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Today's Stories October 31, 2008 Alexander Cockburn October 30, 2008 Cockburn / St. Clair Vijay Prashad Paul Craig Roberts Glen Ford Stanley Heller William Loren Katz Joshua Frank James McEnteer Felice Pace Jonathan Cook Reza Fiyouzat Website of the Day
October 29, 2008 Arno J. Mayer Eric Toussaint Matt Gonzalez Steven Conn Jonathan Cook Patrick Bond Ramzi Kysia Douglas Valentine Stephen Martin Margaret Dooley-Sammuli Amee Chew Website of the Day
October 28, 2008 James G. Abourezk Andy Worthington Gary Leupp Paul Craig Roberts Mike Whitney Gregory V. Button Ralph Nader P. Sainath Martha Rosenberg Charles R. Larson Website of the Day October 27, 2008 Michael Hudson Barbara Rose Johnston John Dinges Mike Whitney Mary Lynn Cramer Greenspan's Higher Power Alan Farago David Michael Green Andy Worthington George Wuerthner Niranjan Ramakrishnan Website of the Day October 24 / 26, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Ishmael Reed Mike Whitney Don Santina Scott Boehm Saul Landau Ron Jacobs Binoy Kampmark Linn Washington Jr. Nicole Colson Bernard Chazelle Brian Jones Christopher Brauchli Benjamin Dangl Val Strange Steve Early David Macaray Allison Kilkenny Richard Rhames Jim Bell Kris De Welde Barry Clemson Adam Engel Mark Scaramella Tuli Kupferberg Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend October 23, 2008 Allan J. Lichtman Todd Chretien John Ross Peter Morici Mats Svensson Marlene Martin Robert Jensen / Margaret Kimberley Deepak Tripathi David Morris Website of the Day October 22, 2008 Brian Cloughley Heather Gray Jeff Birkenstein Ralph Nader DC Larson David Swanson Keeanga-Yamatta Taylor Race and the Election: When the "Real" America Enters the Voting Booth Larry Everest Robert Fantina Martha Rosenberg Stephen Martin Website of the Day October 21, 2008 Vijay Prashad Paul Craig Roberts Corey D. B. Walker Steve Breyman Eric Toussaint Wajahat Ali Robert Weitzel Brendan Cooney Dave Lindorff Marqueece Harris-Dawson / Bob Wing Patrick B. Barr Omar Barghouti Website of the Day October 20, 2008 Michael Hudson Anthony DiMaggio Tariq Ali Uri Avnery Bill Quigley Ben Rosenfeld David Michael Green William S. Lind Chris Genovali Stephen Martin Howard Lisnoff David Yearsley Website of the Day October 17 / 19, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Pam Martens Paul Craig Roberts Mike Whtney Michael D. Yates Suzanne Smith Carl Boggs Ralph Nader Fidel Castro Dave Marsh Saul Landau Jo Guldi Kevin Zeese Larry Everest Steve Early David Macaray Ben Terrall Missy Beattie Don Monkerud Helen Redmond Dan Bacher Wajahat Ali Farzana Versey Vladimir Frolov Kim Nicolini Poets Basement Website of the Day
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October 31, 2008 Surviving in a Scorched Earth EconomyDefense Strategies in Economic WarfareBy STEPHEN MARTIN The application of CDO’s as financial poisons, bundled in CDS and delivered through ‘global’ financial channels - actually not this instance ‘Global’: Islamic Banking institutions for example protected by moral prohibitions governing ‘usury’, and therefore from jumping on bandwagon offering ‘quick buck’; and Chinese Banking as being a law unto itself concerning State control (as well as financial acumen yet to bear fruition?), constrains the ‘Scorched Earth Gambit’ as part of ‘Full Spectrum Global Financial Dominance’ in the ‘New American Century Project’ currently in progress, to that of America and Europe, - collateral damage extending geographic to such as that of Australia, and spread of ‘jitters’ in the ructions as per share price movement and volatility ‘Globally’, aside. But let’s get down to ‘brass tacks’ - and shorter sentences. What is in progress concerning the value of your house as a home, and its almost inevitable descent in value, 401(k) shrinking and the general quality of life spiralling downward; form of worrying over livelihood not the least; is the result of attempted takeover of European Banks, and the European Banking System, by American financial institutions; as an act of Economic Warfare and as part of a spectrum of Dominance. Want to know Collateral Damage such context –look in the mirror, look at the utility bills, look across at those ‘For Sale’ signs yonder Street. ‘Pump and Dump’ is a highly toxic strategy relying upon the same premise as the downward spiral of profit maximisation and as finds parallel in Main Street governed by short term view; aka ‘quick buck’. Win some, lose some. In real war, the penetrative power of DU shell is as equivalent of toxic derivative in Economic War - and try talking, form of rationalisation, about that monstrosity to the parents of child born with rare genetic defect, courtesy of the ‘penetration’ of Depleted Uranium concerning the human gene pool and mutation. If you want to learn of ‘humanity’ in context of Economic War, how ‘people’ can do such things to other people in the calculation of ‘price’ and ‘worth’, here is Marie Jana Korbelová, aka Madeliene Albright, 64th American Secretary of State in response to sanctions on Iraq and human consequence:
