Becomes 1st new president to miss inauguration event
Posted: January 24, 2009
10:10 pm Eastern
By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Since its inception in 1953, every new president has attended The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball – until now.
The ball was created for President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration to honor recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. The event is sponsored by the American Legion and co-sponsored by 13 other veteran's service organizations, including the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
And while 48 of the nation's 99 living recipients of the Medal of Honor attended the event, reports the Cleveland Leader and various self-attested attendees of the ball, newly sworn-in President Barack Obama became the first president in 56 years to skip out on the ceremony.
Obama's itinerary on Inauguration Day, however, did include attendance at 10 balls in his honor, many of which were graced by a cast of the nation's biggest music and movie stars.
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On Erev Rosh HaShanah in New York while we entered Rosh HaShanah here in Yerushalayim, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell exactly 777 points, the largest point drop in its history. On the Day of Judgement for humanity, the world's second greatest country in human history has lost its Divine blessing for prosperity. The greatest country in human history was the Nation of Israel under David and Solomon and the Nation of Judea under Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah). The Shekhinah a.k.a. the Divine Presence, whose number is seven, placed her mark on this auspicious date, announcing to humanity that She was leaving America. Any Jew who wants to get out and has a way and the wherewithal to leave should now leave or yearn to leave. The entire sorted process of our redemption is now reaching a climax. How fast America collapses is in G-d's left hand, His hand of judgement. I am writing this post and coming out of hibernation, for I now fear for the safety of Jews in America. Come now to Eretz Yisrael if you can and if Providence has provided you with the opportunity.
THE GATHERING STORM
A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years.
~ Lysander Spooner
Critical decisions, based purely on emotions, at the expense of reason, are at the very least, dangerous in the extreme. The emotional hysteria involving the coronation of our new president is frightening indeed and should be seen by those who truly believe in the Bill of Rights, especially the Second Amendment (2A), as a gathering storm. This type of intense worship and adulation for a statical leader has not been witnessed since the 1930s in Europe.
The deck is stacked against liberty and personal freedom: the President is anti-gun, the Vice-President is anti-gun, the Speaker of the House of Representatives is anti-gun, the Senate Majority leader is anti-gun, the Attorney General is anti-gun, as is the majority of congress.
The group that claims it protects our 2A freedoms, the NRA, has compromised citizens into a terribly weak position as concerns our 2A rights. A staunch supporter of the NRA wrote the following when I confronted him with evidence of support by NRA leadership for multiple infringements of the very freedoms the NRA claims to defend.
"In your examples, I'm dubious that Baker and LaPierre really believed what they were saying. Political BS, trying to keep the votes lined up. Doing their own con-job efforts on Congressional neutrals."
How can anyone justify supporting an NRA leadership that lies? Can anyone be sure whom else these leaders have lied to, and for what reason? Have they also lied to their members about supporting 2A?
This same reader stated the NRA could not support Congressman Ron Paul (A+ GOA rating) for president because he did not have a chance at winning and instead supported Senator John McCain who had an F– rating on 2A issues as rated by Gun Owners of America. Is it not completely obvious that the NRA cares more about being on the winning (republican) team than it does about defending the 2A?
Money sent to these traitors would be better spent on ammo.
What should frighten everyone about the NRA is their enthusiastic support for a federal agency (BATFE), an agency that perpetrated a raid on innocent men, women and children at Waco that led to the deaths of over 75 members of that church, including 21 children, and then lied to Congress about the particulars of that raid. The agency claimed the raid was necessary to protect the well-being of the children the state eventually killed. The BATFE has taught its agents to perjure themselves in court, has declared a shoestring to be a machine gun, and routinely abuses citizens in their homes and businesses.
Republicans, don’t even start blaming the loss of freedoms on those "damn liberals." You supported a candidate for president with a terrible record on supporting the Bill of Rights, ignoring the only candidate (Ron Paul) who stands for everything you claim to believe in. You continued in your support for a criminal administration just because they called themselves "conservative" and you could align yourself with a "winner." You supported mass murder in Iraq and Afghanistan and the seizing of freedoms in this country in the name of "security." Your support of this continuing madness led to the massive emotional turnout for the Chi Town Hustler. If you are looking for sympathy, it falls between shame and syphilis in the dictionary.
