Americans and Latinos (likely to vote Democratic) removed from voter registries for having been "identified" as ex-felons and thus ineligible to vote under state law. Palast called it as "The Great Florida Ex-Con Game" and cited the use of "scrub lists." Two of them comprised nearly 1% of Florida's electorate and almost 3% of its black voters. They were compiled by the DBT Online subsidiary of Atlanta-based Choicepoint, a company with close Republican ties - much the way Diebold is with electronic voting machines.

On close examination, extensive inaccuracies were found in its work:

– Floridians were purged (without verification) because their names, gender, birthplace and race matched countless ex-felons who show up multiple times in state phone directories - like "David Butler" with 77 listings;

– alleged crimes were listed as committed in future years; and

– ex-felons of other states were removed whose voting rights were restored.

Choicepoint vice-president Martin Fagan later admitted that at least 8000 names were incorrectly listed and removed from voter rolls prior to the election. He also said accuracy checks weren't conducted. That's for users, like the state of Florida, to do.

On April 17, 2000, at a special Atlanta congressional hearing, Choicepoint vice-president James Lee testified that Florida officials told DBT to purge names matching 80% of ones believed to be ineligible. Acceptable procedure allowed dropping middle initials and suffixes and adding nicknames and aliases. In addition, names could be reversed so Thomas Lee could be removed instead of Lee Thomas.

On February 16, 2001, before the US Civil Rights Commission, Choicepoint senior vice-president George Bruder testified that the company misinformed Florida Supervisors of Elections officials on the issue of race in compiling purge lists. It got Palast to conclude that "An African-American felon named John Doe might wipe out the registration of an innocent African-American Will Whiting, but not the rights of an innocent Caucasian Will Whiting."

Under orders from Jeb Bush, various other obstructive practices took place before and on election day:

– ballot boxes in African-American districts were missing and uncounted;

– in black precincts, state troopers (near polling sites) intimidated and delayed voters for hours by searching cars and setting up roadblocks;

– some precincts asked for two photo IDs; Florida law requires only one;

– African-American students at schools like Florida A&M signed up in force as first-time voters but faced obstructions at polling stations; they were turned away because they couldn't show a registration card or drivers license; but Florida law lets eligible residents sign an affidavit (not provided) and swear they hadn't voted;

– other practices were also revealed - solely in minority districts: voters were turned away and directed to vote elsewhere; they were never mailed registration cards; and they were told they showed up too late and polls were closed;

– in minority districts, requested absentee ballots were never received; and

– alleged forged absentee ballots voted for George Bush.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act bans discriminatory practices that for decades disenfranchised blacks and other minorities. It prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure (that may) deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." It established various federal oversight procedures for enforcement, but for Election 2000 it hardly mattered. In Florida, abuses were brazen, but Democrats ducked the issue. They ceded the state and election to George Bush even though their candidate Gore won, and by a comfortable margin.

On January 6, 2001, a joint session of Congress convened to count the Electoral College votes. In a final humiliation and despite 20 Democrat congressmen objecting, no party senator joined their colleagues to adjourn the session and have it reconvene for separate House and Senate votes as required by an 1887 law. With the Senate divided 50 - 50, Democrats controlled the body since Vice-President Gore had the deciding vote. Even he refused to intervene, but it wasn't surprising. On December 13, 2000, he conceded the election, the day after the Supreme Court awarded it to George Bush.

Bush v. Kerry in Election 2004

As bad as 2000 was, Election 2004 was worse because technology smoothed the way with electronic ease. Following the 2000 election, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) passed in 2002 as the first ever comprehensive electoral law designed to facilitate fraud. Hailed as a major advance, it, in fact, corrupts the process because of how it's abused. It ushered in the age of privatized voting - on touchtone electronic machines owned, programmed, operated and controlled by giant corporations with close Republican ties. Today, over 80% of all votes are cast and counted this way. Most states require no verifiable paper receipts, so it's easy to manipulate pre-arranged outcomes, and not just for president.

A record 16.8 million new voters registered for Election 2004 - most according to surveys for Kerry making him a heavy favorite when George Bush's approval rating hovered around 40%, and most voters believed the country was headed in the wrong direction. At the time, Zogby International reported that no president since Harry Truman won a second term with a below-50% rating. Yet (officially) Bush got 11.6 million more votes than in 2000 and beat Kerry by a comfortable three million margin. It was much closer in the Electoral College (286 - 251), and again Florida (and Ohio) made the difference.

As in 2000, extensive fraud explained things with Greg Palast again doing first-rate investigative work. So did activist, media critic and Professor of Media Ecology Mark Crispin Miller in his superb book "Fooled Again: The Real Case for Electoral Reform." In 2007, it came out in paperback with 100 new pages for added insight into our electoral problems:

– it exposed denial in the progressive media - publications like The Nation, Mother Jones, TomPaine.com and Salon that saw "no evidence" of electoral fraud when the work of Miller, Palast and others exposed loads of it;

– it showed the 2006 elections were just as fraudulent at a time independent surveys indicated a huge Democrat sweep; yet they only gained 31 House seats for a majority and five in the Senate for a 49 - 49 tie along with two independents - Bernie Sanders allied with Democrats and Joe Lieberman with Republicans plus Vice-President Cheney as tie-breaker if needed;

– it documented how Ohio was stolen much like Florida in 2000 and again in 2004 with electronic voting machine ease plus an array of other practices that betray a rigged process - and that's Miller's purpose for his book: a plea for reform with practical ideas like banning electronic voting, returning to verifiable paper ballots, and placing civil servants in charge of elections, not partisan politicians or self-serving corporations. Short of that, future elections will be predictable. "The election of 2008 will be (like) 2004 - and a preview of 2012, 2016, 2020 and every ‘presidential race' thereafter," according to Miller. Who can disagree based on clear evidence since 2000 alone.

Post-election, Kerry told Miller he knew that Republicans stole the election and denied him the presidency. He then claimed he never said it, putting him strongly in the business as usual camp with electoral and other progressive reforms off the table. Miller called his response "an irrational refusal to confront, or even to perceive, a clear and present danger to American democracy." Like Gore in 2000, he quit without a fight but didn't wait as long to do it. He conceded on November 3, less than 24 hours after the previous day's election.

