For Enigma

Cat 5 it's official. Even if it won't hit New Orleans directly, this does not bode well for Luzianna. We used to live in Baton Rouge and know well what it means for hurricanes to head that way, even when you're inland. Katrina taught a lot of people lessons, but the levees are, according to Enigma not strong enough for Cat 5. With abaited breath we'll wait.



Aaron Neville - It feels like rain

(john hiatt)

Down here the river meets the sea
In the sticky heat I feel you open up to me
Love comes out of no where, baby, oh, just like a hurricane
And it feels like rain
And it feels like rain

Lying underneath the stars right next to you
And Im wondering who you are, and how do you do, how do you do baby
Oh, the clouds roll in across the moon, and the wind howls out your name
And it feels like rain
And it feels like rain

We never gonna make that bridge tonight, baby
Set across the poncetrain
And it feels like rain
And it feels like rain

Batten down the hatches, baby
Leave your heart out on your sleeve
Looks like were in for stormy, stormy, stormy weather
That aint no cause to leave
Just like
Let it wash away the pain
And it feels like rain
And it feels like rain
Baby can you feel it, can you feel it
It feels like rain
Baby can you feel it, can you feel it
Feels like rain
Let your love, let your love come down
Oh, down on me

Labour Day Special-Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians,

Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians,
Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor's Last Century - Dana Frank, Howard Zinn, Robin D.G. Kelley

This is an interview with the University of California newsroom;


"In the 1930s, Woolworth's Five and Dime was the equivalent of
Wal-Mart today, said Frank. The chain boasted 2,000 stores in five
countries, the company exploited its workers and sold products made
in sweatshops. "There was a whole movement in the 1930s against chain
stores," said Frank. "They were called 'the chain store evil' because
they were wiping out small businesses."














Waitresses at Woolworth's staged an eight-day sitdown strike in 1937, singing, dancing, exercising, doing each others hair and nails until finally management recognized their union and gave them a five-cent per hour pay hike.


The sit-in for higher wages and overtime by 100 salesclerks
gained momentum, and the strikers capitalized on media coverage that
dismissed them as "young girls, blonde, brunette, slim, plump, going
on strike for their rights." The widespread press reports drew
attention to the strikers' cause and prevented Woolworth's executives
from calling for the National Guard. The strikers won all their
demands, and the victory helped set in motion a number of winning
sit-down strikes at department and chain stores across the country.


Ludlow Tent Colony

Zinn, author of the bestselling A People's History of the
United States, tells the grim tale of the conflict in which at least
66 people died, including women and children who were burned to death
in a pit beneath the coal miners' tent colony in southern Colorado.
Although Woody Guthrie wrote a wrenching song about the tragedy, it has been mostly overlooked by historians, noted Zinn.
1913 Massacre by Woody Guthrie (see lyrics below and read it while listening)


"Yet that story has been buried, in the way that labor
struggles in general have been omitted or given brief mention in most
mainstream accounts of the history of the United States," writes
Zinn. "It deserves to be recalled, because embedded in the events of
the Colorado strike are issues still alive today: the class struggle
between owners of large enterprises and their workers, the special
treatment of immigrant workers, the relationship between economic
power and political power, the role of the press, and the way in
which the culture censors out certain historical events."

1913 Massacre
by Woody Guthrie

Take a trip with me in nineteen thirteen
To Calumet, Michigan in the copper country
I'll take you to a place called Italian Hall
And the miners are having their big Christmas ball

I'll take you in a door and up a high stairs
Singing and dancing is heard ev'rywhere
I'll let you shake hands with the people you see
And watch the kids dance 'round the big Christmas tree.

There's talking and laughing and songs in the air
And the spirit of Christmas is there ev'rywhere
Before you know it you're friends with us all
And you're dancing around and around in the hall

You ask about work and you ask about pay
They'll tell you they make less than a dollar a day
Working their copper claims, risking their lives
So it's fun to spend Christmas with children and wives.

A little girl sits down by the Christmas tree lights
To play the piano so you gotta keep quiet
To hear all this fun; you would not realize
That the copper boss thug men are milling outside

The copper boss thugs stuck their heads in the door
One of them yelled and he screamed, "There's a fire"
A lady she hollered, "There's no such a thing;
Keep on with your party, there's no such a thing."

A few people rushed and there's only a few
"It's just the thugs and the scabs fooling you."
A man grabbed his daughter and he carried her down
But the thugs held the door and he could not get out.

And then others followed, about a hundred or more
But most everybody remained on the floor
The gun thugs, they laughed at their murderous joke
And the children were smothered on the stairs by the door.

Such a terrible sight I never did see
We carried our children back up to their tree
The scabs outside still laughed at their spree
And the children that died there was seventy-three

The piano played a slow funeral tune,
And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon
The parents, they cried and the men, they moaned,
"See what your greed for money has done?"

©1961 (Renewed) by Fall River Music Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Check out where ordinary labour rights stand in NAFTA and CAFTA

Happy Labour Day..just remember who still work for blood sweat and tears, don't take it for granted.

Louisiana..

Go over to my friend Enigma who'll be watching out for Louisiana..we're all hoping they're not going to get hit again and if so..not so bad and that the levvies will hold..




We also love this one. Not that I'm Catholic or particularly religious, but it's a beautiful rendition nevertheless..

A war to help a struggling candidate

Well, I mentioned in my earlier posts that this Georgia-Russia conflict was very beneficial to tough talkin' 100 yr war Presidential candidate McCain. In a very recent post (see below), former German Chancelor Schroder stated that "...everyone knows that these US military advisors in Georgia exist". And if everyone does, then the Russians certainly did. In an interview with CNN, Putin makes it very clear;

"...unnamed persons in the United States provoked the conflict in Georgia in an attempt to help a candidate in the U.S. presidential election."
and

"...Moscow suspected that U.S. nationals were present in the war zone in Georgia and the Russian military produced a copy of a U.S. passport it said had been retrieved after a bloody clash between Russian troops and Georgian special forces."

Naturally, to a lot of Americans this seems ludicrous but then they're the same Americans who've accepted the last 8yrs and cannot wait for another 4. Life is all rosy for them because that is what they believe. We are good, they are bad. It must be nice to live life so simply and unencumbered.

At any rate, Russia is in no mood to be forgiving. Today, Russia stopped, or suspended rather, their military "cooperation activities" with Nato.
Russia stops co-operation with Nato allies

After all, Russia offered assistance for the Nato troops in Afghanistan;

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato Secretary General and Putin




Putin will offer NATO transit rights through Russia for supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan at a bilateral summit dominated by the alliance's expansion plans.

