Saturday, July 4, 2009

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 04 July 2009

Obama Weary of Attacks By Left-Wing Groups 04 Jul 2009 President Obama, strategizing yesterday with congressional leaders about health-care reform, complained that liberal advocacy groups ought to drop their attacks on Democratic lawmakers and devote their energy to promoting passage of comprehensive legislation. In a pre-holiday call with half a dozen top House and Senate Democrats, Obama expressed his concern over advertisements and online campaigns targeting moderate Democrats, whom they criticize for not being fully devoted to "true" health-care reform. [B*** me, Obusha. Who do you think gave you $750 million so that you could get elected and implement 'change?' That's right - mainly the *left* side of your base, that is already sick and more than tired of your sycophantic acts of conciliation and out-and-out lies. --LRP]

US warns North Korea after reports of Scud missiles test --South Korea reports launch of seven ballistic missiles --Tests on US Independence Day violate UN resolutions 04 Jul 2009 The United States warned North Korea not to "aggravate tensions" today after South Korea said its neighbour had fired seven ballistic missiles in violation of UN resolutions. The tests, seen as a message of defiance to the US on Independence Day, will further increase pressure in the region as America tries to gather support for tough enforcement of the UN resolution imposed on the government for its May nuclear test.

North Korea Launches 7 Missiles Off Its East Coast 04 Jul 2009 Defying the United States on Independence Day, North Korea fired seven missiles on Saturday into the sea off its east coast. The test-firings came two days after North Korea fired four short-range missiles into the sea. North Korea had warned ships to avoid waters near its east coast through July 10 because of military exercises, and the test-firing were widely predicted.

Attack on U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan kills two soldiers --U.S. military officials say 'several' U.S. soldiers also were wounded in the assault on the remote outpost in Paktika province. It's the same area where an American soldier disappeared on Tuesday. 04 Jul 2009 'Insurgents' armed with rockets, mortars and a truck bomb staged an unusual frontal attack on a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan today, killing two American soldiers and forcing the defenders to call in airstrikes to avoid being overrun.

KBR might seek federal funds to pay its legal bills --Uncle Sam could soon be writing another big check to KBR. 04 Jul 2009 KBR may ask the U.S. government to reimburse it for legal bills if a jury decides the company failed to protect KBR truck drivers during a deadly April 2004 roadside attack, a lawyer for the Houston-based government contractor said. Though no final decision has been made, lawyer Robert Meadows said, if the cases go to trial and result in a jury award, "it’s conceivable that KBR would look to the government to accept responsibility under its contract" with the company.

Iraq tells Biden: Reconciliation pure internal affair 05 Jul 2009 The reconciliation in Iraq is pure Iraq's internal affair and the involvement of U.S. officials is not desired by Iraqis, said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Saturday. "The reconciliation issue is purely Iraqi affair and any non-Iraqi involvement would certainly have a negative impact," said Dabbagh. He confirmed that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki expressed the same meaning to the visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden during their meeting on Friday.

Biden spends July 4 with son, other troops in Iraq 04 Jul 2009 Vice President Joe Biden spent the Fourth of July with his son and other American troops in Iraq on Saturday. Biden took a break from politics and presided over a naturalization ceremony for 237 U.S. troops from 59 countries in a marble rotunda at one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces at what is now Camp Victory, the U.S. military headquarters on the western outskirts of Baghdad.

Guantanamo suspect's lawyers seek CIA site access 30 Jun 2009 Lawyers for the first detainee transferred from Guantanamo Bay for trial in a U.S. civilian court asked a judge on Tuesday for access to CIA "black sites" where they say he was harshly interrogated tortured. Lawyers for Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani said they needed access to the secret detention sites prisons, whose locations abroad have not been publicly identified, to gather evidence and inspect whether any statements the Tanzanian made under interrogation were reliable, according to court papers filed in Manhattan federal court.

'Iran nuke could wipe Israel off map in seconds' 04 Jul 2009 Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States, on Friday warned that an Iranian atomic bomb could "wipe Israel off the map in a matter of seconds," and that the Iranians could "accomplish in a matter of seconds what they denied Hitler did, and kill 6 million Jews, literally." Oren made his comments in a conversation with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado.

New IAEA chief sees no proof Iran developing nuclear weapons 03 Jul 2009 The incoming head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says he knows of no hard evidence that Iran is trying to gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons. Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano told the Reuters newsagency he has seen no such evidence in IAEA official documents.

Damning report slams Israel, Hamas over civilian deaths, destruction 03 Jul 2009 Israeli forces killed hundreds of unarmed Palestinian civilians and destroyed thousands of homes in Gaza in attacks which breached the laws of war, Amnesty International concluded in a new report published this week. Operation 'Cast Lead': 22 days of death and destruction, is the first comprehensive report to be published on the conflict, which took place earlier this year.

Israel/Gaza: Operation 'Cast Lead' - 22 Days of Death and Destruction (Amnesty International USA) 02 Jul 2009 Facts and Figures: Gaza --Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed, including some 300 children, and hundreds of other unarmed civilians, including more than 115 women and some 85 men aged over 50 during the 22-day Operation "Cast Lead".

Gaza activists still in Israel jail 04 Jul 2009 A number of foreign activists are still in detention in a Tel Aviv jail four days after the Israeli navy stopped their boat as they attempted to reach the Gaza Strip. Mairead Maguire, a Nobel peace prize winner, told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the activists had agreed to remain in detention until Israel agreed to free all of the activists.

In Israeli jail, McKinney expects more from Washington 04 Jul 2009 Former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney, who is in an Israeli jail for trying to take humanitarian aid to Gaza, says the White House has done nothing to secure her release. Speaking to Press TV from inside the Israeli jail, she said US taxpayers paid for Israel's 22-day war on the Gaza Strip. "Operation Cast Lead was made possible by the US taxpayers' gift to the Israeli war machine in the form of F16s, helicopters gunship, white phosphorous, uranium cluster bombs and anything that kills," she told Press TV from inside the Israeli jail on Saturday.

