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Crisis. What Crisis? Profits Soar!
James Petras
While progressives and leftists write about the “crises of capitalism”, manufacturers, petroleum companies, bankers and most other major corporations on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific coast are chuckling all the way to the bank.
From the first quarter of this year, corporate profits have shot up between twenty to over a hundred percent, (Financial Times August 10, 2010, p. 7). In fact, corporate profits have risen higher than they were before the onset of the recession in 2008 (Money Morning March 31, 2010). Contrary to progressive bloggers the rates of profits are rising not falling, particularly among the biggest corporations (Consensus Economics, August 12, 2010). The buoyancy of corporate profits is directly a result of the deepening crises of the working class, public and private employees and small and medium size enterprises.
Gaza's Poisoned Water
by Stephen Lendman
This article follows an August 6 one discussing Palestinians Denied Access to Water, found through the following link:
It explained how Israel exploits Palestinian water resources, using most of it, forcing them to find ways to get by. Water, of course, is essential to life, rights to it natural and usufructuary. Belonging to everyone as part of the commons, it must be used, not owned or abused, an essential truth Israel corrupts. On August 5, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) published the latest in its "Narratives Under Siege" series, titled "There's Something in the Water: The Poisoning of Life in the Gaza Strip."
Gibbs Outed as Republican Mole
Michael Collins
(Satire)
White House Press Secretary, Robert "the mole" Gibbs, was outed last night for his lead role in throwing the 2010 congressional election to the Republican Party. The White House refused to return calls to comment on the charge or verify the outline of the carefully orchestrated plot. But a variety of off the record sources spoke as one - the plot is real and has been going on long before the 2008 general election. The scope of the plot goes well beyond the upcoming congressional contests.
In a recent interview for The Hill newspaper, Gibbs used an entirely new technique in election tactics - offend and humiliate a key element of your voting block right before a critical election. Gibbs ridiculed progressives as part of the "Professional Left" and said, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.” Research indicates that this approach has never been used within 90 days of a general election.
But the story goes much deeper than simple electoral politics. The planned outburst has a short term benefit for Republicans but, as we will see, Gibbs is reporting to a higher authority.
The Power of Community
By Katherine Smith
In September 2006, the world experienced a paradigm shift when a strong lobbying effort by grassroots organizations effectively derailed an initiative: A move that was tantamount to a declaration of war on Iran.
U.S.: Iran Resolution Shelved in Rare Defeat for Israel Lobby
In a significant and highly unusual defeat for the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has decided to shelve a long-pending, albeit non-binding, resolution that called for President George W. Bush to launch what critics called a blockade against Iran.
But an unexpectedly strong lobbying effort by a number of grassroots Iranian-American, Jewish-American, peace, and church groups effectively derailed the initiative.
The decision by the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Howard Berman, to shelve HR 362 marked an unusual defeat for AIPAC, according to its critics who charged that the resolution was designed to lay the groundwork for the Bush administration or any successor administration to take military action against Iran.
A nuclear confrontation with Iran was avoided in 2006 because a small number of people with the power of community were enough to convince our Government not to take the world to the point of no return.
Our un-elected officials got the message, that the perils of a nuclear confrontation with Iran could mean the end of life for everyone here on earth. Congress refused to go along with the Bush Administration’s plans for military action against Iran.
Just two years later, the power of community stopped congress from attacking Iran.
Iran 2010
If you aren’t up to speed about the most dangerous move towards nuclear war the world has seen since the 1962 Cuba Missile Crisis, visit the critically acclaimed Global Research website founded by Michel Chossudovsky, Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization.
Chossudovsky writes:
The US and its allies are preparing to launch a nuclear war directed against Iran with devastating consequences and this military adventure in the real sense of the word threatens the future of humanity.
The international community has endorsed nuclear war in the name of World Peace. "Making the World safer" is the justification for launching a military operation which could potentially result in a nuclear holocaust.
Iran, a country with a non-existent nuclear weapons capability and an air force that belongs in a museum, is not a threat to either nuclear power with a presence in the Middle East, the United States or Israel. [1]
There is no 'Professional Left' on Cable
By Timothy V. Gatto
The arguments between the Progressives on the left and the Conservatives on the right are mostly straw-man arguments when it comes to cable shows. FOX News on one hand can’t bash the Democrats enough, while MSNBC can’t stop taking the Republicans to task. Still, the content of both cable stations is Republican against Democrat without much meaningful criticism of American polices and direction.
Once in awhile we get a gem from MSNBC like Rachel Maddow’s report on “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”. I’d just like to add that when I was stationed in Germany, a gay friend of mine took me to a gay bar in Kaiserslautern and when I walked in I saw about 15 guys from my unit if 240 guys there. Nobody knew and if they did, the soldiers in my unit didn’t give a damn.
