FEMA for the Internet ??? Source: Business WeekFor all the fears of sophisticated digital intrusions preoccupying many computer security professionals, President Obamas leading candidates for cyber czar also are focusing on an all-too-human vulnerability: The nations inability to respond to a full-fledged Internet-borne crisis for lack of a central cyber commander.Former White House cybersecurity [...]
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[Source: Mint Dollar
Showing posts with label meeting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meeting. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Majority Oppose Chapter 11 of NAFTA
Majority Oppose Chapter 11 of NAFTAFriday, 13 February 2009 06:34By Dana GabrielA recent binational poll commissioned by the Council of Canadians, found that the majority of Americans and Canadians oppose provisions found in Chapter 11 of NAFTA. The poll found that 70% believe that energy corporations should not be allowed to sue governments for changes [...]No related posts.
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[Source: War On You: Breaking Alternative News
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[Source: War On You: Breaking Alternative News
Blackwater Worldwide renamed Xe as company tries to salvage its tarnished brand
US Security Firm Mired in Iraq Controversy Changes Its NameBlackwater Worldwide is abandoning its tarnished brand name as it tries to shake a reputation battered by oft-criticised work in Iraq, renaming its family of two dozen businesses under the name Xe. The parent companys new name is pronounced like the letter z.Blackwater Worldwides headquarters is [...]
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
Out of Iraq?
President Obama's campaign promise to get us out of Iraq in sixteen months gave him the electoral heft to oust "frontrunner" Hillary and catapulted him into the White House. Yet, now that the public's attention is fixed on our swiftly deteriorating economic plight, that promise is being quietly – but definitely – broken. I've been predicting that for god-knows-how-many weeks, but now we have substantial evidence that my hunch presaged an emerging reality. Eli Lake reports in the Washington Times:
"As President Obama weighs options for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, the country's military is purchasing American helicopters, cargo planes and tanks equipment that typically requires a prolonged U.S. presence for maintenance and training.
"Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, who is in charge of training Iraq's security services and military, told The Washington Times that some of the ordered equipment would not be delivered until 2012, even though a new status of forces agreement (SOFA) requires all U.S. troops to exit the country by [the end of] 2011."
To Gen. Helmick, this looks like the Iraqis are seeking "a long-term strategic relationship with the United States."
Translation: We ain't leaving!
Remember that "residual force" Obama mumbled about under his breath, right after pledging to Get US Out? Yeah, well they'll be there well beyond 2011, maintaining, guarding, and otherwise souping-up all the neat gear we're going to be selling them. Hey, it's all part of the economic "stimulus" plan, don'tcha know – after all, the military-industrial complex needs a bailout, too, along with the banks, the auto industry, and the makers of bridges-to-nowhere. As Lake reports:
"The deals also will begin to redress the economic costs borne by United States to wage the Iraq war. Among the U.S. companies that will benefit from contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars are General Dynamics, which makes the M1 Abrams tank, Bell Boeing, which produces the assault helicopters, and Lockheed Martin, which makes the C130-J Super Hercules tactical airlifter. Lockheed Martin also makes the F-16 fighter jet, which also is generating some Iraqi interest, Gen. Helmick said."
Got that? The costs are borne by the United States government – but the "redress" goes to General Dynamics, Boeing, and Lockheed-Martin. Funny how that works….
Yes, folks, the General predicts that we're in for a "long-term strategic relationship" with the Iraqis – kind of like a sugar-daddy/ho arrangement, with US aid flowing into Iraqi coffers and into the pockets of politically-favored US companies. It's the new crony capitalism in action – with a distinctly military beat.
The status of forces agreement stipulates that all US forces must be out by the end of 2011, but nothing must be allowed to get in the way of the war industry's profits: according to Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, the US will ask for an "adjustment" in the agreement – which can no doubt be made after some more cash exchanges hands.