I believe there to be no political solution to the infringements on our liberty by the tyrannical state. Money sent to organizations that basically pay elected representatives to honor their oaths to the Constitution is money wasted.
Now, for the scenario that will precede a rush to confiscate all weapons presently in the hands of American citizens: history tells us that first a madman, who has been previously diagnosed with mental problems, who is taking legal, across the counter, mind-altering drugs, will enter a "gun-free zone" and kill a large number of innocent people. The attack must take place in a gun-free zone to enable the madman to kill as many as possible without encountering anyone with the ability to stop him, otherwise the desired number of deaths could not be obtained, and if someone were to be armed and shoot the madman, other than an employee of the state, it would support private, individual possession of firearms, exactly the opposite of the state’s desired effect.
Second, the firearm(s) will have been obtained through currently legal channels. If the firearm were to be illegally obtained, or stolen, it would not support the state’s case for shutting down legal sales.
Third, the perpetrator of this death and mayhem will promptly commit suicide; this precludes any investigation into true motives or possible accomplices.
The MSM will then repeatedly show scenes of this crime in order to bring about the most intense emotional response from Boobus. There will be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth and demands for immediate action by the state. Congress will immediately consider and pass gun control legislation that has been previously written and simply awaiting this event, claiming again this legislation is absolutely necessary and will make us all safer.
It is my sincere hope the above never happens, but history and the current emotional climate in this country does not support my desires. Take advantage of this window in time to prepare yourself for the coming storm.
January 22, 2009
Michael Gaddy [send him mail], an Army veteran of Vietnam, Grenada, and Beirut, lives in the Four Corners area of the American Southwest.
Copyright © 2009 LewRockwell.com
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Iceland's senior minister resigns as government becomes first global political casualty of the credit crunch
By Graham Smith
Last updated at 12:25 PM on 25th January 2009
Iceland's Minister of Commerce Bjorgvin Sigurdsson has resigned, two days after the prime minister announced his own departure due to pressures from the island nation's economic collapse.
Mr Sigurdsson, a member of Iceland's junior Social Democrat coalition party, made the announcment at a news conference this morning.
'I have decided to do this to take responsibility,' he said.
Prime Minister Geir Haarde shocked the country on Friday when he said he would not seek re-election and called for a general election on May 9.
Crunch victims: Bjorgvin Sigurdsson (left) has joined Prime Minister Geir Haarde, and resigned in response to the economic crisis and increasing dissent
The government of Iceland became the first in the world to be effectively brought down by the credit crunch.
It came after several nights of rioting over the financial crisis.
A poll would not normally be held until 2011.
Mr Haarde also revealed that he had been diagnosed with a malignant tumour of the oesophagus and would not seek re-election.
'I have decided not to seek re-election as leader of the Independence Party at its upcoming national congress,' he told a news conference.
The global financial crisis hit Iceland, which has a population 320,000, in October, triggering a collapse in its currency and financial system under the weight of billions of dollars of foreign debts incurred by its banks.
Protesters clash with police in Reykjavik during a demonstration against the Icelandic government's handling of the country's financial crisis
************************************************************************************************JPMorgan chief says worst of the crisis still to come: FT
LONDON (AFP) — The chief executive of US bank JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, told the Financial Times on Thursday that the worst of the economic crisis still lay ahead as hard-hit consumers default on their loans.
"The worst of the economic situation is not yet behind us. It looks as if it will continue to deteriorate for most of 2009," he told the business daily.
"In terms of our sector, we expect consumer loans and credit cards to continue to get worse."
Dimon said the bank -- which bought rivals Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual last year -- was prepared for a deterioration in consumer-orientated businesses but if things were worse than expected, it would have to cut costs further.
The interview was published after a fresh wave of selling hit US and European stock markets Wednesday, as an unrelenting flow of bad economic and corporate news sparked fears of a deepening global downturn.
Iranian arms ship intercepted by US warship has sealed secret holds
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
January 25, 2009, 1:22 PM (GMT+02:00)
Iranian freighter for smuggling arms to Hamas
The Iranian ship boarded by a US Navy Coast Guard team on the Red Sea last week before it could smuggle arms to Hamas is now disclosed by DEBKAfile's military sources to have tried to trick the search team by enclosing its rocket cargo in secret compartments behind layers of steel. Furthermore, our sources reveal, the US has not yet found a harbor in the region for carrying out a thorough search.
