Weekday NEWS to Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.
Monday 02.27.2012
Two Banks Fail; Possible Losses to Depositors
By Philip van Doorn - TheStreet.com
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Regulators shuttered two banks on Friday, bringing this year's total number of failures to 11.
Both failed banks were previously included in TheStreet's fourth-quarter Bank Watch List of undercapitalized institutions, based on regulatory data provided by Highline FI. Central Bank of Georgia
The Georgia Department of Banking and Financetook over Central Bank of Georgia, of Ellaville, which had $278.9 million in total assets and $266.6 million in deposits when it was taken over by. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver, and sold the failed bank to Ameris Bank of Multire, Ga.... Home Savings of America
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency closed Home Savings of America, of Little Falls, Minn., which had $434.1 million in total assets and $432.2 million in deposits.
The FDIC was appointed receiver for the failed bank, but was unable to find a buyer, and announced it would mail checks for the amount of their insured deposits directly to customers.
Warren Buffett Buys
US Precious Metals Business from Cookson Group
JESSE'S CAFÉ AMÉRICAIN
Apparently Berkshire's Richline Group didn't get the memo that Warren doesn't like silver or gold.
Richline is involved in the fabrication of precious metals into jewelry. The acquisition of US Precious Metals will bring them into the mill and findings portion of the precious metals industry, as well as acquiring European and Asian distribution channels.
Growth in industrial use to drive silver prices
NEWYORK (Commodity Online): Silver has industrial uses as well as precious metal makes silver bullion an attractive investment method, but silver is set to move higher on industrial use, according to Danny Esposito, Co-editor of Financial newsletter Penny Stocks Detectives.
Esposito says, "Silver was used as a monetary currency even before gold."
History tells us that excessive money printing eventually leads to a collapse of the system. It is wise for a prudent investor to hold a portion of their assets in precious metals, silver bullion being one of them. According to the newsletter, silver bullion is a precious metal and a currency just like gold.
Perpetual Debt Machine:
U.S. National Debt Is 5000 Times Larger
Than When The Federal Reserve Was Created
By Michael Snyder - EndOgTheAmericanDream.com
Have you noticed that very few people in the mainstream media ever directly criticize the Federal Reserve? But why should that be the case? Criticizing top politicians from both major political parties has become a national pastime. Most Americans love to throw mud at either the Republicans or the Democrats. But we are told that the Federal Reserve is "above politics" and that it is absolutely vital that the Fed remain "independent". The reality is that the Federal Reserve has more control over the performance of the U.S. economy than the president even does, and yet most Americans never spend much time thinking about the Fed at all. It is almost as if someone has instructed us to "ignore the man behind the curtain" and most of us just blindly obey. With the economy in such a mess and with the national debt exploding so dramatically, isn't it about time that we had a national conversation about the performance of the Federal Reserve? Isn't it about time that we evaluated whether the Federal Reserve is doing a good job or not?
Keiser Report: Bubbling Economy (E254)
In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss market participating rally monkeys, market regulating surrender monkeys, economic policy making suicide monkeys and Greek ministry website hacking cheeky monkeys. In the second half of the show, Max talks to David Hales about ending top down Central Bank imposed financial and economic systems with peer to peer economics.
Atlanta Fed Survey Finds Long-Term Inflation Worry
By Michael S. Derby - WSJ.com
Most Federal Reserve officials are fond of observing that even as they pursue a very aggressive and unprecedented monetary-policy path, their actions aren’t stirring up inflation.
In doing so, they’re countering critics who worry the central bank has gone too far in efforts to stimulate growth, and that current policies are running a significant risk of generating a future surge in price pressures. Fed officials have countered they have the tools to make sure their actions don’t fuel a break out in prices. They also note the data doesn’t show much worry about future inflation gains.
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Lord James of Blackheath:
15 Trillion Dollar Fraud Exposed in UK Parliment Trillion Dollar Terror Exposed: Bush, Fed, and European Banks in $15 Trillion Fraud, All Documented
Lord James of Blackheath has spoken in the House of Lords holding evidence of three transactions of 5 Trillion each and a transaction of 750,000 metric tonnes of gold and has called for an investigation.
Intel Exclusive: Trillion Dollar Terror Exposed Bush, Fed, Europe Banks in $15 Trillion Fraud, All Documented
By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor - VeteransToday.com
Below is one of the strangest stories in financial history, one involving the US government lying about hundreds of thousands of tons of imaginary gold, illegal wire transfers and loans totalling $15 trillion. The video, from the House of Lords, is amazing in itself.
