"When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear the government, you have tyranny."
~ President Thomas Jefferson
| Visit the U.S. National Debt Clock You better sit down before you read this one! | "There is dirt under every BUSH!" | Thursday, August 21st, 2008 |
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U.S. Imperialist Agenda and the Deepening Crisis in Iraq
From Fire This Time - Sunday, July 6, 2008 By Alison Bodine September 3rd was the last time US President George Bush set foot on Iraqi soil, bloodied and wrecked after over 4 years of US occupation. At this time he had a few words to share with the people of Iraq and the world: "When we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from the position of fear and failure." For the people of Iraq who have endured an estimated 1.2 million deaths (UK-based ORB polling agency), and countless humiliations since the March 2003 military invasion, the idea of ever seeing the US leave seems distant or impossible, let alone from a position of "success" and "strength." The US has a long-term plan for their continued occupation of Iraq and it includes continued death and destruction for the people of Iraq and a rising massive humanitarian crisis. How the US is turning Iraq into a permanent military base In a declaration of principles signed by George Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on November 26th 2007 the ground work was laid for a long-term agreement on future cooperation between the US and Iraq. In the political, economic and security (military) sphere the US and the installed Iraqi Prime Minister are starting to plan for an "enduring" relationship to last well into the future. The plan will include United States support for the "democratic regime in Iraq against domestic and external dangers," according to Al-Maliki. It also includes plans to protect the US-drafted Iraqi constitution, give preferential treatment to US investments and continued support for a strategic partnership. This is the beginnings of their plans for "enduring" occupation. Another part of continued US presence in Iraq are the 14 "enduring" (read: permanent) bases whose construction began as soon as the US invaded. These bases are long-term encampments for US forces in Iraq and outposts for military and government policy advisors that will remain in Iraq beyond any troop withdrawal or formal end to the occupation of Iraq. To compliment US bases and the continued occupation, the US has also built a $740Million Embassy in Iraq, the largest in the world. It will eventually staff an estimated 4,000 regular employees, contractors, local Iraqi employees and visitors. It will also house 619 apartments and 27 separate buildings behind the well-secured walls of the "Green Zone" in Baghdad and serve as the main base for representing US interests in Iraq. After 4 and a half years of occupation the US has not established anything close to stability or the assurance of a successful US proxy regime in Iraq. They know that after a troop withdrawal there will be an internal struggle in Iraq and that it is very possible that its' outcome will not be in favour of the US. As an insurance plan for all the work they have done to fuel US interests in Iraq, they now have the military bases and US Embassy at their back. Mercenaries and Continued Occupation Continued US presence in Iraq would not be possible without the assistance of 120,000 mercenaries in Iraq, the contract employees of military corporations such as Blackwater USA, DynCorp International and Armor Group. According to US "Order 17", issued in 2004, all mercenaries operating in Iraq are exempt from obeying Iraqi law. In this way mercenaries are allowed to operate without rule of law or accountability to anyone, except the corporations that employ them. This has meant numerous tragedies, with the lives and dignities of Iraqi people disappearing under the radar. After a September 16th shooting in which 17 Iraqi civilians were needlessly killed by a Blackwater guard in a Baghdad square, this provision and the legal loop-hole allowing them to escape charges under US law came under fire from people internationally. As a way to avoid further embarrassment and scrutiny the US government signed a new agreement in December 2007. This agreement means that contract mercenaries are now accountable under US law. Unfortunately, this still does not mean that they will be charged and they are still not held accountable under Iraqi law. Human Crisis: Daily Life in Iraq Over the past four years of US-led occupation, the human crisis has deepened in Iraq. Iraqi woman and children have felt the greatest impact from the presence of hundreds of thousands of foreign military troops taking away their basic human rights to housing, food, water, education and a future with guns, bombs and tanks. According to the Iraq Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, over 1.6 million children under the age of 12 have become homeless in Iraq. This is almost 70 percent of the 2.2 million homeless and internally displaced persons in Iraq. To make the situation even worse, internally displaced Iraqi's are not finding the infrastructure and basic aid that they need anywhere in Iraq. As one example, the Basra province in Southern Iraq can no longer handle families and children seeking refuge. A senior Iraqi official in the Basra Governing Council, Hassan Abdul-Kareem, explained to IRIN News Service. "We cannot cope with any more families seeking refuge in our province, whatever their reasons. The governorate is seriously affected by the high number of displaced families, health services have