HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS FOR CHARITY RELIEF IN GAZA

The event was put together at short notice in the Crowne Plaza hotel and the response to my appeal was stunning. In a few minutes we raised $500,000. I put up a signed copy of my book The Fidel Castro Handbook in an auction and it raised $22,000 - that's £11,000!

It just shows you the depth of feeling in the Arab and Muslim world to the tragedy we are helplessly witnessing in Gaza. Well, not so helplessly because this money will assist in putting food on the tables and clothes on the backs of children. If only the world's leaders were as willing to help.

ARAB MEDIA WARNS BUSH WANTS IRAN WAR

The Arab media has raised US-Iran confrontation alarms, saying the US has a proxy war with Iran going at the tail end of the Bush administration.

US 'DEPLOYS NUCLEAR SUB TO PERSIAN GULF'

An American nuclear submarine has crossed the Suez Canal to join the US fleet stationed in the Persian Gulf, Egyptian sources say.

CHENEY: IRAN MIGHT BE NEXT US TARGET

A senior aide to the US Vice President has reportedly said a military option against Iran over its nuclear program is on the table again.

His head is what needs to be on the table -- ZDN

FED'S RESCUE HALTED A DERIVATIVES CHERNOBYL

When the Federal Reserve stepped in to save Bear Stearns, most people had no idea what was at stake, writes Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

US TO ASK UK TO LEAD IRAQ SURGE

The US plans to urge Britain to lead a 'surge' in Basra where Iraqi and US-led forces are engaged in bloody battle to fight al-Qaeda.

BLASTS HIT BAGHDAD'S GREEN ZONE

Smoke has been seen rising from the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone after it was targeted by a series of rockets or mortars.

At least 10 blasts were heard in the area in central Baghdad, starting shortly before 6am on Sunday, and helicopters were immediately seen flying overhead.

The US public address system in the Green Zone warned people to "duck and cover" and to stay away from windows.

TEN KILLED IN MOSUL SUICIDE BOMBING

A suicide bomber has crashed an explosives-laden truck into an Iraqi army base in Mosul, killing 10 soldiers and wounding 50 people.

US SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL 'UNSHAKABLE'

US Vice President Dick Cheney has issued a strong defense of Israel, calling Washington's support for Tel Aviv 'enduring and unshakable'.

JAPANESE PROTEST AGAINST US BASE

Residents of Okinawa have gathered to protest against the US military presence on the southern Japanese island, following a series of incidents allegedly involving US personnel, including the rape of a schoolgirl.

WINTER SOLDIERS SOUND OFF

Jason Moon suffers from persistent insomnia as he wrestles with memories of his time in Iraq. “While on our initial convoy into Iraq in early June 2003, we were given a direct order that if any children or civilians got in front of the vehicles in our convoy, we were not to stop, we were not to slow down, we were to keep driving,” says the former National Guard and Army Reserve member. “In the event an insurgent attacked us from behind human shields, we were supposed to count. If there were thirty or less civilians we were allowed to fire into the area. If there were over thirty, we were supposed to take fire and send it up the chain of command. These were the rules of engagement. I don’t know about you, but if you are getting shot at from a crowd of people, how fast are you going to count, and how accurately?”

IRAQ: FIVE YEARS OF GENOCIDE

Five years ago to the day, it was the dawn of the American invasion that carried Iraq to the endless darkness of the occupation. The fall of Baghdad, the Arab capital which they almost dubbed Saddam Hussein's capital, was nothing but the onset of a massive volcanic eruption in the region; its fires still consume the Arabs' stability and security and rewrite maps from the Ocean to the Gulf.

DHS CHECKPOINT DAY 5: THE GANG'S ALL HERE

SUNDAY: 69 IRAQIS KILLED, 106 WOUNDED

At least 69 Iraqis were killed and 106 more were wounded during the latest round of violence. Rockets bombarded the capital while a suicide bomber left dozens dead and injured in Mosul.

