[CTRL] Fwd: Bush DoJ Intervenes in Supreme Court, Takes Side of Con Artists against Victims
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 3:58:12 AM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Bush DoJ Intervenes in Supreme Court, Takes Side of Con Artists against Victims Bush may gut lawsuits against Enron Filing backs companies, not shareholders, in unrelated case By DAVID IVANOVICH Houston Chronicle, Aug 15 2007 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5058117.html WASHINGTON — Weighing in on a case before the Supreme Court that could have broad ramifications for lawsuits stemming from Enron's collapse, the Bush administration threw its support behind companies under attack from investors. But shareholders who sued the banks that helped finance Enron's dealings were heartened by the Justice Department's seeming acceptance of at least some of their arguments. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a securities fraud case brought by investors, led by Stoneridge Investment Partners, against Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola, which make digital boxes for cable TV subscribers. Stoneridge had invested in cable TV operator Charter Communications, which Stoneridge claims, asked Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola to engage in wash transactions to artificially meet a target for operating cash flow. Besides suing Charter and its managers, the investors went after Charter's now defunct accounting firm Arthur Andersen, as well as Scientific-Atlanta and Motorola. At issue is whether secondary players like the digital box makers can be held liable for their allegedly deceptive conduct, even if investors weren't really basing their decisions on those actions but on an alleged misstatement by Charter. The issue has divided official Washington, with lawmakers, business groups and former and current Securities and Exchange Commission members jumping into the fray. On Wednesday, the Justice Department's solicitor general, Paul Clement, filed a brief supporting the digital box makers, arguing a Supreme Court decision favoring Stoneridge Investments would constitute a sweeping expansion of the right to sue. Such a rule would expose accountants and lawyers who advise issuers of securities ... to potentially billions of dollars in liability when those issuers make misrepresentations to i.e., DEFRAUD the market, the solicitor general argued. The Supreme Court, of course, can reject the solicitor general's argument when reaching its decision in the case. But the solicitor general has often been referred to as the 10th justice, noted Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University. It matters. The views of the solicitor general are very important to the court. The administration's position in the case was a blow to a group of Enron shareholders who are hoping to force Enron's one-time bankers Merrill Lynch Co., Credit Suisse First Boston and Barclays to help recoup some of their losses. It's a sad day for us, said Charles Prestwood of Conroe, a former plant operator for Enron who estimates he lost $1.3 million when the company failed. The shareholders had faced a defeat at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which sided with Enron's bankers and ruled that class- action lawsuits can pursue only primary players. The Enron shareholders led by the University of California Regents have been trying to get the Supreme Court to hear their case, but all action was put on hold pending the outcome of Stoneridge's case against the digital box companies. While ultimately siding with the companies, the solicitor general did contend that the appeals court had defined too narrowly exactly what constitutes deceptive conduct under securities law, an argument the Enron shareholders hope could bolster their case. But Ken Connor, chairman of the Washington-based Center for a Just Society, which has been supporting the Enron shareholders lawsuit, said the solicitor general gave a tip of the hat to some of the Enron shareholders' arguments, only to emasculate them with other reasoning later. What they gave on the one had they later took away, which in my judgment is a disingenuous approach, Connor said. Dan Newman, a spokesman for Lerach Coughlin, the firm representing the University of California Regents, called the solicitor general's filing a complicated brief that deserves thorough examination. Most people have been assuming that the high court's decision in the Stoneridge vs. Scientific-Atlanta case would decide the fate of the Enron case. But if the justices were to accept some of the arguments the solicitor general has made, it's a possibility it could mean different things for the two cases, Newman said. Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds
[CTRL] Fwd: Patriot Act Gives Executive Branch Control of Death Sentencing in All 50 States
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 14, 2007 7:31:02 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Patriot Act Gives Executive Branch Control of Death Sentencing in All 50 States Gonzales could get say in states' executions Proposed rules would let the attorney general sign off on 'fast tracking' death penalty appeals. By Richard B. Schmitt, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 14, 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na- penalty14aug14,1,4816644.story?ctrack=1cset=true WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations that could give Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales important new sway over death penalty cases in California and other states, including the power to shorten the time that death row inmates have to appeal convictions to federal courts. The rules implement a little-noticed provision in last year's reauthorization of the Patriot Act that gives the attorney general the power to decide whether individual states are providing adequate counsel for defendants in death penalty cases. The authority has been held by federal judges. Under the rules now being prepared, if a state requested it and Gonzales agreed, prosecutors could use fast track procedures that could shave years off the time that a death row inmate has to appeal to the federal courts after conviction in a state court. The move to shorten the appeals process and effectively speed up executions comes at a time of growing national concern about the fairness of the death penalty, underscored by the use of DNA testing to establish the innocence of more than a dozen death row inmates in recent years. Amid the public debate, the number of people executed in the U.S. has declined steadily since the mid-1990s. California and several other states have moratoriums on lethal injections, stemming from legal challenges. Opponents say the way the states administer a three-drug lethal cocktail unnecessarily risks excessive pain for the inmate and therefore violates the constitutional bar against cruel and unusual punishment. A federal judge in San Jose, citing a lack of training and supervision of the execution team, ruled California's application of lethal injections unconstitutional. State officials have proposed changing procedures to try to address the judge's concerns. A hearing is in October. Prosecutors say many death penalty cases take far too long to resolve even when the issue of guilt is clear. Especially in the West, where the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has blocked many executions, cases can take decades to wind through the courts. In its most recent term, the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in three cases in which the 9th Circuit had reversed the sentence. One of the cases involved a two-time Arizona murderer who told the sentencing judge: If you want to give me the death penalty, just bring it right on. He was sentenced in 1990. Some Arizona officials say the new procedures are long overdue. If you are going to have the death penalty at all, it shouldn't take 20 to 25 years, said Kent Cattani, the chief capital litigation counsel in the Arizona attorney general's office. Either get rid of it altogether, or try to have a good system in state courts and then accelerate it through the federal courts. On the other side, advocates for death row inmates and some legal experts say the rules would make a bad system worse. It is another means by which people are determined to shut the federal courts down to meaningful review of death penalty cases, said Elisabeth Semel, director of the Death Penalty Clinic at the UC Berkeley law school. The inevitable result of speeding them up is to miss profound legal errors that are made. Lawyers will not see them. Courts will not address them. This is the Bush administration throwing down the gauntlet and saying, 'We are going to speed up executions,' said Kathryn Kase, a Houston lawyer and co-chair of the death-penalty committee for the National Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers. About 3,350 people are on death row in the U.S., including more than 600 in California. Most were sentenced in state courts, but death cases almost always end up being reviewed by federal judges too. It is impossible to estimate how many inmates might be affected. Some with appeals pending could see their cases shortened. Cases in the system for 20 years in federal court, it will not affect those, said Cattani. But it will prevent those from happening in the future. The procedures would cut to six months, instead of a year, the time that death row inmates have to file federal appeals once their cases have been resolved in the state courts. It would also impose strict guidelines on federal judges for