The Cypriot-flagged Iranian freighter Nochegorsk was intercepted last week by the new US Combined Task Force 151 in the Bab al-Mandeb Straits. Its presence in the Red Sea was first revealed by DEBKAfile on Jan. 20. For this article click HERE.
The Americans decided not to give the Israeli Navy a chance to seize the vessel and tow it to Eilat for fear of a Tehran ultimatum to Jerusalem, followed by Iranian attacks on Israeli naval craft patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
Iran maintains two warships in those waters to guard its shipping against Somali pirates as well as a military presence in the Eritrean port of Assab. The arms smuggling ship was first reported escorted out of the Suez Canal Saturday night, Jan. 23, after which Washington imposed a blackout on the incident. It is now moored at an Egyptian Red Sea port at the entrance to the Gulf of Suez.
But the US and Egyptian governments are in a fix. To break the Iranian ship's holds open and expose the rockets destined for Hamas, the facilities of a sizeable port are needed. It would have to be Egyptian because the other coastal nations - Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia - are hostile or controlled by pirates. Both the US and Egypt are hesitant about precipitating a full-blown armed confrontation with Iran. The timing is wrong for the new Barack Obama administration, which is set on smoothing relations with Tehran through diplomatic engagement. Cairo has just launched a campaign to limit Tehran's aggressive drive in the Middle East but does not want a premature clash.
DEBKAfile's Iranian sources disclose that the ship's captain had orders not to resist an American boarding team but impede a close look at its freight. The Navy Coast Guard searchers first found a large amount of ordnance and explosives in the ship's hold, which the Iranian captain claimed were necessary for securing Iranian freighters heading from the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. But then, the US searchers using metal detectors perceived welded steel compartments packed with more hardware concealed at the bottom of the hull.
The option of towing it to a Persian Gulf port for an intensive search was rejected because the Gulf emirates hosting US bases were almost certain to shy away from involvement in the affair. Moreover, Tehran would be close enough to mount a naval commando operation to scuttle the ship before it was searched.
Our military sources estimate that eventually the US government may decide to let the Iranian arms ship sail through the Suez Canal out to the Mediterranean for lack of other options.
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DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis
January 24, 2009
Deep divisions behind the smiles at the Arab Kuwait summit
Israeli leaders insist that Israel's armed forces left Hamas seriously crippled – which is undeniable; but the second half of the proposition, especially when it is articulated by defense minister Ehud Barak, that Hamas had "lost its appetite to strike Israel targets for a very long time" – is over-optimistic, give seven considerations outlined here by DEBKAfile's military and counter-terror analysts:
1. Hamas is in no state to reach a clear decision because its leadership is divided on this very issue.
The Gazan faction headed by prime minister Ismail Haniya tends to accept Egypt's proposals for shelving armed warfare for now and trying to bury the hatchet with the Palestinian Authority chairman, Mahmoud Abbas. A power-sharing deal would give Gaza a legitimate Palestinian address for the receipt of Arab reconstruction aid, especially the half billion dollars allocated by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.
This line is opposed by Hamas' Damascus faction led by Khaled Meshaal. Toeing the bellicose line taken by the Iranian-Syrian camp, he rejects a long-term armistice, Cairo's steps to halt arms transfers to Hamas and all other conditions for reopening Gaza's crossings.
Hamas' military wing in Gaza, though seriously degraded by the fighting, strongly supports the Damascus line against Haniyah.
2. Both Jerusalem and Cairo own an interest in playing down Egypt's active contribution to Israel's military feat. Had Egypt not kept Gaza's gate to Sinai through Rafah closed, thereby shutting off Hamas' access to reinforcements and fresh weapons supplies, the Israeli operation would have lasted longer and casualties would have been higher.
Prime minister Ehud Olmert, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and Barak were hardly responsible for opening the diplomatic window which allowed the IDF to carry on fighting in the urban centers where Hamas had planted its military strongholds and stores. It was mostly Hosni Mubarak's work.
Cairo not only held Hamas to siege but blocked the airwaves to its broadcasted messages for influencing Arab opinion and the world's media.
3. Israel repaid Cairo by refraining from finally crushing Hamas and forcing its surrender. IDF commanders said they were short of no more than five hours for the knockout. But here, Egypt drew the line.