deteriorated, schools are overcrowded and we aren't even able to offer a good service to our locals. Things have become worse since the high influx of new arrivals," The situation has also deteriorated for girls hoping to attend school in Iraq. Families and mothers are worried about sending their girls to school for fear that they will be raped or killed. They are also needed to stay at home as one-million families are now headed by widows whose husbands have been killed by the occupation and the violence it has created (Aljazeera News: "Debating the US troop 'surge'). The Heavy Costs of the Occupation Everyday the US spends $280Million towards death and destruction in Iraq. According to the American Friends Services Committee, a US based peace and justice organization, if you include not just the immediate costs of the war, but also ongoing factors such as long-term health care for veterans, interest on debt and replacement of military hardware, that number grows to $720Million a day. The American Friends Services Committee also broke down these numbers into what the money could have bought for social service in the US including: homes for almost 6,500 families or health care for 423,529 children, or could outfit 1.27 million homes with renewable electricity. The US-Congressional report entitled "The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War," stated the cast of the war from 2002 to present as being $1.3Trillion. Not only does this money mean the destruction of civil society and human life in Iraq, it has also been another part of the deepening economic crisis in the US. This crisis has been marked most recently by the devaluation of the US dollar, the crisis in mortgage and the banking market and the continued growth of poverty in the US. The crisis that the US has created in Iraq is directly tied to the crisis in the US and the disgusting amount of money spent to fuel death and destruction. Resistance to the occupation: in Iraq and World-wide For over four years the US has been relying on its' consolidation of the occupation to demoralize the Iraqi people, and the movement of resistance against their continued presence in Iraq. Contrary to their hopes, the number of demonstrations, strikes and attacks on occupying forces has increased drastically as the occupation has continued. The US is now confronted with a deep political, social and military crisis. This is why they need permanent presence in Iraq. This is also why the people of Iraq will keep fighting any way that they can for their land, lives and dignity. The continued struggle of the Iraqi people against the occupation and the US crisis in Iraq has also meant that its own enlisted fighters, the US military forces, are demoralizing. US Army suicide rates are at a record high of 18.4 per 100,000 active duty soldiers, according to military reports. A CBS News investigation also showed that military veterans aged 20-24, meaning those whom have served during the so-called "War on Terror" in Iraq and Afghanistan, had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. The US cannot fight without a willing army, and suicides rates are only one of the signs that the US is loosing ground with the troops. If the Iraqi's kick the US out of Iraq it will mean a weakening of the position of the US and Israel that would accelerate the struggle of people all over the Middle East against Imperialism. In this new era of war and occupation which emerged as the "War on Terror" following Sept 11th 2001, we must come together as poor and working people against the occupation of Iraq. As peace and human loving people, we have no other choice but to work to build a united and effective antiwar movement to end this brutal war and echo the demands of the Iraqi people for life and self-determination! US Out Now! Bring the Troops Home Now! Self-determination for all oppressed nations! Read More [ permalink ] |
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The Lost War - We've Spent 36 Years and Billions of Dollars Fighting It, but the Drug Trade Keeps Growing
From The Washington Post - Sunday, August 19, 2007 By Misha Glenny Poppies were the first thing that British army Capt. Leo Docherty noticed when he arrived in Afghanistan's turbulent Helmand province in April 2006. "They were growing right outside the gate of our Forward Operating Base," he told me. Within two weeks of his deployment to the remote town of Sangin, he realized that "poppy is the economic mainstay and everyone is involved right up to the higher echelons of the local government." Poppy, of course, is the plant from which opium -- and heroin -- are derived. Docherty was quick to realize that the military push into northern Helmand province was going to run into serious trouble. The rumor was "that we were there to eradicate the poppy," he said. "The Taliban aren't stupid and so they said, 'These guys are here to destroy your livelihood, so let's take up arms against them.' And it's been a downward spiral since then." I believe this article is quite incorrect! I can't find the reference for it at the moment, however, if my memory serves me correctly, the Taliban ERADICATED the poppy trade from Afghanistan. You can search Mad Cow Morning News for the actual information. It is in there somewhere. Do some research. You know how the main stream media always try to push their propaganda! RELATED: THE TRUTH & LIES OF 9/11 Read this book, then TAKE ACTION! "Crossing the Rubicon" by Michael C. Ruppert ISBN: 0-86571-540-8 Read More [ permalink ] |
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How Can Bush Free Iraq When He Brings Tyranny to America?