[CTRL] Fwd: Bankers Organize PRIVATE Stock Market, Wall Street Left to Con-Men Suckers
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 14, 2007 10:33:50 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Bankers Organize PRIVATE Stock Market, Wall Street Left to Con-Men Suckers Banks to Offer Private-Stock Trading By REUTERS Published: August 15, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/business/15opus.html Five of Wall Street’s biggest banks, including Citigroup, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, said yesterday that they were setting up a system to trade privately placed stocks. The group, which also includes the underwriter Morgan Stanley and Bank of New York Mellon, said the system would start operating in September. It will serve companies looking to raise capital without the scrutiny given to publicly listed companies. The platform, the Open Platform for Unregistered Securities, or Opus-5, would be an alternative to those introduced by Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. Bear Stearns announced yesterday that it had started a similar platform, Best Markets. These platforms are open only to big money managers already dealing in private stock and debt transactions. Today, Nasdaq Stock Market is to introduce its own platform for private securities, Portal, which could supersede the bank-run systems. Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fwd: Head of GAO Compares America's Present Financial State to Fall of Rome
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 14, 2007 7:36:36 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Head of GAO Compares America's Present Financial State to Fall of Rome Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned By Jeremy Grant in Washington August 14 2007 00:06 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/80fa0a2c-49ef-11dc-9ffe-779fd2ac.html The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector has warned. David Walker, Comptroller General of the US, issued the unusually downbeat assessment of his country’s future in a report that lays out what he called “chilling long-term simulations”. These include “dramatic” tax rises, slashed government services and the large-scale dumping by foreign governments of holdings of US debt. Drawing parallels with the end of the Roman empire, Mr Walker warned there were “striking similarities” between America’s current situation and the factors that brought down Rome, including “declining moral values and political civility at home, an over- confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government”. “Sound familiar?” Mr Walker said. “In my view, it’s time to learn from history and take steps to ensure the American Republic is the first to stand the test of time.” Mr Walker’s views carry weight because he is a non-partisan figure in charge of the Government Accountability Office, often described as the investigative arm of the US Congress. While most of its studies are commissioned by legislators, about 10 per cent – such as the one containing his latest warnings – are initiated by the comptroller general himself. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Walker said he had mentioned some of the issues before but now wanted to “turn up the volume”. Some of them were too sensitive for others in government to “have their name associated with”. “I’m trying to sound an alarm and issue a wake-up call,” he said. “As comptroller general I’ve got an ability to look longer-range and take on issues that others may be hesitant, and in many cases may not be in a position, to take on. “One of the concerns is obviously we are a great country but we face major sustainability challenges that we are not taking seriously enough,” said Mr Walker, who was appointed during the Clinton administration to the post, which carries a 15-year term. The fiscal imbalance meant the US was “on a path toward an explosion of debt”. “With the looming retirement of baby boomers, spiralling healthcare costs, plummeting savings rates and increasing reliance on foreign lenders, we face unprecedented fiscal risks,” said Mr Walker, a former senior executive at PwC auditing firm. Current US policy on education, energy, the environment, immigration and Iraq also was on an “unsustainable path”. “Our very prosperity is placing greater demands on our physical infrastructure. Billions of dollars will be needed to modernise everything from highways and airports to water and sewage systems. The recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis was a sobering wake-up call.” Mr Walker said he would offer to brief the would-be presidential candidates next spring. “They need to make fiscal responsibility and inter-generational equity one of their top priorities. If they do, I think we have a chance to turn this around but if they don’t, I think the risk of a serious crisis rises considerably”. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007 Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research
[CTRL] Fwd: Put on a Happy Face (with a Hitler Mustache)
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 15, 2007 6:09:44 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Put on a Happy Face (with a Hitler Mustache) ttp://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/N/nazi_pop/ Nazi Pop Twins is a one-off, one hour documentary where filmmaker James Quinn investigates the controversial American pop band Prussian Blue, whose teenage twin girl stars have made headlines across the world with their white nationalist music and as poster girls of neo-Nazism. Watch programme clip Prussian Blue , named after the chemical residue from the Auschwitz gas chambers, are 14 year olds Lamb and Lynx Gaede who with their long blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes aren't your typical teeny boppers – they're white nationalists. California [blondes] proud of their [Aryan] German ancestry, the pop duo have been performing white nationalistic songs before all- white audiences since they were nine. Since their arrival on the pop scene, Lamb and Lynx have gained thousands of column inches and ignited global outrage across the world with their very own brand of pop in which they sing the praises of Rudolph Hess, promote holocaust denial and dream of a White America. Filmed over a year, Nazi Pop Twins follows James as he is invited into the home of the Gaede family where he aims to discover the secrets of the twin's notoriety and the motivation behind their controversial music. As the family allow James and the cameras into their lives, he discovers some disturbing truths beneath the happy family image that determined mother/manager April likes to project. Is she, in fact, just using Lamb and Lynx as a mouthpiece for her own extremist views? A Tiger Aspect Production for Channel 4 Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fwd: See Who's Editing Wikipedia -- Diebold, the C.I.A., a Campaign
