A Debt Culture Gone Awry

Information Clearing House Newsletter
A Debt Culture Gone Awry
08/21/07

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"The history of mankind is a history of the subjugation and exploitation of a great majority of people by an elite few by what has been appropriately termed the 'ruling class'. The ruling class has many manifestations. It can take the form of a religious orthodoxy, a monarchy, a dictatorship of the proletariat, outright fascism, or, in the case of the United States, corporate statism. In each instance the ruling class relies on academics, scholars and 'experts' to legitimize and provide moral authority for its hegemony over the masses." : Ed Crane

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Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power: Benito Mussolini

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"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group," : Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Fascism is capitalism plus murder." : Upton Sinclair

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Read this newsletter online http://tinyurl.com/dy6yy

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Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered Since The U.S. Invaded Iraq 1,017,086
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/iraq/iraqdeaths.html

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Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America'sWar On Iraq 3707
http://icasualties.org/oif/

Cost of U.S. War and Occupation of Iraq
$453,965,872,213

See the cost in your community
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

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"Inshallah"

By Cindy Sheehan from Amman

The Iraqis wanted to assure us that the violence between Iraqis is caused and encouraged by the Americans who want Iraqis fighting each other to create this chaos that allows America to steal their oil and otherwise destroy their country.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18226.htm

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Iraq Progress Report: A Time to Assess and Reflect

By Stephen Lendman

We're now "losing two wars and creating a vast arc of profound strategic and political instability from the Mediterranean Sea to South Asia." In addition, we reignited the arms race in Europe, turned a friendly Russia into a foe, and are heading the country toward possible bankruptcy through reckless fiscal policy.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18227.htm

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Back to School During Wartime

By Sunsara Taylor

You didn't carve up the earth with man made borders, subjugate whole peoples, drive millions from their families and homelands in a desperate search for work in the leaner and meaner globalized economy-but you can't escape the fact that the clothes on your back, the food you eat, the roads you drive on, the computers you use were all made through this global system of capitalist exploitation and plunder, including of millions of children literally chained to machines working 12, 14, 16 hours a day.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18229.htm

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The Rove Legacy

4 Minute Video: Bill Moyers bids farewell to Karl Rove

"Greed and God won 4 elections in a row".
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18228.htm

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A Debt Culture Gone Awry

By Hamid Varzi

The U.S. economy, once the envy of the world, is now viewed across the globe with suspicion. America has become shackled by an immovable mountain of debt that endangers its prosperity and threatens to bring the rest of the world economy crashing down with it.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18231.htm

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The Authority to Abuse the Constitution

The FBI's New Power

By Saul Landau

On August 4, ignoring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich who had spoken of Bush's "phony war" on terrorism, Congress authorized vast authority for repressive agencies to spy further on the public. Under the pretext of "fighting terror," the bill opens further already existing wide parameters for telephone and email intrusion without court warrants.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18230.htm

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What We Chose To Ignore

5 Minute Video

A brief summary of presidential directives, executive orders, and congressionally approved bills that where signed into law over the last 40 years or so.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18225.htm

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Iraq: At least 46 killed as U.S. occupation grinds on:

The bodies of 12 people were found in different districts of Baghdad on Monday, police said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2118534.htm

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US Marine charged with murder:

A US Marine has been charged with murdering a captured "insurgent" three years ago in Fallujah, Iraq, the US military announced on Monday. Sgt. Jermaine A. Nelson, based at Camp Pendleton in California, is the second man charged in a case centred on allegations that a Marine squad shot a group of unarmed captives
http://tinyurl.com/2ns8l4

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Iraqi police involved with militias, UKs chief police adviser :

Iraqi police in Basra are continuing to engage in sectarian violence in the city, Britain's chief police adviser in Iraq warned Tuesday.
http://tinyurl.com/2sgepy

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U.S. senator calls for change in Iraqi leadership:

They warned that in the view of politicians in Washington, and of the American people, "time has run out" on attempts to forge a political consensus in Baghdad.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/21/asia/maliki.php

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Progress toward Iraq goals disappointing:

