Activists protest against Monstanto, which has settled with US victims of ‘Agent Orange‘. Photograph: Nigel Treblin/AFP/Getty Images Monsanto settles ‘Agent Orange’ case with US victims Long-running suit claimed residents of Nitro, West Virginia were exposed to the carcinogenic Vietnam-era chemical weapon Chemicals giant Monsanto has reached a settlement with US residents who claimed they were [...]
Poor America Must Watch P a n o r a m a [B B C] – Video Documentary With one and a half million (1.5 million) American children now homeless, reporter Hilary Andersson meets the school pupils who go hungry in the richest country on Earth. From those living in the storm [...]
A study of countries that implemented ‘austerity plans’ showed they often weaken the economy [GALLO/GETTY] In an unequal economic situation totally geared to placing the maximum profits and assets of society into the hands of the elite austerity is a quick fix to maintain that very system and to place the burden for recovery on [...]
“A State of the Union address, with the entire military leadership staring at you from the floor of the Congress, is not the easiest place for a President to speak truth to power,” writes LeVine [GALLO/GETTY] Irvine, CA - How do you judge a State of the Union speech that begins with a lie? There was any number [...]
AP / Margarethe Wichert / dapd By Nomi Prins Standard & Poor’s likes moving on Friday nights after the markets are closed. It was on a Friday night that it downgraded U.S. debt to AA+ from AAA. And on Friday night, Jan. 13, it downgraded France and Austria from AAA to AA+ and seven other European [...]
The ITEM club forecasts that unemployment will approach three million in 2012, representing 9.3% of the UK’s labour force Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA The UK is likely to already be in recession, according to two highly regarded economic forecasters, as developments in the eurozone paralyse the country’s recovery. The Ernst & Young Item Club and the [...]
Degrade This: Wall Street’s Ratings Agencies Undermine Europe’s Attempt at Recovery Acting Like Financial Terrorists by Danny Schechter We live in an increasingly degraded country. Our politics are degraded and a laughing stock to the word. Our military is demoralized and degraded with soldiers urinating on dead civilians and awaiting deployment orders for the next illegal [...]
Boom And Doom: Revisiting Prophecies Of Collapse By Debora MacKenzie January 11, 2012 “New Scientist” — At the beginning of the 1970s, a group of young scientists set out to explore our future. Their findings shook a generation and may be even [...]
Why Do We Ignore the Civilians We Kill in US Wars? By John Tirman January 10, 2012 “WP” – January 06, 2012 - As the United States officially ended the war in Iraq last month, President Obama spoke eloquently at Fort Bragg, N.C., lauding troops for “your patriotism, your commitment to fulfill [...]
The US-Iran economic war By Pepe Escobar NEW YORK – Here’s a crash course on how to further wreck the global economy. A key amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act signed by United States President Barack Obama on the last day of 2011 – when no one was paying [...]
Obama Spins ‘New’ Global Military Strategy as Massive Change ‘Leaner’ Military Will Keep Costing More by Jason Ditz, January 05, 2012 | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum President Obama held a high-profile press conference at the Pentagon briefing room today to dot the I’s and cross [...]
Bail-out Bombshell: Fed “Emergency” Bank Rescue Totaled $29 Trillion Over Three Years While the 99% suffered hardship, a new study shows that the Fed propped up buddies in the banking industry and a vast shadow banking system far beyond what anyone has guessed. December 15, 2011 | LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: [...]
If you for some reason accept that a war can ever be anything but a criminal action you can as this article does go through an exercise in assessing roles and objectives. Once that has been done even painstakingly what is then left is some supposed evaluation of achievements as opposed to failures of whatever [...]
Just in case you thought that propaganda was an over rated phenomenon it sometimes takes very little to see what is still happening. In a recent TV news show it appeared that none less than the New South Wales Treasure was saying that events in Europe and perhaps elsewhere on an economic level [...]
With the financial markets still in turmoil and banks, currencies, even countries struggling to return to normal, the free market is in trouble. Viable options are scarce, sparking global protests against the rich 1%. Jeffrey Sachs, an academic ‘superstar’ known for his controversial work on shock therapy, a theory that was [...]
LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: Sign up to stay up to date on the latest headlines via email. Wall Street turned a few million home-loans into what Warren Buffet called “economic weapons of mass destruction,” cratered the global economy and then, when the bubble burst, turned around [...]
U.S. budget cuts and the next war of choice By BENNETT RAMBERG LOS ANGELES — The failure of the U.S. Congressional Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach agreement on budget cuts now sets the stage for $1.2 trillion in automatic reductions to begin in January 2013. Should these cuts go [...]
Washington’s Clumsy China Containment Policy Ted Galen Carpenter | November 30, 2011 Although U.S. officials have insisted for years that they do not regard China’s rise to great-power status as a threatening development, Washington’s statements and actions increasingly belie those assurances. Any doubt on that point disappeared following President Obama’s November 17 speech in [...]