From antiwar.com - Saturday, May 26, 2007 By Paul Craig Roberts The Washington, DC, think-tank, The American Enterprise Institute, camouflages its purpose with its name. There is nothing American about AEI, and the organization's enterprise is fomenting war in the Middle East against Israel's enemies. Its real name should be The Likud Center for Middle East War. AEI has the largest collection of warmongers in America. AEI "scholars" have agitated for war in the Middle East for years. A moronic president and 9/11 gave them their opportunity. Now that the US invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan have failed, the AEI warmongers are conspiring with Vice President Cheney to foment war with Iran. Tags: New World Order, North American Union, Tyranny Read More [ permalink ] |
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Video streaming: Important Mind Blowing Videos -MUST SEE- Oil, Smoke and Mirrors; TerrorStorm; Iraq For Sale; American Blackout; seeloosechange.com; 9 11 press for truth download - Martial Law 911: Rise of the Police State; 911 Mysteries; 911 EyeWitness -
From universalseed.org - Saturday, November 4, 2006 PLEASE... Read this! When Democracy Failed: The Warnings of History This will blow your mind, unless you already know!!! These are all streaming video's. It is possible to download most of them. Oil, Smoke and Mirrors - MUST SEE!!! -- Not only does this documentary provide clear evidence, but clear motive. The oil grab in the Middle East is an obvious motive for the neocons to initiate 911. This is a very well produced doc, with high level government officials and authoritative experts. Motive is very important aspect for people new to the 911 issue. That is covered well in this movie. Length: 00:49:42 More Info 911 Mysteries - MUST SEE!!! -- Demolitions -- The 9/11 picture is not one of politics or nationalism or loyalty, but one of strict and simple physics. How do you get a 10-second 110-story pancake collapse? A movie that might actually reach our complacent mainstream. No agenda. No finger-pointing. Just the facts and the "mysteries." Length 1:30:41 More Info 911 The Road to Tyranny -- The Road to Tyranny exposes: * Why the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional and un-american * How dozens of FBI and defense intelligence agents were threatened with arrest by the federal government if they got in the way of al-qaeda operations * How the CIA trained, funded and protected Bin Laden * Why the Government leaves our borders wide-open but tells us to give up our liberties for security and that more terrorist attacks are imminent * FBI training manuals that are being given to police departments that state that christians, gun owners, and "those who make frequent references to the us constitution" are terrorists The Government needed a crisis to convince the people to willingly give up their liberty in exchange for safety. This is one film you cannot afford to ignore. The future of free people everywhere is at stake. Length: 2:24:29 More Info TerrorStorm - MUST SEE!!! -- Alex Jones' new movie exposing London's 7/7 bombing and 9/11 as self inflicted wounds. Length 1:52:21 More Info Iraq For Sale - MUST SEE!!! -- The explosive documentary that reveals how corporations are getting in close with government officials in order to siphon billions of dollars from tax payers! More Info American Blackout - MUST SEE!!! -- This is what the GOP REALLY doesn't want you to see!!! This covers how the GOP disenfranchised voters across the country to manipulate the results of the elections!!! WOW!!! You HAVE to watch this!!! Loose Change 2nd Edition -- www.seeloosechange.com -- It is your duty to watch this film! Translated into 13 languages!!! (Spanish Unavailable) Length 1:21:50 Here are alternate links to see the video: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4 Loose Change was shown on TV!!! TAKE BACK THE CAPITOL - A vibrant hip hop beat throbs to flash cuts of angry citizens voicing their dissent to the party in power. The camerawork is deft and the look sleek, with jolts of animation punctuating sound bites of disaffected voters speaking their minds. Dozens of man-in-the-street interviews build with increasing intensity toward an anthem-like crescendo. Eminem's Mosh Continues - the New Ending - This is a very moving video by Eminem that was originally shown before the 2004 elections. This video is an updated version of the original, which greatly influenced the younger generation to get out and vote in 2004. You Tube video! -- What you are about to see is beyond your worst nightmares! This is reality! If you don't like it, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! 