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 15, 2007 5:44:06 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fwd: See Who's Editing Wikipedia -- Diebold, the C.I.A., a Campaign Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. From: Jim S. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 15, 2007 4:10:54 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: See Who's Editing Wikipedia -- Diebold, the C.I.A., a Campaign Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/08/ wiki_tracker *See Who's Editing Wikipedia -- Diebold, the C.I.A., a Campaign* By John Borland Email 08.14.07 | 2:00 a.m. [CalTech graduate student Virgil Griffith built a search tool that traces IP addresses of those who make Wikipedia changes. Photo: Jake Appelbaum] On November 17th, 2005, an anonymous Wikipedia user deleted 15 paragraphs from an article on e-voting machine-vendor Diebold, excising an entire section critical of the company's machines. While anonymous, such changes typically leave behind digital fingerprints offering hints about the contributor, such as the location of the computer used to make the edits. In this case, the changes came from an IP address reserved for the corporate offices of Diebold itself. And it is far from an isolated case. A new data-mining service launched Monday traces millions of Wikipedia entries to their corporate sources, and for the first time puts comprehensive data behind longstanding suspicions of manipulation, which until now have surfaced only piecemeal in investigations of specific allegations. Wikipedia Scanner -- the brainchild of Cal Tech computation and neural-systems graduate student Virgil Griffith -- offers users a searchable database that ties millions of anonymous Wikipedia edits to organizations where those edits apparently originated, by cross-referencing the edits with data on who owns the associated block of internet IP addresses. Inspired by news last year that Congress members' offices had been editing their own entries, Griffith says he got curious, and wanted to know whether big companies and other organizations were doing things in a similarly self-interested vein. Everything's better if you do it on a huge scale, and automate it, he says with a grin. This database is possible thanks to a combination of Wikipedia policies and (mostly) publicly available information. The online encyclopedia allows anyone to make edits, but keeps detailed logs of all these changes. Users who are logged in are tracked only by their user name, but anonymous changes leave a public record of their IP address. Share Your Sleuthing! Cornered any companies polishing up their Wikipedia entries? Spotted any government spooks rewriting history? Try Virgil Griffith's Wikipedia Scanner yourself, then submit your finds and vote on other readers' discoveries here. The organization also allows downloads of the complete Wikipedia, including records of all these changes. Griffith thus downloaded the entire encyclopedia, isolating the XML- based records of anonymous changes and IP addresses. He then correlated those IP addresses with public net-address lookup services such as ARIN, as well as private domain-name data provided by IP2Location.com. The result: A database of 34.4 million edits, performed by 2.6 million organizations or individuals ranging from the C.I.A. to Microsoft to Congressional offices, now linked to the edits they or someone at their organization's net address has made. Some of this appears to be transparently self-interested, either adding positive, press release-like material to entries, or deleting whole swaths of critical material. Voting-machine company Diebold provides a good example of the latter, with someone at the company's IP address apparently deleting long paragraphs detailing the security industry's concerns over the integrity of their voting machines, and information about the company's C.E.O.'s fund-raising for President Bush. The text, deleted in November 2005, was quickly restored by another Wikipedia contributor, who advised the anonymous editor, Please stop removing content from Wikipedia. It is considered vandalism. A Diebold Election Systems spokesman said he'd look into the matter but could not comment by press time. Wal-Mart has a series of relatively small changes in 2005 that that burnish the company's image on its own entry while often leaving criticism in, changing a line that its wages are less than other retail stores to a note that it pays nearly double the minimum wage, for example. Another leaves activist criticism on community impact intact, while citing a definitive study showing Wal-Mart raised the total number of jobs in a community. As has been previously reported, politician's offices are heavy users of the system. Former Montana Sen. Conrad
[CTRL] Fwd: Choose One -- Any Reason Will Do for War with IRAN
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 5:36:34 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Choose One -- Any Reason Will Do for War with IRAN September/October 2004 http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2679 21 Rationales for War Want a reason for war with Iraq? Here are 21. A study by Devon Largio, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, reveals that between September 2001 and October 2002 10 key players in the debate over Iraq presented at least 21 rationales for going to war. Largio examines the public statements of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, Sens. Joseph Lieberman and John McCain, Richard Perle (then chairman of the Defense Policy Review Board), Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. The table below illustrates who deployed each rationale. Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fwd: Sept. Report to Congress: The Surge Would Be A SUCCESS, If Not for IRAN
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 15, 2007 12:40:13 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Sept. Report to Congress: The Surge Would Be A SUCCESS, If Not for IRAN Petraeus’ September Report Will Be Written By Cheney/Bush http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/15/petraeus-white-house-report/ The Los Angeles Times reports (http://www.latimes.com/news/ nationworld/world/la-fg-pullback15aug15,0,4840766.story? page=1coll=la-home-center) that Gen. David Petraeus’ upcoming Sept. 15 report on Iraq will be authored by the White House: Despite Bush’s repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Bush Administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government. And though Petraeus and Crocker will present their recommendations on Capitol Hill, legislation passed by Congress leaves it to the president to decide how to interpret the report’s data. In other words, the Sept. 15 report promises to be much like the July mid-term report which purported to show “satisfactory performance on 8 of the 18 benchmarks.” A closer look into those claims revealed that the progress was purely White House spin. Yet, the report accomplished its primary objective of producing media reports which suggested that the overall picture in Iraq was “mixed.” The White House has repeatedly employed Petraeus as a PR flack, using him to promote failing Iraq policies and the war czar nomination. President Bush had previously said he would “respect the command structure” and not intercede in the Petraeus report: I will repeat, as the Commander-in-Chief of a great military who has supported this military and will continue to support this military, not only with my — with insisting that we get resources to them, but with — by respecting the command structure, I’m going to wait for David to come back — David Petraeus to come back and give us the report on what he sees. Apparently, Bush doesn’t plan to wait for a report; instead, he’ll have it drafted prior to Petraeus’ return. Markos writes: “Let me predict the future: The report: ‘Success!’ The interpretation: ‘Smashing success!’” Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fwd: Thousand-Dollar Bills Being Used as Toilet Paper at the Pentagon, Apparently
