Obamanation Coronation: Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Bushbama

Martin Luther King on Vietnam*
from brasschecktv.com: Bushbama is getting his second four years. Bizarrely, there are still people who equate King and Bushbama. This must be some kind of a sick joke. Instead of wasting time on the inauguration, listen to this forty five year old speech that will trump anything said today or the next four years.

Corbett Report: Episode 224 - R2P or: How the Left Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Wars of Imperial Aggression

listen to corbett report on @RBNlive weeknights at midnight
from corbett report: If the last three years have taught us anything, it is that the so-called anti-war liberal left can be made to become cheerleaders for the same war agenda that they pretended to deride during the Bush Administration. How was this accomplished? A developing doctrine of international law called “Responsibility to Protect.” Join us this week as we expose the liberal “war is peace” agenda and ponder how best to disarm it.


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Latest Corbett Report Videos:
R2P: Imperial Conquest by Another Name
Change of Heart?: The Legacy of Darth Cheney
Foreign intervention undermined by Assad peace deal
US Using Kissinger “Food As a Weapon” Plan to Starve North Korea
A Must-See Documentary

Latest Corbett Report Interviews:
Interview 485 – The International Forecaster with Bob Chapman, Interview 487 – The International Forecaster with Bob Chapman

Previous: Episode223 - Revolution Impossible?

#OccupyWallStreet movement marks one month anniversary

video: thom hartmann on #ows anniversary*
from wamc: The "Occupy Wall Street" movement marked its one month anniversary Monday, as demonstrations spread to new places. But, questions remain about whether the protests can turn into political action... The various protests under the "Occupy Wall Street" theme are not centrally organized, but are unified by the belief that too much power and wealth rests in the hands of just one percent of the population. The demonstrators have tied this to all matter of social ills, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the foreclosure crisis and high unemployment.

police state updates:
state dept-funded agitator in dc advising occupy crowds*
attacks on ron paul by 'operation wall street' insiders*
#ows call for 'global governance'*
is #ows a communist movement run by socialists who wish to bring down 'free enterprise' system?*
poll: majority of zuccotti park #ows would vote for obama, again*
coming soon - 'real world: occupy wall street'?*
racial tensions at occupy philly?*
insider says “something terrible is coming… so for now, i'm getting out" of nyc*
cia officer holds mystery assignment at nypd*
govt refuses foia request for 'secret' interpretation of patriot act*
darpa hopes to sniff out who has fallen prey to dangerous ideas*
tsa expanding 'chat-downs' experiment to detroit*
video: tennessee becomes first state to 'fight terrorism' statewide: 'department of safety & homeland security partners with federal, state agencies for statewide safety operation'*
is the US declaration of independence illegal?*

econocrash:
does one 'super-corporation' run the global economy?*
coming derivatives crisis could destroy global financial system*
new reality for cities: no money for street lights, roving packs of wild dogs & open-air drug markets*
US 'misery index' rises to highest since 1983*
pennsylvania district allows advertising in public schools*
unpaid student loans top $1t*
1st-class stamp will cost 45 cents in january*
tsa spent $56.8b to keep us safe, did it work?*
napolitano says dhs authorizing illegals to work in US*
mexican trucks due to begin going deep into US*

blago guilty in chicagoland corruption & selling soetoro's senate seat

from dpa: Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was on Monday found guilty on 17 of 20 corruption charges in connection with trying to sell the Senate seat held by US President Barack Obama before he took office. Blagojevich was found guilty last year of making false statements to federal investigators, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other counts, setting the stage for a second trial.

He was found guilty of racketeering, extortion, soliciting a bribe and conspiracy. Some of those charges included shakedowns of a children's hospital and a horse racing executive. He was acquitted on one count of shaking down a construction executive and a verdict was not reached on two other counts, the Chicago Tribune reported. The newspaper reported he faces a significant prison sentence.

Leaving the Chicago courtroom, Blagojevich said he was 'very disappointed' by the verdicts. 'I, frankly, am stunned,' said Blagojevich, who has professed his innocence.

