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Under the Radar: Ten Warning Signs for Today
1. Protest war, lose your property?
On July 17th, The White House quietly announced an Executive Order entitled "Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq." Among other developments, it gives Bush the power to "block" the property of people in the US found to "pose a significant risk of committing" an act of violence which might undermine "political reform in Iraq."
The terms "significant threat" and "act of violence" are unclear. If you attend a demonstration against Bush's definition of "political reform in Iraq" would that count? How about writing an angry letter to the editor?
The vague language also includes outlawing "the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order." What if you donate to an anti-war group which, outside of your knowledge, has been blacklisted by the government? Does that mean that your property can be "blocked"?
Similar to the Patriot Act, the potential implications are staggering.
2. Market meltdown
Economic fallout from the subprime mortgage market collapse has extended further, with prominent investment company Bear Stearns admitting last week that two of its hedge funds, once estimated at $1.6 billion, are now of "very little value."
Meanwhile, the prestigious Bank for International Settlements released a statement warning that the global economy could be facing a Great Depression, and that the dollar in particular "remains vulnerable to a sudden loss of private sector confidence."
Fasten your seatbelts.
3. Escalating US military operations in Pakistan
Following 911, the Bush administration propped up Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf as a key ally in the "war on terror," spending billions of dollars on Pakistan's military while ignoring Musharraf's support for the Taliban. Those days might be over. Just last week, the White House announced US military forces could be deployed to strike "actionable targets" in the country - with or without Musharraf's permission.
The Bush administration threatened to bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" in 2001 if it didn't deal with the Taliban, but Musharraf has so far been able to convince the US that if his administration falls, then Pakistan will be ruled by Islamists. As a former CIA officer recently told National Public Radio, "I've heard Gen. Musharraf ... tell American presidents that if you don't support me, the next person will be the 'bearded ones'."
But Musharraf faces growing domestic opposition for his strong-arm tactics, and while last week's brutal storming of the Lal Masjid Mosque in Islamabad may have won bonus points in Washington, it only served to further alienate the Pakistani people.
In other words, US military action in Pakistan will most likely destabilize the Musharraf government, and may in fact push Pakistan's nuclear arsenal into the hands of a government of "bearded ones."
4. Loose nukes
It was recently reported that the US had quietly removed 130 of its nuclear warheads from Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. That still leaves over 350 US warheads across Europe, but the question remains: what happened to the Ramstein nukes? The Pentagon and German Defense Ministry aren't talking, and it can't necessarily be assumed that the warheads have been destroyed. Shuffled to some different country with less stringent weapons controls or hidden away for use in future conflicts perhaps - who knows.
Meanwhile, in late June, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to fund by $66 million the production of even more nuclear warheads.
5. VP Arnie?
Schwarzenegger visited his hometown of Graz, Austria in late June, ostensibly to attend the birthday party of a friend. The warm welcome he received was quite a change from two years ago, when tensions flared with town elders over his position on the death penalty and failure to stop an execution in California. The war of words escalated until Schwarzenegger requested that Graz remove his name from a local sports stadium, and in a move reminiscent of high school crushes, he returned a ring which city officials had given him.
This time around, however, Schwarzenegger was conciliatory and local politicians clamored for photo ops - effectively sweeping bad blood under the carpet. How convenient, and how necessary, for Schwarzenegger and any ambitions he may have for 2008.
6. Cutting off Iraq's water supply
For years, the Turkish government has tried to get international funding to build a dam across the Tigris River. The potential impact on villagers and the environment has stalled the project, and both Iraq and Syria have expressed concern that the proposed Ilisu dam could give Turkey power over their water supply.
European entities considering funding the project have received strong public pressure to back out, and if they do, China appears only too happy to step in and help build the dam.
Meanwhile, an estimated 250,000 Turkish troops are amassed near Northern Iraq and just this week, the Prime Minister of Turkey threatened to invade the country.
Long story short, Turkey and China are increasingly likely to assume a major role in both Iraq and Syria. Doesn't bode well for the Bush's administration's plans.