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 5:25:20 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Thousand-Dollar Bills Being Used as Toilet Paper at the Pentagon, Apparently A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20 million over six years from the Pentagon for bogus shipping costs -- for example, $998,798 to send two 19-cent washers to an Army base in Texas; $455,009 to ship three screws to Marines in Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent washer to an Air Force Base in Florida. Imagine what kind of money HALLIBURTON is making off the U.S. government. Pentagon Paid $998,798 to Ship Two 19-Cent Washers By Tony Capaccio http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070sid=ardg6DwCCMFI Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19- cent washers to an Army base in Texas, U.S. officials said. The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show. The owners of CD Distributors in Lexington, South Carolina -- twin sisters -- exploited a flaw in an automated Defense Department purchasing system: bills for shipping to combat areas or U.S. bases that were labeled ``priority'' were usually paid automatically, said Cynthia Stroot, a Pentagon investigator. CD and two of its officials were barred in December from receiving federal contracts. Today, a federal judge in Columbia, South Carolina, accepted the guilty plea of the company and one sister, Charlene Corley, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder money, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said. Corley, 46, was fined $750,000. She faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years on each count and will be sentenced soon, McDonald said in a telephone interview from Columbia. Stroot said her sibling died last year. Corley didn't immediately return a phone message left on her answering machine at her office in Lexington. Her attorney, Gregory Harris, didn't immediately return a phone call placed to his office in Columbia. `Got More Aggressive' CD's fraudulent billing started in 2000, Stroot, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's chief agent in Raleigh, North Carolina, said in an interview. ``As time went on they got more aggressive in the amounts they put in.'' The price the military paid for each item shipped rarely reached $100 and totaled just $68,000 over the six years in contrast to the $20.5 million paid for shipping, she said. ``The majority, if not all of these parts, were going to high- priority, conflict areas -- that's why they got paid,'' Stroot said. If the item was earmarked ``priority,'' destined for the military in Iraq, Afghanistan or certain other locations, ``there was no oversight.'' Scheme Detected The scheme unraveled in September after a purchasing agent noticed a bill for shipping two more 19-cent washers: $969,000. That order was rejected and a review turned up the $998,798 payment earlier that month for shipping two 19-cent washers to Fort Bliss, Texas, Stroot said. The Pentagon's Defense Logistics Agency orders millions of parts a year. ``These shipping claims were processed automatically to streamline the re-supply of items to combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,'' the Justice Department said in a press release announcing today's verdict. Stroot said the logistics agency and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, which pays contractors, have made major changes, including thorough evaluations of the priciest shipping charges. Dawn Dearden, a spokeswoman for the logistics agency, said finance and procurement officials immediately examined all billing records. Stroot said the review showed that fraudulent billing is ``not a widespread problem.'' ``CD was a rogue contractor,'' Stroot said. While other questionable billing has been uncovered, nothing came close to CD's, she said. The next-highest billing for questionable costs totaled $2 million, she said. Stroot said the Pentagon hopes to recoup most of the $20.5 million by auctioning homes, beach property, jewelry and ``high- end automobiles'' that the sisters spent the money on. ``They took a lot of vacations,'' she said. Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths,
[CTRL] Fwd: UK Banning Weapons Exports to Israel
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 14, 2007 7:21:05 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: UK Banning Weapons Exports to Israel UK blocks Israel arms deals GEORGE CONGER Jerusalem Post correspondent, THE JERUSALEM POST http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? cid=1186557440717pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Aug. 14, 2007 The British government has blocked almost one third of British military exports to Israel this year, citing possible threats to regional stability and fears the equipment might facilitate human rights violations. According to official figures, the value of UK military sales arms to Israel declined by one third last year, and has fallen by a drastic 75 percent since 2005. There is evidence that the British government's export control policy to Israel may have been tightened up, said Parliament's new 2007 Strategic Export Controls report, issued by the Quadrapartite Commission, which comprises representatives from four ministries. The change in policy, said the report, reflects a convergence of government attitudes with its own official guidelines. The report comes amid a period of uncertainty in Anglo-Israeli relations. While the new prime minister, Gordon Brown, has voiced public support for Israel and has appointed several pro-Israel MPs to cabinet positions, he has also promoted a leading critic of US and Israeli policy, former UN deputy secretary-general Mark Malloch Brown, to a key Foreign Office post. Outside of government, the opposition Liberal Democrat party has called for a rethinking of arms sales to Israel, while in May the UK's Legal Services Commission, the state agency that provides funding for attorney's fees for indigent defendants, agreed to underwrite the costs of litigation brought by a Palestinian man in a British court seeking a ban on arms sales to Israel. The August 7 Quadripartite Committee report largely praised the government's overall handling of strategic exports but warned that the rapid pace of technological change and rising threat of terrorism required increased state vigilance. Any gaps in the legislation could have serious consequences for the UK, it concluded. However, it criticized as unclear the British government's policies on arms sales to Israel. While the case-by-case approach gave the government a flexibility that allowed a latitude to adjust policy without the need for public explanation, its arms sales policies towards Israel were neither transparent nor accountable, the panel found. The committee asked that the government explain its policy on licensing exports to Israel, Jordan or other countries in the Middle East and that it explain whether it has adjusted its policy since 1997 as events in the Occupied Territories and Middle East have unfolded. We further recommend that the government explain how it assesses whether there is a clear risk‚ that a proposed export to Israel might be used for internal repression, it said. Statistics published by the committee showed that arms exports to Israel totaled 14.5 million pounds last year (about $29 million), compared to GBP 22.5 million in 2005. Between 1997 and 2006 Britain granted Israel 1561 Standard Individual Export Licenses (SIELs) valued at GBP 113 million. During the same period it authorized 626 SIELs valued at GBP 136.5 million for shipment to Jordan. However, over the last 10 years, 190 application for military sales to Israel have been prohibited, comprising 11 percent of all applications for sales of military equipment. During the same period, only two such applications were rejected for military and restricted goods bound for Jordan. The British government reported it had approved 37 military SIELs to Israel in the first quarter of 2007 valued at GBP 1.5 million, a rate that if held constant throughout the year would cut British sales to Israel by three quarters since 2005. The UK also blocked 11 SIELs to Israel in the first three months of 2007: three for airborne guidance systems, four for information security systems and equipment, one for munitions, one for fire control equipment, one for electronic components, and one for specialty aluminum alloys. Three SIELs for the sale of radar and avionics guidance systems to a third country for use in aircraft destined for the IAF were blocked this year also. The 14 rejected SIELs violated various Consolidated EU and National Arms Licensing Criteria, the Foreign Office stated, citing concerns the shipments would not respect human rights and the fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination, would worsen the the internal situation in the country of final destination; and would harm regional peace, security and stability. One SIEL was denied due to the behavior of the
[CTRL] Fwd: Praise the Lord and Go Meekly to FEMA's Relocation Centers