SATURDAY: 3 US SOLDIERS, 22 IRAQIS KILLED; 37 IRAQIS WOUNDED

At least 22 Iraqis were killed and 37 others were wounded in the latest attacks. Three American soldiers were killed as well. Meanwhile, Iran continues to shell Iraqi territory near their border.

NEW YORKERS RALLY AGAINST IRAQ WAR

Thousands of peace activists have rallied in New York, marking the five-year anniversary of the beginning of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

WITH STRAIN OF WAR, THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE

Unfortunately, as the nation marks the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, the Army is beginning to see a disturbing rise in the number of soldiers who are taking their lives in war zones or after they've returned home. As many as 121 soldiers committed suicide last year, up about 20% over 2006, according to Army officials. Thirty-four of them occurred in Iraq. In 2005, 87 soldiers committed suicide, compared with 67 in 2004 and 79 in 2003 — the first year of the war. The Army reports also found a marked increase in attempted suicides — about 2,100 in 2007 compared with less than 1,500 in 2006.

SUICIDES SEEN AMONG VETS TREATED BY VA

Last November, CBS News broke the story of the overwhelming number of veteran suicides nationwide. Now, Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian has discovered veterans who get help from the VA are also at risk.

MCCAIN REFUSES TO CO-SPONSOR GI BILL FOR POST-9/11 VETERANS

McCain prides himself on being “a tireless advocate of our military.” Yet this is hardly the first time that Webb has taken McCain to task when it comes to veterans’ advocacy. In September, McCain refused to support Webb’s bill to ensure service members get adequate time at home between deployments. McCain castigated the effort, declaring he “hoped” Congress would reject the bill because it “would create chaos.”

McCain boasts on his website that he “fought to extend the availability of G.I. bill education benefits for Vietnam veterans.” Yet he has been notably silent on extending those same benefits to today’s veterans. Perhaps, like the Pentagon, he is resisting the bill “out of fear that too many will use it.”

McCain has repeatedly voted to funnel billions of dollars to fund the war in Iraq, whose costs along with the war in Afghanistan, according to some experts, have already totaled more than $3 trillion. By contrast, the cost of the new G.I. bill is projected to be about $2.5 billion a year — roughly the cost of U.S. operations in Iraq for one week.

THE MAKING OF "OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM"

The invasion of Iraq was conceived prior to 9/11, according to Paul O'Neill, President Bush's former Treasury Secretary. Intelligence gathered by US agencies that claimed Iraq was possessed WMD's was cooked to justify a preemptive strike.

In his book, "The Price of Loyalty," journalist Ron Suskind interviewed O'Neill who said that the Iraq war was planned just days after the president was sworn into office.

U.S. STRIKE KILLS 6 IRAQI SUNNI VOLUNTEERS

"We were afraid that something like this would happen, and it did," Farouk said.

SENIOR REPUBLICAN RATFUCKER FROM FLORIDA TOLD FBI ABOUT SPITZER

Stone, known for shutting down the 2000 presidential election recount effort in Miami-Dade County, is a longtime Spitzer nemesis whose political experience ranges from the Nixon White House to Al Sharpton’s presidential campaign.

40 YEARS FROM GLOBAL CATASTROPHE - AND THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT, SAYS CLIMATE CHANGE EXPERT

We will, he says, have to set up encampments in this country, like those established for the hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced by the conflict in East Africa.

Funny, he must have forgot to mention the "encampments" already exist. Google "fema detension" -- ZDN

WAXMAN WANTS TO KNOW WHY KBR IS ELECTROCUTING US SOLDIERS

A U.S. House committee chairman has begun an investigation into the electrocutions of at least 12 service members in Iraq, including that of a Pittsburgh soldier killed in January by a jolt of electricity while showering.

