News For September 17, 2010

They Died for Iran

By Sheldon Richman

Whatever the future holds, we can be sure of one thing: Americans died in Iraq for the benefit of Iran. Continue

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Real Versus Fake Crises
Concealing The Risk of An All Out Nuclear War

By Michel Chossudovsky

We have reached a turning point in our history. The US and its allies are preparing to launch a nuclear war with devastating consequences. Continue

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Signs of a Rift Between U.S. Politicians and U.S. National Security?
The Hate Mongers Among Us

By Jeff Gates

Do these small chinks in the Zionist armor suggest that Israeli dominance of U.S. foreign policy may be drawing to a close? Continue

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Accused of Telling the Truth
A Campaign to Free Bradley Manning

By Ann Wright

He now faces decades in prison for letting Americans see the truth about our wars on Iraq and Afghanistan by allegedly leaking the “Collateral Murder” videos -- of two Reuters’ journalists being shot and killed by a U.S. helicopter -- to WikiLeaks. Continue

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This Country Just Can't Deal with Reality Any More

By Robert Parry

Trapped in the mud, millions of Americans are complaining about their loss of economic status, their sense of powerlessness, their nation’s decline. But instead of examining how the country stumbled into this morass, many still choose not to face reality. Continue

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300 Economists Warn Obama
Grave Danger Ahead

By Bryce Covert

This is not the time for balancing the budget and slashing the deficit, it is “the time for bold initiatives to rebuild America and to generate jobs and growth.” Continue

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Americans No Longer Invest In Their Future

By Mike Thurau, Columnist

Why is a baby born in Puerto Rico more likely to survive into adulthood? Why does 10 percent of the population control nearly 80 percent of the wealth while 3.5 million people are homeless every year? Or, why are students in former Soviet prison states like the Czech Republic and Latvia consistently scoring better on achievement tests than American public schools despite the billions of dollars we invest in education? Continue

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Money for Prisons, Not for Social Services

By Haider Rizvi

Many of those who have lost their jobs and homes in the United States due to the lingering economic recession are ending up in jail, according to a new study released by an independent think tank Thursday.Continue

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Tent City: The Face Of Poverty In US

By RT Video Report

The poor return to the forest and build tent cities. Continue

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C’mon, Time to Rebrand Your Life!

By John Pilger

The South African treasury reckons it put $5bn into the World Cup, while corporate sponsors took home more than $4bn in tax-free profits. All those corporate parties, free tickets, kickbacks and other "gifts" merely indulged a post-apartheid elite that presides over the most inequitable society on earth. Continue

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15 killed in Somalia during government session: Mortar rounds fired by suspected Islamist insurgents crashed into Somalia's government complex on Thursday, killing three government soldiers, wounding a member of Parliament and triggering a counterattack that killed a dozen more people.

UN paints bleak Somalia picture: Representative to Horn of African nation calls situation "very grave" as political instability compounds security woes.

15 killed in pre-election Afghan violence: Officials said Thursday that a NATO soldier, a dozen suspected insurgents and two Afghan children were killed in separate attacks ahead of parliamentary elections at the weekend.

Two occupation force members killed in southern Afghanistan: The service members were killed during two separate insurgent attacks in the south of the war-torn country, but other details were not immediately released.

Afghanistan: Italian soldier killed by gunfire: A member of the Italian special forces was killed Friday in southern Afghanistan after coming under attack during a mission to capture four suspected insurgents.

Taliban Say They Kidnapped 30 Involved in Election: The Taliban on Friday claimed to have kidnapped 30 campaign workers, election officials and even a candidate for Parliament as Afghans prepared to vote in elections Saturday.

Karachi tense after UK killing: Pakistan's biggest city comes to a near-standstill amid fears of unrest after a Pakistani politician is slain in London.

Two killed, 25 injured in Kashmir violence: Two persons were killed and 25 others injured as violent protests continued at several places in Kashmir Valley where curfew remained in force in Srinagar and other major towns for the fifth successive day today.

Iraq: Suicide attack kills 2 Sahwa fighters, injures 3 in Samarra: Two Sahwa fighters were killed and three others were wounded in a suicide bombing attack in Samarra on Thursday, according to a security source.

U.S. soldier killed, another wounded north of Baghdad: A U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded in a blast inside the joint base of Balad, north of Baghdad, the third announced U.S. fatality this month, according to the U.S. army on Thursday.