CLG News and Action Alert: IDF Seizes Gaza Aid Ship Posted by Lori Price 01 Jul 2009 Israeli forces have boarded a ship trying to carry aid and pro-Palestinian activists to the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel's blockade of the territory. The 20 passengers include former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and Nobel Prize winner Mairead Maguire. [Updated]

US to employ new approach to win over Muslims: Envoy 03 Jul 2009 The Obama administration wants to engage the Muslims in a way that is innovative, dynamic and out of the box, says Farah Pandith, America’s first special envoy to the Muslim communities. The main objective behind the administration’s new strategy is to 'know the next generation of (Muslim) thinkers. And in this role I’ll be doing that,' Pandith told a briefing in Washington.

Video: Pentagon's Robo-Hummingbird Flies Like the Real Thing By Noah Shachtman 02 Jul 2009 Military-backed researchers have built a tiny drone that looks and flies like a hummingbird, flapping its little robotic wings to stay in the air. So far, the mock bird, built for Pentagon mad-science division Darpa, has only stayed aloft for 20 seconds at a time. But that short flight was enough to show the potential of a whole new class of miniature spies, inspired by nature. Darpa just handed AeroVironment, makers of the winged "nano air vehicle," another $2.1 million to build a hummingbot 2.0.

OAS set to suspend Honduras after coup 04 Jul 2009 The Organization of American States was likely to suspend Honduras on Saturday after a caretaker government refused to restore President Manuel Zelaya who was toppled in a military coup last weekend. Honduras' interim rulers who took power after the coup have rejected an OAS demand to restore Mr. Zelaya, and defiantly renounced the OAS charter in an apparent pre-emptive move. But an OAS official said such a renunciation was not valid, since the Honduras authorities were not a legitimate government.

Swine flu: UK ministers warn 40 a day could die by end of summer 04 Jul 2009 Yesterday there were more than 7,400 confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK. If the number of cases continues to grow at the current pace, the UK could have 100,000 new cases every day by the end of August. Under the Government's pandemic action plan, there are three levels of alert for a serious flu outbreak. Earlier this week the Health Secretary announced the UK would now enter the third, most serious, phase.

'The re-emergence of H1N1 in 1977 made it potentially a man-made pandemic.' Swine flu pandemic 'caused by accidental leak from laboratory' 30 Jun 2009 The swine flu pandemic may have been caused by an 'accidental' leak from a laboratory three decades ago, scientists have claimed. An investigation into the genetic make-up of flu viruses claims the pandemic may not have occurred, had it not been for the 'accidental' release of the same strain of influenza virus from a research lab in 1977.

Anti-G8 demonstrators clash with police in Italy 04 Jul 2009 Anti-G8 demonstrators clashed briefly with Italian police on Saturday in the first big protest ahead of next week's summit of the world's richest nations. Police in riot gear fired teargas at protesters to prevent them from crossing a bridge and moving closer to a contested U.S. military base in the northeastern city of Vicenza.

Guard units train for militia attacks 30 Jun 2009 (Camp Crowder, MO) It isn't easy being an insurgent in Neosho, Mo... Such was the case for several members of the headquarters detachment of the 229th Multifunctional Medical Battalion. During the battalion's annual training exercise, eight members of the Jefferson City-based [Missouri National Guardsmen] unit, acting as a fictitious militant group, attempted to disrupt the battalion's operations through attacks and harassment. The battalion's other two units, the Kansas City-based 205th Area Support Medical Company, and the Springfield-based 206th Area Support Medical Company, fended off the attacks while performing their medical duties.

Passenger Spots Handgun Being Smuggled Past Airport Security 04 Jun 2009 An eagle-eyed passenger at Philadelphia International Airport spotted another passenger handing a bag directly to an airline employee -- skipping airport security. The passenger alerted the TSA, who located the US Airways flight and searched the bag. An unloaded handgun was inside the bag. The Philadelphia Inquirer says that Flight 1195 to Phoenix was delayed 4 hours due to the incident.

Gov. Palin Says She Will Quit, Citing Probes, Family Needs 04 Jul 2009 Sarah Palin, the Republican Alaska governor, announced her resignation yesterday. The announcement that she will step down by the end of July stunned the political establishment, fueling speculation about why she is leaving office with 18 months left in her first term and whether her future will include a run for the presidency. Palin offered few clues about her ambitions but said she arrived at her decision in part to protect her family, which has faced withering criticism and occasional mockery, and to escape ethics probes that have drained her family's finances and hampered her ability to govern.

Pound Drops as Reports Show Economic Recovery May Be Faltering 04 Jul 2009 The pound posted its first weekly decline against the dollar in a month after worse-than-expected reports on U.K. services and gross domestic product signaled the economic recovery may be faltering. The British currency also dropped for the second straight week against the euro... Bank of England policy maker David Miles said on July 2 that the U.K. banking industry "remains on life support."

Purity of Federal 'Organic' Label Is Questioned 03 Jul 2009 ...The government's turnaround, from prohibition to permission, came after a USDA program manager was lobbied by the formula makers and overruled her staff. That decision and others by a handful of USDA employees, along with an advisory board's approval of a growing list of non-organic ingredients, have helped numerous companies win a coveted green-and-white "USDA Organic" seal on an array of products. Some consumer groups and members of Congress say they worry that the program's lax standards are undermining the federal program and the law itself.

