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Spoiling for a Fight with Syria and Iran
by Stephen Lendman
Syria remains the region's only independent secular state. Washington aims to replace its regime with a client one.
Libya's model was replicated. Months of externally generated violence followed. So far it's short of war. For how long is uncertain. Obama can't wait to wage another one to keep ravaging the world one country at a time.
Israel's Repressive Permit System
by Stephen Lendman
Under South African apartheid, pass laws segregated blacks from whites, restricted their movements, required pass books be carried at all times, and be produced on demand or face arrest and prosecution.
Evolving from the 18th and 19th century until their 1986 repeal, they restricted entry to cities, forcibly relocated blacks, denied them most public amenities, many forms of employment, and became apartheid's most hated symbol.
Settlers run rampage in West Bank
By Khalid Amayreh
Burning mosques, burning vehicles, settlers appear to have a blank cheque to harass and aggress Palestinians, writes Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem
Nazi-like Jewish settlers have continued to attack mosques and churches in the West Bank as part of a seemingly concerted effort to force Palestinians to leave their homes.
The government-backed settlers often describe their frequent attacks on Palestinians and their properties as "price tag" reprisals against the Israeli army for daring to dismantle some isolated Jewish settler outposts.
Obama Year Three: Continuing His Rogue Agenda
by Stephen Lendman
In 2011, Obama continued the destructive pattern he followed in years one and two. Throughout his tenure, he's done what supporters thought impossible.
Across the board on domestic and foreign issues, he governed to the right of George Bush. He's waged multiple imperial wars, plans others, looted the nation's wealth, wrecked the economy, consigned growing millions to impoverishment without jobs, and institutionalized tyranny to target dissenters challenging political corruption, corporate crooks, or abuse of power lawlessness.
Merry Saturnalia and Happy Winter Solstice
Christmas is a pagan holiday: there is no getting around it. Jesus wasn’t born in December. Shepherds don’t hang around their sheep in the fields on those bitter cold Judean nights.
The Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus had identified the 25th as Christ's nativity. Chronographers reckoned that the world was created on the spring equinox and four days later, on March 25th, light was created.
March 25 + 9 months = December 25th
Christians should call their holiday Merry Immaculate Conception.
In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture [which is why growing trees all year that we toss in the dump after New Years day drives me crazy]. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking.
Do you know who is really celebrating the 2012 Winter Solstice?
Answer: Gaea, Mother Earth. The economic collapse, a consumer’s nightmare, is an environmentalist’s dream.
The 2008 October meltdown, the end of the beginning of the end of our consumer society is an environmental dream. 150 million Americans who feel stress over the prospect of joblessness and homelessness don’t trash the planet by going shopping for useless toxic Christmas gifts. I hear people talking about recycling last-years gifts and some of us, Satan forbid, are making their own! Click here to read why Satan wants us to be consumers.
Steven Kopits, managing director of Douglas-Westwood, estimates that the earth is “benefiting” from the 2008 recession at the rate of 1,500,000 barrels per day. That’s 1,500,000 barrels of the earth’s vital fluids that are staying where they belong: in the Earth. Of course there are some who don’t care about Crusextraction of the earth. Click here to read why driving your mobile pollution device crusextracs the earth. [1]
Merry Saturnalia and Happy Winter Solstice
A Doomsday View of 2012
James Petras
Introduction
The economic, political and social outlook for 2012 is profoundly negative. The almost universal consensus, even among mainstream orthodox economists is pessimistic regarding the world economy. Although, even here, their predictions understate the scope and depth of the crises, there are powerful reasons to believe that beginning in 2012, we are heading toward a steeper decline than what was experienced during the Great Recession of 2008 – 2009. With fewer resources, greater debt and increasing popular resistance to shouldering the burden of saving the capitalist system, the governments cannot bail out the system.
Holiday Season Hypocrisy
by Stephen Lendman
Most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25. For Eastern Orthodox faith adherents, it's January 7. It commemorates Christ's birthday, even though it's widely acknowledged not to be that day.
Many African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa from December 26 - January 1 to reconnect to their cultural and historic heritage. In addition, Jews commemorate Hanukkah. The eight-day Festival of Lights observes the rededication of Jerusalem's Holy Temple at the time of second century BC the Maccabean Revolt.
Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, the season also involves obsessive consumerism. Merriam Webster calls it "the promotion of the consumer's interests; the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; (and/or) a preoccupation with and an inclination toward buying consumer goods."
EU Protests Israeli Occupation Policies
by Stephen Lendman
On December 23, Haaretz writer Barak Ravid headlined, "EU voices protest over Israeli policies in East Jerusalem, West Bank," saying:
"A day after four European Union members of the UN Security Council strongly criticized Israel's decision to speed up construction of settlements."
Deepening Global Financial Trouble
by Stephen Lendman
Desperate times call for desperate measures, especially for troubled Eurozone economies.
Trapped under euro straightjacket rules, everything tried so far failed, despite hooplas announcing each new plan.
On December 21, the big overnight news highlighted demand for long-dated European Central Banks (ECB) loans drawing 489 billion euros, more than expected. A total of 523 banks borrowed money. In response, Capital Economics' chief European economist Jonathan Loynes said:
"While this might help to address recent signs of renewed tensions in credit markets and support bank lending, we remain skeptical of the idea that the operation will ease the sovereign debt crisis as banks use the funds to purchase large volumes of peripheral government bonds."
Medicare Privatization Plans
by Stephen Lendman
The idea's been around for years. More recently, bipartisan support's been growing. Various plans have circulated.
A 2006 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study assessed "Designing a Premium Support System (PSS) for Medicare." It discussed pros, cons, other choices and implications in terms of costs and recipient benefits.
In 1995, Henry Aaron and Robert Reischauer first proposed PSS based on managed competition principles. Numerous variations followed with differing public support amounts.
All plans have six common features:
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