Sourcewatch.org documented a sampling of some "deeply troubling" 2004 practices:

– the major media blackout (and too much of it from progressive sources);

– nearly half the six million American voters living or expected to be abroad never received requested absentee ballots, or got them too late; military personnel, likely to vote Republican, had no such problems;

– the Republican National Committee hired consulting firm Sproul & Associates to register voters in six battleground states; they reportedly refused to register Democrats;

– malfunctioning New Mexico voting machines wiped out 20,000 votes to let Bush carry the state by a 5988 margin;

– faulty voting equipment spoiled one million or more ballots; Greg Palast reported "over three million votes cast but never counted" broken down as follows:

(1) rejected provisional ballots (for registered voters unlisted on rolls) - 1,090,729;

(2) rejected spoiled ballots (ones malfunctioning machines didn't count) - 1,389,231;

(3) uncounted absentee ballots (for minor technical reasons) - 526,420; and

(4) registered voters barred from voting (alleged ex-felons, blacks, Latinos, and others in Democrat counties) - no precise number known nationwide but it was easily in the hundreds of thousands.

Palast also reported that a US Census voter turnout announcement (seven months after the election) confirmed (in a footnote) that 3.4 million fewer votes were cast than the "official" Clerk of the House of Representatives tally - telling evidence of voter disenfranchisement.

Sourcewatch.org further reported:

– exit polls in 30 states deviated from final results by amounts far beyond margins of error; in all but four states, discrepancies favored Bush; it's widely acknowledged that exit polling is the most reliable predictor of final results; not in 2004 with Ohio Exhibit A:

– tens of thousands of eligible voters were illegally purged from the rolls;

– Democrat registration cards weren't processed;

– 357,000 voters, overwhelmingly Democrat, were prevented form voting or their votes weren't counted; Bush's Ohio "victory" margin was 118,599 - clear proof he lost and Kerry carried the state and the election;

– there were too few Democrat precincts, and they got fewer voting machines than Republican ones;

– as a result, people waited up to 12 hours to vote; some gave up and went home; others were denied and told they were at the wrong precinct;

– evidence that over 80,000 Kerry votes went for Bush, and most disturbing of all that

– one in every four Ohio registrants showing up to vote discovered they weren't listed on the rolls because of Republican Secretary of State and co-chair of Bush's re-election committee Kenneth Blackwell's purging.

These and other practices were rampant in Ohio, Florida and around the country in key battleground and other states:

– the Republican National Committee's Voter Outreach of America collected thousands of Nevada voter registration forms; Republican ones were turned in to public officials; those for Democrats were destroyed;

– too few voting machines were in Democrat precincts, and many of them malfunctioned or broke down; in Republican precincts, voting went smoothly;

– some Democrat precinct polling stations never opened; others opened late and closed early;

– Republican-funded agitators were deployed in key Democrat precincts; they intimidated voters with unfounded threats of imminent arrest for failure to pay child support, unpaid parking tickets, and other false accusations;

– key Republican counties recorded impossibly high turnouts - up to 98% and in some cases higher than the number of registered voters; in Democrat ones, the reverse was true - as low as 7%;

It showed democracy in America is pure fantasy, but you'd never know it from major media reports and too many others from sources that should know better.

How the Media Cover Presidential Politics

On all vital topics, major media sources produce a daily flow of disinformation masquerading as real news. It's their role as "Guardians of Power" the way Davids Cromwell and Edwards explained in their powerful critique of professional journalism. They and others show that the media are in crisis, and a free and open society is at risk. Trivia substitutes for substance and fiction for fact. News is carefully filtered, dissent suppressed, and supporting the powerful undermines the public interest.

As a result, wars of aggression are called liberating ones. Civil liberties are denied for our own good. Patriotism means supporting lawless governments, and electoral politics are just kabuki theater and horse race journalism. It shows up noticeably in presidential years as spectacle when saturation coverage goes round the clock. Horse race trivia substitutes for real information, and undisguised partisanship favors Republicans over Democrats mostly getting short shrift or attacked. No wonder the public is uninformed and half of eligible voters opt out. Why bother when their issues go addressed. Cases in point: Elections 2000 and 2004.

In the run-up to Election 2000, it was painful following the one-sided coverage for George Bush - especially on television and right-wing talk radio. But that paled compared to the unprecedented post-election partisanship to halt the Florida recount, ignore the popular will, support an electoral power grab, and back the illegitimacy of an unelected president. Working journalists became tools of power, apologists for their actions, and co-conspiratorially responsible for the outcome.

They cheerled the dismantling of democracy. Supported George Bush's illegitimacy, and editorialized like The New Times about his "unusual gracious(ness)" post-election, his "hopeful (offer) of conciliation (and) Despite the bitterness of the last five weeks, and indeed the last year, Americans are ready to turn the page. George Walker Bush….must lead the way." The Washington Post noted that "Mr. Bush achieved his narrow victory in part by putting a softer face on his party - by his promise to be a uniter….We congratulate him on his ‘victory.' "

Post-election, a consortium of large US news organizations (including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and others) enlisted the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago to conduct a Florida Ballot Project comprehensive review of all machine-uncounted ballots in Florida, including "undervotes" and "overvotes (175,000 in total)." The former were ballots initially registering no vote while the latter were marked ballots for Bush or Gore with the candidate's name also written in or circled.

On November 12, 2001 (10 months after Bush took office), they released NORC's results in an attempt to suppress the truth and boost the administration's legitimacy. Unsurprisingly, they showed that Bush would have won (Florida) by 493 votes even without the High Court's intervention. They also claimed he'd have had a 225 vote margin if recounts in four disputed counties had been completed. The New York Times hailed the result as proof that the "Justices Did Not Cast the Deciding Vote," and the other consortium members went along. But it was false, and they knew it.

Their own study showed that if all Florida "undervotes" and "overvotes" had been counted and added to the final tally, Gore would have won. This was so explosive that a New York Times journalist on the project reportedly told a colleague they'll be "major trouble for the Bush presidency if this ever gets out." But it didn't because consortium member managements quashed it under heavy Bush administration pressure.

Yet not entirely. The NYT went both ways on November 12, but buried the bad news on a back page most readers never saw. Reporters Ford Fessenden and John Broder wrote: "A comprehensive review of the uncounted Florida ballots reveals that George W. Bush would have won even if the United States Supreme Court had allowed the statewide manual recount….to go forward." Then further down they said: examination of all rejected ballots "found that Mr. Gore might have won if the courts had ordered a full statewide recount." The Times also reported that Bush netted about 290 votes from illegally cast absentee ballots, and the consortium estimated that various disparities cost Gore tens of thousands of Florida votes compared to Bush's narrow 537 victory margin. Nonetheless, they acquiesced to his power grab and share major responsibility for its fallout.