Former QB Steve McNair Found Shot to Death 04 Jul 2009 Nashville fire officials and Tennessee Titans sources are confirming to affiliate station WSMV that former Titans quarterback Steve McNair has been found shot to death at an apartment in downtown Nashville. Another woman was also found shot to death in the apartment, but her identity has not been confirmed, Metro Police reported.

Previous lead stories: Grand Jury Inquiry on Destruction of C.I.A. Tapes --The tapes had shown C.I.A. officers using torture, including waterboarding, on two prisoners. 03 Jul 2009 Current and former top Central Intelligence Agency officers have appeared before a federal grand jury in Virginia as part of an 18-month investigation into the agency’s destruction of 92 videotapes depicting the brutal interrogations of two Qaeda prisoners. The witnesses recently called by the special prosecutor, former government officials said, include the agency’s top officer in London and Porter J. Goss, who was C.I.A. director when the tapes were destroyed in November 2005.

Obama administration delays release of CIA report 03 Jul 2009 The Obama administration said Thursday that it needs two more months to review an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and torture program before making it public, drawing criticism from civil libertarians who say it's past time for Americans to know how its government treated terrorism suspects. The Justice Department had originally said it intended to release the report in June as part of a lawsuit, but department officials now say they need until the end of August.

Palin resigns as governor, leaves plans secret 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. Palin and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.

SpaceWeather.com | New active Sunspot 1024 has at least a dozen dark cores & is crackling with B-class flares July 4, 2009

SUNSPOT ALERT: The most active sunspot of the year so far is emerging in the sun's southern hemisphere: movie. Sunspot 1024 has at least a dozen individual dark cores and it is crackling with B-class solar flares. This morning, amateur astronomer David Tyler caught one of the flares in action from his backyard solar observatory in England:

The magnetic polarity of sunspot 1024 identifies it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Its rapid emergence on July 3rd and 4th continues the recent (few-month) trend of intensifying new-cycle activity. This sunspot is the best offering yet from the young solar cycle. Monitoring is encouraged.

more images: from Michael Buxton of Ocean Beach, California; from Matt Wastell of Brisbane, Australia; from Deirdre Kelleghan of Bray , Co Wicklow Ireland; from Peter Meadows of Chelmsford, UK; from Pete Lawrence of Selsey, West Sussex, UK; from Mark Townley of Brierley Hill, West Midlands, UK; from Cesare Guaita of Tradate, Italy; from Jan Timmermans of Valkenswaard, The Netherlands; from Emiel Veldhuis of Zwolle, the Netherlands; from SOHO in orbit; from Peter Desypris on the Island of Syros, Greece; from Bruno Nolf of Otegem, Belgium

NaturalNews.com | Today's Featured Stories July 4, 2009

Amy Philo Interview Exposes Devastating Effects of Psychiatric Drugs on New Moms
(NaturalNews) Today we've published an exclusive interview with Amy Philo, winner of the 2008 Human Rights Award from the Citizens' Commission on Human Rights (www.CCHR.org). After experiencing a horrifying episode of hallucinations following the taking...

Toxic Chemicals Release Report Shows Mercury, PCB Pollution Rise Dramatically
(NaturalNews) Releases of mercury, PCBs, lead and dioxin into the environment increased significantly between 2006 and 2007, according to the annual "Toxics Release Inventory," published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "This information...

Widely Used Cancer Drug Causes Potentially Deadly Holes in GI Tract
(NaturalNews) Bevacizumab is the generic name for the widely used Genetech cancer drug marketed as Avastin. It inhibits tumor growth by blocking angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels. But according to an article just published in the June edition...

Border Agents to Dump Agent Orange-Like Chemical to Kill All Plant Life Among U.S.-Mexico Border
(NaturalNews) The Border Patrol has temporarily postponed -- but refused to cancel -- plans to use helicopters to spray herbicide along the banks of the Rio Grande between the cities of Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in order to kill a fast...

Study Reveals Coconut Oil Improves Cholesterol Profile and Waistline
A recent study reveals new evidence that could turn the tide in the ongoing debate about which fats are the healthier choice: saturated fats like coconut oil or polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil. Many natural food experts will tell you...

Twist and Shout: Learn About the Benefits of Yoga Twists
Traditional yoga wisdom teaches us that twisting poses play a vital role in maintaining the health of our bodies and minds. The twisting motion is important because it incorporates so many central points of the body. Yoga twists require the...

Vitamin A could be Clue to Future Breast Cancer Treatment
A special form of vitamin A could be the key to the future of breast cancer prevention and treatment, according to researchers at the University of Chicago. A team of scientists, headed by Professor Kevin Brown of the University's Institute...

Taurine Keeps Immune Systems Strong and Protects Organs
A seldom thought of amino acid called taurine is turning out to have remarkable properties. New research has revealed that taurine deficiency can compromise the immune system, while supplemental taurine can boost white blood cell count even...

Live Naturally with Herbs: Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla - previously Lippia citriodora) is a richly scented herb and has a long history as a sacred and medicinal plant. Garlands and wreaths of it were commonplace at festive ceremonies as well as its use in teas...

David Rainoshek Part II: Moving up the Diet Spectrum
This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's Rawkathon, which can be found at http://www.Rawkathon.com. In this excerpt, David Rainoshek shares on moving up the diet spectrum and the inspiration of Ken Wilbur. Rawkathon with...

Use Hypnosis to Measure the Physiological Effects of Emotions on the Body
The topic of hypnosis has been receiving more credibility from the medical science world. More research has been conducted that has shown definitive benefits from hypnosis. Many research studies also conclude that hypnosis may have many more...

George Ure's UrbanSurvival.com | Frustrated America - Monetizing Misery July 4, 2009

Published Monday - Friday about 8 AM Central Time Except Holidays....many major typos are fixed by 8:30 daily

Saturday July 4, 2009 07:30 AM CDT

This site is supported by subscription to Peoplenomics. For additional content, please subscribe.