4. For the first time in its history, Israel bound itself to a major Arab power in a battle against an Arab force. This commitment has not ended. It obliges Israel to continue to respect the partnership for its next steps, especially when Egypt is the only party dealing with the Palestinian terrorist group on Israel's behalf
5. Until last week, Egypt enjoyed solid Saudi backing for its policy of diminishing Hamas and putting a damper on the Iranian-Syrian drive for influence in the Arab world – even Cairo's cooperation with Israel's military operation was accepted in Riyadh.
But then came a royal about-face. When the Arab League summit opened in Kuwait on Jan. 19, Mubarak was dismayed to find the Saudi king pulling the rug from under his feet on both counts. Abdullah then demanded that the Egyptian president make the peace-making gesture of appearing publicly with his Syrian and Qatari colleagues, Iran's Arab partners. Reluctant to offend the monarch, he agreed, but the next day walked out of the summit and flew home, signaling the Saudi king that his campaign against Iran, Syria and Hamas was far from over.
6. Abdullah's wish to appease the Iran-led radical camp has also divided the Saudi leadership. Foreign minister Prince Saud al Faisal, who espouses the Egyptian line, also removed himself from the Kuwait Arab summit, leaving the other Arab foreign ministers high and dry without an agreed final communiqué on the Gaza crisis. Al Faisal is supported by another senior Saudi prince, the national security adviser Bandar bin Sultan.
7. The divisions in the Arab world have encouraged Tehran to persist in rearming Hamas and the Hamas-Damascus faction to maintain its intransigent posture. They are certain that high military tension against Israel in the Gaza Strip and the diplomatic pressure on Egypt will break them down.
This contest of strength crackles with inflammatory potential, exacerbated by two key dates: Israel's general election on Feb. 10. Arab foes have traditionally sought to influence the outcome of Israel's elections, which this time right-of-center Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu is practically sure of winning; and Feb. 12, the first anniversary of the violent death in Damascus of Hizballah's military chief Imad Mughniyeh, which the Lebanese Shiite militia blaming Israel has sworn to avenge.
It is no wonder therefore that part of the Israeli reservist force called up for the Gaza operation is still under arms and a strong tank force surrounds Gaza's borders against any contingency.
This simmering stew will greet the Obama administration's new Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, when he launches his mission this week with visits to key capitals. He will find Jerusalem and Cairo moving forward with their agendas for the Gaza Strip following a script put together during the hiatus in Washington between two presidencies.
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BY: DR. FOREST LEWIS
One would think that John McCain would take his Democrat style politics and make it official by joining with his buddy, Joe Liberman, and become a legitimate member of the Democrat Party!
In hindsight, McCain is probably thinking, why should he do that. Heck, he can cause more damage by pretending to be a, “Republican-Conservative.” Folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, John McCain is not going anywhere. As a matter of fact, McCain looks to be setting himself up as the final arbiter who will drive the last nail into “The Coffin Of The GOP.”
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FOR 22 CALIBER RIMFIRE SHOOTERS
http://www.gunblast.com/Paco2.htm
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LAW SUIT AGAINST GUN MANUFACTURERS IN INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Supreme Court won't review an appellate court ruling allowing the city of Gary to take its lawsuit against gun manufacturers to trial.
Gary has 1 of the nation's highest homicide rates and claims in its lawuit that manufacturers and dealers have sold guns they knew would end up in the hands of criminals. Similar lawsuits filed by Boston and Cincinnati have been dropped.
In 2007, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that Gary's case could proceed despite a federal law shielding manufacturers from liability. The court said Gary's public nuisance claims fell under an exception because the city alleged violations of state laws applying to the sale and marketing of firearms.
But gun industry supporters say the case is without merit and would be costly if it goes to trial.
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The mosaic of Barack Obama’s cabinet picks and top White House staff gives us an overview of what the new president sees as political symmetry for his administration. While it’s too early to gauge specific policies of the Obama presidency, it’s not too soon to understand that “triangulation” is back.
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THIS IS PRICELESS...of course they do not want to give journalists guns, because the KGB does not want them to be shooting back at them. The suicides of Russian journalists have been through the roof since Putin took over. How many people do you know go food shopping and then jump off their roof with their groceries in their hands? NONE...
MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti) - The Moscow police chief said on Friday that he was against granting journalists permission to carry arms.