And it continued during the 2004 campaign, most notably in collaboration with the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Despite their unfounded accusations about John Kerry, the media jumped on them. They left military records and eyewitness accounts unexamined that would have exposed them, and took the lead in spreading spurious disinformation a little checking would have debunked.

Back in 2000 as well as 2004, they also downplayed Bush's Air National Guard record. His admission of abusing alcohol until age 40. Allegations of drug abuse. His explosive temper, and his unimpressive Yale and Harvard Business School records.

Also his dismal business performance, yet he made a fortune nonetheless. Oil exploration company Arbusto lost money but got millions from family-connected investors to keep it afloat. Then Spectrum 7 Energy bought Arbusto in 1984. In 1986, it was failing when oil prices collapsed. Harken Energy bought out Bush's equity in exchange for company stock. A 1991 SEC document suggested he violated federal securities law at least four times by selling Harken stock while serving as a director. But GHW Bush was president. The case was quietly dropped, and the media never bothered to expose the kind of shenanigans they'd have jumped on against Democrats.

Nor in 2004 to highlight Bush's early administration years that coincided with the biggest corporate scandals and bankruptcies since Teapot Dome in the 1920s. It's no wonder that author Kevin Phillips expressed fears in his new book, "Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism." He's worried that we may be on the edge of the abyss because of "three profligate decades," an orgy of excess under GW Bush, and though he's not prone to predicting, he leans heavily on an unpleasant outcome. But you'd never know it from the way media touts protect Republicans, including the worst of the current incumbent's record.

Well into Election 2008, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting notes that the same 2000/2004 script is in play in its May/June and July/August issues. They feature stories about "The Press Corps' Unshakeable Crush on McCain" and "Obama's Elitism." Here's a sampling of what Professor Henry Higgins called "(quotes) that would make (an honest observer) blush."

On McCain:

– MSNBC host Chris Mathews - "The press loves (him). We're his base."

– Newsweek's Howard Fineman - "McCain('s) as joyously combative as Popeye and as earnestly confessional as Oprah."

– Charles Lane in the New Republic - "I'm falling for John McCain."

– CBS 60 Minutes host Mike Wallace - so enamored with McCain that "I'm thinking I may quit my job if he gets the nomination."

– CBS host Bob Schieffer - (McCain's the) most famous maverick of the last half of the 20th century,"

– the Washington Post's Dana Milbank - "He's the bravest candidate in the presidential race. While his rivals pander to primary constituencies, the former prisoner of war gives audiences a piece of his mind."

– Time magazine Michael Scherer - McCain's nomination will transform the GOP and "shift its priorities on key domestic issues ranging from global warming to the cheap importation of prescription drugs. Does this sound too good to be true?" Not according to Scherer.

– The New York Times David Brooks - McCain is allergic to blind party discipline and builds radically different coalitions depending on his views on each issue."

– The New York Times "liberal" columnist Frank Rich - "Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton should be ashamed of themselves for libeling John McCain," in reference to their comments on McCain saying it's "fine with me" if US troops stay in Iraq for 100 years.

– The Washington Post's David Broder (on Meet the Press) after the Caucasus crisis erupted: this was "particularly a moment where John McCain can claim to have been prescient, because….he draws a very sharp line when it comes to Russia." In contrast, "Obama's basic message on foreign policy is it's better to talk to our enemies than to get ready to fight them. And here's a case where, clearly, talking did not dissuade Russia from this act of violence," and

– the major media response to McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate; pundits and reporters hailed it as proof of his "maverick" nature; reclaiming it; asserting it; recapturing it; a reference to a "maverick" choosing a "maverick;" and McCain returning "to the original John McCain.;" not a hint that it was done to placate the most extremists Republican elements.

On Obama:

At the start of his campaign, "whispers about his religious beliefs," questions about his patriotism, and "Is he one of us" came up. Then there were days of controversy over Rev. Wright and whether Obama still belonged to his church. Back in 2000, it was Gore the exaggerator v. Bush the uniter and compassionate conservative. In 2004, it was Kerry's "flip-flops," his "distorted" war record, stiffness, unlikability and inability to "connect" with voters.

Now it's Obama the elitist or snob with AP reporter Ron Fournier warning that he had "better watch his step (since he's) bordering on arrogance (and) can be a little too cocky for his own good." He and his wife "ooze entitlement."

– MSNBC's Chris Mathews (again) in an obvious racial slur - "the fact that's he's good at basketball doesn't surprise anybody, but the fact that he's terrible at bowling does make you wonder." He also questioned Obama's choice of beverage at an Indiana campaign stop; orange juice over coffee he called "weird."

– the New York Times Maureen Dowd contrasted her just-plain folks upbringing with Obama's "detached egghead quality." She also characterizes him the way she went at Gore and Kerry by calling them "girlie men" and equating Democrats with "desperate housewives perceived as the party in skirts."

– the New York Times David Brooks (again) - does Obama "really get the way we live? Voters want a president who shares their values and life experiences," implying Obama doesn't so why vote for him.

– numerous media outlets attacked Michelle Obama on not being patriotic, and CNN and others characterized her husband the same way and accused him of having a "cultish following."

Slate's John Dickerson has had enough of Obama's euphoria - "Isn't there a natural limit to our enthusiasm for this kind of sweeping phenomenon."

– the Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan called the Obamas self-centered "snobs" who can't relate to "normal Americans."

– The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol echoed the theme.

– Time.com's Ana Marie Cox played up the liberal media bias by reporting that McCain's camp is complaining that the media are being too easy on Obama.

– The National Review's Lisa Schiffren argued that Obama's mixed-race parents had communist leanings because back then that's the only reason blacks and whites married.

– Accuracy in Media's Cliff Kincaid - "Obama admitted (a) relationship with someone who was publicly identified as a member of the Communist Party USA."

– CNN's Carol Costello suggesting that an audience at an Obama rally was "a scene some increasingly find not inspirational, but creepy," while the on-screen graphics read: "OBAMA-MANIA BACKLASH (and) PASSION CULT-LIKE TO SOME," and

– commentators, reporters and pundits ranging from ABC's Charles Gibson, MSNBC's Chris Mathews, PBS News Hour's Mark Shields, NPR's Scott Simon, the Washington Post's David Broder and others misrepresenting Obama's pledge to take public financing when, in fact, they knew he made no such unconditional promise.

Sum it up and there's no surprise about the media's one-sided loyalty. Their bias for Republicans over Democrats, and their willingness to shape stories for their own self-interest. Regardless of the campaign's outcome, reporting is deplorable because of today's professional journalism. Media giants are dominant. Bottom-line considerations are primary, and what passes for news, information and campaign coverage is shaped by commercial considerations. Republicans are seen as more accommodative so full-court press coverage backs them. But if elections aren't legitimate and working journalists aren't for truth, what good are they? As "Guardians of Power" not much.