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 5:00:37 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Praise the Lord and Go Meekly to FEMA's Relocation Centers Feds Train Clergy To Quell Dissent During Martial Law Shocking KSLA-TV Channel 12 [Louisiana] news report confirms story we broke last year -- FEMA is training Pastors to cite St Paul in Romans 13 as reason for the public to obey government orders, relinquish their guns and allow themselves to be taken to camps during a state of emergency Paul Joseph Watson Prison Planet Thursday, August 16, 2007 http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/ august2007/160807_quell_dissent.htm A shocking KSLA news report has confirmed the story we first broke last year, that Clergy Response Teams are being trained by the federal government to quell dissent and pacify citizens to obey the government in the event of a declaration of martial law. In May 2006, we exposed the existence of a nationwide FEMA program which is training Pastors and other religious representatives to become secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to obey the government in preparation for the implementation of martial law, property and firearm seizures, mass vaccination programs and forced relocation. A whistleblower who was secretly enrolled into the program told us that the feds were clandestinely recruiting religious leaders to help implement Homeland Security directives in anticipation of a potential bio-terrorist attack, any natural disaster or a nationally declared emergency. The first directive was for Pastors to preach to their congregations Romans 13, the often taken out of context bible passage that was used by Hitler to hoodwink Christians into supporting him, in order to teach them to obey the government when martial law is declared. It was related to the Pastors that quarantines, martial law and forced relocation were a problem for state authorities when enforcing federal mandates due to the cowboy mentality of citizens standing up for their property and second amendment rights as well as farmers defending their crops and livestock from seizure. It was stressed that the Pastors needed to preach subservience to the authorities ahead of time in preparation for the round-ups and to make it clear to the congregation that this is for their own good. Pastors were told that they would be backed up by law enforcement in controlling uncooperative individuals and that they would even lead SWAT teams in attempting to quell resistance. Though some doubted the accuracy of this report at the time due to its fundamentally disturbing implications, the story has now been confirmed by a KSLA 12 news report, in which participating clergy and officials admit to the existence of the program. Watch the video. The report entertains the scenario of martial law as depicted in the movie The Siege and states that quelling dissent would be critical. Dr. Durell Tuberville serves as chaplain for the Shreveport Fire Department and the Caddo Sheriff's Office. Tuberville said of the clergy team's mission, the primary thing that we say to anybody is, 'let's cooperate and get this thing over with and then we'll settle the differences once the crisis is over.' Such clergy response teams would walk a tight-rope during martial law between the demands of the government on the one side, versus the wishes of the public on the other. In a lot of cases, these clergy would already be known in the neighborhoods in which they're helping to diffuse that situation, assured Sandy Davis. He serves as the director of the Caddo-Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. For the clergy team, one of the biggest tools that they will have in helping calm the public down or to obey the law is the bible itself, specifically Romans 13. Dr. Tuberville elaborated, because the government's established by the Lord, you know. And, that's what we believe in the Christian faith. That's what's stated in the scripture. Screenshot from the KSLA 12 news article that accompanies the video report (http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=6937987). So there you have it - Homeland Security are working with local police departments and religious leaders to prepare for the declaration of martial law and in particular developing techniques they will employ during the crisis to quell dissent. Phony Christian leaders are brainwashing their congregations to accept the premise that the totalitarian police state is of the Lord and that they should get on their knees and lick jackboots while the round-ups take place as citizens are processed into quarantine zones and detention camps by the National Guard and U.S. troops returning from Iraq. The precedent for mass
[CTRL] Fwd: CIA's Woolsey Argues Need for Pre-Emptive Strike on Iran Within Months
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 5:41:25 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: CIA's Woolsey Argues Need for Pre-Emptive Strike on Iran Within Months CIA's Woolsey Claims: Iran Could Have Nuclear Bomb in ‘A Few Months’ http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/15/woolsey-iran-nukes/ During an appearance on CNN’s Lou Dobbs last night, former CIA director James Woolsey, one of the earliest advocates of invading Iraq, claimed that Iran “could have” a nuclear bomb in “a few months.” “The Iranians continue to work on getting enriched uranium,” said Woolsey. “I’m afraid that within, at worst, a few months, they could have a bomb.” Woolsey is doing nothing more than fear-mongering when he says Iran could have a nuclear bomb in “a few months.” In fact, his assertion of an impending nuclear weapon in Iran is contradicted by experts on nuclear weapons, including the CIA. “Iran is still probably five to 10 years away from gaining the ability to make nuclear fuel or nuclear bombs,” according to Joseph Cirincione, the director for nuclear policy at the Center for American Progress. In May, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the UN’s the International Atomic Energy Agency, said “even if Iran wanted to go for a nuclear weapon, it would not be before the end of this decade or sometime in the middle of the next decade,” an estimate that echoed the view of the CIA. Additionally, Woolsey is a suspect source for claims of urgency when it comes to nuclear weapons, having repeatedly hyped Saddam Hussein’s nuclear capability during the build up to war with Iraq: “It is urgent that we begin this process of bringing democracy to the Middle East before the region’s most dangerous dictator — Saddam Hussein — gets nuclear weapons.” [5/21/02] “I think it would be a lot easier to stop Saddam now than it would be two or three years from now when he would be almost certain to have nuclear weapons.” [1/10/03] Unsatisfied with just invading Iraq, Woolsey is again pushing specious claims of imminent nuclear bombs, hoping the U.S. will move on to Iran next. Transcript: LOU DOBBS: Let’s begin with the issue of — the administration has stated categorically, you know, our generals have stated categorically that as many of the third of the deaths last month, for example, were caused by Iranian support of the insurgency and the provision of those shaped charges killing so many of our troops. Why is there no reaction by this government and this military? JAMES WOOLSEY: I don’t know. The Persians invented chess and the Iranians are doing a pretty good job of moving their pieces — Muqtada al-Sadr and those explosive devices, and Hamas and Hezbollah around to protect their queen, which is their most lethal piece — their nuclear weapons program. And I suppose the administration is focused on that. But the way it’s chosen to work on is to, for years, turn it over to the Europeans, who have been stalled by the Iranians and the Iranians continue to work on getting enriched uranium. I’m afraid within, well, at worst, a few months; at best, a few years; they could have a bomb. Posted by Matt August 15, 2007 11:36 am Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fwd: Kafka Meets Orwell in the Courtroom
