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Weapons Makers as ‘Welfare Queens’

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:23:32 +0000

The public never hears about war spending in the corporate media and how much everything actually costs. The United States has been spending billions on military machines, weapons, vehicles, and planes. Even though the estimated cost today per plane is $113 million, the Marines, the Air Force, and the Navy are planning on buying a combined 2,450 of them which would cost $323 billion. A single future weapons system is now estimated to cost the American taxpayer almost one-third of what the Obama administration’s health-care plan is expected to cost over a decade. Few politicians mutter a word about the F-35. It’s never in the headline news, even though the money is being taken from not-so-deep taxpayer pockets. Tom Engelhardt points out, “here’s an American reality: the Pentagon is our true welfare state, the weapons makers our real “welfare queens,” and we never stop shoveling money their way.”

Title: Weapons Makers as ‘Welfare Queens’

Source; News Source: Tom Dispatch.com, March 19, 2010

URL: www.commondreams.org

Author: By Tom Engelhardt

Researcher: Meghan Brandts

Faculty Evaluator: Julie Andrzejewski,

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The Secret US War in Pakistan

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:21:53 +0000

At a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, “snatch and grabs” of high-value targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan. The Blackwater operatives also assist in gathering intelligence and help direct a secret US military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the well-documented CIA predator strikes, according to a well-placed source within the US military intelligence apparatus.

The source, who has worked on covert US military programs for years, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has direct knowledge of Blackwater’s involvement. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the program is classified. The source said that the program is so “compartmentalized” that senior figures within the Obama administration and the US military chain of command may not be aware of its existence.

Blackwater’s founder Erik Prince in a recent interview with Vanity Fair that claimed that Blackwater works with US Special Forces in identifying targets and planning missions. citing an operation in Syria..

The previously unreported program puts Blackwater at the epicenter of a US military operation within the borders of a nation against which the United States has not declared war. Officially, the United States is not supposed to have any active military operations in the country.

Blackwater is also working for the Pakistani government on a subcontract with an Islamabad-based security firm that puts US Blackwater operatives on the ground with Pakistani forces in counter-terrorism operations.. This arrangement allows the Pakistani government to utilize former US Special Operations forces who now work for Blackwater, while denying an official US military presence in the country.

Title: The Secret US War in Pakistan

Source: The Nation, November 23, 2009

URL: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091207/scahill

Author: Jeremy Scahill

faculty Evaluator: Peter Phillips

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Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:10:29 +0000

The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency (IEA) who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying. The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the IEA to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves.

The allegations raise serious questions about the accuracy of the organization’s latest World Energy Outlook on oil demand and supply. In particular they question the prediction in the last World Economic Outlook, believed to be repeated again this year, that oil production can be raised from its current level of 83m barrels a day to 105m barrels. External critics have frequently argued that this cannot be substantiated by firm evidence and say the world has already passed its peak in oil production.

Now the “peak oil” theory is gaining support at the heart of the global energy establishment. “The IEA in 2005 was predicting oil supplies could rise as high as 120m barrels a day by 2030 although it was forced to reduce this gradually to 116m and then 105m last year,” said the IEA source, who was unwilling to be identified for fear of reprisals inside the industry. A second senior IEA source, who has now left but was also unwilling to give his name, said a key rule at the organization was that it was “imperative not to anger the Americans” but the fact was that there was not as much oil in the world as had been admitted.

The senior IEA official who blew the whistle on the organization’s tendency to overstate supply says the group is manipulating data in order to placate financial markets.”Many inside the organization (IEA) believe that maintaining oil supplies at even 90 million to 95 million barrels a day would be impossible, but there are fears that panic could spread on the financial markets if the figures were brought down further,” a senior IEA said.

Title: Key oil figures were distorted by US pressure, says whistleblower

Source: guardian.co.uk, Monday 9 November 2009

URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/peak-oil-international-energy-agency

Author: Terry Macalister

and

Title: Oil: A Market of Psychology of Fear

Source: IPSnews: Dec 8 2009

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49586

Author: Chris Arsenault

Faculty Evaluator: Peter Phillips

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Net Neutrality

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:51:35 +0000

Net Neutrality, the term used to describe free use of the internet without censorship from internet service providers, is still very much underground. Net Neutrality, as stated in this short article on The Washington Post‘s website, is mostly covered by the Free Press and receives little to no mainstream media coverage. While this article is by a mainstream media source, its main focus is on Robert McChesney, the person pushing to stop companies from having the ability to censor internet usage rather than on the problem of net neutrality itself. Some aspects of the problem are briefly mentioned in the article, such as slowing connection to certain websites and censoring criticism of political figures, however these and related issues have received scant coverage by the mainstream media.

Source: Kang, Cecilia. “Net Neutrality’s Quiet Crusader”. The Washington Post. Friday, March 28, 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/27/AR2008032703618.html.