In Economic Warfare, the normal rules of competition are thrown aside, Marquess of Queensberry no longer prevails; in short; the gloves are taken off, and new calculation of price and worth in the balance is made concerning sufferance. While we’re at it Marie Jana Korbelova, keep your particular ‘we’ to yourself. As in it extending to consensus on the murder of innocent children as ‘worth it’. As in such abomination ever possibly being justifiable. Human suffering; as I am coming to understand it, is tragic - regardless of nationality, color, creed or religion. The price worth it? But, putting such obnoxious and despicable interpretation of price and worth aside as particular instance - while remaining with the casual indifference to fellow humanity and sufferance in context of Economic War it demonstrates. What is happening in America now by way of sufferance is as indeed in time of World War, when Citizens loyal and true are called upon in great number to make sacrifice in form of being combatants; as cannon fodder primarily. The sacrifice of Citizen in Economic War not life given up as in bullet through organs vital quickly fatal, or blast from bomb, but rather loss of livelihood; the displacement from home repossessed, dwindling of life savings; or the immiseration so many now coming to realise as amounting to assassination of the future, the killing of dreams and aspirations and a ‘hang in there’ mentality, as expression of desperation, prevailing. As in Military War so in Economic; Citizen as pawn - mere collateral damage? In manufacturing application the extension of control of territory such mindset involves ‘arbitrage’ of labor, or ‘outsourcing’; the refusal to comply with costly environmental legislation or apply same on grounds of reduction same basis, failure to comply with accounting regulations governing valuation of assets, or of liabilities, which can give a fair, let alone ‘clear’, picture of where stands the bottom line, and the balance as of sheet. Think ‘offshore account’. Think of price and worth such context. Such ‘complexities’ of obfuscation, resulting in a whole new lexicon of accounting jargon. It is a dirty business when ethics are abandoned, revealed when Ponzi scheme parallel collapses. There is much indeed to be learned from the Enron debacle, and the antics of Mr Skilling and Kenneth Lay or ‘Kenny Boy’ as POTUS 43 once so fond of referring, in this context of American Capitalism hi-jacked. But the way of such Masters of the Universe pretension has come unstuck. The Scorched Earth Policy in Economic War waged has not had intended result. But for the sufferance of the little guys, of which I am one, I would otherwise relish such failure of nefarious scheme - especially when some of the perpetrators meet Justice as born of the people, and pass away the remainder of their ‘natural’ lives incarcerated. No Liberty as of Citizen. No Equality as with Citizen. No Brotherhood - as with humanity. In the getting of just desert; as per John Gotti, of inflated importance as Gangster in comparison with real Gangsters in sense of War as Racket, for such is all these criminal plotters are as hide behind veneer of respectability in ‘Business’, while inflicting such sufferance on society and humanity through grandiose bauble and bangle scheme; such their notion of ‘price’ and ‘worth’. Justice lives eternal, but often at such price as causes wonderment. It may take time before clearly visible in the exaction, but Justice does live on. Ever may it be so. Put the foxes in charge of the hen hut and is it any wonder as there comes to be nought but feathers left? Deregulation is either a great or tragic thing, depending upon perspective. The likelihood statistical, on premise of gain determining viewpoint and numbers of individuals involved, is that it is tragic. As someone on the brink of having house repossessed, watching life savings dwindle; learning to make choice such as ‘heat or eat’, no need to ask which ‘camp’ this article represents. Such disruption of life as collateral damage to what is as no more than grandiose scheme of bauble and bangle; being such as is thought when looking in mirror to shave. Just part of the price as was calculated in the balance of the worth, and as consequent of a particularly grubby and dirty scheme at that, which has undoubtedly been years in the making; as in Rome not being built in a day. As being but collateral damage in such warfare raged, and inhabiting Economic scorched earth as most of us in Western World now stand upon, as being just a tad upset by such goings on. Not to say caused smidgen of disgust. Quite simply, it is time to show such parasites with their grandiose schemes of global financial dominance the door, and in such cleanout put a few more of the consequences of their antics right. As well as to refute that this ‘global’ financial meltdown is a mere product of ‘happenstance’; no matter the stooges trooped out with their bullshit designed large part to baffle in explaining otherwise, or that things ain’t that simple - and no matter the absolute nonsense cooked up in such as mind of spinmeister to distract by way of attention and executed by well trained and disciplined media army in respect of the feeding of line aka ‘crap 99 and 44/100 percent pure’, to ‘Joe six pack’. Things are really simple when it boils down to it; when the crap is cut. Here’s a platitude of Full Spectrum Global Financial Dominance now being recognised in context of hubris of Empire: Greed as an evil contains within it the seeds of its own destruction. Herein a ‘simplistic’ take in a nutshell of what has been going on, and as trying to cut through smoke and mirrors in the perception. Call it nonsense, but do please try to refute it as according to the way Ghandi clarified. Such goes: ‘First they ignore you, then they fight you, then you win.’ The root cause of current financial malaise in America and in Europe is the expression of attempt by Financiers and Bankers in America to extend the basis of control geographically and by way of ‘feeding off’ greater GDP in the aggregate by way of control of financial system as control of ‘lubrication of Economy’ , and as required substantial capital withdrawn in mounting of the attempt. Full Spectrum Global Financial Dominance, indeed! Plainly put, there are a bunch of greedy swine in America who have through fiat currency imposed a hidden taxation for many years now on America as well as the rest of the World, form of ‘petrodollar’ included, and have recently implemented nefarious and grandiose scheme to extend dominance further by grabbing control over the financial levers of European banking and finance through pursuing a scorched earth policy in act of Economic War as was to lead to a financial invasion of capital withdrawn and control. America is suffering now because of it. So are you. So am I. So is Europe. China stands to gain by it, as nefarious scheme gone ‘belly up’ seen as opportunity, in the weakening of competitors. Want to know where all the money from the American economy has gone? Try looking in the economic war coffers of such as the Federal Reserve, other than in the bank accounts and investments of such as Richard Fulds, as small dog of such warfare hung out to dry as bad guy distraction. Oh yes, hold such candle as mustered in asking ‘Do you think it is fair?’ –just don’t take those billions from same. That could be the start of a dangerous line of thought and action. Try looking for it in source and application of funds of IMF as was planned. Try looking for it in objections raised concerning key personnel of same institution within a pragmatic and historical framework, and who raised such objection. Try thinking of the loss of your home, life savings and the future for your children as capital withdrawn as was required for planned invasion into Scorched Earth, as Policy of Economic War. Look at it like metal railings and fence posts taken for war effort, in the meltdown to produce guns and munitions. ‘Hey, where’d that fence go, was there yesterday I’m sure – ain’t that kind of dangerous?’ You’ve heard the phrase ‘too big to fail’? Well the ‘people’ who have carried out such plan, as has failed, make use of such phrase as and when, to line their own pockets. What is more, in seeing themselves as ‘Masters of the Universe’ and as being ‘too big to fail’ themselves, I have some news from small quarters – there is going to be a bonfire of such vanity, way of lighting up things in darkness. The European financial system, under leadership of the Germans, despite the claims by Gordon Brown as UK Prime Minister, is now in process of consolidating itself as a ‘financial fortress’, and has a growing armoury of financial defence strategies at its disposal. Some of the best minds in the business are at work on such right now in Europe. The Chinese watching proceedings with great interest, as the dollar and the euro fight it out, just waiting for the yuan to rise as eminence grise context of world currency. Nine percent stake just fine in ‘reverse takeover’? As to Russia - well conflict makes for strange bed partners indeed, and Putin’s interest in Judo and clever use of force may find parallel in Geo Strategic Policy. As ‘insurance’ the Chinese have played along with the trade deficit being run by America– they could teach a thing about hedging bets - as well as the exercise of control over currency in the exchange. New moon arising concerning such cunning? There is a phrase in Chinese beyond my reach here - but take it from me it does exist. Perhaps someone wiser can elucidate, but it is parallel to great Roman Maxim of ‘divide and conquer’. Now American Financiers as are party to the implementation of this plan for Global Financial Dominance may well be scratching their heads, if not tearing out hair and gnashing teeth, as to why Europe failed to fall into lockstep with the plan, despite the initial promise shown by France and Italy. Let me elucidate; way of Citizen of World, such picture emerging. The Europeans (German/ English axis) had a long hard look at what a small coterie has done with America as an expression of ‘control’; at the vast disparity of wealth in America and the cruelty of such inequity; at the squandering of resources in the expropriation by a few and the sufferance of the many – had a look at the root cause of the financial malaise - and they woke up and smelled the sulphur, if not the coffee. They found such to be beyond the pale. They were not willing to cede control at such expense, regardless of enticement as well planned, in the readiness of quick IMF fix as part of grandiose scheme. They