Blagojevich, 54, had been accused of trying to sell Obama's seat after he was caught on wiretap by federal investigators during a previous investigation. As governor, he had the power to appoint Obama's successor in the Senate until an election could be held be held.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested in December 2008 - weeks after Obama won the presidential election - after being recorded in a profanity-laced conversation describing the Senate vacancy as a 'golden' asset for which he was seeking political or financial returns. The Illinois General Assembly impeached Blagojevich the following January and removed him from office.

related obamessiah updates:
audio: cynthia mckinney & the anti-war left steps up against obama*
video: maher says obama 'sucking up to the people he should be fighting'*
obama dismisses libya criticism as political 'fuss'*
video: msnbc suspends political analyst mark halperin for obama remark*
libya folly may cost barry the black vote in 2012*
video: the routine that got obama impersonator yanked off stage*

antiwar republican ron paul declares presidential candidacy

from dpa: Texas Congressman Ron Paul announced Friday his bid to gain the Republican Party nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in the 2012 election. Paul, 75, made the announcement on ABC Television's Good Morning America. A radical free-market libertarian, Paul was a fringe presidential candidate in 2008 whose small but loyal following raised unexpected millions of dollars for his campaign, though he fell well short of the conservative party's nomination. Opposed to nearly all foreign military deployments, Paul was one of the few members of Congress among the hawkish Republicans who voted against the 2003 Iraq invasion, and he has called for a US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Paul, a medical doctor by training, had already formed a presidential exploratory committee last month. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, declared himself a candidate on Wednesday. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, another failed 2008 candidate, and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty have formed exploratory committees for their expected presidential runs.

related updates:
trump won't run for president*
huckabee rules out 2012 white house run*
re-election no joking matter for obama*

warwhores: veteran's day edition

10 hard truths about veterans day*
veteran's day - war profiteers say thanks to the pawns*
bombs away: afghan air war peaks with 1,000 strikes in october*
no charges over destruction of cia interrogation tapes*
torture tapes destruction, another crime unpunished*
US to boost military aid to israel*
denouncing the insanity of permanent war*
no antiwar views expressed on pbs news*
why must we look to the past for antiwar songs?*
video flashback: t.s.o.l. 'suppose they gave a war & no one comes'*

10/28 newspurge: red right hand

9/11 updates:
video: 'building what?' tv ad to air on election day in nyc*
thedarklegacy.com: john hankey on 9/11 & the jfk connection*
911blogger.com accused of working for the other side?*
roseanne barr for 9/11 truth*
video: uncovered 9/11 footage shows fbi director asking firefighters about 'secondary hits' on wtc*



biowars/envirohealth:
reappearance of huge oil plumes makes it hard to pretend problem has disappeared*
allegheny county bioterrorism lab opens*
quadruple-dose seasonal flu 'super' vaccine now being aggressively pushed onto senior citizens*
glaxo to pay $750m over tainted & ineffective drugs*
united nations urged to freeze geoengineering projects* update: united nations' convention on biological diversity bans geoengineering
video: 'what in the world are they spraying?'*

econocrash:
insider selling volume at highest level ever tracked*
fabian society's london school of economics predicts 'savage austerity' for US*
30 reasons why people should be getting really nervous about the state of US economy*
video: 99 weeks - when unemployment benefits run out*
janitors w ph.d.s: why we're spending way too much on higher education*
schools open lockers to advertising*
US falls in annual corruption survey*
video: tarpley says US exports depression to china*

geopolitiks:
afghan president admits receiving 'bags of cash' from iran*
cia ghost osama threatens france on new audio tape*

history/mystery:
from protester to senator, fbi tracked paul wellstone*
video: fbi files on wellstone give new details on threats against him*
audio satire: archaeologist tired of unearthing unspeakable, ancient evils*

holy hexes:
do politicians need prayers?
o'donnell, obama, & others say 'amen'*
christine o'donnell says prayer impacts her polls*
opinion: is the tea party becoming a religious movement?*
video: satanists' event in oklahoma draws christian protest*
copycat effect: devil sighting causes 11 to jump from paris window*
french 'satanic defenestration' story thrown out the window? reuters downplays satanic connections*
mystery skulls mailed to byu history department*
radio host, witch doctor try to curse lebron james*

