Weekday NEWS to Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.
Friday 02.10.2012
Dollar and America on the Road to Ruin
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
In the last week or so, I’ve noticed an unusual amount of really well written and researched articles warning of impending doom and financial horror. These articles are not written by a bunch of angry uneducated bloggers but by money managers, investors and financial writers. All are people who got it right leading up to the meltdown of 2008, and my bet is they are right again. The mainstream media (MSM) told you after the 2008 crash, "Nobody saw that coming," which is a bold faced lie that will not work again.
Jim Quinn of TheBurningPlatform.com wrote a tour de force of troubling realities you will never hear on the MSM. Quinn lays out the case for coming ruin with stats, charts and razor sharp logic in a post called "Illusion of Recovery–Feelings vs. Facts." In his summation, Quinn says, "There is no avoiding the final collapse of a boom created solely by credit expansion. Those in power will never voluntarily relinquish their grand game of pillaging the wealth of the nation, so economic collapse will be the ultimate result. They will continue to use propaganda, printing presses, and half-truths to further their agenda. But those who examine the facts will come to a logical conclusion that we are being sold a great lie."
OWS & the planned “endgame” for the U.S.
By Doug Hagmann & Joseph Hagmann - CanandaFreePress.com
Are you baffled by the wording, timing and bipartisan support of recent legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Expatriation Act, SOPA, PIPA and ACTA? Are you concerned over the enhancement of domestic security measures that appear to be targeting and incrementally ripping away the rights of law abiding American citizens? Are you concerned about the evolving DHS “domestic extremist” definitions? Have you wondered about the true origins of the financial crises and what appears to be a quickening of events in all sectors of our lives? How about the origins of the current “Occupy Movement?” When and why everything started? Who and what is to blame? If so, you’re not alone.
10 Things That Every American Should Know
About The Federal Reserve
TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com
What would happen if the Federal Reserve was shut down permanently? That is a question that CNBC asked recently, but unfortunately most Americans don't really think about the Fed much. Most Americans are content with believing that the Federal Reserve is just another stuffy government agency that sets our interest rates and that is watching out for the best interests of the American people. But that is not the case at all. The truth is that the Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel that has been designed to systematically destroy the value of our currency, drain the wealth of the American public and enslave the federal government to perpetually expanding debt. During this election year, the economy is the number one issue that voters are concerned about. But instead of endlessly blaming both political parties, the truth is that most of the blame should be placed at the feet of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve has more power over the performance of the U.S. economy than anyone else does. The Federal Reserve controls the money supply, the Federal Reserve sets the interest rates and the Federal Reserve hands out bailouts to the big banks that absolutely dwarf anything that Congress ever did. If the American people are ever going to learn what is really going on with our economy, then it is absolutely imperative that they get educated about the Federal Reserve.
Peter Schiff - Kerry Lutz - 03 Feb 2012
Discussing the coming dollar crisis and a lower American standard of living
Ben Bernanke is Every Gold Bug's Best Friend
By Frank Holmes, Guest Writer, Money Morning
After prices fell 10% in December, many investors wondered if the bull market in gold was running out of steam.
That was before Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke swooped in with a "red cape" and fired the bulls back up.
Since the Fed reassured the world that interest rates will remain at "exceptionally low levels" for another two years, gold has jumped more than 3%.
Precious Metals Benefit From Continued Dollar Weakness
By: Dr. Jeffrey Lewis - GoldSeek.com
The dramatic rise in the price of precious metals — especially silver — in January was due in some part to the weakness in the U.S. Dollar, with both gold and silver rising from their near term lows seen at the end of December 2011.
The inverse relationship in the valuation of the U.S. Dollar versus precious metals has continued to increase, with the U.S. Dollar approaching all-time lows against most major currencies, except against the Euro and the Pound Sterling.
Reasons why Gold is the best ever investment vehicle
By Daryl B. Chapman
Lots of companies are closing and laying off employees because of different reasons. It is not new to us that even major corporations are closing because of liquidation, lack of customer spending and unaffordable loan payments.
Although, there are people who announce that the recession is long over, the increasing number of people being laid off is something that is hard to miss out. With that said, experts are suggesting that people invest in something that is commercial and with high appraisal value like gold. On the other hand, many are still oblivious about the Gold industry and why gold is a good investment in today’s failing economy. Let’s learn why. Following are the top reasons why many believe that gold is a good venture.