"I don't think we need to give journalists weapons. Law enforcement agencies must ensure their safety," Vladimir Pronin told RIA Novosti.
His comments came after the co-owner of Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper said the paper planned to submit applications to the authorities for arms permits for its staff.
"If you are unable to ensure our security, let our journalists carry firearms," Alexander Lebedev said.
Novaya Gazeta journalist Anastasia Baburova was shot dead in the center of Moscow on Monday by a gunman who also killed Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer who had taken on a number of controversial cases in Russia.
A number of other Novaya Gazeta journalists have also been murdered in recent years, including Anna Politkovskaya, the Kremlin critic whose investigations of human rights abuses by federal troops in Chechnya had won her acclaim in the West. Politkovskaya was gunned down in her apartment building in 2006.
"In the event of journalists being threatened with danger, we have a scheme under which their safety can be assured," the police chief added. "The more weapons there are, the more disorder there is."
Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Reporters Without Borders, an international press freedom organization, has said that 21 journalists were murdered in the country between 2000 and 2007.
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The Gaza War and the predictions of Israel’s demise. More>
Obama Outlines His Gay Agenda On WhiteHouse.gov
Talk about efficiency. WhiteHouse.gov, the official site of the President, was updated to reflect the changeover from President George Bush to President Barack Obama within a few minutes of Obama's inauguration. Has anyone visited the site yet, and if so, have you seen The Agenda page? I have to say that I am impressed—it lays out Obama's civil rights agenda, which includes broad support for the LGBT community.
Among Obama's positions: He supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity; and he supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples.
Additionally, Obama thinks we should repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, and he opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
He also wants to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy; ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals regardless of their sexual orientation; and develop a comprehensive national AIDS/HIV strategy.
This is all in writing! On the President's Web site!
************************************************************************************************Two US warships escort Iranian ship carrying arms for Hamas out through Suez Canal
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
January 23, 2009, 6:06 PM (GMT+02:00)
US Coast Guard boarding team
DEBKAfile's military sources report that a US Navy Coast Guard team this week boarded an Iranian arms ship flying a Cypriot flag in the Red Sea and found weapons in its hold.
This was the first time an America warship had ever intercepted an Iranian vessel in international water. The incident activated the Memo of Understanding the former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice signed with Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni a week ago on actions to halt the flow of Iranian arms to Hamas as part of the Gaza ceasefire.
The Iranian ship's captain showed the US boarding team documents recording the Syrian port of Latakia as its cargo's destination. DEBKAfile reports that both US and Israeli intelligence are certain the arms were bound for Hamas. But according to international law, the US Navy's Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, set up last week to combat piracy, was not authorized to confiscate the cargo or stop the ship because no enforcement mechanism was yet in place.
After a few hours, therefore, the US force released the Iranian vessel and two warships escorted it out of Red Sea waters. The ship and its escort are due to enter the Suez Canal heading north Saturday night, Jan. 23, after being prevented from unloading its arms freight on the coast of Sinai or Gaza.
Tehran has so far not reacted to the incident.
DEBKAfile revealed last week that the new US task force policing the waters of the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Red Sea, under the command of Rear Adm. Terry McKnight, had been additionally assigned with intercepting Iranian ships smuggling arms for Hamas, often in conjunction with Somali pirates and Sinai Bedouin militias.
Massed on the lead ship San Antonio is a helicopter detachment, a "surgical team" for dealing with small speedboats trying to hem the ship in and 14 Navy VBSS members, including two Navy boarding officers. The Coast Guard detachment is made up of eight members, all of them qualified as boarding officers.
World Agenda: riots in Iceland, Latvia and Bulgaria are a sign of things to come
Our third global political column explores the start of an age of rebellion over the financial crisis - beginning in Iceland
(Halldor Kolbeins/AFP/Getty Images)
Icelanders vented their fury at the political class's handling of the financial crisis by staging angry protests in Reykjavik
KINGSTON, NY, 22 January 2009 -- President Barack Obama will use his poll shattering popularity to swiftly enact policies that will prove to be among the most costly and potentially destructive in America's history, predicts Trends Research Institute Director Gerald Celente.
"We are forecasting dramatic measures will soon be taken by the Obama Administration that will worsen the credit crisis and severely damage the nation's economic system," says Celente.