The Iraqis are already slated to go shopping for arms in the US: defense minister Abdul Qader al-Obeidi will be in Washington next week for consultations with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Senor al-Obeidi – fresh from a trip to South Korea, where he extolled the 50-year master-slave US-Korean relationship as exemplary – will also meet with "defense contractors and weapons makers," reports Lake.
The Korean model, you'll recall, came up in the summer of '07, when the presidential campaign was underway and the Democrats were driving home the point that John McCain anticipated a fifty to one-hundred year occupation of Iraq. Tony Snow, confronted with the Korean analogy, played agnostic, answering "I don't know" to a reporter's question about whether we'd be in Iraq for the next half century or so:
"So you're not suggesting that U.S. troops would be there for over 50 years in a –
"MR. SNOW: No, no, I'm not. I don't know. It is an unanswerable question, but I'm not making that suggestion."
Well, now that Bush is gone, and an ostensibly "antiwar" President is in the White House, we know the answer to that question, which is: yes, not only will we be in Iraq well after the mythical sixteen-month cut-off point, but the Korean model is on the agenda. This isn't a strategic hook-up, after all: it's a long-term strategic relationship. If not quite a marriage, then a long-standing affair – one that, however stormy and dysfunctional, is held together by the offspring, i.e. a motley crew of war profiteers and ambitious politicians, both American and Iraqi.
Another major factor practically precluding a real US withdrawal is the Kurds, our troublesome "friends" in the region who might be expected to act up if and when we packed our bags and left. Lake cites Thomas Donnelly, defense guru over at the "center-right" (i.e. neocon) American Enterprise Institute, as saying: "The Kurds will feel more secure and behave better if there is a long-term deployment of American troops in Iraqi Kurdistan."
They'll be better behaved if we stay on – you know, like rambunctious children who, left to their own devices, will jump on the bed, break the china, and disturb the neighbors. We'll be babysitting them for a long time to come. Such are the wages of "liberation."
U.S. out of Iraq? Not in my lifetime. President Obama has already stated his own "regional" perspective, in which our relations with Iraq are inextricably linked with our ambitious plans in Afghanistan, Pakistan – and Iran. Sixteen months from now, that "residual force" will be battling suicide bombers, restraining the Kurds, and keeping the Shi'ites and Sunnis from each others' throats.
Campaign promises? Don't be a fool. By the time Obama is up for reelection, this country will be so mired in the global economic downturn that we won't even remember his out-of-Iraq pledge – or, at least, the average voter won't. The pundits will compliment Obama on his "maturity," and the Washington establishment – and their corporate allies – will breathe a sigh of relief, as war profits continue to flow and the Afghan front opens up all sorts of new investment opportunities for them.
The US empire is like the Borg, or the old Warsaw Pact – once you're absorbed, that's it. Only a complete collapse, economic and/or military, would succeed in cutting the Iraqis loose. That's not out of the question, by any means, but it's a subject best left for another column. In the meantime, don't hold your breath waiting for Obama to make good on his pledge to end the war – unless blue is your favorite color.
NOTES IN THE MARGIN
Be sure to check out my essay, “The Old California,” over at Taki’s Magazine. I had great fun writing it.
~ Justin Raimondo
"As President Obama weighs options for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, the country's military is purchasing American helicopters, cargo planes and tanks equipment that typically requires a prolonged U.S. presence for maintenance and training.
"Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, who is in charge of training Iraq's security services and military, told The Washington Times that some of the ordered equipment would not be delivered until 2012, even though a new status of forces agreement (SOFA) requires all U.S. troops to exit the country by [the end of] 2011."
To Gen. Helmick, this looks like the Iraqis are seeking "a long-term strategic relationship with the United States."
Translation: We ain't leaving!