The Russian offer, which will shorten some of the supply routes for the NATO-controlled 43,000-strong U.N. force, comes at a summit where Russia will try to persuade the alliance against granting a membership roadmap for Ukraine and Georgia.

Russia views the Membership Action Plans (MAP) for its neighbours as unfriendly acts which would bring NATO dangerously close to its borders.

Peskov indicated that any decision by the NATO summit on the MAPs would not affect the Afghanistan transit offer but made clear that in the long run this could affect bilateral ties.

"Cooperation on Afghanistan is a different dimension," he said. "But, NATO enlargement policy touches upon the future of the activities of the (Russia-NATO) council," he added.

"Its work is based on mutual confidence, reciprocity ... And if one dimension is missing the whole system will malfunction."

And I guess the whole system is being dismantled. No more cooperation from Russia for Nato. I wonder how difficult things will be in Afghanistan for the Nato troops.






The Afghan transit - kinda looks like a big dipper



"It is not just that the American side could not restrain the Georgian leadership from this criminal act. The American side in effect armed and trained the Georgian army," Putin told CNN in a portion of the interview that was broadcast on Russian state television. "Why...seek a difficult compromise solution in the peacekeeping process? It is easier to arm one of the sides and provoke it into killing another side. And the job is done."

Referring to Russian suspicions that U.S. citizens were actually present on the battlefield on the side of Georgian forces -- accused by Moscow of committing "genocide" during the conflict -- Putin said: "If that is true, if that is confirmed, then that's really bad. It's very dangerous and a mistaken policy.

"It that was the case, then the recent events could have a American domestic political dimension," he said in the interview. "If my suspicions are confirmed, in that case the suspicion arises that somebody in the United States has intentionally created this conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of U.S. president."

Marvin Gaye's 1983 NBA All-Star performance of Star Spangled Banner

Hattip to my sweetie who heard it on the radio (KGSR Austin) and got all verklempt. "Only Marvin Gaye could get away with that".. and so he did. And so they kept playing it during the recent Beijing Olympics.

Tonight though, Marvin's playin' it for Obama (shameful hook since it's Obama's night)



This is Nike's 'Just Do It' version for the Beijing Olympics, where a film montage of the Redeem team and Marvin makes for one of the more classier commercials ever made. Hearing it the second time, I realized, Marvin isn't singing to show off his high notes and musical prowwess, he's singing with feeling, narrating as it were, as if he was there. As opposed to the boastful sounding high'noters' and loud 'belters' for which people always feel they need to applaud for. This version is much more thoughtful. Enjoy

"Are you alright? Are you going to be sick?"

Bloody Brilliant tha'is!! LOL!!!

Healing the Democrats.. not everyone is. Well, that's par for the course, some wouldn't have if the tables were turned. Some of you probably..

Musical Interlude; A re-post

Update; I was looking for another cd to put in the car before picking the kids up from school. Then I saw the Blues Brothers' cd. Then I listened to it and heard 'Peter Gunn', which in turn reminded me of this excellent Max Sedgley mix (dj from Britain) who's Sarah Vaughan singing Peter Gunn-version I heard only once on one of the local radio stations. I honestly think he should put it out as a single. How can you convince someone or a record company to that?? Petitions anyone? Just wondering. Anyhow...listen to the song, I'm in rush and in no mood to edit the post I did in March. Check it out and good day, eh!





Never ever watched the Apprentice until a month or so ago. I did end up smack in the middle of the show but soon got hooked. On the nbc message board it was soon divided between Trace (Adkins) fans and the 'Piers Posse' (amongst yours truly). Some Trace fans got pretty nasty but some of the other Trace fans and the Piers Posse actually got along just fine. The two charities that ended up receiving money through the fundraising contest was Piers' Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and Trace Adkins' The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

I'll say both charities won, although I do think that Piers Morgan was the best competitor and ultimately the most suited to be 'the Apprentice'. He outwit, outplayed, and outlast oops...wrong show! Still, he was the smartest and most hard working contestant at that. So, here's to Piers Morgan and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund who made out like bandits (over $250,000 total throughout the game)..and here is to 'my posse'...click and listen to the music. Celebrate and be happy!


powered by ODEO



Max Sedgley

Secret Diplomacy

Poor Saakashvili, either he misinterpreted US/UK signals (signals being the military aid and the international forces training Georgian troops three weeks prior to Georgian attack on South Ossetia, ...) or he did not and ended up being the pawn in this political chess game that just got sacrificed. Now the US knows that the bear is not hybernating. He's alive and well and will come out of its den to roar and do some damage.

Russia's Rambo ready for anything (sorry, need to keep this ridiculousness a little 'lite')


I suspect that no one expected Russia to react as strongly as they did and the US and of course, Sakaashvili, needed to back up quickly because they were losing face big time. Not only were Russia's actions more than they bargained for, the following upping eachother's ante put many in a fear of another Cold war. As it turned out, apparently (!), no need to worry;

DEBKAfile’s political sources report that, as in most cases when international tensions and violence reach dangerous levels, the big powers have instituted secret diplomacy to cool the situation before it gets out of hand in order to formulate new modes of conduct and relations.

This process began with Rice’s visit to France and Tbilsi.

In five hours of arm-twisting, she persuaded Saakashvili to accept clarifications to the ceasefire accord which contradict Washington’s spirited assurances for Georgia’s “territorial integrity.”

Russian troops allowed to remain in Georgia would be “very limited to a light patrolling ability, such as a few kilometers outside of South Ossetia.”

Furthermore, “Russian peacekeepers” would be allowed to “implement additional security measures” until international security can be put in place.

This clause authorizes on behalf of the US and Europe the narrow security strips, which DEBKAfile’s military sources revealed two days ago the Russians are establishing 300-500 meters deep outside the South Ossetian and Abkhazian borders with Georgia.

This American concession was designed as initial impetus for quiet diplomacy with Russia on a settlement in Georgia.

The other concession, which will unfold in time, is the removal of the Georgian president, another of Moscow’s conditions for ending the crisis. While Bush declared the Cold War is over, Saakashvili heaped verbal coals on the standoff with Russia to keep it ablaze.

Back-door US-Russian contacts to de-escalate war of words - after Moscow threatens to nuke Poland

tsaa.. it pays to play poker... and hardball!