According to The Trends Research Institute Director, the new President who swept into the White House on a tidal wave of unprecedented enthusiasm and the blessings of a strong majority, will have free reign to take whatever actions he deems necessary.
"Whatever Obama wants, Obama gets. Desperate, scared and not knowing what to do to survive the economic storm, people are seeking a messiah to save them, and Obama is their man," said Celente. "When fear rules, reason and logic are ruled out." (According to an AP poll, 71 percent of Americans believe the economy will improve during the first year of the Obama presidency.)
The 332-point stock market decline that greeted Mr. Obama into office (a record breaker for Inauguration Day) and today's 105-point market decline will be followed by a steady stream of worsening economic news and major financial calamities, Gerald Celente forecasts. Just as President Bush exploited 9/11 as a pretext to wage the War on Terror, invade Iraq, abrogate the Constitution and exert broad Executive powers (with bipartisan and majority public support), President Obama will be given even greater latitude to fight a war on economic terror, predicts Celente.
For example, Timothy Geithner, President Obama's nominee for Treasury Secretary, has pledged to expand and prolong government intervention in the financial markets. He said his economic team would take "forceful" and "substantial action" on a "very dramatic scale" to "forge an integrated strategy on how best to achieve currency realignment."
Celente advises to closely read the signals that have been clearly telegraphed by Mr. Geithner. "From proclaiming a bank holiday, confiscating gold to backstop devaluing currencies, mega-bailouts for the too-big-to-fails ... to nationalizing public firms and dollar devaluation ... whichever of these or other actions are taken, the financial burden will fall on the American people," Celente forecasts.
In his inauguration speech President Obama warned Americans of tougher times ahead and for the need to make greater sacrifices. In doing so, the President placed equal blame for the global financial crisis on the public's "collective failure to make hard choices," along with the "consequences of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some."
"The President is correct. Many have spent beyond their means, borrowed themselves into debt, took risks playing the markets, and speculated on real estate," said Celente. "But comparing Main Street's financial missteps to the large scale corruption and criminality of the banks, brokers, insurance companies, hedge fund operators, mortgage companies, rating agencies and buyout firms that cooked the books, enriched executives, ripped off clients and rigged the numbers, is further evidence that Obama is a Wall Street man.
Trendpost: Do you know where your money is? Is it safe? Will you be able to get it when you need it? What will you do if trading is temporarily suspended on Wall Street? Will you be able redeem your CD's?
The new Treasury Secretary promises "a very dramatic scale" of action that may in turn require you to take very dramatic counter measures to protect your assets. We forecast with great confidence that whatever actions Washington takes to save the "too big to fails," they will prove very costly for the "too small to saves" who will be forced to foot the bills and eat the losses.
© MMIX The Trends Research Institute ®
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Chinese student decapitated at Virginia Tech
WASHINGTON (AFP) — A female Chinese graduate student was decapitated by a fellow student in a campus cafe at Virginia Tech, the scene of the worst school shooting in US history in 2007, police said.
At approximately 7:00 pm Wednesday (0000 GMT Thursday), Yang Xin, a 22-year-old graduate student from Beijing, was killed at an Au Bon Pain cafe on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, university officials said.
They added that emergency contact records suggest that Yang and the student who murdered her, Zhu Haiyang from Ningbo, China, knew each other. According to officials, witnesses said Zhu, 25, attacked Yang with a knife.
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MEXICO
MEXICO CITY — Indiscriminate kidnappings. Nearly daily beheadings. Gangs that mock and kill government agents.
This isn't Iraq or Pakistan. It's Mexico, which the U.S. government and a growing number of experts say is becoming one of the world's biggest security risks.
The prospect that America's southern neighbor could melt into lawlessness provides an unexpected challenge to Barack Obama's new government. In its latest report anticipating possible global security risks, the U.S. Joint Forces Command lumps Mexico and Pakistan together as being at risk of a "rapid and sudden collapse."
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Counterterrorism authorities have come to fear that the porous U.S.-Mexico border provides entry into the United States, not only for illegal aliens, but for Islamic terrorists as well.
And these same Islamic terrorists may also be using Mexico as the conduit to bring nuclear devices into the U.S. for a WMD attack. These are among the chilling disclosure from Paul L. Williams, author of the just-released book "The Day of Islam: The Annihilation of America and the Western World."
