20 August 2011 — Information Clearing House

Getting Away with Torture: Obama Bans War Criminals, Except Our Own
By Nat Hentoff
You, President Obama, are obligated to bring the foregoing list of war criminals during the Bush presidency into our courts or, before that, be subject to an independent criminal investigation.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28897.htm

Lemmingly, We Roll Along
By Ray McGovern
When soldiers are killed, the politicians who sent them to their deaths typically use euphemisms, words like “fallen” or “ultimate sacrifice.” On one level, the avoidance of blunt language may be seen as a sign of respect, but on another, it is just one more evasion of responsibility.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28895.htm

We’ve Been Warned: The System is Ready to Blow
By Larry Elliott
Only a new way of managing the global economy can prevent more mayhem in the markets and on the streets.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28893.htm

Guard-Dogs for the Banks
The Case Against Rating Agencies
By Michael Hudson
Masquerading as objective think tanks and research organizations, the ratings agencies act as lobbyists for banks and underwriters by endorsing a race to the bottom.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28892.htm

One in Four California Families Can’t Afford Food for Their Kids
By Raul Rodriguez
California had the second highest number of metropolitan areas with rates of food hardship in households with children in 2009-2010, according to the report.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28898.htm

Nancy Pelosi Reported Net Worth Triples in Last Two Years
By Bluegrass Pundit
It’s nice to know someone is prospering during the ‘Obama years’. The rest of us are watching our home values and retirement investments plummet.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28896.htm

The American Dream?
Woman’s Yard Sale to Pay Medical Bills Gets Shut Down
By KATU
A woman fighting a terminal form of bone cancer is trying to raise money to help pay bills with a few weekend garage sales, but the city of Salem says she’s breaking the law and is shutting her down.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28894.htm

Syria death toll rises to 30; explosions in capital:
At least thirty people were killed Friday as Syrian troops intensified their crackdown on protesters, while explosions were reported near the Mazzeh military airport outside Damascus.
http://bit.ly/nSIj9M

Russia, Turkey stand by Assad:
A Russian Foreign Ministry source said Russia opposes U.S. and European calls for Assad leave power and believes he needs more time to implement promised reforms, while in Turkey. An official source told AFP Turkey also believes it is “too soon” to call for Assad’s departure.
http://bit.ly/oQEP7T

Israeli attacks kill 15 Palestinians in Gaza:
On Saturday the Israeli Air Force fired a missile at a motorcycle driving in Ath-Thaltheen Street, in Gaza City, killing three residents, including a child. Their bodies were severely mutilated.
http://www.imemc.org/article/61858

Grad rocket directly strikes home in Be’er Sheva; one dead, four seriously wounded:
Rocket and mortar strikes take place throughout southern Israel on Saturday; two children lightly wounded in Ofakim.
http://bit.ly/r1tJxK

Israel breaks 1979 peace treaty with Egypt:
“The (Multinational Force and Observer) recorded two violations committed by Israel,” the agency said, citing an MFO report. “The international forces said in their report on the deaths of Egyptian security personnel that the violations were entering Egyptian territory and firing in the Egyptian side of the border,” the agency reported.
http://bit.ly/r8ciun

‘Israel prepares for war in Sinai desert’:
Uzi Dayan told Israel’s Channel 7 on Friday that Israeli military and security forces should prepare for a period different from the past in dealing with the new Egyptian government. He claimed that the military effort would aim to target those that represent a threat to the Israeli regime. “This is the time for the Israeli army to prevail its control inside Sinai,” Dayan went on to say.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/194803.html

Egypt to withdraw ambassador to Israel over ambush:
Egypt recalled its ambassador from Israel Saturday to protest the deaths of at least three Egyptian troops killed in a shootout between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants who had launched a deadly attack on Israel from Egyptian soil.
http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-withdraw-ambassador-israel-over-ambush-040818250.html