Content mirrored at my other site: www.independencejournal.com,

Frustrated America - Monetizing Misery

As I've written extensively in my lead-in papers to this Second Depression, this one's going to be different than its 1930's prototype. It's going to be longer, worse, and cause more pain and suffering than any that have gone before it. Not that any individual leader in government would will such a thing - in fact, quite the contrary: all give lip service to fighting all enemies, foreign and domestic, but then miss the last point; namely taking a good look at themselves.

In case you've been sleeping, America is going down the crapper by fits and starts due to the fact that America's Framers had in mind the design for an 'independent' kind of America, one where self-sufficiency, freedom, minimal governance, and oh, did I mention the pursuit of happiness? was the goal.

---

I've proposed that there are seven major physical support systems which define the physical quality of one's life and that each of these has be undergoing dramatic change over the last year to the point where it's tearing the country apart despite the best intentions of those who would pretend to lead us.

  • Food: Over the past year, millions of American families had to make the once 'unthinkable' decisions - "Do I feed my family or make this house payment?"

  • Shelter: Thanks to the government-sponsored (starting with Greenspan et al and their 'easy money, non-regulation of housing lenders) we're still in the opening portion of the Second Depression with housing prices down nationally almost 33% (*S&P/Case-Schiller this week) since most markets peaked in mid-2006.

  • Transportation: Ford skirted financial death, but GM and Chrysler have been bankrupted.

  • Communications: Television, once mandated by the Communications Act of 1934 to serve the public need, interest, and concern, can now no longer be had "free". You have to either buy an analog -digital converter, or put on the yoke of a monthly cable or satellite bill to get your news. The corporate hijack of communications is nearly complete. Where else, but in America, would the public supposedly have 'free access' to what goes on in Washington, but then have to pay to have a corpgov 'provider' move the signal to the home? And it doesn't stop there: Censorship of the internet is coming along nicely too, in places like Australia which are test beds for the limited or corporate domination of sheepish people.

  • Energy: We've been fighting in Iraq - ostensibly for freedom - yet strangely as the energy deals come together for the multinationals, the war 'winds down'. It's a shocking coincidence.

  • Environment: Health care reform is coming, along with taxes on cow-farts, or anything else that Al Gore and his cronies can sell as ways to 'Save the earth from global warming'. Reality check: It's summer. And in case you didn't notice, the "Health overhaul in Senate bill imposes penalty on those refusing affordable medical coverage." Affordable? In whose book? Meantime, notice how the 'avoid crowds or swine flu might get'cha' meme effectively killed the "Tea Parties"? Might as well set up an exchange to trade wife-beating credits while we're at it.

  • Finance: The country is essentially broke. Unbelievable as it is, the people who are trying to monetize misery are still spending far beyond the ability of the country to pay - unless, of course, they plan a massive hyperinflation starting as early as late fall this year. Of course, that would fit nicely, since hyperinflation now won't take as much equity out of the pockets of the PowersThatBe since the weakest of our countrymen have already been foreclosed upon before paying back their mortgages with hyper inflated (thus widely available cheaper money) will be one of those fire exits that's been conveniently chained shut.

Not like UrbanSurvival or the IndependenceJournal (mirror site) is the only place you'll sense the rage.

"Hi George,

It's after midnight and I'm frustrated beyond belief in my own country! Last week the House passed the despicable Carbon Tax and Control bill under dubious conditions, and the SINate is now talking about forcing us all to have health insurance against our will. It's so un-American I don't even know what to do anymore - these cretins are stealing us blind, then forcing us to live in "approved" houses and forcing us to be registered and insured! We are not cars!

I suppose they figure that it's summer and nobody will notice........

I just don't know where to turn anymore - it seems that the system can't fall fast enough for me. As an autonomous human, I've never had health insurance, refusing it at every turn. NOT having it keeps me alert, since I know I can die from a single mistake. I have and will continue to refuse hospitalization and most "care", taking full responsibility for my own health. Surprisingly or not, I'm your age and in good health, and I work hard on my own stuff each day.

Now I find that marketable title for our homes will be taken without compensation - certainly a gross violation of the fifth amendment, though not without precedent. The following links clarify if you haven't seen them already...

"Under Cap and Trade you must "retrofit" your home or you can't sell (goodbye real estate market)..."

I read the Carbon Tax bill when it was only 1100 pages and haven't found an up to date copy of this garbage - even though I doubt most congresscritters read any of it. There are too many laws to fight - it seems there should be a moratorium on all change until we can catch up. Then maybe just one law a year, with a month between final form and voting in either house. That way we'd know what we are dealing with. It seems that if the bills haven't been read, then the vote is invalid anyway. Obviously politics doesn't work - does anything? I've already stopped earning money(and paying associated taxes) voluntarily since there's no profit left in it.

Or maybe - per Janis Joplin - "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.."

At this rate, we'll become the new North Korea, full of starving citizens and pariah state of the world. Maybe that's the plan.

If there's any hope left - please share - I'm doing my best and will be fine without the meddlers. Is there any hope at all? Is there any reason to do anything positive at all other than just enjoy the moment, squander my wealth, and max out my cards?

Thanks again for all your work,"

Bankster Field Day!

This reader email is one of just hundreds I've received over the past couple of months - almost all of them going to the idea that "We're good Constitution-loving Americans and what happened to the Country that we fought and died for? The Framers never had in mind what's going on in the world today - where special interests have made millionaires out of virtually all of our 'leaders' who even have their own retirement and insurance plans - separate and apart from what's good enough for the electorate.

Am I the only one who understands that 'equal protection' under the Constitution is supposed to be more than a catchy positioning statement?