police state updates: surveillance & apple pie

fbi raids on antiwar activists -
intimidation, not investigation*
fbi launches mass raids of antiwar activists' homes*
feds expand war of terror, raid antiwar activists*
spying on its citizens: as american as apple pie*
the mysterious institute that spied on pennsylvania anti-drilling activists*
pennsylvania's homeland security chief goes in hiding*
video: counter-terror operation stops trucks on i-20 in atlanta*
feds radiating americans at internal checkpoints*
tsa to expand number of employees who will have secret clearances*
snapscouts.org - crowd sourcing crime prevention*
dhs will require minimum delay of 72hrs before flying as of nov1?*
big sis tries to force body scanners on other countries amidst backlash*
underwear bomber eyewitness, kurt haskell, on upcoming trial*
unruly passenger forces amsterdam flight's return to seattle*
boeing gets $89m to build unmanned aircraft that can stay aloft for 5yrs*
video: fbi informant divulges past in bronx terror plot trial*
video: real-time security cameras link nyc subway hubs*
orlando policeman breaks 84yr-old's neck*
terror attack to unseat chicago's mayor daley? enter rahmbo*
experts question shooting of arizona deputy*
mock drills held hours before new delhi metro station's real attack*
rothschild/cia publications attack 'constitution-worshipers'*
are americans too constitution-obsessed?*
video: notolls.com & council member meltdown in vancouver city, wa

ground zero: one nation under guard

thanks to zero point radio for new ground zero archives!
from clyde lewis: Another 4th of July is upon us and while I have fond memories of the day, sadly it's becoming more like Christmas. The commercialism & politics of the day seem to be far more important than what the day is set out to celebrate. It gets twisted to becoming a political holiday and much like Christmas it does not escape the debate over whether or not the United States is a country ordained by the Judeo-Christian God and founded on Christian scriptures & dogmas.

featuring guest: adam kokesh

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related: on why america's 234th birthday may not have many more to follow

previous episode: pledge of a grievance

remembering the antiwar origins of mother's day

from accuracy.org: Each year the president issues a Mother's Day Proclamation. The original Mother's Day Proclamation was made in 1870. Written by Julia Ward Howe, perhaps best known today for having written the words to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" in 1862 when she was an antislavery activist, the original Proclamation was an impassioned call for peace and disarmament. In the years following the Civil War her political activism increased, as did her condemnation of war.

4/22 newspurge: my mercury's in retrograde

9/11 updates:
'bin laden' facebook page shut down*
osama tried for satellite link to watch 9/11 from his hideout*
video: willie nelson talks 9/11 truth on larry king live*

biowars/envirohealth:
iceland volcano will have no impact on weather or climate*
ash-triggered flight disruptions cost airlines $1.7 billion*
rare yellowstone volcano eruption would be deadly*
oil slick spreads from sunken rig off mexican coast*
6.3-magnitude quake strikes papua new guinea*
cali man indicted for anthrax threat*
anthrax outbreak in bangladesh*
falsely accused ameri-thrax doctor speaks out*
four star general says US will be attacked in next decade*
army investigators call for increased safety procedures at lab*
widespread psychiatric drugging of infants & toddlers*
flu shots suspended after australian kids hospitalised*
china to sterilize 10,000+ detained parents over one-child policy violations*

econocrash:
massive govt corruption hidden by focus on goldman*

9/11 updates: veterans for peace, jersey girls & new documents

video: veteransforpeace.org -
1st antiwar group to demand new 9/11 investigation?*
12 new england towns demand 9/11 reinvestigation*
additions to complete 9/11 timeline: updates as of mar2*
historycommons.org: 9/11 commission documents about US consulate in jeddah*
'jersey girls' support architects & engineers for 9/11 truth*
pdf: 'destruction of wtc north tower & fundamental physics'*
video: fire couldn’t demolish wtc in 11 seconds*


previous 9/11 updates:
television, newspapers, town charters & documentaries

obama rebrands iraq war as 'operation new dawn'

prince of peace prize acts like changing name is ending war...
from afp: President Barack Obama's administration plans to rebrand its military operation in Iraq "Operation New Dawn," beginning September 1, a Pentagon memorandum shows.