One Bank to Rule Them All by MIKE WHITNEY On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve and the central banks of Canada, England, Japan, Switzerland, and Europe launched a coordinated monetary intervention aimed at easing interbank lending in the eurozone. While the emergency action sent stocks into the stratosphere, it did not relieve [...]
Central Bank Intervention: Much Ado About Nothing By Stephen Lendman - Posted on 02 December 2011 Central Bank Intervention: Much Ado About Nothing – by Stephen Lendman On November 30, the Fed, ECB, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Bank of Canada and Swiss National Bank acted together to cut the rate on dollar liquidity swap arrangements by [...]
Still Pushing the Failed Militaristic Approach to the Drug War John Glaser, November 18, 2011 Print This | Share This | Comment | Antiwar Forum Via Juan Carlos Hidalgo at the blog for the Cato Institute, this graph illustrates how Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s militarized approach to the drug war not only didn’t quell the violence, but reversed the [...]
Totally Corrupt America by PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS Last March I reviewed Matt Taibbi’s important book Griftopia, an entertaining account of the through-going financial fraud that gave us the financial crisis. Taibbi shows that the US “superpower” can match any third world backwater in the magnitude of greed and fraud that is endemic in business and government. [...]
The supercommittee’s failure will trigger automatic cuts in the defence budget and domestic spending. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP US braced for automatic cuts as supercommittee set to admit defeat Republicans and Democrats blame each for other for failure on deal to reduce federal deficit by $1.2tn over 10 years reddit this Ewen MacAskill in Washington [...]
Value is created not by turning hundreds of college grads into entrepreneurs, but by hiring thousands of people into growing companies that can make the best use of their talents [GALLO/GETTY] New York, New York – Last month I was in Kiev, speaking at a conference focused on entrepreneurs. I wanted to give a talk [...]
It is interesting to note the outrage expressed at the Khmer Rouge on trial at the moment. There is no doubt that what they did in Cambodia was simply despicable and deserves the roundest condemnation. Pol Pot and Year Zero were evil manifestations of authoritarianism at its worst. The fact that something like [...]
Arms Sales to Asia and the Gulf Vital to US Corporations Amid talk of budget cuts in America and Europe, US military contractors look to exports, with the Pentagon’s help by John Glaser, November 15, 2011 | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum The Pentagon’s plan to sell 5,000 bunker-buster [...]
Bank of England slashes UK economic growth forecast Growth is grinding to a halt and GDP will only rise 1% in 2012, according to the Bank’s latest forecast reddit this Comments (156) Katie Allen guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 November 2011 12.42 GMT Article history You can view the video at http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/16/bank-england-uk-economic-growth-forecast David Freeman from the [...]
Angela Merkel and David Cameron are due to meet on Friday to discuss the eurozone crisis further. Photograph: Getty Images Eurozone crisis stokes tension between Britain and Germany Standoff deepens after claims Angela Merkel will not allow UK ‘to get away’ with refusal to back financial transactions tax reddit this Patrick Wintour, political editor guardian.co.uk, Tuesday [...]
Vulture Funds Gorge on Stricken Economies by OLAFUR ARNARSON, MICHAEL HUDSON and GUNNAR TOMASSON The problem of bank loans gone bad, especially those with government-guarantees such as U.S. student loans and Fannie Mae mortgages, has thrown into question just what should be a “fair value” for these debt obligations. Should “fair value” reflect [...]
BACK IN JUNE 2010, I published a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the American left was unenlightened, by and large, as to economic matters. Responding to a set of survey questions that tested people’s real-world understanding of basic economic principles, self-identified progressives and liberals did much worse than conservatives and libertarians, I reported. To [...]
Poverty rates for single mothers in the US was 49 per cent higher than in 15 other weatlhy countries [GALLO/GETTY] We’ve been at war for decades now – not just in Afghanistan or Iraq, but right here at home. Domestically, it’s been a war against the poor, but if you hadn’t noticed, that’s not surprising. [...]
Write text here… Related articles As Obama Talks Sanctions With Foreign Leaders, Lawmakers, Candidates Debate … – Fox News (foxnews.com) European shares gain further on euro zone hopes – Reuters (reuters.com) Showdown between Occupy Portland, police – CBS News (cbsnews.com) Deficit Panel Seeks to Defer Details on Raising Taxes – New York Times (nytimes.com) Cain [...]
Colonel Morris Davis, Former Chief Prosecutor Guantanamo Military Commissions. (Photo: Crimes of War) Former Guantanamo Chief Prosecutor: “A Pair of Testicles Fell Off the President After Election Day” Sunday 13 November 2011 by: Jason Leopold, Truthout | Report Morris Davis speaks bluntly about some of President Barack Obama’s policy decisions. “There’s a pair [...]