Remember that "residual force" Obama mumbled about under his breath, right after pledging to Get US Out? Yeah, well they'll be there well beyond 2011, maintaining, guarding, and otherwise souping-up all the neat gear we're going to be selling them. Hey, it's all part of the economic "stimulus" plan, don'tcha know – after all, the military-industrial complex needs a bailout, too, along with the banks, the auto industry, and the makers of bridges-to-nowhere. As Lake reports:
"The deals also will begin to redress the economic costs borne by United States to wage the Iraq war. Among the U.S. companies that will benefit from contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars are General Dynamics, which makes the M1 Abrams tank, Bell Boeing, which produces the assault helicopters, and Lockheed Martin, which makes the C130-J Super Hercules tactical airlifter. Lockheed Martin also makes the F-16 fighter jet, which also is generating some Iraqi interest, Gen. Helmick said."
Got that? The costs are borne by the United States government – but the "redress" goes to General Dynamics, Boeing, and Lockheed-Martin. Funny how that works….
Yes, folks, the General predicts that we're in for a "long-term strategic relationship" with the Iraqis – kind of like a sugar-daddy/ho arrangement, with US aid flowing into Iraqi coffers and into the pockets of politically-favored US companies. It's the new crony capitalism in action – with a distinctly military beat.
The status of forces agreement stipulates that all US forces must be out by the end of 2011, but nothing must be allowed to get in the way of the war industry's profits: according to Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, the US will ask for an "adjustment" in the agreement – which can no doubt be made after some more cash exchanges hands.
The Iraqis are already slated to go shopping for arms in the US: defense minister Abdul Qader al-Obeidi will be in Washington next week for consultations with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Senor al-Obeidi – fresh from a trip to South Korea, where he extolled the 50-year master-slave US-Korean relationship as exemplary – will also meet with "defense contractors and weapons makers," reports Lake.
The Korean model, you'll recall, came up in the summer of '07, when the presidential campaign was underway and the Democrats were driving home the point that John McCain anticipated a fifty to one-hundred year occupation of Iraq. Tony Snow, confronted with the Korean analogy, played agnostic, answering "I don't know" to a reporter's question about whether we'd be in Iraq for the next half century or so:
"So you're not suggesting that U.S. troops would be there for over 50 years in a –
"MR. SNOW: No, no, I'm not. I don't know. It is an unanswerable question, but I'm not making that suggestion."
Well, now that Bush is gone, and an ostensibly "antiwar" President is in the White House, we know the answer to that question, which is: yes, not only will we be in Iraq well after the mythical sixteen-month cut-off point, but the Korean model is on the agenda. This isn't a strategic hook-up, after all: it's a long-term strategic relationship. If not quite a marriage, then a long-standing affair – one that, however stormy and dysfunctional, is held together by the offspring, i.e. a motley crew of war profiteers and ambitious politicians, both American and Iraqi.
Another major factor practically precluding a real US withdrawal is the Kurds, our troublesome "friends" in the region who might be expected to act up if and when we packed our bags and left. Lake cites Thomas Donnelly, defense guru over at the "center-right" (i.e. neocon) American Enterprise Institute, as saying: "The Kurds will feel more secure and behave better if there is a long-term deployment of American troops in Iraqi Kurdistan."
They'll be better behaved if we stay on – you know, like rambunctious children who, left to their own devices, will jump on the bed, break the china, and disturb the neighbors. We'll be babysitting them for a long time to come. Such are the wages of "liberation."
U.S. out of Iraq? Not in my lifetime. President Obama has already stated his own "regional" perspective, in which our relations with Iraq are inextricably linked with our ambitious plans in Afghanistan, Pakistan – and Iran. Sixteen months from now, that "residual force" will be battling suicide bombers, restraining the Kurds, and keeping the Shi'ites and Sunnis from each others' throats.
Campaign promises? Don't be a fool. By the time Obama is up for reelection, this country will be so mired in the global economic downturn that we won't even remember his out-of-Iraq pledge – or, at least, the average voter won't. The pundits will compliment Obama on his "maturity," and the Washington establishment – and their corporate allies – will breathe a sigh of relief, as war profits continue to flow and the Afghan front opens up all sorts of new investment opportunities for them.