What it doesn’t express is where the money came from though Lord James of Blackheath proves conclusively that an effort was made to say it came from a gold reserve in Brunei that, in fact, never existed.
We Can Stop The Machine, If We Want To
by Allen L Roland - VeteransToday.com
As Obamanomics continues to attempt to get airborne on outmoded top down debt fueled economics and presidential wishful thinking ~ Americans must realize that we can shut down this dilapidated greed machine if we want to by just saying no more, facing financial reality and stop playing the debt driven game.
"There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop. And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!" - Mario Savio – Sproul Hall, University of California, Berkeley on December 2, 1964.
The Rise of the Petrodollar System: "Dollars for Oil" Introduction to Part Two
BY JERRY ROBINSON - FinancialSense.com
In part one of this four part article series, I provided a background to our modern petrodollar system by explaining the "dollars for gold" arrangement that was put in place by global leaders through the Bretton Woods conference in the final days of World War II.
The article provided a brief evolution of the Bretton Woods agreement from its inception in 1944 to its ultimate demise in 1971. As detailed, in the late 1960's, this "dollars for gold" system had become unsustainable as Washington insisted upon the adoption of a "welfare state" that relied upon massive entitlements and a "warfare state" that required perpetual wars.
Soaring oil prices will dwarf the Greek drama Since last week's eurozone "grand summit", the headlines have been positive and, in the official photos anyway, the main players appear to be smiling. As such, the global equity rally goes on.
By Liam Halligan - Telegraph.co.uk
Behind the rictus grins, though, the gloves remain off, the rhetorical daggers still drawn. Having launched the biggest sovereign debt restructuring in history, Athens now faces the Herculean task of persuading holders of Greek bonds to accept a "voluntary" hair-cut.
Creditors are being asked to swap their bonds for a combination of new short-term instruments, issued by the European Financial Stability Facility, and longer-term Greek government debt. If half of them agree to take the hit then, under "collective action clauses" approved by the Greek parliament, the deal could be forced on all bond-holders.
It may well turn out that we are watching not a Greek but a euro tragedy Another week, another euro "solution". According to last week's plan, by 2020 the ratio of Greek national debt to GDP will be down to 120.5pc. You don't really need to know much more to see that we are in cloud cuckoo land.
By Roger Bootle - Telegraph.co.uk
Anyone who is forecasting a debt ratio down to the nearest 0.5pc in 2020 is trying to fool either us or themselves.
We are by now so familiar with Greece's woes that bail-out fatigue has set in. But it is worth looking closely at the key economic numbers and pinching yourself. Since the beginning of 2008, Greek real GDP has fallen by more than 17pc. On my forecasts, by the end of next year, the total fall will be more like 25pc. Unsurprisingly, employment has also fallen sharply, by about 500,000, in a total workforce of about 5 million. The unemployment rate is now more than 20pc.
G20 leaders insist no more IMF cash
unless eurozone boosts financial firewall The world's leading economic powers said they would not stump up more cash to fight Europe's debt crisis until the eurozone members increase their own contributions, in a move that piles pressure on this week's Brussels summit.
By Richard Blackden, and Louise Armitstead - Telegraph.co.uk
A communique agreed by G20 finance ministers in Mexico City last night said a decision by eurozone leaders to boost their own firewall was "essential" before any more external resources were allocated via the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"Euro area countries will reassess the strength of their support facilities in March. This will provide an essential input in our ongoing consideration to mobilise resources to the IMF," the official said, quoting from the draft.
Greek bail-out threatened by Germany-IMF stand-off
BY VALENTINA POP - EUObserver.com
BRUSSELS - Greece's second bail-out still faces hurdles as Germany and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) wait to see who moves first on financial commitments related to the deal.
The German parliament on Monday (27 February) is set to vote on the €130 billion bail-out, but lawmakers are linking their green light not only to laws passed in Greece to implement budget cuts and to a successful bond swap with private investors, but also to the IMF committing a clear sum to the programme.