Waiting to Pounce on Precious Metal Profits
By Adam Brochert - GoldSeek.com
Let me start by re-iterating that I am a secular permabull on physical precious metals, particularly Gold. When you're dealing with the end of the road for the current international monetary system (a la the 1930s and the 1970s), there's only one asset that is a complete no-brainer to own. As a hint, that asset is shiny and owned by every central bank in the world "just in case."
However, I also like to trade. When trading, I would sell or buy anything if I though there was a profit to be had. For example, my subscribers and I have been short senior Gold stocks as a "scalp" trade over the past week. Does this make me a traitor? I don't think in those terms, as I am a more practical Gold bug/bull. The more paper I make, the more metal I can buy.
Global crude oil market fundamentals are tight: Barclays
NEW YORK: (Commodity Online): After a long slumber, oil prices have attempted a breakout to the upside, with the value of the OPEC basket reaching a nine-month high above $114 per barrel. Given the flow of more positive macroeconomic data and the drift of several geopolitical situations towards escalation, the path of least resistance for prices is still to the upside.
The overall state of global oil market fundamentals appears to be tighter than implied by recent US oil data releases, the latter of which also appear to be out of line with US macroeconomic data releases. In our view, there appears at this moment to be a sharp and unexpected demand surge from both Asia and the FSU, to which a severe European cold snap has added to create tighter prompt market conditions than either expected, or is implied by the US oil data.
China's Rebalancing Should Be Good for Gold Demand
By: Ben Traynor, BullionVault - GoldSeek.com
....The classic signs of an investment mania are there. Mass participation, frenzied buying, an established narrative that something is a 'sure thing'. But though this may look like the-mania-before-the-crash, that doesn't mean it is.
China's industrial development is still very much a work in progress. The likely next phase is a rebalancing of wealth away from industry and towards households. Given the demonstrable appetite for gold among Chinese consumers, this should be a major supporting factor for global gold demand.
SBSS 10. The Silver Paradigm Shift
Debt Slavery:
30 Facts About Debt In America That Will Blow Your Mind
EndOfTheAmericanDream.com
When most people think about America's debt problem, they think of the debt of the federal government. But that is only part of the story. The sad truth is that debt slavery has become a way of life for tens of millions of American families. Over the past several decades, most Americans have willingly allowed themselves to become enslaved to debt. These days, most of us are busy either going into even more debt or paying off the debt that we have accumulated in the past. When your finances are dominated by debt, it makes it really hard to ever get ahead. Incredibly, 43 percent of all American families spend more than they earn each year. Even while median household income continues to decline (now less than $50,000 a year), median household debt continues to go up. According to the Federal Reserve, median household debt in America has risen to $75,600. Many Americans spend decades caught in the trap of debt slavery. Large numbers of them never even escape at all and die in debt. It can be a lot of fun to spend lots of money and go into lots of debt, but it can be absolutely soul crushing to toil and labor for years paying off those debts while making others wealthy in the process. Hopefully this article will inspire many people to try to escape the chains of debt slavery once and for all.
Debt Beats the Economy in a Growth Race
By Bill Bonner - DailyReckoning.com
02/09/12 Baltimore, Maryland – Get out your chopsticks! Brush up on your sushi! Learn to read backwards and upside down!
Yes…we’re going to Japan!
The gist of the Japanese situation is this:
The bubble burst in 1990. But rather than let their big businesses go belly up, the Japanese used every trick in the book. Counter-cyclical deficits up the Shinanho. ZIRP (zero interest rate policy). And QE too.
The economy didn’t grow. It didn’t collapse. It just got stuck…like a moth in amber. No new jobs. No new output. And get this, Japan is expected to lose 40% of its working age population by 2050.
Euro crisis averted? Don’t believe a word of it Greece may be clinging on, but the eurozone’s real problems remain resolutely unaddressed.
By Jeremy Warner - Telegraph.co.uk
There’s nothing like the long Christmas break for calming things down. Back in early December, it looked as if the euro was on its last legs. Then everyone went on holiday, and by the time they got back, seemed quite to have forgotten what they were originally panicking about.