7. GPS losing its way
The US monopoly over satellite navigation systems appears to be drawing to a close. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has enabled civilians to find their destinations and the military to coordinate troop movements and detect nuclear detonations, but the US system will soon face international competition. Global Navigation Satellite Systems are being developed by Europe, China and India while a Russian system may be operational as early as 2009 - another challenge to US hegemony on the international stage.
8. New Russian arms race?
This month, Russia pulled out of the Treaty for Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, established in 1990 to reduce the number of conventional weapons (such as tanks and combat aircraft) in Europe. Russia's move signals the latest salvo in a power struggle between European leaders and Russian President Putin, who is dead set against the establishment of new US military bases and anti-missile systems in eastern Europe and central Asia. But if Russia is not convinced to rejoin the arms Treaty, then by the end of the year it can establish weapons arsenals without NATO inspections and Putin may begin pulling out of other international arms agreements, as Bush has done. Could be the start of a new global arms race.
9. Murdoch's megalomania
Media mogul RupertMurdoch has his sites on Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal and Barron's, among others, and owner of stock market indicators such as the Dow Jones industrial average. Murdoch's News Corp already controls an outrageous number of newspapers, magazines, TV networks, cable channels and film studios across the world and as Business Week observed in 2004, Murdoch "is not shy about using his media outlets to pursue agendas, whether they're politically conservative causes or his own business interests."
For example, the UK's Guardian pointed out that every single one of Murdoch's 175 newspapers across the globe parroted his pro-war views before the invasion of Iraq.
News Corp offered $5 billion for Dow Jones, the board of directors gave its approval and as early as next week a final decision will be reached. If successful, Murdoch's power in the US will expand even further.
10. "Bring it on" Iran
The Senate recently voted 97-0 in favor of hawk Joe Lieberman's Amendment effectively blaming Iran for complicity in the death of American soldiers; it's worth noting that both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sided with Lieberman on the vote. Meanwhile, a third US aircraft carrier is on its way towards Iran and the UK's Guardian quoted a "well-placed Washington source" as saying "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo."
So the drumbeat of impending doom continues, along with warnings of upcoming false flag events - a new Gulf of Tonkin or 911 - timed before Congress votes on Defense Appropriations in September.
Stay tuned...
Heather Wokusch is the author of The Progressives' Handbooks: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now, Volumes 1 and 2. For a video of this article or to contact Heather visit www.heatherwokusch.com
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66 Comments so far
Show AllMASTERSHAKE: Rabblerowzer did an indepth job of citing all the presidential signing statements and posted his considerable effort as commentary to the CD article: "Earmarking the War Machine."
Thanks Sioux.
Oh and Billjv, to address your post about future terrorist attacjs. You can expect all the braindead conservative lackeys to begin the propoganda and excuses "Well Lincoln suspended Habeas corpus and declared martial law in DC..." It won't take long, after all, the administration funnels the conservative propoganda machine millions of taxpayer dollars.
That's another thing, taxpayer dollars going towards direct government propoganda- not just the poor integrity of the MSM in general. A little something that impeachment might shed some more light on.
Global fascism has arrived. 1984 is alive and well. There is no stopping it now. Orwell could not have been more correct in his visions. He predicted people would lay down for fascism. Well it's here and global government is the next step. They may even freeze your property if you protest!
What proof do Obama and Hillary have that Iran is responsible for our soldiers death? How can they believe intelligence reports after what we have learned about the phoney briefs that Bush and Cheney claimed about Saddam? Sounds to me like these Senators and phoney campaigners are in cahoots with the rest of the elitists and to hell with the average American citizen. P.S. Everyone should read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich".
Suggest to the young folks to read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich".
Someone wrote, they view a depression as nothing more than vast transfer of wealth.
Well, that view is not what a depression is all about. IF and when a depession hits, it hits overnight. There may be mass transfers of wealth, but for 98% of us, it will mean our credit cards will be frozen, almost all of the banks will be closed, all social security and any other government checks will cease to be deposited or mailed. Businesses large and small will close within a very few days.
There will be a run on supermarkets and hoarding will begin the first day. Within two to three days, all of the food stores shelves will be empty. Even if a few had any stock left, you would need cash to purchase anything. In a few more days there will be armed gangs of rioters roaming the neighborhoods in every city, town and suburbs, searching for food. People will kill for food if they must.__ Sorry, that is so.