And after all this excitement, getting people riled up and killed over nothing other than testing the waters of Russia's capability and reaction, we can apparently (it's a theme) expect a "Bush-Putin Summit". Oive, going fishing too perhaps?

ok ok..moving on. So now the US and Russia are working to restore their working relationship, whatever that means. So the US ambassador to Russia in Moscow gets to bring the happy news;

Ambassador Beyrle’s words were the first public departure by a US official from the critical remarks of Moscow’s conduct heard uniformly from Bush, Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates.

The ambassador said Washington had not sanctioned Georgia’s initial actions when on Aug. 8, after a succession of tense skirmishes, Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia, triggering a massive Russian reaction when its peacekeepers came under fire.

PHEW! And here I was having sleepless nights dreaming of nuclear bombs and fall out, you know, the kind of stuff I dreamt about when I was growing up in the Netherlands thinking, shit, I hope no idiot is ever going to push that button!!






All is well on the Western front.. apparently!

German 'Der Spiegel' interviews Gerhard Schroder

Merkel and Schroder






Former German Chancelor Gerhard Schroder is interviewed here by 'Der Spiegel'. And aside from some good points that he makes that not too many have made, even in the European media, I can somehow not help but think and wonder if he would've have been this honest if he was the current Chancelor. Merkel changed her tune in regards to Georgia. But anyhow.. excerpt time;

SPIEGEL: Mr. Schröder, who is at fault for the Caucasus war?

Gerhard Schröder: The hostilities undoubtedly have their historic causes, as well, and the conflict has had several historic precursors. But the moment that triggered the current armed hostilities was the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia. This should not be glossed over.

snip

SPIEGEL: Do you believe that the American military advisors stationed in Tbilisi encouraged Georgia to launch its attack?

Schröder: I wouldn't go that far. But everyone knows that these US military advisors in Georgia exist -- a deployment that I've never considered particularly intelligent. And it would have been strange if these experts had not had any information. Either they were extremely unprofessional or they were truly fooled, which is hard to imagine.

Read the rest

and how about this scathing Der Spiegel opinion piece re. John McCain's bright (as in, not particularly) bright idea of league of nations and a sub opinion piece re. unipolarity and multi-polarity;

Excerpt:

The world ceased to be a unipolar place when the Iraq war began. When the neocons used the word unipolarity, they were referring to the idea that the world's sole superpower, thanks to its military superiority, could assume that it was entitled to the role of global cop, and that the world must bend to its will, whether it wanted to or not.

Now a new technical term has come into circulation: multipolarity. It means that a number of powers can do as they please, without punishment, and no one can do much about it. China can do as it pleases with Tibet, the Uyghurs and its dissidents, and it can buy its energy where it pleases. India can sign a nuclear treaty with the United States, and can then vacillate between choosing to ditch the agreement and keep it in place. Iran can decide to become a nuclear power and then wait to see what happens, to see whether Israel and the United States, for example, will issue empty threats of air strikes while Russia and China obstruct the superpower in the UN Security Council whenever it calls for effective resolutions.

The Existentialist Cowboy: The Bush Debacle: Inevitability and Consequence

Our 'existentialist cowboy' is a philosopher and this time, he's linking philosophical theories to politics. Instead of browsing around impatiently for one good, quick read after another, give yourself time to read and think. Thinking after all is what philosophers do best and where there is politics, AND hopefully intelligent political discussions, there is also philosophy.

The Existentialist Cowboy: The Bush Debacle: Inevitability and Consequence#links#links#links#links#links#links#links

Mixed Up in Wrongdoing

Mixed Up in Wrongdoing. What a concept to be actually calling a spade a spade.



More of Steve Bell at the Guardian.

"The judgment given by the high court yesterday in the case of Binyam Mohamed opens up the real prospect that the international law and rule of law transgressions of the "war on terror" will unravel in British courts. Never before has so much been disclosed of the real extent of the British government's complicity even though much of the hearing was in closed sessions using special advocates and the only judgment we have access to is the "open" one.

Binyam Mohamed is the only British resident left in Guantánamo Bay. Although all the other residents have been returned the US has refused to bring him back to the UK on the grounds that he is to be put on trial before a military commission which could impose the death penalty."

More in "The shame of British complicity"

The American people still do not care, but should: From Nuremberg to Guantánamo: International Law and American Power Politics


"American Exceptionalism

The US played an important—but decidedly mixed—role in the history of international lawmaking and enforcement. American officials, in cooperation with other victorious Allies, ran the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals to put an international legal veneer on retribution against the Axis powers. But if horrific violence against civilians could be criminalized and punished, there was a clear double standard in the fact that no similar retributive process was mounted to account for the horrors caused by the bombings of Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The US supported the establishment of the UN to provide for global peace and security, but forged an exception for itself and the other four permanent members of the Security Council in the form of veto power. The veto provided a political shield from accountability and was utilized countless times to foil calls for intervention on behalf of populations at risk. American officials operating in the UN contributed to the formulation and passage of international laws, while a powerful coterie of domestic officials opposed international law and institutions in principle. In the 1940s and 1950s, domestic opposition was led by but certainly not limited to old-school conservatives from the Midwest. The Midwesterners were soon buttressed by Southerners motivated to contest the "radical" principle of universal human equality, which menaced beloved local traditions of racism. This domestic opposition congealed into a logic that international law contravenes the status of the Constitution as the "highest law," subordinates the will of the American people to foreigners and can lead down the slippery slope to "global government" that would threaten American sovereignty."


Never in Our Names

Iran Rising: Gas for Europe, Gas for India & Pakistan...Sanctions? Israel? No Problem

Iran Rising: Gas for Europe, Gas for India & Pakistan...Sanctions? Israel? No Problem

If you're wondering why Iran has been on the US' (and Israel's) hit list, wonder no more: (oh, you did not really believe it was because of the 'nuclear weapons possibility' did you? tsk tsk, the reason is so much more 'common')


19th World Petroleum Congress
World Petroleum Council





"The rise of Iran continues. And that rise was made abundantly clear during the 19th World Petroleum Congress in Madrid in early July.

A large, supremely confident Iranian delegation attended the triennial gathering that brings together energy officials from all over the world. The Iranian contingent in Madrid was many times larger than the one that attended the 18th World Petroleum Congress in Johannesburg in 2005. Then, the National Iranian Oil Company had a small booth in the rear of the exhibit hall in Sandton, consisting of a small sign, two tables, a handful of chairs, and a couple bowls of pistachio nuts. This year, the Iranians had a huge installation inside the sprawling Madrid Fair exhibition space near the airport. The N.I.O.C. had a glitzy raised platform of glass, plastic, and colorful placards that rivaled the scale and flash of those of other national oil companies, including China's Sinopec and the Kuwait Petroleum Company. Indeed, the Iranians exhibit was immediately next to (and almost exactly the same size as) Saudi Aramcos, the world's biggest oil producer."