The memo, signed by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, shows the Pentagon approving a request to switch the name of the US military effort in Iraq from its current designation - "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

"The request... is approved to take effect 1 September 2010, coinciding with the change of mission for US forces in Iraq... Aligning the name change with the change of mission sends a strong signal that Operation Iraqi Freedom has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission ," Gates wrote in the memo, first reported by ABC News.

mlk day reminder: US govt guilty of 'wrongful death' in 1999 trial

from examiner: Martin Luther King’s family and his attorney, William F. Pepper, won a civil trial that found US government agencies guilty in the wrongful death of Martin Luther King. The 1999 trial, King Family versus Jowers and Other Unknown Co-Conspirators, is the only trial ever conducted on the assassination of Dr. King. The King family’s attempts for a criminal trial were denied, as suspect James Ray’s recant of what he claimed was a false confession was denied. King’s family and Mr. Pepper allege that Dr. King’s speech calling upon America to end the Vietnam War, Beyond Vietnam: A time to break silence, and his plan for a 500,000 camp-in for Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1968 were a threat to dominant and fascist political factions within US government.

related updates: why is the fbi still hiding info about assassination of mlk? & a stolen painting, the murder of mlk, the fbi ... and steven spielberg

kucinich: US tax dollars help fund taliban attacks

more truth bombs from the man the dems should've nominated...
from raw replay: Ohio’s Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a strident anti-war crusader, cited a report on the floor of the House of Representatives Tuesday which claims that US tax dollars used to bribe the Taliban in Afghanistan also help fund attacked “on our troops.” RAW STORY has more details here. This video is from C-SPAN, broadcast Dec. 8, 2009.

updates: update: kucinich resolution to end the war*
kucinich: the war is a threat to our national security*
video: kucinich says afghans want to be saved from us, not by us*

US military 'spreading death' & meeting its recruitment goals

from russia today: Death rather than nation building - that's what the U.S. army brought to Iraq and is bringing to Afghanistan according to former army sergeant and anti-war activist Matthis Chiroux. He shared his views on the U.S. military campaigns with RT's Marina Portnaya.

bleak US job market boosts military recruitment
from reuters: Aided by a bleak job market, the U.S. military met all of its recruitment goals in the past year for the first time since it became an all-volunteer force in 1973, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. Military services have been stretched thin by conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, giving added weight to recruitment efforts as President Barack Obama considers sending another 40,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year. The United States already has 67,000 troops in Afghanistan and about 119,000 in Iraq. Pentagon officials said recruitment gains were fueled by the deepest U.S. recession since the Great Depression and an unemployment rate nearing 10 percent.

10/15 warwhores updates:
whew, glad we didn't elect a guy like this... oh, wait
mccain: big troop buildup needed in afghanistan*
US to send 'up to 45k more troops to afghanistan'*
retired general: mcchrystal should resign if denied troops*
rep holt wins congressional approval for measure to mandate videorecording of interrogations*
bomb-stopping drone team off to slow start in afghanistan*
rush delivery for mother of all bunker busters*
gordon brown pledges 500 more uk troops to afghanistan*
saic awarded $32m task order to support space & naval warfare systems center atlantic*

air force fires nuke commander, finally
from danger room: It took a failed nuclear inspection, two missile trucks crashing, and junior officers literally dozing off with launch codes. But finally, the Air Force has canned Col. Christopher Ayres, the leader of the bumbling 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D.

obamessiah updates: debts up, polls down & a mass vacation

obama raises 2010 deficit outlook 19% to $1.5t*

obama vacations as poll numbers keep falling
from washington times: President Obama set out for a weeklong family vacation Sunday facing the first stiff headwind of his presidency, with public polls showing his popularity has dipped as he has attempted an overhaul of the nation's ailing health care system. A series of national surveys has confirmed what was becoming clear as large groups of protesters rallied outside the speeches and town-hall events the president hosted last week in Western states. The Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll released Sunday showed that 41 percent of voters strongly disapprove of Mr. Obama's performance as president, compared with 27 percent who strongly approved. Rasmussen said those numbers are the worst ever for Mr. Obama. The 14-point gap between the two numbers is more than double the six-point difference in the Rasmussen poll as recently as Thursday. The total of "disapproval" responses, of whatever strength, topped the approval numbers by 51 percent to 48 percent. Using unusually strong language to describe the developments, borne out in a host of polls over the past week, political analyst Charlie Cook said in an e-mail to his subscribers that "the situation this summer has slipped completely out of control for President Obama and congressional Democrats... We believe it would be a mistake to underestimate the impact that this mood will have on members of Congress of both parties when they return to Washington in September, if it persists through the end of the congressional recess."