Student Researcher: David Murray

Faculty Instructor: Elliot D. CohenSimilar Posts:

Fraudulent Election Practices in El Salvador by Right Wing ARENA Party: Left Wing FMLN Still Wins Despite US Involvement

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:24:47 +0000

On March 15, 2009 Mauricio Funes won the presidential election in El Salvador. He was the candidate from the Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional (Farabundo Marti for National Liberation), FMLN, left wing party.

A few days before the election a U.S. House Republican representative, Dana Rohrabacher(CA) said, “El Salvador’s election is on Sunday. If an ally of Al-Qaeda and Iran comes to power in El Salvador, the national security interests of the United States will require certain immigration restrictions and controls over the flow of the $4 billion in annual remittances sent from the U.S. back home to El Salvador.” Also Dan Burton (R-IN) made similar remarks. The mainstream media in El Salvador provided extensive coverage of the Republicans’ statements. This was a scare tactic where many Salvadorian news media reported that the TPS program (Temporary protection status) would be eliminated by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) for Salvadorian U.S. Residents

However, two days before the election the U.S. Embassy delivered a strong statement of neutrality distancing the Obama administration from the threats of the Republican representatives and promising to work with whichever party won.

Additionally many Salvadorian citizens were threaten by their employers and were told that they had to vote for Arena or be fired and even demanded employees to take a picture of their ballot to verify that they had cast their vote for right wing ARENA, Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (National Republican Alliance).

The night before the election there were reports of foreigners from neighboring Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras being bussed in and housed overnight in public government buildings and the national ARENA headquarters. Observers also saw dozens of mattresses trucked in and rapidly unloaded. In both instances ARENA officials appeared on the scene without a reasonable explanation for what was going on.

These foreigners were given fraudulent DUIs, Documentos Unicos de Identidad (Unique Identification Documents). There were reports of foreigners trying to pass as Salvadorian citizens and even a local TV reported a “Nicaraguan who had apparently voted 3 times in San Miguel before being caught by authorities.” Arena had also refused to supply equipment allowing poll workers to verify DUIs, there was no way to check the real identity of any voters.

FMLN members woke up at 2:00 am on election day to watch over the roads leading to the municipalities to prevent illegal voters from entering their towns. In San Salvador and San Miguel local residents as well as FMLN activist locked arms and sealed off buildings where foreigners were housed, vowing not to let anyone leave on election day.

Despite all of these illegal fraudulent activities, FMLN won with 57% to 36% lead.

Title: Si Se Pudo! Notes from an Election Observer

Source: Because People Matter: Progressive News and Views, SacIndyNews, May/June 2009.

Author: Susan Scott

Title:

2009 El Salvador Elections Analysis: The Road to Victory and Beyond by CISPES
Thursday Mar 26th, 2009

Source: Indybay.org

URL:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/03/26/18583029.php

Author: CISPES

Title: Dana Rohrabacher Speaks out on El Salvador Election, Clashes With Obama’s Administration

Source: OC180NEWS.com

URL:

www.oc180news.com/…/ Dana _ Rohrabacher … El _ Salvador …/18445

Author: Dolores Barr, Editor and Publisher, OC180NEWS.com

Title:Despite familiar attempts at election fraud, the Left finally wins in El Salvador

Source: The Comment Factory

Author: Johan Boyden

URL: www.thecommentfactory.com/despite-familiar-attempts-at-election-fraud-the-left-finally-wins-in-el-salvador-2110

Title: Funes acusa a ARENA de Fraguar un Fraude

Source elsalvador.com

Author: René Serrano, Liseth Alas, León López

URL:

http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/nota/nota_completa.asp?idCat=6351&idArt=3421062

Title: Nicaraguenses a Votar en el Salvador, Camino al Al Fraude 2009

Author: Agencias internacionales en Contrapunto

Source: Salvapress

URL: S

alvapress.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/nicaraguenses-a-votar-en-el-salvador-camino-al-fraude

Student Researcher: Nohemi Castaneda Martinez

Faculty Evaluator: Patricia Kim-Rajal, Chicano/Latino Studies.

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Global Censorship Technology Used in U.S.

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:44:11 +0000

Deep packet inspection technology monitors everything that goes through the internet. It is readily available in the United States and there’s no legislation that prevents the US government from employing it. Deep packet inspection is currently used in Iran. The Iranian Government has the ability to look through everything, land line telephones, mobile telephones, email, websites, looking for keywords and actually monitoring the entire traffic going through one chokepoint in Iran. Deep packet inspection is the use of sophisticated equipment that literally watches the entire internet for every piece of data, voice, and video looking for key words, such as “rebel” or “grenade.” It is widely known that since 9/11, AT&T and Verizon were being asked by the Bush administration to deploy this sort of off-the-shelf technology. And they did. Again, Obama came out against the law and said we must punish these carriers for doing this, because it’s illegal, and then he flipped under enormous pressure from the lobbies.