So now the US has effectively re-made Russia into 'the enemy', and continues to do so with Iran..how the hell do you think we're supposed to get oil? (psst! here's a hint; it's not by saying pretty please!)


Read more from Austin's own Robert Bryce, author of Gusher of Lies


Gusher of Lies

The 'entertainment queen' continues..

After such honorable mention by Jim, and seeing that my day went differently as planned (went to the Wildflower center but lost one kid after lunch playing at his friends' house and daughter dearest is just singing her little heart out).. ANYhoo.. the Yahoo newslines fill me with dread and disgust (McCain leads Obama in the polls after a month of attack ads, gee America, how intelligent you make your choices, ever considered therapy??)..as I said, ANYhoo.. I am still not in the mood for being political today and am in need for 'some' humour. So what do I do? I go to the best of Craigslist..and doesn't this one say it all:

"Nemesis required. 6-month project with possibilty to extend

I've been trying to think of ways to spice up my life. I'm 35 years old, happily married with two kids and I have a good job in insurance. But somethings missing. I feel like I'm old before my time. I need to inject some excitement into my daily routine through my arm before its too late. I need a challenge, something to get the adrenaline pumping again. An addiction would be nice, but, in short, I need a nemesis. I'm willing to pay $350 up front for you services as an arch enemy over the next six months. Nothing crazy. Steal my parking space, knock my coffee over, trip me when Im running to catch the BART and occasionaly whisper in my ear, "Ahha, we meet again". That kind of thing. Just keep me on my toes. Complacency will be the death of me. You need to have an evil streak and be blessed with innate guile and cunning. You should also be adept at inconsicuous pursuit. Evil laugh preferred. Send me a photo and a brief explanation why you would be a good nemesis.

British accent preferred." (emph added by yours truly)

Ah yes, a Bri-ish accent..

how about this one; who put the dead bird in my mailbox? - w4m

or this one; Things my father taught me

and; A public service announcement: Please stop asking me if I'm pregnant.

check out the rest of the best of craigslist

And Now For Something Completely Different...

This is the last holiday week before school starts and 'ms Thang' has had her moments these past days. We've had lots of rain (great!), cooler temps, and enough time to play outside. Still, the natives are sensing it's the countdown to school and they're not minding it!! Neither am I. My dear husband wakes me up (well tries to) at 6:30am to try to get me in the earlier morning routine but I still manage to pass out again only to wake up later..still, today it was 7:18am so good enough. I was not tired enough to fall asleep last night and stay asleep so approx. around 2sh..I woke and stayed that way for 'at least' an hour. Routine, glorious routine..we can't wait.
Anyhow..something, after days of intense political focus, I need a wee break. Perhaps later today I won't be able to 'help myself' but for this morning, before the brood awakens, I'll just post a few favourite vids of the kids and I, or just the kids (for Robert and his kids)..The plan for today is AM Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (although it's still lookin' mighty gray and grim outside), PM library, quick HEB visit, maybe haircuts, the Natural Gardener and then home and check, another day done. Oh, and some quick phone errands this morning as well.
Alrightie lovelies, I'll comment on your comments later today..
happy humpday.

Lego Star Wars An Average Death Star Day - for the lego nut. Potential lego kid activity to keep 'm busy??


Star Wars Lego, It's hard to be a storm trooper



Varekai Clown Act...Cirque de Soleil (the little ditty is kinda catchy)




Especially 'ms Thang' loves this song... it makes you feel like the whole world is one and magical!



Mr. Bean goes to the swimming pool, aka so you want to be an olympic diver?

Project Censored Awards..

Here is another great addition for independent research!!








Project Censored Awards to Four Global Research Authors
"The news that didn't make the news"


One of the most informative news you can find online is on Global Research - Centre for Research of Globalization.


"The Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG) is an independent research and media group of writers, scholars, journalists and activists.

The CRG is based in Montreal. It is a registered non profit organization in the province of Quebec, Canada.

In addition to the Global Research website, the Centre is involved in book publishing, support to humanitarian projects as well as educational outreach activities including the organization of public conferences and lectures. The Centre also acts as a think tank on crucial international and geopolitical issues."

"The Global Research webpage at www.globalresearch.ca publishes news articles, commentary, background research and analysis on a broad range of issues, focussing on social, economic, strategic and environmental processes.

The Global Research website was established on the 9th of September 2001, two days before the tragic events of September 11. Barely a few days later, Global Research had become a major news source on the New World Order and Washington's "war on terrorism".

Since September 2001, we have established an extensive archive of news articles, in-depth reports and analysis on issues which are barely covered by the mainstream media."

"Global Research is also classified among the top 50 Alternative News Sources by www.World-Newspapers.com

Global Research has also become a source of specialized information and analysis for journalists.

How you can Help Global Research

It is crucial that the articles published on Global Research reach a broad readership.

We encourage our readers to cross-post and/or forward Global Research articles, submit them to internet discussion groups, send them to your friends on your e-mail lists, etc. This will help Global Research in its endeavors.

While Global Research operates on a shoe string budget compared with the well-endowed establishment think tanks, it has more readers than the powerful Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (see graph)"See...About..Global Research

Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy

Rising Power, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy - Michael Klare

Excerpt:

"...the problem of “energy security”—as it is widely termed—has climbed toward the top rung of the international ladder of unease and concern.12 Not surprisingly, this has fundamentally changed the perception of what constitutes “power” and “influence” in a dramatically altered international system, forcing policymakers to view the global power equation in entirely new ways."

"Scientists are avidly seeking ways to develop a new spectrum of fuels to replace those now at risk of depletion while releasing far fewer or zero climate-altering “greenhouse gases” into the atmosphere. But no major energy-consuming nation has yet devoted sufficient resources to this problem to ensure that these alternatives will be available on a large enough scale to replace existing energy sources in the foreseeable future. As a result, government and corporate officials alike continue to view fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) as the world’s principal energy source for some time to come. According to the DoE, these fuels will still be satisfying an estimated 87 percent of global energy needs in 2030.10 With both old and new consumers reliant on these traditional fuels—and no practical, plentiful alternatives in sight—the struggle over them is certain to be fierce."

