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19, &nbsp;2009</b></font></A></NOBR></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="1%" class="fonta">&nbsp;</td></tr></table> <!-- =1111111111= --> <!-- =Bush-Cheney= --> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-520></A> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Michael Chertoff, the Bush-Cheney administration's Secretary of Homeland Security, played a key role in approving American torture, while he was working in the Justice Department's Criminal Division. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.pubrecord.org/torture/760-michael-chertoff-played-integral-role-in-authorizing-torture.html">The&nbsp;Public&nbsp;Record</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-427></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lawrence Wilkerson, who was chief of staff at the state Department under Colin Powell, says that the reason Bush-Cheney opted for torture instead of trials is simply that they knew they lacked the evidence to convict many of the poor schmucks they'd rounded up and imprisoned at Guantanamo. Of course, Wilkerson is <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="298" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonty"> <img src="http://unknownnews.org/protest42.jpg" border="1" width="298" height="223"><p> "My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular." <DIV align="right"><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Adlai&nbsp;Stevenson</i> &nbsp; </div> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> saying nothing that wasn't already known to be factual, but it adds to the weight of the evidence when it comes from someone so high-ranking. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/03/some_truths_abo/">Washington&nbsp;Note</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-427a></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile, the stated policies of the Obama administration regarding "detainees" are being robustly criticized by human rights groups and legal scholars. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.pubrecord.org/law/758-legal-scholars-rights-groups-condemn-obamas-new-detainee-policies.html">The&nbsp;Public&nbsp;Record</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <A NAME=fhcu-838></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is calling for an investigation into the charges that Dick Cheney ran an assassination ring out of his office while he was Vice President. And Congressman Rush Holt (D-New Jersey) wants an actual investigation into <A HREF="http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Inquiry_sought_in_anthrax_letter_attacks_0316.html">the anthrax attacks of 2001</A>. Of course, as with all of the crimes of the Bush-Cheney era (except the few allegedly perpetrated by Democrats) an investigation won't be allowed, or if it is it'll be rigged or ignored. The sickening bastards who ran American government into the ground from 2001-08 are "untouchables" -- they're above the law, and they know it. Everybody knows it. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Kucinich_requests_investigation_into_executive_assassination_0316.html">Raw&nbsp;Story</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- =civilliberties= --><A NAME=mmp-333></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Premier Election Systems (a.k.a. Diebold) has admitted in a California public hearing that it's not just one or a few models of its election machines that allow ballot deletions without any record. That's a built-in function on <i>all</i> of Diebold's machines. Again, the moral of the story is that if you're voting on Diebold machines you have no way to know that you're really voting, and if your election officials use Diebold machines (or the machines of most of Diebold's competitors) then your election officials aren't interested in honest elections. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6995">BradBlog</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- =2222222222= --> <!-- =economy= --> <!-- bank robber --><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="120" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <img src="http://unknownnews.org/bankrobber.gif" border="0" width="100" height="95"></td></tr></table> <A NAME=fhcu-724></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; President Obama has ordered Treasury officials to try to block AIG's latest $165-million in executive bonuses. It's unclear whether anyone in the government has the authority to do this, and it's pretty clear that most of the politicians who are shouting loudest about this are just grandstanding. But it's also obvious that the anger is growing, about the bailouts in general and AIG in particular. Obama's approval ratings will <A NAME=journalism></A><!-- mainstream corporate news, Fox and other liars, but no pundits --> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"> <center><I><B>Corporations own the news</B></I><BR><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/newslogo-abc.jpg" border="0" width="71" height="27"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/newslogo-ap.jpg" border="0" width="50" height="50"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/newslogo-cbs.jpg" border="0" width="54" height="35"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/newslogo-cnn.jpg" border="0" width="61" height="33"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/newslogo-nbc.jpg" border="0" width="57" height="45"></center> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <I>Virtually all American media is controlled by corporations and operated solely for profit, so news that's controversial or expensive to cover often gets minimal coverage that's shallow, inaccurate, or slanted to favor big business.</I><BR> <!-- journalism --> <BR><A HREF="http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/17/journalism/index.html">Mainstream journalists are bewildered when White House spokesman refers to Cheney without gushing respect</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200903170013?show=1"><I>Washington Post</i> reports without basis that AIG bonus scandal is "increasingly blowing back on Obama"</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/The_Inquirer_should_not_publish_op-eds_by_war_criminals.html">Here's an idea: Maybe the <I>Philadelphia Inquirer</i> shouldn't publish op-ed columns written by war criminals</A><BR> <!-- Fox News and other partisan journalists --> <center><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/FoxLies.jpg" border="0" width="230" height="270"></center> <A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200903180007?show=1">Fox News continues baseless smears and lies about ACORN</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/16/fox-news-fundamentals/">Fox News edits and airs clip from last year's election to suggest that Biden recently declared 'fundamentals of the economy are strong'</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.newshounds.us/2009/03/18/greta_van_susterens_husband_an_advisor_to_sarah_palin.php">Husband of Fox's Van Susteren advises Palin</A><BR> <!-- =Fox pundits et al --> <BR><A HREF="http://www.newmajority.com/ShowScroll.aspx?ID=30edc824-3d2c-40fa-b904-cb1442e2bcaf">Fox's Beck continues hysteria: "We are a country that is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest dreams"</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200903180019?f=h_latest">Fox's Hannity, Doocy repeat falsehood that Dodd to blame for AIG bonuses</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200903170031?f=h_latest">Fox's Beck that US does not fingerprint foreign visitors or collect rapists' DNA</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200903170026?f=h_latest">Fox, Drudge falsely assert Dodd put "bonus protections" into stimulus bill</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200903170005?f=h_latest">Fox's Hannity falsely claims that under Pelosi, Republicans "can't offer amendments"</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200903170002?f=h_latest">Suggesting "your house will be worth more burned down," Fox's Doocy peddled itemized deduction falsehood</A><BR> <A NAME=fools&liars></A><!-- =pundits and =politicians--><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/foolsnliars.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" class="fonta"><I><B>Fools and liars, pundits&nbsp;and&nbsp;politicians</B></I></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/pinocchio.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="42"></TD></TR></TABLE><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>Lies, insults, and general nuttiness from right-wing commentators and politicians dominates America's political discourse and mainstream media. And there's really no left-wing equivalent, since anyone who offers blunt criticism of the right-wing <nobr>--</nobr> even when it's warranted and true <nobr>--</nobr> is "outside the mainstream", by definition</i>.<BR> <!-- pundits and politicians --> <BR><A HREF="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/03/quote-for-th-22.html">Republican Party Chair Steele stands with global climate change deniers</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/white-house-watch/2009/03/cheney_to_us_stuff_happens.html?hpid=opinionsbox1">Cheney is still lying about, well, everything</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/david-shusters-hypocrisy-watch-eric-cantor">Cantor (R-Virginia) repeats right-wing lie about high-speed rail from Disneyland to Vegas</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/16/perino-stocks/">Perino claims Bush was responsible for last week's stock market climb</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/17/perino-defends-aig/">Perino says AIG's multi-million-dollar bonus payouts went to "middle class people"</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/mar2009/sork-m18.shtml"><i>New York Times</i> columnist who demanded concessions from auto workers now "makes case" for AIG bonuses</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200903170024?show=1">MSNBC's Francis compares AIG outrage to right-wingers' debunked claims about Nancy Pelosi's plane</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/day-late-and-dollar-short-chris-matth">MCNBC's Matthews welcomes liar on <i>Hardball</i>, then doesn't notice the lies</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/18/dobbs-attacks-st-patricks-day/">CNN's Dobbs attacks St Patrick's Day</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/17/fratto-cnbc-hired/">CNBC hires former Bush flack Fratto</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/countyfair/200903170008?show=1"><i>Washington Times</i>'s Gaffney writes that Obama "will be embracing the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood"</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/18/limbaugh-defends-aig-from_n_176296.html">Limbaugh defends AIG from "lynch mob ... ginned up by Obama"</A><BR> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table>go up for at least pretending to take a stand against AIG's suicidal strategy. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is also <A HREF="http://consumerist.com/5170898/ny-attorney-general-to-aig-you-have-until-400-pm-to-give-us-the-names">going after AIG</A>, and we lift an empty champagne glass -- clink -- to toast anyone (even <A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_go_co/grassley_aig;_ylt=A9G_RnuYrr9JL7EAnwd34T0D">Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)</A> -- who says <i>enough already</i>.