Some people will begin to eat their pets and that is how it will be. There will be rioting like it has never, ever, happened. Cities will be on fire and don't expect any help from our government, Fema, the Red Cross, or churches. Everyone will be hungry and the millions of small farms that were here in 1929 are virtually gone.
It will be Katrina magnified a million times. That sounds terrible, and it will be terrible, there will be anarchy, racial riots and bloood in the streets.
That scenerio is not a wild dream, sit back for awhile and really think of how it will be when there is no food to eat and more than 80% of the public is armed.
Sorry, reality sometimes really sucks.
Impeachment now, then beginning the trial.
However, the trial will take time that is true.
It will be interesting for the American public to see the evidence presented in the prosecution and again in the defense during the trial.
Perhaps we will get to see the US government more clearly.
We have all the time in the world to advance the principles of democracy and work on practicing them.
One thing that ought to keep the Democrats from pursuing impeachment is that we may find that they were very willing collaborators in the crimes of the administration. It thus will make it just as hard to vote for a Democrat as a Republican
So let's have an impeachment and a trial and then let's clean house and find human beings to represent Americans in the Congress and Executive Branch
Gosh IHATENADER, that is the most refreshing blog I've seen in a month. I can stop worrying if you're right. I sure do hope you know what you are talking about. Buttttt, "hope" is just a nice four letter word.
So tell me, Naderhater, did the president commit ANY impeachable offenses? Did Bush and Cheney lie about why we went to war with Iran? Is it a lie that there are Senators like Joe Lieberman preaching Iran is a serious threat to our security and we may have to use force to put them in line? Are there presently three navel carrier groups off the shores of Iran? Did Bush write some presidential directives that are in direct conflict with our Constitution? Is our economy on the brink of collapse? If not why are so many big money boys afraid that it is? Do you have sone good inside information to the contrary? Would you be so kind as to eleviate our fears even more by answereing those easy to understand questions?___ Hope so.
Neoconned is largely right; in a world of gun-toting fascist brutes, liberals would maintain their liberty longer if they were a little less gun-shy. That's why I long ago stopped describing myself as a liberal.
If you want peace, struggle for justice.
If you want justice, you have to be prepared to bite the bullet and take a big stick to the bad guys' behinds once in a while.
If agitating for justice, equality and freedom is socialist, then I'm damn proud to be called a socialist.
Fascists take note: There are more armed and ready lefties out there than you care to think.
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Evelyn - I agree with you unfortunately and also IhateNader in some respects. I think the key s the amendment to Iran - 97-0!! What does that really say- well here's my tin foil hat explanation :)
I am not sure why more people are not discussing this- but it seems to me what is at stake is the very financial underpinnings of the United States.
What I mean is - that many economists recognize:
1. Debt has replaced collateral (gold/assets) as the engine of money creation. This is why debt burden has skyrocketed in the past few decades and so has money supply. The fact is that the treasury has STOPPED giving out the M3 money supply numbers because it is furiously printing up money to buy back bonds –so that everyone will continue to think there is confidence in the US economy.
2. This debt need never be repaid - if the most important commodity in the world (OIL) continues to be pegged to US dollars. This peg is essentially all that's holding the US economy together. If it were not for the fact that many countries 'need' US dollars to pay for Oil –why would countries like Japan, India and China buy US treasuries or hold US dollars.
3. The price of oil will continue to go up probably to 100 dollars a barrel –to continue to force central banks to 'hold' US dollars and thereby give 'value' to a scrip that has no backing and is grossly inflated- since China and Japan hold the largest amount of US debt. Think the black and white pictures of Post Weimar Germany with people using wheel barrows to transport money to buy bread!!
4. The price of gold has gone from $250 and ounce to $670 despite the central banks of Spain and England dumping tons (yes literally) of gold on the market to depress the price of gold and preventing a stampede out of the dollar.