"Why has energy come to play such a pivotal role in world affairs? To begin with, its continued availability—in great profusion—has never been as critical to the healthy operation of the global economy. Energy is required to keep the factories humming, power the cities and suburbs that house the world’s rising population, and produce the crops that feed the planet. Most important, petroleum products are utterly essential to sustain the international sinews of globalization—the planes, trains, trucks, and ships that carry goods and people from one region of the planet to another. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), world energy output must increase by 57 percent over the next quarter century—from approximately 450 to 700 quadrillion British thermal units—in order to satisfy anticipated international demand.5 Without this additional energy, the world economy will fall into recession or depression, the globalization project will fail, and the planet could descend into chaos."

Geopolitics of the Apocalypse - Review


















Democracy Now's Amy Goodman interviews Michael Klare, excerpts:

Bill Clinton and Edouard Shevardnadze

"...what really underlies the conflict, and it has to do with the fact that the US has eyed the Caspian Sea, which lies just to the east of Georgia, as an energy corridor for exporting Caspian Sea oil and gas to the West, bypassing Russia. And this was the brainchild of Bill Clinton, who saw an opportunity, when the Soviet Union broke apart, to gain access to Caspian oil and gas, but he didn’t want this new energy to flow through Russia or through Iran, which were the only natural ways to export the energy."

Pipeline through Georgia

"So he anointed Georgia as a bridge, to build new pipelines through Georgia to the West. And it was he who masterminded the construction of the BTC pipeline, which is now the outlet for this oil, with new pipelines supposedly following for natural gas. And he chose Georgia for this purpose and also built up the Georgian military to protect the pipeline, and Russia has been furious about this ever since. And I think that’s the reason that they have clung so tightly to Abkhazia and South Ossetia ever since."

Military base in Gori, Georgia

" we’ve poured hundreds of millions of dollars into beefing up the Georgian military. And this is unmistakable in the State Department and military Department of Defense justifications for arming the Georgian military, specifically to protect the BTC pipeline against sabotage and attack. So, looking into the Pentagon and State Department documents, there’s no question that this is about energy security, not about democracy or human rights or the other justifications that have been given."

Putin and Bush - The US should learn to live with the new Russia

"...it is the ambition of the Russian leadership, especially Vladimir Putin, to dominate the flow of oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, so they could maximize the profit and the political advantage of dominating the flow of Caspian energy to Europe. And by building these alternate pipelines, the US is trying to undercut Russia’s political and economic power in Europe. That’s what this is about. It’s a geopolitical contest between the US and Europe for—between the US and Russia for influence in Europe.

So, by clinging to these enclaves, this is Russia’s insurance policy, I guess you could call it, or veto power, over the American strategy, because they’re saying, “From our positions in these enclaves, we can sever those pipelines whenever we want,” which is exactly what they attempted to do this week."

For she's a jolly good fellow..winning an award..

Susan mentioned that I had to mosy over to her site because she had given me an award..well, that is always a great way to wake me up besides coffee and voila.. what a great, self-explanatory award that is! Normally I would do the obligatory, 'oh, not me! well, [bateyelashs], gee thank you, thank you very much'. But hey, THIS award I claim with pride and maybe a bit of 'show-ofness'..After all, I've been pretty busy of late!

The Kick-Ass Award! Together with Zee, Gary, Lindsay, and Gfid (granny fidler) we share the honour of making the blogosphere a bit of a better place..for various reasons as you can read in Susan's post. Please check hers out.

As the online tradition goes, when awarded, one has to pass it on. First, I want to thank Susan for her kind words re. her reason and now I'll make sure I won't lose that kick-ass mojo 'cause I've been 'on fiyuh' this past week or so! (feels nice for a change)..

OK..administrative duties;

Do you know any bloggers that kick ass?
Maybe they’ve got incredible, original content. Or they’re overflowing with creativity. Is it someone that helps you become a better blogger? Or a bloggy friend you know you can count on? Or maybe it’s someone who simply inspires you to be a better person… or someone else who sends you to the floor, laughing your ass off.
Whatever the reason may be, I’m sure you know at least a couple of bloggers that kick ass. Well… why not tell ‘em so?

The rules to this are as follows:1) Choose five other bloggers that you feel are "Kick Ass Bloggers"2) Let them know that they have received an award.3) Link back to both the person who awarded you and also to http://www.mammadawg.com/4) Visit the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky and leave a comment.

So my choices are;

Kel, from the Osterley Times.
I don't know how he does it, he must work, eat and blog and perhaps sleep in between I don't know. Talk about proliferic! Not only that, he's most passionate and consistently so. I've known him since our early 'bloggers against torture' days and he's still out there, being the citizen journalist. Speaking out against injustices in Africa, taking his own British politicians AND American ones (well, surprise surprise) to task for the war on Iraq, hypocrisy and plain stupidity..he lets loose and does not let go. Kel, you certainly kick ass (Basil Fawlty:" You Americans always talking about 'bottoms'" )

Scholars and Rogues. This blog is a more recent find and a combination of a few academics and apparent 'rogues' make up this site that addresses, not only with intelligence but fairness of treatment, political and social issues. As they already have won a few 'high prices' blogger awards (thinking blogger award, 2007 Weblog finalist, blogger's choice awards, top 20 best political blog 2007), this KICK ASS might not seem as debonaire, but in essence it sums up all those other nice-sounding awards in a way any scrogue could recognize for what it is; they tell it like it is! Plus, as academics are supposed to do (and the scrogues not merely being 'non-academics' but writers who know how to do their research); the query, they ask questions, they go for the kernel of truth.

Lenny Hart is The Existentialist Cowboy. I have not always been a faithful visitor nor commenter but here is not only a man of passion, but ...he puts himself out there, by photo and name (most of us prefer to remain anonymous) and issues that he tackles. He's no Texan bozo conspiracy theorist, he's an intelligent, educated seeker of truth who can actually talk philosophically about existentialism and logical positivism.. just 'one more thing' for me to research and learn about! sigh.
A broadcaster extraordinaire, his long list of interviewees is quite impressive. Go check him out. At any rate, he kicks ass because like the aforementioned honorees..he does not let up. And that to me is what means kicking ass.

Jamie from the Heathlander is another one from my bloggers against torture days. (I lost the bloggers against torture button when I changed the colour of my blog, I'll have to scrounge it up again). Jamie, like Kel, is very dedicated to exposing hypocrisy and highlighting injustices. Jamie's focus is mainly Middle Eastern but since the Middle East presents such an interest to the rest of the world, what with all the resources that is needed everywhere else (like Eurasia), it behooves all of us to become a bit more of a Middle Eastern politics expert. Or at least a little bit. One of our younger if not youngest blogger at the time, he impressed us all (at bloggers against torture) with not only his passion, but his knowledge that comes from taking the time to read, digest and analyze. Jamie, you kick ass still!