obama continues rendition & approves new team to question terror suspects*

did barack obama pal around with the cia?
from isteve: My favorite conspiracy theory for the last few months has been that the young Barack Obama benefited from some CIA favors along the way, perhaps in transferring to Columbia U. or in his getting his copyeditor job at Business International, a firm with, apparently, ties to both CIA and SDS. Here's a website called Cannonfire that pulls together, in a disorganized fashion, various bits of evidence. There's nothing conclusive, but the young Obama probably had many more indirect links with CIA before the age of 25 than you did.

new york democrat congressman jerry nadler says obama is 'violating the law' by not investigating bush officials*

jon voight: is obama creating a civil war in america?
from washington times: A Hollywood conservative has headed East. It's "Freedom Concert" time for Jon Voight. The Academy Award winner will join Sean Hannity in Cincinnati and Atlanta this weekend to honor fallen soldiers and present college scholarships to surviving children. Mr. Voight - a warrior himself in many ways - has been cogitating about the state of America, meanwhile. "There's a real question at stake now. Is President Obama creating a civil war in our own country?" Mr. Voight tells Inside the Beltway. "We are witnessing a slow, steady takeover of our true freedoms. We are becoming a socialist nation, and whoever can't see this is probably hoping it isn't true. If we permit Mr. Obama to take over all our industries, if we permit him to raise our taxes to support unconstitutional causes, then we will be in default. This great America will become a paralyzed nation."

video: tarpley says obama's false flag is waiting in the wings*


false flag at dem headquarters in colorado?
from kurt nimmo: It turns out the man accused of smashing windows at the Dem headquarters in Denver is a former Democrat. Earlier in the week a Democratic Party chairwoman said the vandals were people opposed to Obamacare. “An act of vandalism at Colorado Democratic headquarters that shattered windows next to signs about health care reform took a strange turn Wednesday when it was revealed that one of the suspects was a Democratic activist,” the Associated Press reported. “Democratic leaders initially said that the window shattering was an act of political vandalism, possibly by opponents of health care reform. But the political leanings of suspect Maurice Schwenkler raised the prospect that one of the party’s own might have vandalized its building to make a statement.” On Thursday, the crime took a turn for the weird. “In what a Republican lawmaker has touted as a bid to win sympathy for Democrats, an anarchist transperson allegedly shattered windows at the Democratic headquarters in Denver, Colorado,” Edge Boston writes today. It is said the accused vandal, Maurice Schwenkler, a.k.a. Ariel Attack, is a writer connected to “Queers Against Obama,” a fact established by Colorado Indymedia.

where is the anti-war movement in the age of obama?*

anti-marijuana zealot still employed by obama
from norml: No employee of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sans the director has ever drawn more public and academic criticism than David Murray, ONDCP’s chief scientist. Virtually an entire book was derived from the ONDCP’s twisting science and statistical data during Murray’s eight-year tenure—Dr. Matthew Robinson’s Lies, Damn Lies and Drug War Statistics, A Critical Analysis Of Claims Made By The ONDCP. You can watch Murray and Robinson debate about the drug war and ONDCP’s methodology at the Cato Institute here. Question: When will Obama and Holder finally kick Murray to the curb and replace him with someone other than another anti-cannabis zealot masquerading as a ’scientist’? The Washington Monthly’s Charlie Homans cast some much needed, white hot light in Mr. Murray’s direction: The Bushie Obama Can't Fire

cindy sheehan brings anti-war, anti-obama message to martha's vineyard & she says: we have the moral high ground*

white house christmas tree will be fir from west virginia
from examiner: A Fraser fir from West Virginia will be the Christmas tree displayed inside the White House this year. Tree farmers Eric and Gloria Sundback were selected this month as grand champions of the National Christmas Tree contest. It's a record fourth win for the Sundbacks. Their trees were displayed at the White House twice during President Ronald Reagan's administration and once under President Jimmy Carter. The Sundbacks have grown Christmas trees since 1956, including the past 50 years in Shepherdstown, about 80 miles northwest of Washington.

