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U.S. Uses False Taliban Aid Charge to Pressure Iran
By Gareth Porter
The Barack Obama administration has given new prominence to a Bush administration charge that Iran is providing military training and assistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan, for which no evidence has ever been produced, and which has been discredited by data obtained by IPS from the Pentagon itself.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22968.htm
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Iraq a Failed Imperialist Venture
By Haroon Siddiqui
America plunged Iraq into chaos, shattered the infrastructure and destroyed the society, reducing human beings to their basest instincts. They turned on each other and found safety only in family, tribe, clan and sect. Shiites and Sunnis, who had lived together for ages, ethnically cleansed each other’s neighbourhoods, which to this day remain separated by barricades, walls and checkpoints.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22973.htm
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How to Deal with America’s Empire of Bases
A Modest Proposal for Garrisoned Lands
By Chalmers Johnson
The U.S. Empire of Bases — at $102 billion a year already the world’s costliest military enterprise — just got a good deal more expensive.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22971.htm
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America’s Praetorian Guard Is Slowly Crumbling
By Jack D. Douglas
I have a suggestion for other countries that are getting a bit weary of the American military presence on their soil: cash in now, before it’s too late. Either up the ante or tell the Americans to go home. I encourage this behavior because I’m convinced that the U.S. Empire of Bases will soon enough bankrupt our country, and so — on the analogy of a financial bubble or a pyramid scheme — if you’re an investor, it’s better to get your money out while you still can.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22975.htm
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Whorehouse On The Potomac
By Paul Craig Roberts
As Americans celebrate July 4th, they can contemplate that the union of “free and independent states,” like the former British colonial power, has evolved into its final manifestation–a complete whore house.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22978.htm
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Honduran Coup Tries to Halt Advance of Latin America’s Left
By Roger Burbach
A reform-minded president supported by labor unions and social organizations is now pitted against a mafia-like, drug-ridden, corrupt political elite that is accustomed to controlling the Supreme Court, as well as congress and the presidency. It is a story often repeated elsewhere in Latin America, with the United States almost always weighing in on the side of the established, entrenched interests.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22969.htm
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Honduras Under Siege
By Bertha Oliva:
Coup leaders reviving despotism of the 80s in bid to crush participatory democracy.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22977.htm
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The Other 9/11 Returns to Haunt Latin America
It was inevitable that the people at the top would fight to preserve their privileges
By Johann Hari
For the people of Latin America, this is a replay of their September 11. On that day in Chile in 1973, Salvador Allende – a peaceful democratic socialist who was steadily redistributing wealth to the poor majority – was bombed from office and forced to commit suicide. He was replaced by a self-described “fascist”, General Augusto Pinochet, who went on to “disappear” tens of thousands of innocent people. The coup was plotted in Washington DC, by Henry Kissinger.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22972.htm
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Helen Thomas: Not Even Nixon Tried to Control the Media Like Obama
By Penny Starr and Fred Lucas
“I’m not saying there has never been managed news before, but this is carried to fare-thee-well–for the town halls, for the press conferences,” she said. “It’s blatant. They don’t give a damn if you know it or not. They ought to be hanging their heads in shame.”
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22974.htm
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Running On Empty
By Mike Whitney
Consumer spending is 70% of GDP, but consumers have suddenly stepped on the brakes. This is a real game-changer. Even if the credit markets are restored and the banks show a greater willingness to lend; there will be no return to the pre-crisis consumption-levels of the past. Those days are over.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22976.htm
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This Fourth Of July Is Yours, Not Mine
By Frederick Douglass
Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions, whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are today rendered more intolerable by the jubilant shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, “may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13837.htm
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Extrajudicial Killing : Pakistan:
At least 17 killed in ‘US attack: U.S. missiles struck a “training facility” operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.
http://snipurl.com/lpy73
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Pakistan: Millions of displaced people face discrimination and cannot access aid, warns Amnesty:
People who lost everything as a result of the fighting are now being treated as second-class citizens in their own country
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18297
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Anti-US protest marks start of Biden’s Iraq trip:
A fiery protest marked the start on Friday of US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Iraq, with supporters of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr burning the Stars and Stripes.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090703/twl-anti-us-protest-marks-start-of-biden-2802f3e.html
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US sees ‘fierce’ Afghan fighting:
US forces launching a major offensive in the Afghan province of Helmand say that they have encountered fierce Taliban resistance. Brig Larry Nicholson told the AFP news agency on Friday that his soldiers were in a “hell of a fight” and were facing “difficult challenges”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8132155.stm
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U.S. Faces Resentment in Afghan Region:
The mood of the Afghan people has tipped into a popular revolt in some parts of southern Afghanistan, presenting incoming American forces with an even harder job than expected in reversing military losses to the Taliban and winning over the population.
http://snipurl.com/lpzhr
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Iran cleric threatens trial for British embassy staff:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/ts_afp/iran
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Iran cannot be permitted to be nuke power:
Obama also said Thursday that opposing a nuclear weapons capacity for the Persian Gulf nation isn’t simply “a U.S. position.” He said “the biggest concern is not simply that Iran can threaten us or our allies, like Israel or its neighbors.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_iran
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Report: U.S. to block Iran sanctions at G8 summit:
The Obama administration, according to the diplomatic sources, has discarded the notion of direct talks with Iran. However, the United States is still interested in re-engaging Iran through the renewed discussion of its nuclear program through the six permanent United Nations Security Council member
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097644.html
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Israel’s favored IAEA candidate elected:
Israel privately heaved a sigh of relief Thursday at the election of Japan’s Yukiya Amano to replace Mohamed ElBaradei as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency
http://snipurl.com/lpzku
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Israeli occupation forces kill girl in Gaza :
A 17-year-old Palestinian girl has been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8132274.stm
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Israel accused of Gaza war crimes in Amnesty report:
Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians and destroyed thousands of Gaza Strip homes in attacks that amounted to war crimes, Amnesty International charged yesterday, in the first in-depth human rights group report on the recent war in Gaza.
http://snipurl.com/lpzn1
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Amnesty accuses Israel of using human shields in Gaza:
Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israeli forces of war crimes, saying they used children as human shields and conducted wanton attacks on civilians during their offensive in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jc0DHbDsRG83m4stW9JdpHz3hxSw
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Housing Minister: Spread of Arab population must be stopped:
Housing Minister Ariel Atias on Thursday warned against the spread of Arab population into various parts of Israel, saying that preventing this phenomenon was no less than a national responsibility.