Lastly, another blogger of recent acquaintance is Jim Joiner of The Average American Patriot. A father of four, ex-Air Force, he's one of those people who've opened their eyes and have become very upset at what they saw. Speaking out against the US military provocation and egging on of Georgia, he is not at all of the illusion that 'we are good and they are bad'. As you can tell by the theme of the giving out of this award; here is another seeker of the truth. A 'seeker' seeks by doing research to find out what is going on, and weighs the evidence found from different sides. Most people try to find something that agrees with their viewpoint. One never can find any truth in that.

There is another award waiting for me. I just remembered and I was given it much earlier in the summer. However, I'd been busy and procrastinated 'picking it up'. So I have the enjoyable task of passing that one on as well so come by later today or tomorrow to see my next round of nominations.

Geoffrey Wheatcroft: Why are we pretending we would fight for Georgia?

Geoffrey Wheatcroft: Why are we pretending we would fight for Georgia?

(First off, aren't the men and women in the military not stretched thin in the never ending saga in Bush's middle eastern affairs, called McCain's 100 year war? Americans are trying to get the troops home, away from fighting the politician's war that never was legitimate and killed men and women on all sides unnecessarily)

Nato flag






Why are we indeed? This article focusses on the original purpose of Nato and how, after the break-up of the USSR, Nato's purpose, instead of being equally dismantled like Russia's military reach, turned into, what Wheatcroft called >"almost without anyone's noticing, into an arm of US policy – and an outlet for Tony Blair's zealous "humanitarian interventionism".

A short history lesson for the blogo attention deficitizens;

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was created in 1949 as a "one for all and all for one" mutual defence alliance between west European countries, of which Great Britain was then militarily much the most important, and the United States, guarding Europe against Soviet aggression. By the terms of the treaty, "an armed attack on any member in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and ... if such an armed attack occurs, each of them ... will assist the party or parties so attacked by taking forthwith... such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."

...and..


>"...Nato was expanded to include not only the former Warsaw Pact countries Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, but the Baltic states that were part of the Soviet Union only 20 years ago. One didn't have to be a Russian nationalist to see this as deliberate provocation of an angry and wounded country. With all its brutality, Russia has legitimate security concerns and national interests. When Georgian membership of Nato is flaunted, one wonders what the US reaction would have been if Leonid Brezhnev had invited Mexico to join the Warsaw Pact. Russian policy may sometimes have a paranoid tinge but, as the saying goes, paranoiacs have enemies, too."

Nato is not 'united' and hasn't been for a while;

The main problem is to be found in Afghanistan, where the alliance has had its first prolonged taste of real combat in command of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf ). More than 42,000 troops are under its command, coming from 39 countries including the full complement of 26 Nato members.

However, its future is now in doubt following a Canadian threat to withdraw 2500 combat troops from Kandahar.

and...

On the one hand, the US and its main ally, Britain, want Nato's European members to make a greater military contribution to the war effort to offset the Canadian threat. On the other hand, most of the European governments in Nato believe that the impasse in Afghanistan is more likely to be solved by the imposition of law and order and the subsequent implementation of education, economic aid and a modern infrastructure.






Nato in Afghanistan; Europe and America: Sharing the Spoils of War

The consequences of that disagreement over policy and its effects on the future of the 59-year-old alliance were put into context by a senior British Army officer when he said:

"Nato held its own against Soviet military power throughout the years of the cold war. Now it's in danger of being brought to its knees by a handful of hawk-faced men armed only with Kalashnikovs, RPGs and an overwhelming sense of their own worth."

...

The heart of the quarrel remains troop levels, but there is another problem beneath all the posturing about who does the most to make Nato more effective in Afghanistan. In the months ahead, once the weather gets warmer, the Taliban will be reopening their military campaign, and Nato commanders know that it promises to be what one senior British officer called "a massive punch-up".

For Nato it will be a testing moment and one that will be the measure of the military deployment, but some seasoned veterans with long experience of Afghanistan, including Rory Stewart, a former diplomat and Black Watch officer, have already questioned whether more firepower is the answer. "I think we have to be very careful, above all, of appearing to be engaged in colonial politics, " Stewart argued in a television interview last week. "I think Afghans are justifiably very suspicious of foreigners coming into their country, particularly with over 40,000 soldiers.
...
The alliance was formed to defend the West against attack from the Soviet Union.
During that time it never fired a shot in anger, and now it has been tasked to fight what many believe is the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nato is an extension of US policy? Well, why do Nato members send their sons and daughters in for someone else's warfare?

Read more in The death of NATO

Nice to meet you Maria!

I found out, through a blogger from Cleveland, Enigma (Watergate Summer), that there was another blogger from Austin visiting her site, so I 'went' and met Blueberry on her own blog, Texas Oasis. Then, as I'm browsing and seeing a name recurring in different blogs finding out that she too lives in Austin. Mariamariacuchita. So as I emailed a suggestion to her, I say in passing, you know, I live in South Austin too and I live right around blablabla.. well, she emails me back and says, wait! Are you 'the Ingrid' who lives 3 houses down from me on blablabla street (note, I mentioned the area 'blabla' but not the 'blabla street'!) with the sunflowers in front of her house??

HAHA..she got 'chills' and I was about to sit in the front yard watching the kids play (the kids on our street function like a mini swarm, they go from one area to another which is ok because our street, like the side streets, are cul de sacs)..so I told her, come on over if you'd like to!

As another neighbour had come over to sit and yak (while her kids played with mine, swarming about), 'Maria' came over and how neat was that!! She was so warm and said, I feel like hugging you! She was the new neighbour on the street whom I hadn't met yet and here we were, kinda 'knowing' each other a bit, having a great time visiting!

She is a very interesting, knowledgable person, not just re. her line of work but to think that SHE and this gentleman started up the peace train! Holy Cow, I had seen the 'peace train' on the various' people's blogs (peace train button).. how cool is that! So, this is blogger number 2 that I've met up with, albeit less if not at all planned like with Mash in July.

Who knows, her and I might collaborate on something in the future..we'll see if time and other variables can make that happen..welcome to our street 'Maria'!!

US is pushing Russia into Cold War (and Europe too)

Nato Expansion Map


This is not what the world needed. And as usual, a compliant American media will not bother teaching Americans the historical context. Nato is pushing Russia into a new Cold War (see below posts as to the reason), but also Europe. Europeans aren't as compliant as Americans who are on the whole, detached and do not have any collective memory of what living during the Cold War, in the midst of it all (think fall-out), was like. Excerpt from 'US is pushing Russia into Cold War' ;

As so often, the Americans are proving a menace on the international stage.