No one honestly believes the eurozone crisis has been vanquished, but since early January there has been a lull in the storm and even a sense of beginning to get on top of things. The European Central Bank’s promise of unlimited liquidity for the stricken banking system seems to be turning things around. Successful resolution of the Greek debt talks yesterday has added to the impression of a crisis in retreat.
Keiser Report: Black Holes & Gold Hills (E247)
In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss the latest discoveries of blackholes in the financial universe and the populations growing permanently poorer as a result. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Dr. Yanis Varoufakis about financial horror, a currency from which you can't escape and the Greek situation.
Greece bows to new austerity measures –
but still a bailout deal is not finalised
• Creditors demand to see Athens act on new pledges
• Default looms in weeks if bailout cash is withheld
By Ian Traynor - Guardian.co.uk
European finance ministers are piling the pressure on Greece to come good on pledges to slash public spending to the bone before closing a deal on a new €130bn (£109bn) bailout – even as the prospect of a disastrous default looms closer.
Following weeks of brinkmanship that have poisoned relations between the bankrupt country and its eurozone creditors, ministers and senior officials from the Eurogroup, the European Central Bank, the European commission and the International Monetary Fund have been wrangling over whether to activate the bailout, which would prevent an outright insolvency at the end of March, when Greece has to redeem more than €14bn in debt.
Greek officials reach austerity deal
that could pave way for bailout
By Michael Birnbaum and Howard Schneider - WashingtonPost.com
BERLIN — Stuck between looming bankruptcy and a flatlined economy, Greek politicians agreed Thursday to make a sweeping series of cuts that they hope will secure an international bailout, layering more pain onto what is already a deep recession.
But in a sign of the sheer size of Greece’s challenges, European officials said the measures were not enough to send over the $173 billion bailout, and they insisted more steps be taken even as Greeks say they are reaching their pain limit.
The Lesson of Greece for Flint, Michigan
By: Rick Ackerman - GoldSeek.com
The financial world was on pins and needles Wednesday as it awaited Europe’s latest, quasi-momentous decision on the fate of Greece. The Greeks themselves, no fools, were a step ahead of the politicians and bankers, rioting in the streets. Many of them have probably imbibed enough austerity to last a lifetime. Keep tightening one’s belt a notch at a time and eventually you’re left with two bloody torso halves. Not that the bankers would mind the mess as long as they get paid. So what, actually is at stake in this latest chapter of the eurobailoutpalooza? The rescue package under discussion amounts to a piddling €130 billion, and we can’t see how it’s going to make much of a difference. Even if it’s only intended to buy a little time, a sum as meager as that may not see the Eurocrisis through the weekend, much less through 2012. For perspective, Flint, Michigan’s unfunded retirement and health benefits total about three times as much. Is Flint in worse shape than Greece? Hard to say, although the close proximity of such charming resorts as Corfu and Rhodos, as opposed to beautiful downtown Detroit, would seem to tip the quality-of-life numbers in favor of the Greeks, even the down-and-out day-trippers.
ECB's Draghi shuns rate cuts, boosts bank bazooka The European Central Bank (ECB) has held interest rates at 1pc and doused hopes of further cuts despite a credit contraction over the winter and falls in the M3 money supply.
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard - Telegraph.co.uk
Mario Draghi, the ECB's president, said the bank had not even discussed possible rate cuts over coming months and brushed aside the latest slump warnings by International Monetary Fund.
"We are less pessimistic than the IMF, certainly," he said, insisting that eurozone data has begun to perk up with signs of "stabilisation at low levels".
The IMF expects eurozone GDP to shrink by 0.5pc this year, with drastic falls of 2.2pc in Italy and 1.7pc in Spain. It warned of a dangerous downward spiral if Europe's debt crisis is allowed to fester.
"Desperate Shot in the Dark" of Quantitative Easing "Will Boost Inflation & Gold" Say Analysts
By: Adrian Ash, BullionVault - GoldSeek.com
London Gold Market Report
The WHOLESALE MARKET gold price slipped 0.6% to $1730 in London on Thursday morning, regaining most of that dip as the European Central Bank kept its key lending rate on hold and the Bank of England extended its purchases of UK government bonds to £325 billion ($515bn).
When completed, this new Quantitative Easing will see the Bank hold nearly one-third of the UK's outstanding national debt.