The enormity of the US debt burden is the reason for the frenetic and crazed adherence to the war in Iraq (essentially controlling the oil) . If Iran were included in the picture – which it will be – then the US would control close to 80 percent of the world's oil. Only this much would be enough to prevent other oil producing nations such as Russia and Venezuela from being able to start the snowballing of the deterioration of value of the US dollar- think the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union. Even if Iraq's oil never comes on the market – it is fine –since the US still essentially controls 60 percent of the world's oil now! However- it should be noted that Iran, Venezuela and Russia have started demanding payments for their oil in yen and euros. This is also why China, India and Russia are investing heaviy in Iran and Russia will (it seems) back IRan if the US extends the war to Iran which it must. If Iraq and Iran are 'lost' then the 40-50 of the world's oil which does not need to be paid for in dollars will trigger the beginning of the end. BTw - it is a researchable fact that Saddam Hussein moved oil sales to the Euro six months before the invasion of Iraq.
At present – it is too early to tell if this gambit will play out successfully for the economic survival of the US. But in my view what is at stake here is the ability of the United States to continue to foist it's debt and inflation to the world until the time the oil runs out.
What is needed is urgent and focussed interventions. Bail outs to private equity corporations must NOT be allowed - such as long term capital alliance. Taxes MUST be promptly raised on these corporations and their subsudies revoked immediately, savings must be emphasized. The money supply must stop printing dollars in the dead of night. Congress must be made accountable. Thousands of empty governent jobs must be cut. Tens of thousands of over filled positions like police, FI, health departments must be trimmed and held accountable. Healthcare fraud must be prosecuted - it literally costs 20-50 billion a year.
In short - the 'people' must realize the government is bankrupt and demand fiscal responsibility. Although we may get an extension - with victory in Iraq/Iran -controlling the oil - that is NOT the problem. At some point - maybe our children(?) or grandchildren will live through a devastating financial crisis - if the debt burden is not relieved. Financial chicanery like 'borrowing' from Social Security funds, etc is ineffect a self-deception which will be extremely painful when it ends.
Great response to IHATENADER, Evelyn. It would be nice to say it's all sunshine and roses, but whether we crash and burn or just hit a bumpy road ahead, we are definitely approaching stormy times.
We really need the public to engage and pay attention. I fear it will take some sort of disaster to get their attention. And that's a maybe, with our spectacularly uncooperative MSM.
Damn neomunk!You've had me struggling to fire up my comedic synapses in an attempt to top you-no luck!But the following is in the same sardonic vein.
Take heart most of you on this site-before they come for you they'll be rounding up the likes of me.I bash shrub on this site and in phone calls.But most importantly I have a mental illness[bi-polar disorder].These creeps well know that some bi-polars pose a threat to them.In my case I mat be low on that list because of my age and lack of physical health but I have an ace up my sleeve-if they do grab me up for "re-education-my heart condition will allow me to croak on about the second dunk with their genteel waterboarding.A final gutteral Lithuanian-Italian curse will be all I can expect from these scumbags.
On a pragmatic note-can any historians on this site advise if this isn't the first time in history that a nation has cut taxes[only for the rich of course]in "wartime? That alone should convince everyone that these people are totally out of control.
"Evelyn Smith July 23rd, 2007 5:54 pm
Someone wrote, they view a depression as nothing more than vast transfer of wealth.""
Well depression happens after the majority of the wealth is stolen. Once inflation kicks in the remainder of the value is stolen as only debt remains.
Were you sending just me your financial lesson Shadow? I wasn't the person who wrote that remark. I was quoting another blogger. I believe I fully explained what I think will occur in the next depression.
Geopolitical economics aside, you guys have a internal problem with admitted law breakers. That alone requires more action. Our PM here is under some control for now. We can only hold him for so long, though, if your guys remain in power, or things escalate. The time is always now.
Acually - Canada, England, Denmark - many countries have been moving at a rapid pace to the Neocon tune. I mean we should create a more accurate name for: mullti-millionaires disguised as politicians invested in concentrating power and even more money int their hands by discovering the easiest way in the world to make a fortune is by bilking tax payers.
Canada - has signed several agreements where the fine print essentially reads - we are gonna sell out our people too. After all its not a difficult choice - look at Conrad Black - who was a complete bungler. Harper and other's are smarter and have chosen erosion as the method of choice- in the end- it is impossible for Canada to resist the hegemonical desires of the US - especially when they get to be on the so called winning side.