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 5:13:15 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Kafka Meets Orwell in the Courtroom NSA Judge: 'I feel like I'm in Alice and Wonderland' By Kevin Poulsen Wired, August 15, 2007 | 6:33:00 PM http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/nsa-hearing-ope.html Ryan Singel and David Kravets are blogging the U.S. 9th Circuit hearing on the NSA's spying, and ATT's alleged complicity, reporting live from the San Francisco courthouse. Spectators lined up outside the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco starting at noon to guarantee a seat at a much- anticipated legal showdown over the government's secret wiretapping program. The hearing involves two cases: one aimed at ATT for allegedly helping the government with a widespread datamining program allegedly involving domestic and international phone calls and internet use; the other a direct challenge to the government's admitted warrantless wiretapping of overseas phone calls. Jon Eisenberg, an Oakland-based attorney, is arguing on behalf of a now-defunct Islamic charity Al-Haramain and its lawyers, who claim to have been accidentally given a Top Secret log of their own phone conversations, which they say proves the government illegally eavesdropped on them without warrants. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Bondy will argue for the government in the Al-Haramain challenge, while Deputy Solicitor General Gregory Garre will handle the government's side in the ATT case. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which filed the challenge to ATT, is being represented by Robert Fram, a San Francisco-based attorney. 2:10pm PDT The courtroom filled quickly with more than 20 attorneys in the courtroom well, and 80 spectators seated and standing. Another 40 filed into an overflow courtroom, including Mark Klein, the former ATT engineer who provided internal company documents to the EFF. Those documents allegedly show that ATT built a secret spying room for the NSA in its San Francisco internet switching center. Garre, the Bush administration attorney, just opened oral arguments by telling the three-judge panel that it should dismiss outright the lawsuit against ATT, and those challenging the constitutionality of the president's warrantless and domestic eavesdropping program developed. Litigating this action could result in exceptionally gave harm to national security in the United States, says Deputy Solicitor General Gregory Garr. 2:20pm PDT Judge Harry Pregerson suggests the government is asking the courts to rubber stamp the government's claim that state secrets are at risk Who decides whether something is a state secret or not? ... We have to take the word of the members of the executive branch that something is a state secret? Garre counters that the courts should give utmost deference to the Bush administration. Judge Pregerson: What does utmost deference mean? Bow to it? 2:30pm PDT All three judges are giving Garre skeptical questions about the power of the state secrets privilege. They're also getting stonewalled a bit. Was a warrant obtained in this case? Judge Pregerson asks. That gets into matters that were protected by state secrets, Garre replies. 2:45pm PDT Judge McKeown asks whether the government stands by President Bush's statements that purely-domestic communications, where both parties are in the United States, are not being monitored without warrants. Does the government stand behind that statement, McKeown asks. Garre: Yes, your honor. But Garre says the government would not be willing to sign a sworn affidavit to that effect for the court record. Pregerson, by his record, is the most liberal judge on the panel, and he clearly thinks the government is just looking for a blank check for their secret program. But the other two judges aren't thrilled either. They seem perplexed that the government can't swear under oath that the Bush Administration isn't warrantlessly spying on domestic phone calls. 3:00pm PDT Government attorney Garre doesn't think much of the secret documents provided to EFF by whistle blower Mark Klein -- which outline a room that is capable of widespread investigation of internet packets from multiple ISPs and backbone providers. Garre described the documents as showing the secret room has a leaky air conditioner and some loose cables in the room. Expect EFF's attorney to rebut that characterization in his upcoming arguments. 3:10pm PDT ATT attorney Michael Kellogg has taken the podium, and, not surprisingly, insists the case has to be dismissed. He says ATT customers have no actual proof or direct knowledge that their communications were forwarded to the government without warrants. The government has said that whatever
[CTRL] Fwd: Already a Correction -- and It'll Be Downhill from There
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 9:12:00 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Already a Correction -- and It'll Be Downhill from There Stock Market Update - Thu Aug 16 2007 16:20:01 EDT Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:20PM EDT http://www.reuters.com/article/stockTickerBriefing/ idUSSI2007081616410820070816 [BRIEFING.COM] After going more than four years without a market correction of 10%, the Dow, SP 500, and Nasdaq all endured large enough losses intraday to make such a scenario become a reality. However, a huge short covering rally in the SP 500's most heavily weighted sector -- Financials -- triggered a significant broad market advance in the final hour of trading. At their lows, the Dow, SP 500, and Nasdaq were down 2.7%, 2.6%, and 2.9%, respectively. The sharp losses followed an alarming announcement from Countrywide Financial (CFC 20.18, -1.11) that it had tapped the entirety of its $11.5 billion credit line to deal with short-term funding issues. Stocks, however, garnered momentum late in the day and staged one of the biggest market turnarounds in recent memory. All three major indices closed above their corrective lows. The SP 500 eked out a small gain while the Dow and Nasdaq closed modestly lower. Fears of a global liquidity crunch, which prompted carry-trade unwinds that sent the yen surging the most against the dollar since 1998, were among several issues plaguing stocks right out of the gate. In fact, when the yen hit its best levels of the day around 1:00 ET, that was when the Dow slipped to its lows of the session (-343 points or -2.7%). At that point, the Dow joined both the SP 500 and Nasdaq down more than 10% from their July peaks, signaling a market correction for an index containing even the bluest of blue chips. The extensive sell-off in everything from gold to copper suggested that hedge funds were aggressively unwinding some of their biggest winners. Materials (-1.2%) was the day's worst performing sector, but it too closed well off its lows. It was down as much as 5.2%. Renewed enthusiasm for the depressed Financial sector was the big story of the day, though. It was down 1.5% early on but closed up 3.5%. Throw in a handful of encouraging developments throughout the afternoon and investors on the wrong side of the tape since credit concerns began to surface ran for cover. Speculation of an emergency Fed meeting around 2:00 ET helped counter St. Louis Fed President Poole's comment earlier that only a calamity would justify a rate cut. Bear Stearns (BSC 116.60 13.45) soared 13% amid reports suggesting it may get enough funding from a deep pocket partner to silence rumors concerning potentially more adverse results. Fannie Mae (FNM 65.31 +3.86) saying it is in constructive talks with regulators to lift portfolio caps also helped investors look past the Countrywide Financial news. Separately, it was reported before the start of trading that housing starts plunged to 10-year lows. NYSE Adv/Dec 1309/2078...Nasdaq Adv/Dec 1339/1752 -- Stocks Claw Their Way Back Buyers swooped in the last hour after heavy selling pushed major indexes 10% below their recent highs by Karyn McCormack http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/aug2007/ pi20070816_476331.htm?chan=search snip U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told the Wall Street Journal he believes the turmoil on financial markets will extract a penalty on U.S. economic growth, but the economy and the markets are strong enough to absorb the losses without creating a recession. Other market watchers wondered when the selling will turn to buying. The market is obviously in a heightened state of paranoia and if we see the full fledged selling panic come in, you may have to buy simply based on the fact we are probably a bit oversold, wrote Jay Collins of DT Trading in Chicago in an early morning note. The New York Fed injected an additional $12 billion in reserves today with overnight repurchase agreement, or repo, on top of the $5 billion 14-day repo put in place earlier in the morning, to help ease the liquidity crunch. On Wednesday, the New York Fed used a repo to add $7 billion to financial institutions. In the last week, central banks in the U.S. and Europe have injected money into the markets to help stabilize the credit markets. But some experts argue that a cut in rates by the Fed may not be needed now that market rates have fallen. Action Economics notes that the Fed's injections over the last several sessions have kept the effective funds rate below the 5.25% target rate, and has traded with around 4% since last Friday. This is an effective easing from the Fed, says Action Economics. Meanwhile, the Fed's rescue attempts are making investors nervous that more
[CTRL] Fwd: Neocon Lust for Oil Radicalizing Russia China into Military Enemies of U.S.