Dylan Ratigan: 'Greedy Bastards' Pt. 1
Sucking America dry
Dylan Ratigan: 'Greedy Bastards' Pt. 2
Money Market Funds are in the Fight of Their Lives
BY SHAH GILANI, Capital Waves Strategist, Money Morning
Money market funds aren't exactly the safe-haven investments they're cracked up to be.
In September 2008, when Lehman Brothers failed, money market investors fled funds in droves, exposing investors and capital markets across the globe to huge systemic risks.
Now, to better safeguard investors and prevent the commercial paper market from shutting down in future crises, SEC chairwoman Mary Schapiro is proposing to re-make the money market mutual fund industry in the image of banks.
The insiders are selling heavily July was last time insiders were equally as bearish
By Mark Hulbert, MarketWatch
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (MarketWatch) — Corporate insiders are now selling their companies’ stock at a rate not seen since late last July.
That’s a scary parallel indeed, since that late-July spike in selling came just days before one of the more painful two-week periods in the stock market in years.
In early August, as you may recall, the U.S. government lost its triple-A credit rating, and the bottom dropped out of the stock market. Between the last week of July and the second week of August, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2,000 points.
Gross Raises Treasury Holdings to 2010 Level
By Susanne Walker - Bloomberg.com
Pacific Investment Management Co.’s Bill Gross, a year after banishing U.S. government debt from the world’s biggest bond fund, increased his holdings of Treasuries to the highest level since July 2010.
Gross boosted the proportion of U.S. government and Treasury debt in Pimco’s $250.5 billion Total Return Fund in January to 38 percent from 30 percent in December, according to a report placed on the company’s website. He raised mortgages to 50 percent, the highest since June 2009, from 48 percent in December. Newport Beach, California-based Pimco doesn’t comment directly on monthly changes in its portfolio holdings.
US House passes bill banning insider trading by Congress House passes weaker version of Senate bill to bar Congress from using information they obtain on the job to profit from trades
Reuters - Guardian.co.uk
The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill to curb insider trading by lawmakers and other government officials, despite objections from both Democrats and Republicans that it was weaker than a version passed by the Senate last week.
Postal Service loses $3.3 billion in first quarter
By Ed O'Keefe - WashingtonPost.com
The holidays weren’t merry or bright for the U.S. Postal Service.
The nation’s mail delivery service lost $3.3 billion in its first quarter, which runs from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 and encompasses the holiday shopping and shipping season.
Total mail volume reached 43.7 billion pieces, a 6 percent decrease from the previous year, USPS said. Revenues on first class and standard mail dropped 3.7 percent to $650 million.
The Postal Service Just Lost $3.3 Billion: Blame Congress Yet again, Washington's inability to compromise has real-world consequences worth billions of dollars
By Jordan Weissmann - TheAtlantic.com
The slow disintegration of the U.S. Postal Service might be the single most embarrassing sign of how dysfunctional our federal government has become.
If not, it's got to at least be in the top five.
Today, the USPS announced a $3.3 billion quarterly loss. This wasn't a total surprise. Even though the holiday shopping season usually buoys its revenue, USPS has been losing money for five years. By now, we all know the post office is officially on fire. And, as you probably guessed, the House and Senate can't reach an agreement on how to save it.
Keiser Report: It's All Legal, Folks! (E246)
In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss the supercommittee that runs America, the perils of Draghi's "blitz" and the IMF turnaround on austerity for Greece. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Gonzalo Lira about austerity, printing and running.
Landmark settlement
announced on foreclosure, mortgage fraud
By Brady Dennis and Sari Horwitz - WashingtonPost.com
State and federal officials on Thursday announced a settlement of $26 billion with five of the nation’s banks over flawed and fraudulent foreclosure practices that affected several million homeowners and became commonplace after the housing boom turned to bust in recent years. It is the largest government-industry settlement in more than a decade.
The deal marks the culmination of more than 16 months of negotiation between lenders and a collection of state and federal officials. It aims to help troubled borrowers by requiring the banks to reduce the amount borrowers owe on their mortgages, lowering their interest rates and paying restitution to homeowners who suffered mortgage-related abuses. It will force lenders to revamp how they interact with struggling mortgage holders and bar them from trying to foreclose on borrowers while simultaneously negotiating mortgage modifications.