A reader in the Southeast shows his anger at the banksters when he notes (in previous emails) that not only are they trying to restrict credit (and up card rates) to get every last drop of blood from every penny of debt, but that they are right now actively denying credit and loans to what in previous times would have been superb lending opportunities. Read this carefully: The Banksters are restricting credit in order to push the country further into Depression 2...

"George, FYI I have been shopping for an equipment loan for several months now.

Our credit scores are 753 and 799. I am told by loan brokers these are very good scores.

Our net worth is north of 2 mill. We owe $120,000, zero interest, on three pieces of Kubota [farm] equipment.

We have a letter from the ********** state department of mining that says that we do not need a permit to sell sand and gravel. We have a 75 mile radius around the farm that gives us a monopoly on sand because of hauling costs. Sand sells for $36 a ton. We have a sand and gravel deposit in the middle of our ********** acre farm in the amount of 4+ million tons. Our cost of production with a $400,000 loan at 7%, amortized over 7 years, including all costs is $.50 per ton. Sand and gravel are as basic to civilization as any commodity you can name short of food.

We have been unable to find $400,000 (fully collateralized by equipment) for this project after months of looking by two competent loan brokers.

The local banksters will loans us $400,000 on the first deed of trust on the farm. Considering the value of the farm (comparative sales, large acreage, 3/4 mile river frontage, 3/4 mile highway frontage) is $2,500 per acre, $1,650,000 with no consideration for improvements, $*%^&^%* banksters think we are all IDIOTS.

They want it all and they want it now. Any suggestions?"

None! Except I'd offer this as just another example of how the banking industry is causing - deliberately - the worsening crisis. It's all being orchestrated by the PTB to see how much they can get away with this time around. The old Hegelian dialect at work: First you plan your agenda, then you create a crisis, then you force acceptance of your solution. Dress it up as thesis, antithesis, and synthesis and most folks won't get it.

If you have any ideas, please pass them along. This is a fellow who has - as he notes - good credit and a marvelous opportunity to build a new business. But, the long and short of his predicament serves to illustrate that banksters used to beg him to go into debt and today - as they drive the country down Depression road - they won't even give him the time of day without title to his Life's work promised.

Although hopefully I won't need it for a couple of years, this weekend's Peoplenomics report (out Sunday afternoon) spells out my answer: Each of us developing a Personal Constitution since the one that was provided by the Framers is being shredded in Washington.

Bucked: As In Rhymes with...

My guess that hyperinflation is the way out of the collapse of America come into clearer focus this morning as Bloomberg reports that "India joins Russia, China in Questioning U.S. Dollar."

Journalistic Prowess

Reader spied...

"This paragraph from the Guardian UK gave me a huge chuckle this morning. Kathryn and Heather deserve a big raise for their clever use of The King's English....

"While optimism regarding the overall business situation remained firmly negative, according to the CBI, the rate of decline had slowed on that in recent quarters. However, business volumes fell at the fastest rate since March 1991, but are expected to start to rise over the next three months."

Up, down, and nowhere...all at the same time, huh? Works for us...

Palin Rambles Out

I watched the resignation video of Alaska's governor Palin and after listening to it, what I walked away with was a sense of confusion. Wonder how many cups of coffee she had? A high speed flurry of...uh....disconnected phrases.

If she were going to run for president, why not say so?

Ever go to a conference room meeting and see a colleague caught completely unprepared? And to make matters worse they don't have the nerve to say "Not ready" and let it go? Instead they go off into gibberish -- which can be mighty entertaining, but it doesn't move the ball? That's the Palin...er...'speech'.

I'll just put this down as another one of the predictive linguistics "strange disappearances" for the summer.

Will she and her family just 'disappear' off the public screen, or will she run for president? Keep your eye on the greedy old party - a hint would be if they ask for their wardrobe back.

Terrible Tuesday or Interbabble?

(Definition) Interbabble: n. (also v. as in 'interbabbling") Stories on the 'net which are endlessly frightening and entertaining, but which never work out but serve to waste your time when you should really be focuses on much more important, longer-term actions to improve your future...

Besides anger at the current state of affairs in America, a large collection of emails that can be lumped under the heading "Watch out for July 7th" have been landing in my inbox. Here's a typical story that gets pinned along with the email: "Crop circle depicts solar eruptions hitting Earth of July 7th."

This 7/7 date has been recycled on the net innumerbabble (sic) times - so much so that a reader writes:

About 7/7/05. A recent BBC program was put out to debunk this video and the narrator. Unfortunately, all it did was put it into the consciousness of the UK public sending the google video viewing through the roof.

Whoever is flying those little 'orbs' around that make crop circles seems to be playing the 7/7 meme, too, at least ifs you buy the headline that "Crop Circle depicts solar eruptions hitting Earth on July 7th". Looks more like fallout in 8-lunar months, but that's just my take on it.

Not to blow all this off as interbabble, but I won't be hiding under the bed Tuesday...

If you really want something to worry about, pick a year like 2036...

"99942 Apophis (pronounced /əˈpɒfɪs/, previously known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) is a near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in December 2004 because initial observations indicated a small probability (up to 2.7%) that it would strike the Earth in 2029. Additional observations provided improved predictions that eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon in 2029. However, a possibility remains that during the 2029 close encounter with Earth, Apophis would pass through a gravitational keyhole, a precise region in space no more than about 600 meters across, that would set up a future impact on April 13, 2036. This possibility kept the asteroid at Level 1 on the Torino impact hazard scale until August 2006. It broke the record for the highest level on the Torino Scale, being, for only a short time, a level 4, before it was lowered.[5]...

Now, that's a worry worth worrying on. If the earthquakes don't get us first....mind you.

Unstoppable

WHO says that swine flu is 'unstoppable' according to a BBC report.

Call me a latter day Luddite, but you know, with intercontinental air travel comes what? (Diseases, you ninny! Such as swine/novel/hybrid flu, all of which pale in comparison to the most dangerous disease of all: globalism.)