1st lady now requires 26 servants*

resistance is growing against the new financial world order

people all over the world are starting to wake up & speak up against the wars & against the banksters... but is it too little too late?

antiwar activist says obama's war policies worse than bush
from cns news: President Barack Obama’s war policies in Iraq and Afghanistan are criminal and worse than those of former President Bush, according to Adam Kokesh, who serves on the board of directors of the anti-war group Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)... “In some ways, Obama is worse than Bush,” Kokesh told CNSNews.com. “Bush wasn’t proposing a surge in Afghanistan – and Bush was talking about a quicker timeline for withdrawal than Obama... I’m not disappointed because I never had any hope in him,” said Kokesh. “All of the predictions of those of us who read the fine print about Obama have come true. During the primaries he sold himself very vaguely as a peace candidate and said he wanted to end the occupations... But when that congealed into something specific, I could see right away he really had no interest in reforming foreign policy or ending these occupations,” Kokesh said... When it comes to war policy, there were a number of presidential candidates who would have been better than Obama, including 2008 candidates Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), said Kokesh.

anti-war & anti-bankster protests in san fran

antiwar protesters march to pentagon
from ap: Hundreds of war protesters from across the U.S. gathered in Washington on Saturday to mark the sixth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq... Protesters demanded that President Barack Obama immediately withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq, saying thousands of Iraqis have died and thousands of American troops have been killed or wounded. Protesters lined up about 100 cardboard coffins on the ground draped with flags, including the American flag, representing countries where the U.S. has taken military action. Anti-war activists said even though former President George W. Bush is out of power, they are disappointed with what they see as stalled action from Obama. Several of them said they supported Obama during his campaign, but that his administration has let them down by not ending the war sooner.

activists protest bonuses at aig executives' homes

dodd in the hot seat over aig
from ap: ... While [Christopher] Dodd, 64, has only recently found himself in the nation's political hot seat because of his role in the AIG bonus debacle, it has become clear that his issues with voters back home have been festering for two years. The AIG controversy appears to have exacerbated his popularity problems. "His numbers started to fall two years ago, and it had nothing to do with the economy," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz. "It's been a cumulative effect that has brought him down." Dodd's decision to move his family to Iowa to campaign for a doomed bid for president, his initial refusal to release documents of his two controversial mortgages with Countrywide, criticism of how he financed a vacation cottage in Ireland, and now his involvement as Senate Banking Committee chairman in the bill that ultimately protected bonuses for executives at insurance giant AIG have all taken their toll. A takedown of a national party figure like Dodd would be a coup for Republicans eager to rebound from their recent congressional losses. "This is a state we will be actively participating in," said Amber Wilkerson, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

15th annual international economic forum of the americas:
'adapting to the new world order'

why it's getting harder to evade taxes
(a message from the man warning you not to try it)
from time: Politicians don't usually like being interrupted during interviews. But sometimes it's worth making an exception. During a sit-down conversation with TIME last week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown happily broke off to read a faxed letter handed to him by an aide. As anticipated, the note, from the Swiss President, brought welcome news: Switzerland was finally relaxing its decades-old banking-secrecy laws. "That is a major step forward," Brown enthused, brandishing the fax between his fingers. "This," he said, marks "the beginning of the end of tax havens." That may be too optimistic. There will always be some corner of the globe offering itself up as a place people can squirrel away their money. But Brown is right that Switzerland's decision to share information with other countries in cases of suspected tax evasion is revolutionary, not least because the Alpine nation's identity is so closely tied to its famously discreet banks. And Switzerland wasn't the only one making concessions last week. Andorra, Austria, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg all pledged to meet the same international standards on cooperation. Singapore and Hong Kong had promised much the same a few days earlier.

feds close banks in georgia, colorado & kansas (20 so far in '09)

g20 protesters 'will try to bring london to standstill'
from independent: Next month's G20 summit will present an "unprecedented" challenge as up to 2,000 protesters attempt to bring London to a standstill, the Metropolitan Police admitted yesterday. The 20 world leaders, including Barack Obama, are to visit the capital for the summit on 2 and 3 April. They plan to discuss ways to tackle the global financial crisis. But their presence is expected to encourage a large number of protests, with scores of activists from an array of different causes determined to generate publicity from demonstrations around the event.