Electoral Reform - Reviving Democracy Depends on It

Democracy in America is pure fantasy. Electoral fraud is Exhibit A. Reviving the republic starts off with reforming how we elect public officials. Short of that, darker days are ahead. Lots of ideas are around, and here's a few:

– enfranchise all US citizens automatically at birth (like in Venezuela) under one uniform national law for all elections - federal, state and local; do it by constitutional amendment if necessary;

– affirm one national minimum voting age; under the 26th Amendment it's 18, but states have latitude to lower it;

– remove all prohibitions against voting, including for ex-felons and current inmates, most of whom are imprisoned for non-violent offenses such as illicit drug possession; the US is the only democracy that denies ex-felons the right to vote; overall it's in the bottom rankings of world electoral democracy and with good reason;

– de-privatize elections; let only (federal, state and local) unelected civil servants run them under a nonpartisan election commission; keep politicians and business interests out of them;

– repeal the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and expose its scheme to let private corporations run elections using easily rigged touchscreen electronic voting machines;

– prohibit electronic voting; mandate hand-counted (and easily verifiable) paper ballots for all elections - federal, state and local; by constitutional amendment if necessary to encompass other reform provisions;

– end the Electoral College for presidential elections - again by constitutional amendment; democracy means rule by the people; elections should be solely by popular vote;

– adopt proportionally representative governance in place of winner-take-all;

–move to instant runoff voting (IRV) under which voters rank candidates by order of preference; as many or as few as they wish with lower ranking ones not counting against higher ones; then count first choices; candidates with a majority of them win; otherwise, candidates with the fewest first choices are eliminated; votes for them then go for voters' second choices; the process continues until one candidate gets a majority and wins, and there's no need for expensive and time-consuming second rounds when they're held;

– publicly fund elections and prohibit all private contributions; democracy can't work based on one dollar equals one vote;

– prohibit paid political advertising; require all broadcasters to allocate enough free time to all candidates ahead of elections as a requirement for using the public airwaves; begin weeks, not months, ahead of election day;

– prohibit computerized voter registries to eliminate the possibility of mysterious purging;

– prohibit gerrymandering practices; allow only decennial redistricting to account for population changes, not to work for partisan advantage or to favor incumbents;

– publicly fund independent exit polling and keep commercial interests out of it; allow no results to be released until all polling stations are closed nationwide;

– let international and independent observers monitor polling sites;

– make election day a federal holiday and require employers to allow enough time to vote with no docking of pay to do it.

These and other reforms will go a long way toward fixing a broken system. Rigged for the powerful, and returning the most fundamental of all democratic rights to the people - where it belongs. Short of that, darker times are ahead, as if they're not bad enough already.

Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Mondays from 11AM - 1PM US Central time.

This is Your Nation on White Privilege
Posted: Monday, September 15, 2008

Lehman Files for Bankruptcy, Merrill Sold, AIG Seeks Cash

Meltdown in US finance system pummels stock market
The upheaval in the American financial system sent shock waves through the stock market Monday, producing the worst day on Wall Street in seven years as investors digested the failure of one of its most venerable banks and wondered which domino would be next to fall.
The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 500 points, more than 4 percent, its steepest point drop since the day the stock market reopened after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. About $700 billion evaporated from retirement plans, government pension funds and other investment portfolios.

U.S. Stocks Drop, S&P 500 Sinks Most Since 2001 Terror Attacks

The Tumbrils Roll at Dawn
Bank of America is buying Merrill Lynch for $45 billion, AIG needs an emergency $40 billion bail-out from Uncle Sam to stay afloat, and Lehman Bros is kaput. Whew! The financial world has been turned upside-down overnight. It'll be a rough day of trading ahead."
The news of Wall Street's Sunday night massacre sent foreign stock markets into a deep swoon. Shares tumbled in Asia and dropped more than 4 per cent in Europe. The dollar is steadily losing ground to the euro and gold is on the rise. The question is not whether the Dow will fall, but "how far" and what affect that will have on increasingly fragile financial institutions.

The Social Imperative of Sound Money

Crash Course in Economics
The first time I was in a car crash, I was six or seven years old.
That's a long time ago. But there are certain things about it that I remember quite vividly.
My father was driving. The road was icy. We began to slide. This was in the days before seat belts and cars had bench seats, upholstered, but not shaped for each individual bottom. My father shot out his right arm and pressed me against the seat back to keep me from flying forward if, indeed, we ended up in hitting something.
The thing that was most extraordinary was how long it seemed to take. How time slowed while we slid forward and sideways, heading onto the shoulder, then past it .... it seemed as if we had all the time in the world, yet there was nothing we could do to get off the ice, alter the trajectory, slow down ... nothing ... until we crashed.

Who's to Blame for Market Failure? Clue: Not the Bankers
Meltdown in US finance system pummels stock market
Wall Street crisis could put Fed rate cut in play

Financial Russian Roulette
Will the U.S. financial system collapse today, or maybe over the next few days? I don't think so — but I'm nowhere near certain. You see, Lehman Brothers, a major investment bank, is apparently about to go under. And nobody knows what will happen next.
To understand the problem, you need to know that the old world of banking, in which institutions housed in big marble buildings accepted deposits and lent the money out to long-term clients, has largely vanished, replaced by what is widely called the "shadow banking system." Depository banks, the guys in the marble buildings, now play only a minor role in channeling funds from savers to borrowers; most of the business of finance is carried out through complex deals arranged by "nondepository" institutions, institutions like the late lamented Bear Stearns — and Lehman.

This is Your Nation on White Privilege

Texas rushes Ike relief as health crisis looms
Morales Confronts the Insurrection

Racist Rhetoric in Bolivia
In a careless slip of the tongue in August, 2006 Virginia Senator George Allen shot himself in the foot and ended his political career. During a campaign rally Allen pointed to a man of Indian descent and remarked "This fellow here, over here with the yellow shirt, macaca, or whatever his name is. He's with my opponent. He's following us around everywhere. And it's just great."
Allen's supporters began to laugh.
"Let's give a welcome to macaca, here," the Senator added. "Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia."