According to Williams, al-Qaida has already hatched plans to smuggle nuclear materials across the Mexican border and use them for a mammoth simultaneous attack on several large U.S. cities.
Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups began infiltrating Mexico in the days after 9/11. By 2003, Canadian intelligence officials and Interpol told Mexican President Vincente Fox that al-Qaida had established several cells in Mexico to prepare for the next terrorist attacks, Williams tells readers.
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Places that the illegals use as layover sites, where they rest or wait for the next ride, are littered with mountains of trash, garbage, open latrines, and plastic bags, diapers and wrappers of all kinds. When indigenous wildlife and cattle eat the plastic and refuse, they die, so the residents try to clean up the sites as often as they can. The large number of discarded medicine wrappers indicates the prevalence of disease among the illegals. It is estimated that 10 percent of all illegals are carriers of Chagas, a potentially fatal disease that is widespread in Central America. Sometimes the Americans who clean up the sites pick up pocket trash: scraps of paper with the name and phone number of the illegal alien's destination in the United States. This indicates that these border crossings are a very well organized migration. Other suspicious items picked up by local residents include Muslim prayer rugs and notebooks written in both Arabic and Spanish. These items came from OTMs (Other Than Mexicans) and a subcategory called Special Interest Aliens, who are illegals coming from terrorist sponsoring countries.
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Secretive U.S. technology to assist in finding Hamas weapons tunnels
Posted: January 23, 2009
12:25 am Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
HERZLIYA, Israel – Egyptian troops are undergoing training in Texas on the use of American military technology to uncover Hamas weapons smuggling tunnels, WND has learned.
A top Egyptian intelligence official told WND the Egyptian troops arrived in Texas in recent days, where they have been undergoing private courses on the use of proprietary, secretive U.S. technology that makes use of sonar and certain frequencies to locate underground tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza border.
Also, the intelligence official said a team from the U.S. Army's Corps of Engineers recently arrived in the Egyptian Sinai desert, bringing the advanced machinery with them.
The Army has been aiding Egyptian troops in locating the tunnels.
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'Partial war' looming between China, India? Military suggests border dispute is 'threat' to Beijing
12:25 am Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
 Arunachal Pradesh |
A border dispute could become the spark that launches China and India into a military conflict, with Chinese strategists resurrecting the concept of a "partial war" to recover what they call "Southern Tibet," the region India calls "Arunachal Pradesh," according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
The area in northeast India has a 650-mile unfenced border with China, which lays claim to the region and refers to it as Southern Tibet.
Some of the threats are emanating from Chinese publications that reflect the opinion of the Chinese leadership without making official comments.
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12:25 am Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
 Mediterranean Sea |
Noble Energy, a New York Stock Exchange-listed company, has discovered an estimated more than 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in three high-quality reservoirs drilled in the company's Tamar No. 1 well in the Mediterranean Sea, about 56 miles off the Israeli northern port of Haifa.
Noble Energy drilled the Tamar No. 1 well to a depth of about three miles, beneath 5,500 feet of water.
The find is significant for those who believe the Bible indicates Israel is sitting on a massive oil reserve that would reshape the geopolitical structure of the Middle East.
************************************************************************************************The Blessings of “Joseph”, “Asher” and the “Land of Israel”
The lands of the Ma’anit-Joseph License lie in the heart of the lands of the Tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. The Ma’anit #1 Well lies just south of I’ron Valley. The Valley is located at the mid-point of the ancient Way of the Kings - the Roman Via Maris - connecting the empires of Egypt and Syria. Some early maps show the I’ron Valley as the biblical border between the lands and hills of Ephraim and Manasseh; while others show the border as paralleling the east-west line forming the southern boundary of the Joseph Permit and the Joseph Reef. The lands of the Asher Permit lie in the northern portion of the lands of the Tribe of Manasseh and the southern portion of the Tribe of Asher, an area which some scholars also attribute to Manasseh during various periods of Israelite settlement of the Land of Israel. Click the map for a larger view.
And Jacob blessed Joseph (Genesis 49: 22-26): “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall. The archers fiercely attacked him, and shot at him and hated him; but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made supple by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob (by the name of shepherd, the Rock of Israel), by the God of thy father who shall help thee; and by the Almighty who shall bless thee, with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that couches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of thy father are mighty beyond the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills, they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brothers.”