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 15, 2007 8:38:28 PM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Neocon Lust for Oil Radicalizing Russia China into Military Enemies of U.S. By 2008, with Putin gone, Russia is expected to change a westernized fascist-nationalist autocracy willing to ally itself with Nato against the dual threat posed by (1) Islamic radicals and (2) their biggest rival, China. Next year you may even see an Orange Revolution in Moscow handing Boris Berezovsky the presidency. The real problem is China, as ethnically and culturally out of sync with the West as the Muslim masses. http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=9498 On February 11, the Washington Post reported that Dick Cheney's national security advisor John Hanna considers 2007 the year of Iran. A central player in the making of the Bush administration's deceptive case for the invasion of Iraq, Hannah said that a U.S. assault on Iran was a real possibility this year. The Bush administration knows that neither of its two closest military rivals — Russia and China — will back Iran in an armed conflict with the superpower. While they will block a force resolution against Iran at the UN, they will stand clear once U.S. attack becomes imminent. Last December the Bush administration succeeded in persuading the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution imposing economic sanctions on Iran for supposedly threatening international peace with nuclear activities. This has set the stage for Bush to demand that the Security Council sanction the use of force against Iran. When Security Council members Russia and China (inevitably) reject that demand, Bush may well (on the model of the 2002-2003 run to the invasion of Iraq) cite earlier resolutions to justify direct U.S. military action. We've done all we can through the inadequate channels of international law and the UN, Bush will claim (in essence) but now the time has come for us to act against an Evil State that the U.N. itself has identified as 'a danger to world peace.' http://newsblaze.com/story/20070731170010payn.nb/newsblaze/OPINIONS/ Opinions.html The Iran-China Military Axis of World War III is giving more indications their preparations for strategic (military) cooperation are complete, and that all they require is a regional crisis, a war, to take advantage of in order to display it in the field against a mutual enemy, which is of course India. This is an extension of Beijing's strategic relations with Pakistan China established in 1951, just one year after China's invasion of Tibet and just five years after their invasion of East Turkestan, which China promptly renamed Xinjiang province. This could easily be called the Belong to China foreign policy since World War II instituted by Mao Tse Tung after he consolidated power and it became the greatest threat to security on the Asian mainland. Beijing announced it still has more invasions in mind when China Ambassdor to India, Sun Yuxi, proclaimed last November that northeast India-Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory. The following month Beijing conducted ground forces maneuvers with Islamabad just west of Kashmir. It conformed to the pattern of China's imperial military tradition of conducting invasions until they are stopped-defeated as they finally were when serious border fighting began with the Soviet Union in the mid-1960s and nearly became a nuclear war in 1975, which was nearly begun by Moscow. The West that year convinced Russia, that though it supported Moscow's position, which the West had been investing in and financing for centuries, the Soviets should not use nuclear weapons to end the war and that is why I always suspected one of the reasons Moscow invaded Afghanistan in 1979 was to outflank China. The Soviet Union withdrew 10 years later because of the summit in Beijing between Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and China's Central Government due to the emergence of radical Islam because of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran under the Ayatollah Khomeini. The serious instability the beliefs he generated had the very real potential to destabilize all of Central Asia and threaten the West's ability to have access to resources in the region through Russia, so Moscow withdrew from the entire region at the end of the Cold War, 1990, to let the whole region go up in smoke, knowing it would give Russia's its excuse to attack the center and base of region's greatest threat and eventually, if need be Iran. That has led Moscow into wars in the Caucasus, fighting groups supported by Ankara-Tehran. Instead of viewing radical Islam as a threat [as Russia did], Beijing decided to work with it and arm it with nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles, either
[CTRL] Fwd: Unreal Life
-Caveat Lector- Begin forwarded message: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: August 16, 2007 3:18:55 AM PDT To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Unreal Life Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy’s Couch By JOHN TIERNEY New York Times, August 14, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/science/14tier.html? _r=1pagewanted=alloref=slogin Until I talked to Nick Bostrom, a philosopher at Oxford University, it never occurred to me that our universe might be somebody else’s hobby. I hadn’t imagined that the omniscient, omnipotent creator of the heavens and earth could be an advanced version of a guy who spends his weekends building model railroads or overseeing video- game worlds like the Sims. But now it seems quite possible. In fact, if you accept a pretty reasonable assumption of Dr. Bostrom’s, it is almost a mathematical certainty that we are living in someone else’s computer simulation. This simulation would be similar to the one in “The Matrix,” in which most humans don’t realize that their lives and their world are just illusions created in their brains while their bodies are suspended in vats of liquid. But in Dr. Bostrom’s notion of reality, you wouldn’t even have a body made of flesh. Your brain would exist only as a network of computer circuits. You couldn’t, as in “The Matrix,” unplug your brain and escape from your vat to see the physical world. You couldn’t see through the illusion except by using the sort of logic employed by Dr. Bostrom, the director of the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford. Dr. Bostrom assumes that technological advances could produce a computer with more processing power than all the brains in the world, and that advanced humans, or “posthumans,” could run “ancestor simulations” of their evolutionary history by creating virtual worlds inhabited by virtual people with fully developed virtual nervous systems. Some computer experts have projected, based on trends in processing power, that we will have such a computer by the middle of this century, but it doesn’t matter for Dr. Bostrom’s argument whether it takes 50 years or 5 million years. If civilization survived long enough to reach that