Foreclosure Deal to Spur U.S. Home Seizures
By Prashant Gopal and John Gittelsohn - Bloomberg.com
The $25 billion settlement with banks over foreclosure abuses may trigger a wave of home seizures, inflicting short-term pain on delinquent U.S. borrowers while making a long-term housing recovery more likely.
Lenders slowed the pace of foreclosures as they negotiated withattorneys general in all 50 states for more than a year over allegations of faulty and fraudulent paperwork used to repossess homes. With today’s agreement, banks are likely to resume property seizures.
Marc Faber - Stansberry Radio
Tim Berners-Lee Takes the Stand to Keep the Web Free
By Joe Mullin - Wired.com
The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, testified in a courtroom Tuesday for the first time in his life. The web pioneer flew down from Boston, near where he teaches at MIT, to an eastern Texas federal court to speak to a jury of two men and six women about the early days of the web.
His trip is part of an effort by a group of internet companies and retailers trying to defeat two patents — patents that a patent-licensing company called Eolas and the University of California are saying entitle them to royalty payments from just about anyone running a website with “interactive” features, like rotating pictures or streaming video.
Coming Soon: Smart Television!
By Patrick Cox - DailyReckoning.com
02/09/12 Marco Island, Florida – My colleague Ray Blanco and I recently attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The big story this year was the convergence in consumer electronics. Specifically, it was the arrival of extraordinary high-definition 3-D as well as “smart” TVs. In fact, Ray and I had backstage passes for the biggest 3-D events.
We were also able to talk to executives, scientists and engineers at many cutting-edge technology company. Without a doubt, the hottest topics and most-dazzling presentations at CES this year involved televisions. When I say television, though, I’m talking about an entirely new iteration of the old technology.
Self-Interest and the Pathology of Power:
the Corruption of America Part 2 (February 9, 2012)
By Charles Hugh Smith - OfTwoMinds.com
The self-interest of the alcoholic is to keep drinking. Is this truly in his best interests? The answer illuminates the pathology of power in America.
If we ignore the lip-service showered on "reform," we find that there is really only one strategy in America: extend and pretend. Individuals, households, communities, cities, states, enterprises and the vast sprawling Empire of the Federal government and its many proxies--all are engaged in extend and pretend.
The closest analog is a seriously ill alcoholic who tells himself he just has a hang-over when it's abundantly clear he is suffering from potentially terminal cancer.With a hang-over, extend and pretend is the only strategy that works: you can try various "magic potions" to relieve the symptoms, but the only real cure is to give the body enough time to cleanse itself of the toxins you've created and pretend to be functioning in the meantime.
When the Powers-That-Be Can Label All Americans Terrorists, They Can Arbitrarily Harass Anyone They Dislike
Government Uses Anti-Terror Laws to Crush Dissent and Help the Too Big to Fail Businesses
Submitted by George Washington - ZeroHedge.com
For years, the government has been using anti-terror laws to crush dissent and to help the too big to fail businesses compete against smaller businesses (and see this).
This trend is getting worse by the day.
On January 31, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security’s Behavioral Science Division pointed to the following as indicators of potential terrorism (please note – as you review the list – that some indicators are conservative, some are liberal and some are bipartisan):
• “Reverent of individual liberty”
• “Anti-nuclear”
• “Believe in conspiracy theories”
• “A belief that one’s personal and/or national “way of life” is under attack”
• “Impose strict religious tenets or laws on society (fundamentalists)”
• “Insert religion into the political sphere”
• “Those who seek to politicize religion”
• “Supported political movements for autonomy”
• “Anti-abortion”
• “Anti-Catholic”
• “Anti-global”
• “Suspicious of centralized federal authority”
• “Fiercely nationalistic (as opposed to universal and international in orientation)”
• “A belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in … survivalism”
Given that most Americans fall into one or more of these categories, the powers-that-be can brand virtually anyone they dislike as being a terrorist.
FBI Terrorist Alert:
Beware of Those Who 'Reference the Constitution or Bible'
By Mark Alexander PatriotPost.us
Memo to Ron Paul supporters -- and anyone else interested in restoring constitutional integrity. "Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression." --James Madison (1788)
The FBI held a press conference this week on a terrorist alert bulletin, which it sent to every federal, state and local law enforcement agency across the country. Unfortunately, that bulletin continued a trend of "terrorist profiles" issued since Barack Hussein Obama has been in office. This particular alert identified such broad ideological characteristics that it can be construed to include the activities of tens of millions of law-abiding Americans.