did not make the requisite calculation of ‘price and worth’ as could be put. The big pot in the Economic War waged, and as so cruelly accrued, has been gambled – and America has lost. Not that Europe is rejoicing, or has ‘won’; it is hard to dance on scorched earth when all hands, financially speaking, must be turned towards the pumps, or manning battlement. But - the guard is up as to ‘dirty money’, and the attempt is well underway to flush such out of the system, so far as is practicable and as involves guilty party American - Europe having a few of it’s own such guilty parties. All pretense as to the intent of the enemy is gone. The trust between European financial institutions has been severely damaged, but will be recovered, and, following the dictum concerning poison, i.e. ‘what does not kill you makes stronger’ will indeed eventually be resultant in a ‘stronger’ European Economy than before. That is if the Chinese plan goes agley as best laid scheme alike. Get rid of one, and another arises, as it goes. ‘Meet the new boss, just the same as the old boss’ as put. To elaborate further… The Project for a New American Century Full Spectrum Dominance Financial is dead in the water, rivalling the Thousand Year Reich of past and anticipating the ‘Decade of Red Book’ or ‘Year of the Yuan’ the future. America, in sense of the Citizenry that is at it’s heart if not it’s head, is waking up to the reality of what has been done in it’s name - when it was really for the benefit of a few stateless parasites with great greed and global dominance aspiration. As in real war, when it is always the ordinary soldiers who suffer greatest, as in Economy most sufferance drawn from the poorest, so it is in Economic war. For want of more control over Global Finance, the fabric of American society, the Constitution, has been torn apart; at expense of ordinary Citizen. If you, fellow Citizen, want to know where the crime originates, want to know where the ruination material of so many lives stems from, just follow the money. Look at which banks have gained further control in the American Financial System, by way of consolidation, this situation. That is where the guilt lies. What is more, look to the past as a lesson, as in time of Smedley Butler and Franklin Roosevelt. (therein some tale for sure). Look at the squeeze exerted and ask ‘Why?’ Look at Henry Paulson as front man, and at what behind. Go beyond ‘happenstance’ and start to get the big picture, geo strategically and macro economically speaking. It’s difficult to steal an entire Economy under conditions of pitch darkness, let alone in broad daylight. The bigger the financial crime, the bigger the trail of money to be followed. Look at the dismantling of the regulations, and wonder ‘why’, form of that great question: ‘Cui Bono?’ One of the marvellous things about Democracy is that the ordinary Citizen has a voice. He or she has a stake, and entitled to speak up. The truth, when out there, rises above it all, including such as ‘party political’ And it has an effect! Who gives you the right to call into question what is the area of expert, that which takes years in the accumulation of wisdom and the learning of new language, - you a mere ‘Citizen’? Who the hell do you think you are – part of the kleptocracy? As in:
When your home, your livelihood, the future of your children, has all been put on the line as no more than pawn to be sacrificed in power game macro economic; when you can feel the fear of all about falling apart as consequence of no more than as amounts to greed – yes indeed , there is a new meaning to ‘gloves being off’ – and balance of price and worth. And when it all boils down to it, putting aside such as experts and jargon, terminology such as scorched earth policies and geo economic strategies, Full Spectrum Dominance and weapons of financial mass destruction, global channels of delivery, hegemony and grand name for plan such as New American Century, Thousand Year Reich as bullshit pure, it is all about what it means for the Citizen as pawn in gambit, and such basics as having a roof above head, or paying the grocery bill - or seeing a smile on the face of your child, or other as is loved. Of being able to support a life in liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of being able, as the Scottish Bard Rabby Burns put it:
This is what it is all about, is real price and worth in calculation meaningful. As of other as cared for as for self. When it is so reduced, that can be the glory of Democracy – that the citizen has a voice; a power more than pawn. In America it was written; form of Constitution. Herein a fond hope that power is realised, how tide will turn for Citizen and humanity, how that there can be as when ‘terminology’ must be translated, a moment such as:
- and then the ‘photographs’ - as in nefarious schemes revealed. Then, after cleanout, we can get back to trying to live our lives proper. Thence Democracy; thence Citizenry; thence Humanity. Oh, let it be so. Other wise we’d all better start learning Chinese--and a new meaning to price and worth, as dominates lives, in the taking therefrom. Stephen Martin can be reached at: stephenmarti@yahoo.com
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