Quagmire, Phase 2: The Invasion of Pakistan
Raids into Pakistan: What U.S. authority?
No tears in west for 60 Afghan children

Slaughter, Lies, and Video in Afghanistan
Posted: Monday, September 15, 2008

The Value of One, the Value of None
An Anatomy of Collateral Damage in the Bush Era

By Tom Engelhardt
September 11, 2008

In a little noted passage in her bestselling book, The Dark Side, Jane Mayer offers us a vision, just post-9/11, of the value of one. In October 2001, shaken by a nerve-gas false alarm at the White House, Vice President Dick Cheney, reports Mayer, went underground. He literally embunkered himself in "a secure, undisclosed location," which she describes as "one of several Cold War-era nuclear-hardened subterranean bunkers built during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, the nearest of which were located hundreds of feet below bedrock…" That bunker would be dubbed, perhaps only half-sardonically, "the Commander in Chief's Suite."

Full Article : tomdispatch.com

Go Home, Gringo
Posted: Sunday, September 14, 2008

Panic!
Democrats, exquisitely sensitized to the footfalls of defeat by the disasters of 2000 and 2004, caught the first menacing chords of impending disaster last weekend and have been panicking ever since. The hours they had to revel in the apparent success of their Denver convention and Obama's big speech were pitifully brief. The very next day John McCain picked as his running mate a virtually unknown governor from Alaska and the country has gone Palin-crazy ever since.

The Baby Killers

Bush's Bitter Legacy
As we pause to remember the 3,000 people who died in the dreadful attacks of September 11 2001, it is also important to remember that, in terms of the Bush administration's response, the bitter legacy of that day remains a deep stain on America's moral standing.
In order to pursue a "war" against a group of terrorist criminals, the administration flouted the US Constitution and the bill of rights, dismissed the Geneva conventions, endorsed imprisonment without charge or trial, created a system of show trials for terror suspects out of thin air, granted themselves the right to spy on American citizens with impunity, and invaded a sovereign country without justification.

The Next Cuban Missile Crisis?
Haiti and the Hurricanes
The Baltic States and Russia

Bolivia: a Coup in the Making?
Yesterday, in Bolivia, Minister of Government, Alfredo Rada, accused the right-wing autonomist leader Branko Marinkovic, and Santa Cruz prefect, Rubén Costas, of orchestrating a wave of violence as part of a "civic governors' coup d'état." Rada accused Marinkovic of having just returned from the United States where he allegedly received instructions for fomenting the coup attempt.

New Transcripts of Kissinger's Role in Chilean Coup

Alleging Coup Plot, Chávez Ousts U.S. Envoy
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said Thursday that he was expelling the American ambassador, Patrick Duddy, giving him 72 hours to leave the country. Mr. Chávez took this step after he said his government had discovered an American-supported plot by military officers to topple him.
He also recalled his ambassador to Washington, Bernardo Álvarez, and explained his decision by expressing solidarity with Bolivia's embattled president, Evo Morales, who on Wednesday expelled the American ambassador there, Philip S. Goldberg, accusing him of supporting rebellious groups in eastern Bolivia. The State Department responded by saying it was declaring Bolivia's ambassador to Washington persona non grata.

Go Home, Gringo
On the 35th anniversary of the military overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile on September 11, 1973, which had the overt support of the United States, the presidents of Bolivia and Venezuela have asked the US ambassadors accredited to their countries to leave.
They both believe they are facing the possibility of an imminent coup d'etat in which they accuse the Americans of being involved. A third country, Paraguay, announced 10 days ago that it had detected a conspiracy involving military officers and opposition politicians. Latin America now faces its most serious crisis since the re-introduction of democratic practice at the end of the last century.

Nicaragua's Ortega says no meeting with Bush
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega says he will reject an invitation to meet with President Bush out of "solidarity" with Bolivia in its diplomatic spat with Washington.
Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador this week after accusing him of conspiring against his government. Washington rejected the accusations and expelled Bolivia's ambassador to the U.S. the following day.

Honduras in diplomatic snub to U.S. over Bolivia
Honduras, a former U.S. ally in Central America now run by a leftist government, told a U.S. envoy not to present his credentials as ambassador on Friday in a diplomatic snub in support of Bolivia.
Bolivia and anti-U.S. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are in a fight with Washington over what they see as U.S. support for violent protests against Bolivian President Evo Morales.

Yankee hegemony finished: Chavez
Cuba rejects U.S. "aid with strings"
Venezuela cuts U.S. carriers' flights in spat
"Twenty Families Are Obstructing Governability" - Expert
In solidarity, Honduras takes action against U.S. envoy

Crisis in Bolivia

Venezuela & Chávez

White House Claims Bin Laden Was Not The 'Mastermind' of Sept. 11
Breaking The Silence Video
China may cut its dollar holdings - CICC

Record Corporate Bailout Reveals the Bankruptcy of American Capitalism
The US government takeover of the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has dealt a shattering blow to the ideology of market capitalism, which has been used for decades to justify a relentless assault on the working class and a vast transfer of wealth to the American ruling elite.
The endless invocations of the virtues of private enterprise, individual entrepreneurship and self-reliance, used to demonize socialism and defend a system that exploits the vast majority for the benefit of a financial elite, have been exposed as frauds. When it comes to big capital, losses are socialized. Only profits remain private.

Bin Laden Laughs as his predictions of America's impending bankruptcy come true
Seven years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the US government is finally getting around to installing radiation scanning devices at major airports. The 9/11 Commission cited this as a major vulnerability four years ago, when their report was released, but we're just now getting ready to test the equipment at Dulles airport. By the end of the year, four additional airports will be graced with Radiation Portal Monitors,[.pdf file] and, according to news reports, the Department of Homeland Security has plans to "eventually" install them at 30 major US airports.

US stonewalling Ahmadinejad visa process
US a step closer to Iran blockade
Russia's Medvedev: Attack on Iran will endanger entire world
'Who the f*** are you to lecture me?'

Cheney Scales New Heights of Hypocrisy
While Alaska Governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is getting all the attention, the current vice president, Dick Cheney, was able to pontificate about Russia and Georgia with barely any notice from the media. However, while hardly anyone was watching, Mr. Cheney echoed the hypocrisy of his boss, President George Bush. While traveling in Italy, Mr. Cheney decided to become the moral arbiter of Russia's foreign policies. His incredible remarks are worth studying.