---Snip and save section --

Coping: Take Your Beatings Like a Prince...

Independence? For whom? A bit of history and a fine idea for America:

"George, the Fourth of July is today. That is supposed to be Independence Day. Unfortunately it is a day that also makes my heart heavy because it reminds me of what we have lost. An idea occurred to me that might be able to help our nation. Some time ago the European royalty had something called a whipping boy. The whipping boy was someone who took the beating for the prince when the prince acted badly. One can imagine with little trouble that people who can bear no consequence for their poor actions (because their whim is law) can't help but be morally challenged. I point to our "properly elected" and appointed government officials as my case in point, since our constitution (the spirit of moral law) is sadly irrelevant today. Perhaps if a few volunteers where publicly whipped (and properly attended to by medical doctors afterwards,) it would vicariously help our modern princes through sympathetic resonance, like it seemed to for the princes of yesteryear. A volunteer could be made up to look somewhat like one of our politicians after lets say 500 constitutional infringements or unethical actions. The volunteer could then read a shortened form of the crimes for which he would be whipped, bless the "prince," then take the whipping. I'm thinking around 500 misdeeds as the minimum or 1, we might run out of whipping boys, or 2 the focus would be lost in a confusing roar of activity. I know sympathetic resonance works, and the idea at least has some merit. I would actually volunteer to be a whipping boy once every couple of years on the mere hope that this would help my country or ensure our future, provided the whipping boy could remain anonymous."

Know what we need in Washington? How's about "Jack The Whipper?"

Around the Ranch: Weld, Weld Now

Along with finishing up a lot of smaller projects around the ranch on Friday, I took a little time to whack off a couple of sections of pipe and some rebar (5/8th's & 3/8th's) and welded up some tripod umbrella holders which should shade my hammock on my new deck I was telling you about a while back...Tell me if this doesn't look like pure Americana, huh?

Not sure which of the umbrella tripods looks best...the one which has the supports at the top of the pipe, or the one with the support a couple of inches down. Whatever. I intend having at least one glass of ice water in this lash-up today.

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A sincere thank you to the 2-million Americans who are still at war, not to mention the police, fire, and medical crews that keep 300-million people safe on major holidays. Safe -- that is -- from everything but Congress, fireworks accidents, and sunburns. Oh, and ourselves.

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The result of sixty years of gun control in the U.K:

The most violent country in Europe: Britain is also worse than South Africa and U.S.

Pravda.Ru | Barack Obama & Michelle to stay at $13,000-dollar luxury suite at Moscow's Ritz-Carlton Hotel

Michelle bringing glamor to Moscow this weekend...

Spaceweather.com | NEW SUNSPOT: Sunspot 1024 is growing rapidly and crackling with B-class solar flares - July 4, 2009

NEW SUNSPOT: Sunspot 1024 is growing rapidly and crackling with B-class solar flares. The magnetic polarity of the sunspot identifies it as a member of new Solar Cycle 24. Readers with solar telescopes should train their optics on the sun's southern hemisphere to witness sunspot genesis in action.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens For Legitimate Government | 03 July 2009

Breaking: North Korea 'tests two missiles' 04 Jul 2009 North Korea has tested two short-range missiles, South Korean media report, as concern mounts in the region that a long-range test could be days away. It test-fired four similar missiles earlier this week and has incurred fresh UN sanctions since holding a second underground nuclear test in May. The latest missiles were fired from a base near Wonsan into the Sea of Japan, South Korea's defence ministry said.

Grand Jury Inquiry on Destruction of C.I.A. Tapes --The tapes had shown C.I.A. officers using torture, including waterboarding, on two prisoners. 03 Jul 2009 Current and former top Central Intelligence Agency officers have appeared before a federal grand jury in Virginia as part of an 18-month investigation into the agency’s destruction of 92 videotapes depicting the brutal interrogations of two Qaeda prisoners. The witnesses recently called by the special prosecutor, former government officials said, include the agency’s top officer in London and Porter J. Goss, who was C.I.A. director when the tapes were destroyed in November 2005.

Obama administration delays release of CIA report 03 Jul 2009 The Obama administration said Thursday that it needs two more months to review an internal CIA report on the agency's secret detention and torture program before making it public, drawing criticism from civil libertarians who say it's past time for Americans to know how its government treated terrorism suspects. The Justice Department had originally said it intended to release the report in June as part of a lawsuit, but department officials now say they need until the end of August.

U.S. Says It Will Preserve Secret Jails for Terror Case 03 Jul 2009 The government will agree to preserve the secret overseas sites where a defendant in a terror case was once held and, his lawyers say, subjected to harsh interrogation techniques torture after his capture in 2004, a prosecutor indicated in court in New York on Thursday. Lawyers for the defendant, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, told a judge this week that they were afraid that the so-called black sites, which were run by the Central Intelligence Agency, would be demolished as the agency has said it will discontinue their use... In asking that the sites be preserved, Mr. Ghailani’s lawyers said they wanted to inspect them as part of their investigation into what had happened to Mr. Ghailani during his detention.

Iraq's Maliki rejects U.S. offer on national reconciliation --The Iraqi prime minister tells visiting Vice President Joe Biden that U.S. involvement would not be welcome. 03 Jul 2009 Vice President Joe Biden's mission to promote national reconciliation in Iraq was rebuffed Friday by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who told him that the issue was a domestic Iraqi affair and that U.S involvement wouldn't be welcome. Biden was beginning a two-day visit to Iraq after President Obama appointed him this week as his special representative on dealings with the Persian Gulf nation.