8 Reasons Why The Greek Debt Deal
May Not Stop A Chaotic Greek Debt Default
By Michael Snyder - TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com
The global financial system is not a game of checkers. It is a game of chess. All over the world today, news headlines are proclaiming that this new Greek debt deal has completely eliminated the possibility of a chaotic Greek debt default. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Rather, the truth is that this new deal actually "sets the table" for a Greek debt default. When I was studying and working in the legal arena, I learned that sometimes you make an agreement so that you can get the other side to break it. That may sound very strange to the average person on the street, but this is how the game is played at the highest levels. It is all about strategy. And in this case, the new debt deal imposes such strict conditions on Greece that it is almost inevitable that Greece will fail to meet some of them. When Greece does fail, Germany and the other northern European nations may try to claim that they "did everything that they could" but that Greece just did not "live up to its obligations". So does this mean that we will definitely see a chaotic Greek debt default? No. What this does mean is that the chess pieces are being moved into position for one.
Spanish revolt brews
as national economic rearmament begins in Europe Spain's new prime minister
has looked into the abyss and recoiled.
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard - Telegraph.co.uk
Though he swept into office as an apostle of orthodoxy, Mariano Rajoy has since delved into Madrid’s ghastly accounts and concluded that it would be "suicidal" to try to slash the budget deficit from 8pc of GDP to 4.4pc of GDP this year, as demanded by Europe's fiscal Calvinists.
Such a policy would require a further €40bn or €50bn of cuts and accelerate the downward spiral already underway, beyond the 1.7pc contraction expected this year by the International Monetary Fund.
Real Wealth vs. The Debt Bubble -
Catherine Austin Fitts on GRTV
As a former investment banker and Assistant Secretary of Housing, Catherine Austin Fitts spent years learning how the system really works. Now, she spends her time teaching people about that system and how they can invest their time, effort and money in building a system that works to generate real wealth.
Rescue or Risk for Greece?
Author: Christopher Alessi - CFR.org
Following an EU decision to provide Greece with a new $172 billion bailout package (WSJ), the debt-laden country now must wrestle with implementing steep austerity measures amid a worsening recession. The eurozone agreement, expected to reduce Greece's debt burden from 160 percent to 120.5 percent of GDP by 2020, includes a 53 percent debt write-down by Greece's private bondholders. The European Central Bank also agreed to indirectly help Greece by distributing future profits on its holdings of Greek bonds bought on the secondary market.
World Bank Wants Control Of The High Seas
Alt-Market.com
As a proponent of legitimate free markets, I am always up for a little creative entrepreneurship. However, there is a considerable difference between building productive markets, and engaging in monopolistic piracy. Global conglomerates and the elites that operate them have long been familiar with the pirate’s life, and not the fun filled adventure-time rope swinging swashbuckling brand. In fact, it was elitists like Sir Francis Drake, commissioned by the English monarchy, who embodied this disturbing covert bedlam. We’re talking murder, mayhem, and blood-money, folks! So, it should be of no surprise to anyone that the thieving mercantile swine of our era are returning to the high seas to plunder once again, only in a much more subversive and devious manner.
Volcker Rule May Impact Banks
in Germany, U.K., France, EU Says
By Meera Louis - Bloomberg.com
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s financial services chief, said a proposed U.S. ban on proprietary trading may cause problems for banks in some of the largest economies in Europe.
The so-called Volcker rule, named for former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, was included in the U.S. Dodd- Frank Act to restrict risky trading at banks that operate with federal guarantees.
America 1950 vs. America 2012
By Michael Snyder - TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com
Would you rather live in the America of 1950 or the America of 2012? Has the United States changed for the better over the last 62 years? Many fondly remember the 1950s and the 1960s as the "golden age" of America. We emerged from World War II as the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the planet. During that time period, just about anyone that wanted to get a job could find a job and the U.S. middle class expanded rapidly. Back in 1950, America was still considered to be a "land of opportunity" and the economy was growing like crazy. There was less crime, there was less divorce, the American people had much less debt and the world seemed a whole lot less crazy. Most of the rest of the world deeply admired us and wanted to be more like us. Of course there were a lot of things that were not great about America back in 1950, and there are many things that many of us dearly love that we would have to give up in order to go back and live during that time. For example, there was no Internet back in 1950. Instead of being able to go online and read the articles that you want to read, your news would have been almost entirely controlled by the big media companies of the day. So there are definitely some advantages that we have today that they did not have back in 1950. But not all of the changes have been for the better. America is in a constant state of change, and many are deeply concerned about where all of these changes are taking us.
Wyoming House advances doomsday bill
By JEREMY PELZER Star-Tribune - Trib.com
CHEYENNE — State representatives on Friday advanced legislation to launch a study into what Wyoming should do in the event of a complete economic or political collapse in the United States.