Israel apologizes to Egypt for killing troops:
Israel apologized to Egypt Saturday for the deaths of three Egyptian soldiers during a cross-border clash with Palestinian militants, hours after Cairo threatened to withdraw its ambassador.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/7179345-418/israel-apologizes-to-egypt-for-killing-troops.html

Netanyahu: Killing of PRC heads ‘only beginning’ of Israel “retaliation”:
“We have a policy of extracting a very high price from anyone who causes us harm, and this policy is acted upon,” Netanyahu said.
http://bit.ly/pdrYN9

Hamas quits truce with Israel after days of deadly attacks on Gaza : Video –
Hopes for a Mid East peace agreement have been dealt a fresh blow with Hamas announcing it’s pulling out from a de facto ceasefire with Israel. The statement comes in response to two days of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that saw more than a dozen killed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0_Y9U1pPro&feature=player_embedded

Hamas armed wing denies ending Israel truce:
Spokesman for the Qassam brigades denies earlier radio announcement that de facto ceasefire with Israel was being ended.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/2011819141058600852.html

Spokesman: Fatah will be first to defend Gaza: –
Fatah said Saturday it would be in the forefront of the forces defending the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip by all means, calling upon other factions to unite in order to face Israel’s aggression and to implement a reconciliation agreement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=414769

Abbas calls for urgent Security Council meeting on Israeli strikes:
Sa’eb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator, told the Voice of Palestine Radio that Abbas instructed Ambassador Riyad Mansour of Palestine Observer Mission to the United Nations to call for an urgent session of the UNSC to discuss the air strikes on Gaza Strip that killed 15 residents and wounded dozens since Thursday.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article491261.ece

Talking heads: Arab League to hold emergency meeting over IDF strikes on Gaza:
Meeting to be held Sunday following request of Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas to ‘discuss the Israeli aggression on Gaza’; Abbas also calls for special UN Security Council session to discuss airstrikes.
http://bit.ly/qRIkYw

Americans sail across Atlantic to commemorate USS liberty:
A retired American professor has sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from his home in Texas to the Mediterranean in memory of the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty by Israeli forces, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Americans.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/194764.html

Six killed in attack on Yemen military camp:
Six armed men were killed in an attack on a military camp of the Republican Guard on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Saturday, the website of the ruling party said.
http://thesent.nl/qevK5Z

Libya rebels, Tunisian troops clash:
Tunisian troops clashed with a group of armed Libyans overnight in southwest Tunisia, an official said Saturday, as a former Libyan prime minister reportedly made it to Italy after fleeing Tripoli.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/1148190/1/.html

Libyan rebels ‘take control’ of central Brega:
Rebels claim centre of the eastern oil town, amid conflicting reports as to whether they control its oil facilities.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/08/201182013626871597.html

‘Zawiyah – the most destroyed town I’ve seen’:
Yesterday there was still street fighting in Zawiyah, but this war has suddenly picked up pace.
http://www.channel4.com/news/zawiyah-the-most-destroyed-town-ive-seen

Afghan landmines kill five:
Separate landmine explosions have killed four Afghan civilians and a policeman and injured four others, officials said Saturday.
http://bit.ly/oFiF1p

Afghanistan: NATO Kills 4 Civilians Sparks Protest:
Residents of southern Ghazni province protested on Saturday against the killing of four civilians during a nighttime operation by international troops.
http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/08/20/isaf-operation-sparks-protest-ghazni

Two Afghan Soldiers Killed, 12 Wounded in Herat Mine Blast:
At least two Afghan troop was killed and 12 other people including Afghan soldiers were wounded in a mine blast in western Herat province, local officials said.
http://bit.ly/r9hg8n

US troops may stay in Afghanistan until 2024:
America and Afghanistan are close to signing a strategic pact which would allow thousands of United States troops to remain in the country until at least 2024, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
http://tgr.ph/p0Rg5o

US Forces to Stay in Iraq Into 2012, Says Leon Panetta:
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Iraq’s government has agreed to extend the U.S. military presence in the country beyond 2011 – but Iraq quickly rejected the claim.
http://nation.foxnews.com/president-obama/2011/08/19/us-forces-stay-iraq-2012-says-leon-panetta

