AS THE WORLD SQUIRMSâ
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
"The
'common good' of a collective – a race, a class, a state – was the claim and justification of every
tyranny ever established over man. Every major horror of history was
committed in the name of an altruistic motive. Has any act of selfishness
ever equaled the carnage perpetuated by the disciples of altruism? The most
dreadful butchers were the most sincere. They believed in the perfect society
reached through the guillotine and the firing squad. Nobody questioned their
right to murder since they were murdering for an altruistic purpose. It was
accepted that man be sacrificed for other men." ~Ayn Rand~ (Speaking through the character Howard Roark - The hero in The Fountainhead) |
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US death toll in Iraq passes 3500
Tuesday: 1 Marine, 34 Iraqis
Killed; 29 Iraqis Wounded DC Notes: Disability claims from Iraq, Afghanistan vets top
176,000 |
BREAKING THE BANK! WASHINGTON’S
PYRRHIC VICTORY Analysis says war
could cost $1 trillion
Budget office sees effect
on taxpayers ‘for decade’
(Excerpt) WASHINGTON -- The war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over a trillion
dollars -- at least double what has already been spent -- including the
long-term costs of replacing damaged equipment, caring for wounded
troops, and aiding the Iraqi government, according to a new government
analysis. The
United States has already allocated more than $500 billion on the day-to-day
combat operations of what are now 190,000 troops and a variety of
reconstruction efforts. In
a report to lawmakers yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated
that even under the rosiest scenario -- an immediate and substantial
reduction of troops -- American taxpayers will feel the financial
consequences of the war for at least a decade. The
calculations include the estimated cost to leave some US forces behind for at
least several years to support the Iraqi government, but they also predict
other long-term costs, such as extended medical care and disability
compensation for wounded soldiers and survivor's benefits for the families of
the thousands of combat-zone fatalities. The
cost of the war in Iraq and other military operations has soared to the point
where "we are now
spending on these activities more than 10 percent of all the government's
annually appropriated funds," said Robert A. Sunshine, the budget
office's assistant director for budget analysis. Those costs -- both to sustain the current mission in Iraq and to pay
longer-term "hidden" expenses like troop healthcare and replacement
equipment -- are far more than US officials advertised when Congress gave
President Bush the authority to launch the invasion in March 2003. At
the time, the White House and then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld
predicted a quick, decisive victory and counted on Iraqi oil revenues to pay
for the war. And when Lawrence
Lindsey, one of Bush's top budget advisers, estimated in 2003 that the entire
undertaking could cost as much as $200 billion, he was fired. |
When Will We Have Had Enough?
(Thanks to SS – ED)
James Spader In A Dramatization Excerpted From
Boston Legal
Bush lied about extent of domestic spying President approved far-reaching program Capitol Hill Blue August 1, 2007 - 6:27am. (Excerpt) In an executive order signed by Bush in 2001, the efforts
of all of America's extensive intelligence communities were turned inwards,
monitoring the day-to-day activities on U.S. citizens on a level that rival's
Russias famed KGB. And, as with
most activities of the Bush administration, most of the details of the domestic
spying operation remain secret, hidden behind the cloak of "national
security." When Bush previously admitted the NSA's role in domestic
spying he was, as usual, telling only part of the real story. |
When “Officer Friendly” Comes Home…
Be Afraid Citizen, Be Very
Afraid!
The Militarization Of America’s Police
Americans WANT Mass Surveillance Cams!
ABC News
7.29.07
U.S. TROOPS INTO NUCLEAR ARMED PAKISTAN By
Nedra Pickler Associated Press Writer August 1, 2007 (Excerpt) Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly
send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an
attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign
policy skills as naive. The
Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he
must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict
foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S.
troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military
aid. |
Bush and US Congress work to expand
government's surveillance authority By LAURIE
KELLMAN The Associated
Press (Excerpt) WASHINGTON
-- Congress and President Bush's aides worked Monday to expand the
government's surveillance authority without jeopardizing citizens' rights [?!?!], aides
to lawmakers and the White House said. As it
pressed for congressional approval, the Bush administration sought to soothe
a sore spot in its relationship with lawmakers over a related matter _ whether
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales misled a Senate panel about internal
dissent concerning the program, which nearly prompted mass resignations at
the Justice Department. |
HAPPY
HALLOWEEN! Britain Will Take Troops Out of Iraq
Regardless of US, Brown Tells Bush By Andrew Grice, Political
Editor at Camp David
The
Independent – London, UK Published: 31 July 2007 (Excerpt) Gordon
Brown has paved the way for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq by
telling George Bush he would not delay their exit in order to show unity with
the United States. After
four hours of one-to-one talks with the US President at his Camp David
retreat, Mr Brown told a joint press conference he would make a Commons
statement in October on the future of the 5,500 British troops in the Basra
region. |
10 Reasons Why Russia Can’t Trust
Uncle Sam By
Robert Bridge MNWeekly.ru
– Russia July
26, 2007 The West says that it
is perplexed by Russia's "aggressive" behavior of late, and
suggests that Moscow is desirous to regain its past super-power status, and
even a little empire. But if cashing in on oil is imperialism, how do we
explain the following U.S. moves: |
Merkel party warns US arms for Gulf could
set off 'powder keg' "If you add more explosives to a powder keg, you increase the
risk and do not make the region more secure." The Anatolian
Times July 30, 2007 (Excerpt) German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian
Democrats are worried that reported US plans to send a major arms package to
Gulf states could inflame a volatile region, a party leader was quoted as
saying Monday. The chairman of the German
parliament's foreign affairs committee, Ruprecht Polenz, told the daily
Frankfurter Rundschau that the Middle East was already a "powder keg"
and that an influx of weapons could set off. |
that the Shebaa Farms