House Bill 85 passed on first reading by a voice vote. It would create a state-run government continuity task force, which would study and prepare Wyoming for potential catastrophes, from disruptions in food and energy supplies to a complete meltdown of the federal government.
The task force would look at the feasibility of Wyoming issuing its own alternative currency, if needed. And House members approved an amendment Friday by state Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, to have the task force also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to implement its own military draft, raise a standing army, and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.
Wyoming Prepping For Martial Law Scenario: Set to Explore Options
for Standing Army and Alternative Currency
The Intel Hub
State representatives in Wyoming have advanced a “doomsday” bill that when passed will launch a study into what the state should do in the event of an economic collapse, martial law style scenario.
Wyoming House Bill 85 is essentially a state continuity of government plan that would study the impacts of the collapse of the dollar and the states ability to quickly set up an alternative currency.
CFR: Why We Can't Believe the Fed
Author: Benn Steil, Senior Fellow
and Director of International Economics
The Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting Open Market Committee recently broke new ground in Chairman Ben Bernanke's transparency campaign by proffering predictions of its own behavior over the next three years. This is a huge innovation for the Fed, which has never predicted economic data it directly controls.
The idea was first to anchor market expectations that short-term rates will stay at historic lows, thereby encouraging investors and companies to move more aggressively into longer-term, riskier assets with higher expected returns—which the Fed hopes will fuel economic growth. But the Fed also set for itself a formal, long-run inflation target of 2%.
Banks Need Simpler, Tougher Capital Standards
By Phil Angelides - Bloomberg.com
When JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon appeared before theFinancial Crisis Inquiry Commission, he testified that he told his daughter a financial crisis is something that happens every five to seven years. That observation turned out to be overly optimistic.
Once again, the world’s financial leaders are cobbling together a rescue package to avert the potential failure of highly leveraged financial institutions holding assets of questionable value. This time, the epicenter of the crisis is Europe, not the U.S., and the assets at issue are not toxic mortgages and derivatives, but plain vanilla government bonds. How could the latest round of global financial turmoil be triggered by something as simple as government debt?
Catherine Austin Fitts The Looting Of America Financial terrorism and the war on the middle class.
Former Assistant Secretary of Housing under George H.W. Bush Catherine Austin Fitts blows the whistle on how the financial terrorists have deliberately imploded the US economy and transferred gargantuan amounts of wealth offshore as a means of sacrificing the American middle class. Fitts documents how trillions of dollars went missing from government coffers in the 90′s and how she was personally targeted for exposing the fraud.
The Postal Service's Plan: Worse Service, Higher Prices
By RICH SMITH, THE MOTLEY FOOL - DailyFinance.com
The U.S. Postal Service is in crisis, which means hard decisions have to be made. So, if you could save the USPS by accepting slower service, and perhaps a few fewer days of getting mail delivered to your mailbox, would you do it? Or would you prefer to pay a few more cents for a postage stamp as a way to shore up the USPS's failing revenue stream?
Opinions may differ on which solution is best. Lucky for us, we don't have to choose. The Post Office has already made its decision for us.
The $4 Billion Obamacare Slush Fund for Progressives
By Michelle Malkin - PatriotPost.com
If you like how the Obama administration's multibillion-dollar "investments" in bankrupt solar companies have turned out, you'll love the latest federal loan program to nowhere. It's the Obamacare loyalty rewards program for progressives.
To appease liberal Democrats pushing for the so-called "public option" (the full frontal government takeover of our health care system), the White House settled for the creation of a $6 billion network of nonprofit "CO-OPs" that will "compete" with private insurers. It's socialized medicine through the side door. House Republicans sliced about $2 billion from the slush fund in last spring's budget deal and proclaimed the program dead. Hardly.
Regulations Harm Small Business and Protects Corporations
by James Hall - BATR.org
The prospects for conducting commerce are never an easy task. The hurdles to start a business much less stay competitive demands the greatest skill and fortitude. Innovation and inspiration often is the best course for those bold enough to become an employer. The idea that a level playing field exists for all comers is preposterous. The entire macrocosm for business rests upon separating your enterprise from that of your rivalries. Such is a basic lesson for those brave or foolish enough to enter the arena.
U.S. opening up airspace to use of drones Privacy is a concern as FAA sets rules
to take flights out of just military purview
By Irene Klotz, DiscoveryNews - MSNBC.com
After more than 40 years of development and extensive use by the military, the United States has set the date when the nation’s airspace will be open for drones. Should you be scared?
Short answer: No, but like any new technology, unmanned aerial vehicles have their dark side.