Two soldiers killed in "al-Qaida" ambush in Yemen: At least two soldiers were killed on Thursday when some "al-Qaida" fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade on the soldiers' patrol vehicle in Yemen's southeast province of Shabwa, a local security official told Xinhua.

Creating new Enemies: Threats from Somalia and Yemen rise - MI5: Suspected al Qaeda plots targeting Britain originate increasingly in Somalia and Yemen, partly as a result of counter-terrorism pressure on the group's leaders in Pakistan, the head of MI5 said.

Israeli occupation forces kill unarmed Hamas commander in West Bank: No weapons were found on Shilbayeh's body when it was searched after the shooting and the Israeli military said it will investigate the killing.

Following Israeli assassination of Hamas leader in Tulkarem, Israeli & PA forces detain opponents across the West Bank

Puppets find own voice: Arab states snub US over Israel resolution at IAEA meeting: Arab states refused on Thursday to drop plans to chide Israel over its assumed nuclear arsenal at a UN nuclear conference next week, despite US suggestions that such a move would jeopardise Middle East peace talks.

Israel to accept gift valued at $2.75 billion for F 35 fighters from US Taxpayers: No doubt U.S. politicians who have Lockheed Martin related facilities in their areas will praise the job creation involved..

S Africans charged in 'organ trade': Five South African doctors were charged as part of the case with performing illegal kidney transplants for rich Israelis using organs bought from poor Brazilians and Romanians, South African newspapers reported.

Nuclear waste piles up with no disposal plan: Tens of thousands of tons of potentially lethal radioactive waste have been piling up across the nation for more than a generation, but the federal government has yet to decide how to get rid of it permanently.

Pushing drugs on kids: U.S. Drug Firm Penalized $300 million for Criminal Actions: A major U.S. drug company, Forest Pharmaceuticals, has agreed to plead guilty to three charges related to selling an unapproved drug, promoting an antidepressant to children and obstructing federal agents.

US drones prowl Mexico bicentennial: As independence celebrations begin, Mexico's historical enemy and trading partner is militarising the border region.

Europe stalked by spectre of mass unemployment: Rise in UK claimants prompts calls for rethink in austerity plans

About 44 million in U.S. lived below poverty line in 2009, census data show: In the second year of a brutal recession, the ranks of the American poor soared to their highest level in half a century and millions more are barely avoiding falling below the poverty line, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.
Poverty Rises as Wall Street Billionaires Whine: Why are Wall Street's billionaires so whiny? Is it really possible to make $900,000 an hour (not a typo -- that's what the top ten hedge fund managers take in), and still feel aggrieved about the way government is treating you?
Home Prices Drop in 36 States; 8 Million Foreclosure-Bound Homes to Hit the Market; Prices to Stagnate for a Decade
Bank Repossessions Hit Record High in August: RealtyTrac: The number of homes taken back by lenders hit a new record high last month, according to RealtyTrac. Lenders foreclosed on 95,364 U.S. properties in August, about 2 percent higher than the previous peak of 93,777 recorded by the company in May 2010.
US homes lost to foreclosure up 25 pct on year: Lenders took back more homes in August than in any month since the start of the U.S. mortgage crisis.
Report: More Than a Third of Americans OK with Strategic Default : Still-falling property values are pushing more homeowners underwater, and the social stigma attached to foreclosure is steadily eroding as delinquencies become almost commonplace – such factors can fuel the fire for so-called strategic defaults.
Home foreclosures up 37% in New York: Home foreclosure filings in New York rose nearly 37 percent in August compared to the month before, a much sharper increase than the rate for the United States, according to a new report.
California racks up 20% of nation's foreclosure filings in August: California alone accounted for 20 percent of the national foreclosure total in August, according to a report from RealtyTrac.
Bailed-Out Banks Finance Predatory Payday Lenders: American taxpayers bailed out the big banks. Now many of those banks are returning the favor by extending credit to payday lenders who sucker consumers into a spiraling debt trap.
More Delinquent Loans Entering Foreclosure Process: LPS: Total U.S. pre-sale foreclosure inventory rate will be reported at 3.80 percent – a jump of 1.5 percent compared to the previous month, and 4.9 percent higher than a year earlier.
Only 5% of Laid-Off Californians Have Found New Jobs: California this year has gained back just 5.4% of the jobs it lost during the recession. Increased hiring in the temporary workforce and in industries such as retail and tourism have barely made a dent in a state hit by far larger job cuts in print media and telecommunications