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097411.html
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UN’s Richard Falk: IDF seizure of Gaza-bound ship is ‘criminal’:
A United Nations human rights investigator on Thursday called Israel’s seizure of a ship carrying relief aid for the Gaza Strip “unlawful” and said its blockade of the territory constituted a “continuing crime against humanity”.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097608.html
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Another Example of U.S. Censorship of Mainstream Media:
It appears that the U.S. Mainstream media is going to ignore this story even though Cynthia McKinney was once a Congresswoman from Georgia and a Presidential candidate. How odd. What does this say about the news we receive daily from the mainstream media.
http://liberalpro.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-example-of-us-censorship-of.html
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Finding Fish, But Israelis Too:
“They told us ‘go west or we will shoot you’,” says Ashraf Sadallah. “Initially, we refused, so they began shooting very close all around our boat.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47482
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“Israeli spy case: Once Labeled An AIPAC Spy, Larry Franklin Tells His Story:
Former Pentagon Iran analyst Larry Franklin recently quit his job cleaning the restrooms at his local church in West Virginia. He still keeps his weekend job, mopping the floors at a nearby Roy Rogers restaurant.
http://www.forward.com/articles/108778/
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Assad invites Obama to Syria, signaling thaw in ties:
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has issued an informal invitation to President Barack Obama to visit Damascus for talks, in a sign that relations between the two countries may gradually be thawing.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1097637.html
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Honduras coup leaders soften stance:
HONDURAN coup leaders have raised the possibility of early elections to solve the country’s political crisis, hours before the head of the Organisation of American States (OAS) is due to arrive.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/honduras-coup-leaders-soften-stance-20090703-d7u1.html
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Top Honduran military lawyer: We broke the law:
In an interview with The Miami Herald and El Salvador’s elfaro.net, army attorney Col. Herberth Bayardo Inestroza acknowledged that top military brass made the call to forcibly remove Zelaya — and they circumvented laws when they did it.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/1125872.html
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Activists Decry Suspension of Fundamental Rights:
Parliament approved a decree Wednesday issued by Roberto Micheletti – who was appointed by Congress to replace Zelaya – that suspends the right to freedom of association and movement from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM and allows people to be arrested and held without charge for more than 24 hours.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47507
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EU ambassadors pull out of Honduras:
“All EU ambassadors have now left [Honduras],” Carl Bildt, whose country is president of the 27-nation bloc, said in a blog on Thursday
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/07/200972174513685564.html
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US-backed Colombian soldiers execute innocent for cash:
A UN report accuses Colombian soldiers of systematically killing innocent people for a cash reward. The United States is slated to hand over some $750 million in mostly military aid to Colombia this year. The potential contribution of US taxpayers’ money to fund the killing of innocent people
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/07/03/us-colombian-soldiers-innocent-cash/
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OAS ends Cuba suspension after 47 years: -
The Organization of American States lifted its 47-year suspension of Cuba on Wednesday in a move backed by Washington, but Cuban state-run TV said Havana had no interest in rejoining the group.
http://snipurl.com/lpzxp
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Troops gather on Georgian border:
Less than a year after the enclave of South Ossetia erupted in war, this tinder box of the Caucasus is primed to flare up again
http://snipurl.com/lpzyj
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Glenn Greenwald: The still-growing NPR “torture” controversy:
There are several noteworthy developments since I wrote on Tuesday about the refusal of NPR’s Ombdusman, Alica Shepard, to be interviewed by me about NPR’s ban on using the word “torture” to describe the Bush administration’s interrogation tactics.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/02/npr/index.html
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Cleared by a jury, man is labeled a terrorist:
Three days after Megahed was acquitted of charges of possessing and transporting explosives, he was arrested again. This time, the U.S. government wants him deported, based on evidence authorities say suggests the Egyptian-born Megahed is a terrorist, in violation of his immigration status.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/29/florida.terror.redo/
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7 more banks fail as FDIC mulls rules for sales:
Six Illinois banks and one bank in Texas were shuttered Thursday as government regulators proposed new rules for private equity firms seeking to take over failed banks.
http://snipurl.com/lq014
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Chamber of Commerce Launches $100 Million Campaign to Protect Wall Street’s Power at Our Expense:
The CoC is the world’s most powerful lobbying machine and it’s working to make sure our money gets funneled to corporate execs.
http://snipurl.com/lq01w
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The New Homeowner Hallucination: :
The next segment of the market to crash will be the mid- to high-end, where many smug homeowners are now telling themselves they’ll just rent their houses for a year while they wait for the market to “come back.” Needless to say, Mark thinks these folks are dreaming.
http://snipurl.com/lq02o
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Woman Commits Suicide to Avoid Eviction:
Newnam documented her life on Twitter as user rsangel04. Her last post on June 24 read, “Rich get richer, poor get poorer, families on the street, govt doesn’t care. God bless the usa, but can He save it?”
http://snipurl.com/lq03j
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