stage, and if the posthumans were to run lots of simulations for research purposes or entertainment, then the number of virtual ancestors they created would be vastly greater than the number of real ancestors. There would be no way for any of these ancestors to know for sure whether they were virtual or real, because the sights and feelings they’d experience would be indistinguishable. But since there would be so many more virtual ancestors, any individual could figure that the odds made it nearly certain that he or she was living in a virtual world. The math and the logic are inexorable once you assume that lots of simulations are being run. But there are a couple of alternative hypotheses, as Dr. Bostrom points out. One is that civilization never attains the technology to run simulations (perhaps because it self-destructs before reaching that stage). The other hypothesis is that posthumans decide not to run the simulations. “This kind of posthuman might have other ways of having fun, like stimulating their pleasure centers directly,” Dr. Bostrom says. “Maybe they wouldn’t need to do simulations for scientific reasons because they’d have better methodologies for understanding their past. It’s quite possible they would have moral prohibitions against simulating people, although the fact that something is immoral doesn’t mean it won’t happen.” Dr. Bostrom doesn’t pretend to know which of these hypotheses is more likely, but he thinks none of them can be ruled out. “My gut feeling, and it’s nothing more than that,” he says, “is that there’s a 20 percent chance we’re living in a computer simulation.” My own gut feeling is that the odds are better than 20 percent, maybe better than 5-50. I think it’s highly likely that civilization could endure to produce those supercomputers. And if owners of the computers were anything like the millions of people immersed in virtual worlds like Second Life, SimCity and World of Warcraft, they’d be running simulations just to get a chance to control history — or maybe give themselves virtual roles as Cleopatra or Napoleon. It’s unsettling to think of the world being run by a futuristic computer geek, although we might at last dispose of that of classic theological question: How could God allow so much evil in the world? For the same reason there are plagues and earthquakes and battles in games like World of Warcraft. Peace is boring, Dude. A more practical question is how to behave in a computer simulation. Your first impulse might be to say nothing matters anymore because nothing’s real. But just because your neural circuits are made of
[CTRL] ritual abuse conference presentations - CIA/Nazis
-Caveat Lector- 2007 Ritual Abuse Conference Presentations on the Web Samantha Cooper - Building Bridges - _http://members.aol.com/smartnews/sc07.htm_ (http://members.aol.com/smartnews/sc07.htm) Joanne - Healing a Family Fractured by Harm - _http://members.aol.com/smartnews/jo07.htm_ (http://members.aol.com/smartnews/jo07.htm) The CIA and Nazi War Criminals - National Security Archive Posts Secret CIA History Released Under Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act - National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 146 - Edited by Tamara Feinstein - 2/4/05 Washington D.C., February 4, 2005 - Today the National Security Archive posted the CIA's secret documentary history of the U.S government's relationship with General Reinhard Gehlen, the German army's intelligence chief for the Eastern Front during World War II. At the end of the war, Gehlen established a close relationship with the U.S. and successfully maintained his intelligence network (it ultimately became the West German BND) even though he employed numerous former Nazis and known war criminals. _http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB146/index.htm_ (http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB146/index.htm) describes crimes in detail Former Satanist Convicted of Human Sacrifice - Defendant Represented Himself During Trial 8/16/07 Miami - The Miami man accused of killing another man in what prosecutors call a satanic human sacrifice has been found guilty of second degree murder. _http://www.local10.com/news/13909541/detail.html?rss=miapsp=news_ (http://www.local10.com/news/13909541/detail.html?rss=miapsp=news) ** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
[CTRL] Fw: [JBirch] Wichita Church Targeted by IRS
-Caveat Lector- - Original Message - From: GrayGhost To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 01:23 Subject: [JBirch] Wichita Church Targeted by IRS Give thanks to LB Johnson for this ILLEGAL legislation! http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/9201397.html?source=enewsc=y Posted: 2:55 PM Aug 16, 2007 Last Updated: 2:55 PM Aug 16, 2007 Reporter: Associated Press The pastor of a conservative Christian church says it is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service over its political involvement. Mark Holick is pastor of Spirit One Christian Center in Wichita. He says the church will continue to speak out regardless of what the IRS does. He says the church is being investigated because it speaks out against abortion. He calls it a violation of their First Amendment rights. The IRS in a letter to the church said it was concerned about signs on the church building criticizing politicians, as well as e-mails, and Web site postings involving political activity. Under federal tax law churches can discuss politics, but if they endorse candidates or parties they can lose their tax-exempt status. The IRS now wants to audit the church's finances. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Database The opinions expressed on this forum are those of the authors of the articles posted. The John Birch Society has no responsibility for anything that is posted in this forum. The OFFICIAL John Birch Society web page is a www.jbs.org Visit The New American at www.thenewamerican.com for accurate information. NEW information portal for the John Birch Society: www.johnbirchsociety.info The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke 1729-1797 What is The Answer To The Greatest Question? Click here to find out: http://1smartest.net/ Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity a.. 5New Members Visit Your Group SPONSORED LINKS a.. Human rights b.. International human right Yahoo! 360° Get Started Your place online To share your life Real Food Group Share recipes, restaurant ratings and favorite meals. Yahoo! Groups Join a yoga group and take the stress out of your life. . __,_._,___ www.ctrl.org DECLARATION DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substanceânot soap-boxingâplease! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'âwith its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright fraudsâis used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. Archives Available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/ A HREF=http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/;ctrl/A To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