And the term humbug is wholly inadequate to describe the reproaches that President Bush heaps on the Russians.

As are reckless and irresponsible to describe the use of the U.S. military to carry humanitarian aid to Georgia. That is the way conflicts can escalate.

That's right. aid can come through neutral bodies such as the Un or the Red Cross except neutrality and the 'pissing context-factor' is still at hand. Russia is not putting up with this and I hope to God that neither will the Europeans. Come on Europe, you've got a stable Euro vs a very weak dollar.. show or grow some spine!

Ok..one more excerpt;

It is easy to imagine the frenzy in Washington if Russia treated the U.S.'s Latin American neighbours as though they were within its sphere of influence.

One question has been lingering for years.


Whatever made Washington think it could keep pushing Nato right up to Russia's border without provoking conflict?

Some European governments have long been uneasy about this provocative strategy, but never the United States.


This dangerous recruitment drive started under President Clinton.

Now we have Poland and the Czech Republic agreeing to U.S. missile and radar sites.

Did you get some of these points? It was started under Clinton. A democrat. So whatever 'force' is behind this, neither party can be trusted. Democrat or Republican.

Another one is the fact that the US has continued provocation and it only shows more clearly now. What are you, the ordinary US citizen going to do? What can you do? That's right, nothing. Either 'you' want or you can't. Don't you just love living in the greatest democracy of the world where you can't or people won't?

think about it..

Yes Prime Minister's The Grand Design (of war..oh, the insanity!)

Part 1 - 9.25 minutes, enjoy it is Saturday after all




You might want to forward to 5 minutes into this as a continuation of the previous video. Canceling 'Trident'?? Oh Poor Humphries..

"Sir Humphrey: With Trident we could obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe.
Jim Hacker: I don't want to obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe.
Sir Humphrey: It's a deterrent.
Jim Hacker: It's a bluff. I probably wouldn't use it.
Sir Humphrey: Yes, but they don't know that you probably wouldn't.
Jim Hacker: They probably do.
Sir Humphrey: Yes, they probably know that you probably wouldn't. But they can't certainly know.
Jim Hacker: They probably certainly know that I probably wouldn't.
Sir Humphrey: Yes, but even though they probably certainly know that you probably wouldn't, they don't certainly know that, although you probably wouldn't, there is no probability that you certainly would."

American citizens in South Ossetia expose Georgian attack, Geopolitics with background info..

Hat tip (BIG hat tip) to mariamariacuchita for this great find. Note the quick producers' reaction to go to commercial break and 'only' 30 seconds of after comment. Plus, great aunty comment; "..I know this is not what you want to hear".. ha! Good for her she probably figured that in order for the world to know that she would need to make Fox believe she was Georgian, and not South Ossetian. Well, can you blame her? She lost her house..




And how about this American visiting relatives as well?? (yes, there are Americans who have family 'over there' also)




Here is what the guy says:
"Shall I speak English now? Because I want America to know it. (overlaying Russian translation)
Americans! If you are watching it, you should know: they broadcast lies and propaganda on your TV. With my own eyes I saw Georgian aggression, unleashed by Mr Saakashvili. Russia didn't start this war - Georgia did. A month ago Condoleezza Rice visited Tbilisi - and I'm sure they planned it there and then. I talked to the people who made it out of Tskhinvali

Geopolitics of Georgia..what led up to Georgia being trained by Israel and the US (see below posts) and attacking South Ossetia in order to provoke the Russians so that the Americans can move in to 'save'. Since the break up of Russia, the US has continued their Cold War and kept up armament and have been encircling Russia. Some Europeans had talked about dismantling Nato as the original purpose was for the Cold War. Heaven forbid!

Blank map of Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia

check this out. A commenter on one of the blogs I was reading made mention how odd it was that there is a great big blank in the state of Georgia. Everywhere around it you can see roads and cities.. in Georgia, apparently not a lot to find..

Tbilisi, Georgia.

the plot thickens..

Fridays' Roundup #4 US tax dollars funded the oil pipeline in Georgia

Export Credit Agency Watch











How Taxpayer Money Is Wrapped Up in Georgian War

"A pipeline that runs through Georgia is the second largest in the world.

But a little-reported fact is that American tax dollars were used to help fund big oil projects in the region.

pray tell me more..

So, how is U.S. taxpayer money bound up in all of this?

It has to do with the role of the two government agencies, the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), that lend money to private companies doing business overseas.

These agencies exist to promote U.S. business abroad, which they do by giving loans and guarantees for projects that are too big or, in many cases, too risky for the tastes of private banks and financiers.

"We exist to take risks that the commercial markets either cannot or are not willing to make," said Phil Cogan, spokesman at the Ex-Im Bank. "That's the reason for export credit agencies for the most part. It's to support the exporters of the United States because those exporters wouldn't be able to make the sale unless there was a guarantee or direct lending."

In the case of this pipeline, the Ex-Im Bank gave a $160 million guarantee to a group of banks that wanted to lend money to the companies involved in the project. If the project fails or goes up in flames (which it could do, literally) Ex-Im will bail out the private banks, and taxpayers will be left holding the bag.

Same deal for OPIC, which gave the project $100 million in "political risk insurance." In other words, the companies apparently weighed the risk of just the sort of conflict the region is now facing, and then went to a government agency for insurance.

Critics see these guarantees as a form of corporate welfare.

There are times my eyes just roll and I really do not get the whole market thing. Speculation. Real worth vs what..whatever someone perceives it to be worth?

This whole free market ideology has taken over to the point that when you can't explain the workings in a simple enough fashion, it is convuluted for a reason. There are the market masters and the rest of us, good little daleks who are supposed to invest and spend money so that the economy runs well.


Anyhow..back to this article. The US is not the only player though..The UK has a big stake in this.. and if you reckon how much money goes into these ventures, perhaps risking war is a small amount to pay in order to safeguard your investment;

"...this week Background Briefing will take you on a bit of a tour of the Catastrophe Market.

A less sexy name is Export Credit Agencies. It’s a boring term for what are essentially loans and insurance, and the money involved makes them much bigger, and therefore more influential than the World Bank and IMF.

Yet very little is known about the new giants, the ECAs. They’re government agencies that use public money to underwrite risky private ventures.

Billions of dollars are involved, in some cases so much that the business venture becomes far more powerful than the country it’s operating in.