SEX SCANDAL CHEAT SHEET FOR POLITICIANS

CNN’S KYRA PHILLIPS PUSHES THE ‘IRAN IS SUPPORTING AL QAEDA’ LIE

Maybe John McCain gets his foreign policy briefings from CNN, or maybe it’s vice versa. In any event, CNN’s Kyra Phillips was interviewing Gen. David Petraeus today and repeated McCain’s gaffe from yesterday, touting a connection between Iran and al Qaeda in Iraq. Later in the interview, Petraeus gently corrected her, noting that Syria is typically the path for weapons and fighters for AQ

TELL YOUR SENATOR TO FILIBUSTER ANY BILL THAT FUNDS THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ

That’s what we’ve been asking people to say at our Phone-A-Thons recently. It’s not easy. We stand on a busy sidewalk and ask passersby to call Congress on the spot using our cell phones. (You can find a Phone-A-Thon recipe here.) The amazing thing is that some people actually do stop and make the call. A few of us have gotten hooked on this grassroots action because of these lovely, shy, first-time callers.

CRUNCH TIME FOR U.S. WAR RESISTERS IN CANADA

When Private Jeremy Hinzman crossed the border into Canada in January 2004, he became the first AWOL GI to seek refugee status there. The U.S. Army had denied his request to serve in a non-combat role as a Conscientious Objector. They forced him into a tour in Afghanistan, and then ordered him to deploy to Iraq. Four years after fleeing the country, Hinzman, his wife and one-year-old son are facing the possibility of deportation back to the United States.

HONOLULU SAYS STOP THE OCCUPATION

Murder, Rape, Torture, War! That's What they're Recruiting for!

MILITARIZED POLICE STATE SHOCK YOU INTO SUBMISSION?

No matter how sophisticated this technology, it can all too often allow a terrorist on board a plane, and, this technology can also have the effect of creating airport bottlenecks. Ahem. The solution? The "viable, workable answer" is an electronic ID bracelet. This bracelet will replace the need for a ticket and contain all necessary information about the person, and as a bonus, it can allow the passenger to be tracked through the terminal. Crew members would be empowered with radio frequency transmitters to subdue "hijackers." The technology will override a person's central nervous system and zap them down quicker than you can say "Homeland Security."

HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?

All of the Administration's hype and all of John McCain's hype that we are winning the war in Iraq and that the "surge" is working, is just that, hype. It's not working. As Senator Hagel points out in the video below, more than 900 Americans have been killed in Iraq since the surge began. And Iraq is no closer to resolving its critical political issues today than it was when we began the surge. That was the alleged purpose of the surge. By any rational standard, that is not success. But rational is not something that John McCain and the Bush/Cheney Administration know anything about.

We'll probably breach that 4,000 dead American milestone before this Easter Sunday is over. And that truly is tragic. How many more must die before we understand? How many more must die?

KILLER ECONOMICS

According to George Bush, the Iraq war is boosting the US economy. Recently, he said to NBC's Ann Curry, "I think actually the spending in the war might help with jobs because we're buying equipment, and people are working."

Ah, the insensitivity of Bush illogic. Bush is killing our troops, Iraqis, and Afghans to pump up a financial system on life support. So why not strike Iran? If war spending is creating jobs, wage more wars to revive a gasping economy. Makes sense to George Bush.

SEARCHING FOR MISSING EMAILS REQUIRES TOO MUCH WORK

The White House’s chief information officer said the Bush administration should not be compelled to search for millions of emails on individual computers and hard drives that may have been lost between 2003 and 2005 because it would be too expensive and require hundreds of hours of work, according to a filing the White House made with a federal court late Friday.

REPUBLICANS PLAN DOUBLE-WHAMMY

While the media is filled with stories analyzing and dissecting the White House plans for war with Iran in the wake of the sacking of Admiral William Fallon, only a select few politicians and their minions will be privy to a plan that it is arresting in its boldness and predicated on the establishment of an ironclad pretext for the forthcoming US hard-power attack on the regime in Tehran.

BUSH: 'HIGH COST' OF WAR IN IRAQ WORTH EXPENSE

WASHINGTON -- Almost 4,000 U.S. troops killed. Nearly 30,000 wounded. Half a trillion dollars spent, and counting.