911: Press For Truth -- Share this film with everyone you know. This is the one of the best films available to expose 911 as an inside job. Length 1:24:15 More Info Martial Law 911: Rise of the Police State -- Out of the ashes of the September 11th tragedy, a dark empire of war and tyranny has risen. The Constitution has been shredded and America is now a Police State. This film exposes not just who was behind the 9-11 attacks, but the roots and history of its orchestrator's. Shows how top Bush Administration officials have direct links to Hitler! Video footage of Skull and Bones ceremonies. This is a very sobering video and well worth watching!!! Length 2:35:42 More Info 911 EyeWitness -- Learn the truth about what happened at the World Trade Center on 911 from eyewitness testimony and scientific analysis. Length 1:44:04 More Info Tags: 9/11, afghanistan, al-qaeda, attack, bin laden, borders, cia, cocain, constitution, democracy, demolition, documentary, elections, eminem, fbi, film, government, liberties, liberty, martial law, middle east, movie, new world order, north american union, opium, patriot act, police, security, taliban, terror, tyranny, unconstitutional, video, vietnam Read More [ permalink ] |
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Poisoning U.S. Troops: Anthrax, Lies and Vaccines
From guerrilla news network - Wednesday, October 18, 2006 By Heather Wokusch The U.S. Defense Department quietly announced on Monday that mandatory anthrax vaccinations would resume for military personnel and civilians deploying to 28 countries across the globe and even for some based in the U.S. The vaccine scandal is yet another case of well-connected companies cashing in on non-competitive governmental contracts. The firm responsible for producing the military's anthrax vaccine, for example, has continued to receive hundreds of millions of Pentagon dollars despite being racked with mismanagement and production problems. BioPort Corp didn't even have FDA approval for its vaccine plant from 1998-2002, but continued pumping out unusable batches at taxpayer expense regardless. Service members appropriately point to lack of anthrax risk as further justification for refusing the vaccine. Airman Jessica Horjus, for example, ended her military career in 2004 with a less-than-honorable discharge rather than being inoculated. She wrote the appellate authority at her Air Force base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, "There is no evidence that stockpiles of anthrax exist in Iraq or with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or elsewhere. As a single mother, I cannot afford to unnecessarily risk my long-term health on a highly-reactive vaccine that supposedly protects against a threat that cannot be found." Horjus noted, "I have a kid to take care of. The Air Force can always fill my slot with someone else, but who's gonna fill the mommy slot??" Read More [ permalink ] |
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Iraq war was terrorism 'recruiting sergeant'
From Guardian Unlimited - Thursday, September 28, 2006 The Iraq war has acted as a "recruiting sergeant" for extremists in the Muslim world, according to a paper prepared for a Ministry of Defence thinktank, which also said the British government sent troops into Afghanistan "with its eyes closed". Read More [ permalink ] |
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Losing Afghanistan and Gaining Censorship
From truthout.org - Thursday, September 28, 2006 This is censureship plain and simple. I hope that you can use this as a tool to show people when they try to tell you that their mass media news isn't censored. Make sure that you click the link so you can actually see the covers of the magazine. The full story appearing in the european version is also on that page. Newsweek has scrubbed the cover of its United States edition for October 2, 2006. The cover of its international editions, aimed at Europe and other world regions, has maintained the original title of the story, "Losing Afghanistan." The new cover for the United States edition features photographer Annie Leibovitz and is titled "My Life in Pictures." Read More [ permalink ] |
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The Deadly Hole in Global Security
From Boston Globe - Thursday, September 21, 2006 By Óscar Arias The Cold War-mindset endorsed proxy wars, leading the United States to train and equip mujahideen like Osama Bin Laden in its fight against Soviet forces in Afghanistan. The Cold War-mindset promoted arming regimes with questionable human rights records for ``strategic" reasons, resulting in US forces eventually having to face enemies armed with US-made weapons in Panama, Somalia, Haiti, and Iraq. What has become clear is that in order to advance global security, nations must unite to prevent the transfer of arms to dictators and human rights abusers. This is not done by looking to the false security of military buildup, but by strengthening the safeguards of international law. Read More [ permalink ] |
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Katrina: Disaster Profiteers Pocket Millions in Deals
From lndependent/UK - Sunday, August 20, 2006 By Andrew Buncombe 'Downright Criminal.' That's the verdict of a report into New Orleans' reconstruction, and the huge contracts handed to non-local firms. A year after Hurricane Katrina, the reconstruction of the devastated Gulf coast is being severely hampered by waste and inefficiency overseen by "disaster profiteers" who are making million of dollars, according to a watchdog group. The group claims the inefficiency - along with the companies' political connections - follows a pattern similar to what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read More [ permalink ] |