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But have you seen all the insiders and experts claiming that there's no way AIG can avoid paying these insane bonuses? See, they're contractually obligated, and if we abrogate the sanctity of the contract it topples the underpinnings of capitalism itself, and blah blah blah. Of course, when other struggling companies have abrogated their union contracts, stiffing ordinary working people instead of millionaires, those same insiders and experts weren't bothered at all, because they don't give a silent fart about the sanctity of contracts, only the sanctity of the rich watching out for the rich.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And of course, AIG handing out a piddly few hundred million dollars in wildly un-earned bonuses is barely a pebble, compared to the rolling avalanche of hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayers' money that's being funneled into the pockets of Wall Street criminals. Please, save a little of your outrage for that. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.startribune.com/nation/41344372.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUI">New&nbsp;York&nbsp;Times</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=fhcu-849></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; AIG probably won't ever be able to "repay" its bailout "loans". MSNBC reports this as news, though, of course, it's been obvious and understood all along. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29728732/">MSNBC&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-849b></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A million bucks each for top execs at hobbled Fannie Mae. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031803188.html?hpid=topnews">Washington&nbsp;Post</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-742></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Vikram Pandit, CEO of CitiGroup, was paid $958,333 in salary last year, plus $9,840,000 in stock options and $16,193 in "other compensation". His employer, of course, wouldn't exist if it hadn't received a $45-billion handout from the federal government over the past few months. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52F3MP20090316">Reuters&nbsp;News&nbsp;Agency</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=fhcu-100></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yippee! These guys have discovered an economic indicator that seems to suggest that the global economic collapse has hit bottom and started its recovery. I'm not sure I&nbsp;believe it, especially since I've never heard of the "Baltic Dry Index" before, but when you're stuck under tons of rubble, you pretty much have to welcome a ray of sunshine from any direction. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.pensitoreview.com/2009/03/16/a-solid-economic-indicator-baltic-dry-index-trends-up/">Pensito&nbsp;Review</A>&nbsp;]<BR><!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-100a></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And on a related note, a group of leading progressives and economists have penned an open letter to CNBC demanding that the network publicly change its mission to focus more on Wall Street accountability. Well, that's nice, and from Jon Stewart's rants to you letter to the editor of your local paper, we appreciate any public efforts that help reveal the phoniness of so much TV journalism. But I&nbsp;don't think there's any chance at all that CNBC will change its fundamental nature as a cheerleader and fluff provider for investors.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; CNBC's audience is made up mostly of investors, big-time or small, who've already lost a fat chunk of money and who'll probably lose another chunk today and a further chunk tomorrow. If CNBC presents those facts accurately, most of their audience will change channels to watch reruns of <i>Gilligan's Island</i>. See, the service CNBC provides ain't journalism, it's optimism. Of course it's phony optimism, but <i>caveat emptor</i>. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/16/economists-progresses-pet_n_175249.html">Huffington&nbsp;Post</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- =world= --><A NAME=mmp-605></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ABC News says that "three of the most dangerous Taliban leaders in Pakistan, once arch-enemies, have formed an alliance that could threaten thousands of American troops". Imagine that -- Afghans defending their nation. Who could've seen that coming, except, of course, anyone with half the brains God gave a kumquat. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=7112835&page=1">ABC&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-605a></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; According to this <i>USA&nbsp;Today</i>/Gallup Poll, 42% of Americans now say it was "a mistake" for America to attack Afghanistan. Not Iraq, Afghanistan. I'm surprised that the number is that high, but of course, those 42% are dead right, and it was obvious at the time. The US had been <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550366.stm">threatening war against Afghanistan</A> for months <i>prior to <NOBR>9/11</NOBR></i>, and the Afghan government stated repeatedly (<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/010921911.html">"US rejects Taliban's requests for bin Laden evidence"</A>, <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/011003911.html">"Afghan Ambassador again asks for evidence linking bin Laden to 9/11"</A>) that they would turn Osama bin Laden over to American authorities, if only American officials would show the evidence connecting bin Laden to <NOBR>9/11</NOBR>. All such offers were rebuffed, because war is what the Bush-Cheney administration fervently wanted. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090317/1apoll17_st.art.htm">USA&nbsp;Today</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-1005></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Six years into the occupation of Iraq, that nation's capitol still has no reliable source of drinkable water. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/64309.html">McClatchy&nbsp;Newspapers</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- =dc= --> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-606></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; AP says that the Obama administration will sign the USA onto a UN declaration of human rights for gays and lesbians. Of course, the Bush-Cheney administration had refused to sign, as the proposition that "homo-sectuals" are human beings who deserve human rights is offensive and abhorrent to the scumbags and slimebuckets who are the backbone of the Republican Party. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-03-17-gay-rights_N.htm">Associated&nbsp;Press</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <A NAME=think></A> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/thinker.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" class="fonta"><I><B>It made me stop&nbsp;and&nbsp;think</B></I></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/quesplanation.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "The Republican propensity for fascism must not be underestimated. Witness their phony justifications for the war in Iraq, fanning the flames of nationalistic aggression, just as Hitler did with Austria, the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia, and Poland in the 1930s. Consider their symbiotic embrace of corporate interests in the oil, weapons, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, finance, and other industries-the same type of corporate interests that sponsored Hitler's ascent to power. Look at their efforts to dismantle civil liberties with the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act. Or their relentless, pervasive propaganda laundered through their corporate-owned right-wing media machine.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "These are the classic hallmarks of fascism. The strategy is to obstruct recovery, facilitate collapse, and then incite the faux-populism of public resentment to re-install a corporatist oligarchy which has failed, but which will not abide a reduction of its privileges or a diminution of its control. It is a fetid, seditious agenda, awaiting only its own latter day mustachioed messiah for its final fulfillment." <nobr>&nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/15">Robert Freeman</A>&nbsp;]</nobr><BR> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "For Americans who hear the name <I>Washington Post</i> and still think of <i>All the President's Men</i> -- brave journalists facing down a corrupt President -- today's version of the newspaper would be a sad disappointment, a betrayal of a noble past." <nobr>&nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/031509.html">Robert Parry </A>&nbsp;]</nobr><BR> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Why, more than a year into the crisis, do regulators and investors continue to rely on ratings? No one has been more wrong than Moody's and S&P. Less than a year ago both gave high ratings to 11 of the largest distressed financial institutions. They put the insurance giant AIG in the AA category. They rated Lehman Brothers an A just a month before it collapsed. Until recently, the agencies maintained AAA ratings on thousands of nearly worthless subprime-related securities.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "The reason for this continued reliance on ratings is simple: bad regulation. We have seen up close how legal rules that depend on ratings pervert the process. One of us worked at Moody's, and was a frequent in-house critic of how the agencies put troubled companies on artificial "watch lists" while they maintained overly optimistic letter ratings. The other of us worked in Morgan Stanley's derivatives group, which designed risky structured products that nevertheless obtained high ratings. These deals were the ancestors of the highly rated subprime mortgage derivatives at the center of the crisis." <nobr>&nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/16/opinion/edfons.php">Jerome S. Fons and Frank Partnoy</A>&nbsp;]</nobr><BR> <BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "The real problem is, of course...that bankers were never contractually obligated to society -- and that, in the bigger picture, no business is. It's not about bailing out banks. It's bailing the economy and society out of a toxic, obsolete kind of kamikaze business -- one which, even in death, is unrelentingly hell-bent on damaging people, stakeholders, and society." <nobr>&nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/haque/2009/03/crisis.html">Umair Haque</A>&nbsp;]</nobr><BR> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-702></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Obama administration is phasing out the use of the "stop loss" forced re-enlistments, a Bush-Cheney administration strategy that required soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to remain in the service after their volunteer terms of service were completed. It's difficult to rank the Bush-Cheney administration's outrages, but this staggering act of official cruelty to American troops surely belongs in any top twenty list. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/18/pentagon.stoploss.ending/index.html">Cable&nbsp;News&nbsp;Network</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-809></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Despite the Iraqi government's expressed desire to see no more of Blackwater's mercenaries, the Obama administration has awarded the firm (now renamed Xe) a new contract for security work in Iraq. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/03/18-0">Washington&nbsp;Times</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-855></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) has signed legislation ending the death penalty in that state. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/18/new.mexico.death.penalty/">Cable&nbsp;News&nbsp;Network</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <A NAME=fhcu-1100></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Republicans with video cameras are, we're told, shadowing Democrats in Congress everywhere they go, hoping to catch them in an embarrassing or angry moment the Republicans can then feed to Fox News or use in smeary campaign commercials. Maybe we're supposed to be outraged, but I'm neither surprised nor offended. Politicians at that level ought to understand that they're being watched at all times, and ought to be on their best behavior as a matter of routine. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/64086.html">McClatchy&nbsp;Newspapers</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=fhcu-1137></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Blue Dog Democrats in the House -- those mostly-Southern Democrats who'd be Republicans anywhere else in the country -- are Obama's biggest thorn in his side. No surprise in that. For decades, the Blue Dogs have been the gang that prevents the Democrats from accomplishing much of anything meaningful. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/blue-dogs-present-biggest-threat-obam">Crooks&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Liars</A>&nbsp;]<BR><!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-1137a></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And now, Senator Evan Bayh (D-My Ass) is forming a similar group of Blue Dog Democrats in the Senate. Whatever it takes, to make that sure nothing remotely progressive is enacted into law. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_03/017342.php">Washington&nbsp;Monthly</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-554></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Three decrepit Democratic Congressmen have banded together to carry the torch of leadership for health care reform. They're George Miller (D-California), Charles Rangel (D-New York, and Henry Waxman (D-California). No offense to Waxman, who has occasionally shown some principle, but the involvement of Miller and Rangel effectively seals the deal that any reform will be a corporate-friendly sham. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.mercurynews.com/politics/ci_11936092">New&nbsp;York&nbsp;Times</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-445></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the Democrats continue their public campaign to make Rush Limbaugh the face of the Republican Party, Limbaugh's approval rating slips to 19%, and again I&nbsp;wonder, why didn't Democrats do this years ago? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/03/17/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4872622.shtml">CBS&nbsp;News</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- =corruption= --><A NAME=mmp-428></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In Alabama, which seems to be second in corruption only to Illinois, Attorney General Troy King (R) has been indicted by a couple of flamboyantly corrupt prosecutors inexplicably retained by Obama from the Bush-Cheney era, Alice Martin and Leura Canary. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://harpers.org/archive/2009/03/hbc-90004577">Harper's</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <A NAME=health></A><A NAME=science></A> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="60%" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/medicine.gif" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" class="fonta"><I><B>Health&nbsp;and science&nbsp;corner</B></I></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="40" class="fonty"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/science.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5001343/Diabetes-cure-a-step-closer-after-liver-used-to-regulate-blood-sugar.html">Diabetes cure a step closer after liver used to regulate blood sugar</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/dumc-ssc030609.php">Studies show children can complete treatment for peanut allergies and achieve long-term tolerance</A><BR> <BR><A HREF="http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2009/03/real-life-spider-man.php">Man paralyzed for decades walks again after spider bite</A><BR> </td></tr></table></td></tr></table> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-132></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Another low-level Bush-Cheney era criminal is going to prison. Felipe Sixto was sentenced to 2&#189; years in prison on Wednesday for stealing nearly $600,000 from a government-funded program that promotes democracy in Cuba. Six hundred grand was the payday for a mid-level flunky you never heard of, but will there ever be investigations into higher-ranking officials -- you know, all the people whose names <i>are</i> familiar from the past eight years of rot and ruin? &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_go_co/grassley_aig;_ylt=A9G_RnuYrr9JL7EAnwd34T0D">Associated&nbsp;Press</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-717></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Justice Department, now under new management, is reconsidering its Bush-Cheney era decision not to prosecute obvious perjury charges against a former DoJ official, Bradley Schlozman. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/doj_were_reviewing_decision_not_to_prosecute_schlo.php">TPM&nbsp;Muckraker</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- sorry, no twitter --><table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="170" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="center" width="100%"> <img src="http://unknownnews.org/anti-twitter.jpg" border="0" width="150" height="100"><BR> <b>We don't twitter.<BR>Tweet that.</b></td></tr></table> <!-- =3333333333= --> <!-- == --><A NAME=fhcu-826></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pope Benedict says that distributing condoms "increases the problem" of AIDS. I'm left snarkless for a long moment, but I'll say this: If there's a God in Heaven, He's reserved an especially overheated corner of Hell for the despicably un-Christian Pope Ratzinger. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090317.wpope0317/BNStory/International/home/">Associated&nbsp;Press</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-738></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Michael Bennett, a Florida state Senator, has proposed random drug testing for unemployment recipients, with denial of benefits for a year for anyone the test says has smoked marijuana or used other naughty illegal drugs. There's no indication whether the bill has any chance of success, or whether Bennett of other Republicans have even a drip of <A NAME=mysterylinks></A> <table border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="45%" align="right"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonta"><center><A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/mysterylinks.html"><b><i>Our mystery&nbsp;links</i></b></A><BR>(mostly just for fun)</center><BR>Links in <FONT COLOR=red><B>red</B></FONT> are not safe for work, and links in <FONT COLOR=magenta><B>pink</B></FONT> include audio and/or video.<center><iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/myslinks.html" width="295" height="225" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></center><DIV align="right"><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/mysterylinks.html">... more mystery links</A>&nbsp;</div> </TD></TR></TABLE></td></tr></table>human empathy, or whether they've ever heard of <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/#FourthAmendment">the Fourth Amendment</A>. But wait, it gets better -- Bennett's a Republican (of course), so his bill would also require the unemployed to pay for their own drug tests. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/17/na-jobless-benefits-drug-test-proposed/">Tampa&nbsp;Tribune</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- =4444444444= --> <!-- =5555555555= --> <!-- == --><A NAME=mmp-417></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Apparently, then-President Ronald Reagan tried to convert Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev top Christianity. &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.kottke.org/09/03/did-reagan-try-to-convert-gorbachev">kottke.org</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <!-- == --><A NAME=fhcu-855></A><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sex columnist Dan Savage is running for Mayor of Seattle, on an unusual platform: "If elected I&nbsp;pledge to resign the office of mayor 24 hours after I'm sworn in. During my short and glorious tenure I'll issue a few harmless proclamations ("Lap Dance Day"), challenge Portland's gay mayor to a Big Gay Sex Scandal Contest (I can put together a better sex scandal in 17 minutes than Sam Adams did in 17 days), and attempt to make good on my only other campaign promise. (I promise to build the original X-shaped, voter-approved monorail plan in 24 hours or resign in disgrace.) But after Lap Dance Day is over, and the monorail isn't completed in 24 hours, I&nbsp;will resign." &nbsp;[&nbsp;<A HREF="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/03/16/i_m_running_for_mayor">The&nbsp;Stranger</A>&nbsp;]<BR> <BR><center>Recommended sites for gathering unknown or underreported news:<BR> &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://mediamatters.org/">Media&nbsp;Matters</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.propublica.org/">Pro&nbsp;Publica</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://thinkprogress.org">ThinkProgress</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/">Washington&nbsp;Monthly</A>&nbsp; &nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.truthout.org/">TruthOut</A>&nbsp; </center> <BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="23%" class="fonta"> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-16.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.org/leftarrow.jpg" border="0" width="75" height="11"><BR>Older entries</A> </TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="54%" class="fonta"> Compiled by Helen&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;Harry&nbsp;Highwater<BR>for&nbsp;<A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/">www.unknownnews.org</a></TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="23%" class="fonta"> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-23.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/rightarrow.jpg" border="0" height="10" width="75"><BR>Newer entries</A></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=dialogue></A><BR><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="dddddd" class="fonty"><TABLE CELLPADDING="4" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="14%" bgcolor="dddddd" class="fonty"> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-18.html#dialogue"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/dialogue-bubbles.jpg" border="0" width="75" height="75"></A></TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="86%" bgcolor="dddddd" class="fonty"> <span class="fontpq"><BIG><B>What do <I>you</i> think?</B></BIG></span><BR> <i>We welcome news tips, comments, questions, or criticisms. Our email is &#60;<A HREF="mailto:unknownnews@inbox.com">unknownnews at inbox.com</A>&#62;, and if that address ever fails you can also reach us at <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">these back-up email addresses</A>.</i></TD></TR></TABLE> <iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/dailydialogue.html" height="32" width="600" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=18CD1230></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-18.html#18CD1230"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i>Hate to be a drag, but...