6 SIGNS THE U.S. MAY BE HEADED FOR WAR IN IRAN

1. Fallon's resignation: With the Army fully engaged in Iraq, much of the contingency planning for possible military action has fallen to the Navy, which has looked at the use of carrier-based warplanes and sea-launched missiles as the weapons to destroy Iran's air defenses and nuclear infrastructure.

RON PAUL OPENS THE WINDOW ON THE FED

Writes Dave Matthew: "Would this MSM story have been published, would these questions have been asked, without Ron Paul?

WE HAVE TO CHANGE THINGS, FOR THE KIDS OF THE WORLD

RON PAUL HAS SATISFIED THE BALLOT REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL U.S. STATES

ARLINGTON, Va.– LAWFUEL –Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has satisfied the ballot requirements for all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

“FREEDOM RALLY” IN D.C APRIL 15TH!!

Time to get on board!!

1). Donate

2). Sign

3). Go

Get all the details at: http://www.freedomrally.info/

NH PRIMARY VOTE FRAUD: THE LIES TAKE HOLD PART 2

March 21, 2008 Police dogs assigned, ballots in the dark, and the State of New Hampshire denies having any information about the K-9 Unit assignment. Then changes their mind when this video hits YouTube, says they are “looking for the records.”

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS WILL GO PRIVATE, THANKS TO THE IRAQ WAR

With America’s infrastructure creaking from neglect, free markets may be the only way to save the nation’s roads and highways. Bush’s Department of Transportation has made no secret of its desire to lease highways to private companies, to use tolls and congestion pricing, to auction off fast access to those willing to pay, and to otherwise let free markets drive transportation.

DEMOLITION FOR NAFTA SUPERHIGHWAY BEGINS

Opposition to the highway continues to mount, not only in Indiana but also all along the route of the so called NAFTA highway. Opponents are really getting vociferous in Texas where citizens are up in arms over the road and the taking of farms and ranches that have existed since the middle 19th Century.

NYPD BEAT UP TIBET PROTESTERS AND THREATEN TO KILL THEM

CHINA ADMITS POLICE SHOT TIBET PROTESTERS

Tibetans in China’s tense southwestern province of Sichuan said on Friday they believed police had killed several people in anti-Chinese riots there this week, disputing official claims none died.

THE IRAQ WAR PROFITEERS

No. 1: CACI

In early 2005 CIA officials told the Washington Post that at least 50 percent of its estimated $40 billion budget for that year would go to private contractors, an astonishing figure that suggests that concerns raised about outsourcing intelligence have barely registered at the policymaking levels.

10 OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC EVENTS OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

Year 2000: Iraq dumps the US dollar and switches to the euro - The following article, “The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War With Iraq”, which was written before the US invasion of Iraq, lays forth an argument that the war in Iraq was not just about oil but about the currency in which oil is traded. It is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to understand the basic concepts of American foreign policy, economics, and its military operations around the world. This article states that the principle reason why the United States invaded Iraq was because Saddam Hussein in the year 2000 went "ahead with its plans to stop using the U.S. dollar in its oil business" and start using the euro.

JEWISH ANTI SEMITISM AGAINST ISLAM IS A REAL PROBLEM

Israel and powerful Zionist circles in Europe and North America have been seeking of late to spread the message that criticizing Israel and her brutal policies and actions in occupied Palestine borders on anti-Semitism.

The ultimate purpose of this campaign is obviously to silence critics of Israel in order to allow the racist entity to murder Palestinians as quietly as possible and to steal their land as quietly as possible, and to get away with impunity.

Meanwhile, Israeli and Zionist hasbara doctors from Sydney to Los Angels are wasting no time inciting hatred against Islam and Muslims.

FOREIGN TOURIST NOT COMING TO THE UNITED STATES

The following video is from CNN’s The Situation Room, broadcast on March 21, 2008

I wonder if they're aware that they, like any of us, can be classified as "terrorists", detained, tortured and held indefinitely without legal council? -- ZDN

HOW TO DESTABALIZE COUNTRIES LEGALLY

To steal millions, you need a top team of armed robbers. But to steal billions, you need PhD’s with color charts and economic projections made of fairy dust and eye of newt.