pennsylvania lost 41k jobs in feb, a 13yr high

california capital to close tent city
(but the obamavilles will keep growing)
from dpa: A tent city that sprang up in the California state capital of Sacramento and became a symbol of the country's desperate economic plight is to be closed within three weeks, the Sacramento Bee reported Friday. Mayor Kevin Johnston said the plan was to move hundreds of the tent city residents to 'safer, more sanitary' quarters and cordon off the pasture which they had called home. The makeshift settlement got international attention last month when TV chat queen Oprah Winfrey filmed a segment at the site showing the deplorable conditions, with people living without running water, electricity or toilets. Though the camp was seen as a stark illustration of the impact of the housing crisis, local reports have noted that most of its occupants have been homeless for years and that only a handful are people who have recently lost their jobs and homes due to the current economic crisis. Johnson said the city has identified 150 beds that can be used immediately for temporary and permanent housing for tent city residents, while other members of the camp could be housed in modular units at an exhibition center or in subsidized 'shared housing' apartments.

army dispatched in response to november 'end the fed' protests

media/memes: travolta, groucho, oregon art & world events

scientologist john travolta's son dies strangely from a 'medical episode' while on vacation in the bahamas
from ap: John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after falling ill and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, police said Friday [jan2]. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from chief police superintendent Basil Rahming. The teenager had last been seen going into the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. Police said they are planning an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Another police spokeswoman, Loretta Mackey, said Jett apparently hit his head on the bathtub. A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

updates:
2 experts to autopsy travolta’s teenager*
travolta's son died of seizure disorder*
wecht weighs in on death of john travolta's son*
wecht: unanswered questions in travolta death*
jett travolta secretly cremated*
travolta & preston return to florida with son's ashes*

dianetics, drugs & the death of a young travolta
from national post: The news last night [jan2] that 16-year-old Jett Travolta’s death certificate now lists “seizure disorder” as the cause of his death in the Bahamas last week may have had the unusual effect of raising more questions than it answers. Given that seizures derive from brain malfunctions, and that the Church of Scientology, of which the Travoltas are devout members of the highest stratum, frequently rejects brain-related diagnoses, many of the questions are being pointed at the grieving parents, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, and whether their quirky beliefs may have contributed to their son’s death. That’s sparked interest in this case not only from the typical supermarket-line celeb-watchers, but from Scientology’s numerous critics as well...

Questioning someone’s personal beliefs amidst such a profound tragedy is tricky business. But the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews and Catholics have had their faith around preventing death publicly debated, and even if the Church of Scientology’s skepticism toward modern medicine isn’t exactly unique, its strange culture of secrecy has a way of inviting special scrutiny. Already, stories on mainstream media outlets (like this one, as well as here, here and here) are asking aggressively about how his Church’s pharmaceuticalphobia (deliciously ironic, given founder L. Ron's own alleged pill-popping obsession) might have been part of the short, sad story of Jett Travolta, and tales from former Scientologists who had experience with untreated illnesses themselves—sometimes with equally terrible consequences—are getting much more attention today. One Church official defended Scientology today to MSNBC, explaining that the group does not reject "conventional medical treatment for medical conditions . . . when physically ill," it will only disregard a "psychological diagnosis." But given the blurry line between the two when it comes to matters of grey matter, the most likely explanation may turn out that no one knew exactly what Jett was suffering from since his reported brain disfunctions may never have had a proper medical diagnosis. Whatever happens, more than the Travoltas, the Church of Scientology’s top-notch public relations arm finds itself being tested yet again with another scandal, while the world’s concern for Baby Suri’s safety only deepens.