US drone goes down in southern Iraq 03 Jul 2009 An unmanned surveillance aircraft has gone down on the outskirts of al-Kut city in the southern Iraqi province of Wasit which borders Iran. A local police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Voices of Iraq news agency that the drone crashed on Friday close to the Delta Base of American forces. The base is situated seven kilometers (5 miles) west of al-Kut.

US drone attacks kill 13 in Pakistan 03 Jul 2009 Intelligence officials say a US drone has fired missiles into Pakistan's South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, killing at least 13 people and injuring dozens others. The drone reportedly targeted insurgent hideouts in the troubled region where US troops are conducting a major operation against militants, Reuters reported.

U.S. Resumes Surveillance Flights Over Pakistan 30 Jun 2009 The United States has resumed secret military surveillance drone flights over Pakistan’s tribal areas to provide Pakistani commanders with a wide array of videos and other information on militants, according to American and Pakistani officials... Under the intelligence-sharing arrangement, which resumed in the past few weeks but has not previously been made public, Pakistani ground forces receive direct support for several hours a day, though not necessarily every day, from remotely piloted American military aircraft based in Afghanistan, a senior American defense official said.

Russia Opens Route for U.S. to Fly Arms to Afghanistan 04 Jul 2009 The Russian government has agreed to let American troops and weapons bound for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory, providing an important new corridor for the United States military as it escalates efforts to win the eight-year-old war, officials on both sides said Friday. The agreement, to be announced when President Obama visits here Monday and Tuesday, represents one of the most concrete achievements in the administration’s attempt to ease relations with Russia after years of tension.

Russia 'agrees US troop transit' 03 Jul 2009 A senior Obama administration official has told the BBC that Russia has agreed to let US troops bound for the war in Afghanistan fly through its airspace. The deal, which opens up an important new corridor for the US military, is to be officially announced when President Barack Obama visits Moscow next week. Speaking separately, a Kremlin official confirmed a deal was on the table but suggested it referred to weapons only.

UK forces push deep into Taliban territory in Afghanistan 03 Jul 2009 Around 800 British troops have pushed deep into Taliban-held territory in Helmand province after a ten-day battle to secure river crossings. The latest wave of two-week-old Operation Panther's Claw involved one of the most strategically significant operations the British have carried out in Helmand, a British Army statement said.

British regiment commander killed in 'huge' bomb attack in Afghanistan 03 Jul 2009 The commander of a British regiment has been killed in Afghanistan, the first to have died in active service since the Falklands war 27 years ago. Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed on Wednesday by what defence officials described last night as a "huge bomb" that shattered the armoured Viking tracked vehicle he was travelling in.

New IAEA chief sees no proof of Iran N-bomb 03 Jul 2009 Incoming IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano says there is no conclusive evidence to prove that Iran is enriching weapons-grade uranium. Amano, who was narrowly elected as the new head of the UN nuclear watchdog on Thursday, however, urged Iran to follow Security Council demands regarding its nuclear activities.

Falk slams Israel, says relief boat seizure 'unlawful' 03 Jul 2009 Israel's two-year blockade of the Gaza Strip is a continuing crime against humanity, and its seizure of a ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza was "unlawful", says a UN human rights investigator. Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, said Thursday that the blockade restricted vital supplies such as food, medicine and fuel to "bare subsistence levels."

In Israel, former US lawmaker remains imprisoned 03 Jul 2009 Former US lawmaker Cynthia McKinney and several other human rights activists remain in an Israeli prison after refusing to sign a deportation form that they claim is self-incriminating. In a press release from McKinney's Green Party, she said the form states that the their relief boat carrying 21 activists, medial supplies, cement, olive trees and children's toys en route to Gaza, was violating the Israeli blockade and trespassing its territorial waters.

Big brother is watching: The technologies that keep track of you 02 Jul 2009 CCTV, RFID tags and GPS-enabled phones are among the technologies that can be used to keep track of your movements. Here, we list seven of the technologies that can be used to keep track of your movements.

WHO says flu is unstoppable 03 Jul 2009 The World Health Organization head, Margaret Chan, has addressed a meeting in Mexico to say that the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus worldwide is now unstoppable. As the summit opened, the UK alone projected more than 100,000 new cases of H1N1 a day by the end of the summer.

800 at San Quentin quarantined for swine flu 03 Jul 2009 About 800 San Quentin State Prison inmates have been quarantined - banned from having visitors starting this weekend - as officials await testing on 30 inmates suspected of having swine flu, authorities said Thursday. So far, four of the 30 minimum-security inmates have tested positive for having a strain that has a 97 percent probability of being the H1N1 virus, said Luis Patino, spokesman for the federal receiver who runs state prison medical care.

CDC: US swine flu cases rise to nearly 34,000 02 Jul 2009 The number of U.S. swine flu cases has reached nearly 34,000, and deaths have risen 34 percent in the past week to 170, federal health officials reported Thursday. The numbers mark an increase from the 127 deaths and nearly 28,000 confirmed and suspected swine flu cases reported last week.

Ohio Reserve unit wages war on ND mosquitoes --The Air Force's aerial spray unit based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, Ohio, has found North Dakota an 'ideal place for practice.' 03 Jul 2009 An Ohio Air Force Reserve unit charged with controlling mosquitoes during wartime is using bug-bitten North Dakota as a practice ground again this summer. Huge gray military airplanes flying as low as 100 feet from the ground sprayed Minot and, for the first time, Williston to kill mosquito larvae this spring. Another mission aimed at adult mosquitoes, is planned for later this month.

Gag me with a chainsaw! Palin plans to stay visible 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin plans to remain extremely visible and will give serious consideration to running for president in 2012, but has made no decision, a close friend said after her startling announcement Friday that she will resign her office. Friends say Palin plans to spend time writing her book, which is due this fall, then promote it heavily when it comes out in spring 2010.