Title: Deep Packet Inspection: Telecoms Aided Iran Government to Censor Internet, Technology Widely Used in US”

Source: Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales, Democracy Now!, 6/23/09

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/23/deep _packet_inspection_telecoms_aided_iran

Title: Deep-Packet Inspection in U.S. Scrutinized Following Iran Surveillance

Author: Kim Zetter,

Source: Wired, June 29, 2009

URL-http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/06/deep-packet-inspection/

Student Researcher: Mira Patel

Faculty: Ben Frymer

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Iranian Election not Stolen

admin — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:39:01 +0000

Because the issue of whether the election was stolen will remain relevant, both to our understanding of the situation and to US-Iranian relations, it is important to recognize the legitimacy of the Iranian election results.

Title: Iranian Elections: The ‘Stolen Elections’ Hoax

Author: James Petras,

Source: Global Research, 6/18/2009

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14018

Student Researcher: Meg Carlucci

Faculty Evaluator: Janet Hess, PhD

Sonoma State University

Corporate Media Source:

Title: Was the Iranian Election Stolen? Does It Matter?”

Author: Mark Weisbrot, Washington Post, 6/26/2009

http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/was-the-iranian-election-stolen/Similar Posts:

The Hell of War Comes Home

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:22:24 +0000

Ten soldiers from Fort Carson’s 4^th Infantry Division’s 4^th Brigade Combat Team have been arrested on charges of murder, attempted murder or manslaughter in Colorado Springs since 2006. These soldiers have fought in some of the bloodiest places in Iraq, and when they came home toColorado Springs suffering the emotional wounds of combat, some kept killing. Kenneth Eastridge, one of the infantry soldiers, says, “The Army pounds in into your head until it is instinct: Kill everybody, kill everybody.” Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is like a roadside bomb.

The symptoms can remain hidden for months, then explode. Davida Hoffman, a counselor of a private clinic that treats Carson soldiers, says, “The more combat soldiers see, the more problems they will have. The more problems soldiers have, the more problems Colorado Springs has.”

Title: Casualties of War, Part I: The hell of war comes home

Author: Dave Philipps,Source: The Gazette, 7/24/2009http://www.gazette.com/articles/iframe-59065-eastridge-audio.html

Title: Casualties of War, Part II: Warning SignsAuthor: Dave Philipps,

Source: The Gazette, 7/24/2009http://www.gazette.com/articles/html-59091-http-gazette.html

Student Researcher: Jenni Schumann

Faculty Evaluator: Andrew RothSonoma State UniversitySimilar Posts:

British Global Brands Reject Amazon Deforestation

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:18:14 +0000

Four of the biggest companies involved in Brazilian cattle farming have joined forces to stop the purchase of cattle from newly deforested areas of the Amazon. Meat companies Marfrig, Bertin, JBS-Friboi and Minerva yesterday signed a formal moratorium in which they pledge better protection for the rainforest.

The move follows a three-year Greenpeace investigation, reported extensively in the Guardian in June, which exposed the link between forest destruction and the expansion of cattle ranching in the Amazon. The investigation prompted calls for action from key international companies, including food group Princes and footwear manufacturers Clarkes, Adidas, Nike, and Timberland, which threatened to cancel contracts unless their beef and leather products were guaranteed free from raw materials linked to Amazon destruction.

John Sauven, head of Greenpeace, said: “Today’s announcement is a significant victory in the fight to protect the Amazon. Cattle ranching is the single biggest cause of deforestation globally, and the fact that these multibillion dollar companies have committed to cleaning up their supply chains will lead to real change in the Amazon.”

Title: Global brands refuse to endorse ‘slaughter of the Amazon’

Author: David Adam,

Source: guardian.co.uk, 10/5/2009

www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/05/meat-amazon-deforestation

Title: British Supermarkets Acussed Over Destruction of Amazon Rainforest

Author: David Adam,

Source: guardian.co.uk, 5/31/2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/31/supermarkets-amazon-cattle-deforestation-greenpeace/print

Student Researcher: Dani Wright

Faculty Evaluator: Robert Girling

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No Water for Palestinians

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:16:53 +0000

In a new extensive report, Amnesty International revealed the extent to which Israel’s discriminatory water policies and practices are denying Palestinians their right to access to water. Israel uses more than 80 percent of the water from the Mountain Aquifer, the main source of underground water and the OPT, while restricting Palestinian access to a mere 20 percent. The Mountain Aquifer is the only source for water for Palestinians. Some 180,000-200,00 Palestinians living in rural communities have no access to running water and the Israeli army often prevents them from even collecting rainwater. To cope with the water shortages and lack of network supplies many Palestinians have to purchase water, of often dubious quality, from mobile water tankers at a much higher price. Others resort to water saving measures which are detrimental to their and their families’ health and which hinder socio-economic development. Israel has also imposed a complex system of permits in order to carry out water related projects. Applications are often rejected or subject to long delays.

Title: Israel Rations Palestinians To Trickle Of Water

Source: Amnesty International Website, 27 October 2009

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/israel-rations-palestinians-trickle-water-20091027

Student Researcher: Ashley Housley

Faculty Evaluator: Andrew Roth

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