Legislation passed by Congress last week gives the Federal Aviation Administration until Sept. 30, 2015, to open the nation’s skies to drones.
Iran, Israel & the U.S The Slide to War
by CONN HALLINAN - CounterPunch.org
Wars are fought because some people decide it is in their interests to fight them. World War I was not started over the Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination, nor was it triggered by the alliance system. An "incident" may set the stage for war, but no one keeps shooting unless they think it’s a good idea. The Great War started because the countries involved decided they would profit by it, delusional as that conclusion was.
It is useful to keep this idea in mind when trying to figure out if there will be a war with Iran. In short, what are the interests of the protagonists, and are they important enough for those nations to take the fateful step into the chaos of battle?
Middle East risks becoming a 'giant failed state'
BY ANDREW RETTMAN - EUObserver.com
BEIRUT - With EU countries crafting plans on how to shape events in Syria, David Hirst, a noted British writer on the Middle East, has warned that the Arab uprisings are a kind of "constructive chaos" completely out of Western control.
"What we're now witnessing is the greatest transformation of the region since the end of the first world war," he told EUobserver in an interview in his home in Beirut on Saturday (18 February).
Clinton ‘Betting Against’ Assad as Annan Named Syria Envoy
By Nicole Gaouette - Bloomberg.com
The U.S. and allies in the "Friends of Syria" group sought to increase pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, announcing planning would begun for deploying United Nations peacekeepers after his ouster.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and officials from more than 70 countries attended the meeting in Tunis, which was confronted by pro-Assad supporters waving placards and shouting for the U.S. to leave the region. Clinton’s motorcade was diverted from the conference site until Tunisian security forces cleared the demonstration.
'Chaotic' meeting exposes divisions on Syria
By BY ANDREW RETTMAN - EUObserver.com
BRUSSELS - A first meeting of the Friends of Syria group has highlighted divisions inside the coalition and among Syrian opposition leaders.
Officials and ministers from over 60 African, Arab, Asian, Latin American and Nato countries met in Tunis on Friday (24 February) to discuss what to do about the sectarian war in Syria.
A core group - including Egypt, the EU's External Action Service, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UK and the US - drafted a formal communique in the name of the coalition, which repeated the content of a draft UN resolution vetoed last month by China and Russia.
'US to announce aerial blockade on Syria' US readies for possibility of intervention without UN resolution, Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing US military official; plan to include humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees on Turkey's border
Roi Kais - YnetNews.com
The Pentagon is readying for the possibility of intervention inSyria, aiming to halt Syrian President Bashsar Assad's violent crackdown on protesters, the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Saturday, citing a US military offical.
According to the official, the intervention scenario calls for the establishment of a buffer zone on the Turkish border, in order to receive Syrian refugees. The Red Cross would then provide the civilians humanitarian aid, before NATO crews would arrive from Turkey and join the efforts.
Russia will stand up to Putin,
says jailed former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky Opponent confident mass protests and demands for more open democracy will thwart Russian PM's attempts to remain in power
By Luke Harding and Mark Rice-Oxley - Guardian.co.uk
The Arab spring has inspired Russians to stand up to Vladimir Putin, and sweeping political change is possible if voters reject him at the ballot box in next weekend's presidential elections, according to Putin's jailed opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
U.S., S. Korea Start Drills, North Issues Warning
By Rose Kim - Bloomfield.com
The U.S. and South Korea began annual military drills over the objections of North Korea, which called the exercises a violation of its sovereignty that could lead to confrontation.
"The war drills are an unpardonable infringement upon the sovereignty and dignity" of North Korea, the official Korean Central News Agency said today in an editorial. "The army and people of the DPRK are fully ready to fight a war," the editorial said, referring to the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Gingrich and Obama Play Political Games
with Afghan Koran Burning
By Kurt Nimmo - Infowars.com
Newt Gingrich thinks his floundering presidential campaign may gain support if he criticizes Obama’s lame "apology" for the burning of Korans at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.
The incident has led to violence and murder by fanatical Muslims incited by the Taliban, the austere Wahhabist fanatics created and brought to power byPakistan’s ISI and the CIA with Saudi money.
"I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident," Obama wrote this week to Afghanistan’s installed president and former UNOCAL consultant Hamid Karzai. "I extend to you and the Afghan people my sincere apologies."
Barack Obama Apologizes For Burning Korans
But Not For Burning Bibles?