The Suppression of Dissent in America

So You Think You Can Dance?
Posted: Sunday, September 14, 2008

African-American Dancer with Muslim Name Ethnically Profiled by Israeli Airport Security

By Omar Barghouti

Israeli security officers at Tel-Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport Tuesday forced an African-American member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater -- by far the best-known touring company in the United States -- to perform twice for them in order to prove he was a dancer before letting him enter the country with the dance company, the dancer told the Associated Press. But even after he complied, one of the officers suggested that Abdur-Rahim Jackson change his name. Jackson felt humiliated and "deeply saddened," according to an Ailey spokesperson, particularly because his Arab/Muslim sounding first name, given to him by his Muslim father, was the reason that he was the only member of his company subjected to this typical Israeli ethnic profiling.

While still officially illegal in the U.S., ethnic profiling, described as "racist" by human rights groups, is widespread in Israel, at entrances to malls, public and private buildings, airports, etcetera. Israeli citizens and permanent residents with Arab names -- or often just Arab accents -- are commonly singled out for rough, intrusive and glaringly humiliating "security" checks.

Full Article : counterpunch.org

Zimbabwe: Power-sharing deal hailed
Posted: Saturday, September 13, 2008

Herald Reporters
September 13, 2008
The Herald

Ordinary Zimbabweans, political parties, analysts, church leaders, captains of industry, trade unions, the United Nations and the European Union have hailed the signing of a power-sharing deal by Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations.

They urged the political parties to implement what has been agreed upon so that ordinary Zimbabweans benefit from the deal.

The three principals to the inter-party talks sealed the deal on Thursday night under the facilitation of South African President Thabo Mbeki.

The principals are President Mugabe of Zanu-PF, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC president Arthur Mutambara.

Immediate-past leader of the Heads of Christian Denominations Bishop Trevor Manhanga said the signing of the deal was a positive development adding that was what the church has always been praying for.

"As church leaders we are very happy and we regard the signing of the deal as an answer to our prayers.

"We hope that the entire nation will support it," said Bishop Manhanga, who two years ago led a team of church leaders to meet President Mugabe at State House in their bid to find a lasting solution to the country's political and economic challenges.

He said the nation should not be deterred by some outside forces that might try to rubbish it, saying the country should remain focused.

"Other people might not be happy with the deal and we should be prepared for that, especially outsiders. This is a deal by Africans, for Africans, even if some outsiders are sceptical, we must give it our support," he said.

Former Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce leader Mrs Mara Hativagone said the business community was grateful over the signing of the power-sharing deal.

"We are very ecstatic. A huge milestone has been moved and we are hopeful that the economy will improve in a big way. We feel very relieved because industry was now on its knees. The signing of the deal is like a new lease of life breathed into industry," she said.

Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions president Mr Alfred Makwarimba said the signing of the power-sharing deal would naturally bring relief to workers.

"Naturally, we are happy if the deal has prospects of making workers begin to go about their work and realising value from their efforts. If the deal will address these issues, we will definitely support it," said Mr Makwarimba.

His counterpart at the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Lovemore Matombo, said while the deal was a positive development, he would be in a better position to comment after his union has gone through the entire document.

"It is difficult to comment substantively when you do not know the contextualisation of the deal. What we need is a document that will result in the restoration of people's freedom and if that deal seeks to do that, then we are home and dry," said Mr Matombo.

University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Mr Eldred Masunungure echoed Mr Matombo's sentiments, and applauded the deal as it sought to create a political settlement in the country.

"I am not privy to the details of the deal, but the news of reaching a political settlement is a welcome development if it will unlock the multi-layered crisis in the country," said Mr Masunungure.

"In light of the fact that we have not had sight of the actual document, we will treat it with cautious optimism. The real litmus test will be on the implementation. That is what is going to measure its credibility, integrity and its capacity to deal with the multi-faceted challenges the country is facing."

The Zimbabwe Organisation of Opposition Political Parties secretary-general, Mr Gondai Vutuza, said his organisation welcomed the development.

"The signing will definitely give many people new hope and we look forward to the signing ceremony," said Mr Vutuza, who is also Zanu (Ndonga) organising secretary.

The signing of the power-sharing deal is a culmination of intensive and protracted negotiations by representatives from the three political parties.

Zanu-PF was represented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa; and the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Cde Nicholas Goche.

MDC-T was represented by secretary-general Tendai Biti and deputy national treasurer Elton Mangoma while MDC was represented by the party's secretary-general Welshman Ncube and his deputy, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga.Ordinary Zimbabweans welcomed the signing of the deal between Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations to form an inclusive

Government urging the parties to bury their differences and work together for the betterment of the country.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Karamba Muchero of Harare said the deal was a welcome development and it was a major stride towards economic development.

"The signing of the deal is a welcome development. We hope everything will go on well. It also came at the right time when things were getting tougher.

"Our leaders should bury their differences and work together in harmony for the sake of the country. On Monday there will be great joy in Zimbabwe and we hope the police will be able to contain the situation," he said.

Mr George Mudzingwa echoed the same sentiments saying that Zimbabwe was ready to revive its economy.

"I think this is a very good development for the nation of Zimbabwe. It brings hope and sanity to the nation and generally a conducive environment for business. We salute all the parties who signed the agreement not forgetting the patient President Mbeki, we give him honour," he said.

Former Studio 263 actor Denzel Burutsa said the deal was a positive step that will heal the nation and usher peace and unity among Zimbabweans.

"I hope it's not all talk and no action because the deal has brought relief among the Zimbabwean population," he said.

Mr Mike Mandi said now that the deal has been signed Zimbabweans should stop fighting and work together to overcome the challenges the country is facing.

"I think the deal will let us overcome the challenges. We also hope it will benefit ordinary Zimbabweans. The signing itself showed that the party leaders have the nation at heart and should continue working for the country," he said.

Ms Etina Washaya also welcomed the deal adding that it showed political maturity among the party leaders.

The Zimbabwe National Liberation Supporters' Association has welcomed the deal reached between the country's three main political parties saying it was a sign that Zimbabweans had matured and were keen to start rebuilding their nation.

In an interview yesterday, the Zinalisa president Cde Collins Chipare said the association was delighted that the parties had finally struck an agreement that would pave way for economic recovery and help stop the suffering of the people.

Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations on Thursday night agreed to form an all-inclusive Government whose top priority would be to turn around the economy with emphasis on food security.

"As an association we are delighted that the three main political parties in the country have put their heads together and decided to work for the good of the nation. God has answered the nation's prayers because this is what everyone has been yearning for.

"It shows maturity among the political leaders who have decided to put people ahead of personal interests."

Cde Chipare said with the conclusion of the deal the world should now work with Zimbabwe on its economic recovery path.

"The political parties should carry forward the battle against poverty, tribalism, racism and ignorance. We urge the West to remove the sanctions and engage Zimbabwe for meaningful development. The West should now let us get on with the work of resuscitating the economy and the uplifting of the people's standards of living," Cde Chipare said.