Ron Paul: Limit military to national defense:
History is an excellent teacher, and though her lessons can be painful, Americans had better start listening up, says Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
http://bit.ly/mZ1438

Iran convicts US ‘hikers’ as spies:
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were reportedly sentenced to eight years in prison for illegal entry and espionage.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/08/2011820132522606601.html

Witnesses claim cover-up in UN chief’s death:
NEW evidence has emerged in one of the most enduring mysteries of United Nations and African history, suggesting that the plane carrying the UN secretary-general, Dag Hammarskjold, was shot down over Northern Rhodesia – now Zambia – 50 years ago, and the murder covered up by British colonial authorities.
http://bit.ly/oSdXRZ

OPEC States that Venezuela has World’s Largest Oil Reserves:
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, a notoriously conservative organization, has stated that Venezuela has world’s largest oil reserves, even exceeding those of OPEC’s top producer, Saudi Arabia.
http://bit.ly/ppfdte

Chavez Emptying Bank of England Vault as Venezuela Brings Back Gold Hoard: :
Venezuela, which holds 211 tons of its 365 tons of gold reserves in U.S., European, Canadian and Swiss banks, will progressively return the bars to its central bank’s vault, Chavez said yesterday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Barclays Plc (BARC), and Standard Chartered Plc (STAN) also hold Venezuelan gold, he said.
http://bloom.bg/nmYH3c

‘UK on edge of civil war’ ?
British police are cracking down on users of social media for allegedly encouraging mass uprising during a time ripe with riots. One message on Facebook even got two Brits four years behind bars recently for what they say was just a drunk joke. Now human rights groups are sounding the alarm, saying the courts are over-reacting by dishing out penalties which are far too harsh.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28893.htm

Stock Tip: Be Worried. Workers Are Consumers.:
We’re slouching toward a double dip, and Wall Street is imploding, because consumers – whose spending is 70 percent of the economy – have reached their limit.
http://www.businessinsider.com/stock-tip-be-worried-workers-are-consumers-2011-8

Fixing Schools: A Smart Plan for Jobs:
Revamping schools is one pillar of Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s new job-creation bill, which would provide ‘400,000 construction and 250,000 maintenance jobs to fix American schools,” among various other public-service related work projects.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/11849/fixing_schools_can_be_a_smart_plan_for_jobs/

Jobless rate in Texas is up to 8.4%:
No other state has added more jobs than Texas over the past year, but the state’s unemployment rate in July still was the worst it’s been in nearly a quarter of a century.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Texas-jobless-rate-highest-in-24-years-2123673.php

Woman’s yard sale to pay medical bills gets shut down :
A woman fighting a terminal form of bone cancer is trying to raise money to help pay bills with a few weekend garage sales, but the city of Salem says she’s breaking the law and is shutting her down.Jan Cline had no idea, but the city of Salem has a clear law that states a person can only have three
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28894.htm

Feds Break Up Iraqi Crime Ring Accused Of Selling IEDs To Mexican Drug Cartels:
Federal law enforcement agents in San Diego arrested 60 people in connection to an Iraqi criminal ring with ties to Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa drug cartel.
http://read.bi/pmZUjW

Take The Pledge
“I pledge that if any U.S. troops, contractors, or mercenaries remain in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 6, 2011, as that occupation goes into its 11th year, I will commit to being in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., with others on that day or the days immediately following, for as long as I can, with the intention of making it our Tahrir Square, Cairo, our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza until our resources are invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation. We can do this together. We will be the beginning.”
http://october2011.org/welcome

Number Of Iraqis Slaughtered In US War And Occupation Of Iraq “1,455,590”
 
Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In America’s War On Iraq:  4,792
 http://www.icasualties.org/oif/
 
Number Of  International Occupation Force Troops Slaughtered In Afghanistan : 2,683

Cost of War in Iraq & Afghanistan
Total Cost of Wars Since 2001
$1,236,440,554,600  http://www.costofwar.com/