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| === Read this newsletter online http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy === Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered Since The U.S. Invaded Iraq "1,252,595" http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html === Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America'sWar On Iraq 4,144 http://icasualties.org/oif/ The War And Occupation Of Iraq Costs $546,728,806,669 See the cost in your community http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182 === Who Started Cold War II? By Patrick J. Buchanan Had George W. Bush prevailed and were Georgia in NATO, U.S. Marines could be fighting Russian troops over whose flag should fly over a province of 70,000 South Ossetians who prefer Russians to Georgians. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20554.htm === Why Not Simply Abolish NATO? By Rodrigue Tremblay Since 1991, the Soviet empire no longer exists and Russia has been cooperating economically with Western European countries, supplying them with gas and oil, and all types of commodities. This has increased European economic interdependence and thus greatly reduced the need for such a defensive military alliance above and beyond European countries' own self-defense military system. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20561.htm === Are You Ready For Nuclear War? By Paul Craig Roberts In order to keep the billions of dollars in profits flowing to its contributors in the US military-security complex, the Bush Regime has rekindled the cold war. As American living standards decline and the prospects for university graduates deteriorate, "our" leaders in Washington commit us to a hundred years of war. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20555.htm === Crisis in the Caucasus. What Were They Smoking in the White House? By Eric Margolis The Bush administration appears to have pulled off its latest military fiasco in the Caucasus. What was supposed to have been a swift and painless takeover of rebellious South Ossetia by America's favorite new ally, Georgia, has turned into a disaster that left Georgia battered, Russia enraged, and NATO badly demoralized. Not bad for two days work. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20556.htm === The New Cold War Turns Hot How Washington's encirclement of Russia threatens us all By Antony Black The flare-up of hostilities in the Caucasus should bring to mind a similar case of the 'guns of August' almost a century ago. Then, a similar flashpoint (in Serbia) signalled the start of WW1. Fortunately, the nightmare conflagration of a WW3 has (hopefully) yet to be similarly ignited - though, truth to tell, it is not for the want of fuel heaped on the geo-political pyre by the global mafia don and its uncritical, cheerleading mass media. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20550.htm === Americans play Monopoly, Russians chess By Spengler The fact is that all Russian politicians are clever. The stupid ones are all dead. By contrast, America in its complacency promotes dullards. A deadly miscommunication arises from this asymmetry. The Russians cannot believe that the Americans are as stupid as they look, and conclude that Washington wants to destroy them. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20551.htm === The US Missile Defence System The magic pudding that will never run out By George Monbiot Poland is just the latest fall guy for an American foreign policy dictated by military industrial lobbyists in Washington. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20552.htm === Putin Makes His Move Accident of geography puts Georgia in Russia's way By ROBERT KAGAN The man who once called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the (20th) century" has re-established virtual czarist rule in Russia and is trying to restore his country's dominant role in Eurasia and the world. Armed with wealth from oil and gas; holding a near-monopoly over the energy supply to Europe; with a million soldiers, thousands of nuclear warheads and the world's third-largest military budget, Vladimir Putin believes that now is the time to make his move. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20553.htm === In case you missed it The Value of George Orwell By Charley Reese. "In our age, there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia," Orwell wrote. Earlier in the essay he had said, "In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12219.htm === How Foreign Policy Affects Gas Prices By Ron Paul How does foreign policy affect gas prices? One important factor is that oil on the world market has been priced in dollars exclusively since 1973. Only two leaders have gone against this arrangement - Saddam Hussein in 2000 and more recently Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the recently opened Iranian Oil Bourse which trades in non-dollar currencies. But since oil is otherwise exclusively traded in dollars, this means that oil producers have vast amounts of assets held in dollars. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20548.htm === Large U.S. Bank Collapse Seen Ahead By Jan Dahinten The worst of the global financial crisis is yet to come and a large U.S. bank will fail in the next few months as the world's biggest economy hits further troubles, former IMF chief economist Kenneth Rogoff said on Tuesday. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20557.htm === Exclusive Interview: Jim Rogers Predicts Bigger Financial Shocks Loom Fueling a Malaise That May Last for Years By Keith Fitz-Gerald Rogers talked extensively about the ill-advised bailouts of Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the potentially ruinous fallout from the financial "Super Crash" that's about to engulf the U.S. market. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20558.htm === The Greenback Blues: Something's Gotta Give By Mike Whitney Don't be fooled, most paper money is steadily losing value due to the wild expansion of credit which started at the Federal Reserve. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20547.htm === In Case You Missed It The High-Fivers More proof the Israelis were shadowing the 9/11 hijackers By Justin Raimondo This is potentially one of the most important 9/11-related stories ever reported, and yet the number of serious investigative pieces done on it can hardly be counted on the fingers of one hand. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20549.htm === Somalia: MPs Describe the Killing of 65 Civilians By Ethiopian Occupation Forces 'Massacre': This comes following more than 65 people were killed in Arbiska area after Ethiopian occupation force soldier opened fire on two civilian minibuses. http://allafrica.com/stories/200808180170.html === At least 5 killed as Ethiopian occupation forces attack Mogadishu market : Five people are reported to have been killed and at least 17 people wounded after Ethiopian forces fired mortar shells close to Mogadishu's main market, witnesses said. http://tinyurl.com/6m9836 === Somali factions formally sign pact: Somalia's government has formally signed a peace deal with some opposition figures, U.N. officials said on Tuesday, but the pact initialled in June has been rejected by hardliners and done little to quell violence. http://africa.reuters.com/country/SO/news/usnLJ347858.html === Kuwait Energy inks Somali state oil firm deal: Kuwait Energy Company (KEC) has signed a partnership agreement with the Somali government and Indonesia's PT Medco Energi Internasional to set up a state oil firm in Somalia, KEC's chief executive said. http://www.tradearabia.com/news/OGN_148062.html === Suicide bomber kills 43 in Algeria: Witnesses told AFP the attacker drove a car packed with explosives at the main entrance to the school as university graduates waited outside to start an entry exam in the hope of joining the paramilitary gendarmerie. http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/4932619/suicide-bomber-kills-43-algeria === Pakistan: 23 more killed in Kurram clashes: Twenty-three more people were killed in the strife-torn Kurram Agency on Monday, raising the tally of the dead to 227 as the ongoing tribal clashes entered the 12th day. http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=16701 === Pakistan: Pervez Musharraf to 'seek refuge' in London: The United States, a close ally in the war against terrorism, and Pakistan's army have demanded that the government allow Mr Musharraf "an honourable exit" that includes indemnity from prosecution. http://tinyurl.com/6ygb8c === Taliban kill 10 French occupation troops: At least ten French troops have been killed in a fierce fighting following Taliban insurgents' ambush near the Afghan capital Kabul, sources say. http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=66965§ionid=351020403 === Afghan officials clamp down on the press: "They questioned me and the next day arrested me," he says. "I was kept in a cell for two days. They kept telling me I should quit working in the media." http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0819/p06s02-wosc.html === Afghanistan's Karzai to Run for Office Again: The Afghan leader said his country is not yet at peace, and is without a properly functioning government. He said the Afghan people are still suffering in the war on terror and what he called the "war for stability" in Afghanistan. http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-19-voa45.cfm?rss=politics === Iraq: U.S occupation force kills 2 civilians near Arbil: "A U.S. force opened fire on a civilian car on the main road between Arbil and Dabieka district in Makhmour, killing its two passengers; a man and his son," http://tinyurl.com/65z5z2 === Iraq moves against some US-backed Sunni fighters: The Shiite-led government is cracking down on U.S.-backed Sunni Arab fighters in one of Iraq's most turbulent regions, arresting some leaders, disarming dozens of men and banning them from manning checkpoints except alongside official security forces. http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=302780 === U.S. soldier killed in Iraq: A U.S. soldier was killed in a rocked attack on a military base in southern Iraq on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/19/content_9522505.htm === Iraqi Forces Raid Provincial Governor's Office, Governor's Secretary Killed: Soldiers arrested the head of the provincial council's security committee, Hussein al-Zubaidi. The 41-member council suspended work to protest the incident. http://tinyurl.com/5sju4w === US mercenaries face prosecution over killing of 17 Iraqi civilians: Six Blackwater mercenaries have been notified that they could face prosecution in America for shooting dead 17 civilians in Baghdad's Nisoor Square in an infamous incident that provoked fury in Iraq. http://tinyurl.com/5lk7cl ==== Kurdish control of Kirkuk creates a powder keg in Iraq: Of all the political problems facing Iraq today, perhaps none is so intractable as the fate of Kirkuk, a city of 900,000 that Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens all claim as their own. The explosive quarrel over the city is one major barrier to creating stable political structures in the rest of Iraq. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/19/africa/19kirkuk.php ==== A $100 billion bill: Washington is headed toward another dismal milestone in Iraq. With more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers dead and a conflict that's outlasted World War II, now add a $100 billion bill for private contractors by year's end. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/14/EDM512BA7J.DTL === Iraqis buy billions in U.S. arms: "It's very hot," said Gen. Mohan al-Furayji, the Iraqi defense minister's top military adviser. "I'm afraid my soldiers won't be able to operate behind these tanks." His concerns threatened to derail an arms deal worth as much $2.16 billion. That alarmed Brig. Gen. Charles Luckey, who, on this sweltering day in the desert, was a salesman of sorts. http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-08-18-iraqtanks_N.htm === Russians begin to withdraw tanks A SMALL column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles last night left the strategic Georgian city of Gori, in the first sign of a Russian pullback of troops from the pro-Western former Soviet republic http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24210980-2703,00.html ==== Russia continues to withdraw troops from the conflict zone: Russia says it is continuing to withdraw its troops from the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone as stipulated in the six-point peace agreement, despite the Georgian side's not fulfilling the obligation to pull out its troops in turn.The withdrawal is expected to speed up after August 22, but the military says progress will depend on the situation on the ground. http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29215 === Russia closed the border with Georgia and Azerbaijan: Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin signed the decree on closing the border with Azerbaijan and Georgia for everyone except CIS countries' citizens. Today it was published in Russian Newspaper and officially came into effect. http://abc.az/eng/news_19_08_2008_26880.html === Russia, Georgia Near Accord on Monitors; NATO Strives for Unity: Russia and Georgia neared agreement for unarmed military observers to police a cease-fire, as NATO struggled for a common line on how to deal with a reassertive Russia. http://tinyurl.com/69x4q9 ==== Beyond Orwell: US to Russia: stop 'dangerous game': The United States has warned Russia to stop what it calls Moscow's "dangerous game" of using its military to assert its power. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/08/20088192385264468.html === Russia calls off meeting with NATO: He specifically emphasised that if NATO chooses to take such a position, Russia will not be able to maintain the high level and quality of Russia-NATO relations, and the blame for the collapse of the current global security system would fall on Washington and its allies. http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29191 ==== Russia won't be lectured by NATO - Lavrov: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been briefing the media in Moscow. He stated that the Russia-NATO council was created 'not for the purpose of disciplining Russia or educating it in terms of how it should behave.' http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/29231 === Russia Shrugs Off NATO Threats As "Empty Words" - Report: "On the whole, all of these threats that have been raining down on Russia turned out to be empty words," he said. He used an idiomatic expression to compare the NATO meeting Tuesday to a "mountain that gave birth to a mouse.". http://tinyurl.com/66f8h2 ==== Russia: Nato aids 'criminal regime': Russia has accused Nato of trying to "whitewash a criminal regime" in Tbilisi and seeking to rearm Georgia's leaders. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/08/2008819153459211313.html === US left isolated over Nato plans to maintain relations with Russia: The United States has been left diplomatically isolated after European members of NATO moved to reject an American proposal to scale back ties with Moscow following Russia's invasion of Georgia http://tinyurl.com/68pnvp ==== Russia seizes US vehicles: "Russian soldiers" held blindfolded Georgian servicemen at gunpoint and commandeered US Humvees in a dramatic sequence of events in the key Black Sea port of Poti. http://tinyurl.com/5dbedu === Russian General Accuses Israel Of Arming Georgia Military: Nogovitsyn also said that the Russian soldiers had detained 20 mercenaries near the Georgian city of Poti, including three Arabs, all wearing Georgian army uniforms. http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=15609 ==== Red Cross denied access to Georgian region of South Ossetia: A meeting between Kellenberger and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and other members of his government has also been cancelled, she said. http://tinyurl.com/6b3pub ==== NATO foreign ministers to send firm message to Moscow: "We are going to send the message that we are not going to allow Russia to draw a new line at those states that are not yet integrated into the transatlantic structures like Georgia and Ukraine," she said. "We are determined to deny them their strategic objective." http://tinyurl.com/6clrvl ==== Russia cancels U.S. navy visit to Russia: Russia's navy said on Tuesday it had cancelled a September visit by a United States navy frigate to a port in Russia's Far Eastern region of Kamchatka. http://tinyurl.com/5ppb5f ==== Source: Secret IDF material went unguarded in Georgia: Former Israeli soldier returns disillusioned from training Georgian soldiers for company owned by Brig.