The US empire is like the Borg, or the old Warsaw Pact – once you're absorbed, that's it. Only a complete collapse, economic and/or military, would succeed in cutting the Iraqis loose. That's not out of the question, by any means, but it's a subject best left for another column. In the meantime, don't hold your breath waiting for Obama to make good on his pledge to end the war – unless blue is your favorite color.
NOTES IN THE MARGIN
Be sure to check out my essay, “The Old California,” over at Taki’s Magazine. I had great fun writing it.
~ Justin Raimondo
Expect New, More Populist Tactics From President Obama
Elitist (as in, only accountable to large donors), false (as in, doesn't describe any actual problems we face), non-transparent (as in not offering clear choices to the electorate), and right-wing (as in consistently thwarting progressive governance) are only some of the ways we have described "bi-partisanship" here at Open Left. Now, we can add "strategy shelved by the Obama administration" to that list:
White House aides say they have concluded that Obama too frequently lost control of the debate and his own image during the stimulus battle. By this reckoning, the story became too much about failed efforts at bipartisanship and Washington deal-making, and not enough about the president's public salesmanship.For Obama's next act, the program is the same as he has been planning for months: New Deal-style plans to rescue struggling homeowners and rewrite regulations on the financial markets, plus a budget proposal that lays the groundwork for sweeping health care reform.
But the strategy to promote these items is getting an emergency overhaul. Obama plans to travel more and campaign more in an effort to pressure lawmakers with public support, rather than worrying about whether he can win over Republican votes in Congress.
Awesome. I am excited about this shift in focus, and eager to engage in the legislative battles that will take place over the coming months. What we need now is a populist, progressive President who offers a clear choice to Americans, and allows his activist supporters to place pressure on fence-sitters. President Obama seems prepared to move in that direction.
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[Source: RETROGRESSING
Wary Netanyahu in Driving Seat
Excerpt: JERUSALEM -- Israel's foreign minister Tzipi Livni clung precariously to a narrow lead over her right-wing rival Benjamin Netanyahu as vote counting neared conclusion from Israel's Tuesday general election. Both would-be prime ministers continue to claim victory: "I won," read the headline of the country's biggest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronot, alongside the photos of the two.
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[Source: AntiWar.com
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[Source: AntiWar.com
Hoping for a Spontaneous Regime Change in Iran
Excerpt: With the new U.S. administration comfortably situated and setting political goals and policies, looming Iranian elections cast a long shadow over one of its thorniest issues: how to deal with the Islamic Republic.
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[Source: AntiWar.com
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[Source: AntiWar.com
Monday, February 2, 2009
Americas Most Mysterious Places
From UFO hotspots on the West Coast to mystifying castles in Florida, weird and wonderful places await.By Adrien GloverRacetrack PlayaDeath Valley National Park, Calif.The Mystery: People have long scratched their heads over the Sailing Stones, which mysteriously move across the sandy playas surface on their own, leaving visible tracks in their wake.Fact: Given that these [...]
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[Source: Meggido
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[Source: Meggido
Does Planet X Exist? Is Nibiru Inhabited and Inbound?
Robert Sepehr’s effort to inform and make public information that has been witheld or forgotten by the masses for millennia.
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[Source: Meggido
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[Source: Meggido
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Newest Gaza fight: Who controls reconstruction aid?
Newest Gaza fight: Who controls reconstruction aid?
Israel and the US don't want rebuilding homes to become rebuilding Hamas.
By Joshua Mitnick | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the January 23, 2009 edition
Tel Aviv - As the tentat...
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[Source: WAR ON YOU FORUMS
Friday, January 16, 2009
Bernanke calls for banking clean-up
Ben Bernanke called for fresh efforts to clean up the US banking system on Tuesday, warning that fiscal stimulus measures alone would not be enough to overcome the economic crisis.Speaking in London, the Federal Reserve chairman said he would like the Obama administration to combine capital injections with a plan to cut troubled assets from [...]