And Moses blessed the tribes of the sons of Joseph (Deuteronomy 33: 13-17): “And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew and for the deep that couches beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of primordial hills, and for the precious things of the earth, and its fullness, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush. Let the blessings come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.”
“And of Asher he [Moses] said, blessed above sons; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.” (Deuteronomy 33:24.) Of the Land of Israel, Moses sung (Deuteronomy 32:13): “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he ate of the produce of the fields; and he made him suck honey out of rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.”
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Hamas slammed for 'monstrous' use of civilians
Reports emerging of women, children placed in line of Israeli fire
2:14 pm Eastern
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
HERZLIYA, Israel – In the aftermath of Israel's three-week offensive targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, reports are emerging of how the terrorists used civilians during the conflict.
"Entire families in Gaza lived on top of a barrel of explosives for months without knowing," stated Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg.
Eisenberg charged Hamas sent civilians, including women and children, to transfer weapons to gunmen engaged in battles with Israeli forces, and he accused Hamas of booby-trapping many of the civilians' homes. He labeled Hamas' alleged use of civilians as "monstrous" and "inhumane."
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COMMENTARY BY DEVVY
http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd430.htm
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PALESTINE
http://www.masada2000.org/geography.html
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Sources close to French Intelligence confirm that Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, is receiving around-the-clock death threats
In order to get Kennedy to withdraw her quest to become a New York Senator, at least thirty (30) death threats by email correspondence from known sources within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Israeli Mossad were sent to her. Greg Craig knew this, but did not tell Obama. The BlackOps team was acting to protect the private interests of Hillary Clinton. Clinton does not want Kennedy to become a New York Senator because her money-laundering connections with Bernard Madoff would be exposed. Kennedy is as clean as a whistle, has her own money and cannot be bribed.
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(Melboure Herald Sun) An Australian Islamic cleric has told his male followers they can force their wives to have sex and hit them if they are disobedient ... |
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(AFP/Getty Images)
North Korea will take an “all-out confrontational posture” to “shatter” South Korea, according to the North’s Army spokesman. At the same time, the North claims to have “weaponized” plutonium to create four or five nuclear bombs. The country is clamoring for attention.
“Now that traitor [South Korean President] Lee Myung Bak and his group opted for confrontation, denying national reconciliation and cooperation, backed by foreign forces, our revolutionary armed forces are compelled to take an all-out confrontational posture to shatter them,” said a statement from the Korean People’s Army, released Saturday.
North Korea said the South had forced Pyongyang’s “revolutionary armed forces to take a strong military retaliatory step to wipe them out.”
At the same time, it has emerged that North Korean officials told Selig Harrison, a North Korean expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, that the North has weaponized enough plutonium for four or five bombs. The officials did not clarify exactly what they meant by “weaponized.”
The United States has been engaged in the current round of talks with North Korea for five years. Once again, North Korea has shown it will not give up its nukes easily. Though an agreement was agreed in the latest round of six-nation talks, North Korea has not dismantled its nuclear weapons program.
Referring to when North Korea “disabled” its Yongbyon nuclear facility in 2007 only to threaten to reverse the process, former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations John Bolton wrote, “This ploy is yet another example of the North’s consistently successful negotiating tactic of selling the same concessions again and again for higher and higher prices” (National Interest Online, Oct. 30, 2008).
With a new president in the White House, once again North Korea will try to sell concessions that it has already sold—hoping for a higher return.
As Bolton pointed out, negotiating with these kind of countries does not work. “[T]he basic flaw of the six-party talks is the foundational assumption that North Korea could be talked out of its nuclear weapons,” he wrote. “There has never been a shred of evidence, over nearly two decades of nuclear negations, that the North is truly prepared to make such a dramatic shift in its strategic thinking. There have only been statements by the North’s diplomats and propagandists that too-willing U.S. negotiators have seized upon to cobble together ‘nuances’ and ‘hints’ of negotiating flexibility” (ibid.).
America is trying to use the same flawed strategy to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” It hasn’t worked in North Korea; it won’t work in Iran.
The U.S. simply does not have the will to stop either North Korea or Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
And by taking no action on North Korea, the U.S. allows Pyongyang to export its deadly technology to radical nations like Syria and Iran.
North Korea may be perceived as a crazy nation with nuclear bombs, but the U.S., by expecting the same old failed negotiations to yield different results, is surely acting in an “insane” manner also. •
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