Black man serving white power destroys Black women
Re-reporting, commentary by Carolyn Bennett
Centuries Ole entrenched feud, corruption, judicial misconduct, sisters sacrificed
"The absurd and vicious incrimination of the Scott sisters," a blogger writes for "free the sisters" posted at IndyBay news, "is the result of a vendetta by former Sheriff Glenn Warren… because the father of the Scott Sisters, James 'Hawk' Rasco, and other family members refused to be intimidated by a Mississippi county system of white power and corruption." A cousin who had had to pay a bribe to the former sheriff in order to sell illegal alcohol in his club testified against Warren in a case investigating 'a bootlegging operation, which may have also involved the judge who presided in the trial of the Scott sisters.' After the cousin and former sheriff bribery incident, the Scott sisters' father, James Rasco, bought the nightclub from his nephew and refused to go along with the official corruption. Marvin Williams, the new sheriff, "a Black man at the service of white power, swore that the family would pay dearly.…
Snow in Brazil! Millions of Dead Fish, Alligators, Turtles… Floating Down Bolivian Rivers! Argentina Has Colder Winter Than Antarctica!
from: Lisa Long
The tropical part of South America seem to be experiencing a mini ice age. Who would have thought of that? Fishes, alligators, turtles, dolphins.. dying of freezing temperatures in Bolivia (see video). Could the breaking down of the Gulf Loop Current be the reason. The Gulf Loop Current regulates ocean temperature and thus atmospheric temperature by circulating warm water away from the Gulf of Mexico. My guess is that it is with some help by the Illuminists’ HAARP weapons that the world is experiencing freakish weather. Don’t forget the anomalous heat wave gripping Russia and much of Europe and the floods in Pakistan and China. (See: Pakistan Flood: HAARP Used in Pakistan?) Preparing the ground before the initiation of war I guess.
From Goldstone to Uribe
by Stephen Lendman
Despite a credible start, the fix is in. Expect justice again to be denied. After the Gaza War (Operation Cast Lead), the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) appointed Justice Richard Goldstone to lead an independent four-person fact-finding Commission to investigate human rights and humanitarian law violations committed on both sides, Israel doing everything possible to obstruct him in vain.
The Commission conducted 188 interviews, got over 300 reports, submissions and other documents, comprising more than 10,000 pages, 30 videos, and 1,200 photographs, much of it gathered first-hand. Secondary sources added corroboration, in total providing clear evidence of Israel crimes.
On September 15, 2009, the Commission concluded that:
"there is evidence indicating serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law were committed by Israel during the Gaza conflict, and that Israel committed actions amounting to war crimes, and possibly crimes against humanity."
The Checking Account Scam - How Wells Fargo Gouged Its Customers
By Numerian posted by Michael Collins
We’ve often talked here about the bank practice of extracting equity from customer accounts. Now comes a 90 page ruling from Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California against Wells Fargo Bank, showing in detail exactly how the bank engaged in “gouging and profiteering” when it managed customer checking accounts. Nor is this one of those polite judicial rulings where the judge waits to the end to conclude whether or nor the defendant engaged in bad behavior. Judge Alsup is biting and nasty throughout his ruling, barely able to hold his disgust at what he concluded was a deliberate attempt by Wells Fargo to profit off a system that trapped customers into overdraft hell.
How the System Was Rigged to Create Overdrafts
Prior to 2000, Wells Fargo did its best to minimize overdrafts in customer accounts. Its computers processed all credits to the account first, followed by ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases, followed by checks and then Automated Clearing House transactions (the ACH is used by banks to process debits such as PayPal charges or monthly mortgage or rental payments where the customer has agreed to an automatic debit). In every step, Wells Fargo used low to high sequencing; the smallest debits would go first and the largest would go last. This entire process mimicked the way the consumer managed their account using a traditional checking account balance, which ranks all transactions in chronological order. When an overdraft occurred on the bank’s records, the consumer would have known had they been keeping their checkbook balance up to date.
Net Neutrality Threatened
by Stephen Lendman
This article follows two previous ones, accessed through the following links:
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2009/11/struggle-for-net-neutrality.html
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2010/07/under-threat-free-and-open-internet.html
Free Press.net is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working for media reform through education, organizing and advocacy - Net Neutrality its defining issue, keeping it free and open, letting users access all content without restrictions, limitations, or discrimination, an online level playing field for everyone, the essence of democratic free speech. Without it, consumer choice will be lost, stolen by corporate predators, making the Internet look like cable TV, letting them decide what web sites, content and applications are available at what cost.
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