He commended Sadc-appointed mediator President Thabo Mbeki for standing by Zimbabwe during the trying times and devoting his time to solving Zimbabwe political impasse.

He said the spirit shown by President Mbeki reflected the true concept of African brotherhood and was in line with his call for African renaissance.

"We are grateful to President Mbeki for devoting his precious time to resolving Zimbabwe's political dispute even when everyone else was against the country. Surely, with leaders like him, the African continent will not be found wanting on international forums," he said.

Details of the agreement struck by the political parties will be revealed on Monday after the signing ceremony.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed the power-sharing deal.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement reached today in Harare between the Government and the opposition on a government of national unity," his Press office said in a statement.

"He hopes that this agreement will pave the way for a durable peace and recovery in the country and contribute to rapid improvement in the welfare and human rights of the people of Zimbabwe, who have suffered for long," it added.

Mr Ban congratulated the parties for clinching the accord and praised President Mbeki for "his tireless efforts to help them reach it".

The UN has been bolstering the South African-led mediation process through Mr Ban's special envoy Mr Haile Menkerios.

The European Commission expressed cautious optimism yesterday about the deal saying it wants to see how the agreement plays out.

"The European Commission, of course, welcomes this significant step forward," said John Clancy, commission spokesman on humanitarian aid and development issues.

"However, we will have to wait to learn much more about this on Monday," he said. "At this stage we are cautiously optimistic.

"Our main concern is that any solution is a positive solution for the people of Zimbabwe, that offers them a better future than obviously they've been living through in recent times," he added.

EU foreign ministers had been expected to extend the bloc's sanctions against Zimbabwe at a meeting on Monday but officials were reconsidering those plans yesterday in light of the agreement.

"An agreement seems to have been reached for a government of national unity. The news is coming in, we will have to evaluate the situation during the day," said a senior presidency diplomat.

EU ambassadors, preparing a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, drew up proposals on Thursday to extend the existing visa ban and asset freeze to 10 more individuals in Zimbabwe.

However, that decision came shortly before the announcement of the deal in Harare.

EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel yesterday said Tsvangirai is "satisfied" with the power-sharing deal hammered out with Zanu-PF and the two MDC factions.

Speaking during a visit to Burkina Faso, Mr Michel said Tsvangirai shared his feelings during a telephone conversation on Friday, a day after news of an agreement emerged in Harare.

"The one thing I can say is that I had a phone conversation with Tsvangirai this morning," Michel told reporters in Ouagadougou where he is attending a Euro-African forum on media and development.

"I asked him if he was satisfied with the agreement, and he told me: ‘Yes, I am satisfied with the content of the agreement'. I cannot tell you more than that."

Mr Michel said he would be getting details of the accord from Tsvangirai "in the coming hours", although President Mbeki has said the deal would be made public next Monday when the deal is signed.

Britain reacted cautiously yesterday to the agreement saying it was keen to see the details of the deal.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement: "We look forward to seeing the full details of the agreement announced yesterday by President Mbeki."

Some Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora have indicated their willingness to return home and help rebuild the economy following the landmark power-sharing deal sealed by Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations.

Zimbabweans living in Africa and abroad immediately welcomed the deal with enthusiasm.

Most had been forced out by economic problems.

When President Mugabe and leaders of the two MDC formations put pen to paper on Monday, hopes for a return to normalcy in Zimbabwe gathered momentum.In a snap survey conducted by CAJ News in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United Kingdom on Friday, thousands of Zimbabweans expressed gratification with the deal and said they would consider going back home once the new political dispensation starts to take effect.

"This is the time we have all been waiting for. I am so sure that even investors from around the globe are happy to hear the breaking news from Harare.

"Business opportunities are plenty," said Misheck Makumbe, a PhD student at the University of Oxford, in England.

In Johannesburg, refugees at the Central Methodist celebrated the deal with song and dance. "I am going back home once the real document has been signed by the three principals in the power-sharing deal. My fears at the moment are that probably one of them might change his mind at the last minute, denting our hopes of going back home.

"We are tired of being chased down and hunted by South African Police Service as if we were criminals. Zimbabweans have been badly treated in this country by police, with the majority of them taking our hard-earned cash simply because we did not have papers. Some of our sisters have been used as sex machines by the police," claimed Evans Moyo.

"We have been hunted as animals, abused, beaten for no apparent reason, taken advantage of and rebuked publicly without committing any crime, and this is the time to say goodbye South Africa.

"That has come to an end if the deal indeed materialises on Monday. I tell you, there is no place like home, and we are just going back home whether it looks homely or not," Moyo added. Even the blind begging for cash and food in the streets of Johannesburg could be heard talking in Shona and Ndebele with some already starting to make plans to return home after the official signing ceremony.

"Finally, God answered our prayers. Before crossing the bridge, I will kiss the ground and lift the Zimbabwean soil into the air while glorifying the Almighty. I am sure this is the time everybody has been waiting for, and we should start rebuilding our country," said Muchineripi Manjengwa, of Mbare, who is based in Diepsloot.

In public places of entertainment, commercial sex workers from Zimbabwe hinted that they would quit the oldest profession and head back home to try to lead a decent life.

"I have done bad things here in South Africa, sleeping with men of all kinds, not because I wanted to, but because I needed cash to sustain my family back home."

My husband believes that I am employed yet I am earning a living through prostitution, and this is the right time to call it quits and go back home. I am a qualified teacher, but I could not do the same work here because my immigration papers are not in order," said a woman who refused to be identified to protect her marriage.

But some Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia said they were not so sure they could secure good jobs should they return home.

"Yes, I am happy but my worry is that I am not so sure if I can find a job again there and live comfortably. I had a top job there before leaving and it really worries me if I cannot reclaim it.

"I think I have to wait a bit while studying the situation. If business opportunities are promising then I'm flying back home in December for good," said Matthews Muchena, who is based in Manchester, Britain.

"Finally, God has answered Zimbabwe. Fellow Zimbabweans, are you from the east, west, north and south, it is time to celebrate once again.

"And more importantly, let us praise the Lord Almighty Jehovah for answering our prayers after years of socio-economic suffering in foreign lands.

"I am quite convinced that each and everyone of us, who is in the Diaspora is ready to go back home any moment. But let us not forget to contribute towards rebuilding of our beloved country. Ishe komborerai Zimbabwe zvakare. Meet me in Zimbabwe. Tired of being treated as second-class citizen in foreign lands," said a Zimbabwean journalist based in South Africa.

