Bush blames Iraq's instability on Hussein

This W is really something! He knows no boundaries for stupidity and is not afraid of making a fool of himself!

So now he is blaming Iraq's instability on Hussein (here)!

Posted in: _Bushisms

Pressure on the USD

I am actually very curious about the way the USD is going to move against the Euro in the coming months.
Indeed it seems that it will fall nicely!
According to this and this, people holding a lot of USD a more willing to sell than to buy.
And the Chinese might also start to sell their USDs against gold to diversify their holdings (sorry I don't remember I read about this).

Posted in: _Economy

Freedom of Speech, revisited

I read a post not so long ago on a French blog, here, about the position of the EU on the subject of freedom of speech. I fully agree with what it says, and since it is in French, I decided to give you a translation so that everyone can understand :)

"The 25 EU member states took their time before reaching an official and common position on the caricatures and the violence they started in the Muslim world. This is now done: the foreign affairs ministers passed a resolution «on the reactions in the Muslimm world about the caricatures published in the European medias». So we can believe that every word has been carefully thought through. Well, the result worrisome: free speech is indeed confirmed as an «essential element of the democratic debate», but at the condition that it respects «the beliefs and convictions (religious or others) of others». And so that everybody gets it properly, they added: «the Council understands that the caricatures hurt and shocked Muslims all over the world, and regrets it». Yes you read correclty, regrets it.
To put it otherwise, as the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers believes that when anyone express himself, he must pay attention to the feelings and values of others and not only follow the laws of the States where this freedom of speech is applicable. In a world where information and the Internet are everywhere, this restriction is not to be taken lightly. Because we don't express ourselves in a given place anymore but in a global world from which it is not possible to escape. And this could go very far. When are we going to see protests in the Muslim world against posters made in the western world, shown in the western world and showing people lightly dressed or... withMuslime muslim scarf?
Freedom of speech doesn't mean anything if it is not absolute. Intolerance is spreading, even in European heads."

Posted in: _Democracy

French becoming more racist

This is just sad...

"One third of French people say they are racist, a French human rights watchdog said on Tuesday, after a survey that showed an increase from last year in the number of people who acknowledged being racist."


Posted in: _France , _Society

Confirmation of Global Systemic Crisis end of March 2006

Nine indicators developed in this month’s GlobalEurope Anticipation Bulletin, coordinated by Franck Biancheri, out of which 5 are presented in this public communication, enable LEAP/E2020 to confirm the beginning of a global systemic crisis by the end of March 2006. The recent international trends that particularly affect the international financial system, and the preoccupying trends in the US, namely as concerns the reliability of statistics on the US economy [1], have brought our research team to conclude that this global systemic crisis is already unfolding.


As always, time will tell :)


Posted in: _Economy

Belarus blocks more poll monitors

"Belarus has expelled more foreign observers ahead of Sunday's election which sees President Alexander Lukashenko running for a third term."

That seems like a nice place to have a good time :)

Posted in: _Democracy

'Rendition flights' landed in UK

Six US planes linked by campaigners to "extraordinary rendition" used UK airports 73 times since 2001, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has said.

OK, this seems to be proven now.
What is going to happen, what is the EU or UK going to do?
I guess nothing!
But at least people know now.


Posted in: _Democracy

Health Care, Made in USA

Another 60 Minutes report, about Health Care this time!

Most Americans know that if you get sick enough to go to a hospital, it's going to be expensive. But you may be surprised to learn that hospitals all over the country charge their highest prices, by far, to those who can afford it least — the 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance.
Hospitals charge uninsured patients two, three, four or more times what an insurance company would pay for the same treatment. And, when the uninsured can’t pay, they often find themselves the target of collection agencies or in bankruptcy court.

And all this in the so called richest country on Earth...


Posted in: _USA

The Court-Martial Of Willie Brand

Very good 60 Minutes report bringing more evidence that the torture scandals come from the very top!

My favorite part:

Wilkerson says the Secretary of State, who devoted much of his life to the Army, was enraged. As the Abu Ghraib torture scandal was breaking, Wilkerson says his boss (Colin Powell) snapped up the phone and called Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
"And he essentially said, 'Don, don’t you know what you’re doing to our credibility around the world don’t you know what you’re doing to our image?' And for Secretary Powell to raise his voice that way was quite extraordinary. I’ve only heard him do it maybe five times in 16 years," says Wilkerson.
"What do you mean he raised his voice?" Pelley asked.
"I’m sure Secretary Rumsfeld was probably holding the phone away from his ear," Wilkerson replied.


Posted in: _IraqWar

Bush reaffirms first-strike policy

Bush reaffirms first-strike policy, and Iran is the next target!

I just hope that this time, world leaders and the american people won't follow or swallow what they are lied about!


Posted in: _Geopolitics

FBI Spied on PA Peace Group Because of Antiwar Views

Viva USA (bis)!


Newly released files show the FBI has been monitoring and possibly infiltrating a Pittsburgh peace group because of its opposition to the war in Iraq. We speak with the former head of the Thomas Merton Center, who was personally named in the FBI spy files as well as the New York Civil Liberties Union which has filed FOIA requests to determine whether the FBI is spying on the ACLU and other prominent political and religious groups in the city.


Posted in: _Democracy , _Society , _USA

Military Jailing Vietnam War Resisters 40 Years After They Refused to Serve

Viva USA!

Concerned about growing desertion and resistance within the military, the U.S. government is arresting men who refused to fight a generation ago in the Vietnam War. We speak with Ernest "Buck" McQueen, a Vietnam War resister who was jailed in January for desertion, 40 years after he left the Marines and his attorney, Tod Ensign who is the director of GI advocacy group, Citizen Soldier.


Posted in: _Democracy , _USA

Israel invade Palestinian prison

Israeli politicians currently governing the country are either idiots or masochists.
But one thing is for sure is that they stopped caring about International Law a long time ago (together with common sense).
And all the government keeping silent about this are to be ashamed as well!!


Posted in: _Geopolitics

The Silent Takeover Review

Thanks to the globalization of capitalism, big multinationals are now more powerful and richer than many states. Also thanks to globalization, big companies now have enormous bargaining clout against government (desperate for jobs) and often get tax reduction and/or subsidies from them.
With their hands and feet tied up, governments have more and more troubles raising enough money to carry out social plans ensuring a more equal society. Indeed, the richer get richer and the poorer poorer!
Moreover the difference between right and left parties is shrinking since they have to obey to the corporate imperatives. And this in turn makes people more and more uninterested in politics and voting. The only power people have left is boycotting products and mass protest. But the truth about corruption and misconducts has to be put in the open. And this simple but essential thing is put in jeopardy when the medias are either own by big groups or dependent on advertising money. So we end up in a situation where people have to care so much that they would actively seek for all that is deliberately hidden from them. Fat chance!!
They are indeed either too busy working 2 crapy jobs in order to survive or too taken by the 21st century "bread and circus" shielding them from the truth!
Let's simply hope that things like the Internet will help raise consciousness about what is really going on and make people regroup and fight for society's good.
Otherwise it is fucked basically! Richer will get richer and poorer will get poorer...

The book illustrates all this in a very good and detailed way. Highly recommended!
It focuses its examples on the US and UK, where capitalism is at its best. So it might seem a bit unbelievable for most europeans. But at the same time it is a good reminder that some basics have to be protected from the market rule (like health, public medias, social benefits,...).


Posted in: _Democracy , _Economy