Read more The Catastrophe Market: Export Credit Agencies

Fridays' Roundup #3 Bush restarts Cold War

It's triple digits here in Texas, but I think a freeze was felt all over the planet with the latest neoconservatives' move (see post below)..this song and music's tone expresses the sadness of not being able to believe in the dream. The American Dream.. as it always was just an illusion;

Fridays' Roundup #2, "Russia, stop bullying!"

UPDATE: The risk of a new era of east-west confrontation triggered by Russia's invasion of Georgia heightened today when Moscow reserved the right to launch a nuclear attack on Poland because it agreed to host US rockets as part of the Pentagon's missile shield.

So Poland got bullied by the US to put up this missile defense system which Putin came over to the US for in June (see below in the post) but for reasons suspected of provocation, Bush decided that it was necessary to put up a defense missile system in Eastern Europe. Absolutely ridiculous. So now..they had to manufacture a reason to put one up by conning Georgia into believing they could take Ossetia which the US knew (!!) would provoke a strong Russian reaction. And now Bush has got his wish by trying to turn the world against Russia so that the US can find ways to get to the oil in Eurasia anyway..Russia needed to send a stronger message to Poland to NOT put this ridiculous missile system into their backyard, aiming right at Moscow. Are the millions of Americans really so dumb to believe that such a system was intended for 'Iran' of all places?? Know your geography people! I hope (and I would've never thought to say so growing up in europe, but now I do..) I hope Russia gets these American warmongering assholes in their rightful places. Bush the puppet boy is making the world a dangerous place. Do these people not have families or are they so detached from regular life and people that 'business as usual' trumps everything? Shame on them!

now back to the original programming...remember the US telling Russia to stop bullying? Of course Goebels taught Rove that you repeat it often enough all the non thinking yokels will actually believe it..
Whoahhaahhaahaa....hehehe..sniffsniff..sniffles...gigglegiggle...

No,that was not all the cold meds that are taking its toll (feeling much better today thank you I think I slept 3 hours but where was I?)

Ah yes..the voice of sincere righteousness has spoken;

"Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century," said our fierce protector of Democracies (and other types of nations) everywhere.

I'm sure nothing of the kind happened last night in Poland;

Poland agreed last night to station interceptor rockets at missile silos as part of a US missile defence shield in the Baltic region.

So of course, since the US somehow convinced Poland to expose itself to potential Russian defenses, Russia's response was this;

Moscow appeared to raise the temperature further by saying Poland's agreement to host a US missile defence system exposed it to attack. Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of the Russian general staff, was quoted by the news agency Interfax as saying: "Poland, by deploying (the system), is exposing itself to a strike – 100%."

Earlier, he had reiterated Russia's warning that placing missile defence structures in Poland and the Czech Republic would bring an unspecified military response.

what WHAT! Don't you know that if you position that thing right in Poland it would strike right in the heart of EIRAN!!??

The US says the shield is aimed at Iran

eehmmm

but Russia's Nato ambassador, Dmitry Rogozin, told Reuters news agency that "the fact that this was signed in a period of very difficult crisis in the relations between Russia and the United States over the situation in Georgia shows that of course the missile defence system will be deployed not against Iran but the strategic potential of Russia".

For a full, updated account, blow by blow, check out The Guardian's Georgia will lose South Ossetia, Russian president declares

Let me reiterate something, heck, let me post THIS again;


ah, how to make use of the same script more than once..check out the 'Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century' routine (In EUROPE!!)..truly..it'll blow your mind..

and another thing I want to reiterate is this;

Every action has a reaction. In June, Junya met up with Putin as for some reason, Putin was concerned about the following;

Bush has proposed putting missile defenses in the former Soviet bloc with radar in the Czech Republic and as many as 10 silo-based interceptors in Poland. Chicago-based Boeing Co. would be the lead contractor on the $3.5 billion project that, if it goes forward, could be operational in 2013.

You gotta be kidding right? Is George Bush trying to revamp the Cold war? Are his buddies in the military industrial complex twiddling their thumbs with nothing to make, no places to blow up or wars to instigate??

Naturally, Russia's response was this;

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on June 28 reiterated Russian warnings that the planned U.S. missile-defense network ``directly affects strategic stability'' and isn't needed in Eastern Europe. ``We hope that our arguments will be taken seriously,'' Lavrov said in Minsk.


Are you seeing what I'm seeing? To quote Sherlock Holmes, any sane person could not consider this unless [when] you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth

Iran gets bullied by the US over their nuclear abilities whilst Iran has had to contend with VERY overt Israeli threats that they will bomb them fro years, and as Mark Tran in the Guardian notes;

Iran is taking the risk of an Israeli attack seriously enough to be strengthening its air defences. Israeli sabre-rattling and bluster may have an unintended consequence. It could speed up Iran's bomb. North Korea showed that if you have bomb, people are more inclined to talk to you rather than attack you.

So the race is on. My newfound best blogger friend Jim (who's just an average American patriot, yes, I'm full of puns today) believes that the 'Forever War' has started. There is a whole series of hawks who cannot get enough of war and continued arms spending.

So what the neoconservatives started with Iran, making threats and then making demands that knowingly cannot and would not be met, now they're tackling Russia.

After all, let's not forget what's in the Eurasian region that makes war such an 'inexplicable' draw;

Zbigniew Brzezinski

The Grand Chessboard

American Primacy And It's Geostrategic Imperatives


Key Quotes From Zbigniew Brzezinksi's Seminal Book

In that context, how America 'manages' Eurasia is critical. A power that dominates Eurasia would control two of the world's three most advanced and economically productive regions. A mere glance at the map also suggests that control over Eurasia would almost automatically entail Africa's subordination, rendering the Western Hemisphere and Oceania geopolitically peripheral to the world's central continent. About 75 per cent of the world's people live in Eurasia, and most of the world's physical wealth is there as well, both in its enterprises and underneath its soil. Eurasia accounts for about three-fourths of the world's known energy resources." (p.31)

“Never before has a populist democracy attained international supremacy. But the pursuit of power is not a goal that commands popular passion,except in conditions of a sudden threat or challenge to the public's sense of domestic well-being. The economic self-denial (that is, defense spending) and the human sacrifice (casualties, even among professional soldiers) required in the effort are uncongenial to democratic instincts. Democracy is inimical to imperial mobilization." (p.35)

Bosnia-Iraq pipeline
Do you need to have it spelled out more clearly for ya??

(oh and it helps to have a consolidated media conglomerate to fall in step with every official White House line)