making 'duck soup' out of today
from bill moyers: Life imitates satire – and vice versa. Which brings us to our other unusual list. The best movies of… 1933. Naturally, the original "King Kong" is on our list. So are "The Invisible Man" and "42nd Street." But our number one choice: The Marx Brothers’ "Duck Soup." Why? Because as we enter this final month of the Bush years, the parallels are remarkable. Sometimes it feels as if we live not only in the United States but also in the side-splitting state of Freedonia, the imaginary country in which "Duck Soup" takes place. In 1933, a time much like now of calamity, fraud and peril, the Great Depression gripped America. Franklin D. Roosevelt had just become President and declared a New Deal, while in Germany, Adolph Hitler was named chancellor, the beginning of the Third Reich. As all of this was taking place, the Marx Brothers – there were four of them then; Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo – shot "Duck Soup," a comedy that almost inadvertently transcended slapstick, becoming a trenchant send-up of power and vanity and the disastrous consequences of both. Freedonia is bankrupt and asking for a bailout – sound familiar? The wealthy Mrs. Teasdale, played by the redoubtable Margaret Dumont, says the only way she’ll come up with the money is if the country appoints as its new leader Rufus T. Firefly – played by Groucho, as only a true clown can play a charlatan. He sings, “The last man nearly ruined this place, he didn’t know what to do with it. If you think this country’s bad off now, just wait ‘til I get through with it.”

video: oregon art gallery hosts bush shoe toss
from ashland daily tidings: Ashland City Councilor Eric Navickas and his partner Amy Godard opened their co-owned MAda Shell Gallery on Jan. 2, 2009 with a carnival attraction. Visitors were given an opportunity to ‘Shoe Bush’ through the use of a slingshot that launched a shoe attached to a wooden stick at a large face of President Bush. The soles of the shoes were painted to provide a splattering effect … and perhaps art.


world events fall through the cracks in US media
from upi: The much criticized - and usually with good reason - U.S. news media missed or underreported a lot of big stories in 2008. Half of the stories that United Press International lists as the most neglected or "lost" of 2008 were in Latin America and Africa, vast regions that have dropped off the map as far as the national U.S. media are concerned.

First, just across the U.S. border, the Mexican state reeled from the growing power of the drug lords who ran virtual fiefdoms in some of its northern states...

Second, the U.S. media and national political leaders were asleep at the growing power of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez...

Third, the U.S. media virtually ignored the slide toward anarchy and civil war in the most populous nation in Africa - Nigeria...

Fourth, the U.S. media shockingly neglected the three worst human rights violation stories in the world - and all three of them were in Africa, too...

Fifth, it took Al Jazeera to report that in 2008 at least 6 million African Muslims converted to Christianity: This was a trend of enormous importance and vast scale, yet you found it nowhere in the U.S. electronic or print news media.

Sixth, in August, Russia's blitzkrieg conquest of one-third of the former Soviet republic of Georgia made headlines around the world. But the far more significant renewal and expansion of Russian strategic nuclear forces that occurred in 2008 was virtually ignored in the U.S. and Western European media, apart from UPI, which covered it closely...

Seventh, most of the Arab world was remarkably stable in 2008, though you wouldn't have known it from the op-ed pages and regular pundits of the U.S. media...

Eighth, coverage of the U.S. and then global economic crisis that erupted in September with the fall of the Lehman Brothers investment house in New York focused on developments in the United States, China, Russia and Western Europe. But the collapse of Japan's enormous industrial export trade with the United States got far too little coverage and analysis...

Ninth, most Americans took it for granted that India was a strong ally of the United States - if they thought about the issue at all. In fact, U.S. defense companies remained frozen out of the Indian arms market in 2008, and the Indian armed forces continued to buy big for their combat aircraft, aircraft carriers and frigates, main battle tanks, heavy military air transports and even co-produced BrahMos cruise missiles from Russia.

Finally, plenty of news came out of Afghanistan, but the analysis to put it into context was woefully lacking. UPI Editor Emeritus Arnaud De Borchgrave and Mr. Lind provided that context when almost no one else did. They warned how U.S. neoconservative and liberal passions for democracy, nation building, women's rights and wars on drugs had alienated millions of ordinary Afghans and played into the hands of the resurgent Taliban, who increased their power by giant strides, defying NATO's undermanned and ham-handed efforts to stop them.

Of course, none of this mattered compared with the fun and games of Jen, Brad and Britney.

how to stop the new world order
from theopoulagr: And so it begins... You Have The Right To Remain Silent. But We Hope You Won't.