U.S. envoy: "We do expect results, as do the Iraqi people, and our support is not a blank check," Crocker said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070821/pl_nm/iraq_crocker_dc

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In case you missed it:

Why Iraqis oppose U.S.-backed oil law:

Across the political spectrum in Washington, members of Congress are now demanding that the Iraqi government meet certain benchmarks, which presumably would show that it's really in charge. But there's a big problem with the most important benchmark: the oil law. It is extremely unpopular in Iraq
http://tinyurl.com/378t34

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Report: Muqtada al-Sadr says Iraq's government is near its end:

"Al-Maliki's government will not survive because he has proven that he will not work with important elements of the Iraqi people," the cleric was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/20/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Al-Sadr.php

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Foreign policy experts take negative view of Iraq surge: survey:

A majority of US foreign policy experts -- conservatives and liberals -- believe the US "surge" strategy in Iraq is failing, in a sharp reversal of opinion from six months ago, a survey released Monday has found.
http://tinyurl.com/2teerx

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From her office in clouded cuckoo land :

Clinton says Bush's new strategy is working:

Clinton, seeking the Democratic nomination for president, praised the work that soldiers have done in Iraq but described the government there as "on vacation," leaving American troops in the middle of a sectarian war.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/08/21/clinton_0821.html

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Standing on the bodies:

Thompson tells veterans:

U.S. should remain in Iraq, rebuild military for global fight: Undeclared presidential candidate Fred Thompson says the U.S. needs to rebuild its military to fight global terrorism because leaders "took a holiday" at the end of the Cold War.
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6962107

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Final Abu Ghraib "abuse" trial begins :

A US military court has dismissed two of the most serious charges against the only ranking US officer accused of abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq.
http://tinyurl.com/3d6q42

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Human Rights Group Alleges Torture in Kurdish Prisons :

According to the report, abuse included beatings with cables, wooden sticks and metal rods. Human Rights Watch said some detainees had been held for as long as five years without facing trial.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-21-voa38.cfm?rss=middle

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Iranians order Kurdish border villages to evacuate .

Local sources said that the said flyers, written in Kurdish, instructed the Kurds to relocate in order to avoid damage that either ground or airborne military operations could cause to them during attacks against anti-Iranian fighters.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/96133.html

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Why is Iran Shelling Iraq?:

Iranian artillery shelled villages in the Qandil mountains that are home to various Kurdish militant groups, one of which - the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PEJAK) - is waging a guerilla insurgency against the Iranian government.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1654449,00.html?xid=rss-world

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Iran warns against further nuclear sanction:

Iran warned the UN Security Council on Monday against imposing new sanctions over its nuclear drive, saying such a move would render its cooperation with the UN atomic agency and other talks "sterile".
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070820/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpolitics

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Turkish PM warns military :

The army, which has expelled four governments in the past 50 years, has opposed Abdullah Gul, the foreign minister, becoming president because of his past involvement in political Islam.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8A5B2021-8C96-4886-B0B7-30FB5A8F2040.htm

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Alice in Wonderland - Iraq, ZNet and the art of numbers :

Why are there so few people complaining and voicing outrage?
http://www.thecatsdream.com/blog/2007/08/alice-in-wonderland-znet-and-art-of.htm

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24 killed in Afghanistan clashes :

At least 24 people including two police officers and 19 Taliban were killed in clashes as fresh violence swept through insurgency-hit Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.
http://www.afghannews.net/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=2286

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Taliban behead 7 Afghan "spies" in 10 days-official:

A Taliban spokesman said those executed had been captured along with proof, such as laser equipment used for guiding air strikes, that showed they were working for foreign troops.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/CrisesArticle.aspx?rpc=401&storyId=ISL15845

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More Afghans 'to flee' conflict :

The United Nations has warned that more and more Afghan civilians will be forced to flee their homes, if the conflict in Afghanistan continues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6956155.stm

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Suicide blast kills Pakistan troops :

A suicide car bomber has struck a security post in a tribal area of Pakistan, killing six soldiers and wounded 18 more
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7682555D-F377-4096-8E84-3015C2B59BA4.htm