The African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party congratulated President Mbeki for a job well done despite some sharp criticisms from the Congress for South Africa of Trade Unions, saying the newly concluded deal would help improve people's lives.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said her party warmly welcomed news of the agreement of a landmark power-sharing deal by Zimbabwe's leading political parties.

"We congratulate President Thabo Mbeki for his sterling work during the mediation process that has led to this achievement. The ANC congratulates the leadership of Zanu-PF and MDC for having persisted in seeking a solution.

"The ANC is confident that all parties and leaders will now work together to advance the interests of the Zimbabwean people. Not only is the agreement important for Zimbabwe, but has far-reaching political and economic implications for Southern Africa and the entire African continent," said Duarte.

She added: "It will make a certain contribution to building peace and prosperity. The international community should now assist in reconstruction, reconciliation and nation building in Zimbabwe."

Elsewhere in Pretoria, diplomatic missions interviewed by CAJ News also expressed satisfaction with President Mbeki's perseverance even when the pressure was too much for him.

"Thumbs up to President Mbeki. This man is very strong, very courageous and focused. He was unnecessarily criticised and ridiculed by fellow African leaders --- mainly the shortsighted ones --- the West and the so-called human rights groups for unclear reasons.

"Today he has done the entire world proud by brokering the Zimbabwe deal. President Mbeki's quiet diplomacy, finally paid off," said Maunganidze Dzapasi, who is working in Australia. --- Additional reporting by CAJ News.

Towards a Second Cold War?
Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008

Ossetia-Georgia-Russia-U.S.A.

By Noam Chomsky

Aghast at the atrocities committed by US forces invading the Philippines, and the rhetorical flights about liberation and noble intent that routinely accompany crimes of state, Mark Twain threw up his hands at his inability to wield his formidable weapon of satire. The immediate object of his frustration was the renowned General Funston. "No satire of Funston could reach perfection," Twain lamented, "because Funston occupies that summit himself... [he is] satire incarnated."

It is a thought that often comes to mind, again in August 2008 during the Georgia-Ossetia-Russia war. George Bush, Condoleezza Rica and other dignitaries solemnly invoked the sanctity of the United Nations, warning that Russia could be excluded from international institutions "by taking actions in Georgia that are inconsistent with" their principles. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations must be rigorously honored, they intoned - "all nations," that is, apart from those that the US chooses to attack: Iraq, Serbia, perhaps Iran, and a list of others too long and familiar to mention.
Full Article : trinicenter.com

Venezuelan Government to Investigate Coup Plot
Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008

September 12th 2008,
by James Suggett

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez confirmed that several people have been detained for suspected involvement in a recently foiled plot to assassinate him and to take over federal government buildings.

"To the world I denounce the pretension of the North American Empire to generate violence in our country," Chávez declared to a crowd of thousands of Venezuelans who gathered in front of the presidential palace to repudiate the coup plans Thursday night. "There are already some detainees, and others flee."
Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com

U.S. Debt: $53 Trillion and Growing
Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008

GM's 2006 audited accounts indicate that its debts totaled $190.4 billion, which is a daunting 91.8% of the $207.4 billion of revenue GM generated that year. In contrast, not only is the $53 trillion US government debt greater than its annual revenue, it is in fact 20-times greater than the $2.6 trillion of revenue it received last year. The US government's debt load by comparison makes GM look like a paragon of financial prudence.

What about all the US government's assets? Good question. The report values them at $1.6 trillion, but this total excludes the value of so-called StewardshipLand, which equals about 650 million acres, most of which is barren Alaska tundra and desert in Nevada and other Western states. What is this land worth? Yellowstone National Park is worth more than frozen tundra, but let's say that the land is worth $10,000 per acre on average, which is probably a generous valuation. The total therefore is $6.5 trillion, which when added together with the $1.6 trillion of assets in the financial report, totals $8.1 trillion, which is just 15% of the US governments total debt obligations. Any way one looks at it, the US government has a huge negative net worth, and owes far more than it can possibly repay.

Full Article : financialsense.com

Venezuela joins Bolivia and expels U.S. ambassador
Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bolivia: U.S. Ambassador Expelled
Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared U.S. Ambassador to La Paz Philip Goldberg "persona non grata", after accusing him of aiding and abetting pro-autonomy opposition groups that are blocking highways and occupying government buildings, reducing the supply of natural gas to Brazil.

Washington expels Bolivian envoy
The US says it is expelling Bolivia's envoy in Washington, a day after the US ambassador was told to leave Bolivia.

Venezuela joins Bolivia and expels U.S. ambassador
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced that the U.S. ambassador has 72 hours to leave Venezuela and he's recalling his ambassador from Washington. Chavez said he's asking U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy to leave as a means of showing solidarity with Bolivian President Evo Morales...

Zimbabwe Rivals Strike Power Deal
Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bolivia: U.S. Ambassador Expelled for Allegedly Supporting Violent Opposition
Bolivian President Evo Morales has declared U.S. Ambassador to La Paz Philip Goldberg "persona non grata", after accusing him of aiding and abetting pro-autonomy opposition groups that are blocking highways and occupying government buildings, reducing the supply of natural gas to Brazil.

"I am not afraid of anyone, not even the empire (the United States)," Morales said Wednesday afternoon at the presidential palace when he instructed Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca to inform the U.S. ambassador in writing that he was no longer welcome in the country.

Washington expels Bolivian envoy

Venezuela joins Bolivia and expels U.S. ambassador
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has announced that the U.S. ambassador has 72 hours to leave Venezuela and he's recalling his ambassador from Washington.
Chavez said he's asking U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy to leave as a means of showing solidarity with Bolivian President Evo Morales, who recently announced that he was expelling Washington's envoy to his country.
Chavez announced the decision during a televised speech, hours after saying his government had detained a group of alleged conspirators in a plot to overthrow him.

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www.zimbabwewatch.com

Coup Plot Against Chavez Disclosed on Venezuelan TV
Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2008

September 11th 2008,
by Tamara Pearson

On Wednesday night Mario Silva, on the program "La Hojilla" (The Razorblade) showed a recording from an unidentified source in which various military personnel, some retired and some active, were planning a coup against Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

The coup plan aimed to take the Miraflores Palace, the headquarters of the government and the president's office.

Among the participants in the recording were vice admiral Carlos Alberto Millan Millan, who was also inspector general of the National Armed Forces, general of the National Guard Wilfredo Barroso Herrera, brigade general of Aviation, and Eduardo Baez Torrealba, who was involved in the April 2002 coup attempt.
Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com

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