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
World markets slide on economic woes
Europe joined Asia and Wall Street in a global selloff on the heels of the latest discouraging economic news.Bookmark and Share More »Powered by Bookmarkify™
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[Source: Mint Dollar
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[Source: Mint Dollar
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Iran says uncovers U.S.-backed coup plot
Iran has arrested four Iranians accused of involvement in a U.S.-financed plot aimed at toppling its Islamic system of government, the judiciary said on Tuesday.The announcement came a week before the inauguration of Barack Obama as U.S. president. In a shift from George W. Bush’s approach, he has pledged to increase diplomatic efforts to engage [...]Related posts:
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[Source: RETROGRESSING -
- Iran dumps U.S. dollars in oil transactions
- The March 20, 2008 US Declaration of War on Iran
- U.S. Strike on Iran Nearing
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[Source: RETROGRESSING -
Geithner Did Not Pay Taxes
NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports:
Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary nominee, is here with Obama transition officials to discuss a legal issue involving a personal household employee. The specifics have not been disclosed. We are checking on a report that Geithner may have an issue concerning a household worker and the withholding of social security taxes.
Geithner's confirmation hearing before this committee is scheduled for Thursday Jan 15.
That kind of issue unraveled past nominations like Zoe Baird (Clinton) and in a related way Kimba Wood (Clinton). The "emergency" meeting began at 2:30.
*** UPDATE *** From NBC's Chuck Todd and Domenico Montanaro
Sources close to the transition say Geithner did not pay some taxes when he worked for the International Monetary Fund. The error was discovered in November 2008, and the taxes have since been repaid.With regard to the housekeeper, transition officials say Geithner verified legal status when she was hired, but that her papers expired while still employed.
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[Source: The Latest on Air America
Monday, January 12, 2009
Washingtons criminal role in the Sri Lankan states anti-Tamil war by Keith Jones
Last Wednesday, the US embassy in Colombo issued a statement that welcomed the Sri Lankan state’s recent victories in the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and urged Sri Lanka’s government and military to press forward with the annihilation of the LTTE. The key passage in the statement read: “The United States [...]
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[Source: RETROGRESSING
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[Source: RETROGRESSING
Sunday: 1 US Soldier, 9 Iraqis Killed; 11 Iraqis Wounded
Excerpt: Updated at 8:59 p.m. EST, Jan. 11, 2009At least nine Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Also, a U.S. soldier was killed during a roadside bombing late yesterday in Baghdad. There seems to be some difficulty in getting news reports out of Iraq this weekend, as some of the incidents that took place yesterday were not reported until today. Meanwhile, Iraq backed off forcing journalists to sign a code of conduct that could impair fair coverage of upcoming elections. Also, parliament is in disarray over the selection of a new speaker.
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[Source: AntiWar.com
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[Source: AntiWar.com
H.R. 362, To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for temporary improvements to the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals and to provide for the use of the non-wage adjusted PPS rate under the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program, and for other purposes
H.R. 362 would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for temporary improvements to the Medicare inpatient hospital payment adjustment for low-volume hospitals and to provide for the use of the non-wage adjusted PPS rate under the Medicare-dependent hospital (MDH) program….Vote on This Bill: For | Against
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
Saturday, January 10, 2009
States with worst jobless rates share root causes
Unemployment hot spots all over the map, but worst states share housing, manufacturing pain Unlike the last recession, today’s unemployment hot spots are all over the map.The five states with the highest unemployment rates — Michigan, Rhode Island, South Carolina, California and Oregon — all have something in common, though: a heightened exposure to the [...]
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
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[Source: vote tags: Tracking the Vote
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
I already have a flying car.
As Dylan said the other day, Happy New Year! May this year bring good things to you and yours. I wanted to take a second and thank everyone out there who continues to support us and the Truth Movement, for a great 2008. We achieved outstanding results, over and over again.Louder Than Words is slowly [...]
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[Source: Loose Change 9/11 Blog & Home Page
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[Source: Loose Change 9/11 Blog & Home Page
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