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Israeli occupation forces kill three Palestinian resistance fighters and two children in Gaza:

The bodies of the two boys, cousins Fadi and Abed al-Kafarna, were shown to reporters at a local hospital. One of the bodies appeared to have been cut in half by the blast.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL21215620070821?rpc=401&

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EU to resume Gaza fuel aid :

The European Union has said it will resume financing fuel supplies to Gaza's only power plant on Wednesday, after five days of blackouts in the impoverished Palestinian territory.
http://tinyurl.com/2of4tc

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'US pushing Israel to attack Syria' :

The paper said that recent moves made by the US including supplying Israel with weapons and agreeing to a $30 billion aid-package are methods the country was implementing to push the Jewish state to wage war on Damascus.
http://tinyurl.com/ysqa8d

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Joseph Liberman: Al Qaeda's Travel Agent: Damascus International Airport is a hub for terrorists.:

The United States is at last making significant progress against al Qaeda in Iraq--but the road to victory now requires cutting off al Qaeda's road to Iraq through Damascus.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010496

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Lebanon: Soldier shot dead in Nahr Al-Bared :

A Lebanese army sergeant was shot dead Tuesday in the clashes with the Fatah Al-Islam terrorist gang, which has been barricading themselves in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1835882&Language=en

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Lebanon's military allows militants' families to leave camp:

The Lebanese army has accepted a request by Islamic militants holed up in the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp to allow their families to leave the heavily destroyed area, a military official said Tuesday
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3440391,00.html

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African countries slam UN over Somalia war:

African countries within the UN security council have broken ranks and criticised the organisation's powerful organ for no action taken regarding the ravaging war in Somalia
http://www.sabcnews.com/world/north_america/0,2172,154420,00.html

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CIA Missed Chances to Tackle al-Qaida:

The CIA's top leaders failed to use their available powers, never developed a comprehensive plan to stop al-Qaida and missed crucial opportunities to thwart two hijackers in the run-up to Sept. 11, the agency's own watchdog concluded in a bruising report released Tuesday.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/21/ap4040920.html

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In case you missed it:

Operation Northwoods: acts of terrorism that never happened:

In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3140.htm

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Cheney's Office Says It Has Wiretap Documents:

Vice President Cheney's office acknowledged for the first time yesterday that it has dozens of documents related to the administration's warrantless surveillance program, but it signaled that it will resist efforts by congressional Democrats to obtain them.
http://tinyurl.com/37m8fv

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National ID? How about a global ID?:

The cultural gap with the public in general is still too wide," said Dr. Mike Mestrovich, president of FiXs. "I think there would have to be a public consensus to move us in that direction and I don't see that happening until at least 2009 or beyond."
http://tinyurl.com/23hbu7

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Summit prompts super-government fears:

President Bush's two-day summit with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, in nearby Montebello, is raising fears among some conservatives that the three governments are planning a European Union-style super-government.
http://tinyurl.com/yqvuty

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Two casualties of US mortgage meltdown racked a combined $1.8bn in losses:

The ninth-largest US bank by market value, Capital One, and one of the biggest US credit card providers, which bought mortgage provider GreenPoint in last year's $13.2 billion purchase of North Fork Bancorp, of Melville, New York, on Monday announced the closure of the unit with the loss of 1,900 jobs .
http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_1010861.shtml

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July Foreclosures Up 9 Percent From June:

The number of foreclosure filings reported in the U.S. last month jumped 93 percent from July of 2006 and rose 9 percent from June, the latest sign that homeowners are having trouble making payments and finding buyers during the national housing downturn.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070821/foreclosure_rates.html?.v=5

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SunTrust Banks to shed 2,400 jobs in restructuring :

Regional banking group SunTrust Banks said Monday it would shed some 2,400 jobs by the end of 2008 as part of a restructuring program aimed at trimming costs and improving shareholder value.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/SunTrust_Banks_to_shed_2_400_jobs_i_08202007.html

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Global Warning: Brutal lessons from an Antarctic summer :

Here is climate change in action, Antarctica as a living experiment
http://environment.inde