Obama used to refer to longtime Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak as a ‘friend’ of the US – and not as a dictator [EPA] During the past few months, Barack Obama has come under increasing pressure from his would-be Republican opponents, not for secretly subscribing to the faith of the enemy (Obama Muslim-baiting is so 2010), [...]
While European leaders are struggling to deal with the crises in Italy and Greece, another debt crisis is looming. The US congress has until November 23 to agree on how to reduce its public debt, or face mandatory budget cuts. Many are concerned that failure to reach a deal might lead to a downgrade of the US [...]
Speculation that Silvio Berlusconi will soon resign swept Italy today, before being denied on Facebook. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/REUTERS European debt crisis: Berlusconi denies resignation plans as Greek coalition talks continue – live • Silvio Berlusconi pins future on confidence vote • Resignation denied on Facebook, ahead of public accounts vote on Tuesday • Leading candidate to replace [...]
There seems little doubt that what happened prior to the Iraq invasion is set to repeat. It will not surprise to see the sam lies and deceit all over again. However, this time with hope we will be spared the sight of Powell, the prince of liars, with fake maps and vials of non-existent [...]
. Occupy K Street demonstrators protest outside the Bank of America building on a street in Washington [Reuters] As you can see on the sticker covering the ATM there is more at stake than just an accounting fee George Ikners ikners.com gikners@gmail.com Bank of America has dropped plans to charge a $5 per-month debit fee, handing [...]
Thirty Years of Unleashed Greed AP / Jay Finneburgh Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen, 24, lies bleeding in Oakland, Calif., after being struck by a projectile apparently fired by police. He suffered a skull fracture while marching with other demonstrators attempting to re-establish a presence near a protest camp disbanded by authorities, said Dottie Guy [...]
Anti-Gaddafi fighters gesture to the crowds in front of a Kingdom of Libya flag during celebrations in Benghazi on 23 October. Photograph: Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters reddit this Comments (529) Seumas Milne guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 26 October 2011 22.20 BST Article history As the most hopeful offshoot of the “Arab spring” so far flowered this week in [...]
The End of the American Era Noam chomsky has taken a view of the work of Walt et ors in the following ways,”Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics at MIT, said the authors took a “courageous stand” and said much of the criticism against the authors was “hysterical”. But he asserts that he did not [...]
Fresh Analysis Needed on Gaddafi, Libya and the TNC By Iqbal Jassat – Pretoria Until Sunday – three days after the killing of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi – it appeared that South African media was lacking in coverage of this momentous event. While there has been saturated coverage largely focused on gruesome images of Gaddafi’s final [...]
I WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND THE WAR WAS OVER By Mike Ferner http://warisacrime.org/content/i-woke-one-morning-and-war-was-over America’s war in Iraq is over. The last U.S. troops will leave by year’s end, “with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops.” So sayeth President Obama. A [...]
Police in British Columbia have taken extra security measures ahead of today’s visit by former President George W. Bush, who is set to speak at an economic summit. The security is to handle hundreds of protesters, but Amnesty International has also called on the Canadian government to arrest Bush and either prosecute or extradite him [...]
I, along with many others was warning readers about the awful killing machines, the Drones. They are a weapon with nothing more than a continually updated capacity to kill and destroy while using highly suspect forms of surveillance. What they really do is to simply be employed against a site where there is some suspicion or advantage attaching [...]
How Liberals Buy Into Stupid Wars Richard Cohen’s column in Tuesday’sWashington Post, under the headline “Dangerous behavior from Iran,” deserves scrutiny, and not just to pick on Cohen (although he deserves to be picked on for this kind of work). The column exemplifies several of the types of distorted thinking and non-thinking that were critical [...]
United States needs to reevaluate its assistance to Israel By Walter Pincus, Published: October 18 As the country reviews its spending on defense and foreign assistance, it is time to examine the funding the United States provides to Israel. Let me put it another way: Nine days ago, the Israeli cabinet reacted to months of demonstrations against the [...]
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gestures with Libyan soldiers upon her departure from Tripoli in Libya on Oct. 18, 2011. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque) By Keith Weir LONDON (Reuters) — Russia, the United States and European countries ignored fears over human rights abuses and sold large numbers of weapons to governments in the Middle East [...]
The FBI Goes Rogue On Iran Back on 1 September 2011 I posted a piece titled America‘s FBI Goes Rogue. The gist of that piece was that the FBI’s Counter Terrorist Unit has transformed itself into an instigator of crime. The Agency’s modus operandi (MO) here reminds one of those carnivorous plants that have [...]
Obama Shrinks Martin Luther King at Memorial Dedication By Matthew Rothschild, October 17, 2011 President Obama gave an eloquent speech at the Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication, but he shrank King to suit his own purposes. He focused on the convenient King—the “I Have a Dream” King—and he touched on King’s commitment to [...]