</i>&nbsp;<BR><BR>There's been a lot of rhetoric in recent days concerning the legalization of certain drugs. There have been many, many, well founded arguments in favor of decriminalization and I&nbsp;personally can see where it might be beneficial. British Colombia in particular would stand to profit from the cultivation, sale, and taxation of marijuana and we can finally see the end of hypocrisy in respect to our blood-letting stance on weed in contrast to our safe injection sites.<BR><BR>Unfortunately as a lifelong observer of the local subgenus of homo sapiens I&nbsp;can also see potential for catastrophe that may outweigh the logical gains.<BR><BR>While working models and projections based on places like Amsterdam and Portugal have noted distinctive positive developments we have to consider that we are not Portugal or Amsterdam. Throughout much of North America instead of an easygoing pursuit of relaxation or momentary bliss there is a lingering feeling of hunger and desperation attached to drug culture. There's the all-consuming desire for something harder, the need to shut out reality, the self-destructive drive to take just about everything to complete Caligulan excess until the body simply gives out. We need to consider that the drugs themselves are not the problem but the attitudes of those seeking them. We've got people, kids to be blunt, that huff compressed air and even hang themselves for a high. Regardless of the irreparable damage they do to themselves for the sake of a momentary numbness they will keep doing it until they die from it.<BR><BR>Think about our approach with drugs that ARE legal and horrifically abused. Antibiotics were used so excessively that they managed to breed super-viruses. Mind altering anti-depressants are sold over the counter to people who look to take the edge of the death of their goldfish or the everyday stress of their job. Insecure men pop Viagra like candy if at any time their sex drive drops. Ritalin and Paxil are prescribed to children as the pat answer for everything ranging from a short attention span to a foul mouth. Even multivitamins are taken in dangerous amounts.<BR><BR>Another frightening prospect would be the systematic commercialization of drug use. Look how tobacco 'evolved' into the cyanide and turpentine laden death wishes that are modern cigarettes. They put that crap in there to make it more addictive to keep people buying it even though the tobacco is now the LEAST cancer causing thing in them apart from the rolling papers. Marketing of cigarettes was so pervasive that it could be seen in children's shows and comics back before it's official demonization and even today they are still being targeted at underage demographics by stealth. Ever hear of Primetimes? They are a brand of cigarillos popular amongst young smokers that are just a bit too young to be smokers. Their popularity stems from their wide range of flavors including chocolate and peppermint. Now imagine the same shamelessness being applied to designer drugs such as cocaine and heroin in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.<BR><BR>What works for another, many others, ALL others, may not be what works for us simply because of who we have become. Even if I&nbsp;were to assume that we would defy our long histories of being entirely unable to learn from our mistakes American society in particular is exceptionally quick to condemn. The immediate tidal wave of overdoses and irresponsible drug use will likely damn it in the eyes of the majority before it can reap results.<BR><BR>I could be wrong of course. I&nbsp;wouldn't mind being wrong at all. I&nbsp;would be pleased as punch to be made to look like a fool on this issue. That's the upshot of pessimism. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Chris D. &nbsp; </div><BLOCKQUOTE><i> People have been trying to temporarily escape reality for as long as there have been people. Booze. Pot. LSD. Coffee. Coca-Cola. Tobacco. Heroin. Pick your poison. Sometimes it's a real societal problem, but prohibition causes far more enormous problems.<BR><BR>The problems of drug abuse are best addressed not with cops and prisons, but with public service announcements, drug education in school and in public, and rehab and detox for the relatively small minority of humans who can't responsibly handle recreational drugs. "The immediate tidal wave of overdoses and irresponsible drug use" we'd see with responsible, regulated legalization wouldn't be a blip compared to the everyday atrocities we've been seeing for decades. Regulated means, non-contaminated drugs, in accurately measured doses, with plainly written instructions and 24-hour numbers to call in an emergency.<BR><BR>End result: Instead of having drug users and drug cops killed in constant shoot-outs, you'd have a few junkies dying of overdoses, and fewer such deaths every month, as the dumbest junkies kill themselves off. And while I'd very much want outreach and help available for junkies, you've got to go into legalization knowing that a few damned fools are going to kill themselves and occasionally others, same as they do with guns, cars, mayonnaise, and football. Utopia is not an option, and never has been. Legalization trades perhaps the second largest injustice and boondoggle of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries for just another societal problem, and I'll take that deal in a heartbeat.<BR><BR>Your concern about adulterated tobacco is another symptom of another problem, the deregulation of all aspects of everything since the Reagan catastrophe. The solution is sane, reasonable regulation, and of course, it's almost certainly not going to happen so long as cro magnons and crooks control the American economy and government. </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i><A NAME=20S748></A></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#dddddd" class="fonta"> <A HREF="#20S748"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i><B>3/20/2009:</B></i> &nbsp; People honestly cannot wrap their heads around minding their own business. Think drugs are bad? Don't use them!<BR><BR>I'm convinced that human beings either aren't ready for democracy or simply will never be capable of maintaining it. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">seanm27 &nbsp; </div><!-- reply --> </TD></TR></TABLE> </TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=17JR138></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-18.html#17JR138"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/jamessurowiecki/2009/03/is-warren-buffe.html">Is Warren Buffett crazy?</A><BR><BR>A fairly lucid look at the benefits banks reap from 'the spread' and how it's helped them get out of jams before. <br><br><center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/nyregion/thecity/15part.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all">Uncorked!</A><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> "If you'd asked me in October, I'd say it'd be a different situation, and I&nbsp;don't think I'd be here. Then the government gave us $10 billion."</TD></TR></TABLE><BR>I just skimmed this, so maybe I&nbsp;missed something. But my impression was the piece is just plain awful, and could make lots of non-rich people mad as hell. <br><br><center>== &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; == &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ==</center><br> <A HREF="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2343209,00.asp">9 reasons e-mail is dead</A><BR><BR> Dvorak specializes in making over-the-top claims to elicit reader responses and debates. But here he does make a cogent argument. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">JR Mooneyham &nbsp;(<A HREF="http://www.jrmooneyham.com">www.jrmooneyham.com/</A>) &nbsp; </div></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=19MK754></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-18.html#19MK754"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i>Oh, Boy -- all that propaganda worked!!</i>&nbsp; <BLOCKQUOTE><i> "<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-13.html#nst-526">I'm generally a peacenik</A> ... but I'd like to see an international military force under United Nations control invade Sudan, quell the civil war, end the genocide, arrest or topple Bashir, and set up a benevolent caretaker government until fair elections can be held or until the country can be sanely and safely divided among its peoples."</i></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm sorry, but it was VERY disappointing to read this. I&nbsp;think it's time for a few quotes from <A HREF="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=%20SN20070207&articleId=4717">a 2007 article</A> by Keith Harmon Snow. His articles are long, very detailed, and name names -- this one firstly includes a lot of info. devoted to his very successful debunking of the claims made by those in the "Save Darfur" coalition and other aid groups in Africa. He also reveals some of their corporate and political backers.<BR><BR> However, importantly, he also reveals just how UTTERLY manipulated we are by lies and more lies (and info. deliberately hidden from us) to the point where well-intentioned people are willing to forsake peaceful means of solving problems and accept "whatever means are necessary" -- just the outcome intended by the big companies backing those aid groups.<BR><BR> In fact, it seems that Africa has been overrun with US, Israeli, & European companies (not always working together) using their economic hitmen and their countries' military forces along with forces from private military companies, proxy forces allied to them, AND aid groups in order to grab the rich resources there. It's so bad that Snow says the info and involvement "is turned completely on its head, such that truth becomes lie and lie becomes truth."<BR><BR> It all makes me realize just how odd it is that private companies, especially foreign ones, can rush in and grab the resources and the wealth they bring that ACTUALLY belongs to ALL of the citizens in those countries.<BR><BR> In more detail, what has happened is that --<BR><BR> (1) there are many US military operations in Africa historically run from the US European Command, EUCOM, but now "the Pentagon is in the process of setting up a designated Africa Command. The plans call for rapid-reaction force bases to be set up all over Africa to be 'activated periodically to train African forces'" -- it sounds like a huge infringement of their sovereignty to me. Of course, there are also large US bases in the countries that have already been subdued, the client states (including Sudan from '64-'84 and today Sudan's neighbors: Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and to a lesser degree Chad) -- subdued by causing massive atrocities blamed strictly on the Africans themselves.<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> It was back in the late 1980's that Roger Winter and the US Committee for Refugees organized a conference in Washington DC to assist the Rwandan Patriotic Front with its program to overthrow the government of Rwanda. The RPF, backed by Washington, Britain, Belgium and Uganda, invaded Rwanda in 1990. By 1994 they had achieved their goal: the coup d'etat that unseated President Juvenal Habyarimana. Millions of people died in the process. ... They called it "100 days of genocide" and blamed it solely on the Hutu government that was overthrown: the genocide label was expediently, and judiciously, applied. The intentional mischaracterizations of events in Rwanda in 1994 have led to widespread misunderstandings and deceptions about Rwanda today.<BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> The US military currently has at least six major ongoing military programs, shrouded in secrecy, ongoing across the heart of Africa. There are the standard programs like the International Military and Education Training Programs (IMET), and the Extended-IMET program, and other less well known programs like the Africa Crises Response Initiative (ACRI), and its offspring under different names; the Joint Command Exchange Training Program (JCET); the Pan-Sahel Initiative, which stretches across Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Sudan; and the "Golden Spear" program, which involves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Djibouti. ... The ACRI program trained Ugandan troops that soon invaded the Congo (DRC); ACRI was apparently the work of Susan Rice [currently the US Ambassador to the UN].<BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> These programs and the agendas they serve are always, and euphemistically, described as beneficial to Africa and African people, as "pro-democracy" and "sustainable development." Such euphemistic language is all doublespeak for the true agenda: total economic and military domination of Africa, primarily to secure and plunder natural resources essential to the permanent warfare economy of the US and its partners; in this equation there is no intention of supporting or aiding African people unless it serves to maximize profits.<BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa have all "volunteered" troops for Somalia [invaded by the US in Dec. 2006], ... Uganda is a major base of US military operations in Central Africa, from which programs pursuing economic, political and military dominance are projected into DRC [the Dem. Rep. of the Congo], Kenya, Somalia, and, especially, Sudan. Uganda and Kenya have provided the preponderance of support for the SPLA in South Sudan [the main group creating Sudan's southern civil war/oil war]; Kenya and Ethiopia have both served as US bases from which Special Operations Command (SOCOM) forces have been striking out and penetrating Somalia.<BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> The SPLA occupation of civilian areas served to provoke massive destruction of civilian villages: the SPLA effectively turned a civilian landscape into a war zone, attempted to use the human populations -- with which it also formed military ethnic alliances -- into human shields [a war crime], and then complained when the GOS [government of Sudan] responded to the insurgent SPLA war with violence in kind. Did the SPLA care about its own people? ... Ditto the situation in Darfur with the "rebel" forces aligned against Khartoum, and each other, which leave innocent civilians at the mercy of a conflagration between world superpowers.<BR><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> What we have not seen is any significant and comparable denunciation of the rebel incursions into the territory of a sovereign state: Sudan. The rebel involvement in Darfur, as with the SPLA in South Sudan, is in violation of international law; the atrocities committed by these factions are not duly advertised in proportion to their scale and magnitude.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> (2) He also indicates that the US, as well as Israel, the UK, and some European countries, hold themselves "above the oversight of the International Criminal Court (ICC) or any other international legal or humanitarian body." [It is the ICC that issued a warrant of arrest against Sudan's President al-Bashir on Mar. 4, 2009 -- another story I&nbsp;hope to write about]<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> The very tactics of a "no holds barred" war -- mass murders, assassinations, tortures, disappearances, the proliferation of terror -- are taught at US military colleges and in field training programs, and they have been practiced, in the field, under secret US programs since at least 1941, and they are happening now, all over the world.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> (3) He also discusses how it is that the humanitarian aid providers can end up actually supplying and aiding the troops that the US etc. are providing/backing. Their presence can also prolong the fighting which, of course, results in the deaths of still more innocent civilians.<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> According to journalist Michael Maren, "all those AID groups of Operation Lifeline Sudan -- it was the largest relief operation in history -- were basically catering a war [the SPLA in Sudan's civil war/oil war]. I&nbsp;was convinced that if you pulled out all that AID the war would collapse. One group always benefits from the creation of all these refugee camps ... These massive AID operations like Darfur make it easier for weapons to get in -- they keep the trucking lanes open, they bring in resources that are used to purchase arms. ... Indeed, at least one "humanitarian" agency working in South Sudan over the past fifteen years is openly known for shipping in weapons. ... There are numerous reports verifying that Norwegian People's Aid is a political, economic and military supporter of the SPLA. Experts also cited diversion of "humanitarian aid," including food, to SPLA forces.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR>Clearly, the situation in Africa is MUCH more complicated than the info. provided by the aid groups indicate. The real stories are the US, etc. regime change operations carried out to bring in compliant leaders and/or the divide and conquer operations to destabilize/weaken or split up various countries in order to better control them. Of course, all that we hear about are reports by aid groups that are being duped if not actually controlled by the very companies grabbing Africa's wealth. As for Sudan there is oil in both the South and in the Darfur region -- so far untouched in Darfur. Sudan (and Somalia) potentially could also provide competition to Israel's plans to control the Red Sea route and sell oil and natural gas to the Far East. Finally, Sudan is the latest target because as Snow says, <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR>Sudan is one of the five countries in the world that reportedly maintain their independence from the central banking system [World Bank, IMF, etc.] that the United States and its partners control: Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Libya are the other four. </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> Well, I've always thought that INDEPENDENCE is something that Americans understand. So why do we fail to understand it related to Africa? Also, why do we believe the mainstream media about Africa when we KNOW they lie so much about everything else? It's time to wise up -- I&nbsp;hope I&nbsp;have.<BR><BR><DIV align="right">Marie K. &nbsp; </div><BR> P.S. Another aspect of the Sudan story mentioned by Snow are the interests of the GM food companies. It seems that substandard food and GM food has been sold by these companies to aid groups/agencies and once there it undermines the local Sudanese farming and food prices. No doubt they want to get their GM seeds planted there, too.<BLOCKQUOTE><i> I have no serious quibbles with the work of the Centre for Research on Globalization, and my call for war was born more from frustration than from seriously studying the situation in Darfur. While the author's name (Keith Harmon Snow) doesn't ring any bells in my head, he seems well-respected and undoubtedly knows more about Darfur than I&nbsp;do. Still, in skimming the article, I&nbsp;was hit with an overpowering odor of horsesh*t.<BR><BR>30,000+ words is a lot to ask when even skimming makes me skeptical, so I&nbsp;haven't read it thoroughly, but I'm not inclined to. The article just offers far more Debunking of Everything than I&nbsp;can swallow in one sitting. I mean, it's pertinent to some extent that Eric Reeves (a writer I've read and considered a general good guy) hasn't spent much time in Africa, while the article's author apparently lives there... I&nbsp;have no easy way to verify Snow's claim that some other writer I've never heard of, David Hoile, is "widely seen" as a flack-writing hack for the Government of Sudan... I'm doubtful when people with military titles are quoted as spokesmen on humanitarian issues... It's entirely probable that Christian missionaries don't have the locals' best interests at heart, but quoting the Bible isn't compelling evidence that someone should be distrusted... I'd be surprised if the US <i>wasn't</i> behind a small government's collapse and a new regime's taking power... I&nbsp;don't like Archers Daniels Midland... There are problems with genetically modified foods... It's never a good sign if the CIA is involved... Et cetera.<BR><BR>The article is all over the place, tackling the motivations and connections of virtually everyone involved, and no offense to you or Mr Snow but that's usually an indicator of nutballery. It would take days to doublecheck all of the article's assertions, and I'm not going to do that when even the website's disclaimer at the end seems to distance itself from standing behind the author and explicitly disavows inaccurate or incorrect statements.<BR><BR>What's weirdest, though, is that through all the author's insinuations of ignorance or nefarious intent from seemingly all the people, groups, and organizations that have ever said anything about Darfur, nothing in the article tells me the killings aren't happening. Telling me that Sudan isn't plugged in to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund doesn't prevent the next massacre. If Snow's proposing a way to stop the killings I&nbsp;missed it. Suggestions for WHAT TO DO would interest me, and DO NOTHING is an unsatisfactory answer.<BR><BR>What response do you propose, Marie? </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></DIV><A NAME=20RD509></A></BLOCKQUOTE><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#dddddd" class="fonta"> <A HREF="#20RD509"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i><B>3/20/2009:</B></i> &nbsp; I have to agree, that article by Keith Harmon Snow looks like horsesh*t or some other kind of animal droppings. Debunking false news is a very respectable endeavor, but you have to actually do the debunking. I am <i>miles</i> from convinced, because the article doesn't even try to convince me. If you're going to say, as Snow does, that the basic, widely-accepted story of genocide in Rwanda is an "intentional mischaracterization of events" then you have to lay out what really did happen and what didn't, and it better be well documented with serious sources and footnotes. All of which is absent. All we get are lots of smears and innuendo and what I'd call cloud-making -- raising suspicions about peripheral players, while never addressing the key events. You're supposed to have your view obscured by the clouds, but it's a low-rent tactic, nothing but obfuscation.<BR><BR> The Centre for Research on Globalization has always looked a little hinkey to me. I respect the founder-guy's credentials, Michael Chowderowsky or whatever his name is, but the site publishes a lot of, shall we say, lesser works by other authors. And this sure seems to be one of them. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Rufus D. &nbsp; <A NAME=20GD725></A></div><!-- reply --><BR> <A HREF="#20GD725"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i><B>3/22/2009:</B></i> &nbsp; I'm always open to a good debunking of the lies we're told, and willing to pause and think about almost any proposition that I haven't already re-re-re-considered. But like the old lady said in those Wendy's commercials, "Where's the beef?" on Rwanda. I've read a lot and feel like I have a fairly accurate understanding of the history and present crisis in Darfur, but there's nothing illuminating or thoughtful in that long article, it just throws pie in the face of everyone who's written or spoken on the topic. Tell the author to quit criticizing everyone else and start telling me about what's happening in Darfur and what should be done in response. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Gloria Denham &nbsp; <A NAME=24MK714></A></div><!-- reply --><BR> <A HREF="#24MK714"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i><B>3/24/2009:</B></i> &nbsp; Unknown News: <i> What response do you propose, Marie? </i>&nbsp; I WILL get to answering that.<BR><BR> As for <A HREF="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=%20SN20070207&articleId=4717">the Snow article</A>, I was willing to go along with the sort of  discovery approach (instead of concise conclusions) the author set up, i.e. his asking "what have the aid group leaders said," correctly or incorrectly, and WHY -- along with "what have they denied or omitted," correctly or incorrectly, and WHY. His responses of  it could mean this or  it could mean that seemed useful to me. I didn t find it horsesh*t and any other kind of sh*t. He probably did belabor some points too much, and I don t think he tied up the ends enough with a good conclusion. BUT, for me there were a lot of tidbits of unknown news that left me thoroughly curious. In a way, so did the lack of a conclusion. SO, I am personally VERY ready to go elsewhere (e.g. to the sub-Saharan Africa link at Global Research) to learn more. I can only be grateful to Snow and his too long article.<BR><BR> The article surely DOES represent a wake-up call for the aid groups that got mentioned. Clearly, if they really ARE aid groups and not front groups for the government or certain politicians, companies, or lobby groups, they need to disassociate themselves from those backers named in the article. If they ARE front groups, they should be shut down. They also have no business buying up substandard or genetically modified foods. They d probably save money and do a better job by buying African produced food in Africa and getting it redistributed to the areas that really need it -- which is often the problem anyway. Also, their efforts should NOT involve catering or supplying the troops. They must also make sure that any information they provide is as accurate as they can make it and that it is NOT used to suppress or distract us from better info. Anyway, based on this article, they really need to clean up their act. Maybe it would be better for the monies collected by churches to go to schools, clinics, orphanages, and aid and training centers set up by Africans themselves.<BR><BR> Then, there are the American, UK, Israeli, French, and other companies that seem to have become the instigators behind much of the violence that leads to the death of millions of Africans. Surely, their behavior has become severely criminal. They want regime change. Fine. They want fighting to stall the production of their competitors. Fine. They want a country destabilized or split up to weaken it and get themselves tighter control and higher profits. Fine. They want lands cleared for their operations. Fine. They want economies wreaked so that they can grab up other companies cheap. Fine. Well, it s NOT fine.<BR><BR> Finally, we have those US, UK, Israeli, French, etc. military forces and private military companies/mercenaries. They re the ones working out and/or carrying out the operations that assassinate or bring down decent African leaders so that they can put in their puppet leaders, that train and bring in weaponry to their bought off African  rebel leaders, that create the misinformation that puts the blame for killings on certain African ethnic, religious, or tribal groups in the hope that there will be more fighting, that carry out false flag terrorism in order to create tensions and fighting along with carrying out all of those operations that kill off any actual resistors (called terrorists) defending those decent leaders or fighting against the puppet leaders.<BR><BR> Then, along with their puppet leaders and whatever proxy troops they can drag in, probably through dirty means, they set up attacks on neighboring countries in order to grab their neighbors riches. In other words, they start resource/land clearing wars where they smash through all of the settlements and towns where innocent people are trying to live their lives. If these people don t get killed or wounded, they end up displaced and cut off from food and perhaps clean water. Then, the clock starts ticking related to how long they can survive and not die from hunger or disease.<BR><BR> No doubt, using my imagination, I could have come up with a lot of what I noted above, but based on all of those tidbits from Snow s article, I have a lot of actual events that happened in actual countries and names named to look into based on other articles by Snow and others. One article isn t going to prove everything. And as I said, I now have the curiosity to do that. If he s got anything seriously wrong, I ll jump right in and say so.<BR><BR> Finally, there are those responses that I propose. As Snow mentions several times in his article, before he takes any action he wants to know what s actually happening so that he comes up with the BEST response. I agree with him. So assuming the summary above is correct, it is mainly various  neo-colonial military forces and their mercenaries along with a number of companies (especially oil and mining companies) that are causing the fighting in Africa. Thus, my responses refer to them and right off, I can say that sending in US, UK, Israeli, French (or other European), NATO, or UN and perhaps even African Union (AU) forces is NOT the way to go.<BR><BR> SO, in order to STOP the actual instigators of unrest and atrocities in Africa, I believe we need to--- <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> (1) get all foreign forces and mercenaries OUT OF AFRICA.<BR><BR> (2) allow Africans to run their own countries as their cultures indicate.<BR><BR> (3) get out the news of what companies are ACTUALLY doing overseas so that questionable practices can be regulated or prosecuted.<BR><BR> (4) strengthen the regulation of ALL companies and for multi-national companies end their ability to obtain a controlling interest in foreign branches, i.e. make it legally impossible for foreign companies in ANY country to gain 50 or more percent control. As far as I know, both Iran and Zimbabwe have such laws.<BR><BR> (5) create laws that strengthen the rights of workers and their organizations/unions and that bring workers into the decision-making process.<BR><BR> (6) investigate and close down companies whose lax safety measures and/or links with military forces/mercenaries have led to the deaths and displacement of Africans.<BR><BR> (7) investigate and close down companies that INTENTIONALLY create economic crises in foreign countries so that the prices of companies in those countries get lowered and can be grabbed up at fire sale prices.<BR><BR> (8) prevent banking institutions like the World Bank and IMF from setting neo-liberal conditions or conditions that go AGAINST the interests of the country receiving the loan -- just what is happening now.<BR><BR> (9) end the use "sanctions" or other (double-standard) legal measures actually used to cause regime change in sovereign countries since they end up causing the deaths of many innocent people.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> In other words, it is up to us in the  imperialist countries to STOP those in our own country who are doing their jobs so badly that Africans are dying. Of course, it is up to Africans to get rid of their puppet leaders and set up the regulations that stop foreign companies from exploiting them. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Marie K. &nbsp; <A NAME=26SB720></A></div><!-- reply --><BR> <A HREF="#26SB720"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i><B>3/26/2009:</B></i> &nbsp; I know the first thing to spring into everyone's head will be "Well what are your solutions?" Mine are not viable at this point -- they all have to do with worldwide shutting down of things and the taking up of arms by citizens against oppressive military forces. It's excellent that Marie K has thought out what she thinks will help end Darfur's state of immediate crisis situation but I have to ask: <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(1) get all foreign forces and mercenaries OUT OF AFRICA.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 1. Who will issue the order getting the multiple forces out of Africa and in what time frame and who will pay for their excursions out of the country? <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(2) allow Africans to run their own countries as their cultures indicate.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 2. Does she know how many different cultures there are in Africa? (I'll let her Google it to her hearts content so she can pick a number that suits her) and does she understand that many do not get along? Intervention or no intervention? <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(3) get out the news of what companies are ACTUALLY doing overseas so that questionable practices can be regulated or prosecuted.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 3. How does she propose to "get out the news" on a level that will fulfill her hopes? Fire everyone at every mainstream controlled media service on the globe? <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(4) strengthen the regulation of ALL companies and for multi-national companies end their ability to obtain a controlling interest in foreign branches, i.e. make it legally impossible for foreign companies in ANY country to gain 50 or more percent control. As far as I know, both Iran and Zimbabwe have such laws.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 4. Viewing the current political, social, and economic states of Iran and Zimbabwe does she actually think that greedy corrupt politics are going to enact this? Or that regular Americans(Or people of any country) that would profit from this will actually stop(I mean wanting 50 percent or more ownership of companies)<BLOCKQUOTE><i> (5) create laws that strengthen the rights of workers and their organizations/unions and that bring workers into the decision-making process.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 5. Creating laws are great. WHO will create them, when will they be put into action, and how will they be enforced? <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(6) investigate and close down companies whose lax safety measures and/or links with military forces/mercenaries have led to the deaths and displacement of Africans.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 6. Who will investigate all of these companies, in what time frame, under which courts, and what will be the cost to the people for doing all of this? <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(7) investigate and close down companies that INTENTIONALLY create economic crises in foreign countries so that the prices of companies in those countries get lowered and can be grabbed up at fire sale prices.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 7. Investigating and shutting down companies that intentionally create economic crisis. How will economic crisis be defined, who will be on board for a mass examination, how will it be paid for, and how will punishments be instituted -- and in what time frame? <BLOCKQUOTE><i>(8) prevent banking institutions like the World Bank and IMF from setting neo-liberal conditions or conditions that go AGAINST the interests of the country receiving the loan -- just what is happening now.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 8. Preventing global institutions from acting out and punishing them. Who will start this huge effort, who will pay for it, and again, how long will the process take?