The FBI counterterrorism division report concluded that those who believe that our government has exceeded its constitutional limits or are protesting for restoration of constitutional integrity might pose a threat. By that definition, anyone associated with the "Tea Party movement" is suspect, and that's the problem with this sweeping and politically motivated "bureaucrap."
Are YOU willing to defend The Constitution?
'We the People' Loses Appeal With People Around the World
By ADAM LIPTAK - NYTimes.com
WASHINGTON — The Constitution has seen better days.
Sure, it is the nation’s founding document and sacred text. And it is the oldest written national constitution still in force anywhere in the world. But its influence is waning.
In 1987, on the Constitution’s bicentennial, Time magazine calculated that "of the 170 countries that exist today, more than 160 have written charters modeled directly or indirectly on the U.S. version."
A quarter-century later, the picture looks very different. "The U.S. Constitution appears to be losing its appeal as a model for constitutional drafters elsewhere," according to a new study by David S. Law of Washington University in St. Louis and Mila Versteeg of the University of Virginia.
[note: the use of biometric ID for travelers; beginning of the mark?]
DHS Announces Permanent Global Entry Program
By: George Dooley - TravelAgentCentral.com
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the publication of a final rule that would establish Global Entry—a U.S. Customs and Border Protection(CBP) voluntary initiative, which allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers.
DHS says the move will streamline the international arrivals and admission process at airports for trusted travelers through biometric identification—as a permanent program.
"Global Entry expedites the customs and security process for trusted air travelers through biometric verification, while helping DHS ensure the safety of all airline passengers," said Secretary Napolitano. "Making Global Entry permanent will improve customer service at airports across the country and enable law enforcement to focus on higher-risk travelers."
* * * * *
Media Making Emergency Preparations To Cover War With Iran
by Alexander Higgins
Major western news outlets, including FOX, CBS, NBC and Reuters, rent rooftops, prepare emergency broadcast infrastructure, and deploy senior producers to Israel to cover war with Iran.
Israel news agencies are reporting the western media outlets are obtaining assets and gearing up infrastructure to provide live coverage of war with between Iran and Israel.
News outlets, including FOX, CBS, NBC and Reuters have started renting rooftops in Tel-Aviv and Helena to pprovide live video broadcast of a war that that those familiar with the situation say will start within the next few months.
Happy Hour: Niall Ferguson Calls For War w. Iran
In Response to Escalating Threats between West and Iran,
Iranian Official Calls On Regime To Attack Israel
By: Y. Mansharof & A. Savyon - MEMRI.org
Introduction
As the reciprocal war of words between the Western and Iranian media escalated, and in response to Israeli declarations regarding the necessity of stopping Iran's nuclear program with a military strike, Alireza Forghani, a staunch supporter of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei[1] and, until recently, governor of Kish Province, called on the Iranian regime to attack and annihilate Israel. His article, titled "Iran Must Attack Israel by 2014" and published February 4, 2012 on numerous pro-regime websites,[2] follows an article he published a month ago praising jihad against the Americans and emphasizing the Iranians' hope for a war in which they would die as martyrs.[3]
Iranian Parliament's Website: Attack Israel this Year Majlis says area between Lod and Jerusalem,
Tel Nof Air Base should be targeted.
Iranian blog: 9 minutes are enough to finish Israel.
By Gil Ronen - IsraelNationalNews.com
The Iranian parliament's official website has published an article calling on the government to attack Israel before the end of the year.
According to Israeli TV Channel 2's veteran Middle East expert, Ehud Yaari, the article cites three reasons for the call.
First – a religious fatwa allowing such a strike. Second – threats from Israel regarding a planned strike on Iran. And third – Iran's alleged military capability to carry out such an attack.
The article specifies that the area between Lod and Jerusalem should be targeted, as well as Tel Nof Air Force Base.
Global rabble rousers and hot heads promote hatred of Israel...
Global March to Jerusalem: Speakers at Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Conference Claim That Mosques in Jerusalem and Medina are 'Under Direct Threat of Jewish Designs'
MEMRI.org
On February 2-3, 2012, delegates from various countries in Asia converged in Karachi to discuss their preparations for a Global March to Jerusalem (GMJ).