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Starving for Attention: Troops Home Fast, Day One
From Information Clearing House - Wednesday, July 5, 2006 By Cindy Sheehan Hundreds of peace-loving and dedicated people joined we organizers of the fast outside of the White House during the past two eventful and event-filled days. The Granny Peace Brigade walked from NYC to DC in solidarity with the fast and with the people of Iraq and Afghanistan and our soldiers who are suffering so profoundly under the US led occupations. People joined us from as far away as Texas and California in person, and thousands were with us in spirit from all over the world. We are starting an historic and very meaningful action. We were honored by being joined by legendary fasters Dick Gregory and Diane Wilson and historic whistle blower and patriotic giant: Daniel Ellsberg. Read More [ permalink ] |
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Iran and the New World Order
From PRAVDA.Ru - Thursday, January 5, 2006 The New World Order we see today is based more and more upon a belligerent and bullying Anglo-Saxon Alliance forged between the axis Canberra-London-Washington and its foundations stand upon one simple precept: to have an "us" you need a "them." While it is true that not all those chosen to belong to "us" remain so forever (for instance, the funding of the Madrassah and the Mujaheddin movement in Afghanistan -- one of whose leaders was Usama bin Laden - to destabilise the progressive government of Dr. Najibullah by the USA). Read More [ permalink ] |
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Are You Brainwashed?
From Executive Intelligence Review - Thursday, April 11, 2002 By Lonnie Wolfe Are you brainwashed? What about some of your neighbours, are they brainwashed? Before you answer that, let us ask you a few preliminary questions: Do you believe that the United States was struck by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11? Do think that the people behind that attack were "Arabs" and that its "mastermind" was this fellow Osama bin Laden, operating from a cave in Afghanistan? Do you believe that the way to stop terrorism is to hit them hard, to hit them at their "bases" in such places as Afghanistan, and to hit the nations who might sponsor them, like, say Iraq? Read More [ permalink ] |
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Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs and the Press
From CounterPunch Bookshop - Monday, January 1, 2001 A searing account of the CIA's 50-year long association with drug lords across the world, from Marseilles and Sicily, to Burma, Laos and Vietnam, to Latin America and Afghanistan. Read how the CIA's backing of the opium lords in Afghanistan helped give rise to the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network. Read More [ permalink ] |
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Return from Guantanamo Bay
The Afghan government fears that Afghanistan is seen by the West as last year\'s war - and that after Iraq, the caravan has moved on. But the best part of seven hundred people - one-time residents of Afghanistan - are moving precisely nowhere. They were captured in the war or afterwards, and are still held, without trial, by the United States in the camp at Guantanamo Bay. Read More [ permalink ] |
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CIA Holds Terror Suspects in network of Secret Prisons
The CIA\'s network of secret prisons came to light -- some of which actually were former Soviet gulag camps. CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons Debate Is Growing Within Agency About Legality and Morality of Overseas System Set Up After 9/11 By Dana Priest Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, November 2, 2005; Page A01 The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, according to U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement. The secret facility is part of a covert prison system set up by the CIA nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries, including Thailand, Afghanistan and several democracies in Eastern Europe, as well as a small center at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, according to current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents. The hidden global internment network is a central element in the CIA\'s unconventional war on terrorism. It depends on the cooperation of foreign intelligence services, and on keeping even basic information about the system secret from the public, foreign officials and nearly all members of Congress charged with overseeing the CIA\'s covert actions. Can you say the word TORTURE? Hidden away, nobody knows... Well, we got torture pictures, now... Read More [ permalink ] |
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