<BLOCKQUOTE><i> (9) end the use "sanctions" or other (double-standard) legal measures actually used to cause regime change in sovereign countries since they end up causing the deaths of many innocent people.</i></BLOCKQUOTE> 9. Ending the use of legally created sanctions would be beneficial but who will decide which sanctions are illegal, who will institute punishment, and again who will pay for the effort?<BR><BR>These are all great propositions but extremely long term ones that the whole globe will have to get on board with and follow through on. Are these realistic expectations for global interaction? Are these reasonable answers to an immediate crisis?<BR><BR>In other words, it is up to us in the  imperialist countries to STOP those in our own country who are doing their jobs so badly that Africans are dying. Of course, it is up to Africans to get rid of their puppet leaders and set up the regulations that stop foreign companies from exploiting them. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Sherri B. &nbsp; </div><!-- reply --> </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=18TL140></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-18.html#18TL140"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <i>Twofer of doom forecasts:</i>&nbsp;<BR><BR>1) <A HREF="http://www.budlflash.com/articles/lindorff/212">Dave Lindorff: Who's calling the shots now?</A><BR><BR> 2) <A HREF="http://www.kitco.com/ind/Wilson/mar172009.html">Dent, Prechter and others warn that the worst is yet to engulf us</A><BR><BR> The first article is easier to interpret and analyze because it matches everything we already know to be true -- the US' "empire" of military bases and occupation forces in 100+ countries is financially unsustainable... and as we have painfully learned, what cannot continue, does not.<BR><BR>Therefore, because US politicians, the Military-Industrial-Entertainment Complex, and Israel are determined to maintain the Empire at all costs, it is reasonable to believe that the US will continue to bankrupt itself attempting to maintain global hegemony (which is itself an illusion in the era of Fourth Generation War.) So, the first article leads us into the second article quite nicely.<BR><BR>Article 2 is about predictions of a depression in our future. What would cause the "depression"? Two things: the baby boomers begin to withdraw resources from the social security trust fund by 2015 -- net FICA withholdings are insufficient to maintain the Ponzi system we have; and implosion of existing debts, America's private and public obligations (we are in Kondratieff Winter now if you were not aware and according to Doug Noland of Prudent Bear, the US economic system requires credit GROWTH of $2 trillion a year just for the economy to maintain itself, and right now that money is coming from the government borrowings and printing press, but that cannot continue forever, so it won't...)<BR><BR>I find Article 2 credible in some ways but the extremely detailed forecasts are implausible in their specifics. It simply is not possible to specify which trades should be made at which dates for that far into the future (typically someone who has 50% accuracy is like a baseball hitter with a 500 average -- rich beyond belief without the need to write books for a living.<BR><BR>Personally, I&nbsp;think that the late Harry Browne's asset allocation is likely to provide satisfactory results (25% gold, 25% cash, 25% bonds and 25% stocks, rebalance annually). Perhaps tweaking and active trading to adapt to short-term events could improve upon Harry's strategy, but the risks would increase significantly and the results would be highly skill (or luck) dependent. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Theo Lipschitz &nbsp; </div></TD></TR></TABLE> <A NAME=18W939></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"><BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-18.html#18W939"><FONT COLOR=blue>#</FONT></A>&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.alternet.org/rights/131153/seymour_hersh%3A_%22executive_assassination_ring%22_answered_to_cheney%2C_had_no_congressional_oversight/?page=entire">Seymour Hersh: "Executive Assassination Ring" answered to Cheney, had no Congressional oversight</A><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="25" class="fonty">&nbsp;</TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" class="fonta"><BR> <I>Excerpt:&nbsp;</I> And even Mondale admitted that one of his greatest successes, laws reforming the FBI and CIA in the aftermath of the Church Committee, were supposed to fix the problem so that "we would never have these problems again in the lifetime of anyone alive at the time, but of course we did.</TD></TR></TABLE><BR> From John Foster Dulles on, the CIA and other covert entities full of hard nutcases have been burrowed deep in the bowels of the Administration (Republican and Democratic) ready to spring alive and carry on the illicit programs. <BR><BR><DIV align="right">Wig &nbsp; </div><BLOCKQUOTE><i> The CIA is a collection of killers and rogues that do far more damage to America than any hypothetical advantage they're alleged to provide. </i><BR><BR><DIV align="right"><i>Helen & Harry Highwater</i></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR></TABLE> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"> <I><B>More comments:</B></I> <BR><BR><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/0903-16.html#17D905"><FONT COLOR=blue> Deacon replies to Billie Cavanaugh</FONT></A> about the hard-line on shenanigans </TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><center>|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/"><B>Home</B></A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/about.html">About us</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">Contact us</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/!workfiles.html"><FONT COLOR=black>|</FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/faq.html">FAQ</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/mysterylinks.html">Mystery links</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html">Stickers</A> &amp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/forsale.html">stuff</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|<BR><BR>|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/bighowdy.html">Big howdy</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="#disclaimer"><FONT COLOR=blue>Disclaimer for dummies</FONT></A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/privacy.html">Our privacy policy</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;|</center><BR> <A NAME=wdwb></A><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="49%" class="fonta"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"> <center><BIG><B>What we believe</B></BIG></center><BR> We believe in liberty and justice for all, so of course, we oppose many US government policies. This doesn't mean we're anti-American, redneck scum, pinko commies, militia members, or terrorist-sympathizers. It means we believe in freedom, as more than merely a cliché. <BR><BR> We believe you have the right to live your own life as you choose, and others have the equal right to live <I>their</I> lives as <I>they</I> choose. It's not complicated.<BR><BR>We believe freedom leads to peace, progress, and prosperity, while its opposite -- oppression -- leads to war, terrorism, poverty, and misery. <BR><BR> We believe it's preposterously stupid to hate people because of their appearance, their race or nationality, their religion or lack of religion, how they have sex with other consenting adults, etc. There are far more apropos reasons to hate most people. <BR><BR> We believe in questioning ourselves, our assumptions, each other -- and we especially believe in questioning authority (the more authority, the more questions). We believe obedience is a fine quality in dogs and young children, but not in adults. <BR><BR> Like America's right-wingers, we believe in individual responsibility, hard work to get ahead, and stern punishment for serious crimes. We believe big government should not be blindly trusted.<BR><BR> But unlike most right-wing leaders, we mean it. <BR><BR> Like America's left-wingers, we believe in equal treatment under law, war as a last (not first) resort, and sensible stewardship of natural resources. We believe big business should not be blindly trusted.<BR><BR>But unlike most left-wing leaders, we mean it. <BR><BR> Like libertarians, we believe it's wrong and <I>reprehensible</i> to arrest people for what they think, believe, look like, wear, eat, smoke, drink, inhale, inject, or otherwise do to themselves. <BR><BR> But unlike many libertarians, we're not obsessed with the gold standard, we don't believe incorporation is humanity's highest achievement, and we don't believe everything in life comes down to dollars and cents. We've read and enjoyed Ayn Rand's novels, but we understand that they're works of fiction.<BR><BR> We're skeptical, and we're sick of so-called 'journalists' who aren't skeptical at all. <BR><BR>A reader asks, what are our solutions?<BR><BR>We propose no solutions except common sense, which is never common. We like the principles of democracy, and the ideals broadly described as 'American'. The US Constitution is a fine and workable framework for solutions, when it's actually read and thoughtfully understood by intelligent statesmen and women. So, no manifestos from us. We don't dream that big, and if there's one thing the world <i>doesn't</i> need it's yet another manifesto.<BR><BR>Our suggestion is: think.<BR><BR>A fact-based instead of faith-based approach leads to solutions for most of the recurring issues of our time, from abortion to global climate change, pollution to universal health care, careful but real regulation of industry and economy, hunger, war, terror, human rights for humans not for corporations, science not religious doctrine in public schools, equal protection and prosecution under law, etc. Approach problems without glorifying stupidity, without demonizing intelligence, and answers usually come into focus. <BR><BR> These pages are published by <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/bighowdy.html">Harry and Helen Highwater</A>, happily married low-income nom de plumes and rabble-rousers from Madison, Wisconsin (with a few friends scattered around the world helping out). <BR><BR> We try to spotlight news that hasn't gotten enough (or appropriate) attention in American media, along with our opinions and yours. <BR><BR> We bang our keyboards against the wall, because it doesn't hurt as much as banging our heads. <BR><BR><BR><center><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/bighowdy.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/Highwaters-oldtime.jpg" border="3" width="199" height="277"></A></center><BR> <DIV align="right"><i><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">Helen &amp; Harry Highwater</A></i> &nbsp; <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;(from <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/about.html">About <I>Unknown News</i></A>)&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> </TD></TR></TABLE> </TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="1%" bgcolor="#ffffff" class="fonta">&nbsp; </TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="50%" class="fonta"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonta"> <center><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/bill-of-rights.jpg" alt="U.S. Bill of Rights" border="0" width="280" height="157"></center><A NAME=preamble></A><BR> <!-- 300x168 --> <b>The preamble</b><BR><BR> Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.<BR><BR> Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several states as Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all or any of which articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution. viz: Articles in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress and Ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.