Palin resigns as governor, leaves plans secret 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abruptly announced Friday she is resigning from office at the end of the month, a shocking move that rattled the Republican party but left open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012. Palin and her staff kept her future plans shrouded in mystery, and it was unclear if the controversial hockey mom would quietly return to private life or begin laying the foundation for a presidential bid.

Sarah Palin will not seek re-election 03 Jul 2009 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has told associates that she will not seek re-election next year, freeing her to pursue a White House bid in 2012, according to two GOP sources. Leaving office at the end of next year, the former vice presidential hopeful will be able to travel the country more freely without facing the sort of repeated ethics inquiries she’s been fending off since returning to Alaska earlier this year. [Alaska's polar bears and wolves rejoice!]

Everything suggests American bonds seized at Chiasso are real 30 Jun 2009 Four weeks have passed since American bonds were confiscated from two Japanese who were travelling on a direct train to Chiasso, Switzerland. While there has been clarification of some points, very few, Italian authorities have remained silent on the rest of the episode. In addition, a strange coincidence in the timing of the arrest of a director of an internet radio who had made revelations regarding the incident increases the already strong oddities surrounding the case. This added to the revaluation of the fact that among the evidence seized there were "Kennedy Bond" all points toward the authenticity of the items seized by the Guardia di Finanza (GdF) in early June.

'Rogue broker' blamed for oil spike 02 Jul 2009 The startling spike in oil prices to their highest level this year on Tuesday was caused by a rogue broker [terrorist] who placed a massive bet in the Brent oil market, triggering almost $10m (€7m) of losses for his company. PVM Oil Associates, the world’s largest over-the-counter oil brokerage, said on Thursday it had been the "victim of unauthorised trading".

Seven banks fail, pushing 2009 tally to 52 --Regulators close six Illinois banks and one Texas bank, setting the FDIC back a total of $314.3 million. 03 Jul 2009 Seven banks were shut down by authorities Thursday, pushing the tally of failed banks for 2009 to 52, more than doubling the failures in 2008. Six regional banks in Illinois and one in Texas closed their doors, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The rash of Illinois failures are interlinked: All six banks were controlled by one family and followed a similar business model that "created concentrated exposure in each institution," according to the FDIC.

Aircraft repair jobs sold to foreign workers, resumes not important --It's a huge facility in the middle of San Antonio International Airport, but a large number of mechanics are temporary workers from foreign countries. 01 Jul 2009 A News 8 investigation found that hundreds of aircraft mechanics have been brought into the United States to work at aircraft repair facilities. Insiders say the companies that are importing the mechanics are so eager to save money, they’re overstating their qualifications. The result may be a threat to safety, abetted by lax enforcement of immigration law.

ExxonMobil continuing to fund climate sceptic groups, records show --Records show ExxonMobil gave hundreds of thousands of pounds to lobby groups that have published 'misleading and inaccurate information' about climate change 01 Jul 2009 The world's largest oil company [terrorists] is continuing to fund lobby groups that question the reality of global warming, despite a public pledge to cut support for such climate change denial, a new analysis shows. Company records show that ExxonMobil handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds to such lobby groups in 2008. These include the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) in Dallas, Texas, which received $75,000 (£45,500), and the Heritage Foundation in Washington DC, which received $50,000.

Sea Ice At Lowest Level In 800 Years Near Greenland 02 Jul 2009 New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now. The research results from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, are published in the scientific journal, Climate Dynamics.

Scientists solve mystery of Scotland's shrinking sheep --Shorter, milder winters caused by global warming to blame for steady decrease in size of St Kilda sheep, experts say 02 Jul 2009 The mysterious shrinking sheep of St Kilda... involves a rare herd of wild sheep on the remote Scottish island - known in Scottish Gaelic as Hirta. They have steadily decreased in size since the 1980s. Scientists have fingered the culprit as the new Moriarty of mankind: global warming. The experts say shorter and milder winters mean that lambs do not need to put as much weight on during their first few months of life. The average weight of the sheep has dropped by 81g each year.

Previous lead stories: Court Filing Shows Evidence Cheney Swayed White House Response to CIA Leak --Discussions of CIA Agent Listed in Filing 03 Jul 2009 A document filed in federal court this week by the Justice Department offers new evidence that former vice president [sic] Richard B. Cheney helped steer the Bush administration's public response to the disclosure of Valerie Plame Wilson's employment by the CIA and that he was at the center of many related administration deliberations. A list of at least seven related conversations involving Cheney appears in a new court filing approved by Obama appointees at the Justice Department. In the filing, the officials argue that the substance of what Cheney told special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald in 2004 must remain secret.

Obama Administration to Involve NSA in Screening Civilian Agency Networks 02 Jul 2009 The Obama administration will proceed with a Bush-era plan to use National Security Agency assistance in screening government computer traffic on private-sector networks, with AT&T as the likely test site, according to three current and former government officials. President Obama said in May that government efforts to protect computer systems from attack would not involve "monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic." Under a classified pilot program approved during the Bush regime, NSA data and hardware would be used to 'protect' the networks of some civilian government agencies. Part of an initiative known as Einstein 3, the pilot called for telecommunications companies to route the Internet traffic of civilian government agencies through a monitoring box that would search for and block malicious computer codes... The pilot was to have been launched in February. "To be clear, Einstein 3 development is proceeding," DHS spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said.

Al-Sadr demands full U.S. withdrawal from Iraq --About 131,000 US troops remain in Iraq, on bases and in outposts outside of population centers. 01 Jul 2009 The ongoing presence of U.S. troops in Iraq "shows that the (Iraqi) government and the occupation are not serious about the withdrawal," a key Shiite cleric in the country said Wednesday. Muqtada al-Sadr made the statement on his Web site a day after U.S. forces withdrew from Iraqi cities and towns in accordance with the security agreement between the United States and Iraq.