WAS THIS CUT FROM 60 MINUTES TO KEEP YOU UNINFORMED?

The Comptroller General of the United States proclaims that our current standard of living is unsustainable unless drastic action is taken. He warns that funding shortfalls for the Medicare program is five times worse than Social Security, and it will take $8 TRILLION to pay for what is promised today to beneficiaries, of which we have ZERO!

SEEDS OF DECEPTION

This explosive exposé reveals what the biotech industry doesn't want you to know - how industry manipulation and political collusion, not sound science, allow dangerous genetically engineered food into your daily diet.

DOCUMENTARY EXAMINES POSSIBILITY OF US DOLLAR COLLAPSE

This is a summary of a documentary that aired recently on Dutch national television. The documentary was based on a script made by an economist who was assigned the task to make a 'what if' scenario about how the dollar could crash within 24 hours.

LOSE WEIGHT OR WE'LL TAKE ALL SIX OF YOUR CHILDREN AWAY

Six young brothers and sisters face being taken from their parents and put into care because they are overweight.

Social workers have warned they will intervene if three of the youngsters – including a 12-year-old boy who weighs 16 stone – do not shed several pounds in three months.

DOZENS DIE IN ATTACKS ACROSS IRAQ

A string of suicide attacks, shootings and rocket strikes have claimed dozens of lives on a day of violence in Iraq.

EPA EARTH DAY 2008 PHOTO CONTEST: PROTECTING THE CHEMTAILS

Concerned Americans and world chemtrail activists are uploading photos of toxic skies commonly known as chemtrail photos, to the EPA Earth Day contest site in protest.

1981-1983: NSC GAINS A CLEAR PICTURE OF BCCI’S CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES FROM CIA REPORTS

Norman Bailey, a member of the National Security Council (NSC) whose specialty is monitoring terrorism by tracking finances, will later reveal that in the early 1980s the NSC learns that BCCI is not just a bank but is engaged in widespread criminal activity.

1984: US AGENCIES KEEP US SENATOR IN DARK ABOUT BCCI’S CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES EDIT EVENT

In 1984, Senator Paula Hawkins (R-FL) meets with Pakistani President Muhammad Zia ul-Haq in Pakistan. During the meeting, she mentions that she is concerned about a Pakistani bank that is laundering money out of the Cayman Islands.

MARCH 1991-DECEMBER 1992: CIA HIDES ITS RELATIONSHIP TO CRIMINAL BCCI

In March 1991, Sen. John Kerry’s Senate investigation of the criminal Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) investigation hears about a secret CIA report on BCCI that was given to the Customs Service. Kerry’s office asks the CIA for a copy, but is told the report does not exist. After months of wrangling, more and more information about the CIA’s ties to BCCI comes out, and the CIA eventually gives Kerry that report and many other reports relating to BCCI. But crucially, the CIA does not share documents on CIA operations using the bank. Kerry’s public report will conclude, “Key questions about the relationship between US intelligence and BCCI cannot be answered at this time, and may never be.”

OCTOBER 10, 2001: PROMINENT BCCI FRONT MAN LINKED TO BIN LADEN

Shortly after 9/11, the Guardian will report that Ghaith Pharon is “directly linked to bin Laden through banks, holding companies, and charities.”

MAY 9-10, 1969: NEW YORK TIMES REVEALS SECRET CAMBODIA BOMBINGS; WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS WITH ILLEGAL WIRETAPS

The New York Times reveals the secret bombings of Cambodia, dubbed “Operation Menu” (see February 23-24, 1969 and March 15-17, 1969). National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger is apoplectic in his anger: shouting to President Nixon, “We must do something! We must crush those people! We must destroy them!” Kissinger is not only referring to the Times, but Defense Secretary Melvin Laird and Secretary of State William Rogers, whom he believes leaked the information to the Times in order to discredit him.