-Gen. Hirsch in preparation for war with Russia; says confidential army material such as charts, officers' names was revealed to foreign troops http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3583278,00.html === Most Russians support invasion of Georgia: While Western officials are mulling how to punish Russia for invading neighboring Georgia, most Russians view Georgia as the aggressor _ aided and abetted by a hostile West. http://tinyurl.com/5nmyap ==== Biden Calls For $1 Billion In Emergency Aid To Georgia: Biden, who is rumored to be very high on Sen. Barack Obama's list of running mates, met with Georgia's president and prime minister on the trip, further burnishing his foreign policy credentials ahead of Obama's decision. http://tinyurl.com/6aoxlp ==== Ukraine PM accused of 'betrayal': Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's office on Monday accused Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his "Orange Revolution" ally, of betraying national interests by not backing Georgia in its conflict with Russia. http://www.dawn.com/2008/08/19/int7.htm ==== India, Russia sign protocol on military technical cooperation : The two countries exchanged views on implementation of current projects like T-90 Tanks, Missile systems, various shipbuilding activities and aviation sector projects like the fifth generation fighter aircraft and multi-role transport aircraft. They also agreed to take steps for ensuring their successful implementation. http://tinyurl.com/6km9ys ==== Presstitute and war pimp alert: The Russo-Iranian Axis: Russia's rape of Georgia requires more than just a rethinking of how the West can protect other former Soviet states from a resurgent Kremlin. Every international crisis with a Russian component now takes on a new dimension. In the case of Iran's nuclear program, this means the European Union's insistence on U.N.-approved sanctions against Tehran may no longer be just naive but willfully negligent. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20560.htm ==== Presstitute and war pimp alert: Caution: A new reality: If Israel is dragged into a war, God forbid, it is liable to find itself very much alone. Israel cannot rely on the automatic involvement of America, which did not lift a finger to stop the brutal Russian offensive. President George W. Bush, in no rush to give up his summer vacation, made do with sending Condoleezza Rice to Georgia on a mission that was ultimately a condolence visit. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20559.htm ==== Iran plans to build six more nuclear plants: The country is building its first nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr with the help of Russia. It is expected to begin operating later this year. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1013118.html ==== Huckabee backs Jewish land purchases in Arab areas of Jerusalem : Ex-Republican governor of Arkansas makes two-day trip to Israel as guest of Jerusalem Reclamation Project. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1013139.html ==== Paraguay: Former slave gets cabinet position: A Paraguayan tribal woman who says she was captured in the jungle and sold into forced labour as a child has become a member of the the country's cabinet, vowing to improve the lives of South America's indigenous population. http://tinyurl.com/5dbkhk ==== The government of Peru suspended civil liberties following clashes between indigenous Peruvians and police.: The action is taking place in remote jungle regions where Indian groups are blocking highways and oil and gas installations. http://tinyurl.com/65rko4 ==== U.S. Extraditions Raise Concerns in Colombia: Fifteen other top paramilitary commanders have been extradited to the United States, raising major concerns among Colombian investigators, victims' rights groups and organizations such as Human Rights Watch, all of whom say complex investigations into paramilitary crimes are being thrown into disarray. http://tinyurl.com/6pve82 ==== Britain's terror laws have left me and my family shattered: I am innocent yet was detained without charge in solitary confinement for days on end. It was a devastating experience http://tinyurl.com/5noe6e ==== Wholesale inflation surged in July: Prices for past year rising at fastest pace in 27 years http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26286459 ==== Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Are Pounded: Share prices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plunged Monday amid growing fears that the two largest providers of funding for U.S. home mortgages won't be able to avoid a government bailout. http://tinyurl.com/5oj49p ==== Families forced to let homes they cannot sell: The seizure in the housing market is forcing families who cannot sell their properties to let them and move to rented accommodation, a new survey suggests. http://tinyurl.com/5b4smg === Let us work towards Peace and Joy | |
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