<BR><A NAME=FirstAmendment></A><BR> <b>The First Amendment</b><BR><BR> Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. <BR><A NAME=SecondAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Second Amendment</b><BR><BR> A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. <BR><A NAME=ThirdAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Third Amendment</b><BR><BR> No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. <BR><A NAME=FourthAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Fourth Amendment</b><BR><BR> The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. <BR><A NAME=FifthAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Fifth Amendment</b><BR><BR> No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. <BR><A NAME=SixthAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Sixth Amendment</b><BR><BR> In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. <BR><A NAME=SeventhAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Seventh Amendment</b><BR><BR> In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. <BR><A NAME=EighthAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Eighth Amendment</b><BR><BR> Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. <BR><A NAME=NinthAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Ninth Amendment</b><BR><BR> The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. <BR><A NAME=TenthAmendment></A><BR> <b>The Tenth Amendment</b><BR><BR> The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. </TD></TR></TABLE> </TD></TR></TABLE> <center><TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="625" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"><BR> <iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/support-wide.html" width="625" height="550" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></TD></TR></TABLE></center> <center>|&nbsp;&nbsp; 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Just a buck or two can make all the difference and help keep <I>Unknown News</I> alive.<BR><BR> <center><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/donations.html">Donations</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/advertising.html">Sponsorships</A> <BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/stickers.html">Stickers and stuff for sale</A> <BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/subscriptions.html">Subscriptions</A> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/wishlist.html">Wish list</A> <BR> <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/credits.html">Thank you</A> </center><BR> <DIV align="right"><i><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/contact.html">Helen &amp; Harry Highwater</A></i> &nbsp; </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <A HREF="https://secure.aclu.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2125&2125.donation=form1&s_src=UNW080001C00&s_subsrc=getinvolvedmenu_join_hp&JServSessionIdr006=wnbcqvc7x1.app20a"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/aclu_logo.gif" border="3" alt-"American Civil Liberties Union" width="190" height="74"></A><BR><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="220" border=1><TR> </TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="50" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <A HREF="https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=36"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/thumbtack.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></A> </td></tr></table><BR> <A HREF="https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=36">Help ACORN fight<BR>the Right-wing's&nbsp;lies</A><BR><BR></TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="3%" class="fonty"> </TD><TD ALIGN="right" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="49%" class="fonty"> <A HREF="http://article31.org/"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/article31.gif" border="1" width="148" height="70"></A> </TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="4%" class="fonty"> </TD><TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="37%" class="fonty"><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" border=1><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="middle" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"> <table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="50" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="left" width="100%"> <A HREF="http://www.actblue.com/"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/thumbtack.jpg" border="0" width="40" height="40"></A> </td></tr></table> <BR><A HREF="http://www.actblue.com/">Act<BR>Blue</A><BR><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE> </TD><TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="7%" class="fonty"> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="5" WIDTH="295" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> <TABLE CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="5" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> "A mind-blowing mix of<BR>fact and fantasy, hard science<BR>and well-grounded speculation, with concrete how-to info to top it all off -- resulting in some of the best and strangest stuff on Earth..."<BR><BR> <A HREF="http://www.jrmooneyham.com"><BIG><B>www.jrmooneyham.com</B></BIG></A> </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <BR> <A NAME=listenup></A><A NAME=radio></A> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="290" border=0><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" bgcolor=white WIDTH="100%" class="fonty"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" width="114" align="left"><tr><td class="fonty" vAlign="top" align="right" width="100%"><BR><BR> <A NAME=ANCHOR></A><A HREF="#radio"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/radio.jpg" border="0" width="94" height="161"></A> </td></tr></table> <BR><I>&nbsp;&nbsp;On the radio,<BR>we never miss ... </i><BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://airamerica.com/listen"><B>&nbsp;Rachel Maddow&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Mon-Fri &nbsp; 6-8PM CT)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Malloy.html"><b>&nbsp;Mike Malloy&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Mon-Fri &nbsp; 8-11PM CT)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://archive.wort-fm.org/xml/mf.xml"><B>&nbsp;Mel &amp; Floyd&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <i>&nbsp;&nbsp;And we often listen to ... </i><BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/logs.html"><B>&nbsp;As&nbsp;It&nbsp;Happens&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Monday-Friday)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://airamerica.com/ondemand/show/6630"><B>&nbsp;David Bender&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://airamerica.com/breakroomlive/video/full"><B>&nbsp;BreakRoom&nbsp;Live&nbsp;</B><BR>with Sam Seder & Mark Maron<BR>&nbsp;(Monday-Friday)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=dun"><B>&nbsp;Kathleen Dunn&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Monday-Friday)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=5"><B>&nbsp;CounterSpin&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.democracynow.org/"><B>&nbsp;Democracy Now&nbsp;</B><BR>with Amy Goodman<BR>&nbsp;(Monday-Friday)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.whiterosesociety.org/content/hartmann/hartmann.xml"><B>&nbsp;Thom Hartmann&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Monday-Friday)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://airamerica.com/listen"><B>&nbsp;Ron Kuby&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(Mon-Fri &nbsp; 2-5PM CT)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://will.illinois.edu/mediamatters/"><B>&nbsp;Media Matters&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.poliscifiradio.com/"><B>&nbsp;Poli Sci Fi Radio&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://politicsinmusic.podbean.com/feed/"><B>&nbsp;Politics in Music&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://radicalradio.org/"><B>&nbsp;Radical Radio&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.ringoffireradio.com/shows.asp"><B>&nbsp;Ring of Fire&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.kpfa.org/archives/index.php?show=128"><B>&nbsp;Sunday Sedition&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://www.harryshearer.com/news/le_show/"><B>&nbsp;Harry Shearer&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #FFFADC"><A HREF="http://whiterosesociety.org/Werbe.html"><B>&nbsp;Peter Werbe&nbsp;</B><BR>&nbsp;(weekly)&nbsp;</A></SPAN> <BR><BR> <DIV align="right"><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd" class="font11">&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="#radio"><FONT COLOR=blue>PERMANENT LINK</FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="1" WIDTH=300 border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH=300 BGcolor=darkred class="fonty"><TABLE CELLPADDING="8" WIDTH="100%" border=0><TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="100%" BGcolor=ivory class="fonty"><B> Do we know the answers to <A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/911.html">these questions about September 11?</a><BR><BR>Of course not. Nobody will know the answers until there's an open and honest investigation.<BR><BR>But anyone courageous enough to <I>think</I> can see that the pertinent questions for any serious "investigation" were never asked, let alone answered, by the official investigators.<BR><BR></B> <CENTER><A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.net/stickers.html"><img src="http://www.unknownnews.net/911investigationsticker.jpg" border="3" width="233" height="78"></A></CENTER> <DIV align="right"><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd">&nbsp;&nbsp;More: &nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/911.html"><FONT COLOR=blue><B>unknownnews.org/911.html</B></FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN></div> </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="300" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"> <iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/blogroll.html" width="295" height="1500" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="auto" frameborder="0"></iframe> <DIV align="right"><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd">&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/kissback.html"><FONT COLOR=blue><B>unknownnews.org/kissback.html</B></FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN></div><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="300" border=2><TR> <TD ALIGN="center" VALIGN="top" WIDTH="100%" bgcolor=white class="fonty"> <iframe src="http://www.unknownnews.org/recentthanks.html" width="295" height="1500" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="auto" frameborder="0"></iframe> <DIV align="right"><BR> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dddddd">&nbsp;&nbsp;<A HREF="http://www.unknownnews.org/credits.html"><FONT COLOR=blue><B>unknownnews.org/credits.html</B></FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;</SPAN></div><BR> </TD></TR></TABLE><BR> <center><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-2996608746973398"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = "300x250_as"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_ad_channel = ""; google_color_border = "8B0000"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "000000"; google_color_text = "000000"; google_color_url = "0000FF"; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></center><BR> </TD><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="5" BGcolor="#eeeeee" class="fonttnr"> </TD> </TR></TABLE> </body> </html>