By Michael Snyder - EndOfTheAmericanDream.com
It has become exceedingly clear that Barack Obama does not believe that all religions should be treated equally. In recent days Barack Obama has gone to great lengths to apologize for the "inadvertent" burning of Korans by U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. In fact, Obama has given his word that the United States will be "holding accountable those responsible" for the burning of the Korans. But when the U.S. military purposely burned Bibles in Afghanistan a few years ago, there was never any apology from Barack Obama. Christian groups all over the U.S. expressed great outrage but there was dead silence from Obama. So why the double standard? Do Muslims get an apology because they are willing to become violent over the burning of a Koran? Does Barack Obama consider a Koran to be more valuable than a Bible? Exactly what in the world is going on here?
White House vows to stay involved in Afghanistan GOP critics hit Obama Koran-burning apology
By Paige Winfield Cunningham - The Washington Times
Even as another day of anti-U.S. violence saw seven NATO troops hurt in Afghanistan, the Obama administration on Sunday vowed to remain heavily involved in the country and defended the president’s handling of a crisis sparked by the inadvertent burning by American troops of Muslim holy books.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador toAfghanistan, said that despite a week of attacks and violent protests, there are no plans to accelerate withdrawal from the country, as some Republicans have suggested.
Afghan police hunt for colleague suspected of shooting US officers Abdul Saboor Salangi, 25, wanted in connection with killings that prompted mass pullout of Nato advisers from Kabul ministries
By Emma Graham-Harrison - Guardian.co.uk
Afghan police are searching for a 25-year-old police sergeant suspected of shooting two US military officers in the ministry in Kabul where he worked, killings that have raised questions about the future of the foreign mission in their country.
The shooting, after days of bloody protests over the burning of copies of the Qur'an at a US base, prompted the Nato-led coalition fighting inAfghanistan to pull all its hundreds of advisers out of ministries across the capital, with no timeframe given for their return.
Iran leaders disconnect from middle class Iran elections underscore split between leaders, middle class
By Thomas Erdbrink, WashingtonPost.com
TEHRAN — More than two years after massive anti-government demonstrations over a disputed election exposed a rift between Iran’s leaders and its urban middle class, their diverging worlds are again set to collide in an upcoming vote for a new parliament.
This time, disgruntled opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are unlikely to hold protests, political analysts said, but they may not vote either, denying Iranian leaders the large turnout they seek to reaffirm the legitimacy of their 33-year-old rule.
Barak heads to DC for Iran talks US, Israel see unprecedented frequency of high-level talks as defense minister prepares to meet with Biden, Panetta; President and PM to follow Barak toWashington for meetings with Obama.
By HERB KEINON0 - JPost.com
Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to leave forWashington on Monday for talks expected to center on Iran, as the frequency of senior- level US-Israeli meetings is at a pace not seen in years.
Barak will be followed to Washington later in the week by President Shimon Peres, who will address the annual AIPAC policy conference next Sunday, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who will speak to the conference the next day.
Iran: drumbeat of war has a familiar sound Impetus towards war with Iran can only be explained in terms of a western desire for Iraq-style regime change
By Simon Tisdall - Guardian.co.uk
The drumbeat of war with Iran grows steadily more intense. Each day brings more defiant rhetoric from Tehran, another failed UN nuclear inspection, reports of western military preparations, an assassination, a missile test, or a dire warning that, once again, the world is sliding towards catastrophe. If this all feels familiar, that's because it is. For Iran, read Iraq in the countdown to the 2003 invasion.
Iran: Military strike will lead to 'collapse' of Israel
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Iranian Defense Minister says Israel "on the verge of dissolution," and that a military strike would "lead to the collapse" of the Jewish State, according to state-run TV.
An Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities will result in "the collapse" of the Jewish state, Iranian state-run Press TV quoted Iranian Defense Minister Brig.-Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as saying on Saturday.
"The Zionist regime is on the verge of dissolution… a military attack by the Zionist regime will undoubtedly lead to the collapse of this regime," the Press TV website quoted Vahidi as saying.
'Israel has no capability to attack Iran'
Questions remain over Iran's nuclear programme after UN atomic officials said Tehran has failed to co-operate with them. The international community suspects that Tehran is building a nuclear bomb, but Iran insists it's only seeking peaceful atomic energy. The U.S. and its allies have been imposing tough economic sanctions, while Israel has even threatened military action against Iran's nuclear sites. But it's being reported that America's intelligence community has doubts about the nuclear allegations. RT talks to the Middle East Consultant, Peter Eyre.
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