The Global March to Jerusalem is an international march led by leftist and Islamic leaders. It aims to coordinate activists from various countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, who will form groups of marchers. From Asia, the march will set out from India on March 9 and proceed to Jordan. The GMJ follows the First Asian Convoy to Gaza (December 2010-January 2011).
U.S. military beginning review of Syria options
By Barbara Starr - CNN.com
Although the U.S. focus remains on exerting diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria, the Pentagon and the U.S. Central Command have begun a preliminary internal review of U.S. military capabilities, CNN has learned.
The options are being prepared in the event President Barack Obama were to call for them. Two senior administration officials who spoke about the review to CNN emphasized that U.S. policy for now remains the use of non-military options.
The focus on diplomatic options was underscored by the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
Fmr. Russian Joint Chiefs of Staff:
Russia Is Ready to Use Military Power to Defend Iran and Syria Former Member of Russian Joint Chiefs of Staff Col.-Gen. Leonid Ivashov: Russia Is Ready to Use Military Power to Defend Iran and Syria; Attack on Syria or Iran Is Indirect Attack on Russia; U.S. in Libya Like Hitler in Poland
MEMRI.org Interviewer: "Dr. Leonid, do you think that these preparations and very large maneuvers, which will soon be conducted by Russia, are meant as preparation for war, or rather, a military strike against Iran?" […] Leonid Ivashov: "These maneuvers and training will demonstrate Russia's readiness to use military power to defend its national interests and to bolster its political position. The maneuvers will show that Russia does not want any military operations to be waged against Iran or Syria. I assume that the people in the West and in Israel who design the schemes for a large geopolitical operation in the greater Middle East region draw a direct connection between the situation in Syria and in Iran. Indeed, these two countries are allies, and both are considered guaranteed partners of Russia. The only question, therefore, is who they will try to destroy first as a stable country: Syria or Iran. […]
A Very Different Take
On The "Iran Barters Gold For Food" Story
Submitted by Tyler Durden - ZeroHedge.com
Much has been made of today's Reuters story how "Iran turns to barter for food as sanctions cripple imports" in which we learn that "Iran is turning to barter - offering gold bullion in overseas vaults or tanker loads of oil - in return for food", and whose purpose no doubt is to demonstrate just how crippled the Iranian economy is as a result of the ongoing US embargo. Incidentally this story is 100% the opposite of the Debka-spun groundless disinformation from a few weeks ago that India was preparing to pay for Iran's oil in gold (they got the asset right, but the flow of funds direction hopelessly wrong). While there is certainly truth to the fact that the US is actively seeking to destabilize the local government, we wonder why? After all as the opportunity cost for the existing regime to do something drastic gets ever lower as the popular resentment rises, leaving the local administration with few options but to engage either the US or Israel. Unless of course, this is the ultimate goal. Yet going back to the Reuters story, it would be quite dramatic, if only it was not the case that Iran has been laying the groundwork for a barter economy for many months now, something which various other analysts perceive as the basis for the destruction of the petrodollar system.
Could Putin's Nationalist Crisis
Lead Russia to Redraw its Borders? The Russian leader is struggling to balance some of his country's most powerful social and historic forces.
EURASIANET - TheAtlantic.com
Don't look now, but Vladimir Putin, the man who wants to reclaim the Russian presidency in March, seems to be losing touch with one of his key constituencies - nationalists.
This development has several important implications for Russia, as well as for Russia's neighbors in Eurasia. It may improve the chances that Russia can find a balancing point between republican political ideals and nationalism, thus encouraging the development of a genuinely democratic nation-state. It just as easily may stimulate attempts to change Russia's current state borders, something that could have unpredictable repercussions.
Gorbachev: Russia faces turmoil as Putin won't change
By Guy Faulconbridge and Kiryl Sukhotski
(Reuters) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said on Thursday Russia faced turmoil because Vladimir Putin was unable and unwilling to carry out fundamental reform of a tightly-controlled political system.
Prime Minister Putin, facing the biggest protests of his 12-year rule, has tried to present himself to Russia's 109 million voters as a leader who can carry out gradual reform, after imposing order on the chaos of the 1990s.
RSS![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/images/quotes_7a.gif)